Microfossils in the ‘Complexe de base’ of the Prealpine Helminthoid Flysch (Dranse nappe,Switzerland). - Preliminary results

The Swiss Prealpine Dranse nappe consists of the badly known shaley Complexe de base series and the overlying Campanian to Maastrichtian Helminthoid Flysch. Our preliminary data from the shaley series indicate an Albian to Early Campanian age. It represents mid-slope to abyssal plain starved basin sediments. The occurrence of similar and coeval series in the Carpathians and Ligurian Alps suggest common tectonic and oceanographic conditions.     

The Taraklı Flysch in the Boyali area (Sakarya Terrane,northern Turkey): Implications for the tectonic history of the IntraPontide suture zone

In the Boyal? area, northern Turkey, the tectonic units of the ?stanbul–Zonguldak Terrane and the IntraPontide suture zone are thrust over the deposits at the top of the Sakarya Terrane, known as Tarakl? Flysch. It consists of Early Maastrichtian–Middle Paleocene turbidite and mass-gravity deposits, whose source mainly corresponds to the ?stanbul–Zonguldak Terrane, and, with a lesser extent, to the IntraPontide suture zone. These deposits were sedimented in a foredeep basin developed during the convergence between Sakarya and Eurasian continental microplates. In the Late Paleocene–Early Eocene time span, the Tarakl? Flysch was deformed (D1 phase) during the closure of the foredeep basin. In the Miocene time, the strike-slip tectonics (D2 phase) related to the North-Anatolian fault produced further deformations of the Tarakl? Flysch.     

Metamorphism of Triassic Flysch Along Profile Zoigê-Lushan, Northwest Sichuan, China

We used illite and chlorite crystallinities, index minerals, mineral assemblages, polytype and domain size of white mica, electron microprobe analysis (EMPA), b0 geobarometer and chlorite geothermometer to quantify the diagenetic and metamorphic overprint on the Triassic flysch formations in the Songpan-Garzê orogen along profile Zoigê-Lushan, northwest Sichuan. Two anchizones, two epizones, one diagenetic zone and a transition belt in-between them are defined on the basis of the obtained data. lllite crystallinity correlates strongly with the best mean domain size of mica and moderately with chlorite crystallinity. 2M1 white mica polytype are observed within the epizone whilst 2M1 and 1M polytypes occur in the anchizone and diagenetic zone. Epizonal metamorphism reached maximum temperatures of 370℃±21℃ at low-to intermediate pressure conditions. Clay minerals underwent Ostwaid ripening during metamorphism. Rocks from both sides of the Longmenshan fault reveal contrasting degrees of metamorphic overprint: on the northwest side of the Longmenshan fault, epimetamorphlc conditions contrast with diagenetic rocks on the southeast side.     

Über Flysch und Molasse im Allgäu

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Diagenesis and Metamorphism of Triassic Flysch Along Profile Zoigê-Lushan, Northwest Sichuan, China

We used illite and chlorite crystallinities, index minerals, mineral assemblages, polytype and domain size of white mica, electron microprobe analysis (EMPA), b0 geobarometer and chlorite geothermometer to quantify the diagenetic and metamorphic overprint on the Triassic flysch formations in the Songpan-Garzê orogen along profile Zoigê-Lushan, northwest Sichuan. Two anchizones, two epizones, one diagenetic zone and a transition belt in-between them are defined on the basis of the obtained data. Illite crystallinity correlates strongly with the best mean domain size of mica and moderately with chlorite crystallinity. 2M1 white mica polytype are observed within the epizone whilst 2M1 and 1M polytypes occur in the anchizone and diagenetic zone. Epizonal metamorphism reached maximum temperatures of 370oC±21oC at low-to intermediate pressure conditions. Clay minerals underwent Ostwald ripening during metamorphism. Rocks from both sides of the Longmenshan fault reveal contrasting degrees of metamorphic overprint: on the northwest side of the Longmenshan fault, epimetamorphic conditions contrast with diagenetic rocks on the southeast side.     

