Numerical dating of the Eckfeld maar fossil site, Eifel, Germany: a calibration mark for the Eocene time scale

 Sediments of the Eckfeld maar (Eifel, Germany) bear a well-preserved Eocene fauna and flora. Biostratigraphically, Eckfeld corresponds to the Middle Eocene mammal reference level MP (Mammals Paleogene) 13 of the ELMA (European Land Mammal Age) Geiseltalian. In the maar crater, basalt fragments were drilled, representing explosion crater eruption products. By ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of the basalt, for the first time a direct numerical calibration mark for an Eocene European mammal locality has been established. The Eckfeld basalt inverse isochron date of 44.3±0.4 Ma suggests an age for the Geiseltalian/Robiacian boundary at 44 Ma and, together with the 1995 time scale of Berggren et al., a time span ranging from 49 to 44 Ma for the Geiseltalian and from 44 to 37 Ma for the Robiacian, respectively. Additional ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating on a genetically related basalt occurrence close to the maar confirms a period of volcanism of ca. 0.6 m.y. in the Eckfeld area, matching the oldest Eocene volcanic activity of the Hocheifel volcanic field. Received: 27 December 1999 / Accepted in revised form: 6 April 2000     

贵州梵净山九龙池沉积物14C年代学研究及全新世碳累积速率变化

放射性碳同位素加速器质谱（ASM¹⁴C）测年法是湖泊沉积物定年的主要方法,并且是全新世年代学研究的热点。随着对全新世古气候与环境变化研究的深入,选取不同介质定年可能对年代模型的准确性造成误差,进而影响到气候指标的解译。本文选取贵州东北部梵净山九龙池沉积物中树枝、树叶、树皮、种子等植物残体和全样有机质作为测年介质,利用ASM¹⁴C进行定年。结果表明,相比全样有机质,使用植物残体定年可以在一定程度上避免碳库效应的影响。但相比于原位沉积且生长年限较短的叶片,树枝的定年结果偏老,不是一种理想的定年介质。另外,根据定年结果及总有机碳含量重建了全新世九龙池的碳累积速率,发现碳累积速率可以指示该地区亚洲夏季风强度的变化历史。     

Provenancing of archeological pumice finds from North Sinai

Seven pumice samples from excavations in North Sinai have been investigated with respect to their geochemical composition. This type of volcanic rock has been used as an abrasive and thus has been an object of trade since antiquity. With the help of Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis, six of these Bronze Age samples could be correlated to their volcanic sources on the islands of Santorini, Nisyros and Giali (Greece) using the typical element concentrations (“chemical fingerprint”). The source of one pumice sample remains unidentified excluding, however, the Santorini eruption as a possible source. The concluding section of this article discusses the possible contribution, however indirect, of the pumice from Sinai and elsewhere in the Eastern Mediterranean to the controversial issue of the accurate date of the “Minoan” eruption of Santorini.     

Effects of multiple but low pesticide loads on aquatic fungal communities colonizing leaf litter

In the first tier risk assessment (RA) of pesticides, risk for aquatic communities is estimated by using results from standard laboratory tests with algae, daphnids and fish for single pesticides such as herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides. However, fungi as key organisms for nutrient cycling in ecosystems as well as multiple pesticide applications are not considered in the RA. In this study, the effects of multiple low pesticide pulses using regulatory acceptable concentrations (RACs) on the dynamics of non-target aquatic fungi were investigated in a study using pond mesocosm. For that, fungi colonizing black alder (Alnus glutinosa) leaves were exposed to multiple, low pulses of 11 different pesticides over a period of 60 days using a real farmer''s pesticide application protocol for apple cropping. Four pond mesocosms served as treatments and 4 as controls. The composition of fungal communities colonizing the litter material was analyzed using a molecular fingerprinting approach based on the terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (t-RFLP) of the fungal Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region of the ribonucleic acid (RNA) gene(s). Our data indicated a clear fluctuation of fungal communities based on the degree of leaf litter degradation. However significant effects of the applied spraying sequence were not observed. Consequently also degradation rates of the litter material were not affected by the treatments. Our results indicate that the nutrient rich environment of the leaf litter material gave fungal communities the possibility to express genes that induce tolerance against the applied pesticides. Thus our data may not be transferred to other fresh water habitats with lower nutrient availability.     

