Geochemical constraints on the distribution of trace elements and volatiles in fluorapatite from the Panasqueira tin-tungsten deposit (Portugal)

A large, euhedral crystal of fluorapatite (ca. 19.5 × 20.0 mm) from the Panasqueira tin-tungsten deposit (Portugal) was investigated in terms of the distribution of trace elements by using several microanalytical techniques. The studied material represents almost pure fluorapatite with minor amounts of other cations (mainly Sr, Mn, REE and Fe), OH and Cl. Particular interest was given to the distribution of rare earth elements with respect to the crystallographic orientation. A broad range of analytical techniques were used, including optical microscopy coupled with cathodoluminescence imaging, electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), laser ablation – inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS), Raman microspectroscopy, and simultaneous thermal analysis coupled with mass spectrometry. The investigated crystal consists of the main crystal with a distinct core and rim (Ap_2core and Ap_2rim, respectively), which grew on a previous, euhedral crystal (Ap₁). The fluorapatite demonstrates various types of zoning: regular oscillatory, irregular, and internal sectoring, which is also reflected in trace elements concentrations. The rim Ap_2rim has lower concentrations of Mn, Sr and Fe, and significantly higher concentrations of REE compared to the core Ap_2core and older crystal Ap₁. Furthermore, the rim Ap_2rim is strongly depleted in Th, U and Pb. The entire crystal shows elevated Eu contents, expressed as a strong positive anomaly in chondrite-normalized REE patterns. With regards to the volatiles, F concentrations are constant in Ap₁, Ap_2core and Ap_2rim, whereas Cl is below the EPMA detection limit. The Ap_2rim was the only part of the investigated material containing OH and CO₃, which were observed in the Raman spectra. Furthermore, part of the crystal Ap_2core is extensively altered, likely due to fluid-induced metasomatic processes. LA-ICPMS U-Pb dating yielded highly discordant dates due to common Pb content. A lower intercept age of 297 ± 13 Ma (MSWD = 0.13) indicates the age of the fluorapatite crystallization. The overall analytical data constrain growth and post-growth processes, including crystallization of Ap₁ and Ap_2core, which both have typical hydrothermal Sn-W deposit characteristics, whereas Ap_2rim is related to a carbonate stage of the mineralization in the Panasqueira deposit.     

Relationship between structures of substituted indolic compounds and their degradation by marine anaerobic microorganisms

Degradation of selected indolic compounds including indole, 1-methylindole, 2-methylindole, and 3-methylindole was assessed under methanogenic and sulfate-reducing conditions using the serum-bottle anaerobic technique and marine sediment from Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong as an inoculum. Our results showed that indole degradation was achieved in 28 days by a methanogenic consortium and 35 days by a sulfate-reducing consortium. During degradation under both conditions, two intermediates were isolated, purified and identified as oxindole and isatin (indole-2,3-dione) suggesting that both methanogenic and sulfate-reducing bacteria use an identical degradation pathway. Degradation processes followed two steps of oxidation accomplished by hydroxylation and then dehydrogenation at 2- and then 3-position sequentially prior to the cleavage of the pyrrole ring between 2- and 3-positions. However, none of 1-methylindole or 2-methylindole was degraded under any conditions. 3-Methylindole (3-methyl-1H-indole, skatole) was transformed under methanogenic conditions and mineralized only under sulfate-reducing conditions. It is clear that methyl substitution on 1- or 2-position inhibits the initial attack by hydroxylation enzymes making them more persistent in the environment and posing longer toxic impact.     

