大别山鲁家寨花岗岩地球化学、锆石年代学和Hf同位素特征:扬子克拉通北东缘新元古代岩浆活动证据

对大别山造山带的鲁家寨花岗岩进行了锆石U-Pb年代学、锆石Hf同位素和岩石地球化学研究.锆石LA-ICP-MS U-Pb定年结果表明鲁家寨花岗岩形成于新元古代((816±17)Ma).鲁家寨花岗岩总体具有高硅(SiO2 69.13%～75.47%)、准铝-弱过铝(A/CNK=0.98～1.01)的化学组成特征.稀土元素...     

Structure and age of the northern Leeuwin Complex,Western Australia: Constraints from field mapping and U–Pb isotopic analysis

Rocks in the northern Leeuwin Complex of southwestern Australia preserve evidence of having formed during the breakup of Rodinia and the subsequent amalgamation of Gondwana. Detailed field mapping, structural investigation and U–Pb isotopic zircon analysis, using the Sensitive High‐mass Resolution Ion Microprobe (SHRIMP), have revealed that: (i) protoliths of pink granite gneiss and grey granodiorite gneiss crystallised at ca 750 Ma, coeval with breakup of western Rodinia; (ii) granulite/upper amphibolite facies metamorphism occurred at 522 ± 5 Ma, in the Early Cambrian, ～100 million years later than previous estimates and of identical age to estimates of the final amalgamation of Gondwana; and (iii) three major phases of ductile deformation occurred during or after this metamorphism and represent a progressive strain evolution from subvertical shortening (D1) to subhorizontal east‐west (D2) then north‐northwest‐south‐southeast (D3) contraction.     

Geologists: And their contribution to Australia

Abstract

Eight sets of stratigraphic layers and igneous rocks are the basis for the recognition of eight tectonic periods, TP1‐TP8, in the history of the New England and Yarrol Orogens from the Devonian to the opening of the Tasman Sea in the Late Cretaceous. The opening of the Tasman Sea caused the removal of an eastern section of the New England Orogen to form parts of the Lord Howe Rise and Norfolk Ridge. The Gwydir‐Calliope and Kuttung volcanic arc systems of TP1 and TP2 in the Devonian and Carboniferous were possibly W‐facing, and probably formed far to the NE of their present positions relative to the Lachlan Orogen. They moved SW as they developed, and in the latest Carboniferous or earliest Permian were cut obliquely by the Mooki Fault on which there was a dextral strike‐slip of about 500 km before the Kuttung volcanic arc became extinct. In the Late Carboniferous a narrow region on the E side of the Peel Fault was elevated to form the Campbell High which was intruded by the Bundarra Plutonic Suite and has probably remained elevated since then. Plutons of similar ages were intruded into a high to the E of the Bowen Basin (and the northern part of the Mooki Fault). The two highs and the intrusives in them divided the Yarrol Belt of the Yarrol Orogen from the Tamworth Belt of the New England Orogen, and the two belts have developed in different ways since the Visean. In Latest Carboniferous to Early Permian there was a major tectonic change and the Gympie‐Brook Street volcanic arc developed. The New England Orogen was in a back arc setting and broke into a mosaic of microplates, the relative motions between them being accompanied by deposition of diamictites, by metamorphism, by folding on W to NW trending axes, and by the intrusion of the Hillgrove Plutonic Suite. Further W, sediments of the Sydney, Gunnedah and Bowen basins were deposited above the Mooki Fault System and above the two segments of the Kuttung arc system that had been displaced along the Mooki Fault System.     

Calcite precipitation and Recrystallization fabrics—their significance in Jurassic Limestones of Europe

Many fabrics in Corallian (Upper Jurassic) carbonates in England, France and Switzerland are bigenetic, forming by solution/precipitation and recrystallization processes. Early precipitated cements are non‐ferroan, whereas those formed later are decidedly ferroan. Mossbauer spectroscopy has shown that the iron in the carbonates is largely divalent, substituting for calcium in the calcite lattice. The cements may be subdivided into those forming in an oxidizing environment, and those forming in a reducing environment. Fabric evidence indicates that a solution period separates the two cement phases. The diagenetic history is linked with the sedimentation pattern. Thus, under progressive build up of sediments into shallow‐water or supratidal conditions, the first‐phase cement probably precipitated from non‐marine, partially oxygenated vadose water. Subsequent subsidence and sedimentation resulted in the depression of partially cemented sediments into zones within the sedimentary pile conducive first to pyrite precipitation, and then to ferroan calcite precipitation. Fabrics can therefore be used to interpret the diagenetic environment of regressive sedimentary associations.     

