Tectonic–karstic origin of the alleged “impact crater” of Lake Isli (Imilchil district,High Atlas,Morocco)

The scenic lakes Tislit and Isli of the Imilchil area in the central High Atlas of Morocco have been recently promoted to the rank of “dual impact crater” by a group of geoscientists. This was promptly denied by a group of meteorite specialists, but the first team reiterated their impact crater interpretation, now restricted to Lake Isli. This alleged 40-kyr-old impact crater would be associated with the Agoudal meteorite recognized further in the southeast. Here, we show that the lake formed during the Lower–Middle Pleistocene in a small Pliocene (?) pull-apart basin through additional collapsing due to karst phenomena in the underlying limestones. This compares with the formation of a number of lakes of the Atlas Mountains. None of the “proofs” produced in support of a meteoritic origin of Lake Isli coincides with the geology of the area.     

复合胎体金刚石钻头试验研究

为解决坚硬岩层钻进效率低下,研究设计一种复合胎体金刚石钻头,在软岩层进尺快,在硬岩层亦能获得相对较高的钻进速度,突破了单靠降低胎体硬度的传统设计理念,获得了满意钻进效率。     

Geological interpretation of current subsidence and uplift in the London area,UK, as shown by high precision satellite-based surveying

Long term planning for flood risk management in coastal areas requires timely and reliable information on changes in land and sea levels. A high resolution map of current changes in land levels in the London and Thames estuary area has been generated by satellite-based persistent scatterer interferometry (PSI), aligned to absolute gravity (AG) and global positioning system (GPS) measurements. This map has been qualitatively validated by geological interpretation, which demonstrates a variety of controlling influences on the rates of land level change, ranging from near-surface to deep-seated mechanisms and from less than a decade to more than 100,000 years’ duration.     

Geochemistry,provenance and tectonic setting of the Late Cambrian–Early Ordovician Seydişehir Formation in the Çaltepe and Fele areas,SE Turkey

The major, trace and rare earth element (REE) contents of metapelite (MPL), metapsammite (MPS) and metamarl (MM) samples from the Cambro-Ordovician Seydi?ehir Formation were analyzed to investigate their provenance and tectonic setting. The MPS, MPL, and MM samples have variable SiO₂ concentrations, with average values of 72.36, 55.54, and 20.95 wt%, moderate SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratios (means of 6.88, 3.23, and 3.80), moderate to high Fe₂O₃ + MgO contents (means of 5.14, 9.55, 3.56 wt%), and high K₂O/Na₂O ratios (means of 3.26, 3.64, 2.90), respectively. On average, the chemical index of alteration (CIA) values of the MPS and the MPL are 65.87 and 71.96, respectively, while the chemical index of weathering (CIW) values are 74.54 and 85.09, respectively. These data record an intermediate to high degree of alteration (weathering) of plagioclase to illite/kaolinite in the samples’ provenance. The chondrite-normalized REE patterns of all the sample groups are similar and are characterized by subparallel light rare earth elements (LREE)-enriched, relatively flat heavy rare earth elements (HREE) patterns with pronounced Eu anomalies (mean of 0.69) and moderate fractionation [average (La/Yb)_N = 8.7]. Plots of sediments in ternary diagrams of La, Th, Sc and elemental ratios (La/Sc, Th/Sc, Cr/Th, Eu/Eu*, La/Lu, Co/Th, La/Sc and Sc/Th), which are critical for determining provenance, and REE patterns indicate that the metaclastic units of the Seydi?ehir Formation were derived dominantly from felsic to intermediate magmatic rocks and not from a mafic source. The La–Sc–Th and Th–Sc–Zr/10 ternary diagrams of the Seydi?ehir Formation are typical of continental island arc/active continental margin tectonic settings. The geologic location and geochemistry of the Seydi?ehir Formation suggest that it was deposited in an Andean-type retroarc foreland basin during the Late Cambrian–Early Ordovician period. The Neoproterozoic intermediate to felsic magmatic rocks and metaclastic sediments with felsic origins of the Sand?kl?–Afyon Basement Complex (SBC) and their equivalent units, which are thought to be overlain by the younger units in the study area, may be the dominant source rocks for the Seydi?ehir Formation.     

