Continental accretion and incremental deformation in the thermochronologic evolution of the Lesser Caucasus

Apatite fission-track analysis and thermochronologic statistical modeling of Precambrian-Oligocenc plutonic and metamorphic rocks from the Lesser Caucasus resolve two discrete cooling episodes.Cooling occurred during incremental crustal shortening due to obduction and continental accretion along the margins of the northern branch of the Neotethys.(1) The thermochronometric record of a Late Cretaceous(Turonian-Maastrichtian) cooling/exhumation event,coeval to widespread ophiolite obduction,is still present only in a relatively small area of the upper plate of the Amasia-Sevan-Akera(ASA) suture zone,i.e.the suture marking the final closure of the northern Neotethys during the Paleogene.Such area has not been affected by significant later exhumation.(2) Rapid cooling/exhumation occurred in the Early-Middle Miocene in both the lower and upper plates of the ASA suture zone,obscuring previous thermochronologic signatures over most of the study area.Miocene contractional reactivation of the ASA suture zone occurred contemporaneously with the main phase of shortening and exhumation along the Bitlis suture zone marking the closure of the southern branch of the Neotethys and the ensuing ArabiaEurasia collision.Miocene collisional stress from the Bitlis suture zone was transmitted northward across the Anatolian hinterland,which was left relatively undeformed,and focused along preexisting structural discontinuities such as the eastern Pontides and the ASA suture zone.     

大兴安岭中段晚中生代安山岩年代学和地球化学特征及成因分析

本文通过大兴安岭中段安山岩基质40At/39Ar和SHRIMP锆石U-Pb年代学的测定,表明安山岩形成于122～125Ms和114～115Ma两个时期,即为早白垩世的两期喷发.主量元素分析表明,安山岩SiO2含量为59.18%～60.89%,Al2O3含量为15.19%～17.23%,全碱(K2O Na2O)介于6.16%～7.26%之间,MgO含量为1.55%～3.77%和Mg#值为33～54;微量元素分析表明,安山岩轻稀土元素(LREE)富集、轻重稀土元素(HREE)分馏较强、略具负Eu异常(δEu=0.74～0.92)、富集大离子亲石元素(LINE),而亏损高场强元素(HFSE),尤其强烈亏损Nb和Ta.Sr-Nd-Pb同位素组成表明,安山岩(87Sr/86Sr)i变化范围为0.70454～0.70483;εNd(t)变化范围为0.97～3.17;初始206Pb/204Pb、207Pb/204Pb和208Pb/204Pb组成变化范围分别为18.17～18.28、15.50～15.60和38.02～38.29.岩石学和地球化学综合研究表明,大兴安岭早白垩世安山岩的岩性主要为钙碱性系列-钾玄岩系列,安山质岩浆来源于富集LILE和水的岩石圈地幔.结合前人资料及本文研究成果,初步认为研究区安山岩形成于板内伸展环境,在岩石圈伸展和减薄背景下,软流圈地幔的上涌和地温梯度增高导致上覆岩石圈地幔中的低熔组分(水和LILE富集的交代地幔)发生部分熔融而形成.     

五台山新太古代绿岩带中高镁安山岩（HMA）的化学特征

采用高镁安山岩（HMA）新的分类方法,描述了五台地区新太古代绿岩带中HMA的化学特征,并与实验的HMA以及自然界中典型的HMA（日本的Chichijima地区HMA和Setouchi地区HMA）进行了对比,显示该区HMA具有与上述HMA类似的化学特征。初步认为五台新太古代HMA产于洋俯冲带的环境,进而表明板块构造理论的适用时间范围可推演到新太古代。     

Eocene paleomagnetism of the Caucasus (southwest Georgia): oroclinal bending in the Arabian syntaxis

