Alpine metamorphism of Hercynian hornblende granodiorite beneath the blueschist facies schistes lustrés nappe of NE Corsica

Abstract The Hercynian granitic basement which forms the Tenda Massif in NE Corsica represents part of the leading edge of the European Plate during middle-to-late Cretaceous (Eoalpine) high P metamorphism. The metamorphism of this basement, induced by the overthrusting of a blueschist facies (schistes lustrés) nappe, was confined to a major ductile shear zone (c. 1000m thick) within which deformation increases upwards towards the overlying nappe. Metamorphism within the basement mostly records lower blueschist facies conditions (crossite + epidote) except near the base of the shear zone where the greenschist facies assemblage albite + actinolitic amphibole has developed instead of crossite. Study of the primary mafic phase breakdown reactions within hornblende granodiorite reveals the following metamorphic zonation. Zone 1: biotite to chlorite. Towards zone 2: biotite to phengite. Zone 2: Hornblende to actinolitic Ca-amphibole + albite + sphene, and biotite to actinolitic Ca-amphibole + albite + phengite + Ti-ore + epidote. Zone 3: Hornblende to crossite + low Ti-biotite + phengite + sphene, and biotite to crossite + low Ti-biotite + phengite + Ti-ore + sphene ± epidote. P-T conditions at the base of the shear zone are estimated to have been 390-490°C at 600-900 M Pa (6-9kbar) and the Corsican basement is therefore deduced to have been buried to 20-30 km during metamorphism. This relatively shallow metamorphism contrasts with some other areas in the Western Alps where the Eoalpine event apparently buried the European continental crust to depths of 80 km or more. As there is no evidence for a long history of blueschist facies metamorphism prior to the involvement of the European continent, it is deduced that the Eoalpine blueschists were produced during the collision of the Insubric plate with Europe, rather than during Tethyan intraoceanic subduction. Coherent blueschist terrains such as the schistes lustres probably record buovant feature collision and obduction tectonics rather than any preceding oceanic subduction.     

青藏高原多年冻土概论

本文较系统地阐述了青藏高原多年冻土的地带性规律、冻土构造以及融区的类型和分布特征,详细论述了不同作用下形成的冻土(冰缘)地貌,并对青藏高原的冰缘期进行了初步划分与对比。     

A New Interpretation of Centimetre-scale Variations in the Progress of Infiltration-driven Metamorphic Reactions: Case Study of Carbonated Metaperidotite, Val d'Efra, Central Alps, Switzerland

Progress () of the infiltration-driven reaction, 4olivine +5CO₂ + H₂O = talc + 5magnesite, that occurred during Barrovianregional metamorphism, varies at the cm-scale by a factor of3·5 within an 3 m³ volume of rock. Mineral and stableisotope compositions record that X_CO2, ¹⁸O_fluid, and ¹³C_fluidwere uniform within error of measurement in the same rock volume.The conventional interpretation of small-scale variations in in terms of channelized fluid flow cannot explain the uniformityin fluid composition. Small-scale variations in resulted insteadbecause (a) reactant olivine was a solid solution, (b) initiallythere were small-scale variations in the amount and compositionof olivine, and (c) fluid composition was completely homogenizedover the same scale by diffusion–dispersion during infiltrationand subsequent reaction. Assuming isochemical reaction, spatialvariations in image variations in the (Mg + Fe)/Si of the parentrock rather than the geometry of metamorphic fluid flow. Ifinfiltration-driven reactions involve minerals fixed in composition,on the other hand, spatial variations in do directly imagefluid flow paths. The geometry of fluid flow can never be determinedfrom geochemical tracers over a distance smaller than the oneover which fluid composition is completely homogenized by diffusion–dispersion. KEY WORDS: Alpine Barrovian metamorphism; diffusion; metamorphic fluid composition; metamorphic fluid flow; reaction progress     

Prediction of permafrost distribution on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the next 50 and 100 years

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP)has the highestand largest permafrost coverage in the low-middlelatitudes all over the world.With the progress ofChina’s Western Development,human activities areincreasing significantly on the QTP.For instance,theQinghai-Tibet Railway project started in June2001iscurrently under construction,but permafrost problemwill be one of the critical factors for the engineeringconstruction.Frost heave and permafrost settlementmay destroy engineering construction[1,2]…     

The Alpine Rif Belt (Morocco): A Case of Mountain Building in a Subduction-Subduction-Transform Fault Triple Junction

