Late Neoarchaean-Palaeoproterozoic supracrustal basin-fills of the Kaapvaal craton: Relevance of the supercontinent cycle, the "Great Oxidation Event" and "Snowball Earth"?

The application of the onset of supercontinentality, the “Great Oxidation Event” (GOE) and the first global scale glaciation in the Neoarchaean-Palaeoproterozoic as panacea-like events providing a framework or even chronological piercing points in Earth’s history at this time, is questioned. There is no solid evidence that the Kaapvaal craton was part of a larger amalgamation at this time, and its glacigenic record is dominated by deposits supporting the operation of an active hydrological cycle in parallel with glaciation, thereby arguing against the “Snowball Earth Hypothesis”. While the Palaeoproterozoic geological record of Kaapvaal does broadly support the GOE, this postulate itself is being questioned on the basis of isotopic data used as oxygen-proxies, and sedimentological data from extant river systems on the craton argue for a prolongation of the greenhouse palaeo-atmosphere (possibly in parallel with a relative elevation of oxygen levels) which presumably preceded the GOE. The possibility that these widespread events may have been diachronous at the global scale is debated.     

氧化亚铜的氧化动力学

本文以亚硫酸盐和硫酸铜制备的氧化亚铜为样品,用Kissinger法和FWO法研究了氧化亚铜的氧化动力学行为,结果表明:氧化亚铜氧化反应生成氧化铜的表观活化能E=174.52 kJ.mol-1,指前因子lnA=195.526 8,相对应的反应级数n=0.99。     

膨胀石墨化学氧化法制备技术研究进展

膨胀石墨是石墨的重要深加工产品之一.目前膨胀石墨工业生产用的最多和最成熟的方法是化学氧化法,具有很多优点.由于这种工艺生产过程存在环境污染,产品在应用中对设备有腐蚀,高温抗氧化性及强度不高等原因,限制了其进一步发展.介绍了近年来围绕化学氧化法制备工艺及产品性能改进问题国内外研究的主要进展.讨论了利用低品位和细鳞片石墨原料,降低或消除生产过程中的NOX、重金属离子的污染,降低产品的含硫量和腐蚀性,提高产品的膨胀倍数、抗氧化性和强度,改进产品的膨化工艺等方面的技术措施及应用效果.指出了化学氧化法进一步发展的方向和应用前景.     

沉积物中元素碳的提取、鉴定及其古气候环境意义

通过化学氧化方法提取沉积物中元素碳物质,采用拉曼光谱对其进行分析鉴定,实验结果表明:元素碳是介于单晶石墨碳和无定形碳之间的一系列物质,是一种操作上的定义;化学氧化法提取沉积物中元素碳是可靠的,控制好氧化条件和时间,则能有效去除有机碳,保留元素碳成份。鉴于目前不同工作者由于不同的实验条件和方法下得到了不同结果,我们认为确定标准样及其浓度,统一实验方法是亟待解决的问题,进而统一这种碳微粒的名称,明确其定义,以利于相关研究的横向对比和深入。而在纵向研究方面,我们利用该实验流程提取灵台黄土剖面长时间序列黄土—古土壤样的元素碳,并进行元素碳含量的测定,结果表明元素碳记录能有效揭示古气候环境变化。在不同时间尺度上,元素碳记录有不同的气候指示意义,并且与其他气候环境指标能进行较好的对比,元素碳记录为古气候环境变化提供一新的指标。     

Gene abundances of AOA,AOB, and anammox controlled by groundwater chemistry of the Pearl River Delta,China

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), and anaerobic ammoniaoxidation (anammox) bacteria are very important contributors to nitrogen cycling in natural environments. Functional gene abundances of these microbes were believed to be well relevant to N-cycling in groundwater systems, especially in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) groundwater with unique high intrinsic ammonia concentrations. In this research, 20 sediment samples from two in the PRD were collected for porewater chemistry analysis and quantification of N-cycling related genes, including archaeal and bacterial amoA gene and anammox 16S ribosomal Ribonucleic Acid (rRNA) gene. Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) results showed that gene abundances of AOA, AOB, and anammox bacteria ranged from 3.13×10⁵ to 3.21×10⁷, 1.83×10⁴ to 2.74×10⁶, and 9.27×10⁴ to 8.96×10⁶ copies/g in the sediment of the groundwater system, respectively. Anammox bacteria and AOA dominated in aquitards and aquifers, respectively, meanwhile, the aquitard-aquifer interfaces were demonstrated as ammonium-oxidizing hotspots in the aspect of gene numbers. Gene abundances of nitrifiers were analyzed with geochemistry profiles. Correlations between gene numbers and environmental variables indicated that the gene abundances were impacted by hydrogeological conditions, and microbial-derived ammonium loss was dominated by AOA in the northwest PRD and by anammox bacteria in the southeast PRD.© 2021 China Geology Editorial Office.     

