The tectonic significance of lower Permian successions in the Texas Orocline (Eastern Australia)

The Texas Orocline is a prominent orogenic curvature that developed during the early Permian in the southern New England Orogen. Outliers preserving lower Permian sedimentary successions (Bondonga, Silver Spur, Pikedale, Terrica, Alum Rock and Ashford beds) approximately outline the oroclinal structure, but the tectonic processes responsible for the development of these basinal successions, and their relationships to the Texas Orocline, are unclear. Here we address this shortcoming by providing new U–Pb detrital and primary zircon ages from these successions, as well as detailed stratigraphic and structural data from the largest exposed succession (Bondonga beds). Field observations and U–Pb geochronological data suggest that the lower Permian successions in the Texas Orocline are remnants of a single, formerly larger basin that was deposited after ca 302 Ma. Time constraints for formation of this basin are correlative with constraints from the lower Permian Nambucca Block, which was likely deposited in response to regional back-arc extension during and/or after the development of the Texas Orocline. The conclusion that the lower Permian sedimentary basins in the Texas Orocline belong to this back-arc extensional system supports the suggestion that oroclinal bending in the New England Orogen was primarily controlled by trench retreat and associated overriding-plate extension.     

Granitic and monzonitic rocks dredged from the southeast Australian continental margin

Four Middle Devonian (381 Ma) granodiorite samples have been recovered from two dredge sites approximately 65 km east of Green Cape, New South Wales. The granodiorite samples are similar in age and composition to members of the Moruya Suite and probably form an along‐strike extension of that suite. The location of granodiorite on the southeastern margin requires that a piece of continental lithosphere was located to the present east of the study area in the Devonian. This piece of lithosphere may now be located somewhere on the western Lord Howe Rise.

A sample of Early Cretaceous leuco‐quartz monzodiorite was also recovered from a dredge site approximately 45 km north‐northeast of Dalmeny, New South Wales. It represents a body that was intruded at essentially the same time as, and is inferred to be of similar origin to, the syenite rocks of the nearby Mt Dromedary and Montague Island complexes.     

Neoselachians and Chimaeriformes (Chondrichthyes) from the latest Cretaceous–Paleogene of Sierra Baguales,southernmost Chile. Chronostratigraphic,paleobiogeographic and paleoenvironmental implications

This paper discusses a well-represented fossil record of cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes) from southern South America. The recovered samples allow the recognition of three assemblages with chronostratigraphic and paleogeographic value: i) typical Maastrichtian sharks and rays with affinities to eastern Pacific fauna, including the taxa Ischyrhiza chilensis, Serratolamna serrata, Centrophoroides sp. associated to Carcharias sp., and Dasyatidae indet.; ii) a scarce reworked assemblage of Paleocene–Early Eocene age including the taxa Otodus obliquus and Megascyliorhinus cooperi; iii) a rich assemblage with reworked taxa of Early to Middle Eocene age, together with autochthonous deposited Middle to Late Eocene taxa with close affinities to paleoichthyofaunas recovered from the North Atlantic, represented by Carcharias ‘hopei’, Odontaspis winkleri, Carcharoides catticus, Macrorhizodus praecursor, Carcharocles auriculatus, Striatolamia sp., Striatolamia macrota, Hexanchus agassizi, Notorhynchus sp., Myliobatis sp., Abdounia sp., Pristiophorus sp., Squatina sp., cf. Rhizoprionodon sp., Ischyodus sp., and one new species, Jaekelotodus bagualensis sp. nov. The studied samples include for the first time taxa with well established chronostratigraphic resolutions as well as taphonomic information that help clarifying the age of the fossil-bearing units. In addition, they provide relevant information about the evolution of the Magallanes (=Austral) Basin from the Upper Cretaceous to the Paleogene, suggesting a probable connection with the Quiriquina Basin of south-central Chile during the latest Cretaceous. Finally, the studied assemblages indicate a latitudinal pattern of distribution that provides valuable data on the environmental evolution and temperature of southern South America during the Paleogene.     

Uvá complex,the oldest orthogneisses of the Archean-Paleoproterozoic terrane of central Brazil

The Archean-Paleoproterozoic terrane of central Brazil is an exotic and allochthonous part of the Tocantins Province, a large Brasiliano/Pan-African orogen of the South American Platform formed during the Brasiliano orogeny. The terrane amalgamated to the province during the late stages of the orogeny as a crustal segment consisting of six Archean orthogneiss complexes and five low-grade metamorphic, in part Paleoproterozoic (Rhyacian) greenstone belts. The Uvá complex is the southernmost orthogneiss association of the Archean-Paleoproterozoic terrane of central Brazil. New U–Pb LA-ICP-MS data from zircon crystals show that the complex formed at least during two magmatic stages. The older consists of polydeformed tonalite and granodiorite batholitic and diorite stock protoliths with igneous age of 3040 Ma to 2930 Ma. The youngest comprises tonalite, monzogranite and granodiorite tabular bodies formed between 2876 and 2846 Ma. As compared to the orthogneisses of the northern portion of the terrane, both the oldest and youngest granitogenesis stages of the Uvá complex are, in average, about 150 Ma older. This suggests that the northern and southern orthogneisses formed during different times as independent crustal segments, but when and why they amalgamated is still under investigation.     

