Groundwater Systems and Resources in the Ordos Basin,China

The Ordos Basin is a large-scale sedimentary basin in northwestern China. The hydrostratigraphic units from bottom to top are pre-Cambrian metamorphic rocks, Lower Paleozoic carbonate rocks, Upper Paleozoic to Mesozoic clastic rocks and Cenozoic deposits. The total thickness is up to 6000 m. Three groundwater systems are present in the Ordos Basin, based on the geological settings, i.e. the karst groundwater system, the Cretaceous clastic groundwater system and the Quaternary groundwater system. This paper describes systematically the groundwater flow patterns of each system and overall assessment of groundwater resources.

Mid—Late Neoproterozoic rift-related volcanic rocks in China:Geological records of rifting and break-up of Rodinia

Early Cambrian and Mid--Late Neoproterozoic volcanic rocks in China are widespread on several Precambrian continental blocks, which had aggregated to form part of the Rodinia supercon- tinent by ca. 900 Ma. On the basis of petrogeochemical data, the basic lavas can be classified into two major magma types： HT （Ti/Y 〉 500） and LT （Ti/Y 〈 500） that can be further divided into HT1 （Nb/La 〉 0.85） and HT2 （Nb/La ≤ 0.85）, and LT1 （Nb/La 〉 0.85） and LT2 （Nb/La ≤ 0.85） subtypes, respectively. The geochemical variation of the HT2 and LT2 lavas can be accounted for by lithospheric contamination of asthenosphere- （or plume-） derived magmas, whereas the parental magmas of the HT1 and LT1 lavas did not undergo, during their ascent, pronounced lithospheric contamination. These volcanics exhibit at least three characteristics： （1） most have a compositional bimodality; （2） they were formed in an intracontinental rift setting; and （3） they are genetically linked with mantle plumes or a mantle surperplume. This rift-related volcanism at end of the Mid-- Neoproterozoic and Early Cambrian coincided temporally with the separation between Australia-- East Antarctica, South China and Laurentia and between Australia and Tarim, respectively.

Distribution of δ^(34)S and δ^(18)O in SO_4^(2-) in Groundwater from the Ordos Cretaceous Groundwater Basin and Geological Implications

The Ordos Cretaceous Groundwater Basin, located in an arid-semiarid area in northwestern China, is a large-style groundwater basin. SO4^2- is one of the major harmful components in groundwater. Dissolved SO4^2- concentrations, and δ^34S-SO4^2- and δ^18O-SO4^2- in groundwater from 14 boreholes and in gypsum from aquifer were analyzed. Results show that SO4^2- in shallow groundwaters originates from precipitation, sulfide oxidation, and dissolution of stratum sulphate, with a big range of δ^34S values, from -10.7‰ to 9.2‰, and addition of SO4^2- in deep groundwater results from dissolution of stratum sulphate, with bigger δ^34S values, from 7.8‰ to 18.5‰, compared with those in shallow groundwater. This research also indicates that three types of sulphate are present in the strata, and characterized by high δ^34S values and high δ^18O values-style, high δ^34S values and middle δ^18O valuesstyle, middle δ^34S values and low δ^18O values-style, respectively. The δ^34S-SO4^2- and δ^18O-SO4^2- in groundwater have a good perspective for application in distinguishing different groundwater systems and determining groundwater circulation and evolution in this area.

Reassessment of petrogenesis of Carboniferous—Early Permian rift-related volcanic rocks in the Chinese Tianshan and its neighboring areas

The Carboniferous-Early Permian rift-related volcanic successions, covering large areas in the Chinese Tianshan and its adjacent areas, make up a newly recognized important Phanerozoic large igneous province in the world, which can be further divided into two sub-provinces： Tianshan and Tarim. The regional unconformity of Lower Carboniferous upon basement or pre-Carboniferous rocks, the ages （360--351 Ma） of the youngest ophiolite and the peak of subduction metamorphism of high pressure-low temperature metamorphic belt and the occurrence of Ni-Cu-bearing mafic-ultramafic intrusion with age of ~352 Ma and A-type granite with age of ~358 Ma reveal that the final closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean might take place in the Early Mississippian. Our summation shows that at least four criteria, being normally used to identify ancient asthenosphere upwelling （or mantle plumes）, are met for this large igneous province： （1） surface uplift prior to magmatism; （2） being associated with continental rifting and breakup events; （3） chemical characteristics of asthenosphere （or plume） derived basalts; （4） close links to large-scale mineralization and the uncontaminated basalts, being analogous to those of many ＂ore-bearing＂ large igneous provinces, display Sr-Nd isotopic variations between plume and EMI geochemical signatures, These suggest that a Carboniferous asthenosphere upwelling and an Early Permian plume played the central role in the generation of the Tianshan--Tarim （central Asia） large igneous province.

