Structural characterization of deep-water deposits in a foreland basin, Silla Syncline (Chilean Patagonia), with applications to depositional processes

Based on our detailed structural characterization, we examine possible relationships between thrust faults and strike-slip faults and thrust-cored folds and depositional units in the Silla Syncline, a 4 km wide fold composed of fine-grained mudstone, coarse sandstone and conglomerate deposits of the Cerro Toro Formation in the Magallanes foreland basin, Chilean Patagonia. The syncline is bounded on its western flank by an asymmetric anticline and on its eastern flank by a broad zone of thrust faults and associated folds, which are oriented sub-parallel to the syncline axis. Deposition of the coarse-grained units of the Silla Syncline appears to have taken place in this structurally defined trough controlled primarily by thrust fault related growth structures flanking the syncline.The syncline and surrounding area have also been deformed by two sets of strike-slip faults, one right-lateral and one left-lateral. The strike-slip and thrust faulting operated contemporaneously for much of their active periods, although it appears that thrust faulting, confined within the fine-grained units, initiated slightly earlier than strike-slip faulting. In addition, younger igneous intrusions at high angle to bedding generally localize along the strike-slip faults. The cross-cutting relationships among the intrusions, strike-slip faults, and flexural slip faults show that all these structures were active during the same period, which extends beyond mid-Miocene.These conclusions support the premise that structures in deep-water sediments are important for understanding not only the deformation of a foreland basin, but also its depositional architecture.     

鄂尔多斯盆地西峰地区长8砂岩微观非均质性的实验分析

通过真实砂岩微观模型实验,客观地分析了鄂尔多斯盆地西峰地区长8砂岩的微观非均质性特征,发现该区长8储层为致密型砂岩,直观地显示出长8砂岩储层具有很强的微观非均质性,砂岩的成岩作用和孔隙结构是影响鄂尔多斯盆地西峰地区长8砂岩储层微观非均质性的主要原因。在低渗透砂岩中,引起砂岩产生强烈的非均质性,而这些砂岩则形成长8砂岩储层的高渗带。     

Space–time distribution of ancient and active alluvial karst subsidence: examples from the central Ebro Basin,Spain

Space and time variations of alluvial karst subsidence in the central Ebro Basin are analysed in trenches (paleodolines), aerial photographs (historical dolines) and field surveys (present-day active dolines). The measured subsidence rates, as well as a comparison between densities of paleodolines computed in randomly selected scan-lines and density of active dolines computed in maps, suggest that present-day subsidence in favourable areas is more intense than that of Pleistocene times. According to diachronic maps drawn from (a) different aerial photographs taken after 1946 and (b) field surveys on deformations in urbanized areas, subsidence behaved as a nearly steady process while the whole area was used for agriculture. In contrast, rapid changes (through periods of several tens of years) have occurred in urbanized areas, in which dolines expand their boundaries through small marginal collapses, shifting sharply their sinking centres to neighbouring sites. These rapid changes do not have an equivalent in observed paleodolines.     

Glacier change and glacier runoff variation in the Tuotuo River basin,the source region of Yangtze River in western China

Glaciers in the Tuotuo River basin, western China, have been monitored in recent decades by applying topographical maps and high-resolution satellite images. Results indicate that most of glaciers in the Tuotuo River basin have retreated in the period from 1968/1971 to 2001/2002, and their shrinkage area is 3.2% of the total area in the late 1960s. To assess the influence of glacier runoff on river runoff, a modified degree–day model including potential clear-sky direct solar radiation has been applied to the glaciated regions of the river basin over the period 1961–2004. It was found that glacier runoff has increased in the last 44 years, especially in the 1990s when a two-thirds increase in river runoff was derived from the increase in glacier runoff caused by loss of ice mass in the entire Tuotuo River basin.     

Sedimentary petrology and geochemistry of siliciclastic rocks from the upper Jurassic Tordillo Formation (Neuquén Basin, western Argentina): Implications for provenance and tectonic setting

The Upper Jurassic Tordillo Formation is exposed along the western edge of the Neuquén Basin (west central Argentina) and consists of fluvial strata deposited under arid/semiarid conditions. The pebble composition of conglomerates, mineralogical composition of sandstones and pelitic rocks, and major- and trace-element geochemistry of sandstones, mudstones, and primary pyroclastic deposits are evaluated to determine the provenance and tectonic setting of the sedimentary basin. Conglomerates and sandstones derived almost exclusively from volcanic sources. The stratigraphic sections to the south show a clast population of conglomerates dominated by silicic volcanic fragments and a predominance of feldspathic litharenites. This framework composition records erosion of Triassic–Jurassic synrift volcaniclastic rocks and basement rocks from the Huincul arch, which was exhumed as a result of Late Jurassic inversion. In the northwestern part of the study area, conglomerates show a large proportion of mafic and acidic volcanic rock fragments, and sandstones are characterised by a high content of mafic volcanic rock fragments and plagioclase. These data suggest that the source of the sandstones and conglomerates was primarily the Andean magmatic arc, located west of the Neuquén Basin. The clay mineral assemblage is interpreted as the result of a complex set of factors, including source rock, climate, transport, and diagenesis. Postdepositional processes produced significant variations in the original compositions, especially the fine-grained deposits. The Tordillo sediments are characterised by moderate SiO₂ contents, variable abundances of K₂O and Na₂O, and a relatively high proportion of ferromagnesian elements. The degree of chemical weathering in the source area, expressed as the chemical index of alteration, is low to moderate. The major element geochemistry and Th/Sc, K/Rb, Co/Th, La/Sc, and Cr/Th values point to a significant input of detrital volcanic material of calcalkaline felsic and intermediate composition. However, major element geochemistry is not useful for interpreting the tectonic setting. Discrimination plots based on immobile trace elements, such as Ti, Zr, La, Sc, and Th, show that most data lie in the active continental margin field. Geochemical information is not sufficiently sensitive to differentiate the two different source areas recognized by petrographic and modal analyses of conglomerates and sandstones.     

