Thermal structure of active thrust belts

Abstract In order to study the thermal structure of active thrust belts, we have developed a numerical model of conductive heat transfer between thrust sheets during deformation. Our finite difference approach alternates small, instantaneous increments of displacement and isotherm translation with conductive relaxation of perturbed isotherms. In each step, conduction occurs for a length of time equal to the displacement increment divided by the thrust velocity. Computer simulations demonstrate that conductive heat transfer is significant during deformation and that temperatures in hanging-wall rocks decrease while temperatures in foot-wall rocks increase over distances of up to 10 km from the thrust surface. When the effects of internal heat production are also calculated, heating of foot-wall rocks exceeds cooling of hanging-wall rocks. Rocks located between two thrusts may experience a complicated temperature–time path of early heating followed by cooling. These models help to explain the rapid metamorphism of rocks in the Taconian thrust belt in the northern Appalachians of New England soon after deposition of the youngest sediments.     

南秦岭佛坪麻粒岩的矿物学和地球化学特征及其构造意义

采用电子探针、红外光谱和全岩化学分析方法,对佛坪麻粒岩开展了系统的矿物学和地球化学研究。研究结果表明本区麻粒岩以酸性岩为主,主要组成矿物为长石、石英、石榴子石、紫苏辉石及少量的黑云母和钙质角闪石。岩石富集轻稀土和大离子亲石元素,亏损高场强元素,具有强烈的Nb、Ta负异常,表明源岩在成因上与洋壳的俯冲消减作用有关。结合区域地质和测年资料,我们认为佛坪麻粒岩源岩的形成与勉略古洋壳向南秦岭地块之下的俯冲有关,是中—晚三叠世南秦岭与扬子地块的陆-陆碰撞所导致的麻粒岩相变质作用的产物。     

扬子陆块西部古隆起演化及其对郁南运动的反映

寒武纪—奥陶纪之交的郁南运动是华南重要构造事件,但以往研究与认识局限于中国东南部。同期构造运动对扬子陆块的影响尚不明确,制约了对郁南运动的全面理解。本文以扬子陆块西部为例,分析芙蓉统(末寒武统)至下奥陶统地层接触关系,特别是地层不整合面分布,重建了古隆起演化过程并初步探讨其机制;在各期沉积相和岩相古地理演化基础上,总结了盆山耦合与沉积响应特征。结果表明:寒武纪—奥陶纪之交的构造运动在扬子陆块西部有显著表现,反映为大规模古隆起形成、相对海平面和沉积相配置变化;其机制与克拉通边缘基底古陆对地壳位移、变形的阻挡有关,从板块尺度上看,可能是扬子陆块东南侧构造挤压在陆块西部的同步响应。据此笔者提出,寒武纪—奥陶纪之交的华南存在广义的、可对比的"郁南运动",可能是早古生代构造—盆地性质由拉张向挤压转型的重要节点。     

Brunovistulian terrane (Bohemian Massif, Central Europe) from late Proterozoic to late Paleozoic: a review

The Brunovistulian terrane represents a microcontinent of enigmatic Proterozoic provenance that was located at the southern margin of Baltica in the early Paleozoic. During the Variscan orogeny, it represented the lower plate at the southern margin of Laurussia, involved in the collision with the Armorican terrane assemblage. In this respect, it resembles the Avalonian terrane in the west and the Istanbul Zone in the east. There is a growing evidence about the presence of a Devonian back-arc at the margin of the Brunovistulian terrane. The early Variscan phase was characterized by the formation of Devonian extensional basins with the within-plate volcanic activity and formation of narrow segments of oceanic crust. The oldest Viséan flysch of the Rheic/Rhenohercynian remnant basin (Protivanov, Andelska Hora and Horní Benesov formations) forms the highest allochthonous units and contains, together with slices of Silurian Bohemian facies, clastic micas from early Paleozoic crystalline rocks that are presumably derived from terranes of Armorican affinity although provenance from an active Brunovistulian margin cannot be fully excluded either. The development of the Moravo–Silesian late Paleozoic basin was terminated by coal-bearing paralic and limnic sediments. The progressive Carboniferous stacking of nappes and their impingement on the Laurussian foreland led to crustal thickening and shortening and a number of distinct deformational and folding events. The postorogenic extension led to the formation of the terminal Carboniferous-early Permian Boskovice Graben located in the eastern part of the Brunovistulian terrane, in front of the crystalline nappes. The highest, allochthonous westernmost flysch units, locally with the basal slices of the Devonian and Silurian rocks thrusted over the Silesicum in the NW part of the Brunovistulian terrane, may share a similar tectonic position with the Giessen–Harz nappes. The Silesicum represents the outermost margin of the Brunovistulian terrane with many features in common with the Northern Phyllite Zone at the Avalonia–Armorica interface in Germany.     

