Continental margins as global oil and gas accumulation belts: The West Pacific belt

Most present-day oil- and gas-bearing (petroliferous) basins are localized in one of the five global oil and gas accumulation belts confined to continent-ocean transition zones that existed in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. Two meridional belts are located in the western and eastern peripheral zones of the Pacific Ocean with intense tectonic activity during the major part of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. The activity was reflected in extension of the continental crust, spreading of the oceanic crust, rapid subsidence of individual crustal blocks, volcanism, and formation of large batholiths and accretionary prisms. In this belt, the fore-arc, back-arc, inter-arc, and marginal riftogenic sedimentary basins are petroliferous.     

Continental margins: Global belts of oil-and-gas accumulation. The Caribbean-pacific belt

Among petroliferous regions of the world, a specific place is occupied by sedimentary basins confined to continental margins at the eastern periphery of the Pacific Ocean and in the Caribbean Sea. In the Cenozoic and Quaternary, this region was dominated by tectonic activity manifested as compression, movements along large fault systems (primarily, strike-slip faults), formation of mountain chains, appearance of thick accretion prisms and foothills, and development of volcanism at certain stages. The petroliferous structures of the region are mainly represented by fore-arc sedimentary basins complicated in some places by fore- and backdeeps.     

Continental margins: Global belts of oil-and-gas accumulation,Laurasian belt

Most recent oil-and-gas-bearing (petroliferous) basins are members of one of the five oil-and-gas accumulation belts confined to the Mesozoic and Cenozoic continent/ocean transition zones. The Laurasian belt includes continental margins in the northern Atlantic and Arctic oceans that accommodate several large petroliferous basins.     

Continental margins: Global belts of oil and gas accumulation

Most of recent oil- and gas-bearing basins are incorporated in the group of five belts of oil-and-gas accumulation. They are confined to continent/ocean transition zones, which existed in the Cenozoic. Three belts (Tethyan, Gondwanan, and Laurasian) are latitudinal structures that include continental margins in the Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic oceans. The other two belts are elongated in the N-S direction and located in the western and eastern peripheral parts of the Pacific Ocean. Taken together, they unite basins with 75 to 80% of oil reserves discovered to date in our planet.     

Terrane processes at the margins of Gondwana

Geologists （especially in North America） now use ＂terrane＂ for a tectonic block while use ＂terrain＂ for a topographic area. This is different from the world of literature where ＂terrain＂ is a British English word and ＂terrane＂ is an American English word and both mean the same thing--an area of ground with a particular geographic or geologic character. Terranes, as defined by the late Peter Coney and his colleagues in a seminal paper in 1980 （Coney et al., Nature, vol. 288, pp. 329-333）, are fault-bounded areas, each area having its own internal homogeneity and continuity of stratigraphy, tectonic style and history. The concept of terranes was first developed by W.P. Irwin in 1972 in view of the complex mosaic geology of California; the concept was then extended to the entire Cordilleran- Alaskan belt by other geologists, especially P. Coney.     

大陆解体与被动陆缘的演化

火山型被动陆缘是大陆解体过程中形成的一类陆缘类型,其演化过程与活动陆缘一样复杂多变。随着近年来对大陆解体过程与被动陆缘演化的深入研究,对其沉积过程、岩浆活动以及变质作用研究都有了很大的进展。陆壳减薄解体的过程有许多不同的模式,不对称的简单剪切模式可能是火山型被动陆缘的成因,其机制是软流圈隆起的最大位置从剖面上看与地壳减薄最大位置不在一条垂线上,造成软流圈上升的岩浆在解体的大陆一侧形成火山型被动陆缘。被动陆缘的沉积建造由两套沉积物组成,一套是大陆解体的裂谷阶段所形成的陆相沉积物和双模式火山岩组合,另一套是稳定陆缘的复理石组合;岩浆作用中基性岩类反应了物质直接源于上地幔的主要特点,并有部分受到地壳混染的特征;变质作用中高温低压环境主要发生在裂谷作用阶段,其特点反映了大陆解体过程中随着时间的增温和减压过程,而拆离伸展阶段则被脆性变形所代替。     

Biogenic Graphite as a Potential Geomarker—Application to Continental Reconstructions of Pan-African Gondwana Terrains

