Continental subduction and exhumation of UHP rocks. Structural and geochronological insights from the Dabieshan (East China)

In the Dabieshan, the available models for exhumation of ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) rocks are poorly constrained by structural data. A comprehensive structural and kinematic map and a general cross-section of the Dabieshan including its foreland fold belt and the Northern Dabieshan Domain (Foziling and Luzenguang groups) are presented here. South Dabieshan consists from bottom to top of stacked allochtons: (1) an amphibolite facies gneissic unit, devoid of UHP rocks, interpreted here as the relative autochton; (2) an UHP allochton; (3) a HP rock unit (Susong group) mostly retrogressed into greenschist facies micaschists; (4) a weakly metamorphosed Proterozoic slate and sandstone unit; and (5) an unmetamorphosed Cambrian to Early Triassic sedimentary sequence unconformably covered by Jurassic sandstone. All these units exhibit a polyphase ductile deformation characterized by (i) a NW–SE lineation with a top-to-the-NW shearing, and (ii) a southward refolding of early ductile fabrics.

The Central Dabieshan is a 100-km scale migmatitic dome. Newly discovered eclogite xenoliths in a Cretaceous granitoid dated at 102 Ma by the U–Pb method on titanite demonstrate that migmatization post-dates HP–UHP metamorphism. Ductile faults formed in the subsolidus state coeval to migmatization allow us to characterize the structural pattern of doming. Along the dome margins, migmatite is gneissified under post-solidus conditions and mylonitic–ultramylonitic fabrics commonly develop. The north and west boundaries of the Central Dabieshan metamorphics, i.e. the Xiaotian–Mozitan and Macheng faults, are ductile normal faults formed before Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous. A Cretaceous reworking is recorded by synkinematic plutons.

North of the Xiaotian–Mozitan fault, the North Dabieshan Domain consists of metasediments and orthogneiss (Foziling and Luzenguang groups) metamorphosed under greenschist to amphibolite facies which never experienced UHP metamorphism. A rare N–S-trending lineation with top-to-the-south shearing is dated at 260 Ma by the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar method on muscovite. This early structure related to compressional tectonics is reworked by top-to-the-north extensional shear bands.

The main deformation of the Dabieshan consists of a NW–SE-stretching lineation which wraps around the migmatitic dome but exhibits a consistently top-to-the-NW sense of shear. The Central Dabieshan is interpreted as an extensional migmatitic dome bounded by an arched, top-to-the-NW, detachment fault. This structure may account for a part of the UHP rock exhumation. However, the abundance of amphibolite restites in the Central Dabieshan migmatites and the scarcity of eclogites (found only in a few places) argue for an early stage of exhumation and retrogression of UHP rocks before migmatization. This event is coeval to the N–S extensional structures described in the North Dabieshan Domain. Recent radiometric dates suggest that early exhumation and subsequent migmatization occurred in Triassic–Liassic times. The main foliation is deformed by north-verging recumbent folds coeval to the south-verging folds of the South Dabieshan Domain. An intense Cretaceous magmatism accounts for thermal resetting of most of the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dates.

A lithosphere-scale exhumation model, involving continental subduction, synconvergence extension with inversion of southward thrusts into NW-ward normal faults and crustal melting is presented.     

The tectonic regime in Italy inferred from borehole breakout data

In Italy, the horizontal stress directions are well constrained in many regions, but the tectonic regime is not well known because the stress magnitudes are unknown. Our intention is to improve the knowledge of crustal stress in Italy, both at shallow depth and in low seismicity areas. Therefore, we inferred the tectonic regime from the comparison between the depth of breakout occurrence and the physical properties of the rocks in 20 boreholes. The critical value of the maximum horizontal stress, for which the effective tangential stress at the borehole wall overcomes the rock strength to form breakouts, could be computed from rock strength and density. Comparing the theoretical stress distributions for different tectonic regimes with the depth distribution of breakout occurrence, it is possible to infer the tectonic regime that fits best to the breakout depth distribution. We investigated boreholes up to 6 km deep located in different tectonic environments over the Italian peninsula: the Po Plain, the Apenninic chain, the Adriatic foredeep and the Tyrrhenian Quaternary volcanic region. These wells are characterised by breakout data of good quality (A, B and C, according to World Stress Map quality ranking system). The results are in general agreement with the style of faulting derived from earthquake focal mechanisms and other stress indicators. Our results show a predominance of a normal faulting (NF) regime in the inner Apennines and both normal faulting and strike–slip faulting (SS) style in the surrounding regions, possibly also associated with changes in the tectonic regime with depth.     

Tectonics of the western margin of the Shan plateau (central Myanmar): implication for the India–Indochina oblique convergence since the Oligocene

We present new data and interpretations on the Neogene tectonics of the Shan scarp area (central Myanmar) and its relationship with the India–Indochina oblique convergence. We describe ductile and brittle fabrics associated with the major features in this area, the Mogok Metamorphic Belt (MMB), the Shan scarp and the Sagaing fault. From these data we identify a succession of two tectonic regimes. First, a dominant NNW–SSE-trending extension, marked by ductile stretching that characterizes the MMB, and associated N70E brittle normal faults. Later, from Middle or Upper Miocene to the Present, these structures were cross-cut by brittle right-lateral faults, among which the most important are the N20W transpressive Shan scarp fault zone and the N–S Sagaing fault. To explain this transition from a dominant transtensive to a transpressive stress regime, that occurred during Miocene, we place our data within a larger geodynamic context. We suggest that, like the intraplate deformation in the Indian Ocean, the end of spreading in the South China sea, the opening of the Andaman basin or the end of subduction within the Indo-Burma range, the change in the tectonic regime in central Myanmar could be in response to a major Miocene regional plate kinematic reorganization.     

