Timescales of shock processes in chondritic and martian meteorites

The accretion of the terrestrial planets from asteroid collisions and the delivery to the Earth of martian and lunar meteorites has been modelled extensively. Meteorites that have experienced shock waves from such collisions can potentially be used to reveal the accretion process at different stages of evolution within the Solar System. Here we have determined the peak pressure experienced and the duration of impact in a chondrite and a martian meteorite, and have combined the data with impact scaling laws to infer the sizes of the impactors and the associated craters on the meteorite parent bodies. The duration of shock events is inferred from trace element distributions between coexisting high-pressure minerals in the shear melt veins of the meteorites. The shock duration and the associated sizes of the impactor are found to be much greater in the chondrite (approximately 1 s and 5 km, respectively) than in the martian meteorite (approximately 10 ms and 100 m). The latter result compares well with numerical modelling studies of cratering on Mars, and we suggest that martian meteorites with similar, recent ejection ages (10(5) to 10(7) years ago) may have originated from the same few square kilometres on Mars.     

Diverse supernova sources of pre-solar material inferred from molybdenum isotopes in meteorites

Variations in the isotopic composition of some components in primitive meteorites demonstrate that the pre-solar material was not completely homogenized, nor was it processed at sufficiently high temperatures to erase the signatures of the diverse stellar sources. This is in accord with the observation that accretion disks of young stellar objects are at relatively low temperatures. Carbonaceous chondrites are considered to represent the 'average' Solar System composition; the rare pre-solar grains in the matrixes of carbonaceous chondrites have been used to identify some sources of the pre-solar material. Here we report that the molybdenum isotopic composition of bulk carbonaceous chondrites is distinctly different from the accepted average solar value. We show that the Mo data require the presence of material produced in at least two different r-processes, and that the contribution from the p-process material is decoupled from the r-process, all occurring in supernova explosions. This is consistent with the emerging picture of diverse sources inferred from short-lived isotopes in the early Solar System and elemental analyses of metal-poor stars.     

Evidence for an ancient martian ocean in the topography of deformed shorelines

A suite of observations suggests that the northern plains of Mars, which cover nearly one third of the planet's surface, may once have contained an ocean. Perhaps the most provocative evidence for an ancient ocean is a set of surface features that ring the plains for thousands of kilometres and that have been interpreted as a series of palaeoshorelines of different age. It has been shown, however, that topographic profiles along the putative shorelines contain long-wavelength trends with amplitudes of up to several kilometres, and these trends have been taken as an argument against the martian shoreline (and ocean) hypothesis. Here we show that the long-wavelength topography of the shorelines is consistent with deformation caused by true polar wander--a change in the orientation of a planet with respect to its rotation pole--and that the inferred pole path has the geometry expected for a true polar wander event that postdates the formation of the massive Tharsis volcanic rise.     

Evidence of giant sulphur bacteria in Neoproterozoic phosphorites

In situ phosphatization and reductive cell division have recently been discovered within the vacuolate sulphur-oxidizing bacteria. Here we show that certain Neoproterozoic Doushantuo Formation (about 600 million years bp) microfossils, including structures previously interpreted as the oldest known metazoan eggs and embryos, can be interpreted as giant vacuolate sulphur bacteria. Sulphur bacteria of the genus Thiomargarita have sizes and morphologies similar to those of many Doushantuo microfossils, including symmetrical cell clusters that result from multiple stages of reductive division in three planes. We also propose that Doushantuo phosphorite precipitation was mediated by these bacteria, as shown in modern Thiomargarita-associated phosphogenic sites, thus providing the taphonomic conditions that preserved other fossils known from the Doushantuo Formation.     

Simulation of the atmospheric thermal circulation of a martian volcano using a mesoscale numerical model

Mesoscale (<100 km) atmospheric phenomena are ubiquitous on Mars, as revealed by Mars Orbiter Camera images. Numerical models provide an important means of investigating martian atmospheric dynamics, for which data availability is limited. But the resolution of general circulation models, which are traditionally used for such research, is not sufficient to resolve mesoscale phenomena. To provide better understanding of these relatively small-scale phenomena, mesoscale models have recently been introduced. Here we simulate the mesoscale spiral dust cloud observed over the caldera of the volcano Arsia Mons by using the Mars Regional Atmospheric Modelling System. Our simulation uses a hierarchy of nested models with grid sizes ranging from 240 km to 3 km, and reveals that the dust cloud is an indicator of a greater but optically thin thermal circulation that reaches heights of up to 30 km, and transports dust horizontally over thousands of kilometres.     

