A 2000-yr reconstruction of air temperature in the Great Basin of the United States with specific reference to the Medieval Climatic Anomaly

A sediment core representing the past two millennia was recovered from Stella Lake in the Snake Range of the central Great Basin in Nevada. The core was analyzed for sub-fossil chironomids and sediment organic content. A quantitative reconstruction of mean July air temperature (MJAT) was developed using a regional training set and a chironomid-based WA-PLS inference model (r²_jack = 0.55, RMSEP = 0.9°C). The chironomid-based MJAT reconstruction suggests that the interval between AD 900 and AD 1300, corresponding to the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA), was characterized by MJAT elevated 1.0°C above the subsequent Little Ice Age (LIA), but likely not as warm as recent conditions. Comparison of the Stella Lake temperature reconstruction to previously published paleoclimate records from this region indicates that the temperature fluctuations inferred to have occurred at Stella Lake between AD 900 and AD 1300 correspond to regional records documenting hydroclimate variability during the MCA interval. The Stella Lake record provides evidence that elevated summer temperature contributed to the increased aridity that characterized the western United States during the MCA.     

Diagenesis in the Middle Jurassic Khatatba Formation sandstones in the Shoushan Basin,northern Western Desert,Egypt

The Middle Jurassic Khatatba Formation acts as a hydrocarbon reservoir in the subsurface in the Western Desert, Egypt. This study, which is based on core samples from two exploration boreholes, describes the lithological and diagenetic characteristics of the Khatatba Formation sandstones. The sandstones are fine‐ to coarse‐grained, moderately to well‐sorted quartz arenites, deposited in fluvial channels and in a shallow‐marine setting. Diagenetic components include mechanical and chemical compaction, cementation (calcite, clay minerals, quartz overgrowths, and a minor amount of pyrite), and dissolution of calcite cements and feldspar grains. The widespread occurrence of an early calcite cement suggests that the Khatatba sandstones lost a significant amount of primary porosity at an early stage of its diagenetic history. In addition to calcite, several different cements including kaolinite and syntaxial quartz overgrowth occur as pore‐filling and pore‐lining cements. Kaolinite (largely vermicular) fills pore spaces and causes reduction in the permeability of the reservoir. Based on framework grain–cement relationships, precipitation of the early calcite cement was either accompanied by or followed the development of part of the pore‐lining and pore‐filling cements. Secondary porosity development occurred due to partial to complete dissolution of early calcite cements and feldspar. Late kaolinite clay cement occurs due to dissolved feldspar and has an impact on the reservoir quality of the Khatatba sandstones. Open hydraulic fractures also generated significant secondary porosity in sandstone reservoirs, where both fractures and dissolution took place in multiple phases during late diagenetic stages. The diagenesis and sedimentary facies help control the reservoir quality of the Khatatba sandstones. Fluvial channel sandstones have the highest porosities and permeabilities, in part because of calcite cementation, which inhibited authigenic clays or was later dissolved, creating intergranular secondary porosity. Fluvial crevasse‐splay and marine sandstones have the lowest reservoir quality because of an abundance of depositional kaolinite matrix and pervasive, shallow‐burial calcite and quartz overgrowth cements, respectively. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sedimentary stylolite networks and connectivity in limestone: Large-scale field observations and implications for structure evolution

Stylolites are rough surfaces, formed by localized rock dissolution, and prevalent in carbonates and other sedimentary rocks. Their impact on porosity and permeability, and capacity to accommodate compactive strain, are well documented. This paper presents a meso-scale field study on sedimentary stylolites in carbonates, characterizing large-scale distributions of stylolites, including measurements conducted on longer than kilometer-long stylolites. Our field study suggests that on large scales connections between stylolites become important. Since connectivity, and also lack of connectivity, are expected to play a significant role in strain accommodation and hydraulic rock properties, we suggest that large-scale analysis may require a new characterization scheme for “stylolite populations”, based on their connectivity. We therefore divide sedimentary stylolite populations into three end-member types, which are correlated with the three possibilities for percolation of such systems: isolated stylolites (with zero percolation/connectivity), long-parallel stylolites (with 2-dimensional percolation/connectivity), and interconnected stylolite networks (with 3-dimensional percolation/connectivity). New statistical parameters and measures are devised and used to quantitatively characterize the different population types. Schematic mechanistic models are then offered to explain the evolution of the three end-member connectivity-classes. In addition we discuss the effect on fluid flow of the different population types.     