Radioluminescence Dating: A New Tool for Quaternary Geology and Archaeology

 Natural minerals, such as widespread quartz and feldspars, have physical properties which enable them to be used as radiation dosimeters. The underlying luminescence phenomena have made it possible in recent decades to determine the age of a variety of materials important for quaternary geochronometry and archaeochronometry. We present a new luminescence dating method based on radioluminescence measurements of potassium feldspar. For the first time we have been able to investigate the light-emitting transition of electrons from the conduction band to an optically sensitive electron trap. Many advantages can be derived from such direct measurements of the metastable electron density in this particular trap, which produces the age-dependent signal. The method can be used to date the last light exposure of feldspar grains within a range of a few hundred to more than 200,000 years. Examples are presented of age determination of various waterlaid quaternary sands. The results of a basic study of feldspar radioluminescence also shed light on effects not sufficiently understood in conventional dating by luminescence techniques, especially in infrared optically stimulated luminescence dating of feldspar. Received: 6 August 1998 / Accepted in revised form: 14 April 1999     

Volcanic mercury in Pinus canariensis

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic element that is emitted to the atmosphere by both human activities and natural processes. Volcanic emissions are considered a natural source of mercury in the environment. In some cases, tree ring records taken close to volcanoes and their relation to volcanic activity over time are contradictory. In 1949, the Hoyo Negro volcano (La Palma-Canary Islands) produced significant pyroclastic flows that damaged the nearby stand of Pinus canariensis. Recently, 60 years after the eruption, we assessed mercury concentrations in the stem of a pine which survived volcano formation, located at a distance of 50 m from the crater. We show that Hg content in a wound caused by pyroclastic impacts (22.3 μg kg^?1) is an order of magnitude higher than the Hg concentrations measured in the xylem before and after the eruption (2.3 μg kg^?1). Thus, mercury emissions originating from the eruption remained only as a mark—in pyroclastic wounds—and can be considered a sporadic and very high mercury input that did not affect the overall Hg input in the xylem. In addition, mercury contents recorded in the phloem (9.5 μg kg^?1) and bark (6.0 μg kg^?1) suggest that mercury shifts towards non-living tissues of the pine, an aspect that can be related to detoxification in volcanism-adapted species.     

Heartbeat of a mountain: diagnosing the age of depositional events in the Karoo (Gondwana) Basin from the pulse of the Cape Orogen

Careful consideration of the effects of the Cape orogeny on sedimentation in the Carboniferous–Jurassic Karoo Basin provides an indirect tool for accurately dating these rocks. Fossil and radiometric data, especially when combined with sedimentological and structural information, yield partly overlapping age brackets which can be used to correlate the successive tectonic pulses with specific depositional events. Application of these principles to associated basins in Gondwanaland can provide a firm foundation for more dependable stratigraphic correlation on a global scale. The exercise also suggests that a number of widely held opinions on the age of certain stratigraphic units in the Karoo Supergroup may be incorrect.     

Diet and environment 1.2 million years ago revealed through analysis of dental calculus from Europe’s oldest hominin at Sima del Elefante,Spain

Sima del Elefante, Atapuerca, Spain contains one of the earliest hominin fragments yet known in Europe, dating to 1.2 Ma. Dental calculus from a hominin molar was removed, degraded and analysed to recover entrapped remains. Evidence for plant use at this time is very limited and this study has revealed the earliest direct evidence for foods consumed in the genus Homo. This comprises starchy carbohydrates from two plants, including a species of grass from the Triticeae or Bromideae tribe, meat and plant fibres. All food was eaten raw, and there is no evidence for processing of the starch granules which are intact and undamaged. Additional biographical detail includes fragments of non-edible wood found adjacent to an interproximal groove suggesting oral hygiene activities, while plant fibres may be linked to raw material processing. Environmental evidence comprises spores, insect fragments and conifer pollen grains which are consistent with a forested environment.     

