Carboniferous and Permian integrative stratigraphy and timescale of North China Block

Science China Earth Sciences - The Carboniferous-Permian strata in the North China Block (NCB) contain abundant fossils, coals and natural gases. Establishing a high-resolution timescale for the...     

Carboniferous integrative stratigraphy and timescale of China

The Carboniferous period lasted about 60 Myr, from ～358.9 Ma to ～298.9 Ma. According to the International Commission on Stratigraphy, the Carboniferous System is subdivided into two subsystems, i.e., Mississippian and Pennsylvanian, including 6 series and 7 stages. The Global Stratotype Sections and Points(GSSPs) of three stages have been ratified, the Tournaisian, Visean, and Bashkirian stages. The GSSPs of the remaining four stages(i.e., the Serpukhovian, Moscovian,Kasimovian, and Gzhelian) have not been ratified so far. This paper outlines Carboniferous stratigraphic subdivision and correlation on the basis of detailed biostratigraphy mainly from South China, and summarizes the Carboniferous chronostratigraphic framework of China. High-resolution biostratigraphic study reveals 37 conodont zones, 24 foraminiferal(including fusulinid) zones, 13 ammonoid zones, 10 brachiopod zones, and 10 rugose coral zones in the Carboniferous of China. The biostratigraphic framework based on these biozones warrants the precise correlation of regional stratigraphy of China(including2 subsystems, 4 series, and 8 stages) to that of the other regions globally. Meanwhile, the Carboniferous chemo-, sequence-,cyclo-, and event-stratigraphy of China have been intensively studied and can also be correlated worldwide. Future studies on the Carboniferous in China should focus on(1) the correlation between shallow-and deep-water facies and between marine and continental facies,(2) high-resolution astronomical cyclostratigraphy, and(3) paleoenvironment and paleoclimate analysis based on geochemical proxies such as strontium and oxygen isotopes, as well as stomatal indices of fossil plants.     

Carboniferous tectono-magmatic evolution of the northern Luliang arc: evidence from geochemistry and petrography of Carboniferous volcanic rocks in the northern Luliang Uplift,NW China

The Northern Junggar Basin experienced extensive subduction and a complex tectono-magmatic evolution during the Late Paleozoic,resulting in a heterogeneous distribution of volcanic rocks in the Junggar Basin.In this study,the Carboniferous tectono-magmatic evolution of the northern Luliang arc was described by exploring the petrography and geochemistry of Carboniferous volcanic rocks collected from well Y-2 and outcrop WW' in the northern Luliang Uplift.The distribution,types,and formation ages of these volcanic rocks were characterized and the volcanic sequence in well Y-1 was divided into upper and lower parts according to vertical variations in selected geochemical data.Then the petrogenesis and tectonic settings of different volcanic rocks were evaluated and this was used to infer the tectonomagmatic evolution of the northern Luliang arc during the Carboniferous.The results indicate that:(1) Carboniferous high-K calc-alkali andesite-dacite associations are distributed in the west of the northern Luliang Uplift,and Lower Carboniferous calc-alkali basalt-dacite-rhyolite assemblages are preserved in its east.(2) The intermediateacid volcanic rocks in wells Y-1 and Y-2 were derived from calc-alkali basaltic magma through melting of the juvenile lower crust,and geochemical variations indicate increasing addition of slab melting in a subduction-related arc environment.The bimodal volcanic rocks from outcrop WW' were derived from lithospheric underplating of basaltic magma in an intra-arc extensional setting.(3) The closure of the eastern Keramaili Oceanic basin occurred before the Early Carboniferous,and the tectono-magmatic difference between the east and the west of the northern Luliang Uplift appeared before the Carboniferous period.     

