Geomorphological study on a clastic accretionary prism: The Nankai Trough

Abstract The Nankai Trough, off southwest Japan, is one of the best sites for the study of geomorphic characteristics of a clastic accretionary prism. A recent multibeam survey over the central and eastern parts of the Nankai accretionary prism has revealed a large variation of the topography along the trough axis. Analysis of the bathymetric data suggests the existence of prism deformational features of different scales, such as depressions, embayment structures and cusps. These structures are the results of slope instability caused by basement relief of subducted oceanic plate. Unstable slopes recover by new accretion and development of a low angle thrust. Small-scale deformation due to the subduction of a small isolated seamount is then adjusted to the regional trend. By contrast, a 30 km indentation of the wedge observed in the eastern part of the Nankai Trough, the Tenryu Cusp, has seemed to retain its geometry. The subducted Philippine Sea plate has deformed greatly near the eastern end of the Nankai Trough, because of the collision between the Izu-Ogasawara (Bonin) arc and central Japan. Therefore, the indentation may be the result of the continuous subduction of a basement high, such as the Zenisu Ridge, which has been formed under north-south compression due to the arc-arc collision.     

The Collision Manifold of the Collinear One-Bumper Two-Body Problem

We present a special model which is a caricature of the collinear three-body problem. Near triple-collision behavior for the model is governed by the collision manifold. We study the bifurcations of the dynamics on this manifold as we vary the ratio of masses. Both analytic and numerical results are presented.This revised version was published online in October 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

On Continent-Continent Point-Collision and Ultrahigh-Pressure Metamorphism

Up to now it is known that almost all ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphism of non-impact origin occurred in continent-continent collisional orogenic belt, as has been evidenced by many outcrops in the eastern hemisphere. UHP metamorphic rocks are represented by coesite- and diamond-bearing eclogites and eclogite facies metamorphic rocks formed at 650-800℃ and 2.6-3.5 GPa, and most of the protoliths of UHP rocks are volcanic-sedimentary sequences of continental crust. From these it may be deduced that deep subduction of continental crust may have occurred. However, UHP rocks are exposed on the surface or occur near the surface now, which implies that they have been exhumed from great depths. The mechanism of deep subduction of continental crust and subsequent exhumation has been a hot topic of the research on continental dynamics, but there are divergent views. The focus of the dispute is how deep continental crust is subducted so that UHP rocks can be formed and what mechanism causes it to be subducte     

甘肃北山造山带类型及基本特征

北山造山带经历多期次、多阶段的板块裂解－俯冲－碰撞－拼合的复杂地质演化历程，具多旋回复合造山的特色。通过对造山带构造单元的建立、古板块重建、原型盆地恢复、造山带结构、构造特征及造山机制和模式的研究，确定北山造山带类型为陆－增生弧碰撞造山带。     

中国西北大陆碰撞带的深部特征及其动力学意义

以中国大陆西北地区地震层析成像的结果为基础，通过分析大陆块体内部岩石层和软流层的深部形态，提出西部造山带与相邻块体之间几种可能的碰撞类型：天山与塔里木之间存在地块的嵌入拼合、俯冲、岩石层拆离下沉以及层间插入等多种构造样式；青藏高原与北部地质单元之间存在十分清晰的深部边界，反映出上地幔物质向北扩展的痕迹；推测青藏高原的岩石层在向北运动的过程中由于受到塔里木刚性块体的阻滞发生弯曲甚至折断，但是祁连山以北较浅的软流层相当于一个开放边界，使高原的上地幔物质得以进一步向北迁移.大陆碰撞不仅造成中国西部造山带岩石层结构的变动，而且导致软流层中一部分熔融的岩浆体沿着碰撞边界上涌到岩石层底部，它们对青藏高原以及西部造山带的形成演化起到重要的作用.     

