南海共轭陆缘构造不对称性研究及其成因的数值模拟

<正>岩石圈在水平拉张力的作用下会发生伸展变形,以致形成裂陷盆地,但是在多因素的影响下,岩石圈的拉张形式会存在很大的差异,因此学者致力于提出不同模型解释不同的裂陷盆地结构。英国学者Mc Kenzie根据大陆纯剪切伸展模式建立了岩石圈伸展量与裂陷盆地的沉降量以及后裂陷阶段热沉降量之间的定量模型[1],在解释被动大陆边缘的地壳减薄、张裂和沉降方面发挥了重要作用[2-3],但它仅适用于完全对称的纯剪拉张模型,很难解释非对称共轭     

南海西南海盆的岩石圈张裂模式探讨

南海西南海盆的西北边缘和东南边缘在地形地貌上不对称,在地质构造特征上东南边缘为上板块边缘,西北边缘为下板块边缘,它们为一对共轭边缘。新生代张性构造运动和海底扩张活动中,上地壳呈脆性,发生过脆性变形,产生了一系列倾斜正断裂及一系列断块,断块沿断层面转动,在地表出现一系列半地堑,在拉张应力的进一步作用下,上地壳沿断层面被拉开;下地壳呈塑性,发生塑性变形,最后以瓶颈方式被拉断。由此可见,在张性应力场作用下,岩石圈的变形方式是分层而异的：上地壳以简单剪切方式变形,下地壳以纯剪切方式变形。因此,整个岩石圈的变形方式是分层变形的     

大陆岩石圈在张裂和分离时的变形模式

通过对南海南北共轭边缘地壳剖面的对比研究,发现大陆岩石圈的物理性质是分层的：上、中地壳呈脆性,下地壳表现出塑性,而岩石圈上地幔则仍呈脆性。因此,在它受张性应力场作用时,其变形和破裂分离方式也是分层进行的：上、中地壳能发生犁式断裂,产生的断块沿断面转动在地表产生一系列半地堑,并使地壳厚度减薄;如拉张应力继续作用时,上、中地壳将沿犁式断裂被拉开,从而形成上、下板块边缘,并彼此分开。下地壳则发生塑性变形,使地壳厚度减薄,并最终将其拉断。岩石圈上地幔亦可产生陡倾断裂,形成的断块沿断面转动亦使其厚度减薄,并最终沿陡倾断裂被拉断。这就是我们称之为岩石圈变形和破裂分 离时的分层变形及分层破裂分离模式。     

中生代晚期到新生代拉张应力下的华南大陆边缘

主要论述中生代晚期到新生代期间拉张应力作用下珠江口盆地的张裂和南海海盆的扩张,并根据拉张破裂理论论述它们之间的相互关系,进而探讨华南大陆边缘在这期间内产生上述形变的动力学机制。     

南海北部白云凹陷及其邻区的岩石圈强度分析

选取纵穿南海北部陆缘的长排列多道地震剖面,利用挠曲回剥和重力异常模拟相结合的过程导向法(process-oriented gravity modelling,POGM),计算了研究区内不同构造单元同张裂及裂后阶段的岩石圈有效弹性厚度(effective elastic thickness,Te),并对其分布特征进行了详细分析。计算结果显示:张裂过程中岩石圈强度很弱;而裂后阶段岩石圈强度在不同构造单元并不相同,其中番禺低隆起和下陆坡区强度较高,Te约为15km,而在北部坳陷带为7km左右,白云凹陷地区强度最低,仅为5km左右。获得的岩石圈强度结果,加深了对南海北部大陆边缘盆地特征和岩石圈构造演化过程的认识,具有重要的意义。     

共轭大陆边缘工作会议简介

按照板块构造的观点 ,地球上存在 3类大陆边缘 :活动大陆边缘、被动大陆边缘和转换大陆边缘。被动大陆边缘主要分布在大西洋两岸 ,因此也叫大西洋型大陆边缘。经区域地质构造研究表明 ,南海是一个小大西洋 ,它在新生代像大西洋在中、新生代一样 ,是经过大陆岩石圈张裂 (rifting)、破裂分离 (break up)和海底扩张而生成的小洋盆。虽然目前对大西洋的诞生过程比较清楚 ,但对诞生过程中大陆岩石圈在张裂、破裂分离期间岩石圈的变形过程及其特征仍不太了解。为了进行这方面的研究 ,科学家将在破裂分离前连在一起的大西洋两岸大陆边缘 (科学家命…     

