Insights into some large-scale landslides in southeastern margin of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The southeastern margin of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(SMQTP)is of a typical large landslide-prone area due to intense tectonic activity,deeply incised valleys,high geostress and frequent earthquakes.To gain insights into large landslides in southeastern margin of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,an area covering 3.34×105 km2 that extends 80e150 km on both sides of the Sichuan-Tibet traffic corridors(G318)was used to examine the spatial distribution and corresponding characteristics of landslides.The results showed that the study area contains at least 629 large landslides that are mainly concentrated on 7 zones(zones IeVII).Zones IeVII are in the southern section of the Longmenshan fault zone(with no large river)and sections with Dadu River,Jinsha River,Lancang River,Nujiang River and Yarlung Zangbo River.There are more landslides in the Jinsha River section(totaling 186 landslides)than the other sections.According to the updated Varnes classification,408 large landslides(64.9%)were recognized and divided into 4 major types,i.e.flows(275 cases),slides(58 cases),topples(44 cases)and slope deformations(31 cases).Flows,which consist of rock avalanches and iceerock avalanches,are the most common landslide type.Large landslide triggers(178 events,28.3%)are also recognized,and earthquakes may be the most common trigger.Due to the limited data,these landslide type classifications and landslide triggers are perhaps immature,and further systematic analysis is needed.

Fault activity characteristics in the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau before the Menyuan Ms6.4 earthquake

Fault deformation characteristics in the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau before the Menyuan Ms6.4 earthquake are investigated through time-series and structural geological analysis based on cross-fault observation data from the Qilian Mountain-Haiyuan Fault belt and the West Qinling Fault belt. The results indicate： 1） Group short-term abnormal variations appeared in the Qilian Mountain-Haiyuan Fault belt and the West Qinling Fault belt before the Menyuan Ms6.4 earthquake. 2） More medium and short-term anomalies appear in the middle-eastern segment of the Qilian Mountain Fault belt and the West Qinling Fault belt, suggesting that the faults＇ activities are strong in these areas. The faults＇ activities in the middle-eastern segment of the Qilian Fault belt result from extensional stress, as before the earthquake, whereas those in the West Qinling Fault belt are mainly compressional. 3） In recent years, moderate-strong earthquakes occurred in both the Kunlun Mountain and the Qilian Mountain Fault belts, and some energy was released. It is possible that the seismicity moved eastward under this regime. Therefore, we should pay attention to the West Qinling Mountain area where an Ms6-7 earthquake could occur in future.

Episodes of Cenozoic Gold Mineralization on the Eastern Margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau:40Ar/39Ar Dating and Implication for Geodynamic Events

A lot of new gold deposits have been found on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during the past two decades. Among them, three main types of gold deposits have been recognized, including quartz-vein-type, shear- zone-type and porphyry-type. The former two types of gold deposits are mainly hosted within metamorphic rocks, while the latter is related to Cenozoic magmatism. Although all of these gold deposits are believed to have been formed during the uplift process of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the Cenozoic era (Wang et al., 2002b), precise isotopic age constraints have still been lacking until quite recently. This paper presents new 40Ar/39Ar data of some gold deposits on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which indicate that gold mineralization in the region occurred in response to the episodic stages of the orogenies. Recently obtained 40Ar/39Ar data on quartz and feldspars from several gold deposits, such as the Sandiao deposit, the Baijintaizi deposit, the Pusagang deposits, provide new constraints on gold mineralization on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Geochronological studies of gold deposits along the Daduhe River indicate that there are three stages of gold mineralization. The early two stages occurred as early as 65.1 Ma in the Shuibaiyang deposit and 58.95 Ma in the Ruoji deposit, while the latter stage occurred as late as 25.35 Ma in Baijintaizi and 24.70 Ma in Sandiao. Isotopic dating of three plagioclases from the Beiya deposit, Zhifanggou deposit and Luobodi deposit and a K-feldspar from the Jinchangqing deposit in Yunnan Province indicates that these deposits were formed at two stages. The Zhifanggou and Jinchangqing deposits have early stage records as old as 58.82 Ma in Zhifanggou and 55.49 Ma in Jinchangqing, but all of the above four deposits in Yunnan have late stage records of 23.18 Ma in Jinchangqing, 24.54 Ma in Zhifanggou, 24.60 Ma in Luobodi and 24.56 Ma in Hongnitang. The above results suggest that the gold deposits on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were formed concentratedly at two main episodes, i.e. the end of the Paleocene (about 58 Ma) and the boundary between the Paleogene and the Neogene (about 25 Ma). The later episode appears to be looks like more important and was coupled with the Sichuan movement, which was extensively activated at that period. The beginning of the Cenozoic Era (about 65 Ma) might be another episode of gold mineralization, but only one deposit (Shuibaiyang) in this study has been proved to have been be formed at this stage and might be earlier than the initial collision between the Indian Plate and the Eurasia Plate. In view of geology, the above three episodes of gold mineralization are associated with three events of tectonic- magmatism and/or fluid events. Even though the gold deposits (for example, the Shuibaiyang deposit, Ruoji deposit and Pusagang deposit) were formed at different episodes, all of them are genetically related to tectonic movements in large- scale shear zones. It looks like theat tectonic events (including large-scale strike-slip) between Paleogene and Neogene had a wide influence upon gold mineralization, with new deposits formed and old deposits enriched or superimposed to be a higher grade by new stage of mineralization. The above data suggest that gold deposits were not only concentrated in some areas, but also formed mainly at different boundaries of geological times, indicating that there existed some peak stages of gold mineralization (metallogenic episodes), and that the gold deposits were formed mainly by episodic mineralization.

