Re-os isotope systematics of the Taklimakan Desert sands, moraines and river sediments around the taklimakan desert, and of Tibetan soils

Reported here are the first ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios and abundances of Os and Re for Taklimakan Desert sands and glacial moraines from the Kunlun Mountains. Osmium isotopic data are also reported for river sediments around the Taklimakan Desert, river sediments from the Kunlun and Tianshan Mountains, Tibetan soils and loesses from the Loess Plateau, as well as Sr and Nd isotopic data for these samples. The Taklimakan Desert sands from various regions show surprisingly homogeneous Os isotopic ratios (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os = 1.29 ± 0.08) and abundances (Os = 11 ppt), with some variations in Re abundances (Re = 130 to 260 ppt) and ¹⁸⁷Re/¹⁸⁸Os ratios (60 to 140). The ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios for the Taklimakan Desert sands are close to the average for Kunlun moraines, river sediments around the Taklimakan Desert sands, and the Tibetan soils, supporting the idea that the Taklimakan Desert sands are derived from moraines and river sediments around the desert or from Tibetan soils and are homogenized by aeolian activity in the desert. Furthermore, the Os isotopic data for the sediments studied here are compared with those (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os = 1.04, Os = 32 ppt, Re = 206 ppt, ¹⁸⁷Re/¹⁸⁸Os = 35) of loesses from the Loess Plateau reported elsewhere, and it is concluded that the Re-Os data for the loess can be used as proxy for the upper continental crust.     

中国北方沙漠风成沙不同粒级组分的Sr-Nd 同位素特征

古尔班通古特、腾格里和鄂尔多斯三个沙漠不同粒级组分的风成沙具有不同的εNd（0）和87Sr/86Sr 比值：古尔班通古特沙漠中分别为-3~-5.3 和0.712452~0.716895;腾格里沙漠中分别为-9.9~-12.3 和0.716753~0.723033;鄂尔多斯沙漠中分别在-13.1~-18 和0.714028~0.71678。三个沙漠不同的Sr-Nd 同位素特征,表明它们可能有各自的物质源区。Nd 同位素主要受各沙漠所处的地质、地貌单元所控制,Sr 同位素还要受气候变化诱导的矿物差异风化与粒度分选作用的影响。同位素组成在古尔班通古特、腾格里沙漠风成沙不同粒度组分中有相似的变化规律,但在鄂尔多斯沙漠中明显不同。鄂尔多斯沙漠风成沙粗、细颗粒组分有不同的物质来源,细颗粒组分,特别是<2μm 组分可能有沙漠区外远源的贡献,而其他沙漠各自的风成沙不同颗粒组分则来自相同的物源区,沙漠区外远源输入的可能性较小。这一研究对深入认识北方沙漠物质的成因机制有重要的理论意义。     

Geochemical, mineralogical and sedimentological studies on the Taklimakan Desert sands

Major-element composition, mineral composition and grain-size distribution have been studied for Quaternary aeolian sediments from the Taklimakan Desert, north-western China, together with the variation of chemical and mineralogical compositions of different grain-size fractions. Aeolian sediments from the Taklimakan Desert have higher ratios of feldspar/quartz and calcite/quartz, finer grain size, poorer roundness of quartz and feldspar grains and lower abundances of frosted quartz, than found in aeolian sediments from other deserts such as the Saudi Arabian Desert. In spite of these immature mineralogical and sedimentological features, the aeolian sediments from the Taklimakan Desert show low regional variations in major-element and mineral compositions and are homogenized. These observations confirm that two processes, glacial activity within surrounding mountains and aeolian activity at the Tarim Basin, are important in the homogenization of the Taklimakan Desert sands. Taklimakan Desert sediments are constantly and effectively supplied from basement rocks in the surrounding mountains by glacial erosion. The supplied sediments are further homogenized by aeolian activity in the desert and are partly blown away, serving as the source of Chinese aeolian loess. Compositional differences are observed between loess (mainly 10–40 μm particles) and the <45 μm fraction of the Taklimakan Desert sediments, as well as between loess and whole rock of the Taklimakan Desert sediments. These observations provide constraints for precise modelling of loess formation, and for assessment of the chemical composition of the upper continental crust based on the chemical composition of aeolian loess.     

