Constraints on the timing and regional conditions at the start of the present phase of crustal extension in western Turkey,from observations in and around the Denizli region

The chronology of extension of the continental crust in western Turkey has been the subject of major controversies. We suggest that these difficulties have arisen in part because of past misuse of dating evidence; and in part because the assumption often made, that deposition of major terrestrial sedimentary sequences implies crustal extension to create the necessary accommodation space, is incorrect. We report evidence that the present phase of extension began in the Denizli region at ~ 7 Ma, around the start of the Messinian stage of the Late Miocene. This timing matches the estimated start of right-lateral slip on the North Anatolian Fault Zone, and corresponds to a substantial increase in the dimensions of the Aegean extensional province to roughly its present size: beforehand, between ~ 12 Ma and ~ 7 Ma, extension seems to have only occurred in the central part of this modern province. In some localities, terrestrial sedimentation that began before this start of extension continued into this extensional phase, both within and outside normal fault zones. However, in other localities within the hanging-walls of normal faults, the start of extension marked the end of sedimentation. Relationships between sedimentation and crustal extension in this region are thus not straightforward, and a simple correlation should therefore not be assumed in structural interpretations. During the time-scale of this phase of extension, the Denizli region has also experienced major vertical crustal motions that are unrelated to this extension. The northern part of this region, in the relatively arid interior of western Turkey, has uplifted by ~ 400 m since the Middle Pliocene, whereas its southern part, closer to the Mediterranean Sea and with a much wetter climate, has uplifted by ~ 1,200 m since the Early Miocene, by up to ~ 900 m since the Middle Pliocene, and by an estimated ~ 300 m since the Early Pleistocene. This regional uplift, superimposed on the local effects of active normal faulting, is interpreted as a consequence of lateral variations in rates of erosion. A reliable chronology for this phase of extension in western Turkey, in relation to changes in the geometry of motions of adjoining plates and Late Cenozoic environmental change, is now in place.     

豫西崤山后河岩体LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb定年及其地质意义

与豫西小秦岭和熊耳山地区相类似,崤山北部也出露一系列中酸性小岩体,但与之相关的成矿作用明显较弱,因此长期未获得应有的关注。崤山北部小岩体的形成时代与区域成岩成矿时代之间的匹配关系对其深部构造演化研究及成矿潜力评价具有重要意义,鉴于此,作者对后河岩体进行了LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb定年。后河岩体定年样品HH01的岩性为中-细粒黑云母二长花岗岩,30个锆石测点中有27个测点的测定值位于207Pb/235U-206Pb/238U一致线上,相应的206Pb/238U年龄介于124~134 Ma之间,加权平均年龄为128±1Ma(MSWD=1.02),属早白垩世。后河岩体是岩石圈拆沉作用的产物,其形成时代处在东秦岭地区广泛而强烈的成岩成矿作用时限内,且显示了Au、Ag、Cu、Mo、W等元素的异常富集,具有较大的内生金属成矿潜力。     

中祁连地块西段青白口系其它大坂组英安质凝灰岩LA- ICP- MS锆石U- Pb年龄及其地质意义

新元古界青白口系其它大坂组是中祁连地块西段基底岩系之一,对研究中祁连地块元古宙地质构造演化具有重要意义。笔者等通过1∶5万区调工作在其它大坂组中发现了英安质晶屑岩屑凝灰岩夹层,并对凝灰岩进行了锆石U-Pb年代学、岩石地球化学研究。测年结果表明样品中锆石年龄主要分3组。结合区域地质资料,笔者等认为第一组锆石(1456～1524 Ma)和第二组锆石(1018～1021 M)为外来锆石或/碎屑锆石,分别为物源区中元古代早期Columbia超大陆裂解事件和Rodinia大陆聚合事件(格林威尔造山作用)在中祁连地块中的响应;第三组锆石(946～964 Ma)的n(²⁰⁶Pb)/n(²³⁸U)加权年龄为958±3 Ma(MSWD=1.4),代表英安质凝灰岩的形成时代。岩石地球化学分析表明,其它大坂组英安质晶屑岩屑凝灰岩样品属于过铝质(A/CNK=1.37～1.75)、高钾(K₂O>Na₂O,K₂O=4.48%～4.86%)、钙碱性(σ=0.89～1.26)火山岩,稀土总量为(149....     