Isothermal decompression history in the “Western Granulite” terrain, central Tanzania: Evidence from reaction textures and trapped fluids in metapelites

The Mozambique Belt (MB) of the East Africa Orogen contains large areas of granulite-facies migmatitic gneisses with Archaean and Palaeoproterozoic protolith ages and that were recycled during the Neoproterozoic Pan-African orogeny. The study area is situated along the Great Ruaha River and within the Mikumi National Park in central Tanzania where migmatitic gneisses and mafic to intermediate granulites are interlayered with Neoproterozoic granulite-facies migmatitic metapelites. Mineral textures suggest isothermal decompression, with the peak mineral assemblage comprising Grt–Bt–Ky–Kfs–Pl–Qtz ± Phn ± Ti-Oxide ± melt and amphibolite-facies retrograde assemblage Grt–Bt–Sil–Ms–Kfs–Pl–Qtz ± Fe–Ti-Oxide. The near isothermal retrograde overprint is seen in well-developed formation of pseudomorphs after garnet. The HP granulite-facies assemblages record P–T conditions of 13–14 kbar at 760–800 °C. Retrogression and the release of fluids from crystallizing melts occurred at 7 kbar and 650–700 °C. A fluid inclusion study shows three types of fluid inclusion consisting of nearly pure CO₂, as well as H₂O–NaCl and H₂O–CO₂ mixtures. We suggest that a immiscible CO₂-bearing brine represents the fluid composition during high-grade peak metamorphism, and that the fluid inclusions containing H₂O–NaCl or nearly pure CO₂ represent trapped fluids from in situ crystallised melt. The results suggest strong isothermal decompression, which is probably related to a fast exhumation after crustal thickening in the central part of the Mozambique Belt in Tanzania.     

Meso-Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the Dangyang Basin,north-central Yangtze craton,central China

Based on detailed structural data and available tectonic chronological data from the Dangyang Basin, the authors propose that the north-central Yangtze craton experienced three stages of tectonic evolution since Late Triassic time. In the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic (T₃–J₁), due to the Indosinian orogeny, nearly N–S compression and shortening occurred, which initiated the Dangyang Basin as a foreland basin of the Qinling–Dabie orogen. During the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous (J₃–K₁) period, the Yanshanian intracontinental orogeny caused contemporaneous NE–SW and NW–SE shortening, which resulted in intense folding of the foreland basin; contraction formed a brush structure diverging in a SE direction and strongly converging in a NW direction around the Huangling anticline. In the Late Cretaceous to Palaeogene, the Yuan'an and Hanshui grabens were separated from other parts of the Dangyang Basin due to post-orogenic ENE–WSW extension. Finally, at the end of the Palaeogene, ENE–WSW shortening led to inversion and deformation of the grabens.     

