| 1 | Os isotope dating and growth hiatuses of Co-rich crust from central Pacific显示文摘Up to now, accurate determination of the growth age and hiatuses of the Co-rich crust is still a difficult work, which constrains the researches on the genesis, growth process, controlling factors, regional tectonics, paleo-oceanographic background, etc. of the Co-rich crust. This paper describes our work in determining the initial growth age of the Co-rich crust to be of the late Cretaceous Campanian Stage (about 75-80 Ma), by selecting the Co-rich crust with clear multi-layer structures in a central Pacific seamount for layer-by-layer sample analysis and using a number of chronological methods, such as Co flux dating, dating by correlation with 187Os/188Os evolution curves of seawater, and stratigraphic divi- sion by calcareous nannofossils. We have also discovered growth hiatuses with different time intervals in the early Paleocene, middle Eocene, late Eocene and early-middle Miocene, respectively. These re- sults have provided an important age background for further researches on the Co-rich crust growth process and the paleo-oceanographic environment evolution thereby revealed in the said region. | LI JiangShan FANG NianQiao QU WenJun DING Xuan GAO LianFeng WU ChangHang ZHANG ZhenGuo | 2008 | Science China Earth Sciences2008,51,10: | 6 |
| 2 | Growth of a polymetallic nodule from northwestern continental margin of the South China Sea and its response to changes in paleoceanographical environment of the late Cenozoic显示文摘In the northern South China Sea,the accumulation of enormous quantities of terrigenous sediment during Cenozoic rendered well-developed polymetallic nodules very rare.In this study,we analyzed a polymetallic nodule from the northwestern continental margin of the South China Sea using microscopic mineralogical observation,electron probes,X-ray diffraction(XRD),ICP-MS,and Be isotope dating.We found the nodule's shell layers rich in different types of microstructures,including columnar,laminar,stack-like,petal-like,and porphyritic structures.The major mineral components of the nodule are MnO2.Unlike nodules from the eastern Pacific basin,this nodule has high contents in Fe,Si,Al,and REEs but low contents in Mn,Cu,Co,and Ni.The Mn/Fe ratio is also low and the average REEs content is 1370.4 ppm.There is a strong positive anomaly of Ce;and the Be(beryllium) isotope dating shows the initial time of growth of the nodule to be about 3.29 Ma.The inner compact layer formed from 3.29 Ma to about 1.83 Ma.The laminar and stack-like structures and the low contents of the terrigenous elements such as Fe,Si,REE,and Al indicate the paleoceanographical environment with weak undersea currents and favorable oxidizing conditions.From 1.83 Ma to 0.73 Ma,the growth rate of the nodule increased by about 3%;the microstructures formed during this period are stack-like and columnar.The contents of Si and Al are increased by nearly 10%,indicating an increase of terrigenous sediment input in the northern South China Sea.The content of Ce is decreased by about 16%,indicating a significant weakening of the oxidizing conditions at the seabed.From 0.73 Ma to 0.69 Ma,the growth rate of the nodule rapidly rose up to 8.27 times that of the nodule's average growth rate,and the contents of Fe,Al,and REEs in the layer also increased,forming a loose layer characterized by oolitic,granular,porphyritic,and petal-like structures,indicating the paleoceanographical environment with a high sedimemtation rate and abundant supply of terrigenous sediment in the northern South China Sea.From 0.69 Ma to 0.22 Ma,the growth rate of the nodule suddenly slowed and the outer compact layer formed.Contents of Fe,Si,REE,Al,Mn,Cu,Co,and Ni in this layer were significantly lower than in other layers.The main structures of the layer are laminar and fissure filling structures.These reflect the paleoceanographical environment with stable undersea currents,poor oxidizing conditions,and other conditions not conducive to nodule growth.The growth process of nodule S04-1DG-1 was found to respond sensitively to the changes of the paleoceanographical environment of the northern South China Sea during the late Cenozoic. | ZHANG ZhenGuo DU YuanSheng WU ChangHang FANG NianQiao YANG ShengXiong LIU Jian SONG ChengBing | 2013 | Science China Earth Sciences2013,56,3: | 5 |