Late Cretaceous Foraminiferal Faunas from the Saiqu “mélange” in Southern Tibet

As one of the mélanges in the southern side of the Yarlung-Zangbo suture zone, the Saiqu mélange in southern Tibet is important for understanding the evolution of the Neo-Tethys ocean. The age of the Saiqu mélange, however, has been debated due to the lack of reliable fossil evidence in matrix strata. Based on lithological similarities with platform strata in southern Tibet and limited fossils from exotic blocks, previous studies variously ascribed the Saiqu mélange to be Triassic in general, Late Triassic, or Late Cretaceous. Here we reported planktonic foraminiferal faunas from the matrix strata of the Saiqu mélange. The new fossils yield a Late Cretaceous age, which is so far the best age constraint for the mélange. Regional stratigraphic correlation indicates that the Cretaceous Oceanic Red Beds (CORBs) in Saiqu may be time equivalent to the CORBs of the Zongzhuo Formation in neighboring regions. Thus the Saiqu mélange should be correlated to the Upper Cretaceous Zongzhuo Formation rather than the Triassic Xiukang Group, as previously suggested.     

A Preliminary Study on the Use of NCEP Temperature Images and Additive Tectonic Stress from Astro- Tidal- Triggering to Forecast Short-Impending Earthquakes

Taking the three earthquakes which occurred in Tibet, China during the period of July 12 to August 25, 2004 as an example,the paper analyses the M_S≥6.0 earthquakes that occurred in China and M_S≥7.0 earthquakes that occurred overseas since May of 2003 by combining the image data from the National Center for Environmental Prediction of America(NCEP)with the additive tectonic stress from astro-tidal-triggering (ATSA) and makes the following conclusions: The abnormal temperature image data of NCEP can better reflect the spatial-temporal evolution process of tectonic earthquake activity; The ATSA has an evident triggering effect on the activity of a fault when the terra stress is in critical status; using the NCEP images and the ATSA to forecast short-impending earthquake is a new concept; The three earthquakes occurred during the same phase of the respective ATSA cycle, i.e. that occurred at the time when the ATSA reached the relatively steady end of a peak, rather than at the time when the variation rate was maximal. In addition, the author discovered that the occurrence time of other earthquake cases during 2003～2004 in Tibet was also in the same phase of the above-mentioned cycles, and therefore, further study of this feature is needed with more earthquake cases in other areas over longer periods of time.     

Erosion in northwest Tibet from in‐situ‐produced cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al in bedrock

Concentrations of in‐situ‐produced cosmogenic nuclides ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al in quartz were measured by accelerator mass spectrometry for bedrock basalts and sandstones located in northwest Tibet. The effective exposure ages range between 23 and 134 ka (¹⁰Be) and erosion rates between 4·0 and 24 mm ka^?1. The erosion rates are significantly higher than those in similarly arid Antarctica and Australia, ranging between 0·1 and 1 mm ka^?1, suggesting that precipitation is not the major control of erosion of landforms. Comparison of erosion rates in arid regions with contrasting tectonic activities suggests that tectonic activity plays a more important role in controlling long‐term erosion rates. The obtained erosion rates are, however, significantly lower than the denudation rate of 3000–6000 mm ka^?1 beginning at c. 5‐3 Ma in the nearby Godwin Austen (K2) determined by apatite fission‐track thermochronology. It appears that the difference in erosion rates within different time intervals is indicative of increased tectonic activity at c. 5–3 Ma in northwest Tibet. We explain the low erosion rates determined in this study as reflecting reduced tectonic activity in the last million years. A model of localized thinning of the mantle beneath northwest Tibet may account for the sudden increased tectonic activity at c. 5–3 Ma and the later decrease. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tomography and velocity structure of the crust and uppermost mantle in southeastern Europe obtained from surface wave analysis

