Mechanical properties and energy evolution of Beishan shallow-layer granite under different unloading paths

Rock has mechanical characteristics and a fracture damage mechanism that are closely related to its loading history and loading path. The mechanical properties, fracture damage features, acoustic emission(AE) characteristics, and strain energy evolution of the Beishan shallow-layer granite used in triaxial unloading tests were investigated in this study. Three groups of triaxial tests, namely, conventional triaxial compression test(Group Ⅰ), maintaining deviatoric stress synchronously unloading confining pressure test(Group Ⅱ), and loading axial pressure synchronously unloading confining pressure test(Group Ⅲ), were carried out for the cylindrical granite specimens. AE monitoring device was utilized in these tests to determine the degree to which the AE waves and AE events reflected the degree of rock damage. In addition, the crack stress thresholds of the specimens were determined by volumetric strain method and AE parameter method, and strain energy evolution of the rock was explored in different damage stages. The results show that the shallow-layer granite experiences brittle failure during the triaxial loading test and unloading test, and the rock has a greater damage degree during the unloading test. The crack stress thresholds of these samples vary greatly between tests, but the threshold ratios of all samples are similar in the same crack damage stage. The Mogi-Coulomb strength criterion can better describe the unloading failure strength of the rock. The evolution of the AE parameter characteristics and strain energy differs between the specimens used in different stress path tests. The dissipative strain energy is the largest in Group Ⅱ and the smallest in Group Ⅰ.

Tectonic Evolution and Lithospheric Structure of the Beishan Orogen:Insights from Magnetotelluric Studies

The Beishan orogen,located in the central segment of the Tianshan–Solonker suture within the southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt(CAOB),is crucial for understanding the accretionary processes and continental growth in Central Asia.This orogen developed through the episodic amalgamation and accretion of continental margin arcs,island arcs,ophiolites,and accretionary wedges,undergoing a complex process of accretion and evolution.Since the Phanerozoic,the Beishan orogen has experienced multiple phases of magmatic and collision events.The intricate distribution of magmatic arc rocks has obscured the complete basement traces,and the spatial superposition of multiple magmatic arc phases has complicated the study of its evolutionary history.

Electrical Resistivity Structures of the Beishan Block,NW China,and Tectonic Implications

The Central Asian Orogenic Belt(CAOB)is a giant orogenic belt located between the Siberian Plate,the Tarim Plate,and the North China Plate,which records the longterm and complex geologic evolution of the Paleo-Asian Ocean from the Early Neoproterozoic(ca.1000 Ma)to the Late Paleoproterozoic(ca.250 Ma)process.The Beishan Block is located in the middle and southern edge of the Central Asian orogenic belt,at the intersection of the Tarim plate,the Siberian Plate and the Kazakhstan Plate.

Formation and Evolution of Chromitites in the Hongshishan Complex,Beishan Orogenic Collage,NW China:Constraints from Mineralogical Compositions,Re-Os Isotopes and Platinum-Group Element Geochemistry

The Hongshishan chromitite deposits are situated to the north of the Beishan orogenic collage,in the southern part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt.This study describes the mineral chemistry,Re-Os isotopes and platinum-group elements geochemistry of the Hongshishan chromitites for the purpose of constraining the origin,evolution and composition of their parental melts.The restricted ranges of Al_(2)O_(3),Cr_(2)O_(3)and Cr#-Mg#variation of chromite-cores and chromites fall within the field of the mid-ocean ridge and ophiolitic podiform chromite settings.The(^(187)Os/^(188)Os)i ratios of the chromitites are in the range of 0.12449–0.12745(average 0.12637)and theγOs are from-1.92 to-0.06(average-0.83).In the Re-Os isotope diagrams,all the samples fall in the field of chromitites and show a residual peridotitic trend.The range of Os isotopic compositions andγOs values indicate that they overlap the depleted MORB mantle(DMM)as well as being close to global Os isotopic data andγOs of ophiolite chromitites.The characteristics of the PGE contents can be roughly subdivided into two groups:podiform chromitites and Ural-Alaskan type complexes.For the ferritchromite cores,the calculated Al_(2)O_(3)concentrations of the parental melt are higher(average 16.65 wt%)in high-Cr than high-Al chromitite(average 16.17 wt%)and for the chromite,the calculated Al_(2)O_(3)concentrations are even higher(average 16.48 wt%)in the high-Cr than the high-Al examples(average 15.38 wt%).In the(TiO_(2))melt vs.TiO_(2)diagrams,most high-Al melts fall in the MORB,while the high-Cr melts fall in the ARC field.The calculated Fe O/Mg O ratios for the parental melt show the closest resemblance to a MORB magma composition.The inferred parental melt composition for studied chromitites falls in the field of mid-ocean ridge basalt(MORB)magmas and far away from boninite.The calculated degrees of partial melting producing the chromitites are 16%-22%(average 19%),which is around the range of those of the MORB magmas.The chromitites are suggested to have been formed in a MORB setting.The chromites and ferritchromite cores are mostly scattered along the MORB and SSZ harzburgite–dunite fields.Ferritchromite rims and ferritchromites with high YFes formed as a result of alteration during serpentinization..

