Potential Effects of Episodic Deposition on Nutrients and Heavy Metals in Decomposing Litters of Suaeda glauca in Salt Marsh of the Yellow River Estuary, China

Episodic deposition has been recognized as a major factor affecting the decomposition rate of detrital material in salt marshes. In this paper, three one-off burial treatments, no burial treatment(0 cm, NBT), current burial treatment(10 cm, CBT) and strong burial treatment(20 cm, SBT), were designed in intertidal zone of the Yellow River Estuary to determine the potential influences of episodic deposition on nutrient(C, N) and heavy metal(Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn, Ni, Mn, Cd, V and Co) variations in decomposing litters of Suaeda glauca. Results showed that although various burial treatments showed no statistical difference in decomposition rate of S. glauca, the values generally followed the sequence of CBT(0.002 403/d) > SBT(0.002 195/d) > NBT(0.002 060/d). The nutrients and heavy metals in decomposing litters of the three burial treatments exhibited different variations except for N, Cu, Cr, Ni and Co. Except for Mn, no significant differences in C, N, Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn, Ni, V and Co concentrations occurred among the three treatments(P > 0.05). With increasing burial depth, Cr and Cd levels generally increased while Cu, Ni and Mn concentrations decreased. Although episodic deposition was generally favorable for C and N release from S. glauca, its influence on release was insignificant. In the three burial treatments, Pb, Cr, Zn, Ni, Mn, V and Co stocks in S. glauca generally evidenced the export of metals from litter to environment, and, with increasing burial depth, the export amounts increased greatly. The S. glauca were particular efficient in binding Cd and releasing Pb, Cr, Zn, Ni, Mn, V and Co, and, with increasing burial depth, stocks of Cu in decomposing litters generally shifted from release to accumulation. The experiment indicated that the potential eco-toxic risk of Pb, Cr, Zn, Ni, Mn, V and Co exposure would be serious as the strong burial episodes occurred in S. glauca marsh.

Episodic Carbonate Deposits on the Triassic Continental Slope in Southern China

Abstract Episodic carbonate deposits on the Triassic continental slope in southern China are mainly composed of gravity-flow limestones and contourite limestones. Gravity-flow limestones were well developed in the lower and middle Yangtze area in the Early Triassic and in the Yunnan-Guizhou-Guangxi area in the Early and Middle Triassic. Five fundamental types of gravity-flow limestones are recognized: slide limestone, debris-flow limestone, grain-flow limestone, turbidite limestone and rockfall limestone. They form six types of assemblage beds: slide-debris-flow limestones, slide-debris-flow-turbidite limestone, slide-debris-flow-grain-flow-turbidite limestone, rockfall-debris-flow limestone, debris-flow-turbidite limestone, and debris-flow-grain-flow-turbidite limestone. The first two were formed mainly in the Early Triassic slopes. The Middle Triassic slopes were characterized by widespread rockfall limestone. Growth faults, storms, earthquakes and oversteepened slopes are considered to be the probable triggers of the gravity flows.

Evolution of the Extensional Rifted Yunnan-Guizhou-Guangxi Oceanic Basin During the Late Hercynian to Middle Indosinian Stage

On the basis of exhaustive researches on the facies sequences and depositlonal evolutionary process of various depositional systems, the genetic stratigraphic framework of the extensional rifted oceanic basin, which has undergone strong structural destruction, has been reconstructed by means of dynamic genetic stratigraphic analysis. Five depositional episodes have been distinguished from various isochronous stratigraphic boundaries and stratigraphic sequences with the three-dimensional structure of each depositional episode analysed in detail. The tectonic paleogeographic environment corresponding to different stages of each depositional episode has been reconstructed for individual depositional system tracts. And the evolution history of this rifted basin has been divided into four stages' initial rifting and oceanization of continental crust, stretching and spreading of the basin, subduction and basin differentiation, and convergence and collision. A NNE-trending intracontinental soft collision suture was left after the closing of the basin.