西南印度洋中脊热液产物稀土元素组成变化及其来源

对西南印度洋中脊热液区不同热液产物稀土元素(REE)进行了分析,探讨了热液产物形成过程中稀土元素组成变化及其来源。研究结果表明:不同热液产物稀土元素总量变化范围从3.47×10-7到4.80×10-5,轻重稀土比值(LREE/HREE)从2.06到6.16,表明轻重稀土有较大程度分异,δEu异常(δEu=0.86~3.88)和δCe异常(δCe=0.40~0.86)显示热液产物中REE呈Eu富集和Ce亏损特征。稀土元素球粒陨石标准化模式呈现两种类型:(1)呈轻微富集LREE的平坦模式,REE大于2×10-5;(2)呈显著富集LREE和正Eu异常模式,REE小于5×10-7。模式1类似于洋壳火山岩REE配分模式,而模式2与西南印度洋中脊黑烟囱REE模式相似,也与典型洋中脊热液喷口流体和硫化物LREE富集和正Eu异常模式类似。热液产物中稀土元素含量变化和模式特征以及Mg与LREE极强正相关关系可能反映了西南印度洋中脊硫化物形成在热液流体与海水混合沉淀的初始阶段,后期经历了广泛的热液流体再循环和海水蚀变过程。     

东经九十度海岭有效弹性厚度计算及其对构造运动的解释

有效弹性厚度(T_e)表示岩石圈抵抗变形的能力,其大小主要取决于岩石圈内部的温度结构和地壳物质组成。作为全球最长的海岭之一,东经九十度海岭(NER)来源与形成过程一直是国内外科学家研究的热点,然而受到该地区复杂构造活动的影响,研究者对海岭的形成过程仍缺乏清晰认识。本文从T_e的角度出发,通过空间褶积方法计算了沿着NER不同位置处T_e的空间分布特征。计算结果表明,整个海岭的T_e主要在0~35 km之间变化,表现为北(8°N~1°N)高(平均值为20 km)、中(1°N~15°S)低(平均值在5 km以下)、南(15°S~30°S)高(平均值为30 km),变化趋势与凯尔盖朗热点的3期岩浆活动相对应。T_e的变化反映了NER形成过程中东南印度洋脊与热点的相对位置的调整,说明NER是凯尔盖朗热点、印度洋板块扩张与东南印度洋洋中脊迁移三者共同作用的结果。最后,结合T_e的结果与ROYER板块重构的结果,本文提出了NER形成过程的模式。     

帕里西维拉海盆南端的地质构造特征及成因分析

帕里西维拉海盆是西太平洋地区最大、最典型的弧后盆地,根据帕里西维拉海盆的形态特征,将帕里西维拉海盆分为帕里西维拉海盆主盆地和帕里西维拉海盆南端。本文利用国际公开的重力数据和实测的多波束、浅地层剖面数据研究了帕里西维拉海盆南端的重力异常特征和海底地形特征,并进一步探讨了该区域的特殊性及成因机制。海底地形与地球物理特征研究表明,帕里西维拉海盆南端可划分为A、B、C、D、E 5个区域,分别代表海盆NE−SW向扩张形成的NW−SE向扩张构造、海盆E−W向扩张形成的N−S向扩张构造、海盆旋转过程中由北向南传播的扩张中心与海盆最南端的裂谷系统相互作用形成的NEE−SWW向构造、与帕里西维拉海盆同期形成的海山区以及裂谷系统相互作用形成的深渊区。海盆南端表现出明显的东西不对称性,海盆只存在扩张中心以西的部分,推测受卡罗琳海脊碰撞影响,帕里西维拉海盆南端东半部一部分逆冲至雅浦岛弧之上,还有一部分被推离至现今西马里亚纳海脊以西,随着洋壳持续的逆冲和迁移,最南端逐渐暴露的帕里西维拉海盆扩张中心与雅浦海沟合并,形成现今的雅浦海沟,最终造成了现今帕里西维拉海盆南端缺失东半部的构造形态。     

The green–blue swing: plasticity of plankton food‐webs in response to coastal oceanographic dynamics

The internal organization of plankton communities plays a key role in biogeochemical cycles and in the functioning of aquatic ecosystems. In this study, the structure of a marine plankton community (including both unicellular and multicellular organisms) was inferred by applying an ecological network approach to species abundances observed weekly at the long‐term ecological research station MareChiara (LTER‐MC) in the Gulf of Naples (Tyrrhenian Sea, Mediterranean Sea) in the summers of 2002–2009. Two distinct conditions, characterized by different combination of salinity and chlorophyll values, alternated at the site: one influenced by coastal waters, herein named ‘green’, and the other reflecting more offshore conditions, named ‘blue’. The green and blue ‘phases’ showed different keystone biological elements: namely, large diatoms and small‐sized flagellates, respectively. Several correlations amongst species belonging to different trophic groups were found in both phases (connectance ~0.30). In the green phase, several links between phytoplankton and mesozooplankton and within the latter were detected, suggesting matter flow from microbes up to carnivorous zooplankton. A microbial‐loop‐like sub‐web, including mixo‐ and heterotrophic dinoflagellates and ciliates, was present in the green phase, but it was relatively more important in the blue phase. The latter observation suggests a more intense cycling of matter at the microbial trophic level in the blue phase. These results show that different modes of ecological organization can emerge from relatively small changes in the composition of aquatic communities coping with environmental variability. This highlights a significant plasticity in the internal structure of plankton webs, which should be taken into account in predictions of the potential effects of climatic oscillations on aquatic ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles therein.     

