Facies architecture of a submarine fan channel–levee complex: the Juniper Ridge Conglomerate, Coalinga, California

The Upper Cretaceous Juniper Ridge Conglomerate (JRC) near Coalinga, California, provides a rare, high-quality exposure of a submarine channel to overbank transition. The facies architecture of the JRC comprises a thick, predominantly mudstone sequence overlain by a channellized conglomerate package. Conglomeratic bounding surfaces truncate successions of interbedded turbiditic sandstones and mudstones both vertically and laterally. Thick-bedded, massive sandstones are interbedded with conglomerates. Facies architecture, palaeocurrent indicators, slump features, sandstone percentages and sandstone bed thickness trends lead to the interpretation that these elements comprise channel and overbank facies. A vertical sequence with conglomerate at the base, followed by thick-bedded sandstone, and capped by interbedded turbiditic sandstone and mudstone form a fining-upward lithofacies association that is interpreted as a single channel-fill/overbank system. Three similar lithofacies associations can be related to autocyclic processes of thalweg migration and submarine fan aggradation or to allocyclically driven changes in sediment calibre.     

Episodic crustal growth in the Tanzania Craton: evidence from Nd isotope compositions

The analysis of available Nd isotope data from the Tanzania Craton places important constraints on the crust-mantle separation ages, and events marking juvenile crustal addition and crustal recycling. Nd model ages date the oldest crust extraction to 3.16 Ga in the Tanzania Craton, although a rock record of such antiquity is yet to be found there. The most significant period of juvenile crustal addition as well as crustal recycling is 2.7–2.6 Ga. The Nd isotopes of mafic samples show that chemical heterogeneity existed in the mantle beneath the Tanzania Craton, with some samples originating from significantly depleted mantle, and most samples originating from the mixture of primitive mantle and depleted mantle. The Nd isotope section reveals significant differences in Nd isotopes between the north craton and central craton; compared to the north craton, the central craton yields a Nd model age that is approximately 100 Ma older, and its ε_Nd(t) values are more negative, indicating that the two parts of the craton have different mantle source regions. Different types of granitoids are distributed in the Tanzania Craton, such as high-K and low-Al granite, calc-alkaline granite, peraluminous granite and transitional types of tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorites (TTGs). Most of the granitoids formed later than the mafic rocks in syn-collision and post-collision events.     

Relative sea-level, tectono-eustasy, geoidal-eustasy and geodynamics during the Cretaceous

A priori, the recorded relative sea-level changes during the Cretaceous must be the combined effect of tectono-eustasy, geoidal-eustasy and various crustal level changes. To this we must add the human factor of differences and errors in interpretations.A posteriori, it is claimed that geoidal-eustasy dominated during the Hauterivian, Barremian, Turonian, Santonian and Maastrichtian, that tectono-eustasy dominated during the Albian, Cenomanian, Campanian and at the Maastrichtian/Danian boundary, and that local influences of sea-floor spreading are identified from the Albian/Cenomanian boundary onwards. To this we must add the local differential crustal movements modulating the global and regional ocean level changes. Geoidal-eustasy is mainly expressed as a latitudinal differentiation of the sea-level with out-of-phase changes between the hemispheres or the both high latitude regions. Furthermore, sedimentological records seem to record short-period geoidal-eustatic cycles.     

Effects of low- to high-angle normal faults on sedimentary architectures in the Eocene Wenchang Formation,Enping Sag,Pearl River Mouth Basin,South China Sea

The effects of low- to high-angle (>30°) normal faults on sedimentary architectural units in the Eocene Wenchang Formation, Enping Sag, Pearl River Mouth Basin (PRMB), South China Sea were investigated utilising a high-quality 3D seismic data set and restored paleogeomorphology. It has been shown that sequence stratigraphic units and sedimentary architecture are significantly controlled by the low- to high-angle normal faults. The Wenchang Formation, a second-order sequence, can be subdivided into two para-second-sequences (the Lower and Upper Wenchang sequences, E₂W^L and E₂W^U) and seven third-order sequences (from base to top: SQ1～SQ7). The low-angle fault confined sequence architecture of the Wenchang Formation is mainly characterised by lateral stacking with the ratio of the vertical subsidence (V) to horizontal slip (H) being reduced from 1/2 for E₂W^L to 1/6 for E₂W^U. In contrast, the high-angle fault confined sequence is characterised by vertical stacking with the ratio of V/H close to 1 for sequences SQ1 to SQ7. In the 3D seismic area, the features of sediment-dispersal pattern were interpreted based on an integrated analysis of paleogeomorphology, seismic reflection characteristics, stratal thickness distribution and multiple attribute clustering. The results show that the large-scale fan delta, belt-shape lacustrine deposit and bird-foot braided delta systems mainly developed in the low-angle fault confined sequences, whereas small-scale fan delta, rhombus-shaped lacustrine deposit and lobe-shaped braided delta systems inherited tectono-sedimentary architectures in the high-angle fault confined sequences.     

