Precipitation Chemistry in Semi-Arid Areas of Southern Africa: A Case Study of a Rural and an Industrial Site

Experimental data on the precipitation chemistry in the semi-arid savanna of South Africa is presented in this paper. A total of 901 rainwater samples were collected with automatic wet-only samplers at a rural site, Louis Trichardt, and at an industrial site, Amersfoort, from July 1986 to June 1999. The chemical composition of precipitation was analysed for seven inorganic and two organic ions, using ion chromatography. The most abundant ion was SO₄ ^{2 –} and a large proportion of theprecipitation is acidic, with 98% of samples at Amersfoort and 94% at LouisTrichardt having a pH below 5.6 (average pH of 4.4 and 4.9, respectively). This acidity results from a mixture of mineral and organic acids, with mineral acids being the primary contributors to the precipitation acidity in Amersfoort, while at Louis Trichardt, organic and mineral acids contribute equal amounts of acidity. It was found that the composition of rainwater is controlled by five sources: marine, terrigenous, nitrogenous, biomass burning and anthropogenic sources. The relative contributions of these sources at the two sites were calculated. Anthropogenic sources dominate at Amersfoort and biomass burning at Louis Trichardt. Most ions exhibit a seasonal pattern at Louis Trichardt, with the highest concentrations occurring during the austral spring as a result of agricultural activities and biomass combustion, while at Amersfoort it is less pronounced due to the dominance of relatively constant industrial emissions. The results are compared to observations from other African regions.     

海洋环境有机磷酸酯的来源、分布与生物地球化学过程

继多种溴代阻燃剂加入《斯德哥尔摩公约》持久性有机污染物黑名单后,有机磷酸酯(organophosphate esters, OPEs)作为替代品,生产和使用量日益增加。研究表明OPEs可通过大气长距离传输、河流输运等方式进入海洋环境,并对海洋生态系统产生一定风险。本文详细梳理了海洋大气、水体和沉积物介质,以及海洋生物体中OPEs的含量水平和分布特征,并探讨了OPEs的海气交换、大气沉降、洋流输运等物理过程,以及生物富集与转化、生物泵耦合和微生物降解等生物地球化学过程。考虑到OPEs仍在大量生产和使用并将持续进入海洋环境,系统的海洋OPEs连续监测和生态风险评估亟待开展。     

光谱法测定海水中溶解态无机氮的研究进展

溶解态无机氮(dissolved inorganic nitrogen,DIN)主要由亚硝酸盐-氮(NO^-₂-N)、硝酸盐-氮(NO^-₃-N)和铵氮(NH⁺₄-N)组成,它们在海洋的生物地球化学循环过程中起重要作用。但人类活动向海洋输入了大量无机氮,导致一系列环境问题。为了更好地开展海洋氮循环研究和环境污染管理,需对海水中的DIN进行测定。在众多分析方法中,光谱法因其通用性好、适用范围广、所需设备简单,成为测定海水DIN的首选。本文总结了近10年来基于光谱法测定海水DIN的研究进展,包括紫外分光光度法测定NO^-₃-N、萘乙二胺分光光度法测定NO^-₂-N和NO^-₃-N、次溴酸盐氧化-分光光度法测定NH⁺₄-N、靛酚蓝分光光度法测定NH⁺₄-N...     

Dissolved major ions,Sr and 87Sr/86Sr of coastal lakes from Larsemann hills,East Antarctica: Solute sources and chemical weathering in a polar environment

Dissolved major ions, Sr concentrations and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of 10 coastal lakes from the Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica have been studied to constrain their solute sources, transport and glacial weathering patterns in their catchments. In absence of perennial river/streams, lakes serve as only reliable archive to study land surface processes in these low-temperature regions. The lake water chemistry is mostly Na-Cl type and it does not show any significant depth variations. Sr isotope compositions of these lakes vary from 0.7110 to 0.7211 with an average value of 0.7145, which is higher than modern seawater value. In addition to oceanic sources, major ions and Sr isotopic data show appreciable amount of solute supply from chemical weathering of silicate rocks in lake catchments and dissolution of Ca-Mg rich salts produced during the freezing of seawaters. The role of sulphide oxidation and carbonate weathering are found to be minimal on lake hydro-chemistry in this part of Antarctica. Inverse model calculations using this chemical dataset provide first-order estimates of dissolved cations and Sr; they are mostly derived from oceanic (seawater + snow) sources (cations approximately 76%) and (Sr approximately 92%) with minimal supplies from weathering of silicates (cations approximately 15%); (Sr approximately 2%) and Ca-rich minerals (cations approximately 9%); (Sr approximately 7%). The silicate weathering rate and its corresponding atmospheric CO₂ consumption rate estimates for Scandrett lake catchment (3.6 ± 0.3 tons/km²/year and 0.5 × 10⁵ moles/km²/year), are lower than that of reported values for the average global river basins (5.4 tons/km²/year and 0.9 × 10⁵ tons/km²/year) respectively. The present study provides a comprehensive report of chemical weathering intensity and its role in atmospheric CO₂ consumption in low-temperature pristine environment of Antarctica. These estimates underscore the importance of Antarctica weathering on atmospheric CO₂ budget, particularly during the past warmer periods when the large area was exposed and available for intense chemical weathering.     