The Caucasus is very important for our understanding of tectonic evolution of the Alpine belt, but only a few reliable paleomagnetic results were reported from this region so far. We studied a collection of more than 300 samples of middle Eocene volcanics and volcano-sedimentary rocks from 10 localities in the Adjaro–Trialet tectonic zone (ATZ) in the western part of the Caucasus. Stepwise thermal demagnetization isolates a characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) in 19 sites out of 31 studied. ChRM reversed directions prevail, and a few vectors of normal polarity are antipodal to the reversed ones after tilt correction. The fold test is positive too, and we consider the ChRM primary. Analysis of Tertiary declinations and strikes of Alpine folds in the Adjaro–Trialet zone and the Pontides in Northern Turkey shows a large data scatter; Late Cretaceous data from the same region, however, reveal good correlation between paleomagnetic and structural data. Combining Late Cretaceous and Tertiary data indicates oroclinal bending of the Alpine structures which are locally complicated with different deformation. The overall mean Tertiary inclination is slightly shallower than the reference Eurasian inclination recalculated from one apparent polar wander path (APWP), but agrees with other. This finding is in accord with geological evidence on moderate post-Eocene shortening across the Caucasus. We did not find any indication of long-lived paleomagnetic anomalies, such as to Cenozoic anomalously shallow inclinations further to the east in Central Asia.     

To the problem of the Oligocene-Miocene boundary position in the northern Caucasus (in support of the Caucasian regional stage)

Stratigraphic position of the Oligocene-Miocene (Paleogene-Neogene) boundary in the northern Caucasus and, in this connection, of the Alkun Formation and the Caucasian regional stage in geological sections of Maikop deposits, primarily in those of the Belaya and Kuban rivers, is considered. Arguments in support of the Caucasian regional stage are presented and necessity of distinguishing the Karadzhalganian regional stage is called in question. Stratigraphic implications of the Alkun Formation, the regional reference horizon traceable in many sections of the northern Caucasus, are discussed. It is substantiated based on nannoplankton, dinocysts, foraminifers, and distinctive lithological features of deposits that the Oligocene-Miocene boundary is confined to the Alkun Formation at the Belaya River.     

Glacier variations in the Caucasus Mountains from 1960 to 2020北大核心CSCD

Glacial meltwater is an important freshwater resource in the Caucasus and is important for regional irrigation and hydroelectricity generation. This paper analyses the spatial and temporal patterns of glacier change in the Caucasus Mountains from 1960 to 2020 based on Landsat images, coherence images from Sentinel-1 image pairs, GLIMS glacier inventory and WGMS glacier mass balance data. The results of the study show that in 2020 there were 1912 glaciers in the Caucasus Mountains, with a total area of（1 087. 36±66. 44）km2. The total glacier area shrank by（587. 36±98. 66）km2（35. 07±5. 89%）between 1960 and 2020, with an average annual shrinkage rate of（0. 58±0. 10%）·a-1. The area shrinkage rates of Caucasian glaciers for 1960-1986, 1986-2000 and 2000-2020 are（0. 44±0. 20%）·a-1, （0. 66±0. 77%）·a-1 and（0. 96±0. 31%）·a-1, respectively, indicating that Caucasian glaciers in a state of accelerated retreat over the last 60 years. Analysis of mass balance information shows that both the Djankuat and Garabashi glaciers in the Caucasus have been in a strong negative equilibrium for nearly 60 years, with a significant acceleration of mass deficit after 2000. Analysis of climate data suggests that the strong warming is the main reason for the accelerated retreat of glaciers in the Caucasus mountains in recent decades. © 2022 The authors.     

New paleomagnetic and paleointensity data from Pliocene lava flows from the Lesser Caucasus

A paleomagnetic, rock-magnetic and paleointensity study has been carried out on 14 basaltic lava flows from two Pliocene (K–Ar age between 3.09 ± 0.10 Ma and 4.00 ± 0.15 Ma) sequences (Apnia and Korxi) from the eastern Djhavakheti Highland in southern Georgia (Caucasus).Measurement of strong-field magnetisation versus temperature curves yielded three types of thermomagnetic curves: (i) Reversible curves with magnetite as only remanence carrier (type H); (ii) irreversible curves with magnetite as only carrier of remanence (type H⁻) and (iii) irreversible curves showing a low Curie-temperature phase and magnetite (type L). Analysis of hysteresis curves showed that samples were characterised by a mixture of single-domain and multi-domain grains.Paleomagnetic experiments allowed determining characteristic components for all flows and normal polarities (6 flows), reversed polarities (7 flows) and intermediate polarities (1 flow) were observed.. Paleomagnetic poles were calculated using only those sites unequivocally showing normal or reversed polarities. The paleomagnetic pole obtained from flows of both combined sequences (latitude λ = 77.9°N, longitude ϕ = 152.1°E, n = 13, A₉₅ = 11.8°, k = 13.4) showed a good agreement with the 5 Ma window of the European synthetic apparent polar wander path of Besse and Courtillot (2002). The paleomagnetic direction of the combined Apnia-Korxi flows agrees well with the expected one, showing no significant tectonic rotation. The latter cannot be however, completely excluded in the Korxi section. In that section, analysis of the angular dispersion of virtual geomagnetic poles yields a much higher value than expected.Paleointensity experiments using the Coe method were performed on 31 specimens from 10 flows. After application of specific selection criteria, 19 samples from 8 flows were observed to provide successful determinations, with mean flow values showing a wide scatter. If only flows with more than one successful paleointensity determination are taken into account, virtual dipole moments (VDMs) vary between 3.5 × 10²² A m² and 8.3 × 10²² A m². In intermediate polarity site AP2 no weak transitional paleostrength values were observed.     