南冲绳海槽岩石圈构造动力作用机制探讨

由最新获得的重磁、地震和多波束地形数据 ,结合多尺度的地幔流动力分析 ,展示了南冲绳海槽岩石圈构造动力的多样性特征和其内在的联系。从上新世开始的三幕张性断陷活动是在以前的压性断裂构造的基础上发展起来的 ,向岛弧侧迁移 ,岩浆、火山活动主要集中在正断层与平移断层的交汇处。深部动力源可归结为上地幔对流产生的菲律宾海板块俯冲 ,引起岛弧岩石圈挤压褶皱而向海沟旋张掀斜 ,产生弧后岩石圈的张性构造 ;进一步引起弧后软流圈挤压隆起 ,岩石圈与软流圈耦合作用导致海槽断陷张裂、岩浆活动。冲绳海槽仍是一个软流圈在汇聚的弧后盆地。全球性左旋压扭滑移背景 ,琉球海沟南段俯冲受阻小、强度大 ,台湾—吕宋的北向挤压 ,使海槽表现为剪张性 ,由平移断层调控使张性断裂左旋雁行排列 ,整个海槽张性构造由北往南推进 ,张应力方向由NW过渡到NNW。     

阳极溶解对奥氏体不锈钢在酸性氯离子溶液中力学行为的影响

奥氏体不锈钢在海洋大气环境下能够发生应力腐蚀开裂(SCC),并处于活性阳极溶解状态(曹楚南等,1992; Herbsleb et al.,1989),在该环境下于不锈钢表面可以形成酸性氯化物水介质膜(Kain1990; Gnanamoorthy,1990)。Jones(1985)根据其阳极溶解加速金属变形和变形加速阳极溶解的硏究结果,提出了应力腐蚀和腐蚀疲劳的统一机理,他认为裂尖的阳极溶解使裂尖前金属的开裂应力下降。曹楚南(1992)在此基础上更为广泛地探讨了电化学过程与金属材料的力学行为间的交互作用及其与SCC之间的关系,他认为裂尖前面有一塑性变形区,裂尖表面上的高阳极溶解电流密度除可使金属被溶解掉以外,还起着使裂尖前金属表层区的变形硬化缓解的作用。这种作用导致裂尖前金属表层开裂所需要的应力(开裂应力)降低,当开裂应力低于变形硬化层中存在的应力时,这一层就会开裂,裂尖向前跃进而形成新的裂尖表面,裂尖前金属的应力也部分消除。然后在拉应力的作用下,新的裂尖前金属区域发生新的塑性变形,形成新的变形硬化层,并重复上述过程。虽然上述具体过程有待证实,但阳极溶解在SCC过程中的重要作用是肯定的。研究阳极溶解对奧氏体不锈钢力学行为的影响将为阳极溶解型SCC机理研究提供有力证据。     

南海海盆扩张机制的动力学模拟

南海处于印度—澳大利亚、欧亚和太平洋三大板块汇聚中心,地理位置独特,地质作用复杂,经历了拉张、张裂到海底扩张的演化过程,是水平拉张和地幔上涌共同作用下的被动扩张结构。以南海中央海盆的地质构造为背景建立二维有限元模型,对具有先存薄弱带情况下岩石圈在水平拉张力和上涌力共同作用下的减薄扩张情况进行动力学模拟。计算结果表明:(1)岩石圈在受到拉张作用时,薄弱带和断层的存在会使该区域发生应力集中,优先减薄破坏;(2)岩石圈在单纯的拉张力条件下很难发生破坏,如果同时施加一个较小地幔上涌力反而能引起较大的变形,说明地幔上涌力在海盆扩张中起着重要的作用;(3)由于下地壳的流变性,下地壳比上地壳发生了更大程度的减薄,而且下地壳的流变特性比薄弱带的存在更有助于海盆的扩张。     

