Stratigraphy and sedimentology of phosphate-rich sediments in Malta and south-eastern Sicily (latest Oligocene to early Late Miocene)

The Maltese archipelago and south‐eastern Sicily include an Uppermost Oligocene to Upper Miocene hemipelagic sedimentary succession representing the Malta‐Hyblean plateau, which limits the eastern Mediterranean to the west. This succession hosts a unique and well‐exposed series of condensed and allochthonous phosphate‐rich beds, which were formed in a sedimentary regime of erosion, sediment reworking and frequent gravity‐flow deposition. The combination of nannofossil biostratigraphy and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotope stratigraphy allows for the precise attribution of ages to the phosphate deposits and for the distinction of three periods of major phosphogenesis. The first phase occurred between 24·5 and 21 Ma and 25 and 18·9 Ma (clustering of ages between 25 and 22·5 Ma) on Malta and Sicily, respectively. The second and third phases of phosphogenesis are documented from the Maltese Islands and are dated as 17·2 to 13·1 Ma and 10·9 to 9·8 Ma, respectively. The phosphate‐rich beds are associated with hiatuses and phases of important condensation which, for the oldest phosphogenic period, envelop the time period of 23·2 to 22 Ma for the Fomm Ir Rhi Bay section (Malta) and from 19·1 to 16·3 Ma for the sections of Sampieri and Modica (Sicily). For the second phase of phosphogenesis on the Maltese Islands, a consistent hiatus was found which embraces the time period of approximately 17 to 15 Ma. Also the third phase of phosphogenesis appears to be associated with a major hiatus, which probably envelops the time period between 12·5 and 10·9 Ma, but a better age control is needed here. The correspondence in timing of the Maltese‐Sicilian phases of phosphogenesis with major phases of phosphogenesis outside the Mediterranean realm, to maxima in oceanic phosphorus‐burial rates and maxima in the δ¹³C benthic foraminiferal record suggests that the palaeoceanographic evolution of the eastern Mediterranean was well in phase with that of other ocean basins until at least the early Late Miocene, despite its increasing isolation due to the gradual closure of the Eurasian‐Arabian Strait and progressive sea‐level fall.     

Rhenium–osmium systematics of the Mount Isa copper orebody and the Eastern Creek Volcanics,Queensland, Australia: implications for ore genesis

The syn-tectonic breccia-hosted Mount Isa Cu deposit in northwest Queensland is the largest sediment-hosted Cu deposit in Australia. Whole-rock samples of chalcopyrite-rich Cu ore form an isochron with a Re–Os age of 1,372 ± 41 Ma. This age is more than 100 Ma younger than the previously accepted age of Cu ore formation, an Ar–Ar mineral age for biotite separated from the host rocks within the alteration envelope to the Cu orebody. This discrepancy cannot be unequivocally resolved due to a lack of other absolute geochronological constraints for Cu mineralisation or the deformation event associated with Cu emplacement. The 1,372 ± 41 Ma date may reflect (a) the time of Cu deposition, (b) the time of a hydrothermal event that reset the Re–Os signature of the Cu ore or (c) mixing of the Re–Os isotope systematics between the host rocks and Cu-bearing fluids. However, a range of published Ar–Ar and Rb–Sr dates for potassic alteration associated with Cu mineralisation also records an event between 1,350 and 1,400 Ma and these are consistent with the 1,372 Ma Re–Os age. The 1.8 Ga Eastern Creek Volcanics are a series of tholeiitic basalts with a primary magmatic Cu enrichment which occur adjacent to the Mount Isa Cu deposit. The whole-rock Os isotopic signature of the Eastern Creek Volcanics ranges from mantle-like values for the upper Pickwick Member, to more radiogenic/crustal values for the lower Cromwell Member. The Re–Os isotope signature of the Cu ores overlaps with those calculated for the two volcanic members at 1,372 Ma; hence, the Os isotope data are supportive of the concept that the Os in the Cu ores was sourced from the Eastern Creek Volcanics. By inference, it is therefore postulated that the Eastern Creek Volcanics are the source of Cu in the Mount Isa deposit, as both Os and Cu are readily transported by oxidised hydrothermal fluids, such as those that are thought to have formed the Cu orebody. The Pickwick Member yields a Re–Os isochron age of 1,833 ± 51 Ma, which is within error of previously reported age constraints. The initial ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os isotopic ratio of 0.114 ± 0.067 (γOs = −0.7) is slightly subchondritic, and together with other trace element geochemical constraints, is consistent with a subcontinental lithospheric mantle source. The Pickwick Member records a minimum age of ca. 1.95 Ga for melt depletion in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath the Mount Isa Inlier prior to the extraction of the magmas which formed the Eastern Creek Volcanics. This corresponds with the end of subduction-related magmatism along the eastern margin of the Northern Australian Craton, which included the Mount Isa Inlier.     

