Sedimentology of a Late Quaternary lacustrine record from the south-eastern Carpathian Basin

The Upper Pleistocene geoarchives in the south-eastern Carpathian Basin are represented predominantly by loess–palaeosol records. In 2015, a 10 m sediment core composed of clay-rich lacustrine sediments was recovered by vibracoring a dry lake basin located between the Vršac Mountains (Serbia) and the Banat Sands in the south-eastern Carpathian Basin; a location relevant for placing regional archaeological results in a palaeoenvironmental context. Here, we present results from geoelectrical prospection and a lithostratigraphic interpretation of this sequence supported by a detailed granulometric study supplemented by ostracod analysis. An age model based on luminescence dating is discussed against sedimentological proxy data and its implication for palaeoenvironmental change. The cores show a stratigraphy of lighter ochre-coloured and darker greyish sediment, related to the deposition of clay and silt trapped in an aquatic environment. Geophysical measurements show ~20 m thick lacustrine sediments. The grain-size distributions including the variability in fine clay are indicative of a lacustrine environment. Fine particles were brought into the depositional environments by aquatic input and settled from suspension; also, direct dust input is constrained by grain-size results. Riverine input and aeolian dust input interplayed at the locality.     

Contemporary state of stress and neotectonic deformation in the Carpathian-Pannonian region

The Carpathian-Pannonian region has been characterized by a two-stage tectonic evolution since the beginning of the Neogene. During early and mid-Miocene the lateral eastward escape of the Pannonian Fragment caused thrusting and folding in the Outer Carpathian Mountains, south- and westward directed subduction of the Eurasian lithosphere, calc-alkaline volcanism along the Inner Carpathian bend, and localized fault-controlled subsidence of basins in the Pannonian region. This style of tectonic deformation ceased by the end of the mid-Miocene. The neotectonic stage began in the late Miocene. It is characterized by differential regional subsidence with maximum rates in the west and east and minimum rates in the centre of the Pannonian Basin. Further characteristics of the central Pannonian Basin are the anomalous high heat flow values, the thin crust and lithosphere. The neotectonic stress field has been determined by in situ stress measurements, the analyses of borehole breakouts and fault-plane solutions of earthquakes. In situ stress measurements by the doorstopper and triaxial strain cell methods indicate high compressional stresses in the western Pannonian Basin with its maximum in WNW-ESE to NW-SE direction. In contrast to its western part, the central Pannonian Basin shows tensional stresses near the Earth's surface with maximum tension in the same WNW-ESE direction. Borehole breakout data indicate a general WNW-ESE orientation of maximum horizontal stress in the western part of the Pannonian Basin and in the eastern part as well, whereas in the central Pannonian Basin this direction is the preferred azimuth of minimum horizontal stress. It is suggested that the neotectonic deformations and stresses in the Carpathian-Pannonian region have a sublithospheric origin. Asthenospheric convection with an upwelling mantle flow below the centre of the Pannonian Basin and downwelling flows along the cold lithospheric roots below the eastern Carpathians and the Alps seems to be most plausible. Accordingly, the relative uplift of the central Pannonian Basin, the high heat flow and also the tensional stresses are explained as the surface expression of an upstreaming branch of a localized convection cell below the Pannonian Basin.     

Foraminiferal record of marine transgression during deposition of the Middle Miocene Badenian evaporites in Central Paratethys (Borków section,Polish Carpathian Foredeep)

Benthic and planktonic foraminifera from a marly clay intercalation sandwiched between mid‐Badenian (Middle Miocene) gypsum deposited in an environment of an evaporitic shoal (<1 m deep) at Borków (southern Poland) indicate a major marine flooding event in the previously isolated Carpathian Foredeep Basin (Central Paratethys). After this very short‐term environmental change, benthic foraminifers started to colonize a new niche which was previously defaunated, and the pattern of benthic foraminiferal colonization is similar to that related to the reflooding which terminated the Badenian evaporite deposition. The benthic foraminifer assemblages are composed of pioneer, opportunistic, r‐selected species dominated by elphidiids. The connection of the Carpathian Foredeep Basin with the marine reservoir was short‐lived. The marly clay intercalations in evaporite sequences originating in bared basins can thus register major environmental changes.     

