The discovery of Neoproterozoic extensional structures and its significance for gas exploration in the Central Sichuan Block, Sichuan Basin, South China

The Central Sichuan Block(CSB) is the hardest block between the deep faults of Pujiang-Bazhong and Huaying Mountain in the central part of Sichuan Basin, which lies in the northwestern part of the upper Yangtze Craton. The CSB has long been considered as the oldest and most stable core area of Yangtze Craton, with the uniform basement and high level of hardening. Here we present a detailed interpretation of deep structures in the CSB by integrating high-resolution seismic data(approx. 50000 km2) with large-scale aeromagnetic data. Results show that eight Neoproterozoic extensional structures of different scales are nearly EW-, NEE-, and NW-trending in the CSB. Discovery of these extensional structures changes previous understanding of the CSB as a unified block. The extensional structures experienced one or two stages of extension in the longitudinal section, and filled with 3000–5000-m-thick weakly magnetic materials. Development of basal A-type granite in Weiyuan, Sichuan Basin and bimodal volcanic rocks of the Suxiong Formation, Western Sichuan confirms the CSB's Neoproterozoic extensional tectonic setting. The newly discovered Neoproterozoic extensional structures are of great significance for source rock and favorable sedimentary facies distribution, reservoir development, and gas accumulation.

Gold mineralization in Jiaodong Peninsula and destruction of North China Craton:Insights from Mesozoic granite

Large-scale tectonic magmatism and extensive gold mineralization have occurred in the eastern North China Craton(NCC)(Jiaodong and Liaodong peninsulas)since Mesozoic,which indicated that the region experienced decratonization process.The genesis type of granites evolved from S-type to I-type and A-type during Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous,and thus reflects the evolution of geodynamics in the Late Mesozoic,indicating the varied subduction process of the Paleo-Pacific Plate(PPP)and the craton destruction.The evolution of geochemical features shows that the mantle beneath the Jiaodong Peninsula evolved from EM-II in Jurassic to EM-I in Early Cretaceous,demonstrating that the mantle switched from enriched to depleted.The gold of decratonic gold deposits in Jiaodong Peninsula mainly comes from the lithospheric mantle domains metasomatized by fluids derived from the metamorphism and dehydration of the subducted slab in the mantle transition zone.The rapid decomposition of minerals leads to the concentrated release of ore-forming fluids,and this process leads to the explosive gold mineralization during the craton destruction.Extensive magmatic uplift and extensional structures,triggered by the craton destruction in Early Cretaceous formed the extensional tectonic system,providing space for the decratonic gold deposits in Jiaodong Peninsula.

Metallogenic Epoch of Nonferrous Metallic and Silver Deposits in the Jiaodong Peninsula, China and its Geological Significance

