IMAGES OF A BULL IN ROCK ART OF THE ANGARA

Изучение древнего наскального искусства требует междисциплинарного подхода. Cотрудничество исследователей петроглифов и палеозоологов позволяет провести реконструкцию состава палеофауны региона, помогает в интерпретации териоморфных образов. Предметом изучения данной статьи являются похожие на быков изображения в наскальном искусстве р. Ангара. Многие изображения датируются эпохой неолита - ранней бронзы. Причины их появления в таежном наскальном искусстве могли быть различными: влияние художественной традиции окуневской культуры с юга; стилизация образа лося или оленя; мифологизация образов таежных животных; наличие для древнего художника реальной натуры - дикого быка. Согласно данным палеозоологии в эпоху голоцена на Ангаре обитали реликтовые животные - бизоны, туры. Возможно, они обитали и на Среднем Енисее. Это позволило высказать предположение, что в наскальном искусстве изображен дикий бык, на которого охотился древний человек. The study of ancient rock art requires an interdisciplinary approach. Active cooperation of rock art researchers and paleozoologists makes it possible to reconstruct the composition of the paleofauna, to interpret theriomorphic images. The subject of the article is images similar to bulls in rock art on the Angara River. Many of the images date back to the Neolithic - early Bronze Age. The reasons for their appearance in taiga zone rock art could be diff erent: the infl uence of artistic tradition of the Okunev culture from the South; stylization of the image of an elk or a deer; mythologization of the images of taiga zone animals; the presence of a real animal in the nature - a wild bull. According to paleozoological data of the Holocene Epoch the Angara River valley was inhabited by relict animals - bisons, tours. Perhaps, they also lived in the Middle Yenisei. Therefore, we suggest that some petroglyphs depict a wild bull, which was hunted by an ancient man.

In-situ Lu – Hf geochronology of calcite

The ability to constrain the age of calcite formation is of great utility to the Earth Science community, due to the ubiquity of calcite across a wide spectrum of geological systems. Here, we present the first in-situ laser ablation inductively coupled tandem mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS/MS) Lu–Hf ages for calcite, demonstrating geologically meaningful ages for IOCG and skarn mineralisation, carbonatite intrusion and low grade metamorphism. The analysed samples range in age between ca. 0.9 Ga and ca. 2 Ga with uncertainties between 1.4 % and 0.5 % obtained from calcite with Lu concentrations as low as ca. 0.5 ppm. The Lu–Hf system in calcite appears to be able to preserve primary precipitation ages over a significant amount of geological time, although further research is required to constrain the closure temperature. The in-situ approach allows calcite to be rapidly dated while maintaining its petrogenetic context with mineralization and other associated mineral processes. Therefore, LA-ICP-MS/MS Lu–Hf dating of calcite can be used to resolve the timing of complex mineral paragenetic sequences that are a feature of many ancient rock systems.

Reconciling with others, within oneself, and the circle(s) of time

This visual essay depicts my personal experiences with the San peoples of South Africa. Almost twenty years ago, I learned of a personal loss while examining their ancient rock carvings and used the San people’s beliefs about the reconciliation of death and nature to heal. In 2019, I ran a workshop for young Khoe-Sans peoples, offering them a chance to connect and find harmony within themselves. They shared their personal stories and visual creations with each other, reviving the disappearing storytelling tradition. As Indigenous peoples have often been treated as objects without respect, following the ethical rules of research was part of reconciliation. My approach throughout the workshop was to embody connectedness and care; according to the feedback, our interaction succeeded despite our cultural differences.

Identification, Monitoring, and Assessment of an Active Landslide in Tavan-Hauthao, Sapa, Laocai, Vietnam – A Multidisciplinary Approach

The active landslide located in the Tavan-Hauthao, Sapa district, Laocai province, Vietnam was investigated using geophysical methods (2D Electrical Resistivity and Tomography), geotechnical investigations, and a ground survey to assess the geologic condition of the sliding block and surrounding ground. Landslide displacement was measured using 15 surface monitoring points. Numerical modeling was done to assess the behavior of an active landslide. This multi-disciplinary approach helped in interpreting landslide stratigraphy, geotechnical characteristics of the sliding groundmass, depth, and nature of the sliding plane. The surface area of the slide is approximately 1200 m2. Studying this active landslide is important as it affects the road No. 152, which is an important road connecting the Sapa Ancient Rock Field. This study involved surface topographical survey, surface and sub-surface geological, and geotechnical investigations including Standard Penetration Test and Electrical Resistivity Tomography. Geologic and geotechnical data were used to characterize an active landslide block, which is composed of different soil layers underlaid by granitic rock. The surface electrical-resistivity measurements across the Sapa landslide resulted in inverted-resistivity sections with distinct resistivity contrasts that correlated well with the geology and geo-hydrology observed in boreholes.

