SHRIMP U–Pb zircon ages of tuffaceous mudrocks in the Brockman Iron Formation of the Hamersley Range,Western Australia

Tuffaceous mudrocks are common in the banded iron‐formations (BIF) of the Brockman Iron Formation. These tuffaceous mudrocks are either stilpnomelane‐rich or siliceous. Their compositions reflect bimodal volcanic activity in the vicinity of the Hamersley BIF depositional site. They also contain complex zircon populations that record resedimentation, syndepositional volcanism and post‐depositional isotopic disturbance. The best estimates of depositional age are obtained from siliceous tuffaceous mudrocks in the Joffre Member that contain 2459 ± 3 Ma and 2454 ± 3 Ma zircon populations most likely derived from felsic volcanism coeval with BIF deposition. These dates constrain the sedimentation rates for the ～370 m‐thick Joffre Member BIF to >15 m per million years. Siliceous tuffaceous mudrocks are not present in the underlying ～120 m‐thick Dales Gorge Member and it is uncertain whether previously reported ages of ca 2479–2470 Ma for this unit reflect detrital/xenocrystic or syndepositional zircon populations in resedimented stilpnomelane‐rich tuffaceous mudrocks. The increased abundance of tuffaceous mudrocks in the Joffre Member suggests that a pulse of enhanced igneous and hydrothermal activity accompanied deposition of the bulk of the Brockman Iron Formation BIF after ca 2460 Ma. This preceded and culminated in the emplacement of the 2449 ± 3 Ma large igneous province represented by BIF and igneous rocks of the Weeli Wolli Formation and Woongarra Rhyolite.     

1.60 Ga felsic volcanic blocks in the moraines of the Terre Adélie Craton,Antarctica: Comparisons with the Gawler Range Volcanics,South Australia

Rhyodacite and rhyolite blocks found in numerous moraines on the Terre Adélie Craton in Antarctica are samples of a high‐temperature high‐K calc‐alkaline to alkali‐calcic igneous suite emplaced at ca 1.60 Ga. They comprise lavas and pyroclastic rocks, including ignimbritic varieties, chemically representative of anorogenic and post‐orogenic igneous suites. The eruptive centres are probably close to the coast according to radar satellite images that show the trace of the ice streams. The volcanic suite is similar in age, petrography and chemical composition (major and trace elements as well as Nd isotopes) to the Gawler Range Volcanics from the Gawler Craton of South Australia. These similarities strengthen correlations previously established between the Gawler Craton and the Terre Adélie Craton (Mawson Continent). Moreover, the present petrological, geochemical and geochronological data give a new insight into the last major thermal event affecting the Mawson Continent. The results also highlight the useful contribution of moraines to our knowledge of Antarctic geology.     

Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous tectonic evolution of the Great Xing’an Range: geochronological and geochemical evidence from granitoids and volcanic rocks in the Erguna Block,NE China

ABSTRACT

The late Mesozoic magmatic record within the Erguna Block is critical to evaluate the tectonic history and geodynamic evolution of the Great Xing’an Range, NE China. Here, we provide geochronological and geochemical data on Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous plutonic-volcanic rocks in the northern Erguna Block and discuss their origin within a regional tectonic framework. Late Mesozoic magmatism in the Erguna Block can be divided into two major periods: Late Jurassic (162–150 Ma) and Early Cretaceous (140–125 Ma). Late Jurassic quartz monzonite and dacite show adakite characteristics such as high Al₂O₃, high Sr, and steeply fractionated REE patterns. Contemporary granitoids and rhyolites are also characterized by strong enrichment of light rare earth elements (LREE) and significant depletion in heavy rare earth elements (HREE), but with more pronounced negative Eu anomalies. Early Cretaceous trachytes and monzoporphyries exhibit moderate LREE enrichment and relatively flat HREE distributions. Coeval granites and rhyolites have transitional signatures between A-type and fractionated I-type felsic rocks. Both Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous rocks have distinctive negative Nb, Ta, and Ti anomalies, and positive zircon ε_Hf(t) values, suggesting that these magmas were derived from partial melting of Meso-Neoproterozoic accreted lower crust, although melting occurred at a variety of crustal levels. The transition from adakite to non-adakite magmatism reflects continued crustal thinning from Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. Our data, together with recently reported isotopic data for plutonic and volcanic rocks, as well as geochemical data, in NE China, suggest that Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous magmatism in the Erguna Block was possibly induced by post-collisional extension after closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean.     

