华北克拉通西南缘汝阳群沉积时代及其地质意义：来自碎屑锆石U-Pb年龄的证据

汝阳群分布在华北克拉通西南缘,位于河南-陕西-山西交界地区,主要为一套未变质的碎屑岩及碳酸盐岩地层,不整合于熊耳群火山岩系之上,其上被洛峪群整合覆盖。长期以来,其地质时代一直存有较大的争议。本文通过对汝阳群下部白草坪组4个石英砂岩样品中的碎屑锆石进行LA-ICP-MS U-Pb年龄测定,获得的²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb年龄分布范围为3 000～1 800 Ma,主要集中在2 600～2 400 Ma之间(约占67%),年龄主峰值为2 550～2 500 Ma,说明其沉积物质主要来源于新太古代末以及古元古代的地质体。其中,最年轻锆石的²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb谐和年龄值分别为1 817±22 Ma、1 838±23 Ma、1 924±17 Ma和1 829±28 Ma,说明汝阳群沉积时代不老于1 800 Ma,与其上覆洛峪群中近期获得1 611±8 Ma的年龄相吻合,因此其形成时代应为中元古代早期。     

Some problems of slope development

Slopes are the fundamental unit of the physiographic landscape. Yet the reasons for variations in their morphology and inferred mode of development are not well understood. The problem is complex, but the slope budget, which results primarily from the interplay of climatically induced factors and structure is significant: where the erosion of the upper slope elements surpasses that on the lower, parallel retreat prevails, but when the reverse is the case, slope decline is dominant. Complications are introduced by such factors as climatic change and fluctuations of baselevel, both local and general. But structural factors can and do override all others.

A knowledge of geomorphic history, and of processes and their effectiveness under various circumstances, in advance of that usually at our disposal at present is necessary before slopes can satisfactorily be analysed. It appears unlikely that there is a universal law of slope development..     

The Somerset Dam Layered basic intrusion,Southeastern Queensland

The Somerset Dam Layered Basic Intrusion is probably a sub‐volcanic magma chamber, and it consists of 20 saucer‐shaped layers composed of troctolites, olivine gabbros, ferrigabbros, and leucogabbros. The layered sequence is 1650 ft (500 m) thick, and comprises several repetitions of a standard pattern termed a zone. Each zone is generally composed of four layers, and successive mineral assemblages from the base upwards are: plagioclase‐olivine, plagioclase‐augite‐olivine, plagioclase‐augite‐magnetite‐ilmenite, and plagioclase‐uralite. Pronounced modal and textural changes define the boundaries between these layers. Within a zone, systematic variation in the proportions and compositions of minerals is thought to be the result of a slight decrease in temperature, and an increase in the partial pressures of water vapour and oxygen from the base to the top.

Repetition of zones is explained by a mechanism involving periodic renewals of magma. Lack of progressive changes in mineral compositions and proportions from the base to the top of the layered sequence is also a consequence of the magma composition, the control of water vapour pressure, and the limited range of crystallisation temperatures. Gravitational settling of early minerals does not explain the variation within a zone, or the small‐scale rhythmic layering that is locally developed, and it is concluded that diffusion has been an important control.     

Inliers of banded iron‐formation in the Proterozoic Wyloo Group sediments near Paraburdoo,Western Australia

Two inliers with a total outcrop length of 3000 m and a maximum width of 200 m, consisting of a sedimentary klippe (olistolith) and an olistostrome (both composed of banded iron‐formation and shale belonging to the Hamersley Group) occur within the Mininer Turbidite Member of the Wyloo Group, south of Paraburdoo, W.A., 2500 m from the top of the Hamersley Group proper. The olistostrome is a typical debris slide produced by slumping of unconsolidated material. The klippe was rafted into position as a solid block by a turbidity current.

The pattern of mineralisation within the banded iron‐formation part of the klippe, which is identified as being from the Brockman Iron Formation, together with evidence from the basal conglomerate of the Wyloo Group, shows that the formation of the Hamersley iron ore deposits commenced prior to the deposition of the Wyloo Group sediments.     

Geological significance of middle Cambrian trilobites from near Melba Flats,western Tasmania

In western Tasmania, near Melba Flats, a basalt within the Serpentine Hill Complex is overlain unconformably by Dundas Group sediments (Hodge Slate). About 32 m above the unconformity, a siltstone contains agnostoid and polymerid trilobites that indicate correlation with the middle Cambrian Ptychagnostus punctuosus Zone (Drumian Stage of unnamed Epoch 3 of the Cambrian). This provides an upper limit of about 505.2–504.5 Ma to the emplacement of ultramafic allochthons in western Tasmania. Other fossils present include dendroids, inarticulate brachiopods, hyolithids, helcionellids and sponges. The widespread agnostoid trilobite Ptychagnostus affinis (Brøgger 1878) and the holocephalinid trilobites Meneviella and Holocephalina are recorded for the first time in Tasmania.     

