U–Pb SHRIMP zircon geochronology and T–t–d history of the Kampa Dome, southern Tibet

Structural, petrographic and geochronologic studies of the Kampa Dome provide insights into the tectonothermal evolution of orogenic crust exposed in the North Himalayan gneiss domes of southern Tibet. U–Pb ion microprobe dating of zircons from granite gneiss exposed at the deepest levels within the dome yields concordia ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age populations of 506 ± 3 Ma and 527 ± 6 Ma, with no evidence of new zircon growth during Himalayan orogenesis. However, the granite contains penetrative deformation fabrics that are also preserved in the overlying Paleozoic strata, implying that the Kampa granite is a Cambrian pluton that was strongly deformed and metamorphosed during Himalayan orogenesis. Zircons from deformed leucogranite sills that cross-cut Paleozoic metasedimentary rocks yield concordant Cambrian ages from oscillatory zoned cores and discordant ages ranging from ca. 491–32 Ma in metamict grains. Since these leucogranites clearly post-date the metasedimentary rocks they intrude, the zircons are interpreted as xenocrysts that are probably derived from the Kampa granite. The Kampa Dome formed via a series of progressive orogenic events including regional ~ N–S contraction and related crustal thickening (D₁), predominately top-to-N ductile shearing and crustal extension (D₂), top-to-N brittle–ductile faulting and related folding on the north limb of the dome, localized top-to-S faulting on the southern limb of the dome, and crustal doming (D₃), and continued N–S contraction, E–W extension and doming (D₄). Structural and geochronologic variability amongst adjacent North Himalayan gneiss domes may reflect changes in the magnitude of crustal exhumation along the North Himalayan antiform, possibly relating to differences in the mid-crustal geometry of the exhuming fault systems.     

准噶尔盆地腹部Z2井三叠系地层及沉积特征

对准噶尔Z2井三叠系各组的岩性、电性特征进行了详细解释与描述,对各组的孢粉、大孢子组合特征展开了讨论,提出了该井三叠系地层划分为自碱滩组、克拉玛依组和百口泉组,且将其与邻区钻遇的三叠系进行了横向及纵向对比。在此基础上,通过对测、录井资料的精细解释,并借鉴前人的区域沉积相研究成果,探讨了该区三叠纪沉积环境。     

徐州土壤多环芳烃的环境地球化学迁移特征

选择江苏徐州黄棕壤进行不同深度层位多环芳烃含量的定量分析,研究并探讨了多环芳烃在土壤深度剖面中的地球化学迁移特征。研究结果显示,多环芳烃在徐州土壤剖面中主要集中在地表0~20 cm内。其中低环多环芳烃化合物的迁移能力较强,4~6环等高环化合物相对较难迁移,主要残留于地表生态系统环境中。     

青海南部熔积岩的发现:对寻找VMS型矿床的重要启示

熔积岩指的是侵入、混合到未固结或弱固结的湿沉积物中的熔浆分解、原位形成的一类特殊岩石。正确地认识该类岩石,有利于增进人们对岩浆-水(沉积物)相互作用过程的理解,恢复古环境。在青海南部沱沱河地区发现了一套角砾为撕片状、锯齿状及浑圆状的安山岩,胶结物为铁硅质组合的特殊熔积岩。研究表明,该熔积岩的角砾为岩浆遇水后快速淬火、裂解的产物,铁硅质组合为海底喷气沉积形成的含铁建造;且安山岩与含铁建造发生混合时,含铁建造尚未固结。该套熔积岩的发现,改变了长期以来对开心岭铁矿为火山热液交代安山岩而形成的认识,对于在矿区寻找VMS型矿床、区域内寻找海底热水喷流沉积型矿床具有重要的启示意义。     

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。     

新疆阿尔泰蒙库铁矿床的成矿流体及成矿作用

蒙库大型铁矿床赋存于上志留统—下泥盆统康布铁堡组变质火山-沉积岩系中,容矿岩石为石榴子石矽卡岩、变粒岩、浅粒岩和大理岩。矿体总体顺层分布,空间上与矽卡岩密切相关。研究表明,矽卡岩期石榴子石以发育玻璃质熔融包裹体、流体熔融包裹体和流体包裹体为特征,晚期矽卡岩阶段矿物中发育液相包裹体,变质期矿物中主要发育液相包裹体和含子矿物包裹体。矽卡岩期熔融包裹体的均一温度为1100℃,早期矽卡岩阶段流体包裹体均一温度变化于193～499℃,在450℃、350℃和230℃出现峰值。中期矽卡岩阶段均一温度变化于236～550℃,峰值为350℃。区域变质期均一温度介于132～513℃,在350℃、230℃和190℃出现峰值。流体包裹体的盐度w(NaCleq)介于1.23%～60.31%,流体密度变化于0.60～1.16g/cm3。石榴子石、石英和方解石的δ18OSMOW变化于0.2‰～8.4‰,δ18OH2O介于-5.1‰～5.33‰,δD为-127‰～-81‰,表明矽卡岩期成矿流体主要是岩浆水,混合少量大气降水;变质期流体主要为大气降水,为混合变质水。方解石δ13CPDB变化于-6.1‰～-2.3‰,表明流体中碳来自深部或地幔。成矿时代为早泥盆世早期(略晚于404～400Ma),成矿作用与矽卡岩的退化变质作用有关。     

