Loch Lomond Stadial glaciers in the Aran and Arenig Mountains,North Wales,Great Britain

Geomorphological evidence for four former local glaciers has been mapped in the Aran and Arenig Mountains, North Wales. Former glacial extent was deduced from the distribution and assemblage of end and lateral moraines, hummocky moraine, boulder limits, drift limits and periglacial trimlines. Comparison of infilled lake sediment stratigraphies inside and outside of the former glacier limits suggests a Loch Lomond Stadial (Late Devensian) age of the former glaciers (c. 12.9–11.5 cal. ka BP ). This finding is also supported by periglacial–landform contrasts between the land inside and outside of the glacier limits. Reconstruction of the four glaciers illustrates a mean equilibrium line altitude (ELA) of c. 504 m. From the reconstructed ELAs and the combination of precipitation and snowblow input for total accumulation, by analogy with Norwegian glaciers, a mean sea‐level July temperature is calculated at 8.4°C. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

New Activity of the Tanlu Fault Zone in the South of Huaihe to the Nvshanhu Segment since the Late Quaternary

Taking the Huaihe to the Nvshanhu segment of the Tanlu (Tancheng-Lujiang) fault zone as the main research target to explore whether there has been new activity since the late Quaternary, and based on the interpretation of remote sensing images and repeated surface investigations, we excavated trenches at the sections where the tectonic landform is significant, identified and recorded the deformation patterns of the fault and analyzed the activity behavior. Samples of new activity and deformation were collected and oriented slices were ground based on the samples'' original state to make the micro structural analysis and demonstration. All of the above research shows very clear linear tectonic geomorphology along the fault, three trenches across the fault zone all revealed new deformation traces since late Quaternary. The latest stratum dislocated by the fault is the late Quaternary and Holocene. The main slip mode is stick slip, as represented typically by fault scarps, wedge accumulation, the faults and the filled cracks and so on. In general, it shows the characteristics of brittle high-speed deformation and belongs to the prehistoric earthquake ruins. The above understanding was confirmed partially by microscopic analysis. In addition, the similarities and differences and the possible reasons for the characteristics of the latest activities of the Tancheng-Lujiang fault zone in the north and south of the Huaihe River regions are also discussed in this paper.     

A high‐resolution seismic stratigraphy from a Scottish sea loch and its implications for Loch Lomond Stadial deglaciation

A detailed high‐resolution seismic stratigraphy, calibrated by core data and terrestrial geomorphological mapping, has been constructed for Loch Ainort, Isle of Skye. This study has provided a palaeoenvironmental history of the area as well as important corroborative evidence for the stepped deglaciation of the Loch Lomond Stadial ice‐field on Skye. The Ainort Glacier reworked pre‐Loch Lomond glacial deposits terminating in a grounded tidewater ice‐front potentially 800 m beyond the previously extrapolated limit. The first stage of deglaciation was characterised by the formation of De Geer moraines indicative of a period of interrupted retreat. The second phase, by contrast, produced hummocky relief with sporadic linear moraines suggesting periods of uninterrupted retreat with occasional stillstands/readvances. Paraglacial reworking of terrestrial slopes resulted in the deposition of thick, subaqueous, debris flows which graded into fluvioglacial dominated sediments and ultimately modern fjordic deposits. The identification of an initial period of active retreat punctuated by numerous readvances correlates directly with the terrestrial record. However, the offshore stratigraphy suggests that although the second phase was dominated by uninterrupted retreat, occasional stillstands/ readvances did occur. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Chironomid‐inferred Late‐glacial air temperatures at Whitrig Bog,Southeast Scotland

This paper presents the first chironomid‐inferred mean July air temperature reconstruction for the Late‐glacial in Britain. The reconstruction suggests that the thermal maximum occurred early in the interstadial, with temperatures reaching about 12°C. There was then a gradual downward trend to about 11°C, punctuated by four distinct cold oscillations of varying intensity. At the beginning of the Younger Dryas, mean July temperatures fell to about 7.5°C but gradually increased to about 9°C before a rapid rise at the onset of the Holocene. The chironomid‐inferred temperature curve agrees closely, both in general trends and in detail, with the GRIP ice‐core oxygen‐isotope curve. The reconstructed temperatures are 2–4°C lower than coleopteran‐inferred temperatures but are closer to those inferred from plant macrofossils and glacial equilibrium‐line altitudes during the Younger Dryas. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

