Late Tertiary tectonic evolution of northern Iran: A case for simple crustal folding

Here we present a crustal folding or buckling mechanism to explain the rootless 3–5 km high Alborz Mountains in northern Iran as well as  10 km of Late Miocene to recent subsidence in the south Caspian basin and  3–6 km of subsidence in the central Iranian basin in the context of the middle Miocene to recent Arabia–Eurasia collision. A key element of the mechanism is the presence of lateral and vertical lithospheric strength contrasts between the north Iranian continental and south Caspian oceanic crusts: when compression from the collision is applied across the region, the strong south Caspian oceanic crust, buried under > 10 km of premiddle Miocene sediment, interacts with the bottom of the mechanically strong continental upper crust of northern Iran, resulting in upward buckling of the continental crust and downward buckling of the oceanic crust. We test this mechanism using a finite-element numerical model with a Maxwell rheology and obtain results that are consistent with the geological and geophysical observations. The observations compiled here and the model results demonstrate the potential for using this region as a natural laboratory for studying the early stages of continent–oceanic collision, including processes like basin inversion, fault localization and, potentially, subduction initiation.     

Geological Evolution of Longhushan World Geopark in Relation to Global Tectonics

The South China fold belt has experienced a complex series of tectonic events that span 1.0 billion years of earth history. Longhushan (龙虎山) World Geopark is located on the Proterozoic suture between the Yangtze craton and Cathyasia block and highlights the long history of this belt. Collision of the Cathyasia and Yangtze cratons 1.0 billion years ago was associated with the formation of the Rodinian supercontinent where most of the planet's landmasses were amalgamated into one block. Jurassic through Early...     

郯庐断裂带南段构造演化与邻区成矿作用——从年代学资料得到的启示

郯庐断裂带为我国东部北北东—北东向岩石圈深大断裂带。在其南段的邻区,分布有胶东金矿区、鲁西铁金矿区以及长江中下游的铁铜(金)成矿带和苏北油气田等矿产。从已获得大量测年资料分析,可将构造—岩浆—成矿事件分为3个阶段:1)早期(800～550 Ma):自元古宙泛古陆裂解和随之而来的加里东期古地震和局部海西期喷流作用,证实地壳运动早已拉开了它的"构造活动序幕",此阶段继承和构建了华北克拉通岩石圈先存的构造薄弱带,从成矿作用而论,此阶段可称为"成矿预备场地";2)主期(1 80～110 Ma):在三叠纪期间,扬子板块和华北板块陆—陆碰撞和中生代西太平洋板块向欧亚板块俯冲等,造就了现今郯庐断裂与分支断裂的构造格架。其中主峰形成时间为140～120 Ma±,在这个阶段广泛有钙碱性系列、富钾高锶钙碱系列、碱性系列岩浆和后期成矿热液,沿着有利构造空间剧烈活动和成矿就位。本区壳幔混熔型和壳源同熔型花岗岩,是地壳减薄和下地壳拆沉、底侵的产物,而不是单一的构造运动的结果。此阶段可称为断裂构造—岩浆活动—成矿作用的鼎盛期;3)晚期(60Ma～现代):沿东西向与北北东向(或北东向)断裂交汇处,存在橄榄玄武岩喷侵,为石油和天然气的形成提供了热源和物源,此期可称其为构造—岩浆活动的衰变期。     

晚古生代古亚洲洋俯冲作用:来自珲春前山镁铁质侵入岩的年代学和地球化学记录

珲春地区前山镁铁质侵入岩主要由橄榄辉长岩、苏长岩和辉长闪长岩组成,形成年龄273±2Ma,为早二叠世侵入岩。该岩体显示出岛弧拉斑玄武岩的元素地球化学特征,弱富集LREE且正Eu(Eu/Eu*=1.05～1.44)异常的REE配分模式,在不相容元素中富集大离子亲石元素(LILE)如Ba和Sr,亏损高场强元素(HFSE)(La/Nb=2.8～4.8;Zr/Sm=8.0～22.5),与起源于流体交代地幔楔部分熔融的岛弧低钾拉斑玄武岩类似。在同位素特征上低放射成因Sr,高放射成因Nd和Hf(87Sr/86Sr(i)=0.70295～0.70375;εNd(t)=+4.5～+6.4;εHf(t)=+9.6～+14.6),反映其来源于同位素组成亏损的交代地幔。结合区域地质背景,我们认为前山镁铁质岩形成于晚古生代期间古亚洲洋向华北板块的俯冲作用背景,其亏损Nb-Ta、Zr-Hf及Hf-Nd同位素解耦特点说明该岩体最有可能来源于俯冲流体交代的地幔楔。     

