Insights into the complexity of crustal differentiation: K2O‐poor leucosomes within metasedimentary migmatites from the Southern Marginal Zone of the Limpopo Belt,South Africa

Differentiation of the continental crust is the result of complex interactions between a large number of processes, which govern partial melting of the deep crust, magma formation and segregation, and magma ascent to significantly higher crustal levels. The anatectic metasedimentary rocks exposed in the Southern Marginal Zone of the Limpopo Belt represent an unusually well‐exposed natural laboratory where the portion of these processes that operate in the deep crust can be directly investigated in the field. The formation of these migmatites occurred via absent incongruent melting reactions involving biotite, which produced cm‐ to m‐scale, K₂O‐poor garnet‐bearing stromatic leucosomes, with high Ca/Na ratios relative to their source rocks. Field investigation combined with geochemical analyses, and phase equilibrium modelling designed to investigate some aspects of disequilibrium partial melting show that the outcrop features and compositions of the leucosomes suggest several steps in their evolution: (1) Melting of a portion of the source, with restricted plagioclase availability due to kinetic controls, to produce a magma (melt + entrained peritectic minerals in variable proportions relative to melt); (2) Segregation of the magma at near peak metamorphic conditions into melt accumulation sites (MAS), also known as future leucosome; (3a) Re‐equilibration of the magma with a portion of the bounding mafic residuum via chemical diffusion (H₂O, K₂O), which triggers the co‐precipitation of quartz and plagioclase in the MAS; (3b) Extraction of melt‐dominated magma to higher crustal levels, leaving peritectic minerals entrained from the site of the melting reaction, and the minerals precipitated in the MASs to form the leucosome in the source. The key mechanism controlling this behaviour is the kinetically induced restriction of the amount of plagioclase available to the melting reaction. This results in elevated melt H₂O and K₂O and chemical potential gradient for these components across the leucosome/mafic residuum contact. The combination of all of these processes accurately explains the composition of the K₂O‐poor leucosomes. These findings have important implications for our understanding of melt segregation in the lower crust and minimum melt residency time which, according to the chemical modelling, is <5 years. We demonstrate that in some migmatitic granulites, the leucosomes constitute a type of felsic refractory residuum, rather than evidence of failed magma extraction. This provides a new insight into the ways that source heterogeneity may control anatexis.     

Water uptake of riparian plants in the lower Lhasa River Basin,South Tibetan Plateau using stable water isotopes

Riparian plants can adapt their water uptake strategies based on climatic and hydrological conditions within a river basin. The response of cold-alpine riparian trees to changes in water availability is poorly understood. The Lhasa River is a representative cold-alpine river in South Tibet and an under-studied environment. Therefore, a 96 km section of the lower Lhasa River was selected for a study on the water-use patterns of riparian plants. Plant water, soil water, groundwater and river water were measured at three sites for δ¹⁸O and δ²H values during the warm-wet and cold-dry periods in 2018. Soil profiles differed in isotope values between seasons and with the distance along the river. During the cold-dry period, the upper parts of the soil profiles were significantly affected by evaporation. During the warm-wet period, the soil profile was influenced by precipitation infiltration in the upper reaches of the study area and by various water sources in the lower reaches. Calculations using the IsoSource model indicated that the mature salix and birch trees (Salix cheilophila Schneid. and Betula platyphylla Suk.) accessed water from multiple sources during the cold-dry period, whereas they sourced more than 70% of their requirement from the upper 60–80 cm of the soil profile during the warm-wet period. The model indicated that the immature rose willow tree (Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb) accessed 66% of its water from the surface soil during the cold-dry period, but used the deeper layers during the warm-wet period. The plant type was not the dominant factor driving water uptake patterns in mature plants. Our findings can contribute to strategies for the sustainable development of cold-alpine riparian ecosystems. It is recommended that reducing plantation density and collocating plants with different rooting depths would be conducive to optimal plant growth in this environment.     

Interpreting zirconium‐in‐rutile thermometric results

At first sight, experimental results and observations on rocks suggest that the Zr content in rutile, where equilibrated with quartz and zircon, should be a useful thermometer for metamorphic rocks. However, diffusion data for Zr in rutile imply that thermometry should not, for plausible rates of cooling, give the high temperatures commonly observed in high‐grade metamorphic rocks. It is suggested here that such observations can be accounted for by high‐T diffusive closure of Si in rutile, causing the interior of rutile grains to become insensitive to the thermometer equilibrium well above the temperature of Zr diffusive closure. Paired with comparatively slow grain boundary diffusion and problematic zircon nucleation, this allows for cases of Zr retention in rutile through temperatures where Zr is still diffusively mobile within rutile grains. Other observations that may be accounted for in this context are large inter‐grain ranges of rutile Zr contents uncorrelated with rutile grain size, and flat Zr profiles across individual rutile grains, counter to what would be expected from diffusive closure. A consequence is that it is unlikely that Zr‐in‐rutile thermometry will be useful for estimating rock cooling rates.     

