Soft-sediment deformation structures in Late Miocene–Pleistocene sediments on the pediment of the Mátra Hills (Visonta, Atkár, Verseg): Cryoturbation, load structures or seismites?

The studied area, built up by silty clayey and partly sandy sediments and paleosols, lies on the tectonically active Northern margins of the Pannonian Basin. Wavy, sagging load casts can be observed in the upper part of the Late Miocene alluvial complex and larger scale sagging load casts, flame structures, drops and pillows detected in its Quaternary cover were studied in detail, in order to understand the origins of soft sediment deformation which characterized this young sedimentary suite. Sedimentological, paleopedological and mineralogical observations suggest that:

1. One of the reasons for the soft-sediment deformation might have been the relatively low cohesive strength of the predominantly smectitic sediment covering a gentle slope similar to the actual landscape.

2. On such a surface, the down-slope gravitational component of the mud-blanket might easily have been sufficient to overcome its cohesive strength.

3. Frost action traceable in the studied formations might also have contributed to the observed deformation, particularly along the eroded top of the Late Miocene sediments.

Combined evidence from field observations and laboratory analyses support the idea that liquefaction–fluidization was of prime importance in bringing about the observed structures. In conclusion two alternative Quaternary/Holocene scenarios are proposed, which might have resulted in the unusual behaviour of the sediments/paleosols. One is a seismic event, the other is the combined effect of freeze–thaw cycles and of the sloping foothill position, which might have resulted in episodic downslope transport and the associated deformation of the eroded soil material when its water content surpassed a certain threshold. We accept that the anomalous abundance of soft-sediment deformation in this marginal position may be causally related to paleo-earthquakes, but the obvious complexity of the phenomenon requires caution. In case the proposed scenarios would not have been alternatives but acted simultaneously, the analysed phenomena were to be interpreted as the joint results of tectonics and climate change.     

Sequence and style of major post-nappe structures, Simplon—Pennine Alps

In the Upper Pennine nappe complex of the Simplon—Pennine Alps (Switzerland and Italy), at least three phases of major post-nappe folding (in places associated with thrusting) can be distinguished. These are superimposed on an earlier-formed, partly chaotic, complex of tectonic units, including the Bernhard and Monte Rosa continental flakes and the Zermatt—Saas and Antrona ophiolite complexes. The earliest post-nappe folds were essentially isoclinal throughout the whole region and were accompanied by a strong schistosity which is the main foliation in most areas. Later, two successive phases of back-folding led to the present overall structure. Both phases typically show rapid variations in style from open folds lacking axial planar schistosity to very tight structures with complete foliation transposition. This has been demonstrated by systematically mapping the major axial traces over the whole region. Successively removing the major structures in reverse order shows that the ophiolite complexes were originally part of a continuous unit marking an important suture between the Bernhard and Monte Rosa nappes.     

山东省灵山岛负载构造和球-枕构造研究

本文运用野外露头考察、沉积岩石学、地质统计等方法,对灵山岛的负载构造和球-枕构造进行研究。这些负载构造和球-枕构造侧向延伸好,在整个剖面上连续分布,具有多尺度、多形态、多组合等特点。形成负载构造和球-枕构造的前提条件是地层密度的倒置(上大下小),变形的根本驱动力是沉积物自身的重力。球-枕构造和负载构造的形成机制相同,只是变形程度和阶段不同。根据不对称负载构造受横向剪切力分析,证明早白垩世时该盆地存在古斜坡,并且SE高、NW低。综合考虑地震触发形成震积岩的标志特征和灵山岛的构造地质背景,认为本研究区的负载构造和球-枕构造系古地震触发形成。     

Tectonic structures — a classification

By considering the ways (symmetric, asymmetric and antisymmetric) in which layer interfaces can mutually deflect (see Fig.2.), and the relative curvatures which occur in waves of each of the interfaces (Fig.1), it is possible to generate a classification of structures which covers a wide range of buckle fold shapes, load casts and interface buckles, some types of boudins and asymmetric folds, in one three-dimensional plot.     

