Late Cenozoic deformation subsequence in northeastern margin of Tibet --Detrital AFT records from Linxia Basin

Two events of Tibet uplifting are revealed by detrital apatite fission track (AFT) age data from Linxia Basin. They occurred at about 14 and 5.4-8.0 MaBP respectively. We interpret the first one to be related to the uplifting of the northern Tibet, which might have resulted from convectively removing the thickened lower lithosphere. The second one is a result of Laji Mountain uplifting. Numerous studies of the Tibetan Plateau suggest that the onset time of the deformation in the northeastern margin of Tibetan Plateau and the time of Tibet attaining to its present elevation is about 8 MaBP. They are approximately coincident with the uplift of Lajishan Mountain. It suggests that the northeastern margin of Tibet propagated northeastwardly to its present site in about 8 MaBP for accommodating the sustained convergence between India-Eurasia plate and for keeping its high elevation. The active block pattern dominating the strong earthquake distribution of Chinese continent probably formed at about 8.0-5.4 MaBP.     

易门式大型铜矿床构造成矿动力学模型

针对金属矿床隐伏矿定位预测的关键问题,在提出构造成矿动力学的分支学术方向的基础上,以易门式大型铜矿床为例,从成矿地质背景、矿田构造、构造地球化学和成矿构造应力场等方面进行构造成矿动力学研究,阐述在构造应力场控制下成矿流体运移和聚集的规律。构造地球化学研究认为,构造地球化学异常反映矿体的原生晕;构造地球化学异常受构造控制,其分带特征可指示成矿流体的流向,并提供矿床成因和隐伏矿(化)体相对埋深的信息。构造应力场的控矿特征主要表现在:构造应力场导致控矿构造的形成,并驱动成矿流体的运移;构造应力场控制了成矿能量场;应力和能量的高值集中区分布特点可反映某些构造型式。在此基础上建立构造成矿动力学模型,概括隐伏矿成矿预测准则,据此提出若干重点找矿靶区和靶位,其中部分靶区得到工程验证,表明构造成矿动力学方法对隐伏矿定位预测和评价具有重要的指导意义。     

盆地岩石圈结构与油气成藏及分布

本文综述了大陆岩石圈研究现状和克拉通盆地、裂谷盆地和前陆盆地的岩石圈结构特征,指出在古裂谷、褶皱带或区域性深断裂等陆壳构造薄弱带上发育起来的多期叠合盆地,具有很好的含油气前景。大型含油气盆地往往存在地幔上隆、地壳减薄和地壳内低速层,盆地基底沉降与盖层沉积厚度较大。适度的后期构造活动改造和岩浆活动有利于沉积盆地内油气生成与保存。     

韧性剪切带的变形变质与同构造熔融作用——以中祁连地块宝库河韧性走滑剪切带为例

宝库河韧性剪切带是发育在中祁连地块北缘上的一条向北陡倾,走向近东西,宽约6 km的右行平移型韧性剪切带.剪切带内岩石原岩为泥质岩、基性岩和花岗岩,变质程度达角闪岩相,变形变质温度在685～763±46℃之间,压力在0.62～0.83±0.13 GPa范围内.其内长英质条带非常发育,规模变化较大,分布局部相对集中且受剪切带控制,走向与剪切带一致,平行于叶理,孤立无根,并在后期递进变形过程中发生不同程度的糜棱岩化、布丁化和褶皱,主要成分为长石和石英,明显不同于韧性剪切前或后侵入的花岗岩脉或岩体.长英质条带特征、REE配分模式及剪切带内岩石的变形变质温度说明剪切带内发育的长英质条带与基体是同源的,是在剪切应变过程中剪切热使围岩内部分物质发生动态熔融形成的,是同构造熔融作用的产物.     

攀西裂谷存在吗？

大陆裂谷以地幔上隆、岩石圈伸展、减薄、断陷和沉降为特征，伸展构造环境是大陆裂谷形成的必要条件和本质特征。中国学者以前所认为攀枝花-西昌裂谷的主要标志是海西期层状堆晶杂岩、晚二叠世峨眉山玄武岩、印支期环状碱性杂岩和晚三叠世裂谷盆地沉积。最近一系列研究成果表明攀西地区海西期-印支期构造岩浆热事件是地幔柱和岩石圈相互作用的结果，不是裂谷作用的产物。进一步对上扬子西缘二叠纪-三叠纪的沉积作用和构造特征综合分析表明攀西地区不存在裂谷盆地沉积。该区晚二叠世-中三叠世为古陆隆起遭受剥蚀，晚三叠世断陷型类磨拉石建造是前陆走滑复合盆地的产物。本文根据对攀西地区二叠纪-三叠纪的岩浆活动、沉积作用、构造特征和地球物理资料等方面综合研究对攀西裂谷的存在提出质疑，并以峨眉山地幔柱活动为主线探讨了攀西地区古生代和中生代的地质构造演化历史。     

Les manifestations tectoniques synsédimentaires associées à la compression éocène en Tunisie : implications paléogéographiques et structurales sur la marge Nord-Africaine

In central Tunisia, a synsedimentary tectonic episode has been pointed out through the tectonic movements affecting the Late Palaeocene–Early Eocene successions. This tectonic episode has controlled, to a large extent, the palaeogeographic setting of the area during that period and confirmed the important effect induced by the Pyrenean shortening phase on the edge of the African plate, which obviously has witnessed a common history with the southern part of the European plate. To cite this article: A. El Ghali et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).     

