A new pterosaur (Pterosauria) from Middle Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation of western Liaoning,China

A new pterosaur Archaeoistiodactylus linglongtaensis gen.et sp.nov.is erected based on an incomplete skeleton with a partial skull and lower jaw.The new taxon is characterized by circular tooth sockets of anterior mandibular teeth,the anterior teeth of the upper jaw bearing posteriorly directed crowns,a relatively short metacarpus,and wing phalanges 2 and 3 and the tibia subequal in length.It possesses some plesiomorphic characters such as short metacarpals and circular tooth sockets.The pointed jaw tip present in the new taxon indicates that the expanded jaw tips of later istiodactylids are a derived character state,and the new taxon represents the first istiodactylus-like pterosaur found from the pre-Late Jurassic deposits,which provides a key role in our understanding the origin and evolution of the known istiodactylid pterosaurs.Archaeoistiodactylus is regarded as the ancestor form of the known istiodactylid pterosaur.     

Channel change at Toudaoguai Station and its responses to the operation of upstream reservoirs in the upper Yellow River

The application of dams built upstream will change the input conditions, including water and sediment, of downstream fluvial system, and destroy previous dynamic quasi-equilibrium reached by channel streamflow, so indispensable adjustments are necessary for downstream channel to adapt to the new water and sediment supply, leading the fluvial system to restore its previous equilibrium or reach a new equilibrium. Using about 50-year-long hydrological, sedimentary and cross-sectional data, temporal response processes of Toudaoguai cross-section located in the upper Yellow River to the operation of reservoirs built upstream are analyzed. The results show that the Toudaoguai cross-section change was influenced strongly by upstream reservoir operation and downstream channel bed armoring thereafter occurred gradually and extended to the reach below Sanhuhekou gauging station. Besides, median diameter of suspended sediment load experienced a three-stage change that is characterized by an increase at first, then a decrease and an increase again finally, which reflects the process of channel bed armoring that began at Qingtongxia reservoir and then gradually developed downstream to the reach below Sanhuhekou cross-section. Since the joint operation strategy of Longyangxia, Liujiaxia and Qingtongxia reservoirs was introduced in 1986, the three-stage change trend has become less evident than that in the time period between 1969 and 1986 when only Qingtongxia and Liujiaxia reservoirs were put into operation alone. In addition, since 1987, the extent of lateral migration and thalweg elevation change at Toudaoguai cross-section has reduced dramatically, cross-sectional profile and location tended to be stable, which is beneficial to the normal living for local people.     

近500年来长江上游亚热带山地中低山植被的演替

从人口分布变迁入手探讨植被变迁,发现距今500年以前,长江上游亚热带山地海拔3000~1500m的中低山地区多是乔木林为主而间与草甸混交景观,而非现在的以草甸、灌草坡为主的景观。人类主要居住在海拔1500m以下的平坝、台地和丘陵地区,人类活动对海拔1500m以上的山地地区影响甚小。现代地理学界静态描述的长江上游地区海拔1500~3000m的中低山湿地草坡带,在500多年前仍多是以冷杉、云杉为主的针阔叶林与草甸混交景观。近500年来人类垦殖、商业砍伐、皇木采办等活动是造成这种变化的主要原因。皇木采办、商业采办影响了长江上游中低山的森林资源的品质,主要对高大的楠杉的砍伐,较明显地影响了森林的郁闭度,但并不给森林资源带来不可回归的影响。人类垦殖活动,特别是固定的农耕活动,大量砍挖树根,使森林资源的自我恢复失去了可能。气候变化的影响可能在其中,一时还难以区分,需继续关注。     

