Palaeomagnetism of late Precambrian dolerite dykes from Varanger peninsula,north Norway

Palaeomagnetic investigations have been carried out on 12 dykes of Late Precambrian age from the Varanger peninsula, north Norway. The dykes are separated into two groups, the Kongsfjord dykes and the Båtsfjord dykes. In the Kongsfjord dykes, titanomagnetite is almost entirely erased, as a result of an extreme degree of alteration. Pyrrhotite is the dominating magnetic mineral, and only three stable specimen directions can be defined. In the Båtsfjord dykes, however, the most important magnetic constituent is nearly pure magnetite, and a two-axis magnetization structure is revealed. The directions of the major component conform to a Fisherian distribution, and are assumed to represent the relative Late Precambrian field. Superimposed on this magnetization is a minor component which is assumed to be of Caledonian origin, probably Ordovician. This latter remanence is in accordance with other Middle Palaeozoic results obtained in Western Europe. The upper age limit of the Late Precambrian field is discussed, and it is proposed that the polar shift from the Late Precambrian position to the main Palaeozoic group may have occurred as late as Middle Ordovician.     

Discovery of Precambrian rocks in New Zealand: Age relations of the Greenland Group and Constant Gneiss,West Coast,South Island

Rb-Sr whole-rock analyses yield a Cambro-Ordovician (495 ± 11 m.y.) sedimentation age for the supposed Precambrian Greenland Group and a late Precambrian age, 680 ± 21 m.y., for parts of the Constant Gneiss, the first confirmation of Precambrian rocks in New Zealand. A Precambrian age for the Greenland Group is thus unlikely and the large area of Upper Cambrian-Lower Ordovician rocks now established can be considered as a lateral equivalent of the fossiliferous Lower Palaeozoic succession of northwest Nelson to the east. The Greenland Group, especially in the Paparoa Range has been affected subsequently by a thermal metamorphic overprint about 360 m.y. ago during the Tuhuan Orogeny. Although the Constant Gneiss must form the local basement to the Greenland Group in north Westland, the former does not appear to be the source of the sediments and the true provenance must lie elsewhere.     

Absolute reconstructions of the Paleozoic oceans

The orientation of three intraplate magmatic belts—the Mongolian (from 130 to 280 m.y.), South Siberian (from 320 to 400 m.y.) and Baltic (from 365 to 400 m.y.) belts—which can be considered as hot spot tracks, are used together with apparent paleomagnetic pole wander paths to reconstruct true motions of continents during Paleozoic times. The reconstructions obtained show that the old, Late Precambrian Pangea continued to exist in the Early Paleozoic with an inner arrangement of constituent continents strongly different from that of the Late Paleozoic Pangea. The continents were constantly located in the eastern hemisphere only. The western hemisphere was occupied by the Paleo-Pacific oceans. Four oceans existed in Paleozoic times between the continents in the eastern hemisphere: (1) the Iapetus which originated in the Late Precambrian and closed before Devonian times (400 m.y.), (2) the Asiatic paleo-ocean which originated in the Late Precambrian and closed 450 m.y. ago, (3) the Uralian paleo-ocean which opened around 500 m.y. ago and closed in the latest Permian (240–230 m.y.), (4) the Paleo-Tethys which opened in the Ordovician (480–450 m.y.) and became the Mesozoic Tethys. Life duration of the oceans was 200–400 m.y. The main trend in the Earth's evolution during the Paleozoic was a break up of the old, Precambrian Supercontinent and construction of the new, Late Paleozoic Pangea.     

拉脊山断裂带遥感特征研究

拉脊山断裂带在遥感影像上具有明显的线性构造特征,由拉脊山北缘断裂带和拉脊山南缘断裂带向北东凸出的弧形挤压逆冲断裂带构成,成为北侧的西宁—民和盆地、南侧的循化—化隆盆地和东侧的临夏盆地等多个晚新生代断陷盆地的边界,拉脊山北缘断裂带全长230km,由数段弧状不连续的断裂带组成。拉脊山南缘断裂带全长220km,由5段不连续宽缓波状断裂带组成,其左旋活动形成了拉张型的山间盆地——千户盆地,左旋水平位移180～640m不等。历史上沿拉脊山南、北两侧发生过20余次5级左右中等破坏性地震,这与遥感解译该断裂带的几何特征相一致。     

Quaternary vertical offset and average slip rate of the Nojima Fault on Awaji Island, Japan

