Abstract:1. Papers should be devoted mainly to various aspects of research concerning geosciences and related disciplines in China, such as stratigraphy, paleontology, origin and history of the Earth, structural geology, tectonics, mineralogy, petrology, geochemistry, geophysics, geology of mineral deposits, hydrogeology, engineering geology, environmental geology, regional geology and new theories and technologies of geological exploration. Those of scientific interest to the geological community in China or of

Abstract:In order to investigate the effect of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans on the oxidation of pyrite, two parallel experiments, which employed H2SO4 solutions and acidic solutions inoculated with Thiobacillus ferrooxidans, were designed and carried out at 30℃. The initial pH of the two solutions was adjusted to 2.5 by dropwise addition of concentrated sulphuric acid. The surfaces of pyrite before exposure to leaching solutions and after exposure to the H2SO4 solutions and acidic solutions inoculated with Thiobacillus ferrooxidans were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). There were a variety of erosion patterns by Thiobacillus ferrooxidans on the bio-leached pyrite surfaces. A conclusion can be drawn that the oxidation of pyrite might have been caused by erosion of the surfaces. Attachment of the bacteria to pyrite surfaces resulted in erosion pits, leading to the oxidation of pyrite. It is possible that the direct mechanism plays the most important role in the oxidation of pyrite. The changes in iron ion concentrations of both the experimental solutions with time suggest that Thiobacillus ferrooxidans can enhance greatly the oxidation of pyrite.

Abstract:

Abstract:A new species of tapejarid pterosaur, Huaxiapterus corollatus sp. nov. is erected on the basis of a nearly complete skull and postcranial skeleton from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning Province, China. Huaxiapterus corollatus sp. nov. is characterized by a hatchet-shaped rectangular process on the premaxilla, whose short axis is perpendicular to the anterior margin of the premaxillae. Except for this process, other characters of the skull such as the breadth of the snout between the anterior margin of the nasoantorbital fenestra and the anterior margin of the premaxilla are similar to that of Huaxiapterus jii. Huaxiapterus and a second Chinese tapejarid, Sinopterus, share several unique cranial characters in common with Tapejara and these three genera appear to be more closely related to each other than to other azhdarchoids. The Chinese tapejarids (Sinopterus and Huaxiapterus) have relatively elongate skulls and weakly developed cranial crests and seem to be less derived than Tapejara, with its shorter, deeper skull and large cranial crest. Tupuxuarids (Tupuxuara and Thalassodromeus) have often been associated with tapejarids in the family Tapejaridae, but this relationship is controversial because some phylogenetic analyses have supported the pairing of tupuxuarids with Azhdarchidae. We propose that Tapejaridae be restricted to Tapejara, Sinopterus and Huaxiapterus.

Abstract:Two well-preserved fossil dragonflies from the Late Mesozoic Yixian Formation, Liaoning Province, China are described and assigned to a new genus, Sopholibellula gen. nov. in Araripelibellulidae Bechly, 1996, closely related to the type genus Araripelibellula. This new genus differs from Araripelibellula in the following characters: origins of RP and MA distinctly separated at arculus in both pairs of wings; anal loop wider and shorter, with Y-shaped veins inside; MA and IR2 not zigzag; several small intercalary veins present in the postdiscoidal area of hindwing; cells smaller and much more dense, especially in the apex and hind margin; bigger in size. Structures, including head, abdomen and parts of legs, were first described in details of this family.

Abstract:Laser Raman spectroscopy and cathodoluminescence (CL) images show that most zircon crystals separated from paragneiss in the main drill hole of the Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling Project (CCSD-MH) at Maobei, southwestern Sulu terrane, contain low-pressure mineral-bearing detrital cores, coesite-bearing mantles and quartz-bearing or mineral inclusion-free rims. SHRIMP U Pb dating on these zoned zircons yield three discrete and meaningful age groups. The detrital cores yield a large age span from 659 to 313 Ma, indicating the protolith age for the analyzed paragneiss is Paleozoic rather than Proterozoic. The coesite-bearing mantles yield a weighted mean age of 228 ± 5 Ma for the UHP event. The quartz-bearing outmost rims yield a weighted mean age of 213 ± 6 Ma for the retrogressive event related to the regional amphibolite facies metamorphism in the Sulu UHP terrane. Combined with previous SHRIMP U-Pb dating results from orthogneiss in CCSD-MH, it is suggested that both Neoproterozoic granitic protolith and Paleozoic sedimentary rocks were subducted to mantle depths in the Late Triassic. About 15 million years later, the Sulu UHP metamorphic rocks were exhumed to mid-crustal levels and overprinted by an amphibolite-facies retrogressive metamorphism. The exhumation rate deduced from the SHRIMP data and metamorphic P-T conditions is about 6.7 km/Ma. Such a fast exhumation suggests that the Sulu UHP paragneiss and orthogneiss returned towards the surface as a dominant part of a buoyant sliver, caused as a consequence of slab breakoff.

