南京直立人的发现及其研究意义

南京直立人的发现与研究的主要意义在于深入探讨了南京汤山葫芦洞古人类头骨的性质、性别、年龄、病理、环境、遗传基因和时代等一系列学术问题。对古人类在南京地区的发现、发展演化及其与国内外已知直立人的关系等方面的研究提供了重要证据。     

宁夏中卫长流水剖面沉积物中稀土元素及其环境意义

通过对我国西北腾格里沙漠前缘凹地－宁夏长流水剖面第四纪沉积物中稀土元素、分布模式、特征参数和稀土元素之间以及其他元素相关系数研究,探讨了该区河湖相沉积物的物质来源及气候环境演化过程。初步认为该凹地第四纪晚期近７万年以来沉积物经历了三次较大的干冷／温湿气候环境演化并存有４～５次亚一级的气候冷暖阶段性变化。其中在约２．７ｍ处,湖相沉积层中大多稀土元素有突变现象,可能代表了全新世大暖期（９３００～５３００ａＢＰ）在该区的反应。同时,认为风成砂是进入该区沉积体系的主要物源并保留母岩特征,但也不排除凹地周围侏罗纪基岩受风化剥蚀后随水带入沉积体系。该剖面的沉积物大致以风成砂、河流沉积、湖泊沉积旋回叠覆与气候干冷、冷湿、温湿趋于同步变化的模式。总体以干旱荒漠环境为主导,化学风化相对微弱,生态环境十分脆弱。     

Associated terrestrial and marine fossils in the late-glacial Presumpscot Formation, southern Maine, USA, and the marine reservoir effect on radiocarbon ages

Excavations in the late-glacial Presumpscot Formation at Portland, Maine, uncovered tree remains and other terrestrial organics associated with marine invertebrate shells in a landslide deposit. Buds of Populus balsamifera (balsam poplar) occurred with twigs of Picea glauca (white spruce) in the Presumpscot clay. Tree rings in Picea logs indicate that the trees all died during winter dormancy in the same year. Ring widths show patterns of variation indicating responses to environmental changes. Fossil mosses and insects represent a variety of species and wet to dry microsites. The late-glacial environment at the site was similar to that of today's Maine coast. Radiocarbon ages of 14 tree samples are 11,907 ± 31 to 11,650 ± 50 ¹⁴C yr BP. Wiggle matching of dated tree-ring segments to radiocarbon calibration data sets dates the landslide occurrence at ca. 13,520 + 95/−20 cal yr BP. Ages of shells juxtaposed with the logs are 12,850 ± 65 ¹⁴C yr BP (Mytilus edulis) and 12,800 ± 55 ¹⁴C yr BP (Balanus sp.), indicating a marine reservoir age of about 1000 yr. Using this value to correct previously published radiocarbon ages reduces the discrepancy between the Maine deglaciation chronology and the varve-based chronology elsewhere in New England.     

Late glacial and holocene landscapes of central Beringia

New palynological and sedimentological data from St. Lawrence Island present a rare view into late-glacial and Holocene environments of the central Bering Land Bridge. The late glaciation was a time of dynamic landscape changes in south-central Beringia, with active thermokarst processes, including the formation and drainage of thaw lakes. The presence of such a wet, unstable substrate, if widespread, probably would have had an adverse impact on food sources and mobility for many of the large mammal populations. The establishment of Betula shrub tundra on the island suggests late-glacial summers that were warmer than present, consistent with regional paleoclimatic interpretations. However, the increasing proximity to the Bering Sea, as postglacial sea levels rose, modified the intensity of warming and prevented the establishment of deciduous forest as found in other areas of Beringia at this time. The mid- to late Holocene is marked by more stable land surfaces and development of Sphagnum and Cyperaceae peat deposits. The accumulation of organic deposits, decline of shrub Betula, and decrease in thermokarst disturbance suggest that conditions were cooler than the previous. A recent decline in peat accumulation at the study sites may relate to local geomorphology, but similar decreases have been noted for other arctic regions.     

