华北地块晚古生代至三叠纪古地磁研究新结果及其构造意义

本文对采自华北地块南缘陕西铜川和韩城两条剖面上的晚石炭世至晚三叠世地层的650余块标本（35个采点）进行了系统的古地磁研究.经逐步热退磁处理和剩磁稳定性检验,在482块标本中获得稳定的特征剩磁分量,对其形成时代作了地质学分析后,以特征剩磁分量为基础,计算了华北地块在晚古生代到三叠纪的地磁极位置和纬度值,简单讨论该期内的运动形式.     

华北地块早古生代古地磁结果的大地构造意义

对采自鄂尔多斯盆地边缘早古生代地层的１００６块（１５３采点）定向古地磁岩芯标本的研究表明，大多数地层单元的岩石剩磁组分可分离出Ａ、Ｂ两个主要分量．根据其稳定性检验结果，Ａ分量（北西方向，低负倾角及其对方向）为岩石形成时期的特征剩磁分量，而Ｂ分量（北西方向，中至低正倾角及其对方向）则可能是晚古生代的重磁化分量．华北地块早古生代的古地磁参考极均位于大西洋；与此相应，华北地块位于南纬１５°左右．     

河西走廊和阿拉善东缘地区中寒武世古地磁研究的初步结果

用可西走廊和阿拉善地体东缘中寒武世15个采点107块定向岩芯样品,进行岩石磁学实验和古地磁学研究,结果表明,所采样品以磁铁矿为主要载磁矿物,高温特征分量B4组分在95%置信水平下通过了褶皱检验,其构造校正后的方向明显区别于华北地块及河西走廊和阿拉善地区志留纪以来的特征剩磁方向.这一组分对应的古地磁极位置(349.9°E,21.1°N,95%置信圆锥半顶角A95为14.9°)与华北地块同时期的极位置相近,表明河西走廊和阿拉善地体与华北地块主体之间,在中寒武世之后未发生明显的纬向相对运动;但在中寒武世-奥陶纪期间,河西走廊和阿拉善地体相对于华北地块主体仍可能发生15°左右的逆时针旋转.这一旋转作用可能代表了河西走廊和阿拉善地体与华北地块主体的增生过程,最终在晚寒武世形成统一的华北地块.     

鄂尔多斯盆地晚古生代以来古地磁研究

在鄂尔多斯盆地的韩城、铜川等7条剖面144个采样点上,采集了下二叠统至下白垩统的样品约1500个.分别在中国、英国、法国的4个古地磁实验室中进行测试和实验研究.样品均经系统热退磁或交变退磁处理.数据经主向量分析、部分线性谱分析,以分离剩磁成分和选取特征剩磁方向.全部特征剩磁方向通过了倒转检验,晚二叠世和早、中三叠世的结果还通过了广义褶皱检验.并做了大量磁化率、等湿剩磁、薄片岩矿鉴定和少量居里温度测定的实验研究. 所得数据以世（统）为单位计算了古地磁极位置和采样地区古纬度,绘制了鄂尔多斯盆地晚古生代以来视极移曲线和地块古方位变化图,提出了华北地块运动模式,并通过与现有的华南地块资料的综合对比分析,提出华北地块与华南地块的碰撞在东部始于晚三叠世之前,全部拼合完成于中侏罗世末.     

扬子地块湖北兴山-秭归剖面古生界至中生界构造古地磁研究

对扬子地块北部地区的湖北兴山 秭归剖面寒武系至中生界进行了构造古地磁学研究 .对岩石标本剩磁载体和剩磁稳定性的分析以及褶皱检验和倒转检验的结果表明 ,从 82 5个岩芯 ( 84个采样点 ,代表古生界至侏罗系 )分离出的高温特征分量代表了原生剩磁分量 ,从而得到这一地区古生代至侏罗纪几个地质时代的古地磁极位置 ,补充了中国扬子地块古地磁极移曲线的基本数据 .     

