Present-day movement characteristics of the Qinghai Nanshan fault and its surrounding area from GPS observation

The Qinghai Nanshan fault is a larger fault in the Northeastern Xizang Plateau.In previous studies,its movement characteristics are mainly investigated with geological and seismic observations,and the tectonic transformation role of the fault on its east is not yet clear.This study uses data fusion to obtain denser GPS observations near the Qinghai Nanshan fault.Based on tectonic characteristics,we establish a block model to investigate the fault slip rate,locking degree,and slip deficit.The results show that the Qinghai Nanshan fault slip rate is characterized by sinistral and convergent movement.Both the sinistral and convergent rates display a decreasing trend from west to east.The locking degree and slip deficit are higher in the western segment(with an average of about 0.74 and 1.1 mm/a)and lower in the eastern segment.Then,we construct a strain rate field using GPS observations to analyze the regional strain characteristics.The results indicate that along the fault,the western segment shows a larger shear strain rate and negative dilation rate.Regional earthquake records show that the frequency of earthquakes is lower near the fault.The joint results suggest that the western segment may have a higher earthquake risk.In addition,the insignificant fault slip rate in the eastern segment may indicate that it does not participate in the tectonic transformation among the Riyueshan,Lajishan,and West Qinling faults.

Origin of the Dashuigou independent tellurium deposit at Qinghai–Xizang Plateau: constraints from the light stable isotopes C, O, and H

By studying the light isotopic compositions of carbon,oxygen,and hydrogen,combined with previous research results on the ore-forming source of the deposit,the authors try to uncover its metallogenic origin.The δ^(18)O and δ^(13)C isotope signatures of dolomite samples vary between 10.2 and 13.0‰,and between−7.2 and−5.2‰,respectively,implying that the carbon derives from the upper mantle.δD and δ^(18) O of quartz,biotite,and muscovite from diff erent ore veins of the deposit vary between−82 and−59‰,and between 11.6 and 12.4‰,respectively,implying that the metallogenic solutions are mainly magmatic.According to the relevant research results of many isotope geologists,the fractionation degree of hydrogen isotopes increases as the depth to the Earth’s core increases,and the more diff erentiated the hydrogen isotopes are,the lower their values will be.In other words,mantle-derived solutions can have extremely low hydrogen isotope values.This means that the δD‰ value−134 of the pyrrhotite sample numbered SD-34 in this article may indicate mantle-derived oreforming fl uid of the deposit.The formation of the Dashuigou tellurium deposit occurred between 91.71 and 80.19 Ma.

Quantification of the concrete freeze–thaw environment across the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau based on machine learning algorithms

The reasonable quantification of the concrete freezing environment on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau(QTP) is the primary issue in frost resistant concrete design, which is one of the challenges that the QTP engineering managers should take into account. In this paper, we propose a more realistic method to calculate the number of concrete freeze–thaw cycles(NFTCs) on the QTP. The calculated results show that the NFTCs increase as the altitude of the meteorological station increases with the average NFTCs being 208.7. Four machine learning methods, i.e., the random forest(RF) model, generalized boosting method(GBM), generalized linear model(GLM), and generalized additive model(GAM), are used to fit the NFTCs. The root mean square error(RMSE) values of the RF, GBM, GLM, and GAM are 32.3, 4.3, 247.9, and 161.3, respectively. The R^(2) values of the RF, GBM, GLM, and GAM are 0.93, 0.99, 0.48, and 0.66, respectively. The GBM method performs the best compared to the other three methods, which was shown by the results of RMSE and R^(2) values. The quantitative results from the GBM method indicate that the lowest, medium, and highest NFTC values are distributed in the northern, central, and southern parts of the QTP, respectively. The annual NFTCs in the QTP region are mainly concentrated at 160 and above, and the average NFTCs is 200 across the QTP. Our results can provide scientific guidance and a theoretical basis for the freezing resistance design of concrete in various projects on the QTP.