Abstract Drilling was carried out to penetrate the Nojima Fault where the surface rupture occurred associated with the 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu earthquake. Two 500 m boreholes were successfully drilled through the fault zone at a depth of 389.4 m. The drilling data show that the relative uplift of the south-east side of the Nojima Fault (south-west segment) was approximately 230 m. The Nojima branch fault, which branches from the Nojima Fault, is inferred to extend to the Asano Fault. From the structural contour map of basal unconformity of the Kobe Group, the vertical component of displacement of the Nojima branch–Asano Fault is estimated to be 260–310 m. Because the vertical component of displacement on the Nojima Fault of the north-east segment is a total of those of the Nojima Fault of the south-west segment and of the Nojima branch–Asano Fault, it is estimated to total to 490–540 m. From this, the average vertical component of the slip rate on the Nojima Fault is estimated to be 0.4–0.45 m/10³ years for the past 1.2 million years.     

Late cenozoic clockwise rotation of Sumatra

A clockwise rotation of Sumatra of about 20° about an axis located in or near the Sunda Strait has been inferred on the basis of the following data:(1) The portion of the Indonesian volcanic arc between the Sunda Strait and the island of Timor lies along a small circle whose center is located about 32°N, 119°E. The volcanic chain of Sumatra makes an angle of 20° with this portion of the arc.(2) The Benioff zone of Indonesia has a maximum depth of 600 km to the east of the Sunda Strait, but the maximum depth decreases to 200 km northwestward along the island of Sumatra.(3) The age of the present phase of volcanic activity in Indonesia is proportional to the maximum depth of the Benioff zone; rhyolitic tuffs of the Sunda Strait range in age from Late Miocene to Pleistocene, while ignimbrites of north Sumatra are about 70,000 years old.It is suggested that the increase in sea-floor spreading rate since 10 m.y. B.P. pushed north Sumatra and Malaya northeastward for about 500 km along the system of presently inactive faults, causing a clockwise rotation of both Sumatra and Malaya about an axis located in or near the Sunda Strait. Only when this rotation ceased did the underthrusting of north Sumatra begin, producing a shallow and short Benioff zone, and delayed volcanic activity.     

A Late Eocene paleomagnetic pole for the Pacific plate

Seamount magnetic anomaly inversions as well as DSDP paleomagnetic and equatorial sediment facies data constrain a paleomagnetic pole for the Pacific plate of Late Eocene age. The location of the pole at 77.5°N, 21.2°E implies 12.5 ± 1.6° of apparent polar wander for the Pacific plate during the last 41 ± 5 m.y. The Late Eocene pole is significantly different from the Pacific Maastrichtian pole at the 95% confidence level and indicates 7.2° of apparent polar motion of the Pacific between 69 and 41 m.y. B.P. The data source locations for the Late Eocene pole are scattered over a large area of the North Pacific and thus the consistency of the data supports the hypothesis that the north central Pacific plate has been rigid since the Eocene. The agreement of the Late Eocene pole with the motion predicted for the Pacific from hotspot models suggests that relative motion between the spin axis and hotspots has been small since that time. Additionally, this finding dictates that the significant amounts of hotspot versus spin axis motion inferred by other authors to have occurred since the Cretaceous must have instead occurred at a faster rate and concluded before the Eocene.     

Provenance and thermal history of the Bayan Har Group in the western-central Songpan–Ganzi–Bayan Har terrane: Implications for tectonic evolution of the northern Tibetan Plateau

Triassic turbidites dominate the Songpan–Ganzi–Bayan Har (SGBH) terrane of the northern Tibetan Plateau. U‐Pb dating on single detrital zircon grains from the Triassic Bayan Har Group turbidites yield peaks at 400–500 m.y., 900–1000 m.y., 1800–1900 m.y., and 2400–2500 m.y., These results are consistent with recently published U‐Pb zircon ages of pre‐Triassic bedrock in the East Kunlun, Altyn, Qaidam, Qilian and Alaxa areas to the north, suggesting that provenance of the Bayan Har Group may include these rocks. The similarities in the compositions of the lithic arkosic sandstones of the Bayan Har Group with the sandstones of the Lower‐Middle Triassic formations in the East Kunlun terrane to the north also suggests a common northern provenance for both. A well exposed angular unconformity between the Carboniferous–Middle Permian mélange sequences and the overlying Upper Permian or Triassic strata indicates that regional deformation occurred between the Middle and Late Permian. This deformation may have been the result of a soft collision between the Qiangtang terrane and the North China Plate and the closure of the Paleo‐Tethyan oceanic basin. The Bayan Har Group turbidites were then deposited in a re‐opened marine basin on a shelf environment. Fission‐track dating of detrital zircons from the Bayan Har Group sandstones revealed pre‐ and post‐depositional age components, suggesting that the temperatures did not reach the temperatures necessary to anneal retentive zircon fission tracks (250–300°C). A 282–292 m.y. peak age defined by low U concentration, retentive zircons likely reflects a northern granitic source. Euhedral zircons from two lithic arkoses with abundant volcanic fragments in the southern area yielded a ～237 m.y. zircon fission track (ZFT) peak age, likely recording the maximum age of deposition. A dominant post‐depositional 170–185 m.y. ZFT peak age suggests peak temperatures were reached in the Early Jurassic. Some samples appear to record a younger thermal event at ～140 m.y., a short lived event that apparently affected only the least retentive zircons.     

