A Comprehensive Investigation of an Offshore Active Fault in the Western Sagami Bay, Central Japan

Offshore active faults, especially those in the deep sea, are very difficult to study because of the water and sedimentary cover. To characterize the nature and geometry of offshore active faults, a combination of methods must be employed. Generally, seismic profiling is used to map these faults, but often only fault-related folds rather than fracture planes are imaged. Multi-beam swath bathymetry provides information on the structure and growth history of a fault because movements of an active fault are reflected in the bottom morphology. Submersible and deep-tow surveys allow direct observations of deformations on the seafloor (including fracture zones and microstructures). In the deep sea, linearly aligned cold seep communities provide indirect evidence for active faults and the spatial migration of their activities.The Western Sagami Bay fault (WSBF) in the western Sagami Bay off central Japan is an active fault that has been studied in detail using the above methods. The bottom morphology, fracture     

The Altun Fault: Its Geometry, Nature and Mode of Growth

The Altun (or Altyn Tagh) fault displays a geometry of overlapping of linear and arcuate segments and shows strong inhomogeneity in time and space. It is a gigantic fault system with complex mechanical behaviours including thrusting, sinistral strike slip and normal slip. The strike slip and normal slip mainly occurred in the Cretaceous-Cenozoic and Plio-Quaternary respectively, whereas the thrusting was a deformation event that has played a dominant role since the late Palaeozoic (for a duration of about 305 Ma). The formation of the Altun fault was related to strong inhomogeneous deformation of the massifs on its two sides (in the hinterland of the Altun Mountains contractional deformation predominated and in the Qilian massif thrust propagation was dominant). The fault experienced a dynamic process of successive break-up and connection of its segments and gradual propagation, which was synchronous with the development of an overstep thrust sequence in the Qilian massif and the uplift of the Qinghai-T     

A New Protoceratopsid (Dinosauria: Neoceratopsia) from the Late Cretaceous of Inner Mongolia, China

An almost complete skull, which was collected from the Upper Cretaceous of the Bayan Mandahu area in Inner Mongolia, China by the Sino-Canadian Dinosaur Project, is described and assigned to a new genus of protoceratopsid dinosaur, Magnirostris dodsoni gen. et sp. nov. This new taxon is distinguished from other protoceratopsids by the robust rostral bone and the existence of incipient orbital horn cores. The existence of an additional antorbital fenestra indicates a close relationship between Magnirostris and Bagaceratops.     

Important Events and Chronological Framework of the Early Precambrian Granulite Terrain,Northwestern Hebei Province

Based on the chronological data and relevant geological evidence, the chronological framework of the major geological events of the granulite terrain in northwestern Hebei Province and its adjacent areas has been established. Basic lava eruption occurred in the span of 2868-2932 Ma, resulting in the formation of the early crust. The TTG magma emplacement took place c.2761 Ma ago. Subsequently basic magma intruded into the supracrustal rocks at 2650 Ma, resulting in crustal thickening. The thickening was enhanced at 2561-2503 Ma by the widespread intrusions of granodioritic magma. In the period of 2477-2461 Ma charnockite intruded, accompanied by regional granulite facies metamorphism. The second stage of granulite facies metamorphism occurred c. 2300 Ma ago, and finally pink granite intrusions at 2144-2087 Ma resulted in the formation of a granite zone.     

A New Idea of Sinian Doushantuo''an Metaphyte Fossils from Xiuning, Anhui Province

This paper gives a summary of the fossil data from the Sinian Doushantuo' an Lantian Formation in the Xiuning area, Anhui Province, China, and reports the genital butt structure comparable to that of some modern advanced algae and the fossil structure comparable to the dehiscence of sporangia as well as the ontogenetic phenomenon occurring possibly from the formation of embryos by zygote germination to the production of sessile benthonic algal adults. This phenomenon furnishes a useful clue to the further study of the life history of alternate generations in advanced algae and provides megafossil evidence for the sex differentiation of metaphytic algae.     

Spatial Distribution and Ages of Alkaline Intrusive Rocks in China and Related Tectonics

On the basis of the geological data from 220 intrusions and isotope ages of 115 rock bodies, the paper discusses the distribution of 18 alkaline intrusive rock belts along deep faults and their relations to the plate tectonic activity. In view of the presence of a large amount of Variscan alkaline rocks of deep-source character, it is inferred that mantle diapirism was very strong in China during the Variscan. Besides anorogenic and postorogenic alkaline granites, there also occur alkaline granites formed in the terminal orogenic stage when the regional tectonic activity was of compressional nature. Finally, the paper discusses the tectonic environment of the Maoniuping nordmarkite in Mianning county, Sichuan province, and the authors consider it to be a compressional environment originating after rift closing.     