Differential response of radial growth and δ^(13)C in Qinghai spruce(Picea crassifolia) to climate change on the southern and northern slopes of the Qilian Mountains in Northwest China

Tree radial growth can have significantly differ-ent responses to climate change depending on the environ-ment.To elucidate the effects of climate on radial growth and stable carbon isotope(δ^(13)C)fractionation of Qing-hai spruce(Picea crassifolia),a widely distributed native conifer in northwestern China in different environments,we developed chronologies for tree-ring widths and δ^(13)C in trees on the southern and northern slopes of the Qilian Mountains,and analysed the relationship between these tree-ring variables and major climatic factors.Tree-ring widths were strongly influenced by climatic factors early in the growing season,and the radial growth in trees on the northern slopes was more sensitive to climate than in trees on the southern.Tree-ring δ^(13)C was more sensitive to climate than radial growth.δ^(13)C fractionation was mainly influenced by summer temperature and precipitation early in the growing season.Stomatal conductance more strongly limited stable carbon isotope fractionation in tree rings than photosynthetic rate did.The response between tree rings and climate in mountains gradually weakened as climate warmed.Changes in radial growth and stable carbon isotope fractionation of P.crassifolia in response to climate in the Qilian Mountains may be further complicated by continued climate change.

Analysis of Outdoor Cultivation of Pepino(Solanum muricatum)in Qinghai Province

[Objectives]This study was conducted to explore the feasibility of planting pepino(Solanum muricatum Ait.)in Qinghai Province,and to understand the cultivation quality and yield in various areas of Qinghai.[Methods]With small fruit type of pepino as the material,four areas in eastern Qinghai were selected to determine the agronomic traits,yield and quality indexes of pepino.[Results]Under the same cultivation conditions,there were some differences in the cultivation status of pepino,but overall,pepino fruit had higher quality.Various physiological indexes were correlated with quality and yield.[Conclusions]This study clarified the specific cultivation situation of pepino in Qinghai Province,and evaluated the quality and yield of pepino,providing strong data support for the promotion and planting of pepino in various regions in the future.

Analysis on the Spatial Agglomeration and Coupling of Socioeconomic Factors in Qinghai Tourism Under the Background of“Belt and Road”

Qinghai is the strategic base and important fulcrum of the Belt and Road Initiative while tourism is a strategic pillar industry in Qinghai Province.Due to its rich tourism resources and unique ecological environment,the integration of tourism in Qinghai into the Belt and Road has attracted great attention of the Asian Development Bank(ADB).With the spatial data of tourism elements POI and the statistical data of 44 counties in Qinghai to analyze the characteristics and influencing factors of the spatial agglomeration of tourism in Qinghai,the paper conducts research on spatial coupling and concludes with the following results:The spatial agglomeration of tourism in Qinghai presents the distribution pattern of“one circle and one belt”;economic density and population density play an important role in the formation of the spatial agglomeration pattern of tourism with some spatial spillovers;Belt and Road has a significant impact on the promotion of tourism agglomeration in Qinghai.The paper suggests that tourism in Qinghai should fully integrate into the Belt and Road,giving full play to the guiding role of Belt and Road in the allocation of social and economic resources,and optimizing the spatial layout.

Response of Freezing/Thawing Indexes to the Wetting Trend under Warming Climate Conditions over the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau during 1961–2010:A Numerical Simulation

Since the 1990s,the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau(QTP)has experienced a strikingly warming and wetter climate that alters the thermal and hydrological properties of frozen ground.A positive correlation between the warming and thermal degradation in permafrost or seasonally frozen ground(SFG)has long been recognized.Still,a predictive relationship between historical wetting under warming climate conditions and frozen ground has not yet been well demonstrated,despite the expectation that it will become even more important because precipitation over the QTP has been projected to increase continuously in the near future.This study investigates the response of the thermal regime to historical wetting in both permafrost and SFG areas and examines their relationships separately using the Community Land Surface Model version 4.5.Results show that wetting before the 1990s across the QTP mainly cooled the permafrost body in the arid and semiarid zones,with significant correlation coefficients of 0.60 and 0.48,respectively.Precipitation increased continually at the rate of 6.16 mm decade–1 in the arid zone after the 1990s but had a contrasting warming effect on permafrost through a significant shortening of the thawing duration within the active layer.However,diminished rainfall in the humid zone after the 1990s also significantly extended the thawing duration of SFG.The relationship between the ground thawing index and precipitation was significantly negatively correlated(−0.75).The dual effects of wetting on the thermal dynamics of the QTP are becoming critical because of the projected increases in future precipitation.

