Representing environments in flux: case studies from East Africa

The dominant view in the ecology and anthropology of the 1950s saw populations harmoniously interacting in self-regulating systems; climax forests and stable societies were the ruling hypotheses. Now, however, ecology and social sciences are investigating nature and culture in flux. The flux paradigms of nature and culture describe a human–ecological relationship that is non-equilibrial, historically contingent and constantly negotiated at both material and ideological levels by unequal actors. In this paper, we examine the effect of changing ecological and cultural paradigms on interpretations of environmental change in three areas of East Africa: the North Pare Mountains, Tanzania, the Mkomazi Game Reserve, Tanzania and the Tsavo National Park, Kenya. We explore how discursive and materialist approaches can complement one another, by expanding the domains of ecological inquiry and demanding that analysts cross-check their data for unquestioned assumptions regarding stability, variability and spatial and temporal scales. Rather than testing a ruling hypothesis, we suggest that ecologists and social scientists work with multiple hypotheses, with the aim of understanding the interplay between ecological, environmental and social influences.     

Representation of fish communities by scale sub-fossils in shallow lakes: implications for inferring percid–cyprinid shifts

The palaeoecological potential of fish scales was assessed by comparing contemporary population data with scale remains obtained from littoral (n = 10) and open water (n = 10) surface sediment samples in two English shallow lakes, Selbrigg Pond and Cockshoot Broad. Scales and/or scale fragments were present, in low numbers (<20 per 100 cm³ wet sediment) in 34 of 40 sediment samples. In accordance with fish population data, higher densities of scale remains were found in Selbrigg compared to Cockshoot, and in littoral compared to open water samples. Taxonomic difficulties, exacerbated by scale fragmentation, made it impossible to assign the majority of remains to individual species. Most remains could, however, be placed into one of two groups: (i) percids – represented by both scales and scale fragments; and (ii) cyprinids – largely represented by scale fragments. To allow comparison of fish population and sedimentary scale data, both were converted to percentages of the aggregate percid–cyprinid total. Whole scales recovered were almost exclusively percid (45 of 48), thus bore little resemblance to the contemporary fish data. Nevertheless, percentages of scale fragments (Selbrigg: 34 and 66%; Cockshoot: 13 and 87% percid and cyprinid, respectively) and of whole scales and fragments combined (Selbrigg: 54 and 46%; Cockshoot: 46 and 54% percid and cyprinid, respectively) reflected the presence of the numerically dominant fish groups and the broad inter-site differences in their relative abundance (Selbrigg: 36 and 64%; Cockshoot: 10 and 90% percid and cyprinid, respectively). A running mean of scales per sediment volume indicated that some 400 cm³ of sediment was required to accurately characterise the remains present. This study suggests that, with the appropriate methodological considerations (e.g., collection of large sediment samples), fish scale remains may be used to determine the past presence–absence and relative abundance of percid and cyprinid species. As such, this technique may be a valuable supplementary tool for establishing longer-term changes in the fish communities of shallow lakes.     

叠溪地震的今昔--为建立叠溪地质公园进言

1933年8月25日的叠溪大地震，产生了众多的地震效应现象，如陷落槽、地震湖等。地震湖的震后效应尤为深远，在其后60多年溃堤了4次，给湖下游人民的生命财产造成严重损失。而各种地震遗迹独具特色，尤其是大小海子湖妩媚的湖光山色及众多的陷落槽等现象，具有很高的科考和旅游价值。笔者对建立叠溪地质公园提出了建议。     

依靠科技进步加快经济发展

河南省煤田地质局经济的持续快速发展,得益于不断推进科技进步。表现为着力巩固发展地勘优势,使核心技术得到不断升级和创新,形成强势竞争力。科技进步的核心问题是人。尊重人才的关键是改革用人机制,用事业留人,用待遇留人,用感情留人。     

关于新疆煤炭工业可持续发展的思考

阐述了新疆煤炭工业发展中存在的主要问题,分析了新疆煤田地质工作的发展方向及当前工作重点,并对新疆煤炭工业的可持续发展战略提出了政策性建议。     

内蒙古达茂旗北部奥陶纪花岗岩类特征及其构造意义

研究区奥陶纪花岗岩分布于乌兰布拉格 -哥舍深大断裂 (槽台断裂 )以北 ,岩石类型主要有闪长岩、石英闪长岩、斜长花岗岩和花岗闪长岩。岩石中 Si O2 质量分数为 5 6.76%～ 69.2 4 % ,Al2 O3较高 (多 >1 6% ) ,富 Na2 O贫 K2 O,A/ CNK均 <1 .1 ,为准铝质的钙碱性岩石系列。稀土总量普遍较低 ,为 (63 .4 1～ 1 4 0 .61 )× 1 0 - 6 ,轻重稀土分馏强烈 ,铕异常不明显 (δEu=0 .95～1 .2 2 6)。痕量元素特征与典型的火山弧花岗岩相似。结合区域地质背景 ,认为该套花岗岩类为与洋壳消减有关的岛弧型花岗岩 ,岩浆起源于加厚陆壳的底部。从花岗岩的分布及迁移规律推测 ,华北陆块与其北缘增生带之间的早古生代洋壳可能是由南西向北东的斜向消减     

Analysis of Karst Tufa from Guangxi, China

The paper presents an analysis of characteristic karst tufa from Guangxi, China, which has not been studied before. A comparison with tufa from Dinaric Karst of Croatia is discussed in view of the C-type climate. The major mineral is calcite. Minor minerals are quartz and dolomite, depending on location. The content of calcium carbonate varies from 65% to 92%, and that of magnesium carbonate from 0.03% to 1.77%. Among other elements, the most abundant are Fe, from 0.02% to 1.50%, and Ti, from 0.15% to 0.27%. Many other trace elements (V, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Br, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Hg and Pb) are also present. Specific activity of radionuclides 40K, 232Th, 137Cs, 226Ra and 238U varies from sample to sample. Concentration of U in tufa is close to that reported for sedimentary carbonate. Low concentration of 137Cs indicates that this part of the world was not exposed to nuclear explosions. The concentration of 226Ra is the highest in Mashan County. The ratio 238U/226Ra (0.21-0.71) in tufa from Mashan Co     

An X-Ray Diffraction Study of an Inclusion in Diamond from the Luobusha Chromite Deposit in Tibet, China

Diamond was found in podiform chromitites of ophiolite and harzburgite from Luobusha, Tibet. There are silicate inclusions in some diamond grains from this area. In the present work, the CCD (charge coupled detector) technology of X-ray powder diffraction was applied to the study of the inclusion in diamond from the ophiolite of Tibet. Diffraction patterns are obtained even though the inclusion is only 20 μm in crystal size. The results show that the inclusion in diamond consists of talc and clinochrysotile. Therefore, it is clear that the diamond from the ophiolite of Luobusha, Tibet, is natural diamond rather than a synthetic one.