Ore Genesis of the Kalatongke Cu-Ni Sulfide Deposits, Western China: Constraints from Volatile Chemical and Carbon Isotopic Compositions

The Kalatongke Cu-Ni sulfide deposits located in the East Junggar terrane, northern Xinjiang, western China are the largest magmatic sulfide deposits in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt （CAOB）. The chemical and carbon isotopic compositions of the volatiles trapped in olivine, pyroxene and sulfide mineral separates were analyzed by vacuum stepwise-heating mass spectrometry. The results show that the released volatiles are concentrated at three temperature intervals of 200-400°C, 400-900°C and 900-1200°C. The released volatiles from silicate mineral separates at 400-900°C and 900-1200°C have similar chemical and carbon isotopic compositions, which are mainly composed of H2O （av. ~92 mol%） with minor H2, CO2, H2S and SO2, and they are likely associated with the ore-forming magmatic volatiles. Light δ13CCO2 values （from -20.86‰ to -12.85‰） of pyroxene indicate crustal contamination occurred prior to or synchronous with pyroxene crystallization of mantlederived ore-forming magma. The elevated contents of H2 and H2O in the olivine and pyroxene suggest a deep mantle-originated ore-forming volatile mixed with aqueous volatiles from recycled subducted slab. High contents of CO2 in the ore-forming magma volatiles led to an increase in oxygen fugacity, and thereby reduced the solubility of sulfur in the magma, then triggered sulfur saturation followed by sulfide melt segregation; CO2 contents correlated with Cu contents in the whole rocks suggest that a supercritical state of CO2 in the ore-forming magma system under high temperature and pressure conditions might play a key role in the assemblage of huge Cu and Ni elements. The volatiles released from constituent minerals of intrusion 1# have more CO2 and SO2 oxidized gases, higher CO2/CH4 and SO2/H2S ratios and lighter δ13CCO2 than those of intrusions 2# and 3#. This combination suggests that the higher oxidation state of the volatiles in intrusion 1# than intrusions 2# and 3#, which could be one of key ore-forming factors for large amounts of ores and high contents of Cu and Ni in intrusion 1#. The volatiles released at 200-400°C are dominated by H2O with minor CO2, N2＋CO and SO2, with δ13CCO2 values （-25.66‰ to -22.98‰） within the crustal ranges, and are considered to be related to secondary tectonic-hydrothermal activities.

Tectonic and Environmental Evolutions of the Northern Tibetan Plateau Prior to the Collision of India with Asia

Tectonic and environmental patterns and evolution of the present North Tibetan Plateau （NTP） prior to the India collision with Asia is significant to understand the formation of the Tibetan Plateau and its influence on the environment.In this study,we integrated and analyzed the tectonostratigraphy and the special sedimentary layers whose climatic implications are clear in the NTP.Additionally,we stressed the tectonic and environmental events and their evolutions from the Mesozoic to the Early Cenozoic.Our results show that four tectonic phases,which sequentially took place during the Triassic,Jurassic,Cretaceous and Paleogene,played an important role on the formation of the North Tibet.The climate was basically dry and hot from the Triassic to the Eocene and became dry and cool since the Oligocene in this region.The climatic evolution was characterized by a transition from a wet and hot phase during the Triassic-Middle Jurassic,to a dry and hot phase during the Late Jurassic-Eocene.Both phases encompassed 5 wet and hot periods followed by 5 dry and hot climate events,respectively.In addition,we found that the tectonic deformation and the climatic conditions were spatially and temporally different.In detail,in the regions north of the PaleoTian Shan and Paleo-Qilian Mts.the tectonic deformation and climatic condition were stronger and wetter than in regions south of the Paleo-Tian Shan and Paleo-Qilian Mts.during the Late Triassic-Jurassic.Whereas in the Cretaceous,the tectonic movement was intensive in the west but steady in the east,and climate was dry in the south but wet in the north of NTP.The formation of the tectonic and climatic patterns in NTP were the consequence of either global climate change or regional tectonics,including the Paleo-Asian Ocean closure and the Qiangtang block,Lhasa block and India plate collision subsequently to Asia.Furthermore,the regional tectonic events occurred before any global climate change and drove the climatic change in the NTP.

Physiological responses of Populus euphratica Oliv. to groundwater table variations in the lower reaches of Heihe River, Northwest China

