Chronology and Sources of Mesozoic Intrusive Complexes in the Xuzhou-Huainan Region, Central China: Constraints from SHRIMP Zircon U-Pb Dating

SHRIMP zircon U-Pb dating in the Liguo and Jiagou intrusives indicates that they were formed at -130 Ma in the Early Cretaceous. Most inherited zircons in the Liguo intrusive were formed at 2509±43 Ma. Most inherited and detrital zircons in the Jiagou intrusive were formed at -2500 Ma, -2000 Ma and -1800 Ma. The SHRIMP zircon U-Pb dating in two gneiss xenoliths from the Jiagou intrusive yields the ages of 2461±22 Ma and 2508±15 Ma, respectively. The dating results from inherited and detrital zircons in the intrusives and the gneiss xenoliths imply that the magmas could be derived from the partial melting of the basement of the North China Block (NCB). The magmatism is strong and extensive in the periods from 115 to 132 Ma, which is of typical bimodal characteristics. It is suggested that the lithospheric thinning in the eastern North China Block reached its peak in 115-132 Ma.

Cenozoic Adakite-type Volcanic Rocks in Qiangtang,Tibet and Its Significance

Volcanic rocks in the study area, including dacite, trachyandesite and mugearite, belong to the intermediate-acid, high-K calc-alkaline series, and possess the characteristics of adakite. The geochemistry of the rocks shows that the rocks are characterized by SiO2>59%, enrichment in A12O3(15.09-15.64%) and Na2O (>3.6%), high Sr (649-885 μg/g) and Sc, low Y contents (<17 μg/g), depletion in HREE (Yb<1.22 μg/g), (La/Yb)N>25, Sr/Y>40, MgO<3% (Mg<0.35), weak Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu=0.84-0.94), and lack of the high field strength elements (HFSE) (Nb, Ta, Ti, etc.). The Nd and Sr isotope data (87Sr/86Sr=0.7062-0.7079, 143Nd/144Nd=0.51166-0.51253, εNd= -18.61-0.02), show that the magma resulted from partial melting (10%-40%) of newly underplated basaltic lower crust under high pressure (1-4 GPa), and the petrogenesis is obviously affected by the crust's assimilation and fractional crystallization (AFC). This research will give an insight into the uplift mechanism of the Tibetan plateau.

Ophiolites from the Mianlüe Suture in the Southern Qinling and Their Relationship with the Eastern Paleotethys Evolution

The Mianlue suture extends from Derni-Nanping-Pipasi-Kangxian to the Lueyang-Mianxian area, then traverses the Bashan arcuate structure eastward to the Huashan region, and finally to the Qingshuihe area of the southern Dabie Mountains. From east to west, with a length of over 1500 km, the ophiolitic melange associations are distributed discontinuously along the suture. The rock assemblages include ophiolite, island-arc and oceanic island rock series, indicating that there existed a suture zone and a vanished paleo-ocean basin. The Mianliie paleo-ocean basin experienced its main expansion and formation process during the Carboniferous-Permian and closed totally in the Triassic. It belongs to the northern branch of the eastern paleotethys, separated from the northern margin of the Yangtze block under the paleotethys mantle dynamic system.

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN FRACTIONATIONS OF Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn AND Ni AND SOIL PROPERTIES IN URBAN SOILS OF CHANGCHUN, CHINA

An extensive soil investigation was conducted in different domains of Changchun to disclose the fractionations of Pb, Cu, Cd, Zn and Ni in urban soils. Meanwhile correlation analysis and multiple stepwise regressions were used to define relationships between soil properties and metal fractions and the chief factors influencing the fractionation of heavy metals in the soils. The results showed that Pb, Ni and Cu were mainly associated with the residual and organic forms; most of Cd was concentrated in the residual and exchangeable fractions. Zn in residual and carbonate fraction was the highest. The activities of the heavy metals probably declined in the following order: Cd, Zn, Pb, Cu and Ni. The chemical fractions of heavy metals in different domains in Changchun City were of significantly spatial heterogeneity. Soil properties had different influences on the chemical fractions of heavy metals to some extent and the main factors influencing Cd, Zn, Pb, Cu and Ni fractionation and transformation were apparently different.

