西南印度洋中脊表层沉积物中存在热液组分的地球化学证据

Hydrothermal materials in deep-sea sediments provide a robust tracer to the localized hydrothermal activity at mid-ocean ridges. Major, trace and rare earth element(REE) data for surface sediments collected from the ultraslow spreading Southwest Indian Ridge are presented to examine the existence of hydrothermal component.Biogenic carbonate oozes dominate all the sediment samples, with CaO content varying from 85.5% to 89.9% on a volatile-free basis. The leaching residue of bulk sediments by ~5% HCl is compositionally comparable to the Upper Continental Crust(UCC) in SiO_2, Al_2O_3, CaO, MgO, alkali elements(Rb, Cs) and high field strength elements(Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, Ti). These detritus-hosted elements are inferred to be prominently derived from the Australian continent by means of eolian dust, while the contribution of local volcaniclastics is insignificant. In addition, the residual fraction shows a clear enrichment in Fe, Mn, and Ba compared with the UCC. Combining the positive Eu anomaly of residual fraction which is opposed to the UCC but the characteristic of hydrothermal fluids and associated precipitates occurred at mid-ocean ridges, the incorporation of localized hydrothermal component can be constrained. REE mixing calculations indicate that more than half REE within the residual fraction(~55%–60%) are derived from a hydrothermal component, which is inferred to be resulted from a diffuse fluid mineralization. The low-temperature diffuse flow may be widely distributed along the slow-ultraslow spreading ridges where crustal faults and fissures abound, and probably have a great mineralization potential.     

Benthic megafauna on steep slopes at the Northern Mid‐Atlantic Ridge

The role of small‐scale (<10 km) habitat availability in structuring deep‐sea hard substratum assemblages is poorly understood. Epibenthic megafauna and substratum availability were studied on steep slopes at the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge from May to July 2010 northwest, northeast, southwest and southeast of the Charlie‐Gibbs Fracture Zone (CGFZ; 48–54°N) at between 2095 and 2601 m depth. Megafauna were six times denser north of the CGFZ compared with the south and differences in density were almost entirely driven by sessile fauna. There was no significant difference in habitat availability amongst sites. Rocky substratum made up 48% of the total area surveyed, with individual transects having between 0% and 82% rock. Assemblage structures were different amongst all superstations. The north was dominated by demospongids and hexactinellids, whereas the southern superstations were dominated by anthozoans and hexactinellids. Differences in megafaunal assemblages north and south of the CGFZ primarily reflected variations in demospongid and anthozoan species composition. With 213–1825 individuals·ha^?1, and 7–24 species per superstation, hexactinellids were the most species‐rich (36 species) and cosmopolitan taxa at the study site, supporting observations elsewhere along the ridge and in the CGFZ. The absence of significant differences in substrata availability suggested alternative drivers for density or percentage cover. The amount of hard substratum available only limited sessile megafauna density at one transect that was entirely covered with sediments. Species richness was highest for areas with intermediate values of substratum coverage (35–43% rock).     

基于连续小波变换的天然气水合物层地震数据多尺度分析——布莱克海台USGS95-1测线应用实例

似海底反射（BSR）是目前天然气水合物层识别的主要依据,但是当BSR不明显或者缺失的时候怎样识别水合物层,以及水合物层顶面和下伏游离气层底面如何确定,仍然是水合物识别中难以圆满解决的两大难题。以布莱克海台USGS95-1测线地震数据为例利用小波变换进行多尺度研究发现水合物层和游离气层表现出不同的尺度特征：水合物层表现出大尺度特征,而游离气层具有小尺度特征;在最佳尺度剖面上,水合物层表现为低尺度背景中的近似平行于海底的高尺度带。利用水合物层和游离气层的这种尺度差异不但可以识别水合物层,而且还可以推断水合物层的顶面和游离气层的底面。     

The relative contributions of alpine and subalpine ecosystems to the water balance of a mountainous,headwater catchment

