秦岭-大别-苏鲁印支造山带连接枢纽的形成时代——来自宁陕断裂带同构造花岗岩锆石U-Pb年代学的限定

最新的研究表明,南秦岭勉略缝合带可以经宁陕左行走滑断裂带与大别苏鲁的高压/超高压变质带相连。对于这个模型,两带间的"连接枢纽"—宁陕走滑断层的活动时间是关键问题之一。研究显示宁陕断裂带是南秦岭中的一条走向近E-W的走滑剪切带,早期为左行韧性剪切变形,晚期叠加了左行脆性剪切变形。对带内千糜岩化石英片岩中的两期同构造花岗岩脉的构造地质学、岩石学和锆石U-Pb和Lu-Hf同位素研究,获得早期面理化细粒花岗岩的年龄为214.4±1.1Ma(MSWD=1.3),εHf(t)主要集中在-8.58~-0.29之间,tDM2=2.45~1.62Ga;晚期钾长花岗岩脉的年龄212.8±1.6Ma(MSWD=2.1),εHf(t)=-5.79~2.07,tDM2=2.53~1.49Ga。同位素数据表明两期花岗岩脉具有相同的岩浆源区,是古老地壳物质的再循环;晚期钾长花岗岩脉是早期花岗岩演化的产物。两期同构造花岗岩脉年龄的确定,表明宁陕左行走滑断层至少从晚三叠世中期之前就已经开始活动,而不是前人认为的早-中侏罗世或晚三叠末。尤其是宁陕左行走滑断裂带与勉略缝合带具有相同的左行韧性走滑叠加晚期脆性走滑的构造样式和活动时间,表明二者的形成可能都与古特提斯洋的斜向俯冲或者扬子板块的顺时针旋转有关。本研究成果为南秦岭的"古特提斯洋缝合带"——勉略缝合带向东经宁陕断裂带与大陆俯冲和深俯冲形成的耀岭河-桐柏-大别-苏鲁高压/超高压变质带相接提供了关键的年代学证据。     

西准噶尔蛇绿混杂岩中洋岛玄武岩研究新进展

洋岛玄武岩(OIB)起源研究是当代固体地球岩石学及地球化学最基本问题之一,通常被认为源于地幔柱。西准噶尔位于中亚造山带的西南缘,该地区发育多条蛇绿混杂岩带,主要包括唐巴勒、玛依勒、达尔布特及克拉玛依蛇绿混杂岩带,它们组成相似,主要为蛇纹岩、蛇纹石化方辉橄榄岩、二辉橄榄岩、纯橄岩、铬铁矿、辉石岩、辉长岩、辉绿岩、玄武岩(拉斑质和碱性)、硅质岩及斜长花岗岩。随着研究的不断深入,在西准噶尔蛇绿混杂岩带中不断有不同时代OIB被识别。这些玄武岩属于碱性玄武岩系列,具有高TiO2和FeOt,低MgO,强烈富集轻稀土元素特征,没有明显Nb、Ta负异常,与日喀则及夏威夷洋岛玄武岩地球化学特征极为相似,可能形成于大洋板内的海山或洋底高原,认为其成因与地幔柱相关,表明在西准噶尔(洋)的演化过程中,不仅是洋内俯冲系统,还伴有地幔柱活动。结合前人研究,认为中亚造山带可能是洋内俯冲+地幔柱复合的演化模型。同时,对中亚造山带中的OIB及OIB型玄武岩形成时代进行系统总结发现,它们不仅时代宽度大,并且具有连续发育的特点。对正确认识地幔柱活动在显生宙中亚造山带地壳增生过程中的贡献提供新的资料和证据。     

Continental growth and reworking on the edge of the Columbia and Rodinia supercontinents; 1.86–0.9 Ga accretionary orogeny in southwest Fennoscandia

Geological history from the late Palaeoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic is dominated by the formation of the supercontinent Columbia, and its break-up and re-amalgamation into the next supercontinent, Rodinia. On a global scale, major orogenic events have been tied to the formation of either of these supercontinents, and records of extension are commonly linked to break-up events. Presented here is a synopsis of the geological evolution of southwest Fennoscandia during the ca. 1.9–0.9 Ga period. This region records a protracted history of continental growth and reworking in a long-lived accretionary orogen. Three major periods of continental growth are defined by the Transscandinavian Igneous Belt (1.86–1.66 Ga), Gothian (1.66–1.52 Ga), and Telemarkian (1.52–1.48 Ga) domains. The 1.47–1.38 Ga Hallandian–Danopolonian period featured reorganization of the subduction zone and over-riding plates, with limited evidence for continental collision. During the subsequent 1.38–1.15 Ga interval, the region is interpreted as being located inboard of a convergent margin that is not preserved today and hosted magmatism and sedimentation related to inboard extensional events. The 1.15–0.9 Ga period is host to Sveconorwegian orogenesis that marks the end of this long-lived accretionary orogen and features significant crustal deformation, metamorphism, and magmatism. Collision of an indenter, typically Amazonia, is commonly inferred for the cause of widespread Sveconorwegian orogenesis, but this remains inconclusive. An alternative is that orogenesis merely represents subduction, terrane accretion, crustal thickening, and burial and exhumation of continental crust, along an accretionary margin. During the Mesoproterozoic, southwest Fennoscandia was part of a much larger accretionary orogen that grew on the edge of the Columbia supercontinent and included Laurentia and Amazonia amongst other cratons. The chain of convergent margins along the western Pacific is the best analogue for this setting of Proterozoic crustal growth and tectonism.     

