New data on seismicity of the middle Caspian Basin and their possible tectonic interpretation

Short-term (three months) bottom seismic observations in the area of the Yalam-Samur structure in the Middle Caspian Basin revealed a deep-seated compact zone of mantle-earthquake sources that dips beneath the southeastern Caucasus. To a first approximation, this zone may be interpreted as a seismofocal layer that characterizes thrusting of the Turan Plate under the southeastern Caucasus. However, the obtained spatial distribution of sources of microearthquakes and weak earthquakes is insufficiently reliable owing to the low aperture of the observation network of bottom seismographs. More reliable data on the position and parameters of the seismofocal layer could be obtained by the observation network with a wider spread of bottom seismographs (up to 50–100 km). If this result is confirmed, the current concept of interaction between the Alpine structures of the southeastern Caucasus, Turan, and South Caspian plates should probably be revised. The geotectonics of the Caucasus is preliminarily analyzed in the light of the newly revealed relationships.     

Density inhomogeneities, isostasy and flexural rigidity of the lithosphere in the Transcaspian region

The 3-D lithospheric-density model for the southeastern part of the Caspian Sea and the Transcaspian area, practically coinciding with the territory of the Turkmen Republic, has been constructed based on geophysical data and in accordance with the principle of isostasy. From the model selected the anomalous density of the subcrustal layer between the Moho discontinuity and the 100-km depth level is found to be — 100 kg/m³ under the Tien-Shan, − 50 kg/m³ under the Kopet-Dag mountain area, + 80 kg/m³ under the central region of the South Caspian basin, −50 kg/m³ under the eastern part of the basin, known as the West Turkmenian depression, and + 45 kg/m³ under the Murgab depression.

Significant disturbances of the local isostasy are determined both in the northern and central areas of the South Caspian basin and also in the area of the Kara-Bogaz swell of the Turan platform and for the Kopet-Dag foredeep. indicating a high level of stresses in the lithosphere. The shape of the Turan plate determined by the seismic profiling is accounted for by elastic deformation resulting from the forces acting on the southern edge of the plate in the area of the Turan plate-Kopet-Dag collision. The elastic thickness of the Turan plate is estimated as 25 ± 5 km. The results obtained seem to confirm the idea that the decomposition of the Turan plate has taken place in the zone of the plates interaction and the decomposed material is situated under the Kopet-Dag ridge.

We propose that the Kara-Bogaz swell is supported by the mantle material upwelling whereas the subsidence of the adjacent part of the South Caspian basin may be due to the downgoing mantle flow i.e., a small convection cell is suggested in that area.     

Formation of the superdeep South Caspian basin: subsidence driven by phase change in continental crust

The large hydrocarbon basin of South Caspian is filled with sediments reaching a thickness of 20–25 km. The sediments overlie a 10–18 km thick high-velocity basement which is often interpreted as oceanic crust. This interpretation is, however, inconsistent with rapid major subsidence in Pliocene-Pleistocene time and deposition of 10 km of sediments because the subsidence of crust produced in spreading ridges normally occurs at decreasing rates. Furthermore, filling a basin upon a 10–18 km thick oceanic crust would require twice less sediments. Subsidence as in the South Caspian, of ≥20 km, can be provided by phase change of gabbro to dense eclogite in a 25–30 km thick lower crust. Eclogites which are denser than the mantle and have nearly mantle P velocities but a chemistry of continental crust may occur beneath the Moho in the South Caspian where consolidated crust totals a thickness of 40–50 km. The high subsidence rates in the Pliocene-Pleistocene may be attributed to the effect of active fluids infiltrated from the asthenosphere to catalyze the gabbro-eclogite transition. Subsidence of this kind is typical of large petroleum provinces. According to some interpretations, historic seismicity with 30–70 km focal depths in a 100 km wide zone (beneath the Apsheron-Balkhan sill and north of it) has been associated with the initiation of subduction under the Middle Caspian. The consolidated lithosphere of deep continental sedimentary basins being denser than the asthenosphere, can, in principle, subduct into the latter, while the overlying sediments can be delaminated and folded. Yet, subduction in the South Caspian basin is incompatible with the only 5–10 km shortening of sediments in the Apsheron-Balkhan sill and south of it and with the patterns of earthquake foci that show no alignment like in a Benioff zone and have mostly extension mechanisms.     

