Nature of the Precambrian metamorphic blocks in the eastern segment of Central Tianshan: Constraint from geochronology and Nd isotopic geochemistry

The Central Tianshan Tectonic Zone (CTTZ) is anarrow domain between an early Paleozoic southernTianshan passive continental margin and a late Paleo-zoic northern Tianshan arc zone, which is character-ized by the presence of numerous Precambrian meta-morphic basement blocks. Proterozoic granitoidgneisses and metamorphic sedimentary rocks,namely Xingxingxia and Kawabulag and Tianhugroups, are the most important lithological assem-blages in these metamorphic basement blocks, and alittle of …     

Deformation characterization of a regional thrust zone in the northern Rif (Chefchaouen,Morocco)

This paper provides the structural analysis of the Chefchaouen area in the northern Rif. Here the Dorsale Calcaire superposes, by means of an excellently exposed thrust fault, onto the Predorsalian succession in turn tectonically covering the Massylian Unit. Hanging wall carbonates of the Dorsale Calcaire Unit form a WSW-verging regional fold with several parasitic structures, deformed by late reverse faults in places indicating an ENE vergence. A 200 m thick shear zone characterizes the upper part of the Predorsalian succession, located at footwall of the Dorsale Calcaire Unit. Here the dominantly pelitic levels are highly deformed by (i) C′ type shear bands indicating a mean WSW tectonic transport and (ii) conjugate extensional shear planes marking an extension both orthogonal and parallel to the shear direction. The Massylian Unit is characterized by a strain gradient increasing toward the tectonic contact with the overlying Predorsalian succession, where the dominantly pelitic levels are so highly deformed so as appearing as a broken formation. Such as the previous succession, conjugate extensional shear bands and normal faults indicate a horizontal extension parallel to the thrust front synchronous with the mainly WSW-directed overthrusting. The whole thrust sheet pile recorded a further shortening, characterized by a NW–SE direction, expressed by several reverse and thrust faults and related folds. Finally strike-slip and normal faults were the last deformation structures recorded in the analyzed rocks. A possible tectonic evolution for these successions is provided. In the late Burdigalian, the Dorsale Calcaire Unit tectonically covered the Predorsalian succession and together the Massylian Unit. The latter two successions were completely detached from their basement and accreted in the orogenic wedge within a general NE–SW shortening for the analyzed sector of the northern Rif. At lithosphere scale the thrust front migration was driven by roll back and slab tear mechanisms producing a synchronous arching and related counterclockwise rotation of the tectonic prism along the African margin. Radial displacement involved extension parallel to the thrust front well-recorded in the analyzed rocks. The NE–SW shortening, probably acting in the Tortonian–Pliocene interval, was related to the final compression of the Rif Chain resulting in out-of-sequence thrusts affecting the whole orogenic belt.     

New evidence of delamination in the Western Alboran Sea: Geodynamic evolution of the Alboran domain and its margins

The presence of continuous upper crustal blocks between the Iberian Betics and Moroccan Rif in the western and middle Alboran Sea, detected with tomography, can add new information about the lithosphere structure and geodynamic evolution in this region. A large volume of seismic data (P and S wave arrival times) has been collected for the period between 1 December 1988 and 31 December 2008 by 57 stations located in northern Morocco (National Institute of Geophysics, CNRST, Rabat), southern Portugal (Instituto de Meteorologia, Lisbon) and Spain (Instituto Geografico National, Madrid) and used to investigate the lithosphere in the western Alboran Sea region. We use a linearized inversion procedure comprising two steps: (1) finding the minimal 1-D model and simultaneous relocation of hypocenters and (2) determination of local velocity structure using linearized inversion. The model parameterization in this method assumes a continuous velocity field. The resolution tests indicate that the calculated images give near true structure imaged at 5 km depth for the Tanger peninsula, the Alhoceima region and southern Spain. At 15, 30 and 45 km depth we observe a near true structure imaged in northern Morocco, and southern Spain. At 60 and 100 km, southern Spain and the SW region of the Alboran Sea give a near true structure. The resulting tomographic image shows the presence of two upper crustal bodies (velocity 6.5 km/s) at 5–10 km depth between the Betics, Rif, western and central Alboran Sea. Low velocities at the base of these two bodies favor the presence of melt. This new evidence proves that the Tethysian ocean upper crust was not totally collapsed or broken down during the late Oligocene–early Miocene. These two blocks of upper crust were initially one block. The geodynamic process in the eastern of the Mediterranean is driven by slab rollback. The delamination process of the lithospheric mantle terminates with the proposed slab rollback in the western part of the Mediterranean. This can be explained by the removal of the major part of the lithosphere beneath the area, except in the SW part of the Alboran Sea where a small part of the lithospheric mantle is still attached and is extends and dips to SE beneath the Rif, slowly peeled back to the west. A second detached lithospheric mantle is located and extends to eastern part of the Rif and dips to the SE. The removal of lithosphere mantle from the base of the crust was replaced and heated by extrusion of asthenospheric material coming from depth to replace the part of crust detached. A combination of isostatic surface/topographic uplift and erosion induced a rapid exhumation and cooling of deep crustal rocks.     

