East Antarctic rifting triggers uplift of the Gamburtsev Mountains

The Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains are the least understood tectonic feature on Earth, because they are completely hidden beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. Their high elevation and youthful Alpine topography, combined with their location on the East Antarctic craton, creates a paradox that has puzzled researchers since the mountains were discovered in 1958. The preservation of Alpine topography in the Gamburtsevs may reflect extremely low long-term erosion rates beneath the ice sheet, but the mountains' origin remains problematic. Here we present the first comprehensive view of the crustal architecture and uplift mechanisms for the Gamburtsevs, derived from radar, gravity and magnetic data. The geophysical data define a 2,500-km-long rift system in East Antarctica surrounding the Gamburtsevs, and a thick crustal root beneath the range. We propose that the root formed during the Proterozoic assembly of interior East Antarctica (possibly about 1 Gyr ago), was preserved as in some old orogens and was rejuvenated during much later Permian (roughly 250 Myr ago) and Cretaceous (roughly 100 Myr ago) rifting. Much like East Africa, the interior of East Antarctica is a mosaic of Precambrian provinces affected by rifting processes. Our models show that the combination of rift-flank uplift, root buoyancy and the isostatic response to fluvial and glacial erosion explains the high elevation and relief of the Gamburtsevs. The evolution of the Gamburtsevs demonstrates that rifting and preserved orogenic roots can produce broad regions of high topography in continental interiors without significantly modifying the underlying Precambrian lithosphere.     

基于数字高程模型(DEM)的可可西里地貌及区划研究

基于数字高程模型(DEM)数据,应用地理信息系统(GIS)方法,对可可西里地区地貌要素进行定量分析,并对其地貌区划进行研究。可可西里地区海拔分为中海拔、高海拔和极高海拔三级,其中高海拔地区占据69.38%的区域。研究区夷平面广泛发育,根据地势起伏度可划分为丘陵、平原和台地3种类型。除东部三江源地区外,研究区主体未受到青藏高原强烈隆升造成的河流溯源侵蚀影响,坡度类型以小于15的微斜坡、缓斜坡和斜坡为主,地势平坦。依据地貌形态特征定量分析、地貌类型组合和地貌成因的差异性原则,可可西里地区可划分为4个地貌区:羌塘高原地貌区(Ⅰ)、东昆仑山山地地貌区(Ⅱ)、三江源丘状山原地貌区(Ⅲ)和柴达木高原盆地区(Ⅳ)。其中,羌塘高原地貌区又可划分为可可西里高原地貌亚区(Ⅰ_1)和唐古拉山高山地貌亚区(Ⅰ_2),东昆仑山地地貌区可划分东昆仑南部极高山地貌亚区(Ⅱ_1)和东昆仑北部高山地貌亚区(Ⅱ_2)。地貌要素研究可以直观、量化地反映可可西里地区海拔、地势起伏度及坡度特征,地貌区划研究可以反映可可西里地区高原、山地、山原、盆地的地貌格局和水平分异,对研究地貌特征、地貌类型及开发保护具有重要意义。     

Coupled spatial variations in precipitation and long-term erosion rates across the Washington Cascades

Past studies of tectonically active mountain ranges have suggested strong coupling and feedbacks between climate, tectonics and topography. For example, rock uplift generates topographic relief, thereby enhancing precipitation, which focuses erosion and in turn influences rates and spatial patterns of further rock uplift. Although theoretical links between climate, erosion and uplift have received much attention, few studies have shown convincing correlations between observable indices of these processes on mountain-range scales. Here we show that strongly varying long-term (>10(6)-10(7) yr) erosion rates inferred from apatite (U-Th)/He cooling ages across the Cascades mountains of Washington state closely track modern mean annual precipitation rates. Erosion and precipitation rates vary over an order of magnitude across the range with maxima of 0.33 mm yr(-1) and 3.5 m yr(-1), respectively, with both maxima located 50 km west (windward) of the topographic crest of the range. These data demonstrate a strong coupling between precipitation and long-term erosion rates on the mountain-range scale. If the range is currently in topographic steady state, rock uplift on the west flank is three to ten times faster than elsewhere in the range, possibly in response to climatically focused erosion.     

Links between erosion, runoff variability and seismicity in the Taiwan orogen

The erosion of mountain belts controls their topographic and structural evolution and is the main source of sediment delivered to the oceans. Mountain erosion rates have been estimated from current relief and precipitation, but a more complete evaluation of the controls on erosion rates requires detailed measurements across a range of timescales. Here we report erosion rates in the Taiwan mountains estimated from modern river sediment loads, Holocene river incision and thermochronometry on a million-year scale. Estimated erosion rates within the actively deforming mountains are high (3-6 mm yr(-1)) on all timescales, but the pattern of erosion has changed over time in response to the migration of localized tectonic deformation. Modern, decadal-scale erosion rates correlate with historical seismicity and storm-driven runoff variability. The highest erosion rates are found where rapid deformation, high storm frequency and weak substrates coincide, despite low topographic relief.     

