Sensitivity impacts owing to the variations in the type of zero-range pairing forces on the fission properties using the density functional theory

Using the Skyrme density functional theory,potential energy surfaces of^(240)Pu with constraints on the axial quadrupole and octupole deformations(q_(20)and q_(30))were calculated.The volume-like and surface-like pairing forces,as well as a combination of these two forces,were used for the Hartree–Fock–Bogoliubov approximation.Variations in the least-energy fission path,fission barrier,pairing energy,total kinetic energy,scission line,and mass distribution of the fission fragments based on the different forms of the pairing forces were analyzed and discussed.The fission dynamics were studied based on the timedependent generator coordinate method plus the Gaussian overlap approximation.The results demonstrated a sensitivity of the mass and charge distributions of the fission fragments on the form of the pairing force.Based on the investigation of the neutron-induced fission of^(239)Pu,among the volume,mixed,and surface pairing forces,the mixed pairing force presented a good reproduction of the experimental data.

Apatite Fission Track Thermochronology of Granite from the Xiazhuang Uranium Ore Field,South China:Implications for Exhumation History and Ore Preservation

Xiazhuang uranium ore field,located in the southern part of the Nanling Metallogenic Belt,is considered one of the largest granite-related U regions in South China.In this paper,we contribute new apatite fission track data and thermal history modeling to constrain the exhumation history and evaluate preservation potential of the Xiazhuang Uranium ore field.Nine Triassic outcrop granite samples collected from different locations of Xiazhuang Uranium ore field yield AFT ages ranging from 43 to 24 Ma with similar mean confined fission track lengths ranging from 11.8±2.0 to 12.9±1.9μm and Dpar values between 1.01 and 1.51μm.The robustness time-temperature reconstructions of samples from the hanging wall of Huangpi fault show that the Xiazhuang Uranium ore field experienced a time of monotonous and slow cooling starting from middle Paleocene to middle Miocene(~60-10 Ma),followed by relatively rapid exhumation in the late Miocene(~10-5 Ma)and nearly thermal stability in the Pliocene-Quaternary(~5-0 Ma).The amount of exhumation after U mineralization since the Middle Paleogene was estimated as~4.3±1.8 km according to the integrated thermal history model.Previous studies indicate that the ore-forming ages of U deposits in the Xiazhuang ore field are mainly before Middle Paleocene and the mineralization depths are more than 4.4±1.2 km.Therefore,the exhumation history since middle Paleocene plays important roles in the preservation of the Xiazhuang Uranium ore field.

Verification of neutron-induced fission product yields evaluated by a tensor decompsition model in transport-burnup simulations

Neutron-induced fission is an important research object in basic science.Moreover,its product yield data are an indispensable nuclear data basis in nuclear engineering and technology.The fission yield tensor decomposition(FYTD)model has been developed and used to evaluate the independent fission product yield.In general,fission yield data are verified by the direct comparison of experimental and evaluated data.However,such direct comparison cannot reflect the impact of the evaluated data on application scenarios,such as reactor transport-burnup simulation.Therefore,this study applies the evaluated fission yield data in transport-burnup simulation to verify their accuracy and possibility of application.Herein,the evaluated yield data of235U and239Pu are applied in the transport-burnup simulation of a pressurized water reactor(PWR)and sodium-cooled fast reactor(SFR)for verification.During the reactor operation stage,the errors in pin-cell reactivity caused by the evaluated fission yield do not exceed 500 and 200 pcm for the PWR and SFR,respectively.The errors in decay heat and135Xe and149Sm concentrations during the short-term shutdown of the PWR are all less than 1%;the errors in decay heat and activity of the spent fuel of the PWR and SFR during the temporary storage stage are all less than 2%.For the PWR,the errors in important nuclide concentrations in spent fuel,such as90Sr,137Cs,85Kr,and99Tc,are all less than 6%,and a larger error of 37%is observed on129I.For the SFR,the concentration errors of ten important nuclides in spent fuel are all less than 16%.A comparison of various aspects reveals that the transport-burnup simulation results using the FYTD model evaluation have little difference compared with the reference results using ENDF/B-Ⅷ.0 data.This proves that the evaluation of the FYTD model may have application value in reactor physical analysis.