地震效应和坡顶超载对均质土坡稳定性影响的拟静力分析

基于强度折减技术和极限分析上限定理,假定机动容许的速度场破坏面,考虑坡顶超载、水平和竖向地震效应影响推导了边坡稳定性安全系数的计算表达式。采用序列二次规划迭代方法（和内点迭代方法）对边坡安全系数目标函数进行能量耗散最小化意义上的优化计算,与多个算例的对比验证了其方法和程序计算的正确性;对影响土质边坡动态稳定性的一些因素进行了参数分析,分析表明：随着边坡倾角?、坡顶超载q、水平和竖向地震效应影响系数的增大,边坡稳定性安全系数显著下降;随着坡顶超载q、水平地震效应影响系数kh的增大、竖向地震效应影响系数kv的减小,边坡的潜在滑动面越来越深,潜在破坏范围越来越大。竖向地震效应对边坡稳定性也有一定影响,强震条件下的设计计算必须考虑竖向地震效应的影响。     

Three dimensional shear wave velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle beneath China from ambient noise surface wave tomography

We determine the three-dimensional shear wave velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle in China using Green's functions obtained from seismic ambient noise cross-correlation.The data we use are from the China National Seismic Network,global and regional networks and PASSCAL stations in the region.We first acquire cross-correlation seismograms between all possible station pairs.We then measure the Rayleigh wave group and phase dispersion curves using a frequency-time analysis method from 8 s to 60 s.After that,Rayleigh wave group and phase velocity dispersion maps on 1° by 1° spatial grids are obtained at different periods.Finally,we invert these maps for the 3-D shear wave velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle beneath China at each grid node.The inversion results show large-scale structures that correlate well with surface geology.Near the surface,velocities in major basins are anomalously slow,consistent with the thick sediments.East-west contrasts are striking in Moho depth.There is also a fast mid-to-lower crust and mantle lithosphere beneath the major basins surrounding the Tibetan plateau (TP) and Tianshan (Junggar,Tarim,Ordos,and Sichuan).These strong blocks,therefore,appear to play an important role in confining the deformation of the TP and constraining its geometry to form its current triangular shape.In northwest TP in Qiangtang,slow anomalies extend from the crust to the mantle lithosphere.Meanwhile,widespread,a prominent low-velocity zone is observed in the middle crust beneath most of the central,eastern and southeastern Tibetan plateau,consistent with a weak (and perhaps mobile) middle crust.     

Origin of CO_2 in natural gas from the Triassic Feixianguan Formation of Northeast Sichuan Basin

The natural gas from the Triassic Feixianguan Formation of Northeast Sichuan Basin contains high H2S whereas relatively low CO2 concentrations and the CO2 display high δ13C values (ranging from -5.81‰ to 3.3‰ (PDB)). This seems to contradict the conventional wisdom that TSR should be a primary source of CO2 in natural gas from the Feixianguan Formation. In contrast, many authigenic calcite samples from these sites display very low δ13C values (ranging from -18.4‰ to -10.3‰ (PDB)). This suggests that the carbon from TSR source dominated the formation of calcite whereas the carbon from inorganic source came into CO2 in natural gas. In order to assess the origin of CO2 from these H2S-rich sites, we have calculated the relative contributions of organic and inorganic carbon sources to the CO2 and authigenic calcite. The organic carbon source possibly originated from TSR, whereas the inorganic one might be generated from marine carbonates dissolution. This calculation is based on the carbon isotopic compositions of CO2 and authigenic calcite as well as an isotopic mass balance. The results show that the contribution of organic carbon source to the CO2 is only 2%, whereas that to authigenic calcite is as high as 43% on average. Such results combined with thermodynamic evidence indicate that the isotopically light CO2 produced by TSR process may contribute to authigenic calcite precipitation during burial diagenesis. Distinguishable from Ordovician reservoir of Tarim Basin, Feixianguan reservoir of Northeast Sichuan Basin experienced rapid tectonic uplift due to Yanshanian movement after TSR occurred. Such tectonic event could induce temperature decrease and further promote carbonates dissolution. During these processes, secondary porosity has developed in Feixianguan carbonate reservoirs. Therefore, much attention should be paid to the structural highs in search of high quality carbonate reservoirs.     

