Development of large‐scale seismites in Upper Cretaceous fluvial sandstones in a fault‐proximal setting

Large‐scale soft‐sediment deformation structures occur within fluvial sandstone bodies of the Upper Cretaceous Wahweap Formation in the Kaiparowits basin, southern Utah, USA. These structures represent an exceptional example of metre‐scale fault‐proximal, seismogenic load structures in nearly homogenous sandstones. The load structures consist of two types: large‐scale load casts and wedge‐shaped load structures. Large‐scale load casts penetrate up to 4·5 m into the underlying sandstone bed. Wedge‐shaped load structures include metre‐scale, parallel, sub‐vertical features and decimetre‐scale features along the periphery of the large‐scale load casts or other wedge‐shaped load structures. Wedge‐shaped load structures contain well‐developed, medial cataclastic shear deformation bands. All load structures contain pervasive well‐defined millimetre‐thick to centimetre‐thick internal laminae, oriented parallel to the outside form of the load structures and asymptotic to deformation bands. Both types of load structures formed because of an inverted density profile, earthquake‐triggered liquefaction and growth of irregularities (a Rayleigh–Taylor instability) on the sandstone–sandstone erosional contact. The internal laminae and deformation bands formed during deformation and clearly demonstrate polyphase deformation, recording a transition from liquefied to hydroplastic to brittle modes of deformation. Decimetre‐scale wedge‐shaped load structures on the edge of the large‐scale load casts probably formed towards the end of a seismic event after the sediment dewatered and increased the frictional contact of grains enough to impart strength to the sands. Metre‐scale wedge‐shaped load structures were created as the tips of downward foundering sediments were driven into fractures, which widened incrementally with seismic pulsation. With each widening of the fracture, gravity and a suction effect would draw additional sediment into the fracture. Superimposed laminae indicate a secondary syndeformational origin for internal laminae, probably by flow‐generated shearing and vibrofluidization mechanisms. Large‐scale and wedge‐shaped load structures, polyphase deformation and secondary laminae may characterize soft‐sediment deformation in certain fault‐proximal settings.     

The interplay and effects of deformation and crystallized melt on the rheology of the lower continental crust,Fiordland, New Zealand

Microstructural, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and misorientation analyses of a migmatitic granulite-facies orthogneiss from the exhumed lower crust of a Cretaceous continental arc in Fiordland, New Zealand show how deformation was accommodated during and after episodes of melt infiltration and high-grade metamorphism. Microstructures in garnet, omphacite, plagioclase, and K-feldspar suggest that an early stage of deformation was achieved by dislocation creep of omphacite and plagioclase, with subsequent deformation becoming partitioned into plagioclase. Continued deformation after melt infiltration resulted in strain localization in the leucosome of the migmatite, where a change of plagioclase deformation mechanism promoted the onset of grain boundary sliding, most likely accommodated by diffusion creep, in fine recrystallized plagioclase grains. Our results suggest three distinctive transitions in the rheology of the lower crust of this continental arc, where initial weakening was primarily achieved by deformation of both omphacite and plagioclase. Subsequent strain localization in plagioclase of the leucosome indicates that the zones of former melt are weaker than the restite, and that changes in deformation mechanisms within plagioclase, and an evolution of its strength, primarily control the rheology of the lower crust during and after episodes of melting and magma addition.     

Geochemistry of Paraná-Etendeka basalts from Misiones,Argentina: Some new insights into the petrogenesis of high-Ti continental flood basalts

The Early Cretaceous (∼135–131 Ma) Paraná-Etendeka continental flood basalts, preserved in bulk in the Paraná basin of southern Brazil and vicinity, have been divided into low-Ti and high-Ti types that govern the southern and northern halves of the basin, respectively. We have examined a new sample set from the southern margin of the northern high-Ti segment of Paraná basalts in Misiones, northeastern Argentina. These basalts are strongly to moderately enriched in TiO₂ (2–4 wt.%), have relatively high Ti/Y (300–500), low MgO (3.5–6.5 wt.%), and high Fe (FeO(tot) 12–14 wt.%) and belong to the Pitanga and Paranapanema magma types of Peate et al. (1992). Nd and Sr isotope compositions are quite unvarying with ε_Nd (at 133 Ma) values of −4.6 to −3.6 and initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of 0.7054–0.7059 and show no variation with fractionation. Compared to high-Ti lavas in the central and northern parts of the Paraná high-Ti basalt segment, the lavas from Misiones are similar to those in the northeastern magin of the basin but less radiogenic in initial Nd isotope composition than those in the central part. This variation probably reflects mixed EM1-EM2 source components in the sublithospheric mantle. A polybaric melt model of a sublithospheric mantle source at the garnet lherzolite-spinel lherzolite transition is compatible with the observed Ti budget of the Pitanga and Paranapanema lavas, regardless of the Nd isotope composition of their purported source.     

