Genetic Mechanism and Environment Implications of Siderites in the Lopingian Coal-Bearing Series, Western Guizhou of China: Constrained by Whole-Rock and In Situ Geochemistry

A large number of siderites have been found in the Lopingian (Late Permian) coal-bearing series in western Guizhou, which occurs in various microscopic morphologies and has potential insights into the sedimentary and diagenetic environments. An integrated set of analyses, such as microscopic observation; X-ray diffraction; whole-rock major and trace element, carbon, and oxygen isotope; and in situ major and trace element, has been carried out to unravel the genetic mechanism of the siderites and their environmental implications. According to the microscopic morphology, the siderites can be generally divided into three types and six subtypes, including gelatinous siderites (I), microcrystal-silty siderite [II; microlite siderites (II1), powder crystal siderites (II2)], and spheroidal siderite [III, petal-like siderite (III1), radiating fibrous siderite (III2) and concentric siderite (III3)]. Whole-rock geochemical results show that the iron source for the formation of the siderites was mainly from extensive weathering of the Emeishan high-titanium basalts in hot climate conditions. The carbon and oxygen isotopic results indicate that the origin of CO2 in type I siderites is derived from the dehydroxylation of organic matter. The CO2 in types II1 and II2 siderites is mainly derived from deposited organic matter and marine carbonate rocks, respectively. The CO2 source of type III siderites is sedimentary organic matter and marine carbonate rocks and is affected by different fluids during diagenesis. The whole-rock and in situ geochemical characteristics further point to that type I siderites were formed in the synsedimentary period most strongly affected by seawater. Redox proxies, such as V/Sc, V/(V+Ni), and δ Ce, constrained their formation in a stable and weakly reduced condition. Type II siderites could have been developed in saltwater. Among them, type II1 siderites were formed in the early diagenetic stage, whereas type II2 siderites originated from recrystallization of type II1 siderites and accompanied by metasomatism with calcites under diagenetic fluids of weak reduction to weak oxidation conditions. Type III siderites were formed under the influence of multistage diagenetic fluids. Among them, type III1 siderites formed by the growth of powder crystal siderites (II2) under diagenetic fluids with a weak reducing condition. Type III2 siderites formed by growth around microlite siderites under weak reducing diagenetic fluids. Type III3 siderites formed by concentric growth in diagenetic fluids with weak reduction to weak oxidation conditions and relatively active conditions.

Wet chemical synthesis of intermetallic Pt3Zn nanocrystals via weak reduction reaction together with UPD process and their excellent electrocatalytic performances

Intermetallic Pt3Zn nanocrystals were synthesized via weak reduction reaction together with an underpotential deposition process.

Strength of forest-albedo feedback in mid-Holocene climate simulations

Reconstructions of the mid-Holocene climate, 6000 years before present, suggest that spring temperatures were higher at high northern latitudes compared to the pre-industrial period. A positive feedback between expansion of forest and climate presumably contributed to this warming. In the presence of snow, forests have a lower albedo than grass land. Therefore, the expansion of forest likely favoured a warming in spring, counteracting the lower insolation at the mid-Holocene. We investigate the sensitivity of the vegetation-atmosphere interaction under mid-Holocene orbital forcing with respect to the strength of the forest-albedo feedback by using a comprehensive coupled atmosphere-vegetation model (ECHAM5/JSBACH). We perform two sets of model simulations: a first set of simulations with a relatively weak reduction of albedo of snow by forest; and a second set of simulations with a relatively strong reduction of the albedo of snow by forest. We show that the parameterisation of the albedo of snow leads to uncertainties in the temperature signal. Compared to the set with weak snow masking, the simulations with strong snow masking reveal a spring warming that is three times higher, by 0.34 °C north of 60° N. This warming is related to a forest expansion of only 13%.

Transformation of passive electrical networks with distributed PWL-sources using a Model Order Reduction

In modeling of distributed systems with distributed sources large networks with RLC-elements and independent sources arise. This high complexity leads to a high effort in simulations. Therefore model reduction can be used to reduce these networks, preserving the behavior at the observed nodes in the networks. For the reduction of networks with a large number of independent sources only a weak reduction is enabled with standard model reduction techniques. In this paper an efficient reduction of networks with a large number of sources with piece-wise-linear waveforms is presented, using the decomposition of piece-wise-linear functions. With the proposed method a higher reduction of the network and/or a higher accuracy can be achieved with model reduction. The validity and efficiency of the proposed method is shown by reducing a RCI-Grid model.

Effect of BaCO3 and Pb3O4 on Properties of BaTiO3-Based PTCR Ceramics

High-performance PTCR ceramics with low resistivity (8Ω.cm) at room temperature and around four orders magnitude of the PTCR jump were obtained by adding BaCO3 and Pb3O4(B-P) in BaTiO3. The influence of adding B-P on the sintering behavior, the microstructure and the electrical properties of BaTiO3-based PTCR was investigated. The phase constituent in the sintered ceramics was analyzed by XRD and it was shown that the metallic layered Ba3Pb2O7 phase was synthesized during the sintering. Analysis suggested that making the weak reduction atmosphere at the grain boundary may decrease the grain-boundary resistivity.