Tantalite in Suzhou Granite：mineralogy and Geological Implications

Tantalite,occurring as intergranular tabular crystals,was reported for the first time in the Suzhou granite.Electron microprobe analyses show that it is rich in W and Ti,with a Ta/(Ta Nb) ratio ranging from 0.5 to 0.73 and a Mn(Mn Fe) ratio between 0.20 and 0.40.It is structurally distinct from isomorphic tapiolite by a remarked Ag Raman peak at 880cm^-1.The associated zircon is striking by significant enrichment of Hf,with the HfO2 content amounting up to 35%-40%,The discovery of tantalite suggests that the Suzhou granite should be classified as a S-type granite instead of A-type as considered previously.     

Brood patch temperature during provocation of common eiders in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard

In this short note we describe the behaviour and body changes of three incubating female common eiders ( Somateria mollissima ) during provocation made by humans approaching the nest. The study site was near the settlement of Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard. Temperture transmitters were implanted subcutaneously at the brood patch and data recorded using a VHF receiver. We found that the female experiment exhibited a passive defence response ("freezing"), accompanied by a significant drop in brood patch temperature (0.6 °C) during provocation; this temperature drop lasted for 5 minutes. These accord with other studies of the physiological changes which the passive defence response in birds and other animals.     

Comparative high-resolution chemostratigraphy of the Bonarelli Level from the reference Bottaccione section (Umbria-Marche Apennines) and from an equivalent section in NW Sicily: Consistent and contrasting responses to the OAE2

The Bonarelli Level (BL) from the upper Cenomanian portion of the reference Bottaccione section (central Italy) is characterized by the presence of black shales containing high TOC concentrations (up to 17%) and amounts of CaCO₃ near to zero. In the absence of carbonate and, consequently, of relative carbon- and oxygen-isotopic data, the elemental geochemistry revealed to be a very useful tool to obtain information about the palaeoclimatic and palaeoceanographic evolution of the Tethys Ocean during the OAE2. Based on several geochemical proxies (Rb, V, Ni, Cr, Si, Ba), the BL is interpreted as a high-productivity event driven by increasingly warm and humid climatic conditions promoting an accelerated hydrological cycle. The enrichment factors of peculiar trace metals (Zn, Cd, Pb, Sb, Mo, U) provide further insight about the H₂S activity at the seafloor during the organic-rich sediment deposition and permitted us to evaluate the use of Ba as palaeoproductivity tracer in conditions of high rate of sulphate reduction.By comparing geochemical records from the reference Bottaccione section (central Italy) with those previously obtained for the coeval Calabianca section (northwestern Sicily), different degrees of oceanic anoxia were delineated and ascribed to different abundance and type (degradable or refractory) of organic matter, which are limiting factors in the bacterial sulphate reduction reactions and in subsequent euxinic conditions at seafloor in the Tethys realm. Based on a ciclostratigraphic approach, consistent fluctuations at 100 ky scale in the chemostratigraphic signals from the two sections are inferred to be expression of a strong orbital-climatic forcing driving changes in the oceanic environment during the BL deposition.     

The role of economic sectoral structure as a policy mechanism towards more resilient peripheral regions: the case of South Africa

The role of economic sectoral structure in regional growth and development is widely acknowledged. However, there has been scarce reflection on its role as a policy instrument, particularly for peripheral regions. In reaction, this paper investigates the role of economic sectoral structure as a policy instrument towards more resilient peripheral regions. Through a multiple country policy analysis, the paper determines to what degree economic sectoral structure is reflected in regional development policies of 18 countries with predominantly rural characteristics and lagging regions. Moreover, the role of economic sectoral structure towards more resilient regions is quantified and measured for a specific peripheral region case in South Africa as developing country exhibiting poor economic resilience. The paper highlights related variety as a key ingredient for a region to reach a state of dynamic stability between adaptation and adaptability towards enhanced long-term resilience capacity of the peripheral region. The research concludes that policy focus should support the maintenance of the sectors and industries of comparative advantage on the regional scale, but strongly focus on sectoral comparative advantage within the national scale (if present) to establish a more robust region. This will establish and strengthen the identified peripheral growth centres as centres of national competitiveness and specialisation. Primary policy actions as emanated from the literature and the multiple country policy analysis will promote more efficient sectoral composition as key towards more resilient peripheral regions. It is acknowledged that these policy actions must be informed by a detailed regional economic analysis for different peripheral regions to determine inherent and latent economic potential and link with interdependent industries. This paper will highlight that regional policy should become more explicit by exploiting the role of economic and natural resources as growth engines for the peripheral regional economy in a more effective way through a multi-centred territorial structure.

