Quartz fabrics in shear-zone mylonites: Evidence for a major imprint due to late strain increments

Geometrical relations between quartz C-axis fabrics, textures, microstructures and macroscopic structural elements (foliation, lineation, folds…) in mylonitic shear zones suggest that the C-axis fabric mostly reflects the late-stage deformation history. Three examples of mylonitic thrust zones are presented: the Eastern Alps, where the direction of shearing inferred from the quartz fabric results from a late deformation oblique to the overall thrusting; the Caledonides nappes and the Himalayan Main Central Thrust zone, where, through a similar reasoning, the fabrics would also reflect late strain increments though the direction of shearing deduced from quartz fabric remains parallel to the overall thrusting direction. Hence, the sense of shear and the shear strain component deduced from the orientation of C-axis girdles relative to the finite strain ellipsoid axes are not simply related nor representative of the entire deformation history.     

Charriage crustal,anatexie et decrochements ductiles dans les Maures orientales (Var,France) au cours de l'orogenese varisque

The kinematics of the deformational events recorded in the catazonal gneisses within the eastern part of the Maures massif (Variscan basement of Provence, southeastern France) has been established. These events can be correlated with both the metamorphic and the magmatic evolution, and the orogenic history of the eastern Maures then consists of the following stages:

1. -HP-metamorphism preserved only in relict eclogites and quartzites rich in calc-silicates,
2. -Catazonal metamorphism involving anatectic melting, broadly contemporaneous with large-scale horizontal transport towards the NNE. During this event, the lithologic units were disrupted and intensively mylonitized.
3. -Intrusion of a first generation of anatectic granitoids.
4. -A second tectonic event under epi-to mesozonal metamorphism conditions is responsible for the northward displacement of the eastern Maures relative to the western part along a sinistral strike-slip fault 4 km wide (Ramatuelle — Plan de la Tour fault) in which the early anatectic granitoids have been mylonitized. Outside the fault zone, this event is marked by upright to W-vergent open folds trending N-S, i.e. parallel to the transport direction.
5. -A moderate cataclastic reactivation of the Ramatuelle — Plan de la Tour fault with a dextral sense of shear, locally accompanied in the eastern part of the area by minor lowtemperature thrusting towards the south.
6. -Intrusion of a second generation of anatectic granites about 320 Ma ago.

The metamorphic, magmatic and tectonic evolution of the eastern Maures suggests a continuous orogenic history in an area of rapid crustal thickening by large-scale thrusting within the continental crust. This evolution may be related to the development of continental subduction during the continent/continent collision responsible for the Variscan orogeny in southern Europe.     

Sismique marine haute résolution 3D : un nouvel outil de reconnaissance à destination de la communauté scientifique

This note presents the first results of the development of 3D high-resolution marine seismic method designed for scientific application. A particular attention was paid to the realisation of an operational system to be in agreement with the expected goals in term of acquisition and processing. To cite this article: Y. Thomas et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).     

UPb emplacement and 40Ar/39Ar cooling ages of the eastern Mont-Louis granite massif (Eastern Pyrenees,France)

Zircon UPb dating by SIMS of the Mont-Louis granite yields an age of 305±5 Ma, intrepreted to reflect the igneous emplacement age of the massif. It is in agreement with the Hercynian syntectonic character of Pyrenees granite. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar on hornblende, biotite and K-feldspar permit, to estimate the massif cooling. A rapid temperature decrease (≈30 °C/Ma) is revealed from Westphalian to Late Stephanian, coeval with the emplacement of a laccolithe in the upper crust. Then, the cooling rate decreases to ≈1 °C/Ma. This would be consistent with a long time residence for the pluton from the Late Palaeozoic to the Early Cainozoic at 6–8 km depth. To cite this article: O. Maurel et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).     

Magnetostratigraphy of Tertiary Rocks from Maoming Basin,Guangdong Province,China

The Maoming Basin is one amongst a group of Cretaceous-Tertiary basins in South China-347 samples were collected from drill cores MR and MB and section MS (110° 54′ E. 21° 45′ N). Most of the lithological units are of Tertiary age. The cores include the Laohuling. Shangcun, Huangniuling and Youganwo formations. The MR core (874m in length) has recorded the polarity history from Normal Zone 18 to Normal Zone 11 on the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale (GPTS). The strata were formed from about 42Ma to 32Ma, that is from Late Eocene to Early Oligocene. A mean sedimentation rate of this stratigraphic column is 8.1 cm/ka.     

