The effect of conservation practices in sloped croplands on soil hydraulic properties and root‐zone moisture dynamics

Rain‐induced erosion and short‐term drought are the two factors that limit the productivity of croplands in the red soil region of subtropical China. The objective of this study was to estimate the effects of conservation practices on hydraulic properties and root‐zone water dynamics of the soil. A 3‐year experiment was performed on a slope at Xianning. Four treatments were evaluated for their ability to reduce soil erosion and improve soil water conditions. Compared with no practices (CK) and living grass strips (GS), the application of polyacrylamide (PAM) significantly reduced soil crust formation during intense rainfall, whereas rice straw mulching (SM) completely abolished soil crust formation. The SM and PAM treatments improved soil water‐stable aggregates, with a redistribution of micro‐aggregates into macro‐aggregates. PAM and SM significantly increased the soil water‐holding capacity. These practices mitigated the degradation of the soil saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) during intense rainfalls. These methods increased soil water storage but with limited effects during heavy rainfalls in the wet period. In contrast, during the dry period, SM had the highest soil water storage, followed by PAM and CK. Grass strips had the lowest soil water storage because of the water uptake during the vigorous grass growth. A slight decline in the soil moisture resulted in a significant decrease in the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (Ku) of the topsoil. Therefore, the hydraulic conductivity in the field is governed by soil moisture, and the remaining soil moisture is more important than improving soil properties to resist short‐term droughts. As a result, SM is the most effective management practice when compared with PAM and GS, although they all protect the soil hydraulic properties during wet periods. These results suggest that mulching is the best strategy for water management in erosion‐threatened and drought‐threatened red soils. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dissolved organic matter in surface runoff in the Loess Plateau of China: The role of rainfall events and land-use

Exploring the chemical characterization of dissolved organic matter (DOM) is important for understanding the fate of laterally transported organic matter in watersheds. We hypothesized that differences in water-extractable organic matter (WEOM) in soils of varying land uses and rainfall events may significantly affect the quality and the quantity of stream DOM. To test our hypotheses, characteristics of rainfall-runoff DOM and WEOM of source materials (topsoil from different land uses and gullies, as well as typical vegetation) were investigated at two adjacent catchments in the Loess Plateau of China, using ultraviolet–visible absorbance and excitation emission matrix fluorescence with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). Results indicated that land-use types may significantly affect the chemical composition of soil WEOM, including its aromaticity, molecular weight, and degree of humification. The PARAFAC analysis demonstrated that the soils and stream water were dominated by terrestrial/allochthonous humic-like substances and microbial transformable humic-like fluorophores. Shifts in the fluorescence properties of stream DOM suggested a pronounced change in the relative proportion of allochthonous versus autochthonous material under different rainfall patterns and land uses. For example, high proportions of forestland could provide more allochthonous DOM input. This study highlights the relevance of soils and hydrological dynamics on the composition and fluxes of DOM issuing from watersheds. The composition of DOM in soils was influenced by land-use type. Precipitation patterns influenced the proportion of terrestrial versus microbial origins of DOM in surface runoff. Contributions of allochthonous, terrestrially derived DOM inputs were highest from forested landscapes.     

Lateral extrusion along the Altyn Tagh Fault,Qilian Shan (NE Tibet): insight from a 3D crustal budget

The lithospheric strike‐slip Altyn Tagh Fault has accommodated hundreds of kilometres of displacement between the Qaidam and Tarim blocks since its Eocene reactivation. However, the way the deformation is accommodated in the Qilian Shan and further east remains uncertain. Based on 360 km of north‐eastward migration of the relatively rigid Qaidam block along the Altyn Tagh Fault and 3D isovolumetric balancing of the crustal deformation within the Altyn Tagh Fault–Qilian Shan system, we demonstrate that 250 ± 28 km (43.8–49.4%) of N20E directed crustal shortening and an additional ~250–370 km of eastward motion of the Qilian Shan crust must be accounted for by strike‐slip faulting in the Qilian Shan and crustal thickening in the Qinling area, as well as by extension in the adjoining North China block graben systems.     

Geophysical constraints on mesozoic disruption of North China Craton by underplating‐triggered lower‐crust flow of the Archaean lithosphere

The mechanism of the disruption, both lithospheric thinning and oceanization of the commonly accepted long‐term‐stable Archaean craton, is still an open question. The available models, all imply a bottom to top process. With the construction of a 1660‐km‐long transect across the eastern North China Craton (NCC), we demonstrate that both the P‐wave velocity and density in the lowermost crust beneath the central section are significantly higher than in the corresponding parts of the south and north sections on the transect. These features are interpreted as geophysical signature of lower crustal underplating, which supplies sufficiently high gravitational potential energy to trigger lateral flow of the lower crust. This magma underplating‐triggered bilateral lower crust flow may facilitate the lithospheric thinning by means of asthenosphere upwelling and decompression melting, which infill the gap produced by the lower crust flow. The underplating‐triggered lower crustal flow can provide an alternative mechanism to explain the NCC lithosphere disruption, which highlights the crustal feedback to Archaean lithosphere disruption, from top to bottom.     

