New Mexico structural zone—an analogue of the Colorado mineral belt

Updated aeromagnetic maps of New Mexico together with current knowledge of the basement geology in the northern part of the state (Sangre de Cristo and Sandia–Manzano Mountains)—where basement rocks were exposed in Precambrian-cored uplifts—indicate that the northeast-trending Proterozoic shear zones that controlled localization of ore deposits in the Colorado mineral belt extend laterally into New Mexico. The shear zones in New Mexico coincide spatially with known epigenetic precious- and base-metal ore deposits; thus, the mineralized belts in the two states share a common inherited basement tectonic setting. Reactivation of the basement structures in Late Cretaceous–Eocene and Mid-Tertiary times provided zones of weakness for emplacement of magmas and conduits for ore-forming solutions. Ore deposits in the Colorado mineral belt are of both Late Cretaceous–Eocene and Mid-Tertiary age; those in New Mexico are predominantly Mid-Tertiary in age, but include Late Cretaceous porphyry-copper deposits in southwestern New Mexico.The mineralized belt in New Mexico, named the New Mexico structural zone, is 250-km wide. The northwest boundary is the Jemez subzone (or the approximately equivalent Globe belt), and the southeastern boundary was approximately marked by the Santa Rita belt. Three groups (subzones) of mineral deposits characterize the structural zone: (1) Mid-Tertiary porphyry molybdenite and alkaline-precious-metal deposits, in the northeast segment of the Jemez zone; (2) Mid-Tertiary epithermal precious-metal deposits in the Tijeras (intermediate) zone; and (3) Late Cretaceous porphyry-copper deposits in the Santa Rita zone. The structural zone was inferred to extend from New Mexico into adjacent Arizona. The structural zone provides favorable sites for exploration, particularly those parts of the Jemez subzone covered by Neogene volcanic and sedimentary rocks.     

The ups and downs of “Tectonic Quiescence”—recognizing differential subsidence in the epicontinental sea of the Oxfordian in the Swiss Jura Mountains

Recent studies in northern Switzerland have shown that epicontinental areas thought to have been tectonically stable during the Mesozoic were not necessarily as rigid as presumed. By comparing Oxfordian facies boundaries and depocenters in their palinspastic position with known faults in the basement, a direct relationship between the two can be demonstrated. Previously, the lack of obvious synsedimentary tectonic features has lulled scientists into believing that the realm of the Swiss Jura was tectonically stable during the Mesozoic. However, it can be shown that facies and sedimentary structures are largely influenced by tectonics. Subsurface data provide evidence for the presence of Paleozoic troughs in the basement which, apparently, were prone to reactivation during the Pan-European stress-field reorganization taking place in the Late Jurassic. This led to differential subsidence along pre-existing lineaments within the study area, which can be recognized in the distribution of Oxfordian epicontinental basins and their coeval shallow-water counterparts. Eustatic sea-level fluctuations played an important role in the development of shallow-water facies patterns, but a subordinate role in the control of accommodation space in basins.

While tectonic activity is often recorded in the sedimentary record in the form of platform break-ups and associated sedimentary debris, more subtle indicators may be overlooked or even misinterpreted. Sedimentary structures and isopach maps, as well as subsurface data in the study area suggest that subtle synsedimentary tectonic movements led to the formation of two shallow, diachronous epicontinental basins during the Late Jurassic. It becomes possible to recognize and differentiate the combined effects of local and regional tectonism, eustasy and sedimentation.     

Three Alkali-Rich Intrusive Rock Belts Newly Discovered in the Mt. Kunlun-Mt. Altun Region, Xinjiang, China

The newly discovered three alkali-rich intrusive rock belts in the Mt. Kunlun Mt.Altun region of southern Xinjiang are the Lapeiquan-Yitunbulak alkali-rich intrusive rock belt,the Gez-Taxkorgan alkali-rich intrusive rock belt and the Beilisai-Abulash alkali-rich intrusive rock belt. The former two belts were formed during the Yanshanian period, and the third one was formed during the Himalayan period, which is the youngest alkali-rich intrusive rock belt in China. The discovery of the alkali-rich intrusive rock belts is of great significance in shedding light on the history of tectono-magmatic activities in this region.     

昆仑山口西8.1级地震地表破裂的类型与性质

通过对昆仑山口西8．1级地震地表破裂全带的考察认为：本次地震形成的地表破裂带长达350－400km，由地震裂缝，鼓梁（包）、塌陷、陡坡等基本形态组成，属构造性破裂，并具有明显的继承性和新生性。     

昆仑山口西8.1级地震前青海省形变及地温前兆特征分析

通过对青海省地倾斜、地应力、深井地温3种前兆手段在昆仑山口西8．1级地震前异常的分析与研究，得出了强地震远场前兆的一些初步特征，并与近场前兆异常特征做了比较，这对该省今后强震短期预报将是有益的。     

昆仑山口西8.1级地震前气象地温异常特征分析

通过对青海省气象部门观测的3．2m气象地温资料相关距平、均值的处理和分析，总结了各自的异常形态。结果表明，3．2m气象地温异常对中震有一定的中长期前兆意义，作为预报地震的辅助手段是可行的。     

