Evaluating the biosignature potential of ammonium in Proterozoic red beds and implications for the search for life on Mars

Over the past two decades,it has become increasingly apparent that early Mars may once have been warmer,wetter and more habitable for microbial life than it is today,which has spurred discussions about potential biosignatures that may be preserved in Martian sediments.An impediment to this line of research is the pervasive oxidation of Mars’surface due to photochemical oxidants that have likely destroyed remnants of organic matter.Here,we investigate whether nitrogen(N)transferred from biomass to phyllosilicate minerals during diagenesis can be preserved in oxidized mudrocks.We investigate two sequences of terrestrial Proterozoic red beds,namely the Sibley Group(1.4 Ga)in Canada and the Stoer Group(1.2 Ga)in Scotland,and we find enrichments in authigenic N in the range of several tens of ppm in both units.The highest concentrations(ca.100 ppm on average)are found in the most desiccated red beds of the Stoer Group,concurrent with enrichments in potassium(K).We discuss similarities and differences between the two sets of rocks with regards to salinity,pH,biological productivity and K-metasomatism,and we conclude that the ideal mechanism for the preservation of biogenic N in red beds may be in-situ release of ammonium from microbial mats into the clay substrate,possibly facilitated by early diagenetic,biologically induced illitization.Illite and smectite have been observed on Mars,and experiments suggest that Martian waters contained moderate amounts of dissolved K.Hence,it is conceivable that a similar K and N enrichment process could have occurred as to what we document for the Proterozoic,preserving evidence of life that may have survived to the modern day.

Planktic Foraminiferal Biostratigraphy of the Cretaceous Oceanic Red Beds in Kangmar,Southern Tibet,China

The planktic foraminifera of the Chuangde Formation （Upper Cretaceous Oceanic Red Beds, CORBs） as exposed at Tianbadong section, Kangmar, southern Tibet has been firstly studied for a detailed for a detailed biostratigraphy elaboration. A rich and well-preserved planktic foraminifera were recovered from the Chuangde Formation of the Tianbadong section and the Globotruncanita elevata, Globotruncana ventricosa, Radotruncana calcarata, Globotruncanella havanensis, Globotruncana aegyptiaca, Gansserina gansseri and Abathomphalus mayaroensis zones have been recognized. The planktic foraminiferal assemblage points to an early Campanian to Maastrichitian age for the CORBs of the eastern North Tethyan Himalayan sub-belt, which also provides a better understanding of the shifting progress of the Indian Plate to the north and the evolution of the Neotethyan ocean. The lithostratigraphy of the Chuangde Formation of the Tianbadong section comprises two lithological sequences observed in ascending succession： a lower unit （the Shale Member） mainly composed of purple （cherry-red, violet-red） shales with interbedded siltstones and siliceous rocks; and an upper unit （the Limestone Member） of variegated limestones. The strata of the Chuangde Formation in the Tianbadong section are similar to CORBs in other parts of the northern Tethyan Himalaya area of Asia （Gyangze, Sa＇gya, Sangdanlin, northern Zanskar, etc.）. The fossil contents of the Chuangde Formation in the sections （CORBs） studied provide a means of correlation with the zonation schemes for those of the northern Tethyan Himalayan sub-belt and the Upper Cretaceous of the southern Tethyan Himalayan sub-belt. Paleogeographic reconstruction for the Late Cretaceous indicates that the Upper Cretaceous Chuangde Formation （CORBs） and correlatable strata in northern Zanskar were representative of slope to basinal deposits, which were situated in the northern Tethyan Belt. Correlatable Cretaceous strata in Spiti and Gamba situated in the southern Tethyan Belt in contrast were deposited in shelf environments along the Tethyan Himalayan passive margin. CORBs are most likely formed by the oxidation of Fe（II）-enriched, anoxic deep ocean water near the chemocline that separated the oxic oceanic surface from the anoxic.

