Coal resource potential of Afghanistan

abstract

Coal exploration in Afghanistan has focused exclusively on expanding the boundaries of the known Jurassic coal deposits. The systematic stratigraphic and sedimentologic studies needed to locate and characterize new prospects in other parts of the country have never been conducted. Exploration strategies are based on received wisdom formulated before tectonic theory developed, and do not incorporate current understanding of the geologic and environmental processes responsible for peat formation and burial. This analysis reassesses existing data and limited new field reconnaissance data using modern tectonic and coal geology concepts to provide a new understanding of Afghanistan’s true coal potential. Afghanistan assembled during the Phanerozoic from a minimum of 11 microcontinental fragments, 5 arc systems, 3 accretionary wedges, and 2 rift systems. An unknown number of additional Precambrian terranes with separate tectonic histories are exposed in the cores of the Phanerozoic microcontinents. All of the Phanerozoic microcontinents separated from the disintegrating Gondwanaland. Each transited equatorial latitudes prior to accreting to Asia. From a purely theoretical standpoint, peat could have accumulated on every fragment during its equatorial transit. Mississippian, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Oligocene, and Pliocene coals and carbonaceous shales are known. Triassic, Jurassic, and Pliocene deposits have been mined, but only the economically important Jurassic outcrops have been studied to any detail. Graphite-rich Precambrian strata are common from the Mesoarchean to the Neoproterozoic, and a Neoproterozoic bone coal was encountered while drilling for copper near Kabul. Jurassic and potentially Triassic and Carboniferous coals may underlie a significant percentage of the North Afghan Platform. Jurassic coals are extremely gassy and are known hydrocarbon source rocks across most of Central Asia. In Afghanistan, where these coal systems are closer to the surface, they could be coalbed methane reservoir rocks.     

裂变径迹热年代学在珠江口盆地渐新统珠海组物源分析中的应用*

渐新统珠海组是南海北部珠江口盆地的主要储集层发育层位之一,但其物源区位置、沉积物搬运路径等关键问题仍存在争议。为此,选取珠江口盆地不同构造单元3口关键井珠海组上段砂岩样品开展锆石裂变径迹(ZFT)、磷灰石裂变径迹(AFT)热年代学研究,进而开展珠海组物源分析。盆地西部西江凹陷XJ28井与白云凹陷LW3井ZFT、AFT年龄组分相似,包含晚三叠世的ZFT年龄组分,且ZFT、AFT主要年龄组分分别为白垩纪、古新世;盆地东部陆丰凹陷的LF7井ZFT、AFT年龄组分明显比前2口井偏年轻,ZFT主要年龄组分为古新世。3口井的ZFT、AFT年龄组成表明其珠海组上段物源均主要来自珠江口盆地北侧的华南地块,但盆地西部与东部显示出明显的物源差异。盆地西部XJ28井以及LW3井物源特征总体一致,均由古珠江水系供源,其物源以珠江流域中生代花岗岩为主,还包括华南地块腹地的中生代沉积岩。盆地东部LF7井的物源主要为陆丰凹陷北侧的沿海中生代花岗岩,物源组成相对简单,沉积物搬运距离相对较短。     

南海琼东南盆地崖13-1气田古近系陵水组海陆过渡带沉积特征及演化*

南海北部琼东南盆地中的众多凹陷均有海陆过渡相沉积,沉积相类型包括海湾辫状河三角洲和河口湾-潮坪。本次研究以高分辨率层序地层学理论为指导,将崖13-1气田古近系渐新统陵水组三段及二段各划分为1个长期基准面旋回,并在其内部进一步识别出10个中期基准面旋回(S1-S10)。在等时地层格架内,对陵水组三段及陵水组二段发育的沉积相特征及演化进行深入的探讨。陵水组三段沉积时期,研究区主要发育海湾辫状河三角洲沉积,其具有独特的层理构造、富含泥质纹层以及遗迹化石丰富。该沉积体系自下而上潮汐作用越来越强,早期以河流作用为主(S1-S4),中期为河流和潮汐混合作用(S5-S6),晚期逐渐过渡到以潮汐作用占主导(S7-S8)。陵水组二段沉积时期,研究区发生全面海侵,沉积作用方式及沉积特征更加复杂,生物成因构造更加独特,本次研究将其解释为河口湾-潮坪沉积(S9-S10)。研究表明,区域海平面的不断上升是研究区沉积相从海湾辫状河三角洲演化到河口湾-潮坪的主要控制因素。     

