Tectono-sedimentary control on modern sand deposition on the forebulge of the Western Taiwan Foreland Basin

Whether the formation of the isolated sand body deposition in the forebulge area of a foreland basin system is structure- or deposition-controlled has puzzled geologists for decades, although sand body deposition is generally believed to be indicative of the position of the flexural forebulge in a foreland basin. The formation of a modern sand body in the forebulge area is thus examined by multi-scale geophysical observations based on combined reflection seismic profiles and compressed high-intensity radar pulse (CHIRP) profiles across the sand deposition along the forebulge of the Western Taiwan Foreland Basin (WTFB), which is a Late Miocene-present foreland basin in the overfilled stage. These profiles suggest that the accumulation of the sand deposits along the forebulge of the WTFB is not directly associated with forebulge faultings. The relief map of the forebulge deposit substratum shows a northwestward tilting slope, and the isopach of the forebulge sand body indicates that a large part of the sand body accumulated along the axis of the Taiwan Strait and the subdued forebulge of the WTFB. The difference between the prevailing directions of tidal currents between the Taiwan Strait and the East China Sea reflects the probable sedimentary influence of the cratonward migrating fold-thrust belt within a foreland shelf. We suggest that the formation and distribution of the sand deposits along the forebulge of the WTFB are generally controlled not only by the transverse downslope sedimentation but also longitudinal hydrodynamic processes at distal parts of the foreland basin. Our explanation provides a plausible tectono-sedimentary cause of the sand body deposition in the forebulge area in an overfilled foreland basin. The sedimentary dynamics of the sand body in the Taiwan Strait may be applicable for understanding the formation of isolated sand bodies in the distal part of the Cretaceous Western Interior Foreland Basin.     

Contrast in stress–strain history during exhumation between high- and ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic units in the Western Alps: Microboudinage analysis of piemontite in metacherts

Our analyses of microboudinage structures of piemontite grains embedded within six samples of metachert, one collected from an ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic unit at Lago di Cignana in Italy of the Western Alps, and the other five from surrounding high-pressure (HP) metamorphic units in Italy and France, have revealed that the structures are all symmetrical in type, and were presumably produced in coaxial strain fields. Stress–strain analyses of the microboudinaged grains revealed significant contrasts in the stress and strain histories of the UHP and HP metamorphic units, with the differential stress recorded by the UHP sample being unequivocally lower than that recorded by the five HP samples. In addition, our analyses showed that the UHP sample underwent stress-relaxation during microboudinage, whereas the five HP samples did not. On the basis of these observations and analyses we discuss the mechanical decoupling of the UHP and HP units that led to different histories in differential stress between the units during exhumation of the Western Alps.     

Low-temperature constraints on the Alpine thermal evolution of the Western Carpathian basement rock complexes

The Cretaceous to Palaeogene Alpine exhumation of previously buried Variscan basements is recorded in the southern portion of the Western Carpathians in the Gemeric and Veporic units. The Meso-Cenozoic collisional processes resulted in basement exhumation of the Tatric Unit from Palaeogene to Neogene times. According to zircon and apatite fission track data, the Gemeric Unit, an uppermost thick-skinned thrust sheet, cooled from depth levels of ∼10 up to 2.5 km (temperature interval of ∼250–60 °C) about 88–64 Ma ago, after the collapse of overlying Meliata-Turňa-Silica Mesozoic accretionary prism. The middle and lower thick-skinned thrust sheets, Veporic and Tatric units, cooled from the depths of ∼10 up to 2.5 km ∼110–40 Ma ago. The process was controlled by unroofing of footwall from beneath the Gemeric Unit. About 50–20 Ma ago, the internal zone of Tatric Unit gradually exhumed to depth of <2 km and some parts of the unit appeared at the surface level. However, the external zone of Tatric Unit was buried beneath the Eocene to Lower Miocene sedimentary successions and exhumed to the subsurface level at ∼21–8 Ma ago, as a result of oblique collision of the Western Carpathians with the European Platform.     

The first evidence of paleo-wildfire from the Campanian (Late Cretaceous) of North Africa

Although the fossil record of plant macro- and mesofossils, including fossil charcoal, is patchy geographically and temporally, such remains play an important role for the interpretation of paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic developments in the continental realm. In Egypt, previous palynological studies on the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) deposits suggested presence of lush subtropical forests, dominated by angiosperms and pteridophytes, which developed under warm and wet climatic conditions. In the present study, the occurrence of paleo-wildfires during the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) is presented for the first time, based on samples from a surface exposure in the vicinity of the Baris Oasis, south Western Desert, Egypt. Macroscopic charcoal was collected and subsequently analyzed under a stereomicroscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The charred wood remains were identified as belonging to gymnosperms, which were important components of the North African paleoflora during the Cretaceous. These charcoal remains represent the first verified occurrence of paleo-wildfires in Africa during the Campanian.     

Mawsoniid remains (Sarcopterygii: Actinistia) from the lacustrine Missão Velha Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of the Araripe Basin,North-East Brazil

Mawsoniids are a lineage of extinct fresh/brackish water coelacanth fishes, common in Cretaceous Godwanan deposits of South America, North and West Africa and Madagascar. Here we formally describe mawsoniid remains from the fluvio-lacustrine Missão Velha Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of the Araripe Basin, North-East Brazil. The examples from the Missão Velha Formation are here described as Mawsonia cf. gigas, based mainly on elements of the lower jaw and opercular series. The occurrence of M. cf. gigas in the Missão Velha Formation expands the stratigraphic and geographical ranges of the type species.     

