Cenozoic uplift of West Qinling, northeast margin of Tibetan plateau-a detrital apatite fission track record from the Tianshui basin

The Cenozoic sedimentation in the Tianshui basin, which is located at the junction of the liupanshan and West Qinling, northeast margin of the Tibetan plateau, provides a record for the regional tectonism and exhumation history of the surrounding mountains. Thermochronologic study on the detrital apatite grains from sandstones at Yaodian, near Tianshui, has revealed two rapid tectonic uplift-exhumation events of the source area, which happened at 23.7 and 14.1 Ma, respectively. The fast exhumation (0.34 mm/a) at 23.7 Ma, which recorded the tectonic uplift of West Qinling, led to the formation of the Neogene Tianshui basin and initiated the reception of alluvial deposits. This event is most likely in response to the synchronous tectonism of the Tibetan plateau. The source region experienced another rapid exhumation (1.05 mm/a) at 14.1 Ma, when the Tianshui basin began to depress broadly and fluvial-lacustrine sediments dominated the Late Miocene. Translated from Acta Sedimentologica Sinica, 2006, 24(6): 783–789 [译自: 沉积学报]     

Strain-related differences in the crystal growth of white mica and chlorite: a TEM and XRD study of the development of metapelitic microfabrics in the Southern Uplands thrust terrane, Scotland

Abstract TEM and XRD techniques were used to study crystal growth characteristics of the fabric-forming phyllosilicates which developed in response to low-grade metamorphism and tectonic imbrication in part of the Southern Uplands thrust terrane. Prograde regional metamorphism, ranging from late diagenesis through the anchizone to the epizone, was accompanied by the development of a slaty cleavage which is commonly bedding-parallel. TEM-measured mean thicknesses of white mica and chlorite crystallite populations increase with advancing grade and correlate with XRD-measured crystallinity indices. Analytical TEM data show that prograde changes in composition lead to a net loss of Si, Ca and minor Fe from the fabric-forming phyllosilicates. White micas are paragonite-poor phengites with a mean b lattice parameter of 9.037 Å, and indicate an intermediate pressure series of metamorphism with a field gradient of <25° C km^-1. Chlorite compositions evolved from diabantite (with intergrown corrensite) to ripidolite over an estimated temperature range of 150–320° C. Field gradient and temperature estimates suggest that crystal growth and fabric development occurred at burial depths ranging from 6 km to at least 13 km in the thrust terrane. During late diagenesis, crystal growth of white mica and chlorite was predominantly a consequence of polytypic and phase transitions, and resulted in similar size distributions which resemble typical Ostwald ripening curves. Under anchizonal and epizonal conditions, white mica grew more rapidly than chlorite because of its greater ability to store strain energy and recover from subgrain development; as a result crystal thickness distributions are not typical of Ostwald ripening. In contrast, chlorite crystals which grew under these conditions developed subgrain boundaries at high strain rates which were only partially recovered at low strain rates; these retained dislocations reduce the crystallite thicknesses detected by TEM and XRD, compared with those of white mica. These differences in strain-induced crystal growth indicate that white mica (illite) and chlorite crystallinity indices are likely to show significant differences where low-grade metamorphism is closely associated with tectonic fabric development.     

Spatiotemporal characteristics of white mold and impacts on yield in soybean fields in South Dakota

ABSTRACT

White mold of soybeans is one of the most important fungal diseases that affect soybean production in South Dakota. However, there is a lack of information on the spatial characteristics of the disease and relationship with soybean yield. This relationship can be explored with the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from Landsat 8 and a fusion of Landsat 8 and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images. This study investigated the patterns of yield in two soybean fields infected with white mold between 2016 and 2017, and estimated yield loss caused by white mold. Results show evidence of clustering in the spatial distribution of yield (Moran’s I = 0.38; p < 0.05 in 2016 and Moran’s I = 0.45; p < 0.05 in 2017) that can be explained by the spatial distribution of white mold in the observed fields. Yield loss caused by white mold was estimated at 36% in 2016 and 56% in 2017 for the worse disease pixels, with the most accurate period for estimating this loss on 21 August and 8 September for 2016 field and 2017 field, respectively. This study shows the potential of free remotely sensed satellite data in estimating yield loss caused by white mold.     

