Middle Stone Age starch acquisition in the Niassa Rift, Mozambique

The quest for direct lines of evidence for Paleolithic plant consumption during the African Middle Stone Age has led scientists to study residues and use-wear on flaked stone tools. Past work has established lithic function through multiple lines of evidence and the spatial breakdown of use-wear and microscopic traces on tool surfaces. This paper focuses on the quantitative analysis of starch assemblages and the botanical identification of grains from flake and core tools to learn about human ecology of carbohydrate use around the Niassa woodlands, in the Mozambican Rift. The processing of starchy plant parts is deduced from the occurrence of starch assemblages that presumably got attached to stone tool surfaces by actions associated with extractive or culinary activities. Specifically, we investigate starch grains from stone tools recently excavated in northern Mozambique at the site of Mikuyu; which presumably spans the middle to late Pleistocene and represents similar sites found along the Malawi/Niassa corridor that links East, Southern, and Central Africa. Starch was extracted and processed with a diverse tool kit consisting of scrapers, cores, points, flakes, and other kinds of tools. The microbotanical data suggests consumption of seeds, legumes, caryopses, piths, underground storage organs, nuts, and mesocarps from more than a dozen families. Our data suggest a great antiquity for starch use in Africa as well as an expanded diet and intensification.     

History of crustal growth and recycling at the Pacific convergent margin of South America at latitudes 29°–36° S revealed by a U–Pb and Lu–Hf isotope study of detrital zircon from late Paleozoic accretionary systems

Detrital zircon provides a powerful archive of continental growth and recycling processes. We have tested this by a combined laser ablation ICP-MS U–Pb and Lu–Hf analysis of homogeneous growth domains in detrital zircon from late Paleozoic coastal accretionary systems in central Chile and the collisional Guarguaráz Complex in W Argentina. Because detritus from a large part of W Gondwana is present here, the data delineate the crustal evolution of southern South America at its Paleopacific margin, consistent with known data in the source regions.Zircon in the Guarguaráz Complex mainly displays an U–Pb age cluster at 0.93–1.46 Ga, similar to zircon in sediments of the adjacent allochthonous Cuyania Terrane. By contrast, zircon from the coastal accretionary systems shows a mixed provenance: Age clusters at 363–722 Ma are typical for zircon grown during the Braziliano, Pampean, Famatinian and post-Famatinian orogenic episodes east of Cuyania. An age spectrum at 1.00–1.39 Ga is interpreted as a mixture of zircon from Cuyania and several sources further east. Minor age clusters between 1.46 and 3.20 Ga suggest recycling of material from cratons within W Gondwana.The youngest age cluster (294–346 Ma) in the coastal accretionary prisms reflects a so far unknown local magmatic event, also represented by rhyolite and leucogranite pebbles. It sets time marks for the accretion history: Maximum depositional ages of most accreted metasediments are Middle to Upper Carboniferous. A change of the accretion mode occurred before 308 Ma, when also a concomitant retrowedge basin formed.Initial Hf-isotope compositions reveal at least three juvenile crust-forming periods in southern South America characterised by three major periods of juvenile magma production at 2.7–3.4 Ga, 1.9–2.3 Ga and 0.8–1.5 Ga. The ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf of Mesoproterozoic zircon from the coastal accretionary systems is consistent with extensive crustal recycling and addition of some juvenile, mantle-derived magma, while that of zircon from the Guarguaráz Complex has a largely juvenile crustal signature. Zircon with Pampean, Famatinian and Braziliano ages (< 660 Ma) originated from recycled crust of variable age, which is, however, mainly Mesoproterozoic. By contrast, the Carboniferous magmatic event shows less variable and more radiogenic ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf, pointing to a mean early Neoproterozoic crustal residence. This zircon is unlikely to have crystallized from melts of metasediments of the accretionary systems, but probably derived from a more juvenile crust in their backstop system.     

