Neotectonics of the Kharaulakh sector of the Laptev Shelf

Seismotectonic deformation and crustal stress pattern have been studied comprehensively in major seismogenic structures of the Kharaulakh sector of the Verkhoyansk fold system and adjacent parts of the Chersky seismotectonic zone. The study focuses on neotectonic structures, deep structure, and systems of active faults, as well as tectonic stress fields inferred by tectonophysical analysis of Late Cenozoic faults and folds. The results, along with geological and geophysical data, reveal main strain directions and structural patterns of crustal stress and strain in the Arctic segment of the Eurasia-North America plate boundary. The area is a junction of mid-ocean and continental structures evolving in a mixed setting of extension, compression, and their various combinations. The rotation pole of the two plates is presumably located near Buor-Khaya Bay. In this case, extension is expected to act currently upon the neotectonic structures north of the bay and compression to control those in the south and southeast. This inference is consistent with the identified zoning of stress and strain in the Kharaulakh sector.     

The oldest (~ 1.9 Ga) metadolerites of the southern Siberian craton: age,petrogenesis, and tectonic setting

Geological, geochronological, and isotope-geochemical studies of the metadolerites of the Angaul complex, widespread in the Urik-Iya graben of the southern Siberian craton, were carried out. The metadolerites forming separate conformal bodies (sills) among the metasandstones of the Ingash Formation were studied in detail. U-Pb zircon (SHRIMP) dating of metadolerites yielded an age of 1913 ± 24 Ma, and U-Pb baddeleyite (ID-TIMS) dating of these rocks yielded an age of 1914.0 ± 1.7 Ma. Thus, the date of 1914 ± 2 Ma can be taken as the most precise age estimate for the studied rocks. The metadolerites of the Angaul complex correspond in chemical composition to the normal-alkaline tholeiitic basalts. Metadolerites are differentiated rocks with mg# of 36 to 58. They show fractionated REE patterns: (La/Yb)_n = 1.2-3.5. All metadolerites, independently of their mg# value, have low contents of Nb (1.6-10.2 ppm) and show well-pronounced negative Nb-Ta anomalies in multielement patterns (Nb/Nb* = 0.19-0.54). The metadolerites are characterized by positive ε_Nd(T) values ranging from 0.4 to 5.2, which correlate well with their SiO₂ content and mg# value. The isotope-geochemical parameters of the metadolerites of the Angaul complex indicate that fractional crystallization, along with the assimilation of the host rocks (AFC), might have been the main process during the formation of the most differentiated metadolerites. The geochemical characteristics of metadolerites with the maximum mg# values of 57-58 and ε_Nd(T) = 5.2 suggest that the parental mantle source of the metadolerites resulted from mixing of predominant depleted mantle material with the subcontinental-lithosphere material. Intrusion of the dolerites of the Angaul complex, as well as the deposition of the sedimentary strata of the Ingash Group, took place at the Paleoproterozoic stage of intracontinental extension caused by the collapse of the orogen resulted from the collision of the Biryusa block with the Tunguska superterrane in the southern Siberian craton.     

Nodular monazite from placers in the Kular Ridge (Arctic Siberia,Russia): Composition and age

Nodular monazite occurs in metamorphic rocks worldwide and has zonal REE patterns. This paper focuses on the composition of nodular monazite hosted by Permian black shales of the Kular Ridge in the Kular-Nera terrane. This monazite variety (called kularite in the Russian literature) reaches commercial amounts in placers of the area. The contents of Ce, Nd, and La in the analyzed monazite nodules show correlations at Ce/Nd = 14.39La + 0.0919 (in apfu) and Ce/Nd = 0.2318La + 0.1135 (in wt.%) and vary regularly from core to rim. All monazite compositions fall on this trend, but specific grains may plot in its different parts. Thermodynamic calculations indicate that monazite forms via an intermediate precursor (LnPO₄·2H₂O). The Ce:La:Nd changes in different grains record Eh-pH variations during nucleation and a gradual temperature increase during subsequent growth. The Ce:La:Nd ratio changes partly in grain rims as a result of oxidative dissolution. Judging by the tectonic setting, REE came to the Kular-Nera rocks from the weathered Tomtor Nb-REE deposit, being transported by the Paleo-Khatanga River with monazite nanoparticles bound to the surface of clay minerals.     

Isotope stratigraphy and U-Pb dating of detrital zircons from the Vendian-Cambrian deposits of the North Muya block

U-Pb dating of detrital zircons from the sandstones of the Mamakan Formation has been made. Geochemical and isotope parameters of the carbonate deposits of the Yanguda Formation in the Vendian-Cambrian cover of the North Muya continental block have been estimated. It has been established that only the Neoproterozoic (630-915 Ma) rocks of the North Muya block were the provenances of terrigenous material. In the least altered carbonate rocks of the Yanguda Formation, the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio is within 0.70814-0.70879 and δ¹³C varies from -0.4 to + 1.9‰. Comparison of the evaluated isotope parameters with those of carbonate rocks of typical Vendian-Cambrian sections shows that the carbonate deposits of the Yanguda Formation accumulated in the Early Cambrian, about 520 Ma. Sedimentation of the Mamakan and Yanguda Formations took place in the local sedimentary basin in the Vendian-Early Cambrian, in the absence of tectonic activity within the North Muya block. Detrital material that formed during the destruction of the rocks of the Siberian Platform basement and cover was not supplied into the basin.     

