Northward cooling of the Kuncha nappe and downward heating of the Lesser Himalayan autochthon distributed to the south of Mt. Annapurna,western central Nepal

We investigated the tectonothermal history of the Lesser Himalayan sediments (LHS), which are tectonically overlain by the Higher Himalayan Crystalline. Fission‐track dating and the track length measurement of detrital zircons obtained from the Kuncha nappe and the Lesser Himalayan autochthonous sediments in western central Nepal revealed northward cooling of the nappe and possible downward heating of the autochthon by the overlying hot nappe. Nine zircon fission‐track (ZFT) ages of the nappe showed northward‐younging linear distribution from 11.6 Ma in the front at Tamghas, 6 Ma in the central at Naudanda, and 1.6 Ma in the northernmost point at Tatopani. Thermochronological invert calculation of the ZFT length elucidated that the Kuncha nappe gradually cooled down (30 °C/Myr) at the front and rapidly cooled down (120 °C/Myr) at the root zone. In contrast, the ZFT age of the Chappani Formation, located just beneath the Kuncha nappe in the central part, demonstrated a totally reset age of 6.8 Ma, whereas the Virkot Formation, structurally far from the nappe, yielded a partially reset age of 457.3 Ma. This suggests that the LHS underwent downward heating, resulting in a thermal print on the upper part of the LHS; however, the thermal effect was not sufficient to anneal ZFT totally in the deeper part. Presently, the nappe cover is eroded and denuded from this area. Detrital zircons from the Chappani Formation in Tansen area to the south of the Bari Gad Fault did not show any evidence of annealing, suggesting that nappe never covered the LHS distributed to the south of the fault.     

Northward younging zircon fission‐track ages from 13 to 2 Ma in the eastern extension of the Kathmandu nappe and underlying Lesser Himalayan sediments distributed to the south of Mt. Everest

This study is concerned with the tectono‐thermal history of the Kathmandu nappe and the underlying Lesser Himalayan sediments (LHS) that are distributed in eastern Nepal. We carried out zircon fission‐track(ZFT) dating and obtained 16 ZFT ages from the eastern extension of the Kathmandu nappe, the Higher Himalayan Crystalline, Kuncha nappe, and the Main Central Thrust (MCT) zone. The ZFT ages of the frontal part of the Kathmandu nappe range from 13.0 ±0.8 Ma to 10.7 ±0.7 Ma and exhibit a northward‐younging tendency. These Middle Miocene ZFT ages indicate that the frontal part of the Kathmandu nappe remained at a temperature above 240 °C until the termination of its southward emplacement at 12–11 Ma. The ZFT ages of the LHS range from 11.1 ±0.9 Ma in the southern part of the Okhaldhunga Window to 2.4 ±0.3 Ma of the augen gneiss in the northern margin and also exhibit a northward‐younging age distribution. The ZFT ages show the northward‐younging linear distribution pattern (?0.16 Ma/km) along the across‐strikesection from the frontal part of the Kathmandu nappe to the root zone, without a significant age gap. This distribution pattern indicates that the Kathmandu nappe, the underlying MCT zone, and the Kuncha nappe cooled from the frontal zone to the root zone as a thermally united geologic body at a temperature below 240 °C. An older ZFT age (456.3 ±24.3 Ma), which was partially reset at the axial part of the Midland anticlinorium in the central part of the Okhaldhunga Window, was explained by downward heating from the “hot” Kathmandu nappe. The above evidence supported a model that southward emplacement of the hot Kathmandu nappe resulted in a thermal imprint on the upper part of the LHS; however, the lower part did not reach 240 °C.     

土耳其-高加索-喜马拉雅一线白垩纪大洋红层对比

通过收集土耳其、高加索和特提斯喜马拉雅地区的白垩纪地层资料,着重对比研究上白垩统大洋红层的分布格局和沉积特征,为进一步进行全球大洋红层对比提供基础数据和资料。对比分析表明:它们具有环特提斯该时代近于同期地层的一般特征,其时代一般为Turonian Campanian期,在特提斯喜马拉雅地区跨度较大,为Albian Campanian期,岩性主体为灰岩,颜色与Fe2O3 的含量密切相关,富含浮游有孔虫及其组合,沉积速率低,沉积环境一般为半深海,沉积深度为500~1 000 m。     

