Essex Rock

All landscapes are built on rock: from hard stone for building with, to the softest clay or sand. Each piece of rock is a storehouse of prehistorical information; even a simple pebble from the garden has its own complex tale to tell. Geology is the great detective science that can unlock these secrets. In this entertaining and eye-opening book, the authors take a deep dive – quite literally – into their home county of Essex. We are all living in an ice age, an ongoing event that has hugely affected Essex over the last 3 million years. Yet this county was born more than 500 million years ago. Our story begins when the land we know as Essex was part of a large continent close to the South Pole, tracing the geological processes that continue to shape the countryside around us. The form of the land, boulders on village greens, road cuttings, cliffs, stones in church walls – they can all bring geology to light in unexpected and fascinating ways. Aimed at a general readership with no scientific background, chapters progress from fundamentals to intricate details of geological investigations and cutting-edge research. Richly illustrated with photographs and colour diagrams, here the geology of a county is visualised and brought to life as never before, along with pertinent environmental insights in the light of climate change that is happening now.

High-precision apatite δ37Cl measurement by SIMS with 1012 Ω amplifier Faraday cup

Chlorine is a redox-sensitive and fluid-mobile element, and is involved in many geological processes. Apatite, a ubiquitous accessory mineral in mafic to felsic rocks, is the most-studied mineral in chlorine...

Extensive species diversification and marked geographic phylogenetic structure in the Mesoamerican genus Stenopelmatus (Orthoptera: Stenopelmatidae: Stenopelmatinae) revealed by mitochondrial and nuclear 3RAD data

The Jerusalem cricket subfamily Stenopelmatinae is distributed from south-western Canada through the western half of the United States to as far south as Ecuador. Recently, the generic classification of this subfamily was updated to contain two genera, the western North American Ammopelmatus, and the Mexican, and central and northern South American Stenopelmatus. The taxonomy of the latter genus was also revised, with 5, 13 and 14 species being respectively validated, declared as nomen dubium and described as new. Despite this effort, the systematics of Stenopelmatus is still far from complete. Here, we generated sequences of the mitochondrial DNA barcoding locus and performed two distinct DNA sequence-based approaches to assess the species’ limits among several populations of Stenopelmatus, with emphasis on populations from central and south-east Mexico. We reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships among representative species of the main clades within the genus using nuclear 3RAD data and carried out a molecular clock analysis to investigate its biogeographic history. The two DNA sequence-based approaches consistently recovered 34 putative species, several of which are apparently undescribed. Our estimates of phylogeny confirmed the recent generic update of Stenopelmatinae and revealed a marked phylogeographic structure within Stenopelmatus. Based on our results, we propose the existence of four species-groups within the genus (the faulkneri, talpa, Central America and piceiventris species-groups). The geographic distribution of these species-groups and our molecular clock estimates are congruent with the geological processes that took place in mountain ranges along central and southern Mexico, particularly since the Neogene. Our study emphasises the necessity to continue performing more taxonomic and phylogenetic studies on Stenopelmatus to clarify its actual species richness and evolutionary history in Mesoamerica.

Preface

Proceedings of the II All-Russian Conference with International Participation «Evolution of Biosphere and Technogenesis» «Biosphere and Technogenesis – 2021» Dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Institute of Natural Resources, Ecology and Cryology SB RAS Chita, Russian Federation, 30 August – 2 September, 2021 On behalf of the Organising Committee and the Editors of this volume, we are delighted to present the Proceedings of the IInd National conference with international participation, titled “The Evolution of the Biosphere and Technogenesis”, dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Institute of Natural Resources Ecology and Cryology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which was held in the city of Chita, Russia (August 30 – September 2, 2021). The Conference was organized by the Institute of Natural Resources, Ecology and Cryology SB RAS, with the support of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Daursky Nature Reserve and other organizations. The main subjects of the conference were as follows: 1. The Evolution of the biosphere (geological, paleontological, biological and climatic aspects). 2. Technogenesis and the evolution of the environment (ecological, economic and social aspects). Within the framework of the conference, the VIIIst National Symposium with international participation “Mineralogy and geochemistry of the landscape of mining areas” was been organized. A dynamic balance in the biosphere is based on a system of cycles created and maintained by it. These gyres cover not only the near-surface zone of the Earth – the exosphere, but also the deep horizons. The evolution of the biosphere as a self-developing system is part of the evolution of the Earth from the origin of life to the appearance of man and the formation of the technosphere. Understanding both the general trend of evolution and its individual stages is important not only in terms of fundamental knowledge, but also in practical terms for predicting the future of humanity and the entire biosphere. The intensification of the technogenic impact on the biosphere, which, as V.I. Vernadsky wrote, by the beginning of the 20th century had reached the scale of geological processes, threatens its stability. List of Conference Organizers is available in this pdf.

Towards Biopolitics beyond Life and Death: The Virus, Life, and Death

By engaging with Giorgio Agamben’s article on the Italian government’s measures during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, we argue that COVID-19 points to the limits of the classical biopolitical and thanatopolitical logics of analysis and therefore requires a new conceptual framework. The outbreak of COVID-19 is an example of zoonotic globalisation in which the human species as a biological and geological actor is merely one among many other species that influence biological and geological processes on Earth, thus challenging humanist conceptualisations of politics. Here, the human role in politics is decentralised by thinking the virus as one of the actors that exert influence on how the political sphere is governed. We argue that the virus is the epitome of the ungovernable – an entity or broadly a historical challenge that cannot be subjected to existing mode(s) of governing – due to its interstitial and borderline character, resting between the ontological roots of the dominant modes of governing bios (life) and geos (nonlife), and challenging them by merely existing. We draw upon the works of Ghassan Hage, Nils Bubandt, Elizabeth Povinelli, and Donna Haraway to interrogate the limits of biopolitics and diagnose theoretical conundrums stemming from the division of nature vs. culture and life vs. nonlife entrenched in the existing social-political paradigms. Rather than providing finite answers about the role of the virus as a non-human actor in the political sphere, we raise questions as to how and why it should matter.

