Unconventional distribution of facies in a continental rift basin: the Pliocene–Pleistocene Mangas Basin, south-western New Mexico, USA

The Pliocene–Early Pleistocene Mangas Basin in SW New Mexico, USA, was a N–NW-trending full graben that changed southward to an eastward-tilted half graben. Unlike the facies distribution predicted in existing models, the half-graben part of the Mangas Basin was characterized by broad alluvial fans derived from the footwall scarp, smaller hangingwall-derived alluvial fans, and a shallow, closed lake (Lake Buckhorn) that locally lapped onto the hangingwall hills. The distribution of facies within the full-graben part of the Mangas Basin was also unlike that predicted in current models, primarily because of a broad belt of alluvial-fan sediment derived from the eastern footwall scarp and a narrow belt of axial-fluvial sediment adjacent to the western footwall scarp. The distribution of facies in the Mangas Basin does not appear to have been controlled by the eastward tilt of the floor of the half graben or ‘see-saw’ motion of the floor of the full graben, as predicted by existing models, but rather by the large size of the alluvial fans on the eastern side of the basin. These fans were derived from large, high-relief catchments on the footwall scarp of the Mogollon Mountains, the uplift of which began during Early Miocene. This example illustrates how earlier uplift and drainage development in a mountain range may influence facies distribution in a younger extensional basin.     

Late Tertiary–Quaternary tectonics of the Southern Apennines (Italy): New evidences from the Tyrrhenian slope

This paper summarises the results of combined structural and geomorphological investigations we carried out in two key areas, in order to obtain new data on the structure and evolution of the Tyrrhenian slope of the southern Apennines. Analysis by a stress inversion method [Angelier, J., 1994. Fault slip analysis and paleostress reconstruction. In: Continental Deformation. P.L. Hancock Ed., Pergamon Press, Oxford, 53–100] of fault slip data from Mesozoic to Quaternary formations allowed the reconstruction of states of stress at different time intervals. By integrating these data with those deriving from the stratigraphic and morphotectonic records, chronology and timing of the sequence of the deformation events was obtained.The tectonic history of the region can be related to four deformation events. Structures related to the first event, that was dominated by a strike-slip regime with a NW–SE oriented σ1 and was active since Mid–Late Miocene, do not significantly affect the present day landscape, as they were strongly displaced and overprinted by subsequent deformation events and/or deleted by erosion. The second and third events, that may be considered as the main responsible for the morphostructural signature of the region, are comparable with the stretching phases recognised offshore and considered to be responsible for the opening and widening of the Tyrrhenian basin. In particular, the second event (with an E–W oriented σ3), took place in the Late Miocene/earliest Pliocene and was first dominated by a strike-slip regime, that was also responsible for thrusting and folding. Since Late Pliocene, it was dominated by an extensional regime that created large vertical offsets along N–S to NW–SE trending faults. The third event, that was dominated by extension with a NW–SE oriented σ3, started in the Early Pleistocene and was responsible for formation of the horst-and-graben structure with NE–SW trend that characterises the Tyrrhenian margin of the southern Apennines. The fourth deformation event, which is characterised by an extensional regime with a NE–SW trending σ3, started in the late Middle Pleistocene and is currently active.     

莺歌海盆地上新统双壳类贝壳的锶含量及其意义

锶（Ｓｒ）是碳酸盐沉积物及软体动物介壳中的重要微量元素之一,Ｓｒ含量和Ｓｒ／Ｃａ比值的变化明显受沉积相的控制。因此,锶作为地球化学指标具有一定的环境意义。通过对南海北部莺歌海盆地莺６井上新统双壳类贝壳中的Ｓｒ含量和Ｓｒ／Ｃａ比值的变化与环境、成岩作用关系的研究,发现莺歌海盆地上新世沉积环境为上陆坡→潮下带→潮间带,所得结论与双壳类的生态环境和地层沉积相的综合分析结果一致。     

Reconstruction of paleoenvironments of the Great Salt Lake Basin during the late Cenozoic

This study summarizes the results of micropaleontological, sedimentological, and isotope geochemical analyses of cuttings from five deep wells drilled in the Great Salt Lake (Utah, USA). Spanning the last 5.0 million yrs, our environmental history of the Great Salt Lake distinguishes four intervals based on paleobiological and sedimentological characteristics, using a previously developed tephrochronology for age control. For most of its history, the Great Salt Lake Basin has been occupied by a mixture of marsh, shallow lacustrine and sand flat conditions. In contrast, open lake conditions, typical of the Bonneville cycles and the modern Great Salt Lake apparently have only dominated the basin for the past 0.6-0.8 Ma. The two main structural basins in the study area (the North and South Basins) experienced different lacustrine histories. Large but frequently saline lakes occupied the North Basin after about 0.6 Ma. In the South Basin, ephemeral, saline lacustrine conditions started at 2.1 Ma and developed to full lacustrine conditions at 0.3 Ma. Our paleoenvironmental interpretations are broadly consistent with the aquatic palynological records from the same wells, as well as with the prior core- and outcrop-based lines of evidence. However, the differences in lake history between the North and South Basin have not been previously recognized.     

