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Kazakhstan

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Earth and Environmental Science	50%
Life Sciences	23%
Humanities and Social Sciences	14%
Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting	9%

Selected Abstracts

LATE ORDOVICIAN BRACHIOPODS FROM THE DULANKARA FORMATION OF THE CHU-ILI RANGE, KAZAKHSTAN: THEIR SYSTEMATICS, PALAEOECOLOGY AND PALAEOBIOGEOGRAPHY

PALAEONTOLOGY, Issue 2 2006
LEONID E. POPOV
Abstract:, Brachiopods from the late Ordovician (late Caradoc) Dulankara Formation of the Chu-Ili Range, Kazakhstan, are reviewed. Those from the upper two members of the formation, the Degeres and Akkol members, are systematically described. New genera from the Dulankara Formation are Nikitinamena (Plectambonitoidea: Leptellinidae), with type species Nikitinamena bicostata sp. nov., and Weberorthis (Orthoidea: Plectorthidae), with type species Mimella brevis Rukavishnikova. Another new genus is Glyptomenoides (Strophomenoidea: Glyptomenidae), with type species Rafinesquina girvanensis Salmon from the Caradoc of Girvan, Scotland. Other new species from the Dulankara Formation are Holtedahlina orientalis, Platymena tersa, Christiania proclivis, Leangella (Leangella) paletsae, Metambonites subcarinatus, Ogmoplecia nesca and Plectorthis licta. The ecology and assemblages of all three members of the Dulankara Formation are identified or reviewed, and their palaeogeographical significance assessed: the Chu-Ili Terrane (on which the Dulankara Formation was situated during the Ordovician) formed part of the relatively low-latitude peri-Gondwanan complex of terranes, and was probably not far from North and South China. The faunal links suggested between the Dulankara brachiopods and contemporary faunas from Australia are now perceived to be weaker than previously thought. [source]

A new specimen of Helicoprion Karpinsky, 1899 from Kazakhstanian Cisurals and a new reconstruction of its tooth whorl position and function

ACTA ZOOLOGICA, Issue 2009
O. A. Lebedev
Abstract A new Helicoprion bessonowi Karpinsky, 1899 (Chondrichthyes, Eugeneodontiformes) specimen from the Artinskian of Kazakhstan is described. This is the southernmost occurrence of this species in the Cisurals area. Its presence suggests a biogeographical link for this species between the Cisurals and Japan. Residue obtained from chemical preparation of the sample included numerous scales and several teeth, which are tentatively assigned to Helicoprion. This assumption is based upon morphological similarity of the scales to those known in other eugeneodontiforms. Campodus -like teeth might be part of the lateral dentition of Helicoprion. A new reconstruction of the interaction of the lower tooth whorl with the upper jaw dentition is suggested and its function is discussed. It is proposed that there was no symphysial whorl in the upper jaw but its role was played by a rigid cover formed by a series of small teeth at the palatoquadrates. Microscopic study of the tooth crown surface revealed scratch marks, which might have resulted from pressing the food object against the upper jaw. Using extant odontocetans as an ecological model led to a conclusion that helicoprionids most likely fed on cephalopods and to some extent on fish. This assumption is based upon the concentration of functional dentition in the area of the lower jaw symphysis in both groups of animals. [source]

Alpinites and other Posttornoceratidae (Goniatitida, Famennian)

