A 3.5 Ga record of water-limited, acidic weathering conditions on Mars

The secondary mineral budget on Earth is dominated by clay minerals, Al-hydroxides, and Fe-oxides, which are formed under the moderate pH, high water-to-rock ratio conditions typical of Earth's near-surface environment. In contrast, geochemical analyses of rocks and soils from landed missions to Mars indicate that secondary mineralogy is dominated by Mg (± Fe, Ca)-sulfates and Fe-oxides. This discrepancy can be explained as resulting from differences in the chemical weathering environment of Earth and Mars. We suggest that chemical weathering processes on Mars are dominated by: (1) a low-pH, sulfuric acid-rich environment in which the stoichiometric dissolution of labile mineral phases such as olivine and apatite (± Fe–Ti oxides) is promoted; and (2) relatively low water-to-rock ratio, such that other silicate phases with slower dissolution rates (e.g., plagioclase, pyroxene) do not contribute substantially to the secondary mineral budget at the Martian surface. Under these conditions, Al-mobilization is limited, and the formation of significant Al-bearing secondary phases (e.g., clays, Al-hydroxides, Al-sulfates) is inhibited. The antiquity of rock samples analyzed in-situ on Mars suggest that water-limited acidic weathering conditions have more than likely been the defining characteristic of the Martian aqueous environment for billions of years.     

Study of the erosion rates in the upper Maracujá Basin (Quadrilátero Ferrífero/MG,Brazil) by the in situ produced cosmogenic 10Be method

The present work quantifies the erosive processes in the two main substrates (schists–phyllites and granites–gneisses) of the upper Maracujá Basin in the Quadrilátero Ferrífero/MG, Brazil, a region of semi‐humid tropical climate. Two measuring methods of concentration were used: (i) in situ produced ¹⁰Be in quartz veins (surface erosion rates) and (ii) ¹⁰Be in fluvial sediments (basin erosion rates). The results confirm that (i) erosion tends to be more aggressive close to the headwaters than in the lower parts of the basin and (ii) the region is now affected by dissection. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A model of the early evolution of karst aquifers in limestone in the dimensions of length and depth

A new model of the early evolution of limestone karst aquifers in the dimensions of length and depth is presented. In its initial state the aquifer consists of a rock massive with evenly spaced fractures of about 50 μm aperture widths with an hydraulic conductivity of 10⁻⁷ ms⁻¹. In addition to this a coarser network of prominent fractures with aperture widths of several 100 μm is also present. Boundary conditions of constant recharge 450 mm/year, or constant head from the input of allogenic streams are imposed. First the position of the water table in the aquifer is calculated, then dissolutional widening during a time step in all the fractures below the water table is found by use of the well-known nonlinear dissolution kinetics of limestone. This is iterated and the position of the water table as well as the fracture widths are found as a function of time. In the case of constant recharge to a karst plateau, the water table in any case drops to base level and conduits there propagate from the spring headwards. If constant head conditions are valid the position of the water table remains almost stable and conduits propagate along the water table from the input towards the spring. There is competition between conduit evolution along prominent fractures and along tight fissures close to the water table. In any case under constant head conditions one of these pathways wins, and early karst evolution is terminated by a breakthrough event with an explosive increase of the flow through the aquifer until constant head conditions break down. Depending on the boundary conditions of constant head or constant recharge or a combination of both it is possible to describe models of cave genesis, which have been derived from field evidence, such as the water table models of Swinnerton and Rhoades as well as the four-state model by Ford and Ewers (Can. J. Earth Sci., 15 (1978) 1783).     

Trace metal composition of and accumulation rates of sediments in the Upper Gulf of Thailand

Sediment cores and grab samples were collected in the Upper Gulf of Thailand to determine sedimentation rates and to determine if metal concentrations reflect anthropogenic inputs.Accumulation rates of sediments in the Upper Gulf measured using the ²¹⁰Pb method, appear to vary from ca. 4 to 11 mm yr^?1. Sediment budgets suggest that little of the sediment delivered to the Upper Gulf by the major rivers is ultimately transported to the Lower Gulf. Metal concentrations in Upper Gulf sediments appear to be dominantly controlled by natural inputs.     

