华北克拉通北缘侏罗纪造山过程及关键时限的沉积证据

宁武-静乐盆地与浑源盆地位于华北克拉通中北部,侏罗纪地层序列完整,物源指向于阴山-燕山造山带中段,通过对盆地内侏罗纪沉积特征的研究,可以演绎华北克拉通北缘侏罗纪的造山过程。在盆地沉积分析的基础上,通过宁武-静乐盆地中侏罗统云岗组顶部的凝灰质泥晶碳酸盐岩及浑源盆地上侏罗统髫髻山组玄武-安山岩锆石U-Pb同位素测年,结合国际地层年代表推荐年龄及中侏罗统的沉积速率,对整个侏罗纪沉积序列转换的关键时限进行了限定。研究认为：中侏罗统云岗组底部砾岩沉积时期,侏罗纪沉积演化序列经历了早期湖进至晚期湖退的转换过程,暗示着区域应力场由早期的拉张向晚期的挤压转换,孕育着侏罗纪造山运动的开始,具体时限大约为168 Ma;中侏罗统云岗组顶部凝灰质泥晶碳酸盐岩沉积时期,沉积地层的颜色由其下的灰绿色突变为其上的紫红色,孕育着湖盆地形的突然抬升,区域氧化性增强,气候环境的突变,侏罗纪造山运动进入了快速发展阶段,具体时限为161.0～159.0 Ma;中/晚侏罗世沉积序列具有继承性的发育特征,随着湖盆地形的进一步抬升,侏罗纪沉积范围迅速退至造山带前缘,以砾岩沉积为主,为同期造山运动的产物,侏罗纪造山运动进入了高峰期,具体时限为159.0～153.0 Ma;晚侏罗世晚期,区域上以玄武-安山岩及凝灰质角砾岩沉积为主,侏罗纪造山运动进入了造山期后的调整阶段。     

Controls on the mechanisms of fluid infiltration and front advection during regional metamorphism: a stable isotope and textural study of retrograde Dalradian rocks of the SW Scottish Highlands

Vein-controlled retrograde infiltration of H₂O-CO₂ fluids into Dalradian epidote amphibolite facies rocks of the SW Scottish Highlands under greenschist facies conditions resulted in alteration of calcite-rich marble bands to dolomite and spatially associated ¹⁸O enrichment of about 10%. on a scale of metres. Fluid inclusion data indicate that the retrograde fluid was an H₂O-salt mixture with a low CO₂ content, and that the temperature of the fluid was about 400d? C. Detailed petrographic and textural (backscattered electron imaging) studies at one garnet-grade locality show that advection of fluid into marbles proceeded by a calcite-calcite grain edge flow mechanism, while alteration of non-carbonate wall-rock is associated with veinlets and microcracks. Stable isotopic analysis of carbonates from marble bands provides evidence for advection of isotopic fronts through carbonate wall-rocks perpendicular to dolomite veins, and fluid fluxes in the range 2.4–28.6 m³/m² have been computed from measured advection distances. Coincidence of isotope and reaction fronts is considered to result from reaction-enhanced kinetics of isotope exchange at the reaction front. Front advection distances are related to the proportion of calcite to quartz in each marble band, with the largest advection distance occurring in nearly pure calcite matrix. This relationship indicates that fluid flow in carbonates is only possible along fluid-calcite-calcite grain edges. However, experimental constraints on dihedral angles in calcite-fluid systems require that pervasive infiltration occurred in response to calcite dissolution initiated at calcite-calcite grain junctions rather than to an open calcite pore geometry. The regional extent of the retrograde infiltration event has been documented from the high δ¹⁸O of dolomite-ankerite carbonates from veins and host-rocks over an area of least 50 × 50 km in the SW Scottish Highlands. Isotopically exotic ¹⁸O-rich retrograde fluids have moved rapidly upwards through the crust, inducing isotopic exchange and mineral reaction in wall-rocks only where lithology, pore geometry or mineral solubilities, pressure and temperature have been appropriate for pervasive infiltration to occur.     

Sequence stratigraphy based on microfacies analysis: Mfamosing Limestone,Calabar Flank,Nigeria

Field observations and petrographic analysis allow a sequence-stratigraphic interpretation of the intensely karstified Albian Mfamosing Limestone Formation in the Calabar Flank of the south-eastern Niger Delta. Main criteria for this interpretation are the presence of siliciclastic intercalations, of prominent hardgrounds, of characteristic microfacies including stromatolites and of phreatic and vadose diagenetic patterns. These criteria enable the recognition, from bottom to top in the type section of the Mfamosing Limestone, of a late phase in the formation of a highstand systems tract and of a flooding surface followed by a lowstand systems tract in which erosional features have been developed locally. The succession is topped by a transgressive systems tract. Some of these units and key sequence-stratigraphic boundaries have been traced into other outcrops in the area. In their identification within the heavily karstified outcrops, petrography overprints and vertical sequence patterns play a significant role. A sedimentation model explains the areal differences in development. Siliciclastic shedding influenced the carbonate system. Time-equivalent carbonate bodies occur on either side of the opening South Atlantic Ocean.     

