The Okavango giant mafic dyke swarm (NE Botswana): its structural significance within the Karoo Large Igneous Province

The structural organization of a giant mafic dyke swarm, the Okavango complex, in the northern Karoo Large Igneous Province (LIP) of NE Botswana is detailed. This N110°E-oriented dyke swarm extends for 1500 km with a maximum width of 100 km through Archaean basement terranes and Permo-Jurassic sedimentary sequences. The cornerstone of the study is the quantitative analysis of N>170 (exposed) and N>420 (detected by ground magnetics) dykes evidenced on a ca. 80-km-long section lying in crystalline host-rocks, at high-angle to the densest zone of the swarm (Shashe area). Individual dykes are generally sub-vertical and parallel to the entire swarm. Statistical analysis of width data indicates anomalous dyke frequency (few data <5.0 m) and mean dyke thickness (high value of 17 m) with respect to values classically obtained from other giant swarms. Variations of mean dyke thicknesses from 17 (N110°E swarm) to 27 m (adjoining and coeval N70°E giant swarm) are assigned to the conditions hosting fracture networks dilated as either shear or pure extensional structures, respectively, in response to an inferred NNW–SSE extension. Both fracture patterns are regarded as inherited brittle basement fabrics associated with a previous (Proterozoic) dyking event. The Okavango N110°E dyke swarm is thus a polyphase intrusive system in which total dilation caused by Karoo dykes (estimated frequency of 87%) is 12.2% (6315 m of cumulative dyke width) throughout the 52-km-long projected Shashe section. Assuming that Karoo mafic dyke swarms in NE Botswana follow inherited Proterozoic fractures, as similarly applied for most of the nearly synchronous giant dyke complexes converging towards the Nuanetsi area, leads us to consider that the resulting triple junction-like dyke/fracture pattern is not a definitive proof for a deep mantle plume in the Karoo LIP.     

Linear volcanoes along the Pacific-Cocos plate boundary, 9°N to the Galapagos triple junction

A Seabeam-based reconnaissance of the 500 km of the East Pacific Rise crest between 7°N and 2°40′N shows that the axial ridge is segmented by four 4–13 km non-transform offsets into an en echelon string of distinctively different linear volcanoes. These axial volcanoes are oriented orthogonal to relative plate motion, except where their overlapping ends veer 15° toward each other and where small intra-volcano offsets of their crestal rift zones create abrupt kinks. Longitudinal gradients of the crestlines are less than 5 m/km, except where they plunge at rift-zones' overlapped ends and where they rise locally to small axial peaks. Transverse profiles vary from trapezoidal to triangular, with a steep shield-shaped cross-section being most common. Conventional sounding data indicate that this pattern continues to the 140 km-offset Siqueiros transform fault system at 8.2°N. Within this fault system is a short spreadingcenter volcano contained in a rift valley that links two strike-slip fault zones. Immediately to the north is the shallow 9.0°–8.3°N axial volcano, with unusual relief mapped by a deeply towed instrument package. At the southern end of the plate boundary, as the rise crest enters the region of the Pacific-Cocos-Nazca triple junction, the axial ridge narrows, deepens, and acquires a more irregular long profile. South of 2°30′N the rise crest has a 15 km-wide rift valley that contains multiple volcanic ridges with north-south strikes. Structural hypotheses suggested or supported by these morphologic observations include a point-source magma supply to the spreading center from mantle diapirs, the along-strike continuity of axial magma chambers on fast-spreading rises, even across small rift-zone offsets, and the importance of magma intrusion as well as eruption for building the axial ridge. Hypotheses inconsistent with the new data include magma supply and long-distance dispersal from a few widely spaced plumes, primary control of the topographic, volcanic, and tectonic characteristics of the rise crest by distance from transform faults, and localization of triple junctions over major mantle upwellings.     

