Magmatic activity and its geological significance in Early Jurassic in Mangui area of Inner Mongolia

By investigating the U-Pb zircon isotope geochronology and petrogochemistry of the major magmatic rocks in Mangui area, the authors in this paper discussed the forming era, tectonic background and geological significance. A large amount of intrusive rocks and a small amount of medium-acid volcanic rocks in Early Jurassic were found in this area. U-Pb dating by LA-ICP-MS method shows that the ages are from (199±1)Ma to (184±1)Ma and the rock types can be divided into fine-medium-grained quartz diorite, medium-grained granodiorite, fine-medium-grained monzogranite, medium-fine-grained macrophenocryst monzogranite, rhyolite, dacite and andesite, which didn’t ouur in Neoprotezoic-Paleozoic period as previous researchers thought, revealing the tectonic and magmatic activities during the Early Mesozoic period. The geochemical results show that the rocks are Ⅰ-type magmatic rocks of subluminous-peraluminous high-K calc-alkaline series. The fractionation between light and heavy rare-erath elements((La/Yb)_N= 3.42~32.96) and the Eu depletion degree is not complied with the evaluation from basic to acidic. The large ion lithophile element Ba is relatively rich and Rb, Sr are relatively delicient. The high field strength elements Th and U are relatively rich and Nb, Ti, Y are relatively deficient. The magma origin and tectonic setting show that quartz diorite and medium-fine-grained macrophenocryst monzogranite come from crust-mantle mixed magma, while the medium-acid volcanic rocks, granodiorite and fine-medium-grained monzogranite are from the partial melting of crustal materials, whose formation is connected with the evolution of Mongol-Okhotsk Suture Zone. The geology and geochemistry of the Early Mesozoic magmatic rocks indicate that the middle part of Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean might begin subduction at the end of the middle Triassic and close the Early Jurassic. The peak collision might take place at the Early Jurassic, not in the Late Triassic as previous thought. The Mohe over-thrust nappe system might form in the remote effect of southward extrusion during the closing process of the eastem part of Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean. The middle and eastern Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean closing age is of great importance to reveal the basin-range tectonic formation during the Middle Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous in Northeast China.     

Inversion, error analysis, and validation of GPS/MET occultation data

The global positioning system meteorology (GPS/MET) experiment was the first practical demonstration of global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-based active limb sounding employing the radio occultation technique. This method measures, as principal observable and with millimetric accuracy, the excess phase path (relative to propagation in vacuum) of GNSS-transmitted radio waves caused by refraction during passage through the Earth’s neutral atmosphere and ionosphere in limb geometry. It shows great potential utility for weather and climate system studies in providing an unique combination of global coverage, high vertical resolution and accuracy, long-term stability, and all-weather capability. We first describe our GPS/MET data processing scheme from excess phases via bending angles to the neutral atmospheric parameters refractivity, density, pressure and temperature. Special emphasis is given to ionospheric correction methodology and the inversion of bending angles to refractivities, where we introduce a matrix inversion technique (instead of the usual integral inversion). The matrix technique is shown to lead to identical results as integral inversion but is more directly extendable to inversion by optimal estimation. The quality of GPS/MET-derived profiles is analyzed with an error estimation analysis employing a Monte Carlo technique. We consider statistical errors together with systematic errors due to upper-boundary initialization of the retrieval by a priori bending angles. Perfect initialization and properly smoothed statistical errors allow for better than 1 K temperature retrieval accuracy up to the stratopause. No initialization and statistical errors yield better than 1 K accuracy up to 30 km but less than 3 K accuracy above 40 km. Given imperfect initialization, biases ≫ 2 K propagate down to below 30 km height in unfavorable realistic cases. Furthermore, results of a statistical validation of GPS/MET profiles through comparison with atmospheric analyses of the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) are presented. The comparisons indicate the high utility of the occultation data in that very good agreement of upper troposphere/lower stratosphere temperature (better than 1.5 K rms, ≪ 0.5 K bias) is found for a region (Europe+USA) where the ECMWF analyses are known to be good, but poorer agreement for a region (Southern Pacific) where the analyses are known to be degraded.     

华北及其以北地区晚古生代—早中生代构造格架主体特点

从全球尺度对原大西洋与古亚洲洋构造域大地构造旋回及其演化特征进行对比研究,有助于了解巨型构造域内的区域构造演化的关联性。建立古大陆构造单元属性"动态行为"的理念,将复合造山区与毗邻大地构造单元进行关联分析,揭示出华北前陆盆地的形成发展与毗邻复合造山区的构造演化进程密切相关。华北及其以北地区晚古生代—早中生代构造格架的主体特点是:1)蒙古—兴安复合造山区发育石炭纪—二叠纪陆表海盆地、裂陷槽和上叠盆地,及三叠纪的山间盆地;2)华北前陆盆地与复合造山区构造演化进程同步,在古陆上形成石炭纪海相和海陆交互相沉积,二叠纪—中三叠世的陆相沉积,以发育红层和局部形成膏盐为特点;3)原华北古陆北缘"构造岩浆活化带"属晚古生代—早中生代蒙古—兴安复合造山区最南端的构造单元,具有构造前锋带属性。     

Deep Structure and Dynamics of Passive Continental Margin from Shelf to Ocean of the Northern South China Sea