云南官房铜矿床矿石矿物特征及银的赋存状态

通过显微镜鉴定、电子探针(EPMA)及扫描电镜能谱分析(SEM/EDS)等方法,首次对官房铜矿的矿物组合和银的赋存状态进行了研究。初步查明,矿石矿物为中-低温热液成因,并受火山机构及断裂构造的控制;银矿物主要为碲银矿和辉银矿。矿石中银与铜呈明显正相关关系,而方铅矿中不含银。银主要以类质同象的形式赋存于含铜矿物或黄铁矿中;银的独立矿物含量低,且多呈包裹体的形式存在于黄铜矿、斑铜矿及黄铁矿中,或以微细粒状赋存于矿物颗粒间和斑铜矿的表面。     

Assessment of frozen-ground conditions for engineering geology along the Qinghai–Tibet highway and railway, China

The Qinghai–Tibet Highway and Railway (the Corridor) across the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau traverses 670 km of permafrost and seasonally frozen-ground in the interior of the Plateau, which is sensitive to climatic and anthropogenic environmental changes. The frozen-ground conditions for engineering geology along the Corridor is complicated by the variability in the near-surface lithology, and the mosaic presence of warm permafrost and talik in a periglacial environment. Differential settlement is the major frost-effect problem encountered over permafrost areas. The traditional classification of frozen ground based on the areal distribution of permafrost is too generalized for engineering purposes and a more refined classification is necessary for engineering design and construction. A proposed classification of 51 zones, sub-zones, and sections of frozen ground has been widely adopted for the design and construction of foundations in the portion of the Corridor studied. The mean annual ground temperature (MAGT), near-surface soil types and moisture content, and active faults and topography are most commonly the primary controlling factors in this classification. However, other factors, such as local microreliefs, drainage conditions, and snow and vegetation covers also exert important influences on the features of frozen ground. About 60% of the total length of the Corridor studied possesses reasonably good frozen-ground conditions, which do not need special mitigative measures for frost hazards. However, other sections, such as warm and ice-rich or -saturated permafrost, particularly in the sections in wetlands, ground improvement measures such as elevated land bridges and passive or proactive cooling techniques need to be applied to ensure the long-term stability of thermally unstable, thick permafrost subsoils, and/or refill with non-frost-susceptible soils. Due to the long-history of the construction and management of the Corridor by various government departments, adverse impacts of construction and operation on the permafrost environment have been resulted. It is recommended that an integrated, executable plan for the routing of major construction projects within this transportation corridor be established and long-term monitoring networks installed for evaluating and mitigating the impact from anthropogenic and climatic changes in frozen-ground conditions.     

Sedimentary petrology and geochemistry of siliciclastic rocks from the upper Jurassic Tordillo Formation (Neuquén Basin, western Argentina): Implications for provenance and tectonic setting

The Upper Jurassic Tordillo Formation is exposed along the western edge of the Neuquén Basin (west central Argentina) and consists of fluvial strata deposited under arid/semiarid conditions. The pebble composition of conglomerates, mineralogical composition of sandstones and pelitic rocks, and major- and trace-element geochemistry of sandstones, mudstones, and primary pyroclastic deposits are evaluated to determine the provenance and tectonic setting of the sedimentary basin. Conglomerates and sandstones derived almost exclusively from volcanic sources. The stratigraphic sections to the south show a clast population of conglomerates dominated by silicic volcanic fragments and a predominance of feldspathic litharenites. This framework composition records erosion of Triassic–Jurassic synrift volcaniclastic rocks and basement rocks from the Huincul arch, which was exhumed as a result of Late Jurassic inversion. In the northwestern part of the study area, conglomerates show a large proportion of mafic and acidic volcanic rock fragments, and sandstones are characterised by a high content of mafic volcanic rock fragments and plagioclase. These data suggest that the source of the sandstones and conglomerates was primarily the Andean magmatic arc, located west of the Neuquén Basin. The clay mineral assemblage is interpreted as the result of a complex set of factors, including source rock, climate, transport, and diagenesis. Postdepositional processes produced significant variations in the original compositions, especially the fine-grained deposits. The Tordillo sediments are characterised by moderate SiO₂ contents, variable abundances of K₂O and Na₂O, and a relatively high proportion of ferromagnesian elements. The degree of chemical weathering in the source area, expressed as the chemical index of alteration, is low to moderate. The major element geochemistry and Th/Sc, K/Rb, Co/Th, La/Sc, and Cr/Th values point to a significant input of detrital volcanic material of calcalkaline felsic and intermediate composition. However, major element geochemistry is not useful for interpreting the tectonic setting. Discrimination plots based on immobile trace elements, such as Ti, Zr, La, Sc, and Th, show that most data lie in the active continental margin field. Geochemical information is not sufficiently sensitive to differentiate the two different source areas recognized by petrographic and modal analyses of conglomerates and sandstones.     

First U–Pb SHRIMP age of the Hauterivian stage, Neuquén Basin, Argentina

A high-resolution ion-microprobe (SHRIMP) U–Pb zircon age from a tuff layer intercalated in the ammonoid bearing sedimentary succession of the Neuquén Basin in Argentina provides a robust geochronologic date to add to the absolute ages and to improve the relative chronology of the Early Cretaceous Hauterivian stage. The tuff layer appears interbedded between shales of the upper member (Agua de la Mula) of the Agrio Formation within the Spitidiscus riccardii ammonoid zone (base of the Late Hauterivian) yielding a date of 132.5 ± 1.3 Ma. This date confirms and supports an accurate correlation between the ammonoid biostratigraphy of the Neuquén Basin with the Western Mediterranean Province of the Tethys during the Early Cretaceous and matches with the most recently published time scale. It also casts doubts on the validity of K–Ar ages on glauconite-grains recently reported from the Lower Cretaceous of the Vocontian Basin of France.