Successor Characteristics of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic Songliao Basins

The Songliao basin is a complex successor basin that was initiated in the Mesozoic and experienced multiple periods of reactivation. Based on seismic and drilling data, as well as regional geologic research, we suggest that the Songliao basin contains several different successor basins resting on top of Carboniferous-Permian folded strata forming the basement to the Songliao basin. These basins include the Triassic-Mid Jurassic Paleo-foreland basin, the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous downfaulted basin, and an early Cretaceous depressed basin （since the Denglouku Group）. This paper presents a systematic study of the basin-mountain interactions, and reveals that there are different types of prototype basin at different geologic times. These prototype basins sequentially superimposed and formed the large Songliao basin. Discovery of the Triassic-early Middle Jurassic paleo-foreland basin fills a Triassic-early Middle Jurassic gap in the geologic history of the Songliao basin. The paleo- foreland basin, downfaulted basin, and depressed thermal subsidence basin all together represent the whole Mesozoic-Cenozoic geologic history and deformation of the Songliao basin. Discovery of the Triassic-early Middle Jurassic paleo-foreland basin plays an important role both for deep natural gas exploration and the study of basin-mountain coupling in north China and eastern China in general. This example gives dramatic evidence that we should give much more attention to the polyphase tectonic evolution of related basins for the next phase of exploration and study.

A Paleoproterozoic(Orosirian) Ophiolitic Mélange, North Yangzte Craton

Ophiolites represent fragments of ancient oceanic lithosphere,tectonically incorporated into continental margins during plate subduction or remained in the subduction–collisional orogenic belt.They provide

Morphodynamic development of the Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake Depression,Central Mongolia:Implications for the relationships of Faulting,Volcanic Activity,and Lake Depression Formation

Data on the origin and morphology of lake depressions caused by volcanism are scarce in Mongolia.Previous studies focused on climate change patterns based on Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake sediment.We present a result of existing reconstructions of lake depression development and changes in the hydrology system during the Khorgo volcanic activation and the Holocene environmental change.A depression of the Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake is formed by a lava flow barrier from the Khorgo volcano.However,the Khorgo volcanic eruption and the lake depression that could shape a large lake have arisen instead from a fault.The morphometric analysis and field measurements indicate that the derivation of the Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake depression and Khorgo volcano may have evolved from movement on a sinistral strike-slip fault,which is about 70 km long.The southern mountains and rivers were displaced from northwest to southeast along the Terkh Fault.The offset along Terkh Fault is 4.02-5.28 km in the depression of the Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake.After movement,a wide valley of the Terkh River developed in the present landscape.The active Khorgo Volcano formed along the Khorgo Fault.The Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake is formed by blocked water from the PaleoTerkh River after lava damming from the Khorgo Volcano.The initial paleo-lake area was about 195.7km^(2),which was three times larger than the modern lake.The current water volume of the Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake is 0.351 km^(3) while the volume of the paleo-lake was 2.248 km^(3).Based on this volume indicator the paleo-lake was 6.4 times larger than the current lake.Overflowing water from the lake depression formed the Suman River by a drying canyon through the lava plateau,but the canyon is along the Terkh Fault.Changes in the water volume of Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake and erosion of Suman River canyon are inversely related to each other.We present the morphometric relationships between the lava plateau of Khorgo Volcano and development of Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake depression.

A Sheeted Dike Complex in the Protrozoic Miaowan Ophiolite Complex on the Northern Yangtze Craton: Recording Seafloor Spreading

The Proterozoic Miaowan Ophiolite Complex is a highly dismembered ophiolitic complex cropping out near the northern margin of the Yangtze Craton(Peng et al.,2012).The rocks of this complex consist of,from bottom

A Neoarchean Subduction Polarity Reversal Event in the North China Craton: Evidence from 2.5 Ga Mafic Dikes and Coeval Granites

