First seismic record for intra-arc strike-slip tectonics along the Liquiñe-Ofqui fault zone at the obliquely convergent plate margin of the southern Andes

A temporal seismic network recorded local seismicity along a 130 km long segment of the transpressional dextral strike-slip Liquiñe-Ofqui fault zone (LOFZ) in southern Chile. Seventy five shallow crustal events with magnitudes up to M_w 3.8 and depths shallower than 25 km were observed in an 11-month period mainly occurring in different clusters. Those clusters are spatially related to the LOFZ, to the volcanoes Chaitén, Michinmahuida and Corcovado, and to active faulting on secondary faults. Further activity along the LOFZ is indicated by individual events located in direct vicinity of the surface expression of the LOFZ. Focal mechanisms were calculated using deviatoric moment tensor inversion of body wave amplitude spectra which mostly yield strike-slip mechanisms indicating a NE–SW direction of the P-axis for the LOFZ at this latitude. The seismic activity reveals the present-day activity of the fault zone. The recent M_w 6.2 event near Puerto Aysén, Southern Chile at 45.4°S on April 21, 2007 shows that the LOFZ is also capable of producing large magnitude earthquakes and therefore imposing significant seismic hazard to this region.     

Revised age of proximal deposits in the Zagros foreland basin and implications for Cenozoic evolution of the High Zagros

The regionally extensive, coarse-grained Bakhtiyari Formation represents the youngest synorogenic fill in the Zagros foreland basin of Iran. The Bakhtiyari is present throughout the Zagros fold-thrust belt and consists of conglomerate with subordinate sandstone and marl. The formation is up to 3000 m thick and was deposited in foredeep and wedge-top depocenters flanked by fold-thrust structures. Although the Bakhtiyari concordantly overlies Miocene deposits in foreland regions, an angular unconformity above tilted Paleozoic to Miocene rocks is expressed in the hinterland (High Zagros).

The Bakhtiyari Formation has been widely considered to be a regional sheet of Pliocene–Pleistocene conglomerate deposited during and after major late Miocene–Pliocene shortening. It is further believed that rapid fold growth and Bakhtiyari deposition commenced simultaneously across the fold-thrust belt, with limited migration from hinterland (NE) to foreland (SW). Thus, the Bakhtiyari is generally interpreted as an unmistakable time indicator for shortening and surface uplift across the Zagros. However, new structural and stratigraphic data show that the most-proximal Bakhtiyari exposures, in the High Zagros south of Shahr-kord, were deposited during the early Miocene and probably Oligocene. In this locality, a coarse-grained Bakhtiyari succession several hundred meters thick contains gray marl, limestone, and sandstone with diagnostic marine pelecypod, gastropod, coral, and coralline algae fossils. Foraminiferal and palynological species indicate deposition during early Miocene time. However, the lower Miocene marine interval lies in angular unconformity above ~ 150 m of Bakhtiyari conglomerate that, in turn, unconformably caps an Oligocene marine sequence. These relationships attest to syndepositional deformation and suggest that the oldest Bakhtiyari conglomerate could be Oligocene in age.

The new age information constrains the timing of initial foreland-basin development and proximal Bakhtiyari deposition in the Zagros hinterland. These findings reveal that structural evolution of the High Zagros was underway by early Miocene and probably Oligocene time, earlier than commonly envisioned. The age of the Bakhtiyari Formation in the High Zagros contrasts significantly with the Pliocene–Quaternary Bakhtiyari deposits near the modern deformation front, suggesting a long-term (> 20 Myr) advance of deformation toward the foreland.     

湘中奥陶纪锰矿带成矿特征及资源前景

湘中奥陶纪沉积锰矿带位于湖南省安化县、桃江县、宁乡县境内,呈近EW向展布,矿带内锰矿以质量好而著称。该成矿带的成锰沉积盆地受控于加里东期张性断裂系统,为一断陷盆地。盆地内发育一组NW向同沉积断裂,形成了一系列断陷槽,控制了沉积岩相的分布。锰矿主要产于盆地中心亚相的黑色页岩夹碳酸锰矿微相内。据矿带中锰矿的地质和地球化学特征以及微量元素和碳、氧、锶同位素组成,笔者认为,该锰矿属于热水沉积成因。综合对比表明,该成矿带具有良好的成矿条件和值得注意的资源潜力,有可能发展为大型锰成矿带。     

A GPR study of subsidence-creep-fault processes in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico

In 1983, inhabitants of the City of Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico, began to observe a series of differential settlements causing damages to constructions along linear trends parallel to a system of regional faults. The same phenomenon occurs in others cities of the Mexican Volcanic Belt (MVB), such as Celaya, Aguascalientes, and Querétaro, and is linked to a structurally controlled subsidence, caused by groundwater withdrawal, and the presence of geological faults. We define this subsidence type as Subsidence-Creep-Fault Processes (SCFP), based on the necessary elements for their generation, and we studied them through geophysical and geotechnical techniques. In Morelia, the geophysical investigations have been carried out using ground-penetrating radar (GPR). GPR profiles, perpendicular to the axis of the surface fault generated by the SCFP were carried out. The common-offset single-fold profiling was used, with a central frequency of 50 MHz. In all cases it has been possible to visualize a fault plane dividing two blocks, the presence of synthetic and antithetic faults, influence zones from 20 m to 40 m, and a maximum “net throw” of 4 m. Exploration trenches followed the same direction of the profiles obtained with GPR (perpendicular to the axis of the surface fault). These trenches exposed a fault plane dividing two blocks with different lithology, generating a maximum “net throw” of 4.40 m; as well they help in the determination of influence zones that varied from 14 m to 40 m.     

桃山铀矿田桃山断裂及其保矿作用

桃山铀矿田位于江西省中部,断裂构造发育,既有成矿构造,也有保矿构造,其中斜贯桃山矿田的桃山断裂即是一保矿构造,它形成于车免近时期,走向北东,倾向南东,右行正断,并具铰链断层性质,上盘地块掀斜下落,致使上盘成矿壳层向NW和NE倾斜,由于倾末端的侵蚀深度较小,保矿条件较好,加强这些地带的铀矿勘查和评价具有重要意义。     

Ground motion estimation during the Kashmir earthquake of 8th October 2005

In this article, analytical methods have been used to estimate ground motion during the 8 October 2005, Kashmir earthquake. Peak ground acceleration (PGA) values at several stations in the epicentral region have been estimated by empirical analytical source mechanism models. As an alternate analysis, PGA estimates have also been obtained using the stochastic finite fault seismological model. The estimated PGAs are compared with that obtained from damage values. A PGA contour map in the near-source region is provided. It is found that very near to the epicenter, PGA would have reached more than 1 g. It is demonstrated that empirical analytical models can be effectively used to estimate ground motion due to rupture of active faults.     

青藏高原北缘阿尔金走滑边界的侧向扩展——甘肃北山晚新生代走滑构造与地壳稳定性分析

对北山地区遥感影像和野外地质特征的分析表明,自阿尔金断裂带向NW方向依次出露三危山-双塔断裂、大泉断裂和红柳河断裂。这些断裂近于平行,且同为左行走滑断裂,具有相似的展布特征,空间走向均为NE40-50°,断裂系末端均发育“树枝状”分支断层．在断层夹块之间形成“多米诺”构造,构成了北山地区主要的构造样式。断层谷地沉积物分析和断层泥ESR年代学测试结果表明,三危山-双塔断裂形成于上新世（N2k）,大泉断裂形成于早更新世（1．2-1．5Ma）．而北山地区分支断层和次级断层的活动在400ka之后。对北山地区断裂构造几何学和年代学的研究表明．阿尔金断裂系晚新生代以来向NW方向的侧向扩展．是阿尔金走滑边界重要的生长方式。北山地区特殊的走滑构造组合样式．使该地区的构造变形难于在某条断层上聚集能量,而分散在若干条次级断层上的位移量又微乎其微,该地区成为“最稳定的活动区”。     

阿尔金南缘构造带西段辉绿岩墙群的地球化学特征及构造环境

对阿尔金南缘构造带西段辉绿岩墙群的岩石学和地球化学的详细研究表明,该区辉绿岩墙群为拉斑系列岩石,其主量元素以中等TiO2(1.19%～1.59%)、高MgO(5.51%～7.88%)、贫K2O(0.04%～0.84%)和P2O5(0.10%～0.20%)、Na2OK2O为特征;高场强元素(HFSE)丰度特征显示其为E-MORB型或过渡型玄武岩质岩石;稀土元素总量相对较高,轻重稀土元素分馏不显著[(La/Yb)N=1.93～3.61,LREE/HREE=3.01～4.10],在球粒陨石标准化配分模式图上呈略富集型.结合玄武岩构造环境判别图解综合分析推测,它们可能形成于一种裂谷向MORB环境过渡的构造环境,即初始小洋盆构造环境.     

鲁中南隆起区第四纪晚期断裂活动特征

根据野外调查，并综合前人的研究资料，对鲁中南地区第四纪晚期断裂活动进行了分析，研究表明，鲁中南隆起区第四纪断裂活动具有时空不均匀性，主要表现为第四纪时期断层活动强度变化和断裂活动的群集性以及第四纪晚期断裂活动段分布的局限性上。对于鲁中南地区而言，活动断层可以分为中更新世中期（500kaBP)至晚更新世初期（90kaBP)活断层和晚更新世中、晚期至全新世早期活断层两类；其中前一类（主要是中更新世断裂）断裂数量较多，分布较为广泛，而晚更新世晚期以来的活动断裂段的数量较少，分布较局限。它们对地震的控制能力不同，前者可控制5．5级左右的地震，而后一类可控制6－7级地震的发生。