Lithospheric flexure, uplift and expected horizontal strain rate in the Pannonian Carpathian region

The Apuseni Mountains are located between the Pannonian Basin and the Transylvanian Basin along a direction of SE convergence with the Carpathian belt. A flexural model based on the cylindrical bending of a semi-infinite, isostatically supported, thin elastic plate is here examined with the Apuseni playing the role of flexural bulge, and under the assumption that the plate is deforming under the action of a vertical shear force and a bending moment applied at the end of the plate, beneath the Carpathians. The model yields estimates of the plate thickness ranging between 13 and 14.5 km, depending on the assumed density contrast between crust/sediments and mantle providing buoyancy. The vertical shear force which is necessary to bend the plate is in the range between 60 and 300 × 10¹¹ N m^− 1, depending on the assumed density contrast. This force is shown to be modelled by a gravitational ‘slab pull’ force, using model parameters derived from seismic tomography. If the height of the flexural bulge, after correction for erosion, is allowed to increase, the model yields an estimate of the horizontal strain rate at the top of the bulge. For example, 5 mm/yr vertical change of the flexural bulge of a 14 km thick plate results in a horizontal deformation rate of approximately 7 nanostrain/yr at the top of the bulge, a value which is at the threshold of sensitivity of continuous GPS measurements. Different vertical rates will change the horizontal strain rate almost proportionally.     

The Northern and Southern Scandes — structural differences revealed by an analysis of gravity anomalies, the geoid and regional isostasy

We investigate the Scandes mountain range by analysing the gravity field, the geoid heights and the degree of isostatic compensation of the lithosphere. Topographically, the Scandes mountain range can be divided in the Northern and Southern Scandes. Comparisons between the present topographic expression and the gravity field and the geoid show that the axis of highest elevation in the Northern Scandes is shifted eastwards compared to the minimum of the Bouguer anomaly, while the two coincide perfectly in the Southern Scandes. Geoid heights reduced by the effect of topographic masses show a large-scale minimum in the Northern Scandes, but no anomaly in the Southern Scandes.Regional, flexural isostatic calculations yield a flexural rigidity of D = 10²³ Nm for the lithosphere of the Southern Scandes and the isostatic gravity and geoid residuals point to additional isostatic support by low-density rocks below the Moho. On the other side, for the lithosphere in the Northern Scandes no significant flexural rigidity can be resolved. Here, the Bouguer anomaly is best modelled with a small flexural rigidity, indicating nearly Airy isostatic behaviour. Local subsurface loading and horizontal tectonic forces overprint the isostatic compensations and increase the tectonic complexity of the Northern Scandes. These distinctive features of the Scandes cannot be explained by currently existing models of the present and Neogene uplift and the isostatic mechanism of the Scandes.     

Nonlinear flexure and equivalent mechanical thickness of the lithosphere

The elastic flexural thickness of the lithosphere depends on plate curvature. As curvature increases, the elastic core of the plate is thinned from above (frictional yielding) and from below (plastic creep). Sometimes decoupling between crust and mantle elastic cores can also occur. The mechanical thickness of the lithosphere, on the other hand, is the thickness of the rheologically layered plate having a strength above a critical threshold. In order to estimate the mechanical thickness from a simple uniform-rheology plate model, we adopt a plastic work-hardening constitutive equation, which results in lower stresses in the regions of high strain, relative to the elastic model. It is, therefore, a better approximation to the actual rheology of the flexed lithosphere where there is no lower-crustal decoupling (e.g., in oceanic and in cold continental lithosphere). The equivalent mechanical thickness of the nonlinear plate can be directly obtained, if the curvature is known, from the estimated elastic flexural rigidity or thickness. Comparison with numerical integration of bending moment in rheologically layered lithosphere shows that equivalent mechanical thickness is a good estimation of mechanical thickness. Examination of both oceanic and continental data suggests that mechanical thickness is controlled by the 900 ± 100°C isotherm. This corresponds to a creep strength of the order of 10 MPa in upper mantle material.     

