Showing papers in "International Journal of Earth Sciences in 1998"

The Palaeozoic evolution in the Alps: from Gondwana to Pangea

Abstract: More than 50% of the Alps expose fragments of Palaeozoic basement which were assembled during the Alpine orogeny. Although the tectonic and metamorphic history of the basement units can be compared to that of the Variscan crust in the Alpine foreland, most of the basement pieces of the Alps do not represent the direct southern continuation of Variscan structural elements evident in the Massif Central, the Vosges–Black Forest or the Bohemian massif. The basement units of the Alps all originated at the Gondwana margin. They were derived from a Precambrian volcanic arc suture fringing the northern margin of Gondwana, from which they were rifted during the Cambrian–Ordovician and Silurian. A short-lived Ordovician orogenic event interrupted the general rifting tendency at the Gondwana active margin. After the Ordovician, the different blocks drifted from the Gondwana margin to their Pangea position, colliding either parallel to Armorica with Laurussia or with originally peri-Gondwanan blocks assembled presently in Armorica. From the Devonian onwards, many basement subunits underwent the complex evolution of apparently oblique collision and nappe stacking. Docking started in the External massifs, the Penninic and Lower and middle Austroalpine units in approximately Devonian/early Carboniferous times, followed by the Upper Austroalpine and the South Alpine domains, in the Visean and the Namurian times, respectively. Wrenching is probably the best mechanism to explain all syn and post-collisional phenomena since the Visean followed by post-orogenic collapse and extension. It explains the occurrence of strike-slip faults at different crustal levels, the formation of sedimentary troughs as well as the extrusion and intrusion of crustal and mantle-derived magmas, and allows for contemporaneous rapid uplift of lower crustal levels and their erosion. From the Stephanian onwards, all regions were deeply eroded by large river systems.

Geology of the Bozdag area, central Menderes massif, SW Turkey: Pan-African basement and Alpine deformation

Abstract: The Menderes massif consists of a Precambrian Core Series that preserves evidence for a polymetamorphic history and a Paleozoic/Mesozoic Cover Series that experienced only the Alpine tectonometamorphic evolution. Structural, petrographic, and geochronologic investigations in the central Menderes massif demonstrate that (a) part of the metamorphic and structural evolution of the Precambrian basement is older than the undeformed 551±1.4-Ma-old Birgi metagranite, and (b) inferred Alpine fabrics overprinting the Cover Series largely have the same attitudes as the old structures in the much older Core Series. The inferred Alpine fabrics include both contractional and extensional structures. Contraction under greenschist to amphibolite facies conditions resulted in the imbrication of the Core and Cover Series and generated an inverted metamorphic sequence by north-directed thrusting. During Alpine extension, most of the south-dipping thrust faults were reactivated as extensional shear zones under decreasing greenschist facies conditions.

Loess chronology of the Middle and Upper Pleistocene in Tadjikistan

Abstract: The loess/paleosol sequences of Central Asia are continuous terrestrial records of the Quaternary period and enable detailed comparison with paleoclimatic archives such as marine and ice core records in order to reconstruct regional and global paleoclimatic and paleoecological development during the past 130 000 years. Thermoluminescence (TL) and infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) dating methods are applied to the extensively studied loess/paleosol sequence of the section at Darai Kalon/Chashmanigar, Tadjikistan, in order to determine a more accurate chronological framework and climatostratigraphic reconstruction for the last interglacial/glacial cycle. Luminescence dating suggests that the loess above the first pedocomplex from the top, PC1, accumulated during the last glacial period. A high accumulation rate of up to 1.20 m per 1000 years was determined for the last glacial loess, especially for the uppermost 5–8 m. PC1 formed during the last interglacial period (oxygen-isotope stage 5). The loess between PC1 and PC2 is designated to be of penultimate glacial deposition age. Infrared stimulated luminescence and TL age estimates are in agreement to 80 000 years before present (BP), indicating a long-distance transport of the aeolian dust prior to deposition. The upper numerical age-limit range is between 300 000 and 450 000 years. However, reliable dating of the loess older than 130 000 years is not possible due to age scatter between samples and an inadequate increase of paleodose with depth. This high-resolution dating study underlines the importance of the section at Darai Kalon and indicates that it is one of the most continuous loess/paleosol records of the Northern Hemisphere. The chronological results are particularly important for the reconstruction of the human evolution in Central Asia, suggesting much older age estimates than previously obtained for most of the archeological key sites associated with PC5 and PC4 in Tadjikistan.