Fashion and phases of late Pleistocene aggradation and incision in the Alaknanda River Valley, western Himalaya, India

We study the aggradation and incision of the Alaknanda River Valley during the late Pleistocene and Holocene. The morphostratigraphy in the river valley at Deoprayag shows the active riverbed, a cut terrace, and a fill terrace. The sedimentary fabric of the fill terrace comprises four lithofacies representing 1) riverbed accretion, 2) locally derived debris fan, 3) the deposits of waning floods and 4) palaeoflood records. The sedimentation style, coupled with geochemical analysis and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating, indicate that this terrace formed in a drier climate and the river valley aggraded in two phases during 21–18 ka and 13–9 ka. During these periods, sediment supply was relatively higher. Incision began after 10 ka in response to a strengthened monsoon and aided by increase of the tectonic gradient. The cut terrace formed at ~ 5 ka during a phase of stable climate and tectonic quiescence. The palaeoflood records suggest wetter climate 200–300 yr ago when the floods originated in the upper catchment of the Higher Himalaya and in the relatively drier climate ~ 1.2 ka when locally derived sediments from the Lesser Himalaya dominated flood deposits. Maximum and minimum limits of bedrock incision rate at Deoprayag are 2.3 mm/a and 1.4 mm/a.     

喜马拉雅造山带的地壳上地幔结构——近震反射观测结果

2002-2005年完成了穿越喜马拉雅山的宽频地震探测,采用了沿剖面紧密排列的台站布置并获得了近震中的反射波资料,这对地壳和岩石圈内部速度界面的研究有重要意义.地震数据及研究结果表明,青藏高原的地震主要发生于上地壳范围内,高原莫霍面反射波的纵波PmP与横波SmS波至清晰可辨且有很强的能量,在跨越雅鲁藏布江时PmP和SmS均发生了错动,表现为北深南浅.在改则至鲁谷沿线所记录到的发生在拉萨地块的Fw21事件的地震数据中,拉萨地块内部的莫霍面反射波,尤其是SmS波至非常清晰连续,地壳纵波平均速度为Vp=6.3km/s,表明拉萨地块内部Moho面平坦、连续,不存在突起与错位.在此Moho面之前出现壳内较强反射界面,埋深45kin可能正是下地壳的顶界面.P208事件中PmP和SmS均清晰可见,然而在距震中450km及其以远地段存在两个清晰的震相PLt及SLt,并且其能量很强,可能是位于160km深处的岩石圈底界面的反映.根据对近震资料的分析研究,本文建立了该地区的地壳上地幔的结构模型.     