Histone deacetylase inhibitor pracinostat suppresses colorectal cancer by inducing CDK5-Drp1 signaling-mediated peripheral mitofission

Divisions at the periphery and midzone of mitochondria are two fission signatures that determine the fate of mitochondria and cells.Pharmacological induction of excessively asymmetric mitofissionassociated cell death(MFAD)by switching the scission position from the mitochondrial midzone to the periphery represents a promising strategy for anticancer therapy.By screening a series of paninhibitors,we identified pracinostat,a pan-histone deacetylase(HDAC)inhibitor,as a novel MFAD inducer,that exhibited a significant anticancer effect on colorectal cancer(CRC)in vivo and in vitro.Pracinostat increased the expression of cyclin-dependent kinase 5(CDK5)and induced its acetylation at residue lysine 33,accelerating the formation of complex CDK5/CDK5 regulatory subunit 1 and dynaminrelated protein 1(Drp1)-mediated mitochondrial peripheral fission.CRC cells with high level of CDK5(CDK5-high)displayed midzone mitochondrial division that was associated with oncogenic phenotype,but treatment with pracinostat led to a lethal increase in the already-elevated level of CDK5 in the CRC cells.Mechanistically,pracinostat switched the scission position from the mitochondrial midzone to the periphery by improving the binding of Drp1 from mitochondrial fission factor(MFF)to mitochondrial fission 1 protein(FIS1).Thus,our results revealed the anticancer mechanism of HDACi pracinostat in CRC via activating CDK5-Drp1 signaling to cause selective MFAD of those CDK5-high tumor cells,which implicates a new paradigm to develop potential therapeutic strategies for CRC treatment.

Exhumation and Preservation of the Jinchuan Ni-Cu-PGE Deposit under the East Longshou Mountain Thermal Evolution,Revealed by Apatite Fission Track Thermochronology

Uplift and exhumation are important factors affecting the preservation of deposits.The anatomy of uplift-cooling evolution and exhumation in the East Longshou Mountain is of significant research value in understanding changes in the Jinchuan Ni-Cu-PGE deposit since its formation.This study uses apatite fission track(AFT)thermochronology to reconstruct the thermal history of the East Longshou Mountain,including the Jinchuan mine,revealing the uplift and exhumation history of the East Longshou Mountain and elucidating the preservation status of the Jinchuan deposit.The AFT ages in the East Longshou Mountain are distributed from 62.3±3.0 Ma to 214.7±14 Ma,with significant differences in ages in distinct areas,the central and pooled ages being consistent within the margin of error.Inverse thermal history models reveal two rapid cooling events associated with exhumation from the Early Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous(200–100 Ma)and since the Miocene(15–0 Ma),the former attributable to the far-afield response to the closure of the PaleoTethys Ocean and plate assembly at the southern margin of Eurasia,the latter associated with the initial India-Eurasia plate collision.A slow cooling event from the Early Cretaceous to the Miocene(100–15 Ma)is thought to be related to the arid environment in northwest China since the Cretaceous.These cooling events have diverse responses and cooling rates in different blocks of the East Longshou Mountain:the southwest and centre of which are mainly cooled over 200–120 Ma and 120–0 Ma,with cooling rates of~0.25 and~0.33°C/Ma(~1.25 and~0.33°C/Ma in the centre);the Jinchuan mine primarily cooled over 160–100 Ma,100–15 Ma and 15–0 Ma,with cooling rates of~1.33,~0.25 and~2.00°C/Ma.These differentiated coolings imply that the uplift of the East Longshou Mountain before the Miocene(~15 Ma)was integral.Strong uplift then occurred in the vicinity of the mining area,which is a critical period for the uplift of the Jinchuan deposit to the surface,meaning that the Jinchuan deposit was exposed no earlier than the Miocene(~15 Ma).Based on mineralization depth information obtained by previous researchers,in conjunction with the calculation and simulation results of this study,it can be seen that the bulk of the Jinchuan intrusion may still be preserved at depth.

