藏北高原地壳及上地幔导电性结构——超宽频带大地电磁测深研究结果

为了研究西藏中、北部壳、幔导电性结构,讨论高原中、北部岩石圈热状态,1998年和1999年（INDEPTH（Ⅲ） MT）在西藏中、北部完成了德庆—龙尾错（500线）和那曲—格尔木（600线）超宽频带大地电磁深探测剖面的研究.研究结果表明,西藏中、北部以昆仑山断裂为界,其南北壳、幔电性结构有很大差异.昆仑山断裂以北地壳和上地幔为高阻区.而昆仑山以南,地壳和上地幔的导电性有明显的分层结构：地壳上部以不连续的高阻体为主,夹有局部低阻异常体,沿南北方向上地壳的电性结构复杂,具有不连续、分块的特点;但中、下地壳为大范围的高导异常区,区内发育有大规模、不相连续、产状各异的高导体,其电阻率均小于4Ωm;在班公—怒江和金沙江缝合带之下,壳内高导体都具有向上地幔延伸的趋势,存在连通壳、幔的低阻通道.根据西藏高原中、北部壳、幔电性结构的研究推断：如同藏南一样,这里也普遍存在部分熔融体和热流体,它们的成因主要与班公—怒江和金沙江缝合带的壳-幔热交换、热活动有关,这是两期形成的壳-幔热交换通道.其中,班公—怒江缝合带的壳-幔热交换通道形成时间比金沙江缝合带早.因此,研究区壳、幔的热活动是从南边和西边开始,向北、向东扩展,导致现今西藏中、北部地壳和上地幔的热流分布由西向东、由南向北增大.     

A revision of the stratigraphy of the longmyndian supergroup,welsh borderland,and of its relationship to the uriconian volcanic complex

Major revisions are proposed to the stratigraphy of the late Precambrian Longmyndian Supergroup of the Welsh Borderland. The stratigraphic relationship between it and the adjacent, late Precambrian Uriconian volcanic complex is reviewed and reinterpreted. Contrary to previous belief it is proposed that the Wentnor Group of the Longmyndian Supergroup does not overlie the Stretton Group unconformably. An apparent unconformity is interpreted as the result of post-Longmyndian tectonism. The Ragleth Tuff Formation, previously included with the Uriconian volcanic complex, is argued to be part of the Longmyndian Supergroup. The Helmeth Grit Member, previously thought to be the base of the Longmyndian Supergroup, is incorporated within the Ragleth Tuff Formation. These modifications necessitate a revision of the previously held belief that the Helmeth Grit Member is the base of the Longmyndian Supergroup which overlies the ‘Ragleth Tuffs’ of the Uriconian volcanic complex unconformably. The Ragleth Tuff Formation and the Stretton Shale Formation are thought to be faulted against the Eastern Uriconian, and the Wentnor Group is thought to be faulted against the Western Uriconian. Juxtaposition of the Longmyndian Supergroup with the Uriconian volcanic complex across faults is the result of strike-slip movements along the Church Stretton and Pontesford-Linley fault systems. Lithological and petrographical evidence suggests that the Longmyndian Supergroup is partly coeval with, and partly younger than, the Uriconian volcanic complex, which acted as a source. The Willstone Hill conglomerate, previously thought to be interbedded with the Eastern Uriconian, may be a representative of the Wentnor Group which overlies the Eastern Uriconian unconformably. As such, it may represent a late onlap of Longmyndian sediments onto the Eastern Uriconian at the margins of the Longmyndian basin. A new formation, the Linley Formation, is recognized. This occurs as fault-bounded slivers and lenses within the Pontesford-Linley fault system, and correlation with the rest of the Longmyndian is uncertain.     

