Mongolia Of China Research Articles

Geochronology, geochemistry, and Sr–Nd–Pb–Hf isotopes of the Zhunsujihua granitoid intrusions associated with the molybdenum deposit, northern Inner Mongolia, China: implications for petrogenesis and tectonic setting

The Zhunsujihua porphyry molybdenum deposit, located in northern Inner Mongolia of China that belongs to Central-Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), is the only Mo deposit formed in the late Carboniferous in this area so far. Its mineralization is mainly restricted to the Zhunsujihua granitoid intrusions, which are composed of the main granodiorite (GD) and crosscutting, virtually coeval minor syn-ore leucogranite (LG) and diorite porphyry (DP) dykes. LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb dating yields crystallization ages of 300.0 ± 2.0, 299.3 ± 2.0, and 299.0 ± 2.6 Ma for the GD, LG, and DP, respectively. The major and trace element lithogeochemical data show that the GD and LG are metaluminous to weakly peraluminous, high-K calc-alkaline series with I-type granite characteristics, strongly oxidized, with low concentrations of Ba, Nb, Sr, P, and Ti and elevated K and Rb contents, indicating typical arc magmatic features. The LG is a product derived by extensive fractional crystallization of a parental magma similar to the GD as evident from the lower Eu/Eu*, Nb/Ta, Zr/Hf, and T Zr. The moderately altered DP exhibits high concentrations of K, Rb, Cs, LREE, Y, and low Sr/Y, with a positive e Nd (300 Ma), which indicates a mantle or juvenile source associated with an arc setting. The Sr–Nd–Hf isotope data show low I Sr (0.70406–0.70461) and moderate e Nd (300 Ma) (−0.9 to 1.5) for the GD and LG, and relatively high e Hf (300 Ma) values (−3.6 to +11.2) for the GD, suggesting the magma mainly originated from the juvenile lower crust that was derived from depleted mantle, with a minor component of ancient continental crust. Lead isotope data have characteristics of a lower crust source with minor contamination by upper crustal material. Combined with previous research, the Zhunsujihua granitoid intrusions developed in an intracontinental volcanic arc (Uliastai) associated with northward subduction of the Paleo-Asian Ocean plate during late Carboniferous to early Permian; this suggests that the subduction of Paleo Asian Ocean may have continued to late Carboniferous, and the Hengenshan basin is probably closed during the early Permian. Fractional crystallization is the main evolutionary process of the felsic magma, which has played an important role in the Mo mineralization. The coeval DP may have provided additional heat for the extended evolution of the crystallizing felsic magma chamber.

Determining the geographical origin of common buckwheat from China by multivariate analysis based on mineral elements, amino acids and vitamins

This study aimed to establish a method for distinguishing the geographical origin of common buckwheat from Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Shaanxi Provinces in China. Three chemical families including mineral elements, vitamins and amino acids of 48 samples from different geographical origins were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis (CA) and linear discriminate analysis (LDA) for this purpose. LDA clearly discriminated the geographical origin of common buckwheat samples grown in three regions, and gave a high correct classification rate of 95.8% and satisfactory cross-validation rate of 91.7%. Some variables (Mn, VPP, Se, Gly, Cu, Asp, Fe, and Ala) significantly contributed to the ability to discriminate the geographical origin of the common buckwheat. These results demonstrated that the proposed method is a powerful tool for controlling the geographical origin of common buckwheat by governmental administration and protecting consumers from improper domestic labeling. However, the discriminant method still needs to be further validated using more reliable data.

Thermal kinetics analysis of coal-gangue selected from Inner Mongolia in China

Thermal behavior and kinetics analysis of coal-gangue sample selected from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in China were investigated by using thermogravimetry–derivative thermogravimetry, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The mineralogy of coal-gangue was mainly determined as kaolinite, quartz, and boehmite. The XRD and FT-IR results showed that the structure change in coal-gangue with the temperature increased. The structure parameters of the microcrystal carbon in coal-gangue sample, including interlayer spacing (d 002), average lateral sizes (L a), stacking heights (L c), and aromaticity (f a), were calculated based on XRD data. With the increase in temperature, the values of d002 and L a decreased from 3.982 and 0.223 to 3.373 and 0.198 nm, respectively; however, the values of L c and f a increased from 0.111 and 0.633 to 0.156 and 0.852 nm, respectively. The average activation energy of coal-gangue was 102.66 and 103.73 kJ mol−1, respectively, based on the Coats–Redfern and Flynn–Wall–Ozawa method.

