Stratigraphic evolution of an aeolian erg margin system: the Permian Cedar Mesa Sandstone, SE Utah, USA

The Permian Cedar Mesa Sandstone of south‐east Utah is a predominantly aeolian succession that exhibits a complex spatial variation in sedimentary architecture which, in terms of palaeogeographic setting, reflects a transition from a dry erg centre, through a water table‐controlled aeolian‐dominated erg margin, to an outer erg margin subject to periodic fluvial incursion. The erg margin succession represents a wet aeolian system, accumulation of which was controlled by progressive water table rise coupled with ongoing dune migration and associated changes in the supply and availability of sediment for aeolian transport. Variation in the level of the water table relative to the depositional surface determined the nature of interdune sedimentary processes, and a range of dry, damp and wet (flooded) interdune elements is recognized. Variations in the geometry of these units reflect the original morphology and the migratory behaviour of spatially isolated dry interdune hollows in the erg centre, locally interconnected damp and/or wet interdune ponds in the aeolian‐dominated erg margin and fully interconnected, fluvially flooded interdune corridors in the outer erg margin. Relationships between aeolian dune and interdune units indicate that dry, damp and wet interdune sedimentation occurred synchronously with aeolian bedform migration. Temporal variation in the rates of water‐table rise and bedform migration determined the angle of climb of the erg margin succession, such that accumulation rates increased during periods of rapidly rising water table, whereas sediment bypassing (zero angle of climb) occurred in the aftermath of flood events in response to periods of elevated but temporarily static water table. During these periods in the outer erg margin, the expansion of fluvially flooded interdunes in front of non‐climbing but migrating dunes resulted in the amalgamation of laterally adjacent interdunes and the generation of regionally extensive bypass (flood) supersurfaces. A spectrum of genetic depositional models is envisaged that accounts for the complex spatial and temporal evolution of the Cedar Mesa erg margin succession.     

Middle Campanian–lowermost Maastrichtian nannofossil and foraminiferal biostratigraphy of the northwestern Australian margin

The middle–late Campanian was marked by an increase in the bioprovinciality of calcareous microfossil assemblages into distinct Tethyan, Transitional, and Austral Provinces that persisted to the end of the Maastrichtian. The northwestern Australian margin belonged to the Transitional Province and the absence of key Tethyan marker species such as Radotruncana calcarata and Gansserina gansseri has led petroleum companies operating in the area to use the locally developed KCCM integrated calcareous microfossil zonation scheme. The KCCM zonation is a composite scheme comprising calcareous nannofossil (KCN), planktonic foraminiferal (KPF) and benthonic foraminiferal (KBF) zones. This paper presents the definitions and revisions of Zones KCCM8–19, from the highest occurrence (HO) of Aspidolithus parcus constrictus to the lowest occurrence (LO) of Ceratolithoides aculeus, and builds on our previous early–late Maastrichtian study. The presence of a middle–upper Campanian disconformity is confirmed by microfossil evidence from the Vulcan Sub-basin, Exmouth and Wombat plateaus, and the Southern Carnarvon Platform. In the Vulcan Sub-basin and on the Exmouth Plateau (ODP Hole 762C) the hiatus extends from slightly above the LO of common Rugoglobigerina rugosa to above the LO of Quadrum gothicum. On the Wombat Plateau (ODP Hole 761B) it spans from above the LO of Heterohelix semicostata to above the LO of Quadrum gothicum; and in the Southern Carnarvon Platform the disconformity has its longest duration from above the HO of Heterohelix semicostata to above the LO of Quadrum sissinghii. A significant revision of the events which define Zones KCCM18 and 19 was necessary owing to the observation that the LO of Ceratolithoides aculeus occurs below the HOs of Archaeoglobigerina cretacea and Stensioeina granulata incondita and the LO of common Rugoglobigerina rugosa. In the original zonation these events were considered to be coincident.     

Geological setting and chemistry of kimberlite clan rocks in the Dharwar Craton, India

Diamond exploration in India over the past decade has led to the discovery of over 80 kimberlite-inferred and lamproite-related intrusions in three of the four major Archean cratons that dominate the subcontinent. These intrusions are Proterozoic (1.1 Ga), and are structurally controlled: locally (at the intersections of faults); regionally (in a 200 km wide, 1000 km long diamond corridor); and globally (in the reconstructed supercontinent of Rodinia). The geochemistry of 57 samples from 13 intrusions in the southern Dharwar Craton of Andhra Pradesh has been determined by XRF spectrometry. The bodies are iron-rich with mg#=50–70 and are neither archetypal kimberlites nor ideal lamproites; this may be the underlying reason that conventional exploration techniques have thus far failed to locate the primary sources of India's historically famous diamonds. The two major fields of kimberlite-clan rocks (KCR) in the Dharwar Craton, Wajrakur and Narayanpet, are separated by a NW–SE trending, transcontinental (Mumbai-Chennai) gravity lineament. About 80% of intrusions in Wajrakur are diamondiferous, but diamonds have not yet been reported in Narayanpet. The gravity anomaly may mark the boundary of an architectural modification in the keel of the sub-continental lithosphere, a suggestion that is supported by differences in kimberlite mineralogy, chemistry, mantle xenoliths, structural setting and crustal host rocks.     