Contribution of external forcing to summer precipitation trends over the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Southwest China

在过去的60年中,全球气候经历了快速变暖和短暂的变暖停滞,而中国的区域降水也经历了多样而复杂的变化.本文分析了1961年至2014年外强迫因子对青藏高原和中国西南地区夏季降水趋势的影响.观测数据显示,青藏高原的夏季降水呈增加趋势,而中国西南地区的夏季降水呈减少趋势,这两个相邻地区的夏季降水变化趋势相反.利用CMIP6数据,本文研究了不同外强迫因子对两个区域夏季降水趋势的影响.结果表明,温室气体对青藏高原夏季降水的增加具有显著影响,而气溶胶在中国西南地区夏季降水减少中起主要作用。

Bartonella Species Detected in the Plateau Pikas(Ochotona curzoiae) from Qinghai Plateau in China

Bartonella species can infect a variety ofmammalian hosts and cause a broad spectrum ofdiseases in humans, but there have been no reportsof Bartonella infection in Ochotonidae. This is thefirst study to detect Bartonella in plateau pikas inthe Qinghai plateau, providing baseline data for therisk assessment of human Bartonella infection inthis area. We obtained 15 Bartonella strains from79 pikas in Binggou and Maixiu areas of Qinghaiwith a positive rate of 18.99%. Based on thephylogenetic analysis of the Bartonella citratesynthase （gltA） gene sequences, most strains wereclosely related to B. taylorii （3/15） and B. grahamii（12/15）. The latter is a pathogenic strain in humans.Our results suggest that a corresponding preventionand control strategy should be taken intoconsideration in the Qinghai province.

Analysis on the Characteristics of Climate Changes in the Surrounding Area of Qinghai Lake

[Objective] The aim was to study the characteristics of climate changes in the surrounding area of Qinghai Lake.[Method] Based on the data of temperature,precipitation and sunshine hours from 5 representative meteorological stations in the surrounding area of Qinghai Lake during 1961-2007,the annual,seasonal and decadal variation of meteorological factors were analyzed.[Result] In recent 47 years,temperature showed obvious increase trend in the surrounding area of Qinghai Lake,and annual average temperature increased with the climatic tendency of ≥0.30 ℃/10 a,while annual average minimum temperature increased more significant than annual average temperature and annual average maximum temperature;annual mean precipitation decreased with the climatic tendency of-3.67 mm/10 a,and precipitation in spring and autumn reduced obviously,while precipitation in summer and winter increased slightly;annual sunshine hours also showed decrease trend with the climatic tendency of-1.79 h/10 a,while sunshine hours decreased most obviously in summer,and next came winter,while there was no obvious decrease in spring and autumn.[Conclusion] The study could provide theoretical references for the effective prevention of meteorological disasters in the surrounding area of Qinghai Lake.

Detection of the Urinary Biomarkers PYD, CTX-Ⅱ, and DPD in Patients with Kashin-Beck Disease in the Qinghai Province of China

Kashin-Beck disease（KBD） is an endemic degenerative osteoarthropathy of uncertain etiology. The aim of our study was to identify changes in C-telopeptide of type Ⅱ collagen（CTX-Ⅱ）, pyridinoline（PYD）, and deoxypyridinoline（DPD） among KBD patients. 54 KBD patients and 78 healthy controls were included this study. Urinary samples were collected and measured by ELISA. The median quantities of PYD, CTX-Ⅱ, and DPD of KBD patients were 1107.73 ng/μmol.cre, 695.11 ng/μmol.cre, and 1342.34 pml/μmol.cre, while the median quantities of healthy controls were 805.59 ng/μmol.cre, 546.47 ng/μmol.cre, and 718.15 pml/μmol.cre, respectively. The differences between KBD patients and healthy controls were statistically significant（Z = 4.405, 3.653, and 3.724; P 〈 0.001）. The higher levels of PYD, CTX-Ⅱ, and DPD detected in KBD patients indicate that they could be used as biomarkers of KBD.