Analysis of D2 law in case of Shengli lignite drying under inert and uninert environment

ABSTRACTShengli lignite coal, originated from inner Mongolia China, contains significantly high amount of moisture (more than 30%) which can cause spontaneous combustion or other application problems. Thus, it is of interest to understand the heat and mass transfer mechanism of the low-rank lignite drying under different drying environments such as N2, CO2, air, argon, and helium. In this study, fundamental drying experiments with different drying agents were performed on coal samples using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) method. Lignites with size of 0.045–0.075 mm were heated up from ambient temperature to a target temperature of 175°C under different environments at heating rates of 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 °C/min, respectively. It was found that thermal conductivity of drying media, heating rate, and initial moisture content are three most significant factors affecting lignite drying process. The highest moisture release rate and the lowest Tpeak (when maximum moisture release rate occurred) were observed when drying with helium due to its highest evaporation constant (i.e., highest thermal conductivity). Moreover, higher heating rate and moisture content resulted in higher evaporation rate and Tpeak. In the meantime, the classical D2 law, which is used to simulate the liquid fuel droplet combustion, was further developed to describe the “group effect” of moisture evaporation process of solid fuel during drying. The D2 law well explains the experiment results. Finally, the structures of the dried lignite samples under different drying mediums were investigated through scanning electron microscopy studies. It was found that lignite coals shrank and became more compact when dried out, especially with drying agent CO2.

Mini-Ridge with Covering and Side Planting Method Enhances Rainwater Collection and the Yield of Rain-fed Potato

To improve potato yield in the Yinshan hilly area in Inner Mongolia of China, we implemented a novel cultivation method, i.e., the mini-ridge with covering and side planting (MCSP), based on local meteorological conditions and soil characteristics, and the growth and developmental process of potato. Data from four years of field experiments and laboratory simulation indicate that: 1) the yield of rain-fed potato under the MCSP method increased significantly, by 34% and 48% over yields obtained from the traditional methods of flat cultivation with covering (FC), and flat cultivation with no covering (FNC), respectively; 2) Compared to the FC and FNC methods, MCSP increased the rain water productivity by 15–53% and 28–74%; 3) MCSP increased water content in the top 20 cm of soil, and changed the distribution pattern of soil water by enhancing its vertical movement while reducing its lateral transport, thereby concentrating soil water into the root zone for improved root development.

Environmental life cycle assessment on the separation of rare earth oxides through solvent extraction

Over the past decade, Rare Earth Elements (REEs) have gained special interests due to their significance in many industrial applications, especially those related to clean energy. While REEs production is known to cause damage to the ecosystem, only a handful of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) investigations have been conducted in recent years, mainly due to lack of data and information. This is especially true for the solvent extraction separation of REEs from aqueous solution which is a challenging step in the REEs production route. In the current investigation, an LCA is carried out on a typical REE solvent extraction process using P204/kerosene and the energy/material flows and emissions data were collected from two different solvent extraction facilities in Inner Mongolia and Fujian provinces in China. In order to develop life cycle inventories, Ecoinvent 3 and SimaPro 8 software together with energy/mass stoichiometry and balance were utilized. TRACI and ILCD were applied as impact assessment tools and LCA outcomes were employed to examine and determine ecological burdens of the REEs solvent extraction operation. Based on the results, in comparison with the production of generic organic solvent in the Ecoinvent dataset, P204 production has greater burdens on all TRACI impact categories. However, due to the small amount of consumption, the contribution of P204 remains minimal. Additionally, sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid are the two impactful chemicals on most environmental categories used in the solvent extraction operation. On average, the solvent extraction step accounts for 30% of the total environmental impacts associated with individual REOs. Finally, opportunities and challenges for an enhanced environmental performance of the REEs solvent extraction operation were investigated.

In the shadow of ‘frontier disloyalty’ at Russia–China–Mongolia border zones

ABSTRACTThe centre orientation and closed character of the Soviet space turned border areas into half-empty places remaining in absolute readiness for confrontation. Frontier forms of socialism were special, not only because of the extremely intense implementation of Soviet methods of modernization, but also because they achieved a particularly high level of political and social sterility of frontier populations. The contradiction between political sterility of border inhabitants and the latter’s emotional inclusion as Cossacks in border defence was dealt with through re-creation of confrontational myths whose performative power was able to combine temporal regimes and cast doubt on the loyalty of the local inhabitants. The paper analyses late Soviet discursive practices concerning the disloyalty of fictional Cossack communities in Inner Asia (Mongolia, China, and Transbaikalia) with their old-fashioned life style and strong anti-Soviet attitudes.

