Two bioerosion ichnofacies produced by early and late burial associated with sea-level change

In bioerosion, as in trace fossils as a whole, deeply emplaced structures have greater survival value than shallow structures. That is to say, tiering (the relative depth to which rasping, etching and boring organisms penetrate their substrate) is of paramount importance for the preservation potential of individual trace fossils. An Entobia ichnofacies is established for trace fossil assemblages dominated by deep tier borings and arising from long-term bioerosion, such as occurs on sediment-free submarine cliffs or hardgrounds. A Gnathichnus ichnofacies comprises assemblages containing all tiers, including superficial sculptures produced by radulation that have very little preservation potential. Such assemblages occur in short-term bioerosion situations as on shell surfaces and hardgrounds buried early by sedimentation. Correspondence to: R. G. Bromley     

陕甘川交界区碧口群的绿帘石及其岩石学意义

绿帘石广泛分布于碧口群的各类变质岩石中,但以变质基性岩(绿片岩和蓝片岩)为主。绿片岩中绿帘石X_(?s)=0.23—0.37,但多为0.30—0.32,在不同样品中绿帘石成分变化很大,但同一样品中绿帘石变化不明显,说明其成分与全岩成分有关。蓝片岩中绿帘石X_(?s)=0.22—0.36,其成分在同一样品中也有很大变化,一般细粒者ps分子少,而粗粒者ps分子多,且常发育环带结构,向中心ps分子减少,说明蓝片岩可能经历了一个以降压为特征的变质过程。此外,该群也偶见绿纤石,但它们均被绿帘石包裹,不能构成独立变质相。     

滇西澜沧变质带中白云母的研究及其地质意义

本文以滇西澜沧变质带中最为广泛分布的造岩矿物—白云母为对象，详细研究和 分析了其成分、多型类型及ba值等，探讨了白云母的发育规律。研究结果表明，本带中绝大多数白云母为多硅白云母，且为3T+2M,型，与蓝闪石共生的则以3T多硅白云母为主。此外，斓沧变质 带经历了蓝闪石片岩亚相的高压变质作用，与古特提斯构造演化密切相突，并可与世界著名的高 压带对比。     

超高压变质作用研究现状及问题

本文从超高压变质作用的矿物学、Ｐ－Ｔ－ｔ轨迹和超高压地体抬升、保存机制三个方面总结了近年来超高压变质作用研究所取得的重要进展和存在的问题。超高压变质作用的矿物学研究正在向深入发展，其Ｐ－Ｔ－ｔ轨迹具有三种成因类型。而其超高压地体的抬升、保存机制则是争论的焦点，其中增生楔模式（Ｐｌａｔｔ，１９８７）和连续俯冲─仰冲机制较好地解释了抬升过程，但也存在一些问题需进一步研究。     

当前高压变质作用研究中几个值得注意的动向

高压、超高压变质作用是地学研究的热点，它能很好地反映深部地质作用特征和恢复地质历史演化的过程。当前高压、超高压变质作用研究中有几个值得注意的动向：（１）高压变质作用中流体性状和物理化学特点的研究是解决高压变质作用成因的关键；（２）高压变质矿物流变学研究是揭示变质过程的有效途径；（３）超高压变质岩的发现是８０年代地学领域中的一场“革命”，其动力学模式为探讨大陆动力学开辟了新的思路。文中介绍了产生超高压变质的柯石英榴辉岩亚相组合的六种动力学模式。     

An introduction to ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism

Abstract Ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphism refers to mineralogical and structural readjustment of supracrustal protoliths and associated mafic-ultramafic rocks at mantle pressures greater than ∼ 25 kbar (80-90 km). Typical products include metapelite, quartzite, marble, granulite, eclogite, paragneiss and orthogneiss; minor mafic and ultramafic rocks occur as eclogitic-ultramafic layers or blocks of various dimensions within the supracrustal rocks. For appropriate bulk compositions, metamorphism at great depths produces coesite, microdiamond and other characteristic UHP minerals with unusual compositions. Thus far, at least seven coesite-bearing eclogitic terranes and three diamond-bearing UHP regions have been documented. All lie within major continental collision belts in Eurasia, have similar supracrustal protoliths and metamorphic assemblages, occur in long, discontinuous belts that may extend several hundred kilometers or more, and typically are associated with contemporaneous high-P blueschist belts. This paper defines the P-T regimes of UHP metamorphism and describes mineralogical, petrological and tectonic characteristics for a few representative UHP terranes including the western gneiss region of Norway, the Dora Maira massif of the western Alps, the Dabie Mountains and the Su-Lu region of east-central China, and the Kokchetav massif of the former USSR. Prograde P-T paths for coesite-bearing eclogites require abnormally low geothermal gradients (approximately 7°C/km) that can be accomplished only by subduction of cold, oceanic crust-capped lithosphere ± pelagic sediments or an old, cold continent. The preservation of coesite inclusions in garnet, zircon, omphacite, kyanite and epidote, and microdiamond inclusions in garnet and zircon during exhumation of an UHP terrane requires either an extraordinarily fast rate of denudation (up to 10 cm/year) or continuous refrigeration in an extensional regime (retreating subduction zone).     