UV photolysis, organic molecules in young disks, and the origin of meteoritic amino acids

The origin of complex organic molecules such as amino acids and their precursors found in meteorites and comets is unknown. Previous studies have accounted for the complex organic inventory of the Solar System by aqueous chemistry on warm meteoritic parent bodies, or by accretion of organics formed in the interstellar medium. This paper proposes a third possibility: that complex organics were created in situ by ultraviolet light from nearby O/B stars irradiating ices already in the Sun’s protoplanetary disk. If the Sun was born in a dense cluster near UV-bright stars, the flux hitting the disk from external stars could be many orders of magnitude higher than that from the Sun alone. Such photolysis of ices in the laboratory can rapidly produce amino acid precursors and other complex organic molecules. I present a simple model coupling grain growth and UV exposure in a young circumstellar disk. It is shown that the production may be sufficient to create the Solar System’s entire complex organic inventory within 10⁶ yr. Subsequent aqueous alteration on meteoritic parent bodies is not ruled out.     

A geometrical method for quantifying endmembers' fractions in three-component groundwater mixing

We present a new geometrical method capable of quantifying and illustrating the outcomes of a three-component mixing dynamics. In a three-component mixing scenario, classical algebraic equations and endmember mixing analysis (EMMA) can be used to quantify the contributions from each fraction. Three-component mixing of natural waters, either in an element–element plot or by using the EMMA mixing subspace is described by a triangular shaped distribution of sample points where each endmember is placed on an apex, while each side corresponds to the mixing function of the two endmembers placed at the apex, considering the third endmembers' contribution equal to zero. Along each side, the theoretical mixing fractions can be computed using mass balance equations. Samples with contributions from three endmembers will plot inside the triangle, while the homogeneous barycentric coordinate projections can be projected onto the three sides. The geochemistry observed in the mineralized Ferrarelle aquifer system (southern Italy) results from three-component mixing of groundwater, each with diagnostic geochemical compositions. The defined boundary conditions allow us to parameterize and validate the procedures for modelling mixing, including selection of suitable geochemical tracers.     

Mesoproboloides excavata n. sp. (Amphipoda: Gammaridea: Stenothoidae) from New Zealand

Mesoproboloid.es excavata n. sp. is described and illustrated from material collected at Kaikoura, New Zealand. It differs most conspicuously from the other three known species of the genus in the posterodistally excavate coxa 4, the stout, blunt lobe distally on article 1 of antenna 1, the crenulate ventral margins of coxae 2–4, and the castellate posterior margin of article 2 of pereopod 5. The structure and distribution of minute organs, probably sensory receptors, densely distributed over much, of the integument was examined by scanning electron microscopy. The genus Mesoproboloides is now seen to be cold temperate‐subantarctic in occurrence.     

黑龙江省金厂金矿石英闪长玢岩固结温压条件及其深部预测

黑龙江东宁县金厂金矿位于兴蒙造山带松嫩地块之东端,是吉黑岩浆成矿域的重要组成部分。其围岩蚀变和流体包裹体研究均显示具典型斑岩Au-Cu矿体特征,与燕山晚期花岗斑岩、石英闪长玢岩密切相关。通过矿物温压计对矿区中部18号矿体下部出露的石英闪长玢岩固结温压条件进行分析表明,岩体固结温度约735℃～700℃,压力约0.63MPa～1.3MPa,侵位深度大致约2km～4km,与流体包裹体获得的成矿深度(2.1km～3.2km)接近。研究结果显示目前出露的矿体属于斑岩矿床成矿体系的中部,而深部斑岩体仍未大规模出露。因此,该矿区深部仍有很大的找矿潜力。     

