Crustal structure of the Ruby Mountains and southern Carlin Trend region, Nevada, from magnetotelluric data

We have collected about 150 magnetotelluric (MT) soundings in northeastern Nevada in the region of the Ruby Mountains metamorphic core complex uplift and southern Carlin mineral trend, in an effort to illuminate controls on core complex evolution and deposition of world-class gold deposits. The region has experienced a broad range of tectonic events including several periods of compressional and extensional deformation, which have contributed to the total expression of electrical resistivity. Most of the soundings reside in three east–west profiles across increasing degrees of core uplift to the north (Bald Mountain, Harrison Pass, and Secret Pass latitudes). One short cross-line was also taken to assess an east–west structure to the north of the northern profile. Model resistivity cross-sections were derived from the MT data using a 2-D inversion algorithm, which damps departures of model parameters from an a priori structure. Geological interpretation of the resistivity combines previous seismic, potential field and isotope models, structural and petrological models for regional compression and extension, and detailed structural/stratigraphic interpretations incorporating drilling for petroleum and mineral exploration. To first order, the resistivity structure is one of a moderately conductive, Phanerozoic sedimentary section fundamentally disrupted by intrusion and uplift of resistive crystalline rocks. Late Devonian and early Mississippian shales of the Pilot and Chainman Formations together form an important conductive marker sequence in the stratigraphy and show pronounced increases in conductance (conductivity–thickness product) from east to west. These increases are attributed to graphitization caused by Elko–Sevier era compressional shear deformation and possibly by intrusive heating. The resistive crystalline central massifs adjoin the host stratigraphy across crustal-scale, steeply dipping fault zones. The zones provide pathways to the lower crust for heterogeneous, upper crustal induced, electric current flow. Resistive core complex crust appears steeply bounded under the middle of the neighboring grabens and not to deepen at a shallow angle to arbitrary distances to the west. The numerous crustal breaks imaged with MT may contribute to the low effective elastic thickness (T_e) estimated regionally for the Great Basin and exemplify the mid-crustal, steeply dipping slip zones in which major earthquakes nucleate. An east–west oriented conductor in the crystalline upper crust spans the East Humboldt Range and northern Ruby Mountains. The conductor may be related to nearby graphitic metasediments, with possible alteration by middle Tertiary magmatism. Lower crustal resistivity everywhere under the profiles is low and appears quasi one-dimensional. It is consistent with a low rock porosity (<1 vol.%) containing hypersaline brines and possible water-undersaturated crustal melts, residual to the mostly Miocene regional extension. The resistivity expression of the southern Carlin Trend (CT) in the Pinon Range is not a simple lineament but rather a family of structures attributed to Eocene intrusion, stratal deformation, and alteration/graphitization. Substantial reactivation or overprinting by core complex uplift or Basin–Range extensional events seems likely. We concur with others that the Carlin Trend may result in part from overlap of the large Eocene Northeast Nevada Volcanic Field with Precambrian–Paleozoic deep-water clastic source rocks thickening abruptly to the west of the Pinon Range, and projecting to the north–northwest.     

用大地电磁法研究构造走向及维性特征

介绍了大地电磁GB张量分解法及其对它的改进法 ,可确定出更可靠更真实的区域构造走向 .将分解结果结合传统的座标旋转法所确定的视电阻率、相位、走向、偏离度等响应函数及维权参数进行分析 ,可得到更详细的电性结构维性质信息 .对兰州地区的实测资料研究表明 ,区域电性结构主体呈 2 D结构 ,走向方向大致为南北或东西向     

兰州地区深部电性结构的初步研究

利用兰州地区现有的大地电磁资料，对该区的深部电性结构进行了初步研究。结果表明，兰州地区各地质构造单元的电性差异较明显，与区域构造有较好的对应性。     

大地电磁自适应正则化反演算法

针对大地电磁正则化反演中正则化因子的选取困难问题提出了自适应正则化反演算法（Adaptive Regularized Inversion Algorithm, ARIA）. 在该算法中， ①提出了一种新的数据方差处理方法：数据方差规范化，使得数据方差的大小只对数据的拟合发生影响，不对数据目标函数和模型约束目标函数的权重产生影响，从而减少了正则化因子取值的影响因素；②提出了粗糙度核矩阵的概念，并给出了由基本结构插值基函数计算粗糙度核矩阵的公式，使得模型目标函数的构建更为简便、直接；③根据数据目标函数、模型约束目标函数和正则化因子之间的关系，提出了两种正则化因子自适应调节方法. 本文详细阐述了最平缓模型约束下的大地电磁一维连续介质反演的ARIA实现，以几个算例的分析比较来说明ARIA的有效性.     