Early Jurassic granitoids from deep drill holes in the East China Sea Basin: implications for the initiation of Palaeo-Pacific tectono-magmatic cycle

The timing of the Palaeo-Pacific Plate (PPP) subduction in East Asia, following the amalgamation of the North and South China Blocks (NCB and SCB), remains equivocal despite several investigations on the widespread subduction-related Mesozoic magmatism in this region. Here we report newly discovered granodiorites in the East China Sea Basin (ECSB) from deep boreholes (2945–2983 m), which yield SHRIMP zircon U–Pb age of 174 ± 1.1 Ma. The rock shows relatively high Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios, low contents of Ni, Cr, and MgO, and markedly negative values of εHf(t) (21.0 to ?27.0). These geochemical and isotopic features are similar to those of the tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) suites produced by the partial melting of the thickened lower continental crust. Our data, together with the ca. 190–180 Ma I-type granites reported from the eastern Zhejiang–Fujian and Taiwan areas, lead us to conclude that the continental crust in the coastal areas of South China underwent some degree of thickening during the Early Jurassic. A comparison with the coeval magmatic rocks in South Korea and Japan suggests that a large NE-trending continental arc (ca. 190–170 Ma) might have been constructed along the eastern margin of Asia at this time. Our study provides insights into the initiation of the Palaeo-Pacific tectono-magmatic cycle immediately following the consolidation of the SCB and NCB.     

Paleozoic rocks in infrastructure of the metamorphic core, the Greater Caucasus Main Range zone

Granitoid orthogneisses and migmatites are widespread in the lower, deeply metamorphosed gneiss-migmatite complex of the pre-Alpine basement (infrastructure) exposed within northern part of the Greater Caucasus Main Range zone. Like the other rocks of the complex, they have been traditionally attributed to the Proterozoic, but the U-Pb dating revealed the Late Paleozoic age of migmatites and Devonian age of orthogneiss protolith. Bodies of blastomylonitic apogranite gneisses, which are confined to boundary between gneiss-migmatite complex and overlying Makera Complex of supracrustal rocks, turned out to be of the Late Paleozoic age as well. The dating results suggest synchronism and, apparently, genetic interrelations between the high-T/low-P metamorphism and granite formation in the Main Range zone of the Greater Caucasus.     

Petrogenesis of the Late Cenozoic collision volcanism in the central part of the Lesser Caucasus (Azerbaijan)

The Late Cenozoic volcanics of the Lesser Caucasus have similar trace-element and REE patterns with negative anomalies of Nb, Ta, Hf, and Zr. They are highly enriched in Rb, Ba, Th, and La and depleted in Ti, Yb, and Y with respect to N-MORB, which indicates their formation from the subduction-metasomatized lithospheric mantle. Partial melting of the subcontinental mantle lithosphere and crustal assimilation and fractional crystallization controlled the magma evolution in the collisional magmatic belts.     

