On the Geotectonics of Southern China

The tectonic nature of southern China has changed again and again in the Phanerozoic. In the Caledoniancycle, there existed three tectonic units——the Yangtze paraplatform, Indosinian-South China Sea paraplatformand Caledonian South China fold belt, of which the last unit is not a collisional orogenic belt but ascissor-shaped aulacogen-type geosyncline opening towards Yunnan and Vietnam. In the Indosinian cycle,South China belonged to the Tethyan tectonic domain, and no abyssal oceanic basin existed there. Since theLate Triassic, especially in the Yanshanian orogenic stage, it became a component part of the peri-Pacificcontinental-margin activation belt of eastern Asia. No Alpinc-type orogenic belt occurs in the interior of thecontinent of southern China.     

Relationships Between the North China Plate and the Tarim Plate

The relationships and boundary between the North China and Tarim plates have been unclear for a long time ; however, the two plates occupy a prominent position in the formation and evolution of the continental lithosphere of China. It is proposed that the Engger Us ophiolitic melange zone discovered recently north of Alaxa is a typical suture between the two plates. The ophiolitic melange zone is composed mainly of a mixture of fragments of ancient oceanic crust and sedimentary rocks of active and passive continental margins. The melange may be divided into tectonic inclusions and matrix. The suture extends northeastwards into the Republic of Mongolia and probably westwards to meet the Altun fault. With the Engger Us ophiolitic melange zone as the boundary the Alaxa area may be divided into two parts: the northern part (AN ) belongs to the Tarim plate, while the southern part (AS) the North China plate. Geological evidence shows that the two plates were amalgamated in the Late Permian or a bit later.     

Stratigraphic Framework of the Cryogenian in China

The Cryogenian is a critical period in the history of the Earth. It is marked by multiple extreme climate changes that caused alternating global glacial and interglacial intervals. These dramatically changed the sedimentary system, and metal ores and source rocks distributed widely during this period. Therefore, studying the Cryogenian stratigraphic framework and sedimentary basins is important to improve the stratigraphic resolution for metal mineral and hydrocarbon prospecting and exploration in China. This review paper firstly divides three tectonic-stratigraphic regions in China in the Cryogenian, including the tectonic-stratigraphic regions of Great South China, Xingmeng-Tarim, and North China. Secondly, geochronologic data and geological records are combined to clearly depict the Cryogenian sedimentary sequence of continental blocks and micro-continental blocks in different tectonic-stratigraphic regions. The results were used to propose a new comparison scheme of stratigraphy for the Cryogenian in China. Finally, according to differences of sedimentary evolution and tectonic evolvement, sedimentary basins and their lithofacies paleogeography are identified and summarized, respectively.     

Research on the Terrane Tectonics in China

This paper summarizes the latest advances in research on the terrane tectonics of China.The terranes of China distributed around various plates may be divided into four terrane belts of different ages and sizes.i.e.,the East China,Northwest China,Southwest China and Qilling-Dabie terrane belts.Among them,the East China belt may be subdivided into three composite terrane groups;each terrane proup is composed of several terranes that were formed roughly at the same time and have distince geologic histories.The accretion of China‘s terranes involver three types;the collision type,the flake-thrusting type,and the docking type.The results of the lates study in the five widening fields and some advances in the methods of research on the terrane tectonics in China are presented in the present paper.     

Summary of the Lithospheric Dynamics in China

This paper presents a summary of the explanatory notes for the 1: 4, 000.000 scale"Lithgspheric Dynamics Map of China and Adjacent Seas". Which gives an outline of the geological and geophysical processes that are presently active or were once active during the Cenozoic. The focus is concentrated on intraplate phenomena and on explaining them in terms of fundamental plate tectonic processes.The lithosphere in China is very heterogeneous. Its dynamics can be described in terms of the relative motions of 8 active subplates and related 17 tectonic blocks, and the characteristics of neotectonic deformation. The present-day movement and deformation of the lithosphere in China, their relationship with the deep-seated processes, and the lateral heterogeneity, mass difference and stress state within it that will tend to cause crustal movement in the future are illustrated.The intraplate tectonics and stress field are mainly controlled by the heterogeneity of the lithosphere and the mode of interaction between subplates and their boundary conditions. The collision of the Indian plate with the Eurasian plate began and proceeded along the Tethys ocean side, which has produced a strong compressional stress in western China and brought about a high shear stress in the regions round the eastern and western corners of the Himalaya block. However, the eastern part of China is directly influenced by the western Pacific plate boundaries. The minimum principal stress here is tensional. which makes the shear stress high, it may be the cause of the high seismicity in North China and maritime region of southeastern China.     

