The presence, characteristics and earthquake implications of the St. Lawrence fault zone within and near Lake Ontario (Canada–USA)

Questions persist concerning the earthquake potential of the populous and industrial Lake Ontario (Canada–USA) area. Pertinent to those questions is whether the major fault zone that extends along the St. Lawrence River valley, herein named the St. Lawrence fault zone, continues upstream along the St. Lawrence River valley at least as far as Lake Ontario or terminates near Cornwall (Ontario, Canada)–Massena (NY, USA). New geological studies uncovered paleotectonic bedrock faults that are parallel to, and lie within, the projection of that northeast-oriented fault zone between Cornwall and northeastern Lake Ontario, suggesting that the fault zone continues into Lake Ontario. The aforementioned bedrock faults range from meters to tens of kilometers in length and display kinematically incompatible displacements, implying that the fault zone was periodically reactivated in the study area. Beneath Lake Ontario the Hamilton–Presqu'ile fault lines up with the St. Lawrence fault zone and projects to the southwest where it coincides with the Dundas Valley (Ontario, Canada). The Dundas Valley extends landward from beneath the western end of the lake and is marked by a vertical stratigraphic displacement across its width. The alignment of the Hamilton–Presqu'ile fault with the St. Lawrence fault zone strongly suggests that the latter crosses the entire length of Lake Ontario and continues along the Dundas Valley.The Rochester Basin, an east–northeast-trending linear trough in the southeastern corner of Lake Ontario, lies along the southern part of the St. Lawrence fault zone. Submarine dives in May 1997 revealed inclined layers of glaciolacustrine clay along two different scarps within the basin. The inclined layers strike parallel to the long dimension of the basin, and dip about 20° to the north–northwest suggesting that they are the result of rigid-body rotation consequent upon post-glacial faulting. Those post-glacial faults are growth faults as demonstrated by the consistently greater thickness, unit-by-unit, of unconsolidated sediments on the downthrown (northwest) side of the faults relative to their counterparts on the upthrown (southeast) side. Underneath the western part of Lake Ontario is a monoclinal warp that displaces the glacial and post-glacial sediments, and the underlying bedrock–sediment interface. Because of the post-glacial growth faults and the monoclinal warp the St. Lawrence fault zone is inferred to be tectonically active beneath Lake Ontario. Furthermore, within the lake it crosses at least five major faults and fault zones and coexists with other neotectonic structures. Those attributes, combined with the large earthquakes associated with the St. Lawrence fault zone well to the northeast of Lake Ontario, suggest that the seismic risk in the area surrounding and including Lake Ontario is likely much greater than previously believed.     

Post-mid-Cretaceous eastern North Sea evolution inferred from 3D thermo-mechanical modelling

The Late Cretaceous–Cenozoic evolution of the eastern North Sea region is investigated by 3D thermo-mechanical modelling. The model quantifies the integrated effects on basin evolution of large-scale lithospheric processes, rheology, strength heterogeneities, tectonics, eustasy, sedimentation and erosion.

The evolution of the area is influenced by a number of factors: (1) thermal subsidence centred in the central North Sea providing accommodation space for thick sediment deposits; (2) 250-m eustatic fall from the Late Cretaceous to present, which causes exhumation of the North Sea Basin margins; (3) varying sediment supply; (4) isostatic adjustments following erosion and sedimentation; (5) Late Cretaceous–early Cenozoic Alpine compressional phases causing tectonic inversion of the Sorgenfrei–Tornquist Zone (STZ) and other weak zones.

The stress field and the lateral variations in lithospheric strength control lithospheric deformation under compression. The lithosphere is relatively weak in areas where Moho is deep and the upper mantle warm and weak. In these areas the lithosphere is thickened during compression producing surface uplift and erosion (e.g., at the Ringkøbing–Fyn High and in the southern part of Sweden). Observed late Cretaceous–early Cenozoic shallow water depths at the Ringkøbing–Fyn High as well as Cenozoic surface uplift in southern Sweden (the South Swedish Dome (SSD)) are explained by this mechanism.

The STZ is a prominent crustal structural weakness zone. Under compression, this zone is inverted and its surface uplifted and eroded. Contemporaneously, marginal depositional troughs develop. Post-compressional relaxation causes a regional uplift of this zone.

The model predicts sediment distributions and paleo-water depths in accordance with observations. Sediment truncation and exhumation at the North Sea Basin margins are explained by fall in global sea level, isostatic adjustments to exhumation, and uplift of the inverted STZ. This underlines the importance of the mechanisms dealt with in this paper for the evolution of intra-cratonic sedimentary basins.     

内蒙古色尔腾山山前断裂(乌句蒙口-东风村段)的断层活动与古地震事件

通过对色尔腾山山前断裂乌句蒙口 -东风村段的遥感资料解释、野外地质地貌考察 ,并通过对重点地段的古地震探槽开挖 ,获得了该断裂段晚更新世晚期以来的垂直位移速率是 0 88～ 1 83mm a ,全新世中期以来的垂直位移速率是 0 89mm a。通过 2个大型探槽的开挖、古地震事件分析和相关堆积物的断代研究 ,以及用逐次限定方法分析整个断层段上的古地震事件 ,认定该断裂段上全新世以来发生了 5次古地震事件 :事件 1发生在距今 90 0 0± 130 0年 ,事件2发生在距今 6 5 0 0± 5 0 0年 ,事件 3发生在距今 5 5 70年左右 ,事件 4发生在距今 4 2 0 0± 30 0年 ,事件 5发生在距今 32 5 0± 2 5 0年。晚更新世晚期到距今 1万年之间 ,古地震事件很不完整。全新世以来的 5次古地震事件表现出一定的丛集特征。最早的一丛事件发生在距今 890 0年左右 ,第2丛发生在距今 6 5 0 0～ 5 70 0年之间 ,第 3丛事件发生在距今 32 5 0～ 4 2 0 0年之间。第 1丛与第 2丛古地震事件之间间隔为 2 4 0 0年左右 ,而第 2丛与第 3丛古地震事件之间仅间隔 15 70年左右。距今 32 5 0年以来 ,该断裂段上还没有发生过错断地表的地震事件 ,已经超出了古地震丛之间的重复间隔。因此 ,它是色尔腾山前活动断裂带上具备潜在危险的一个活动断裂段。     