Photobiomodulation provides neuroprotection through regulating mitochondrial fission imbalance in the subacute phase of spinal cord injury

Increasing evidence indicates that mitochonarial lission imbalance plays an important role in derayed neuronal cell death. Our previous study round that photo biomodulation improved the motor function of rats with spinal cord injury.However,the precise mechanism remains unclear.To investigate the effect of photo biomodulation on mitochondrial fission imbalance after spinal cord injury,in this study,we treated rat models of spinal co rd injury with 60-minute photo biomodulation(810 nm,150 mW) every day for 14 consecutive days.Transmission electron microscopy results confirmed the swollen and fragmented alte rations of mitochondrial morphology in neurons in acute(1 day) and subacute(7 and 14 days) phases.Photo biomodulation alleviated mitochondrial fission imbalance in spinal cord tissue in the subacute phase,reduced neuronal cell death,and improved rat posterior limb motor function in a time-dependent manner.These findings suggest that photobiomodulation targets neuronal mitochondria,alleviates mitochondrial fission imbalance-induced neuronal apoptosis,and thereby promotes the motor function recovery of rats with spinal cord injury.

Mitochondrial dysfunction and quality control lie at the heart of subarachnoid hemorrhage

The dramatic increase in intracranial pressure after subarachnoid hemorrhage leads to a decrease in cerebral perfusion pressure and a reduction in cerebral blood flow.Mitochondria are directly affected by direct factors such as ischemia,hypoxia,excitotoxicity,and toxicity of free hemoglobin and its degradation products,which trigger mitochondrial dysfunction.Dysfunctional mitochondria release large amounts of reactive oxygen species,inflammatory mediators,and apoptotic proteins that activate apoptotic pathways,further damaging cells.In response to this array of damage,cells have adopted multiple mitochondrial quality control mechanisms through evolution,including mitochondrial protein quality control,mitochondrial dynamics,mitophagy,mitochondrial biogenesis,and intercellular mitochondrial transfer,to maintain mitochondrial homeostasis under pathological conditions.Specific interventions targeting mitochondrial quality control mechanisms have emerged as promising therapeutic strategies for subarachnoid hemorrhage.This review provides an overview of recent research advances in mitochondrial pathophysiological processes after subarachnoid hemorrhage,particularly mitochondrial quality control mechanisms.It also presents potential therapeutic strategies to target mitochondrial quality control in subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Late Mesozoic Exhumation of the Huangling Massif:Constraints on the Evolution of the Middle Yangtze River

Plate subduction leads to complex exhumation processes on continents.The Huangling Massif lies at the northern margin of the South China Block.Whether the Huangling Massif was exhumed as a watershed of the middle reaches of the Paleo-Yangtze River during the Mesozoic remains under debate.We examined the exhumation history of the Huangling Massif based on six granite bedrock samples,using apatite fission track(AFT)and apatite and zircon(U-Th)/He(AHe and ZHe)thermochronology.These samples yielded ages of 157–132 Ma(ZHe),119–106 Ma(AFT),and 114–72 Ma(AHe),respectively.Thermal modeling revealed that three phases of rapid cooling occurred during the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous,late Early Cretaceous,and Late Cretaceous.These exhumation processes led to the high topographic relief responsible for the emergence of the Huangling Massif.The integrated of our new data with published sedimentological records suggests that the Huangling Massif might have been the watershed of the middle reaches of the Paleo-Yangtze River since the Cretaceous.At that time,the rivers flowed westward into the Sichuan Basin and eastward into the Jianghan Basin.The subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the Asian continent in the Mesozoic deeply influenced the geomorphic evolution of the South China Block.

Hydrocarbon accumulation history in Lower Cretaceous in northern slope of Bongor Basin in Chad,Central Africa

Based on the analysis of the fluid inclusion homogenization temperature and apatite fission track on the northern slope zone of the Bongor Basin in Chad,this paper studied the time and stages of hydrocarbon accumulation in the study area.The results show that:(1)The brine inclusions of the samples from the Kubla and Prosopis formations in the Lower Cretaceous coexisting with the hydrocarbon generally present two sets of peak ranges of homogenization temperature,with the peak ranges of low temperature and high temperature being 75–105℃ and 115–135℃,respectively;(2)The samples from the Kubla and Prosopis formations have experienced five tectonic evolution stages,i.e.,rapid subsidence in the Early Cretaceous,tectonic inversion in the Late Cretaceous,small subsidence in the Paleogene,uplift at the turn of the Paleogene and Neogene,and subsidence since the Miocene,in which the denudation thickness of the Late Cretaceous and after the turn of the Paleogene and Neogene are~1.8 km and~0.5 km,respectively.The cumulative denudation thickness of the two periods is about 2.3 km;(3)Using the brine inclusion homogenization temperature coexisting with the hydrocarbon as the capture temperature of the hydrocarbon,and combining with the apatite fission track thermal history modeling,the result shows that the Kubla and Prosopis formations in the Lower Cretaceous on the northern slope of the Bongor Basin have the same hydrocarbon accumulation time and stages,both of which have undergone two stages of hydrocarbon charging at 80–95 Ma and 65–80 Ma.The first stage of charging corresponds to the initial migration of hydrocarbon at the end of the Early Cretaceous rapid sedimentation,while the second stage of charging is in the stage of intense tectonic inversion in the Late Cretaceous.

Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of in-vessel phenomena under severe accident mitigation strategy based on ISAA-SAUP program

The phenomenology involved in severe accidents in nuclear reactors is highly complex.Currently,integrated analysis programs used for severe accident analysis heavily rely on custom empirical parameters,which introduce considerable uncertainty.Therefore,in recent years,the field of severe accidents has shifted its focus toward applying uncertainty analysis methods to quantify uncertainty in safety assessment programs,known as“best estimate plus uncertainty(BEPU).”This approach aids in enhancing our comprehension of these programs and their further development and improvement.This study concentrates on a third-generation pressurized water reactor equipped with advanced active and passive mitigation strategies.Through an Integrated Severe Accident Analysis Program(ISAA),numerical modeling and uncertainty analysis were conducted on severe accidents resulting from large break loss of coolant accidents.Seventeen uncertainty parameters of the ISAA program were meticulously screened.Using Wilks'formula,the developed uncertainty program code,SAUP,was employed to carry out Latin hypercube sampling,while ISAA was employed to execute batch calculations.Statistical analysis was then conducted on two figures of merit,namely hydrogen generation and the release of fission products within the pressure vessel.Uncertainty calculations revealed that hydrogen production and the fraction of fission product released exhibited a normal distribution,ranging from 182.784 to 330.664 kg and from 15.6 to 84.3%,respectively.The ratio of hydrogen production to reactor thermal power fell within the range of 0.0578–0.105.A sensitivity analysis was performed for uncertain input parameters,revealing significant correlations between the failure temperature of the cladding oxide layer,maximum melt flow rate,size of the particulate debris,and porosity of the debris with both hydrogen generation and the release of fission products.

Effect of grain size on gas bubble evolution in nuclear fuel:Phase-field investigations

Numerous irradiation-induced gas bubbles are created in the nuclear fuel during irradiation, leading to the change of microstructure and the degradation of mechanical and thermal properties. The grain size of fuel is one of the important factors affecting bubble evolution. In current study, we first predict the thermodynamic behaviors of point defects as well as the interplay between vacancy and gas atom in both UO_(2) and U_(3)Si_(2) according to ab initio approach. Then, we establish the irradiation-induced bubble phase-field model to investigate the formation and evolution of intra-and inter-granular gas bubbles. The effects of fission rate and temperature on the evolutions of bubble morphologies in UO_(2) and U_(3)Si_(2) have been revealed. Especially, a comparison of porosities under different grain sizes is examined and analyzed. To understand the thermal conductivity as functions of grain size and porosity, the heat transfer capability of U_(3)Si_(2) is evaluated.

Apatite Fission Track Evidence of Uplift Cooling in the Qiangtang Basin and Constraints on the Tibetan Plateau Uplift

