Silicon isotope fractionation in bamboo and its significance to the biogeochemical cycle of silicon

A systematic investigation on silica contents and silicon isotope compositions of bamboos was undertaken. Seven bamboo plants and related soils were collected from seven locations in China. The roots, stem, branch and leaves for each plant were sampled and their silica contents and silicon isotope compositions were determined. The silica contents and silicon isotope compositions of bulk and water-soluble fraction of soils were also measured. The silica contents of studied bamboo organs vary from 0.30% to 9.95%. Within bamboo plant the silica contents show an increasing trend from stem, through branch, to leaves. In bamboo roots the silica is exclusively in the endodermis cells, but in stem, branch and leaves, the silica is accumulated mainly in epidermal cells. The silicon isotope compositions of bamboos exhibit significant variation, from −2.3‰ to 1.8‰, and large and systematic silicon isotope fractionation was observed within each bamboo. The δ³⁰Si values decrease from roots to stem, but then increase from stem, through branch, to leaves. The ranges of δ³⁰Si values within each bamboo vary from 1.0‰ to 3.3‰. Considering the total range of silicon isotope composition in terrestrial samples is only 7‰, the observed silicon isotope variation in single bamboo is significant and remarkable. This kind of silicon isotope variation might be caused by isotope fractionation in a Rayleigh process when SiO₂ precipitated in stem, branches and leaves gradually from plant fluid. In this process the Si isotope fractionation factor between dissolved Si and precipitated Si in bamboo (α_pre-sol) is estimated to be 0.9981. However, other factors should be considered to explain the decrease of δ³⁰Si value from roots to stem, including larger ratio of dissolved H₄SiO₄ to precipitated SiO₂ in roots than in stem. There is a positive correlation between the δ³⁰Si values of water-soluble fractions in soils and those of bulk bamboos, indicating that the dissolved silicon in pore water and phytoliths in soil is the direct sources of silicon taken up by bamboo roots. A biochemical silicon isotope fractionation exists in process of silicon uptake by bamboo roots. Its silicon isotope fractionation factor (α_bam-wa) is estimated to be 0.9988. Considering the distribution patterns of SiO₂ contents and δ³⁰Si values among different bamboo organs, evapotranspiration may be the driving force for an upward flow of a silicon-bearing fluid and silica precipitation. Passive silicon uptake and transportation may be important for bamboo, although the role of active uptake of silicic acid by roots may not be neglected. The samples with relatively high δ³⁰Si values all grew in soils showing high content of organic materials. In contrast, the samples with relatively low δ³⁰Si values all grew in soil showing low content of organic materials. The silicon isotope composition of bamboo may reflect the local soil type and growth conditions. Our study suggests that bamboos may play an important role in global silicon cycle.     

Experimental investigation on thermochemical sulfate reduction by H2S initiation

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is known to catalyze thermochemical sulfate reduction (TSR) by hydrocarbons (HC), but the reaction mechanism remains unclear. To understand the mechanism of this catalytic reaction, a series of isothermal gold-tube hydrous pyrolysis experiments were conducted at 330 °C for 24 h under a constant confining pressure of 24.1 MPa. The reactants used were saturated HC (sulfur-free) and CaSO₄ in the presence of variable H₂S partial pressures at three different pH conditions. The experimental results showed that the in-situ pH of the aqueous solution (herein, in-situ pH refers to the calculated pH of aqueous solution under the experimental conditions) can significantly affect the rate of the TSR reaction. A substantial increase in the TSR reaction rate was recorded with a decrease in the in-situ pH value of the aqueous solution involved. A positive correlation between the rate of TSR and the initial partial pressure of H₂S occurred under acidic conditions (at pH ∼3-3.5). However, sulfate reduction at pH ∼5.0 was undetectable even at high initial H₂S concentrations. To investigate whether the reaction of H₂S_(aq) and occurs at pH ∼3, an additional series of isothermal hydrous pyrolysis experiments was conducted with CaSO₄ and variable H₂S partial pressures in the absence of HC at the same experimental temperature and pressure conditions. CaSO₄ reduction was not measurable in the absence of paraffin even with high H₂S pressure and acidic conditions. These experimental observations indicate that the formation of organosulfur intermediates from H₂S reacting with hydrocarbons may play a significant role in sulfate reduction under our experimental conditions rather than the formation of elemental sulfur from H₂S reacting with sulfate as has been suggested previously (Toland W. G. (1960) Oxidation of organic compounds with aqueous sulphate. J. Am. Chem. Soc.82, 1911-1916).Quantification of labile organosulfur compounds (LSC), such as thiols and sulfides, was performed on the products of the reaction of H₂S and HC from a series of gold-tube non-isothermal hydrous pyrolysis experiments conducted at about pH 3 from 300 to 370 °C and a 0.1-°C/h heating rate. Incorporation of sulfur into HC resulted in an appreciable amount of thiol and sulfide formation. The rate of LSC formation positively correlated with the initial H₂S pressure. Thus, we propose that the LSC produced from H₂S reaction with HC are most likely the reactive intermediates for H₂S initiation of sulfate reduction. We further propose a three-step reaction scheme of sulfate reduction by HC under reservoir conditions, and discuss the geological implications of our experimental findings with regard to the effect of formation water and oil chemistry, in particular LSC content.     