Electrical Structure and Fault Features of Crust and Upper Mantle beneath the Western Margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau:Evidence from the Magnetotelluric Survey along Zhada-Quanshui Lake Profile

The magnetotelluric （MT） survey along the Zhada （札达）-Quanshui （泉水） Lake profile on the western margin of the Qinghai （青海）-Tibet plateau shows that the study area is divided into three tectonic provinces by the Yalung Tsangpo and Bangong （班公）-Nujiang （怒江） sutures. From south to north these are the Himalayan terrane, Gangdise terrane, and Qiangtang （羌塘） terrane. For the study area, there are widespread high-conductivity layers in the mid and lower crust, the top layers of which fluctuate intensively. The high-conductivity layer within the Gangdise terrane is deeper than those within the Qiangtang terrane and the Himalaya terrane, and the deepest high-conductivity layer is to the south of the Bangong-Nujiang suture. The top surface of the high-conductivity layer in the south of the Bangong-Nujiang suture is about 20 km lower than that in the north of it. The high-conductivity layer within the Gangdise terrane dips toward north and there are two high-conductivity layers within the crust of the southern Qiangtang terrane. In the upper crust along the profile, there are groups of lateral electrical gradient zones or distortion zones of different scales and occurrence indicating the distribution of faults and sutures along the profile. According to the electrical structure, the structural characteristics and space distribution of the Yalung Tsangpo suture, Bangong.Nujiang suture, and the major faults of Longmucuo （龙木错） and Geerzangbu are inferred.

Lithospheric Electrical Structure across the Eastern Segment of the Altyn Tagh Fault on the Northern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau

Project INDEPTH （InterNational DEep Profiling of Tibet and the Himalaya） is an interdisciplinary program designed to develop a better understanding of deep structures and mechanics of the Tibetan Plateau. As a component of magnetoteUuric （MT） work in the 4th phase of the project, MT data were collected along a profile that crosses the eastern segment of the Altyn Tagh fault on the northern margin of the plateau. Time series data processing used robust algorithms to give high quality responses. Dimensionality analysis showed that 2D approach is only valid for the northern section of the profile. Consequently, 2D inversions were only conducted for the northern section, and 3D inversions were conducted on MT data from the whole profile. From the 2D inversion model, the eastern segment of the Altyn Tagh fault only appears as a crustal structure, which suggests accommodation of strike slip motion along the Altyn Tagh fault by thrusting within the Qilian block. A large-scale off-proffie conductor within the mid-lower crust of the Qilian block was revealed from the 3D inversion model, which is probably correlated with the North Qaidam thrust belt. Furthermore, the unconnected conductors from the 3D inversion model indicate that deformations in the study area are generally localized.