Petrogenesis and Solidification Depth of the Jurassic Daebo and Cretaceous Bulguksa Granitic Rocks in South Korea

We investigated the Jurassic Daebo and Cretaceous Bulguksa granitic rocks in South Korea. The former are distributed mainly in the Gyeonggi and Yeongnam massifs and the latter are present in the Gyeongsan basin and Ogcheon belt. The Daebo granitic rocks generally are of ilmenite series and I to S type. These rocks are associated with Au–Ag hydrothermal deposits, whereas the Bulguksa granitic rocks are of magnetite series and I type, and are associated with Pb–Zn, Cu and Mo–W hydrothermal deposits, as well as Au–Ag hydrothermal deposits. The Daebo granitic rocks show adakitic signatures in their chemical compositions. They are considered to have been derived from partial melting of the thick lower continental crust. Conversely, the Bulguksa granitic rocks in the Gyeongsan basin are non‐adakitic and are considered to have been derived from partial melting of a mantle wedge. Magmas of the Daebo granitic rocks formed at relatively shallow levels, but solidified at deep levels compared with those of the Bulguksa granitic rocks. The Bulguksa granitic rocks in the central to western Ogcheon belt are considered to have been formed by fractionation of magmas derived from partial melting of continental crust. The total Al contents of biotite and hornblende in the granitic rocks increased, with the Bulguksa granitic rocks in the Gyeongsan basin < the Bulguksa granitic rocks in the Ogcheon belt and Gyeonggi and Yeongnam massifs and the Daebo granitic rocks in the Ogcheon belt < the Daebo granitic rocks in the Gyeonggi and Yeongnam massifs. This order corresponds to an increase in solidification depth.     

东北地区复合造山作用与松辽盆地深部找藏方向探讨

我国的东北地区为西伯利亚板块、华北板块及太平洋板块所挟持。自元古代古大陆裂解以来,经历了兴凯期、加里东期、华力西-印支期、燕山期及喜山期的造山作用,形成增生镶嵌状结合的地质块体。区内复合造山活动具有多期性、叠置性、结构复杂性、造山过程长期性和大陆增生性等特征。在晚古生代,沿华北板块北缘的华力西造山带范围内,沉积有呈三角形的石炭-二叠纪海相盆地。全区现今的构造组合,主要取决于晚侏罗世-早白垩世的构造-岩浆事件。区内含油盆地的成因是与地表-地壳-岩石圈＂三层式＂构造结构呈＂立交桥式＂的样式相关,同时据地震S波资料证实的太平洋俯冲与软流圈呈＂蘑菇云状＂的地幔隆升也有联系。由于地壳相互之间碰撞、挤压、底侵、拆沉、熔蚀、减薄、下沉等复杂的深部过程影响,形成了中新生代裂谷型陆相盆地与石炭-二叠纪海相盆地叠合而成,故命名为延变型复合盆地。针对控藏的地质条件,提出今后深部找藏的主攻方向和建议。     

Tectonic Evolution of the Southern Part of Aravalli Mountain Belt and its Environs: Possible Causes and Time Constraints

Structural studies on Proterozoic rocks belonging to the Lunavada Group, Southern Aravalli Mountain Belt (SAMB), India, have shown that they underwent three episodes of deformation which have led to the formation of various regional scale interference patterns. Whilst the northern parts of the SAMB underwent brittle-ductile deformation, the southern portion underwent more ductile deformation. On the basis of structural as well as metamorphic studies it has been established earlier that the region was subjected to uplift orogenesis during its evolutionary history. In the present paper an attempt is made to visualize the possible causes that led to deformation of the SAMB, the structural geology of which has been established by the authors, and to constraint the timing of these events on the basis of already available geochronological data. A “working-hypothesis” is proposed according to which it is suggested that deformation of the SAMB is a result of the accretion of the three protocontinents viz. Aravalli, Dharwar and Singhbhum during the Mesoproterozoic. It is envisaged that the accretion of Aravalli and Singhbhum Protocontinents occurred between 1600 and 1400 Ma along the NE-SW trending Son Suture and this event led to development of NE-SW trending structures in the SAMB. Suturing of Aravalli and Dharwar Protocontinents between 1400 and 935 Ma along the E-W Narmada Suture was responsible for the E-W to NW-SE trending D₃ structures of the SAMB. It is postulated that the Satpura orogeny which resulted in deformation of rocks in Satpura mountain range lying to the south of Narmada Suture was coeval with the accretion of Aravalli and Dharwar Protocontinents.