A lithospheric instability origin for Columbia River flood basalts and Wallowa Mountains uplift in northeast Oregon

Flood basalts appear to form during the initiation of hotspot magmatism. The Columbia River basalts (CRB) represent the largest volume of flood basalts associated with the Yellowstone hotspot, yet their source appears to be in the vicinity of the Wallowa Mountains, about 500 km north of the projected hotspot track. These mountains are composed of a large granitic pluton intruded into a region of oceanic lithosphere affinity. The elevation of the interface between Columbia River basalts and other geological formations indicates that mild pre-eruptive subsidence took place in the Wallowa Mountains, followed by syn-eruptive uplift of several hundred metres and a long-term uplift of about 2 km. The mapped surface uplift mimics regional topography, with the Wallowa Mountains in the centre of a 'bull's eye' pattern of valleys and low-elevation mountains. Here we present the seismic velocity structure of the mantle underlying this region and erosion-corrected elevation maps of lava flows, and show that an area of reduced mantle melt content coincides with the 200-km-wide topographic uplift. We conclude that convective downwelling and detachment of a compositionally dense plutonic root can explain the timing and magnitude of Columbia River basalt magmatism, as well as the surface uplift and existence of the observed melt-depleted mantle.     

三峡地区极短周期内剥蚀速率、下切速率及地表隆升速率对比研究

通过河流输沙量计算出三峡地区短周期的剥蚀速率为0.084 mm/a,将剥蚀速率、下切速率以及隆升速率对比研究,确定了长江流域三峡段极短周期内下切速率与地表隆升速率之间的线性关系,并得出侵蚀基准面及气候变化的约束系数大约是0.4.基于前人对三峡地区一级阶地的数据,计算出一级阶地的下切速率约为3.025 mm/a.现代地壳变形测量和GPS测量结果,发现黄陵穹隆现今地表相对于周边地区其地表隆升速率最大可达5～10 mm/a.取其平均值7.5 mm/a作为三峡地区极短周期的地表隆升速率,对比分析三峡地区剥蚀速率、下切速率与隆升速率,结果该区隆升速率大于剥蚀速率,大约是剥蚀速率的89倍;下切速率也大于剥蚀速率,大约是剥蚀速率的36倍;隆升速率同样大于下切速率,大约是下切速率的2.5倍.三峡地区隆升大于剥蚀,也大于下切速率,三峡地区地表仍然在不断地升高;而地表剥蚀速率小于下切速率,地表切割进一步加深,因此地貌出现高低起伏、山高谷深的形态,并有进一步加剧的趋势.     

Messinian salinity crisis regulated by competing tectonics and erosion at the Gibraltar arc

The Messinian salinity crisis (5.96 to 5.33 million years ago) was caused by reduced water inflow from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea resulting in widespread salt precipitation and a decrease in Mediterranean sea level of about 1.5 kilometres due to evaporation. The reduced connectivity between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean at the time of the salinity crisis is thought to have resulted from tectonic uplift of the Gibraltar arc seaway and global sea-level changes, both of which control the inflow of water required to compensate for the hydrological deficit of the Mediterranean. However, the different timescales on which tectonic uplift and changes in sea level occur are difficult to reconcile with the long duration of the shallow connection between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic needed to explain the large amount of salt precipitated. Here we use numerical modelling to show that seaway erosion caused by the Atlantic inflow could sustain such a shallow connection between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean by counteracting tectonic uplift. The erosion and uplift rates required are consistent with previous mountain erosion studies, with the present altitude of marine sediments in the Gibraltar arc and with geodynamic models suggesting a lithospheric slab tear underneath the region. The moderate Mediterranean sea-level drawdown during the early stages of the Messinian salinity crisis can be explained by an uplift of a few millimetres per year counteracted by similar rates of erosion due to Atlantic inflow. Our findings suggest that the competition between uplift and erosion can result in harmonic coupling between erosion and the Mediterranean sea level, providing an alternative mechanism for the cyclicity observed in early salt precipitation deposits and calling into question previous ideas regarding the timing of the events that occurred during the Messinian salinity crisis.     

A stress-rifting origin of Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is a massive rift in the Colorado Plateau. How and when it developed has been debated for nearly 150 years. Most geologists believe the unusual landscape was primarily shaped by water erosion.Here we propose a stress-rifting model to provide an alternative explanation for the origin of Grand Canyon.This paper adopts a brittle–ductile double layer model to simulate the deformation and rifting of the plateau due to the mantle-melting-induced expansion. Our results show that the uplift induced by thermal expansion and its associated horizontal extension can cause open fractures that extend from the brittle surface to the underlying ductile layer in a top-down way. In addition, we find that episodic uplift can deepen and connect multiple fractures together to form a larger fracture network. Our findings suggest that the formation of the Grand Canyon might have been driven by plateau uplift and its associated rifting under crustal extension, wherein water erosion played only a minor role in shaping the course of the Colorado River. The new paradigm provides simpler explanations to some of the long-standing geological mysteries surrounding the canyon.     