Soil erosion susceptibility assessment and validation using a geostatistical multivariate approach: a test in Southern Sicily

A certain number of studies have been carried out in recent years that aim at developing and applying a model capable of assessing water erosion of soil. Some of these have tried to quantitatively evaluate the volumes of soil loss, while others have focused their efforts on the recognition of the areas most prone to water erosion processes. This article presents the results of a research whose objective was that of evaluating water erosion susceptibility in a Sicilian watershed: the Naro river basin. A geomorphological study was carried out to recognize the water erosion landforms and define a set of parameters expressing both the intensity of hydraulic forces and the resistance of rocks/soils. The landforms were mapped and classified according to the dominant process in landsurfaces affected by diffuse or linear water erosion. A GIS layer was obtained by combining six determining factors (bedrock lithology, land use, soil texture, plan curvature, stream power index and slope-length factor) in unique conditions units. A geostatistical multivariate approach was applied by analysing the relationships between the spatial distributions of the erosion landforms and the unique condition units. Particularly, the density of eroded area for each combination of determining factors has been calculated: such function corresponds, in fact, to the conditional probability of erosion landforms to develop, under the same geoenvironmental conditions. In light of the obtained results, a general geomorphologic model for water erosion in the Naro river basin can be depicted: cultivated areas in clayey slopes, having fine-medium soil texture, are the most prone to be eroded; linear or diffuse water erosion processes dominate where the topography is favourable to a convergent or divergent runoff, respectively. For each of the two erosion process types, a susceptibility map was produced and submitted to a validation procedure based on a spatial random partition strategy. Both the success of the validation procedure of the susceptibility models and the geomorphological coherence of the relationships between factors and process that such models suggest, confirm the reliability of the method and the goodness of the predictions.     

新疆北部库尔提蛇绿岩中角闪片岩的原岩恢复及其成因

库尔提角闪片岩产于库尔提蛇绿岩南部岩片中,与斜长花岗岩呈互层产出。这套角闪片岩的不相容微量元素组分显示了大洋中脊和岛弧玄武岩的双重特征,主要表现为大离子亲石元素(LILE)富集,高场强元素(HFSE)亏损以及平坦到亏损的轻稀土(LREE)配分模式。原岩恢复的结果表明,该角闪片岩的原岩为亚碱性的拉斑玄武岩类。库尔提角闪片岩亏损的LREE、高ε_(Nd)(t),以及关键元素比值(Th/Nb,La/Yb和Th/Yb)呈正相关都表明,其源区可能以MORB地幔为主,同时还伴有少量弧组分。因此,我们认为其形成于弧后盆地环境,同时推断该区弧后盆地存在一个二阶段的熔融演化模式:第一阶段,大约在晚古生代早期,古亚洲洋向西伯利亚板块发生北向俯冲,在会聚板块边界,弧火山岩被从含水的地幔楔中提取出来,留下一个亏损地幔;第二阶段,随着古亚洲洋板块持续消减,在中-晚泥盆世形成了库尔提弧后盆地,下部的亏损地幔发生了小比例的部分熔融形成了这套角闪片岩的原岩。     

新疆准噶尔盆地西北缘吐谷鲁群沉积体系分析

根据在新疆准噶尔盆地西北缘乌尔禾-夏子街地区的野外地层露头观察、追索及钻孔资料分析研究,笔者认为,该区下白垩统吐谷鲁群是一套以灰绿色砂岩和红色、棕红色泥岩组成的干燥气候条件下形成的内陆湖相碎屑沉积,发育浅水三角洲体系,主要由三角洲平原和三角洲前缘相组成.吐谷鲁群碎屑岩的碎屑粒度由下而上可分为两个大的韵律旋回,即粗-细-粗-细,反映了水体扩展到萎缩再扩展的过程.有利铀成矿的砂岩层主要集中在两个韵律旋回的底部,形成于三角洲平原分流河道、决口扇、三角洲前缘水下分流河道和水下堤环境.     

