Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the central Wassuk Range,western Nevada,USA

The central Wassuk Range is ideally located to investigate the interplay of Basin and Range extension and Walker Lane dextral deformation along the western Nevada margin of the Basin and Range province. To elucidate the Cenozoic evolution of the range, the author conducted geologic mapping, structural data collection and analysis, geochemical analysis of igneous lithologies, and geochronology. This research delineates a three-stage deformational history for the range. A pulse of ENE–WSW-directed extension at high strain rates (～8.7 mm/yr) was initiated immediately after the eruption of ～15 Ma andesite flows; strain was accommodated by high-angle, closely spaced (1–2 km), east-dipping normal faults which rotated and remained active to low angles as extension continued. A post-12 Ma period of extension at low strain rates produced a second generation of normal faults and two prominent dextral strike–slip faults which strike NW, subparallel to the dextral faults of the Walker Lane at this latitude. A new pulse of ongoing extension began at ～4 Ma and has been accomodated primarily by the east-dipping range-bounding normal fault system. The increase in the rate of fault displacement has resulted in impressive topographic relief on the east flank of the range, and kinematic indicators support a shift in extension direction from ENE–WSW during the highest rates of Miocene extension to WNW–ESE today. The total extension accommodated across the central Wassuk Range since the middle Miocene is >200%, with only a brief period of dextral fault activity during the late Miocene. Data presented here suggest a local geologic evolution intimately connected to regional tectonics, from intra-arc extension in the middle Miocene, to late Miocene dextral deformation associated with the northward growth of the San Andreas Fault, to a Pliocene pulse of extension and magmatism likely influenced by both the northward passage of the Mendocino triple junction and possible delamination of the southern Sierra Nevada crustal root.     

Geometrical analysis of mesoscopic shear zones in the crystalline rocks of MCT zone of Garhwal Higher Himalaya

The crystalline rocks of the MCT Zone of Garhwal Higher Himalaya exhibit well-preserved mesoscopic shear zones. Majority of these shear zones are of ductile and brittle ductile type with both sinistral and dextral sense of movement. Detailed analysis of mesoscopic shear zones reveals that sinistral shear zones exhibit a strike variation from NNE to ENE and dextral shear zones exhibit variation from NNW to WNW directions thus forming a conjugate pair. The bisectors of statistically preferred orientations of the two sets of the shears indicate that they generated due to NNE–SSW horizontal compression. These dextral and sinistral shear zones exhibit strike–slip geometry developed during progressive ductile shearing.     

南中国海成因:右行拉分作用与左行转换挤压作用交替

总结分析了南中国海各次级盆地及其周缘有关盆地的裂谷作用序列 ,认为它们的裂谷作用序列是相似的 ,虽然存在局部差异。古近纪 (—早中新世 )和新近纪分别为一级裂谷阶段和后裂谷阶段 ,并可进一步划分次一级裂谷和后裂谷阶段。南中国海总体几何学特征及其次级盆地和周缘盆地的几何学特征表明 ,它们的裂谷作用是以近南北向主断裂为主剪切的右行拉分作用。在右行拉分过程中 ,东越南断裂的南延 (翼他陆架部分 )可能没有发生巨大脆性平移而表现为巨大的右行韧性牵引 ;印支—苏门答腊地块是被东越南断裂、东安达曼海断裂、红河断裂和苏门答腊断裂等四条断裂围限的呈菱形的右行走滑双重构造。深海盆的洋壳在许多方面与概念化大洋洋壳不同 ,相互矛盾的各种磁异常条带年龄并不可信。它的洋壳是右行拉分作用形成的洋壳。它们的后裂谷作用是以近南北向主断裂为主剪切的左行转换挤压反转变形为特征。联系到裂谷作用序列 ,南中国海成因具有右行拉分作用、裂谷作用和左行转换挤压作用交替出现的特征 ,表现了具有转换性质的“开”与“合”的更迭     

A Large-Scale Palaeozoic Dextral Ductile Strike-Slip Zone:the Aqqikkudug-Weiya Zone along the Northern Margin of the Central Tianshan Belt,Xinjiang,NW China

