Episodic Mesozoic thickening and reworking of the North China Archean lower crust correlated to the fast-spreading Pacific plate

A central target in Earth sciences is to understand the processes controlling the stabilization and destruction of Archean continents. The North China craton (NCC) has in part lost its dense crustal root after the Mesozoic, and thus it is a key region to test models of crust–mantle differentiation and subsequent evolution of the continental crust. However, the timing and mechanisms responsible for its crustal thickening and reworking have been long debated. Here we report the Early Cretaceous Yinan (eastern NCC) adakitic granites, for which major/trace elemental models demonstrate that they are complementary to the analogy of the documented eclogitic relicts within the NCC. Based on their Late Archean inherited zircons, depleted mantle Nd model ages of ∼2.8 Ga, large negative ε_Nd(t) values (−36.7 to −25.3) and strongly radiogenic initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.7178–0.7264), we suggest that the Yinan adakitic granites were potentially formed by the dehydration melting of a thickened Archean mica-bearing mafic lower crust during the Early Cretaceous (ca. 124 Ma), corresponding to a major period (117–132 Ma) of the NCC Mesozoic intrusive magmatism. Combined previous results, it is shown that the thickening and reworking of the North China Archean lower crust occurred largely as two short-lived episodes at 155–180 Ma and 117–132 Ma, rather than a gradual, secular event. These correlated temporally with the superfast-spreading Pacific plate during the Mesozoic. The synchroneity of these events suggests rapid plate motion of the Pacific plate driving the episodic NCC crustal thickening and reworking, resulting in dense eclogitic residues that became gravitationally unstable. The onset of lithospheric delamination occurred when upwelling asthenosphere heated the base of lower crust to form coeval felsic magmas with or without involvement of juvenile mantle material. Collectively, the circum-Pacific massive crustal production could be attributed to the unusually rapid motion of Pacific at 155–180 Ma and 117–132 Ma.     

Seismic structure of the Helan–Liupan–Ordos western margin tectonic belt in North-Central China and its geodynamic implications

We study high-resolution three-dimensional P-wave velocity (Vp) tomography and anisotropic structure of the crust and uppermost mantle under the Helan–Liupan–Ordos western margin tectonic belt in North-Central China using 13,506 high-quality P-wave arrival times from 2666 local earthquakes recorded by 87 seismic stations during 1980–2008. Our results show that prominent low-velocity (low-V) anomalies exist widely in the lower crust beneath the study region and the low-V zones extend to the uppermost mantle in some local areas, suggesting that the lower crust contains higher-temperature materials and fluids. The major fault zones, especially the large boundary faults of major tectonic units, are located at the edge portion of the low-V anomalies or transition zones between the low-V and high-V anomalies in the upper crust, whereas low-V anomalies are revealed in the lower crust under most of the faults. Most of large historical earthquakes are located in the boundary zones where P-wave velocity changes drastically in a short distance. Beneath the source zones of most of the large historical earthquakes, prominent low-V anomalies are visible in the lower crust. Significant P-wave azimuthal anisotropy is revealed in the study region, and the pattern of anisotropy in the upper crust is consistent with the surface geologic features. In the lower crust and uppermost mantle, the predominant fast velocity direction (FVD) is NNE–SSW under the Yinchuan Graben and NWW–SEE or NW–SE beneath the Corridor transitional zone, Qilian Orogenic Belt and Western Qinling Orogenic Belt, and the FVD is NE–SW under the eastern Qilian Orogenic Belt. The anisotropy in the lower crust may be caused by the lattice-preferred orientation of minerals, which may reflect the lower-crustal ductile flow with varied directions. The present results shed new light on the seismotectonics and geodynamic processes of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau and its northeastern margin.     

Andean earthquakes triggered by the 2010 Maule,Chile (Mw 8.8) earthquake: Comparisons of geodetic,seismic and geologic constraints

