Zircon and whole-rock Nd-Pb isotopic provenance of Middle and Upper Ordovician siliciclastic rocks, Argentine Precordillera

Graptolite‐bearing Middle and Upper Ordovician siliciclastic facies of the Argentine Precordillera fold‐thrust belt record the disintegration of a long‐lived Cambro‐Mid Ordovician carbonate platform into a series of tectonically partitioned basins. A combination of stratigraphic, petrographic, U‐Pb detrital zircon, and Nd‐Pb whole‐rock isotopic data provide evidence for a variety of clastic sediment sources. Four Upper Ordovician quartzo‐lithic sandstones collected in the eastern and central Precordillera yield complex U‐Pb zircon age spectra dominated by 1·05–1·10 Ga zircons, secondary populations of 1·22, 1·30, and 1·46 Ga, rare 2·2 and 1·8 Ga zircons, and a minor population (<2%) of concordant zircons in the 600–700 Ma range. Archaean‐age grains comprise <1% of all zircons analysed from these rocks. In contrast, a feldspathic arenite from the Middle Ordovician Estancia San Isidro Formation of the central Precordillera has two well‐defined peaks at 1·41 and 1·43 Ga, with no grains in the 600–1200 Ma range and none older than 1·70 Ga. The zircon age spectrum in this unit is similar to that of a Middle Cambrian quartz arenite from the La Laja Formation, suggesting that local basement rocks were a regional source of ca 1·4 Ga detrital zircons in the Precordillera Terrane from the Cambrian onwards. The lack of grains younger than 600 Ma in Upper Ordovician units reinforces petrographic data indicating that Ordovician volcanic arc sources did not supply significant material directly to these sedimentary basins. Nd isotopic data (n = 32) for Middle and Upper Ordovician graptolitic shales from six localities define a poorly mixed signal [ɛ_Nd(450 Ma) = −9·6 to −4·5] that becomes more regionally homogenized in Upper Ordovician rocks (−6·2 ± 1·0; T_DM = 1·51 ± 0·15 Ga; n = 17), a trend reinforced by the U‐Pb detrital zircon data. It is concluded that proximal, recycled orogenic sources dominated the siliciclastic sediment supply for these basins, consistent with rapid unroofing of the Precordillera Terrane platform succession and basement starting in Mid Ordovician time. Common Pb data for Middle and Upper Ordovician shales from the western and eastern Precordillera (n = 15) provide evidence for a minor (<30%) component that was likely derived from a high‐μ (U/Pb) terrane.     

Application of Spatial Database in Quantitative Analysis of Litho-Paleogeography—A Case Study of a Middle Ordovician Sequence Interval in the Ordos Basin

In the study of sequence stratigraphy and litho-paleogeography,quantitative analysis,precise calculation and detailed comparison of tremendous geological data,such as field profiles,logging records and seismic curves from different areas,are the basic requirements.In order to obtain a more reliable and precise result,this paper presents a novel method that combines spatial database analysis with the single-factor mapping technology to establish sequence stratigraphical succession and to map the Ordo-vician litho-paleogeography of the Ordos Basin,one of the largest oil-gas bearing basins in North China Platform.By using this method,all of the related basic geological data can be quantitatively analyzed and effectively managed.Various attributes of the ba-sic stratigraphic units and their characters,such as sequence thickness,penecontemporaneous dolostone content,shallow water parget content,and terrigenous material content,can be fully utilized statistically in facies analysis and in mapping.Based on this analysis,this paper has be exerted single-factor isopachous mapping quantitatively for each of the Ordovician sequences in the ba-sin,and finally synthesized multiple factors to reconstruct the litho-paleogeography for each of the sequence intervals.The study shows that the proposed method is quite effective and has a much higher resolution in recognizing litho-paleogeographic subunits compared with traditional ways.For example,in one of the Middle Ordovician sequence intervals(SQ19 in the Lower Majiagou Formation) of the Ordos Basin,the authors have successfully developed a mathematical formula to divide the distribution of various facies units substantially,such as old lands,submarine uplifts,supratidal zones,intertidal zones and subtidal zones.     

Age and origin of laterite and silcrete duricrusts and their relationship to episodic tectonism in the mid‐north of South Australia∗

Differential earth movements occurred during Eocene, Miocene, and late Caino‐zoic times. The faulting formed basins of sedimentation, led to dissection of land‐surfaces in some localities and burial in others, and faulted the Cainozoic sediments.

Laterite and silcrete cap remnants of relict landsurfaces of two different ages. Laterite formed before the Eocene; it was faulted and dissected during the Eocene in the north but continued to develop until the Miocene in the south. Silcrete formed from Eocene to Miocene times; its dissection was promoted by late Cainozoic tectonism.

