Tectonochemistry and p-t Conditions of Ramgarh and Almora Gneisses from Askot Klippe,Kumaun Lesser Himalaya

The chemical and petrological correlation of metamorphic nappes and klippes overlying the Proterozoic sedimentary units in the Kumaun Himalaya is still debated. The Ramgarh and Almora gneisses, not previously distinguished in the Askot Klippe, show distinct field, petrological and chemical signatures markedly similar to the tectonostratigraphic disposition of the Almora Nappe. A negative Eu anomaly in the Ramgarh granitic gneisses indicates lesser plagioclase fractionation while the Eu anomaly in the Almora pelitic gneisses is likely to have been controlled by feldspar crystallization in restites. During the anatexis at > 776°C temperature and >6.6 kbar pressure, the melt moved slightly away to its crystallization sites. The Rb/Sr ratio ?0.54 and Nb ?10 ppm is consistent with the granodioritic composition. The negative Sr anomaly in the underlying Ramgarh granitic gneisses indicates a distinct mantle derived source/plagioclase fractionation with a notable correspondence to other late orogenic granites, particularly the basement Ulleri gneisses from the Nepal Himalaya. Ramgarh gneisses plot in the late-and post-COLG field. The Askot ensemble is likely to be the tectonometamorphically reworked basement, viz. the Ramgarh Group along with its metapelitic cover o f the Almora Group, together comprising southward thrust remnants of the leading edge of the Indian Plate that collided with Tibet during the Tertiary Himalayan orogeny.

Emplacement age and tectonic implications of the brecciated limestone at the edge of the Longmenshan klippe

The Longmenshan thrust belt(LMTB) is one of the best natural laboratories for thin-skinned tectonics and has developed a series of NE-SW trending fold-and-thrust structures represented by a series of nappes and klippes, exemplified by the Tangbazi and Bailuding klippe. However, the timing and emplacement mechanism of these klippes are still in dispute. Three possible mechanisms have been proposed:(1) a Mesozoic-Cenozoic southeastward thrusting,(2) a Cenozoic gravity gliding, and(3) glacial deposition. Almost all of these klippes are tectonic and overlaid on folded Late Triassic sandstone except the Tangbazi klippe, which is located in the center of the LMTB and has a narrow tail extending southeastward and covering Jurassic-Quaternary rocks. This geometric relationship is considered the most important stratigraphic evidence to support the post-Cenozoic emplacement of the Longmenshan klippe. Our structural and petrological observations show that the rocks at the front of the Tangbazi and Bailuding structures are brecciated limestone, which is assumed to have been generated by a gravitational collapse and is not characteristic of the massive Permian strata. Artemisia pollen, which has been exclusively recognized in post-Late Eocene strata in Central Asia, was found in the matrix of this brecciated limestone. Therefore, our discovery indicates that the brecciated limestone was deposited after the Late Eocene rather than during the Permian as annotated on the geological map. In contrast, unbrecciated, massive Permian limestone overlaid on the folded Late Triassic rocks. Hence, the anomalous relationship of Permian strata overlaying Late Triassic rocks cannot be evidence of Cenozoic emplacement. According to currently recognized bulk strata relationships, we can only be sure that the klippe was emplaced in the post Late Triassic. The petrological characteristics of the brecciated limestone show that it was crumbled before the re-sedimentation of the breccia, implying that the LMTB might have experienced a rapid uplift during the Late Eocene.

从梵净山“飞来峰”到兰田构造窗──对江南一雪峰推（滑）体的若干认识

本文根据近十年的研究工作从大量的１：２０万、１：５万区调和钻孔资料证明：梵净山“飞来峰”是不存在的，黔东南南明地区是一个向斜盆地而不是构造窗。通过实地考察认为：皖南兰田是否为构造窗也尚难定论。江南一雪峰古陆内确实存在推（滑）覆构造，但这些都是准原地型的，其推（滑）距离不大，均未超过５０ｋｍ，并未改变扬子地块东南边缘区域沉积古地理和沉积相的总体展布格局。本区并不存在阿尔卑斯型或阿巴拉契型的远程推（滑）覆体，江南一雪峰古陆并非来自华夏古陆。扬子地块的逆掩推覆或重力滑覆是属于陆内俯冲和板内挤压或伸展性质的，这与两个大陆、两大板块之间的碰撞是不能同日而语的。

The Arcuate Nappe Structure on the Northern Margin of the Wuliang Moutnains in Western Yunnan

The arcuate nappe structure on the north edge of the Wuliang Mountains in westernYunnan Province is a complex nappe structural system with multiple superimposed structures.The autochthonous system is a WNW-trending arcuate fold belt consisting of the Jurassic andCretaceous and the allochthonous system is mainly composed of Upper Triassic rocks. Generally,the nappe structure moved from south to north, with the hanging wall thrusting in a WNW direc-tion for a distance of over 10km. The deep nappe structural system was formed at depths ofabout 5-10km in an environment not exceeding the greenschist facies. It occurred in theOligocene (about 40-20 Ma).

AN ENORMOUS THRUST NAPPE AND EXTENSIONAL METAMORPHIC CORE COMPLEX NEWLY DISCOVERED IN SINO-MONGOLIAN BOUNDARY AREA

An enormous thrust nappe and a metamorphic core complex of extensional origin have been recently discovered within the Hercynian-Indosinian orogen of Inner Mongolia. Both features are of the Mesozoic age, but the former is older. The thrust nappe strikes WNW-ESE and Proterozoic dolomite was thrust southwards atop strata ranging from the Cambrian to the Triassic in age. The visible displacement of the thrust is ca. 70 km and the deduced one is over 140 km. The metamorphic core complex (mainly mylonites) extends in an N-E direction, forming itself into a dome geometry and lying under an extensional detachment fault. The mylonitic foliation dips gently and the stretching mineral lineation, as a whole, plunges SSE. Various shear sense markers show a normal-sense shear movement. Some significant problems atise from the coexistence of nappe and extensional structures at a postoro-genic stage.

A DISCOVERY OF VERTICAL ZONATION OF THE ROCKS IN THE DEEP-LEVEL NAPPE STRUCTURAL ZONE IN WESTERN GUANGDONG

There are many Sinian-Cambrian (Z^c-∈_b) epimetamorphic blocks either in groups or scatteredly covering the granitoids in the area of Guangning-Zhaoqing, the northwestern part of Wuchuan-Sihui faults in western Guangdong (Fig. 1). It has been shown that the blocks are allochthonous, i. e. klippes of thrust, and the granitoids are of a part of the slip system which consists vertically of mylonites, migmatites and granites from top to bottom in the deep-level nappe structural zone. Based on this discovery, the authors suggest a new model of fractural metamorphism (thermodynamic metamorphism).