The origin of Neogene tectonic rotations in the Galatean volcanic massif, central Anatolia

A paleomagnetic study was carried out on Neogene volcanic rocks at 30 sites within the Galatean massif (40.4°N, 31.5°E) to determine possible block rotations due to stress variations. Two phases of rotation could be characterized as the result of Neogene volcanic activity. We suggest that the first stage of rotation was isolated in Early Middle Miocene calc-alkali rocks, with a relative counterclockwise rotation of R ± ΔR = −20.2 ± 9.3° with respect to Eurasia. This accommodates the south-westward rotational collapse of the Western Anatolia peninsula across a pole on the Bitlis suture. In the neotectonic period, on other hand, a relative clockwise rotation of R ± ΔR = 27.3 ± 6.4° with respect to Eurasia is predicted. In contrast to the uniform clockwise rotations, extremely large clockwise rotations up to 264° are restricted in a narrow zone between two dextral faults. We believe that the second stage rotations support the idea of individual microblock rotations due to deformation along the North Anatolian Fault zone.     

Paleomagnetic study of Cenozoic sediments from the Zaisan basin (SE Kazakhstan) and the Chuya depression (Siberian Altai): tectonic implications for central Asia

This paper presents new paleomagnetic results on Cenozoic rocks from northern central Asia. Eighteen sites were sampled in Pliocene to Miocene clays and sandy clays of the Zaisan basin (southeastern Kazakhstan) and 12 sites in the upper Oligocene to Pleistocene clays and sandstones of the Chuya depression (Siberian Altai).Thermal demagnetization of isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) showed that hematite and magnetite are the main ferromagnetic minerals in the deposits of the Zaisan basin. Stepwise thermal demagnetization up to 640–660 °C isolated a characteristic (ChRM) component of either normal or reverse polarity at nine sites. At two other sites, the great circles convergence method yielded a definite direction. Measurements of the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility showed that the hematite-bearing sediments preserved their depositional fabric. These results suggest a primary origin of the ChRM and were substantiated by positive fold and reversal tests. The mean paleomagnetic direction for the Zaisan basin (D=9°, I=59°, k=19, α₉₅=11°) is close to the expected direction derived from the APW path of Eurasia [J. Geophys. Res. 96 (1991) 4029] and shows that the basin did not rotated relative to stable Asia during the Tertiary.In the upper Pliocene–Pleistocene sandstones of the Chuya depression, a very stable ChRM carried by hematite was found. Its mean direction (D=9°, I=46°, k=25, α₉₅=7°) is characterized by declination close to the one excepted for early Quaternary, whereas inclination is lower. In the middle Miocene to lower Pliocene clays and sandstones, a stable ChRM of both normal and reverse polarities carried by magnetite was isolated. Its mean direction (D=332°, I=63°, k=31, α₉₅=4°) is deviated with respect to the reference direction and implies a Neogene, 39±8° counterclockwise rotation of the Chuya depression relative to stable Asia. These results and those from the literature suggest that the different amount of rotation found in the two basins is related to a sharp variation in their tectonic style, predominantly compressive in the Zaisan basin and transpressive in the Siberian Altai. At a larger scale, the pattern of vertical axis rotations deduced from paleomagnetic data in northern central Asia is consistent with the hypothesis of a large left-lateral shear zone running from the Pamirs to the Baikal. Heterogeneous rotations, however, indicate changes in style of faulting along the shear zone and local effect for the domains with the largest rotations.     

PALAEOMAGNETIC AND STRUCTURAL INVESTIGATIONS ON BLOCK ROTATIONS AND CRUSTAL SHORTENING IN CENTRAL TIBET

PALAEOMAGNETIC AND STRUCTURAL INVESTIGATIONS ON BLOCK ROTATIONS AND CRUSTAL SHORTENING IN CENTRAL TIBET1　RatschbacherL ,SpernerB ,MeschedeM ,etal.Computertechniquesandapplications:aprogramlibraryforquantitativestructuralanalysis[J].TuebingerGeowissArb ,1994,A (2 1) :73S .…     

