Late Cretaceous ophiolite obduction and Paleocene India-Asia collision in the westernmost Himalaya

Abstract

Collision of the Kohistan island arc with Asia at ~100 Ma resulted in N-S compression within the Neo-Tethys at a spreading center north of the Indo-Pakistani craton. Subsequent India-Asia convergence converted the Neo-Tethyan spreading center into a short-lived subduction zone. The hanging wall of the subduction zone became the Waziristan, Khost and Jalalabad igneous complexes. During the Santonian- Campanian (late Cretaceous), thrusting of the NW IndoPakistani craton beneath Albian oceanic crust and a Cenomanian volcano-sedimentary complex, generated an ophiolite-radiolarite belt. Ophiolite obduction resulted in tectonic loading and flexural subsidence of the NW Indian margin and sub-CCD deposition of shelf-derived olistostromes and turbidites in the foredeep. Campanian-Maastriehtian calci- clastic and siliciclastic sediment gravity flows derived from both margins filled the foredeep as a huge allochthon of Triassic-Jurassic rise and slope strata was thrust ahead of the ophiolites onto the Indo-Pakistani craton. Shallow to intermediate marine strata covered the foredeep during the late Maastrichtian. As ophiolite obduction neared completion during the Maastrichtian, the majority of India-Asia convergence was accommodated along the southern margin of Asia. During the Paleocene, India was thrust beneath a second allochthon that included open marine middle Maastrichtian colored mélange which represents the Asian Makran-Indus-Tsangpo accretionary prism. Latérites that formed on the eroded ophiolites and structurally higher colored mélange during the Paleocene wei’e unconformably overlapped by upper Paleocene and Middle Eocene shallow marine limestone and shale that delineate distinct episodes of Paleocene collisional and Early Eocene post-collisional deformation.     

Miocene low-angle detachments and upper crust megaboudinage in the Mt. Amiata geothermal area (Northern Apennines,Italy)

Information from surface and subsurface geology (boreholes and seismic reflection lines) are used to depict the geometry of the extensional structures (low-angle normal faults and related Tuscan Nappe megaboudins) affecting the Mt. Amiata geothermal area and developed during the early stage of the extensional tectonics which affected the inner Northern Apennines and Tyrrhenian Sea from the Early-Middle Miocene. Normal faulting involved the thickened middle-upper crust after the collisional stage and, in the Mt. Amiata region, took place over relatively short periods (5-7 Ma) characterised by rapid extensional strain rates. Normal faults showing articulated geometry (flat-ramp-flat) characterised by subhorizontal detachments (flats) and synthetic ramps, caused widespread megaboudinage mainly in the sedimentary tectonic units and particularly in the Tuscan Nappe. Evaporites occurring at the base of the Tuscan Nappe, the deepest sedimentary tectonic unit of the Northern Apennines, controlled the geometry of the faults, and rift-raft tectonics may be the style of this first extensional phase. Three Tuscan Nappe extensional horses (megaboudins) have been recognised in the subsurface of the Mt. Amiata area. They are characterised, in map view, by elliptical shapes and show a mean NNW-SSE lengthening. They are delimited at the base and at the top by east-dipping flats, while their western and eastern margins coincide with east-dipping ramps. On the whole, considering their geometrical features, these megaboudins correspond to extensional horses belonging to an asymmetrical east-dipping extensional duplex system.

Rollover anticlines deformed the western ramp of the megaboudins and rotated the uppermost flat as well as all the structures previously developed, which became steeply-dipping to the west.     

