Fluid-Rock Interaction of Shear Zones in Continental Crust:as Evidenced by Xincheng-Xishui and Hetai Shear Zones

There is a coupling of thermal, mechanical, chemical and fluidal processes in a continental shear zone. Both Xincheng - Xishui and Hetai shear zones are typical continental crust shear zones of greenschist facies environment. The representative mylonite zones of the shear zones are studied with whole rock major and trace element analyses. The chemical compositional variation tendencies in both shear zones are very similar and the gain - loss ratios of various components in the mylonitic rocks are reflected in the mass balance equations. The enrichment of those immobile high - field- strengh elements is considered to be related to the volume loss of the mylonitic rocks in a shear zone. Based on the volume loss expression Cs /Co = 1/(1- V), the fractional volume losses (V) are 37.5% and 36.5%-42.3% respectively for mylonites and ultramylonites in the Xincheng-Xishui shear zone and 11 % and 28% respectively for mylonites and phyllonites in the Hetai shear zone. The high volume loss and large removal of SiO2 from the system imply that there is a large amount of percolating fluids in the shear zones. From the SiO2 loss, the fluid/rock ratios (N) are calculated as Nmyl = 113 - 563, Nultramyl= 133-664 for the Xincheng-Xishui shear zone and Nmyl=42-208, Nphyl=110-550 for the Hetai shear zone. Such a large amount of percolating fluid must have profoundly affected the rheological behavior, chemical behavior and metallogenesis of the shear zones.

Thermal structure of continental subduction zone: high temperature caused by the removal of the preceding oceanic slab

The thermal structure of the continental subduction zone can be deduced from high-pressure and ultra-high-pressure rock samples or numerical simulation.However,petrological data indicate that the temperature of subducted continental plates is generally higher than that derived from numerical simulation.In this paper,a two-dimensional kinematic model is used to study the thermal structure of continental subduction zones,with or without a preceding oceanic slab.The results show that the removal of the preceding oceanic slab can effectively increase the slab surface temperature of the continental subduction zone in the early stage of subduction.This can sufficiently explain the difference between the cold thermal structure obtained from previous modeling results and the hot thermal structure obtained from rock sample data.

Upper Limit for Rheological Strength of Crust in Continental Subduction Zone:Constraints Imposed by Laboratory Experiments

The transitional pressure of quartz coesite under the differential stress and highly strained conditions is far from the pressure of the stable field under the static pressure. Therefore, the effect of the differential stress should be considered when the depth of petrogenesis is estimated about ultrahigh pressure metamorphic (UHPM) rocks. The rheological strength of typical ultrahigh pressure rocks in continental subduction zone was derived from the results of the laboratory experiments. The results indicate the following three points. (1) The rheological strength of gabbro, similar to that of eclogite, is smaller than that of clinopyroxenite on the same condition. (2) The calculated strength of rocks (gabbro, eclogite and clinopyroxenite) related to UHPM decreases by nearly one order of magnitude with the temperature rising by 100 ℃ in the range between 600 and 900 ℃. The calculated strength is far greater than the faulting strength of rocks at 600 ℃, and is in several hundred to more than one thousand mega pascals at 700-800 ℃, which suggests that those rocks are located in the brittle deformation region at 600 ℃, but are in the semi brittle to plastic deformation region at 700-800 ℃. Obviously, the 700 ℃ is a brittle plastic transition boundary. (3) The calculated rheological strength in the localized deformation zone on a higher strain rate condition (1.6×10 -12 s -l ) is 2-5 times more than that in the distributed deformation zone on a lower strain rate condition (1.6×10 -14 s -1 ). The average rheological stress (1 600 MPa) at the strain rate of 10 -12 s -1 stands for the ultimate differential stress of UHPM rocks in the semi brittle flow field, and the average rheological stress (550-950 MPa) at the strain rate of l0 -14 - 10 -13 s -l stands for the ultimate differential stress of UHPM rocks in the plastic flow field, suggesting that the depth for the formation of UHPM rocks is more than 20-60 km below the depth estimated under static pressure condition due to the effect of the differential stress.

