Tectonics,magmatism, and mineralization of Circum–Balkash–Junggar area in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt

ABSTRACT

The Circum–Balkhash–Junggar area, including mostly Kazakhstan, NW China, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia, occupies an important tectonic position of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) (Figure 1). Tectonically, this vast area records the complicated geodynamic processes, among which the most prominent stages are the formation of the U-shaped Kazakhstan Orocline and its interactions with adjacent Altai (Altay), Junggar (West Junggar, Junggar Basin, and East Junggar), and Tianshan orogenic collages in the Palaeozoic, bearing large-scale mineral deposits. The formation of the Late Palaeozoic mineral deposits is related to the tectonic evolution of the Devonian and Carboniferous–Permian volcano-magmatic arcs in the region. However, the link between the metallogeny and the evolution of the volcano-magmatic arcs is not well understood and existing geodynamic models have not explained satisfactorily the mechanism of the huge metallogenic belt. Therefore, this special issue focuses on the formation of the Late Palaeozoic porphyry Cu deposits and their link to the tectonic evolution of the Devonian and Carboniferous–Permian volcano-magmatic arcs with emphasis on comparative studies across the international borders.     

Early Cretaceous porphyry copper mineralization in Northeast China: the Changfagou example

The Changfagou Cu deposit is a newly discovered porphyry deposit located in the southern Jilin Province of Northeastern China, on the northeastern margin of the North China Craton. To better understand the formation of the Cu deposit, we report the zircon U–Pb and molybdenite Re–Os dating, and Sr-, Nd-, and Hf- isotopic data of the granite porphyry. LA-ICP-MS dating of zircon grains from two mineral zones in the granite porphyry yield ages of 115.7 ± 0.8 and 115.3 ± 0.6 Ma, which is interpreted as the emplacement age of the granite porphyry. The molybdenite Re–Os model ages of 112.5 to 113.8 Ma, an isochron age of 113.3 ± 1.3 Ma, and a weighted mean model age of 113.0 ± 0.7 Ma, which represents the age of the Cu mineralization quite well. The Changfagou granite porphyry samples lack amphibole and muscovite, and are compositionally characterized by high SiO₂, high Na₂O+K₂O, and low P₂O₅, enriched in some Rb, Th, U, and Pb, and depleted in Nb, Ta, Ti, P, and Eu. Mineralogical and geochemical features suggest that the Changfagou granite porphyry samples are slightly peraluminous and are of highly fractionated I-type granitoids. The granitic rocks also have relatively high (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i (0.71199 to 0. 71422), and both low εNd(t) (?14.56 to ?13.19) and εHf(t) values (?14.916 to ?8.644), which suggest that Changfagou granite porphyry are derived from mixed sources of crustal and mantle, and diagenesis and mineralization were possibly related to the switch in subduction direction of the Palaeo-Pacific Plate in the late phase of Early Cretaceous.     

Evolution of the Late Triassic Paleo-uplift in the Southwestern Upper Yangtze Region and its Tectonic SignificanceEI北大核心CSCD

Based on field geological survey and stratigraphic analysis, a Late Triassic Paleo-uplift is identified in the southwestern upper Yangtze region. The tectonic features, evolution history and tectonic significance of this paleo-uplift are discussed in detail in this paper. The results suggest that the hiatus of the Upper Triassic in the southwestern upper Yangtze region was resulted from the paleo-uplift that roughly parallel to the southwest margin of the upper Yangtze region. The formation of the paleo-uplift is related to the closure of the Jinshajiang-Ailaoshan-Songma-Babu and Ganzi-Litang Oceans and their subsequent collisional orogenesis along the southwest margin of the upper Yangtze region. The forebulges of the Youjiang and Chuxiong Foreland Basins were formed by the closure of the Jinshajiang-Ailaoshan-Songma-Babu Ocean, comprising the paleo-uplift at the end of the Early Triassic. Then the forebulge of the Xichang Foreland Basin was developed by the closure of the Ganzi-Litang Ocean in the Norian, and became a new part of the paleo-uplift. Owing to the termination of the Youjiang Foreland Basin at the end of the Rhaetian, the paleo-uplift was composed only of the forebulges of the Chuxiong and Xichang Foreland Basins. The discovery of the paleo-uplift will help us to better understand the prototype of the Sichuan Basin and the tectonic evolution of the southwestern upper Yangtze region during the Late Triassic. © 2017, Science Press. All right reserved.     