中祁连苏里地区新元古代辉绿岩墙群LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年龄及其地质意义

中祁连西段苏里地区有大量北东和近东西向延伸的辉绿岩、辉长岩呈岩墙状侵入到元古宙地质体中。基性岩墙的SiO₂含量为46.77%～52.37%,Al₂O₃含量为12.82%～15.86%,TiO₂含量为1.16%～3.14%,MgO含量为3.84%～7.98%,FeO^T含量为10.42%～15.53%,以贫K₂O （0.10%～1.60%）、Na₂O>K₂O为特征,里特曼指数σ=0.67～2.96,岩石主量元素地球化学成分与大洋拉斑玄武岩一致;全岩稀土元素总量较低（51.28×10^-6～165.11×10^-6）,轻重稀土元素之比为2.67～4.90,（La/Yb）_N值为2.04～5.03,属轻稀土元素富集型,δEu=0.93～1.12,无明显的Eu异常;富集Rb、Ba、Th、U,亏损Nb和K,大离子亲石元素丰度变化范围相对较宽,高场强元素富集程度不强,微量元素蛛网图上具有左侧隆起、右侧相对平坦的分布型式。基性岩墙LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年龄为819.5±5.2 Ma,形成时代与全球性Rodinia超级大陆裂解时代高度一致。岩石地球化学分析结果显示岩浆起源于亏损地幔源区,是尖晶石地幔橄榄岩部分熔融的产物,岩浆形成于陆内裂谷环境,表明其可能为Rodinia超级大陆裂解的产物。     

The 2.73 Ga I-type granites in the Lengshui Complex and implications for the Neoarchean tectonic evolution of the Yangtze Craton

ABSTRACT

We report the oldest I-type granites in the Lengshui Complex of the Yangtze Craton, providing new insights for its tectonic evolution during the Neoarchean. An approach-combined study of zircon U-Pb dating and Lu-Hf isotopes, as well as whole-rock element geochemistry and Nd isotopes, were employed. LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating for the monzogranite sample LSG03 and LSG16 yielded ages of 2732 ± 13 Ma and 2738 ± 25 Ma, respectively. The more precise age of 2732 ± 13 Ma for the sample LSG03 was taken as the crystallization age of the monzogranite. These rocks have high SiO₂ (73.11–74.01 wt%), K₂O (3.93–5.48 wt%), Na₂O (3.93–4.86 wt%) and low CaO (0.30–0.69 wt%), MgO (0.17–0.30 wt%), TiO₂ (0.14–0.17 wt%), P₂O₅ (0.01–0.06 wt%), Al₂O₃ (14.11–14.37 wt%) content with weakly peraluminous affinity (A/CNK = 1.04–1.11). Geochemically, they belong to I-type granites, indicating partial melting of a thickened lower crust. Their relatively high Nb/Ta (15.2–34.8) ratios further suggest they formed under eclogite-facies conditions. The consistent whole-rock Nd and zircon Hf isotopic compositions indicate a homogeneous source. According to their ε_Hf(t) values (?2.0 to 0.8), two-stage Hf model ages (3.1 to 3.2 Ga) and positive ε_Nd(t) (1.4 to 2.1), we argue that they were probably generated by partial melting of a juvenile lower crust with little ancient materials. Monzogranites formed in a late-orogenic or collisional compressive tectonic regime, whereas subsequent ca. 2.73 Ga and 2.67–2.62 Ga A-type granites in the Zhongxiang Uplift (including the Lengshui Complex) may represent a prolonged extensional setting. Thus, Archean subduction (probably unlike modern subduction) likely occurred prior to ca. 2.73 Ga. Similar magmatism in the Kongling Complex implies that the Zhongxiang Uplift may have accrete to the Kongling Complex during the early Neoarchean. The transition from I-type to A-type magmatism may have resulted from a change in the geodynamic regime from the late-orogenic or collisional compressive environment to an extensional environment caused by the subsequent lithospheric collapse and mantle upwelling, suggesting an early Neoarchean orogenic event in the eastern Yangtze Craton.     

