Holocene climate and cultural evolution in late prehistoric-early historic West Asia

The precipitation climatology and the underlying climate mechanisms of the eastern Mediterranean, West Asia, and the Indian subcontinent are reviewed, with emphasis on upper and middle tropospheric flow in the subtropics and its steering of precipitation. Holocene climate change of the region is summarized from proxy records. The Indian monsoon weakened during the Holocene over its northernmost region, the Ganges and Indus catchments and the western Arabian Sea. Southern regions, the Indian Peninsula, do not show a reduction, but an increase of summer monsoon rain across the Holocene. The long-term trend towards drier conditions in the eastern Mediterranean can be linked to a regionally complex monsoon evolution. Abrupt climate change events, such as the widespread droughts around 8200, 5200 and 4200 cal yr BP, are suggested to be the result of altered subtropical upper-level flow over the eastern Mediterranean and Asia.The abrupt climate change events of the Holocene radically altered precipitation, fundamental for cereal agriculture, across the expanse of late prehistoric-early historic cultures known from the archaeological record in these regions. Social adaptations to reduced agro-production, in both dry-farming and irrigation agriculture regions, are visible in the archaeological record during each abrupt climate change event in West Asia. Chronological refinement, in both the paleoclimate and archaeological records, and transfer functions for both precipitation and agro-production are needed to understand precisely the evident causal linkages.     

Lermontovskoe Tungsten Skarn Deposit: the Oldest Mineralization in the Sikhote-Alin Orogen, Far East Russia

Abstract. Lermontovskoe tungsten skarn deposit in central Sikhote-Alin is concluded to have formed at 132 Ma in the Early Cretaceous, based on K-Ar age data for muscovite concentrates from high-grade scheelite ore and greisenized granite. Late Paleozoic limestone in Jurassic - early Early Cretaceous accretionary complexes was replaced during hydrothermal activity related to the Lermontovskoe granodiorite stock of reduced type. The ores, characterized by Mo-poor scheelite and Fe^3+- poor mineral assemblages, indicate that this deposit is a reduced-type tungsten skarn (Sato, 1980, 1982), in accordance with the reduced nature of the granodiorite stock.
The Lermontovskoe deposit, the oldest mineralization so far known in the Sikhote-Alin orogen, formed in the initial stage of Early Cretaceous felsic magmatism. The magmatism began shortly after the accretionary tectonics ceased, suggesting an abrupt change of subduction system. Style of the Early Cretaceous magmatism and mineralization is significantly different between central Sikhote-Alin and Northeast Japan; reduced-type and oxidized-type, respectively. The different styles may reflect different tectonic environments; compressional and extensional, respectively. These two areas, which were closer together before the opening of the Japan Sea in the Miocene, may have been juxtaposed under a transpressional tectonic regime after the magmatism.     

Gzhelian fusulinids first discovered in central Iran

Gzhelian deposits established in Iran for the first time are described. They rest with a considerable hiatus on the Moscovian deposits constituting, along with Asselian strata, an integral carbonate succession of the Zaladu Formation in eastern Iran. The Zaladu Formation is correlative with the Vazhnan Formation of the Abadeh region (central Iran) and the Dorud Formation of the Elburz (Alborz) Mountains. An assemblage of Gzhelian fusulinids from the studied section is well comparable with the assemblage of the Ultradaixina bosbytauensis Zone distinguished in the uppermost Gzhelian of the Darvaz, Fergana, the Southern Urals, Donetsk Basin, and Carnic Alps. Two new species of the genus Schellwienia (Sch. anarakensis and Sch. stocklini) are described. Gzhelian and Asselian fusulinids found in the section are figured in two paleontological plates.     

Early Proterozoic syn-and postcollision granites in the northern part of the Baikal fold area

Early Proterozoic granitoids are of a limited occurrence in the Baikal fold area being confined here exclusively to an arcuate belt delineating the outer contour of Baikalides, where rocks of the Early Precambrian basement are exposed. Geochronological and geochemical study of the Kevakta granite massif and Nichatka complex showed that their origin was related with different stages of geological evolution of the Baikal fold area that progressed in diverse geodynamic environments. The Nichatka complex of syncollision granites was emplaced 1908 ± 5 Ma ago, when the Aldan-Olekma microplate collided with the Nechera terrane. Granites of the Kevakta massif (1846 ± 8 Ma) belong to the South Siberian postcollision magmatic belt that developed since ～1.9 Ga during successive accretion of microplates, continental blocks and island arcs to the Siberian craton. In age and other characteristics, these granites sharply differ from granitoids of the Chuya complex they have been formerly attributed to. Accordingly, it is suggested to divide the former association of granitoids into the Chuya complex proper of diorite-granodiorite association ～2.02 Ga old (Neymark et al., 1998) with geochemical characteristics of island-arc granitoids and the Chuya-Kodar complex of postcollision S-type granitoids 1.85 Ga old. The Early Proterozoic evolution of the Baikal fold area and junction zone with Aldan shield lasted about 170 m.y. that is comparable with development periods of analogous structures in other regions of the world.     

Paleoproterozoic accretion in the Northeast Siberian craton: Isotopic dating of the Anabar collision system

Geochronological database considered in the work and characterizing the Anabar collision system in the Northeast Siberian craton includes coordinated results of Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr dating of samples from crustal xenoliths in kimberlites, deep drill holes, and bedrock outcrops. As is inferred, collision developed in three stages dated at 2200–2100, 1940–1760, and 1710–1630 Ma. The age of 2000–1960 Ma is established for substratum of mafic rocks, which probably originated during the lower crust interaction with asthenosphere due to the local collapse of the collision prism. Comparison of Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isochron dates shows that the system cooling from ≈700 to ≈300°C lasted approximately 300 m.y. with a substantial lag relative to collision metamorphism and granite formation. It is assumed that accretion of the Siberian craton resulted in formation of a giant collision mountainous structure of the Himalayan type that was eroded by 1.65 Ga ago, when accumulation of gently dipping Meso-to Neoproterozoic (Riphean) platform cover commenced.     