Abstract:Based on analyses of the share of documents of structural geology and tectonics in the GeoRef system over 100 years in the last century, and the historical change of international (31 years) and domestic (16 years) document counts of various topics in structural geology and tectonics, the position of structural geology and tectonics in the geosciences is evaluated and the major advaces in fields of plate tectonics, continental dynamics and global dynamics are reviewed. Our attention mainly focuses on the advances in studies of structural analysis, deformation mechanisms and rheology of rocks, contractional tectonics and late- and post-orogenic extensional collapse in orogens, large-scale strike slip faults and indentation-extrusion tectonics, active tectonics and natural hazards. The relationships of structural geology and tectonics with petrology and geochronology are also discussed in terms of intersection of scientific disciplines. Finally, some suggestions are proposed for the further development of structural geology and tectonics in China.

Abstract:Recent studies on the Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault system suggest that the Late Quaternary strike-slip rate is approximately uniform along the entire length of the fault zone, about 15±2 mm/a. This approximately uniform strike slip rate strongly supports the clockwise rotation model of the southeastern Tibetan crust. By approximating the geometry of the arc-shaped Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault system as a portion of a small circle on a spherical Earth, the 15±2 mm/a strike slip rate corresponds to clockwise rotation of the Southeastern Tibetan Block at the (5.2±0.7)×10-7 deg/a angular velocity around the pole (21°N, 88°E) relative to the Northeast Tibetan Block. The approximately uniform strike slip rate along the Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault system also implies that the Longmenshan thrust zone is not active, or at least its activity has been very weak since the Late Quaternary. Moreover, the total offset along the Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault system suggests that the lateral extrusion of the Southeastern Tibetan Block relative to Northeastern Tibetan Block is about 160 km and 200-240 km relative to the Tarim-North China block. This amount of lateral extrusion of the Tibetan crust should have accommodated about 13-24% convergence between India and Eurasia based on mass balance calculations. Assuming that the slip rate of 15±2 mm/a is constant throughout the entire history of the Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault system, 11±1.5 Ma is needed for the Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault system to attain the 160 km of total offset. This implies that left-slip faulting on the Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault system might start at 11±1.5 Ma.

Abstract:A mass of granitoid and dioritic intrusions are distributed in the southern Yidun Arc, among which the representative Indosinian intrusions include the Dongco and Maxionggou granitoid intrusions in Daocheng County and hypabyssal intrusions intruding into arc volcanic rocks near the Xiangcheng town. The Dongco and Maxionggou granitoid intrusions consist mainly of porphyraceous monzogranites, megacryst monzogranites and aplite granites. The Xiangcheng hypabyssal intrusions are composed dominantly of dioritic porphyries. SHRIMP zircon ages of 224±3 Ma and 222±3 Ma have been obtained for the Dongco granitoid intrusion and the Xiangcheng dioritic porphyries, respectively. The Xiongcheng dioritic porphyries show a cak-alkaline geochemical feature, and are characterized by higher Sr/Y ratios, depletive Nb, Ta, P and Ti, enriched LILEs, and lower εNd (t) (= -3.27), suggesting that they might be derived from mantle source magmas that were obviously contaminated by continent crustal materials. However, the Dongco and Maxionggou granitoids belong to high-potassium calc alkaline series with a per-metaluminous feature, and are characterized by higher CaO/(∑FeO+MgO) and Al2O3/(∑FeO+ MgO) ratios, lower (La/Yb)n and Sr/Y ratios, depletive Nb, Ta, Sr, P and Ti, enriched LILEs, and very low εNd (t) (= -8.10), indicating that the granitoids might be derived from partial melting of continental crust materials mainly of graywacke. Petrogenesis of Dongco and Maxionggou granitoids implies that there was an oceanic crust between the Zongza continental block (ZCB) and western margin of the Yangtze Craton (WMYZC). And the oceanic crust slab subducted westward during the Indosinian Epoch, producing an Andes-type continent marginal arc and a back arc basin at the WMSCC. Then the oceanic basin closed and a sinistrally lateral collision occurred at ca. 224 Ma-222 Ma between the ZCB and the WMYZC, causing partial melting of sediments in the back-arc basin to generate granitoid magmas of the Dongco and Maxionggou intrusions.

