The drainage of Lake Ojibway in glaciolacustrine sediments of northern Ontario and Quebec,Canada

Physical evidence for the drainage of glacial lakes remains relatively rare in depositional records, giving rise to much debate on the location of outlets and discharge pathways, as well as on the climate impact of the attendant meltwater forcing. Lake Ojibway developed following the withdrawal of the Laurentide Ice Sheet in northern Ontario and Quebec, Canada. The late‐stage evolution of this large ice‐dammed lake was influenced by the complex dynamics of the retreating ice margin, which highly complicates the identification of the termination of Lake Ojibway in glaciolacustrine sediment records. Here, we document the composition of sections of rhythmites that contain in their upper part an anomalously thick and whitish bed (10–15 cm) that is in turn overlain by ～1 m of faintly bedded rhythmites. Grain‐size analyses showed that the thick whitish bed consists primarily of fine to coarse silt (2–63 μm), contrasting with the lower and upper rhythmites that are largely dominated by clay (<2 μm). The detrital carbonate content of the thick silt bed is characterized by consistently high values (2.5 to 2.8%), whereas the bounding rhythmites show lower and highly variable values. Oxygen isotope measurements further show a marked change going from typical glacial meltwater values (～ ?29.6 to ?27.7‰; VSMOW) for the lower rhythmites and the silt bed to modern‐like meteoric values (?18.4 to ?14.6‰) for the uppermost rhythmites. These data suggest that this marker bed may be associated with a major drawdown event that possibly corresponds to the final drainage of Lake Ojibway. AMS radiocarbon dating of ostracods extracted from the drainage bed also documents an important hardwater effect within the Ojibway basin.     

Age and origin of clayey silt ‚brickearth’︁ in west London,England

The loamy ?brickearth’? deposits overlying coarse cold climate Kempton Park, Lynch Hill and Taplow Gravels of the R. Thames in west London are dated by thermoluminescence and mineralogical comparisons with loesses of three known ages. Although much of the ?brickearth’? resembles loess, it often contains more sand or clay than typical loess, and the mineralogical studies suggest that even the coarse silt (16–63 μm) fraction is rarely similar in composition to any known English loess. The thermoluminescence measurements suggest that most of the ?brickearth’? on the Taplow and Lynch Hill Gravels was deposited in the late Devensian, whereas that on the Park Gravel is mainly Flandrian. It is suggested that the latter is mainly floodloam, whereas the earlier ?brickearth’? is a mixed aeolian sediment derived from various local sources in and close to the Thames Valley.     

Alluvial deposits of a mud-dominated stream: the Red River, Manitoba, Canada

Abstract The Red River, Manitoba, is a mud‐dominated, meandering stream that occupies a shallow valley eroded into a clay plain. The valley‐bottom alluvium is the product of incision and lateral migration of river meanders. As revealed by a transect of five boreholes located across the floodplain at each of two successive river meanders, the alluvial deposits range from about 15 to 22 m thick and are composed primarily of silt. Sedimentary structures in the cores are weakly defined and consist mostly of beds of massive silt, thick (>0·4 m) massive silt and disturbed silt. Interlaminated sand and silt, and sand beds form relatively minor deposits, principally within the lower half of the alluvium, and thin beds of medium‐coarse sand and pea gravel can be present locally within the lower metre of the alluvium. The alluvium is interpreted to consist of overbank deposits from 0 to 2–3 m depth, oblique accretion deposits from 2–3 to 8–12 m depth and oblique accretion and/or channel deposits from 8–12 m to the base of the sequence. The massive bedding within the oblique accretion deposits is interpreted to represent the remnants of couplet deposits that were initially composed of interbedded, muddy silt and sand‐sized silt aggregates, as is consistent with the contemporary bank sedimentation. The post‐depositional disintegration and/or compaction of the aggregates has caused the loss of the sand‐sized texture. The disturbed silt beds are interpreted as slump structures caused by large‐scale rotational failures along the convex banks. Overall, the Red River represents a portion of a continuum of muddy, fine‐grained streams; where the alluvium lacks a distinct coarse unit, oblique accretion deposits form a majority of the floodplain, and large‐scale slump features are present.     

