High-pressure sound velocity of perovskite-enstatite and the possible composition of the Earth’s lower mantle

The compressional sound velocity V_p for enstatite of polycrystalline specimens were measured at pressures from 40 to 140 GPa using the optical analytical techniques under shock loading. The dependence of V_P, (in km/s) on Hugoniot pressure (P, in GPa) can be described by InV_p= 3.079-0.691 In(P) + 0.094(lnP)². V_p satisfies Birch’s law:V _p = 4.068 + 1.677_ρ, where ρ is corresponding density, which indicated that enstatite is stable throughout the conditions of the lower mantle. The wave velocityP is 0.5% lower and the wave velocity S is 2% higher than that of PREM respectively. We concluded that the lower mantle is mainly composed of perovskite-(Mg_1-x, Fe_x) SiO₃ and only a small amount of (Mg_1-x, Fe_x) O is allowed in it.     

Evaluation of crustal stability in the lower Yellow River region

The evaluation of crustal stability in the lower Yellow River region （LYR） is vital to the engineering project of the Yellow River embankment and construction of the Huang-Huai-Hai plain. From three aspects of tectonic stability, surface stability and medium stability, this paper analyzes in detail the factors such as tectonic activity, tectonic stress, exogenic geologic disasters and ground material composition which affect crustal stability in the study area and the spatial distributions of subordinate degree of the evaluation factors. It then constructs the crustal stability evaluation model of fuzzy mathematics based on GIS by using AHP to among the various factors find out the interrelations comprehensive evaluation of fuzzy mathematics and the functions of spatial overlay and spatial database of ArcGIS. Based upon this the crustal stability evaluation is carried out, the results show that the areas of stable and instable regions are basically the same, being 48.72% and 51.28% respectively. The area of moderate stable region takes a dominant position, being about 70.58%. The crust instable region presents zonal distribution and under the control of tectonic faulted belt. But the region where the LYR runs across is mostly instable with a total length of the river being 568.345 km, or 78.93% of all. The river reach where the crustal stability is relatively poor along the LYR is concentrated in the Lankao-Dongping section.     

Oxygen isotopic heterogeneity in the mantle: Evidence from clinopyroxene megacrysts of Nüshan, eastern China

Major element, REE and oxygen isotopic compositions of fourteen clinopyroxene megacrysts from Nushan, eastern China have been obtained. They are believed to represent crystallization products of one mantle-derived alkali basaltic magma. Oxygen isotopic ratios are homogeneous within the same sample, but heterogeneous among different samples, 18O values of these megacrysts are from 4.86‰ to 6.48‰. We suggest that the oxygen isotopic variation of clinopyroxene megacrysts should be inherited from their source magma, and the heterogeneity of source magma results from contamination of subducted oceanic materials.     

Thermodynamic evolution of lithosphere of the North China craton： Records from lower crust and upper mantle xenoliths from Hannuoba

Lithospheric thinning in East China attracts much attention of geologists. In many cases where a lithospheric thinning is inferred, the trigger for instability is a preced-ing episode of crustal thickening by the continental colli-sion[1]. Lithospheric processes (e.g. lithospheric thinning) could be recorded by the thermal history of the lower crustal and upper mantle xenoliths. Xu et al.[2] suggested that the cooling (from >1200 to 850℃) recorded by spinel harzburgite from Northeast China …     

Spatial pattern of the flood disaster risk in the protected zone of the lower Yellow River embankment

Flood disaster risk is analyzed by using hydraulics simulating method in the protected zone of the embankment along the Huayuankou-Lankao section of the lower Yellow River. According to the results of hydraulics simulation and spatially distributed conditions of social-economic property, the index system for identifying flood disaster risk is established. Flood disaster risk is identified, and spatial pattern of that is analyzed by means of map algebra functions of geographic information system （GIS） and synthetical cluster of fuzzy mathematics. The results show that the first grade flood disaster risk zone is mainly located in the northeast of the study area, with an average floodwater depth of 1.36 m, average flood velocity of 0.33 m/s, average GDP density of 4.35 million yuan/km^2, and average population density of 841.43 person/km^2; the second grade flood disaster risk zone is mainly distributed in the northwest of the study area; the third grade mainly in the southeast; the fourth grade mainly in the southwest; and it is relatively safe in the rest of the zones. This attempt on the methods and technique for identifying flood disaster risk can serve as a reference to the researches in other similar regions.     