鄯勒油田西山窑组层序地层格架及其油气地质意义

运用层序地层学的基本原理和技术方法,建立鄯勒油田西山窑组层序地层格架,划分沉积相,并在此基础上分析层序地层格架内砂体的展布特征和油气的聚集规律,预测研究区岩性油气藏的类型及分布。研究结果表明：西山窑组整体经历了一个先进积、后退积的过程;西山窑组为一个三级层序,其中包含2个四级层序,该组由低位域（LST）的三角洲前缘沉积、湖侵域（TST）的三角洲平原沉积和高位域（HST）的湖相沉积组成。研究区基准面上升期可以寻找砂体上倾尖灭型岩性圈闭,基准面下降期可以寻找砂岩透镜体岩性圈闭。西一、二段沉积的三角洲河道砂体受后期构造运动的影响,可以形成砂体上倾尖灭型岩性油气藏;而西三、四段的湖相浊积砂体,可以形成砂岩透镜体岩性油气藏。     

塔里木盆地巴麦地区石炭系低速异常碳酸盐岩的解释

巴麦地区即塔西南巴楚隆起-麦盖提斜坡,具有台地边缘-斜坡的古构造和古地理背景,这种台地边缘和典型的浅滩沉积暗示了该区具有发育生物礁的环境特征。区内先巴扎（XBZ）600 km²三维地震探区石炭系发育了巴楚组（C₁b）生屑灰岩及标准灰岩、小海子组（C₂x）3套灰岩,其中小海子组发现特殊响应碳酸盐岩,主要表现为厚度增大、频率增高、多出一条波峰同相轴的地震响应特征。通过差异厚度法、底面拉平法、地震属性法、正反演模型法,结合野外露头、岩心、镜下观察、录井、沉积相等综合分析,可初步推测该低速异常体为厚度增加、孔隙度增大的近东西向台地边缘障壁礁所致。礁体东西走向延伸超过25 km,礁核区小海子组灰岩最厚62 m,礁外的小海子组50 m。台缘斜坡南倾,坡度陡,水平宽度1~2 km。礁后生屑滩北倾,坡度缓,水平宽度3~6 km。受色力布亚断裂带遮挡,该生物礁储层可以形成有利圈闭,面积约为42 km²,厚约45 m。     

A PRELIMINARY STUDY ON UPPER CRUSTAL VELOCITY STRUCTURE IN THE THREE GORGES RESERVOIR AREA

In this paper, using the double difference tomography method, the P wave and S wave velocity structures of the earth's crust beneath the Three Gorges Reservoir are inversed based on the high-resolution seismic data of seismological stations recorded from March 2009 to December 2010. According to the research results, the P wave and S wave crust velocity zones in the Three Gorges Reservoir area show a high V_P value area and a V_S value area with value low in the lower part and high in the upper part, distributing respectively at both sides of Shennongxi River to western Xietan in the north of Badong and near the outlet of the Xiangxi River at the northern section on Xiannvshan Fault. In the region from the two sides of Shennong River in the north of Badong to the western Xietan, microseisms are distributed in three zones in near east-west direction, with steep and north-dipping sections, spreading along the high-to-low velocity transition zone of the P and S wave. On the northern section of Xiannvshan Fault, small earthquakes are distributed along the NNW-trending Xiannvshan Fault, and the geological section reveals a steep and linear distribution along the transitional zone between the high V_P value area and the V_S value that is low in the upper and high in the lower part. Joint inversion results show a good consistency of the planes of the microseisms with the distribution of active faults.     

A Late Cretaceous mammalian dentary from the Ashizawa Formation (Futaba Group), Fukushima,northeastern Japan

A mammalian dentary discovered in the Coniacian Ashizawa Formation (Fukushima, northeastern Japan) is described. The specimen is a fragment of the horizontal ramus of a left edentulous dentary with five alveoli, the distal four of which are plugged with broken roots. Based on the morphologies of the dentary and the roots, it is considered to be of a therian mammal. This constitutes the first discovery of a Mesozoic mammal in northeastern Japan and highlights the potential for future mammal discoveries in the Cretaceous System in northeastern Japan, which will be significant for disclosure of the mammalian faunal evolution in East Asia during the Late Cretaceous.