以海原断裂甘肃老虎山段为例浅析走滑断裂古地震记录的完整性——兼论古地震研究中的若干问题

在简单介绍海原断裂老虎山段松山探槽点古地震工作的基础上,分析了制约走滑断裂上古地震记录完整性的因素。松山探槽点跨断裂开挖的2个探槽揭示颜色和粒度不同的地层互层的沉积序列呈近水平面状展布。在断裂带内地层发生错断、旋转和拖曳等变形现象。多个层位上的这种变形表明该点揭示了6次古地震事件。炭屑的~(14)C年龄限定了6次事件均发生在距今3500～3900年以来,其中最新的4次事件从老到新分别为0～410aAD、890～1000年之后不久、1440～1640 aAD和1990年景泰-天祝Mw5.8级历史地震。该序列及其他例子表明连续的、高沉积速率的微构造环境是走滑断裂上探槽选取的重要原则。     

Late Miocene–Pliocene eclogite facies metamorphism, D'Entrecasteaux Islands, SE Papua New Guinea

The D'Entrecasteaux Islands of south‐eastern Papua New Guinea are active metamorphic core complexes that formed within a region where the plate tectonic regime has transitioned from subduction to rifting. While rapid, post 4 Myr exhumation and cooling of amphibolite and greenschist facies rocks that constitute the footwall of the crustal scale detachment fault system have been previously documented on Fergusson and Goodenough Islands of the D'Entrecasteaux chain, the timing of eclogite facies metamorphism in rocks of the footwall was unknown. Recent work revealed that at least one of the eclogite bodies formed during the Pliocene. We present combined in situ ion microprobe U–Pb age analyses of zircon from five variably retrogressed eclogite samples from Fergusson and Goodenough Islands that document Late Miocene–Pliocene (8–2 Ma) eclogite formation on these islands. Textural relationships and zircon–garnet rare earth element partition coefficients indicate that U–Pb ages constrain zircon crystallization under eclogite facies conditions in all samples. Results suggest westward younging of eclogite facies metamorphism from Fergusson to Goodenough Island. Present‐day exposure of Late Miocene–Pliocene eclogites requires exhumation rates > 2.5 cm yr^?1.     

基于局部条纹频率估计的二维高斯滤波方法

提出一种基于局部条纹频率估计的干涉相位图二维高斯滤波方法。该方法采用最大似然法估计局部条纹频率,并用相位噪声的局部标准差评价噪声强度,从而控制滤波器参数实现自适应滤波,并采用仿真数据和SIR-C/XSAR在意大利Etna火山的干涉数据进行试验,将本算法与均值滤波方法和中值滤波方法以及Goldstein滤波方法进行了比较。试验结果表明,该方法不仅能够有效抑制干涉相位噪声,还能够很好地保持干涉条纹的细节信息。     

Socioeconomic Correlates of Increasing Crime Rates in Smaller Communities

This research analyzes changes in crime rates by city size and determines the extent to which these changes can be explained by socioeconomic variables. More particularly it addresses rates of change in mean crime rates for violent and property crime between 1976–1984 and 1985–1994 for all U. S. cities, then compares results to Ohio cities. It provides a detailed analysis of changing crime rates in 111 Ohio cities with populations between 10,000 and 99,999 inhabitants and attempts to account for crime differentials between these cities employing linear regression and factor analysis. Results indicate that crime is significantly related to poverty and its associated conditions and processes.     

Sex expression and growth rates in natural populations of the desert soil crustal mossSyntrichia caninervis

The low elevation Mojave Desert cryptobiotic crust is dominated by the mossSyntrichia caninervis. In 16 populations of this moss, stem height and population were significantly associated with sex expression, with longer stems expressing sex more frequently and producing more perichaetia. The above-ground age of stems ranged up to 10 years, with a mean growth rate across populations of 0.36 mm year⁻¹. The overall stem sex ratio, as a proportion of the total number of stems, was 0.30♀: 0♂: 0.70 non-expressing. The probability of expressing sex in a given season was 0.09. The absence of sexual reproduction (no sporophytes) and likely absence of the male sex from the area indicate that the non-expressing plants are female individuals. The slow growth rates, low rates of sex expression, absence of male plants, and absence of sexual reproduction in this crustal species may help explain why re-establishment of mosses on desert soils can take decades.     

超压盆地中泥岩的流体压裂与幕式排烃作用

流体压裂是在异常高流体压力体系的低渗泥岩中流体活动的主要输导通道。流体压裂不仅导致低渗泥岩的幕式压实作用,而且为油气运移,储集的研究提供了新的理论模式。超压盆地泥岩的压实演化可划分为两个阶段,即连续压实和幕式压实阶段,其中幕式压实阶段又可根据导致流体压裂的主控因素进一步划分为两个亚阶段,即水力压裂和生烃压裂,前者主要由于泥岩欠压实和新生流体源的增压所致,后者则主要由于泥岩中有机质生烃及烃类裂解后增