Regional geoelectric structure beneath Deccan Volcanic Province of the Indian subcontinent using magnetotellurics

Understanding deep continental structure and the seismotectonics of Deccan trap covered region has attained greater importance in recent years. For imaging the deep crustal structure, magnetotelluric (MT) investigations have been carried out along three long profiles viz. Guhagarh–Sangole (GS), Sangole–Partur (SP), Edlabad–Khandwa (EK) and one short profile along Nanasi–Mokhad (NM). The results of GS, SP and NM profiles show that the traps lie directly over high resistive basement with thin inter-trappean sediments, where large thickness of sediments, of the order of 1.5–2.0 km, has been delineated along EK profile across Narmada–Son–Lineament zone. The basement is intersected by faults/fractures, which are clearly delineated as narrow steep conducting features at a few locations. The conducting features delineated along SP profile are also seen from the results of aeromagnetic anomalies. Towards the southern part of the profile, these features are spatially correlated with Kurduwadi rift proposed earlier from gravity studies. Apart from the Kurduwadi rift extending to deep crustal levels, the present study indicates additional conductive features in the basement. The variation in the resistivity along GS profile can be attributed to crustal block structure in Koyna region. Similar block structure is also seen along NM profile.Deccan trap thickness, based on various geophysical methods, varies gradually from 1.8 km towards west to 0.3 km towards the east. While this is the general trend, a sharp variation in the thickness of trap is observed near Koyna. The resistivity of the trap is more (150–200 Ω m) towards the west as compared to the east (50–60 Ω m) indicating more compact or denser nature for the basalt towards west. The upper crust is highly resistive (5000–10,000 Ω m), and the lower crust is moderately resistive (500–1000 Ω m). In the present study, seismotectonics of the region is discussed based on the regional geoelectrical structure with lateral variation in the resistivity of the basement and presence of anomalous conductors in the crust.     

Deep electrical structure over the igneous arc of the Indo Burman Orogen in Sagaing province,Myanmar from magnetotelluric studies

Magnetotelluric studies over the igneous arc of the Indo Burman range in the Sagaing province of Myanmar have delineated the high resistivity Indian plate subducting westwards beneath the Burmese block to depths of 30 km and beyond. The thick moderately resistive (20–100 Ω m) layer overlying the subducting Indian plate may be due to the low resistivity sediments. The entire region is covered with prominent sedimentary layer with a conductance varying between 20 and 3000 S showing a general increase from the east to west, suggesting that their thickness increases toward the west. The large unsystematic variations in the conductance are indicative of the widely varying depositional environments and also possible vertical block movements during the course of their deposition. A west dipping low resistivity zone to the east of Burmese block seems to demarcate its eastern limit, suggesting the possibility of a hitherto unknown deep seated fault, which is also supported by the several earthquake foci located over this zone. The nature of the crustal movements over this fault is not immediately apparent. Possibility exists that the Sagaing fault is an en echelon fault and the present feature observed here is a part of this en echelon fault. The possibility of channel flows of the weakened rocks in the deep crust observed in the vicinity of the eastern Himalayan syntaxis may also cause such low resistivity zones.     

部分区域约束下的交叉梯度多重地球物理数据联合反演

交叉梯度联合反演方法通过对多种地球物理模型实现结构耦合,在岩石物性关系不确定的情况下,既能提高反演结果的可靠性,又能减少反演的多解性,还能减少不同方法解释结果之间的矛盾.当不同的模型观测数据覆盖范围不一致时,交叉梯度联合反演通常需要取出重叠区域数据进行联合反演,并且建模时还要扩展一些模型范围.本文首先提出并实现了部分区域约束下的交叉梯度多重地球物理数据联合反演算法;接着进行了算法的模型试算;最后,我们将该反演算法用于本溪—集安深部地质调查重磁电综合地质地球物理解释中.结果表明:该算法不但能在重叠区域内很好地恢复结构相似的模型,而且在非重叠区域与重叠区域的边界处仍然可以得到平滑变化的模型;在本溪—集安10号剖面所获得的结构上相似的电阻率、密度及磁化率模型较好地反映了该区的深部地质结构,对于确定深部地质体的性质提供了有力的证据.     