Quantifying sand delivery to deep water during changing sea-level: Numerical models from the Quaternary Brazos Icehouse continental margin

Sequence stratigraphy for clastic continental margins predicts the development of sand-rich turbidite deposits during specific times in relation to base-level cycles. It is now widely understood that deltas can extend to the shelf-edge forced by high sediment flux and/or base level, providing a direct connection to transfer sediment and sand to the slope and basin floor even during high base level periods. Herein, we build a stratigraphic forward model for the last 120 kyr of the fluvio-deltaic to deep-water Brazos system (USA) where sediment partitioning along an Icehouse continental margin can be evaluated. The reduced-complexity stratigraphic forward model employs geologically constrained input parameters and mass balance. The modelled architecture is consistent with the location of depositional units previously mapped in the shelf. Sand bypasses the shelf and upper slope between 35 to 15 kyr before present and only about 20%–30% of all the sediment and sand supplied to the system is transferred to deep water. Several scenarios based on the initial Brazos model investigate the relationships between base level and deep-water sand ratio (DWSR). DWSR is defined as the relative amount of sand transferred to the deep-water portions of the system subdivided by the total sand input to the model. Linear correlations between DWSR and base level change rates or base level are very poor. Short-term variability due to local processes (for example avulsions) is superimposed to the long-term trends and mask the base level signal. DWSR for an entire base-level cycle is mainly controlled by the proportion of time the delta stays docked at the shelf-edge. Stratigraphic forward models are useful to complement field observations and quantify how different processes control stratigraphy, which is important for making predictions in areas with limited information.     

Co-simulated Size Number: An Elegant Novel Algorithm for Identification of Multivariate Geochemical Anomalies

Natural Resources Research - Identification of geochemical anomalies is of particular importance for tracing the footprints of anomalies. This can be implemented by advanced techniques of...     

3D Mineral Prospectivity Mapping with Random Forests: A Case Study of Tongling,Anhui, China

Natural Resources Research - In the past few decades, a variety of data-driven predictive modeling techniques has led to a dramatic advancement in mineral prospectivity mapping (MPM). The random...     

Logistic-Based Translation of Orogenic Gold Forming Processes into Mappable Exploration Criteria for Fuzzy Logic Mineral Exploration Targeting in the Kushaka Schist Belt,North-Central Nigeria

This paper applied a logistic-based fuzzy logic inference system to integrate critical factors that could control orogenic gold mineralization in part of the Kushaka schist belt, north-central Nigeria to develop a process-based mineral potential mapping (MPM) of the area. The critical factors from geophysical and geological dataset were weighted using logistic functions. The fuzzy logic inference system provides the capability to handle complex geological processes that culminated in orogenic gold mineralization as well as minimizing systemic uncertainties/fuzziness that often plague MPM. The results of this work show that granitic intrusions with fuzzy scores of 0.67–0.90 played a major role in generating high geothermal gradient in the area. Seventy percent of the existing gold mine sites in the area spatially coincide with metasedimentary rocks, having fuzzy scores of 0.7–0.9; this suggests metasedimentary rocks as being responsible for the production of gold fluid and ligands in the area. The evidence of hydrothermal activity, with fuzzy scores of 0.53 and 0.91, confirms the occurrence of mineralization associated with quartz veins and granite rocks. Lithological contacts and faults, having fuzzy scores of 0.60–0.80, presumably contribute to the localization of orogenic gold mineralization in the area. Emerging from the results, favorable zones for primary orogenic gold mineralization in the area occurred predominantly on granite gneiss and quartz veins. The mineral potential map was found consistent with the local geology, structural styles and hydrothermal alteration signatures in the area, and its validation using the existing locations of geochemical anomalies and prediction–area rate curve in the study area showed 75 and 72% agreement, respectively, thus confirming the reliability of the developed mineral potential map for resource management.

     

A simulation study of the role of raindrop erosion in the formation of desert pavements

A simple model of raindrop erosion—the combined effects of the detachment of sediment by raindrops and its transport by splash or by overland flow—is developed to examine the role of this process in the formation of desert pavements. Application of the model to soils in areas of existing pavement initially simulates the formation of pavements, but the changing sediment size distributions lead to the subsequent destruction of these modelled surfaces. An improved model that accounts for the feedback effects of the changing size distributions on infiltration and microtopography is then developed. Incorporating these effects allows simulated pavements to be maintained over longer periods. The model yields desert pavements whose particle size compositions differ in response to differences in initial soil characteristics, slope and rainfall intensity. This model is tested against empirical data from a site where there is intershrub pavement and associated mounds of fines beneath desert shrubs. The results successfully predict the accumulation of fines under shrubs but underestimate the development of the pavement between shrubs. These findings suggest that the raindrop erosion mechanism on its own cannot account for the development of the pavement and that some other mechanism leading to the surface concentration of coarse particles must also be operating.