华北地区地震环境噪声特征研究

利用华北流动地震台阵观测的垂直分向连续波形数据, 通过计算功率谱密度和相应的概率密度函数, 对华北地区地震环境噪声特征进行了分析研究. 结果表明, 东部平原和沉积盆地2 Hz以上的高频环境噪声水平与全球新高噪声模型（NHNM）相近, 周期3——18 s的平均噪声水平低于NHNM和新低噪声模型（NLNM）的平均值; 山区及西部高原的高频噪声水平明显低于NHNM, 周期1——18 s的噪声水平大多明显低于NHNM和NLNM的平均值; 不同区域18 s以上周期的噪声水平差异相对较小. 流动地震台阵部分台站的环境噪声存在明显的昼夜变化, 个别台站噪声水平明显高于周边台站, 表明这些台站受人类活动干扰较大. 不同台站的噪声水平分析表明, 将台站布设在摆坑内, 能在一定程度上降低高频和低频段的噪声水平. 台站环境噪声特征的研究结果可为流动地震台阵观测数据质量的定量评估, 观测期间的台站优化调整等提供重要依据.      

Application of stress release models to historical earthquakes from North China

Univariate and multivariate stress release models are fitted to historical earthquake data from North China. It is shown that a better fit is obtained by treating separately the Eastern part of the region, including the North China Plain and Bohai Sea, and the Western part of the region, including the Ordos Plateau and its Eastern boundary. Further improvement is obtained by fitting the large events (M7.6) and smaller events in the Western region by different stress release models. The comparisons are made by computing the likelihoods of the fitted models and discounting the number of parameters used by Akaike's AIC criterion. The models are used to develop long-term risk scenarios for the East and West regions.     

Lithosphere types in North China: Evidence from geology and geophysics

Deep-seated materials from lithosphere are the ba- sic parameters and the foundation for geodynamic and continental dynamic studies. Division of lithosphere types and their deep-seated materials and structure can provide important evidence in interpreting the com- plex phenomena derived from the processes of forma- tion and evolution of continents, in evaluating the mineral resource potential, in predicting geological disasters and in the research of the continental dy- namic process. Huge lit…     

The Early Carboniferous paleomagnetic field of North America and its bearing on tectonics of the Northern Appalachians

We have obtained additional evidence for the Early Carboniferous paleomagnetic field for cratonic North America from study of the Barnett Formation of central Texas. A characteristic magnetization of this unit was isolated after thermal demagnetization at four sites (36 samples) out of eight sites (65 samples) collected. The mean direction of declination = 156.3°, inclination = 5.8° (N = 4 ,k = 905 , α₉₅ = 3.0°), corresponds to a paleomagnetic pole position at lat. = 49.1°N,long. = 119.3°E (dp = 1.5° , dm = 3.0°). Field evidence suggests that characteristic magnetization was acquired very early in the history of the rock unit whereas the rejected sites are comprised of weakly magnetized limestones dominated by secondary components near the present-day field direction. Comparison of the Barnett pole with other Early Carboniferous (Mississippian) paleopoles from North America shows that it lies close to the apparent polar wander path for stable North America and that the divergence of paleopoles from the Northern Appalachians noted previously for the Devonian persisted into the Early Carboniferous. We interpret this difference in paleopoles as further evidence for the Northern Appalachian displaced terrain which we refer to here as Acadia, and the apparent coherence of Late Carboniferous paleopoles as indicating a large (～1500 km) motion of Acadia with respect to stable North America over a rather short time interval in the Carboniferous.     