The Beishan underground research laboratory for geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste in China:Planning, site selection,site characterization and in situ tests

With the rapid development of nuclear power in China, the disposal of high-level radioactive waste（HLW） has become an important issue for nuclear safety and environmental protection. Deep geological disposal is internationally accepted as a feasible and safe way to dispose of HLW, and underground research laboratories（URLs） play an important and multi-faceted role in the development of HLW repositories. This paper introduces the overall planning and the latest progress for China＇s URL. On the basis of the proposed strategy to build an area-specific URL in combination with a comprehensive evaluation of the site selection results obtained during the last 33 years, the Xinchang site in the Beishan area,located in Gansu Province of northwestern China, has been selected as the final site for China＇s first URL built in granite. In the process of characterizing the Xinchang URL site, a series of investigations,including borehole drilling,geological mapping, geophysical surveying,hydraulic testing and in situ stress measurements, has been conducted. The investigation results indicate that the geological,hydrogeological, engineering geological and geochemical conditions of the Xinchang site are very suitable for URL construction. Meanwhile, to validate and develop construction technologies for the Beishan URL, the Beishan exploration tunnel（BET）, which is a 50-m-deep facility in the Jiujing sub-area, has been constructed and several in situ tests, such as drill-and-blast tests, characterization of the excavation damaged zone（EDZ）, and long-term deformation monitoring of surrounding rocks, have been performed in the BET. The methodologies and technologies established in the BET will serve for URL construction.According to the achievements of the characterization of the URL site, a preliminary design of the URL with a maximum depth of 560 m is proposed and necessary in situ tests in the URL are planned.

Fisson-track constrains on superposed folding in the Beishan orogenic belt, southernmost Altaids

The Hongyanjing inter-arc basin, is located at the central part of Beishan Orogenic College （BOC）, Gansu Province, northwest China. Thick sequences of Permian sediments were strongly folded, forming extremely spectacular superposed folds. To better understand the thermal history of Hongyanjing interarc basin and to potentially constrain the timing of deformation, apatite fission track thermochronology method was applied on two superposed folds in the Hongyanjing Basin. Samples from the basin, yield central AFT ages ranging from - 206 to 118 Ma. AFT peak ages were largely consistent between samples and can divided into three groups： 245, 204-170 and 112-131 Ma. Subsequent thermal history modeling of the samples from the Hongyanjing Basin can be summarized as follows： （1） thermal reheating by sedimentary burial at - 260 to -220 Ma; （2） major cooling from -220 to -180 Ma; （3） an episode of very slow subsequent cooling from -180 to 65 Ma （-80 ℃） to present-day outcrop temperatures. Sediments in the Hongyanjing Basin were folded forming F1 fold during the early to late Triassic （-240--220 Ma）, by regional stress, and at the time that the adjacent Xingxingxia shear zone started to become active. It is further suggested that the F2 folding occurred at -225-219 Ma. The deformation age of F2 should he extended to 180 Ma based on our thermal history modeling for the Hongyanjing Basin, which show a rapid exhumation and cooling at the late Triassic to early Jurassic （-220-- 180 Ma）. In our interpretations, the F1 folding is therefore thought to he related to the final closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean, while the F2 folding occurred at - 225-180 Ma associated with a major pulse of orogenesis in the BOC.