The nearly E-W-trending Aqqikkudug-Weiya zone, more than 1000 km long and about 30 km wide, is an important segment in the Central Asian tectonic framework. It is distributed along the northern margin of the Central Tianshan belt in Xinjiang, NW China and is composed of mylonitized Early Palaeozoic greywacke, volcanic rocks, ophiolitic blocks as a mélange complex, HP/LT-type bleuschist blocks and mylonitized Neoproterozoic schist, gneiss and orthogneiss. Nearly vertical mylonitic foliation and sub-horizontal stretching lineation define its strike-slip feature; various kinematic indicators, such as asymmetric folds, non-coaxial asymmetric macro- to micro-structures and C-axis fabrics of quartz grains of mylonites, suggest that it is a dextral strike-slip ductile shear zone oriented in a nearly E-W direction characterized by "flower" strusture with thrusting or extruding across the zone toward the two sides and upright folds with gently plunging hinges. The Aqqikkudug-Weiya zone experienced at least two stages of ductile shear tectonic evolution: Early Palaeozoic north vergent thrusting ductile shear and Late Carboniferous-Early Permian strike-slip deformation. The strike-slip ductile shear likely took place during Late Palaeozoic time, dated at 269(5 Ma by the40Ar/39Ar analysis on neo-muscovites. The strike-slip deformation was followed by the Hercynian violent S-type granitic magmatism. Geodynamical analysis suggests that the large-scale dextral strike-slip ductile shearing is likely the result of intracontinental adjustment deformation after the collision of the Siberian continental plate towards the northern margin of the Tarim continental plate during the Late Carboniferous. The Himalayan tectonism locally deformed the zone, marked by final uplift, brittle layer-slip and step-type thrust faults, transcurrent faults and E-W-elongated Mesozoic-Cenozoic basins.     

柴北缘冷湖地区构造建模和构造分析

通过采用先进的地质解释软件,对柴北缘冷湖地区的三维地震资料进行解释,建立起该区域新生代的三维构造模型。研究区新生代构造主要是由断层F2活动引起的断层相关背斜,发育3条主要断层F2、F5和F6,均具有右行走滑冲断的性质。结合区域地质资料及断层F2的几何学和运动学特征,认为该断层和它的相关背斜为油气的二次运移和聚集提供了较好的通道和构造圈闭。     

太行东断裂的性状与分布

分布在太行山东麓的新生代断裂,主要有早第三纪NE向保定-石家庄断裂带、太行山南端的新生代NNE向汤东、汤西断裂带,均为倾滑兼右旋走滑断裂。前者经人工地震探查为白垩纪-渐新世早期形成的断裂,之后,在地层中未发现明显的活动记录。后者形成于始新世-第四纪,由错列的汤东、汤西断裂组成,作右阶排列。在断裂间出现反向调节性凸起带——NNE向大赉店凸起。需特别强调的是,汤东、汤西断裂带活动性很强。而在石家庄-安阳间的山前地带不存在大尺度的新生代断裂,构造上为太行隆起的东斜坡带。     

2013年云南奔子栏M5.9地震发生的地震地质背景

2013年8月31日5.9级地震的震中地区位于川滇菱形块体西北边界附近,地质构造复杂,近SN向的金沙江断裂带与NW向的德钦-中甸-大具断裂在此交会。野外地质、地貌调查结果表明,金沙江断裂带的曾大同断裂、里甫-日雨断裂带、郎中断裂、古学断裂等晚更新世—全新世表现出明显的活动迹象,运动性质以右旋走滑为主,兼有逆冲滑动分量,其全新世右旋水平滑动速率为3.5~4.3mm/a,垂直滑动速率为0.9~1.1mm/a。德钦-中甸-大具断裂具明显的右旋走滑兼正断性质,最新活动时代为晚更新世—全新世,水平滑动速率为1.7~2.0mm/a,垂直滑动速率为0.6~0.7mm/a。该断裂与金沙江断裂带一起,共同构成了川滇菱形块体的西北边界。它是青藏高原EW向伸展作用下的一条重要的右旋走滑断裂,起着调节高原物质向SE运动的作用。据地震烈度等震线长轴方向、震源机制解资料和滑坡崩塌体展布位置分析认为,2013年奔子栏M5.9地震的发生与德钦-中甸-大具断裂的活动密切相关。     

