Paleomagnetic results from the Permian Rodez basin implications: the Late Variscan tectonics in the southern French Massif Central

A paleomagnetic study has been carried out on three sedimentary formations of the Permian Rodez basin in the southern France. Two of them yield paleomagnetic poles of Saxonian and Thuringian age showing counterclockwise rotation of moderate amplitude, during or after the Thuringian deposition. For the French Massif Central, contrary to its stable southern (Lodève basin) and eastern (Largentière basin) borders, on its southwestern border, in a large area including the Rodez, Saint-Affrique and perhaps Brive basins suffered rotations due to the extensional tectonics during the Late Variscan period.     

Current-independent paleomagnetic declinations in flysch basins: a case study from the Inner Carpathians

Paleomagnetic declinations from the Inner Carpathian Paleogene Basin imply that the area rotated counterclockwise about 60°, during the Miocene[1]. The question may arise if the paleomagnetic declination could have been biased by the W-E directed turbidity currents prevailing in the basin causing an apparent counter-clockwise rotation of the paleomagnetic direction.

The paleomagnetic results were obtained for fine grained strata, deposited in relatively calm water. Nevertheless, to confirm the paleomagnetic rotation, we needed evidence that flow activity on the magnetic grains was indeed insignificant in the beds yielding paleomagnetic results. Therefore, we carried out magnetic anisotropy measurements.

Results of AMS (representing para and ferromagnetic minerals together) measurements, compared with paleomagnetic observations, demonstrate that well-clustered lineations at locality level and failure to define a paleomagnetic direction are coupled. Lineation, when observable, is flow parallel, suggesting that magnetic lineation in the Inner Carpathian flysch basins may be regarded as a good proxy for turbidity current direction. It is remarkable, however, that the well-defined paleomagnetic directions are observed for localities, where the magnetic fabric is not showing lineation on locality level. Moreover, the lineation direction of the ferromagnetic minerals alone (obtained by measuring the anisotropy of the remanence) is independent of that of the turbidity currents. Thus we can safely conclude that the Inner Carpathian flysch basin indeed was affected by 60° tectonic rotation, and the paleomagnetic vectors were not biased by paleocurrents.     

Paleomagnetism and magnetostratigraphy of Upper Cretaceous and Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary intervals,southern Kulunda basin (West Siberia)

The study presents new paleomagnetic data on the Upper Cretaceous and Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary intervals of the southern Kulunda basin (Alei area), which were obtained from core samples collected from a 305-m-thick section penetrated in two wells. The paleomagnetic sections of each well were compiled and correlated based on the characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM). Paleomagnetic, geological, stratigraphic, and paleontological data were used to compile the Upper Cretaceous and Cretaceous-Paleogene magnetostratigraphic section of the southern Kulunda basin. The magnetostratigraphic section consists of five magnetozones, one normal polarity zone, and four reversed polarity zones spanning the Upper Cretaceous and Lower Paleogene. The lower part of the Gan’kino Horizon, showing normal polarity, forms a single normal polarity magnetozone N. The upper part of the Gan’kino Horizon comprises two reversed polarity magnetozones (R₁km and R₂mt). The Talitsa and Lyulinvor Formations of Lower Paleogene age correspond to two reversed polarity magnetozones (R₁zl and R₂i). The compiled Upper Cretaceous and Lower Paleogene magnetostratigraphic section was correlated with the geomagnetic polarity time scale. Two options were considered for correlating the lower normal polarity part of the section with geomagnetic polarity time scale of Gradstein.     

Neoproterozoic evolution of Rodinia: constraints from new paleomagnetic data on the western margin of the Siberian craton

