Distribution of selenium and arsenic in differentiated multicellular eukaryotic fossils and their significance

We present variation patterns of trace elements within different sequences of the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation(DST,635-551 million years ago),and inside the cells of the earliest differentiated multicellular eukaryotic fossils of the Weng'an biota in the Weng'an County of Guizhou Province.The results showed that selenium is the most enriched and significantly varied trace element among the 22 trace elements throughout the DST,followed by arsenic.The highest selenium and arsenic content sequences are consistent with the first appeared sequence of the earliest differentiated multicellular eukaryotic fossils Megasphaera at the middle to upper parts of the DST.Nanoman secondary ion mass spectrometry analyses show that selenium and arsenic have an inhomogeneous and punctate distribution in the nucleus and cytoplasm.The nucleus has anomalously enriched levels of selenium and arsenic among the organelles.The selenium and arsenic concentrations exhibit a positive correlation with the diversity of fossilized Megasphaera.These new findings give us a clue that the anomalous enrichment of selenium and arsenic might contributes to the cell differentiation in Ediacaran Doushantuo period.

Discovery of anomalous gallium enriched in stone coal: Significance, provenance and recommendations

Gallium(Ga)is a critical mineral that plays an irreplaceable role in consumer electronics,clean energy technologies and the aerospace industry.Nowadays competition for gallium resources at the national strategic level has begun to emerge,but gallium resources are unevenly distributed globally,and their presence is not guaranteed.New discoveries revealed an average gallium concentration of thirty-one samples from M_(1),M_(2),M_(3) and M_(4) stone coal-bearing seams of the Cambrian strata on South Qinling Orogenic Belt in central China is 157 mg/kg(9.98–747 mg/kg),which is 27.6-fold higher than the global hard coal average,as well as the existing association of Mo–V–U–Cd–Zn–Ba–Se–Mg–Ni–Cu enrichment.Ga average of these coal seams are 344 mg/kg(M_(3),44.5–747 mg/kg,n=11),270 mg/kg(M_(4),14.3–270 mg/kg,n=5),53.8 mg/kg(M_(2),22.6–75.4 mg/kg,n=8)and 19.8 mg/kg(M_(1),9.98–34.9 mg/kg,n=7)respectively,as well as the thickness of approximately 6,12,8,and 20 m,which be close to or exceed to the boundary grade standard(30 mg/kg)and minimum recoverable thickness(0.7 m)of gal-lium resources exploration.These findings indicate that the Cambrian stone coal deposits,especially in the middle and late Cambrian period,should be considered as promising alternative sources of gallium.The anomalous gallium-enriched sediments originated from a complex combination of hydrothermal flu-ids,original biomass and terrigenous materials.For the M_(1) stone coal-bearing seams,gallium most likely occurred in the mode of GaAs,Ga_(x)In_(1-x)As and GaO(OH),while modes of gallium in the M_(2) to M_(4) seams is interrelated with the organic affinity and clay minerals.The crude reserve estimate of gallium resources in central China is approximately 10.06?104 tons,corresponding to a super-large coal-hosted gallium ore deposit.The unique paleogeographic location and geological structure in central China resulted that this newly discovered deposit is a unique type of gallium-enriched deposit that has been discovered worldwide.These discoveries will provide the critical parameters when developing distinctive benefici-ation processes and appropriate extraction procedures,as well as guidance and effective for future prospecting regions of gallium resources around the globe,involving a combination consider the distri-bution of regional deep–large fault zones and the middle to late Cambrian black rock series deposits.