From the geological to the numerical model in the analysis of gravity-induced slope deformations: An example from the Central Apennines (Italy)

This paper presents the findings from a study on gravity-induced slope deformations along the northern slope of Mt. Nuria (Rieti-Italy). The slope extends from the village of Pendenza to the San Vittorino plain and hosts the Peschiera River springs, i.e. the most important springs of the Central Apennines (average discharge: about 18 m³/s).

Detailed geological-geomorphological and geomechanical surveys, supported by a site stress-strain monitoring system and laboratory tests, led us to define the main evolutionary features of the studied phenomena. Based on the collected data, a “geological-evolutionary model” was developed with a view to identifying a spatio-temporal correlation between relief forms, jointing of the rock mass and its stress conditions. The geological-evolutionary model was expected to improve numerical simulations and to test our assumptions.

The numerical model also allowed us to simulate changes in the stress-strain conditions of the rock mass and correlate them with jointing, seepage, as well as with site-detected and site-monitored forms and deformations. In particular, significant relations between seepage, tensile stresses within the rock mass, karst solution and collapse of cavities were identified.     

Sedimentary aspects and paleoenvironmental evolution of a rift basin: Salta Group (Cretaceous–Paleogene), northwestern Argentina

The rift history of the Salta basin is related to the evolution of the Central Andes and to the activity of the Pacific margin, owing to its geographic location. Sedimentation occurred from the Neocomian to the Paleogene, with deposits reaching up to 5,000 m in thickness. Paleoenvironmental analysis reveals an evolutionary history controlled by tectonic and climatic changes. Isolated grabens characterized the early synrift stage; differential subsidence provoked distinct environments in the southern and northern subbasins. In the southern subbasins, alluvial-fan, fluvial-fan and lacustrine deposits prevail, whilst in the northern subbasins eolian and fluvial environments dominate. During the Maastrichtian, two major factors controlled the basin fill: the decrease in tectonic subsidence and a relative sea-level rise as recorded in South America. An extensive and shallow Atlantic marine ingression installed a carbonate system coincident with mainly humid conditions until the Danian. Until the Middle Eocene, the fluvial and lacustrine environmental evolution of the sag basin was controlled especially by the alternation of temperate with dry and humid periods. Paleontological records reflect these climatic changes and show their relationship to the sedimentation regime.     

Age, distribution, tectonics, and eustatic controls of the Paranense and Caribbean marine transgressions in southern Bolivia and Argentina

Marine transgression onto the South American continent took place at least twice in the Miocene along distinct paleogeographic corridors. The first event occurred between 15 and 13 Ma and the second between 10 and 5? Ma. Each event has particular dominant variables (tectonism, eustacy, sediment accumulation rate) that permitted the preservation of the record and development of the sea on the continent. The 15–13 Ma transgression was tectonically and eustatically controlled, flooding older sedimentary accommodation zones on the South American plate during a global high sea level, whereas the 105? Ma event was predominantly tectonically controlled, generated by tectonic loading created in the Cordillera Oriental fold-and-thrust belt. A new 7.72±0.31 Ma ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar date from the Río Parapetí in Bolivia suggests that the 15–13 Ma transgression registered in Argentina produced no continental connection to the Caribbean transgression, registered in Bolivia, because of temporal constraints.     

Kinematic analysis of sinistral cataclastic shear zones along the northern margin of the Mino Belt, central Japan

In this paper, cataclastic shear zones along the northern margin of the Mino Belt, central Japan are described, and the significance of the shearing in the tectonic evolution of SW Japan is examined. The Mino Belt in SW Japan is composed of accretionary complexes of Jurassic to Early Cretaceous age. Field investigation revealed that remarkable cataclastic shear zones trending east to northeast run along the northern margin of the Mino Belt. Closely spaced cleavage is developed in these shear zones. Lineation on the cleavage plunges at shallow to moderate angles. Deformation structures (e.g. composite planar fabric and asymmetric structure of clasts) in the sheared rocks clearly indicate a sinistral sense of shear. The shearing ceased by latest Cretaceous time, because the sheared rocks are overlain by unsheared Upper Cretaceous volcanic rocks. The sinistral shearing may be closely related to Cretaceous sinistral movement along the eastern margin of Asia. Sinistral shearing along the northern margin of the Mino Belt can be considered as a key for re-examining the tectonic development of SW Japan.     