Formation of juvenile continental crust in the Arabian-Nubian shield: Evidence from granitic rocks of the Nakasib suture, NE Sudan

Abstract: Major and trace element data, U–Pb zircon ages, and initial isotopic compositions of Sr, Nd, and Pb are reported for ten granitic and one rhyolitic rock sample from the neo-Proterozoic Nakasib suture in NE Sudan. Chemical data indicate that the samples are medium- to high-K, "I-type" granitic rocks that mostly plot as "volcanic arc granites" on discriminant diagrams. Geochronologic data indicate that rifting occurred 790±2 Ma and constrain the time of deformation associated with suturing of the Gebeit and Haya terranes to have ended by approximately 740 Ma. Isotopic data show a limited range, with initial 87Sr/86Sr=0.7021 to 0.7032 (mean=0.7025), eNd(t) =+5.5 to +7.0 (mean=+6.4), and 206Pb/204Pb = 17.50–17.62. Neodymium model ages (TDM; 0.69–0.85 Ga; mean = 0.76 Ga) are indistinguishable from crystallization ages (0.79–0.71 Ga; mean=0.76 Ga), and the isotopic data considered together indicate derivation from homogeneously depleted mantle. The geochronologic data indicate that the terrane accretion to form the Arabian–Nubian shield began just prior to 750 Ma. The isotopic data reinforces models for the generation of large volumes of juvenile continental crust during neo-Proterozoic time, probably at intra-oceanic convergent margins. The data also indicate that crust formation was associated with two cycles of incompatible element enrichment in granitic rocks, with an earlier cycle beginning approximately 870 Ma and culminating approximately 740 Ma, and the second cycle beginning after pervasive high-degree melts – possibly hot-spot related – were emplaced approximately 690–720 Ma.

Alpine geodynamic evolution of passive and active continental margin sequences in the Tauern Window (eastern Alps, Austria, Italy): a review

Abstract: The Penninic oceanic sequence of the Glockner nappe and the foot-wall Penninic continental margin sequences exposed within the Tauern Window (eastern Alps) have been investigated in detail. Field data as well as structural and petrological data have been combined with data from the literature in order to constrain the geodynamic evolution of these units. Volcanic and sedimentary sequences document the evolution from a stable continent that was formed subsequent to the Variscan orogeny, to its disintegration associated with subsidence and rifting in the Triassic and Jurassic, the formation of the Glockner oceanic basin and its consumption during the Upper Cretaceous and the Paleogene. These units are incorporated into a nappe stack that was formed during the collision between a Penninic Zentralgneis block in the north and a southern Austroalpine block. The Venediger nappe and the Storz nappe are characterized by metamorphic Jurassic shelf deposits (Hochstegen group) and Cretaceous flysch sediments (Kaserer and Murtorl groups), the Eclogite Zone and the Rote Wand–Modereck nappe comprise Permian to Triassic clastic sequences (Wustkogel quartzite) and remnants of platform carbonates (Seidlwinkl group) as well as Jurassic volcanoclastic material and rift sediments (Brennkogel facies), covered by Cretaceous flyschoid sequences. Nappe stacking was contemporaneous to and postdated subduction-related (high-pressure) eclogite and blueschist facies metamorphism. Emplacement of the eclogite-bearing units of the Eclogite zone and the Glockner nappe onto Penninic continental units (Zentralgneis block) occurred subsequent to eclogite facies metamorphism. The Eclogite zone, a former extended continental margin, was subsequently overridden by a pile of basement-cover nappes (Rote Wand–Modereck nappe) along a ductile out-of-sequence thrust. Low-angle normal faults that have developed during the Jurassic extensional phase might have been inverted during nappe emplacement.