As China＇s most important gold-producing district, the Jiaodong Peninsula also contains copper, lead-zinc, molybdenum （tungsten）, and other nonferrous metal ore deposits, but the space-time and genetic relationships with gold deposits remain uncertain. To investigate the temporal relationship between these nonferrous metal and gold ore deposits, We collected the samples from a number of nonferrous metallic and silver deposits and metallogenetic rock bodies in the eastern Jiaodong Peninsula for isotopic dating. The results show that the Re-Os isotopic model ages of the Lengjia molybdenum deposit in Rongcheng range from 114.5 ± 1.8 Ma to 112.6 ± 1.5 Ma, with an average age of 113.6 ± 1.6 Ma; the LA-ICP-MS ^206pb/^238U ages of 33 zircons in the sericitization porphyritic monzogranite that hosts the Tongjiazhuang silver deposit in Rongcheng range between 122 Ma and 109 Ma, with a weighted mean age of 116.04 ± 0.95 Ma; the LA-ICP-MS ^206pb/^238U ages of 31 zircons in the copper metallogenic pyroxene monzodiorite that hosts the Kuangbei copper deposit in Rongcheng range from 126 Ma to 106 Ma, with a weighted mean age of 116.6 ± 1.7 Ma; and the LA-ICP-MS ^206pb/^238U ages of 19 zircons in the pyroxene monzodiorite surrounding the Dadengge gold and multimetal deposit in Weihai range from 113 Ma to 110 Ma, with a weighted mean age of 111.7 ± 0.6 Ma. All these results indicate that the metallogenic ages of the silver and nonferrous metallic deposits in the Jiaodong Peninsula are in a limited range from 118 Ma to 111 Ma. Previous studies have demonstrated that the isotopic ages of gold deposits in the Jiaodong Peninsula range from 123 Ma to 110 Ma, while Weideshanian magmatism occurred between 126 Ma to 108 Ma. Both these ranges are grossly consistent with the metallogenic ages of silver and nonferrous metallic deposits in this study, suggesting that the large-scale mineralization occurred in the Early Cretaceous when magmatic activities were strong. This epoch may be linked to the lithosphere thinning and the thermo-upwelling extension in eastern China at that time. In addition, field investigation also shows that gold and nonferrous metallic deposits are distributed nearby the Weideshanian granite, with the nonferrous metallic deposits lying within or surrounding the granite pluton and the gold deposits outside the granite pluton. We propose the following mineralization scenario： In the Early Cretaceous, an intensive lithospheric extension induced partial melting and degassing of the metasomatized lithospheric mantle, which resulted in the formation of mantle-derived fluids enriched in metal elements. During the rapid process of magma ascent and intrusion, crust-derived fluids were activated by the magmatic thermal dome and served to further extract ore-forming materials from the crust. These fluids may have mixed with the mantle-derived fluid to form a crust-mantle mixing-type ore-forming fluid. The high-temperature conditions in the center or in contact with the granitic magmatic thermal dome would have been favorable for the formation of porphyry-type, skarn-type, and hydrothermal-vein-type ores, thus forming a series of Mo（W）, Cu, and Pb-Zn deposits in the mid-eastern Jiaodong Peninsula. In contrast, the medium- to low-temperature conditions in the periphery of the magmatic thermal dome would have favored the deposition of gold （silver） ores under the appropriate physiochemical and structural conditions. The metaliogenic epoch of the molybdenum, copper, and silver deposits, and their spatio-temporal and genetic relations to the gold deposits, as demonstrated in this study, not only provide important insights to the study of regional metallogeny, our understanding of the metallogenesis of the Jiaodong type gold deposit, and the geodynamic background of the large-scale mineralization in the Jiaodong Peninsula, but also have practical value in guiding the mineral exploration.

Earthquake-related Tectonic Deformation of Soft-sediments and Its Constraints on Basin Tectonic Evolution

