Exposure dating and reinterpretation of coarse debris accumulations (‘rock glaciers’) in the Cairngorm Mountains,Scotland

Relict rock glaciers have considerable potential for contributing to palaeoclimatic reconstruction, but this potential is often undermined by lack of dating control and problems of interpretation. Here we reinvestigate and date four proposed ‘rock glaciers’ in the Cairngorm Mountains and show that the morphology of only one of these appears consistent with that of a true rock glacier produced by creep of underlying ice or ice‐rich sediment. All four features comprise rockslide or rock avalanche runout debris, and the possibility that all four represent unmodified runout accumulations cannot be discounted. Surface exposure dating of the four debris accumulations using cosmogenic ¹⁰Be produced uncertainty‐weighted mean ages of 15.4 ± 0.8 ka, 16.2 ± 1.0 ka, 12.1 ± 0.6 ka and 12.7 ± 0.8 ka. All four ages imply emplacement under cold stadial conditions, two prior to the Windermere Interstade of ca. 14.5–12.9 cal. ka BP and two during the Loch Lomond Stade of ca. 12.9–11.5 cal. ka BP. The above ages indicate that paraglacial rock‐slope failure on granite rockwalls occurred within a few millennia after deglaciation. The mean exposure ages obtained for runout debris at two sites – Strath Nethy (16.2 ± 1.0 ka) and Lairig Ghru (15.4 ± 0.8 ka) – are consistent with basal radiocarbon ages from Loch Etteridge, 22 km to the southwest (mean = 15.6 ± 0.3 cal. ka BP) and imply widespread deglaciation of the Cairngorms and adjacent valleys before 15 ka and possibly 16 ka. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

湖南雪峰山地区沈家垭金矿成矿学及年代学研究

湘西沈家垭大型金矿是雪峰山地区颇具代表性的金矿床介绍,矿体分布于新元古界板溪群马底驿组第四岩性段中,矿化作用严格受北东东向沃溪和香草湾等深大断裂和唐浒坪复式背斜的联合控制。本次研究获得该矿床含金石英脉RbSr等时线年龄为90.6±3.2Ma,表明成矿作用发生于晚白垩世,成矿作用可能与燕山期区域性大规模的逆冲推覆作用密切相关,矿床成因类型为构造热液型。     

赣南崇义—大余—上犹矿集区不同类型含矿石英中白云母40Ar/39Ar年龄及其地质意义

崇义—大余—上犹矿集区是世界著名的黑钨矿床集中区,本文选择钨锡多金属硫化物石英脉型（柯树岭和漂塘矿床）和锡钨石英脉型（仙鹅塘矿床）3个矿床石英中的白云母开展40Ar/39Ar年代学研究,测得坪年龄分别是：钨锡多金属硫化物石英脉型是 158.9 ± 1.4 Ma（漂塘）、158.8 ± 1.2 Ma（柯树岭）;钨锡石英脉型的是231.4 ± 2.4 Ma（仙鹅塘）,在反等时线图上,其对应的截距年龄分别是158.8 ± 1.6 Ma、158.7 ± 1.9Ma和232.5 ± 2.4 Ma。由此表明,在崇余犹矿集区内存在两个不同成矿时期,即以黑钨矿为主的多金属硫化物石英脉型矿床形成于中侏罗世,集中于160~150Ma之间,与南岭地区钨锡矿床的主成矿期是一致的;而以锡石为主的,并含有大量白钨矿的石英脉型矿床可形成于印支期     

Late Cenozoic Stratigraphy and Paleomagnetic Chronology of the Zanda Basin, Tibet, and Records of the Uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The characteristics of Late Cenozoic tectonic uplift of the southern margin of the Qinghai- Tibet Plateau may be inferred from fluvio-lacustrine strata in the Zanda basin, Ngari, Tibet. Magnetostratigraphic study shows that the very thick fluvio-lacustrine strata in the basin are 5.89- 0.78 Ma old and that their deposition persisted for 5.11 Ma, i.e. starting at the end of the Miocene and ending at the end of the early Pleistocene, with the Quaternary glacial stage starting in the area no later than 1.58 Ma. Analysis of the sedimentary environment indicates that the Zanda basin on the southern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau began uplift at -5.89 Ma, later than the northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Presence of gravel beds in the Guge and Qangze Formations reflects that strong uplift took place at -5.15 and -2.71 Ma, with the uplift peaking at -2.71 Ma.     