Basin fill evolution and paleotectonic patterns along the Samfrau geosyncline: The Sauce Grande basin-Ventana foldbelt (Argentina) and Karoo basin-Cape foldbelt (South Africa) revisited

Abstract: As integral parts of du Toit’s (1927) “Samfrau Geosyncline”, the Sauce Grande basin–Ventana foldbelt (Argentina) and Karoo basin–Cape foldbelt (South Africa) share similar paleoclimatic, paleogeographic, and paleotectonic aspects related to the Late Paleozoic tectono-magmatic activity along the Panthalassan continental margin of Gondwanaland. Late Carboniferou-earliest Permian glacial deposits were deposited in the Sauce Grande (Sauce Grande Formation) and Karoo (Dwyka Formation) basins and Falkland–Malvinas Islands (Lafonia Formation) during an initial (sag) phase of extension. The pre-breakup position of the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands on the easternmost part of the Karoo basin (immediately east of the coast of South Africa) is supported by recent paleomagnetic data, lithofacies associations, paleoice flow directions and age similarities between the Dwyka and the Lafonia glacial sequences. The desintegration of the Gondwanan Ice Sheet (GIS) triggered widespread transgressions, reflected in the stratigraphic record by the presence of inter-basinally correlatable, open marine, fine-grained deposits (Piedra Azul Formation in the Sauce Grande basin, Prince Albert Formation in the Karoo basin and Port Sussex Formation in the Falkland Islands) capping glacial marine sediments. These early postglacial transgressive deposits, characterised by fossils of the Eurydesma fauna and Glossopteris flora, represent the maximum flooding of the basins. Cratonward foreland subsidence was triggered by the San Rafael orogeny (ca. 270 Ma) in Argentina and propogated along the Gondwanan margin. This subsidence phase generated sufficient space to accommodate thick synorogenic sequences derived from the orogenic flanks of the Sauce Grande and Karoo basins. Compositionally, the initial extensional phase of these basins was characterized by quartz-rich, craton-derived detritus and was followed by a compressional (foreland) phase characterized by a paleocurrent reversal and dominance of arc/foldbelt-derived material. In the Sauce Grande basin, tuffs are interbedded in the upper half of the synorogenic, foldbelt-derived Tunas Formation (Early–early Late? Permian). Likewise, the first widespread appearance of tuffs in the Karoo basin is in the Whitehill Formation, of late Early Permian (260 Ma) age. Silicic volcanism along the Andes and Patagonia (Choiyoi magmatic province) peaked between the late Early Permian and Late Permian. A link between these volcanics and the consanguineous airborne tuffs present in the Sauce Grande and Karoo basins is suggested on the basis of their similar compositions and ages.

Long-distance correlations by sequence stratigraphy and cyclostratigraphy: examples and implications (Oxfordian from the Swiss Jura, Spain, and Normandy)

Abstract: The Oxfordian sedimentary successions studied in the Swiss Jura, in Normandy, and in the Soria and Cazorla regions of Spain display complex facies evolution and stacking patterns. Based on biostratigraphy and absolute age dating, it is suggested that the shallow-water depositional settings in the Jura, Normandy, and the Soria region as well as the deeper-water environments in the Cazorla region, recorded climatic and sea-level fluctuations in the Milankovitch frequency band. Beds and bedsets corresponding to 20-, 100-, and 400-ka cyclicities can be identified. Facies evolution inside such small-scale sequences and also in the larger sequences of million-year scale is interpreted in terms of sequence stratigraphy. Superposition of high-frequency cyclicity on a longer-term sea-level trend led to multiplication of diagnostic surfaces: sequence-boundary and maximum-flooding zones in the large-scale sequences can thus be defined. These zones are correlated between closely spaced sections, but also from the Swiss Jura to Normandy and to Spain. The narrow time lines given by Milankovitch cyclicity then allow comparison of facies evolution in the different regions on a scale of 100 ka or less. By filtering out local effects of differential subsidence and sediment supply, a long-term sea-level curve valid for the northwestern margin of the Tethys ocean can be reconstructed for the Middle to Late Oxfordian. Differential subsidence is implied from varying thicknesses of the sequences as well as from the distribution of siliciclastics which have been channelized through depressions. Tilted blocks, reduced sedimentation, or increased input of siliciclastics appearing at the same time in all study areas point to a widespread regional tectonic event. Distribution through the sequences of climate-dependent facies components such as corals, ooids, palynomorphs, and siliciclastics indicates that climate changes were dependent on atmospheric circulation patterns and thus on paleolatitude. Rainy periods and related increase of siliciclastics in the Swiss Jura were more abundant during low sea-level stands, whereas in the Soria region they coincided with sea-level highs. Through the combination of high-resolution sequence stratigraphy and cyclostratigraphy, and supported by biostratigraphy and absolute dating, it becomes possible to analyze paleoenvironmental changes in a very narrow time framework.

