Geomorphological evidence from the Lleyn Peninsula constraining models of the magnitude and rate of isostatic rebound during deglaciation of the Irish Sea Basin

A stepped series of sand and gravel terraces on the Lleyn peninsula of North Wales is used to test the magnitude and rate of isostatic depression required by the recently proposed glacimarine model of deglaciation of the Irish Sea Basin. A relative sea-level fall of 70 m is required while the ice remained pinned at the north Lleyn coast. Even taking the maximum known rate of isostatic uplift, the margin would have to remain stationary for 1400 years. It seems more reasonable to interpret the Lleyn terraces, and similar features around the Irish Sea Basin, as glacifluvial and glacilacustrine.     

Using Mesoproterozoic sedimentary geochemistry to reconstruct basin tectonic geography and link organic carbon productivity to nutrient flux from a Northern Australian large igneous Province

The Beetaloo Sub-basin, northern Australia, is considered the main depocentre of the 1,000-km scale Mesoproterozoic Wilton package of the greater McArthur Basin – the host to one of the oldest hydrocarbon global resources. The ca. 1.40–1.31 Ga upper Roper Group and the latest Mesoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic unnamed group of the Beetaloo Sub-basin, together, record ca. 500 million years of depositional history within the North Australia Craton. Whole-rock shale Sm–Nd and Pb isotope data from these sediments reveal sedimentary provenance and their evolution from ca. 1.35 to 0.85 Ga. Furthermore, these data, together with shale major/trace elements data from this study and pyrolysis data from previous publications, are used to develop a dynamic tectonic geography model that links the organic carbon production and burial to an enhanced weathering of nutrients from a large igneous province. The ca. 1.35–1.31 Ga Kyalla Formation of the upper Roper Group is composed of isotopically evolved sedimentary detritus that passes up, into more isotopically juvenile Pb values towards the top of the formation. The increase in juvenile compositions coincides with elevated total organic carbon (TOC) contents of these sediments. The coherently enriched juvenile compositions and TOC the upper portions of the Kyalla Formation are interpreted to reflect an increase in nutrient supply associated with the weathering of basaltic sources (e.g. phosphorous). Possible, relatively juvenile, basaltic sources include the Wankanki Supersuite in the western Musgraves and the Derim Derim–Galiwinku large igneous province (LIP). The transition into juvenile, basaltic sources directly before a supersequence-bounding unconformity is here interpreted to reflect uplift and erosion of the Derim Derim–Galiwinku LIP, rather than an influx of southern Musgrave sources. A new baddeleyite crystallisation age of 1,312.9 ± 0.7 Ma provides both a tight constraint on the age of this LIP, along with its associated magmatic uplift, as well as providing a minimum age constraint for Roper Group deposition. The unconformably overlying lower and upper Jamison sandstones are at least 300 million years younger than the Kyalla Formation and were sourced from the Musgrave Province. An up-section increase in isotopically juvenile compositions seen in these rocks is interpreted to document the progressive exhumation of the western Musgrave Province. The overlying Hayfield mudstone received detritus from both the Musgrave and Arunta regions, and its isotopic geochemistry reveals affinities with other early Neoproterozoic basins (e.g. Amadeus, Victoria and Officer basins), indicating the potential for inter-basin correlations.     

东海陆架的古河道和古三角洲

基于１９９６年中法东海海洋地质调查电火花单道地震资料,确定了晚更亲世早期和中期长江（黄河）水下三角洲的分布范围和大致时间。中更新世晚期东海陆架为一自西南向东北倾斜的河流冲积平原,晚更新世以来自西北方向的大型河流的三角洲受此控制主要发育在东北部较低地区。东海陆架较大古河道多发育在末次冰期中的亚间冰期（氧同位素３期）。     

Heterogenous zircons from Mesozoic igneous rocks in the North China Craton and their tectonic implications

Based on a synthesis of zircon inheritance from Mesozoic igneous rocks in the eastern portion of the North China Craton （NCC） , it is proposed that inherited zircons with Neoproterozoie ages identified from these rocks are of a heterogenous derivation from the Yangtze/South China block, rather than from the NCC itself. The mechanism that introduces these zircons incorporated into the NCC is likely by tectonic underplating during the Triassic continental subduction of the Yangtze block beneath the NCC. Tectonic addition of abundant crustal materials represented by the heterogenous zircons into the NCC, probably along Moho or weak interfaces within the NCC＇s crust, led to the crustal thickening in the NCC. These heterogenous materials, either as （partial） source rocks or as contaminants of the magmas generated during an extension environment following the crustal thickening, were reworked and therefore have significant contribution to petrogenesis of the Mesozoic igneous rocks. The crustal thickening resulted from the tectonic underplating, as indicated by the distribution extent of the heterogenous zircons, is spatially similar to that of the lithospheric thinning, with both mainly occurring in the eastern segment of the NCC. This is probably suggestive of an intrinsic relation between the thickening and thinning events during the Mesozoic evolution of the NCC.     

