Evolution of fluid flow and heat distribution over geological time scales at the margin of unconfined and confined carbonate sequences - A numerical investigation based on the Buda Thermal Karst analogue

Hydrogeological processes acting at the margins of confined and unconfined thick carbonate sequences are particularly interesting due to a complex system evolution including partial uplift of fully confined carbonate systems and subsequent erosion of cover layers. We provide insights into this evolution by simulating coupled density-dependent fluid flow and heat transport based on the Buda Thermal Karst (BTK) system (Hungary) in a 2D vertical plane. Applying an equivalent porous medium (EPM) approach using the Heatflow-Smoker finite element model, scenario modelling of three evolutionary steps was carried out between the fully-confined carbonate stage through to partly and completely unconfined conditions over the western ridge. The numerical simulations were used to derive the main evolutionary characteristics of groundwater flow and heat transport patterns for the unconfined and confined parts of the hydrogeologic system. The initial fully-confined state led to the development of thermal convection cells due to the insulating role of the low-permeability confining layer, which facilitates buoyancy-driven flow by restricting the dissipation of heat. Over geological time, these cells were gradually overprinted by gravity-driven flow and thermal advection due to uplift of the west ridge. The limited thickness of the cover allowed sufficient water infiltration into the system, which led to increased cooling. Further uplifting led to a prevalence of gravity-driven groundwater flow. The results highlight the critical role of confining formations on flow patterns, and their effect on heat distribution and dissipation over geological time scales. The results have important implications for heat accumulation as well as for the development of a deep geothermal energy potential in confined carbonates.     

华南全新世高海滩岩与海岸大震构造

笔者在世界上首次发现的华南海岸全新世高海滩岩中，又发现了海滩岩断代序列模式及其中蕴藏的重大科学信息。本文重点讨论高海滩岩与闽粤琼大震、大震构造与地震周期序列的关系，以及大震构造的定量标志。此外，继发现２５０年左右阶段的海岸升降年垂直活动速率后，又发现了５０年左右阶段的年活动速率。     

Shear wave velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle underneath the Tianshan orogenic belt

From April, 2003 to September, 2004, a passive broadband seismic array consisting of 60 stations was deployed over the Tianshan orogenic belt by State Key Laboratory of Earthquake Dynamics, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration. Among them, 51 stations make up an about 500-km-long profile across the Tianshan Mountains from Kuytun to Kuqa. The receiver function profile and S-wave velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle down to 100 km deep are obtained by using the re-ceiver function method (Liu et al. 1996, 2000). The main results can be summarized as follows: (1) A clear mountain root does not exist beneath the Tianshan Mountains, and the crust-mantle boundaries underneath the stations mostly have transitional structures. This implies that the material differentia-tion between the crust and mantle is not yet accomplished and the orogenic process is still going on. (2) The crust beneath the Tianshan Mountains has laterally blocked structures in direction perpendicular to the mountain strike, and the crust-mantle boundary has a clear dislocation structure. Both of them correspond to each other. (3) The offsets of the Moho discontinuity are highly correlated to the tectonic borders on the surface and that corresponding to the frontal southern Tianshan fault reaches to 14 km. This manifests that large vertical divergent movement took place between different blocks. This sup-ports the discontinuous model of the Tianshan orogeny, and the Tarim block subduction is restricted only to the southern side of the South Tianshan. (4) Inside the upper and middle crust of the Tianshan Mountains exist several low-velocity bodies correlated with high seismicity located on the moun-tain-basin jointures on both sides of the mountain and between different blocks, and the low-velocity bodies on the mountain-basin jointures are inclined obviously to the mountain. This implies that the low-velocity bodies may be correlated closely to the thrust and subduction of the basins on both sides of the mountain, the splicing of adjacent blocks and the fast uplift of the Tianshan Mountains.     

He,Ne and Ar isotopic composition of Fe-Mn crusts from the western and central Pacific Ocean and implications for their genesis

The noble gas nuclide abundances and isotopic ratios of the upmost layer of Fe-Mn crusts from the western and central Pacific Ocean have been determined. The results indicate that the He and Ar nu- clide abundances and isotopic ratios can be classified into two types: low 3He/4He type and high 3He/4He type. The low 3He/4He type is characterized by high 4He abundances of 191×10-9 cm3·STP·g-1 on average, with variable 4He, 20Ne and 40Ar abundances in the range (42.8―421)×10-9 cm3·STP·g-1, (5.40―141)×10-9 cm3·STP·g-1, and (773―10976)×10-9 cm3·STP·g-1, respectively. The high 3He/4He samples are characterized by low 4He abundances of 11.7×10-9 cm3·STP·g-1 on average, with 4He, 20Ne and 40Ar abundances in the range of (7.57―17.4)×10-9 cm3·STP·g-1, (10.4―25.5)×10-9 cm3·STP·g-1 and (5354―9050)×10-9 cm3·STP·g-1, respectively. The low 3He/4He samples have 3He/4He ratios (with R/RA ratios of 2.04―2.92) which are lower than those of MORB (R/RA=8±1) and 40Ar/36Ar ratios (447―543) which are higher than those of air (295.5). The high 3He/4He samples have 3He/4He ratios (with R/RA ratios of 10.4―12.0) slightly higher than those of MORB (R/RA=8±1) and 40Ar/36Ar ratios (293―299) very similar to those of air (295.5). The Ne isotopic ratios (20Ne/22Ne and 21Ne/22Ne ratios of 10.3―10.9 and 0.02774―0.03039, respectively) and the 38Ar/36Ar ratios (0.1886―0.1963) have narrow ranges which are very similar to those of air (the 20Ne/22Ne, 21Ne/22Ne, 38Ar/36Ar ratios of 9.80, 0.029 and 0.187, respectively), and cannot be differentiated into different groups. The noble gas nuclide abundances and isotopic ratios, together with their regional variability, suggest that the noble gases in the Fe-Mn crusts originate primarily from the lower mantle. The low 3He/4He type and high 3He/4He type samples have noble gas characteristics similar to those of HIMU (High U/Pb Mantle)- and EM (Enriched Mantle)-type mantle material, respectively. The low 3He/4He type samples with HIMU-type noble gas isotopic ratios occur in the Magellan Seamounts, Marcus-Wake Seamounts, Marshall Island Chain and the Mid-Pacific Sea- mounts whereas the high 3He/4He type samples with EM-type noble gas isotopic ratios occur in the Line Island Chain. This difference in noble gas characteristics of these crust types implies that the MagellanSeamounts, Marcus-Wake Seamounts, Marshall Is- land Chain, and the Mid-Pacific Seamounts originated from HIMU-type lower mantle material whereas the Line Island Chain originated from EM-type lower mantle material. This finding is consistent with varia- tions in the Pb-isotope and trace element signatures in the seamount lavas. Differences in the mantlesource may therefore be responsible for variations in the noble gas abundances and isotopic ratios in the Fe-Mn crusts. Mantle degassing appears to be the principal factor controlling noble gas isotopic abundances in Fe-Mn crusts. Decay of radioactive isotopes has a negligible influence on the nuclide abundances and isotopic ratios of noble gases in these crusts on the timescale of their formation.     

