Ninetyeast ridge: Magmatism and geodynamics

The study of magmatism and tectonic structure of the East Indian or Ninetyeast Ridge (NER) reveals the geochemical similarity of mantle sources for the NER and Kerguelen Plateau melts. Magmas related to the Kerguelen plume were derived from an enriched mantle source, whereas the NER tholeiitic basalts originated from a source contaminated by a depleted material. While, depleted basalt varieties were not found within the NER basalts. It was shown that magmatic rocks forming the NER were generated by high degrees (30%) of partial melting within the ancient Wharton spreading ridge due to the activity of the Kerguelen plume, which was located at this time in the vicinity of the ridge. The most significant impact of the plume on the NER structures was recorded at 70–50 Ma ago.     

Geodesy and geodynamics

Man's interest in the dynamics of the earth's crust goes back several centuries. Ekman recently pointed out the theory of post-glacial uplift in Fennoscandia. In the 15th century, towns along the Baltic-Sea experienced receding of the sea. In this century, Bowie had started a program for repeating surveys in seismically active regions. Wegeners' hypothesis of Continental Drift aroused the interest of scientists. In January 1985, Walter Sullivan traced the evolution from Wegener's continental drift through plate tectonics to the latest suggestion of the formation of continents from “terranes”. Spatial techniques. Laser Ranging, VLBI, GPS have given geodesists the ability to monitor continental drift, intracontinental deformations and other phenomena.

Along faults, such as the San Andreas Fault, the conventional geodetic approach to deformation has been to use a linear concept, except for episodic events such as earthquakes and so on.

Wayne Thatcher's model on the declining strain rate is justified if sufficient geodetic data, well distributed, are available. Strain components can be computed from distortion patterns which might develop when an earlier survey is adjusted to be made consistent with a later survey. There exists a correlation of the movement of the instantaneous pole of rotation with the energy release of all earthquakes.     

特提斯地球动力学

特提斯是地球显生宙期间位于北方劳亚大陆和南方冈瓦纳大陆之间的巨型海洋,它在新生代期间的闭合形成现今东西向展布的欧洲阿尔卑斯山、土耳其-伊朗高原、喜马拉雅山和青藏高原。根据演化历史,特提斯可划分为原特提斯、古特提斯和新特提斯三个阶段,分别代表早古生代、晚古生代和中生代期间的大洋。大约在500Ma左右,冈瓦纳大陆北缘发生张裂,裂解的块体向北漂移,并使其与塔里木-华北之间的原特提斯洋在420～440Ma左右关闭,产生原特提斯造山作用,与北美-西欧地区Avalonia地体与劳伦大陆之间的阿巴拉契亚-加里东造山作用基本相当。原特提斯造山带之南、早古生代即已存在的龙木错-双湖-昌宁-孟连古特提斯洋在380Ma向北俯冲,使早期闭合的康西瓦-阿尼玛卿洋重新张开,并由于弧后扩张形成金沙江-哀牢山洋。330～360Ma左右,特提斯西部大洋由于南侧非洲板块和北侧欧洲板块的碰撞而关闭,形成欧洲华力西造山带。而特提斯东段的上述三条古特提斯洋在250Ma左右基本同时关闭,华北、华南、印支等块体聚合形成华夏大陆。该大陆与冈瓦纳大陆、劳亚大陆和华力西造山带一起围限形成封闭的古特提斯残留洋,并一直到晚三叠世-早侏罗世海水才全部退出。此后,南侧冈瓦纳大陆在三叠纪晚期重新裂解形成新特提斯洋,该洋盆在新生代初期由于印度和亚洲的碰撞而关闭。原、古、新特提斯三次造山作用基本代表了中国大陆显生宙期间的地质演化历史,并在此过程中形成了特色的特提斯域金属成矿作用。广布的被动陆缘和赤道附近的古地理位置,以及后期的造山作用同时也成就了特提斯域内巨量油气资源的形成;塑就的地貌与海陆分布格局,也对当时的古气候与古环境产生了重要影响。特别是,与原、古、新特提斯洋消亡相关的三次弧岩浆活动与显生宙地球历史上三次温室地球向冰室地球的转变,在时间上高度吻合。上述演化历史同时还表明,特提斯地质演化以南侧冈瓦纳大陆不断裂解、块体向北漂移并与劳亚大陆持续聚合为特征,其动力机制主要来自俯冲板片的拖拽力,而地幔柱是否对大陆的裂解与漂移有所贡献,则有待进一步评价。     