中国黄土的物质来源及其粉尘的产生机制与搬运过程

长期以来,黄土高原的物质来源被笼统认为来自包括西北三大内陆盆地(准噶尔、塔里木、柴达木)在内的广阔的沙漠、戈壁地区,而且中国黄土被看作“沙漠”黄土的典型代表。但我们最新的研究揭示出,源自准噶尔和柴达木盆地的粉尘主要由低空气流搬运,受下风方向的山脉阻挡,就近堆积成山麓黄土。源自塔里木盆地的粉尘如果被近地面风搬运,则不可能移出盆地,而是堆积在昆仑山北麓,但如果被飙升到高空,则被西风急流携带,移出盆地而降落在北太平洋地区,无论哪种情况,该盆地的粉尘都不可能对黄土高原有重要贡献。因此,西北三大内陆盆地并非黄土高原的重要物源,而蒙古国南部及与之相邻的包括巴旦吉林、腾格里、乌兰布和、库布其、毛乌素等在内的戈壁、沙漠地区才是黄土高原的主要物质来源区,且主要由近地面风(基本在3000m以下)从上述戈壁、沙漠地区搬运而来。中国黄土并不能简单看作“沙漠”黄土,包括冰川研磨作用、山体剥蚀作用、山前冲洪积作用等在内的“高山过程”,才是产生大量粉土级物质的原因,戈壁、沙漠、黄土的带状分布,只不过是近地面风对山前冲、洪积物质的风力分异而已。     

黄土高原黄土物源区的同位素证据

系统采集了黄土高原马兰黄土、河西走廊和青藏高原东北部黄土、河床沙和湖泥样品。用酸淋洗去除方解石后,黄土高原马兰黄土εNd(0)值从-9.2到-11.3,87Sr/86Sr比值从0.71784到0.71944,都落在同位素B区内,与青藏高原东北部、巴丹吉林沙漠和腾格里沙漠的值一致。黄土高原马兰黄土白云石的δ13C值从1.2‰到1.5‰,与青藏高原东北部和河西走廊黄土,巴丹吉林沙漠的白云石的值类似。这些表明青藏高原东北部、巴丹吉林沙漠和腾格里沙漠可能是黄土高原黄土的源区,从而排除了其他沙漠(古尔班通古特沙漠、塔克拉玛干沙漠、毛乌素沙漠、库布齐沙漠、浑善达克沙地、科尔沁沙地和呼伦贝尔沙地)作为黄土物源区的可能性。同位素研究结果和野外调查进一步揭示,黄土高原黄土、巴丹吉林沙漠和腾格里沙漠物质可能最终都是来源于青藏高原东北部。     

Nd and Sr isotopic characteristics of Chinese deserts: Implications for the provenances of Asian dust

Silicate Nd-Sr isotopes of the fine-grained fractions of the 10 major deserts and sandy lands in North China and the loess in Chinese Loess Plateau were systematically investigated. Wide ranges in Nd-Sr isotopic compositions have been observed. The results of the <75 μm silicate fractions show that the Nd-Sr isotopic compositions of each desert are quite homogeneous and unique. According to the geographic distribution of the deserts and their Nd-Sr isotopes of both the <75 and <5 μm silicate fractions, three isotopic regions of Chinese deserts can be identified: (A) the deserts on the northern boundary of China, with the highest ε_Nd(0) > −7.0; (B) the deserts on the northern margin of Tibetan Plateau, with ε_Nd(0) ranging from −11.9 to −7.4; and (C) the deserts on the Ordos Plateau, with the lowest ε_Nd(0) < −11.5. The distribution of the threes isotopic regions is controlled by the tectonic setting in North China, which implies that the materials of the deserts are derived from the locally eroded rocks from the surrounding mountains and the Nd-Sr isotopic signatures of these deserts could be quit stable over the past million years on the sub-tectonic time scales if there is any desert at those times. The Nd-Sr isotopic compositions of the loess are mostly close to those of the deserts in isotopic region B, suggesting that the main source regions of the last glacial loess in the Chinese Loess Plateau are Badain Jaran Desert, Tengger Desert, and Qaidam Desert. Also, the comparison between the Nd-Sr isotopes of the <5 μm silicate fractions of the deserts and the ancient dust falls in the North Pacific and Greenland show that the Asian end members of these dust falls are derived most from the deserts in the isotopic region B and less from those in the isotopic region C.     

