New data on Upper Kimmeridgian-Tithonian biostratigraphy and ammonites of the eastern Crimea

Based on ammonites, Upper Kimmeridgian sediments are first established in the Crimean Mountains. The Kimmeridgian-Tithonian boundary recognizable in a continuous section is placed inside the Dvuyakomaya Formation of uniform largely clayey sediments. Assemblages of Kimmeridgian ammonites Lingulaticeras cf. procurvum (Ziegler), Pseudowaagenia gemmellariana Oloriz, Euvirgalithacoceras cf. tantalus (Herbich), Subplanites sp.) and Tithonian forms (?Lingulaticeras efimovi (Rogov), Phylloceras consaguineum Gemmellaro, Oloriziceras cf. schneidi Tavera, and Paraulacosphinctes cf. transitorius (Oppel) are described. A new biostratigraphic scheme proposed for the upper Tithonian-Berriasian of the Crimean Mountains includes the following new biostratigraphic units: the Euvirgalithacoceras cf. tantalus Beds of the upper Kimmeridgian, ?Lingulaticeras efimovi Beds of the lower Tithonian, and Oloriziceras cf. schneidi and Paraulacosphinctes cf. transitorius beds of the upper Tithonian. The middle Tithonian is proposed to consist of the fallauxi and semiforme (presumably) zones. The ammonities found determine the early Kimmeridgian-Berriasian age of the Dvuyakornaya Formation that is most likely in tectonic contact with the underlying Khutoran Formation.     

Avalanche Risk During Backcountry Skiing – An Analysis of Risk Factors

Skier-triggered avalanches are the main cause of avalanche accidents in backcountry skiing. The risk of accidents during backcountry skiing was analysed statistically and related to factors such as elevation level, aspect, stability rating and the time of the year. The analysis is based on a database about terrain usage and avalanche accidents from a large heli-skiing operator in Canada, which makes it possible to study the conditional probability of accidents given the recorded pattern of terrain usage. This study shows that the historical risk of accidentally triggering an avalanche greater than size 1 depends highly on the stability rating, with the highest risk occurring during “poor” stability. The risk is greater at high elevations, and it is lower during the late season than earlier on. Skier risk does not depend as much on aspect as may be indicated from avalanche data alone. However, it is relatively high in the N–NE–E sector. These factors are not independent of each other and therefore analyses of combined factors were also performed. Questionnaires and interviews were used to gain knowledge about the terrain selection of professional mountain guides. These results indicate that when selecting terrain, guides first look at the overall shape and size of the terrain, but avalanche history of terrain and inclination are also important factors. Finally, remarks in avalanche reports were analysed, and common human factors identified.     

浅覆盖区土壤化学成分与基岩化学成分的关系及其意义——以大兴安岭北部地区为例

以大兴安岭北部地区为例，研究了浅覆盖区土壤与基岩化学成分的关系。指出浅覆盖区残积型土壤主要造岩元素组合继承了基岩元素组合特征；在岩石风化成土过程中，元素再分配和迁移使土壤中大多数元素（氧化物）含量产生明显的“均一化”。在此基础上，对土壤地球化学异常的识别与评价问题进行了讨论并提出了建议。     

西昆仑山东段库牙克断裂与康西瓦断裂、阿尔金断裂关系的地球化学证据

新疆昆仑山中部库牙克地区，处于不同大地构造单元的结合部位，一些重要构造线均交会于此，确定它们之间的关系，关键在于库牙克断裂。1：20万区域化探最新成果显示，库牙克地区绝大多数元素两分性特征突出、南北差异明显，北部整体富集MgO、K2O、Na2O、Al2O3、CaO、Cr、Ni、Co、V、Ti、Au、La、Be，而贫Hg、As、Sb、B、Li，南部正好相反。两者之间的分界线从东向西依次对应于阿尔金断裂西段、库牙克断裂、阿什库勒断裂和康西瓦断裂东端。因此，从地球化学角度对库牙克断裂的延伸进行了推断，提出库牙克断裂东连阿尔金、西经阿什库勒与康西瓦断裂相接的新认识。     

大别山及苏鲁地区微粒金刚石分类及其大地构造意义

1992年发现大别山首例微粒金刚石之后，又于2003年和2004年在大别山和苏鲁地区的榴辉岩薄片中和榴辉岩的人工重砂中发现了微粒金刚石。本文报道其中尚未发表的7颗，并对2颗较大的薄片中的微粒金刚石和2颗自由晶体金刚石进行拉曼光谱和红外光谱测试。研究结果表明，本区所有微粒金刚石都为IaA和IaB型金刚石的混合体。缺少Ib型金刚石，表明没有人造金刚石的混入。薄片中的金刚石大部分为石榴子石的包裹体，少数产出于颗粒之间，直径为30-180μm。自由颗粒微粒金刚石直径为400-700μm。在大别山北部，不但又一次找到了微粒金刚石，还在石榴子石中发现有单斜辉石、磷灰石和金红石的出溶。这表明北大剐不但是超高压地质体，而且可能是本区俯冲最深的地质体。     

Denudation and cooling of the Lake Teletskoye Region in the Altai Mountains (South Siberia) as revealed by apatite fission-track thermochronology

Lake Teletskoye occupies a narrow graben located in the northwestern sector of the Altai fold belt in South Siberia. The lake basin is thought to have formed during the Pleistocene as a distant result of the Cenozoic collision of India and Eurasia that caused a tectonic reactivation of the Palaeozoic Gorny–Altai (GA) and West Sayan (WS) blocks.The present work reports of a pilot fission-track study performed on 13 apatite separates collected from rocks that were sampled along two profiles in close proximity of the lake. The age–length data and AFT thermochronological modelling reveal two important phases of cooling in the Altai Mountains, a first one during the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous and a second one that started in the Miocene–Pliocene and that persists until today. The first event is interpreted to result from uplift-induced denudation probably related to the closure of the Mongol–Okhotsk Ocean; the second event can be linked to the young Cenozoic movements that lie at the origin of the formation of the Lake Teletskoye basin.     

