SHRIMP Age and Geochemistry of the Bikou Volcanic Terrane: Implications for Neoproterozoic Tectonics on the Northern Margin of the Yangtze Craton

The Bikou volcanic terrane is predominated by subalkaline tholeiitic lavas. Rock samples display lower initial ratios of Sr and Nd, 0.701248-0.704413 and 0.511080-0.512341 respectively. 207Pb and 208Pb are significantly enriched in the lavas. Most samples have positive εNd, which indicates that the magma was derived from EM-type mantle source, while a few samples with negative εNd indicate that there was contamination in the magma evolution. Magma differentiation is demonstrated by variations of LREE and LILE from depletion to enrichment. Additionally, normalized REE patterns and trace elements showed that lavas from the Bikou volcanic terrane have similar characteristics to those of basalts in arc settings caused by subduction and collision. Analyses showed that the Bikou volcanic terrane is a volcanic arc. New evidence proved that the Hengdan Group, north of the Bikou arc, is a turbidite terrane filling a forearc basin. Consequently, the Bikou volcanic terrane and the Hengdan turbidite terrane const     

Diversity-accuracy assessment of multiple classifier systems for the land cover classification of the Khumbu region in the Himalayas

Land cover classification of mountainous environments continues to be a challenging remote sensing problem,owing to landscape complexities exhibited by the regi...     

南秦岭横丹浊积岩系——晚古生代发育于扬子板块被动陆缘上的弧前盆地充填物

南秦岭横丹浊积岩系是一套巨厚的浊流沉积,以向南或南东倾的单斜构造产出。由下而上,该沉积层序包括深水盆地、深水浊积扇和斜坡水道3个相序。相应地,沉积物粒度变粗,厚度变大,火山质组分含量增加,凝灰层大量发育,表明横丹浊积岩系为活动型浊积岩;其古水流方向为NNW—NNE向,物源区为南侧的碧口火山岩系。另外,横丹浊积岩系内还见石英岩、重结晶大理岩成分的砾石,说明其物源还包括被动陆缘环境的沉积物。相序、组构、沉积特征和物源区综合分析表明,横丹浊积岩系为弧前盆地充填物。构筑这一弧前盆地的动力学机制是洋壳板块向南俯冲于扬子板块被动陆缘之下,时代可能晚于中晚泥盆世。     

Dolomitization of the Devonian Swan Hills Formation, Rosevear Field, Alberta, Canada

The Swan Hills Formation (Middle-Upper Devonian) of the Western Canada Basin is host to several NW-SE-trending gas fields developed in massive replacement dolostone. One of these, the Rosevear Field, contains two major dolostone trends along opposing margins of a marine channel that penetrates into a platform-reef complex. Dolostones consist predominantly of branching and bulbous strdmatoporoid floatstones and rudstones with well-developed moldic and vuggy porosity. Replacement dolomite is coarsely crystalline (100-600 μm), inclusion-rich, composed of euhedral through anhedral crystals and has a blotchy to homogeneous red cathodoluminescence. Geochemically, replacement dolomite is characterized by (i) nearly stoichiometric composition (50.1-51.1 mol% CaCO₃), (ii) negative δ¹⁸O values (mean=-7.5‰, PDB) and (iii) variable ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios ranging from values similar to Late Devonian-Early Mississippian seawater (～0.7082) to radiogenic compositions comparable to saddle dolomite cements (>0.7100). Dolomitization began after widespread precipitation of early, equant calcite spar and after the onset of pressure solution, implying that replacement dolomite formed in a burial environment. Oxygen isotope data suggest that dolomite formed at 35-75°C, temperatures reached during burial in Late Devonian through Jurassic time, at minimum depths of 450 m. The linear NW-SE orientation of most dolomite fields in the Swan Hills Formation is suggestive of fault control on fluid circulation. Two models are proposed for fault-controlled circulation of dolomitizing fluids at the Rosevear Field. In the first, compaction-driven, updip fluid migration occurred in response to basin tilting commencing in the Late Palaeozoic. Deep basinal fluids migrating updip were focused into channel-margin sediments along fault conduits. The second model calls upon fault-controlled convective circulation of (i) warm Devonian-Mississippian seawater or (ii) Middle Devonian residual evaporitic brines. The overlap in ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and δ¹⁸O compositions, and similar cathodoluminescence properties between replacement and saddle dolomites provide evidence for neomorphism of some replacement dolomite. Quantitative modelling of Sr and O isotopes and Sr abundances suggests partial equilibration of some replacement dolomite with hot radiogenic brines derived during deep burial of the Swan Hills Formation in the Late Cretaceous-Palaeocene. Interaction of replacement dolomite with deep brines led to enrichment in ⁸⁷Sr while leaving δ¹⁸O similar to pre-neomorphism values.     

