Role of tonalite-trodhjemite-granite (TTG) crust subduction on the mechanism of supercontinent breakup

The tonalite-trondhjemite-granite (TTG) crust has been considered to be buoyant and hence impossible to be subducted into the deep mantle. However, recent studies on the juvenile arc in the western Pacific region indicate that immature island arcs subduct into the deep mantle in most cases, except in the case of parallel arc collision. Moreover, sediment trapped subduction and tectonic erosion are also common. This has important implications in evaluating the role of TTG crust in the deep mantle and probably on the bottom of the mantle. Because the TTG crust is enriched in K, U and Th, ca. 20 times more than that of CI chondrite, the accumulated TTG on the Core Mantle Boundary (CMB) would have played a critical role to initiate plumes or superplumes radiating from the thermal boundary layer, particularly after 2.0 Ga, related to the origin of superplume-supercontinent cycle. This is because selective subduction of oceanic lithosphere including sediment-trapped subduction, tectonic erosion and arc- and microcontinent-subduction proceeded under the supercontinent before the final amalgamation ca. 200-300 million years after the formation of the nuclei. We speculate the mechanism of superplume evolution through the subduction of TTG-crust and propose that this process might have played a dominant role in supercontinent breakup.     

Granite subduction: Arc subduction, tectonic erosion and sediment subduction

Continental growth has been episodic, reflecting the episodic nature of mantle dynamics as well as surface dynamics of the Earth, the net result of which is exhibited by the present mantle with two huge reservoirs of TTG rocks, one on the surface continents and the other on the D″ layer on the Core-Mantle Boundary (CMB). During the early half of the Earth history, the felsic continental crust on the surface which formed in an intra-oceanic environment has mostly been subducted into the deep mantle, except in the rare case of parallel arc collision. The growth history of continental crust shows that with its simultaneous formation, a considerable amount must have also been subducted. Such ongoing subduction processes can be seen in the western Pacific region, through tectonic erosion, arc subduction, and sediment-trapped subduction.     

天山南北麓新生代地理环境演变

本文阐明了晚第三纪以来天山的大幅度隆起及南北麓沉积过程,着重从古植被变化论述了区内新生代的环境演变,并对天山南北麓的沉积环境异同作了对比。文章中首次提出天山地区第三纪以来可分为两个湿润期(古新世-始新世,渐新世晚期-中新世)和三个干旱期(渐新世早中期、上新世、第四纪)。     

Semi-empirical estimation of ground motion using observed records at a site in Shikoku, Japan

A semi-empirical approach using fore- or after-shockrecords as Green's functions is applicable to thesimulation of strong ground motion, however suchrecords are obviously not available for predictionpurposes. Thus we have predicted ground motion fora hypothetical large earthquake from other minorevents by adopting a distance correction based ongeometrical spreading. Another difficulty inprediction is fault modeling. Surface traces weresimplified as fault models 27, 46, 55, and 77 km inlength. Further, the actual fault rupture may beinhomogeneous, so an asperity distribution isassumed. This asperity model assumes thatdislocation and stress drop are double than theaverage values. Although, the near field term isneglected in our simulation, no significantdifference was seen in the motions estimated byindividual models for periods up to 2.0 seconds. This indicates that the dependence of source size issmall for strong motion, perhaps as a result of therandom summation of high-frequency phases.     

Growth of Emerald Crystals by Evaporation of Na2O—MoO3 Flux

Well-formed crystals of emerald, Be3AI2Si6O18:Cr, were easily grown from an Na2O-MoO3 flux by an isothermal technique. The crystal growth was conducted by heating a mixture of solute and flux at 1 100 ℃ for 24 h. The evaporation loss of flux depended on the amount of Na2O added to MoO3. Emerald crystals of lengths up to 2.1 mm and widths of 1. 4 mm were grown. The crystal sizes were dependent on the evaporation loss of the flux. The obtained crystals were transparent and exhibited the typical emerald-green color. The form of the emerald crystals was a twelve-sided prism bounded by well-developed faces. The aspect ratios were in the region of 1. 4 to 2. 3. The density was (2. 64±0.02) g/cm3. The IR absorption bands were in good agreement with the literature data.     

新亚欧大陆桥新疆段沿线人类农业化过程对区域环境演变的影响

本文主要论述了新亚欧大型桥新疆段线人类农业化过程对区域环境演变的影响。指出绿洲内部的环境得到明显改善，而绿洲外部的环境则在不断恶化、必须引起重视。     

昆仑山西段与东段地貌景观差异性探讨

昆仑山是青藏高原北部一个高寒干旱的自然地理单元。它是亚洲中部高峻挺拔的巨型山系之一,跨经度16°以上。山地东段与西段的自然状况明显不同。本文主要论述东、西段地貌景观的差异性:山地西段呈现横向岭谷相间的形态,处于青壮年地貌发展阶段;山地东段以纵向低山与高位山间盆地为特点,高原地貌特征明显,属老年地貌发展阶段。