Tectonic evolution of the ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) and high-pressure (HP) metamorphic belts from central China

Abstract In the Triassic suture between the Sino-Korean and Yangtze cratons, the Dabie metamorphic Complex in central China includes three tectonic units: the northern Dabie migmatitic terrane, the central ultrahigh-P coesite- and diamond-bearing eclogite belt, and the southern high-P blueschist-eclogite belt. This complex is bounded to the north by a north-dipping normal fault with a Paleozoic accretionary complex and to the south by a north-dipping reverse fault with Yangtze basement plus its foreland fold-and-thrust sequence. Great differences in metamorphic pressure suggests that these units reached different depths during metamorphism and their juxtaposition occurred by wedge extrusion of subducted old continental fragments. These units were subsequently subjected to (i) Barrovian type regional metamorphism and deformation at shallow depths; (ii) intrusion of Cretaceous granitic plutons; and (iii) doming and segmentation into several blocks by normal and strike-slip faults. A new speculative model of tectonic exhumation of UHP rocks is proposed.     

Metamorphism of the Bikou Group in the Shanxi-Gausu-Sichuan Border Region1

Abstract The Bikou Group on the Shaanxi-Gansu-Sichuan border is composed of Mid-Late Proterozoic metamorphosed bimodal volcanic rocks and flysch sediments. Its metamorphism may be divided into the blueschist and greenschist facies. Three metamorphic zones, i.e. zones A, B, and C, may be distinguished on the basis of the field distribution of metamorphic rocks and the variation of b₀ values of muscovite. Blueschists are characterized by coexistence of sodic amphiboles and epidote and occur as stripes or relict patches in extensive greenschists of zone A. Studies of metamorphic minerals such as amphiboles, chlorite, epidote and muscovite and their textural relationships indicate that blueschists and greenschists were not formed under the same metamorphic physico-chemical conditions. The blueschist facies was formed at temperatures of 300-400°C and pressures of 0.5–0.6 GPa. The greenschist facies in zones A and B has similar temperatures but its pressure is only 0.4 GPa or so. The transition from the blueschist to greenschist facies is a nearly isothermal uplift process. The rock and mineral assemblages of the Bikou Group indicate that the blueschist facies metamorphism of the group might be related to crustal thickening or A-subduction accompanying the closure of an intracontinental small ocean basin.     

Chronology of Sanbagawa metamorphism

By collating age data based on the fossil age of the protoliths, radiometric dating of the metamorphic minerals, and sedimentary records of erosion at the earth's surface, the history of the Sanbagawa metamorphism can be summarized as follows. (1) The pre-metamorphic sedimentary rocks (Carboniferous-Jurassic + Early Cretaceous?) became mixed and formed a thickened packet in the vicinity of an ancient trench through a variety of subduction-related tectono-sedimentary processes, probably in Early Cretaceous time (c., 130-120 Ma). (2) The subducted protoliths underwent progressive metamorphism reaching a maximum depth of c. 30 km in late Early Cretaceous time (c. 116 ± 10 Ma). (3) The high-P/T metamorphic rocks began to rise toward the surface (during the interval 110-50 Ma) with minimum estimates for the average cooling rate around 9-12°C/Ma and an average uplift rate around 0.4-0.5 mm/year. (4) Finally, at some stage after reaching the erosional surface, the high-P/T metamorphic rocks were covered unconformably by the middle Eocene (c. 50-42 Ma) Kuma Group. On the basis of the present chronological summary of the Sanbagawa metamorphism, the areal extent of the Sanbagawa metamorphism is also discussed with respect to the weakly metamorphosed subduction-accretion complex of the next tectonic belt to the south, the Northern Chichibu belt.     

Chronology of the high-pressure metamorphism of Norwegian garnet peridotites/pyroxenites

Eclogite facies mineral assemblages are variably preserved in mafic and ultramafic rocks within the Western Gneiss Region (WGR) of Norway. Mineralogical and microstructural data indicate that some Mg–Cr-rich, Alpine-type peridotites have had a complex metamorphic history. The metamorphic evolution of these rocks has been described in terms of a seven-stage evolutionary model; each stage is characterized by a specific mineral assemblage. Stages II and III both comprise garnet-bearing mineral assemblages. Garnet-bearing assemblages are also present in Fe–Ti-rich peridotites which commonly occur as layers in mafic complexes. Sm–Nd isotopic results are reported for mineral and whole rock samples from both of these types of peridotites and related rocks. The partitioning of Sm and Nd between coexisting garnet and clinopyroxene is used to assess chemical equilibrium. One sample of Mg–Cr-type peridotite shows non-disturbed partitioning of Sm and Nd between Stage II garnet and clinopyroxene pairs and yields a garnet–clinopyroxene–whole-rock date of 1703 ± 29 Ma (I= 0.51069, MSWD = 0.04). This is the best estimate for the age of the Stage II high-P assemblage. Other Stage II garnet–clinopyroxene pairs reflect later disturbance of the Sm–Nd system and yield dates in the range 1303 to 1040 Ma. These dates may not have any geological significance. Stage III garnet–clinopyroxene pairs typically have equilibrated Sm–Nd partitioning and two samples yield dates of 437 ± 58 and 511 ± 18 Ma. This suggests that equilibration of the Stage III high-P assemblage is related to the Caledonian orogeny and is more or less contemporaneous with high-P metamorphism of ‘country-rock’eclogites in the surrounding gneisses. The Sm–Nd mineral data for the Fe–Ti-rich garnet peridotites and for a superferrian eclogite, which occurs as a dyke within the Gurskebotn Mg–Cr-type peridotite, are consistent with a Palaeozoic high-P metamorphism. Finally a synoptic P–T–t path is proposed for the Mg–Cr-type peridotites which is consistent with the petrological and geochronological data.