Early kaolinization of detrital Weald facies in the Galve Sub-basin (Central Iberian Chain,north-east Spain) and its relationship to palaeoclimate

A set of samples from the Camarillas Formation (Barremian, Weald facies) in the Galve Sub-basin (Central Iberian Chain, north-east Spain) was studied to determine the origin of the abundant kaolinitic clays and their relationship to the sedimentary environment, palaeoclimate and diagenetic processes. The samples were examined by X-ray diffraction and scanning and transmission electron microscopy, with special emphasis on clay-mineral characterization. The analysed materials are a mixture of detrital (quartz, micas, and K-feldspars) and authigenic phases (kaolinite, Fe-oxides, gibbsite, dickite, and calcite). Therefore, the mineralogy of the rocks reflects the source area, the sedimentary conditions, and the diagenetic evolution. The most abundant authigenic phases are kaolinites. The combination of XRD and electron microscopy shows that the kaolinites are well crystallized and have as high a degree of ordering as those formed by weathering in palaeosols; this clay formed the rock matrix, intergrowths with muscovite, and vermicular booklets that replaced detrital silicates as a consequence of intense dissolution processes. The diagenetic processes have recrystallized kaolinites in the sandstones, producing larger crystallinity indices and dickite. In contrast, kaolinites from the claystones and siltstones probably reflect formation by weathering. The kaolinitization process described, associated with the crystallization of gibbsite and iron oxides, is in agreement with the relatively warm and humid conditions described for the Iberian Range basin in the early Barremian.     

张广才岭“新元古代”一面坡群的形成时代：来自岩浆锆石和碎屑锆石U-Pb年龄的制约

本文报道了黑龙江省张广才岭"新元古代"一面坡群唐家屯组流纹岩和长石石英砂岩以及杨木岗组粉砂质泥岩中锆石的U-Pb定年结果,结合上覆早侏罗世太安屯组流纹岩的定年结果,讨论了一面坡群的形成时代及其构造属性。采自该群绝大多数锆石均呈自形-半自形晶,显示出典型岩浆生长环带或条痕状吸收,暗示其岩浆成因。定年结果表明,采自一面坡群唐家屯组底部流纹岩的形成时代为295±2Ma,而上部长石石英砂岩产生了234Ma、260Ma、273Ma、291Ma、309Ma和327Ma多组谐和年龄;杨木岗组粉砂质泥岩产生了226Ma、267Ma、362Ma、411Ma、485Ma和783Ma多组谐和年龄;覆盖在杨木岗组之上的中生代太安屯组流纹岩的定年结果为189±1Ma。从上述定年结果可以看出,一面坡群唐家屯组流纹岩形成于早二叠世,而其上部的长石石英砂岩与杨木岗组粉砂质泥岩的形成时代类似(226~234Ma)——即其形成于晚三叠世-早侏罗世之间(226~189Ma),而非先前所确定的新元古代。基于杨木岗组中碎屑锆石的年龄频数,杨木岗组的沉积物源主要来自于周边晚古生代地质体以及次要的早中生代、早古生代和新元古代地质体。此外,早二叠世流纹岩与同时代玄武质岩石共同构成了双峰式火山岩组合,可能暗示一种伸展环境。     

Longevity and progressive abandonment of the Rocky Flats surface, Front Range, Colorado

The post-orogenic evolution of the Laramide landscape of the western U.S. has been characterized by late Cenozoic channel incision of basins and their adjacent ranges. One means of constraining the incision history of basins is dating the remnants of gravel-capped surfaces above modern streams. Here, we focus on an extensive remnant of the Rocky Flats surface between Golden and Boulder, Colorado, and use in situ-produced ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al concentrations in terrace alluvium to constrain the Quaternary history of this surface. Coal and Ralston Creeks, both tributaries of the South Platte River, abandoned the Rocky Flats surface and formed the Verdos and Slocum pediments, which are cut into Cretaceous bedrock between Rocky Flats and the modern stream elevations. Rocky Flats alluvium ranges widely in age, from > 2 Ma to  400 ka, with oldest ages to the east and younger ages closer to the mountain front. Numerical modeling of isotope concentration depth profiles suggests that individual sites have experienced multiple resurfacing events. Preliminary results indicate that Verdos and Slocum alluvium along Ralston Creek, which is slightly larger than Coal Creek, is several hundred thousand years old. Fluvial incision into these surfaces appears therefore to progress headward in response to downcutting of the South Platte River. The complex ages of these surfaces call into question any correlation of such surfaces based solely on their elevation above the modern channel.     

