Texture and tectonic attribute of Cenozoic basin basement in the northern South China Sea

Based on the drilling data,the geological characteristics of the coast in South China,and the interpretation of the long seismic profiles covering the Pearl River Mouth Basin and southeastern Hainan Basin,the basin basement in the northern South China Sea is divided into four structural layers,namely,Pre-Sinian crystalline basement,Sinian-lower Paleozoic,upper Paleozoic,and Mesozoic structural layers.This paper discusses the distribution range and law and reveals the tectonic attribute of each structural layer.The Pre-Sinian crystalline basement is distributed in the northern South China Sea,which is linked to the Pre-Sinian crystalline basement of the Cathaysian Block and together they constitute a larger-scale continental block—the Cathaysian-northern South China Sea continental block.The Sinian-lower Paleozoic structural layer is distributed in the northern South China Sea,which is the natural extension of the Caledonian fold belt in South China to the sea area.The sediments are derived from southern East China Sea-Taiwan,Zhongsha-Xisha islands and Yunkai ancient uplifts,and some small basement uplifts.The Caledonian fold belt in the northern South China Sea is linked with that in South China and they constitute the wider fold belt.The upper Paleozoic structural layer is unevenly distributed in the northern South China.In the basement of Beibu Gulf Basin and southwestern Taiwan Basin,the structural layer is composed of the stable epicontinental sea deposit.The distribution areas in the Pearl River Mouth Basin and the southeastern Hainan Basin belong to ancient uplifts in the late Paleozoic,lacking the upper Paleozoic structural layers.The stratigraphic distribution and sedimentary environment in Middle-Late Jurassic to Cretaceous are characteristic of differentiation in the east and the west.The marine,paralic deposit is well developed in the basin basement of southwestern Taiwan but the volcanic activity is not obvious.The marine and paralic facies deposit is distributed in the eastern Pearl River Mouth Basin basement and the volcanic activity is stronger.The continental facies volcano-sediment in the Early Cretaceous is distributed in the basement of the western Pearl River Mouth Basin and Southeastern Hainan Basin.The Upper Cretaceous red continental facies clastic rocks are distributed in the Beibu Gulf Basin and Yinggehai Basin.The NE direction granitic volcanic-intrusive complex,volcano-sedimentary basin,fold and fault in Mesozoic basement have the similar temporal and spatial distribution,geological feature,and tectonic attribute with the coastal land in South China,and they belong to the same magma-deposition-tectonic system,which demonstrates that the late Mesozoic structural layer was formed in the background of active continental margin.Based on the analysis of basement structure and the study on tectonic attribute,the paleogeographic map of the basin basement in different periods in the northern South China Sea is compiled.     

Cenozoic volcanism and lithospheric tectonic evolution in Qiangtang area, northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Accompanying with the shortening,thickening and uplifting of the lithosphere,a series of Cenozoic potassic volcanic rock zones are developed in the northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.From south to north,the volcanic rocks can be divided into three volcanicrock belts:Qiangtang-Nangqian volcanic belt,Middle Kunlun-Hoh Xil volcanic belt and Western Kunlun-Eastern Kunlun volcanic belt[1].Spatiotemporal evolu-tion of the volcanism and the origins of magmas con-strains on the pulsing uplifting and …     

Aoyitake plagiogranite in western Tarim Block, NW China: Age, geochemistry, petrogenesis and its tectonic implications