The Maule, Chile, (M_w 8.8) earthquake on 27 February 2010 triggered deformation events over a broad area, allowing investigation of stress redistribution within the upper crust following a mega-thrust subduction event. We explore the role that the Maule earthquake may have played in triggering shallow earthquakes in northwestern Argentina and Chile. We investigate observed ground deformation associated with the M_w 6.2 (GCMT) Salta (1450 km from the Maule hypocenter, 9 h after the Maule earthquake), M_w 5.8 Catamarca (1400 km; nine days), M_w 5.1 Mendoza (350 km; between one to five days) earthquakes, as well as eight additional earthquakes without an observed geodetic signal. We use seismic and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) observations to characterize earthquake location, magnitude and focal mechanism, and characterize how the non-stationary, spatially correlated noise present in the geodetic imagery affects the accuracy of our parameter estimates. The focal mechanisms for the far-field Salta and Catamarca earthquakes are broadly consistent with regional late Cenozoic fault kinematics. We infer that dynamic stresses due to the passage of seismic waves associated with the Maule earthquake likely brought the Salta and Catamarca regions closer to failure but that the involved faults may have already been at a relatively advanced stage of their seismic cycle. The near-field Mendoza earthquake geometry is consistent with triggering related to positive static Coulomb stress changes due to the Maule earthquake but is also aligned with the South America-Nazca shortening direction. None of the earthquakes considered in this study require that the Maule earthquake reactivated faults in a sense that is inconsistent with their long-term behavior.     

祁连山造山作用与岩石圈地幔的特型结构构造

本文探讨了祁连山地壳增厚与造山机制。提出新生代以来,由于印度地块向北推进,其延迟的远程效应使祁连地块内4条断裂再次活动,特别是23 Ma以来,分阶段的活动使上地壳缩短了30%,40 km厚的祁连地壳增加到57km厚;并通过柴达木地块下地壳物质的挤入,使祁连地块地壳厚度增加到现今的60~74 km;地壳质量基本平衡表明其下部地壳物质横向迁移较小,即走滑断裂带走的地壳物质较少。依据INDEPTH-V新的宽频地震调查成果,提出祁连地块下岩石圈地幔的复杂结构,南部来的昆仑岩石圈地幔(双层结构)与北部向南俯冲的阿拉善地块下的亚洲岩石圈地幔在祁连地块深部相碰撞,而柴达木—祁连岩石圈地幔则被保存在昆仑岩石圈与亚洲岩石圈地幔碰撞带之上,共形成一倒三角汇聚区;在柴北缘与中祁连北缘岩石圈地幔各出现一条北倾和南倾的正转换震相,可能是老俯冲带残存岩片的显示;在祁连地块岩石圈地幔的两端地壳底部还出现有"双"莫霍"现象",地表见有多条榴辉岩带。以上结果构成了高原最具特色的构造区。     

黔中—渝南沉积型铝土矿区域成矿模式及找矿模型

黔中—渝南沉积型铝土矿的区域成矿模式概括如下:志留纪末的广西运动和泥盆纪末的紫云运动等,可能都是在峨眉地幔柱演化的壳幔相互作用阶段,因地幔柱向地壳大量输送物质和辐射能量,从而引发的地壳升降运动,在此期间,全区大面积抬升,形成长期隆起区;泥盆纪末准平原化;早石炭世岩关期气候湿热,暴露地表的早古生代岩石全面红土化、钙红土化,形成的含三水铝石红土风化壳物质,为沉积型铝土矿提供了物源。修文及息烽—遵义沉积区,于早石炭世大塘期早—中期沉积了铝土矿含矿岩系—九架炉组。绥阳—正安—道真沉积区,在晚石炭世的黄龙组石灰岩沉积并钙红土化之后,于马平期沉积了铝土矿含矿岩系的大竹园组。3个沉积区的铝土矿含矿岩系,都是在以陆相为主的环境中沉积形成的。在成岩阶段,铝土矿中的三水铝石逐渐变质为硬水铝石。由于各沉积区形成含三水铝石红土风化壳的母岩不同,由此沉积而成的铝土矿及其含矿岩系,在化学成分和矿物成分上也就有所差异。     

海底扩张的潮汐模式

2000年6月底，东京以南的伊豆岛开始发生火山与地震活动。此后，在伊豆岛观测到异常的地壳变形，8月底，火山与地震活动达到高潮。对潮汐与火山和地震活动的关系进行了分析，认为：地壳变形是由伊豆岛的岩脉侵入引起的，并且与强潮汐天文条件相对应。根据观测和计算数据提出了海底扩张的潮汐模式。     

Assessing the impact of the hydraulic properties of a crusted soil on overland flow modelling at the field scale

