In Situ Rb-Sr Dates of Muscovite and Sulfur Isotope of Pyrite from the Yangshan Gold Deposit in Western Qinling,China

Located along the southern part of the West Qinling orogenic belt,the Yangshan gold deposit is one of the largest in China.The major gold ores of Yangshan are disseminated in metasedimentary host rocks with minor native gold amounts in stibnite-gold quartz veins.Pyrite and arsenopyrite are the major Au-bearing minerals.Hydrothermal muscovite from gold-bearing quartz veins was dated using the in situ Rb-Sr method to determine the formation age of the Yangshan gold deposit.The Rb-Sr isochron date of the muscovite yielded 210.1±5.6 Ma(MSWD=1.2).This date is near the lower end of the period of the mineralized granitic dykes(210.49-213.10 Ma).Two stages of gold enriching process are recognized in the gold-bearing pyrite:the first is incorporated with the Co,Cu,As,Ni enrichment;and the second is accompanied by Bi,Co,Ni,Pb,Cu,Sb concentration.The in-situ sulfur isotopic values of pyrites show a restrictedΔ34s range of-1.43‰to 2.86‰with a mean value of 0.43‰.Trace-element mapping and in-situ sulfur isotopic analysis of pyrite suggest that the sulfur deposits are likely derived from a magmatic source and likely assimilated by sulfur from the sedimentary bedrock.Thus,magmatism plays a critical role in the formation of the Yangshan gold deposit.

The Study of the Behaviors of Zinc and Strontium in Caries-Affected Teeth by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy(LIBS) Technique

We report on the application of Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy(LIBS)technique to the study of Ca,P,Zn and Sr evolutions for adult caries-affected teeth using nanosecond laser pulses.The aim of this work is to better understand the behaviors of Zn and Sr as trace-elements in the caries eruption with respect to the behaviors of one of the main compounds of the hydroxyapatite crystal which is the calcium.The study was focused on the investigation of these elements’evolutions from three parts of the enamel surfaces of twenty two adult caries-affected teeth;the healthy part,the dental plaque part and the caries-affected part.The decrease rates of Zn,Sr and P was,also,compared to the Ca one.Comparison concerned normalized emission line intensities.For every species,normalization was done relatively to the emission line intensities of the healthy part.Results showed that abundances of these elements decrease similarly from the healthy parts to the affected-caries parts.The higher decrease rate was noticed for the calcium.The evolutions of Zn and Sr for the three parts of the teeth surfaces cannot inform about the substitution of the calcium by these trace-elements,however the comparison of their decrease rates to the calcium one can be considered as a valuable index of this substitution.

Whole-Rock Geochemistry and Mineralogy of Triassic Montney Formation, Northeastern British Columbia, Western Canada Sedimentary Basin

Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to analyze chemical elements—major, trace and rare earth elements (REE) concentrations, augmented with quantitative X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and thin-section petrography for mineralogical characterization of the Triassic Montney Formation in northeastern British Columbia, Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB). Results from this study indicate that integration of chemical elements with mineralogy shows affinity to the host lithologies. Evidently, chemical elements are the building blocks for minerals, thus, their significances in the interpretation of geological systems are unambiguous. Herein, major elements concentration such as Al, Fe, K, Mg, Ca, Mn in the samples analyzed from the Montney Formation are interpreted as: 1) indication of dolomitization and diagenesis;2) trace elements—Rb, Th, U, and Cs are related to the organic matter—kerogen in the clay component of the Montney Formation source rock;and 3) transition metals—Sc, V, Co, Cr, Zn show strong affinity with diagenesis in the study interval.

Assessing volcanic origins within detrital zircon populations——A case study from the Mesozoic non-volcanic margin of southern Australia

Detrital zircon U/Pb geochronology is a common tool used to resolve stratigraphic questions,inform basin evolution and constrain regional geological histories.In favourable circumstances,detrital zircon populations can contain a concomitant volcanic contribution that provides constraints on the age of deposition.However,for non-volcanic settings,proving isolated detrital zircon grains are from contemporaneous and potentially remote volcanism is challenging.Here we use same grain(U-Th)/He thermochronology coupled with U/Pb geochronology to identify detrital zircon grains of contemporary volcanic origin.(U-Th)/He ages from Cretaceous zircon grains in southern Australia define a single population with a weighted mean age of 104±6.1 Ma.indistinguishable from zircon U/Pb geochronology and palynology(~104.0-107.5 Ma).Detrital zircon trace-element geochemistry is consistent with a continental signature for parent rocks and coupled with detrital grain ages,supports derivation from a>2000 km distant early-to mid-Cretaceous Whitsunday Volcanic Province in eastern Australia.Thus,integration of biostratigraphy,single-grain zircon double-dating(geochronology and thermochronology)and grain geochemistry enhances fingerprinting of zircon source region and transport history.A distal volcanic source and rapid continental-scale transport to southern Australia is supported here.