Intracratonic geodynamics

Geodynamic concepts of deformation and metamorphism of continental lithosphere are dominated by the effects of subduction, accretion or collision along the margins of continental lithospheric blocks. Yet it is becoming increasingly apparent that suture zones, presumably representing fossil subduction zones, but occurring far from ambient continent boundaries, play a key role in intra-cratonic deformation. In such zones the crust is strongly sheared and mantle lithosphere metasomatised. Reworking of such settings reveals a surprisingly large range of instabilities that develop in compressed/extended lithosphere with lateral heterogeneities inherited from fossil subduction settings. Structural complexity arises which is quite sensitive to the pre-existing geometry and tectonic setting. This influences localization of deformation, topographic evolution, melt generation and fluid flow patterns. We recognise a class of instabilities, labelled acceleration instabilities, of which the classical Rayleigh–Taylor instability is one example. In many cases shown in this paper such instabilities are responsible for triggering most of the response of the lithosphere. In an elastic-plastic material a necessary condition for instability is that the material reaches the yield point; thus not only density contrasts between media drive instability but also processes induced by other forces normal to the interface. As a geological example the Petermann orogeny in central Australia is given.     

Satellite geodesy and geodynamics

A short review of the fundamental techniques of satellite geodesy for the determination of the (timevarying) coordinates of a global set of geodetic reference points as well as the gravity field of the earth is given. The last results of modern observation techniques, especially the high accuracies obtained in the last few years, may show the relevance of this particular data source for the investigation of geodynamical phenomena in the near future.

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Zusammenfassung Eine kurze Übersicht stellt die wesentlichen Techniken der Satelliten-Geodäsie für die Bestimmung der (zeitabhängigen) Koordination eines globalen Satzes geodätischer Referenzpunkte und des Schwerefeldes der Erde vor. Die neuesten Ergebnisse moderner Beobachtungsverfahren, vor allem die hohen Genauigkeiten, die in den letzten Jahren erreicht wurden, zeigen die Bedeutung dieser speziellen Datenquelle für die Untersuchung geodynamischer Phänomene in naher Zukunft.

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Résumé L'auteur expose en un court aperçu les techniques essentielles de la géodésie par satellites pour la détermination (en fonction du temps) des coordonnées d'une série globale de points de référence géodésiques et le champ de gravité de la Terre. Les tout derniers résultats des techniques d'observation modernes, et avant tout la haute précision atteinte au cours de ces dernières années, montrent la portée de cette source particulière de données pour l'étude des phénomènes géodynamiques dans le prochain avenir.

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Paleoseismicity and geodynamics in Sweden

Paleoseismicity denotes past (pre-instrumental) earthquakes as recorded by bedrock structures, morphological features and sedimentological criteria. Glacial varves. eskers and deltas are excellent records of paleoseismic events. Data from Sweden are presented. Faults, fractures and various types of sedimentary disturbances of Late Pleistocene and Holocene age frequently occur. It is concluded that the seismic activity was very intensive in connection with the peak rates of glacial isostatic uplift, and that this was a natural effect of the geodynamic processes operating.     

Rare-earth elements in the models of the Early Precambrian iron-siliceous ore genesis

The use of lanthanides, including Nd isotope geochemistry, as indicators of nature and source of Early Precambrian iron-siliceous formations are discussed using methods of geochemistry.     

早期碰撞造山过程与板块构造：前寒武纪地质研究的机遇和挑战

普遍认为修正后的板块构造模式仍适用于新太古代地质研究，但是早期板块构造过程与后期有明显差异，包括陆块规模、造山带类型、碰撞造山过程等。典型碰撞造山带在地史上的初次形成具有划时代的构造演化意义，涉及典型板块构造初始发生过程、最早超级大陆拼合、威尔逊旋回及板块碰撞造山过程等方面。华北中部保留一条近南北向的碰撞造山带（2 600~2 500 Ma BP），保留特征的巨型复式褶皱、不同层次推覆构造、蛇绿岩混杂带等。围绕华北中部造山带及其25亿年重大构造热事件的研究，对认识华北早期构造演化及其超大陆再造具有重要意义，也是早期板块构造研究的关键突破口之一，开展其不同地壳层次构造变形及其前陆盆地的研究，将深化早期板块边界及其造山过程的科学认识。     

