Neoproterozoic trace fossils vs. microbial mat structures: Examples from the Tandilia Belt of Argentina

The Tandilia Belt in northeast Argentina includes a Neoproterozoic sequence of sediments (Sierras Bayas Group), in which the Cerro Largo Formation, ca. 750 Ma in age, forms a siliciclastic, shallowing upward succession of subtidal nearshore to tidal flat deposits. Trace fossils Palaeophycus isp. and Didymaulichnus isp. have been described from the upper part of this succession. Specific sedimentary structures consisting of round-crested bulges, arranged in a reticulate pattern, and networks of curved cracks are associated with the trace fossils. These structures are considered to be related to epibenthic microbial mats that once colonized the sediment surface. They reflect stages of mat growth and mat destruction, if compared to analogous structures in modern cyanobacterial mats of peritidal, siliciclastic depositional systems. Also the trace fossils are interpreted as mat-related structures, partly forming components of networks of shrinkage cracks, partly representing the upturned and involute margins of shrinkage cracks or circular openings in desiccating and shrinking, thin microbial mats.

The definition of Didymaulichnus miettensis Young as a Terminal Proterozoic trace fossil is questioned, and it may be considered to interpret the ‘bilobate’ structure as the upturned, opposite margins of microbial shrinkage cracks which have been brought back into contact by compaction after burial.     

Fractional crystallization models and B–Be–Li systematics at Mt Somma-Vesuvius volcano (Southern Italy)

A compilation of B–Be–Li data on rocks that cover the entire eruptive history of Somma-Vesuvius is presented and interpreted in the light of evolution models for the Somma-Vesuvius rocks. Using major and trace element data, fractional crystalllization models are presented for different geochemical units. These data were used to constrain the source mineralogy of the Somma-Vesuvius rocks (ol-opx-cpx-gar-amp of 0.4-0.3-0.1-0.1-0.1), the amount of sediment added (5–10%) and the melt fraction from batch partial melting computations (0.05–0.1). From the B–Li data it is inferred that the main process responsible for the B isotopic signature is sediment recycling. However, the B–Li data show a major variation in Li abundances respect to B which is explained with Li dehydration before the fluid enriched the mantle wedge that produced the arc magmas. The Somma-Vesuvius B isotope composition is intermediate between that of the Campi Flegrei and the broad field of the Eolian Island arc. A low Be isotopes in the recent volcanic rocks can be explained as: (a) the top 1–22 m of the incoming sediment is accreted, (b) large amounts of sediment erosion, (c) a slow rate of subduction which have provoked a long magmatic history for the Vesuvius magma, (d) the sediment component takes several Myr longer than the subducting plate to reach the magma source region beneath Italy.     

大巴山西段高川地体构造变形特征及其意义

勉略缝合带华北与华南大陆于印支期完成拼合的主要拼接带,在中国大陆的形成与演化中占据重要地位。但是,勉略带的东、西延伸,至今没有确定的结论,尤其陕西省勉县以东到湖北随州一带,还没有找到确凿的缝合带的证据。现今一些重要的文章多认为勉略带在勉县以东到达宁陕县两河口之后向南转折,沿着高川岩片的位置顺大巴山弧形构造带向东延伸到湖北随州一带。然而,本文的研究表明,高川岩片是一个独立于大巴山构造带的外来地质体,并称之为高川地体。高川地体是一个由近南北向右行走滑断层与轴向近南北向的走滑剪切褶皱构造组成的右行走滑构造系统,作者认为,它是大巴山冲断推覆构造向南推覆过程中,被从原勉略缝合带中挤过来的一片,它仅仅是被挟持在大巴山冲断—推覆构造带与大巴山前陆构造带之间的地壳浅层地质体,高川地体现在的位置不能代表勉略带向东的延伸。因此,大巴山弧形构造带也不是中国南北大陆最终碰撞拼贴的位置     

Provenance of Conglomerate and Sandstone from Early Permian Shoushangou Formation in Xi Ujimqin, Inner Mongolia: Implications for Understanding Paleo-Asian Ocean Subduction

