Clay Mineralogy and its Paleoclimatic Significance of the OligoceneMiocene Sediments in the Gerze Basin, Tibet

This study collected the early Oligocene to middle Miocene sediments from the Gerze Basin of Tibet, and used X-Ray diffraction （XRD） and Scanning Electron Microscope （SEM） to discuss their clay mineralolgy, clay indices, better understand the clay mineralogy and its paleoclimatic significance. The results show that clay minerals of the Gerze Basin sediments are mainly composed of iilite and chlorite, with minor amounts of smectite and kaolinite, and their relative content varies along the section. Variations of relative contents and clay indices suggest that the Gerze Basin has experienced three-stage evolution of paleoclimate： I ） high ilUte and chlorite contents, with fluctuant smectite and low （I＋Ch）/（K＋S） ratio, indicative of a dominant seasonal arid climate from the early Oligoeene to late Oligocene; Ⅱ） higher illite and chlorite contents and larger （I＋Ch）/（K＋S） ratio but absence of kaolinite, indicating a colder and drier climate from the late Oligocene to early Miocene; Ⅲ） high iilite and chlorite contents with fluctuant （I＋Ch）/（K＋S） ratios and occasional occurrence of kaolinite, suggesting that the climate became warmer and more humid compared with that of stage Ⅱ in the mid-Miocene. These conclusions were also reinforced by the clay morphology, which suggests that physical weathering dominated in stage Ⅱ, while relatively strong chemical weathering was dominant in stages Ⅰ and Ⅲ Clay minerals of the sediments mainly consist of illite and chlorite, indicating that the source rock played a significant role in clay origin. It is inferred that global cooling and the enhancement of denudation and obstruction of northward moisture due to the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were responsible for the provenance of iUite and chlorite under weak chemical weathering. Though the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau reached a certain elevation by the mid-Miocene, yet the mid-Miocene widespread warming might have largely impacted the Gerze climate.

Geochemistry and tectonic significance of volcanic rocks from Qushenla Formation in Gerze area of northern Tibetan Plateau

By using petrological,isotope chronological,and geochemical methods,the authors studied the volcanic rocks in the studied area,mainly including dacites and trachytes. The results show that they formed during the late Early Cretaceous. Geochemically,the volcanic rocks are relatively enriched in large-ion lithophile elements( Rb,K,and Th) and depleted in high field strength elements( Nb,Ta,and Ti),and rich in light rare earth elements,and depleted in heavy rare earth elements. The fact indicates that the main body of the volcanic rocks in the Qushenla Formation was derived from the partial melting of lower crust. The lithological assemblages are characterized by continental high-K calc-alkaline and shoshonitic series,suggesting that the southward-subducting oceanic slab in southern Bangong Lake had break off and that the Bangong Lake-Nujiang Ocean had closed before 107 Ma. The main dynamic mechanisms for the genesis of this set of intermediate-acidic volcanic rocks were upwelling of the asthenosphere and partial melting of the lower crust caused by slab break-off.