Reasons for the outbreak of microphytoplankton productivity in the late Oligocene Turtas Lake–Sea,Western Siberia

Palynological (dinocysts) and geochemical data were compared for the first time for Paleogene sediments of borehole no. 8 (settlement of Russkaya Polyana, Omsk oblast). The layers with a concentrated amount of dinocysts of the genus Pseudokomewuia (20.5% of the palynocomplex) are characterized by higher contents of Fe, P, Ti, Nb, Ta, and W. The microphytoplankton bloom (an analog of the present-day red tides) in the late Oligocene Turtas Lake–Sea was probably caused by a greater contribution of nutrient substances from the continent during the transgression of this basin. Comparative analysis of the geochemical features of marine and continental Paleogene sediments from borehole no. 8 showed that the Turtas basin was either freshwater or had brackish water.     

Recent geodynamics of dangerous faults

The analysis of the existing information concerning the present-day deformation activity of the fault zones in seismically active and aseismic regions suggests that the notions of an active fault and a dangerous fault should be distinguished. It is shown that a fault which is active for an expert in geotectonics will not be considered dangerous by an expert in geotechnical monitoring of buildings. The definition is given according to which a dangerous fault is understood as a zone of linear destruction which accommodates the contemporary short-period (a few months and years) pulsed and/or alternating motions with strain rates above 5 × 10^–5 per annum and earthquakes with M ≥ 5. A technique is developed for identifying the dangerous faults based on monitoring the recent ground surface displacements in accordance with a special protocol which ensures an increased degree of detail in time and space. Based on the idea of the probable accumulation of dangerous strains during the operating cycle of the objects, the criteria for assessing their geodynamical risks are formulated.     

High-Ba mica in olivinites of the Guli massif (Maimecha–Kotui province,Siberia)

High-Ba (~ 11 wt.% BaO) phlogopite was found for the first time in olivinites of the Guli intrusion in the Maimecha–Kotui province of ultrabasic alkaline rocks and carbonatites. The high-Ba mica occurs in assemblage with a paragenesis of olivinite minerals—clinopyroxene, titanomagnetite, apatite, and ilmenite. High-Ba mica is an early phlogopite generation. Its magmatic crystallization led to a decrease in Ba content. Low-Ba mica is a late phlogopite generation. The high Ba/K ratios at the early stages of evolution of a mantle magmatic system are necessary for the formation of high-Ba minerals and point to magma formation at great depths and the contribution of mantle metasomatism to the geochemical characteristics of parental magmas.     

Late paleozoic-Early Mesozoic within-plate magmatism in North Asia: traps, rifts, giant batholiths, and the geodynamics of their origin

A number of large areas of igneous provinces produced in North Asia in the Late Paleozoic and Early Mesozoic include Siberian and Tarim traps and giant rift systems. Among them, the Central Asian Rift System (CARS) has the most complicated structure, evolved during the longest time, and is a large (3000 × 600 km) latitudinally oriented belt of rift zones extending from Transbaikalia and Mongolia to Middle Asia and including the Tarim traps in western China. CARS was produced in the Late Carboniferous, and its further evolution was associated with the lateral migration of rifting zones; it ended in the Early Jurassic and lasted for approximately 110 Ma. CARS was produced on an active continental margin of the Siberian continent and is noted for largest batholiths, which were emplaced simultaneously with rifting. The batholiths are surrounded by rift zones and compose, together with them, concentrically zoned magmatic areas, with crustal (granitoid) magmatism focused within their central portions, whereas mantle (rift-related) magmatism is predominant in troughs and grabens in peripheral zones. The batholiths show geological and isotopic geochemical evidence that their granitoids were produced by the anatexis of the host rocks at active involvement of mantle magmas. Zonal magmatic areas of the type are viewed as analogues of large igneous provinces formed in the environments characteristic of active continental margins. Large within-plate magmatic provinces in North Asia are thought to have been generated in relation to the overlap of at least two mantle plumes by the Siberian continent during its movement above the hot mantle field. In the continental lithosphere, mantle plumes initiated within-plate magmatic activity and facilitated rifting and the generation of traps and alkaline basite and alkali-salic magmatic associations. Because of the stressed states during collision of various type in the continental margin, the mantle melts did not ascend higher than the lowest crustal levels. The thermal effect of these melts on the crustal rocks induced anatexis and eventually predetermined the generation of the batholiths.     