Pleistocene evolution of the Danube in the Carpathian Basin

The present-day drainage system of the Carpathian Basin originates from the gradual regression of the last marine transgression (brackish Pannonian Sea). The flow directions of the rivers including the Danube, are determined by the varying rates and locations of subsidence within the region. The Danube, which forms the main axis of the drainage network, first filled the depression of the Little Plain Lake and then, further southward, the Slavonian Lake. From the end of the Pliocene, the crustal movements which caused the uplift of the Transdanubian Mountains, forced the Danube to flow in an easterly direction, towards the antecedent Visegrid Gorge, and into the subsiding basins of the Great Plain. Climatic changes during the Pleistocene had the effect of forming up to seven fluvial terraces. The uplift of the mountains is demonstrated by the deformation of the terraces, while the subsidence of the Plains is proven by an accumulation of several hundred metres of sediment. The river only occupied its present position south of Budapest in the latest Pleistocene.     

Dust deposition and climate in the Carpathian Basin over an independently dated last glacial–interglacial cycle

Loess in the Carpathian Basin is some of the thickest and most complete in Europe. Located in the Vojvodina region of the southern Carpathian Basin the Crvenka loess-palaeosol section appears to preserve a detailed climate proxy archive of the last glacial–interglacial cycle. Central to the interpretation of the site is a detailed and independent age model. Here, the results of detailed optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating and elevated temperature post-IR infrared stimulated luminescence (post-IR IRSL) dating are presented. Quartz OSL ages appear accurate to about 50–60 ka, where 2D₀ values are reached, while elevated temperature post-IR IRSL yields more accurate ages below this. In line with recent results, the latter signal appears to show negligible fading rates. Two age models are developed that combine (a) OSL and post-IR IRSL ages and (b) OSL ages and ‘expected’ ages from tying unit boundaries to the marine record. If the luminescence model is regarded as accurate, differences between this and the OSL/marine age model raise questions over the accuracy of the latter, as well as the processes controlling the zeroing of luminescence dates. The luminescence based age model is then used to derive the first fully independent reconstruction of climate proxies and accumulation rates from Carpathian loess. Such reconstructions can be used to compare to other independent records without assumptions inherent in correlation-based approaches. The findings demonstrate how variable accumulation rate is at the site, and compared to other independently dated Carpathian loess records. Average values vary north–south but are of similar order throughout the basin. Accumulation rate was highest during the later part of the last glacial, but variation on millennial timescales does not always match shifts in grain-size, suggesting diverse and complex influences. Environmental reconstructions using grain-size and magnetic susceptibility show that no one atmospheric system or air mass can explain the changes in the Carpathian Basin and that millennial-scale variability can only intermittently be tied to North Atlantic Heinrich events. Expanded ice sheets during the peak last glacial, combined with other atmospheric teleconnections, may have served to develop a strong anticyclone in the region. It was likely windier during earlier parts of the last glacial, but Atlantic and Mediterranean moisture was probably less abundant than during more humid interglacials.     

Polyphase tectonic subsidence evolution of the Vienna Basin inferred from quantitative subsidence analysis of the northern and central parts

International Journal of Earth Sciences - The Vienna Basin is a tectonically complex Neogene basin situated at the Alpine–Carpathian transition. This study analyzes a detailed quantification...     

Restriction function of lithology and its composite structure to deformation and failure of mining coal seam floor

We examined spatial distribution characteristics of extreme hydrological events in Xinjiang, China, using district data from 1901 to 2010. Frequency distribution showed a general symmetry along the Tianshan Mountains, with even distribution in Junggar Basin and Tarim Basin. Frequency was more in the north-west than in the south-east. The maximum incidence was in west Tianshan Mountains and generally decreased south-eastward. There were significant regional variations in type distribution. Rainstorm floods were more common in central Xinjiang. Hailstorms mainly occurred in the central Junggar Basin, the southern slope of the western Tianshan Mountains and north-west of Tarim Basin. Debris flow was mainly distributed in Ili Valley and the central northern Tianshan Mountains. Glacier lake outburst floods were more common in the Karakorum Mountains and southern slopes of the western Tianshan Mountains. Ice floods were mainly distributed in the western Tianshan Mountains. Snow hazards were mainly distributed in the wide northern areas, especially the Altai Mountains and Hamilton Basin. Snowmelt floods were mainly distributed in the Tacheng Basin and Ili Valley. The incidence of extreme hydrological events was greatly affected by weather systems and terrain features.     