New Mexico structural zone—an analogue of the Colorado mineral belt

Updated aeromagnetic maps of New Mexico together with current knowledge of the basement geology in the northern part of the state (Sangre de Cristo and Sandia–Manzano Mountains)—where basement rocks were exposed in Precambrian-cored uplifts—indicate that the northeast-trending Proterozoic shear zones that controlled localization of ore deposits in the Colorado mineral belt extend laterally into New Mexico. The shear zones in New Mexico coincide spatially with known epigenetic precious- and base-metal ore deposits; thus, the mineralized belts in the two states share a common inherited basement tectonic setting. Reactivation of the basement structures in Late Cretaceous–Eocene and Mid-Tertiary times provided zones of weakness for emplacement of magmas and conduits for ore-forming solutions. Ore deposits in the Colorado mineral belt are of both Late Cretaceous–Eocene and Mid-Tertiary age; those in New Mexico are predominantly Mid-Tertiary in age, but include Late Cretaceous porphyry-copper deposits in southwestern New Mexico.The mineralized belt in New Mexico, named the New Mexico structural zone, is 250-km wide. The northwest boundary is the Jemez subzone (or the approximately equivalent Globe belt), and the southeastern boundary was approximately marked by the Santa Rita belt. Three groups (subzones) of mineral deposits characterize the structural zone: (1) Mid-Tertiary porphyry molybdenite and alkaline-precious-metal deposits, in the northeast segment of the Jemez zone; (2) Mid-Tertiary epithermal precious-metal deposits in the Tijeras (intermediate) zone; and (3) Late Cretaceous porphyry-copper deposits in the Santa Rita zone. The structural zone was inferred to extend from New Mexico into adjacent Arizona. The structural zone provides favorable sites for exploration, particularly those parts of the Jemez subzone covered by Neogene volcanic and sedimentary rocks.     

The ups and downs of “Tectonic Quiescence”—recognizing differential subsidence in the epicontinental sea of the Oxfordian in the Swiss Jura Mountains

Recent studies in northern Switzerland have shown that epicontinental areas thought to have been tectonically stable during the Mesozoic were not necessarily as rigid as presumed. By comparing Oxfordian facies boundaries and depocenters in their palinspastic position with known faults in the basement, a direct relationship between the two can be demonstrated. Previously, the lack of obvious synsedimentary tectonic features has lulled scientists into believing that the realm of the Swiss Jura was tectonically stable during the Mesozoic. However, it can be shown that facies and sedimentary structures are largely influenced by tectonics. Subsurface data provide evidence for the presence of Paleozoic troughs in the basement which, apparently, were prone to reactivation during the Pan-European stress-field reorganization taking place in the Late Jurassic. This led to differential subsidence along pre-existing lineaments within the study area, which can be recognized in the distribution of Oxfordian epicontinental basins and their coeval shallow-water counterparts. Eustatic sea-level fluctuations played an important role in the development of shallow-water facies patterns, but a subordinate role in the control of accommodation space in basins.

While tectonic activity is often recorded in the sedimentary record in the form of platform break-ups and associated sedimentary debris, more subtle indicators may be overlooked or even misinterpreted. Sedimentary structures and isopach maps, as well as subsurface data in the study area suggest that subtle synsedimentary tectonic movements led to the formation of two shallow, diachronous epicontinental basins during the Late Jurassic. It becomes possible to recognize and differentiate the combined effects of local and regional tectonism, eustasy and sedimentation.     

Three Alkali-Rich Intrusive Rock Belts Newly Discovered in the Mt. Kunlun-Mt. Altun Region, Xinjiang, China

The newly discovered three alkali-rich intrusive rock belts in the Mt. Kunlun Mt.Altun region of southern Xinjiang are the Lapeiquan-Yitunbulak alkali-rich intrusive rock belt,the Gez-Taxkorgan alkali-rich intrusive rock belt and the Beilisai-Abulash alkali-rich intrusive rock belt. The former two belts were formed during the Yanshanian period, and the third one was formed during the Himalayan period, which is the youngest alkali-rich intrusive rock belt in China. The discovery of the alkali-rich intrusive rock belts is of great significance in shedding light on the history of tectono-magmatic activities in this region.     

昆仑山口西8.1级地震地表破裂的类型与性质

通过对昆仑山口西8．1级地震地表破裂全带的考察认为：本次地震形成的地表破裂带长达350－400km，由地震裂缝，鼓梁（包）、塌陷、陡坡等基本形态组成，属构造性破裂，并具有明显的继承性和新生性。