Diagenesis and Metamorphism of Triassic Flysch Along Profile Zoigê-Lushan, Northwest Sichuan, China

We used illite and chlorite crystallinities, index minerals, mineral assemblages, polytype and domain size of white mica, electron microprobe analysis (EMPA), b0 geobarometer and chlorite geothermometer to quantify the diagenetic and metamorphic overprint on the Triassic flysch formations in the Songpan-Garzê orogen along profile Zoigê-Lushan, northwest Sichuan. Two anchizones, two epizones, one diagenetic zone and a transition belt in-between them are defined on the basis of the obtained data. Illite crystallinity correlates strongly with the best mean domain size of mica and moderately with chlorite crystallinity. 2M1 white mica polytype are observed within the epizone whilst 2M1 and 1M polytypes occur in the anchizone and diagenetic zone. Epizonal metamorphism reached maximum temperatures of 370oC±21oC at low-to intermediate pressure conditions. Clay minerals underwent Ostwald ripening during metamorphism. Rocks from both sides of the Longmenshan fault reveal contrasting degrees of metamorphic overprint: on the northwest side of the Longmenshan fault, epimetamorphic conditions contrast with diagenetic rocks on the southeast side.     

First Determination of the Isotope Age of the Andesite–Dacite Complex of the Eastern Zone of the Middle Urals

Doklady Earth Sciences - This paper reports on the first U–Pb dating of zircons from dacites of the volcanic paleo-edifice of the andesite–dacite complex of the Eastern Zone of the...     

Control factors on turbidite sedimentation in a deep-sea trench setting. – The example of the Schlieren Flysch (Upper Maastrichtian-Lower Eocene,Central Switzerland)

Abstract

Deep-sea turbidite sedimentation in convergent margin settings generally is controlled by tectonic uplift, climate and eustatic sea-level variations. The rate of tectonic uplift governs the relief of the source area and the position of the base level (coinciding with sea-level), climate influences the rate and style of weathering and continental runoff and eustatic seal-level additionally shifts the base level, functioning with the concurrently working tectonic movements. Thus, these factors primarly determine the availability of sediment (yield and nature of material and the site of intermittent storage) at the basin margin which is unlocked periodically to flow downslope to the basin.

This paper attempts to decipher quantitatively the importance of the individual factors in the Late Maastrichtian to Early Eocene Schieren Flysch Croup. The flysch was deposited in a moderately converging remnant oceanic trench basin. Mean parameters are calculated on the basis of formations and the duration of nannofossil zones comprised in. For transposing these zone into absolute age intervals the problem of inconsistent durations in current time scales had to be solved by a best-fit approach. Frequencies and periodicities of turbidite events, decompacted and compacted sedimentation rates (the latter are considered as apparent denudation rates) are calculated to reveal the dynamics of sedimentation. Climatic evidence is deduced from clay mineralogy. Changing uplift rates in the drainage area are indirectly interpreted from back-stripped tectonic subsisdence rates in the basin.

The obtained data point to an immediate control of sub-duction-Iinked tectonic uplift in the bordering drainage and shelf area on turbidite sedimentation, as frequency and thickness of the turbidite events are closely correlated with the increasing tectonic subsisdence in the basin (assumed to match the rate of subduction and underplating). This general trend is modified by the temporary migration of the oceanic hinge zone towards the trench causing periodically the starvation of outer portions of the basin at the transition from Early to Late Paleocene and Late Paleocene to Eocene. Regional climatic trends additionnaly rule the turbidite facies development and apparent denudation rates. In the upper part of Early Eocene series high rate mud dominated sediments correlate with warm/humid conditions and in Late Paleocene deposits low rate sandy sediments coincide with cool ones. During the Late Paleocene period the global 2nd-order sea-level lowering probably may be responsible for the by-passing of the shelf by the coarse grained sediments.     

Present-day tectonics of the western part of the Dzhugdzhur–Stanovoi Terrane of the southeastern frame of the North Asian Craton

The first results on current movements are presented for the western part of the Dzhugdzhur–Stanovoi Terrane based on GPS geodesy of a geodynamic survey area of the Upper Amur region. Processing of the GPS data resulted in a vector field of the displacement rates of points of the geodynamic survey area with zones of intense deformations. It was concluded from a comprehensive analysis of geological–geophysical data and estimates of the displacement rates that the terrane is characterized by kinematic integrity and was subjected to a complex of tectonic factors related to the evolution of the eastern segment of Baikal Rift Zone in the area of transpression interaction of the Eurasian and Amur plates.     

