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Prospecting for and exploiting buried mineral deposits is currently challenging. Given their high precision and resolution, reflection seismic methods might be useful in such applications involving deep mineral deposits. However, there are few open seismic datasets available from mineral deposit exploration, especially in hardrock environments. The world‐class Caosiyao porphyry Molybdenum deposit (1.76 Mt) in the Jining area of Inner Mongolia, China, is largely covered by loess layers, which poses challenges to its exploration. Seismic reflection surveys were conducted to help delineate the deep granite porphyry intrusions and associated orebodies. This paper presents the raw seismic reflection dataset from three profiles on the Caosiyao deposit area, which can be used as a standard dataset for reflection seismic processing in shallow coverage and hardrock areas. Situated at the juxtaposition of the Khondalite Belt and the Trans‐North China Orogen in the northern North China Craton, the Jining region hosts considerable known porphyry Mo deposits. As such, this open dataset can assist in research on deep geological structures and hence increase prospecting efficiency in geologically similar areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a study of the late Cenozoic Chifeng basalts (CBs) of NE China, including their olivine He isotopic compositions, whole‐rock major‐ and trace‐element contents, and whole‐rock Sr–Nd–Hf–Pb–Mo isotopic compositions, with the aim of constraining their mantle source. Results show that the basalts have high MgO, low CaO contents, and high FeOT/MnO values, which indicate that their mantle lithology was most likely pyroxenite. The CBs also exhibit ocean‐island‐basalt‐like trace‐element patterns (e.g., enrichment in light rare earth elements and high‐field‐strength elements) and have depleted Sr–Nd–Hf and relatively radiogenic Pb isotopic compositions, requiring both depleted and enriched components in their mantle. The low olivine He (3He/4He = 0.8–5.5 Ra) and whole‐rock Mo (δ98/95Mo = −0.71‰ to −0.18‰) isotopic values of the CBs, together with geophysical evidence, indicate that the rocks were derived from a depleted MORB mantle (DMM) enriched by recycled oceanic crust that was sourced from the mantle transition zone (MTZ). During the late Cenozoic, ascending wet mantle plumes triggered by dehydration of a stagnant Pacific oceanic slab are inferred to have transported preexisting recycled Pacific oceanic crust from the MTZ into the overlying asthenosphere mantle. The upwelling Pacific oceanic crust reacted with asthenospheric mantle peridotite (i.e., DMM) to produce mantle pyroxenite, whose partial melting at shallow depths generated the CBs. Considering the low δ98/95Mo values of both the CBs and coeval potassic basalts from NE China, we speculate that there may be a low δ98/95Mo reservoir in the MTZ beneath NE China. Key Points: The Chifeng basalts (CBs) exhibit relatively low 3He/4He ratios ranging from 0.8 to 5.5 RaThe mantle source end‐members of CBs were the depleted mid‐ocean‐ridge basalt mantle and recycled oceanic crustA low δ98/95Mo reservoir is inferred in the mantle transition zone beneath NE China [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Zhaojinggou Nb–Ta deposit is one of large rare metal deposits newly discovered in the northern margin of the North China Craton in recent years. This paper reports petrography, petrochemistry, columbite‐group minerals U–Pb chronology study of the amazonite granitic pegmatite (AGP) exposed in this deposit, and composition of columbite‐group minerals and biotite are obtained by electron probe microanalyzer and LA‐ICP‐MS. Eighteen analyses of columbite‐group minerals yielded weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 116.9 ± 1.4 Ma. The crystallization temperature of biotite is 630–650°C, and the oxygen fugacity is 10−17–10−18 bars. The biotite has low MgO contents and high Rb, Rb/Sr, and FeOT/(FeOT + MgO) ratios. The AGP has extremely low MgO, Cr, Co and Ni contents, with Nb/Ta ratios range from 1.63 to 9.05 and Rb/Sr ratios range from 303.30 to 648.90, and obvious 'M' type tetrad effect of rare earth element indicating that the formation of the AGP is related to crust‐derived magma. The contents of Nb2O5 and FeO decrease, while the Ta2O5 and WO3 contents, Mn# and Ta# values increase gradually from the core to the rim of columbite‐group minerals. Some columbite‐group minerals have unobvious oscillatory zoning, and some have a clear bright zoing with high Ta contents on the rim, indicating that the genesis of Zhaojinggou Nb–Ta deposit is mainly magmatic crystallization differentiation, accompanied by hydrothermal autometasomatism in the late stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Shamai tungsten deposit is located in the western part of the Xing'an Mongolian orogenic belt of northeastern China and contains quartz‐vein hosted tungsten mineralization. In this paper, we present the results of zircon laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS) U–Pb dating of the fine‐grained biotite monzogranite, medium‐grained biotite monzogranite, and porphyritic biotite monzogranite samples from the deposit as well as in situ zircon Hf isotopic and in situ plagioclase Pb isotopic analyses. Combining new laser Raman spectroscopic data for fluid inclusions with previously HO isotopic data yields insights into the precipitation of ore minerals. The fine‐grained biotite monzogranite, medium‐grained biotite monzogranite, and porphyritic biotite monzogranite were emplaced at 142.5 ± 1.0 Ma, 141.9 ± 1.1 Ma, and 140.2 ± 1.0 Ma, respectively. The fine‐ to medium‐grained biotite monzogranite and porphyritic biotite monzogranite samples contain zircons with εHf(t) values from 3.2 to 7.9 and from 4.2 to 7.6, respectively, yielding tDM2 model ages from 996 to 692 Ma and 923 to 708 Ma, respectively. The geochemical, zircon Hf isotopic, and in situ plagioclase Pb isotopic data indicate that the magmas were generated by the partial melting of juvenile crustal material mixed with mantle‐derived components. The laser Raman and HO isotopic data for fluid inclusions within tungsten‐bearing quartz veins indicate that the tungsten mineralization formed as a result of fluid mixing. Combining the data with the spatial and temporal distribution and tectonic setting of tungsten deposits in NE China suggests that this area records four stages of mineralization at 300–290, 250–230, 200–180, and 150–130 Ma. The Shamai deposit occurred in an intra‐continental extensional regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cold surge (CS) is an extreme climate event that frequently affects China. By using a 0.25° × 0.25° gridded observation dataset provided by the China Meteorological Administration (CN05.1), this paper investigates the spatial–temporal characteristics of various CSs in China during 1962–2018. According to the duration and coverage area (CA), CSs are classified into the short‐lived cold surges (SLCSs), the persistent cold surges (PCSs) and the extensive and persistent cold surges (EPCSs). They are also divided into the weak cold surges (WCSs), the strong cold surges (SCSs) and the super strong cold surges (SSCSs) based on the temperature drop (ΔT). The extreme cold surges (ECSs) are also defined and occur 38 times over 57 years. The total CSs and various CSs all display patterns of higher frequencies in the northeast and lower frequencies in the southwest. Northeast China and Inner Mongolia are frequently hit by various CSs, but the frequencies show overall downward trends in the regions during 1962–2018. The ΔT of the total CSs and ECSs both show significant decreasing trends in the whole of China from 1962 to 2018. From 1962 to 2018, the annual frequency and the ΔT of the total CSs both show decreasing trends. SLCSs and WCSs frequencies show overall increasing trends, but other kinds of CSs show overall decreasing trends. The annual frequencies of the total CSs and various CSs all have trend abrupt changes around 2000. The ΔT of ECSs shows a sharply increasing trend during 1962–2018. The total CSs and all kinds of CSs frequencies have a significant periodic oscillation. ECSs occur most in February. The total CSs and other kinds of CSs occur most in January. There are obvious differences between the multiyear average ECSs frequencies before 2000 and after 2000. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluating the water resources carrying capacity (WRCC) is the prerequisite and foundation for the planning and management of water resources. In this paper, according to risk theory, a framework for the risk assessment of WRCC was proposed based on the fragility of damage‐affected bodies and the damage posed by disaster‐inducing factors. Then, based on water quantity, water quality, water area, and water flow, a fragility index system was constructed from the water resources, economy, and society category. Additionally, the damage was analyzed in terms of climate change, urbanization, and industrialization. Finally, a model for the risk assessment of the WRCC was established by combining the fragility of the water resources carrying system with the compound damage posed by climate change, urbanization, and industrialization. The developed model was then applied to assess the risk of the WRCC in North China in 2017. The results indicate that the fragility of the WRCC was the highest in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region, and the compound damage showed an increasing trend from the southeast to the northwest in North China. Meanwhile, the risk of the WRCC decreased from the southeast to the northwest, the highest risk was observed in Hebei Province, and the lowest risk was observed in Inner Mongolia. This research provides an important technical guideline for the sustainable utilization of water resources and the coordinated development of the economy and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking a nomadic community in Inner Mongolia autonomous region of China as an example, this paper analyzes the local characteristics of chronic diseases suffered by families and nomads in the nomadic area of Inner Mongolia and puts forward the problem of ignoring the local cultural and ecological factors in the social welfare system dealing with the chronic diseases of nomadic area. The paper describes disregard of the welfare system, institutions, communities, families, and individuals of chronic diseases in the nomadic area and points out that social work practice research should be carried out based on the cultural and ecological relevance and local knowledge of the nomadic area. It is believed that the family healthcare