New data on mantle seismicity of the Caspian region and their geological interpretation

The results of detailed seismological observations with bottom recording systems carried out in 2004 and 2006 near the Dagestan coast of the Middle Caspian are considered. The records of more than 550 micro- and weak earthquakes with M_L = 0.1–4.7 (M_LH = ?0.7 to 4.3) were obtained during 165 days of recording; a fifth of these earthquakes occurred in the upper mantle at a depth of 50–200 km. Over the entire period of instrumental recording since the 1930s, only 10 mantle earthquakes with M_LH = 3.5?6.3 have been recorded by on-land systems. The highest density of earthquake epicenters with source depths down to 50 km is established on the Middle Caspian coast between Derbent and Izberbash and in the adjacent water area. The mantle earthquakes with hypocenters at a depth of 60–80 km cluster beneath the western wall of the Derbent Basin, whereas deeper hypocenters are located beneath both the wall of this basin and the Middle Caspian coast. The sporadic mantle earthquakes recorded in 2004 (about 30 shocks), determined by a network of systems with a small aperture, depicted a zone plunging beneath the Greater Caucasus with indications of a peculiar “subduction” of the Scythian Plate beneath the Caucasus. Subsequent observations based on a more extensive network were carried out in 2006. They substantially changed the pattern of mantle earthquake hypocenters. According to this evidence, the sources of mantle earthquakes make up a dispersed cloud extended in the vertical direction beneath the Middle Caspian coast and water area, which may be regarded as a relic of tectonic activity of a bygone tectonic epoch. A comprehensive tectonic interpretation of the detected seismological phenomenon is given.     

大南海地区新生代板块构造活动

在新生代澳大利亚板块和欧亚板块之间的大洋中，存在一些地块(微板块)；同时，澳大利亚板块北部边缘的一些地块先后和澳大利亚板块分离，向北运动，与一些和欧亚板块分离出来的地块先后发生碰撞缝合。在此期间，由于地块分离而发生海底扩张，产生许多小洋盆，如南海、苏录海、苏拉威西海、安达曼海等，最后形成了东南亚地区今日的构造景观。笔者从大南海地区新生代的构造演化史之框架来研究南海地区新生代的构造演化历史，认为南海地区新生代的构造活动既与印度板块和欧亚板块的碰撞有关，也与太平洋板块向欧亚板块的俯冲活动有联系；同时，还受到澳大利亚板块向北运动之影响。南海地区在新生代发生过两次海底扩张，第一次海底扩张发生在42～35Ma前．是受印度板块和欧亚板块碰撞而引起欧亚大陆之下向东南方向之地幔流的影响而发生的，其海底扩张方向为NWSE，产生了南海西南海盆；第二次海底扩张发生于32～17Ma前。由于太平洋板块向欧亚板块俯冲，俯冲的大洋岩石圈已达700km深处，阻挡了欧亚大陆的上地幔向东南方向之流动，从而转向南流动。引起南海地区南北向海底扩张，即新生代第二次海底扩张，产生了南海中央海盆。南海新生代洋盆诞生之后，由于大南海地区继续有地块碰撞和边缘海海底扩张，对南海南部地区产生挤压，从而使这里的沉积发生变形，这就引起万安运动(南海南部)。     

Crustal and upper mantle seismic structure of the Australian Plate, South Island, New Zealand

