Rainfall–runoff trends in the south‐eastern USA: 1938–2005

An extensive dataset (230 precipitation gauges and 79 stream gauges) was used to analyse rainfall–runoff relationships in 10 subregions of a 482000 km² area in the south‐eastern USA (Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia). The average annual rainfall and runoff for this study area between 1938 and 2005 were 1201 and 439 mm, respectively. Average runoff/rainfall ratios during this period varied between 0·24 in the southernmost Coastal Plain subregion to 0·64 in the Blue Ridge Province. Watershed elevation and relief are the principal determinants governing the conversion of rainfall to runoff. Temporal rainfall variation throughout the south‐eastern USA ranges from ～40% above and below normal while the variation for runoff is higher, from ? 75% to + 100%. In any given year there can exist a ± 25–50% error in predicted runoff deviation using the annual rainfall–runoff regression. Fast Fourier Transform and autoregressive spectral analysis revealed dominant cyclicities for rainfall and runoff between 14 and 17 years. Secondary periodicities were typically between 6–7 and 10–12 years. The inferred cyclicity may be related to ENSO and/or Central North Pacific atmospheric phenomena. Mann–Kendall analyses indicate that there were no consistent statistically significant temporal trends with respect to south‐eastern US rainfall and runoff during the study period. The results of U‐tests similarly indicated that rainfall between 1996 and 2005 was not statistically higher or lower than during earlier in the study period. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

云南武定荒箐铁铜多金属矿矿床成因

矿床产于断层破碎带中,受断层和地层层位控制,与迤纳厂矿床具有一定的相似性。铁矿为中低温热液裂隙充填型脉状矿床,而铜矿床应为沉积——变质型。     

Discovery of scandium enrichment and its geological significance in the Dawanshan Neoproterozoic metamorphic basalts from the Mouding area in Central Yunnan Province,ChinaSCIEI北大核心CSCD

钪(Sc)是世界各国竞相争夺的关键金属矿产资源之一。滇中牟定大弯山变质玄武岩厚度>36.5m,出露面积0.5km^(2),形成时代为新元古代南华纪(781.3±1.9Ma)。本文对该变质玄武岩开展了全岩地球化学分析、全自动矿物分析(TESCAN TIMA)观测、NPPM薄片区域面扫和单矿物原位LA-ICPMS分析等研究,结果显示变质玄武岩全岩Sc含量为47.0×10^(-6)~97.9×10^(-6),平均含量为69.1×10^(-6),钪氧化物(Sc_(2)O_(3))平均含量为106×10^(-6),变质玄武岩空间Sc矿化特征稳定,具有形成钪矿资源的潜力。同时,变质玄武岩共伴生有钛和铁矿化,全岩TiO_(2)含量为2.57×10^(-2)~6.13×10^(-2),平均为4.25×10^(-2);TFe含量为13.3×10^(-2)~23.7×10^(-2),平均为17.7×10^(-2)。Sc可能存在类质同象和离子相两种赋存形式,类质同象形式Sc主要赋存于钛铁矿和金红石矿物中,钛铁矿中Sc含量为70.0×10^(-6)~168×10^(-6),平均值为108×10^(-6);金红石中Sc含量高达297×10^(-6);而磁铁矿、黑云母等矿物中Sc含量较低,均低于全岩Sc含量,对全岩Sc矿化贡献较小。牟定大弯山Sc矿化与以往报道侵入岩及其风化壳中Sc矿化在富集特征、赋存岩性和载体矿物等方面不同,是变质火山岩中新发现的Sc矿化信息,显示了较好的找矿潜力,对Sc资源勘查和研究具有重要指示意义。     

