Discovery of Jurassic ammonoids from the Shyok suture zone to the northeast of Chang La Pass, Ladakh, northwest India and its tectonic significance

Abstract   Callovian (late Middle Jurassic) ammonoids Macrocephalites and Jeanneticeras were recovered from the Shyok suture zone, northeast of Chang La Pass, Ladakh, northwest India. They are the first reliable Jurassic fossils and the oldest chronologic data from the Shyok suture zone. The ammonoid-bearing Jurassic strata, newly defined as the Tsoltak Formation, consist largely of terrigenous mudstone with thin sandstone beds and were probably a part of the continental basement to the Cretaceous Ladakh Arc.     

Fault configuration produced by initial arc rifting in the Parece Vela Basin as deduced from seismic reflection data

Abstract   The Parece Vela Basin (PVB), which is a currently inactive back-arc basin of the Philippine Sea Plate, was formed by separation between the Izu-Ogasawara Arc (IOA) and the Kyushu-Palau Ridge (KPR). Elucidating the marks of the past back-arc opening and rifting is important for investigation of its crustal structure. To image its fault configurations and crustal deformation, pre-stack depth migration to multichannel seismic reflection was applied and data obtained by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology and Metal Mining Agency of Japan and Japan National Oil Corporation (Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation). Salient results for the pre-stack depth-migrated sections are: (i) deep reflectors exist around the eastern margin of KPR and at the western margin of IOA down to 8 km depth; and (ii) normal fault zones distributed at the eastern margin of the KPR (Fault zone A) and the western margin of the IOA (Fault zone B) have a total displacement of greater than 500 m associated with synrift sediments. Additional normal faults (Fault zone C) exist 20 km east of the Fault zone B. They are covered with sediment, which indicates deposition of recent volcanic products in the IOA. According to those results: (i) the fault displacement of more than 500 m with respect to initial rifting was approximately asymmetric at 25 Ma based on PSDM profiles; and (ii) the faults had reactivated after 23 Ma, based on the age of deformed sediments obtained from past ocean drillings. The age of the base sediments corresponds to those of spreading and rotation after rifting in the PVB. Fault zone C is covered with thick and not deformed volcanogenic sediments from the IOA, which suggests that the fault is inactive.     

应用Arc/Info建立湖北省区域稳定性评价空间数据库

以Arc/Info为基本工具,以遥感信息为获取、更新数据库数据的主要信息源,结合前人地学资料,建立了湖北省区域稳定性评价空间数据库,阐述了该空间数据库的内容、功能、应用和意义.     

Triassic metasedimentary successions across the boundary between the southern Apennines and the Calabrian Arc (northern Calabria,Italy)