Palaeogeographic Position of the South China Plate During the Early-Middle Devonian

In Guangxi, the Lower- Middle Devonian boundary beds yield abundant corals, brachiopods,stromatoporoids and conodonts. The former three were common in tropical and subtropical zones, while thelast occurred only round the equator. This reveals that the South China Plate in the Early-Middle Devonianwas at or near the equator, which was also supported by palaeomagnetic study giving the palaeolatitude of theGuangxi Region at the time to be 0°36′N.     

Geological Evidence for the Presence of the Emperor Event in China

The presence of the reversals of the geomagnetic field within the Brunhes is indicated by paleomagnetic stuides on Cenozoic volcanic rocks in the Leizhou Peninsula, loess strata and Quaternary marine sediments in the Pearl River Mouth basin in China. These regional reversals occured at 0.58±0.13 Ma, 0.45 Ma and 0.47—0.48 Ma respectively according to the results of K-Ar isotopic dating and climatostratigraphic and biostratigraphic analyses. The reversals equivalent to the Emperor Event is suggested.The reversals revealed in different regions with various lithologic characters in China prove that the Emperor Event is a global reversal event rather than a geomagnetic excursion, and its confirmation will permit a precise definition of the Middle/Late Pleistocene boundary.     

The Tunggurian Stage of the Continental Miocene in China

The Tunggurian Age was nominated in 1984, and the Second National Commission on Stratigraphy of China formally suggested establishing the corresponding chronostratigraphic unit, the Tunggurian Stage, based on the Tunggurian Age in 1999. The name of this stage comes from a lithostratigraphic unit, the Tunggur Formation, and the stratotype section is located at the Tunggur tableland, 15 km southeast of Saihan Gobi Township, Sonid Left Banner, Inner Mongolia. The Tunggurian Age is correlated to the Astaracian of the European land mammal ages, and they share the same definition of the lower boundary at the base of the paleomagnetic Chron C5Bn.1r with an age of 15.0 Ma. In the Tairum Nor section on the southeastern edge of the Tunggur tableland, this boundary is situated within the successive deposits of reddish-brown massive mudstone of the lower part of the Tunggur Formation, with a distance of 7.6 m from the base of the grayish-white sandstones in the middle part of the section. The Tunggurian is approximately correlated to the upper part of the marine Langhian and the marine Serravallian in the International Stratigraphical Chart. The Tunggurian Stage includes two Neogene mammal faunal units, i.e. NMU 6 （MN 6） and NMU 7 （MN 7/8）. The Tairnm Nor fauna from the Talrnm Nor section corresponds to NMU 6, and the Tunggur fauna （senso stricto） from the localities on the northwestern edge of the Tunggur tableland, such as Platybelodon Quarry, Wolf Camp and Moergen, corresponds to NMU 7. Among the Middle Miocene mammalian faunas in China, the Laogou fauna from the Linxia Basin, Gansu, the Quantougou fauna from the Lanzhou Basin, Gansu, the Halamagai fauna from the northern Junggar Basin, Xinjiang, and the Dingjiaergou fauna from Tongxin, Ningxia correspond to NMU 6.     

Transport process of radionuclides in the East China Sea

Settling particles were collected from six stations at the Okinawa Trough and the East China Sea continental margin. Activities of U, Th, Pu isotopes and ^210Pb were determined for the particles to elucidate their transport processes. Surface sediment samples were also analyzed for their isotopes. There was a tendency for ^210Pb activities to increase almost linearly with depth from 72 m on the continental shelf edge to 1019 m in the Okinawa Trough. Increasing ^210Pb activities in settling particles with depth on the continental margin may be attributable to enhanced ^210Pb scavenging by particles and removal near the front. There also was a clear tendency for total mass fluxes and the radionuclide fluxes to increase with depth, with an especially large increase near the bottom. The ratio of the observed ^210Pb flux to the ^210Pb deficiency flux in the near-bottom traps ranged between 8.9 and 46. These high values show a strong ^210Pb excess which would be attributable to large advective import to the near-bottom and resuspended particles that have settled through the water column but have not been incorporated into the sediments. High variability of radionuclide fluxes occurred in very short time periods. Activities of ^238U, ^232Th, ^230Th, ^228Th, ^210Pb and ^239Pu＋^240Pu in settling particles were significantly higher than those in the underlying surface sediments.     

