The significance of the physical environment of the Macquarie Marshes

This paper explores the significance of the Macquarie Marshes, in particular providing an overview of their physical attributes. Previous literature has generally been restricted to specific fields and much is unpublished ‘grey’ literature. This paper emphasises the importance of this internationally recognised wetland, both as a complete ecosystem, and for specific landscape, water‐quality filtering, vegetation and fauna attributes. It provides an extended summary of the area and of its 1997 status. By summarising previous research, it provides a base from which future research can be scoped.     

藏南康马地区石炭系—二叠系研究新进展

根据西藏江孜幅和亚东幅 1:2 5万区域地质调查工作的成果 ,阐述了西藏康马地区石炭系—二叠系新的划分方案 ;并根据新采集的腕足类、单体珊瑚和菊石等化石组合 ,讨论了各组的地层时代 ,认为本区二叠纪沉积作用可延续到晚二叠世早期 (吴家坪期 ) ,在原二叠系白定浦组之上建立了一个新组———江浦组 (P3 j)。结合邻区的地层对比 ,分辨出 2个伸展不整合 ;2个Ⅰ类不整合和 3个Ⅱ类不整合。最后初步分析了康马地区杂砾岩的成因 ,认为其与冰期—间冰期冻融环境下的滨岸附近古水道重力流有关。     

新疆阿图什温古尔地区二叠纪牙形石动物群

新疆阿图什的温古尔－巴音库鲁提一带二叠系由于化石稀少而且保存不好，地层确切时代仍存在疑问，该区温古尔剖面二叠纪重要牙形石化石Neostreptognathodus pequopensis Behnken,Streptognathodus nashuiensis Zhong et Zhang等的发现为这套地层确切时代的确定提供了重要依据。通过牙形石生物相分析，推断温古尔地区中二叠世早期可能为盆地相较深水沉积环境。     

“元谋组”及“元谋动物群”含义的厘定

讨论了云南元谋盆地的“元谋组”,“元谋动物群”的含义和时代。元谋组应只指钱方等人的“元谋组”的第四段地层 ,相应的动物群称为“元谋人”动物群。钱方等人的第三段地层应称甘棠组 ,其动物群名称为甘棠动物群。甘棠组和元谋组的时代分别为早更新世早期和晚期。     

甘肃省东乡族自治县龙担黄土底部新发现的哺乳动物群初步报道

龙担哺乳动物群发现于甘肃省东乡族自治县的早更新世黄土底部。此前我国早更新世的哺乳动物化石大多发现于河-湖相地层中,在黄土中极少发现,而且主要在六盘山以东。在龙担哺乳动物群中还发现了灵长类化石,这在我国西北地区尚属首次。龙担哺乳动物群产于黄土底部约30m的地层中,最低的层位距“底板”(积石组砾岩)仅约3m。化石相当丰富,其中有不少新的种类。目前已发现的化石共21种,大体可以分为3类:1)与泥河湾哺乳动物群相同或很接近的;2)与泥河湾哺乳动物群相比,在进化水平上稍低,因而可能代表较早地质时代的;3)在泥河湾哺乳动物群中没有发现过的。龙担哺乳动物群的地质时代可能比泥河湾者稍早,可能约2MaB.P.。其组成倾向于表明,当时该地区周围还有相当面积的森林覆盖。     

Collection of radiocarbon dates on the mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) and other genera of Wrangel Island, northeast Siberia, Russia

We present and discuss a full list of radiocarbon dates for woolly mammoth and other species of the Mammoth fauna available from Wrangel Island, northeast Siberia, Russia. Most of the radiocarbon dates are published here for the first time. Of the124 radiocarbon dates on mammoth bone, 106 fall between 3700 and 9000 yr ago. We believe these dates bracket the period of mammoth isolation on Wrangel Island and their ultimate extinction, which we attribute to natural causes. The absence of dates between 9–12 ka probably indicates a period when mammoths were absent from Wrangel Island. Long bone dimensions of Holocene mammoths from Wrangel Island indicate that these animals were comparable in size to those on the mainland; although they were not large animals, neither can they be classified as dwarfs. Occurrence of mammoth Holocene refugia on the mainland is suggested. Based on other species of the Mammoth fauna that have also been radiocarbon on Wrangel Island, including horse, bison, musk ox and woolly rhinoceros, it appears that the mammoth was the only species of that fauna that inhabited Wrangel Island in the mid-Holocene.     