Crustal deformation effects on the chemical evolution of geothermal systems: the intra-arc Liquiñe–Ofqui fault system,Southern Andes

A better understanding of the chemical evolution of fluids in geothermal and hydrothermal systems requires data-based knowledge regarding the interplay between active tectonics and fluid flow. The Southern Andes volcanic zone is one of the best natural laboratories to address this issue because of the occurrence of numerous geothermal areas, recent seismic activity generated by regional fault systems, and intense volcanic activity. Geothermal systems have been understudied in this area, and limited scientific information exists about the role of local kinematic conditions on fluid flow and mineralization during the development and evolution of geothermal reservoirs. In this study, we provide data for a 1:200,000 scale geological and structural map of the Villarrica–Chihuio area as a setting in which to perform a structural analysis of active geothermal areas. This structural analysis, combined with geochemical modelling of hot spring data, allows the identification of two magmatic-tectonic-geothermal domains based on fault systems, volcanic activity, and lithologies. The Liquiñe–Ofqui fault system (LOFS) domain encompasses geothermal areas located either along the master or subsidiary faults. These are favourably orientated for shear and extension, respectively. In the LOFS domain, the geochemistry of hot spring discharges is controlled by interaction with the crystalline basement, and is characterized by low B/Cl conservative element ratios and high pH. In marked contrast, the arc-oblique long-lived fault systems (ALFS) domain includes geothermal occurrences located on the flanks of volcanoes forming WNW-trending alignments; these systems are built over faults that promote the development of crustal magma reservoirs. Unlike the first domain, the fluid chemistry of these geothermal discharges is strongly controlled by volcanic host rocks, and is typified by lower pH and higher B/Cl ratios. Reaction path modelling supports our model: chemical evolution of geothermal fluids in the Villarrica–Chihuio area is strongly dependent on structurally controlled mechanisms of heat transfer. Within this framework, heat transfer by conduction is responsible for the LOFS domain, whereas magmatically enhanced advective transport dominates heat flow in the ALFS domain. Although more studies are needed to constrain the complex interplay between tectonics and fluid flow, results from this study provide new insights towards efficient exploration strategies of geothermal resources in Southern Chile.     

新疆西天山智博铁矿床蚀变矿物学、矿物化学特征及矿床成因探讨

智博铁矿床是西天山东部阿吾拉勒铁成矿带新发现的大型磁铁矿矿床之一。赋矿围岩为下石炭统大哈拉军山组火山岩及火山碎屑岩。围岩蚀变广泛发育,识别出3个阶段:第一阶段以辉石+钠长石+磁铁矿为主;第二阶段以角闪石+钾长石+绿帘石+磁铁矿+黄铁矿为主;第三阶段以绿帘石+绿泥石+方解石+石英+黄铁矿+赤铁矿±黄铜矿为主。电子探针分析表明,智博铁矿与其他岩浆-热液成因铁矿床具有类似的蚀变矿物化学成分。辉石以透辉石为主(Di=62.97%~83.56%),含少量钙铁辉石(Hd=16.44%~36.45%);火山岩中斜长石(Ab47.57-57.82An41.5-51.87Or0.56-0.68)蚀变形成钠长石(Ab77.89-99.33An0.46-2.48Or0.21-20.3);与热液作用有关的钾长石叠加改造早期蚀变矿物;角闪石主要为阳起石;晚期发育富铁绿帘石〔Fe/(Fe+Al)=0.2~0.36〕以及绿泥石蚀变矿物。与火山岩中的磁铁矿〔w(TiO2)3.08%〕相比,矿体中磁铁矿具有低w(TiO2)(0.23%)的特点,部分早期浸染状磁铁矿与火山岩中的磁铁矿w(V2O5)相当,暗示该矿化阶段的铁质部分来源于围岩。矿物学及矿物化学表明,热液交代作用对成矿具有重要的贡献。同时,智博铁矿具有一些暗示铁矿浆成因的结构特征,如块状磁铁矿与围岩呈截然接触,磁铁矿胶结围岩角砾,磁铁矿条带呈流动状分布以及板条状磁铁矿等。结合铁矿带区域地质特征,认为智博铁矿可能主要由富铁岩浆流体形成,在形成大量块状富铁矿体的同时,伴随有广泛的围岩蚀变。矿区内大量的磁铁矿矿化与晚石炭世大陆岛弧岩浆活动有密切的成因联系。