Primary vs. secondary curved fold axes: Deciphering the origin of the Aït Attab syncline (Moroccan High Atlas) using paleomagnetic data

The Aït Attab syncline, located in the Central High Atlas, displays a curved geometry in plan view, and is considered as one of the most spectacular fold shapes in the Central High Atlasic belt. We conducted a paleomagnetic study in Jurassic-Cretaceous red beds to investigate the origin of this geometry. The Natural Remanent Magnetization (NRM) is dominated by a secondary magnetization carried by haematite with unvarying normal polarity that has been dated at about 100 Ma. The regional fold test performed in both limbs of the syncline is positive and the paleomagnetic vectors (after tectonic correction) are parallel throughout the curvature, indicating a negative oroclinal bending test. These results are inconsistent with previous works that consider the bent geometry of this syncline to result from subsequent distortion of originally NE–SW trending structures by rotation about a vertical axis. We interpret the NRM data to demonstrate that the changing trend of the Aït Attab syncline is a primary feature, resulting from the influence of pre-existing, NE–SW and E-W-striking extensional faults that developed during a strike-slip regime. Paleomagnetic results also reveal that the tilting observed in the sampled red beds is post Albian, probably linked to the Cenozoic inversion of the High Atlasic belt.     

Discovery of a binary Centaur

We have identified a binary companion to (42355) 2002 CR₄₆ in our ongoing deep survey using the Hubble Space Telescope's High Resolution Camera. It is the first companion to be found around an object in a non-resonant orbit that crosses the orbits of giant planets. Objects in orbits of this kind, the Centaurs, have experienced repeated strong scattering with one or more giant planets and therefore the survival of binaries in this transient population has been in question. Monte Carlo simulations suggest, however, that binaries in (42355) 2002 CR₄₆-like heliocentric orbits have a high probability of survival for reasonable estimates of the binary's still-unknown system mass and separation. Because Centaurs are thought to be precursors to short period comets, the question of the existence of binary comets naturally arises; none has yet been definitively identified. The discovery of one binary in a sample of eight observed by HST suggests that binaries in this population may not be uncommon.     

Evolution of regional metamorphism in the Cape Smith Thrust Belt (northern Quebec, Canada): interaction of tectonic and thermal processes

Abstract Syn-metamorphic re-imbrication of the internal part of thrust belts can result in distinct pressure–temperature–time–deformation ( P–T–t–d ) pathways for different structural–metamorphic domains. In the early Proterozoic Cape Smith Thrust Belt (Canada), an external (piggyback-sequence thrusting) domain is characterized by thermal peak metamorphism occurring after deformation. In contrast, thermal peak metamorphism in an internal domain occurred during re-imbrication by out-of-sequence thrusting. The interactions of tectonic and thermal processes have been studied using three methods: (i) qualitative evaluation of the timing between mineral growth and deformation; (ii) analytical P–T paths from growth-zoned garnet porphyroblasts; and (iii) numerical modelling of vertical heat conduction. Derived P–T–t–d pathways suggest that uplift in the external domain resulted in part from erosion and isostatic unloading. In contrast, paths for the internal domain indicate that the out-of-sequence portion of the thrust belt may have experienced faster unroofing relative to the external domain. This is attributed to thickening by out-of-sequence thrusting and possibly to extensional faulting at (now eroded) higher structural levels. Observations on the timing of metamorphism, coupled with numerical modelling, suggest that the thermal peak metamorphism documented in the external domain is a consequence of the emplacement of the out-of-sequence thrusts stack in the internal portion of the thrust belt.     

Exhumation during oblique transpression: The Feiran–Solaf region, Egypt

The Feiran–Solaf metamorphic complex of Sinai, Egypt, is one of the highest grade metamorphic complexes of a series of basement domes that crop out throughout the Arabian-Nubian Shield. In the Eastern Desert of Egypt these basement domes have been interpreted as metamorphic core complexes exhumed in extensional settings. For the Feiran–Solaf complex an interpretation of the exhumation mechanism is difficult to obtain with structural arguments as all of its margins are obliterated by post-tectonic granites. Here, metamorphic methods are used to investigate its tectonic history and show that the complex was characterized by a single metamorphic cycle experiencing peak metamorphism at ∼700–750 °C and 7–8 kbar and subsequent isothermal decompression to ∼4–5 kbar, followed by near isobaric cooling to 450 °C. Correlation of this metamorphic evolution with the deformation history shows that peak metamorphism occurred prior to the compressive deformation phase D ₂, while the compressive D ₂ and D ₃ deformation occurred during the near isothermal decompression phase of the P–T loop. We interpret the concurrence of decompression of the P–T path and compression by structural shortening as evidence for the Najd fault system exhuming the complex in an oblique transpressive regime. However, final exhumation from ∼15 km depth must have occurred due to an unrelated mechanism.     