长江第一弯虎跳峡的贯通——来自于地表地貌和弹性挠曲的数值模拟分析

以往注入南海的古金沙江的袭夺及其相关的长江第一弯的形成不仅造成了南海一系列盆地内部充填物质的急剧变化,同时还记录了与南海北部边缘海扩张相关的构造活动机制的重大变革。尽管如此,由于缺乏直接证据,对于金沙江东流和长江第一弯形成的时间和机制还存在较大分歧。鉴于此,本研究通过TTLEM和LIFFE模型直接对虎跳峡的贯通和下切过程开展数值模拟分析。结果显示虎跳峡现今深切峡谷的形成是两阶段地表快速侵蚀的产物。而其初始的贯通应形成于中新世中期(~15 Ma)前后,和虎跳峡背斜的形成同期,与大理断裂系大规模走滑兼具逆冲运动直接相关。随后,进入第四纪(~2 Ma)以来,大理断裂系的构造活动由压扭转变为张扭性。虎跳峡由于地壳的弹性挠曲变形再次快速下切,剥蚀厚度达到~3 km,最终形成了现今的地貌样式。结合区域的其他研究结果,我们认为伴随着印度板块向欧亚板块之下持续的俯冲,青藏高原东南缘南东向的物质运移曾发生过一系列构造活动机制的重大转变,不仅引起了区域内断裂系统活动性质的转换,造成了大型水系的袭夺和重组,同时还与南海海盆的扩张和最终形成紧密关联。     

The lithospheric density structure of the Eastern Alps

The three-dimensional (3D) lithospheric density structure of the Eastern Alps was investigated by integrating results from reflection seismics, receiver function analyses and tomography. The modelling was carried out with respect to the Bouguer gravity and the geoid undulations and emphasis were laid on the investigations of the importance of deep lithospheric features. Although the influence of inhomogeneities at the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary on the potential field is not neglectable, they are overprinted by the response of the density contrast at the crust–mantle boundary and intra-crustal density anomalies. The uncertainties in the interpretations are in the same order of magnitude as the gravity field generated by the deep lithosphere.After including the deep lithospheric geometry from the tomographic model it is shown that full isostatic equilibrium is not achieved below the Eastern Alps. However, calculation of the isostatic lithospheric thickness shows two areas of lithospheric thickening along the central axis of the Eastern Alps with a transition zone below the area of the TRANSALP profile. This is in agreement with the tomographic model, which features a change in lithospheric subduction direction.     

Effect of brittle fracture on the rheological structure of the lithosphere and its application in the Ordos

An empirical formula for the fracture strength of the principal rock type in the lithosphere is obtained based on the experimental data from previous studies, in which the effects of the confining pressure, size of the rock sample, temperature, strain rate and the pore pressure are taken into account, the empirical formulae for the effects of them are also presented. By comparing the frictional strength to the fracture strength calculated using the new empirical formula, it is shown that frictional sliding is dominant in the upper crust but brittle fracture is dominant in the lower part of the crust and the lithosphere beneath the crust. Therefore the fracture mechanism must be taken into account in the study of the rheological structure of the lithosphere. The empirical formula for the fracture strength is applied to study the rheological structure of the lithosphere in the Ordos block. Brittle regime in the rheological structure can be divided into two sub-regions, in one of which brittle fracture and in the other frictional sliding are dominant, respectively, unlike previous conventional studies in which frictional sliding is assumed to be the only factor; the magnitude of the rheological strength of the lithosphere calculated by the empirical formula is also lower than that obtained in previous conventional studies.     

