A free air gravity anomaly contour map of the Irish continental margin

Compilation of currently-available gravity data permits the construction of a free-air anomaly contour map of the continental margin west of Ireland (51–54 N). Major elements in the structure of the margin, previously delineated on the basis of seismic reflection and magnetic surveys, are clearly seen on the FAA contour map, notably the Porcupine Seabight Trough, and Porcupine Ridge. However, contrary to earlier ideas, the gravity data imply that the Seabight Trough extends northwards onto the Slyne Ridge; and the Slyne Trough, formerly regarded as northeasterly prolongation of the Seabight Trough, appears to be a discrete, fault-bounded, feature separated from the latter by a basement ridge. East-west gravity profiles are modelled in terms of thinned crust with the Moho at a minimum depth of 15 km beneath the axis of the Seabight Trough. The models tend to support hypotheses invoking formation of the Seabight Trough by simple westward translation of Porcupine Ridge with respect to the Irish Mainland.     

Tectonostratigraphic evolution of the northern Porcupine Basin,Irish Atlantic margin,during the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous,implication for a regional compressional event

The conventional interpretation of the Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous succession in the Porcupine Basin suggests an extensional setting with progressive deepening of the basin. However, well data show a prominent gap of several million years between the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous. A data base of 15 key wells and approximately 5,000 km of seismic reflection data were examined in the northern Porcupine Basin, in order to understand the nature, controls and mechanisms of this unconformity. Seven seismic markers, constrained by well data, are mapped. It is shown that during the Late Jurassic (possibly the Oxfordian–Kimmeridgian), the basin experienced extension and synrift deposition. During the latest Jurassic–earliest Cretaceous (possibly the Tithonian–early Berriasian), a series of north-trending structural highs and lows developed and extensive areas in the northern Porcupine Basin experienced folding, uplift and erosion. Evidence from the study suggests that compression, uplift and erosion played an important role in the shaping of the depositional and structural architecture of the basin and caused formation of the regional Base Cretaceous Unconformity in the northern basin. It is suggested that the deformation in the northern Porcupine Basin during the latest Jurassic–earliest Cretaceous may be related to the initial closure of the Alpine Tethys during the late Tithonian. This tectonic event may also have resulted in compressional deformation and formation of the Base Cretaceous Unconformity elsewhere in Western Europe.     

福建地区构造应力场的初步研究 Ⅰ.晚侏罗纪─中更新世

本文为根据断层力学性质、断陷盆地、火山活动、水系分布格局等,初步探讨了福建地区晚侏罗纪至中更新世的构造应力场特征。结果表明,本区既受到来自太平洋－菲律宾海板块向ＮＷ方向的挤压作用,又受到来自印度板块向Ｎ向Ｅ的挤压。在这两种挤压作用中,前者早于后者,也大于后者。     

福建地区构造应力场的初步研究Ⅱ.晚更新世以来

本文根据断裂的活动习性,断陷盆地、平原、海湾的形成机理,地壳形变场,震源机制解,现今强震等烈度线长轴方向和 ＧＰＳ观测资料,初步探讨了福建地区晚更新世以来的构造应力场。结果表明,本区除了受到太平洋－菲律宾海板块向ＮＷ方向的挤压作用外,还受到来自印度板块向 Ｎ向 Ｅ的挤压。在这两种挤压作用中,后者大于前者。     

Juvenile life history of NE Atlantic orange roughy from otolith stable isotopes

Otoliths of pre-recruit orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus) were sampled from different deep-water habitats (‘flat’ and ‘hill’) and areas (north and south) on the Porcupine Bank. Age-based profiles for stable isotopes of carbon (δ¹³C) and oxygen (δ¹⁸O) in these otoliths were developed, which provide a fish life-history record of water depth and metabolic activity. These profiles were consistent among all individuals implying endogenous (ontogenic) influences on the pattern. The data indicate that post-larval orange roughy are mesopelagic active foragers, early juvenile fish move into a low energy deep-demersal phase, and older pre-recruit orange roughy assume the habitat depth and metabolic rate typical of adults. Comparison of otolith stable isotope profiles among areas and habitats on the Porcupine Bank suggest that juvenile orange roughy from South ‘hill’ and ‘flat’ habitats experience differing temperature and metabolic status at certain life stages. This may reflect oceanographic and ecological divergence between the two environments and suggests fine-scale population structure that may reduce resilience to exploitation.     