中国西秦岭碎屑锆石U-Pb年龄及其构造意义

西秦岭是北接华北克拉通、西接祁连与柴达木、南接松潘—甘孜地块的东秦岭造山带的西延。文中研究了该区从前寒武纪到三叠纪的碎屑沉积岩。这些碎屑沉积岩中分离出的锆石由LA-ICPMS(激光剥蚀等离子体质谱)进行了U-Pb定年。全岩Nd亏损地幔模式年龄类似于扬子克拉通年龄,主要分布于1.55~1.98Ga,峰值为1.81Ga,而与华北克拉通主要为古元古代与太古宙的模式年龄形成明显的对比。泥盆系中的碎屑锆石930~730Ma的U-Pb年龄指示其与扬子克拉通具亲缘性。930~730Ma是源区地壳的强烈增长阶段。二叠系—三叠系的碎屑沉积岩主体以含老于1600Ma的碎屑锆石为特征。碎屑锆石U-Pb年龄与Sm-Nd同位素组成指示此时华北克拉通南缘的基底岩石成为二叠系—三叠系碎屑沉积岩的重要物源。扬子克拉通在三叠纪时与华北克拉通拼接。西秦岭二叠系—三叠系碎屑沉积岩含有高达50%的华北克拉通南缘的基底岩石。     

张广才岭南部杨木岗组的厘定及物源分析

本文通过岩石组合特征和区域对比，将张广才岭南部西蛤拉河子—大锅盔一带分布的浅变质地层重新厘定为杨木岗组。为了确定杨木岗组的形成时代和沉积物源，进行了碎屑锆石U- Pb年代学和微体古生物地层学研究。锆石大多数呈自形—半自形晶，显示典型振荡岩浆生长环带，暗示其岩浆成因。该地层中测得的两组碎屑锆石U- Pb产生多组谐和年龄，其中PM010- TW样品56个测点最小峰值(谐和)年龄为307 Ma，DB02- TW样品51个测点最小峰值(谐和)年龄为275 Ma；覆盖在杨木岗组之上的中生代二浪河组安山岩的定年结果为181. 1±0. 9 Ma，表明杨木岗组形成于早二叠世晚期。杨木岗组中获取疑源类化石组合出现了新元古代晚期—早寒武世和奥陶纪地层常见分子，结合碎屑锆石年龄结果，反映杨木岗组沉积时周围存在早古生代和中—新元古代地质体。碎屑沉积岩Al2O3/TiO2平均值为24. 44，稀土元素球粒陨石标准化曲线具有轻稀土富集、重稀土稳定和负Eu异常特征，结合碎屑锆石的年龄频数可以看出，确定杨木岗组的沉积物主要来源于沉积盆地周围的晚古生代早期中酸性火成岩，次要物源由沉积盆地周边的早古生代地质体和近地表的中—新元古代地质体提供。佳木斯地块为松嫩- 张广才岭地块上晚古生代地层的形成提供了部分物源，暗示佳木斯地块与松嫩- 张广才岭地块于早二叠世之前已完成拼合。     

秦岭南缘勉略带构造属性及晚古生代地质背景:来自碎屑锆石U-Pb年代学的制约

勉略构造带作为秦岭造山带内重要的构造边界,关于其构造属性及晚古生代以来的地质背景,一直是学术界争论的焦点。碎屑锆石U-Pb年代学在限定地层单元的最大沉积年龄、研究区域构造岩浆事件及约束构造地质背景等方面行之有效。基于此,通过对勉略带内五郎坪北侧两河口变沉积地层和侵入其中的变形花岗岩脉体进行LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年代学研究。获得2件变形花岗岩脉的结晶年龄均为406±1Ma。碎屑锆石主年龄谱分别为422～456Ma和558～826Ma,峰值年龄为441Ma和771Ma、813Ma,次级年龄谱分别为942～1495Ma和1658～2981Ma,峰值年龄不明显。依据最小一组碎屑锆石的峰值年龄(441Ma),和侵入其中的变形花岗岩脉(406±0.6Ma),限定该变沉积地层形成时代为406～441Ma(S_1-D_1)。碎屑锆石年龄谱显示该套变沉积地层物质来源较为复杂,其中秦岭造山带及扬子板块北缘早古生代、新元古代岩浆岩为其提供了74%±的物源,古老变质基底为其提供了26%±的物源。通过与区域上已有资料对比,认为勉略构造带内晚古生代沉积地层形成环境与邻区大致相同,且本次所获得的变沉积岩碎屑锆石年龄谱也与邻区泥盆系相似。综合认为,勉略构造带与邻区在晚古生代应属同一构造环境,晚古生代"勉略海盆"应当包括整个南秦岭。     

