Discovery of Sr-bearing and LREE daughter minerals in fluid inclusions of Maoniuping REE deposit, Sichuan Province

Maoniuping rare earth element (REE) deposit, located in Mianning area of Sichuan Province, is of unique geological characteristics and is large in scale. Some studies have shown that there are large amounts of multi phase fluid inclusions in fluorite, quartz and calcite. Besides the daughter minerals of halite, barite and gypsum, Sr bearing minerals (celestite, strontianite), apatite and eight light rare earth element (LREE) minerals have been found by scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive spectrometer techniques. The abundant occurrence of these daughter minerals shows that the ore-forming fluid is rich in Sr, Ba and LREE contents, and is related to nordmarkite in genesis.     

Trace elemental records of short-lived heating during exhumation of the CCSD eclogites

Trace element compositions of garnet, omphacite and apatite in ultrahigh-pressure eclogites from the main hole of the Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling (CCSD) project were in situ analyzed by the LA-ICP-MS method. Although both garnet and omphacite have homogeneous major element composi-tions, their trace elements show zonations from core to rim in rare earth elements. In particular, middle rare earth elements in the garnet, heavy rare earth elements in the apatite and all rare earth elements in the omphacite increase from core to rim, respectively. Based on dependence of partition coefficients on temperature and pressure in these minerals, we suggest that the trace elemental zonations in these minerals may record a short-lived heating event during exhumation.     

The environmental index of the rare earth elements in conodonts: Evidence from the Ordovician conodonts of the Huanghuachang Section,Yichang area

High-resolution microanalysis was performed on conodonts collected from the Huanghuachang section in the Yichang area using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). This region is regarded as a standard section for the division and correlation of the Ordovician system in southern China. The results show that the values of (La/Yb)N and (La/Sm)N decrease, while the values of δCe increase as seawater deepens and energy decreases. As the sedimentary environment changes from shallow-water carbonate platform to platform margin to open continental shelf to shelf basin, rare earth element distribution curves gradually transform from a right inclined pattern to a flat pattern to a left inclined pattern and a hat-shaped pattern. The present work proves that the values and distributive patterns of rare earth elements in conodonts correspond with the sedimentary environment, and therefore provide reliable evidence for the application of rare earth element concentrations of biogenic phosphates such as conodonts for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions.     

Aragonite-calcite transformation in fossil snail shells of loess sequences in Loess Plateau, Central China

The methods of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and ICP-AES are applied to analyzing the mineral composition of modern and fossil snail shells in Luochuan section and Xifeng section. The results show that the mineral phase of calcium carbonate in modern snail shells is aragonite, but for some fossil snail shells in certain layers of loess sequences, a part of aragonite is transformed into calcite. In Luochuan and Xifeng sections, the stratigraphic borderline of aragonite-calcite transformation appearing obviously is between L5 and L6. Under the earth surface condition, the aragonite-calcite transformation is influenced by the factor of temperature only in a long time scale. It seems that the pressure is not the factor influencing the aragonite-calcite transformation. The results also show that existing age of snail shells is possibly the dominant and principal factor for the aragonlte-calcite transformation. To a certain extent, thed egree of aragonite-calcite transformation in snail shell is controlled by the content of trace element, such as Mg^2 . The trace element can improve the stability of snail shell aragonlte and impede the process of aragonite transforming into calcite.     

