Early Proterozoic syn-and postcollision granites in the northern part of the Baikal fold area

Early Proterozoic granitoids are of a limited occurrence in the Baikal fold area being confined here exclusively to an arcuate belt delineating the outer contour of Baikalides, where rocks of the Early Precambrian basement are exposed. Geochronological and geochemical study of the Kevakta granite massif and Nichatka complex showed that their origin was related with different stages of geological evolution of the Baikal fold area that progressed in diverse geodynamic environments. The Nichatka complex of syncollision granites was emplaced 1908 ± 5 Ma ago, when the Aldan-Olekma microplate collided with the Nechera terrane. Granites of the Kevakta massif (1846 ± 8 Ma) belong to the South Siberian postcollision magmatic belt that developed since ～1.9 Ga during successive accretion of microplates, continental blocks and island arcs to the Siberian craton. In age and other characteristics, these granites sharply differ from granitoids of the Chuya complex they have been formerly attributed to. Accordingly, it is suggested to divide the former association of granitoids into the Chuya complex proper of diorite-granodiorite association ～2.02 Ga old (Neymark et al., 1998) with geochemical characteristics of island-arc granitoids and the Chuya-Kodar complex of postcollision S-type granitoids 1.85 Ga old. The Early Proterozoic evolution of the Baikal fold area and junction zone with Aldan shield lasted about 170 m.y. that is comparable with development periods of analogous structures in other regions of the world.     

Paleoproterozoic accretion in the Northeast Siberian craton: Isotopic dating of the Anabar collision system

Geochronological database considered in the work and characterizing the Anabar collision system in the Northeast Siberian craton includes coordinated results of Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr dating of samples from crustal xenoliths in kimberlites, deep drill holes, and bedrock outcrops. As is inferred, collision developed in three stages dated at 2200–2100, 1940–1760, and 1710–1630 Ma. The age of 2000–1960 Ma is established for substratum of mafic rocks, which probably originated during the lower crust interaction with asthenosphere due to the local collapse of the collision prism. Comparison of Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isochron dates shows that the system cooling from ≈700 to ≈300°C lasted approximately 300 m.y. with a substantial lag relative to collision metamorphism and granite formation. It is assumed that accretion of the Siberian craton resulted in formation of a giant collision mountainous structure of the Himalayan type that was eroded by 1.65 Ga ago, when accumulation of gently dipping Meso-to Neoproterozoic (Riphean) platform cover commenced.     

南海西南部曾母盆地早中新世以来沉降史分析

采用回剥法和局部均衡模式研究曾母盆地早中新世以来的沉降史，并探讨了该盆地构造演化特征。曾母盆地自早中新世以来经历了17．5-11．6Ma、11．6-5．5Ma、5．5-3．0Ma和3．0-0Ma的4次快速沉降作用，其构造演化受控于曾母地块与南沙地块及婆罗洲地块的碰撞和盆地两侧的万安-卢帕尔断裂与廷贾走滑断裂的综合作用，可划分为南北双向挤压（晚始新世-早中新世）、走滑改造（中中新世-晚中新世）和区域沉降（上新世-第四纪）3个演化阶段。     

柴达木盆地北缘早古生代碰撞造山系统

柴达木盆地北缘在早古生代形成了一条碰撞造山带，该造山带结构保存较完整，可分辨出深俯冲板片、火山岛弧带、蛇绿杂岩带、岛弧深成岩带等组成单元。其中，俯冲板块主要由中元古代鱼卡河岩群和中新元古代花岗片麻岩构成，在寒武纪末-奥陶纪可能全部或部分俯冲到岩石圈深部，发生了高压-超高压变质作用。火山岛弧主要由中基性火山岩、细碎屑岩等组成，成岩时代为晚寒武世-奥陶纪。蛇绿杂岩带由超镁铁质岩、辉长岩、玄武岩和少量硅质岩组成，形成于弧后扩张脊构造背景，成岩时代为寒武纪-奥陶纪。岛弧深成岩成分变化较大，由闪长岩变化到花岗岩，成岩时代为奥陶纪。而造山带北侧的欧龙布鲁克微陆块则具有双层结构，由德令哈杂岩和达肯大坂岩群构成基底，盖层为全吉群。     