Sedimentation of the Lower Cretaceous Xiagou Formation and its response to regional tectonics in the Qingxi Sag,Jiuquan Basin,NW China

Under the constraint of an isochronous sequence stratigraphic framework, sediment infill of the Xiagou Formation reflects the overall control of dynamic tectonic movements and episodic sedimentations in the Qingxi Sag. Structure reactivity during post-depositional processes could cause stratigraphic variations in longitudinal time and lateral space. This study documents sediment infill features and their response to the tectonic evolutions of the Qingxi Sag. The data sets include comparison of cores, well drilling, 3D seismic, inter-well correlation, wave impedance inversion profiles, original strata recovery data, sedimentary facies spatial evolution and their superimposition with paleogeomorphology.The Jiuquan Basin is a Mesozoic-Cenozoic superposition basin comprising an early rifting graben phase and a later compression phase. Since the Early Cretaceous, the basin has undergone four major tectonic episodes: 1) extension during the Early Cretaceous, 2) tectonic inversion caused by northwest-southeast contraction from the Late Cretaceous to the Paleocene, 3) weak extension from the Eocene to the Miocene and 4) contraction from the Miocene to the present. Therefore, the Jiuquan Basin is the product of taphrogenic, collisional and shearing movements.Seismic interpretations of sequence and maximum flooding surface divide the Xiagou Formation into three third order sequences: SQK1g₀, SQK1g₁ and SQK1g₂₊₃. Five sedimentary facies associations are identified: the shoreland plain, fan delta dominated sedimentary systems, turbidite deposits, shallow lakes and half-deep lake systems. From K1g₀ to K1g₂₊₃, decreased sandstone percentages in three fan delta areas indicate a continuously transgressive process, which shows the transition from proximal to distal sites in most statistic wells and an obvious decrease of fan delta scales. The northeast-southwest faults control the lakeward distributions of delta fronts and turbidite fans.The correspondence of sedimentary infill and its response to tectonic movements have been demonstrated in the Qingxi Sag. The more active eastern part of the northeastern boundary fault has an important influence on the northeastward migration of depocenters in the Xiagou Formation. The topography developed continuously from K1g₀ to K1g₂₊₃, but the diminished subsidence indicates the dominant geological process varying from intense fault rifting in an early period to relatively gentle and overall subsidence in a later period during the Early Cretaceous.     

皖南南华系上溪群羊栈岭组中段细碎屑岩的地球化学特征及其地质意义

皖南地区前寒武纪地层广泛出露,包括上溪群和溪口群,其中上溪群羊栈岭组中段岩性以泥岩、粉砂岩和细砂岩等细碎屑岩为主,并含有多套砾岩层。通过对绩溪县杨溪镇和东至县葛公镇剖面羊栈岭组中段细碎屑岩的地球化学分析,发现羊栈岭组中段样品具有相对较高的Al₂O₃/TiO₂比值（21.57）、较高的LREE/HREE比值（6.98）和明显的负Eu异常（0.71）,在TiO₂和Al₂O₃二元图解、Zr和TiO₂二元图解及La/Th-Hf二元图解中,大多数样品落入长英质物源区中。表明它们的物源以长英质岩石为主。此外,反映源区风化程度的参数CIA、CIW和PIA值均较低,平均值分别为71.6、75.4和71.2,分别低于PAAS的76.4、82.7和79.0,表明源区的风化程度较低。将样品的地球化学特征和皖南新元古代岩体和火山岩进行比较,发现它们具有亲缘性,结合其它岩石学和地层学证据认为这些岩体和火山岩为沉积物提供了重要的物源。在主量元素判别图中,样品主要落入活动大陆边缘区并受大陆岛弧的影响,在微量元素构造背景判别图中,样品均落入大陆岛弧区。此外,样品的各种REE元素特征值属于大陆岛弧来源的沉积物的范围,同时又与活动大陆边缘沉积物相近,指示羊栈岭组中段可能代表了一套活动大陆边缘的弧后盆地沉积。而羊栈岭组中段作为一次完整的海侵-海退序列中的一部分可以代表整个上溪群形成的构造背景。     