A strong temperature effect on U/Ca in planktonic foraminiferal carbonates

Three planktonic foraminiferal species Globigerina bulloides, Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (d), and Globorotalia inflata collected from core-tops spanning 35° to 65°N in the North Atlantic were used for U/Ca and Mg/Ca and foraminiferal shell weight analyses. Except for U/Ca in G. bulloides calcified under warm conditions (>∼13 °C), U/Ca ratios in all three studied species increase with decreasing latitude and show strong positive correlations with Mg/Ca ratios. A dissolution effect on planktonic U/Ca is suggested by decreased shell weight and U/Ca and Mg/Ca ratios for shells from very deep water depth (>4.4 km) along the latitudinal transect. G. bulloides from down core samples in the North Atlantic show low U/Ca ratios during the last glacial and high ratios during the Holocene, similar to the Mg/Ca evolution trend. In general, our data indicate that the U incorporation into planktonic foraminiferal carbonates is strongly influenced by calcification temperature, although U/Ca in G. bulloides may be affected by seawater carbonate ion concentration under warm conditions and/or other factors.     

The posthumous tectonics and mechanism of exhumation of granitic plutons: The case of the Transbaikal region and the Tien Shan

The study of granitic plutons of the Baikal Highland and the Tien Shan has made it possible to establish new features of their posthumous (after incorporation into the consolidated Earth’s crust) structural reworking and to understand the implications of the cataclastic flow for the exhumation of the crystalline basement in the studied regions. It is shown that granitic plutons undergo appreciable structural transformation at the stages of tectonic reactivation that is significantly separated in time from the moment of formation of plutons as geological bodies. The 3D cataclastic deformation is the main mode of structural reworking of granitic plutons, while the cataclastic flow is the main form of their mobility. Newly recognized slice structures characterize the volumetric deformation of granites.     

Synchronism in compression of the lithosphere in the central Atlantic and Western Tethys at the Tortonian-Messinian transition

The structure of anomalously uplifted areas in transverse ridges of the Vema, S o Paulo, and Romanche fracture zones is considered. It is concluded that their formation and eventual development in the present-day structure of the central Atlantic bottom proceeded during two stages. The first stage that corresponds to a short period at the Tortonian-Messinian transition (10 Ma ago) was marked by transportation of deep-seated rocks into the upper part of the lithosphere along thrust faults with mass motion in the meridional direction along the axis of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The second stage was characterized by contrasting highamplitude vertical movements from 10 to 3 Ma ago. It is suggested that near-meridional compression in the domains surrounding the Western Tethys in the Tortonian-Messinian resulted in deformation of the upper lithosphere within large transform fracture zones of the central Atlantic. The deformation that occurred 10 Ma ago was a manifestation of the global neotectonic epoch of the Earth.     

Sorption of Ni on Na-rectorite studied by batch and spectroscopy methods

Sorption of Ni²⁺ on Na-rectorite as a function of contact time, temperature, pH and fulvic acid (FA)/humic acid (HA) was studied under ambient conditions. A pseudo-second-order rate equation was used to simulate the kinetic sorption. The removal of Ni²⁺ increased with increasing pH. The presence of FA/HA enhanced the sorption of Ni²⁺ at low pH values, whereas no drastic effect of FA/HA on Ni²⁺ uptake to rectorite was found at high pH values. The diffuse layer model (DLM) fitted the experimental data of Ni²⁺ sorption in the absence and presence of FA/HA very well with the aid of FITEQL 3.2. The Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R) models were used to simulate the sorption isotherms of Ni²⁺ at different temperatures. The thermodynamic data (ΔH⁰, ΔS⁰, ΔG⁰) were calculated from the temperature dependent sorption isotherms and the results suggested that the sorption process of Ni²⁺ on rectorite was spontaneous and endothermic. The sorption and species of Ni²⁺ on rectorite in the presence and absence of FA/HA was also investigated and characterized by XPS. The spectroscopic analysis indicated no drastic structural changes of Na-rectorite and the sorption of Ni²⁺ mainly occurred on the surface and at the edge position of Na-rectorite.     