     

Thermal and exhumation histories of the northern subalpine chains (Bauges and Bornes—France): Evidence from forward thermal modeling coupling clay mineral diagenesis,organic maturity and carbonate clumped isotope (Δ47) data

Assessing the thermal evolution of sedimentary basins over time is a major aspect of modern integrated basin analysis. While the behavior of clay minerals and organic matter with increasing burial is well documented in different geological and thermal settings, these methods are often limited by the temperature ranges over which they can be precisely applied and by the available material. Here, we explore the emergent Δ₄₇ clumped isotope geospeedometry (based on the diffusional redistribution of carbon and oxygen isotopes in the carbonate lattice at elevated temperatures) to refine time‐temperature paths of carbonate rocks during their burial evolution. This study provides a reconstruction of the thermal and exhumation history of the Upper Cretaceous thrust belt series in the western subalpine massifs (Bauges and Bornes, French Alps) by a new approach combining for the first time available data from three independent geothermometers. The investigated area presents two zones affected by contrasting thermal histories. The most external zone has undergone a relatively mild thermal history (T < 70°C) and does not record any significant clay mineral diagenetic transformation. By contrast, the internal zone has experienced tectonic burial (prealpine nappes) in response to thrusting, resulting in overheating (T > 160–180°C) that induced widespread clay mineral diagenetic transformations (progressive illitization from R0 to R1 and R3 illite‐smectite mixed‐layers), organic matter maturation (oil window) and Δ₄₇ thermal resetting with apparent equilibrium temperatures above 160°C. The three employed geothermal indicators conjointly reveal that the investigated Upper Cretaceous rocks have suffered a wide range of burial temperatures since their deposition, with a thermal maximum locally up to 160–180°C. High temperatures are associated with the tectonic emplacement of up to 4 km of prealpine nappes in the northern part of the studied area. Finally, a forward thermal modeling using Δ₄₇, vitrinite reflectance and clay mineral data, is attempted to precisely refine the burial and exhumation histories of this area.     

Eight new δ Scuti stars

HD 23194, a member of the Pleiades, was found to pulsate with a period of about 30 min. The literature on the star is reviewed, and it is concluded that it may be a marginal Am star in a binary system. HD 95321 is an evolved Am ( ρ Puppis) star with a 5.1-h periodicity. Mode identification of its pulsation, based on multicolour photometry, suggests that the oscillation is probably non-radial with ℓ=2. We also report on the discovery of six other new δ Scuti stars, some of which may be pulsating in gravity modes.     

Particulate organic carbon fluxes to the ocean interior and factors controlling the biological pump: A synthesis of global sediment trap programs since 1983

Particulate organic carbon (POC) is vertically transported to the oceanic interior by aggregates and their ballasts, mainly CaCO₃ and biogenic opal, with a smaller role for lithogenic aerosols through the mesopelagic zone. Diel migrating zooplankton communities effect vertical transport and remineralization of POC in the upper layers of the ocean. Below 1.5 km, the presence of zooplankton is reduced and thus the aggregates travel mainly by gravitational transport. We normalized the fluxes of POC, CaCO₃, and biogenic opal from data published on samples collected at 134 globally distributed, bottom-tethered, time-series sediment trap (TS-trap) stations to annual mole fluxes at the mesopelagic/bathypelagic boundary (m/b) at 2 km and defined them as F_m/bC_org, F_m/bC_inorg, and F_m/bSi_bio. Using this global data set, we investigated (1) the geographic contrasts of POC export at m/b and (2) the supply rate of ∑CO₂ to the world mesopelagic water column. F_m/bC_org varies from 25 (Pacific Warm Pool) to 605 (divergent Arabian Sea) mmolC m⁻² yr⁻¹; F_m/bC_inorg varies from >8 (high latitude Polar Oceans) or 15 (Pacific Warm Pool) to 459 (divergent Arabian Sea) mmolC m⁻² yr⁻¹; and F_m/bSi_bio, the most spatially/temporally variable flux, ranges from 6 (North Atlantic Drift) to 1118 (Pacific Subarctic Gyre) mmolSi m⁻² yr⁻¹. The oceanic region exhibiting the highest POC flux over a significantly large region is the area of the North Pacific Boreal Gyres where the average F_m/bC_org = 213, F_m/bC_inorg = 126, and F_m/bSi_bio = 578 mmol m⁻² yr⁻¹. F_m/bC_org and F_m/bC_inorg are particularly high in large upwelling margins, including the divergent Arabian Sea and off Cape Verde. One of the data sets showing the lowest flux over a significant region/basin is F_m/bC_org = 39, F_m/bC_inorg = 69, and F_m/bSi_bio = 22 mmol m⁻² yr⁻¹ in the North Pacific subtropical/tropical gyres; Pan-Atlantic average fluxes are similar except F_m/bSi_bio fluxes are even lower. Where C_org/C_inorg and Si_bio/C_inorg are <1 defines the “Carbonate Ocean”, and where these ratios are ?1 defines the “Silica Ocean”. The Carbonate Ocean occupies about 80% of the present world pelagic ocean between the two major oceanographic fronts, the North Pacific Polar Front and the Antarctic Polar Front, and the Silica Ocean is found on the polar sides of these fronts. The total global annual fluxes of F_m/bC_org, F_m/bC_inorg, and F_m/bSi_bio at m/b calculated by parameterizations of the export flux data from 134 stations are surprisingly similar; 36.2, 33.8, and 34.6 teramol yr⁻¹ (120, 112, and 114 mmol m⁻² yr⁻¹), respectively, resulting in a near uniform binary ratio between the above three elements of about one. The global ternary % ratios estimated from 152 TS-trap samples of the three elements are 35:32:33. From our global F_m/bC_org and a published model estimate of the global export production, we estimate the regeneration rate of CO₂ through the mesopelagic zone by the biological pump is 441 teramolC yr⁻¹. Based on our global F_m/bC_inorg and recently estimated global primary production of PIC, 36-86 teramolC yr⁻¹ of PIC is assumed to be dissolved within the upper 2 km of the water column.     