Coupled asteroid impacts and banded iron-formations,Fortescue and Hamersley Groups,Pilbara, Western Australia

Asteroid impact spherule layers and tsunami deposits underlying banded iron-formations in the Fortescue and Hamersley Groups have been further investigated to test their potential stratigraphic relationships. This work has included new observations related to the ca 2.63 Ga Jeerinah Impact Layer (JIL) and impact spherules associated with the 4th Shale-Macroband of the Dales Gorge Iron Member (DGS4) of the Brockman Iron Formation. A unit of impact spherules (microkrystite) correlated with the ca 2.63 Ga JIL is observed within a >100 m-thick fragmental-intraclast breccia pile in drill cores near Roy Hill. The sequence represents significant thickening of the impact/tsunami unit relative to the JIL type section at Hesta, as well as relative to the 20–30 m-thick ca 2.63 Ga Carawine Dolomite spherule-bearing mega-breccia. The ca 2.48 Ga-old Dales Gorge Member of the Brockman Iron Formation is underlain by an ?0.5 m-thick rip-up clast breccia located at the top of the ca 2.50 Ga Mt McRae Shale, and is interpreted as a tsunami deposit. We suggest that the presence of impact ejecta and tsunami units stratigraphically beneath a number of banded iron-formations, and units of ferruginous shale in the Pilbara and South Africa may result from a genetic relationship. For example, it could be that under Archean atmospheric conditions, mafic volcanism triggered by large asteroid impacts enriched the oceans in soluble FeO. If so, seasonal microbial and/or photolytic oxidation to ferric oxide could have caused precipitation of Fe₂O₃ and silica. In view of the possible occurrence of depositional gaps and paraconformities between impact ejecta units and overlying ferruginous sediments, these relationships require further testing by isotopic age studies.     

Provenance and structure of the Yancannia Formation,southern Thomson Orogen: implications for the tectono-stratigraphic evolution of the Cambro-Ordovician western Tasmanides

Abstract

The upper Cambrian Yancannia Formation is a small and isolated basement exposure situated in the southern Thomson Orogen, northwestern New South Wales. Understanding the geology of the Yancannia Formation is important, as it offers a rare glimpse of the composition and structure of the mostly covered basement rocks of the southern Thomson Orogen. It consists of deformed fine-grained, lithic-rich, turbiditic metasediments, suggesting deposition in a proximal, low-energy deep-marine environment. A 497 ± 13 Ma U–Pb detrital zircon date provides its maximum depositional age, the same as previously published for a tuff horizon in a correlative unit. Analysis of sedimentological, geochronological and geophysical data confirms the Yancannia Formation belongs to the Warratta Group. The Warratta Group exhibits many similarities to the Teltawongee Group in the adjacent Delamerian Orogen, including similar provenance, sedimentology and deep-water turbiditic depositional environment. Additionally, there is no sedimentological evidence for deposition of the Warratta Group following the ca 500 Ma Delamerian Orogeny, which suggests that the Warratta Group is syn-Delamerian. However, no geochronological or structural evidence for Delamerian orogenesis was observed in the Warratta Group, suggesting that the group was either unaffected by Delamerian orogenesis, or that no conclusive record remains. The provenance signature of the Warratta Group also bears strong similarities with the upper Cambrian Stawell Zone Saint Arnaud Group in the western Lachlan Orogen. Units east of Yancannia have similar provenance signatures to the Lower Ordovician Girilambone Group of the Lachlan Orogen, suggesting equivalents exist in the southern Thomson Orogen. These are likely to be the Thomson beds, deposited in a deep-marine setting outboard of the Delamerian continental margin. Structural analysis from a ～10 km, semi-continuous, across-strike section indicates a major, kilometre-scale, upright, shallow northwest-trending, doubly plunging anticline dominates the Yancannia region. This D₁ structure was associated with tight-to-isoclinal folding, penetrative cleavage and abundant quartz veining of probable Benambran age. Later dextral transpressional deformation (D₂) produced a sporadic, weak cleavage and dextral faulting, possibly of Bindian age. Major south-directed thrusting (D₃) on the adjacent Olepoloko Fault occurred in the early Carboniferous and appears to pre-date a later deformation event (D₄), which was associated with kink folding.     