Climate change is affecting the hydrology of high‐elevation mountain ecosystems, with implications for ecosystem functioning and water availability to downstream populations. We directly and continuously measured precipitation and evapotranspiration (ET) from both subalpine forest and alpine tundra portions of a single catchment, as well as discharge fluxes at the catchment outlet, to quantify the water balance of a mountainous, headwater catchment in Colorado, USA. Between 2008 and 2012, the water balance closure averaged 90% annually, and the catchment ET was the largest water output at 66% of precipitation. Alpine ET was greatest during the winter, in part because of sublimation from blowing snow, which contributed from 27% to 48% of the alpine, and 6% to 9% of the catchment water balance, respectively. The subalpine ET peaked in summer. Alpine areas generated the majority of the catchment discharge, despite covering only 31% of the catchment area. Although the average annual alpine runoff efficiency (discharge/precipitation; 40%) was greater than the subalpine runoff efficiency (19%), the subalpine runoff efficiency was more sensitive to changes in precipitation. Inter‐annual analysis of the evaporative and dryness indices revealed persistent moisture limitations at the catchment scale, although the alpine alternated between energy‐limited and water‐limited states in wet and dry years. Each ecosystem generally over‐generated discharge relative to that expected from a Budyko‐type model. The alpine and catchment water yields were relatively unaffected by annual meteorological variability, but this interpretation was dependent on the method used to quantify potential ET. Our results indicate that correctly accounting for dissimilar hydrological cycling above and below alpine treeline is critical to quantify the water balance of high‐elevation mountain catchments over periods of meteorological variability. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

P–T–t evolution of granulite facies metamorphism and partial melting in the Winding Stair Gap,Central Blue Ridge,North Carolina,USA

The Winding Stair Gap in the Central Blue Ridge province exposes granulite facies schists, gneisses, granofelses and migmatites characterized by the mineral assemblages: garnet–biotite–sillimanite–plagioclase–quartz, garnet–hornblende–biotite–plagioclase–quartz ± orthopyroxene ± clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene–biotite–quartz. Multiple textural populations of biotite, kyanite and sillimanite in pelitic schists support a polymetamorphic history characterized by an early clockwise P–T path in which dehydration melting of muscovite took place in the stability field of kyanite. Continued heating led to dehydration melting of biotite until peak conditions of 850 ± 30 °C, 9 ± 1 kbar were reached. After equilibrating at peak temperatures, the rocks underwent a stage of near isobaric cooling during which hydrous melt ± K‐feldspar were replaced by muscovite, and garnet by sillimanite + biotite + plagioclase. Most monazite crystals from a pelitic schist display patchy zoning for Th, Y and U, with some matrix crystals having as many as five compositional zones. A few monazite inclusions in garnet, as well as Y‐rich cores of some monazite matrix crystals, yield the oldest dates of c. 500 Ma, whereas a few homogeneous matrix monazites that grew in the main foliation plane yield dates of 370–330 Ma. Culling and analysis of individual spot dates for eight monazite grains yields three age populations of 509 ± 14 Ma, 438 ± 5 Ma and 360 ± 5 Ma. These data suggest that peak‐temperature metamorphism and partial melting in the central Blue Ridge occurred during the Salinic or Taconic orogeny. Following near isobaric cooling, a second weaker thermal pulse possibly related to intrusion of nearby igneous bodies resulted in growth of monazite c. 360 Ma, coinciding with the Neoacadian orogeny.     

Occurrence of ice-rafted erratics and the petrology of the KR1 seamount trail from the Australian–Antarctic Ridge

ABSTRACT

A multi-disciplinary study of the KR1 segment of the Australian–Antarctic Ridge has been conducted since 2011. We present geochemical and age dating results for samples dredged from three sites on the KR1 seamount trail. The majority of the samples are alkaline ocean island basalts with subdominant enriched tholeiites. The samples from the DG05 bathymetric depression include ice-rafted erratics from Antarctica, which consist of gabbro, diabase, various granitoids, volcanic rocks such as trachyte and rhyolite and deformed or undeformed sedimentary rocks. The main provenance of glacial erratics is considered to be the Ross Sea region. However, Carboniferous to Cretaceous ages of erratics indicate that some of these may originate from the western regions of West Antarctica. Based on the size and topography of the volcanic features and geochemical characteristics of the alkaline ocean island basalts (La/Sm_N = 2.62–3.88; Tb/Yb_N = 1.54–2.67) and the enriched tholeiites, the KR1 seamount trail is interpreted to be a submarine hotspot chain that is the product of alkaline volcanic eruption and seafloor spreading.     