Fission track thermochronology of the Beni Bousera peridotite massif (Internal Rif,Morocco) and the exhumation of ultramafic rocks in the Gibraltar Arc

The Beni Bousera peridotite massif and its metamorphic surrounding rocks have been analyzed by the fission track (FT) method. The aim was to determine the cooling and uplift history of these mantle and associated crustal rocks after the last major metamorphic event that dates back to the Lower Miocene–Upper Oligocene time (～22–24 Ma). The zircon FT analyses give an average cooling—i.e., below 320 °C—age of ～19.5 Ma. In addition, the apatite FT data give an average cooling—i.e., below 110 °C—age of ～15.5 Ma. Taking into account the thermal properties of the different thermochronological systems used in this work, we have estimated a rate of cooling close to 50 °C/Ma. This cooling rate constrains a denudation rate of about ～2 mm year^?1 from 20 to 15 Ma. These results are similar to those determined in the Ronda peridotite massif of the Betic Cordilleras documenting that some ultrabasic massifs of the internal zones of the two segments of the Gibraltar Arc have a similar evolution. However, Burdigalian sediments occur along the Betic segment (Alozaina area, western Betic segment) unconformably overlying peridotite. At this site, ultramafic rock was exposed to weathering at ages ranging from 20.43 to 15.97 Ma. Since the Beni Bousera peridotite was still at depth until 15.5 Ma, we infer that no simple age projection from massif to massif is possible along the Gibraltar Arc. Moreover, the confined fission track lengths data reveal that a light warming (～100 °C) has reheated the massif during the Late Miocene before the Pliocene–Quaternary tectonic uplift.     

Structure and kinematics of the Jungfrau syncline, Faflertal (Valais, Alps), and its regional significance

The formation and structural evolution of the Jungfrau syncline is described, based on excellent outcrops occurring in the Lötschental, in the Central Alps of Switzerland. The quality of the outcrops allows us to demonstrate that the External Massifs of the Swiss Alps have developed due to internal folding. The Jungfrau syncline, which separates the autochtonous Gastern dome from the Aar massif basement gneiss folds, is composed of slivers of basement rocks with their Mesozoic sedimentary cover. In the Inner Faflertal, a side valley of the Lötschental, the 200 m thick syncline comprises four units, the Gastern massif with a reduced Mesozoic sedimentary cover in a normal stratigraphic succession, two units of overturned basement rocks with their Mesozoic sedimentary cover, and the overturned lower limb of the Tschingelhorn gneiss fold of the Aar massif with lenses of its sedimentary cover. Stratigraphy shows that the lower units, related to the Gastern massif, are condensed and that the upper units, deposited farther away from a Gastern paleo-high, form a more complete sequence, linked to the Doldenhorn Meso-Cenozoic basin fill. The integration of these local observations with published regional data leads to the following model. On the northern margin of the Doldenhorn basin, at the northern fringe of the Alpine Tethys, the pre-Triassic crystalline basement and its Mesozoic sedimentary cover were folded by ductile deformation at temperatures above 300 °C and in the presence of high fluid pressures, as the Helvetic and Penninic nappes were overthrusted towards the northwest during the main Alpine deformation phase. The viscosity contrast between the basement gneisses and the sediments caused the formation of large basement anticlines and tight sedimentary synclines (mullion-type structures). The edges of basement blocks bounded by pre-cursor SE-dipping normal faults at the northwestern border of the Doldenhorn basin were deformed by simple shear, creating overturned slices of crystalline rocks with their sedimentary cover in what now forms the Jungfrau syncline. The localisation of ductile deformation in the vicinity of pre-existing SE-dipping faults is thought to have been helped by the circulation of fluids along the faults; these fluids would have been released from the Mesozoic sediments by metamorphic dehydration reactions accompanied by creep and dynamic recrystallisation of quartz at temperatures above 300 °C. Quantification of the deformation suggests a strain ellipsoid with a ratio (1+ e₁ / 1+ e₃) of approximately 1000. The Jungfrau syncline was deformed by more brittle NW-directed shear creating well-developed shear band cleavages at a late stage, after cooling by uplift and erosion. It is suggested that the external massifs of the Alps are basement gneiss folds created at temperatures of 300 °C by detachment through ductile deformation of the upper crust of the European plate as it was underthrusted below the Adriatic plate.     