Burial Records of Reactive Iron in Cretaceous Black Shales and Oceanic Red Beds from Southern Tibet

One of the new directions in the field of Cretaceous research is to elucidate the mechanism of the sedimentary transition from the Cretaceous black shales to oceanic red beds. A chemical sequential extraction method was applied to these two types of rocks from southern Tibet to investigate the burial records of reactive iron. Results indicate that carbonate-associated iron and pyrite are relatively enriched in the black shales, but depleted or absent in red beds. The main feature of the reactive iron in the red beds is relative enrichment of iron oxides （largely hematite）, which occurred during syn-depostion or early diagenesis. The ratio between iron oxides and the total iron indicates an oxygen-enriched environment for red bed deposition. A comparison between the reactive iron burial records and proxies of paleo-productivity suggests that paleo-productivity decreases when the ratio between iron oxides and the total iron increases in the red beds. This phenomenon could imply that the relationship between marine redox and productivity might be one of the reasons for the sedimentary transition from Cretaceous black shale to oceanic red bed deposition.

Land degradation and management of red beds in China:Two case studies

Red beds cover approximately 9.5%of China,and are home to approximately 144 million people.In total,83%of these lands are distributed in humid regions making it an important part of research on red bed soil erosion in China in these areas.This paper presents the main types of land degradation in red bed landscapes and the status of current soil erosion in a typical red bed basin,the Nanxiong Basin located in the north of Guangdong Province,China,and establishes the connection between management strategies and regional economic development in humid red bed regions of China.The soil erosive modulus was calculated in the Nanxiong Basin by using RUSLE(The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation).The results of overlapping analyses demonstrated that appropriate measures,such as the Return Farmland to Forests initiative,should be taken at the junction of central red bed areas and mountainous areas in order to mitigate current soil erosion.Two examples are presented to demonstrate this:the tourism development in Mt.Danxiashan,a noted scenic mountainous area near Nanxiong Basin,and the land degradation mitigation in the Nanxiong Basin.Both examples promote local economic growth while simultaneously protecting the environment.A‘stakeholder'strategy is pursued at Mt.Danxiashan,which can help residents to understand their positive effects on the environment as well as increase their income.The second example,in Nanxiong City,showcases how local farmers became stakeholders by implementing contract responsibility and self-support systems for economic forests and terraced land in the 1980s.

Cretaceous Oceanic Red Beds:Distribution,Lithostratigraphy and Paleoenvironments

Cretaceous oceanic red beds （CORBs） represented by red shales and marls, were deposited during the Cretaceous and early Paleocene, predominantly in the Tethyan realm, in lower slope and abyssal basin environments. Detailed studies of CORBs are rare; therefore, we compiled CORBs data from deep sea ocean drilling cores and outcrops of Cretaceous rocks subaerially exposed in southern Europe, northwestern Germany, Asia and New Zealand. In the Tethyan realm, CORBs mainly consist of reddish or pink shales, limestones and marlstones. By contrast, marlstones and chalks are rare in deep-ocean drilling cores. Upper Cretaceous marine sediments in cores from the Atlantic Ocean are predominantly various shades of brown, reddish brown, yellowish brown and pale brown in color. A few red, pink, yellow and orange Cretaceous sediments are also present. The commonest age of CORBs is early Campanian to Maastrichtian, with the onset mostly of oxic deposition often after Oceanic Anoxic Events （OAEs）, during the early Aptian, late Albian-early Turonian and Campanian. This suggests an indicated and previously not recognized relationship between OAEs, black shales deposition and CORBs. CORBs even though globally distributed, are most common in the North Atlantic and Tethyan realms, in low to mid latitudes of the northern hemisphere; in the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean in the mid to high latitudes of the southern hemisphere; and are less frequent in the central Pacific Ocean. Their widespread occurrence during the late Cretaceous might have been the result of establishing a connection for deep oceanic current circulation between the Pacific and the evolving connection between South and North Atlantic and changes in oceanic basins ventilation.

