Geology of the Hida Gaien Belt in the upper Kuzuryu‐gawa River Area in Ono City,Fukui Prefecture,Central Japan

Geological, paleontological, and geochronological studies of the Hida Gaien Belt were carried out in the upper Kuzuryu‐gawa River area, northern central Japan. The Hida Gaien Belt lies between the Hida and Mino belts of Southwest Japan and is one of the most complex geologic belts in Japan. The geology of the following units in the study area, mostly bounded by longitudinal, high‐angle faults, was particularly reexamined and described: the Ise metamorphic rocks, the Fujikuradani, Tomedoro, Oguradani, Motodo, Ootani, and Konogidani Formations, and the Tetori Group. Among them, the Tomedoro and Konogidani Formations are both composed mainly of greenstone, and were conventionally coupled together as ‘the Tomedoro schalstein member’ or ‘the Konogidani Formation’. However, the conformable relationship between the Tomedoro Formation and overlying Middle Permian Oguradani Formation, and the K–Ar and ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar ages of 75–69 Ma (Late Cretaceous) from the basalt lava of the Konogidani Formation reveal that they are separate formations with different ages. The Oguradani Formation, consisting of limestone, shale, and sandstone with Middle Permian Boreal‐Tethyan mixed brachiopod fauna, is correlated with the Moribu Formation in the Takayama area of the Hida Gaien Belt, and with the Middle Formation of the Maizuru Group in the Maizuru Belt. The Tomedoro Formation below the Oguradani Formation, in turn, is correlated with the Lower Formation of the Maizuru Belt. The new Late Cretaceous age data from the Konogidani Formation and presence of latest Cretaceous, post‐tectonic volcanic rocks in the study area finally indicate that the fault‐bound structure of the Hida Gaien Belt between the Hida and Mino belts was formed in a very short period in Late Cretaceous age.     

Evaluation of heavy metals and arsenic speciation discharged by the industrial activity on the Tinto-Odiel estuary, SW Spain

This study reports the annual amount of heavy metals discharged by industrial activity into the estuary of the Ría of Huelva (SW Spain). The findings showed that the discharged metals found in highest amounts were Fe (11 t y⁻¹), Zn (3.4 t y⁻¹) and Mo (0.88 t y⁻¹). There were other metals with high pollutant charge, such as Ti (232 kg y⁻¹), As (228 kg y⁻¹), Ni (195 kg y⁻¹), Pb (100 kg y⁻¹), Cr (39 kg y⁻¹) and Cd (33 kg y⁻¹). These results were compared with pollutants transported via the Tinto and Odiel rivers from abandoned mining activities in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB), and it was deduced that the amounts spilled exclusively by industries were less than 1% in relation to the total discharge. Hence, the treatment of residues from the IPB should be the priority goal to improve water quality in the estuary.     

南秦岭略阳鱼洞子岩群磁铁石英岩形成时代的锆石U-Pb年代学约束

鱼洞子杂岩是秦岭造山带出露的重要太古宙基底,也是该地区最古老的复杂地质体.鱼洞子杂岩主要由变质地层(鱼洞子岩群)和规模不等的花岗质变质侵入体(花岗片麻岩)组成.各地质体间多以构造面理接触.鱼洞子岩群是重要的铁矿产出层位,铁矿及其赋矿围岩的形成时代一直没有可靠的依据.本次选择小沟山矿区磁铁石英岩分选出大量锆石.CL影像特...     

U-Pb Dating of Volcanic Rocks and Granites along the Wuyishan Belt: Constraints on Timing of Late Mesozoic Tectonic Events in Southeast China

Five volcanic rock samples and two granite samples taken from the volcanic basins in western Fujian and southern Jiangxi were dated by using the zircon laser albation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry U-Pb method. Together with previously dated ages, the dates obtained provide important constraints on the timing of late Mesozoic tectonic events in SE China. The volcanic rock samples yield ages of 183.1±3.5 Ma, ca. 141 Ma to 135.8±1.1 Ma, 100.4±1.5 to 97.6±1.1 Ma, confirming three episodes of late Mesozoic volcanic activities, which peaked at 180±5 Ma, 140±5 Ma and 100±5 Ma, respectively, along the Wuyishan belt. Moreover, based on field investigations of these volcano-sedimentary basins, we have recognized two compressional tectonic events along this belt. The early one was characterized by Upper Triassic to Middle Jurassic NNE-trending folds that were intruded by late Jurassic granites; and the late one caused the Lower Cretaceous volcano-sedimentary layer to be tilted. The dated age 152.9±1.4 Ma of the granitic samples from the Hetian granitic pluton in the Changting Basin and that from the Baishiding granitic pluton, 100.2±1.8 Ma, in the Jianning Basin, give the upper boundaries of these two tectonic events respectively. Hence, the late Mesozoic tectonic evolution of SE China was alternated between extension and compression.     