Volcanological and petrological evolution of Marsili Seamount (southern Tyrrhenian Sea)

A swath bathymetric survey was conducted on Marsili Volcano, the biggest seamount in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It stands 3000 m above the surrounding oceanic crust of the 3500 m-deep Marsili back-arc basin and is axially located within the basin. The seamount has an elongated shape and presents distinctive morphology, with narrow (<1000 m) ridges, made up of several elongated cones, on the summit zone and extensive cone fields on its lower flanks. A dredging campaign carried out at water depths varying between 3400 and 600 m indicates that most of Marsili Seamount is composed of medium-K calc-alkaline basalts. Evolved high-K andesites were only recovered from the small cones on the summit axis zone. Petrological and geochemical characteristics of the least differentiated basalts reveal that at least two varieties of magmas have been erupted on the Marsili Volcano. Group 1 basalts have plagioclase and olivine as dominant phases and show lower Al, Ca, K, Ba, Rb and Sr, and higher Fe, Na, Ti and Zr with respect to a second type of basaltic magma. Group 2 basalts reveal the presence of clinopyroxene as an additional phenocryst phase. In addition, the two basaltic magmas have different original pre-eruptive H₂O content (group 1, H₂O-poor and group 2, H₂O-rich). Moreover, comparison of the compositional trends and mineralogical compositions obtained from MELTS [Ghiorso, M.S., Sack, R.O., Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 119 (1995) 197–212] fractional crystallization calculations reveal that the evolved andesites can only exclusively be derived from a low-pressure (0.3 kbar) fractionation of magmas compositionally similar to the least evolved group 2 basalts. Finally, we suggest that the high vesicularity of the basalts sampled at relatively great depths (>2400 m) on the edifice is governed by H₂O and, probably, CO₂ exsolution and is not a feature indicative of shallow water depth eruption.     

Predicting average annual groundwater levels from climatic variables: an empirical model

On the basis of one-dimensional theoretical water flow model, we demonstrate that the groundwater level variation follows a pattern similar to recharge fluctuation, with a time delay that depends on the characteristics of aquifer, recharge pattern as well as the distance between the recharge and observation locations. On the basis of a water budget model and the groundwater flow model, we propose an empirical model that links climatic variables to groundwater level. The empirical model is tested using a partial data set from historical records of water levels from more than 80 wells in a monitoring network for the carbonate rock aquifer, southern Manitoba, Canada. The testing results show that the predicted groundwater levels are very close to the observed ones in most cases. The overall average correlation coefficient between the predicted and observed water levels is 0.92. This proposed empirical statistical model could be used to predict variations in groundwater level in response to different climate scenarios in a climate change impact assessment.     

Evaluating Earthquake-Triggered Landslide Hazard at the Basin Scale Through Gis in the Upper Sele River Valley

To evaluate techniques for assessing earthquake-triggeredlandslide hazard in the Southern Apennines (Italy), a GIS-based analysis was used to modelseismically induced slope deformations. Geological, geotechnical, geomorphological and seismologicaldata were integrated into a standard earthquake slope stability model. The model assessed thelandslide potential that existed during the 1980 Irpinian earthquake in the Upper Sele river Valley.The standard Newmark displacement analysis, widely used for predicting the location of shallowunstable slopes, does not take into account errors and/or uncertainties in the input parameters.Therefore, a probabilistic Newmark displacement analysis technique has been used. Probabilistictechniques allow, e.g., an estimation of the probability that a slope will exceed a certain criticalvalue of Newmark displacement. In our probabilistic method, a Monte-Carlo based simulation modelis used in conjunction with a GIS. The random variability of geotechnical data is modelled by probabilitydensity functions (pdfs), while for the seismic input three different regression laws wereconsidered. Input probability distributions are sampled and the resulting values input into empiricalrelations for estimating Newmark displacement. The outcome is a map in which to each siteis related a spatial probability distribution for the expected displacement in response to seismic loading.Results of the experiments show a high grade of uncertainty in the application of the Newmarkanalysis both for the deterministic and probabilistic approach in a complex geological setting suchas the high Sele valley, quite common in the Southern Apennines. They show a strong dependence onthe reliability of the spatial data used in input, so that, when the model is used at basin scale,results are strongly influenced by local environmental condition (e.g., topography, lithology, groundwatercondition) and decrease the model performance.     

天山北麓灌溉绿洲的形成和发展

17世纪以前，天山北麓是以牧为主地区，由“兵屯”建立的古代绿洲仅在交通要道呈星、点分布，且屡兴屡废。18－20世纪中叶，由清朝到民国，大力发展屯田，使社会发展进入半农半牧时期，这里形成的旧绿洲，呈断续岛状小片。1949年以后，由大规模农垦建立的新绿洲群，把分散小片旧绿洲联结在一起，形成与天山相平行绿洲带。本区绿洲形成特点是由屯垦和内地移民发展起来，起步虽晚，但发展很快；而且古绿洲、旧绿洲和新绿洲之间有延续性，不象塔里大盆地的很多古代绿洲已沦为沙漠、戈壁或风蚀地。