塔里木盆地寒武-奥陶系白云岩结构构造类型及其形成机理

塔里木盆地寒武-奥陶系白云岩度大、分布广,是重要的油气储集层.根据岩石学研究并结合地球化学特征将其分为4类,其特点如下:(1)泥晶-粉晶白云岩,白云石晶体小、晶形差,有序度在4类中最低(0.73);Na、K、Sr含量在4类中最高;δ13C值及Z值较高,分别为-0.94‰、122.3;Fe、Mn含量较低;阴极发光为亮桔红色;常呈纹层状,具暴露及成化标志.这些特征表明其结晶较快,形成环境蒸发强烈、盐度较高、氧化性较强,是在萨布哈环境中由浓缩海水发生白云石化所形成.(2)藻纹层白云岩,白云石晶体小,晶形较好,有序度较高(0.85);藻纹层基本保留了其原始微细结构;Na、K、Sr含量较低:δC值在4类中最高,平均为-0.50‰;含有较多黄铁矿.这些特征说明其可能形成于成岩作用的稍早期阶段且其成因与藻类活动密切相关,成岩环境盐度较低,可能是在藻类作用下,由富藻层浓集的镁与残留海水在浅埋藏环境中共同作用所形成.(3)雾心亮边白云岩,白云石普遍具雾心亮边结构,雾心含少量包裹体及灰质残余,亮边则少见或无;阴极发光下,雾心发亮桔黄色光,亮边发光暗或不发光;局部见此类白云石;呈星散状分布于亮晶颗粒灰岩或泥晶灰岩中;白云石晶体较大,晶形较好.此类白云岩的δ13C及Z值在4类中最低,K、Na、Sr、Fe含量相对较低,Mn含量最高;有序度较高,均值为0.83.这些特征表明此类白云岩中白云石的雾心可能是在早期浅埋藏环境中,由富镁孔隙水交代周围灰质所形成;亮边则形成于埋藏较深的环境,其所需镁可能来源于粘土矿物的转化.(4)重结晶白云岩:白云石晶体粗大且污浊,接触紧密;局部见白云石晶体具环带结构,局部见颗粒幻影结构;阴极发光较暗;Fe含量在4类中最高,Mn含量较高;有序度最高,平均为0.95;包裹体均一温度平均为110.2℃.这些特征表明其可能是在还原性较强的深埋藏环境中,由早期形成的白云岩经较强的重结晶作用所形成.     

拉萨地体东南缘的多期深熔作用及动力学

位于青藏高原班公湖-怒江蛇绿岩带与印度-雅鲁藏布江蛇绿岩带之间拉萨地体东南缘的前寒武纪结晶基底经历了角闪岩相-麻粒岩相区域变质作用和强烈的混合岩化.研究区可识别出两期深熔作用,第一期为斜长角闪岩部分熔融形成的花岗闪长岩脉体,其与围岩一起发生了变质与变形再造,转变成了黑云斜长片麻岩.第二期为含夕线石石榴石片麻岩部分熔融形成的含石榴石斜长石花岗岩脉体.岩石化学成分显示,第一期深熔脉体具有埃达克岩的典型地球化学特征,其SiO2=63.81%,Al2O3=16,92%,MgO=1.86%,Na2O=4.22%,K2O=1.81%,K2O/Na2O=0.43,并显示出LREE富集、无Eu异常的BEE配分模型,同时明显富Sr(366×10-6),贫Y(12×10-6)和Yb(0.4×10-6),Sr/Y=30.舍石榴石斜长石花岗岩主要由斜长石、石英和石榴石组成,含少量白云母和黑云母,其全岩SiO2=71.14%,Al2O3=14.26%,K2O=0.26%,Na2O=2.79%.CaO=2.94%.过铝指数A/CNK=1.40,为典型的过铝花岗岩.黑云斜长片麻岩脉体中的大多数锆石具有同心韵律状结晶环带和较高的Th//U比值(0.433～1.167),为典型的岩浆结晶锆石.锆石岩浆结晶域U-Pb原位定年给出了64.0±1.0Ma(MSWD=8.7)加权平均年龄;个别锆石变质交生边给出了27.9 Ma的谐和年龄,同时具有较低的Th/U比值(0.019),应代表后期叠加的变质热事件年龄.含石榴石斜长石花岗岩中的锆石均发育同心韵律状环带,而且具有较高的Th/U比值(0.196～1.212).所获得的谐和年龄在27.0～34.1Ma之间(加权平均年龄为29.3±0.9 Ma),应代表过铝花岗岩的结晶年龄.因此,我们认为拉萨地体东南缘变质基底在古近纪经历了两期深熔作用,第一期发生在约65Ma,在特提斯洋壳俯冲和印度板块与拉萨地体碰撞的动力学体制下,拉萨地体下地壳加厚和升温,发生了麻粒岩相变质和部分熔融,形成了埃达克岩质的花岗闪长岩浆;第二期混合岩化作用发生在约30Ma,在印度板块与拉萨地体碰撞后伸展的动力学体制下,高角闪岩相泥质变质岩中的含水矿物脱水熔融形成了过铝质花岗闪长岩浆.