During the Late Carboniferous to Early Permian, a rift was formed by post-collisional extension after ocean closure or an island arc-related basin formed by Paleo-Asian Ocean (PAO) subduction in the Xi Ujimqin area. Nevertheless, the closure time of the PAO is still under debate. Thus, to identify the origin of the PAO, the geochemistry and U-Pb age of zircons were analyzed for the extra-large deep marine, polymict clastic boulders and sandstones in the Shoushangou Formation within the basin. The analyses revealed magmatic activity and tectonic evolution. The conglomerates include megaclasts of granite (298.8 ± 9.1?Ma) and granodiorite porphyry (297.1 ± 3.1?Ma), which were deposited by muddy debris flow. Results of this study demonstrated that the boulders of granitoids have the geochemistry of typical I-type granite, characterized by low Zr + Nb + Ce + Y and low Ga/Al values. The granitoid boulders were formed in island arc setting, indicating the presence of arc magmatism in the area that is composed of the Late Carboniferous to Early Permian subduction-related granitoid in southern Xi Ujimqin. Multiple diagrams for determining sedimentary provenance using major and trace elements indicate that Shoushangou sediments originated from continental island arc-related felsic rocks. Detrital zircon U-Pb age cluster of 330–280?Ma was obtained, indicating input from granite, ophiolite, Xilin Gol complex, and Carboniferous sources to the south. The basin was geographically developed behind the arc during the Early Permian period because the outcropped intrusive rocks in the Late Carboniferous to Early Permian form a volcanic arc. The comprehensive analyses of source areas suggest that Shoushangou sediments developed in a backarc basin in response to the northward subduction of the PAO. The backarc basin and intrusive rocks, in addition to previously published Late Carboniferous to Early Permian magmatic rocks of arc unit in Xilin Gol, confirm the presence of an Early Permian trench-arc-basin system in the region, represented by the Baolidao arc and Xi Ujimqin backarc basin. This study highlights the importance and potential of combined geochemical and geochronological studies of conglomerates and sandstone for reconstructing the geodynamic setting of a basin.     

HP–LT Variscan metamorphism in the Cubito-Moura schists (Ossa-Morena Zone, southern Iberia)

Multi-equilibrium thermobarometry shows that low-grade metapelites (Cubito-Moura schists) from the Ossa–Morena Zone underwent HP–LT metamorphism from 340–370 °C at 1.0–0.9 GPa to 400–450 °C at 0.8–0.7 GPa. These HP–LT equilibriums were reached by parageneses including white K mica, chlorite and chloritoid, which define the earliest schistosity (S₁) in these rocks. The main foliation in the schists is a crenulation cleavage (S₂), which developed during decompression from 0.8–0.7 to 0.4–0.3 GPa at increasing temperatures from 400–450 °C to 440–465 °C. Fe³⁺ in chlorite decreased greatly during prograde metamorphism from molar fractions of 0.4 determined in syn-S₁ chlorites down to 0.1 in syn-S₂ chlorites. These new data add to previous findings of eclogites in the Moura schists indicating that a pile of allochtonous rocks situated next to the Beja-Acebuches oceanic amphibolites underwent HP–LT metamorphism during the Variscan orogeny. To cite this article: G. Booth-Rea et al., C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).     

Earthquake generation in Cyprus revealed by the evolving stress field

Strong earthquake occurrence (M ≥ 6.0) onshore and offshore the Cyprus Island constitutes significant seismic hazard because they occur close to populated areas. Seismicity is weak south of the Island along the Cyprean Arc and strong events are aligned along the Paphos transform fault and Larnaka thrust fault zone that were already known and the Lemessos thrust fault zone that defined in the present study. By combining the past history of strong (M ≥ 6.0) events and the long-term tectonic loading on these major fault zones, the evolution of the stress field from 1896 until the present is derived. Although uncertainties exist in the location, magnitude and fault geometries of the early earthquakes included in our stress evolutionary model, the resulting stress field provides an explanation of later earthquake triggering. It was evidenced that the locations of all the strong events were preceded by a static stress change that encouraged failure. The current state of the evolved stress field may provide evidence for the future seismic hazard. Areas of positive static stress changes were identified in the southwestern offshore area that can be considered as possible sites of future seismic activity.     