四川攀西地区几个小型镁铁-超镁铁岩体含矿性的铂族元素示踪

峨眉山大火成岩省内带,四川攀西地区的杨合伍、黄草坪和清水河等镁铁-超镁铁岩体分布在南北向的安宁河断裂和磨盘山-元谋断裂之间。分析表明,这些岩体无矿岩石与金宝山、杨柳坪、力马河等含矿岩体无矿岩石具有相似的铂族元素组成,普遍较高的Cu/Pd比值暗示这些岩体的母岩浆在侵入到目前层位前经历过硫化物熔离作用。定量模拟计算表明,原始岩浆经过大约0.01%的硫化物熔离作用形成了杨合伍岩体母岩浆,经过0.035%硫化物熔离形成了黄草坪和清水河岩体的母岩浆。根据硫化物熔离情况,认为杨合伍等岩体底部可能形成Ni-Cu-(PGE)硫化物矿床,而黄草坪和清水河岩体之下及附近可能存在Ni-Cu硫化物矿化的岩体。     

Along strike changes in the structural evolution over a brittle detachment fault: Example of the Pleistocene Corinth–Patras rift (Greece)

The Patras, Corinth, and northern Saronic gulfs occupy a 200-km-long, N120° trending Pleistocene rift zone, where Peloponnese drifts away from mainland Greece. The axes of Patras and Corinth basins are 25 km apart and linked by two transfer-fault zones trending N040°. The older one defines the western slope of Panachaïkon mountain, and the younger one limits the narrow Rion–Patras littoral plain. Between these two faults, the ca. 4-km-thick Rion–Patras series dips 20–30° SSW. It is part of the Patras gulf synrift deposits, which pile in an asymmetric basin governed by a fault dipping ca. 25–35° NNE, located in the southern Gulf of Patras. Mapping of this fault to the east in northern Peloponnese shows that it is an inactive north-dipping low-angle normal fault (0° to 30°N), called the northern Peloponnese major fault (NPMF). The structural evolution of the NPMF was different in the gulfs of Patras and Corinth. In the Gulf of Patras, it is still active. In northern Peloponnese, footwall uplift and coeval southward tilting flattened the fault and locked its southern part. Steeper normal faults formed north of the locked area, connecting the still active northern part of the NPMF to the surface. After several locks, the presently active normal faults (Psathopyrgos, Aigion, Helike) trend along the southern shore of the Gulf of Corinth. This migration of faults caused the relative 25 km northward shift of the Corinth basin, and the formation of NE–SW trending transfer-faults between the Corinth and Patras gulfs.     

Paleomagnetism of Middle Proterozoic mafic intrusions and Upper Proterozoic (Nankoweap) red beds from the Lower Grand Canyon Supergroup, Arizona

Paleomagnetic data from lavas and dikes of the Unkar igneous suite (16 sites) and sedimentary rocks of the Nankoweap Formation (7 sites), Grand Canyon Supergroup (GCSG), Arizona, provide two primary paleomagnetic poles for Laurentia for the latest Middle Proterozoic (ca. 1090 Ma) at 32°N, 185°E (dp=6.8°, DM=9.3°) and early Late Proterozoic (ca. 850–900 Ma) at 10°S, 163°E (dp=3.5°, DM=7.0°). A new ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age determination from an Unkar dike gives an interpreted intrusion age of about 1090 Ma, similar to previously reported geochronologic data for the Cardenas Basalts and associated intrusions. The paleomagnetic data show no evidence of any younger, middle Late Proterozoic tectonothermal event such as has been revealed in previous geochronologic studies of the Unkar igneous suite. The pole position for the Unkar Group Cardenas Basalts and related intrusions is in good agreement with other ca. 1100 Ma paleomagnetic poles from the Keweenawan midcontinent rift deposits and other SW Laurentia diabase intrusions. The close agreement in age and position of the Unkar intrusion (UI) pole with poles derived from rift related rocks from elsewhere in Laurentia indicates that mafic magmatism was essentially synchronous and widespread throughout Laurentia at ca. 1100 Ma, suggesting a large-scale continental magmatic event. The pole position for the Nankoweap Formation, which plots south of the Unkar mafic rocks, is consistent with a younger age of deposition, at about 900 to 850 Ma, than had previously been proposed. Consequently, the inferred 200 Ma difference in age between the Cardenas Basalts and overlying Nankoweap Formation provides evidence for a third major unconformity within the Grand Canyon sequence.     