被动大陆边缘伸展–破裂过程研究进展

深地震探测、大洋钻探及野外露头观测等技术方法的联合运用,极大地推动了对大陆边缘地质过程的认识。目前对大陆边缘,尤其是对被动大陆边缘的结构、演化和发育机制的认识,正在经历一场前所未有的变革。文章从基本的概念和分类开始,综述了全球已探测到的几种主要大陆边缘类型的盆地结构、深地壳?岩石圈结构、圈层速度、沉降特点和破裂方式的研究进展,讨论了被动大陆边缘的发育和演化的机制。综合已有研究进展,指出富岩浆型和贫岩浆型陆缘在裂前和裂陷期具有相似的岩石组成和裂陷结构特征,只是在破裂前后由于岩浆量的不同而发生了结构的分异。贫岩浆型陆缘中的全岩石圈断裂型、上地壳过渡型、下地壳剥露型、上地幔剥露型,甚至下地壳+上地幔剥露的组合类型陆缘,是被动陆缘在张裂期由于岩石圈各层流变结构等因素的差异发生分异演化的结果。贫岩浆型陆缘下地壳高速体主要来源于地幔蛇纹岩化,而富岩浆型陆缘则主要来源于高温地幔熔融产生的底侵或侵入,局部可能继承了前张裂期的高速变质岩体。上述大陆边缘研究成果为研究南海的结构和演化提供了很好的对比和借鉴。     

Kinematics of the bottom of the Eurasia Basin near the Spitsbergen domain

Prior to extension of the lithosphere in the Eurasia Basin, the Yermak Plateau was an element of the Eurasian Arctic margin. Extension of the Barents Sea shelf culminated gradually in rifting of the continental crust with separation of this block from the continent during Chrons C25r?C26n (57.656?59.237 Ma ago) and emplacement of numerous basic dikes, which could be responsible for the formation of high-amplitude magnetic anomalies on the Yermak Plateau. The investigation included reconstruction of axes in the breakup zones along peripheral continental fragments of Spitsbergen with determination of the Euler poles and angles of rotation, which describe the kinematics of this process. It is revealed that the difference between depths of conjugate isobaths can be as large as many tens of meters, which reflects the nonuniformly scaled slide of peripheral areas of the continental crust along the plane of the crustal-penetrating fault and, correspondingly, their different subsidence during rifting.     

Oblique rifting in the Havre Trough and its propagation into the continental margin of New Zealand: Comparison with analogue experiments

The Havre Trough is opening by oblique back-arc rifting which is propagating into the continental margin of New Zealand at the Taupo Volcanic Zone. Variations of deformational style along the rift axis have been investigated by comparison with analogue experiments which incorporate brittle and ductile rheologies and are scaled for gravity. Based on the results of the analogue experiments, we present a tectonic model for oblique rifting in the Havre Trough, which involves the rheological contrast between oceanic and continental lithosphere and the oblique geometry of the continental margin of New Zealand with respect to the regional rift trend. The model shows that the continental margin, which is weaker than both oceanic and continental lithosphere, cannot support large shear stresses. The two lithospheres can be decoupled during extensional events along the marginal shear and, depending on the continental margin orientation, this shear can modify the regional stress field. A heterogeneous stress field will rotate normal stresses to be perpendicular or parallel to the margin. As the two lithospheres decouple during extension, the rift grabens and internal faults of the oblique rift system propagate normal to the marginal shear. This model explains the oblique trend of the Havre Trough's tectonic fabric and its relationships to the Vening Meinesz Fracture Zone which represents the oceanic/continental lithospheric boundary.As the Havre Trough rift propagates into the continental margin, rheological differences between oceanic and continental lithosphere result in variations in distribution of strain along the rift axis. Extension of oceanic sub-arc lithosphere is localized into a single rift graben. At the transition into continental rifting, the zone of extension widens into a number of rift grabens forming complex indentations into the margin. This change in deformation style is consistent with analogue experiments as well as other natural examples and results from the contrast in lithospheric rheology and its influence on the process of strain localization.     