南海北缘新生代盆地沉积与构造演化及地球动力学背景

南海北缘新生代沉积盆地是全面揭示南海北缘形成演化及与邻区大地构造单元相互作用的重要窗口。通过对盆地沉积-构造特征分析,南海北缘新生代裂陷过程显示出明显的多幕性和旋转性的特点。在从北向南逐渐迁移的趋势下,东、西段裂陷过程也具有一定的差异,西部裂陷活动及海侵时间明显早于东部,裂陷中心由西向东呈雁列式扩展。晚白垩世-早始新世裂陷活动应是东亚陆缘中生代构造-岩浆演化的延续,始新世中、晚期太平洋板块俯冲方向改变导致裂陷中心南移,印度欧亚板块碰撞效应是南海中央海盆扩张方向顺时针旋转的主要原因。     

南海海盆的形成演化探讨

根据“陆缘扩张”理论,利用古地磁数据,结合地质、地球物理资料,对南海海盆的成因机制和演化过程进行探讨。结果得出:南海的多期多轴扩张及其形成演化,是在欧亚板块、太平洋板块和印度板块的联合作用下,中、新生代南海周缘的微板块和岛弧的相互运动以及南海海盆构造应力场不断变化的情况下逐渐完成的。     

Tectonic evolution of Gorda Ridge inferred from sidescan sonar images

Gorda Ridge is the southern segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge complex, in the north-east Pacific. Along-strike spreading-rate variation on Gorda Ridge and deformation of Gorda Plate are evidence for compression between the Pacific and Gorda Plates. GLORIA sidescan sonographs allow the spreading fabric associated with Gorda Ridge to be mapped in detail. Between 5 and 2 Ma, a pair of propagating rifts re-orientated the northern segment of Gorda Ridge by about 10° clockwise, accommodating a clockwise shift in Pacific-Juan de Fuca plate motion that occurred around 5 Ma. Deformation of Gorda Plate, associated with southward decreasing spreading rates along southern Gorda Ridge, is accommodated by a combination of clockwise rotation of Gorda Plate crust, coupled with left-lateral motion on the original normal faults of the ocean crust. Segments of Gorda Plate which have rotated by different amounts are separated by narrow deformation zones across which sharp changes in ocean fabric trend are seen. Although minor lateral movement may occur on these NW to WNW structures, no major right-lateral movement, as predicted by previous models, is observed.     

Evolution of the Malvinas Plate South of Africa

We confirm that a Malvinas Plate is required in the Agulhas Basin during the Late Cretaceous because: (1) oblique Mercator plots of marine gravity show that fracture zones generated on the Agulhas rift, as well as the Agulhas Fracture Zone, do not lie on small circles about the 33o-28y South America-Africa stage pole and were therefore not formed by South America-Africa spreading, (2) the 33o-28y South America-Africa stage rotation does not bring 33o magnetic anomalies on the Malvinas Plate into alignment with their conjugates on the African Plate, and (3) errors in the 33o-28y South America-Africa stage rotation cannot account for the misalignment. We present improved Malvinas-Africa finite rotations determined by interpreting magnetic anomaly data in light of fracture zones and extinct spreading rift segments (the Agulhas rift) that are clearly revealed in satellite-derived marine gravity fields covering the Agulhas Basin. The tectonic history of the Malvinas Plate is chronicled through gravity field reconstructions that use the improved Malvinas-Africa finite rotations and more recent South America-Africa and Antarctica-Africa finite rotations. Newly-mapped triple junction traces on the Antarctic, South American, Malvinas, and African Plates, combined with geometric and magnetic constraints observed in the reconstructions, enable us to investigate the locations of the elusive western and southern boundaries of the Malvinas Plate. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Long-term change in the abyssal NE Atlantic: The ‘Amperima Event’ revisited

The results from a time series study (1989–2005) at a depth of 4850 m on the Porcupine Abyssal Plain, NE Atlantic, are presented, showing radical changes in the density of large invertebrates (megafauna) over time. Major changes occurred in a number of different taxa between 1996 and 1999 and then again in 2002. One species of holothurian, Amperima rosea, was particularly important, increasing in density by over three orders of magnitude. There were no significant changes in total megafaunal biomass during the same period. Peaks in density were correlated to reductions in mean body size, indicating that the increases were related to large-scale recruitment events. The changes occurred over a wide area of the Porcupine Abyssal Plain. Comparisons made with changes in the density of protozoan and metazoan meiofauna, and with macrofauna, showed that major changes in community structure occurred in all size fractions of the benthic community at the same time. This suggests that the faunal changes were driven by environmental factors rather than being stochastic population imbalances of one or two species. Large-scale changes in the flux of organic matter to the abyssal seafloor have been noted in the time series, particularly in 2001, and may be related to the sudden mass occurrence of A. rosea the following year. Time-varying environmental factors are important in influencing the occurrence of megafauna on the abyssal seafloor.     