Paleoproterozoic mafic dyke swarms of the Belomorian Province,eastern Fennoscandian Shield

Paleoproterozoic mafic igneous rocks (2450–1970 Ma) are exposed in the form of layered intrusions, dykes, and volcanic rocks in the Karelian, Kola and Murmansk provinces and in the form of dykes and small intrusions in the Belomorian Province, Eastern Fennoscandian Shield. The age and sequence of mafic dyke emplacement during the Paleoproterozoic are very similar in these regions. Further comparisons of geochemical characteristics of mafic dyke swarms in the Belomorian Province and neighboring cratons show considerable similarities.     

Complex geometry and segmentation of the surface rupture associated with the 14 November 2001 great Kunlun earthquake, northern Tibet, China

The 14 November 2001 Kunlun, China, earthquake with a moment magnitude (M_w) 7.8 occurred along the Kusai Lake–Kunlun Pass fault of the Kunlun fault system. We document the spatial distribution and geometry of surface rupture zone produced by this earthquake, based on high-resolution satellite (Landsat ETM, ASTER, SPOT and IKONOS) images combined with field measurements. Our results show that the surface rupture zone can be divided into five segments according to the geometry of surface rupture, including the Sun Lake, Buka Daban–Hongshui River, Kusai Lake, Hubei Peak and Kunlun Pass segments from west to east. These segments, each 55 to 130 km long, are separated by step-overs. The Sun Lake segment extends about 65 km with a strike of N45° 75°W (between 90°05′E 90°50′E) along the previously unrecognized West Sun Lake fault. A gap of about 30 km long exists between the Sun Lake and Buka Daban Peak where no obvious surface ruptures can be observed either from the satellite images or field observations. The Buka Daban–Hongshui River, Kusai Lake, Hubei Peak and Kunlun Pass segments run about 365 km striking N75° 85°W along the southern slope of the Kunlun Mountains (between 91°07′E 94°58′E). This segmentation of the surface rupture is well correlated with the pattern of slip distribution measured in the field. Detailed mapping suggest that these five first-order segments can be further separated into over 20 second-order segments with a length of 10–30 km, linked by smaller scale step-overs or bends.Our result also shows that the total coseismic surface rupture length produced by the 2001 Kunlun earthquake is about 430 km (excluding the 30-km-long gap), which is the longest coseismic surface rupture for an intracontinental earthquake ever recorded.Finally, we suggest a multiple bilateral rupture propagation model that shows the rupture process of the 2001 M_w 7.8 earthquake is complex. It consists of westward and eastward rupture propagations and interaction of these bilateral rupture processes.     

Thermal maturity of a fold–thrust belt based on vitrinite reflectance analysis in the Western Foothills complex, western Taiwan

Burial depth, cumulative displacement, and peak temperature of frictional heat of a fault system are estimated by thermal analysis in the fold–thrust belt of the Western Foothills complex, western Taiwan based on the vitrinite reflectance technique. The regional thermal structure across the complex reveals that the rocks were exposed to maximum temperatures ranging from 100 °C to 180 °C, which corresponds to a burial depth of 3.7–6.7 km. A large thermal difference of 90 °C were observed at the Shuilikeng fault which make the eastern boundary of the fold–thrust belt where it is in contact with metamorphic rock of Hsuehshan Range. The large thermal difference corresponds to cumulative displacements on the Shuilikeng fault estimated to be in the range of 5.2–6.9 km. However, thermal differences in across the Shuangtung and Chelungpu faults cannot be determined apparently due to small vertical offsets. The large displacement observed across the Shuilikeng fault is absent at the other faults which are interpreted to be younger faults within the piggyback thrust system. Localized high temperatures adjacent to fault zones were observed in core samples penetrating the Chelungpu fault. Three major fracture zones were observed at core lengths of 225 m, 330 m, and 405 m and the two lower zones which comprise dark gray narrow shear zones. A value of vitrinite reflectance of 1.8%, higher than the background value of 0.8%, is limited at a narrow shear zone of 1 cm thickness at the fracture zone at 330 m. The estimated peak temperature in the range of 550–680 °C in the shear zone is far higher than the background temperature of 130 °C, and it is interpreted as due to frictional heating during seismic faulting.     

