Analysis of coprolites from the extinct mountain goat Myotragus balearicus     

Frido Welker  Elza Duijm  Kristiaan J. van der Gaag  Bas van Geel  Peter de Knijff  Jacqueline van Leeuwen  Dick Mol  Johannes van der Plicht  Niels Raes  Jelle Reumer  Barbara Gravendeel 《Quaternary Research》2014

Humans colonized the Balearic Islands 5–4 ka ago. They arrived in a uniquely adapted ecosystem with the Balearic mountain goat Myotragus balearicus (Bovidae, Antilopinae, Caprini) as the only large mammal. This mammal went extinct rapidly after human arrival. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the extinction of M. balearicus. For the present study ancient DNA analysis (Sanger sequencing, Roche-454, Ion Torrent), and pollen and macrofossil analyses were performed on preserved coprolites from M. balearicus, providing information on its diet and paleo-environment. The information retrieved shows that M. balearicus was heavily dependent on the Balearic box species Buxus balearica during at least part of the year, and that it was most probably a browser. Hindcast ecological niche modelling of B. balearica shows that local distribution of this plant species was affected by climate changes. This suggests that the extinction of M. balearicus can be related to the decline and regional extinction of a plant species that formed a major component of its diet. The vegetation change is thought to be caused by increased aridity occurring throughout the Mediterranean. Previous hypotheses relating the extinction of M. balearicus directly to the arrival of humans on the islands must therefore be adjusted.  相似文献   

Age and impacts of the caldera-forming Aniakchak II eruption in western Alaska     

J.J. Blackford  R.J. Payne  M.P. Heggen  A. de la Riva Caballero  J. van der Plicht 《Quaternary Research》2014

The mid-Holocene eruption of Aniakchak volcano (Aniakchak II) in southwest Alaska was among the largest eruptions globally in the last 10,000 years (VEI-6). Despite evidence for possible impacts on global climate, the precise age of the eruption is not well-constrained and little is known about regional environmental impacts. A closely spaced sequence of radiocarbon dates at a peatland site over 1000 km from the volcano show that peat accumulation was greatly reduced with a hiatus of approximately 90–120 yr following tephra deposition. During this inferred hiatus no paleoenvironmental data are available but once vegetation returned the flora changed from a Cyperaceae-dominated assemblage to a Poaceae-dominated vegetation cover, suggesting a drier and/or more nutrient-rich ecosystem. Oribatid mites are extremely abundant in the peat at the depth of the ash, and show a longer-term, increasingly wet peat surface across the tephra layer. The radiocarbon sample immediately below the tephra gave a date of 1636–1446 cal yr BC suggesting that the eruption might be younger than previously thought. Our findings suggest that the eruption may have led to a widespread reduction in peatland carbon sequestration and that the impacts on ecosystem functioning were profound and long-lasting.  相似文献   

A temperature-induced reversible transformation between paratacamite and herbertsmithite     

Mark D. Welch  Matthew J. Sciberras  Peter A. Williams  Peter Leverett  Jochen Schlüter  Thomas Malcherek 《Physics and Chemistry of Minerals》2014,41(1):33-48

The crystal chemistry of paratacamite has been re-evaluated by studying a crystal from the holotype specimen BM86958 of composition Cu_3.71Zn_0.29(OH)₆Cl₂ using single-crystal X-ray diffraction at 100, 200, 300, 353, 393 and 423 K. At 300 K paratacamite has space group $R\bar{3}$ with unit-cell parameters a 13.644 and c 14.035 Å and exhibits a pronounced subcell, a′ = ½a and c′ = c, analogous to that of the closely related mineral herbertsmithite, Cu₃Zn(OH)₆Cl₂. Between 353 and 393 K, paratacamite undergoes a reversible phase transformation to the herbertsmithite-like substructure, space group $R\bar{3}m$ , unit-cell parameters a 6.839 and c 14.072 Å (393 K). The transformation is characterised by a gradual reduction in intensity of superlattice reflections, which are absent at 393 and 443 K. On cooling from 443 to 300 K at ~10 K min^?1, the superlattice reflections reappear and the refined structures ( $R\bar{3}$ ) of the initial and recovered 300 K states are almost identical. The complete reversibility of the transformation establishes that paratacamite of composition Cu_3.71Zn_0.29(OH)₆Cl₂ is thermodynamically stable at ambient temperatures. The nature of the rhombic distortion of the M(2)O₆ octahedron is discussed by considering two possibilities that are dependent upon the nature of cation substitution in the interlayer sites.  相似文献   

Assessing impact of urban impervious surface on watershed hydrology using distributed object-oriented simulation and spatial regression     

Yuyu Zhou  Yeqiao Wang  Arthur J. Gold  Peter V. August  Thomas B. Boving 《GeoJournal》2014,79(2):155-166

