Dating of Late Pleistocene terrace deposits of the River Rhine using Uranium series and luminescence methods: Potential and limitations

Uranium-series dating of pedogenic carbonate crusts from fluvial gravels is tested using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) ages as references. OSL dating yielded ages of 30–15 ka and 13–11 ka, which correlate with the cold periods of the Last Glacial Maximum and the Younger Dryas. These ages are internally coherent and consistent with the geological background and are thus regarded as reliable. Most of the U/Th results scatter widely in the ²³⁰Th/²³²Th vs. ²³⁴U/²³²Th isochron diagram, making regression unrealistic. Semiquantitative age estimates from the data were found to be mostly older than the OSL ages and the geological context. It is suggested that a heterogeneous initial ²³⁰Th input, not relatable to a detrital component, is responsible for the observed discrepancies. This input may be due to bacterial activities and Th transport on organic colloids. It appears necessary to avoid samples where bacteria could have contributed to carbonate precipitation. Further, the relative importance of this problem decreases with sample age, so that U/Th dating of sinters is expected to be more reliable in the >100 ka age range.     

内蒙古大苏计斑岩钼矿床花岗质杂岩年代学、地球化学、Hf同位素组成及其地质意义

内蒙古卓资县大苏计斑岩钼矿化与区内花岗质杂岩(石英斑岩、正长花岗斑岩和花岗斑岩)有密切的成因联系。LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb定年获得石英斑岩、正长花岗斑岩和花岗斑岩的结晶年龄分别为(234±3)Ma、(225±4)Ma和(220±4)Ma。杂岩体富硅(w(SiO_2)=70.37%~78.84%)、富碱(w(Na_2O+K_2O)=4.52%~8.77%),均属高钾钙碱性系列,普遍具有低的w(Na_2O)(0.15%~2.69%)和高的铝指数(ASI介于1.13~3.35)。稀土元素总量介于48.2×10~(-6)~527.0×10~(-6),石英斑岩稀土元素含量(48.2×10~(-6)~83.1×10~(-6))最低,正长花岗斑岩稀土元素含量(272.1×10~(-6)~527.0×10~(-6))最高,花岗斑岩稀土元素含量为162.5×10~(-6)~236.8×10~(-6);杂岩体δEu介于0.15~0.93之间,(La/Yb)N介于3.0~65.5,自正长花岗斑岩、花岗斑岩到石英斑岩,其Eu负异常逐渐増大,而(La/Yb)N逐渐减小。岩体普遍富集Rb、Th、U、K、Nd、Zr、Hf等,强烈亏损Sr、P、Ti等。正长花岗斑岩具有中等Ba、Ta、Nb亏损。石英斑岩和花岗斑岩均属于高分异花岗岩,而正长花岗斑岩属于I型花岗岩。主量、稀土和微量元素特征表明,杂岩体具有后碰撞或后造山花岗岩特征,形成于后碰撞或后造山环境。杂岩体锆石的Hf同位素显示,3种岩石的εHf(t)值介于-21.1~-8.1,二阶段模式年龄tDM2介于1775~2587 Ma。石英斑岩来自于古元古代地壳物质的部分熔融;正长花岗斑岩来自于古元古代晚期地壳物质的部分熔融;花岗斑岩也主要来自于古元古代地壳物质的部分熔融,但有少量新太古代地壳物质参与。     

分散元素(Ge,Cd, Tl)稳定同位素研究

近年来,非传统稳定同位素地球化学得到了飞跃性的发展,其主要研究对象为海洋体系的演化。特别是氧化还原敏感元素(Se,Mo,Fe等)稳定同位素已经在古海洋环境的示踪研究中发挥重要的作用。相比分散元素(Ge,Cd,Tl)稳定同位素研究比较薄弱,但这些元素在海洋体系中有特殊的循环模式,这使得它们的同位素研究将可能存在很大地质潜力。海洋体系中它们的源汇简单,而且有机无机吸附过程都可能导致同位素分馏。Ge,Cd,Tl均属于挥发性元素,原始星云的形成过程可能存在较大的同位素分馏。我国南方大面积的低温成矿域,将为Ge,Cd,Tl稳定同位素的发展提供天然的平台。另外,Cd,Tl是环境污染的主要潜在元素,因此采用稳定同位素示踪还可能示踪表生环境中的污染来源。     

Late Holocene dune activity in the Eastern Platte River Valley, Nebraska

Large-scale dune activity in the Nebraska Sand Hills and elsewhere on the western Great Plains has been linked to prehistoric “megadroughts” that triggered the activation of regional dune fields. The effect of megadroughts on the smaller dune fields east of the Nebraska Sand Hills has never been assessed, however. This study focuses on the Duncan dune field near the confluence of the Loup and Platte rivers in eastern Nebraska. Seventeen optically stimulated luminescence age estimates were obtained and reveal two periods of dune activation that occurred between 4.4 to 3.4 ka and 0.8 to 0.5 ka. Significantly, both periods chronologically overlap large-scale dune activity identified in the Nebraska Sand Hills. Geochemical evidence indicates that the Duncan dunes received sand not only from the terrace underlying them, but also from the Loup River. These data link dune activity in the Duncan area, at least indirectly, to increased sediment supply from streams that drain the Sand Hills during megadroughts, implying the activation of the dunes occurred as an indirect response to regional megadroughts. Calculations of dune migration rates, however, argue in favor of local, drought-driven hydrologic changes as a causative factor in dune activation, in other words, a direct effect of megadroughts. Whether the impact was direct or indirect, it is highly likely that the repeated reactivation of the Duncan dunes resulted in some way from regional, large-magnitude droughts. Other paleoclimate proxies from the Great Plains tend to support this conclusion. We conclude that the megadroughts that have been identified in the Sand Hills and other Great Plains dune fields were indeed regional events with far-reaching effects.     

