Precambrian fluvial deposits: Enigmatic palaeohydrological data from the c. 2–1.9 Ga Waterberg Group, South Africa

Precambrian fluvial systems, lacking the influence of rooted vegetation, probably were characterised by flashy surface runoff, low bank stability, broad channels with abundant bedload, and faster rates of channel migration; consequently, a braided fluvial style is generally accepted. Pre-vegetational braided river systems, active under highly variable palaeoclimatic conditions, may have been more widespread than are modern, ephemeral dry-land braided systems. Aeolian deflation of fine fluvial detritus does not appear to have been prevalent. With the onset of large cratons by the Neoarchaean–Palaeoproterozoic, very large, perennial braided river systems became typical. The c. 2.06–1.88 Ga Waterberg Group, preserved within a Main and a smaller Middelburg basin on the Kaapvaal craton, was deposited largely by alluvial/braided-fluvial and subordinate palaeo-desert environments, within fault-bounded, possibly pull-apart type depositories.

Palaeohydrological data obtained from earlier work in the Middelburg basin (Wilgerivier Formation) are compared to such data derived from the correlated Blouberg Formation, situated along the NE margin of the Main basin. Within the preserved Blouberg depository, palaeohydrological parameters estimated from clast size and cross-bed set thickness data, exhibit rational changes in their values, either in a down-palaeocurrent direction, or from inferred basin margin to palaeo-basin centre. In both the Wilgerivier and Blouberg Formations, calculated palaeoslope values (derived from two separate formulae) plot within the gap separating typical alluvial fan gradients from those which characterise rivers (cf. [Blair, T.C., McPherson, J.G., 1994. Alluvial fans and their natural distinction from rivers based on morphology, hydraulic processes, sedimentary processes, and facies assemblages. J. Sediment. Res. A64, 450–489.]). Although it may be argued that such data support possibly unique fluvial styles within the Precambrian, perhaps related to a combination of major global-scale tectono-thermal and atmospheric–palaeoclimatic events, a simpler explanation of these apparently enigmatic palaeoslope values may be pertinent. Of the two possible palaeohydrological formulae for calculating palaeoslope, one provides results close to typical fluvial gradients; the other formula relies on preserved channel-width data. We suggest that the latter will not be reliable due to problematic preservation of original channel-widths within an active braided fluvial system. We thus find no unequivocal support for a unique fluvial style for the Precambrian, beyond that generally accepted for that period and discussed briefly in the first paragraph.     

Secular variations of the upper crust composition: Implication of geochemical data on the Upper Precambrian shales from the Southern Urals western flank and Uchur-Maya region

In the mid-1980s, it was concluded based on geochemical study that Th, Sc, La concentrations and ratios Th/Sc, La/Sc and Eu/Eu* did not wary significantly in the post-Archean time. It was impossible to judge about compositional variations of upper crust during the Riphean and Vendian, because data of that time characterized a limited number of samples from the post-Archean basins of Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctic. Considered in this work are variations of Eu/Eu*, LREE/HREE, Th/Sc, and La/Sc ratios in Upper Precambrian fine-grained siliciclastic rock of the Southern Urals western flank (Bashkirian meganticlinorium) and Uchur-Maya region (Uchur-Maya plate and Yudoma-Maya belt). As is established, only the Eu anomaly in the studied siliciclastic rocks is practically identical to this parameter of the average post-Archean shale. Three other parameters plot on the Riphean-Vendian variation curves with positive and negative excursions of diverse magnitude, which do not coincide always in time. It is assumed that these excursions likely mark stages of local geodynamic activity, destruction of pre-Riphean cratons, and progressing recycling of sedimentary material during the Riphean.     

Fish Remains from Homestead Cave and Lake Levels of the Past 13,000 Years in the Bonneville Basin

A late Quaternary ichthyofauna from Homestead Cave, Utah, provides a new source of information on lake history in the Bonneville basin. The fish, represented by 11 freshwater species, were accumulated between 11,200 and 1000 ¹⁴C yr B.P. by scavenging owls. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of Lake Bonneville varied with its elevation; ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values of fish from the lowest stratum of the cave suggest they grew in a lake near the terminal Pleistocene Gilbert shoreline. In the lowest deposits, a decrease in fish size and an increase in species tolerant of higher salinities or temperatures suggest multiple die-offs associated with declining lake levels. An initial, catastrophic, post-Provo die-off occurred at 11,300–11,200 ¹⁴C yr B.P. and was followed by at least one rebound or recolonization of fish populations, but fish were gone from Lake Bonneville sometime before 10,400 ¹⁴C yr B.P. This evidence is inconsistent with previous inferences of a near desiccation of Lake Bonneville between 13,000 and 12,000 ¹⁴C yr B.P. Peaks in Gila atraria frequencies in the upper strata suggest the Great Salt Lake had highstands at 3400 and 1000 ¹⁴C yr B.P.     