特提斯成矿域主要金属矿床类型与成矿过程

作为全球三大巨型成矿域之一的特提斯成矿域目前尚缺少系统的研究和总结。特提斯构造带是欧亚大陆南部一条全球性纬向展布的构造带,夹持于东欧、哈萨克、塔里木、华北、扬子、印度支那地块和印度、阿拉伯、非洲板块之间,由若干个小陆块,如Anatolides、外高加索、Alborz、伊朗中部、鲁特、阿富汗、帕米尔、南羌塘、北羌塘、拉萨、保山、中缅马苏、西缅甸等,及陆块中间的造山带组成,是在晚古生代到新生代期间,古、新特提斯洋扩张与闭合过程中,历经两次大规模的板块俯冲、碰撞形成的。这一过程可主要概括为冈瓦纳大陆的裂解以及欧亚大陆的增生,其中欧亚主动大陆边缘和冈瓦纳被动大陆边缘起了主要的控制作用。特提斯成矿域复杂的地质演化过程注定了其成矿具多金属、多类型的特征,漫长的空间展布决定了其金属堆积的连续成带性,其中的一些重要成矿带全球著名。文章在特提斯成矿域中识别出了6种主要的成矿作用,分别形成斑岩型Cu-Mo-Au、与岩浆热液有关的Sn-W、岩浆型铬铁矿、VMS型Cu-Pb-Zn、浅成低温热液型Au-Hg-Sb及与沉积岩有关的Pb-Zn等矿床。这些矿床都是在洋盆扩张、洋陆俯冲、大陆碰撞等地球动力学背景中形成的。与环太平洋、古亚洲等增...     

The Fennoscandian uplift and late cenozoic geodynamics: geological evidence

The history of the recording and interpretation of the Fennoscandian uplift illustrates the main history of Earth sciences because the results obtained had (and still have) immediate impact of the interpretation of a large number of fundamental problems in Earth sciences. Thanks to a paper of De Geer in 1888, the glacial isostatic origin was established. Fennoscandia became the classic area of glacial isostasy, and its sea level records were used for geophysical calculations of the properties and dynamics of the mantle and crust. The varve dated sea level curve of Lidén (1938) from the center of uplift provided an exceptionally well dated record. With the radiocarbon method, the records of shorelines and shorelevel displacement curves were drastically improved providing a totally new basis for the understanding of the geodynamics of the Fennoscandian uplift and for the geophysical interpretation of the data obtained. This is especially true in combination with the repeated levelling data obtained during the last decades for Finland and Sweden.The Late Cenozoic long term movements of the Fennoscandian Shield are characterized by a considerable subsidence. The postglacial uplift of Fennoscandia is complex (an exponential and a linear factor) and caused by two different mechanisms. The total absolute movement in relation to the last glaciation is an elliptic uplift cone of 830 m height surrounded by a subsidence through of 170 m height. The mass in the uplift cone and in the subsidence through is as 1:1 with a volume 0.7 × 10⁶km³. The disappearence/appearance of mass give evidence of a mass transfer in a low viscosity asthenosphere. The properties and conditions of the asthenosphere are found to be: 1–10 × 10²⁰ Poises in viscosity, 3 × 10^–14 – 3 × 10^–16 sec^–1 in strain rates, 0.7% of the melting temperature, 3 mm in grain size, and 5–0.4 bar in stress. The main isostatic uplift (the exponential factor) originates from an asthenospheric dislocation glide process which in early-mid Holocene time changed over into a diffusion creep process. The present linear uplift factor (identified through the last 8000 yrs) seems to originate from mesospheric motions under the following approximate conditions: 0.6% of the melting temperature, 2 × 10²² Poises in viscosity, 3 × 10^–16 sec^–1 in strain rates and 8 bars in stress. Uplift irregularities and neotectonism are frequently established and often reveal an old geodynamic inheritance (e.g. the Pre-Baikalian/Gothian bedrock seam of high geodynamic activity). The peak rates of glacial isostasy are associated with intensive fracturing, faulting and seismic activity.     

