Discussion on the dextral movement and its effect in continental China and adjacent areas since Cenozoic

Continental China has moved dextral Eastward since Cenozoic time, driven by the collision of the Indian with the Eurasian plate. Evidence for this comes from landscape evolution, the distribution of earthquake epicenters, Cenozoic sedimentary and volcanic rocks, and the measurement of GPS velocity vectors, the distribution of crustal stress, paleomagnetic data, and deep mantle structure, among others. This movement commenced around 40 Ma, coupled with thickened lithosphere and widespread stress release along strike-slip faults that bound the continental Chinese block. Because of continued Northward subduction of the Indian plate, manifestation of the dextral movement has intensified since 25 Ma. Far-reaching effects include extensive strike-slip movement on the Tan-Lu fault in Eastern China, formation of the Dabie ultrahigh pressure metamorphic terrane, extensive thrust faults in East China, delamination and thickening of the lithosphere of South China, a possible tectonic doubling of the Middle-Lower Yangtze Valley metallogenic belt, and the formation of the Japan, Huanghai (East China), and South China Sea.     

The Anglo-Brabant Massif: Persistent but enigmatic palaeo-relief at the heart of western Europe

The surface geology of central England and Belgium obscures a large ‘basement’ massif with a complex history and stronger crust and lithosphere than surrounding regions. The nucleus was forged by subduction-related magmatism at the Gondwana margin in Ediacaran time. Partitioning into a platform, in the English Midlands, and a basin stretching to Belgium, in the east, was already evident in Cambrian/earliest Ordovician time. The accretion of the Monian Composite Terrane during the Penobscotian deformation phase preceded late Tremadocian rifting, and Floian separation, of the Avalonia Terrane from the Gondwana margin. Late Ordovician magmatism in a belt from the Lake District to Belgium records subduction beneath Avalonia of part of the Tornquist Sea. This ‘Western Pacific-style’ oceanic basin closed in latest Ordovician time, uniting Avalonia and Baltica. Closure of the Iapetus Ocean in early Silurian time was soon followed by closure of the Rheic Ocean, recorded by subduction along the southern margin of the massif. The causes of late Caledonian deformation are poorly understood and controversial. Partitioned behaviour of the massif persisted into late Palaeozoic time. Late Devonian and Carboniferous sequences show strong onlap onto the massif, which was little affected by crustal extension. Compressional deformation during the Variscan Orogeny also appears slight, and was focussed in the west where a wedge-shaped mountain foreland uplift was driven by orogenic indentation, splitting the massif from the Welsh Massif along the reactivated Malvern Line. Permian to Mesozoic sequences exhibit persistent but variable degrees of onlap onto the massif.     

Design principles for origin-destination flow maps

Origin-destination flow maps are often difficult to read due to overlapping flows. Cartographers have developed design principles in manual cartography for origin-destination flow maps to reduce overlaps and increase readability. These design principles are identified and documented using a quantitative content analysis of 97 geographic origin-destination flow maps without branching or merging flows. The effectiveness of selected design principles is verified in a user study with 215 participants. Findings show that (a) curved flows are more effective than straight flows, (b) arrows indicate direction more effectively than tapered line widths, and (c) flows between nodes are more effective than flows between areas. These findings, combined with results from user studies in graph drawing, conclude that effective and efficient origin-destination flow maps should be designed according to the following design principles: overlaps between flows are minimized; symmetric flows are preferred to asymmetric flows; longer flows are curved more than shorter or peripheral flows; acute angles between crossing flows are avoided; sharp bends in flow lines are avoided; flows do not pass under unconnected nodes; flows are radially distributed around nodes; flow direction is indicated with arrowheads; and flow width is scaled with represented quantity.     

湖南及邻区志留纪兰多弗里世鲁丹期至埃隆期岩相古地理及加里东期板块构造演化

湖南兰多弗里世鲁丹期岩相古地理格局以桃江—白马山—苗儿山一线为界,其南东为华夏洋壳板块兰多弗里统鲁丹阶周家溪组陆屑浊积深水盆地相,陆屑来自更南东的湘中南褶皱山地;其北西为扬子陆壳板块兰多弗里统鲁丹阶龙马溪组沉积洋盆,南东后缘是上陆棚相,北西前缘是下陆棚相,陆屑都由南东湘中南褶皱山地提供。至兰多弗里世埃隆期岩相古地理发生巨变：龙马溪组顶部Coronograptus cyphus笔石带末即大约440.8±1.2 Ma时,发生华夏洋壳板块向扬子陆壳板块俯冲碰撞事件,华夏洋壳板块周家溪组本身褶皱造山为华夏褶皱山地,华夏洋壳板块洋盆关闭。同时华夏洋壳板块以A型俯冲形式下插到扬子陆壳板块之下,并使扬子陆壳板块南东前缘崛起形成加里东期雪峰造山带。后者将扬子陆壳板块南东前缘牵引、挠曲和凹陷成华夏洋壳板块弧后前陆盆地,小河坝组是该弧后前陆盆地的沉积盖层,陆屑都由南东的雪峰造山带提供。该弧后前陆盆地沉积了三角洲相—滨海相的小河坝组,向北东、北西和南西方向相变为台地相石牛栏组,再向北西陕南紫阳相变为盆地相斑鸠关组。小河坝组两次采集的重砂样均出现蓝闪石,它是蓝闪石片岩标志矿物,蓝闪石片岩是确认加里东期华夏洋壳板块与扬子陆壳板块俯冲碰撞及形成雪峰造山带的判别标志。     