A Study of Near- and Super-Critical Fluids Using Diamond Anvil Cell and in-Situ FT-IR Spectroscopy

The phase relation and solution structure of water and NaCl aqueous solution have been observed and examined by using the hydrothermal diamond anvil cell (HDAC) at elevated temperatures and pressures and the in situ FT-IR spectroscopy. The temperature of observations ranges from 25 to 850° C and the pressure up to 10 or 30 kb. At first, we observed the phase transition process from halite+liquid+vapour (H+L+V) to L+H, then to L (or supercritical fluid, SCF), and another path: H+L+V? L+V? L (or SCF) in heating process. By means of the visual microscope, the authors found that in the L+V immiscibility field L+V exhibits an ordered structure, i.e. a large visual cluster of solvent around ions. The liquid phase is manifested by vapour bubbles. When phase transitions are observed, the authors examined their infrared spectra by using the FT-IR microscopy simultaneously. In the case of the phase transition from liquid (L) to liquid + vapor (L+V) immisciblity field of NaCl solutions, a sudden change (strong frequency shift) of infrared spectra of the aqueous solution is observed near the critical temperature of water as the temperature is raised from 25 to 650° C. The frequency of the maximum intensity of OH symmetric and asymmetric vibration varies with respect to temperature. The sharp peak of the OH stretching vibration of the maximum intensity appears in an interval from 300 to 400° C. It is indicated that the hydrogen bonding network is weakened and broken at last near the critical point of water, which causes the aqueous solution to become more associated. Besides, a pressure indicator (a mineral or compound) was introduced to the HDAC.     

Experimental Observation of the Ore-Forming Fluid NaCl-H_2O System in the Earth Interior

The NaCl-H_2O binary system is a major component of solutions coexisting with ores. Observation ofsaturated solutions of NaCl-H_2O by using the method of hydrothermal diamond anvil cell (HDAC) is a new approach tothe study of ore-forming fluids. The salinities of NaCl-H_2O solutions in experimental observation are in a range of 32-55%. The observed temperature range is 25℃-850℃, and the pressure range 1 atm-10 kb. In this temperature-pressure range, the supercritical single phase, two phases (L,V) close to the critical state and two-phased (L+V) immis-cible region were observed. And for the salinity of 35% the two phase L+V immiscible region of NaCl-H_2O solutionwas observed in a range of 253-720℃. Another temperature range, 400-817℃, was observed for the immiscible two-phased region of 50% salinity solution. In the high-temperature part of the two-phased immiscible region, the phase na-ture is very unstable. A "critical phenomenon" was observed when the heating path was very close to the critical state.It is possible to observe a 'critical phenomenon': an "explosion" occurred almost constantly at the interface between theliquid and vapour and the interface is rather obscure. A continuous transition between phases L and V could be foundin the immiscible L+V phase while heating continuously. Moreover, as the NaCl-H_2O solution was separated into liq-uid and vapour phases, static charges surrounding each vapour bubble could be seen, and these bubbles were attractedtogether by the static charges to form a special solution structure. Besides, critical states of different salinities of NaCl-H_2O were observed in order to study the properties of the fluids occurring in the rocks in the earth interior, the origin ofore-bearing fluids and the significance of supercritical fluid with respect to the ore formation. The comparison of the sa-linity data of the fluid inclusions in the minerals of ore deposits with observations of NaCl-H_2O under HDAC in theconditions of high temperatures and pressures, combined with further thermodynamic analysis of ore-formation condi-tions would explain in depth the factors determining the ore formation.     

A New Basal Titanosaur (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) from the Early Cretaceous of China

A new dinosaur of Early Cretaceous age was recently discovered from the Mazongshan area of northwestern Gansu Province, China. The new dinosaur represents a new genus and species of Sauropoda, and is among the most basal members of Titanosauria. Its finding also suggests that titanosaurs might have originated in Asia no later than the Early Cretaceous.     

Lithospheric Evolution and Geodynamic Process of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau:An Inspiration from the Yadong-Golmud-Ejin Geoscience Transect

The Tibet Geoscience Transect (Yadong-Golmud-Ejin) has revealed the basic structures, tectonic evolution and geodynamic process of the lithosphere of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. The evidence of northward thrusting of the Indian plate beneath the Himalayans on the southern margin and to southward compression of the Alxa block on the northern margin has been found. They were the driving forces causing the plateau uplift. The plateau is a continent resulting from amalgamation of eight terranes. These tenanes are separated by sutures or large-scale faults, and different terranes have different lateral inhomogeneities and multi-layered lithospheric structures. At depths of about 20-30 km of the crust in the ulterior of the plateau there commonly exists a low-velocity layer. It is an uncoupled layer of the tectonic stress; above the layer, the upper crustal slices were thrust and overlapped each other and the rocks underwent brittle deformation, thus leading to shortening and thickening of the upper crust Belo