Recommended Values of 239Pu, 240Pu and 239+240Pu Concentrations in Reference Material IAEA-315 (Marine Sediment) Estimated by Thermal Ionisation Mass Spectrometry, Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry and Alpha Spectrometry

The recommended concentrations of ²³⁹Pu, ²⁴⁰Pu and ^239+240Pu in reference material IAEA‐315 (marine sediment) were estimated by three analytical methods: isotope dilution thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (TIMS), isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS) and alpha spectrometry. The determination of ²³⁹Pu and ²⁴⁰Pu (^239+240Pu by alpha spectrometry) was carried out with samples from randomly selected bottles using each method. Plutonium‐238 was also measured by alpha spectrometry. A plutonium‐242 reference material was used as a spike for the quantitative analysis. The influence of ²⁴²Pu in the samples was therefore calculated; however, this contribution was less than the range of uncertainty and did not influence the final results. The obtained data were statistically analysed using variance component analysis and paired comparison. The combined standard uncertainties from “method/measurement”, “bottle” and “sub‐sample” were in the order of 3 to 6%. The main contributions to the uncertainty were from the material heterogeneity and from systematic differences between methods. Based on this study with twenty‐seven analyses using 10–14 g sample mass, concentrations of (38 ± 3) Bq kg^?1, (28 ± 3) Bq kg^?1 and (66 ± 4) Bq kg^?1 are proposed as recommended values for ²³⁹Pu, ²⁴⁰Pu and ^239+240Pu, respectively, and (9.5 ± 0.4) Bq kg^?1 for ²³⁸Pu as an information value in reference material IAEA‐315. In mass concentration units, these amount to (16.4 ± 1.2) ng kg^?1, (3.3 ± 0.4) ng kg^?1 and (0.015 ± 0.003) ng kg^?1 for ²³⁹Pu, ²⁴⁰Pu and ²³⁸Pu, respectively. The certified reference materials NIST 4350B and NIST 4354 were also analysed by TIMS for quality assurance of the method used in this study.     

Depositional setting,provenance, and tectonic-volcanic setting of Eocene–Recent deep-sea sediments of the oceanic Izu–Bonin forearc,northwest Pacific (IODP Expedition 352)

New biostratigraphical, geochemical, and magnetic evidence is synthesized with IODP Expedition 352 shipboard results to understand the sedimentary and tectono-magmatic development of the Izu–Bonin outer forearc region. The oceanic basement of the Izu–Bonin forearc was created by supra-subduction zone seafloor spreading during early Eocene (c. 50–51 Ma). Seafloor spreading created an irregular seafloor topography on which talus locally accumulated. Oxide-rich sediments accumulated above the igneous basement by mixing of hydrothermal and pelagic sediment. Basaltic volcanism was followed by a hiatus of up to 15 million years as a result of topographic isolation or sediment bypassing. Variably tuffaceous deep-sea sediments were deposited during Oligocene to early Miocene and from mid-Miocene to Pleistocene. The sediments ponded into extensional fault-controlled basins, whereas condensed sediments accumulated on a local basement high. Oligocene nannofossil ooze accumulated together with felsic tuff that was mainly derived from the nearby Izu–Bonin arc. Accumulation of radiolarian-bearing mud, silty clay, and hydrogenous metal oxides beneath the carbonate compensation depth (CCD) characterized the early Miocene, followed by middle Miocene–Pleistocene increased carbonate preservation, deepened CCD and tephra input from both the oceanic Izu–Bonin arc and the continental margin Honshu arc. The Izu–Bonin forearc basement formed in a near-equatorial setting, with late Mesozoic arc remnants to the west. Subduction-initiation magmatism is likely to have taken place near a pre-existing continent–oceanic crust boundary. The Izu–Bonin arc migrated northward and clockwise to collide with Honshu by early Miocene, strongly influencing regional sedimentation.     

Optical, infrared and radio observations of the Seyfert galaxy Markarian 315

We report on new optical, infrared and radio observations of the Seyfert galaxy Markarian 315. We confirm the detection at all wavelengths of a secondary peak of emission, which lies ≈ 2 arcsec east of the Seyfert nucleus. Moreover, we detect a chain-like structure which surrounds the active nucleus, with peculiar behaviour westward of the nucleus. We consider different interpretations for the origin of the secondary peak emission.     

