世界自然遗产黄龙钙华景观的地质分析

四川省松潘县黄龙是世界自然遗产,以秀美的自然景色、巨型的钙华堆积闻名于世.黄龙所处的岷山地区位于喜马拉雅期是构造活动地区,更新世以来不断隆起,成为现代隆起高山区.在更新世,山岳冰川广布全区,进入全新世,区内发育现代冰川,因而留下了冰蚀地貌和大量冰积物.黄龙的钙华来源于大气降水下渗形成的喀斯特水,该地下水以断层泉方式转为地表迳流,在沿沟向下流动过程中形成了钙华堆积,正是这种不断变化的钙华堆积呈现出绚丽的钙华风貌.钙华的堆积地貌有钙华池、钙华滩和钙华瀑布,溶蚀地貌有钙华洞穴,其钙华景观至今仍是处于不断变化中.     

四川诺水河地质公园地质遗迹景观资源特征

诺水河地质公园位于通江县北部,地理区位条件较优越,地质遗迹景观资源十分丰富,分布广,成因类型多样,景观规模大,景观品质高,以岩溶洞穴钙华堆积景观为主的导向型景观资源特色突出,个性鲜明,其它配套景观相对集中,互补性强,配套性好,具有重要的科研、科考价值,美学观赏价值,保护价值和旅游开发价值。     

The Indarri Falls travertine dam,Lawn Hill Creek,northwestern Queensland,Australia

Indarri Falls is a spectacular travertine dam which impounds Lawn Hill Creek, a perennial karst stream draining the Barkly Tableland in northwest Queensland, Australia. The dam is at least 13·5 m high, making it the largest feature of its kind known in Australia. Carbonate precipitation at the falls is favoured by downstream changes in the bulk chemistry of the karst spring waters which feed the Creek, although deposition at the microenvironmental level may be encouraged by biological factors. The dam has dramatically altered the hydrology and geomorphology of the area, transforming the middle reaches of Lawn Hill Creek from a fluvial to a lacustrine environment. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

四川黄龙大湾-张家沟钙华沉积剖面的古气候记录研究

本文通过对黄龙景区大湾张家沟钙华剖面的系统研究,确认大湾张家沟14.0～85.0 ka B.P.钙华剖面的沉积层序,该剖面不是自下而上由老到新的正常层序,而可能是多期次(最少两期)沉积形成的.通过钙华氧碳同位素分析重建了钙华沉积过程中环境的变化:在钙华剖面形成的早期,夏季风强盛,气温较高,夏半年降水较多;在钙华形成的中晚期,气候干冷且变化较大.最后,依据钙华的沉积特征和年代学数据,初步探讨了该区钙华的沉积模式.     

Upper Eocene travertine-lacustrine carbonate in the Jianchuan basin,southeastern Tibetan Plateau: Reappraisal of its origin and implication for the monsoon climate

The Asian monsoon is one of the largest climatic systems in the world, but age of its onset has been estimated differently ranging from the late Eocene to the Quaternary. We investigated the sedimentology and stable isotopic compositions of the upper Eocene Jiuziyan Formation, a terrestrial limestone unit in the Jianchuan basin, Yunnan Province in China. This limestone formation is restricted in several localities in the central part of the basin. Previously, this has been characterized as palustrine carbonate and the transition to the sublacustrine deposit of the overlying Shuanghe Formation was interpreted as the appearance of wetter climate during the late Eocene. Our observations of macro- and microfacies revealed sedimentary fabrics indicating rapid CaCO₃ precipitation, such as dendritic calcite and calcified reed stems, which are unlikely to develop in a simple lacustrine setting. High carbonate content (mostly >90 %) and restricted distribution of the Jiuziyan limestone indicate a depositional setting spatially limited and isolated from clastic influx. These findings, together with clearly higher δ¹³C values (−0.7 ‰ to +6.9 ‰) and lower δ¹⁸O values (−14.6 ‰ to −10.5 ‰) than those of the Shuanghe Formation, indicate that the limestone was mainly travertine, carbonate formed from endogenic spring water. The elevated δ¹³C resulted from a large amount of CO₂ degassing from spring water with high pCO₂. In addition, the occurrence of centimeter-scale lamination coupled with cyclic changes in δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O is almost identical with the modern annually-laminated travertine reported from Baishuitai in northern Yunnan Province, implying comparable amplitude of seasonal temperature and precipitation changes to the record of the modern travertine at Baishuitai. Our results do not contradict the previous interpretation of late Eocene wetting and additionally suggest the existence of the late Eocene monsoon climate in the Jianchuan basin.     

Searching for travertines, calcretes and speleothems in deep time: Processes, appearances, predictions and the impact of plants

Common models for modern calcite precipitation in and around caves, soils, springs and streams involve CO₂ supplied by thick, high pCO₂ biogenic soils which were probably thin or non-existent before vascular plants. Indeed plant-influenced chemical weathering might have caused accelerated terrestrial carbonate production from the Devonian onwards. However terrestrial carbonates have also been documented from the Archaean, Proterozoic, Cambrian, Ordovician and Silurian. Mechanisms which could have caused non-marine carbonates to precipitate without organic-rich soils are described, and some geological events likely to have influenced non-marine carbonate precipitation up to the origin of vascular plants are highlighted. As organisms have evolved, so have the petrographic characteristics of non-marine carbonates; some examples of this are also given here.     