Partial melting and P–T evolution of the Kodaikanal Metapelite Belt, southern India

The Kodaikanal region of the Madurai Block in southern India exposes a segment of high-grade metamorphic rocks dominated by an aluminous garnet–cordierite–spinel–sillimanite–quartz migmatite suite, designated herein as the Kodaikanal Metapelite Belt (KMB). These rocks were subjected to extreme crustal metamorphism during the Late Neoproterozoic despite the lack of diagnostic ultrahigh-temperature assemblages. The rocks preserve microstructural evidence demonstrating initial-heating, dehydration melting to generate the peak metamorphic assemblage and later retrogression of the residual assemblages with remaining melt. The peak metamorphic assemblage is interpreted to be garnet + sillimanite + K-feldspar + spinel + Fe–Ti oxide + quartz + melt, which indicates pressure–temperature (P–T) conditions around 950–1000 °C and 7–8 kbar based on calculated phase diagrams. A clockwise P–T path is proposed by integrating microstructural information with pseudosections. We show that evidence for extreme crustal metamorphism at ultrahigh-temperature conditions can be extracted even in the cases where the rocks lack diagnostic ultrahigh-temperature mineral assemblages. Our approach confirms the widespread regional occurrence of UHT metamorphism in the Madurai Block during Gondwana assembly and point out the need for similar studies on adjacent continental fragments.     

MapGIS下空间数据库的建立及其典型问题研究

以云南省地质图、水文地质图空间数据库的建立为例,通过对空间数据库建设中资料准备、图形矢量化、空间数据处理及文件转换四个过程的分析,总结了在进行回溯型空间数据库建库过程中需要注意的一些典型问题,并提出了解决的办法。论述了在MapGIS下空间数据库建立过程中的一些技巧及经验。     

A Cordilleran model for the evolution of Avalonia

Striking similarities between the late Mesoproterozoic–Early Paleozoic record of Avalonia and the Late Paleozoic–Cenozoic history of western North America suggest that the North American Cordillera provides a modern analogue for the evolution of Avalonia and other peri-Gondwanan terranes during the late Precambrian. Thus: (1) The evolution of primitive Avalonian arcs (proto-Avalonia) at 1.2–1.0 Ga coincides with the amalgamation of Rodinia, just as the evolution of primitive Cordilleran arcs in Panthalassa coincided with the Late Paleozoic amalgamation of Pangea. (2) The development of mature oceanic arcs at 750–650 Ma (early Avalonian magmatism), their accretion to Gondwana at ca. 650 Ma, and continental margin arc development at 635–570 Ma (main Avalonian magmatism) followed the breakup of Rodinia at ca. 755 Ma in the same way that the accretion of mature Cordilleran arcs to western North America and the development of the main phase of Cordilleran arc magmatism followed the Early Mesozoic breakup of Pangea. (3) In the absence of evidence for continental collision, the diachronous termination of subduction and its transition to an intracontinental wrench regime at 590–540 Ma is interpreted to record ridge–trench collision in the same way that North America's collision with the East Pacific Rise in the Oligocene led to the diachronous initiation of a transform margin. (4) The separation of Avalonia from Gondwana in the Early Ordovician resembles that brought about in Baja California by the Pliocene propagation of the East Pacific Rise into the continental margin. (5) The Late Ordovician–Early Silurian sinistral accretion of Avalonia to eastern Laurentia emulates the Cenozoic dispersal of Cordilleran terranes and may mimic the paths of future terranes transferred to the Pacific plate.This close similarity in tectonothermal histories suggests that a geodynamic coupling like that linking the evolution of the Cordillera with the assembly and breakup of Pangea, may have existed between Avalonia and the late Precambrian supercontinent Rodinia. Hence, the North American Cordillera is considered to provide an actualistic model for the evolution of Avalonia and other peri-Gondwanan terranes, the histories of which afford a proxy record of supercontinent assembly and breakup in the late Precambrian.     

2000年4月29日内乡ML4.7级地震前潢川地电异常变化

2000年4月29日11时54分，河南省南阳市内乡县马山口镇与镇平县寺山乡之间发生一次ML4.7级地震。地震前3天，潢山台视电阻率ρs异常较为明显。分析了此次异常与内乡ML4.7级地震的关系，认为此次异常很有可能是内乡ML4.7级地震的短临前兆异常。当观测台站与震源位于同一构造带时，即便离震中较远，地电阻率对地震异常反映仍较灵敏，且与构造带同一走向的测向尤为明显。