The boundary area between the Apenninic fold‐and‐thrust belt and the crystalline Calabrian Arc, located around Sangineto in northern Calabria, has been investigated. New geological mapping in the Sant'Agata area has been performed on the Triassic successions traditionally attributed to the metasedimentary San Donato Unit. This, coupled with a reappraisal of the stratigraphy and tectonics of coeval successions present more to the south in the Cetraro Unit, results in a new reconstruction of the Triassic evolution of all the metasedimentary successions found in the region. Four informal stratigraphic units have been distinguished in the S. Agata area. The lowest one (Unit A) consists of well‐bedded metalimestones and bioturbated marly limestones that correlate with Ladinian–Carnian carbonates in nearby areas. A second unit (Unit B), never recognized before, contains a complex alternation of dolomites, phyllites and some meta‐arenites containing several beds of Cavernoso facies, attributed to the Carnian. They grade upward to platform and platform‐margin dolomites of Norian–Rhaetian age (Unit C) that in turn are replaced upward and laterally by a fourth unit (Unit D) consisting of well‐bedded, dark dolomites and metalimestones with marly interlayers locally found as resedimented large blocks in slope conglomerates. Unit D correlates with Rhaetian–Liassic beds in nearby areas. Several pieces of evidence of post‐metamorphic contractional tectonics, with 140°N and 30°N trends, are found together with evidence of SW‐directed extension. The siliciclastic Carnian beds of Unit B are correlated with the phyllites of Cetraro, formerly believed to be Middle Triassic; moreover, it is suggested that in the Cetraro area Unit C is almost totally replaced by Unit D. This demonstrates that the former distinction between the two tectonic units in the whole area has to be discarded. We have made a general palaeoenvironmental reconstruction which progresses laterally, during Ladinian–Carnian times, from (i) a coastal, mixed siliciclastic–carbonate–evaporitic area at Cetraro to (ii) a transitional carbonate shelf where siliciclastic input was only episodic, and finally to (iii) a bioconstructed margin which was later replaced by a steepened margin created by tectonic instability. Starting from the Norian, subsidence shifted toward the former coastal area where an intraplatform, restricted basin developed. The proposed stratigraphy corresponds closely to the Alpujarride units of the Betic Cordillera, Spain. Moreover, it is shown that strong affinities also exist, in terms of the structural framework, with the metamorphic units of Tuscany and Liguria. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cordierite-bearing schists and gneisses from Timor, eastern Indonesia: P-T conditions of metamorphism and tectonic implications

In the Boi Massif of Western Timor the Mutis Complex, which is equivalent to the Lolotoi Complex of East Timor, is composed of two lithostratigraphical components: various basement schists and gneisses; and the dismembered remnants of an ophiolite. Cordierite-bearing pelitic schists and gneisses carry an early mineral assemblage of biotite + garnet + plagioclase + Al-silicate, but contain no prograde muscovite; sillimanite occurs in a textural mode which suggests that it replaced and pseudomorphed kyanite at an early stage and some specimens of pelitic schist contain tiny kyanite relics in plagioclase. Textural relations between, and mineral chemistries of, ferro-magnesian phases in these pelitic chists and gneisses suggest that two discontinuous reactions and additional continuous compositional changes have been overstepped, possibly with concomitant anatexis, as a result of decrease in P_load during high temperature metamorphism. The simplified reactions are: garnet and/or biotite + sillimanite + quartz + cordierite + hercynite + ilmenite + excess components. P-T conditions during the development of the early mineral assemblage in the pelitic gneisses are estimated to have been P + 10 kbar and T > 750°C, based upon the plagioclase-garnet-Al-silicate-quartz geobarometer and the garnet-biotite geothermometer. P-T conditions during the subsequent development of cordierite-bearing mineral assemblages in the pelitic gneisses are estimated to have been P + 5 kbar and T + 700°C with X_H2O < 0.5, based upon the Fe content of cordierite occurring in the assemblage quartz + plagioclase + sillimanite + biotite + garnet + cordierite coexisting with melt. Final equilibration between some of the phases suggests that conditions dropped to P > 2.3 kbar and T > 600°C. A similar exhumation P-T path is suggested for the pelitic schists with early metamorphic conditions of P > 6.2 kbar and T > 745°C and subsequent development of cordierite under conditions in the range P = 3-4 kbar and T = 600-700°C. The tectonic implications of these P-T estimates are discussed and it is concluded that the P-T path followed by these rocks was caused by decompression during rifting and synmetamorphic ophiolite emplacement resulting from processes during the initiation and development of a convergent plate junction located in Southeast Asia during late Jurassic to Cretaceous time.     