A sheeted dyke complex within the Coolac Ophiolite,southeastern New South Wales

A unit composed of sheeted dykes and an associated unit of sodic felsic rocks have been found within the Coolac Ophiolite, about 5 km east of Coolac township, southeastern N.S.W. The dyke complex consists of small multiple dykes intruding gabbro screens. About half the dykes are basaltic in composition and half are ande‐sitic. Felsic differentiates occur as minor intrusions within the dyke complex, and also constitute the sodic felsic unit. It is suggested that the dyke complex and associated felsic rocks be included in the Honeysuckle Beds, and that the absence of a mappable dyke unit further south within the Honeysuckle Beds is caused by tectonic dismembering of the ophiolite. The dyke complex bears considerable resemblance to the sheeted dyke members of other ophiolite sequences. However, the scale of development is roughly 10 times smaller than at Troodos or Newfoundland, and one‐way chilling is not well developed. The mechanism of intrusion in the Coolac dyke complex therefore is probably not symmetrical spreading about a well defined axis, but a diffuse injection of small multiple dykes within a relatively broad extensional zone. The environment in which such a mechanism might develop, and which is suggested by geochemical evidence, including the high proportion of intermediate and felsic rocks, is that of a small basin adjacent to or within an island‐arc system.     

Palaeomagnetism and aeromagnetic modelling of the Mesoproterozoic Ntimbankulu pluton, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa: mushroom-shaped diapir?

The aeromagnetic signature of the Mesoproterozoic Ntimbankulu porphyritic granite-charnockite pluton, southern KwaZulu-Natal, is conspicuously circular. Surface geological mapping of the area broadly confirms such a geometry: the pluton is expressed topographically as an annulur ring of marginal hills, composed of porphyritic granite, surrounding a low-lying central core underlain by charnockite. The pluton forms one of the least deformed of ten major granite-charnockite intrusions known collectively as the Oribi Gorge Suite. The suite, which has been dated at 1050 Ma, intrudes the Mzumbe and Margate Terranes of the 1.1 Ga Natal Metamorphic Province. A palaeomagnetic study was performed on samples from the pluton and the surrounding country rock gneisses. The measured directions of magnetisation of the different sites were combined to calculate the virtual palaeomagnetic pole position of the pluton, which was determined at 27°N and 327°E. This is consistent with previously published poles from the Namaqua-Natal Metamorphic Belt. The magnetic parameters derived during the palaeomagnetic study were integrated into the aeromagnetic data to model three selected magnetic profiles across the pluton. The aim was to test the hypothesis that the pluton has a mushroom-shaped 3D form with remnants of Mapumulo Group gneiss situated underneath, and dipping towards, the pluton. It is concluded that these remnants of gneiss with their negative inclination are responsible for the ring dyke like signature of the aeromagnetic data.     