The authors introduced two kinds of newly found soft-sediment deformation-synsedimentary extension structure and syn-sedimentary compression structure, and discuss their origins and constraints on basin tectonic evolution. One representative of the syn-sedimentary extension structure is syn-sedimentary boudinage structure, while the typical example of the syn-sedimentary compression structure is compression sand pillows or compression wrinkles. The former shows NW-SE-trendlng contemporaneous extension events related to earthquakes in the rift basin near a famous Fe-Nb-REE deposit in northern China during the Early Paleozoic （or Mesoproterozoic as proposed by some researches）, while the latter indicates NE-SW-trending contemporaneous compression activities related to earthquakes in the Middle Triassic in the Nanpanjiang remnant basin covering south Guizhou, northwestern Guangxi and eastern Yunnan in southwestern China. The syn-sedimentary boudinage structure was found in an earthquake slump block in the lower part of the Early Paleozoic Sailinhudong Group, 20 km to the southeast of Bayan Obo, Inner Mongolia, north of China. The slump block is composed of two kinds of very thin layers-pale-gray micrite （microcrystalline limestone） of 1-2 cm thick interbedded with gray muddy micrite layers with the similar thickness. Almost every thin muddy micrite layer was cut into imbricate blocks or boudins by abundant tiny contemporaneous faults, while the interbedded micrite remain in continuity. Boudins form as a response to layer-parallel extension （and/or layer-perpendicular flattening） of stiff layers enveloped top and bottom by mechanically soft layers. In this case, the imbricate blocks cut by the tiny contemporaneous faults are the result of abrupt horizontal extension of the crust in the SE-NW direction accompanied with earthquakes. Thus, the rock block is, in fact, a kind of seismites. The syn-sedimentary boudins indicate that there was at least a strong earthquake belt on the southeast side of the basin during the early stage of the Sailinhudong Group. This may be a good constraint on the tectonic evolution of the Bayan Obo area during the Early Paleozoic time. The syn-sedimentary compression structure was found in the Middle Triassic flysch in the Nanpanjiang Basin. The typical structures are compression sand pillows and compression wrinkles. Both of them were found on the bottoms of sand units and the top surface of the underlying mud units. In other words, the structures were found only in the interfaces between the graded sand layer and the underlying mud layer of the flysch. A deformation experiment with dough was conducted, showing that the tectonic deformation must have been instantaneous one accompanied by earthquakes. The compression sand pillows or wrinkles showed uniform directions along the bottoms of the sand layer in the flysch, revealing contemporaneous horizontal compression during the time between deposition and diagenesis of the related beds. The Nanpanjiang Basin was affected, in general, with SSW-NNE compression during the Middle Triassic, according to the syn-sedimentary compression structure. The two kinds of syn-sedimentary tectonic deformation also indicate that the related basins belong to a rift basin and a remnant basin, respectively, in the model of Wilson Cycle.

DETACHMENT FAULT IN DINGGYE AREA IN THE MIDDLE PART OF THE HIMALAYAN OROGEN

Dinggye lies in the middle part of the Himalayan Orogen. A lot of low angle extension detachment faults have been developed in Dinggye area and some of them make up the main body of the South Tibet Detachment System. On the whole, the extension direction of all the detachment faults is perpendicular to the strike of the Himalayan Orogen. Each detachment fault has its distinct characteristics. Mylonite was extensively developed in the detachment faults and can be divided into a variety of types such as siliceous mylonite, felsic mylonite, granite mylonite, protomylonite, crystallization mylonite and so on. On the basis of our field survey works, these detachment faults can be classified according to their locations into three units listed as follows: (1) In the northern part of the study area, the detachment faults occur on large scale and in orbicular shape, and form the middle layer of the metamorphic core complexes. (2) In the southern part of the study area, the detachment faults occur in linear shape that is parallel to the Himalayan Orogen and has a stable attitude, and have undergone two phases of development. In the first phase, the Rouqiechun Group rocks were formed and make up the hanging wall, while in the second phase the Jiachun Group rocks were formed and make up the hanging wall. (3) In the southeastern part of the study area, the detachment faults strike nearly along southeast direction in a stable way and some of these detachment faults were distorted by the late-formed faults and folds. Furthermore, in the southwestern part of the study area, the ductile shear zones are parallel to the detachment faults.

Structural Analysis of Jianglang Metamorphic Core Complex in Western Margin of yangtze Crston,Sichuan Province

There is a belt of metamorphic core complexes in the western margin of the Yangtze craton . The geological setting of the belt is similar to that of the Cordilleran metamorphic core complexes . A typical one in this belt is the Jianglang metamorphic core complex , which has a configuration consisting of three layers : a core complex consisting of Mesoproterozoic schist sequence . a ductile middle slab consisting of Paleozoic meta- sedimentary -basalt characterized by the development of ' folding layer' and an upper cover consisting of Xikang Group which has suffered both buckling and flattening . A detachment fault developed along the contact boundary between the cover and basement causes the omission of Upper Sinian and Cambrian at the base of cover . A lot of normal ductile shear zones developed in the cover causes the thinning of it . All the features show that the early extension results in the thinning of crust , but the formation of the dome and exposure of basement rocks may be the results of superimposing of the E-W directed contraction and the following southward thrusting during Indosinian to Yanshanian orogeny . Syntectonic plutonism and pervasive thermo - metamor-phism in the cover suggest that the thermal uplift also causes the uplift of the MCC .