大陆碰撞造山带的流体成分与演化:东喜马拉雅构造结南迦巴瓦岩群高压麻粒岩的流体包裹体研究

位于喜马拉雅东构造结的南迦巴瓦岩群经历了高压麻粒岩相、中压麻粒岩相和角闪岩相三期变质作用.在高压麻粒岩中含有复杂的流体包裹体类型,按照捕获先后顺序有:H2O-CO2±CH4包裹体(Ⅰ型);CO2±CH4±N2包裹体(Ⅱ型);高盐度多相包裹体(Ш型);中.低盐度H2O包裹体(Ⅳ型)和极低密度气体包裹体或"空"包裹体(Ⅴ型).在基性麻粒岩中,被石榴石包裹石英中孤立分布的H2O-CO2 4-CH4包裹体,以及部分沿石榴石晶内裂隙分布的H2-CO2±CH4和H2O包裹体轨迹未穿过围绕石榴石的辉石 斜长石后成合晶冠状体,表明它们有可能是在麻粒岩相变质阶段捕获的.然而,所有流体包裹体的等容线均从麻粒岩相变质峰期P-T区间下方通过,说明麻粒岩相变质峰期捕获的包裹体均受到了不同程度的改造,包括部分爆裂、渗漏和流体-矿物相互作用等.现存的富CO2流体包裹体均具有较低密度,并且往往含有明显数量CH4和N2组分,不可能是麻粒岩相变质峰期捕获的包裹体.根据富CO2包裹体与具有不同相比的H2-CO2包裹体共存推测,大部分CO2包裹体是通过H2O-CO2包裹体中H2O的选择性泄漏而形成的.Ⅲ型高盐度盐水包裹体很可能是角闪岩相退变质过程中捕获的,因其等容线与退变质轨迹近于平行,这些包裹体很可能保存了其在角闪岩相阶段捕获时的原生物理化学特征.沿矿物颗粒裂隙分布的大量Ⅳ型和Ⅴ型包裹体,应该是角闪岩相或更晚期形成的次生包裹体,代表了浅成(近地表)环境的循环流体.与世界许多地区麻粒岩相岩石普遍舍高密度纯CO2流体包裹体不同,南迦巴瓦岩群高压麻粒岩以富含H2O-CO4±CH4和H2O包裹体为特征,这可能与高压麻粒岩与高温麻粒岩产出于不同的构造环境和经历的退变质轨迹有关.     

东准噶尔萨北锡矿SHRIMP锆石U-Pb测年及地质意义

萨北锡矿偏碱性黑云母花岗岩中锡石石英脉的SHRIMP锆石U—Pb测年表明,该矿床的锡成矿年龄为(324.2+3.4).Ma,与老鸦泉～红土井子和苏吉泉黑云母花岗岩体的成岩年龄(358.6 Ma-304+2 Ma)相当:明显早于萨北富碱花岗岩的成岩年龄(306+3 Ma-314+5 Ma)和富碱花岗岩体中的锡石(碱性角闪石)石英脉成矿年龄(263.6+3Ma-307+11 Ma).因此,萨北矿区至少存在两期锡矿化,而且这两期锡矿成矿时代与东准噶尔后碰撞深成岩浆活动的两个时段年龄(330-310 Ma和305-280 Ma)和新疆北部后碰撞3个成矿高峰期年龄(340～330 Ma,300-285 Ma,270-260 Ma)相吻合.由此可见,萨北锡矿具成矿多期性,并且与偏碱性黑云母花岗岩一富碱花岗岩岩浆演化关系密切,萨北锡矿区两类锡矿及其赋矿的碱性花岗岩都是新疆北部晚古生代后碰撞岩浆一成矿活动的产物:卡拉麦里地区可能存在与晚古生代后碰撞碱性花岗岩质岩浆有关的锡矿成矿系统.     

东秦岭南洛河中游地区发现的旧石器和黄土堆积

对2006～2007年在东秦岭南洛河中游地区河南省卢氏和洛宁两县发现的8处旷野类型旧石器地点的160余件石制品进行了初步研究,并对产出石制品的黄土堆积剖面进行了地层学分析和光释光测年。初步结果表明,南洛河中游地区的旧石器工业很丰富,石制品的加工技术与上游洛南盆地一致,同样采取硬锤直接打击法;加工石制品的原料来自于河流堆积物中的石英岩和石英砾石等;石制品中有相当数量的小型石片和由小型石片二次加工修理而成的工具,还有直接由砾石加工而成的重型工具,如手镐等;除此之外,大型石片以及以大型石片加工而成的重型工具,如重型刮削器也多有所见。由于工作范围和力度的局限,南洛河中游地区目前尚未发现上游洛南盆地旧石器遗址中广泛存在的手斧、三棱手镐、薄刃斧和大型石刀等Acheulian类型两面加工技术生产的工具。新发现的南洛河中游旧石器地点分布在不同时期形成的河流阶地和黄土地层中。地层分析和光释光年代测试表明,南洛河中游地区的黄土堆积至少从中更新世便已经开始,并一直持续到全新世,至少在黄土剖面中S₁,S₃和S₄的3个层位有石器分布;其黄土-古土壤旋回不仅可以用于石制品产出层位的准确定年,还指示了早期人类石器工业演化和人类生存环境变化的过程。     

