The precambrian evolution of South America

Zusammenfassung Mit Hilfe von ca. 1500 radiometrischen Zeitmessungen wird eine Synthese der prÄkambrischen Entwicklung Südamerikas aufgestellt. In Abb. 1 wird versucht, die Lage der spÄtprÄkambrischen orogenen Gürtel sowie ihre Plattformen darzustellen.Der grö\te alte Kern des Kontinents umfa\t den Guyana-Schild, das Basement des Amazonas-Sedimentbeckens und den Guaporé-Kraton im Süden, einen Raum von ungefÄhr 4,5 Mio. qkm. Die meisten Gesteine wurden von dem transamazonischen orogenen Zyklus erfa\t, dessen radiometrisches Alter etwa 2000 M. J. betrÄgt. Der etwa gleichaltrige SÃo-Francisco-Kraton in Ostbrasilien umfa\t ungefÄhr 1 Mio. qkm. Kleinere Kerne, die ebenfalls die Ereignisse des transamazonischen Zyklus' widerspiegeln, wurden nahe der Atlantikküste, östlich der Mündung des Amazonasflusses (SÃo-Luis-Kraton-Gebiet) und in der Umgebung des La-Plata-Flusses (Rio de la Plata-Kraton-Gebiet) gefunden.Die Kratone sind getrennt durch metamorphe Gürtel, die zum brasilianischen orogenen Zyklus spÄtprÄkambrischen Alters gehören. Der Caririan-Gürtel und die Sergipe-Geosynklinale liegen in der Nordostecke von Brasilien, und der Ribeira-Gürtel erstreckt sich entlang der Atlantikküste im Süden. Zwei symmetrische geosynklinale Einheiten wurden im zentralen Teil des Kontinents erkannt: der Brasilia- und der Paraguay-Araguaia-Gürtel.In den brasilianischen orogenen Gürteln treten an vielen Stellen transamazonische oder sogar Ältere Serien auf, Anzeichen für aufgearbeitetes altes Basement. Dies scheint zu zeigen, da\ die Sialkruste des südamerikanischen Kontinents vor 2000 M. J. schon eine rÄumliche Ausdehnung von mehr als 10 Mio. qkm hatte.

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A general synthesis of the precambrian evolution of South America has been made with the aid of about 1500 radiometric age determinations. In Fig. 1, the position of the late precambrian orogenic belts, as well as their platforms, is tentatively outlined.The largest ancient core of the continent includes the Guyana Shield, the basement of the Amazon sedimentary basin, and the Guaporé craton, to the south, covering an area of about 4.5 million square kilometers. Most of the rocks were affected by the Trans-Amazonian orogenic cycle, whose radiometric ages are close to 2000 m. y. The SÃo Francisco craton of similar age outcrops over an area of about one million square kilometers, in eastern Brazil. Smaller ancient nucleii, also reflecting the events of the Tranz-Amazonian cycle, were found near the Atlantic coast, east of the mouth of the Amazon river (SÃo Luis cratonic area), and surrounding the La Plata river (Rio de la Plata cratonic area).The old cratonic areas are separated from each other by metamorphic belts which belong to the Brazilian orogenic cycle of late precambrian age. The Caririan belt, and the Sergipe geosyncline, occur at the northeastern corner of Brazil, and the Ribeira belt along the Atlantic coast, to the south. Two symmetrical geosynclinal units were recognized in the central part of the continent: the Brasilia and the Paraguay-Araguaia belts.Within the areas of the Brazilian orogenic belts, in many places Trans-Amazonian or even older ages occur, indicating remobilized ancient basement. This seems to demonstrate that the sialic crust of the South American continent, 2000 m. y. ago, already exhibited an areal extent of more than 10 million square kilometers.

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Résumé Une synthèse générale de l'évolution précambrienne de l'Amérique du Sud a été faite à l'aide de 1500 déterminations d'âge radiométrique. La fig. 1 présente un essai sur la répartition des zones orogéniques du Précambrien supérieur et de leurs platesformes.Le noyau ancien du continent, qui est le plus vaste, comprend le bouclier de la Guyane, le socle du bassin sédimentaire de l'Amazone et le Craton de Guaporé, au Sud, couvrant une aire d'environ 4,5 millions de Km². La plupart des roches ont été affectées par le cycle orogénique Trans-Amazonien dont l'âge radiométrique est d'environ 2000 millions. Le craton de SÃo Francisco d'âge semblable, affleure sur une étendue d'environ 1 million de Km², dans l'Est du Brésil. Des noyaux anciens plus petits, affectés également par le cycle Trans-Amazonien, ont été trouvés près de la cÔte Atlantique, à l'Est de l'embouchure de l'Amazone (région cratonique de SÃo Luis), et aux environs du fleuve la Plata (région cratonique du Rio de la Plata).Les régions cratoniques anciennes sont séparées les unes des autres par des zones métamorphiques appartenant au cycle orogénique brésilien, d'âge Précambrien supérieur. La zone caririenne et le géosynclinal de Sergipe affleurent dans l'extrémité NE du Brésil, et la zone de Ribeira, le long de la cÔte Atlantique au S. Deux unités géosynclinales symétriques ont été reconnues dans la partie centrale du continent: les zones de Brasilia et de Paraguay-Araguaia.Dans les régions occupées par les ceintures orogéniques Brésiliennes, il existe en beaucoup d'endroits des roches d'âge Trans-Amazonien et mÊme plus ancien, indices d'un socle ancien remobilisé. Ceci semble démontrer que la croûte sialique du continent Sud Américain montrait déjà, il y a environ 2000 millions d'années, une étendue de plus de 10 millions de Km².