The northern Qiangtang Block rapid drift during the Triassic Period: Paleomagnetic evidence

As one of the pivotal Gondwana–derived blocks, the kinematic history of the northern Qiangtang Block (in the Tibetan Plateau) remains unclear, mainly because quantitative paleomagnetic data to determine the paleoposition are sparse. Thus, for this study, we collected 226 samples (17 sites) from Triassic sedimentary rocks in the Raggyorcaka and Tuotuohe areas of the northern Qiangtang Block (NQB). Stepwise demagnetization isolated high temperature/field components from the samples. Both Early and Late Triassic datasets passed field tests at a 99% confidence level and were proved to be primary origins. Paleopoles were calculated to be at 24.9°N and 216.5°E with A₉₅ = 8.2°(N = 8) for the Early Triassic dataset, and at 68.1°N, 179.9°E with A₉₅ = 5.6° (N = 37) for the Late Triassic, the latter being combined with a coeval volcanic dataset published previously. These paleopoles correspond to paleolatitudes of 14.3°S±8.2° and 29.9°N±5.6°, respectively. Combining previously published results, we reconstructed a three-stage northward drift process for the NQB. (1) The northern Qiangtang Block was located in the subtropical part of the southern hemisphere until the Early Triassic; (2) thereafter, the block rapidly drifted northward from southern to northern hemispheres during the Triassic; and (3) the block converged with the Eurasian continent in the Late Triassic. The ∼4800 km northward movement from the Early to Late Triassic corresponded to an average motion rate of ∼11.85 cm/yr. The rapid drift of the NQB after the Early Triassic led to a rapid transformation of the Tethys Ocean.     

土耳其-高加索-喜马拉雅一线白垩纪大洋红层对比

通过收集土耳其、高加索和特提斯喜马拉雅地区的白垩纪地层资料,着重对比研究上白垩统大洋红层的分布格局和沉积特征,为进一步进行全球大洋红层对比提供基础数据和资料。对比分析表明:它们具有环特提斯该时代近于同期地层的一般特征,其时代一般为Turonian Campanian期,在特提斯喜马拉雅地区跨度较大,为Albian Campanian期,岩性主体为灰岩,颜色与Fe2O3 的含量密切相关,富含浮游有孔虫及其组合,沉积速率低,沉积环境一般为半深海,沉积深度为500~1 000 m。     

Cenozoic tectonics in the Urumgi-Korla region of the Chinese Tien Shan

Cenozoic deformation within the Tien Shan of central Asia has accommodated part of the post-collisional indentation of the Indian plate into Asia. Within the Urumgi—Korla region of the Chinese Tien Shan this occurred dominantly on thrusts, with secondary strike-slip faulting. The gross pattern of deformation is of moderate to steeply dipping thrusts that have overthrust foreland basins to the north and south of the range, the Junggar and Tarim basins, respectively. Smaller foreland basins lie within the margins of the range itself (Turfan, Chai Wo Pu, Korla and Qumishi basins); these lie in the footwalls of local thrust systems. Both the Turfan and the Korla basins contain major thrusts within them; they are complex foreland basins. Deformation has progressively affected regions further into the interior of the Junggar Basin, and propagated into the interiors of the intermontane basins. No unidirectional deformation front has passed across the Tien Shan in the Neogene and Quaternary. An Oligocene unconformity may indicate the time of the onset of the Cenozoic deformation, but most of the Cenozoic molasse has been deposited after the Palaeogene. The rate of deposition in basins next to the uplifted ranges has increased since the onset of deformation. There has been at least about 80 km of Cenozoic shortening across this part of the Tien Shan. Cenozoic shortening is greater in sections of the range further west; these are nearer to the northern margin of the Indian indenter. Cenozoic compression has reactivated structures created by the two late Palaeozoic collisions that created the ancestral Tien Shan. These Palaeozoic structures have exerted a strong control over the style and location of the Cenozoic deformation.     

Geochemistry and Genesis of the Late Jurassic Granitoids at Northern Great Hinggan Range: Implications for Exploration