Dissolved inorganic carbon evolution in neutral discharge from mine tailings piles

We measured the concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and major ions and the stable carbon isotope ratios of DIC (δ¹³C_DIC) in two creeks discharging from carbonate‐rich sulphide‐containing mine tailings piles. Our aim was to assess downstream carbon evolution of the tailings discharge as it interacted with the atmosphere. The discharge had pH of 6.5–8.1 and was saturated with respect to carbonates. Over the reach of one creek, the DIC concentrations decreased by 1.1 mmol C/l and δ¹³C_DIC increased by ~4.0‰ 200 m from the seep source. The decrease in the DIC concentrations was concomitant with decreases in the partial pressure of CO_2(aq) because of the loss of excess CO_2(aq) from the discharge. The corresponding enrichment in the δ¹³C_DIC is because of kinetic isotope fractionation accompanying the loss of CO_2(g). Over the reach of the other creek, there was no significant decrease in the DIC concentrations or notable changes in the δ¹³C_DIC. The insignificant change in the DIC concentrations and the δ¹³C_DIC is because the first water sample was collected 160 m away from the discharge seep, not accessible during this research. In this case, most of the excess CO_2(aq) was lost before our first sampling station. Our results indicate that neutral discharges from tailings piles quickly lose excess CO_2(aq) to the atmosphere and the DIC becomes enrich in ¹³C. We suggest that a significant amount of carbon cycling in neutral discharges from tailings piles occur close to the locations where the discharge seeps to the surface. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of heterogeneity on unsaturated hydraulic properties: (1) local heterogeneity and scale effect

Spatial heterogeneity is ubiquitous in nature, which may significantly affect the soil hydraulic property curves. The models of a closed‐form functional relationship of soil hydraulic property curves (e.g. VG model or exponential model) are valid at point or local scale based on a point‐scale hydrological process, but how do scale effects of heterogeneity have an influence on the parameters of these models when the models are used in a larger scale process? This paper uses a two‐dimensional variably saturated flow and solute transport finite element model (VSAFT2) to simulate variations of pressure and moisture content in the soil flume under a constant head boundary condition. By changing different numerical simulation block sizes, a quantitative evaluation of parameter variations in the VG model, resulting from the scale effects, is presented. Results show that the parameters of soil hydraulic properties are independent of scale in homogeneous media. Parameters of α and n in homogeneous media, which are estimated by using the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity curve (UHC) or the soil water retention curve (WRC), are identical. Variations of local heterogeneities strongly affect the soil hydraulic properties, and the scale affects the results of the parameter estimations when numerical experiments are conducted. Furthermore, the discrepancy of each curve becomes considerable when moisture content becomes closer to a dry situation. Parameters estimated by UHC are totally different from the ones estimated by WRC. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pix4Dmapper在无人机航摄应急救灾项目中的应用研究

无人机由于其独特的航摄优势,在灾害应急处理等特殊事件中,发挥着越来越重要的作用。本文结合一次山体滑坡救灾项目,阐述了使用Pix4Dmapper软件对无人机航摄数据进行快速处理,并获取正射影像图和数字表面模型的方法,通过数据分析和评估,证明了此方法的可行性和有效性。     

Early Albian marine environments in Madagascar: An integrated approach based on oxygen,carbon and strontium isotopic data

New palaeotemperature reconstructions have been obtained on the basis of oxygen isotopic analysis of 178 aragonitic shell samples taken from specimens of three ammonoid orders (and some corresponding families): Phylloceratida (Phylloceratidae), Lytoceratida (Tetragonitidae) and Ammonitida (Oppeliidae, Desmoceratidae, Silesitidae, Cleoniceratidae and Douvilleiceratidae). Those obtained from aragonite shells, secreted in the lower epipelagic and in the middle mesopelagic zones during coolest season (winter), range from 15.4 to 16.8 °C, and from 11.8 to 12.0 °C, respectively. Presumed spring/autumn palaeotemperatures obtained from aragonite shells, secreted apparently in the upper and lower epipelagic, upper and middle mesopelagic zones, are somewhat higher. Presumed summer palaeotemperatures, calculated apparently for the upper and lower epipelagic, and upper mesopelagic zones range from 19.4 to 21.7 °C, from 17.7 to 19.4 °C, and from 14.4 to 16.1 °C, respectively. The predominant part of investigated ammonoids from Madagascar inhabited the epipelagic zone, but some phylloceratid, tetragonitid and silesitid ammonoids preferred deeper, cooler conditions (upper-middle mesopelagic zone). The study supports the hypothesis that Madagascar was located in middle latitudes within the tropical-subtropical climatic zone during the early Albian. Available carbon and strontium isotope data allow us to assume a more or less expressed carbon and strontium isotope stratification of the water column in this region in the early Albian. On the basis of the stable isotope data, following partly Lukeneder (2015), two large ethological groups can be recognised mainly in mid-aged and adult ammonoids. Some ammonoids (group 1) preferred apparently mesopelagic conditions, and to a lesser degree the epipelagic zone, being mainly cool-requiring animals. However, a significant part of the isotopically investigated ammonoids (group 2) preferred, on the contrary, only epipelagic conditions, being mainly thermophilic dwellers.     