渤海湾地区X型正断层及油气意义

本文主要利用地震资料解释成果,对渤海湾地区广泛发育的X型正断层的剖面变形特征、形成演化过程和机理及其油气意义进行分析。渤海湾地区X型正断层可分为新生型和继承型两类,在剖面上组合形成对称或非对称的X型形态。新生型和继承型X型正断层具有不同的形成演化过程与控制机理。新生型X型正断层与断裂带的右行走滑作用有关,是在断层的同步滑动过程中形成的。而继承型X型正断层的形成与基底先存断裂的继承性活动密切相关,是基底断裂优先活动的结果。渤海湾地区X型正断层对油气聚集成藏的有利作用主要表现在：有利于构造和地层圈闭的形成,有利于油气发生运移;有利于改善储层物性。与X型正断层相关的构造和地层圈闭是渤海湾地区值得关注的重要油气勘探领域。     

汶川地震断裂带科学钻探1号井(WFSD-1)非弹性应变恢复法(ASR法)三维地应力测试与"5.12"汶川地震的形成机制

汶川地震断裂带科学钻探1号井(WFSD-1)的ASR三维地应力测试结果表明,龙门山前陆逆冲带与其下伏的龙门山前陆盆地和上覆的松潘-甘孜地块的构造及地应力状态存在有重大差异。从整体上看,在汶川地震中,龙门山前陆逆冲带表现为在强烈的区域性挤压背景下,深部物质沿壳内拆离层自SW向NE方向的"层状"流动,在地壳上部转化为沿映秀-北川断裂(YBF)的快速垂向挤出,而其西侧的松潘-甘孜地块作自SE往NW方向的重力滑覆,东侧的龙门山前陆盆地则表现为自NE往SW方向的走滑或右行旋转。晚新生代以来,扬子地块相对于青藏高原东缘的龙门山造山带并无明显的或大尺度的陆内俯冲作用发生。龙门山前陆逆冲带深部高温低粘度物质垂直向上的、快速的流动和挤出,直接导致了"5.12"汶川地震的发生,而松潘-甘孜地块E向扩展导致龙门山前陆带的强烈挤压和陆壳增厚及深部应力和地震能量的积聚则是诱导深部位移场发生突变和物质快速垂向挤出的主因,E向扩展是深部地震能量积聚和快速垂向挤出作用的必要条件,而非地震发生的直接原因。ASR地应力测试得出的主压应力方向完全平行于GPS同震速度场的位移方向,似乎表明ASR测试获得的原地应力场或许真实地反映了或最接近于地震过程中的构造应力状态。     

Morphodynamic characteristics of the dextral diversion of the Yangtze River mouth,China: tidal and the Coriolis Force controls

This paper examines the morphological development of the Yangtze River mouth, which has been diverting southeasterly (dextrally), according to historical (150 years) chart‐based digital evolution model and on‐site measured tidal flow data. We reveal a significantly narrowing of the northern river mouth branch from formerly >30 km wide to presently 10 km wide due to rapid siltation. Net siltation there, however, decreases gradually, which largely contrasts with the fact that the siltation has shifted to the southern river mouth area, as shown by many newly‐emerged estuarine islands, sandy shoals and bifurcated branches. Our data have further demonstrated that the ebb flow that dominates in the study area changes its direction gradually from east to southeast from the inner to outer river mouth area, and its duration is much longer than the flood flow in the inner river mouth area, but nearly equal at the river mouth area. Accordingly, the sediment transport pathway has been diverted from east to southeast. We examine whether the Coriolis Force could explain the dextral diversion of the ebb flow and the altered morphodynamical processes. Although too weak to strengthen the tidal flows, the Coriolis Force can drag the ebb flow southeasterly, and so influence sediment transport paths at the estuarine scale. The Coriolis Force is limited in the inner river mouth, but substantial at and in the outer river mouth area when gradually free of estuarine topographic constraints. The Coriolis Force causes an offset in propagation of in‐out flow directions at the river mouth area to form a slack water setting prone to estuarine siltation. Using the present approach also enables explanation of the morphological development of the Holocene Yangtze delta‐coast that extends to the southeast. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.