中国甘肃发现世界上最大牙齿的植食性恐龙:巨齿兰州龙(新属、新种)

巨齿兰州龙（新属、新种）是发现于中国甘肃省兰州盆地早白垩世地层中的一新鸟脚类恐龙，其牙齿是世界上已知植食性恐龙中最大的。兰州龙下颌长1m，每侧有14个齿槽，而单个牙齿宽约4cm，这是已知恐龙中的首次报道。分支系统学分析发现巨齿兰州龙与非洲早白垩世Lurdusaurus arenatus关系密切。它们代表了鸟脚类恐龙进化中四足行走的笨重的一新支。兰州龙的发现也表明欧亚大陆与非洲在早白垩世具有较密切的联系。     

广西凭祥地区早二叠世的岩浆弧及其构造意义

广西凭祥地区有3种不同建造背景的二叠-三叠系，深水相的下二叠统呈一飞来峰推覆在台地型的石炭纪-早三叠世沉积和早-中三叠世浊积岩上，与前者共生的基性-超基性岩是古特提斯岩浆弧的记录，当时的被动大陆边缘在百色阳圩-田林八渡，说明洋壳向南西消减，早二叠世弧的原形成位置可能在越南境内，早-中三叠世的弧则已向北东迁移，在中越交界区形成图尔基式造山带。     

A new species of Mirovia (Coniferales, Miroviaceae) from the Lower Cretaceous of the Iberian Ranges (Spain)

The Lower–Middle Albian coaly clay bed of the Escucha Formation, which is exposed at Rubielos de Mora (eastern Iberian Ranges, Spain), contains a diverse fossil plant assemblage. Among the taxa present in this layer, Mirovia gothanii Gomez sp. nov. differs from other species of the genus by its greater leaf length, margins typically overhanging the depressed stomatal groove, a single short, blunt, papilla borne by each subsidiary cell, non-stomatal cells inside the groove and margins, and a higher number of resin ducts in the mesophyll. Morphological study of the well-preserved cuticles demonstrates that the species also occurs in Lower Cretaceous coals of Santa Maria de Meià (Pyrenees, Spain) where Gothan (1954) described it as Sciadopitytes sp. Both localities constitute the southernmost extent of the genus in Laurasia when the family was likely to have reached its climax in terms of abundance and diversity.     

New Early Cretaceous paleomagnetic results from Qilian orogenic belt and its tectonic implications

Lower Cretaceous red sedimentary rocks from the depositional basin of East Qilian fold belt have been collected for a paleomagnetic study. Stepwise thermal demagnetization reveals two or three components of magnetization from dark red sandstones. Low-temperature magnetic component is consistent with the present Earth Field direction in geographic coordinates. High-temperature magnetic components are mainly carried by hematite. The mean pole of 19 sites for high-temperature magnetic components after tilt-correction is λ=62.2°N, φ=193.4°E, A95=3.2°, and it passes fold tests at 99% confidence level and reversal tests at 95% confidence level. The paleopole is insignificantly different from that of Halim et al. (1998) from the same sampling area at the 95% confidence level. Compared with paleomagnetic results for North China, South China, and Eurasia, our results suggest that no significant relative latitudinal displacement has taken place between Lanzhou region and these blocks since Cretaceous time. Remarkably, the pole of Lanzhou shows a 20° clockwise rotation with respect to those of North China, South China, and Eurasia. Geological information indicates that the crustal shortening in the western part of Qilian is greater than that in eastern part. In this case, the clockwise rotation of sampling area was related to India/Eurasia collision, and this collision resulted in a left-lateral strike-slip motion of the Altun fault in north Tibetan Plateau after the Cretaceous.