Phenanthrene biomarkers in the organic matter of Precambrian and Phanerozoic deposits and in the oils of the Siberian Platform

The composition and distribution of phenanthrenes (polyaromatic compounds) have been studied in chloroform extracts from dispersed organic matter (OM) of clayey, siliceous, carbonate, and terrigenous rocks of different ages and facies and from some oils of the Siberian Platform. Phenanthrenes have been analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. High contents of 1,7,8-trimethylphenanthrene and 1,1,7,8-tetramethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrophenanthrene are present in the OM of Vendian and Cambrian carbonate-shale deposits and in ancient oils of the Nepa-Botuobiya and Anabar anteclises. The OM of Permian continental deposits and oils of the Vilyui syneclise is dominated by 1-methyl-7-isopropylphenanthrene (retene). A triangular diagram for identification of the types of original OM of rocks and classification of genetically related oils has been constructed based on the assessment of phenanthrene biomarker distribution. Putative pathways of the formation of phenanthrene biomarkers are discussed.     

Geologic structure and correlation of the Berriasian-Lower Aptian productive beds of the Gydan Peninsula (Russian Arctic)

We discuss the geologic structure of the Berriasian-Lower Aptian deposits of the Gydan Peninsula. Eight seismic sequences have been distinguished; most of them are associated with Lower Cretaceous regional clinoforms of West Siberia, their characteristics are given. A correlation of productive beds was based on the stratotype sections of the Yamal and Gydan Peninsulas as well as seismic and well data. A sequence stratigraphic model of the Berriasian-Lower Aptian complex is proposed.     

Natural ring structures on the Baikal ice cover: Analysis of experimental data and mathematical modeling

Hydrophysical studies and mathematical modeling of ring structures during ice cover on Lake Baikal have shown that their existence at the stage of ice cover degradation is due to anticyclonic currents. Such currents can be generated as a result of local upwelling, which we associate with the rise of methane hydrates from the top layer of bottom sediments and their dissociation. Analysis of satellite images shows that the radii of ice rings range from 1300 to 2400 m, which is close to the baroclinic Rossby radius. The measured ice thicknesses in the area of the rings are in agreement with model calculations. Deep water renewal in Lake Baikal can also be associated with the rise of hydrates.     

Authigenic rhodochrosite from a gas hydrate-bearing structure in Lake Baikal

International Journal of Earth Sciences - Early diagenetic carbonates are rare in Lake Baikal. Siderite (Fe carbonate) concretions in the sediments were discovered only recently. Here, we discuss...     

Biosafety assessment of municipal wastewater after treatment by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Serratia</Emphasis> sp. ISTVKR1

The previously described potent biodegrading bacterial strain Serratia sp. ISTVKR1 isolated from sludge of Vasant Kunj Sewage Treatment Plant (VK STP) was used for the study of detoxification of municipal wastewater contaminants with the help of in vitro bioassays conducted on human liver cancer cell line HepG2. The strain has previously been shown to reduce wastewater contaminant load as revealed by a sevenfold reduction in COD and removal of some organic contaminants in the GC–MS analysis of wastewater post-72-h bacterial treatment. Cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and dioxin-like behavior of real municipal wastewater (collected from inlet of VK STP) was assessed before and after bacterial treatment using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), alkaline comet and 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) assays, respectively. The bacterial strain was inoculated into MSM broth (pH = 7.2) containing 50% v/v filter-sterilized influent of VK STP and incubated up to 240 h at 30 °C and 130 rpm. Physicochemical and toxicological analyses were performed for the culture samples. The results of bioassays revealed an increase in cell viability by 40.16% and a reduction in the % EROD activity by 58.4% in the 240-h bacteria-treated sample as compared to the 0-h sample. Genotoxicity as indicated by tail moment (TM) and olive tail moment (OTM) was found to reduce by five- and threefold, respectively, after 240-h bacterial treatment. The results of the study confirmed the potency of the bacterial strain in detoxification of wastewater contaminants.     

Diversity of marine and brackish water nitrite-oxidizing consortia developed for activating nitrifying bioreactors in aquaculture

Nitrite is a well-known toxicant in aquaculture, produced as intermediate in nitrification. Two nitrite-oxidizing bacterial consortia, one from marine environment and the other from brackish water, were developed by enrichment technique at National Centre for Aquatic Animal Health, for removal of nitrite from recirculating aquaculture systems. In the present study, bacterial diversity of the consortia was assessed based on 16S ribosomal RNA and the functional gene analysis. Clone libraries of 16S ribosomal RNA gene and nitrite oxidoreductase A gene were constructed, and amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis was carried out to cluster the clones. Dendrograms generated through molecular characterization showed 29 and 27 clusters in marine and brackish water consortia, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses of representative clones from each cluster depicted profound diversity in the consortia consisting autotrophic nitrifiers belonging to Proteobacteria, anaerobic ammonia oxidizers, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and heterotrophic denitrifiers. Functional gene analysis corroborated with the presence of specific nitrite oxidizers. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed the abundance of nitrite oxidizers in the order of 1.51 ± 0.38 × 10⁹/g and 4.88 ± 0.42 × 10⁷/g in marine and brackish water consortia, respectively. Diversity indices and pattern of distribution of organisms within the consortia were analyzed using Geneious, VITCOMIC, Mega 5 and Primer software. The marine nitrite-oxidizing consortium showed higher Shannon–Wiener diversity and mean population diversity than brackish water consortium, suggesting that the former was having more diverse flora and higher potential to be used as startup cultures for activating nitrifying bioreactors subsequent to acclimatization to the required salinity.