A set of two hundred shear-wave velocity models of the crust and uppermost mantle in southeast Europe is determined by application of a sequence of methods for surface-waves analysis. Group velocities for about 350 paths have been obtained after analysis of more than 600 broadband waveform records. Two-dimensional surface-wave tomography is applied to the group-velocity measurements at selected periods and after regionalisation, two sets of local dispersion curves (for Rayleigh and Love waves) are constructed in the period range 8–40 s. The shear-wave velocity models are derived by applying non-linear iterative inversion of local dispersion curves for grid cells predetermined by the resolving power of data. The period range of observations limits the velocity models to depths of 70 km in accordance to the penetration of the surface waves with a maximum period of 40 s. Maps of the Moho boundary depth, velocity distribution above and below Moho boundary, as well as velocity distribution at different depths are constructed. Well-known geomorphologic units (e.g. the Pannonian basin, southeastern Carpathians, Dinarides, Hellenides, Rodophean massif, Aegean Sea, western Turkey) are delineated in the obtained models. Specific patterns in the velocity models characterise the southeast Carpathians and adjacent areas, coast of Albania, Adriatic coast of southern Italy and the southern coast of the Black Sea. The models obtained in this study for the western Black Sea basin shows the presence of layers with shear-wave velocities of 3.5 km/s–3.7 km/s in the crust and thus do not support the hypothesis of existence of oceanic structure in this region.     

Thermochronology of the Yidun Arc, central eastern Tibetan Plateau: constraints from Ar/Ar K-feldspar and apatite fission track data

Four K-feldspar samples from the Yidun Arc, eastern Tibetan Plateau, were analysed by the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar method with the aim of recovering information on their thermal history using multiple diffusion domain (MDD) theory. Arrhenius plots for each of the samples reveal low retentivity early in the heating experiments, a property that is attributed to their recrystallised nature. This low argon retentivity appears to violate the MDD assumption that volume diffusion is the only mechanism for argon transport within the crystals, thus the thermal histories derived from these analyses are considered suspect. Nevertheless, the age spectra themselves suggest that the majority of samples had cooled below 200 °C prior to the Eocene collision of India with Asia. Thermal history modelling from apatite fission track analyses from the same and nearby samples shows slow cooling through the apatite fission track partial annealing zone during the Cenozoic in samples from the high elevation, low relief areas of the Yidun Arc, while samples from the major Jinsha River valley show rapid cooling through the partial annealing zone beginning in the Miocene. These results suggest that significant Cenozoic denudation has been localised and that most parts of the Yidun Arc have experienced very little denudation during the Cenozoic.     

Late Cenozoic Normal Faulting on the Western Side of Wenquan Graben, Central Qianghai-Xizang(Tibet) Plateau

INTRODUCTION ThesustainedcollisionoftheIndiaplateintotheEurasiaplatesince50MaBPgaverisetotheintenseCenozoictectonicdeformationandupliftingofmountainsintheQinghai Xizang(Tibet)Plateauanditsvicinityandhadafar reachingimpactonthegeomorphicpatternsandenvironm…     

西藏地震台网检测能力与定位能力评估

根据西藏自治区地震台网的记录,对现有台站的检测能力和定位能力进行了评估,再把“十五”计划增加的台站加入西藏地震台网,估算了该区新台网的检测能力和定位能力。     

藏东"三江"地区地球化学特征及其找矿意义

根据藏东"三江"地区 1:20万区域地球化学勘查资料,结合区域地质背景及成矿规律,从地球化学勘查角度对该区矿产资源及找矿潜力进行探讨。有关地球化学勘查成果,对"三江"地区基础地质的研究及矿产资源评价具有重要的参考和利用价值。     

藏北赤布张错地区埃达克岩的厘定及其意义

常量、微量及Sr、Nd同位素研究表明,藏北赤布张错地区分布的一套始新世(35～4 0Ma)高钾钙碱性火山岩具有C型埃达克岩的地球化学特征。火山岩SiO2 含量为5 8%～6 9% ,K2 O、Al2 O3 、Sr的含量相对偏高,而Y、Yb的含量和Mg# 值相对较低,Nb明显亏损,Zr、Ti、P弱亏损,LREE富集,无明显Eu负异常,ISr(0 .70 72 3～0 .70 777)值偏高,而INd(0 .5 12 32 0～0 .5 12 35 2 )值偏低,指示其为一套壳源中酸性火山岩系,源自加厚陆壳下部的一个榴辉岩质源区的部分熔融。这套新生代埃达克质火山岩的厘定,指示藏北羌塘地区或更大范围的大陆地壳在4 0Ma左右已经加厚到超过4 0km ,且青藏高原的隆升开始于4 0Ma以前。