东昆仑花石峡北部上二叠统格曲组源区特征:来自碎屑组成和岩石地球化学的证据

东昆仑南缘上二叠统（乐平统）格曲组为一套由砾岩、砂岩和钙质泥岩构成的扇三角洲-浅海碳酸盐台地相沉积组合,记录了东昆仑造山带海西-印支过渡期构造演化过程,是解析该构造演化过程的理想对象。通过分析花石峡北坦地克借地区格曲组碎屑岩的碎屑组成与主量、微量和稀土元素特征,探讨了其物源区属性。结果显示,砂岩类型为长石砂岩和岩屑长石砂岩,石英、长石和岩屑平均含量分别为50.9%、36.8%、12.4%,长石以钾长石为主,岩屑和砾石成分复杂。砂岩的SiO₂、Al₂O₃、TiO₂、TFe₂O₃、MgO、K₂O和Na₂O平均百分含量分别为62.06%、13.26%、0.44%、4.53%、3.02%、2.42%和3.18%;微量元素比值Th/Sc和Th/U较高,平均为1.06和7.71;稀土元素总量∑REE平均120.43×10-6,LREE/HREE和（La/Yb）_N均值分别为9.34和12,轻稀土相对富集,δEu平均为0.96,Eu异常不明显,REE特征与大陆岛弧背景区杂砂岩相似,与东昆仑地体加里东期俯冲-碰撞型火山弧花岗岩具有亲缘性。碎屑组分和主量、微量元素特征与判别图解揭示,格曲组砂岩物源区为海西旋回早期从东昆仑地体裂离的东昆南微地块,源岩以花岗岩为主,变质岩、沉积岩和酸性-基性火山岩较少,其中花岗岩形成构造背景为加里东期的大陆岛弧。结合区域地质和前人研究成果,认为格曲组为前陆盆地系统的隆后盆地沉积。     

华北克拉通东部鲁西早白垩纪基性岩墙成因:来自锆石年龄、地球化学和Sr-Nd-Hf同位素的证据

中生代基性辉绿岩墙广泛分布于华北克拉通东部山东地区。本研究给出代表性岩墙的U-Pb锆石年龄、地球化学和Sr-Nd-Hf同位素证据,4个代表性锆石的LA-ICP-MS年龄范围处于121.9±0.6Ma和124.3±0.5Ma之间(早白垩纪)。岩石的主量元素组成变化较小,岩石富集轻稀土元素和大离子亲石元素(如,Rb、Ba、U、K和Pb),以及亏损高场强元素(如,Nb、Ta和Ti)。另外,基性岩墙具有相对一致的(⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i比值(~0.7098),负的ε_Nd(t)值(-14.7~-14.5)、ε_Hf(t)值(-31.4~-26.7)和高的Hf模式年龄(t_DM1=1817~2024Ma)。研究显示基性岩墙来自富集岩石圈地幔的部分熔融作用,并在上升侵位过程中经历了一定程度的地壳混染作用影响。总体研究表明,基性岩墙的成因机制与扬子克拉通与华北克拉通的碰撞有关,岩浆源区为晚中生代前受俯冲扬子地壳沉积物交代后的富集岩石圈地幔。     

Study on the Temporal-Spatial Evolution of Prehistoric Settlements and Its Correlation with Subsistence Strategy and Climate History in the Western Liao River Area

Western Liao River area is one of the most important birthplaces of agricultural civilization in northern China. With recent works like relics survey, site excavation and environmental archaeology going further, the time sequence, cultural content and subsistence strategy history of this area are getting explicit. Questions like ancient exploiting history of natural resources, climate background and cultural impact of subsistence strategy have been paid great attention. Traditional environmental archaeology methods like plant and animal remains analysis are mostly utilized to conduct in-site investigation, current studies rarely adopt quantitative methods to examine the sites’ macro temporal-spatial distribution and aggregation pattern. Based on abundant digitized relic survey data, GIS methods like kernel density analysis are utilized to indicate the temporal-spatial distribution and aggregation pattern of prehistoric cultures in Western Liao River area. The latitudinal, longitudinal and altitudinal migrations of site distributional core are indicated by 3D perspective shift and elevation statistics. By referencing existing studies on subsistence strategy and paleoclimate history, results of spatial analysis are used to reveal the correlation among sites’ temporal-spatial distribution, subsistence strategy adopted and climate variation. This also contributes to our understanding and utilization of massive locational information of prehistoric sites in ancient man-land relationship study.     

Characteristic and Geological Significance of Microbially Induced Sedimentary Structures(MISS) in Terrestrial P-T Boundary in Xingyang,Western He’nan Province

Microbially Induced Sedimentary Structures (MISS) are primary sedimentary structures that arise syndepositionally from microbial community activity. Especially valuable are MISS for the analysis of early Archean (and extraterrestrial) deposits. However, most reports of MISS have focused on the Precambrian and Phanerozoic mass extinction marine sediments, and only a few and terrestrial MISS have been studied. The MISS presented in this paper, which mainly consists of mat growth feature, mat destruction feature and mat decay feature, are well preserved in terrestrial clastic rocks around the P-T boundary in Xiyang area, western Henan. Large U ridges, oriented sand quartz, mica grains and thin clayey laminae arranged parallel to bedding plane are the main features visible under the microscope. Several lines of evidence indicate that the Xingyang MISS are of biogenic origin. Abundant MISS in Xingyang may indicate the degradation of terrestrial ecosystems and proliferation of microbial mats immediately after the severe Permian-Triassic mass extinction. Study aiming at MISS helps to analyze their space distribution in the globe and to probe into links between microbial proliferation and environmental stresses following the end-Permian mass extinction in terrestrial ecosystems.