Seismic reflection and refraction data were collected west of New Zealand's South Island parallel to the Pacific–Australian Plate boundary. The obliquely convergent plate boundary is marked at the surface by the Alpine Fault, which juxtaposes continental crust of each plate. The data are used to study the crustal and uppermost mantle structure and provide a link between other seismic transects which cross the plate boundary. Arrival times of wide-angle reflected and refracted events from 13 recording stations are used to construct a 380-km long crustal velocity model. The model shows that, beneath a 2–4-km thick sedimentary veneer, the crust consists of two layers. The upper layer velocities increase from 5.4–5.9 km/s at the top of the layer to 6.3 km/s at the base of the layer. The base of the layer is mainly about 20 km deep but deepens to 25 km at its southern end. The lower layer velocities range from 6.3 to 7.1 km/s, and are commonly around 6.5 km/s at the top of the layer and 6.7 km/s at the base. Beneath the lower layer, the model has velocities of 8.2–8.5 km/s, typical of mantle material. The Mohorovicic discontinuity (Moho) therefore lies at the base of the second layer. It is at a depth of around 30 km but shallows over the south–central third of the profile to about 26 km, possibly associated with a southwest dipping detachment fault. The high, variable sub-Moho velocities of 8.2 km/s to 8.5 km/s are inferred to result from strong upper mantle anisotropy. Multichannel seismic reflection data cover about 220 km of the southern part of the modelled section. Beneath the well-layered Oligocene to recent sedimentary section, the crustal section is broadly divided into two zones, which correspond to the two layers of the velocity model. The upper layer (down to about 7–9 s two-way travel time) has few reflections. The lower layer (down to about 11 s two-way time) contains many strong, subparallel reflections. The base of this reflective zone is the Moho. Bi-vergent dipping reflective zones within this lower crustal layer are interpreted as interwedging structures common in areas of crustal shortening. These structures and the strong northeast dipping reflections beneath the Moho towards the north end of the (MCS) line are interpreted to be caused by Paleozoic north-dipping subduction and terrane collision at the margin of Gondwana. Deeper mantle reflections with variable dip are observed on the wide-angle gathers. Travel-time modelling of these events by ray-tracing through the established velocity model indicates depths of 50–110 km for these events. They show little coherence in dip and may be caused side-swipe from the adjacent crustal root under the Southern Alps or from the upper mantle density anomalies inferred from teleseismic data under the crustal root.     

Late Cenozoic deformation in the South Caspian region: effects of a rigid basement block within a collision zone

Active deformation in the South Caspian region demonstrates the enormous variation in kinematics and structural style generated where a rigid basement block lies within a collision zone. Rigid basement to the South Caspian Basin moves with a westward component relative both to stable Eurasia and Iran, and is beginning to subduct at its northern and western margins. This motion is oblique to the approximately north–south Arabia–Eurasia convergence, and causes oblique shortening to the south and northeast of the South Caspian Basin: thrusting in the Alborz and Kopet Dagh is accompanied by range-parallel strike–slip faults, which are respectively left- and right-lateral. There are also arcuate fold and thrust belts in the region, for two principal reasons. Firstly, weaker regions deform and wrap around the rigid block. This occurs at the curved transition zone between the Alborz and Talysh ranges, where thrust traces are concave towards the foreland. Secondly, a curved fold and thrust belt can link a deformation zone created by movement of the basement block to one created by the regional convergence: west-to-east thrusts in the eastern Talysh represent underthrusting of the South Caspian basement, but pass via an arcuate fan of fold trains into SSW-directed thrusts in the eastern Greater Caucasus, which accommodates part of the Arabia–Eurasia convergence. Each part of the South Caspian region contains one or more detachment levels, which vary dependent on the pre-Pliocene geology. Buckle folds in the South Caspian Basin are detached from older rocks on thick mid-Tertiary mudrocks, whereas thrust sheets in the eastern Greater Caucasus detach on Mesozoic horizons. In the future, the South Caspian basement may be largely eliminated by subduction, leading to a situation similar to Archaean greenstone belts of interthrust mafic and sedimentary slices surrounded by the roots of mountain ranges constructed from continental crust.     