准噶尔盆地西北缘深部烃类流体与表生氧化流体叠合铀成矿作用

为查明准噶尔盆地西北缘中、下侏罗统砂岩铀矿化成因及其与烃类流体间的关系。通过对目的层油砂提取物碳同位素和Re-Os同位素测试,得出目的层中的烃类主要是深部油气藏在晚侏罗世-早白垩世时期(155±51 Ma)遭受构造破坏逸散后充注的,初始来源于玛湖坳陷下二叠统风城组烃源岩。结合野外地质调查、岩心宏观及镜下微观鉴定,得出目的层砂岩在烃类流体充注前后分别遭受过后生氧化作用。前期古氧化作用程度强,发育赤铁矿化,成矿潜力大;而后期氧化为近现代氧化,强度偏弱,以褐铁矿化为主,时代新,成矿规模小。最终,建立了该区中、下侏罗统砂岩烃类流体还原与后生氧化耦合的四阶段铀成矿模式:(1)八道湾组-西山窑组期间为原生还原性含矿建造形成期;(2)头屯河组-齐古组期间为古层间氧化带及其古铀矿床形成期;(3)齐古组晚期-新近纪末为烃类流体充注还原与泥岩超覆掩盖期;(4)第四纪以来为近现代层间氧化带及其铀矿体形成期。该模式的提出对含油气盆地内砂岩型铀矿找矿具有指导意义。     

渤海沉积物中甲烷氧化速率及同位素分馏规律研究

渤海蕴藏着大量的油气资源,其主要成分是温室气体甲烷,自然环境下或人为因素的影响会引起其泄露与迁移,对环境造成负面的影响。但是,泄露与迁移过程中微生物会氧化绝大部分甲烷,而不同的环境条件会影响氧化过程中的速率及碳同位素分馏过程。为了更好地认识渤海沉积物中甲烷氧化规律和同位素分馏规律以及为进一步研究此区域的甲烷氧化提供参考,本文选取渤海沉积物作为进行实验室模拟降解实验原料,借助气相色谱和气相色谱-同位素比值质谱仪测定渤海沉积物中的甲烷氧化速率,确定了甲烷氧化碳同位素分馏系数ε。结果表明:渤海沉积物中甲烷氧化作用以好氧氧化占主导,氧化温度和气体流速是影响甲烷氧化速率的主要因素。在连续培养的模式下,当温度由28℃降至15℃时,甲烷的平均氧化速率降低60%±10%,即温度越低越不利于甲烷氧化作用的发生。而气体流速由50μL/min增加至150μL/min时,甲烷的平均氧化速率增加90%±10%,即增加气体流速有利于氧化反应速率的提高。实验还发现,甲烷碳、氢同位素的分馏效应主要受氧化温度制约,分馏程度与温度呈正相关。实验结论认为温度是影响甲烷氧化速率和同位素分馏规律的重要因素。     

Biomarker evidence for Botryococcus and a methane cycle in the Eocene Huadian oil shale,NE China

The saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons of two samples (HD-19 and HD-21) from the same section of the Middle Eocene lacustrine Huadian oil shale in NE China were identified and shown to be mainly from algal and bacterial sources. Comparison of the two samples provided an opportunity to explore the contribution from telalginite to the hydrocarbon profiles. Cells identified from microscopy as Botryococcus in the telalginite of HD-21 were confirmed as belonging to the L race of B. braunii from the presence of monoaromatic lycopane derivatives and small amounts of several lycopadienes. Lycopane was abundant and was probably derived from biohydrogenation of lycopadienes and related lipids on the basis of δ¹³C values. Hopane distributions showed a dominance of those with the biological 17β,21β-stereochemistry, as expected for an immature shale, with low amounts of 17β,21α-hopanes (moretanes) and 17α,21β-hopanes. Two hopenes were also abundant and assigned as C₂₉ and C₃₀ neohop-13(18)-enes, which occurred together with the C₂₉ and C₃₀ hop-17(21)-enes. These had depleted carbon isotope values (−43.7‰ to −50.8‰), indicative of production by methane oxidizing bacteria (methanotrophs). The high proportion of hopanoids with carbon numbers < C₃₂ indicates extensive post-depositional diagenetic alteration of bacteriohopanepolyols as well as a direct input of C₃₀ hopanoids. The data clearly indicate that there was active utilization of methane in this lacustrine depositional setting, but isoprenoid hydrocarbon biomarkers for methanogens, such as pentamethylicosane (PMI) and squalane, were in surprisingly low abundance. It is possible that these bacterial contributions were present as polar lipids. The origins of an unusual C₃₈ isoprenoid alkane assigned as bipristane are uncertain, but may be from methanogens. Steranes and sterenes were relatively minor components, but abundant diasterenes and 4-methyldiasterenes were present, reflecting significant conversion of the original lipid composition by way of clay-catalysed diagenesis. The biomarker data suggest that the bottom waters in the original depositional environment had low O₂ content, but the sediments were probably neither sulfidic nor strongly reducing. The high content of organic matter in the shale likely reflects both high (but fluctuating) productivity due to eutrophic conditions in the overlying water and good preservation in the sediments.     

Microbiological processes in banded iron formation deposition

Banded iron formations have been studied for decades, particularly regarding their potential as archives of the Precambrian environment. In spite of this effort, the mechanism of their deposition and, specifically, the role that microbes played in the precipitation of banded iron formation minerals, remains unresolved. Evidence of an anoxic Earth with only localized oxic areas until the Great Oxidation Event ca 2·45 to 2·32 Ga makes the investigation of O₂‐independent mechanisms for banded iron formation deposition relevant. Recent studies have explored the long‐standing proposition that Archean banded iron formations may have been formed, and diagenetically modified, by anaerobic microbial metabolisms. These efforts encompass a wide array of approaches including isotope, ecophysiological and phylogeny studies, molecular and mineral marker analysis, and sedimentological reconstructions. Herein, the current theories of microbial processes in banded iron formation mineral deposition with particular regard to the mechanisms of chemical sedimentation and post‐depositional alteration are described. The main findings of recent years are summarized and compared here, and suggestions are made regarding cross‐disciplinary information still required to constrain the role of the biosphere in banded iron formation deposition.     

Morphology and formation mechanism of pyrite induced by the anaerobic oxidation of methane from the continental slope of the NE South China Sea

In order to understand the response of authigenic pyrite to gas hydrate geo-systems, pyrite tubes or rods at the sulfate–methane transition (SMT) zone of core GC10 from the northern continental slope of the South China Sea (SCS) were investigated. In situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that the pyrite tube consists of pyrite micro-crystals with trace amount of graphite in the inner tube. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations of pyrite tubes indicate various aggregations in the form of framboidal, euhedral, and colloidal pyrite microcrystals. Typical framboidal pyrite is considered as packing of octahedral microcrystals. Interestingly, many framboids in the tubes consist of round or irregular microcrystals and have an outer crust that consists of secondary pyrite. The size of the framboids in the inner wall of the tube is larger than that in the middle wall or foraminifer-filled pyrite. High-resolution transmission electron microscopic (HRTEM) images show marcasite lamellae defects in the spherulitic pyrite crystals, which reveal different solution conditions during the pyrite precipitation. Nano-foil-like graphitic carbon was observed to be closely associated with the pyrite spherules. The occurrence of both marcasite layers and nano-foil-like graphitic carbon suggest that the migration of methane from deep sediment. It is suggested that the formation of pyrite serves as a catalyst during the reaction from methane to elemental carbon under the anaerobic oxidation of methane. Meanwhile, this reaction results in local acidification of the solution inside the pyrite tubes, which favors marcasite lamellae growth on the host pyrite substrate.