The Wieliczka Salt Mine

Just a few kilometres south of Cracow, in southern Poland, the scenery changes abruptly from the fluvial plain of the Vistula river, mantled by tills and loess deposits of the Pleistocene glaciation, to a boldly undulating topography representing the outermost thrust sheet of the Carpathian mountains. These northern foothills of the Carpathians are known in Poland as the Beskid Mountains. The Carpathian thrust front can be traced from Upper Silesia through Cracow and Przemysl in southern Poland as far as the Ukraine and Romania. At several places along the thrust front, salt deposits have been found, which have been mined over many centuries. One of the best known mines is located at Wieliczka, 15 km south-east of Cracow. The mine is a popular tourist location, but it also illustrates some spectacular geological features.     

塔里木盆地与南天山的耦合关系:来自(U-Th)/He年龄的新证据

塔里木盆地与南天山构造-沉积耦合关系是目前国内地质研究的热点之一。文中首次利用盆地内钻井样品的磷灰石和锆石(U-Th)/He年龄探讨了塔里木盆地与南天山构造-沉积耦合关系。塔北隆起He年龄为15～3Ma的磷灰石和锆石来自于南天山,热史模拟结果揭示了南天山在晚中新世开始快速抬升的时间约为15Ma,一直持续到5Ma左右。在此基础上,建立了南天山与塔里木盆地北缘新近纪的构造-沉积耦合关系演化模式。晚中新世,南天山开始快速隆升遭受剥蚀,而塔里木盆地北缘剧烈沉降接受来自南天山的沉积物。盆地内的磷灰石和锆石He年龄有效地记录了这些地质信息,为盆-山耦合关系研究提供了新证据。     

Seismic crustal structure between the Transylvanian Basin and the Black Sea, Romania

In order to study the lithospheric structure in Romania a 450 km long WNW–ESE trending seismic refraction project was carried out in August/September 2001. It runs from the Transylvanian Basin across the East Carpathian Orogen and the Vrancea seismic region to the foreland areas with the very deep Neogene Focsani Basin and the North Dobrogea Orogen on the Black Sea. A total of ten shots with charge sizes 300–1500 kg were recorded by over 700 geophones. The data quality of the experiment was variable, depending primarily on charge size but also on local geological conditions. The data interpretation indicates a multi-layered structure with variable thicknesses and velocities. The sedimentary stack comprises up to 7 layers with seismic velocities of 2.0–5.9 km/s. It reaches a maximum thickness of about 22 km within the Focsani Basin area. The sedimentary succession is composed of (1) the Carpathian nappe pile, (2) the post-collisional Neogene Transylvanian Basin, which covers the local Late Cretaceous to Paleogene Tarnava Basin, (3) the Neogene Focsani Basin in the foredeep area, which covers autochthonous Mesozoic and Palaeozoic sedimentary rocks as well as a probably Permo-Triassic graben structure of the Moesian Platform, and (4) the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic rocks of the North Dobrogea Orogen. The underlying crystalline crust shows considerable thickness variations in total as well as in its individual subdivisions, which correlate well with the Tisza-Dacia, Moesian and North Dobrogea crustal blocks. The lateral velocity structure of these blocks along the seismic line remains constant with about 6.0 km/s along the basement top and 7.0 km/s above the Moho. The Tisza-Dacia block is about 33 to 37 km thick and shows low velocity zones in its uppermost 15 km, which are presumably due to basement thrusts imbricated with sedimentary successions related to the Carpathian Orogen. The crystalline crust of Moesia does not exceed 25 km and is covered by up to 22 km of sedimentary rocks. The North Dobrogea crust reaches a thickness of about 44 km and is probably composed of thick Eastern European crust overthrusted by a thin 1–2 km thick wedge of the North Dobrogea Orogen.     