大陆地震的动力学模型研究

应用非线性动力学模型，以大陆构造构体为参照对象，对大陆地震的成组孕育和发生过程进行模拟研究，通过对６×８弹簧－滑块－阻尼器组合单元非线性动力学模型的理论计算及其结果的分析，得到了一系列与实际地震较类似的人工地震图像，如模型中的地震活动在时间上有轮回怀，在地点上有条带性，并在不同轮回中有条过移的现象。模型中应力变化十分复杂，但仍能为预测地震提供概略性的信息。     

试论陆壳增生的两种基本模式及其对比

大陆地壳是地球形成演化的必然产物。大陆地壳由不同时代、不同类型、不同规模地体的拼贴而增生；同时已形成的大陆地壳沿着新的断裂分裂、离散而碱小。因此大陆地壳是地体拼贴增生与分裂离散的综合结果。太古代早期，原始陆壳形成后，主要通过环太平洋型与天山型两种基本模式达到陆壳的增生。环太平洋型陆壳增生模式出现于陆块的边缘，由古大陆向大洋方向单向增生，增生年代由老到新，增生地体一般都有较大距离的移置，其增生与板块的俯冲作用密切有关。天山型陆壳增生模式出现在陆块的内部，其形成与陆块的开台作用密切有关，可以但不一定伴随有俯冲作用。当古大陆沿一定方向断裂带分裂、离散。其间形成新的海槽接受碳酸盐岩和正常陆源碎屑沉积物与来自地壳深部或地幔的火山物质。由于壳下应力条件改变，两侧古陆相向运动，海槽中物质受两侧古陆碰撞挤压，形成褶皱造山带，并把两侧的古大陆“焊接”成新的、范围更大的大陆地壳。     

Geothermal Regime of Meso-Cenozoic Basins and Their Tectonic Background in East China

ＧｅｏｔｈｅｒｍａｌＲｅｇｉｍｅｏｆＭｅｓｏ－ＣｅｎｏｚｏｉｃＢａｓｉｎｓａｎｄＴｈｅｉｒＴｅｃｔｏｎｉｃＢａｃｋｇｒｏｕｎｄｉｎＥａｓｔＣｈｉｎａ＊ＺｈｕａｎｇＸｉｎｇｕｏＦａｃｕｌｔｙｏｆＥａｒｔｈＲｅｓｏｕｒｃｅｓ，ＣｈｉｎａＵｎｉｖｅｒｓｉｔ...     

塔里木西南早第三纪古地磁和地壳缩短

属于帕米尔弧山前带的乌帕尔剖面和属于南天山山前带的巴对布拉克剖面，现今的纬度差为０．５６°，但是下第三系古地磁测定结果表明其古纬度差很大．乌帕尔剖面齐姆根组上部的古纬度为８°Ｎ，而巴什布拉克剖面巴什布拉克组第５段的古纬度为３６．１°Ｎ。若考虑到当时板块的相对运移速度，估计始新世早期巴什布拉克地区的古纬度大致为３１°Ｎ，与当时乌帕尔所处位置的纬差达２３°。又根据Ｋｌｏｏｔｗｉｊｋ测得的帕米尔西北缘利什坦层的古纬度值，在始新世末期．包括乌帕尔在内的帕米尔前缘与以巴什布拉区为代表的南天山山前带之间还有至少１０°的纬度差。古地磁资料表明，始新世早期，塔里木海宽达２０００ｋｍ，此时印度板块西北端已与欧亚板块局部碰撞，至始新世末，印度板块向北推进２０°，帕米尔弧前缘与南天山山前的距离缩短到约１０００ｋｍ，原塔里木海的两侧上升为山前平原。     

构造层次与大陆壳动力学机制转变关系

针对构造层次研究现状和存在的问题，把大陆壳划分为深部，中部，浅部和浅－表部四个构造层次。依据各自所处特定的构造位置、组成构造岩类型、形成的制约因素和地质时代等方面的区别，各构造层次分别是壳－幔间滑动，大陆张裂、隆－滑构造和变质核杂岩构造等多种大陆壳动力学机制转变过程中的产物。构造层次与大陆壳动力学机制转变关系的确定，更有利于古老板构造连续性、整体性的研究以及多期、多层次、多旋回大陆地壳演化模式的建     

Paleogeographic maps of the Japanese Islands: Plate tectonic synthesis from 750 Ma to the present

Abstract A series of paleogeographic maps of the Japanese Islands, from their birth at ca 750–700 Ma to the present, is newly compiled from the viewpoint of plate tectonics. This series consists of 20 maps that cover all of the major events in the geotectonic evolution of Japan. These include the birth of Japan at the rifted continental margin of the Yangtze craton ( ca 750-700 Ma), the tectonic inversion of the continental margin from passive to active ( ca 500 Ma), the Paleozoic accretionary growth incorporating fragments from seamounts and oceanic plateaux ( ca 480-250 Ma), the collision between Sino-Korea and Yangtze (250–210 Ma), the Mesozoic to Cenozoic accretionary growth (210 Ma-present) including the formation of the Cretaceous paired metamorphic belts (90 Ma), and the Miocene back-arc opening of the Japan Sea that separated Japan as an island arc (25-15 Ma).