—The Rif belt forms with the Betic Cordilleras an asymmetric arcuate mountain belt (Gibraltar Arc) around the Alboran Sea, at the western tip of the Alpine orogen. The Gibraltar Arc consists of an exotic terrane (Alboran Terrane) thrust over the African and Iberian margins. The Alboran Terrane itself includes stacked nappes which originate from an easterly, Alboran-Kabylias-Peloritani-Calabria (Alkapeca) continental domain, and displays Variscan low-grade and high-grade schists (Ghomarides-Malaguides and Sebtides-Alpujarrides, respectively), shallow water Mesozoic sediments (mainly in the Dorsale Calcaire passive margin units), and infracontinental peridotite slices (Beni Bousera, Ronda). During the Late Cretaceous?-Eocene, the Alboran Terrane was likely located south of a SE-dipping Alpine-Betic subduction (cf. Nevado-Filabride HP-LT metamorphism of central-eastern Betics). An incipient collision against Iberia triggered back-thrust tectonics south of the deformed terrane during the Late Eocene-Oligocene, and the onset of the NW-dipping Apenninic-Maghrebian subduction. The early, HP-LT phase of the Sebtide-Alpujarride metamorphism could be hypothetically referred to the Alpine-Betic subduction, or alternatively to the Apenninic-Maghrebian subduction, depending on the interpretation of the geochronologic data set. Both subduction zones merged during the Early Miocene west of the Alboran Terrane and formed a triple junction with the Azores-Gibraltar transform fault. A westward roll back of the N-trending subduction segment was responsible for the Neogene rifting of the internal Alboran Terrane, and for its coeval, oblique docking onto the African and Iberian margins. Seismic evidence of active E-dipping subduction, and opposite paleomagnetic rotations in the Rif and Betic limbs of the Gibraltar Arc support this structurally-based scenario.     

Characteristics of mineral element content of alpine vegetation in permafrost region on Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The content characteristics of 16 elements (Al, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Sr, and Zn) in 23 plant species collected from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau permafrost region were investigated using ICP-OES. Results show that the average contents of Ca, K, Mg, Fe and P were higher than 1,000 mg/kg, those of Al, Na, Zn and Cr ranged between 10–1,000 mg/kg and those of Cu, Li, Pb and Mo were less than 10 mg/kg. The levels of Al, Ca, K, Mg and Na were within the scope of the reported terrestrial plant element content, those of Sr, Fe and Cr were higher than the average of the terrestrial plants and the maximum content of Mn was higher than the upper limit of the reported Mn content. The main character of the element content was of the Ca>K type, however, in terms of Cyperaceae species the element content character was K>Ca type. The contents of Ca, Li, Mg and Sr in Gramineae and Cyperaceae species were higher than those in other species and the contents of Ca, K, Mg, Fe, P, Al and Na in all collected plants were higher than those of other elements. Zn had weak variability with the lowest coefficient (i.e., 7.81%), while other elements had strong variability. The ratio of maximum content to minimum content indicated Ca and K had less change than other elements in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau permafrost region. Element content of alpine vegetation in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau permafrost region mainly shows a positive correlation, among which the correlation coefficient between Al and Pb, Al and Fe, Mo and Cr, Pb and Fe, Sr and Li were higher than 0.9, and negative correlation had no statistical significance. The correlation between Al and Fe, Mg, Mn in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau permafrost region were consistent with that reported in Kunlun Mountains.     

MULTIDISCIPLINARY INVESTIGATIONS ON THREE ROCK GLACIERS IN THE SWISS ALPS: LEGACIES AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES

This paper recognizes the contribution of Professor Wilfried Haeberli for his inspiration and leadership in the field of permafrost science and his generous encouragement, both direct and indirect, to the ETH Researchers who have, through him, endeavoured to contribute to this fascinating research area. The multidisciplinary investigations described in this paper have focused on three rock glaciers, Muragl, Murtèl‐Corvatsch and Furggwanghorn, all of which have been subject to a varying degree of prior study, and which are continuing to attract new generations of researchers to understand and explain the processes and predict future behaviour. This paper marks a stage at which it is possible to summarize some advances in the state of the art and associated innovations that can be attributed to early motivation by Wilfried Haeberli and offers a tribute as well as gratitude for his ongoing feedback and advice. Some thoughts on the development of thermokarst due to water ponding and flow, and a conceptual model of geotechnical mechanisms that aim to explain some aspects of rock glacier kinematics, are also introduced.     

青海永久冻土区天然气水合物开发的环境影响风险防治

 青海省祁连山南缘多年冻土区发现天然气水合物,这是在我国冻土区的首次发现。虽然青海天然气水合物的发现与开发具有诸如能源战略等重要意义,但在多年冻土区开发天然气水合物具有巨大的环境影响风险,包括CH4释放对全球气候的影响、冻土层的退化和高寒草甸的破坏、开采过程中可能出现的塌方和地陷等。可以通过采用安全可靠的具有针对性的开发技术和工艺,将青海天然气水合物开发纳入柴达木循环经济范畴,采用CO2捕获和封存技术,以及控制工程过程等来防治天然气水合物开发过程中的环境影响。