SHRIMPP U-Pb zircon age and geochemical and Nd isotopic data are reported for the Aoyitake plagiogranite in western Tarim Block, NW China. The plagiogranite intruded the Middle Pro- terozoic and Lower Carboniferous with an exposure area of ca. 60 km2 and crystallized at 330.7±4.8 Ma. Rock types mainly include tonalite, trondhjemite and minor amounts of diorite and quartz-diorite. Feldspars in the rocks are dominated by oligoclase-andesine, and minor perthite observed locally. The granites are sodic with Na/K ratios (molar) between 4 and 87. Total REE (50-220 ppm) show a clear positive correlation with SiO2. There is no LRRE/HREE fractionation (LaN/YbN=0.5-1.5), me- dium negative Eu anomalies (δ Eu=0.3-0.6), high Y content and low Sr/Y ratio (~1.0). These granites exhibit relatively juvenile Nd T2DM model ages of 470 to 580 Ma and positive εNd(331 Ma) values of 6.23 to 7.65. The aforementioned characteristics are similar to those of ocean island or ocean ridge plagiogranites. However, the regional geology, especially its scale, precludes that the plagiogranite pluton was derived directly from fractionational crystallization of mantle-derived basaltic magma. We interpreted that the primary magma of the pluton might be tonalitic in composition generated by ca. 50% partial melting of the juvenile basaltic crust. The primary magma experienced intensive frac- tionational crystallization, and intruded into the middle to upper crusts to form the granite pluton. In combination with the previous regional geological data, it is concluded that the plagiogranite pluton was emplaced within the Tarim Block in respond to the Carboniferous continental rifting along the Tianshan orogenic belt.     

Framework and evolution of the middle Paleozoic orogenic belt between Siberian and North China Plates in northern Inner Mongolia

A middle Paleozoic subduction-collision orogenic belt between the Siberian and North China Plates has been recognized in Xilinhot-the south of Sonid Left Banner-Erdaojing area, northern Inner Mongolia, China. It comprises five subunits: mélange belt, foreland deformation belt, molasse and littoral basin, are diorite series and syncollision granitoid series. Evolution history of the orogenic belt can be divided into subduction stage (500-400 Ma) and collision stage (400-320 Ma). The formation of the orogenic belt caused the convergence between the Siberian and North China Plates during the late Devonian. Suture zone corresponding to the mélange belt extends from Erdaojing, Qagan Ura to Honggor. Project supported by Fok Ying Tung Education Foundation in Hong Kong.     

Mesozoic to Tertiary tectonic history of the Mirdita ophiolites, northern Albania

Abstract In this paper, a summary of the tectonic history of the Mirdita ophiolitic nappe, northern Albania, is proposed by geological and structural data. The Mirdita ophiolitic nappe includes a subophiolite mélange, the Rubik complex, overlain by two ophiolite units, referred to as the Western and Eastern units. Its history started in the Early Triassic with a rifting stage followed by a Middle to Late Triassic oceanic opening between the Adria and Eurasia continental margins. Subsequently, in Early Jurassic time, the oceanic basin was affected by convergence with the development of a subduction zone. The existence of this subduction zone is provided by the occurrence of the supra‐subduction‐zone‐related magmatic sequences found in both the Western and Eastern units of the Mirdita ophiolitic nappe. During the Middle Jurassic, continuous convergence resulted in the obduction of the oceanic lithosphere, in two different stages – the intraoceanic and marginal stages. The intraoceanic stage is characterized by the westward thrusting of a young and still hot section of oceanic lithosphere leading to the development of a metamorphic sole. In the Late Jurassic, the marginal stage developed by the emplacement of the ophiolitic nappe onto the continental margin. During this second stage, the emplacement of the ophiolites resulted in the development of the Rubik complex. In the Early Cretaceous, the final emplacement of the ophiolites was followed by the unconformable sedimentation of the Barremian–Senonian platform carbonate. From the Late Cretaceous to the Middle Miocene, the Mirdita ophiolitic nappe was translated westward during the progressive migration of the deformation front toward the Adria Plate. In the Middle to Late Miocene, a thinning of the whole nappe pile was achieved by extensional tectonics, while the compression was still active in the westernmost areas of the Adria Plate. On the whole, the Miocene deformations resulted in the uplift and exposition of the Mirdita ophiolites as observed today.     

