An overview of the resources and environment conditions and major geological problems in the Yangtze River economic zone, China

Focusing on the Yangtze River economic zone,the previous geological researches are systematically summarized,resources and environment conditions and major geological problems which are needing to be concerned in land planning and construction are studied.The results show that the resource conditions of cultivated land,shale gas,geotherm,lithium and so on are superior in the Yangtze River economic zone,and the resources and environment conditions are conducive to develop the modern agriculture,clean energy industry and strategic emerging industries.3×1013 m^2 farmlands without heavy metal pollution are concentrated;there are three national level shale gas exploration and development bases with explored reserves of 5.441×1011 m^3;geothermal availability is 2.4×109 t of standard coal each year,equivalent to 19% of the amount of coal in 2014;Asia's largest energy lithium metal ore deposit is found.In some parts of Yangtze River economic zone,there are some major geological problems such as active faults,karst collapse,ground subsidence,landslide-collapse-debris flow,affecting the river-crossing channels,high-speed railway,urban agglomeration and green ecological corridor planning and construction.Those problems should be concerned,and the relevant suggestions and countermeasures are put forward.Meanwhile,the ideas to further support the development of the Yangtze River economic zone are put forward.

Assessment of Geological Security and Integrated Assessment Geo-environmental Suitability in Worst-hit Areas in Wenchuan Quake

The Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 and geo-hazards triggered by the earthquake caused large injuries and deaths as well as destructive damage for infrastructures like construction, traffic and electricity. It is urgent to select relatively secure areas for townships and cities constructed in high mountainous regions with high magnitude earthquakes. This paper presents the basic thoughts, evaluation indices and evaluation methods of geological security evaluation, water and land resources security demonstration and integrated assessments of geo-environmental suitability for reconstruction in alp and ravine with high magnitude earthquakes, which are applied in the worst-hit areas （12 counties）. The integrated assessment shows that： （1） located in the Longmenshan fault zone, the evaluated area is of poor regional crust stability, in which the unstable and second unstable areas account for 79% of the total; （2） the geo-hazards susceptibility is high in the evaluation area. The spots of geo-hazards triggered by earthquake are mainly distributed along the active fault zone with higher distribution in the moderate and high mountains area, in which the areas of high and moderate susceptibility zoning accounts for 40.1% of the total; （3） geological security is poor in the evaluated area, in which the area of the unsuitable construction occupies 73.1%, whereas in the suitable construction area, the areas of geological security, second security and insecurity zoning account for 8.3 %, 9.3% and 9.3 % of the evaluated area respectively; （4） geo-environmentai suitability is poor in the evaluated area, in which the areas of suitability and basic suitability zoning account for 3.5% and 7.3% of the whole evaluation area.

Sand mining impact on Poyang Lake: a case study based on high-resolution bathymetry and sub-bottom data

Poyang Lake in the Changjiang(Yangtze)River catchment has undergone frequent spring drought since 2003,and some researchers attributed this phenomenon to sand mining and the lakebed deformation in the outlet channel linking the lake with Changjiang River main channel.However,there is still a lack of high-resolution subaqueous geomorphological evidence of how sand mining led to lakebed deformation in the outlet channel.We examined the bed morphology and sub-bottom sedimentary structure of the outlet channel,using a multibeam echo sounder and sub-bottom profi ler in Poyang Lake.We found that:(1)the subaqueous micro-topography types of the outlet channel are characterized by sand mining disturbance,natural erosional topography,and fl at bed and dunes,accounting for 44.9%,21.4%,28.6%,and 5.1%of the channel area,respectively;and(2)sand mining activity aff ects the local bed topography extensively and signifi cantly.The depth of sandpits caused by sand mining varied from 1.4 m to 12 m deeper than the surrounding bed surface,with 4.41 m of depth increase on average.Hence,the large-scale high-intensity sand mining activities and their signifi cant geomorphic eff ects demand for an improved assessment for future management and longer-term sustainability.Because of the large-scale and ongoing high-intensity sand mining activities in the Poyang Lake outlet channel,these eff ects should raise caution in the future and contribute to monitoring eff orts that are essential to implement sustainable management solutions.The present study and techniques implemented can serve as a scientifi c reference for dam construction and sand mining within the Poyang Lake basin.

