Qamdo block in the east Tibet lay in front of southwestern margin of the Yangtze landmass and was one of many micro\|blocks between the Gondwana and the Eurasia continents .It played an important role in the developme...Qamdo block in the east Tibet lay in front of southwestern margin of the Yangtze landmass and was one of many micro\|blocks between the Gondwana and the Eurasia continents .It played an important role in the development of the multi\|arc\|basin system of the north sector of the Jinsha\|lancang\|nujiang rivers . Space\|time texture of the block reflected the tectonic evolution of the east Tibet and neighbouring areas directly, providing important information for evolutionary history of the east Tethys.1\ Crustal structure of the Qamdo block\;Crustal structure of the Qamdo block is characterized by “double basement and double cover”.By double basement is meant the Middle—Upper Proterozoic crystalline basement and the Lower Paleozoic folded basement. The Middle—Upper Proterozoic crystalline basement is composed of medium\|high\|grade metamorphic biotite\|plagiogneiss, plagioclase\|amphibole schist, nacritid intercalated with (intermediate\|) basic metavolcanite. These rocks are characteristic of strong ductile deformed metamorphic core complex. The zircon of gneiss yields an U\|Pb age of 1680～2200Ma while the basic metavolcanite give a Sm\|Nd age of 1594Ma.The Lower Paleozoic folded basement consists of the Lower Ordovician and Silurian. Basement of the Qamdo block is similar to that of the Yangtze landmass. By double cover we mean two covers consisting of the Upper Paleozoic and Mesozoic, respectively. The Upper Paleozoic is composed of carbonate and clastic rock which were formed from epicontinental to back\|arc basins. The Mesozoic consists of the Upper Triassic—Cretaceous concordant formations which were formed in a back\|arc foreland basin.Sequences of the formations are molasse, neritic carbonate, paralic coal\|bearing rock and terrigenous red clastic rock from the bottom to the top.展开更多
It is the first time that the fossil footprints of a group of Middle Eocene elephant ancestors have been discovered in the Gonjo Basin,East Tibet Plateau.The Gonjo Formation is attributed to the Middle Eocene Epoch(U-...It is the first time that the fossil footprints of a group of Middle Eocene elephant ancestors have been discovered in the Gonjo Basin,East Tibet Plateau.The Gonjo Formation is attributed to the Middle Eocene Epoch(U-Pb age=44.7±1.2 Ma)and consists mainly of purplish-red,medium-to coarse-grained sandstones,siltstones interbedded with mudstones,and conglomerates with sedimentary structures like ripple marks,rip-up clasts,and trough-cross bedding,suggesting fluvial-lacustrine systems.The group of fossil footprints has a characteristic oval-concave shape,and the toe impressions are absent.Some fossil footprints are overstepped with a pockmarked texture resembling Proboscipeda enigmatica.More than 165 fossil footprints of the group are relatively well-preserved with different diameters,which is evidence of highly social behavior and trackmakers of different ages,including calves,juveniles,adolescents,and adults.The size frequency of the fossil footprints enabled us to deduce the body mass,shoulder height,and hip-height distribution of the trackmakers that crossed the East Tibet Plateau 44.7 Ma ago.The trackmakers comprised an estimated average hip-height of 111.8 cm,an average shoulder height of 172.8 cm for males/155.9 cm for females,and an average body mass of approximately 1218.1 kg for males/907.8 kg for females.The abundance of fossil footprints reveals that in the Middle Eocene Epoch,the environment was extraordinarily conducive for the elephant ancestors to live in the East Tibet region.展开更多
