Foreland folding

In the northern foreland of the Alps lithospheric subplate boundaries such as the Rheingraben may be distinguished from structures developed by deformation of the main plate boundary (foreland folding in the strict sense). The latter consists of a very gentle lithospheric bulge (foreland trough and welt) of regional dimensions, and superposed smaller-scale features which are sometimes compressive (Jura) and sometimes extensive (normal faults in the eastern Molasse basin). An explanation is sought in the distribution of weak and strong masses under the Alps and their foreland; a pronounced intracrustal low-velocity cushion under the Alps, and various incompetent sedimentary layers under the foreland. As the subducted lithosphere below and the competent crust above the intracrustal cushion are affected by different boundary displacements, separate stress systems are set up for the two and are superposed in the foreland. Under some circumstances the bending stresses of the lithospheric bulge may predominate and cause extensional (normal) faulting, whereas under other circumstances compression of the supra-cushion crust may be the dominant influence and cause focal mechanisms typical for horizontal compression or, where there is a suitable decollement horizon, even thrusting and folding.     

南黄海中-新生代裂谷盆地构造-热演化:对成盆机制和烃源岩热演化的指示

基于Advanced McKenzie地球动力学模型和Easy%R_oDL化学动力学模型,建立了南黄海中-新生代（K₁3-Q）裂谷盆地的构造-热演化史,结合盆地深部壳幔结构、梳理周缘中-新生代板块汇聚与离散过程,讨论了该盆地低地热状态成因、成盆机制和烃源岩热演化.盆地地壳伸展系数约为1.22,岩石圈地幔伸展系数约为1.06;由裂陷期（K₁3-E₂）至今,最高热流值仅由约76 mW/m2降低至约66 mW/m2,最高地温梯度仅由约37 ℃/km降低至约30 ℃/km,首次揭示低地热状态贯穿整个裂谷盆地发育阶段.低岩石圈地幔伸展系数、深部非镜像莫霍面分布、盆地发育阶段仅处于弧后远场拉张应力环境,均指示成盆过程中深部伸展上涌强度低,是导致其持续低地热状态的根本原因,深部热应力不是其主要成盆动力来源;依据高地壳伸展系数和控盆拆离断层演化,认为印支-燕山期先存逆冲断裂复活形成壳间拆离体系,并以简单剪切变形方式控制裂谷盆地发育,是其根本成盆机制;南、北部坳陷烃源岩主排烃期为三垛组二段沉积时期,自渐新世构造反转后热演化终止,古埋深和古地温场条件共同控制现今南、北部坳陷相同深度烃源岩热成熟度差异.      

Subduction zone stresses: Constraints from mechanics and from topographic and geoid anomalies

There are, in principle, direct relations between several important phenomena associated with subduction zones: the depth of oceanic trenches, the magnitude of the net force from trenches acting on subducting plates, the distribution and fault plane orientations of earthquakes, the magnitude of stresses on subduction faults, the bathymetry of back-arc regions, and the magnitudes of gravity and geoid anomalies. These phenomena are related through the stresses transmitted through surface and subducted lithosphere, and are associated with the mass anomaly of the subducted lithosphere. Quantitative estimates suggest that observed trench depths imply a trench pull force on subducting plates which is comparable to the ridge push force but much less than the excess weight of the subducted lithospheric slab. It is further suggested that either the mass anomaly of subducted lithosphere is much less than would be expected on the basis of conventional thermal and compositional models or that (a) a large resistance acts on the upper part of slabs due to high-stress corner flow, and (b) the mass anomaly of the slab is 70–90% compensated either by a broad 1 km-deep back-arc depression or a low density mantle wedge above the slab or both.     

The state of stress at continental margins

Three sources of stress at active (Andean) continental margins are considered: body forces on the plates which drive their motion, thermal stresses generated within the cooling lithosphereand bending stresses due to the flexure of the lithosphere at an ocean trench. It is argued that the bending stresses dominate. The evolution of passive (Atlantictype) continental margins is also considered. Models for the free and locked flexure of the continental and oceanic lithosphere are given. Based on observed gravity anomalies, it is argued that the continental margin fault system must remain active throughout much of the evolution of the margin. These displacements accommodate both the subsidence of the oceanic lithosphere due to its cooling and thickeningand the sedimentary loading. This loading may be responsible for the seismicity on the eastern continental margin of the United States e.g., the Charleston, South Carolina earthquake of 1884.     