全球气候变化与地质灾害响应分析

对全球气候变化对地质灾害的响应关系,尤其是对滑坡和泥石流灾害的响应关系进行了综述。工业化革命以来,特别是近几十年来全球气候发生着重要的变化,全球几乎所有地区都经历着升温过程。全球气候变化对极端天气事件(极端降雨、气温升高、强风和洪水灾害)的影响尤为强烈,并且增加了地质灾害的发生风险。其中,水循环和气温的变化是影响地质灾害发生的直接因素。气温上升会导致大气层含水量升高、冰川冻土退化、海平面上升、蒸发作用增强;水循环变化会导致降雨频率、降水周期、降水强度的改变。日益增加的极端天气与同岩土体相互作用,导致了不同类型地质灾害的发生,严重威胁着人类的生活起居。     

Temporal changes in wetland plant communities with decades of cumulative water pollution in two plateau lakes in China’s Yunnan Province

Wetland plant communities in the plateau lakes of Yunnan Province, China, have decreased significantly over the past decades. To better understand this degradation, we analyzed the processes and characteristics of changes in wetland plant communities in two of the largest lakes in Yunnan Province, Dianchi and Erhai lakes. We collected records of native and alien plant communities in the two lakes from literature published from the 1950s to current period. We calculated plant community types and their area in some historical periods when related data were reported, and analyzed the relationship between changes in plant communities and water pollution. In Dianchi Lake, 12 community types of native plant communities, covering over 80% of the surface in the 1950s and 1960s, were reduced to four types covering 2.4% by the late 2000s. Alien plant communities started to appear in the lake in the late 1970s, and have since come to cover 4.9% of the lake surface, thereby becoming dominant. In Erhai Lake, 16 community types of native plant communities, covering 47.1% of the lake surface in the late 1970s, declined to 10 community types, covering 9.3% of the surface, by the late 2000s. Alien plant communities appeared in the middle 1980s, and at present cover 0.7% of the surface area. It was indicated that changes in plant communities were significant related to water eutrophication. The area occupied by native and alien plant communities was, respectively, negatively and positively related to the content of nutrients in water. This showed lacustrine pollution played an important role in native plant loss and alien plant invasion in the two plateau lakes.     

Decadal glacial lake changes in the Koshi basin,central Himalaya,from 1977 to 2010, derived from Landsat satellite images

Changes in glacial lakes and the consequences of these changes, particularly on the development of water resources and management of glacial lake outburst flood(GLOF) risk, has become one of the challenges in the sustainable development of high mountain areas in the context of global warming. This paper presents the findings of a study on the distribution of, and area changes in, glacial lakes in the Koshi basin in the central Himalayas.Data on the number of glacial lakes and their area was generated for the years 1977, 1990, 2000, and 2010 using Landsat satellite images. According to the glacial lake inventory in 2010, there were a total of 2168 glacial lakes with a total area of 127.61 km~2 and average size of 0.06 km~2 in the Koshi basin. Of these,47% were moraine dammed lakes, 34.8% bedrock dammed lakes and 17.7% ice dammed lakes. The number of glacial lakes increased consistently over the study period from 1160 in 1977 to 2168 in 2010, an overall growth rate of 86.9%. The area of glacial lakes also increased from 94.44 km~2 in 1977 to 127.61 km~2 in 2010, a growth rate of 35.1%. A large number of glacial lakes in the inventory are small in size(≤ 0.1km~2). End moraine dammed lakes with area greater than 0.1 km~2 were selected to analyze the change characteristics of glacial lakes in the basin. The results show that, in 2010, there were 129 lakes greater than 0.1 km~2 in area; these lakes had a total area of 42.92km~2 in 1997, increasing to 63.28 km~2 in 2010. The distribution of lakes on the north side of the Himalayas(in China) was three times higher than on the south side of the Himalayas(in Nepal).Comparing the mean growth rate in area for the 33 year study period(1977-2010), the growth rate on the north side was found to be a little slower than that on the south side. A total of 42 glacial lakes with an area greater than 0.2 km~2 are rapidly growing between 1977 and 2010 in the Koshi basin, which need to be paid more attention to monitoring in the future and to identify how critical they are in terms of GLOF.     