巢湖凌家滩遗址古人类活动的地理环境特征

通过对巢湖凌家滩文化遗址的野外勘查、采样和室内磁化率、烧失量、化学元素及光释光年代分析,结合巢湖湖泊岩芯记录的中全新世环境特征、研究区较高分辨率遥感影像和文物考古成果,综合研究表明:古凌家滩人生活于中全新世气候适宜期,其文化的发展和繁荣处在气候由温暖湿润向温和略干转换的过渡阶段;晚更新世末期堆积形成的地面(OSL年代11.6 ±1.0 ka B.P.)是古凌家滩人生活的地貌面,本区古地貌面海拔以及拔河高度与现今不同,这与该区新构造运动沉降和气候-水文因素作用有关;中全新世温暖湿润的气候条件下,太湖山南麓台地被进一步切割为山前长条形岗地与河流相间的地貌形态,遗址所在的长岗岗地是东、西、南三面临水的"半岛"环境,河川相连,便于水运交通、渔猎和水稻种植。     

鄂尔多斯白垩系地下水盆地天然水体环境同位素组成及其水循环意义

鄂尔多斯白垩系地下水盆地天然水体的环境同位素组成表明,区内各种地表水体（河流和湖淖）在δ18O和δD图上主要分布在雨水线右侧,其关系线的斜率明显小于雨水线的蒸发线,集中反映蒸发作用对地表水体的影响。盆地内地下水大致集中沿雨水线分布,反映了白垩系盆地内地下水为大气降水成因。盆地南北两区地下水的环境同位素具有明显差异性特点,集中体现了盆地南北两区水循环条件的差异。盆地北区各含水岩组间地下水垂向水力联系比较密切,垂向运动特点比较明显,现代水积极循环带的深度为200 m;南区地下水分层性明显,以水平径流为主,现代水积极循环带的深度为160 m。区内浅层地下水以富氚和高¹⁴C含量为特征,反映为现代水补给;而中、深层地下水则以贫氚和低¹⁴C含量为特征,反映为地质历史时期补给。     

26Al/10Be埋藏测年及其在洞穴沉积年代学研究中的应用

长期暴露于地表的石英砂被快速搬入洞穴或埋藏,不再接受宇宙射线辐射,埋藏前所积累的陆地宇生核素26 Al 和10 Be 随时间指数衰减。据此用加速器质谱计测定沉积物中石英样品现存的26 Al /10 Be可计算其埋藏年代。用此方法本文对周口店第一地点的下部地层年代作了初探。此次研究表明自第10层以下的沉积物其年代很可能≥ 1 Ma。      

康定杂岩锆石SHRIMP U-Pb定年及其地质意义

康定杂岩在扬子地块西缘呈南北向带状分布,这套岩石岩性变化很大(从基性到中性、酸性),中性、酸性岩是组成该杂岩的主体。岩石类型有变辉长岩、闪长质片麻岩、石英闪长质片麻岩和花岗质片麻岩。康定杂岩以往被认为是扬子地块太古宇的基底,但近年来的同位素年龄测定结果表明其并不是形成于太古宙。本研究样品采自康定-泸定地区,挑选有代表性的两个样(样号71704.2、71501.1),对其进行岩石化学与微量元素分析及SHRIMP U-Pb测年。分析得出样品为钙碱性;原始地幔标准化微量元素分布型式显示相对富集大离子亲石元素K、Rb等,亏损高场强元素Nb、Ta、Ti、P等;稀土元素具有略向右倾的配分型式,且铕异常不明显,显示其具有与消减作用有关的岛弧火成岩的特征。锆石U-Pb分析给出的结晶年龄为765～771 Ma,w(Th)/w(U)大于0.1,具示岩浆成因特征。个别年轻的锆石颗粒,如71704.2中的12.1测点年龄为(430±8)Ma,可能是在后期构造、岩浆、变质作用中新形成的锆石,该年龄可解释为后期变质热事件的年龄。这些充分说明康定杂岩形成于新元古代,而非太古宙。此外,康定杂岩可能形成于岛弧环境,其岩浆主要起源于俯冲洋壳的熔融,结合其形成年龄说明扬子地块西缘新元古代岩浆活动可能是Rodinia超大陆裂解后的产物。     

Isotopic composition of xenon in petroleum from the shell bullwinkle field

We have measured the abundance and isotopic composition of xenon in petroleum samples from the Shell Bullwinkle Field off the coast of Louisiana. We used an oxidation and purification procedure designed to insure complete extraction and clean up of xenon from the petroleum. The xenon isotopic composition was found to be similar to the atmospheric value for one petroleum sample. While the results of the second sample suggest possible enrichment of the heavier isotopes, the errors associated with these excesses preclude a definitive statement to that effect. No monoisotopic enrichment in¹²⁹Xe was detected in either sample, the presence of which might have allowed us to deduce the petroleum age. Our results represent only the second xenon measurement from petroleum, and the concentrations are within the range of values published in the earlier report.     

松辽盆地徐家围子断陷深层天然气同位素倒转现象研究

天然气的同位素组成受源岩有机质类型、热演化程度和成藏后的次生变化等多种因素的影响, 其单体烃同位素分布特征是区分各种因素影响程度的地球化学指纹.天然气单体烃同位素通常有随碳数增加而变重的趋势, 而徐家围子深层天然气单体烃同位素倒转现象却比较普遍, 高地温和细菌氧化对于造成该区同位素倒转的可能性不大, 浅层油型气或无机气的混合作用没有充分的地质证据, 同层有机质中不同类型气的混合和盖层微渗漏造成的蒸发分馏作用可能是导致徐家围子断陷深层天然气同位素倒转的主要原因.