Early Paleozoic Ocean Plate Stratigraphy of the Beishan Orogenic Zone, NW China: Implications for Regional Tectonic Evolution

The Beishan orogenic zone is a key area to understand evolution of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt that is an accretionary factory well-enough preserved in the Paleozoic. In early Paleozoic, the tectonic mélange zone containing the coherent unit and mélange unit is triggered by the complicated accretionary process of the Beishan area. The early Paleozoic tectonic evolution of the Beishan orogenic zone is investigated in this study using sedimentology and stratigraphic correlations of the lowe Paleozoic deposits. From the Cambrian to the middle Ordovician, this region was characterized by geographically extensive, flat-bedded siliceous mudstone, indicating the existence of a large ocean basin. The oceanic plate entered the convergence phase in terms of the Wilson Circle during the Middle Ordovician, when numerous magmatic arcs formed along two opposite sides of the ocean. The magmatic arcs became the widest during the Silurian, suggesting that the Hongliuhe-Niujuanzi-Xichangjing Ocean(HNX;a southern branch of the Paleo Asian Ocean) was reduced to a small residual ocean in the central Beishan region by that time, and probably lasted till the Carboniferous or later by newly published data.

Late Carboniferous-Early Permian Mafic-Ultramafic Complexes in Beishan,Southwestern Central Asian Orogenic Belt and Their Significance

Numeral Permian mafic-ultramafic complexes occur in the Beishan terrane atthe northeastern margin of the Tarim craton,southwestern Central Asian Orogenic Belt,including the Pobei,Cantoushan,Bijiashan,Hongshishan,Xuanwoling,Zhongposhan and Luodong etc.,intrusions(Qin et al.,2011;Zhang et al.,2017;Xue et al.,2018).These Beishan mafic-ultramafic complexes are composed of peridotite,pyroxenite.

Evolution of deformation property and strength component mobilization for thermally treated Beishan granite under compression

The cohesion weakening and friction strengthening(CWFS)model for rock reveals the strength components mobilization process during progressive brittle failure process of rock,which is very helpful in understanding mechanical properties of rock.However,the used incremental cyclic loading−unloading compression test for the determination of strength components is very complicated,which limits the application of CWFS model.In this paper,incremental cyclic loading−unloading compression test was firstly carried out to study the evolution of deformation and the strength properties of Beishan granite after various temperatures treated under different confining pressures.We found the axial and lateral unloading modulus are closely related to the applied stress and damage state of rock.Based on these findings,we can accurately determine the plastic strain during the entire failure process using conventional tri-axial compression test data.Furthermore,a strength component(cohesive and frictional strength)determination method was developed using conventional triaxial compression test.Using this method,we analyzed the variation of strength mobilization and deformation properties of Beishan granite after various temperatures treated.At last,a non-simultaneous strength mobilization model for thermally treated granite was obtained and verified by numerical simulation,which demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed strength determination method.

Physical and mechanical properties of Beishan granite after different high temperature treatments

In China,Beishan granite is chosen as a potential host surrounding rock of a high-level radioactive waste(HLW)repository.For this research,Beishan granite specimens were heated up to 300℃,400℃ and 500℃,respectively.And conventional triaxial compression tests were conducted after cooling down the samples.The results show that after 300℃,400℃ and 500℃ heating treatment,the diameter of samples increases by 0.066%,0.143%and 0.409%,respectively,which is a little larger than the axial length changes.Mechanical tests show that peak strength increases slightly with increasing temperature.However,the dilatancy threshold is lower than that observed for samples which have not experienced heating treatment.Peak strain and dilatancy threshold strain show a strong temperature dependence.The higher the temperature,the greater the strain.Furthermore,increasing temperature has negative influence on threshold elastic modulus E_(c) and tangent elastic modulus E_(t).Poisson ratio decreases when temperature increases from 300℃ to 500℃,but it is still larger than that observed for samples which have not experienced heating treatment.In addition,AE monitoring shows a quiet period in the initial loading stage,which proves that the micro cracks are closed during heating and contribute to the increase of peak strength.

