Low-velocity structure beneath Africa from forward modeling

Seismic waveforms observed in South Africa containing the first arrival crossover of S to SKS (70° to 110°) are analyzed. The data consist of analog records from the World Wide Seismographic Station Network (WWSSN) of deep events beneath South America. The S-waves arrive 2 to 3 s early relative to PREM at ranges from 70° to 95° and then become increasingly delayed, becoming 5 to 6 s late at 110°. The SKS phase is late by 3 to 5 s over the entire range. This pushes crossover between S and SKS, normally observed at about 81°, out about 2° to 3°, which is the most anomalous shift ever reported. To model such features, we modified Grand's tomography model [Grand et al., GSA Today 7 (1997) 1–7], and generated 2D synthetics to match the data. The overall shape and position of the lower mantle low-velocity anomaly proposed by Grand predicts good results if lower mantle anomalies are enhanced to a level of about 4%. This results in a complex tabular structure extending upward from the core–mantle boundary about 1500 km into the mantle. These features appear to be consistent with a large young plume which is erupting off the CMB.     

Changing marine productivity off northern Chile during the past 19 000 years: a multivariable approach

A multivariable approach utilising bulk sediment, planktonic Foraminifera and siliceous phytoplankton has been used to reconstruct rapid variations in palaeoproductivity in the Peru–Chile Current System off northern Chile for the past 19 000 cal. yr. During the early deglaciation (19 000–16 000 cal. yr BP), our data point to strongest upwelling intensity and highest productivity of the past 19 000 cal. yr. The late deglaciation (16 000–13 000 cal. yr BP) is characterised by a major change in the oceanographic setting, warmer water masses and weaker upwelling at the study site. Lowest productivity and weakest upwelling intensity are observed from the early to the middle Holocene (13 000–4000 cal. yr BP), and the beginning of the late Holocene (<4000 cal. yr BP) is marked by increasing productivity, mainly driven by silicate‐producing organisms. Changes in the productivity and upwelling intensity in our record may have resulted from a large‐scale compression and/or displacement of the South Pacific subtropical gyre during more productive periods, in line with a northward extension of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and increased advection of Antarctic water masses with the Peru–Chile Current. The corresponding increase in hemispheric thermal gradient and wind stress induced stronger upwelling. During the periods of lower productivity, this scenario probably reversed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

短期线状集中分布地磁日变化感应电流异常机理初步解释——以2012年唐山4.8级地震为例

本文分析了2012年唐山4.8级地震前,震中附近出现的短期原地重现线状集中分布地磁日变化感应电流异常的时空变化特征,及其与地震、中-下地壳和上地幔高导层的关系,进一步证实了短期原地重现线状集中分布感应电流的走向与中-下地壳和上地幔高导层顶面界埋深走向一致,认为其机理可能是深部热流体的上涌导致壳幔高阻体出现带有上拱性质的拆离滑动,深部上涌的热流体和高导层内热流体侵入高导层内电阻相对较高的地区,高导层出现短时间高导电流通道,当地磁日变化感应电流扫描经过高导电流通道时,感应电流会呈线状集中分布于此,并基于趋肤效应分布于其顶面附近。由于重现异常是发生在震源下方中-下地壳和上地幔高导层的地震异常,且该异常不同于震源附近及其震源至地表的地震异常,因此对推进地震孕育与发生机理研究可能有一定作用。此外研究还发现,地震虽然主要位于重叠段的端部,但更有可能位于中-下地壳重叠段的端部,这一发现对日常震情跟踪中应用该异常确定未来地震位置有一定帮助。     