Crustal structure and nature of emplacement of the 85°E Ridge in the Mahanadi offshore based on constrained potential field modeling: Implications for intraplate plume emplaced volcanism

An integrated interpretation of multi-channel seismic reflection, gravity and magnetic datasets belonging to northern most part of the 85°E Ridge in the Mahanadi offshore is carried out to study the crustal structure and mode of its emplacement. The basement structure map of the ridge reveals that it is 130–150 km wide and is composed of an eastern high which appears as a continuous, broad and smooth topographyand the western high characterized by several steep isolated highs. The seismic velocities reported for the first time over the ridge indicate several sedimentary sequences ranging in velocities between 1.6 and 4.0 km/s above the acoustic basement top. The salient aspects of the sedimentary velocities are; a low velocity layer (2.6–3.2 km/s) within the Cretaceous sequence in the intervening depressions encompassing the flank region, and a regionally widespread higher velocity layer (3.5–3.8 km/s) belonging to the Eocene–Oligocene section overlying the ridge. A layer having a velocity of 4.2–4.7 km/s probably made of volcanoclastic rocks is observed immediately below the acoustic basement. The sediment isopach maps presented here for three major horizons are used to compute the 3-D sediment gravity effect to obtain a crustal Bouguer anomaly map of the region. Detailed analysis of the gravity and magnetic anomaly maps clearly demonstrates the continuity of ridge up to the Mahanadi coast at Chilka Lake. Seismically constrained gravity and magnetic models indicate that the ridge is composed of volcanic material that was emplaced on continental crust in the shelf-slope areas and over the oceanic crust in the deep offshore areas. The modeled crustal structure below the ridge further indicates volcanic emplacement of the ridge on a relatively younger lithosphere. We propose two alternative models for the emplacement of the ridge.     

Propagation of hotspot volcanism driven flexure in oceanic crust – 85°E Ridge case study

The study focuses on the flexural down-warping of oceanic crust related to the Early Cretaceous hotspot volcanic chain in offshore East India, drawing from robust reflection seismic coverage of the 85°E Ridge and associated moats and arches. Seismic data image three moat-filling units including the basal pelagic, landslide and ponded units, representing the sedimentary record preceding, coeval and postponing flexure. Their stacking patterns allow one to understand the flexural history of the oceanic crust reacting to the volcanic load, in space and time. The flexural history of the oceanic crust can be divided into four stages. The first stage is the brittle faulting-assisted flexure reacting to the appearance of the load. It has a short wavelength and controls the development of moat undergoing deposition of the landslide unit. Then follows the long-wavelength flexure, when the arch starts to develop. The flexural arch formation prevents the landslide unit from covering it, while the moat keeps subsiding. The third flexure stage is a short-wavelength deformation when the moat and arch subside together. Accordingly, the syn-flexural landslide unit records an initial rapid and a later slower subsidence. The fourth flexure stage is characterized by the passive infill of moat by sediments of ponded unit, although limited isostatic adjustments can occur, accompanied by mass wasting.     

新疆东准噶尔克拉麦里蛇绿岩地球化学：洋脊俯冲的产物

新疆东准噶尔克拉麦里蛇绿岩中的镁铁质岩兼具有洋中脊玄武岩(MORB)和岛弧拉斑玄武岩(IAB)的特征,岩石地球化学特征表现为轻稀土(LREE)亏损、平坦或略微富集,不同程度地亏损高场强元素(HFSE)而富集大离子亲石元素(LILE),成分上非常相似于受洋脊俯冲影响的 Chile Ridge 和 Cocos Ridge 玄武岩。可以认为其可能形成于受洋脊俯冲影响的岛弧或弧前扩张环境。相对较高的ε_(Nd)(t)(7.2～9.8)、低 Nb/Zr、Ta/Yb 比值,说明在洋脊俯冲的影响下,其源区可能存在有至少三种组分:弧下地幔、来自消减板片流体和俯冲沉积物、MORB 地幔。