A 1000-year record of Mg/Li and Li/Ca ratios of ostracod shells in Lake Qinghai,NE Tibetan Plateau

1 Introduction Lake Qinghai,famous as the largest inland saline lake in China,located on the high-altitude northeastern Tibetan Plateau,and four junctional zones of the East Asian summer monsoon(EASM),Indian summer monsoon(ISM),East Asian winter monsoon and the westerly jet stream prevail,making it sensitive to global climate change

Review of numerical simulation on the dy-namics of Qinghai-Xizang plateau

In recent twenty years, much numerical simulation work has been done on the evolution of Qinghai-Xizang (Tibetan) plateau. In this paper some principal numerical models and results are reviewed and analyzed. The earlier plane stress or plane strain model has much discrepancy with the actual deformation of Qinghai-Xizang plateau, such as the thickening of Tibetan crust and the lateral extrusion of Tibet along strike-slip faults. The thin viscous sheet model and the thin-plate model may simulate the change of the crustal thickness and the deformation pro-duced by gravitational force. It is suitable for studying the large-scale and long-time deformation. The influence of faults on the deformation of Tibetan plateau should be further studied.

Progress of Geological Survey Using Airborne Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Data in the Gansu and Qinghai Regions

Hyperspectral remote sensing is now a frontier of the remote sensing technology. Airborne hyperspectral remote sensing data have hundreds of narrow bands to obtain complete and continuous ground-object spectra. Therefore, they can be effectively used to identify these grotmd objects which are difficult to discriminate by using wide-band data, and show much promise in geological survey. At the height of 1500 m, have 36 bands in visible to the CASI hyperspectral data near-infrared spectral range, with a spectral resolution of 19 nm and a space resolution of 0.9 m. The SASI data have 101 bands in the shortwave infrared spectral range, with a spectral resolution of 15 nm and a space resolution of 2.25 m. In 2010, China Geological Survey deployed an airborne CASI/SASI hyperspectral measurement project, and selected the Liuyuan and Fangshankou areas in the Beishan metallogenic belt of Gansu Province, and the Nachitai area of East Kunlun metallogenic belt in Qinghai Province to conduct geological survey. The work period of this project was three years.

Short-term responses to salinity of seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) seedlings in the extremely cold and saline Qinghai region of China

The investigation of the mechanisms of plant adaptation to stressor action is one of the leading directions of current biological studies. To understand the mechanism of salt tolerance of seabuckthom （Hippophae rhamnoides L.） and identify its ability to cope with the salinity effect in the saline and extremely cold region of Qinghai, China, a test was conducted with two-year-old seedlings subjected to 0, 200, 400 and 600 mmol·L^-1 NaClsolutions for 30 d. The results show that with an increase in salinity, the biomass of H. rhamnoides seedlings clearly decreased. Leaf water potential （ψw） and relative water content （RWC） were significantly reduced under salinity, with severe water shortages appearing in leaves. At the same time, the total chlorophyll content declined markedly. When salinity increased and stress time prolonged, the net CO2 assimilation rate （A） significantly declined. Intercellular CO2 concentration （Ci） declined at first and was then followed by an increase over the stress time. We conclude that H. rhamnoides grown in the extremely cold and saline region of Qinghai has a certain resistance to salt, which can be planted at appropriate salinity levels.

A Primary Investigation on Serum CTX-II Changes in Patients Infected with Brucellosis in Qinghai Plateau, China

Brucellosis is one of the most widespread zoonotic diseases, with the most frequent complication being osteoarticular changes. The aim of this study was to assess the changes of C-terminal telopeptide of type II collagen （CTX-II） in patients infected with brucellosis. A total of 84 brucellosis patients and 43 volunteers were selected and divided into brucellosis vs. control groups. Serum samples were subjected to serological tests for brucellosis,

A New Discovery on the Deformation Behavior of Shale Gas Reservoirs Affecting Pore Morphology in the Juhugeng Coal Mining Area of Qinghai Province, Northwest China

Objective The Juhugeng mining area in Qinghai Province of northwest China has attracted wide attention among geologists for it hosts typical coal measure gases.The shale gas reservoirs were reformed by intensive structural movements during geological periods,

