Late Quaternary (30.7–9.0 cal ka BP) vegetation history in Central Asia inferred from pollen records of Lake Balikun, northwest China

Surface and fossil pollen samples were collected to reconstruct the vegetation and environment since 30.7 cal ka BP in the Lake Balikun Basin, northwest China. This record demonstrates that the region was occupied by four vegetation communities during the interval 30.7–9.0 cal ka BP, including desert steppe (30.7–25.1 cal ka BP), Amaranthaceae-Asteraceae desert (25.1–17.7 cal ka BP), Amaranthaceae-Artemisia-Asteraceae desert (17.7–12.8 cal ka BP) and Amaranthaceae desert (12.8–9.0 cal ka BP), corresponding to relatively humid, the coldest and driest, cold and dry, and colder and drier conditions, respectively. The reconstructions of vegetation and environmental changes around Lake Balikun do not support the interpretation of an extremely humid LGM in Central Asia, challenging the cold-moist (glacial), warm-dry (interglacial) pattern of late Quaternary environmental change in Central Asia. The Last Glacial Maximum was cold and dry, and similarly harsh conditions continued into the early Holocene.     

Tracing origins of sewage and organic matter using dissolved sterols in Masan and Haengam Bay,Korea

Masan and Haengam Bays in Korea are highly polluted and semi-enclosed. Domestic and industrial effluents are directly or indirectly discharged into the bays through sewage treatment plants (STP) and creeks. In this study, 15 dissolved sterol compounds were determined in order to understand their sources and relative contribution. Freshwater samples were taken from 13 creeks and at two STP sites on a monthly basis. Total dissolved sterol concentrations ranged from 993 to 4158 ng/L. The concentrations of sterols in winter were higher than in summer. Among the sterols analyzed, cholesterol, β-sitosterol, coprostanol and cholestanone were major compounds in creek water. Seawater samples were concurrently collected at 21 stations in Masan Bay. Total sterol concentrations ranged 118–6,956 ng/L. Inner bay showed high concentrations of sterols in summer, while outer bay showed high sterol concentrations in winter. Among the sterols, cholesterol, β-sitosterol and brassicasterol were major compounds in seawater. In order to examine the contribution of urban sewage, the concentration of coprostanol and fecal sterol ratios were calculated. Most of the creek water, inner bay and near STP outlet samples were affected by sewage. Terrestrial organic matters accounted for a high proportion of dissolved organic matter origin. Fecal origins were relatively high in the inner bay areas and in the STP outlet, while sterols of marine origin were high in the outer bay areas.     

Native antimony in the Baogutu gold deposit (west Junggar,NW China): Its occurrence and origin

The Baogutu gold deposit, West Junggar (Xinjiang, NW China), is composed of quartz–sulfide veins and their stockworks and is hosted within an Early Carboniferous volcanic–sedimentary sequence. Three ore-forming paragenetic stages can be identified: coarse-grained quartz–sulfide vein (stage I), gold-bearing fine-grained quartz–sulfide vein (stage II), and native antimony-bearing calcite–sulfide veinlets (stage III). The estimated formation temperatures (approximately 360 to 220 °C), fS₂ (? 7 to ? 15 log units), and fO₂ (? 26 to ? 43 log units) decrease from stage I, through stage II, to stage III. The nature of the hydrothermal fluid changed from weakly acidic (pH: 5 to 6 at stage I) to alkaline (pH: > 7 at stage III).Two different occurrences of native antimony could be identified: one coexists with chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite, whereas the other occurs as isolate grains within calcite veins. Native antimony (up to 100 μm in size) contains minor amounts of As (2.0 to 2.7 wt.%); empirical formula Sb_0.95–0.96As_0.03–0.04. Decrease of temperature and fO₂ at high pH and low fS₂ conditions favored co-precipitation of native antimony–ullmannite assemblages and the decomposition of tetrahedrite. Native antimony crystallized later than the native gold, suggesting fractionation between Au and Sb during the hydrothermal evolution of the deposit.     

Preparation of integrative cubes as a novel biological permeable reactive barrier medium for the enhancement of in situ aerobic bioremediation of nitrobenzene-contaminated groundwater

Recent studies have indicated that in situ aerobic bioremediation is one of the most effective methods for remediating groundwater contaminated with nitrobenzene (NB). Aerobic bioremediation is largely dependent on the maintenance of adequate dissolved oxygen (DO) levels in the groundwater. Traditional in situ aeration has various disadvantages, such as high operational costs and nonuniform aeration. In this study, integrative cubes were prepared and utilized as a novel biological permeable reactive barrier (bio-PRB) medium to enhance the aerobic bioremediation of NB-contaminated groundwater. The results revealed an NB removal rate greater than 98.68% after 15–20 days of continuous oxygen release from the bio-PRB medium. DO concentrations reached 8.0 mg/L during treatment, and NB-degrading bacteria were able to tolerate a range of pH conditions. This multifaceted bio-PRB medium can simultaneously adsorb and biodegrade NB, release oxygen, and neutralize the pH with phosphate buffer. The results of this study suggest that this bio-PRB medium represents a highly effective in situ bioremediation method for NB-contaminated groundwater.     

Discovery of the early Jurassic Gajia mélange in the Bangong–Nujiang suture zone: Southward subduction of the Bangong–Nujiang Ocean?

International Journal of Earth Sciences - Mélange records a series of geological processes associated with oceanic subduction and continental collision. This paper reports for the first time...