Apatite fission track constraints on the Neogene tectono-thermal history of Nimu area, southern Gangdese terrane, Tibet Plateau

Apatite fission track dating of five samples from Cenozoic volcanic strata in the Nimu District in the southern Gangdese Terrane exhibits single population grain ages with a single mean age and associated central ages ranging from 6.8 ± 0.6 Ma to 9.7 ± 1.2 Ma. Mean track lengths are between 12.9 ± 1.7 µm and 14.2 ± 2.3 µm with a single peak characteristic of a single thermal event. The newly documented ages coincide well with the age of high sedimentation rates in the North Tibet Basin that resulted from a 9–5 Ma compressional event. Track length modeling allows three stages to be identified in the sample cooling. The first stage (12–8 Ma) records a period of relative stability with little, if any, cooling at temperatures of 120–110°C suggesting this region had low relief. The second stage (8–2 Ma) reflects rapid cooling with temperatures decreasing from ∼110°C to surface temperatures of ∼15°C. This stage can be related to far-field effects of the Himalayan collision, which probably generated the surface uplift and relief that defines the present-day Gangdese Mountains. The mean uplift rate of this period is estimated to be 1.41–0.95 mm/y with total uplift reaching ∼5900 m. The final stage is related to surface evolution since the Pliocene.     

Fission track dating of the Cenozoic uplift in Mabian area, southern Sichuan Province, China

The apparent ages of samples are obtained from fission track dating of apatite samples collected from the fault zones in Mabian area, southern Sichuan Province. In addition, thermal history is simulated from the obtained data by applying AFT Solve Program, to acquire the thermal evolution history of the samples. The result shows that tectonically the Mabian area was relatively stable between 25 and 3 Ma, compared to the inner parts and other marginal areas of the Tibetan Plateau. The studied area had little response to the rapid uplift events that occurred for several times in the Tibetan Plateau during 25-3 Ma. The latest thermal event related to the activity of the Lidian fault zone (about 8 Ma ) is later than that of the Ebian fault zone (18-15 Ma ) to the west, indicating to some extent that the evolution of fault activity in the Mabian area has migrated from west to east. The latest extensive tectonic uplift occurred since about 3 Ma. As compared with the Xianshuihe fault zone, the Mabian area is closer to the east- ern margin of the plateau, while the time of fast cooling event in this area is later than that in the southeast segment of the Xianshuihe fault zone (3.6-3.46 Ma ). It appears to support the assumption of episodic uplift and stepwise outward extension of the eastern boundary of the Tibetan Plateau in late Cenozoic.     

LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating from granitoids in southern basement of Songliao basin:Constraints on ages of the basin basement

Seven LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb datings from granitoids in the southern basement of the Songliao basin were done in order to constrain the ages of the basin basement. The cathodoluminescence (CL) images of the zircons from seven granitoids indicate that they are euhedral-subhedral ones with striped ab-sorption and obvious oscillatory zoning rims. The dating results show that a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age is 236±3 Ma for quartz diorite (sample No.T6-1) located in the western slope of the basin,that weighted mean 206Pb/238U ages are 319±1 Ma (2126 m) and 361±2 Ma (1994 m) for diorite (sample No.YC1-1) and granite (sample No.YC1-2) located in northern part of southeastern uplift of the basin,respectively,and that weighted mean 206Pb/238U ages are 161±5 Ma,165±2 Ma,165±1 Ma and 161±4 Ma for samples Q2-1,SN121,SN122,and SN72 granitoids located in southern part of southeastern uplift of the basin,respectively. The statistical results of ages suggest that the middle Jurassic granitoids con-stitute the main part of basement granitoids,and that the Hercynian and Indo-Sino magmatisms also occur in the basin basement. It is implied that the Songliao basin should be a rift one formed in the intracontinent or active continental margin settings in the late Mesozoic after the Middle Jurassic orogeny took place.     