鸭绿江口重金属沉积记录的环境意义

对采自鸭绿江主汊道的3根柱状样进行了放射性测年、粒度和重金属含量等指标的测试.通过放射性元素测年,得出其沉积速率分别为1.88、1.60和1.48 cm·a~(-1),由此建立年代框架.重金属垂向分布、R型聚类、地累积指数及沉积通量的分析结果表明,鸭绿江主汊道沉积的8种重金属的垂向分布具有阶段性,1981年前后(3个柱状样分别对应62、58和44 cm处)是重要的时间节点.R型聚类显示出3类物源,元素Zn主要来源于人类活动,Cr、Cu和Pb具有人为和自然双重来源,Cd、Hg、As和Ni主要来源于陆源物质的风化.主汊道重金属的含量总体上在逐年缓慢增加,但由于主汊道受到强大水动力的稀释作用,使其对鸭绿江口生态环境的影响很小,绝大多数重金属元素的地累积指数为-1.15~1.01,为无污染和偶有轻微污染的状态.受区域物源供给的限制,各重金属元素沉积通量在多数时段接近或低于背景值,总体上人类活动对鸭绿江主汊道重金属的沉积影响不大.鸭绿江的不同区域重金属的沉积记录并不同步,主汊道的重金属污染程度显著小于西汊道.     

西湖底泥中厌氧氨氧化菌的分子生物学检测

厌氧氨氧化（anaerobic ammonium oxidation,anammox）在海洋氮素循环中起了重要作用,而有关天然淡水生态系统中anammox的研究报道并不多.本研究采用16SrRNA基因克隆文库技术首次考察了西湖淡水底泥中anammox菌的分布与种群多样性水平.16SrRNA系统发育分析表明,西湖底泥中的...     

黑龙江省莲花山第四纪火山

本文论述了黑龙江省莲花山火山的火山景观、喷发时代、岩石学和岩石化学、构造和经济地质。根据莲花山火山石龙岩同位素测年和第四纪地层层序资料,其喷发时代属早更新世。新取得的岩石的稀土元素、微量元素、幔源包体和巨晶资料表明其岩性和五大连池相似,又略有差别。作者认为莲花山和尖山为五大连池火山往-西南的延伸。广义的五大连池火山群包括五大连池、莲花山和尖山,共21座火山锥。     

Pulsed laser micro polishing: Surface prediction model

The objective of this work is to predict the final roughness of metal surfaces that have undergone pulsed laser micro polishing. The motivation for pulsed laser micro polishing is to reduce the surface roughness of parts whose surface texture can approach the feature size. Being able to predict the magnitude of the polishing and frequency (wavelength) content of the surface will assist in the design of optimal processing parameters with minimal experiments. Laser pulses are used to create shallow melt pools with a controlled size (e.g., depth) and duration in order to allow surface tension forces to “pull down” asperities with small radius of curvature. There is no ablation occurring in the process being modeled. The melt depth and duration are predicted with a transient, two-dimensional axisymmetric heat transfer model with temperature-dependent material properties. The surface of the melt pool is analytically modeled as oscillations of stationary capillary waves with damping resulting from the forces of surface tension and viscosity. Above a critical spatial frequency, f_cr, a significant reduction in the amplitude of the spatial Fourier components is expected. The work described in this paper extends the concept of critical frequency to a physics-based prediction methodology for predicting the spatial frequency content and surface roughness after polishing, given the features of the original surface, the material properties, and laser parameters. The proposed prediction methodology was validated using line polishing data for stainless steel 316L and area polishing results for pure nickel, Ti6Al4V, and Al-6061-T6. The predicted average surface roughnesses were within 12% of the values measured on the polished surfaces.     