Defining geo-habitats for groundwater ecosystem assessments: an example from England and Wales (UK)

Groundwater ecosystems comprising micro-organisms and metazoans provide an important contribution to global biodiversity. Their complexity depends on geology, which determines the physical habitat available, and the chemical conditions within it. Despite this, methods of classifying groundwater habitats using geological data are not well established and researchers have called for higher resolution habitat frameworks. A novel habitat typology for England and Wales (UK) is proposed, which distinguishes 11 geological habitats (geo-habitats) on hydrogeological principles and maps their distribution. Hydrogeological and hydrochemical data are used to determine the characteristics of each geo-habitat, and demonstrate their differences. Using these abiotic parameters, a new method to determine abiotic habitat quality is then developed. The geo-habitats had significantly different characteristics, validating the classification system. All geo-habitats were highly heterogeneous, containing both high quality habitat patches that are likely to be suitable for fauna, and areas of low quality that may limit faunal distributions. Karstic and porous habitats generally were higher quality than fractured habitats. Overall, 70% of England and Wales are covered by lower quality fractured habitats, with only 13% covered by higher quality habitats. The main areas of high quality habitats occur in central England as north–south trending belts, possibly facilitating dispersal along this axis. They are separated by low quality geo-habitats that may prevent east-west dispersal of fauna. In south-west England and Wales suitable geo-habitats occur as small isolated patches. Overall, this paper provides a new national-scale typology that is adaptable for studies in other geographic areas.     

A submersible study of the western intersection of the Mid-Atlantic ridge and Kane fracture zone (WMARK)

In 1994, a joint Japanese-American dive program utilizing the worlds deepest diving active research submersible (SHINKAI 6500) was carried out at the western ridge-transform intersection (RTI) of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and Kane transform in the central North Atlantic Ocean. A total of 15 dives were completed along with surface-ship geophysical mapping of bathymetry, magnetic and gravity fields. Dives at the RTI traced the neovolcanic zone up to, and for a short distance (2.5 km) along, the Kane transform. At the RTI, the active trace of the transform is marked by a narrow valley (<50 m wide) that separates the recent lavas of the neovolcanic zone from the south wall of the transform. The south wall of the transform at the western RTI consists of a diabase section near its base between 5000 and 4600 m depth overlain by basaltic lavas, with no evidence of gabbro or deeper crustal rocks. The south wall is undergoing normal faulting with considerable strike-slip component. The lavas of the neovolcanic zone at the RTI are highly magnetized (17 A m^–1) compared to the lavas of the south wall (4 A m^–1), consistent with their age difference. The trace of the active transform changes eastwards into a prominent median ridge, which is composed of heavily sedimented and highly serpentinized peridotites. Submersible observations made from SHINKAI find that the western RTI of the Kane transform has a very different seafloor morphology and lithology compared to the eastern RTI. Large rounded massifs exposing lower crustal rocks are found on the inside corner of the eastern RTI whereas volcanic ridge and valley terrain with hooked ridges are found on the outside corner of the eastern RTI. The western RTI is much less asymmetric with both inside and outside corner crust showing a preponderance of volcanic terrain. The dominance of low-angle detachment faulting at the eastern RTI has resulted in a seafloor morphology and architecture that is diagnostic of the process whereas crust formed at the WMARK RTI must clearly be operating under a different set of conditions that suppresses the initiation of such faulting.     

A comparison of suspended particulate matter from nepheloid and clear water

Particulate matter from the nepheloid layer and from regions of clearer water have been examined under the light microscope to determine particle concentration, size and composition. The total count of suspended particles is a basic difference between water samples from nepheloid layers of the North American and Brazil basins, and samples from the clearer water over the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in both the North and South Atlantic. The nepheloid layer of the North American Basin has four times, and the Brazil Basin three times the particle density of clearer water over the mid-ocean ridge. A greater percentage of particles of < 2 μ size prevails in nepheloid water ranging from 85–96% as compared to a range of 76–87% in the clear water. Non-opaque mineral grains form the major constituent.     

Biogeochemistry of dimethylsulfide (DMS) and dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) in the surface microlayer and subsurface water of the western North Atlantic during spring

Sixteen surface microlayer samples and corresponding subsurface water samples were collected in the western North Atlantic during April–May 2003 to study the distribution and cycling of dimethylsulfide (DMS) and dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) and the factors influencing them. In the surface microlayer, high concentrations of DMS appeared mostly in the samples containing high levels of chlorophyll a, and a significant correlation was found between DMS and chlorophyll a concentrations. In addition, microlayer DMS concentrations were correlated with microlayer DMSPd (dissolved) concentrations. DMSPd was found to be enriched in the microlayer with an average enrichment factor (EF) of 5.19. However, no microlayer enrichment of DMS was found for most samples collected. Interestingly, the DMS production rates in the microlayer were much higher than those in the subsurface water. Enhanced DMS production in the microlayer was likely due to the higher concentrations of DMSPd in the microlayer. A consistent pattern was observed in this study in which the concentrations of DMS, DMSPd, DMSPp (particulate) and chlorophyll a in the microlayer were closely related to their corresponding subsurface water concentrations, suggesting that these constituents in the microlayer were directly dependent on the transport from the bulk liquid below. Enhanced DMS production in the microlayer further reinforces the conclusion that the surface microlayer has greater biological activity relative to the underlying water.