Capacities and failure modes of suction bucket foundation with internal bulkheads

Suction bucket foundations can be divided into four compartments by cruciform internal bulkheads, thereby yielding better capacity in certain conditions than those without internal bulkheads. As yet, no systematic study has been conducted regarding the effects of cruciform internal bulkheads on the capacities of suction bucket foundations. In this study, we established a large number of finite element models of suction bucket foundations with and without cruciform internal bulkheads and of solid embedded circular foundations. We found the uniaxial capacities and failure modes of suction bucket foundations with various depth ratios to remain basically unaffected by internal bulkheads in uniform clays. However, in inhomogeneous clay with high strength heterogeneity, we observed the uniaxial moment and horizontal capacities and corresponding failure modes of suction bucket foundations with a low depth ratio to be obviously affected by internal bulkheads. In this case, the uniaxial moment capacities, in particular, as well as the horizontal capacities of suction bucket foundations with cruciform internal bulkheads become obviously greater than those without internal bulkheads. Under combined loading, we found the failure envelopes of suction bucket foundations with and without cruciform internal bulkheads and of solid circular foundation to also be basically consistent in uniform clays. However, in inhomogeneous clay with high strength heterogeneity, cruciform internal bulkheads can obviously change the shapes of the failure envelopes of bucket foundations with a small depth ratio. We conclude that when the acting vertical load or foundation depth is relatively small, suction bucket foundations with cruciform internal bulkheads can be subjected to larger moment and horizontal loads in soft clays with high strength heterogeneity.     

地震监测人工源极低频电磁技术(CSELF)新试验

2009年利用大功率人工源极低频电磁技术(CSELF)在位于华北、华南、东北、西北和西南的12个地震台站和几个流动观测点进行了连续30天新的观测试验.结果表明,利用CSELF技术可以在1700 km之外测量到人工源电磁场信号,计算得到的电、磁场功率谱密度和视电阻率与天然源信号相比,抗干扰能力更强,观测信号更稳定,特别有利于识别和捕捉地震等诱发的电磁异常现象,在地震预测监测中具有很大的研究应用潜力.试验还发现,各地震台站和流动测点观测的CSELF信号的强度,与台站或者测量的电、磁场分量相对于发射源的距离、方位有明显的关系;发现在离开发射源的相对近区,场强随距离的衰减,比在相对远区更快;发现接收磁场信号比电场信号较易获得更高信噪比的数据.     

西南地区气候季节划分及特征分析

本文运用聚类分析方法对西南地区进行分区讨论,研究了各区域的气候季节及其变化特征。我国西南地区5个区域夏季和秋季的分配基本一致,而冬春两季差异明显;而降水场和温度场四季划分也有一定相关和相异性,均按照云南区-川西高原区-贵州区-四川盆地区-川东区的顺序逐级递减。      

Micro‐geomorphology determines community structure of biological soil crusts at small scales

Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are ubiquitous communities of diminutive organisms such as cyanobacteria, green algae, lichens, mosses and others associated closely with particles of surface soil, forming a cohesive thin horizontal layer. The ecological roles of BSCs affecting soil nutrient cycling, stability and hydrological processes, influencing the germination and establishment of vascular plants, and serving as habitats for numerous arthropods and microorganism have been well documented. We tested the hypothesis that micro‐geomorphological features determine the spatial distribution of BSCs by reallocating related abiotic resources at small‐ and medium‐scales in the Tengger Desert. Our results showed that higher soil pH and higher total potassium content in topsoil positively correlated with the colonization of cyanobacteria and algae in the earliest successional stages of BSCs, while increasing dust deposition onto the topsoil enhanced the development of lichen and mosses in the later stages of BSCs. Increasing soil moisture raised the proportion of mosses and lichen in BSCs, this will possibly change the ecological functions of BSCs, such as nitrogen‐fixation by cyanobacteria, due to the conversion from a complex to relative simple type of BSC. Micro‐geomorphology has created various habitats at a small‐scale affecting colonization and development of cryptogams. This paper considers the contribution of micro‐geomorphology to biodiversity in the extreme arid desert systems. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.