FOSSIL RECORD-MITTEILUNGEN AUS DEM MUSEUM FUER NATURKUNDE, Issue 1 2002
R. Thomas Becker
Abstract The rediscovery of the supposedly lost type allows a revision of Alpinites Bogoslovskiy, 1971, the most advanced genus of the Posttornoceratidae. The type-species, Alp. kayseri Schindewolf, 1923, is so far only known from the Carnic Alps. Alp. schultzei n. sp. from the eastern Anti-Atlas of Morocco is closely related to Alp. kajraktensis n. sp. (= Alp. kayseri in Bogoslovskiy 1971) from Kazakhstan. A second new and more common species of southern Morocco, Alp. zigzag n. sp., is also known from the Holy Cross Mountains (Poland). The taxonomy and phylogeny of other Posttornoceratidae are discussed. The holotype of Exotornoceras nehdense (Lange, 1929) was recovered and is re-illustrated; it is conspecific with Exot. superstes (Wedekind, 1908). The genus and species is also here first recorded from Morocco. Post. weyeri Korn, 1999 is a subjective synonym of Post. posthumum (Wedekind, 1918) in which strongly biconvex growth lines, as typical for the family, are observed for the first time. Goniatites lenticularis Richter, 1848 is a nomen dubium within Discoclymenia, Clymenia polytrichus in Richter (1948) is a Falcitornoceras. It seems possible to distinguish an extreme thin and trochoid Disco. haueri (Münster, 1840) from the tegoid Disco. cucullata (v. Buch, 1839). Various taxa are excluded from the Posttornoceratidae. Posttornoceras sapiens Korn, 1999 forms the type-species of Maiderocera n. gen., Discoclymenia n. sp. of Müller (1956) is assigned to Maid. muelleri n. sp. Disco. cornwallensis is the type-species of Selwoodites n.gen (Sporadoceratidae) which also occurs in the Rhenish Massive. Durch Auffinden des verschollen geglaubten Typus-Exemplares wird eine Revision der Gattung Alpinites Bogoslovskiy, 1971, der höchst entwickelten Gattung der Posttornoceratidae, möglich. Die Typus-Art, Alp. kayseri Schindewolf, 1923, kommt gesichert bisher nur in den Karnischen Alpen vor. Alp. schultzei n. sp. aus dem östlichen Anti-Atlas (Marokko) ist nah mit Alp. kajraktensis n. sp. aus Kazakhstan (= Alp. kayseri in Bogoslovskiy 1971) verwandt. Eine zweite, aber häufigere neue Art Süd-Marokkos, Alp. zigzag n. sp., wird auch im Heiligkreuzgebirge (Polen) nachgewiesen. Die Taxonomie und Phylogenie anderer Vertreter der Posttornoceratidae werden diskutiert. Der verschollen geglaubte Holotypus von Exotornoceras nehdense (Lange, 1929) wird neu abgebildet und ist conspezifisch mit Exot. superstes (Wedekind, 1908). Die Gattung und Art wird erstmals auch in Marokko nachgewiesen. Post. weyeri Korn, 1999 ist ein subjektives Synonym von Post. posthumum (Wedekind, 1918) bei dem erstmals die Familien-typischen, stark biconvexen Anwachsstreifen beobachtet wurden. Goniatites lenticularis Richter, 1848 ist ein nomen dubium innerhalb von Discoclymenia, Clymenia polytrichus in Richter (1848) ein Falcitornoceras. Es scheint möglich, eine extrem dünne, trochoide Disco. haueri (Münster, 1840) von der tegoiden Disco. cucullata (v. Buch, 1839) zu trennen. Verschiedene Taxa werden aus den Posttornoceratidae ausgeschlossen. Post. sapiens Korn, 1999 wird als Typus-Art zu Maideroceras n. gen. gestellt. Discoclymenia n. sp. in Müller (1956) wird als Maid. muelleri n. sp. neu beschrieben. Disco. cornwallensis Selwood, 1960 bildet die Typusart von Selwoodites n. gen. (Sporadoceratidae), welches auch im Rheinischen Schiefergebirge vorkommt. [source]

Divided Post-Soviet Small Cities?

GEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2004
Kazakhstan, Residential Segregation, Urban Form in Leninogorsk, Zyryanovsk
Abstract This paper maps and analyses ethnic and socio-economic residential segregation in two small post-Soviet mining and enrichment cities in Eastern Kazakhstan, Leninogorsk and Zyryanovsk. The study is based on data collected by the author in collaboration with the Eastern Kazakhstan oblast' statistical authority in an extensive questionnaire survey carried out during January 2001. The paper investigates the linkages between the physical spatial structure of small post-Soviet cities and the socio-spatial landscape that has unfolded in their context, and attempts to identify the principal factors that underlie the observed segregation patterns. [source]

Going underground: in search of Carboniferous coal forests

GEOLOGY TODAY, Issue 5 2009
Howard J. Falcon-Lang
The development of coal forests during the Carboniferous is one of the best-known episodes in the history of life. Although often reconstructed as steamy tropical rainforests, these ancient ecosystems were a far cry from anything we might encounter in the Amazon today. Bizarre giant club-mosses, horsetails and tree ferns were the dominant plants, not flowering trees as in modern rainforests. At their height, coal forests stretched all the way from Kansas to Kazakhstan, spanning the entire breadth of tropical Pangaea. Most of what we know of their biodiversity and ecology has been quite literally mined out of the ground through two centuries of hard labour. Without coal mining, our knowledge would be greatly impoverished. Over the past few years, we've been exploring underground coal mines in the United States, where entire forested landscapes have been preserved intact over huge areas. Never before have geologists had the opportunity to walk out through mile upon mile of fossilized forest. In this feature article, we describe some of our recent explorations and attempt to shed new light on these old fossils. [source]

Diversity of the rodent communities in the Turan Desert region

INTEGRATIVE ZOOLOGY (ELECTRONIC), Issue 4 2006
Valery M. NERONOV
Abstract We assessed the diversity of rodent communities in the deserts of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Central Asia using geographic information system technology. There are 66 species of rodents, belonging to eight faunistic complexes, inhabiting this area. We discuss the geographical changes occurring in taxonomic and zoogeographic diversity at both species and community levels. Communities of gerbils and jerboas dominate in the Turan Desert region (66% of the area). Steppe communities of susliks penetrate the deserts from the north. Farming in deserts causes the replacement of native rodent communities with mouse communities or completely eradicates rodents in their main habitats. [source]