The A＇nyemaqen （阿尼玛卿） ophiolite belt along the southern margin of the East Kunlun （昆仑） Mountains marks the suture formed by the closure of paleo-Tethys. The Dur＇ngoi ophiolite in the eastern part of this b...The A＇nyemaqen （阿尼玛卿） ophiolite belt along the southern margin of the East Kunlun （昆仑） Mountains marks the suture formed by the closure of paleo-Tethys. The Dur＇ngoi ophiolite in the eastern part of this belt consists of meta-peridotite, mafic-ultramafic cumulates, sheeted dikes and basaltic lavas. The meta-peridotites consist of dunite, harzburgite, lherzolite, feldspar-bearing lherzolite and garnet-bearing lherzolite and contain residual spinel with Cr# [100×Cr/（Cr＋Al）] ranging from 30 to 57 and Mg# [100×Mg/（Mg＋Fe2＋）] ranging from 50 to 75, indicating an Al- and Mg-rich series. The meta-peridotites have a relatively narrow range of composition with Mg# of 89.2-92.6, Al2O3 contents of （1-4） wt.% and slightly depleted chondrite normalized REE patterns, indicating that they represent relict mantle material that has undergone intermediate to low degrees of partial melting. Garnets in the lherzolite are andradite, enriched in Ca and Fe and depleted in Mg and AI （And=95-97, Pyr=0.3-5, Gro=0-3）, indicating a metamorphic origin. The cumulate rocks mainly consist of dunite, wehrlite, pyroxenite and gabbro. A well-layered gabbro-pyroxenite complex is defined by modal variations in plagioclase and pyroxene. Blocks of garnet-pyroxenite or rodingite are locally present in the meta-peridotites. Garnets in the cumulate rocks are grossular （Gro=69-90, And=9-19, Br=l-12）, also metamorphic origin. The diabase dikes are moderately depleted in LREE [（La/Sm）N=0.5-0.8] and HREE resulting in slightly convex chondrite-normalized patterns with slightly positive Eu anomalies （δEu=1.1-1.3）. The basaltic lavas have REE patterns similar to those of MORB with （La/Sm）N ratios of 0.5-1 and small negative Eu anomalies. They appear to have been derived from a depleted mantle source and to have undergone little or no differentiation during crystallization. SHRIMP U-Pb dating of zircons from the basalts yields 286pb/238U ages of 276-319 Ma （average 308.0±4.9 Ma）. The Dur＇ngoi ophiolite is interpreted as a dismembered fragment of paleo-oceanic crust emplaced during closure of the paleo-Tethyan Ocean basin. Three other suites of oceanic lavas are recognized in the area： island arc volcanic （IAV） rocks, possible back arc basin （BAB） basalts and possible post-collisional volcanic （PCV） and plutonic rocks. The distribution of these rocks suggests north-directed subduction. Opening of the A＇nyemaqen oceanic basin started at least as early as Late Carboniferous （308 Ma） and the basin probably closed during the Early Triassic. The IAV formed in Late Permian （260 Ma）, the BAB in Early-Middle Triassic, and the PCV in Late Triassic. Several large scale, ductile, sinistral strike-slip fault zones, extending hundreds to thousands kilometers, formed along or north of the suture during the Early-Late Triassic, e.g., they are the south margin fault zone of East Kunlun （200-220 Ma）, the Altyn Tagh fault （220-230 Ma）, and the North Qaidam fault zone （240-250 Ma）. These strike-slip faults were probably generated by oblique subduction and closure of the paleo-Tethyan Ocean basin, possibly during exhumation of the subducted plate or uplift of the overriding plate, coincident with post-collisional magmatism.展开更多
A systematic sedimentological and chronological study of typical Paleogene basins in eastcentral Tibet suggests that the depositional characteristics of extensively developed huge-bedded, purplish-red coarse clastic r...A systematic sedimentological and chronological study of typical Paleogene basins in eastcentral Tibet suggests that the depositional characteristics of extensively developed huge-bedded, purplish-red coarse clastic rocks formed in a tectonic setting of regional thrusting and strike-slipping represent a typical dry and hot subaerial alluvial fan environment formed in a proximal and rapidaccumulating sediment body in debris flows and a fan-surface braided river. Combining results from basin-fill sequences, sequences of coarse clastic rocks, fauna and sporo-pollen associations and thermochronological data, it is conduded that the coarse clastic rocks formed in the period of 54.2- 24.1 Ma, nearly coeval with the formation of Paleogene basins in the northern （Nangqen-Yushu thrust belt）, middle （Batang-Lijiang fault belt）, and disintegration of large basins in the southern （LanpingSimao fold belt） segments of Tibet. The widespread massive-bedded coarse clastic rocks, fold thrusting and strike-slip, thrust shortening, and igneous activities in the Paleogene basins of eastcentral Tibet indicate that an early diachronous tectonic uplift might have occurred in the Tibetan Plateau from Middle Eocene to Oligocene, related to the initial stage of collision of the Indian and Asian plates.展开更多