In silico identification of silkworm selenoproteomes

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element in vivo. Its biological function is mainly exerted through selenoproteins. Selenocysteine (Sec), the active site of selenoproteins, is incorporated into the protein at an in-frame TGA codon under the guidance of Sec insertion sequence (SECIS) element in the 3′-untranslated region (UTR) of the gene. In this work, a method was developed and a series of programs were edited by PERL language to in silico identify selenoproteomes from the genome of domesticated silkworm (Bombyx mori). Out of 18510 annotated genes, 6348 was terminated with TGA codons, 249 containing both in-frame TGAs and SECIS elements in the 3′-UTRs. Alignments of those selenoprotein candidates with their cysteine (Cys)-containing homologs revealed that 52 genes had TGA/Cys pairs and similar flanking regions around the in-frame TGAs. Restricted by the patterns of SECIS elements only 5 genes were screened out to fully meet the requirements for selenoproteins. Among them glutathione S-transferase (GST) has been reported as a microbial selenoprotein, the other four are novel selenoproteins annotated as CG6024, CG5195, ATP-binding cassette transporter subfamily A (ABCA), and nuclear VCP-like protein. Derived from the general properties of GST, ABCA and VCP, silkworm selenoproteins may play important roles in redox regulation, Se storage and transportation, as well as cell apoptosis.     

Heat Denaturation of Protein Structures and Chlorophyll States in PSII Membranes

IntroductionPhotosystem II (PSII) is a large supramolecularpigment-protein complex found in the thylakoidmembranes of green plants,algae andcyanobacteria.Its main role is to drive light-induced electron transfer from water toplastoquinone with a concomitant production ofmolecular oxygen.PSII membranes consist of anouter antenna portion of light-harvestingchlorophyll (Chl) a/b binding complexes (LHCII)and a core fraction.The core fraction is composedof an inner antenna of membrane-bound …     

Helium isotopic compositions in fluid inclusions of the Gangxi fault belt in the Huanghua Depression, Bohai Bay Basin

Helium is a trace constituent in natural gases and is the lightest element of all rare gases. Formed during natural nuclear processes, helium is chemically stable. Due to its strong diffusibility and permeability, helium can be used as a very sensitive tracer. Helium has two natural stable isotopes, 3He and 4He. 3He originates from the universal nebulae when the earth was formed, and 4He mainly originates from the radioactive disintegration of elements in the crust, such as U and Th [1]. In…     

The development of silicate matrix phosphors with broad excitation band for phosphor-convered white LED

This paper briefly reviews the recent progress in alkaline earth silicate host luminescent materials with broad excitation band for phosphor-convered white LED. Among them, the Sr-rich binary phases （Sr, Ba, Ca, Mg）2SiO4：Eu^2＋ and （Sr, Ba, Ca, Mg）3SiO5：Eu^2＋ are excellent phosphors for blue LED chip white LED. They have very broad excitation bands and exhibit strong absorption of blue radiation in the range of 450-480 nm. And they exhibit green and yellow-orange emission under the InGaN blue LED chip radiation, respectively. The luminous efficiency of InGaN-based （Sr, Ba, Ca, Mg）=SiO4： Eu^2＋ and （Sr, Ba, Ca, Mg）3SiO5：Eu^2＋ is about 70-80 lm/W, about 95 %-105% that of the InGaN-based YAG ：Ce, while the correlated color temperature is between 4600--11000 K. Trinary alkaline earth silicate host luminescent materials MO（M=Sr, Ca, Ba）-Mg（Zn）O-SiO2 show strong absorption of deep blue/near-ultraviolet radiation in the range of 370-440 nm. They can convert the deep blue/near-ultraviolet radiation into blue, green, and red emissions to generate white light. The realization of high-performance white-light LEDs by this approach presents excellent chromaticity and high color rendering index, and the application disadvantages caused by the mixture of various matrixes can be avoided. Moreover, the application prospects and the trends of research and development of alkaline earth silicate phosphors are also discussed.     

Numerical Simulation of the Mechanical Properties and Failure of Heterogeneous Elasto-Plastic Materials

A general numerical approach was developed to simulate the mechanical properties and the failure of heterogeneous elasto-plastic materials using statistical distributions of the material properties. An appropriate elastic-plastic constitutive relation is used to describe the material behavior and failure in each element, with a two-parameter Weibull distribution used to produce the initial heterogeneous material property variations. An adaptive incremental load-step is applied so that only one or a few elements (or integra- tion points) change their status (i.e., from elastic to plastic, or from plastic to strain failure) within one load step. A failed element is then assigned a very small modulus to simulate the failure rather than removing it from the model, which keeps the continuity of the geometric mesh. The numerical results show that the model is suitable for simulating the effective mechanical properties and failure of heterogeneous materials with local elasto-plastic constitutive relations.     