Since laterite and silcrete formed on the same strata in warm, very moist environments, lithology and climate are not important genetic factors causing laterite to form at one time and silcrete at another. Only base levels of erosion differed. The silcrete surface was largely developed by streams flowing into mid‐Cainozoic lacustrine basins, whereas there is no evidence that these drainage conditions prevailed for laterite formation.     

Late Ordovician stratigraphy northwest of the Sugarloaf,mid-Wales — a discussion

Several modifications are proposed to the Ordovician stratigraphy recently proposed by Mackie and Smallwood (1987), based in particular on the recognition of a major Mynydd Trawsnant anticline on the northwest flank of the Tywi structure and on field relationships indicating the Foel Formation directly to overlay the Caradoc black shale succession and directly to underlay the Craig Las Formation. The Clyn Glas Formation is suggested to have accumulated at a slope base rather than a shelf–slope break.     

A Middle Ordovician cephalopod fauna from Cuzco Province,southern Perú and its palaeobiogeographical significance

A small cephalopod assemblage collected during the 1930s by J. A. Douglas from the Middle Ordovician San José Formation of Cuzco Province is redescribed. Although small in number (four taxa) and poorly preserved, this assemblage contains a representative of the ellesmerocerid family Eothinoceratidae and a probable member of the Arionoceratidae (Orthocerida). One taxon may be closely related to Protocycloceras harringtoni Cecioni from northern Argentina. The presence of a particular group of eothinoceratids, here and elsewhere in South America indicate a link with western Gondwana. The relatively diminutive size of the arionoceratids suggests homeomorphy with those Silurian forms associated with a pelagic habitat and indicates a relatively offshore site for this assemblage. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

潮汐沉积率与沉积间断

在浙北奥陶系文昌组和长江三角洲开敞型淤泥质海岸非潮道潮汐纹层研究的基础上,得出与国外同类研究相近的沉积率。现代海岸进积速度和潮坪沉积的观察及测试证明,上述沉积率是难以置信的。现代潮坪观测表明,潮汐纹层在形成过程中即包含着改造,所保留的纹层占应形成数的不到１０％,其余９０％以上被侵蚀。小型层序是风暴和平静天气的产物,为风暴层序,与大小潮周期无关。其地层中保留的数量不到应生成数的１０％,其余９０％被改造。小型层序被侵蚀,其中的纹层随之消失。致使潮坪层序中保存的纹层数仅为应形成数的０．２％。被改造的纹层和单层留下的仅是侵蚀面,即小间断。在进行潮汐沉积高分辨率的研究时应充分重视沉积间断的作用     

下扬子烃源岩新层位——中下奥陶统

中下奥陶统通常主要作为储层看待,然而皖南地区的下奥陶统宁国组主要为一套富含笔石的灰黑色—黑色薄层硅质、碳质泥岩,属广海陆棚相至深海盆地相沉积;而中奥陶统胡乐组主要为一套同样富含笔石的深灰色薄层粉砂质泥岩和中厚层硅质泥岩,属深海陆棚相至盆地相沉积。二者分布范围相当,但宁国组厚度明显大于胡乐组。下奥陶统宁国组6个样品的岩石热解数据显示,恢复后的TOC均值为1.24%。根据上升流的识别标准,宁国组和胡乐组的岩性和岩相特征以及宁国组地球化学测试结果,推测皖南地区中下奥陶统可能是一套受上升流影响的中—好烃源岩。鉴于南黄海是下扬子的主体,建议加强南黄海中下奥陶统烃源岩的研究。     

塔河油田奥陶系碳酸盐岩岩溶发育模式的测井分析

构造运动控制着岩溶发育的期次。塔河油田奥陶系主要发育了加里东中期岩溶和海西早期的两期岩溶。加里东中期岩溶保留于本区南部下奥陶统,岩溶较弱,以发育小的溶孔为特征;海西早期的两期岩溶发育于北部下奥陶统,岩溶较强,以大型溶洞、地下暗河为特征。各期岩溶在纵向上可分为三个带：地表岩溶带、垂直渗沈岩溶带和水平潜流岩溶带。利用各岩溶带自然伽玛测井、井径测井、双侧向电阻率、密度测井、中子孔隙度测井、声波副井和地层檄电阻率成傈测井的响应特征,对两口典型井岩溶带进行划分。以“双峰灰岩”为标准,对两口井的岩海带进行横向对比,建立加里东中期和海西早期岩溶空间分布与发育强度的模式。