Cenozoic Plate interaction of the Australia and Philippine Sea Plates: “hit-and-run” tectonics

Recent studies in northwest New Guinea have shown the presence of at least two marginal basins of different age, both of which formed in back-arc settings. The older basin opened between the Middle Jurassic and Early Cretaceous, a remnant of which is now preserved as the New Guinea Ophiolite. Its obduction started at 40 Ma and it was finally emplaced on the Australian margin at 30 Ma. The younger basin was active during the Oligocene to Middle Miocene and was obducted in the Early Pliocene. Studies of the western edge of the Philippine Sea also reveal an important deformation of the Philippine arc in the Oligocene, which hitherto has remained unexplained. Using information from these systems, paleomagnetic results, kinematic reconstructions and geochemistry of the supra-subduction ophiolite, we present a plate model to explain the region's Eo–Oligocene development. We suggest that an extensive portion of oceanic crust extended the Australian Plate a considerable distance north of the Australian Craton. As Australia began its steady 7–8 cm/year northward drift in the Early Eocene, this lithosphere was subducted. Thus, the portion of the Philippine Sea Plate carrying the Taiwan–Philippine Arc to its present site may have actually been in contact with the ophiolite now in New Guinea and obduction led to deformation of the Philippine Sea Plate itself. Neogene Plate kinematics transported the deformed belt in contact with the Sunda block in the Late Miocene and Pliocene. This interpretation has implications for the origin for the Philippine Sea Plate and the potential incorporation of continental fragments against its boundaries.     

新产业区与经济活动全球化的地理研究

本文评述了90年代国际经济地理学界关注的两个研究领域：新产业区和经济活动全球化。在分析两者的含义和研究关键内容基础上，提出如何在我国开展该项研究。     

湖北郧西六斗金矿床地质地球化学及矿床成因研究

郧西县六斗石英脉一破碎蚀变岩型金矿床，是鄂西北地区近年新发现的金矿床之一。通过对金矿床产出地质背景、控矿地质条件、围岩蚀变、矿石矿物、包体物理化学、同位素地球化学等的研究，阐述了六斗金矿床的形成机理和成矿物质来源。确定了该矿床成因类型为与韧性剪切变形变质作用有关的中一低温热液矿床。     

青海德令哈巴音郭勒河断裂带的新活动特征

在青海德令哈巴音郭勒河北侧山前冲洪积扇上新发现了一条长约60km的逆断裂带,属于本区NNW-NWW向的柴达木盆地北缘活动断裂系内的一条次级挤压构造。断裂在地貌上表现为明显的挤压逆冲断层陡坎,晚更新世晚期以来的平均垂直滑动速率为0.41±0.27mm/a。探槽剖面确定了三次古地震事件,其年代分别为距今约32.7±1.45ka、15.54±1.32ka和3.2±0.33ka。     

论江苏若干矿产资源开发利用的新方向

江苏泥炭大多数为低有机质分解较强的低位泥炭，适于制作肥料或制成腐肥使用；江苏硅质原料丰富，一种以硅为主的化肥——硅肥正日益显示其重要性；湖泊淤泥具有颗粒微细、含砂量少、可塑性高、结合力强、干燥敏感性好和收缩率较大等特点，是生产空心砖的最佳原料；高家边组泥页岩和坟头组底部细粉砂质泥岩及泥质粉砂岩是良好的陶粒原料、砖瓦、陶瓷建材以及水泥用粘土质原料；利用矿泉水与茶的结合能够生产出高、中、低多效应的复合型新产品。上述尚未被利用或利用程度不够的矿产资源有着广泛的开发利用前景。     

Pelecinid wasps (Insecta, Hymenoptera, Proctotrupoidea) from the Cretaceous of Russia and Mongolia