Formation and Evolution of the Late Mesozoic-Cenozoic Ruo'ergai Basin,Northeastern Margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The Middle Triassic Ladinian-Upper Triassic Norian series in the Mesozoic-Cenozoic Ruo’ergai basin of Songpan area is characterized of large thick shallow marine-deep marine fine grained clastic.The strata are regionally unconformable between each adjacent two of the Middle-Late Triassic fine grained clastic,the Jurassic coal-containing clastic,the Cretaceous-Paleogene variegated coarse clastic。

Joint Inversion of the 3D P Wave Velocity Structure of the Crust and Upper Mantle under the Southeastern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau Using Regional Earthquake and Teleseismic Data

The special seismic tectonic environment and frequent seismicity in the southeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau show that this area is an ideal location to study the present tectonic movement and background of strong earthquakes in China's Mainland and to predict future strong earthquake risk zones. Studies of the structural environment and physical characteristics of the deep structure in this area are helpful to explore deep dynamic effects and deformation field characteristics, to strengthen our understanding of the roles of anisotropy and tectonic deformation and to study the deep tectonic background of the seismic origin of the block＇s interior. In this paper, the three-dimensional （3D） P-wave velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle under the southeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is obtained via observational data from 224 permanent seismic stations in the regional digital seismic network of Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces and from 356 mobile China seismic arrays in the southern section of the north-south seismic belt using a joint inversion method of the regional earthquake and teleseismic data. The results indicate that the spatial distribution of the P-wave velocity anomalies in the shallow upper crust is closely related to the surface geological structure, terrain and lithology. Baoxing and Kangding, with their basic volcanic rocks and volcanic clastic rocks, present obvious high-velocity anomalies. The Chengdu Basin shows low-velocity anomalies associated with the Quaternary sediments. The Xichang Mesozoic Basin and the Butuo Basin are characterised by low- velocity anomalies related to very thick sedimentary layers. The upper and middle crust beneath the Chuan-Dian and Songpan-Ganzi Blocks has apparent lateral heterogeneities, including low-velocity zones of different sizes. There is a large range of low-velocity layers in the Songpan-Ganzi Block and the sub-block northwest of Sichuan Province, showing that the middle and lower crust is relatively weak. The Sichuan Basin, which is located in the western margin of the Yangtze platform, shows high-velocity characteristics. The results also reveal that there are continuous low-velocity layer distributions in the middle and lower crust of the Daliangshan Block and that the distribution direction of the low-velocity anomaly is nearly SN, which is consistent with the trend of the Daliangshan fault. The existence of the low-velocity layer in the crust also provides a deep source for the deep dynamic deformation and seismic activity of the Daliangshan Block and its boundary faults. The results of the 3D P-wave velocity structure show that an anomalous distribution of high-density, strong-magnetic and high-wave velocity exists inside the crust in the Panxi region. This is likely related to late Paleozoic mantle plume activity that led to a large number of mafic and ultra-mafic intrusions into the crust. In the crustal doming process, the massive intrusion of mantle-derived material enhanced the mechanical strength of the crustal medium. The P-wave velocity structure also revealed that the upper mantle contains a low-velocity layer at a depth of 80-120 km in the Panxi region. The existence of deep faults in the Panxi region, which provide conditions for transporting mantle thermal material into the crust, is the deep tectonic background for the area＇s strong earthquake activity.

Deep Tectonophysical Process of the Uplift of the Northern Qinghai--Tibet Plateau--Evidence from the Integrated Geological--Geophysical Profile from Golmud to the Tanggula Mountains, Qinghai Province, China

The tectonic activities occurring since the Cenozoic in the northern part of theQinghai-Tibet Plateau (the region from the East Kunlun Mountains to the Tanggula Mountains)were probably caused by the intense intraplate deformation propagation after the collision be-tween the Indian plate and the Eurasian plate. Their main expressions include the substantial up-lifting of the plateau, alternation of horizontal extension and compression under the verticalgreatest principal stress σ_1, occurrence of rift-type volcanic activity, formation of thebasin-range system, and successive eastward extrusion of blocks resulting from large-scalestrike-slip faulting. Geophysical exploration and experiments have revealed that there exist close-ly alternating horizontal high-velocity and low-velocity layers as well as lithospheric faults of aleft-lateral strike-slip sense in the lower part of the lithosphere (the lower crust and lithosphericmantle, 60-120 km deep). Based on an integrated study of the geological-geophysical data avail-able, the authors have proposed a model of deep-seated mantle diapir and the associatedtectonophysical process as the dynamic source for the uplift of the northern part of theQinghai-Tibet Plateau.