塔斯曼海构造特征及其演化过程研究

塔斯曼海位于西南太平洋地区,处于印度-澳大利亚板块和西兰板块之间,大地构造背景复杂。该地区是全球油气资源勘探的重点海域之一,但是国内对该地区的研究相当匮乏。本文根据塔斯曼海海域的自由空气重力异常对塔斯曼海海域的构造单元进行了划分,前人关于塔斯曼海的研究主要集中在Resolution海岭北部,我们认为塔斯曼海的范围应包括Resolution海岭以南,麦夸里海岭以西,塔斯曼断裂带以东的区域（即南部次盆）。结果显示,塔斯曼海域及邻区包括3个一级构造单元:东澳大利亚陆缘、西兰板块和塔斯曼海盆,且塔斯曼海盆可进一步划分为西部次盆、东部次盆和南部次盆。本文基于塔斯曼海域90 Ma以来的洋壳年龄数据编制了构造演化图,将塔斯曼海的形成演化过程分为4个阶段:（1）中生代陆内裂谷期（90~83 Ma BP）;（2）塔斯曼海扩张阶段（83~61 Ma BP）;（3）塔斯曼海北部扩张停止阶段（61~52 Ma BP）;（4）塔斯曼海南部改造阶段（52 Ma BP至今）。     

The formation and tectonic evolution of Philippine Sea Plate and KPR

The Philippine Sea Plate has an extremely special tectonic background. As an oceanic plate, it is almost entirely surrounded by subduction zones with complex internal tectonic features. On the basis of enormous published literature, this paper offers a comprehensive overview of the tectonic and evolution history of the Philippine Basin and the Kyushu-Palau Ridge (KPR) in the Philippine Sea Plate, and discusses the geological features of KPR. Referring to relevant definitions of various "ridges" stipulated in United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, so the KPR is believed to be a remnant arc formed during the opening of the Parece Vela and Shikoku Basins in the Philippine Sea Plate. It is a submarine ridge on oceanic plate rather than a submarine elevation. And thus, it is not a natural component of the Japan continental margin.     

台西盆地乌丘屿凹陷新生代构造演化特征

以区域地质、地震等资料为基础,系统研究了台西盆地乌丘屿凹陷构造特征及其形成演化。台西盆地的发育受欧亚板块、印度板块、太平洋板块和菲律宾海板块4大板块共同作用的影响。中生代晚期,台西盆地区域应力场从挤压转为松弛,地壳拉张减薄。新生代初期拉张形成裂谷,乌丘屿凹陷是在此背景下发育而成东断西超的半地堑式陆缘断陷。乌丘屿凹陷的构造发育与演化过程,可分为4个阶段,分别为中生代晚期的裂前阶段、古新世至渐新世的断陷阶段、中新世的坳陷阶段和上新世至第四纪的区域沉降阶段。     

Bathymetric Map of the Gorda Plate: Structural and Geomorphological Processes Inferred from Multibeam Surveys

Full-coverage multibeam bathymetric maps of the southern section of the Juan de Fuca Plate, also known as the Gorda Plate, are presented. The bathymetric maps represent the compilation of multibeam surveys conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration during the last 20 yrs, and illustrate the complex tectonic, volcanic, and geomorphologic features as well as the intense deformation occurring within this region. The bathymetric data have revealed several major, previously unmapped midplate faults. A series of gently curving faults are apparent in the Gorda Plate, with numerous faults offsetting the Gorda Plate seafloor. The multibeam surveys have also provided a detailed view of the intense deformation occurring within the Gorda Plate. A preliminary deformation model estimated from basement structure is discussed, where the southern part of the plate (south of ∼42°30′ N) seems to be deforming through a series of left-lateral strike-slip faults, while the northern section appears to be moving passively with the rest of the Juan de Fuca Plate. The bathymetry also demonstrates the Mendocino and Eel Canyons are prominent morphologic features in the northern California margin. These canyons are active depositional features with a large sediment fan present at the mouths of both the Mendocino and Eel canyons. The depositional lobes of these fan(s) are evident in the bathymetry, as are the turbidite channels that have deposited sediment along the fans over time. The Trinidad Canyon is readily evident in the margin morphology as well, with a large (∼10 km) plunge pool formed at the mouth of the canyon as it enters the Gorda Plate sediments. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

大洋钻探与南海的形成

南海是太平洋西部边缘海之一。由于其特殊的大地构造位置和复杂的地 质结构，多年来其形成演化一直是地学界研究和争论的焦点。在南海开展大洋钻 探，不仅可以回答南海形成演化方面的一系列问题，而且对于研究边缘海的形成演 化过程和欧亚板块、印一澳板块、太平洋板块的相互作用与影响，以及全球构造运 动都有重要意义。     

