Variation of Thornthwaite moisture index in Hengduan Mountains,China

The Thornthwaite moisture index, an index of the supply of water(precipitation) in an area relative to the climatic demand for water(potential evapotranspiration), was used to examine the spatial and temporal variation of drought and to verify the influence of environmental factors on the drought in the Hengduan Mountains, China. Results indicate that the Thornthwaite moisture index in the Hengduan Mountains had been increasing since 1960 with a rate of 0.1938/yr. Annual Thornthwaite moisture index in Hengduan Mountains was between –97.47 and 67.43 and the spatial heterogeneity was obvious in different seasons. Thornthwaite moisture index was high in the north and low in the south, and the monsoon rainfall had a significant impact on its spatial distribution. The tendency rate of Thornthwaite moisture index variation varied in different seasons, and the increasing trends in spring were greater than that in summer and autumn. However, the Thornthwaite moisture index decreased in winter. Thornthwaite moisture index increased greatly in the north and there was a small growth in the south of Hengduan Mountains. The increase of precipitation and decrease of evaporation lead to the increase of Thornthwaite moisture index. Thornthwaite moisture index has strong correlation with vegetation coverage. It can be seen that the correlation between Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI) and Thornthwaite moisture index was positive in spring and summer, but negative in autumn and winter. Correlation between Thornthwaite moisture index and relative soil relative moisture content was positive in spring, summer and autumn, but negative in winter. The typical mountainous terrain affect the distribution of temperature, precipitation, wind speed and other meteorological factors in this region, and then affect the spatial distribution of Thornthwaite moisture index. The unique ridge-gorge terrain caused the continuity of water-heat distribution from the north to south, and the water-heat was stronger than that from the east to west part, and thus determined the spatial distribution of Thornthwaite moisture index. The drought in the Hengduan Mountains area is mainly due to the unstable South Asian monsoon rainfall time.     

Assessing suitability of rural settlements using an improved technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution

Land suitability assessment is a prerequisite phase in land use planning; it guides toward optimal land use by providing information on the opportunities and constraints involved in the use of a given land area. A geographic information system-based procedure, known as rural settlement suitability evaluation (RSSE) using an improved technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), was adopted to determine the most suitable area for constructing rural settlements in different geographical locations. Given the distribution and independence of rural settlements, a distinctive evaluation criteria system that differed from that of urban suitability was established by considering the level of rural infrastructure services as well as living and working conditions. The unpredictable mutual interference among evaluation factors has been found in practical works. An improved TOPSIS using Mahalanobis distance was applied to solve the unpredictable correlation among the criteria in a suitability evaluation. Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses obtained via Monte Carlo simulation were performed to examine the robustness of the model. Daye, a resource-based city with rapid economic development, unsatisfied rural development, and geological environmental problems caused by mining, was used as a case study. Results indicate the following findings: 1) The RSSE model using the improved TOPSIS can assess the suitability of rural settlements, and the suitability maps generated using the improved TOPSIS have higher information density than those generated using traditional TOPSIS. The robustness of the model is improved, and the uncertainty is reduced in the suitability results. 2) Highly suitable land is mainly distributed in the northeast of the study area, and the majority of which is cultivated land, thereby leading to tremendous pressure on the loss of cultivated land. 3) Lastly, 12.54% of the constructive expansion permitted zone and 8.36% of the constructive expansion conditionally permitted zone are situated in an unsuitable area, which indicates that the general planning of Daye lacks the necessary verification of suitability evaluation. Guidance is provided on the development strategy of rural settlement patches to support decision making in general land use planning.     

Analysis of phenotypic and genetic parameters for growthrelated traits in the half smooth tongue sole, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cynoglossus semilaevis</Emphasis>