华北及周边地区上地幔P波速度结构

本文基于层析成像方法研究了华北及其邻区(30°N~43°N,100°E~130°E)的上地幔P波速度结构.该区域是我国地震活动强烈的地区之一,曾多次发生破坏性地震,地质构造十分复杂.本研究采用中国数字化地震台网1996~2002年和中国科学院地质与地球物理所（IGGCAS）流动地震台阵2001~2003年地震记录中的P波走时,挑选了6870个地震事件,其中包括1382个区域地震事件,5488个远震事件.在对实际资料反演之前,进行了分辨率测试以确定反演结果的可靠性,对反演中不同参数对结果的影响做了分析,以确定最佳的的模型和参数.根据上述分析,以水平方向1°×1°,垂直方向以5 km、15 km、30 km为间隔划分网格,并建立初始速度模型,采用伪弯曲射线追踪方法计算走时和射线路径,通过基于LSQR算法的反演重建了研究区域40 km以下、480 km以上的三维P波速度结构.成像结果显示：（A）研究区域西南部的四川盆地北部在40 km以上为明显的低速异常,40 km以下一直到360 km均为高速异常;（B）华北盆地在90 km之上高速异常比较明显,而在120 km~360 km的深度,低速异常为区域主要特征,它与渤海湾地区的低速区连接,形成地幔楔,随着深度的增加,由于太平洋俯冲板块的影响,华北盆地和渤海湾地区下的高速异常突出.     

华北地区基于噪声的瑞利面波群速度层析成像

本文利用华北地震科学台阵2007年1~4月份、190个宽频带和10个甚宽带垂直分量的地震噪声数据,通过互相关方法提取了瑞利面波的经验格林函数,用多重滤波方法测量了瑞利面波的群速度频散曲线.我们将研究区域划分为0.5°×0.5°的网格,利用噪声层析成像方法得到了研究区域7 s、12 s、16 s、23 s的瑞利面波群速度分布图像,所得结果较好地揭示了地壳内部、尤其是浅部地壳的横向速度变化.研究表明,短周期的群速度分布同地表地质结构、地形密切相关;华北地区的地壳结构具有明显的横向不均匀性,华北盆地及山间的沉积盆地显示出低速异常,而基岩广泛出露的太行山和燕山隆起区,呈现高速异常;多数强震(M≥6.0级)都发生在高群速度与低群速度的过渡地带.     

Regional differences in crustal structure of the North China Craton from receiver functions

Moho depth and crustal average Poisson's ratio for 823 stations are obtained by H-? stacking of receiver functions. These, together with topography and receiver function amplitude information, were used to study the crustal structure beneath the North China Craton(NCC). The results suggest that modified and preserved crust coexist beneath the craton with generally Airy-type isostatic equilibrium. The equilibrium is relatively low in the eastern NCC and some local areas in the central and western NCC, which correlates well with regional geology and tectonic features. Major differences in the crust were observed beneath the eastern, central, and western NCC, with average Moho depths of 33, 37, and 42 km and average Poisson's ratios of 0.268, 0.267 and 0.264, respectively. Abnormal Moho depths and Poisson's ratios are mainly present in the rift zones, the northern and southern edges of the central NCC, and tectonic boundaries. The crust beneath Ordos retains the characteristics of typical craton. Poisson's ratio increases roughly linearly as Moho depth decreases in all three parts of the NCC with different slopes. Receiver function amplitudes are relatively large in the northern edge of the eastern and central NCC, and small in and near the rifts. The Yanshan Mountains and southern part of the Shanxi rift show small-scale variations in the receiver-function amplitudes. These observations suggest that overall modification and thinning in the crust occurred in the eastern NCC, and local crustal modification occurred in the central and western NCC. Different crustal structures in the eastern, central, and western NCC suggest different modification processes and mechanisms. The overall destruction of the crustal structure in the eastern NCC is probably due to the westward subduction of the Pacific Plate during the Meso-Cenozoic time; the local modifications of the crust in the central and western NCC may be due to repeated reactivations at zones with a heterogeneous structure by successive thermal-tectonic events during the long-term evolution of the NCC.     

