Northward younging zircon fission‐track ages from 13 to 2 Ma in the eastern extension of the Kathmandu nappe and underlying Lesser Himalayan sediments distributed to the south of Mt. Everest

This study is concerned with the tectono‐thermal history of the Kathmandu nappe and the underlying Lesser Himalayan sediments (LHS) that are distributed in eastern Nepal. We carried out zircon fission‐track(ZFT) dating and obtained 16 ZFT ages from the eastern extension of the Kathmandu nappe, the Higher Himalayan Crystalline, Kuncha nappe, and the Main Central Thrust (MCT) zone. The ZFT ages of the frontal part of the Kathmandu nappe range from 13.0 ±0.8 Ma to 10.7 ±0.7 Ma and exhibit a northward‐younging tendency. These Middle Miocene ZFT ages indicate that the frontal part of the Kathmandu nappe remained at a temperature above 240 °C until the termination of its southward emplacement at 12–11 Ma. The ZFT ages of the LHS range from 11.1 ±0.9 Ma in the southern part of the Okhaldhunga Window to 2.4 ±0.3 Ma of the augen gneiss in the northern margin and also exhibit a northward‐younging age distribution. The ZFT ages show the northward‐younging linear distribution pattern (?0.16 Ma/km) along the across‐strikesection from the frontal part of the Kathmandu nappe to the root zone, without a significant age gap. This distribution pattern indicates that the Kathmandu nappe, the underlying MCT zone, and the Kuncha nappe cooled from the frontal zone to the root zone as a thermally united geologic body at a temperature below 240 °C. An older ZFT age (456.3 ±24.3 Ma), which was partially reset at the axial part of the Midland anticlinorium in the central part of the Okhaldhunga Window, was explained by downward heating from the “hot” Kathmandu nappe. The above evidence supported a model that southward emplacement of the hot Kathmandu nappe resulted in a thermal imprint on the upper part of the LHS; however, the lower part did not reach 240 °C.     

Low‐temperature thermochronological database of bedrock in the Japanese Islands

To provide better access to thermochronological data and understand the long‐term denudation history of the Japanese Islands, we compiled a low‐temperature thermochronological dataset of fission‐track (FT) and (U–Th–Sm)/He (He) ages for apatite and zircon in bedrocks. These thermochronometric ages are compiled from 90 literature sources and 1,096 localities, and include 418 apatite FT ages, 851 zircon FT ages, 42 apatite He ages, and 30 zircon He ages. Many FT ages have been reported previously; however, the number of He ages is limited in the Japanese Islands. The compiled data are spatially biased; for instance, more data are reported for the Chubu and Kinki districts and the Pacific coast of the Shikoku Island, whereas less data were available for the Tohoku and Chugoku districts. For better understanding arc‐scale uplift‐denudation history, further thermochronological research in the lesser‐studied regions and more He thermochronometric measurements are desired. This compilation will be updated and provided on the website of the Fission‐Track Research Group in Japan ( http://ftrgj.org/index.html ).     

青藏高原东南缘大凉山新生代隆升建造过程——多封闭系统低温热年代学与热模型限制

长波长、低起伏度大凉山构造带新生代隆升剥露与建造过程是解译青藏高原东向扩展过程的关键核心地区之一.本文基于大凉山构造带喜德剖面和沐川剖面9件样品的多封闭系统低温热年代学年龄(即磷灰石(U-Th)/He(AHe)、磷灰石裂变径迹(AFT)和锆石(U-Th)/He(ZHe))定年,揭示出多封闭系统热年代学年龄与古岩性柱深度具有明显的正相关性,即伴随古岩性柱深度增大,多封闭系统热年代学年龄明显减小.喜徳剖面多封闭系统低温热年代学AHe、AFT和ZHe年龄值分别为7—9Ma、14—22Ma和25—38Ma;沐川剖面多封闭系统低温热年代学AHe和AFT年龄值分别为10—26Ma、23—85Ma,ZHe年龄值为未完全退火年龄.多封闭系统热年代学和QTQt热史模拟揭示,大凉山构造带喜徳和沐川剖面岩性柱所有样品都经历大致相似的三阶段热演化过程,尤其是晚新生代快速隆升剥露阶段(30—20 Ma以来),其平均剥露速率分别为~0.15mm·a-1和~0.20mm·a-1,抬升剥露量分别为~3.0km和~1.5km.结合区域低温热年代学特征的大凉山构造带地表隆升动力学模型,揭示出重力均衡作用下地壳缩短与剥露作用(即构造隆升剥露机制)控制形成了现今大凉山造山带长波长、低起伏和高海拔地貌建造过程.     