1 Introduction East Kunlun orogen(EKO)stretching more than 1000km in E-W extension is located in the western segment of Central Orogen Belt(COB),China(Xu et al.,2006,Li et al.,2014).There outcropped Cambrian ophiolites
The tectonic deformation image of Asia Continent can be explained successfully by the model of collision between India secondary continent and Euro\|Asia Plate (P. Molnar and P.Tapponnier, 1975). This paper mainly dis...The tectonic deformation image of Asia Continent can be explained successfully by the model of collision between India secondary continent and Euro\|Asia Plate (P. Molnar and P.Tapponnier, 1975). This paper mainly discusses the characteristics of tectonic deformation and strong earthquake activities on the east border of Tibet Plateau.1\ Characteristics of tectonic deformation on the east border of Tibet Plateau\;Controlled by the flow of the plateau crust material, the movement of the east border of Tibet plateau is mainly horizontal so as to produce two slipping\|block: one results from the slide out of Chuandian Rhombus Block along the SSE direction, the other results from the lateral extrusion of Chuanqing Block with the SEE direction. The slip rate of the north part of Chuandian Rhombus Block, the west region of Sichuan, is 5～8mm/a;2～3mm/a on the south part (the center part of Yunan); the slip rate of Chuanqing is 3～5mm/a and <1mm/a on Longmenshan region (Tang Rongchang, 1993). The slipping features of the blocks directly decide the movement characters of different fault systems: the uniform sinistral shear movement on the east boundary fault of Chuandian Rhombus Block, from the geological viewpoint, the average horizontal slip rate is about 10mm/a, and 5～8mm/a on the Anninghe, Zemuhe and Xiaojiang faults. The dextral shear movement can be found on the west boundary faults composed by Jinshajiang and Honghe faults. Located at the dextral diagonal region between Honghe and Zhongdian faults, the northwestern region of Yunnan shows a tensile stress field with near EW direction and large graben valleys with near NS direction on the ground due to the dextral slip movements of these two faults and slip of Chuandian Rhombus Block along the SSE direction. The normal features of extension tectonic deformation region can be found in this region. Some inner faults (such as Amaniqing, Xiqinglingbeilu) of Chuanqing block show the character of sinistral shear movement with some components of normal slip movement. As the east boundary of Tibet plateau, Minshan and Longmenshan Mountains form the east wall of the plateau. Contrasting to the moving direction of Chuanqing block, the transition from horizontal movement to vertical movement produced the huge nappe reverse deformation in this region, and formed some front\|Mount compensating press\|sag basins such as Gonggaling, Zhangla and Chengdu. Because of the diversity of slip rate of different boundary faults, some clockwise rotating movement can be found in different sub\|blocks.展开更多
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has developed into a vast fortress-like structure that has recently presented a barrier limiting the egress of moisture-bearing air masses. Lower sea levels also affected the climate. This pa...The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has developed into a vast fortress-like structure that has recently presented a barrier limiting the egress of moisture-bearing air masses. Lower sea levels also affected the climate. This paper examines their effects on the current evidence for the timing of past glaciations, and the development and evolution of permafrost. There are two theories regarding glaciation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau （QTP）. Kuhle suggested that there was a major, unified ice-cap during the Last Glacial Maximum （LGM）, whereas major Chinese glaciologists and others have not