Fusulinoidean faunal succession of a Paleo–Tethyan oceanic seamount in the Changning–Menglian Belt, West Yunnan, Southwest China: An overview

Abstract   Fusulinoidean faunal succession from Paleo–Tethyan seamount-type carbonates of the Yutangzhai section in the Central zone of the Changning–Menglian Belt of West Yunnan, Southwest China, is presented for the first time. The Changning–Menglian Belt is one of the orogenic belts that represent the closed main Paleo–Tethys in East Asia. The Yutangzhai section is represented by basalts and overlying carbonates, about 1100 m thick. It exhibits a continuous faunal succession composed of 17 fusulinoidean assemblages ranging from the Serpukhovian (late Mississippian/late Early Carboniferous) to Midian/Capitanian (late Middle Permian/late Guadalupian). No significant faunal break can be recognized in this section. The generic and some specific composition of the Yutangzhai assemblages indicates that the faunal succession is similar to those observed in Tethyan and Panthalassan areas and is of tropical Tethyan type although their generic diversity is definitely lower than those of Paleo–Tethyan shelves, such as South China, Indochina, and Central Asia. Throughout the Yutangzhai section, the carbonate rocks are essentially massive, very pure in composition, and devoid of terrigenous siliciclastic inputs. These lithologic characters are identical to those observed in accreted shallow-marine carbonate successions of seamount origin in Permian and Jurassic accretionary complexes of Japan, for example the Akiyoshi Limestone. This evidence further demonstrates the seamount origin of the basalt–limestone succession in the Central zone of the Changning–Menglian Belt from the viewpoint of lithofacies. In middle Mississippian (middle Early Carboniferous) time, oceanic submarine volcanism that was probably related to hot spot activities formed a number of seamounts and oceanic plateaus. It was active not only in the Panthalassa, but also in the Paleo–Tethys.     

CH4-consuming microorganisms and the formation of carbonate crusts at cold seeps

To understand the role played by microorganisms in the formation of cold seep carbonates, we conducted an integrated microbial, mineralogical and organic geochemical study of methane-related authigenic carbonate crusts formed on eastern Mediterranean mud volcanoes. We show that supersaturation with respect to carbonate minerals is induced by microbial anaerobic oxidation of methane. Combined lipid biomarker analysis and 16S rRNA gene surveys identified a highly diversified methane-consuming archaeal community possibly comprising novel species, implying that the anaerobic oxidation of methane is phylogenetically widespread and directly implicating these organisms in the process of crust precipitation. Moreover, pore-water sulphate gradients produced by co-occurring methane-based sulphate reduction exert the main control on aragonite versus magnesian calcite precipitation. We propose that this may be the dominant mode of carbonate crust formation at cold seeps world-wide, in agreement with aquatic chemistry predictions and explaining carbonate mineralogy.     

Effects of detrital carbonate on stable oxygen and carbon isotope data from varved sediments of the interglacial Piànico palaeolake (Southern Alps,Italy)

Contamination with detrital matter is a well‐known bias in δ¹⁸O records from lake carbonates but quantitative information of this effect is yet lacking. Therefore, we developed a new methodological approach combining isotope analyses with microfacies, X‐ray diffraction and micro‐X‐ray fluorescence data and applied this in a case study for the Piànico interglacial lake record in order to provide a quantitative estimate of the effect of detrital carbonate on stable δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C data. The Piànico record contains a long series of distinct and well‐preserved calcite varves and is correlated to Marine Isotope Stage 11. Intercalated in the varve sequence are detrital layers triggered by surface erosion events. These detrital layers are mainly composed of dolomite, thus reflecting the mineralogical signature of the catchment. Microfacies analyses of a 9350 varve year interval allows the identification of detrital layers down to sub‐millimetre scale and a precise selection of three different types of samples for isotope analyses: (1) pure endogenic calcite varves (five varves per sample) without detrital contamination; (2) individual detrital layers; and (3) ‘mixed’ samples including five calcite varves and up to four thin detrital layers. Detrital samples show the isotopic signature of the catchment dolomite and are up to 5.7‰ enriched in δ¹⁸O values with respect to endogenic calcite samples. In mixed samples, the degree of isotopic enrichment is directly related to the amount of detrital contamination; δ¹⁸O of bulk carbonates is significantly biased when the detrital component amounts to more than 5% of the sample. It is also shown that samples containing detrital material have an influence on the calculation of the covariance between δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O. Covariance is high (r = 0.76) when the correlation coefficient is calculated on the base of all samples, but absent (r = ?0.43) when samples containing detrital dolomite are excluded. It has been demonstrated that microfacies analysis is a quick tool to avoid or reduce detrital contamination in bulk carbonate samples during sample selection. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.