Cometary outbursts – the post-Deep Impact outlook on collisions as possible causes

The possibility of impacts between comets belonging to the Jupiter Family and other small bodies orbiting in the main asteroid belt, and the consequences in relation to cometary activity are discussed. The probability of such events and the jumps in cometary brightness caused by impacts are examined. The results are compared with the results of the Deep Impact mission to Comet 9P/Tempel 1. The main conclusion of this paper is in agreement with previous findings, namely that an impact mechanism cannot be the main cause of the outburst activity of comets.     

Hydrocarbon generation and expulsion characteristics of Lower Permian P1f source rocks in the Fengcheng area,northwest margin,Junggar Basin,NW China: implications for tight oil accumulation potential assessment

Combined with the actual geological settings, tight oil is the oil that occurs in shale or tight reservoirs, which has permeability less than 1 mD and is interbedded with or close to shale, including tight dolomitic oil and shale oil. The Fengcheng area (FA), at the northwest margin of the Junggar Basin, northwest China, has made significant progress in the tight oil exploration of the Fengcheng (P₁f) Formation recently, which indicates that the tight oil resources have good exploration prospects. Whereas the lack of recognition of hydrocarbon generation and expulsion characteristics of Permian P₁f source rocks results in the misunderstanding of tight oil resource potential. Based on the comprehensive analysis of geological and geochemical characteristics of wells, seismic inversion, sedimentary facies, tectonic burial depth, etc., the characteristics of P₁f source rocks were investigated, and the horizontal distributions of the following aspects were predicted: the thickness of source rocks, abundance and type of organic matter. And on this basis, an improved hydrocarbon generation potential methodology together with basin simulation techniques was applied to unravel the petroleum generation and expulsion characteristics of P₁f source rocks in FA. Results show that the P₁f source rocks distribute widely (up to 2039 km²), are thick (up to 260 m), have high total organic content (TOC, ranging from 0.15 to 4 wt%), are dominated by type II kerogen and have entered into low mature–mature stage. The modeling results indicate that the source rocks reached hydrocarbon generation threshold and hydrocarbon expulsion threshold at 0.5% Ro and 0.85% Ro and the comprehensive hydrocarbon expulsion efficiency was about 46%. The amount of generation and expulsion from the P₁f source rocks was 31.85 × 10⁸ and 15.31 × 10⁸ t, respectively, with a residual amount of 16.54 × 10⁸ t within the source rocks. Volumetrically, the geological resource of shale oil is up to 15.65 × 10⁸ t. Small differences between the amounts calculated by the volumetric method compared with that by hydrocarbon generation potential methodology may be due to other oil accumulations present within interbedded sands associated with the oil shales. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

绿鳍马面鲀(Navodon septentrionalis)CYP19a基因克隆与表达特征分析

利用简并引物扩增及RACE全长克隆技术, 克隆得到绿鳍马面鲀(Navodon septentrionalis)CYP19a基因cDNA全长序列。通过多序列比对, 发现具有芳香化酶特定保守序列, 包括一个I-螺旋区, 一个Ozol肽区, 一个亚铁血红素结合区域以及一个芳香化酶特异性结合区域。通过RT-PCR技术检测了其在绿鳍马面鲀成鱼各组织表达的情况, 发现其CYP19a基因只在卵巢中有表达; 同时也分析了其在不同卵巢发育期的表达情况, 发现CYP19a在卵黄发生后期表达量达到最高值, 卵巢退化吸收期表达量达到最低值。     

Photometry of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 during the 2004/2005 approach and the Deep Impact module impact

The results of the 9P/Tempel 1 CARA (Cometary Archive for Amateur Astronomers) observing campaign is presented. The main goal was to perform an extended survey of the comet as a support to the Deep Impact (DI) Mission. CCD R, I and narrowband aperture photometries were used to monitor the Afρ quantity. The observed behavior showed a peak of 310 cm 83 days before perihelion, but we argue that it can be distorted by the phase effect, too. The phase effect is roughly estimated around 0.0275 mag/degree, but we had no chance for direct determination because of the very similar geometry of the observed apparitions. The log-slope of Afρ was around −0.5 between about 180-100 days before the impact but evolved near the steady-state like 0 value by the impact time. The DI module impact caused about a 60% increase in the value of Afρ and a cloud feature in the coma profile which was observed just after the event. The expansion of the ejecta cloud was consistent with a fountain model with initial projected velocity of 0.2 km/s and β=0.73. Referring to a 25,000 km radius area centered on the nucleus, the total cross section of the ejected dust was 0.06 days after the impact, and 1.93 days after the impact (A is the dust albedo). Five days after the event no signs of the impact were detected, nor deviations from the expected activity referring both to the average pre-impact behavior and to the previous apparitions.     