found or verified reliable evidence for this per se. There have been limited glaciations during the last 1.1 Ma B.P. but with increasing dominance of permafrost including both primary and secondary tessellons infilled with rock, sand or loess. The East Asia Monsoon was absent in this area during the main LGM, starting at 〉30 ka B.P. on the plateau, with sufficient precipitation reappearing about 19 ka B.P. to produce ice-wedges. A weak Megathermal event took place between 8.5 and 6.0 ka B.P., followed by Neoglacial events exhibiting peak cold at 5.3-4.7 ka, 3.1-1.5 ka, and the Little Ice Age （LIA） after 0.7 ka. Subsequently, mean annual air temperature has increased by 4 ℃.展开更多
文摘Qamdo block in the east Tibet lay in front of southwestern margin of the Yangtze landmass and was one of many micro\|blocks between the Gondwana and the Eurasia continents .It played an important role in the development of the multi\|arc\|basin system of the north sector of the Jinsha\|lancang\|nujiang rivers . Space\|time texture of the block reflected the tectonic evolution of the east Tibet and neighbouring areas directly, providing important information for evolutionary history of the east Tethys.1\ Crustal structure of the Qamdo block\;Crustal structure of the Qamdo block is characterized by “double basement and double cover”.By double basement is meant the Middle—Upper Proterozoic crystalline basement and the Lower Paleozoic folded basement. The Middle—Upper Proterozoic crystalline basement is composed of medium\|high\|grade metamorphic biotite\|plagiogneiss, plagioclase\|amphibole schist, nacritid intercalated with (intermediate\|) basic metavolcanite. These rocks are characteristic of strong ductile deformed metamorphic core complex. The zircon of gneiss yields an U\|Pb age of 1680～2200Ma while the basic metavolcanite give a Sm\|Nd age of 1594Ma.The Lower Paleozoic folded basement consists of the Lower Ordovician and Silurian. Basement of the Qamdo block is similar to that of the Yangtze landmass. By double cover we mean two covers consisting of the Upper Paleozoic and Mesozoic, respectively. The Upper Paleozoic is composed of carbonate and clastic rock which were formed from epicontinental to back\|arc basins. The Mesozoic consists of the Upper Triassic—Cretaceous concordant formations which were formed in a back\|arc foreland basin.Sequences of the formations are molasse, neritic carbonate, paralic coal\|bearing rock and terrigenous red clastic rock from the bottom to the top.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.92055212)the State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources,China University of Geosciences,Wuhan(No.GPMR202105).
文摘It is the first time that the fossil footprints of a group of Middle Eocene elephant ancestors have been discovered in the Gonjo Basin,East Tibet Plateau.The Gonjo Formation is attributed to the Middle Eocene Epoch(U-Pb age=44.7±1.2 Ma)and consists mainly of purplish-red,medium-to coarse-grained sandstones,siltstones interbedded with mudstones,and conglomerates with sedimentary structures like ripple marks,rip-up clasts,and trough-cross bedding,suggesting fluvial-lacustrine systems.The group of fossil footprints has a characteristic oval-concave shape,and the toe impressions are absent.Some fossil footprints are overstepped with a pockmarked texture resembling Proboscipeda enigmatica.More than 165 fossil footprints of the group are relatively well-preserved with different diameters,which is evidence of highly social behavior and trackmakers of different ages,including calves,juveniles,adolescents,and adults.The size frequency of the fossil footprints enabled us to deduce the body mass,shoulder height,and hip-height distribution of the trackmakers that crossed the East Tibet Plateau 44.7 Ma ago.The trackmakers comprised an estimated average hip-height of 111.8 cm,an average shoulder height of 172.8 cm for males/155.9 cm for females,and an average body mass of approximately 1218.1 kg for males/907.8 kg for females.The abundance of fossil footprints reveals that in the Middle Eocene Epoch,the environment was extraordinarily conducive for the elephant ancestors to live in the East Tibet region.