泥河湾地区晚上新世一个新的地层单位——稻地组

本文记述了河北泥河湾盆地的一个新的地层单位——稻地组。在四个实测剖面上对稻地组进行了分层描述,根据其岩性、化石特征、及其与上下地层接触关系,确定了该地层组的含义,并对其时代(晚上新世)作了讨论。     

青藏高原东北部贵德盆地上新世沉积环境分析及其意义

青海贵德盆地发育巨厚的新生代地层,在青藏高原北部具有很好的代表性,其中含较丰富的重要哺乳动物化石,对确定盆地及周边相似地层的年代、高原隆升过程具有重要的科学意义.结合哺乳动物采用典型剖面精确古地磁测年为基础的时间框架,通过盆地沉积层序、沉积相和沉积演化以及其对构造和气候变化响应的研究表明:6.5～约1.8MaB.P.期间盆地沉积环境变化经历了8个阶段的演化,反映在此期间青藏高原北部经历了＞5.4MaB.P.、3.6MaB.P.、2.6MaB.P.和1.8MaB.P.4次明显的构造挤压隆升运动,其中约1.8MaB.P.的构造运动可能使黄河向上游溯源侵蚀,同时切穿积石峡、李家峡和松巴峡而到达贵德盆地.研究时段内气候以干旱为主,但在6.2～4MaB.P.和2.1～1.85MaB.P.的两个时期气候明显湿润.     

云南西部羊邑和龙陵地区晚上新世植被和古气候

云南西部羊邑和龙陵地区晚上新世孢粉组合均以被子植物占优势，蕨类和裸子植物次之，藻类类群少。龙陵孢粉组合比羊邑孢粉组合含有更丰富的亚热带被子植物成分；裸子植物类群相对较少；蕨类类群较多，但孢子含量低。与研究地区现生植被对比研究的结果显示羊邑孢粉组合的大部分类群来自常绿针阔叶混交林，现在分布于羊邑地区海拔2800-3100m的地带，其余部分来自海拔3200m以上的云冷杉林；而龙陵孢粉组合的大部分类群来自山地湿润常绿阔叶林，分布于今日龙陵地区海拔1600-2500m的地带，其余部分来自海拔2300-2900m的常绿针阔叶混交林。这些云南西部晚上新世植被反映了湿润的亚热带山地立体气候。     

Late Neogene loess deposition in southern Tarim Basin: tectonic and palaeoenvironmental implications

Uplift of the Tibetan Plateau during the late Cainozoic resulted in a thick apron of molassic sediments along the northern piedmonts of the Kunlun and Altyn Mountains in the southern Tarim Basin. Early Neogene sediments are characterised by sandstone, siltstone and red mudstone, representing floodplain to distal alluvial fan environments. The Early Pliocene Artux Formation consists of medium-grained sandstone and sandy mudstone with thin layers of fine pebbly gritstone. The Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene Xiyu Formation is dominated by pebble to boulder conglomerate typical of alluvial fan debris flow deposits. Sedimentological investigation, together with grain size and chemical analyses of siltstone bands intercalated with sandstone and conglomerate in the Xiyu and Artux Formations, point to an aeolian origin, suggesting desertic conditions in the Tarim Basin by the Early Pliocene. The onset of aeolian sedimentation in the southern Tarim Basin coincided with uplift of the northern Tibetan Plateau inferred from the lithofacies change from fine-grained mudstone and sandstone to coarse clasts. Tibetan Plateau uplift resulted in the shift of sedimentary environments northwards into the southern Tarim Basin, and could well have triggered the onset of full aridity in the Taklimakan region as a whole.     

西藏札达盆地晚上新世古植被型分析

札达盆地晚上新世生长着以高山荒漠小灌木、草原、亚高山常绿针叶林和中低山常绿针叶林为主的植被。气候显示了从干旱寒冷至温暖湿润的垂向分异，总体偏于干、寒，属亚热带高山或亚高山类型。当时区内海拔已较高，南低北高的地势特征也已形成。古植被重建及现青藏高原的植被调查资料表明，当时盆地最低处的海拔可能不会超过2 500 m，其周围及北部可能存在海拔4 000 m的高地或更高的山峰。中、晚上新世迄今，该地区隆升的高度的可能不会超过1千米，幅度较喜马拉雅山中部地区小。