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Aluminum organic coprecipitates play important roles in the transport of oxyanions in soil environment. A new polynuclear aluminum organomineral precipitate (Al13-oxalate precipitate) was prepared to investigate the adsorption behavior of arsenate and phosphate on noncrystalline aluminum precipitates. Important thermodynamic parameters for adsorption reaction were evaluated using macroscopic adsorption data and equations. The result showed that, the adsorption reaction basically is a diffusion process. FTIR spectroscopic studies have provided evidence for the formation of two different types of complexes in substrate, protonated bidentate and deprotonated bidentate complexes at pH 4 and pH≥6, respectively. The classic competitive adsorption and XPS studies both indicated that phosphate has stronger chemical interaction with substrate than arsenate. The findings of XPS studies revealed that the precipitate substrate can act as Lewis acid when adsorbing oxyanions.

Samples of oil-field waters taken from more than fifty oil-fields in ten major oil-gasbearing basins of China have been studied in special reference to various bond parameters. It is found that the concentrations of Na+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ (ppm) show a logarithmic correlation with the bond parameters. This correlation is treated with the quantitative formula logMi=a+bL for Φ (logMi, L). Additionally, the relations between the variation of Φ (logMi, L) and the origin of oil-field waters and between that and the nature of crude oil are explored. For the convenience of solution of the formula, nomogaphy is recommended in this paper.

We have measured Rb and Sr concentrations in fluid inclusions of quartz in gold deposits, southwestern Hunan. The Rb-Sr isochron ages of 435±9Ma and 412±33Ma are respectively determined, revealing that gold mineralization in this area took place in the Caledonian period rather than in the Wuling-Xuefeng period as traditionally considered. Sr isotope geochemistry of the hydrothermal fluid indicates that the ore-forming materials are of crust origin, derived largely from the ore-hosting strata rather than from the basic dikes.

Microbiological and physical-chemical characteristics of subtropical forest, grassland and cropfield soils from the karst areas of Southwest China were investigated. The study revealed that the conversion of natural forest to other forms of land would lead to a reduction in soil organic C(26.2%–35.3%), total N(37.2%–55.8%), total P(32.9%–43.6%), microbial biomass C(35.4%–49.1%), N(37.2%–55.8%), and P(25.8%–41.9%). Comparative analysis of microbial activity in terms of basal soil respiration showed maximum activity in forest soil and minimum in cropfield soil. Analysis of microbial metabolic respiratory activity indicated a relatively greater respiratory loss of CO2-C per unit microbial biomass in cropfield and grassland than in forest soil. Considering the importance of microbial components in soil, it is concluded that land use in different ways will lead to the reduction of biological stability of soil.

A peraluminous granite belt occurs along the connecting zone between the Turpan-Hami Precambrian block and the Upper Paleozoic island arc belt. Muscovite granite and twomica granite are the essential lithological components of that belt. All the potassium feldspars in these granites are microcline. Heavy minerals are dominated by magnetite. SiO2 contents of these granites are greater than 73% with most of the A/NKC values greater than 1.1, normative corundum values greater than 1. Plots of CIPW norms in the (Al-K-Na)-Ca-(Fe2++ Mg) diagram are mostly situated in the plagioclase-cordierite-muscovite region. The rocks are characterized by very low contents of minor elements and ΣREE with strong Eu depletion, δ18O values between 6.6‰ and 7.0‰, Rb-Sr isochron age of 260.2 ± 6.2 Ma and an initial87Sr/86 Sr ratio of 0.7052. These granites might have been produced by partial melting of moderately acidic volcanites and low-maturity sediments in the basement sequences and could be genetically connected with the southward A-type subduction of the Turpan-Hami block following the closure of the Middle Carboniferous back-arc basin.

The tidal flat of Nakta is located in the northern part of the gulf of Gabes and in the southern coast of Sfax. It corresponds to a flat reef protected from less topography, with a slope ranging between 2° and 4°, which borders the Gargour Wadi. The study sector is renowned to have moderate hydrodynamics which lasts almost for two millenary (14C isotopic dating). The sedimentological study of the Nakta tidal flat revealed different facies: fine-grained sand in the intertidal zone and carbonated muddy sand in the infratidal zone. Equilibrium state of the Nakta ecosystem depends entirely on tide currents, which mainly inhibit drift currents. The Nakta tidal flat is characterized by a variety of faunal species (Cerastoderma glaucum, Arca noe, Cardita antiquatus, Chlamys varied, Ruditapes deccussatus, Tapes rhomboids, Pinctada radiate, etc.) and floristic diversities (Halocnemum strobilacum, Halimione portulacoides, Enteromorpha linza, Ulva rigida, Cymodocea nodosa, Posidonia oceanica). The species are abundant in the infratidal zone, while in its intertidal zone, faunal species remain little diversified and are dominated by limivorous diggering. The paleogeographic study of the Nakta tidal flat showed the alternation of regression and transgression periods.

In northern Qinghai-Tibet plateau there are developed Cenozoic volcanic rocks. They constitute a trachybasalt-shoshonite-latite-trachydacite assemblage. According to the forming ages, three Cenozoic volcanic rock lithozones can be distinguished in the northern part of the plateau. Cenozoic volcanic rocks and muscovite/two-mica granites forming the three belts in pairs represent the northern and southern margins of the plateau in different periods. In fact, the tectonic setting of the northern part of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau is significantly different from that of the southern part—Himalayas. The southern part has experienced subduction and continent-continent collision. There are developed the Cenozoic S-type granites (muscovite/ two-mica granites) there. But the northern part is characterized by Cenozoic basaltic magmatism which obviously comes from the upper mantle. Slight doming of the upper mantle is recognized underneath the northern part of the plateau, which is the result of resistance of the Tarim plate to the north direction-sense movement of the Tibetan plate. And at the same time, the uplift machanism shows that the formation of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau involved three orogenic stages (35−23 Ma, 23−10 Ma and <2 Ma) of uplift in the vertical direction and extension in the horizontal direction with the Gangdise-Qiangtang orogenic belt as its core.

Cenozoic basalts widespread in eastern China constitute an important sector of the circum-Pacific Cenozoic basalt belt. Basalt samples were collected from Wudalianchi (Heilongjiang Province), Nushan (Anhui Province), Fangshan (Jiangsu Province), Zhuji (Zhejiang Province), and Mingxi(Fujian Province). These basalts, for the most part, belong to the alkali basaltic series, and partly to tholeiites. A variety of inclusions commonly occurs in the rock-forming minerals of these basalts. The physicochemical conditions of basalt formation in different areas have been reviewed in special reference to the inclusion data. Our studies have shown that there is a close relationship between the features of the inclusions and the physicochemical conditions of basalt formation, which can, therefore, be regarded as a guide to the mechanism of basaltic petrogenesis. The results of research in this aspect are presented in the present paper.