海岸效应对近海地区大地电磁测深数据畸变作用研究

在近海地区采集的大地电磁测深数据通常受到海岸效应的影响,使得大地电磁测深数据发生畸变,因而很难利用大地电磁测深资料较为可靠地获得地下深部的电性结构.本文通过正演模拟方法,分析和总结海水深度变化和海底地形变化对近海地区大地电磁测深数据的畸变影响.当测区与海岸线的距离小于目标频率的大地电磁场趋肤深度时,高导海洋的存在会严重影响测区内电磁场的分布.由于海岸效应的影响,大地电磁测深视电阻率曲线和相位曲线均会发生不同程度的畸变,在低频部分,这种畸变作用尤为明显.大地电磁测深一维Occam反演方法和二维非线性共轭梯度反演方法,对近海地区浅部地层具有较好的反演效果.随着海水深度的增加和海底地形的复杂变化,两种反演方法均会出现不同程度的假异常,为地质解释工作造成了影响.近渤海地区的实测大地电磁测深数据在低频部分可能受到海岸效应的影响而导致视电阻率曲线的严重畸变.     

磁相变与地壳地球物理异常

我们曾提出过一种可能导致地磁和地壳电导率异常的来源：地壳中的二级磁相变,即居里（尼尔）深度附近磁化率的显著提高.这一现象能很好地解释一些来源不明的地磁异常.本文总结了在中地壳深度处、薄且高磁导率异常体的一维和多维大地电磁特征.高磁导率层引起的异常与高电导率层导致的异常相比,大小上可相比拟,但符号相反.无论在什么情况下,经典的大地电磁解释容易导致一个不真实的极厚高阻层,并且在地磁异常附近有与之对应的空间波长,二级磁相变也被认为是这一现象的可能解释.尽管在地壳中是否存在二级磁相变还有一定争议,但最近的一些固体物理实验结果进一步表明它可能是地壳各种地球物理异常的来源之一.     

The Central India Tectonic Zone: A geophysical perspective on continental amalgamation along a Mesoproterozoic suture

The Central India Tectonic Zone (CITZ) is a prominent divide and a major suture zone between the North Indian and South Indian crustal blocks. The resistive upper crust as modeled in the magnetotelluric data from CITZ suggests a dominant tonalite–trdondhjemite–granodiorite composition associated with an accretionary complex characterized by mainly felsic rock components. The highly conductive bodies in this zone might represent mafic/ultramafic-layered intrusives derived from a deeper reservoir of underplated basaltic magma related to the formation of the Cretaceous Deccan flood basalts. The uniformly thick mafic lower crust below the cratons on both sides of the suture is interpreted as the accreted remnants of Archaean and Paleoproterozoic subducted slabs. We redefine the nature of deep faults traversing the CITZ, which were described as steep and penetrating the Moho by previous workers, and classify them as listric faults with gentle dips at depth.Seismic reflection data from the eastern side of the suture suggest a northwestward subduction of the Bhandara Craton. Reflection data from the central part of the CITZ show northerly dip in the southern part suggesting northward subduction of the Dharwar Craton. However, an opposite trend is observed in the northern part of the suture with a southward dip of the Bundelkhand craton. Based on these features, and in conjunction with existing magnetotelluric models, we propose a double-sided subduction history along the CITZ. This would be similar to the ongoing subduction–accretion process in the western Pacific region, which possibly led to the development of paired collision-type and Pacific-type orogens. One important feature is the domal structure along the central part of the suture with a thick felsic crust occurring between mafic and intermediate crust. The high resistivity felsic domain suggests underplated sediments/felsic crust that would have caused the doming. Our model also accounts for the extrusion of regional metamorphic belts at the orogenic core, and the occurrence of high pressure–ultrahigh-temperature paired metamorphic belts within the suture.