Long-Term Evolution of Fluid-Rock Interactions in Magmatic Arcs: Evidence from the Ritter Range Pendant, Sierra Nevada, California, and Numerical Modeling

A record of > 100 million years of fluid flow, alteration,and metamorphism in the evolving Sierra Nevada magmatic areis preserved in metavolcanic rocks of the Ritter Range pendantand surrounding granitoids. The metavolcanic rocks consist of:(1) a lower section of mostly marine volcaniclastic rocks, lavas,and intercalated carbonate rocks that is Triassic to Jurassicin age, and (2) an upper section comprising a subaerial caldera-fillcomplex of mid-Cretaceous age. Late Cretaceous high-temperaturecontact metamorphism (2 kbar, >450–500C) occurredafter renewed normal faulting along the caldera-bounding faultsystem juxtaposed the two sections. The style and degree of alteration and ¹⁸O values differ amongthe rocks of the upper and lower sections and the granitoids.Rocks of the lower section show pervasive lithologically controlledalkali alteration, local Mn and Mg enrichment, and oxidation.Some ash flow tuffs now contain up to 10% K²O by weight. Therocks of the upper section show lesser extents of alkali alteration.Granitoids that cut both sections are generally unaltered. Mostmetavolcanic rocks of the lower section have high ¹⁸O values(+ 11 to + 16%; whole rock and quartz phenocrysts); however,lower-section rocks within the caldera-bounding fault systemhave low ¹⁸O values of + 4 to +7. The metavolcanic rocks ofthe upper section also have low ¹⁸O values of + 2 to + 7. Granitoidshave ¹⁸O values of + 7 to + 10, typical of unaltered Sierrangranitoids. The lower section contains discontinuous veins ofhigh-temperature (450–500C) calc-silicate minerals. Theseveins are typically <5 m long, do not cross intrusive contacts,and postdate the pervasive alkali alteration. Late veins aretypically > 10 m long, formed at temperatures of less than450–500C, and cross intrusive contacts. Veins have similar¹⁸O values to those of the local host rocks. The nature of the alteration and the high oxygen isotopic valuesof the rocks of the lower section indicate that these rocksinteracted extensively with seawater at temperatures <300C,probably in superposed marine hydrothermal systems associatedwith coeval volcanic centers. Metavolcanic rocks of the uppersection evidently interacted with meteorie waters, probablyin a hydrothermal system associated with the Cretaceous caldera;rocks of the lower section that were adjacent to the calderawere also affected by this alteration. The preservation of thesignatures of these earlier events, the nature of the earlyveins, and results from numerical models of hydrothermal flowthat include fluid production indicate that during progradecontact metamorphism, the rocks of the pendant primarily interactedwith locally derived fluids. Fluid flow was predominantly upwardand away from intrusive contacts and down-temperature. Permeabilitiesare estimated to have been between 0•1 and 1µD, whichis that necessary for maintenance of lithostatic fluid pressures.In hydrothermal models with such permeabilities, large-scalecirculation of meteoric fluids develops after prograde metamorphismceases. The nature of the late veins in the Ritter Range pendantsuggests that such a flow pattern evolved only after the pendantand granitoids had cooled below 450–500C. The long-termhistory of alteration documented in the Ritter Range pendantis probably typical of wall rocks in most batholiths *Present address: Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721     