洞穴滴水、石笋中元素及元素比值对气候环境变化响应的研究进展

滴水/石笋元素是除δ18O和δ13C,研究气候环境变化的又一重要代用指标。外界气候环境变化通过改变表层岩溶带和岩溶含水层中的水文环境,甚至洞穴环境,进而影响元素的溶解、运移和沉淀过程,从而使得滴水/石笋中元素表现一定的变化规律。本文通过分析影响洞穴滴水元素及元素比值变化的因素：元素来源、水—岩相互作用和滞留时间、差异性淋滤、先期碳酸盐沉淀及分配系数的基础上,从元素对岩溶区“二元结构”和极端天气/气候事件响应的角度,探讨了滴水/石笋中元素的气候环境指示意义。取得了以下认识：① 强降水带来的冲刷作用和溶解作用,促进土壤和基岩中元素、胶体和天然有机质（NOM：Natural Organic Matter）等物质在短时间内快速溶解和运移,使滴水中元素含量增加;但随着降水增多带来的稀释作用,使得滴水/石笋中Mg,Sr和Ba等元素含量降低,因此,单一元素的解译较为复杂;② 基岩/溶液中元素溶解和沉积的差异,导致元素相对含量的变化,使得元素X/Ca值对外界环境的响应具有一致性,尤其是Mg/Ca和Sr/Ca值：在干旱条件下,降水减少导致方解石先期沉积（PCP：Prior Calcite precipitation）作用增强,使Mg/Ca和Sr/Ca值增大。但目前存在着一些问题：① Mg/Ca和Sr/Ca值变化对强降水事件的响应并不明显,可能与新、老水混合及元素溶解过程中的溶解比例差别不大有关;② 多源、多期混合水源会导致洞穴滴水元素对极端事件响应减弱;③ Mg/Ca和Sr/Ca的变化为解释δ18O的“雨量效应”及“源效应”提供了见解,但元素变化能否反映季风强度的变化,仍有待进一步的研究。基于以上认识,笔者提出开展更加系统的大气—土壤—包气带—洞穴的监测;开展更高分辨率、更长时间尺度的洞穴监测;开展多区域、多洞穴系统对比研究来更加深入地开展洞穴石笋元素研究。     

Bulk organic δ13C and C/N ratios as palaeosalinity indicators within a Scottish isolation basin

Microfossils in isolation basin sediments are frequently used to reconstruct sea‐level change, but preservation problems and non‐analogue situations can limit their usefulness. Here we investigate the potential of stable carbon isotopes (δ¹³C) and C/N ratios from bulk organic matter, as an alternative proxy of salinity within isolation basin sediments from a basin in northwest Scotland. Within the Holocene sediment δ¹³C and C/N are determined largely by the mean weighted values of the predominant source of the organic material. Analysis of modern materials and comparison with the diatom record shows that the marine parts of the sequence are dominated by high δ¹³C and variable C/N. In the fresh water sequences the organic material is a mixture of both freshwater aquatic and terrestrial plant input that have relatively low δ¹³C and high C/N. The application of δ¹³C and C/N ratios in the studied basin in general follow the environmental change recorded by the diatoms and shows the potential of bulk organic matter in the investigation of salinity change in isolation basins. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

THE DEMOGRAPHIC CONSEQUENCES OF METROPOLITAN POPULATION DECONCENTRATION IN THE U.S.

Although the recent growth in the nonmetropolitan population of the U.S. is now well documented, little attention has been given to the consequences these trends will have on the future composition and growth of metropolitan and nonmetropolitan regions. This paper discusses the feedback effects of migration on the future age structure and population growth of both regions during the period 1975–2000.     

Combined Trace Element and Pb-Nd-Sr-O Isotope Evidence for Recycled Oceanic Crust (Upper and Lower) in the Iceland Mantle Plume

