Environmental Redox Changes of the Ancient Sea in the Yangtze Area during the Ordo-Silurian Transition

Extensive organic-matter （OM） rich facies （black shales） occur in the Ordo-Silurian boundary successions in the Yangtze area, South China. To investigate the redox changes of the Yangtze Sea during the Ordo-Silurian transition, two OM sections （Wangjiawan in Yichang, Hubei Province, and Sanjiaguan in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province） straddling the Ordo-Silurian boundary are studied. The measurements finished in this study include contents of the total organic carbon （TOC）, pyrite sulphur, and different species of Fe, including dithionite-extractable Fe （FED）, pyrite Fe （FeP）, HCl-extractable Fe （FeH）, and total Fe （FeT）, in black shales, as well as other redox proxies, such as the SIC ratio, the ratio between highly reactive Fe （FeHR = FeD ＋ FeP） and FeT, and the FeP/（FeP ＋ FeH） ratio, known as the degree of pyritization （DOP）. In the Wangjiawan section, the Middle Ashgill sediments have high FeHR/FeT ratios （0.20-0.77; avg. 0.45）, high DOP values （0.21-0.72; avg. 0.54）, and a relatively constant sulfur content independent of the organic carbon content. By the contrast, the mid-early Hirnantian deposits generally have low FeHR/FeT ratios （0.10-0.35; avg. 0.21）, low DOP values （0.11- 0.40; avg. 0.28）, and SIC values are clustering on the normal marine value （SIC = 0.36）. The late Hirnantian and early Rhuddanian deposits, similar to those of the Middle Ashgill deposits, are characterized by high FeHR/FeT ratios （0.32-0.49; avg. 0.41）, high DOP values （0.46-0.68; avg. 0.53） and fairly constant sulfur contents. These data suggest the occurrences of marine anoxia on the Yangtze Sea shelf during intervals of the Mid Ashgill, Late Hirnantian and Early Rhuddanian, and ventilated and oxygenated marine conditions during the mid-early Hirnantian time. The mid-early Hirnantian ventilated event was concomitant with the global glacial period, likely resulted from the glacio-eustatic sea-level fall and subsequent circulation of cold, dense oxygenated waters     

Late Cenozoic Stratigraphy and Paleomagnetic Chronology of the Zanda Basin, Tibet, and Records of the Uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The characteristics of Late Cenozoic tectonic uplift of the southern margin of the Qinghai- Tibet Plateau may be inferred from fluvio-lacustrine strata in the Zanda basin, Ngari, Tibet. Magnetostratigraphic study shows that the very thick fluvio-lacustrine strata in the basin are 5.89- 0.78 Ma old and that their deposition persisted for 5.11 Ma, i.e. starting at the end of the Miocene and ending at the end of the early Pleistocene, with the Quaternary glacial stage starting in the area no later than 1.58 Ma. Analysis of the sedimentary environment indicates that the Zanda basin on the southern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau began uplift at -5.89 Ma, later than the northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Presence of gravel beds in the Guge and Qangze Formations reflects that strong uplift took place at -5.15 and -2.71 Ma, with the uplift peaking at -2.71 Ma.     

Group K-Nearest Neighbors queries in spatial network databases

This paper addresses the problem of Group K-Nearest Neighbors (GKNN) queries in spatial network databases, and suggests a novel approach based on real network distances. This approach essentially uses network Voronoi diagram properties together with a progressive incremental network expansion for determining the inner network distances that are needed to obtain GKNN queries.      

大别山南部宿松群的组成及形成时代

在前人工作基础上,根据对大别山南部的区域地质调查和同位素年代学测定,对宿松群的组成和形成时代进行了研究。进一步论证了宿松群可解体为以变质侵入岩为主的蒲河杂岩和变质沉积岩为主的宿松岩群两部分。前者主要分别在原宿松群虎踏石组和蒲河组的范围内,组成岩石变花岗片麻岩和斜长角闪岩为主,其原岩主要为形成于新元古代的花岗岩类和基性侵入岩;后者主要分布在原宿松群大新屋组和柳萍组范围内,组成岩石主要为变质碎屑岩和化学沉积岩,可分为大新屋岩组和柳坪岩组,是不整合在古元古代二长花岗片麻岩之上,时代为中元古代早期。     

An evaporitic facies in Neoproterozoic post-glacial carbonates: The Gifberg Group, South Africa

