The Selloum Basin: new element of the Middle Liassic paleogeography in the southern Middle Atlas (Morocco)

A comparative study of the Middle Liassic series in the south western part of the Middle Atlas system leads to the definition of three new formations called Fellat 1, 2 and 3. They mainly involve gravity-flow deposits related to the breakup of the regional carbonate platform in a subsiding area, the Selloum Basin. The creation of this basin provides evidence for a rifting stage during the Carixian–Domerian interval, inducing the separation of the Selloum unit with respect to the Middle Atlasic trough and its possible connection with the High Atlasic sedimentary domain.     

四川盆地下寒武统龙王庙组颗粒滩沉积组合及其对储集层的控制作用

基于前人研究成果, 综合四川盆地龙王庙组野外露头、钻测井、岩心及薄片等资料, 对龙王庙组的岩石类型、沉积亚相和岩石物性进行了详细的分析, 探讨了龙王庙组颗粒滩沉积组合的特征、分布规律及其对储集层发育的控制作用。结果表明： （1）四川盆地龙王庙组可以识别出4种主要的岩石类型, 垂向上主要发育3种与颗粒滩相关的水体向上变浅的沉积组合： 多期颗粒滩垂向叠置、颗粒滩—台坪（混积潮坪）、滩间海—颗粒滩（—台坪）;（2）颗粒滩沉积组合分布受控于古地貌和海平面升降;平面分布主要受控于古地貌, 多期颗粒滩垂向叠置组合主要发育在川中地区, 颗粒滩—台坪（混积潮坪）组合主要发育在川北、川西南地区, 滩间海—颗粒滩（—台坪）组合主要发育在川东、川东南地区;垂向分布主要受控于海平面升降, 与所处层序地层的位置有密切关系, 滩间海—颗粒滩组合多发育于层序中下部, 颗粒滩—台坪（混积潮坪）, 多期颗粒滩垂向叠置组合发育于层序中上部;（3）多期颗粒滩垂向叠置组合最有利于储集层发育, 其次是颗粒滩—台坪（混积潮坪）组合, 滩间海—颗粒滩（—台坪）组合储集层物性较差。     

Depositional combination of carbonate grain banks of the Lower Cambrian Longwangmiao Formation in Sichuan Basin and its control on reservoirs

Rock types, sedimentary subfacies and grain bank properties of the Longwangmiao Formation are studied in detail by outcrop, drilling and logging data, core, thin section and physical property of the Longwangmiao Formation in the Sichuan Basin. The characteristics, development and distribution of grain bank depositional combinations of the Longwangmiao Formation in Sichuan Basin and their control on reservoir development are discussed. The results show that: （1）four main rock types can be identified in the Longwangmiao Formation in Sichuan Basin. Vertically, three upward shallowing depositional combinations associated with carbonate grain bank can be identified: multi-stage vertical overlapping of grain banks, grain bank-tidal flat（mixed tidal flat）, interbank-grain bank（-tidal flat）; (2）the distribution of depositional combinations of grain banks is controlled by paleogeomorphy and sea level fluctuation;and the horizontal distribution is mainly controlled by paleogeomorphy, the vertical overlapping of multi-stage grain banks is mainly developed in the central Sichuan Basin, grain bank-tidal flat（mixed tidal flat）mainly develop in northern and southwestern Sichuan Basin, and interbank-grain bank（-tidal flat）mainly develop in the eastern and southeastern Sichuan Basin;vertically, they are mainly controlled by sea level changes, and have close relationship with their locations in the sequence stratigraphy, and interbank-grain bank（-tidal flat）mostly develop in the middle and lower parts of the sequence, multi-stage vertical overlapping of grain banks and grain bank-tidal flat（mixed tidal flat）develop in the upper part of the sequence; (3）multi-stage vertical overlapping of grain banks is the most favorable for reservoir development, followed by grain bank-tidal flat（mixed tidal flat）combination, and interbank-grain bank（-tidal flat）combination has the poor reservoir physical properties.     