秦岭太白山新生代隆升冷却历史的磷灰石裂变径迹分析

伸展正断层下盘的冷却历史记录了主要伸展变形的时间及幅度.太白山位于秦岭北缘,作为伸展正断层的下盘,其新生代伸展隆升冷却历史有助于我们更好地理解渭河盆地的伸展变形时间及其幅度.本文利用磷灰石裂变径迹分析方法对太白山的冷却历史进行了研究.来自太白山总计17个样品的磷灰石裂变径迹数据及热历史模拟揭示出山体经历了始于约48 Ma的小幅度快速抬升冷却阶段,和始于约9.6 Ma的大幅度快速抬升冷却阶段;分别对应平行于秦岭北缘山脉的两阶段伸展变形.始于约48 Ma的伸展变形可能是印度板块与欧亚板块碰撞作用在大陆内部的远场响应,而始于约9.6 Ma的快速伸展变形可能与青藏高原在该时期快速隆升和对外扩展有关.     

滇西临沧花岗岩基新生代剥蚀冷却的裂变径迹证据

为揭示临沧花岗岩基的剥蚀冷却历史,探讨印藏碰撞对滇西的影响,对6块临沧花岗岩基样品进行锆石和磷灰石裂变径迹测定,并利用模拟退火法对其中5块样品的磷灰石裂变径迹数据进行非线性热史反演,估算了不同时期的剥蚀量和抬升量. 结果表明,岩基自印藏陆陆碰撞以来经历了两期冷却事件,早期冷却速率仅5～10 ℃/Ma,晚期冷却速率明显增高,特别是近3 Ma以来的冷却速率达到16～20 ℃/Ma;两期总剥蚀厚度可达3300～3500 m. 分析表明冷却事件与印藏碰撞关系密切,早期冷却是在印藏碰撞影响下,临沧岩基卷入逆冲推覆运动而遭遇抬升、剥蚀的结果;晚期冷却则是上新世以来,特别是3Ma以来岩基经受整体的强烈抬升、剥蚀的结果,该期构造抬升量约为672～1263 m;裂变径迹资料还揭示印藏碰撞先影响南部岩体,随后才波及到岩基中北段.     

Micro-hole and multigrain quartz luminescence dating of Paleodeltas at Lake Fryxell,McMurdo Dry Valleys (Antarctica), and relevance for lake history

Relict (perched) lacustrine deltas around the perennially ice-covered lakes in the Taylor Valley, Antarctica, imply that these lakes were up to 40 times larger in area than at present since the last glacial maximum (LGM). These deltas have been used to constrain ice-margin positions in Taylor Valley, and the boundaries of the proposed LGM ice-damned Glacial Lake Washburn. The timing of these high lake levels has depended on ¹⁴C chronologies of algal layers within relict lacustrine deltas. To provide additional geochronometric data for the post-LGM lake-level history, we applied photon-stimulated-luminescence (PSL) sediment dating to polymineral fine silt and sand-size quartz from 7 perched-delta and 3 active-delta sites of different elevations along 3 major meltwater streams entering Lake Fryxell. Our PSL dating of 4 quartz-sand samples from core tops in the seasonal ice-free moat of Lake Fryxell (elevation ∼18 m a.s.l.) and two core-top moat samples from the seasonal moat of Lake Vanda in nearby Wright Valley establish that adequate PSL clock zeroing (by daylight) occurs in regional, modern shoreline deposits. Minimum-age micro-hole PSL results from the moats are consistently near 100 a. Minimum-age micro-hole age estimates for the deltas range from ∼50 to 100 a near the present lake level up to 13.4 ± 1.3 ka at 240 m. These are systematically younger than the comparable, reservoir-uncorrected, ¹⁴C ages that range from 7 ka (cal yr BP) to 13 ka (cal yr BP) near lake level up to 20 ka (cal yr BP) at 220–240 m elevation. Our results indicate the occurrence of a dramatic discrepancy between PSL minimum-age and ¹⁴C age estimates that is presently unresolved.     

Age and structure of the southern Rockall Trough new evidence

The Rockall Trough separates the Rockall Plateau microcontinent from the shelf and slope west of the British Isles. The structure and age of the trough has been the source of considerable discussion. Although widely considered to be of oceanic origin, postulated ages for the spreading range from Permian to Cretaceous. New seismic profiles linked to the IPOD sites in the Bay of Biscay and to oceanic anomalies of known age are used to present a new assessment of the age and structure of the southern Rockall Trough. It is concluded that about 120 km of ocean crust is present in the trough and that spreading took place in the Albian-Maastrichtian interval.     