Whole-Rock Geochemistry and Mineralogy of Triassic Montney Formation, Northeastern British Columbia, Western Canada Sedimentary Basin

Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to analyze chemical elements—major, trace and rare earth elements (REE) concentrations, augmented with quantitative X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and thin-section petrography for mineralogical characterization of the Triassic Montney Formation in northeastern British Columbia, Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB). Results from this study indicate that integration of chemical elements with mineralogy shows affinity to the host lithologies. Evidently, chemical elements are the building blocks for minerals, thus, their significances in the interpretation of geological systems are unambiguous. Herein, major elements concentration such as Al, Fe, K, Mg, Ca, Mn in the samples analyzed from the Montney Formation are interpreted as: 1) indication of dolomitization and diagenesis;2) trace elements—Rb, Th, U, and Cs are related to the organic matter—kerogen in the clay component of the Montney Formation source rock;and 3) transition metals—Sc, V, Co, Cr, Zn show strong affinity with diagenesis in the study interval.

Geochemical,mineralogical,and petrological analyses for the interpretation of the sedimentary environment of the Middle-Late Ordovician Majiagou Formation(northern China)as a tool for more effective gas exploration

Core samples from the deeply buried Ordovician Majiagou Formation below the Huainan Coalfield(E China) have been investigated for their carbonate types,major and trace elements(including rare earth elements) and C and O isotopes,The objective was to get a better insight into the possible occurrences of gas(and possibly oil) derived from Carboniferous coals.It was found that the carbonates are dolomites with strongly varying amounts of CaO and MgO.The low concentrations of SiO_(2),Al_(2)O_(3),and Fe_(2)O_(3)indicate deposition in a normal marine environment with little terrigenous input,The Na_(2)O/K_(2)O,Fe/Mn and Sr/Ba ratios,as well as the Ga values indicate mainly a marine salinity and a hot and humid climate.The slight depletion of Ce and Eu,the depletion of heavy rare earth elements(HREE) and the enrichment of light rare earth elements(LREE) indicate deposition in a reducing environment.It thus appears that the Majiagou Formation below the Huainan Coalfield closely resembles that in the eastern part of the Ordos Basin,where several gas reservoirs are present,so that the Majiagou Formation under the Huainan Coalfield represents a promising target for hydrocarbon exploration.

Element enrichment and U-series isotopic characteristics of the hydrothermal sulfides at Jade site in the Okinawa Trough

The geochemical and U-series isotopic characteristics of hydrothermal sulfide samples from the Jade site (127°04.5′E, 27°15′N, water depth 1300-1450 m) at Jade site in the Okinawa Trough were analyzed. In the hydrothermal sulfide samples bearing sulfate (samples HOK1 and HOK2), the LREEs are relatively enriched. All the hydrothermal sulfide samples except HOK1 belong to Zn-rich hydrothermal sulfide. In comparison with Zn-rich hydrothermal sulfides from other fields, the contents of Zn, Pb, Ag, Cd, Au and Hg are higher, the contents of Fe, Al, Cr, Co, Ni, Sr, Te, Cs, Ti and U lower, and the 210Pb radioactivity ratios and 210Pb/Pb ratios very low. In the hydrothermal sulfide mainly composed of sphalerite, the correlations between rare elements Hf and U, and Hf and Mn as well as that between dispersive elements Ga and Zn, are strongly positive; also the contents of Au and Ag are related to Fe-sulfide, because the low temperature promotes enrichment of Au and Ag. Meanwhile, the positive correlations between Fe and Bi and between Zn and Cd are not affected by the change of mineral assemblage. Based on the 210Pb/Pb ratios of hydrothermal sulfide samples (3.99×10-5-5.42×10?5), their U isotopic composition (238U content 1.15-2.53 ppm, 238U activity 1.07-1.87 dpm/g, 234U activity 1.15-2.09 dpm/g and 234U/238U ratio 1.07-1.14) and their 232Th and 230Th contents are at base level, and the chronological age of hydrothermal sulfide at Jade site in the Okinawa Trough is between 200 and 2000 yr.