Clockwise paleomagnetic rotations in northeastern Iran: Major implications on recent geodynamic evolution of outer sectors of the Arabia-Eurasia collision zone

In this study, an extensive paleomagnetic sampling (70 sites) was carried out in north-eastern Iran with the aim of reconstructing the rotation history of the outer margin of the Eurasia-Arabia collision area represented by the Ala-Dagh, Binalud and Kopeh-Dagh mountain belts. We sampled the red beds units from the Lower Cretaceous Shurijeh Fm. and from the Middle-Upper Miocene Upper Red Fm (URF). Paleomagnetic results from all the sampled areas show a homogeneous amount of CW rotations measured in the above-mentioned Formations. These paleomagnetic results suggest that the oroclinal bending process that caused the curvature of Alborz mountain belt in north Iran after the Middle-Late Miocene, also extended to the Ala-Dagh, Binalud and Kopeh-Dagh mountain belts, at the north-eastern border of the Arabia-Eurasia deforming zone.Based on our paleomagnetic results and on GPS, seismological, geomorphological and structural data available in the area, a hypothesis of tectonic evolution of the northern Iran-South Caspian Basin area, from Middle-Late Miocene to Present, is here proposed. In this model, the initiation of the oroclinal bending processes in northern Iran occurred about 6–4 myr ago, related to the impinging of North Iran between the South Caspian block and the southern margin of the Turan platform, driven by the northward subduction of the South Caspian basement under the Aspheron-Balkhan Sill. As paleomagnetic results from this study show a pattern of vertical axis rotations that is inconsistent with the present-day kinematics of the northern Iranian blocks as described by seismicity and GPS data, we suggest that the tectonic processes responsible for the bending of northern Iran mountain chains are no longer active and that the westward motion of the South Caspian basin, and therefore the initiation of opposite strike-slip motion along the Ashk-Abad and Shahrud faults, occurred very recently (∼2 My ago). We therefore propose that initiation of the northward subduction of the South Caspian basin below the Apsheron-Balkhan Sill and the westward extrusion of the South Caspian block did not occur at the same time, with the former occurring between the late Miocene and the Pliocene, and the latter during the Pleistocene.     

Crustal structure under the Sydney Basin and Lachlan Fold Belt,determined from explosion seismic studies

The Lachlan Fold Belt has the velocity‐depth structure of continental crust, with a thickness exceeding 50 km under the region of highest topography in Australia, and in the range 41–44 km under the central Fold Belt and Sydney Basin. There is no evidence of high upper crustal velocities normally associated with marginal or back‐arc basin crustal rocks. The velocities in the lower crust are consistent with an overall increase in metamorphic grade and/or mafic mineral content with depth. Continuing tectonic development throughout the region and the negligible seismicity at depths greater than 30 km indicate that the lower crust is undergoing ductile deformation.

The upper crustal velocities below the Sydney Basin are in the range 5.75–5.9 km/s to about 8 km, increasing to 6.35–6.5 km/s at about 15–17 km depth, where there is a high‐velocity (7.0 km/s) zone for about 9 km evident in results from one direction. The lower crust is characterised by a velocity gradient from about 6.7 km/s at 25 km, to 7.7 km/s at 40–42 km, and a transition to an upper mantle velocity of 8.03–8.12 km/s at 41.5–43.5 km depth.

Across the central Lachlan Fold Belt, velocities generally increase from 5.6 km/s at the surface to 6.0 km/s at 14.5 km depth, with a higher‐velocity zone (5.95 km/s) in the depth range 2.5–7.0 km. In the lower crust, velocities increase from 6.3 km/s at 16 km depth to 7.2 km/s at 40 km depth, then increase to 7.95 km/s at 43 km. A steeper gradient is evident at 26.5–28 km depth, where the velocity is about 6.6—6.8 km/s. Under part of the area an upper mantle low‐velocity zone in the depth range 50–64 km is interpreted from strong events recorded at distances greater than 320 km.

There is no substantial difference in the Moho depth across the boundary between the Sydney Basin and the Lachlan Fold Belt, consistent with the Basin overlying part of the Fold Belt. Pre‐Ordovician rocks within the crust suggest fragmented continental‐type crust existed E of the Precambrian craton and that these contribute to the thick crustal section in SE Australia.     