大洋核杂岩与拆离断层研究进展

大洋核杂岩和拆离断层是洋中脊中发育的重要构造,被广泛关注。拆离断层一般为长期活动的,低角度的,大断距的正断层,绝大多数形成于慢速和超慢速扩张洋中脊的内侧角上,其将地壳深部和上地幔的物质拆离到海底面形成大洋核杂岩。大洋核杂岩因其表面发育了窗棱构造,在多波束图像上更容易识别。大洋核杂岩所处的地壳年龄较年轻,为0~10Ma。洋中脊半扩张速率约为10mm/a,具有不对称扩张的特点,有拆离断层的一侧扩张速率更快。在大洋核杂岩取得的岩芯中代表性岩石为辉长岩,地震资料解释认为大洋核杂岩下具有一个大的辉长岩侵入体。发育大洋核杂岩和拆离断层的区域有升高的布格重力异常,高的P波速度和抬升的莫霍面。拆离断层起源于岩浆供给不足的区域,大多在大洋中脊洋脊段(segment)的末端,其演化会受到上地幔辉长岩体侵入的影响,通过旋转铰链的模式进行。总结了全球大洋核杂岩和拆离断层的分布情况,讨论了其岩石特征、地球物理场特征,探讨其成因机制和演化模式,并探讨了未来的研究方向。     

无震脊或海山链俯冲对超俯冲带处的地质效应

全球海底分布着众多的无震脊或海山链,且在太平洋、印度洋及大西洋均存在靠近俯冲带的海岭。除小安德列斯弧外的巴拉克达脊和蒂勃朗脊起源自转换断层外,一般认为它们由与板块构造动力学迥异的地幔柱动力学所形成的。在板块汇聚边缘处,与扩张脊处所形成的正常洋壳一起,无震脊或海山链俯冲于陆缘弧或洋内弧之下,其对弧及弧后地区的地质效应(构造、地貌、地震以及岩浆作用等)有别于正常洋壳俯冲。无震脊或海山链的俯冲通常造成俯冲带地区的上驮板块的局部异常抬升、俯冲剥蚀作用效应的加强、海沟的向陆迁移以及地震强度的增加。同时,无震脊或海山链俯冲时,其携带的具富集地球化学特征的物质不仅影响着地幔地球化学,也对弧及弧后火山熔岩化学产生明显影响,并对超俯冲地区的热液矿床的形成产生重要影响。最后,本文指出了我国有关无震脊或海山链俯冲的可能的研究方向包括黄岩海山链俯冲对吕宋岛弧的可能影响、印度洋无震脊俯冲对青藏高原局部地区的影响,有我国学者参与的IODP344航次的研究对象——科科斯脊俯冲对哥斯达黎加地震成因的效应以及位于西太平洋地区靠近俯冲带的一些无震脊等。     

Episodic Mesozoic thickening and reworking of the North China Archean lower crust correlated to the fast-spreading Pacific plate

