Integration of ASTER and landsat TM remote sensing data for chromite prospecting and lithological mapping in Neyriz ophiolite zone,south Iran

Chromite deposits in Iran are located in the ophiolite complexes, which have mostly podiform types and irregular in their settings. Exploration for podiform chromite deposits associated with ophiolite complexes has been a challenge for the prospectors due to tectonic disturbance and their distribution patterns. Most of Iranian ophiolitic zones are located in mountainous and inaccessible regions. Remote sensing approach could be applicable tool for choromite prospecting in Iranian ophiolitic zones with intensely rugged topography, where systematic sampling and conventional geological mapping are limited. In this study, Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) satellite data were used for chromite prospecting and lithological mapping in the Neyriz ophiolitic zone in the south of Iran. Image transformation techniques, namely decorrelation stretch, band ratio and principal component analysis (PCA) were applied to Landsat TM and ASTER data sets for lithological mapping at regional scale. The RGB decorrelated image of Landsat TM spectral bands 7, 5, and 4, and the principal components PC1, PC2 and PC3 image of ASTER SWIR spectral bands efficiently showed the occurrence of major lithological units in the study area at regional scale. The band ratios of 5/3, 5/1, 7/5 applied on ASTER VNIR‐SWIR bands were very useful for discriminating most of rock units in the study area and delineation of the transition zone and mantle harzburgite in the Neyriz ophiolitic complex. Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) technique was implemented to ASTER VNIR‐SWIR spectral bands for detecting minerals of rock units and especially delineation of the transition zone and mantle harzburgite as potential zones with high chromite mineralization in the Neyriz ophiolitic complex. The integration of information extracted from the image processing algorithms used in this study mapped most of lithological units of the Neyriz ophiolitic complex and identified potential areas of high chromite mineralization (transition zone and mantle harzburgite) for chromite prospecting targets in the future. Furthermore, image processing results were verified by comprehensive fieldwork and laboratory analysis in the study area. Accordingly, result of this investigation indicate that the integration of information extracted from the image processing algorithms using Landsat TM and ASTER data sets could be broadly applicable tool for chromite prospecting and lithological mapping in mountainous and inaccessible regions such Iranian ophiolitic zones.     

伏牛山构造带变质流体脉变形特征及构造意义

伏牛山构造带由多条近平行的断裂带和夹持其间的变形岩片组成,洛南-栾川断裂带和瓦穴子-乔端断裂带为其中的两条主要断裂带。这两条断裂带虽遭受多期强烈构造活动的影响,但主造山期的构造特征至今仍然保存完好,并以中深层次的韧性剪切变形为主,形成了典型的糜棱岩和同构造期石英脉。本文从宏观、微观、超微观变形特征及年龄等方面对这些变质流体脉进行了研究,以探讨与其形成密切相关的构造活动特征、年代及其在秦岭造山带和华北板块南缘强变形带中的作用。石英脉中石英颗粒动态重结晶特征总体显示远离剪切带只有少量的膨凸式,靠近断裂带为亚颗粒式,形成核-幔结构,位错特征显示远离剪切带位错密度较小,靠近断裂带较大,位错形态显示瓦乔断裂带以挤压为主,洛南-栾川断裂带以剪切为主。两条断裂带石英脉的变形特征说明它们的糜棱岩化过程均为塑性变形中的晶质塑性变形,形成过程均为挤压在先,剪切在后。所测糜棱岩中石英脉的ESR年龄分别为372.9±30.0 Ma、275.0±20.0 Ma和218.0±20.0 Ma,真实地记录了晚加里东至中-晚海西期北秦岭的构造活动及所受影响。其中372.9±30.0 Ma是宽坪岩块向华北板块下的斜向俯冲汇聚和走滑的年代, 275.0±20.0 Ma是瓦乔断裂带的形成年龄。218.0±20.0 Ma的年龄则反映了华南、华北两大板块印支晚期全面闭合作用在秦岭造山带内部的影响。从以上3个年龄可以看出:北秦岭各构造带自北向南演化,时代上自北向南变新。     