Daily variation of carbon flux in soils of Populus euphratica forests in the middle and lower reaches of the Tarim River

In order to lucubrate the daily variation of respiration in soils of Populus euphratica forests and analyze its relationship with environmental factors in the middle and lower reaches of the Tarim River, the LI-8100 instrument of soil CO2 flux system was used to measure the parameters of soil carbon flux and air temperature 10 cm above ground surface along the profiles of Usyman, Archy River, Yengisu and Karday, and the relationships between the soil carbon flux and the soil moisture content were analyzed. The nonlinear regression analysis was carried out with the software SPSS13.0. We observed that: (1) soil respiration began to be restrained when the air temperature was up to 30℃10 cm above the ground surface; (2) the rates of soil respiration under the forests of Populus euphratica were significantly different at various moisture contents, the soil carbon flux was high along the Usyman profile, which has a high soil moisture content, and it was low along the profiles of Archy River, Yengisu and Karday, which has a low soil moisture content; (3) the exponential model can be used to explain the relationship between soil respiration and air temperature 10 cm above the ground surface. The average Q10 values along the profiles of Usyman, Archy River, Yengisu and Karday are 0. 61, 0.16, 0. 22 and 0. 35 respectively, much lower than the average of the world; (4) there is a positive correlation between the soil carbon flux and the soil moisture content.     

Simple scaling relations in geodynamics： the role of pressure in mantle convection and plume formation

Scaling relations are important in extrapolating laboratory experiments to the Earth‘s mantle. In planetary interiors, compression becomes an important parameter and it is useful to explore scalings that involve volume. I use simple volume scaling relations that allow one to extrapolate laboratory experiments and upper mantle behavior, in a thermodynamically self-consistent way, to predict lower mantle behavior. The relations are similar to the quasi-har-monic approximation. Slabs and plates have characteristic dimensions of hundreds of kilometers and time constants of 100 million years, but the volume scalings predict order of magnitude higher values in the deep mantle. The scaling relations imply that the deep mantle is a sluggish system with ancient features. They imply irreversible chemical stratification and do not favor the plume hypothesis.     

Water in granulites: implications for the nature and evolution of the lower continental crust

The tower continental crust is one of the most important sphere-layers in the deep earth, and is the direct place where the crust-mantle interactions occur. Granulttes are the dominated rocks in the lower crust, and have critical implications for the knowledge of the composition, nature and evolution of the deep crust; fluids are important mediums influencing many geochemical, geophysical and geodynamical characteristics of the lower crust, and may also play a fundamental role in the petrogenesis of granulites and the formation of the lower crusts. In this paper, we review recent advances involved with the deep continental crust, granulites and fluids, and some longstanding debates. Combined with the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis performed on the mineral assemblages (cpx, opx, plag and grt) in lower crustal granulite xenoliths and terrains (exposed section) from east China, it is suggested that structural water, dominated by OH, in these nominally anhydrous phases may constitute the most important water reservoir in the deep crust. This structual water may help to understand many lower crustal geological processes and phenomena (e.g. seismic activities and electrical conductive anomalies), and influences from these water must be taken into consideration.     

Assessment of waterrecharging based on ecological features of riparian forest in the lower reaches of Tarim River

The occurrence and development of riparian forests which are mainly dominated by mesophytes species relate closely with surface water. Since there is no water discharge to the lower reaches of Tarim River in past 5 decade years, the riparian forests degrade severely. Based on the analyses of the monitored data of Yingsu, Argan and Luobuzhuang in 2002 and 2003, the effect of water-recharging is discussed. The water-recharging project neglects the fact that that it is flooding that controls the process of Populus euphratica colonizing on the bare surface, but focuses on groundwater influence on vegetation. The flooding control deviates Inherent laws of riparian forests development, so the natural regeneration of riparian forests is checked. The response scope of riparian plants on groundwater uplift is extremely narrow, and most riparian communities have not been optimized. No seedlings of dominant species are found in flooding areas because their physio-ecological characteristics are ignored. The vegetation changes in vicinities of stream only reflect the demand of mesophytes species on the shallow groundwater, however, the water-recharging fails to provide suitable habitats for the seedlings establishment of riparian plants. The present water-recharging scheme is difficult to realize vegetation restoration.     