Enhancing slurryabilities of five lignites from Inner Mongolia of China by microwave irradiation

ABSTRACTFive typical lignites from Inner Mongolia were upgraded by microwave irradiation to improve their slurryabilities. This procedure was performed to utilize abundant cheap lignites recently exploited in China to produce quality coal water slurry (CWS) fuel for gasification and combustion. The physicochemical properties of upgraded lignites were investigated through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, zeta potential analysis, contact angle analysis, and N2 adsorption porosimetry. The oxygen functional groups and oxygen/carbon ratios decreased in five upgraded lignites after microwave irradiation, but their zeta potentials and contact angles increased. The specific surface areas of five upgraded lignites decreased because of collapse and shrinkage of pores. These changes in five upgraded lignites resulted in increased coal rank and decreased hydrophilicity, which were beneficial to prepare CWS with high solid concentrations. The maximum solid concentrations of CWS prepared from five upgraded lignites increased by 4.0–9.8%.

Distribution and occurrence of trace elements in the No.14 coal from the Huolinhe mine

Optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy in conjunction with energy dispersed X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDX), have been used to study the minerals and the concentrations of 12 trace elements in the No.14 coal from the Huolinhe mine, Inner Mongolia China. The distribution, affinity and removability of the trace elements were studied by float-sink experiments and petrological methods. A high mineral content, dominated by clay minerals, was found in the No.14 coal from the Huolinhe mine. The concentrations of As, Sb and Hg are relatively high compared to the average values for Chinese coals. As, Cr, Hg, Li, Mn, Pb are mainly associated with the minerals while Cd, Co, Ni, Sb, and Se are evenly distributed between the minerals and the organic matter. Be and Ba are mainly distributed in the minerals with a minor proportion in the organic matter. Most elements have a low organic affinity, although Sb, Se, Co, Cd, Ni are closely integrated with the organic matter. High theoretical removabilities are indicated for most trace elements. So it may be possible to lower the concentrations of trace elements during coal preparation.

Application of near-infrared hyperspectral imaging to discriminate different geographical origins of Chinese wolfberries.

Near-infrared (874–1734 nm) hyperspectral imaging (NIR-HSI) technique combined with chemometric methods was used to trace origins of 1200 Chinese wolfberry samples, which from Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Sinkiang and Qinghai in China. Two approaches, named pixel-wise and object-wise, were investigated to discriminative the origin of these Chinese wolfberries. The pixel-wise classification assigned a class to each pixel from individual Chinese wolfberries, and with this approach, the differences in the Chinese wolfberries from four origins were reflected intuitively. Object-wise classification was performed using mean spectra. The average spectral information of all pixels of each sample in the hyperspectral image was extracted as the representative spectrum of a sample, and then discriminant analysis models of the origins of Chinese wolfberries were established based on these average spectra. Specifically, the spectral curves of all samples were collected, and after removal of obvious noise, the spectra of 972–1609 nm were viewed as the spectra of wolfberry. Then, the spectral curves were pretreated with moving average smoothing (MA), and discriminant analysis models including support vector machine (SVM), neural network with radial basis function (NN-RBF) and extreme learning machine (ELM) were established based on the full-band spectra, the extracted characteristic wavelengths from loadings of principal component analysis (PCA) and 2nd derivative spectra, respectively. Among these models, the recognition accuracies of the calibration set and prediction set of the ELM model based on extracted characteristic wavelengths from loadings of PCA were higher than 90%. The model not only ensured a high recognition rate but also simplified the model and was conducive to future rapid on-line testing. The results revealed that NIR-HSI combined with PCA loadings-ELM could rapidly trace the origins of Chinese wolfberries.

Discovering geochemical patterns by factor-based cluster analysis

Exploring geochemical patterns based on statistical data analysis is a convenient and effective way to improve our understanding of the geochemical characteristics of the given study area. In this paper, a procedure combining factor analysis and cluster analysis in a novel way was proposed to discover geochemical patterns of interest, or more specifically, a cluster of observations most likely indicative of mineralization. Factor analysis on the entire dataset is firstly performed to obtain a baseline factor structure to be compared with. Secondly, cluster analysis based on factor scores is carried out to produce several clusters reflecting heterogeneity within the dataset. This type of heterogeneity is further investigated in more detail by implementing factor analysis upon each cluster, and comparing the factor structure of each cluster with the baseline factor structure by a defined measure. The randomization test was applied here to further test whether the difference of measures is significant or not. A case study of processing soil samples collected in Jilinbaolige district, Inner Mongolia of China, is presented to illustrate and validate this procedure.