Late quaternary palaeoclimates of western India : A geoarchaeological approach

Western India comprises parts of the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. This region has varied climate and landscape. Northwestern Rajasthan is an area of internal drainage, with dunes, playas and rocky pediments. The Luni, Sabarmati and Mahi basins to the south of this zone show the influence of both aeolian and fluvial processes. Aeolian landforms are absent in the Nrmada, Tapi, Godavari and Bhima basins and fluvial aggradation has alternated with erosion in response to climatic change. Dominance of semi-arid to arid climate throughtout the Quaternary in the entire region has ment that Quaternary geological processes have been weak, preserving many features of the Tertiary in the present landscape. The variation in the geomorphic processes shaping the landscape and the complex links between geomorphic proceses and climate mean that our understanding of palaeoclimates in western India in far from complete. This paper gives an overview of the Late Quaternary palaeoclimate of western India, based primarily on recent work by the authors in Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Some issues in the palaeoclimatic interpretation of the geological record are discussed. Signatures of Late Pleistocene aridity, fluctuating climate during the Pleistocene Holocene transitional period, early Holocene humid climate and increased aridity from the middle Holocene onwards are reflected in different ways in the different landscape settings.

GEODYNAMICS

The most dangerous exogenous geological processes (EGP) in terms of the amount of damage caused to economic objects include: landslides, karst, flooding, abrasion, mudslides, etc. The distribution and intensity of EGP are determined by the peculiarities of geological and geomorphological structure of the territory, its tectonic, neotectonic and seismic regime, as well as hydrological, climatic, hydrogeological paleo- and modern conditions. Solotvynsky salt mine is one of the oldest enterprises in Transcarpathia. The field has been exploited since the Roman Empire. In 1360, a settlement of salt miners, Solotvyno, was founded on the site of the mine, which later became a center of salt production and a royal monopoly. There are a total of nine mines in the field. In 1995-1996 and 2001, floods began flooding mines. In 2005, landslides and karst abysses intensified in Solotvyno, leading to damage to residential buildings, roads and infrastructure. There was a complete flooding of the mines of two mines. Currently, dangerous natural and man-made processes are observed on the territory of the salt mine and adjacent territories. This is mainly salt karst, both underground and surface, the collapse of areas in the location of mines, as well as landslides. Therefore, the purpose of the research is to conduct a geodynamic audit of SOLOTVYNSKY SALT MINE SE and the surrounding area with the possibility of identifying areas with subsidence or rise of the earth's surface, which are gradually slowing down, accelerating or developing at a constant rate. Output data. Radar interferometry data in the period from April 30, 2016 to June 25, 2018 were used for research and performance of geodynamic audit of SOLOTVYNSKY SALT MINE SE and the adjacent territory. Modern methods of interferometric processing of satellite radar data are used in the work: the method of "PS" – the method of constant scatterers, and the method SBAS – the method of small baselines. The method of geometric leveling was used to measure vertical displacements in some places on the earth's surface in order to verify interferometric data. Monitoring of the area of interest was carried out using modern technologies of satellite radar interferometry. According to the results of observations of landslides and individual objects by space (radar interferometry) and ground (geometric leveling) methods, a high correlation of data was recorded and the presence of zones of active subsidence in the mining area was confirmed.

Challenges and environmental issues in developing hydrocarbon resources in the World ocean

The oil and gas industry has been evolving for 150 years. Despite the predictions on the diminishing role of hydrocarbons in the second half of the 21st century, today they play a leading role in the global energy sector. In view of this there is some interest to study current development trends of the industry. This paper reviews and analyses data for the period from 2011 to 2021, which relate to the development of hydrocarbon resources in the marine and ocean environment. It was important for the authors to consider how the trends they highlighted are affecting or will affect ecosystems. The conducted research has showed that today there are three main development trends in hydrocarbon mining in the World ocean: development of the marine Arctic, continental shelf and the possibility to organize commercial production in the deep sea areas of the World ocean. For each of the directions both existing and potential ecological risks have been identified. They include loss of marine biodiversity, activation of dangerous geological processes, unpredictability of ocean environment, man-made accidents and disasters, discharges of drilling and other industrial waste, etc. The work has also identified the challenges facing the oil and gas industry. These include the search for new technologies for deep-sea production, poorly understood depth of the World ocean, need for new approaches in environmental risk management, as well as the creation of a legal framework for subsoil use regulation in new environments and areas.

Cycles in Earth Sciences, Quo Vadis? Essay on Cyclicity Concepts in Geological Thinking and their Historical Influence on Stratigraphic Practices

The archetype of a cycle has played an essential role in explaining observations of nature over thousands of years. At present, this perception significantly influences the worldview of modern societies, including several areas of science. In Earth sciences, the concept of cyclicity offers simple analytical solutions in the face of complex events and their respective products, both in time and space. Current stratigraphic research integrates several methods to identify repetitive patterns in the stratigraphic record and to interpret oscillatory geological processes. This essay proposes a historical review of the cyclic conceptions from the earliest phases in Earth sciences to their subsequent evolution into current stratigraphic principles and practices, contributing to identifying opportunities in integrating methodologies and developing future research mainly associated with quantitative approaches.