青藏高原腹地各拉丹冬南北坡多年冻土考察初步结果

青藏高原唐古拉山南北两侧在地形地貌、地理和气候特征上存在显著差异,多年冻土的发育状况和特征也明显不同。受第二次青藏高原综合科学考察研究等项目资助,多年冻土对亚洲水塔的影响专题考察分队分别于2019年和2020年的10—11月对唐古拉山各拉丹冬南侧的色林错上游扎加藏布源区（简称“湖源区”）和北侧的长江上游沱沱河源区（简称“江源区”）进行了多年冻土野外考察。利用钻探、坑探、地球物理勘探等方法对多年冻土的分布边界、多年冻土剖面的地层、地下冰等特征进行了描述和取样,同步构建了多年冻土温度和活动层水热观测网络,为多年冻土对亚洲水塔影响的机理分析、数值模拟以及情景预估提供数据保障。对野外调查资料的初步分析认为,各拉丹冬南北两坡地层沉积类型和地下冰赋存状态存在明显差异,北坡多年冻土的热稳定性、地下冰含量、冰缘地貌类型多样性均高于南坡,但由于受到构造地热、河流融区等多种因素的影响,北坡的冻土分布形式更为复杂。江源区100 m钻孔剖面揭示了连续分布的、厚度大于50 m的地下冰;在该区域发现了多年生冻胀丘分布群,并利用钻探和地球物理勘探方法对该区域规模最大、结构最完整的冰核型冻胀丘进行了较为系统的勘察剖析。两次野外调查工作共采集钻孔岩心、表层土壤、冰水等各类样本近1.2万件,为后期区域冻土理化指标分析,冻土环境化学、古气候环境研究的开展奠定基础。     

Evaluation of the relative roles of global versus local sedimentary controls on Middle to Late Pleistocene formation of continental margin strata,Canterbury Basin,New Zealand

Determining the relative influence of eustasy versus local sedimentary processes on strata formation is a fundamental challenge in the study of continental margin stratigraphy. In this paper, the relative contribution of these factors on continental margin evolution during the Middle to Late Pleistocene is evaluated using samples from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 317. Core‐logging, biostratigraphy and quantitative X‐ray diffraction mineralogy are used to delineate continental shelf sedimentary systems. Major lithological unconformities bound stratigraphic sequences that contain recurring compositional patterns and that resemble other examples of Middle to Upper Pleistocene sequences. However, a preliminary chronology suggests that sequence boundary formation cannot be linked ‘one to one’ with eustatic cycles and therefore these sequences can contain multiple ca 100 ka eustatic cycles. Smaller amplitude, higher frequency transitions in sediment composition are interpreted as stratigraphic sequences driven by more rapid perturbations in the interplay of accommodation and sediment supply; their stratigraphy is variable in time and across the shelf, suggesting a strong influence of local sedimentary forcing in their formation. Changes in sediment composition after the Middle Pleistocene Transition indicate that sediment transfer from onshore sources in the glaciated Southern Alps to the middle‐shelf occurred over a single 100 ka glacio‐eustatic cycle, with an additional 100 ka lag before the mineralogical signal was preserved on the outer‐shelf. This phenomenon is coincident with rapid shelf progradation in this basin, suggesting a causal relation between across‐shelf sediment transport and margin progradation. This is one of very few studies that provide insights at the core scale into the processes driving continental margin evolution during the Middle to Late Pleistocene. This work shows that compositional changes in mud‐dominated successions can lead to a sequence stratigraphic interpretation and the identification of high‐frequency sequences, which may not be possible using a conventional stratigraphic approach.     

GPS-derived horizontal ice flow velocities along the traverse route from Zhongshan Station to Dome-A, East Antarctica

1　IntroductionFromitsoriginalformulationin 1 990 ,theInternationalTrans AntarcticScientificExpedition (ITASE)hashadasitsprimaryaimthecollectionandinterpretationofacon tinental widearrayofenvironmentalparametersassembledthroughthecoordinatedeffortsofscientistsfromseveralnations(Mayewskietal.1 996) .AsaconsequenceITASEhasbeenfocusedtoaddresstwokeyscientificobjectives:1 )Todeterminethespatialvariabil ityofAntarcticclimate (eg.accumulation,airtemperature,atmosphericcirculation)overthelast2…     

One Million Years tephra record at IODP Sites U1436 and U1437: Insights into explosive volcanism from the Japan and Izu arcs