Evolution of a magma-driven earthquake swarm and triggering of the nearby Oldoinyo Lengai eruption, as resolved by InSAR, ground observations and elastic modeling, East African Rift, 2007

An earthquake swarm struck the North Tanzania Divergence, East African Rift over a 2 month period between July and September 2007. It produced approximately 70 M > 4 earthquakes (peak magnitude Mw 5.9), and extensive surface deformation, concurrent with eruptions at the nearby Oldoinyo Lengai volcano. The spatial and temporal evolution of the entire deformation event was resolved by Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) observations, owing to a particularly favorable acquisition programming of the Envisat and ALOS satellites, and was verified by detailed ground observations. Elastic modeling based on the InSAR measurements clearly distinguishes between normal faulting, which dominated during the first week of the event, and intermittent episodes of dike propagation, oblique dike opening and dike-induced faulting during the following month. A gradual decline in the intensity of deformation occurred over the final weeks. Our observations and modeling suggest that the sequence of events was initiated by pressurization of a deep-seated magma chamber below Oldoinyo Lengai which opened the way to lateral dike injection, and dike-induced faulting and seismicity. As dike intrusion terminated, silicate magma ascended the volcano conduit, reacted with the carbonatitic magma, and set off a major episode of explosive ash eruptions producing mixed silicate-carbonatitic ejecta. The rise of the silicate magma within the volcano conduit is attributed to bubble growth and buoyancy increase in the magma chamber either due to a temporary pressure drop after the termination of the diking event, or due to the dynamic effects of seismic wave passage from the earthquake swarm. Similar temporal associations between earthquake swarms and major explosive ash eruptions were observed at Oldoinyo Lengai over the past half century.     

福建省地体构造划分及构造演化

本文根据对福建省不同地区的地质特征进行详细的研究对比,划分出闽西北、闽西南、闽东和闽东南四个性质不同的地体,并研究了各地体的之间碰撞拼贴的历史,指出它们主要经历了三个阶段：1、晚元古代,闽西南地体和闽西北地体沿南平-宁化一线发生碰撞拼贴作用,同时伴随海底和陆上火山喷发活动;2、三叠纪,闽东地体沿政和-大埔一线和闽西南、闽西北地体发生碰撞拼贴作用,闽东南地体也随之拼贴在闽东地体之上;3、白垩纪,闽东南地体沿平潭一东山断裂带发生左行走滑运动。     

Recent tectonic stress field and major earthquakes of the Bohai Sea basin

Introduction The present Bohai Sea is a half-closed shallow one in the continent, located at the northeast to North China, with an area about 7.3104 km2. Geologically, it is situated in the northern North China basin and of a short development history. Previous studies (WANG, LI, 1983; Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1985; HUANG, et al, 1993) show that the Fu-jian-Lingnan uplift in the East China Sea continental shelf sank gradually into the oceanic bottom, mak…     

Formation of the Permian basalts and implications of geochemical tracing for paleo-tectonic setting and regional tectonic background in the Turpan-Hami and Santanghu basins,Xinjiang

The Turpan-Hami basin (as the Tu-Ha basin here-after) and the Santanghu basin, as the late Paleozoic– Mesozoic-Cenozoic reworked and superimposed sedi-mentary basins with the similar evolution history 1, 2), are located in between the Tianshan and the Altay moun-tains in northeastern Xinjiang. As the major oil-and gas-bearing basins in Xinjiang, study of both the ba-sins through their complicated tectonic evolution his-tory is scientifically significant for exploring conti-nental geology …     

北武夷梨子坑火山盆地流纹斑岩与铅锌矿的成因关系

摘要：梨子坑火山盆地位于北武夷中生代月凤山-梨子坑火山岩带东段,已知铅锌（铜、银）矿体或矿化呈细脉-浸染型、脉状,产于流纹斑岩脉的内外接触带及其外侧围岩中,发育钾化、绿泥石化、硅化、绿帘石化等围岩蚀变。地球化学特征显示流纹斑岩为钙碱性系列,岩石具有高SiO2、富碱、高K2O、高钙铁、低镁、K2O／Na2O值偏高的特点,为强过铝质岩石。w（∑REE）值为76．28×10^-6～222．54×10＆-6（∑LREE／∑HREE）比值较大,为4．08-12．30,属于轻稀土元素富集型。成矿流纹斑岩形成于1372=2．1Ma（SHRIMP锆石U—Pb法）～138．8±1．4Ma（LA-MC—ICPMS锆石U—Pb法）,属早白垩世。铅锌矿属于次火山斑岩脉型铅锌（银铜）成矿系列,划分为次火山斑岩脉型和次火山热液破碎带型两种矿床成因类型。     

