Structurally controlled hydrothermal dolomites in Albian carbonates of the Asón valley,Basque Cantabrian Basin,Northern Spain

Shallow marine carbonate sedimentation dominated during the Albian in the western part of the Basque Cantabrian Basin in Northern Spain, forming the large Ramales Platform. This platform originated on a less subsiding tectonic block facing deeper and more subsiding areas to the south and east, which were created by tectonic activity in the Basin. Fracture-related hydrothermal dolomites hosted in these Albian carbonates are well exposed in the Asón valley area. Mapping in the studied area revealed several dolomite bodies related to main faults that cut the stratification almost at right angles. The bodies show a vertical development along fault-strike up to 900 m thick from which kilometre-scale branches expand following the stratification. Dolomitization is pervasive and independent of the limestone facies. Main dolomite facies are fine replacive, sucrosic and saddle. Petrography, C, O and Sr isotopes and fluid-inclusion analysis support a polyphase hydrothermal dolomitization at fluid temperatures between 75 °C and 240 °C and highly variable salinity of up to 22 wt.% NaCl. Fine dolomite replaced limestone first and then, sucrosic and saddle dolomites replaced part of the first dolomite and cemented newly created fracture porosity together with different calcite cements. Zebra dolomites and hydroclastic breccias are products of this later stage. Burial analysis of the host rock supports maximum burial temperatures of 80 °C and intense tectonic activity from the Albian to Turonian with a latest Albian peak subsidence. Albian stretching of the crust and subsequent ascent of the isotherms in the area is suggested to have produced sufficient heat to the dolomitizing fluids. The structural analysis indicates a strong transtensional tectonic activity in the studied area during Albian to Turonian time with the creation of an overstep between W–E trending and N–S trending faults. Fluids moved from subsiding areas to fractured uplifted parts of the Ramales Platform, enhanced by diapiric activity.     

南海北部珠江口盆地深水区碳酸盐岩发育特征及地震识别

由于南海的多次扩张、拉伸、消减运动,在珠江口盆地白云深水区发生了陆架裂陷和海水入侵等地质现象,形成了海相碳酸盐岩生长发育的基础地质条件。对珠江口盆地深水区碳酸盐岩的发育地质背景、地质特征、发育规律、地震响应特征以及深水区灰岩发育的主控因素进行了探讨,结果表明白云深水区主要发育两种类型的碳酸盐台地;古隆起镶边台地以及火山建隆孤立台地。台地沉积主要发育在古隆起周缘、构造高部位、火山隆起周缘,并被钻井所证实。在白云深水区东沙隆起西南缘、云荔低凸起、荔湾凹陷北缘、荔湾凹陷南缘及顺鹤隆起发育典型的生物礁,钻井证实有珊瑚、红藻、苔藓虫等造礁生物。生物礁地震特征具有强的连续反射顶、底界面,丘状反射外形,内部结构或空白、或杂乱,具有前积、加积、退积等层序结构。     

Structure and distribution of the benthic macrofauna on a Northwest African sandy beach close to a freshwater river discharge

The effects of the freshwater discharge of the Oued Sebou River on the macroinfauna, was studied on the sandy beach of Mehdia through the analysis of the abiotic parameters and of the macrozoobenthos. In autumn 2002 and spring 2003, three beach sites, each with two transects, localized at 50, 3500 and 5720 m from the river mouth respectively, were studied. Positive correlations were recorded for beach slope and pH whereas negative ones were obtained for organic matter content and salinity at increasing distances from the river mouth. Significant differences between beach sites and seasons occurred for median grain size, organic matter content and pH. For each beach site, mean macroinfauna abundance varied between 30 and 100 ind.·m⁻² and in spring there was a significant correlation between this parameter and the increasing distance from the river mouth. No significant correlation was instead found between species richness and the increasing distance, although the farthest beach site from the mouth had the highest number of species during both seasons. The results indicated the importance of organic matter content and salinity for the macrofaunal abundance whereas the diversity indices were more affected by beach slope and grain size. The results showed that there was no clear spatial trend in compound indices of the macrofauna across the sampled sites and the influence of the river discharge of Sebou River did not seem to be significant and consistent on the macrobenthos of this mesotidal shore. Comparison with microtidal shores revealed the influence of the tidal excursion and swell characteristics on the response of the benthic structures of sandy beaches to discharges of freshwater.     

