Quaternary folding in the south piedmont of central segment of Tianshan Mountains

The Tianshan Mountains are an important active structural belt in the interior of Eurasia. By integrated methods of surface geology survey and interpretation of seismic profiles, we distinguish fold scarps located at the south limb of the Kuqatawu anticline and the north limb of the Dongqiulitag anticline in the Kuqa rejuvenation foreland thrust belt, south piedmont of central segment of the Tianshan Mountains. Fold scarp is a newly found structural phenomenon. Because of the bend of thrust plane and the movement of hanging wall above the thrust plane, the original horizontal deposits of hanging wall and their surface become a monocline structure, resulting from the separating and migration of the active and fixed axial surfaces. Measuring the geometry of fold scarp and using the data of age of the deformed deposits, the crustal shortening rate resulting from the deeply seated subsurface thrust is calculated. The crustal shortening rate reflected by the fold scarp located at the north limb of the Dngqiulitag anticline is (1±0.1) mm/a. The fold scarps of the Dongqiulitag anticline and the Kuqatawu anticline identify that the deformation process of the crustal compressive structures in the Kuqa area extends into the Late Quaternary.     

A deep seismic sounding profile across the Tianshan Mountains

The deep seismic sounding profile across the Tianshan Mountains revealed a two-layer crustal structure in the Tianshregion, namely the lower and upper crusts. Lateral variations of layer velocity and thickness are evidently shown. Low-velocity layers spread discontinuously at the bottom of the upper crust. The Moho depth is 47 km in the Kuytun area and 50 km in the Xayar area. In the Tianshan Mountains, the Moho becomes deeper with the maximum depth of 62 km around the boundary between the southern and northern Tianshan Mountains. The average velocity ranges from 6.1 to 6.3 km/s in the crust and 8.15 km/s at the top of the upper mantle. Two groups of reliable reflective seismic phases of the Moho (Pm1 and Pm2) are recognized on the shot record section of the Kuytun area. A staked and offset region, 20-30 km long, is displayed within a shot-geophone distance of 190-210 km in Pm1 and Pm2. Calculation shows that the Moho is offset by 10 km in the northern Tianshan region, 62 km deep in the south while 52 km deep in the north, and plunges northwards. In comparison with typical collisional orogenic belts, the structure of the Moho beneath the Tianshan Mountains presents a similar pattern. This can be used to explain the subduction of the Tarim plate towards the Tianshan Mountains. This intracontinental subduction is considered the dynamic mechanism of the Cenozoic uplifting of the Tianshan Mountains. The discovery of seismic phases Pm1 and Pm2 serves as the seismological evidence for the northward subduction of the Tarim plate.     

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.     

玛纳斯河流域地貌初步研究

玛纳斯河是天山北麓最大的一条河流,由于天山的隆升,在天山北麓形成了一系列的褶皱和断层,这一构造格局控制着玛纳斯河地貌的发育和演化.根据野外调查,玛纳斯河流域地貌由南向北横穿流域内的5个地貌带,即山地地貌带,山前褶皱低山丘陵带,串珠状冲积扇带,平原曲流带,玛纳斯河尾闾沙漠、湖泊带.同时玛纳斯河在不同地貌带塑造出了不同的河谷地貌.流域内新构造活动比较显著,表现为近东西向的活动褶皱与活动逆断裂,而且构造对地貌发育有明显控制作用,如山前褶皱丘陵形态为南翼缓,北翼陡,河流阶地发生拱曲和错断变形,冲积扇串珠状发育等.     

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.     

Recent rapid shortening of crust across the Tianshan Mts. and relative motion of tectonic blocks in the north and south

Based on the multiple-epoch Global Positioning System observations during a period from 1992 to 1999, we document directly a rapid crustal shortening of ～20 mm/a across the western Tianshan Mts. (76°E), in contrast to a 4 mm/a convergent rate across the eastern Tianshan Mts. (87°E)and the north-south convergence across the mountain belt descends laterally from west to east. The direction of current crustal movement inferred by GPS sites along the southern flank of the Tianshan Mts. is approximately perpendicular to the easterly-trending mountain belt, indicating that the Tarim Basin thrust almost rightly into the Tianshan Mts. The Tarim Basin accommodates nearly no or a minor, if any, crustal deformation and rotates clockwise, as a rigid body in a whole, at a rate of 0.64°/Ma around a Euler pole at 95.7°E, 40.3°N (Anxi, Gansu) with respect to the stable Siberia. The relative motion between the Kazakh platform and the Dzungarian Basin is quite apparent. The Dzungar should be regarded as an independent active block from the view of the Asia tectonic settings.     