In this study, we investigated the relationship between watershed characteristics and hydrology using high spatial resolution impervious surface area (ISA), hydrologic simulations and spatial regression. We selected 20 watersheds at HUC 12 level with different degrees of urbanization and performed hydrologic simulation using a distributed object-oriented rainfall and runoff simulation model. We extracted the discharge per area and ratio of runoff to base flow from simulation results and used them as indicators of hydrology pattern. We derived percentage of ISA, distance from ISA to streams, and stream density as the watershed characteristics to evaluate the relationship with hydrology pattern in watersheds using ordinary least square, spatial error and spatial lag regression models. The comparison indicates that spatial lag regression model can achieve better performance for the evaluation of relationship between ratio of runoff to base flow and watershed characteristics, and that three models provide similar performance for the evaluation of relationship between discharge per area and watershed characteristics. The results from regression analyses demonstrate that ISA plays an important role in watershed hydrology. Ignorance of spatial dependence in analyses will likely cause inaccurate evaluation for relationship between ISA and watershed hydrology. The hydrologic model, regression methods and relationships between watershed characteristics and hydrology pattern provide important tools and information for decision makers to evaluate the effect of different scenarios in land management.  相似文献   

Observations on the crystal structures of lueshite     

Roger H. Mitchell  Peter C. Burns  Kevin S. Knight  Christopher J. Howard  Anton R. Chakhmouradian 《Physics and Chemistry of Minerals》2014,41(6):393-401

Laboratory powder XRD patterns of the perovskite-group mineral lueshite from the type locality (Lueshe, Kivu, DRC) and pure NaNbO₃ demonstrate that lueshite does not adopt the same space group (Pbma; #57) as the synthetic compound. The crystal structures of lueshite (2 samples) from Lueshe, Mont Saint-Hilaire (Quebec, Canada) and Sallanlatvi (Kola, Russia) have been determined by single-crystal CCD X-ray diffraction. These room temperature X-ray data for all single-crystal samples can be satisfactorily refined in the orthorhombic space group Pbnm (#62). Cell dimensions, atomic coordinates of the atoms, bond lengths and octahedron tilt angles are given for four crystals. Conventional neutron diffraction patterns for Lueshe lueshite recorded over the temperature range 11–1,000 K confirm that lueshite does not adopt space group Pbma within these temperatures. Neutron diffraction indicates no phase changes on cooling from room temperature to 11 K. None of these neutron diffraction data give satisfactorily refinements but suggest that this is the space group Pbnm. Time-of-flight neutron diffraction patterns for Lueshe lueshite recorded from room temperature to 700 °C demonstrate phase transitions above 550 °C from Cmcm through P4/mbm to \(Pm\overline{3} m\) above 650 °C. Cell dimensions and atomic coordinates of the atoms are given for the three high-temperature phases. The room temperature to 400 °C structures cannot be satisfactorily resolved, and it is suggested that the lueshite at room temperature consists of domains of pinned metastable phases with orthorhombic and/or monoclinic structures. However, the sequence of high-temperature phase transitions observed is similar to those determined for synthetic NaTaO₃, suggesting that the equilibrated room temperature structure of lueshite is orthorhombic Pbnm.  相似文献   

Crack Initiation and Crack Propagation in Heterogeneous Sulfate-Rich Clay Rocks   总被引：2，自引：1，他引：1  

Florian Amann  Ömer Ündül  Peter K. Kaiser 《Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering》2014,47(5):1849-1865

Brittle fracture processes were hypothesized by several researches to cause a damage zone around an underground excavation in sulfate-rich clay rock when the stress exceeds the crack initiation threshold, and may promote swelling by crystal growth in newly formed fractures. In this study, laboratory experiments such as unconfined and confined compression tests with acoustic emission monitoring, and microstructural and mineralogical analyses are used to explain brittle fracture processes in sulfate-rich clay rock from the Gipskeuper formation in Switzerland. This rock type typically shows a heterogeneous rock fabric consisting of distinct clayey layers and stiff heterogeneities such as anhydrite layers, veins or nodules. The study showed that at low deviatoric stress, the failure behavior is dominated by the strength of the clayey matrix where microcracks are initiated. With increasing deviatoric stress or strain, growing microcracks eventually are arrested at anhydrite veins, and cracks develop either aligned with the interface between clayey layers and anhydrite veins, or penetrate anhydrite veins. These cracks often link micro-fractured regions in the specimen. This study also suggest that fracture localization in sulfate-rich clay rocks, which typically show a heterogeneous rock fabric, does not take place in the pre-peak range and renders unstable crack propagation less likely. Sulfate-rich clay rocks typically contain anhydrite veins at various scales. At the scale of a tunnel, anhydrite layers or veins may arrest growing fractures and prevent the disintegration of the rock mass. The rock mass may be damaged when the threshold stress for microcrack initiation is exceeded, thus promoting swelling by crystal growth in extension fractures, but the self-supporting capacity of the rock mass may be maintained rendering the possibility for rapidly propagating instability less likely.  相似文献   

Adaptation to climate change in the insurance sector: examples from the UK,Germany and the Netherlands     

