New Early Cretaceous palaeomagnetic pole from Córdoba Province (Argentina): revision of previous studies and implications for the South American database

A continental sequence of red beds and interbedded basaltic layers crops out in the Sierra Chica of Córdoba Province, Argentina (31.5°S, 64.4°W). This succession was deposited in a half-graben basin during the Early Cretaceous. We have carried out a palaeomagnetic survey on outcrops of this basin (147 sites in seven localities). From an analysis of IRM acquisition curves and detailed demagnetization behaviour, three different magnetic components are identified in the volcanic rocks: components A, B and X are carried by single- or pseudo-single-domain (titano) magnetite, haematite and multidomain magnetite, respectively. Component A is interpreted as a primary component of magnetization because it passes conglomerate, contact, tilt and reversal tests. The carrier of the primary magnetization, fine-grained (titano)magnetite, is present in basalts with a high degree of deuteric oxidation. This kind of oxidation is interpreted to have occurred during cooling. Components B and X are discarded because they are interpreted as recent magnetizations. In the sedimentary rocks, haematite and magnetite are identified as the carriers of remanence. Both minerals carry the same component, which passes a reversal test. The calculated palaeomagnetic pole, based on 55 sites, is Lat. 86.0°S, Long. 75.9°E ( A ₉₅=3.3, K =35). This palaeomagnetic pole supersedes four with anomalous positions reported in previous papers.     

The geology of the Taparko gold deposit, Birimian greenstone belt, Burkina Faso, West Africa

The Taparko gold deposit, located in the eastern branch of the Proterozoic Birimian Bouroum-Yalogo greenstone belt (Burkina Faso) consists of a network of quartz veins developed in a N 170° trending shear zone (250 m wide, 4 km long) superimposed on the regional Birimian structural pattern. The quartz vein network is composed of: (a) a dominant array of quartz veins (type 1), parallel to the shear zone and comprising strongly deformed dark quartz exhibiting foliation, layering, ribbon, tension gashes, etc.; (b) oblique and subparallel related veins (type 2) of gray to white weakly deformed quartz crosscutting the dominant quartz veins resulting in breccia structures; and (c) shallow dipping veins (type 3), cross-cutting veins types 1 and 2 and filled by undeformed white buck structure quartz. Cross-cutting relationships and different quartz types in different veins and within individual veins imply a concomitant filling of the veins during the progressive deformation. Initial sinistral transcurrent shearing evolved with time to sinistral reverse shearing. Metallic minerals occur only in type 1 and 2 veins and were deposited in two stages, with native gold being related to second stage sulfides. Gold (and chalcopyrite) precipitated preferentially upon the surfaces of fractured pyrite grains in low-pressure sites (pressure shadow zones) around and/or within the sulfide grains (along subsequently annealed fractures). The formation of the South Taparko deposit can be divided into a succession of events: (a) during the first event, N 170°-directed sinistral transcurrent shearing resulted in a N 20° mylonitic foliation and fractured rock which allowed H₂O-, CO₂- and SiO₂-rich fluids to circulate and deposit quartz with buck texture; (b) during the second event, type 1 quartz was strongly deformed and type 2 veins formed with sigmoidal shapes as viewed on a horizontal plane; and (c) during the third event, the sinistral transcurrent shearing evolved to sinistral reverse shearing and the deformation style evolved correspondingly from ductile to brittle-ductile. During the last phase of deformation gold nucleated and deposited in low-pressure zones. Received: 9 July 1997 / Accepted: 23 March 1998     

河北早白垩世一个新科大鞘甲科——Magnocoleidaefam.nov.(Insecta:Coleoptera)

依据鞘翅的纵脉及其多而不规则的翅室等特征,建立了一个新的大鞘甲科———Ｍａｇ ｎｏｃｏｌｅｉｄａｅｆａｍ．ｎｏｖ．。化石采自河北省张家口市黄家堡青石砬组,系卢尚坟昆虫群区系范围,时代归早白垩世。     

内蒙古乌达地区早二叠世早期植物群

通过对内蒙古乌达地区早二叠世早期山西组植物化石进行研究,共鉴定出植物化石７属１１种,即Ｔｉｎｇｉａｃａｒｂｏｎｉｃａ（Ｓｃｈｅｎｋ）Ｈａｌｅ,ＴｐａｒｔｉｔａＨａｌｅ,ＰｌａｇｉｏｚａｍｉｔｅｓｃｆｏｂｌｏｎｇｉｆｏｌｉｕｓＨａｌｅ,ＳｐｈｅｎｏｐｔｅｒｉｓｎｏｒｉｎｉＨａｌｅ,ＳｎｙｓｔｒｏｅｍｉＳｚｅ,ＳｔｅｎｕｉｓＳｃｈｅｎｋ,ＰｅｃｏｐｔｅｒｉｓａｎｄｅｒｓｏｎｉＨａｌｅ,ＰｌａｔｉｖｅｎｏｓａＨａｌｅ,Ｔａｅｎｉｏｐｔｅｒｉｓｓｐ,Ｃａｕｌｏｐｔｅｒｉｓｓｐ,ＰｔｅｒｏｐｈｙｌｕｍｄａｉｈｏｅｎｓｅＫａｗａｓａｋｉ。研究结果表明,这些植物化石均为华夏型分子,可以和华夏植物区的一些同期植物群进行对比。根据植物群的总体组成,该区山西组植物群的地质时代属于早二叠世早期,大致相当于阿谢尔期（Ａｓｅｌｉａｎ）至萨克马尔期（Ｓａｋｍａｒｉａｎ）。     