东喜马拉雅构造结气候构造作用下热史演化的40Ar/39Ar年代学记录

以喜马拉雅山系为典型实例,究竟是气候作用还是构造作用引起山体隆升的问题已经成为地球系统科学研究中的重要前沿问题。无论是气候因素还是构造因素引起山体隆升,二者都与一个共同的地表过程——剥蚀作用相关,剥蚀作用对山体中地质体的影响可以用岩石矿物经历的热史演化来描述,所以,在造山作用研究中,山体或山脉的热史演化是揭开地质体经历地质过程、山体隆升研究的重要途径。利用河砂组成矿物来研究流域的地质过程和构造演化已经成为现代地质科学的重要手段。本文采集了雅鲁藏布江下游墨脱县以南约50 km处地东河段内的现代河砂,对其中的角闪石、白云母、黑云母及钾长石等四种矿物进行了高精度单颗粒激光⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar年代学测试,并进行了概率统计。地东河段河砂中富钾矿物⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar年代学统计结果显示,大峡谷流域的热史演化可以确定有多个阶段,分别可以识别出70~69、61~60、43~42、35~34、26~25、25~23、22~20、20~18、17~14、12~11、8~6、5~4及<2Ma等13个热史演化阶段。通过将上述热史信息与印度大陆与欧亚大陆碰撞角度和碰撞速率变化曲线的对比,可以确定70~69、61~60、43~42、35~34、22~20和12~11Ma等6个阶段的年代学信息是两大陆碰撞角度和碰撞速率变化事件在东喜马拉雅构造结热史上的记录;通过与全球深海氧、碳同位素记录曲线的对比,可以认为26~25、25~23、17~14、8~6、5~4和<2Ma等6个阶段的年代学信息是气候变化在东喜马拉雅构造结热史上的记录。东喜马拉雅构造结地质体热史演化是构造与气候相互作用的结果。     

利用GPS观测资料分析2015年尼泊尔MS8.1地震震前及震后形变

通过对尼泊尔MS8.1地震前后附近区域GPS台站记录到的观测数据进行处理,获得了震区以及中国青藏高原地区地震前后GPS站点速度场以及震后形变场。震前速度场显示,喜马拉雅构造带整体呈现出约16 mm/a的压缩特征。同时,震前喜马拉雅构造带根据形变特征可分为东、中、西3段,其地震发生在中段,主要以北向挤压为主,而东西两段分别具有逆时针旋转和顺时针旋转的特征。震后GPS站点形变场显示,此次地震对中国新疆、青海、西藏等地区的影响较大,其最大震后位移达20 mm左右。震后速度场显示,本次地震对尼泊尔地区以及中国藏南地区的构造形变影响较大,主要表现为喜马拉雅构造带的年推挤速度减小,藏南地区的南北向运动速率减小,而东西向速度有增大的现象。这一现象可能对藏南地区的走滑断层有较大影响。     

新疆塔什库尔干斯如依迭尔铅锌矿区花岗闪长岩锆石U-Pb定年及其意义

对塔什库尔干斯如依迭尔铅锌矿点与成矿作用有关的花岗闪长岩开展了系统的年代学、岩石地球化学研究工作。LA-ICP MS 锆石U-Pb定年结果表明,花岗闪长岩成岩年龄为12.7±0.13Ma,与前人在塔什库尔干地区获得的苦子干和卡日巴生岩体(11Ma)年龄在误差范围内相一致,表明斯如依迭尔铅锌矿点成矿作用发生于喜山期;岩石地球化学分析结果表明,它们为弱过铝质,具富Al、K,属于高钾钙碱性-钾玄岩系列,相对富集Rb、Ba、Th、U等大离子亲石元素(LILE)、亏损Zr、Y、Ta、Nb等高场强元素(HFSE)和稀土总量相对较高,形成于造山后伸展构造体制。区内独特的成矿特征,是青藏高原西北缘构造 转换带对主碰撞带造山作用过程响应的记录;区内独特的成矿事件,是该区在喀喇昆仑走滑断裂系统早期挤压、晚期拉张影响下,是强烈的富碱岩浆活动和成矿作用的产物。区内主干断裂及其次级断裂常常控制富碱岩浆岩体及相关矿床定位和分布。     