<正>The Longgouhe and Ershiyizhan intrusions of the Late Jurassic,located in the Upper Heilongjiang Basin of the northern Great Hinggan Range,are closely related to porphyry Cu-Au mineralizations.In lithology the intrusions are quartz diorite,quartz monzodiorite and granodiorite of high-K calc-alkaline series,with minor aspects of shoshonite series.Their SiO_2 and Al_2O_3 contents range from 61.37%to 66.59%and 15.35%to 17.06%,respectively.The MgO content ranges from 2.02%to 3.47%,with Mg~# indices of 44-59.The(La/Yb)_N and Eu/Eu~* values range from 16.85 to 81.73 and 0.68 to 0.93,respectively,showing strong differentiation rare earth element(REE) patterns similar to those of adakites.The rocks are enriched in Ba,Sr and light REE(LREE),obviously depleted in Nb and Ta,slightly depleted in Rb and Ti,and poor in Yb and Y,with Yb and Y contents of 0.31-1.32 ppm and 4.32-12.07 ppm,respectively.As indicated by Sr/Y ratios of 67.74-220.60,the rocks are characterized by low-Y and high-Sr contents,which characterize the adakites in the world.Holistically, geochemical tracers suggest that the interested intrusions are adakitic rocks.Given that the Paleo-Asian Ocean and Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean were closed in the Late Paleozoic and Permian-Middle Jurassic,respectively,the interested intrusions should be formed by partial melting of delaminated crust,which had been thickened during collisional orogeny between the Siberian and Mongolian-Sinokorean continents.     

New paleomagnetic data from the hominin bearing Dmanisi paleo-anthropologic site (southern Georgia, Caucasus)

The Dmanisi site has yielded human remains and lithic industry associated with Late Pliocene-early Pleistocene fauna. The site is composed of volcanogenic sediments overlying basaltic lava flows. The lithostratigraphic sequence comprises two basic depositional units: Unit A, overlying the basalt flows, and Unit B on top. A paleomagnetic and rock-magnetic study has been carried out on 106 specimens from Units A and B and the uppermost basalt flow. The lava and Unit A provide normal polarities, while reversed polarities and anomalous directions are observed in Unit B, the latter probably due to overlapping of a secondary and a primary reversed polarity component. The lower part of the section shows a clear correlation with the Olduvai subchron, and the upper levels could be as young as 1.07 Ma. As human remains were found both in units with normal and reversed polarity, different non-contemporaneous human occupations might have been possible.     

Formation of Lower and Middle Jurassic Coaliferous Sequences in the Northern Caucasus

Pliensbachian coaliferous sequences were formed along the southern margin of the Stavropol Uplift in various paleogeographic environments. Therefore, peat bogs are developed in various landscape zones. In the southern Kuban coaliferous district, which adjoins the tectonically active central Caucasus, coaliferous sediments were formed in river valleys, whereas peat bogs were developed in swamped valleys. In the northern Kuban and Baksan coaliferous districts situated away from this region, coaliferous sediments were formed under conditions of alluvial–deltaic and alluvial–lacustrine plains. Peat bogs were localized in the swamped alluvial–deltaic and alluvial–lacustrine plains. In the Laba–Urup and southeastern Baksan coaliferous districts situated far away from the tectonically active central Caucasus and dominated by partly isolated bays and lagoons (or coastal plains), peat bogs were formed in the swamped (partly isolated) bays and lagoons (or coastal plains). Similar environments of sedimentation and peat deposition were typical of the Daghestan coaliferous district in the early Aalenian and Bathonian of Middle Jurassic.     

大兴安岭北段新林地区战备村组火山岩地球化学特征及构造环境

大兴安岭北段新林地区下侏罗统战备村组火山岩岩石组合主要为流纹岩、流纹质火山碎屑岩。岩石地球化学研究显示,流纹岩具有高硅、富碱、贫钙镁的特征,属于高钾钙碱性系列。火山岩稀土元素总量较低（ΣREE=81.84×10-6~110.32×10-6）,轻、重稀土元素分馏明显,（La/Yb）N值为21.57~40.21,中等负Eu异常,δEu值为0.42~0.62。岩石富集大离子亲石元素Rb、K、Th、U,亏损高场强元素Nb、Ta、P、Ti,基性相容元素Cr、Co、Ni和Mg#值均较低,具有壳源岩浆的特点。流纹岩Sr、Yb值较低,具有喜马拉雅型花岗岩的特征。结合区域早侏罗世火山岩的构造特征,认为战备村组火山岩形成于蒙古-鄂霍茨克洋SE向俯冲的构造环境。     