Lithosphere,crust and basement ridges across Ganga and Indus basins and seismicity along the Himalayan front,India and Western Fold Belt,Pakistan

Spectral analysis of the digital data of the Bouguer anomaly of North India including Ganga basin suggest a four layer model with approximate depths of 140, 38, 16 and 7 km. They apparently represent lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary (LAB), Moho, lower crust, and maximum depth to the basement in foredeeps, respectively. The Airy’s root model of Moho from the topographic data and modeling of Bouguer anomaly constrained from the available seismic information suggest changes in the lithospheric and crustal thicknesses from ∼126–134 and ∼32–35 km under the Central Ganga basin to ∼132 and ∼38 km towards the south and 163 and ∼40 km towards the north, respectively. It has clearly brought out the lithospheric flexure and related crustal bulge under the Ganga basin due to the Himalaya. Airy’s root model and modeling along a profile (SE–NW) across the Indus basin and the Western Fold Belt (WFB), (Sibi Syntaxis, Pakistan) also suggest similar crustal bulge related to lithospheric flexure due to the WFB with crustal thickness of 33 km in the central part and 38 and 56 km towards the SE and the NW, respectively. It has also shown the high density lower crust and Bela ophiolite along the Chamman fault. The two flexures interact along the Western Syntaxis and Hazara seismic zone where several large/great earthquakes including 2005 Kashmir earthquake was reported.The residual Bouguer anomaly maps of the Indus and the Ganga basins have delineated several basement ridges whose interaction with the Himalaya and the WFB, respectively have caused seismic activity including some large/great earthquakes. Some significant ridges across the Indus basin are (i) Delhi–Lahore–Sargodha, (ii) Jaisalmer–Sibi Syntaxis which is highly seismogenic. and (iii) Kachchh–Karachi arc–Kirthar thrust leading to Sibi Syntaxis. Most of the basement ridges of the Ganga basin are oriented NE–SW that are as follows (i) Jaisalmer–Ganganagar and Jodhpur–Chandigarh ridges across the Ganga basin intersect Himalaya in the Kangra reentrant where the great Kangra earthquake of 1905 was located. (ii) The Aravalli Delhi Mobile Belt (ADMB) and its margin faults extend to the Western Himalayan front via Delhi where it interacts with the Delhi–Lahore ridge and further north with the Himalayan front causing seismic activity. (iii) The Shahjahanpur and Faizabad ridges strike the Himalayan front in Central Nepal that do not show any enhanced seismicity which may be due to their being parts of the Bundelkhand craton as simple basement highs. (iv) The west and the east Patna faults are parts of transcontinental lineaments, such as Narmada–Son lineament. (v) The Munghyr–Saharsa ridge is fault controlled and interacts with the Himalayan front in the Eastern Nepal where Bihar–Nepal earthquakes of 1934 has been reported. Some of these faults/lineaments of the Indian continent find reflection in seismogenic lineaments of Himalaya like Everest, Arun, Kanchenjunga lineaments. A set of NW–SE oriented gravity highs along the Himalayan front and the Ganga and the Indus basins represents the folding of the basement due to compression as anticlines caused by collision of the Indian and the Asian plates. This study has also delineated several depressions like Saharanpur, Patna, and Purnia depressions.     

Erosion-driven uplift of the modern Central Alps

We present a compilation of data of modern tectono-geomorphic processes in the Central European Alps which suggest that observed rock uplift is a response to climate-driven denudation. This interpretation is predominantly based on the recent quantification of basin-averaged Late Holocene denudation rates that are so similar to the pattern and rates of rock uplift rates as determined by geodetic leveling. Furthermore, a GPS data-based synthesis of Adriatic microplate kinematics suggests that the Central Alps are currently not in a state of active convergence. Finally, we illustrate that the Central Alps have acted as a closed system for Holocene redistribution of sediment in which the peri-Alpine lakes have operated as a sink for the erosional products of the inner Central Alps.While various hypotheses have been put forward to explain Central Alpine rock uplift (e.g. lithospheric forcing by convergence, mantle processes, or ice melting) we show with an elastic model of lithospheric deformation, that the correlation between erosion and rock uplift rates reflects a positive feedback between denudation and the associated isostatic response to unloading. Thus, erosion does not passively respond to advection of crustal material as might be the case in actively converging orogens. Rather, we suggest that the geomorphic response of the Alpine topography to glacial and fluvial erosion and the resulting disequilibrium for modern channelized and associated hillslope processes explains much of the pattern of modern denudation and hence rock uplift. Therefore, in a non-convergent orogen such as the Central European Alps, the observed vertical rock uplift is primarily a consequence of passive unloading due to erosion.     