model suitable for nomadic area has practical significance for effectively dealing with chronic diseases in the nomadic area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 16 years of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and precipitation data are used to analyze the time‐lag effects of the growing‐season NDVI response to precipitation at regional scales. This study focuses on the arid and semi‐arid Hulunbuir grassland dominated by perennials in northeast China. The multi‐month time‐lag effects are examined using simple statistical approaches, which can detect the two distinct time‐lags for four subregions with four major land‐cover types. A "positive" time‐lag effect of the growing‐season NDVI response to precipitation is observed at 1‐month (May in the current year) time‐lag and 13‐month (May in the previous year) time‐lag while a "negative" time‐lag effect is observed at 9‐month (September in the previous year) time‐lag. In addition, the prediction results of NDVI based on precipitation indicate that the NDVI prediction model considered the lagged monthly precipitation has good performance. Therefore, revealing the time‐lag effects is very important for accurately predicting the growing‐season NDVI and evaluating the vegetation dynamics. Recommendations for Resource Managers: The multi‐month time‐lag effects of the growing‐season NDVI to precipitation in arid and semi‐arid grasslands in northeastern China is analyzed in this paper. We can detect the two distinct time‐lags for four subregions with four major land‐cover types. The following implications could be realized based on the observations: The "positive" 1‐month (May in the current year) and 13‐month (May in the previous year) time‐lag memory of the growing‐season NDVI response to precipitation can be found.The "negative" 9‐month time‐lag memory of the growing‐season NDVI response to precipitation associated with September (late growing‐season) meteorological condition can be detected. This "negative" effect does not support the green up of the growing‐season in the next year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to realize the ecological restoration of transmission line tower foundation slope and enrich the research methods of slope ecological restoration, this paper studies a nutrient matrix configuration technology for transmission line tower foundation slope in arid areas. The Xilingol arid grassland area in Inner Mongolia is selected as the research object, and plants such as Leymus chinensis, Festuca arundinacea and Agropyron pratense are selected as the grass species of the vegetative substrate configuration technology. Different proportions of water retaining agent, compound fertilizer, microbial agents and other substances are added to the soil, which are combined into 10 test groups. The effect of slope ecological restoration is verified by species suitability, physical and chemical properties of matrix and plant growth. The resβults showed that Caragana korshinskii, Artemisia annua, Astragalus adsurgens, Sonchus oleraceus and other plants are the dominant grass species in the plant substrate plants; The physical and chemical indexes of soil's bulk density, organic matter, total nitrogen and so on in group B2 are better than those in other groups. Adopting the vegetative substrate configuration technology with the proportion of group B2 can obtain a good ecological restoration effect of tower foundation slope of transmission line in arid areas. The vegetative substrate configuration technology can solve the long‐standing ecological and environmental protection problems of the tower foundation slope of transmission line in arid areas, and should be actively promoted and applied. Daur lymphatic is also widely used in ecological restoration of transmission line base slope in arid region. The average coverage rate was 14.85%. The average height was 100.5 cm. It could grow at an altitude of more than 1000 m. After the nutrient matrix of the transmission line base slope was configured, the grass planting belt was established under normal maintenance, and the seeds began to germinate 3 days later. After 10 days, the germination rate was 78% and the coverage rate was 65%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In aeromagnetic measurement, accurate compensation for the interference magnetic field generated by the aircraft platform due to the aircraft maneuvering in the Earth's magnetic field is an important prerequisite for the accurate identification of the magnetic anomaly signal of the detection target. The flaws of the traditional calibration flight scheme in aeromagnetic interference compensation are firstly analyzed, and then an improved scheme is proposed, featuring smaller calibration flight areas, more simplified maneuvers, shorter flight route and less influence from the magnetometer's direction and extreme weather. The improved scheme can enhance the robustness of the aeromagnetic interference compensation matrix and improve the compensation efficiency, and thus both the solved magnetic compensation coefficients and compensation effects are significantly improved. The experimental results of the aeromagnetic interference compensation in an area of Inner Mongolia of China show that the average accuracy of the repeated survey lines, which are compensated by the improved scheme, can be increased by 5 and 3 nT, respectively, compared with the uncompensated results and the results compensated by the traditional scheme. Therefore, the effectiveness and superiority of the improved calibration flight scheme is fully proved. Plain Language Summary: Aeromagnetic measurement technology is the most economical and effective technical means to obtain high‐precision and high‐resolution geomagnetic information. Because the aircraft used in aeromagnetic measurement is composed of ferromagnetic materials, it will produce an interference magnetic field when maneuvering in the Earth's magnetic field. In order to obtain pure geomagnetic field measurement data, it is necessary to compensate the interference magnetic field. The traditional calibration flight scheme is widely used in the aeromagnetic interference compensation, and has played an important role in the existing aeromagnetic measurement. However, with the continuous improvement of the measurement accuracy of airborne magnetometers, there are higher requirements for calibration, and some defects of the traditional calibration flight scheme are found in practice. Hence, an improved calibration flight scheme is proposed in this paper, which features smaller calibration area, shorter flight route, simplified maneuvers and less influence from the direction of the magnetometer. The experimental results show that the modified scheme can improve the average accuracy of repeated survey lines by 3 nT compared with the traditional one. Therefore, the improved scheme can be directly applied in the aeromagnetic interference compensation of scalar, vector and gradient magnetic measurement of manned and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Key Points: An improved calibration flight scheme is proposed in the aeromagnetic interference compensationEffectiveness and superiority of the improved calibration flight scheme are validated by actual flight dataCompared with the traditional scheme, the improved one can increase the average accuracy of repeated lines by 3 nT [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the Mongolian language is equated with ethnic survival in Inner Mongolia, the metadiscourse of Mongolian linguistic purism has become a vital tactic for enacting Mongolian identity and creating a counterspace against Chinese linguistic and cultural hegemony. This paper analyses: (1) the process of establishing iconized links between language, culture, land and race on the second order of indexicalities; (2) the orthographic representation of mixed Mongolian and "pure" Mongolian in the Mongolian social media space Bainu. The study illuminates the interdiscursive processes of presuming and constructing linguistic, cultural, and ethnic boundaries by subaltern groups in an assimilationist nation state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cone‐producing gymnosperms are important elements of the Mesozoic floras. Studying their cone organizations can potentially help us understand the evolutionary trends of seed plants through time and the origin of angiosperms. In this paper, we present a new and an undetermined species of Ixostrobus Raciborski, a fossil genus representing male cones of the Czekanowskiales from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou locality in Inner Mongolia, China. The holotype specimen of the new species was studied using the neutron tomography (NT) technique. The cone shows higher neutron attenuation than the surrounding matrix. To detect the different organic compounds, a volume rendering of tomographic reconstruction with false colour spectrum of relative neutron attenuation is presented. The highest concentration of organic material is in the axis and some parts of the sacs, the rest of the cone has lower concentration, and the surrounding matrix has the lowest concentration. It seems that the remnant organic materials are regularly differentiated in different parts of the cone probably because of the preservation and different taphonomic process of different type of cells. In addition to revealing more detailed morphological features of the cone by NT reconstruction, the application of NT is potentially important for detecting remnant organic materials preserved in fossil plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yinggen‐Ejinaqi Basin (YEB) is located in the central‐southern part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). Tectonically, the basin is situated at the intersection between the eastern and western CAOB, where Late Palaeozoic strata were well exposed. Hence, it offers a great opportunity to study the deep strata of the eastern CAOB. In this paper, based on extensive studies of Upper Palaeozoic field outcrops and reanalysis of associated geochemical and geochronological data in previous research, the local stratigraphic correlation is established, and the tectonic evolution, sedimentary filling, sedimentary characteristics, and petroleum system of the YEB are discussed. It is revealed that: (a) The filling characteristics of the Upper Palaeozoic strata in YEB are closely related to the closure of the Paleo‐Asian Ocean (PAO). YEB underwent subduction‐related compression during the initial extensional phase of the fore‐arc basin from the Viséan to the Serpukhovian (late Early Carboniferous). During the Bashkirian–Sakmarian interval (Late Carboniferous