Stress concentration in the upper lithosphere caused by underlying visco-elastic creep

The implications of subdividing the lithosphere into upper elastic and lower viscoelastic layers are investigated by finite-element analysis. Application of uniform horizontal boundary stresses at the ends of a lithospheric plate leads to amplification of the stress in the elastic layer by a factor about equal to the ratio of lithospheric to elastic layer thicknesses, and the visco-elastic layer becomes nearly stress-free except near its ends. The time constant for approach to equilibrium is proportional to viscosity, being for our model 0.21 My for 10²³ N s m⁻², and there is some accompanying flexure of the lithosphere. Local variation in the thickness of the elastic layer causes inverse variation in the stress, in part explaining the stability of shield regions and the tectonic activity of hot plateau uplift regions. It is shown that stress amplification also occurs where the stresses arise from body forces such as differential loading and isostatic compensation across continental margins.     

Rheological behaviour of the crust in Southern Apennine (Italy): results from a thermal and seismological study

To add information on the brittle/ductile transition of the Southern Apennine, we investigated a rheological profile of the crust along a WSW–ENE‐oriented cross‐section running from Neapolitan Volcanic Zone to Apulia foreland. The rheological model was obtained computing a thermal modelling and constrained by a relocalization of earthquakes of the area. Results show that the area is characterized by horizontal rheological variations, with two horizons interlayered with ductile horizons, that are quite predominant with respect to vertical ones. The horizontal stratification of lithospheric rheology has important geodynamic consequence and could provide new insights to better understand the tectonic processes which have played a major role to construct the Southern Apennine belt. Results of this study suggested that well‐constrained rheological models, built integrating information from both relocated earthquakes and thermal state, could give important hints on the mechanical behaviour of the crust and its related tectonic processes.     

用玄武岩组成反演中-新生代华北岩石圈的演化

玄武岩的化学组成与地幔源区特征、部分熔融程度、地幔温度和岩石圈厚度等多个因素有关,因此可以用来反演深部地幔的演化。文中简要地阐述了用玄武岩组成获得岩石圈厚度及其变化的方法,并总结了有关华北中—新生代岩浆演化的两个最主要特征:(a)晚中生代岩浆活动经历了由早期的源自富集地幔的岩浆向后期亏损地幔起源岩浆的转变,而两个阶段为一岩浆间隙期(~10Ma)所分隔;(b)华北东、西部新生代玄武岩具有相反的碱性强度随时间的变化趋势。这些岩浆演化特征可以用岩石圈减薄过程中地幔地温梯度的逐渐升高、岩石圈地幔中富集组分在短时间内的不可再生以及岩石圈盖效应来解释。该认识为华北岩石圈减薄的时间尺度和机制以及减薄作用的时空不均一性提供了新的制约。     

A comparative study on energy balance and economical indices in irrigated and dry land barley production systems

This study was conducted to determine how energy balances and economical indices of barley production are affected by irrigated and dry land farming systems. Data were collected from 26 irrigated and 68 dry land barley farms. The complimentary data were collected through questionnaires filled by farmers in face-to-face interviews during 2010. The results indicated that total energy input for irrigated barley was 19,308.96 MJ ha^?1 and for dry land barley was 7,867.82. The non-renewable energy was about 66.83 and 71.02 % in irrigated and dry land systems while the renewable energy was 33.17 and 28.98 %, respectively. Energy use efficiency is energy output MJ ha^?1 divided by energy input MJ ha^?1. Energy use efficiency was 5.3 and 3.96 in dry land and irrigated systems, respectively. Although net return in the irrigated system (266.13$ ha^?1) was greater than that in the dry land system (208.64) but the benefit to cost ratio in irrigated system (1.38) was lower than that in the dry land system (1.58). Results showed that human labor as well as machinery energy inputs were the most important inputs influencing the dry land and irrigated barley production systems, respectively. The second important input in the irrigated barley was electricity (with 0.16) which was followed by water for irrigation and diesel fuel (0.14 and 0.13, respectively). In total energy consumption, the ratio of non-renewable energy was greater than that of renewable energy. Since the main non-renewable energy input was diesel, electricity, and chemical fertilizers; therefore, management and improvement in the application of these inputs would increase the proportion of renewable energy.     