The paper summarizes paleomagnetic results obtained from the Neoproterozoic rocks of the western margin of the Siberian craton. On the basis of the obtained paleomagnetic poles and available paleomagnetic data for the Precambrian of Siberia, a new version of the Neoproterozoic segment of the apparent polar wandering path (APWP) is proposed for the craton and is compared with the Laurentian APWP. The superposition of these paths suggests that in the Neoproterozoic the southern margin of the Siberian craton (in modern coordinates) faced the Canadian margin of Laurentia. Most likely, in the end of the Mesoproterozoic and during the Neoproterozoic the Siberian craton and Laurentia were connected to form the supercontinent Rodinia. At 1 Ga the western margin of the Siberian craton was a northern (in modern coordinates) continuation of the western margin of Laurentia. The available paleomagnetic data on Laurentia and continental blocks of Eastern Gondwana (Australia, Antarctica, India, South China) and the proposed APWP trend allowed a new model for the breakup of this segment of Rodinia. Analysis of a total of the data available suggests that strike-slip movements on the background of the progressive opening of the oceanic basin between Siberia and Laurentia were predominant in the south of the Siberian craton during the Neoproterozoic. Similar kinematics is typical of the western margin of Laurentia, where strike-slip motions are probably associated with the progressive opening of the ocean basin between Laurentia and eastern Gondwana.     

Paleomagnetism of the Carboniferous Gresford Block,Tamworth Belt,southern New England Orogen: minor counter-clockwise rotation of a primary arc segment

Abstract

Four oroclinal structures have been identified from structural, magnetic and gravity trends across a Carboniferous continental arc, forearc basin [Tamworth Belt (TB)] and conjugate accretionary complex in the southern New England Orogen (SNEO) of eastern Australia. None of the structures has yet been confirmed conclusively by paleomagnetism as oroclinal. Ignimbrites are common within the forearc basin and have been demonstrated to retain primary magnetisations despite prevalent overprinting. They are well exposed across six major tectono-stratigraphic blocks with partly interlinked stratigraphies, making the forearc basin highly prospective to oroclinal testing by comparing pole path segments for individual blocks across curved structures. Paleomagnetic studies have shown no noticeable rotation across the western/southwestern TB (Rocky Creek, Werrie and Rouchel blocks), but documented herein is a minor counter-clockwise rotation of the Gresford Block of the southern TB. This study details paleomagnetic, rock magnetic and magnetic fabric results for 87 sites (969 samples) across the southern Gresford Block. Predominantly thermal, also alternating field and liquid nitrogen, demagnetisations show a widely present low-temperature overprint, attributed to regional late Oligocene weathering, and high-temperature primary and overprint components residing in both mainly magnetite and mainly hematite carriers. Subtle, but systematic, directional differences between magnetite and hematite subcomponents show the latter as the better cleaned, better-defined, preferred results, detailing nine primary poles of middle and late Carboniferous ages and Permian and Permo-Triassic overprints as observed elsewhere in the western/southwestern TB. The primary poles update a poorly defined mid-Carboniferous section of the SNEO pole path and demonstrate counter-clockwise rotation, quantified at about 15° ± 13° from comparison of mid-Carboniferous Martins Creek Ignimbrite Member poles for the Rouchel and Gresford blocks, that may not necessarily have been completed prior to the Hunter–Bowen phase of the Gondwanide Orogeny. This minor counter-clockwise rotation of the Gresford Block accentuates a primary curvature of the southwestern/southern TB and heralds further, more complex, rotations of the Myall Block of the southeastern TB.     

Cenozoic Vertical-Axis Rotations of the Hoh Xil Basin, Central–Northern Tibet

Understanding the Cenozoic vertical-axis rotation in the Tibetan Plateau is crucial for continental dynamic evolution. Paleomagnetic and rock magnetic investigations were carried out for the Oligocene and Miocene continental rocks of the Hoh Xil basin in order to better understand the tectonic rotations of central Tibet. The study area was located in the Tongtianhe area located in the southern part of the Hoh Xil basin and northern margin of the Tanggula thrust system in central-northern Tibet. A total of 160 independently oriented paleomagnetic samples were drilled from the Tongtianhe section for this study. The magnetic properties of magnetite and hematite have been recognized by measurements of magnetic susceptibility vs. temperature curves and unblocking temperatures. The mean directions of the Oligocene Yaxicuo Group in stratigraphic coordinates(Declination/Inclination = 354.9°/29.3°, k = 33.0, α_(95) = 13.5°, N =5 Sites) and of the Miocene Wudaoliang Group in stratigraphic coordinates(Declination/Inclination = 3.6°/36.4°, k = 161.0, α_(95) = 9.7°, N =3 Sites) pass reversal tests, indicating the primary nature of the characteristic magnetizations. Our results suggested that the sampled areas in the Tuotuohe depression of the Hoh Xil basin have undergone no paleomagnetically detectable rotations under single thrusting from the Tanggula thrust system. Our findings, together with constraints from other tectonic characteristics reported by previous paleomagnetic studies, suggest tectonic rotations in the Cuoredejia and Wudaoliang depressions of the Hoh Xil basin were affected by strike-slip faulting of the Fenghuo Shan-Nangqian thrust systems. A closer examination of geological data and different vertical-axis rotation magnitudes suggest the tectonic history of the Hoh Xil basin may be controlled by thrust and strike-slip faulting since the Eocene.     