Calculation of Solar Albedo and Radiation Equilibrium over the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and Analysisof Their Climatic Features

Using radiation data from the Automatic Weather Stations (AWSs) for thermal balance obser-vations, which were set up at Lhasa, Nagqu, Xigaze and Nyingchi by the Sino-Japanese Asian Monsoon Mechanism Co-operative Project in 1993–1996, and 1985–1989 Earth Radiation Balance Experiment (ERBE) measurements of Langley Research Center/NASA of US, and 1961–1996 monthly mean data from 148 surface stations over the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau (QXP) and its neighborhood, study is performed on empirical calculation methods of surface albedo, surface total radiation, planetary albedo and outgoing longwave radiation with the climatic features of radiation balance at the surface and the atmospheric top examined. Evidences suggest that the empirical formulae for surface albedo, planetary albedo, surface to-tal radiation and outgoing longwave radiation from the atmospheric top are capable of describing their seasonal and interannual variations over the QXP. The surface albedo is marked by noticeable seasonal variation and yearly mean of 0.22 with the maximum of 0.29 in January and minimum of 0.17 in July and August; in winter the albedo has great horizontal difference, bigger in the moun-tains than in the river valleys, and small in summer. The planetary albedo shows a smaller range of its annual variation with the yearly mean of 0.37, the maximum (minimum) occurring in February and March (autumn). In winter its high-value regions are mainly at Gar (Shiquanhe) in the western QXP and from the southwestern Qinghai to the northeastern Tibet and the low-value area at the northern slope of the central Himalayas; in summer, however, the albedo distribution displays clear-ly a progressive decrease from southeast to northwest. As for the surface total radiation, its values and annual varying range are smaller in the east than in the southwest. Its high-value center is at the southern slope of the Himalayas in winter and makes a conspicuous westward migration in spr-ing, remaining there for a long time, and it begins to retreat eastward in autumn. Monthly mean values of the surface net radiation are all positive and larger in summer than in winter. The net ra-diation is significantly intensified under the combined effect of surface total radiation and surface albedo from spring to early summer, resulting in the strongest sector in the mid plateau with its center staying nearly motionless from March to September, and is reduced in autumn dominantly by surface effective radiation. The earth-atmosphere system loses heat outward from October to next February and gains in other months. On an average, the plateau gains heat of 15 W m-2 on an annual basis. Key words The Qinghai-Xizang Plateau - Albedo - Radiation balance - Climatic feature (1)This work was supported under the auspices of the National (G1998040800) and CAS’s Key Project for Basic Research on Tibetan Plateau (KZ951-A1-204; KZ95T-06).

Enrichment of Mantle-derived Fluids in the Formation Process of Granitoids: Evidence from the Himalayan Granitoids around Kunjirap in the Western Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Taking the Himalayan granitoids around Kunjirap in the western Qinghai-Tibetplateau as an example, the authors present in this paper the characteristics of the granitoids richin mantle-derived fluid components and discuss their rock-forming mechanism. The research resultsindicate that the rock assemblage of the studied granitoids involves diopside syenite-diopsidegranite-biotite (monzonitic) granite, consisting mainly of K-feldspar, oligoclase, quartz,iron-phlogolite, diopside and edenite. The rocks are rich in mantle-derived fluid components ofvolatiles including F, alkali metal elements such as K, Na, Rb, Sr and Ha, and radiogenicheat-producing elements such as U and Th. They were generated by the influx of mantle-derived fluidsinto the lower crest to give rise to partial melting during the lithosphere thinning in theQinghai-Tibet plateau.

China's Largest Granite-Type Gas Field was Discovered in Qinghai——The Inorganic Theory has Aroused Attention again

A growing number of oil and gas reservoirs have been discovered in granite and metamorphic crystallized rock areas. Statistics show that, about 157 oil and gas fields were found in crystallized bedrocks, with oil reserves of 5048x 10^8 t, and gas reserves of 2681x10^8m3. Among the discovered industrial oil and gas fields hosted in crystallized rocks, most occurred in granite rocks, occupying 40% in quantity and 75% in reserves, followed by those hosted in mafic and ultra-mafic rocks （about 3%）, and then tbllowed by those in volcanic rocks and metamorphic rocks.