Borate Deposits in Liaoning and Jilin Provinces, NE China: A Guide to Identifying Paleoproterozoic Collision Settings

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Holocene environmental change in the West African Sahel: sedimentological and mineral‐magnetic analyses of lake sediments from Jikariya Lake,northeastern Nigeria

Previous studies have demonstrated long‐term changes in effective moisture in sub‐Saharan Africa. Here, we reconstruct Holocene environments using a ～7 m lake‐sediment sequence recovered from the northeastern Nigerian Sahel and attempt to distinguish basin‐specific changes from regional climatic variations. The sequence was analysed for sedimentological properties, mineral magnetism and pollen, and dated by ¹³⁷Cs, ²¹⁰Pb excess and ¹⁴C. Extremely arid conditions of the terminal Pleistocene ended ca. 11 500 cal. BP (calendar years) when climate ameliorated and a lake developed until the occurrence of an arid event leading to lake desiccation at ～11 200 cal. BP. Following this, climate ameliorated and a water body re‐emerged. Very wet conditions predominated 11 200–5600 cal. BP, followed by drought between 5600 and 5500 cal. BP and a return to moderate humidity from 5500 to 4000 cal. BP. After 4000 cal. BP, a marked deterioration occurred, culminating in lake desiccation at ca. 800 cal. BP. After this time the climate remained generally dry and the re‐emerging lake was shallow. Comparison of these results with other well‐dated sequences in the region demonstrates the importance of basin‐specific influences on the palaeolimnological records in addition to regional climatic controls. Disentangling these different controls, as well as the reconstruction of Holocene climate, therefore requires a multiple‐basin approach. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

New speices of Late Mesozoic wood fossils from southeastern Mongolia

Three new species of fossil woods are reported from the Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous in southeastern Mongolia,including Protaxodioxylon mongolense sp. nov. Circoporoxylon mongolense sp. nov. Protocircoporoxylon mongolense sp. nov. The anatomical characters of three new species are described in detail.     

TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL DISTRIBUTIONS OF PAHS AND PCBS IN LAKE CALUMET AREA, CHICAGO

1 INTRODUCTION Lake Calumet is located 15 miles southeast of downtown Chicago. The geographical boundaries include 130th Street to the south, Stony Island Avenue to the east, an industrial area to the north, and interstate highway I-94 to the west. The major continuous water inflow to the lake is Pullman Creek, a drainage ditch, which carries the runoff from the nearby expressway, industries, and landfills into the lake at the northwest corner. The outlet of the Lake is the Calumet R…     

Evolution of the Mesozoic Granites in the Xiong'ershan-Waifangshan Region,Western Henan Province,China,and Its Tectonic Implications

Based on the new data of isotopic ages and geochemical analyses, three types of Mesozoic granites have been identified for the Xiong'ershan-Waifangshan region in western Henan Province: high-Ba-SrⅠ-type granite emplaced in the early stage (～160 Ma),Ⅰ-type granite in the middle stage (～130 Ma) and anorogenic A-type granite in the late stage (～115 Ma). Geochemical characteristics of the high-Ba-SrⅠ-type granite suggest that it may have been generated from the thickened lower crust by partial melting with primary residues of amphibole and garnet. Gradual increase of negative Eu anomaly and Sr content variations reflect progressive shallowing of the source regions of these granites from the early to late stage. New 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages of the early-stage Wuzhangshan granite (156.0±1.1 Ma, amphibole) and middle-stage Heyu granite (131.8±0.7 Ma, biotite) are indistinguishable from their SHRIMP U-Pb ages previous published, indicating a rapid uplift and erosion in this region. The representative anorogenic A-type granite, Taishanmiao pluton, was emplaced at～115 Ma. The evolution of the granites in this region reveals a tectonic regime change from post-collisional to anorogenic between～160 Ma and～115 Ma. The genesis of the early- and middle-stageⅠ-type granites could be linked to delamination of subducted lithosphere of the Qiniing orogenic belt, while the late-stage A-type granites represent the onset of extension and the end of orogenic process. In fact, along the Qiniing -Dabie-Sulu belt, the Mesozoic granitoids in western Henan, Dabieshan and Jiaodong regions are comparable on the basis of these temporal evolutionary stages and their initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios, which may suggest a similar geodynamic process related to the collision between the North China and Yangtze cratons.     

Rafting rocks reveal marine biological dispersal: A case study using clasts from beach-cast macroalgal holdfasts

Tracking and quantifying biological dispersal presents a major challenge in marine systems. Most existing methods for measuring dispersal are limited by poor resolution and/or high cost. Here we use geological data to quantify the frequency of long-distance dispersal in detached bull-kelp (Phaeophyceae: Durvillaea) in southern New Zealand. Geological resolution in this region is enhanced by the presence of a number of distinct and readily-identifiable geological terranes. We sampled 13,815 beach-cast bull-kelp plants across 130 km of coastline. Rocks were found attached to 2639 of the rafted plants, and were assigned to specific geological terranes (source regions) to quantify dispersal frequencies and distances. Although the majority of kelp-associated rock specimens were found to be locally-derived, a substantial number (4%) showed clear geological evidence of long-distance dispersal, several having travelled over 200 km from their original source regions. The proportion of local versus foreign clasts varied considerably between regions. While short-range dispersal clearly predominates, long-distance travel of detached bull-kelp plants is shown to be a common and ongoing process that has potential to connect isolated coastal populations. Geological analyses represent a cost-effective and powerful method for assigning large numbers of drifted macroalgae to their original source regions.     

