Paleoenvironmental reconstruction of central-western Argentina from analysis of Late-Pleistocene mammal droppings

Plant macrofossils studied in coprolites from small-sized, medium-sized and large mammals, dated by ¹⁴C to ca. 30.8–24 and 9 kybp, allowed to record changes in local vegetation and its relation with geomorphological units. Paleobotanical samples were determined using microhistological analysis. We found that plant associations and the vegetation–geomorphology relation were similar in the two periods analyzed. According to this study, the Monte plant formation would reflect certain stability during the analyzed period in arid central-western Argentina, although this does not imply the absence of variations in plant structure.     

Red-Pelaged Harbour Seals, in Humboldt County, California: why some Seals Rust

In this paper we present data on the occurrence of red-pelaged harbour seals, Phoca vitulina, at a haul-out in Humboldt County, California. Density of red seals ranged from 4% to 17.5% (n=21) and was comparable to that reported for San Francisco Bay, being the highest documented worldwide. The red colouration is the result of natural inorganic iron oxide/hydroxide pigments (limonite), which are present in small patches on the beach sand of the seals haul-out at the mouth of the Mad River. Thorough analysis of the river water and ocean water excluded these as possible sources for the iron oxide/hydroxide pigments. We found that the manmade reinforcement of the river bank adjacent to the haul-out consisted of greenshist boulders with a very high iron content. Weathering of these rocks produces red iron oxide/hydroxide particles which are then redeposited by rain or river action in small patches across the haul-out. Seals receive their red colouration through direct physical contact with these patches. SEM examination showed that these particles can adhere lastingly to the seals’ hair. Other studies provide reason for concern that this situation may detrimentally impact the seals’ health.     

Relationship between the Landslides Triggered by the Tongwei M7 1/2 Earthquake in 1718 AD and the Disappearance of Yongning Ancient Town

Although China''s historical earthquake documentation is relatively rich, it is not all based on scientific records. Therefore, the verification of the seismic information in historical records can effectively avoid exaggerating or underestimating the damage they produced. In this paper, we analyze the detailed information of the 1718 AD Tongwei M7 1/2 earthquake through field surveys, document sorting, and manual visual interpretation of UAV images. Major conclusions are listed as follows:①The low-level terraces of Weihe River between Gangu and Wushan are fully developed with flatted surface, and the residents here are mostly killed by house collapses. In addition, the disappearance of Yongning Ancient Town is not directly related to the earthquake-induced landslides; ② In fact, "Yongning Town is entirely buried by the earthquake" in the historical records describes the phenomenon that loess dust has pervaded the entire Weihe Valley. These dust grains are produced by the sliding of earthquake-induced landslides. Thus, there is no possibility that large-scale landslides have slipped over Weihe bedrock and buried Yongning Town; ③After the earthquake, survivors abandoned the ruins and selected a new site to live. They built a new town named "Pan''an (means always peaceful in the future)". earthquake-induced landslides may be the reason of burying the residential areas on valley-side slopes, while those locations inside the valley are associated with the amplification effect of ground vibration. On the basis of compiling historical seismic data, scientific methods are used to explore the real meaning of these documents, for the purpose of providing basic data for the risk evaluation of strong historical earthquakes.     

气候变迁下的古雷电印象浅析

探讨和总结了古雷电研究的4种方法：①地质记录中的古气候标志方法；②氧同位索测量古温度方法；③冰川冰期与气候冷暖方法；④史料记载的研究方法。应用这4种方法分别对史前气候变迁下的古雷电进行描述，然后再从史料记载中，浓缩了古雷电的记录，分析了古雷电印象。     

Some Observations on the Changes of Physico-Chemical and Biological Factors in Victoria Harbour and Vicinity, Hong Kong, 1988–1996

This study analysed monthly physico-chemical and biological data collected from 18 marine monitoring stations in Victoria Harbour and its vicinity in Hong Kong, from 1988 to 1996. Cluster analysis based on all water quality parameters measured shows that the 18 monitoring stations can be grouped into four clusters: Cluster I consists of stations located in the Harbour proper; Cluster II consists of stations located west of the Harbour and along the Rambler Channel; Cluster III consists of stations located east of the Harbour near Junk Bay and Cluster IV consists of stations located west of the Harbour and near the Ma Wan, Kap Shui Mun and Western Fairways. Factor analysis shows high positive loadings for nutrients in the first two factors of the four clusters. This suggests that effluents from the 11 outfalls of sewage screening plants influence the water quality of Victoria Harbour and its vicinity. Other factors such as storm water runoff, marine traffic, construction and industrial activities and the Pearl River discharges also appear to play an important role in determining local water quality. Five stations located along an east–west transect across the Harbour were selected for trend analysis. The three stations located in the Harbour exhibit an increasing trend for temperature and levels of total phosphorus (TP), ortho-phosphate phosphorous (PO₄-P) and faecal bacteria and a decreasing trend for pH and levels of total nitrogen (TN), total kjeldahl-nitrogen (TKN), 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅) and chlorophyll a. For the station located east of the Harbour, an increasing trend is observed for levels of TP, PO₄-P, but no decreasing trend in TN and TKN is detected. For the station located west of the Harbour, no decreasing trend in TN, TKN and chlorophyll a is observed. Changes in levels of phosphorus and nitrogen in Victoria Harbour and the immediate vicinity have led to significant increases in the ratios of Total Silica (TSi) to TN, as well as a decrease in TN to TP and TSi to TP in most stations. Results of the present study show that Victoria Harbour and its immediate vicinity remain polluted.     