山东地区地壳及上地幔结构研究

利用布设在山东省境内的宽频带流动地震观测台阵和国家地震局固定地震观测台站记录的地震数据, 应用接收函数和SKS波分裂方法, 研究山东地区的地壳与上地幔结构, 得到该区域的地壳厚度、地壳平均P波与S波的波速比以及SKS波分裂延迟的分布情况。结果表明, 山东地区地壳厚度范围为28~39 km; 胶南隆起的北段和南段以及鲁西隆起北侧济阳凹陷的地壳厚度小于32 km, 鲁西隆起下方的地壳比较厚。研究区 P波与S波的波速比主要分布在1.67~1.94之间, 鲁西隆起西南部和胶南隆起北段该比值小于1.75, 可能是由中上地壳增厚以及下地壳减薄和拆沉造成。鲁西隆起南北P波与S波的波速比差异反映地壳活动的差异。地幔物质的各向异性显示, 山东地区西部的地壳减薄和拆沉可能仍在进行。     

12.4万年以来山东半岛东北部沿海地区的构造抬升速率

在综合考虑新构造运动和全球海面变化与海岸带地区地貌发育关系后,根据现代地貌面、海岸线和相关沉积等所反映的海面变化与全球海面变化的对比,推算了山东半岛东北部沿海地区的新构造抬升速率。结果表明,12.4万年以来牟平-即墨断裂带两侧的构造抬升速率有明显差异,断裂带西侧沿岸为0.50mm/a,断裂带东侧沿岸仅为0.15mm/a。     

Surveying of the deformed terraces and crust shortening rate in the northwestern Tarim Basin: Comment

The paper of Shen et al., entitled "Surveying of the deformed terraces and crust shortening rate in the northwest Tarim Basin", was published in Chinese Science Bulletin (Vol. 46, No. 12)[1]. Shen et al. found the deformation of Late Pleistocene to Holocene terraces of the Boguzi River across the Artushi Anticline in the northwest Tarim Basin close to the Pamir, and made level survey and differential GPS measurement, which is of great importance to geodynamics for research on the coupling of Tianshan Mountains uplifting and Tarim Basin depression. But their understanding to the deformation mechanics of terraces and the calculation methods of crustal shortening are open to discussion. Therefore, we discuss it with Shen Jun et al.     

Slip rate along the Lijiang-Ninglang fault zone estimated from repeating microearthquakes

Seismicity and slip rates along the Lijiang-Ninglang fault zone between 1999 and 2006 were investigated with the waveform data recorded by the Yunnan digital Seismic Network. The relocated seismicity by the double difference method clearly exhibits different features between the northern and southern segments. More than 76% earthquakes occurred in the southern segment of the fault near the Lijiang area. The relocated seismicity appears to reflect the crustal velocity structure of the study area. Using cross-correlation analysis, we identified a total of 92 doublets and 70 multiplets that show high waveform similarity. Most of these sequences are aperiodic with recurrence intervals varying from a few minutes to hundreds of days. Using two sequences that occurred regularly over the study period, we obtained a fault slip rate of approximately 5 mm/a at ∼23 km, in good agreement with geologic and surface GPS measurement. Supported by National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2004CB418405) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40174014)     

天山山地森林调节河川径流作用的探讨

运用天山北坡山地３１条河流的水、气象以及森林资源资料，分析森林调节河川年径流量作用，结果表明：森林与蒸发因素具有减少河川年径流量的效应，且森林调节河川径流量的作用远大于蒸发因素影响。在森林因素中，森林面积增加对河川年径流量的影响程度大于的作用远大于蒸发因素影响。在森林因素中，森林面积增加对河川年径流量的影响程度大于单位集水区面积森林蓄积量增加的作用，在天山北坡山地自然地理环境条件下，林率每增加１     