Regional Significance of Neotectonic Counterclockwise Rotation in Central Turkey

Counterclockwise rotation is a characteristic feature of the results of most paleomagnetic studies of the Pontides and Anatolides of central Turkey, applicable to regions both north and south of the North Anatolian fault zone. In this paper, we report new data from Eocene volcanics and assess existing data from the calc-alkaline volcanic suites of this age. Although there are regional variations, probably resulting from rotations of individual fault blocks, an average counterclockwise rotation of ～33° is identified across a region extending from 34° to 38° E Long. A mean Eocene paleolatitude of 27° N is compatible with ongoing northward movement and residual closure of a few degrees across the Pontide orogen during the latter part of its paleotectonic history. It seems probable that this rotated domain extends as far west as the Aegean graben system of western Turkey and as far south as the Taurides. Paleomagnetic evidence from younger volcanics suggests that the bulk of the rotation occurred during Quaternary time. The counterclockwise rotation of central Turkey is complemented by contemporaneous clockwise rotation of Greece, and the combined differential motion has produced the Aegean Sea in between them.     

The structural history of the Mont Blanc massif with regard to models for its recent exhumation

The tectonic evolution of the Mont Blanc range with regard to its cooling and exhumation history has been discussed and debated over many years and is still controversial. Recently, several low-temperature thermochronology studies have determined the cooling history of the massif in considerable detail and various tectonic models proposed to explain the young and fast exhumation signal established from these studies. Here we present detailed field data from the wider Mont Blanc area and assess possible exhumation processes in terms of these field constraints. Our observations indicate that none of the major faults or shear zones around the Mont Blanc massif (i.e. Mont Blanc shear zone, Mont Blanc back-thrust, Penninic thrust) was active in Late Neogene times and that young exhumation is therefore not controlled by movements along these structures. We demonstrate that the position of Mont Blanc in the bend of the western Alps plays an important role in its tectonic history and that simple 2D models are insufficient to explain its evolution. Interference between NW–SE compression and orogen-parallel extension along the Rhône-Simplon fault system resulted in a complex regional structural pattern, with strike-slip movements on both sides of the Mont Blanc massif. Young brittle faults are predominantly strike slip without significant vertical offset. The young (<2 Ma) rapid exhumation of Mont Blanc is more broadly distributed and cannot be directly linked to discrete faults bounding the massif. The mechanisms driving this recent accelerated exhumation must similarly be of broader scale.     

Palaeomagnetic investigation of Cenozoic volcanic rocks bordering the North Anatolian Fault Zone,Reşadiye and Koyulhisar Districts,central-east Anatolia,Turkey

A palaeomagnetic study is reported from the lavas of Eocene, Miocene and Pliocene age cropping out immediately to the north of the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ) in the Re?adiye–Mesudiye region of central-eastern Anatolia. Rock magnetic investigations identify a high percentage of multi-domained magnetite as the dominant ferromagnet in these rocks and this probably accounts for a relatively poor response to alternating field and thermal demagnetisation. Thirty of 37 units yielded acceptable groupings of characteristic magnetisation directions. An earlier study indicated small anticlockwise crustal block rotation in this region since Upper Cretaceous times (D/I?=?347/50°), and our study indicates that this was overtaken by clockwise rotation in Eocene times (D/I?=?40/47°), although sample size control from the Palaeogene is poor. Results from later Miocene (D/I?=?2/62°) and Pliocene (D/I?=?0/53°) volcanic rocks indicate that no significant tectonic rotation has occurred in the north of the NAFZ in Neogene times. This contrasts with rotations in the weaker crust comprising the Anatolian collage south of the NAFZ, where differential and sometimes large anticlockwise rotations occurred during the latter part of the Neogene.     

