Thermal and rheological structures of the Xisha Trough, South China Sea

The Xisha Trough, located in the northwest of the South China Sea (SCS) mainly rifted 30 Ma ago, has been a failed rift since the cessation of the seafloor spreading of the NW subbasin. Based on the velocity–depth model along Profile OBH-4 across the Xisha Trough, a seven-layer density–depth model is used to estimate density structure for the profile. The relationship between seismic velocity and radiogenic heat production is used to estimate the vertical distribution of heat sources in the lower crust. The 2-D temperature field is calculated by applying a 2-D numerical solution of the heat conduction equation and the thermal lithosphere thickness is obtained from the basalt dry solidus (BDS). The rheology of the profile is estimated on the basis of frictional failure in the brittle regime and power-law steady-state creep in the ductile regime. Rheological model is constructed for a three-layer model involving a granitic upper crust, a quartz diorite lower crust and an olivine upper mantle. Gravity modeling supports basically the velocity–depth model. The Moho along Profile OBH-4 is of relatively high heat flow ranging from 46 to 60 mW/m² and the Moho heat flow is higher in the trough than on the flanks. The depth of the “thermal” lithospheric lower boundary is about 54 km in the center, deepens toward two sides, and is about 75 km at the northern slope area and about 70 km at the southern Xisha–Zhongsha Block. Rheological calculation indicates that the two thinnest ductile layers in the crust and the thickest brittle layer in the uppermost mantle lie in the central region, showing that the Xisha Trough has been rheologically strengthened, which are mainly due to later thermal relaxation. In addition, the strengthening in rheology during rifting was not the main factor in hampering the breakup of the Xisha Trough.     

南海北部西沙海槽沉积物管状黄铁矿特征及其形成机理*

南海北部西沙海槽S1站位的岩心柱沉积物中广泛发育自生矿物黄铁矿,其形态以管状为主,且具有内部中空的圈层结构。使用扫描电镜、电子探针、LA-ICP-MS、SIMS等测试方法研究了管状黄铁矿的形态及圈层结构,结果显示: (1)管状黄铁矿发育内部中空的圈层结构,其中内圈层(I_py)由莓球状黄铁矿呈五角十二面体紧密堆积组成,外圈层(O_py)由晶形较好晶粒较大的八面体黄铁矿组成,并混有沉积碎屑及钙质生物壳体;(2)内圈层和外圈层分别呈现出贫S富Fe和富S贫Fe的特征,其成因是甲烷渗漏造成的局部还原环境使得As进入黄铁矿中导致晶格空缺或被扭曲,从而促进Ni、Co、Cu、Zn、Pb等微量元素的掺入;(3)内圈层、外圈层发生了明显的硫同位素分馏现象,内圈层中 δ³⁴S 平均为-37.8‰,外圈层中 δ³⁴S 平均为-29.3‰。研究认为,管状黄铁矿作为曾经甲烷渗漏的通道,其生长机制可分为3个阶段: (1)气水通道形成阶段: 向上运移的甲烷流体在沉积物孔隙中逐渐形成气水通道;(2)外圈层形成阶段: 当向上运移的甲烷与硫酸盐发生甲烷厌氧氧化时,逐渐形成晶体较大、晶形较好的八面体黄铁矿外圈层;(3)内圈层形成阶段: 随着甲烷浓度逐渐降低,在气水通道中的微生物作用下,剩余甲烷与向下运移的硫酸盐继续反应形成莓球状黄铁矿内圈层。因此,南海北部的泥岩中大量发育的管状黄铁矿常常与地层中甲烷水合物的存在有关。     

Mineralogy and composition of Kuroko deposits from northeastern Honshu and their possible modern analogues from the Izu-Ogasawara (Bonin) Arc south of Japan: Implications for mode of formation