Thermo-tectonic history of Ryoke Basement in Hohi volcanic zone, northeast Kyushu, Japan: Constraints from fission track thermochronology

Abstract Apatite and zircon fission track ages from Ryoke Belt basement in northeast Kyushu show late Cretaceous, middle to late Eocene, middle Miocene and Quaternary groupings. The basement cooled through 240 ± 25°C, the closure temperature for fission tracks in zircon, mainly during the interval 74-90 Ma as a result of uplift and denudation, the pattern being uniform across northeast Kyushu. In combination with published K-Ar ages and the Turonian-Santonian age of sedimentation in the Onogawa Basin, active suturing along the Median Tectonic Line from 100-80 Ma, at least, is inferred. Ryoke Belt rocks along the northern margin of Hohi volcanic zone (HVZ) cooled rapidly through ∼100°C to less than 50°C during the middle Eocene to Oligocene, associated with 2.5-3.5 km of denudation. The timing of this cooling follows peak heating in the Eocene-Oligocene part (Murotohanto subbelt) of the Shimanto Belt in Muroto Peninsula (Shikoku) inferred previously, and coincides with the 43 Ma change in convergence direction of the Pacific-Eurasian plate and the demise of the Kula-Pacific spreading centre. Ryoke Belt rocks along the southern margin of HVZ have weighted mean apatite fission track ages of 15.3 ± 3.1 Ma. These reset ages are attributed to an increase in geothermal gradient in the middle Miocene combined with rapid denudation and uplift of at least 1.4 km. These ages indicate that heating of the overriding plate associated with the middle Miocene start of subduction of hot Shikoku Basin lithosphere extended into the Ryoke Belt in northeast Kyushu. Pleistocene apatite fission track ages from Ryoke Belt granites at depth in the centre of HVZ are due to modern annealing in a geothermal environment.     

江西相山铀矿田地貌剥蚀特征及其控矿意义——磷灰石裂变径迹证据

本文以数字高程(DEM)地貌特征分析为基础,采用磷灰石裂变径迹测试和温度-时间反演模拟研究,分析江西相山铀矿田铀成矿后剥蚀程度的差异性,结合已知矿床的成矿特征,探讨地貌剥蚀程度与矿体保存之间的关系,为区域找矿提供指导.通过DEM合成图像和水系分布特征,表明相山铀矿田是一个遭受中等侵蚀的地貌区,相山主峰南北和东西侧地貌侵蚀差异特征明显.统计分析表明,已经发现的铀矿床、点的分布与次级火山机构关系密切,相山南部的次火山机构剥蚀较深,西部次火山机构剥蚀相对弱,而北部和西北部则处于中等剥蚀程度.磷灰石裂变径迹测试结果表明,相山铀矿田的南部和东部开始剥蚀的时间早于西部,但晚于相山主峰的剥蚀.利用磷灰石的裂变径迹长度和温度参数,进一步开展了温度-时间的反演模拟研究,结果显示相山西部快速隆升发生于40~60 Ma之间,相山南部和东部的快速隆升发生于60~75 Ma之间,相山主峰的快速隆升发生于75~100 Ma之间,表明相山主峰、相山东部及南部较西部经历了较长时间的剥蚀.结合现今区域地质体出露特征及铀矿化蚀变类型的空间展布规律、成矿深度的估算等,推测相山铀矿田东部和南部剥蚀程度较深,早期可能形成的中低温铀矿体被剥蚀殆尽;北部剥蚀程度中等,地表出露了形成深度稍深的碱交代蚀变矿床;而西部剥蚀程度较低,地表发育浅部低温成矿的酸交代蚀变铀矿床.据此推断,相山铀矿田的西部深部具有很好的找矿潜力.     