大兴安岭中南段查布其日上侏罗统玛尼吐组火山岩地质及年代学特征

通过1∶5万区域地质调查,运用“火山构造—岩性岩相—火山地层”三重填图方法,对大兴安岭中南段内蒙古查布其日地区上侏罗统玛尼吐组火山岩进行了系统的野外地质特征、岩石学、地球化学和锆石U-Pb年代学研究,分析玛尼吐组火山岩形成时代和构造背景。将内蒙古查布其日地区玛尼吐组划分为2个岩性段,一段为火山碎屑沉积岩和少量中性、中酸性火山碎屑岩,二段为中性火山熔岩、火山碎屑岩和少量火山碎屑沉积岩、酸性火山碎屑岩,构成一个完整的沉积喷发旋回;划分出爆发相（碎屑流堆积相、空落堆积相）、溢流相、火山通道相、喷发—沉积相等火山岩相,并圈出4个V级火山机构。获得查布其日玛尼吐组二段安山岩的LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年龄为157. 8±1. 4 Ma,表明其形成时代为晚侏罗世。岩石地球化学特征为,玛尼吐组二段粗安岩的SiO2为64. 04%~65. 40%,高Al2O3(16. 02%~16. 96%),岩石富碱(K2O+Na2O=8. 07%~8. 38%),低TFe2O3(1. 38%~4. 43%),贫TiO2(0. 6%~0. 81%),A/CNK值介于1. 02~1. 12之间;稀土丰度总量??REE为177. 60×10-6~254. 61×10-6,轻、重稀土分异较明显,(La/Yb)N=8. 13~12. 63,具弱负Eu异常(δEu=0. 71～0. 78）; 微量元素以富集大离子亲石元素(Rb、Ba、Th、U、K)和相对亏损高场强元素(Nb、Ta、P、Ti)为特征。主量元素、微量元素地球化学特征显示查布其日玛尼吐组二段粗安岩为钾玄质岩。研究区玛尼吐组火山岩岩浆来源于伸展作用触发先前俯冲板片释放流体交代的大陆岩石圈地幔发生部分熔融,且受地壳混染影响较小,可能形成于蒙古—鄂霍次克洋造山后的伸展构造环境。     

大兴安岭中部塔尔气中侏罗世碰撞后花岗质岩石的确定及地质意义

大兴安岭地区以发育巨量显生宙花岗岩为特征,而且通过对这些花岗质岩浆作用的期次、特征以及成因进行研究对于探讨中国东北地区构造-岩浆演化历史具有重要意义。本文通过对大兴安岭中部塔尔气杂岩体进行锆石U-Pb年代学、全岩主量元素和微量元素以及锆石Hf同位素组成分析,确定这些花岗质岩石的形成时代、成因以及构造背景。塔尔气杂岩体是早石炭世、中侏罗世和早白垩世三期岩浆作用的产物,且中侏罗世花岗质岩石是塔尔气杂岩体的主体,其主要岩石类型为花岗闪长岩、二长花岗岩和正长花岗岩。这些花岗质岩石的锆石均呈自形-半自形,具有典型的震荡生长环带和高Th/U（0.35~2.02）比值,表明其为岩浆成因锆石。LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年龄结果显示中侏罗世花岗质岩石主要形成于173~166Ma。它们的SiO₂含量为70.54%~77.96%,Na₂O/K₂O比值为0.86~1.28,Al₂O₃含量为11.67%~14.83%,TiO₂含量为0.07%~0.60%,具有较低的MgO含量（0.02%~0.74%）,A/CNK值介于0.9~1.1,表明这些花岗质岩石属于高钾钙碱性I型花岗岩,具有准铝质-弱过铝质特征。塔尔气中侏罗世花岗质岩石富集Rb、Th、U、Zr和轻稀土元素,亏损Ba、Nb、Ta、Sr、Ti和重稀土元素,且具有中等到强烈的铕负异常。此外,它们的锆石¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf值为0.282874~0.282985,ε_Hf（t）值为+7.01~+10.9,二阶段模式年龄为768~516Ma。上述地球化学特征暗示其原始岩浆源于新元古代-显生宙期间新增生陆壳物质的部分熔融,源区残留相主要为斜长石和角闪石,并在岩浆演化过程中经历了斜长石和钾长石等矿物的分离结晶作用。结合前人研究成果,认为研究区中侏罗世花岗质岩石形成于碰撞后伸展环境,可能与蒙古-鄂霍茨克洋闭合后的岩石圈拆沉作用有关。