Stromatolites in the Late Ordovician Eureka Quartzite: implications for microbial growth and preservation in siliciclastic settings

Well-preserved siliciclastic domal stromatolites, up to 2 m wide and 1·5 m high, are found in a 10 to 15 m thick interval within the Late Ordovician Eureka Quartzite of Southern Nevada and Eastern California, USA. These stromatolites appear as either isolated features or patchy clusters that contain more than 70% by volume quartz grains; their association with planar, trough and herringbone cross-bedding suggests that they were formed in an upper shoreface environment with high hydraulic energy. In this environment, sand bars or dunes may have provided localized shelter for initial microbial mat colonization. Biostabilization and early lithification of microbial mats effectively prevented erosion during tidal flushing and storm surges, and the prevalence of translucent quartz sand grains permitted light penetration into the sediment, leading to thick microbial mat accretion and the formation of domal stromatolites. Decimetre-scale to metre-scale stromatolite domes may have served as localized shelter and nucleation sites for further microbial mat colonization, forming patchy stromatolite clusters. Enrichment of iron minerals, including pyrite and hematite, within dark internal laminae of the stromatolites indicates anaerobic mineralization of microbial mats. The occurrence of stromatolites in the Eureka Quartzite provides an example of microbial growth in highly stressed, siliciclastic sedimentary environments, in which microbial communities may have been able to create microenvironments promoting early cementation/lithification essential for the growth and preservation of siliciclastic stromatolites.     

OVERVIEW OF DAM GULLY EROSION RESEARCH

Traditionally gully erosion has been identified with the dissection of the landscape in agricultural settings but it is also recognized as a prevalent erosion feature in earthen dam auxiliary spillways and embankments. Flows through earthen spillways and over dam embankments, due to large rainfall events, have the potential to erode and breach the dam or spillway and result in catastrophic releases from the reservoir. The gully erosion process in an earthen spillway or on an embankment can be characterized by stages of initiation, development, and migration of a headcut. A headcut is defmed as a near vertical drop at the upstream end of a gully. The rate of headcut migration is important in determining the breach potential of an earthen spillway and dam embankment. A research program is being conducted to examine the gully erosion processes of earthen dam auxiliary spillways and embankments. This paper describes： l ） the unique test facilities constructed to examine the dominant factors affecting the erosion of earthen spillways and embankments; 2） the observations of the erosion processes and results to date; and 3） the predictive relationships that have been developed for dam gully erosion research at the ARS Hydraulic Engineering Research Unit laboratory in Stillwater, OK.     

Archean High-Mg Granodiorite: A Derivative of Light Rare Earth Element-enriched Monzodiorite of Mantle Origin