巴音戈壁盆地中南部中新生代构造-沉积演化对铀成矿的制约及找矿预测

[研究目的]巴音戈壁盆地中新生代主要经历了早白垩世断陷、断坳转折以及晚白垩世坳陷发育阶段,多期次构造改造对铀成矿的制约尚不清晰,影响下一步的找矿预测工作.[研究方法]本文选择盆地中南部凹陷带为研究区,综合以往成果认识与地质剖面对比研究,系统研究了凹陷构造样式、构造演化对沉积充填的影响.[研究结果]在早白垩世中晚期、晚白...     

Internal deformation of Sikhote Alin volcanic belt, far eastern Russia: Paleocene paleomagnetic results

We present paleomagnetic results of Paleocene welded tuffs of the 53–50 Ma Bogopol Group from the northern region (46°N, 137°E) of the Sikhote Alin volcanic belt. Characteristic paleomagnetic directions with high unblocking temperature components above 560 °C were isolated from all the sites. A tilt-corrected mean paleomagnetic direction from the northern region is D=345.8°, I=49.9°, α₉₅=14.6° (N=9). The reliability of the magnetization is ascertained through the presence of normal and reversed polarities. The mean paleomagnetic direction from the northern region of the Sikhote Alin volcanic belt reflects a counterclockwise rotation of 29° from the Paleocene mean paleomagnetic direction expected from its southern region. The counterclockwise rotation of 25° is suggested from the paleomagnetic data of the Kisin Group that underlies the Bogopol Group. These results establish that internal tectonic deformation occurred within the Sikhote Alin volcanic belt over the past 50 Ma. The northern region from 44.6° to 46.0°N in the Sikhote Alin volcanic belt was subjected to counterclockwise rotational motion through 29±17° with respect to the southern region. The tectonic rotation of the northern region is ascribable to relative motion between the Zhuravlevka terrane and the Olginsk–Taukhinsk terranes that compose the basements of the Sikhote Alin volcanic belt.     

Tectonic evolution of the western Ordos Basin during the Palaeozoic-Mesozoic time as constrained by detrital zircon ages

ABSTRACT

The Ordos Basin has experienced a complicated tectonic evolution since the Palaeozoic. Its multi-stage evolution was closely related to the tectonic events that occurred along plate boundaries. The detrital zircon ages and crystallization age (CA)-deposition age (DA)/cumulative proportion curves obtained from Palaeozoic-Mesozoic strata from different tectonic units in and around the western Ordos Basin demonstrate that during the early Palaeozoic, the so-called Helan Aulacogen did not develop along the western Ordos Basin, the Alxa Block was an independent unit from the North China Craton, and the southern Ordos Basin was a foreland basin of the North Qinling Orogenic Belt. During the early Palaeozoic, the western Ordos Basin and its vicinity belonged to three different tectonic units (i.e. the North China Craton, the Alxa Block, and the North Qilian Orogenic Belt). At the end of the early Palaeozoic, the Alxa Block amalgamated with the Ordos Basin. From the Silurian to the Middle Devonian, the southern Alxa Block was a foreland basin of the North Qilian Orogenic Belt and underwent regional extension during the Late Devonian. During the late Palaeozoic, the western Ordos Basin and its vicinities were located in a back-arc extensional setting of the western Qinling Orogenic Belt. The southern part of the western Ordos Basin may have been a retro-arc foreland basin of the western Qinling Orogenic Belt during the Late Triassic, and the northern part of the western Ordos Basin experienced large-scale left-lateral strike-slip at the same time. The CA-DA/cumulative proportion curves can adequately explain the evolution of the western Ordos Basin during the Palaeozoic; however, the settings indicated by the CA-DA/cumulative proportion curves in intraplate evolutions are different from those proposed in other studies, which may be due to the number and distribution of samples and rapid lateral changes in sedimentary facies.     

