Lithospheric Electrical Structure across the Eastern Segment of the Altyn Tagh Fault on the Northern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau

Project INDEPTH (InterNational DEep Profiling of Tibet and the Himalaya) is an interdisciplinary program designed to develop a better understanding of deep structures and mechanics of the Tibetan Plateau. As a component of magnetotelluric (MT) work in the 4th phase of the project, MT data were collected along a profile that crosses the eastern segment of the Altyn Tagh fault on the northern margin of the plateau. Time series data processing used robust algorithms to give high quality responses. Dimensionality analysis showed that 2D approach is only valid for the northern section of the profile. Consequently, 2D inversions were only conducted for the northern section, and 3D inversions were conducted on MT data from the whole profile. From the 2D inversion model, the eastern segment of the Altyn Tagh fault only appears as a crustal structure, which suggests accommodation of strike slip motion along the Altyn Tagh fault by thrusting within the Qilian block. A large-scale off-profile conductor within the mid-lower crust of the Qilian block was revealed from the 3D inversion model, which is probably correlated with the North Qaidam thrust belt. Furthermore, the unconnected conductors from the 3D inversion model indicate that deformations in the study area are generally localized.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987114000255

Geophysical studies point to a complex tectonic and geodynamic evolution of the Alboran Basin and Gulf of Cadiz.Tomographic images show strong seismic waves velocity contrasts in the upper mantle.The high velocity anomaly beneath the Alboran Sea recovered by a number of studies is now a well established feature.Several geodynamic reconstructions have been proposed also on the base of these images.We present and elaborate on results coming from a recent tomography study which concentrates on both the Alboran and the adjacent Atlantic region.These new results,while they confirm the existence of the fast anomaly below the Alboran region,also show interesting features of the lithosphere-asthenosphere system below the Atlantic.A high velocity body is imaged roughly below the Horseshoe Abyssal plain down to sub-lithospheric depths.This feature suggests either a possible initiation or relic subduction.Pronounced low velocity anomalies pervade the upper mantle below the Atlantic region and separate the lithospheres of the two regions.We also notice a strong change of the upper mantle velocity structure going from south to north across the Gorringe Bank.This variation in structure could be related to the different evolution in the opening of the central and northern Atlantic oceans.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S167498711400108X

We present three 3D numerical models of deep subduction where buoyant material from an oceanic plateau and a plume interact with the overriding plate to assess the influence on subduction dynamics,trench geometry,and mechanisms for plateau accretion and continental growth.Transient instabilities of the convergent margin are produced,resulting in:contorted trench geometry;trench migration parallel with the plate margin;folding of the subducting slab and orocline development at the convergent margin;and transfer of the plateau to the overriding plate.The presence of plume material beneath the oceanic plateau causes flat subduction above the plume,resulting in a "bowed" shaped subducting slab.In plateau-only models,plateau accretion at the edge of the overriding plate results in trench migration around the edge of the plateau before subduction is re-established directly behind the trailing edge of the plateau.The plateau shortens and some plateau material subducts.The presence of buoyant plume material beneath the oceanic plateau has a profound influence on the behaviour of the convergent margin.In the plateau + plume model,plateau accretion causes rapid trench advance.Plate convergence is accommodated by shearing at the base of the plateau and shortening in the overriding plate.The trench migrates around the edge of the plateau and subduction is re-established well behind the trailing edge of the plateau,effectively embedding the plateau into the overriding plate.A slab window forms beneath the accreted plateau and plume material is transferred from the subducting plate to the overriding plate through the window.In all of the models,the subduction zone maintains a relatively stable configuration away from the buoyancy anomalies within the downgoing plate.The models provide a dynamic context for plateau and plume accretion in Phanerozoic accretionary orogenic systems such as the East China Orogen and the Central Asian Orogen(Altiads),which are characterised by accreted ophiolite complexes with diverse geochemical affinities,and a protracted evolution of accretion of exotic terranes including oceanic plateau and terranes with plume origins.     

The inner solar system cratering record and the evolution of impactor populations

We review previously published and newly obtained crater size-frequency distributions in the inner solar system. These data indicate that the Moon and the terrestrial planets have been bombarded by two populations of objects. Population 1,dominating at early times, had nearly the same size distribution as the present-day asteroid belt, and produced heavily cratered surfaces with a complex, multi-sloped crater size-frequency distribution. Population 2, dominating since about 3.8–3.7 Gyr,had the same size distribution as near-Earth objects(NEOs) and a much lower impact flux, and produced a crater size distribution characterized by a differential –3single-slope power law in the crater diameter range 0.02 km to 100 km. Taken together with the results from a large body of work on age-dating of lunar and meteorite samples and theoretical work in solar system dynamics, a plausible interpretation of these data is as follows. The NEO population is the source of Population 2 and it has been in near-steady state over the past ～ 3.7–3.8 Gyr; these objects are derived from the main asteroid belt by size-dependent non-gravitational effects that favor the ejection of smaller asteroids. However, Population 1 was composed of main belt asteroids ejected from their source region in a size-independent manner, possibly by means of gravitational resonance sweeping during orbit migration of giant planets;this caused the so-called Late Heavy Bombardment(LHB). The LHB began some time before ～3.9 Gyr, peaked and declined rapidly over the next ～ 100 to 300 Myr,and possibly more slowly from about 3.8–3.7 Gyr to ～2 Gyr. A third crater population(Population S) consisted of secondary impact craters that can dominate the cratering record at small diameters.     