Riparian vegetation in the lower reaches of Heihe River serves important ecological functions. However, the riparian ecosystems have been constantly deteriorating in the past 30 years simply due to water interception for oasis agricultural irrigation in the middle reaches of the river. This study pays a particular attention to Populus eu- phratica Oily. forest because it is a dominant component of the riparian ecosystem in the lower reaches of Heihe River where the depth of groundwater table is the controlling factor in sustaining riparian ecosystems. To reveal leaf-related physiological responses of Populus euphratica Oliv. forest to groundwater table variations, we analyzed the relationships between the depth of groundwater table （DG） and three leaf-related parameters, i.e. leaf stomatal density （SD）, specific leaf area （SLA）, and stable carbon isotopic composition （6~SC）. Our results show that the relationship between DG and leaf SD is a bi-mode one shaped by both salt stress and water stress. That is, salt stress appeared in shallow groundwater conditions and water stress happened in deep groundwater conditions, and the thin layer around 2.7 m of DG is a stress-free layer. Leaf SD fluctuated according to the DG variation, first de- creased with increasing DG, then increased at depths ranging 2.7-3.7 m, and after a relatively stable plateau of SD at depths ranging 3.7-5.2 m, decreased again with increasing DG. Our results also show that SLA decreased ex- ponentially with increasing DG and foliar 6130 values are also strongly dependent on DG, further demonstrating that these two parameters are sensitive indicators of water stress. The exponential curve suggests that SLA is more sensitive to DG when groundwater table is shallow and 3 m seems to be a threshold beyond which SLA becomes less sensitive to DG. Foliar 613C becomes more sensitive when the groundwater table is deep and 7 m seems to be a threshold below which the 6130 signature becomes more sensitive to DG. These findings should be helpful in monitoring the growth and development of Populus euphratica Oliv. forests and also in providing protection measures （i.e. DG related） for Heihe River riparian forests.

Holocene vegetation cover in Qin’an area of western Chinese Loess Plateau revealed by n-alkane

Previous studies have found that wetlands prevailed in western Chinese Loess Plateau and pine pollen could reach up to 80% in Qin’an area of the plateau during middle Holocene. It was then deduced that forest vegetation covered Qin’an area in a warm and wet climate during middle Holocene. The proxies of molecule biomarkers from two Holocene sections, a swamp-alluvial loess section and a typical loess-paleosol section are used to reconstruct regional vegetation history. It is found that the heavy-molecular-weight (HMW) homologues of the n-alkanes in all samples exhibit a pronounced odd-over-even predominance, maximizing at C31 and the abundance of the nC27-alkanes is the lowest in nC27, nC29, nC31, i.e. C27<C29<C31, a typical grass n-alkanes model. The results are the same as those of model surface soil samples under grass cover but different from both forest cover and modern pine leaves, which yield preferentially nC29-alkanes peak. It could be inferred that the area was dominated by grass cover but not forest cover during whole Holocene epoch. The study shows that combining both molecule biomarkers and pollen analysis can avoid the disadvantage of pollen analysis in reconstruction of regional vegetation cover.

An investigation on changes in glacier mass balance and hypsometry for a small mountainous glacier in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Mass balance is a key indicator of the sensitivity of glaciers to climate change. Field measurement is one of the most important ways to study the mass balance of glaciers. Based on observations of mass balance in the ablation zone of Shuiguan Glacier No.4, Qilian Mountains, China, combined with the balance ratio between accumulation and ablation, we established a linear relation between mass balance and altitude. The results show that the mean annual mass balance of this glacier was ~510 mm w.e. from 2010 to 2013. The uncertainty in the balance ratio value does not lead to a significant difference in the mass balance. The equilibrium-line altitude rose by 180 m from 1972 to 2013, while the accumulation–area ratio decreased from 0.68 to 0.25. These variations may be caused by changes in air temperature. Meanwhile, the glacier is at present not in a steady state, and it may continue to shrink by a further ~900 m, even without further climate warming. In the western Lenglongling Mountains, assuming that the glaciers are in a steady state and the Equilibrium-line altitudes(ELAs)remain similar, there will be only 46 glaciers left, covering a total area of 19.2 km^2, in other words, only 22.3% of the glaciers area in 1972.

Spatial differences in rock uplift rates inferred from channel steepness indices along the northern flank of the Qilian Mountain,northeast Tibetan Plateau

The rate and distribution of deformation along the Qilian Mountain,on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau,is needed to understand the evolution of high topography associated with the plateau.Recently,a number of empirical studies have provided support for the contention,common to most models of fluvial incision,that rock uplift rate exerts a first-order control on the gradient of longitudinal river profiles.Along the northern Qilian Mountain,this method is used to extract information about the spatial patterns of differential rock uplift.Analysis of the longitudinal profiles of bedrock channels reveals systematic differences in the channel steepness index along the trend of the frontal ranges.Local comparisons of channel steepness reveal that lithology and precipitation have limited influence on channel steepness.Similarly,there is little evidence suggesting that channel steepness is influenced by differences in the sediment loads.We argue that the distribution of channel steepness in the Qilian Mountain is mostly the result of differential rates of rock uplift.Thus,channel steepness indices reveal a lower rock uplift rate in the eastern portion of the Qilian Mountain and a higher rate in the middle and west.The highest rates appear to occur in the middle-west portions of the range,just to the west of the Yumu Shan.