内蒙古老国营子金铜矿床地质-地球物理勘查与研究

内蒙古老国营子金铜矿床是近年来利用地质与地球物理相互结合手段新发现的一个矿床。本次研究利用基于电磁原理的地球物理手段进行了找矿测试,结果表明:甚低频(VLF)地球物理扫面发现了近EW向和NW向的高阻带,分别对应了两条相应的矿化蚀变带。音频大地电磁法(EH4)测深影像显示矿化蚀变带表现为高阻异常带,与VLF的测量结果相一致。激电(IP)中梯测量显示矿化蚀变带具有高阻、高充电率和高金属因子异常特征。结合具体的地质特征,在老国营子金铜矿区综合运用这三种地球物理方法,取得了较好的找矿效果。     

Dynamic responses of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration to global temperature changes between 1850 and 2010

Changes in Earth's temperature have significant impacts on the global carbon cycle that vary at different time scales, yet to quantify such impacts with a simple scheme is traditionally deemed difficult. Here, we show that, by incorporating a temperature sensitivity parameter(1.64 ppm yr~(-1) ?C~(-1)) into a simple linear carbon-cycle model, we can accurately characterize the dynamic responses of atmospheric carbon dioxide(CO_2) concentration to anthropogenic carbon emissions and global temperature changes between 1850 and 2010(r~2 0.96 and the root-mean-square error 1 ppm for the period from 1960onward). Analytical analysis also indicates that the multiplication of the parameter with the response time of the atmospheric carbon reservoir(～12 year) approximates the long-term temperature sensitivity of global atmospheric CO_2concentration(～15 ppm?C~(-1)), generally consistent with previous estimates based on reconstructed CO_2 and climate records over the Little Ice Age. Our results suggest that recent increases in global surface temperatures, which accelerate the release of carbon from the surface reservoirs into the atmosphere, have partially offset surface carbon uptakes enhanced by the elevated atmospheric CO_2 concentration and slowed the net rate of atmospheric CO_2 sequestration by global land and oceans by ～30%since the 1960 s. The linear modeling framework outlined in this paper thus provides a useful tool to diagnose the observed atmospheric CO_2 dynamics and monitor their future changes.     

GDP and employment effects of policies to close the 2020 emissions gap

Four policies might close the gap between the global GHG emissions expected for 2020 on the basis of current (2013) policies and the reduced emissions that will be needed if the long-term global temperature increase can be kept below the 2 °C internationally agreed limit. The four policies are (1) specific energy efficiency measures, (2) closure of the least-efficient coal-fired power plants, (3) minimizing methane emissions from upstream oil and gas production, and (4) accelerating the (partial) phase-out of subsidies to fossil-fuel consumption. In this article we test the hypothesis of the International Energy Agency (IEA) that these policies will not result in a loss of gross domestic product (GDP) and we estimate their employment effects using the E3MG global macro-econometric model. Using a set of scenarios we assess each policy individually and then consider the outcomes if all four policies were implemented simultaneously. We find that the policies are insufficient to close the emissions gap, with an overall emission reduction that is 30% less than that found by the IEA. World GDP is 0.5% higher in 2020, with about 6 million net jobs created by 2020 and unemployment reduced.

Policy relevance

The gap between GHG emissions expected under the Copenhagen and Cancun Agreements and that needed for emissions trajectories to have a reasonable chance of reaching the 2 °C target requires additional policies if it is to be closed. This article uses a global simulation model E3MG to analyse a set of policies proposed by the IEA to close the gap and assesses their macroeconomic effects as well as their feasibility in closing the gap. It complements the IEA assessment by estimating the GDP and employment implications separately by the different policies year by year to 2020, by major industries, and by 21 world regions.