Sedimentary budget of the Northwest Sub-basin,South China Sea: controlling factors and geological implications

ABSTRACT

We calculated the sedimentary budget of the Northwest Sub-basin (NWSB), South China Sea for different geological times based on interpretations of four multichannel seismic profiles across the basin with constraints from International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expeditions 367 and 368 drilling results. Sedimentation was generally dominated by regional tectonic events and climate change, but complicated by local tectonic events and geographic position, which resulted in a specific sedimentary budget in the NWSB compared with other marginal basins and the Southwest Sub-basin. The sedimentation rate was relatively low following the opening of the NWSB but increased gradually during the Middle Miocene, corresponding to the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and the Asian monsoon. It reached its peak in the Late Miocene, corresponding to uplift of the Dongsha Island region that caused intensive bypass of eroded sediments from the Baiyun Sag into the abyssal basin, and reduced again during the Pliocene because of sediment storage on the wide northern continental shelf area compared to the abyssal basin during a period of high-stand sea level. Increase in sedimentation during the Pleistocene suggests that continental erosion and sediment transport to the abyssal basin were enhanced by an intensified Asian summer monsoon and glacial-interglacial climate fluctuations. Since the opening of the NWSB, the primary sediment provenance has been from southern China, with minor contributions from the Red River, Hainan Island, as well as local uplifts on the continental shelf.     

Phanerozoic plate history and structural evolution of the Tarim Basin,northwestern China

ABSTRACT

As the largest inland oil-bearing basin in China, the Tarim Basin is a large-scale composite basin that has experienced a complex tectonic evolutionary history from the Ediacaran to the Cenozoic. From the Ediacaran to the Ordovician, the Tarim Basin was in an extensional tectonic environment. From the Silurian to the Devonian, the Tarim Block switched from the presence of passive margins to active margins along its northern and southern edges, eventually colliding with the North Kunlun Terrane in the Silurian. From the Carboniferous to the Triassic, the transition of the Tarim Block from an independent landmass to an internal component of the Eurasian Plate resulted from collisions with the Yili-Central Tianshan Terrane to the north during the Late Carboniferous and the Qiangtang Terrane to the south during the Triassic. From the Jurassic to the Paleogene, several unconformities developed because of the subduction of the Meso-Tethys oceanic plate during the Late Jurassic and the Neo-Tethys oceanic plate during the Paleogene. After the Neogene, as a rejuvenated foreland basin, the Tarim Basin was activated along its margins and became an intermountain basin due to the intense regional compression induced by the Indian Plate. Based on a seismic profile cross-section of the basin, we conclude that the extension and shortening in the profile reflects the block amalgamation history and the structural evolution of the Tarim Basin. The structural-sedimentary evolution of this basin is closely related to the movement of the peripheral plates.     

Sedimentary filling characteristics of the South China Sea oceanic basin,with links to tectonic activity during and after seafloor spreading

ABSTRACT

Based on approximately 11,000 km of seismic reflection data collected across the South China Sea oceanic basin, we describe the sedimentary filling characteristics of the basin since its Oligocene opening, as well as connections between this history and contemporaneous regional tectonic events. The seismic lines are spaced ~50 km apart, and the data are tied to International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 349 drilling data. Basin filling occurred in three phases, with basin-wide mean sedimentation rates increasing through time. During the Oligocene to middle Miocene, sediments accumulated primarily in the northern East and Northwest Sub-basins, with a mean basin-wide sedimentation rate of 8 m/m.y. The presence of these deposits over deep basement floor indicates that seafloor spreading initiated in these northern regions. During the late Miocene, deposition occurred primarily in the Northwest Sub-basin and partly in the southern East Sub-basin, with a mean basin-wide sedimentation rate of 30 m/m.y. Basin filling during this time seems to have been linked to slip reversal of the Red River Fault and collision of the North Palawan Block with the Luzon Arc. During the Pliocene and Pleistocene, sediments accumulated rapidly in the northeastern and southern East Sub-basin and the Southwest Sub-basin. The mean basin-wide sedimentation rate was 70 m/m.y. Basin filling during this phase seems to have been associated with the Taiwan and North Palawan collisions, SCS subduction along the Manila Trench, and Tibetan Plateau uplift. Gravity flow deposits predominate throughout the basin fill.     