华南陆块东北部构造特征、成矿作用与动力学机制——来自大地电磁测深的认识

通常认为,华南陆块在元古代由扬子克拉通和华夏地块沿江南造山带碰撞拼合而成,之后经历了陆内造山、洋壳俯冲等多期岩浆—构造活动。但因华南陆块所处的特殊地质构造环境,就目前华南陆块各块体之间的接触关系、江南造山带深部构造特征及区域动力学意义等诸多地质问题争议颇多。本文依托地质调查项目和“深部探测技术与实验研究（SinoProbe）”项目完成的8d和12g两条大地电磁测深剖面,经过精细的数据处理,使用非线性共轭梯度（NLCG）算法对TE+TM模式数据联合反演得到华南陆块东北部岩石圈尺度的二维电性剖面,并用ModEM三维反演代码对全阻抗张量数据反演获得了三维电性模型。对研究区内扬子地块东部、江南造山带以及华夏地块进行电性结构研究,发现研究区内的江南造山带西南段存在扬子地块和华夏地块碰撞镶嵌的构造表现,扬子地块已越过江南造山带,在江绍断裂位置与华夏地块挤压,形成江绍断裂等逆冲型深大断裂,从电性结构推测其现今仍然为活动断裂,但东北段块体之间的接触关系被上侵的地幔物质破坏,江绍、赣东北等断裂的深部结构已被剧烈改造,推测这种深部成矿热物质上涌是形成赣东北以金银矿种为主的岩浆热液型矿床的深部动力原因;研究区东部华夏地块电性特征为高阻的上地壳以及被岩浆底侵而破坏的中下地壳,发育其中的屯溪—鹰潭—安远和上虞—大浦—政和断裂切割深度超过了50 km,为深大断裂构造。结合前人地表侵入岩填图结果,认为由于中生代以来古太平洋板块向欧亚大陆的俯冲,华南陆块东部上地壳被严重破坏,从电性特征推断可能发生过大面积的板片重融,华夏地块东北部地壳相较于西南部厚度明显更小、后期改造严重,受到的太平洋板块俯冲导致的热扰动更剧烈。     

Development Processes of the Tropical Pacific Meridional Mode

Mechanisms for the spatio-temporal development of the Tropical Pacific Meridional Mode(TPMM) are investigated using a coupled ocean-atmosphere model and observations.In both observations and the model,this meridional mode displays decadal variations and is most pronounced in spring and early summer.The model simulation suggests that once SST anomalies in the subtropical northeastern Pacific are initiated,say by northeasterly trade wind variability,perturbations evolve into a merdional dipole in 2-3 months.A...     

Research progress on layered seismic anisotropy - A review

Seismic anisotropy is an effective feature to study the inner structure of the Earth. In complex tectonic area, the assumption of single-layer anisotropy is sometimes not well consistent with the observed data; thus, the assumption of multi-layered (i.e. stratified) anisotropy should be considered. At present, the main methods to study anisotropy include receiver functions, shear wave splitting from local and teleseismic events (SKS, SKKS, and PKS, hereafter collectively called XKS), P- and Pn wave travel time inversion, surface wave inversion from far-field earthquakes and ambient noise. Each of the above method has its own advantages and limitations. Thus, one or more of the above methods are often combined to characterize multi-layered anisotropy, of which the depth range of anisotropic layers are different. This paper reviews the research progress of multi-layered anisotropy for the purpose of providing a basis for future seismic anisotropy investigations.     

Multiple sulfur isotope chemostratigraphy across the Permian–Triassic boundary at Chaotian,China: Implications for a shoaling model of toxic deep-waters

