Structural control on uranium mineralization in South China: Implications for fluid flow in continental strike-slip faults

South China is the most important uranium producer in the country. Much of the Mesozoic-Cenozoic geology of this area was dominated by NNE-trending intracontinental strike-slip faulting that resulted from oblique subduction of the paleo-Pacific plate underneath the eastern China continent. This strike-slip fault system was characterized by transpression in the early-mid Jurassic and by transtension from the latest Jurassic through Cretaceous to early Tertiary. Most uranium ore deposits in South China are strictly fault-hosted and associated with mid-late Mesozoic granitic intrusions and volcanic rocks, which formed under transpression and transtension regimes, respectively. Various data demonstrate that the NNE-trending strike-slip faults have played critical roles in the formation and distribution of hydrothermal uranium deposits. Extensive geochronological studies show that a majority of uranium deposits in South China formed during the time period of 140–40 Ma with peak ages between 87–48 Ma, coinciding well with the time interval of transtension. However, hydrothermal uranium deposits are not uniformly distributed along individual strike-slip fault. The most important ore-hosting segments are pull-apart stepovers, splay structures, extensional strike-slip duplexes, releasing bends and fault intersections. This non-uniform distribution of ore occurrences in individual fault zone reflects localization of hydrothermal fluids within those segments that were highly dilational and thus extremely permeable. The unique geometric patterns and structural styles of strike-slip faults may have facilitated mixing of deeply derived and near-surface fluids, as evidenced by stable isotopic data from many uranium deposits in South China. The identification of fault segments favorable for uranium mineralization in South China is important for understanding the genesis of hydrothermal ore deposits within continental strike-slip faults, and therefore has great implications for exploration strategies.     

斜向走滑构造分形和变形分解——以滇西北金沙江结合带为例

从分形和变形分解的角度讨论了滇西北金沙江结合带斜向走滑构造分形和变形分解的某些特征。     

The Altun Fault: Its Geometry, Nature and Mode of Growth

The Altun (or Altyn Tagh) fault displays a geometry of overlapping of linear and arcuate segments and shows strong inhomogeneity in time and space. It is a gigantic fault system with complex mechanical behaviours including thrusting, sinistral strike slip and normal slip. The strike slip and normal slip mainly occurred in the Cretaceous-Cenozoic and Plio-Quaternary respectively, whereas the thrusting was a deformation event that has played a dominant role since the late Palaeozoic (for a duration of about 305 Ma). The formation of the Altun fault was related to strong inhomogeneous deformation of the massifs on its two sides (in the hinterland of the Altun Mountains contractional deformation predominated and in the Qilian massif thrust propagation was dominant). The fault experienced a dynamic process of successive break-up and connection of its segments and gradual propagation, which was synchronous with the development of an overstep thrust sequence in the Qilian massif and the uplift of the Qinghai-T     

Time interval of earthquake recurrence for strike - slip fault

On the basis of fault’s dynamic model of Knopoffet al. (1973), this paper has finally obtained a simple approximate formula to be able to estimate the recurrence time intervalT _R of earthquake on strike-slip fault. Preliminary result holds thatμ andδ _s — δ _f have not much effect onT _R . Leta is the ratio of the coseismic displacementD _s to the total displacementD _t in whole event course, i.e.,a =D _s /D _t , thena = 1/3 may represent the standard theoretical state in whichT _R is independent onμ andδ _s — δ _f . At this time,T _R is the arithmetic average ofs ₀/v andkd/β, wheres ₀ is the long-term preseismic accumulated slippage,v is fault’s average displacement rate,d is the fracture length on the fault of seismic focal region andβ is shear wave velocity. In addition,k =υ ₀/aυ, whereυ ₀ is the initial fracture velocity of actual structure at the coseismic instant. The Chinese version of this paper appeared in the Chinese edition ofActa Seismologica Sinica,14, 187–194, 1992. This paper is a part of contracted item of State Seismological Bureau — Tectonic Physical Study of Earthquake Recurrence Period and Characteristic Magnitude.     

