Geochemical and isotopic evidence of a groundwater source in the Corral Canyon meadow complex,central Nevada,USA

Major inorganic ions and stable carbon and oxygen isotopes in stream water, groundwater, groundwater seeps and springs were measured in the Corral Canyon meadow complex and watershed in the Toquima Mountains of central Nevada, USA. The purpose of the study was to determine whether stream water or groundwater was the source of water that supports vegetation in the meadow complex. Water samples from the watershed and meadow complex were mixed cation–HCO₃ type. Stream water sampled at different locations in the meadow complex showed variations in temperature, pH and specific conductance. The cation–anion proportions for stream water were similar to groundwater, groundwater seeps and runoff from the meadow complex. Stable oxygen isotope ratios for stream water (?17·1 to ?17·6‰ versus VSMOW) and groundwater and groundwater seeps in the meadow site (?17·0 to ?17·7‰ versus VSMOW) were similar, and consistent with a local meteoric origin. Dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and the δ ¹³C_DIC for stream water (?12·1 to ?15·0‰ versus VPDB) were different from that of groundwater from the meadow complex (?15·3 to ?19·9‰ versus VPDB), suggesting different carbon evolution pathways. However, a simple model based on cation–δ ¹³C_DIC suggests that stream water was being recharged by shallow groundwater, groundwater seeps and runoff from the meadow complex. This leads to the conclusion that the source of water that supports vegetation in the meadow complex was primarily groundwater. The results of this study suggest that multiple chemical and stable carbon isotope tracers are useful in determining the source of water that supports vegetation in meadow complexes in small alpine watersheds. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

大兴安岭地区古生代构造格架重建:来自俯冲增生杂岩研究进展

大兴安岭地区古生代处于古亚洲洋闭合阶段,其间发育众多的弧盆系和蛇绿岩带,笔者等在大兴安岭地区1: 1 000 000地质编图和野外地质调研基础上,应用“洋板块地质”学术思想在大兴安岭地区元古宙、古生代地质体中划分出一系列“俯冲增生杂岩”、地块基底残块、岛弧、弧前盆地、弧后盆地等构造单元,结合陆(地)块和岩浆弧、弧前盆地、弧后盆地和“俯冲增生杂岩”的时空展布,划分出9条俯冲增生杂岩带,其中新识别出3条俯冲增生杂岩带。俯冲增生杂岩带主要分布于兴蒙造山带内部各地块之间和地块与大型岛弧带之间,相当于地块间及地块与岛弧带间的缝合带。依据俯冲增生杂岩带两侧对应的陆(地)块、岛弧带等构造级别,归并出5条结合带。俯冲增生杂岩带的展布方向以北东向为主,时代自北向南依次变新,从早奥陶世演化到中—晚二叠世,暗示古亚洲洋洋盆向大兴安岭地区陆(地)块俯冲作用最早发生在北部额尔古纳一带,逐渐向南后撤,不断形成新的洋壳和产生俯冲增生作用,相应的活动陆缘从北部额尔古纳地块向南逐渐增生,配套弧盆系时代也逐渐向南变新。早—中三叠世至西拉木伦一带发生陆-陆拼贴,完成华北板块与西伯利亚板块的对接。通过对大兴安岭地区古生代“俯冲增生杂岩”的研究,重建了大兴安岭地区古生代构造格架,提高了古亚洲洋东段洋-陆转换的研究程度。     

大兴安岭中生代火山岩地层时空分布与蒙古—鄂霍茨克洋、古太平洋板块俯冲作用响应

为了提高大兴安岭中生代火山岩地层的区域可对比性、深入研究大兴安岭中生代火山岩与古太平洋和蒙古—鄂霍茨克洋的构造关系,本文在大兴安岭地区1: 1 000 000地质图编图的基础上,依据岩石组合、古生物、接触关系、区域对比以及最新的年代学(锆石U-Pb、⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar测年)资料,对大兴安岭中生代火山岩地层重新进行了厘定。进一步界定了塔木兰沟组(172~161 Ma)、满克头鄂博组(162~148 Ma)、玛尼吐组(158~145 Ma)、白音高老组(145~129 Ma)、梅勒图组(143~128 Ma)、龙江组(128~120 Ma)、光华组(128~118 Ma)、甘河组(120~113 Ma)和孤山镇组(118~110 Ma)的形成时代。结合古太平洋、蒙古—鄂霍茨克洋板块对东亚大陆边缘的俯冲作用,解析了中生代火山岩形成的构造背景,认为中—晚侏罗世NE向展布的火山岩主要形成于蒙古—鄂霍茨克洋板块向南东俯冲的伸展背景,早白垩世NNE向展布的火山岩主要形成于伊泽奈岐板块向东亚大陆俯冲的伸展背景。晚侏罗世与早白垩世火山岩地层之间发育的开库康组、木瑞组等类磨拉石建造,是两个构造体系转换阶段的主要沉积记录。     