A new analytical mode and application of the laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer in the earth sciences

We proposed a new laser analytical mode,which used the high-frequency laser ablation to deliberately obtain the peak-shape signal profile,combined with the linear regression calibration(LRC)method to calculate elemental or isotopic ratios.In order to assess the performance of the new laser analytical mode for the application in the field of earth science,we systematically investigated the elemental quantitative analysis with high spatial resolution(10μm),rapid U-Pb dating in zircons and accurate Sr-Hf isotope analysis in geological samples.The new high-frequency laser analysis technology(20 Hz,100 pulses)reduced the limit of detection(LOD)of 25 elements to 0.005-0.16μg g^(-1) with crater diameters of 10μm,which are significantly lower(decrease to 2-20%)than previous researches.The quantitative analysis of five silicate glass reference materials showed that the precision and accuracy of the 25 trace elements(with the concentration ranging from 0.17 to 683μg g^(-1))were better than 16% and 15%,respectively.The new methods raised the analytical throughput of zircon U-Pb dating,Sr isotope ratios and Hf isotope ratios to 250 analyses per hour,144 analyses per hour and 120 analyses per hour in theory,while the analytical accuracy and precision were not affected.The detailed investigations showed that the proposed new laser analytical mode has good application effects in the field of earth sciences.

Multiple Pharmacological Actions of Yiqi Huatan Decoction(益气化痰方) in A Model of Depression in Rats

Objective： To investigate the influence of Yiqi Huatan Decoction （益气化痰方, YHD） on a model of depression in rats under different pathological conditions. Methods： Thirty-two male SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups of 8： normal, model, YHD, and maprotiline. The model group, YHD group and maprotiline group used separate feeding and rats were exposed to chronic and unpredictable stress to build the depression model. From day 2, the YHD group and maprotiline group were respectively given YHD （7 g/kg） and maprotiline （10 mg/kg） by gastrogavage once daily. The normal and model groups were given the same volume of drinking water. The medication duration were 21 days. At the end of the experiment, the serum levels of copper and zinc were determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy, plasma concentrations of adrenocorticotropic hormone （ACTH） and cortisol （COR） were detected by radioimmunoassay, and levels of norepinephrine （NE）, dopamine （DA）, and 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT） in the hypothalamus were analysed by high performance liquid chromatography-eletricochemistry. Results： Compared with the content of copper and zinc in the serum of rats in the normal group, serum copper levels in model rats were significantly increased and zinc content was significantly reduced （both P〈0.05）. Plasma concentrations of ACTH and COR in the model group were significantly increased compared with those in the normal group （P〈0.05, P〈0.01）. The contents of NE, DA, and 5-HT in the hypothalamus of rats in the model group were significantly reduced compared with those of the normal group （P〈0.05 or P〈0.01）. Compared with those in the model group, the serum copper content and plasma concentrations of ACTH and COR were significantly decreased （all P〈0.05）; meanwhile, serum zinc content and hypothalamic contents of NE, DA, and 5-HT were significantly increased in rats of the YHD group （all P〈0.05）. The same effects were also shown in the maprotiline group except for 5-HT （all P〈0.05）. Conclusion： The pharmacological actions of YHD for depression might be related to improving trace-element anomalies, reversing endocrine dysfunction, and modulating the disorders of monoaminergic neurotransmitters.

Characterization of soil fauna under the influence of mercury atmospheric deposition in Atlantic Forest, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The increasing levels of mercury（Hg） found in the atmosphere arising from anthropogenic sources, have been the object of great concern in the past two decades in industrialized countries. Brazil is the seventh country with the highest rate of mercury in the atmosphere.The major input of Hg to ecosystems is through atmospheric deposition（wet and dry）, being transported in the atmosphere over large distances. The forest biomes are of strong importance in the atmosphere/soil cycling of elemental Hg through foliar uptake and subsequent transference to the soil through litter, playing an important role as sink of this element. Soil microarthropods are keys to understanding the soil ecosystem, and for such purpose were characterized by the soil fauna of two Units of Forest Conservation of the state of the Rio de Janeiro, inwhich one of the areas suffer quite interference from petrochemicals and industrial anthropogenic activities and other area almost exempts of these perturbations. The results showed that soil and litter of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil tend to stock high mercury concentrations, which could affect the abundance and richness of soil fauna, endangering its biodiversity and thereby the functioning of ecosystems.