Soil organic carbon within the vadose zone of a floodplain

Past studies have focused on carbon variation in the upper 1 m of the soil profile. However, there is limited information on carbon variation at deeper depths (e.g., 0–4 m) and mathematical functions to extrapolate carbon content at these depths. The objective of this study was therefore to assess the vertical variation in SOC (reached 4 m) of the Tarim River floodplain in northwestern China. The vertical distribution in SOC was described by exponential and power functions based on (1) soil depth, (2) soil depth and silt content, (3) soil depth and SOC at the shallowest and deepest depths, (4) soil depth, silt content, and SOC at the shallowest and deepest depths, and (5) soil depth and SOC at the shallowest depth. We found SOC content decreased with depth from 6.82 g kg^?1 at 0–0.2 m to?<?1.0 g kg^?1 below 3.2–3.4 m averaged across five locations along the floodplain. Both the power and exponential functions provided a good fit to the measured data in the upper 1 m of the soil profile, whereas the power function provided a better fit to the data when extrapolating to a depth of 3–4 m. The power function describing SOC as a function of soil depth, silt content, and SOC at the shallowest and deepest depths best portrayed the distribution in SOC with depth. Considering the cost and labor in measuring soil properties, our results suggest that SOC at the shallowest depth can provide good estimates of the vertical distribution in SOC in a floodplain.     

Modes,hydrodynamic processes and ecological impacts exerted by river–groundwater transformation in Junggar Basin,China

The hydrodynamic processes and impacts exerted by river–groundwater transformation need to be studied at regional and catchment scale, especially with respect to diverse geology and lithology. This work adopted an integrated method to study four typical modes (characterized primarily by lithology, flow subsystems, and gaining/losing river status) and the associated hydrodynamic processes and ecological impacts in the southern part of Junggar Basin, China. River–groundwater transformation occurs one to four times along the basin route. For mode classification, such transformation occurs: once or twice, controlled by lithological factors (mode 1); twice, impacted by geomorphic features and lithological structures (mode 2); and three or four times, controlled by both geological and lithological structures (modes 3 and 4). Results also suggest: (1) there exist local and regional groundwater flow subsystems at ~400 m depth, which form a multistage nested groundwater flow system. The groundwater flow velocities are 0.1–1.0 and?<0.1 m/day for each of two subsystems; (2) the primary groundwater hydro-chemical type takes on apparent horizontal and vertical zoning characteristics, and the TDS of the groundwater evidently increases along the direction of groundwater flow, driven by hydrodynamic processes; (3) the streams, wetland and terminal lakes are the end-points of the local and regional groundwater flow systems. This work indicates that not only are groundwater and river water derived from the same source, but also hydrodynamic and hydro-chemical processes and ecological effects, as a whole in arid areas, are controlled by stream–groundwater transformation.     

甘肃省肃北县二口井金矿床地质特征

肃北县二口井金矿位于天山—内蒙褶皱系,北山褶皱带的南带大奇山复式向斜带中,严格受NW向次级断裂构造控制,均产于华力西晚期花岗闪长岩体中,属岩浆热液型矿床。通过地表地质调查和深部工程验证圈定金矿体4条,矿体长60~251m,矿体真厚度0.3~2.8m,矿体倾向215°,倾角33°~80°;矿体呈透镜状、细脉状。矿石类型主要为含金石英脉型,次为破碎蚀变岩型。金主要为银金矿,次为金银矿,呈浅黄—金黄色,主要以游离金形式产出,往往多赋存于"层"间或者石英脉内部裂隙中;少量为包裹金出现,包裹金分布于黄铁矿或褐铁矿颗粒和碳酸盐及石英当中。本文通过分析和总结矿床地质特征,为寻找该类型矿床提供更多的依据。     

Composition and grain-size distribution of the Holocene Dutch “sloef” (Almere Member of the Groningen Formation)