Geothermal investigation of the thickness of gas hydrate stability zone in the north continental margin of the South China Sea

The exploration of unconventional and/or new energy resources has become the focus of energy research worldwide,given the shortage of fossil fuels.As a potential energy resource,gas hydrate exists only in the environment of high pressure and low temperature,mainly distributing in the sediments of the seafloor in the continental margins and the permafrost zones in land.The accurate determination of the thickness of gas hydrate stability zone is essential yet challenging in the assessment of the exploitation potential.The majority of previous studies obtain this thickness by detecting the bottom simulating reflectors（BSRs） layer on the seismic profiles.The phase equilibrium between gas hydrate stable state with its temperature and pressure provides an opportunity to derive the thickness with the geothermal method.Based on the latest geothermal dataset,we calculated the thickness of the gas hydrate stability zone（GHSZ） in the north continental margin of the South China Sea.Our results indicate that the thicknesses of gas hydrate stability zone vary greatly in different areas of the northern margin of the South China Sea.The thickness mainly concentrates on 200–300 m and distributes in the southwestern and eastern areas with belt-like shape.We further confirmed a certain relationship between the GHSZ thickness and factors such as heat flow and water depth.The thickness of gas hydrate stability zone is found to be large where the heat flow is relatively low.The GHSZ thickness increases with the increase of the water depth,but it tends to stay steady when the water depth deeper than 3 000 m.The findings would improve the assessment of gas hydrate resource potential in the South China Sea.

Horizontal distribution of tintinnids(Ciliophora)in surface waters of the Ross Sea and polynya in the Amundsen Sea(Antarctica)during summer 2019/2020

Information on tintinnid horizontal distribution in the Antarctic Continental Zone is scarce.During the summer of 2019/2020,tintinnid diversity and horizontal distribution in surface waters were investigated in the Ross Sea and Amundsen Sea polynya.Eight tintinnid species were found and the dominant species showed obvious horizontal distribution characteristics.In the Ross Sea,three tintinnid community groups were identified.Cymatocylis cristallina and Laackmanniella prolongata(group I)were dominant species and were mainly distributed in stations closer to the coast than were species in the other two groups.Codonellopsis gaussi(group II)and Cy.convallaria(group III)were mainly distributed in nearshore and offshore stations,respectively.In the Amundsen Sea polynya,the dominant species Cy.cristallina,L.prolongata and Salpingella faurei(group I)were mainly distributed in stations closer to the coast than were species in the other two groups.Cy.convallaria(group III)was mainly distributed in offshore stations.The distribution area where C.gaussi and C.cristallina were found in high abundance and abundance proportion of loricae with protoplasts was divided by the approximate boundary of the Antarctic Slope Front Current and Coastal Current in the Ross Sea.The highest abundance proportion in the Ross Sea was the 32-36μm lorica oral diameter(LOD)size class(75.7%),and the 36-40μm LOD size class(56.0%)was found in the Amundsen Sea polynya.Temperature-salinity-plankton diagrams of the two seas revealed that temperature may be the main reason for species distribution.Our results contribute to a better understanding of horizontal distribution of the microbial food web,and serve as a baseline for future studies of pelagic community change in the Antarctic Continental Zone.

Two types of the crust-mantle interaction in continental subduction zones

Plate subduction is an important mechanism for exchanging the mass and energy between the mantle and the crust,and the igneous rocks in subduction zones are the important carriers for studying the recycling of crustal materials and the crust-mantle interaction.This study presents a review of geochronology and geochemistry for postcollisional mafic igneous rocks from the Hong’an-Dabie-Sulu orogens and the southeastern edge of the North China Block.The available results indicate two types of the crust-mantle interaction in the continental subduction zone,which are represented by two types of mafic igneous rocks with distinct geochemical compositions.The first type of rocks exhibit arc-like trace element distribution patterns(i.e.enrichment of LILE,LREE and Pb,but depletion of HFSE)and enriched radiogenic Sr-Nd isotope compositions,whereas the second type of rocks show OIB-like trace element distribution patterns(i.e.enrichment of LILE and LREE,but no depletion of HFSE)and depleted radiogenic Sr-Nd isotope compositions.Both of them have variable zircon O isotope compositions,which are different from those of the normal mantle zircon,and contain residual crustal zircons.These geochemical features indicate that the two types of mafic igneous rocks were originated from the different natures of mantle sources.The mantle source for the second type of rocks would be generated by reaction of the overlying juvenile lithospheric mantle with felsic melts originated from previously subducted oceanic crust,whereas the mantle source for the first type of rocks would be generated by reaction of the overlying ancient lithospheric mantle of the North China Block with felsic melts from subsequently subducted continental crust of the South China Block.Therefore,there exist two types of the crust-mantle interaction in the continental subduction zone,and the postcollisional mafic igneous rocks provide petrological and geochemical records of the slab-mantle interactions in continental collision orogens.