The Kuroko deposits of NE Honshu are a key type deposit for the study of volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits. However, these deposits have not been studied in detail since the early 1980's and knowledge of their mode of formation is now dated. In this study, we present the analysis of 12 samples of the Kuroko deposits, 12 samples of submarine hydrothermal minerals from the Sunrise deposit and 6 samples from Suiyo Seamount, both of which are located on the Izu-Ogasawara (Bonin) Arc, for 27 elements. For the Kuroko deposit, Cd>Sb>Ag>Pb>Hg>As>Zn>Cu are highly enriched, Au>Te>Bi>Ba>Mo are moderately enriched, In>Tl are somewhat enriched and Fe is not significantly enriched relative to the average continental crust. Within each of these deposits, a similar pattern of element associations is apparent: Zn–Pb with As, Sb, Cd, Ag, Hg, Tl and Au; Fe–Cu–Ba with As, Sb, Ag, Tl, Mo, Te and Au; Si–Ba with Ag and Au; CaSO₄. The enrichment of the chalcophilic elements in these deposits is consistent with hydrothermal leaching of these elements from the host rocks which are dominantly rhyolite–dacite in the case of the Kuroko deposits, rhyolite in the case of the Sunrise deposit and dacite–rhyolite in the case of the Suiyo Seamount deposit. However, this pattern of element enrichment is also similar to that observed in fumarolic gas condensates from andesitic volcanoes. This suggests that there may be a significant magmatic contribution to the composition of the hydrothermal fluids responsible for the formation of the Kuroko deposits, although it is not yet possible to quantify the relative contributions of these two sources of elements.The compositional data show that Sunrise and Suiyo Seamount deposits are much closer compositionally to the Kuroko deposits from NE Honshu than are the submarine hydrothermal deposits from the JADE site in the Okinawa Trough which contain, on average, significantly higher concentrations of Pb, Zn, Sb, As and Ag than each of these deposits. In spite of the greater similarity in tectonic setting of the Hokuroku Basin in which the Kuroko deposits formed to the Okinawa Trough (intracontinental rifted back-arc basin) compared to Myojin Knoll and Suiyo Seamount (active arc volcanoes), it appears that submarine hydrothermal deposits from Myojin Knoll and Suiyo Seamount are closer analogues of the Kuroko deposit than are those from the Okinawa Trough. The present data are consistent with the magmatic hydrothermal model for the formation of Kuroko-type deposits as formulated by Urabe and Marumo [Urabe, T., Marumo, K., 1991. A new model for Kuroko-type deposits of Japan. Episodes 14, 246–251].     

冲绳海槽火山岩地球化学特征及岩浆源区地幔性质探讨

冲绳海槽是因菲律宾海板块俯冲于欧亚板块之下,在陆壳上发育起来的一个初始的弧后盆地,是研究弧后扩张作用早期盆地演化、岩浆作用和壳幔过程的天然实验室。尽管迄今对冲绳海槽已经做了大量的调查研究工作,但仍存在一些颇有争议或亟待解决的科学问题,如：冲绳海槽酸性浮岩与基性玄武岩之间的成因联系,冲绳海槽不同区段构造背景对岩浆作用的控制,冲绳海槽岩浆源区地幔的特征,俯冲板块组分(流体+熔体)对地幔楔部分熔融的贡献等。本文在系统收集和整理(剔除了一些存疑数据)了迄今已有冲绳海槽火山岩主量元素、微量元素(包括稀土元素)与Sr-Nd-Pb同位素数据的基础上,通过对资料的系统分析,进一步确认了酸性浮岩与基性玄武岩的岩浆同源性;认为在冲绳海槽北段与中段主要分布有酸性浮岩和中性安山岩,应该是两段区域目前正处于裂谷阶段的反映,而南段广泛分布的基性玄武岩说明在构造性质上已接近成熟性弧后盆地;冲绳海槽的火山岩岩浆源区具有II型富集地幔（EMII型）Dupal异常特征,岩浆源于流行地幔（PREMA）和EMII型地幔端元混合的源区地幔,其中EMII约占比15%,PREMA贡献率在85%左右;源于俯冲的菲律宾海板块(俯冲洋壳或沉积物)的流/熔体的加入是导致冲绳海槽下伏地幔具有EMII型特征的原因,这一点不同于Dupal异常源于壳幔相互作用的观点。     

Historical tsunamis and storms recorded in a coastal lowland,Shizuoka Prefecture,along the Pacific Coast of Japan

Four sand units deposited by tsunamis and one sand unit deposited by storm surge(s) were identified in a muddy marsh succession in a narrow coastal lowland along the Pacific coast of central Japan. Tsunamis in ad 1498, 1605, 1707 and 1854 that were related to large subduction‐zone earthquakes along the Nankai Trough, and storm surges in 1680 and/or 1699 were responsible for the deposition of these sand units. These sand units are distinguished by lithofacies, sedimentary structures, grain‐size and mineral composition, and radiocarbon ages; their ages are supported by events in local historical records. The tsunami deposits in the study area are massive or parallel‐laminated sands, with associated intraclasts, gravels, draping mud layers and, rarely, a return‐flow subunit. The storm surge deposits are devoid of these characteristics, and are composed of groups of thin, current ripple‐laminated sand layers. The differences in sedimentary structures between the tsunami and storm surge deposits are attributed to the different characteristics of tsunami and storm waves.     

The resistivity structure of the Penola Trough,Otway Basin from magnetotelluric data

We present inversion results for a 100 site, broadband magnetotelluric (MT) survey in the Penola Trough, Otway Basin, South Australia. The Penola Trough is host to several petroleum reservoirs and has more recently been a target for unconventional geothermal exploration. We present two interpretations of the MT data. A 1D anisotropic interpretation, where anisotropy is determined within the Otway Basin sequence and basement in the northeastern Penola Trough, fits the impedance tensor well. However, the anisotropy strike is inconsistent with the known orientation of electrically conductive fractures in the Penola Trough. On the other hand, a 3D interpretation, which incorporates lateral variations in resistivity, requires no anisotropy yet it matches the data equally well. Both the 1D and 3D inversions resolve several layers within the Otway Basin sequence, which correspond to stratigraphic units defined in wells and in the coincident Haselgrove–Balnaves 3D seismic survey. These include the Eumeralla and Dilwyn formations, which are poorly resolved in the seismic data. The basin architecture, defined in the 3D inversion, in particular the depth to basement, is consistent with previous interpretations based on seismic reflection data that show that the Otway Basin thins in the northeastern Penola Trough. This does not occur in the anisotropic model. We therefore conclude that the subsurface resistivity appears to be isotropic in the Penola Trough. This contrasts with the anisotropic resistivity structure determined in a previous study in the Koroit region, eastern Otway Basin. The difference in the MT responses between the two regions is supported by resistivity and permeability information from well logs and may reflect differences in the orientation of subsurface fractures, or differences in the present-day stress field, between the two regions.     

