中国辽西早白垩世义县组始无齿翼龙新材料

根据新材料,对始无齿翼龙的特征进行了修订:中部颈椎体没有神经棘;肱骨三角嵴的长度与肱骨长度之比率约为0.25;翼掌骨的长度与第二翼指骨的长度几乎相等;第二翼指骨与第一翼指骨的长度之比率约为0.76.始无齿翼龙的新标本与正型稍微不同,可能由个体发育所引起.     

西藏羌塘西北部干枯沟地区早三叠世晚期碱性岩类的发现

碱性花岗岩分布于西藏羌塘北部的花岗岩带内,岩石K2O Na2O含量达11.27%～12.02%,具高铝、高碱、低铁镁组分的特征,属碱性花岗岩类.地球化学特征表明,该碱性岩形成于后碰撞期.形成该岩体的物质主要来源于加厚陆壳的中下部,反映了研究区古特提斯闭合后经历了陆内造山阶段.霞石正长岩同位素锆石U-Pb年龄为248.7Ma±2.6Ma,相当于早三叠世晚期.碱性花岗岩的出现是西藏西北部古特提斯造山带崩塌开始的岩石学标志.     

中国早白垩世今鸟类甘肃鸟的蹼足化石

玉门甘肃鸟(Gansus yumenensis)是中国发现的第一只中生代鸟类化石.该化石产自甘肃西北部下沟组,时代与辽宁西部产热河生物群的早白垩世地层的时代大体相当.该鸟类趾节拉长,很短的爪具有较尖锐的屈肌结节,因而被认为是一种适应于水生生活的鸟类.玉门甘肃鸟的建立最初仅依据一件左足标本,直到最近又发现了少量可供进一步研究的新标本.本文描述了一件新的玉门甘肃鸟的完整后肢化石,标本在远端趾节之间显示出清晰的蹼的构造.这为玉门甘肃鸟具有发育足蹼的观点提供了最直接的证据.玉门甘肃鸟也成为世界上已知最古老的适应于水生生活环境的鸟类.     

“中央造山带”早古生代缝合带及构造分区概述

“中央造山带”是夹持于中国塔里木、华北和扬子克拉通之间的近东西向延展的（局部为北东向和北西向）显生宙造山系统。该造山带中包括了库地-喀拉塔什、红柳沟-肃北-北祁连、南阿尔金-滩间山、昆中、朱阳关-夏馆和商州-丹凤6条早古生代缝合带。被缝合带所围限的前寒武纪地质构造单元包括中阿尔金-祁连-金吉地块、柴达木地块、北秦岭地块和东、西昆仑2个变质地体。南秦岭原为扬子克拉通的北部边缘，但卷入了显生宙造山带，成为中央造山带的一部分。对上述6条早古生代缝合带和6个前寒武纪地质构造单元的特点进行了概略总结，并阐述了各地质构造单元中的构造地层系统和热-构造事件的年代格架。     

河南汝阳地区-巨型蜥脚类恐龙股骨化石的发现及其地层学意义

报道了首次在河南省汝阳县发现的大型蜥脚类恐龙股骨化石。从股骨近端的大小来判断，该股骨的实际长度可能超过2m，应属于巨型蜥脚类恐龙的股骨无疑。虽然化石破碎，种属的归属存在一定的困难，但是它的发现无论从晰脚类恐龙的分布、演化还是从地层学上都具有重要意义。该恐龙股骨化石的发现，将该地区原认为属于古近系蟒川组的时代向前推至早白垩世晚期或晚白垩世早期，同时其下伏地层陈宅沟组也应划归白垩纪时期的沉积。     

藏北色哇地区索布查组、曲色组岩石地层、层序地层、生物地层特征及三叠系与侏罗系界线

对藏北羌塘盆地南缘色哇地区的三叠纪与侏罗纪地层进行研究,在下侏罗统曲色组之下发现了一套以灰岩为主的地层,建立了索布查组,该组下部产晚三叠世腕足类、双壳类、六射珊瑚,上部产早侏罗世菊石,因此确定索布查组地质时代为晚三叠世—早侏罗世。三叠系-侏罗系界线应在索布查组之内,三叠系与侏罗系可能为整合接触。     

Early Pleistocene climate changes in the central Mediterranean region as inferred from integrated pollen and planktonic foraminiferal stable isotope analyses

Vegetation inherited from a Pliocene subtropical climate evolved through obliquity oscillations and global cooling leading to modern conditions. An integrated, highly time-resolved record of pollen and stable isotopes (δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C of Globigerina bulloides) was obtained to understand vegetation responses to Early Pleistocene climate changes. Continental and marine responses are compared in the Central Mediterranean region with a particular consideration of environmental changes during anoxic events.Pollen data illustrate vegetation dynamics as follows: [1] development of mesothermic elements (warm and humid conditions); [2] expansion of mid- and high-altitude elements (cooler but still humid conditions); and [3] strengthening of steppe and herb elements (cooler and dry conditions). These successions correlate with precession. δ¹⁸O variations recorded by Globigerina bulloides define two cycles (MIS 43-40) related to obliquity. At northern low- to mid-latitudes, the pollen signal records temperature and wetness changes related to precession even during global climate changes induced by obliquity. This may result in unexpected increasing wetness during glacial periods, which has to be considered specific to the Central and Eastern Mediterranean region. Lastly, an analysis of anoxic events reveals that enhanced runoff is indicated by increasing frequency of the riparian trees Liquidambar and Zelkova.     

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.