To study the deep dynamic mechanism leading to the difference in rifting pattern and basin structure from shelf to oceanic basin in passive continental margin,we constructed long geological sections across the shelf,slope and oceanic basin using new seismic data.Integrated gravity-magnetic inversion and interpretation of these sections were made with the advanced dissection method.Results show that the basement composition changes from intermediate-acid intrusive rocks in the sheff to intermediate-basic rocks in the slope.The Moho surface shoals gradually from 31 km in the sheff to 22.5 km in the uplift and then 19 km in the slope and finally to 13 km in the oceanic basin.The crust thickness also decreases gradually from 30 km in the northern fault belt to 9 km in the oceanic basin.The crustal stretching factor increases from the shelf toward the oceanic basin,with the strongest extension under the sags and the oceanic basin.The intensity of mantle upwelling controlled the style of basin structures from sheff to oceanic basin.In the Zhu 1 depression on the shelf,the crust is nearly normal,the brittle and cold upper crust mainly controlled the fault development;so the combinative grabens with single symmetric graben are characteristic.In the slope,the crust thinned with a large stretching factor,affected by the mantle upwelling.The ductile deformation controlled the faults,so there developed an asymmetric complex graben in the Baiyun (白云) sag.     

SSHG底片特性曲线制作的注记

本文将介绍在计算机上制作SSHG底片特性曲线的方法,并针对1991年4月12日无黑子耀斑光谱的底片特性曲线的制作,阐述几个易误解的物理问题。本文还将给出SSHG底片特性曲线的一个经验公式。     

Extensional tectonic origin of gneissosity and related structures of the Feiran–Solaf metamorphic belt, Sinai, Egypt

The Feiran–Solaf metamorphic belt consists of low-P high-T amphibolite facies, partly migmatized gneisses, schists, amphibolites and minor calc-silicate rocks of metasedimentary origin. There are also thick concordant synkinematic sheets of diorite, tonalite and granodiorite orthogneiss and foliated granite and pegmatite dykelets. The gneissosity (or schistosity) is referred to as S₁, and is almost everywhere parallel to lithological layering, S₀. This parallelism is not due to transposition. The gneissosity formed during an extensional tectonic event (termed D1), before folding of S₀. S₁ formed by coaxial pure shear flattening strain (Z normal to S₀, i.e. vertical; with X and Y both extensional and lying in S₁). This strain also produced chocolate tablet boudinage of some layers and S₁-concordant sills and veins. S₁ has a strong stretching lineation L₁ with rodding characteristics. Within-plane plastic anisotropy (lower ductility along Y compared to along X) resulted in L₁-parallel extensional ductile shears and melt filled cracks. Continued shortening of these veins, and back-rotation of foliations on the shears produced intrafolial F₁ folds with hinges parallel to the stretching lineation. F₁ fold asymmetry variations do not support previous models involving macroscopic F₁ folds or syn-gneissosity compressional tectonics. The sedimentary protoliths of the Feiran–Solaf gneisses were probably deposited in a pre-800 Ma actively extending intracratonic rift characterizing an early stage of the break-up of Rodinia.     

Irregular western margin of the Yangtze block as a cause of variation in tectonic activity along the Longmen Shan fault zone,eastern Tibet

On 12 May 2008 and 20 April 2013, respectively, the devastating magnitude 7.9 (Wenchuan) and magnitude 7.0 (Ya’an) earthquakes struck the southwestern Longmen Shan fault zone (LMSFZ), the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. These events were notable because they occurred in a heavily populated area and resulted in severe damage and loss of life. Here we present an integrated analysis of potential field anomalies and a crustal-scale seismic reflection image to investigate the crustal structure and some tectonic relationships associated with these devastating events. Our results show that the western margin of the Yangtze crustal block possesses an irregular margin that extends westward beyond the LMSFZ to the northeast and merges gradually with the LMSFZ to the southwest. We interpret this variation in deep structure to create a lateral heterogeneity in the local stress regime that explains the observed variations in fault geometry and slip distribution, as well as seismicity, of the LMSFZ. This structural complexity results in a differential build-up of stress as the Tibetan Plateau is being extruded eastward. Thus, the results of this research can help identify potential natural hazard zones and focus efforts on hazard mitigation.     

南海南部地洼区新构造运动及其动力学机制

本文根据南海南部地洼区的岩石圈动力学环境，把本区新构造运动类型划分为拉张型、挤压型、平移剪切型和旋动型，并对其构造演化与动力学模式进行了初步分析。     

北祁连榴辉岩相变沉积岩的特征及其构造意义

在北祁连造山带中,出露典型的高压/低温变质岩石,前人对其中的低温榴辉岩已做过较多的研究,但对其中的变沉积岩研究涉及很少.本文展示了榴辉岩相变质沉积岩的岩石学、地球化学、锆石U-Pb年代学和Hf同位素方面的一些新的研究结果.变沉积岩含有榴辉岩相的矿物组合,峰期温压条件为t= 450～520℃,p=1.9～2.3 GPa,与相邻榴辉岩的温压条件一致.地球化学显示这些岩石的原岩为不成熟的沉积岩,可能形成于大陆边缘或大陆岛弧环境.变沉积岩中的碎屑锆石U-Pb年龄主要集中在1800 Ma左右和540～600 Ma之间,结合锆石Hf同位素特征,表明其原岩的碎屑来源既有周缘陆块的前寒武纪变质基底物质,又有新元古代-早古生代新生洋壳或增生物质.同时,这些数据也表明北祁连早古生代洋壳俯冲过程中发生了活动大陆边缘的构造剥蚀作用,即形成于上盘的沉积物(弧前盆地或增生楔)被构造作用运移到俯冲带中,并俯冲到60～70km深处,遭受榴辉岩相变质作用,然后折返到地表.