A central target in Earth sciences is to understand the processes controlling the stabilization and destruction of Archean continents. The North China craton (NCC) has in part lost its dense crustal root after the Mesozoic, and thus it is a key region to test models of crust–mantle differentiation and subsequent evolution of the continental crust. However, the timing and mechanisms responsible for its crustal thickening and reworking have been long debated. Here we report the Early Cretaceous Yinan (eastern NCC) adakitic granites, for which major/trace elemental models demonstrate that they are complementary to the analogy of the documented eclogitic relicts within the NCC. Based on their Late Archean inherited zircons, depleted mantle Nd model ages of ∼2.8 Ga, large negative ε_Nd(t) values (−36.7 to −25.3) and strongly radiogenic initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.7178–0.7264), we suggest that the Yinan adakitic granites were potentially formed by the dehydration melting of a thickened Archean mica-bearing mafic lower crust during the Early Cretaceous (ca. 124 Ma), corresponding to a major period (117–132 Ma) of the NCC Mesozoic intrusive magmatism. Combined previous results, it is shown that the thickening and reworking of the North China Archean lower crust occurred largely as two short-lived episodes at 155–180 Ma and 117–132 Ma, rather than a gradual, secular event. These correlated temporally with the superfast-spreading Pacific plate during the Mesozoic. The synchroneity of these events suggests rapid plate motion of the Pacific plate driving the episodic NCC crustal thickening and reworking, resulting in dense eclogitic residues that became gravitationally unstable. The onset of lithospheric delamination occurred when upwelling asthenosphere heated the base of lower crust to form coeval felsic magmas with or without involvement of juvenile mantle material. Collectively, the circum-Pacific massive crustal production could be attributed to the unusually rapid motion of Pacific at 155–180 Ma and 117–132 Ma.     

从洋壳俯冲到陆壳俯冲和碰撞：来自羌塘中西部地区榴辉岩和蓝片岩地球化学的证据

羌塘中部晚三叠世低温/高压变质带是目前青藏高原内部延伸规模最大的高压变质带,但大量关键高压变质岩石出露地区地球化学资料匮乏,严重制约了对高压变质带原岩建造以及构造演化的全面认识。本文以羌塘中西部地区尚无地球化学资料的果干加年山榴辉岩和红脊山蓝片岩为研究对象,进行了系统的地球化学以及原岩恢复工作。研究表明,果干加年山榴辉岩呈透镜状产于围岩石榴石多硅白云母片岩和少量大理岩中,其原岩为亚碱性玄武岩,具有较低的稀土总量(∑REE=51.19×10-6~59.43×10-6)和轻稀土亏损的特征[(La/Yb)N=0.59~0.70],不具有Nb、Ta、Ti的亏损,与典型的N-MORB特征一致,暗示其原岩可能来源于亏损的地幔源区,形成于洋中脊环境。红脊山地区基性蓝片岩的原岩为碱性玄武岩-亚碱性玄武岩,具有高的TiO2(2.97%~4.14%)和P2O5(0.29%~0.48%)含量,富集轻稀土元素[(La/Yb)N=6.10~11.6]和高场强元素,地球化学特征类似于OIB。但是这些基性蓝片岩与大量的陆源碎屑岩伴生产出,且具有明显的硅铝质上地壳物质混染的特征,与南羌塘地区二叠纪大陆板内基性岩墙的产出特征以及地壳混染特征一致,可能是其俯冲消减的产物。通过本文研究结果并结合区域内已识别出的E-MORB型洋壳和洋岛/海山物质深俯冲的证据,我们认为羌塘中部晚三叠世高压变质带以洋壳物质深俯冲为主,同时亦保留了部分陆壳物质俯冲的证据,暗示大洋向北俯冲消减结束之后,又牵引至少一部分南羌塘北缘陆壳物质经历了随后的俯冲过程。     

利用断层应力积累探讨大地震发生的地点——以日本2011年东北9级大地震为例

大地震在哪里发生是地震预报首先要解决的问题.利用反演GNSS观测数据得到的2011年日本东北9级大地震前7年(2004-2010年)断层上的应力变化,我们发现了这次地震断层的孕震区.为了进一步研究该孕震区的演化过程,本文继续反演这次大地震在1997-2003年间的断层应力变化过程.通过这两期的反演工作,我们看到,在这1...     

海底扩张的潮汐模式

2000年6月底，东京以南的伊豆岛开始发生火山与地震活动。此后，在伊豆岛观测到异常的地壳变形，8月底，火山与地震活动达到高潮。对潮汐与火山和地震活动的关系进行了分析，认为：地壳变形是由伊豆岛的岩脉侵入引起的，并且与强潮汐天文条件相对应。根据观测和计算数据提出了海底扩张的潮汐模式。