Environmental controls on the Late Holocene carbonate sedimentation of a karstic lake in the Middle‐Atlas Mountains (Lake Afourgagh,Morocco)

The Lake Afourgagh sediment record and facies successions provide an outstanding example of environmentally controlled carbonate sedimentation. Afourgagh is a small, shallow permanent lake located in the Middle‐Atlas Mountains in Morocco in a karstic context. It is fed by ground waters that are relatively enriched in Mg resulting from the leaching of the Jurassic dolomitic bedrock of the catchment. This eutrophic lake is episodically restricted and characterized by alkaline waters with a fluctuating high Mg/Ca ratio. The maximum extension of the Holocene shoreline coincides with evidence of a lake stabilization level corresponding to the outflow of the lake through a wadi. Lakeshore terrace sediments deposited on an alluvial fan siltstone during the past ca 2500 cal yr bp comprise four main facies: a littoral crust, palaeosols, palustrine silts and charophyte tufas, which reflect different environments from the shoreline toward the deeper water. In the more distal parts, the charophyte tufas display a well‐expressed lamination punctuated by the development of microstromatolites on algae thalli. The mineralogical composition of the carbonates is linked to the facies. While the charophyte tufas are characterized by a relatively high content in aragonite, in addition to low‐Mg calcite, the littoral crust is mainly composed of magnesite. This pattern is related to the evolving chemistry of water due to the influence of charophyte proliferation during dry summers. Calcium‐carbonate precipitation on algae thalli (both bioinduced and microbially mediated) progressively induces an increase in the Mg/Ca ratio of the lake water, while the capillary evaporation of shallow ground waters causes precipitation of a magnesite precursor on the shoreline, producing magnesite during early diagenesis. This effect is characteristic of two episodes: part of the Roman Warm Period and the beginning of the Dark Age Cold Period. The carbonate mineralogy of the different depositional sequences at Afourgagh indicates lake‐level and water‐chemistry fluctuations under a climatic influence. Therefore, among other regional records, the Lake Afourgagh sedimentary record provides useful evidence for reconstructing these environmental changes.     

Microbiostratigraphy of Kazhdumi Formation in the Northwestern Shiraz (Southwest Iran) on the Basis of Foraminifera and Calcareous Algae

The middle Cretaceous Kazhdumi Formation,with a thickness of 222 m,belongs to the Bangestan Group and occurs in the Zagros folded zone in southwest Iran.The lower boundary with the Dariyan Formation is disconformable,which is recognized by iron oxides and glauconite.The recognized microfossils are Valvulammina sp.,Scandonea sp.,Daxia cenomana,Choffatela sp., Pseudolituonella reicheli and calcareous algae-Lithocodium aggregation(which belongs to the Sarvak Formation),representing the beginning of Cenomani...     

Tidally dominated, rimmed-shelf facies of the Picún Leufú Formation (Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary) in southwest Gondwana, Neuquén Basin, Argentina

A palaeoenvironmental model for the Picún Leufú Formation (Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary), which crops out in the Neuquén Basin, Argentina, on the southwestern margin of Gondwana, is presented in this paper for the first time. Detailed stratigraphic sections exposed along National Road 40 where it crosses the Picún Leufú Creek (type locality) and in the Cerrito Caracoles area, were examined and sampled. Based on a combination of the sedimentological data obtained (facies/microfacies analysis) and the relationship between benthic macrofaunas and their taphonomic attributes, it is concluded that the formation reflects a tidally dominated, rimmed-shelf setting characterized by prograding bars dissected by channels and thick lagoonal facies with shoal developments. In the Cerrito Caracoles area, where only the basal part of the formation is exposed, it is interpreted to have been deposited in a shallow subtidal marine environment in which shelf margin facies with patch reefs have been recognized.     