广西南宁盆地渐新世孢粉植物群及其古环境意义

文章系统研究南宁盆地琅东高坡邕宁组下含煤段的孢粉,建立1个孢粉组合和3个亚组合.孢粉组合以木本被子植物蕈树科、壳斗科、榆科、胡桃科、杨柳科和木犀科为主,同时见有槭树科、桦木科、芸香科、漆树科、椴树科、冬青科、大戟科、山龙眼科、楝科、珙桐科、忍冬科、山矾科和桑寄生科等成分;草本被子植物花粉少量见到,含莎草科、毛茛科、唇形科、禾本科、菊科、百合科、蓼科、黑三棱科和睡莲科;裸子植物花粉主要为杉科和松科,少量见到罗汉松科;蕨类植物孢子包括凤尾蕨科、水龙骨科、紫萁科、石松科、水藓科和海金沙科.此外,还见有部分藻类分布,含疑源类的皱面球藻属、瘤面球藻属和光面球藻属,亲缘关系不明的环纹藻属以及绿藻门水网藻科的盘星藻属.组合中,裸子植物花粉尤其松科的含量自下而上逐渐减少,藻类主要分布在剖面的中部,蕨类植物孢子更多地见于剖面的上部;因此进而分出3个亚组合.孢粉植物群反映沉积时期的气候温暖湿润,植被类型为亚热带湿生常绿、落叶阔叶混交林.结果表明当时的植物生境稳定、气候温暖,湖泊和湿地逐步发育,在后期形成沼泽环境;孢粉组合一定程度上反映了全球气候在始新世末期急剧变冷后,在渐新世早中期的逐渐回暖过程.     

Late early Oligocene East Asian summer monsoon in the NE Tibetan Plateau: Evidence from a palynological record from the Lanzhou Basin,China

The latest Early Oligocene record from the Lanzhou Basin, northeast Tibetan Plateau, presents an opportunity to investigate early stage of the Asian monsoon patterns due to its special location. The record provides insights into the global zonal climate and the development of the non-zonal monsoon system. The study identifies possible links between factors governing the monsoonal patters and paleoaltimetry of the Tibetan Plateau. Sporomorphs results indicate the dominance of arboreal plants (both coniferous and broad-leaved) corresponding to a wetter environment, while xerophytes were rare. Based on the Coexistence Approach (CA), the climate of the Lanzhou Basin is likely to have been similar to that of present-day sites in Southeast China, i.e., characterized by relatively high precipitation and a warm climate. Both qualitative analysis of the sporomorph assemblages and quantitative calculations indicate that monsoons similar to those of the present daywere formed in East Asia and reached the Lanzhou region in inner Asia. High percentages of Picea, generally associated with the relatively high topography of the NE Tibetan Plateau, correlate well with the high paleoaltimetry of the main Tibetan Plateau during the Oligocene. Thus, the East Asian monsoon during this time can be closely linked to an uplifted Tibetan Plateau, following modeled relationships between the Tibetan Plateau and monsoon patterns. However, we believe such high precipitation may have mainly resulted from the orographic barrier, rather than being driven by zonal climate factors. Further investigation into the extent of, and controls on, the region of high precipitation should help clarify the role of these processes.     