SHRIMP U,Pb zircon chronology of ultrahigh-temperature spinel,orthopyroxene,garnet granulite from South Altay orogenic belt, northwestern China

ISLAND ARC, Issue 3 2010
Zilong Li
Abstract Diagnostic mineral assemblages, mineral compositions and zircon SHRIMP U,Pb ages are reported from an ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) spinel,orthopyroxene,garnet granulite (UHT rock) from the South Altay orogenic belt of northwestern China. This Altay orogenic belt defines an accretionary belt between the Siberian and Kazakhstan,Junggar Plates that formed during the Paleozoic. The UHT rock examined in this study preserves both peak and retrograde metamorphic assemblages and microstructures including equilibrium spinel + quartz, and intergrowth of orthopyroxene, spinel, sillimanite, and cordierite formed during decompression. Mineral chemistry shows that the spinel coexisting with quartz has low ZnO contents, and the orthopyroxene is of high alumina type with Al2O3 contents up to 9.3 wt%. The peak temperatures of metamorphism were >950°C, consistent with UHT conditions, and the rocks were exhumed along a clockwise P,T path. The zircons in this UHT rock display a zonal structure with a relict core and metamorphic rim. The cores yield bimodal ages of 499 ± 8 Ma (7 spots), and 855 Ma (2 spots), with the rounded clastic zircons having ages with 490,500 Ma. Since the granulite was metamorphosed at temperatures >900°C, exceeding the closure temperature of U,Pb system in zircon, a possible interpretation is that the 499 ± 8 Ma age obtained from the largest population of zircons in the rock marks the timing of formation of the protolith of the rock, with the zircons sourced from a ,500 Ma magmatic provenance, in a continental margin setting. We correlate the UHT metamorphism with the northward subduction of the Paleo-Asian Ocean and associated accretion-collision tectonics of the Siberian and Kazakhstan,Junggar Plates followed by rapid exhumation leading to decompression. [source]

Preface to thematic issue: Petrotectonic characteristics of the Kokchetav Massif, northern Kazakhstan

ISLAND ARC, Issue 3 2000
J. G. Liou
First page of article [source]

Geology of the Kokchetav UHP-HP metamorphic belt, Northern Kazakhstan

ISLAND ARC, Issue 3 2000
Y. Kaneko
Abstract Ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic (UHPM) rocks of the Kokchetav Massif of Kazakhstan contain metamorphic microdiamond and coesite inclusions inside rigid capsules such as garnet and zircon. Precambrian protoliths of the UHPM rocks were metamorphosed at around 530 Ma, at pressures of about 7 GPa, which suggests that crustal protoliths were subducted to depths of over 200 km. Primary UHPM minerals are poorly preserved due to partial obliteration by subsequent Barrovian overprint during exhumation and later collision events in Caledonian times. We report the results of detailed mapping of the Kokchetav Massif and use structural data to propose intrusion and exhumation mechanisms for the UHPM rocks. Detailed mapping revealed that many subvertical structures in the ultrahigh-pressure,high-pressure (UHP,HP) units were formed due to later folding. The primary structure appears to be subhorizontal and the total thickness of the UHP rocks is estimated at around 2 km. The first order structure is sandwich-like; that is, the UHP,HP units are separated from underlying low-P metamorphic rocks of the Daulet Series and from feebly metamorphosed to unmetamorphosed sedimentary strata on the top by subhorizontal faults. Kinematic indicators show top-to-the-south sense of shear along the top, and top-to-the-north displacement along the bottom boundaries. These shear senses, together with the observed metamorphic gradients, suggest that the thin UHPM sheet was extruded toward the north. We consider wedge extrusion to have been the most effective mechanism for the exhumation of the UHPM rocks. [source]

Diamond growth during ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism of the Kokchetav Massif, northern Kazakhstan

ISLAND ARC, Issue 3 2000
K. De Corte
Abstract Characteristic features of in situ diamonds can be used to retrace diamond formation during ultrahigh pressure (UHP) metamorphism of the Kokchetav Massif, Kazakhstan. These features include the nitrogen aggregation state in diamond, dissolution features observed on diamond surfaces, and the carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of the diamonds. The minerals in which the diamonds are included provide additional information and support the view that at least some of the Kokchetav microdiamonds are the products of prograde or peak UHP metamorphism. The coexistence of diamond and graphite is evaluated within this framework. [source]

Overview of the geology, petrology and tectonic framework of the high-pressure,ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic belt of the Kokchetav Massif, Kazakhstan