柴北缘尕海南山晚志留世—晚泥盆世火山岩浆组合对早古生代造山后伸展时限的约束

柴达木盆地北缘(柴北缘)构造带经历了早古生代的大洋俯冲到大陆俯冲,形成了广为人知的柴北缘超高压变质带。早古生代造山带何时开始垮塌一直存在争论,火山岩和侵入岩作为深地岩石探针能为约束地壳活动提供关键制约。应用锆石LA–ICP–MS U–Pb年代学和Lu–Hf同位素方法对柴北缘东段尕海南山地区出露的牦牛山组火山碎屑岩和侵入其中的花岗岩开展研究。锆石U–Pb年代学结果显示,牦牛山组火山碎屑岩的形成时代约为423 Ma,侵入其中的花岗岩的形成时代为370 Ma,表明火山岩喷发的年龄在晚志留世,后期侵入的花岗岩结晶年龄为晚泥盆世;锆石Lu–Hf同位素结果显示,晚志留世熔结凝灰岩ε_(Hf)(t)值集中在–11.5~–8.3,其两阶段Hf模式年龄集中在1945~2133 Ma,显示火山岩主要源于古老地壳物质熔融;而晚泥盆世侵入的花岗岩的ε_(Hf)(t)值分布在3.9~9.1,其两阶段的Hf模式年龄集中在792~1118 Ma,显示花岗岩主要源于中—新元古代地壳物质的部分熔融。结合对区域地质、岩石学等资料的综合分析认为,晚志留世—早泥盆世时期,大陆深俯冲导致的强烈造山作用造成柴北缘地壳发生明显加厚,加厚的欧龙布鲁克地壳基底发生部分熔融,形成了该时期的火山岩;晚泥盆世时期,加厚地壳的拆沉作用导致软流圈地幔上涌,引发区域地壳伸展,上涌的软流圈物质与地壳相互作用并发生部分熔融作用。因此区域牦牛山组形成时代跨度较大,不能笼统地用牦牛山组代表造山结束的时限,晚泥盆世岩浆岩的出现才预示着柴北缘地区进入显著的地壳伸展状态。

柴北缘骆驼泉剖面新生代地层磁组构特征及其构造意义

青藏高原东北部新生代构造演化对理解高原隆升和变形模式具有重要意义,而目前对于该地区挤压应力方向转变过程仍存在很大争议.本文对柴北缘逆冲带北西部骆驼泉剖面新生代地层开展系统磁组构(本文特指磁化率各项异性)研究,以揭示该地区挤压应力方向的转变特征.系统岩石磁学结果表明,骆驼泉剖面新生代样品中主要磁性矿物是顺磁性组分和赤铁矿以及少量磁铁矿.通过对磁组构特征分析及其与古水流方向对比表明,骆驼泉剖面新生代地层磁组构主要为初始变形磁组构,可用于指示沉积成岩时期的挤压应力方向.磁组构结果揭示,骆驼泉地区挤压应力方向在上干柴沟组下部沉积时期为NNE-SSW向,而上干柴沟组上部和油砂山组沉积时期转变为NE-SW向.结合柴北缘逆冲带已有磁组构结果指出,该地区早期N-S向或NNE-SSW向挤压应力可能与印度—欧亚板块早新生代以来近N-S向碰撞挤压过程有关,指示印度—欧亚碰撞的挤压应力自下干柴沟组下部沉积时期就已传播至高原东北部地区;而后期NE-SW向挤压应力方向与该地区现今GPS揭示的上地壳运动方向一致,可能与该时段高原东北部巨型走滑断裂构造体系(尤其是阿尔金断裂)有关.此外,柴北缘逆冲带新生代挤压应力方向转变在其北西部起始于上干柴沟组下部沉积时期,而南东部起始于上油砂山组下部沉积时期,与地震反射剖面揭示的断裂活动等地质证据共同揭示柴北缘逆冲带新生代的构造活动自靠近阿尔金断裂的北西部向南东部传播和扩展.综合分析青藏高原东北部地区挤压应力方向转变和其他地质证据发现,挤压应力方向转变显示出自柴北缘逆冲带北西部向东、西和南向扩展特征,与阿尔金断裂在上干柴沟组下部-上油砂山组下部沉积时期剪切应力集中于断裂本身,而上油砂山组下部沉积以来开始散布于高原东北部内部地区的两阶段走滑活动相关.