The space problem of caldera resurgence: an example from Ischia Island, Italy

Abstract: A space problem can arise in a resurgent caldera when the resurgent block is non-cylindrical, such as, for example, when it is bounded by inward- or outward-dipping faults. Ischia caldera (Italy) is an excellent case study because it is well exposed and resurgence is ongoing. On the western and eastern flanks of the Ischia resurgent horst, uplift occurred along NNW-striking normal faults with inclination from sub-vertical to vertical (>85°). The geometry of these faults suggests negligible extension within the horst. Along the northern flank, uplift was accomplished by ENE-striking normal faults that dip 60–85° outward; a few bear striae which indicate almost pure dip-slip. The southern flank of the horst is a monocline trending ENE associated with vertical faults. In a NNW–SSE section, the resulting resurgent horst has a wedge shape with an upward apex. The uplift of this wedge can be accommodated by contemporaneous regional extension along NE- to east–west striking normal faults whose motions create space for resurgence without deformation of the caldera floor. Similar interaction with regional tectonics could exist in other calderas, such as Yellowstone (USA) in an extensional setting, Los Azufres (Mexico) in a transtensional regime and Chalupas (Ecuador) in a transpressional one. At other calderas, resurgence was accommodated by caldera-floor arching as at Valles (USA) or by shortening deformations between the caldera rim and the uplifting block as at Latera (Italy).

Terrigenous sediment supply along the Chilean continental margin: modern regional patterns of texture and composition

Abstract: The regional patterns of texture and composition of modern continental slope and pelagic sediments off Chile between 25°S and 43°S reflect the latitudinal segmentation of geological, morphological, and climatic features of the continental hinterland. Grain-size characteristics are controlled by the grain-size of source rocks, the weathering regime, and mode of sediment input (eolian off northern Chile vs fluvial further south). Bulk-mineral assemblages reveal a low grade of maturity. Regional variations are governed by the source-rock composition of the different geological terranes and the relative source-rock contribution of the Coastal Range and Andes, as controlled by the continental hydrology. The relative abundance of clay minerals is also predominantly influenced by the source-rock composition and partly by continental smectite neoformation. Latitudinal variations of illite crystallinities along the Chilean continental slope (and west of the Peru–Chile trench) clearly reflect modifications of the weathering regime which correspond to the strong climatic zonation of Chile.

U-Pb zircon ages and structural development of metagranitoids of the Teplá crystalline complex: evidence for pervasive Cambrian plutonism within the Bohemian massif (Czech Republic)

Abstract: U–Pb zircon dating of three metagranitoids, situated within a tilted crustal section at the northwestern border of the Tepla Barrandian unit (Tepla crystalline complex, TCC), yields similar Cambrian ages. The U–Pb data of zircons of the Tepla orthogneiss define an upper intercept age of 513 +7/–6 Ma. The 207Pb/206Pb ages of 516±10 and 511±10 Ma of nearly concordant zircons of the Hanov orthogneiss and the Lestkov granite are interpreted to be close to the formation age of the granitoid protolith. Similar to the Cambrian granitoids of the southwestern part of the Tepla Barrandian unit (Domažlice crystalline complex, DCC) the Middle Cambrian emplacement of the TCC granitoids postdates Cadomian deformation and metamorphism of the Upper Proterozoic country rocks, but predates Variscan tectonometamorphic imprints. Structural data as well as sedimentological criteria suggest a dextral transtensional setting during the Cambrian plutonism, related to the Early Paleozoic break-up of northern Gondwana. Due to strong Variscan crustal tilting, the degree of Variscan tectonometamorphic overprint is strikingly different in the dated granitoids. It is lowest in the weakly or undeformed Lestkov granite, located in the greenschist-facies domain. The Tepla orthogneiss in the north underwent pervasive top-to-NW mylonitic shearing under amphibolite-facies conditions. There is no indication for a resetting of the U–Pb isotopic system of the Tepla orthogneiss zircons that could be attributed to this imprint. Radiation damages accumulated until recent have probably caused lead loss.

