We conducted detailed studies of the Sinian carbonates from the Helan Mountain,Ningxia by both field investigation and laboratory analyses of carbon and oxygen isotopes.The carbon isotopic compositions of the Sinian Z...We conducted detailed studies of the Sinian carbonates from the Helan Mountain,Ningxia by both field investigation and laboratory analyses of carbon and oxygen isotopes.The carbon isotopic compositions of the Sinian Zhengmuguan Formation shows variations with regularity in the five studied sections,theδ13C values all gradually decrease from bottom to top,with a total range from 4.51‰to 0.11‰,and the biggest negative excursion reaches up to 6.88‰.In addition,abundant macro-body fossils were also found from the Tuerkeng Formation in this study,similar to those found from the Dengying Formation in the South China Block.This observation firmly constrained the age for the Zhengmuguan and Tuerkeng formations to the Sinian period.Here we interpreted that the Zhengmuguan Formation formed during a glacial period when the extremely cold climate substantially decreased the amount of burial of organic matter in the ocean and thus led to the general negativeδ13C excursion.The increasingδ13C values in the Tuerkeng Formation dolomites imply the ending of the glacial period in the Zhengmuguan epoch,biological recovery and increase of organic matter burial in the ocean occurred during this period.Comparing our obtained carbon and oxygen isotopes of the Zhengmuguan and Tuerkeng formations with those of coeval carbonate successions from other places all over the world,the Zhengmuguang-aged glacial deposits might be deposited after the Gaskiers glaciation.This study provides important information for paleo-ocean,paleogeographic and biological evolution in the North China Block during the Ediacaran period and adds new carbon and oxygen isotopes data for the global Sinian carbon-oxygen isotopes dataset.展开更多
There are small pit chains in the floor of lunar Copernican craters. They are usually so small in scale that there are few lunar spacecrafts to detect their detailed morphology. Combining camera data from Lunar Orbite...There are small pit chains in the floor of lunar Copernican craters. They are usually so small in scale that there are few lunar spacecrafts to detect their detailed morphology. Combining camera data from Lunar Orbiter, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Kaguya and Chang’e-1 missions, 5 representative large Copernican craters on various terrains of the lunar surface are chosen to study the origin of the pit chains in the crater floor. The morphology and distribution characteristic of the pit chains are referred by the high resolution images in this research. It is suggested that it is the magma activities from the subsurface magma layer combining with the existence of fractures and faults under the crater floor that leaded the formation of the pit chains. The model is further verified and discussed using the regolith thickness data in the crater floor. Our model suggests that the pit chains are still developing in the floor of the Copernican craters and the Moon may not be totally cold. Finally, the model limitation and potential future work are discussed based on available data.展开更多
基金supported by China Geological Survey (1212011120552)
文摘We conducted detailed studies of the Sinian carbonates from the Helan Mountain,Ningxia by both field investigation and laboratory analyses of carbon and oxygen isotopes.The carbon isotopic compositions of the Sinian Zhengmuguan Formation shows variations with regularity in the five studied sections,theδ13C values all gradually decrease from bottom to top,with a total range from 4.51‰to 0.11‰,and the biggest negative excursion reaches up to 6.88‰.In addition,abundant macro-body fossils were also found from the Tuerkeng Formation in this study,similar to those found from the Dengying Formation in the South China Block.This observation firmly constrained the age for the Zhengmuguan and Tuerkeng formations to the Sinian period.Here we interpreted that the Zhengmuguan Formation formed during a glacial period when the extremely cold climate substantially decreased the amount of burial of organic matter in the ocean and thus led to the general negativeδ13C excursion.The increasingδ13C values in the Tuerkeng Formation dolomites imply the ending of the glacial period in the Zhengmuguan epoch,biological recovery and increase of organic matter burial in the ocean occurred during this period.Comparing our obtained carbon and oxygen isotopes of the Zhengmuguan and Tuerkeng formations with those of coeval carbonate successions from other places all over the world,the Zhengmuguang-aged glacial deposits might be deposited after the Gaskiers glaciation.This study provides important information for paleo-ocean,paleogeographic and biological evolution in the North China Block during the Ediacaran period and adds new carbon and oxygen isotopes data for the global Sinian carbon-oxygen isotopes dataset.
文摘There are small pit chains in the floor of lunar Copernican craters. They are usually so small in scale that there are few lunar spacecrafts to detect their detailed morphology. Combining camera data from Lunar Orbiter, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Kaguya and Chang’e-1 missions, 5 representative large Copernican craters on various terrains of the lunar surface are chosen to study the origin of the pit chains in the crater floor. The morphology and distribution characteristic of the pit chains are referred by the high resolution images in this research. It is suggested that it is the magma activities from the subsurface magma layer combining with the existence of fractures and faults under the crater floor that leaded the formation of the pit chains. The model is further verified and discussed using the regolith thickness data in the crater floor. Our model suggests that the pit chains are still developing in the floor of the Copernican craters and the Moon may not be totally cold. Finally, the model limitation and potential future work are discussed based on available data.
