Progresses in the ice formation of glaciers in China

Glaciers, formed by snowfall and characterized by movement and size, are the most sensitive indicators to climate change. The ice formation of glaciers (the processes, mechanisms and results of transformation from snow to ice) can indicate the growth condition, the formation process and the physical characteristics of glaciers. Its spatial variation can also reflect glacier change, and further reveal climate change. Studies on ice formation of glaciers in China were initiated in 1962, when Xie and others studied the ice formation of Glacier No.1 at the Urumqi River head, Tianshan Mountain. Other researchersfollowed suit and did studies on ice formation of glaciers in Qilian Mountain. As time goes by, the concept of ice formation came into being in China. This paper reviews the development history of glacier zones, and the studies of ice formation of glaciers in China since the 1960s. These studies mainly focus on Qilian Mountain, Tianshan Mountain, Altay Mountain, and the western Kunlun Mountain, Himalaya Mountain, the southeastern Tibetan and Hengduan Mountains. The paper also discusses the significance of ice formation studies, the limitation and deficiency of previous studies, and the prospects and suggestions for future studies. __________ Translated from Advances in Earth Science, 2007, 22(4): 386–395 [译自: 地球科学进展]     

Sedimentary characteristics of terrigenous debris at site MD05-2905 in the northeastern part of the South China Sea since 36 ka and evolution of the East Asian monsoon

Sediments with high sedimentation rate at site MD05-2905 in the Northeastern slope of the South China Sea provide unique materials for a high-resolution study on the paleoenvironment. Based on precise dating of AMS ¹⁴C, grain size analysis of terrigenous debris at core MD05-2905 was conducted after organic matter, biological carbonate and biogenic opal were removed. The results show that 15.5–63.5 μm coarse grain size ingredients may indicate East Asian winter monsoon changes and that 2–9 μm fine grain size ingredients may be used as a proxy of evolution of the East Asian summer monsoon. The results of grain size analysis, which suggest East Asian monsoon intensity, reveal that a winter monsoon dominated the glacial regime and a summer monsoon dominated the Holocene regime. It was also shown that the summer monsoon increased gradually, experienced several abrupt changes and reached a culmination in the early Holocene (11200–8500 a B.P.) since 36 ka. Controlled by precession periodicity, it may be related with the amount of solar radiation at the highest stage, which needs further study. __________ Translated from Advances in Earth Science, 2007, 22(10): 1012–1018 [译自: 地球科学进展]     

华北克拉通东部早白垩世伸展盆地的发育过程及其对克拉通的破坏

在晚侏罗世华北克拉通东部破坏之初出现了区域性隆起,全区缺失上侏罗统沉积。在早白垩世早期,出现了区域性的伸展活动,断陷盆地形成,克拉通南、北缘伸展活动最强,北部燕山构造带以出现变质核杂岩为特征,南部出现宽裂谷型盆地。早白垩世中期华北克拉通东部普遍出现了火山活动与岩浆侵入。早白垩世晚期克拉通上以出现窄裂谷型盆地为特征,沿北北东走向的郯庐断裂带断陷活动最强。这些断陷盆地的演化过程揭示,经历地表抬升后,克拉通破坏之初的岩石圈热而弱,从而形成变质核杂岩或宽裂谷型盆地。这期间的破坏强度在空间上具有不均匀分布的特征,受控于早期岩石圈地幔的结构。经过早白垩世中期的大量岩浆活动之后,早白垩世晚期克拉通岩石圈温度降低、强度变大,从而利用早期大型断裂构造形成窄裂谷型盆地。这现象支持华北克拉通东部晚中生代的岩石圈减薄是以逐渐拆沉机制为主。     

华南双桥山群和河上镇群凝灰岩中的锆石SHRIMP U-Pb年龄—对江南新元古代造山带演化的制约

通过西澳科庭大学离子探针中心的远程测试,在双桥山群横涌组和安乐林组斑脱岩中获得大量锆石,其SHRIMP U-Pb加权平均年龄为831 Ma±5 Ma(横涌组)、829 Ma±5 Ma（安乐林组）,在河上镇群上墅组中获得加权平均年龄767 Ma±5 Ma。锆石SHRIMP U-Pb年龄表明华南地区广为发育的双桥山群应归入新元古界,该年龄为标定双桥山群在地层柱中的位置提供了准确的年代学依据。     