Thirteen new species referable to four genera, of which one is new, from the Cretaceous of Russia and Mongolia are established herein and assigned to the family Pelecinidae. Among the four genera, Protopelecinus gen. nov., including four new species, is referred to the subfamily Pelecininae, while Iscopinus Kozlov, including three new species, Eopelecinus Zhang, Rasnitsyn and Zhang, including five new species, and Scorpiopelecinus laetus sp. nov. are assigned to the subfamily Iscopininae. Of these new taxa, eight, namely Protopelecinus regularis, P. furtivus, Iscopinus simplex, ?I. suspectus, Eopelecinus exquisitus, E. scorpioideus, E. rudis and Scorpiopelecinus laetus, are from the Lower Cretaceous Zaza Formation of Baissa, Transbaikalia, Russia; two, E. minutus and E. fragilis, are from the basal Lower Cretaceous Tsagan-Tsab Formation of Khutel-Khara, Mongolia; two, P. dubius and P. deformis, are from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian?) of Bon Tsagan, Mongolia; and one, I. separatus, is from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Ola Formation of Obeshchayushchiy, Russia. A key to fossil pelecinid wasps is provided and a morphological analysis shows that the Pelecinidae might be paraphyletic with respect to the Proctotrupidae. The Chinese insect fauna from both the Yixian and Laiyang formations is dominated by Eopelecinus and Sinopelecinus whereas the Siberian + Mongolian fauna from the Zaza and Tsagan-Tsab formations is dominated by Eopelecinus and Iscopinus. Hence, Eopelecinus is common to both. The differences between the two faunas are likely to be the result of geographical variation in populations.     

Nickel speciation in Sebertia acuminata,a plant growing on a lateritic soil of New Caledonia

Nickel speciation in a nickel hyperaccumulating plant (Sebertia acuminata) and its associated soil of southern New Caledonia was studied using various analytical methods. The soil is formed of iron oxides (goethite, hematite), which contain almost all the nickel. The available nickel is probably linked to the organic matter in the litter. Sebertia acuminata, acts as a nickel pump, and concentrates the metal in its leaves. It partitions nickel and silica; nickel is concentrated in the cells (probably in the vacuoles) as organometallic complexes, whereas silica forms the framework of the cells, and the phytolithes. A thorough study of these plants seems essential in order to define the soil–plant relations, and to propose appropriate ways for ecological restoration. To cite this article: N. Perrier et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).     

Crustal and upper mantle seismic structure of the Australian Plate, South Island, New Zealand

Seismic reflection and refraction data were collected west of New Zealand's South Island parallel to the Pacific–Australian Plate boundary. The obliquely convergent plate boundary is marked at the surface by the Alpine Fault, which juxtaposes continental crust of each plate. The data are used to study the crustal and uppermost mantle structure and provide a link between other seismic transects which cross the plate boundary. Arrival times of wide-angle reflected and refracted events from 13 recording stations are used to construct a 380-km long crustal velocity model. The model shows that, beneath a 2–4-km thick sedimentary veneer, the crust consists of two layers. The upper layer velocities increase from 5.4–5.9 km/s at the top of the layer to 6.3 km/s at the base of the layer. The base of the layer is mainly about 20 km deep but deepens to 25 km at its southern end. The lower layer velocities range from 6.3 to 7.1 km/s, and are commonly around 6.5 km/s at the top of the layer and 6.7 km/s at the base. Beneath the lower layer, the model has velocities of 8.2–8.5 km/s, typical of mantle material. The Mohorovicic discontinuity (Moho) therefore lies at the base of the second layer. It is at a depth of around 30 km but shallows over the south–central third of the profile to about 26 km, possibly associated with a southwest dipping detachment fault. The high, variable sub-Moho velocities of 8.2 km/s to 8.5 km/s are inferred to result from strong upper mantle anisotropy. Multichannel seismic reflection data cover about 220 km of the southern part of the modelled section. Beneath the well-layered Oligocene to recent sedimentary section, the crustal section is broadly divided into two zones, which correspond to the two layers of the velocity model. The upper layer (down to about 7–9 s two-way travel time) has few reflections. The lower layer (down to about 11 s two-way time) contains many strong, subparallel reflections. The base of this reflective zone is the Moho. Bi-vergent dipping reflective zones within this lower crustal layer are interpreted as interwedging structures common in areas of crustal shortening. These structures and the strong northeast dipping reflections beneath the Moho towards the north end of the (MCS) line are interpreted to be caused by Paleozoic north-dipping subduction and terrane collision at the margin of Gondwana. Deeper mantle reflections with variable dip are observed on the wide-angle gathers. Travel-time modelling of these events by ray-tracing through the established velocity model indicates depths of 50–110 km for these events. They show little coherence in dip and may be caused side-swipe from the adjacent crustal root under the Southern Alps or from the upper mantle density anomalies inferred from teleseismic data under the crustal root.