藏南喜马拉雅造山带造山型马扎拉Au-Sb矿床和沙拉岗Sb矿床流体包裹体He-Ar同位素组成:对成矿流体来源的制约

马扎拉Au-Sb矿床和沙拉岗Sb矿床是藏南金锑成矿带中典型的造山型矿床。马扎拉Au-Sb矿床中矿体以含金辉锑矿石英脉的形式产于下中侏罗统陆热组地层中,主要组成矿物有自然金、辉锑矿、石英和碳酸盐矿物;沙拉岗Sb矿床中矿体主要以辉锑矿石英脉的形式产于下白垩统多久组地层和辉长岩体中,主要组成矿物为辉锑矿、辰砂、锑华、石英和少量碳酸盐矿物。在两个矿床的矿脉石英和辉锑矿中均发现有三类原生和假次生包裹体:水溶液包裹体、CO2-水溶液包裹体和有机包裹体。流体包裹体显微测温结果显示:马扎拉Au-Sb矿床的成矿温度为160～280℃,沙拉岗Sb矿床的成矿温度为140～240℃。He-Ar同位素分析显示马扎拉Au-Sb矿辉锑矿石英脉矿石中辉锑矿和石英以及赋矿地层中沉积层状硫化物中黄铁矿的流体包裹体均具有低的3He/4He比值,分别为0. 01382～0. 05642Ra和0. 03353～0. 08744Ra,40Ar/36Ar比值具有比较大的变化范围,分别为346. 8～4770. 1和349. 4～2689. 1;沙拉岗Sb矿床中辉锑矿样品的3He/4He比值为0. 02385～0. 11488Ra,40Ar/36Ar比值变化小,为300. 6～537. 5。与藏南Au-Sb成矿带中造山型Au矿床成矿流体中含一定量的幔源挥发份相对比,马扎拉AuSb矿床和沙拉岗Sb矿床成矿流体中均无幔源流体的参与,马扎拉Au-Sb矿床成矿流体为壳源变质流体与改造型饱和大气水形成的混合流体;沙拉岗Sb矿床成矿流体以改造型饱和大气水为主,并有壳源变质流体的加入。     

班公湖-怒江缝合带东段丁青地幔橄榄岩成因:来自钻孔ZK02地幔橄榄岩矿物学及地球化学特征约束

丁青蛇绿岩位于班公湖-怒江缝合带东段,是该缝合带出露面积最大的蛇绿岩。为查明岩体成因,在丁青东岩体中实施了一口165.19m的钻孔。除最顶部有约0.5m厚的第四系残坡积物外,其余均为地幔橄榄岩。结合显微镜鉴定将岩心划分出17个岩性单元层,岩性主要以方辉橄榄岩为主,夹少量纯橄岩和含铬铁矿纯橄岩。地幔橄榄岩中橄榄石的Fo变化于88.79~93.73,铬尖晶石的Cr^#变化于44.33~81.66,揭示丁青地幔橄榄岩可能经历过约20%~40%的中高度部分熔融作用;全岩地球化学分析表明其具有富镁（MgO=45.98%~49.45%）、贫铝（Al₂O₃=0.19%~1.37%）和贫钙（CaO=0.28%~0.70%）的特点,属于熔融程度较高的地幔残余物质。岩石具有明显不同于阿尔卑斯蛇绿岩的轻稀土元素富集特征,指示区内地幔橄榄岩先经历了较强程度的部分熔融,后经历了俯冲消减过程中的流体交代。利用地幔橄榄岩中的铬尖晶石成分计算母熔体Al₂O₃含量对应的FeO/MgO值,与不同构造环境原始岩浆成分相比较,发现丁青地幔橄榄岩母熔体大多处于玻安岩中。纯橄岩氧逸度估算FMQ=-3.05~-0.71,方辉橄榄岩氧逸度FMQ=-3.89~+1.47,显示丁青地幔橄榄岩有俯冲作用的参与。通过丁青钻孔岩心的研究,提出丁青东岩体可能形成于俯冲带之上的弧前环境这一观点。     

阿留申—阿拉斯加俯冲带及周边地区地幔过渡带结构研究

利用国家测震台网固定台站和"中国地震科学台阵探测"项目在南北地震带北段布设的宽频带流动台阵记录到的极远震事件,通过SS前驱波震相研究,获得了阿留申—阿拉斯加俯冲带东段及邻区下方410 km和660 km间断面的埋深和起伏形态特征.为增强对SS前驱波震相的识别,我们采用了时差校正和共反射点叠加分析.叠加结果显示,毗邻阿留...     