Seismic signatures of a proterozoic thermal plume below southwestern part of the Cuddapah Basin,Dharwar craton

Origin and evolutionary history of the Cuddapah Basin in SE India has remained a subject of considerable speculation whether it was evolved through vertical tectonic movements, extentional stretching or even cometary impact. Based on detailed seismic and other geophysical studies (Gravity, magnetotelluric and heat flow), we have delineated signatures of a possible deep seated mantle plume below southwestern part of the Cuddapah Basin, which may have been responsible for the 1.1 Ga kimberlitic magmatism in the eastern part of the Dharwar craton (EDC). The thermal anomaly associated with this mantle plume appears to have resulted into 15–20 km thick magmatic underplating (Vp: 7.10–7.30 km/s; density 3.07–3.16 g/cm³) below the Parnapalle region of the southwestern Cuddapah Basin, which also coincides with the high gravity and high conductivity anomaly. The massive underplating led to thickening of the crust to about 40–44 km below southwestern part of the Cuddapah Basin, compared to about 34± 2 km in the surrounding regions of EDC, indicating thermal restructuring of the crust / mantle boundary. This plume, which was apparently active in an area of about 500 km radius, may have also affected the Closepet granitic region, which is ∼100 km west of Cuddapah Basin.     

P-wave velocity structure of the margin of the southeastern Tsushima Basin in the Japan Sea using ocean bottom seismometers and airguns

The Tsushima Basin is located in the southwestern Japan Sea, which is a back-arc basin in the northwestern Pacific. Although some geophysical surveys had been conducted to investigate the formation process of the Tsushima Basin, it remains unclear. In 2000, to clarify the formation process of the Tsushima Basin, the seismic velocity structure survey with ocean bottom seismometers and airguns was carried out at the southeastern Tsushima Basin and its margin, which are presumed to be the transition zone of the crustal structure of the southwestern Japan Island Arc. The crustal thickness under the southeastern Tsushima Basin is about 17 km including a 5 km thick sedimentary layer, and 20 km including a 1.5 km thick sedimentary layer under its margin. The whole crustal thickness and thickness of the upper part of the crust increase towards the southwestern Japan Island Arc. On the other hand, thickness of the lower part of the crust seems more uniform than that of the upper part. The crust in the southeastern Tsushima Basin has about 6 km/s layer with the large velocity gradient. Shallow structures of the continental bank show that the accumulation of the sediments started from lower Miocene in the southeastern Tsushima Basin. The crustal structure in southeastern Tsushima Basin is not the oceanic crust, which is formed ocean floor spreading or affected by mantle plume, but the rifted/extended island arc crust because magnitudes of the whole crustal and the upper part of the crustal thickening are larger than that of the lower part of the crustal thickening towards the southwestern Japan Island Arc. In the margin of the southeastern Tsushima Basin, high velocity material does not exist in the lowermost crust. For that reason, the margin is inferred to be a non-volcanic rifted margin. The asymmetric structure in the both margins of the southeastern and Korean Peninsula of the Tsushima Basin indicates that the formation process of the Tsushima Basin may be simple shear style rather than pure shear style.     

Europrobe seismic reflection profiling across the eastern Middle Urals and West Siberian Basin

New deep seismic reflection data provide images of the crust and uppermost mantle underlying the eastern Middle Urals and adjacent West Siberian Basin. Distinct truncations of reflections delineate the late-orogenic strike-slip Sisert Fault extending vertically to ∼28 km depth, and two gently E-dipping reflection zones, traceable to 15–18 km depth, probably represent normal faults associated with the opening of the West Siberian Basin. A possible remnant Palaeozoic subduction zone in the lower crust under the West Siberian Basin is visible as a gently SW-dipping zone of pronounced reflectivity truncated by the Moho. Continuity of shallow to intermediate-depth reflections suggest that Palaeozoic accreted island-arc terranes and overlying molasse sequences exposed in the hinterland of the Urals form the basement for Triassic and younger deposits in the West Siberian Basin. A highly reflective lower crust overlies a transparent mantle at about 43 km depth along the entire 100 km long seismic reflection section, suggesting that the lower crust and Moho below the eastern Middle Urals and West Siberian Basin have the same origin.     