Plate-wide stress relaxation explains European Palaeocene basin inversions

During Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic times, many Palaeozoic and Mesozoic rifts and basin structures in the interior of the European continent underwent several phases of inversion (the process of shortening a previously extensional basin). The main phases occurred during the Late Cretaceous and Middle Palaeocene, and have been previously explained by pulses of compression, mainly from the Alpine orogen. Here we show that the main phases differed both in structural style and cause. The Cretaceous phase was characterized by narrow uplift zones, reverse activation of faults, crustal shortening, and the formation of asymmetric marginal troughs. In contrast, the Middle Palaeocene phase was characterized by dome-like uplift of a wider area with only mild fault movements, and formation of more distal and shallow marginal troughs. A simple flexural model explains how domal, secondary inversion follows inevitably from primary, convergence-related inversion on relaxation of the in-plane tectonic stress. The onset of relaxation inversions was plate-wide and simultaneous, and may have been triggered by stress changes caused by elevation of the North Atlantic lithosphere by the Iceland plume or the drop in the north-south convergence rate between Africa and Europe.     

Late Tertiary faults and their paleostress along the boundary between the Kuqa Basin and the Tianshan Mountains

Field investigation shows that the boundary between the Kuqa Basin and the Tianshan Mountains can be divided into two sections with the Yanbulak area as the dividing point. In the western section, the Mesozoic strata overlie unconformably on the Paleozoic rocks. The basin-dipping faults developed in both Mesozoic and Paleozoic rocks. The eastern section is characterized by basin-dipping normal faults separating the Paleozoic strata and Tertiary. The brittle structural analysis was carried out along the basin-range boundary. 360 measurements of striations have been obtained at a total of 25 sites. Paleostress reconstruction indicates that the basin-range boundary was in an extensional condition, with some superimposed strike-slip, during the Late Tertiary. The extension could be explained by the vertical block uplift of the Tianshan Mountains.     

中国鸟类物种丰富度的地理格局及其与环境因子的关系

基于中国鸟类分布数据和增强型植被指数(EVI)、海拔、气温、降水等环境和地理因子数据, 探讨中国鸟类及其主要类群的物种丰富度的地理格局及可能的影响因素。结果显示, 中国鸟类物种丰富度存在着一定的随纬度增高物种丰富度降低的趋势, 物种丰富度高值地区包括大兴安岭、小兴安岭、长江下游、武夷山、西双版纳、天山西部、喜马拉雅山东南麓至横断山脉等若干地区, 而在青藏高原大部、长江以南部分地区等出现低值, 但线性回归显示, 纬度梯度不明显。相关性分析结果显示, 与物种丰富度的Spearman相关性系数较高的环境因子有EVI、年均温、年平均降水等多种, 说明环境因子对物种丰富度的地理格局存在复杂的共同作用机制。因子分析结果显示, 这些环境因子可以分为能量、海拔变幅、气温稳定性、距最近大型水体的距离等4种主要因子。     

S-wave velocity of the crust around Tianshan Mountains inverted from seismic ambient noise tomography

We process ambient noise data from seismic stations deployed in central Asia to determine the crustal shear wave velocity structure beneath the Tianshan Mountians and surrounding area. About 748 inter-station Rayleigh wave empirical Green’s functions have been recovered to estimate the phase velocity dispersions over periods from 6 to 50 s using the image transformation technique. Results show that for short periods (6–20 s), the distribution of Rayleigh wave phase velocities is generally consistent with surface geology, with high velocities corresponding to mountain ranges and low velocities to sedimentary basins. Along two profiles, which trend from NE-SW and NW-SE, the shear wave velocity shows a pair of high velocity anomalies dipping in opposite directions beneath the Tianshan Mountains. At shallow depths, those high velocity anomalies roughly correlate with areas where the mountain front and the surrounding basin are connected. The profiles also show a narrow zone beneath the Tianshan Mountains, which may represent a route for the upwelling from upper mantle. Those observations suggest that the underthrusting of the Tarim Basin and Kazakh Shield combine with the weakness of the crust, which is heated by the upwelling from upper mantle, may play an important role on the reactivation of the Tianshan Mountains associated with the India-Eurasia collision.     