Structure and photosynthetic properties of phytoplankton assemblages in a highly dynamic system, the Northern Adriatic Sea

The photosynthetic properties of phytoplankton populations as related to physical–chemical variations on small temporal and spatial scales and to phytoplankton size structure and pigment spectra were investigated in the Northern Adriatic Sea off the Po River delta in late winter 1997. Large diatoms (fucoxanthin) dominated the phytoplankton in the coastal area whereas small phytoflagellates (mainly 19′-hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin, chlorophyll b, 19′-butanoyloxyfucoxanthin) occurred outside the front. The front was defined by the steep gradient in density in the surface layer separating low-salinity coastal waters from the offshore waters.Physical features of the area strongly influenced phytoplankton biomass distributions, composition and size structure. After high volumes of Po River discharge several gyres and meanders occurred in the area off the river delta in February. Decreasing river discharge and the subsequent disappearance of the gyres and the spreading dilution of the river plume was observed in March. The dynamic circulation of February resulted in high photosynthetic capacity of the abundant phytoplankton population (>3.40 mg m⁻³). In March, the slow circulation and an upper low-salinity water layer, segregated from the deeper layers, resulted in lack of renewal of this water mass. The huge phytoplankton biomass, up to 15.77 mg chl a m⁻³, became nutrient depleted and showed low photosynthetic capacity. In February, an exceptionally high P_max^B, 20.11 mg C (mg chl a)⁻¹ h⁻¹ was recorded in the Po River plume area and average P_max^B was three-fold in February as compared to the March recordings, 10.50 mg C (mg chl a)⁻¹ h⁻¹ and 3.22 mg C (mg chl a)⁻¹ h⁻¹, respectively.The extreme variability and values of phytoplankton biomass in the innermost plume area was not always reflected in primary production. Modeling of circulation patterns and water mass resilience in the area will help to predict phytoplankton response and biomass distributions. In the frontal area, despite a considerable variability in environmental conditions, our findings have shown that the phytoplankton assemblages will compensate for nutrient depression and hydrographic constraints, by means of size and taxonomic composition and, as a result, the variability in the photosynthetic capacity was much less pronounced than that observed for other parameters.     

Distribution of dissolved species and suspended particulate copper in an intertidal ecosystem affected by copper mine tailings in Northern Chile

The coastline near Chañaral in Northern Chile is one of the most highly Cu-contaminated zones in the world due to discharges from mining activities for more than 60 years. The speciation of Cu has been studied to determine the importance of organic complexation in highly contaminated areas, and to assess the likely physiological impacts of Cu on marine organisms. Dissolved Cu concentrations of up to 500 nM were measured, completely saturating organic ligands and leading to free Cu²⁺ concentrations in excess of 10^− 8 M. These values are higher than those reported in any other marine environment, and because they occur over an extensive area, provide a unique opportunity to study the effects of Cu on marine ecosystems and to see how Cu behaves when its speciation is predominantly inorganic. We found strong gradients in free Cu²⁺ between Chañaral and adjacent areas with lower Cu, where speciation is dominated by organic complexation. There is also a significant increase in the partitioning of Cu onto suspended particles in the contaminated areas, consistent with previous studies that showed that organic ligands stabilize Cu in the dissolved phase, whilst “excess” Cu is rapidly scavenged. Those high dissolved Cu concentrations persist in spite of solid phase partitioning and advective processes along this open-ocean coastline, suggesting that Cu inputs into the system are still very large. Measurements were made using anodic stripping voltammetry with a thin mercury film coated with Nafion, which previous workers have shown can mitigate ambiguity in the data arising from inadvertent reduction of organic complexes. Our findings suggest that this is a useful methodology for contaminated systems.     

末次盛冰期末期以来南海北部陆坡的陆源物质输入及其控制因素

通过对南海北部陆坡KNG5孔沉积物粒度、粘土矿物和14C年龄的综合分析, 探讨了南海北部陆坡的沉积物来源及其控制因素。物源分析表明, KNG5孔17.5-12.5ka BP的沉积物主要来源于珠江, 12.5ka BP 时粘土矿物组合突然发生改变, 并且自12.5ka BP以后, 高岭石含量总体稳定, 说明12.5ka BP时海平面已上升到相当的高度, 并且可能当时南海的现代环流系统已开始形成, 西行的广东沿岸流导致向外扩散的珠江物质减少, 由于受北太平洋深层水(NPDW)和黑潮(KC)南海分支的作用, 台湾成为此时沉积物的主要贡献者。KNG5孔17.5-11ka BP时期的粘土矿物和粒度变化主要受控于海平面和洋流系统的变化。全新世早期(11.0-8ka BP)平均粒径达到最细和1-2.2m 粒级含量达到最高值可能是强盛的夏季风作用的结果。全新世中晚期(8—0ka BP) 1-2.2?m组分含量的减少是8ka BP以来东亚夏季风减弱的具体体现, 1-2.2m 粒级含量指示的东亚夏季风变化能和北半球其它季风指标能很好地对应起来, 说明这次季风减弱是北半球各个季风系统的共同现象。     

Preservation conditions and the use of sediment pigments as a tool for recent ecological reconstruction in four Northern European estuaries