中国东南地区岩石圈热结构特征及其构造意义

中国东南地区地质演化复杂,中—新生代构造变形强烈,岩石圈深部热力学状态及其对构造活动的影响有待深入。文章结合最新的大地热流数据与地壳结构Crust 1.0模型,利用稳态热传导方程,以岩石捕虏体温压数据和地震学观测为约束,构建了华南地区扬子克拉通、华夏地块以及南海北缘等不同单元的岩石圈热结构。结果表明该区岩石圈热结构存在强烈的不均一性：除了上扬子地区（四川盆地）为“温壳温幔”的热结构,华南其他大部分地区都表现为“热壳热幔”的特征;同一深度下,华夏地块与南海北缘的深部温度显著高于扬子克拉通;热岩石圈厚度从克拉通内部向沿海地区（NWSE）逐渐降低,也即由四川盆地的~200 km减少到华夏地块的~110 km,再到南海的~70 km。此外,我们还发现陆内地震的分布与岩石圈温度密切相关,地震活动集中分布于600℃等温线以内。总体而言,扬子克拉通中西部岩石圈热结构具有冷而厚的特征,而华夏地块和南海北缘受古太平洋平板俯冲和新生代大陆边缘构造—岩浆作用的改造,表现为热且薄的特征,岩石圈的热弱化进而加速了华南大陆边缘的裂解及随后的南海扩张过程。     

Fundamental challenges of the location of oil and gas in the South Caspian Basin

Subvertical and subhorizontal bodies were identified in the South Caspian Basin. They are a new class of geological structures with a complicated form, which can serve as migration pathways and hydrocarbon accumulation zones. The basin incorporates a few autonomous sources of oil and gas occurrences with their own distribution areas and spatial–temporal evolution. HC generation sources are displaced relative to each other. The lower boundary of the oil and gas occurrence reaches depths of more than 12–15 km, while the upper boundary of the “oil window” is confined to hypsometric depths of 5–7 km.     

Mantle upwelling within the Pannonian Basin: evidence from xenolith lithology and mineral chemistry

Five spinel lherzolite xenoliths hosted in Neogene alkali basalts from the marginal parts of the Pannonian Basin (Styrian Basin in Austria and Persani Mts. in the Eastern Transylvanian Basin, Romania) contain orthopyroxene–clinopyroxene–spinel clusters, which are believed to represent former garnet in lherzolitic mantle material. 'Palaeo' equilibrium pressure of this former garnet lherzolite was estimated to be equivalent to depths of 90–120 km using calculated garnet compositions and measured orthopyroxene compositions from the clusters. 'Neo' equilibrium pressures of the xenoliths indicate depths of 55–65 km, suggesting c.  50–60 km uprise of the mantle section represented by these xenoliths. This petrological result confirms the observations from previous geophysical studies that significant mantle uplift has occurred beneath the Pannonian Basin.     

Formation mechanisms of ultradeep sedimentary basins: the North Barents basin. Petroleum potential implications

Consolidated crust in the North Barents basin with sediments 16–18 km thick is attenuated approximately by two times. The normal faults in the basin basement ensure only 10-15% stretching, which caused the deposition of 2–3 km sediments during the early evolution of the basin. The overlying 16 km of sediments have accumulated since the Late Devonian. Judging by the undisturbed reflectors to a depth of 8 s, crustal subsidence was not accompanied by any significant stretching throughout that time. Dramatic subsidence under such conditions required considerable contraction of lithospheric rocks. The contraction was mainly due to high-grade metamorphism in mafic rocks in the lower crust. The metamorphism was favored by increasing pressure and temperature in the lower crust with the accumulation of a thick layer of sediments. According to gravity data, the Moho in the basin is underlain by large masses of high-velocity eclogites, which are denser than mantle peridotites. The same is typical of some other ultradeep basins: North Caspian, South Caspian, North Chukchi, and Gulf of Mexico basins. From Late Devonian to Late Jurassic, several episodes of rapid crustal subsidence took place in the North Barents basin, which is typical of large petroleum basins. The subsidence was due to metamorphism in the lower crust, when it was infiltrated by mantle-source fluids in several episodes. The metamorphic contraction in the lower crust gave rise to deep-water basins with sediments with a high content of unoxidized organic matter. Along with numerous structural and nonstructural traps in the cover of the North Barents basin, this is strong evidence that the North Barents basin is a large hydrocarbon basin.     