Late triassic flora of the Partizanskaya River basin (Southern Primor’e)

Flora from the lower Norian deposits of the Upper Triassic, which are exposed in the Partizanskaya River basin, has been studied in detail. A new Imalinovo floral assemblage is distinguished. As is established, its taxonomic composition is represented by abundant cycadophytes and conifers occurring in association with insignificant ferns and czekanowskialeans, rare horsetails, pteridosperms, and ginkgoaleans. The studied floral assemblage is compared with several floras of East Asia: the Mongugai flora of Primor’e, the Tianqiaoling flora of northeastern China, the Yamanoi and Nariwa floras of Japan.     

The nature of Mawsonites (Ediacara fauna)

Some representatives of the Ediacara fauna have been later re-interpreted as pseudofossils. This was recently also done for Mawsonites, which was re-interpreted as a sedimentary structure formed due to interaction of a sand volcano (or water-escape structure) and a biomat. This sedimentary genesis appears not to be tenable, as several physical processes should have been involved, none of which is known from modern times or the geological past. It is concluded that Mawsonites must be considered as a fossil, either an imprint or a true fossil. This interpretation may be tested on one or more fragments of the structure.     

西藏吉隆-沃马盆地龙骨沟剖面古地磁年代学及喜马拉雅山抬升记录

研究了西藏吉隆—沃马盆地龙骨沟剖面新近纪沉积环境,作了古地磁年代学研究,认为喜马拉雅山北坡新生代断陷盆地发育始于7.2MaB.P., 3.2MaB.P.湖盆萎缩消亡,标志着喜马拉雅山地区在7.2MaB.P.和3.2MaB.P.发生过强烈的隆升事件.沃马盆地龙骨沟剖面所含三趾马动物群化石层年龄大约为7.0～6.7MaB.P.,隐示着此时青藏地区三趾马生活区与当时的华北平原三趾马生活区有着大体相当的地理、气候环境.之后由于喜马拉雅山持续抬升,断陷盆地下沉,并在5.9～3.6MaB.P.期间湖盆面积最为广阔.青藏高原抬升而华北平原沉降, 中国西部地区地形高于东部,东西部气候环境发生重大差异.3.6MaB.P.由于青藏地区持续强烈隆升,西部地区河流切穿古老湖盆,3.20MaB.P.吉隆—沃马湖盆萎缩,于1.7MaB.P.逐渐消失,进入侵蚀切割阶段.     

What is groundwater and what does this mean to fauna? - An opinion

Many subsurface waters are considered groundwater but are influenced in shallow depths by hyporheic, parafluvial and/or soil interception water to such a degree that groundwater fauna (stygofauna) communities may be significantly altered. Recharge, even if spatially and temporally distinct, delivers input of dissolved oxygen, organic matter (OM), and nutrients that caters sustainably for ubiquists such as stygophiles and hyporheic fauna, but renders the life of uncompetitive stygobites difficult or impossible. The impact of recharge at shallow groundwater thus needs to be taken into account when determining groundwater fauna reference communities and when evaluating monitoring studies.One of the main characteristics of groundwater is low OM concentration. In contrast, high OM concentrations are typical of hyporheic or parafluvial waters, which are enriched by OM from the river, the riparian soils and from interflow, and which contribute significantly to river OM balance. Consequently, for ecological studies on subsurface waters, both the origin of the water and OM, and the intensity of surface water interactions should be considered. Here, we discuss how groundwater spatial and temporal heterogeneity translates into faunal distribution patterns. In terms of the origin of water and OM, and from an ecological point of view, we need to distinguish between (i) shallow groundwater characterized by infiltrating precipitation and soil recharge, (ii) shallow groundwater interacting with surface water bodies such as continuously flowing and ephemeral streams and rivers, and (iii) “old” groundwater which has no recent connections to the surface and is thus largely secluded from input of nutrients and carbon. Water in the first two groups is characterized by high amounts of OM of varying quality, while water in the third group is characterized by low amounts of low quality OM. Consequently, stygophiles dominate in groups 1 and 2, with hyporheic fauna taking up a considerable proportion in group 2, while stygobites only dominate in group 3. Thus, for studies aiming to assess impacts on groundwater, only sampling sites of the third group should be used for reference sites as these are the most likely sites to have little surface impact and a stygofauna representative of the deeper aquifer.