to Early Permian), it was in subduction‐related fore‐arc and postarc rifting phases. During the Artinskian–Capitanian (Early‐Middle Permian) times, it was in an intracontinental rifting‐depression phase. During the Wuchapingian (Late Permian), it was in an intracontinental compressional phase. Tectonostratigraphy, tectonic evolution, and hydrocarbon potential assessments of the study area show that the Zhusileng Hangwula‐Tost Ul tectonic zone (ZHTUTZ) and southwestern part of Querrshan‐Atasbogd tectonic zone (QATZ) are identified as the main prospective areas for the exploration in the YEB. (b) According to the tectonostratigraphic analysis, tectonic evolution and hydrocarbon system of Carboniferous–Permian in the YEB, the YEB has similar attributes to the basin province in western CAOB (e.g., Santanghu and Junggar basins) and eastern CAOB (Erlian, Songliao Basin). To explore commercial oil and gas in the deeper strata (Carboniferous–Permian) of the eastern CAOB basins, further tectonostratigraphic analyses and comprehensive assessment on hydrocarbon potentials are necessitated in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High‐voltage electrical pulse (HVEP) technology, a potential method for degassing coal seam in the future, has made great progress in field application. However, the previous studies mainly concentrated on the coal‐crushing effect of the action of single pulse, ignoring the influence of cyclic single pulse on the fracture structure of coal. In this paper, Huaibei anthracite coal and Inner Mongolia bituminous coal were taken as the experimental objects to study the effect of cyclic single pulse on the fracture structure of coal. The results show that the uneven distribution of electric field in the coal causes the crack to break along the interface between the mineral and the coal. Besides, the characteristics of cracks and functional groups of coal before and after electrical breakdown were investigated through scanning electron microscope and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results suggest that the relative contents of oxygen‐containing functional groups are reduced after electrical breakdown, which promotes the gas desorption from the surfaces of coal samples. Moreover, changes in CH4 adsorption capacity of HVEP‐treated coal were studied through a high‐pressure adsorption instrument, with the adsorption temperature set from 40 to 120°C. The results show that the adsorption amount of electrically broken coal is smaller than that of raw coal, which proves that temperature and current exert similar influences on the adsorption capacity of coal sample. Additionally, current waveforms indicate that the peak current increases with the number of cycle, whereas the breakdown time decreases with it. However, the peak current and breakdown time will eventually become stable as the number of cycles grows, demonstrating that electrical properties of coal are changed in the process of breakdown, which thus affects the next discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Mongolian culture, wedding speeches are a traditional component of a marriage celebration, but in bilingual, bicultural urban Inner Mongolia, China, two hybrid genres have emerged which reflect competing ideologies of languages and speakers. There can be a Mongolian performance with a commentary in Chinese, or a blended Mongolian and Chinese language performance. In these hybrids, Mongolian is often associated with a minority status but an authentic tradition, while Chinese seems to represent a modern majority, but alien, culture. By situating the hybrid and bilingual Mongolian wedding speech genre in the contexts of Mongolian cultural loss and revival, urbanization, and the increasing weight of the Chinese state's political discourse in public space, the study unravels the complexity and contestations inherent in a hybridized traditional Mongolian speech genre. Drawing on the inherent duality of genre, that is its boundedness/monology and its plasticity/heteroglossia, this paper presents ethnographic evidence of these sociolinguistic representations, and contributes to the understanding of hybrid genre, agency, and a transforming expressive culture in the context of social displacement, cultural shift, and internal colonization in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The West Mine of the Bayan Obo deposit, located in the northern‐central part of Inner Mongolia, China, is enriched in Nb, rare earth elements and iron (Nb‐REE‐Fe) mineral resources. This paper presents a combined method to explore metallogenic correlation of the Nb‐REE‐Fe mineralization at the Bayan Obo West Mine. The method integrates factor analysis and Back Propagation (BP) neural network technology into processing and modeling of geological data. In this study, the Nb and REE contents of samples were transformed into discrete values to analyze the correlations among the metallogenic elements. The results show weak mineralization correlations between Nb and REEs. Nb and U are closely related in the geochemical patterns, while Fe is closely related to both Th and Mn. LREEs are an important factor for the mineralization of the Bayan Obo deposit, while Fe and Nb can be considered as the results of passive mineralization. On the basis of a metallogenic correlation analysis, the factors affecting the Fe‐REE‐Nb mineralization were extracted, and the Nb mineralization model was established by the BP neural network. Based on the BP neural network data computing, the variability of the Nb concentration displays a coupled multi‐factor nonlinear relationship, which can be used to reveal the inherent metallogenic elemental regularities and predict the degree of element mineralization enrichment in the mining area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric mineral dust is a poorly constrained yet extremely important component of the climate system. Provenance studies from geologic dust archives are crucial to understand the drivers of the dust cycle over long time scales. Our multi‐technique provenance analysis of a rare Paleogene (35–27 Ma) eolian dust sequence from Ulantatal, ∼400 km northwest of the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), shows that Paleogene dust transporting winds generally varied between northwesterly and westerly, the same as those in the late Neogene‐Quaternary bipolar icehouse. We propose that, as today, westerly wind circulation patterns would have been modulated by an Arctic Oscillation (AO)‐like situation, and that the warm Eocene favored a long‐term negative phase of AO, leading to meridional westerly circulation and the dominance of a northwesterly dust transport pathway. After the Eocene‐Oligocene transition (EOT), long‐term positive phase of AO‐like conditions initiated, leading to stronger and more zonal westerlies. The Siberian High (SH) also formed or strengthened at the EOT and started to control dust storm activity along the northwesterly transport pathway. We argue that increased Paleogene Northern Hemisphere (NH) ice volume was the ultimate driver of this modern‐type dust transport regime in the Ulantatal region, possibly also controlling initial Ulantatal dust sequence formation via the development of the SH and modern‐type eolian regime. The similarity between the Ulantatal and late Neogene northern CLP dust provenance signals suggests that the increased NH ice volume, via its control on the northwesterly dust transport, could have promoted increased loess formation also in the late Miocene. Plain Language Summary: Understanding the effects and responses of atmospheric mineral dust to climate changes in the geologic past is crucial for predicting future scenarios. Analysis of the source of dust deposited 35–27 million years ago in Ulantatal, Inner Mongolia, China reveals that the Central‐East Asian atmospheric circulation during this time interval was similar to that of today. Specifically, dust transport was dominated by northwesterly and westerly winds despite a significantly warmer global climate. We also propose that Arctic Oscillation (AO)‐type conditions, stemming from the temperature difference between the high and low latitudes, modulated planetary westerly winds during this period. Our results suggest that during warmer phases, a negative AO type dominated and resulted in wave‐like westerly wind patterns and a northwesterly dust transport pathway to Ulantatal. During cooler phases, the westerly circulation became stronger and more zonal. The Siberian High pressure system was possibly strengthened during increased Northern Hemisphere (NH) ice volume and further affected northwesterly dust transport. Our findings suggest that NH ice volume increase was possibly also responsible for the formation of the Ulantatal dust sequence itself. Our results imply that even under significantly warmer conditions than today, polar ice affects the long‐term dustiness in this highly populated region. Key Points: The provenance of a Paleogene (35–27 Ma) eolian dust sequence in Ulantatal, Inner Mongolia, China, reveals a modern‐type eolian regimeGlobal cooling and possibly expansion of Northern Hemisphere ice volume modulated the dust provenance by strengthening the Siberian HighLong‐term negative (positive) phase of Arctic Oscillation‐like conditions were favored in the warmhouse Eocene (coolhouse Oligocene) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Owing to the lack of terrestrial heat flow data, studying lithospheric thermal structure and geodynamics of the Yingen‐Ejinaqi Basin in Inner Mongolia is limited. In this paper, the terrestrial heat flow of the Chagan sag in the Yingen‐Ejinaqi Basin were calculated by 193 system steady‐state temperature measurements of 4 wells, and newly measuring 62 rock thermal conductivity and 20 heat production rate data on basis of the original 107 rock thermal conductivity and 70 heat production data. The results show that the average thermal conductivity and heat production rate are 2.11±0.28 W/(m·K) and 2.42±0.25 μW/m3 in the Lower Cretaceous of the Chagan sag. The average geothermal gradient from the Lower Suhongtu 2 Formation to the Suhongtu 1 Formation is 37.6 °C/km, and that of the Bayingebi 2 Formation is 27.4 °C/km. Meanwhile, the average terrestrial heat flow in the Chagan sag is 70.6 mW/m2. On the above results, it is clear that there is an obvious negative correlation between the thermal conductivity of the stratum and its geothermal gradient. Moreover, it reveals that there is a geothermal state between tectonically stable and active areas. This work may provide geothermal parameters for further research of lithospheric thermal structure and geodynamics in the Chagan sag. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land management has made a strong impact on the landscapes, especially in arid environments. Based on historical data, this paper evaluates the role of Catholic churches in the shaping of the Sanshenggong area in western China in the 1870s. Sanshenggong, an arid/semi-arid region located in western Inner Mongolia, was an important Catholic region in the west Ordos Plateau after the 1870s. After the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae) (CICM) obtained land from the Maharajah of Alashan Banner, the Belgian priests converted local Chinese (Hans) to Catholicism by lending land, houses and farm implements. By 1949 most people living there had been converted. As a result of intensive land management by the Catholic mission, the arid/semiarid landscape, formerly used as grazing lands, was changed to more intensive agricultural use. This case study exemplifies the practices and the important role an authoritarian religious organisation played in shaping oasis landscapes in arid and semiarid areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cleistogenes songorica, as a clustered grass, is the main grassland flora of the Stipa breviflora desert grassland. Some studies have shown that the constructive species of S. breviflora (sparse cluster type) is prone to cluster fragmentation; however, research on C. songorica is relatively rare. Then will the C. songorica plant population (dense cluster type) also have cluster fragmentation under the influence of intense grazing? To answer this question, we used variance analysis and geo‐statistical methods. The spatial distribution of C. songorica in S. breviflora desert steppe in Inner Mongolia was measured under four grazing intensities (no grazing, CK, 0 sheep·ha−1·half year−1; light grazing, LG, 0.93 sheep·ha−1·half year−1; moderate grazing, MG, 1.82 sheep·ha−1·half year−1; and heavy grazing, HG, 2.71 sheep·ha−1·half year−1) and four scales (10 cm × 10 cm, 20 cm × 20 cm, 25 cm × 25 cm, 50 cm × 50 cm). We then analyzed C. songorica whether fragmentation was present. The results showed that increased grazing intensity is associated with increased density and decreased height, coverage, and standing crop of C. songorica. The spatial distribution of C. songorica was affected by structural factors, and spatial heterogeneity decreased with increased spatial scale. With increased grazing intensity and spatial scale, the patch area of C. songorica gradually increased and tended toward band distribution. In summary, increased grazing intensity and spatial scale led to weakened heterogeneity of C. songorica spatial distribution and increased consistency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation restoration of land post‐mining can strengthen the development of soil aggregates and promote the accumulation of soil organic carbon (SOC), and Microbial restoration such as Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can significantly improve the effect of vegetation restoration. However, the effects of different recovery modes (microbial and natural restoration) on soil macroaggregates development and the carbon flows of the organic carbon (OC) have been less studied on reclaimed mine soil. A 4‐year field experiment was conducted on opencast coal reclaimed areas in Inner Mongolia grassland, and three recovery modes were set up: artificial restoration, artificial restoration (inoculated with AMF) and natural restoration. Results showed that compared with the natural restoration, artificial restoration and AMF inoculation increased the OC, total glomalin‐related soil proteins (TGRSP) contents and the value of δ13C in macroaggregates (>0.25 mm) in deep soil (30–50 cm). The shallow roots were the most likely starting points of carbon flow in the natural recovery area surface soil, and artificial restoration inoculation with AMF increased the carbon flows between all levels of aggregates in deep soil, showing a carbon flow pattern from macroaggregates to microaggregates (<0.25 mm). Moreover, significant correlations among the TGRSP, SOC content, and δ13C value were recorded, indicating the SOC sequestration and stability of reclaimed mine soil were potentially associated with TGRSP. In summary, both natural restoration and artificial restoration had advantages and disadvantages on reclaimed mine soil, but the artificial restoration inoculation with AMF showed great potential in promoting the aggregate carbon flow and persistent SOC accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a common grassland management practice in many high‐latitude regions worldwide, mowing has great impacts on grassland functioning and stability. Species richness, species asynchrony and species stability have been suggested as central in responses to environmental change. Mowing can evoke plant defence system due to physical damages to plants. However, no studies have comprehensively evaluated the role of plant defence functional traits, species richness, species asynchrony and stability in ecosystem functioning under mowing regimes across timescales.In this study, we set up short‐term (4 years) and long‐term (16 years) mowing experiments with three stubble heights (control, 10 cm, 2 cm) in a temperate steppe of Inner Mongolia. We investigated the effects of mowing‐induced changes in distribution metrics associated with plant defence traits, that is mean, variance, skewness and kurtosis of trait distribution, on ecosystem stability of grassland communities using structural equation modelling.We found that grassland ecosystem stability was enhanced by increasing mowing duration and decreasing stubble height. Mowing‐induced increase in abundance and diversity of plant defence traits contributed to greater ecosystem stability by enhancing species asynchrony and population stability. Moreover, we found that mowing enhanced the abundance and diversity of plant defence traits of dominant species and contributed to population stability and species asynchrony, thus enhancing temporal stability of grassland ecosystems.These results demonstrate the important roles of plant defence traits in maintaining stability of grasslands under mowing, and highlight that, in addition to species richness, asynchrony and population stability, plant functional defence trait acts in stabilizing ecosystem functions under human‐induced environmental changes. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crystallization age of the Sunjiafen Formation volcanic rocks is 253.9 ± 1.1 Ma. Geochemical data show that these volcanic rocks belong to the shoshonitic and metaluminous series and have high Sr and low Y contents (461–582 and 5.60–6.74 ppm, respectively), MgO = 1.32–2.65 wt%, and Na2O/K2O = 0.81–1.40. In MgO−SiO2, Cr−SiO2, Sr/Y−Y and (La/Yb)N−YbN diagrams, data for the samples plot in the adakite and "adakite related to thickened lower crust" fields. As such, we suggest that the Sunjiafen Formation C−type adakitic andesites formed in a compressional tectonic setting. The youngest age (youngest peak age) of two sandstone samples from the Linxi Formation are 251 Ma (257 Ma) and 237 Ma (254 Ma). Detrital zircons with ages of >1500 Ma have εHf(t) values of −5.87 to +6.31. A comparison of the age spectra and εHf(t) values of the detrital zircons in the Linxi Formation with those of igneous zircons from the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and North China Craton indicates the formation was derived from both the belt and the craton. We identified "Jura–type Folds" that formed in peripheral foreland basin in the Linxi Formation, and along with plant fossil fragments (Paracalamites frigidus). These and previously published results indicate the Paleo–Asian Ocean closed along the Xar Moron–Changchun Suture zone during the Late Permian. The study area was in a continuous compressional setting during the Late Permian and formed a peripheral foreland basin that was related to continent–continent collision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Shaolang River metallogenic belt in Inner Mongolia is one of the main lead‐zinc polymetallic belt on the northern margin of the North China Plate. The granodiorites, which are closely coexisting with lead‐zinc veins in deposit, are extensively developed. Previous geochronological research results show that the dikes and veins in the metallogenic belt belong to the products of magmatic hydrothermal activity in the middle Yanshanian, so the genesis of the metallogenic belt deposit is generally considered to be a hydrothermal vein type deposit related to sub‐volcanic dikes. We obtained zircon LA‐ICP‐MS U–Pb ages and Hf isotopic compositions of granodiorites, which are widely distributed in the deposit and were considered to be closely connected with the genesis of the deposits. The zircon U–Pb ages are 419.4 ± 1.4 Ma and 424.5 ± 4.1 Ma for the granodiorites, respectively, and they formed in the late Silurian. The geological and geochemical data indicate that the granodiorites are consistent with the geochemical characteristics of typical adakite. All εHf(t) values of the granodiorites are minus, on the zircon Hf isotope age diagram, εHf(t) are below the evolution curve of chondrite. The two‐stage model ages (tDM2) are 2.45 ~ 2.79 Ga and 1.87 ~ 2.29 Ga, respectively, showing rock‐forming materials mainly derived from the Paleoproterozoic and earlier crustal partial melting, and there may have been mantle‐derived magma underplating of the lower crust. Combining with the previous regional research, it is concluded that the granodiorites were formed during the extinction of the island arc under the background of subduction of the Paleo‐Asian Ocean and North China Craton. Because of the 125 ~ 170 Ma metallogenic age, we concluded that the granodiorites in the ore areas have no obvious relationship with the deposit genesis. However, it provided the advantageous space for the formation of the lead‐zinc veins, it can be regarded as an important prospecting indicator in metallogenic belt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dioxide‐enhanced water recovery (CO2‐EWR) is a promising strategy for managing reservoir pressure build‐up and mitigating the risk of fault activation resulting from CO2 injection in deep saline aquifers. CO2‐EWR can also be employed for supplying the required water for different applications after a treatment stage for the produced saline water. In this study, a brief review on CO2‐EWR technology and its necessities are first carried out. After that, the feasibilities, advantages, and challenges of various available treatment technologies that can potentially be used to treat high total dissolved solids (TDS) brine are comprehensively assessed. Based on comprehensive evaluation on technologies, a