Response of Reactive Phosphorus Burial to the Sedimentary Transition from Cretaceous Black Shales to Oceanic Red Beds in Southern Tibet

The mechanism of sedimentary transition from the Cretaceous black shales to the oceanic red beds is a new and important direction of Cretaceous research. Chemical sequential extraction is applied to study the burial records of reactive phosphorus in the black shale of the Gyabula Formation and oceanic red beds of the Chuangde Formation, Southern Tibet. Results indicate that the principal reactive phosphorus species is the authigenic and carbonate-associated phosphorus （CAP） in the Gyabula Formation and iron oxides-associated phosphorus （FeP） in the Chuangde Formation which accounts for more than half of their own total phosphorus content. While the authigenic and carbonate-associated phosphorus （CAP） is almost equal in the two Formations; the iron oxidesassociated phosphorus is about 1.6 times higher in the Chuangde Formation than that in the Gyabula Formation resulting in a higher content of the total phosphorus in the Chuangde Formation. According to the observations on the marine phosphorus cyde in Modern Ocean, it is found that preferential burial and regeneration of reactive phosphorus corresponds to highly oxic and reducing conditions, respectively, leading to the different distribution of phosphorus in these two distinct type of marine sediments. It is the redox-sensitive behavior of phosphorus cycle to the different redox conditions in the ocean and the controlling effects of phosphorus to the marine production that stimulate the local sedimentary transition from the Cretaceous black shale to the oceanic red beds.

Discovery of Pseudofrenelopsis gansuensis from the Lower Cretaceous of Wangqing,Jilin Province,and Its Significance in Correlation of Cretaceous Red Beds in China

New data from abundant vegetative shoots and cuticular analysis are provided for the Cretaceous cheirolepidiaceous conifer Pseudofrenelopsis gansuensis Deng, Yang et Lu. The material was found from a new locality of the Lower Cretaceous strata in the Luozigou Basin, Wangqing, Jilin Province, northeastern China. Pseudofrenelopsis is a common plant in the Dalazi Formation of the Yanji Basin about 150 km from Wangqing, but there exists different species, Pseudofrenelopsis dalatzensis only. Both P. dalatzensis and P. gansuensis have been recorded from the Lower Cretaceous of Jiuquan, Gansu Province, but they are in different stratigraphic horizons. The Lower Cretaceous plant-bearing strata in Luozigou have used to correlate with the Dalazi Formation of the Yanji Basin. The discovery of P. gansuensis, which is lower in horizon than P. dalatzensis in Jiuquan, may indicate that they are also different in horizon in Jilin. Cheirolepidiaceous conifers are among the few fossils of red beds of the Early Cretaceous in China. The present discovery of Pseudofrenelopsis gansuensis provides important evidence for classification, correlation and determination of geological ages of the Early Cretaceous non-marine red deposits of the two separate basins in remote areas of North China.

Identifying the spatiotemporal characteristics of individual red bed landslides: a case study in Western Yunnan, China

Strata in red bed areas have typical characteristics of soft-hard interbedding and high sensitivity to water. Under the comprehensive action of internal stratigraphic structure and external hydrological factors, red bed landslides have highly complex spatiotemporal characteristics, presenting significant challenges to the prevention and control of landslide disasters in red bed areas, especially for slope and tunnel engineering projects. In this study, we applied an interdisciplinary approach combining small baseline subset interferometric synthetic aperture radar(SBAS-InSAR), deep displacement monitoring, and engineering geological surveying to identify the deformation mechanisms and spatiotemporal characteristics of the Abi landslide, an individual landslide that occurred in the red bed area of Western Yunnan, China. Surface deformation time series indicated that a basic deformation range developed by March 2020. Based on In SAR results and engineering geological analysis, the landslide surface could be divided into three zones: an upper sliding zone(US), a lower uplifted zone(LU), and a toe zone(Toe). LU was affected by the structure of the sliding bed with variable inclination. Using deep displacement curves combined with the geological profile, a set of sliding surfaces were identified between different lithology. The groundwater level standardization index(GLSI) and deformation normalization index(DNI) showed different quadratic relationships between US and LU. Verification using the Pearson correlation analysis shows that the correlation coefficients between model calculated results and measured data are 0.7933 and 0.7577, respectively, indicating that the DNI-GLSI models are applicable. A fast and short-lived deformation sub stage(ID-Fast) in the initial deformation stage was observed, and ID-Fast was driven by concentrated rainfall.