High-resolution Rayleigh wave phase velocity maps from ambient noise tomography in North China

We presented high-resolution Rayleigh wave phase velocity maps at periods ranging from 5 s to 30 s in the northeast part of the North China Craton (NNCC).Continuous time-series of vertical component between October 2006 and December 2008,recorded by 187 broadband stations temporarily deployed in the NNCC region,have been cross-correlated to obtain estimated fundamental mode Rayleigh wave Green's functions.Using the frequency and time analysis technique based on continuous wavelet transformation,we measured 3 667 Rayleigh wave phase velocity dispersion curves.High-resolution phase velocity maps at periods of 5,10,20 and 30 s were reconstructed with grid size 0.25°× 0.25°,which reveal lateral heterogeneity of shear wave structure in the crust and upper mantle of NNCC.For periods shorter than 10 s,the phase velocity variations are well correlated with the principal geological units in the NNCC,with low-speed anomalies corresponding to the major sedimentaiy basins and high-speed anomalies coinciding with the main mountain ranges.Within the period range from 20 s to 30 s,high phase velocity observed in eastern NCC is coincident with the thin crust,whereas low phase velocities imaged in central NCC is correlated to the thick crust.However,the low-velocity anomaly in the Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan region displayed in the 20 s and 30 s phase maps may be associated with fluids.     

Conodont diversification during the Ordovician: A perspective from North China and Tarim (Northwestern China)

Review of the literature on Ordovician conodont diversification in palaeoplates of North and Western China reveals that four diversity peaks are present in North China, occurring in the middle Tremadocian, early Floian, late Floian, and late Darriwilian, with three of these peaks (excepting that in the late Floian) also being recorded in Tarim. Three diversification intervals are present in North China, during the Tremadocian, late Floian, early and middle Darriwilian; comparable intervals are observed in the early and late Tremadocian, early Floian, and the Middle Ordovician in Tarim. The main conodont diversification episode in both palaeoplates took place in the Darriwilian, at the time of the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event. A comparison of conodont diversity patterns in different palaeoplates (North China, Tarim, and South China) demonstrates that conodont radiation events mainly occurred within the Tremadocian, Floian, and Darriwilian. Conodont diversifications in these paleoplates also display some differences. In contrasting with Tarim and South China, North China witnessed a rapid conodont diversification during late Floian time. Conodont diversity in North China and Tarim increased continually and reached a peak in the late Darriwilian, concurrent with a prominent decreasing trend in South China. Differences of conodont diversification in these three palaeoplates may be related to their palaeogeography and tectonic history. When conodont diversifications in North China and Tarim are analysed on the background of palaeoenvironments, the main episodes are seen to be partly coincident with second order sea-level changes, particularly in North China. In general, conodont radiation correlates with large scale transgressions.     

Velocity structure of uppermost mantle beneath North China from Pn tomography and its implications

20301 Pn arrival time data are collected from the seismological bulletins of both national and regional seismic networks. Pn travel time residuals are tomographically inverted for the Pn velocity structure of uppermost mantle beneath North China. The result indicates that the average Pn velocity in North China is 7.92 km/s, and the velocity varies laterally from ?0.21 to +0.29 km/s around the average. The approximately NNE trending high and low velocity regions arrange alternatively west-eastward. From west to east we can see high velocity in the middle Ordos region, the Shanxi graben low, the Jizhong depression high, the west Shandong uplift and Bohai Sea low, and the high velocity region to the east of the Tanlu fault. In the southern boundary zone of the North China block, except for the high velocity in the Qingling Mountains region, the velocity is generally lower than the average. Obvious velocity anisotropy is seen in the Datong Cenozoic volcanic region, with the fast velocity direction in NNE-SSW. Notable velocity anisotropy is also seen around the Bay of Bohai Sea, and the fast velocity directions seem to show a rotation pattern, possibly indicating a flow-like deformation in the uppermost mantle there. The Pn velocity variations show a reversed correlation with the Earth”s heat flow. The low Pn velocity regions generally show high heat flow, e.g., the Shanxi graben and Bohai Sea region. While the high Pn velocity regions usually manifest low heat flow, e.g., the region of Jizhong depression. This indicates that the Pn velocity variation in the study region is mainly aroused by the regional temperature difference in the uppermost mantle. Strong earthquakes in the crust tend to occur in the region with the abnormal low Pn velocity, or in the transition zone between high and low Pn velocity regions. The earthquakes in the low velocity region are shallower, while that in the transition zone are deeper.     