塔里木盆地的环境格局与绿洲演化

塔里木盆地是中国最大的内陆盆地,它经过长期海陆变迁和盆山耦合作用形成。从元古代到晚二叠纪,一直处于海洋环境,几经海侵海退,有大量海相沉积。从二叠纪末开始,全区抬升,海水退出,盆地进入陆地发展阶段,以湖相和河流相沉积为主,仅在西部边缘有泻湖相沉积;至渐新世,印度板块与欧亚板块在帕米尔地区碰撞拼合,盆地彻底与古特提斯海分离,形成统一的内陆盆地。盆地的气候环境从晚白垩世就已向干热发展,形成了广泛的红色沉积和膏盐;上新世以来,青藏高原及其他山地快速隆升,对盆地的环境格局产生重大影响,盆地腹地出现荒漠化,风成沙堆积面积扩大;第四纪时,干旱化气候进一步加剧,塔克拉玛干沙漠逐渐形成;一些天然绿洲在盆地周围和河流流域相伴而生,从而奠定了今天塔里木盆地的环境格局。古时绿洲大部分是丝绸之路的连接点和集结地,在距今约2000年前的汉朝还比较繁荣,后来变成了废墟和荒漠,塔克拉玛干沙漠的南缘向南推进约100～150km,而注入盆地(沙漠)的河流向上游收缩几百公里。     

塔里木盆地北部沥青、干酪根Pb-Sr-Nd同位素体系及成因演化

 Pb、Sr、Nd同位素体系研究表明沥青与寒武纪、奥陶纪地层中的干酪根具有明显的同位素组成差异,表明来自异源。沥青Pb同位素组成具有明显的幔源与壳幔混合特征,而干酪根显示出壳源特征。沥青与干酪根的Nd同位素组成也存在着明显的差别,反映出老地壳源与新地壳源的明显差别。来自柯坪隆起大湾沟沥青的Nd-Sr同位素体系给出了晚元古的相关等时线,年龄分别为872Ma与1195Ma,可能代表了沥青的最早形成年龄。但来自塔北隆起的沥青其Sm-Nd体系显示出介于大湾沟沥青与干酪根之间的混合相关,表明具有壳源与幔源的二元混合成因。Rb-Sr和Pb-Pb等时线趋向和Pb模式年龄还给出加里东期(～440Ma)和印支期(～250Ma)的原油运移与沥青沉淀年龄信息。Nd模式年龄还表明柯坪-阿克苏地区存在太古宙基底(3.2-2.5Ga).塔里木油藏受深断裂控制。     

SHRIMP U-Pb zircon geochronology and Nd-Sr isotopic study of the Mamianshan Group: implications for the Neoproterozoic tectonic development of southeast China