The Qiangtang basin is located in the central Tibetan Plateau. This basin has an important structural position, and further study of its tectonic and thermal histories has great significance for understanding the evolution of the Tibetan Plateau and the hydrocarbon potential of marine carbonates in the basin. This study focuses on low temperature thermochronology and in particular conducted apatite fission track analysis. Under constraints provided by the geological background, the thermal history in different tectonic units is characterized by the degree of annealing of samples, and the timing of major （uplift-erosion related） cooling episodes is inferred. The cooling history in the Qiangtang basin can be divided into two distinct episodes. The first stage is mainly from the late Early Cretaceous to the Late Cretaceous （69.8 Ma to 108.7 Ma）, while the second is mainly from the Middle- Late Eocene to the late Miocene （10.3 Ma to 44.4 Ma）. The first cooling episode records the uplift of strata in the central Qiangtang basin caused by continued convergent extrusion after the Bangong- Nujiang ocean closed. The second episode can be further divided into three periods, which are respectively 10.3 Ma, 22.6-26.1 Ma and 30.8-44.4 Ma. The late Oligocene-early Miocene （22.6-26.1 Ma） is the main cooling period. The distribution and times of the earlier uplift-related cooling show that the effect of extrusion after the collision between Eurasian plate and India plate obviously influenced the Qiangtang basin at 44.4 Ma. The Qiangtang basin underwent compression and started to be uplifted from the middle-late Eocene to the early Oligocene （45.0-30.8 Ma）. Subsequently, a large-scale and intensive uplift process occurred during the late Oligocene to early Miocene （26.1-22.6 Ma） and the basin continued to undergo compression and uplift up to the late Miocene （10.3 Ma）. Thus, uplift-erosion in the Qiangtang basin was intensive from 44.5 Ma to about 10 Ma. The timing of cooling in the second episode shows that the uplift of the Qiangtang basin was caused by the strong compression after the collision of the Indian plate and Eurasian plate. On the whole, the new apatite fission-track data from the Qiangtang basin show that the Tibetan Plateau started to extrude and uplift during 45-30.8 Ma. The main period of uplift and formation of the Tibetan Plateau took place about 22.6-26.1 Ma, and uplift and extrusion continued until the late Miocene （10.3 Ma）.

Late Mesozoic-Cenozoic Exhumation of the Northern Hexi Corridor：Constrained by Apatite Fission Track Ages of the Longshoushan

The apatite fission track（AFT） ages and thermal modeling of the Longshoushan and deformation along the northern Hexi Corridor on the northern side of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau show that the Longshoushan along the northern corridor had experienced important multi-stage exhumations during the Late Mesozoic and Cenozoic. The AFT ages of 7 samples range from 31.9 Ma to 111.8 Ma.Thermal modeling of the AFT ages of the samples shows that the Longshoushan experienced significant exhumation during the Late Cretaceous to the Early Cenozoic（-130-25 Ma）. The Late Cretaceous exhumation of the Longshoushan may have resulted from the continuous compression between the Lhasa and Qiangtang blocks and the flat slab subduction of the Neo-Tethys oceanic plate, which affected wide regions across the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. During the Early Cenozoic, the Longshoushan still experienced exhumation, but this process was caused by the Indian-Eurasian collision. Since this time,the Longshoushan was in a stable stage for approximately 20 Ma and experienced erosion. Since -5 Ma,obvious tectonic deformation occurred along the entire northern Hexi Corridor, which has also been reported from the peripheral regions of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, especially in the Qilianshan and northeastern margin of the plateau. The AFT ages and the Late Cenozoic deformation of the northern Hexi Corridor all indicate that the present northern boundary of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is situated along the northern Hexi Corridor.

The Exhumation History of North Qaidam Thrust Belt Constrained by Apatite Fission Track Thermochronology:Implication for the Evolution of the Tibetan Plateau

Determining the spatio-temporal distribution of the deformation tied to the India-Eurasian convergence and the impact of pre-existing weaknesses on the Cenozoic crustal deformation is significant for understanding how the convergence between India and Eurasia contributed to the development of the Tibetan Plateau. The exhumation history of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau was addressed in this research using a new apatite fission track （AFT） study in the North Qaidam thrust belt （NQTB）. Three granite samples collected from the Qaidam Shan pluton in the north tied to the Qaidam Shan thrust, with AFT ages clustering in the Eocene to Miocene. The other thirteen samples obtained from the Luliang Shan and Yuka plutons in the south related to the Luliang Shan thrust and they have showed predominantly the Cretaceous AFT ages. Related thermal history modeling based on grain ages and track lengths indicates rapid cooling events during the Eocene-early Oligocene and since late Miocene within the Qaidam Shan, in contrast to those in the Cretaceous and since the Oligocene-Miocene in the Luliang Shan and Yuka region. The results, combined with published the Cretaceous thermochronological ages in the Qaidam Shan region, suggest that the NQTB had undergo rapid exhumation during the accretions along the southern Asian Andean-type margin prior to the India-Eurasian collision. The Cenozoic deformation initially took place in the North Qaidam thrust belt by the Eocene, which is consistent with the recent claim that the deformation of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau initiated in the Eocene as a response to continental collision between India and Eurasia. The immediate deformation responding to the collision is tentatively attributed to the preexisting weaknesses of the lithosphere, and therefore the deformation of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau should be regarded as a boundary-condition-dependent process.