Extensional subsidence, contractional folding and thrust inversion of the eastern Cameros basin, northern Spain

Abstract: Tectonic analysis of the Cameros massif (northern Spain) demonstrates the need to integrate detailed structural analysis with stratigraphic studies in order to understand the development of inverted basins. The Cameros massif underwent three major tectonic events, each characterized by different mechanisms of deformation: The first event (Tithonian–Early Albian) manifested as continental rifting and formation of the Cameros basin and was attended by normal faulting and related folding of pre- and syn-rift sedimentary sequences (up to 9 km thick). It corresponded to the beginning of rifting and opening of the Bay of Biscay to the north of the massif. The second event occurred at the end of the Early Cretaceous. The basin underwent contraction, manifested as gentle folds containing axial-plane cleavage. This contraction was due to the migration of the center of rifting away from the basin and toward the northeast, and correlates with the onset of oceanic spreading in the Bay of Biscay. Deformation happened during a low-grade metamorphism period that reached its thermal peak after folding and cleavage formation (90–100 Ma). The final stage of deformation (Eocene–Miocene), following a structurally quiescent period of approximately 40 Ma, occurred during the convergence/collision between Iberia and Europe. It formed contractional folds related to large E/W-striking overthrusts. The Mesozoic basin was inverted and transported 25 km toward the north. During this stage both unfolding and tightening of the former folds occurred, as determined from analysis of cleavage orientation associated with the previous shortening.

Trace fossils and ichnofabrics on the Lower Muschelkalk carbonate ramp (Triassic) of Germany: tool for high-resolution sequence stratigraphy

Abstract: In the German Triassic of Thuringia, the Lower Muschelkalk sequence can be subdivided by application of ichnological methods. Three ichnofacies with five ichnofabrics are described. In accordance with the lithological features, trace fossils are found to defining parasequences on the basis of a regular change of bioturbation. Furthermore, it is possible to establish deepening-upward cycles. The reconstruction of parasequences allows the establishment of a high-resolution sequence stratigraphy. The position of the maximum flooding surface can be identified in the Terebratula Member and is developed in a condensed interval. The most significant of the additional major marine flooding surfaces is found at the top of the Upper Oolith Bed, characterized by lithostratigraphy, ichnology, biostratigraphy and parasequence thickness trends.

Metapegmatites in the western Bohemian massif: ages of crystallisation and metamorphic overprint, as constrained by U-Pb zircon, monazite, garnet, columbite and Rb-Sr muscovite data

Abstract: Granitic metapegmatites of two crystalline units of the western Bohemian massif, the Zone of Erbendorf-Vohenstrauss in Germany (ZEV), and the Zone of Tepla-Domažlice in the Czech Republic (ZTD) have been dated by means of U–Pb and Rb–Sr methods. Ages interpreted to reflect emplacement and crystallisation of the pegmatites were found consistently to be approximately 480 Ma, as constrained by U–Pb analyses of primary magmatic zircon, monazite, garnet and columbite, and by Rb–Sr analyses of large pegmatitic muscovites. Later Devonian amphibolite-facies metamorphism caused ductile shearing of the pegmatites, leading to partial recrystallisation of pegmatitic material. A metamorphic, fine-grained generation of muscovite yielded consistent Rb–Sr ages of 371–376 Ma for both the ZEV and the ZTD, interpreted as dating the end of deformational activity. The Rb–Sr system of the large pegmatitic muscovites turned out to remain closed up to metamorphic temperatures of >600 °C. Deformation at elevated temperatures is identified as the dominant mechanism for opening of the Rb–Sr system of primary muscovites: apparent ages grade towards Devonian ages as the muscovites become more deformed and fragmented. The data derived from the metapegmatites point to a similar or common tectonometamorphic evolution for the ZEV and the ZTD since the Ordovician. Furthermore, the magmatic formation of granitic pegmatites implies an upper crustal position of the intruded rocks in Lower Ordovician times, clearly documenting the existence of two distinct metamorphic cycles. In contrast to this, in the neighbouring part of the Moldanubian, only unmetamorphosed granitic pegmatites with intrusion ages around 320 Ma are observed.