We present the results of a comprehensive major element, traceelement and Sr–Nd–Pb–O isotopic study of post-glacialvolcanic rocks from the Neovolcanic zones on Iceland. The rocksstudied range in composition from picrites and tholeiites, whichdominate in the main rift systems, to transitional and alkalicbasalts confined to the off-rift and propagating rift systems.There are good correlations of rock types with geochemical enrichmentparameters, such as La/Sm and La/Yb ratios, and with long-termradiogenic tracers, such as Sr–Nd–Pb isotope ratios,indicating a long-lived enrichment/depletion history of thesource region. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr vs ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd defines a negative array.Pb isotopes define well-correlated positive arrays on both ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pbvs ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb diagrams, indicating mixing ofat least two major components: an enriched component representedby the alkali basalts and a depleted component represented bythe picrites. In combined Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic spacethe individual rift systems define coherent mixing arrays withslightly different compositions. The enriched component hasradiogenic Pb (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb > 19·3) and very similargeochemistry to HIMU-type ocean island basalts (OIB). We ascribethis endmember to recycling of hydrothermally altered upperbasaltic oceanic crust. The depleted component that is sampledby the picrites has unradiogenic Pb (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb < 17·8),but geochemical signatures distinct from that of normal mid-oceanridge basalt (N-MORB). Highly depleted tholeiites and picriteshave positive anomalies in mantle-normalized trace element diagramsfor Ba, Sr, and Eu (and in some cases also for K, Ti and P),negative anomalies for Hf and Zr, and low ¹⁸O_olivine values(4·6–5·0) below the normal mantle range.All of these features are internally correlated, and we, therefore,interpret them to reflect source characteristics and attributethem to recycled lower gabbroic oceanic crust. Regional compositionaldifferences exist for the depleted component. In SW Icelandit has distinctly higher Nb/U (68) and more radiogenic ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pbratios (18·28–18·88) compared with the NErift (Nb/U 47; ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18·07–18·47).These geochemical differences suggest that different packagesof recycled oceanic lithosphere exist beneath each rift. A thirdand minor component with relatively high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pbis found in a single volcano in SE Iceland (Öræfajökullvolcano), indicating the involvement of recycled sediments inthe source locally. The three plume components form an integralpart of ancient recycled oceanic lithosphere. The slope in theuranogenic Pb diagram indicates a recycling age of about 1·5Ga with time-integrated Th/U ratios of 3·01. Surprisingly,there is little evidence for the involvement of North AtlanticN-MORB source mantle, as would be expected from the interactionof the Iceland plume and the surrounding asthenosphere in formof plume–ridge interaction. The preferential samplingof the enriched and depleted components in the off-rift andmain rift systems, respectively, can be explained by differencesin the geometry of the melting regions. In the off-rift areas,melting columns are truncated deeper and thus are shorter, whichleads to preferential melting of the enriched component, asthis starts melting deeper than the depleted component. In contrast,melting proceeds to shallower depths beneath the main rifts.The longer melting columns also produce significant amountsof melt from the more refractory (lower crustal/lithospheric)component. KEY WORDS: basalts; trace element and Sr, Nd, Pb, O isotope geochemistry; Iceland plume; isotope ratios; oceanic crustal recycling; partial melting; plume–ridge interaction     

A study on the limit void ratio characteristics of medium to fine mixed graded sands

The minimum and maximum void ratios, corresponding to states of densest and loosest packing, of 111 systematically prepared mixed graded sand samples are determined with Method 2A and Method B according to ASTM D 4253 and ASTM D 4254 standards, respectively. Although, those standards are applicable to soils that may contain up to at most 15% fines content, for the harmony of the results even for samples having fines content greater 15%, no other methods are used throughout the experimental program. The test results show that 3rd degree polynomial equations derived from existing experimental data, as a function of packing material percentage, are quite reasonable (R² ≈ 1.0) to estimate the variation of minimum and maximum void ratios for the sands considered. Furthermore, error analysis of the limit void ratios is also carried out. It is found that predictability of maximum void ratio for the soil types and gradations considered is more accurate than that of minimum void ratio.     

A late Pliocene diatom Ge/Si record from the Southeast Atlantic

As a result of both culture and sediment core studies, the ratio of germanium (Ge) to silicon (Si) in diatom shells has been proposed as a proxy for monitoring whole-ocean changes in seawater Ge/Si, a ratio affected by changes in continental weathering. However, because of the difficulties of extracting and cleaning diatom frustules from deep-sea sediments, only samples from highly pure diatom oozes in the Antarctic region have been previously analyzed. Here we present data on diatom Ge/Si ratios, (Ge/Si)_opal, for the time interval between 3.1 and 1.9 Ma from a mid-latitude, coastal upwelling area where significant terrigenous sediment input complicated the sample processing and analyses. In general, our (Ge/Si)_opal values show the same decreasing trend after 2.6 Ma than previously measured in Antarctic sediments (Shemesh et al., 1989. Paleoceanography 4, 221–231), but with a noisier background that may reflect the local imprint of proximal continental input superimposed upon global changes in the ocean reservoir. The time of initiation of large-scale North Hemisphere glaciation at 2.6 Ma is characterized by a declining pattern of diatom Ge/Si ratios, which could have resulted from a global increase in the input of riverine Si due to enhanced silica weathering and/or equatorward (northward) intrusions of subantarctic waters enriched in silica. High (Ge/Si)_opal ratios are associated with high opal contents from the same sediment samples and with warm climate as indicated by depleted benthic foraminiferal δ¹⁸O values from the North and Equatorial Atlantic. Cold periods signified by enriched benthic δ¹⁸O values, on the contrary, are associated with lower (Ge/Si)_opal ratios. We interpret diatom Ge/Si values to reflect the prevailing weathering state on the continents, with greater chemical weathering during warm and wet periods of the Pliocene and less during cooler and drier intervals.