江苏东海地区石英脉地质特征及找矿方向

区域变质作用、韧性剪切作用和超高压变质作用为SiO2富集创造条件,印支期-燕山期的构造活动为石英脉富集定位创造构造环境。东海群地层、韧性剪切带、超高压变质带为石英脉的形成提供了SiO2物质来源。     

‘Born to Run’: Remembering C.P. Pow

C.P. Pow was my confidant, colleague and (occasional) collaborator for more than 20 years. He had fought a valiant and dignified battle with an aggressive cancer but ultimately succumbed to it in July 2021. I will reminisce a few of the little known traits of Pow which had shaped him to become the conscientious, obliging and humble academic that he was known for.     

世界石油探明储量分布特征与空间格局演化

石油探明储量是一个动态变化的过程,文章对1980年以来不同区域尺度,包括全球、各大区以及国家层面的石油探明储量变化、分布特征等进行分析,得出结论:(1)世界石油探明储量自1980年以来大致经历了4个阶段,呈现明显的阶梯状增长的态势,基本每十年出现一次储量跃升,并保持一段时间的平稳。储采比一直稳定在40年以上,呈现缓慢上升的趋势。(2)大区尺度的石油探明储量分布不均衡,且探明储量的变化趋势不同。中东一直是石油探明储量最大的地区,其次为中南美洲地区。中东、北美占世界比重先升后降。非洲和中南美洲稳步提升,亚太地区持续下滑。(3)国家层面的石油探明储量呈现明显的集中分布。储量前4的国家占世界储量的53.75%,储量超过10亿吨的国家在很大程度上主导着世界石油开发的基本格局。从各国演变来看,世界石油储量呈现出多极化的趋势,从中东、北美向中亚、俄罗斯和中南美洲等转移。     

荒漠生态系统C、N、P生态化学计量研究进展

生态化学计量学是通过研究生物有机体主要元素含量及其比值的变化关系,揭示生态系统各组分间元素循环规律的一门学科,生态化学计量也是荒漠生态系统研究的重要内容。因此,综合掌握水分和养分限制环境下C、N、P生态化学计量的关系对揭示荒漠生态系统植物的限制性元素、土壤营养的供给能力、养分的有效性等都具有重要的意义。基于此,回顾和分析了国内外荒漠生态系统C、N、P生态化学计量最新研究和动态,分别从植物、凋落物、土壤、土壤微生物、土壤酶进行较为系统的评述,讨论了植物-土壤-微生物-酶四者的关系,提出了荒漠生态系统C、N、P生态化学计量的未来研究方向,期望为全面理解固沙植被的演变过程、稳定性维持机制及其科学管理提供理论指导。     

Spin Axis Direction of Comet 19p/Borrelly Based on Observations from 2000 and 2001

We calculate the direction of the rotational angular momentum vector,M, of comet 19P/Borrelly based on rotational lightcurve data from 2000, groundbased imaging of the coma during the Deep Space 1encounter, and the basic near-nucleus coma morphology as revealed by the Deep Space 1 spacecraft. For the most likely direction, we derivea family of solutions (with center at RA = 221°, Dec = -7°) if the direction of M is towards the sunward hemisphere during the Deep Space 1 encounter, whereas if the rotation is of opposite sense, the diametrically opposite family of solutions (with center at RA = 41°, Dec = 7°) would result. We argue that the coma morphology in September 2001 is consistent with the nucleus being a principal axis rotator or one observationally indistinguishable from it. Therefore, for all practical purposes, the direction of the rotational angular momentum vector coincides with the spin axis. We also discuss why the determination of the spin axis direction based on observations from the last apparition is in disagreement with the current result.