早白垩世Ruffordia goepperti的原位孢子及与分散孢子的关系

海金沙特的Ｒｕｆｆｏｒｄｉａ ｇｏｅｐｐｅｒｔｉ（Ｄｕｎｋｅｒ）Ｓｅｗａｒｄ是世界上早白垩世极为重要的蕨类植物。通过对比发现,Ｒｕｆｆｏｒｄｉａ ｇｏｅｐｐｅｒｔｉ原位孢子的形态和细微纹饰与地层中分散孢子Ｃｉｃａｔｒｉｃｏｓｉｓｐｏｒｉｔｅｓ ａｕｓｔｒａｌｉｅｎｓｉｓ（Ｃｏｏｋｓｏｎ）Ｐｏｔｏｎｉｅ和Ｃ．ｍｉｎｏｒ（Ｂｏｌｃｈ．）Ｐｏｃｏｃｋ一致,而且大化石与分散孢子的地史、地理分布范围也相同,     

四川南部珙县早侏罗世一新蜥脚类恐龙

简介在珙县下侏罗统自流井组东岳庙段中,发现的原始蜥脚类恐龙化石的一新属种石碑珙县龙。成年个体长约１４ｍ。化石材料相当丰富,除头骨不完全外,其他部分乃至全部均保存完好。它是早期的原始的蜥脚类,但又和蜥脚类有不少共同点。它对研究蜥脚类的起源和进化,具有重要意义     

北祁连山西段早元古代变质火山岩的地球化学特征及其构造背景

产于北大河群的早元古代火山岩是北祁连山西段最主要的三期火山岩之一,其地球化学特征表明,该期火山岩的原岩为具有双峰式组合的拉斑玄武岩和中酸笥凝灰岩。两者具有完全不同的稀土分布型式,前者以极低的富集轻稀土为特征,而后者以强烈富集轻稀土的特征;基性火山岩的微量元素分布曲线指示了其形成了裂陷槽环境。结合Ｎｄ同位素特征以及区域２得出本区早元古代变质火山岩形成于裂陷槽环境。     

Fire and vegetation change during the Early Pleistocene in southeastern Australia

Early Pleistocene vegetation in upland southeastern Australia included diverse rainforests and sclerophyll forests, which alternated on precessional timescales. The nature and timing of transitions between these biomes, and the role of fire in maintaining or driving transitions between them, are uncertain. Here we present a high‐resolution pollen record from Stony Creek Basin, a small Early Pleistocene palaeolake in southeastern Australia. The pollen record documents a pattern of vegetation change, over ca. 10 ka at ca. 1590–1600 ka, between sclerophyll forests, dominated by Eucalyptus, Callitris (Cupressaceae) or Casuarinaceae, and rainforests dominated by either angiosperms or conifers of the family Podocarpaceae. Transitions between these biomes typically occurred within ca. 1–2 ka. The associated charcoal record suggests that greatest biomass combustion occurred when local vegetation was dominated by Eucalyptus, and the least biomass combustion occurred when local vegetation was dominated by Podocarpaceae. However, local fires burnt in both sclerophyll and angiosperm‐dominated rainforest vegetation, at least once every several centuries. Fire was very rare (less than about one fire per millennium) only when the local vegetation was rainforest dominated by Podocarpaceae. This suggests that fire was an irregular presence in both sclerophyll‐ and angiosperm‐dominated rainforest biomes during the late Neogene, though was largely absent in Podocarpaceae‐dominated rainforests. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

辽南早元古宙变质热液型金矿床成矿机理探讨

辽南早元古宙辽河群变质岩系中的金矿床为变质热液成因金矿床,矿床的形成与吕梁期变质变形作用关系密切。金矿化带的展布与金矿体的产出受韧性剪切带控制。剪切带内岩石具有明显的动态性组构特征,直接赋矿围岩为辽河群盖县组糜棱岩化千枚岩、变砂岩及云母石英糜棱岩等。韧性剪切带为含矿流体的运移提供通道。作者定义这类金矿床为变质热液型含金剪切带金矿床。     

Dose of truth—Monitoring marine non-indigenous species to serve legislative requirements

Non-indigenous species (NIS) are recognized as a global threat to biodiversity and monitoring their presence and impacts is considered a prerequisite for marine environmental management and sustainable development. However, monitoring for NIS seldom takes place except for a few baseline surveys. With the goal of serving the requirements of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the EU Regulation on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species, the paper highlights the importance of early detection of NIS in dispersal hubs for a rapid management response, and of long-term monitoring for tracking the effects of NIS within recipient ecosystems, including coastal systems especially vulnerable to introductions. The conceptual framework also demonstrates the need for port monitoring, which should serve the above mentioned requirements but also provide the required information for implementation of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships Ballast Water and Sediments. Large scale monitoring of native, cryptogenic and NIS in natural and man-made habitats will collectively lead to meeting international requirements. Cost-efficient rapid assessments of target species may provide timely information for managers and policy-advisers focusing on particular NIS at particular localities, but this cannot replace long-term monitoring. To support legislative requirements, collected data should be verified and stored in a publicly accessible and routinely updated database/information system. Public involvement should be encouraged as part of monitoring programs where feasible.