Mesozoic plutons of the Yidun Arc, SW China: U/Pb geochronology and Hf isotopic signature

The Yidun Arc is a Triassic volcanic arc located between the Songpan Garzê Fold Belt and the Qiangtang Block, southwest China. To constrain the age of a number of the major granitic plutons from the Yidun Arc, laser ablation ICP-MS U/Pb analysis of zircon was conducted. Hafnium isotope data was also acquired through laser-ablation multicollector ICPMS analysis of zircon, with the aim of gaining insight into the age and nature of the source region of the plutons. Three age groups have been identified from seven granite samples: Early–Middle Triassic ( 245 to 229 Ma), Late Triassic ( 219 to 216 Ma) and Cretaceous ( 105 to 95 Ma). Hafnium analysis shows the Triassic granites to have negative and variable ε_Hf values and Mesoproterozoic ( 1.6 Ga) depleted-mantle model ages, which is interpreted to reflect derivation from an isotopically heterogeneous, largely crustal source. The Cretaceous granite shows higher and less variable ε_Hf values and slightly younger model ages ( 1.3 Ga), and is interpreted to be derived from melting of a more homogeneous crustal source. A depleted-mantle model age of  1.5 Ga is calculated from the pooled Triassic and Cretaceous samples. The source region for these magmas may be tentatively correlated with Mesoproterozoic material of the Yangtze Craton, which has been suggested to underlie the Yidun Arc; however, further work is necessary to demonstrate this suggestion.     

Validation d'un modèle numérique de terrain adapté à la modélisation hydrologique régionale sur l'Algérie du Nord

Résumé

L'objectif de ce travail est de fournir aux hydrologues travaillant sur l'Algérie du Nord un modèle numérique de terrain (MNT) permettant la mise en ?uvre de méthodes d'estimation régionales de paramètres hydrologiques tels que les débits de crue instantanés décennaux ou les apports moyens annuels. Il doit permettre une détermination satisfaisante des contours des bassins versants et l'obtention de paramètres morphométriques comparables entre eux sur l'ensemble de la zone d'étude. Le MNT que nous proposons est un compromis entre des tailles de pixels petites donnant une bonne précision et des pixels plus grands permettant de couvrir uniformément la zone. Nous montrons que le MNT à la maille de 100 m est parfaitement adapté sous réserve de l'avoir préalablement corrigé manuellement dans les zones endoréiques et dans les zones relativement planes. Ce MNT permet de retrouver correctement les principaux paramètres morphométriques utilisés en hydrologie. Nous mettons donc à la disposition des hydrologues ce MNT à 100 m dans une projection Lambert bien adaptée aux besoins de l'hydrologie algérienne.

Editeur Z.W. Kundzewicz

Citation Rezak, S., Laborde, J.-P., et Errih, M., 2012. Validation d'un modèle numérique de terrain adapté à la modélisation hydrologique régionale sur l'Algérie du Nord. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 57 (5), 928–941.     

Geochemical characteristics of the Kuh-e Dom intrusion,Urumieh–Dokhtar Magmatic Arc (Iran): Implications for source regions and magmatic evolution

The Kuh-e Dom Pluton is located along the central northeastern margin of the Urumieh–Dokhtar Magmatic Arc, spanning a wide range of compositions from felsic rocks, including granite, granodiorite, and quartz monzonite, through to intermediate-mafic rocks comprising monzonite, monzodiorite, diorite, monzogabbro, and gabbro. The Urumieh–Dokhtar Magmatic Arc forms a distinct linear magmatic complex that is aligned parallel with the orogenic suture of the Zagros fold-thrust belt. Most samples display characteristics of metaluminous, high-K calc-alkaline, I-type granitoids. The initial isotopic signatures range from εNd (47 Ma) = −4.77 to −5.89 and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr(i) = 0.7069 to 0.7074 for felsic rocks and εNd (47 Ma) = −3.04 to −4.06 and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr(i) = 0.7063 to 0.7067 for intermediate to mafic rocks. This geochemical and isotopic evidence support a mixed origin for the Kuh-e Dom hybrid granitoid with a range of contributions of both the crust and mantle, most probably by the interaction between lower crust- and mantle-derived magmas. It is seem, the felsic rocks incorporate about 56–74% lower crust-derived magma and about 26–44% of the enriched mantle-derived mafic magma. In contrast, 66–84% of the enriched mantle-derived mafic magma incorporates 16–34% of lower crust-derived magma to generate the intermediate-mafic rocks. According to the differences in chemical composition, the felsic rocks contain a higher proportion of crustal material than the intermediate to mafic ones. Enrichment in LILEs and depletion in HFSEs with marked negative Nb, Ba, and Ti anomalies are consistent with subduction-related magmatism in an active continental margin arc environment. This suggestion is consistent with the interpretation of the Urumieh–Dokhtar Magmatic Arc as an active continental margin during subduction of the Neotethys oceanic crust beneath the Central Iranian microcontinent.     