江西相山铀矿田地貌剥蚀特征及其控矿意义——磷灰石裂变径迹证据

本文以数字高程(DEM)地貌特征分析为基础,采用磷灰石裂变径迹测试和温度-时间反演模拟研究,分析江西相山铀矿田铀成矿后剥蚀程度的差异性,结合已知矿床的成矿特征,探讨地貌剥蚀程度与矿体保存之间的关系,为区域找矿提供指导.通过DEM合成图像和水系分布特征,表明相山铀矿田是一个遭受中等侵蚀的地貌区,相山主峰南北和东西侧地貌侵蚀差异特征明显.统计分析表明,已经发现的铀矿床、点的分布与次级火山机构关系密切,相山南部的次火山机构剥蚀较深,西部次火山机构剥蚀相对弱,而北部和西北部则处于中等剥蚀程度.磷灰石裂变径迹测试结果表明,相山铀矿田的南部和东部开始剥蚀的时间早于西部,但晚于相山主峰的剥蚀.利用磷灰石的裂变径迹长度和温度参数,进一步开展了温度-时间的反演模拟研究,结果显示相山西部快速隆升发生于40~60 Ma之间,相山南部和东部的快速隆升发生于60~75 Ma之间,相山主峰的快速隆升发生于75~100 Ma之间,表明相山主峰、相山东部及南部较西部经历了较长时间的剥蚀.结合现今区域地质体出露特征及铀矿化蚀变类型的空间展布规律、成矿深度的估算等,推测相山铀矿田东部和南部剥蚀程度较深,早期可能形成的中低温铀矿体被剥蚀殆尽;北部剥蚀程度中等,地表出露了形成深度稍深的碱交代蚀变矿床;而西部剥蚀程度较低,地表发育浅部低温成矿的酸交代蚀变铀矿床.据此推断,相山铀矿田的西部深部具有很好的找矿潜力.     

Rapid exhumation of the Tianshan Mountains since the early Miocene: Evidence from combined apatite fission track and (U-Th)/He thermochronology

Combined apatite fission track(AFT)and(U-Th)/He(AHe)thermochronometries can be of great value for investigating the history of exhumation of orogenic belts.We evaluate the results of such a combined approach through the study on rock samples collected from the Baluntai section in the Tianshan Mountains,northwestern China.Our results show that AFT ages range from~60 to 40 Ma and AHe ages span~40–10 Ma.Based on the strict thermochronological constraints imposed by AHe ages,forward modeling of data derived from AFT analyses provides a well-constrained Cenozoic thermal history.The modeled results reveal a history of relatively slow exhumation during the early Cenozoic times followed by a significantly accelerated exhumation process since the early Miocene with the rate increasing from<30 m/Myr to>100 m/Myr,which is consistent with the inference from the exhumation rates calculated based on both AFT and AHe age data by age-closure temperature and mineral pair methods.Further accelerated exhumation since the late Miocene is recorded by an AHe age(~11 Ma)from the bottom of the Baluntai section.Together with the previous low-temperature thermochronological data from the other parts of the Tianshan Mountains,the rapid exhumation since the early Miocene is regarded as an important exhumation process likely prevailing within the whole range.     

Meteoritic and bedrock constraints on the glacial history of Frontier Mountain in northern Victoria Land, Antarctica

In 2001, a small H4 chondrite, Frontier Mountain (FRO) 01149, was found on a glacially eroded surface near the top of Frontier Mountain, Antarctica, about 600 m above the present ice level. The metal and sulphides are almost completely oxidized due to terrestrial weathering. We used a chemical leaching procedure to remove weathering products, which contained atmospheric ¹⁰Be and ³⁶Cl in a ratio similar to that found in Antarctic ice. The FRO 01149 meteorite has a terrestrial age of 3.0 ± 0.3 Myr based on the concentrations of the cosmogenic radionuclides ¹⁰Be, ²⁶Al and ³⁶Cl. This age implies that FRO 01149 is the oldest stony meteorite (fossil meteorites excluded) discovered on Earth. The noble gas cosmic ray exposure age of FRO 01149 is ~ 30 Myr. The meteorite thus belongs to the 33 Myr exposure age peak of H-chondrites.The bedrock surface on which FRO 01149 was found has wet-based glacial erosional features recording a former high-stand of the East Antarctic ice sheet. This ice sheet evidently overrode the highest peaks (> 2800 m a.s.l.) of the inland sector of the Transantarctic Mountains in northern Victoria Land. We argue that FRO 01149 was a local fall and that its survival on a glacially eroded bedrock surface constrains the age of the last overriding event to be older than ~ 3 Myr. The concentrations of in-situ produced cosmogenic ¹⁰Be, ²⁶Al and ²¹Ne in a glacially eroded bedrock sample taken from near the summit of Frontier Mountain yield a surface exposure age of 4.4 Myr and indicate that the bedrock was covered by several meters of snow. The exposure age is also consistent with bedrock exposure ages of other summit plateaus in northern Victoria Land.     