Soft-sediment deformation structures in late Albian to Cenomanian deposits, São Luís Basin, northern Brazil: evidence for palaeoseismicity

Soft-sediment deformation structures from the Alcântara Formation (late Albian to Cenomanian), São Luís Basin, northern Brazil, consist of (1) contorted structures, which include convolute folds, ball-and-pillow structures, concave-up paths with consolidation lamination, recumbently folded cross-stratification and irregular convolute stratification that grades into massive beds; (2) intruded structures, which include pillars, dykes, cusps and subsidence lobes; and (3) brittle structures, represented by fractures and faults displaying planes with a delicate, ragged morphology and sharp peaks. These structures result from a complex combination of processes, mostly including reverse density gradients, fluidization and liquefaction. Reverse density gradients, promoted by differential liquefaction associated with different degrees of sediment compaction, led to the genesis of convolute folds. More intense deformation promoted the development of ball-and-pillow structures, subsidence lobes and sand rolls, which are attributed to denser, and thus more compacted (less liquefied), portions that sank down into less dense, more liquefied sediments. Irregular convolute stratification that grades into massive beds would have formed at periods of maximum deformation. The subsidence of beds was accompanied by lateral current drag and fluid escape from water-saturated sands. In addition, the fractures and faults record brittle deformation penecontemporaneous with sediment deposition. All these mechanisms were triggered by a seismic agent, as suggested by a combination of criteria, including (1) the position of the study area at the edge of a major strike-slip fault zone that was reactivated several times from the Albian to the Holocene; (2) a relative increase in the degree of deformation in sites located closer to the fault zone; (3) continuity of the deformed beds over large distances (several kilometres); (4) restriction of soft-sediment deformation structures to single stratigraphic intervals bounded by entirely undeformed strata; (5) recurrence through time; and (6) similarities to many other earthquake-induced deformational structures.     

Closing-up structures, alternatives to pull-apart basins; the effect of bends in the North Anatolian Fault, Turkey

Fault blocks passing bends or stepovers in a fault zone must adapt their margins to the uneven fault trace. Two cases of adaption are distinguished for extensional bends or stepovers (transtension): (1) The fault margins close up behind a single bend ('knickpoint') of a strike-slip fault and a 'closing-up structure' (new term) arises or (2) fault-block margins are extended behind a releasing bend (double bend) or stepover parallel to the displacement and a pull-apart basin originates. The dosing up described here is accomplished by acute-angled synthetic strike-slip faults that dissect the straight fault in front of a knickpoint to form a zig-zag block boundary behind it. Crustal extension is also involved in the closing-up structure, but in a different way from typical pull-apart basins.
The closing-up structure illustrated was developed behind an extensional knickpoint in the North Anatolian Fault west of Lake Abant, NW Turkey, where the process of closing up continues to this day. The kinematic model of this closing-up structure is supported by displacements and ruptures observed during the 1967 Mudurnu valley earthquake and the 1957 Abant earthquake.     

Relationship of Dinaric,Hellenic, and Italian structures

The development of the Yugoslavian, Albanian, and Italian segments of the Mediterranean geosyncline is compared, using the province of Montenegro as the standard for correlation of the paleogeographic analysis during the Alpine tectonic cycle. The tectonic zones, characteristic of the Montenegro area are four in number and given as the Maritime zone with rocks ranging from Upper Carboniferous to Oligocene; the old Montenegro zone consisting of Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous and upper Oligocene sediments; the Ku?a zone deposits ranging from Upper Permian through Mesozoic; and the Durmitor zone with Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian, Triassic, and Jurassic sedimentary and volcanic-sedimentary bodies and Upper Cretaceous flysch.—IGR Staff.     

Extensional tectonic origin of gneissosity and related structures of the Feiran–Solaf metamorphic belt, Sinai, Egypt

The Feiran–Solaf metamorphic belt consists of low-P high-T amphibolite facies, partly migmatized gneisses, schists, amphibolites and minor calc-silicate rocks of metasedimentary origin. There are also thick concordant synkinematic sheets of diorite, tonalite and granodiorite orthogneiss and foliated granite and pegmatite dykelets. The gneissosity (or schistosity) is referred to as S₁, and is almost everywhere parallel to lithological layering, S₀. This parallelism is not due to transposition. The gneissosity formed during an extensional tectonic event (termed D1), before folding of S₀. S₁ formed by coaxial pure shear flattening strain (Z normal to S₀, i.e. vertical; with X and Y both extensional and lying in S₁). This strain also produced chocolate tablet boudinage of some layers and S₁-concordant sills and veins. S₁ has a strong stretching lineation L₁ with rodding characteristics. Within-plane plastic anisotropy (lower ductility along Y compared to along X) resulted in L₁-parallel extensional ductile shears and melt filled cracks. Continued shortening of these veins, and back-rotation of foliations on the shears produced intrafolial F₁ folds with hinges parallel to the stretching lineation. F₁ fold asymmetry variations do not support previous models involving macroscopic F₁ folds or syn-gneissosity compressional tectonics. The sedimentary protoliths of the Feiran–Solaf gneisses were probably deposited in a pre-800 Ma actively extending intracratonic rift characterizing an early stage of the break-up of Rodinia.     