电阻率图像中的地下水和断层

目的：将电阻率层析成像应用于探测潜伏断层的研究中，本文发现了断层和地下水的一些基本电阻率分布特征，这对于工程物探意义重大，一般情况下，断层两侧具有不同的电阻率特征，但是，根据电阻率层析图像中的电阻率分布，通常难以区分断层和地下水层，这是因为两者不仅都具有低电阻率值，而且还具有非常相似的电阻率异常特征。资料和方法：运用电阻率层析图像的数据，电阻率层析图像中的断层会呈现如下特征：1）由于孔隙度的加大和地下水的存在，使得断层表现出高角度的低阻线性结构。它们既可以出现在浅部盖层中，也可以存在于深部基岩中，特别是在深部区域，它们尤为明显；2）它们还呈现出高角度的线性梯度带，在该梯度带两边的电阻率结构出现整体性的差异，通常情况下，正断层的上盘表现出低阻或／和班驳状的高阻和低阻扰动区，而下盘则为完整的高阻区，这与逆冲断层正好相反；3）与断层有关的电阻率异常区常常具有良好的大尺度水平连续性，并且可以追瞎异常区附近的精细电性结构。而地下水的电阻率特征为：1）如果没有裂隙，地表水所引起的低阻区非常浅，即使存在丰富的水源以及高孔隙度的砾岩和中粗砂。一般情况下，其底端深度不超过强风化区；2）地下水的电阻率值非常低，特别在高矿化度的地区。地下水，包括岩溶水和砂岩水，的电阻率总显示出局部水平延伸或／和面团状特征；3）地下水层的深度朝某个固定方向逐渐增加，并且其电阻率图像会随季节而变；4）一般情况下，在水下渗的地区，会出现降水漏斗，其上部为高阻，而下部为低阻，从而便形成了“Y”或“V”字型的典型结构。结果：利用上述的基本特征一般可以区分断层和地下水。结论：仅依靠电阻率层析图像，可能极难准确地区分断层和裂隙水，这是因为裂隙水不但可能具有高角度的低阻线性结构，而且在一定尺度上具有很好的水平连续性，还有，由于电阻率层析成像较差的垂直分辨率，难以精确确定断层的上端点位置，所以结合其它的物探手段如钻探和浅层地震勘探是非常必要的。     

Alpujarride attribution of the supposed ‘Almagride Complex’ (Betic Internal Zone,Almerı́a Province,Spain)Appartenance Alpujarride du prétendu « Complexe almagride » (Zones internes bétiques,province d'Almeria,Espagne)

The differentiation of units in the Sierra de Almagro has been a source of controversy. There were defined the Almagride and Ballabona–Cucharón complexes, the former considered by several authors as part of a Subbetic metamorphosed and outcropping in a tectonic window. In this study, the units of Ballabona, Almagro and Cucharón are integrated into a single one, that of Tres Pacos, because they correspond to different parts of the same stratigraphic series. This unit is tectonically over the Nevado–Filabride Complex. The existence of the Almagride and Ballabona–Cucharón complexes is discarded and their units form part of the Alpujarride Complex. To cite this article: C. Sanz de Galdeano, F.J. Garc??a Tortosa, C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 355–362.     

长江口海域新生代地层与断裂活动性初探

长江口海域通过浅层人工地震勘察查明，新生代地层可分为5个地震层。分别为第四系、上新统、中新统上段、中新统下段及始新统。第三纪地层自东北向西南依次超覆、减薄尖灭，上部被第四纪地层不整合覆盖。沉积基底主要由晚侏罗世火山岩系及燕山晚期酸性小岩体构成，未发现早第三纪及晚白垩世断陷盆地。断裂构造很发育，按展布方向大体可归为北东、北西及近东西向3组，皆为正断层。前两者数量多、延伸长、断距大，与同区的航磁异常构架吻合。北东向断裂分段明显，西南段为第四纪断裂，中段为晚第三纪断裂，东北段为早第三纪断裂；而北西向断裂分段不很清晰。两者的垂直位移速率平均在0．015mm/a。本文对该海域有关的几个地质问题进行了讨论。     

乌鲁木齐市华凌拟建地下停车场活断层探测与城市活断层探测手段适用性初步分析

根据在乌鲁木齐市拟建华凌地下停车场活断层探测与地震危险性评价工作，对通过乌鲁木齐闹市区的雅玛里克断裂进行了实验性探测。采用了浅层地震探测、地质雷达探测、地形测量和坑探剖面方法，对这些手段的适用性进行了初步分析和讨论。     

岩石断裂作用的复杂性和混沌动力学

断裂是一个复杂的动力学体系,受到岩石结构、反应、流体迁移、应力、岩石变形和力学等多种地质因素和过程的耦合控制。本文建立了断裂体系的反应-输运-力学耦合动力学模型并编制了模拟程序。以湖南水口山矿区为例,通过动力学模拟表明不同地层岩性的断裂渗透率大小和演化特征存在显著差异,断裂作用促使岩石渗透率的空间非均匀性增强,从而有利于流体的局部汇聚和矿体的形成。断裂中压力随时间呈现出非周期振荡变化,反映了断裂演化的混沌特征。