Seismotectonics of Taiwan

High-quality seismicity data and focal mechanism solutions obtained during 1973–1983 by the permanent Taiwan Telemetered Seismographic Network and several temporary local seismographic networks are used for a detailed study of the seismotectonics of the Taiwan area. Seismicity distribution in southern Taiwan clearly reveals an east-dipping Benioff zone which has a thickness of about 30 km and begins to deepen along 121°E at a dip angle of 55°–60°. The leading edge of this Benioff zone reaches a depth of about 180 km between 21°N and 22°N, but tapers off to a shallower depth of about 100 km from 22°N to 23°N. The presence of this seismic zone implies that subduction of the South China Sea plate under the Philippine Sea plate extends from Luzon northward to about 23°N. The position of the northern boundary of the South China Sea plate, as tentatively defined according to the seismicity distribution, passes through southern Taiwan from the offshore area in the Taiwan Strait west of Kaohsiung in an east-northeast direction to the Taitung area where a triple junction probably lies. Seismicity is found to disappear abruptly below a certain depth in many parts of Taiwan. This phenomenon may be attributed to the frictional to quasiplastic transition in the crust or upper mantle. Comparison of shallow seismicity with surface faults and fractures shows that all areas of active shallow seismicity are marked by densely-developed faults and fractures. However, the converse is not necessarily true. This may be partly due to the relatively short duration of seismicity data and partly due to excessive weakening of some of the severely faulted and fractured areas. Finally, focal mechanism solutions for west central Taiwan and the Kuangfu-Fuli area in eastern Taiwan predominantly show a maximum horizontal compression in the SE-NW direction which can be related to collision between the Eurasian and Philippine Sea plates. However, focal mechanism solutions for both the Hualien area in eastern Taiwan and the Tainan area in southwestern Taiwan show remarkable irregularities which may result from local tectonic complexities.     

Tectonic Control of the Triassic Santa Maria Supersequence of the Paraná Basin, Southernmost Brazil, and its Correlation to the Waterberg Basin, Namibia

The Middle and Late Triassic Santa Maria Basin, exposed in southernmost Brazil, and Waterberg Basin, in Namibia, are herein interpreted as part of en échelon small basins in southern West Gondwana. The main structures are the Waterberg-Omaruru Fault which can be connected to a NW-strike anastomosed fault zone in Brazil. Based on field structural and stratigraphic analysis two populations of NW-strike fractures, named A-type and B-type, are recognized. A-type fractures (Az = 280°-290°) occur in the Sanga do Cabral Supersequence, underlying units of Santa Maria Basin, as extension of the Waterberg-Omaruru Fault during the Early Triassic. B-type fractures (Az = 295°-345°) are observed in all studied stratigraphic units, from the Triassic Sanga do Cabral Supersequence to the Early Cretaceous Botucatu/Serra Geral formations. Based on the structural analysis we propose that NNE-SSW extension reactivated structures of the Damara Belt, Namibia, with a propagation towards Rio Grande do Sul State forming an anastomosing normal fault system and related-rift basin by Early-Middle Triassic time. The A-type fractures were preferentially active by this phase and the B-type ones are interpreted as secondary link segments within the anastomosing system. During the Gondwana break-up and South Atlantic opening (rift to proto-oceanic phase, Aptian) the B-type fractures were reactivated as normal faults by N50°E-S50°W extension.     

阿尔金山南缘长沙沟—清水泉一带镁铁-超镁质杂岩体Cu-Ni-PGE含矿性讨论

尽管阿尔金南缘长沙沟-清水泉一带在空间上彼此分隔的4个镁铁-超镁质岩体(或岩体群)在岩石学、岩相学、地球化学上存在着差异,但它们的形成时代均为中奥陶世(~465 M a左右)。其中,分布于阿尔金南缘主断裂南侧的清水泉南—长沙沟中段—黄土泉的岩体,超镁铁岩(包括纯橄岩-橄榄岩-辉橄岩-橄辉岩)中的橄榄石Fo值较高(变化于95~85),且自东向西呈现非常有规律的递减;而北侧的清水泉北岩体辉橄岩中橄榄石的Fo值较低(变化于81~79)。结合各岩体的岩石地球化学特征和岩浆演化过程及橄榄石中N i的含量变化规律,对这些杂岩体形成的地质背景和Cu-N i-PGE含矿可能性作简要讨论。     

The bimodal rift-related Juscelândia volcanosedimentary sequence in central Brazil: Mesoproterozoic extension and Neoproterozoic metamorphism