Further evidence for an early Carboniferous ( 340 Ma) age of high-grade metamorphism in the Saxonian granulite complex

Abstract: U–Pb and Pb–Pb zircon ages for metamorphic zircons from granulites in the Saxonian granulite complex are reported, using the SHRIMP ion microprobe, conventional multigrain and single-gain techniques and the evaporation method. This is complemented by a Pb–Pb evaporation age for a post-granulite granite emplaced into the schist mantle around the granulites during uplift of the complex. We also demonstrate that zircon ages are not reset during high-grade metamorphism, as commonly argued, but have a very high closure temperature and usually preserve the isotopic composition reflecting the time of their formation. Multifaceted zircons from four granulite samples that probably grew close to the peak of high-grade metamorphism yielded identical U–Pb and Pb–Pb ages of ∼340 Ma which support previously published data and unambiguously show that the granulites formed during a lower Carboniferous event and not in the early Palaeozoic or Precambrian as previously suggested. Older cores in some of the metamorphic zircons reveal early Palaeozoic components at 470–485 Ma that we interpret as ages reflecting magmatic crystallization of the granulite precursors. One sample suggests an inherited component as old as ∼1700 Ma. The post-granulite granite has a Pb–Pb evaporation age of 333.1±1.0 Ma, and the short time interval between granulite metamorphism and granite intrusion implies that uplift, crustal extension and cooling of the granulite complex occurred rapidly after peak metamorphic conditions.

Evaluating the tephra input into Pacific Ocean sediments: distribution in space and time

Abstract: We studied the volcanic contribution to the global sediment budget in the Pacific Ocean basin. It is the world's oldest (174 m.y.) and largest (≈49% of Earth's surface area) ocean basin and has had a high and continuous tephra influx from intraplate and convergent margin volcanoes through time. Computerized shipboard data from 65 legs of the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) and the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) were screened for the presence of volcaniclastic components. Tephra-bearing and tephra-free core sections (standard 1.5- and 0.30-m core catcher sections) were separated, regardless of the mass fraction of tephra present. The percentage of tephra-bearing core sections ("tephra frequency") per site and time span ("age unit") was calculated. The age units were the Quaternary, the subepochs of the Tertiary, and the stages of the Cretaceous. A total of 424 drill sites yielded 1433 usable stratigraphic units. Fifty percent are younger than 13 m.y., corresponding to only approximately 10% of the total interval studied (124.5 m.y.). The percentage of tephra-bearing age units is high throughout (83±6%) and correlates linearly with the total number of age units (R 2 =0.998; n=17). The average tephra frequency (30–50%) fluctuates, because the abundance of age units of different tephra frequency classes (0, 1–33, 34–67, 68–100% tephra frequency) varies with time. This indicates that the Cenozoic increase in tephra production results from increase in volcanicity and not spatial extension of volcanic source areas. The Cenozoic sediments that were recovered are dominated by distal tephra from explosive arc volcanism. Pulses of arc volcanism occurred in the Pliocene–Quaternary (since ≈5 m.y.) and mid-Miocene (≈12–15 m.y.). However, the record of explosive arc volcanism in Paleogene and Cretaceous sediments was either not drilled or has been destroyed by subduction. Except for the Cretaceous (≈70–110 m.y.) volcanic pulse, intraplate volcanism is poorly represented in the tephra record because the drill sites are outside the proximal range (>500–1000 km) of the sources. Thus, the tephra record drilled contains significant gaps that bias the estimate of tephra volume towards the less voluminous distal deposits. Most of the volcaniclastic volume accumulated by mass wasting as volcaniclastic aprons surrounding ocean island volcanoes. Volcaniclastic production rates range from 10,000 to 41,800 km3/m.y. for large intraplate volcanoes and approximately 10–13 km3/km arc length per million years for oceanic island arcs. Extrapolation over the lifetime of major Pacific arcs and hotspot chains, combined with a volume estimate of the distal tephra component, indicates a minimum of 9.3×106 km3 of tephra, corresponding to 23 vol.% of the existing Pacific oceanic sediments. At least two thirds of the tephra volume was deposited in the proximal range and at least half of it is derived from intraplate sources. The large proportion of tephra, its composition, and its localized accumulation causes significant spatial and temporal variation in Pacific oceanic sediments that should have a perceptible impact on the elemental fluxes between ocean, crust, and mantle.