Analysis of the degree of contamination and evolution in the last 100 years of the composition of the bed sediments of the Anllóns Basin

In this study, five cores of the Anllóns River bed sediments were analyzed in order to evaluate the downcore and downstream variations in their chemical composition. The first step was the evaluation of the metal distribution in the bulk (<2 mm) and fine fractions (<63 μm). The analysis revealed that most of the metals followed the same trend in both fractions, although the fine fraction presented usually higher concentrations. However, the concentration of both fractions tended to equalize with increasing contamination. No general increase was observed in the metal concentrations toward the surface which could be attributed to recent anthropogenic contributions. Instead, the distributions were homogeneous or peaked at various depths downcore. The most important historical feature was observed at the mouth of the river, at 96-cm depth, corresponding to the end of the eighteenth century. Upcore increased metal concentrations in parallel with increased fine fraction occurred from this depth, which were attributed to a bridge construction and consequent changes in sediment dynamics. As the metal concentrations can be influenced by variations in texture or other sediment characteristics, the second step was to evaluate the efficiency of several normalized indexes in the assessment of the degree of contamination, by calculating the enrichment factor (EF), the geoaccumulation index (I _GEO) and the pollution load index (PLI). The EFs obtained were <10, thus revealing little anthropogenic inputs to the basin. The I _GEO produced higher values when compared with the EFs. Instead of absolute EF or I _GEO absolute values, the use of cumulative probability plots allowed identifying more accurately potential outliers indicating contamination. Only one population was identified for Zn and Pb, with a reduced number of outliers at the highest concentrations for Pb. As shown, a more complex plot with the outliers identified at C4 and C5. Finally, the PLI allowed determining the absence of a significant contamination in the bed sediments. The bioavailable and non-geogenic fractions contribute up to a 90% of the total concentrations in the case of As and Cu, and showed similar (dissimilar) profiles in comparison with total metals. Also, the quality guidelines were surpassed, so the high solubility of As, Zn, Pb and Ni in the sediments revealed the need to monitor the bed sediment quality of the Anllóns River.     

Features of the Influence of Weather Conditions on the Deformation Processes of the Upper Layer of the Earth’s Crust

Doklady Earth Sciences - The influence of the temperature and moisture content of the near-surface soil layer on variations of the barodeformation interaction of the boundary layer of the...     

Bursting the limits of time： the reconstruction of geohistory in the age of revolution

Bursting the Limits of Time by the distin- guished historian of geology Martin Rudwick is a massive, two-part book. The first part contains what he calls a synchronous history of what eventually became historical geology in western Europe between the time of de Sans- sure＇s epoch-making ascent of Mont Blanc in 1787 and the discovery of the Kirkdale hyaena cave by Buckland in the winter of 1821-1822,     

Numerical Modeling of the Effects of Major Elements on the Solubility of Chrome–Spinel and a Likely Solution of the Problem of the Origin of Chromitite

Doklady Earth Sciences - The influence of variations in fo-, fa-, en-, fs-, di-, an-, and ab-components in a high-Mg basaltic melt on the topology of the spinellide liquidus was analyzed using the...     

Sedimentation in der Magallanes-Geosynklinale mit besonderer Berücksichtigung des Flysch

Zusammenfassung Der Bau des südlichen Abschnittes der Anden wird knapp skizziert. Geländearbeiten in Magallanes, Chile, ergaben neue Vorstellungen über die Sedimentation und das Alter sowie die Fazies einiger Schichtfolgen in Unter- und Oberkreide.Die Entstehung der Konglomerate der Serie Lago Sofia ist nicht auf eine Vereisung in der Oberkreide zurückzuführen, sondern es handelt sich um eine Grobschüttung, die nach fluviatilem Transport deltaförmig in einen Flachwasserbereich gelangte. Das Alter der Konglomerate ist Campan/Grenze Maastricht. Damit ist die Serie Lago Sofia mit den Konglomeraten der Serie Valdez in Feuerland zu parallelisieren. Eine Nord-Süd-Störung innerhalb der Geosynklinale besteht zumindest im Raum zwischen Cerro Toro und Cerro Cazador nicht.Der oberkretazische Flysch in Süd-Chile ist nicht in einem eigenen Trog entwickelt, sondern stellt eine zeitlich gebundene Fazies innerhalb der Geosynklinale dar. In Fazies, Petrographie und Fauna wird eine weitgehende Übereinstimmung mit dem ostalpinen Flysch festgestellt. Der Hinweis auf eine einheitliche Flyschzone, die von der mittleren Magallanes-Geosynklinale bis zum Grahamland reicht, stützt die von O.Wilckens mehrfach postulierte Einheitlichkeit des Süd-Antillen-Bogens.