Mechanism of formation of superdeep sedimentary basins: lithospheric stretching or eclogitization?

The superdeep North Caspian, South Caspian, and Barents basins have their sedimentary fill much thicker and the Moho, correspondingly, much deeper than it is required for crustal subsidence by lithospheric stretching. In the absence of large gravity anomalies, this crustal structure indicates the presence under the Moho of a thick layer of eclogite which is denser than mantle peridotite. Crustal subsidence in the basins can be explained by high-grade metamorphism of mafic lower crust. The basins produced by lithospheric stretching normally subside for the first ～100 myr of their history, while at least half of the subsidence in the three basins occurred after that period, which is another evidence against the stretching formation mechanism. According to the seismic reflection profiling data, stretching can be responsible for only a minor part of the subsidence in the Caspian and Barents basins. As for the South Caspian basin, there has been a large recent subsidence event in a setting of compression. Therefore, eclogitization appears to be a realistic mechanism of crustal subsidence in superdeep basins.     

A comparison of Late Mesozoic and Cenozoic intraplate magmatic areas in Central Asia and paleomagnetic reconstructions of the anomalous-mantle location

The Late Mesozoic and Cenozoic location of volcanic zones in the Central Asian intraplate volcanic province has been reconstructed. The anomalous-mantle regions related to magmatism in the province changed in shape in the Cretaceous and Cenozoic. In the early Early Cretaceous, the anomalous-mantle regions spanned from 42° to 61° N (about 2000 km in latitude), and their location might have remained unchanged throughout the Cretaceous. Magmatism in the province took place in the lithospheric regions of the Eurasian Plate with a thickness close to or smaller than that of the oceanic lithosphere. Late Mesozoic magmas originated mainly from hydrated mantle sources with isotopic compositions typical of PREMA or EM-II. In the Early Cenozoic (50 Ma), the anomalous mantle was considerably less active than in the Early Cretaceous. Magmatic melts were generated only in two mantle regions: the local South Hangay hotspot and, apparently, the fairly extensive (at least 800 km wide) mantle region north and northeast of it. The entire anomalous mantle spanned from 46° to 59° N (about 1300 km in latitude). Magmas of OIB type originated from slightly hydrated sources with isotopic compositions typical of PREMA or EM-I. In the Miocene, the mantle might have again “ejected” heated decompressed anomalous matter. The ejection led to an outburst of magmatism and expansion of the volcanic province up to 2000 km in latitude. The lithosphere in all the volcanic zones was thin, including the entire Eurasian territory over the South Hangay hotspot.     

Lithospheric transition from the Variscan Iberian Massif to the Jurassic oceanic crust of the Central Atlantic