Corridor effect of the spatial changes of landscape patterns in arid areas： A case study of the river corridor areas in the middle and lower reaches of Tarim River

The river corridor areas in the middle and lower reaches of the Tarim River are dominated by the traditional green corridors along the river section from the Qara Reservoir in Yuli County to the Taitema Lake in Ruoqiang County, which plays an important role in the social and economic development in the Tarim River Wate＇rshed with a extremely significant ecological functions. The buffer zones perpendicular to the watercourse were defined along both riversides at a 5-km interval beginning from the watercourse （10 km wider） using the method of the buffer zone analysis. The landscape pattern indexes of each buffer zone were calculated, and the indexes of the main landscape patterns were analyzed so as to reveal the radiative effect and the characteristics of the river corridors on landscape and patch levels. The results show that the radiative width is generally 30 km in the study area, and can be up to 50-70 km in subregion FG1 because the study area is located in two drainage basins, with an ecological interstitial zone between them. The landscapes of woodlands and wetlands are generally distributed within the 10 km buffer zone （it means that the buffer zone is 5 km away from the watercourse; the same hereafter） along both riversides. Moreover, the closer the buffer zone is to the watercourse, the higher the patch density and the largest patch index are. In the ecological and environmental regeneration for the study area, the extent of ecological effect of the river corridors must be fully considered, and the projects must be scientifically and rationally planned and designed.     

Rational groundwater table indicated by the ecophysiological parameters of the vegetation： A case study of ecological restoration in the lower reaches of the Tarim River

The eco-physiological response and adaptation of Populus euphratica Oliv and Tamarix ramosissima Ldb during water release period were investigated. Nine typical ＇areas and forty-five transects were selected along the lower reaches of Tarim River. The groundwater table as well as plant performance and the contents of proline, soluble sugars, and plant endogenous hormone （ABA, CTK） in leaves were monitored and analyzed. The groundwater table was raised in different areas and transects by water release program. The physiological stress to P. euphratica and T. ramosissima had been reduced after water release. Our results suggested that the groundwater table in the studied region remained at -3.15 to -4.12 m, theproline content from 9.28 to 11.06 （mmol/L）, the soluble sugar content from 224.71 to 252.16 （mmol/L）, the ABA content from 3.59 to 5.01 （ng/g FW）, and the CK content from 4.01 to 4.56 （ng/g FW）, for the optimum growth and restoration of P. euphratica indicated by the plant performance parameters and the efficiency of water application was the highest. The groundwater table in the studied region remained at -2.16 to -3.38 m, the proline content from 12.15 to 14.17 （mmol/L）, the soluble sugar content from 154.71 to 183.16 （mmol/ L）, the ABA content from 2.78 to 4.86 （ng/g FW）, and the CK content from 3.78 to 4.22 （ng/g FW）, for the optimum growth and restoration of T. ramosissima indicated by the plant performance parameters and the efficiency of water application was the highest. The rational groundwater table for the restoration of vegetation in the studied region was at -3.15 to -3.38 m.     

Erosion of the prismatic layer by the organic matrix during the formation of the nacre-prism transition layer in the shell of Pinctada fucata （Bivalvia, Mollusca）

Three variants of the sequence of formation of the nacre-prism transition layer were observed in Pinctada fucata (Bivalvia, Mollusca) shells. In each case, the layer was formed by the organic matrix secreted by the mantle, together with the interprismatic organic envelope. The continuity of the organic phase throughout the shell was maintained as the new nacreous layer was formed on the nacre-prism transition layer. Changes in the interprismatic organic envelopes on either side of the nacre-prism transition...     

Os isotopic composition of the earth’s primitive upper mantle

The osmium isotopic ratio of¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ranging from 0.126 to 0.127 for the primitive upper mantle (PUM) is obtained according to the correlation between¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os and Al₂O₃ of mantle-derived xenoliths and orogenic peridotites, which consists with Allegre and Luck’s ALM value and similar to Yin’s nuggets uniform reservoir (NUR) value. It shows that the Os isotope ratio is lower than enstatite or ondinary chondrites, similar to carbonaceous chondrites (CV3).     