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1500 . . 1 , , . , Guaporé , . . 4,5 . , 2000 . Sao Francisco 1 . . , , , ( Sao Luis) la Plata ( (Rio de la Plata). , . Caririan Sergipe , Paraiba . : Brasilia Paraguay-Araguaia. , . , , , - , 10 . 2000 .

     

Discovery of an ancient tsunami deposit in coastal sequences of southwest Japan: Verification of a large historic tsunami

Abstract A tsunamigenic sand layer is present in coastal sequences of the Masuda Plain, southwest Japan. The radiometric age of the layer has been estimated at 930 ± 80 years BP. It is proposed that the deposit is the product of a large historic tsunami believed to have occurred in the Japan Sea on 16 June 1026 AD.     

Principal fault zone width and permeability of the active Neodani fault, Nobi fault system, Southwest Japan

The internal structure and permeability of the Neodani fault, which was last activated at the time of the 1891 Nobi earthquake (M8.0), were examined through field survey and experiments. A new exposure of the fault at a road construction site reveals a highly localized feature of the past fault deformation within a narrow fault core zone. The fault of the area consists of three zone units towards the fault core: (a) protolith rocks; (b) 15 to 30 m of fault breccia, and (c) 200 mm green to black fault gouge. Within the fault breccia zone, cataclastic foliation oblique to the fault has developed in a fine-grained 2-m-wide zone adjacent to the fault. Foliation is defined by subparallel alignment of intact lozenge shaped clasts, or by elongated aggregates of fine-grained chert fragments. The mean angle of 20°, between the foliation and the fault plane suggests that the foliated breccia accommodated a shear strain of γ<5 assuming simple shear for the rotation of the cataclastic foliation. Previous trench surveys have revealed that the fault has undergone at least 70 m of fault displacement within the last 20,000 years in this locality. The observed fault geometry suggests that past fault displacements have been localized into the 200-mm-wide gouge zone. Gas permeability analysis of the gouges gives low values of the order of 10⁻²⁰ m². Water permeability as low as 10⁻²⁰ m² is therefore expected for the fault gouge zone, which is two orders of magnitude lower than the critical permeability suggested for a fault to cause thermal pressurization during a fault slip.     

A 3-D Quasi-static Model for a Variety of Slip Behaviors on a Subduction Fault

— Earthquake faultings have a wide variety of slip behaviors, such as, a log-linear frequency-magnitude relation, characteristic earthquakes, slow slip events, and so on. We report a model which can reproduce a certain variety of observed complex slip behaviors on a fault. Our 3-D model simulates the seismic cycle on a shallow dipping subduction fault in a homogeneous elastic half-space, on which frictional sliding is controlled by a rate- and state-dependent friction law. We find that the behaviors of reproduced seismic cycles depend on a lateral dimension of a seismogenic zone (H) with respect to a constant seismogenic width in dip direction (W). The following three domains appear in the seismic cycle behaviors: (1) Regular, periodic behaviors when H is comparable to W; (2) transitional, quasi-periodic behaviors when H/W~ 3; and (3) complex behaviors when H/W is larger than about 4. The slip behavior in the domain (1) is characterized by a periodical recurrence of a characteristic earthquake, which is centered in strike direction. In the domain (2), although earthquakes are still centered, these recurrence intervals and the sizes are modulated within a certain range. Also, in the domain (3), earthquakes occur not only at the center but at various lateral positions on the seismogenic zone. In this domain, the log-linear frequency-magnitude relations, like the Gutenberg-Richter relation, are produced. Slow slip events also occur at source areas of the earthquakes. It is suggested that a heterogeneous stress distribution at a source region is important, as well as heterogeneities in friction properties on the fault, for understanding the wide variety of slip behaviors in faultings.     

Timing of remanent magnetization acquisition in red beds: A case study from a syn-folding sedimentary basin