Petrography of alluvial sands as a past and present environmental indicator: Case of the Loire River (France)

Four sample sets of the Upper and Middle Loire river sands were analyzed in order to study the impact of natural and anthropogenic factors on their petrographic composition in space (on an 800 km stretch) and time. Composition was determined by modal analysis of three sand-size fractions using a polarizing optical microscope and calculated for each sample (“standard sand” = Sst). The watershed is composed mainly of endogenic (Massif Central) and sedimentary (southern Parisian Basin) rocks. B-set sands collected in channels for different water flows in 1996 show that Sst compositions vary by only 5 %. Present-day sands in the Upper Loire and Middle Loire have very high petrographic immaturity comparing to others worldwide fluvial sands, although bio-climatic conditions favor sand maturation by source-rock weathering in the watershed. This shows the strong impact of the Massif Central on sediment yield due to relief rejuvenation as a consequence of the formation of the Alps during the Quaternary. Fluvial sands stored during the Weichselian and the Holocene in the Middle Loire floodplain, although partly weathered since their deposition, show higher inputs from the endogenic rocks of the Massif Central than present-day deposits. This can be explained by Weichselian periglacial conditions and the development of crop farming since the Neolithic, which favored mechanical erosion, particularly in the Massif Central which is characterized by a cold, humid climate and steep slopes. The upstream-downstream change in the composition of presently deposited sand is low in the diked area. It shows however that basalt and some heavy mineral grains are vulnerable to abrasion during transport and indicates a marked sediment yield from ancient sediment stored in the floodplain. This is in line with the high incision of the river bed over the last 150 years partly due to dam construction and aggregate mining.     

Tectonic and climatic controls on late Quaternary bajada sedimentation along Narmada-Son Fault(NSF),Gujarat,Western India

An alluvial bajada has been recognized along a part of the active Narmada-Son Fault(NSF) and confined by the Karjan River on the eastern side and by the Madhumati River on western side.The bajada sequence exposed along the incised cliffs of various north flowing parallel streams has been studied in their proximal,medial and distal part. The sediments are characterized on the basis of grain size,fabric,sedimentary structures,bed geometry and sorting, and lithologs prepared from the mapped cliff sections.Detailed study of sedimentary characteristics,lithofacies analysis and facies associations indicate that sediments are mainly of three types-sediments that were deposited by debris flows and sediment gravity flows,and as extensive bar deposits.Three major aggredational sequences are recognized.Each sequence is composed of coarsening-upward sequence of proximal facies overlain by fining-upward sequence of distal facies.Coarsening upward sequence record periods of tectonic activity related to uplift along the NSF and fan progradation,whereas fining-upward sequence results from tectonic quiescence periods.The presence of rhizocretions,calcium carbonate nodules and calcite sheets within the basal debris flow and sediment gravity flow indicate semi-arid climate,whereas the formation of pedoginized paleosol indicate relatively wetter climate prevailing in the study area.Tectonic activity along the NSF has played dominant role by controlling the geometry and volume of bajada sediments.Climate is found to be responsible for compositional and temporal distribution of bajada sediments.OSL dating suggests that the bajada sediments were deposited during the later part of late Pleistocene.The incision of the sediments is attributed to uplift due to inversion of the lower Narmada basin during the early Holocene.     