新疆纸房断裂活动性及其与沿线小型绿洲的关系

纸房断裂位于新疆东北部, 是北天山地区一条NW向活动断裂, 全长约140 km, 其北接阿尔泰山, 南临东天山, 东接戈壁阿尔泰山, 其周围多次发生过大地震。 纸房断裂缺乏历史地震记录, 为典型的地震空区, 且位于Ⅰ、 Ⅱ级活动块体边界带, 断裂活动和地震危险性值得关注。 通过野外地质调查、 无人机航测、 开挖探槽和年代测定, 认为该断裂为全新世活动断裂, 以右旋走滑性质为主, 兼具有逆冲性质, 最新一次事件发生时间为1730~5170 aB.P., 单次事件垂直位移约为0.5 m, 最近地震离逝时间应大于1730 aB.P.。 通过对断裂附近发育的两个小型绿洲分布特点和水文地质条件进行研究, 结果表明断裂活动对绿洲的形成起决定性作用。     

The Tantalite Valley shear zone — a major locus for igneous activity in Southern Namibia (South West Africa)?

The Tantalite Valley Shear Zone is a major Precambrian, southeast-trending tectonic lineament extending for some 500 km (possibly as much as 800 km) along strike in southern Namibia (South West Africa) and the northern Cape Province of South Africa. A minimum right-lateral displacement of 85 km has been estimated for this shear zone, which is one of a number with similar orientations found in southwestern Africa. The shear zones may represent slip-lines produced during continental collision about 1000–1300 m.y. B.P.The shear zones have acted as the locus for the intrusion of high-alumina tholeiitic magmas which have led to the development of a number of mafic to ultramafic complexes situated in or near the zones, and particularly the Tantalite Valley Shear Zone. Igneous activity and tectonism took place over an extended period of time and some bodies have been partly or completely metamorphosed to metagabbro or amphibolite.Three complexes have been studied in detail and they are geochemically distinct from each other, such that they cannot be related to one another by simple processes of fractionation although the rock types within any one complex may be so related. All show broad similarities in that they are depleted in lithophile elements (Ba, Rb, Sr, Nb, Zr) and enriched in nickel relative to similar basalts found elsewhere.     

New constraints on the tectonic evolution of the eastern Indian Ocean

From marine magnetic anomaly studies, a fossil spreading ridge is identified beneath the Nicobar Fan in the northwestern Wharton Basin. Several north-south-trending transform faults offset this ridge left-laterally east of the 86°E transform fault. Our findings show that this ridge, which was part of the plate boundary between the Indian and Australian plates, ceased its spreading shortly after formation of magnetic anomaly 20 (～ 45.6m.y. B.P.). Since the breakup of Australia and Antarctica probably occurred sometime between 110 and 90 m.y. B.P., we suggest that the Indian, Australian, and Antarctic plates were moving relative to one another from about 90 to 45 m.y. B.P. A triple junction would have existed in the southeastern Indian Ocean during that period of time. At anomaly 19 time (～ 45m.y. B.P.), the junction became inactive, and Australia and India became a single plate. The northwest-southeast-trending Southeast Indian Ridge was formed by connecting the India-Antarctica spreading center with the Australia-Antarctica spreading center. Its activity has continued to the present time.     

A paleomagnetic study of the Bilecik Limestone (Jurassic), northwestern Anatolia

Paleomagnetic analyses of samples collected from a 500 m thick Jurassic section in the Pontides reveal the presence of two components of remanent magnetization: an unstable, low-temperature component which is removed during thermal demagnetization through 220°C and a dominant component which displays consistent directions through 650°. Curie point and IRM studies indicate that goethite is responsible for the low-temperature component whereas both magnetite and hematite contribute to the more stable component. The pole position determined from the stable magnetization is located at 18.8°N, 91.8°E (α₉₅=7.7°, N=134) indicating that the section has undergone more than 90° clockwise rotation since the Late Jurassic. Ancillary geologic evidence, particularly the orientation of Jurassic facies belts is also consistent with a 90° clockwise rotation in this region of northwest Anatolia. The pole suggests that the section may also have migrated slightly northward. Although the age of these movements is currently unknow, it is proposed that they are principally related to the closure of the Neo-Tethys during the Late Cretaceous/Early Tertiary. Some of the rotation may be related to the right lateral movement along the North Anatolian Transform Fault which was initiated in the Miocene.     