Geochronology and Petrogenesis of Granitoid Intrusions in the Feidong District, Southern Tan-Lu Fault Zone, China

The Feidong district is located in the southern segment of the Tan-Lu fault zone that separates the South China Block(NCB)from the North China Craton(NCC).We report zircon U-Pb geochronology and Hf isotope data,as well as whole-rock geochemistry for Xishanyi granodiorite and Jianshan granite in the Feidong district.Zircon U-Pb dating results show that the emplacement ages of the Xishanyi and Jianshan intrusions are 124±3 Ma and 130±1 Ma respectively,coeval with magmatic events linked to large-scale lithospheric thinning in eastern China.The whole-rock geochemistry of the Xishanyi and Jianshan intrusions demonstrate that they are peraluminous,high potassium calc-alkaline I-type granites with adakitic characteristics.Both intrusions underwent weak crustal assimilation during emplacement.The in situ zirconε(Hf)(t)values of the Xishanyi granodiorites range from-26.4 to-21.8,with T(DM2)model ages of 2552 to 2841 Ma.The in situ zirconε(Hf)(t)values of the Jianshan granite are from-27.5 to-23.0 with T(DM2)model ages of 2632 to 2904 Ma.The peak age of inherited zircon grains from the Xishanyi granodiorite and the Jianshan granite were^2.07 Ga and^1.94 Ga,respectively.After compared with the regional magmatism,we suggest that both the Xishanyi and Jianshan granitoid intrusions were derived from partial melting of the NCC lower crust.

Numerical modeling of 3D DC resistivity method in the mixed space-wavenumber domain

Forward modeling is the basis of inversion imaging and quantitative interpretation for DC resistivity exploration.Currently,a numerical model of the DC resistivity method must be finely divided to obtain a highly accurate solution under complex conditions,resulting in a long calculation time and large storage.Therefore,we propose a 3D numerical simulation method in a mixed space-wavenumber domain to overcome this challenge.The partial differential equation about abnormal potential is transformed into many independent ordinary differential equations with different wavenumbers using a 2D Fourier transform along the x axis and y axis direction.In this way,a large-scale 3D numerical simulation problem is decomposed into several 1D numerical simulation problems,which significantly reduces the computational and storage requirements.In addition,these ordinary 1D differential equations with different wavenumbers are independent of each other and high parallelelism of the algorithm.They are solved using a finite-element algorithm combined with a chasing method,and the obtained solution is modified using a contraction operator.In this method,the vertical direction is reserved as the spatial domain,then grid size can be determined flexibly based on the underground current density distribution,which considers the solution accuracy and calculation efficiency.In addition,for the first time,we use the contraction operator in the integral equation method to iterate the algorithm.The algorithm takes advantage of the high efficiency of the standard Fourier transform and chasing method,as well as the fast convergence of the contraction operator.We verified the accuracy of the algorithm and the convergence of the contraction operator.Compared with a volume integral method and goal-oriented adaptive finite-element method,the proposed algorithm has lower memory requirements and high computational efficiency,making it suitable for calculating a model with large-scale nodes.Moreover,different examples are used to verify the high adaptability and parallelism of the proposed algorithm.The findings show that the 3D numerical simulation method of DC resistivity method in a mixed space-wavenumber domain is highly efficient,precise,and parallel.

Mesozoic tectono-magmatic activities in South China:Retrospect and prospect

The South China Block was formed through the collisional orogeny between the Cathaysia Block and the Yangtze Block in the Early Neoproterozoic.The northern,western and southern sides of the South China Block were affected by disappearance of the Paleo-Tethyan Ocean during the Paleozoic.The southern and northern sides of the South China Block were respectively collided with the Indo-China Block and North China Block in the latest Paleozoic to form the basic framework of the Eastern China.The Eastern China has been affected by the westward subduction of the Pacific Plate since the Mesozoic.Therefore,the South China Block was influenced by the three major tectonic systems,leading to a superposed compound tectonics.The comparative study of the Mesozoic geology between the South China Block and its surrounding areas suggests that although the Mesozoic South China Block was adjacent to the subduction zone of the western Pacific,no juvenile arc-type crust has been found in the eastern margin.The main Mesozoic geology in South China is characterized by reworking of ancient continental margins to intracontinental tectonics,lacking oceanic arc basalts and continental arc andesites.Therefore,a key to understanding of the Mesozoic geology in South China is to determine the temporal-spatial distribution and tectonic evolution of Mesozoic magmatic rocks in this region.This paper presents a review on the tectonic evolution of the South China Block through summarizing the magmatic rock records from the compressional to extensional tectonic process with the transition at the three juncture zones and using the deformation and geophysic data from the deep part of the South China continental lithosphere.Our attempt is to promote the study of South China’s geology and to make it as a typical target for development of plate tectonic theory.