西菲律宾海盆的构造沉积特征及对海盆演化的指示——来自地球物理大断面的证据

菲律宾海发育了全球最典型的沟弧盆体系,新老俯冲系统众多,是研究大洋板块扩张过程的理想场所。本文主要利用2015年中科院海洋所在西菲律宾海采集的1400km地球物理大断面,并结合最新的重力数据,对比、分析了西菲律宾海内部古扩张中心(中央海盆裂谷)和残留弧(九州-帕劳海脊)的沉积地貌和地壳结构特征。研究表明:(1)中央海盆裂谷内部发育远洋沉积为主的沉积物,沉积层序分布不均,局部盆地内沉积物厚度可达300m。九州-帕劳海脊附近发育与火山碎屑物源有关的厚层沉积物;(2)以129°30′E处的转换断层为界,裂谷东西部洋壳结构分别体现"慢速"和"快速"扩张特征,东部洋壳岩浆供应较少,厚度较小,断裂较为发育,其附近可能发生水岩作用;西部洋壳岩浆供应较多,厚度较大,结构相对均一;盆地西部的小规模地幔柱可能控制了裂谷东西部不同洋壳结构的发育;(3)九州-帕劳海脊内的角度不整合面代表岛弧裂解事件,张裂与挤压构造共同发育反映了裂解过程的复杂性。     

Lipid biomarker composition in surface sediments from the Carlsberg Ridge near the Tianxiu Hydrothermal Field

Hydrothermal venting has a profound effect on the chemical and biological properties of local and distal seawater and sediments. In this study, lipid biomarkers were analyzed to examine the potential influence of hydrothermal activity on the fate of organic matter(OM) in surface sediments around Tianxiu Hydrothermal Field in the Carlsberg Ridge(CR), Northwest Indian Ocean. By comparing the biomarker distributions of the samples with that of other typical hydrothermal sediments in the mid ocean ridge, it is shown that the location of the samples is not affected by the hydrothermal activity. The relatively low abundances of terrestrial n-alkyl lipids and riverine1,15-C32 diol suggested a minor contribution of terrigenous OM to the study area. The bacteria contributed predominantly to sedimentary marine OM; however, other marine source organisms, e.g., eukaryotes(i.e.,phytoplankton and fungi) could not be completely neglected. The marine-originated biomarkers showed significantly variable distributions between the two sediments, suggesting different dynamic physical and biogeochemical processes controlling the fate of marine OM. This study identified various diagnostic biomarkers(5,5-diethyl alkanes, diols and β-OH FAs), which may have significant environmental implications for future works in this region.     

云南云县漫湾蛇绿混杂岩岩石特征及地质意义

通过云南云县地区1∶5万漫湾镇幅区域地质调查,从前人划分的上二叠统邦沙组(P₃b)分布区分解出来的一套中深变质岩系,为一套洋底玄武岩与洋内弧泥岩-碎屑岩的沉积组合,并称其为漫湾蛇绿混杂岩。该混杂岩中的火山岩,总体表现出洋中脊-准洋中脊拉斑玄武岩特点,在已变质的火山岩(角闪变粒岩)中获单颗粒锆石U-Pb谐和年龄值为295.6±0.92 Ma,表明漫湾蛇绿混杂岩形成于晚古生代。应为澜沧江洋盆闭合后的残留物,证实了澜沧江洋的存在。     

Mechanisms of magmatic gas loss along the Southeast Indian Ridge and the Amsterdam -St. Paul Plateau