Structural and geochronological constraints on the tectono-thermal evolution of the Danba domal terrane, eastern margin of the Tibetan plateau

The Songpan-Ganze terrane of the Tibetan plateau is underlain by Neoproterozoic crystalline basement rocks of the Yangtze block. These basement rocks are exposed as a series of extensional tectonic domes that form a nearly north–south trending extensional belt more than 1000 km long in the eastern margin of the Tibetan plateau. In the Danba area, detachment faults separate the basement core complexes (e.g., the Gezong and Gongcai complexes) from the Paleozoic strata which have been thinned or removed completely. The cover sequences have undergone upper greenschist to lower amphibolite facies metamorphism to form the Danba schist and are overlain by the Triassic Xikang Group, a thick flysch sequence. Both the basement rocks and the Paleozoic rocks have undergone multiple stages of deformation and thus provide an excellent opportunity to study the tectono-thermal evolution of the eastern margin of the Tibetan plateau. Two stages of deformation, corresponding to three generations of foliation (S₁, , and ), have been recognized on the basis of structural and microscopic observations. We selected amphibole and biotite separates associated with distinct generations of foliation for ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating using laser microprobe incremental heating technique to place numerical constraints on the major tectono-thermal events within the Danba area. The geochronogical results reveal an earliest metamorphic event at 258.6 ± 0.5 Ma (S₁ biotite) and 263.6 ± 0.8 Ma (S₁ amphibole), coinciding temporally with the mantle plume that produced the voluminous Emeishan flood basalts. The second event was a progressive extensional deformation first occurred at 159–166 Ma ( amphibole) responsible for the earlier tectonic doming of the crystalline basement, and then the final tectono-thermal overprint recorded by foliation and metamorphism locally in the core complexes at 47–58 Ma for the Gezong complex and 64–81 Ma for the Gongcai complex. This major post-orogenic extensional event is believed to be a consequence of collision between the North China and South China blocks. The apparent discrepancy of the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages observed between localities suggests a slow cooling process associated with progressive uplift.     

末次盛冰期以来中国东部陆架层序地层研究现状

本文中笔者总结了多年来国内外中国东部陆架晚更新世地层结构研究的主要认识,系统阐述了层序地层与沉积环境演化。中国东部陆架沉积物输运量高、沉积作用受海平面变化影响强烈,是分析晚更新世沉积演化史的理想场所。末次盛冰期(22kaBP)之前,海面的持续下降形成以浅海、三角洲及海陆交互沉积为主的强制海退体系域。进入盛冰期后,一个新的旋回开始,在海退体系域之上,相继形成了包括低位体系域、海侵体系域及高位体系域在内新的4级层序:22～15kaBP盛冰期时期,海面降至最低,形成低位体系域,包括陆架深切河湖沉积及风成沉积,以及陆架边缘三角洲和潮流砂体等;盛冰期结束的15～7kaBP时期,全球海平面快速上升,形成含河道充填、湖泊、盐沼、潮坪、潮流砂体及浅海沉积的退积型海侵体系域;约7kaBP以后,海面与现今海面位置基本相当,形成高位体系域,主要为三角洲和潮流砂等近岸陆架的沉积。     

章丘地热田地热资源量计算与评价

济南市东部地区地热地质条件较好,典型代表为章丘地热田。为了估算评价其地热资源,服务于进一步的预可行性勘查,该文在资料收集、野外勘查的基础上,依据地热地质条件及地热田勘查研究程度,确定奥陶纪灰岩裂隙岩溶层状、带状热储层为章丘地热田的主要研究对象。该文对章丘地热田地热能资源量、地热流体可开采量进行了计算。章丘地热田总面积为468.524km~2,在章丘地热田Ⅰ,Ⅱ计算分区385.225km~2范围内,地热资源总量为1.337×10~(18)J,折合标准煤0.4562×10~8 t,地热资源储量查明程度为推断的。按照最大允许压力降低值0.3MPa计算,章丘地热田奥陶系热储地热流体资源可开采量为6620.56m~3/d。按照地热流体可开采量计算的地热田产能为10.83MW,年开采累计可利用的热能量为5.690×10~8MJ,折合标准煤1.941×10~4t/a。通过该次评价,为持续做好该区的地热资源开发利用工作,带动当地经济发展,构建能源节约型社会提供了数据支持。