A Study of the Thermal Conductivity Property of the High-level Radioactive Waste Repository:The Case of Beishan Preselected Site,Gansu Province

The research and development of high-level radioactive waste(HLW)repository is a long-term systematic engineering project.Normally,it involves such stages as foundation study,site selection and assessment,underground research laboratory testing, and the design,construction,operation,and close of the repository.The key issue in repository design

Geophysical prospecting of copper-nickel deposits in Beishan rift zone, Xinjiang

The Beishan rift zone in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was formed due to strong activities of faults on the basement of the Tarim continental crust.Despite the fact that many geological research results of the rift zone have been achieved,only a few studies have been conducted on its regional geophysical characteristics.In this paper,the gravity and magnetic anomalies of the rift zone were highlighted through specific data processing of 1∶50000 high-precision aeromagnetic data and gravity data with a grid spacing of 2 km×2 km.Based on this,the geophysical evidence for the scope and internal structures of the Beishan rift zone was obtained for the first time.The distinct characteristics of magnetic and gravity fields in the areas to the north and south of the Beishan rift zone reveal that deep faults exist between the Beishan rift zone and the geological units on the southern and northern sides.Furthermore,the faults on the two areas contain the bidirectional thrusts and have flower-shaped structures according to the characteristics of the magnetic and gravity fields.The Beishan rift zone can be divided into two tectonomagmatic zones,namely the Zhongposhan-Bijiashan-Cihai-Baishanliang zone(the northern zone)and the Bayiquan-Qixin-Baishan zone(the southern zone).The northern zone can be further subdivided into three comet-shaped anomaly groups(tectonomagmatic areas),while the southern zone can be further subdivided into two tectonomagmatic areas.According to the characteristics of aeromagnetic anomalies and gravity field,19 mafic-ultramafic complexes were delineated.The known Pobei,Hongshishan,and Qixin complexes are all located within the inferred complexes,with estimates of total explored resources of Ni,Cu,and Au of 3×10^(6) t,10×10^(3) t and 10 t,respectively.The prospecting of high-grade copper-nickel deposits should focus on the periphery and deep parts of the known and inferred mafic-ultramafic complexes.Among them,the peripheral strata of the complexes specifically have great prospecting potential of large-scale high-grade copper-nickel deposits of magma injection type.Finally,this paper analyzed the application effects of the rapid airborne-ground-drilling synergetic exploration method in the prospecting of copper-nickel deposits in Qixin,Beishan,Xinjiang,which will provide references for further exploration of copper-nickel deposits in Beishan area,Xinjiang.

The Diffusion of Tc-99 in Beishan Granite-Temperature Effect

In the safety assessment of a potential site for high-level radioactive wastes (HLW) disposal, the investigation on the geochemical behaviors of key radionuclides with the possibility for releasing from the potential repository is an important aspect. Due to the high mobility of technetium under most repository conditions, lots of research works were performed to investigate the diffusion of technetium in different potential rocks. In spite of these studies, there remains a lack of data addressing temperature effects. In this paper, the diffusion of 99Tc in Beishan granite at temperatures from 25℃ to 55℃ was studied with laboratory small scale diffusion devices. The experimental data were fitted with a finite difference scheme to get the effective diffusion coefficient (De) of . The results indicated that the relationship of De with temperatures could be described as the modified Stokes-Einstein equation, and the formation factor of Beishan granite was constant in the temperature range of 25℃ - 55℃ with the value of (3.91 ± 1.77) × 10-4.

Estimation of Fracture Geometry Parameters and Characterization of Rock Mass Structure for the Beishan Area,China

The accurate estimation of fracture geometry parameters and the characterization of rock mass structure are two important topics in the geological disposal system of high-level radioactive waste(HLW).The Beishan area,as the current preselected area for China’s HLW disposal,has three subareas considered to be the key survey area at the stage of site selection.In this paper,a comprehensive survey method conducted on the outcrop is developed to estimate fracture geometry parameters.Results show that fracture occurrence obeys a Fisher distribution,fracture trace length obeys a normal distribution,and the distribution of spacing obeys a negative exponential distribution.An evaluation index,Rock Mass Structure Rating(RMSR),is proposed to characterize rock mass structure for the three subareas.The results show that the Xinchang area is more suitable to act as China’s HLW disposal repository site.At the same time,the index can also be applied to characterize surface rock mass structure and rock mass integrity at the site selection phase of HLW disposal.

