Aeolian sediment provenance and transport in the upper and middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River,Tibet Plateau

Frequent and serious aeolian disasters occur in the upper and middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, which runs through the high-elevation Tibet Plateau. Sediment geochemical characteristics can be used as a proxy to identify the sediment's provenance. To determine the provenance of aeolian sediments in the river's basin, we analysed major and trace element contents from surface samples and local clastic rocks throughout the basin. We found that the major and trace elements differed between the middle reaches, upper reaches and regions south of the river. Major element contents were similar in the upper and middle reaches, but trace elements differed. Al₂O₃, MgO and Na₂O concentrations increased from the upper reaches to the lower reaches, and in the lower reaches, MgO and Na₂O were enriched compared with the crustal average. The similarities between samples in the lower part of the upper reaches and those in the middle reaches indicated that sediment transported by fluvial systems from the upper reaches were first deposited in the wide valleys near Xigaze, where they formed a large area of shifting sand. These deposits were then transported by the wind to the river's middle reaches, where they formed a large area of shifting sand. When we compared aeolian sediment in the middle reaches with the local clastic rocks, they appeared to be unrelated. The difference between sediments south of the river and those in the middle reaches means that the southern sediments were not transported to the middle reaches. Therefore, the aeolian sediment in the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River mainly came from the lower part of the upper reaches, not from the local clastic rocks.     

浙黔桂地区寒武纪硅质岩的地球化学特征及其形成背景

本文采用常量和稀土元素地球化学方法对浙黔桂地区寒武纪硅质岩的形成背景进行了研究。研究表明,硅质岩的A12O3/（A12O3＋Fe2O3）为0.56~0.87;Ce/Ce＊为0.74±0.19;Lan/Cen为0.90~1.58;Lan/Ybn平均为6.38,轻稀土明显富集,这些特征表明研究区硅质岩形成于大陆边缘环境或大陆边缘与深海过渡带。形成于裂陷盆地初期的硅质岩,比古华南残留洋盆和扬子陆块边缘的硅质岩轻稀土元素更加富集。构造拉张期形成的硅质岩为热液成因硅质岩,其稀土配分模式显示出轻稀土相对亏损、Eu正异常特征;构造稳定期形成的硅质岩为沉积成因硅质岩,稀土配分模式显示出轻稀土相对富集、Eu弱负异常特征。由硅质岩稀土配分模式的差异性反映出寒武纪时期的拉张为幕式拉张。位于扬子地台边缘的硅质岩所具有的Ce负异常,暗示着江南造山带寒武纪后曾发生过由东向西的大规模逆冲推覆。