吉林省前寒武纪地层

吉林省前寒武纪地层可见有太古宙变质表壳岩系、古元古代中深变质火山-沉积岩系、吉南新元古代陆源碎屑岩-碳酸盐岩组成的盖层沉积岩系和吉北造山带新元古代变质火山-沉积岩系4种类型.其中太古宙地层龙岗陆块具有多陆块拼贴的特点,可划分为龙岗岩群(四道砬子河岩组、杨家店岩组)、夹皮沟岩群(三道沟岩组、老牛沟岩组)、板石沟岩群、南岗岩群(鸡南岩组、官地岩组)、清原岩群.分别代表白山镇地块、夹皮沟镇地块、板石沟地块、和龙地块和清原地块的变质表壳岩系,其中除龙岗岩群可能为中太古代外,其余地质体的时代均为新太古代.古元古代地层有集安岩群、光华岩群和老岭岩群,前两者为古元古代早期裂谷环境沉积,分别可进一步划分为蚂蚁河岩组、荒岔沟岩组、大东岔岩组、双庙岩组和同心岩组,沉积时限为2 300～2 100Ma;后者为古元古代晚期内克拉通凹陷沉积,可进一步划分为林家沟岩组/达台山岩组、珍珠门岩组、花山岩组、临江岩组和大栗子岩组,沉积时限为1 900～1 800Ma.吉南新元古代地层的岩石地层学属性基本清楚,按新元古代三分的观点,其中细河群及其以下地层时代为青白口纪.浑江群时代为震旦纪,吉南地区缺失南华系.吉林省北部造山带中沿色洛河-海沟-青龙村-江域一线的元古宙地层事实上为不同时代、不同性质的构造岩片堆叠体,属于构造地层学范畴;具有层状地层特征的仅有敦化地区的塔东岩群、蛟河地区的新兴岩组、九台地区的机房沟岩群、辽源地区的西保安岩组以及安图地区的万宝岩组,时代可暂置于新元古代.     

Les dykes basiques du massif ancien de l'Ourika (Atlas de Marrakech,Maroc) : géochimie et significationThe basic dykes of the Ourika old massif (High Atlas of Marrakech): Geochemistry and significance

The Precambrian massif of Ourika is crosscut by two systems of basic dykes, striking N40°E and N90–120°E. Using incompatible trace elements, the two systems form two distinct chemical groups, displaying a continental tholeiitic affinity. The composition variations between the two defined groups can be due to heterogeneities of mantle sources and to contamination, during the magma ascent, by the continental crust. The emplacement of these basic dykes, before the late-PIII formations, can be related to the Neoproterozoic distension generalised to the Anti-Atlas chain. To cite this article: A. Barakat et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 827–833.     

Basement-controlled faulting of Paleozoic strata in southern Ontario, Canada: new evidence from geophysical lineament mapping

Basement fault reactivation is now recognized as an important control on sedimentation and fault propagation in intracratonic basins. In southern Ontario, the basement consists of complexly structured mid-Proterozoic (ca. 1.2 Ga) crystalline rocks and metasedimentary rocks that are overlain by up to 1500 m of Paleozoic sedimentary strata. Reactivation of basement structures is suspected to control the location of Paleozoic fault and fracture systems, but evaluation has been hindered by a limited understanding of the regional structural characteristics of the buried basement. New aeromagnetic- and gravimetric-lineament mapping presented in this paper better resolves the location of basement discontinuities and provides further evidence for basement controls on the distribution of Paleozoic fault and fracture systems. Lineament mapping was facilitated by reprocessing and digital image enhancement (micro-levelling, regional residual separation, derivative filtering) of existing regional gravity and aeromagnetic datasets. Reprocessed images identify new details of the structural fabric of the basement below southern Ontario and delineate several previously unrecognized aeromagnetic and gravity lineaments and linear zones. Linear zones parallel the projected trends of mid-Proterozoic terrane boundaries identified by field mapping on the exposed shield to the north of the study area, and are interpreted as zones of shearing and basement faulting. Mapped aeromagnetic and gravity lineaments show similar trends to Paleozoic faults and fracture networks and broad zones of seismicity in southern Ontario. These new data support an ‘inheritance model’ for Paleozoic faulting, involving repeated reactivation and upward propagation of basement faults and fractures into overlying cover strata.     