Contribution to a geodynamic reconstruction of the Anti-Atlas (Morocco) during Pan-African times with the emphasis on inversion tectonics and metallogenic activity at the Precambrian–Cambrian transition

New geochronological analyses (U–Pb SIMS zircon ages) have yielded ages of 552 ± 5 Ma for the Bou Madine rhyolitic dome (Ougnat, eastern Anti-Atlas), 543 ± 9 Ma for the Tachkakacht rhyolitic dyke (Saghro–Imiter, eastern Anti-Atlas), and 531 ± 5 Ma for the Aghbar trachytic sill (Bou Azzer, central Anti-Atlas). Inherited zircon cores from the Aghbar trachytic sill and from the Bou Madine rhyolitic dome have been shown to be of Statherian age (ca. 1600–1800 Ma) and Palæoproterozoic (>2100 Ma) age, respectively, suggesting that a significantly older protolith underlies the Pan-African rocks in the Central and Eastern Anti-Atlas. Granodiorites and rhyolites from the Saghro–Imiter area have similar low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.702–0.706) and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (0.5116–0.5119) initial ratios, suggesting a mixture of mantle and lower crust sources. This can also be inferred from the low ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios obtained on pyrite crystals from the rhyolites.A recently published lithostratigraphic framework has been combined with these new geochemical and geochronological data, and those from the literature to produce a new reconstruction of the complex orogenic front that developed at the northern edge of the Eburnian West African craton during Pan-African times. Three Neoproterozoic magmatic series can be distinguished in the Anti-Atlas belt, i.e., high-K calc-alkaline granites, high-K calc-alkaline to shoshonitic rhyolites and andesites, and alkaline-shoshonitic trachytes and syenites, which have been dated at 595–570, 570–545 and 530 Ma, respectively.The accretion of the Pan-African Anti-Atlas belt to the West African super continent (WAC) was a four-stage event, involving extension, subduction, moderate collision and extension. The calc-alkaline magmatism of the subduction stage was associated with large-scale base metal and gold mineralisation. Metallogenic activity was greatest during the final extensional stage, at the Precambrian–Cambrian boundary. It is characterised by world-class precious metal deposits, base–metal porphyry and SEDEX-type occurrences.     

四川乐山震旦系灯影组火山碎屑岩锆石LA-ICP-MSU-Pb定年及盆地裂陷演化讨论

四川盆地中部晚震旦(埃迪卡拉)世—早寒武世克拉通内裂陷与安岳震旦(埃迪卡拉)系—寒武系特大气田的形成关系密切,年代学研究对认识克拉通内裂陷构造意义重大。对四川盆地乐山先锋剖面灯影组三段火山碎屑岩进行锆石LA-ICP-MS U-Pb定年,研究结果表明四川盆地灯影组三段火山碎屑岩的锆石U-Pb年龄为(539.6±1.4)Ma,年代学结果表明四川盆地灯三段与灯四段属于寒武系。基于灯影组底界(551.1 Ma)、含火山碎屑岩的灯三段(539.6 Ma)、含小壳化石的麦地坪组(535.2 Ma)和下寒武统Ni—Mo多金属硫化物富集层(521.0 Ma)四个等时面构建了克拉通内裂陷演化的时间框架。在此基础上认为四川盆地中部晚震旦(埃迪卡拉)世—早寒武世隆坳构造的形成主要受边界断裂控制,断层活动使裂陷内水体加深,少量灯四段含硅质白云岩沉积后,麦地坪组与筇竹寺组开始沉积,麦地坪组与灯四段的界线在裂陷内与裂陷两侧并不等时,裂陷内麦地坪组、筇竹寺组与裂陷两侧灯影组四段为同期异相沉积。     

