A late Holocene winter monsoon record inferred from the palaeo-aeolian sand dune in the southeastern Mu Us Desert, northern China

The variation of the Asian winter monsoonal strength has seriously affected the climate and environmental conditions in the Asian monsoonal region, and even in marginal islands and the ocean in the East Asian region. However, relevant understanding remains unclear due to the lack of suitable geological materials and effective proxies in the key study areas. Here, we present a grain-size record derived from the palaeo-aeolian sand dune in the southeastern Mu Us Desert, together with other proxies and OSL dating, which reflect a relatively detailed history of the winter monsoon and abrupt environmental events during the past 4.2 ka. Our grain-size standard deviation model indicated that >224 μm content can be considered as an indicator of the intensity of Asian winter monsoon, and it shows declined around 4.2-2.1 ka, enhanced but unstable in 2.1-0.9 ka, and obviously stronger since then. In addition, several typical climate events were also documented, forced by the periodic variation of winter monsoonal intensity. These include the cold intervals of 4.2, 2.8, 1.4 ka, and the Little Ice Age (LIA), and relatively warm sub-phases around 3.0, 2.1, 1.8 ka, and the Medieval Warm Period (MWP), which were roughly accordant with the records of the aeolian materials, peat, stalagmites, ice cores, and sea sediments in various latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. Combined with the previous progresses of the Asian summer monsoon, we preliminarily confirmed a millennial-scale anti-correlation of Asian winter and summer monsoons in the Late Holocene epoch. This study suggests that the evolution of the palaeo-aeolian sand dune has the potential for comprehending the history of Asian monsoon across the desert regions of the modern Asian monsoonal margin in northern China.     

Three-dimensional stability of landslides based on local safety factor

Unlike the limit equilibrium method (LEM), with which only the global safety factor of the landslide can be calculated, a local safety factor (LSF) method is proposed to evaluate the stability of different sections of a landslide in this paper. Based on three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulation results, the local safety factor is defined as the ratio of the shear strength of the soil at an element on the slip zone to the shear stress parallel to the sliding direction at that element. The global safety factor of the landslide is defined as the weighted average of all local safety factors based on the area of the slip surface. Some example analyses show that the results computed by the LSF method agree well with those calculated by the General Limit Equilibrium (GLE) method in two-dimensional (2D) models and the distribution of the LSF in the 3D slip zone is consistent with that indicated by the observed deformation pattern of an actual landslide in China.     

Development and Extension of An Aggregated Scale Model: Part 1 – Background to ASMITA

Whilst much attention has been given to models that describe wave, tide and sediment transport processes in sufficient detail to determine the local changes in bed level over a relatively detailed representation of the bathymetry, far less attention has been given to models that consider the problem at a much larger scale (e.g. that of geomorphological elements such as a tidal flat and tidal channel). Such aggregated or lumped models tend not to represent the processes in detail but rather capture the behaviour at the scale of interest. One such model developed using the concept of an equilibrium concentration is the Aggregated Scale Morphological Interaction between Tidal basin and Adjacent coast (ASMITA). In this paper we provide some new insights into the concepts of equilibrium, and horizontal and vertical exchange that are key components of this modelling approach. In a companion paper, we summarise a range of developments that have been undertaken to extend the original model concept, to illustrate the flexibility and power of the conceptual framework. However, adding detail progressively moves the model in the direction of the more detailed process-based models and we give some consideration to the boundary between the two.     

Hybrid N-order Lagrangian Interpolation Eulerian?Lagrangian Method for Salinity Calculation

The Eulerian?Lagrangian method (ELM) has been used by many ocean models as the solution of the advection equation, but the numerical error caused by interpolation imposes restriction on its accuracy. In the present study, hybrid N-order Lagrangian interpolation ELM (LiELM) is put forward in which the N-order Lagrangian interpolation is used at first, then the lower order Lagrangian interpolation is applied in the points where the interpolation results are abnormally higher or lower. The calculation results of a step-shaped salinity advection model are analyzed, which show that higher order (N=3?8) LiELM can reduce the mean numerical error of salinity calculation, but the numerical oscillation error is still significant. Even number order LiELM makes larger numerical oscillation error than its adjacent odd number order LiELM. Hybrid N-order LiELM can remove numerical oscillation, and it significantly reduces the mean numerical error when N is even and the current is in fixed direction, while it makes less effect on mean numerical error when N is odd or the current direction changes periodically. Hybrid odd number order LiELM makes less mean numerical error than its adjacent even number order LiELM when the current is in the fixed direction, while the mean numerical error decreases as N increases when the current direction changes periodically, so odd number of N may be better for application. Among various types of Hybrid N-order LiELM, the scheme reducing N-order directly to 1st-order may be the optimal for synthetic selection of accuracy and computational efficiency.     