The Ruiga intrusion: A typical example of a shallow-facies paleoproterozoic peridotite-gabbro-komatiite-basaltic association of the Vetreny Belt,Southeastern Fennoscandia

The Ruiga differentiated mafic-ultramafic intrusion in the northwestern part of the Vetreny Belt paleorift was described for the first time based on geological, petrological, geochronological, and geochemical data. The massif (20 km² in exposed area) is a typical example of shallow-facies peridotite-gabbro-komatiite-basalt associations and consists of three zones up to 810 m in total thickness (from bottom to top): melanogab-bronorite, peridotite, and gabbro. In spite of pervasive greenschist metamorphism, the rocks contain locally preserved primary minerals: olivine (Fo _75–86), bronzite, augite of variable composition, labradorite, and Cr-spinels. A mineral Sm-Nd isochron on olivine melanogabbronorite from the Ruiga Massif defines an age of 2.39 ± 0.05 Ga, while komatiitic basalts of the Vetreny Belt Formation were dated at 2.40–2.41 Ga (Puchtel et al., 1997). The rocks of the Ruiga intrusion and lava flows of Mt. Golets have similar major, rare-earth, and trace element composition, which suggests their derivation from a single deep-seated source. Their parent magma was presumably a high-Mg komatiitic basalt. In transitional crustal chambers, its composition was modified by olivine-controlled fractionation and crustal contamination, with the most contaminated first portions of the ejected melt. In terms of geology and geochemistry, the considered magmatic rocks of the Vetreny Belt are comparable with the Raglan Ni-PGE komatiite gabbro-peridotite complex in Canada (Naldrett, 2003).     

Opacitization conditions of hornblende in Bezymyannyi volcano andesites (March 30, 1956 eruption)

The paper is devoted to the conditions under which opacite rims developed around hornblende grains in andesite of the catastrophic eruption (March 30, 1956) of Bezymyannyi volcano, Kamchatka. The opacite rims were produced by a bimetasomatic reaction between hornblende and melt with the development of the following zoning: hornblende → Px + Pl + Ti-Mag → Px + Pl → Px → melt. Biometasomatic reaction was accompanied by the active removal of CaO from the rim, addition of SiO₂, and more complicated behavior of other components. The hornblende also shows reactions of its volumetric decomposition under near-isochemical conditions. The opacite rims developed under isobaric conditions, at a pressure of approximately 6 kbar. The main reason for the instability of the hornblende was the heating of the magma chamber from 890 to 1005°C due to new hot magma portion injection. The time interval between the injection and the start of eruption was estimated from the thickness of the opacite rims and did not exceed 37 days. Hence, the March 30, 1956, eruption was not related to the volcanic activity in November of 1955 but to the injection of a fresh magma portion in February–March of 1956.     

Biogeochemical characteristics of the Hetai goldfield, Guangdong Province, China

In the Hetai goldfield, Guangdong Province, China, samples including rocks, soils and leaves of four plants (Pinus massoniana, Rhodomyrms tomenlosa, D. linearis var. dichotoma and Embelia laeta) collected from the gold mineralization zone and the background area were analyzed for Au, Ag, Cu, Pb, Zn, Hg, As and physiological parameters. The objective of this investigation is to study the geochemical and biogeochemical characteristics of studied plants, aiming at biogeochemical methods in Au exploration. The goldfield region shows geochemical and biogeochemical anomalies. Abundances of Au in rocks, soils, plants and the leaf pigments in the mineralized area are much higher than those in the surrounding region. The plants display unhealthy physiological and ecological characteristics in the Hetai goldfield area. The cell structures of the goldfield plants were anomalous and aberrant, and there were many nano-metal particles diffused in mitochondria and chloroplasts. Macro- and microscopic evidences of the vegetation in the goldfield areas are distinctly different from the background regions. The strongly anomalies in responses to Au are profound in further geochemical and botanic exploration studies.     

松辽盆地三肇凹陷葡萄花油层成藏模式初探

运用源控含油气系统理论与综合分析技术,按成藏“层次分析”方法,通过对生、储、盖、圈(闭)静态要素及其内生、排、运、聚、散(失)动态过程的综合研究,对松辽盆地中央坳陷的三肇凹陷葡萄花油层成藏条件进行探讨,提出了以次级凹陷为中心、不同类型的油气聚集带紧邻并围绕次级凹陷最低部位呈环带状分布的大型凹陷内成藏模式,并进一步提出永乐次级凹陷中心及其三级聚油环带及徐家围子次级凹陷以西为"网式"运聚特征;在凹陷级成藏模式的指导下,通过对大面积密井网开发区综合解剖,提出三级构造带中单个的局部构造圈闭(群)、单个的(局部构造——)岩性圈闭(群)控油和成藏规律,为认识本区基本控油单元、油水分布规律、油气勘探及扩大新探区提供重要的理论依据。