ISLAND ARC, Issue 3 2000
S. Maruyama
Abstract High- to ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic (HP,UHPM) rocks crop out over 150 km along an east,west axis in the Kokchetav Massif of northern Kazakhstan. They are disposed within the Massif as a 2 km thick, subhorizontal pile of sheet-like nappes, predominantly composed of interlayered pelitic and psammitic schists and gneisses, amphibolite and orthogneiss, with discontinuous boudins and lenses of eclogite, dolomitic marble, whiteschist and garnet pyroxenite. On the basis of predominating lithologies, we subdivided the nappe group into four north-dipping, fault-bounded orogen-parallel units (I,IV, from base to top). Constituent metabasic rocks exhibit a systematic progression of metamorphic grades, from high-pressure amphibolite through quartz,eclogite and coesite,eclogite to diamond,eclogite facies. Coesite, diamond and other mineral inclusions within zircon offer the best means by which to clarify the regional extent of UHPM, as they are effectively sequestered from the effects of fluids during retrogression. Inclusion distribution and conventional geothermobarometric determinations demonstrate that the highest grade metamorphic rocks (Unit II: T = 780,1000°C, P = 37,60 kbar) are restricted to a medial position within the nappe group, and metamorphic grade decreases towards both the top (Unit III: T = 730,750°C, P = 11,14 kbar; Unit IV: T = 530°C, P = 7.5,9 kbar) and bottom (Unit I: T = 570,680°C; P = 7,13.5 kbar). Metamorphic zonal boundaries and internal structural fabrics are subhorizontal, and the latter exhibit opposing senses of shear at the bottom (top-to-the-north) and top (top-to-the-south) of the pile. The orogen-scale architecture of the massif is sandwich-like, with the HP,UHPM nappe group juxtaposed across large-scale subhorizontal faults, against underlying low P,T metapelites (Daulet Suite) at the base, and overlying feebly metamorphosed clastic and carbonate rocks (Unit V). The available structural and petrologic data strongly suggest that the HP,UHPM rocks were extruded as a sequence of thin sheets, from a root zone in the south toward the foreland in the north, and juxtaposed into the adjacent lower-grade units at shallow crustal levels of around 10 km. The nappe pile suffered considerable differential internal displacements, as the 2 km thick sequence contains rocks exhumed from depths of up to 200 km in the core, and around 30,40 km at the margins. Consequently, wedge extrusion, perhaps triggered by slab-breakoff, is the most likely tectonic mechanism to exhume the Kokchetav HP,UHPM rocks. [source]

Discovery of ten new specimens of large-billed reed warbler Acrocephalus orinus, and new insights into its distributional range

JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2008
Lars Svensson
We here report the finding of ten new specimens of the poorly known large-billed reed warbler Acrocephalus orinus. Preliminary identifications were made on the basis of bill, tarsus and claw measurements, and their specific identity was then confirmed by comparison of partial sequences of the cytochrome b gene with a large data set containing nearly all other species in the genus Acrocephalus, including the type specimen of A. orinus. Five of the new specimens were collected in summer in Afghanistan and Kazakhstan, indicating that the species probably breeds in Central Asia, and the data and moult of the others suggest that the species migrates along the Himalayas to winter in N India and SE Asia. The population structure suggests a stable or shrinking population. [source]

An analysis of food security and poverty in Central Asia,case study from Kazakhstan,

JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 4 2008
Valerie Rhoe
Abstract During the transition from planned to market-oriented economies, Central Asian countries experienced major socio-economic shocks that increased food insecurity, malnutrition and poverty. In the last 15 years, these countries underwent economic reforms in order to transform their economies, and in response to growing food insecurity and poverty levels, they adopted food self-sufficiency policies. For designing and implementing policy reforms, a good understanding of the magnitude of food insecurity and poverty and their determinants are required. Using the Kazakhstan Living Standard and Measurement Survey, this paper identifies a food poverty line and a total poverty line for Kazakhstan. Then poverty measures from both lines are compared and determinates of poverty are analysed. The results show that the total poverty line captures more of the poor population. Although there are some variations amongst the determinants of poverty under the two poverty lines, the strength of the common determinants is generally weaker when non-food expenditures are included in deriving the poverty line. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Phlogopite and quartz lamellae in diamond-bearing diopside from marbles of the Kokchetav massif, Kazakhstan: exsolution or replacement reaction?