Precambrian tidal and glacial clastic deposits: implications for Precambrian Earth–Moon dynamics and palaeoclimate

Over the past decade the study of Precambrian clastic tidal rhythmites — stacked laminae of sandstone, siltstone and mudstone that display periodic variations in thickness reflecting a strong tidal influence on sedimentation — has provided accurate palaeotidal and palaeorotational data. Palaeotidal records obtained from tidal rhythmites may be systematically abbreviated, however, and derived periods and frequencies can be misleading. The validity of such values, including past length of day, can be assessed by testing for internal self-consistency through application of the laws of celestial mechanics. Such a test supports the estimated length of day of h derived from the late Neoproterozoic (620 Ma) Elatina–Reynella rhythmites in South Australia, and the indicated mean rate of lunar retreat of cm/year since 620 Ma. The validity of estimated lengths of day obtained from other Precambrian tidal rhythmites remain unverified because the data sets contain only one primary value directly determined from the rhythmites. The Elatina–Reynella data militate against significant Earth expansion at least since 620 Ma, and suggest that the free nutation or ‘tipping' of the Earth's fluid core has undergone a resonance with the Earth's annual forced nutation since the Neoproterozoic. Glaciogenic deposits are readily distinguishable from ejecta resulting from impacts with Earth-crossing bodies. Palaeomagnetic data, based on the geocentric axial dipole model for the geomagnetic field, indicate that Neoproterozoic and Palaeoproterozoic glaciation and cold climate near sea level occurred in low palaeolatitudes. This enigmatic finding may imply global glaciation or an increased obliquity of the ecliptic, and is relevant to modelling the effect of ice sheet formation on the Earth's obliquity history by obliquity–oblateness feedback mechanisms. Through multidisciplinary studies, clastic sedimentology and geophysics together can make substantial contributions to understanding Precambrian Earth–Moon dynamics and global palaeoenvironments.     

Precambrian acritarcha: A cautionary note

Extensive studies have shown that acritarch-like artifacts, ‘pseudomicrofossils’, may be easily produced during acid maceration of samples. Such acritarch-like forms may also be found in rocks and in modern ecological settings. The most common pseudomicrofossils are microstructures which have specific gravities less than unity. Such ‘light-microfossils’ have been described previously by A.C. Lopuchin and coworkers (1978). Experiments have more recently been conducted, including microscopic observations and scanning electron microscopy, the results revealing that these ‘light-microfossils’ actually consist of finely-dispersed organic substances and that pseudomicrofossils can be formed during each step of the customary maceration processes. Consequently, care must be taken when referring to certain published taxa, particularly to forms resembling Trachysphaeridium, Asperatopsophosphaera, Pseudozonosphaera, Trematosphaeridium, Taeniatum and the Polyporata morphotypes, because they may include artifacts. The purpose of this preliminary report is to point out that, while there are many real acritarchs described and carefully diagnosed in the literature, a number of reports of artifacts merely resembling acritarchs have also been published inadvertently. In a broader sense, during the past 50 years numerous morphotypes assumed to be the remnants of organisms have been described from Precambrian strata. Many of the Precambrian microstructures are, in fact, not microfossils at all but various microstructures unrelated to syngenetic microorganisms.     

Chemical geodynamics of Western Anatolia

We report major and trace element concentrations and Nd–Sr–Pb isotopic data of 10 post-collisional volcanic domains in Western Anatolia, a seismically active part of the Alpine–Himalayan belt in the Aegean extensional province. Our objective is to provide geochemical constraints for tectono-magmatic processes shaping the late Cenozoic geodynamic evolution of Western Anatolia.

Calc-alkaline volcanic rocks occurring to the north of the Izmir–Ankara–Erzincan suture zone show arc-like trace elements and isotopes and were formed by the melting of the metasomatized Neotethyan mantle-wedge; this process was facilitated by asthenospheric upwelling resulting from slab delamination. Calc-alkaline and alkaline volcanic rocks from within the Izmir–Ankara–Erzincan suture zone also show the imprint of subduction fluids in their major and trace elements, but their isotopic compositions indicate derivation from a metasomatized lithospheric mantle followed by assimilation of ancient crust. Volcanics along the N–S-oriented Kirka–Afyon–Isparta trend were derived from the lithospheric mantle that was metasomatized by fluids from the older subduction of the African plate. Golcuk–Isparta volcanic rocks show an asthenospheric imprint; the latter was a consequence of upwelling following a tear in the subducting African lithosphere. Shoshonitic Kula volcanic rocks show very high trace element concentrations, OIB mantle-like trace elements, and Nd–Sr–Pb isotopic signatures, and were formed by partial melting of the upwelling asthenospheric mantle; this event was synchronous with the Aegean extension and possibly also with slab window formation due to ruptures in the African plate.

Inherent in the above chemical geodynamic models are the high ?_Nd(0) values (+6.4) of the end-member volcanic rocks, implying the presence of an asthenospheric source beneath Western Anatolia that is responsible for the currently observed high heat flow, low Pn wave velocities, high seismicity, and tectonic activity.