Volcanic facies and mineral chemistry of Tertiary volcanics in the northern part of the Eastern Pontides,northeast Turkey: implications for pre-eruptive crystallization conditions and magma chamber processes

Tertiary volcanics in the northern zone of the Eastern Pontides are characterized by subaerial and shallow-subaqueous facieses, and are divided into three volcanic suites: Eocene aged (1) basalt-trachybasalt-basaltic trachyandesite (BTB) and (2) trachyte-trachyandesite (TT), and Miocene aged (3) basanite-tephrite (BT) suites. Clinopyroxene is a common phase in all three volcanic suites, and has different compositions with Mg# varying from 0.57 to 0.91 in BTB suite and 0.57–0.84 in TT suite to 0.65–0.90 in BT suite. Feldspars in all suites generally exhibit wide range of compositions from sanidine to albite or anorthite and have weak normal and reverse compositional zoning. Olivines in BTB and BT suites have Fo_60–92. Hornblendes in BTB, TT and BT suites are commonly magnesio-hastingsite and rare pargasite in composition (Mg#: 0.67–0.90). Brown mica is mainly phlogopite with Mg# ranging from 0.56 to 0.92 in the BTB suite, 0.59–0.84 in the TT suite, and 0.75–0.93 in the BT suite. Analcime is present only in the BT suite rocks. Fe–Ti oxides in all suites are mainly composed of magnetite and titanomagnetite. Textural petrographic and mineral chemical data suggest that magmas had undergone hydrous and anhydrous crystallizations in deep-, mid-, and shallow-crustal magma chambers. Clinopyroxene thermobarometric calculations show that Eocene magma chambers were characterized by temperature ranging from 1,100 to 1,244 °C and pressure ranging from 1.84 to 5.39 kbar. Similarly, the Miocene magma chambers were characterized by temperature ranging from 1,119 to 1,146 °C and pressure ranging from 4.23 to 4.93 kbar. Hornblende thermobarometry, oxygen fugacity, and hygrometer reveal that the crystallization temperature of Eocene volcanics range from 956 to 959 °C at pressure ranging from 6.49 to 6.52 kbar. Eocene volcanics were characterized by water content ranging from 7.83 to 8.57 wt.% and oxygen fugacity of 10^?9.36 to 10^?9.46 (ΔNNO+2). Miocene volcanics had crystallization temperature ranging from 970 to 978 °C at pressure ranging from 8.70 to 9.00 kbar with water content ranging from 8.04 to 8.64 wt.% and oxygen fugacity ranging from 10^?8.75 to 10^?8.87 (ΔNNO+2). Brown mica thermobarometric data show that Eocene volcanics were characterized by relatively high oxygen fugacity varying from 10^-10.32 to 10^-12.37 (HM) at temperature ranging from 858 to 953 °C and pressure ranging from 1.08 to 1.41 kbar. Miocene volcanics were crystallized at highly oxidized conditions, which are characterized by high oxygen fugacity of 10^?12.0 (HM) at temperature of 875 °C and pressure of 2.09 kbar. The wide range of obtained temperatures for clinopyroxenes of the suites denotes that the equilibration of clinopyroxene crystals initiates from depth until close to the surface before magma eruption. The compositional variations, resorbed core and reverse zoning patterns in clinopyroxene phenocrysts, as well as variable pressures of crystallization, further indicate that the magmas that formed the suites were polybaric in origins and were composite products of more than one petrogenetic stage. The observed range of phenocryst assemblage and different compositional trends possibly originated from fractionation of magmas with different initial water contents under variable pressures of crystallization. The repeated occurrence of magmas from different suites during a single period of activity suggests that the magmatic system consists of several conduit systems and that magma reservoirs are dispersed at different levels of crustal magma chambers.     

On the age of mylonites within the Mont Blanc massif

Abstract

Three generations of mylonites occur in the Mont Blanc Massif :

— the first one has produced mylonitic schists trending N20°E, of regional extension; the late Variscan Mont Blanc granite intruded these mylonites;

— the second one has affected large areas in the Mont Blanc granite, with the same N20°E direction;

— the third one is located along rather narrow bands N45°E, in the granite as well as in the older mylonitic schists.

All theses mylonites have been generated under (Bi) - greenschist facies conditions. They exhibit steeply plunging schistosity and lineation. They are all ante-Alpine; paradoxically, Alpine structures within the massif do not exhibit a striking appearence.     