Discovery of rhyolitic tuffaceous slate in the southwestern margin of Yangtze Craton:Zircon U-Pb ages(2491 Ma)and tectonic-thermal events

The Mesoproterozoic Dongchuan Group that is widely exposed in Yimen area,central Yunnan Province is a series of sedimentary sort of low-grade metamorphic rocks interbedded with volcanic rocks,which are closely related to the early tectonic evolution of the Earth.However,its formation era,sedimentary filling sequence,and geotectonic characteristics have always been in dispute.In this study,several rhyolitic tuffaceous slate interlayers with a centimeter-level thickness were found in the previously determined Heishan Formation of the Dongchuan Group located to the western part of Yimen-Luoci fault zone.This paper focuses on the study of the rhyolitic tuffaceous slate in Qifulangqing Village,Tongchang Township,Yimen County.LA-ICP-MS zircon dating was conducted,achieving the crystallization age of magma of 2491±15 Ma and the metamorphic ages of about 2.3 Ga,2.0 Ga,and 1.8 Ga for the first time.Meanwhile,according to in-situ Hf isotope analysis,the zirconεHf(t)values were determined to range from−3.0 to 7.6,with an average of 2.7.Furthermore,the first-stage Hf model age(TDM1)was determined to be 2513−2916 Ma,indicating that the provenance of the rhyolitic tuffaceous slate is the depleted mantle or juvenile crust between the Middle Mesoarchean and the Late Neoarchean.Therefore,it is believed that the strata of the slate were deposited in the Late Neoarchean,instead of the Mesoproterozoic as determined by previous researchers.Accordingly,it is not appropriate to group the strata into the Mesoproterozoic Dongchuan Group.Instead,they should be classified as the Maolu Formation of the Neoarchean Puduhe Group given the lithologic association and regional information.Furthermore,the magma ages of 2491±15 Ma are highly consistent with the eras of the large-scale Late Neoarchean orogenic magmatic activities on the northern margin of the Yangtze Craton,and thus reflect the orogenic process consisting of subduction and collision from Late Neoarchean to Early Paleoproterozoic.The magmatic activities during this period were possibly caused by the convergence of the supercontinent Kenorland.Meanwhile,the metamorphic ages of 2.3 Ga,2.0 Ga,and 1.8 Ga are highly consistent with three metamorphic ages of 2.36 Ga,1.95 Ga,and 1.85 Ga of the northern margin of the Yangtze Craton,indicating that the strata experienced Paleoproterozoic tectonic-thermal events.The study area is located on the eastern margin of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,and thus was possibly re-transformed by magmatism subjected to the subduction of the Meso-Tethys Ocean during the Early Cretaceous.The discoveries made in this study will provide strong petrological and chronological evidence for analyzing the early crustal evolution of the Yangtze block.

Determination of the early Paleozoic accretionary complex in Southwestern Yunnan, China: Implications for the tectonic evolution of the Proto-Tethys Ocean

Accretionary complex study provides important knowledge on the subduction and the geodynamic processes of the oceanic plate,which represents the ancient ocean basin extinction location.Nevertheless,there exist many disputes on the age,material source,and tectonic attribute of the Lancang Group,located in Southwest Yunnan,China.In this paper,the LA-ICP-MS detrital zircon U‒Pb chronology of nine metamorphic rocks in the Lancang Group was carried out.The U‒Pb ages of the three detrital zircons mainly range from 590-550 Ma,980-910 Ma,and 1150-1490 Ma,with the youngest detrital zircons having a peak age of about 560 Ma.The U‒Pb ages of the six detrital zircons mainly range from 440-460 Ma and 980-910 Ma,and the youngest detrital zircon has a peak age of about 445 Ma.In the Lancang Group,metamorphic acidic volcanic rocks,basic volcanic rocks,intermediate-acid intrusive rocks,and high-pressure metamorphic rocks are exposed in the form of tectonic lens in schist,rendering typical melange structural characteristics of“block+matrix”.Considering regional deformation and chronology,material composition characteristics,and the previous data,this study thinks the Lancang Group may be an early Paleozoic tectonic accretionary complex formed by the eastward subduction of the Changning-Menglian Proto-Tethys Ocean,which provides an important constraint for the Tethys evolution.

