New fossil evaniids (Hymenoptera,Evanioidea) from the Yixian Formation of western Liaoning,China

A new species, Procretevania mitis sp. nov., is described from the Early Cretaceous of Yixian Formation at the Huangbanjigou, Beipiao City, western Liaoning, China. Based on new morphological data, a key of Procretevania Zhang and Zhang, 2000 is provided. Forewing venations, body and forewing lengths, localities and horizons of various genera of Evaniidae in amber and compression fossils are summarized for comparison. Evaniidae have a high degree of venational diversity, while more complex forewing venations for Lebanevania and Mesevania suggest that they may represent the stem group of the Evaniidae. High diversity of Evaniidae in the Early Cretaceous implies that Evaniidae might have radiated before the Early Cretaceous. Furthermore, comparison of body and forewing lengths of amber and fossil genera indicate that the amber specimens have relatively smaller size.     

安徽巢湖北部地区早石炭世碎屑锆石年代及其沉积意义分析

安徽巢湖北部地区石炭系出露完整,层序清楚,沉积类型多样,是下扬子地区研究石炭系的重要地区之一。本研究在分析石炭系剖面的基础上,结合U-Pb碎屑锆石年代学分析,探讨了巢湖北部地区早石炭世物源特征。本研究共对两组岩石样品进行了LA-ICP-MS U-Pb锆石年代学分析,第一组样品为采集于高骊山组中段的砂岩,第二组样品为采集于和州组顶部的砂屑生屑灰岩。高骊山组样品锆石最晚年龄为404.4±10.2Ma,最早年龄为3194.1±40.7Ma,获得了两个峰值年龄435±6Ma与846±14Ma。和州组样品锆石最晚年龄为410±10.8Ma,最早年龄为2780±46.0Ma,获得了两个峰值年龄448±20Ma与849±12Ma。早石炭世沉积特征及年龄数据表明,巢湖北部地区早石炭世的陆源碎屑沉积主要来源于扬子海周围晋宁期及加里东期形成的古陆,部分沉积物可能来自其他古陆。     

江西萍乐坳陷带西段早三叠世地层划分与对比及沉积环境分析

萍乡—宜春一带地处萍乐坳陷带西段,早三叠世地层广泛发育,长期以来对其地层单元划分、时代归属、分布范围、名称使用均不统一,给萍乐坳陷西段的研究工作带来诸多问题。笔者通过萍乐坳陷带西段萍乡—宜春一带1∶5万区域地质调查,首次系统地从岩石地层、生物地层方面对早三叠世地层进行了划分与对比,将该地区早三叠世地层自下而上划分为:殷坑组、青龙组、周冲村组,又将周冲村组进一步划分为四个段,并依据牙形石成果资料,将殷坑组、青龙组、周冲村组一段定为印度阶,周冲村组二段至四段定为奥伦尼克阶。同时根据岩性组合及沉积相特征对其沉积环境进行了分析,认为该地区早三叠世沉积环境为"台-坡-盆"古地貌结构的"陆缘海"。     

贵州册亨岩架黑苗湾组的发现及其地质意义

作者在册亨尾排金矿普查地质填图工作中,于岩架镇高苕一带发现晚三叠世卡尼早期地层.根据岩性特征,将其划为黑苗湾组.本文对该地黑苗湾组的出露与分布及岩石地层特征进行详细介绍,并讨论其地质意义.     

内蒙古东南部早三叠世花岗岩带岩石地球化学特征及其构造环境

锆石U-Pb定年结果表明位于林西县北西的转山子岩体的形成时代为245.6±0.9Ma,该岩体与内蒙古东南部的龙头山和建设屯岩体共同构成一条大致平行于西拉木伦河蛇绿岩带的早三叠世花岗岩带。岩石学和地球化学分析表明,上述早三叠世岩体属于钙碱性和高钾钙碱性系列,铝饱和指数(ACNK)均小于1.1,属于偏铝质或弱过铝质的I型花岗岩。其中,转山子岩体轻重稀土分馏较弱,含有较低的Sr含量(400×10-6),显示经典岛弧岩石的特征;建设屯岩体具有强烈的轻重稀土分馏以及较高的Sr含量(400×10-6),显示埃达克岩的地球化学特征;龙头山岩体的轻重稀土分馏特征和Sr的含量总体介于前两者之间。锆石Hf同位素分析表明,上述三个岩体都具有正的εHf(t)值。岩石地球化学特征反映它们起源于不同深度的新生下地壳不同程度的部分熔融作用。综合考虑区域地层和岩浆岩资料,本文认为该花岗岩带与区域上同时代的镁铁质火山岩共同形成于西伯利亚和中朝古板块碰撞造山过程中与伸展有关的地球动力学环境,可能与向南俯冲的古亚洲洋板块在早三叠世的断离引起的软流圈上涌有关。     