Abstract:For understanding the possible deep-seated processes and geodynamic constrains on gold mineralization, comprehensive physicochemical and geochemical studies of gold mineralization have been undertaken within the paleo-lithosphere framework during the metallogenic epoch from the northwestern part of the Jiaodong Peninsula in this paper. A general image of the paleo-crust has been remained although it has been superimposed and reformed by post-metallogenic tectonic movements. The gold ore deposits occur usually in local uplifts and gradient belts featuring a turn from steep to gentle in granite-metamorphic contact zones, relative uplifts of gradient zones of the Curier isothermal interfaces, depressions of the Moho discontinuity and areas where depth contours are cut by isotherms perpendicularly. Gold mineralization and lithogenesis are characterized by high temperature, low pressure and high strength of thermal flux. The depth of mineralization ranges from 0.8 to 4.5 km. The depth of the top interface of the granitic complex in the metallogenic epoch is about 3 km. There is a low-velocity layer (LVL) at the bottom of the upper crust with a depth close to 19.5 km, which may be a detachment belt in the crust. The appearance of the LVL indicates the existence of paleo-hyperthermal fluid or relics of molten magma chambers, which reflects partial melting within the crust during the diagenetic and metallogenic epochs and the superposition effects of strike-slip shearing of the Tanlu fault zone. The subsidence of the Moho is probably attributed to the coupling process of the NW-SE continental collision between North China and the Yangtze Block and the strike-slip movement of the Tanlu fault accompanied with underplating of mantle magma in the northwestern part of the Jiaodong Peninsula. The underplating of mantle magma may result in partial melting and make granite magma transfer upwards. This is favorable for the migration of metallogenic materials from deep to shallow to be enriched to form deposits. Coupling interactions between the strike-slip of the Tanlu fault, the underplating of mantle magma, partial melting within the crust, and hyperthermal fluid, etc. may be the important factors controlling the gold mineralization and spatial structures in the metallogenic system.

Abstract:Many important metal resources, such as Ni (Cu, Co), PGE, exist in magmatic sulfide deposits, are a hot spot in geological research. We divide the magmatic sulphide deposits in China into four types according to their tectonic setting, intruding mode, ore deposit mode, main metallogenic elements. The four types are as follows: (1) Small-intrusion deposits in paleo-continent; (2) Small intrusion deposits in continental flood basalt; (3) Small-intrusion deposits in erogenic belt; and (4) The deposits associated with ophiolites. On the basis of the classification, we put forward that the main magmatic metallogenic type in China is small-intrusion metallogeny, and describe its characteristics from small intrusions related concept, three geologic settings, three volcanic-intrusive assemblages and metallogenic key factors. According to the experiences of prospecting at home and abroad, we point out that there is big potential in prospecting small-intrusion deposits, which need further study. At last, we indicate that small-intrusion metallogeny not only widely distributes in mafic-ultramafic intrusions, but also has an important economic value and scientific significance in intermediate-acid intrusions.

Abstract:South China is the most important polymetallic (tungsten, tin, bismuth, copper, silver, antimony, mercury, rare metals, heavy rare earth elements, gold and lead-zinc) province in China. This paper describes the basic characteristics of Mesozoic large-scale mineralization in South China. The large-scale mineralization mainly took place in three intervals: 170-150 Ma, 140-126 Ma and 110-80 Ma. Among these the first stage is mainly marked by copper, lead-zinc and tungsten mineralization and the third stage is mainly characterized by tin, gold, silver and uranium mineralization. The stage of 140-126 Ma mainly characterized by tungsten and tin mineralization is a transitional interval from the first to the third stage. In light of the current research results of the regional tectonic evolution it is proposed that the large-scale mineralization in the three stages is related to post-collision between the South China block and the North China block, transfer of the principal stress-field of tectonic regimes from N-S to E-W direction, and multiple back-arc lithospheric extensions caused by subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate.

