Numerical models of mantle convection with secular cooling

A 2-D time-dependent finite-difference numerical model is used to investigate the thermal character and evolution of a convecting layer which is cooling as it convects. Two basic cooling modes are considered: in the first, both upper and lower boundaries are cooled at the same rate, while maintaining the same temperature difference across the layer; in the second, the lower boundary temperature decreases with time while the upper boundary temperature is fixed at 0°C. The first cooling mode simulates the effects of internal heating while the second simulates planetary cooling as mantle convection extracts heat from, and thereby cools, the Earth's core. The mathematical analogue between the effects of cooling and internal heating is verified for finite-amplitude convection. It is found that after an initial transient period the central core of a steady but vigorous convection cell cools at a constant rate which is governed by the rate of cooling of the boundaries and the viscosity structure of the layer. For upper-mantle models the transient stage lasts for about 30 per cent of the age of the Earth, while for the whole mantle it lasts for longer than the age of the Earth. Consequently, in our models the bulk cooling of the mantle lags behind the cooling of the core-mantle boundary. Models with temperature-dependent viscosity are found to cool in the same manner as models with depth-dependent viscosity; the rate of cooling is controlled primarily by the horizontally averaged variation of viscosity with depth. If the Earth's mantle cools in a similar fashion, secular cooling of the planet may be insensitive to lateral variations of viscosity.     

Book Reviews

Committee on Protection and Management of Pacific Northwest Anadromous Salmonids Upstream: Salmon and Society in the Pacific Northwest Cook, Ian G; Doel, Marcus A. and Li, Rex (eds.) Fragmented Asia: Regional Integration and National Disintegration in Pacific Asia Crush, Jonathan Power of Development de Blij, H. J., and Muller, Peter O. Physical Geography of the Global Environment Hayward, David J. International Trade and Regional Economies: The Impacts of European Integration on the United States Kennedy, Michael The Global Positioning System and GIS: An Introduction Lowe, Philip; Marsden, Terry and Whatmore, Sarah (eds) Regulating Agriculture Marsden, Terry; Lowe, Philip and Whatmore, Sarah (eds) Labour and Locality: Uneven Development and the Rural Labour Process Marsden, Terry; Lowe, Philip and Whatmore, Sarah (eds) Rural Restructuring: Global Processes and Their Responses Whatmore, Sarah; Marsden, Terry and Lowe, Philip (eds) Gender and Rurality Whatmore, Sarah; Marsden, Terry and Lowe, Philip (eds) Rural Enterprise: Shifting Perspectives on Small-Scale Production Martopo, Sugeng and Mitchell, Bruce (eds) Bali: Balancing Environment, Economy and Culture Ould-Mey, Mohameden Global Restructuring and Peripheral States: The Carrot and the Stick in Mauritania Redclift, Michael and Benton, Ted (eds) Social Theory and the Global Environment Thomas–Slayter, Barbara and Rocheleau, Dianne Gender, Environment, and Development in Kenya: A Grassroots Perspective Wallach, Bret Losing Asia: Modernization and the Culture of Development Wennberg, John E. Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care Wilson, David and Huff, James O. (eds) Marginalized Places and Populations: A Structurationist Agenda     

红赐堡—黄土窑一带孔兹岩系中石榴石的演化史及其地质意义

红赐堡—黄土窑一带早前寒武纪孔兹岩系经历一期麻粒岩相变质作用，并可划分四个变质阶段。各阶段石榴石的分布、形态、矿物组合、化学成分及其成因条件均存在明显差异。通过成因矿物学的系统研究，结合多种地质温压计的估算结果及变质反应实验资料，确定本区孔兹岩系石榴石的结晶生长演化史及变晶变形序列。     

The Uplift of the Longmenshan Thrust Belt and Subsidence of the West Sichuan Foreland Basin

Based on fission track dating of apatite, and measurement of vitrinite reflectance of rock samples from the Longmenshan (Longmen Mountain)area and the West Sichuan foreland basin and computer modelling it is concluded that (l)the Songpan-Garze fold belt has uplifted at least by 3-4 km with an uplift rate of no less than 0.3-0.4 mm/a since 10 Ma B.P.; (2) the Longmenshan thrust nappe belt has uplifted at least by 5-6 km with an uplift rate of more than 0.5- 0.6 mm /a since 10 Ma B.P.; (3) the Longmenshan detachment belt has uplifted by 1 - 2 km at a rate of 0.016-0.032 mm/a since 60 Ma B.P.; (4) the West Sichuan foreland basin has uplifted by 1.7-3 km at a rate of 0.028-0.05 mm/a since 60 Ma B.P.; (5) the uplift rate of the area on the west side of the Beichuan-Yingxiu-Xiaoguanzi fault for the last 10 Ma is 40 times as much as that on its east side; (6) the uplifting of the the Songpan - Garze fold belt and the subsidence of the West Sichuan foreland basin 60 Ma ago exhibit a mirro-image correlation, i.e     

Structural studies and their bearing on the Early Precambrian history of the Dharwar tectonic province,southern India

In the Dharwar tectonic province, the Peninsular Gneiss was considered to mark an event separating the deposition of the older supracrustal Sargur Group and the younger supracrustal Dharwar Supergroup. Compelling evidence for the evolution of the Peninsular Gneiss, a polyphase migmatite, spanning over almost a billion years from 3500 Ma to 2500 Ma negates a stratigraphic status for this complex, so that the decisive argument for separating the older and younger supracrustal groups loses its basis. Correlatable sequence of superposed folding in all the supracrustal rocks, the Peninsular Gneiss and the banded granulites, indicate that the gneiss ‘basement’ deformed in a ductile manner along with the cover rocks. An angular unconformity between the Sargur Group and the Dharwar Super-group, suggested from some areas in recent years, has been shown to be untenable on the basis of detailed studies, A number of small enclaves distributed throughout the gneissic terrane, with an earlier deformational, metamorphic and migmatitic history, provide the only clue to the oldest component which has now been extensively reworked.     