Late stage thermal history of the Songliao Basin and its tectonic implications: Evidence from apatite fission track (AFT) analyses

Apatite Fission Track (AFT) data from the Songliao Basin indicates that the late stage tectonic movements in the Songliao Basin have zoning in space and episodes in time. The late stage tectonic movements started from the east part of the basin and migrated westward. AFT ages in the east part of the basin are older than those in the west part of the basin, suggesting that the uplift occurred earlier in the east than in the west. The denudation thickness in the east part of the basin is significantly greater than that in the centre and west. The thermal history evolved two episodes of rapid cooling and subsequent slow cooling processes. Age-depth relationship derived from the AFT data indicates a four-episode denudation history. Further Monte Carlo random simulation of the AFT data reveals the four changing points of the thermal evolution at 65 Ma, 43.5 Ma, 28 Ma and 15 Ma, respectively. The uplifting and denudation rates from different episodes of evolution are proportional to the plate convergence rate. Based on the above analyses and the regional geologic background, it is concluded that the late stage thermal events in the Songliao Basin are the far field response to the subduction of the Pacific Plate under the Eurasian Plate. The first episode of the rapid cooling probably started at the end of the Nenjiang Formation, climaxed at the end of the Cretaceous and ceased at the Late Eocene. The subsequent slow cooling lasts another 15 Ma. The first episode of the evolution is the far field response to the major episode of the Yanshan Movement and subsequent series of the tectonic reorganization, especially the directional change of the Pacific Movement and also the subduction of the Indian Plate underneath the Eurasian Plate. While the second episode of the evolution is the far field response to the extension and closure of the Sea of Japan. Extension led to the migration and converging of the mantle heat flow to the Sea of Japan and resulted in the rapid cooling of the Songliao Basin.     

Mesozoic and Cenozoic tectonics of the Møre Trøndelag Fault Complex,central Norway: constraints from new apatite fission track data

The Møre Trøndelag Fault Complex (MTFC) of central Norway is a long-lived structural zone whose tectonic history included dextral strike slip, sinistral strike slip, and vertical offset. Determination of an offset history for the MTFC is complicated by the lack of well preserved stratigraphic markers. However, low temperature apatite fission track (AFT) thermochronology offers important new clues by allowing the determination of exhumation histories for individual fault blocks presently exposed within the MTFC area. Previously published AFT data from crystalline basement in and near the MTFC suggest the region has a complicated pattern of exhumation. We present new AFT data from a NW–SE transect perpendicular to the principal structural grain of the MTFC. FT analyses of 15 apatite samples yielded apparent ages between 90 and 300 Ma, with mean FT length ranging from 11.8 to 13.5 μm. Thermal models based upon the age and track length data show the MTFC is comprised by multiple structural blocks with individual exhumation histories that are discrete at the 2σ confidence level. Thermal modeling of the AFT data indicates exhumation progressed from west to east, and that the final juxtaposition and exhumation of the innermost blocks took place during Cretaceous or Tertiary (possibly Neogene) time. We suggest that least some of the fracture lineaments of central Norway were re-activated during Mesozoic extension and the opening of the Norwegian sea, and may have remained active into the Cenozoic.     

The registration-temperature dependence of heavy-ion track-etch rates and annealing sensitivity in crystals: implications for cosmic ray identification and fission track dating of meteorites

Etch rates and etchable lengths of cosmic ray tracks in meteoritic crystals have been used by several workers to derive the charge spectrum of ancient cosmic rays. This is done by comparing the fossil cosmic ray track record with fresh accelerator-produced calibration tracks. These calibration tracks are generally produced at room temperature, while meteorites spend a high proportion of their lifetimes orbiting at large distances from the Sun ( 3–5 AU) and are, consequently, at much lower temperatures (typically 100–150 K) during most of their cosmic ray exposure ages. We have irradiated crystals of apatite, olivine, enstatite and diopside held at 77, 293, 473 and 573 K, with 2 MeV/nucleon⁸¹Br ions, and then etched them. We find that their track etching properties are dependent upon the temperature of the mineral during registration. The track etch velocity generally increases with registration temperature up to 300 or 500 K (the upper limit depending upon the type of crystal). Our results also indicate that the annealing sensitivity of fission tracks in fluorapatite may be influenced by the registration temperature. This temperature dependence has important implications not only for cosmic ray particle identification but also for fission track dating of meteorites in view of the fact that the meteorite parent bodies were at elevated temperatures at the beginning af their life when²⁴⁴Pu fission tracks were being generated abundantly.     