Paleocommunity Replacements of Benthic Brachiopod in the Middle-Upper Devonian in the Longmenshan Area,Southwestern China:Responses to Sea Level Fluctuations

Twelve paleocommunities dominated by benthic brachiopod are recognized in the Givetian-Frasnian stages of the Devonian in the Longmenshan area, southwestern China, in which two kinds of brachiopod community replacement are classified. One is the abrupt replacement, represented by abrupt alternation between the Leiorhynchus community and Zhonghuacoelia-Striatopugnax community in the Frasnian Tuqiaozi Formation. The other is the gradual one, developed in the Givetian Guanwushan Formation, which had been completed by the shift of the Independatrypa lemma-Uncinulus heterocostellis-Emanuella takwanensis community via the Sinospongophyllum irregulare-Pseudomicroplasma fongi community to the Clathrocoilona spissa-Hexagonaria composite reef community. According to analyses of the paleocommunities, either the abrupt or gradual paleocommunity replacement of the Middle-Upper Devonian in the Longmenshan area is suggested as a response to the 5th-order sea level fluctuation due to the replacements of the paleocommunities in a tracts-system of depositional sequence. It is supposed that changes of paleocommunity diversity, one of the results of paleocommunity replacement, are depended on the range and magnitude of sea level fluctuation, but there is not a linear relationship between them. Furthermore, a suggestion is proposed that the concept of paleocommunity succession seem to be abandoned in the paleocommunity analysis because it almost never be practiced to recover the information of community succession in the geological record at present.

Experimental Study of Migration of Gabbro Elements during Deformation

Gabbro is selected as a sample for experimental deformation to investigate and validate the migration of elements during rock deformation. Samples are deformed for 3 h under a strain of about 5 % at T =700 ℃, p =100 MPa, σ =50 MPa. It is shown that there are 4 areas with different colors in the section of the samples parallel to σ 1: the extensional, contractional, and strongly compressional areas and a ductile shear zone, respectively on the basis of the stress states and the direction of material movement. The chemical components such as K, Na, Al and Fe from materials in different areas have changed. The four elements mentioned above in pyroxene grains decrease in content from the extensional area through the ductile shear zone, the contractional area, to the strongly compressional area. The contents of the same elements in feldspar grain vary in a reverse direction.

Experimental Study of Confining Pressure Initiated by Tectonic Force

An experimental study of the confining pressure, i.e. additional hydrostatic pressure initiated by the tectonic force is presented. The experimental progress is that the σ 1 is gradually increasing from 0 in a limiting movement ( ε 1=0) in the σ 1 direction and the speed rate of the accelerating load is 0.4 MPa·s -1 in the lateral and level directions. When σ 2= σ 3<200 MPa, Δ σ l is nearly lacking, Δ σ l is increasing at a high speed only when the horizontal force reaches 250-380 MPa, and Δ σ l almost ceases to increase at the level force of 380 MPa. It is calculated that the tectonic force can produce the confining pressure which is gradually increasing with σ 2= σ 3 before it reaches 380 MPa in an experiment. It is supposed that the horizontal force is almost all transformed into the confining pressure with the increase of the creep deformation of rocks.

Characteristics of Quaternary deposits near Songjianghe Town on west slope of Changbai Mountain

On the basis of field survey, microscope sighting, TL dating and scanning electron microscope analysis, the characteristics of Quaternary deposits near Songjianghe Town on the west slope of Changbai Mountain are analyzed and described. There were two phases of volcanism during Mid-Late Quaternary. One occurred before 15.22×104 aB.P. and the other happened between 14.27×104 aB.P. and 1.41×104 aB.P. Volcanism is a landform-making process which makes the rough relief in the studied area become higher and higher. Flow water is a main erosion agency and it cuts into the basalts making river valleys. The Quaternary fluvial deposits distributed on terraces first come from the weathered debris of basement rocks, then they are transported and deposited by flow water. After 1.41×104 aB.P., the river water quickly cuts into the newly formed basalts making a deep valley. Volcanism in the studied area is a main landform-making event in Mid-Late Quaternary.

