Late Caledonian Ductile Thrusting Deformation in the Central East Kunlun Belt, Qinghai, China and Its Significance: Evidence from Geochronology

A high-angle ductile thrusting deformation with top-to-the-north movement penetratively developed in the Proterozoic-Early Paleozoic metamorphic rocks along the Central East Kunlun belt. The deformed rocks suffered epidote-amphibolite facies metamorphism. On the basis of our previous study, we present more data in this paper to further support that the ducdle thrust deformation occurred in the later Caledonian and more detailed information about the deformation. A zircon U-Pb concordant age of 446±2.2 Ma of a deformed granodiorite in the ductile thrust zone was obtained and can be interpreted as the lower limit of the deformation. A syntectonically crystallized and also strongly deformed hornblende Ar/ Ar dating gives an Ar/Ar plateau age of 426.5±3.8 Ma, which represents the deformation age. A strongly orientated muscovite gives an Ar/Ar plateau age of 408±1.6Ma, representing the cooling age after the peak temperature, constraining the upper limit of the ductile thrust deformation. This ductile thru     

可可西里——东昆仑活动构造带强震活动研究

青海昆仑山口西 8.1级地震发生在具有新生性特征的可可西里—东昆仑活动断裂带上。该断裂带在 190 0年以来的 10 0多年中经历了一个强震活动过程。在该强震活动过程中 ,地震沿整个可可西里—东昆仑活动构造带分段破裂 ,强震的破裂长度和震级之间大致满足对数线性的统计关系 ,强震活动呈现指数型时间分布的加速特征。这种强震加速活动特征可以用含多个震源体的孕震系统的强震成组活动模型给予解释。     

Geology of the Grove Mountains in East Antarctica——New evidence for the final suture of Gondwana Land

As the core block of the East Gondwana Land, the East Antarctic Shield was traditionally thought, before 1992, as an amalgamation of a number of Archaean-Paleoproterozoic nuclei, be-ing welded by Grenville aged mobile belts during 1400—900 Ma, while the …     

Monsoonal precipitation variation in the East Asia since A.D. 1840 ——Tree-ring evidences from China and Korea

The main characteristic of the East Asian climate is the monsoon system. Plenty of studies have demonstrated that the Asian monsoon system plays a crucial role in the global climate sys- tem [1-4]. The Asian summer monsoon can be divided into two parts, t…     

Flexural subsidence by 29 Ma on the NE edge of Tibet from the magnetostratigraphy of Linxia Basin, China

This study provides a detailed magnetostratigraphic record of subsidence in the Linxia Basin, documenting a 27 Myr long sedimentary record from the northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. Deposition in the Linxia Basin began at 29 Ma and continued nearly uninterruptedly until 1.7 Ma. Increasing rates of subsidence between 29 and 6 Ma in the Linxia Basin suggest deposition in the foredeep portion of a flexural basin and constrain the timing of shortening in the northeastern margin of the plateau to Late Oligocene–Late Miocene time. By Late Miocene–Early Pliocene time, a decrease in subsidence rates in the Linxia Basin associated with thrust faulting and a 10° clockwise rotation in the basin indicates that the deformation front of the Tibetan plateau had propagated into the currently deforming region northeast of the plateau.     

东南极格罗夫山泛非期麻粒岩相变质作用

东南极格罗夫山主要由麻粒岩相高级变质岩和花岗岩类组成，其中变质岩以浅色和暗色含斜方辉石长英质片麻岩占主导地位，夹有少量镁铁质麻粒岩、变沉积岩和含方柱石钙硅酸盐岩。这些岩石一般都展示了平衡的矿物共生结构，但在镁铁质麻粒岩的单斜辉石中普遍发育斜方辉石(易变辉石)的出溶片晶。根据出溶辉石的重组分析获得麻粒岩相变质作用的峰期温度约为850℃，而浅色片麻岩中的石榴子石—斜方辉石—斜长石—石英组合给出的变质压力为0．61～0．67GPa。镁铁质麻粒岩中火成亚钙质普通辉石斑晶的保存表明格罗夫山地区可能只发育单一的泛非期高温麻粒岩相变质事件，岩石在高温变质之后经历了缓慢冷却过程，这主要归因于花岗质岩浆的板底垫托作用。     

东亚陆缘带构造扩张的深部热力学机制

近年来,我国地球科学家提出“陆缘构造扩张”观点,较好的解释了亚洲东部大陆边缘于新生代发生扩张离散运动的原因。本文基于“陆缘构造扩张”观点,探讨东亚陆缘带构造扩张的深部热力学机制。东亚陆缘带是具有强烈岩浆活动和构造变形的扩张带,此构造带的主要地球物理特征是频繁的地震活动和明显的地热异常。东亚陆缘扩张带地震层析成像显示,太平洋板块低角度俯冲到欧亚板块之下并平卧于670km相变界面之上。这种图像可能是俯冲后撤导致陆缘扩张的结果。热模拟及地球动力学计算表明:俯冲后撤时间距今约76Ma,海沟带后撤为陆缘壳体的生长留下空间,并形成东亚陆缘壳体增生扩展的前沿带,陆缘扩张量约700km。     