Paleomagnetic evidence for a large counterclockwise rotation of northern Greece prior to the Tertiary clockwise rotation

Abstract

This study aims at unravel the geotectonic evolution of northern Greece prior to the already established Tertiary clockwise rotation. Therefore, Mesozoie sediments, Early Mesozoie ophiolites and Carboniferous granites were sampled. While the metamorphosed and/or too weakly magnetized limestones had to be rejected, the gabbros and serpentinites of the 80 km long Chalkidiki belt (40.4°N, 23.3”E), and the granites of the northern Pelagonian zone (40.8°N, 21.2°E) have yielded similar results interpretable in terms of geoleetonies. In both areas the demagnetizing process has revealed a poh phased magnetic evolution.

The oldest magnetizations, labelled M (D=311°, I=20°, a₉₅, = 15°; VGP: 37°N, 272.5°, for the ophiolites; D=320.5°, I = 26°, a₉₅ =11°; VGP : 46°N, 264.5”E, for the granites) are interpreted as overprints acquired in Late Jurassic-Cretaceous times. The younger magnetizations, called C2 (D = 66°, I = 28°, a₉₅ = 9°; VGP : 28°N, 117°E, in the ophiolites ; D=64°, I = 2° a₉₅, = 11°; VCP : 20°N, I28°E, in the granites) are Tertiary overprints. Northeasterly C’ directions with negative inclinations (and conversely) are considered as overprints empiaceli prior to the Ca magnetizations ; they are interpreted as due to a barkthrusting of the ophiolilic belt of Chalkidiki and of the N. Pelagonian granitic belt, during the Early - Middle Tertiary convergence phase. The large deviation from the M to the C₂ directions, also observed by other authors in Mesozoic volcanics and sediments, results from a counterclockwise rotation of the Hellenides, probably in the Late Cretaceous as it is the case for the counterclockwise rotations of the western Mediterranean microplates. The deviation from the C₂ to the present field direction is due to a clockwise rotation of all Hellenic zones, probably in several phases.     

Paleomagnetism of Peninsular Malaysia

Paleomagnetic results from Upper Jurassic to Paleocene rocks in Peninsular Malaysia show counter clockwise (CCW) rotations, while clockwise rotations (CW) are predominantly found in older rocks. Continental redbeds of the Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Tembeling Group have a post folding remagnetization, giving a VGP at N54°E29°, corresponding to approximately 40° of CCW rotation relative to Eurasia and 60° CCW relative to the Indochina block (Khorat Plateau). Samples from Cretaceous to Paleocene mafic volcanics of the Kuantan dike swarm and the Segamat basalts give VGPs at N59°E47° and N34°E36°, respectively. These Malayasian data are indistinguishable from the Late Eocene and Oligocene VGPs reported for Borneo and the Celebes Sea and are similar to the Eocene VGPs reported for southwest Sulawesi and southwest Palawan. The occurrence of CCW deflected data over this large region suggests that much of Malaysia, Borneo, Sulawesi, and the Celebes Sea rotated approximately 30° to 40° CCW relative to the Geocentric Axial Dipole (GAD) between the Late Eocene and the Late Miocene, although not necessarily synchronously, nor as a single rigid plate. These regional CCW rotations are not consistent with simple extrusion based tectonic models. CW declinations have been measured in Late Triassic granites, Permian to Triassic volcanics, and remagnetized Paleozoic carbonates. The age of this magnetization is poorly understood and may be as old as Late Triassic, or as young as Middle or Late Cretaceous. The plate, or block rotations, giving rise to these directions are correspondingly weakly constrained.     

