Stratigraphy and sedimentology of a dry to wet eolian depositional system, Burns formation, Meridiani Planum, Mars

Outcrop exposures of sedimentary rocks at the Opportunity landing site (Meridiani Planum) form a set of genetically related strata defined here informally as the Burns formation. This formation can be subdivided into lower, middle, and upper units which, respectively, represent eolian dune, eolian sand sheet, and mixed eolian sand sheet and interdune facies associations. Collectively, these three units are at least 7 m thick and define a “wetting-upward” succession which records a progressive increase in the influence of groundwater and, ultimately, surface water in controlling primary depositional processes.The Burns lower unit is interpreted as a dry dune field (though grain composition indicates an evaporitic source), whose preserved record of large-scale cross-bedded sandstones indicates either superimposed bedforms of variable size or reactivation of lee-side slip faces by episodic (possibly seasonal) changes in wind direction. The boundary between the lower and middle units is a significant eolian deflation surface. This surface is interpreted to record eolian erosion down to the capillary fringe of the water table, where increased resistance to wind-induced erosion was promoted by increased sediment cohesiveness in the capillary fringe. The overlying Burns middle unit is characterized by fine-scale planar-laminated to low-angle-stratified sandstones. These sandstones accumulated during lateral migration of eolian impact ripples over the flat to gently undulating sand sheet surface. In terrestrial settings, sand sheets may form an intermediate environment between dune fields and interdune or playa surfaces. The contact between the middle and upper units of the Burns formation is interpreted as a diagenetic front, where recrystallization in the phreatic or capillary zones may have occurred. The upper unit of the Burns formation contains a mixture of sand sheet facies and interdune facies. Interdune facies include wavy bedding, irregular lamination with convolute bedding and possible small tepee or salt-ridge structures, and cm-scale festoon cross-lamination indicative of shallow subaqueous flows marked by current velocities of a few tens of cm/s. Most likely, these currents were gravity-driven, possibly unchannelized flows resulting from the flooding of interdune/playa surfaces. However, evidence for lacustrine sedimentation, including mudstones or in situ bottom-growth evaporites, has not been observed so far at Eagle and Endurance craters.Mineralogical and elemental data indicate that the eolian sandstones of the lower and middle units, as well as the subaqueous and eolian deposits of the Burns upper unit, were derived from an evaporitic source. This indirectly points to a temporally equivalent playa where lacustrine evaporites or ground-water-generated efflorescent crusts were deflated to provide a source of sand-sized particles that were entrained to form eolian dunes and sand sheets. This process is responsible for the development of sulfate eolianites at White Sands, New Mexico, and could have provided a prolific flux of sulfate sediment at Meridiani. Though evidence for surface water in the Burns formation is mostly limited to the upper unit, the associated sulfate eolianites provide strong evidence for the critical role of groundwater in controlling sediment production and stratigraphic architecture throughout the formation.     

Palaeotemperatures and Diagenetic Phases of the Upper Triassic Oil-bearing Sandstones in the Eastern Part of the Ordos Basin

The maximum palaeotemperature of oil-bearing sandstones in the UpperTriassic in the eastern Ordos basin has been determined by using many methods including thevitrinite reflectance, fluid inclusion, apatite fission track, illite crystallinity, chlorite polytypeand diagenetic change of authigenic minerals. The thermal gradient in the Late Mesozoic wasabout 2.9-3.0℃/100m. The Upper Triassic was in a mature stage of organic matter andhydrocarbon began to be generated and migrated during this period. The palaeotemperatures ofoil-bearing sandstones were in the range of 88-110℃; those for the generation and migrationof oil ranged from 112 to 122℃. The thickness of the denuded strata overlying the UpperTriassic was 2465-2750m. The present burial depth of oil-bearing sandstones is generally from400 to 1200m. At a depth of ca. 1900m, the temperature may reach 140℃. Below this depth,organic matter was supermature and mainly generated gas.     