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Resumen Después de una ojeada a la constitución tectónica y a la estratigrafía del geosinclinal medio de Magallanes, se proporcionan algunos datos sobre la sedimentación. Con mayor detenimiento son estudiadas la composición, génesis y situación estratigráfica de los conglomerados de la Serie Lago Sofia.El flysch del cretácico superior que se halla entre el Lago Sarmiento y el Golfo Almirante Montt, presenta una considerable coincidencia con el flysch de los Alpes orientales, así como con la zona de flysch de la Tierra del Fuego y de las Antillas meridionales. La zona de flysch señalada desde el geosinclinal inedio de Magallanes, pasando por la Tierra del Fuego hasta Grahamlandia, apoya la tesis de la unidad del arco de las Antillas meridionales, defendida repetidamente por O.Wilckens.

     

On the Origin of the Carat as the Unit of Weight for Gemstones

The carat is the unit of weight for diamonds and other gemstones.It corresponds to the average weight of the seeds of a leguminous tree.What kind of tree is this?We have studied the samples from Ethiopia,Egypt,Cyprus and the United States.The tree is neither“Kuara“nor“Locust“（Robina pseudoacacia Linn.）,but rather Carob(Ceratonia Siliqua).In Ethiopia,as called by local inhabitants,“Kuara“is a species of Erythrina-E.brucei rather than E.abyssinica.As might be expected,using the seeds as a means of weighing an extremely valuable commodity is not very scientific.Before 1907,at various times and in various countries,there were at least twenty-three stan-dards for the carat ranging from 187.00mg to 215.990mg.The metric carat equal to 200mg was proposed in Paris in 1907.It was adopted in the United States on July1,1913 and now is the world-accepted standard.But in reality,the standard of the carat is still confused with respect to its usage throughout the world .This is why the author reiterates that the standard of the car-at should be integrated with the metric system.     

Anatomy of a Forearc Submarine Fan: Upper Eocene — Oligocene Andaman Flysch Group,Andaman Islands,India

Detailed facies analysis in the upper Eocene—Oligocene Andaman Flysch Group reveals fourteen different facies, grouped into three different associations. These facies associations represent two anatomical divisions of a submarine fan, viz. inner fan and depositional lobe in middle fan. Paleocurrent pattern, high percentage of quartz in the sandstones and outer arc derived clasts in the inner fan channel conglomerates suggest dual sediment supply in this fan. A longitudinal geometry of the basin has been inferred where juxtaposition of sediments of different proximality deterred development of any definite sequence pattern. A tectonically induced active sediment supply in a rising sea level stand is thought to be responsible for development of the fan.     

Estimation of the stress state of the Earth’s crust and the upper mantle in the area of the Southern Kuril Islands

The catastrophic Shikotan earthquake of October 4 (5), 1994, occurred in the Pacific Ocean. Its focus was located 80 km eastward of Shikotan Island. The stress state of the Earth’s crust in this area was estimated by the method of the cataclastic analysis of the whole range of the earthquake mechanisms. The performed reconstruction of the parameters of the current stress state of the Earth’s crust and the upper mantle in the area of the Southern Kuril Islands made it possible to establish that this area is characterized, on the one hand, by the presence of extensive areas of steady behavior of the stress tensor parameters and, on the other hand, by the presence of local sections of anomalously fast changes in these parameters.     

Diagnostics of the Beginning of Agricultural Development of the Northwest of the East European Plain by Spore–Pollen Spectra

Doklady Earth Sciences - The problems of diagnostics of the beginning of agrarian development of coniferous–broad-leaved forests in northwestern European Russia and its specificity regarding...     

The Nature of the “Voice of the Sea”

Strong vibrations of the Earth’s crust in the frequency range of 7–9 Hz, referred to as the “voice of the sea,” have been recorded in the course of processing synchronous experimental data obtained during recording of variations in the deformation of the Earth’s crust using a shore laser strainmeter, atmosphere pressure variations using a laser nanobarograph, and hydrosphere pressure variations using a laser meter for hydrospheric pressure and wind velocity variations. The nature of these vibrations and their transformation to adjacent geospheres have been discussed.