Northwestern Fujian contains abundant well-studied Precambrian basement, and was a composite terrane in Cathaysia during the Neoproterozoic; however, its magmatic activity, petrogenesis, and tectonic evolution remain controversial. This article focuses on the geochronology and geochemistry of the Neoproterozoic Group in order to resolve the above problems. We provide new SHRIMP U-Pb zircon dating for the Mamianshan Group: 851.9 ± 9.2 to 825.5 ± 9.8 Ma for the Longbeixi Formation, 796.5 ± 9.3 Ma for the Dongyan Formation, and 756.2 ± 7.2 Ma for the Daling Formation. These ages document the existence of Neoproterozoic magmatism in the northwestern Cathaysia Block. Dongyan Nd-Sr isotopic data show that mafic amphibolite schists, mafic greenschists, and quartzofeldspathic schists were derived from a more depleted mantle (initial ε_Nd ? +5.5 and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio 0.703409643), a mixture of depleted mantle and crustal components (initial ε_Nd ? ?1 and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio 0.702045282–0.704147714), and late Palaeoproterozoic continental crustal materials (initial ε_Nd < ?1 and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio 0.71083603), respectively. These new data, together with previous studies, suggest a bi-subduction-collision orogenic model for the Neoproterozoic evolution of the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks. Our plate tectonic scenario involves earlier NW-dipping subduction during 1.0 Ga–860 Ma along the southeastern margin of the Yangtze Block and later NW-dipping subduction near the northwestern margin of the Cathaysia Block starting at ca. 850 Ma. The 796.5 ± 9.3 Ma age of the volcanic Dongyan Formation suggests that the final assembly of the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks probably occurred after ca. 800 Ma. The 756.2 ± 7.2 Ma age of the Daling Formation indicates that post-orogenic extensional magmatism took place after 800 Ma along the northwestern margin of Cathaysia.     

Petrogenesis of mid-Carboniferous volcanics and granitic intrusions from western Junggar Basin boreholes: geodynamic implications for the Central Asian Orogenic Belt in Northwest China

The western Junggar Basin is located on the southeastern margin of the West Junggar terrane, Northwest China. Its sedimentary fill, magma petrogenesis, tectonic setting, and formation ages are important for understanding the Carboniferous tectonic evolution and continental growth of the Junggar terrane and the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. This paper documents a set of new zircon secondary ion mass spectrometry U–Pb geochronological and Hf isotopic data and whole-rock elemental and Sr–Nd isotopic analytical results for the Carboniferous strata and associated intrusions obtained from boreholes in the western Junggar Basin. The Carboniferous strata comprise basaltic andesite, andesite, and dacite with minor pyroclastic rocks, intruded by granitic intrusions with zircon secondary ion mass spectrometry U–Pb ages of 327–324 Ma. The volcanic rocks are calc-alkaline and show low high ε_Nd(t) values (5.3–5.6) and initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.703561–0.703931), strong enrichment in LREEs, and some LILEs and depletion in Nb, Ta, and Ti. Furthermore, they also display high (La/Sm)_N (1.36–1.63), Zr/Nb, and La/Yb, variable Ba/La and Ba/Th and constant Th/Yb ratios. These geochemical data, together with low Sm/Yb (1.18–1.38) and La/Sm (2.11–2.53) ratios, suggest that these volcanic rocks were derived from a 5–8% partial melting of a mainly spinel Iherzolite-depleted mantle metasomatized by slab-derived fluids and melts of some sediments in an island-arc setting. In contrast, the granitic intrusions represent typical adakite geochemical features of high Sr and low Y and Yb contents, with no significant Eu anomalies, high Mg#, and depleted ε_Nd(t) (5.6–6.4) and ε_Hf(t) (13.7–16.2) isotopic compositions, suggesting their derivation from partial melting of hot subducted oceanic crust. In combination with the previous work, the West Junggar terrane and adjacent western Junggar Basin are interpreted as a Mariana-type arc system driven by northwestward subduction of the Junggar Ocean, possibly with a tectonic transition from normal to ridge subduction commencing ca. at 331–327 Ma.     