The Roaring River Complex, Superior Province, Canada, containsrocks varying from diorite and monzodiorite to granodioritewhich are characterized by high mg-numbers (0.43–0.62),high abundances of Cr (150 ppm), Sr (500–2000 ppm), Ba(1000–2500ppm), and P2O5 (0.5 wt.%), low Rb/Sr ratios (001–0.02),and steeply fractionated, subparallel REE patterns (Ce_n =65–170,Yb_n = 3–6) without Eu anomalies. The continuous compositionalvariation of the rock suite provides a basis for testing thevarious processes thought to have been important in the extractionof granodiorite magmas from the mantle during the Archean. Weconsider (1) the relative roles of partial melting, crystallizationfractionation, and other processes; (2) the role of garnet orother phases in controlling the steep REE patterns of the rocks;and (3) the chemical and isotopic composition of the sourceregion. The subparallel and decreasing REE patterns with increasingsilica, and the ten-fold variation and high abundances of Crand Ni within the diorite-granodiorite series are not consistentwith different extents of melting of basic crust. The scatterin bivariate plots for closely spaced samples does not supportsimple two-component mixing or liquid immiscibility. The compositionalvariation can be explained by crystallization differentiation(from 0 to 90%) of monzodioritic magma through separation ofdioritic cumulates containing clinopyroxene, hornblende, biotite,plagioclase, K-feldspar, and accessories. The compatibilityof the REEs resulted principally from crystallization of spheneand apatite. The parental monzodioritic magmas with their high mg-numbers,Ni, and Cr contents were derived from peridotitic source rocks(mg-numbers>0.80) with low Rb/Sr ratios (<0.02) and light-REEenrichment relative to chondrites. The differences in the REEpatterns of monzodiorite samples do not support, nor rule out,garnet in the residue for melting. If the monzodioritic meltswere derivatives of other melts, the parent melts would havebeen similar to high-Mg monzodiorites (‘sanukitoids’)recognized as components of other diorite-granodiorite bodiesin the region. An Rb-Sr whole-rock isochron (n = 25) yields a minimum crystallizationage of 2623 Ma (?19) with initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 070134 (?000004;MSWD=l.8). Sm-Nd isotope data for six rocks yield _Nd (2623)=+0.8 ?0.3. The isotope data indicate a source region with long-termRb/Sr of 0.02, similar to depleted mantle, and light-REE depletionrelative to chondrites. The peridotite source to the diorite-granodioriteseries became light-REE enriched before melting through theaddition of a light-REE component of a fluid or melt. In generating Archean granodiorite with suitably high mg-numbers,and Ni, Cr, Sr, Ba, P2O5, and light-REE contents, these dataindicate: (1) the importance of crystallization differentiationof high-Mg monzodioritic parent magmas, (2) that the steep REEpatterns may be a characteristic of the source rocks, and (3)light-REE-enriched, peridotitic sources were melting and contributingsiliceous material directly to the Archean crust.     

Metamorphic History of the Archean Pikwitonei Granulite Domain and the Cross Lake Subprovince, Superior Province, Manitoba, Canada

The Pikwitonei granulite domain and parts of the Cross Lakesubprovince, located along the northwestern margin of the ArcheanSuperior Province, expose an oblique cross-section through 20km of Archean continental crust. The area has been investigatedusing phase equilibrium and geochronological techniques to derivequantitative pressure-temperature-time paths as a function ofdepth in the crust. Ages from metamorphic minerals indicatethat metamorphism lasted at least from 2744 Ma to 259O Ma, butgrowth of garnet and zircon occurred only during short intervalsat 2744–2738, 2700–2687, 2660–2637, and 2629–2591Ma. Constraints from experimentally calibrated geobarometersand geothermometers and phase petrology indicate that ‘peak’conditions for the last metamorphism, at 2640 Ma, were 575?C/3kbat Utik Lake, 750?C/7kb at Cauchon Lake, 830?C/7?5–8 kbat Natawahunan Lake, and 9 kb close to the Thompson mobile belt. High-grade metamorphism was associated with intrusion and possiblyunderplating of magmas that had temperatures in excess of 1100?Cand contributed significant amounts of heat that promoted high-grademetamorphism. Mineral textures indicate that during progrademetamorphism, the terrane passed from the andalusite into thesillimanite stability field. After ‘peak’ metamorphismat 2640 Ma the terrane cooled nearly isobarically at a rateof 1–2?C/Ma. The observed characteristics of the amphiboliteto granulite terrane are consistent with a model where metamorphismoccurred in a continental magmatic arc setting with a magmaticarc superimposed on older continental crust. Following high-grademetamorphism, the time-integrated uplift rate was <70m/Ma.The crustal cross-section was exposed by late tectonic processesthat were unrelated to the high-grade metamorphism.