Circulation characteristics of a monsoon depression during BOBMEX-99 using high-resolution analysis

The skill and efficiency of a numerical model mostly varies with the quality of initial values, accuracy on parameterization of physical processes and horizontal and vertical resolution of the model. Commonly used low-resolution reanalyses are hardly able to capture the prominent features associated with organized convective processes in a monsoon depression. The objective is to prepare improved high-resolution analysis by the use of MM5 modelling system developed by the Pennsylvania State University/National Center for Atmospheric Research (PSU/NCAR). It requires the objective comparison of high and low-resolution analysis datasets in assessing the specific convective features of a monsoon depression. For this purpose, reanalysis datasets of NCAR/NCEP (National Center for Atmospheric Research/National Centers for Environmental Prediction) at a horizontal resolution of 2.5‡ (latitude/longitude) have been used as first guess in the objective analysis scheme. The additional asynoptic datasets obtained during BOBMEX-99 are utilized within the assimilation process. Cloud Motion Wind (CMW) data of METEOSAT satellite and SSM/I surface wind data are included for the improvement of derived analysis. The multiquadric (MQD) interpolation technique is selected and applied for meteorological objective analysis at a horizontal resolution of 30 km. After a successful inclusion of additional data, the resulting reanalysis is able to produce the structure of convective organization as well as prominent synoptic features associated with monsoon depression. Comparison and error verifications have been done with the help of available upper-air station data. The objective verification reveals the efficiency of the analysis scheme.     

Observed daily large-scale rainfall patterns during BOBMEX-1999

A daily rainfall dataset and the corresponding rainfall maps have been produced by objective analysis of rainfall data. The satellite estimate of rainfall and the raingauge values are merged to form the final analysis. Associated with epochs of monsoon these rainfall maps are able to show the rainfall activities over India and the Bay of Bengal region during the BOBMEX period. The intra-seasonal variations of rainfall during BOBMEX are also seen using these data. This dataset over the oceanic region compares well with other available popular datasets like GPCP and CMAP. Over land this dataset brings out the features of monsoon in more detail due to the availability of more local raingauge stations.     

Metamorphic petrology and zircon geochronology of high-grade rocks from the central Mozambique Belt of Tanzania: crustal recycling of Archean and Palaeoproterozoic material during the Pan-African orogeny

New data on the metamorphic petrology and zircon geochronology of high‐grade rocks in the central Mozambique Belt (MB) of Tanzania show that this part of the orogen consists of Archean and Palaeoproterozoic material that was structurally reworked during the Pan‐African event. The metamorphic rocks are characterized by a clockwise P–T path, followed by strong decompression, and the time of peak granulite facies metamorphism is similar to other granulite terranes in Tanzania. The predominant rock types are mafic to intermediate granulites, migmatites, granitoid orthogneisses and kyanite/sillimanite‐bearing metapelites. The meta‐granitoid rocks are of calc‐alkaline composition, range in age from late Archean to Neoproterozoic, and their protoliths were probably derived from magmatic arcs during collisional processes. Mafic to intermediate granulites consist of the mineral assemblage garnet–clinopyroxene–plagioclase–quartz–biotite–amphibole ± K‐feldspar ± orthopyroxene ± oxides. Metapelites are composed of garnet‐biotite‐plagioclase ± K‐feldspar ± kyanite/sillimanite ± oxides. Estimated values for peak granulite facies metamorphism are 12–13 kbar and 750–800 °C. Pressures of 5–8 kbar and temperatures of 550–700 °C characterize subsequent retrogression to amphibolite facies conditions. Evidence for a clockwise P–T path is provided by late growth of sillimanite after kyanite in metapelites. Zircon ages indicate that most of the central part of the MB in Tanzania consists of reworked ancient crust as shown by Archean (c. 2970–2500 Ma) and Palaeoproterozoic (c. 2124–1837 Ma) protolith ages. Metamorphic zircon from metapelites and granitoid orthogneisses yielded ages of c. 640 Ma which are considered to date peak regional granulite facies metamorphism during the Pan‐African orogenic event. However, the available zircon ages for the entire MB in East Africa and Madagascar also document that peak metamorphic conditions were reached at different times in different places. Large parts of the MB in central Tanzania consist of Archean and Palaeoproterozoic material that was reworked during the Pan‐African event and that may have been part of the Tanzania Craton and Usagaran domain farther to the west.