Correction of common lead in U-Pb analyses that do not report 204 Pb

During the Early-Middle Proterozoic era, three major lithostratigraphic unit associations, namely Hekou-Dahongshan, Dongchuan, and Kunyang-Huili Groups, were established for the metamorphosed volcanic-sedimentary rocks exposed in the southwestern Yangtze Block (SWYB). The integration of petrology, geochemistry and geochronology constrains tectonic framework and evolution of the SWYB, in which four sets of SHRIMP U-Pb zircon ages were obtained from the volcanic rocks interbedded within the Middle Proterozoic successions: 1800–1600 Ma, 1600–1300 Ma, 1300–1100 Ma, and 1100–1000 Ma. Major and trace elemental analysis indicate that four key tectonic evolutionary stages, each coinciding with the above radiometric age set, of the SWYB during the Early-Middle Mesoproterozoic. The SWYB was characterized by an east-westerly trending rift in the Hekou, Dongshan, and Dongchuan areas, and separate basin-forming events during 1800–1600 Ma and 1600–1300 Ma, respectively. In the SWYB, an intracontinental rift basin and a rift basin occurred in the Caiziyuan-Matang and Laowushan areas, respectively in 1300–1100 Ma ago. During 1100–1000 Ma, the SWYB was characterized by the closure of the Caiziyuan-Matang rift-ocean basin, collision between the Huili Blocks and Kunyang Blocks, and presence of volcanic arcs in the Tianbaoshan and Fulingpen areas. Accordingly, the SWYB represents a new basin that records the relatively complete assembly process of the Rodina during the Early-Middle Mesoproterozoic era.     

西准噶尔北部塔斯特岩体辉长岩锆石U-Pb定年及其地质意义

西准噶尔北部萨吾尔地区晚古生代火山岩浆作用强烈,其形成构造环境一直是争议的焦点。塔斯特岩体作为区内最重要的复式岩体,主要由辉长岩、花岗闪长岩、二长花岗岩和钾长花岗岩组成,对其中的辉长岩进行LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb定年,206Pb/238U年龄加权平均值为345.3±2.3Ma（MSWD=1.8）,说明塔斯特岩体形成于早石炭世中期。岩石地球化学特征显示,样品里特曼指数δ平均值为3.04,A/CNK（0.76~0.85） < 1.1,属于准铝质钙碱性岩石,岩石富集大离子亲石元素,而高场强元素和重稀土元素相对亏损,无明显的Eu异常,与西准噶尔地区后碰撞花岗岩类地球化学特征相似。综合研究认为,该辉长岩形成于后碰撞构造环境,可能是后碰撞阶段挤压-伸展转变期的产物。塔斯特辉长岩年龄是目前西准噶尔地区最老的后碰撞岩浆岩锆石年龄,表明西准噶尔地区在早石炭世中期已处于后碰撞构造环境,为西准噶尔地区后碰撞构造-岩浆演化下限的厘定提供了新的证据。     

Feldspar multi-elevated-temperature post-IR IRSL dating of the Wulanmulun Paleolithic site and its implication

The Wulanmulun site found in 2010 is an important Paleolithic site in Ordos (China), from which lots of stone and bone artifacts and mammalian fossils have been recovered. It was previously dated by radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) techniques on quartz. To further confirm the reliability of the chronology constructed based on OSL ages and test the applicability of the recently developed pIRIR procedure on sediments from northern China, twenty-four sediment samples (including eolian, lacustrine and fluvio-eolian sands) from the site were determined using the multi-elevated-temperature post-IR IRSL (MET-pIRIR or pIRIR) procedure on potassium feldspar. The results show that the studied samples have two MET-pIRIR D_e preheat plateaus (280–320 and 340–360 °C), and the bleaching rates of the luminescence signals are associated with sample ages and stimulation temperatures. All the pIRIR ages (7–155 ka) corrected for anomalous fading and residual dose obtained after solar bleaching for 15 h are larger than the corresponding quartz OSL ages (4–66 ka) previously determined, even for the young eolian samples (<10 ka). But the corrected IRSL(50 °C) ages (6–85 ka) are broadly consistent with the quartz ages. It appears that the IRSL(50 °C) ages are more reliable, although this contradicts the previously results obtained by other people. On the other hand, we also obtained an extended age plateau between the stimulation temperatures of 50 and 290 °C in the plot of age versus stimulation temperature (A-T plot) by subtracting different residual doses obtained after different bleaching times. The reliability of the plateau ages requires further investigation. For the sediment samples from this site, quartz should be more suitable for dating than K-feldspar, and the quartz OSL ages of 50–65 ka for its cultural layer should be reliable.     