Phenotypic and genetic parameters for growth-related traits in the half-smooth tongue sole, Cynoglossus semilaevis, were estimated in 22 full-sib families produced by normal and neo-male breeding stocks. As phenotypic males with female genotypes, neo-males are harmful in C. semilaevis aquaculture because they reduce overall production. The present study evaluated the difference in the growth-related traits: total length (TL), body weight (BW) and square root of body weight (SQ_BW) at the age of 570 days between normal and neo-male offspring (neo-males used as male parents). The difference in the proportion of females between normal and neo-male offspring was also assessed. Based on the linear mixed model, restricted maximum likelihood (REML) and best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) were used to estimate various (co)variance components and estimated breeding values (EBVs) of growth-related traits. As a result, all the mean values of the three studied traits were significantly larger in normal offspring than in neo-male offspring. Additionally, the female proportion was significantly larger in normal offspring than in neo-male offspring. Heritability was 0.128±0.066 2 for TL, 0.128±0.065 5 for BW and 0.132±0.062 9 for SQ_BW, all of which were low level heritabilities. The correlation coefficients of EBVs and phenotypic values of the target traits were 0.516 for TL, 0.524 for BW and 0.506 for SQ_BW, all of which were highly significant (P <0.01). Genetic correlations among TL, BW and SQ_BW were positive high (0.921–0.969) and higher than those of phenotype (0.711–0.748), both of which had low standard errors (0.063–0.123 for genotype, and 0.010–0.018 for phenotype). Compared with normal offspring, neo-male offspring have lower breeding values for each studied trait through EBVs comparison. Therefore, neo-male offspring should not be used as broodstock in a C. semilaevis breeding programs.     

Two new species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cobitis</Emphasis> Linnaeus (Teleostei: Cobitidae) from southern China

Two new species of the genus Cobitis from southern China, C. hereromacula from the Luohe River in Guangdong Province and C. baishagensis from the Nandujiang River in Hainan Province, are described and illustrated here. C. hereromacula can be distinguished from its congeners by possessing the following combination of characteristics: absence of the second and third pigmentary zones of Gambetta; 13–16 oval blotches on the dorsum and 10–13 vertical, elongated triangular blotches below the midlateral line with more than 20 vertical dark brown bars between them; 6–7 narrow rows of dark spots on the caudal fin; a vertical oval spot smaller than the eye diameter on the upper part of the caudal peduncle; pointed mental lobes of the lower lip pointed with a slightly filiform tip; one slender and long needle-shaped lamina circularis at the base of the first branched ray of the male pectoral fins. C. baishagensis can be distinguished from its congeners by the fourth Gambetta zone being covered by 10–12 transverse elongated blotches; 4–5 narrow rows of dark spots on the caudal fin; a vertical blotch smaller than the eye diameter on the upper part of the caudal peduncle; males with a slender and long needle-shaped lamina circularis at the second branched pectoral fin ray in males; large scales with a slightly large focal zone; undeveloped mental lobes with a lower lip that does not end posteriorly in a filiform tip.     

Enrichment characteristics and risk assessment of Hg in bird feathers from Caohai wetland in Guizhou Province,China

Based on the analysis of the enrichment characteristics of Hg and MeHg in bird feathers from Caohai National Nature Reserve in Guizhou, the risks of Hg pollution to the birds from Caohai wetland have been evaluated. The total Hg content of bird feathers ranges from 40 to 5058 ng/g with an average of 924 ng/g. The content of MeHg is significantly correlated with total Hg (r = 0.68, p < 0.01), and the content are among 0.75 and 113 ng/g. The total Hg content in the birds feathers is significantly dependent on their feeding habits, which is mainly in accordance with the following rule: carnivorous birds > omnivorous birds that are mainly carnivorous > omnivorous birds that are mainly herbivorous. There are also differences in the Hg enrichment ability in the different parts of bird feathers, and the total Hg and MeHg content in the wing feathers are significantly higher than that in the other parts of feathers. The bioaccumulation coefficients of aqueous Hg and MeHg by bird feathers are 0.9 × 10⁴–112.13 × 10⁴ (mean value is 20.47 × 10⁴) and 0.47 × 10⁴–70.4 × 10⁴ (mean value is 9.52 × 10⁴), respectively. Although the whole Hg level in Caohai bird feathers is not too high, the Hg content in some carnivorous birds exceeds over or approaches the abnormal threshold when birds are breeding (5 μg/g), which indicates that the birds in Caohai wetland are faced with some risks of ecological Hg pollution.     