二叠-三叠纪生物绝灭事件的地球化学研究新进展

二叠-三叠纪生物绝灭事件在地史发展中有着重要作用,灭绝加速了物种的进化和更替。本文简要总结了近几年来全球地球化学、地质和古生物等学者关于P-T生物绝灭事件的研究,包括事件的测年研究进展和事件原因的种种学说,其中详细阐述了地外碰撞(小行星或彗星)、火山学说、缺氧学说以及海洋酸性化假设的研究进展,并对该绝灭事件研究意义进行了简单的分析和探讨。     

东南沿海火山、侵入杂岩同位素年代学

本文运用同位素年代学方法对东南沿海火山、侵入杂岩进行系统研究。认为火山活动起止时间因地而异,粤东为180—75Ma;渐、闽为135—105Ma,东西两区也有差别。发现粤东高基坪群下群存在180—170Ma的早侏罗世火山岩。全区火山活动可划分为七个旋回。火山岩与侵入岩同时、同源、同空间和同步迁移。火山活动先由南向北,再由北向南逆转;东西方向由大陆向海洋推移演化。     

Listriodon guptai Pilgrim, 1926 (Mammalia, Suidae) from the early Miocene of the Bugti Hills, Balochistan, Pakistan: new insights into early Listriodontinae evolution and biogeography

New dental remains of listriodont suids are described from the lower member of the early to middle Miocene Vihowa Formation of the Bugti Hills, Pakistan. The material is homogeneous in terms of morphology and dimensions and referred as a whole to Listriodon guptai Pilgrim, 1926. This species is also mentioned in coeval deposits of the Zinda Pir Dome, Pakistan, dating back to ca. 19 Ma. The early occurrence of an advanced listriodont in Pakistan constrains the age of acquisition of several characters correlated to lophodonty within Listriodontini, and raises major questions about the early history of the Old World Listriodontinae. Strong morphological similarity between Listriodon guptai and the African species Listriodon akatikubas found in the late early Miocene of Maboko (Kenya, ca. 16.5 Ma) suggests that this latter is most probably a migrant originating from Asia.     

Re-Os同位素体系在金属矿床研究中的应用

Re－Os法能够对金属硫化物矿物直接进行同位素定年，并可以根据矿物的Os同位素初始比值探讨成矿物质来源。它的研究对象还包括黑色页岩和洋底含金属沉积物等。普通Os法可以用于铂族元素矿物定年和成矿物源区的讨论。近年由常规Re－Os法衍生的Os－Os法有可能避免前者在定年技术方面的一些困难。Re-Os同位素体系为成矿年代学研究提供了广阔的前景。     

Soil emissions of NO, N2O and CO2 from croplands in the savanna region of central Brazil

In the last 40 years, a large area of savanna vegetation in Central Brazil (Cerrado) has been converted to agriculture, with intensive use of fertilizers, irrigation and management practices. Currently, the Cerrado is the main region for beef and grain production in Brazil. However, the consequences of these agricultural practices on NO, N₂O and CO₂ emissions from soil to atmosphere are still poorly investigated. The objectives of this study were to quantify soil emissions of NO-N, N₂O-N and CO₂-C in different no-till cultivation systems in comparison with native savanna vegetation. The agricultural areas included: (a) the maize and Brachiaria ruzizienses intercropping system followed by irrigated bean in rotation; (b) soybean followed by natural fallow; and (c) cotton planting over B. ruzizienses straw. The study was performed from August 2003 to October 2005 and fluxes were measured before and after planting, after fertilizations, during the growing season, before and after harvesting. NO-N fluxes in the soybean field were similar to those measured in the native vegetation. In the cornfield, higher NO-N fluxes were measured before planting than after planting and pulses were observed after broadcast fertilizations. During Brachiaria cultivation NO-N fluxes were lower than in native vegetation. In the irrigated area (bean cultivation), NO-N fluxes were also significantly higher after broadcast fertilizations. Most of the soil N₂O-N fluxes measured under cultivated and native vegetation were very low (<0.6 ng N₂O-N cm⁻² h⁻¹) except during bean cultivation when N₂O-N fluxes increased after the first and second broadcast fertilization with irrigation and during nodule senescence in the soybean field. Soil respiration values from the soybean field were similar to those in native vegetation. The CO₂-C fluxes during cultivation of maize and irrigated bean were twice as high as in the native vegetation. During bean cultivation with irrigation, an increase in CO₂-C fluxes was observed after broadcast fertilization followed by a decrease after the harvest. Significantly lower soil C stocks (0-30 cm depth) were determined under no-tillage agricultural systems in comparison with the stocks under savanna vegetation. Fertilizer-induced emission factors of N oxides calculated from the data were lower than those indicated by the IPCC as default.     