Trace-element study and age dating of zircon from chromitites of the Bushveld Complex (South Africa)

The layered Bushveld Complex hosts a number of chromitite layers, which were found to contain significant amounts of zircon grains compared with adjacent silicate rocks. Cathodoluminescent-dark, partially metamict cores and transparent rims of composite zircon grains were analyzed for trace elements with SIMS and LA-ICPMS techniques. The cores are enriched in REE, Y, Th and U and are characterized by distinctly flatter REE patterns in contrast to those of the rims and transparent homogenous crystals. Zircon from the different stratigraphic units has specific Th/U ratios, the highest of which (1.5–4) occurs in a Merensky Reef zircon core. The Ti content of Bushveld zircon ranges from 12 to 52 ppm correlating to a crystallization temperature range of 760–930 °C. The geochemical characteristics of the first zircon generation are consistent with its high-temperature crystallization as the first major U, Th and REE acceptor from a highly-evolved residue of the high-Mg basalt magma, whereas the rims and coreless crystals have crystallized from percolating intercumulus liquid of new influx of the same magma. U-Pb SHRIMP dating of zircon cores and rims does not reveal a distinguishable difference between their ages indicating the absence of inherited zircon. Concordia ages of 2,051?±?9 Ma (2σ, MSWD?=?0.1) and 2,056?±?5 Ma (2σ, MSWD?=?0.05) for zircons from the Merensky Reef and the Upper Platreef located equally near the top of the Critical Zone are in agreement with published ages for the Merensky Reef. Zircon from the deeper-seated Lower Group, Middle Group and Lower Platreef chromitites yields younger concordia ages that may reflect prolonged late-stage volatile activity.     

Hydrochemical regime components of Lena water

The concentrations of particulate and dissolved organic matter and mineral nutrients in the Lena River and its major tributaries are analyzed. The concentrations of these components are shown to be nonuniform and feature wide variations under the effect of matter input by major tributaries. The total fluxes of matter increase downstream the river in agreement with increasing water runoff. The effect of delta in matter accumulation is considered. The organic matter in the Lena was found to be represented mostly by soil terrigenous material.     

Tectonophysics and recent geodynamics

Important problems of tectonophysical analysis of observational results in recent geodynamics are considered. The paradox of low rates of recent horizontal deformations of the Earth’s surface is formulated. This paradox states that, according to GPS measurements, the annual mean rates of relative deformations are 10⁻⁹–10⁻¹⁰ per year, whereas, according to ground-based geodetic and deformographic observations, the rates of recent horizontal deformations of the Earth’s surface are on the order of 10⁻⁵–10⁻⁶ per year. This paradox is shown to appear as a result of the application of the procedure of averaging to the displacements obtained on large measuring bases with a low degree of details of the time of observations. It is established that, according to multiyear (over 40 years) data, the annual mean rate of deformation processes in the Kopet Dagh seismically active region is 4 × 10⁻⁸ per annum along the vertical and 3.2 × 10⁻⁸ per year along the horizontal.     

The Khan-Taishir ophiolitic complex of Western Mongolia,its petrology,origin and comparison with other ophiolitic complexes

The Khan-Taishir ophiolitic complex is situated within Early Caledonian structures of Western Mongolia. It consists (from below upward) of strongly differentiated ultramafics (dunites and harzburgites), pyroxenites and gabbro, sheeted dikes, pillow lavas and sediments, including in their uppermost part archaeocyatic limestones of Lower Cambrian age. Geological, petrochemical and geochemical data indicate that the ultramafics are turn off from the overlying ophiolitic sequence. Igneous rocks of the ophiolitic complex, except the ultramafics, were formed by two-stage differentiation of mantle magma of quartz-tholeiitic composition exhausted in potassium and titanium. Pyroxenites and gabbro with an anorthositic trend of differentiation were generated during the first stage, and sheeted dikes and pillow lavas with a quartz trend of differentiation were formed during the second one. Ophiolites of the Khan-Taishir complex petrochemically and geochemically differ strongly from mafic and ultramafic rocks of midoceanic ridges. Together with ophiolites of the Troodos complex (Cyprus) and Macquarie Island (eastern Indian Ocean) they constitute the special type of ophiolite peculiar rather to slip boundaries of lithosphere plates. The other type of ophiolite, including complexes like the Dzolen complex of south Mongolia, contains poorly differentiated ultramafics and does not contain sheeted dikes; while the igneous rocks are very similar to mafic and ultramafic rocks dredged from midoceanic and formed probably in midoceanic ridge environments as well.     

Risk Assessment and Disaster Management for Natural and Anthropogenically Induced Geologic Hazards: Application to the Preolkhon Region,Western Lake Baikal,Siberia, Russia

In the Western Lake Baikal, recent Baikal Rift's tectonics control the topography, seismicity, climate, geomorphology, and economy. Scarps, facets, structural terraces, horsts and grabens, and trapezoid valleys can be clearly observed. They have been generated by the recent tectonic movements along the faults and represent a serious geologic hazard. The specific geological conditions predetermine a unique variety of landscapes. Thus, the main type of the economy is tourism. However, unorganized tourism leads to the degradation of the unique landscapes. It increases risk and requires disaster management. Three criteria has been used for risk assessment: (1) degree of geologic hazard; (2) degree of landscape degradation; and (3) degree of the economy's vitality. The high ecological significance and low stability to antropogeneous pressure are typical for landscapes of the Western Lake Baikal. Thus, some special activities of disaster management should be implemented based on our investigation.