Origin of ore-forming fluids of the Dachang Sn-polymetallic ore deposit: Evidence from helium isotopes

The ore genesis model for the Dachang Sn- polymetallic ore deposit has long been in dispute, and the major debate focuses on whether the stratiform and massive orebodies formed during the Yanshanian magmatic-hydro- thermal event or they were products of Devonian syn-sedimentary exhalative-hydrothermal event. This note presents new helium isotope data from fluid inclusions of four pyrites and one fluorite. The pyrites were collected from the stratiform and massive orebodies in the deposit, and their 3He/4He ratios are significantly higher than 1, ranging from 1.7 to 2.5 Ra, which indicates a mantle component in the responsible hydrothermal fluids. It is suggested that the ore-forming fluids were a mixture of deep circulating seawater and a mantle-derived fluid, which are similar to many of those modern submarine hydrothermal fluids. In contrast, the fluorite, collected from a granite-related hydrothermal vein in the deposit, shows a low 3He/4He ratio of 0.7 Ra, which indicates no mantle component involvement in the fluids. Hence, the helium isotope data indicate that the two kinds of fluids from the Dachang deposit may have different origins. Together with other geological and geochemical evidence, it is suggested that the stratiform and massive ore formation has no genetic relation to the Yanshanian granite. Rather, they were likely formed during Devonian submarine exhalative-hydrothermal processes.     

荧光素荧光法测定大气中SO2的研究

报道了以荧光素为指示剂,荧光法间接测定大气中ＳＯ２ 的方法．在ｐＨ＝ ５．５ ～７ ．５ 中性缓冲介质中,Ｉ２ 与荧光素反应,使荧光素的荧光熄灭,当加入ＳＯ２－３ 时,ＳＯ２－３ 与Ｉ２ 反应使体系荧光增强,体系激发波长、发射波长分别为４９４ ｎｍ 和５１０ｎｍ ,ＳＯ２－３ 含量在２ ．１～６０．０ μｇ／Ｌ范围内呈良好线性关系,检测下限为２．１ μｇ／Ｌ．     

Paleoproterozoic basement beneath the southern Jiangxi Province: Evidence from U-Pb ages and Lu-Hf isotopes in zircons from the Doushui lamprophyre

This paper presents geochemical analyses of a lamprophyre intruding the Caledonian Doushui granite body in Shangyou County, southern Jiangxi Province. U-Pb dating and Hf-isotope analyses are espe-cially carried out for zircons from it. Petrological and geochemical features show that the lamprophyre belongs to a high-K, weakly alkaline pyroxene-biotite lamprophyre. It is characterized by high Mg# (0.74), Ni (253 μg/g) and Cr (893 μg/g) contents, and also enriched in incompatible elements, such as REE, Rb, Sr...     

Origin of ore-forming fluid in the Piaotang tungsten deposit in Jiangxi Province: Evidence from helium and argon isotopes

The Piaotang tungsten deposit in Jiangxi Province is one of the most important tungsten deposits in the South China Tungsten Metallogenic Province.In this study,we selected wolframite and chalcopyrite from the main mineralizing stage of the Piaotang tungsten deposit,and analyzed the helium and argon isotopic compositions in fluid inclusions of these minerals.The results show a 3He/4He ratio of 0.17 to 0.86 R/Ra,which fall within the range between continental crust(0.01―0.05 R/Ra) and air-saturated water(1 R...     

个旧超大型锡多金属矿床成矿流体来源的氦同位素证据

对取自个旧超大型锡多金属矿床层状矿体和接触带矿体的黄铁矿和磁黄铁矿样品进行流体包裹体的He同位素测定,其成矿流体中3He和4He的质量浓度分别为1.43×10-13～9.39×10-13 cm3/g和0.64×10-6～3.25×10-6 cm3/g,ρ3He/ρ4He=0.06～0.21 Ra.在考虑可导致矿体中成矿流体氦同位素质量浓度比值发生变化的各种因素的基础上,讨论了个旧锡多金属矿床成矿流体的成因.结果表明氦同位素地球化学资料反映出该矿床早期成矿流体中氦主源于地幔,应为海水与地幔流体混合形成.而后期大量富含地壳放射成因氦的燕山期花岗岩成矿流体对早期形成的矿源层或矿体进行叠加、改造.个旧超大型锡多金属矿床不是单纯的花岗岩成因矿床,也不是单纯的海底喷流成因矿床,而是同生沉积与岩浆热液叠加、改造的复合成因矿床.     