大庆湿地的主要类型及其污染物降解功能价值估算

以大庆市区湿地为研究对象,利用大庆地区2004年LANDSAT TM遥感图形解译数据和实地调查数据,采用地理信息系统技术(GIS),分析了大庆湿地的类型及分布特征;并选用替代法对大庆湿地进行污染物降解功能价值估算。研究表明,降解污染物功能主要是自然湿地所具有的功能,其次是人工湿地中的稻田湿地,经估算自然湿地降解污染物价值为17.90亿元,人工湿地降解污染物价值为0.017亿元,大庆湿地降解污染物价值17.92亿元。     

四川乌斯河大型锗铅锌矿床锗超常富集特征及其地质意义

锗(Ge)是我国的一种优势战略性关键矿产,闪锌矿是其主要载体和重要工业来源之一。尽管前人对闪锌矿富锗有了较为深刻的认识,但是对其中锗的替代方式和超常富集机制仍缺乏深入理解。位于扬子地块西南缘的川滇黔铅锌矿集区是我国最重要的锗和铅锌资源基地之一,区内的乌斯河大型铅锌矿床(5.4Mt@8.6%Zn,2.0%Pb)显著超常富锗(铅锌矿石中Ge平均品位为72.3×10~(-6),闪锌矿中Ge含量高达1934×10~(-6))。何种因素制约该矿床中锗的超常富集亟待解密。乌斯河矿床发育两期闪锌矿,早期闪锌矿(Sp1)单偏光下呈白色-棕黑色,发育半自形细粒结构,浸染状构造;晚期闪锌矿(Sp2)单偏光下呈白色-红色或灰色-棕黑色,发育自形-半自形细-粗粒结构,块状或脉状构造。激光剥蚀耦合等离子体质谱(LA-ICPMS)闪锌矿原位微量元素含量分析结果显示,闪锌矿中Ge含量为3.17×10~(-6)～1934×10~(-6),平均563×10~(-6),相对Ge的地壳丰度(1.5×10~(-6))具有显著超常富集特征(高达1000倍)。闪锌矿中Ge与Fe、Cu、Ag、Pb具有正相关关系,而与Cd呈负相关性。元素面扫描(Mapping)结果显示,闪锌矿中Ge主要以类质同象形式存在,且Ge与Fe、Cu、Ag、Pb、Cd等元素相关关系与含量分析结果一致。结构相似度计算结果进一步显示,Sp1中Ge与Ag相关程度最高,而Sp2中Ge与Cu相关系数最大,暗示结构相似度计算在比较元素相关关系中有较大的应用潜力。然而,乌斯河矿床闪锌矿中Cu、Ag含量常低于Ge含量,且(Ge/Cu) mol和(Ge/Ag) mol比值变化范围大,所以单一的元素相关程度分析并不能完全解决Ge替代方式问题。综合研究认为,该矿床闪锌矿中Ge替代方式与Cu、Ag等元素关系不大,而是直接替代Zn(Ge(4+)■2Zn~(2+)或Ge~(2+)■Zn~(2+))。另外,乌斯河矿床同一闪锌矿颗粒不同部位(如扇形分区和振荡环带) Ge含量变化显著,暗示Ge的超常富集很可能受闪锌矿的沉淀速率和结晶过程控制,而Sp1与Sp2中Ge含量的明显差异,则很可能与成矿流体演化过程流体成分和成矿物理化学条件改变有关。因此,乌斯河大型锗铅锌矿床锗的超常富集是流体成分、物化条件、沉淀速率和结晶过程等多要素耦合作用特殊地球化学过程的结果,并受到矿物和矿床等不同尺度苛刻成矿条件的影响。     