中国海相探矿权区块定量评价方法

在研究了我国海相油气探矿权区块基本油气地质条件、勘探程度、技术经济条件等要素和特点的基础上,给出了48个评价参数和归一化取值参照表,建立了探矿权区块评价工作流程、评分参数及计算公式。提出对我国海相勘探层探矿权区块评价应该注意:与国外海相碳酸盐岩评价的差别;与国内陆相碎屑岩评价的差别;成藏组合的划分;评价内容的有效性、不确定性和评价参数的可信度;成败经验的总结和勘探程度的研究。     

地震勘探技术在深部找煤中的应用

成矿理论与勘探实践证明,东部一些老矿由于勘探深度、范围的限制以及认识上的局限,在矿区深部、周边仍有一些矿未能发现和查明,其中相当一部分仍具有找矿潜力;而寻找西部新的煤炭资源是国家“稳定东部发展西部”战略需要。针对中国东西部不同的地质条件和勘探目标,其地震勘探野外施工方法及资料处理原则有所差异;而资料解释在东部以查明地层赋存形态、煤层赋存范围、构造发育特征为主,西部则以寻找煤系地层波阻抗差异明显、连续性好的反射波组为解释重点。地震勘探技术在中国东西部的二个典型地震时间剖面佐证了其在深部找矿的应用效果。     

《中国21世纪议程》与西北持续发展

本文概要介绍了我国２１世纪发展白皮－《中国２１世纪议程》;全面列举了国际社会对西北地区第一批优先项目支持的承诺,勾勒了西北地区“可持续发展之路”的轮廓。     

Long-term prediction of intermediate depth earthquakes in the southern Aegean region based on a time-predictable model

Repeat times of strong intermediate depth (60 km h 180 km) earthquakes have been determined by the use of instrumental and historical data for six seismogenic sources in the Benioff zone of the southern Aegean area. For four of these sources, at least two interevent times (three mainshocks) are available for each source. By using the repeat times for these four sources, the following relation has been determined: logT _t = 0.20M _min + 0.19M _p +a, whereT _t is the repeat time (in years),M _min the surface wave magnitude of the smallest earthquake considered,M _p the magnitude of the preceding mainshock and a parameter which varies from source to source. A multilinear correlation coefficient equal to 0.91 was determined for this relation, which indicates that the time predictable model holds to a satisfactory degree for the strong mainshocks of intermediate focal depth in the southern Aegean.By assuming that the ratioT/T _t, whereT is the observed andT _t the calculated repeat time, follows a lognormal distribution, the conditional probabilities for the occurrence of strong (M _s 6.5) and very strong (M _s 7.5) earthquakes during the period 1991–2001 in these four seismogenic sources have been calculated. These probabilities are very high (P > 0.9) for the strong and high (P > 0.5) for the very strong intermediate depth earthquakes which occur in the three sources of the shallower (h < 100 km) part of the Benioff zone where coupling occurs between the front parts of the Mediterranean lithosphere (downgoing) and the Aegean lithosphere.     

Multi-stage metallogeny in the southwestern part of South China,and paleotectonic and climatic implications: A high precision geochronologic study