The Monagas Fold-Thrust Belt of Eastern Venezuela. Part I: Structural and thermal modeling

The Eastern Venezuelan Basin (EVB) contains one of the largest hydrocarbon accumulations in the world. Main petroleum targets are buried structures of the Monagas Fold-Thrust Belt (MFTB) which forms the northeastern edge of the EVB. The objective of this study is to integrate the seismic and well data that has been acquired over the last 10 years across the MFTB and EVB, to create an updated structural model. Three regional cross sections 60-75 km long are presented across an area of 4000 km².Five structural domains are described: Amarilis, Furrial, Jusepín, Cotoperí and Pirital. They are characterized by thrusts and high-angle reverse faults. Structural style changes along strike are related to variations in depth of detachment levels and to the strike-slip component of the deformation. We have estimated a shortening between 43 and 59 km that increases eastward over a distance of 40 km.The evolution of the MFTB is divided in four episodes based on stratigraphic, structural and thermal maturity evidences: (1) Oligocene-early Miocene initial movement of Pirital thrust. (2) Early Miocene simultaneous movement on Pirital, Furrial and Cotoperí thrusts. (3) Middle Miocene increases in velocity and change in geometry of Pirital thrust, during an out of sequence period of thrusting. (4) Late Miocene to Holocene minor thrust activity. This evolution is consistent with the oblique convergence between the Caribbean and South American plates and the convergence between North and South America that affected Eastern Venezuela during the Cenozoic.By analyzing the along-strike variations in structural style, new exploratory opportunities have been identified. Under the Orocual and Santa Bárbara fields two untested duplex structures are proposed; they were developed during the middle Miocene. Other prospective hydrocarbon traps are associated to oblique transpressive faults that create anticline structures.     

Urban spatial development and land use in Beijing: Implications from London’s experiences

Beijing is facing a huge challenge to manage the growth of its built-up area whilst also retaining both productive arable land and land for conservation purposes in order to simultaneously realize the three aims of economic development, protecting arable land and generating environmental improvements. Meanwhile, London, as a world city with more than 200 years of industrialization and urbanization, has accumulated rich theoretical and practical experiences for land use planning in a major urban area, such as the creation of Garden Cities, a designated Green Belt and New Towns. This paper firstly analyzes the main characteristics of the spatial distribution of the built-up area, arable land and conservation land in Beijing. Then, some of the key aspects of urban fringe planning in the London region are examined. Lastly, several implications from the experience of London are provided with respect to land-use planning for Beijing, concentrating on a re-appraisal of land-use functions around Beijing, measures to improve the green belt, the development of small towns to house rural-urban migrants and urban overspill, and effective implementation of land-use planning.     

Examples of convective fractionation in high‐temperature granites from the Lachlan Fold Belt

Igneous rocks derived from high‐temperature, crystal‐poor magmas of intermediate potassic composition are widespread in the central Lachlan Fold Belt, and have been assigned to the Boggy Plain Supersuite. These rocks range in composition from 45 to 78% SiO₂, with a marked paucity of examples in the range 65–70% SiO₂, the composition dominant in most other granites of the Lachlan Fold Belt. Evidence is presented from two units of the Boggy Plain Supersuite, the Boggy Plain zoned pluton and the Nallawa complex, to demonstrate that these high‐temperature magmas solidified under a regime of convective fractionation. By this process, a magma body solidified from margin to centre as the zone of solidification moved progressively inwards. High‐temperature near‐liquidus minerals with a certain proportion of trapped interstitial differentiated melt, separated from the buoyant differentiated melt during solidification. In most cases much of this differentiated melt buoyantly rose to the top of the magma chamber to form felsic sheets that overly the solidifying main magma chamber beneath. Some of these felsic tops erupted as volcanic rocks, but they mainly form extensive high‐level intrusive bodies, the largest being the granitic part of the Yeoval complex, with an area of over 200 km². Back‐mixing of fractionated melt into the main magma chamber progressively changed the composition of the main melt, resulting in highly zoned plutons. In the more felsic part of the Boggy Plain zoned pluton back‐mixing was dominant, if not exclusive, forming an intrusive body cryptically zoned from 63% SiO₂ on the margin to 72% SiO₂ in the core. It is suggested that tonalitic bodies do not generally crystallise through convective fractionation because the differentiated melt is volumetrically small and totally trapped within the interstitial space: back‐mixing is excluded and homogeneous plutons with essentially the composition of the parental melt are formed.     

