Diet and habitat of toxodont megaherbivores (Mammalia, Notoungulata) from the late Quaternary of South and Central America

The toxodont megaherbivores Toxodon and Mixotoxodon were endemic to South and Central America during the late Quaternary. Isotopic signatures of 47 toxodont teeth were analyzed to reconstruct diet and ancient habitat. Tooth enamel carbon isotope data from six regions of South and Central America indicate significant differences in toxodont diet and local vegetation during the late Quaternary. Toxodonts ranged ecologically from C₃ forest browsers in the Amazon (mean δ¹³C = −13.4‰), to mixed C₃ grazers and/or browsers living either in C₃ grasslands, or mixed C₃ forested and grassland habitats in Honduras (mean δ¹³C = −9.3‰), Buenos Aires province, Argentina (δ¹³C = −8.7‰), and Bahia, Brazil (mean δ¹³C = −8.6‰), to predominantly C₄ grazers in northern Argentina (δ¹³C = −4.4‰), to specialized C₄ grazers in the Chaco of Bolivia (δ¹³C = −0.1‰). Although these toxodonts had very high-crowned teeth classically interpreted for grazing, the isotopic data indicate that these megaherbivores had the evolutionary capacity to feed on a variety of dominant local vegetation. In the ancient Amazon region, carbon isotope data for the toxodonts indicate a C₃-based tropical rainforest habitat with no evidence for grasslands as would be predicted from the Neotropical forest refugia hypothesis.     

Environmental policy reform on north-eastern Brazil’s agricultural frontier

The expansion of modern agriculture in developing countries presents numerous challenges for environmental policy makers. Environmental policies for agriculture in north-eastern Brazil’s soybean belt are analyzed, with emphasis on the role of a non-state actor in leading policy reforms. An organization representing large farmers is leading policy reforms to reduce the environmental impacts of modern agriculture. By contrast, state agencies are relatively weak and ineffective. The analysis situates this question conceptually in literatures stressing the political and structural causes of corporate environmentalism and literatures explaining the increasingly strong role of non-state actors in environmental governance. The case study focuses on the content of reforms, reasons why the non-state actor is so prominent, and the implications of policy reforms. State agencies face major challenges in environment-agriculture policy debates in places where environmental subsidies are unlikely, environmental information is poor, and organized private interests are influential.     

Morphology and internal structure of two new abelisaurid remains (Theropoda,Dinosauria) from the Adamantina Formation (Turonian – Maastrichtian), Bauru Group,Paraná Basin,Brazil

The knowledge on the Brazilian theropod fauna is hampered by the limited number of specimens unearthed so far. The most potential deposits for the finding of those dinosaurs are the layers of Bauru Group, which comprises several different formations of Late Cretaceous age. Most of those remains are referred to Abelisauroidea, a clade that is particularly well represented in Gondwana. Here we report two new abelisaurid specimens comprising a left ilium (DGM 927-R) and the distal articulation of a right femur (MCT 1857-R) unearthed from the outcrops of Adamantina Formation (Turonian – Maastrichtian) in the locality known as Santo Anastácio, that comprises an abandoned quarry located in the outskirts of the homonymous city in São Paulo State. The ilium has a preacetabular process horizontally oriented and ventrally deflected, as well as an acute angle between this process and the pubic peduncle. The femur shows a well-developed anteromedial crest, but not to the same degree as in noasaurids, and ossified ridges between condyles and tibiofibular crest. Those features allow us to assign both specimens to Abelisauridae. CT-scans of those specimens shows that the ilium has pneumaticities similar to the camellate pattern previously recorded in neosauropods and reveals the diverticula invasion of abdominal air-sacs. The femur presents a developed anisotropic trabecular system, which suggests that the main muscular strain is located at the distal portion of this bone. These features have not been previously reported in Abelisauridae, indicating that the internal organization of the postcranial skeleton in the group is rather complex and quite variable.     