A geophysical view of the Southeastern Brazilian margin at Santos Basin: Insights into rifting evolution

This study investigates the rifting structures of Santos Basin at the Southeastern Brazilian margin, based on an integrated geophysical approach. Our aim is to constrain the crustal basement topography of central and northern Santos basin, the presence of magmatism and the role of inherited structures in space and time through the rifting processes. We present a new high resolution aeromagnetic dataset, which in correlation with gravity anomalies enables us to interpret the tectonic trends and crustal basement structures. We calculated the magnetic basement depth for the central and northern Santos Basin using power spectrum analysis. The obtained depths range between 2 and 9 kms, and are comparable with results from previous works. From our integrated study, three margin domains could be identified, which display distinct rifting structures and are characterized by important lateral variation along the margin. The proximal domain displays trends and magnetic basement blocks NE–SW oriented, i.e., parallel to inherited onshore crustal basement with an inflexion to E–W oriented trends; the necking domain is characterized by oblique magnetic basement highs and lows (E–W and NW–SE) and a structural trend change. The trends and magnetic basement highs are bounded by NW–SE negative anomalies, interpreted as transfer zones. Oceanwards at the distal domain, the lineaments and transfer zones show a progressive structural inflexion to ENE and E–W, sub-parallel to adjacent South Atlantic Fracture Zones. The observed crustal basement architecture and segmentation suggest the reactivation of pre-rift structures at the proximal margin and the obliquity of rifting relative to them. From the proximal domain oceanwards the structural pattern may reflect the passage from a “continental type” domain, where lithospheric inheritance controls the deformation, to a distal margin where this influence diminishes and “new” structural trends are formed. We propose that northern Santos Basin show evidences of an intensely deformed zone, where rift evolved under oblique extension, similar to that observed at transform margin segments.     

The Cretaceous (Cenomanian) continental record of the Laje do Coringa flagstone (Alcântara Formation), northeastern South America

The fossil taxa of the Cenomanian continental flora and fauna of São Luís Basin are observed primarily in the bone bed of the Laje do Coringa, Alcântara Formation. Many of the disarticulated fish and tetrapod skeletal and dental elements are remarkably similar to the chronocorrelate fauna of Northern Africa. In this study, we present a summary of the continental flora and fauna of the Laje do Coringa bone-bed. The record emphasizes the existence of a trans-oceanic typical fauna, at least until the early Cenomanian, which may be interpreted as minor evolutionary changes after a major vicariant event or as a result of a land bridge across the equatorial Atlantic Ocean, thereby allowing interchanges between South America and Africa. The paleoenvironmental conditions in the northern Maranhão State coast during that time were inferred as forested humid areas surrounded by an arid to semi-arid landscape.     

柴达木盆地西部昆北断阶带基底花岗岩锆石U-Pb年龄、地球化学特征及其地质意义

柴达木盆地西部基底分布有大量的有花岗岩类岩石。通过对柴达木盆地西部昆北断阶带钻遇的基底花岗岩样品开展详细的岩石学、锆石激光探针等离子体质谱U-Pb同位素年代学及岩石地球化学研究表明,锆石U-Pb同位素年龄为467~450Ma,显示基底花岗岩的结晶年龄为中-晚奥陶世,属于加里东期岩浆侵入旋回。详细的岩石地球化学分析表明,昆北断阶带基底花岗岩属过铝高钾钙碱性系列,其稀土元素配分模式为具有Eu负异常的轻稀土元素富集型,昆北断阶带中南部基底花岗岩属上地壳物质熔融,同碰撞环境下形成的花岗岩。综合区域上的研究成果,昆北断阶带及其以西地区存在中奥陶世-早志留世的加里东期构造-岩浆事件,这对探讨柴达木盆地西部基底花岗岩成因类型及岩浆演化具有重要的意义。     