The effects of a lateral variation in lithospheric strength on foredeep evolution: Implications for the East Carpathian foredeep

Lateral variations in lithospheric strength have been adopted often in flexural modeling (both 2D and 3D) to better fit the observed basement deflections, typically supported by gravity data. This approach provides essentially a “snap-shot” of the role of lithosphere strength in determining the present day geometry.In contrast, we investigate and quantify the effects of a lateral change in lithospheric strength on the evolution of the foredeep in front of an advancing orogen. Transitions in lithospheric strength are common in the foreland of orogens and show large variations in the width of the transition zone and the strength difference. Former passive margins, for instance, will display strength changes distributed over several tens to hundreds of kilometers. Other transitions may originate from juxtaposition or accretion of pieces of lithosphere with different properties and may be characterized by a much smaller width than former passive margins.In our modeling, a constant load, representing an advancing orogenic belt, is displaced towards and across a transition from a weak to a strong plate in a 2D elastic thin plate model. The effect of different transition widths and strength contrasts on foredeep geometry and bending stress is investigated. Interference of flexural wavelengths across the transition affects foredeep geometry by causing rapid basin widening, oscillation of the bulge and volume increase. The bending stresses are found to concentrate and amplify around the strength transition. Large transition gradients, i.e. large strength contrast or small transition width, cause the highest rates of change.Basin widening caused by the orogenic load advancing towards the transition between the East European Craton and the Moesian Platform, appears to control the Sarmatian transgression over the East Carpathian foreland in Romania.     

Vertical tectonic movements of the crust in transform fracture zones of the Central Atlantic

The most significant vertical movements of the oceanic crust in the Central Atlantic are characteristic of transverse ridges confined to transform fracture zones. These movements are also recorded in some local depressions of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) and in older structures of deep-sea basins. The amplitude of such movements substantially exceeds that related to the cooling of lithospheric plates. Vertical movements can be driven by various factors: the thermal effect of a heated young MAR segment upon a cold plate, thermal stress, thermal energy released by friction in the course of displacement of fault walls relative to each other, serpentinization of the upper mantle rocks in the transform fault zone, and lateral compression and extension. The alternation of compression and extension that arises because of the nonparallel boundaries of the transform fracture zone and the unstable configuration of the rift/fracture zone junction was the main factor responsible for the formation of the transverse ridge in the Romanche Fracture Zone. The most probable cause of the vertical rise of the southern transverse ridge in the Vema Fracture Zone is the change in the spreading direction. In general, the fracture zones with active segments more than 100 km long are characterized by extension and compression oriented perpendicularly to the main displacement and related to slight changes in the spreading configuration. It is impossible to single out ambiguously the causes of vertical movements in particular structural features. In most cases, the vertical movements are controlled by several factors, while the main role belongs to the lateral compressive and tensile stresses that appear owing to changes in the movement of lithospheric blocks in the course of MAR spreading.     

Thermal stresses in borehole heat exchangers

The backfilling materials of borehole heat exchangers (BHE), particularly the grout material, must provide a suitable thermal contact and ensure durability to the induced thermal stresses because of the heat loading. In this paper, the thermal stresses that occurred in BHEs because of heat injection or extraction is investigated with an analytical solution of a hollow cylinder model that is adapted for time‐dependent heat loading, the geometry of a BHE, and the thermo‐mechanical properties of surrounding ground conditions. Firstly, the hollow cylinder model is solved with the considered boundary conditions in 2D plane stress. Secondly, the temperature differences at the inner and outer circles of the cylinder are evaluated with the heat line source models for continuous and discontinuous loading to observe the impact of the heat loading schedule. The developed analytical solution for thermal stress investigation is validated with numerical models. It is demonstrated that the analytical solutions agree well with numerical results for two types of BHE configurations (co‐axial and single U‐shaped pipes). Furthermore, the calculated maximum stresses are compared with the tensile strength of grout materials obtained from Brazilian tests. It is predicted that the thermal contraction of the grout, partially constrained by the surrounding rock, generates tensile stresses that may lead to cracking in the BHE. According to the results, the stiffness of rock has a primary role on the developed tensile stresses, and the relationship between the thermal conductivity of the ground and of the grout induces a proportional impact on the magnitude of thermal stresses. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Buckling stability of a viscous single-layer system,oblique to the principal compression