Sedimentary and OSL dating evidence for the development of the present Hobq desert landscape, northern China

The sedimentary sequence and landscape of the Hobq desert was observed through twelve profiles along five N-S sections extending through the entire desert.Aeolian sands were found to overlie the alluvial,diluvial,and lacustrine sediments in this desert.Optically stimulated luminescence(OSL)dating results were obtained from post-IR OSL signals of quartz fractions of sand samples at the bottom of sand dunes and hills by using the Double-SAR protocol.The OSL ages reveal that the latest sand accumulation began around 19 ka in the northwestern part and 9 ka in the eastern part of the Hobq Desert.Around 7 ka,the sand accumulation was strengthened and extended southward and northward 2 ka to develop the present desert landscape.Our study suggests that the aeolian sand accumulation around 19,9 and 7 ka resulted from the weakening of the Asian summer monsoon over this region.However,the rapid development of the present Hobq desert landscape since 2 ka was likely triggered by human activities in this desert.

Analysis of reconstructed annual precipitation from tree-rings for the past 500 years in the middle Qilian Mountain

The ring-width chronology of a Juniperus przewalskii tree from the middle of the Qilian Mountain was constructed to estimate the annual precipitation (from previous August to current July) since AD 1480.The reconstruction showed four major alternations of drying and wetting over the past 521 years.The rainy 16th century was followed by persistent drought in the 17th century.Moreover,relatively wet conditions persisted from the 18th to the beginning of 20th century until the recurrence of a drought during the 1920s and 1930s.Based on the Empirical Mode Decomposition method,eight Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs) were extracted,each representing unique fluctuations of the reconstructed precipitation in the time-frequency domain.The high amplitudes of IMFs on different timescales were often consistent with the high amount of precipitation,and vice versa.The IMF of the lowest frequency indicated that the precipitation has undergone a slow increasing trend over the past 521 years.The 2-3 year and 5-8 year time-scales reflected the characteristics of inter-annual variability in precipitation relevant to regional atmospheric circulation and the El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO),respectively.The 10-13 year scale of IMF may be associated with changing solar activity.Specifically,an amalgamation of previous and present data showed that droughts were likely to be a historically persistent feature of the Earth's climate,whereas the probability of intensified rainfall events seemed to increase during the course of the 19th and 20th centuries.These changing characteristics in precipitation indicate an unprecedented alteration of the hydrological cycle,with unknown future amplitude.Our reconstruction complements existing information on past precipitation changes in the Qilian Mountain,and provides additional low-frequency information not previously available.

Tree ring based streamflow reconstruction for the Upper Yellow River over the past 1234 years

We established a Juniperus przewalski tree ring width chronology, based on tree ring cores collected from the A’nyêmaqên Mountains. Statistical analysis showed that the chronology was highly correlated with instrumental streamflow records from previous August to current July from the Tangnaihai Station in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, with a correlation coefficient of 0.656. Streamflow for the upper reaches of the Yellow River was reconstructed for the past 1234 years. Low flow periods for the 11-year averaged streamflow reconstruction were definite as lower than mean plus 1 standard deviation, and high flow periods were higher than mean minus 1 standard deviation. Over the past 1234 years, high flows occurred 18 times, and low flows occurred 12 times. The main low flow periods were identified as AD 1140–1156, AD 1295–1309, AD 1473–1500, and AD 1820–1847, and the main high flow periods were identified as AD 846–873, and AD 1375–1400. Extremely low streamflow over the reconstruction period was seen during the late 15th century, coinciding with a widespread drought phenomenon, which took place in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau over the same period. Reconstructed streamflow shows significant low-frequency variability, which is in line with drought variability of neighboring regions, as inferred from tree rings and other proxies. Multi-taper spectral analysis suggests the existence of significant periods of 2–5, 22, 35–38, 55–62, and 114–227 years, particularly significant for cyclic variations of years 159 and 36.

Pollen record from red clay sequence in the central Loess Plateau between 8.10 and 2.60Ma

The Late Miocene and Pliocene are the key periods for understanding the origin and development of the present Asian monsoon circulations and ecologic environ-ments. Here we present a pollen record from Chaona Red Clay section located in the central Loess Plateau in attempt to establish the histories of vegetation and associated climate changes between 8.10 and 2.60 Ma. Our results show that Gramineae-dominated woodland-grasslands developed in this region with Cedrus- and Pinus-characterized montane coniferous forests distributing in higher elevations from 8.10 to 6.73 Ma, probably suggesting a semi-humid climate in a warm-temperate zone. A subsequent expansion of Ulmus- dominated deciduous forests and a synchronous increase of Gramineae-dominated grassland reflect a warmer and more humid climate between 6.73 and 5.67 Ma. The vegetation changed to an Artemisia- and Gramineae-characterized steppe in lower elevations and to a coniferous forest in higher elevations from 5.67 to 3.71 Ma, implying probably a warm and semiarid climate in lowland and hill, and a colder and moister climate in mountain. During this period, a consider-able warmer and more humid climate occurred between 4.61 and 4.07 Ma as indicated by pollen assemblages. The period between 3.71 and 2.58 Ma was characterized by the disap-pearance of Cedrus and Tsuga and also by an abrupt expan-sion of Cupressaceae, reflecting a drastic enhancement of monsoon-related climatic seasonality.