Protective effects of C-phycocyanin on alcohol-induced acute liver injury in mice

Excessive alcohol consumption leads to liver disease. Extensive evidence suggests that C-phycocyanin (C-PC), a chromophore phycocyanobilin derived from Spirulina platensis, exerts protective effects against chemical-induced organ damage. In this study, we investigated whether C-PC could protect against ethanol-induced acute liver injury. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (CHOL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), liver homogenate malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) content were measured, and pathological examination of liver sections were examined. C-PC showed obvious inhibitory effects on serum ALT, AST, TG, CHOL, LDL and MDA, and SOD content significantly increased in the liver. The structure of hepatic lobules was clear, liver sinus returned to normal, and liver cell cords were arranged in neat rows. Cloudiness, swelling, inflammatory cell infiltration and spotty necrosis of liver cells were significantly reduced. Therefore, C-PC can significantly protect against ethanol-induced acute liver injury.     

新疆乌鲁木齐东部早二叠世枕状玄武岩火山岩系的发现及大地构造意义

新疆乌鲁木齐东部野生动物园附近的下二叠统下部发育了一套以枕状玄武岩为代表的火山岩系。该玄武岩在公路上发育有两层,上部一层较厚,可达7～8m,下部一层2～3m。岩枕近圆形、肾状、枕状、条带状或蠕虫状等,多呈顶突底凹。岩枕长轴平行排列,长轴基本顺层面分布;有的岩枕中含大量海百合茎、珊瑚及腕足等生物化石。在TAS图中大部分样品位于玄武粗安岩,而在K_2O-SiO_2图上主要落在低K拉斑玄武岩区间。MnOTiO_2-P_2O_5图解显示以岛弧为主,常量元素的特征总体上更接近岛弧玄武岩。在Hf/3-Th-Ta图解上也以岛弧为主;在Zr/4-2Nb-Y图解显示以火山弧为主,常量元素的特点总体上更接近岛弧玄武岩。微量元素原始地幔标准化蛛网图表明为同源岩浆产物,具高度相似的演化过程,多种微量元素判别图揭示岛弧-弧后盆地环境;稀土总量明显较低,在稀土元素球粒陨石标准化图解上,其稀土分布曲线一致性较好,呈轻稀土富集右倾型,Eu为负异常,揭示了乌东玄武岩岩浆有一定分异。稀土元素配分曲线与弧后盆地玄武岩(BABB)具有很好的一致性。U-Pb和谐年龄为283±8Ma,结合地层及古生物资料推测乌东玄武岩喷发的时间为早二叠世早期。乌东枕状玄武岩-灰岩之下有一套(磨拉石)底砾岩,初定为石炭-二叠系的界限。底砾岩之下为下石炭统的中厚层灰岩,具有明显的喀斯特化,为不整合接触,揭示在两者之间发生了造山作用。通过对新疆乌东早二叠世早期的枕状玄武岩的地质特征、地球化学特征、形成环境和时代的研究,表明乌东一带早二叠世主要为一个岛弧和弧后盆地环境,进一步揭示了北天山北缘石炭-二叠世碰撞闭合造山之后又发生了松弛扩张形成了弧后盆地,海水再度大规模入侵。最终的闭合碰撞造山的时间最早可能在晚二叠世。由于乌东枕状玄武岩在喷出地表后受到了生物化石和陆源碎屑的污染,再加上侵入过程中地壳的污染,使其具有非常复杂的地球化学特点和多解性。乌东玄武岩的研究对于了解博格达山、甚至天山中段在晚古生代的构造沉积演化及造山作用具有重要意义,同时对准噶尔盆地、吐哈盆地及三塘湖盆地油气资源的形成与分布具有重要意义。     