NEW ACTIVITY CHARACTERISTICS AND SLIP RATE OF THE EBOMIAO FAULT IN THE SOUTHERN MARGIN OF BEISHAN,GANSU PROVINCE

The Ebomiao Fault is a newly discovered active fault near the block boundary between the Tibetan plateau and the Alashan Block. This fault locates in the southern margin of the Beishan Mountain, which is generally considered to be a tectonically inactive zone, and active fault and earthquake are never expected to emerge, so the discovery of this active fault challenges the traditional thoughts. As a result, studying the new activity of this fault would shed new light on the neotectonic evolution of the Beishan Mountain and tectonic interaction effects between the Tibetan plateau and the Alashan Block. Based on some mature and traditional research methods of active tectonics such as satellite image interpretation, trenches excavation, differential GPS measurement, Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle Photogrammetry(UAVP), and Optical Stimulated Luminescence(OSL)dating, we quantitatively study the new activity features of the Ebomiao Fault.
Through this study, we complete the fault geometry of the Ebomiao Fault and extend the fault eastward by 25km on the basis of the 20km-fault trace identified previously, the total length of the fault is extened to 45km, which is capable of generating magnitude 7 earthquake calculated from the empirical relationships between earthquake magnitude and fault length. The Ebomiao Fault is manifested as several segments of linear scarps on the land surface, the scarps are characterized by poor continuity because of seasonal flood erosion. Linear scarps are either north- or south-facing scarps that emerge intermittently. Fourteen differential GPS profiles show that the height of the north-facing scarps ranges from (0.22±0.02)m to (1.32±0.1)m, and seven differential GPS profiles show the height of south-facing scarps ranging from (0.33±0.1)m to (0.64±0.1)m. To clarify the causes of the linear scarps with opposite-facing directions, we dug seven trenches across these scarps, the trench profiles show that the south-dipping reverse faults dominate the north-facing scarps, the dipping angles range from 23° to 86°. However, the south-facing scarps are controlled by south-dipping normal faults with dipping angles spanning from 60° to 81°.
The Ebomiao Fault is dominated by left-lateral strike-slip activity, with a small amount of vertical-slip component. From the submeter-resolution digital elevation models(DEM)constructed by UAVP, the measured left-lateral displacement of 19 gullies in the western segment of the Ebomiao Fault are(3.8±0.5)~(105±25)m, while the height of the north-facing scarps on this segment are(0.22±0.02)~(1.32±0.10)m(L₃-L₇), the left-lateral displacement is much larger than the scarp height. In this segment, there are three gullies preserving typical left-lateral offsets, one gully among them preserves two levels of alluvial terraces, the terrace riser between the upper terrace and the lower terrace is clear and shows horizontal offset. Based on high-resolution DEM interpretation and displacement restoration by LaDiCaoz software, the left-lateral displacement of the terrace riser is measured to be(16.7±0.5)m. The formation time of the terrace riser is approximated by the OSL age of the upper terrace, which is (11.2±1.5)ka BP at (0.68±0.03)m beneath the surface, and(11.4±0.6)ka at (0.89±0.03)m beneath the surface, the OSL age (11.2±1.5)ka BP at (0.68±0.03)m beneath the surface is more close to the formation time of the upper terrace because of a nearer distance to sediment contact between alluvial fan and eolian sand silt. Taking the (16.7±0.5)m left-lateral displacement of the terrace riser and the upper terrace age (11.2±1.5)ka, we calculate a left-lateral strike-slip rate of(1.52±0.25)mm/a for the Ebomiao Fault. The main source for the slip rate error is that the terrace risers on both walls of the fault are not definitely corresponded. The north wall of the fault is covered by eolian sand, we can only presume the location of terrace riser by geomorphic analysis. In addition, the samples used to calculate slip rate before were collected from the aeolian sand deposits on the north side of the fault, they are not sediments of the fan terraces, so they could not accurately define the formation age of the upper terrace. This study dates the upper terrace directly on the south wall of the fault.
Since the late Cenozoic, the new activity of the Ebomiao Fault may have responded to the shear component of the relative movement between the Tibetan plateau and the Alashan Block under the macroscopic geological background of the northeastern-expanding of the Tibetan plateau. The north-facing fault scarps are dominated by south-dipping low-angle reverse faults, the emergence of this kind of faults(faults overthrusting from the Jinta Basin to the Beishan Mountain)suggests the far-field effect of block convergence between Tibetan plateau and Alashan Block, which results in the relative compression and crustal shortening. As for whether the Ebomiao Fault and Qilianshan thrust system are connected in the deep, more work is needed.     

青藏东北缘早第三纪盆地充填的沉积型式及构造背景--以囊谦和下拉秀盆地为例

一系列中小型早第三纪红色盆地出露于青藏高原的东北缘,它们是在印度-欧亚板块碰撞过程中因陆壳变形和高原隆升产生的。典型早第三纪盆地的地质填图和详细的沉积学研究,及构造、沉积和岩浆热事件的综合分析表明,这些盆地具有两阶段构造-沉积特征,即早期受控于逆冲挤压背景,盆地接受底部冲积扇体系的粗碎屑岩段沉积,局部伴有岩浆活动;晚期受控于走滑-拉分背景,盆地充填湖泊-三角洲体系的含膏砂泥岩段夹薄层灰岩,并伴有广泛的岩浆作用。青藏东北缘早第三纪盆地在盆地构造格架、沉积层序结构、沉积物组成和岩浆活动等方面均存在明显的阶段性演化。盆地古水流统计和岩浆岩4 0 Ar/ 3 9Ar定年结果表明,青藏东北缘早第三纪盆地沉积物主要形成于始新世晚期-渐新世早期 (38～ 2 9Ma)。盆地沉积型式和岩浆活动受印度-欧亚板块碰撞早期逆冲挤压和走滑-拉分构造格局的控制。