Abundant seamounts of the Rano Rahi seamount field near the Southern East Pacific Rise, 15° S to 19° S

A widespread seamount province, the Rano Rahi Field, is located near the superfast spreading Southern East Pacific Rise (SEPR) between 15°–19° S. Particularly abundant volcanic edifices are found on Pacific Plate aged 0 to 6.5 Ma between 17°–19° S, an area greater than 100,000 km². The numbers of seamounts and their volume are several times greater than those of a comparablysurveyed area near the Northern East Pacific Rise (NEPR), 8°–17° N. Most of the Rano Rahi seamounts belong to chains, which vary in length from 25 km to >240 km and which are very nearly collinear with the Pacific absolute and relative plate motion directions. Bends of 10°–15° occur along a few of the chains, and some adjacent chains converge or diverge slightly. Many seamount chains have fluctuations in volume along their length, and statistical tests suggest that some adjacent chains trade-off in volume. Several seamount chains split into two lines of volcanoes approaching the axis. In general, seamount chains composed of individual circular volcanoes are found near the axis; the chains consist of variably-overlapping edifices in the central part of the survey; to the west, volcanic ridges predominate. Near the SEPR, the volume of nearaxis seamount edifices is generally reduced near areas of deflated cross-sectional area of the axial ridge. Fresh lava flows, as imaged by sidescan sonar and sampled by dredging, exist around some seamounts throughout the entire survey area, in sharp contrast to the absence of fresh flows beyond 30 km from the NEPR. Also, the increases in seamount abundance and volume extend to much greater crustal ages than near the NEPR. Seamount magnetization analysis is also consistent with this wider zone of seamount growth, and it demonstrates the asynchronous formation of most of the seamount chains and volcanic ridges. The variety of observations of the SEPR seamounts suggests that a number of factors and mechanisms might bring about their formation, including the mantle upwelling associated with superfast spreading, off-axis mantle heterogeneities, miniplumes and local upwelling, and the vulnerability of the lithosphere to penetration by volumes of magma. In particular, we note the association of extensive, recent volcanism with intermediate wavelength gravity lineaments lows on crust aged 6 Ma. This suggests that the lineaments and some of the seamounts share a common cause which may be related to ridge-perpendicular asthenospheric convection and/or some manner of extension in the lithosphere.     

冲绳海槽Jade热液区块状硫化物中流体包裹体的氦、氖、氩同位素组成

对冲绳海槽Jade热液区块状硫化物中流体包裹体的氦、氖和氩同位素组成进行了测定,流体包裹体的3He/4He比值为(6.2～10.1)Ra,均值为7.8Ra,与大洋中脊玄武岩一致[3He/4He≈(6～11)Ra],20Ne/22Ne比值为10.7～11.3,明显高于大气值(9.8),而40Ar/36Ar比值的变化范围在287～334之间,接近大气值(295.5),这些结果表明,块状硫化物中热液流体捕获的稀有气体是地幔和海水源组分混合的产物,且流体包裹体中的氦主要来自地幔,氖和氩主要来自海水。     

Sulfur isotopic composition of modern seafloor hydrothermal sediment and its geological significance

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The morphology and tectonics of the Mark area from Sea Beam and Sea MARC I observations (Mid-Atlantic Ridge 23° N)

High-resolution Sea Beam bathymetry and Sea MARC I side scan sonar data have been obtained in the MARK area, a 100-km-long portion of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge rift valley south of the Kane Fracture Zone. These data reveal a surprisingly complex rift valley structure that is composed of two distinct spreading cells which overlap to create a small, zero-offset transform or discordant zone. The northern spreading cell consists of a magmatically robust, active ridge segment 40–50 km in length that extends from the eastern Kane ridge-transform intersection south to about 23°12′ N. The rift valley in this area is dominated by a large constructional volcanic ridge that creates 200–500 m of relief and is associated with high-temperature hydrothermal activity. The southern spreading cell is characterized by a NNE-trending band of small (50–200 m high), conical volcanos that are built upon relatively old, fissured and sediment-covered lavas, and which in some cases are themselves fissured and faulted. This cell appears to be in a predominantly extensional phase with only small, isolated eruptions. These two spreading cells overlap in an anomalous zone between 23°05′ N and 23°17′ N that lacks a well-developed rift valley or neovolcanic zone, and may represent a slow-spreading ridge analogue to the overlapping spreading centers found at the East Pacific Rise. Despite the complexity of the MARK area, volcanic and tectonic activity appears to be confined to the 10–17 km wide rift valley floor. Block faulting along near-vertical, small-offset normal faults, accompanied by minor amounts of back-tilting (generally less than 5°), begins within a few km of the ridge axis and is largely completed by the time the crust is transported up into the rift valley walls. Features that appear to be constructional volcanic ridges formed in the median valley are preserved largely intact in the rift mountains. Mass-wasting and gullying of scarp faces, and sedimentation which buries low-relief seafloor features, are the major geological processes occurring outside of the rift valley. The morphological and structural heterogeneity within the MARK rift valley and in the flanking rift mountains documented in this study are largely the product of two spreading cells that evolve independently to the interplay between extensional tectonism and episodic variations in magma production rates.     