A new theory is developed for single-layer buckling, where the layer is not parallel to the principal stresses. The model chosen consists of a single layer with Newtonian viscosity η embedded in an infinite matrix of viscosity η₁. The layer lies at an angle θ to the bulk principal compressive stress in the embedding medium. It is deformed in equal-area plane strain, with the direction of no strain and the third principal bulk stress, parallel to the layer; hence the obliqueness to the principal stresses is only in two dimensions. It is shown that stress refraction is a necessary condition for this system, and an expression is derived for its value in terms of η, η₁ and θ. Buckling stability equations are completely developed which satisfy the Navier-Stokes equilibrium equations for the buckling layer, and the condition of stress continuity at the layer-embedding medium interface. The dominant wavelength of the buckles is shown to be independent of θ, but the stress required increases with θ.The results of this work have an important bearing on natural folds, since there is no evidence that rock layers are initially parallel to the stresses which fold them, an assumption made in former buckling theories. It is suggested that refraction of stresses and the resulting incremental strains gives rise to the finite structure of cleavage refraction so common in deformed rocks, and that the progressive development of folds in layers oblique to the principal bulk stresses gives rise to asymmetry.     

Regional stress field as determined from electromagnetic radiation in a tunnel

The paper presents the results of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) measurements in the Feuerberg tunnel in southwest Germany. EMR is associated with small scale fracturing processes. The measured numbers of EMR impulses are shown to be proportional to shear stresses. From the correlation of EMR and shear stresses along the long axis of the tunnel, orientations and magnitudes of the horizontal principal stresses are determined. The major horizontal principal stress is 3.6±0.3 MPa and has an azimuth of 143±6°. The minor principal horizontal stress is 2.1±0.3 MPa. Zones in the tunnel are located where low shear stresses occur because vertical overburden and horizontal stresses are equal. In these zones also minimum radiation was detected. A possible stress accumulation close to a fault is suggested by higher EMR values in a part of the tunnel. Orientations and magnitudes of the horizontal principal stresses, which are derived from the measurements of EMR, correlate well with conventional stress measurements. It is suggested that the cross-section measuring method described in the study is used to determine regional stress fields as well as to investigate endangered zones with high stresses in underground facilities, which may be critical with regard to stability.     

Evolution of the European Cenozoic Rift System: interaction of the Alpine and Pyrenean orogens with their foreland lithosphere

The evolution of the European Cenozoic Rift System (ECRIS) and the Alpine orogen is discussed on the base of a set of palaeotectonic maps and two retro-deformed lithospheric transects which extend across the Western and Central Alps and the Massif Central and the Rhenish Massif, respectively.During the Paleocene, compressional stresses exerted on continental Europe by the evolving Alps and Pyrenees caused lithospheric buckling and basin inversion up to 1700 km to the north of the Alpine and Pyrenean deformation fronts. This deformation was accompanied by the injection of melilite dykes, reflecting a plume-related increase in the temperature of the asthenosphere beneath the European foreland. At the Paleocene–Eocene transition, compressional stresses relaxed in the Alpine foreland, whereas collisional interaction of the Pyrenees with their foreland persisted. In the Alps, major Eocene north-directed lithospheric shortening was followed by mid-Eocene slab- and thrust-loaded subsidence of the Dauphinois and Helvetic shelves. During the late Eocene, north-directed compressional intraplate stresses originating in the Alpine and Pyrenean collision zones built up and activated ECRIS.At the Eocene–Oligocene transition, the subducted Central Alpine slab was detached, whereas the West-Alpine slab remained attached to the lithosphere. Subsequently, the Alpine orogenic wedge converged northwestward with its foreland. The Oligocene main rifting phase of ECRIS was controlled by north-directed compressional stresses originating in the Pyrenean and Alpine collision zones.Following early Miocene termination of crustal shortening in the Pyrenees and opening of the oceanic Provençal Basin, the evolution of ECRIS was exclusively controlled by west- and northwest-directed compressional stresses emanating from the Alps during imbrication of their external massifs. Whereas the grabens of the Massif Central and the Rhône Valley became inactive during the early Miocene, the Rhine Rift System remained active until the present. Lithospheric folding controlled mid-Miocene and Pliocene uplift of the Vosges-Black Forest Arch. Progressive uplift of the Rhenish Massif and Massif Central is mainly attributed to plume-related thermal thinning of the mantle-lithosphere.ECRIS evolved by passive rifting in response to the build-up of Pyrenean and Alpine collision-related compressional intraplate stresses. Mantle-plume-type upwelling of the asthenosphere caused thermal weakening of the foreland lithosphere, rendering it prone to deformation.     