Metamorphic history of the South Tibetan Detachment System,Mt. Everest region,revealed by RSCM thermometry and phase equilibria modelling

This study combines microstructural observations with Raman spectroscopy on carbonaceous material (RSCM), phase equilibria modelling and U–Pb dating of titanite to delineate the metamorphic history of a well‐exposed section through the South Tibetan Detachment System (STDS) in the Dzakaa Chu valley of Southern Tibet. In the hanging wall of the STDS, undeformed Tibetan Sedimentary Series rocks consistently record peak metamorphic temperatures of ～340 °C. Temperatures increase down‐section, reaching ～650 °C at the base of the shear zone, defining an apparent metamorphic field gradient of ～310 °C km^?1 across the entire structure. U–Th–Pb geochronological data indicate that metamorphism and deformation at high temperatures occurred over a protracted period from at least 20 to 13 Ma. Deformation within this 1‐km‐thick zone of distributed top‐down‐to‐the‐northeast ductile shear included a strong component of vertical shortening and was responsible for significant condensing of palaeo‐isotherms along the upper margin of the Greater Himalayan Series (GHS). We interpret the preservation of such a high metamorphic gradient to be the result of a progressive up‐section migration in the locus of deformation within the zone. This segment of the STDS provides a detailed thermal and kinematic record of the exhumation of footwall GHS rocks from beneath the southern margin of the Tibetan plateau.     

Deformation temperatures and flow vorticities near the base of the Greater Himalayan Series,Sutlej Valley and Shimla Klippe,NW India

We report new deformation temperature and flow vorticity data from the base of the Greater Himalayan Series (GHS) exposed in the Sutlej Valley and Shimla Klippe of NW India. We focus on three groups of transects across the hanging wall of the Main Central Thrust (MCT). In order of relative foreland – hinterland positions, they are the Shimla Klippe, Western and Eastern Sutlej transects. Deformation temperatures indicated by quartz c-axis fabric opening-angles increase both from foreland to hinterland at a given structural distance above the MCT and up structural section from the MCT within individual transects. Deformation temperatures in the immediate hanging wall to the MCT are estimated at ∼510–535, 535–550 and 610 °C on the Shimla, Western Sutlej and Eastern Sutlej transects, respectively. The steepest inferred field gradients in deformation temperatures are recorded adjacent to the MCT and progressively decrease up structural section following a power law relationship. Comparison with temperature estimates based on multi-mineral phase equilibria data suggests that penetrative shearing occurred at close to peak metamorphic conditions. Vorticity analyses indicate that shearing along the base of the GHS occurred under sub-simple shear conditions (Wm values of 0.9–1.0) with a minor component of pure shear.     

Annual dissolved fluxes from Central Nepal rivers: budget of chemical erosion in the Himalayas

Annual dissolved element fluxes of Himalayan rivers from Central Nepal are calculated using published river discharge and a new set chemical data of rivers, including monsoon sampling. These are used to study the control on chemical erosion of carbonate and silicate over the whole basin. Chemical erosion of carbonate is mainly controlled by the river runoff but it can be limited by the availability of carbonate in limestone-free basin. Chemical erosion of silicate is well correlated to the runoff. However differences between High Himalayan and Lesser Himalayan basins suggest that physical erosion may also play an important control on silicate weathering. To cite this article: C. France-Lanord et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).     

西藏高原与喜马拉雅的隆升历史和研究方法:回顾与进展

西藏高原和喜马拉雅的隆升历史是新生代以来众多地质事件的边界条件。因此,它对于我们理解新生代全球气候变冷以及亚洲环境变化等许多地质过程都具有深远的意义。尽管各种替代指标已经被广泛应用于研究高原隆升历史,然而,不同方法所得出的高原隆升历史并不一致。这主要归咎于一些替代指标本身存在多解性和不确定性,从而严重阻碍了获取正确的高原隆升历史。在对这些替代指标进行详细的阐述之后,对其指示的高原隆升历史进行重新评估,并结合在高原腹地开展的工作,提出了原西藏高原的隆升模式,即拉萨地体和羌塘地体在始新世就已经达到现在的海拔高度,而此时青藏高原北部还是低地,南部和西部可能还处在海洋环境。在中新世时,高原向北、向东和向南生长并在第四纪时形成现在的高原特征。