山东蓬莱大黑山岛碱性火山岩地球化学特征

庙岛群岛中的大黑山岛出露碱性火山岩,对研究壳-幔过程及黄、渤海演化具重要意义。文中作者对大黑山岛火山岩的常、微量元素、K-Ar年龄及Nd-Sr-Pb同位素体系进行测试确定。结果表明,岩石属钠质碱性玄武岩系列,岩浆岩喷发可分为8Ma前和8Ma后两个阶段;岩石常量元素含量除K2O、Na2O外差异小;随着火山岩的演化,岩浆源区深度变大;大黑山火山岩Nd-Sr-Pb同位素比值与夏威夷洋岛玄武岩相似,其岩浆的地幔端元组分为PREMA DM,又以PREMA为主,并有MORB物质混入。     

Tectonic evolution of the Cape and Karoo basins of South Africa

The Cape and Karoo basins formed within the continental interior of Gondwana. Subsidence resulted from the vertical motion of rigid basement blocks and intervening crustal faults. Each basin episode records a three-stage evolution consisting of crustal uplift, fault-controlled subsidence, and long periods of regional subsidence largely unaccompanied by faulting or erosional truncation. The large-scale episodes of subsidence were probably the result of lithospheric deflection due to subduction-driven mantle flow. The early Paleozoic Cape basin records the combined effects of a north-dipping intra-crustal décollement (a late Neoproterozoic suture) and a right-stepping offset between thick Rio de la Plata craton and Namaqua basement. Following the Saldanian orogeny, a suite of small rift basins and their post-rift drape formed at this releasing stepover. Great thicknesses of quartz sandstone (Ordovician–Silurian) and mudstone (Devonian) accumulation are attributed to subsidence by rheological weakening and mantle flow. In contrast, the Karoo basin is a cratonic cover that mimics the underlying basement blocks. The Permian Ecca and lower Beaufort groups were deposited in a southward-deepening ramp syncline by extensional decoupling on the intra-crustal décollement. Reflection seismic and deep-burial diagenetic studies indicate that the Cape orogeny started in the Early Triassic. Deformation was partitioned into basement-involved strike-slip faults and thin-skinned thrusting. Uplift of the Namaqua basement resulted in erosion of the Beaufort cover. East of the Cape fold belt, contemporaneous subsidence and tilting of the Natal basement created a late Karoo transtensional foreland basin, the Stormberg depocentre. Early Jurassic tectonic resetting and continental flood basalts terminated the Karoo basin.     

Mantle plumes and the metamorphism of the lower crust and their influence on basin evolution

Since the stretching model appears to be not applicable to the subsidence of accretionary crust, basins located on this crust type may have an alternative origin. Examples of such basins are the West Siberia Basin and the North German Basin. Both basins showed intensive volcanism and magmatism during the initial phase of their development. Remarkably, the West Siberia Basin is closely located to the (hotspot related) Siberian flood basalts with a similar Permo-Triassic age, and the location of the North German Basin in Permian times is identical with the present day position of the Tibesti hotspot in Northern Africa. These two basins may have specific relations to hotspot heat sources of the Earth's underlying mantle. Due to these heat sources, thermal metamorphism within the lower layers of the (accretionary) crust may occur, resulting in rock density increase and subsequent shrinkage of the affected rock volumes. These shrinkage processes will lead to the development of topographic lows, their filling with sediments, and the subsequent start of an exponentially declining isostatic/metamorphic basin subsidence. In addition to the analyses of metamorphic processes, potential field anomalies, temperature fields, and histories of subsidence have been integrated into one single model that can explain the development of the North German Basin. Similarly, the East African Rift and Eifel Hotspots affected parts of the overriding continental plates. The East African Rift Hotspot can be traced back to the Afar flood basalts and the Dniepr–Donets Basin, whereas the Eifel Hotspot can be linked to the North Sea Basin. Continental drift templates, present day hotspot locations, flood basalt areas, metamorphic facies as function of temperature, and crust categories are taken as published in recent literature.     

对橄榄石相变形核率的估算

地幔主要矿物橄榄石［(Mg089Fe011)2SiO4］的相变与深源地震的解释以及俯冲带和周围地幔的相互作用相关. 其中,形核率和长大率是刻画其相变动力学的两个重要参数. 因为实验技术的原因,目前人们还没有基于实验数据给出橄榄石的形核率. 本文首先通过对挤碰物理图像的分析,对边界形核情形的相变动力学理论中表征挤碰程度的无量纲参数进行了修正. 在此基础上,根据已有的实验资料,首次对橄榄石相变的形核率进行了估计. 通过对形核率数据的拟合,可以得到形核率参数K0和γ1/3. 得到两个形核率参数的变化范围分别为K0=55×1021～87×1027s-1·m-2·K-1,γ1/3=0～020 J·m-2,最佳拟合值为：K0=69×1024s-1·m-2·K-1,γ1/3=016 J·m-2.