兰州风尘沉积的粒度分布模式及其古气候意义

通过对兰州不同气候背景下形成的风尘沉积 1 80个样品详细的粒度分析,建立了该地区风尘沉积的粒度分布基本模式。发现研究区风尘沉积具有以下特征:(1 )沉积物分选差,主要由粒径 >4Φ的颗粒组成,平均6.4Φ (2 )粒级构成为极细砂 2.6 %、粉砂 77.8%、粘土 1 9.6 %,属粉质重亚粘土或典型黄土 (3)频率曲线为单峰、极正偏类型,且具有粗头短促、中间宽大和细尾拉长的特点 (4)短期悬浮颗粒与长期悬浮颗粒大致呈对等配比。这些特征同时也为兰州现代尘暴沉积物所具备,因而可视为该地区风尘沉积的一个基本诊断模式搬运方式。颗粒粒径 <5.5 0Φ的含量指标 (GSP1)和 4.5 0～ 6.5 0Φ的含量指标 (GSP2 )可分别作为冰期-间冰期尺度和冰段-间冰段尺度东亚冬季风演化和沙尘暴强弱程度的基本判据。     

腾格里沙漠西北缘湖泊沉积记录的区域风沙特征

对位于腾格里沙漠西北缘的青土湖QTL01剖面进行了沉积物粒度分析,并利用粒级—标准偏差模型,提取出了对沉积环境变化敏感的粒度组分,60~550 μm粒级含量指示了区域风沙活动的强弱,而<60 μm颗粒含量指示了入湖径流量的变化。结合14C测年结果,探讨了10~2.5 Cal kaBP青土湖地区风沙活动和环境演化特征:10～7.8 Cal kaBP,<60 μm组分含量逐渐增加,指示湖区入湖径流逐渐增多,同时60～550 μm组分含量逐渐减少表明湖区风沙活动逐渐减弱,总体上表明了早全新世该区域环境逐渐转湿;7.8～7.5 Cal kaBP,60～550 μm组分含量几乎占该阶段沉积物的95％以上,表明风沙活动极为强烈,区域非常干旱;7.5～5 Cal kaBP,沉积物中<60 μm、60~550 μm的组分含量相对稳定,且<60 μm组分含量达到了10～2.5 Cal kaBP期间最高值,表明了区域风沙活动较弱,气候环境湿润稳定; 5～2.5 Cal kaBP,<60 μm组分含量逐渐降低,而60～550 μm组分逐渐升高,表明了区域风沙活动逐渐加强,入湖径流逐渐减小,指示了区域干旱化的趋势。     

CO2流体对含片钠铝石砂岩改造作用的实验研究

不同温度（100℃,200℃和300℃）下CO_{2流体对含片钠铝石砂岩的改造作用研究显示:随着温度的升高,砂岩的溶蚀、溶解程度逐渐增强,样品中片钠铝石的稳定性逐渐减弱。同时,各温度下样品表面均有一水软铝石放射状集合体沉淀。200℃时,随着片钠铝石的溶解有自生菱铁矿生成,300℃时样品局部有绿泥石沉淀。100℃下片钠铝石的微弱溶解及200℃下菱铁矿的形成表明,在地层条件下以碳酸盐矿物形式捕获的CO2,不会由于CO2的二次注入而重新释放。}     

内蒙古察哈尔右翼中旗红谷地貌

随着社会的进步,人们更深地爱上了大自然鬼斧神工雕塑出来的地质景观.鉴别、发现、建设地质公园是地质工作者的一项重要责任,它增加了地质学的内涵.在乌兰察布市地质公园的建设中,笔者等深入偏远山区调查,发现了一片没有被报道的由红色沉积岩和山谷构成的地貌,可作为当地旅游经济发展的一个新亮点.     

江西信江盆地晚白垩世风成沙丘的发现及其古风向

长期以来,江西信江盆地晚白垩世圭峰群塘边组(K2t)均定为水成沉积,本文的研究结果则认为属风成沉积.沉积结构、构造和石英沙颗粒表面特征研究结果表明,该组的主体岩性为紫红色中-细粒净砂岩,基本不含泥质和云母等悬移质,大型高角度平板状交错层理发育,层系厚度巨大,风成沙丘前积层特征明显,石英沙磨圆度好,在电子显微镜下普遍可见风成沙特有的碟形撞击坑、新月形撞击坑和毛玻璃化表面特征,属于风成沙丘沉积.古流向恢复表明,信江盆地以西风为主,东北风为次,同时见有少量东南风与西北风.根据当时的古地理格局及地表风带模式判断,研究区位于当时的北半球西风带和东北信风带之中,同时可能存在东南向和西北向的古季风.     

