The palaeontology, correlation and sedimentation of the Proterozoic sequence in the Hamersley Range, Western Australia, are discussed. Fossil calcareous algal growths, such as stromatolites and onkolites are described, as well as possible medusoid impressions. These indicate shallow water accumulation of the sediments and provide evidence of the extensive existence of plant and animal life in the Late Precambrian of Western Australia. Distinctive stromatolites are shown to characterize various levels in the Proterozoic succession. A descending sequence of stromatolite assemblages is proposed denoted by:
Collenia frequens—Conophyton cf. inclinatum
Collenia australasica—C. undosa
C. cf. kona—C. brockmani
C. sp. aff. multiflabella.
Emphasis is placed on the possible significance of these calcareous algae for correlation and age subdivision of the Proterozoic of Western Australia and its relation to other Precambrian successions. 相似文献
Silicic pumices formed during explosive volcanic eruptions are faithful recorders of the state of the magma in the conduit,
close to or at the fragmentation level. We have characterized four types of pumices from the non-welded rhyolitic Kos Plateau
Tuff, which erupted 161,000 years ago in the East Aegean Arc, Greece. The dominant type of pumice (>90 vol.%) shows highly
elongated tubular vesicles. These tube pumices occur throughout the eruption. Less common pumice types include: (1) “frothy”
pumice (highly porous with large, sub-rounded vesicles), which form 5–10 vol.% of the coarsest pyroclastic flow deposits,
(2) dominantly “microvesicular” and systematically crystal-poor pumices, which are found in early erupted, fine-grained pyroclastic
flow units, and are characterized by many small (<50 μm in diameter) vesicles and few mm-sized, irregular voids, (3) grey
or banded pumices, indicating the interaction between the rhyolite and a more mafic magma, which are found throughout the
eruption sequence and display highly irregular bubble shapes. Except for the grey-banded pumices, all three other types are
compositionally identical and were generated synchronously as they are found in the same pyroclastic units. They, therefore,
record different conditions in the volcanic conduit leading to variable bubble nucleation, growth and coalescence. A total
of 74 pumice samples have been characterized using thin section observation, SEM imagery, porosimetry, and permeametry. We
show that the four pumice types have distinct total and connected porosity, tortuosity and permeability. Grey-banded pumices
show large variations in petrophysical characteristics as a response to mingling of two different magmas. The microvesicular,
crystal-poor, pumices have a bimodal bubble size distribution, interpreted as reflecting an early heterogeneous bubble nucleation
event followed by homogeneous bubble nucleation close to fragmentation. Finally, the significant differences in porosity,
tortuosity and permeability in compositionally identical tube and frothy pumices are the result of variable shear rates in
different parts of the conduit. Differential shear rates may be the result of either: (1) pure shear, inducing a vertical
progression from frothy to tube and implying a relatively thick fragmentation zone to produce both types of pumices at the
same time or (2) localized simple shear, inducing strongly tubular vesicles along the wall and near-spherical bubbles in the
centre of the conduit and not necessarily requiring a thick fragmentation zone. 相似文献
Metamorphism in the late Permian to early Cretaceous North Island basement greywackes has been investigated using petrography and clay mineral crystallinity. Several terranes are represented in the North Island greywackes and the study area includes Murihiku, Manaia Hill, Bay of Islands and Omahuta terranes and the Mélange Zone. Very low-grade metamorphic events in the greywackes have produced mineral assemblages of zeolite to pumpellyite-actinolite greywacke facies. Zeolite facies greywackes are characterized by the assemblage Zeo (Lmt, Anl, Hul)+Qtz±Ab±Cal± Chl±I±I/S* observed in the entire Murihiku terrane and in the eastern part of the Bay of Islands terrane and the Mélange Zone. The entire Manaia Hill, most of the Bay of Islands, the eastern area of the Omahuta terranes and the central part of the Mélange Zone are at prehnite-pumpellyite facies with mineral assemblages of Prh+Qtz+Chl+Pmp+Ab+± Ill±Cal±Lmt. Pumpellyite-actinolite facies with the mineral assemblage of Pmp±Act+Qtz+Ab+Chl±Ep±Ill±Cal±Chl occurs in the western part of the Mélange Zone and the Omahuta terrane.
Illite (IC) and chlorite (ChC) crystallinity values of greywackes are very similar and range from diagenetic zone to anchizone. Metamorphic conditions indicated by the IC and ChC and mineral facies are in excellent agreement and correlate as follows: crystallinity diagenetic-zone with the zeolite mineral facies, crystallinity lower anchizone with prehnite-pumpellyite mineral facies and crystallinity upper anchizone with pumpellyite-actinolite mineral facies. The general increase in the metamorphic grade from east to west, except in Murihiku terrane, is compatible with the sequence of accretion expected in a subduction environment. 相似文献
Geological mapping and structural analysis of the Talas Ala Tau (Tien Shan, Kyrgyz Republic) have revealed a complex structure composed of folds with axial-plane cleavage and thrust faults verging towards the NE. The main structures of the range correspond to minor Tertiary and Carboniferous–Permian deformation superimposed on the main deformation event that took place during the Baikalian orogeny. The pervasive axial-plane cleavage diminishes in penetrativity from the hinterland to the foreland in both the Uzunakhmat and Karagoin sheets. The main thrusts developed phyllonitic shear-related rocks on the hangingwall immediately above the thrust planes. A crystal-chemical study of the phyllosilicates growth during the Baikalian deformation event along a cross-section revealed changes in the crystallinity, composition and lattice parameters of them. The phyllosilicates present in the Talas Ala Tau rocks were crystallized in very low-grade metamorphic conditions, that is below 300 °C, as indicated by their Kübler Index (KI), which decreases from SW towards the NE. Detailed TEM study of the phyllosilicates reveals a clear textural difference at the lattice level between samples with higher or lower KI parameters. There is also a clear difference in crystal-chemical parameters (KI and b) and composition between the phyllosilicates growth in relation to the axial-plane cleavage and the ones belonging to the thrust-related phyllonites. The first ones are more affected by the ferrimuscovitic vector than the phyllosilicates of phyllonites, closer to the theoretical phengitic component. Huge ranges of values of phengitic content of micas at sample level are interpreted as the result of a decompression path from at least 8 kbar. We propose a subduction geodynamic environment for the regional deformation and the origin of the phyllosilicates, as they are similar to those obtained in more recent accretionary complexes. 相似文献