苏鲁造山带池庄超高压榴辉岩中变质脉:大陆俯冲带超临界流体活动的证据

高压-超高压变质岩中的变质脉能够反映俯冲带变质流体的组成和演化。为了探究大陆俯冲带超临界流体活动及伴随的元素迁移,本文系统地研究了苏鲁造山带南部江苏东海池庄地区的超高压榴辉岩及变质脉。变质脉主要是由石英、石榴石、绿辉石、多硅白云母、蓝晶石、黝帘石、金红石和锆石等矿物组成,与寄主榴辉岩的矿物组成类似。相比于榴辉岩,脉体中的石榴石更加富集重稀土元素(HREE);黝帘石强烈富集轻稀土元素(LREE)。变质脉和榴辉岩中各主要矿物的氧同位素组成在误差范围内一致(石英的δ18O分别为2.42‰和2.79‰;石榴石为-0.30‰和0.010‰;绿辉石为0.25‰和0.071‰),说明变质脉的形成与榴辉岩释放的内部流体有关。综合已有的研究,发现大别-苏鲁造山带不同地区的变质脉和榴辉岩具有极不均一的氧同位素组成,说明在陆壳深俯冲和折返过程中,流体活动有限。利用矿物温压计得到变质脉的峰期变质温压条件为692±65℃和3.6±0.3GPa,脉体中锆石U-Pb定年结果表明锆石的形成时代为218±2.4Ma,指示变质脉形成于深俯冲陆壳折返初期的超高压变质阶段。变质脉中矿物组合和矿物的主微量元素特征说明成脉流体富集Si、Al、Ca、K、LILE、REE和HFSE等元素,表明成脉流体可能是溶解能力极强的超临界流体。     

黑河流域典型景观植被带陆面过程同步观测研究

为了解内陆河流域不同尺度内与水循环及生态过程有关的水分、热量分布规律,在黑河流域上中下游选取3个典型植被景观带建立观测场,并布设环境观测系统(ENVIS)进行环境要素的同步观测.结果表明,山区森林草地灌丛复合生态区陆面是冷性湿润的下垫面,中游绿洲荒漠接触带是干性、较湿润的下垫面,下游荒漠河岸林景观带是干热性的下垫面.     

从地壳上地幔构造看大陆碰撞带岩石圈的克拉通化

本篇讨论超级大陆汇聚后逐渐变为克拉通或扩大克拉通的作用过程,即指经及大陆碰撞地体汇聚后新形成的大陆块逐渐转变为刚性克拉通的作用过程。增生大陆岩石圈的克拉通化的作用后果,包括大陆地壳密度的增加,岩石圈地幔的增厚和大地热流值的下降,使大陆岩石圈逐渐刚性强化。大陆碰撞后形成的大陆块必须经过克拉通化的过程,才能逐渐成为刚性克拉通。作用过程主要包括:①上地壳沉积碎屑岩石结晶岩化和中地壳岩石角闪岩化;②下地壳岩石基性化;③大陆碰撞带下凹莫霍面的磨平;④岩石圈地幔底侵加厚形成陆根。从大陆碰撞带转变为克拉通的过程也是岩石圈地幔不断增厚而地壳缓慢变硬变冷的过程。这个过程包含以下作用:区域变质作用,交代作用和岩石圈幔源岩浆的底侵。这个过程时间尺度比碰撞造山作用大一个级次。长期的底侵作用使地壳岩石密度和强度不断加大,改变岩层的矿物成分和局部结构。当大陆岩石圈克拉通化到一定程度之后,由于下方软流圈的热能供应逐渐减缓,使岩石圈地温梯度缓慢下降,最终结果会形成大陆根。由于显生宙大陆碰撞带岩石圈强度弱,大陆碰撞时更容易造成岩石圈变形,因此大陆碰撞的板内效应主要发生在大陆内的显生宙碰撞带。显生宙大陆碰撞带如果再次受到大陆碰撞板内效应的作用,其克拉通化的过程必然会推迟。     

Macrofaunal involvement in the sublittoral decay of kelp debris: the detritivore community and species interactions

The fauna associated with sea-bed accumulations of decomposing Laminaria saccharina has been studied by year-round SCUBA diving at two sites in the Clyde Sea area. Seasonal changes in density of 64 species are reported. In the autumn, large quantities of kelp are detached by storms. This weed carries with it to the sea bed a large part of its normal fauna. Additional species settle onto the weed from the plankton whilst others migrate onto it from the surrounding sea bed. Peak densities of associated species were recorded in autumn. Litter bag experiments in situ showed that, except during the summer, weed is lost from sea-bed accumulations at a faster rate when macrofaunal animals are excluded. The macrofauna therefore inhibits decomposition. The relative importance of interactive cropping by three macrodetritivores, Psammechinus miliaris (Echinodermata), Platynereis dumerilii (Polychaeta) and Gammarus locusta (Amphipoda) was studied by in situ containment of different species combinations. The presence of Gammarus with Psammechinus resulted in less weed being lost than when Psammechinus was isolated. This is because Gammarus selectively crops rotting weed, retarding frond disintegration by microbes. Platynereis retards microbial colonization of frond tissues ruptured during its feeding by repeated cropping of the same region. Weed would decompose very rapidly were it not for macrofaunal cropping. Macroalgal decay thus differs profoundly from that of vascular plants.     