The Almere Member of the Groningen Formation, usually indicated by the lithostratigraphic name of “sloef”, was deposited in a lagoon, which covered approximately the same area as the present IJsselmeer (the former Zuiderzee).Archeological finds show that this sediment dates from 0–1600 A.D. Microfossils indicate an oligohaline to β-mesohaline environment.Most of the material consists of silt. As a result of peptisation the ratio between the 0–2 μm and the 0–16 μm is abnormally low. In the SE part of the lagoon the average grain size is much smaller than in the NE. This is interpreted as a result of transport from the main source area, the Waddenzee, to the SE. The percentage of organic material, derived from the underlying eroded peat and detritus-gyttja, decreases in an upward direction.A few scattered pebbles have been encountered in these deposits. They are assumed to have been deposited by ice during winter.     

Effect of soil structure on the bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons within aggregates of a contaminated soil

Biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) was investigated in the whole matrix and in the different aggregate size fractions of a sandy soil contaminated by a mixture of 8 PAHs and incubated at water holding capacity. The distribution of PAHs and of phenanthrene-degrading bacteria were determined in the bulk soil and in 4 size aggregate fractions corresponding to sand, coarse silt, fine silt and clay. The microbial communities able to degrade phenanthrene were detected at a similar level in the different aggregate fractions of the soil before contamination. After soil contamination and incubation, a significant growth of bacteria was observed and their distribution within aggregates was modified. Bacterial communities of phenanthrene-degraders were present in a higher density in the aggregates corresponding to sand (2000–50 μm) and clay (<2 μm). Chemical analysis show that remaining PAHs (low and high molecular weight) were much more concentrated in the fine soil fractions (fine silt and clay) and were present at a very low content in the larger aggregate size fractions. The interactions of well defined aggregates with PAHs and bacteria were also studied using phenanthrene as PAH model substrate and individual aggregates corresponding to sand and clay size fractions. Incubation of sand and clay aggregate fractions enriched with phenanthrene in the presence of a bacterial isolate NAH1 led to the simultaneous solubilization and biodegradation of phenanthrene. Differences in amounts of solubilized phenanthrene between sand and clay aggregate size fractions would be related to difference in adsorption capacities of phenanthrene by clay and sand aggregates.     

Chronologies of sedimentary changes in the south Bohai Sea,China: constraints from luminescence and radiocarbon dating

The alternation of terrestrial and marine deposits is an indicator of past environmental and sea‐level changes. The age of deposition is usually dated by means of radiocarbon. However, radiocarbon dates of molluscan shells from coastal areas may be complicated by various sources of carbon, and problematic for deposits of 40–50 ka or older. Herein, we apply the Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating method to date samples from terrestrial and marine/coastal sediments extracted from three cores in the south Bohai Sea, China. Multiple‐ and single‐aliquot regenerative‐dose procedures using OSL signals from fine‐silt (4–11 μm), coarse‐silt (38–63 μm) and fine‐sand (63–90 or 90–125 μm) quartz were employed to determine the equivalent dose (D _e). The results showed that: (i) OSL ages from quartz of different grain sizes and different protocols are consistent with each other; (ii) for Holocene samples, most of the radiocarbon dates agree well with OSL ages; (iii) for pre‐Holocene samples, radiocarbon dates cluster at 40–50 ¹⁴ C ka BP, whereas OSL ages are in stratigraphic order from 11 ka to 176 ka. Because of the self‐consistency of the quartz OSL ages, the stratigraphic agreement in the three cores, and the clustering of the radiocarbon dates, we suggest that the quartz OSL ages are more reliable with respect to dating the samples from the south Bohai Sea. Finally, the four marine strata identified in the south Bohai Sea are likely to have formed during the Holocene, Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 3–5, MIS 6 and probably MIS 7, respectively.     