Mesozoic Thrust-Nappe and Extensional Structure Frameworks in the East Segment of Southeast Yangtze Block, Southeast China

Multi-stage Mesozoic thrust-nappe and extensional structures are distributed in the east segment of the Southeast Yangtze Block situated in the junction region of Zhejiang-Jiangxi-Anhui provinces. The features and genetic mechanism of the deformations were analyzed after a detailed field observation of their distribution, geometry, and kinematics. In addition, the time sequences of the thrust and extensional structures were determined by combining the results of the comparative analysis with the chronological evidence of strata and magmatic rocks cut by a fault or formed after a fault according to field facts. This study identified three stages of the nappe structures and at least two stages of the extensional structures during the Mesozoic. The geotectonic setting of the nappe and extensional structures was considered to be related to the different geodynamics in the study area including the Early Mesozoic geological event, i.e., N-S compression, forming Lantian fault, etc.;the Late Mesozoic flat-slab subduction, forming Xiaoxi thrust fault and tectonic window;and the roll-back of the paleoPacific Plate, forming extensional structures like basin marginal fault;the last compression, forming Wucheng-Shenxian fault. These findings provide additional evidence for remodeling the tectonic and geodynamic evolution of Southeast China.

Cenozoic structural deformation and expression of the “Tan-Lu Fault Zone” in the West Sag of Liaohe Depression, Bohaiwan basin province, China

Based on the interpretation of 3D seismic data and structural mapping we analyzed the geometry and kinematics of the fault system and validated the expression of the"Tan-Lu Fracture Zone"in the West Sag of Liaohe Depression,Bohaiwan basin province.The Cenozoic structural deformation within the West Sag of Liaohe Depression can be divided into extensional structure system and dextral structure system.The extensional system is constituted by numerous NNE-NE trending Paleogene normal faults,where the Taian-Dawa fault(F1)is the master boundary fault(MBF)dominating the deposition during Paleogene so that the sag shows a complex half-graben with"boundary fault in the east and overlap in the west".The dextral system is constituted by 2–3 dextral basement faults in NNE-NE trending(F2,F3,F4)and associated structure,and the time of structural action started in Oligocene and continued to Quarternary so that some associated secondary faults of the dextral system cut off the Neogene and Quaternary.Under the influence of the position and attitude of NNE-NE trending basement strike-slip faults,the central north part and the south part of the West Sag show obviously different structural features.The former appears to be a complex"graben"structure limited by the reversed strike-slip fault in the west and bounded by the inverted normal fault in the east,the latter remains the complex half-graben structure with"boundary fault in the east and overlap in the west",and the graben was mildly reconstructed by one or two normal strike-slip faults.The dextral system within the West Sag is the element of the west branch fault of the Tan-Lu Fracture Zone,which is a deep fracture zone extending along the east of the Liaodongwan Gulf.The deep fracture zone branches off into two separate faults within the Liaohe Depression.The east branch goes through from northern part of the Liaodongwan Gulf to the East Sag of Liaohe Depression and links with the Denghua-Mishan Fault near Shenyang,and the west branch passes from northern part of the Liaodongwan Gulf to the West Sag and Damintun Sag of Liaohe Depression and links with the Yilan-Yitong Fault.The principal displacement zone of the west branch of the Tan-Lu Fracture Zone cuts off the master extensional fault(F1)within the West Sag of Liaohe Depression and induces many cover faults in EW trending within the Neogene and Quaternary.

Structure prediction for error pattern and extension of Welch-Berlekamp theorem

As the Welch-Berlekamp (W-B) theorem accurately predicts structure of error locator polynomials of the error patterns, it results in the Welch-Berlekamp algorithm of decoding cyclic codes. However, it is only valid within the BCH bound. Now, a prediction formula for error locator determination is presented based on the study of theory of minimal homogeneous interpolation problem, which extends the Welch-Berlekamp theorem and expands the Welch-Berlekamp algorithm so that the constraint from the BCH