Impact of anthropogenic drivers on subaqueous topographical change in the Datong to Xuliujing reach of the Yangtze River

Changes of subaqueous topography in shallow offshore water pose safety risks for embankments,navigation,and ports.This study conducted measurements of subaqueous topography between Datong and Xuliujing in the Yangtze River using a Sea Bat 7125 multi-beam echo sounder,and the channel change from 1998 to 2013 was calculated using historical bathymetry data.The study revealed several important results:(1)the overall pattern of changes through the studied stretch of the river was erosion–deposition–erosion.Erosion with a volume 700×10~6m^3occurred in the upper reach,deposition of about 204×10~6m^3occurred in the middle reach,and erosion of about 602×10~6m^3occurred in the lower reach.(2)Dunes are the most common microtopographic feature,accounting for 64.3%of the Datong to Xuliujing reach,followed by erosional topography and flat river topography,accounting for 27.6%and 6.6%,respectively.(3)Human activities have a direct impact on the development of the microtopography.For instance,the mining of sand formed holes on the surface of dunes with lengths of 20–35 m and depths of 3–5 m.We concluded that the overall trend of erosion(net erosion volume of 468×10~6m^3)occurred in the study area mainly because of the decreased sediment discharge following the closure of the Three Gorges Dam.However,other human activities were also impact factors of topographic change.Use of embankments and channel management reduced channel width,restricted river meandering,and exacerbated the erosion phenomenon.

Geochemistry and Geochronology of Diorite in Pengshan Area of Jiangxi Province:Implications for Magmatic Source and Tectonic Evolution of Jiangnan Orogenic Belt

Magmatic activities associated with tectonic events play a significant role in understanding the evolution of an orogenic belt.The Jiangnan orogenic belt has been regarded as the collisional suture zone between the Yangtze Block and the Cathaysia Block.Although the magmatic activities during the period of intra-plate extension after the collision have been well studied in recent years,some remaining issues,including source nature and geodynamic mechanism,need to be further addressed.In this paper,based on a detailed field geological,petrological,geochemical and geochronological study,we focus our work on diorites in the Pengshan area located at the northwestern margin of the Jiangnan orogenic belt.The mineral assemblages are mainly composed of plagioclase(55 vol.%-65 vol.%)and hornblende(35 vol.%-45 vol.%).One diorite sample yields zircon^(206)Pb/^(238)U mean age of 768±8 Ma(MSWD=0.29).The diorites have enriched large ion lithophile elements(Ba,K and Rb)and incompatible elements(Th and U),and are depleted in high field-strength elements including Ta,Ti and Nb.Diorites in this study have relatively high MgO content(6.56 wt.%-7.58 wt.%,7.07 wt.%on average)and Mg number values(65-67,65.8 on average).The diorites are metaluminous,high K calc-alkaline series rocks with high contents of K_2O(1.59 wt.%-1.97 wt.%)and total alkali(Na_2O+K_2O=5.56 wt.%-6.05 wt.%).The Nd/Th ratio(4.34-5.27)is higher than that of crust-derived rocks and lower than mantle-derived rocks.The Rb/Sr ratio(0.19-0.22)is slightly lower than crust,but significantly higher than upper mantle.Based on the above geochemical and geochronological analyses,we suggest that the diorites in the Pengshan area were mainly derived from crustal materials with a small amount of mantleoriginated materials involved,and possibly produced from an extensional tectonic setting after the collision between the Yangtze Block and Cathaysia Block.