Geochronology,geochemistry and Hf isotopes of andesites in the Sandaowanzi gold deposit(Great Xing'an Range,NE China): implications for petrogenesis,tectonic setting,and mineralization

The Sandaowanzi gold deposit is an extremely Au-rich deposit in the Northern Great Hinggan Range in recent years.Zircon U-Pb geochronology,Hf isotope analysis,and the geochemistry of andesites of the Longjiang Formation from the Sandaowanzi gold deposit were used to investigate the origin,magmatic evolution as well as mineralization and tectonic setting of the Early Cretaceous epithermal gold deposits in the northern Great Hinggan Range area.Zircon U-Pb dating reveals an emplacement age of 123.4±0.3 Ma,indicating that the andesites of the Sandaowanzi gold deposit was formed during the Early Cretaceous.The andesites are enriched in light rare earth elements relative to heavy rare earth elements and have weak negative Eu anomalies(δEu=0.76-0.90).The rocks are also enriched in large-ion lithophile elements,such as Rb,Ba,Th,U,and K,and depleted in the high-field-strength elements,such as Nb,Ta,and P.These characteristics are typical of volcanic rocks related to subduction.Igneous zircons from the andesite samples have relatively homogeneous Hf isotope ratios,~(176)Hf/~(177)Hf values of 0.282343-0.282502,εHf(t) values of-12.58 to-6.95,and two-stage model ages(T_(DM2)) of 1743-1431 Ma.The characteristics of the andesites of the Longjiang Formation are consistent with derivation from partial melting of enriched mantle wedge metasomatized by subducted-slab-derived fluids.These rocks formed in an extensional environment associated with the closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean and subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate.Mineralization occurred towards the end of volcanism,and the magmatic activity and mineralization are products of the same geodynamic setting.     

An ophiolitic tectonic melange first discovered in Huashan area, south margin of Qinling Orogenic Belt, and its tectonic implications

On the basis of the synthetic studies of geology and geochemistry, an ophiolitic tectonic melange waa discovered in Sanligang-Sanyang area, the western part of Xiangfan-Guangji fault, the south margin of the Qinling Orogenic Belt. It is composed of different tectonic blocks with different lithological features and ages, mainly including the Huashan ophiolite blocks, Xiaofu Island-arc volcanic blocks, pelagic sediments, fore-arc volcanic-sedimentary system, and the massif of the basement and the covering strata of the Yangtze Block. These massifs were emplaced in the western part of Xiangfan-Guangji fault, the boundary between the Qinling Orogenic Belt and Yangtze Block, contacting each other by a shear zone or chaotic matrix. The characteristics of geochemistry indicate that the bash of the Huashan ophiolite are similar to mid-oceanic ridge basalts (MORB) formed in an initial oceanic baain, and the Xiaofu volcanic rocks are formed in a tectonic setting of island arc. The ophiolitic tectonic melange is the fragments of subduction wedge, which implies that there has been an oceanic basin between Qinling Block and Yangtze Block. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 49773187, 49732080)     

1999年9月24日福州震群活动与地震构造的关系

使用双差地震定位法,重新确定了1999年9月24日发生于福州盆地,最大震级为ML3·8的震群序列的148次地震的震源位置,并结合福州市活断层探测的最新成果,探讨了该震群活动与福州盆地深部构造的关系。结果表明,此次震群的震源破裂过程可能主要受北西向断裂的控制,整个震群位于北西向断裂、南北向断裂与北东向断裂相互交汇的地区。     

Geology and geochemistry of the Bingdaban ophiolitic mélange in the boundary fault zone on the northern Central Tianshan Belt,and its tectonic implications

