Comparison of marine gas hydrates in sediments of an active and passive continental margin

Two sites of the Deep Sea Drilling Project in contrasting geologic settings provide a basis for comparison of the geochemical conditions associated with marine gas hydrates in continental margin sediments. Site 533 is located at 3191 m water depth on a spit-like extension of the continental rise on a passive margin in the Atlantic Ocean. Site 568, at 2031 m water depth, is in upper slope sediment of an active accretionary margin in the Pacific Ocean. Both sites are characterized by high rates of sedimentation, and the organic carbon contents of these sediments generally exceed 0.5%. Anomalous seismic reflections that transgress sedimentary structures and parallel the seafloor, suggested the presence of gas hydrates at both sites, and, during coring, small samples of gas hydrate were recovered at subbottom depths of 238m (Site 533) and 404 m (Site 568). The principal gaseous components of the gas hydrates wer methane, ethane, and CO₂. Residual methane in sediments at both sites usually exceeded 10 mll^?1 of wet sediment. Carbon isotopic compositions of methane, CO₂, and ΣCO₂ followed parallel trends with depth, suggesting that methane formed mainly as a result of biological reduction of oxidized carbon. Salinity of pore waters decreased with depth, a likely result of gas hydrate formation. These geochemical characteristics define some of the conditions associated with the occurrence of gas hydrates formed by in situ processes in continental margin sediments.     

Slumping and shallow faulting related to the presence of salt on the Continental Slope and Rise off North Carolina

Seismic reflection profiles and long- and medium-range sidescan sonar were used to investigate a salt diapir complex and area of slope instability near the base of the Continental Slope off North Carolina. Within the area of investigation three diapirs are bounded on their upslope side by a scarp 60 m high and 50 km long. The slope above the scarp is characterized by a series of shallow rotational normal faults. The bottom below the scarp is furrowed by slide tracks, which were probably carved by large blocks that broke off the scarp face and slid downslope leaving rubble and scree lobes.Extensive slumping in this area appears to be a result of uplift and faulting associated with salt intrusion, which has fractured and oversteepened the slope leading to instability and failure. Sharply defined slide tracks suggest that slope failure above the breached diapir complex is a continuing process, in contrast to much of the surrounding slope area where few instability features were observed.     

High-pressure eclogites in northern Jiangsu – southern Shandong province, eastern China

Abstract Eclogites are distributed for more than 500 km along a major tectonic boundary between the Sino-Korean and Yangtze cratons in central and eastern China. These eclogites usually have high-P assemblages including omphacite + kyanite and/or coesite (or its pseudomorph), and form a high-P eclogite terrane. They occur as isolated lenses or blocks 10 cm to 300 m long in gneisses (Type I), serpentinized garnet peridotites (Type II) and marbles (Type III). Type I eclogites were formed by prograde metamorphism, and their primary metamorphic mineral assemblage consists mainly of garnet [pyrope (Prp) = 15–40 mol%], omphacite [jadeite (Jd) = 34–64 mol%], pargasitic amphibole, kyanite, phengitic muscovite, zoisite, an SiO₂ phase, apatite, rutile and zircon. Type II eclogites characteristically contain no SiO₂ phase, and are divided into prograde eclogites and mantle-derived eclogites. The prograde eclogites of Type II are petrographically similar to Type I eclogites. The mantle-derived eclogites have high MgO/(FeO + Fe₂O₃) and Cr₂O₃ compositions in bulk rock and minerals, and consist mainly of pyrope-rich garnet (Prp = 48–60 mol%), sodic augite (Jd = 10–27 mol%) and rutile. Type III eclogites have an unusual mineral assemblage of grossular-rich (Grs = 57 mol%) garnet + omphacite (Jd = 30–34 mol%) + pargasite + rutile. Pargasitic and taramitic amphiboles, calcic plagioclase (An₆₈), epidote, zoisite, K-feldspar and paragonite occur as inclusions in garnet and omphacite in the prograde eclogites. This suggests that the prograde eclogites were formed by recrystallization of epidote amphibolite and/or amphibolite facies rocks with near-isothermal compression reflecting crustal thickening during continent–continent collision of late Proterozoic age. Equilibrium conditions of the prograde eclogites range from P > 26 kbar and T= 500–750°C in the western part to P > 28 kbar and T= 810–880°C in the eastern part of the high-P eclogite terrane. The prograde eclogites in the eastern part are considered to have been derived from a deeper position than those in the western part. Subsequent reactions, manifested by (1) narrow rims of sodic plagioclase or paragonite on kyanite and (2) symplectites between omphacite and quartz are interpreted as an effect of near-isothermal decompression during the retrograde stage. The conditions at which symplectites re-equilibrated tend to increase from west (P < 10 kbar and T < 580°C) to east (P > 9 kbar and T > 680°C). Equilibrium temperatures of Type II mantle-derived eclogites and Type III eclogite are 730–750°C and 680°C, respectively.     