Tsinghua-1 Micro-Satellite Power System Architecture and Design

IntroductionThe Space Center of Tsinghua University( Beijing,China) ,together with Surrey Satellite TechnologyLtd.( SSTL,Guildford,United Kingdom) ,designed and produced the Tsinghua- 1 Micro-satellite.SSTL has pioneered cost- effectivesatellite engineering techniques for highlysophisticated,yet inexpensive micro- satellites[1]for earth observation,data delivery[2 ] and scientificexperiments[3,4 ] .The Tsinghua- 1 Micro- satellite has a mass ofapproximately5 0 kg.Its envelope is330 m…     

Carbonate verse silicate Sr isotope in lake sediments and its response to Little Ice Age

The ^87Sr/^86Sr ratios of silicate (acid-insoluble,AI,) and carbonate (acid-soluble,AS) of the lake sediments from the Daihai Lake ,Inner Mongolia since the last 500 years are measured respectively ,indicationg that chemical weathering of silicate minerals was in an early stage since the Little Ice Age within the Daihai watershed by combination with mineral constitute,Rb/Sr ratio and CaCO3 content in the sediments,During the Little Ice Age maximum,an evident peak in the ^87 Sr/^86Sr ratios of both silicate and carbonate in sediments suggests that a cold climate condition is unfavorable to dissolving radiogenic stontium from silcate minerals ,Meanwhile,the variation of ^87 Sr/^86Sr ratios of silicate and carbonate also reflects a projected warming climate favorable to intensifying chemical weathering after the Little Ice Age ,Consequently,the ^87 Sr/^86Sr ratio of both silicate and carbonate in inland lake sediment can be used as an effective proxy of the past climate in single watershed.     

东亚夏季风变迁的灵敏的指标:黄土碳酸盐的~(87)Sr/~(86)Sr比值

对130ka以来陕西洛川黑木沟剖面的黄土和古土壤碳酸盐中银同位素进行的系统测定显示．在末次间冰期期间87Sr／86Sr平均值为0．71136,末次冰期期间87Sr／86Sr平均值为0．71079．古土壤碳酸盐的87Sr／86Sr比值明显高于黄土碳酸盐的87Sr／86Sr比值．导致这种差别的主要原因是化学风化强度的变化．研究表明,黄土和古土壤碳酸盐87Sr／86Sr比值的变化是现出一个由本次间冰期到未次冰期的约10万年的周期,在这个周期变化的总趋势之上又覆盖了一种波动周期约在2．5ka～2．7ka的高频波动变化．它与小冰期年龄（LittleIceAge）大致吻合．黄土碳酸盐87Sr／86Sr比值的这种高振幅和周期的变化．表明它可能是一种反映东亚夏季风变化的高灵敏度的替代指标．     

Extension of drylands in northern China around 250 kaBP linked with the uplift of the southeast margin of Tibetan Plateau

Study on two loess sections, one located at Wuwei near the Tengger Desert in northwestern China, another located near Ganzi at the southeast margin of the Tibetan Plateau in southwest China, reveals a coeval drying step occurred at ~250 kaBP. It is expressed by the increase in eolian grain-size at Wuwei, and by a drastic extension of C4 plants and a decrease of loess chemical weathering intensity at Ganzi. Examination of the available eolian data indicates that the event has also been clearly documented in the loess sections near the deserts in northern China, and in the eolian records from the North Pacific. On the contrary, the signal is rather weak for the central and southern Loess Plateau regions as well as for Central Asia, where the climates are influenced by the southeast Asian monsoon and the westerlies, respectively. Since the climate at Ganzi is under strong control of the southwest Asian monsoon, we interpret this drying ste p as a result of decreased influence of the southwest summer monsoon. This decre ase in monsoon moisture is attributable to the uplift of the Hengduan Mountains, the southeast margin of the Tibetan Plateau at～250 ka ago.     