Seismic studies of the Brasília fold belt at the western border of the São Francisco Craton, Central Brazil, using receiver function, surface-wave dispersion and teleseismic tomography

The Tocantins Province in Central Brazil is composed of a series of SSW–NNE trending terranes of mainly Proterozoic ages, which stabilized in the Neoproterozoic in the final collision between the Amazon and São Francisco cratons. No previous information on crustal seismic properties was available for this region. Several broadband stations were used to study the regional patterns of crustal and upper mantle structure, extending the results of a recent E–W seismic refraction profile. Receiver functions and surface wave dispersion showed a thin crust (33–37 km) in the Neoproterozoic Magmatic Arc terrane. High average crustal Vp/Vs ratios (1.74–1.76) were consistently observed in this unit. The foreland domain of the Brasília foldbelt, on the other hand, is characterized by thicker crust (42–43 km). Low Vp/Vs ratios (1.70–1.72) were observed in the low-grade foreland fold and thrust zone of the Brasília belt adjacent to the São Francisco craton. Teleseismic P-wave tomography shows that the lithospheric upper mantle has lower velocities beneath the Magmatic Arc and Goiás Massif compared with the foreland zone of the belt and São Francisco craton. The variations in crustal thickness and upper mantle velocities observed with the broadband stations correlate well with the measurements along the seismic refraction profile. The integration of all seismic observations and gravity data indicates a strong lithospheric contrast between the Goiás Massif and the foreland domain of the Brasília belt, whereas little variation was found across the foldbelt/craton surface boundary. These results support the hypothesis that the Brasília foreland domain and the São Francisco craton were part of a larger São Francisco-Congo continental plate in the final collision with the Amazon plate.     

Crustal thickening in an extensional regime: application to the mid-Norwegian Vøring margin

The structure of the mid-Norwegian volcanic Vøring margin at the onset of the Maastrichtian–Paleocene extension phase reflects the cumulative effect of earlier consecutive rifting events. Lateral structural differences present on the margin at that time are a consequence of migration of the location of maximum extension in time between Norway and Greenland. The most important imprints (Moho depth, thermal structure) of these events on the lithosphere are incorporated in a numerical simulation of the final extension phase. We focus on a possible mechanism of formation of the Vøring Marginal High and address the relationship between spatial and temporal evolution of crustal thinning and thickening, uplift of the surface and strength of the lithosphere.It is found that the Vøring Basin formed the strongest part of the margin which explains why the Maastrichtian–Paleocene rift axis was not located here but instead jumped westward with respect to the earlier rift axes locations. The modeling study predicts that local crustal thickening during extension can be expected when large lateral thermal variations are present in the lithosphere at the onset of extension. Negative buoyancy induced by lateral temperature differences increases downwelling adjacent to the rifting zone; convergence of material at the particular part of the margin is mainly taken up by the lower crust. The model shows that during the final phase of extension, the crust in the Vøring Marginal High area was thickened and the surface uplifted. It is likely that this dynamic process and the effects of magmatic intrusions both acted in concert to form the Marginal High.     

Seafloor spreading, obduction and triple junction tectonics of the Mineoka Ophiolite, Central Japan

The Tertiary Mineoka ophiolite occurs in a fault zone at the intersection of the Honshu and Izu forearcs in central Japan and displays structural evidence for three major phases of deformation: normal and oblique-slip faults and hydrothermal veins formed during the seafloor spreading evolution of the ophiolite at a ridge-transform fault intersection. These structures may represent repeated changes in differential stress and pore-fluid pressures during their formation. The second series of deformation is characterized by oblique thrust faults with Riedel shears and no significant mineral veining, and is interpreted to have resulted from transpressional dextral faulting during the obduction of the ophiolite through oblique convergence and tectonic accretion. This deformation occurred at the NW corner of a TTT-type (trench–trench–trench) triple junction in the NW Pacific rim before the middle Miocene. The third series of deformation of the ophiolite is marked by contractional and oblique shear zones, Riedel shears, and thrust faults that crosscut and offset earlier structures, and that give the Mineoka fault zone its lenticular (phacoidal) fabric at all scales. This deformation phase was associated with the establishment and the southward migration of the TTT Boso triple junction and with the kinematics of oblique subduction and forearc sliver fault development. The composite Mineoka ophiolite hence displays rocks and structures that evolved during its complex geodynamic history involving seafloor spreading, tectonic accretion, and triple junction evolution in the NW Pacific Rim.     