大兴安岭北段诺敏大山地区早白垩世侵入岩地球化学特征及其构造意义

本文选择大兴安岭北段诺敏大山地区早白垩世侵入岩进行了锆石U-Pb年代学和地球化学研究,探讨该区域侵入岩成因类型、岩浆来源及构造环境。该区侵入岩岩性主要为正长花岗岩、正长花岗斑岩和似斑状正长花岗岩,对其中正长花岗岩样品进行LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb测年表明,正长花岗岩侵位年龄为129.5±0.4 Ma,应为早白垩世岩浆活动的产物,结合区内侵入岩与地层相互接触关系,本区侵入岩形成时代为早白垩世。区内侵入岩具有富硅（SiO2= 67.36%~74.09%）、富碱（K2O+Na2O= 8.88%~9.34%）、高铝（Al2O3= 12.56%~16.15%）,低MgO、TiO2、CaO的特点,属于高钾钙碱性岩石系列;铝饱和指数（A/CNK）为0.94~1.31,为准铝质—过铝质岩石。微量元素富集Rb、U、Th、K等大离子亲石元素,强烈亏损Ti、Nb、Sr、P等高场强元素,具有明显的Eu负异常,属于高分异I型花岗岩。岩石Rb/Sr为0.9~2.0,Sr/Y为4.2~7.2,显示出高Sr、低Y的特点,指示岩浆源区为地壳物质的部分熔融。结合区域研究成果,蒙古—鄂霍茨克构造域在早白垩世之前已结束碰撞,诺敏大山地区早白垩世岩浆活动可能发生在蒙古—鄂霍茨克造山后的伸展环境。     

冀北金台子盆地早白垩世酸性火山岩地球化学、锆石年代学及其地质意义

华北克拉通在中生代以来遭受了显著破坏。前人的研究对克拉通破坏的机制和峰期取得了较大共识, 但是关于克拉通破坏的启动时间一直存在争议。本文通过对冀北金台子中生代盆地构造特征及其填充的火山岩地球化学和年代学进行分析, 为华北克拉通破坏启动时间提供新的约束。研究表明, 金台子盆地为一伸展断陷盆地。盆地呈北东-南西向展布, 东侧被正断层控制, 西侧为地层超覆边界。盆地内自下而上发育后城组、白旗组、啕北营组、九佛堂组火山-沉积组合。后城组是一套稳定的河流相红色砂砾岩沉积地层;白旗组和啕北营组主体为巨厚层流纹岩、流纹质凝灰熔岩, 局部夹安山岩和火山碎屑岩;九佛堂组是一套以砾岩、砂砾岩等为主体的碎屑岩。地球化学分析表明金台子盆地中发育的酸性火山岩源于地壳重熔。锆石U-Pb年代学研究显示, 金台子盆地内流纹岩自约145 Ma开始广泛喷发并形成巨厚层的酸性火山岩地层, 表明此时在华北北缘地区的岩石圈减薄和破坏可能就已非常剧烈, 据此华北克拉通在其北缘的破坏至少应早于145 Ma。     

Tectonic inversion events in the western San Jorge Gulf Basin from seismic,borehole and field data