近50 ka以来雷州半岛北部泥炭序列87Sr/86Sr比值变化的环境意义研究

本文通过对雷州半岛北部湛江市屋山村和遂溪县下录村两个泥炭序列锶同位素比值（87Sr/86Sr）进行了测定,探讨了晚更新世晚期以来我国北热带地区泥炭序列锶同位素的古环境指示意义。分析结果表明:在过去近50 ka以来,泥炭序列中87Sr/86Sr比值变化于0.713 0.722之间,平均值为0.716。通过与已发表的气候代用指标对比,发现在轨道尺度上87Sr/86Sr比值在暖湿期（如MIS 3阶段）呈现相对低值,而在相对凉（冷）期（如MIS 2阶段）,则表现为高值;这种现象甚至在千年尺度上也有很好的体现。形成这种现象的主要原因可能是由于泥炭序列中87Sr/86Sr比值的变化主要与流域风化淋溶后残留的硅酸岩碎屑物质的输入有关,且受到了因气候条件变化所导致的地表径流和植被繁茂程度变化的积极影响。因此,本研究结果表明雷州半岛北部地区泥炭序列87Sr/86Sr比值记录可以作为流域化学风化强度变化的有效指标。     

中国风尘沉积环境磁学研究现状

中国黄土-古土壤-红黏土序列完整记录了7.5 Ma以来东亚季风演化历史。黄土-古土壤的低频磁化率已成为东亚夏季风演化的代用指标之一,并得到广泛的应用和全球对比。虽然古土壤磁化率增强的成土观点已得到广泛认可,但磁化率与成壤强度的相关性还不是十分清楚,磁化率应用方面仍存在问题。磁化率与成壤强度、生物化学作用和古气候关系尚在研究中。     

南兴安岭晚中生代火山岩的岩石成因(II):Pb同位素制约

 对南兴安岭地区晚中生代火山岩的Pb同位素进行了分析,结合其主微量元素和Sr-Nd同位素地球化学特征,探讨了火山岩的岩石成因。满克头鄂博组低钾拉斑-钙碱性玄武安山岩表现出富集LILE、LREE和HFSE亏损元素地球化学特征以及稍高放射性成因Sr、Pb (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.704 88～0.704 99; ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=18.18～18.23)和弱相对亏损至弱富集的Nd同位素组成(ε_Nd((t)=-0.12～+0.68),其来源于俯冲沉积物参与改造富集地幔熔融源区。该组的英安岩-流纹岩较基性岩浆具有稍高放射性成因Sr、Pb (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.705 22～0.707 09; ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=18.16～18.33)和低Nd同位素组成 (ε_Nd(t))=-1.5～-0.4), 且在空间上与玄武岩共生,为玄武质岩浆结晶分异,并同化混染作用 (AFC)的产物。玛尼吐组英安岩具有与现代俯冲带adakite岩石相似的特征;在Sr-Nd-Pb同位素组成上,它们较同期或近期玄武安山岩更低Sr、Pb (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.704 09~0.704 25;²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=18.15~18.17)和高Nd同位素比值(ε_Nd((t))=+0.9~+2.1),为造山带下地壳镁铁质岩石的部分熔融产物。     