Paleomagnetism of mid-Cretaceous red beds in west-central Kyushu Island, southwest Japan: paleoposition of Cretaceous sedimentary basins along the eastern margin of Asia

A paleomagnetic study was carried out on the mid-Cretaceous sedimentary strata in west-central Kyushu Island, southwest Japan, to elucidate the origin of sedimentary basins along the Asian continental margin in the Cretaceous. We collected paleomagnetic samples from a total of 34 sites of the mid-Cretaceous Goshonoura Group, shallow-marine clastic deposits in west-central Kyushu, and characteristic remanent magnetizations were recognized from 18 horizons of red beds. Thermal demagnetization has revealed that the red beds contain three magnetization components, with low (<240°C), intermediate (240-480°C), and high (480-680°C) unblocking temperatures. The low unblocking temperature component is present-field viscous magnetization, and the intermediate one is interpreted as chemical remanent magnetization carried by maghemite that was presumably formed by post-folding, partial oxidation of detrital magnetite. Rock magnetic and petrographic studies suggest that the high unblocking temperature component resides largely in hematite (martite and pigmentary hematite) and partly in maghemite. Because of the positive fold test, this high temperature component can be regarded as primary, detrital remanent magnetization. The tilt-corrected mean direction of the high temperature component is Dec=65°, Inc=63° with α₉₅=5°, which yields a paleomagnetic pole at 39°N, 186°E and A₉₅=8°. A combination of this pole with those of the Late Cretaceous rocks in southwest Japan defines an apparent polar wander path (APWP), which is featured by a cusp between the Late Cretaceous and the Paleogene. A comparison of this APWP with the coeval paleomagnetic pole from northeast Asia suggests an approximately 50° post-Cretaceous clockwise rotation and 18±8° southward drift with respect to northeast Asia. The southward transport of the Cretaceous basin suggests that the proto-Japanese arc originated north of its present position. We propose that the coast-parallel translation of this landmass was caused by dextral motion of strike-slip faults, which previous geodynamic models interpreted to be sinistral through the Mesozoic. The change in strike-slip motion may have resulted from Mesozoic collision and penetration of exotic terranes, such as the Okhotsk microcontinent, with the northeastern part of Asia.     

Palaeomagnetic investigations on the East African rift in Northern Tanzania

Near Lake Manyara and north of Monduli, Northern Tanzania, Precambrian gneisses and Neogene basalts on the East African rift were sampled. Rock magnetic and microscope investigations established coarse and fine grained magnetite as carrier of the NRM in the basalts, and hematite in the gneisses. In all three sections only reversed magnetization directions were found. The Precambrian gneisses show very hard magnetizations which is known to be prefolding and possibly of Proterozoic age.     

Palaeomagnetic evidence for the origin of Madeira

The remanent magnetization of ‘basement’ volcanics from Madeira define three different axes of magnetization, each having a dual-polarity build-up. The suggested oldest of these components, with declination 302 and inclination +4, is assigned to the late Lower Cretaceous and is thought to reflect the age of the early volcanism of the island. Subsequent magnetization overprints seem to have occurred in the Late Cretaceous/Early Tertiary (minor) and in Neogene times, respectively. The latter magnetization, which is strongly developed, was most likely impressed during the extensive volcanism that swept the island in post-Late Miocene. The palaeomagnetic evidence for a Cretaceous origin of Madeira is supported by the finding of Lower-Middle Cretaceous tuff layers in DSDP site 136 which is located only 160 km north of the island. The inferred palaeomagnetic structure of the ‘basement’ rocks of Madeira is similar to that found in the old volcanic complexes of other east central Atlantic islands.     