Two contrasting granite types: 25 years later

The concept of I‐ and S‐type granites was introduced in 1974 to account for the observation that, apart from the most felsic rocks, the granites in the Lachlan Fold Belt have properties that generally fall into two distinct groups. This has been interpreted to result from derivation by partial melting of two kinds of source rocks, namely sedimentary and older igneous rocks. The original publication on these two granite types is reprinted and reviewed in the light of 25 years of continuing study into these granites.     

Evolution of an intra‐oceanic island arc during the Late Silurian to Late Devonian,New England Fold Belt

Geochemical studies of volcanic rocks in the Gamilaroi terrane and Calliope Volcanic Assemblage, New England Fold Belt, eastern Australia, indicate that the setting in which these rocks formed changed in both space and time. The Upper Silurian to Middle Devonian basalts of the Gamilaroi terrane show flat to slightly light rare‐earth element (LREE) depleted chondrite normalised patterns, depletion of high field strength elements (HFSE) relative to N‐MORB, low Ti/V and high Ti/Zr ratios, high Ni, Cr and large‐ion lithophile element (LILE) contents, features characteristic of intra‐oceanic island arc basaltic magmas. They are associated with low‐K, less mafic volcanics, showing moderate LREE enrichment, low Nb and Y contents and Rb/Zr ratios. The depletion of HFSE in the basalts indicates that the magmas were derived from a refractory source in a supra‐subduction zone setting. The presence of such a zone implies that the arc was associated with a backarc basin, the location of which was to the west where a wide backarc region existed from the Middle Silurian. This polarity of arc and backarc basin suggests that the subduction zone dipped to the west. In contrast to their older counterparts, Middle to Upper Devonian basalts of the Gamilaroi terrane have MORB‐like chondrite normalised patterns and higher Ti and lower LILE contents. Moreover, they have low Ti/Zr ratios and MORB‐like Ti/V ratios and HFSE contents, features typical of backarc basins. Dolerites of the Gamilaroi terrane also have predominantly backarc basin signatures. These features suggest that both the basalts and dolerites have been emplaced in an extensional environment produced during the rifting of the intra‐oceanic island arc lithosphere. A progressive increase in Ti/V ratios, and TiO₂ and Fe₂O₃ contents at constant MgO, of stratigraphically equivalent basalts, towards the north‐northwest part of the belt, is consistent with either greater extension to the north or melting of a more fertile magma source. By contrast, basalts in the southeast part of the terrane have moderately high Ti/Zr and low Ti/V ratios and in some samples, exhibit depletion of HFSE, compositional features transitional between island arc and backarc basin basalts. The Lower to Middle Devonian mafic rocks in the Calliope Volcanic Assemblage show both LREE enriched and depleted chondrite normalised REE patterns. Further, the majority have high Ti/Zr ratios and low Zr contents as well as relatively high Th contents relative to MORB. These features are common to rocks of Middle Devonian age as well as those of Early Devonian age and are suggestive of eruption in an arc setting. Thus, the data from this study provide new evidence for the evolution of the New England Fold Belt from the Late Silurian to the Late Devonian and reveal a history more complicated than previously reported.     

Potassium‐argon dates from the Arltunga Nappe complex,northern territory

Twenty‐four mineral separates from the Arunta Complex, four from the metamorphosed Heavitree Quartzite (White Range Quartzite), and one whole rock sample of metamorphosed Bitter Springs Formation, all from the western part of the White Range Nappe of the Arltunga Nappe Complex, and two samples from the autochthonous basement west of the nappe have been dated by the K‐Ar method. The samples from the basement rocks form two groups. Those in the southern or frontal part of the nappe are of Middle Proterozoic (Carpentarian) age (1660–1368 m.y.), determined on hornblende, biotite, and muscovite. In the northern or rear part of the nappe, all but one of the muscovite samples and two biotites are of Middle Silurian to Early Carboniferous age (431–345 m.y.); the remainder of the biotite dates range from 1775 to 548 m.y. (including the two samples from the autochthon), and two hornblendes gave dates of 1639 and 2132 m.y. respectively. All the muscovite samples from the Heavitree Quartzite, and the whole rock sample from the Bitter Springs Formation gave Early to Middle Carboniferous dates (358–322 m.y.). The findings support the identification of the White Range Quartzite as the metamorphosed part of the Heavitree Quartzite, which in turn supports the interpretation of the structure of the area as a large, basement‐cored fold nappe. In addition, they date the time of the Alice Springs Orogeny as pre‐Late Carboniferous, which agrees with fossil evidence from elsewhere in the area. The Alice Springs Orogeny was accompanied by widespread greenschist facies meta‐morphism that progressively metamorphosed the Heavitree Quartzite and Bitter Springs Formation, and retrogressively metamorphosed the Arunta Complex. However, the basement rocks in the southern part of the nappe escaped this metamorphism and retain a Middle Proterozoic age, thus dating the time of the Arunta Orogeny in this region as Carpentarian or older.