Wrench tectonics flip at oblique subduction. A model from New Zealand

In eastern North Island New Zealand, oblique subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the Australian Plate is associated with strain partitioning. Dextral along-strike component of displacement occurred first at Early Miocene major faults within the eastern fore-arc domain. These faults were active from Early Miocene to Pliocene times. Since Pliocene times, most of the movement occurs at western faults such as the Wellington Fault. The latter joins the back-arc domain to the north. The jump of wrench faulting is related to the oblique opening of the back-arc domain. Both phenomena are impeded southwards by the Hikurangi oceanic plateau entering the subduction zone. To cite this article: J. Delteil et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).     

Caledonian Low-Temperature Granulite-Facies Metamorphism in the West Kunlun Orogenic Belt—SHRIMP Chronological Evidence from Zircon

The West Kunlun orogenic belt is located at the conjunction of the paleo-Asian tectonic system and the Tethys tectonic system. Petrological and mineralogical studies of the Early Cambrian metamorphic surface crust in this region have shown that in case the metamorphism reached low-temperature granulate facies, the typical mineral assemblage is biotite-garnet-silimanite-K feldspar-plagioclase-quartz. The peak metamorphic temperatures are within the range of 720–740°C and the pressure is 0.6 GPa ±. Three types of metamorphic zircon have been detected in the metamorphic rocks: the complex inclusion-bearing type ; the early relic zircon inclusion-bearing type; and the inclusion-free type. SHRIMP age determination of these three types of metamorphic zircon have revealed that these zircons were formed principally during 400–460 Ma, indicating that pre-Cambrian metamorphic surface crust rocks underwent low-temperature granulite facies metamorphism during the Caledonian. In combination with the geological characteristics of this region, it is considered that when the oceanic basin was closed, there occurred intense intracontinental subduction (type A), bringing part of the Early Cambrian metamorphic basement in this region downwards to the lower crust. Meanwhile, there were accompanied with tectonic deformation at deep levels and medium- to high-grade metamorphism. This study provided important chronological and mineralogical evidence for the exploration of the evolutionary mechanism and process of the West Kunlun Early Paleozoic. Part of the results from the research project “ Research on the West Kunlun pre-Cambrian tectonic events” under the program “ Research on the important geological problems of China’ s pre-Cambrian” (No. 200113900070) sponsored by the China National Geological Surveying Bureau.     

Formation of Concentric Rings Around Sources

Zones of increased concentration formed by a solvent flowing from a source are considered. A matehmatical model for forming such zones is proposed. It takes into account that such a zone is composed of a set of independent particles. Hence the distribution of a substance around the source can be explained by movement of an individual particle. In the model this movement is a continuous semi-Markov process with terminal stopping at some random point in space. Parameters of the process depend on the velocity field of the flow. Forward and backward partial differential equations for the distribution density of a random stopping point of the process are derived. The forward equation is investigated for the centrally symmetric case. Solutions of the equation demonstrate either a maximum or a local minimum at the source location. In the latter case a concentric ring around the source is formed. If different substances vary in their absorption rates, they can form separable concentration zones as a family of concentric rings.     

Paleoclimate Changes during the Early Oiigocene in the Hoh Xil Region, Northern Tibetan Plateau

Sedimentological, cyclic-stratigraphic, paleomagnetic, and clay-mineralogical studies on the early Oligocene Yaxicuo Group in the Hoh Xil Basin, the largest Cenozoic sedimentary basin in the hinterland of the Tibetan Plateau, provide abundant information of paleoclimate changes. A 350-m thick section in the middle-lower Yaxicuo Group was analyzed to reveal the climatic history that occurred in the Hoh Xil region during the early Oligocene interval 31.30-30.35 Ma, dated with the paleomagnetic chronostratigraphy. The results indicate that add and cold climate dominated the Hoh Xil region during the early Oligocene in general, being related to the global cooling and drying events that occurred in the earliest Oligocene. Within this period, relatively warm and wet climate accompanied by strong tectonic activity occurred in the 31.05-30.75 Ma interval; while add and cold climate and relatively inactive tectonics occurred in the 31.30-31.05 and 30.75-30.35 Ma intervals. Furthermore, spectral analyses of high-temporal resolution paleoclimatic records show orbital periods including eccentricity, obliquity, and precession. It is concluded that paleoclimate changes during the early Oligocene in the Hoh Xil region were forced by both tectonic activity and orbital periods.