The eruptive history of the Tequila volcanic field, western Mexico: ages, volumes, and relative proportions of lava types

The eruptive history of the Tequila volcanic field (1600 km²) in the western Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt is based on ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar chronology and volume estimates for eruptive units younger than 1 Ma. Ages are reported for 49 volcanic units, including Volcán Tequila (an andesitic stratovolcano) and peripheral domes, flows, and scoria cones. Volumes of volcanic units 1 Ma were obtained with the aid of field mapping, ortho aerial photographs, digital elevation models (DEMs), and ArcGIS software. Between 1120 and 200 kyrs ago, a bimodal distribution of rhyolite (~35 km³) and high-Ti basalt (~39 km³) dominated the volcanic field. Between 685 and 225 kyrs ago, less than 3 km³ of andesite and dacite erupted from more than 15 isolated vents; these lavas are crystal-poor and show little evidence of storage in an upper crustal chamber. Approximately 200 kyr ago, ~31 km³ of andesite erupted to form the stratocone of Volcán Tequila. The phenocryst assemblage of these lavas suggests storage within a chamber at ~2–3 km depth. After a hiatus of ~110 kyrs, ~15 km³ of andesite erupted along the W and SE flanks of Volcán Tequila at ~90 ka, most likely from a second, discrete magma chamber located at ~5–6 km depth. The youngest volcanic feature (~60 ka) is the small andesitic volcano Cerro Tomasillo (~2 km³). Over the last 1 Myr, a total of 128±22 km³ of lava erupted in the Tequila volcanic field, leading to an average eruption rate of ~0.13 km³/kyr. This volume erupted over ~1600 km², leading to an average lava accumulation rate of ~8 cm/kyr. The relative proportions of lava types are ~22–43% basalt, ~0.4–1% basaltic andesite, ~29–54% andesite, ~2–3% dacite, and ~18–40% rhyolite. On the basis of eruptive sequence, proportions of lava types, phenocryst assemblages, textures, and chemical composition, the lavas do not reflect the differentiation of a single (or only a few) parental liquids in a long-lived magma chamber. The rhyolites are geochemically diverse and were likely formed by episodic partial melting of upper crustal rocks in response to emplacement of basalts. There are no examples of mingled rhyolitic and basaltic magmas. Whatever mechanism is invoked to explain the generation of andesite at the Tequila volcanic field, it must be consistent with a dominantly bimodal distribution of high-Ti basalt and rhyolite for an 800 kyr interval beginning ~1 Ma, which abruptly switched to punctuated bursts of predominantly andesitic volcanism over the last 200 kyrs.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at Editorial responsility: J. Donnelly-NolanThis revised version was published online in January 2005 with corrections to Tables 1 and 3.An erratum to this article can be found at     

Evolution of a complex isolated dome system,Cerro Pizarro,central México

Cerro Pizarro is an isolated rhyolitic dome in the intermontane Serdán-Oriental basin, located in the eastern Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. Cerro Pizarro erupted ~1.1 km³ of magma at about 220 ka. Activity of Cerro Pizarro started with vent-clearing explosions at some depth; the resultant deposits contain clasts of local basement rocks, including Cretaceous limestone, ~0.46-Ma welded tuff, and basaltic lava. Subsequent explosive eruptions during earliest dome growth produced an alternating sequence of surge and fallout layers from an inferred small dome. As the dome grew both vertically and laterally, it developed an external glassy carapace due to rapid chilling. Instability of the dome during emplacement caused the partial gravitational collapse of its flanks producing various block-and-ash-flow deposits. After a brief period of repose, re-injection of magma caused formation of a cryptodome with pronounced deformation of the vitrophyric dome and the underlying units to orientations as steep as near vertical. This stage began apparently as a gas-poor eruption and no explosive phases accompanied the emplacement of the cryptodome. Soon after emplacement of the cryptodome, however, the western flank of the edifice catastrophically collapsed, causing a debris avalanche. A hiatus in eruptive activity was marked by erosion of the cone and emplacement of ignimbrite derived from a caldera to the north of Cerro Pizarro. The final growth of the dome growth produced its present shape; this growth was accompanied by multiple eruptions producing surge and fallout deposits that mantle the topography around Cerro Pizarro. The evolution of the Cerro Pizarro dome holds aspects in common with classic dome models and with larger stratovolcano systems. We suggest that models that predict a simple evolution for domes fail to account for possibilities in evolutionary paths. Specifically, the formation of a cryptodome in the early stages of dome formation may be far more common than generally recognized. Likewise, sector collapse of a dome, although apparently rare, is a potential hazard that must be recognized and for which planning must be done.Editorial responsibility: J. Gilbert