Sequence associations of sedimentary facies in continental basins and their applications to palaeogeographic mapping

According to the characteristics of sedimentary facies and their vertical associations, sequence association of sedimentary facies can be divided into 2 types and 28 subtypes. The first type(type A)is a sedimentary sequence without volcanic rocks, including 18 subtypes. The second type(type B)is a volcanogenic succession including 10 subtypes. Each subtype may reflect certain filling condition under certain sedimentary environment. Time and space distribution of different types of sequence associations can reflect tectonics that controlled the basin evolution, sedimentary environments and palaeogeography.

Methane-rich fluid inclusions and their hosting volcanic reservoir rocks of the Songliao Basin, NE China

Methane-rich fluids were recognized to be hosted in the reservoir volcanic rocks as primary inclusions. Samples were collected from core-drillings of volcanic gas reservoirs with reversed δ13C of alkane in the Xujiaweizi depression of the Songliao Basin. The volcanic rocks are rhyolite dominant being enriched in the more incompatible elements like Cs, Rb, Ba, Th, U and Th with relative high LREE, depleted HREE and negative anomalies of Ti and Nb, suggesting a melt involving both in mantle source and crustal assimilation. Primary fluids hosted in the volcanic rocks should have the same provenance with the magma. The authors concluded that the enclosed CH4 in the volcanics are mantle/magma-derived alkane and the reversed δ13C of alkane in the corresponding gas reservoirs is partly resulted from mixture between biogenic and abiogenic gases.

Characters of fluid inclusions in quartz veins in pyroclastic rock of Budate Group, Hailar Basin

It was adopted that the fluorescence microscope, Gas-Flow Heating/Freezing System, Laser-Raman Spect-roscopy, etc. are the multimedia techniques for analysing fluid inclusions of quartz veins in Budate Group, Hailar Basin. The results show that fluid inclusions in quartz veins are small(1～5 μm)monophase, two-phase(liquid+vapour)aqueous inclusions; the two-phase aqueous inclusions homogeniese to the liquid phase between 120～180℃, two dominant types for oil inclusions were determined in quartz veins:① the primary inclusions, almostly gas, measurement by Laser-Raman Spectroscopy show that both gas phase are enriched in CH4(94.50%～99.25%)and C6H6(0.75%～2.70%), under these conditions, inclusions may have come from juvenile fliud followingly the quartz veins formation. While the quartz veins exhibiting different striking luminescence has been proved by cathodoluminescence, it would be impossible to come from the deep magmas and strata. ② aqueous, liquid and two-phase(liquid+vapour)oil inclusions, belong to secondary hydrocarbon inclusions. The oil inclusions of this stage represent mainly the large scale of oil accumulation, located within the quartz microfracture.

A geochemical survey of thermal springs in western part of Republic of Yemen and their geothermometric characteristics

The high-mineral contents of some thermal waters are believed to have medicinal properties. Numerous spas and bathhouses might be built at these hot springs to take advantage of theses supposed healing properties such as skin diseases, rheumatism and so on. This paper is to find thermal reservoir and to classify the kinds of water. The majority of thermal springs are found discharging from igneous centers of Tertiary and Quaternary volcanic fields of the western Yemen (research area). Structurally these volcanisms are connected to N-NW faults that are parallel to the main Red Sea trend. Temperature and pH values of the thermal spring range 37℃～96℃, and 6.3～8.7 respectively. The Yemeni thermal waters indicate high variability in composition since they are of Na (K)-Cl, Na-HCO_3 and Ca (Mg) -SO_4 types, whereas the surficial waters have the typical worldwide Ca (Mg) -HCO_3 composition. Different liquid phase geothermometers, such as SiO_2, K^2/Mg and Na/K. Estimated reservoir temperatures ranging 70～140℃ perform equilibrium temperature evaluation of the thermal reservoirs.

