汶川地震前后川滇块体应变与断裂变形特征研究

利用1999—2007和2007—2009年GPS资料,采用块体变形模型和GPS速度剖面研究了川滇地区的分阶段变形特征,结果显示川西北-滇中-滇西南块体主压应变率方向由北向南呈顺时针方向旋转;安宁河断裂、则木河断裂存在剪切应变积累,小江断裂南段以走滑为主、北段以应变积累为主;汶川地震对丽江-小金河断裂中南段、安宁河断裂和金沙江断裂有一定影响,对则木河断裂、小江断裂和红河断裂的影响较小。     

拉萨和羌塘地块地震活动和热前兆现象及其机理研究

青藏地块活动区南部的II级拉萨和羌塘地块内部的M≥6.5强震活动比北部的巴颜喀拉、 柴达木和祁连II级地块内部明显活跃, 这可能与拉萨和羌塘地块处于地壳厚度较大、 较高的热状态和较低的正断层剪切强度等地学背景下, 导致地壳强度较弱有关。 拉萨和羌塘地块内部两次拉张性正断层活动的强震(2008年于田7.3级和当雄6.6级)前热异常的震例, 可能与临震前孕震区及邻近断层带扩容, 以及中下地壳低速层熔融物质或流体的进入有关。     

南秦岭大堡组奥陶纪洋岛玄武岩的识别及其构造意义：来自地球化学和年代学证据

秦岭造山带以商-丹构造带为界分为北秦岭和南秦岭构造带.大堡组位于南秦岭构造带内,由灰色-深灰色的泥岩、粉砂岩和炭硅板岩,以及夹含炭硅质岩、灰岩和基性火山岩块体组成.在大堡组中出露的能干上和蚂蝗峡基性岩块夹于黑色的泥岩之中,岩石地球化学分析结果表明,SiO_2含量为41.53%～53.59%,富TiO_2为2.14%～3.58%,REE的总量为∑REE=282.3×10~(-6),轻稀土元素较重稀土元素富集[(La/Yb)_N=8.34],略显Eu正异常(Eu~*=1.13～1.25),具有较高的Ti/Y(300～622)和Zr/Y(3.8～7.4)比值.大离子亲石元素Rb、Ba和K相对富集,无明显的Nb和Ta异常,其Nb和Ta值为N-MORB标准值的10～20倍,为典型洋岛玄武岩(OIB)地球化学特征.锆石SHRIMP Ⅱ U-Pb测年获得能干上和蚂蝗峡基性岩块体分别形成于446Ma和455Ma.这些资料进一步表明,奥陶纪时期南秦岭存在着古洋盆.     

Tectonics and surface effects of the supercontinent Columbia

Assembly of the supercontinent Columbia at about 1.85–1.90 Ga coincided with several events that affected the entire earth. The oldest worldwide network of orogenic belts formed at the same time. Although some granite–granodiorite (GG) suites had formed earlier, the GG suites became common in the 1.8–1.9 Ga orogenic belts. These suites succeeded the older tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG) suites, which were not produced after 1.8 Ga. Changes on the earth's surface at 1.8–1.9 Ga include rapid increase in the concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere and oceans and probably the evolution of eukaryotes. All of these surface changes occurred as Columbia accreted, and the assembly of Columbia may have contributed to the drastic changes in the earth's surface environment as well as to the evolution of primitive life forms.     

Two-stage collision-related extrusion of the western Dabie HP–UHP metamorphic terranes, central China: Evidence from quartz c-axis fabrics and structures