青藏高原北缘的隆升时期——来自阿尔金山和柴达木盆地的证据

根据柴达木盆地西部中新世上、下油砂山组的沉积特征及其地震反射界面的特征,推断阿尔金山的主隆升时期为中晚中新世,山体的隆升导致盆地沉积中心向东迁移。盆地周缘山系的隆升年代学资料也表明,青藏高原北缘在中晚中新世发生了快速抬升,与青藏高原南部的同期区域构造事件一致,表明中晚中新世是青藏高原向北生长的重要时期。阿尔金山此次隆升事件与塔里木板块向柴达木地块楔入有关,整个高原的隆升动力源自印度板块与欧亚大陆拼合后持续向北的俯冲。

柴达木盆地北缘新元古代蛇绿岩的厘定——罗迪尼亚大陆裂解的证据?

柴达木盆地北缘鱼卡河及绿梁山一带“奥陶纪”滩涧山群中分出一套“新元古代”的蛇绿岩组合,主要由玄武质(枕状)熔岩、岩墙群、辉长岩等古洋壳岩石组成,其中以MORB和岛弧玄武岩为主,岩石变质程度达角闪岩相。蛇绿岩洋壳的Rb-Sr同位素等时线年龄值为768Ma±39Ma,Sm-Nd同位素等时线年龄值780Ma±22Ma。这套古洋壳岩石与典型的奥陶纪(约500Ma)火山岩不同,后者主要为中基性岛弧火山岩,岩石仅发生轻微绿片岩相变质;而前者与榴辉岩的成分可以对比,并且与榴辉岩原岩的时代(750～800Ma)相同。推断绿梁山的海底玄武质岩类可能就是榴辉岩的原岩,祁连地区新元古代蛇绿岩洋盆是在罗迪尼亚大陆大约800～750Ma发生裂解的基础上形成的。

GPS观测及断裂晚第四纪滑动速率所反映的青藏高原北部变形

断裂晚第四纪滑动速率及现今GPS观测揭示了青藏高原向北扩展与高原边缘隆升的运动特征.主要断裂晚第四纪滑动速率及跨断裂GPS应变速率的结果表明,青藏高原北部边缘的断裂以低滑动速率(<10 mm/a)为主,特别是两条边界断裂:阿尔金断裂和海原—祁连山断裂.两条主要边界断裂上的滑动速率分布显示了断裂间滑动速率转换及调整特征.阿尔金断裂自95°E以西的8-12 mm/a稳定滑动速率,向东逐渐降低到最东端的约I-2 mm/a,而海原断裂自哈拉湖一带开始发育后滑动速率为1-2 mm/a,到祁连一带(101°E以东)增大到相对稳定的4-5 mm/a,直到过海原后转向六盘山一带,滑动速率降低到1-3 mm/a,甚至更低.滑动速率的变化及分布特征显示,阿尔金断裂滑动主要是通过祁连山内部隆起及两侧新生代盆地变形引起的缩短来吸收的,海原—祁连山断裂的低滑动速率及沿断裂运动学特征表明断裂尾端的陇西盆地变形及六盘山的隆起是断裂左旋走滑速率的主要吸收方式.这一变形特征表明,青藏高原北部边缘的变形模式是一种分布式的连续变形,变形发生自高原内部,边界断裂的走滑被高原内部变形所吸收.

青藏高原北缘古近纪石英砂表面特征及其古环境意义

中国西北干旱化和风成记录的研究已取得重要进展,但对亚洲内陆干旱化和亚洲冬季风开始时间的认识目前仍存在分歧。利用扫描电镜,通过对青藏高原北缘广大典型地区古近系中类似风成堆积的红色砂层石英砂微形态详细研究,发现这些红色砂层中绝大部分石英砂颗粒表面具有流水搬运和改造的磨光面与V型坑微形态特征组合,与现代塔克拉玛干沙漠、阿尔金山北缘洪积扇上的现代风沙沉积物石英砂颗粒表面的麻面与蝶形坑组合不同。粒度分析也显示这些沉积物的粒度曲线特征与风成黄土和现代沙丘粒度曲线有明显差别。结合沉积特征认为青藏高原北缘古近纪期间不存在大范围的风沙沉积物,推断亚洲冬季风此时可能尚未激发,而该期的干旱环境可能是由行星风系副热带高压控制的干旱炎热气候以及全球变冷事件造成。

