In Situ U‐Th‐Pb Dating and Sr‐Nd Isotope Analysis of Bastnäsite by LA‐(MC)‐ICP‐MS

Bastnäsite is the end member of a large group of carbonate–fluoride minerals with the common formula (REE) CO₃F·CaCO₃. This group is generally widespread and, despite never occurring in large quantities, represents the major economic light rare earth element (LREE) mineral in deposits related to carbonatite and alkaline intrusions. Since bastnäsite is easily altered and commonly contains inclusions of earlier‐crystallised minerals, in situ analysis is considered the most suitable method to measure its U‐Th‐Pb and Sr‐Nd isotopic compositions. Electron probe microanalysis and laser ablation (multi‐collector) inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry of forty‐six bastnäsite samples from LREE deposits in China, Pakistan, Sweden, Mongolia, USA, Malawi and Madagascar indicate that this mineral typically has high Th and LREE and moderate U and Sr contents. Analysis of an in‐house bastnäsite reference material (K‐9) demonstrated that precise and accurate U‐Th‐Pb ages could be obtained after common Pb correction. Moreover, the Th‐Pb age with its high precision is preferable to the U‐Pb age because most bastnäsites have relatively high Th rather than U contents. These results will have significant implications for understanding the genesis of endogenous ore deposits and formation processes related to metallogenic geochronology research.     

四川盆地普光气田上二叠统长兴组表生岩溶特征及意义*

四川盆地二叠系和三叠系的接触关系以及长兴组岩溶成因的认识,地质界一直存在较大分歧。通过野外露头、钻井、岩心、成像测井、C-O同位素等资料研究发现,普光气田长兴组发育大规模溶沟、溶洞、囊状溶洞、岩溶角砾岩;P/T界线附近长兴组溶蚀灰岩碳同位素发生严重负偏移;长兴组顶见不整合面,成像测井岩溶相带划分明显;长兴组顶部存在地层缺失。综合分析认为,普光气田长兴组发生过表生岩溶作用,长兴阶晚期重大海退事件是引起表生岩溶的主要因素。长兴组长期接受表生岩溶作用的改造,除形成台地边缘礁滩相储集层外,在礁滩欠发育的台地内部和台地前缘上斜坡等区带,是寻找不整合岩溶储集层的有利地区。     

科马提岩与苦橄岩的区别及对若干晚古生代“科马提岩”的质疑

以往学术界更多的关注科马提岩和苦橄岩的相似性,忽略其差异。通过全数据模式,采集数据库内全球的太古宙科马提岩、后太古宙低/高钛苦橄岩数据,对比三者之间的差异发现,科马提岩更富MgO、Cr、Ni、Cs、Pb、Co和Zn,其次为低钛苦橄岩(除Co和Zn),其余主量、微量元素的含量由高至低依次为高钛苦橄岩、低钛苦橄岩、科马提岩。依据元素间的差异(如Cr/Ga、MgO/Ga、MnO/Zr、Cr/Zr等),采用密度分布函数(Density Distribution)在Matlab软件中绘制出可有效区分3类岩石的等密度判别图,并用该图对若干晚古生代"科马提岩"的岩性重新厘定。结合岩相学和地球化学特征研究表明,晚古生代"科马提岩"中,印度东部为高钛苦橄岩,越南为化学成分与科马提岩类似的低钛苦橄岩,印度拉达克地区为低钛苦橄岩。     

大兴安岭中部乌兰浩特地区林西组碎屑岩锆石U-Pb年龄、地球化学特征及其构造意义

内蒙古乌兰浩特地区出露一套缺少化石、遭受接触变质作用的厚层碎屑岩。在该套地层采集碎屑锆石样品,进行碎屑锆石U-Pb测年研究。80个锆石分析点的年龄可分为3个主要年龄区间:242～294Ma,年龄加权平均值为263.6±3.3Ma(n=50,MSWD=4.9),峰值年龄为261Ma;301～381Ma,峰值年龄为348Ma;454～530Ma,峰值年龄为487Ma。另有7个锆石分析点的年龄分别为824Ma、836Ma、859Ma、867Ma、1279Ma、1556Ma、2447Ma。261Ma的峰值年龄限定了该地层的沉积下限,即属晚二叠世林西组。主量元素SiO2含量为67.81%,Al_2O_3为18.22%,MgO为1.44%,CaO为0.41%,Na_2O为1.54%,K_2O为3.90%,K_2O/Na_2O为1.15～10.21;A_(12)O_3/(CaO+Na_2O)为4.87～26.38;稀土元素总量介于162.39×10-6～223.46×10-6之间,平均值为200.88×10-6,负Eu异常,Ce为1.00～1.05,轻稀土元素富集,重稀土元素亏损,微量元素以亏损Nb、Ta、Sr,富集Rb、Ba、La、Ce、Pb、Nd、Sm为特征。以上分析表明,林西组形成于活动大陆边缘构造背景。依据碎屑锆石年龄谱值信息,林西组沉积物源具多样性和复杂性,除东北各地块,同时存在华北板块和西伯利亚板块的物源信息,说明林西组沉积时期华北板块与西伯利亚板块可能已经开始俯冲碰撞过程。     