Sources of Nutrients and Fecal Indicator Bacteria to Nearshore Waters on the North Shore of Kaua`i (Hawai`i,USA)

Water quality monitoring in Hanalei Bay, Kaua`i (Hawai`i, USA) has documented intermittent high concentrations of nutrients (nitrate, phosphate, silica, and ammonium) and fecal indicator bacteria (FIB, i.e., enterococci and Escherichia coli) in nearshore waters and spurred concern that contaminated groundwater might be discharging into the bay. The present study sought to identify and track sources of nutrients and FIB to four beaches in Hanalei Bay and one beach outside the bay, together representing a wide range of land uses. ²²³Ra and ²²⁴Ra activity, salinity, nutrient and FIB concentrations were measured in samples from the coastal aquifer, the nearshore ocean, springs, the Hanalei River, and smaller streams. In addition, FIB concentrations in beach sands were measured at each site, and the enterococcal surface protein (esp) gene assay was used to investigate whether the observed FIB originated from a human source. Nutrient concentrations in groundwater were significantly higher than in nearshore water, inversely correlated to salinity, and highly site specific, indicating local controls on groundwater quality. Fluxes of groundwater into Hanalei Bay were calculated using a mass-balance approach and represented at least 2–10% of river discharges. However, submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) may provide 2.7 times as much nitrate + nitrite to Hanalei Bay as does the Hanalei River. It may also provide significant fluxes of phosphate and ammonium, comprising 15% and 20% of Hanalei River inputs, respectively. SGD-derived silica inputs to the bay comprised less than 3% of Hanalei River inputs. FIB concentrations in groundwater were typically lower than those in nearshore water, suggesting that significant FIB inputs from SGD are unlikely. Positive esp gene assays suggested that some enterococci in environmental samples were of human fecal origin. Identifying how nutrients and FIB enter nearshore waters will help environmental managers address pressing water quality issues, including exceedances of the state Enterococcus water quality standard and nutrient loading to coral reefs.     

Experimental study of nonlinear wave—wave interaction and white-cap dissipation of wind-generated waves

An experimental scheme was designed to obtain laboratory-scale verification of Hasselmann's nonlinear wave—wave interaction and white-cap dissipation theories. Water wave height and fluctuating air pressure were measured simultaneously in a fixed reference frame as a function of fetch in the Stanford Wind, Water-Wave Research Facility under the conditions of a steady wind and a stationary wave spectrum. All the data were obtained 5 mm above the highest point of the wind waves for five stations (3 m apart on average) and at three wind speeds (7.1, 8.0 and 8.9 m/sec). The wave height and fluctuating pressure were measured by a capacitance wave-height gauge and a crystal pressure transducer, respectively.Based on the experimental results, Hasselmann's nonlinear wave—wave interaction theory appears to be valid. Barnett's approximate parametric equation for calculating the energy transfer of nonlinear wave—wave interaction and Hasselmann's white-capping dissipation model were also verified and appeared to be applicable in the relatively low and intermediate frequency region of a wave spectrum for a normalized fetch range of 100–500. Based on the results of an overall energy balance in a gravity wind-wave spectrum, the nonlinear wave—wave interaction mechanism is shown to play a dominant role in the energy transfer processes after the wave spectrum is generated.     

The Late‐glacial reoccupation of the British Isles and the Creswellian

This paper presents a review of AMS radiocarbon dating evidence for human occupation of Britain during the Late‐glacial Interstadial. The dates are all on humanly modified materials, including artefacts, and on human bone. The CalPal program is used to test whether the earliest evidence of human presence shows any correlation with more widespread climatic events, and if the British chronology differs significantly from that of neighbouring regions of northwest Europe. In the second part of the paper a number of well‐dated sites with British Late Upper Palaeolithic ‘Creswellian’ technology are examined and compared with lithic assemblages from The Netherlands and Belgium. The main conclusions of this work are that expansion of human populations into the northern edge of the upland zone just before or at the beginning of GI‐1 was followed by repopulation of the British Isles possibly with very little time‐lag. The British Creswellian sites offer evidence of this earliest resettlement, which is mainly focused on the upland margins of western and central Britain. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

n-Alkane evidence for the onset of wetter conditions in the Sierra Nevada,California (USA) at the mid-late Holocene transition, ~ 3.0 ka

n-Alkane biomarker distributions in sediments from Swamp Lake (SL), in the central Sierra Nevada of California (USA), provide evidence for an increase in mean lake level ~ 3000 yr ago, in conjunction with widespread climatic change inferred from marine and continental records in the eastern North Pacific region. Length distributions of n-alkane chains in modern plants growing at SL were determined and compared to sedimentary distributions in a core spanning the last 13 ka. As a group, submerged and floating aquatic plants contained high proportions of short chain lengths (< nC₂₅) compared to emergent, riparian and upland terrestrial species, for which chain lengths > nC₂₇ were dominant. Changes in the sedimentary n-alkane distribution over time were driven by variable inputs from plant sources in response to changing lake level, sedimentation and plant community composition. A shift toward shorter chain lengths (nC_21, nC₂₃) occurred between 3.1 and 2.9 ka and is best explained by an increase in the abundance of aquatic plants and the availability of shallow-water habitat in response to rising lake level. The late Holocene expansion of SL following a dry mid-Holocene is consistent with previous evidence for increased effective moisture and the onset of wetter conditions in the Sierra Nevada between 4.0 and 3.0 ka.