Downward-facing structures in the Birnam Slates,Dunkeld, Perthshire

New and accessible exposures are described in which the downward-facing of folds in the axial-zone of the Tay Nappe can be convincingly demonstrated.     

Pillow structures in serpentinite,Tagadur, Nuggehalli schist belt,Karnataka

Pillow structures developed in serpentinite is described from the Nuggehalli schist belt, Karnataka. Chemistry of the rock reveals that the serpentinite is a direct representation of mantle material.     

淮北煤田梁花园井田滑脱构造

为了查明梁花园井田的基本构造,指导本区煤炭勘查开发,应用滑脱构造理论,结合钻孔资料和地震剖面,对区内地层、煤层、断层等特征进行了详细对比、综合分析和系统研究,否定了以往对该井田（垒-堑式）构造的看法,并取得新的认识。梁花园井田的主体构造是一个滑脱构造;控制梁花园井田的东、西两条大断层（原F₁、F₈）实际是同一条向下凹的弧形滑脱断层;梁花园井田实际是一块较为完整的矿产地。该结论扩大了梁花园井田煤炭储量的估算范围,避免了因认识误差造成的资源浪费。      

准噶尔盆地南缘阿什里地区地质构造基本特征

准噶尔盆地南缘阿什里地区紧邻北天山造山带前缘,受北天山造山系逆冲构造作用的影响,区内构造变形十分强烈.野外地质调查和地震勘探证实,该区逆掩推覆构造现象普遍,阿什里地区头屯河构造西侧较大范围的石炭系露头为逆冲推覆、遭受剥蚀后残留的外来岩块.结合前人对准南地区侏罗纪沉积演化、盆地格局和三叠系、侏罗系沉积特征和沉积相分析研究成果,笔者建议对准南地区盆地边界南扩,以侏罗系分布范围划定盆地南界.除前人普遍认识到北天山前缘存在三排背斜构造带之外,证实紧靠北天山盆山结合部还存在一排以头屯河背斜为代表的背斜构造带,对提升该地区的油气勘探前景具有重要意义.     

Dynamics of dehydration in stilbite-type structures; stellerite phase B

Between 200° C and 400° C stellerite (Ca₈Al₁₆Si₅₆O₁₄₄×58H₂O) exists as a collapsed phase B which very rapidly transforms, upon partial rehydration at room conditions, into a more stable phase C. After a considerably longer period of rehydration phase C transforms into a phase with cell parameters similar to those of the natural phase. Phase B results from a rotation of the fundamental structural unit and the consequent lowering of the symmetry from Fmmm to Amma. In stellerite B, as in barrerite B and C, the aluminosilicate framework is interrupted by the statistical breaking of an oxygen bridge. In this case however the resulting hydroxyl positions are not symmetrically equivalent and therefore enjoy full freedom. This explains the different thermal behaviours of stellerite and barrerite and allows one to formulate hypotheses on the dehydration dynamics of stilbite.     

湘西花桥-大江口地区推覆构造特征

湘西北地体与湘中地体碰撞拼贴带北西侧的前陆冲折带上发育一系列叠瓦状排列的逆冲推覆构造 ,向北西方向推覆 ,具双重逆冲推覆特征。叙述了该地区推覆构造的基本特征及其对中生代陆相红盆的形成、演化过程的控制和改造。     

Preservation of Palaeoproterozoic early Svecofennian structures in the Orijärvi area, SW Finland—Evidence for polyphase strain partitioning

The predominantly migmatitic Palaeoproterozoic Uusimaa belt preserves early lower-grade Svecofennian structures in the Orijärvi area in SW Finland. This study aims at explaining the deformational history responsible for its preservation and also at defining the age of the early Svecofennian deformation. Detailed structural analysis reveals that the preservation was enabled by polyphase strain partitioning, which initiated during the early Svecofennian D₂ deformation, 1875 Ma ago, as revealed by ion microprobe U–Pb data on zircons from granodioritic and intermediate syn-D₂ intrusive dykes. The D₂ structures were low-strain upright folds at high crustal levels and sub-horizontal high-strain folds at deeper crustal levels. The sub-horizontal D₂ structures were refolded into upright folds during the subsequent late Svecofennian D₃ deformation, whereas the upright D₂ structures behaved as almost rigid blocks that caused strain partitioning into high-strain zones along the block margins. This accounts for the low cumulative strain in specific parts of the Orijärvi area. Further strain partitioning during D₄ caused reverse dip-slip movements along regional-scale shear zones. Crustal depth controlled the metamorphic grade during D₂, when local migmatisation took place at deep crustal levels. Later metamorphic overprint during D₃ deformation is evident from post-D₂ growth of sillimanite and a second generation of andalusite.Similarities in the structural patterns between the Orijärvi area and the Tampere-Vammala area (100 km to the north) suggest that irrespective of the age of the later overprint, subsequent deformation was localised along the margins of the early formed upright domains, while the low-grade rocks within the domains were preserved.     