On the role of heat flow, lithosphere thickness and lithosphere density on gravitational potential stresses

Gravitational potential stresses (GPSt) are known to play a first-order role in the state of stress of the Earth's lithosphere. Previous studies focussed mainly on crust elevation and structure and little attention has been paid to modelling GPSt using realistic lithospheric structures. The aim of the present contribution is to quantify gravitational potential energies and stresses associated with stable lithospheric domains. In order to model realistic lithosphere structures, a wide variety of data are considered: surface heat flow, chemical depletion of mantle lithosphere, crustal thickness and elevation. A numerical method is presented which involves classical steady-state heat equations to derive lithosphere thickness, geotherm and density distribution, but additionally requires the studied lithosphere to be isostatically compensated at its base. The impact of varying surface and crustal heat flow, topography, Moho depth and crust density on the signs and magnitudes of predicted GPSt is systematically explored. In clear contrast with what is assumed in most previous studies, modelling results show that the density structure of the mantle lithosphere has a significant impact on the value of the predicted GPSt, in particular in the case of thick lithospheres. Using independent information from the literature, the method was applied to get insights in the state of stress of continental domains with contrasting tectono-thermal ages. The modelling results suggest that in the absence of tectonic stresses Phanerozoic and Proterozoic lithospheres are spontaneously submitted to compression whereas Archean lithospheres are in a neutral to slightly tensile stress state. These findings are in general in good agreement with global stress measurements and observed geoid undulations.     

Seismic stability analysis of a rock block using the block theory and Newmark method

Seismic stability analysis of a rock block is an important issue in the field of rock mechanics and rock engineering. To solve this problem, the block theory and the Newmark method are combined, and a general method for seismic response of a rock block is introduced. First, the formation method of a three-dimensional rock block, which includes establishing a topological relationship among the block-polygon face-edge-vertex and dividing a complex block into convex subblocks, is presented, and the simplex integration method is employed to calculate the volume of a rock block and the areas of the polygonal faces. Second, the assumptions and algorithms of the general method for seismic response of a rock block are detailed. The dynamic analysis is carried out in time step. In each time step, the key technologies including analysis of the seismic force and motion mode, trial of the incremental displacement, check for the block entrance, and update of the motion parameters are performed in order. Last, two verification examples and three application examples including a wedge, a rock block of slope, and a combined rock block are used to analyze the correctness and practicality of the general method. The results show that, for a given ground motion record, the Newmark program can effectively simulate the dynamic response process of the motion mode, velocity, and safety factor of the rock block, and the permanent displacement under the earthquake action is obtained, which provides a quantitative parameter to evaluate the dynamic stability of a rock block.     

Crustal properties from S-wave and gravity data along a seismic refraction profile in Romania

VRANCEA'99 is a seismic refraction line that was carried out in 1999 to investigate the deep structure and physical properties of the upper lithosphere of the southeastern Carpathians and its foreland. It runs from the city of Bacau to the Danube River, traversing the Vrancea epicentral area of strong intermediate-depth seismicity and the city of Bucharest.

Interpretation of P-wave arrivals led to a velocity model that displays a multi-layered crust with velocities increasing with depth. The range of P wave velocities in the sedimentary cover increases from N to S and a structuring of the autochthonous basement of the Moesian Platform is observed. The crystalline crust displays thickness variations, but at the same time the lateral velocity structure along the seismic line remains almost constant. An intra-crustal boundary separates an upper crust from the lower crust. Within the upper mantle a low velocity zone is detected at a depth of about 55-km.

The interpretation of observable S-waves resulted in a velocity model that shows the same multi-layered crust, with S-velocities increasing similarly with depth as the P-waves. The corresponding Poisson's ratio is highly variable throughout the crust and ranges from 0.20–0.35 for the sedimentary cover to 0.22–0.25 for the crystalline crust. The interpretation of the V_p, V_s and Poisson's ratio in petrological terms suggests a large variety of rocks from sand and clay to sandstone, limestone and dolomite within the sedimentary cover. Within the crystalline crust the most probably rock types are granite, granodiorite, granite–gneiss and/or felsic amphibolite–gneiss in the upper part and gneiss and /or amphibolite in the lower part.