Cenozoic Vertical-Axis Rotations of the Hoh Xil Basin, Central–Northern Tibet

Understanding the Cenozoic vertical-axis rotation in the Tibetan Plateau is crucial for continental dynamic evolution. Paleomagnetic and rock magnetic investigations were carried out for the Oligocene and Miocene continental rocks of the Hoh Xil basin in order to better understand the tectonic rotations of central Tibet. The study area was located in the Tongtianhe area located in the southern part of the Hoh Xil basin and northern margin of the Tanggula thrust system in central-northern Tibet. A total of 160 independently oriented paleomagnetic samples were drilled from the Tongtianhe section for this study. The magnetic properties of magnetite and hematite have been recognized by measurements of magnetic susceptibility vs. temperature curves and unblocking temperatures. The mean directions of the Oligocene Yaxicuo Group in stratigraphic coordinates(Declination/Inclination = 354.9°/29.3°, k = 33.0, α_(95) = 13.5°, N =5 Sites) and of the Miocene Wudaoliang Group in stratigraphic coordinates(Declination/Inclination = 3.6°/36.4°, k = 161.0, α_(95) = 9.7°, N =3 Sites) pass reversal tests, indicating the primary nature of the characteristic magnetizations. Our results suggested that the sampled areas in the Tuotuohe depression of the Hoh Xil basin have undergone no paleomagnetically detectable rotations under single thrusting from the Tanggula thrust system. Our findings, together with constraints from other tectonic characteristics reported by previous paleomagnetic studies, suggest tectonic rotations in the Cuoredejia and Wudaoliang depressions of the Hoh Xil basin were affected by strike-slip faulting of the Fenghuo Shan-Nangqian thrust systems. A closer examination of geological data and different vertical-axis rotation magnitudes suggest the tectonic history of the Hoh Xil basin may be controlled by thrust and strike-slip faulting since the Eocene.     

Geometry and origin of folding in the Neogene sediments of the Gediz Graben,western Anatolia,Turkey

A close relationship between formation of approximately upright folds with axes normal to the extension direction and ramp/flat extensional geometries is established for well exposed Neogene syn-extensional rocks on the presently low-angle Gediz detachment fault, along the southern margin of the Gediz Graben region of western Anatolia, Turkey. Three unconformity-bounded sedimentary sequences and several metamorphic extensional allochthons were mapped in the upper-plate of the Gediz detachment. The oldest sedimentary sequence consists of deformed and folded strata of sandstones and conglomerates that are regarded as being deposited in a supra-detachment basin during the Miocene–Early Pliocene. This unit rests unconformably on the extensional allochthonous, but directly in fault contact with the lower-plate mylonitic rocks. The younger slightly tilted Late Pliocene–Pleistocene sedimentary sequences are post-detachment units that are controlled by EW-trending high-angle normal faults. The youngest alluvium comprises the undeformed present-day basin fill of the Gediz Graben. The supra-detachment sedimentary rocks contain a number of kilometric-scale longitudinal folds that are nearly parallel to the east-west-trending fault system of the Gediz Graben. The folds have a steeply inclined bisecting surface, an interlimb angle of 130–150°, and a plunge of <10°. These folds may be interpreted to form as a result of bending in the underlying Gediz detachment fault. The bending may have an alternation of ramp and flat geometries on which a hanging-wall syncline and rollover anticline formed, respectively. This study again shows the importance of local geology in understanding of some spectacular structures of the extensional basins.     

The Çubukludağ graben,south of İzmir: its tectonic significance in the Neogene geological evolution of the western Anatolia

Abstract

Field studies on the Neogene successions in south of ?zmir reveal that subsequent Neogene continental basins were developed in the region. Initially a vast lake basin was formed during the early-Middle Miocene period. The lacustrine sediments underwent an approximately N-S shortening deformation to the end of Middle Miocene. A small portion of the basin fill was later trapped within the N-S-trending, fault-bounded graben basin, the Çubukluda? graben, opened during the Late Miocene. Oblique-slip normal faults with minor sinistral displacement are formed possibly under N–S extensional regime, and controlled the sediment deposition. Following this the region suffered a phase of denudation which produced a regionwide erosional surface suggesting that the extension interrupted to the end of Late Miocene–Early Pliocene period. After this event the E–W-trending major grabens and horsts of western Anatolia began to form. The graben bounding faults cut across the Upper Miocene–Pliocene lacustrine sediments and fragmented the erosional surface. The Çubukluda? graben began to work as a cross garden between the E–W grabens, since that period. © 2001 Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS     