Fabrics of an Archean mélange belt in the Zanhuang Complex of the North China Craton(NCC)were intruded by mafic dikes and a granite pluton(Deng et al.,2013;Wang et al.,2013).Igneous zircons from an undefomed

Petrogenesis of Late Mesozoic Calc-Alkaline Lamprophyres from Sulu UHP Terrane, Eastern China: Implications to Paleo-Pacific Plate Subduction and Destruction of the North China Craton

Destruction of the North China Craton has caused extensive concern on its multiple potential mechanisms including thermal erosion,chemical erosion and delamination.It is widely accepted that thinning of the

Structural Relationships along a Neoarchean Arc-Continent Collision Zone, North China Craton

The Archean North China Craton is composed of the Western Block,Eastern Block and the intervening Central Orogenic Belt.A 4-10 km wide and 85 km long tectonic mélange belt informally called the Zanhuang tectonic

洋内弧和陆缘弧体系中的大陆地壳生长:与太古宙体系的类比

地球陆壳的生长和再循环贯穿汇聚板块边缘的增生造山过程.太古宙陆壳生长主要发生在洋内弧和陆缘弧体系.在弧系统中,大洋岩石圈俯冲到更深的地幔深处,并可与其上覆沉积层序一起被俯冲刮削下来形成增生楔.俯冲板片析出流体与上覆地幔楔发生化学反应,形成镁铁质-超镁铁质交代岩,由其部分熔融所产生的镁铁质熔体上升形成镁铁质弧岩浆.在洋内弧体系中,产生的弧岩浆主要为玄武质熔岩,中地壳发育中性成分的垂向深成岩体和更浅层的岩墙和岩床.在陆缘弧体系中,不同的成岩过程导致玄武岩浆同化和分馏、初生玄武质岩石的部分熔融/再造,以及由幔源和壳源熔体的混合,因此产生的熔体主要为钙碱性安山质;但中地壳仍主要由长英质成分的垂向深成岩体组成,形成类似于一些太古宙地体(如Pilbara和Zimbabwe克拉通局部区)中发育的三维穹盆构造.值得注意的是,太古宙大陆地壳主要由英云闪长岩-奥长花岗岩-花岗闪长岩(TTG)组合深成岩体构成,与显生宙洋内弧和陆缘弧体系的中地壳成分结构相似,这表明地球早期陆壳可能主要由多个弧体系拼合而成.通过综述和对比地球上保留的相关地质记录,可以发现早太古代以来,地球岩浆作用的模式在岩石成因、岩石类型、岩浆和增生事件的持续时间,以及变形和岩浆作用的空间尺度等方面基本保持不变,表明自早太古代以来,以俯冲和弧岩浆作用为特征的板块构造已经在地球上启动.然而,早期地球主要由增生造山带和大洋弧控制,通过多次增生事件逐渐增厚,在3.5~3.2Ga形成早期陆缘弧和增生造山带.由于地幔温度较高,太古代岛弧体系中俯冲板片熔融和温暖变质作用可能更常见.这些早期弧在约3.2~3.0Ga进一步拼合形成大型出露水面的地壳,为岩石圈张裂、大陆碰撞等大规模地质过程及超大陆旋回的开始创造了条件.建议在将来的工作中将虚无假设这一思辨方法应用到板块构造解释残留地质记录上,进而根据行星地球在生热上的根本差异,检验板块构造样式和岩浆作用随时间的演变.

Plate tectonics in relation to mantle temperatures and metamorphic properties

When plate tectonics emerged and how it has evolved over Earth history are two of the most fundamental challenges in Earth Sciences.These questions are tackled using a holistic approach to analyze tectonic styles in the history of Earth,giving rise to the interpretation of two styles of plate tectonics since the Archean.In these interpretations,there are different styles of deformation and metamorphism between early times dominated by warm subduction,and later times preferring cold subduction.The two styles of plate tectonics are recorded by different properties of regional metamorphism at convergent plate boundaries,which are linked to the differences in mantle temperature between the Archean and Phanerozoic.A transition to modern plate tectonics is recorded by the signature of blueschist facies metamorphism developed in the Neoproterozoic.This is consistent with geological evidence for the operation of ancient plate tectonics since the early Archean.The temporal cooling of the mantle explains the geochemical trends of mantle-derived melts,the likely change from numerous small plates to fewer but larger plates,changes in thickness and preservation of oceanic crust and lithosphere in accretionary and collisional orogens,and led to the oxygenation of the surface environment providing the environments needed to foster life.