Based on the 2-D seismic velocity model, a density model is developed. Density values are assigned to each layer in agreement with the P-wave velocity model and with values accepted for the geological units in the area. After several iterations a good fit between the computed and observed Bouguer anomalies was obtained along the seismic line.     

Delimitation of ground failure zones due to land subsidence using gravity data and finite element modeling in the Querétaro valley, México

Sedimentary basins of arid and semiarid zones are often subject to regimes of intense ground-water withdrawal as it is normally the only source of water for development of communities. An associated phenomenon is land subsidence, which can develop to ground failures, and consequently, damage to infrastructure. Aquifer deformation can be analyzed using a stress–strain or a flux–force approach depending on the aquifer material (compact or loose) and on whether the water withdrawal forms a predominant flow direction toward a cone of depression. Geometry of the aquifer system also plays an important role as uneven thickness induces differential compaction and hence, tensional and shear stresses on the ground mass. In this work we present a stress–strain approach to analyze subsidence for an unconfined aquifer of varying thickness; this is done in two steps, namely when the aquifer is in equilibrium, and when it is totally depleted. Using this scheme in a region where ground failure is evident, a portion of the aquifer system of the Querétaro valley is analyzed. The geometry of the hydrologic basement is first modeled using gravity measurements properly correlated with wells and field data. Then a stress analysis is implemented using the finite element method in order to identify probable zones of ground weakness, which are calibrated with known ground failures. The results indicate that both, tensional and shear stress are present, which induce ground failure in the form of surface faults.     

Seismicity, gravity anomalies and lithospheric structure of the Andaman arc, NE Indian Ocean

The Andaman arc in the northeastern Indian Ocean defines nearly 1100 km long active plate margin between the India and Burma plates where an oblique Benioff zone develops down to 200 km depth. Several east-trending seismologic sections taken across the Andaman Benioff Zone (ABZ) are presented here to detail the subduction zone geometry in a 3-D perspective. The slab gravity anomaly, computed from the 3-D ABZ configuration, is a smooth, long-wavelength and symmetric gravity high of 85 mGal amplitude centering to the immediate east of the Nicobar Island, where, a prominent gravity “high” follows the Nicobar Deep. The Slab-Residual Gravity Anomaly (SRGA) and Mantle Bouguer Anomaly (MBA) maps prepared for the Andaman plate margin bring out a double-peaked SRGA “low” in the range of − 150 to − 240 mGal and a wider-cum-larger MBA “low” having the amplitude of − 280 to − 315 mGal demarcating the Andaman arc–trench system. The gravity models provide evidences for structural control in propagating the rupture within the lithosphere. The plate margin configuration below the Andaman arc is sliced by the West Andaman Fault (WAF) as well as by a set of sympathetic faults of various proportions, often cutting across the fore-arc sediment package. Some of these fore-arc thrust faults clearly give rise to considerably high post-seismic activity, but the seismic incidence along the WAF further east is comparatively much less particularly in the north, although, the lack of depth resolution for many of the events prohibits tracing the downward continuity of these faults. Tectonic correlation of the gravity-derived models presented here tends to favour the presence of oceanic crust below the Andaman–Nicobar Outer Arc Ridge.     