A Preliminary Study on the Red Beds in the Northern Heyuan Basin, Guangdong Province, China

The red beds of the northern Heyuan Basin （Guangdong Province, China） are more than 4,000 m thick. Based on the lithological characters, in ascending order these beds are divided into the Dafeng Formation, Zhutian Formation, and Zhenshui Formation of the Nanxiong Group, Shanghu Formation and Danxia Formation. The Nanxiong Group with relatively mature coarse clastic rocks attains about 2940 m in thickness. The Dafeng Formation is 837 m thick, consisting of conglomerates and sandy conglomerates; the Zhutian Formation, which is 1.200 m thick, consists of purplish red sandstone with gravels, poorly sorted sandstone, feldspathic quartzose sandstone banded granular conglomerate, siltstone, and sandy mudstone. The Zhutian Formation is rich in calcareous concretions. Heyuannia （Oviraptoridae） and turtle fossils were found in this formation. The Zhenshui Formation deposited to a thickness of 900 m consists of coarse sediments, including granular conglomerate, and gravelly sandstone with well developed cross-beddings; the Shanghu Formation, which is 820 m thick, consists of purplish red granular conglomerate coarse sandstone intercalated with fine si^tstone; the Danxia Formation characterized by the Danxia ~andform is composed of coarse c^astic gravels and sandy gravels. The lower part of the Nanxiong Group whence dinosaur eggs and derived oviraptorosaurs come, belongs to the Late Cretaceous. No fossils are found in the Shanghu Formation or the Danxia Formation, but their stratigraphic order of superposition on the Nanxiong Group clearly shows their younger age.

Variation on Foraminiferal Composition in Cretaceous Black-Gray-Red Bed Sequence of Southern Tibet, China

An Upper Cretaceous black-gray-red bed sequence was deposited in the Tethys-Himalayan Sea where abundant foraminifera,especially planktons,were yielded. In the shallow shelf to the upper slope on the north margin of Indian plate was recorded an extinction-recovery-radiation cycle of foraminiferal fauna highly sensitive to paleoceanographical changes. The black unit, consisting of the Late Cenomanian-earliest Turonian beds, displays a major extinction, with keeled planktonic and many benthic species as the principal victims at the end of the Cenomanian when existed only low diversity, surface water-dwelling foraminifera. The gray unit spans a long-term recovery interval from the Turonian to the early Santonian with keeled planktonic foraminifera returning stepwise to the water column. The planktonic biota in the red unit, extremely abundant, indicate a biotic radiation during the Late Santonian and the Early Campanian, implying that the high oxygen levels had returned to all the oceanic depth levels, and that the water stratification disappeared, followed by the radiation of all depth-dwellers. The variation on foraminiferal faunas from the whole sequence refers to the extreme warm climate that appeared in the Middle Cretaceous and to the declined temperature toward the late epoch. Substantial deposits for this warming and cooling zones represent the black shales in the Middle Cretaceous and the red beds in the later period of the southern Tibet. The change in the foraminiferal composition corresponded to the formation of dysaerobic facies and to the development of high-oxidized circumstances.