奥长花岗岩和奥陶纪Ammonoosuc火山岩系的变质石英角斑凝灰岩——新罕布什尔州西部和邻近的佛蒙特州和马萨诸塞州

奥陶纪Ammouoosuc火山岩及相当的岩石沿着新罕布什尔州北部和康涅狄格州南部之间的BronsonHill复背斜(BHA)分布的OLiverian穹窿出露。在新罕布什尔和相邻佛蒙特和马萨诸塞州,岩系的下部以镁铁质斜长角闪岩为主,上部以长英质变质石英角斑凝灰岩为主。在局部地区两种岩性呈互层,且两者都被奥长花岗岩岩床、岩墙及岩颈侵入。奥长花岗岩还构成若干小穹窿或深成岩体内部的片麻状“核心”。奥长花岗岩高硅(SiO_2=73—81％),低Al_2O_3(11.3—13.5％),一般K_2O<1％,从而类似于某些岛弧或大陆边缘环境的奥长花岗岩。奥长花岗岩和Ammonoosuc火山岩两者化学成分变化基本属于钙—碱性趋势。几个穹窿中的奥长花岗岩的主要元素和微量元素的变化,反映沿Brinson Hill复背斜有些不同的物质来原。可是,从总体上看,奥长花岗岩的主要元素和次要元素组成都很类似于Ammonoosuc石英角斑凝灰岩。由玄武质源岩的部分熔融或分离结晶作用都能够产生这些岩石,但根据该区存在大规模双模式玄武岩-石英角斑岩的Ammonoosuc组合,其中实际上缺少安山岩和其它中性成分的岩石,故部分熔融模式比较合理。正如对纽芬兰的非常相似的奥长花岗岩-角闪岩组合(Twillingate奥长花岗岩,Little Port杂岩)所假定的那样,比较簿的Ammonoosuc剖面似乎排除了奥长花岗岩在目前暴露出的岛弧底部产生。而正如现代板块构造模型所主张的那样,长英质Ammonoosuc岩石的形成更可能发生在BHA以下,沿着向东倾斜的俯冲带的较深部位。硅铝地壳与Ammonoosuc火山岩在时间和空间上紧密并置。可以解释后者的钙-碱趋势,并揭示古构造环境为收敛型的海洋-大陆板块边缘,可能横跨该岛弧有明显的地壳缩短。     

Resource Flows of Villages with Contrasting Lifestyles in Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Central Himalaya, India

Resource use efficiency analyses of village ecosystem are necessary for effective and efficient planning of resource utilization. This paper deals with economic and energy input-output analyses of different components of village ecosystem in representative buffer zone villages, which are practicing transhumance and settled way of lifestyles in Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve （NDBR） of Garhwal Himalaya. While the villages practicing transhumance used various natural resources spatially segregated,the villages practicing settled way of lifestyle have to manage resources from a limited spatial area through rotation and varied extraction intensities. Forests subsidized the production activity in both type of villages and the per capita resource extractions were found to be greater in tran~humance village than settled village. Though crops provided maximum energy, in terms of economic criteria, animal husbandry played important role in both settled and transhumance villages. As villages representing both the situations showed different ways of adjustments to the conservation oriented land use changes, management authority needs to address the eco-development plans fulfilling the aspirations of all people traditionally using the resources of the Reserve to reduce the conflicts and encourage their participation in the conservation of the area.     

分子云物理性质的研究

十余年来年轻的分子天文学带来一系列新发现,推动了银河系结构、星系化学史、恒星物质流失、分子云物理等课题研究的新进展。 本文在简介分子天文学之后,将集中对与恒星形成有关的分子云物理问题进行综述。 内容分为 一、分子天文学的研究对象 二、分子云物理参数的导出 三、分子云的观测 四、涉及恒星形成的分子云理论研究     

热液喷发口附近水域中的稀土元素

太平洋深海底REE组合中极为缺乏轻稀土元素,铈负异常增大.这样的REE组合与浓度一深度剖面,是通过由于有选择的对轻元素的捕捉因而引起变化的深海水的再生作用而保持下来.由于是通过富含Fe和Mg的热水性喷发进行捕捉的,因此关