JOURNAL OF METAMORPHIC GEOLOGY, Issue 9 2009
L. F. DOBRZHINETSKAYA
Abstract Exsolution lamellae of pyroxene in garnet (grt), coesite in titanite and omphacite from UHPM terranes are widely accepted as products of decompression. However, interpretation of oriented lamellae of phyllosilicates, framework silicates and oxides as a product of decompression of pyroxene is very often under debate. Results are presented here of FIB-TEM, FEG-EMP and synchrotron-assisted infrared (IR) spectroscopy studies of phlogopite (Phlog) and phlogopite + quartz (Qtz) lamellae in diamond-bearing clinopyroxene (Cpx) from ultra-high pressure (UHP) marble. These techniques allowed collection of three-dimensional information from the grain boundaries of both the single (phlogopite), two-phase lamellae (phlogopite + quartz), and fluid inclusions inside of diamond included in K-rich Cpx and understanding their relationships and mechanisms of formation. The Cpx grains contain in their cores lamellae-I, which are represented by topotactically oriented extremely thin lamellae of phlogopite (that generally are two units cell wide but locally can be seen to be somewhat broader) and microdiamond. The core composition is: (Ca0.94K0.04Na0.02) (Al0.06Fe0.08Mg0.88) (Si1.98Al0.02)O6.00. Fluid inclusions rich in K and Si are recognized in the core of the Cpx, having no visible connections to the lamellae-I. Lamellar-II inclusions consist of micron-size single laths of phlogopite and lens-like quartz or slightly elongated phlogopite + quartz intergrowths; all are situated in the rim zone of the Cpx. The composition of the rim is (Ca0.95Fe0.03Na0.02) (Al0.05Fe0.05Mg0.90)Si2O6, and the rim contains more Ca, Mg then the core, with no K there. Such chemical tests support our microstructural observations and conclusion that the phlogopite lamellae-I are exsolved from the K-rich Cpx-precursor during decompression. It is assumed that Cpx-precursor was also enriched in H2O, because diamond included in the core of this Cpx contains fluid inclusions. The synchrotron IR spectra of such diamond record the presence of OH, stretching and H2O bending motion regions. Lamellar-II inclusions are interpreted as forming partly because of modification of the lamellae-I in the presence of fluid enriched in K, Fe and Si during deformation of the host diopside; the latter is probably related to the shallower stage of exhumation of the UHP marble. This study emphasizes that in each case to understand the mechanism of lamellar inclusion formation more detailed studies are needed combining both compositional, structural and three-dimensional textural features of lamellar inclusions and their host. [source]

Two stage growth of microdiamond in UHP dolomite marble from Kokchetav Massif, Kazakhstan

JOURNAL OF METAMORPHIC GEOLOGY, Issue 6 2003
H. Ishida
Abstract The abundance and morphology of microdiamond in dolomite marble from Kumdy-kol in the Kokchetav Massif, are unusual; a previous study estimated the maximum content of diamonds in dolomite marble to be about 2700 carat ton,1. Microdiamond is included primarily in garnet, and occasionally in diopside and phlogopite pseudomorphs after garnet. They are classified into three types on the basis of their morphology: (1) S-type: star-shaped diamond consisting of translucent cores and transparent subhedral to euhedral very fine-grained outer parts; (2) R-type: translucent crystals with rugged surfaces; and (3) T-type: transparent, very fine-grained crystals. The S-type is the most abundant. Micro-Laue diffraction using a 1.6-µm X-ray beam-size demonstrated that the cores of the star-shaped microdiamond represent single crystals. In contrast, the most fine-grained outer parts usually have different orientations compared to the core. Laser,Raman studies indicate that the FWHM (Full Width at Half Maximum) of the Raman band of the core of the S-type diamond is slightly larger than that for the outer parts. Differences in morphology, crystal orientations, and in the FWHM of the Raman band between the core and the fine-grained outer-parts of S-type microdiamond suggest that the star-shaped microdiamond was formed discontinuously in two distinct stages. [source]

Crystallization environment of Kazakhstan microdiamond: evidence from nanometric inclusions and mineral associations

JOURNAL OF METAMORPHIC GEOLOGY, Issue 5 2003
L. F. Dobrzhinetskaya
Abstract Nanometric solid inclusions in diamond incorporated in garnet and zircon from felsic gneiss of the Kokchetav massif, Kazakhstan, have been examined utilizing electron microscopy and focused ion beam techniques. Host garnet and zircon contain numerous pockets of multiple inclusions, which consist of 1,3 diamond crystals intergrown with quartz, phengite, phlogopite, albite, K-feldspar, rutile, apatite, titanite, biotite, chlorite and graphite in various combinations. Recalculation of the average chemical composition of the entrapped fluid represented by multiple inclusion pockets indicates that such fluid contained a low wt% of SiO2, suggesting a relatively low-temperature fluid rather than a melt. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the diamond contains abundant nanocrystalline inclusions of oxides, rare carbonates and silicates. Within the 15 diamond crystals studied, abundant inclusions were found of SiO2, TiO2, FexOy, Cr2O3, ZrSiO4, and single grains of ThxOy, BaSO4, MgCO3, FeCr2O4 and a stoichiometric Fe-rich pyroxene. The diversity of trace elements within inclusions of essentially the same stoichiometry suggests that the Kokchetav diamond crystallized from a fluid containing variable amounts of Si, Fe, Ti, Cr, Zr, Ba, Mg and Th and other minor components such as K, Na, P, S, Pb, Zn, Nb, Al, Ca, Cl. Most of the components in crystals included in diamond appear to have their origin in the subducted metasediments, but some of them probably originate from the mantle. It is concluded that Kokchetav diamond most likely crystallized from a COH-rich multicomponent supercritical fluid at a relatively low temperature (hence the apparently low content of rock-forming elements), and that the diversity of major and minor components suggests interactions between subducted metasediments and mantle components. [source]