中国主要地块显生宙古地磁视极移曲线与地块运动

基于华北、扬子和塔里木三大地块最新古地磁结果,并重新审视已有的古地磁数据,绘制了三大地块显生宙以来的古地磁视极移曲线.以此为基础,推算了各地块古纬度和取向的变化特征.进而分析了三大地块及其周边地块的运动学特征及相互间的对接和缝合过程.早古生代,华北、扬子、塔里木地块都位于南半球中低纬度地区.华北地块在动力学上是独立的,其运动特征以平移为主,旋转运动为辅;扬子和塔里木地块与冈瓦纳大陆关系密切,塔里木地块很可能在晚奥陶世远离冈瓦纳大陆,在二叠纪与西伯利亚板块对接;我国华北和蒙古联合地块与西伯利亚板块的对接则是在晚保罗世完成的 扬子与华北地块的对接过程是先东后西,东部的对接发生在晚二叠世,对接时结合带位于北纬6°～8°.晚三叠世两地块在西部门合时,结合带位于北纬25°左右.两地块在西部对接的同时,在东部产生了应力释放,使最初俯冲到上地慢的部分陆壳物质被推挤上升,与苏鲁-大别地区的超高压变质岩形成的时代相同.从晚二叠世到早中侏罗世华北与扬子地块以东部为支点经历了大规模的相对旋转.晚侏罗世三大地块在动力学意义上已成为整体.在中国拉萨地块和印度次大陆与中国大陆对接缝合产生的力矩作用下.晚保罗世以来三大地块统一显示了约为20°的顺时针旋转运动.     

青藏高原羌北地块晚古生代古地磁研究的初步结果

羌塘地区是解决特提斯的演化和冈瓦纳大陆与欧亚大陆界线问题的关键地区.对青藏高原羌北地块晚古生代及早三叠世剖面（33.7°N,86.7°E）15个采点163块砂岩、灰岩和安山岩定向样品进行了系统的古地磁学实验研究.结果表明：样品中主要载磁矿物为赤铁矿和磁铁矿.在逐步热退磁和热-交变混合退磁过程中,大部分样品的剩磁具有明显的双分量特征,低温分量方向在地理坐标系下接近于现代地磁场偶极子场（PEF）方向,很可能是粘滞剩磁;高温分量显著不同于PEF方向.部分样品具有单分量特征,并与双分量样品的高温分量方向一致.高温特征剩磁分量可通过95%置信度的倒转检验和99%置信度的褶皱检验,并且有岩脉检验,应代表岩石形成时的原生剩磁.羌北古地磁极位置：晚石炭世（31.8°S,45.7°E,（dp=3.9,dm=2.1））;早、中二叠世（31.7°S,46.8°E,（dp=16.9,dm=9.2））;晚二叠世（34.4°S,54.1°E,（dp=12.5,dm=6.9））;早三叠世（16.9°S,22.5°E（dp=9.2,dm=4.9））.     

拉萨地块中部晚白垩世火山岩Ar-Ar年代学和古地磁研究结果及其构造意义

为进一步确定拉萨地块白垩纪-古近纪的古地理位置,我们对青藏高原拉萨地块措勤地区林子宗火山岩18个采点进行了古地磁研究.结果表明高温(高场)特征剩磁分量主要为亚铁磁性的磁铁矿所携带,特征剩磁分量在95%置信水平下通过了褶皱检验. 倾斜校正后采点平均的特征剩磁方向为D/I=16.2°/17.7°, α₉₅=5.6°,对应古地磁极位置为63.1°N,224.6°E,A₉₅=5.1°. 另一方面,Ar-Ar年代学结果表明采样剖面的林子宗火山岩形成年龄为~99-93 Ma, 与拉萨地块林周盆地的林子宗群火山岩的形成年龄存在较大差异.由此我们得到晚白垩世拉萨地块中部措勤地区的古纬度为8.5°±6.9°N,与林周盆地古近纪林子宗群典中组和年波组所揭示出的古纬度相当,进一步表明亚洲大陆最南缘的拉萨地块在晚白垩世-古近世期间位于北半球~10°N的低纬度地区.结合最新的特提斯海相地层古地磁结果,晚白垩世-古近世拉萨地块的古地理位置限定了印度与欧亚大陆的初始碰撞时间不晚于60.5 Ma;~93 Ma以来,拉萨地块和单一刚性欧亚大陆之间存在~1900 km的构造缩短.     