青藏高原东北缘柴达木盆地路乐河地区新生代构造变形的古地磁证据

青藏高原东北缘是高原由西南向东北方向扩展的前缘位置，其新生代构造变形对揭示青藏高原隆升、扩展的过程与动力学机制具有重要的意义。柴达木盆地是青藏高原东北缘最大的新生代沉积盆地，发育巨厚的新生代地层，这些地层所记录的古地磁极旋转信息是定量约束柴达木盆地新生代以来构造变形发生的时间、方式与幅度的载体。本文以柴达木盆地北缘新生代地层出露良好、具有精确地层年代控制的路乐河剖面为研究对象，开展了古地磁极旋转研究，统计分析路乐河剖面24. 6~5. 2 Ma之间1477个可靠古地磁样品的特征剩磁方向(ChRM)，发现柴达木盆地北缘路乐河地区在24. 6~16. 4 Ma发生小幅度(不显著)的逆时针旋转，旋转角度约为8. 4°±6. 1°；16. 4~13. 9 Ma路乐河地区发生显著的顺时针旋转，旋转角度可达36. 1°±6. 0°；13. 9~5. 2 Ma 该地区未发生明显的构造旋转；5. 2 Ma以后路乐河地区逆时针旋转了~6°。结合柴达木盆地北缘区域构造变形的分析，我们提出柴达木盆地北缘路乐河地区在16. 4~13. 9 Ma 之间发生强烈的顺时针旋转构造变形(~36°)可能代表了盆地北缘中中新世遭受强烈的地壳差异缩短变形，从而成为高原最新形成的部分。     

A Variscan pressure-temperature-time path for the N-E Mont Blanc massif

The northeastern portion of the Mont Blanc massif in western Switzerland is predominantly comprised of the granitic rocks of the Mont Blanc intrusive suite and the Mont Blanc basement gneisses. Within these metamorphic rocks are a variety of sub-economic Fe skarns. The mineral assemblages and fluid inclusions from these rocks have been used to derive age, pressure, temperature and fluid composition constraints for two Variscan events. Metamorphic hornblendes within the assemblages from the basement amphibolites and iron skarns have been dated using ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar, and indicate that these metamorphic events have a minimum age of approximately 334 Ma. Garnet-hornblende-plagioclase thermobarometry and stable isotope data obtained from the basement amphibolites are consistent with metamorphic temperatures in the range 515 to 580 °C, and pressures ranging from 5 to 8 kbar. Garnet-hornblende-magnetite thermobarometry and fluid inclusion studies indicate that the iron skarns formed at slightly lower temperatures, ranging from 400 to 500 °C in the presence of saline fluids at formational pressures similar to those experienced by the basement amphibolites. Late Paleozoic minimum uplift rates and geothermal gradients calculated using these data and the presence of Ladinien ichnofossils are on the order of 0.32 mm/year and 20 °C/km respectively. These uplift rates and geothermal gradients differ from those obtained from the neighbouring Aiguilles Rouges massif and indicate that these two massifs experienced different metamorphic conditions during the Carboniferous and Permian periods. During the early to late Carboniferous period the relative depths of the two massifs were reversed with the Aiguilles Rouges being initially unroofed at a much greater rate than the Mont Blanc, but experiencing relatively slower uplift rates near the termination of the Variscan orogeny. Received: 23 April 1996 / Accepted: 27 August 1996     

Timing of rockfalls in the Mont Blanc massif (Western Alps): evidence from surface exposure dating with cosmogenic <Superscript>10</Superscript>Be

Rockfalls and rock avalanches are a recurrent process in high mountain areas like the Mont Blanc massif. These processes are surveyed due to the hazard they present for infrastructure and alpinists. While rockfalls and rock avalanches have been documented for the last 150 years, we know very little about their frequency since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). In order to improve our understanding, it is imperative to date them on a longer timescale. A pilot campaign using Terrestrial Cosmogenic Nuclide (TCN) dating of five samples was carried out in 2006 at the Aiguille du Midi (3842 m a.s.l.). In 2011, a larger scale study (20 samples) was carried out in five other test sites in the Mont Blanc massif. This paper presents the exposure ages of the 2011 TCN study as well as the updated exposure ages of the 2006 study using newer TCN dating parameters. Most of these exposure ages lie within the Holocene but three ages are Pleistocene (59.87?±?6.10 ka for the oldest). A comparison of these ages with air temperature and glacier cover proxies explored the possible relationship between the most active rockfall periods and the warmest periods of the Holocene: two clusters of exposure ages have been detected, corresponding to the Middle Holocene (8.2–4.2 ka) and the Roman Warm Period (c. 2 ka) climate periods. Some recent rockfalls have also been dated (<?0.56 ka).     

