Basic characteristics of active tectonics of China

Active tectonics is inferred to all the structures which have been active since the late Pleisto-cene, 100—120 ka B.P., are still active recently, and will be active in a certain time period in the future, such as active faults, active folds, active basi…     

A remote sensing model for monitoring soil evaporation based on differential thermal inertia and its validation

To develop geosciences quantification and multi-dimensional researches will be an inevitable trend in the 21st century. The interaction between the land surface and the atmosphere not only serves as an important component in geosciences quantification, bu…     

Kinetic study of the hydrocarbon generation from Upper Paleozoic coals in Ordos Basin

When organic matter during geological processes is affected by a variety of factors such as paleotemperature, and time, complicated chemical reactions will occur, finally resulting in the generation of petroleum and natural gas. These reactions leading to…     

Evolution mechanism of the western Pacific subtropical high

Ever since Charney et al.[1] studied the multiple equilibrium states in atmosphere with highly truncated spectral method in 1979, many Chinese researchers, such as Li Maicun et al. (1983)[2], Liu Chongjian et al. (1983)[3], Miu Jinhai et al. (1985)[4] and…     

Natural gas generation model and its response in accumulated fluids in the Yinggehai basin

The generation of natural gases is much more complicated in comparison with liquid petro-leum in that natural gases could be generated from both humic and sapropelic organic matter at different stages and that natural gases could be organic and inorganic …     

Diversification of skeletal microstructures of organisms through the interval from the latest Precambrian to the Early Cambrian

From the latest Precambrian to the Early Cambrian was the most important phase throughout the evolutionary history of life on the earth. The diversification of latest Precambrian multicellular organisms was obvious and some of them began to form primary s…     

Magnetic properties of tidal flat sediments of the Yangtze Estuary and its relationship with particle size

Since the 1970s, environmental magnetism has found extensive applications in diverse research areas of geoscience[1]. In China, a lot of environmental magnetic studies have been carried out on loess, lake and marine sediments for the purpose of paleoclima…     

Denudation rates of crystalline rock in the Huangling anticline of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River in China since the Eocene

The processes and rates of the weathering denudation of the bare crystalline rock are important problems in the field of geosciences[1—6]. Essentially, the weathering denudation process is the process of rock destruction and transportation. In different …     

The <Superscript>40</Superscript>Ar/<Superscript>39</Superscript>Ar geochronology constraint and geological significance of mylonites in Shangyi-Chicheng fault belt on the north of North China Craton

A dating of two biotite samples taken from the meso- and low-temperature mylonites within the Shangyi-Chicheng fault belt on the north of the North China Craton yields ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar isotopic ages of (399 ± 1) Ma and (263 ± 2) Ma, respectively. These data reflect an Early Devonian deformation and a Late Carboniferous retrograde metamorphism event along the fault, suggesting that the tectonic activities of the North China Craton in Paleozoic should be reconsidered.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In-situ</Emphasis> trace element analyses and Pb-Pb dating of zircons in granulite from Huangtuling,Dabieshan by LAM-ICP-MS

It is revealed by CL images that there are multi-stage growth internal structures of zircons in the Huangtuling granulite, including the inherited zircons, protolith zircons, sector and planar zone zircons and retrograde zircons. In-situ trace element compositions and Pb-Pb ages have been analyzed by LAM-ICP-MS. The sector and the planar zone domains show typical trace element characteristics of granulite zircon (low Th, U, Th/U, total REEs, clear negative Eu anomalies, relatively depleted HREE and small differential degree between MREE and HREE, etc.), indicating that they formed during granulite-facies metamorphism. The protolith zircons have trace element characteristics of crustal zircon (high Th, U, Th/U, total REEs and enriched HREEs, etc.). 12 analyzed spots on granulite-facies domains give a weighted mean ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb age of (2154±26) Ma (MSWD = 3.8), which is the best estimated age of granulite-facies metamorphism of this sample. The weighted mean ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb age of 5 analyzed spots on protolith zircon domains is (2714 ± 22) Ma (MSWD = 1.4), which represents the protolith forming time. The discovery of ca. 3.4 Ga inherited zircon indicates that there are Palaeoarchean continental materials in this area. The interpretation of formation conditions and the ages of zircons can be constrained by simultaneous in-situ analysis of trace elements and ages.