Landslide Investigation Results in Sapa Town, Lao Cai Province, Vietnam in December 2019

Every year, especially in the rainy season, landslides occur quite often in Lao Cai – a northern mountainous province of Vietnam. Specifically, in the year 2019, several landslides were observed to occur near the Sapa Ancient Rock Field in Hau Thao commune, Sapa town, Lao Cai province. In December 2019, a landslide investigation was conducted to examine the mechanism and possible causes of the landslides. Besides that, as the landslide distribution in this area is still unclear, this study will also aim to show the landslide denseness in a 700 m × 700 m square map as well as survey results in 2019 of two main landslides in such map. According to the survey, the landslide is the main phenomenon of geomorphological development in this area, being a combination of multiple different landslides with varying sizes and dissimilar triggers. The first survey landslide is about 50 m wide and 350 m long and has still been going on in recent years, with annual horizontal displacement being around 0.8 m. Meanwhile, the second one is a typical flash-landslide caused by rainfall. Despite being quite small in scale, about 15 m × 40 m, its characteristics indicate a dangerous implication in the future. This information will be the basis for further ongoing studies.

Proxapertites from Walat Formation, Sukabumi, West Java, Indonesia

Proxapertites have become one of the most significant indicators of ancient rock in Indonesia. Walat Formation is one of the oldest rocks exposed in Sukabumi, West Java, Indonesia. These Proxapertites have not been described in detail about their characteristics in previous studies, especially on Walat Formation. Therefore, knowing the characteristics of Proxapertites becomes interesting, especially in Walat Formation, which can be a reference for the characteristics of the late Eocene Proxapertites (37.8 - 33.9 million) in Indonesia. Acetolysis method was carried out for the preparation of pollen and spores; description and determination were carried out to see the characteristics of Proxapertites that present in Walat Formation. Result, there are three types of Proxapertites. Proxapertites operculatus have sizes 23 – 86 µ with average 40.5 (P) and 51.1 (E) µ, index PE 0,43 - 1, Peroblate – Subspheroidal – Oblate Spheroidal, Fine-Reticulate ornamentation, and Asymmetric Monosulcate aperture. Proxapertites cursus have sizes 23 – 86 µ with average 39.8 (P) and 49.8 (E) µ, index PE 0.51 - 1, Oblate – Subspheroidal – Oblate Spheroidal, Reticulate ornamentation, and Asymmetric Monosulcate aperture. Whereas Proxapertites psilatus have sizes 29 – 75 µ with average 42.3 (P) and 52.5 (E) µ, index PE 0.58 - 1, Oblate – Subspheroidal – Oblate Spheroidal, Psilate ornamentation, and Asymmetric Monosulcate aperture. These three Proxapertites can be distinguished by their type of ornamentation. Meanwhile, other aspects have similar characteristics and are affected by the appearance of individual pollen on the slide during preparation.

Transformation of high-relief canyon topography by an ancient rock avalanche, Hop Valley, Zion National Park, Utah, USA

Zion National Park preserves a rich geological record of Holocene landslide-dammed canyons in its deeply incised topography, with 11 hypothesized valley-blocking deposits within the park boundaries. Despite consistent stratigraphic, tectonic, and climatic settings, the occurrence of and subsequent landscape response to these natural dams varies. As such, the region provides a unique natural laboratory for quantifying the effect and evolution of landslide dams in high-relief canyon topography. Here we present a detailed study of a rock avalanche deposited at the mouth of Hop Valley in Zion National Park, describing its age, size, emplacement conditions, impact on local geomorphology and sedimentology, as well as the subsequent usage of the valley by native Ancestral Puebloans. Topographic reconstructions indicate the original deposit was ~75 million m3 and 1.5 km long with a maximum thickness of 180 m. New ages from cosmogenic 10Be surface exposure dating indicate a single-event failure at 6.7 ± 0.7 ka. The rock avalanche impounded ~55 million m3 of sediment, transforming Hop Valley from a relatively narrow gorge to a broad flat-floored canyon. Stratigraphic sections of accumulated upvalley sediments, calculated sedimentation rates (averaging 8.2 ± 0.8 m/ky), and paleoclimate records suggest the deposit primarily dammed sediment, rather than water, to produce an extensive alluvial plain. This detailed case-history analysis, together with our review of other Holocene landslide dams in Zion National Park, helps clarify the legacy of valley-blocking mass movements in steep canyon topography.

Book Publications and Research of Petrogyphs of Northern Regions of China in the Last Quarter of the 20th Century

In China, rock art is spread mainly in the border regions – carvings and engravings in the north of the country and paintings in the south. Before the beginning of the 21st century, research books and albums of petroglyphs were published in four administrative units at provincial level in the north-west of the county: Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Xinjiang and Qinghai. Petroglyphs of Inner Mongolia were studied and published by Gai Shanlin, Liang Zhenhua and N. Dalengurib. The earliest and the latest books by Gai Shanlin available to us (published in 1985 and 2002 respectively) were entirely devoted to the interpretation of rock carvings and searches for their analogies. All four monographs on Ningxia rock art – by Zhou Xinghua, Li Xiangshi and Zhu Cunshi, Xu Cheng and Wei Zhong were published almost simultaneously, at the beginning of the 1990s. Ancient rock art of Xinjiang was published in albums by Zhao Yangfeng, Wang Linshan and Wang Bo and in books by Wang Binghua and Su Beihai. The monograph by Tang Huisheng and Zhang Wenhua was devoted to the description of Qinghai petroglyphs and the problems of their interpretation. The album of photos “The Rock Arts of China” is a kind of a guide to the main rock art sites known by 1993 in all the Chinese provinces. Generally, it can be stated that modern Chinese scientific rock art research was born in the first half of the 1980s, when the first articles on rock carvings started to appear in Chinese archaeological periodicals and flourished in the second half of the 1980s and the 1990s, when quite a number of monographs were published.