尚义葛令夭高铬花岗岩(Closepet-like)——新太古代古缝合带的新证据

在华北克拉通北部,太古代麻粒岩古陆核与陆外沉积盆地(红旗营子群)之间已经厘定出一个晚太古代的古洋壳残片(Wang et al., 2009)。此残片南北两侧又发现了低Al₂O₃ 型TTG岩体(2512±19Ma)、富钾高铬的深熔花岗岩(Closepet-like),含Cr 97×10^-6~308×10^-6,以及含大量密集的煌斑岩脉的含石英的二长岩(Sanukitoid-like)等三类在成因上与俯冲带密切相关的岩体。低Al₂O₃型TTG是在角闪麻粒岩亚相条件下由俯冲中的滑片部分熔融所生成。深熔花岗岩是TTG再熔融的产物,而它们的基性化演化和Cr的增高是幔源岩浆与富钾深熔花岗岩经复杂的岩浆混合和交代改造的结果。     

River channel evolution and tsunami impacts recorded in local sedimentary archives – the ‘Fiume Morto’ at Ostia Antica (Tiber River,Italy)

Ostia, the ancient port of Rome at the mouth of the river Tiber (Italy), flourished until the 2nd Century ad , although massive siltation had already caused the abandonment of its lagoonal harbour in the 1st Century bc . In search of an alternative harbour site, geomorphological and geoarchaeological research was carried out in the ‘Fiume Morto’, an abandoned Tiber meander to the immediate north of the town. To reconstruct its complex development and evaluate the suitability of the river channel as a fluvial harbour, a transect perpendicular to the former river channel's flow axis was systematically explored by a new methodological approach combining electrical resistivity tomography, direct push-electrical conductivity sensing and vibracores. Together with microfossil, mineralogical and geochemical analyses of sediment samples and 50 radiocarbon dates, in-depth stratigraphic data support a detailed reconstruction of different Tiber channel generations. Results reveal a meander development closely related to distinct ‘cut and fill’ dynamics. Inactive river channels were repeatedly filled with lagoonal sediments, abruptly followed by phases of intense incision. Yet, the overall Fiume Morto channel structure remained stable and almost in situ over centuries, showing nearly no lateral changes since the southward shift of the Tiber River mouth in the first millennium bc . In the 1st Century bc , channel conditions favoured navigation and transportation of goods with large ships. Open-water conditions, suitable for anchoring and landing activities, dominate from the 1st Century ad until 1557 ad , when the Fiume Morto meander was finally cut off and silted up within a short time. Within the fluvial deposits, sediments most likely related to tsunami inundations are preserved. These events occurred sometime before the 2nd Century bc , in the early 1st Century ad and in the 17th Century ad or later. Results are consistent with traces of tsunami influence found in Ostia's western lagoonal harbour.     

Recycling process and proto-kimberlite melt metasomatism in the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary beneath the Amazonian Craton recorded by garnet xenocrysts and mantle xenoliths from the Carolina kimberlite