Detrital Zircon of 4100 Ma in Quartzite in Burang, Tibet

A detrital zircon aged 4.1 Ga is discovered by the SHRIMP U-Pb method in a quartzite in Burang County, western Tibet. This is presently the oldest single-grain detrital zircon in China. The Th-U ratios of the two testing points of the 〉4.0 Ga zircon are between 0.76 and 0.86, indicating their magmatic origin. This discovery has offered an important age for investigating the geological evolution of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.     

四川盆地白垩纪沙漠石英沙颗粒表面特征

石英具有较大的硬度和较高的化学稳定性，因而其颗粒表面特征能很好地反映沉积环境。而通过扫描电镜研究石英颗粒表面微细特征是分析沉积环境行之有效的方法。虽然多数人认为四川盆地白垩纪地层存在沙漠沉积(打儿凼组和夹关组)，但仍有人对沙漠沉积的存在持怀疑态度，并认为是河流成三角洲沉积。过去关于其沉积环境的判别主要是根据沉积结构和构造，并未对其石英沙颗粒表面特征进行过系统分析。笔者对采自四川盆地白垩系不同层位地层的样品进行了石英沙颗粒表面特征系统分析。结果表明，石英沙颗粒表面特征分析可以成功地将石英沙区分为风成和水成沉积。因此，本文从石英沙颗粒表面特征方面进一步肯定了四川盆地白垩纪古沙漠的存在。     

辽西北票(金-羊)盆地中生代砂岩碎屑组分对区域构造演化的响应

根据北票 (金-羊 )盆地中生界砂岩碎屑组分分析,综合区域构造演化背景、盆地沉积充填序列及砾岩特征,对盆地中生代物源及构造演化进行了示踪 :晚三叠世为盆地构造活化的起始阶段,盆地物源应主要来自周缘隆升蚀源区的前中生代碎屑沉积物;早侏罗世辽西地区发生了明显的差异升降,北票 (金-羊 )盆地相对伸展陷落,盆地范围有所扩大;晚侏罗世北西-南东向逆冲推覆作用成为盆地的主要控制因素,北票 (金-羊 )盆地具有明显前陆盆地特征,盆地西缘太古代变质岩系出露剥蚀而成为盆地的主要物源之一;早白垩世辽西地区发生构造反转,北票 (金-羊 )盆地相对萎缩。Dickinson模型并不完全适用于辽西地区。     

Late Cenozoic deformation subsequence in northeastern margin of Tibet --Detrital AFT records from Linxia Basin

Two events of Tibet uplifting are revealed by detrital apatite fission track (AFT) age data from Linxia Basin. They occurred at about 14 and 5.4-8.0 MaBP respectively. We interpret the first one to be related to the uplifting of the northern Tibet, which might have resulted from convectively removing the thickened lower lithosphere. The second one is a result of Laji Mountain uplifting. Numerous studies of the Tibetan Plateau suggest that the onset time of the deformation in the northeastern margin of Tibetan Plateau and the time of Tibet attaining to its present elevation is about 8 MaBP. They are approximately coincident with the uplift of Lajishan Mountain. It suggests that the northeastern margin of Tibet propagated northeastwardly to its present site in about 8 MaBP for accommodating the sustained convergence between India-Eurasia plate and for keeping its high elevation. The active block pattern dominating the strong earthquake distribution of Chinese continent probably formed at about 8.0-5.4 MaBP.     

程海断裂带断层泥中石英碎砾表面SEM特征及断层活动状态的分析

根据断层泥中石英碎砾表面SEM特征的鉴定研究，可将程海断裂中、北段断层泥中石英碎砾表面SEM形貌特征分为6类，这表明该段断裂经历了长期多期次活动，强烈活动时间在中晚更新世；5件样品中均未见破裂类(Io)的石英颗粒，表明程海断裂全新世以来强烈活动的频度相对较低。石英碎砾表面机械作用特征的分类统计研究显示：程海断裂中、北段晚更新世以来，断层所经历的活动方式以粘滑活动为主。