Présence d'une mangrove à Avicennia au Miocène moyen dans la région de Digne (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence,France) : implications stratigraphiques et paléoclimatiques

Avicennia pollen grains have been discovered in marine facies from the Middle Miocene deltaic series of Châteauredon (southeastern France). Based on the local stratigraphy, an age between 15.8 and 16.5 Ma is proposed for these grains. The age and the transgressive context of the Avicennia bearing-levels are in agreement with the maximum extension of the mangrove known in the western Mediterranean during interval N8–NN4 pro parte, in relation with the Langhian highstand. This mangrove occurrence at 42°N latitude during Middle Miocene is a more northern witness of the mangrove sites known in Languedoc and Provence areas. It also implies a lower climatic gradient than today. To cite this article: J.-J. Châteauneuf et al., C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).     

Relations between climatic variability and hydrologic time series from four alluvial basins across the southwestern United States

Hydrologic time series of groundwater levels, streamflow, precipitation, and tree-ring indices from four alluvial basins in the southwestern United States were spectrally analyzed, and then frequency components were reconstructed to isolate variability due to climatic variations on four time scales. Reconstructed components (RCs), from each time series, were compared to climatic indices like the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), North American Monsoon (NAM), and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), to reveal that as much as 80% of RC variation can be correlated with climate variations on corresponding time scales. In most cases, the hydrologic RCs lag behind the climate indices by 1–36 months. In all four basins, PDO-like components were the largest contributors to cyclic hydrologic variability. Generally, California time series have more variation associated with PDO and ENSO than the Arizona series, and Arizona basins have more variation associated with NAM. ENSO cycles were present in all four basins but were the largest relative contributors in southeastern Arizona. Groundwater levels show a wide range of climate responses that can be correlated from well to well in the various basins, with climate responses found in unconfined and confined aquifers from pumping centers to mountain fronts.     

Impacts of Holocene climatic variations on alluvial fan activity below snowpatches in subarctic Québec

In the Lake Guillaume-Delisle area of subarctic Québec, storm-generated alluvial fans have been active sporadically throughout the Holocene. In this study, we propose that the persistence of late-lying snowpatches in fan catchments during Holocene cold episodes promoted alluvial fan activity by lowering the precipitation threshold required to trigger a torrential event. This hypothesis was tested by characterizing the depositional processes responsible for alluvial fan formation below snowpatches, and by reconstructing the Holocene alluvial fan activity. Stratigraphic and sedimentary analyses conducted on seven alluvial fans revealed that they were deposited by torrential activity leading to waterlaid, transient, or hyperconcentrated deposition. The chronology of the storm-generated alluvial fans — based on 22 radiocarbon dates — indicates that torrential activity was enhanced during the cooler Late Holocene (i.e., after ca. 3500 cal. yr BP). Snowier winters and cooler summers were beneficial to nival activity, allowing the persistence of larger snowpatches throughout the summer and fall seasons. Rainfall-induced thaw of such snowpatches during rainstorm events is inferred to have contributed to alluvial fan activity by increasing water availability. Three peaks of alluvial activity occurred during the Late Holocene (2950–2750, 1900–1400, and 800–300 cal. yr BP) and are indicative of increased storminess resulting in higher fan activity. Increased fan activity during cooler episodes was concurrent with increased runoff activity in the immediate pronival area. This stresses the importance of nivation below snowpatches and pinpoints the role of nivation in enhancing geomorphological activity during period of cooler and more humid climate in subarctic environments.     

On global forces of nature driving the Earth’s climate. Are humans involved?

The authors identify and describe the following global forces of nature driving the Earth’s climate: (1) solar radiation as a dominant external energy supplier to the Earth, (2) outgassing as a major supplier of gases to the World Ocean and the atmosphere, and, possibly, (3) microbial activities generating and consuming atmospheric gases at the interface of lithosphere and atmosphere. The writers provide quantitative estimates of the scope and extent of their corresponding effects on the Earth’s climate. Quantitative comparison of the scope and extent of the forces of nature and anthropogenic influences on the Earth’s climate is especially important at the time of broad-scale public debates on current global warming. The writers show that the human-induced climatic changes are negligible.     