Structure of the earth's crust in Jordan from potential field data

Gravity and magnetic data were collected and used to study the crustal structure of Jordan. Three new geophysical maps of Jordan were created: a Moho discontinuity map, a crystalline basement surface map, and a map showing the lowest limit of magnetic blocks. Depths of the Curie Isotherm were also calculated. Results indicate that the depth to the Moho discontinuity in Jordan varies from 32 to 33 km in the northwest to 38 km in the southeast. The basement complex rocks outcrop on the surface in the southwest but lie at about 8 km in the northeast. The Curie Isotherm (585 °C) lies at a depth of about 10 km in the area east of the Dead Sea and dips southeastward towards the Al-Sirhan (Wadi Sirhan), southeast Jordan, where it is located at 35 km depth. Local isostasy of rock masses (blocks) in Jordan does not occur. Nevertheless, this does not rule out the possible existence of isostasy in a regional scale at greater depths within the mantle.     

Analysis of geomagnetic field along seismic profile P4 of the International Project POLONAISE'97

This paper presents relative secular variations of the total intensity of the geomagnetic field against a background of results of magnetic anomaly interpretation along seismic profile P4. Profile P4 crosses a Variscan folding zone in the Paleozoic Platform (PLZ), the Trans-European Suture Zone (TESZ), and the Polish part of the East European Craton (EEC). Secular geomagnetic field variations measured in 1966–2000 along a line adjacent to seismic profile P4 were analysed. The study of secular variations, reduced to the base recordings at the Belsk Magnetic Observatory, showed that the growth of geomagnetic field at the East European Craton was slower than in the Trans-European Suture Zone and the Paleozoic Platform.A 2D crustal magnetic model was interpreted as a result of magnetic modelling, in which seismic, geological and geothermal data were also used. The modelling showed that there were significant differences in the magnetic model for geotectonic units, which had been earlier determined based on deep seismic survey data. It should be noted that a fundamental change of trend of the relative secular variations was observed at the slope of the Precambrian Platform. After analysing the geomagnetic field observed along profile P4, the hypothesis that the contact between Phanerozoic and Precambrian Europe lies in Poland's territory can be proven.     

特提斯喜马拉雅带江孜地区古近纪地层源区分析——对造山带早期地壳加厚的制约

特提斯喜马拉雅北亚带江孜地区上古新统-下始新统甲查拉组记录了喜马拉雅碰撞造山带的早期地壳加厚和沉积历史。本文我们报道了甲查拉组详细的碎屑锆石U-Pb年龄和全岩Sm-Nd同位素数据。甲查拉组由青灰色厚层的岩屑砂岩夹泥岩组成,不整合覆盖在宗卓组之上,碎屑锆石主要的峰值介于350～80 Ma, 900～470 Ma以及1 300～950 Ma,次要的峰值介于2 800～1 500 Ma。全岩⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr介于0.707 505～0.713 174,¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd介于0.512 206～0.512 355,ε_Nd(0)介于-5.52～-8.43。甲查拉组物源区以再循环的日喀则弧前盆地和上三叠统郎杰学群为主,少量物质来自雅鲁藏布江缝合带。上述研究表明,甲查拉组沉积在周缘前陆盆地的背景下,且特提斯喜马拉雅北亚带在始新世期间经历了明显的地壳加厚。     

Study on Multi-Parameter Seismic Observation Technique Based on Optic Fiber Sensing

”Deep well, wide band, multi-component comprehensive observation” is the development direction of seismic observation. In order to promote the application and development of underground integrated observation system, key technologies, such as high temperature resistance sensor, interference isolation of sensor unit and miniaturization of instrument, need to be developed. Optic fiber sensors have the advantages of small size, passive nature, resistance to electromagnetic interference, being easy to long distance transmission and multi-parametric network observation, which are expected to provide new technology for the comprehensive observation of multi-parameter earthquakes in deep wells. This paper proposed a comprehensive observation technique of seismic wave, crustal deformation and temperature. An integrated borehole seismic sensor based on fiber Bragg grating resonators was designed for measuring three-component earthquake, three-component crustal deformation and temperature signal. A new technique for simultaneous measurement of multi-parameters of temperature and strain of fiber based on effective cavity length was presented. The technique of high precision optical fiber signal demodulation based on single side band sweep laser and the design of multi-parameter integrated optical fiber probe were introduced. The resolution of strain and temperature measurement of the fiber multi-parameter sensor system reached 4.7 \times 10^-10 and 6×10^-5 ℃ , respectively. A comprehensive multi-parameter earthquake observation experiment was carried out at the seismic station. The results show that the integrated optical fiber multi-parameter seismic observation system can simultaneously record the earth tide signal, seismic wave signal and environmental temperature disturbance, and has good anti-environmental interference ability and long-term stability, which is expected to provide a new technique for crustal deformation observation.