Down-core sediment pigment concentrations from four Northern European estuaries were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to investigate phytoplankton community structure and preservation conditions over the last ca. 100 years where all sites have experienced different levels of eutrophication. Phytoplankton pigments have been shown to be useful biomarkers for phytoplankton community structure and abundance due to their taxonomic specificity. The pigment concentrations and sediment pigment inventory showed large variation between the four sites. Concentrations ranged from more than 6000 nmol/g OC to less than 100 nmol/g OC and the inventory integrated over the top 10 cm from more than 300 nmol/cm² to less than 30 nmol/cm² for total identified pigments. Good pigment preservation in Mariager Fjord (Denmark) reflected the almost permanently anoxic conditions. Pigments in Laajalahti (Finland) showed peak concentrations around the time of highest nitrogen loading events known from historical and modelled records over the past 100 years. In contrast, poor down-core preservation of pigments (especially carotenoids) was observed in the Ems-Dollard (The Netherlands) and Himmerfjärden (Sweden) estuaries. The Ems-Dollard site is an intertidal mudflat that experiences daily exposure to light and air, which enhances pigment degradation. In Himmerfjärden, resuspension is an important process affecting both the sedimentation rate and degradation properties. The different preservation conditions at the four sites were supported by the differences in two degradation indicators; the ratio of pheopigment-a to chlorophyll-a and total carotenoids to total pigments. Class-specific carotenoid pigments represented the dominant algal groups reported from each site, however, no distinct down-core changes in the pigment composition were observed at any of the four sites. This indicated that changes in plankton community structure on the group level have been limited over this time period or masked by low preservation of pigments.     

夏季北黄海水体浊度分布特征的初步研究

应用2007月7月国家908专项北黄海区块水体调查获取的浊度资料,与同步获得的悬浮物质量浓度进行拟合分析,结果表明,中底层水的相关系数在0.94以上,表层相关度较差.根据调查海域浊度的水平大面分布及选取的6个典型断面的垂直分布,初步阐述了夏季北黄海水体浊度的分布特征——近岸高和底层高,山东半岛北部沿岸、成山角海域和老铁山水道以及庄河河口附近海域为高浊度区.夏季北黄海冷水团对水体浊度分布具有控制性影响:调查海域水体垂向层结稳定,北黄海冷水团海域中下层表现为高盐、低温、高密特征,水体浊度小,且浊度锋面的分布与温度较为相近.同时,夏季北黄海冷水团对悬浮物的分布起到了屏障作用——在山东半岛北部沿岸和辽东半岛南部沿岸阻止了近岸悬浮物的经向输送,而在山东半岛东部沿岸则阻止了近岸悬浮物的纬向输送.     

大兴安岭十八站—韩家园地区中酸性侵入岩LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年龄、地球化学特征及其地质意义

大兴安岭北部塔河县十八站—呼玛县韩家园地区发育早古生代中酸性侵入岩。文章选取二长闪长岩和二长花岗岩开展岩石年代学与地球化学研究。二长闪长岩LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年龄为512.4±3.5 Ma,为早—中寒武世岩浆作用的产物。岩石地球化学分析表明,中酸性侵入岩归属于准铝质—弱过铝质(A/CNK=0.77~1.04)钙碱性—高钾钙碱性系列。岩石稀土总量∑REE=69.51×10~(-6)~275.83×10~(-6),轻重稀土分异明显(La/Yb)_N=9.11~26.64。在稀土元素配分图上,显示为LREE富集、HREE相对平缓的右倾型,Eu异常不显著(δEu=0.90~1.35)。微量元素组成具明显富集大离子亲石元素Ba、Sr,显著亏损高场强元素Nb、Ta、Ti的特征。结合区域资料和本文研究,初步分析认为早古生代侵入体形成于活动大陆边缘或岛弧环境,为前古亚洲洋闭合背景下萨拉伊尔造山作用的产物。     

Evaporation Process in Soil Surface Containing Calcic Nodules on the Northern Loess Plateau of China by Simulated Experiments

Soil containing calcic nodules is widely present on the northern Loess Plateau of China owing to soil genesis under local climate conditions. In most studies, little attention is payed to the effect of calcic nodules on soil evaporation and ecoenvironment, resulting in inaccurate evaporation estimation in this kind of soil and further improper field water management measures and irrigation effects. In this paper, soil column experiments were conducted in order to investigate evaporation process in soil containing calcic nodules and the effect of calcic nodules on soil evaporation was determined. The results indicated that evaporation reduction was positively related to calcic nodule content (CNC = mass of calcic nodules/total mass), and could be estimated by the experiential equation: E_soil = E₀ (1 – 0.4 CNC) (E_soil = actual evaporation, E₀ = theory evaporation in soil without calcic nodules). When CNC was below 0.2, the impact could be neglected. While, as CNC exceeded 0.2, the impact needed to be considered during soil evaporation estimation. As CNC reached 0.5, soil evaporation could be reduced by 7.5 mm, accounting for around 10% of the total soil water. Water balance calculation in soil columns showed that water absorbed by calcic nodules was partially available to evaporation. Water available to evaporation was positively related to CNC, and this water could not exceed 63% of the water absorbed by calcic nodules. Generally, evaporation behavior was dominated by calcic nodule quantity and its water absorption. These results provide new ideas for irrigation measures in arid areas of the globe.