Distribution and relative density of cetaceans in the Hauraki Gulf,New Zealand

Understanding species distributions, and how they change in space and time, is vital when prioritising conservation or management initiatives. We assessed the distribution and density patterns of common dolphins (Delphinus sp.), bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and Bryde’s whales (Balaenoptera edeni) in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand. Dedicated boat-based surveys were conducted in the inner Hauraki Gulf (IHG) and off Great Barrier Island (GBI) during 2010–2012. Generalised linear models were used to investigate temporal changes in relative densities and kernel density estimation was implemented to examine spatial trends. Common dolphins were widely distributed during all seasons, with higher densities observed during winter and spring in the IHG but during autumn off GBI. There was inter-annual variation in Bryde’s whale distribution, with high densities recorded off GBI in 2011. Bottlenose dolphins were infrequently sighted in the IHG but regularly encountered off GBI, with the highest densities during spring and summer.     

Abnormal composition of carbon isotopes in underground alkaline waters of Kuzbass

The first data on abnormally high δ¹³С values in hydrocarbonates (НСО ₃^-) dissolved in underground waters of coal deposits of Kuzbass (up to +30.9‰) are reported. It is shown that such an unusual isotope composition of waters results from the long, strictly directed interaction in the water–rock–gas–organic material system occurring under the conditions of hindered water exchange. Extensive fractionation of C isotopes is the result of the evolution of the water–rock–gas–coal system after penetration of infiltration waters into the coal deposits and their long interaction with all these components, rather than metamorphism of organic material upon its transformation into coal. With respect to such an approach, the isotope composition of dissolved C may indicate the duration of the evolution in the water–rock–gas–organic material system.     

新疆希勒库都克铜钼矿区岩浆混合作用: 来自锆石U-Pb年代学的证据

新疆北部富蕴县内希勒库都克铜钼矿区的花岗闪长岩及其包体岩相学、矿物化学和岩石地球化学特征及野外地质特征显示其为岩浆混合作用的结果。本文获得花岗闪长岩及其中暗色微粒包体玄武安山玢岩、细粒辉长闪长岩锆石U-Pb年龄为326.8±2.1Ma、327.6±2.4Ma、329.3±2.3Ma,年龄值基本一致,这一结果从年代学角度为花岗闪长岩及其中暗色微粒包体的岩浆混合作用成因提供证据。偏酸性的花岗闪长质与偏基性玄武安山质岩浆混合作用形成了331.9±2.1Ma的安山玢岩脉。     

Martin Gaikovich Khublaryan (to the 70th anniversary)

Chronicle

Martin Gaikovich Khublaryan (to the 70th anniversary)     

Specifics of the late cenozoic geochemical evolution of chloride calcium brines in the Olenek cryoartesian basin

One of the probable mechanisms that controls the composition of highly mineralized chloride groundwaters is studied using physicochemical numerical simulations of equilibria in water–rock systems. Concentrated brines in the Olenek cryoartesian basin in the northeastern Siberian Platform are determined to be undersaturated with respect of major rock-forming minerals, which suggests that the metamorphosed sedimentary brines should have been diluted by meteoric waters during a certain evolutionary episode of the permafrost zone of the basin in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene.     

Hydrogeochemical peculiarities of the composition of nitric thermal waters in the Baikal Rift Zone

The chemical, gas, and isotopic compositions of nitric thermal waters in the Baikal Rift Zone are considered. It is shown that the behavior of sulfate and carbonate ions in hydrothermal systems is different, which indicates that they are of two different origins. The studied thermal waters are of five chemical types formed in different geologic conditions. Special attention is given to the genesis of hydrotherms, the geologic and geomorphologic conditions of their recharge, and their equilibrium with rocks. It has been established that most of chemical elements of the waters migrated from rocks, but a significant portion of them is bound by secondary minerals, which results in their deep differentiation, accumulation, or precipitation. Thus, the so-called redundant elements appear, which were earlier considered to be of mantle origin.     

Interaction in the water-rock system as a new basis for the development of hydrogeology

This paper addresses the main mechanisms controlling the continuous and geologically long evolution of the water-rock system, which produced diverse hydrogenous mineral complexes. The concept of such complexes was introduced by the author. It was shown that the water-rock system is a steady-state and equilibrium-disequilibrium one. Its development occurs in a far from equilibrium region and results in the formation of fundamentally new mineral associations and geochemical types of water. Taking into account that water is the main factor controlling the evolutionary trend of this system, it is argued that this system must be among the most important targets of hydrogeology.     

Geochemistry of sodic waters in the Datong intermountain basin,Shanxi Province,northwestern China

The paper presents a critical analysis of current concepts of the origin of sodic waters. The example of the Datong Basin with widespread sodic waters is employed to demonstrate that these waters typically have salinities of 0.6–4.5 g/l at pH of 7.8–8.8. It was determined that sodic waters are in equilibrium with calcite and clay minerals (montmorillonite and kaolinite) and, sometimes, also with analcime but are never in equilibrium with anorthite, albite, forsterite, microcline, and muscovite; i.e., the water-rock system is in equilibrium-unequilibrium state. The degree of evaporation concentration of salts is in places as high as a few tens. The complex analyses of conditions under which sodic waters are formed indicates that these waters are produced during a certain weathering stage of aluminosilicates, after the groundwaters have reached equilibrium with calcite. The time when this equilibrium can be reached is controlled by the intensity of the water exchange. Original Russian Text ? S.L. Shvartsev, Yanxing Wang, 2006, published in Geokhimiya, 2006, No. 10, pp. 1097–1109.