Variations in concentration and tissue distribution of mineral elements in seeds of seven quinoa cultivars from both a “natural” habitat (Patacamaya, Bolivia, 3,960 m above sea level) and a “nonnatural” habitat (Encalilla, Argentina, 1,980 m above sea level) were analyzed. Data clearly showed inter‐ and intravarietal differences in seed mineral concentrations between the two sites. Correlation analysis revealed that concentrations of major and minor dietary minerals as well as essential ultratrace elements of Encalilla seeds showed, in general, higher correlations with both seed protein and seed yield than did element concentrations of Patacamaya seeds. Results of scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy showed clearly differences in the contents of major mineral elements (calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and sulfur) in the pericarp and embryonic axis (cotyledon + radicle). Obtained data could indicate that genotype × environment interactions are responsible for mineral variations occurring in quinoa cultivars. Results can also be useful for developing mineral biofortification strategies for the world's poorest regions.

Quinoa may be a promising alternative solution for arid regions, and it is necessary to test yield and mineral accumulation in grains under different soil types. Field experiments with Chenopodium quinoa (cv. CICA-17) were performed in Egypt in non-saline (electrical conductivity, 1.9 dS m−1) and saline (20 dS m−1) soils. Thirty-four chemical elements were studied in these crops. Results show different yields and mineral accumulations in the grains. Potassium (K), P, Mg, Ca, Na, Mn, and Fe are the main elements occurring in the quinoa grains, but their concentrations change between both soil types. Besides, soil salinity induced changes in the mineral pattern distribution among the different grain organs. Sodium was detected in the pericarp but not in other tissues. Pericarp structure may be a shield to prevent sodium entry to the underlying tissues but not for chloride, increasing its content in saline conditions. Under saline conditions, yield decreased to near 47%, and grain sizes greater than 1.68 mm were unfavored. Quinoa may serve as a complementary crop in the marginal lands of Egypt. It has an excellent nutrition perspective due to its mineral content and has a high potential to adapt to semi-arid and arid environments.

The bulk magnetic susceptibility of sediments from artificial and natural lakes around a large coal-fired power station in NE Spain has been measured. Higher magnetic susceptibility values are found in lake sediments located SE of the power station. This distribution of susceptibility values is compatible with environmental and meterological studies of emissions from the power station, which indicate a dominant SE plume direction. Mineralogical studies, by means of X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, show that the highest susceptibility values found in the sediments are caused by magnetic iron spinels in the fly ash that is transferred to the environment by the power station particulate emissions. After the quantitative mineralogical studies of fly ash, two different methods of fly ash content determination in the sediments have been devised, showing very similar results. The low background magnetic susceptibility of the sediments in the study area and the high susceptibility resulting from the input of magnetic fly ash particles allows both delimitation of the polluted area around the power station, and quantification of the fly ash input into the natural sediments.

We show that portable x-ray fluorescence (pXRF) is a powerful tool for the unambiguous identification and geochemical characterization of prospective Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary sites. We have performed in-situ analyses in two well-known K-Pg boundary sequences, located at Agost and Caravaca, SE Spain. A sizable enrichment around the K-Pg horizon of several elements such as K, Ti, Fe, Ni, Cr, Cu, Zn, As or Pb, together with a strong reduction in the Ca content, is found with the pXRF instrument. These observations represent a primary geochemical signature of the K-Pg boundary in distal marine sections such as those of Agost and Caravaca. We show that the intensities of the XRF peaks correlate well with elemental composition data obtained by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) on collected samples. Hence, the pXRF field measurements are shown to provide fast and useful quantitative information about K-Pg boundary sequences.

EPOS (European Plate Observation System) (https://www.epos-ip.org/) is now established as the only European multidisciplinary and global research infrastructure in Earth Sciences. It integrates several hundred national observatories for the observation and measurement of the internal and dynamic structure of the planet, and in particular in Europe, distributed in 25 European countries, including Spain. The EPOS project, included in the 2008 ESFRI Roadmap, has been recognized by ESFRI in 2016 as a priority project for its implementation, because of its strategic relevance in the European Research Area.http://dx.doi.org/10.4995/CIGeo2017.2017.6615