中国金矿床(Ⅰ):成矿理论研究新进展

针对中国近年来金矿床学领域研究工作,综合讨论了金矿床成矿学理论研究方面的主要进展。它们集中体现在①大型一超大型金矿床;②区域成矿学与成矿系统;③造山带成矿与造山型金矿：从俯冲（增生）造山到碰撞造山成矿的显著发展;④成矿系列、成矿谱系到成矿体系研究;⑤热点、地幔柱及其多级演化：从边缘成矿到板内成矿;⑥成矿时代：从模糊到精确;⑦现代金矿成矿的实时模型;⑧从板块构造演化、超越板块构造到成矿地球动力学等8个方面。     

内蒙古兴安盟杜尔基岩体特征研究

内蒙古兴安盟杜尔基岩体位于大兴安岭中南段,岩性主要为中—细粒二长花岗（斑）岩、中—粗粒二长花岗岩、细粒二长花岗岩。岩石化学分析结果属于碱性岩系列,具有高硅、高钾、富碱、过铝、贫铁、镁、钙特征。稀土元素总量平均值为112．43μg／g,球粒陨石标准化曲线整体平缓右倾,具有Eu负异常;微量元素蛛网图解表现为“W”型形态．具有明显的Sr、Ba、Ti负异常,反映了强烈的分离结晶作用存在。4个样品K-Ar全岩法测年结果为100．15-120．29Ma,说明岩体形成于早白垩世。反映杜尔基地区在早自垩世可能处于相对稳定的拉张环境。     

Evaluating the mobility of137Cs,239+240Pu and210Pb from their distributions in laminated lake sediments

Post-depositional mobility of¹³⁷Cs,^239+240Pu and²¹⁰Pb was assessed in six small lake basins by comparing sedimentary nuclide profiles with their known fallout history. Laminae couplets, when present, were determined to be varves because the¹³⁷Cs and^239+240Pu 1963 fallout peaks are present in laminae couplets corresponding to years 1962–1964. There is no evidence of mobility of²¹⁰Pb, because 1) mass accumulation rates based on²¹⁰Pb agree with those based on¹³⁷Cs and^239+240Pu peak depths and with those based on varve counts, and 2)²¹⁰Pb ages agree with varve ages. Significant mobility of¹³⁷Cs is evident from the penetration of¹³⁷Cs to depths 15–20 cm deeper than^239+240Pu. Deep penetration of¹³⁷Cs in spite of a sharp gradient below the peak is interpreted by a numerical model to suggest that¹³⁷Cs is present in two distinct forms in these sediments, 67–82% as an immobile form and 18–33% reversibly adsorbed with a K _d of approximately 5000. The profiles can be interpreted equally well assuming a small portionof the total¹³⁷Cs was present as an extremely mobile phase (K _d 5000) in the months to years following peak fallout, slowly becoming more strongly adsorbed. High NH ₄ ⁺ concentrations in porewaters may enhance diffusion of the mobile form of¹³⁷Cs, but not of the immobile form of¹³⁷Cs that defines the sharp gradient. Mobility of¹³⁷Cs is likely also enhanced by the low clay content and the high porosity of these sediments. Thus the first detection of¹³⁷Cs in the sediments cannot automatically be assumed to correspond to a date of 1952 (initial testing of thermonuclear weapons), although the depth of the peak can be assumed to correspond to 1963 (the year of maximum fallout from testing of thermonuclear weapons).^239+240Pu is a more reliable sediment chronometer than¹³⁷Cs because it is significantly less mobile.This is the sixth of a series of papers to be published by this journal following the 20 ^th anniversary of the first application of²¹⁰Pb dating of lake sediments. Dr P.G. Appleby is guest editing this series.     

Exposure ages from relict lateral moraines overridden by the Fennoscandian ice sheet

Lateral moraines constructed along west to east sloping outlet glaciers from mountain centred, pre-last glacial maximum (LGM) ice fields of limited extent remain largely preserved in the northern Swedish landscape despite overriding by continental ice sheets, most recently during the last glacial. From field evidence, including geomorphological relationships and a detailed weathering profile including a buried soil, we have identified seven such lateral moraines that were overridden by the expansion and growth of the Fennoscandian ice sheet. Cosmogenic ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al exposure ages of 19 boulders from the crests of these moraines, combined with the field evidence, are correlated to episodes of moraine stabilisation, Pleistocene surface weathering, and glacial overriding. The last deglaciation event dominates the exposure ages, with ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al data derived from 15 moraine boulders indicating regional deglaciation 9600 ± 200 yr ago. This is the most robust numerical age for the final deglaciation of the Fennoscandian ice sheet. The older apparent exposure ages of the remaining boulders (14,600-26,400 yr) can be explained by cosmogenic nuclide inheritance from previous exposure of the moraine crests during the last glacial cycle. Their potential exposure history, based on local glacial chronologies, indicates that the current moraine morphologies formed at the latest during marine oxygen isotope stage 5. Although numerous deglaciation ages were obtained, this study demonstrates that numerical ages need to be treated with caution and assessed in light of the geomorphological evidence indicating moraines are not necessarily formed by the event that dominates the cosmogenic nuclide data.     

湖南及邻区地壳旋转的可能成因、对大地构造演化的影响及其与大规模成矿作用关系初探

在湖南及邻区,无论从地表的地质构造还是地球物理场上,都表现出明显的环状分布特征。这种特征可能是地壳的旋转运动所造成,它对湖南及邻区大地构造的演化、大规模成矿作用等具有重大的影响。本文对这种旋转运动的可能成因,以及所伴随的一系列地质作用、与大规模成矿作用的关系等进行了初步探讨。     

同位素地质学定年方法评述

详细分析了当前同纱年代学的常用定年方法，如K-Ar法，U-Pb法，Rb-Sr法和Sm-Nd法等的适用性和局限性。讨论了地质事件定年过程中存在的一些问题，提出了准确定年的注意事项。