The return of subducted continental crust in Samoan lavas

Substantial quantities of terrigenous sediments are known to enter the mantle at subduction zones, but little is known about their fate in the mantle. Subducted sediment may be entrained in buoyantly upwelling plumes and returned to the Earth's surface at hotspots, but the proportion of recycled sediment in the mantle is small, and clear examples of recycled sediment in hotspot lavas are rare. Here we report remarkably enriched 87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd isotope signatures in Samoan lavas from three dredge locations on the underwater flanks of Savai'i island, Western Samoa. The submarine Savai'i lavas represent the most extreme 87Sr/86Sr isotope compositions reported for ocean island basalts to date. The data are consistent with the presence of a recycled sediment component (with a composition similar to the upper continental crust) in the Samoan mantle. Trace-element data show affinities similar to those of the upper continental crust--including exceptionally low Ce/Pb and Nb/U ratios--that complement the enriched 87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd isotope signatures. The geochemical evidence from these Samoan lavas significantly redefines the composition of the EM2 (enriched mantle 2; ref. 9) mantle endmember, and points to the presence of an ancient recycled upper continental crust component in the Samoan mantle plume.     

Evolution of the East Asian monsoon and its response to uplift of the Tibetan Plateau since 1.8 Ma recorded by major elements in sediments of the South China Sea

Evolution of the East Asian monsoon and its response to uplift of the Tibetan Plateau has been investigated in the study of global change. Core sediment samples drilled in the South China Sea during ODP Leg184 are the best materials for studying long-term variability of the East Asian monsoon. R-mode factor analysis of major elements in the fine grain-sized carbonate-free sediments (<4 μm) of the upper 185 mcd splice of ODP Site 1146 drilled during Leg184 in the South China Sea shows that Ti, TFe2O3, MgO, K2O, P, CaO, and Al2O3 are representative of a terrestrial factor. The variation in the terrestrial factor score is subject to chemical erosion in the source region and thus indicates the evolution of the East Asian summer monsoon. The terrestrial factor score has three stepwise decreases at ~1.3 Ma, ~0.9 Ma, and ~0.6 Ma, indicating the phased weakening of the East Asian summer monsoon is related to wholly stepwise, quick uplifts of the Tibetan Plateau since 1.8 Ma. The periodic fluctuation of the terrestrial factor score since ~0.6 Ma indicates that the glacial-interglacial cycles have been the main force driving the evolution of the East Asian monsoon. As in the case of Chinese loess, the long-term evolution of the East Asian monsoon recorded in sediments of the South China Sea reflects a coupled effect of the glacial-interglacial cycle and uplift of the Tibetan Plateau.     

Origin of illites in the Luochuan loess section——Evidence from TEM study

Morphology and composition of illite from the Luochuan loess section were investigated by TEM. The results show that most of the illite grains are characterized by rounded shapes and chemical compositions are closely similar to those of anchizonal illites. The enrichment of illites in paleosol over loess was mainly caused by the weak winter monsoon during the interglacial periods, and was not related to the in situ pedogenesis. Illite can serve as an indicator for tracing eolian dust from Loess Plateau in pelagic and lacustrine sediments.     

Elemental composition in the sediments of the Yangtze and the Yellow Rivers and their tracing implication

Elemental compositions in the surface sediments of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River are quite different. The Yangtze River' s sediment is rich in K, Fe, Mg, Al and most of trace elements, and its elemental composition show remarkable spatial variations, whereas the Yellow River s sediment has higher contents of Ca, Na, Sr, Ba, Zr and Hf, and the elemental composition remains relatively stable. The ratios of some elements are also different in the sediments of the two rivers. The elemental composition of the Yangtze River sediment results from widely distributed igneous rocks and complicated source rocks and strong chemical weathering in the Yangtze River catchment basin, while the main provenance of the Yellow River sediment is the Loess Plateau which has dominant influence on the elemental composition, and the intense physical weathering is another controlling factor. The elements such as Cu, Zn, Sc, Ti, Fe, V, Ni, Cr, Co, Li and element ratios such as La/Sc, La/Co, Th/Co, Ti/Zr and Zr/Y can be used as the tracers to distinguish the Yangtze River sediment from the Yellow River s. The tracers can be used in the study of the mixing and distribution of the substances of the two rivers matters in coastal zones of China.