Litho-tectonic sequence and their regional correlation along the Lohit and Dibang valleys,eastern Arunachal Pradesh

Geological mapping between Lohit and Dibang valleys of eastern Arunachal Pradesh reveals the existence of five thrust bound tectonostratigraphic units. In ascending structural order from SW to NE these are: (1) Sewak Group, (2) Lalpani Group, (3) Mayodiya Group, (4) Tidding Formation and (5) Lohit plutonic complex. This differs from previous mapping, because the three tectonostratigraphic units (Sewak, Lalpani and Mayodiya) were grouped under a single unit, referred as the Mishmi crystallines. The low-grade metamorphics of the Sewak Group occur at two different tectonic levels, one as persistent belt in the foothills and the other in the tectonic window beneath the high-grade metamorphics of the Mayodiya thrust sheet in the Higher Himalaya. The Tidding suture is the southeastern extension of the Indus-Tsangpo suture zone.     

Late Pleistocene eolian features in southeastern Maryland and Chesapeake Bay region indicate strong WNW–NW winds accompanied growth of the Laurentide Ice Sheet

Inactive parabolic dunes are present in southeastern Maryland, USA, along the east bank of the Potomac River. More elongate and finer-grained eolian deposits and paha-like ridges characterize the Potomac River–Patuxent River upland and the west side of Chesapeake Bay. These ridges are streamlined erosional features, veneered with eolian sediment and interspersed with dunes in the low-relief headwaters of Potomac- and Patuxent-river tributaries. Axis data for the dunes and ridges indicate formation by WNW–NW winds. Optically stimulated luminescence and radiocarbon age data suggest dune formation from  33–15 ka, agreeing with the 30–13 ka ages Denny, C.S., Owens, J.P., Sirkin, L., Rubin, M., 1979. The Parsonburg Sand in the central Delmarva Peninsula, Maryland and Delaware. U.S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Pap. 1067-B, 16 pp. suggested for eolian deposits east of Chesapeake Bay. Age range and paleowind direction(s) for eolian features in the Bay region approximate those for late Wisconsin loess in the North American midcontinent. Formation of midcontinent loess and Bay-region eolian features was coeval with rapid growth of the Laurentide Ice Sheet and strong cooling episodes (δ¹⁸O minima) evident in Greenland ice cores. Age and paleowind-direction coincidence, for eolian features in the midcontinent and Bay region, indicates strong mid-latitude WNW–NW winds for several hundred kilometers south of the Laurentide glacial terminus that were oblique to previously simulated anticyclonic winds for the last glacial maximum.     

Influence of glacial isostatic adjustment upon current sea level variations in the Mediterranean

Present-day sea level variations in the Mediterranean depend on various factors, including recent climatic forcing, tectonic activity, anthropogenic effects, and glacio-isostatic adjustment. The latter is governed by mantle rheology and the spatio–temporal distribution of the late-Pleistocene ice sheets and it is expected to produce a long-wavelength pattern of sea level variations across the Mediterranean, mostly determined by the response of the solid earth and of the geoid to loading effects of melt water since the end of deglaciation. Modeling glacio-isostatic effects in this region is necessary for a correct interpretation of tide gauge and GPS time-series, and thereby to constrain both the present-day climate-related sea level rise and regional or local geological, tectonic and human-driven displacements. By an exhaustive exploration of the parameter space of mantle rheology and ice sheet chronologies, in this work we outline upper and lower bounds on the current rate of sea level variation associated with glacial isostatic adjustment in the Mediterranean. This may contribute to a full assessment of coastal vulnerability by sea level rise on a regional and local scale.     

Climate variability in the Salawusu River valley of the Ordos Plateau (Inner Mongolia,China) during Marine Isotope Stage 3