塔里木盆地南缘黄土粒度特征及其环境意义

黄土是地质时期沙尘天气形成的粉尘堆积物,其粒度特征记录了粉尘搬运过程中的古大气环流格局和古环境演化信息。本文对昆仑山北坡克里雅河支流的第5级阶地羊场黄土剖面进行了系统的粒度分析,结果表明,黄土粒度组成主要以粗粉砂和砂砾为主,分选较好;羊场黄土为塔克拉玛干沙漠的近源风成堆积,粒度指标主要指示沙漠范围和源区气候干旱程度;粒度结果的详细分析及其与全球其他记录的对比表明,塔里木盆地南缘气候在8.5~3.6 ka B.P.较为湿润稳定,3.6 ka B.P.以来气候急剧变干并出现大幅度波动的千年尺度突变事件,与其他地区古气候记录有较好的一致性。塔里木盆地南缘8.5 ka B.P.以来的气候变化具有季风模式和千年尺度气候振荡的双重特点,可能同时受低纬度亚洲季风和北半球高纬度地区气候的影响;太阳辐射减弱引起的亚洲夏季风衰退可能导致了3.6 ka B.P.以来盆地的干旱化,同时,受太阳辐射驱动的北半球高纬度地区的气候变化,可能通过增加西风环流的强度及其波动幅度,进一步加剧了3.6 ka B.P.以来塔里木盆地南缘气候的干旱化和不稳定性。     

Palaeoenvironment of mid- to late Holocene loess deposit of the southern margin of the Tarim Basin,NW China

Holocene environmental history in the Tarim Basin and the Taklimakan Desert is known mainly from isolated eolian and lacustrine deposits and remain puzzling. Here we present an adequately preserved loess section, covering the past 5000 years, at a highland (2,850 m a.s.l) on the northern slope of Kunlun Mountains. Pollen preserved in the section reveal a drying trend with significant moisture fluctuations around 3000–2600 cal yr BP and 1800 cal yr BP at the study site. Comparing the pollen, grain size from the same section provides a different scene occurred in the Tarim basin and the Taklimakan desert. Comparison of grain size to A/C ration of pollen suggests that active sand southward shifting in south margin of the desert is coincident with increasing moisture condition at the section locality, implying a casual link. This moisture pattern occurred at the upper and lower elevation of the slope is best explained by the vertical variation of local precipitation along the slope.     

Aeolian Facies Belts in the Taklimakan Desert1

At least at the beginning of the last glacial epoch, the facies belts of dune sand, sandy loam and loess formed by winds had existed in the Taklimakan desert and areas south of it. There were no appreciable changes in the NE and NW wind systems and their wind forces that deposited dune sand, sandy loam and loess in the global cold stage since the last glacial epoch; accordingly no marked shifts of the boundaries of these aeolian facies belts took place. In the global warm stage since then, the climate in the Taklimakan desert and areas south of it became warm and dry, resulting in ablation of substantial volumes of ice and snow in their surrounding mountains and thus forming alluvial and diluvial deposits in the region. The alluvial-diluvial actions, however, failed to change the general framework of aeolian facies belts.     

Trace element and REE geochemistry of fine- and coarse-grained sands in the Ordos deserts and links with sediments in surrounding areas

In addition to mineral analyses, REE and trace element geochemical characteristics of fine- and coarse-grained sands in the Ordos deserts and other sediments in surrounding areas are investigated.Commonly the samples consist of quartz, feldspar and muscovite and less clinochlore, dolomite and ankerite. In few samples muscovite is absent.REE and trace compositions are spatially uniform for the same grain-size sands, suggesting that they could have the same sources or/and were well homogenized. However, fine- and coarse-grained sands in the Ordos deserts show different REE and trace element compositions. Fine-grained sands show higher contents of REE and trace elements than those of coarse-grained sands. They differ in Eu anomalies and (La/Yb)_N ratios although both fractions are characterized by the steep LREE and smooth HREE patterns. The fine- and coarse-grained sands are also distinct in some characteristic element ratios (e.g., Th/Co, La/Sc, Th/Sc and Y/Ni).REE and trace element patterns of the two different grain-size fractions are closely associated with geological properties of individual sources rather than the mineralogical differentiation induced by wind sorting. The coarse-grained sands mainly resulted from sandstone weathering in the Ordos deserts and movements of coarse particles by wind. REE and trace element patterns of fine-grained sands in the Ordos deserts differ from those of sandstones in the Ordos deserts, the alluvial sands in the surrounding mountains and the coarse fluvial sands in the Yellow River. They resemble the fine fluvial sands in the Yellow River. In addition, arid areas of Northwest China such as the Tarim Basin and the Alxa Plateau should not be ruled out as the source of the fine-grained sands in the Ordos deserts because these arid areas reserve plenty of fine-grained sediments and also located in the upwind directions of the Ordos deserts.     