南京汤山驼子洞洞穴堆积及其意义

通过对南京汤山驼子洞洞穴堆积观察描述和样品分析测试,结合前人研究成果和汤山地区地质地貌演化的历史,讨论了驼子洞堆积的时代、堆积过程和方式,并对其蕴含的构造、地貌、气候和生物进化等古环境信息进行了合理的挖掘。初步研究表明驼子洞堆积可能是跨早更新世与中更新世早期的地层,其上部含哺乳动物化石的堆积可能反映了偏暖的气候环境。     

Cyclic sedimentation and climatically caused sea-level changes in the Late Palaeozoic of Central Europe

Significant short-term fluctuations are characteristic of geological history since Precambrian times. Only the younger Quaternary climatic fluctuations are known in more detail as a result of a high grade time resolution. Climatic change can also be postulated with respect to older, cold periods during which polar inland ice sheets developed. From a discussion of endogene and exogene interpretations it is shown that global climatic changes, and the sea-level changes induced by them, as well as changes in the position and extent of climatic zones throughout the world provide a control mechanism for sedimentation which is consistent with cyclic sedimentation in Late Palaeozoic times, and also if the basin subsides non-cyclically. The model allows an explanation of the development of the Permo-Carboniferous sedimentary cycles without numerous short-term vertical oscillations of the earth's crust. In reality, exogene and endogene controls on sedimentation act together in great variety of combinations.     

The Late Triassic I–Type Granites from the Longmu Co–Shuanghu Suture Zone in the interior of Tibetan Plateau, China: Petrogenesis and Implication for Slab Break–Off

The Jiangaidarina granitic mass(JM) is an important part of the magmatic belt in Longmu CoShuanghu Suture Zone(LSSZ) in the central Tibetan Plateau. An integrated research involving wholerock geochemistry, zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb ages and Hf isotopic compositions was carried out to define the timing, genesis and tectonic setting of the JM. Zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb ages have been obtained ranging from 210 to 215 Ma, rather than the Early Jurassic as previously thought. Fifteen granite samples contain hornblendes and show a negative correlation between P_2 O_5 and SiO_2, indicating that the JM is an I-type granite. All the granites are enriched in LREE relative to HREE, with negative Eu anomalies(Eu/Eu*=0.56-0.81), and have similar trace elements patterns, with depletion of Ba, Nb, Sr and P. These suggest that the JM was fractionated, and this is also proved by the characteristic of negative correlations between oxide elements(TiO_2, MgO, FeOt, MnO, CaO) and SiO_2. Almost all ε_(Hf)(t) values of the granites are between-10.3 and-5.8, implying that the JM has a crustal source intimately related with the South Qiangtang Block(SQB), except for one(+10.2), showing a minor contribution from mantle source.Moreover, relatively low Na_2 O/K_2 O ratios(0.42-0.93) and high A/CNK values(0.91-1.50) reflect that the JM was predominately derived from the medium-high potassium basaltic crust, interacted with greywacke. Our new geochemical data and geochronological results imply that the Late Triassic magmas were generated in a post-collisional tectonic setting, probably caused by slab break-off of the Longmu Co-Shuanghu Tethyan Ocean(LSTO). This mechanism caused the asthenosphere upwelling, formed extension setting, offered an enormous amount of heat, and provided favorable conditions for emplacement of voluminous felsic magmas. Furthermore, the LSTO could be completely closed during the Middle Triassic, succeed by continental collision and later the slab broke off in the Late Triassic.     

华南晚古生代礁硅岩套的组成和分类及地质涵义

礁硅岩套是一种重要的含矿岩石组合,它是由生物礁相碳酸盐岩、热水沉积岩（矿）、细碎屑岩和泥灰岩、同怪位或相邻地区地层中的火山质岩或潜火山岩,以较为固定的时空有序的状态组合而成。根据生物礁的形成环境和热水沉积作用的产出方式,礁硅岩套可分为盆地型、台地型和过渡型三类。它是在特征地质背景下,在盆地演化的一定阶段内,由盆地正常沉积作物、盆地中的生物作用、盆下源的热水沉积作用和岩石圈深部岩浆作用综合形成的产物     

Re-evaluation of the Middle Pleistocene stratigraphy of Herefordshire,England

Lithostratigraphical analysis of remnants of high-level, poorly sorted gravel remnants in northeast Herefordshire has allowed the revision and expansion of the existing regional Middle Pleistocene stratigraphical sequence to incorporate two new formations. The oldest Pleistocene sediments in the region, the Humber Formation, represents part of a major, northerly derived, cold-stage fluvial system, which incorporated the ancestors of the rivers Lugg and Wye and tributaries of the Severn. The Risbury Formation consists of glacigenic sediments, which were deposited by a large ice-lobe emanating from a Welsh ice-cap. The Risbury Formation is correlated with glacigenic deposits in the Cradley Brook Valley on the west side of the Malvern Hills, which were formerly ascribed to a pre-Hoxnian, Severn Valley ice-sheet. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.