The properties and tectonic significance of the fault bound zone on the northern margin of the Central Tianshan belt are key issues to understand the tectonic framework and evolutionary history of the Tianshan Orogenic Belt. Based on the geological and geochemical studies in the Tianshan orogenic belt, it is suggested that the ophiolitic slices found in the Bingdaban area represent the remaining oceanic crust of the Early Paleozoic ocean between the Hazakstan and Zhungaer blocks. Mainly composed of basalts, gabbros and diabases, the ophiolites were overthrust onto the boundary fault between the Northern Tianshan and Central Tianshan belts. The major element geochemistry is characterized by high TiO₂ (1.50%–2.25%) and MgO (6.64%–9.35%), low K₂O (0.06%–0.41%) and P₂O₅ (0.1%–0.2%), and Na₂O>K₂O as well. Low ΣREE and depletion in LREE indicate that the original magma was derived from a depleted mantle source. Compared with a primitive mantle, the geochemistry of the basalts from the Bingdaban area is featureded by depletion in Th, U, Nb, La, Ce and Pr, and unfractionated in HFS elements. The ratios of Zr/Nb, Nb/La, Hf/Ta, Th/Yb and Hf/Th are similar to those of the typical N-MORB. It can be interpreted that the basalts in the Bingdaban area were derived from a depleted mantle source, and formed in a matured mid-oceanic ridge setting during the matured evolutionary stage of the Northern Tianshan ocean. In comparison with the basalts, the diabases from the Bingdaban area show higher contents of Al₂O₃, ΣREE and HFS elements as well as unfractionated incompatible elements except Cs, Rb and Ba, and about 10 times the values of the primitive mantle. Thus, the diabases are thought to be derived from a primitive mantle and similar to the typical E-MORB. The diabases also have slight Nb depletion accompanying no apparent Th enrichment compared with N-MORB. From studies of the regional geology and all above evidence, it can be suggested that the diabases from the Bingdaban area were formed in the mid-oceanic ridge of the Northern Tianshan ocean during the initial spreading stage. Supported by the Major State Research Program of PRC (Grant No. 2001CB409801), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40472115 and 40234041) and the State Research Program of China Geological Survey (Grant No. 2001130000-22)     

Late Paleozoic brachiopod faunas of the South Kitakami Belt, northeast Japan, and their paleobiogeographic and tectonic implications

Abstract    Late Paleozoic (Middle Devonian, Early Carboniferous and Middle Permian) brachiopod faunas of the South Kitakami Belt, northeast Japan, are closely related paleobiogeographically to those of the Xinjiang–Inner Mongolia–Jilin region, northwest–northeast China. This relationship suggests that the South Kitakami Belt was part of the trench or continental shelf bordering the northern and eastern margins of North China (Sino-Korea) during the Middle Devonian to Middle Permian times. Among the three models on the origin and tectonic development of the South Kitakami Belt, the strike–slip model is most consistent, but both the microcontinent model and the nappe model have considerable inconsistencies with the above paleobiogeographic and paleogeographic evidence.     

Petrology, geochemistry and tectonic implications of volcanics dredged from the intersection of the Yap and Mariana trenches

Rocks dredged from the forearc very close to the intersection of the Yap and Mariana trenches include a suite of highly depleted arc tholeiites, and several samples of transitional to slightly alkaline basalt. The tholeiites range from magnesian quartz tholeiites with 0.46–0.6% TiO₂, to andesites with up to 62% SiO₂ and 8.2% FeO^*. All show pronounced LREE depletion and have very low contents of Ba and Sr. They are postulated to have been produced by partial melting of upper mantle peridotite residual after MORB extraction, following influx of hydrous fluids from the subducted slab. While these fluids were responsible for small enrichments in Ba, K, Rb and Sr in melts generated, LREE were not involved in the metasomatism, and the strong LREE depletion probably reflects the unmodified, depleted source peridotite.

The second lava suite includes slightly Ne-normative, Ti-augite-bearing basalts with convex-upward REE patterns, showing slight LREE depletion ((La/Sm)_N = 0.76). The chemical features of these basalts support affinities with basalts erupted during the earliest stages of backarc basin opening. A KAr age on one sample(7.8 ± 1.3m.y.) is in good agreement with the initial opening of the Mariana Trough.

The tectonic significance of the dredged arc tholeiite suite is less obvious. A KAr age of10.8 ± 0.4 My on one andesite, and the occurrence of similar lavas in dredges from at least 300 km along the length of the Yap arc, suggest that subduction was occurring beneath the Yap arc in the Late Miocene, after overthrusting of the Yap greenschist allochthon, and while calc-alkaline arc magmatism was occurring further north on the West Mariana Ridge. We suggest that the depleted arc tholeiites in dredge 1438 were generated by abnormally shallow melting of upper mantle beneath the Yap forearc following subduction beneath this area of young, hot Sorol Trough crust. These arc tholeiites represent a magma type transitional between more typical arc tholeiites (e.g. Tongan) and high-Mg andesites and boninites.     