Speciation of the elements and compositions on the surfaces of dust storm particles： The evidence for the coupling of iron with sulfur in aerosol during the long-range transport

The speciation of the elements on the surface of the particles collected during dust storm and non-dust storm in Beijing and Inner Mongolia was studied by XPS. The major species of iron on the surface were oxides, sulfate, silicate,FeOOH and minor part sorbed on SiO2/Al2O3. Sulfate is the dominant species of sulfur on the surface. SiO2 and Al2O3 are the main components of Si and Al on the surface respectively.One of the most important findings was that the Fe(Ⅱ) (FeS and FeSO4) produced could account for up to 44.3% and 45.6% of the total Fe on the surface in the aerosol sample collected at that night and next day of the “peak” time of the dust storm occurring on March 20, 2002, while Fe2(SO4)3,one of the Fe(Ⅲ) species on the surface decreased from 67.1% to 49.5% and 48.0% respectively. Both S and Fe enriched on the surface of aerosol particles. Fe(Ⅱ) accounted for 1.3%-5.3% of total Fe in bulk aerosol samples during dust storm. These results provided strong evidence to support the hypothesis of the coupling between iron and sulfur in aerosols during the long-range transport, which would have important impact on the global biogeochemical cycle.     

Re-Os isotopic composition of the Dongling ⅢCD iron meteorite

Re, Os concentrations and Os isotopic compositions of the Dongling ⅢCD iron meteorite were determined by N-TIMS technique. The result was compared with that of the other irons and chondrites. The Re and Os concentrations of the Dongling iron meteorite were plotted on the trends of the group ⅢA and ⅣA irons. The Pt-Os relation of the Dongling iron meteorite is similar to that of the group ⅡA irons. That suggests a higher fractionation for the Dongling iron meteorite.     

Hydroxyl radicals induced by quartz particles in lung alveolar macrophages： the role of surface iron

Previous studies have shown that hydroxyl radical generation is a key step in the mechanism of pathogenic process caused by airborne particles to the lung. However, there is no direct evidence for dose-response relationship between airborne particles and hydroxyl radical generation. In this study, hydroxyl radicals generated in lung alveolar macrophages exposed to quartz particles were measured using a highly sensitive capillary electrophoresis-fluorescence detection method. The results demonstrated that quartz particles induced the generation of hydroxyl radical in a dose-dependent manner, and the amount of the hydroxyl radicals was 10^-10 mol/10⁶ cells. The viability of alveolar macrophages exposed to quartz particles decreased with the increase of quartz concentration, showing a clear dose-response relationship. Hydroxyl radical scavenger mannitol could increase the viability of quartz-treated cells, suggesting that hydroxyl radical contributed directly to cell death. In this study this contribution accounted for about 5%?20% of cell death. The hydroxyl radical generating potential was found to be related to surface iron content of the quartz particles.     

A new threshold of uncovering the nature of glass transition:The slow β relaxation in glassy states

The glass transition involves more than one dynamic relaxation mechanisms in supercooled liquids,such as α relaxation,slow β relaxation and fast β relaxation and so on.For the traditional theoretical system,α relaxation is believed mainly responsible for the nature of the glass transition as the beginning of the phenomenon.This idea,however,has been open to a big challenge since recent studies have indicated that slow β relaxation closely relates to α relaxation.Slow β relaxation determines the characterist...     

A lower limit of Δz > 0.06 for the duration of the reionization epoch

Observations of the 21-centimetre line of atomic hydrogen in the early Universe directly probe the history of the reionization of the gas between galaxies. The observations are challenging, though, because of the low expected signal strength (～10?mK), and contamination by strong (>100?K) foreground synchrotron emission in the Milky Way and extragalactic continuum sources. If reionization happened rapidly, there should be a characteristic signature visible against the smooth foreground in an all-sky spectrum. Here we report an all-sky spectrum between 100 and 200?MHz, corresponding to the redshift range 6?相似文献