Sequences and biofacies packages in the mid‐Cenozoic Gambier Limestone,South Australia: Reappraisal of foraminiferal evidence

The mid to outer neritic carbonates of the Gambier Limestone (Upper Eocene to lower Middle Miocene) can be divided into seven units by using criteria of sequence stratigraphy and foraminiferal biofacies. The boundaries fall mainly on erosional surfaces, even though the temporal duration of these surfaces appears to be largely beyond the resolution of foraminiferal biostratigraphy. The Eocene/Oligocene contact is distinctively unconformable in several sections, with at least part of the Upper Eocene sediments missing. Chert nodules, common to abundant in most sections, are associated with deep‐ or cool‐water benthic assemblages (> 100–200 m and <15°C), indicating cool, nutrient‐rich bottom conditions probably influenced by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current beginning during the Early Oligocene. The mid‐Oligocene fall in sea‐level was probably coupled with a major local uplift that removed at least part of the Lower Oligocene, an event widely recorded in the Australian‐New Zealand region. In areas weakly affected, this glacioeustatic lowstand is represented by chert‐free limestone and grey to pink dolomites in some sections, with a poorly preserved assemblage comprising few planktonic and deep‐water benthic species. Local unconformities separate regional unconformity‐bounded or allostratigraphic packages of strata to represent third‐order sequences. Although variations in local subsidence might have influenced accumulation space and sediment thickness, glacioeustatic influence on the packaging of the sequences and units of the Gambier Limestone was easily the more effective and concordant with the global patterns.     

New paleomagnetic result from the Ethiopian flood basalts in the Abbay (Blue Nile) and Kessem gorges

New paleomagnetic investigations on the Ethiopian trap series have been undertaken at the Abbay and Kessem gorges in an attempt to better constrain the 30 Ma paleomagnetic pole of Africa. We sampled six thick massive basaltic lava flows, totaling 230 m, from Abbay Gorge and 10 lava flows, 180 m in thickness, from Kessem Gorge. Detailed paleomagnetic analyses disclosed that the carriers of the characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) are different in different lava flows. These are mostly titanomagnetites, titanomaghemites, and magnetite minerals with a broad range of coercive force and blocking temperatures. The heating and cooling susceptibility vs. temperature curves, many of which are irreversible, may indicate chemical remagnetization, notably low temperature maghemitization. Only one flow (KS04) with a clear 580°C Curie temperature was apparently unaffected by chemical remagnetization. The ChRM direction of this flow is identical to that in other flows, which suggests that if and when remagnetization occurred, this was shortly after emplacement of the lava flows. All of the flows sampled have normal polarity. However, a reversed component of low to medium coercive force and low to medium unblocking temperature occurs in flow KS01 at Kessem Gorge. The ChRM directions for the 16 sites are D=3.1°, I=5.8° (α₉₅=12.7°). The paleomagnetic pole obtained from these is at λ=83.0°N, φ=193.3°E (A₉₅=9.0°). Comparison with three previous studies of the traps shows remarkable consistency and a number of means are derived and discussed. Two final preferred poles for the traps are at λ=79.0°N, φ=196.9°E (A₉₅=2.8°) when all 112 published flows are used, and λ=78.7°N, φ=209.4°E (A₉₅=3.4°) when only the 76 flows from the four more recently analyzed sections are included. Both are compatible with the recent reference synthetic pole for Africa of Courtillot and Besse [J. Geophys. Res. (2002) in press]. In that sense, the Ethiopian trap pole is not anomalous and does not require more of a non-dipolar contribution than indicated by analyses of the global paleomagnetic data base covering the last few million years.     

珠江口盆地珠一坳陷珠海组三角洲沉积特征

利用珠江口盆地珠一坳陷珠海组取心井、测井及地震资料,探讨了珠海组三角洲沉积的岩石相、沉积微相、沉积亚相特征及发育分布规律,分析了其岩电响应特征,进而建立岩电响应模式,并通过研究区井-震对比,建立了珠海组三角洲沉积的地震响应模型。     

Coherent Chemical Variation Trends of the 55-25 Ma Magmatic Rocks in SE Tibet:N-S Direction Lithospheric Stretching of Eurasia during Early Stage of India-Eurasia Collision

The progressive indentation of India into Eurasia generated an E–W-trending orthogonal collision belt and a N–S-trending oblique collision belt. Compiling available data reveals that ～70% of the Cenozoic igneous rocks in eastern and southeastern Tibet are concentrated within an ENE-trending, ～550-km long and ～250-km wide magmatic zone(CMZ) that once separated the orthogonal and oblique collision belts. The Latitude 26°N Line is now its southern boundary. The onset timing of magmatism of the CMZ ...