Multiproxy reconstruction of oceanographic conditions in the southern epeiric Kupferschiefer Sea (Late Permian) based on redox-sensitive trace elements,molybdenum isotopes and biomarkers

The key drivers controlling the redox state of seawater and sediment pore waters in low energy environments can be inferred from redox-sensitive trace elements (RSTE), molecular biomarkers and trace metal isotopes. Here, we apply a combination of these tools to the Upper Permian Kupferschiefer (T1) from the Thuringian Basin, deposited in the southern part of the semi-enclosed Kupferschiefer Sea. Enrichment patterns of the RSTEs molybdenum (Mo) and uranium (U) as well as biomarker data attest to the rapid development of euxinic conditions in basin settings during early T1 times, which became progressively less extreme during T1 deposition. The evolution of redox conditions in basinal settings, and the associated delay in the onset of euxinia at more shallow marginal sites, can be attributed to the interaction of sea-level change with basin paleogeography. Euxinia in the southern Kupferschiefer Sea did not lead to near-quantitative depletion of aqueous Mo, possibly due to short deepwater renewal times in the Thuringian Basin, low aqueous H₂S concentrations, the continuous resupply of RSTE during transgression and declining burial rates of RSTEs throughout T1 times. Drawdown of RSTE is, however, indicated for euxinic lagoon environments. Moreover, admixture of freshwater supplied to these lagoons by rivers strongly impacted local seawater chemistry. The highest Mo-isotope compositions of ~ 1.70‰ in basin sediments allow a minimum Kupferschiefer Sea seawater composition of ~ 2.40‰ to be estimated. This composition is similar to the ~ 2.30‰ estimate for the Late Permian open ocean, and confirms a strong hydrographic connection between the epeiric Kupferschiefer Sea and the global ocean. The substantial variation in Mo-isotope signatures is paralleled by diagnostic shifts in biomarkers responding to oxygenation in different parts of the water column. Water column chemistry has been affected by variation in sea level, hydrodynamic restriction, riverine freshwater influx and evaporitic conditions in shallow lagoons. Elucidation of the relative role of each driving factor by a single geochemical proxy is not feasible but the complex scenario can be disentangled by a multiproxy approach.     

Autunian age constrained by fold tests for paleomagnetic data from the Mezarif and Abadla basins (Algeria)

A paleomagnetic study has been conducted on a formation dated as Autunian in the Nekheila area (31.4°N, 1.5°W) in the Mezarif basin. ChRM was thermally isolated in 117 samples from seven sites. This ChRM (D = 131.8°, I = 15.7°, k = 196, α₉₅ = 3.8° after dip correction; corresponding pole 29.3°S, 56.4°E) is very similar to that obtained in the neighboring Abadla basin from a formation of the same age. Fold tests associated with progressive unfolding applied to the full merged data from the dated formations of these two basins clearly indicate that the magnetization acquisition predates the deformation, which is attributed to the last phase of the late-Hercynian. The magnetization in these basins is therefore primary or acquired just after deposition. For the African Apparent Polar Wander Path, the age of the paleomagnetic poles of the Autunian part is now confirmed by paleomagnetic test.     