Detrital zircons U–Pb SHRIMP ages and provenance of La Modesta Formation,Patagonia Argentina

This paper summarizes the geology of the Paleozoic La Modesta Formation in Patagonia, Argentina, and presents new SHRIMP U–Pb dating of detrital zircons from muscovite-chlorite schist and tourmalinite. Also complementary geochemical and lead isotopic data are presented, indicating that the protoliths were formed from upper crustal rocks by the contribution of a large input from recycled (or felsic) sources. The maximum age of sedimentation of La Modesta Formation is about 446 ± 6 Ma. The basin closure (or eventually a paleocurrent shift) occurs at Lower Devonian before the exhumation of the Middle-Devonian granitoids of the Rio Deseado Complex (Deseado Massif). Many of the detrital zircons are igneous and record Ordovician ages, with a prominent Lower Ordovician-age peak at approximately 473 Ma. Most favourable candidates to provide the younger zircons in the basin would Ordovician granites of the Rio Deseado Complex (Deseado Massif) and Punta Sierra Plutonic Complex (Somun Cura Massif). Older zircons have peaks of different importance (including Brasiliano and Grenvillian ages) between 530 and 700, 750–1500, 1750–2000 and 2550–2700 Ma. La Modesta Formation is also a potential area of materials (detrital zircon) to the basin where the rocks of the Eastern Andean Metamorphic Complex and equivalent formations of the Andean region were generated.     

Commensurability of earthquake occurrence

During recent years huge earthquakes frequently occurred and caused surprise attack on many places of the globe. Frequent exceptional strong disasters of earthquakes remind that we must strengthen our research on cause of formation, mechanism, prediction and forecast of earthquakes, and achieve the goal of advancing the development of Earth science and mitigation of seismic disasters. The commensurability of earthquake occurrences has been studied by means of the commensurability revealed by the Titius–Bode law in the paper. The studied results show that the earthquakes basically all occur at the commensurable point of its time axis, respectively. It also shows that occurrence of the earthquakes is not accidental, showing certain patterns and inevitability, and the commensurable value is different for earthquakes occurring in different areas.     

Mesoproterozoic arc magmatism in SE India: Petrology,zircon U–Pb geochronology and Hf isotopes of the Bopudi felsic suite from Eastern Ghats Belt

The southern segment of the Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt (EGMB) in India was an active convergent margin during Mesoproterozoic, prior to the final collision in Neoproterozoic during the assembly of the Rodinia supercontinent. Here we present mineralogical, whole-rock geochemical, zircon U–Pb and Hf isotopic data from a granitoid suite in the Bopudi region in the EGGB. The granitoid complex comprises quartz monzodiorite with small stocks of rapakivi granites. The monzodiorite, locally porphyritic, contains K-feldspar megacrysts, plagioclase, quartz, biotite and ortho-amphibole. The presence of mantled ovoid megacrysts of alkali feldspar embaying early-formed quartz, and the presence of two generations of the phenocrystic phases in the rapakivi granites indicate features typical of rapakivi granites. The K-feldspar phenocrysts in the rapakivi granite are mantled by medium-grained aggregates of microcline (Ab₇ Or₉₃), which is compositionally equivalent to the rim of Kfs phenocryst and Pl (An_23–24 Ab₇₅). The geochemistry of both the granitoids shows arc-like features for REE and trace elements. LA-ICP-MS zircon analyses reveal ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb ages of 1582 (MSWD = 1.4) for the rapakivi granite 1605 ± 3 Ma (MSWD = 3.9) for the monzodiorite. The zircons from all the granitoid samples show high REE contents, prominent HREE enrichment and a conspicuous negative Eu anomaly, suggesting a common melt source. The zircons from the monzodiorite have a limited variation in initial ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf ratios of 0.28171–0.28188, with εHf(t) values of −2.2 to +2.8. Correspondingly, their two-stage Hf isotope model ages (T_DM2) ranging from 2.15 to 2.47 Ga probably suggest a mixed source for the magma involving melting of the Paleoproterozoic basement and injection of subduction-related juvenile magmas. The prominent Mesoproterozoic ages of these granitoids suggest subduction-related arc magmatism in a convergent margin setting associated with the amalgamation of the Columbia-derived fragments within the Neoproterozoic Rodinia assembly.     