Thermal diffusivity of natural and synthetic garnet solid solution series

Knowledge of heat transport properties as a function of mineral- and rock-composition and temperature is of major relevance to understand and model heat transfer in the Earth’s interior. A systematic study on 13 natural and 4 synthetic garnets was carried out in an attempt to obtain a better systematic understanding of the processes that affect the heat transport in minerals, especially the effect of chemical substitution in solid solution series. It is found that substitution significantly lowers the thermal diffusivity from end-member values for both synthetic and natural garnets with a minimum of thermal diffusivity at an intermediate composition. The thermal diffusivity as a function of the degree of substitution can be described by the approach of Padture and Klemens (J Am Ceram Soc 80 (4):1018–1020, 1997). With increasing temperature the thermal diffusivity decreases due to phonon-phonon-scattering effects. A quantitative analysis of the high-temperature behaviour was carried out by using the model of Roufosse and Klemens (J Geophys Res 79 (5):703–705, 1974), which takes a lower limit of thermal diffusivity at elevated temperatures into account. The model allows for an extrapolation of the deduced room temperature thermal diffusivities to higher temperatures. Furthermore, the model was modified to determine the high temperature limit of the thermal diffusivity for all investigated natural garnets D _min to be 0.64 ± 0.03 mm²/s.     

Trade secrets: Renaming and mislabeling of seafood

As the global trade and market for seafood has grown, so have the twin problems of renaming and mislabeling. Resource scarcity, the potential for greater profits, and weak legislation have all encouraged incorrect labeling, the results of which include consumer losses, the subversion of eco-marketing, further degradation of fisheries resources, and even adverse effects on human health. This paper examines the extent and consequences of renaming and mislabeling seafood, the state of current legislation, and the importance of future policies, with particular attention to the US, where 80% of the seafood is imported and more than one-third of all fish are mislabeled. Policy recommendations include governments’ support for a global mandate to label species, country of origin, and catching or production method on all seafood with high penalties for infractions. Chain of custody standards, such as those recently implemented by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), should also be considered for adoption worldwide. To garner support for this legislation, consumers must become better acquainted and concerned with their seafood and its origins.     

曲化平用最佳等效源模型及其单位位场表达式推导的新方法

本文以Hanson R.O.和Miyazaki Y.的论文(1984)为基础定义了"曲化平用最佳等效源模型",并利用这一模型研制出了能快速、高精度地对大面积位场观测数据实施曲化平处理的软件程序.在严格推导该模型"单位位场正演表达式"的过程中,作者根据模型与其位场正演表达式之间的映射关系,提出了推导位场正演公式的"模型变换法".采用该方法很容易地导出了该模型的形式极其简短的"单位位场正演表达式". 作者认为,推导位场正演表达式的模型变换法可能具有普遍性,建议位场理论和方法技术研究者对此给予关注,以便在自己的研究实践中遇到类似问题时,参考、试用,并予以发展和完善.     

Temporal variability of dimethylsulfide and dimethylsulfoniopropionate in the Sargasso Sea

Vertical profiles of dimethylsulfide (DMS) and β-dimethylsulfoniopropionate, particulate (pDMSP) and dissolved (dDMSP), were measured biweekly in the upper 140 m of the Sargasso Sea (32°10′N, 64°30′W) during 1992 and 1993. DMS and pDMSP showed strong, but different, seasonal patterns; no distinct intra-annual pattern was observed for dDMSP. During winter, concentrations of DMS were generally less than 1 nmol l⁻¹ at all depths, dDMSP was less than 3 nmol l⁻¹ and pDMSP was less than 8 nmol l⁻¹. In spring, concentrations of both dDMSP and pDMSP rose, on a few occasions up to 20 nmol l⁻¹ in the dissolved pool and up to 27 nmol l⁻¹ in the particulate pool. These increases, due to blooms of DMSP-containing phytoplankton, resulted in only minor increases in DMS concentrations (up to 4 nmol l⁻¹). Throughout the summer, the concentrations of DMS continued to increase, reaching a maximum in August of 12 nmol l⁻¹ (at 30 m depth). There was no concomitant summer increase in dDMSP or pDMSP. The differences among the seasonal patterns of DMS, dDMSP, and pDMSP suggest that the physical and biological processes involved in the cycling of DMS change with the seasons. There is a correlation between the concentration of DMS and temperature in this data set, as required by some of the climate feedback models that have been suggested for DMS. A full understanding of the underlying processes controlling DMS is required to determine if the temperature-DMS pattern is of significance in the context of global climate change.