TECTONIC CHARACTERISTICS OF TAIWAN CHANNEL AND ITS ENVIRONS IN LATE MESOZOIC

Taiwan Channel and environs developed typical collision structural zones in the Zhejiang-Fujian coast and Taiwan central mountain, analysis of which revealed their Late Mesozoic collision orogenesis.     

U—Pb Dating of Marble Assoicated With Eclogite from the Dabie Mountains,East China

Marble is associated with ultrahigh pressure eclogite in the Dabie Mountains, East China. U-Pb isotope data for the marble define a²³⁸U-²⁰⁶Pb isochron age of 435 ± 45 Ma with an initial²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb value of 18.075 ± 0.006. The age of ∼435 Ma is interpreted to represent the time of limestone diagenesis rather than the time of metamorphic resetting accompanied by the formation of the ultrahigh pressure eclogites at Triassic. The paleontologic and stratigraphic studies also favor a local excursion in the carbon isotopic composition of the latest Ordovician water within a sedimentary basin between the Sino-Korean and Yangtze cratons. Because the latest Ordovician limestone was involved in the eclogite formation, the continental collision between the Yangtze and Sino-Korean plates would postdate Ordovician. This project was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.     

Evolution of Eastern Ghats granulite belt of India in a compressional tectonic regime and juxtaposition against Iron Ore Craton of Singhbhum by oblique collision — transpression

Three major episodes of folding are evident in the Eastern Ghats terrain. The first and second generation folds are the reclined type; coaxial refolding has produced hook-shaped folds, except in massif-type charnockites in which non-coaxial refolding has produced arrow head folds. The third generation folds are upright with a stretching lineation parallel to subhorizontal fold axes. The sequence of fold stylesreclinedF ₁and coaxialF ₂, clearly points to an early compressional regime and attendant progressive simple shear. Significant subhorizontal extension duringF ₃folding is indicated by stretching lineation parallel to subhorizontal fold axes. In the massif-type charnockites low plunges ofF ₂folds indicate a flattening type of deformation partitioning in the weakly foliated rocks (magmatic ?). The juxtaposition of EGMB against the Iron Ore Craton of Singhbhum by oblique collision is indicative of a transpressional regime.     

Study on the Characteristics ofSeismic Activity in West China andIts neighboring Regions

INTRODUCTIONE丑dhquMes re the result ofsuddenfauting In the ea耐h crust;It Is an expression dstructurafrllust劝ilityinthe ealth．China Is a re9on with active Intraplatefauting and Intn叩late ellhqu吐es．Many resea。hers have studied the genesis and mechanism ofealthop业es In China and neighboringegions fom the vlemplnt Of continental geology(Ma et al,1986;Ding et al,1991;Luo,1979;Zhang,1979;Zhang,1979;Wang et al,1979;Zhang et al,1994)．The。search results showthatsome certain relat…     

大别造山带构造超压形成的碰撞力学机理

提出了大别山构造超压形成的点碰撞模型，简要分析了大陆碰撞带构造运动引起的粘性介质中粘性应力和平均应力随岩石物性的变化规律。探讨了构造压力对超高压的贡献及对成岩深度的重要意义。研究表明：构造运动引起的岩石圈中的附加压力可能与静岩压力有相同的数量级，大陆造山带两陆块不规则边界的碰撞会引起局部应力集中，产生较大的构造压力，岩石介质的流变学分析表明，在相同外力作用下，岩石圈上部的高粘度性质决定了其在构造活动期间增温效果显著，但增压效果有限；而粘性较低的岩石圈下部则增压效果明显，为此，在下地壳与上地幔之间的低粘度带内有可能发生超高压变质作用。     

构造事件的沉积响应—建立青藏高原大陆碰撞、隆升过程时空坐标的设想和方法

沉积盆地的地层形态、岩相类型以及空间配置样式是构造事件的重要标识.沉积序列中特征岩石组分的出现标志着毗邻造山带隆升的初始启动时间,与物源区地层单元垂向叠置序列相反或相同的岩屑组分剖面分布则是幕式构造旋回的反映.在前陆盆地中砾石层的出现被认为是冲断岩席活动的记录,而在断陷盆地和走滑拉分盆地中通常可识别出100m级的向上变粗和向上变细的旋回层,它们被解释为构造高地重复隆升和溯源侵蚀的结果.最近的研究工作表明,急剧的构造沉降主要是通过细粒级河湖相沉积补偿的,广泛的砾岩进积发生在构造活动的平静期.构造驱动的山脉隆升表现为砾岩地层呈楔状体,纵向河流水系发育;重力均衡回返所导致的山系隆升则形成以横向河流水系为主的板状砾岩沉积.从青藏高原腹地、周缘和外延海洋盆地的沉积记录中可获取重大构造变革时期的信息,也许是解决目前有关印度与亚洲大陆碰撞、高原隆升等时性或穿时性以及限定陆内变形调节机制的一个重要手段.     