The Caledonian Structures of Shetland – Funzie and Norwick Geological Conservation Review sites

Locations at Funzie on the island of Fetlar, and at Norwick on the island of Unst contain excellent examples of structures relating to the Caledonian age disruption and emplacement of the Shetland Ophiolite Complex. The Caledonian age Shetland Ophiolite Complex contains exceptionally well developed and exposed sections of the lower parts of the characteristic ophiolite sequence, including layered gabbro, cumulates and mantle rock. Composed of two tectonic units (the Lower Nappe and Upper Nappe) each underlain by an imbricate zone, it is among the finest and most accessible examples of ophiolitic rocks in Europe. The sites at Funzie and Norwick have been selected to be part of the Caledonian Structures of Great Britain Geological Conservation Review (GCR) network, as the best examples in Britain of structures relating to Caledonian ophiolite disruption and emplacement. As the Funzie GCR site and the Norwick GCR site they form the Caledonian Structures of Shetland GCR block.Accounts of all other sites in the Caledonian Structures of Great Britain Geological Conservation Review (GCR) network are already published (Treagus, 1992). Accounts of the Caledonian Structures of Shetland GCR block sites are, therefore, presented in this paper to complete publication of the Caledonian Structures of Great Britain Geological Conservation Review (GCR) network.     

中国西部活动地块运动模型的建立及其运动学分析

中国西部的青藏和新疆地区现代构造变形活动非常强烈, 业已证实该区可以进一步划分为塔里木、 阿拉善、 天山、 柴达木和西藏5个活动地块。 利用GPS观测资料得到的中国大陆地壳水平运动的速度场, 借鉴全球板块运动模型的建模方法, 将其视为刚性的地块系统, 反演得到各地块相对欧亚板块运动的欧拉矢量, 进而求得各地块两两之间相对运动的欧拉矢量, 并计算出沿地块边界的相对运动速率。 结果显示, 与地块边界上的地震滑移矢量, 由地质学资料得到的滑移速率, 以及GPS数据本身均有较好的一致性, 从而也说明了将该地区划分为若干活动地块并视为刚性地块的合理性。     

福建及沿海地区地震活动力源探讨

综合地震震源机制解和地壳形变观测资料的研究, 求得福建及其沿海地区现代震源应力场, 认为这与台湾地区、 台湾海峡应力场相互衔接, 主压应力轴优势方位为NW-SE向, 力轴仰角较小, 应力场近于水平挤压, 形变场反映近期福建沿海亦受北西方向, 接近与海岸垂直的挤压力。 进一步分析该区域内的断裂构造特征和地震活动强度由东至西逐渐减弱的规律, 认为菲律宾海板块与欧亚板块的相互作用力不仅是台湾强震力源所在, 而且其影响向西扩展, 福建及其沿海地区地震活动主要力源仍然是来自这两大板块的相互作用力。     

中国大陆地壳运动与强震关系研究

利用GPS观测结果研究了中国大陆当前地壳运动的空间分布及其所揭示的大区域构造变形背景与趋势;讨论了区域水平运动、应变率场分布与强震地点的关系;通过对昆仑山口西Ms8.1等地震区域水平运动与形变的分析,研究了强震过程的区域形变场变化的主要特征;提出了识别孕震形变场以进行中长期强震地点预测的思路和途径。     

印支运动对济阳坳陷构造形态形成演化的影响

三叠纪中期至侏罗纪早期的印支运动动力来源于华北板块与扬子板块的聚敛,聚敛作用形成巨大的NE-SW向挤压力首先导致济阳坳陷北西向压性构造的形成,产生了一系列NW向褶皱隆起带及其伴生的宽缓向斜,其次在对济阳盆地产生多处NW向挤压逆冲构造,伴之以褶皱构造。印支运动还造成本区地势起伏不平,剥蚀程度差异还导致相对隆起区与相对低洼区相间排列,上古生界保留较完整。     

关中地区垂直形变场及其动态演化特征

应用关中地区20余年的精密水准资料,用分段线性速率动态平差法进行统一起算基准的拟稳平差计算．得出了197l～1976、1976-1980、1980-1986和1986～1996年度的垂直形变速率图,从动态的观点研究了关中地区地壳垂直形变场的演化特征。研究结果表明：（1）地壳垂直形变场有规律的变化与区域应力-应变场的微动态活动有关,青藏亚板块和华北亚板块对关中地区的构造变形交替起主导作用,并产生了不同形变特征;（2）地壳垂直运动不是线性的。有加速、反向和停顿,长期平均垂直运动速率低于各时段的变化;（3）地壳垂直变化与断裂活动密切相关。垂直形变的逆继承性构造活动时期远小于继承性构造活动时期;（4）西安是一个特殊沉降区。由于过量开采地下水引起地面急剧下降。