Structural and remote sensing studies of the southern Betsimisaraka Suture, Madagascar

An assessment of the southern Betsimisaraka Suture (B.S.) of southeastern Madagascar using remote sensing and field investigation reveals a complex deformation history. Image processing of Landsat ETM+data and JERS-I Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery was integrated with field observations of structural geology and field petrography. The southern B.S. divides the Precambrian basement rocks of Madagascar in two parts. The western part includes Proterozoic rocks whereas the eastern part is an Archean block, named the Masora block. The southern part of the B.S. includes high-grade metamorphic rocks, recording strong deformation and has mineral deposits including chromite, nickel, and emerald, characteristic of oceanic material that is compatible with a suture zone.Large-scale structural features indicate ductile deformation including three generations of folding (F1, F2, and F3) associated with dextral shearing. The first folding event (F1) shows a succession of folds with NE striking axial planes. The second folding event (F2) mainly has north–south striking axial planes and the last event (F3) is represented by mega folds that have ENE–WSW axial plane directions and have NNW and SSE contractional strain patterns. Closure of the Mozambique Ocean between two components of Gondwana sandwiched rocks of the B.S. and formed upright folds and shortening zones which produced N–S trending lineaments. Later dextral movements followed the contraction and formed NW–SE trending lineaments and N–S trending normal faults associated with dextral strike slip faults and fractures.     

Gold in Madagascar

Gold is commonly found throughout the Precambrian basement exposed in the eastern two-thirds of Madagascar, composed of Archean and Proterozoic greenstone belts and metasediment belts. Gold occurs in four main kinds of deposits:- as a diffuse component of the crystalline basement rocks, - in concordant quartz veins within the metamorphic rocks of the Precambrian basement, - in recent discordant veins, - and in recent and ancient alluvial deposits.The initial gold mineralisation is probably in relation with the greenstone belt formation, and many have been formed and/or reworked during different metamorphic and magmatic events. It is therefore difficult to obtain an accurate age of the different kinds of deposits.     

湘东北前寒武纪仓溪岩群变凝灰岩SHRIMP锆石 U-Pb年龄

在湘东北地区浏阳市文家市仓溪岩群底部枫梓冲岩组(长英质二云母片岩)变凝灰岩中发现近百粒锆石,锆石虽然形态不相同,但CL图像显示出典型的岩浆生长振荡环带和韵律结构。该类锆石的U、Th含量较高,Th/U值变化范围为0.32~0.87,均属于岩浆结晶的产物。获得的SHRIMP锆石 U-Pb年龄为855Ma±5Ma,该年龄改变了仓溪岩群枫梓冲岩组的时代,对重新厘定江南造山带的构造格局有着重要意义。     

Structural studies and their bearing on the Early Precambrian history of the Dharwar tectonic province,southern India

In the Dharwar tectonic province, the Peninsular Gneiss was considered to mark an event separating the deposition of the older supracrustal Sargur Group and the younger supracrustal Dharwar Supergroup. Compelling evidence for the evolution of the Peninsular Gneiss, a polyphase migmatite, spanning over almost a billion years from 3500 Ma to 2500 Ma negates a stratigraphic status for this complex, so that the decisive argument for separating the older and younger supracrustal groups loses its basis. Correlatable sequence of superposed folding in all the supracrustal rocks, the Peninsular Gneiss and the banded granulites, indicate that the gneiss ‘basement’ deformed in a ductile manner along with the cover rocks. An angular unconformity between the Sargur Group and the Dharwar Super-group, suggested from some areas in recent years, has been shown to be untenable on the basis of detailed studies, A number of small enclaves distributed throughout the gneissic terrane, with an earlier deformational, metamorphic and migmatitic history, provide the only clue to the oldest component which has now been extensively reworked.