The Barro Alto Complex and Juscelândia volcanosedimentary sequence are exposed in the central part of the Neoproterozoic Brasília belt of central Brazil. The former is a large (approximately 150 km long), boomerang-shaped, mafic-ultramafic, layered complex formed by two different intrusions metamorphosed under granulite facies. These rocks are tectonically overlain by rocks of the Juscelândia volcanosedimentary sequence, represented mainly by biotite-gneiss and amphibolite, or amphibolite facies metamorphic equivalents of rhyolite and basalt, respectively. New SIMS U–Pb zircon data and Sm–Nd isochron data presented herein help clarify the igneous and metamorphic evolution of the Juscelândia volcanosedimentary sequence, as well as its relationship with the Barro Alto Complex. Zircon grains from two biotite gneisses were analyzed by SIMS (SHRIMP) and indicate Mesoproterozoic dates, approximately 1.28 Ga, interpreted as the time of bimodal volcanism in a tectonic setting transitional between a continental rift and an ocean basin. Metamorphism is constrained by Sm–Nd garnet-whole-rock isochrons for garnet amphibolite and pelitic schists of the Juscelândia sequence, as well as for clinopyroxene-garnet amphibolite and garnet granulite of the Barro Alto Complex, which give ages between 0.74 and 0.76 Ga, in agreement with SIMS dates for metamorphic zircon rims. These new data are significant, because they establish that a single metamorphic event affected both the Barro Alto Complex and the Juscelândia sequence. Based on these new data, we present a modified tectonic model for the Brasília belt.     

Overprinted strike-slip deformation in the southern Valley and Ridge in Pennsylvania

Two major faults, over 32 km long and 6.4 km apart, truncate or overprint most previous folds and faults as they trend more northerly than the previous N25°E to N40°E fold trends. The faults were imposed as the last event in a region undergoing sequential counter-clockwise generation of tectonic structures. The western Big Cove anticline has an early NW verging thrust fault that emplaces resistant rocks on its NW limb. A 16 km overprint by the Cove Fault is manifested as 30 small northeast striking right-lateral strike-slip faults. This suggests major left-lateral strike-slip separation on the Cove Fault, but steep, dip-slip separation also occurs. From south to north the Cove Fault passes from SE dipping beds within the Big Cove anticline, to the vertical beds of the NW limb. Then it crosses four extended, separated, Tuscarora blocks along the ridge, brings Cambro-Ordovician carbonates against Devonian beds, and initiates the zone of overprinted right-lateral faults. Finally, it deflects the Lat 40°N fault zone as it crosses to the next major anticline to the northwest. To the east, the major Path Valley Fault rotates and overprints the earlier Carrick Valley thrust. The Path Valley Fault and Cove Fault may be Mesozoic in age, based upon fault fabrics and overprinting on the east–west Lat 40°N faults.     

The Salamón gold deposit (León, Spain)

Located 55 km NE of the provincial capital León, Salamón deposit, discovered in 1985, is located on the southern slope of the Cantabrian Mountains, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. The deposit is located on the León fault, which is a late-Variscan, E–W trending, deep structure extending for more than 100 km. The León fault has a complex history, and many mines and occurrences are located near it. The deposit is also close to small stocks and dykes of igneous rocks with intermediate to basic composition to which the mineralisation is related. The mineralisation is hosted mainly by the limestones and bituminous shales of the Lena Group (Namurian–Westphalian). There is also some mineralisation in other stratigraphic units of the Upper Carboniferous, such as the Maraña Group or the Stephanian B sediments.Apart from local and regional exploration, a detailed mineralogical and metallogenic research has been carried out. The epithermal mineralisation of Salamón was developed in two phases: an early dominant and extensive stage, with very fine crystalline gold-bearing sulphides, mainly pyrite, arsenic-bearing pyrite and arsenopyrite, in a matrix of quartz–chalcedony (jasperoid) and dolomite, and a later stage, of a larger crystal size, which occurs replacing the early stage or in pockets and veins, with greater mineralogical variety. Last of all there is a stage of supergene mineralisation, a product of the oxidant action of meteoric waters over the previous minerals. The hydrothermal alterations of the host rocks related to the orebodies are fundamentally decarbonatisation–dolomitisation, silicification and argillitisation. The early stages of mineralisation were produced in a temperature of 148–241°C, while that in the later stages occurred at 86–123°C. The early stage has been dated as 269±5 Ma, and this agrees with the ages of the other deposits of the district, which lay between 292 and 263 Ma, and the igneous rocks of the Peña Prieta stock (277±1 Ma), all which are of Permian age.The results of the studies carried out until now lead to the conclusion that Salamón is a Carlin-type gold deposit.     