The main structure and tectonic features of the Chernorud-Mukhor site on the western shore of Lake Baikal from TEM and SP measurements

Transient electromagnetic (TEM), self-potential (SP) and geoelectrical mapping measurements were carried out at the Chernorud-Mukhor site in the Priolkhonje area on the western shore of the Lake Baikal. All measurements were made along several profiles across the main strike of the regional Primorsky fault. TEM measurements were carried out in a time range from a few tens of microseconds to several tens of milliseconds. The most important result of the 1D modelling of TEM soundings is the discovery of nearly horizontal boundaries that divide high resistive overlying and well conducting underlying rocks. The resistivity of the former is in the range from 100 Ωm to 1000 Ωm, while the resistivity of the latter varies from less than 1 Ωm to several tens of Ωm. This good conductive zone could also be verified by geoelectrical mapping using Schlumberger array (AB/2=100 m). Due to high conductivity of the underlying rocks only the upper boundary of the conductive layer could be determined by TEM soundings. A regional SP anomaly with amplitude of about −450 mV has also been observed above the low resistivity zone indicating the electron nature of its conductance. Geologically, the conductive zone is represented by a graphite-bearing layer within the region of archean rocks. Since that layer extends over a large area, it may be used as a key in studying structures and tectonics of the Priolkhonje area. A 1D TEM geoelectric section shows a wide, gently sloping syncline as a probable base structure of the Chernorud-Mukhor site. Neotectonic faults divide the syncline into vertically displaced blocks that form a wide complicated graben with a total amplitude of about 250 m.     

滇西地区地壳上地幔电性结构与地壳构造活动的关系

本文根据滇西地区18个大地电磁测深点资料的数据处理和分析结果,对测区深部导电率在纵、横向上的变化特征进行了研究。结果表明:滇西地区深部电性为多层结构,大致可分四至五个电性结构层;深部电性结构横向变化大,明显受区域构造控制;该区上部地壳内普遍存在低阻层;上地幔高导层明显存在两个隆起区,一个以剑川—鹤庆为中心呈北北西向展布的隆起区,另一个以腾冲—潞西为轴呈南北向展布的隆起区。 本文还讨论了地壳上地幔电性结构与大地构造的关系,滇西北裂陷区盆地的形成,以及该区地震活动与深部构造的关系     

由GPS资料讨论中国大陆块体运动与应变模型的建立及检验

目前很多文献基于弹性力学假设,以小形变、均匀应变场为前提,利用GPS资料建立了中国大陆块体的整体旋转与均匀应变模型,并对模型进行了相关检验.但上述对模型的检验侧重从模型的拟合效果上进行分析和比较,忽略了对模型的适用性和假设条件合理性的检验.实际上,不同块体由于自身构造和外部条件的不同,其运动状况与应变状态并不完全一致,模型的适用性需进一步的验证.本文提出了两步检验方法对所建立的模型在中国大陆6个主要块体上进行了检验：第一步对应变参数进行显著性检验,第二步对应变均匀性进行检验,结果表明：根据所用数据精度,华南块体的刚性程度在95% 的置信水平上可以认为显著的,建立模型时不必考虑内部形变;其他块体内部形变显著,整体旋转与均匀应变模型并不能反映真实的地壳运动状态,必须考虑其形变的不均匀性.     

Sliding fragility of block‐type non‐structural components. Part 1: Unrestrained components

Motivated by the development of performance‐based design guidelines with emphasis on both structural and non‐structural systems, this paper focuses on seismic vulnerability assessment of block‐type unrestrained non‐structural components under sliding response on the basis of seismic inputs specified by current seismic codes. Two sliding‐related failure modes are considered: excessive relative displacement and excessive absolute acceleration. It is shown that an upper bound for the absolute acceleration response can be assessed deterministically, for which a simple yet completely general equation is proposed. In contrast, fragility curves are proposed as an appropriate tool to evaluate the excessive relative displacement failure mode. Sample fragility curves developed through Monte‐Carlo simulations show that fragility estimates obtained without taking into account vertical base accelerations can be significantly unconservative, especially for relatively large values of the coefficient of friction. It is also found that reasonable estimates of relative displacement response at stories other than the ground in multistorey buildings cannot in general be obtained by simply scaling the ground acceleration to the peak acceleration at the corresponding storey. Failure modes considered in this study are found to be essentially independent of each other, a property that greatly simplifies assessment of conditional limit states. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

岩石变形所反映的地震作用过程--第13届国际变形机理、流变学和构造学学术会议概述

简要介绍了第13届国际变形机理、流变学和构造学学术会议的概况和特点，综述了地震变形作用的研究现状。