鲁苏榴辉岩的地球化学

以微量元素、稀土元素、Ｓｒ和Ｎｄ同位素变异特征为依据，确定鲁苏榴辉岩为多成因、多来源和多阶段，指出主要是在印支期扬子陆块与华北陆块碰撞造山作用过程中，挤入的上地幔碎片以及不同原岩类型的壳内高压变质岩碎块。燕山晚期的区域构造热事件使得某些榴辉岩的同位素体系再平衡。     

塔里木西南早第三纪古地磁和地壳缩短

属于帕米尔弧山前带的乌帕尔剖面和属于南天山山前带的巴对布拉克剖面，现今的纬度差为０．５６°，但是下第三系古地磁测定结果表明其古纬度差很大．乌帕尔剖面齐姆根组上部的古纬度为８°Ｎ，而巴什布拉克剖面巴什布拉克组第５段的古纬度为３６．１°Ｎ。若考虑到当时板块的相对运移速度，估计始新世早期巴什布拉克地区的古纬度大致为３１°Ｎ，与当时乌帕尔所处位置的纬差达２３°。又根据Ｋｌｏｏｔｗｉｊｋ测得的帕米尔西北缘利什坦层的古纬度值，在始新世末期．包括乌帕尔在内的帕米尔前缘与以巴什布拉区为代表的南天山山前带之间还有至少１０°的纬度差。古地磁资料表明，始新世早期，塔里木海宽达２０００ｋｍ，此时印度板块西北端已与欧亚板块局部碰撞，至始新世末，印度板块向北推进２０°，帕米尔弧前缘与南天山山前的距离缩短到约１０００ｋｍ，原塔里木海的两侧上升为山前平原。     

构造层次与大陆壳动力学机制转变关系

针对构造层次研究现状和存在的问题，把大陆壳划分为深部，中部，浅部和浅－表部四个构造层次。依据各自所处特定的构造位置、组成构造岩类型、形成的制约因素和地质时代等方面的区别，各构造层次分别是壳－幔间滑动，大陆张裂、隆－滑构造和变质核杂岩构造等多种大陆壳动力学机制转变过程中的产物。构造层次与大陆壳动力学机制转变关系的确定，更有利于古老板构造连续性、整体性的研究以及多期、多层次、多旋回大陆地壳演化模式的建     

格子Boltzmann方法地震波场模拟

格子Ｂｏｌｔｚｍａｎｎ方法是细胞自动机在某些学科中的具体化和应用。它根据微观运动过程的某些基本特征建立简化的、时间和空间完全离散的动力学模型，这种模型的平行行为符合宏观的微分方程。     

西天山艾肯达坂组火山岩系同位素定年及其构造意义

西天山艾肯达坂地区较好发育了艾肯达坂纽红色陆相火山岩建造．它不整合在下石炭统大哈拉军山组之上,未经变形和变质，属于陆陆碰撞晚期的橄榄安粗岩系，其年龄确定是厘定从碰撞造山向陆内构造演化的关键。因此,通过16件新获得的钾氩年龄测值，确定艾肯达坂组火山岩系形成在260Ma～270Ma之间，属早二叠世，而不是过去认为的石炭纪；西天山的陆陆碰撞应在二叠纪末结束,此后进入陆内造山阶段。     

A brief comparison of lava flows from the Deccan Volcanic Province and the Columbia-Oregon Plateau Flood Basalts: Implications for models of flood basalt emplacement

The nature and style of emplacement of Continental Flood Basalt (CFB) lava flows has been a matter of great interest as well as considerable controversy in the recent past. However, even a cursory review of published literature reveals that the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) and Hawaiian volcanoes provide most of the data relevant to this topic. It is interesting to note, however, that the CRBG lava flows and their palaeotopographic control is atypical of other CFB provinces in the world. In this paper, we first present a short overview of important studies pertaining to the emplacement of flood basalt flows. We then briefly review the morphology of lava flows from the Deccan Volcanic Province (DVP) and the Columbia-Oregon Plateau flood basalts. The review underscores the existence of significant variations in lava flow morphology between different provinces, and even within the same province. It is quite likely that there were more than one way of emplacing the voluminous and extensive CFB lava flows. We argue that the establishment of general models of emplacement must be based on a comprehensive documentation of lava flow morphology from all CFB provinces.     

南黄海中部隆起印支面剥蚀量恢复与演化过程——来自CSDP-2井的证据

南黄海中部隆起是下扬子地块向海域的延伸,是当前海相盆地海域资源调查的潜力区。中部隆起自印支期以来经历多期构造隆升、挤压及剥蚀作用,显著影响了盆地油气资源的形成和分布。2016年底完钻的大陆架科学钻探CSDP-2井首次在中部隆起钻穿印支不整合面,该不整合面在中部隆起既是新近系-第四系底界,又是下三叠统灰岩的顶界,横向延伸平缓,上、下地层产状差异巨大,下伏地层具有强烈的挤压变形及逆冲推覆,呈现显著的角度不整合接触关系。本次研究基于泥岩声波时差法计算的印支面地层剥蚀量约为1200 m,镜质体反射率法计算的剥蚀量约为1400 m,与地层趋势面估算的剥蚀量基本一致。结合南黄海盆地演化过程分析,认为中部隆起大致于晚三叠世开始隆升,至晚白垩世期间经历快速剥蚀,并可能延续到渐新世末期。在当前南黄海盆地资源调查逐步转向中、古生界海相残留盆地之际,依托实际钻探资料进行印支不整合面研究及剥蚀量恢复对于恢复盆地构造-热演化史及评价油气资源等均具有重要的现实意义。