chain desalination process, consisting of pretreatment, main treatment, and post treatment, is proposed as a strategic path for the treatment of high TDS brine extracted from the Shenhua CCS site. It is concluded that coagulation‐flocculation and gravity filtration are needed as primary stages to remove suspended particles, while membrane distillation (MD) is selected as a suitable main treatment technology for high TDS Shenhua brine. Then, MD treatment is comprehensively discussed for a small‐scale treatment of extracted Shenhua brine assuming that the pretreated brine is free of suspended solids. After presenting the heat and mass transfer equations for direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD), a mathematical thermodynamic model is programmed in EES (Engineering Equation Solver) software to briefly analyze the performance parameters of DCMD. The results indicate that the designed DCMD, in the absence of auxiliary systems and considering the inherent temperature of extracted brine from different formations, has the capability of producing 15.1 kg m−2hr of freshwater from the extracted brine of the Shihezi formation layer. In the case of employing the auxiliary system of flat‐plate collector (FPC) combined with heat exchanger (HX) to heat up the extracted Shenhua brine to the desired temperature of 80°C, the amounts of produced flux are enhanced by 133%, 72%, and 45% for the brine extracted from Liujiagou, Shiqianfeng, and Shihezi formations, respectively. Using the yearly solar radiation model in TRNSYS software, the maximum solar radiation on the tilted surface at the location of Shenhua project in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China reaches 3800 kJ m−2hr at 1 PM on April 1. Considering maximum solar radiation on the tilted surface, it is proved that a small‐surface FPC can supply the required energy to heat up the extracted brine from its inherent temperature to the desired temperature of 80°C. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The small‐island effect (SIE), as an exception to the species–area relationship, has received much attention in true island systems. However, the prevalence and related patterns of the SIE have not been well evaluated in habitat island systems. Here, we aimed to identify the existence of SIE for habitat islands in fragmented landscapes and determine the key factors influencing species richness on small habitat islands. Location: Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. Taxon: Vascular plants. Methods: Based on 78 grassland fragments in fragmented landscapes of the agro‐pastoral ecotone of northern China, we used piecewise regression, path analysis and null models to investigate the SIE of the species–area relationship. We then used a multi‐model selection to evaluate the impacts of four influencing factors (instability, isolation, habitat heterogeneity and surrounding productivity) on species richness (including habitat specialists and generalists) on small habitat islands within the range of SIE. Results: We found an obvious threshold of 5.1 ha in the species–area relationship, below which habitat island area had no direct and indirect effects on species richness. Small habitat islands (<5.1 ha) host a lower percentage of habitat specialists and a higher percentage of generalists. On small habitat islands, species richness was positively affected by habitat heterogeneity while negatively affected by instability and isolation. Habitat heterogeneity had the strongest effect on species richness, positively affecting specialist richness while negatively affecting generalist richness. Main Conclusions: There is an SIE in fragmented landscapes of the agro‐pastoral ecotone of northern China, which should be considered in biodiversity conservation. Habitat heterogeneity had a key role in determining the pattern of species richness, especially for small islands. Habitat specialists and generalists had different SIE‐related patterns. Our study highlights the importance of considering different ecological groups of species to improve our understanding of the SIE in fragmented habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we discuss the timing of final closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean based on the field investigations of the Carboniferous-Permian stratigraphic sequences and sedimentary environments in southeastern Inner Mongolia combined with the geology of its neighboring areas. Studies show that during the Carboniferous-Permian in the eastern segment of the Tianshan-Hinggan Orogenic System, there was a giant ENE-NE-trending littoral-neritic to continental sedimentary basin, starting in the west from Ejinqi eastwards through southeastern Inner Mongolia into Jilin and Heilongjiang. The distribution of the Lower Carboniferous in the vast area is sparse. The Late Carboniferous or Permian volcanic-sedimentary rocks always unconformably overlie the Devonian or older units. The Upper Carboniferous-Middle Permian is dominated by littoral-neritic deposits and the Upper Permian, by continental deposits. The Late Carboniferous-Permian has no trace of subduction-collision orogeny, implying the basin gradually disappeared by shrinking and shallowing. In addition, it is of interest to note that the Ondor Sum and Hegenshan ophiolitic mélanges were formed in the pre-Late Silurian and pre-Late Devonian respectively, and the Solonker ophiolitic mélange formed in the pre-Late Carboniferous. All the evidence indicates that the eastern segment of the Paleo-Asian Ocean had closed before the Late Carboniferous, and most likely before the latest Devonian (Famennian). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ruppia mongolica Y. Zou & X.W. Xu, a new species from Inner Mongolia, China, is described and illustrated. The phylogenetic position of the new species within the genus was analyzed based on eight chloroplast DNA fragments and an ingroup sampling of all Eurasian species of Ruppia. The results showed that R. mongolica formed a separate branch between R. sinensis and the clade of R. maritima, R. brevipedunculata, R. drepanensis, and R. cirrhosa. Based on molecular and geographical evidence, our study reveals that R. mongolica is closely related to R. sinensis and R. brevipedunculata but differs from the former in the length and shape of the peduncle and seed size, and from the latter in the length of the peduncle, number of carpels per flower, and seed size. In addition, the karyotype analysis revealed that R. mongolica is octoploid, which is first reported within Ruppia, further supporting R. mongolica as a new species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining the abundance of N isotope (δ15N) in natural environments is a simple but powerful method for providing integrated information on the N cycling dynamics and status in an ecosystem under exogenous N inputs. However, whether the input of different N compounds could differently impact plant growth and their 15N signatures remains unclear. Here, the response of 15N signatures and growth of three dominant plants (Leymus chinensis, Carex duriuscula, and Thermopsis lanceolata) to the addition of three N compounds (NH4HCO3, urea, and NH4NO3) at multiple N addition rates were assessed in a meadow steppe in Inner Mongolia. The three plants showed different initial foliar δ15N values because of differences in their N acquisition strategies. Particularly, T. lanceolata (N2‐fixing species) showed significantly lower 15N signatures than L. chinensis (associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi [AMF]) and C. duriuscula (associated with AMF). Moreover, the foliar δ15N of all three species increased with increasing N addition rates, with a sharp increase above an N addition rate of ~10 g N m−2 year−1. Foliar δ15N values were significantly higher when NH4HCO3 and urea were added than when NH4NO3 was added, suggesting that adding weakly acidifying N compounds could result in a more open N cycle. Overall, our results imply that assessing the N transformation processes in the context of increasing global N deposition necessitates the consideration of N deposition rates, forms of the deposited N compounds, and N utilization strategies of the co‐existing plant species in the ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mowing removes plant photosynthetic organs, thus decreasing plant biomass and nutrients in the community. Responses of community functional diversity, biomass, and nutrient status to mowing play a crucial role in the restoration and sustainable use of degraded grasslands, but have not been well studied. Our study linked functional diversity with forage biomass and nutrition in a semiarid grassland. We found that annual mowing reduced community biomass, in particular significantly reduced the dominant plants biomass, which was maintained with biennial mowing. In addition, this study showed that functional diversity could be maintained at a high level under biennial mowing compared to unmowed, but significantly decreased under annual mowing. Structural equation modeling indicated that annual mowing reduced dominant plants biomass by reducing community functional diversity. Mowing decreased dominant plants nutrients by decreasing community functional diversity and soil nutrients, but had no significant effect on nutrients of community and nondominant plants. Furthermore, there was a strong positive correlation between community functional diversity with forage production and nutrition. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that biennial mowing increases community biomass, litter mass, and dominant plant nutrition by regulating functional diversity. Therefore, biennial mowing can provide better conservation of grassland ecosystems and is a suitable grassland management practice in semiarid grasslands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristics of vegetation and drought for different seasons between 1982 and 2015 in Inner Mongolia were studied based on the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI). The response of vegetation to drought over various timescales for different seasons and vegetation types was investigated using the maximum Pearson correlation, allowing a discussion about the possible causes of any changes. The results indicate that the vegetation NDVI in Inner Mongolia showed an increasing trend in different seasons, with spring vegetation NDVI (April–May) having the largest significant increasing rate, followed by the growing season (April–October), autumn (September–October), and summer (June–August). Accordingly, the proportion of stations with decreasing SPEI was, in descending order, summer, growing season, autumn, and spring. Additionally, the magnitude of the SPEI decrease was greater in eastern Inner Mongolia. NDVI and SPEI were positively correlated in most regions of Inner Mongolia, indicating that changes in vegetation in most parts of this region were affected by the spatial and temporal characteristics of drought, the correlation being them being strongest in the growing season, followed by summer, then spring and autumn. Considering the different types of vegetation, forests were less affected by drought, with broadleaf forests more affected than coniferous forests. The meadow steppes and typical steppes were more affected by 12‐month droughts in the growing season and summer, 6‐month droughts in spring, and 3‐month droughts in autumn, with desert steppes mainly affected by 3‐month droughts. The shrubs, sandy vegetation, and cropland were mostly affected by droughts in summer, and show a greater response to 3‐month droughts in autumn. Finally, the water balance was found to be the most important factor affecting the response of vegetation to drought in Inner Mongolia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil salinization is one of the important factors limiting the sustainable development of agriculture and causing land degradation. In order to explore the effect of growth stage division on the estimation accuracy of soil salt content (SSC) in fields cropped with sunflower, multiple time‐series unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) were used to monitor SSC in the Hetao Irrigation District, Inner Mongolia, China. Aerial and field campaigns for four growth stages of sunflowers in six study areas were conducted from July to September in 2021. The ground samplings of electrical conductivity (EC), leaf area index (LAI), plant height (H), and leaf chlorophyll content (CHL) were taken simultaneously with (UAV) multispectral images. The correlation between six vegetation indices (VIs), four salinity indices (SIs), three crop parameters (LAI, CHL, H) and SSC was investigated. The optimal parameters were determined and used as input variables to establish SSC estimation model using artificial neural network (ANN), random Forest (RF), multiple linear regression (MLR) algorithm, respectively. The results show that the division of growth stages could improve the correlation between spectral index, growth parameters and SSC, and the estimation model by each growth stage was more accurate than that of the whole growth period. Among the spectral indices, the VIs showed a higher correlation with SSC than the SIs. Among the crop parameters, the LAI was the most sensitive to the degree of soil salinization. The nonlinear regression algorithm (ANN, RF) performed better than the linear regression model (MLR) in the application of SSC estimation, and the best estimation models for the four growth stages of sunflower were the ANN_SSC models. This study proposed a fast and low‐cost method to monitor the soil salinization of sunflower‐cropped fields in time‐series and provided a reference for the quick perception and prevention of soil salinization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The arid and semiarid grassland ecosystems are characterized by limited water resources and are generally vulnerable to climate change. Understanding how plants in arid and semiarid ecosystems respond to global climatic variation is crucial for ecological restoration under a changing climate. Although the effects of climate on aboveground biomass (AGB) and belowground biomass (BGB) have been widely explored, how AGB and BGB respond to climatic variation is seldom disentangled. There is still a need to understand how plant communities respond to global climate change. In this study, we conducted a transect survey across grasslands in Inner Mongolia to capture changes in AGB and BGB in plant communities. Then, we used structural equation modelling (SEM) to explore the relationship between environmental factors and the root:shoot ratio to understand how plant communities respond to ecological drought under global climate change. Our results showed that low precipitation use efficiency (LPUE) results in a high root:shoot (HRS) ratio, and BGB was more sensitive to environmental changes. By contrast, high precipitation use efficiency (HPUE) led to a low root:shoot (LRS) ratio, and environmental factors had a greater impact on AGB. For the LPUE pattern, soil water content (SWC), pH, and soil total nitrogen (STN) mainly affected the HRS ratio. Soil water content and STN influenced the HRS ratio through a positive effect on BGB. For the HPUE pattern, SWC, STN, and plant abundance (PA) predominantly regulate the LRS ratio, while biodiversity (plant abundance) affects the LRS ratio by positively affecting AGB. Our results highlight the differential impact of precipitation use efficiency on aboveground and belowground biomass allocation. This is important for monitoring the impact of drought events on plant biomass, improving productivity assessment models in arid and semi‐arid regions, and assessing local carbon storage accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Inner Mongolia Plateau is located in the north of the Late Palaeozoic Hegenshan ophiolitic mélange belt, and its Mesozoic magmatism impacts our understanding of the tectonic evolution affected by the closing of the Mongol‐Okhotsk Ocean and Palaeo‐Pacific Ocean. Here, we present new U–Pb ages, whole‐rock geochemistry and Hf isotopes from the Late Mesozoic magmatic rocks in the Dalai area along the northeastern margin of the Inner Mongolia Plateau. The Late Jurassic rock types include medium‐fine‐grained phenocryst‐bearing and porphyritic monzogranites as well as medium‐fine‐grained monzogranites with the precise age range of 167.7–159.8 Ma. The Early Cretaceous rock types consist of fine‐grained biotite monzogranite and medium‐fine‐grained biotite monzogranite with the precise age range of 140.9–130.7 Ma. The geochemistry data show that the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous rocks are peraluminous granites and high‐K calc‐alkaline series and can be classified as A‐type granite. These granites are enriched in large‐ionlithophile elements such as Rb, Th and U, depleted in the high‐field‐strength elements such as Nb, Sr, P, and Ti. Rare earth elements have high total concentrations and present the light rare earth elements enriched with the heavy rare earth elements depleted. Zircon Hf isotopes show that εHf(t) ranges from +8.0 to +15.9 from the Late Jurassic rocks and +6.9 to +13.5 from the Early Cretaceous rocks. Our new results reveal that the Late Jurassic and the Early Cretaceous magmas were derived from partial melting of the younger lower crust, and the Early Cretaceous rocks are more strongly contaminated than the Jurassic intrusions. The Late Jurassic rocks in the Dalai area were formed from a post‐collisional setting related to the closure of the Mongol‐Okhotsk Ocean in the Early‐Middle Jurassic. The Early Cretaceous intrusions were formed from a transition setting from post‐collision to syn‐collision associated with the superposition of the Mongol‐Okhotsk Ocean and the Palaeo‐Pacific Ocean tectonic domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discovered and mined in recent years, the Jinchangliang gold deposit has not yet been studied in its genetic type. In this paper, the geological features of ore deposit, S isotopic composition, metallogenic age and elements geochemical of the granite closely related to mineralization were discussed. The results of the geological features of ore deposit and S isotopic composition show that ore-bearing hydrothermal solution was closely related with the intrusion of magmatic. The granite is characteristic of high silica SiO2=72.38%-72.98%, high aluminum and Al2O3=14.22%-14.35%, low calcium CaO=0.16% -0.26%, and low value of FeOT/MgO (6.86-7.73), and rich in alkalis Na2O+K2O=9.11%-9.24%, suggesting that it is high-K calc-alkaline, highly fractionated, weak aluminum A-type granite. The REE patterns are inclined to right and show intense fractionation between LREE and HREE, without obvious negative Eu anomaly (δEu=0.80-0.84). The primitive mantle-normalized spidergrams are characterized by depletion of Ba, U, Ta, Nb, Zr, Ti and P, which implies that the granite has the characteristics of the crust-mantle mixing. S isotopes also indicate that the material source of gold deposit is closely related to the granite rocks. The LA-ICP-MS Zircon U-Pb age of the Damiao rock mass medium-fine grained monzogranite (belonging to the early Indo-China) is (245±1) Ma. It shows that Jinchangliang gold deposit was not formed in Yanshanian, but the early Indo-China. Specifically speaking, the deposit was formed in the collision stage of the North China plate and the Siberian plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil net nitrogen (N) mineralization is a key biogeochemical process influencing plant available N and net primary productivity in terrestrial ecosystems. However, the spatial variations and controlling factors of soil net N mineralization (RPNM) in arid and semi‐arid grasslands are less studied and unclear.In this study, we investigated the soil RPNM by performing a laboratory incubation experiment. Soil samples were collected from 30 sites in three east–west transects on the Inner Mongolia Plateau (MP), Loess Plateau (LP) and Tibetan Plateau (TP) along a 3200 km arid and semi‐arid grassland gradient, with each transect containing three different grassland types (meadow steppe [MS], typical steppe [TS] and desert steppe [DS], respectively).Results showed that the average RPNM values ranged from −0.37 to 1.29 mg N kg−1 day−1, with a significantly lower RPNM found in the DS (0.08 ± 0.01 mg N kg−1 day−1) compared with those in the MS (0.30 ± 0.03 mg N kg−1 day−1) and in the TS (0.33 ± 0.03 mg N kg−1 day−1) in the MP and LP transects (p < 0.05). This difference could be explained by variations in climatic and soil factors, such as hydrothermal index (HT), the soil pH, soil organic matter (SOM) and precipitation. However, no significant differences in RPNM were found among different grassland types in the TP transect, possibly due to the similarly low microbial activity, as indicated by the microbial biomass carbon values. Across all three grassland transects, HT, SOM and microbial variables were the major factors controlling RPNM, which together explained 20.7% of the variation in RPNM. Further structural equation model analysis indicated HT was an integral predictor of RPNM, directly or indirectly via SOM, under different conditions of precipitation and temperature.Our findings provide field evidence and parameters for biogeochemical cycling to better predict future N transformation processes under changing precipitation and temperature regimes across a wide range of arid and semi‐arid grassland ecosystems. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The late Paleozoic tectonic framework of the southeastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt is key to restricting the accretion orogeny between the Siberia Craton and the North China Craton. To clarify the framework, petrogenesis of early Permian intrusive rocks from southeastern Inner Mongolia was studied. Zircon U‐Pb dating for bojite and syenogranite from Ar‐Horqin indicate that they were emplaced at 288–285 Ma. Geochemical data reveal that the bojite is highly magnesian and low‐K to middle‐K calc‐alkaline, with E‐MORB‐type REE and IAB‐like trace element patterns. The syenogranite is a middle‐K calc‐alkaline fractionated A‐type granite and shows oceanic‐arc‐like trace element patterns, with depleted Sr‐Nd‐Hf isotopes, (87Sr/86Sr)I = 0.7032–0.7042, εNd(t) = +4.0 to +6.6 and zircon εHf(t) = +11.14 to +14.99. This suggests that the bojite was derived from lithospheric mantle metasomatized by subducted slab melt, while the syenogranite originated from very juvenile arc‐related lower crust. Usng data from coeval magmatic rocks from Linxi–Ar‐Horqin, the Ar‐Horqin intra‐oceanic arc was reconstructed, i.e., initial transition in 290–280 Ma and mature after 278 Ma. Combined with regional geological and geophysical materials in southeastern Inner Mongolia, an early Permian tectonic framework as 'one narrow ocean basin of the PAO', 'two continental marginal arcs on its northern and southern' and 'one intra‐oceanic arc in its southern' is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cercospora leaf spot (CLS) caused by Cercospora beticola is the most destructive foliar disease of sugar beet worldwide and is mainly controlled by timely fungicide applications. Recently, CLS control by pyraclostrobin exhibited significantly reduced efficiency in some fields of the Chifeng area in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. Purification of fungi by single spore isolation is essential for the study of fungal and fungicide resistance. However, the conventional single spore isolation and fungicide sensitivity assay for C. beticola are time‐consuming with a risk of contamination. We developed a new method for single spore isolation of C. beticola, which facilitated monitoring fungicide sensitivity of infected field samples. First, the composite spore suspension was prepared from typical lesions by vortex in the sterilized centrifuge tube. Then, the diluted spore suspension was spread on the streptomycin‐amended potato dextrose agar (PDA) plate or the PDA plate contained a threshold dosage of specific fungicide. The C. beticola colony derived from a single spore could be observed with naked eye and easily isolated by a sterilized scalpel knife after 36 h of incubation at 25°C. Meanwhile, the percentage of fungicide‐resistant or ‐tolerant isolates could be analysed based on the growth of different PDA media within 3 days. Based on this method, we identified that 22.88% of the C. beticola isolates were resistant to pyraclostrobin in the Chifeng area, indicating a high risk of emergence of C. beticola‐resistant strains to QoI fungicides in this area. Furthermore, the G143A or F129L mutation of the cytochrome b (Cyt‐b) gene was found in these resistant isolates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. beticola QoI‐resistant isolates with G143A or F129L mutation of CbCyt‐b gene in China. Our approach provides considerable potential for studying the biology, fitness and fungicide resistance of C. beticola. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation and development of blowouts is an important surface indication of sand drift activity in the Hulun Buir sandy grassland and the main cause of landscape pattern heterogeneity. In this study, dynamic changes and determinants of blowouts in this region were studied via analysis of multi‐period high‐resolution remote sensing data from 1959 to 2018. The different stages of activity and dominant factors of the fixation and activation of blowouts were analysed with Lancaster's M‐index. The results show that the activity of blowouts in Hulun Buir sandy grassland can be divided into three stages from 1959 to 2018: (I) growth and expansion stage, from 1959 to 2004; (II) fixation and grassland recovery stage, from 2005 to 2010; (III) redevelopment stage, from 2011 to 2018. The two geomorphic units of depressions and depositional lobes exhibit different responses to changes in climatic factors. The depositional lobes are more sensitive to the change in external factors with better feedback and their areas and numbers change with the variation of stage, while depressions exhibit relatively slow changes. The wind regime is the dominant factor explaining the variation of activity of blowouts, with precipitation and potential evapotranspiration as secondary factors for this region. Roads have little effect on the development and deformation of blowouts, but the movement of cattle and sheep across the region has a big influence. Therefore, the desertification process of Hulun Buir grassland is driven by both natural and human factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Questions: Drought timing during the growing season can profoundly influence plant diversity and cover, with subsequent impacts on ecosystem functions and services in terrestrial environments. However, the different responses of plant communities to drought in different periods of the growing season remain uncertain. Location: The research was conducted in a semi‐arid grassland at the Duolun Restoration Ecology Research and Demonstration Station, in Inner Mongolia, China. Methods: The responses of plant species richness and cover to early‐ and late‐season drought with a four‐year field experiment were examined in a semi‐arid grassland in northern China. Soil moisture at different depths was measured to explore the underlying mechanisms of the drought effects on plant richness and cover. Results: Over the four years, late‐ rather than early‐season drought suppressed plant richness. Decreased species richness (−1.65 species) under late‐season drought was mainly due to suppressed perennial forb richness (−1.88 species). Late‐season drought also exerted greater negative effects on plant cover than early‐season drought. Effects of late‐season drought on plant cover depended on annual precipitation. Reduced plant cover (−7.5%) under early‐season drought stemmed from declines in shrubs and semi‐shrubs, particularly Artemisia frigida cover (−4.9%), which is sensitive to water deficits because of its shallow root depth (14.01 cm). Declined plant cover (−39.0%) under late‐season drought was mainly caused by suppressed perennial forb (−21.5%) and shrub and semi‐shrubs cover (−17.4%). The combined effects of early‐ and late‐season drought on plant cover were greater than the treatment alone, likely due to aggravating water deficits under growing‐season drought. Conclusions: Our results suggest late‐season drought is more critical for shifting plant communities. than early‐season drought. Our findings highlight the regulatory role of drought timing on plant community composition and development in arid and semi‐arid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subaqueous mass‐transport processes are one of the mechanisms for transport of sediment into the deep sea. Internal structures and depositional processes of carbonate mass‐transport deposits are relatively poorly understood relative to siliciclastic facies due to their comparative paucity in the rock record. A variety of carbonate mass‐transport deposits, including slumps, debrites and deep‐channel‐confined density flow deposits, occur in Middle–Upper Ordovician slope deposits in western Inner Mongolia (Wuhai), China. These provide a rare opportunity to illustrate the emplacement history of carbonate mass‐transport deposits at the outcrop scale. The slumps and debrites host remarkable folds, chaotic beds and imbricated beds that reflect differences in both rheology and position on the slope. Individual slump sheets show gradations between undulating laminae, inclined and recumbent folds, highly deformed folds, and chaotic textures upslope from the toe region. Debrites are commonly interbedded with slump deposits, whereas imbricated beds are present in the middle and lower parts of the toes of slump sheets near the terminal wall. In the study area, thin‐bedded limestone with slump deposits of the Kelimoli Formation are overlain by fine‐grained, siliciclastic‐dominated, slope deposits of the Wulalike Formation. A thick breccia of the Wulalike Formation was deposited in a main feeder channel in south‐east Wuhai, but to the west‐north‐west the breccia was deposited in distributary channels possibly represented as a unique lower‐slope pattern of gullies. At the latter locality, the breccia was deposited solely within the channels on a steep west‐north‐west dipping slope under density‐driven flows. The mass‐transport deposits documented herein records passive to foreland basin tectonic transitions, and associated platform foundering and steepening of the slope. A slope facies model was constructed to demonstrate the spatial and temporal variations of mass‐transport deposits during basin evolution, and as such it provides a template for the interpretation of the deposits of ancient slopes that underwent passive to active tectonic transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species, Didymodon sinicus C. Feng & J. Kou, is described and illustrated based on materials collected from Inner Mongolia, Yunnan and Tibet of China. It is characterized by ovate‐lanceolate to ovate‐triangular leaves that are erect to patent when wet, auriculate leaf base, acute leaves apices, distally bistratose leaf margins, the yellowish color in KOH, short‐excurrent costa with guide cells in 2–3 layers and without ventral stereids, and smooth laminal cells. A phylogenetic analysis based on DNA sequences of ITS, rps4, trnM‐trnV confirms D. sinicus as a sister to the clade of D. obtusus J. Kou, X.‐M. Shao & C. Feng and the new species belongs to the genus Didymodon s.str. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As important oil crops in Inner Mongolia, sunflower, and flaxseed had distinct lipid profiles in seeds. As an emerging cash crop, Hibiscus manihot L. has strong potential market competitiveness. In this study, the lipidome, fatty acid composition and quality characteristics of flaxseed, H. manihot L., and sunflower seed oils were analyzed and compared. A total of 270 distinct lipids were identified and analyzed with an emerging detection approach—lipidomics, which illustrated the tremendous difference among the samples. triacylglycerol, diacylglycerol and polar lipids were the most abundant lipids in all samples. H. manihot L. seeds contained higher saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids and lower polyunsaturated fatty acids. H. manihot L. seed oil had the longest oxidative stability index time, high content of vitamin E and total phenolics, while flaxseed oil embodied the lowest oxidative stability. The peroxide value and acid value of the three oils were within the allowable range of Chinese national standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suburbs have the potential for future wind energy development because of their open terrain, good wind conditions, closeness to the city, wind power that can be absorbed in place, and other advantages. Therefore, accurately evaluating the wind energy resources in the suburbs is particularly important. The three‐parameter Weibull distribution can accurately describe the wind speed in the suburbs, but research on the estimation of wind power density (WPD) with it is limited. On the basis of the mathematical models of wind speed probability distribution as Rayleigh, two‐parameter Weibull, and three‐parameter Weibull, a new WPD estimation formula with three‐parameter Weibull distribution is derived using the partial integration method and by introducing incomplete gamma function to solve the transcendental integration. A field experiment platform is built, and the accuracy of the formula is verified by the measured data. The analysis of the measured data collected in recent 3 years in the suburbs of Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, concludes that the statistical characteristics of the measured wind speed and the distribution of wind energy resources are more conducive to capture the scattered and changing wind energy in the suburbs by taking the month as the time scale. Moreover, the three‐parameter Weibull distribution estimated by the least square method can be used as the local wind speed model. The new method of WPD estimation can also reduce the calculation error by approximately 21.06%. This study provides an important reference for the subsequent analysis of wind power fluctuation characteristics and wind energy development planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new troodontid (LH PV39) recovered from the Upper Cretaceous Wulansuhai Formation, Inner Mongolia, China, is described, highlighting the dorsoventrally compressed sacral centra. The completely fused neurocentral junctions indicate that LH PV39 had reached adulthood at the time of death, but its size is nevertheless 20% smaller than that of the sympatric Philovenator, demonstrating that it is the second small‐bodied troodontid recovered from the Wulansuhai Formation. Phylogenetic analyses scoring LH PV39 using different strategies and performed with different algorithms unambiguously recovered it as a troodontid. While the parsimony‐based analysis scoring LH PV39 as an independent OTU with all of its available characteristics included recovered it as a basal troodontid, the Bayesian analysis suggests a closer relationship of LH PV39 to Almas and an unnamed troodontid from Ukhaa Tolgod, Mongolia (MPC‐D100/1126+D100/3500). Body size analysis confirmed a single trend of gigantism throughout the evolution of troodontids, and suggests that the Late Cretaceous troodontids evolved in two directions: (i) several size‐independent characteristics evolved while retaining the small sizes that are typical of the Early Cretaceous relatives, resulting in the Late Cretaceous small‐bodied troodontids; and (ii) size‐dependent characteristics (e.g., the elongation of the rostrum) evolved accompanying the size increase, resulting in large‐bodied derived troodontids. The mosaic features of the Late Cretaceous small‐bodied troodontids place them intermediate between their Early Cretaceous basal relatives and the Late Cretaceous large‐bodied taxa in a well‐resolved phylogeny, which is crucial for understanding the size and morphological evolution of troodontids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the enrichment and depletion regularities for porphyry copper-molybdenum ore deposits in different regions and varied deposit genetic types in the same area, taking three porphyry copper-molybdenum ore deposits (i.e., the Chengmenshan in Jiangxi, Wunugetushan in Inner Mongolia, Baishantang in Gansu) and two copper deposits in Gansu Province (the Huitongshan skarn deposit and Gongpoquan composite deposit) as case studies. The results show that porphyry Cu-Mo deposits or skarn copper deposits include both enrichment of the ore-forming elements and associated elements, and depletion of some lithophile dispersed elements, rare earth elements (REE) and some major elements. And the depleted elements vary with deposits, having generality and their own features. On a deposit scale, the positive anomalies of enriched elements and negative anomalies of depleted elements follow in a sequence to comprise regular anomaly models of spatial structures. The exploration in the Tongchang deposit in Jiangxi and Huitongshan deposit in Gansu suggests that anomaly models play a key role in the identification of mineral occurrences and deposits compared to one single enriched element anomaly. And the anomaly models exert a critical effect on the optimization of prospecting targets and their potential evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With more than 11,000 t of gold resources, the Central Asian orogenic belt is the most significant gold deposit belt in the world. The majority of the orogenic belt's gold resources are found in a layer of carbon‐rich black shale. However, there is disagreement regarding the origin and metallogenic process of such a significant quantity of gold. The Haoyaoerhudong gold deposit is located where the northern margin of the North China Craton and the southern margin of the Central Asian orogenic belt converge. It is the most significant black shale gold deposit in the northern margin of North China Craton gold province. The pyrite that typically develops in the Haoyaoerhudong gold deposit has been categorized into five varieties through comprehensive field investigation and mineralogical research, which correspond to five metallogenic stages: Stage 1, sedimentary diagenesis; Stage 2, tectonic deformation; Stage 3, hydrothermal; Stage 4, hydrothermal transformation; Stage 5, late metallogenic. For pyrite in the previous four metallogenic stages, in situ LA‐ICP‐MS trace element analysis and pyrite sulfide isotope analyses were performed. The results suggest that: The average Au contents in the pyrite of sedimentary diagenesis stage is 0.098 ppm; the average Au contents in the pyrite of the tectonic deformation stage and hydrothermal stage, is below the detection limit mostly; the average Au contents in the pyrite of hydrothermal transformation stage is 0.12 ppm. The results indicate that only 22.4% more gold is present in hydrothermal transformation stage than in sedimentary diagenetic stage overall. It may be inferred that the gold enrichment of Haoyaoerhudong gold deposit mostly took place during the sedimentary diagenetic stage; subsequent brittle‐ductile shear and hydrothermal fluid activity did not result in a further enrichment of gold. The sulfur isotope test results of various metallogenic stages in the deposit can be analyzed, and they are generally consistent. The δ34S values range from +10.15% to +16.47%, with an average value of +13.02%. It suggests that there might be a single source of sulfur. According to extensive analysis, the Haoyaoerhudong gold deposit formed a relatively low‐grade ore body during the sedimentary diagenesis stage, and the subsequent tectonic deformation stage and hydrothermal stage provided physical conditions for further activation of gold metal but did not bring corresponding material sources for mineralization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The protolepidodendralean lycopsid Leclercqia represents one of the best studied Devonian plants, with a worldwide distribution, but is not known from the palaeocontinents that constitute the present northeastern China. Two species of the genus, Leclercqia cf. L. complexa and Leclercqia sp., are described for the first time from the Hanuo Obo Formation of Dong Ujimqin Qi, Inner Mongolia, northeastern China, an area poorly documented by record of early vascular plants. The first species is characterized by three‐dimensional, five‐tipped leaves, which show a long, downwardly recurved, central segment and two pairs of short, lateral segments, while the latter species bears seven‐tipped leaves and more robust axes. Our discovery confirms that the Hanuo Obo Formation is a distinctive lithological unit in Inner Mongolia, and suggests a Middle to Late Devonian (but no later than Frasnian) age for this formation based on the global spatio‐temporal occurrence of Leclercqia. The present finding indicates the spread of protolepidodendraleans to the Xing'an Block, or a part of the Mongolian Block, representing the northernmost distribution of this group during the Devonian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chaihulanzi area in eastern Inner Mongolia is tectonically situated on the northern margin of the North China Craton (NCC). The main Precambrian lithologies of the area have been referred to the Archean Jianping Group meta‐supracrustal sequences. Based on field observations, petrographic, whole‐rock geochemical, and zircon U‐Pb geochronological results, a magmatic origin for the units is proposed. Our results show that the Chaihulanzi gneisses are mainly of granitic, dioritic and granodioritic compositions, and show typical magmatic rock textures and mineral assemblages. The dioritic and granodioritic gneisses show Na‐rich tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG)‐like affinity with zircon U‐Pb dates of ca. 2.57–2.59 Ga, representing a juvenile continental growth for the northeastern NCC. The granitic gneiss is indeed potassic granite and yielded a zircon U‐Pb date of ∼2.50 Ga, which is contemporaneous with the Jining–Jiaoliao microblock collision (2.53–2.49 Ga), implying another crustal growth event. The well‐developed gneissosity in 2.57–2.59 Ga dioritic and granodioritic gneisses together with the 2.5 Ga potassic granite, which crosscuts the gneissosity implies a 2.57–2.50 Ga (mainly 2.53–2.51 Ga) collisional orogeny, probably related to the Jining–Jiaoliao microblock collision. Our new geology and chronological results provide new evidence for the early Precambrian tectonic evolution of the NCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]