Graphite is present in nature in several forms. Genetically they may be broadly classified as biogenic and abiogenic. The biogenic forms are those that are clearly derived from an organic precursor while the abiogenic or inorganic forms are more complex from the point of view of their origin, nature and geological relations.As a geomarker, biogenic graphite has certain advantages. It is easily recognized and shows different degrees of crystallinity depending on the relative grades of metamorphism it had undergone. Once it attains a certain degree of crystalline order, it does not revert to a lower state even under changing metamorphic conditions, thereby making it a good mineral geothermometer. It is also found in specific, restricted geological environments and is therefore useful as a boundary marker of ancient sedimentary terrains.These special characteristics of the biogenic type of graphite can be effectively used to trace sites of sedimentary basins and subsequent ocean closures that may have resulted in geosutures. Studies of the Pan-African terrains of the Gondwana crustal fragments as exemplified by the sutures of the Mozambique Belt running through East Africa, Madagascar, Sri Lanka and Antarctica illustrate this point. A further example comes from the Mashan Group of East China, one of the most productive graphite - bearing regions of the world.     

四川盆地盆缘前陆逆冲带的复合与联合扩展研究综述

前陆逆冲带扩展方式是理解造山带生长的关键。四川盆地东缘、北缘和西缘分别发育不同时代和不同构造背景下形成的武陵山-华蓥山、大巴山和龙门山前陆逆冲带,前人对他们的结构和构造运动学进行了详尽的研究。本文在总结这些研究的基础上,揭示武陵山-华蓥山、大巴山和龙门山三条前陆逆冲带的结构分带均表现为从厚皮逆冲构造至薄皮逆冲构造组合的变化,构造解析表明结构分带是断层-褶皱关系主导的指向前陆盆地方向共轴递进扩展作用的结果。同时,在前陆逆冲带扩展分析基础上,总结了四川盆地盆缘共轴扩展、非共轴叠加复合扩展和联合构造扩展三种前陆逆冲带扩展方式。结合阿巴拉契亚、科迪勒拉、阿尔卑斯、喜马拉雅、比利牛斯山等经典造山带前陆逆冲带扩展的研究现状,提出前陆逆冲带扩展研究中存在古构造应力场的σ₂悖论、应力-应变(σ-ε)关系难以建立和系统不平衡等问题,并认为这些问题是未来定量化约束前陆逆冲带扩展,进而解决造山带生长构造动力学研究的主要挑战。     

Geophysical study of the mafic belts along the margins of the japanese islands

Along the margins of the Japanese Islands there are large belts of mafic rocks that are now deeply buried. The origin of the belts is unknown: they could be either remnants of oceanic crust now trapped within the continental area, or they could be igneous bodies of continental origin. In this paper a discussion of this problem is given and new results presented.     

论全球性中-新生代陆内造山作用与造山带

对不同类型造山作用与造山带的深入剖析,在现代地学研究中占有重要的位置。迄今对造山带类型划分以及陆内（ 板内） 造山带是否存在及其形成机制问题,尚有不同认识。文章在阐明造山带分类准则的基础上,将全球性中－ 新生代造山带划分为陆缘型、陆间型与陆内型三大类。对陆内造山带则划分出发育在前寒武纪古克拉通基础上、发育在前中生代陆缘、陆间造山带基础上两种类型。文内还对全球性中－ 新生代陆内造山作用与造山带的展布特点、形成机制及其大陆动力学意义进行概括论述     

Geophysical constraints on geodynamic processes at convergent margins: A global perspective

Convergent margins, being the boundaries between colliding lithospheric plates, form the most disastrous areas in the world due to intensive, strong seismicity and volcanism. We review global geophysical data in order to illustrate the effects of the plate tectonic processes at convergent margins on the crustal and upper mantle structure, seismicity, and geometry of subducting slab. We present global maps of free-air and Bouguer gravity anomalies, heat flow, seismicity, seismic Vs anomalies in the upper mantle, and plate convergence rate, as well as 20 profiles across different convergent margins. A global analysis of these data for three types of convergent margins, formed by ocean–ocean, ocean–continent, and continent–continent collisions, allows us to recognize the following patterns. (1) Plate convergence rate depends on the type of convergent margins and it is significantly larger when, at least, one of the plates is oceanic. However, the oldest oceanic plate in the Pacific ocean has the smallest convergence rate. (2) The presence of an oceanic plate is, in general, required for generation of high-magnitude (M > 8.0) earthquakes and for generating intermediate and deep seismicity along the convergent margins. When oceanic slabs subduct beneath a continent, a gap in the seismogenic zone exists at depths between ca. 250 km and 500 km. Given that the seismogenic zone terminates at ca. 200 km depth in case of continent–continent collision, we propose oceanic origin of subducting slabs beneath the Zagros, the Pamir, and the Vrancea zone. (3) Dip angle of the subducting slab in continent–ocean collision does not correlate neither with the age of subducting oceanic slab, nor with the convergence rate. For ocean–ocean subduction, clear trends are recognized: steeply dipping slabs are characteristic of young subducting plates and of oceanic plates with high convergence rate, with slab rotation towards a near-vertical dip angle at depths below ca. 500 km at very high convergence rate. (4) Local isostasy is not satisfied at the convergent margins as evidenced by strong free air gravity anomalies of positive and negative signs. However, near-isostatic equilibrium may exist in broad zones of distributed deformation such as Tibet. (5) No systematic patterns are recognized in heat flow data due to strong heterogeneity of measured values which are strongly affected by hydrothermal circulation, magmatic activity, crustal faulting, horizontal heat transfer, and also due to low number of heat flow measurements across many margins. (6) Low upper mantle Vs seismic velocities beneath the convergent margins are restricted to the upper 150 km and may be related to mantle wedge melting which is confined to shallow mantle levels.     