鄂尔多斯盆地东胜地区砂岩型铀矿源区及其构造背景分析——来自碎屑锆石U-Pb年龄及Hf同位素的证据

通过LA-(MC)ICP-MS碎屑锆石微区U-Pb定年和Hf同位素分析,对鄂尔多斯盆地东胜地区中侏罗统直罗组砂岩型铀矿层进行了同位素定年物源示踪研究。结果显示,四个样品的锆石年龄分布均表现出良好的一致性,总体呈现出2500～2300Ma,2000～1750Ma和450～250Ma三个主峰值年龄与2300～2000Ma、1750～1400Ma的次峰期年龄。年代学对比研究揭示,东胜地区砂岩型铀矿的物源主要来自华北克拉通西部陆块阴山地块和中部造山带北部的TTG片麻岩、麻粒岩和孔兹岩,以及海西期的大量火成岩体。碎屑锆石的εHf(t)值由负到正,变化范围较大,显示了古老地壳的再循环过程。其中,1.9Ga和2.5Ga的部分锆石其Hf分析点位于亏损地幔线附近,指示该时期有新生地壳的形成。锆石的二阶段Hf模式年龄分布范围3.8～0.7Ga,但集中于3.0～2.3Ga,在2.8～2.6Ga出现一峰值,说明华北克拉通地壳主要形成于中、新太古代。本文所获得的锆石Hf同位素模式年龄与华北克拉通西部陆块的Hf和Nd同位素模式年龄分布特征非常接近,而与东部陆块有很大差别,从而进一步证实了东、西部陆块在古元古代拼合之前是独立发展的。     

东昆仑早古生代洋壳俯冲与碰撞造山作用的转换: 来自胡晓钦镁铁质岩石的证据

位于东昆仑昆中缝合带内的胡晓钦镁铁质岩石主要以角闪辉绿岩为主.利用锆石LA-ICP-MS U-Pb定年方法获得其结晶年龄为438±2Ma(MSWD=1.06,n=15),表明该岩石应为早志留世岩浆活动的产物.岩石样品均具有相对低的TiO2含量(0.43％～1.58％)和变化较高的MgO值(2.83％ ～ 8.22％)和Mg# (45 ～ 74),相对于原始地幔富集大离子亲石元素(LILE:Rb、Ba、Th和U等)和轻稀土(LREE),明显亏损高场强元素(HFSE:Nb、Ta和Ti),并且具有略微富集的Hf同位素组成(εHf(t)为3.68 ～ 8.20,tDMZ为0.90～ 1.19Ga).以Mg#作为横坐标的二元图解和(2CaO+Na2O)/TiO2-Al2O3/TiO2图解揭示其形成过程中应主要经历了单斜辉石、橄榄石和斜长石的分离结晶.岩石样品均具有相对低的Nb/La和Nb/Ce比值(分别为0.15 ～0.28和0.07 ～0.13)以及较高的Nb/Ta和Zr/Hf比值(分别为13.15～17.38和36.14～ 43.88),指示岩石的形成过程受到地壳混染的影响非常小.地球化学和锆石Lu-Hf同位素研究揭示其形成可能与受板片流体交代含尖晶石橄榄岩的部分熔融有关.胡晓钦镁铁质岩石具有类似岛弧玄武岩特征的地球化学组成,并且其年龄明显早于东昆仑与碰撞相关的榴辉岩相变质年龄(428Ma)和中压(绿帘)角闪岩相变质峰期年龄(427Ma),表明其形成仍与东昆仑洋壳俯冲关系密切.综合区域资料可以判断,胡晓钦镁铁质岩石可能代表了东昆仑早古生代洋壳俯冲最晚期的岩浆记录.这样可以确定,东昆仑早古生代洋盆最终关闭和碰撞造山开始的时间为早志留世,洋壳俯冲持续的时间至少为79Myr,碰撞造山持续时间至少为8Myr.     

南秦岭东河群碎屑锆石U-Pb年龄及其板块构造意义

南秦岭微陆块是秦岭造山带的重要构造单元,其早白垩世沉积物是研究物源区及南秦岭微陆块构造演化的理想对象.南秦岭微陆块南缘观音坝盆地早白垩世砂砾岩中的碎屑锆石LA-ICP-MS U-Pb年龄给出了5个年龄峰,范围分别是2600～2300Ma、2050～1800Ma、1200～750Ma、650～400Ma和350～200Ma,对应于Kenor、Columbia、Rodinia、Gondwana和Pangaea等5次超大陆事件.碎屑锆石源区复杂,但主要源自华北克拉通和北秦岭增生带,表明晚古生代南秦岭微陆块是秦岭-华北联合大陆板块的一部分,而非独立的微陆块.最年轻的锆石年龄峰给出了勉略洋向秦岭-华北大陆俯冲的时限,即350～ 200Ma;扬子与秦岭-华北联合大陆板块的碰撞造山作用始于三叠纪-侏罗纪之交,强烈的挤压造山作用发生在侏罗纪,而非三叠纪或更早.     