Processing Multibeam Backscatter Data

A new highly precise source of data has recently become available using multibeam sonar systems in hydrography. Multibeam sonar systems can provide hydrographic quality depth data as well as high-resolution seafloor sonar images. We utilize the seafloor backscatter strength data of each beam from multibeam sonar and the automatic classification technology so that we can get the seafloor type identification maps. In this article, analyzing all kinds of error effects in backscatter strength, data are based on the relationship between backscatter strength and seafloor types. We emphasize particularly analyzing the influences of local bottom slope and near nadir reflection in backscatter strength data. We also give the correction algorithms and results of these two influent factors. After processing the raw backscatter strength data and correcting error effects, we can get processed backscatter strength data which reflect the features of seafloor types only. Applying the processed backscatter strength data and mosaicked seafloor sonar images, we engage in seafloor classification and geomorphy interpretation in future research.     

桶形基础及其作用下的粉质土海床失稳机制研究的试验设计

在阅读、分析以往的有关资料的基础上 ,结合实际的试验条件 ,对桶形基础及其作用下的粉质土海床失稳机制研究的试验作出了专门设计。该设计通过配土、设计模型桶基和负压沉贯的操作过程、设置孔压传感器等实验手段 ,努力从土体破坏的角度 ,寻求负压沉贯过程中沉贯负压、沉贯阻力及孔隙水压力之间的变化关系和确定桶基的上拔力。并且指出了数据处理的基本思路 ,以利于课题的深入研究。     

Study on visual control system of acoustic in situ measurement technology for survey of seafloor sediment

Abstract

A new kind of visual acoustic measurement system was developed to obtain the acoustic characteristics of seabed sediment and the working state of in situ measuring equipment in real time. The control unit of the system structure is mainly made up of the underwater control unit and the deck control unit. In comparison with similar traditional systems, the system can transmit the working video image, the measured acoustic data and the waveform synchronous from the underwater control equipment to the deck control unit through the connecting cable. Apart from self-contained in situ measurement, the working modes of it include visual online real-time control. In order to guarantee the stability and measurement precision of the video control system, the process control of in situ measurement was strictly tested in the experimental tank. In 2017, sea trials of the in situ measurement system was carried out in the South China Sea. In the process, data related to measurement, including the acoustic velocity and attenuation coefficient of the seabed sediment, were obtained as well. The results from sea trials show that the control process of the visual system is intuitive, reliable and accurate, and therefore it can be popularized and applied.     

南海岩石圈厚度变化特征及其构造意义

地震层析资料表明,南海地区,自红河口向南经南海、苏录海到苏拉威西海,岩石圈速度低,底部横波速度仅4.4km/s,岩石圈厚度在60～80km,为薄岩石圈地区;而软流层的速度也较低,在4.2～4.4km/s,但厚度较大,大于200km。从红河—莺歌海断裂带经南海到苏录海,存在一条北西向宽约200km的上地幔北西向低速带,速度在4.05～4.25km/s(面波速度)。它反映了新生代南海地区上地幔的动力学过程。南海岩石圈厚度变化存在明显差异,南海陆缘,岩石圈厚度在70～80km,而在南海洋盆之下,岩石圈厚度超过100km,岩石圈底部存在高速岩石层,并且洋盆下的岩石圈之厚度比大陆边缘厚,在海盆岩石圈下部的60～80km深度上存在一高速层,纵波速度为8.2～8.3km/s。特别是中央海盆及西北海盆与西南海盆,其下部岩石圈中均存在一高速岩石层,这是非常具有构造意义的。由此笔者提出大陆岩石圈裂离、上地幔因减压而部分熔融所产生的基性岩浆形成南海新生代洋壳的猜想。     

现代海底热液成矿作用

从现代块状硫化物矿床成矿特征对比角度,总结分析了世界现代海底喷流的块状硫化物成矿堆积,综述了现代海底块状硫化物成矿主要形成于洋壳和岛弧环境的实际观察结果,突出强调了洋壳环境和岛弧或陆壳环境两种成矿环境对成矿类型分类的意义。对上地幔部分熔融岩浆来源与地壳物质可能带人、火山喷发岩浆系列的演化和对热液成矿作用的控制进行了讨论,对比分析了岩浆流体对成矿的重要贡献和控制作用,以及成矿热液循环体系形成的条件和模式。     

晚更新世末期南海北部陆架的古地理探讨

根据地球物理综合调查,沉积物的粒度、矿物成分、石英砂粒扫描电镜分析,14T测年,以及微体古生物等成果,表明南海北部外陆架地区在更新世末期,冬半年气候干寒,东北风强劲,风沙活动强烈,砂丘广布,为干寒多风沙的自然环境。