Abstract:Pollution of petroleum hydrocarbons, in particular oil spills, has attracted much attention in the past and recent decades. Oil spills influence natural microbial community, and physical and chemical properties of the affected sites. The biodegradation of hydrocarbons by microorganisms is one of the primary ways by which oil spill is eliminated from contaminated sites. One such spill was that of the Russian tanker the Nakhodka that spilled heavy oil into the Sea of Japan on January 2, 1997. The impact of the Nakhodka oil spill resulted in a viscous sticky fluid fouling the shores and affected natural ecosystems. This paper describes the weathering of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria (genus Pseudomonas) and crystallized organic compounds from the Nakhodka oil spill-polluted seashores after nine years. The Nakhodka oil has hardened and formed crust of crystalline paraffin wax as shown by XRD analysis (0.422, 0.377, and 0.250 nm d-spacing) in association with graphite and calcite after 9 years of bioremediation. Anaerobic reverse side of the oil crust contained numerous coccus typed bacteria associated with halite. The finding of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria and paraffin wax in the oil crust may have a significant effect on the weathering processes of the Nakhodka oil spill during the 9-year bioremediation.

Abstract:Marine hydrogenous ferromanganese crust, an important metal resource in the future, has significant potential in various applications as a type of natural nano-structured material. By employing scanning electronic microscopy, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm measurement, Xray fluorescence spectrometer and X-ray diffraction methods, the micro-structure, surface properties and chemical composition of several plate-like ferromanganese crusts sampled from the northwestern Pacific were investigated comprehensively. Although obvious differences were observed from different layers, the crust is a typical porous material with high specific surface area, unique pore structure and abundant transition elements. Furthermore, the performance of natural crust in desulfurization process was preliminarily tested in laboratory experiments. The suffur capacities of the crust are 13.1% and 18.1% at room temperature and 350 ℃, respectively. The crust can be used not only as a metal resource, but also as an environmental material.

Abstract:In order to investigate the effect of Thiobacillusferrooxidans on the oxidation of pyrite, two parallel experiments, which employed H2SO4 solutions and acidic solutions inoculated with ThiobaciUus ferrooxidans, were designed and carried out at 30℃. The initial pH of the two solutions was adjusted to 2.5 by dropwise addition of concentrated sulphuric acid. The surfaces of pyrite before exposure to leaching solutions and after exposure to the H2SO4 solutions and acidic solutions inoculated with Thiobacillus ferrooxidans were observed by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. There were a variety of erosion patterns by Thiobacillusferrooxidans on the bio-leached pyrite surfaces. A conclusion can be drawn that the oxidation of pyrite might have been caused by erosion of the surfaces. Attachment of the bacteria to pyrite surfaces resulted in erosion pits, leading to the oxidation of pyrite. It is possible that the direct mechanism plays the most important role in the oxidation of pyrite. The changes in iron ion concentrations of both the experimental solutions with time suggest that ThiobaciUus ferrooxidans can enhance greatly the oxidation of pyrite.

Abstract:Space-Time Coordinate of the Evolution and Reformation and Mineralization Response in the Ordos Basin LIU Chiyang, ZHAO Hongge, GUI Xiaojun, YUE Leping, ZHAO Junfeng and WANG Jianqiang (State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics (Northwest University), Institute of Oil and Gas of Northwest University, Xi'an, Shannxi 710069) The Ordos Basin developed during the middle-late Triassic and early Cretaceous and has been reformed since the late Cretaceous. It mainly possesses the intra-craton characters and is a residual basin with multi-stage and different reformation. The Ordos Basin

Abstract:Discovery of the Bivalvia-Qiyangia Assemblage in the Northern Qiangtang Area and Its Stratigraphic Significances LI Qian, LU Gang, ZHANG Nen, XU Hua, TANG Zhaoxia and WEI Xiaoyan (Guangxi Institute of Regional Geological Survey, Guilin, Guangxi 541003; No. 271 Team of Geological Survey, Guangxi Bureau of Geological Exploration, Guilin, Guangxi 541100) A set of Early Jurassic freshwater Bivalvia assemblage, Qiyangia assemblage, was discovered recently from the "Qoima Co Formation" in the Duxue Mountain area in the Qiangtang Basin,