Cenozoic climate change as a possible cause for the rise of the Andes

Causal links between the rise of a large mountain range and climate have often been considered to work in one direction, with significant uplift provoking climate change. Here we propose a mechanism by which Cenozoic climate change could have caused the rise of the Andes. Based on considerations of the force balance in the South American lithosphere, we suggest that the height of, and tectonics in, the Andes are strongly controlled both by shear stresses along the plate interface in the subduction zone and by buoyancy stress contrasts between the trench and highlands, and shear stresses in the subduction zone depend on the amount of subducted sediments. We propose that the dynamics of subduction and mountain-building in this region are controlled by the processes of erosion and sediment deposition, and ultimately climate. In central South America, climate-controlled sediment starvation would then cause high shear stress, focusing the plate boundary stresses that support the high Andes.     

埕岛地区古生界构造和地层多样性及形成机制

运用三维地震、钻井资料和区域应力场研究结果,探讨埕岛地区古生界构造和地层多样性的形成机制。结果表明,三叠纪末期-始新世,在郯庐断裂左旋→右旋"往返式"走滑运动控制下,埕岛地区古生界经历了"挤压倾伏褶皱、拉张反转成山、差异走滑定型"3个阶段。三叠纪末期,在郯庐断裂左旋走滑运动下,埕岛地区NE-SW向挤压、北西向倾伏褶皱,形成西、中、东3个逆掩断块体,差异隆升作用造成古生界剥蚀程度不一。晚侏罗世-早白垩世,在郯庐断裂左旋走滑运动下,埕岛地区经历NWW-SEE向→NW-SE向拉伸,逆冲断层发生不均衡反转形成西、中、东三排山和"南敛北散"形态。晚白垩世-始新世,在郯庐断裂右旋走滑运动下,埕岛3排山自西向东基底走滑剪切位移不断增大,中排山和东排山在基底剪切下发育的东西向断层和北东向走滑断层相互切割,构造样式和岩性分布更复杂。     

基于RS和GIS的北京西山土壤侵蚀监测与评价

北京西部、北部山区是北京的绿色生态屏障以及主要的水源保护地区,对于北京的生态环境和可持续发展意义重大.由于各种因素,北京山区的局部地区已经出现了水土流失现象,因此研究土壤侵蚀是非常有意义的.以2007年北京一号小卫星数据为源数据,在ArcGIS软件中进行北京西山地区土壤侵蚀等级及分布现状的提取,运用GIS的空间分析功能,对影响土壤侵蚀三大要素进行分析,及时掌握了研究区土壤侵蚀分布状况.结果表明北京西山地区土壤侵蚀面积有所下降.     

祁连山东段冲积扇的发育时代及其成因

第四纪期间祁连山东段山麓地带广泛发育了多级冲积扇,它们是研究区域构造抬升与气候变化最为直接的载体.本文主要通过ESR,IRSL以及14C等绝对测年手段对该区冲积扇的形成年代进行研究,结果表明祁连山东段北麓最高级冲积扇形成于0.85 MaBP,而毛毛山南麓的最高级冲积扇形成于0.43 MaBP.随后各地又相继发育了0.25,0.16,0.06,0.01 MaBP等多级冲洪积台地.根据主要冲积扇的形成年代及其与区域构造气候事件的对比,认为它们是构造运动与气候变化共同作用的产物.     

新生代青藏高原三维古地形再造

印度板块与欧亚板块的碰撞,引发了青藏高原的快速隆升、高原及邻区的气候环境、地形地势巨变,这一过程为同期形成的海洋沉积盆地、周缘前陆盆地和高原内部盆地所记录。高原隆升剥蚀区与前述三种类型的汇水盆地基本上处于一个相对封闭和半封闭体系,因而,可以根据质量平衡的原则,将汇水盆地内的沉积物按照物源方向和一定的分配方案回剥至隆升剥蚀区,重建任一时间段内剥蚀区的地形地势。通过对比不同时间段的古地形地势演变,可以比较精确和全面地刻划高原的隆升过程、隆升和剥蚀速率、隆升后所达到的海拔高度,进而探讨隆升与气候的关系,探索青藏高原在大陆碰撞体制下是增生扩大还是缩小     

鲜水河断裂带附近地区的区域地貌特征

在野外考察的基础上,运用定量与定性相结合的分析方法,从山地正地貌和沟谷负地貌两个方面论述了鲜水河断裂带附近地区的地貌特征.认为,山地正地貌主要是第四纪以来强烈断块差异性抬升所形成的断块山,海拔高,高差大,山顶夷平面保存完好,山坡坡形复杂,垂直气候地貌带发育,海拔超过4000m的山岭第四纪冰川作用强烈;沟谷负地貌主要是沿断裂发育并经流水改造而成的断层谷,主谷谷坡有两级剥蚀面和1—5级河流阶地,曾在多处发生过河流的分流与改道.特别应该指出的是,夷平面的解体、河流的改道、强烈的冰川作用同鲜水河断裂带的强烈活动在时间上是同步的.     