山东齐河—禹城地区深部地质构造特征——来自大地电磁的证据

近年来,山东齐河—禹城地区矽卡岩型铁矿找矿工作取得重大进展,有望成为山东省内重要的富铁矿基地.但该地区覆盖层厚,深部异常信息难以获取,因此对控矿岩体的研究仍然相对薄弱.为此在该区布设了4条大地电磁剖面,采用夜间12 h采样时长、G-B阻抗张量分解法、二维非线性共轭梯度反演技术措施,并与航重、航磁、钻孔资料,联合反演获得了各剖面厚覆盖层之下侵入岩体的顶界面、岩体的侵入边界、地层结构及断层位置.依据所推断的岩体边界和断层位置处磁异常Tilt梯度特征,重新圈定了研究区内岩体的边界和断层位置,共圈定隐伏岩体5个,断层9条.断层间相互关系表明在岩体侵入之后,本区地质构造运动仍然比较显著,要重视后期构造作用对区内铁矿体的改造,区内构造活动剧烈部位是今后重点研究对象.通过研究发现,在厚覆盖区,利用大地电磁、航重、航磁、钻探资料综合反演解释,进行隐伏地质构造研究,是一种有效的方法组合.     

Crustal structure in the Falcón Basin area, northwestern Venezuela, from seismic and gravimetric evidence

The Falcón Basin in northwestern Venezuela has a complex geological history driven by the interactions between the South American and Caribbean plates. Igneous intrusive bodies that outcrop along the axis of the basin have been associated with crustal thinning, and gravity modeling has shown evidence for a significantly thinned crust beneath the basin. In this study, crustal scale seismic refraction/wide-angle reflection data derived from onshore/offshore active seismic experiments are interpreted and forward-modeled to generate a P-wave velocity model for a 450 km long profile. The final model shows thinning of the crust beneath the Falcón Basin where depth to Moho decreases to 27 km from a value of 40 km about 100 km to the south. A deeper reflected phase on the offshore section is interpreted to be derived from the downgoing Caribbean slab. Velocity values were converted to density and the resulting gravimetric response was shown to be consistent with the regional gravity anomaly. The crustal thinning proposed here supports a rift origin for the Falcón Basin.     

Heat influx and exhumation of the Shimanto accretionary complex: Miocene fission track ages from the Kii Peninsula, southwest Japan

Abstract   To determine how local geological events contributed to the evolution of accretionary complexes and eventual exposure of rocks with different structural levels, geochronological mapping was carried out using fission track (FT) analysis at the Kii Peninsula, southwest Japan. At this site, the original zonal structure of Cretaceous accretionary complexes parallel to the subduction zone is disturbed by the northward projection of the Shimanto accretionary complex. Twenty-six zircon FT ages were obtained from an area of ∼12 km in an east–west direction and ∼15 km in a north–south direction, and classified into three groups: (i) ages ∼15 Ma (range ∼10–20 Ma), which are distributed along the northwest–southeast valley; (ii) ages of ∼50 Ma in the northwest of the study area; and (iii) ages older than those in Groups 1 and 2. Based on results from eight zircon FT length distributions, the Miocene ages appear to be the result of spatial variations in heat influx and cooling after the regional exhumation of the area, as recorded by FT ages of ∼50 Ma.     

皖南谭山岩体的锆石定年及地质意义

皖南地区广泛分布燕山期岩浆岩,但其年代学方面的工作较为薄弱。为厘定该地区燕山期岩浆岩年代学格架,本文利用LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb定年方法对皖南谭山岩体的正长花岗岩进行了锆石U-Pb年代学研究,两个样品的206Pb/238U加权平均年龄分别为128．5±1．7Ma和128．3±1．5Ma,基本一致,为早白垩世岩浆活动的产物。结合本地区高精度年代学数据,皖南地区中生代岩浆岩可划分为三个峰期：第一峰期为142～139Ma;第二峰期为133～130Ma;第三峰期为128～125Ma。