板块构造与地幔温度和变质属性之间的关系

板块构造的启动时间及其在地球历史时期的演化过程,是地球科学的两大基本挑战.通过一个整体研究方法来分析地球历史时期的构造范式,可以解释自太古宙以来两种范式的板块构造.在这些解释中,早期的热俯冲与晚期的冷俯冲之间存在不同的变形和变质特征.汇聚板块边缘不同特征的区域变质作用记录了这两种不同范式的板块构造,这与太古宙和显生宙地幔温度的差异有关.以蓝片岩相变质作用出现为特征的现代范式板块构造出现在新元古代.这与表明古代范式的板块构造在太古宙早期已经启动的地质证据相吻合.地幔在地球演化史上的不断冷却可解释幔源熔体地球化学特征随时间的演化规律,而这个过程可能让无数小的板片数量逐渐减少并演变成更大的板片,改变洋壳、增生-碰撞造山带中岩石圈的厚度和保留程度,从而导致地球表面氧化作用,为孕育生命提供合适环境.

Growth of continental crust in intra-oceanic and continental-margin arc systems: Analogs for Archean systems

Earth’s continental crust has grown and been recycled throughout geologic history along convergent plate margins.The main locus of continental crustal growth is in intra-oceanic and continental-margin arc systems in Archean time. In arc systems, oceanic lithosphere is subducted to the deeper mantle, and together with its overlying sedimentary sequence is in some cases off-scraped to form accretionary prisms. Fluids are released from the subducting slab to chemically react with the mantle wedge, forming mafic-ultramafic metasomatites, whose partial melting generates mafic melts that rise up to form arcs. In intraoceanic arcs, they produce dominantly basaltic lavas, with a mid-crust that includes variably-developed vertically-walled intermediate plutons and higher-level dikes and sills. In continental-margin arcs, different petrogenetic processes cause assimilation and fractionation of basaltic magmas, partial melting/reworking of juvenile basaltic rocks, and mixing of mantle-and crust-derived melts, so they produce andesitic calc-alkaline melts but still have a mid-crust dominated by vertically-walled felsic plutons, which form 3-D dome-and-basin structures, akin to those in some Archean terranes such as parts of the Pilbara and Zimbabwe cratons. Notably, the continental crust of Archean times is dominated by tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite(TTG)plutons, similar to that of the mid-crust of these arc systems, suggesting that early continental crust may have formed largely by the amalgamation of multiple arc systems. The patterns of magmatism, in terms of petrogenesis, rock types, duration of magmatic and accretionary events, and the spatial scales of deformation and magmatism have remained essentially the same throughout geological history, demonstrating that plate tectonic processes characterized by subduction and arc magmatism have been in operation at least as long as recorded by the preserved geologic record, since the Eoarchean. However, the early Earth was dominated by accretionary orogens and oceanic arcs, that gradually grew thicker through multiple accretion events to form early continental-margin arcs by 3.5–3.2 Ga, and accretionary orogens. Slab melting and warmer metamorphism was more common in Archean arc systems due to higher mantle temperatures. These early arcs were further amalgamated into large emergent continents by ~3.2–3.0 Ga, allowing large-scale processes such as lithospheric rifting and continental collisions, and the start of the supercontinent cycle. Further work should apply the null hypothesis, that plate tectonics explains the geologic record, to test for differences in the style of plate tectonics and magmatism through time, based on the fundamental difference in planetary heat production and the evolution of rotational dynamics of the Earth-Sun-Moon system.