Geochronology, Geochemistry and Tectonic Significance of Dike Swarms in Beishan, Gansu

Study area is located at Beishan,Gansu province.Beishan area located at conjunction site among Tarim plate,Sino-Korean plate and Kazakhstan plate,this special tectonic position has a very complex geological tectonic.

The Tectonic Implications of the Hongliuhe-Xichangjing Ophiolitic Mélanges Belt in the Central Region of the Beishan Orogen, NW China——Constrained by the U-Pb Ages of Detrital Zircons of the Metasandstones

The tectonic attributes of different blocks within orogenic belts are of great significance for the study of accretionary processes and the evolution of Earth. The Hongliuhe-Niujianzi-Baiyunshan-Xichangjing ophiolitic mélange belt(HXOMB) is distributed in the heart of the Beishan Orogen, the Shuangyingshan and Minshui-Hanshan blocks being distributed in the south and north of the HXOMB respectively, and a large number of Early Paleozoic geological units are exposed on the blocks. According to the zircon age populations of the metasandstones in the Baiyunshan area recovered in this paper, when compared with the zircon age populations of the Paleozoic metasandstones reported in the Niujuanzi and Hanshan areas, we found that the metasandstones of the Shuangyingshan Block have age peaks at c. 598 Ma, 742 Ma, 828 Ma, 941 Ma, 990 Ma, 1168 Ma, 1636 Ma, 2497 Ma with non-significant age populations of 1500–1300 Ma, showing a possible affinity with the Tarim Craton;the metasandstones of the Minshui-Hanshan Block have age peaks at c. 606 Ma, 758 Ma, 914 Ma, 1102 Ma, 1194 Ma, 1304 Ma, 1672 Ma with significant age populations of 1500-1300 Ma, showing a possible affinity with the Chinese Central Tianshan Block. Therefore, the HXOMB of the Beishan Orogen is of great significance in plate segmentation, which separates the Tarim Craton in the south and the Chinese Central Tianshan Block in the north. Based on the evolutionary process of the Hongliuhe-Xichangjing ocean in the Beishan Orogen, we believe that break-up and convergence can be recognized as having occurred twice between the Chinese Central Tianshan Block and the Tarim Craton since the Mesoproterozoic in the Beishan area. This was related firstly to the break-up of the Columbia Supercontinent and the convergence of the Rodinia Supercontinent, mainly during the Middle Mesoproterozoic to Early Neoproterozoic, and secondly to the opening and closing of the Hongliuhe-Xichangjing ocean, mainly during the Early Paleozoic.

Behavior Simulation of High Level Radioactive waste Repository in Beishan Granite Site

This paper presents the behavior simulation of high level radioactive waste repository in Beishan granite site which is the most potential one in China.Based on the results from site characterization in Beishan granite site,the conceptual model of repository in this site is proposed and its calculation model is developed with software GoldSim.After verification,this calculation model is applied to simulate the

Metamorphism and geochronology of garnet amphibolite from the Beishan Orogen,southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt:Constraints from P-T path and zircon U-Pb dating