Fission Track Thermochronology Evidence for the Cretaceous and Paleogene Tectonic Event of Nyainrong Microcontinent, Tibet

Fission track dating was applied to analyze the 20 samples from Nyainrong microcontinent, and we obtained 20 apatite and 15 zircon fission track ages. The results show single population grain ages with a single mean age and associated central ages mainly ranging from 108±7Ma to 35±4Ma.Their mean track lengths are 12.2-13.9 μm with a single peak. Zircon fission track age range from 78±3 Ma to 117±4 Ma. The results represented the two tectonic uplift events in the study area, namely the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods. According to thermal history modeling results, uplifting rates of two tectonic events is 0.31-0.1 mm/a and 0.07-0.04 mm/a respectively. Combined with field condition and study results, it is suggested that the Cretaceous tectonic uplift event was related to the closure ocean basin caused by Qaingtang-Lhasa collision, and the Paleogene tectonic uplift event was related to the south to thrust system caused by Indo-Asian collision.

MINERALIZATION AGES OF GOLD-HYDROTHERMAL DEPOSITS IN NORTHERN ZONE OF EASTERN KUNLUN MOUNTAINS BASED ON FISSION TRACK ANALYSIS

The age of mineralization in a mining area is a primary factor in various researches related to ore\|forming process. It is that the uncertainty of mineralization ages of gold ore deposits in northern zone of eastern Kunlun Mountains, Qinghai Province, restrains to probe the relationship of the deposits to the regional tectonic evolution. This paper documents the fission track method used to determine the ages of gold ore deposits in eastern Kunlun Mountains and considers the implication for the origin of the deposits.Eastern Kunlun Mountains is the northern part of the Qinghai—Tibet Plateau and is of three deep\|seated fault belts in about EW extension. This work mainly includes three gold ore districts. All of them, in the north of Mid\|Kunlun fault belt, belong to northern part of eastern Kunlun Mountains. The Yanjingou district, with geographical coordinate 96°00’E and 36°10’N, is located 60 km north of Hongqigou district . Both of them are large, typical tectonoalteration gold deposits and were formed in similar geological setting. Hongshuihe ore district is located 50 km east of Yanjingou district and includes tectonoalteration and magmatic cryptoexplosive gold deposits. Outcroped strata are dominantly Jinshuikou Group metamorphic rocks of Lower Proterozoic erathem. The occurrence area of igneous rocks, especially granitoid, accounts for about 90% in first two districts and become less in Hongshuihe district. The gold deposits occur in NW\|striking fault belts. The Rb\|Sr isochron age and K\|Ar isotopic age of Moyite relevant to the gold mineralization are respectively 228 25Ma and 207 1Ma. Rb\|Sr dating of diorite porphyrite is 209 09Ma. Sericite selected from Yanjingou orebody has 252 9Ma K\|Ar age. The ore in Hongqigou district has 197Ma K\|Ar age and 210Ma model age of Pb isotope of galena.

Meso-Cenozoic Tectonic Events Recorded by Apatite Fission Track in the Northern Longmen-Micang Mountains Region

There is a cross-cutting relationship between the E-W trending structures and the NE- trending structures in the northern Longmen-Micang Mountains region, which reflects possible regional tectonic transition and migration. Apatite fission track （AFT） analyses of 15 samples collected from this area yield apparent ages varying from 30.3±4.2 Ma to 111.7±9.0 Ma and confined-track-lengths ranging from 10.6±0.3 pm to 12.4±0.1 μm. Four specific groups were identified on the basis of the Track Age Spectrum Calculation （TASC） patterns, i.e., 143-112 Ma, 93.6-88 Ma, 42-40 Ma and -25.6 Ma. These age groups correspond to the spatial distributions of datasets and may represent four tectonic events. Together with the regional deformation patterns, the four age groups are interpreted to indicate tectonic superposition, transition and migration during the Meso-Cenozoic with the following possible order： （1） the Micang Mountains belt was dominated by the E-W trending structure during 143-112 Ma; （2） the contraction of the Longmen Mountains belt from the NW to the SE during 93.6-88 Ma led to the superposition of the NE-trending structures over the E-W trendinding structures; （3） dextral strike-slip shear dominated the Longmen Mountains belt at 42-40 Ma; （4） westward migration of the active tectonic belt occurred from 93.6-25.6 Ma in a break-back sequence in the northern Longmen Mountains belt. The Late Cenozoic tectonics in the northern Longmen Mountains belt are characterized by the dextral strike-slip shear and the occurrence of westward break-back sequence of deformations. As a result, north-south differences in deformations along the Longmen Mountains belt were intensified since the Miocene time and strains were mainly accumulated in the hinterland of the Longmen Mountains instead of being propagated to the foreland basin.