Mercury in coal from the People's Republic of China

The Peoples' Republic of China produces and consumes the largest quantity of coal in the world; about 2.19 billion tons of coal were produced in 2005. It is estimated that coal consumption will reach 7 billion tons by 2020. Although the nationwide percent…     

Reservoir Geochemistry of the Kuche Petroleum System in the Tarim Basin, China

The geochemical characteristics of crude oils and reservoir core extracts from the Kuche petroleum system are described and studied systematically by means of various geochemical techniques and methods to acquire molecular information. The results suggest crude oils from the petroleum system can be divided into two groups: marine oils and non-marine oils. The former represents the dominant oils found in the area. Tar mats were firstly discovered and determined accurately in terrestrial oil and gas reservoirs, with Lower Tertiary sandstone reservoirs in the Yaha oilfield of the Tarim Basin. However, based on the ratio of 20S/(20S 20R)C29 sterane as a maturity parameter, lacustrine oils filled into the Tertiary reservoirs in the direction toward the western part of the petroleum system. In contrast, according to the fact that methylcyclohexane indices of eastern oils are greater than those of western oils, the location in which coalgenerated oils filled into the Tertiary reservoirs lies in the eastern part of the petroleum system.     

Tertiary Calcareous Nannofossil Biostratigraphy in the North Part of the South China Sea

The marine Tertiary sequence in the north part of the South China Sea may be divided into 18 LateOligocene to Pliocene calcareous nannofossil zones and one unnamed Eocene assemblage based on an analysisof calcareous nannofossils from 40 offshore boreholes. The unnamed Eocene assemblage has been found onlyon the northeast margin of the Zhujiangkou basin. The 18 cakareous nannofossil zones of the Late Oligoceneto Pliocene were deposited in succession, but their development degrees are different. Among the 18 calcareousnannofossil zones, those corresponding to Martini's (1971) NN4- NN5 zones, NN11 zone and NN13-NN15zones are well developed, relatively persistent laterally and also widely distributed. They are the importantmarkers for the stratigraphical subdivision and correlation of the Upper Tertiary between the various basins inthe north part of the South China Sea. Based on the calcareous nannofossils and the sedimentsry features coup-led with the foraminifer zonation in certain basins, the present paper discusses the sedimentary characteristicsof the marine Tertiary and as well as the distribution and development of the sedimentary hiatus in the region.The calcareous nannofossil markers for the Upper / Lower Tertiary and the Quaternary / Tertiary boundaries,and the characteristics and geological significance of the reworked calcareous nannofossils are also discussed inthe paper.     

Constraints on the paleogeographic evolution of the North China Craton during the Late Triassic–Jurassic

This paper reports U–Pb–Hf isotopes of detrital zircons from Late Triassic–Jurassic sediments in the Ordos, Ningwu, and Jiyuan basins in the western-central North China Craton (NCC), with the aim of constraining the paleogeographic evolution of the NCC during the Late Triassic–Jurassic. The early Late Triassic samples have three groups of detrital zircons (238–363 Ma, 1.5–2.1 Ga, and 2.2–2.6 Ga), while the latest Late Triassic and Jurassic samples contain four groups of detrital zircons (154–397 Ma, 414–511 Ma, 1.6–2.0 Ga, and 2.2–2.6 Ga). The Precambrian zircons in the Late Triassic–Jurassic samples were sourced from the basement rocks and pre-Late Triassic sediments in the NCC. But the initial source for the 238–363 Ma zircons in the early Late Triassic samples is the Yinshan–Yanshan Orogenic Belt (YYOB), consistent with their negative zircon ε_Hf(t) values (−24 to −2). For the latest Late Triassic and Jurassic samples, the initial source for the 414–511 Ma zircons with ε_Hf(t) values of −18 to +9 is the Northern Qinling Orogen (NQO), and that for the 154–397 Ma zircons with ε_Hf(t) values of −25 to +12 is the YYOB and the southeastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). In combination with previous data of late Paleozoic–Early Triassic sediments in the western-central NCC and Permian–Jurassic sediments in the eastern NCC, this study reveals two shifts in detrital source from the late Paleozoic to Jurassic. In the Late Permian–Early Triassic, the western-central NCC received detritus from the YYOB, southeastern CAOB and NQO. However, in the early Late Triassic, detritus from the CAOB and NQO were sparse in basins located in the western-central NCC, especially in the Yan’an area of the Ordos Basin. We interpret such a shift of detrital source as result of the uplift of the eastern NCC in the Late Triassic. In the latest Late Triassic–Jurassic, the southeastern CAOB and the NQO restarted to be source regions for basins in the western-central NCC, as well as for basins in the eastern NCC. The second shift in detrital source suggests elevation of the orogens surrounding the NCC and subsidence of the eastern NCC in the Jurassic, arguing against the presence of a paleo-plateau in the eastern NCC at that time. It would be subsidence rather than elevation of the eastern NCC in the Jurassic, due to roll-back of the subducted paleo-Pacific plate and consequent upwelling of asthenospheric mantle.     

Some Recognitions on the Sedimentary-Tectonic Development of the Meso-Cenozoic Basins in Eastern China

Since Jurassic. intense and repeated tectonic movements have taken place in eastern China, of which theYanshanian movement is the most important. Thereby the development of the basins between the Jurassic andEogene in the studied areas may by divided into two different stages, i.e. the Yanshanian subcycle (J-K_1~1) andthe North China subcycle (K_1~2-E). The basement and tectonic stress field of the basins played an obvious role in controlling thesedimentary-tectonic development of the basins. and down-faulted basins might form under different stressstates. Besides. the shearing stress also played an important part while the basins were forming in the notedareas.     

