Agricultural land use in the coastal area of the Alexander von Humboldt National Park, Cuba and its implication for conservation and sustainability

In the Alexander von Humboldt National Park in eastern Cuba many endemic animals and plants are found in various different natural habitats, which are considered to be the most important ones for in-situ conservation in the entire Insular Caribbean. In some areas of the National Park agriculture is practised. Thus, the objective of this study was to document and analyse the different land use activities and their consequences for local resource management and conservation of biodiversity in two village areas. A particular question was: what has changed since the foundation of the National Park in 1996? As time series data for land use and aerial photographs were not available for this part of Cuba, a qualitative evaluation was carried out. For this, six different land use units were mapped in 2001 and additional information gathered for areas with special interest related to sustainable land use and resource conservation. Although most parts of the study area are influenced to various degrees by human impact, the different types of land use seem presently not to have a crucial or detrimental impact on the land resources of the Alexander von Humboldt National Park. However, exploitation of the natural resources in certain areas could be improved with different management options to reach sustainability as well as to meet the conservation objectives of the National Park. This includes reduced or abandoned agricultural use of steep slopes to reduce erosion risk as well as a facilitated regeneration of natural vegetation in many parts of the study area to be able to conserve the high valuable biodiversity of the Park. Environmental education seems to have played an important and successful role since the foundation of the Park in 1996. Since then, cropping on steep slopes as well as illegal logging and poaching could be reduced.     

内蒙古北山重点成矿远景区主要地质特征与矿产资源潜力评价方向

本文根据北山地区区域地质背景、成矿地质条件及矿产分布特征,对北山地区初步划分出几个重点成矿远景区,建议作为今后进行区域固体矿产资源潜力评价的方向。     

Variation in element release rate from different mineral size fractions from the B horizon of a granitic podzol

Far-from-equilibrium batch dissolution experiments were carried out on the 2000–500, 500–250, 250–53 and 53–2 μm size fractions of the mineral component of the B horizon of a granitic iron humus podzol after removal of organic matter and secondary precipitates. The different size fractions were mineralogically and chemically similar, the main minerals present being quartz, alkali and plagioclase feldspar, biotite and chlorite. Specific surface area increased with decreasing grain size. The measured element release rates decreased in the order 53–2>>>2000–500>500–250>250–53 μm. Surface area normalised element release rates from the 2000–500, 500–250 and 250–53 μm size fractions (0.6–77×10⁻¹⁴ mol/m²/s) were intermediate between literature reported surface area normalised dissolution rates for monomineralic powders of feldspar (0.1–0.01×10⁻¹⁴ mol/m²/s) and sheet silicates (100×10⁻¹⁴ mol/m²/s) dissolving under similar conditions. Element release rates from the 53–2 μm fraction (400–3000×10⁻¹⁴ mol/m²/s) were a factor of 4–30 larger than literature reported values for sheet silicates. The large element release rate of the 53–2 μm fraction means that, despite the small mass fraction of 53–2 μm sized particles present in the soil, dissolution of this fraction is the most important for element release into the soil. A theoretical model predicted similar (within a factor of <2) bulk element release rates for all the mineral powders if observed thicknesses of sheet silicate grains were used as input parameters. Decreasing element release rates with decreasing grain size were only predicted if the thickness of sheet silicates in the powders was held constant. A significantly larger release rate for the 53–2 μm fraction relative to the other size fractions was only predicted if either surface roughness was set several orders of magnitude higher for sheet silicates and several orders of magnitude lower for quartz and feldspars in the 53–2 μm fraction compared to the other size fractions or if the sheet silicate thickness input in the 53–2 μm fraction was set unrealistically low. It is therefore hypothesised that the reason for the unpredicted large release rate from the 52–3 μm size fraction is due to one or more of the following reasons: (1) the greater reactivity of the smaller particles due to surface free energy effects, (2) the lack of proportionality between the BET surface area used to normalise the release rates and the actual reactive surface area of the grains and, (3) the presence of traces quantities of reactive minerals which were undetected in the 53–2 μm fraction but were entirely absent in the coarser fractions.     

山地丘陵地区物探爆破孔钻机及配套机具的研究与开发

为满足我国山地丘陵地区物探爆破孔施工技术的要求，研究适合土层、岩层钻进用的钻机及工具，对钻机的配套设备进行了开发研究。分析了国内山地丘陵地区物探爆破孔施工技术现状，并着重介绍了研制设计内容及生产试验情况。     

Gold Mineralization and Occurrence of Sinter in the Hoshino Area, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan

