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The Longbohe Cu deposit, which is located in the southern part of the Honghe ore-forming zone, Yunnan Province, China, belongs to a typical ore field where volcanic rocks are of wide distribution and are associated with Cu mineralization in time and space. The volcanic rocks in the ore field, which have experienced varying degree of alteration or regional metamorphism, can be divided into three types, i.e., meta-andesite, meta-subvolcanic rock and meta-basic volcanic rock in accordance with their mineral asemblages. These three types of volcanic rocks in the ore field are relatively rich in Na and the main samples plot in the area of alkali basalts in the geochemical classification diagram. With the exception of very few elements, these three types of volcanic rocks are similar in the content of trace elements. In comparison to the basalts of different tectonic settings, the meta-volcanic rocks in the ore field are rich in high field strength elements (HFSE) such as Th, Nb, etc. and depleted in large ion lithophile elements (LILE) such as Sr, Ba, etc. and their primary mantle-normalized trace element patterns show remarkable negative Th and Nb anomalies and negative Sr and Ba anomalies. These three types of volcanic rocks are similar in REE content range and chondrite-normalized REE patterns with the exception of Eu anomaly. Various lines of evidence show that these three types of volcanic rocks in the ore field have the same source but are the products of different stages of magmatic evolution, their original magma is a product of partial melting of the metasomatically enriched mantle in the tensional tectonic setting within the continent plate, and the crystallization differentiation plays an important role in the process of magmatic evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A version of the geoelectrochemical prospecting technique developed in China was demonstrated in China and Australia to test its suitability under both Chinese and Australian conditions. This paper briefly describes the mechanism and effectiveness of the technique applied to search of concealed mineralisation through regolith cover, based on both experimental and field tests. This paer deals with three main aspects of the method: a) how metallic ions are released from orebodies by electrochemical dissolution; b) how these ions migrate to the collector and are deposited as elements by electrochemical extraction in the presence of an electric field; and c) the effectiveness of the method illustrated by some case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have been conducted on heavy metal concentrations in urban outdoor dust in China, showing that differences exist in the metal concentrations of different cities. However, no report has studied the distribution of heavy metals across Chinese cities. This work presents the spatial distribution of heavy metals in urban outdoor dust in Chinese cities and discusses the causes for the differences in heavy metal levels across cities by analyzing and summarizing data for 20 provincial capitals from the published scientific literature. The results show that the geometric mean values of Ni and Cr in urban dust of China are lower than or comparable to crustal levels, whereas levels of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn are significantly greater than crustal levels. The spatial distributions of Cu, Pb, and Zn in urban dust all exhibit a pattern in which heavy metal levels are greater in cities located in the south of China than in the north. Commercial areas and residential-education areas accumulate more Cd in their dust than industrial areas and traffic areas, and industrial areas and residential-education areas accumulate more Pb than commercial areas and traffic areas. The Zn level in dust from industrial areas is significantly greater than in other areas, and Cu exhibits no significant difference between different functional areas. A positive correlation exists between Cd and Zn in urban dust and population density. Urban dust Pb in Chinese cities is lower than the world average as calculated using data for thirteen cities in different countries. Cd, Cu, and Zn levels in China are close to world averages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concentration of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) in the atmosphere of urban Beijing was measured from October 2003 to September 2004 to investigate the origins and spatial-temporal variations of atmospheric Hg. The mean value of Hg concentration is 17.1 ng⋅m-3 (n=653). The atmospheric Hg data showed spatial-temporal variations throughout the duration of our observation. The maximum GEM concentration (53.7 ng⋅m-3) was observed at Gucheng in the western area of urban Beijing. The GEM concentrations increased from the north to the south of the studied area, and were higher in winter than in summer. The highest and lowest monthly averages of GEM concentrations were measured to be 23.3 and 4.1 ng⋅m-3 in January and July, respectively. In addition, GEM concentrations are higher in the daytime than at night in Autumn and from 14 March to 15 April, but daily GEM variation showed an inverse pattern from 22 April to 22 May. In winter, two peak values of GEM concentrations occurred at 13:30 and 21:30. Daily variation of GEM concentrations in summer was the lowest in the four seasons. Mercury from coal combustion was estimated to be the main source of anthropogenic emissions in Beijing from October 2003 to September 2004. Additionally, Hg emission from natural gas burning was estimated to be another dominant source of atmospheric Hg in Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Linglong-Jiaojia district is one of the most important regions containing gold deposits in China. These gold deposits can be divided into: a) the pyrite-gold-quartz vein type (Linglong type), which is controlled by brittle-ductile to ductile deformation structures, and b) the alteration-zone type (Jiaojia type), characterized by small veinlets, or the disseminated type recognized in brittle shear zones. Lode gold deposits in the Jiaojia area occur in NE brittle fracture zones, formed in a dominantly simple shear deformation regime, mainly in thrust attitude with a minor sinistral strike slip component. In the Linglong area, the lode gold deposits are located at the intersection of three types of structures: NNE and NE brittle-ductile fault zones and the ENE ductile reverse shear zone in the south of the area. The structural characteristics of these brittle shear zones are consistent with a tectonic NNW-SSE principal stress field orientation. Similar stresses explain the ENE Qixia fold axes, the Potouqing and several other ENE reverse ductile shear zones elsewhere in the region, the Tancheng-Lujiang fault zone and its subsidiaries in the vicinity of the Linglong-Jiaojia district, as well as the southern ENE suture zone north of Qingdao. Therefore these structural systems occurred as part of different major tectonic events under NNW-SSE compression principal stress fields in the area. Gold deposits are hosted in smaller-scale structures within the brittle fault zones and brittle-ductile shear zones. Although ore bodies and, on a smaller scale, quartz ore veins often seem to be randomly oriented, it is possible to explain their distribution and orientation in terms of the simple shear deformation process under which they were developed. The progressive simple shear failure is characterized by various fracture modes (tension and shear) that intervene in sequence. The tension and shear fractures are influenced by the stress level (depth of burial beneath the paleosurface) in their structural behavior, show variable dilatancy (void openings) and extend on all scales. By making use of these characteristics, a progressive failure analysis can be applied to predicting the shape and extent of ore bodies as well as the styles of mineralization at any given location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts of several studies on environmental geochemistry. Some of the abstracts presented include "Biogeochemical Cycling of Nutrients in Karstic Catchments, Southwestern China: Linkages to Changes of Eco-Environments," by Congqiang Liu and "Emerging Organic Contamination in China," by Guibin Jiang and colleagues.

A systematic analysis of the inorganic and organic geochemistry of Middle Permian source rocks comprising carbonate rocks and mudstones was carried out, with samples collected from the outcrop and bore of the Junggar, Turpan and Ili basins in northern Xinjiang. This study confirmed that sedimentary parameters for an ancient water body, such as inorganic geochemistry and paleosalinity, have a close relation to the organic matter of source rocks. It is also disclosed that phytane predominance in the source rocks is mainly due to a reducing environment. Biomarkers, such as gammacerane and β-carotene, in the samples reflect a specific salinity in the sedimentary environments. Sedimentary zones with a strong reducing environment are more likely to produce deposits of primary organic matter, which will be buried and preserved contemporarily. Consequently, the source rocks are generally high in organic content and better in organic type than ordinary ones, and vice versa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]