覆盆子-红花药对与男性不育症的治疗相关机制探讨

目的：基于网络药理学探讨覆盆子-红花药对治疗男性不育症的物质基础及作用机制。方法：用TCMSP数据库检索覆盆子、红花,收集其化学成分以及靶点信息;用GeneCards和OMIM数据库筛选男性不育症的疾病靶点;应用韦恩图筛选药物与疾病的共同靶点;应用R软件进行GO富集分析及KEGG分析;应用 Cytoscape 3.7.2 软件构建药物-活性成分-疾病-靶点互作网络。结果：从覆盆子、红花得到了22个活性成分及202个药物靶点。在药物-活性成分-疾病-靶点互作网络中,degree值较高的为槲皮素及木犀草素,表明覆盆子-红花药对治疗男性不育症的主要活性成分可能为槲皮素、木犀草素等。覆盆子-红花药对治疗男性不育症的可能靶点有131个,其中核心靶点为ALB、AKT1、IL-6、VEGFA、JUN等,这些靶点主要与氧化及抗氧化生物等生物学过程相关。覆盆子-红花药对的靶点主要通过P13K/Akt信号通道治疗男性不育症。结论：覆盆子-红花药对通过多靶点、多途径治疗男性不育症。本研究为开展覆盆子-红花药对治疗男性不育症的实验提供了理论基础,为男性不育症的治疗提供了更多的思路。     

Evaluation of riverbed magnetic susceptibility for mapping biogeochemical hot spots in groundwater-impacted rivers

Redox hot spots occurring as metal-rich anoxic groundwater discharges through oxic wetland and river sediments commonly result in the formation of iron (Fe) oxide precipitates. These redox-sensitive precipitates influence the release of nutrients and metals to surface water and can act as ‘contaminant sponges’ by absorbing toxic compounds. We explore the feasibility of a non-invasive, high-resolution magnetic susceptibility (MS) technique to efficiently map the spatial variations of magnetic Fe oxide precipitates in the shallow bed of three rivers impacted by anoxic groundwater discharge. Laboratory analyses on Mashpee River (MA, USA) sediments demonstrate the sensitivity of MS to sediment Fe concentrations. Field surveys in the Mashpee and Quashnet rivers (MA, USA) reveal several discrete high MS zones, which are associated with likely anoxic groundwater discharge as evaluated by riverbed temperature, vertical head gradient, and groundwater chemistry measurements. In the East River (CO, USA), widespread cobbles/rocks exhibit high background MS from geological ferrimagnetic minerals, thereby obscuring the relatively small enhancement of MS from groundwater induced Fe oxide precipitates. Our study suggests that, in settings with low geological sources of magnetic minerals such as lowland rivers and wetlands, MS may serve as a complementary tool to temperature methods for efficiently mapping Fe oxide accumulation zones due to anoxic groundwater discharges that may function as biogeochemical hot spots and water quality control points in gaining systems.     

Modelling the internal stress field in argillaceous rocks under humidification/desiccation

This paper deals with analytical and numerical modelling of the internal stress generated in argillaceous rocks during humidification/desiccation processes, which is an essential issue for damage study. This local stress field arises from two mechanisms: (i) complex interactions between free swelling/shrinking clay matrix and non‐strained inclusions of carbonate and quartz and (ii) a self‐restraint effect induced by the moisture gradient during the transient moisture exchange process. The inclusion–matrix interaction is investigated in different cases. Firstly, the analytical solution of the stress around a cylindrical inclusion embedded in an infinite swelling matrix is derived: The inclusion would suffer tension (compression) under humidification (desiccation), and the resulting cracking patterns are discussed. Then, the problem of two inclusions with different distances in an infinite swelling matrix is considered, and it is shown that the local stress around an inclusion will be perturbed and amplified by neighbouring inclusions. Finally, an inclusion outcropping at the free surface of a swelling matrix is modelled as to investigate the effect of free surface: The inclusion–matrix interface undergoes shear stresses of which the maximum is found at the free surface. In addition to the inclusion–matrix interaction, the self‐restraint effect is investigated: The induced stress is maximal at the beginning of humidification/desiccation processes and vanishes gradually with time. The quantity of the self‐restraint stress is strongly controlled by the hydric loading rate. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Using LM‐OSL of quartz to distinguish sediments derived from surface‐soil and channel erosion