Permian volcanic rocks from the Apuseni Mountains (Romania): Geochemistry and tectonic constraints

An Early Permian volcanic assemblage is well exposed in the central-western part of the Apuseni Mountains (Romania). The rocks are represented by rhyolites, basalts and subordinate andesites suggesting a bimodal volcanic activity that is intimately associated with a post-orogenic (Variscan) syn-sedimentary intra-basinal continental molasse sequences. The mafic and mafic-intermediate rocks belong to sub-alkaline tholeiitic series were separated in three groups (I–III) showing a high Th and Pb abundances, depletion in Nb, Ta and Sr, and slightly enriched in LREE patterns (La_N/Yb_N = 1.4–4.4). Isotopically, the rocks of Group I have the initial ratios ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_(i) = 0.709351–0.707112, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd_(i) = 0.512490–0.512588 and high positive ?_Nd270 values from 3.9 to 5.80; the rocks of Group II present for the initial ratios values ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_(i) = 0.709434–0.710092, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd_(i) = 0.512231–0.512210 and for ?_Nd270 the negative values from −1.17 to −1.56; the rocks of Group III display for the initial ratios the values ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_(i) = 0.710751–0.709448, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd_(i) = 0.512347–0.512411 and for ?_Nd270 the positive values from 1.64 to 2.35. The rocks resembling continental tholeiites, suggest a mantle origin and were further affected by fractionation and crustal contamination. In addition, the REE geochemistry (1 > Sm_N/Yb_N < 2.5; 0.9 > La_N/Sm_N < 2.5) suggests that these rocks were generated by high percentage partial melting of a metasomatized mantle in the garnet peridotite facies. The felsic rocks are enriched in Cs, Rb Th and U and depleted in Nb, Ta, Sr, Eu, and Ti. The REE fractionation patterns show a strong negative Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu* = 0.23–0.40). The felsic rocks show the initial ratios the values: ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_(i) = 0.704096–0.707805, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd_(i) = 0.512012–0.512021 and for ?_Nd270 the negative values from −5.27 to −5.44. They suggest to be generated within the lower crust during the emplacement of mantle-derived magmas that provided necessary heat to crustal partial melting.     

A Spore-Pollen Assemblage from the Damoguaihe Formation in the Tamutsag Basin,Mongolia and Its Geological Implication

Based on the palynological data from Well Ta-19-36 and Well Ta-19-37 in the Ta'nan Sag, and Well Ta-22-1 and Well Ta-21-1 in the Bayin Gobi Sag, a spore-pollen assemblage from the Damoguaihe Formation is named as Cicatricosisporites minutaestriatus- Aequitriradites spinulosus-Protopinus sp. assemblage in the Tamutsag Basin, Mongolia. The assemblage is characterized by abundant gymnosperm pollen and diverse fern spores, counted 46.35%–65.57% and 34.43%–52.58% in percentage respectively. Among the gymnosperm pollen, Pinuspollenites sp.(2.66%–16.94%), Protopinus sp.(0–11.38%) and Protopicea sp.(0–10.81%) are dominant; and Alisporites sp., Cerebropollenites sp., Podocarpidites sp., and Abietineaepollenites sp. are common. Some important elements, such as Chasmatosporites sp., Callialasporites prominulus, Parvisaccites sp., Parcisporites sp., Jiaohepollis cf. annulatus, J. bellus, J. verus, Polycingulatisporites sp., Schizaeoisporites certus, Classopollis annulatus are seen. Within the fern spores, Osmundacidites wellamanii(0.85%–4.93%), Appendicisporites sp.(0–4.45%), Baculatisporites comaumensis(0.80%–2.87%), Cicatricosisporites sp.(0.51%–2.66%), C. minor(0–2.14%), Foraminisporis asymmetricus(0–2.40%), Aequitriradites sp.(0– 2.19%) and Cyathidites minor(0–2.13%) are dominant; and some specie of Densoisporites, Cooksonites, Impardecispora, Pilosisporites, Schizaeosprites, Fixisporites, Leptolepidites, Trilobosporites, Kuylisporites, Klukisporites, Hsuisporites, Couperisporites, Maculatisporites are seen. The angiosperm pollen are rare in the assemblage, characterized by Clavatipollenites sp.(0–0.80%) and Songipollis sp.(0–0.27%). The geological age of the Damoguaihe Formation is assigned to Hauterivian – Barremian of Early Cretaceous according to the palynological data, due to the fact that there existed a lot of diverse spores of the family Schizaeaceae and prosperous gymnosperm saccat pollen which the corpus and sacci are differentiated completely, and the presence of early angiosperm pollen of Clavatipollenites. However, the zircon U-Pb isotopic dating of the volcanic rocks in the Nantun Formation indicated that the overlying strata of the Nantun Formation, i.e. the Damoguaihe Formation must be younger than 127.0±2.0–137.9±1.5 Ma. This is consistent with the palynological data. Furthermore, the vegetation reconstructed on the palynological data of the Damoguaihe Formation is conifer forest with shrubs and grassland, belonging to the semi-humid or humid middle to south subtropical climate. Moreover, three new species, namely Biretisporites punctatus sp. nov., Chasmatosporites reticulates sp. nov. and Concentrisporites contractus sp. nov. are described here.     