ORDOVICIAN,PERMIAN PALAEOGEOGRAPHY OF CENTRAL EURASIA: DEVELOPMENT OF PALAEOZOIC PETROLEUM-BEARING BASINS

JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM GEOLOGY, Issue 3 2003
V. A. Bykadorov
In this paper, we discuss three petroleum-bearing basins of Palaeozoic age in Central Eurasia,the Precaspian, Tarim and Chu-Sarysu Basins. We make use of recently-published palaeogeographic maps of the Central Eurasian region, six of which are presented here (Late Ordovician, Early-Middle Devonian, Late Devonian, Early Carboniferous, Early Permian and Late Permian). The maps illustrate the development through the Palaeozoic of the Palaeoasian and Palaeotethys Oceans; of the East European, Siberian and Tarim cratons; and of the Kazakhstan and other microcontinental blocks. The Kazakhstan block formed during the Late Ordovician and is a collage of Precambrian and Early Palaeozoic microcontinents and island arcs. It is surrounded by collisional foldbelts (Ob-Zaisan, Ural-Tianshan and Junggar-Balkhash) which formed in the Late Carboniferous , Permian. We believe that the formation of a stable Kazakhstan block is not consistent with the existence of the previously-identified "Kipchak arc" within the Palaeoasian ocean, or (as has previously been proposed) with activity on this arc up to the end of the Palaeozoic. The oil and gas potential of the Precaspian, Tarim and Chu-Sarysu Basins depends to a large extent on their tectonic stability during the Palaeozoic and subsequent time. The Precaspian Basin has been stable since the Cadomian orogeny (Early Cambrian) and is known to have major hydrocarbon potential. The Tarim Basin (NW China) has somewhat lower potential because the margins of the Tarim continental block have been affected by a series of collisional events; that margin with the Palaeotethys Ocean, for example, was active during the Late Palaeozoic. The Chu-Sarysu Basin on the Kazakhstan block is the least stable of the three and contains only minor gas accumulations. [source]

Eurosiberian meadows at their southern edge: patterns and phytogeography in the NW Tien Shan

JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE, Issue 2 2009
Viktoria Wagner
Abstract Question: What are the community types, underlying gradients and phytogeographical affinities of montane meadows in the western Tien Shan? Location: Aksu-Jabagly Nature Reserve, South Kazakhstan, Middle Asia. Methods: Species composition, structural and environmental variables were studied in 98 plots. Species composition was classified by cluster analysis and gradients explored using NMDS. Relationships between species richness, environmental and structural variables were investigated with regression analysis. Phytogeographic patterns were assessed by examining species distribution types. Results: Seven community types were distinguished by cluster analysis. Three axes of the NMDS explained 77% of the variation, showing different overlap of communities with environmental and structural properties. Species richness showed linear relationships with pH, altitude, heat load, soil skeletal content and structural variables. Middle Asian and Eurosiberian species constituted the majority of the species pool and cover. Conclusion: The studied communities represent a unique mixture of Middle Asian and Eurosiberian species that exhibit structural and environmental similarities to Eurosiberian meadows. The Tien Shan mountain meadows can thus be considered an endemic-rich southern outlier of the broader Eurosiberian meadow formation. Shifts in land-use patterns pose a potential threat that deserves more attention from conservationists. [source]

Tetranucleotide microsatellites for aquila and haliaeetus eagles

MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES, Issue 1 2005
JOSEPH D. BUSCH
Abstract A unique community of four syntopic eagle species exists in north-central Kazakhstan. Questions about behaviour and genetics in these four species would benefit from the development of microsatellite markers. We isolated eight polymorphic microsatellite repeats (AAAG)n from the eastern imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca) genome using a hybridization enrichment technique. These loci revealed moderate diversity in a local population of eastern imperial eagles (observed heterozygosity 0.26,0.78), and were also polymorphic in steppe eagles (A. nipalensis) and white-tailed sea eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla). These primers may be polymorphic in other species of Aquila and Haliaeetus eagles. [source]

Modern Clan Politics: the Power of ,Blood' in Kazakhstan and Beyond

NATIONS AND NATIONALISM, Issue 4 2005
Bhavna Dave
[source]