鄂尔多斯盆地前侏罗纪古地貌形成演化及沉积充填特征

采用河流阶地、河谷形态和残余厚度等方法,结合地震和钻井资料,恢复了鄂尔多斯盆地前侏罗纪古地貌形成演化阶段及其特征。结果表明,三叠纪末期盆地主要经历了两次特征不同的构造抬升侵蚀过程,第一次为整体性均衡抬升,抬升侵蚀作用较强;第二次为宽缓V字型不均衡抬升,抬升侵蚀作用相对较弱。前侏罗纪古地貌的形成是晚印支构造运动的侵蚀响应,根据抬升期次晚印支运动可以分为两个亚幕。随着抬升侵蚀的结束,古地貌中河谷首先开始了沉积充填,先后沉积了限制性河谷环境的富县组和半限制河谷环境的延安组延10段河流相地层。     

The chronology of Late Quaternary fluvial activity in part of the Milfield Basin,northeast England

The sediment stratigraphy of a 4 m thick intercalated Holocene alluvial fill and valley floor peat at a site in the Milfield Basin, Northumberland, has been dated by a series of eight ¹⁴C assays, and related to a previously analysed pollen record. The sequence extends from the earliest Holocene until c. 2800 cal. BP . Prior to the onset of peat inception, substantial amounts of channel-trenching can be demonstrated to have occurred in the Milfield Basin during the Loch Lomond Stadial. There is no measurable early Holocene accelerated fluvial activity, but a major flooding event occurred at c. 7500 cal. BP , much earlier than recorded elsewhere in the region. The explanation for this is not clear. However, the cessation of mid-Holocene overbank sedimentation at c. 4000–3500 cal. BP is tentatively correlated with slope stability associated with woodland regeneration. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Devensian ice sheet characteristics: a palaeohydraulic approach

Glacial meltwater channels are incised into bedrock and diamicton along much of the length of the Mid-Cheshire Ridge. Detailed mapping of one such system near the town of Helsby reveals a dendritic channel network developed in the opposite direction to the regional ice flow during the last (Late Devensian) glaciation. The channels formed subglacially, under atmospheric and not hydrostatic pressure, presumably as the ice sheet downwasted during deglaciation. Morphological and palaeohydraulic evidence suggests that not all of the network was necessarily active contemporaneously. Former water levels in the channels can be estimated due to the presence of bar surfaces, giving a calculated palaeodischarge of at least 111 m³ s⁻¹. The ablation rates required to account for this large discharge are an order of magnitude greater than those obtained from theoretical calculations and those observed in modern glacial environments. This implies that some form of high-magnitude discharge, such as a seasonal flood event, must have taken place in this area during deglaciation. This picture of the Late Devensian ice sheet suggests that during recession the ice sheet was static, crevassed and relatively thin (<50 m). This study also shows that there is no simple relationship between meltwater channel direction and ice dynamics, and that care is required when using the former to make inferences about the latter. Copyright © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Quaternary vegetational and climatic change in the Popayán region,southern Colombian Andes

Late Pleistocene and Holocene vegetational and climatic change have been studied palynologically at a site at 1750 m elevation in the subandean vegetation belt near Popayán, in the southern Colombian Andes. Time control on the pollen record is based on six AMS ¹⁴C ages, ranging from possibly Middle Pleniglacial time (around 50000 yr BP) to 1092 ± 44 yr BP. Because of the presence of two hiatuses only the Middle Pleniglacial and Late Holocene periods (the last 2300 yr BP) are represented. Pollen data indicate the presence of closed subandean forest during glacial time. Changes in the contribution of pollen originating from the uppermost and lowermost subandean forest belts, changes in the contribution of a number of other subandean forest taxa, and changes in species composition between the three pollen zones, suggest that the climate during the Middle Pleniglacial was markedly colder, and perhaps also wetter, than during the Late Holocene. Pollen assemblages from the Late Holocene indicate that the landscape has been affected by deforestation and agriculture since at least 2300 yr BP, but that human impact decreased in the last 780 yr BP. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.