Here we present new data on the major and trace element compositions of silicate and oxide minerals from mantle xenoliths brought to the surface by the Carolina kimberlite, Pimenta Bueno Kimberlitic Field, which is located on the southwestern border of the Amazonian Craton. We also present Sr-Nd isotopic data of garnet xenocrysts and whole-rocks from the Carolina kimberlite. Mantle xenoliths are mainly clinopyroxenites and garnetites. Some of the clinopyroxenites were classified as GPP–PP–PKP (garnet-phlogopite peridotite, phlogopite-peridotite, phlogopite-K-richterite peridotite) suites, and two clinopyroxenites (eclogites) and two garnetites are relicts of an ancient subducted slab. Temperature and pressure estimates yield 855–1102 °C and 3.6–7.0 GPa, respectively. Clinopyroxenes are enriched in light rare earth elements (LREE) (La_N/Yb_N = 5–62; Ce_N/Sm_N = 1–3; where N = primitive mantle normalized values), they have high Ca/Al ratios (10–410), low to medium Ti/Eu ratios (742–2840), and low Zr/Hf ratios (13–26), which suggest they were formed by metasomatic reactions with CO₂-rich silicate melts. Phlogopite with high TiO₂ (>2.0 wt.%), Al₂O₃ (>12.0 wt.%), and FeO_t (5.0–13.0 wt.%) resemble those found in the groundmass of kimberlites, lamproites and lamprophyres. Conversely, phlogopite with low TiO₂ (<1.0 wt.%) and lower Al₂O₃ (<12.0 wt.%) are similar to those present in GPP-PP-PKP, and in MARID (mica-amphibole-rutile-ilmenite-diopside) and PIC (phlogopite-ilmenite-clinopyorxene) xenoliths. The GPP-PP-PKP suite of xenoliths, together with the clinopyroxene and phlogopite major and trace element signatures suggests that an intense proto-kimberlite melt metasomatism occurred in the deep cratonic lithosphere beneath the Amazonian Craton. The Sr-Nd isotopic ratios of pyrope xenocrysts (G3, G9 and G11) from the Carolina kimberlite are characterized by high ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (0.51287–0.51371) and εNd (+4.55 to +20.85) accompanied with enriched ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.70405–0.71098). These results suggest interaction with a proto-kimberlite melt compositionally similar with worldwide kimberlites. Based on Sr-Nd whole-rock compositions, the Carolina kimberlite has affinity with Group 1 kimberlites. The Sm-Nd isochron age calculated with selected eclogitic garnets yielded an age of 291.9 ± 5.4 Ma (2 σ), which represents the cooling age after the proto-kimberlite melt metasomatism. Therefore, we propose that the lithospheric mantle beneath the Amazonian Craton records the Paleozoic subduction with the attachment of an eclogitic slab into the cratonic mantle (garnetites and eclogites); with a later metasomatic event caused by proto-kimberlite melts shortly before the Carolina kimberlite erupted.     

浙闽沿海早白垩世玄武岩锶、钕、铅同位素特征——古老富集型地幔的证据

浙闽沿海大面积出露的中生代酸性火山岩区有少量早白垩世玄武岩分布,它们具典型钾富集和铌等元素亏损特征,其同位素组成表现为较高ISr(0.7055-0.7106)、低的εNd(1.2--10.6,大多介于-3.2--10.6之间)及富放射性成因铅(²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=18.355-18.726,²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=15.455-15.799,²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=38.530-39.319).这些特征表明玄武岩源区为一富集型的陆下岩石圈地幔,由古老的俯冲地壳物质再循环进入并交代地幔而形成。没有证据表明本区早白垩世基性和酸性岩浆之间发生过大规模的化学混合,但不排除同位素之间的交换以及局部的化学和机械混合。壳-幔混合与地壳混染仅在少数玄武岩的形成过程中起着较重要的作用。     

古亚洲洋对华北陆缘岩石圈的改造作用：来自于西山南大岭组中基性火山岩的地球化学证据

北京西山南大岭组中基性火山岩都表现出LREE富集的右倾平滑稀土配分模式,具有富集LILE(如Ba、K),亏损Nb-Ta和Th-U的微量元素特征,Sr同位素组成中等富集,Nd同位素组成变化较大.根据其元素地球化学和同位素特征可以划分两组岩石Ⅰ组火山岩主要为亚碱性玄武岩,高Ti(TiO2＞1.7%)、P(P2O5＞0.7%),Ⅱ组火山岩主要由安山岩和亚碱性玄武岩组成,低Ti(TiO2＜1.3%)、P(P2O5＜0.5%);Ⅰ组火山岩总体上较Ⅱ组火山岩高相容元素(如Cr、Ni)、REE和HFSE,二者化学成分上渐变演化趋势不明显;Ⅰ组火山岩Sr-Nd同位素组成(87Sr/86Sr(t)=0.705939～0.706057,εNd(t)=-7.4～-7.5)与Ⅱ组火山岩Sr-Nd同位素组成(87Sr/86Sr(t)=0.705822～0.706697,εNdd(t)=-12.0～-13.5)有明显的差别,以上事实说明两组岩石可能来源于不同的地幔源区.对比于周缘地区中生代基性火山岩特征,西山地区南大岭组两组火山岩的Sr-Nd同位素组成和Nb/La、Hf/Sm比值都介于华北陆块内部和兴蒙造山带之间,反映了其熔融地幔源区继承了华北陆块内部的EMI型地幔特征外,还很可能受到俯冲板片交代作用的影响,暗示了古亚洲洋板块消减过程对华北陆缘岩石圈地幔的改造作用.其相对Ba-La明显的Th-U亏损,可能暗示早期有古老下地壳组分再循环到地幔源区.结合南大岭组中基性火山岩沿断裂带局限分布特点和区域早中生代构造-热年代学格架,我们认为南大岭组中基性火山岩形成于陆内伸展环境,即深大断裂带再次活动,导致软流圈上隆,从而诱发俯冲交代改造的古老岩石圈地幔减压熔融而成.