Geological development of Heard Island,Central Kerguelen Plateau

We report ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar laser step-heating age determinations on 15 stratigraphically controlled lava flows and intrusive rocks from Heard Island, Central Kerguelen Plateau (Indian Ocean). The island history began with uplift of pelagic limestone intruded by 22 Ma gabbro sills. Subaerial and wave erosion levelled the early island, producing an unconformity onto which pillow lavas, tuffaceous sediments and shallow-water, fossiliferous marine siltstone (Drygalski Formation) were deposited, beginning in late Miocene time. Two volcanic systems then formed in the late Quaternary. Big Ben dominates the larger southeast part of the island, while Mount Dixon occupies the northwest Laurens Peninsula. Feeder dykes and the early lava flows in both systems are 400–200 ka. Lava flows with evolved compositions (trachytes, trachyandesites) erupted 100–20 ka. Well-preserved parasitic cones exposed at low elevations are 15–10 ka and younger. Mawson Peak, near the summit of Big Ben, has erupted lava flows as recently as 2007. Heard Island, and nearby active McDonald Island, are subaerial features of a larger Neogene volcanic region of Central Kerguelen Plateau that includes several large sea knolls and recently identified submarine fields of small cones. This broadly distributed volcanic activity is linked to incubation of plume material at the base of the nearly stationary overlying Central Kerguelen Plateau.     

中亚低涡背景下南疆西部两次强冰雹环境场对比分析

利用常规资料、14:00加密探空、NCEP1°×1°再分析资料,对比分析2013年6月18日和2014年6月23日南疆西部两次强冰雹环境场及物理机制,表明两次冰雹环境场有相同之处:在环流经向度较大的中亚低涡背景下,前期有明显降水,傍晚前后由中亚低涡后部西北气流下产生,高空干冷平流、低层暖湿环境、较大的垂直温度递减率及低层辐合线或切变线为冰雹天气提供了强不稳定层结和动力触发条件,为冷平流强迫类型。但两次冰雹中亚低涡位置、强度、物理机制变化等有所不同:"6·18"中亚低涡压至南疆西部,低涡强,西北风大,而"6·23"中亚低涡在巴尔喀什湖附近,位置偏北,低涡较弱,西北风较小;"6·18"偏西北气流、风(垂直)切变、强回波伸展高度、层结不稳定、水汽及动力等变化均较"6·23"明显偏强;"6·18"的0℃层和-20℃层的高度均比"6·23"的低300~400 m;"6·18"低层南疆盆地偏东风日变化明显,即傍晚到夜间增强,山前东西风辐合促使上升运动发展,并有明显的中尺度垂直环流圈,而"6·23"低层为西北风风速辐合及与偏东风的切变。     

Geochemical fractionation of Ni,Cu and Pb in the deep sea sediments from the Central Indian Ocean Basin: An insight into the mechanism of metal enrichment in sediment

Metal speciation study in combination with major element chemistry of deep sea sediments provided possible metal enrichment pathways in sediments collected from environmentally different locations of Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIB). Metal speciation study suggests that Fe–Mn oxyhydroxide phase was the major binding phase for Ni, Cu and Pb in the sediments. The second highest concentrations of all these metals were present within the structure of the sediments. Easily reducible oxide phase (within the Fe–Mn oxyhydroxide binding phases) was the major host for all the three metals in the studied sediments. Major element chemistry of these sediments revealed that there was an increased tendency of Cu and Ni to get incorporated into the deep sea sediment via the non-terrigenous Mn-oxyhydroxide fraction, whereas, Pb gets incorporated mostly via amorphous Fe-hydroxides into the sediment from the CIB. This is the first attempt to provide an insight into the mechanism of metal enrichment in sediment that host vast manganese nodule.     