Crustal thickening under the palaeo-meso-Proterozoic Delhi Fold Belt in northwestern India: evidence from deep reflection profiling

The results of deep reflection profiling studies carried out across the palaeo-meso-Proterozoic Delhi Fold Belt (DFB) and the Archaean Bhilwara Gneissic Complex (BGC) in the northwest Indian platform are discussed in this paper. This region is a zone of Proterozoic collision. The collision appears to be responsible for listric faults in the upper crust, which represent the boundaries of the Delhi exposures. In these blocks the lower crust appears to lie NW of the respective surface exposures and the reflectivity pattern does not correspond to the exposed blocks. A fairly reflective lower crust northwest of the DFB exposures appears to be the downward continuation of the DFB upper crust. The poorly reflective lower crust under the exposed DFB may be the westward extension of the BGC upper crust at depth. Thus, the lower crust in this region can be divided into the fairly reflective Marwar Basin (MB)-DFB crust and a poorly reflective BGC crust. Vertically oriented igneous intrusions may have disturbed the lamellar lower-crustal structure of the BGC, resulting in a dome-shaped poorly reflective lower crust whose base, not traceable in the reflection data, may have a maximum depth of about 50 km, as indicated by the gravity modelling.
The DFB appears to be a zone of thick (45-50 km) crust where the lower crust has doubled in width. This has resulted in three Moho reflection bands, two of which are dipping SE from 12.5 to 15.0 s two-way time (TWT) and from 14.5 to 16.0 s TWT. Another band of subhorizontal Moho reflections, at ≈ 12.5 s TWT, may have developed during the crustal perturbations related to a post-Delhi tectonic orogeny. The signatures of the Proterozoic collision, in the form of strong SE-dipping reflections in the lower crust and Moho, have been preserved in the DFB, indicating that the crust here has not undergone any significant ductile deformation since at least after the Delhi rifting event.     

A review on the lithospheric structures in the Tibetan Plateau and constraints for dynamics

In the last decade, several international joint projects were conducted in the Tibetan Plateau by Chinese, American and French geophysicists and geologists. In the present review, the results from vertical reflections, wide-angle reflections and broadband digital seismic recordings are reviewed and compared. Constraints for the dynamics of continent-continent collision from the lithospheric structures, seismicity, focal mechanism and anisotropy are discussed.The velocities ofPn,Sn, , were accurately determined by using their travel times from local events. They evidenced that the uppermost mantle underneath the Tibetan Plateau was similar to that of the ordinary continental mantle.The reflection profile from INDEPTH-I furnishes convincing evidence that the Indian crust penetrates into the Tibetan lower crust. The results from teleseismic waveform inversion reveal that the Moho discontinuity dips northwards, and an offset of Moho occurs near Bangong suture.The fact that materials within the Tibetan Plateau escape laterally has been proposed by several authors. Recent data and studies provide further convincing evidence that eastward mass transfer does occur, and their paths and natures are investigated.Some authors suggested that the large strike slip faults (Kun Lun, Xianshuihe) in the eastern plateau may be related to the lateral extrusion. However, most of the strike slips are left-lateral, and extrusion could not occur without right-lateral strike slips. Recent observations of the focal mechanisms and geological structure indicate that the earthquakes in the Yanshiping-Changdu belt are left-lateral strike slip. It is the southeast zone of the left-lateral slip faults in the eastern Tibetan plateau. Geological and seismological evidence show that the Bencuo-Jiali belt is the only large right-lateral fault in the eastern plateau. It was proposed that the present eastward extrusion occurs between the Yangshiping-Changdu left-lateral strike slip and the Bencuo-Jiali right-lateral strike slip. The other left-lateral strike slips north of the Yangshiping-Changdu belt are considered to be the fossils of the ancient flow paths.     

From oblique subduction to intra-continental transpression: Structures of the southern Kermadec-Hikurangi margin from multibeam bathymetry,side-scan sonar and seismic reflection

The southern Kermadec-Hikurangi convergent margin, east of New Zealand, accommodates the oblique subduction of the oceanic Hikurangi Plateau at rates of 4–5 cm/yr. Swath bathymetry and sidescan data, together with seismic reflection and geopotential data obtained during the GEODYNZ-SUD cruise, showed major changes in tectonic style along the margin. The changes reflect the size and abundance of seamounts on the subducting plateau, the presence and thickness of trench-fill turbidites, and the change to increasing obliquity and intracontinental transpression towards the south. In this paper, we provide evidence that faulting with a significant strike-slip component is widespread along the entire 1000 km margin. Subduction of the northeastern scrap of the Hikurangi Plateau is marked by an offset in the Kermadec Trench and adjacent margin, and by a major NW-trending tear fault in the scarp. To the south, the southern Kermadec Trench is devoid of turbidite fill and the adjacent margin is characterized by an up to 1200 m high scarp that locally separates apparent clockwise rotated blocks on the upper slope from strike-slip faults and mass wasting on the lower slope. The northern Hikurangi Trough has at least 1 km of trench-fill but its adjacent margin is characterized by tectonic erosion. The toe of the margin is indented by 10–25 km for more than 200 km, and this is inferred to be the result of repeated impacts of the large seamounts that are abundant on the northern Hikurangi Plateau. The two most recent impacts have left major indentations in the margin. The central Hikurangi margin is characterized by development of a wide accretionary wedge on the lower slope, and by transpression of presubduction passive margin sediments on the upper slope. Shortening across the wedge together with a component of strike-slip motion on the upper slope supports an interpretation of some strain partitioning. The southern Hikurangi margin is a narrow, mainly compressive belt along a very oblique, apparently locked subduction zone.     

Application of a two-way nested model to the seamount problem

A two-way nested model has been constructed and applied to the idealized ocean where a uniform mean flow impinges on the isolated Gaussian-shaped seamount and produces two eddies (cold and warm) in the depths. The performance of the nested model has been evaluated subjectively and objectively. Both subjective and objective analyses confirm the traditional view that the nested model can well capture the performance of isolated eddies. Objective analysis, however, reveals some quantitatively important features of a two-way nested model. One is penetration of improved features into the coarse domain and another is the deterioration of mean flow field inside the nested area, neither of which is clear from subjective analysis. With successful application of two-way nested model to the seamount problem, we expect that such a nested model will also be applicable to other oceanic phenomena, particularly to some coastal problems whose time scale is short and where the topographic effects are dominant.