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。     

昆仑山口西8.1级地震前青海省形变及地温前兆特征分析

通过对青海省地倾斜、地应力、深井地温3种前兆手段在昆仑山口西8．1级地震前异常的分析与研究，得出了强地震远场前兆的一些初步特征，并与近场前兆异常特征做了比较，这对该省今后强震短期预报将是有益的。     

昆仑山口西8.1级地震前气象地温异常特征分析

通过对青海省气象部门观测的3．2m气象地温资料相关距平、均值的处理和分析，总结了各自的异常形态。结果表明，3．2m气象地温异常对中震有一定的中长期前兆意义，作为预报地震的辅助手段是可行的。     

昆仑山口西8.1级地震的远程地下水动力学效应

对新疆北天山地区地下流体的动态观测资料进行分析 ,发现在 2 0 0 1年 11月 14日昆仑山口西 8.1级地震的震时和震后 ,多井水位、水温、流量出现大量异常变化 ,其特征主要表现为地震波的同震振动效应和震后阶跃变化。其中乌鲁木齐 10号井的地震波效应双振幅最大 ,为 185 mm,持续时间达 2个小时 ;0 4井水位阶跃上升幅度较大 ,为 0 .12 5 m,且具有不可逆特征。另外 ,对比了新疆及邻区 7级以上地震北天山地下水的震后效应 ,讨论了地下水远程效应与井震距离的关系以及阶跃异常的幅度等问题     

新疆北天山Ms≥5.0地震前的中长期地震活动空间图像特征

对新疆北天山l931年以来6级以上、l970年以来5级以上地震前的地震活动空间图像进行了分析，发现震前多有不同程度的地震空区或条带出现，其孕育时间一般为8－14年；震源深度呈现由浅而深、通常超过25km的变化，孕育时间一般为3—4年。同时对上述地震活动空间图像前兆特征的机理进行了定性分析，并对所选资料的精度等问题进研了讨论。     

天山西部中山带积雪变化趋势与气温和降水的关系——以巩乃斯河谷为例

根据位于巩乃斯河谷的天山积雪雪崩研究站近30年来的年最大雪深、月平均气温、月降水量观测记录，用平均差值法、最小二乘法、自回归滑动平均法检验了天山西部中山带积雪、冷季降水、冷季平均气温的变化趋势，结果表明，天山西部中山带积雪呈增加趋势，近30年来年平均增加1.43%，与青藏高原、南极大陆及格陵兰冰盖表面积雪积累增加相一致。天山西部中山带冷季气温和降水的变化趋势也是增加的，其中冷季降水平年平均增加0．12％，而冷季气温升高了0．8℃，积雪与冷季气温之间存在着弱的负相关关系，而与冷季降水呈显著的正相关关系。积雪的增加主要是因为气候变暖引起的冷季降水的增加对积雪增加的贡献大于由于冷季气温升高而造成积雪减少的贡献的结果。