东濮凹陷三叠系砂岩储层构造裂缝特征及形成期次

根据露头、 岩心、 薄片、 古地磁、 成像测井、 岩石力学实验等资料;对东濮凹陷北部三叠系砂岩储层构造裂缝特征及形成期次进行分析。东濮凹陷三叠系砂岩储层主要发育北北东、 北东和近东西向3组高角度构造裂缝;裂缝走向近于平行或垂直主断层;倾向为北西和南东。二马营组裂缝较为发育;和尚沟组和刘家沟组裂缝相对不发育。储层裂缝为3期;分别为燕山早期的北西向扩张裂缝和北北西、 北西西向剪切裂缝;燕山晚期形成北东向拉张裂缝;喜马拉雅期形成北北东、 北东向拉张裂缝、 北北东向剪切裂缝和东西向扩张裂缝。古、 今构造应力场和岩石力学性质的各向异性分析表明;现今构造应力场最大水平主应力和岩石抗压强度的各向异性均影响燕山早期北西向裂缝的张开度及有效性。储层裂缝表现为两期;分别为燕山晚期的北东向拉张裂缝、 喜马拉雅期的北北东、 北东向拉张裂缝;北北东向剪切裂缝和东西向扩张裂缝。研究结果阐明了东濮凹陷北部三叠系砂岩储层构造裂缝特征及发育规律。     

Tectonic evolution of the North Patagonian Andes from field and gravity data (39–40°S)

This paper analyzes the style, distribution, mechanics and timing of deformation of the Andean retroarc zone between 39° and 40°S, in the North Patagonian Andes. Field recognition and interpretation of the main structures, constrained by new gravity data allowed establishing a structural control for the main sedimentary successions that coexisted with Andean development. A balanced cross section is constructed, where the westernmost segment is characterized by a thick-skinned structure associated with a deep decollment, over which Late Paleozoic rocks are uplifted on top of Cenozoic successions. To the east, a central segment was formed by Late Miocene inversion of a late Oligocene backarc basin controlled by a shallower decollment. A new K/Ar age of 29 Ma constrains the age of these synextensional deposits. Gravity data show the rhomboedric geometry and depth of these depocenters affecting the basement in the western orogenic front area. Finally, an eastern sector is characterized by the inversion of Late Triassic structures and development of primary faults over a deeper decollment, producing a west-vergent deformational belt. The restoration of the structural profile has yielded a total shortening of less than 10 km produced in more than one contractional stage. The complex structure described in this work results from the interaction of NW structures related to the typical Andean deformation, and ENE structures related to the intraplate Huincul high. Finally, previous works had visualized in seismic tomographies an area of relatively low velocities in the orogenic front area, interpreting it as a mantle-derived magmatic-hydrothermal crustal reservoir. Computed elastic thicknesses performed in this work from gravity data show a good correlation between areas of low flexural rigidity and areas of low seismic velocities. These anomalies coincide at surface with Pliocene to Quaternary retroarc mafic eruptions that could have a connection to slab tearing processes proposed for the last 5–2 Ma from seismic data.     

点苍山变质杂岩新生代变质-变形演化及其区域构造内涵

点苍山变质杂岩体是哀牢山-红河韧性剪切带四个变质杂岩体之一,遭受了多期多阶段变质-变形作用改造。本文重点针对点苍山杂岩的新生代变质-变形作用,尤其是以富铝质高级变质岩即夕线石榴黑云片麻岩和侵位于其中的糜棱岩化细晶花岗质岩石开展了深入研究。对夕线石榴黑云片麻岩的显微构造分析与矿物共生组合研究,确定了高角闪岩相和低角闪岩相变质矿物共生组合,分别为:石榴石(Grt)+夕线石(Sil)+钾长石(Kfs)+黑云母(Bi)+斜长石(Pl)±石英(Q)和夕线石(Sil)+白云母(Ms)+黑云母(Bi)+石英(Q)。对其中的变质锆石进行SHRIMP U-Pb测试,获得了新生代三个阶段的变质作用年龄,即54.2±1.7Ma、31.5±1.5Ma和27.5±1.2Ma.本文还深入研究了侵位于高级变质岩中的一个花岗岩质糜棱岩的宏观与显微构造特点,其LA-ICP-MS年龄为24.4±0.89Ma,代表着同剪切就位花岗质岩浆侵位和结晶年龄。夕线石榴黑云片麻岩中变质锆石从2150～27Ma多期多阶段表观年龄的发育,表明点苍山变质杂岩体具有复杂的构造演化史。点苍山杂岩的多阶段新生代构造-热演化归咎于印度-欧亚板块会聚与碰撞作用(约54Ma)、造山后伸展作用(大约40～30Ma)和沿着哀牢山-红河剪切带大规模左行走滑变形作用(约27～21Ma)。