Sources and transportation of suspended matter and sediment in the southern Yellow Sea: Evidence from stable carbon isotopes

The concentrations of total suspended matter (TSM) and the compositions of organic stable carbon iso- topes of TSM and bottom sediments were analyzed to study the sources of TSM and sediments and the transportation processes. For this study, 284 TSM samples and 64 sediment ones taken from 67 stations along 7 transects and in 5 layers were collected in the southern Yellow Sea on the cruise in May, 1998. The main sediment transportation pattern in the southern Yellow Sea was obtained by analyzing the distribu- tion characteristics of TSM concentration and particulate organic carbon δ~(13)C values. It was confirmed from the pat- tern that the bottom layer plays a more important role than the surface one in the transportation processes of terrigenous material to the central deep-water area of the southern Yel- low Sea. The Yellow Sea circulation is an important control factor in determining the sediment transportation pattern in the southern Yellow Sea, The carbon isotope signals of sedi- mentary organic matter confirmed that the main material in sediments with high sedimentation rate in the Shandong subaqueous delta originated from the modern Yellow River. The terrigenous sediments in the deep-water area of the southern Yellow Sea are mainly from the abandoned Yellow River and the modern Yellow River, and a small portion of them are from the modern Yangtze material. The amount of terrigenous material from Korean Peninsula and its influen- ce range are relatively limited. The conclusions derived from TSM and stable carbon isotopes were further confirmed by another independent material source tracer-PAHs.     

Ultraviolet-radiation-induced methane emissions from meteorites and the Martian atmosphere

Almost a decade after methane was first reported in the atmosphere of Mars there is an intensive discussion about both the reliability of the observations--particularly the suggested seasonal and latitudinal variations--and the sources of methane on Mars. Given that the lifetime of methane in the Martian atmosphere is limited, a process on or below the planet's surface would need to be continuously producing methane. A biological source would provide support for the potential existence of life on Mars, whereas a chemical origin would imply that there are unexpected geological processes. Methane release from carbonaceous meteorites associated with ablation during atmospheric entry is considered negligible. Here we show that methane is produced in much larger quantities from the Murchison meteorite (a type CM2 carbonaceous chondrite) when exposed to ultraviolet radiation under conditions similar to those expected at the Martian surface. Meteorites containing several per cent of intact organic matter reach the Martian surface at high rates, and our experiments suggest that a significant fraction of the organic matter accessible to ultraviolet radiation is converted to methane. Ultraviolet-radiation-induced methane formation from meteorites could explain a substantial fraction of the most recently estimated atmospheric methane mixing ratios. Stable hydrogen isotope analysis unambiguously confirms that the methane released from Murchison is of extraterrestrial origin. The stable carbon isotope composition, in contrast, is similar to that of terrestrial microbial origin; hence, measurements of this signature in future Mars missions may not enable an unambiguous identification of biogenic methane.     

The nonmarine environment of Quaternary foraminifers in Yanghuzhuang, China: Evidence from boron and strontium isotopes

The concentrations and isotopic compositions of boron and strontium of Quaternary foraminifera and bivalve fossils collected in the Yanghuzhuang section of Yanqing, Beijing and of modern gastropods living in the Guishul River and of river water were measured. The concentrations and isotopic compositions of Quaternary foraminifera and bivalve fossils differed from those of modern marine foraminifers and were similar to those of modern terrestrial gastropods from the Guishui Riven These results Indicate that early Quaternary foraminifera in the Yanghuzhuang section inhabited a nonmarine environment and that these foraminifera were not the result of a transgression or sea flooding. The foraminifera were not special halobios and can survive in the terrestrial condition that resembled those of the ocean.     