Sediment sequences and paleosols in the Kyichu Valley, southern Tibet (China), indicating Late Quaternary environmental changes

Abstract The Tibetan Plateau is highly sensitive to environmental changes and affects the settings of a far larger territory in Central Asia and beyond. Thus, knowledge on past environmental changes in that area is essential. Even though the Kyichu (Lhasa River) Valley and its tributaries is an easily accessible area, the Late Quaternary landscape evolution of southern Tibet is in general scarcely known. Therefore, 12 sedimentary sections in the middle and lower catchment were subjected to multidisciplinary analyses (sedimentology, paleopedology, AMS ¹⁴C and luminescence dating, and charcoal determination) aiming at results on regional paleoenvironmental changes. At the altitude studied (3600–4000 m above sealevel), no glacial relics could be detected, indicating that the valley positions have been unglaciated since the Last Interglacial. The lack of fluvial–lacustrine structures above the floodplain is due to the aggradational character of this tectonically (sub‐)active valley, which caused an alluvial burying of older valley bottoms. During the Late Pleistocene the mouth area of the Kyichu was occupied by a lake which was part of a larger dam‐lake in the superordinate Yarlung Zhangbo Valley. On the valley flanks, loesses were predominantly deposited before the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), whereas eolian sands were predominantly deposited around and after the LGM. Paleosols of Last Interglacial, Last Glacial and Holocene ages regularly occur at terrestrial sites representing temperate to cool and humid to semiarid conditions during soil formation. Ages of colluvial sediments indicate that the widespread barren valley slopes were primarily formed by Late Pleistocene erosion followed by a secondary Holocene erosion phase. Charcoal spectra indicate a Late Holocene change from a forest environment to a pastoral environment with sparse grasses, herbs and dwarf shrubs. It is assumed that the Late Holocene environmental changes, such as loss of forests/woodlands and erosion, have at least been reinforced by humans, enhancing a regional climatic aridification and cooling trend.     

江南造山带形成过程中若干新元古代地质事件

报道了江南造山带( 中-) 西段在“俯冲造山阶段”形成的科马提质玄武岩、石英角斑岩、流纹质凝灰岩及“后造山伸展阶段”形成的两类基性岩的特征,研究表明,科马提质玄武岩是形成于岛弧环境的高MgO 玄武岩。高的Ni 和Cr含量说明它们为来自弧下地幔的原始岩浆,较高的MgO 显示这些高MgO 玄武岩浆是在相对较干的条件下从地幔源区分离的。“后造山伸展阶段”形成的两种基性岩分别来自软流圈和岩石圈地幔,具有不同的地球化学特征。基底地层中砂岩的碎屑锆石及夹层中基性—酸性火山岩的锆石U-Pb 定年表明,在扬子板块东南缘,新元古代岛弧岩浆活动的时间约为878~822 Ma,岛弧地区陆源碎屑的沉积作用发生在872~835 Ma 期间,表明存在同时代的（coeval）“岛弧岩浆作用”和“沉积作用”。     

中拐地区二叠系致密砂岩成岩作用及其控制因素

准噶尔盆地中拐地区二叠系佳木河组为扇三角洲环境下形成的富火山岩岩屑的致密砂岩储层。综合运用岩心观察、薄片鉴定、物性测试等对佳木河组储层成岩作用特征及其控制因素进行了研究,结果表明:佳木河组储层机械压实作用和胶结作用强,导致储层致密化;浊沸石、片沸石和方沸石是主要胶结作用产物;受佳木河组顶部不整合及烃源岩演化影响,发育弱酸性大气水溶蚀和晚期有机酸溶蚀2期溶蚀作用,浊沸石和方沸石溶孔是其主要表现形式,溶蚀面孔率平均为0.74%。而储层岩性、沸石胶结和逆掩断层活动控制佳木河组储层压实作用;火山岩岩屑是沸石胶结的物质基础,沉积相带和岩性控制不同区域沸石胶结物类型的差异性;弱酸性大气水淋滤是导致佳木河组储层溶蚀的主要原因。