山西交城地区早三叠世古地磁研究: 局部旋转及构造意义

对山西交城早三叠世刘家沟组红色砂岩的岩石磁学和系统热退磁研究表明, 一方面高矫顽力的赤铁矿为高温特征剩磁载体. 另一方面, 绝大多数样品的系统热退磁表现为室温至100/200℃之间的粘滞剩磁和250~500℃之间的中温分量及500~680℃之间的高温分量. 中温分量在99%置信范围内有负褶皱检验结果, 且其地理坐标下的平均方向所对应的古地磁极位置在95%置信范围内与华北地块中晚侏罗世古地磁参考极一致, 表明其很可能为燕山期获得的重磁化分量. 高温分量具有双极性和c级分类倒转检验结果, 且在99%置信范围内通过了褶皱检验, 表明其最可能代表岩石形成时的特征剩磁. 高温分量所对应的古地磁极位置与前人在鄂尔多斯盆地早三叠世古地磁极之间的差异, 可能意味着山西交城地区在早三叠世之后相对于鄂尔多斯盆地发生了一定的局部旋转运动. 这一局部旋转运动很可能与作为山西与鄂尔多斯两个构造单元分界的离石大断裂和位于采样地区东南侧, 中新生代仍在活动的交城大断裂的活动有关.     

羌北地块晚石炭-早二叠世古地磁结果及构造意义

本文报道唐古拉山北坡开心岭地区的晚石炭-早二叠世地层的古地磁学研究结果.岩石磁学实验研究表明扎日根组灰岩样品中的磁性矿物以磁铁矿为主,诺日巴尕日保组砂岩样品中的磁性矿物以赤铁矿为主或磁铁矿与赤铁矿共存.采用系统热退磁方法对样品进行磁清洗,大部分样品的退磁曲线呈双分量特征,高温分量明显.高温特征分量成功通过了砾石可靠性检验,代表了地层岩石的原生剩磁信息.获得羌北地块晚石炭-早二叠世地层(16个采点127块样品)的原生剩磁分量的平均方向为Ds=30.2°,Is=-40.9°,ks=269.0,a95=2.3°;其对应的古地磁极位置为λ=25.7°N,φ=241.5°E,dp/dm=2.8/1.7,相应的古纬度为23.4°S.表明晚石炭-早二叠世时期羌北地块位于南纬低纬度地区,可能属于冈瓦纳大陆的北缘.结合前人古地磁学研究结果,该地块在其后快速北移,可能与早二叠世-晚三叠世古特提斯洋快速消亡以及新特提斯洋北支班公湖-怒江洋快速扩张相关.     

Palaeomagnetism of Upper Cretaceous volcanic rocks from Cabo de Sto. Agostinho,Brazil

One hundred samples from nine sites in Upper Cretaceous volcanics (K/Ar age 85–99 m.y.) of the magmatic province of Cabo de Santo Agostinho, Pernambuco (8.4°S, 35.0°W) yield a mean direction of magnetizationD = 0.4°, I = ?20.6°withα₉₅ = 4.8°, k = 114 after AF cleaning. All sites have normal polarity with a mean pole, named SAK₁₀, at 87.6°N, 135°E withA₉₅ = 4.5° which is close to other Upper Cretaceous poles for South America. These poles are compared with Upper Cretaceous poles of Africa for various reconstructions of the two continents.     