Re-analysis of late Quaternary dust mass accumulation rates in Serbia using new luminescence chronology for loess–palaeosol sequence at Surduk

Despite numerous palaeoenvironmental investigations of loess–palaeosol sequences across the Carpathian Basin, well-dated high-resolution records are scarce. This paper presents a new high-resolution chronology for the loess-palaeosol sequence at Surduk (Serbia), based on optically stimulated luminescence (quartz) and post-infrared infrared stimulated luminescence (polymineral) dating. The presented record spans 53–19 ka, with primary loess deposition occurring after 52±2 ka, and differs from previously published chronologies that relied on less precise and now superseded dating protocols. Based on the new chronology, mass accumulation rates (MARs) for Surduk were constructed and compared with sites in the Carpathian Basin. The results demonstrate that accumulation periods across this area are not consistent in timing or rates. The high-resolution dating strategy identifies a disturbance in sediment deposition that occurred after 45±2 ka and implies that site contains a hiatus. Finally, we show samples that failed routine dose recovery and preheat plateau tests, and had low fast ratios. Supported by bulk sample geochemical analysis it is proposed that a potential abrupt source shift, during the Last Glacial Maximum, may be the cause of the anomalous luminescence behaviour.     

Topographic evolution of the Tianshan Mountains and their relation to the Junggar and Turpan Basins,Central Asia,from the Permian to the Neogene

The modern Tianshan Mountains and their surrounding basins have mainly been shaped by the far field effects of the Cenozoic India-Asia collision. However, precollision topographic evolution of the Tianshan Mountains and its impacts on the Junggar and Turpan Basins remain unclear due to the scarcity of data. Detrital zircon U-Pb dating of 14 new and 23 published samples from Permian to Neogene strata in the northern Western Tianshan Mountains, northern and southern Bogda Mountains and Central Turpan Basin, are combined with sedimentary characteristics (lithofacies, petrofacies and paleocurrent data) to investigate the temporal and spatial changes in sediment provenances. Based on the age characteristics of the source rocks in the Tianshan Mountains, the detrital zircons are divided into three groups: pre-Carboniferous zircons, mainly from the Central Tianshan Mountains; Carboniferous to Permian zircons, mainly from the North Tianshan and Bogda Mountains; and Mesozoic zircons, mainly from syn-depositional volcanic activity. The topographic evolution of the Tianshan Mountains and their relation to the Junggar and Turpan Basins can be generally divided into six stages. (1) Positive-relief Tianshan and Bogda Mountains and a rifted marine basin formed during the Early Permian to early Middle Permian following late Carboniferous orogenesis, as evidenced by interbedded alluvial fan conglomerates and postcollisional extension-related volcanic rocks along the basin margins, by marine deposits far from the basin margins and by the predominance of Carboniferous to Permian detrital zircons. (2) Fluvial to lacustrine deposits in the modern southern Junggar and Turpan Basins are characterized by abundant pre-Carboniferous zircons and consistently northward-flowing paleocurrents, indicating the submergence of the Bogda Mountains and a contiguous Junggar-Turpan continental depression basin during the late Middle Permian to the Triassic. (3) The Bogda Mountains began to uplift in the Early Jurassic, resulting in opposing paleocurrent directions, a sudden increase in sedimentary lithic detritus and the dominance of Carboniferous to Permian detrital zircons along the southern and northern margins of this range. (4) In contrast to the uplift of the Bogda Mountains, the other parts of the Tianshan Mountains experienced gradual peneplanation from the Early Jurassic to the Middle Jurassic, as confirmed by widespread fluvial to lacustrine deposits, even inside the modern Tianshan Mountains, and by the dominance of pre-Carboniferous detrital zircons. (5) The dominance of Carboniferous to Permian zircons in the southern Junggar Basin suggests the West Tianshan Mountains were uplifted during the Late Jurassic, while the dominance of pre-Carboniferous zircons in the Central Turpan Basin indicates continuous peneplanation in the Eastern Tianshan Mountains. (6) The initial shape of the Tianshan Mountains-Junggar Basin-Turpan Basin system was constructed in the Late Jurassic but was modified in the Cenozoic by the India-Asia collision, resulting in much higher Western Tianshan and Bogda Mountains, low Eastern Tianshan Mountains and well-developed foreland basins. These Cenozoic changes were recorded by the rapid cooling of apatites, the dominance of Carboniferous to Permian zircons in the southern Junggar Basin and northern Turpan Basin, and the dominance of pre-Carboniferous zircons in the Central Turpan Basin.     