Articulations of Alpine-Mediterranean folded belt with Gondwana platforms; tectonic distinctions of the zone

Analysis of forms of articulation of the Indian and Afro-Arabian platforms with folded structures suggests the following genetic (tectonic) sequence of their types: from the pericratonal (incomplete or arrested) in the east, through the “reductional” (transitional) in the middle, to the “classical”" (fully evolved) in the west — or the territory formerly occupied by the Tethys. -- V.P. Sokoloff     

Petrogenesis of Ordovician magmatic rocks in the southern Chiapas Massif Complex: relations with the early Palaeozoic magmatic belts of northwestern Gondwana

The recent discovery of Early Ordovician S-type granites in the southwest of the Chiapas Massif Complex adds a new perspective to the Palaeozoic history of the Maya block, inasmuch as no rocks of such age had previously been reported in this region. New geologic mapping west of Motozintla, Chiapas, revealed pelitic to psammitic metasedimentary successions (Jocote Unit) intruded by granitoids and metabasites. The Jocote Unit is unconformably underlain by the newly defined Candelaria Unit, which comprises deformed calc-silicate rocks and interlayered folded amphibolites. The Candelaria Unit is the oldest rock succession so far recognized in the southern Maya block. We used laser-ablation multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) U–Pb dating to determine the ages of the rock, yielding Early Ordovician (ca. 470 Ma) and Late Ordovician (ca. 450 Ma) ages.

Major and trace element geochemistry, as well as Nd and Sr isotope data, suggest that folded amphibolites of the Candelaria Unit are mantle-derived and are probably related to rifting. The Early Ordovician bimodal magmatism of the Jocote Unit is more strongly differentiated; it reflects crustal contamination and volcanic-arc chemical signatures. A granitic stock (Motozintla pluton) intruded the area in the Late Ordovician. Its geochemical composition indicates less crustal contamination and a mixed signature between volcanic-arc and within-plate settings. Magmatic rocks analogous in age and chemical character crop out in the Rabinal and the Altos Cuchumatanes areas of Guatemala, suggesting the existence of a semi-continuous Ordovician magmatic belt from Chiapas to central Guatemala. Similar but somewhat younger granites also occur in the Maya Mountains of Belize, suggesting that magmatism migrated in the Silurian from the Chiapas–Guatemala belt towards the Maya Mountains.     

Origin and significance of olistostromes in the evolution of orogenic belts: A global synthesis

Olistostromes (sedimentary mélanges) represent the products of ancient submarine mass transport processes. We present a comparative analysis of the occurrences and internal structures of these sedimentary mélanges at a global scale with a focus on the Circum-Mediterranean, Appalachian and Circum-Pacific regions, and discuss their formation and time-progressive evolution in different tectonic settings. Lithological compositions, stratigraphy, and structural features of olistostromes reflect the operation of an entire spectrum of mass transport processes during their development through multi-stage deformation phases. The general physiography and tectonic setting of their depocenters, the nature, scale and rate of downslope transformation mechanisms, and global climatic events are the main factors controlling the internal structure and stratigraphy of olistostromes. Based on the tectonic settings of their formation olistostromes are classified as: (i) passive margin, (ii) convergent margin and subduction–accretion, and (iii) collisional and intra-collisional types. Systematic repetitions of these different olistostrome types in different orogenic belts provide excellent markers for the timing of various tectonic events during the Wilson cycle evolution of ocean basins. Olistostromes are best preserved in paleo active margins, covering vast areas of thousands of km², where they underwent significant downslope translation, up to hundreds of kilometers. Incorporation of olistostromes into subduction–accretion complexes and orogenic belts takes place during discrete episodes of tectonic events, and their primary (sedimentary) fabric may be commonly reworked and overprinted by subsequent phases of tectonic and metamorphic events. We apply the basic nomenclature of structural geology, sedimentology and basin analysis in studying the internal structure, lithological makeup, and mechanisms of formation and extraordinary downslope mobility of olistostromes.     