Experimental deformation of partially melted granitic aggregates

Abstract The effects of varying amounts of partial melt on the deformation of granitic aggregates have been tested experimentally at conditions (900°C, 1500 MPa, 10^-4 to 10^-6/s) where melt-free samples deform by dislocation creep, with microstructures approximately equivalent to those of upper greenschist facies. Experiments were performed on samples of various grain sizes, including an aplite (150 μm) and sintered aggregates of quartz-albitemicrocline (10–50 and 2–10 μm). Water was added to the samples to obtain various amounts of melt (1–15% in the aplite, 1–5% in the sintered aggregates). Optical and TEM observations of the melt distribution in hydrostatically annealed samples show that the melt in the sintered aggregates is homogeneously distributed along an interconnected network of triple junction channels, while the melt in the aplites is inhomogeneously distributed. The effect of partial melt on deformation depends an melt amount and distribution, grain size and strain rate. For samples deformed with ? 1% melt, all grain sizes exhibit microstructures indicative of dislocation creep. For samples deformed with 3–5% melt, the 150 μm and 10–50 μm grain size samples also exhibit dislocation creep microstructures, but the 2–10 μm grain size samples exhibit abundant TEM-scale evidence of dissolution-precipitation and little evidence of dislocation activity, suggesting a switch in deformation mechanism to predominantly melt-enhanced diffusion creep. At natural strain rates melt-enhanced diffusion creep would predominate at larger grain sizes, although probably not for most coarse-grained granites. The effects of melt percentage and strain rate have been studied for the 150 μm aplites. For samples with ? 5 and 10% melt, deformation at 10^–6/s squeezes excess melt out of the central compressed region allowing predominantly dislocation creep. Conversely, deformation at 10^-5/s produces considerable cataclasis presumably because the excess melt cannot flow laterally fast enough and a high pore fluid pressure results. For samples with 15% melt, deformation at both strain rates produces cataclasis, presumably because the inhomogeneous melt distribution resulted in regions of decoupled grains, which would produce high stress concentrations at point contacts. At natural strain rates there should be little or no cataclasis if an equilibrium melt texture exists and if the melt can flow as fast as the imposed strain rate. However, if the melt is confined and cannot migrate, a high pore fluid pressure should promote brittle deformation.     

末次冰期间冰阶晚期长江中游风尘堆积及环境意义

定山砂山剖面的下层灰黄色土-淤泥沉积，为末次冰期间冰阶（40～22kaBP）区域降尘堆积。灰黄色土层与淤泥为同源异相沉积，粒度组合基本相同，无特征性差异。频数曲线都以双峰为特征，第一峰为主峰，众值8～32 μm；第二为次峰，众值250～500μm。9.75±0.25Φ~4.25±0.25Φ(1 ~62.5μm)在垂向上具有相似的线形变化，组成第一峰态，各粒级垂向上的含量变化是区域冬季风强弱变化的敏感指标；2.25±0.25Φ ~-0.75±0.25Φ (180~2000 μm)具有相似的线形，组成第二峰态，各粒级剖面含量变化则揭示了冬半年环境干湿状况与局地尘暴事件。在对应区域降尘堆积较弱的两个时段，存在局地尘暴的增强事件，指示局地冬半年环境干燥。     

Grain‐size variability within a mega‐scale point‐bar system,False River,Louisiana

Point bars formed by meandering river systems are an important class of sedimentary deposit and are of significant economic interest as hydrocarbon reservoirs. Standard point‐bar models of how the internal sedimentology varies are based on the structure of small‐scale systems with little information about the largest complexes and how these might differ. Here a very large point bar (>25·0 m thick and 7·5 × 13·0 km across) on the Mississippi River (USA) was examined. The lithology and grain‐size characteristics at different parts of the point bar were determined by using a combination of coring and electrical conductivity logging. The data confirm that there is a general fining up‐section along most parts of the point bar, with a well‐defined transition from massive medium‐grained sands below about 9 to 11 m depth up into interbedded silts and fine–medium sand sediment (inclined heterolithic strata). There is also a poorly defined increase in sorting quality at the transition level. Massive medium sands are especially common in the region of the channel bend apex and regions upstream of that point. Downstream of the meander apex, there is much less evidence for fining up‐section. Finer sediment accumulated more readily after the establishment of a compound bar in the later stages of construction, at the terminal apex and in the bar tail. This work implies that the best reservoir sands are likely to be located in the centre of the point bar, deposited in a simple bar system. Reservoir quality decreases towards the bar edge. The early‐stage channel plug is largely composed of coarsening‐upward cycles of silt to clay and is dominated by clay and clayey silt material with poor reservoir characteristics.     