Fine three-dimensional P-wave velocity structure beneath the capital region and deep environment for the nucleation of strong earthquakes

A detailed 3-D P-wave velocity model of the crust and uppermost mantle under the capitol region is determined with a spatial resolution of 25 km in the horizontal direction and 4-17 km in depth. We used 48750 precise P-wave arrival time data from 2973 events of local crustal earthquakes, controlled seismic explosions and quarry blasts. These events were recorded by 123 seismic stations. The data are analyzed by using a 3-D seismic tomography method. Our tomographic model provides new information on the geological structure and complex seismotectonics of this region. Different patterns of velocity structures show up in the North China Basin, the Taihangshan and the Yanshan Mountainous areas. The velocity images of the upper crust reflect well the surface geological, topographic and lithological features. In the North China Basin, the depression and uplift areas are imaged as slow and fast velocity belts, respectively, which are oriented in NE-SW direction. The trend of velocity anomalies is the same as that of major structure and tectonics. Paleozoic strata and Pre-Cambrian basement rocks outcrop widely in the Taihangshan and Yanshan uplift areas, which exhibit strong and broad high-velocity anomalies in our tomographic images, while the Quaternary intermountain basins show up as small low-velocity anomalies. Most of large earthquakes, such as the 1976 Tangshan earthquake (M 7.8) and the 1679 Sanhe earthquake (M 8.0), generally occurred in high-velocity areas in the upper to middle crust. However, in the lower crust to the uppermost mantle under the source zones of the large earthquakes, low-velocity and high-conductivity anomalies exist, which are considered to be associated with fluids, just like the 1995 Kobe earthquake (M 7.2) and the 2001 Indian Bhuj earthquake (M 7.8). The fluids in the lower crust may cause the weakening of the seismogenic layer in the upper and middle crust and thus contribute to the initiation of the large crustal earthquakes.     

西天山那拉提构造带及其找矿前景

那拉提构造带位于天山西段伊犁盆地与南天山之间 ,出露宽度约 2 5 km,由早元古代片岩、片麻岩及混合岩、混合花岗岩组成 ;深层次韧性剪切带及叠加中 -浅层次剪切带发育 ;那拉提构造带南缘断裂明显 ,南侧为古生代浅变质黑色岩系 ;构造带北缘韧 /脆性剪切带宽度大 ,两侧岩石劈理化后易于混淆 ,故界线不明显。那拉提构造带基本地质特征可与邻国中天山对比 ,存在寻找国外类似大型金矿床的条件和可能     

岩石地震模型的应用——思茅—马龙剖面地壳结构研究

本文根据“82测深工程”所得思茅——马龙测线地壳结构资料,用岩石材料设计制成模型。详细观测了各种类型的震相,并把这些震相和地震测深资料进行对比,对测线上的红河断裂和曲江断裂进行震相分析。最后把从模型所得结果和测深结果进行比较,对整个剖面进行评价。为云南地壳结构,特别是对思茅——马龙地区地壳结构的研究提供了有益的傍证和一种新的研究方法。     

Surveying of the deformed terraces and crust shortening rate in the northwestern Tarim Basin

Relief surveying and chronology study were carried out on the deformed river terraces across the Artushi anticline belt in the northwestern Tarim Basin. The crust shortening rate of this anticline belt since late Pleistocene was calculated to be up to 5—6 mm/a. The total crust shortening rate from the northwestern Tarim Basin to southwestern Tianshan since late Pleistocene was estimated to be over 10 mm/a.     

Formation of the Yazi Spring Stream and its significance on tectonics-climate on the northern slope of Kunlun Mountains

The sequences of fluvial terraces in the Yazi Spring Stream are signs of the stepwise uplift of the Kunlun Mountains in the northern part of the Tibetan Plateau since the Late Pleistocene. Geomorphic and sedimentary features of the terraces reveal that they have resulted from the phased tectonic uplift and the consequent river incision in the northern plateau. Using the method of Single-aliquot Regenerative-dose （SAR） Protocol and Radiocarbon ^14C dating, the deposit ages of three-grade terraces were obtained, which are 57.5, 12.8 and 5.7 kaBP, respectively. The features and ages of terraces reveal that the incision rate of the stream accelerated at the beginning of the Holocene. The incision rate changed suddenly at 12.8 KaBP, from 0.43±0.07 mm/a to 1.59±0.55 mm/a. This implicates that uplift of the Kunlun Mountains is intensive at the first onset of the Holocene, corresponding to the obvious change of slip-rate on the AItyn Tagh Fault. But its uplift rate is much lower than that of the latter, which suggests that growth of the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau is stronger than its interior.