Occurrence and Distribution of Gallium, Scandium, and Rare Earth Elements in Coal Gangue Collected from Junggar Basin, China

ABSTRACTIn order to extract precious metals from coal gangue (CG) collected from the Junggar coal mining fields, Inner Mongolia of China, the occurrence and distribution of elements including gallium (Ga), scandium (Sc), and rare earth elements (REE) were studied by means of sequential leaching procedures. Kaolinite and boehmite were identified as the major crystalline phases in the CG. No observable crystalline minerals were found for bearing Ga, Sc, or REE. The percentage of REE (~88.6%) were able to be leached out by acid (25%, HCl) treatment at room temperature, which indicates the REE are mainly present in the amorphous phases. The structure of boehmite was destroyed when the temperature of acid treatment was improved to 160°C, and about 85% of Ga together with 36.8% of Sc was leached out in this leaching step. The majority of Ga was indicated as isomorphic substitutions in kaolinite and boehmite. The 36.8% scandium was confirmed as Al-substitutions in the Al–O octahedrons of kaolinite, and others (55.6%) are present in boehmite. Only a little portion (1.9%) of scandium was found in the Si–O tetrahedrons. Therefore, this research provided basic data for occurrence and distribution of precious metals in view of the future industrialization.

中国内蒙古地方における環境保全型草地農業の創出 : 1.有畜農業地域におけるトウモロコシ連作畑の地力維持

中国内蒙古地方における環境保全型草地農業の創出 : 1.有畜農業地域におけるトウモロコシ連作畑の地力維持

An enigmatic hawker dragonfly from the Middle Jurassic of China (Odonata, Aeshnoptera)

The aeshnopteran Propecymatophlebia magnifica gen. et sp. nov. is described from the Middle Jurassic Hiafanggou Formation of Inner Mongolia in China, on the basis of a complete forewing. It confirms the remarkable palaeodiversity of the stem group of the hawker dragonflies in Central Asia in the period between the Middle Jurassic and the Early Cretaceous.

Transmission dynamics and optimal control of brucellosis in Inner
 Mongolia of China

A multigroup model is developed to characterize brucellosis transmission, to explore potential effects of key factors, and to prioritize control measures. The global threshold dynamics are completely characterized by theory of asymptotic autonomous systems and Lyapunov direct method. We then formulate a multi-objective optimization problem and, by the weighted sum method, transform it into a scalar optimization problem on minimizing the total cost for control. The existence of optimal control and its characterization are well established by Pontryagin's Maximum Principle. We further parameterize the model and compute optimal control strategy for Inner Mongolia in China. In particular, we expound the effects of sheep recruitment, vaccination of sheep, culling of infected sheep, and health education of human on the dynamics and control of brucellosis. This study indicates that current control measures in Inner Mongolia are not working well and Brucellosis will continue to increase. The main finding here supports opposing unregulated sheep breeding and suggests vaccination and health education as the preferred necessary emergency intervention control. The policymakers must take a new look at the current control strategy, and, in order to control brucellosis better in Inner Mongolia, the governments have to preemptively press ahead with more effective measures.

Validation and application of the monitoring method for degraded land-area-based on a dust erodibility in eastern Asia

ABSTRACTArid regions are very sensitive to climate change and human activity, two critical drivers of change that are degrading environmental conditions. Part of the world’s drylands lie in eastern Asia, including China and Mongolia, where the problems of desertification, drought, and Asian dust events (ADEs) are frequent. To help prevent economic damage from these problems, an early warning and monitoring system based on numerical models, remote sensing, and weather forecasts is needed. I define a degraded land area as ‘the area where dust can easily occur’ and make exclusive use of satellite data to identify land that meets certain conditions of vegetation and aridity. I then validate this definition against a dust erodibility map and occurrences of ADEs over Japan, which was closely related to the extent and severity of dust areas in Mongolia and parts of China, especially in March (coefficient of determination R2 = 0.856). The yearly change of degraded land area indicates a clear decreasing trend in China (R2 = 0.210), but an overall negative trend in Mongolia (R2 = 0.010). Years of major droughts in China and Mongolia correspond well to large positive deviations in degraded land area.

Analysis on the Willingness and Its Influencing Factors of Employment Production by Soybean Growers —Based on the Investigation on Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia in China

The employment production is an effective means to solve the contradiction between the rural labor force outflow and agricultural intensification, and the large-scale operation of the labor demand. Select soybean planting area in Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia as the research object, using Logistic regression model to analyze the willingness and influencing factors of the farmers' employment decision. Research shows that 63.2% of soybean growers tend to choose employment. The infects such as whether the soybean growers have non agricultural labor skills, the per capita annual income of the household, the cultivated land area and the quality of cultivated land have a significant positive impact on the production decision. While the soybean farmers age, health status, the number of laborers in the family, land fragmentation and whether agricultural employment will restrain its production behavior.