Lithostratigraphic revision and correlation of the Oligo‐Miocene Murray Supergroup,Western Murray Basin,South Australia

The Murray Basin in southeastern Australia is a large, shallow, intracratonic basin filled with laterally extensive, undeformed, Cenozoic carbonate and terrigenous clastic sedimentary rocks that constitute regional and locally important groundwater aquifers. The marine Oligo‐Miocene strata distributed throughout the southwestern portion of the basin are here encompassed within the Murray Supergroup. The Murray Supergroup (formerly Murray Group) incorporates the marginal marine marl and clay of the Ettrick Formation, Winnambool Formation and Geera Clay in the western and northern portions of the Murray Basin in South Australia, in addition to the limestone that outcrops along the banks of the River Murray in nearly continuous section for 175 km. The stratigraphic nomenclature of these rocks is revised as follows. The boundary between the lower and upper members of the Mannum Formation is redefined and a new Swan Reach Dolomite Member is erected. The Finniss Clay is revised to Finniss Formation possessing three new members: the Cowirra Clay Member, Portee Carbonate Member and Woolpunda Marl Member. The ‘Morgan Limestone’ is raised to Morgan Group and contains three new formations: the Glenforslan Formation, Cadell Formation (with Murbko Marl Member and Overland Corner Clay Member) and Bryant Creek Formation. The Pata Formation is redefined and described. Type and reference sections are erected for each new and revised unit, and are lithostratigraphically correlated to illustrate their stratigraphic architecture.     

Fluviodeltaic sedimentology and ichnology of part of the Silurian Grampians Group,western Victoria

The mid‐Silurian Major Mitchell Sandstone of the Grampians Group outcrops at Mt Bepcha, western Victoria, represent a prograding fluviodeltaic sequence comprising four lithofacies and five ichnofacies. The stratigraphically lowest Interbedded Sandstone/Siltstone Facies is characterised by thin sandstone and siltstone beds with soft‐sediment deformation and scours with gravelly lag deposits. This lithofacies contains Thalassinoides, Palaeophycus, Rhizocorallium and intrastratal burrows, together indicative of the Cruziana Ichnofacies, and is interpreted as a shallow‐marine depositional environment on a low‐energy delta front with minor tidal influences. The overlying Massive Sandstone Facies lacks silt, and consists of predominantly massive and some plane‐laminated sandstone, abundant Skolithos linearis , rare Palaeophycus and a single small Cruziana problematica ; the trace‐fossil assemblage is assigned to the Skolithos Ichnofacies. This facies is believed to have been deposited in a marine high‐energy shoreface environment with continuously shifting sands, affected by periodic flooding events from the mouth of a nearby river. Above this is the Trough Cross‐bedded Facies, which contains trough cross‐bedding with gravelly lag deposits, a northwest palaeocurrent direction and large Taenidium barretti burrows (Burrowed Ichnofacies). This facies also contains abundant plane‐laminated sandstone with a northeast‐southwest palaeocurrent direction and ichnofossils of Scoyenia and Daedalus , representing the Scoyenia Ichnofacies. The Trough Cross‐bedded Facies is interpreted to have been deposited in shallow low‐sinuosity channels by overbank‐flooding events, most likely on a delta plain. The uppermost facies, the Plane‐laminated Facies, contains thin beds of current‐lineated, plane‐laminated graded coarse to fine sandstone that preserve arthropod trackways (Arthropod Ichnofacies). This facies was deposited on a periodically sheet‐flooded, subaerially exposed delta plain.     

五台岩群石榴云母片岩地球化学特征及其地质意义

五台岩群石咀亚群石榴云母片岩主要由石榴石、黑云母、白云母、斜长石、石英和钛铁矿等构成,少量样品含绿帘石、十字石、蓝晶石或斜方闪石.样品的SiO2为51.75％ ～69.06％,Al2O2为11.99％～20.39％,个别贫钠,稀土元素配分模式上显示轻稀土富集、重稀土相对亏损的样式,无明显Eu异常[(La/Yb)N =3.10～ 19.20,(Eu/Eu*)N=0.90～ 1.13],高场强元素和大离子亲石元素与世界典型页岩成分一致.元素间的协变关系指示粘土矿物控制了岩石的化学成分.通过原岩类型判别、重矿物优选堆积判别、物源判别和沉积构造环境判别等方法,恢复其原岩以页岩为主,无明显的重矿物优选堆积,沉积物主要来自五台地区同时代的TTG或/和基性岩石,沉积于弧盆环境,可能的沉积时代为2.53～2.50 Ga.结合THERMOCALC变质相平衡模拟和变质锆石SHRIMP U-Pb定年结果,得到其在～1.95 Ga经历了p-t轨迹为顺时针样式的蓝晶石型变质作用.