Potassium‐argon dates from the Arltunga Nappe complex,northern territory

Twenty‐four mineral separates from the Arunta Complex, four from the metamorphosed Heavitree Quartzite (White Range Quartzite), and one whole rock sample of metamorphosed Bitter Springs Formation, all from the western part of the White Range Nappe of the Arltunga Nappe Complex, and two samples from the autochthonous basement west of the nappe have been dated by the K‐Ar method. The samples from the basement rocks form two groups. Those in the southern or frontal part of the nappe are of Middle Proterozoic (Carpentarian) age (1660–1368 m.y.), determined on hornblende, biotite, and muscovite. In the northern or rear part of the nappe, all but one of the muscovite samples and two biotites are of Middle Silurian to Early Carboniferous age (431–345 m.y.); the remainder of the biotite dates range from 1775 to 548 m.y. (including the two samples from the autochthon), and two hornblendes gave dates of 1639 and 2132 m.y. respectively. All the muscovite samples from the Heavitree Quartzite, and the whole rock sample from the Bitter Springs Formation gave Early to Middle Carboniferous dates (358–322 m.y.). The findings support the identification of the White Range Quartzite as the metamorphosed part of the Heavitree Quartzite, which in turn supports the interpretation of the structure of the area as a large, basement‐cored fold nappe. In addition, they date the time of the Alice Springs Orogeny as pre‐Late Carboniferous, which agrees with fossil evidence from elsewhere in the area. The Alice Springs Orogeny was accompanied by widespread greenschist facies meta‐morphism that progressively metamorphosed the Heavitree Quartzite and Bitter Springs Formation, and retrogressively metamorphosed the Arunta Complex. However, the basement rocks in the southern part of the nappe escaped this metamorphism and retain a Middle Proterozoic age, thus dating the time of the Arunta Orogeny in this region as Carpentarian or older.     

Abraham Gottlob Werner: History and folk‐history

The Neptunist‐Vulcanist controversy has distorted the reputations of both James Hutton and Abraham Gottlob Werner. Among English‐speaking geologists, Hutton is often presented as the Father of Modern Geology, whereas Werner's views are seen as ‘palpably absurd’. Both men made major contributions to geology, but they were men of their age, the second half of the eighteenth century, and remote in their general ideas from those current since Lyell's day in the mid‐nineteenth. Werner was greatly admired by some of his ablest contemporaries, and their admiration becomes inexplicable if we regard his views as ‘palpably absurd’. Historical research in the last few years, reviewed here, is able to show how Werner's views arose and why they seemed persuasive at the time. Some examples of Neptunist observations in Australia in the 1820's are given to show the application and later modification of the theory.     

Crust restoration for the western Lachlan Orogen using the strain-reversal,area-balancing technique: implications for crustal components and original thicknesses

Strain reversal of structural/stratigraphic profiles at different scales in the western Lachlan Orogen provides a perspective on original crustal thickness estimates, the former depositional basin width of the proto-western Lachlan Orogen, the original sedimentary-fan thickness, and the possible length extent of lower crust lost by subduction. Retrodeformation using strain-reversal techniques allows basin reconstruction giving an original width of the western Lachlan Orogen basin receptor of between 800 km (minimum) and ～1150 km (maximum), depending on the amount of stratal duplication allowed in the turbidites. Crude area balancing of the regional cross-section, adding in sectional volume lost by erosion and assuming strain compatibility between the upper and lower crust, suggests that the predeformation crustal thickness ranges between 15 km and ～21 km, with a lower crustal thickness (oceanic lithosphere) of ～9 km and a turbidite fan thickness of ～6 km (minimum) and ～12 km (maximum allowable), respectively. Disparity between the calculated fan thickness and that derived from measured stratigraphic sections adjusted for strain (～6 km) indicates that some form of crustal stacking must be important in structural thickening of the turbidite crustal component. By varying shortening due to fault stacking, mass balance dictates the mismatch of the upper crustal (uc) and lower crustal (lc) retrodeformed lengths, and therefore provides an estimate of lower crustal loss by subduction. End members range from: (i) a 12 km-thick fan without fault duplication, a basin width of ～800 km where uc = lc giving no lower crustal loss by subduction; to (ii) a ～6 km fan, requiring duplication by faulting, a basin of ～1150 km where uc > lc, and ～360 km of lower crust length (～30%) lost by subduction. This suggests that the total thickness of underplated igneous material in the western Lachlan Orogen is low, probably < ～2 km.     