Triassic U-Pb age for zircon from granites in the Tonghua area and its response to the Dabie-Sulu ultrahigh-pressure collisional orogenesis

Single-grain zircon U-Pb dating was carried out to constrain the emplacement timing of granitic plutons at Chaxinzi, Xiaoweishahe and Longtou in the Tonghua area, south of Jilin Province. The results show that these plutons formed in the Triassic with ages of 203—217 Ma. Geological and geochemical characteristics indicate that the plutons are composed of quartz diorite and granite. The former was derived from partial melting of mafic lower crust, whereas the latter originated from thickened crust with garnet as the residue in the source. It appears that protoliths of these two types of granitits are different although they have the same emplacement age. Considering that these plutons are petrologically different from the coeval granites in the Xingmeng (Xing抋n-Mongolian) to Jihei (Jilin-Heilongjiang) orogenic belt in the north, it is suggested that their formation was related to the Dabie-Sulu ultrahigh-pressure collisional orogenesis since their ages are only 10—20 Ma younger than timing of the ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism, but comparable to that of the first rapid exhumation of the ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks and the emplacement of the post-collisional granites.

Tectonic geomorphology of the Ryukyu Trench-Arc-Backarc System:geological-geophysical exploration and mapping

Based on an analysis of full-cover multi-beam bathymetric data,seismic and sub-bottom profiling data,and other geological-geophysical data sets,the geomorphologic features of the Ryukyu trench-arc-backarc(T-A-BA)system are delineated,and a geomorphologic map of the system is compiled.The re-sults show that the evolution and spatial distribution patterns of the geomorphologic types of the Ryukyu T-A-BA system are controlled mainly by tectonic move-ments.The tectonic geomorphologic characteristics of the Ryukyu Arc(RA) differ distinctly from those of the East China Sea(ECS) continental shelf and slope.In term of geological structures,RA consists of the Tokara volcanic ridge,the Ryukyu folded ridge,the fore-arc accre-tion-wedge ridge and the Amami Depression and the fore-arc depressions between the ridges,which is com-posed of a complex of alternating island-slope ridges and fault basins.The slope of the ECS is a passive continental margin with stepwise faults.The Okinawa Trough (OT)is a backarc rift in which tectonic movements are inten-sive,with active volcanic and hydrothermjal eruptions and sea floor spreading.The development of geomorphic features of the OT is controlled by the central en echelon spreading axes,the faults along the ECS slope and the marginal faults to the west of the Tokara vol-canic ridge.The geomorphic complex of the OT is ar-ranged in the following pattern:the en echelon grabens and volcanic chains formed by rifting and spreading lie in the central part of the trough,the turbidite plains inclining eastwards-southeastwards from the slope foot of the ECS lie in the western-northwestern parts of the OT,and the volcaniclastic deposit plains inclining westward-northwestwards from the western slope foot of the RA lie in the eastern-southeastern parts of the OT. In term of tectonic geomorphology,the OT forms a natural division between the shelf of the ECS and the RA.

Discovery and considerations on “Superlarge-Linglong”

The primary nugget, first reported in this paper, was discovered in No. 47 branch vein in Dakaitou ore block, Linglong gold deposit, Shandong Province. Thanks to its weight of over 29 kg, exceeding the limit weight (5 kg) of super large nugget, it is named “Superlarge-Linglong” nugget (Superlarge-Linglong). Observed by either naked eye or microscopy, both the Superlarge-Linglong and adjacent scattered-veinlet visible gold are composed of high-purity (903) native gold, exnclud-ing any other minerals. The Superlarge-Linglong does not cut the other types of gold ore bodies made up of high-purity micro electrum. There is, in other ore bodies and siliceous sericitolite, visi-ble gold with similar purity to it and close space-time and genetic relation to it, indicating that it is younger than other ore bodies and siliceous sericitolite. The Superlarge-Linglong and adjacent visible gold are caused by the independent nugget-visible gold metallogenetic stage.