华北地区地震造成人员死亡的概率预测研究初探

在1800年至1989年间,华北地区(34.0°—42.0°N;117.5°—125.0°E)由于地震造成人员死亡程度(E)(E—logD,D为死亡人数)及其频度(N)满足指数关系N=37.71e~(-0.72E)。应用Gumbel极值理论估计该区在1988—1998年和1999—2009年间,地震造成人员死亡人数等于和大于1000人的概率分别是0.37和0.50。     

Active blocks and their deformations derived from the velocity field in North China

Based on the horizontal movement velocities and their error estimations of 144GPS stations in North China de-duced from the results obtained from multiple GPS measurements carried out in the period of 1992-2001,the horizontal deformation in the area is stuklied.The movements,entire deformations,local deformations,activeity patterns and intensities along the boundary zones are derived.And then the risk of strong earthquake in the area is estimated.In the research,the horizontal displacement observations can be considered as the sum of three parts.The first part is the entire motion following Eurasian plate,which can be derived from NUVAL-IA model;the second part is the relative motions and deformations between the sub-tectonic blocks in the studied area,which can be derived from a set of displacement observations determined by the expanded QUAD method in the paper;the third part is the local deformations and errors in the sub-tectonic blocks,which can be described as the inhomoge-neous strains of the block.The method and results are introduced in detail in the paper.     

Crustal structure beneath the central and western North China from receiver function analysis

The North China Craton (NCC) is one of the oldest cratons on earth. Several important tectonic transformations of Mesozoic-Cenozoic tectonic regime led to the destruction of the North China craton. The knowledge of crustal structure can provide important constraints for the formation and evolution of cratons. New maps of sediment thickness, crustal thickness (H) and v_P/v_S (κ) in the central and western NCC were obtained using sequential H-κ stacking. P-wave receiver functions are calculated using teleseismic waveform data recorded by 405 stations from ChinArray project. Benefiting from the densely distribution of temporary seismic stations, our results reveal details of the crustal structure in the study area. The thickness of sedimentary layer in North China ranges from 0–6.4 km, and the thickest sedimentary layer is in Ordos block and its surroundings (about 2.8–6 km); The thickness of sedimentary layer in the Mongolia fold belt and Yinshan orogenic belt is relatively thin (less than 1 km). The crustal thickness of the study area varies between 27–48 km, of which the crust of the North China Plain is about 30–33 km, the central NCC is about 33–40 km, and the Ordos block is 40–48 km thick. The average v_P/v_S ratios in the study area is mostly between 1.66 and 1.90, and that in the Yanshan-Taihang mountain fold belt is between 1.70 and 1.85, and that in the Ordos block is between 1.65 and 1.90, with an average value of 1.77, indicating the absence of a thick basaltic lower crust. The obvious negative correlation between crustal thickness and average v_P/v_S ratio within Ordos and Central Asia orogenic belt may be related to magmatic underplating during the crustal formation. There is no significant correlation between the crustal thickness and the v_P/v_S ratio in the Lüliang-Taihang mountain fold belt, which may be related to the multiple geological processes such as underplating and crustal extension and thinning in this area. The lack of correlation between crust thickness and topography in the central orogenic belt and the North China Basin indicates the topography of these areas are controlled not only by crustal isostatic adjustment but also by the lithospheric mantle processes.     

Velocity structure of uppermost mantle beneath North China from Pn tomography and its implications