Origin,lithology and weathering characteristics of Upper Tertiary ‐ Quaternary clay aquitard units on the Lower Murrumbidgee alluvial fan

The Lower Murrumbidgee alluvial fan at the eastern edge of the Murray Basin is comprised of high‐yielding coarse‐grained aquifers and interlayered fine‐grained deposits that exert an important control on recharge and vertical leakage of contaminants such as salt. Concerns over increasingly saline shallow groundwater, particularly in irrigation areas, has focused investigations on the depositional origin and spatial distribution of these fine‐grained deposits (aquitard units), which may constitute both a source of leachable salt and a barrier to leakage. Detailed laboratory analysis of a minimally disturbed core to 83m depth, obtained from a drillhole adjacent to an irrigation bore, was augmented with geophysical investigations from this and other boreholes near the apex of the alluvial fan. Previously mapped clay units (aquitards) are redefined as clayey silts based on clay content variation between 10% and 30%. Mineralogical and lithostratigraphic evidence for three clayey silt units is presented: a lower unit (75–83m), a middle unit (45–64m) and an upper unit (0–16m). Electrical image surveys indicate that the upper unit is discontinuous, interrupted by large palaeodrainage features probably containing sands and gravels. These palaeodrainage channels are buried beneath a veneer of clay and significantly increase recharge and leakage. Some evidence suggests an aeolian component near the surface and within the middle clayey silt unit. However, mixing with fluvial deposits and subsequent weathering has also occurred. The clayey silt units are extensively weathered and oxidised, with the degree of oxidation increasing towards the surface and adjacent to aquifers saturated with oxygenated groundwater. Post‐depositional weathering of the middle and lower units may also have been associated with leaching of salts. No salt remains in the middle and lower units, but 10.2kg/m² is stored within 15m of the surface at the Tubbo site. The upper clayey silt unit is a significant source of leachable salt, which is associated with increasing shallow groundwater salinity at some sites.     

岩溶洞穴古河漫滩沉积物特征及其沉积环境演变——以山王洞中段为例

为揭示岩溶洞穴沉积物对沉积环境与沉积过程的指示作用,文章在分析双河洞洞系形成过程及山王洞区域地质调查资料的基础上,选取贵州山王洞中段古河漫滩沉积物为研究对象,采用粒度分析法与萨胡公式对洞穴沉积物粒度特征与沉积环境的相关性进行分析,推断不同沉积韵律期的沉积环境演变过程,研究结果表明:（1）古河漫滩表层沉积物以极细砂、粉砂和黏土为主,平均含量达94.42%,且中上部含有一层粗砂砾夹层;（2）沉积模式主要为跳跃和悬浮沉积,水动力条件整体稳定,搬运颗粒粒径平均值为637 μm,其最大沉积物颗粒粒径为864.2 μm;（3）以沉积物粒度特征为依据,将古河漫滩沉积过程划分为三级沉积韵律,一级沉积韵律厚度为404～275 cm ,二级沉积韵律厚度为285～165 cm,三级沉积韵律厚度为165～0 cm。上述研究为确定区域侵蚀基准面和地层升降运动过程提供有力证明,也为山王洞古气候环境研究提供了重要依据。      