Triassic–Liassic Western Moroccan synrift basins in relation to the Central Atlantic opening

The Upper Triassic–Lower Liassic sequence of the Atlantic margin of Morocco is primarily composed of fine-grained detrital sedimentary rocks containing basaltic intercalations. Its age is Carnian to Hettangian. Well data, outcrop observations and seismic sequence analysis suggest that rifting started earlier (Carnian) in the eastern and southern parts of the margin, and later proceeded towards the west and the north, resulting in the formation of the Central Atlantic rift. On the Moroccan margin, the rift was composed of: (i) eastern basins, relatively narrow and bounded by E-dipping faults, which are reactivated Hercynian structures; (ii) a central horst; and (iii) western basins bounded by W-dipping faults. The 020° trending basins are separated by W-dipping faults. The 020° trending basins are separated by 070° striking transfer faults.Estimations of the amount of lithospheric extension along the Moroccan external rift system show a thinning ratio decreasing northward and probably associated to a necking of the lithosphere. Rift evolution on the part of the Moroccan margin shows good correlation to the conjugate North American margin.     

Geologic structure and neotectonics of the North African Continental Margin south of Sicily

Marine geological and geophysical data together with drilling information indicate that the North African passive continental margin has been subjected to extension and wrenching after it collided with the northern part of Sicily. The area of the Tripolitania Basin, Jarrafa Trough, Melita and Medina Bank and the Ragusa-Malta Plateau has formed part of a sinking passive margin since the dispersal of Gondwanaland at about 180 My ago as observed from geohistory diagrams. A record of rifting in a NW-SE direction accompanied by dextral shear along the southern troughs is observed in seismic reflection data. The rifting started during the Neocomian and lasted until the Eocene when activity became minor. A pre-Middle Miocene period of northward subduction of oceanic crust is inferred from the geology in NE Sicily. Uplift of the northern part of the African margin after collision in the Middle Miocene is seen in wells in southern Sicily. After the Messinian a rift and dextral shear zone established itself across the African Margin from the Strait of Sicily to the Medina Ridge in the lonian Basin. The zone is marked by up to 1.7 km deep grabens, narrow active wrench faulted channels, volcanic fissures and local uplifted ‘Keilhorsts’ such as Malta. This zone, which varies in width from 100 to 35 km, forms the southern boundary of a microplate which includes Sicily. We speculate that the present motion of this microplate is partly due to the eastward movement of the Calabrian Arc with the Sicilian block over the last remaining oceanic lithosphere in the Eastern Mediterranean.     

Tectonics, global changes in sea level and their relationship to stratigraphical sequences at the US Atlantic continental margin

The principal factors that control the extent of seas through geological time are vertical movements of the lithosphere and global changes in sea level. The relative height of the sea surface determines the facies and the thickness of sediments that can accumulate in a sedimentary basin. Backstripping studies show that the primary factors affecting the subsidence of rifted sedimentary basins are thermal contraction, following heating and thinning of the lithosphere at the time of rifting, and sedimentary loading. Factors such as compaction, palaeobathymetry, erosion and global sea level changes also contribute, but their combined affects are small compared to those of thermal contraction and sedimentary loading. Simple models have been constructed which combine the effects of sedimentary loading and thermal contraction with those of compaction, sub-aerial erosion and global changes in sea level. In the models it was assumed that the lithosphere was heated and thinned by stretching at the time of rifting, sedimentary loading occurs by flexure of a lithosphere that progressively increases its flexural rigidity with age following rifting and, that sediment compaction and bathymetry change across a basin but do not vary significantly with gwological time. Furthermore, different assumptions were made on the magnitude of curves of global sea level changes and the relationship between denudation rate and regional elevation. The models show that tectonics, in the form of thermal contraction of the lithosphere and flexure and slowly varying global changes in sea level, can explain a number of the stratigraphic features of the US Atlantic continental margin. In this Paper some of the implications of these results are examined for studies of (a) sea level changes through geological time; and (b) the maturation history of continental margin basins.     

Controls on the tectono-magmatic evolution of a volcanic transform margin: the Vøring Transform Margin,NE Atlantic