We propose to explain the origin of the double trend in seismicity of the Macas swarm in the Subandean Cordillera of Cutucú (Ecuador) and characterize the corresponding active deformation of that region. For that purpose, seismological and geological data have been used, with the deployment of a temporary seismological array, with geological field observations and image processing. We found that some earthquakes are aligned on a well known NNE–SSW trend corresponding to the orientation of the nodal planes of the reverse focal mechanism of the M_w=7.0 1995 Macas earthquake as for its aftershocks. Nevertheless, many smaller events are aligned on an unexpected NNW–SSE trend inside the Cutucú Cordillera. We interpret these two orientations of the Macas swarm as linked to Subandean basement thrusts inherited from the inversion tectonics of a NNE–SSW trending Triassic–Jurassic rift, which has been uplifted and partly extruded in the Cutucú Cordillera. The present partitioning of this part of the Subandean deformation is controlled by pre-existing NNE–SSW to NNW–SSE Triassic–Jurassic normal faults that have been subsequently compressed–transpressed and reactivated into reverse faults. Major boundary faults of the rift were NNE–SSW oriented and correspond now to some main Subandean thrusts as confirms the focal mechanism of the 1995 main shock located on the eastern border (Morona frontal thrust) and the orientation of its aftershocks. In the Cutucú Cordillera, the double orientation of present swarm can be interpreted as the result of accommodation of deformation along NNW–SSE pre-existing faults inside the inverted rift system, linked to the motion of the Morona frontal NNE–SSW thrust.     

Geochemical behaviour of iron and manganese ions in the Ningyo-Toge uranium deposit district, southwest Japan

The Ningyo-Toge uranium deposit is one of the typical sedimentary uranium deposits in Japan. In general, during weathering, U is removed from the basal granite through underground water. The underground water in this area is rich in U, and has a comparatively high concentration of Fe and Mn.

In this area, three types of Fe minerals can be recognized in different modes of occurrence: (1) in the oxide zone brownish Fe-hydroxide mineral with ferric ion, i.e. goethite (-FeOOH); (2) in the reduced zone of the mine gallery pale-blue Fe-hydroxide mineral with some ferrous ion, i.e. lepidocrocite (γ-FeOOH); and (3) Fe-sulphate minerals such as melanterite (FeSO₄·7H₂O), etc. Some uranyl sulphate minerals, uranopilite and zippeite, are closely associated with these Fe-sulphate minerals. Under weakly alkaline conditions of the oxidizing environment, Mn-hydroxide (MnOOH) coexists with goethite as alternative thin laminae with shale, or coprecipitates resembling a marine Mn nodule, in the size of 0.5 cm in diameter. Radioactive anomalies have been recognized frequently for these Mn sediments due to absorption of Ra by the sediments.     

Fast practical evaluation of soil–structure interaction of embedded structures

A simple and fast evaluation method of soil–structure interaction (SSI) effects of embedded structures is presented via a cone model. The impedances and the effective input motions at the bottom of an embedded foundation are evaluated by means of the cone model. Those quantities are transformed exactly to the corresponding values at the top of the foundation. The evaluated quantities are combined with the super-structure at the top of the foundation. The transfer function amplitude of the interstory drift of a single-degree-of-freedom super-structure is computed for various cases, i.e. no SSI, SSI without embedment, SSI with shallow embedment, SSI with deep embedment. Soil properties are also varied to investigate in more detail the SSI effects of embedded structures. It is found that, while the transfer function amplitude is reduced by the increase of embedment in general, the characteristics of the transfer function amplitude for a very small ground shear wave velocity and large embedment are irregular and complicated.     

Nonlinear surface ground analysis via statistical approach

A statistical approach is proposed for nonlinear surface ground analysis. In contrast to the conventional method which deals with only a single ground motion for equivalent linearization of soil properties, a design response spectrum defined at the upper level (bottom of the surface ground) of an engineering bedrock can be handled as the target design earthquake in the present paper. The effective shear strain in each soil layer is evaluated by means of a statistical procedure in which the mean peak shear strain is computed in terms of its standard deviation and the corresponding peak factor. The stiffness and damping ratio of each soil layer are obtained iteratively from the nonlinear relation of stiffness reduction factors and damping ratios with respect to the strain level. After the evaluation of the equivalent stiffness and damping ratio of every soil layer, the ground surface response spectrum is transformed from the design response spectrum defined at the upper level of the engineering bedrock via the one-dimensional wave propagation theory. The reliability and accuracy of the proposed analysis method is examined through the comparison with the results by the conventional method (represented by the program) for many simulated spectrum-compatible ground motions.     

Characteristic of the vertical seismic waves associated with the 1995 Hyogo‐ken Nanbu (Kobe), Japan earthquake estimated from the failure of the Daikai Underground Station

The dynamic behaviour of underground structures built by cut‐and‐cover methods is discussed. A simple model analysis shows that a column supporting the overburden at midspan (central column) can resonate upon incidence of an elastic wave of a specific frequency. The analytical results indicate that not only the size and material properties of the column, but also the static load acting on the column (overburden) is a decisive factor that influences the resonant frequency. Based on the results obtained by the analysis, the mechanism of the failure at the Daikai Underground Station in Kobe caused by the 1995 Hyogo‐ken Nanbu, Japan, earthquake is investigated. It is shown that the wave‐induced damage to underground structures can concentrate on the sections with specific overburden, and from the induced damage, it is possible to estimate the frequency characteristics of the associated seismic waves. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of alkali and alkaline-earth cations on the high-pressure sound velocities of aluminosilicate glasses

Physics and Chemistry of Minerals - A black tourmaline sample from Seagull batholith (Yukon Territory, Canada) was established to be a schorl with concentrations of Fe2+ among the highest currently...