从德令哈地震分析青藏高原北缘东段的深部构造活动

在祁连山南北布设的10台REFTEK宽频地震仪器记录到了2003年4月发生在仪器台阵范围内的6．7级地震及其数十次余震,提供了研究青藏高原北缘深部构造的新资料,对3级以上震源的定位和震源机制研究结果表明,柴达木盆地北缘逆冲左行走滑断裂东段的宗务隆山逆冲断裂在南北挤压作用下引发了此次地震活动,是陆陆碰撞和内陆俯冲的结果,青藏高原北缘的走滑断裂在浅部呈缓倾斜,深部往往以较陡的产状向下延伸。震源区的构造分析证实了印度板块岩石圈的超深俯冲作用对高原北缘的影响,受南北向应力作用影响形成的走滑断裂近东西向的位移目前仍很剧烈。

青藏高原北羌塘盆地东部二叠纪高Ti玄武岩的地球化学特征

在北羌塘盆地东部莫云地区早二叠世栖霞期尕笛考组中首次发现高Ti玄武岩。在当郎寨剖面上,火山岩主要产于尕笛考组第2和第4岩性段,第3岩性段中火山岩呈夹层产出,火山岩形成于浅海环境。岩石类型包括杏仁状玄武岩、粗玄岩、块状玄武岩、橄榄玄武岩和安山玄武岩,属碱性玄武岩系列。该火山岩岩石地球化学特征表现为高FeO,极高TiO2,较高FeO/MgO值,而Al2O3、MgO和Mg″值则低,LILE(Rb、Sr、Ba)和HFSE(Nb、Ta、Zr、Hf、Th、P2O5)富集,REE总量高,显示出LREE富集的配分型式,Eu表现为弱的负异常或无异常,具板内碱性玄武岩的地球化学特征。以上特征表明,火山岩形成于陆块边缘拉张带(初始裂谷)环境。

青藏高原羌塘北部托和平错一带二叠系展金组火山岩的特征及构造环境

西藏改则县托和平错地区展金组中发育一套早—中二叠世以玄武岩类为主、玄武安山岩次之、安山岩少量的海相火山岩组合。该火山岩中玄武岩、玄武安山岩的SiO2含量为44.43%～54.87%,TiO2含量多在4%以上,K2O+Na2O平均为4.57%,玄武岩类富K,玄武安山岩富Na。区内火山岩富集K、Ba、Th、Ta、Ce、P、Zr、Sm、Ti、Cr,亏损Rb、Nb、Hf、Sc,Y/Nb在0.322～0.499之间。综合常量元素和微量元素特征,可将该火山岩归入碱性玄武岩系列。区内火山岩从基性到中性稀土元素总量基本没有变化,REE平均为402.31×10-6,LREE/HREE为8.17～12.69,为轻稀土强烈富集型,δEu为0.93～1.04,平均为0.99,无Eu异常,玄武岩的Th/Ta值多数大于1.6。火山岩的地质特征和地球化学特征表明,本区火山岩产出的大地构造环境为冈瓦纳大陆北缘裂谷环境。

青藏高原北缘昆仑山中段构造隆升的磷灰石裂变径迹记录

3组磷灰石裂变径迹年龄分别反映出阿尔金地块白垩纪末(69.5±2.9)Ma、昆仑山前山地带和昆仑山后山地带(高原区北缘)上新世晚期(4.2±0.8)Ma和(3.9±0.6)Ma、早更新世中期(1.66±0.31)Ma等3次构造抬升事件。根据磷灰石裂变径迹分析样品的古埋深及据前人有关资料推测的古地表高程,换算出样品的古海拔高程,再由高程差得出绝对构造抬升量,绝对抬升速率为绝对抬升量与时间(裂变径迹年龄)差之比。计算结果:阿尔金山北缘69Ma以来总共抬升了4940m,平均抬升速率为0.072mm/a。昆仑山前山地带4.15Ma至1.66Ma间总共抬升了1380m,平均抬升速率为0.55mm/a;1.66Ma以来总共抬升了4140m,平均抬升速率为2.49mm/a。昆仑山后山地带3.85Ma至1.66Ma间总共抬升量约为1500m,平均抬升速率为0.70mm/a;1.66Ma以来总共抬升量约为5140m,平均抬升速率为3.19mm/a。结合有关阶地特征及年龄,推算出21ka左右的晚更新世末以来昆仑山后山的抬升速率可能达11mm/a。昆仑山后山地带较前山地带4Ma以来相对抬升了1120m,二者的平均隆升速率比约为1.2。