Magnetostratieraphy of the Red Beds in the Hengyang Basin

This paper discusses the Cretaceous-Tertiary magnetic polarity sequence of the the Hengyang Basin on the basis of magnetostratigraphic study. The age of each stratigraphic unit has been determined with the magnetic polarity time scale combined with 39Ar/40Ar dating, thus providing evidence for determining the geological ages of different formations. The authors assign the age of the Dongjing Formation of the Hengyang Basin to Early Cretaceous, the Shenhuangshan Formation to Early-Late Cretaceous, the Daijiaping Formation to Late Cretaceous, and the Dongtang and Xialiushi formations to Palaeocene.

Field, Mega- and Microscopic Description of the Volcaniclastic Red Beds and the Associated Scoriaceous Basalt of Wadi Al Roaian, Ablah Area, Assir Terrain

The study area is located in the entrance of Wadi Girshah in Ablah area, Assir terrain, southwestern Saudi Arabia. The present study aims to shed light on the field, mega- and microscopic description of the volcaniclastic red beds and the associated scoriaceous basalts of Wadi Al Roaian. It is based mainly up on the field works augmented by petrographic description. The present study revealed that, the succession of the upper part of Girshah Formation comprises three main horizons: 1) lower unit of epidotized and silicified basaltic and andesitic tuffs;2) middle unit of volcaniclastic red beds-scoriaceous basalts of successive cycles (each of these cycles begins by reddish tuffaceous mudstone and sandstone and is terminated by the calcite-bearing scoriaceous basalt). This unit indicated the deposition in lacustrine environments and the red iron oxyhydroxides minerals were formed either by the direct hematitization of the deposited tuffs or by the diagenetic hematitization of the green clays formed instead of the precursor tuffaceous materials;3) upper scoriaceous basalt unit composed from hematitized and calcitized basalt. The unit was formed by basic volcanic eruptions in subaerial condition which was predominated by the formation of calcium carbonate lakes associated with the progressive and subsequent calcitization of the Ca-plagioclase minerals of the basalt and the associated glassy tuffaceous material. The scoriaceous basalts of Wadi Al Roaian area represent subaerial basic volcanic eruption in continental situation and are associated with subsequent events of mineral alteration and formation of secondary minerals i.e. calcite, hematite and goethite.

THE ANALYSIS METHODOLOGY OF POLLEN FROM THE MESOZOIC—CENOZOIC RED BEDS IN NORTHERN TIBET

A group of red interbedded sandstone, siltstone and clay\|stone occur in the inland of northern Tibet. During the last 50 years, a lot of researches have been done at this group of beds along the Qinghai\|Xizang highway in the Kekexili area.. According to the lithological characters, the strata have been divided into tow parts, the lower part named as the Feng huoshan group, and the upper part the Yaxicuo group. It is obscure to the age of the strata. For example, Yi jixiang et al. (1990) put them in early Pliocene in the light of the microfossils which they found at the foot of Feng huoshan mountain. The fossils include (1) Charophyta: Rhabdochara? sp ., Peckichara subsphecrica?, Cyrogoniae; (2) Ostracoda: Cypris sp .; (3) Gastropod: Sinoplanorbis sp ., Amnicola sp ., Bithynia sp .; and (4) Sporopollen: Tricoporopollenites nactonodus ?, Polypodiceoisporites, Cyathidites, Schizosporis, Pediastrum. Based on different species of Charophyta, Ostracoda, Gastropod, Bivalve, Sporopollen, Zhang Yifu et al. (1994) refer the strata to Cretaceous. The lower abundance of the fossils from previous research gave lower precision of fossil identification. Thus, the age of the strata was confusion.