A geological study of the hitherto poorly described Neoproterozoic Gifberg Group, with emphasis on lithogeochemistry and O, C and Sr isotopic composition of the carbonate-dominated Widouw Formation (Vredendal Outlier, westernmost South Africa) revealed that the entire group is an equivalent of the relatively well constrained Port Nolloth Group in the external, paraautochthonous part of the Pan-African Gariep Belt further north. Thus, the Vredendal Outlier can be regarded as the southern extension of the Port Nolloth Zone. Two diamictite units are recognised in the Vredendal Outlier, which can be correlated respectively with the c. 750 Ma Kaigas Formation diamictite and the 583 Ma, syn-Gaskiers Numees Formation diamictite in the Gariep Belt proper. The dominating carbonate unit in the studied area is post-glacial with respect to the older of the two diamictite units. The combined textural, structural and geochemical evidence suggests that parts of the variably dolomitised limestone succession represent former evaporite beds. Sedimentation in a restricted, very shallow and proximal basin led to a wide range in C isotope ratios (δ¹³C_PDB from − 4.2 to + 4.8‰), very high Sr concentrations (derived from original anhydrite) and initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios that are significantly higher (0.70785) than those of coeval seawater. As C and Sr isotopes are commonly used for chemostratigraphic correlation, and high Sr concentrations in Neoproterozic carbonates are often interpreted as evidence of former aragonite, the findings of this study should be used as warning against uncritical use of geochemical and isotopic parameters for describing ancient seawater composition. Thus C and Sr isotope ratios alone in Neoproterozoic carbonates may be less powerful proxies of ancient seawater composition, and high Sr contents are not necessarily indicative of an “aragonite sea”, as previously inferred.     

Provenance of late Palaeozoic metasediments of the Patagonian proto-Pacific margin (southernmost Chile and Argentina)

In this provenance study of late Palaeozoic metasediments of the Eastern Andean Metamorphic Complex (EAMC) along the south Patagonian proto-Pacific margin of Gondwana, the palaeogeological setting of the continental margin in Devonian–Carboniferous and Permian times is reconstructed. The study is based on detrital heavy mineral contents, chemical compositions of tourmaline grains, and whole rock element and Nd-Sr isotopic compositions. Element and isotopic compositions reveal that Devonian–Carboniferous metaturbidites deposited before the development of a Late Carboniferous–Permian magmatic arc along the margin were mainly fed from felsic, recycled, old continental rocks. The last recycling phase involved erosion of metasediments that were exposed in Patagonia. Feeder systems to the basin cut either through epidote-rich or garnet-rich metasediments. In Permian time, EAMC metaturbidites were deposited next to the evolving magmatic arc and were derived from felsic, crustal rocks. Two provenance domains are recognised. The metasediments of the northern one are chemically similar to those of the Devonian–Carboniferous metasediments. This domain was fed from the metasedimentary host rocks of the magmatic arc. The southern domain probably was fed from the arc proper, as indicated mainly by the dominance of metaplutonic lithic fragments, abundant detrital biotite, and the major element composition of the metasediments.     

河南西峡地区晚白垩世介形虫的发现及其地层意义

2005年在河南西峡含恐龙蛋层中首次发现介形虫化石,产自红山水库-丹水剖面上白垩统赵营组下段64层,是以Eucypris-Mongolocypris-Cypridea-Talicypridea为特征的介形虫化石组合,由12属20余种组成.其中Talicypridea是中国、蒙古和东亚晚白垩世最典型的化石,在非洲刚果及南美阿根廷的晚白垩世地层中也有分布,因此赵营组的时代无疑应归属为晚白垩世.赵营组介形虫化石的新发现,为地层的划分对比、沉积环境的演变和盆地的演化研究提供了重要的依据.     

福建仙游园庄地区南园组新层型剖面的建立 及时代的重新厘定

在福建省闽侯县鹅宅-南园村层型剖面所划分的南园组被证实为早白垩世石帽山群后,原鹅宅-南园村割面已失去层型剖面的意义.通过125万周宁县幅、福州市幅、莆田市幅、泉州市幅的区域地质调查和系统研究,在福建省仙游县园庄建立了南园组的新层型剖面,重新厘定了南园组的地层层序和岩石组合,根据地层叠覆关系、同位素测年和古生物资料的系统研究结果,将南园组的时代重新厘定为晚侏罗世-早白垩世初期.     

辽东南地区晚中生代地层序列与盆地演化规律

辽东南地区晚中生代地层发育不甚完全,具有两期盆地叠合演化的特征,即早中侏罗世和早白垩世两个演化阶段,经历了2次伸展裂陷和2次挤压反转。在详细研究辽东南地区各盆地岩石地层序列、生物化石组合特征、年代地层格架以及区域地层对比的基础上,讨论了盆地的演化阶段和演化规律,指出是古太平洋板块向东亚大陆边缘不同方向的俯冲与走滑,以及来自北方西伯利亚板块的持续碰撞挤压的联合构造应力场制约了中国东北地区晚中生代盆地的裂陷过程和构造反转的演化,进而为揭示华北克拉通晚中生代岩石圈演化的动力学机制提供参考依据。