藏北南羌塘盆地曲瑞恰乃地区中侏罗世色哇组、 莎巧木组、布曲组的生物地层特征

对藏北南羌塘盆地曲瑞恰乃地区的晚三叠世-侏罗纪地层进行了研究,自下而上划分为晚三叠世日干配错群,晚三叠世～早侏罗世索布查组,早侏罗世曲色组,中侏罗世色哇组、莎巧木组、布曲组、夏里组和晚侏罗世索瓦组。其中,对中侏罗世色哇组、莎巧木组、布曲组生物地层的研究为本文的主要内容,研究成果为该区中侏罗世地层层序的建立和详细对比提供了重要的依据。     

准噶尔盆地阜康凹陷东部斜坡带中侏罗统头屯河组高分辨层序与沉积微相精细分析

在岩芯观察、测井及地震资料分析基础上,应用高分辨层序地层理论对准噶尔盆地阜康凹陷东部斜坡带中侏罗统头屯河组进行划分,共识别出1个长期旋回,3个中期旋回以及10个短期旋回。概括起来有2种基准面旋回基本结构类型,多种亚类型,且旋回总体划分与地层划分基本一致。通过对试油资料的分析与总结,发现研究区油层大部分位于中期旋回MSC2中SSC4和SSC7两个短期旋回中,因此重点对两个短期旋回沉积微相特征进行详细分析,认为两个旋回都位于辫状河三角洲前缘亚相,包括水下主河道、分流河道等四个主要沉积微相。通过连井对比、等时地层格架的建立、上升相域沉积微相图编制和砂体纵向及横向分布特征的描述,总体认为SSC7旋回中所发育的有利储集体发育厚度及砂体连通性要好于SSC4旋回中砂体,并对有利储集层分布进行预测。     

Foraminifers and conodonts from the late Viséan to early Bashkirian succession in the Saharan Tindouf Basin (southern Morocco): biostratigraphic refinements and implications for correlations in the western Palaeotethys

The Carboniferous succession in the Tindouf Basin of southern Morocco, North Africa, displays Mississippian to Early Pennsylvanian marine beds, followed by Pennsylvanian continental deposits. The marine beds comprise a shallow water cyclic platform sequence, dominated by shales and fine‐grained sandstones with thin but laterally persistent limestone/dolostone beds. Foraminiferal assemblages have been studied in the limestone beds in several sections from the Djebel Ouarkziz range in the northern limb of the Tindouf Syncline; they indicate that the age of the limestones range from late Asbian (late Viséan) to Krasnopolyanian (early Bashkirian). The foraminiferal assemblages are abundant and diverse, and much richer in diversity than those suggested by previous studies in the region, as well as for other areas of the western Palaeotethys. The richest assemblages are recorded in the Serpukhovian but, unusually, they contain several taxa which appear much earlier in Western European basins (in the latest Viséan). In contrast, conodont assemblages are scarce due to the shallow‐water facies, although some important taxa are recorded in the youngest limestones. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pollen record from Colle Curti and Cesi: Early and Middle Pleistocene mammal sites in the Umbro–Marchean Apennine Mountains (central Italy)

The palynological record from the Colle Curti and Cesi continental deposits has been examined in order to identify the main palaeofloristic and vegetational changes between 0.99 and 0.6–0.7 Ma. These data show a progressive increase in aridity, as well as a progressive decrease in temperature, which are associated with the transition in dominance from the 41 to 100 ka cyclicity in the Milankovitch orbital record during the Middle Pleistocene. The disappearance of Tsuga, recorded during the lower part of the Brunhes Chron, also has been related to a shift in global aridity. During the successive open vegetational phases (glacials), Chenopodiaceae and Artemisia progressively increase, whereas Cyperaceae decrease. Forest phases (interglacials) are successively dominated by Tsuga, Abies with Picea and, finally, Pinus; but all lack significant expansion of broad‐leaved deciduous taxa. Palynological and sedimentological data, in addition to taphonomic interpretations, demonstrate the occurrence of several hiatuses in the lower parts of the interglacials. These hiatuses are considered to represent the palaeoenvironmental response to climatic changes affecting local sedimentological and geomorphological conditions. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Deformation Pattern in the Kurnool and Nallarnalai Groups in the Northeastern Part (Palnad Area) of the Cuddapah Basin, South India and its Implication on Rodinia/Gondwana Tectonics

