Late Devensian environments in the Vale of Mowbray, North Yorkshire, UK: evidence from palynology

Two radiocarbon-dated Lateglacial pollen diagrams from the Vale of Mowbray (northern Vale of York) are presented from sites in the lowlands between the washlands courses of the rivers Swale and Ure in North Yorkshire, an area with little previous palynological research despite its proximity to the Devensian glacial advance limits in eastern England. The profiles, from Snape Mires and Nosterfield, include the Loch Lomond Stadial (Younger Dryas) and the Holocene transition, while that from Snape Mires also includes the period from the early part of the Lateglacial Interstadial. This profile differs from most published Interstadial diagrams from the Yorkshire region in having a long-delayed expansion of tree and shrub taxa. Juniperus (juniper) remains important after vegetation development takes place and the pollen record includes evidence of two cold climate oscillations before the maximum development of Betula (birch) woodland near the end of the Lateglacial Interstadial. At both profiles Artemisia (mugwort) frequencies are lower during the Loch Lomond Stadial than at many regional sites, probably due to edaphic factors in these lowland locations. The two sites provide valuable environmental data that enable comparison between the more wooded Lateglacial vegetation to the south in the Vale of York and Humberside and the more open contemporaneous vegetation to the north in the Durham and Northumberland lowlands.     

Late Pleistocene sea-level oscillations (MIS 10–2) recorded in shallow marine and coastal plain sediments of the southern Wanganui Basin, New Zealand

The northern Wanganui Basin, New Zealand, is one of the key global sites for understanding marine cyclic sedimentation during the Quaternary. This paper presents the first evidence of marine cyclic sedimentation from its central-southern parts. Sedimentological, micropalaeontological and palynological analyses on a 280-m-deep borehole encountered units dating back to MIS 10. The sequence includes four marine cycles spanning MIS 9–5, which are overlain by terrestrial fluvial aggradation surfaces dating from MIS 4–2. Each marine unit represents a progressively shallowing depositional environment from the mid-shelf to coastal plain. This is overlain by a terrestrial sequence of lowstand fluvial terraces. Localized fault movements appear to have influenced the sedimentary character of the sequence during MIS 7a and 5e producing basement highs which provided protection to the shoreline. The cyclothems described in this paper now extend the already extensive, previously described record from MIS 17–10 to produce a combined eustatic record of Quaternary sea level change within the basin to MIS 5. They also provide an excellent example of the sedimentary response of a coastal basin to a progressive loss of sedimentation accommodation space.     

A late Holocene paleoclimatic history of Lake Tanganyika, East Africa

A nearshore core (LT03-05) from the north basin of Lake Tanganyika provides diatom, pollen, and sedimentary time series covering the last ca. 3800 yr at 15-36 yr resolution. A chronology supported by 21 AMS dates on terrestrial and lacustrine materials allows us to account for ancient carbon effects on ¹⁴C ages and to propose refinements of the region's climatic history. Conditions drier than those of today were followed after ca. 3.30 ka by an overall wetting trend. Several century-scale climate variations were superimposed upon that trend, with exceptionally rainy conditions occurring 1.70-1.40 ka, 1.15-0.90 ka, 0.70-0.55 ka, and 0.35-0.20 ka. Around 0.55-0.35 ka, during the Spörer sunspot minimum, drier conditions developed in the northern Tanganyika basin while more humid conditions were registered at Lakes Victoria and Naivasha. This indicates significant variability in the nature and distribution of near-equatorial rainfall anomalies during much of the Little Ice Age.     

Late Holocene glacial and periglacial evolution in the upper Orco Valley, northwestern Italian Alps

The sediments present in some areas of the Orco Valley provide indications on climatic variations that occurred during the last 6000 years on the southern slopes of the Alps. In particular, distribution and ages of peat layers help define periods and extent of glacial fluctuation in the last 2200 years. Sampling of soils involved in periglacial processes provided a basis for development of a chronological framework of late Holocene environmental change. The data indicate a trend toward cooler climate in the second half of the Holocene. A strong relationship exists between phases of River Po flooding and expansion/retreat phases of the Swiss glaciers: major glacial advances were coeval with periods of intense flooding of the River Po, whereas the phases of glacial retreat coincided with periods of little flooding of the Po. Only in three cases do relationships between glacier activity and floods show weak correlations; two of the cases relate to the warmest periods in approximately the last 2200 years, while the third is the present period. Paleoclimatic evidence from the study region indicates the relatively warm Roman Period between about 2200 and 1900 cal yr BP appears to better represent modern conditions than does the Medieval Warm Period.     

Carbon-isotope records of the Early Jurassic (Toarcian) oceanic anoxic event from the Valdorbia (Umbria–Marche Apennines) and Monte Mangart (Julian Alps) sections: palaeoceanographic and stratigraphic implications

The Toarcian oceanic anoxic event ( ca 183 Ma) coincides with a global perturbation marked by enhanced organic carbon burial and a general decrease in calcium carbonate production, probably triggered by changes in the composition of marine plankton and elevated carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. This study is based on high-resolution sampling of two stratigraphic successions, located in Valdorbia (Umbria–Marche Apennines) and Monte Mangart (Julian Alps), Italy, which represent expressions of the Toarcian oceanic anoxic event in deep-water pelagic sediments. These successions are characterized by the occurrence of black shales showing relatively low total organic carbon concentrations (compared with coeval strata in Northern Europe), generally < 2%, and low hydrogen indices. On this basis, they are similar to other Toarcian black shales described from the Tethyan region. The positive and negative carbon-isotope records from the two localities permit a high-resolution correlation such that ammonite biostratigraphy information from Valdorbia can be transferred to those parts of the Monte Mangart section that lack these fossils. Spectral analyses of δ¹³C_org values and of CaCO₃ percentages from the sedimentary records of both the Valdorbia and Monte Mangart sections reveal a strong cyclic pattern, best interpreted as an eccentricity signal which hence implies a duration of ca 500 kyr for the negative carbon-isotope excursion. Based on the carbon-isotope curves obtained, the high-resolution correlation between the Italian successions and a section in Yorkshire (Northern Europe) confirms the supposition that the apparent mismatch between the dating of the Toarcian oceanic anoxic event in the Boreal and Tethyan realms is an artefact of biostratigraphy.     