Kazakhs cut output forecasts as Kashagan delays mount

OIL AND ENERGY TRENDS, Issue 1 2008
Article first published online: 11 JAN 200
Once the brightest hope of the Caspian region for oil production, Kazakhstan is beset by disputes between the government and foreign oil companies. The quarrels cover a variety of issues, but the most serious is the one that concerns the country's largest and much delayed oilfield at Kashagan. [source]

PATTERNS OF EVOLUTION AND EXTINCTION IN THE LAST HARPETID TRILOBITES DURING THE LATE DEVONIAN (FRASNIAN)

PALAEONTOLOGY, Issue 1 2009
KENNETH J. McNAMARA
Abstract:, Late Devonian (Frasnian) harpetid trilobites have hitherto only been described from the western side of the Protethys Ocean, in what is now Europe and North Africa, as well as from Gondwana-derived northwestern Kazakhstan (Mugodjar). However, late Frasnian strata in the Canning Basin, Western Australia, that were deposited on the eastern side of this ocean, contain a rich harpetid fauna. Described herein are two new harpetids: Eskoharpes gen. nov. and Globoharpes gen. nov., within which are placed six species: E. palanasus sp. nov., E. wandjina sp. nov., E. boltoni sp. nov., E. guthae sp. nov., G. teicherti sp. nov. and G. friendi sp. nov. The ontogenetic development of E. palanasus, E. wandjina and G. teicherti are described, including the first unequivocal harpetid protaspis. Globoharpes exhibits evidence of sexual dimorphism in the development of a pronounced preglabellar boss in some specimens. This structure is thought to have functioned as a brood pouch. Such structures have previously only been described in Cambrian and Ordovician trilobites, and never before in harpetids. It is suggested that the characteristic harpetid fringe functioned as a secondary respiratory structure. The Eskoharpes lineage shows evolutionary trends that mirror changes seen in ontogenetic development of the youngest species, suggesting the operation of peramorphic processes. This is the first record of heterochrony in harpetids and the first documented example of peramorphosis in Devonian trilobites. These harpetids demonstrate a stepped pattern of extinction during the late Frasnian, probably related to the effects of the two Kellwasser biocrises that have been well documented in European Frasnian sections. Highly vaulted species of Eskoharpes and the strongly vaulted Globoharpes became extinct at the Lower Kellwasser Event. The flatter species of Eskoharpes became extinct at the base of the Upper Kellwasser Event shortly prior to the Frasnian/Famennian boundary. The extinction of these harpetids, along with contemporaneous forms from Europe, which are also discussed herein, marks the end of the trilobite order Harpetida worldwide. [source]

LATE ORDOVICIAN BRACHIOPODS FROM THE DULANKARA FORMATION OF THE CHU-ILI RANGE, KAZAKHSTAN: THEIR SYSTEMATICS, PALAEOECOLOGY AND PALAEOBIOGEOGRAPHY

Cyclopygid Trilobites from the Ordovician Builth-Llandrindod Inlier, Central Wales

PALAEONTOLOGY, Issue 3 2002
R. M. Owens
Cyclopygids are a minor element in the abundant trilobite fauna of the Ordovician Llanfawr Mudstones Formation (teretiusculus,gracilis biozones) of the Builth-Llandrindod inlier. The rarity of these trilobites may be due to the accumulation of these sediments close to the shoreward limit of their depth range, and if this is the case, their presence, together with sedimentological evidence, can be used to infer the bathymetric limits within which the Llanfawr Mudstones Formation might have been deposited. Species of Degamella, Microparia (Microparia), Microparia (Heterocyclopyge), Sagavia and Emmrichops are described; some are common to the Dobrotivá Formation in Bohemia, whilst others have affinities with species from approximately coeval strata in Kazakhstan and north-west China. [source]

Late Ordovician Brachiopods From The Otar Member Of The Chu-Ili Range, South Kazakhstan

PALAEONTOLOGY, Issue 5 2000
Leonid E. Popov
Brachiopods from the Otar Member (upper Caradoc) of the Dulankara Formation, Kazakhstan, are revised. Twenty-one species are represented of which the orthoid genus Bokotorthis and strophomenoid genus Karomena are new. New species are Phaceloorthis reconditaPlaesiomys fidelisAnoptambonites kovalevskii, Karomena squalidaDzhebaglina plicata. Three ecological associations are identified, the Altaethyrella-Nalivkinia (Pronalivkinia) Association, the Ctenodonta-Sowerbyella Association and the Dinorthis Association, all living in shallow-water (BA2) environments. The fauna shows closest affinity with South China, but contains two genera only known elsewhere from Australia. [source]

Classic type of Kaposi's sarcoma and human herpesvirus 8 infection in Xinjiang, China

PATHOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 11 2001
Payzula Dilnur
We report 17 cases of the classic type of Kaposi's sarcoma in Xinjiang, which is located in the north-western area of China surrounded by Mongolia in the east, Russia in the north and Kazakhstan in the west. Fifteen of the patients were of the Uygur people. All patients were male and did not have acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Most of the lesions were found in the lower and/or upper extremities, with 16 patients showing multiple lesions. Immunohistochemical examination of the lesions revealed that human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8)-encoded latency-associated nuclear antigen was expressed in the nuclei of spindle-shaped tumor cells. HHV-8 DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction in all seven cases examined. Phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that DNA sequences of the HHV-8-encoded K1 gene in the seven Kaposi's sarcoma cases were classified as subtype C that was common in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and East Asian countries. In addition, using immunofluorescence we investigated the seroprevalence of HHV-8 in 73 Uygur patients with diseases other than Kaposi's sarcoma. Surprisingly, the serological study revealed that 34 of the patients (46.6%) were positive for antibodies against HHV-8, suggesting that HHV-8 infection is widespread in Xinjiang area. The occurrence of the classic type of Kaposi's sarcoma with a high seropositivity rate implies that Xinjiang is the most endemic area for HHV-8 infection in the world known to date. Considering that Xinjiang is located at the middle point of the Silk Road that used to extend from Rome to China, these data imply that the virus may have been in circulation in this area due to the migration of the people via the Silk Road. [source]

Organizational Culture and Socio-cultural Values: Perceptions of Managers and Employees in Five Economies in Transition

PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2004
Maria Cseh
ABSTRACT This survey-based study compared socio-cultural values and perceptions of organizational culture characteristics held by more than 3,300 managers and employees in twelve business organizations in Hungary, Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and the Kyrgyz Republic. Significant differences were found between the five countries on all socio-cultural and organizational culture dimensions. The relationship between socio-cultural values and the organizational culture perceptions was only moderately significant. The paper concludes with implications for professionals seeking to enhance organizations' performance in these countries and suggestions for further research. [source]

A Y-chromosomal comparison of the Madjars (Kazakhstan) and the Magyars (Hungary)

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 3 2009
A.Z. Bíró
Abstract The Madjars are a previously unstudied population from Kazakhstan who practice a form of local exogamy in which wives are brought in from neighboring tribes, but husbands are not, so the paternal lineages remain genetically isolated within the population. Their name bears a striking resemblance to the Magyars who have inhabited Hungary for over a millennium, but whose previous history is poorly understood. We have now carried out a genetic analysis of the population structure and relationships of the Madjars, and in particular have sought to test whether or not they show a genetic link with the Magyars. We concentrated on paternal lineages because of their isolation within the Madjars and sampled males representing all extant male lineages unrelated for more than eight generations (n = 45) in the Torgay area of Kazakhstan. The Madjars show evidence of extensive genetic drift, with 24/45 carrying the same 12-STR haplotype within haplogroup G. Genetic distances based on haplogroup frequencies were used to compare the Madjars with 37 other populations and showed that they were closest to the Hungarian population rather than their geographical neighbors. Although this finding could result from chance, it is striking and suggests that there could have been genetic contact between the ancestors of the Madjars and Magyars, and thus that modern Hungarians may trace their ancestry to Central Asia, instead of the Eastern Uralic region as previously thought. Am J Phys Anthropol 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Monetary integration in the ex-Soviet Union: A ,union of four'?*

THE ECONOMICS OF TRANSITION, Issue 1 2006
Vladimir Chaplygin
F02; F15; E58 Abstract The governments of four ex-Soviet countries recently discussed forming a currency union. To examine the economic feasibility of this proposition, we use conventional techniques and show that the arrangement is likely to find it difficult to handle the lack of structural symmetry, the asymmetric pattern of shocks, and the lack of market flexibility among the potential participants. Moreover, the union would be a unilateral one. It would require an unusual degree of political commitment to survive. Nonetheless, there are some subtleties in the timing and pattern of mutual dependence between Russia and Kazakhstan, and to a lesser extent in Belarus, which may reduce the strain from a currency union in those countries. Otherwise, the black market will have to provide the necessary market flexibility. [source]

Extending the economics of disorganization

THE ECONOMICS OF TRANSITION, Issue 1 2001
Alan A. Bevan
Many of the states of the former Soviet Union have experienced a dramatic collapse of output during transition, which has not yet been reversed in a sustainable way. The economics of disorganization, proposed by Blanchard (1997) and tested empirically by Blanchard and Kremer (1997), reasons that this phenomenon can be explained by specificity of inputs and the breakdown of traditional domestic supply linkages. We replicate the Blanchard-Kremer study for Ukraine and Kazakhstan, and also find that longer and more complex domestic supply chains are associated with greater reductions in output. When we extend their analysis to incorporate measures of the complexity of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) trade and non-CIS trade however, we find that complexity of non-CIS trade is the significant factor in explaining the output collapse. We therefore argue that the disintegration of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance and the requirement of hard currency trade, are equally, if not more, significant in explaining the output declines experienced by Ukraine and Kazakhstan. [source]