台湾花莲—台东地区的地质灾害问题

本文讨论花莲－台东地区的人口分布和除地震以外的地质灾害问题。花莲－台东地区处于欧亚大陆／菲律宾海两大板块的碰撞地带，构造复杂多变，就更增加了其地质灾害的复杂性和多样性。对于地质灾害，事先做一番调查研究和分析论证，对减灾是大有裨益的，本文拟结合花莲－台区地区的人口分布，以地构造这一背景为主线，分析这一地区的地质灾害，并提出了一些防灾建议。     

青岛榴辉岩相变质古洋壳的特征及其成因

利用电子探针等方法研究了青岛榴辉岩相变质古洋壳(蛇纹岩、C类榴辉岩和基性糜棱岩)的岩石学和地球化学特征。确定了它们为华南陆块与华北陆块拼合前的古洋壳,当其俯冲于华北陆块之下时在深部发生碱质交代及低温高压变质作用(C类榴辉岩相)。     

中国东部海区及邻域区域构造图的编制方法及地质构造单元划分

我国东部海区及邻域1:1 000 000地质地球物理系列图将于2008年底出版,区域构造图是其中的主要专业图件之一。讨论了该专业图件的编图方法、地质构造单元的划分方法和主要地质构造单元。首次对黄海东海区进行了全面剥皮编图,剥去了Q+N₂地层。对于沉积盆地用等厚度线表示出了新生界的厚度。地质构造单元划分方法是以板块构造理论为指导并以现今的构造特征为主要划分依据。板块内构造单元的划分是在总结国内外多种构造单元划分方法的基础上进行了修改完善,完成了对我国东部海区及邻域的地质构造单元的划分。区内一级构造单元为板块(太平洋板块、欧亚板块和菲律宾海板块),二级构造单元为构造域(东亚大陆构造域、东亚大陆边缘构造域和西太平洋构造域)。西太平洋构造域主要包括太平洋板块的西部及菲律宾海板块。欧亚板块在该区的部分可分为东亚大陆边缘构造域和东亚大陆构造域。东亚大陆边缘构造域由日本琉球岛弧、冲绳海槽弧后盆地、日本海弧后盆地等次级构造单元构成。东亚大陆构造域在该区内由中朝地块、扬子地块、华南地块等次级构造单元构成。各地块又可划分出盆地、隆褶带、隆起区等多个次一级地质构造单元。最低一级的地质构造单元为凸起和凹陷。     

Strike-slip tectonic processes in the northern Caribbean between Cuba and Hispaniola (Windward Passage)

Marine geophysical data including Seabeam, seismic reflection, magnetics, gravimetry and side-scan sonar have been recently collected along the northern Caribbean strike-slip plate boundary between Cuba and Hispaniola, in the Windward Passage area. The analysis of this comprehensive data set allows us to illustrate active strike-slip tectonic processes in relation to the kinematics of the Caribbean Plate. We show that the transcurrent plate boundary trace runs straight across the Windward Passage, from the southern Cuban Margin in the west (Oriente Fault) to the Tortue Channel in the east. The Windward Passage Deep is thus not an active pull-apart basin, as previously suggested. The plate boundary geometry implies that the motion of the Caribbean Plate relative to the North American Plate is partitioned between a strike-slip component, accommodated by the Windward Passage active fault zone, and a convergence component, accommodated by compression at the bottom of the Northern Hispaniola Margin. On the basis of a correlation with onland geological data, an age is given to the stratigraphic sequences identified on seismic profiles. A kinematic reconstruction is proposed that follows the tectonic unconformities recognized at sea and on land (Late Eocene, Early Miocene, Middle Miocene and Late Pliocene). Each one of these tectonic events corresponds to a drastic reorganization of the plate boundary geometry. We propose to correlate these events with successive collisions of the northern Caribbean mobile terranes against the Bahamas Bank. During each event, the plate boundary trace is shifted to the south and a part of the Caribbean Plate is accreted to North America.     

Active fragmentation of the North America plate at the Mexican triple junction area off Manzanillo

The identification of 1) the exact location of the East Pacific Rise (EPR)-Rivera Fracture Zone (RFZ) eastern junction, 165 km west of the Acapulco Trench axis, 2) the absence of a clear Rivera-Cocos Plate boundary between the Acapulco Trench axis and the EPR-RFZ eastern junction and, 3) the Jalisco Block (JB) offshore boundary that connects the Colima Graben (CG) to the Tamayo Fracture Zone (TFZ) northward suggests that the Jalisco Block is being transferred from the North America Plate to the Pacific Plate north, rather than south, of the Tamayo Fracture Zone.