Autunian age constrained by fold tests for paleomagnetic data from the Mezarif and Abadla basins (Algeria)

A paleomagnetic study has been conducted on a formation dated as Autunian in the Nekheila area (31.4°N, 1.5°W) in the Mezarif basin. ChRM was thermally isolated in 117 samples from seven sites. This ChRM (D = 131.8°, I = 15.7°, k = 196, α₉₅ = 3.8° after dip correction; corresponding pole 29.3°S, 56.4°E) is very similar to that obtained in the neighboring Abadla basin from a formation of the same age. Fold tests associated with progressive unfolding applied to the full merged data from the dated formations of these two basins clearly indicate that the magnetization acquisition predates the deformation, which is attributed to the last phase of the late-Hercynian. The magnetization in these basins is therefore primary or acquired just after deposition. For the African Apparent Polar Wander Path, the age of the paleomagnetic poles of the Autunian part is now confirmed by paleomagnetic test.     

Fluid migration at the basement/sediment interface along the margin of the Southeast basin (France): implications for Pb–Zn ore formation

This study investigates the isotopic composition (C, O, S and Sr) of carbonates, sulphates and sulphide cements in the rock matrix and fracture fillings in geological formations of the Southeast basin of France, using core samples collected during the Deep Geology of France programme (GPF Ardèche theme). The Southeast basin belongs to the Alpine Tethyan margin. It is one of the thickest sedimentary basins in Europe, reaching upwards of 9 km in certain locations. The main fluid transfer from the basin is related to the large Pb–Zn Mississippi Valley-type district along the southern margin of the Massif Central block. A synthesis of the tectonic, mineralogical and petrographic investigations on the GPF boreholes shows that a major fluid circulation event occurred across the Alpine margin of Tethys during the Early Jurassic (Hettangian–Bathonian). It produced a general cementation of the rock porosity through precipitation of dolomite, sulphate and barite. Fracture fillings yield isotopic signatures distinct from the matrix cements. Matrix cements have particular characteristics, i.e. δ³⁴S and δ¹³C that agree with a marine origin. The δ³⁴S values of Permo-Carboniferous to Triassic sulphides from fracture cements are interpreted as resulting from the thermo-chemical reduction of sulphates. Fracture sulphates in the same geological formations yield δ³⁴S values that define a relatively homogeneous end-member, whose composition is similar to sulphates in the Largentière Pb–Zn ore deposit. The source of S is attributed to the Permo-Carboniferous succession. The borehole fracture fillings are attributed to a major fluid circulation stage compatible with the Early Jurassic stage identified from the geological investigation of the boreholes. The formation of the Largentière deposit is considered as resulting from the mixing of this Early Jurassic fluid with continental hydrothermal fluids circulating in a basement horst, along its margin with the sedimentary basin. Other Pb–Zn deposits may also be related to fluid migration along the basement/sedimentary cover interface in the eastern and western parts of the Massif Central. This regional fluid circulation event may represent a geodynamic marker of the Jurassic extensional phase.     

New Early Permian paleomagnetic results from the Brive basin (French Massif Central) and their implications for Late Variscan tectonics

In order to assess the structural evolution of the Brive basin and the Paleozoic activity of surrounding major faults in the French Massif Central, we carried out a paleomagnetic study on Early Permian rocks from this basin. Positive-fold tests and solely reversed polarities indicate that the characteristic remanent magnetization is likely to be primary. Early Permian tilt-corrected site mean declinations vary from 207°–167° indicating that the Brive basin experienced internal vertical-axis rotations. On the contrary, Late Permian paleomagnetic site means exhibit a circular Fisherian distribution showing no relative rotations. Detailed analyses of Permian paleomagnetic data from five contemporaneous basins of the French Massif Central reveal that these basins share the same equatorial paleolatitude with stable Europe throughout the Permian. However, in Early Permian, three of the five basins experienced differential rotations. The Saint-Affrique basin not only suffered internal deformation during the Early Permian, but the basin as a whole underwent a full-scale counterclockwise vertical-axis block rotation with respect to stable Europe. As a consequence, paleomagnetic data from similar late orogenic basins have to be thus carefully considered for establishment of Apparent Polar Wander paths.     

四川盆地南缘早三叠世古地磁结果及其构造意义

四川盆地南缘早三叠世古地磁研究表明,川东和川东南地区一系列北北东、北东向褶皱的形成,并非同造山期形成的弧形弯曲构造,它是受深部断裂控制形成的简单褶皱。这一结果再次表明,华北与扬子地块的拼合晚于早三叠世,可能于早/中侏罗世完成拼合过程。