微板块构造理论：全球洋内与陆缘微地块研究的启示（附对该文的审稿意见）

任何板块都存在一个由小长大的过程。微地块(微板块)有时是大板块的前身,微地块的起源、生长、夭折、消亡和残留过程对研究板块构造具有重要意义。据其组成,微地块可划分为微陆块、微洋块、微幔块。本文以太平洋、印度洋和大西洋中的微地块为例,系统总结了洋脊增生系统、俯冲消减系统、深海板内系统、伸展裂解系统、碰撞造山系统5种构造环境下的微地块特征,并据此首次进行了成因分类,提出拆离微地块、裂生微地块、转换微地块、延生微地块、跃生微地块、残生微地块、增生微地块、碰生微地块和拆沉微幔块9种类型。对不同类型微地块边界进行了系统界定,并对其成因进行了系统讨论。这些微地块边界类型,包括活动的或死亡的拆离断层、俯冲带、洋中脊、转换断层、破碎带、切割岩石圈的断裂、假断层、洋内汇聚带、叠接扩张中心、非叠接扩张中心、洋脊断错等,其成因的关键研究在于对三节点稳定性进行分析。洋内或洋缘微地块研究,不仅为开展深海大洋精细化构造分析和板块重建工作提供参考,而且对解释大陆内部一些微地块成因具有启发性,可丰富大陆造山带、陆内、板内、幔内和陆缘构造的研究内容,使得造山带演化、板内变形和地幔过程研究更为精细化,甚至推广到早前寒武纪的前板块构造机制研究。     

Southern margin of the Variscan belt: the north-western Gondwana mobile zone (eastern Morocco and Northern Algeria)

Stratigraphic and structural correlations between the Palaeozoic massifs of eastern Morocco and northern Algeria allow three tectonic domains to be distinguished: (1) The cratonic zone, i.e. the West African platform which remained outside the Variscan chain and its peripherical margin (Moroccan Anti-Atlas and Algerian Ougarta); (2) a WSW-ENE trending zone, over 1500 km from Marrakech to Kabylia and Calabria (in their assumed Palaeozoic location). — This zone was characterized during the Late Palaeozoic by a continuous instability indicated by the development of successive turbiditic basins and a major orogeny at the Devonian-Carboniferous boundary; and (3) central and western Morocco, which corresponds to the external zones of the European Hercynides.The Marrakech-Kabylia zone separates the Variscan domain from the stable and undeformed West African craton. During Early Palaeozoic times it began as an extensive or transtensive zone. It has been deformed by the Late Devonian orogeny and by Carboniferous and Permian reactivation. The zone represents the southern limit of the Hercynian chain and is distinguished by its transcurrent regime throughout the Late Palaeozoic. Correspondence to: A. Piqué     

Source-to-sink of Late carboniferous Ordos Basin: Constraints on crustal accretion margins converting to orogenic belts bounding the North China Block

The Upper Carboniferous Benxi Formation of the Ordos Basin is the lowest strata overlying Middle Ordovician above the major ca. 150-Myr sedimentary gap that characterizes the entire North China Block (NCB). We apply an integrated analysis of stratigraphy, petrography, and U–Pb dates and Hf isotopes on detrital zircons to investigate its provenance and relationships to the progressive collisions that formed the Xing’an-Mongolia Orogenic Belt to the north and the Qinling Orogenic Belt to the south. The results show that, in addition to regional patterns of siliciclastic influx from these new uplifted sources, the Benxi Formation is composed of two sequences corresponding to long-term glacial-interglacial cycles during the Moscovian to lower Gzhelian stages which drove global changes of eustatic sea level and weathering. The spatio-temporal distribution of sediment isopachs and facies indicate there were two sediment-infilling pulses, during which the southern and the northern Ordos Basin developed tidal-reworked deltas. The age spectra from detrital zircons, trace element patterns and ε_Hf(t) values reveal that the siliciclastics forming the southern delta was sourced in the Qinling Orogenic Belt, whereas the northern delta was derived from the Xing’an-Mongolia Orogenic Belt. The source-to-sink evolution of this Upper Paleozoic system records the progressive development of orogenic belts and uplifts forming on the southern and northern margins of the NCB prior to its collisions with the South China and the Siberian plates, respectively.