The Proterozoic basins of India adjoining the Eastern Ghats Granulite Belt (EGGB) in eastern and southern India contain both Mesproterozoic and Neoproterozoic successions. The intracratonic set-up and contractional deformation fo the Neoproterozoc successions in the Paland sub-basin in the northeastern part of Cuddapah basin and similar crustal shortening in contemporaneous successions lying west of the EGGB and Nellore Schist Belt (NSB) are considered in relation to the proposed geodynamic evolution of the the Rodinia and Gondwana supercontinents. Tectonic shortening in the Palnad sub-basin (northeast Cuddapah), partitioned into top-to-westnorthwest thrust shear, flexural folds and cleavage development under overall E-W contraction, suggests foreland style continental shortening within an intracratonic set-up. A thrust sheet containing the Nallamalai rocks and overlying the Kurnool rocks in the northeastern part of Palnad sub-basin exhibits early tight to isoclinal folds and slaty (phylllitic) cleavage, which can be correlated with early Mesoproterozoic deformation structures in the nothern Nallamalai Fold Belt (NFB). NNE-SSW trending folds and cleavage affect the Kurnool Group and overprint earlier structures in the thrust sheet. Thrusting of the Nallamalai rocks and the later structures may have been related to convergence of the Eastern Ghats terrane and the East-Dharwar-Bastar craton during Early Neoproterozoic (Greenvillian) and/or later rejuvenation related to Pan-African amalgamation of East and West Gondwana.     

Effets thermique et hydrothermal de la coulée de basalte triasico-liasique sur les argiles du bassin d'Argana (Maroc)Thermal and hydrothermal effects of Triassic–Liassic basalt flow deposition on clays (Agana Basin,Morocco)

Thermal and hydrothermal effects of Triassic–Liassic basalt flow deposition on sedimentary series of the Argana Basin are responsible for major modifications in detrital clays, until 20 m in depth. It expressed by transformation of detrital smectite to corrensite and moreover to chlorite, and by increasing illite crystallinity. On the 2 m of sediments located immediately under the flow, magnesium-rich hydrothermal fluids have caused precipitation of new mineral phases. To cite this article: L. Daoudi, J.-L. Pot de Vin, C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 463–468.     

Facies Analysis and Sequence Stratigraphy of the Qal’eh Dokhtar Formation (Middle–Upper Jurassic) in the West of Boshrouyeh, East Central Iran

The study area is located in the east Tabas Block in Central Iran. Facies analysis of the Qal’eh Dokhtar Formation (middle Callovian to late Oxfordian) was carried out on two stratigraphic sections and applied to depositional environment and sequence stratigraphy interpretation. This formation conformably overlies and underlies the marly-silty Baghamshah and the calcareous Esfandiar formations, respectively. Lateral and vertical facies changes documents low- to high energy environments, including tidal-flat, beach to intertidal, lagoon, barrier, and open-marine. According to these facies associations and absence of resedimentation deposits a depositional model of a mixed carbonate–siliciclastic ramp was proposed for the Qal’eh Dokhtar Formation. Seven third-order depositional sequences were identified in each two measured stratigraphic sections. Transgressive systems tracts (TSTs) show deepening upward trends, i.e. shallow water beach to intertidal and lagoonal facies, while highstand systems tracts (HST) show shallowing upward trends in which deep water facies are overlain by shallow water facies. All sequence boundaries (except at the base of the stratigraphic column) are of the no erosional (SB2) types. We conclude eustatic rather than tectonic factors played a dominant role in controlling carbonate depositional environments in the study area.