Attenuation of landfill leachate at two uncontrolled landfills

Attenuation characteristics of landfill leachate were examined for two uncontrolled landfills in Korea. The two landfills containing municipal wastes without appropriate bottom liner and leachate treatment system have different landfill age, waste volume, and most importantly different hydrogeologic settings. One landfill (Cheonan landfill) is situated in an open flat area while the other (Wonju landfill) is located in a valley. Variations of various parameters including dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved oxygen (DO), alkalinity, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), redox potential (ORP), ammonia (NH₃), nitrate (NO₃⁻), sulfate (SO₄²⁻), and chloride (Cl⁻) were examined along groundwater flow path. All these parameters were analyzed every month for a year. In the interior of the landfills, typical anaerobic conditions revealed by low DO and NO₃ concentrations, negative ORP values, high NH₃, alkalinity, and Cl⁻ concentrations were observed. Generally, higher levels of contaminants (DOC, NH₃, and Cl⁻) were detected in the dry season while they were greatly lowered in the wet season. Significantly, large decrease of Cl^- concentration in the wet season indicates that the dilution or mixing is one of dominant attenuation mechanisms of leachate. But detailed variation behaviors in the two landfills are different and they were largely dependent on permeability of surface and subsurface layers. The intermediately permeable surface of the landfills receives part of direct rainfall infiltration but most rainwater is lost to fast runoff. The practically impermeable surface of clayey silt (paddy field) at immediately adjacent to the Cheonan landfill boundary prevented direct rainwater infiltration and hence redox condition of the ground waters were largely affected by that of the upper landfill and the less permeable materials beneath the paddy fields prohibited dispersion of the landfill leachate into down gradient area. In the Wonju landfill, there are three different permeability divisions, the landfill region, the sandy open field and the paddy field. Roles of the landfill and paddy regions are very similar to those at the Cheonan. The very permeable sandy field receiving a large amount of rainwater infiltration plays a key role in controlling redox condition of the down gradient area and contaminant migration. This paper reports details of the attenuation and redox conditions of the landfill leachates at the two uncontrolled landfills.     

玛纳斯河一级电站引水渠沿线提取地下水进行融冰的可行性研究

通过对向斜洼地含水层水文地质特征的勘探及研究,对研究区的水文地质边界条件进行了概化,并用水均衡法估算了地下水资源量,对拟建一级电站引水渠沿线提取地下水进行融冰的可行性进行了研究,并提出了取水方案.     

岩石、土壤样品中210Po测定方法的研究

研究了以铜箔为镀片时,自沉积总α计数法定量测定岩石、土壤样品中210Po的最佳制源环境、同位素的干扰和去除、共存元素的允许量以及适宜的溶(熔)矿方法,同时研究了银、铜两种镀片的区别。试验发现,当盐酸浓度为2.0mol/L,恒温80℃,振荡频率为180次/min、振程20mm时,制源2.0h,210Po自镀回收率在99.6%～100.4%之间,210Po加入量与α净计数率线性相关系数为0.9999。放置衰变法可以消除212Bi和218Po等短半衰期核素对210Po测量产生的影响,Vc存在时其它共存元素不干扰测定。方法配合HNO3HFHClO4溶矿(对复杂试样酸溶后的不溶渣,再进行碱熔),全程回收率为99.5%～100.4%。     

镇旬矿田泥盆系和志留系铅锌矿的成矿地质条件分析

对镇（安）旬（阳）矿田泥盆系、志留系铅锌矿的成矿地质条件分析表明，本区泥盆系、志留系铅锌矿总体属层控矿床类型。铅锌矿赋存于下志留统悔子垭组、中志留统双河镇组及中泥盆统大枫沟组、上泥盆统南羊山组；控矿构造为断裂、褶皱，容矿构造为顺层断裂带、剪切带，含矿岩石为含碳砂岩、千枚岩及灰岩、生物灰岩、白云岩；沉积环境为浅水陆棚相、台地边缘及泻湖、潮坪、台地浅海。以旬阳泗人沟为代表的志留系铅锌矿属细碎屑岩沉积强改造型铅锌矿床；以旬阳大岭、赵家庄为代表的泥盆系铅锌矿属碳酸盐岩沉积弱改造型铅锌矿床；以镇安锡铜沟、月西为代表的泥盆系铅锌矿属碳酸盐岩沉积强改造型铅锌矿床。     

江西省定南县滑坡形成条件分析

江西省定南县滑坡较为发育，1990～2002年，全县共发生滑坡283处，其规模一般较小，但造成的损失大。滑坡均由降雨诱发，4～6月份降雨量较大、多暴雨，该段时间滑坡较为多发；除此以外，影响滑坡形成的因素还有地形地貌、岩土类型、地质构造、岩土结构类型、人工切坡等。江西省定南县主要为中低山与丘陵地形，山坡坡度较大；岩土类型主要为岩浆岩、变质岩，岩石较为破碎，残坡积层与强风化层厚度大；断裂构造较为发育；居民大量挖山建房，形成大量的人工高陡边坡；这些因素为滑坡的形成提供了必要条件。     

三种类型烃-烃不混溶包裹体组合的特征和热力学条件的计算

在自然界广泛分布着烃-烃不混溶体系中捕获的流体包裹体,由于这些包裹体具有复杂的组成和相态,因此不混溶包裹体组合的判别和热力学参数的计算常常难以进行。根据烃-烃不混溶体系中两个端员组分流体包裹体室温下的相态特征和在温度-压力平面图上等容线交点显示的位置,划分成三种类型流体包裹体组合,本介绍了三种类型流体包裹体组合特征,叙述了不混溶烃-烃包裹体组合的测定和判别方法,并且阐述均一化包裹体相态方程和气-液平衡常数原理和方法与此同时列举了自然界简单的三种类型不混溶烃-烃包裹体组合的测定、判别和计算的几个实例,利用相态方程和气-液平衡常数,不但精确地计算出包裹体均一压力,并且精确地计算出流体密度和体积等热力学参数。最后,利用均一成气相和液相的两种包裹体在 p-T 平面图上等容线交点同样计算出流体包裹体组合的捕获温度和压力。