未确知测度BP神经网络模型在黑河流域水质预测中的应用

水质预测是水环境规划、评价和管理的重要依据,对促进水资源可持续利用及生态发展具有重要意义。针对水质预测中各项因子的不确定性,基于未确知测度理论(unascertained measure,UM),采用改变网络初值的方法,对BP神经网络加以改进,并利用黑河流域莺落峡水文站1998~2011年的水质监测资料进行分析和预测。以挥发酚为参考序列,用灰色关联方法分析参考序列与其他因子的关联度,并最终确定BP网络的输入节点为CODmn、DO、SO42-、Cr6+以及挥发酚,输出节点为挥发酚,从而建立UMBP模型。分析结果表明,UM-BP预测模型比标准的BP神经网络模型具有更高的预测精度。因此,该模型应用于黑河流域水质预测是可行的。     

柴北缘都兰地区含石榴石、蓝晶石片麻岩的变质演化历史

在柴北缘超高压变质带东段,新识别出一个高压麻粒岩单元,其主要的岩石组合包括基性（长英质）高压麻粒岩、花岗质片麻岩、富铝质片麻岩（片岩）、石榴角闪岩和英云闪长岩。岩相学和变质反应序列、矿物化学和温压估算结果表明,蓝晶-石榴-黑云-二长片麻岩共经历了4阶段的变质演化：Ⅰ早期进变质阶段,以石榴石核部发育的黑云母、白云母、斜长石和石英等矿物包裹体为特征;Ⅱ峰期高压麻粒岩相阶段,矿物组合为石榴石+蓝晶石+条纹长石+斜长石+石英,金红石Zr温度计和GASP压力计限定其峰期温压条件为：t=800～840℃和p=1.4～1.6GPa;Ⅲ高角闪岩相退变质阶段,矿物组合为石榴石（边部）+黑云母+长石+石英;Ⅳ晚期低角闪岩相-绿片岩相退变质阶段,以蓝晶石周围出现的Ms+Pl±Zo和Mrg+Qtz±Ms±Pl后成合晶为特征。锆石LA-ICP-MSU-Pb定年结果指示高压麻粒岩相变质时代为431Ma。蓝晶-石榴-黑云-二长片麻岩具有顺时针的pt演化轨迹,与基性高压麻粒岩形成于相同的动力学过程。     

四川宣汉盘龙洞长兴组白云岩组构定向与统计特征及其成因意义

四川盆地东北部发育的长兴组礁滩相白云岩层是油气勘探的重点对象,盘龙洞剖面是四川盆地发育最好的长兴组露头,其成岩作用研究对于认识川东北长兴组储层的形成演化控制因素具有很强的借鉴作用。白云岩的组构和产状包含了成因信息,笔者根据薄片观察发现白云石交代结构可分为"均一"与"不等晶"交代两种类型,过渡关系与阴极发光观察结果均表明细中晶是由粉晶发育而来的,且细中晶白云石具"组构定向"现象。首次对该地区白云岩的组构进行了定量统计。统计结果表明,细中晶白云石粒径大小和含量在纵向上有明显的变化规律,含量自上而下减少、粒径变小。结合成岩作用、流体包裹体、阴极发光研究结果综合分析后认为:白云石化作用开始于成岩早期,白云化流体具有低温、高盐度的特点,白云化流体自上而下运移。     

Preservation of diagenetic products of β-carotene in sedimentary rocks from the Lopare Basin (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Sedimentary rocks from the saline formation of the Lopare Basin were investigated. Sediments contain a moderate amount of immature to marginally mature algal organic matter deposited under slightly reducing to anoxic and slightly saline to hypersaline conditions. Almost all of the samples contain β-carotane in a relatively high quantity, and in some, it represents the most abundant compound in the total distribution of hydrocarbons. The objective of the study was to determine the conditions that are favourable to precursors of β-carotene and/or the preservation of the carotenoid hydrocarbon skeleton. Moreover, the dominant transformation pathways of β-carotene under different redox and salinity conditions, which lead to the formation of aromatic carotenoids were defined.