Previous studies on multiple sulfur isotopes (³²S, ³³S, and ³⁴S) in sedimentary pyrite at the end-Permian suggested a shoaling of anoxic/sulfidic deep-water contributing to the extinction. This scenario is based on an assumption that the sedimentary sulfur cycle was largely controlled by benthos activity, though a stratigraphic correlation between the sulfur records and ichnofabrics of the sediments at the end-Permian has not yet been examined. We report the multiple sulfur isotopic composition of pyrite in the Permian–Triassic boundary interval at Chaotian, South China. Our data can be generally explained by a mixing of sulfur in sulfide from two different sources: one produced via sulfate reduction in an open system with respect to sulfate and the other produced in a closed system. In particular, the former with the substantially low δ³⁴S (<−40 ‰) and high ∆³³S (up to +0.100 ‰) values was likely produced via water-mass sulfate reduction or via sulfate reduction in oxic sediments with common burrows. The frequent occurrence of small pyrite framboids (mostly <5 μm in diameter) in the Lopingian (Late Permian) Dalong Formation of deep-water facies supports the enhanced water-mass sulfate reduction in an anoxic deep-water mass. The negative ∆³³S values are observed only in the oxic limestones, and no substantial ∆³³S change is observed across the extinction horizon despite of the disappearance of bioturbation. Our results are apparently inconsistent with the previous shoaling model. We expand the model and infer that, when the deep-water was sulfidic and its shoaling rate was high, a substantial amount of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) was supplied onto the shelf via the shoaling; that resulted in the positive ∆³³S value of the bulk sediments. The observed ∆³³S variation on a global scale suggests a substantial variation in H₂S concentration and/or in upwelling rate of shoaling deep-waters during the Permian–Triassic transition.     

岩石圈—软流圈物质循环促进大陆增生的新方式

大陆动力学研究地球内能量和物质的运动和伴随的信息传播,上地幔中的软流圈是地球内部的物质运动的关键部位之一。由于观测的技术方法少,人类对软流圈内部的地质作用过程所知甚少。在青藏高原,过去地震波三维层析成像的分辨率不高,难以对地壳上地幔构造进行准确的定位。我们收集和整理了地方地震台的数字化观测数据,使地震体波三维层析成像的准确度大大提高,为解决软流圈的地质构造准确成像提供了新的可能性。根据地震体波三维层析的成像结果,在古特提斯洋和特提斯洋俯冲板块前沿的软流圈底部410 km间断面上方,存在反映古大洋俯冲板块的高速体,它们在青藏高原、苏鲁和伊朗都有出现。清晰和稳定的高波速异常的位置表明,特提斯洋俯冲板块现在已经拆沉在软流圈的底部,古特提斯洋俯冲板块也可能曾经拆沉在软流圈的底部。对比青藏高原和苏鲁的地壳上地幔波速结构推测,拆沉造成软流圈中的轻元素物质上涌,进入大陆岩石圈,造成岩浆活动。上涌还使碰撞造山带地壳厚度减小,而岩石圈厚度增加。大约100 Ma后,俯冲下去的大洋残块会被软流圈物质磨蚀交代,使岩石圈厚度增加, 形成大陆下方的大陆根,造成大陆克拉通化和体积增生。大洋板块俯冲后在软流圈拆沉是岩石圈—软流圈物质循环的一种重要方式,对软流圈中物质均衡和体积稳定也起重要作用。     

大陆岩石圈伸展与斑岩铜矿成矿作用

华南地区自古生代以来一直属于陆内构造演化环境。华南陆内伸展型斑岩铜矿主要形成于早侏罗世、晚侏罗世和早白垩世3个时期,其中晚侏罗世成矿期与华南中生代大规模钨锡成矿作用的形成基本属于一个时期。这些斑岩型矿床的时空分布与同时期的俯冲带在时间上和空间上具有明显不协调的关系,且与俯冲有关的、后俯冲伸展背景以及陆陆碰撞有关的斑岩铜矿的线性分布特点明显不同,尤其是早白垩世斑岩铜矿的分布明显呈面状分布,与华南中生代地壳明显减薄的区域基本一致。虽然这3个时期的斑岩型铜矿在地球化学上显示出弧岩浆岩的特点,但是地质事实证明在这3个时期,华南岩石圈发生了明显的伸展作用,尽管每个时期华南不同地区岩石圈伸展的程度可能不同。因此,我们把华南这种类型的斑岩铜矿归称之为"陆内伸展型"斑岩铜矿。陆内伸展型斑岩铜矿的成矿机制可能是岩石圈伸展背景下软流圈上涌导致陆下岩石圈地幔或者下地壳被改造有关。