Abstract. Several epithermal gold deposits occur in the Hoshino area, which is located in the western end of the late Cenozoic Hohi volcanic zone, north‐central Kyushu, Japan. The area is characterized by intermediate to felsic extrusive rocks of Pliocene age. In the Hoshino area, the shallow manifestation of the hydrothermal activity is exposed on the surface. Several outcrops of sinter are still preserved on the top of hydro thermally altered volcanic rocks, and high‐grade gold‐bearing quartz veins occur on the surface at lower levels. The hydrothermal alteration resulted into well‐developed alteration zones. The zonal alteration pattern, primarily of near‐neutral pH type, is characterized by the outer smectite zone of a lower temperature, and the inner mixed layer minerals zone of a higher temperature. Quartz vein‐related or fracture‐controlled alteration, is represented by the occurrence of interstratified illite/smectite and K‐feldspar, suggesting a potassium‐enriched alteration. The mineralization in the Hoshino area is recognized on the surface by the occurrence of gold‐bearing quartz veins distributed mainly in the mixed layer minerals zone. The fracture system related to the gold mineralization is mainly characterized by NW‐SE trend. The alteration pattern and the mineralogical composition of the veins suggest that the mineralizing fluids had near‐neutral pH and the mineralization is of low‐sulfidation‐type. Fluid inclusion data and textures observed in quartz veins indicate that gold precipitated during boiling. The chemical composition of quartz veins shows that high‐grade gold‐bearing quartz veins are characterized by higher content of Al₂O₃, K₂O and Rb. Several outcrops of silica‐sinters are distributed on the top of the mixed layer minerals zone. Although their structures are not very well preserved, because of later silicification, the Hoshino sinters still show characteristic textures identical to those observed in modern sinters, such as the presence of plant fossil incorporated into the sinters, the strongly developed depositional laminations and the columnar structures perpendicular to the depositional surfaces. Quartz is the only silica mineral constituting the Hoshino sinters presently. The conversion of amorphous silica into quartz was probably governed by higher temperatures resulting from later hydrothermal activity. This later hydrothermal activity is reflected by the intense silicification affecting mainly the lower parts of the sinters and also by the presence of quartz veins cutting the sinters. The distribution of sinters in the Hoshino area is very significant. The presence beneath the sinters of concealed high‐grade gold‐bearing quartz veins should be highly considered and exploration work is strongly suggested.     

Geochronology of Gold Deposits and Its Implication for Metallogenesis in the Fengxian-Lixian Area, Qinling Orogenic Belt, China

Abstract: A series of super large‐scale and large‐scale Pb and Zn, and Au deposits are distributed in the Qinling orogenic belt, China. Gold deposits were generally ascribed to Carlin‐type originated from circular meteoric water. Visible and coarse‐grained gold (up to over 3mm in grain size) was recently identified in some gold deposits in the Fengxian‐Lixian area, Qinling. Au‐bearing quartz lodes related to magmatism were discovered in the Xiaogouli gold deposit. Two types of Au‐bearing quartz veins, i.e., NW‐trending quartz veins and NE‐trending quartz veins cutting strata are widely present in the Baguamiao gold deposit. Both are spatially associated with each other. The former is generally snake–like, S‐shape or zigzag, which was resulted from plastic deformation by ductile shearing, being generally cut by the latter. The latter is generally linear with widely developed bleaching alteration zones in its adjacent wall rocks, which symbolizes the superimposition of brittle deformation and filling and metasomatism of magmatic hydrothermal solution in ductile shear zones after uplifting of the shear zones near the surface. The NW‐trending quartz veins contain Au of lower than 3ppm. The NE‐trending quartz veins contain Au of more than 3 ppm, so that NE‐trending quartz veins and the adjoining altered rocks are important ores. The NW‐trending Au–bearing quartz vein was dated as 210.61.26 to 232.581.59 Ma by ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar method, i.e., late Indosinian epoch (Triassic). The NE‐trending Au–bearing quartz vein was dated as 131.910.89 to 197.451.13 Ma by ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar method, i.e., Yanshanian epoch (Jurassic). The ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar age of the NW‐trending Au–bearing quartz veins represents the age of the ductile shear formation. The isotope data of the NE‐trending quartz veins indicate that gold mineralization was closely related to Indosinian and Yanshanian granite intrusives not only in time and space, but also in origin.     

加卸载响应比理论在华南地区中强震预测中的应用

用加卸载响应比理论对华南地区12例中强以上地震进行研究，结果表明有8例在震前响应比值有明显的高值（Y≥2.0）异常显示，通过对响应比值随时间变化特征的分析发现，响应比对5级左右地震有较好的中短期预测效果，因此响应比理论可作为本区地震预测的新方法。     

福建漳州、华安、龙岩地区地震时间分布结构信息维的特征

岩石破裂实验，地球岩石层断裂构造运动，地震孕育、发生和发展过程等研究表明，地震活动的时间、空间和强度分布特征具有分形结构。作为一种分维理论的应用，本文利用厦门数字化地震遥测台网的数据，采用信息的分析方法，对福建省的地震多发区-漳州、华安、龙岩地区的地震活动进行了分析和研究，讨论了信息维随时间变化的特征。     

中原地区M≥6级地震后的减(增)震效应

通过对中原地区1500年－2000年所有19次M≥6级地震后空间图像的分析，初步认为M≥6级地震发生后平均63年内，在距原震中平均176km内无M≥5级地震发生，全部19次震例均呈现出内部减震效应，而在其外围出现地震增强的活动图像特征，增震效应对应率为72％。这种强震后的减（增）震效应，不仅对地震危险性分析，而且对1年尺度以上的地震趋势预测均有一定的意义。     

To afforest the desert with the technology of peat composed of rotten mosses and the sustainable development of the oases

Only by providing the good conditions for the growth of plants can a favorable ecologicalenvironment on which human beings rely for existence be created. The upside-down-T dou-ble-layer water-conserving afforestation way is developed according to the situation of the short-age of water resources, low soil fertility and vast land in the arid areas. The characteristics of theafforestation way are to change the microenvironment in the root area of the plants, provide thefavorable conditions for the growth of plants, and reduce the necessary conditions for the growth ofplants in large areas in the arid regions. Meanwhile, the size of its water-conserving layer can bechanged according to the size of the planted trees. The different ways of the bottom wa-ter-conserving layer can be used according to the requirements. The afforestation way is suitablefor planting trees on a small scale and also for afforesting on a large scale under the adverse cir-cumstances in the arid areas, and has been effectively used in the afforestation in the hinterland ofTaklamakan Desert and the southern marginal zone of Gurbantonggut Desert. The prospects ofthe afforestation way are broad in afforestation and desertification control in the desert regions.