准噶尔盆地南缘中-新生界沉积物重矿物分析与盆山格局演化

本文通过分析准噶尔盆地南缘野外剖面、部分钻井岩心和天山内部野外剖面的碎屑重矿物及其组合特征,探讨了准噶尔盆地中-新生代物源体系和盆山格局的演化。准噶尔盆地南缘至少存在3个物源体系,各物源体系的重矿物组合、含量及其反映的物源属性均存在较大差异;其中,南部天山物源还存在东、西两部的差异。不同重矿物组合出现和不稳定重矿物的增加显示中-新生代存在3个构造活动相对活跃期,即晚侏罗世—早白垩世早期、晚白垩世和晚新生代。早-中侏罗世天山内部发育多个分隔的小型盆地,盆地南部边界至少位于后峡附近,不存在地理分隔明显的天山;晚侏罗世—早白垩世早期是天山隆升、盆山格局发生转变的时期,博格达山逐渐构成盆地南缘的又一重要物源;白垩纪—古近纪盆山格局变化不大,新近纪以来的强烈挤压构造背景使得天山山脉快速隆升,盆山格局发生重大改变。准噶尔盆地南缘中-新生代构造相对活跃期和盆山格局演变与欧亚板块南缘发生的构造事件具有良好的对应关系。     

新疆主要铅锌矿床类型及成矿规律

层控铅锌矿床是新疆最重要的铅锌矿床类型,已知大中型矿床均属此类型.铅锌矿床主要分布在阿尔泰山南缘、中天山和塔里木陆块(盆地)西缘3条重要成矿带上,特别是阿尔泰南缘和塔里木陆块西缘是新疆大中型铅锌矿床最重要的2个集中分布区.     

THERMAL STRUCTURE OF LITHOSPHERE IN THE QAIDAM BASIN, NORTHEAST QINGHAI-TIBET PLATEAU

THERMAL STRUCTURE OF LITHOSPHERE IN THE QAIDAM BASIN, NORTHEAST QINGHAI-TIBET PLATEAU     

2.5D seismic velocity modelling in the south-eastern Romanian Carpathians Orogen and its foreland

The DACIA-PLAN (Danube and Carpathian Integrated Action on Processes in the Lithosphere and Neotectonics) deep seismic reflection survey was performed in August–September 2001, with the objective of obtaining new information on the deep structure of the external Carpathians nappe system and the architecture of the Tertiary/Quaternary basins developed within and adjacent to the Vrancea zone, including the rapidly subsiding Focsani Basin. The DACIA-PLAN profile is about 140 km long, having a roughly WNW–ESE direction, from near the southeast Transylvanian Basin, across the mountainous south-eastern Carpathians and their foreland to near the Danube River. A high resolution 2.5D velocity model of the upper crust along the seismic profile has been determined from a tomographic inversion of the DACIA-PLAN first arrival data. The results show that the data fairly accurately resolve the transition from sediment to crystalline basement beneath the Focsani Basin, where industry seismic data are available for correlation, at depths up to about 10 km. Beneath the external Carpathians nappes, apparent basement (material with velocities above 5.8 km/s) lies at depths as shallow as 3–4 km, which is less than previously surmised on the basis of geological observations. The first arrival travel-time data suggest that there is significant lateral structural heterogeneity on the apparent basement surface in this area, suggesting that the high velocity material may be involved in Carpathian thrusting.     