Fluctuations in climatic proxies of the Milanggouwan section in the Salawusu River valley of the Ordos Plateau (Inner Mongolia, China) during Marine Isotope stage 3 (MIS 3) coincide well with sedimentary cycles for palaeo‐mobile dune sands alternating with fluvial–lacustrine facies and palaeosols. We compared the palaeo‐mobile dune sands with modern mobile dune sands (products of a cold and dry climate dominated by the East Asian winter monsoon), whereas the fluvial–lacustrine facies and palaeosols were controlled by a wet–warm climate similar to that of the East Asian summer monsoon. The MIS 3 climate of the Salawusu River valley appears to have experienced at least nine wet–warm and ten cold–dry fluctuations, divided into five stages: MIS 3e (58 900–49500 yr BP), MIS 3d (49 500–40 700 yr BP), MIS 3c (40 700–36 900 yr BP), MIS 3b (36 900–27 000 yr BP) and MIS 3a (27 000–22 300 yr BP). The 19 cold–warm climatic fluctuations corresponded roughly to the GRIP and Guliyan records, and with fluctuations in the North Atlantic climate. Notable peaks in the spectral analysis occurred at 19 500 yr, 1020 yr, 640 yr and 500 yr. Our results show that the millennial–centennial climate was closely related to the relative strengths of East Asian monsoons, which are controlled by the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation, and which is also closely linked to the Sun's precession period. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

青藏高原双湖地区二叠系玄武岩地球化学及其大地构造意义

对青藏高原羌塘地块中部双湖地区发育的二叠系碱性系列和拉斑系列玄武岩进行了详细的地球化学研究。碱性系列玄武岩富集LILE和LREE,其La/Nb比值和OIB相近,Ti/V比值明显高于典型MORB,在微量元素构造环境判别图解上位于OIB区域。拉斑系列玄武岩具有相对平坦的稀土元素配分模式,和典型MORB相比,其Ti/V比值也明显偏高,在微量元素构造环境判别图解上位于MORB和OIB重合的区域,表明岩石起源于一个低度富集的地幔源区。结合区域地质背景,认为双湖二叠系拉斑系列-碱性系列玄武岩组合可能形成于陆间裂谷到小洋盆环境,这套玄武岩的产出可能代表古特提斯洋沿龙木错—双湖构造带在不同地区的发育程度不同,双湖地区在二叠纪应为一个陆间裂谷到小洋盆环境。     

钱塘江下切河谷充填物地质特征及浅层生物气的孔隙水压力封闭机理

近年来,在浙江省北部钱塘江河口湾地区发现并开发了大量的晚第四纪浅层生物气藏。末次盛冰期,全球海平面的下降使河流梯度增加,下切作用增强,导致钱塘江下切河谷的形成。下切河谷内的沉积序列从下到上可划分为4种沉积相类型,分别为河床相、河漫滩-河口湾相、河口湾-浅海相和河口湾砂坝相。 所有的商业浅气田和气藏都分布于太湖下切河谷和钱塘江下切河谷及其支谷的河漫滩-河口湾相砂体中。钱塘江下切河谷的河漫滩-河口湾砂体埋深30～80 m,厚3～7 m,被非渗透的黏土包围,可能代表了下切河谷内分布的潮流沙脊。快速堆积的河口湾-浅海相沉积物为生物气藏的形成提供了充足的源岩和良好的保存条件。 河漫滩-河口湾相的黏土层为研究区浅层生物气藏的直接盖层,主要分布在下切河谷内,其埋深、残留地层厚度和孔隙度范围分别为30～80 m、10～30 m和42.2％～62.6％。河口湾-浅海相的淤泥层为间接盖层,覆盖了整个下切河谷,其埋深、残留地层厚度和孔隙度范围分别为5～35 m、10～20 m和50.6％ ～53.9％。黏土层和淤泥层的孔隙水压力远大于下伏砂体的孔隙水压力,其差值可达0.48 MPa。在储集层和盖层分界面即浅气藏的顶部,孔隙水压力值达到最大。黏土层和淤泥层的孔隙水压力可以超过砂质储集层中气体压力和孔隙水压力之和。黏土和淤泥盖层的高孔隙水压力可能是浅层生物气被完全封闭住的最重要因素。直接盖层的封闭能力比间接盖层要好。黏土层和淤泥层的孔隙水压力消散时间很长,有时候很难达到稳定状态,这表明黏土层和淤泥层的渗透性差、封闭性好。随着埋深的增加,其压实程度和封闭性能增加。与黏土层和淤泥层相比,砂层的孔隙水压力消散较快,很容易达到稳定状态,而且消散时间与埋深无关,表明砂层渗透性好、封闭性差。气体一旦进入砂层,孔隙水就不能有效释放,导致砂层的孔隙水压力消散时间比黏土层和淤泥层的要长,这可能与生物气在孔隙水压力释放后的快速补充有关。     