四川康定县玉农希钙华景观及其水循环系统

地处康定县贡嘎山西侧的玉农希钙华景观是继九寨沟、黄龙钙华景观发现之后又一具有世界遗产潜质的高寒岩溶风景地。本次调查工作是四川省国土资源厅安排的四川省重点地质遗迹保护可行性规划的第二批项目。项目首次对玉农希钙华景观进行了较系统的调查研究, 从地质遗迹景观及形成景观的水循环的角度查明了钙华景观的特征, 剖析其景观形成的水循环系统, 进而作了区域性对比分析, 初步探索其形成机理与演化规律。玉农希钙华具有极高的科学价值、美学价值和观赏价值, 可与九寨、黄龙媲美, 必须采取科学、合理的措施对其加以保护。     

Sedimentology of coexisting travertine and tufa deposits in a mounded geothermal spring carbonate system,Obruktepe, Turkey

The recent discoveries of deeply buried Cretaceous reservoir bodies in the Atlantic Ocean revealed that relationships between the distribution of spring carbonate deposits and faults are poorly understood. The well‐exposed Quaternary deposits at Obruktepe (Denizli Basin, Turkey) provide an opportunity to reconstruct the three‐dimensional sedimentary architecture of such a system. Integration of sedimentological, lithofacies and geochemical analyses reveals complexity in the lateral relationships between sedimentary environments, faults and geothermal spring carbonates. Five environmental systems are distinguished based on the lithofacies analysis: (i) vent; (ii) smooth slope; (iii) travertine‐terrace; (iv) tufa‐barrage; and (v) flood systems. Encrusting, baffling and settling sedimentary processes are reflected in data acquired at several scales, from lithofacies observations to the morphology and arrangement of geobodies, together with microfabrics and stable carbon and oxygen isotope data. Mean values of +4·9‰ δ¹³C and −8·74‰ δ¹⁸O Vienna PeeDee Belemnite reflect geothermal circulation of springwaters. The environmental distribution and lithofacies indicate a lateral continuum between travertine and tufa deposits within this hot spring system. This finding supports two depositional models in which water flow variation is the main control on both CaCO₃ precipitation and the resulting formation of travertine and tufa. The proposed models address the factors responsible for the development of these complex mound‐shaped carbonate spring deposits, and how they are related to fluid circulation at depth and in association with faults.     

Geochemistry of Quaternary travertines in the region north of Rome (Italy): structural, hydrologic and paleoclimatic implications

In the Tyrrhenian region of central Italy, late Quaternary fossil travertines are widespread along two major regional structures: the Tiber Valley and the Ancona-Anzio line. The origin and transport of spring waters from which travertines precipitate are elucidated by chemical and isotopic studies of the travertines and associated thermal springs and gas vents. There are consistent differences in the geochemical and isotopic signatures of thermal spring waters, gas vents and present and fossil travertines between east and west of the Tiber Valley. West of the Tiber Valley, δ¹³C of CO₂ discharged from gas vents and δ¹³C of fossil travertines are higher than those to the east. To the west the travertines have higher strontium contents, and gases emitted from vents have higher ³He/⁴He ratios and lower N₂ contents, than to the east. Fossil travertines to the west have characteristics typical of thermogene (thermal spring) origin, whereas those to the east have meteogene (low-temperature) characteristics (including abundant plant casts and organic impurities). The regional geochemical differences in travertines and fluid compositions across the Tiber Valley are interpreted with a model of regional fluid flow. The regional Mesozoic limestone aquifer is recharged in the main axis of the Apennine chain, and the groundwater flows westward and is discharged at springs. The travertine-precipitating waters east of the Tiber Valley have shallower flow paths than those to the west. Because of the comparatively short fluid flow paths and low (normal) heat flow, the groundwaters to the east of the Tiber Valley are cold and have CO₂ isotopic signatures, indicating a significant biogenic contribution acquired from soils in the recharge area and limited deeply derived CO₂. In contrast, spring waters west of the Tiber Valley have been conductively heated during transit in these high heat-flow areas and have incorporated a comparatively large quantity of CO₂ derived from decarbonation of limestone. The elevated strontium content of the thermal spring water west of the Tiber Valley is attributed to deep circulation and dissolution of a Triassic evaporite unit that is stratigraphically beneath the Mesozoic limestone. U-series age dates of fossil travertines indicate three main periods of travertine formation (ka): 220-240, 120-140 and 60-70. Based on the regional flow model correlating travertine deposition at thermal springs and precipitation in the recharge area, we suggest that pluvial activity was enhanced during these periods. Our study suggests that travertines preserve a valuable record of paleofluid composition and paleoprecipitation and are thus useful for reconstructing paleohydrology and paleoclimate.     

松潘黄龙水循环及钙华景观成因研究

通过对松潘黄龙风景名胜区主景区黄龙寺沟运用水均衡原理和水化学系统分析，并结合天然同位表示综技术，初步查明了黄龙水循环规律，确立黄龙钙华的源泉为转花泉，其源泉来源于大气降水，并经深循环补给。进而阐明了钙华的形成与演化，建立了黄龙水循环模式，用于保护和合理开发松潘黄龙自然景观资料，使之可持续利用。