Changes in annual temperature extremes in the Carpathians since AD 1961

The Carpathian Mountains region cover areas from seven countries of central and southeastern Europe, the mountain chain having major regional influences on the temperate climate, specific to latitudes between 43°N and 49°N. In order to identify changes in the annual temperature extremes, the Mann–Kendall nonparametric trend test has been applied to several thermal indices, recommended by the expert team on climate change detection and indices. The indices were computed from gridded daily datasets of minimum and maximum temperature at 0.1° resolution (~10 km), available online within the framework of the project CarpatClim (climate of the Carpathian region) for the period 1961–2010. The results show decreasing trends in cold-related indices, especially in the number of frost days, and increasing trends in warm-related ones. The trend patterns are consistent over the region, i.e., there are no mixed trends for a given index. Regional differences in climate extreme trends within the Carpathian region are related to altitude, rather than latitude. The number of summer days is increasing over the entire area, while the number of tropical nights presents upward trends mainly at lower elevations. The Warm Spell Duration Index presents upward trends over 60 % of the region. The (annual) East Atlantic pattern shows strong correlations with the warm-related indices. Our results are in agreement with previous temperature-related studies in the region.     

The Vrancea earthquake of March 4, 1977 — a multiple seismic event and its seismotectonic implications

A study concerning the multiplicity character of Vrancea earthquake of March 4, 1977 based on records of the Romanian seismic network is presented. Four separate shocks within a 9 s interval were recognized of which three with M = 6.0–6.9. Some explanations regarding the macroseismic intensity are made. Also analysed are the shaking duration, the influence of the Carpathian Mountains on the shape of the isoseismal curves and the focal mechanism for the first two main shocks.     

中新世以来吕梁山及邻区构造——沉积演化

裂变径迹研究显示中新世早期(23±3Ma)现今吕梁山及周缘地区发生了一次整体性快速隆升。中新世晚期(约8Ma前),吕梁山前、鄂尔多斯盆地及东部宁武—沁水盆地结束了长期剥蚀历史,开始广泛接受新生代沉积。沉积物的垂向叠置关系及横向展布特征显示:8.35～6.7Ma为吕梁山快速差异隆升期,在山前(东西两侧)堆积了冲积扇相芦子沟组砾岩层,暗示了吕梁山已经地貌上成山;与此同时地势相对平坦且摆脱地表水流影响的鄂尔多斯盆地广泛堆积了风尘堆积—红黏土(保德组)。中新世晚期—早更新世早期(6.7～1.8Ma),吕梁山西部山前及鄂尔多斯地区整体缓慢隆升,堆积了新近纪保德组上部、静乐组红黏土及早更新世午城组黄土—古土壤序列。受西部六盘山快速抬升作用影响,鄂尔多斯西部抬升速率略高于东部,于早更新世中期(1.8～1.4Ma)形成现今西高东低的地势格局和南北向晋陕谷地,进而黄河及其支流顺流而下。中更新世以来,鄂尔多斯地区沉积与抬升并重,最终形成现今黄土高原。吕梁山以东的沁水盆地中新世演化史与西部相似,上新世起盆地开始断陷,汾河地堑开始形成。断陷一直持续到早更新世,自下而上依次沉积了下土河组、小白组、大沟组、木瓜组湖相地层,盆地边缘则持续抬升堆积了静乐组和午城组风成堆积。中更新世以来,断陷结束,盆地整体抬升。     

Climatic-Ecological Aspects of the Arid American Southwest,with Special Emphasis on the White Mountains,California

The main purpose of the present study is the development of concepts and methods suitable for deriving climatological information on the basis of phytoindication in semiarid-semihumid regions where no climatological data are available. The macroclimate of the southwestern United States can be clearly defined using regression analysis. The humid oceanic and temperate climate in the western part of this region is distinguished from the dry continental climate of the Great Basin east of the Sierra Nevada. The very important role of summer precipitation for the distribution of vegetation is explained from a climatic-ecological point of view. Although microclimatic conditions point to unfavorable conditions for plant growth—extreme amounts of radiation lead to increasing thermal stress with altitude—the gradients of soil moisture during the warm season explain high vegetation densities.

Phytogeographical aspects show a clear separation between the Sierra Nevada and the White Mountains and between the White Mountains and Wheeler Peak. Lowest vegetation density is found in the Owens Valley and not, as might be expected, in the eastern part of the Great Basin. Thus, although the White Mountains are situated adjacent to the Sierra, their vegetation shows weak relations to the Sierran and Californian floristic province. In fact, Great Basin plants constitute the majority. An overall floristic comparison establishes a continuous change from the White Mountains to Wheeler Peak and an abrupt transition between the vegetation of the Sierra Nevada and the White Mountains.