深部过程中地幔流体现实微观踪迹的实验证据

伴随深部地质过程的地幔流体作用是引发地壳中成矿作用的重要物质源和动力源。由于地幔流体的超深源性及由此决定其性质和演化的复杂性,使人们很难具体捕捉其实际存在,或者多数情况下很难准确界定。通过岩相学、岩石化学、电子探针和扫描电镜及能谱分析的综合研究发现,地幔流体活动的现实微观踪迹和存在方式可以表现为富铁熔浆包体和富铁微晶玻璃,二者在透射偏光显微镜下无光性,呈黑色不透明状;反射偏光显微镜下不反光,但在电子显微镜下呈显微晶质结构,显示微晶金属和非金属矿物之间呈熔离交生,超微晶矿物组成以硅酸盐和石英为主,尤其是经过成分配比换算,得到碳硅石,含铬自然铁、钛铁矿、磷灰石和含钛镜铁矿等地幔标型矿物,反映了地幔流体的熔浆性质。捕捉和揭示深部地质过程中地幔流体作用的现实微观踪迹,对于深入分析和认识地壳地质作用的机制和成矿效应具有重要理论和现实意义。     

The influence of a density stratification and of an incompressibility modulus on the spectrum of core modes

The concept of a deformation of a simple, non-rotating, spherically symmetric earth model with a fluid outer core, although it is a highly artificial physical situation, provides a useful computational algorithm that allows one lo determine analytically modes of vibration without any Love-number theory. In particular, on these analytically determined modes, we impose regularity conditions at the centre and boundary conditions at the surface, as well as conditions of continuity at the inner-core-outer-core boundary and at the core-mantle boundary. They lead to an eigenvalue equation for the frequency of oscillation. The range of frequencies obtained in this way for different earth models gives an indication of the influence of compressibility and non-homogeneity on the spectrum of eigenfrequencies.     

峨眉山二滩玄武岩地球化学特征

峨眉山大火成岩省二滩地区玄武岩w(S iO2)/%=40.5~59.65;普遍高碱,w(K2O N a2O)=2.64%~7.67%。w(T iO2)=2.10%~6.53%,T i/Y>500,该区玄武岩属于高钛(HT)型玄武岩;其M g#=58~84,明显高于高于宾川高钛玄武岩(31~53),说明岩浆演化程度明显低于宾川高钛玄武岩浆。岩石样品中Sr显示明显负异常,暗示了二滩玄武岩经历了广泛的斜长石结晶分离;而Eu不显异常,则反映了玄武岩岩浆中有高Eu3 /Eu2 比值的存在,其环境为氧化环境。在二滩玄武岩和宾川高钛玄武岩中,N i,Z r,T iO2和M g#均显示了明显差异,说明二滩玄武岩具有独立的地球化学特征。二滩玄武岩不相容元素(R b,B a,Th,U,N b,T a,L a,C e等)配分曲线与O IB相似,及其T a/Y b vs Th/Y b双变量图解也显示出了富集地幔特征,这些特征反映了峨眉山二滩玄武岩源区为富集地幔源,玄武岩岩浆可能为地幔柱物质。此外,B a/Th,Z r/N b,L a/N b,B a/N b等比值介于EM I O IB和EM II O IB之间,以及C e/Pb比值也说明:二滩玄武岩缺少H IMU O IB端元组分,是EM I O IB和EM II O IB两端元的混合产物。     

川西义敦章德坝子全新世孢粉组合和环境研究

分布在川西高原海拔4100m的章德第四纪复式沉积盆地，表部覆盖着Ⅰ-Ⅲ级河谷阶地沉积，其中合大量的植物孢粉化石。Ⅲ级阶地内植物孢粉组合为早中全新世温暖潮湿气候下形成；Ⅱ-Ⅰ级阶地的植物孢粉组合为晚全新世较干冷气候的森林草原环境形成。下伏的措普寺冰碛层为晚更新世第五冰期沉积。这为川西高原几大第四纪盆地内地层划分对比和环境研究提供了参考标准。