Soil surface crusts are widely reported to favour Hortonian runoff, but are not explicitly represented in most rainfall‐runoff models. The aim of this paper is to assess the impact of soil surface crusts on infiltration and runoff modelling at two spatial scales, i.e. the local scale and the plot scale. At the local scale, two separate single ring infiltration experiments are undertaken. The first is performed on the undisturbed soil, whereas the second is done after removal of the soil surface crust. The HYDRUS 2D two‐dimensional vertical infiltration model is then used in an inverse modelling approach, first to estimate the soil hydraulic properties of the crust and the subsoil, and then the effective hydraulic properties of the soil represented as a single uniform layer. The results show that the crust hydraulic conductivity is 10 times lower than that of the subsoil, thus illustrating the limiting role the crust has on infiltration. Moving up to the plot scale, a rainfall‐runoff model coupling the Richards equation to a transfer function is used to simulate Hortonian overland flow hydrographs. The previously calculated hydraulic properties are used, and a comparison is undertaken between a single‐layer and a double‐layer representation of the crusted soil. The results of the rainfall‐runoff model show that the soil hydraulic properties calculated at the local scale give acceptable results when used to model runoff at the plot scale directly, without any numerical calibration. Also, at the plot scale, no clear improvement of the results can be seen when using a double‐layer representation of the soil in comparison with a single homogeneous layer. This is due to the hydrological characteristics of Hortonian runoff, which is triggered by a rainfall intensity exceeding the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil surface. Consequently, the rainfall‐runoff model is more sensitive to rainfall than to the subsoil's hydrodynamic properties. Therefore, the use of a double‐layer soil model to represent runoff on a crusted soil does not seem necessary, as the increase of precision in the soil discretization is not justified by a better performance of the model. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

渤海湾周缘高温地热异常特征及深部热结构分析

渤海湾周缘高温地热异常区是华北重要的地热资源区,研究其浅层高温地热异常及深层高温地热结构,是解决中国东部高温地热勘查开发瓶颈的重要基础,对加快构建东部现代能源体系、推进“双碳”目标进程具有重要的科学意义。利用最新的中国大陆岩石圈速度模型USTClitho2.0和航磁资料,在大地热流资料约束下,本文计算了渤海湾周缘浅层与深层高温热结构,结果表明:该区居里面平均深度20.8km,居里温度420℃,中、上地壳高温热结构与居里面起伏形态密切相关。上地壳生热率随深度增大而递减,反映了放射性生热元素向上迁移、在浅层富集的垂向分异特征。Moho面温度在600～800℃之间,岩石圈底界面1300℃等温面深度在66.3～97.5 km之间,平均值为76.8 km。依据USTClitho2.0模型Vp、Vs速度结构,本文修正了前人的地壳分层结构及上地壳生热率,计算了研究区内全部91个大地热流点的壳幔热流比,结果表明:Qc/Q=56.4%、Qm/Q=43.6%, Qc/Q>Qm/Q,显示该区为“热壳”结构。前人认为此区是“冷壳热幔”型热结构,本文的计算结果修正了前人的认识,指出上地壳层热流在地表总热流...     

东昆仑拉陵高里河沟脑地区晚三叠世花岗闪长斑岩年代学、岩石地球化学及Hf同位素特征

本文对东昆仑拉陵高里河沟脑花岗闪长斑岩开展详细的全岩地球化学、LA- ICP- MS锆石U- Pb年代学、锆石Hf同位素研究,确定其形成时代,并探讨其岩石成因及成岩构造背景。结果显示,花岗闪长斑岩LA- ICP- MS锆石U- Pb年龄为231. 1±1. 2 Ma,指示其侵位于晚三叠世早期。全岩K2O/Na2O值为0. 69～0. 71,Mg#值为40. 5～41. 6,里特曼指数σ为1. 90～2. 09,A/CNK=1. 01～1. 03,属弱过铝质中—高钾钙碱性岩石系列。岩石的轻重稀土元素分异明显,(La/Yb)N值为19. 54～25. 52,具弱负Eu异常（δEu为0. 96～0. 97）,富集大离子亲石元素K、Rb、Ba、Th,亏损高场强元素Nb、Ta、Ti等,具有高的Sr含量(606. 0×10-6～647. 9×10-6)和Sr/Y值(60. 38～62. 99),较低的Y(9. 62×10-6～10. 66×10-6)和Yb(0. 86-6～0. 92×10-6)含量,显示Adakite（高锶低钇中酸性岩）的地球化学特征。锆石Hf同位素εHf(t)值介于-6. 93~-2. 94,地壳模式年龄（TDM2）范围为1. 45~1. 70 Ga。综合分析表明,拉陵高里河沟脑花岗闪长斑岩形成于东昆仑洋壳俯冲末期至局部碰撞的转换阶段,岩浆源于高压条件下的加厚下地壳部分熔融。