Apatite fission track thermochronology in the Kuluketage and Aksu areas,NW China:Implication for tectonic evolution of the northern Tarim

Tarim Precambrian bedrocks are well exposed in the Kuluketage and Aksu areas, where twenty four samples were taken to reveal the denudation history of the northern Tarim Craton. Apatite fission track dating and thermal history modeling suggest that the northern Tarim experienced multi-stage cooling events which were assumed to be associated with the distant effects of the Cimmerian orogeny and India-Eurasia collision in the past. But the first episode of exhumation in the northern Tarim, occurring in the mid-Permian to Triassic, is here suggested to be induced by docking of the Tarim Craton and final amalgamation of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. The cooling event at ca. 170 Ma may be triggered by the Qiangtang-Eurasia collision. Widespread Cretaceous exhumation could be linked with docking of the Lhasa terrane in the late Jurassic. Cenozoic reheating and recooling likely occurred because of the northpropagating stress, however, this has not affected the northern Tarim much because the Tarim is characterized by rigid block-like motion.

Late Mesozoic Thermotectonic Evolution of the Jueluotage Range,Eastern Xinjiang,Northwest China:Evidence from Apatite Fission Track Data

Although many authors have emphasized the Cenozoic history of deformation, exhumation and cooling in the Tiaushan area related to the India-Asia collision, very little is known about the Mesozoic history of compression and uplift within the Tianshan. In order to obtain information about the Mesozoic exhumation history and processes of cooling in eastern Tianshan, fission track methods on apatite were used. Sampling was made in the Jueluotage Range. Three samples （Z001-Z003） were taken from granite in borehole ZK6301 of Yandong pluton; the ages range from 97.0 to 87.6 Ma that are much younger than the pluton age which was dated by U-Pb zircon at 334±2 Ma. Two samples in northern piedmont of the Jueluotage Range were collected from Jurassic strata in Dikaner （DK001） and Dananhu （D001） whose ages are 91.5 and 93.4 Ma respectively. The average apparent exhumation rate is 0.039 nun/a calculated by extrapolation on the basis of Yandong samples, indicating an extremely slow exhumation in the Jueluotage Range since the Late Cretaceous. Two Jurassic samples reached the maximum depths after deposition and experienced the maximum temperatures of ca. 105 and 108℃ until the late Early Cretaceous before a period of cooling and exhumation occurred at 114 and 106 Ma.

Fission Track Geochronology of Xiaonanchuan Pluton and the Morphotectonic Evolution of Eastern Kunlun since Late Miocene

Apatite fission track （AFT） thermochronology of seven samples from the Xiaonanchuan （小南川） pluton in the Kunlun （昆仑） pass area was carried out, for the purpose of determining the timing of cooling and the relation between the exhumation and the morphotectonic processes. The AFT ages yield low denudation rates of 0. 020--0. 035 mm/a during the late Miocene, which correspond to a stable geomorphic and weak tectonic uplifting environment. The low denudation rates can be considered as the approximate tectonic uplifting rates. The AFT geochronology shows puroxysmully rapid cooling since the Pliocene and an apparent material unroofing of more than 3 km in the Xiaonanchuan area. This was not the result of simple denudation. The rapid cooling was coupled with the intensive orogeny since the Pliocene, which was driven by tectonic uplifting. The accelerated relief building was accompanied by a series of faulting, which caused the basin and the valley formation and sinking. The space pattern of the AFT ages also shows differential uplifting, which decreases northwardly. This trend is supported by the regional AFT data, which indicate that the exhumation decreases northwardly in eastern Kunlun. This trend also exists in cast-west orientation from the western Kunlun range to the eastern. The uplif- ting trend is also supported by gcomorphic characteristics including the elevation and the relief differences well as the distribution of the Late Cenozoic volcanism.