Porphyroblast inclusion-trail orientation data: eppure non son girate*!

Extensive examination of large numbers of spatially orientated thin sections of orientated samples from orogens of all ages around the world has demonstrated that porphyroblasts do not rotate relative to geographical coordinates during highly non-coaxial ductile deformation of the matrix subsequent to their growth. This has been demonstrated for all tectonic environments so far investigated. The work also has provided new insights and data on metamorphic, structural and tectonic processes including: (1) the intimate control of deformation partitioning on metamorphic reactions; (2) solutions to the lack of correlation between lineations that indicate the direction of movement within thrusts and shear zones, and relative plate motion; and (3) a possible technique for determining the direction of relative plate motion that caused orogenesis in ancient orogens.     

Early J2 basalts in SE China: Incipience of large-scale late Mesozoic magmatism

Magmatism in SE China was dormant during 204–180 Ma, but was reactivated in 180–170 Ma (early J₂), and then became more and more intensive towards the end of early Cretaceous. The small-scale early J₂ magmatism is the incipience to long-term and large-scale magmatism in this region. A near east-west (EW) trend volcanic belt was distributed across south Hunan, south Jiangxi and southwest Fujian was formed during early J₂ time. Along this belt from the inland toward the coast, the lithology of basalts changes from alkali into tholeiite, and the amount of erupted volcanic rocks and the proportions of rhyolites coexisting with the basalts increase. On the basis of geochemical characteristics of these basalts, we infer that the melting degree of source rocks and the extent of fractional crystallization and crustal contamination all increased whereas the depth of mantle source decreased from the inland to the coast, which led to the variations of geological characteristics of the volcanic belt. In early J₂, the western spreading Pacific plate began to subduct underneath SE China continental block, reactivating near EW trend deep fault that was originally formed during the Indosinian event. The stress of the western spreading Pacific plate and the extent of asthenosphere upwelling increased from the inland to the coast, which is consistent with the generation and evolution of early J₂ basalts.     

“大洋板块地层”的重建与意义——以藏南仲巴地区为例

混杂岩是古增生楔存在的标志之一,一般由枕状玄武岩、灰岩、放射虫硅质岩、硅质页岩、砂岩等混乱无序组成。目前"大洋板块地层"(OPS)运用放射虫地层学方法对混乱的增生楔断片进行重建取得了良好效果,并清晰地展示了大洋板块俯冲和洋底物质连续增生的历史。在西藏仲巴地区填图过程中,结合放射虫年代学分析鉴定结果,以OPS重建的思路和理论作为指导,重建了仲巴地区混杂岩的大洋板块地层,并恢复了该区域特提斯洋在洋中脊大洋板块增生至消亡的岩石序列,自下而上分别为侏罗纪海山玄武岩、海山覆盖物侏罗系—白垩系碳酸盐岩、海山周围沉积的侏罗系—白垩系放射虫硅质岩和硅质页岩,以及海沟附近的白垩系陆源碎屑岩等,为特提斯洋大洋板块俯冲的方向、持续时间和古大地构造环境提供了信息。     

开合旋构造体系及其形成机制探讨:兼论板块构造的动力学机制

开合构造总体上可以表述为:地球膨胀为开,收缩为合;垂向上地球物质离心(地心)运动为开,向心运动为合;水平方向上地球物质相背运动为开,相向运动为合。从驱动机制角度,我们把以热力(热能)为主体驱动的上浮物质运动定义为开;将重力(势能)为主体驱动的下沉物质运动定义为合。因此,开与合是一个高度综合的概念,具有广阔的内涵,开合运动是联系一切地质运动和地质科学的纽带。开合运动具有同步统一性,即垂向的开在水平方向也表现为开;垂向开得强烈,水平方向同样开得强烈,反之亦然。地球刚形成时诸多开合构造是无序的,地球的旋转运动统领地球上所有物质、能量、运动和大大小小的各种开合构造于旋转运动中,并将它们调剂到有序状态。简言之开合构造体系是开合旋运动长期作用下形成的不同时期、不同层次、不同级别的开合旋回组成的动态平衡构造体系。本文总结了地球开合旋构造体系物质组成、结构构造特征和规律,建立了开合旋复杂构造体系简要模型。提出平衡体系的形成机制是开合旋运动遵循地球重力均衡准则、最小内能原理(结晶化)、几何淘汰生长(垂直地心生长)和物质均匀化四条自然演化规律,其中重力均衡准则是主导的。由于地质事件(构造运动)在破坏开合旋平衡体系的同时,经常直接或间接向体系内输入新能量,往往使新的旋回比老旋回的结构构造更符合地质演化的自然规律,于是使地球显得更强大而有活力。这一次又一次的地质事件(构造运动)是开合旋构造体系螺旋式向前发展的动因。本文最后用开合构造观点探讨了地球的形成和演化,分析了板块构造运动的动力学过程。     

