A late Holocene winter monsoon record inferred from the palaeo-aeolian sand dune in the southeastern Mu Us Desert, northern China

The variation of the Asian winter monsoonal strength has seriously affected the climate and environmental conditions in the Asian monsoonal region, and even in marginal islands and the ocean in the East Asian region. However, relevant understanding remains unclear due to the lack of suitable geological materials and effective proxies in the key study areas. Here, we present a grain-size record derived from the palaeo-aeolian sand dune in the southeastern Mu Us Desert, together with other proxies and OSL dating, which reflect a relatively detailed history of the winter monsoon and abrupt environmental events during the past 4.2 ka. Our grain-size standard deviation model indicated that >224 μm content can be considered as an indicator of the intensity of Asian winter monsoon, and it shows declined around 4.2-2.1 ka, enhanced but unstable in 2.1-0.9 ka, and obviously stronger since then. In addition, several typical climate events were also documented, forced by the periodic variation of winter monsoonal intensity. These include the cold intervals of 4.2, 2.8, 1.4 ka, and the Little Ice Age (LIA), and relatively warm sub-phases around 3.0, 2.1, 1.8 ka, and the Medieval Warm Period (MWP), which were roughly accordant with the records of the aeolian materials, peat, stalagmites, ice cores, and sea sediments in various latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. Combined with the previous progresses of the Asian summer monsoon, we preliminarily confirmed a millennial-scale anti-correlation of Asian winter and summer monsoons in the Late Holocene epoch. This study suggests that the evolution of the palaeo-aeolian sand dune has the potential for comprehending the history of Asian monsoon across the desert regions of the modern Asian monsoonal margin in northern China.     

中国铝土岩系中伴生钪资源富集规律及富集机制初探

钪(Sc)作为新世纪的重要资源,广泛分布于自然界中,但其分布极为稀散,钪的独立矿物稀少,独立矿床几乎没有。铝土岩系中的钪资源储量巨大,本文统计了中国各铝土矿成矿带Sc数据,在对比山西(断隆)成铝区、华北陆块南缘成铝区、渝南—黔北成铝带、黔中成铝区和滇东南—桂西成铝区的数据基础上,发现滇东南—桂西成铝区的Sc含量最高,含钪铝土岩系形成时代主要为石炭纪和二叠纪。通过对比分析A/S与钪的关系,在A/S小于2.5,钪的含量总体较高,且与A/S正相关,大于2.5后,与A/S负相关。从而得出在铝土岩系中,Sc分布在顶层的黏土岩、中部的铁质铝土矿以及底部的铁质黏土岩、铁质岩,尤其是在含铁铝土岩系中高度富集。通过对比分析铝土岩系各元素含量,发现钪与铁、铌、钒、铬元素成正相关,综合铝土岩系中其他元素的矿物表现形式,推测钪在铝土岩系中的赋存形式可能为：类质同象、离子吸附、和超显微非结构混入物。本文初步探讨总结钪在铝土岩系中可能的赋存形式、时空分布规律及钪的迁移转化机制,为铝土矿中伴生钪资源的综合利用开发提供理论支撑。     

Characterization of hard‐to‐differentiate dune stratification types in the Permian Coconino Sandstone (Arizona,USA)

Dune stratification types, which include grainfall, grainflow and ripple lamination, provide a record of the fine‐scale processes that deposited sediment on palaeo‐dune foresets. While these facies are relatively easy to distinguish in some cross‐bedded sandstones, for others – like the Permian Coconino Sandstone of northern and central Arizona – discrete stratification styles are hard to recognize at the bedding scale. Furthermore, few attempts have been made to classify fine‐scale processes in this sandstone, despite its renown as a classic aeolian dune deposit and Grand Canyon formation. To interpret depositional processes in the Coconino Sandstone, cross‐bed facies were characterized using a suite of sedimentary textures and structures. Bedding parameters were described at multiple scales via a combination of field and laboratory methods, including annotated outcrop photomosaics, strike and dip measurements, sandstone disaggregation and laser‐diffraction particle analysis, high‐resolution scans of thin sections, and scanning electron microscopy. Cross‐beds were observed to be laterally extensive along‐strike, with most dip angles ranging from the mid‐teens to mid‐twenties. While some cross‐bed sets are statistically coarser near their bases, others exhibit no significant vertical sorting trends. Both massive and laminated textures are visible in high‐resolution scans of thin sections, but laminae contacts are commonly indistinct, making normal and reverse grading difficult to define. Diagenetic features, such as stylolite seams and large pores, are also present in some samples and might indicate alteration of original textures like detrital clay laminae and carbonate minerals. Observed textures and sedimentary structures suggest that the cross‐beds may consist of grainflow and grainfall deposits, but these remain difficult to differentiate at outcrop and thin‐section scales. This characterization of fine‐scale processes will play a critical part in the development of depositional models for the Coconino Sandstone and elucidate interpretations for similar cross‐bedded formations.     