南极长城站附近企鹅栖息地粪土沉积地层放射性核素210Pb定年

用γ谱方法测定了南极长城站附近特有生物群落栖息地沉积物中放射性核素含量,地表沉积物中40K,137Cs,210Pb,226Ra,228Ra,228Th.和238U平均比活度,分别为143,7.56,24.1,3.65,5.36,4.15和6.5Bq/kg.同时测试了阿德雷岛企鹅栖息地粪土沉积地层中放射性核素含量,利用其中的210Pb比活度,210Pb_ex垂向变化特征,推演沉积物的沉积速率和地质历史年代:其中AD1-a柱样时间跨度约为74a(1928~2002年),据此计算了沉积速率为0.063mm/a(r=0.794),并讨论了在南极特定条件下,放射性核素示踪对定年影响以及与区域现代气候环境变化的内在联系.     

The chronology of a large ice-dammed lake and the Barents–Kara Ice Sheet advances, Northern Russia

Beach and shoreface sediments deposited in the more than 800-km long ice-dammed Lake Komi in northern European Russia have been investigated and dated. The lake flooded the lowland areas between the Barents–Kara Ice Sheet in the north and the continental drainage divide in the south. Shoreline facies have been dated by 18 optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates, most of which are closely grouped in the range 80–100 ka, with a mean of 88±3 ka. This implies that that the Barents–Kara Ice Sheet had its Late Pleistocene maximum extension during the Early Weichselian, probably in the cold interval (Rederstall) between the Brørup and Odderade interstadials of western Europe, correlated with marine isotope stage 5b. This is in strong contrast to the Scandinavian and North American ice sheets, which had their maxima in isotope stage 2, about 20 ka. Field and air photo interpretations suggest that Lake Komi was dammed by the ice advance, which formed the Harbei–Harmon–Sopkay Moraines. These has earlier been correlated with the Markhida moraine across the Pechora River Valley and its western extension. However, OSL dates on fluvial sediments below the Markhida moraine have yielded ages as young as 60 ka. This suggests that the Russian mainland was inundated by two major ice sheet advances from the Barents–Kara seas after the last interglacial: one during the Early Weichselian (about 90 ka) that dammed Lake Komi and one during the Middle Weichselian (about 60 ka). Normal fluvial drainage prevailed during the Late Weichselian, when the ice front was located offshore.     

Isotopic and Elemental Variations of Carbon and Nitrogen in a Mangrove Estuary

Variations in elemental and isotopic ratios of suspended particulate matter (SPM) were investigated in the Guayas River Estuary Ecosystem (GREE) that empties into the Gulf of Guayaquil, Ecuador. Detritus in the system was identified on the basis of extremely high carbon:chlorophyll aratios (>1000). This material had mean δ¹³C of −26·4±0·3, δ¹⁵N of +4·8±0·2, and (C:N)_atomicof 14·1±0·9. The isotopic data were comparable to measurements reported for fresh and degrading mangrove leaves, whereas the elemental ratio was comparatively enriched in nitrogen. Isotope measurements of SPM throughout the GREE were more similar to values for riverine material and detritus compared with that for the coastal end-member. Values indicative ofin situproduced algae, sewage and shrimp pond effluent were only found at selected sites. Bacterial bioassays, which were used to document potential sources of dissolved organic matter in the GREE, were isotopically similar to SPM. This correspondence coupled with the relatively low (C:N)_aof SPM could be explained by bacterial immobolization of nitrogen onto detritus. Finally, tidal variations of (C:N)_aand δ¹³C at a brackish mangrove site were similar in magnitude to spatial variations encountered throughout the GREE. Based on these results, the authors caution that care must be taken when samples are taken for food-web studies in these systems.