Tectonics of Precambrian basement of the Tarim craton

The Altyn Tagh Mountain is the main area where the Precambrian basements of Tarim craton are exposed. There are two ophiolitic belts in Altyn Tagh: one belt is exposed in the northern margin of Altyn Tagh whose formation age is about (829±60) Ma, the other is situated along the southern margin of Altyn Tagh and has a formation age of about (1449±270) Ma. This paper proposes a simple tectonic model for the Precambrian basement of Tarim craton established from ophiolites in Altyn Tagh area. The south Tarim block had amalgamated with Qaidam block during about 1400-1500 Ma along the present Altyn fault, while the south Tarim-Qaidam united block was still separated from the north Tarim block by an ocean. The united block of south Tarim and Qaidam collided with north Tarim block along the zone of high positive anomaly of central Tarim, Hongliugou and Lapeiquan in about 800 Ma. So since the Sinian (beginning at 800 Ma) there has been an integrated basement for Tarim craton.     

山东南墅地区孔兹岩系变质矿物的成因及演化

南墅地区孔兹岩系的变质矿物具有多成因、多世代的特征 ,其经历三阶段五幕的变质作用 ,形成了以Sil+Gt +Cord +Bi +Kf +Pl+Q为代表的共生矿物组合。通过对主要变质矿物成因及演化特征的分析 ,结合温压计估算 ,确定该区孔兹岩系峰期变质作用温度为 70 0～ 75 0℃ ,压力为 0 .6～0 .7GPa ,变质程度达角闪麻粒岩相。确立 pTt轨迹具顺时针演化特点 ,反映一种陆 -陆碰撞造山带式构造演化模式。     

鲁东造山带榴辉岩变质作用特征及其动力学机制

岩相学研究表明,广泛发育鲁东造山逞中的榴辉岩可以划分为四种类型：第一类为含柯石英及其假象榴辉岩;么二类为含蓝晶石 、黝帘石及多硅白云母等榴辉岩;第三类为石榴石－绿辉石－石英组合榴辉岩;第四类为（角闪石）石榴石－辉及有关岩石（非典型“榴辉岩”）。这四类榴辉岩峰期前进变质矿物共生组合及Ｐ－Ｔ条件估算结果均显示它们应属于高温与超高压变质作用产物,其变质作用ＰＴｔ轨迹表现为顺时针演化趋势,反映出板块俯冲碰     

What Happened in the Trans-North China Orogen in the Period 2560-1850 Ma？

The Trans-North China Orogen （TNCO） was a Paleoproterozic continent-continent collisional belt along which the Eastern and Western Blocks amalgamated to form a coherent North China Craton （NCC）. Recent geological, structural, geochemical and isotopic data show that the orogen was a continental margin or Japan-type arc along the western margin of the Eastern Block, which was separated from the Western Block by an old ocean, with eastward-directed subduction of the oceanic lithosphere beneath the western margin of the Eastern Block. At 2550-2520 Ma, the deep subduction caused partial melting of the medium-lower crust, producing copious granitoid magma that was intruded into the upper levels of the crust to form granitoid plutons in the low- to medium-grade granite-greeustone terranes. At 2530-2520 Ma, subduction of the oceanic lithosphere caused partial melting of the mantle wedge, which led to underplating of mafic magma in the lower crust and widespread mafic and minor felsic volcanism in the arc, forming part of the greenstone assemblages. Extension driven by widespread mafic to felsic volcanism led to the development of back-arc and/or intra-arc basins in the orogen. At 2520-2475 Ma, the subduction caused further partial melting of the lower crust to form large amounts of tonalitic-trondhjemitic-granodioritic （TTG） magmatism. At this time following further extension of back-arc basins, episodic granitoid magmatism occurred, resulting in the emplacement of 2360 Ma, -2250 Ma 2110-21760 Ma and -2050 Ma granites in the orogen. Contemporary volcano-sedimentary rocks developed in the back-arc or intra-are basins. At 2150-1920 Ma, the orogen underwent several extensional events, possibly due to subduction of an oceanic ridge, leading to emplacement of mafic dykes that were subsequently metamorphosed to amphibolites and medium- to high-pressure mafic granulites. At 1880-1820 Ma, the ocean between the Eastern and Western Blocks was completely consumed by subduction, and the dosing of the ocean led to the continent-arc-continent collision, which caused large-scale thrusting and isoclinal folds and transported some of the rocks into the lower crustal levels or upper mantle to form granulites or eclogites. Peak metamorphism was followed by exhumation/uplift, resulting in widespread development of asymmetric folds and symplectic textures in the rocks.