Comparisons of dental morphology in river stingrays (Chondrichthyes: Potamotrygonidae) with new fossils from the middle Eocene of Peruvian Amazonia rekindle debate on their evolution

Endemic South American river stingrays (Potamotrygonidae), which include the most diversified living freshwater chondrichthyans, were conspicuously absent from pre-Neogene deposits in South America despite the fact that recent phylogenetic analyses strongly suggest an older origination for this clade. To date, the rare representatives of this family were mostly represented by ambiguous isolated remains. Here, we report 67 isolated fossil teeth of a new obligate freshwater dasyatoid (Potamotrygon ucayalensis nov. sp) from the fossiliferous level CTA-27 (Yahuarango Formation), near Contamana, in the Peruvian Amazonia. We assigned this sample to a new representative of Potamotrygon by comparison with numerous fresh jaws of living specimens of Potamotrygonidae, thus providing the first detailed review of dental morphology for this poorly understood clade. These new fossils fill a long stratigraphic gap by extending the family range down to the middle Eocene (～41 Mya). Moreover, the relative modernity and diversity in tooth morphology among Eocene freshwater stingrays (including Potamotrygon ucayalensis nov. sp. and coeval North American dasyatoids) indicate that the hypothetically marine ancestor of potamotrygonids probably invaded the rivers earlier than in the middle Eocene. The first potamotrygonids and affiliates were possibly more generalized and less endemic than now, which is consistent with an opportunistic filling of vacated ecospace.     

Factors determining presence of passerines breeding within White Stork <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ciconia ciconia</Emphasis> nests

Nests of White Stork Ciconia ciconia are commonly used by various passerines as nesting sites. In this study, we investigated factors determining presence and number of pairs of species breeding within White Stork nests in an extensive farmland in NE Poland. In 133 (57%) out of 233 White Stork nests, we found at least one breeding pair of passerine bird. These were from three species: House Sparrows Passer domesticus (68% of 133 nests with co-breeding), Tree Sparrows Passer montanus (65%), and Starlings Sturnus vulgaris (30%). The probability of breeding passerines within White Stork nests increased with increasing nest thickness, and was significantly higher in currently occupied nests. Sparrows were more likely to breed in White Stork nests located on electricity poles, situated closer to settlements and surrounded mainly by arable fields where meadows were not prevalent. In this paper, we show that White Stork nests are favorable nesting sites for passerines, as they are well insulated and provide an anti-predatory shield.     

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR): biometric and Doppler assessment

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a common complication in pregnancy and influences morbidity and mortality at all stages of life. Historically, the management of IUGR has been dependent on antenatal biophysical testing and umbilical artery Doppler studies. With recent Doppler studies of the fetal central circulation, including intracardiac flows and the ductus venosus, better timing of delivery to minimize morbidity may be possible. This review will provide the reader with tools to diagnose IUGR, more accurately date the IUGR pregnancy with poor dating criteria, and better assess the condition of the IUGR fetus. A brief review of animal models of IUGR is presented to demonstrate research directions for answering human clinical questions and potentially carrying therapeutic intervention from the bench to the bedside. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.