Accretionary nature of the crust of Central and East Java (Indonesia) revealed by local earthquake travel-time tomography

Reassessment of travel time data from an exceptionally dense, amphibious, temporary seismic network on- and offshore Central and Eastern Java (MERAMEX) confirms the accretionary nature of the crust in this segment of the Sunda subduction zone (109.5–111.5E). Traveltime data of P- and S-waves of 244 local earthquakes were tomographically inverted, following a staggered inversion approach. The resolution of the inversion was inspected by utilizing synthetic recovery tests and analyzing the model resolution matrix. The resulting images show a highly asymmetrical crustal structure. The images can be interpreted to show a continental fragment of presumably Gondwana origin in the coastal area (east of 110E), which has been accreted to the Sundaland margin. An interlaced anomaly of high seismic velocities indicating mafic material can be interpreted to be the mantle part of the continental fragment, or part of obducted oceanic lithosphere. Lower than average crustal velocities of the Java crust are likely to reflect ophiolitic and metamorphic rocks of a subduction melange.     

U–Pb ages of detrital zircons within the Inthanon Zone of the Paleo-Tethyan subduction zone,northern Thailand: New constraints on accretionary age and arc activity

U–Pb dating of detrital zircons was performed on mélange-hosted lithic and basaltic sandstones from the Inthanon Zone in northern Thailand to determine the timing of accretion and arc activity associated with Paleo-Tethys subduction. The detrital zircons have peak ages at 3400–3200, 2600–2400, 1000–700, 600–400, and 300–250 Ma, similar to the peaks ages of detrital zircons associated with other circum-Paleo-Tethys subduction zones. We identified two types of sandstone in the study area based on the youngest detrital zircon ages: Type 1 sandstones have Late Carboniferous youngest zircon U–Pb ages of 308 ± 14 and 300 ± 16 Ma, older than associated radiolarian chert blocks within the same outcrop. In contrast, Type 2 sandstones have youngest zircon U–Pb ages of 238 ± 10 and 236 ± 15 Ma, suggesting a Middle Triassic maximum depositional age. The youngest detrital zircons in Type 1 sandstones were derived from a Late Carboniferous–Early Permian ‘missing’ arc, suggesting that the Sukhothai Arc was active during sedimentation. The data presented within this study provide information on the development of the Sukhothai Arc, and further suggest that subduction of the Paleo-Tethyan oceanic plate beneath the Indochina Block had already commenced by the Late Carboniferous. Significant Middle Triassic arc magmatism, following the Late Carboniferous–Early Permian arc activity, is inferred from the presence of conspicuous detrital zircon U–Pb age peaks in Type 2 sandstones and the igneous rock record of the Sukhothai Arc. In contrast, only minimal arc activity occurred during the Middle Permian–earliest Triassic. Type 1 sandstones were deposited between the Late Permian and the earliest Triassic, after the deposition of associated Middle–Late Permian cherts that occur in the same mélanges and during a hiatus in Sukhothai Arc magmatism. In contrast, Type 2 sandstones were deposited during the Middle Triassic, coincident with the timing of maximum magmatism in the Sukhothai Arc, as evidenced by the presence of abundant Middle Triassic detrital zircons. These two types of sandstone were probably derived from discrete accretionary units in an original accretionary prism that was located along the western margin of the Sukhothai Arc.