陕西秦巴山区水土流失灾害及防治对策

运用遥感技术及实地考察资料，对陕西秦巴山区水土流失现状、危害、成因进行了系统分析研究，在此基础上，提出了改善生态环境和防治水土流失灾害发生、发展的基本对策．     

大陆碰撞与成山过程──以印度河上游地区为例

本文讨论了印度河上游地区的高山形成和演化。由于印度板块的推进并和欧亚板块相碰撞形成了喀喇昆仑山和西喜马拉雅山。讨论了在山地上升的三个时期即中新世、上新世末更新世初和第四纪中期以来山地构造、沉积和地貌的基本状况。并分析了在高山发展过程中喀喇昆仑和西喜马拉雅的相似性和差异性。     

The Quaternary fault in Jiamu area,the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

The Quaternary Tailan River fault has been found in the Tianshan foothills area, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is the recent boundary fault of the Tarim Basin coupling with the West Tianshan Mountains. In the light of measurement data of the slip which cuts the Quaternary deposits of different ages, the Quaternary kinematic figures of the Tailan River fault are estimated as follows: crustal shortening 3.7 km and shortening rate 1.59 mm/a, uplift of Tianshan Mountains 1.34 km and uplift rate 0.56 mm/a, and additional relief of 900 m. Considering the contribution of the Gumubiezi anticline close to the south of the Tailan River fault, the Quaternary crustal shortening and shortening rate of the Jiamu area are 4.8 km and 2 mm/a respectively. The above-mentioned data coincide with the crustal shortening rate calculated from the growth strata in the Kuqa area, as well as the GPS measurements in the Lake Issyk area and the Korla-Urumqi area, reflecting the fast thrusting period within the shortening tectonic processes of the rejuvenation foreland basin in front of the southern foothill of the West Tianshan Mountains since Neogene.     

The search for a topographic signature of life

Landscapes are shaped by the uplift, deformation and breakdown of bedrock and the erosion, transport and deposition of sediment. Life is important in all of these processes. Over short timescales, the impact of life is quite apparent: rock weathering, soil formation and erosion, slope stability and river dynamics are directly influenced by biotic processes that mediate chemical reactions, dilate soil, disrupt the ground surface and add strength with a weave of roots. Over geologic time, biotic effects are less obvious but equally important: biota affect climate, and climatic conditions dictate the mechanisms and rates of erosion that control topographic evolution. Apart from the obvious influence of humans, does the resulting landscape bear an unmistakable stamp of life? The influence of life on topography is a topic that has remained largely unexplored. Erosion laws that explicitly include biotic effects are needed to explore how intrinsically small-scale biotic processes can influence the form of entire landscapes, and to determine whether these processes create a distinctive topography.     

西藏普兰地区第四纪以来冰锯作用研究

为了验证西藏普兰地区冰川作用对地形演化的影响, 选取纳木那尼峰、喜马拉雅山和冈底斯山3个区域, 利用数字高程模型(DEM)数据和遥感影像, 对现代冰川与末次冰盛期(LGM)古冰川平衡线高度(ELA)、冰川作用区坡度与高程的关系以及冰川分布的高程频谱进行计算和分析。结果显示, 研究区内冰川剥蚀作用显著、坡度降低最明显的地带位于LGM古冰川平衡线附近, 并在一定程度上限制山脉的高度。根据冰川地貌特征参数和前人研究结果, 认为气候是影响冰锯作用的主要因素。冰期时, 研究区内西风急流南移, 风速增强, 降水量增多, 为冰川发育创造良好条件, 冰锯作用也增强。对于构造抬升强烈的山脉(如纳木那尼峰), 虽然冰锯作用得到加强, 但是构造抬升增加的山脉高度不会完全被冰锯作用抵消。     

根系生态护坡的机理及试验研究

针对公路边坡开挖可能导致生态破坏和边坡失稳等问题,分别从理论上分析植物根系生态护坡的力学机理和从试验上研究根系的抗拉锚固能力.理论研究表明,根系提高土的抗剪强度主要是通过根-土接触面的摩擦力把土中的剪应力转换成根的拉应力来实现的;根系在生长时分泌了大量高分子聚合物,将其表面附近的土颗粒聚集起来,从而抵抗边坡土体受水流等...