E. Carina H. Keskitalo  Gregor Vulturius  Peter Scholten 《Natural Hazards》2014,71(1):315-334

Adaptation to climate change, particularly flood risks, may come to pose large challenges in the future and will require cooperation among a range of stakeholders. However, there presently exists little research especially on the integration of the private sector in adaptation. In particular, recently developed state programs for adaptation have so far been focused on the public sector. Insurance providers may have much to contribute as they offer other parts of society services to appropriately identify, assess and reduce the financial impacts of climate change-induced risks. This study aims to explore how the institutional distribution of responsibility for flood risk is being renegotiated within the UK, Germany and Netherlands. Examining how the insurance industry and the public sector can coordinate their actions to promote climate change adaptation, the study discusses how layered natural hazard insurance systems may result from attempts to deal with increasing risks due to increasing incidences of extreme events and climate change. It illustrates that concerns over the risks from extreme natural events have prompted re-assessments of the current systems, with insurance requiring long-term legislative frameworks that defines the objectives and responsibilities of insurers and the different political authorities.  相似文献   

“Washed away”—assessing community perceptions of flooding and prevention strategies: a North Queensland example     

Richard C. Franklin  Jemma C. King  Peter J. Aitken  Peter A. Leggat 《Natural Hazards》2014,73(3):1977-1998

This article explored the perceptions of residents of a regional city in North Queensland of how to remain safe during flood events. It also explored reasons for and how to prevent risk-taking behaviour in floodwater using the protection motivation theory (PMT). PMT is a psychological theory which has recently been applied to assess behaviour during floods and was used as a framework to analyse the themes of responses to the online survey. The online survey was conducted prior to the wet season of 2011/2012 with 130 Townsville residents participating. The results indicate that about half of respondents (55 %) had some experience with floods of which driving through floodwater (38 %) was the most common type of flood experience listed and was more common amongst male respondents. Respondents’ advice to keep friends and family safe during floods was consistent with “coping appraisal”, which would improve their ability to cope with the flood. Prior experiences with floodwater influenced the reasons given for why people drive through floodwater and were taken to be indicative of an actor/observer bias. Respondents who had experience driving through floodwater (the actors) indicate how the context of the situation can influence decision-making, whereas those respondents who had no personal experience of driving through floodwater (the observers) were more likely to cite low perceived vulnerability of harm as a motivator. Prevention strategies focused on structural mechanisms to block access, information provision and punishment of offenders. It is suggested that in communities which regularly experience flooding, timely and context-specific reminders of the dangers inherent in floodwater along with the type, effectiveness and cost of protective action could minimise the public’s contact with floodwater and prove useful regardless of past experiences.  相似文献   

Komsomolskaya diamondiferous eclogites: evidence for oceanic crustal protoliths     

John F. Pernet-Fisher  Geoffrey H. Howarth  Yang Liu  Peter H. Barry  Laura Carmody  John W. Valley  Robert J. Bodnar  Zdislav V. Spetsius  Lawrence A. Taylor 《Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology》2014,167(3):1-17

The Komsomolskaya kimberlite is one of numerous (>1,000) kimberlite pipes that host eclogite xenoliths on the Siberian craton. Eclogite xenoliths from the adjacent Udachnaya kimberlite pipe have previously been geochemically well characterized; however, data from surrounding diamond-bearing kimberlite pipes from the center of the craton are relatively sparse. Here, we report major- and trace-element data, as well as oxygen isotope systematics, for mineral separates of diamondiferous eclogite xenoliths from the Komsomolskaya kimberlite, suggesting two distinct subgroups of a metamorphosed, subducted oceanic crustal protolith. Using almandine contents, this suite can be divided into two subgroups: group B1, with a high almandine component (>20 mol%) and group B2, with a low almandine component (<20 mol%). Reconstructed REE profiles for B1 eclogites overlap with typical oceanic basalts and lack distinct Eu anomalies. In addition, elevated oxygen isotope values, which are interpreted to reflect isotopic exchange with seawater at low temperatures (<350 °C), are consistent with an upper-oceanic crustal protolith. Reconstructed REE profiles for B2 eclogites are consistent with oceanic gabbros and display distinct Eu anomalies, suggesting a plagioclase-rich cumulate protolith. In contrast to B1, B2 eclogites do not display elevated oxygen isotope values, suggesting an origin deep within the crustal pile, where little-to-no interaction with hydrothermal fluids has occurred. Major-element systematics were reconstructed based on mineral modes; group B1 eclogites have higher MgO wt% and lower SiO₂ wt%, with respect to typical oceanic basalts, reflecting a partial melting event during slab subduction. Calculated residues from batch partial melt modeling of a range of Precambrian basalts overlap with group B1 trace-element chemistry. When taken together with the respective partial melt trajectories, these melting events are clearly linked to the formation of Tonalite–Trondhjemite–Granodiorite (TTG) complexes. As a result, we propose that many, if not all, diamondiferous eclogite xenoliths from Komsomolskaya represent mantle ‘restites’ that preserve chemical signatures of Precambrian oceanic crust.  相似文献   

Remarkable Species Diversity on Adjacent Salt Lakes in South Australia   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Peter HUDSON 《《地质学报》英文版》2014,88(Z1):73-73

正Lakes Acraman,Gairdner,Harris and Everard are a cluster of large episodic salt lakes on Eyre Peninsula,South Australia.These lakes have a characteristic terrestrial invertebrate fauna including various spiders,  相似文献