New analyses of He, Ne, Ar and CO₂ trapped in basaltic glasses from the Southeast Indian Ridge (Amsterdam-St. Paul (ASP) region) show that ridge magmas degas by a Rayleigh distillation process. As a result, the absolute and relative noble gas abundances are highly fractionated with ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar* ratios as high as 620 compared to a production ratio of ∼3 (where ⁴⁰Ar* is ⁴⁰Ar corrected for atmospheric contamination). There is a good correlation between ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar* and the MgO content of the basalt, suggesting that the amount of gas lost from a particular magma is related to the degree of crystallization. Fractional crystallization forces oversaturation of CO₂ because CO₂ is an incompatible element. Therefore, crystallization will increase the fraction of gas lost from the magma. The He-Ar-CO₂-MgO-TiO₂ compositions of the ASP basalts are modeled as a combined fractional crystallization-fractional degassing process using experimentally determined noble gas and CO₂ solubilities and partition coefficients at reasonable magmatic pressures (2-4 kbar). The combined fractional crystallization-degassing model reproduces the basalt compositions well, although it is not possible to rule out depth of eruption as a potential additional control on the extent of degassing. The extent of degassing determines the relative noble gas abundances (⁴He/⁴⁰Ar*) and the ⁴⁰Ar*/CO₂ ratio but it cannot account for large (>factor 50) variations in He/CO₂, due to the similar solubilities of He and CO₂ in basaltic magmas. Instead, variations in CO₂/³He (≡C/³He) trapped in the vesicles must reflect similar variations in the primary magma. The controls on C/³He in mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORBs) are not known. There are no obvious correlated variations between C/³He and tracers of mantle heterogeneity (³He/⁴He, K/Ti etc.), implying that the variations in C/³He are not likely to be a feature of the mantle source to these basalts. Mixing between MORB-like sources and more enriched, high ³He/⁴He sources occurs on and near the ASP plateau, resulting in variable ³He/⁴He and K/Ti compositions (and many other tracers). Using ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar* to track degassing, we demonstrate that mixing systematics involving He isotopes are determined in large part by the extent of degassing. Relatively undegassed lavas (with low ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar*) are characterized by steep ³He/⁴He-K/Ti mixing curves, with high He/Ti ratios in the enriched magma (relative to He/Ti in the MORB magma). Degassed samples (high ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar*) on the other hand have roughly equal He/Ti ratios in both end-members, resulting in linear mixing trajectories involving He isotopes. Some degassing of ASP magmas must occur at depth, prior to magma mixing. As a result of degassing prior to mixing, mixing systematics of oceanic basalts that involve noble gas-lithophile pairs (e.g. ³He/⁴He vs. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr or ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar vs. ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb) are unlikely to reflect the noble gas composition of the mantle source to the basalts. Instead, the mixing curve will reflect the extent of gas loss from the magmas, which is in turn buffered by the pressure of combined crystallization-degassing and the initial CO₂ content.     

Evaluation and modelling of Tertiary source rocks in the central Arctic Ocean

With the recently recovered organic-rich sediments of early Tertiary age from the Lomonosov Ridge by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 302, the first data collection directly from source rocks of the central basins of the Arctic Ocean is now available. Using the results of seismic interpretations and published sedimentological and organic geochemical data from Expedition 302, the framework for the first quantitative assessment of source-rock quality and distribution of the Palaeogene sediments was modelled in the central Arctic Ocean. The modelling results suggest that an approximately 100-m-thick Early to Middle Eocene sedimentary sequence of good to very good source rocks exists along a 75 km long transect across the Lomonosov Ridge. In-situ generation of hydrocarbons is unlikely because the overburden (200–250 m) and consequently the thermal maturity are too low. Burial history and thermal modelling reveal that an additional overburden of at least 1000 m is necessary to start hydrocarbon generation along the ridge. However, source-rock modelling results show that good source-rock potential may exist in correlative units in the adjacent Amundsen Basin. Simulated organic carbon contents of 1.5–5%, coupled with an overburden of 1000–1200 m, and heat flow anomalies (117 and 100 mW m⁻²) due to the vicinity to the Gakkel Ridge spreading centre indicate that necessary conditions for hydrocarbon expulsion are already reached, and point to viability of a potential petroleum system. Our results support the hypothesis that deposition of a potentially good hydrocarbon source rock occurred across the entire Arctic Basin and adjacent margins during the early Tertiary.     

High-resolution dynamics of a deep-sea hydrothermal mussel assemblage monitored by the EMSO-Açores MoMAR observatory

Although the spatial distribution of hydrothermal vent assemblages in relation to environmental conditions has been assessed in several studies, there is little documented data on the temporal variation of the fauna and corresponding abiotic factors in a vent community. Here, we present one of the longest integrated (faunal and environmental data) time series ever obtained in a hydrothermal ecosystem. The data were acquired using the TEMPO ecological module that was deployed between 2006 and 2008 on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, providing the first insights into the day-to-day variations in a Bathymodiolus azoricus mussel assemblage from the Lucky Strike vent field for the 48 days during which the video camera operated. The time-series yielded additional valuable information on longer-term variation in faunal distribution (comparing ~2 years), temperature (11.7 months) and iron concentrations (3.8 months).Results from daily observations showed that the vent mussel assemblage was quite stable over the 48 days of the study, reflecting the relative stability of environmental conditions during this period. B. azoricus mussels appeared to thrive in areas of very limited hydrothermal fluid input in habitats that are, as in other deep-sea ecosystems, significantly influenced by ocean tidal signals. Variation in species abundance was observed but, with the exception of Mirocaris fortunata shrimp, no links could be established with measured environmental variables. Although we did not observe any clear tidal influence on vent fauna, it is likely that physiological processes and species’ activities are influenced by these periodic variations. Longer time series are currently being acquired by different experiments deployed on the EMSO-Açores MoMAR observatory (2010–2013 and still recording). They should further improve our knowledge of the dynamics of hydrothermal systems and their associated faunal communities.