Chronology and tectonic significance of Cenozoic faults in the Liupanshan Arcuate Tectonic Belt at the northeastern margin of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

The Liupanshan Arcuate Tectonic Belt (LATB) is located at the northeastern margin of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Major strike-slip and thrust faults in the Liupanshan area are prominent Cenozoic structures, which are critical in understanding and reconstructing the tectonic deformation history. This paper not only provides detailed investigations on geometric and kinematic characteristics of these faults in the LATB, but also dates the faults’ movements by electron spin resonance (ESR). The LATB underwent a succession of compression, extension and again compression tectonic deformation processes since the Cenozoic. The Liupanshan Curved Faults first experienced sinistral strike-slip shear during 57–61 Ma. The Liupanshan Curved Faults responded to the deformation caused by the eastward escape of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and acted as the northeastern boundary of the deformation. Timing for the formation of the Liupanshan Curved Faults shows that the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates must have occurred earlier than these faults’ activity because the latter is reflected the far-field effect of the collision.     

Petrogenesis and tectonic settings of the Late Carboniferous Jiamantieliek and Baogutu ore-bearing porphyry intrusions in the southern West Junggar,NW China

Porphyry Cu deposits occurred in the southern West Junggar of Xinjiang, NW China and are represented by the Baogutu and newly-discovered Jiamantieliek porphyry Cu deposits. Petrographical and geochemical studies show that both Jiamantieliek and Baogutu ore-bearing intrusions comprise main-stage diorite stock and minor late-stage diorite porphyry dikes and are the calc-alkaline intermediate intrusions. Based on U–Pb zircon SHRIMP analyses, the Jiamantieliek intrusion formed in 313 ± 4 Ma and 310 ± 5 Ma, while, based on U–Pb zircon SIMS analyses, the Baogutu intrusion formed in 313 ± 2 Ma and 312 ± 2 Ma. Rocks in the Jiamantieliek intrusion are enriched in light rare earth elements (LREE) and large ion lithophile elements (LILE) with negative Nb anomaly. Their isotopic compositions (ε_Nd(t) = +1.6 to +3.4, (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i = 0.70369–0.70401, (²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb)_i = 15.31–5.41) suggest a mixing origin from depleted to enriched mantle sources. In the Baogutu intrusion, the rocks are similar to those of the Jiamantieliek intrusion. Their Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic composition (ε_Nd(t) = +4.4 to +6.0, (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i = 0.70368–0.70385, (²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb)_i = 15.34–5.42) shows a more depleted mantle source. These features suggest generation in an island arc. The Jiamantieliek and Baogutu intrusions have similar characteristics, indicating that a relatively uniform and integrated source region has existed in the southern West Junggar since the Palaeozoic. A larger contribution of calc-alkaline magma would be required to generate the Jiamantieliek intrusion, which may reflect the development of magma arc maturation towards the western section of the southern West Junggar.     

U–Pb–Hf zircon study of two mylonitic granite complexes in the Talas-Fergana fault zone,Kyrgyzstan, and Ar–Ar age of deformations along the fault

A 2000 km long dextral Talas-Fergana strike–slip fault separates eastern terranes in the Kyrgyz Tien Shan from western terranes. The aim of this study was to constrain an age of dextral shearing in the central part of the fault utilizing Ar–Ar dating of micas. We also carried out a U–Pb–Hf zircon study of two different deformed granitoid complexes in the fault zone from which the micas for Ar dating were separated. Two samples of the oldest deformed Neoproterozoic granitoids in the area of study yielded U–Pb zircon SHRIMP ages 728 ± 11 Ma and 778 ± 11 Ma, characteristic for the Cryogenian Bolshoi Naryn Formation, and zircon grains analyzed for their Lu–Hf isotopic compositions yielded εHf(t) values from −11.43 to −16.73, and their calculated tHfc ages varied from 2.42 to 2.71 Ga. Thus varying Cryogenian ages and noticeable heterogeneity of Meso- to Paleoproterozoic crustal sources was established for mylonitic granites of the Bolshoi Naryn Formation. Two samples of mylonitized pegmatoidal granites of the Kyrgysh Complex yielded identical ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages of 279 ± 5 Ma corresponding to the main peak of Late-Paleozoic post-collisional magmatism in the Tien Shan (Seltmann et al., 2011), and zircon grains analyzed for their Lu–Hf isotopic compositions yielded εHf(t) values from −11.43 to −16.73, and calculated tHfc ages from 2.42 to 2.71 Ga indicating derivation from a Paleoproterozoic crustal source. Microstructural studies showed that ductile/brittle deformation of pegmatoidal granites of the Kyrgysh Complex occurred at temperatures of 300–400 °C and caused resetting of the K–Ar isotope system of primary muscovite. Deformation of mylonitized granites of the Bolshoi Naryn Formation occurred under high temperature conditions and resulted in protracted growth and recrystallization of micas. The oldest Ar–Ar muscovite age of 241 Ma with a well defined plateau from a pegmatoidal granite of the Kyrgysh Complex is considered as a “minimum” age of dextral motions along this section of the fault in the Triassic while younger ages varying from 227 Ma to 199 Ma with typical staircase patterns indicate protracted growth and recrystallization of micas during ductile deformations which continued until the end of the Triassic.