造山带中增生楔识别与地质意义

增生楔主要由海沟复理石、远洋—半远洋沉积和洋岛/海山等大洋板块地层岩石及蛇绿岩共同构成,是汇聚板块边缘古俯冲带构造—沉积作用的综合产物,以发育叠瓦状逆冲断层、双冲断层和紧闭—倒转褶皱,以及片理、碎裂构造、小型褶皱、膝折等不同尺度的构造为特征。增生楔组成包括连续单元和混杂岩两部分,严格受滑脱面位置控制。增生楔是增生型造山带最基本大地构造相,它与弧前盆地、岛弧/大陆边缘弧的时空配置关系可直接指示大洋板块俯冲极性、揭示洋盆演化与造山作用方式。准确识别增生楔,详细解剖其结构特征与组成特征,综合判别并恢复大洋板块地层,可为古板块边界与古大洋盆地消亡位置确定、造山带结构精细划分及造山作用过程重建提供基本依据。大比例尺地质填图是研究增生楔结构和组成、以及大洋板块地层重建的有效手段。以南祁连拉脊山石灰窑增生楔为例,地质填图结果表明它是由中寒武世—早奥陶世洋壳物质构成,自北而南依次可分为海沟—大洋盆地—海山OPS和六道沟SSZ型蛇绿岩,被南倾逆冲断层分割成多个岩片。海沟—大洋盆地OPS岩片基本保留完整地层序列,海山OPS岩片包括连续单元和混杂岩两部分。顶帽山增生楔主要由海山OPS构成,内部结构层序相对完好,是南祁连构造带中保留最为完整、规模最大的海山OPS岩石组合序列。上述不同类型OPS片段和六道沟SSZ型蛇绿岩组成的增生楔与其南侧岛弧带同时代。增生楔—岩浆弧的时空配置暗示寒武纪—早奥陶世时期原特提斯洋自北向南俯冲极性。这些认识为南祁连早古生代火山—岩浆—沉积构造演化以及是否存在古洋盆与古洋盆演化重建提供基本佐证。     

Contrasting rifted margin styles south of Greenland: implications for mantle plume dynamics

We present new and reprocessed seismic reflection data from the area where the southeast and southwest Greenland margins intersected to form a triple junction south of Greenland in the early Tertiary. During breakup at 56 Ma, thick igneous crust was accreted along the entire 1300-km-long southeast Greenland margin from the Greenland Iceland Ridge to, and possibly 100 km beyond, the triple junction into the Labrador Sea. However, highly extended and thin crust 250 km to the west of the triple junction suggests that magmatically starved crustal formation occurred on the southwest Greenland margin at the same time. Thus, a transition from a volcanic to a non-volcanic margin over only 100–200 km is observed. Magmatism related to the impact of the Iceland plume below the North Atlantic around 61 Ma is known from central-west and southeast Greenland. The new seismic data also suggest the presence of a small volcanic plateau of similar age close to the triple junction. The extent of initial plume-related volcanism inferred from these observations is explained by a model of lateral flow of plume material that is guided by relief at the base of the lithosphere. Plume mantle is channelled to great distances provided that significant melting does not take place. Melting causes cooling and dehydration of the plume mantle. The associated viscosity increase acts against lateral flow and restricts plume material to its point of entry into an actively spreading rift. We further suggest that thick Archaean lithosphere blocked direct flow of plume material into the magma-starved southwest Greenland margin while the plume was free to flow into the central west and east Greenland margins. The model is consistent with a plume layer that is only moderately hotter, 100–200°C, than ambient mantle temperature, and has a thickness comparable to lithospheric thickness variations, 50–100 km. Lithospheric architecture, the timing of continental rifting and viscosity changes due to melting of the plume material are therefore critical parameters for understanding the distribution of magmatism.     