The western Dabie orogen (also known as the Hong'an block) forms the western part of the Dabie–Sulu HP–UHP belt, central China. Rocks of this orogen have been subjected to pervasive ductile deformation, and include numerous quartz schists and felsic mylonites cropping out in ductile shear zones. Quartz textures in these mylonites contain important clues for understanding the movement sense of late-collisional extrusion and exhumation of high-pressure–ultrahigh-pressure (HP–UHP) rocks from the lower crustal level to the upper crustal level during Middle Triassic and Early Jurassic. The orientation and distribution of quartz crystallographic axes were used to confirm the regional shear sense across the orogen. The asymmetry of c-axis patterns consistently indicates top-to-the-southeast thrusting across the orogen in early structural stages. Later stages of deformation show different senses of movement in northern and southern parts of the orogen, with top-to-the-northwest sinistral shearing recorded in rocks north of the Xinxian HP–UHP eclogite-facies belt, and top-to-the-southeast dextral shearing south of the same unit.Based on our study on quartz c-axis fabrics and marco- to micro-scale structures, simultaneous southeastward shearing within a large part of the orogen and normal faulting north of the Xinxian HP–UHP unit is explained by upward extrusion in early stages of deformation. The extrusion process has been attributed to syn- and late-collisional processes, accounting for some earlier deformation in the western Dabie orogen such as metamorphic sequences around the core of the Xinxian HP–UHP eclogite-facies unit. Much higher pressure of deformation is also indicated in the aligned glaucophane and omphacite from blueschist and eclogite in the field. An orogen-parallel eastward extrusion of the Xinxian HP–UHP eclogite-facies unit, however, occurred diachronously in later stages of deformation. Therefore, a tectonic model combining an early upward extrusion with a later eastward extrusion is presented. Two different stages and types of extrusion for exhumation of HP–UHP rocks are suitable to all of east central China. Geochronological data shows that the first, upward extrusion occurred during Middle Triassic, the second, eastward extrusion occurred during Late Triassic to Early Jurassic. These two extrusions are correlative with two stages of rapid exhumation of the Dabie HP–UHP rocks, respectively. These two-stage late-collisional (Middle Triassic to Early Jurassic) extrusion events bridge the gap between syn-collisional (Early to Middle Triassic) vertical extrusion and post-collisional (Cretaceous) eastward-directed lateral escape and provide vital clues to understanding the more detailed processes of exhumation of HP–UHP 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.     

OSL chronology of Quaternary terraced deposits outcropping between Mt. Etna volcano and the Catania Plain (Sicily,southern Italy)

In this paper we tested the applicability of the Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) technique through Single-Aliquot Regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol, on single grain quartz extracted from alluvial–coastal sediments. Five samples were collected from deposits belonging to a flight of seven orders of coastal–alluvial terraces outcropping in the area between Mt. Etna volcano and the Catania Plain (Sicily, southern Italy), at the front of the Sicilian fold and thrust system. After various performance tests, we obtained OSL ages ranging between 240 ± 12 and 80 ± 4 ka, consistent with the normal evolutionary model of a terraced sequence, moving from the highest to the lowest elevation. Obtained data allowed us to determine a mean uplift rate of 1.2 mm/year during the last 240 ka, mostly related to regional uplift processes coupled with sea-level changes. Moreover, terraces belonging to the two highest orders are folded, forming a large anticline. According to our results, the frontal thrust of the Sicilian chain was active between 236 and 197 ka ago, even though seismological and geodetic data suggest current activity to the back.     

Longitudinal profiles and knickzones: the example of the rivers of the Cher basin in the northern French Massif Central

This work examines the longitudinal profiles of 27 rivers in the upper Cher basin, of various lengths, in order to characterize their shape and the knickzones (high gradient sections) that disrupt their longitudinal profiles. No smooth, concave-upwards long profile has been found in the study area, located at the contact between the Massif Central basement rocks and the Paris Basin sedimentary rocks, because of the heterogeneous geological structure and lithology. The analysis of the main knickzone parameters allows us to distinguish two knickzone assemblages: the 53 knickzones of the first have a lithological origin and are characterized by a gradient equal to or lower than that given by the power curve y = 63.306 × ^−0.4392; the 30 knickzones of the second assemblage, which have a higher gradient than that of the curve, and give clear outliers in the DS (distance-slope) plot, are due to active faulting. The locations of this second group of knickzones delimit the areas that have experienced important local vertical crustal motions, too rapid for fluvial incision to have reduced the effect of knickzones caused by active faulting. In these uplifted areas, headward erosion has been arrested by knickzones of the second type, allowing the preservation of shallow-dell valley heads without any incision.