Tectonic cycles of the New England Orogen,eastern Australia: A Review

The New England Orogen (NEO), the youngest of the orogens of the Tasmanides of eastern Australia, is defined by two main cycles of compression–extension. The compression component involves thrust tectonics and advance of the arc towards the continental plate, while extension is characterised by rifting, basin formation, thermal relaxation and retreat of the arc towards the oceanic plate. A compilation of 623 records of U–Pb zircon geochronology rock ages from Geoscience Australia, the geological surveys of Queensland and New South Wales and other published research throughout the orogen, has helped to clarify its complex tectonic history. This contribution focuses on the entire NEO and is aimed at those who are unfamiliar with the details of the orogen and who could benefit from a summary of current knowledge. It aims to fill a gap in recent literature between broad-scale overviews of the orogen incorporated as part of wider research on the Tasmanides and detailed studies usually specific to either the northern or southern parts of the orogen. Within the two main cycles of compression–extension, six accepted and distinct tectonic phases are defined and reviewed. Maps of geological processes active during each phase reveal the centres of activity during each tectonic phase, and the range in U–Pb zircon ages highlights the degree of diachronicity along the length of the NEO. In addition, remnants of the early Permian offshore arc formed during extensive slab rollback, are identified by the available geochronology. Estimates of the beginning of the Hunter-Bowen phase of compression, generally thought to commence around 265?Ma are complicated by the presence of extensional-type magmatism in eastern Queensland that occurred between 270 and 260?Ma.     

冲绳海槽西南端1.3ka以来异重流沉积记录及其古气候响应

以冲绳海槽西南端的HOBAB4?S1岩芯为研究对象,综合利用粒度、沉积构造、AMS14C测年等资料,对研究区异重流沉积特征进行研究,对异重流发育的时间段与晚全新世气候事件进行对应。结果表明,岩芯中发育17段异重流沉积,其沉积物组分以砂质粉砂为主,粒度频率分布曲线多呈以70~130 μm为中心的单峰,C?M图上样品点集中分布区间大致平行于C=M基线,且位于PQ段以下,表明沉积物搬运方式为重力流悬浮搬运。异重流内部发育平行层理、爬升沙纹层理和粒序层理等沉积构造。异重流沉积类型主要有两类,一类是厚层异重流沉积,底部侵蚀面发育,内部发育多组逆—正粒序组合,指示了水动力较强,侵蚀作用和沉积作用均较明显的异重流近端沉积;另一类是薄层异重流沉积,底部侵蚀面不发育,内部不发育或仅发育一组逆—正粒序组合,指示了水动力较弱的异重流边部沉积。HOBAB4?S1岩芯的异重流层段集中发育在800~1 300 A.D.之间,指示了当时气候条件为高温高湿,台风、洪水频发,降雨量较大,验证了“中世纪暖期”在东亚地区的存在。     

Radiocarbon dates and late-Quaternary stratigraphy from Mamontova Gora,unglaciated central Yakutia,Siberia, U.S.S.R.

A fine exposure of perennially frozen ice-rich silt and associated flora and vertebrate fauna of late-Quaternary age exists at Mamontova Gora along the Aldan River in central Yakutia, Siberia, U.S.S.R. The silt deposit caps a 50-m-high terrace and consists of three units. An upper layer 1–2 m thick overlies a 10–15-m-thick brownish to black silt layer. The lower silt layer is greenish to gray and about 15 m thick. All the silt is well sorted with 60% of the particles falling between 0.005 and 0.5 mm in diameter and is generally chemically and mineralogically homogeneous. The middle unit contains may extinct vertebrate mammal remains and ice wedges. The lower unit contains little vegetation and no ice wedges. The silt is widespread and exists as a loamy blanket on terraces at various elevations on both sides of the lower Aldan River. The origin of the silt blanket of late-Quaternary age in central Yakutia has long been controversial. Various hypotheses have been suggested, including lacustrine and alluvial, as well as frost-action origins. It is sometimes referred to as loess-like loam. Péwé believes the silt at Mamontova Gora is loess, some of which has been retransported very short distances by water. The silt probably was blown from wide, braided, unvegetated flood plains of rivers draining nearby glaciers. The silt deposits are late Quaternary in age and probably associated with the Maximum glaciation (Samarov) and Sartan and Syryan glaciations of Wisconsinan age. On the basis of biostratigraphy, 10 radiocarbon dates, and their relation to the nearby glacial record, it is felt that the upper unit at Mamontova Gora is Holocene and the middle unit is Wisconsinan. The youngest date available from the middle unit at this particular location is 26,000 years. Dates greater than 56,000 years were obtained in the lower part of the middle unit. The lower unit is definitely beyond the range of radiocarbon dating and probably is older than the last interglacial. The sediment, fauna, ice wedges, stratigraphy, and age of perennially frozen slit deposits in central Alaska are remarkably similar to those of the deposits exposed in central Yakutia. Both areas consist of unglaciated rolling lowlands and river terraces surrounded by high mountains that were extensively glaciated in Pleistocene time. The glaciers extended from the high mountains to the edges of the ranges. In both regions, extensively braided, silt-charged rivers drained the mountains and flowed through the lowlands on their way to the sea. It follows that there should be a similar late-Quaternary history.     