A 1000-km-long lithospheric transect running from the Variscan Iberian Massif (VIM) to the oceanic domain of the Northwest African margin is investigated. The main goal of the study is to image the lateral changes in crustal and lithospheric structure from a complete section of an old and stable orogenic belt—the Variscan Iberian Massif—to the adjacent Jurassic passive margin of SW Iberia, and across the transpressive and seismically active Africa–Eurasia plate boundary. The modelling approach incorporates available seismic data and integrates elevation, gravity, geoid and heat flow data under the assumptions of thermal steady state and local isostasy. The results show that the Variscan Iberian crust has a roughly constant thickness of 30 km, in opposition to previous works that propose a prominent thickening beneath the South Portuguese Zone (SPZ). The three layers forming the Variscan crust show noticeable thickness variations along the profile. The upper crust thins from central Iberia (about 20 km thick) to the Ossa Morena Zone (OMZ) and the NE region of the South Portuguese Zone where locally the thickness of the upper crust is <8 km. Conversely, there is a clear thickening of the middle crust (up to 17 km thick) under the Ossa Morena Zone, whereas the thickness of the lower crust remains quite constant (6 km). Under the margin, the thinning of the continental crust is quite gentle and occurs over distances of 200 km, resembling the crustal attitude observed further north along the West Iberian margins. In the oceanic domain, there is a 160-km-wide Ocean Transition Zone located between the thinned continental crust of the continental shelf and slope and the true oceanic crust of the Seine Abyssal Plain. The total lithospheric thickness varies from about 120 km at the ends of the model profile to less than 100 km below the Ossa Morena and the South Portuguese zones. An outstanding result is the mass deficit at deep lithospheric mantle levels required to fit the observed geoid, gravity and elevation over the Ossa Morena and South Portuguese zones. Such mass deficit can be interpreted either as a lithospheric thinning of 20–25 km or as an anomalous density reduction of 25 kg m⁻³ affecting the lower lithospheric levels. Whereas the first hypothesis is consistent with a possible thermal anomaly related to recent geodynamics affecting the nearby Betic–Rif arc, the second is consistent with mantle depletion related to ancient magmatic episodes that occurred during the Hercynian orogeny.     

从华北克拉通中、西部结构的区域差异性探讨克拉通破坏

详细的深部结构信息是深入认识华北克拉通显生宙改造和破坏的重要依据。基于密集流动地震台阵和固定台网记录的远震P波和S波接收函数资料,获得了跨越华北克拉通东、中、西部的3条剖面的岩石圈和上地幔结构图像,揭示了克拉通不同区域深部结构特征的显著差异。与东部普遍减薄的岩石圈(60～100km)相比,中、西部表现出厚、薄岩石圈共存的强烈横向非均匀性,既在稳定的鄂尔多斯盆地之下保留着厚达200km的岩石圈,又在新生代银川—河套和陕西—山西裂陷区存在厚度<100km的薄岩石圈,差异最大的厚、薄岩石圈仅相距约200km。岩石圈厚度在东、中部边界附近的约100km横向范围内显示出20～40km的迅速增加。岩石圈厚度的快速变化与地表地形从东向西的突然改变以及南北重力梯度带的位置大致吻合,并对应于地壳结构、地幔转换带厚度和660km间断面结构的快速变化。这种从地表到上地幔底部深、浅结构的耦合变化特征表明,东西两侧区域在显生宙可能经历了不同的岩石圈构造演化和深部地幔动力学过程。克拉通东部薄的地壳、岩石圈和厚的地幔转换带以及复杂的660km间断面结构可能与中生代以来太平洋板块深俯冲及其相关过程对这一地区岩石圈的改造和破坏有关;而中、西部存在显著减薄的岩石圈这一观测结果,并结合岩石、地球化学资料表明,克拉通岩石圈改造和减薄不仅发生在东部,而且可能影响了包括中、西部在内的更广泛的区域。岩石圈薄于100km的中、西部裂陷区可能与先前存在于岩石圈中的局部构造薄弱带相联系。这些古老岩石圈薄弱带可能经历了后期构造事件的多次改造,并在新生代印度—欧亚陆陆碰撞过程中被进一步弱化、减薄,最终造成地表裂陷。另一方面,中、西部总体较厚的地壳、岩石圈以及正常偏薄的地幔转换带表明,同太平洋深俯冲对东部的作用相比,包括印度—欧亚大陆碰撞在内的多期热-构造事件对该地区的构造演化影响相对较弱,不足以大范围改造和破坏高强度的克拉通岩石圈地幔根,从而造成了该地区现今岩石圈结构的高度横向不均匀。