Lower Boundary of the Marine Pleistocene in Northern Shelf of the South China Sea

A marine stratigraphic sequence across the Pliocene / Pleistocene boundary has been found in the north-ern continental shelf of the South China Sea. The marine Quaternary deposits in the Yinggehai Basin may ex-ceed 2,000 m in thickness, probably providing the best section for studying the lower boundary of the marinePleistocene in South China. The vertical succession with planktonic foraminifers and nannofossils revealed inboreholes in the basin has been well correlated with that in the international stratotype section of thePliocene / Pleistocene boundary at Vrica, Italy, resulting in the acquirement of a biostratigraphic boundary at1.64 Ma. This boundary, however, does not coincide with any prominent lithological palaeoenvironmentalchanges in the study area and can hardly be used in geological practice. There are, in contrast, significantchanges at the level of LAD of Globorotalia multicamerata sensu lato located below the above-mentionedboundary. The percentage of planktonic foraminifers in the total population and preservation of foraminiferaltests display great changes at this level corresponding to a clear onlap on the seismic profiles and indicating adepositional hiatus at ca. 2.0-2.5 Ma. Since the level can be widely traced in the Pearl River Mouth Basin andthe Beibu Gulf Basin and well corresponds with the marked depositional environmental changes recorded inthe west Pacific and other regions, it is recommended that the Plio / Pleistocene boundary be drawn at the levelof Gr. multicamerata sensu lato LAD, roughly concurrent with the Gauss / Matuyama turn.     

A Preliminary Study of the Gas Hydrate Stability Zone in the South China Sea

Based on the analysis of sea-bottom temperature and geothermal gradient, and by means of the phase boundary curve of gas hydrate and the sea-bottom temperature versus water depth curve in the South China Sea, this paper studies the temperature and pressure conditions for gas hydrate to keep stable. In a marine environment, methane hydrate keeps stable at water depths greater than 550 m in the South China Sea. Further, the thickness of the gas hydrate stability zone in the South China Sea was calculated by using the phase boundary curve and temperature-depth equations. The result shows that gas hydrate have a better perspective in the southeast of the Dongsha Islands, the northeast of the Xisha Islands and the north of the Nansha Islands for thicker stability zones.     

Microfossils from the Wumishan Formation of the Jixian System in the Ming Tombs,Beijing,China

Members Ⅰ-Ⅳ of the Wumishan Formation of the Jixian System are exposed respectively in Mt. Cuihua and Mt. Hushan in the Ming Tombs, Beijing. Black banded cherts which are extensively developed in this formation contain an abundance ofmicrofossils that are well preserved and variable in form. A study of thin sections shows that the microfossils include 10 genera, 12 species, 3 of. species, 2 indeterminate species and 1 unnamed form, of which 1 genus and 7 species are newly erected. The present assemblage is morphologically comparable to those from the Wumishan Formation in the Western Hills of Beijing, Jixian County of Tianjin and Kuancheng of Hebei Province.     

Characteristics and Formation Mechanism of the Geothermal Field in the North China Downfaulted Basin

The geothermal field is mainly controlled by the regional tectonic framework characterized by alternationsof uplifted and depressed basement. and exhibits a similar zoned distribution of temperatures. In the upliftedarea the geothermal gradient (G) and terrestrial heat flow value(q) of the Cenozoic sedimentary cover are rela-tively high, with G=3.5-5.0℃/100m and q=63-84mW/m~2; whereas in the depressions they are rela-tively low, with G=2.7-3.5℃/100m and q=46-59mW/m~2. In the whole region, G=3.58℃/100m and q=61.5±13.4nW/m~2, indicating a comparatively high geothermal background and the presence of localgeothermal anomalies. A comparison of the results of mathematical simulation of the geothermal field with themeasured values shows a good agrecment between them. The geothermal difference between various tectonicunits is caused chiefly by the lateral and vertical variation of thermal properties of shallow crustal rocks. Thisphenomenon can be regarded as the result of redistribution of relatively uniform heat flows from the deep crustin the surficial part of the crust in the process of their upward conduction.     

On and Off the North China Craton: Where is the Archaean Keel?

Geophysical data indicate that the lithosphere beneath the NorthChina Craton (NCC) is     

Dynamic Controls on the Formation of Mantle Plume Beneath the South China Sea Region

正The South China Sea(SCS)has attracted intensive structural and geophysical research over the past decades,with a focus on its extensional history and relevant dynamic tectonic models.Seismic tomographic images obtained