Relationships between Basic and Silicic Magmatism in Continental Rift Settings:A Petrogeochemical Study of Carboniferous Post-collisional Rift Silicic Volcanics in Tianshan,NW China

Petrogeochemical data are reported for silicic volcanic rocks from the Tianshan Carboniferous rift, with the aim of discussing the petrogenesis of silicic magmas. Incompatible element vs. incompatible element diagrams display smooth positive trends for the Tianshan Carboniferous rift-related volcanic rocks; the isotope ratios of the silicic lavas [^87Sr/^86S（t）=0.699880.70532; eNd（t）=4.76-8.00; ^206pb/^204pb（t）=17.435-18.017; ^207Pb/^204Pb（t）=15.438-15.509; ^208Pb/^204Pb（t） = 37.075-37.723] encompass those of the basic lavas. These data suggest a genetic link between rhyolites and basalts, but are not definitive in establishing whether silicic rocks are related to basalts through fractional crystallization or partial melting. Geochemical modeling of incompatible vs. compatible elements excludes the possibility that silicic melts are generated by the melting of basaltic rocks, and indicates a derivation by fractional crystallization plus moderate assimilation of wall rocks （AFC） starting from intermediate rocks to silicic rocks. Continuous AFC from basalt to rhyolite, with small rates of crustal assimilation, best explains the geochemical data. The presence or absence of bimodal volcanism （the ＂Daly Gap＂） might be related to cooling rates of magma chambers. In central and eastern Tianshan, the crust was thinner and the cooling rates of the magma chamber within the crust were greater. These conditions resulted in a rapid fall in temperature within the magma reservoir and caused a narrow temperature interval over which intermediate melts formed, effectively reducing the volume of the intermediate melts.

Oxygen and Hydrogen Isotopes of Waters in the Ordos Basin,China:Implications for Recharge of Groundwater in the North of Cretaceous Groundwater Basin

Hundreds of precipitation samples collected from meteorological stations in the Ordos Basin from January 1988 to December 2005 were used to set up a local meteoric water line and to calculate weighted average isotopic compositions of modern precipitation. Oxygen and hydrogen isotopes, with averages of-7.8‰ and -53.0‰ for δ^18O and δD, respectively, are depleted in winter and rich in spring, and gradually decrease in summer and fall, illustrating that the seasonal effect is considerable. They also show that the isotopic difference between south portion and north portion of the Ordos Basin are not obvious, and the isotope in the middle portion is normally depleted. The isotope compositions of 32 samples collected from shallow groundwater （less than a depth of 150 m） in desert plateau range from -10.6‰ to -6.0‰ with an average of-8.4‰ for δ^18O and from -85‰ to -46‰ with an average of-63‰ for δD. Most of them are identical with modern precipitation. The isotope compositions of 22 middle and deep groundwaters （greater than a depth of 275 m） fall in ranges from -11.6‰ to -8.8‰ with an average of -10.2‰ for δ^18O and from -89‰ to -63‰ with an average of -76‰ for δD. The average values are significantly less than those of modern precipitation, illustrating that the middle and deep groundwaters were recharged at comparatively lower air temperatures. Primary analysis of ^14C shows that the recharge of the middle and deep groundwaters started at late Pleistocene. The isotopes of 13 lake water samples collected from eight lakes define a local evaporation trend, with a relatively flat slope of 3.77, and show that the lake waters were mainly fed by modern precipitation and shallow groundwater.

Opening of an early Paleozoic limited oceanic basin in the northern Altyn area: Constraints from plagiogranites in the Hongliugou-Lapeiquan ophiolitic mélange

This paper reports petrological and geochemical features and zircon U-Pb age of plagiogranite from the Hongliugou-Lapeiquan ophiolitic mélange belt in the northern Altyn Tagh. The zircon U-Pb dating results yield a mean 238U/206Pb age of 512.1 - 1.5 Ma, representing an emplacement time of the plagiogranites in the Middle Cambrian. The plagiogranites are interpreted to have derived from anatexis of hydrated amphibolites by ductile shearing during transports of the oceanic crust. Thus it is believed that the formation age of such type of plagiogranite was coeval to or slightly younger than the spreading of the Hongliugou-Lapeiquan limited oceanic basin. The new results from the plagiogranites suggest that an oceanic basin existed in the northern Altyn area during the Middle Cambrian.