Mesozoic “Red Beds” and its Evolution in the Hefei Basin

The Hefei Basin is the largest basin in the North China landmass with complete and well-preserved Mesozoic and Cenozoic strata. In the basin there developed a suite of extremely thick ＂red beds＂ in the Mesozoic. Owing to complex evolution processes and a lack of paleontological traces, there have been controversies regarding the division and correlation of this suite of red beds. Based on results obtained in recent years in drilling, seismic and surface geological investigations and in consideration of relationships between seismic sequences and regional tectonic events, as well as evidence in paleontology, petrology and isotopic dating, this paper preliminarily puts forward the following ideas about the sequence stratigraphic framework of the continental ＂red beds＂ in the Hefei Basin. （1） The Zhougongshan Formation and the Yuantongshan Formation have similar lithologic, geophysical and paleontological characteristics, so we incorporate them into a single formation, called the Yuantongshan Formation, and the original Zhougongshan and Yuantongshan Formations are regarded as the upper and the lower parts of the newly defined Yuantongshan Formation. Its age is the Middle Jurassic; （2） the Zhuxiang Formation belongs to the Upper Jurassic Series and （3） the age of the Xiangdaopu Formation is the Lower Cretaceous. Furthermore, signatures of depositional evolution are analyzed in the paper based on features of seismic reflection, outcrops and drilling data. The Early and Middle Jurassic is characterized by a foreland basin, which is influenced mainly by uplift and longitudinal compression of the Dabieshan Mountains; the Lower Jurassic System has a relatively small depositional area; the Middle Jurassic strata are distributed extensively over the whole basin, marking the summit of basin development; a flexure basin is characteristic of the Late Jurassic, manifesting a joint effect of the Dabieshan and Zhangbaling Mountains with the former being more significant. In the Early Cretaceous, the Xiangdaopu Formation was distributed in the Daqiao depression, evidently affected by extension of the Tanlu fault; in the Late Cretaceous, the Hefei Basin was subjected to dismembering and the Zhangqiao Formation was distributed in the east-west direction along the downthrown side of the fault.

Inclination Deepening of Paleogene Red Beds in the Qiangtang Terrane,the Hinterland of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

In this research,one hundred and ten samples（ten sampling localities）were drilled by a portable petrol-driven drill in the Tongtianhe area along the highway where developes Yaxicuo Group,Oligocene. Complete demagnetization were finished in University of California,Santa Cruz（UCSC）.These remanence data were collected:Dg=334.2,Ig=52.3,α95=7.1,k=7.3（before structural correction）;Ds=27.2, Is=66.6,α95=7.3,k=7.0（after structural correction）.

Formation Mechanism of Reduction Spheroids with Dark Cores in Cretaceous Red Beds in Jiaolai Basin, China

Red beds are not entirely red sometimes, in which grey-green spheroids or irregular spots can be found. However, the formation mechanism of grey-green spheroids or irregular spots in red beds is not clear so far. Samples taken from well JK1 in Jiaozhou area of Jiaolai Basin displayed that the reduction spheroids have more Vanadium (V) element, less TFe3O4 and Lead (Pb) element, almost the same content of other elements such as FeO and so on, comparing the red parts of the samples. The existence of organisms can explain the existence of green reductive spheres in the red beds formed under the oxidation environment.

重庆涞滩红层砂岩蠕变特性颗粒离散元模拟

我国川渝地区石窟寺分布广泛。关键受力岩体的蠕变破坏是石窟寺面临的主要问题之一,尤其是在酸雨等环境腐蚀作用下,岩石细观结构的损伤会加快其蠕变破坏的速度。为了研究红层砂岩的蠕变特性,以重庆市涞滩二佛寺红层砂岩为研究对象,基于饱水和酸腐蚀状态下的砂岩三轴压缩蠕变试验,利用颗粒流PFC软件,在微细观角度通过对水化学作用下砂岩的蠕变特性进行分析,并在平行黏结模型的基础上应用等效晶质模型(grain-based model,简称为GBM),结合应力腐蚀模型(parallel-bonded stress corrosion model,简称为PSC)对考虑岩石微观结构的时效性变化特征进行颗粒离散元模拟。结果表明:低应力驱动比下,饱水试样会产生更大的损伤,在较高应力驱动比时,酸腐蚀试样损伤更高;酸腐蚀试样临界应力驱动比为0.102 6,饱水试样临界驱动应力比为0.255 9,水化学作用下砂岩的亚临界裂纹扩展在很低的应力水平便会开始;应力驱动比的改变对岩样的稳态蠕变速率的影响是指数级的,几乎是相差0.1就会产生10倍以上的速率变化;酸腐蚀试样和饱水试样能量耗散速率远大于干燥试样;水环境的软化作用会使得岩样的宏观裂纹易于贯通,且贯通断裂面抵抗外力变弱,更加有利于能量释放;饱水试样对晶体边界即矿物胶结物的影响较大,晶间剪切裂纹比例较高,而酸腐蚀试样对矿物本身也会产生较大的影响,使得晶内的拉伸裂纹数目增加。研究结果可为工程岩体长期稳定性的评价提供参考依据。

