Excess in precipitation as a cause for settlement decline along the Israeli coastal plain during the third millennium BC

Although the relations between climate and settlement are not straightforward, there is a general agreement that arid conditions are less favorable for human settlement in the semiarid Near East than humid conditions. Here we show that humid conditions resulted in the abandonment of settlements along the Israeli coastal plain. We first present archaeological evidence for a drastic decline in settlement along the Israeli coast during most of the third millennium BC (Early Bronze Age II-III). Then, based on archaeological and climatic evidence, we link this decline to an environmental change occurring at that time. We propose that increased precipitation intensified the already existing drainage problems and resulted in flooding, which led to the transformation of arable land into marshes and to the spread of diseases, gradually causing settlement decline and abandonment.     

The sauropod diversity of the La Amarga Formation (Barremian), Neuquén (Argentina)

A study of the abundant and undescribed isolated and associated bones and teeth from the La Amarga Formation (Barremian of Neuquén, Argentina) permitted the recognition of additional clades of sauropod dinosaurs: basal titanosauriforms, both basal and derived titanosaurs, and rebbachisauroid diplodocoids, which are now added to the already known dicraeosaurids and a recently published basal diplodocoid. These forms substantially increase the knowledge on the Early Cretaceous sauropod diversity in Gondwana.     

Early cretaceous granitoids and their implications for the collapse of the Dabie orogen, eastern China: SHRIMP zircon U–Pb dating and geochemistry

Two stages of early Cretaceous post-orogenic granitoids are recognized in the Dabie orogen, eastern China, which recorded processes of extensional collapse of the orogen. The early stage granitoids ( 132 Ma) are foliated hornblende quartz monzonites and porphyritic monzogranites. They are of high-K calc-alkaline series and metaluminous to weakly peraluminous, with high K₂O and low MgO contents (Mg^# values: 32.0–46.0), they contain high Sr, low Y and heavy rare earth elements (HREE), and have high Sr/Y and (La/Yb)_N ratios, without clear negative Eu, Sr and Ti anomalies. The early stage deformed granitoids have adakitic geochemical compositions and are equilibrated with residues rich in garnet and poor in anorthite-rich plagioclase, and thus indicate the existence of an over-thickened (> 50 km) crustal root beneath the orogen at  132 Ma. The later stage granitoids ( 128 Ma) are undeformed fine-grained monzogranites, fine-grained K-feldspar granites and coarse-grained K-feldspar granite-porphyry. They belong to a peraluminous and high-K calc-alkaline to shoshonite series, and display a flat HREE pattern and have strong negative Eu, Sr and Ti anomalies, with low Sr/Y and (La/Yb)_N ratios. The late stage granitoids are equilibrated with residues rich in anorthite-rich plagioclase, hornblende, ilmenite/titanite and poor in garnet, indicating that the crust of the Dabie orogen became thinner (< 35 km) at  128 Ma. SHRIMP zircon U–Pb ages and changing compositional trends for these two stages of granitoids indicate that the over-thickened crust formed by the Triassic continental subduction/collision under the Dabie orogen remained until the early Cretaceous, and collapsed quickly in a few million years during the early Cretaceous.     

对门源盆地"红层"形成时代的新认识

门源盆地位于青藏高原东北缘北祁连山腹地,为狭长的新生代走滑拉分山间宽谷盆地。其中充填一厚约407~960 m、干旱气候条件下的河湖相沉积"红层",长期以来各项研究工作均未能于其中采获任何生物化石。因此,尽管各家均认同其属"第三纪"无疑,但仍对其确切时代存在着较大的争论,而对其时代的确定有助于正确认识门源盆地形成时的构造背景,具有较为重要的意义。通过区域地层对比、"红层"形成气候条件与南侧西宁盆地及北邻酒泉—张掖盆地古气候环境所作的对比,深入探讨认为其时代属中中新世,并初步分析了门源盆地形成的新构造运动大陆动力学机制背景。     

我国早期的地震科学研究概述

我国早期的现代地震学研究，曾孕育于现代地质学中。用现代科学观点，最早调查研究现场大地震的年代，可追溯到1913年云南峨山7级地震考察。地震台站监测工作，是从1923年地质调查所派李善邦先生前去日本东京学习测震，并于1930年在北京西山郊区建造鹫峰地震观测台开始。最早的地震目录是1913年由上海黄司铎编的“法文中国地震表”。1921年翁文灏先生发表的“甘肃地震考”，首次将史料中的地震情形描述与罗西一福来氏烈度表加以对照，来确定地震烈度，从而提供了更详细、确切的“甘肃地震表”。1922年翁文灏在布鲁塞尔国际地质大会上宣读的“中国地质构造对于产生地震的影响”论文，曾引起与会者极大兴趣与关注，是最早论述我国地震地质和地震区域划分的文献。     