豫西小秦岭地区太华杂岩中花岗质片麻岩的元素地球化学及其构造意义

豫西小秦岭地区太华杂岩中花岗质片麻岩为古老侵入岩,主要由黑云斜长片麻岩、黑云钾长片麻岩和黑云二长片麻岩等类型岩石组成,具有ＴＴＧ岩系的组成特征,元素地球化学特征反映其形成于类似现代板块碰撞带的构造环境．     

Geometry and growth of an inner rift fault pattern: the Kino Sogo Fault Belt, Turkana Rift (North Kenya)

A quantitative analysis is presented of the scaling properties of faults within the exceptionally well-exposed Kino Sogo Fault Belt (KSFB) from the eastern part of the 200-km-wide Turkana rift, Northern Kenya. The KSFB comprises a series of horsts and grabens within an arcuate 40-km-wide zone that dissects Miocene–Pliocene lavas overlying an earlier asymmetric fault block. The fault belt is 150 km long and is bounded to the north and south by transverse (N50°E and N140°E) fault zones. An unusual feature of the fault system is that it accommodates very low strains (<1%) and since it is no older than 3 Ma, it could be characterised by extension rates and strain rates that are as low as 0.1 mm/yr and 10⁻¹⁶ s⁻¹, respectively. Despite its immaturity, the fault system comprises segmented fault arrays with lengths of up to 40 km, with individual fault segments ranging up to 9 km in length. Fault length distributions subscribe to a negative exponential scaling law, as opposed to the power law scaling typical of other fault systems. The relatively long faults and segments are, however, characterised by maximum throws of no more than 100 m, providing displacement/length ratios that are significantly below those of other fault systems. The under-displaced nature of the fault system is attributed to early stage rapid fault propagation possibly arising from reactivation of earlier underlying basement fabrics/faults or magmatic-related fractures. Combined with the structural control exercised by pre-existing transverse structures, the KSFB demonstrates the strong influence of older structures on rift fault system growth and the relatively rapid development of under-displaced fault geometries at low strains.     

Geochemistry of the Shushui Complex,South Shanxi Province,China

The Shushui Complex can be divided into three rock units based on field investigation, petrography and geochemistry:(1) felsic gneisses, (2) supracrustal rocks consisting of amphibolite, marble and quartzite, and (3) late granites. Of the complex, felsic gneisses are dominant and formed in the Late Archaean, which were intruded by a basic dyke with a whole-rock Rb-Sr isochron age of 2264±219 Ma. The data on rare-earth elements as well as on major and trace elements presented for most of the rock types making up the complex suggest that (1) basic gneisses were produced by partial melting of mantle peridotite, followed by fractional crystallization, and (2) felsic gneisses produced by varying degree of melting of a mafic source. The most suitable tectonic setting to account for the generation of both types would be similar to the underplate setting.     

High level igneous emplacements in the Red Sea Hills,Sudan

Over one hundred non-orogenic ring complexes comprising various proportions of granites, gabbros, syenites and some carbonatites occur in a belt 250 km wide by 700 km N-S in eastern Sudan. The intrusions and related dyke swarms cut Precambrian gneisses, greenschist assemblages, batholithic granites and late acid effusives and appear to be early Palaeozoic and late Mesozoic in age. Structural alignments are rare but the complexes cluster along old interplate suture zones. Tin, tungsten and molybdenum mineralization is known in Egyptian ring complexes, and is to be expected in this newly recognized province.