Geophysical methods applied to fault characterization and earthquake potential assessment in the Lower Tagus Valley, Portugal

The study region is located in the Lower Tagus Valley, central Portugal, and includes a large portion of the densely populated area of Lisbon. It is characterized by a moderate seismicity with a diffuse pattern, with historical earthquakes causing many casualties, serious damage and economic losses. Occurrence of earthquakes in the area indicates the presence of seismogenic structures at depth that are deficiently known due to a thick Cenozoic sedimentary cover. The hidden character of many of the faults in the Lower Tagus Valley requires the use of indirect methodologies for their study. This paper focuses on the application of high-resolution seismic reflection method for the detection of near-surface faulting on two major tectonic structures that are hidden under the recent alluvial cover of the Tagus Valley, and that have been recognized on deep oil-industry seismic reflection profiles and/or inferred from the surface geology. These are a WNW–ESE-trending fault zone located within the Lower Tagus Cenozoic basin, across the Tagus River estuary (Porto Alto fault), and a NNE–SSW-trending reverse fault zone that borders the Cenozoic Basin at the W (Vila Franca de Xira–Lisbon fault). Vertical electrical soundings were also acquired over the seismic profiles and the refraction interpretation of the reflection data was carried out. According to the interpretation of the collected data, a complex fault pattern disrupts the near surface (first 400 m) at Porto Alto, affecting the Upper Neogene and (at least for one fault) the Quaternary, with a normal offset component. The consistency with the previous oil-industry profiles interpretation supports the location and geometry of this fault zone. Concerning the second structure, two major faults were detected north of Vila Franca de Xira, supporting the extension of the Vila Franca de Xira–Lisbon fault zone northwards. One of these faults presents a reverse geometry apparently displacing Holocene alluvium. Vertical offsets of the Holocene sediments detected in the studied geophysical data of Porto Alto and Vila Franca de Xira–Lisbon faults imply minimum slip rates of 0.15–0.30 mm/year, three times larger than previously inferred for active faults in the Lower Tagus Valley and maximum estimates of average return periods of 2000–5000 years for M 6.5–7 co-seismic ruptures.     

Fluid entrapment and reequilibration during subduction and exhumation: A case study from the high-grade Nestos shear zone, Central Rhodope, Greece

A fluid inclusion study on metamorphic minerals of successive growth stages was performed on highly deformed paragneisses from the Nestos Shear Zone at Xanthi (Central Rhodope), in which microdiamonds provide unequivocal evidence for ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphism. The correlation of fluid inclusion density isochores and fluid inclusion reequilibration textures with geothermobarometric data and the relative chronology of micro- and macro-scale deformation stages allow a better understanding of both the fluid and metamorphic evolution along the P–T–d path. Textural evidence for subduction towards the NE is recorded by the orientation of intragranular NE-oriented fluid inclusion planes and the presence of single, annular fluid inclusion decrepitation textures. These textures occur within quartz “foam” structures enclosed in an earlier generation of garnets with prolate geometries and rarely within recrystallized matrix quartz, and reequilibrated both in composition and density during later stages of exhumation. No fluid inclusions pertaining to the postulated ultrahigh-pressure stage for microdiamond-bearing garnet–kyanite–gneisses have yet been found. The prolate shape of garnets developed during the earliest stages of exhumation that is recorded structurally by (L  S) tectonites, which subsequently accommodated progressive ductile SW shearing and folding up to shallow crustal levels. The majority of matrix kyanite and a later generation of garnet were formed during SW-directed shear under plane-strain conditions. Fluid inclusions entrapped in quartz during this stage of deformation underwent density loss and transformed to almost pure CO₂ inclusions by preferential loss of H₂O. Those inclusions armoured within garnet retained their primary 3-phase H₂O–CO₂ compositions. Reequilibration of fluid inclusions in quartz aggregates is most likely the result of recrystallization along with stress-induced, preferential H₂O leakage along dislocations and planar lattice defects which results in the predominance of CO₂ inclusions with supercritical densities. Carbonic fluid inclusions from adjacent kyanite–corundum-bearing pegmatoids and, the presence of shear-plane-parallel fluid inclusion planes within late quartz boudin structures consisting of pure CO₂-fluid inclusions with negative crystal shapes, bear witness of the latest stage of deformation by NE-directed extensional shear.This study shows that the textures of early fluid inclusions that formed already during the prograde metamorphic path can be preserved and used to derive information about the kinematics of subduction that is difficult to obtain from other sources. The textures of early inclusions, together with later generations of unaltered primary and secondary inclusions in metamorphic index minerals that can be linked to specific deformation stages and even P–T conditions, are a welcome supplement for the reconstruction of a rather detailed P–T–d path.