Late Cenozoic history of deep water circulation in the western North Pacific: Evidence from Nd isotopes of ferromanganese crusts

Despite its importance in regulating the global climate, the past deep ocean circulation in the western North Pacific has still been poorly understood. Nd isotopes of ferromanganese crusts have been proven to be a good proxy to monitor paleoceanic circulation changes. In this study, late Cenozoic Nd isotopic records are recovered from two ferromanganese crusts located near Mariana arc but at different water depths (MKD13: 1530 m, MDD53: 2700 m), and their implications for paleocirculation change in this area are explored. From the early to late Miocene, Nd isotopic compositions of MDD53 remained stable, and they were also characterized by the least radiogenic signatures ( Nd4.0 to5.0) compared to crusts of similar water depths in the Miocene North Pacific. Afterward, an abrupt increase in its Nd value occurred in the Pliocene. In contrast, Nd isotopes of MKD13 became more radio- genic with time in the Miocene and were almost invariable thereafter. The continual increase in Nd of shallower crust MKD13 is interpreted as reflecting progressive closure of Indonesian Seaway in the Miocene, while the deep western boundary current sourced from the Southern Pacific may have dominated Nd isotopes of deeper crust MDD53 during the same time interval. The lack of Nd isotopic variation of MKD13 in the Pliocene indicates that there were no changes in Nd sources in shallower waters and the final restriction between the Indian and Pacific may have only occurred since then. Therefore the observed large shift to more radiogenic Nd isotopes of MDD53 in the Pliocene should not be resulted from changes in vertical input from shallower to deeper water. Instead, a decreased ventilation of deep southern component current along the studied water depth range (~2700 m) may have continued in the Pliocene.     

Evidence against dust-mediated control of glacial-interglacial changes in atmospheric CO2

The low concentration of atmospheric CO2 inferred to have been present during glacial periods is thought to have been partly caused by an increased supply of iron-bearing dust to the ocean surface. This is supported by a recent model that attributes half of the CO2 reduction during past glacial stages to iron-stimulated uptake of CO2 by phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean. But atmospheric dust fluxes to the Southern Ocean, even in glacial periods, are thought to be relatively low and therefore it has been proposed that Southern Ocean productivity might be influenced by iron deposited elsewhere-for example, in the Northern Hemisphere-which is then transported south via ocean circulation (similar to the distal supply of iron to the equatorial Pacific Ocean). Here we examine the timing of dust fluxes to the North Atlantic Ocean, in relation to climate records from the Vostok ice core in Antarctica around the time of the penultimate deglaciation (about 130 kyr ago). Two main dust peaks occurred 155 kyr and 130 kyr ago, but neither was associated with the CO2 rise recorded in the Vostok ice core. This mismatch, together with the low dust flux supplied to the Southern Ocean, suggests that dust-mediated iron fertilization of the Southern Ocean did not significantly influence atmospheric CO2 at the termination of the penultimate glaciation.     

A method for estimating the contribution of evaporative vapor from Nam Co to local atmospheric vapor based on stable isotopes of water bodies

During the summer monsoon season,the moisture of precipitation events in southern and central regions of the Tibetan Plateau is mainly moisture from the Indian Ocean transported by the Indian monsoon and terrestrial vapor derived from the surface of the Tibetan Plateau.However,the respective contributions of these two types of moisture are not clear.From June to September,the excess deuterium values of precipitation and river water in the Nam Co basin are higher than those for the southern Tibetan Plateau.This reflects the mixing of evaporation from Nam Co and local atmospheric vapor.On the basis of theory for estimating the contribution of evaporative vapor from surface water bodies to atmospheric vapor and relative stable isotopes in water bodies (precipitation,river water,atmospheric moisture and lake water),this study preliminarily estimates that the average contribution of evaporation from the Lake Nam Co to local atmospheric vapor has varied from 28.4% to 31.1% during the summer monsoon season in recent years.     

Isotopic enhancements of 17O and 18O from solar wind particles in the lunar regolith

Differences in isotopic abundances between meteorites and rocks on Earth leave unclear the true composition of the gas out of which the Solar System formed. The Sun should have preserved in its outer layers the original composition, and recent work has indicated that the solar wind is enriched in 16O, relative to Earth, Mars and bulk meteorites. This suggests that self-shielding of CO due to photo-dissociation, which is a well understood process in molecular clouds, also led to evolution in the isotopic abundances in the early Solar System. Here we report measurements of oxygen isotopic abundances in lunar grains that were recently exposed to the solar wind. We find that 16O is underabundant, opposite to an earlier finding based on studies of ancient metal grains. Our result, however, is more difficult to understand within the context of current models, because there is no clear way to make 16O more abundant in Solar System rocks than in the Sun.