Source of 1,2,3,4-tetramethylbenzene in asphaltenes from the Tarim Basin

1-Alkyl-2,3,6-trimethylbenzenes and a high relative amount of 1,2,3,4-tetramethylbenzene (TTMB) have been previously detected in the marine oils and asphaltenes in the oils from the Tarim Basin. In the present study, the stable carbon isotopic compositions of TTMB and n-alkanes in the pyrolysates of asphaltenes in the marine oils from the northern Tarim Basin and Silurian tar sands from the Tarim Basin were determined. TTMB has stable carbon isotopic compositions in the range from −23‰ to −24‰ and are about 12‰ more enriched in ¹³C than concomitant n-alkanes (−35‰ to −37‰) in the pyrolysates. The results indicate a contribution from green sulfur bacteria (Chlorobiaceae) to TTMB. Thus, the depositional environments of the source rocks for the marine oils and the bitumen in tar sands from the Tarim Basin are characterized by periods of euxinic conditions within the photic zone.     

巴丹吉林沙漠石英δ18O值及其物源意义

巴丹吉林沙漠是世界上沙丘最高大的沙漠,其沙源研究对认识沙漠形成、高大沙山发育和防沙治沙工程有重要意义。石英是沙漠沉积物中常见的矿物,其氧同位素值可示踪物源。采集沙漠西北部、东部、东南部高大沙山、丘间低地与湖泊以及雅布赖山前的表层沉积物,测定了样品不同粒级的石英δ18O值。结果表明:①石英δ18O值随粒级减小有增大趋势,同一样品不同粒级石英δ18O值存在较大差异,相同粒级石英δ18O值也有变化。②石英δ18O值介于9.4‰~19.3‰,均值为13.3‰（n=55）;其中沙丘沙的石英δ18O值介于9.5‰~16.6‰,均值为12.9 ‰（n=39）;湖相沉积物的石英δ18O值介于9.4‰~19.3‰,均值为14.2‰（n=16）。③区域内,<16 μm粒级的石英δ18O值与16~64 μm、125~154 μm、200~250 μm、> 300 μm粒级的石英δ18O值都存在显著差异,但200~250 μm与 > 300 μm粒级的石英δ18O值没有显著差异;经区域对比,巴丹吉林沙漠 < 16 μm粒级的石英δ18O值与柴达木盆地沙漠、蒙古戈壁风成沉积物 < 16 μm石英δ18O值无显著差异,但巴丹吉林沙漠16~64 μm粒级的石英δ18O值与蒙古戈壁风成沉积物16~64 μm石英δ18O值存在显著差异;这似乎暗示研究区的细颗粒物质可能是远源的。巴丹吉林沙漠沉积物的石英δ18O值位于火成岩石英、砂岩和变质岩石英δ18O值分布阈值内,受区域地质条件、物源混合、粒级效应等因素的影响,砂粒级的石英δ18O值所指示的母岩成份特征与祁连山区岩石的岩性有较好吻合。     

Aeolian Facies Belts in the Taklimakan Desert

At least at the beginning of the last glacial epoch, the facies belts of dune sand, sandy loam and loess formed by winds had existed in the Taklimakan desert and areas south of it. There were no appreciable changes in the NE and NW wind systems and their wind fqrces that deposited dune sand, sandy loam and loess in the global cold stage since the last glacial epoch (accordingly no marked shifts of the boundaries of these aeolian facies belts took place. In the global warm stage since then, the climate in the Taklimakan desert and areas south of it became warm and dry, resulting in ablation of substantial volumes of ice and snow in their surrounding mountains and thus forming alluvial and diluvial deposits in the region. The alluvial-diluvial actions, however, failed to change the general framework of aeolian facies belts.     