渝东南下古生界页岩构造裂缝形成及分布控制因素

天然裂缝对页岩气储集和渗流有重要影响,但目前对页岩构造裂缝研究不够深入。本文通过露头、岩心裂缝观察和分析,探讨了渝东南下古生界页岩构造裂缝类型、形成机理及分布控制因素。基于裂缝特征及力学成因,将剪切裂缝分为高角度剪切裂缝、倾斜滑脱裂缝和水平滑脱裂缝。倾斜滑脱裂缝是在上覆岩层重力和水平构造应力共同作用下沿应力集中的软弱面发生剪切滑动形成,水平滑脱裂缝是在构造挤压应力作用条件下主要沿页理面方向的剪切或层间滑动形成;页理发育程度及岩层曲率是控制水平滑脱裂缝形成的关键因素,岩石矿物组成、构造作用及岩层厚度是控制其它类型构造裂缝形成和分布的主要因素,页岩岩石力学层的划分需要根据裂缝特征、岩性变化特征、岩石力学参数及沉积界面等综合确定,岩层厚度与层间构造裂缝密度呈负相关关系。     

The genus Perissocytheridea Stephenson, 1938 (Crustacea: Ostracoda) and evidence of brackish water facies along the Oligo-Miocene,Pirabas Formation,eastern Amazonia,Brazil

Perissocytheridea Stephenson is characteristic of brackish water facies. In 57 samples from the Upper Oligocene to Lower Miocene, from five localities, Pirabas Formation, Pará State, Brazil eleven species have been identified. Among these species, four are new reports: Perissocytheridea punctoreticulata n. sp., Perissocytheridea largulateralis n. sp., Perissocytheridea colini n. sp. and Perissocytheridea pirabensis n. sp.; five species in open nomenclature: Perissocytheridea sp. 1, P. sp. 2, P. sp. 3, P. sp. 4, and P. sp. 5 and two species left in “aff.” abbreviation: Perissocytheridea aff. Perissocytheridea pumila and Perissocytheridea aff. Perissocytheridea brachyforma subsp. excavata. The distributional pattern of the Perissocytheridea combined with the occurrence of foraminifera Elphidium and Ammonia in the studied sections supports the presence of the brackish water facies to the respective layers. Their quantitative variation through the studied sections indicate more than one phase of salinity reduction (about >5 and <30 ppm) and/or the decrease of the sea level, forming lagoon along the Pirabas Formation. This genus has a wide paleobiogeographical occurrence and stratigraphic distribution ranging from the Cretaceous to Recent, and already been recorded in the northern of South America, especially in the Neogene of Solimões Basin, but this is the first report of a neotropical genus to the Oligo-Miocene deposits of Pirabas Formation, northern Brazilian Coast, Pará State.     

Selenium attenuation via reductive precipitation in unsaturated waste rock as a control on groundwater impacts in the Idaho phosphate patch

Phosphate mining in southeastern Idaho has historically resulted in the release of dissolved metals and inorganics to groundwater and surface water, primarily due to leachate from waste rock in backfilled pits and overburden storage piles. Selenium (Se) is of particular concern due to its high concentration in leachate and its limited attenuation downgradient of source zones under oxic conditions. Assessments of potential groundwater/surface water impacts from waste rock typically involve laboratory characterization using saturated and unsaturated flow columns packed with waste rock. In this study, we compare the results of saturated and unsaturated column tests with groundwater quality data from the Mountain Fuel, Champ, South and Central Rasmussen Ridge Area (SCRRA), Smoky Canyon, Ballard, Henry, and Enoch Valley Mines, to understand the release and attenuation of Se in different geochemical environments. Column studies and field results demonstrate that the ratio of aqueous Se to aqueous sulfate (Se:SO₄ ratio) is a useful metric for understanding Se release and attenuation, where the extent of sulfate reduction is much less than Se reduction. Comparison of dissolved Se and sulfate results suggests that the net leachability of Se from unsaturated waste rock is variable. Overall, Se concentrations in groundwater directly beneath waste rock dumps is not as high as would be predicted from unsaturated columns. Lower Se:SO₄ ratios are observed immediately beneath waste rock dumps and backfilled pits relative to areas receiving shallow waste rock runoff. It is hypothesized that Se released in the oxic upper portions of the waste rock is subsequently attenuated via reductive precipitation at depth in unsaturated, low-oxygen portions of the waste rock. This highlights an important mechanism by which Se may be naturally attenuated within waste rock piles prior to discharge to groundwater and surface water. These results have important implications for mining practices in the region. A better understanding of Se dynamics can help drive waste rock management during active mining and capping/water management options during post-mining reclamation.     