中国南部及邻区能源资源成矿区带数据集

能源矿产是国家安全和经济发展的战略资源,加强我国及周边地区油气和煤等能源资源的研究和开发利用意义重大。依据板块构造和大陆动力学以及油气与煤成藏地质学理论,以深部构造控制盆—山发育、盆—山耦合和热动力系统控制成矿的研究工作思路,应用70个油气田、471个煤田的基础地质资料,从沉积盆地发育的区域地质特征、成矿地质条件和成矿单元诸多方面,在地理信息系统（GIS）平台上提示了该区板块构造格局与能源资源的时空分布规律。中国南部及邻区能源资源可划分为3个成矿域,每个成矿域又可进一步划分为成矿省、含矿区（盆地）、矿田聚集区带、矿田（油气田）五个级别的成矿区域。数据集由构造带（断裂带和造山带）类型和时代、盆地类型和时代、能源矿产资源类型和丰度、成矿区带等元数据组成。该数据集是在区域大地构造研究的基础上,结合沉积盆地能源矿产（石油、天然气、煤）资源评价资料,综合分析成矿区带特征,利用地理信息系统（GIS）建立的一套完整的数据库,不仅是对中国南部及邻区区域地质认识和沉积盆地能源资源勘查工作成果的集成,而且为国家科学地引导地质找矿工作部署提供理论基础。     

陆相红层型铜铅锌矿床与红层盆地热卤水成矿作用

新疆乌恰县乌拉根超大型铅锌矿是中国发现的首个产于陆相红层盆地中的红层型铅锌矿床,对其成矿作用及成因有多种不同认识,但都将其归入现有的一些矿床类型,如喷流沉积型、砂岩型等,却均不能反映其独特的成矿环境与成矿作用。为此,在广泛收集和研究全国陆相红层盆地及其矿产的地质资料基础上,通过区域地质构造背景、含矿建造、矿床特征、控矿因素、成矿物质来源、成矿流体等方面对比分析,认为乌拉根铅锌矿与中国大量产于陆相盆地内红色建造中的红层铜矿,在矿床特征、控矿条件、矿床成因等方面具有高度的一致性,均为陆相红层盆地热卤水作用的结果,是同一类型的矿床。红层型矿床是地洼区的特有矿产,是地球地质演化到地洼阶段才出现的新的矿床类型,陆相红层盆地热卤水作用是一个完全独立的成矿系统,因此将其作为一个单独的矿床类型——红层型矿床是合理的,既具有重要理论意义,也具有重要的实践意义,为铅锌矿找矿开辟了新的方向和领域。     

从成岩-蚀变特征探讨塔深1井白云岩储层成因

塔深1井钻遇的寒武系地层属于中寒武统阿瓦塔格组和上寒武统丘里塔格下亚群。阿瓦塔格组以灰色-深灰色粉晶-细晶藻白云岩为主,丘里塔格下亚群以灰色-浅灰色晶粒结构白云岩与残余亮晶结构白云岩为主。藻白云岩在阴极发光下以明亮的中等强度砖红色-桔黄色为主要特点,具有相对偏重的δ18O值(-6.3‰~-4.5‰,平均为-5.3‰,VPDB)、相对较高的稀土总量以及与正常海相碳酸盐岩相似的稀土配分样式。晶粒白云岩与残余亮晶结构白云岩在阴极发光下以偏暗的中等强度蓝紫色-砖红色为主要特点,具有相对偏轻的δ18O值(-9.2‰~-5.7‰,平均为-7.5‰,VPDB)、相对偏低的稀土总量、Eu正异常与重稀土明显亏损为特点的稀土配分模式。阿瓦塔格组和丘里塔格下亚群白云岩在上述岩石学特征和地球化学特征上的差异表明储层发育的成岩-蚀变过程存在差异。研究认为,埋藏较深的阿瓦塔格组优质储层的形成受多种因素控制,其中准同生期大气淡水作用下石膏结核的溶解及非稳定碳酸盐矿物的溶解奠定了基础,后期成岩改造及流体作用进行了强化,局部遭充填破坏。