The 1 Myr tephra records of IODP (International Ocean Discovery Program) Holes U1436A and U1437B in the Izu‐Bonin fore‐ and reararc were investigated in order to assess provenance and eruptive volumes, respectively. In total, 304 tephra samples were examined and 260 primary tephra layers were identified. Tephra provenance was determined by means of major and trace element compositions of glass shards and distinguished between Japan and Izu‐Bonin arc origin of the tephra layers. A total of 33 marine tephra compositions were correlated to the Japan arc and 227 to the Izu arc. Twenty marine tephra layers were correlated between the two drilling sites. Additionally, we defined eleven correlations of marine tephra deposits to major widespread Japanese eruptions; from the 1.05 Ma Shishimuta‐Pink Tephra to the 30 ka Aira‐Tn Tephra, both from Kyushu Island. These eruptions provide independent time markers within the sediment record and six correlations were used to date tephra layers from Japan in Hole U1436A to establish an alternative age model for this hole. Furthermore, the minimum distal tephra volumes of all detected events were calculated, which enabled the comparison of the tephra volumes that derived from the Japan and the Izu‐Bonin arcs. For some of the major Japanese eruptions these are the first volume estimations that also include distal deposits. All of the Japanese tephras derived from events with eruption magnitude M_v ≥ 5.6 and three of the investigated eruptions reach magnitudes M_v ≥ 7. Volcanic events of the Izu‐Bonin arc have mostly eruption magnitudes M_v ≤ 5.     

Measurements of physical characteristics of summer snow cover on sea ice during the Third Chinese Arctic Expedition

The spatial distribution of snow cover on the central Arctic sea ice is investigated here based on the observations made during the Third Chinese Arctic Expedition. Six types of snow were observed during the expedition: new/recent snow, melt-freeze crust, icy layer, depth hoar, coarse-grained, and chains of depth hoar. Across most measurement areas, the snow surface was covered by a melt-freeze crust 2-3 cm thick, which was produced by alternate strong solar radiation and the sharp temperature decrease over the summer Arctic Ocean. There was an intermittent layer of snow and ice at the base of the snow pack. The mean bulk density of the snow was 304.01±29.00 kg/m3 along the expedition line, and the surface values were generally smaller than those of the subsurface, confirming the principle of snow densification. In addition, the thicknesses and water equivalents of the new/recent and total-layer snow showed a decreasing trend with latitude, suggesting that the amount of snow cover and its spatial variations were mainly determined by precipitation. Snow temperature also presented significant variations in the vertical profile, and ablation and evaporation were not the primary factors in the snow assessment in late summer. The mean temperature of the surface snow was 2.01±0.96°C, which was much higher than that observed in theinterface of snow and sea ice.     

Microfacies and diagenesis of older Pleistocene (pre‐last glacial maximum) reef deposits,Great Barrier Reef,Australia (IODP Expedition 325): A quantitative approach

During Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 325, 34 holes were drilled along five transects in front of the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, penetrating some 700 m of late Pleistocene reef deposits (post‐glacial; largely 20 to 10 kyr bp ) in water depths of 42 to 127 m. In seven holes, drilled in water depths of 42 to 92 m on three transects, older Pleistocene (older than last glacial maximum, >20 kyr bp ) reef deposits were recovered from lower core sections. In this study, facies, diagenetic features, mineralogy and stable isotope geochemistry of 100 samples from six of the latter holes were investigated and quantified. Lithologies are dominated by grain‐supported textures, and were to a large part deposited in high‐energy, reef or reef slope environments. Quantitative analyses allow 11 microfacies to be defined, including mixed skeletal packstone and grainstone, mudstone‐wackestone, coral packstone, coral grainstone, coralline algal grainstone, coral‐algal packstone, coralline algal packstone, Halimeda grainstone, microbialite and caliche. Microbialites, that are common in cavities of younger, post‐glacial deposits, are rare in pre‐last glacial maximum core sections, possibly due to a lack of open framework suitable for colonization by microbes. In pre‐last glacial maximum deposits of holes M0032A and M0033A (>20 kyr bp ), marine diagenetic features are dominant; samples consist largely of aragonite and high‐magnesium calcite. Holes M0042A and M0057A, which contain the oldest rocks (>169 kyr bp ), are characterized by meteoric diagenesis and samples mostly consist of low‐magnesium calcite. Holes M0042A, M0055A and M0056A (>30 kyr bp ), and a horizon in the upper part of hole M0057A, contain both marine and meteoric diagenetic features. However, only one change from marine to meteoric pore water is recorded in contrast with the changes in diagenetic environment that might be inferred from the sea‐level history. Values of stable isotopes of oxygen and carbon are consistent with these findings. Samples from holes M0032A and M0033A reflect largely positive values (δ¹⁸O: ?1 to +1‰ and δ¹³C: +1 to +4‰), whereas those from holes M0042A and M0057A are negative (δ¹⁸O: ?4 to +2‰ and δ¹³C: ?8 to +2‰). Holes M0055A and M0056A provide intermediate values, with slightly positive δ¹³C, and negative δ¹⁸O values. The type and intensity of meteroric diagenesis appears to have been controlled both by age and depth, i.e. the time available for diagenetic alteration, and reflects the relation between reef deposition and sea‐level change.