A new species of Argyromys (Rodentia, Mammalia) from the Oligocene of the Valley of Lakes (Mongolia): Its importance for palaeobiogeographical homogeneity across Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan.

We describe a new species of Rodentia (Mammalia), Argyromys cicigei sp. nov. from Toglorhoi (fossil bed TGW-A/2a) in Mongolia and Ulantatal (fossil beds UTL 1 and UTL 7) in China. Its tooth morphology differs from the type species Argyromys aralensis from Akespe in Kazakhstan by smaller size and simpler structures. Argyromys has been assigned in different families of Muroidea, such as Tachyoryctoididae and Spalacidae. However, the presence of common characters indicates a closer relationship of Argyromys with the genera of Cricetidae s.l. (subfamilies Eucricetodontinae; Cricetopinae; Cricetodontinae and Gobicricetodontinae among others) from Asia than with the earliest representatives of Spalacidae or the endemic Tachyoryctoididae. Argyromys cicigei sp. nov. possesses a simple anterocone and anteroconid in the upper and lower first molars, respectively, which is characteristic for Cricetidae s.l. It has a flat occlusal surface in worn specimens; weakly-developed posterolophs; an oblique protolophule and metaloph on the upper molars and it lacks a labial anterolophid on the m1. These traits are also typical of the Oligocene genera Aralocricetodon and Plesiodipus, included in the subfamilies Cricetodontinae and Gobicricetodontinae respectively. The cladistic analysis performed here supports this hypothesis. The clade formed by Argyromys species is grouped with other cricetid taxa (s.l). Spalacids, however, form a different clade, as do the tachyoryctoids. Previous authors state that the Aral Formation (Kazakhstan) should be dated to the Oligocene instead of the Miocene, based on the presence of several taxa. The finds of Argyromys in both regions supports the statement that they are closer in age than previously thought. The occurrence of Argyromys in Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China evidences the biogeographic unity of the Central Asian bioprovince during the Oligocene.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the PTPN1 Gene Are Associated with Susceptibility to Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Case-Control Study in Inner Mongolia, China.

This case-control study investigated the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the PTPN1 gene with susceptibility to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in Inner Mongolia, China. A total of 302 patients living in Inner Mongolia China who were pathologically diagnosed with ESCC between April 2012 and 2016 were selected for the ESCC group; 373 healthy individuals were selected for the control group. The rs2904268 C>G, rs2230605 A>G, and rs16995309 C>T polymorphisms in the PTPN1 gene were detected by bidirectional polymerase chain reaction amplification of specific alleles. The haplotype frequencies were analyzed by SHEsis software. Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to analyze risk factors associated with ESCC. Statistical differences between the ESCC and control groups were observed for history of smoking, drinking, and poor eating habits (all p < 0.05). Both the rs2904268 C>G CG and GG genotype frequencies were markedly higher in the ESCC group relative to the control group (both p < 0.05). However, the genotype frequencies of rs2230605 A>G and rs16995309 C>T were similar between the ESCC and control groups (all p > 0.05). Compared with the control group, the ESCC group had notably elevated frequencies of the GGC and GAT haplotypes and significantly reduced frequencies of CGC and GGT haplotypes (all p < 0.05). A history of smoking, drinking, poor eating habits, the rs2904268 C>G CG+GG genotypes, and the GAT haplotype were all identified as risk factors for ESCC (all p < 0.05). These results indicated that the PTPN1 gene polymorphism rs2904268 is associated with susceptibility to ESCC in Inner Mongolia.

Discrimination of producing areas of Astragalus membranaceus using electronic nose and UHPLC-PDA combined with chemometrics

Electronic nose (E-nose) and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) were simultaneously developed for quality evaluation and diversity research of A. mongholicus. Instrumental data were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA) and discriminant factor analysis (DFA) to rapidly distinguish A. mongholicus derived from different main producing regions in China. E-nose results showed that A. mongholicus that originated from main producing areas (Gansu, Shanxi, and Inner Mongolia in China) could be accurately classified into three groups through PCA and DFA. The response values of samples from Inner Mongolia and Shanxi were similar, and better than those of the samples from Gansu. Identification by the E-nose was verified through UHPLC analysis, and the content of the main ingredient was consistent with the response value of A. mongholicus. In conclusion, E-nose and UHPLC combined with chemometrics can be used as reliable techniques to distinguish the geographic origins of A. mongholicus effectively, and evaluate the quality of traditional Chinese herbs.