Defining a chronological framework for the Middle Stone Age in West Africa: Comparison of methods and models for OSL ages at Ounjougou (Mali)

Ounjougou is the name of a large complex of archaeological sites, that were extensively studied between 1997 and 2008 by the international team of the “Human settlement and palaeoenvironment in West Africa” project. This complex is important because well stratified Palaeolithic sites in West Africa are rare, and because it covers a long period of time (most of the Upper Pleistocene and Holocene) and exhibits a wide set of technical cultures. Therefore, for the first time it is possible to propose a chronological framework for the human settlement in this region that can be related to other technical cultures in Africa and to palaeoenvironmental data.The purpose of this paper is to present the OSL dating results obtained from 57 sediment samples that led to this framework. Measurements were first performed between 2004 and 2006 in Oxford (School of Geography), using micro-aliquots (2–10 grains) OSL and ICP-MS for determination of equivalent doses and beta-dose rates, respectively (gamma dose rates being deduced from field gamma spectrometry). More recently, new measurements were done on 28 samples of this former set at the IRAMAT-CRP2A laboratory in Bordeaux, where “true” single quartz grain OSL and high resolution gamma spectrometry measurements were performed. Both sets of results are, for all but two samples, statistically consistent with each other. A consistent chrono-stratigraphic framework can thus be deduced, covering the Upper Pleistocene. It suggests that the region was regularly visited during this time interval and more particularly during Marine Isotope Stage 3, when groups with different technical cultures followed each other relatively rapidly.     

Geomagnetic field paleointensity in the cretaceous from Upper Cretaceous rocks of Georgia

A representative collection of Upper Cretaceous rocks of Georgia (530 samples from 24 sites) is used for the study of magnetic properties of the rocks and the determination of the paleodirection and paleointensity (H _an) of the geomagnetic field. Titanomagnetites with Curie points of 200–350°C are shown to be carriers of natural remanent magnetization (NRM) preserving primary paleomagnetic information during heatings to 300–350°C. The characteristic NRM component of the samples is identified in the interval 120–350°C. The Thellier and Thellier-Coe methods are used for the determination of H _an meeting modern requirements on the reliability of such results. New paleointensity determinations are obtained and virtual dipole magnetic moment (VDM) values are calculated for four sites whose stratigraphic age is the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Campanian). It is shown that, in the interval 99.6–70.6 Ma, the VDM value was two or more times smaller than the present value, which agrees with the majority of H _an data available for this time period. According to our results, the H _an value did not change at the boundary of the Cretaceous normal superchron.     

Paleomagnetism of the Upper Vendian Basu formation of the Bashkirian Meganticlinorium revisited

We have carried out paleomagnetic studies of the Upper Vendian sedimentary rocks from the Bashkirian Meganticlinorium (Southern Ural). The rocks were sampled at three localities spread over more than 100 km. Totally, more than 300 samples were collected from about 40 sampling sites. Stepwise thermal demagnetization up to 700°C revealed a stable component of magnetization of either polarity in 25 sites. The fold test and the reversal test for this component are positive, which is usually regarded as a sound argument in favor of the primary origin of magnetization. However, the Basu paleomagnetic pole (longitude 187.3°E, latitude 1.1°N) is located near the Late Ordovician-Early Silurian segment of the apparent polar wander path for Baltica, which might indicate a Paleozoic remagnetization of Vendian rocks. In this work we analyze different interpretations of the obtained results and evaluate the reliability of the Late Riphean and Vendian paleomagnetic data for Baltica.     