Numerous lenses of garnet amphibolite occur in the garnet-bearing biotite-plagioclase gneiss belt in the Baishan area of the Beishan Orogen,which connects the Tianshan Orogen to the west and the Mongolia-Xing’anling Orogen to the east.The study of metamorphism in Beishan area is of great significance to explain the tectonic evolution of Beishan orogen.According to the microstructures,mineral relationships,and geothermobarometry,we identified four stages of mineral assemblages from the garnet amphibolite sample:(1) a pre-peak stage,which is recorded by the cores of garnet together with core-inclusions of plagioclase(Pl1);(2) a peak stage,which is recorded by the mantles of garnet together with mantle-inclusions of plagioclase(Pl2)+amphibole(Amp1)+Ilmenite(Ilm1)+biotite(Bt1),developed at temperature-pressure(P-T) conditions of 818.9-836.5℃ and7.3-9.2 kbar;(3) a retrograde stage,which is recorded by garnet rims + plagioclase(Pl3)+amphibole(Amp2)+orthopyroxene(Opx1)+biotite(Bt2)+Ilmenite(Ilm2),developed at P-T conditions of 796.1-836.9℃ and5.6-7.5 kbar;(4) a symplectitic stage,which is recorded by plagioclase(Pl4)+orthopyroxene(Opx2)+amphibole(Amp3)+biotite(Bt3) symplectites,developed at P-T conditions of 732 ±59.6℃ and 6.1 ±0.6 kbar.Moreover,the U-Pb dating of the Beishan garnet amphibolite indicates an age of 301.9 ±4.7 Ma for the protolith and 281.4±8.5 Ma for the peak metamorphic age.Therefore,the mineral assemblage,P-T conditions,and zircon U-Pb ages of the Beishan garnet amphibolite define a near-isothermal decompression of a clockwise P-T-t(Pressure-Temperature-time) path,indicating the presence of over thickened continental crust in the Huaniushan arc until the Early Permian,then the southern Beishan area underwent a process of thinning of the continental crust.

Geochronology,Geochemistry,and Sr-Nd-Hf Isotopes of the Diorite Porphyrites from the Weining Beishan Area,Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region:Constraints on Their Source and Tectonic Implications

The Weining Beishan area of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region is located at on the western edge of the Helanshan tectonic belt,which is a tectonic joint among Alxa Block,Ordos Block,and North Qilian orogenic belt.However,the tectonic evolution of this area remains unclear due to the lack of magmatic information.This paper conducted researches on geochronology,geochemistry,and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopes of the diorite porphyrites exposed in the Weining Beishan area.The zircon U-Pb dating yields two ages of 145.0±1.1 and 146.2±1.5 Ma,and the whole-rock geochemical data indicate that the diorite porphyrites are metaluminous to weakly peraluminous and high-K calc-alkaline series.The characteristics of highly initial^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr ratios(0.70816 to 0.71047),negativeε_(Nd)(t)(−8.9 to−8.4),and negativeε_(Hf)(t)(−13.8 to−21.2)indicate that the diorite porphyrites originated from partial melting of the middle-lower ancient crust related to the North China Craton.Combined with the regional geology,we suggested that partial melting was triggered by a tectonic activity of deep faults cutting through the crust under the regional stress transformation from compressing to extension during the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous,which is probably related to the westward subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate.

Petrogenesis and Tectonic Implications of the Late Silurian–Early Devonian Bimodal Intrusive Rocks in the Central Beishan Orogenic Belt,NW China:Constraints by Petrology,Geochemistry and Hf Isotope

A large number of Late Silurian–Early Devonian intrusive rocks are distributed in the central Beishan orogenic belt(BOB).Tectonic setting of these intrusive rocks is of great significance to the study of the subduction and accretion of the Paleo-Asian Ocean.Previous studies show that most of the intrusive rocks in this region are S-type or A-type granitoids.In this study,we firstly reported the Late Silurian–Early Devoniandia bases,granodiorites on the southside of the Baiyunshan ophiolitic mélanges belt,as a part of Hongliuhe-Xichangjing ophiolitic mélanges belt(HXOMB).Zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating yields emplacement ages between 418 and 397 Ma,REE distribution patterns exhibit enriched LREE and flat HREE in the diabases,the discriminant diagrams show that the diabases have geochemical characteristics of intraplate basalt.The granodiorites in this paper present more like S-and A-type granitoids reported,showing the geochemical characteristics of syn/post-collision granites.Actually,the bimodal magmatic rocks are developed during Late Silurian–Early Devonian on both sides of the HXOMB,which are related to the tectonic background of the post orogeny extension.The diabases are tholeiitic with relative strong depletedεHf(t)(+8.1 to+13.0),which are mainly from relative depleted mantle.The granodiorites are calc-alkaline with relative slightly depletedεHf(t)(+0.7 to+5.6)and the lower Mg#and MgO contents(34.6–36.9,0.50 wt.%–1.19 wt.%respectively),reflecting the source characteristics of meta-basalt.Therefore,the remelting of juvenile crust may be the main way of continental crust accretion during Late Silurian–Early Devonian in the central BOB.