http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987115000882

A detailed vibrational Raman-IR spectroscopic and diffractional analyses have been performed on basalts from two locations from Tenerife Island:(1) the Arenas Negras volcano which belongs to the historical eruption not showing visible alteration and(2) Pillow Lavas zone from Anaga Massif which shows a clearly fluid-rock interaction caused by submarine alteration.These places have been extensively studied due to its similarity with the surface of Mars.The analysis is based on the mineral detection of selected samples by a Micro-Raman study of the materials.The complementary techniques have confirmed the mineralogy detected by the Raman measurement.The results show a volcanic environment behavior with primary phases like olivine,pyroxene,and feldspar/plagioclase.Moreover,the presence of accessory minerals or secondary mineralization like phosphate,iron oxides,zeolite or carbonates shows the alteration processes on each outcrop.The variation in the crystallinity and amorphous phases is related to fluid-rock interaction caused by hydrothermal episodes and external weathering processes,which shows several analogies with the ancient volcanic activity from Mars.     

The Gondwana Orogeny in northern North Patagonian Massif:Evidences from the Caita Có granite,La Se?a and Pangaré mylonites,Argentina

Structural analyses in the northern part of the North Patagonia Massif,in the foliated Caita Co granite and in La Sena and Pangare mylonites,indicate that the pluton was intruded as a sheet-like body into an opening pull-apart structure during the Gondwana Orogeny.Geochronological studies in the massif indicate a first,lower to middle Permian stage of regional deformation,related to movements during indentation tectonics,with emplacement of foliated granites in the western and central areas of the North Patagonian Massif.Between the upper Permian and lower Triassic,evidence indicates emplacement of undeformed granitic bodies in the central part of the North Patagonian Massif.A second pulse of deformation between the middle and upper Triassic is related to the emplacement of the Caita Co granite,the development of mylonitic belts,and the opening of the Los Menucos Basin.During this pulse of deformation,compression direction was from the eastern quadrant.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987115001516

The Semail ophiolite of Oman and the United Arab Emirates(UAE) provides the best preserved large slice of oceanic lithosphere exposed on the continental crust,and offers unique opportunities to study processes of ocean crust formation,subduction initiation and obduction.Metamorphic rocks exposed in the eastern UAE have traditionally been interpreted as a metamorphic sole to the Semail ophiolite.However,there has been some debate over the possibility that the exposures contain components of older Arabian continental crust.To help answer this question,presented here are new zircon and rutile U-Pb geochronological data from various units of the metamorphic rocks.Zircon was absent in most samples.Those that yielded zircon and rutile provide dominant single age populations that are 95-93 Ma,partially overlapping with the known age of oceanic crust formation(96.5-94.5 Ma),and partially overlapping with cooling ages of the metamorphic rocks(95-90 Ma).The data are interpreted as dating high-grade metamorphism during subduction burial of the sediments into hot mantle lithosphere,and rapid cooling during their subsequent exhumation.A few discordant zircon ages,interpreted as late Neoproterozoic and younger,represent minor detrital input from the continent.No evidence is found in favour of the existence of older Arabian continental crust within the metamorphic rocks of the UAE.     

Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction of the Early to Middle Miocene Sequence in West Central Sinai,Egypt, as Revealed from Fossil Diatoms

A detailed analysis of the diatoms from the sedimentary sequence exposed in Abu Qada basin, west central Sinai, was used to determine the palaeoenvironmental changes during the Lower to Middle Miocene. A total of 85 diatom species and varieties belonging to 37 genera were identified from 154 samples collected throughout the stratigraphic succession. The lithological characters of the studied samples varied between sandstone, silty interbeds, sandy shales, shales, and terminated with anhydrite and limestones. These rock units are included in two lithostratigraphic formations (Rudies and Kareem), which are separated by a marked unconformity. The distribution and preservation of fossil diatoms in the sedimentary record are examined with the aim of outlining the temporal and spatial variation in the composition of the diatom assemblages, in order to estimate the changes in depositional environments during the Lower to Middle Miocene. The distributional pattern of the recorded diatom taxa distinguished four diatom eco-zones. The environment of each eco-zone is deduced and a proposed paleobathymetric change and depositional history of the Miocene sediments in the studied area are given.     

The First Discovery of the Easternmost Jehol Biota from Southeastern Jilin,China

正Objective The Jehol Biota,a world-famous Early Cretaceous fossil Lagerst?tte characterized by the traditional Eosestheria-Ephemeropsis-Lycoptera(EEL)assemblage,has a wide distribution over most parts of northern China,the coastal area of southeastern China,southeastern Mongolia,Transbaikalian area of Russia,Korea and Japan(Shao et al.,2017).The Baishan Basin,situated in     

Is Ziarat a Potential Site for Conventional or Unconventional Energy Resources?

A structural interpretation of the Ziarat block in the Balochistan region (a part of the Suleiman Fold and Thrust Belt) has been carried out using seismic and seismological data. Seismic data consists of nine 2.5D pre‐stack migrated seismic lines, whereas the seismological data covers the Fault Plane Solution and source parameters. Structural interpretation describes two broad fault sets of fore and back thrusts in the study area that have resulted in the development of pop‐up structures, accountable for the structural traps and seismicity pattern in terms of seismic hazard. Seismic interpretation includes time and depth contour maps of the Dungan Formation and Ranikot group, while seismological interpretation includes Fault Plane Solution, that is correlated with a geological and structural map of the area for the interpretation of the nature of the subsurface faults. Principal stresses are also estimated for the Ranikot group and Dungan Formation. In order to calculate anisotropic elastic properties, the parameters of the rock strength of the formations are first determined from seismic data, along with the dominant stresses (vertical, minimum horizontal, and maximum horizontal). The differential ratio of the maximum and minimum horizontal stresses is obtained to indicate optimal zones for hydraulic fracturing, and to assess the potential for geothermal energy reservoir prospect generation. The stress maps indicate high values towards the deeper part of the horizon, and low towards the shallower part, attributed to the lithological and structural variation in the area. Outcomes of structural interpretation indicate a good correlation of structure and tectonics from both seismological and seismic methods.