Quantitative seismic geomorphology of a submarine channel system in SE Brazil (Espírito Santo Basin): Scale comparison with other submarine channel systems

Detailed morphological analyses of a Pleistocene-Holocene submarine channel system in terms of its hierarchical framework, were carried out using a 3D seismic volume from offshore Espírito Santo, SE Brazil. The channel morphology shows marked variations, with five segments (Segments a to e) being identified along its full length. For example, the cross-sectional area of the channel decreases by a factor of 70 from Segment a to Segment c, and is then followed by a nearly four-fold increase from Segment c to Segment d. The significant changes in channel morphology relate to temporal and spatial variations in flow volume within the channel. In the same channel system, the valley reveals three distinct segments (Segments A to C), with similar aspect ratios but marked variations in morphology along the valley distance. Valley morphological changes are chiefly affected by erosional processes. Segment B is characterised by the largest valley-base width, valley width, and cross-sectional area compared to the other two segments. Valley enlargement in Segment B results from relatively high degrees of lateral channel migration and associated cut bank erosion, leading to the widening of the valley, especially the valley base. In Segment C, the valley is characterised by inner bank erosion in the form of shallow-seated mass failures, which only enlarged the upper part of the valley wall. The spatial variations in both channel and valley morphology documented here suggest an important role of local factors (e.g. salt diapirs, tributaries, overbank collapse) in the development of channel systems. Hence, the morphological analyses developed in this work provide an effective tool for studying channels and valleys on continental slopes around the world.     

Hydrothermal Fluid Sources of the Fengjia Barite–fluorite Deposit in Southeast Sichuan,China: Evidence from Fluid Inclusions and Hydrogen and Oxygen Isotopes

The Fengjia barite–fluorite deposit in southeast Sichuan is a stratabound ore deposit which occurs mainly in Lower Ordovician carbonate rocks. Here we present results from fluid inclusion and oxygen and hydrogen isotope studies to determine the nature and origin of the hydrothermal fluids that generated the deposit. The temperature of the ore‐forming fluid shows a range of 86 to 302 °C. Our detailed microthermometric data show that the temperature during mineralization of the fluorite and barite in the early ore‐forming stage was higher than that during the formation of the calcite in the late ore‐forming stage. The salinity varied substantially from 0.18% to 21.19% NaCl eqv., whereas the density was around 1.00 g/cm³. The fluid composition was mainly H₂O (>91.33%), followed by CO₂, CH₄ and traces of C₂H₆, CO, Ar, and H₂S. The dominant cation was Na⁺ and the dominant anion Cl^‐, followed by Ca²⁺, SO₄^2‐, K⁺, and Mg²⁺, indicating a mid–low‐temperature, mid‐low‐salinity, low‐density NaCl–H₂O system. Our results demonstrate that the temperature decreased during the ore‐forming process and the fluid system changed from a closed reducing environment to an open oxidizing environment. The hydrogen and oxygen isotope data demonstrate that the hydrothermal fluids in the study area had multiple sources, primarily formation water, as well as meteoric water and metamorphic water. Combined with the geological setting and mineralization features we infer that the stratabound barite–fluorite deposits originated from mid–low‐temperature hydrothermal fluids and formed vein filling in the fault zone.     

太平洋东南海域表层地转流场的季节及年际变化特征

利用1992~2001年Topex/Poseidon卫星高度计遥感资料分析了太平洋东南海域(5°~55°S,70°~120°W)表层流场的季节及年际变化特征。结果表明,南赤道流的季节变化主要体现在流速上,而秘鲁海流和西风漂流主要体现在流轴位置的移动上。表层流场的年际变化受El Nino影响,在El Nino期间,南赤道流和秘鲁海流均发生流向偏转现象,大部分海区流场被削弱(除低纬度海区外),而在其后的1998年La Nina期间,流场则重新被加强,西风漂流无明显的年际变化。