四川后高坪地区晚泥盆世植物和遗迹化石的新发现

在扬子板块西缘后高坪地区新发现植物化石Cyclostigma kiltorkense(平圆印木)和Lepidodendropsis hirmeri(希氏拟鳞木),以及遗迹化石Zoophycos(动藻迹)和Chondrties(丛藻迹),据此及相关地层和沉积相标志,确定该地层时代为晚泥盆世,沉积环境为由早期为滨岸较粗碎屑岩和浅海中上部细碎屑岩沉积,晚期为碳酸盐台地相。     

西藏班公湖岛弧带含硫化镍超基性岩的源区性质与基底背景

青藏高原班公湖一怒江成矿带上的超基性岩型硫化镍矿化是近年来在西藏地区发现的矿化新类型.文章根据成矿带西段班公湖地区含镍超基性岩体的岩石地球化学和Sr、Pb同位素分析结果,论述了含镍超基性岩浆的源区性质及生成条件,并根据锆石U-Pb LA-ICP-MS年龄测定结果,探讨了藏西北地区的基底背景.研究发现,班公湖地区的含镍超基性岩体以富集大离子不相容元素Rb、Th、U、Sr、Pb,亏损Ba、K为特点,高场强元素亏损Nb、Ti,富集Ta;稀士元素相对球粒陨石亏损强烈,但轻稀土元素相对富集.这些特点一致反映出含矿岩浆产生于受俯冲沉积物熔体交代的富集型岩石圈地幔源区.岩浆的生成深度较浅,为尖晶石二辉橄榄岩相,源区部分熔融程度较低,大体在10%左右.岩石中集中出现一批24.79亿年的残留锆石年龄,标志着当时班公湖中特斯洋盆沉积物的物源区较为单一,主要来自太古代末-元古代初的古老基底,并且推测太古代与元古代之交(25亿年)有可能是藏西北的一个古陆壳快速生长期.     

鄂尔多斯盆地侏罗纪西界分析

鄂尔多斯盆地西界,特别是其早—中侏罗世盆地西界,由于不同期次、不同性质的构造相互叠加而模糊不清,究竟是在贺兰山以西还是现在银川盆地以东的问题,至今尚无共识,极大地影响着矿产资源的评价和找矿战略的部署。本文在前人工作的基础上,通过针对性的野外工作,分析和筛分了不同时期的古构造,探讨了晚侏罗世和早—中侏罗世盆地的西界。文章认为,鄂尔多斯盆地西部巨大的近南北向挤压构造形成于晚侏罗世,而东西向的挤压构造则出现于晚三叠世。两期方向截然不同的挤压构造相互叠加,构成了鄂尔多斯盆地西部复杂的叠加构造和不规则的盆地西界。晚期挤压构造较为清晰,表现为近南北向的逆冲推覆构造带和纵贯盆地南北的“古脊梁”,使盆地西界退缩到桌子山东麓断裂、横山堡—磁窑堡断褶带以及马儿庄冲断裂和崆峒山断裂以东。早期挤压构造受后期构造的叠加改造,断断续续,时隐时现。近东西向挤压构造受古亚洲域的影响,是印支运动的产物,近南北向挤压构造转受滨太平洋域的作用,是燕山运动的表现。在古亚洲域向太平洋域转换过程中的早—中侏罗世,鄂尔多斯盆地西部出现了近东西向的拉张伸展,在盆地内部表现为近东西向隆起凹陷的古地形,使盆地西缘波状弯曲,而非平直,“银川古隆起”和“汝箕沟—鄂尔多斯盆地”两者并存,并不矛盾。早—中侏罗世盆地西界可能远至阿拉善地块。上述中生代构造又经新生代构造改造,变得更加复杂多样,甚至面目全非。如不注意构造筛分,中生代构造乃至盆地边界的研究就会被误导,从而得出错误结论。     

松辽盆地徐家围子断陷火山岩气藏天然气成因类型和气源对比

松辽盆地徐家围子断陷发育营城组火山岩气藏.钻井统计、地球化学特征及天然气组份分析和碳同位素研究表明徐中和徐东地区天然气源岩有机质偏腐泥型,生气潜力更大.对主力源岩层沙河子组和次要源岩层营城组源岩分布有了新的认识.对营城组天然气的烃类气体和CO₂气的来源进行对比和探讨,认为烃类气受气源的控制,CO₂气藏受深大断裂的控制,与火山岩分布关系不大.连通地幔的气藏中,也没有发现无机烃类气体聚集.徐家围子断陷营城组天然气以烃类气占绝对优势,而且主要为甲烷,二氧化碳成藏并不普遍.天然气甲烷成因类型以煤型气为主,甲烷碳同位素变化范围较小.乙烷、丙烷和丁烷碳同位素均有较大的变化范围,而且具有较好的相关性,说明母质类型多样,乙烷、丙烷和丁烷具有相同的来源.含量大于50%的二氧化碳来源于地幔,属无机成因.含量小于50%的二氧化碳既有无机成因,也有有机成因.