基金supported by China Geological Survey (Nos. 1212010918013 and 1212010610105)
文摘The A＇nyemaqen （阿尼玛卿） ophiolite belt along the southern margin of the East Kunlun （昆仑） Mountains marks the suture formed by the closure of paleo-Tethys. The Dur＇ngoi ophiolite in the eastern part of this belt consists of meta-peridotite, mafic-ultramafic cumulates, sheeted dikes and basaltic lavas. The meta-peridotites consist of dunite, harzburgite, lherzolite, feldspar-bearing lherzolite and garnet-bearing lherzolite and contain residual spinel with Cr# [100×Cr/（Cr＋Al）] ranging from 30 to 57 and Mg# [100×Mg/（Mg＋Fe2＋）] ranging from 50 to 75, indicating an Al- and Mg-rich series. The meta-peridotites have a relatively narrow range of composition with Mg# of 89.2-92.6, Al2O3 contents of （1-4） wt.% and slightly depleted chondrite normalized REE patterns, indicating that they represent relict mantle material that has undergone intermediate to low degrees of partial melting. Garnets in the lherzolite are andradite, enriched in Ca and Fe and depleted in Mg and AI （And=95-97, Pyr=0.3-5, Gro=0-3）, indicating a metamorphic origin. The cumulate rocks mainly consist of dunite, wehrlite, pyroxenite and gabbro. A well-layered gabbro-pyroxenite complex is defined by modal variations in plagioclase and pyroxene. Blocks of garnet-pyroxenite or rodingite are locally present in the meta-peridotites. Garnets in the cumulate rocks are grossular （Gro=69-90, And=9-19, Br=l-12）, also metamorphic origin. The diabase dikes are moderately depleted in LREE [（La/Sm）N=0.5-0.8] and HREE resulting in slightly convex chondrite-normalized patterns with slightly positive Eu anomalies （δEu=1.1-1.3）. The basaltic lavas have REE patterns similar to those of MORB with （La/Sm）N ratios of 0.5-1 and small negative Eu anomalies. They appear to have been derived from a depleted mantle source and to have undergone little or no differentiation during crystallization. SHRIMP U-Pb dating of zircons from the basalts yields 286pb/238U ages of 276-319 Ma （average 308.0±4.9 Ma）. The Dur＇ngoi ophiolite is interpreted as a dismembered fragment of paleo-oceanic crust emplaced during closure of the paleo-Tethyan Ocean basin. Three other suites of oceanic lavas are recognized in the area： island arc volcanic （IAV） rocks, possible back arc basin （BAB） basalts and possible post-collisional volcanic （PCV） and plutonic rocks. The distribution of these rocks suggests north-directed subduction. Opening of the A＇nyemaqen oceanic basin started at least as early as Late Carboniferous （308 Ma） and the basin probably closed during the Early Triassic. The IAV formed in Late Permian （260 Ma）, the BAB in Early-Middle Triassic, and the PCV in Late Triassic. Several large scale, ductile, sinistral strike-slip fault zones, extending hundreds to thousands kilometers, formed along or north of the suture during the Early-Late Triassic, e.g., they are the south margin fault zone of East Kunlun （200-220 Ma）, the Altyn Tagh fault （220-230 Ma）, and the North Qaidam fault zone （240-250 Ma）. These strike-slip faults were probably generated by oblique subduction and closure of the paleo-Tethyan Ocean basin, possibly during exhumation of the subducted plate or uplift of the overriding plate, coincident with post-collisional magmatism.
基金This research was supported by the National Key Project for Basic Research on the Tibetan Plateau （Grant G1998040800-3）；National Natural Science Foundation of China （Grants 49972026 and 39972026）；Chinese Academy of Sciences （CAS） Projects （Grant KZ952-JI408） ； US-NSF project （Grant 980612）.
文摘A systematic sedimentological and chronological study of typical Paleogene basins in eastcentral Tibet suggests that the depositional characteristics of extensively developed huge-bedded, purplish-red coarse clastic rocks formed in a tectonic setting of regional thrusting and strike-slipping represent a typical dry and hot subaerial alluvial fan environment formed in a proximal and rapidaccumulating sediment body in debris flows and a fan-surface braided river. Combining results from basin-fill sequences, sequences of coarse clastic rocks, fauna and sporo-pollen associations and thermochronological data, it is conduded that the coarse clastic rocks formed in the period of 54.2- 24.1 Ma, nearly coeval with the formation of Paleogene basins in the northern （Nangqen-Yushu thrust belt）, middle （Batang-Lijiang fault belt）, and disintegration of large basins in the southern （LanpingSimao fold belt） segments of Tibet. The widespread massive-bedded coarse clastic rocks, fold thrusting and strike-slip, thrust shortening, and igneous activities in the Paleogene basins of eastcentral Tibet indicate that an early diachronous tectonic uplift might have occurred in the Tibetan Plateau from Middle Eocene to Oligocene, related to the initial stage of collision of the Indian and Asian plates.