The thermal structure and thickness of continental roots

We compare heat flow data from the Precambrian shields in North America and in South Africa. We also review data available in other less well-sampled Shield regions. Variations in crustal heat production account for most of the variability of the heat flow. Because of this variability, it is difficult to define a single average crustal model representative of a whole tectonic province. The average heat flow values of different Archean provinces in Canada, South Africa, Australia and India differ by significant amounts. This is also true for Proterozoic provinces. For example, the heat flow is significantly higher in the Proterozoic Namaqua–Natal Belt of South Africa than in the Grenville Province of the Canadian Shield (61 vs. 41 mW m⁻² on average). These observations indicate that it is not possible to define single value of the average heat flow for all provinces of the same crustal age. Large amplitude short wavelength variations of the heat flow suggest that most of the difference between Proterozoic and Archean heat flow is of crustal origin. In eastern Canada, there is no good correlation between the local values of heat flow and heat production. In the Archean, Proterozoic and Paleozoic provinces of eastern Canada, heat flow values through rocks with the same heat production are not significantly different. There is therefore no evidence for variations of the mantle heat flow beneath these different provinces. After removing the local crustal heat production from the surface heat flow, the mantle (Moho) heat flow was estimated to be between 10–15 mW m⁻² in the Archean, Proterozoic and Paleozoic provinces of eastern Canada. Estimates of the mantle heat flow in the Kaapvaal craton of South Africa may be slightly higher (≈17 mW m⁻²). Large-scale variations of bulk crustal heat production are well-documented in Canada and imply significant differences of deep lithospheric thermal structure. In thick lithosphere, surficial heat flow measurements record a time average of heat production in the lithospheric mantle and are not in equilibrium with the instantaneous heat production. The low mantle heat flow and current estimates of heat production in the lithospheric mantle do not support a mechanical (conductive) lithosphere thinner than 200 km and thicker than 330 km. Temperature anomalies with surrounding oceanic mantle extend to the convective boundary layer below the conductive layer, and hence to depths greater than these estimates. Mechanical and thermal stability of the lithosphere require the mantle part of the lithosphere to be chemically buoyant and depleted in radiogenic elements. Both characteristics are achieved simultaneously by partial melting and melt extraction.     

Temperature and density of the Tyrrhenian lithosphere and slab and new interpretation of gravity field in the Tyrrhenian Basin

The gravity anomaly field of the Tyrrhenian basin and surrounding regions reflects the complex series of geodynamic events active in this area since the Oligocene–Miocene. They can resume in lithospheric thinning and asthenospheric rising beneath the Tyrrhenian Basin, coexisting with the roll-back subduction of the African plate margin westward sinking beneath the Calabrian Arc. The geographic closeness between these processes implies an intense perturbation of the mantle thermal regime and an interference at regional scale between the related gravity effects.A model of the litho-asthenospheric structure of this region is suggested, showing a reasonable agreement with both the evidences in terms of regional gravity anomaly pattern and the results concerning thermal state and petro-physical features of the mantle. The first phase of this study consisted of the computation of the isotherms in the crust–mantle system beneath the Tyrrhenian Basin and, afterwards, of the density distribution within the partially melted upwelling asthenosphere. The second phase consisted of a temperature/density modelling of the slab subducting beneath the Calabrian Arc. Finally, a 2^1 / 2 interpretation of gravity data was carried out by including as constraints the results previously obtained. Thus, the final result depicts a model matching both gravity, thermal and petrographic data. They provide (a) a better definition of the thermal regime of the passive mantle rise beneath the Tyrrhenian basin by means of the estimation of the moderate asthenospheric heating and (b) a model of lithospheric slab subducting with rates that could be smaller than generally suggested in previous works.     

大陆岩石圈挠曲背景下盆山耦合研究进展与展望

盆山耦合研究在大地构造和地球动力学研究中占有重要地位。地貌负载引起的大陆岩石圈挠曲与沉积盆地沉降是盆山耦合的一种重要体现方式。本论文聚焦于挤压背景下大陆岩石圈挠曲盆地与造山带的耦合过程,系统梳理了单个或者多个地貌负载的几何形态、挠曲盆地几何形态以及岩石圈有效弹性厚度(T_e)三者之间的数学关系。在此基础上,论文介绍了岩石圈挠曲模拟方法在恢复岩石圈刚性程度、造山带演化过程以及盆地沉积沉降方面的具体应用。结合古环境分析与岩石圈挠曲模拟实验,本文提出了一种定量恢复造山带古海拔的新方法。有别于基于温度、压力以及动植物分布与海拔之间关系所建立的传统古高度计,该方法强调在海侵时期地貌负载与沉积盆地间的高度差即为造山带的古海拔。该方法的提出为重建中亚以及其他曾受海侵影响并与岩石圈挠曲相关造山带的古海拔提供了新的思路。论文最后介绍了岩石圈挠曲模拟在定量分析造山带与盆地演化的研究过程中存在的问题与不足,并提出了在探究沉积盆地基底属性、重建岩石圈挠曲相关造山带古海拔以及有关挠曲模拟软件开发方面的新展望。     