Tsunami-induced large-scale scour-and-fill structures in Late Albian to Cenomanian deposits of the Grajaú Basin, northern Brazil

Late Albian to Cenomanian upper shoreface deposits from the Grajaú Basin, northern Brazil, consist of well‐sorted, very fine‐ to fine‐grained sandstones with swaley, trough, tabular and minor hummocky cross‐stratification. A striking feature of these deposits is the abundance of large‐scale scour‐and‐fill structures, which consist of regularly spaced, repetitive, very shallow swales with either symmetrical or asymmetrical profiles, arranged along an undulose surface or as a succession of superimposed troughs. The sediment filling these scours is characterized by very fine‐grained sandstone with gently undulose, near‐parallel lamination to very low‐angle dipping cross‐stratification intergraded with swaley and hummocky cross‐stratification. The nature of the scours and the sedimentary structures of their fills reveal the action of combined flows, which are hydrodynamically similar to those developed during storms. However, it is speculated that the combined flows responsible for the genesis of these structures were formed by tsunami waves enhanced by tsunami‐induced ebb currents and/or tidal currents. This interpretation is proposed on the basis of several lines of reasoning: (1) palaeogeographic reconstructions of the study area during the late Cretaceous show that it was outside the belt favourable for the development of storms; (2) comparison of the scour‐and‐fill structures with stratigraphically correlatable deposits exposed north of the study area, where similar features occur in association with abundant seismically induced, soft‐sediment deformation structures; and (3) the presence of several styles of soft‐sediment deformation features (i.e. convolute lamination, bed collapse, large‐scale folds, massive bedding, sand‐filled fractures and diastasis cracks) are suggestive of synsedimentary seismic activity in Cretaceous deposits located in and near to the study area. This study proposes that episodic, high‐amplitude tsunami waves, enhanced by tsunami‐induced ebb currents, develop powerful flows capable of producing complex patterns of erosion and sedimentation, which may be represented by scour‐and‐fill structures similar to those described here.     

Identification of the projectile component in the impact structures Rochechouart, France and Sääksjärvi, Finland: Implications for the impactor population for the earth

A set of 11 impact melt rock samples from the Rochechouart impact structure, France and nine impact melt rock samples from Sääksjärvi impact structure, Finland were studied for their major and trace element compositions, including the abundances of the platinum group elements. The main goal of this study was to identify the projectile type(s) responsible for the formation of these two impact structures. The results confirmed previous studies that suggested extraterrestrial contamination in both the Rochechouart and Sääksjärvi impact melt rocks. The projectile types found for Rochechouart and Sääksjärvi are quite similar, and compatible with the composition of non-magmatic iron meteorites (IA and IIIC). This interpretation is based on: identical platinum group element patterns as well as peculiar Ni/Cr, Ni/Ir and Cr/Ir ratios, which can be explained by mixing of the different components of non-magmatic iron meteorites. This result indicates that, besides ordinary chondrites, non-magmatic iron may be among the most common material impacting the Earth, as they also represent the majority of the projectiles for craters smaller that 1.5 km. The abundance of non-magmatic irons as projectiles as well as their composition (olivine, pyroxene and iron) supports the assumption that a fraction of the S-type asteroids could by related to this type of material.     

Defect structures in naturally deformed clinoamphiboles—a TEM study

Naturally deformed clinoamphiboles from the Selbu-Tydal and Forsbäck-Tärnaby areas of the Scandinavian Caledonides exhibit a well defined subgrain microstructure. From a transmission electron microscopy study (TEM), the subgrain boundaries are shown to consist of arrays of positive and negative screw dislocations with Burgers vector . Locally expanded loops are present having long screw segments. The subgrain boundaries are parallel to rational crystallographic planes of the type (hk0). The density of isolated dislocations within the subgrains is low. In addition planar defect structures parallel to (010) and bounded by screw dislocations with are observed. Based on metamorphic criteria the P−T values at the time of the amphibole growth have been estimated at 450°–600°C and 4–6 kbar, and these represent maximum conditions for the deformation. The present results indicate that slip on (hk0) [001] is an operative deformation mechanism in naturally deformed clinoamphiboles.