塔里木盆地南缘历史时期气候环境变化的过程与特征

根据塔里木盆地南缘具较高分辨率的湖沼相沉积物碳酸盐δ^13C和粒度等记录，恢复出2162-850BC期间为一相对稳定的温暖干旱时期，之后迅速转冷湿，湿润程度呈持续、阶段式增加，50 BC至500 AD期间呈现的显著冷湿特征于550 AD之后突变转暖干而结束。550 AD和1000 AD前后的具突变性质的气候事件在南疆地区近2．0ka的气候变化中具有重要意义，反映气候状况有过重大调整。850—1300AD期间(相当于中世纪温暖期)冷暖、干湿多变，但温暖特征并不明显。特别是1100—1200AD期间气候快速、频繁变化之后，奠定了本地区现代稳定干旱环境特征。区域对比表明，尼雅剖面记录的气候变化具有广泛的区域一致性。     

Formation of Paleoproterozoic eclogitic mantle, Slave Province (Canada): Insights from in-situ Hf and U–Pb isotopic analyses of mantle zircons

In-situ Hf isotope analyses and U–Pb dates were obtained by laser ablation-MC-ICP-MS for a zircon-bearing mantle eclogite xenolith from the diamondiferous Jericho kimberlite located within the Archean Slave Province (Nunavut), Canada. The U–Pb zircon results yield a wide range of ages (2.0 to 0.8 Ga) indicating a complex geological history. Of importance, one zircon yields a U–Pb upper intercept date of 1989 ± 67 Ma, providing a new minimum age constraint for zircon crystallization and eclogite formation. In contrast, Hf isotope systematics for the same zircons display an intriguing uniformity, and corresponding Hf depleted mantle model ages range between 2.1 ± 0.1 and 2.3 ± 0.1 Ga; the youngest Hf model age is within error to the oldest U–Pb date.

The Jericho eclogites have previously been interpreted as representing remnants of metamorphosed oceanic crust, and their formation related to Paleoproterozoic subduction regimes along the western margin of the Archean Slave craton during the Wopmay orogeny. Hf isotope compositions and U–Pb results for the Jericho zircons reported here are in good agreement with a Paleoproterozoic subduction model, suggesting that generation of oceanic crust and eclogite formation occurred between 2.0 and 2.1 Ga. The slightly older Hf depleted mantle model ages (2.1 to 2.3 Ga) may be reconciled with this model by invoking mixing between ‘crustal’-derived Hf from sediments and more radiogenic Hf associated with the oceanic crust during the 2 Ga subduction event. This results in intermediate Hf isotope compositions for the Jericho zircons that yield ‘fictitiously’ older Hf model ages.     

Crustal structure of the Lofoten–Vesterålen continental margin, off Norway

By compiling wide-angle seismic velocity profiles along the 400-km-long Lofoten–Vesterålen continental margin off Norway, and integrating them with an extensive seismic reflection data set and crustal-scale two-dimensional gravity modelling, we outline the crustal margin structure. The structure is illustrated by across-margin regional transects and by contour maps of depth to Moho, thickness of the crystalline crust, and thickness of the 7+ km/s lower crustal body. The data reveal a normal thickness oceanic crust seaward of anomaly 23 and an increase in thickness towards the continent–ocean boundary associated with breakup magmatism. The southern boundary of the Lofoten–Vesterålen margin, the Bivrost Fracture Zone and its landward prolongation, appears as a major across-margin magmatic and structural crustal feature that governed the evolution of the margin. In particular, a steeply dipping and relatively narrow, 10–40-km-wide, Moho-gradient zone exists within a continent–ocean transition, which decreases in width northward along the Lofoten–Vesterålen margin. To the south, the zone continues along the Vøring margin, however it is offset 70–80 km to the northwest along the Bivrost Fracture Zone/Lineament. Here, the Moho-gradient zone corresponds to a distinct, 25-km-wide, zone of rapid landward increase in crustal thickness that defines the transition between the Lofoten platform and the Vøring Basin. The continental crust on the Lofoten–Vesterålen margin reaches a thickness of 26 km and appears to have experienced only moderate extension, contrasting with the greatly extended crust in the Vøring Basin farther south. There are also distinct differences between the Lofoten and Vesterålen margin segments as revealed by changes in structural style and crustal thickness as well as in the extent of elongate potential-field anomalies. These changes may be related to transfer zones. Gravity modelling shows that the prominent belt of shelf-edge gravity anomalies results from a shallow basement structural relief, while the elongate Lofoten Islands belt requires increased lower crustal densities along the entire area of crustal thinning beneath the islands. Furthermore, gravity modelling offers a robust diagnostic tool for the existence of the lower crustal body. From modelling results and previous studies on- and off-shore mid-Norway, we postulate that the development of a core complex in the middle to lower crust in the Lofoten Islands region, which has been exhumed along detachments during large-scale extension, brought high-grade, lower crustal rocks, possibly including accreted decompressional melts, to shallower levels.