中天山科克苏河地区隆升剥蚀历史——来自(U-Th)/He年龄的制约

天山是中亚造山带重要组成部分,其中-新生代构造热演化及隆升剥露史研究是认识中亚造山带构造变形过程与机制的关键.本文应用磷灰石(U-Th)/He技术重建中天山南缘科克苏河地区中-新生代构造热演化及隆升剥蚀过程.磷灰石(U-Th)/He数据综合解释及热演化史模拟表明该地区至少存在晚白垩世、早中新世、晚中新世3期快速隆升剥蚀事件,起始时间分别为~90Ma、~13Ma及~5Ma,且这3期隆升剥蚀事件在整个天山地区具有广泛的可对比性.相对于磷灰石裂变径迹,磷灰石(U-Th)/He年龄记录了中天山南缘地质演化史中更新和更近的热信息,即中天山在晚中新世(~5 Ma)快速隆升剥蚀,其剥蚀速率为~0.47mm·a~(-1),剥蚀厚度为~2300m.总体上,中天山科克苏地区隆升剥蚀起始时间从天山造山带向昭苏盆地(由南向北)逐渐变老,表明了中天山南缘隆升剥蚀存在不均一性,并发生了多期揭顶剥蚀事件.     

利用磷灰石裂变径迹对断层摩擦生热探测或测量的初步探讨

以青藏高原东北缘断裂带为研究对像,对利用磷灰石裂变径迹热年代学对地震断层滑动摩擦生热的探测或测量进行了初步探讨。其基本思路是利用磷灰石裂变径迹热年代计的热敏感,通过对横跨断层垂直方向断层岩和围岩的磷灰石裂变径迹年龄及围限径迹长度分布的对比分析,对断层滑动摩擦生热进行探测。本次研究对来自3个断层剖面的13个样品进行了磷灰石裂变径迹分析,样品包括断层主滑动面上的断层泥、碎裂岩和断层围岩,分析结果并没有获得断层摩擦生热的证据,表明这些断层在地震滑动过程中的摩擦增温非常有限,没有达到磷灰石裂变径迹热年代计体系可加载热信息的温度－时间要求。结合前人已有的相关研究,对利用磷灰石裂变径迹热年代学对地震断层滑动摩擦生热进行探测或测量存在的主要问题及可行性进行了初步总结和探讨,认为只适应于对震级大、断层滑动距离和速率大,摩擦强度强,位于一定深度有大量摩擦热生成,并使断层附近增温达到或超过磷灰石裂变径迹部分或完全退火温度的断层进行滑动摩擦生热的探测或测量,将是一种潜在的能对地震断层滑动摩擦生热或增温进行测量的“热量计或温度计”。     

四川盆地南部地区新生代隆升剥露研究——低温热年代学证据

本文通过背斜褶皱变形与低温热年代学年龄(磷灰石和锆石(U-Th)/He、磷灰石裂变径迹)端元模型研究,约束低起伏度、低斜率地貌特征的四川盆地南部地区新生代隆升剥露过程.四川盆地南部沐川和桑木场背斜地区新生代渐新世-中新世发生了相似的快速隆升剥露过程(速率为~0.1 mm/a、现今地表剥蚀厚度1.0~2.0 km),反映出盆地克拉通基底对区域均一性快速抬升冷却过程的控制作用.川南沐川地区磷灰石(U-Th)/He年龄值为~10-28.6 Ma, 样品年龄与古深度具有明显的线性关系,揭示新生代~10-30 Ma以速率为0.12±0.02 mm/a的稳态隆升剥露过程.桑木场背斜地区磷灰石裂变径迹年龄为~36-52 Ma,古深度空间上样品AFT年龄变化不明显(~50 Ma)、且具有相似的径迹长度(~12.0 μm).磷灰石裂变径迹热演化史模拟表明桑木场地区经历三个阶段热演化过程:埋深增温阶段(~80 Ma以前)、缓慢抬升冷却阶段(80-20 Ma)和快速隆升剥露阶段(~20 Ma-现今),新生代隆升剥露速率大致分别为~0.025 mm/a和~0.1 mm/a.新生代青藏高原大规模地壳物质东向运动与四川盆地克拉通基底挤压,受板缘边界主断裂带差异性构造特征控制造就了青藏高原东缘不同的边界地貌特征.     