The South China Block (SCB) is among the large-scale W-Sn mineralized regions of the globe. The Laojunshan W-Sn-dominant ore area (LOA) in the western part of the SCB preserves the records of the tectonic history of the Tethys realm extending through North Vietnam, and Yangtze to Cathaysia blocks, with coeval formation of giant metallic deposits. The prolonged tectonic activities and their control on the genesis and spatio-temporal distribution of giant metallic deposits in the LOA provide a window for a holistic understanding of the tectono-metallogenesis of the SCB. In this study, we present results from a multi-chronologic study to determine the timing of formation of the cassiterite-wolframite-scheelite mineralization. The results suggest three distinct tectono-metallogenic periods in the LOA during the geodynamic evolution of the surrounding tectonic units. The opening of the Proto-Tethys Ocean between the Yangtze-Indochina blocks and the westward Paleo-Pacific subduction beneath the Cathaysia block (420–380 Ma) jointly contributed to the Silurian to early Devonian intracontinental orogeny in the middle of the SCB that involved top-to-the-north thrusting along NE-striking shear zones. This event generated the Dulong-Song Chay granitoids, together with the formation of Xinzhai Sn deposit related to sheared mylonitic granites (ca. 419 Ma) and pegmatites (ca. 389 Ma), which include the early-stage Sn-sulfide skarn (ca. 418 Ma) and the late-stage Sn-bearing schist (ca. 389 Ma). During the Late Permian to Late Triassic (260–220 Ma), with the closure of the Proto-Tethys oceans in the west and ongoing Paleo-Pacific westward subduction in the east, the SCB and Indochina Block (IB) were amalgamated which also marks the time of formation of the Nanwenhe scheelite skarn deposit. The subducted Paleo-Tethys oceanic crust was likely entrained by the nearby rising Emeishan mantle plume (270–259 Ma), which formed the Maguan diabase (ca. 260 Ma) that shows significantly older Re-Os model age of ca. 268 Ma, suggesting that the Nanwenhe mineralization is potentially derived from ca. 260 Ma source. Furthermore, the intraplate shortening induced thin skinned crustal deformation and low grade metamorphism (ca. 230 Ma), with the main stage of scheelite-Sn-Mo mineralization (229.9, 229.8 and 219 Ma) and contemporary formation of the pegmatite (230.7 Ma). The Late Cretaceous involved two episodes of alternate extension and shortening, driven by the subduction polarity change from northwestward subduction of the Okhotomorsk block to northward subduction of the NeoTethys seafloor. The evolution of the LOA consists of the NW–SE transpression ending ca. 100 Ma, the WNW–ESE extension in the earlier episode lasting from 100 Ma to 86 Ma, the WNW–ESE transpression beginning at ca. 85 Ma and the NS extension in the later episode during the latest Cretaceous, which produced the extension-related three periods of Laojunshan granitic magmatism and coeval Sn-W mineralization, with ages in the range of 90–89 Ma, 87–85 Ma and 83–79 Ma. We also evaluate the implications of magmatic-metamorphic-metallogenic degassing on the regional paleoclimatic history.     

南海海盆区莫霍面分布规律及其对深部钻探的意义

钻遇莫霍面是人类一直以来的梦想。深海海底是地球上离莫霍面最近的地方，目前有研究推测南海是世界上莫霍面深度最浅的海域之一，但缺乏足够的直接证据。深反射地震探测可以直接揭示岩石圈的构造形态，是莫霍面探测的重要手段。本文基于长达15000 km的深反射多道地震剖面的解释、处理、制图和分析，结合前人的研究，形成了南海海盆区莫霍面反射特征和空间分布的初步认识。① 南海东部次海盆南部早期经历了较快速扩张，岩浆供应充足，受扩张停止后岩浆活动影响较小，基底平坦，地质构造相对简单，同时洋壳地震速度结构不存在异常，且有较强的广角莫霍面反射波和可识别的地幔顶部折射波，具备莫霍面钻探的基本条件。② 南海海盆不同区域的莫霍面反射强度存在较大差异。其中东部次海盆莫霍面反射最为强烈且清晰，西北次海盆次之，西南次海盆仅有零星出现的清晰莫霍面反射且可信度不高。③ 识别南海海盆区莫霍面地震反射长度超过3500 km，首次形成了海盆区深度域莫霍面地震反射空间分布图。与重力反演的莫霍面深度相比，利用深反射多道地震计算的莫霍面深度细节更为丰富，并且可以在垂向上清晰刻画莫霍面的结构。整体上，南海海盆区莫霍面地震反射强烈和可信度高的区域中，深度较浅的区域之一是东部次海盆南部，最浅处仅约9. 5 km，其中水深4. 01 km，洋壳厚度仅5. 54 km。综合判断，东部次海盆南部是南海重要的莫霍面钻探备选区，这对南海莫霍面钻探选址具有重要意义。