The palaeoposition of Madagascar: Remanence and magnetic properties of late Palaeozoic sediments

Palaeomagnetic results are reported from the predominantly green sediments of the Upper Permian to Lower Triassic Sakamena Group and the Upper Carboniferous to Lower Permian Sakoa Group of Madagascar. Secondary magnetizations could only be removed successfully through thermal demagnetization procedures and then only if the cleaning process was completed by 450°C. Heating in air caused extensive magnetochemical changes to occur above this temperature. Coercivity spectrum analysis and low-temperature characteristics of the heated and unheated green sediments indicate that considerable amounts of fine-grained single-domain magnetite are formed at 500°C or more from some non-magnetic mineral, probably the iron silicates. For this reason consistent palaeomagnetic data could only be obtained from about half the samples collected. Results from 4 sites (19 samples) of the Lower Sakamena Group give a palaeomagnetic pole at 64.9S, 113.9E (A₉₅ = 5.6°) and 3 sites (16 samples) from the Glacial Series of the Sakoa Group give a pole at 47.9S, 84.1E (A₉₅ = 8.1°). When compared with corresponding data from Africa these results confirm and strengthen our previous conclusions from the Triassic-Jurassic Isalo Group regarding the palaeoposition of Madagascar. All three poles are only consistent with the Smith and Hallam reconstruction which places Madagascar off the eastern coast of Africa adjacent to Kenya and Tanzania.     

Clionid sponge surveys on the Florida Reef Tract suggest land-based nutrient inputs

Bioerosion by Cliona delitrix and Cliona lampa was assessed at 43 sites along the Florida Reef Tract, USA, in the summer of 2001. Sponge abundances were estimated using rapid visual assessment. Tissue samples of sponges were taken for analysis of delta15N. Comparison samples were taken from Belize. Annual trends in sponge abundance were estimated from archived videos covering the period from 1996 to 2001. Sites with the greatest boring sponge size and cover were in the Backcountry and Lower Keys, where total nitrogen, ammonium, and delta15N levels were highest. The sites with the largest relative increase of C. delitrix and C. lampa over the 5 year period were in the Upper Keys, where the greatest relative decline in stony coral cover has occurred. Florida sponge delta15N values were 5.2(+/-0.1)%, suggesting the influence of human waste; in comparison, offshore Belize samples were 2.1(+/-0.1)%. These results suggest sewage contamination of the Florida Reef Tract, shifting the carbonate balance from construction to destruction.     

Optical dating of liquefaction features to constrain prehistoric earthquakes in Upper Assam, NE India—some preliminary results

Optical dating of liquefied sand structures formed during major earthquakes in Upper Assam, northeast of India, has been carried out to constrain the timing of prehistoric earthquakes in this seismically active region. The bleaching of source material and of the same material during the creation of a liquefaction feature was tested using quartz extracted from 21 samples associated with two different liquefaction structures in Upper Assam. Due to the poor sensitivity of quartz from this region, a sensitisation procedure was used in our SAR protocol to reduce the scatter in optical ages. Various internal consistency tests of the measurement protocol and the excellent reproducibility of the OSL ages indicate that the dose estimates from the quartz are accurate and the optical ages reliable. The preliminary OSL ages indicate that the liquefaction features were formed between 1430 AD and 1630 AD. This study demonstrates that using OSL, ‘direct dating’ of prehistoric earthquakes may be possible, if sand blows from liquefied dykes are preserved.     

The territory of Georgia and surrounding countries in the Upper Cretaceous: paleomagnetic data

Paleomagnetic researches of the Upper Cretaceous rocks, collected from 24 cross-sections (530 samples) of Georgia have shown that only nine samples are suitable for the paleotectonic problem to be solved. The method of thermomagnetic cleaning was used for the paleomagnetic directions of these rocks to be determined. Magnetic-mineralogical data and the tests of paleomagnetic accuracy have proved the ancient age of the stable part of the natural remnant magnetization (NRM) that is close to the initial one. The study results have demonstrated that the position of the areas studied in the Upper Cretaceous time was located 11°–18° southward from their modern latitudinal position; the distance between structures of the Great Caucasus and Trans-Caucasus was 10°–14°. The wide variations of the paleoinclinations are connected with the local turns of tectonic blocks