Pervasive late Paleozoic-Triassic remagnetization of miogeoclinal carbonate rocks in the Basin and Range and vicinity, SW USA: regional results and possible tectonic implications

Relatively unmetamorphosed Paleozoic miogeoclinal carbonate rocks in the Basin and Range of E Nevada, SW Nevada and adjacent California, and W Utah yield low-inclination magnetizations that reflect pervasive, regional remagnetization around the close of the Paleozoic. The rocks range in age from mid-Cambrian through Pennsylvanian and lie generally in a broad belt between the mid-Paleozoic Roberts Mountain Thrust and the late Cretaceous Sevier thrusts. Most of the magnetizations reside in magnetite, but at one site the magnetization is evidently carried by pyrrhotite. Preliminary rock-magnetic data suggest samples with magnetite-borne remanences have wasp-waisted hysteresis curves typical of remagnetized carbonates. The origin of the remagnetization is problematic and probably polygenetic: both the Permo-Triassic Sonoma orogeny and deformation associated with the Ancestral Rockies seem too spatially limited, but magnetite from smectite destruction seems difficult to reconcile with the great stratigraphic extent of late Paleozoic remagnetization unless combined with thermal resetting of the lowermost units. A number of sites also appear to have undergone some vertical-axis rotation, and the sense and magnitude of these rotations are grossly consistent with independent geologic evidence. However, the probably large age range of the low-inclination components complicates their use for resolving tectonic rotations. Younger, intermediate-stability components of magnetization, probably of Cretaceous or Cenozoic age, are also found in many sites and also probably have multiple origins. At sites farther W, the late Paleozoic component is not found, which probably reflects its destruction by later Mesozoic or Cenozoic heating. At sites farther E, on and near the Colorado Plateau, gray carbonates yield only Cenozoic magnetizations. Some reddish, oxidized carbonates there locally contain a hematite-borne magnetization of late Paleozoic age. However, it is probably related to the development of thick continental redbed sequences in overlying strata on the plateau rather than to the remagnetization process(es) in the miogeocline.     

Geological effects in tectonic superposition of Paleo-Pacific domain and Paleo-Asian domain in northern part of North China

The northern part of North China is located where the Paleo-Asian domain is superposed by the Paleo-Pacific domain. The period from the end of the Late Paleozoic to the beginning of the Mesozoic is important for the superposition of the two domains. It is demonstrated according to the coupling of the superficial and deep geological effects that in this period begins the lithosphere modulation, hot interface uprising, and crust extension in this area. Thus a new understanding about the Indo-China movement has arisen. Project supported by the National Natural Scirnce Foundation of China.     

Characteristic frequencies for earthquake families and their tectonic implications: Evidence from earthquake swarms in the kanto district,Japan

Through the analyses of waveform and spectrum for two swarm sequences in the Kanto District, including the results from 15 earthquake swarsm obtained previously, the mechanism of the faulting process in earthquake swarms is clarified in more detail. Earthquakes occurring in short time intervals consist mainly of events with similar waveforms andS-P times. These are called “earthquake families,” and many families are observed during a swarm sequence (70–80 percent); for example, 15 families were observed in the 1983 Izu Peninsula earthquake swarm. The source spectra of earthquake families share the same corner frequency, even though their low-frequency levels may differ by a factor as great as 1000, and the value of the corner frequency depends on the size of the largest event in the family. Local variations of corner frequencies within a factor of 25 are found among the earthquake swarms in the Kanto District. These observations suggest the existence of a characteristic fault length depending on the swarm area, and its length may be responsible for the size of the largest event in the family. The characteristic fault length is about 100 m for Ashio, about 400 m for the Izu Peninsula and about 2.5 km for areas off the Chiba Prefecture, and the magnitudes of the largest events expected from these fault lengths are about 2.5, 4, and 6, respectively.