中国东部岩石圈减薄研究中的几个问题

中国东部岩石圈减薄是近 10年来国内外研究的热门课题 ,但关于岩石圈减薄的具体时间、机制及其构造控制因素 ,多有争论。根据目前的研究资料 ,文中对上述问题进行了全面的讨论。初步认为该岩石圈减薄发生在晚中生代 ,且在 12 0～ 130Ma的早白垩世达到高潮。综合分析认为 ,岩石圈的减薄与东侧太平洋板块的俯冲有关 ,即大洋板块的俯冲作用导致岩石圈加厚 ,进而发生岩石圈拆沉。Os同位素资料显示 ,由地幔橄榄岩包体所反映的新生代岩石圈地幔具有年轻性质 ,与古生代时的岩石圈地幔截然不同。因此笔者认为 ,中国东部现今的岩石圈地幔并不是减薄后的残留 ,它表明中生代时 ,岩石圈地幔和部分下地壳一起通过拆沉作用而沉入软流圈地幔 ,由此而导致软流圈地幔与地壳的直接接触。幔源岩浆的底侵及软流圈对地壳的直接加热作用 ,使上覆地壳发生大规模的岩浆和成矿作用 ,并导致中国东部中生代时期伸展构造的广泛发育。     

On the role of heat flow, lithosphere thickness and lithosphere density on gravitational potential stresses

Gravitational potential stresses (GPSt) are known to play a first-order role in the state of stress of the Earth's lithosphere. Previous studies focussed mainly on crust elevation and structure and little attention has been paid to modelling GPSt using realistic lithospheric structures. The aim of the present contribution is to quantify gravitational potential energies and stresses associated with stable lithospheric domains. In order to model realistic lithosphere structures, a wide variety of data are considered: surface heat flow, chemical depletion of mantle lithosphere, crustal thickness and elevation. A numerical method is presented which involves classical steady-state heat equations to derive lithosphere thickness, geotherm and density distribution, but additionally requires the studied lithosphere to be isostatically compensated at its base. The impact of varying surface and crustal heat flow, topography, Moho depth and crust density on the signs and magnitudes of predicted GPSt is systematically explored. In clear contrast with what is assumed in most previous studies, modelling results show that the density structure of the mantle lithosphere has a significant impact on the value of the predicted GPSt, in particular in the case of thick lithospheres. Using independent information from the literature, the method was applied to get insights in the state of stress of continental domains with contrasting tectono-thermal ages. The modelling results suggest that in the absence of tectonic stresses Phanerozoic and Proterozoic lithospheres are spontaneously submitted to compression whereas Archean lithospheres are in a neutral to slightly tensile stress state. These findings are in general in good agreement with global stress measurements and observed geoid undulations.     