Facies architecture of the Early Devonian Ural Volcanics,New South Wales

The Ural Volcanics are a early Devonian, submarine, felsic lava-sill complex, exposed in the western central Lachlan Orogen, New South Wales. The Ural Volcanics and underlying Upper Silurian, deepwater, basin-fill sedimentary rocks make up the Rast Group. The Ural Range study area, centrally located in the Cargelligo 1:100 000 map sheet area, was mapped at 1:10 000 scale. Seventeen principal volcanic facies were identified in the study area, dominated by felsic coherent facies (rhyolite and dacite) and associated monomictic breccia and siltstone-matrix monomictic breccia facies. Subordinate volcaniclastic facies include the pumice-rich breccia facies association, rhyolite – dacite – siltstone breccia facies and fiamme – siltstone breccia facies. The sedimentary facies association includes mixed-provenance and non-volcanic sandstone to conglomerate, black mudstone, micaceous quartz sandstone and foliated mudstone. The succession was derived from at least two intrabasinal volcanic centres. One, in the north, was largely effusive and intrusive, building a lava – sill complex. Another, in the south, was effusive, intrusive and explosive, generating lavas and moderate-volume (～3 km³) pyroclastic facies. The presence of turbidites, marine fossils, very thick massive to graded volcaniclastic units and black mudstone, and the lack of large-scale cross-beds and erosional scours, provide evidence for deposition in a submarine environment below storm wave-base. The Ural Volcanics have potential for seafloor or sub-seafloor replacement massive sulfide deposits, although no massive sulfide prospects or related altered zones have yet been defined. Sparse, disseminated sulfides occur in sericite-altered, steeply dipping shear zones.     

Adaminaby Group west of Batemans Bay: Deformation and metamorphism of the Narooma accretionary complex,NSW

This study provides new structural data that show that the Adaminaby Group is part of the Narooma accretionary complex and has been overprinted by HT/LP metamorphism associated with Middle Devonian Moruya Suite intrusions. The grade of metamorphism based on Kübler Indices is the same in the Wagonga and Adaminaby Groups at Batemans Bay inferring that these rocks were involved in the same accretionary event. White micas in slates of the Adaminaby Group record apparent K–Ar ages of 384.6 ± 7.9 Ma and 395.8 ± 8.1 Ma. These ages are believed to represent the age of Middle to Upper Devonian Buckenbowra Granodiorite. Kübler Index values indicate lower epizonal (greenschist facies) metamorphic conditions and are not influenced by heating in metamorphic aureoles of the plutons. All b cell lattice parameter values are characteristic of intermediate pressure facies conditions although they are lower in the metamorphic aureole of the Buckenbowra Granodiorite than in the country rock, defining two areas with dissimilar baric conditions. East of the Buckenbowra Granodiorite, b cell lattice parameter values outside the contact aureole (x = 9.033 Å; n = 8) indicate P = 4 kb, and assuming a temperature of 300°C, infer a depth of burial of approximately 15 km for these rocks with a geothermal gradient of 20°C/km. In the metamorphic aureole of the Buckenbowra Granodiorite, b cell lattice parameter values (x = 9.021 Å; n = 41) indicate P = 3.1 kb inferring exhumation of the Adaminaby Group rocks to a depth of approximately 11 km prior to intrusion. A geothermal gradient of 36°C/km operated in the aureole during intrusion. An extensional back-arc environment prevailed in the Adaminaby Group during the Middle to Upper Devonian.     

Crustal architecture of the Thomson Orogen in Queensland inferred from potential field forward modelling

The basement rocks of the poorly understood Thomson Orogen are concealed by mid-Paleozoic to Upper Cretaceous intra-continental basins and direct information about the orogen is gleaned from sparse geological data. Constrained potential field forward modelling has been undertaken to highlight key features and resolve deeply sourced anomalies within the Thomson Orogen. The Thomson Orogen is characterised by long-wavelength and low-amplitude geophysical anomalies when compared with the northern and western Precambrian terranes of the Australian continent. Prominent NE- and NW-trending gravity anomalies reflect the fault architecture of the region. High-intensity Bouguer gravity anomalies correlate with shallow basement rocks. Bouguer gravity anomalies below –300 µm/s² define the distribution of the Devonian Adavale Basin and associated troughs. The magnetic grid shows smooth textures, punctuated by short-wavelength, high-intensity anomalies that indicate magnetic contribution at different crustal levels. It is interpreted that meta-sedimentary basement rocks of the Thomson Orogen, intersected in several drill holes, are representative of a seismically non-reflective and non-magnetic upper basement. Short-wavelength, high-intensity magnetic source bodies and colocated negative Bouguer gravity responses are interpreted to represent shallow granitic intrusions. Long-wavelength magnetic anomalies are inferred to reflect the topography of a seismically reflective and magnetic lower basement. Potential field forward modelling indicates that the Thomson Orogen might be a single terrane. We interpret that the lower basement consists of attenuated Precambrian and mafic enriched continental crust, which differs from the oceanic crust of the Lachlan Orogen further south.