甜水海微陆块上二叠系地层的厘定及其特征

笔者在《岔路口》等四幅1：25万区域地质调查工作中，在红山湖一带从前人所划的石炭系地层中解体出一套二叠系地层，并对其进行了详细的岩石地层、生物地层和层序地层研究，拟新命名为红山湖组，时代为中二叠世。该地层为甜水海微陆块上稳定型的碳酸盐岩建造，与陆块南北两侧二叠系特征截然不同。该套地层的发现填补了微陆块上二叠系地层的空白，对古特提斯多岛洋研究具有重要意义。     

云南思茅盆地二叠纪层序格架与生储盖研究

根据层序界面的特点、凝缩段的组成,思茅盆地二叠系可分为2个Ⅱ级层序、9个Ⅲ级层序.在此基础上,探讨了层序格架与油气生储盖的关系可分为2个二级层序界面为一构造侵蚀不整合层序界面,是极好的储集场所.此时西部盆地中沉积物已经变质,与生储盖关系不大;而东部地区以开阔碳酸盐台地为主,低位体系域、海侵体系域和高位体系域以形成储集层为主.第2个二级层序由海侵-高位体系域所构成.海侵体系域由龙潭组下部所组成,在普洱西部崖子以西为深水盆地（含斜坡）环境,以东为浅海环境,邻近东部古陆区为滨海环境.无论盆地或浅海,岩性以深灰-灰黑色泥岩为主,生烃性能极好.高位体系域可以分为早期高位体系域和晚期高位体系域.早期高位体系域由龙潭组上部层位组成,西为浅海相砂岩、火山岩等,可作储层;东为滨海平原,下部以深灰、灰黑色泥岩为主,是很好的生油岩,上部以砂岩为主夹火山岩,可作为储集层.晚期高位体系域西部为长兴组灰岩、白云质灰岩、白云岩,可作为储层之用.     

滇黔桂盆地及其邻区石炭纪至二叠纪层序地层格架及三级海平面变化的全球对比

属于被动大陆边缘裂谷盆地的滇黔桂盆地，自加里东运动之后，泥盆纪开始拉开，整个晚古生代延续发展。受同生断裂的控制，在深水盆地中发育大小不等的孤立碳酸盐台地，因而在滇黔桂盆地及其邻区形成特殊的“台-盆-丘-槽”的古地理格局。对不同古地理背景下的典型剖面进行三级层序划分并对其进行空间追索和对比，在滇黔桂盆地及其邻区的石炭纪和二叠纪地层中可以识别出12个三级层序，相当于晚古生代25个三级沉积层序(2-5Ma；SQ1至SQ25)中的SQ24至SQ25；以地层记录中的的两种相变面和两种穿时性为基本要素，可以建立研究区石炭系和二叠系的层序地层格架；层序地层格架反映了三级层序的基本特征：空间上相序的有序性和时间上环境变化的同步性。研究区的石炭系和二叠系，主要为一套碳酸盐岩地层，其中在连陆台地上发育3套煤系地层，它们分别组成石炭纪三级层序SQ15跨系的三级层序SQ19的HST以及二叠纪吴家坪期的三级层序SQ24；而且在连陆台地边缘和孤立台地上，于阳新世的茅口亚世以及乐平世的长兴期发育海绵生物礁，海绵生物礁分别构成了以下二叠系三级层序即阳新世的SQ22和SQ23以及长兴期的SQ25。3套煤系地层和两套海绵生物礁的发育，使研究区的石炭系和二叠系形成了一个与欧美地区完全不同的层序地层序列。在研究区石炭系和二叠系所识别出的12个三级层序中，石炭纪一二叠纪船山世地层可以划分出6个三级层序。这种划分与Busch等对北美相同层位的划分相似，也就是说该6个三级层序的形成时限大于10Ma；较长的形成时限可能反映了形成在联合古陆汇聚时期即全球构造相对稳定时期三级海平面变化的一个特性。因此，研究区的石炭系和二叠系所识别和划分出的12个三级层序，其数量比Ross和Ross(1985)对欧美地区石炭系和二叠系所划分出的50多个三级层序要少得多。     

柴达木盆地北缘早古生代碰撞造山系统

柴达木盆地北缘在早古生代形成了一条碰撞造山带，该造山带结构保存较完整，可分辨出深俯冲板片、火山岛弧带、蛇绿杂岩带、岛弧深成岩带等组成单元。其中，俯冲板块主要由中元古代鱼卡河岩群和中新元古代花岗片麻岩构成，在寒武纪末-奥陶纪可能全部或部分俯冲到岩石圈深部，发生了高压-超高压变质作用。火山岛弧主要由中基性火山岩、细碎屑岩等组成，成岩时代为晚寒武世-奥陶纪。蛇绿杂岩带由超镁铁质岩、辉长岩、玄武岩和少量硅质岩组成，形成于弧后扩张脊构造背景，成岩时代为寒武纪-奥陶纪。岛弧深成岩成分变化较大，由闪长岩变化到花岗岩，成岩时代为奥陶纪。而造山带北侧的欧龙布鲁克微陆块则具有双层结构，由德令哈杂岩和达肯大坂岩群构成基底，盖层为全吉群。