Variability in bedform morphology and kinematics with transport stage

Bedform geometry is widely recognized to be a function of transport stage. Bedform aspect ratio (height/length) increases with transport stage, reaches a maximum, then decreases as bedforms washout to a plane bed. Bedform migration rates are also linked to bedform geometry, in so far as smaller bedforms in coarser sediment tend to migrate faster than larger bedforms in finer sediment. However, how bedform morphology (height, length and shape) and kinematics (translation and deformation) change with transport stage and suspension have not been examined. A series of experiments is presented where initial flow depth and grain size were held constant and the transport stage was varied to produce bedload dominated, mixed‐load dominated and suspended‐load dominated conditions. The results show that the commonly observed pattern in bedform aspect ratio occurs because bedform height increases then decreases with transport stage, against a continuously increasing bedform length. Bedform size variability increased with transport stage, leading to less uniform bedform fields at higher transport stage. Total translation‐related and deformation‐related sediment fluxes all increased with transport stage. However, the relative contribution to the total flux changed. At the bedload dominated stage, translation‐related and deformation‐related flux contributed equally to the total flux. As the transport stage increased, the fraction of the total load contributed by translation increased and the fraction contributed by deformation declined because the bedforms got bigger and moved faster. At the suspended‐load dominated transport stage, the deformation flux increased and the translation flux decreased as a fraction of the total load, approaching one and zero, respectively, as bedforms washed out to a plane bed.     

依兰-伊通断裂新构造活动规律分析

作为郯庐断裂带北段主干的依兰-伊通断裂, 其新构造活动性与活动规律仍然存在不同的认识.本次工作通过详细的野外调查, 发现该断裂内活断层广泛存在, 由东、西两支北东走向的主干活断层构成, 沿着古近纪地堑边界断层发育.这些活断层主要呈破碎型结构, 多为逆右行平移活动.通过对这些活断层一系列实测擦痕反演应力场, 显示它们多是在东西向挤压中活动的, 而现今应力场转变为北东东-南西西向区域性挤压.依据本次野外观察与¹⁴ C定年, 并结合前人定年结果与近代地震分布, 表明依兰-伊通西支活断层的最新活动时代为全新世与晚更新世相间, 而东支活断层的最新活动时代主要为早-中更新世.依兰-伊通断裂内活断层显示了明显的差异性活动, 表现为西支的活动强度明显大于东支, 西支的最新活动时代皆晚于东支, 沿走向上活动性强、弱相间与最新活动时代不断变化, 以及近代地震活动不均一分布.它们沿走向上的分段性、差异性活动主要是因为被一系列北西向断层切断所致.     

中条山地区郭家沟基性-超基性岩体的岩石成因及地质意义

文章通过对中条山地区郭家沟基性-超基性岩体的岩石学、矿物学和岩石地球化学方面的分析研究,讨论了该岩体的形成时代、岩石成因、及其地质意义。郭家沟岩体侵入时代为元古代,可能与绛县群形成时代较为相近(2200Ma左右)。郭家沟岩体具有岩相分带现象,边缘相为辉长岩,向内渐变过渡为含长辉石岩、变余辉石岩(角闪石岩)等,在岩体的中心发育着磁铁透闪石岩;岩石中Mg O与其他主量元素线性相关,各类岩石地球化学特征较为相似,显示出岩石受分离结晶作用的影响,具有岩浆同源演化的趋势;岩石总体显示出低硅、低镁、高铁、高钛、高钙的特征,相对富集LREE和LILE,而亏损HREE和Nb、Ta、Zr、Y等高场强元素,轻重稀土分馏明显,具有较弱的Eu异常,V含量较高,具有阿拉斯加型侵入岩体和与火山弧相关的岩浆特征。从岩石组合及地球化学特征结合区域构造演化,认为岩体形成于大陆边缘弧的构造环境,从侧面也说明绛县群的形成环境应该是大陆边缘俯冲后的伸展环境,而非陆内裂谷。     

华北克拉通乌拉山地区早前寒武纪岩浆作用和变质作用——锆石SHRIMP U-Pb定年及岩石地球化学研究

乌拉山地区位于大青山地区西侧,变泥砂质岩石大范围出露,并有一定数量变质岩浆侵入岩存在。本文对6个变质岩浆侵入岩进行了锆石SHRIMP U-Pb定年。片麻状闪长岩、片麻状英云闪长岩、片麻状花岗闪长岩和片麻状紫苏花岗岩等4个样品的锆石U-Pb数据点沿谐和线分散分布,n(~(207)Pb)/n(~(206)Pb)年龄从约2.5Ga到约1.8 Ga。变质辉长岩和眼球状石英二长岩锆石U-Pb数据点在谐和线上较集中分布,n(~(207)Pb)/n(~(206)Pb)年龄从约2.0Ga到约1.8 Ga。n(~(207)Pb)/n(~(206)Pb)年龄越小的锆石域通常显示越强烈的重结晶。结合已有研究和地球化学资料,可得出如下结论。(1)乌拉山地区存在新太古代晚期(约2.5 Ga)和古元古代中晚期(约2.0 Ga)岩浆侵入岩,后者形成于伸展构造环境。(2)乌拉山地区遭受新太古代晚期一古元古代早期和古元古代晚期两期构造热事件叠加改造。(3)乌拉山地区部分变泥砂质岩石形成于新太古代晚期,大青山地区原认为形成于古元古代早期的"大青山表壳岩"很可能也形成于新太古代晚期。(4)乌拉山地区和大青山具有类似或相同的早前寒武纪地质演化历史。