青海南部杂多地区超镁铁质-镁铁质岩石的特征及Ar—Ar定年

通过野外地质研究和室内岩相学、岩石地球化学研究,在位于青藏高原中部的青海杂多地区的双湖-澜沧江结合带中发现了一套超镁铁质岩、镁铁质岩。该超镁铁质岩、镁铁质岩沿北西—南东向区域构造线多呈岩脉状侵入在早石炭世杂多群中,局部呈构造透镜体分布在断裂带中或呈包体分布在白垩纪花岗岩中,出露规模不大,局部侵入体具有层状侵入杂岩体的特征。主要岩石类型为辉石橄榄岩、辉长岩、辉长辉绿岩,岩石地球化学具高Ti、Fe、Al、Ga和LREE中等富集的特征。橄榄岩中角闪石的~(40)Ar/~(39)Ar同位素测年得到275.3Ma±1.9Ma的坪年龄,表明这套超镁铁—镁铁质岩石可能为早、中二叠世弧后盆地拉张的产物。     

The Alleret maar (Massif Central, France): A new lacustrine sequence of the early Middle Pleistocene in western Europe

The Alleret maar (Massif Central, France) provides a long lacustrine sequence (40.6 m) attributed to the early Middle Pleistocene. Sediment, pollen and diatoms analysis of its upper part (AL2 core, 14.6 m) indicates two temperate phases marked by high lake levels, forest development and vegetation expansion. They are separated by a cold period during which lake level drops, coarse sediment input increases and steppic and xerophilous plants develop. Pollen data suggests that this sequence belongs to the upper part of the Cromerian complex. These results are in agreement with the 557 ± 3 ka (±12 ka, including all errors) ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age obtained from an interbedded tephra layer emitted by the Mont-Dore/Sancy strato-volcano and establish that this sequence probably covers the MIS 15 substages.     

Distinct sedimentary processes reflected in the isotopic signatures of dolomitic concretions in the Miocene Pohang Basin (southwestern East Sea)

Dolomitic concretions in diatomaceous hemipelagic sediments of the Miocene Pohang Basin in the southwestern East Sea (Sea of Japan) preserve distinct signals of two independent sedimentary processes, which controlled the extents of isotopic compositions. Variable δ¹⁸O (−9.1‰ to +0.7‰) and high δ¹³C (+3.1‰ to +17.9‰) values suggest that the concretions formed in the methanogenic zone with alteration of the residual mid-Miocene seawater by volcanogenic sediments. Remarkable δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values show a strong linear relationship, indicating that distinctly independent depositional processes operated during the formation of the concretions. The degree of methanogenesis was enhanced during rapid hemipelagic sedimentation of organic-rich particles, resulting in higher δ¹³C values, and the effect of volcaniclastics was diluted, maintaining the original properties of ambient mid-Miocene seawater. In contrast, lower δ¹⁸O and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values characterize the effect of volcaniclastic sediments that were transported by intermittent gravity flows and interacted with mid-Miocene seawater. The input of volcaniclastic sediment probably degraded the role of methanogenesis by lowering the contents of organic matter and thereby decreased the δ¹³C values within the concretions. Isotopic signals recorded within the concretions highlight understanding of the depositional environment and evolution of the pore-water chemistry.     

Sedimentary facies and sequence stratigraphy of the Asmari Formation at Chaman-Bolbol, Zagros Basin, Iran

The Oligocene–Miocene Asmari Formation of the Zagros Basin is a thick sequence of shallow water carbonate. In the study area, it is subdivided into 14 microfacies that are distinguished on the basis of their depositional textures, petrographic analysis and fauna. Based on the paleoecology and lithology, four distinct depositional settings can be recognized: tidal flat, lagoon, barrier, and open marine. The Asmari Formation represents sedimentation on a carbonate ramp. In the inner ramp, the most abundant lithofacies are medium grained wackestone–packstone with imperforated foraminifera. The middle ramp is represented by packstone–grainstone to floatstone with a diverse assemblage of larger foraminifera with perforate wall, red algae, bryozoa, and echinoids. The outer ramp is dominated by argillaceous wackestone characterized by planktonic foraminifera and large and flat nummulitidae and lepidocyclinidae. Three third-order depositional sequences are recognized from deepening and shallowing trends in the depositional facies, changes in cycle stacking patterns, and sequence boundary features.     

Heavy clastic minerals from the Far East island-arc complexes

The results of the study of heavy clastic minerals from the Cretaceous-Paleogene terrigenous complexes of Sikhote-Alin and Kamchatka, as well as from the Cenozoic sediments of the deepwater Vanuatu Trench, are summarized. The data obtained have been interpreted on the basis of their comparison with heavy mineral assemblages of recent sediments deposited in known geodynamic settings. It is shown that the heavy clastic minerals of sedimentary rocks, their relative quantities, and chemical compositions may serve as reliable indicators of different island-arc settings and magmatic processes; these indicators may also be used for identification of such settings in paleobasins of orogenic regions.