Accretion and exhumation at a Variscan active margin, recorded in the Saxothuringian flysch

The Saxothuringian flysch basin, on the north flank of the Central European Variscides, was fed and eventually overthrust by the northwestern, active margin of the Tepla-Barrandian terrane. Clast spectra, mineral composition and isotopic ages of detrital mica and zircon have been analyzed in order to constrain accretion and exhumation of rocks in the orogenic wedge. The earliest clastic sediments preserved are of early Famennian age (ca. 370?Ma). They are exposed immediately to the NW of the suture, and belong to the par-autochthon of the foreland. Besides ultramafic (?ophiolite) material, these rocks contain clasts derived from Early Paleozoic continental slope sediments, originally deposited at the NW margin of the Saxothuringian basin. These findings, together with the paleogeographic position of the Famennian clastics debris on the northwestern passive margin, indicate that the Saxothuringian narrow ocean had been closed by that time. Microprobe analyses of detrital hornblendes suggest derivation from the “Randamphibolit” unit, now present in the middle part of the Saxothuringian allochthon (Münchberg nappes). Detrital zircons of metamorphic rocks formed a little earlier (ca. 380?Ma) indicate rapid recycling at the tectonic front. The middle part of the flysch sequence (ca. early to middle Viséan), both in the par-autochthon and in the allochthon, contains abundant clasts of Paleozoic rocks derived from the northwestern slope and rise, together with debris of Cadomian basement, 500-Ma granitoids and 380?Ma (early Variscan) crystalline rocks. All of these source rocks were still available in the youngest part of the flysch (c. middle to late Viséan), but some clasts record, in addition, accretion of the northwestern shelf. Our findings permit deduction of minimum rates of tectonic shortening well in excess of 10–30?mm per year, and rates of exhumation of ca. 3?mm/a, and possibly more.     

湖相沉积物与全球变化的研究

为预测未来全球的气候变化，必须了解在过去水圈、气圈与生物圈的各自作用以及它们是如何相互影响的。为此，ＩＧＢＰ（国际地圈－生物圈计划）组织了过去全球变化项目（ＰＡＧＥＳ）。湖相沉积物保存着与ＰＡＧＥＳ有关的不同时空尺度的丰富的地球系统历史信息，特别是湖相沉积物包含着可以说明全球气候变化的水圈与生物圈的陆源组分的反应。这种信息对了解影响气候变化的流域是如何发展的至关重要。笔者应用西伯利亚贝加尔湖与中国西北部青海湖作为两个实例，叙述了多学科研究湖相沉积物物理与化学参数，并利用这些参数测定了晚更新世湖区及其流域对过去气圈的变化以及日幅射分布的影响     

地史转折期的生态系

生态系的演变是地球各圈层系统耦合关系变化的直接标志。地史转折期的生态系具有复杂的生物内涵，在绝灭—残存—复苏过程中，各生物类别的演替遵循着一定的生存型式。大绝灭后生态系复苏的原动力是绝灭后迁入避难所的复活类型和大绝灭末期高压环境中产生的祖先类型的新生和辐射发展。全面了解绝灭后生态系的组成和结构，对于正确认识地史转折期，即圈层耦合结点处的地质作用型式和过程具有重要作用。     

在1996年南方油气勘探工作会议上的讲话(主要部分) 努力实现南方海相油气勘探重大突破

南方地质条件有四方面的特点:碳酸盐岩区与特提斯域有关,具有良好的含油气前景;叠置在碳酸盐岩区上的南、北两大前陆盆地带,对古生界原型盆地烃源岩的演化、油气藏形成和保存起到重要作用;南方海相地层具有丰富的烃源岩;后期多旋回构造运动,使南方海相油气系统变得十分复杂。南方油气选区评价的关键是保存条件,在含油气系统中“保存单元”是优选勘探目标的重要依据。“九五”期间,一要主攻中、下扬子区,获重大突破;二要积极做好滇黔桂地区三个盆地(南盘江盆地、楚雄盆地、十万大山盆地)的预探;三要进一步搞好区域评价。     

四川盆地碳酸盐岩油气勘探实践与认识

四川盆地烃源十分丰富。但油气演化程度高,大多已进入高成熟和过成熟阶段,至今只在侏罗系发现有油藏,三叠系及其更老地层皆为气藏。储层主要为碳酸盐岩,其特点是低孔低渗,平均孔隙度仅1.7%,平均渗透率小于1×10~(-3)μm~2,但其中的“孔洞发育层段”平均孔隙度可达3%～6%。根据四十年的勘探经验,加强预探并争取新发现是四川盆地油气勘探发展的关键。预探中,按构造带规划大中型气田勘探目标,将成藏条件相似、地域上相邻的局部圈闭群作为一个整体勘探对象,实行稀井广探,少井高效。“八五”以来,在高陡构造带勘探技术、储层横向预探技术等方面有长足的进步,勘探成效不断提高,实现了资源序列的良性循环。