Delineation and assessment of Central Indian Suture through lineament extraction approach using Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System

Lineament extraction approach allowed mapping of larger number of lineaments in a classical manner in tectonic and structural studies. In the present study, various techniques were adopted to extract lineaments using Landsat ETM+ images. To remove the biasness of the images, some pre-processing techniques like stream ordering, band differencing, colour texturing were employed to enhance the edges of the structural features. Extracted lineaments and its distribution and orientation were mapped using ArcGIS Spatial analyst tool. Results of the study showed maximum number of lineaments were oriented in the ENE–SWS direction with 63° overall inclination. Accuracy assessment and validation were made with respect to visual interpretation and overlaying the lineament on Digital Topographic Model as well as with respect to an existing geological lineament map of the study site. The result of accuracy assessment indicates higher compatibility of Central Indian Suture with the geological map of the study area.     

Possible spatial variability in the Selwyn Block of Central Victoria: evidence from Late Devonian felsic igneous rocks

The Neoproterozoic to Cambrian Selwyn Block in Central Victoria forms the mainly unexposed basement to the Paleozoic metasediments, granitic rocks and felsic volcanic complexes of the Melbourne Zone of the Lachlan Orogen. The Late Devonian felsic rocks are largely products of partial melting of the Selwyn Block, and their chemistry implies that their sources were most probably arc-related andesite, dacite, volcaniclastic greywackes and some pelites. When plotted against the median longitudes of the plutons and volcanic complexes, the average values for ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_t and ?Nd_t (at 370 Ma) reveal broad trends interpreted to reflect possible compositional and/or age structure in the Selwyn Block. Assuming that the trends are real, from W to E, I-type sources are progressively less crustally evolved, probably younging eastward. The S-type sources show no trend in ?Nd_t, suggesting that there was efficient sediment mixing. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_t values, however, become more evolved eastward (opposite in sense to the apparent variation in the I-type sources). This is interpreted as the original Selwyn Block sediments having been more pelitic eastward, perhaps suggesting a deepening of the basin in this direction, as well as structurally upward in the succession. The opposite senses of variation highlights the spatial separation of the S- and I-type sources and suggest that the granitic magmas here are unlikely to represent any sort of mixing continuum.     

月球东海盆地综合解析与撞击初始条件的研究

东海是月球上最年轻的多环撞击盆地,关于其形成机制的研究很多,但成果大都基于正撞击的机制提出的,虽然有部分学者提出东海是斜撞击的,但缺乏具体撞击参数。本文通过多源数据融合,综合分析LRO影像数据、LOLA地形数据、M~3高光谱数据和IIM高光谱数据,对东海地区的地貌特征、物质成分进行了较为系统的解译,发现在东海中央熔融区存在一条与东海撞击方向垂直的中央隆起区域(中央隆起线),其也是中央熔融区粗糙部分与光滑部分的分界线,结合撞击坑成坑理论,认为其可能是撞击过程冲击波作用引起的堆叠作用形成的。同时利用GRAIL数据及对该地区的重力异常的成因进行了分析,认为异常是由于压强、温度及岩石粘度的改变引起局部莫霍面抬升和中央熔融物的形成而出现的,进而估算出熔融物占盆地内物质的25%,约为1.1×10~6km~3。同时,对GRAIL数据的剖面分析结果也支持了本文的斜撞击理论。最后,综合多方面的信息和撞击理论获取东海盆地构造分布图,并根据中央隆起线、溅射物及线性构造的分布特征等,提出东海盆地理论上是由一直径在50~100km的撞击体以10~30km/s的速度自东偏北约20°~30°方向以20°~30°的角度斜撞击月表而形成的。这可为研究更早期的月球撞击坑提供理论参考。