冲绳海槽黑色与白色浮岩特征及其对岩浆演化的指示

为了认识黑色与白色浮岩的岩石特征及成因,使用人工重砂、元素地球化学等分析技术,研究冲绳海槽两类浮岩中元素及矿物组成特征。研究显示,冲绳海槽黑色和白色浮岩具有相似全岩化学组成,都落入流纹岩区,稀土配分曲线明显呈右倾,具负Eu异常,富集不相容元素,岩石物理性质差别是导致其颜色差异的主要因素。两类浮岩岩石学特征的不同主要体现在:(1)白色浮岩锆石和辉石都具有两种类型,黑色浮岩仅具有其中一种;(2)黑色浮岩中发育钛铁矿、钛磁铁矿与基质构成的珠状构造,且基质玻璃中密集分布磁铁矿雏晶,而白色浮岩不具备上述岩石学特征。综合分析海槽两类浮岩岩石学特征所蕴含的岩浆演化信息,推测两类浮岩具有相同的玄武质岩浆源区,富挥发组分的玄武质母岩浆上升进入地壳,形成初级岩浆房,房内结晶分异后残留的酸性岩浆,沿海槽构造薄弱带向上运移,岩浆运移过程中有少部分进入分支断裂系统形成次级岩浆房,期间初级岩浆房接受多次基性岩浆注入;初级和次级岩浆房中的酸性岩浆分别独立喷出海底,前者形成白色浮岩,后者形成黑色浮岩。此外,演化过程中岩浆性质逐渐由氧化性向还原性转变。     

冲绳海槽中部17 000 a以来沉积物中微量元素的组成特征及其对古环境的指示

基于加速器质谱仪AMS14C高精度定年,以及应用电感耦合等离子体质谱仪(ICP-MS)对S10孔岩芯沉积物进行微量元素测试,对冲绳海槽中部沉积物的微量元素组成及其记录的物源和古环境信息展开研究。研究结果显示,稀土元素、Th、Nb和Ta元素反映陆源碎屑混合矿物的化学组成特征,Zr和Hf元素指示锆石矿物的化学组成,锆石主要为火山来源,Sc元素可能与铁镁物质有关。稀土元素分析表明沉积物主要由陆源和火山源物质组成,陆源物质主要来自长江和黄河,不同时期,各源区物质贡献量不同:16 500~11 600 a,长江、黄河为沉积物的主要物质来源;11 600~7 750 a,长江物质贡献减少,黄河物质为主;7 750~6 450 a,K-Ah火山物质为主,长江、黄河物质供给骤减;6 450~3 900 a,长江、黄河陆源物质输入增加,4 000 a左右受火山作用影响;3 900~1 900 a,长江、黄河陆源物质输入持续增多;1 900 a以来长江、黄河物质仍有增加,且以黄河物质为主。此外,物源判别公式研究显示台湾物质输入量不能有效反映黑潮演变,而长江、黄河物质输入量对17 000 a以来东亚冬季风的强弱变化有很好的指示,可作为东亚冬季风演变的新证据。这些研究结果表明,冲绳海槽中部微量元素研究可得到海槽17 000 a以来物源及东亚冬季风的演化情况,有助于重建全新世以来沉积物物源及古环境的演变历史。     

冲绳海槽北段表层沉积物中底栖有孔虫分布的研究

对1992年5月取自冲绳海槽北段（水深113-1156m，东经126°58.71'-129°9.06’，北纬28°41.75'-31°40.56'）92个表层沉积物中的底栖有孔虫数据进行R型因子分析。分析表明，黑潮流系有4个不同垂直水团的底栖有孔虫群落组合。其中Pseudorotaliaindopacifica,Bolovinarobusta,Cibicidesmargaritiferus,Textulariasaggitula,Cibicideslobatulus和Quinqueloculinaspp.代表黑潮流系的表层水;Hyalineabalthica，Caribeanelladepressa,Cibicidespraecinctus，Planulinawuellerstorfi和Melonisaffinis代表黑潮流系的次表层水;Globobuliminapacifica,Globocassidulinasubglobosa和Trifarinaspp.代表黑潮流系的中层水;Oridorsalistener,Martionottiellaokinawaensis,Pulleniaquinqueloba和Uvigerinadirupta代表黑潮流系的深层水。