Timing of mineralization at the Shihu gold deposit in the middle segment of the Taihang Mountain,China

The Shihu gold deposit, located in the middle-south section of the core of the Fuping mantle branch structure, is hosted in the Archean Fuping Group and adjacent to the quartz diorite porphyrite. The gold deposit is the only large gold deposit with reserves of more than 30 tons gold discovered in western Hebei Province so far. In order to constrain the timing of mineralization of this ore deposit, this paper focuses on the isotopic dating of zircon and pyrite. Zircons in gold-bearing quartz veins are magmatic in origin and no hydrothermal zircon has been found in such quartz veins, indicating that zircons were derived from the wall rocks. U–Pb ages of zircons fall mainly in the two domains: 2492 ± 82 and 136 ± 4 Ma, respectively, indicative of the contribution of the Fuping-Group TTG gneiss and Yanshanian igneous rocks, respectively. The Re–Os isotopic compositions of pyrites in the gold-bearing quartz veins yield an isochron age of 127 ± 31 Ma. Combined with other dating results, we suggest that the main metallogenic age of the Shihu gold deposit is 120–127 Ma.     

泾阳南塬蒋刘4#滑坡特征及成因机制

2016年3月6日,泾阳南塬蒋刘村发生了约2×104 m3的小型黄土滑坡。滑坡发生后,在对滑坡现场进行详细的地质调查基础上,结合无人机航测和三维激光扫描综合手段,对滑坡的基本特征及成因机理进行了初步分析。结果表明:长期引水灌溉是滑坡发生的基本条件;坡脚滞水软化作用、与灌溉渠较短的渗透距离、坡脚冻结黄土春季解冻是导致滑体发生的直接原因;底部饱和泥化黄土的铺垫及导流作用,是导致其滑程较远的根本原因。该类滑坡近几年来发生频率较高,为泾阳南塬滑坡演化后期的主要发生类型,具有一定的特殊性,值得深入研究。     

大兴安岭呼中钼多金属矿床成矿流体特征及成矿机制

大兴安岭呼中镇钼多金属矿床产于早白垩世碎裂花岗岩中,矿体形态似层状、脉状或透镜状。成矿阶段分为辉钼矿阶段、铜铅锌阶段、方解石阶段等3个阶段。本矿床中的包裹体主要有气液H_2O包裹体、气相H_2O包裹体、含子矿物H_2O包裹体,CO_2包裹体、CO_2-H_2O包裹体等五大类。辉钼矿阶段均一温度为209.2℃413.4℃,盐度ω(NaCleq)为0.53%16.53%,平均值7.3%,属中低盐度,成矿压力在53.3 68.5 MPa,相应的成矿深度为2 052 2 807 m;铜铅锌阶段为191.5℃351.0℃,盐度ω(NaCleq)为0.88%34.24%,平均值3.96%,属低盐度;方解石阶段207.2℃233.5℃,盐度ω(NaCleq)为3.55%4.18%,平均值3.77%,为低盐度。从辉钼矿阶段到铜铅锌阶段再到方解石阶段,温度及盐度逐渐降低。辉钼矿成矿压力在53.3 72.9 MPa,成矿深度为2 052 2 807 m。成矿过程中发生了CO_2-H_2O不混溶作用,这是导致辉钼矿沉淀的主要机制。矿床类型属中低温浅成热液型矿床。     

华北克拉通北缘东段“开原岩群”的解体及重新认识

根据近年来的同位素年代学资料,对分布于辽北地区的一套构造变质岩系（"开原岩群"或"清河镇岩群"）进行了重新认识和划分,并将其重新定义为清河构造混杂岩,由中太古代、新太古代、中元古代、新元古代、二叠纪等不同时代、不同构造环境的地质体组成.其中,中太古代、新太古代、中元古代岩石来自华北克拉通,而新元古代、二叠纪岩石则来自兴蒙造山带.将原沈家堡子岩组重新划分为新太古代变质表壳岩和中-新太古代变质深成岩,原板石沟岩组（或芦家堡子岩组）厘定为中元古代石门岩组,原照北山岩组重新划分为新元古代南平岩片和晚二叠世照北山岩组,将原佟家屯岩组和尖山子火山岩合并为晚二叠世佟家屯岩组.最后,提出了清河构造混杂岩带为华北克拉通与兴蒙造山带的界线以及古亚洲洋在华北板块北缘东段的最终闭合时间为中三叠世早期（约245Ma）的认识.