This study describes the use of linearly modulated optically stimulated luminescence (LM‐OSL) to distinguish surface‐soil derived sediments from those derived from channel bank erosion. LM‐OSL signals from quartz extracted from 15 surface‐soil and five channel bank samples were analysed and compared to signals from samples collected from two downstream river sites. Discriminant analysis showed that the detrapping probabilities of fast, first slow and second slow components of the LM‐OSL signal can be used to differentiate between the samples collected from the channel bank and surface‐soil sources. We show that for each of these source end members these components are all normally distributed. These distributions are then used to estimate the relative contribution of surface‐soil derived and channel bank derived sediment to the river bed sediments. The results indicate that channel bank derived sediments dominate the sediment sources at both sites, with 90.1 ± 3% and 91.9 ± 1.9% contributions. These results are in agreement with a previous study which used measurements of ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_ex fallout radionuclides to estimate the relative contribution from these two sources. This result shows that LM‐OSL may be a useful method, at least in the studied catchment, to estimate the relative contribution of surface soil and channel erosion to river sediments. However, further research in different settings is required to test the difference of OSL signals in distinguishing these sediment sources. And if generally acceptable, this technique may provide an alternative to the use of fallout radionuclides for source tracing. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of dissolution/reprecipitation reactions on metamorphic greenschist to amphibolite facies mica 40Ar/39Ar ages in the Longmen Shan (eastern Tibet)

Linking ages to metamorphic stages in rocks that have experienced low‐ to medium‐grade metamorphism can be particularly tricky due to the rarity of index minerals and the preservation of mineral or compositional relicts. The timing of metamorphism and the Mesozoic exhumation of the metasedimentary units and crystalline basement that form the internal part of the Longmen Shan (eastern Tibet, Sichuan, China), are, for these reasons, still largely unconstrained, but crucial for understanding the regional tectonic evolution of eastern Tibet. In situ core‐rim ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar biotite and U–Th/Pb allanite data show that amphibolite facies conditions (~10–11 kbar, 530°C to 6–7 kbar, 580°C) were reached at 210–180 Ma and that biotite records crystallization, rather than cooling, ages. These conditions are mainly recorded in the metasedimentary cover. The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages obtained from matrix muscovite that partially re‐equilibrated during the post peak‐P metamorphic history comprise a mixture of ages between that of early prograde muscovite relicts and the timing of late muscovite recrystallization at c. 140–120 Ma. This event marks a previously poorly documented greenschist facies metamorphic overprint. This latest stage is also recorded in the crystalline basement, and defines the timing of the greenschist overprint (7 ± 1 kbar, 370 ± 35°C). Numerical models of Ar diffusion show that the difference between ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar biotite and muscovite ages cannot be explained by a slow and protracted cooling in an open system. The model and petrological results rather suggest that biotite and muscovite experienced different Ar retention and resetting histories. The Ar record in mica of the studied low‐ to medium‐grade rocks seems to be mainly controlled by dissolution–reprecipitation processes rather than by diffusive loss, and by different microstructural positions in the sample. Together, our data show that the metasedimentary cover was thickened and cooled independently from the basement prior to c. 140 Ma (with a relatively fast cooling at 4.5 ± 0.5°C/Ma between 185 and 140 Ma). Since the Lower Cretaceous, the metasedimentary cover and the crystalline basement experienced a coherent history during which both were partially exhumed. The Mesozoic history of the Eastern border of the Tibetan plateau is therefore complex and polyphase, and the basement was actively involved at least since the Early Cretaceous, changing our perspective on the contribution of the Cenozoic geology.     

Large‐scale connectivity of fluvio‐deltaic stratigraphy: Inferences from simulated accommodation‐to‐supply cycles and automated extraction of chronosomes

Multiscale simulation of fluvio‐deltaic stratigraphy was used to quantify the elements of the geometry and architectural arrangement of sub‐seismic‐scale fluvial‐to‐shelf sedimentary segments. We conducted numerical experiments of fluvio‐deltaic system evolution by simulating the accommodation‐to‐sediment‐supply (A/S) cycles of varying wavelength and amplitude with the objective to produce synthetic 3‐D stratigraphic records. Post‐processing routines were developed in order to investigate delta lobe architecture in relation to channel‐network evolution throughout A/S cycles, estimate net sediment accumulation rates in 3‐D space, and extract chronostratigraphically constrained lithosomes (or chronosomes) to quantify large‐scale connectivity, that is, the spatial distribution of high net‐to‐gross lithologies. Chronosomes formed under the conditions of channel‐belt aggradation are separated by laterally continuous abandonment surfaces associated with major avulsions and delta‐lobe switches. Chronosomes corresponding to periods in which sea level drops below the inherited shelf break, that is, the youngest portions of the late falling stage systems tract (FSST), form in the virtual absence of major avulsions, owing to the incision in their upstream parts, and thus display purely degradational architecture. Detailed investigation of chronosomes within the late FSST showed that their spatial continuity may be disrupted by higher‐frequency A/S cycles to produce “stranded” sand‐rich bodies encased in shales. Chronosomes formed during early and late falling stage (FSST) demonstrate the highest large‐scale connectivity in their proximal and distal areas, respectively. Lower‐amplitude base level changes, representative of greenhouse periods during which the shelf break is not exposed, increase the magnitude of delta‐lobe switching and favour the development of system‐wide abandonment surfaces, whose expression in real‐world stratigraphy is likely to reflect the intertwined effects of high‐frequency allogenic forcing and differential subsidence.