科岗蛇绿岩地质特征及构造环境分析

科岗蛇绿岩位于塔里木板块西南缘西昆仑中间地块与北侧西昆仑沟弧带分界线上。通过对科岗蛇绿岩带岩石组成、地质地球化学特征研究,肯定了新疆地质志对科岗蛇绿岩带“三位一体”蛇绿岩建造的认识,分别由下部变质橄榄岩相,中部堆晶岩相、浅色花岗岩相,上部块状辉长岩-辉绿岩相和火山岩及碎屑岩相组成。科岗蛇绿岩为造山带型,与洋中脊型蛇绿岩区别明显。其大地构造环境应为弧后盆地或破坏性大陆边缘小洋盆快速拉张环境产物。     

Reviews on Potash Deposit Metallogenic Conditions

Potash salt is one of key scarce strategic resources. Searching for large scale of potash salt deposit is one big problerm which Chinese academic community faces. Many new discoveries of world potash deposit have been made in recent ten years, which provide abundant practical information and complement the potash metallogenic theory. Through the summary of the potash forming characteristics at home and abroad, the paper studies the potash forming time, tectonic condition, paleogeographic condition, paleoclimate, basin location and salt source. Potash is mainly formed in Permian, Cretaceous, late Jurassic, Cambrian and Devonian. The combination of structure and environment helps to form large scale of evaporation. The climate cycle is related with crust activity. As the other ore deposit, the formation of potash ore also needs dry climate. Potash is the product of final stage in brine evolution, and therefore, it needs persistent drought climate. However, the climate condition is very complicated. Drought climate belt also occurs in humid climate stage, which is controlled by geomorphology. Potash ore can also form in local drought condition. Generally, potash forms in rock salt basin. However, the actual situation is very complicated. Some potash basin is coincided with rock salt basin, some is on one side of rock salt basin; and some are even in the outside of rock salt basin. Salt materials can be from three sources: marine source, terrigenous source and deep source.The paper gives an overview of the research status about the potash deposit forming conditions, which has great guiding significance for searching potash deposit in China. The paper also summarizes the three types of metallogenic models for potash deposit, including epicontinental metallogenic model, abnormal marine evaporation model and rift valley model. The three models are mainly different in material sources, in which the potash in epicontinental metallogenic model is from seawater; the potash in abnormal evaporation model is from nonmarine brine and the potash in rift valley model is mainly from deep material of volcanic activity.     

Intra-arc extension in Central America: Links between plate motions, tectonics, volcanism, and geochemistry

This study revisits the kinematics and tectonics of Central America subduction, synthesizing observations of marine bathymetry, high-resolution land topography, current plate motions, and the recent seismotectonic and magmatic history in this region. The inferred tectonic history implies that the Guatemala–El Salvador and Nicaraguan segments of this volcanic arc have been a region of significant arc tectonic extension; extension arising from the interplay between subduction roll-back of the Cocos Plate and the ~ 10–15mm/yr slower westward drift of the Caribbean plate relative to the North American Plate. The ages of belts of magmatic rocks paralleling both sides of the current Nicaraguan arc are consistent with long-term arc-normal extension in Nicaragua at the rate of ~ 5–10mm/yr, in agreement with rates predicted by plate kinematics. Significant arc-normal extension can ‘hide’ a very large intrusive arc-magma flux; we suggest that Nicaragua is, in fact, the most magmatically robust section of the Central American arc, and that the volume of intrusive volcanism here has been previously greatly underestimated. Yet, this flux is hidden by the persistent extension and sediment infill of the rifting basin in which the current arc sits. Observed geochemical differences between the Nicaraguan arc and its neighbors which suggest that Nicaragua has a higher rate of arc-magmatism are consistent with this interpretation. Smaller-amplitude, but similar systematic geochemical correlations between arc-chemistry and arc-extension in Guatemala show the same pattern as the even larger variations between the Nicaragua arc and its neighbors.