中上扬子地区上奥陶统-下志留统烃源岩发育的古环境恢复

上奥陶统-下志留统烃源岩是中国南方海相4套主力区域烃源岩之一,有关它形成与发育环境的研究是南方海相油气成藏理论的基础性问题.本文选择中上扬子南缘2条代表性剖面,对上奥陶统-下志留统沉积岩进行了详细的地球化学分析,提取其中对沉积古环境有指示意义的地化指标,对该段地层的古环境进行了恢复.研究表明,优质烃源岩段主要集中在上奥陶统五峰组和下志留统龙马溪组底部,V/(V+Ni)、Ni/Co、Ceanom、δEu和δ13Corg等地球化学指标与有机碳含量均有较好的相关性,这些指标的异常均表明优质烃源岩发育于缺氧环境.而龙马溪组上部地层的有机碳含量较低,各种地球化学指标也显示,此时缺氧环境遭到了破坏,这与当时的沉积环境多为高能环境、不利于烃源岩发育是一致的.     

腾格里沙漠南缘土门剖面末次间冰阶层段的粒度特征及其反映的气候-沉积环境

腾格里沙漠南缘土门剖面末次间冰阶层段（TMS 3）由风成砂、黄土状亚砂土、砂黄土、古土壤、湖相沉积物和冲积黄土等6种沉积相相互叠覆构成。粒度分析结果显示,该层段以砂质沉积物为主,粉砂次之,黏土最少,平均值分别为65.45%、26.72%和8.83%;在砂粒级中,以细砂含量最高,其次为极细砂,其余为中砂-粗砂颗粒。粉砂含量、黏土含量、M_z和σ在风成砂中呈现谷值,在其他沉积相为峰值,中砂-粗砂和细砂则相反。粒度指标指示腾格里沙漠南缘土门剖面末次间冰阶至少经历了13次暖湿和12次冷干的气候波动,且可划分为TMS 3e（54 200~59 750 a BP）、TMS 3d （54 200~40 800 a BP）、TMS 3c （40 800~32 800 a BP）、TMS 3b （32 800~25 400 a BP）和TMS 3a （25 400~22 940 a BP）等5个亚段, 25次冷暖波动与格陵兰冰芯和中国南方石笋记录的D/O事件以及北大西洋深海沉积物记录的H事件具有很高的同步性。     

Does Glacial-Interglacial Transition Affect Sediment Accumulation in Monsoon-Dominated Regions?

The spatio-temporal changes in sedimentation rate along the continental margin of the monsoon-dominated eastern Arabian Sea during the last 24 kyr have been estimated from a compilation of 58 radiocarbon dated cores, in order to understand the effect of glacial-interglacial variation on sedimentation. The sedimentation rate has been computed for four-time slices, viz. the last glacial maximum, glacial-interglacial transition, early Holocene and late Holocene. We report that the average sedimentation rate in the slope to the abyssal region of the entire eastern Arabian Sea, although higher during the Holocene as compared with that during the last glacial maximum and glacial-interglacial transition, does not significantly vary during all four-time intervals. The sedimentation rate during any particular time interval, however, varies from core to core, thus indicating zonal changes. We report four zones of relatively high sedimentation rate, viz. the northeastern Arabian Sea, the region off the Gulf of Khambhat, the region off Goa and Mangalore, and off the southern tip of India. We suggest that a complex interaction of land-ocean-atmospheric processes controlled sedimentation rate in the eastern Arabian Sea during the last 24 kyr in such a way that the average sedimentation rate does not vary significantly, even during highly contrasting climatic conditions.     

湖北长阳清江地质公园地质遗迹特征及地学意义

湖北长阳清江地质公园是构造及岩溶地貌类大型地质公园,以丰富的岩溶地貌、典型的古冰川序列剖面以及罕见的古人类化石遗迹而闻名。公园内共有地层剖面、地质构造、地质地貌、化石遗迹4大类7类共100余处地质遗迹点,为研究华中西南地区地质构造演化、古地理古气候和岩溶地貌的形成机制,以及弥补古冰川序列和古人类考古学的缺陷提供了重要资源,在全球地质遗迹对比分析中具有重要意义。本文阐明了地质公园的地质遗迹特征,并从构造地质学、地层学、地貌学和古人类学等方面探讨了其地学意义,为认识公园地质遗迹状况和地质遗迹的保护开发提供科学参考。