Rift-related Jurassic basaltic phreatomagmatic volcanism in the central Transantarctic Mountains: precursory stage to flood-basalt effusion

 The Middle Jurassic Kirkpatrick flood basalts and comagmatic Ferrar intrusions in the Transantarctic Mountains represent a major pulse of tholeiitic magmatism related to early stages in the breakup of Gondwana. A record of the volcano-tectonic events leading to formation of this continental flood-basalt province is provided by strata underlying and only slightly predating the Kirkpatrick lavas. In the central Transantarctic Mountains, the lavas rest on widespread (≥7500 km²) tholeiitic pyroclastic deposits of the Prebble Formation. The Prebble Formation is dominated by lahar deposits and is an unusual example of a regionally developed basaltic lahar field. Related, partly fault-controlled pyroclastic intrusions cut underlying strata, and vents are represented by the preserved flanks of two small tephra cones associated with a volcanic neck. Lahar and air-fall deposits typically contain 50–60% accidental lithic fragments and sand grains derived from underlying Triassic – Lower Jurassic strata in the upper part of the Beacon Supergroup. Juvenile basaltic ash and fine lapilli consist of nonvesicular to scoriaceous tachylite, sideromelane, and palagonite, and have characteristics indicating derivation from hydrovolcanic eruptions. The abundance of accidental debris from underlying Beacon strata points to explosive phreatomagmatic interaction of basaltic magma with wet sediment and groundwater, which appears to have occurred in particular where rising magma intersected upper Beacon sand aquifers. Composite clasts in the lahar deposits exhibit complex peperitic textures formed during fine-scale intermixing of basaltic magma with wet sand and record steps in subsurface fuel-coolant interactions leading to explosive eruption. The widespread, sustained phreatomagmatic activity is inferred to have occurred in a groundwater-rich topographic basin linked to an evolving Jurassic rift zone in the Transantarctic Mountains. Coeval basaltic phreatomagmatic deposits of the Mawson and Exposure Hill Formations, which underlie exposures of the Kirkpatrick Basalt up to 1500 km to the north along strike in Victoria Land, appear to represent other parts of a regional, extension-related Middle Jurassic phreatomagmatic province which developed immediately prior to rapid outpouring of the flood basalts. This is consistent with models which assign an important role to lithospheric stretching in the generation of flood-basalt provinces. Received: 28 August 1995 / Accepted: 18 April 1996     

A transdisciplinary analysis of water problems in the mountainous karst areas of Morocco

Water management and engineering in the karstic High Atlas of Morocco are difficult tasks under the prevailing geological, hydrogeological, geomorphological, vegetational and climatic conditions. It is important to be able to understand and predict the characteristics and availability of water for future water planning in the region under changing climatic and agricultural conditions. An interdisciplinary analysis of problems and adequate hydrological modelling tools developed by geologists, hydrologists and biologists are necessary. The karst areas of the High Atlas Mountains are characterised by impermeable triassic basalt underlying substantial subsurface reservoirs with high potential discharge rates. The karst groundwater aquifers are extensive but largely unknown in dimension, probably with a hierarchical network of groundwater flow paths. It is estimated that approximately 70% of the surface water is directly lost to groundwater. Steep landslide- and debris flow prone slopes exist next to coarse-grained, highly porous river beds. Infrequent, high intensity rainfall or snowmelt causes a particularly high flood risk to these karst areas. In addition, agriculture and land use changes have degraded the karst areas. The most important driving forces for degradation include permanent overgrazing even during droughts and the use of firewood by a continually growing population. Large scale degradation of vegetation has occurred in the oro-mediterranean (mountainous Mediterranean) zone, between 2600 and 3400 m which coincides with the most important zone for karstic groundwater creation. The combination of high amounts of groundwater flow and rapid surface flow due to sparse vegetation has increased the problems of flood flow.     

Giant ancient landslide in the Alma water gap (Crimean Mountains,Ukraine): notes to the predisposition,structure, and chronology

Large-scale ancient landslides of the area of more than 5 km² and volume exceeding 200 × 10⁶ m³ are characteristic features of the valleys incised in the northern periphery of the Crimean Mountains (Ukraine). The largely affected area is located in the outermost cuesta range of the Crimean Mountains which consists of rigid Sarmatian limestones overlying weak Middle Miocene and Upper Palaeogene deposits. A giant landslide arose in the Alma water gap as a reflection of several coincident preparatory factors such as suitable bedrock stratification, smectite-rich bedrock exposed to swelling activity, presence of faults parallel to the valley trend, and river capture event which preceded the landslide event. The occurrence of such ancient megaslides is particularly interesting in the area which is characterized by low precipitation (<500 mm/year) and weak contemporary seismicity. It probably reflects a more dynamic environment in humid phases of the Holocene; however, seismic triggering along the Mesozoic suture zone cannot be rejected. Compressional features such as gravitational folds in the central and distal parts of the landslide, which probably correlate with the whole landslide genesis or its significant reactivation, arose, according to the radiocarbon dating, during the Holocene climatic optimum in the Atlantic period. The slope deformation has been relatively quiescent since that time, except minor historic reactivization which took place in the frontal part of the landslide. We suppose that the studied landslide could be classified as a transitional type of slope deformation with some signs of spreading and translational block slides.     