Multistage exhumation and partial melting of high-T ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks in continental subduction-collision zones

High-temperature(HT, >850℃) metamorphism in continental collision orogens, particularly for those ultrahigh-pressure(UHP) metamorphic rocks, has become one of the remarkable topics in Earth science. It has bearing on the element and isotope behaviors of UHP rocks, their partial melting and related geodynamic effects during exhumation. In this paper, five representative continental collision orogens with typical HT/UHP rocks, including the Dabie orogen in China, the Kokchetav in Kazakhstan, the Caledonides in Greenland, the Rhodope in Greece, and the Erzgebirge in Germany are introduced, and their HT/UHP metamorphism and evolution processes are summarized. In addition, metamorphic P-T-t paths, multistage exhumation processes, and partial melting and preservation and retrogression of UHP index minerals during exhumation and their possible mechanisms are discussed. On this basis, the forthcoming key fields and scientific subjects of HT/UHP rocks within continental subduction channel are proposed.

Focal depth estimates of earthquakes in the Himalayan-Tibetan region from teleseismic waveform modeling

We estimate the focal depths and fault plane solutions of 46 moderate earthquakes in the Himalayan- Tibetan region by modeling the broadband waveforms of teleseismic P waves. The depths of 38 of these earth- quakes range between 0-40 km, with a peak at -5 km. One earthquake is located within the lower crust of the Indian shield. The remaining eight earthquakes occurred between depths of 80 -120 km and are all located in the Pamir-Hindu Kush and the Indo-Myanmar deep seismic zones. None of the earthquakes outside these deep seismic zones are located in the mantle. Global centroid moment tensor （CMT） solutions indicate that most earthquakes in northern Tibet and northern India had thrust-faulting mechanisms and that normal and strike-slip faulting earthquakes occurred primarily in central Tibet. These mechanisms are consistent with the predominantly NNW-SSE compression in the direction of current Himalayan-Tibetan continental collision.

On Tectonogeomorphology of China

With the deepening of research in the tectonic evolution and stress fields of China in Meso-Cenozoic, some aspects of the Previous conclusion about the tectonogeomorphology of China are found to be open to question. The author considers that the Sichuanian stage (135-52 Ma ) is the embryonic stage for forming the recent landform in eastern China;the appearance of the mountain ranges and drainage basin areas trending in east-west are the results of the north - south directional extension during the North Sinian stage(52 - 23.3 Ma );the formation of five mega - Step landforms from the Qinghai - Xizang Plateau to Pacific ocean and the seafloor spreading basins in the eastern margin of Asian continent as well as the l- up of drainage systems of both Yangtze and Yellow rivers are related to the northward compression, cast-west trending extension and the isostatic compensation of crust during Himalayan Stage (23.3-0.73 Ma ). Through the above three Stages of tectonic processes, a framework of landform of China finally took shape in the main.

Geodynamic characteristics of tectonic extension in the northern margin of South China Sea

Based on the geothermal and gravitation methods, this paper investigated the rheological and thermal structure of the lithosphere under the northern margin of South China Sea. The result shows that the temperature of the upper crust is 150–300°C lower than that of the lower crust, and the viscous coefficient of the upper crust is 2–3 orders of magnitude larger than that of the lower crust. It reveals that the upper crust is characterized by brittle deformation while the lower crust by ductile deformation. A channel of lower-viscosity should be formed between the upper and lower crust when the lithosphere is scattered and spreads out toward ocean from northwest to southeast along the northern margin of South China Sea. And, a brittle deformation takes place in the upper part of the lithosphere while a ductile deformation takes place in the lower part of the lithosphere due to different viscous coefficients and temperature. The layered deformation leads the faulted blocks to rotate along the faulting and the marginal grabens to appear in the northern margin of South China Sea in Cenozoic tectonic expansion.