Magnetic studies on Kilauea Iki lava lake,Hawaii

Ground surveys made during August, 1961, show large vertical magnetic intensity anomalies associated with the partly lava filled crater of Kilauea Iki. A vertical magnetic variation of 11,600 gammas occurs along a north-south profile across the crater, the maximum being on the north rim of the crater and the minimum on the south edge of the encrusted lava lake below the south rim. An east-west profile shows less vertical magnetic variation, with lake-surface measurements 1500 to 2500 gammas lower than measurements on the east rim of the crater. Computed anomalies using two-dimensional potential field graticules are in good agreement with the observed anomalies and support the following conclusions: 1) Average measured values of remanent magnetization of 10^?2 cgs units and susceptibilities of 10^?3 cgs units give reasonable magnitudes to the computed anomalies. 2) The remanent magnetization is parallel to the earth’s present magnetic field. 3) The maximum vertical magnetic field value in the north-south profile is the result of reinforcement of the positive terrain effect of the north rim of the crater and the positive edge effect of the north side of the lava lake. 4) The minimum value in the same profile is the result of reinforcement of the negative terrain effect at the base of the south rim of the crater and the negative edge effect of the south side of the lava lake. 5) Variation in the east-west magnetic profile is less because the terrain and edge effects of the horizontal components of the earth’s magnetic field and remanent magnetization approach zero. Changes in vertical magnetic field values as the lake solidifies will be maximum at the north edge of the lava lake, but more consistent changes of the opposite sign will occur on the south side of the lava lake. Total change will be approximately + 2300 gammas between the August 1961 measurement at station S6 and the value at that point when the entire lava lake has cooled below 400° C. The maximum rate of change at station S6 will occur when the 500° C isotherm is 35 to 65 meters below the surface and will be about 28 gammas per meter of lowering of the 500°C surface. Because of the steep magnetic anomalies associated with the lava lake and crater rims, the permanent magnetization presently forming in the cooling lake crust will have inclinations as much as 12° less than the average 37.5° inclination in the Kilauea area.     

Erratum

The Philippine Sea at 5 m.y. B.P has been reconstructed by the following process. Firstly, it was rotated rigidly relative to the Eurasian plate around the pole of rotation at 45.5°N, 150. 2°E with a rotation angle of 6.0° for the past 5 m.y. Secondly, the evolution and deformation along the plate boundaries were incorporated in the rigid rotation. This reconstruction suggests: (1) the Izu Peninsula, which was originally a volcanic island of the Izu-Bonin Arc, collided with central Honshu in a west-northwest direction a few million years B.P.; (2) a TTT(a)-type triple junction east of Honshu has migrated west-northwestward relative to the Eurasian plate; and (3) the subduction zone of the Pacific plate, beneath the central part of the Mariana Arc, has remained fixed relative to Eurasia. Westward motion of the Philippine Sea plate and subduction beneath the eastern Eurasian margin resulted in the opening of the Marian Trough.     

THE MAGNETIZATION OF THE MAGNETITE OREBODY NEAR CORTEGANA,SPAIN*

The magnetic ground survey of ΔZ across the orebody near Cortegana suggests that the direction of the magnetization of the orebody deviates from the present earth field direction in that area. Magnetic measurements of more than 500 specimens of drilling cores of several vertical and one nearly horizontal drill holes showed that the magnetization of the orebody points essentially to the north in the direction of the inclination of the orebody and the banding of the ore. In the central part of the orebody with an average magnetite content of about 50 vol% the magnetization amounts to 0.35 Gauss, the remanent and induced component having the same order of magnitude. The outer parts of the orebody have a much smaller magnetization according to both the smaller magnetite content and greater inhomogeneity of the remanent magnetization, also partly due to their reversed magnetization which is brought about by the stray field of the central part of the orebody. As all drilling cores have been chemically analyzed with respect to their Fe content a logarithmic relationship could be established between the magnetite content, ranging from 25 to 80 vol%, and the susceptibility.     

Results from an aeromagnetic investigation of the nares strait region

An analysis of published and recently collected aeromagnetics in the Naires Strait region shows that short wavelength, moderate amplitude magnitic anomalies are coincident with previously mapped Precambrian Shield rocks under southeast Ellesmere Island. Similar magnetic anomalies are also observed in northwestern Greenland across Nares Strait. On Greenland the characteristic magnetic anomalies persist about 105 km beyond and northeast of the exposed Precambrian outcrops. This suggests that the Greenland Pre-Cambrian Shield structures previously shown as only occuring as far north as Inglefield Land actually extend at least 100 km further north. Correlation of the magnetic anomalies with mapped geological units suggest a 105+−10 km left lateral displacement in the boundary between the Lower Paleozoic and Precambrain terrains across Nares Strait. This, we interpret, is due to the relative motion between Greenland and Ellesmere Island during the evolution of the Labrador Sea and Baffin Bay in the Early to Mid Tertiary.