Exhumation of the lower crust during crustal shortening: an Alice Springs (380 Ma) age for a prograde amphibolite facies shear zone in the Strangways Metamorphic Complex (central Australia)

Foliated garnet-bearing amphibolites occur within the West Bore Shear Zone, cutting through granulite facies gneisses of the Strangways Metamorphic Complex. In the amphibolites, large euhedral garnet (up to 3 cm) occurs within fine-grained recrystallized leucocratic diffusion haloes of plagioclase–quartz. The garnet and their haloes include a well-developed vertical foliation, also present in the matrix. This foliation is the same as that cutting through the unconformably overlying Neoproterozoic Heavitree Quartzite. The textures indicate syn- to late kinematic growth of the amphibolite facies mineral assemblages.
All mineral assemblages record an arrested prograde reaction history. Noteworthy is the growth of garnet at the expense of hornblende and plagioclase, and the breakdown of staurolite–hornblende to give plagioclase–gedrite. These dehydration reactions indicate increasing P – T  conditions during metamorphism, and suggest heating towards the end of a period of intense deformation. Temperature estimates for the garnet–amphibolite and related staurolite–hornblende assemblages from the shear zone are about 600 °C. Pressure is estimated at about 5 kbar.
An Sm–Nd isochron gives an age of 381±7 Ma for the peak metamorphism and associated deformation. This age determination confirms that amphibolite facies conditions prevailed during shear zone development within the Strangways Metamorphic Complex during the Alice Springs Orogeny. These temperature conditions are significantly higher than those expected at this depth assuming a normal geothermal gradient. The Alice Springs Orogeny was associated with significant crustal thickening, allowing exhumation of the granulite facies, Palaeoproterozoic, lower crust. Along-strike variations of the tectonic style suggest a larger amount of crustal shortening in the eastern part of the Alice Springs Orogeny.     

大兴安岭东部花岗岩类锆石饱和温度及其地质意义

通过对花岗岩锆石饱和温度的计算,求得大兴安岭东部不同时代花岗岩浆的起源温度,为探讨花岗岩的形成条件和构造背景提供重要信息。计算结果表明,大兴安岭地区早古生代花岗岩、部分晚古生代I 型花岗岩( ＜ 300 Ma) 、晚古生代A 型花岗岩( 260 ～ 290 Ma) 属于高温花岗岩,高热的产生与造山后伸展构造背景导致的软流圈上涌/幔源岩浆的底侵作用有关; 部分晚古生代I 型花岗岩 ( ＞ 300 Ma) 及侏罗纪花岗岩属于低温花岗岩,可能反映了一种有流体参与的与俯冲有关的构造背景; 白垩纪I 型花岗岩的锆石饱和温度与侏罗纪花岗岩基本相同,属低温花岗岩,其形成可能与流体的加入有关,流体可能来自古太平洋俯冲板片残留体; 而白垩纪A 型花岗岩属高温花岗岩,高热的产生可能与白垩纪时期板内伸展构造体制下岩石圈减薄导致的地幔岩浆底侵有关。     

环青藏高原盆山体系东段新构造变形特征——以川西为例

介于扬子板块与青藏高原之间的川西前陆冲断带是环青藏高原盆山体系东段的重要组成部分,它是研究喜马拉雅构造运动对青藏高原东缘沉积盆地构造作用的重要场所。本文分别选取川西南段、川西北段和川北西段米仓山前的区域构造地质剖面来研究沉积地层在喜马拉雅运动中发生的构造变形特征。通过前陆冲断构造变形带的宽度、水平缩短量,山体隆升、盆地沉降,新构造对早期古构造的叠加与改造关系的研究,揭示出在环青藏高原盆山体系内,造山带与盆地边缘的冲断构造变形从造山带向克拉通盆地内扩展的同时受欧亚大陆与印度板块碰撞及其远程效应的空间位置限制,靠近青藏高原的川西南段到远离它的川北西段,新构造变形强度、新构造变形范围、盆山耦合程度具有依次降低等特征。这种受环青藏高原盆山体系控制的前陆冲断带构造变形具有明显的资环效应,特别是对油气资源的聚集与分布有重要的影响,控制了川西南段晚期次生气藏发育,川西北段和川北西段的早期原生气藏的发育。     

Effects of cattle trampling on vegetation, infiltration, and erosion in a tropical rangeland

Cattle trampling without forage consumption at stocking densities of 0.03-1.4 cows ha⁻¹ was simulated on two dry-season rangelands in Kenya. Experiments under artificial rainfall documented the response of plant cover and production, infiltration, and erosion on a Luvisol and a Vertisol. Trampling reduced plant cover, biomass, and, at the highest rate, regeneration in the ensuing wet season. Infiltration was reduced on the Vertisol but not the Luvisol, although increases in runoff due to trampling were slight. Trampling increased soil loss partly by reducing vegetation cover but mainly by disrupting surface layers of sand on the Luvisol and of clay aggregates on the Vertisol. Soil loss normalized by runoff and rainfall energy declined in a sequence of erosive rainstorms as the sandy surface layer became re-established, but before vegetation recovered. Establishment of a sandy armor layer during runoff events and its disruption by dry-season trampling thus strongly affect soil-loss rates. Trampling limits plant recovery in the ensuing wet season only at intensities typical of settlement and watering centers. The experimental results, generalized with a spatial model of stock density, can be used to estimate the contribution of trampling to forage production and erosion as herding patterns change in response to sedenterization and water development.