Post‐Palaeozoic uplift history of southeastern Australia revisited: Results from a process‐based model of landscape evolution

Digital elevation models (DEMs) are widely relied upon as representations of the Earth's topographic morphology. The most widely used global DEMs available are ETOPO5, TerrainBase and JGP95E at a 5‐arc‐minute spatial resolution, and the GTOPO30 and GLOBE (version 1) global DEMs at a 30‐arc‐second spatial resolution. This paper presents the results of intercomparisons of these global DEMs over Australia, and with the GEODATA 9‐arc‐second DEM (version 1) of Australia. These DEMs were also compared to an independently produced, altimeter‐derived orthometric height database. This allows not only a totally independent assessment of the quality of these different DEMs over Australia, but also an insight into the ERS‐1 radar altimeter's ability to measure orthometric heights on land. The results of all these comparisons reveal large differences among the DEMs, with the greatest difference between JGP95E and ETOPO5 (mean 49 m, standard deviation ±274 m). The comparison with the altimeter‐derived database shows good agreement with the version 1 GEODATA DEM (mean 2 m, standard deviation ±27 m), thus demonstrating that the altimeter is a viable method for quality assessment of DEMs in lowland regions. A further conclusion is that the representation of the Australian land surface in both the JGP95E and TerrainBase global DEMs is more accurate than the higher resolution GLOBE (version 1) global DEM, even though JGP95E displays a disparity along the 140°E meridian because of the different data sources used in its construction.     

Late Neoproterozoic to Holocene thermal history of the Precambrian Georgetown Inlier,northeast Australia

Carboniferous‐Permian volcanic complexes and isolated patches of Upper Jurassic — Lower Cretaceous sedimentary units provide a means to qualitatively assess the exhumation history of the Georgetown Inlier since ca 350 Ma. However, it is difficult to quantify its exhumation and tectonic history for earlier times. Thermochronological methods provide a means for assessing this problem. Biotite and alkali feldspar ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar and apatite fission track data from the inlier record a protracted and non‐linear cooling history since ca 750 Ma. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages vary from 380 to 735 Ma, apatite fission track ages vary between 132 and 258 Ma and mean track lengths vary between 10.89 and 13.11 μm. These results record up to four periods of localised accelerated cooling within the temperature range of ～320–60°C and up to ～14 km of crustal exhumation in parts of the inlier since the Neoproterozoic, depending on how the geotherm varied with time. Accelerated cooling and exhumation rates (0.19–0.05 km/10⁶ years) are observed to have occurred during the Devonian, late Carboniferous‐Permian and mid‐Cretaceous — Holocene periods. A more poorly defined Neoproterozoic cooling event was possibly a response to the separation of Laurentia and Gondwana. The inlier may also have been reactivated in response to Delamerian‐age orogenesis. The Late Palaeozoic events were associated with tectonic accretion of terranes east of the Proterozoic basement. Post mid‐Cretaceous exhumation may be a far‐field response to extensional tectonism at the southern and eastern margins of the Australian plate. The spatial variation in data from the present‐day erosion surface suggests small‐scale fault‐bounded blocks experienced variable cooling histories. This is attributed to vertical displacement of up to ～2 km on faults, including sections of the Delaney Fault, during Late Palaeozoic and mid‐Cretaceous times.     

Diffusion Coefficients of Noble Gases in Natural Minerals: An Apparent Experimental Time Dependence Caused by Domain Size Spectra

Noble gas diffusion coefficients in natural minerals are of use for evaluating geochronometric dates and other geochemical data. Usually, they are determined by degassing at elevated temperatures grain powders of natural samples containing radiogenic or cosmogenic noble gases. For conventional evaluations of diffusion parameters from degassing experiments, the grains should be uniform with respect to structure, composition, shape, and size. The shape and size prerequisites can hardly be fulfilled, because even two very narrowly meshed sieves produce spectra of domain sizes, partly because of the inhomogeneity of the minerals. Accurate determination of the actual spectrum is difficult and hardly practicable. Calculations of the fractional gas loss of a sample with a spectrum of domain sizes, presented in this study, show that almost any domain size spectrum leads to apparent diffusion coefficients that depend on the extent of degassing. The exception of this rule is given. The deviation from the physical diffusion coefficient can be several orders of magnitude as shown by examples. This effect, resulting from shape and width of the domain size spectra, possibly is responsible both for the large spread of Arrhenius parameters for the same mineral in the literature and for the deviation from linearity of some published Arrhenius lines. For limited domain size spectra and short degassing times, the formula for fractional gas loss is very similar to the formula of the fractional gas loss of a single domain size. An effective domain radius, which ensures that at least the measured diffusion coefficient for very short degassing times equals the physical diffusion coefficient, is given. In addition, the dimensionless treatment of the problem is presented that leads to a method to determine Arrhenius parameters without knowing the domain size spectrum. Accurate diffusion measurements of samples with a spectrum of domain sizes may also be possible if the domain size spectrum is taken into consideration. To this end the domain size spectra should be approximated by Taylor-expandable functions or by series of discrete domain sizes. For both cases, the formulae are given.