Larval settlement of the Atlantic rangia,Rangia cuneata (Bivalvia: Mactridae)

Rangia cuneata larvae were given the opportunity to settle on substrate types that differed in grain size, organic content, and bacterial abundance. Larvae settled in very fine sand (63–125 μm) and fine and medium sand (125–500 μm) more than in silt and clay (<63 μm) or on a hard substratum (empty polystyrene petri dishes). Proportionally more larvae settled onto untreated sediment from the adult habitat than onto the same sediment autoclaved, or treated with either H₂O₂ to remove organic material, or treated with antibiotics to reduce bacterial abundance. However, it appears that competent larvae do not delay settlement, even in the absence of “attractive” substrates.     

Resistance of quartz silt to isotopic exchange under burial and intense weathering conditions

Oxygen isotopic compositions of quartz from silty sediments buried to 5400 m depth from two wells in the Gulf of Mexico each showed δ5¹⁸O variations of less than 1.7%. Clay diagenesis has been reported within this depth. The observed variations in the quartz do not appear to be primarly diagenetic effects, but rather are mainly depositional features reflecting variations in the sources of the sediments. Sources may be influenced by the variation of distance from the shore at different depths in a given sampling location and by sediment production by continental glaciations. Stability of the oxygen isotopic composition of quartz in the 10–20 μm size range under long-time humid, temperate weathering conditions was studied by analysis of saprolites formed from Pennsylvanian to Precambrian crystalline rocks. In four of the five cases, the 10–20 μm fraction was found to have only 0.1–0.5%. greater δ¹⁸O than the corresponding 20–50 μm fraction. This increase may be attributable either to a slight oxygen isotopic exchange with ambient ground waters or original differences within the rock since the saprolites were sufficiently coherent to make an influx of extraneous detrital silt unlikely. The amount of oxygen isotopic exchange in silt size quartz over periods of many million years of shallow burial or weathering appears to be small enough to permit the use of the oxygen isotopic ratio of quartz in tracing the origin of eolian and fluvial additions of minerals to continental soils and pelagic sediments.     

铜官山矿田深部构造的三维计算模拟及其找矿意义

计算模拟已成为研究矿田深部三维构造重要可行手段,对深部找矿具有重要意义。基于铜官山矿田地质背景及所获勘查数据特征,我们采用知识驱动下多级约束和多源数据融合建模方法模拟矿田范围内–2000 m以上主要地质界面。以逆冲推覆导致断展–断弯褶皱理论模式解释大地测深的电阻率数据,推断地质界面位置,在Micromine-GOCAD耦合平台上在多级约束下融合多源的界面位置数据,以离散光滑插值算法和Delaunay三角网剖分法重构主要地质界面,在计算机虚拟空间再现矿田三维构造格架。结果显示:铜官山岩体和天鹅抱蛋岩体三维形态变化复杂,总体上向西倾,向深部岩体规模快速变小。位于铜官山岩体东接触带的铜官山铜矿田深部无找矿潜力,原因是接触带产状变陡,并且是岩体直接与上泥盆统砂岩接触;矿田深部主要构造为走向NE并沿倾向弯曲的逆冲推覆断层;铜官山背斜东翼含矿的中–上石炭统层位向深部倒转后又在–1200 m至–1500 m深度返转成向东南缓倾的正常层位,其底部与逆冲推覆断层重合,是深部找矿的有利靶区。