Windblown desert sands in coeval shallow marine deposits: a key for the recognition of coastal ergs in the mid‐Cretaceous Iberian Basin,Spain

Grain size and SEM analyses suggest the presence of Cretaceous windblown desert sands in coeval shallow marine environments. Size distributions and microtexture data allowed us to infer a climate change to more arid conditions in the Iberian Basin during the mid‐Cretaceous. The grain size of the sands in the late Aptian to early Cenomanian shallow‐marine deposits in the western sub‐basins of the Maestrazgo Basin (Teruel, Spain) is almost exclusively in the range between 1.5 and 3 Φ (0.35–0.125 mm), reflecting a prolonged or at least recurrent preselection of aeolian sands. The palaeolatitude of 25°N showed a change from a warm humid climate during the Lower Cretaceous to an arid desert climate in the eastern sector of Iberia during the late Aptian–early Cenomanian. Winds supplied abundant desert sand to the estuarine and deltaic sedimentary environments where it was worked up in sandy sub‐ and intertidal facies with a striking absence of mud in cross‐bedded sets which otherwise clearly reflect the influence of a semi‐diurnal tidal system.     

Geochemical Characteristics of Eolian Deposits in the Chengdu Plain of Sichuan Province and the Implications for Provenance

In this study Chengdu Red Earth （CRE） from the Chengdu Plain （CP）,Sichuan province,was analyzed for its elemental （major and trace elements） and isotopic （Sm-Nd） geochemistry and compared with Pleistocene loess and paleosol samples from the Chinese Loess Plateau （CLP） in Northern China.The geochemical composition of CRE is similar to north China loess,and also resembles the average UCC.This indicates that CRE,as loess deposits in Northern China,was derived from well-mixed sedimentary protoliths that have undergone numerous upper crustal recycling processes.However,obvious differences in the geochemical characteristics of CRE and the north China loess are also revealed in our results.For chemically stable elements,CRE has higher Ti,Zr,Hf and lower ΣREE,Ba contents in comparison with loess samples from the CLP.Further analysis shows that CRE has higher TiO2/Al2O3,SiO2/Al2O3,Ba/Rb and lower Ce/Yb,Eu/Yb,LaN/YbN and ΣLREE/ ΣHREE ratios.In Sm-Nd isotopic geochemistry,Sm and Nd content and the εNd（0） value in CRE are significantly higher than those in north China loess.The higher TiO2 content in CRE coincided with a high background concentration of Ti in the Sichuan Basin and the surrounding regions.The lower ΣREE and higher Sm,Nd,εNd（0） values are related to the wide distribution of basalt in the southwest Sichuan Basin.The elemental and isotopic geochemistry of CRE indicates that eolian materials in the CP predominantly come from the Sichuan Basin and the surrounding regions,which differs from loess deposits in the CLP.     

Geochronology,Geochemistry and Petrogenesis of Diabase Dyke Swarms in East Tianshan,Xinjiang, NW China

Diabase dyke swarms are widespread in the East Tianshan and Beishan regions. LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb ages of these diabase vary from 305 Ma to 278 Ma, showing that these dykes were formed during Late Carboniferous-Early Permian magmatism. All diabase samples are subalkali calc-alkali, characterized by slight LREE and LILEs enrichment, and weak negative Ti, Nb and Ta anomalies. The diabase samples have positive εNd(t) values (>+3), high Sr isotopic compositions (initial 87Sr/86Sr values=0.7030-0.7097), and large variation of Pb isotopic compositions, indicating they were derived from a deplete mantle source. Regional geology and geochemistry evidences indicate that these diabase dyke swarms were generated in a lithosphere extensional setting and had the same magma sources. Initial magmas may be a mixture of depleted asthenosphere mantle and enriched lithospheric mantle during rapid magma ascending.