Unveiling buried aeolian landscapes: reconstructing a late Holocene dune environment using 3D ground-penetrating radar

Across the UK, sandy beaches and dunes protect coastal infrastructure from waves and extreme water levels during large-scale storms, while providing important habitats and recreational opportunities. Understanding their long-term evolution is vital in managing their condition in a changing climate. Recently, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) methods have grown in popularity in geomorphological applications, yielding centimetre-scale resolution images of near-surface stratigraphy and structure, thus allowing landscape evolution to be reconstructed. Additionally, abrupt changes in palaeo-environments can be visualized in three dimensions. Although often complemented by core data, GPR allows interpretations to be extended into areas with minimal ground-truth control. Nonetheless, GPR data interpretation can be non-intuitive and ambiguous, and radargrams may not initially resemble the expected subsurface geometry. Interpretation can be made yet more onerous when handling the large 3D data volumes that are facilitated with modern GPR technology. Here we describe the development of novel semi-automated GPR feature-extraction tools, based on ‘edge detection’ and ‘thresholding’ methods, which detect regions of increased GPR reflectivity which can be applied to aid in the reconstruction of a range Quaternary landscapes. Since reflectivity can be related to lithological and/or pore fluid changes, the 3D architecture of the palaeo-landscape can be reconstructed from the features extracted from a geophysical dataset. We present 500 MHz GPR data collected over a buried Holocene coastal dune system in North Wales, UK, now reclaimed for use as an airfield. Core data from the site, reaching a maximum depth 2 m, suggest rapid vertical changes from sand to silty-organic units, and GPR profiles suggest similar lateral complexity. By applying thresholding methods to GPR depth slices, these lateral complexities are effectively and automatically mapped. Furthermore, automatic extraction of the local reflection power yields a strong correlation with the depth variation of organic content, suggesting it is a cause of reflectivity contrast. GPR-interpolated analyses away from core control thus offer a powerful proxy for parameters derived from invasive core logging. The GPR data collected at Llanbedr airfield highlight a complex dune system to a depth of 2.8 m, probably deposited in several phases over ~700 years, similar to elsewhere in North Wales.     

地图的哲学内涵及其作用探讨

通过分析哲学和地图本质特征之间的关联,探讨了地图的哲学内涵及其在实现地图目的中起到的作用,尝试在通过地图认识世界、改造世界的探索道路上寻根溯源,从强化根基的角度使地图在新时代发挥更大的作用.     

横向沙丘背风侧沙粒风蚀起动的风洞模拟

通过风洞实验,探讨了横向沙丘背风侧“二次流”的沉积学和形态-动力学意义。在不同迎风坡坡度的横向沙丘模型背风侧,我们观测了不同位置沙粒的起动风速以及在临界状态下沙粒的运动特征。结果表明,沙丘背风侧的颗粒起动风速不仅与其距沙丘顶部的距离有关,也与沙丘迎风坡坡度有密切关系。根据沙丘背风侧颗粒运动特征,可以将其划分为向后运动区域、晃动或摆动区域以及向前运动区域,产生这一现象的原因是在沙丘背风坡气流分离、反向涡和气流重新辐合共同作用的结果。在所有的观测结果中,迎风坡坡度为15°的沙丘具有最大的沙粒起动风速和最远的气流重新辐合距离,其原因尚需进一步研究。     

利用Grads软件绘制离散点要素等值线

介绍了用Grads软件绘制离散点气象要素等值线的方法以及Grads软件地图文件的存储格式,并以绘制长治地区雨量等值线图为例, 介绍了用Grads软件绘制离散点要素等值线的具体实现过程和脚本程序原代码.     

Temporal and spatial changes of dunes in the Changjiang (Yangtze) estuary,China

The response of subaqueous dunes to the variation of riverine sediment supply in an estuary is rarely reported. Five sets of field measurements of bed sediments and topography were made in the Changjiang estuary, China during dry and flood seasons for the past 9 years. Results show that dunes were mainly three-dimensional (3D) during flood seasons and two-dimensional (2D) dunes during dry seasons. Dunes were also much larger in flood seasons. Dunes mainly occurred within the main channels of the estuary although they extended 11.7 km seaward of their normal extent in the South Channel during dry seasons from 2002 to 2006. This extension of the dune field is likely due to a sharp decline of sediment discharge caused by large reservoirs such as Three Gorges.     

等效沙厚度研究进展

风、沉积物和地表覆盖是控制沙丘地貌的三大要素.沉积物尤其是沙源供应对沙丘地貌的影响仍有待深入研究.沙丘体积的研究促使了等效沙厚度(equivalent sand thickness,EST)概念的提出.EST研究经历了多个沙丘和亚沙丘尺度2个研究阶段.多个沙丘EST研究发现,EST与沙丘高度之间具有较好的一致性,其与方...