Possible mechanism of horizontal overpressure generation of the Khibiny,Lovozero, and Kovdor ore clusters on the Kola Peninsula

The paper discusses questions related to the generation of increasing crustal horizontal compressive stresses compared to the idea of the standard gravitational state at the elastic stage or even from the prevalence of horizontal compression over vertical stress equal to the lithostatic pressure. We consider a variant of superfluous horizontal compression related to internal lithospheric processes occurrin in the crust of orogens, shields, and plates. The vertical ascending movements caused by these motions at the sole of the crust or the lithosphere pertain to these and the concomitant exogenic processes giving rise to denudation and, in particular, to erosion of the surfaces of forming rises. The residual stresses of the gravitational stressed state at the upper crust of the Kola Peninsula have been estimated for the first time. These calculations are based on the volume of sediments that have been deposited in Arctic seas beginning from the Mesozoic. The data speak to the possible level of residual horizontal compressive stresses up to 90 MPa in near-surface crustal units. This estimate is consistent with the results of in situ measurements that have been carried out at the Mining Institute of the Kola Science Center, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), for over 40 years. It is possible to forecast the horizontal stress gradient based on depth using our concept on the genesis of horizontal overpressure, and this forecasting is important for studying the formation of endogenic deposits.     

青藏高原移动冰丘引起输油管道拱曲的数值模拟

青藏高原北部常年冻土区沿活动断裂发育有移动冰丘,其对输油管道、桥梁、涵洞等工程设施具有破坏作用。应用ANSYS有限元通用程序,对移动冰丘引起的输油管道的破坏进行了三维非线性有限元数值模拟计算,揭示了移动冰丘冻胀产生的应力场、位移场与塑性变形,给出了移动冰丘冻胀导致输油管道拱曲变形及应力分布。移动冰丘导致输油管道拱曲变形,在管道内部产生的应力超过管道的强度,使管道产生塑性弯曲变形和破坏,导致输油管道局部报废。移动冰丘导致输油管道拱曲变形的三维有限元数值模拟能够为管道工程设计和地质灾害防治提供依据。在数值模拟的基础上,提出了灾害防治措施。     

构造差应力与构造附加静水压力关系研究

构造差应力究竟能够产生多大的附加静水压力在地学界一直有很大争议。本文通过大别山东端郯庐韧性剪切带中糜棱岩的构造差应力测量和同构造新生白云母的电子探针分析,对这一科学问题进行了初步探讨。对该断裂带12个糜棱岩样品进行了20次构造差应力测量,获得了114.6~149.6MPa的差应力值;对同构造新生白云母的电子探针分析获得岩石的形成时的围压为291.7~531.3MPa。通过构造差应力与岩石围压的对比分析,笔者认为岩石中的“构造超压”并不完全是构造差应力产生的附加静水压力造成的,还应包括了岩石中流体压力的贡献。在中-上地壳,附加静水压力主要由流体压力构成;而在下地壳和岩石圈深部,岩石的构造超压主要来自于由构造差应力产生的附加静水压力。但由于岩石圈深部构造差应力的急剧减小,产生的构造附加静水压力对围岩的贡献量极小,并不能使超高压岩石的形成深度明显变浅。     

Did hot,high heat-producing granites determine the location of the Oslo Rift?

The Late Carboniferous–Early Permian Oslo Rift formed in apparently cold, stable lithosphere of the Fennoscandian Shield in a tensional stress regime widely documented in Northwest Europe at that time. The Rift formed obliquely to older, crustal structures that display only limited Permian reactivation, and, although numerical modelling suggests that the present-day lithospheric structure would serve to focus tensional stresses in the Oslo region, the assumption that no lithospheric evolution has occurred since the Palaeozoic is by no means obvious. Here, I show that, up to 5 km thick, regional-scale Late- to Post-Sveconorwegian granites in the vicinity of the Oslo Rift, with heat-production rates averaging ca. 5 μW/m³, nearly three times higher than the surrounding Sveconorwegian gneisses, would have increased the temperature in the lower crust and lithospheric mantle by up to 100 °C, resulting in significant thermal weakening of the lithosphere in this area. Given a tensional stress regime, weakening by these high heat-producing element granites would have made the Oslo area a favoured site for passive rifting and may have been a first-order parameter locating rifting to this part of the Fennoscandian Shield. The thermo-rheological effects of such granites must be considered along with other factors in future models of initial rift mechanisms in the Oslo Rift, and probably in other rifts elsewhere.