The challenge of dating early pleistocene fossil teeth by the combined uranium series–electron spin resonance method: the Venta Micena palaeontological site (Orce,Spain)

The palaeontological site of Venta Micena (Orce, Andalusia, Spain) lies in the eastern sector of the Guadix–Baza basin, one of the best documented areas in Europe for Plio‐Pleistocene biostratigraphy. The combination of biochronological and palaeomagnetic results, combined with the radiometric data obtained for Atapuerca Sima del Elefante, indicated that the Venta Micena stratum was formed between the Jaramillo and Olduvai palaeomagnetic events, most likely between 1.22 and 1.77 Ma. Five fossil teeth from two outcrops (sites A and B) were selected to assess the potential of combined uranium series–electron spin resonance (US‐ESR) dating of Early Pleistocene sites. Although the US‐ESR results of the first outcrop showed a large scatter between the three teeth, the mean age of 1.37 ± 0.24 Ma can be considered a reasonable age estimate for Venta Micena. The mean ESR age of 0.62 ± 0.03 Ma obtained for site B seems to be a severe underestimation when compared with the independent age control. This underestimation is attributed to a relative recent U‐mobilization event that led to some U‐leaching. The results show that any ESR age calculations of old samples are extremely sensitive to variations in the measured ²³⁰Th/²³⁴U ratios in dental tissues. Although the results demonstrate that ESR can in principle be applied to Early Pleistocene sites, they also reveal the complexity of dating such old teeth. It is necessary to continue research in several directions, such as study of the behaviour of ESR signals in old teeth and understanding recent U‐mobilization processes, to improve the reliability of the combined US‐ESR dating method applied to Early Pleistocene times, a period for which the number of available numerical dating techniques is very limited. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical simulations of very large impacts on the Earth

Vertical impacts on the Earth of asteroids 500-3000 km in diameter at 15 km/s have been numerically modelled using the hydrodynamic SOVA code. This code has been modified for the spherical system of coordinates well suited for simulations of very large impacts when the entire Earth is involved in motion. The simulations include cratering process, upward motion of deep mantle layers, fall of ejecta on the Earth, escape of matter to space, and formation of rock vapour atmospheres. The calculations were made for the period preceding disappearance of rock vapour atmospheres caused by radiation several years after the largest impacts. For very large vertical impacts at 15 km/s, escaping masses proved to be negligibly small. Quantities of kinetic, internal, potential, and radiated away energies are obtained as functions of time and space. After the impacts, a global layer of condensed ejecta covers the whole of the Earth's surface and the ejecta energy is sufficient to vaporise an ocean 3 km deep. The mass of rock vapour atmosphere is 10-23% of the impactor mass. This atmosphere has a greater mass than the water atmosphere if impactor is 2000 km in diameter or larger.     

First subfossil records of Daphnia headshields and shells (Anomopoda,Daphniidae) about 10 000 years old from northernmost Greenland,plus Alona guttata (Chydoridae)

Silty pond sediments from Wulff Land in northernmost Greenland, radiocarbon dated 10480 BP, yielded many headshields, shells, and ephippia of Daphnia pulex, and headshields, shells, ephippia, and one postabdomen of Alona guttata. This is the first documentation of recognizable headshields and shells of Daphnia in the fossil record.