末次冰盛期以来日本海浮游植物生产力和群落结构变化

生物标志物法已经被广泛应用于重建海洋浮游植物生产力和群落结构变化。本文利用这种方法重建了日本海末次冰盛期以来浮游植物生产力和群落结构变化。结果显示,生物标志物含量在末次冰期最盛期21～19 ka和14～4 ka时有高值,而在19～14 ka、4～0 ka有低值。末次冰期最盛期时生物标志物的高含量是由于分层导致的底层水缺氧,生物标志物得到较好保存的结果,而此时日本海盐度很低,使颗石藻相对含量很低;19～14 ka陆源输入减少,日本海生产力水平较低,不断增加的盐度使浮游植物群落结构由硅藻、甲藻占优转变为颗石藻占优;14～4 ka对马暖流流量的加大提高了日本海的初级生产力,同时高营养盐利于硅藻、甲藻的生长,使颗石藻的相对比例减小;4 ka以后随冬季风的增强和黑潮减弱,对马暖流减弱,供应的营养盐减少,日本海生产力水平降低,使颗石藻的相对比例增大,硅藻、甲藻的相对比例减小。     

Matt Wilson structure: record of an impact event of possible Early Mesoproterozoic age,Northern Territory

The Matt Wilson structure is a circular 5.5 km-diameter structure in Early Mesoproterozoic or Neoproterozoic rocks of the Victoria Basin, Northern Territory. It lies in regionally horizontal to gently dipping Wondoan Hill and Stubb Formations (Tijunna Group) and Jasper Gorge Sandstone (Auvergne Group). An outer circumferential syncline with dips of 5?–?40° in the limbs surrounds an intermediate zone with faulted sandstone displaying horizontal to low dips, and a central steeply dipping zone about 1.5 km across. Several thrust faults in the outer syncline appear to indicate outward-directed forces. The central zone, marked by steeply dipping to overturned Tijunna Group and possibly Bullita Group sandstone and mudstone, indicates uplift of at least 300 m. The rocks are intensely fractured with some brecciation, and contain numerous planar to subtly undulating surfaces displaying striae which resemble shatter cleavage. Thin-sections of sandstone from the central area show zones of intense microbrecciation and irregular and planar fractures in quartz, but no melt-rocks have been identified. The planar fractures occur in multiple intersecting parallel sets typical of relatively low-level (5?–?10 GPa) shock-pressure effects. Alternative mechanisms, i.e. igneous intrusion, carbonate collapse, diapirism and regional deformation processes, have been discounted. The circular nature, central uplift, faulting, shatter features and planar fractures are all consistent with an impact origin. The Matt Wilson structure is most likely a deeply eroded impact structure in which the more highly shocked rocks of the original crater floor have been removed by erosion. Estimates of the age of the Auvergne and Tijunna Groups range from Early Mesoproterozoic (which we favour) to Late Neoproterozoic. Early Cambrian Antrim Plateau Volcanics near the impact structure show no signs of impact effects, allowing the age of impact to be constrained between Early Mesoproterozoic and Early Cambrian. The presence of widespread soft-sediment deformation features, apparently confined to a single horizon in the Saddle Creek Formation some 700?–?1000 m stratigraphically higher in the Auvergne Group than the rocks at the impact site, and apparently increasing in thickness towards the Matt Wilson structure, lead us to speculate that this probable event horizon is related to the impact event: if correct the impact occurred during deposition of the Saddle Creek Formation.     

一个晚元古代水下冰足刻蚀作用的记录——水下冰推垄

在现代高纬陆棚冰海区的海底底床上,有大量由海冰形成的水下冰足机械刻蚀迹,但在古代冰期地层中却极少报道。笔者在湖南省石门县中岭乡杨家坪的震旦系剖面上发现一丘状构造,经分析,推断为一水下冰足刻蚀记录(图1)。该构造出露于南华大冰期的下冰期地层东山峰组底界以下约60m,在渫水河组上部。     

梵净山区新元古界下部喀斯特不整合的确认及其地质意义

本文描述了梵净山区新元古界下部鸟叶组与甲路组之间的喀斯特不整合的空间分布、地质特征，从而进一步确认了它的存在；指出该不整合是格林威尔碰撞造山之后强烈隆升的产物，代表了Rodinia超大陆在新元古代裂解前地壳经历的隆起并遭受剥蚀侵蚀的历程，从而对研究该时期地层的空间变异、沉积环境，特别是探讨Rodinia超大陆岩相演化都具有重要的科学意义。     

The Neopleistocene of North European Russia: Stratigraphy,paleogeography, and paleoclimate

The Pleistocene sediments of North European Russia have been studied using different methods to establish their composition and identify the enclosed organic remains. The results obtained elucidate natural climatic environments of the Pleistocene and corresponding sedimentation cycles and development stages. Glaciation centers are identified for different Pleistocene epochs based on lithological criteria. The established secular trends characterizing spatial distribution and composition of different-age glacial horizons facilitate their regional correlation. Climatic conditions and paleogeographic settings of sedimentation during interglacial epochs of the middle-late Pleistocene and Holocene are reconstructed. Variations in development of vegetation, temperature, and humidity are detected for the first time in the Timan-Pechora-Vychegda, Arkhangel’sk and Vologda regions with parallel coordination of obtained data. As is concluded, there was a tendency of climate cooling in North European Russia during the Neopleistocene.     

北祁连山东段新元古代火山岩的年代学证据

在1∶5万石门川幅、老龙湾幅区域地质调查时发现,北祁连山东段上吊吊坡地区存在一套不同于下奥陶统阴沟群的火山岩,经全岩样品Sm-Nd同位素测定,获得Sm-Nd等时线年龄为(723±25.0)Ma,表明其形成时代为新元古代。地球化学特征表明该套火山岩形成于岛弧环境,说明当时北祁连东段仍处于洋壳俯冲挤压环境。