Analytic Solution of Interaction Between Surface Waves and Floating Elastic Plates with Elastic End-Restraints

Based on the dynamic theories of water waves and Mindlin plates,the analytic solution of interaction between surface waves and two-dimensional floating elastic plates with edge-restraint is constructed by use of the Wiener-Hopf technique.Firstly,without regard for elastic edge restraint,the wave-induced responses of elastic floating plate analyzed by the present method are in good agreement with the results from literature and experimental results.Therefore,it can be shown that the present method is valid.Secondly,three end-restraint cases(i.e.,the left-end elastic restraints,the both-end elastic restraints,and the right-end elastic restraints)are proposed to reduce the vibration of floating plates,in which the spring is used to connect the sea bottom and the floating plate's left(or right)edge.The relations between the spring stiffness and the parameters of wave-induced responses of floating plates are discussed.Moreover,the effective method to reduce the vibration of floating elastic plates can be obtained through comparison.     

板翼动力锚沉贯深度模型试验研究

板翼动力锚是依靠自重完成安装并靠自重和海床土的抗力来锚固的新型动力锚。板翼动力锚高速(15~25 m/s)贯入地基过程中涉及到高应变率、流固耦合、土体软化和大变形等难题,模型试验可避免上述计算困难,能直接得出不同的贯入速度所对应的沉贯深度。本文首先推导了模型相似关系,然后在常规重力条件下,进行了两组26个工况的板翼动力锚在均质黏土中动力安装过程的模型试验,根据试验结果确定了率效应参数的取值范围,并研究了每一项受力对沉贯深度的影响。最后提出了在均质黏土中预测板翼动力锚沉贯深度的经验公式。     

海洋地球物理学和海洋地质学的发展

回顾了20世纪60年代板块学说的诞生,以及海洋地球物理学及海洋地球物理学家对这场地球科学革命所做出的巨大贡献。二次世界大战中,海洋技术飞速进步;战后,西方国家的海洋地球物理学家利用这些技术在海上开展了广泛的地球物理调查,积累了大量资料,有了许多重要发现。大洋地震带原来是一条裂谷带;大洋地磁场存在以中脊为中心,向两边正负相间的对称异常条带;大洋底沉积很薄,且从中脊向两边逐步加厚;大洋地壳仅厚数千米,而大陆地壳厚达30千米以上;大洋中脊处热流值很高,向两边逐步减小;地球的地震波速度从地表到约深80 km逐步增大,从80 km深度处速度开始减小,说明地球表层存在岩石圈,其下部存在软流圈;在海沟处,地震震中分布从海沟开始,向下沿约45°倾角到700 km深处,这可能是大洋岩石圈俯冲之处。由此地球科学家提出了板块构造假说,认为地幔深处的岩浆沿大洋中脊处向上运移,在海底处不断产生新洋壳;新洋壳(岩石圈)不断向两边运动,在海沟处向大陆岩石圈之下俯冲、消亡;当大洋岩石圈俯冲消亡之后,两边的大陆就发生碰撞,形成造山带,因此,地球上最老的大陆年龄达38亿年,而大洋岩石圈最老年龄只有1.8亿年。板块构造学说坚持活动论,是大陆漂移假说的发展之结果,更是地球科学深刻革命的开始。当它上陆之后,地球科学就掀起了革命的风暴。     

对中国大陆构造格架的讨论

大陆动力学的理论与研究开启了人们一个新的思路:在确认中国大陆构造格架、划分构造单元时,除了前寒武纪基底、南华-印支期生物地层格架以外,不能不考虑中-新生代以来重大的陆内变形事件所产生的陆内变形(大型走滑断裂、推覆构造、挤出构造)对印支与前印支期所形成大陆构造格架大幅度的改造,因此对前印支期构造单元的性质需要通过构造复位来重新认识.通过构造复位认为:阿拉善、中祁连-柴达木、北羌塘等微陆块和塔里木板块是一个整体的克拉通--西域板块,不存在整体的昆(仑)-祁(连)-秦(岭)海洋板块,早古生代满加尔-北祁连坳拉槽-小洋盆和晚古生代东昆仑-阿尼玛卿-金沙江裂陷洋盆可能是由古特提斯洋脊楔入所引起的,类似于现今的红海-亚丁湾.本文拟从阿拉善、北羌塘地块的构造归属、西域板块的确认:中国境内北亚构造域的构造划分和晚侏罗-早白垩世陆内变形、中亚挤出构造;中朝与扬子-华南板块划分和南北黄海、朝鲜半岛的构造归属等方面,来讨论有关中国及邻区大陆构造格架的一些争议问题.