南雄断裂地表特征及地质意义探析

北东走向的南雄断裂是南雄盆地的控盆断裂,沿线形成了糜棱岩化、碎裂岩化、硅化等地质特征和丹霞、断层崖等独特地形地貌。基于上述地质、地貌特征,结合野外地质调查,阐述该断裂对周边岩性展布、地形地貌分布、成矿找矿、工程建设与空间规划、地质遗迹开发、地学科普与教学等6方面具有现实意义。

Origin of Red Color of the Lower Siwalik Palaeosols:A Micromorphological Approach

Palaeosols associated with fluvial of the Siwalik Group are and lacustrine deposits that occur as thick multiple pedocomplexes. The bright red color of the palaeosol beds has been earlier interpreted as a result of hot and arid palaeoclimate. However, as against this view, our investigations of the bright red palaeosol beds of the Lower Siwaliks suggest that the climate was cool and subhumid, instead of hot and arid during the deposition of these beds. Since cold climate is not very conducive to impart red coloration, further research is needed to explain the cause of these red beds. For this, the micromorphological study of soil thin sections was done which showed the presence of features such as dissolution and recrystallisation of quartz, feldspar and mica, compaction, slickensides, presence of calcite spars, subrounded and cracked nature of quartz grains, microfabric, complex patterns of birefringence fabrics, pigmentary ferric oxides, thick cutans and cementation by calcite. These features indicate that diagenesis took place on a large scale in these sediments. The positive Eh and neutral-alkaline pH of soils also suggest that the conditions were favorable for the formation of diagenetic red beds. During burial diagenesis of sediments, the hydroxides of ferromagnesian minerals got converted into ferric oxide minerals （hematite）. During deep burial diagenesis smectite was converted into illite and the preponderance of illite over smectite with increasing depth of burial also indicates the diagenesis of sediments. Thus, the red color of the Lower Siwalik palaeosols seems to be due mainly to the burial diagenesis of sediments and does not appear to be due to the then prevailing climatic condition.

基于Fredlund&Xing模型的渗流分析在川东红层梯田滑坡中的应用

四川省巴中市通江县新场镇七家沟村二社水头上滑坡为川东典型红层梯田滑坡,区内类似斜坡覆盖范围广泛,但针对该地区此类滑坡的渗流分析研究较少。在对滑坡区进行大量野外调查、勘查、资料收集的基础上,综合运用卫星遥感、无人机航拍、机载LiDAR、室内试验等技术手段,基于Fredlund&Xing土水特征曲线数学模型,采用Geo-Studio中SEEP/W模块进行渗流分析,将不同时间阶段分析结果与SLOPE/W模块耦合,继而得到稳定系数与降雨、时间之间的动态变化关系,揭示了滑坡的变形过程和形成机理。研究显示:(1)连续降雨促使坡体地下水位升高,稳定性降低,最终导致水头上滑坡整体失稳破坏;(2)滑坡变形过程、地下水出露特征与Geo-Studio计算结果基本吻合,说明基于Fredlund&Xing数值模拟在类似地区能提供较为准确的模拟结果;(3)开垦梯田(水田)会降低坡体稳定性。研究结果可为四川山区类似滑坡灾害进行隐患排查和主动防范提供理论支撑,为防灾减灾提供参考依据。