非线性逐步拟合推估

推导了白噪声条件下的非线性系统的逐步拟合推估和有色噪声条件下的非线性逐步拟合推估的计算公式。非线性系统逐步拟合推估理论第一步是非线性拟合推估,以后各步是非线性滤波。白噪声条件下的非线性系统的逐步拟合推估是有色噪声条件下的非线性逐步拟合推估一个特例。     

U-Pb-Hf isotopic data from detrital zircons in late Carboniferous and Mid-Late Triassic sandstones,and also Carboniferous granites from the Tauride and Anatolide continental units in S Turkey: implications for Tethyan palaeogeography

ABSTRACT

Zircons from Carboniferous sandstones (three samples) and Mid-Late Triassic sandstones (four samples) from the Tauride and Anatolide continental units were analysed for U-Pb-Hf isotopes. For comparison, zircons were also analysed from Carboniferous granites of the Afyon Zone, Anatolides (three samples). A NE African/Arabian source is inferred for both the Carboniferous sandstones of the Taurides (Alada?) and the Anatolides (Konya Complex). In contrast, the Carboniferous Karaburun Melange is characterised by a NW African provenance. A prominent Devonian population occurs in the Carboniferous Karaburun Melange, characterised by mainly positive ε_Hf(t) values that differ significantly from those of the Devonian granites of the Sakarya continental crustal unit (Pontides). Middle-Late Triassic Tauride sandstones include minor Palaeozoic and Early Mesozoic zircons. In contrast, Devonian and Carboniferous zircons are relatively abundant in Late Triassic sandstones of the Karaburun Peninsula. The Hf isotopic compositions of 25 Carboniferous-aged zircons from three samples of Mid-Late Triassic sandstone and one of Late Carboniferous age (one sample) overlap with the ε_Hf(t) values of Carboniferous arc-type granites in the Anatolides. Taking account of the available U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotopic data from comparative crustal units, the Devonian zircon populations from the melanges in the Karaburun Peninsula and the Konya Complex are inferred to have a westerly source (e.g. granitic rocks of Aegean region or central Europe). A tectonic model is proposed in which Palaeozoic Tethys sutured during the late Carboniferous in the west (Aegean region westwards), leaving an eastward-widening oceanic gulf in which sandstone turbidites accumulated, including Devonian zircons.     

Stellar forensics — II. Millisecond pulsar binaries

We use the grid of models described in Paper I to analyse those millisecond pulsar binaries whose secondaries have been studied optically. In particular, we find cooling ages for these binary systems that range from < 1 to ∼ 15 Gyr. Comparison of cooling ages and characteristic spin-down ages allows us to constrain the initial spin periods and spin-up histories for individual systems, showing that at least some millisecond pulsars had sub-Eddington accretion rates and long magnetic field decay times.     

Effect of salinity on growth and first sexual maturity of Exopalaemon carinicauda (Holthuis, 1950)

To determine the optimal salinity for growth and first sexual maturity of ExopaIaemon carinicauda, the effects of salinity on growth and reproductive performance of early juvenile prawns of E. carinicauda were evaluated under laboratory conditions. Postlarvae from the same female broodstock were reared at six salinity levels （5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30） for 12 weeks. The specific growth rate （SGR） and survival rate （SR） under different salinity levels in the first 6 weeks were calculated and compared. SGR was significantly influenced by salinity. Prawns reared in salinity of 10 grew significantly faster （P〈0.05） than those reared in salinities of 5, 20, 25, and 30. However, ANOVA confirmed that there was no significant effect among the six salinity levels on SR. For the next 6 weeks, the body length （BL）, body weight （BW） at the first sexual maturity, and the age at median sexual maturity （As0） of females were measured and compared. Female prawns reared at salinity of 10 presented significantly shorter A50, but no significant differences among the six salinity levels for BL and BW at the first sexual maturity were observed. Based on the above information, the optimal salinity for growth and first sexual maturity of juvenile E. carinicauda is approximately 10.     

基于PSR 模型的厦门湾中华白海豚资源评价

中华白海豚(Sousa chinensis Osbeck,1765)为国家Ⅰ级重点野生保护动物,厦门湾作为其在中国的主要分布区之一,自20世纪80年代以来,海岸带开发活动和环境污染程度均不断加大,导致此海域中华白海豚的生存环境不断恶化,种群数量日趋减少,资源状况面临严重威胁。作者采用PSR(压力-状态-响应)模型框架,对厦门湾中华白海豚资源面临的主要环境压力、当前的资源状态以及采取的保护响应措施进行了一个较全面的评价,评价结果认为:围填海工程、船只交通、水下爆破作业和陆源排污等人类活动给厦门湾中华白海豚带来了生境缩小、身体伤害、环境污染和饵料短缺等严重影响,厦门市已采取的保护政策响应包括就地保护、迁地保护和公共管理等方面,目前种群资源数量稳定在80头左右并有潜力扩大。基于评价结果,作者提出了加强保护的建议和策略,可为厦门以外海区的中华白海豚保护工作提供参考。