Geometry and origin of folding in the Neogene sediments of the Gediz Graben,western Anatolia,Turkey

Abstract

A close relationship between formation of approximately upright folds with axes normal to the extension direction and ramp/flat extensional geometries is established for well exposed Neogene syn-extensional rocks on the presently low-angle Gediz detachment fault, along the southern margin of the Gediz Graben region of western Anatolia, Turkey. Three unconformity-bounded sedimentary sequences and several metamorphic extensional allochthons were mapped in the upper-plate of the Gediz detachment. The oldest sedimentary sequence consists of deformed and folded strata of sandstones and conglomerates that are regarded as being deposited in a supra-detachment basin during the Miocene-Early Pliocene. This unit rests unconformably on the extensional allochthonous, but directly in fault contact with the lower-plate mylonitic rocks. The younger slightly tilted Late Pliocene-Pleistocene sedimentary sequences are post-detachment units that are controlled by EW-trending high-angle normal faults. The youngest alluvium comprises the undeformed present-day basin fill of the Gediz Graben. The supra-detachment sedimentary rocks contain a number of kilometric-scale longitudinal folds that are nearly parallel to the east-west-trending fault system of the Gediz Graben. The folds have a steeply inclined bisecting surface, an interlimb angle of 130–150°, and a plunge of <10°. These folds may be interpreted to form as a result of bending in the underlying Gediz detachment fault. The bending may have an alternation of ramp and flat geometries on which a hanging-wall syncline and rollover anticline formed, respectively. This study again shows the importance of local geology in understanding of some spectacular structures of the extensional basins. © 2002 Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.     

Origin of blocky aragonite cement in Cenozoic glaciomarine sediments,McMurdo Sound,Antarctica

Inorganic aragonite occurs in a wide spectrum of depositional environments and its precipitation is controlled by complex physio-chemical factors. This study investigates diagenetic conditions that led to aragonite cement precipitation in Cenozoic glaciomarine deposits of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. A total of 42 sandstones that host intergranular cement were collected from the CIROS-1 core, located proximal to the terminus of Ferrar Glacier. Standard petrography, Raman spectroscopy and electron microprobe analysis reveal a prominent aragonite cement phase that occurs as a pore-filling blocky fabric throughout the core. Oxygen isotope compositions (δ¹⁸O = −30·0 to −8·6‰ Vienna Pee-Dee Belemnite) and clumped isotope temperatures (TΔ₄₇ = 13·1 to 31·5°C) determined from the aragonite cements provide precise constraints on isotopic compositions (δ¹⁸O_w) of the parent fluid, which mostly range from −10·8 to −7·2‰ Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water. The fluid δ¹⁸O_w values are consistent with those of pore water, previously identified as cryogenic brine in the nearby AND-2A core. Petrographic and geochemical data suggest that aragonite cement in the CIROS-1 core precipitated from a similar brine. The brine likely formed and infiltrated sediments in flooded glacial valleys along the western margin of McMurdo Sound during the middle Miocene Climatic Transition, and subsequently flowed basinward in the subsurface. Consequently, the brine forms as a longstanding subsurface fluid that has saturated Cenozoic sediments below southern McMurdo Sound since at least the middle Miocene. Aragonite cementation in the CIROS-1 core is interpreted to reflect its proximal position to sites of brine formation and greater likelihood of experiencing brines with sustained high carbonate saturation states and Mg/Ca ratios. This unusual occurrence expands the range of known natural occurrences of aragonite cement. Given the potential for cryogenic brine formation in glaciomarine settings, blocky aragonite, as the end member of the spectrum of aragonite cement morphology, may be more widespread in glaciomarine sediments than currently thought.