The San Jorge Gulf Basin, located in Central Patagonia, has been interpreted as a Jurassic-Cretaceous rift basin that was later inverted mainly in its western sector. Consequently, the Bernardides System formed as a set of foreland contractional structures that constitute the core of the Patagonian broken foreland, exhuming continental deposits of the Cretaceous Chubut Group, 500 km away from the Pacific trench. In spite of the intense research done in the San Jorge Gulf Basin many aspects remain under discussion, particularly those regarding the age of uplift of the Bernárdides System. In order to unravel the tectonic evolution of the western San Jorge Gulf Basin (Río Mayo Sub-Basin), we analyzed subsurface information (2D and 3D seismic lines and oil wells) located in the western area of the basin and compared this with surface data of the southern Bernárdides System. Based on our interpretation, the western part of the basin could have been uplifted in a series of deformational events that began as early as late Early Cretaceous, related to the initial uplift of the Patagonian broken foreland, during the early stages of South Atlantic opening. Subsequent stages of tectonic reactivation identified in this system have selectively inverted previous extensional structures according to the variable direction of the greatest horizontal stress (σ1) acting at each time.     

Understanding Place Attachment to the County in the American Great Plains

The American Great Plains is a region dominated by a flat, treeless, semiarid environment that has challenged population settlement for over 140 years. As railroad companies successfully attracted pioneers to settle the land, state governments established hundreds of counties. Following Jeffersonian ideals, many of the counties were small in area so they could better serve the local agricultural‐based population. When states established these counties, they envisioned that the population would continue to grow and the Great Plains would become the breadbasket of North America. Unfortunately that did not materialize. A succession of hardships combined with serious environmental constraints has discouraged large‐scale settlement in the region. Many counties reached their maximum population in the early 1900s and their totals have decreased ever since (in some counties by as much as 60 percent to 80 percent). This has led a number of government officials to consider consolidating counties much like school districts have been combined. Using Logan and Gove counties in western Kansas as a case study, our purpose is to understand how attached people are to the county in which they live. Employing multiple methods, we gathered information about how different segments of the population regard their local county. We learned that changing computer technology and the Internet has the biggest impact on peoples' attachment to the county seat.     

Complex rift geometries resulting from inheritance of pre-existing structures: Insights and regional implications from the Barmer Basin rift

Structural studies of the Barmer Basin in Rajasthan, northwest India, demonstrate the important effect that pre-existing faults can have on the geometries of evolving fault systems at both the outcrop and basin-scale. Outcrop exposures on opposing rift margins reveal two distinct, non-coaxial extensional events. On the eastern rift margin northwest–southeast extension was accommodated on southwest- and west-striking faults that form a complex, zig-zag fault network. On the western rift margin northeast–southwest extension was accommodated on northwest-striking faults that form classical extensional geometries.Combining these outcrop studies with subsurface interpretations demonstrates that northwest–southeast extension preceded northeast–southwest extension. Structures active during the early, previously unrecognised extensional event were variably incorporated into the evolving fault systems during the second. In the study area, an inherited rift-oblique fault transferred extension from the rift margin to a mid-rift fault, rather than linking rift margin fault systems directly. The resultant rift margin accommodation structure has important implications for early sediment routing and depocentre evolution, as well as wider reaching implications for the evolution of the rift basin and West Indian Rift System. The discovery of early rifting in the Barmer Basin supports that extension along the West Indian Rift System was long-lived, multi-event, and likely resulted from far-field plate reorganisations.     

A mirage at Regina

The Dirt Hills, located roughly forty miles to the southwest of the Regina Weather Office, at Regina, Saskatchewan, were clearly visible on the horizon in the early morning of the 29th day of August 1972 from the Regina Weather Office. This mirage was documented and a picture of it was taken.     

Detecting subtle hydrochemical anomalies with multivariate statistics: an example from ‘homogeneous’ groundwaters in the Great Artesian Basin,Australia

The major ion composition of Great Artesian Basin groundwater in the lower Namoi River valley is relatively homogeneous in chemical composition. Traditional graphical techniques have been combined with multivariate statistical methods to determine whether subtle differences in the chemical composition of these waters can be delineated. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal components analysis were successful in delineating minor variations within the groundwaters of the study area that were not visually identified in the graphical techniques applied. Hydrochemical interpretation allowed geochemical processes to be identified in each statistically defined water type and illustrated how these groundwaters differ from one another. Three main geochemical processes were identified in the groundwaters: ion exchange, precipitation, and mixing between waters from different sources. Both statistical methods delineated an anomalous sample suspected of being influenced by magmatic CO₂ input. The use of statistical methods to complement traditional graphical techniques for waters appearing homogeneous is emphasized for all investigations of this type. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.