Ocean bottom seismograph (OBS), multichannel seismic and potential field data reveal the structure of the Vøring Transform Margin (VTM). This transform margin is located at the landward extension of the Jan Mayen Fracture Zone along the southern edge of the Vøring Plateau. The margin consists of two distinctive segments. The northwestern segment is characterized by large amounts of volcanic material. The new OBS data reveal a 30–40 km wide and 17 km thick high-velocity body between underplated continental crust to the northeast and normal oceanic crust in the southwest. The southeastern segment of the mar is similar to transform margins elsewhere. It is characterized by a 20–30 km wide transform margin high and a narrow continent-ocean transition. The volcanic sequences along this margin segment are less than 1 km thick. We conclude from the spatial correspondence of decreased volcanism and the location of the fracture zone, that the amount of volcanism was influenced by the tectonic setting. We propose that (1) lateral heat transport from the oceanic lithosphere to the adjacent continental lithosphere decreased the ambient mantle temperature and melt production along the entire transform margin and (2) that right-stepping of the left-lateral shear zone at the northwestern margin segment caused lithospheric thinning and increased volcanism. The investigated data show no evidence that the breakup volcanism influenced the tectonic development of the southeastern VTM.     

Structural geology of the Huldra Field, northern North Sea—a major tilted fault block at the eastern edge of the Horda Platform

The Huldra fault block is a rotated major fault block on the east margin of the Viking Graben in the northern North Sea. Unlike the rest of the Horda Platform area, the Jurassic section in the Huldra fault block was rotated more than 20° during slip on the listric Huldra fault, which forms a low-angle detachment beneath the Huldra fault block. The fault block is interpreted as resulting from marginal collapse of the Horda Platform after relief along the eastern margin of the Viking Graben built up in early parts of the middle to late Jurassic rifting history. The collapse resulted in NW directed transport of the Huldra fault block, consistent with a previously postulated change in extension direction from W–E to NW–SE toward the end of the Jurassic period. Minor faults within the Hulrda fault block are consistent with E–W extension and thus may have formed early during the late Jurassic rifting phase. Nevertheless, the crest (Huldra Field) seems surprisingly intact, considering its proximity to a major fault zone. Deformation bands studied from core material are non-cataclastic and concentrated in zones. Evidence for smearing along a cored fault surface indicates that minor subseismic faults may be sealing. Production data from the field indicate good communication between most wells, suggesting that the subseismic faults and deformation band zones that are present in the reservoir have relatively small influence on the flow of gas in the reservoir.     

The role of rifting in the development of the continental margins of the southwest subbasin,South China Sea: Insights from an OBS experiment

The continental margins of the southwest subbasin in the South China Sea mark a unique transition from multi-stages magma-poor continental rifting to seafloor spreading. We used reflection and refraction profiles across the margins to investigate the rifting process of the crust. Combining with the other seismic profiles acquired earlier, we focused on the comparative geological interpretation from the result of multichannel seismic analysis and wide-angle seismic tomography. Our result provides the evidence of upper crustal layer with abundant fractures below the acoustic basement with a P-wave velocity from 4.0 to 5.5 km s^?1. It indicates extensive deformation of the brittle crust during the continental rifting and can make a good explanation for the observed extension discrepancy in the rift margins of the South China Sea. The seismic chronostratigraphic result shows the possibility of the intra-continental extension center stayed focused for quite a long time in Eocene. Additionally, our evidence suggested that continental margin of the southwest subbasin had experienced at least three rifting stages and the existence of the rigid blocks is an appropriate explanation to the asymmetric rifting of the South China Sea.     

Rifting of oceanic crust at Endeavor Deep on the Juan Fernandez microplate

The development of an anomalously deep rift appears to be a common characteristic of the evolution of microplates along the East Pacific Rise, including the Galapagos, Easter, and Juan Fernandez microplates. We investigate crustal rifting at Endeavor Deep on the Juan Fernandez microplate using bathymetry, gravity and side scan sonar data. An initial phase of lithospheric extension accompanied by extensive subsidence results in the formation of a very deep rift valley (up to 4 km of relief, 70 km long and 20 km wide). Morphological observations and gravity data derived from GEOSAT satellite altimetry show the subsequent initiation of crustal accretion and development of a mature spreading center. Recent models of the kinematics of microplate rotation allow the amount of opening across Endeavor Deep over the past 1 m.y. to be quantified. We develop a simple mechanical model of rifting involving block faulting and flexural response to explain the gravity signature over the rift valley. The Bouguer gravity anomaly is asymmetric with respect to the surface topography and requires that a shallow-dipping fault on the western wall of the valley dominate the extension at Endeavor Deep. Consideration of three similar microplate rift valleys leads us to suggest that asymmetric rifting is the characteristic process forming microplate deeps.