基金funded by the National Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41502191, 41472191、41172186)
文摘1 Introduction East Kunlun orogen(EKO)stretching more than 1000km in E-W extension is located in the western segment of Central Orogen Belt(COB),China(Xu et al.,2006,Li et al.,2014).There outcropped Cambrian ophiolites
文摘The tectonic deformation image of Asia Continent can be explained successfully by the model of collision between India secondary continent and Euro\|Asia Plate (P. Molnar and P.Tapponnier, 1975). This paper mainly discusses the characteristics of tectonic deformation and strong earthquake activities on the east border of Tibet Plateau.1\ Characteristics of tectonic deformation on the east border of Tibet Plateau\;Controlled by the flow of the plateau crust material, the movement of the east border of Tibet plateau is mainly horizontal so as to produce two slipping\|block: one results from the slide out of Chuandian Rhombus Block along the SSE direction, the other results from the lateral extrusion of Chuanqing Block with the SEE direction. The slip rate of the north part of Chuandian Rhombus Block, the west region of Sichuan, is 5～8mm/a;2～3mm/a on the south part (the center part of Yunan); the slip rate of Chuanqing is 3～5mm/a and <1mm/a on Longmenshan region (Tang Rongchang, 1993). The slipping features of the blocks directly decide the movement characters of different fault systems: the uniform sinistral shear movement on the east boundary fault of Chuandian Rhombus Block, from the geological viewpoint, the average horizontal slip rate is about 10mm/a, and 5～8mm/a on the Anninghe, Zemuhe and Xiaojiang faults. The dextral shear movement can be found on the west boundary faults composed by Jinshajiang and Honghe faults. Located at the dextral diagonal region between Honghe and Zhongdian faults, the northwestern region of Yunnan shows a tensile stress field with near EW direction and large graben valleys with near NS direction on the ground due to the dextral slip movements of these two faults and slip of Chuandian Rhombus Block along the SSE direction. The normal features of extension tectonic deformation region can be found in this region. Some inner faults (such as Amaniqing, Xiqinglingbeilu) of Chuanqing block show the character of sinistral shear movement with some components of normal slip movement. As the east boundary of Tibet plateau, Minshan and Longmenshan Mountains form the east wall of the plateau. Contrasting to the moving direction of Chuanqing block, the transition from horizontal movement to vertical movement produced the huge nappe reverse deformation in this region, and formed some front\|Mount compensating press\|sag basins such as Gonggaling, Zhangla and Chengdu. Because of the diversity of slip rate of different boundary faults, some clockwise rotating movement can be found in different sub\|blocks.
文摘The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has developed into a vast fortress-like structure that has recently presented a barrier limiting the egress of moisture-bearing air masses. Lower sea levels also affected the climate. This paper examines their effects on the current evidence for the timing of past glaciations, and the development and evolution of permafrost. There are two theories regarding glaciation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau （QTP）. Kuhle suggested that there was a major, unified ice-cap during the Last Glacial Maximum （LGM）, whereas major Chinese glaciologists and others have not found or verified reliable evidence for this per se. There have been limited glaciations during the last 1.1 Ma B.P. but with increasing dominance of permafrost including both primary and secondary tessellons infilled with rock, sand or loess. The East Asia Monsoon was absent in this area during the main LGM, starting at 〉30 ka B.P. on the plateau, with sufficient precipitation reappearing about 19 ka B.P. to produce ice-wedges. A weak Megathermal event took place between 8.5 and 6.0 ka B.P., followed by Neoglacial events exhibiting peak cold at 5.3-4.7 ka, 3.1-1.5 ka, and the Little Ice Age （LIA） after 0.7 ka. Subsequently, mean annual air temperature has increased by 4 ℃.