山西霍山植物群落主要层LAI垂直分布规律

在山西霍山七里峪林场，采用间接的光学测量方法对沿着海拔分布的植物群落主要层叶面积指数（LAI）进行了测量，从不同的角度对LAI的垂直分布规律进行分析。结果表明：1．海拔不同，LAI表现出很大的差异，海拔1750m左右的LAI值大于较高与较低海拔的；对LAI和海拔之间的关系进行回归，得到LAI分布的拟合方程：y=b0＋b1x＋b2x^2＋b3x^3（R=0．712，P〈0．01）。2．同一海拔样带，阴坡LAI均大于阳坡，但对同种种群来说，阴坡树种平均胸径并不一定均大于阳坡。3．植被类型LAI比较表现为：低山针叶林〈低山灌丛〈落叶阔叶林〈落叶针叶林〈常绿针叶林；而主要群系LAI比较表现为：油松林（0．38）〈落叶松林（0．78）〈山杨林及其混交林（1．09）〈白桦林（2．00）〈辽东栎林及其混交林（3．73）。4．典型群落LAI值变化分析和人工林与天然林以，比较表明，LAI值在一定海拔达到最大值，这对于山西霍山人工林栽培和丰产林培育等具有重要意义。     

Three Alkali-Rich Intrusive Rock Belts Newly Discovered in the Mt. Kunlun-Mt. Altun Region, Xinjiang, China

The newly discovered three alkali-rich intrusive rock belts in the Mt. Kunlun Mt.Altun region of southern Xinjiang are the Lapeiquan-Yitunbulak alkali-rich intrusive rock belt,the Gez-Taxkorgan alkali-rich intrusive rock belt and the Beilisai-Abulash alkali-rich intrusive rock belt. The former two belts were formed during the Yanshanian period, and the third one was formed during the Himalayan period, which is the youngest alkali-rich intrusive rock belt in China. The discovery of the alkali-rich intrusive rock belts is of great significance in shedding light on the history of tectono-magmatic activities in this region.     

大别山超高压石榴多硅白云母片岩中钻石U－Pb年龄

大别山超高压石榴多硅白云母片岩中钻石Ｕ－Ｐｂ年龄刘晓春（中国地质科学院地质力学研究所，北京１０００８１）李惠民，左义成（地质矿产部天津地质矿产研究所，天津３００１７０）关键词石榴多硅白云母片岩，Ｕ－Ｐｈ年龄，早元古代表壳岩，印支期超高压变质，大别山高...     

Geochemistry of the subduction-related magmatic rocks in the Dahong Mountains, northern Hubei Province——Constraint on the existence and subduction of the eastern Mianle oceanic basin

Being a composite collisional orogen between North China and South China blocks, the Qinling orogenic belt is the key to understand the composite combination, prolonged evolutionary history and their continental dynamics. The main suture between north and south Qinling, called Shangdan suture zone (SDSZ), had been studied in detail for about twenty years. Recently, another suture zone, called Mianl黣 suture zone (MLSZ), has been identified in the Qinling Mountains. It is characterized b…     

四川龙门山地区早中泥盆世孢子化石研究

本文系统研究了四川龙门山地区下泥盆统桂溪组、木耳厂组、观音庙组、关山坡组以及中泥盆统金宝石组的孢子化石,共鉴定孢子41属81种,建立了三个孢子组合带,由下至上分别是:Retusotriletes rotundus—Calamospora panucea(RP)孢子组合、Synorisporites downtoensis—Verrucosisporites scurrus(DS)孢子组合、Densosporites inaequus—Grandispora inculta(Ⅱ)孢子组合。通过与研究较为详细的西欧、北美地区的经典资料,包括老红砂岩大陆、北欧、加拿大等地区,以及国内相关资料的对比,结合特征种的地层分布、重要属种的含量、孢子大小等组合特征,确定RP组合时代为Lochkovian,DS组合时代为Pragian至早Emsian,Ⅱ组合时代为Eifelian中晚期—Givetian早期。这也是首次在金宝石组中发现孢子化石并对其进行研究。另外,通过对孢子直径的统计分析从另一个角度探讨了古植物的演化历程。     

川西龙门山中段彭州式铜矿区构造体系及与成矿的关系

川西龙门山中段彭州式铜矿形成于岛弧构造环境,其形成经历了晋宁期幔源火山沉积和褶皱变形、印支期-燕山期以来强烈的构造挤压和破坏。根据研究区地层形变的各种构造形迹,将区内构造体系划分为北北西向"多"字型和北东向华夏式两种构造体系。"多"字型构造体系是在晋宁期右行剪切作用下形成北东—北北东向的褶皱带,后经印支期-燕山期以来的左行旋转至北北西而保留至今,表现为黄水河群组成的复式背、向斜褶皱带;华夏式构造体系显示了印支期以来北东—南西方向强大的挤压,表现为前期的叠瓦状断裂和后期的"飞来峰"构造。两种构造体系共同控制着彭州式铜矿床的形成及改造。根据二者的平面展布形态、构造出露特征及其动力学标志,将其划分为包容和交接两种复合关系,即"多"字型构造体系包容于华夏式构造体系中,在研究区南部二者呈反接关系。