Impacts of convection schemes on simulating tropical-temperate troughs over southern Africa

This study examines southern African summer rainfall and tropical temperate troughs (TTTs) simulated with three versions of an atmospheric general circulation model differing only in the convection scheme. All three versions provide realistic simulations of key aspects of the summer (November–February) rainfall, such as the spatial distribution of total rainfall and the percentage of rainfall associated with TTTs. However, one version has a large bias in the onset of the rainy season. Results from self-organizing map (SOM) analysis on simulated daily precipitation data reveals that this is because the occurrence of TTTs is underestimated in November. This model bias is not related to westerly wind shear that provides favorable conditions for the development of TTTs. Rather, it is related to excessive upper level convergence and associated subsidence over southern Africa. Furthermore, the model versions are shown to be successful in capturing the observed drier (wetter) conditions over the southern African region during El Niño (La Niña) years. The SOM analysis reveals that nodes associated with TTTs in the southern (northern) part of the domain are observed less (more) often during El Niño years, while nodes associated with TTTs occur more frequently during La Niña years. Also, nodes associated with dry conditions over southern Africa are more (less) frequently observed during El Niño (La Niña) years. The models tend to perform better for La Niña events, because they are more successful in representing the observed frequency of different synoptic patterns.     

Accumulation and transport behaviour of 241americium, 60cobalt and 134cesium by eggs of the spotted dogfish Scyliorhinus canicula

An experimental study examined the 96-h net influx from seawater of the anthropogenic radionuclides (241)Am, (60)Co and (134)Cs through the egg-case of the spotted dogfish Scyliorhinus canicula. Net influx directly through the wall of the egg-case was greatest for (134)Cs, then (241)Am and lastly (60)Co. Within the egg-case wall itself the measured concentration factors (CFs) and their gradients in the external, median and internal layers showed that for both (241)Am and (60)Co they were >10(3) in the external layer and declined by an order of magnitude in the interior layer. In contrast (134)Cs had a CF of only about three in the external layer which declined by a factor of 2 towards the two more internal layers of the egg-case. The egg-case apertures, that open within the prehatching stage of embryological development, significantly (P<0.05) increased the net influx of (241)Am and (60)Co to the interior of the egg-case, although their water concentrations were still lower than those in the labelled seawater bath. In contrast, the aperture did not increase the net influx of (134)Cs whose water concentrations equilibrated with those in seawater. Together these results indicate that the egg-case wall is very permeable to (134)Cs, representing little barrier to its movement, and hence consistent with the lack of importance of the aperture in determining its internal water concentrations in the egg-case. In contrast, (241)Am and (60)Co show much higher rates of accumulation by the egg-case, consistent with the measured reduced permeability of its wall, and therefore giving greater prominence to its aperture in the net transfer of these two radionuclides to the egg case's interior. The presence of the embryo within its egg-case did not significantly (P>0.05) affect the rates of influx of radioisotopes, with the exception of an interactive effect for (60)Co with the egg-case aperture (P<0.05). The CF of only (241)Am in the embryo itself relative to the external seawater concentration was significantly (P<0.05) enhanced by the presence of the aperture.