20301 Pn arrival time data are collected from the seismological bulletins of both national and regional seismic networks. Pn travel time residuals are tomographically inverted for the Pn velocity structure of uppermost mantle beneath North China. The result indicates that the average Pn velocity in North China is 7.92 km/s, and the velocity varies laterally from ?0.21 to +0.29 km/s around the average. The approximately NNE trending high and low velocity regions arrange alternatively west-eastward. From west to east we can see high velocity in the middle Ordos region, the Shanxi graben low, the Jizhong depression high, the west Shandong uplift and Bohai Sea low, and the high velocity region to the east of the Tanlu fault. In the southern boundary zone of the North China block, except for the high velocity in the Qingling Mountains region, the velocity is generally lower than the average. Obvious velocity anisotropy is seen in the Datong Cenozoic volcanic region, with the fast velocity direction in NNE-SSW. Notable velocity anisotropy is also seen around the Bay of Bohai Sea, and the fast velocity directions seem to show a rotation pattern, possibly indicating a flow-like deformation in the uppermost mantle there. The Pn velocity variations show a reversed correlation with the Earth's heat flow. The low Pn velocity regions generally show high heat flow, e.g., the Shanxi graben and Bohai Sea region. While the high Pn velocity regions usually manifest low heat flow, e.g., the region of Jizhong depression. This indicates that the Pn velocity variation in the study region is mainly aroused by the regional temperature difference in the uppermost mantle. Strong earthquakes in the crust tend to occur in the region with the abnormal low Pn velocity, or in the transition zone between high and low Pn velocity regions. The earthquakes in the low velocity region are shallower, while that in the transition zone are deeper.     

基于GRACE的空间约束方法监测华北平原地下水储量变化

华北平原作为我国重要的工农业基地和政治经济中心,面临着严重的水资源危机.因此,开展对华北平原地下水储量变化的监测工作具有重要现实意义与科学价值.本文基于GRACE重力卫星的空间约束方法,研究了华北平原地下水储量变化的时空分布规律,并与地面水井实测与地下水模型结果进行了综合比较和分析.结果表明：2002—2014年,华北平原地下水存在明显的长期亏损,GRACE估计的亏损速率为-7.4±0.9 km³·a^-1,而地面水井资料估计的浅层地下水亏损速率为-1.2 km³·a^-1.对比两者之间的差异可以发现,华北平原的地下水亏损以深层地下水为主.2002—2008年,GRACE估计的华北平原地下水亏损速率为-5.3±2.2 km³·a^-1,这与华北平原两个地下水模型得到的平均亏损速率-5.4 km³·a^-1十分吻合.通过华北平原区域地下水模型的独立验证,说明GRACE可以有效评估华北平原的地下水储量变化趋势.除了长期亏损的趋势项之外,华北平原地下水还存在明显的年际变化特征,并与该地区年降雨量变化特征一致.在降雨偏少的2002年、2005—2009年和2014年,华北平原地下水储量显著减少.在空间分布上,GRACE结果表明,华北平原的地下水储量减少主要发生在山前平原和中部平原区,这也与水井实测资料和区域地下水模型结果较为吻合.与GRACE和区域地下水模型相比,目前的全球水文模型仍无法准确估计华北平原地下水变化的空间分布和亏损速率.上述研究表明,GRACE提供了评估华北平原地下水储量变化的重要监测手段.

     

华北上地幔各向异性研究

对华北地震科学台阵的200个宽频带和甚宽带地震台站所记录的远震SKS(SKKS)波形资料作偏振分析,采用最小切向能量的网格搜索法和叠加分析方法求得每一个台站的SKS(SKKS)快波偏振方向和快、慢波的时间延迟,并结合已发表的固定台站的结果,获得了华北上地幔各向异性图像.从得到结果看,华北东部各向异性快波方向基本为NWW-SEE方向,而西部的快波方向转到NW-SE或NNW-SSE.快、慢波时间延迟范围是0.50～1.47 s,华北西部的平均快、慢波时间延迟小于华北东部.在华北东部,快波方向与绝对板块运动(APM)方向基本一致,预示了NWW向的软流圈地幔流是引起该区域上地幔各向异性的主要原因,它使得上地幔橄榄岩等晶体的晶格优势取向沿地幔物质流动方向,从而导致了NWW趋向的快波方向.然而,在稳定的西部,快波方向既不与绝对板块运动方向一致,也不与构造走向一致,这种弱各向异性很可能是遗留在古老克拉通的厚的岩石圈内的“化石”各向异性.