老顶岩块端角摩擦系数和挤压系数实验研究

通过岩块实验、相似模拟和计算模拟, 研究了采场老顶岩块端角摩擦和端角挤压特性。 得出老顶岩块端角摩擦角为岩石残余摩擦角, 摩擦系数确定为 0 . 5; 端角挤压强度受弱面的影响明显且具有规律性, 端角挤压系数确定为 0. 4     

Patterns and controls on the distribution of diamondiferous intrusions in Australia

The distribution of kimberlite, lamproite and related alkaline volcanism in Australia can be broadly related to the structure of the Australian continent and lithosphere. Diamondiferous kimberlites and lamproites, with the apparent exception of the weakly diamondiferous Orrorro kimberlites in the Adelaide Fold Belt, lie within the large Precambrian shield where seismic tomographic models and heat flow data indicate the presence of relatively cold, high seismic wave speed lithosphere (tectosphere) typically some 200 km thick or more beneath the Archaean cratons and up to 300 km in parts of central Australia. Many of the diamondiferous intrusions appear to lie at the margins rather than in the centre of the lithosphere domains. The highest concentration of diamondiferous intrusions (kimberlites and lamproites) is on and around the Kimberley Craton where seismic data indicate crustal thicknesses of 35–40 km and a lithosphere up to 275 km thick that is distinct from Proterozoic northern Australia.

Many, but clearly not all, of the intrusions show evidence of regional and local structural controls. Some are spatially associated with known crustal structures, especially regional faults. Others are aligned, either singly or in clusters, along or near discontinuities and/or gradients evident in regional scale potential field data, especially the total horizontal gradients of gravity data continued upward tens to hundreds of kilometres. Many of these features are not evident in the original datasets as their signatures are masked by shorter wavelength (near surface) anomalies. In some cases, the kimberlites and associated rocks lie within crustal blocks and domains defined by discontinuities in the potential field data rather than at domain boundaries.

Our overview suggests that analysis of potential field data, especially horizontal gradients in upwardly continued potential field data, at all scales can assist definition of crustal and, potentially, lithospheric structures that may influence the distribution of diamond pipes. However, more definitive mapping of Australia's diamond prospective regions requires the integration of data on crustal structures, especially trans-lithospheric faults, and geodynamic settings with high resolution tomographic models and other geophysical, petrologic, and isotopic information on the nature of the lithosphere beneath the Australian continent.     

印支地块思茅地区早白垩世古地磁结果及其构造意义

对印支地块思茅地区的早白垩世红层开展详细的岩石磁学和古地磁学研究,获得镇沅剖面特征剩磁方向Ds=52.4°,Is=45.5°,κ=77.9,α95=6.3°;普洱剖面特征剩磁方向Ds=46.2°,Is=46.6°,κ=50.9,α95=5.6°;江城剖面特征剩磁方向Ds=8.6°,Is=42.2°,κ=117.1,α95=4.0°。对普洱和江城剖面进行E-I磁倾角偏低检验,结果显示江城剖面不存在磁倾角偏低,普洱剖面由于偏角较分散,导致其伸展方向出现假象,推测的磁倾角偏大,出现实测磁倾角偏低的假象。思茅地区各采样剖面之间的磁偏角差异表明,块体内部发生过差异性旋转变形,其变形的过程不仅受控于边界深大断裂,也与内部小断裂的活动有密切关系。若进一步考虑华南地块白垩纪可能存在的磁倾角偏低现象,则该结果说明印度支那地块思茅地区白垩纪以来相对于华南地块向南滑移量为570±310km,接近构造地质研究推测的红河大断裂左行滑移量。