Cretaceous alkaline lamprophyres from northeastern Czech Republic: geochemistry and petrogenesis

Abstract: The northeast part of the Czech Republic (Moravia) and the adjoining part of Poland host a 100-km-long and 15- to 25-km-wide belt containing numerous isolated bodies (mainly sills) of lamprophyre of Lower Cretaceous age. The lamprophyres range from mafic (melanocratic) to evolved, feldspar-rich (mesocratic) variants. Mineralogically, they are characterized by compositionally zoned kaersutite phenocrysts, biotite and high Al–Ti salitic to diopsidic clinopyroxene. The lamprophyres are typically alkaline as shown by high contents of P2O5, TiO2, alkalies and incompatible trace elements such as light REE, Zr, Nb, Y, Ba and Sr, and by high Ti/V (>50) and chondrite-normalized (La/Yb)n (8–25) ratios. They resemble alkali basalts, basanites and nephelinites. Major element composition and trace element patterns and Nd–Sr isotopic values (eNd ca. +5.5 to +6.6 and eSr ca. –9.5 to –24.0) indicate that the lamprophyric magma was derived from a mantle source that was compositionally similar to the source of ocean island basalts with HIMU affinities and some continental extension-related alkali basaltic suites. The lamprophyres do not show any subduction imprint. They were generated in the garnet stability field by a variable degree of melting. Evolved lamprophyres were formed by clinopyroxene-dominated fractional crystallization of mafic lamprophyric magma. The lamprophyres are interpreted to have been emplaced along conduits formed during the formation of a basin/graben structure in the Early Cretaceous.

Variscan vs cadomian tectonothermal activity in northwestern sectors of the tepla-barrandian zone, czech republic : constraints from 40ar/39ar ages

Abstract: Five muscovite concentrates from high-grade, pelitic metasedimentary basement rocks exposed in northwestern sectors of the Tepla-Barrandian zone (Czech Republic) record 40Ar/39Ar mineral plateau ages which range between ca. 376 and 362 Ma. Hornblende concentrates from metagabbro (Marianske Lanzě complex) and fine-grained basement amphibolite display plateaux which define 36Ar/40Ar vs 39Ar/40Ar isotope-correlation ages of ca. 370 and ca. 375 Ma. The mineral ages are interpreted to date relatively rapid cooling through appropriate argon retention temperatures following early phases of Variscan (Early Devonian) regional metamorphism. A slate/phyllite basement sample collected within lower-grade metasedimentary rocks in southeastern portions of the Tepla-Barrandian zone is characterized by an internally discordant 40Ar/39Ar whole-rock age spectrum which suggests partial Variscan rejuvenation of intracrystalline argon systems which had cooled through appropriate argon retention temperatures following an initial regional metamorphism at or prior to ca. 500 Ma (Cadomian). Hornblende from undeformed diorite of the Kdynž complex records a well-defined 40Ar/39Ar age plateau which corresponds to an isotope-correlation age of ca. 516 Ma. This is interpreted to date post-magmatic cooling following emplacement.

The sulfur and strontium isotopic compositions of Permian evaporites from the Zechstein basin, northern Germany

Abstract: The sulfur isotopic composition of stratigraphically well constrained samples from five evaporitic cycles of the German Zechstein (upper Permian) displays no systematic lateral variation and no significant temporal trend. With an average δ34S value close to 11‰, results confirm the previously determined sulfur isotope minimum for Phanerozoic seawater. Least radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr ratios for these sulfates define a clear temporal variation with a minimum value at 0.707008. A conclusive assessment of this temporal trend in comparison with other data sets for upper Permian seawater is not possible due to substantial differences in (bio)stratigraphic assignments.

The marine lockne impact structure, jamtland, sweden : a review

Abstract: The Lockne impact structure in Jamtland (63°00'20"N, 14°49'30"E) formed in the Middle Ordovician at approximately 455 Ma. The structure is a concentric crater with a total diameter of 13.5 km. The impact took place in a marine environment. Seawater played an important role in the cratering process and in crater morphology and the amount of melt remaining in the structure. Seawater rushed back into the crater in a resurge, eroding and redepositing the ejecta among the resurge deposit. Seawater furthermore facilitated the hydrothermal system, which was driven by the residual heat in the structure. The Lockne structure hosts shocked quartz and an iridium anomaly. The rim wall round the crater collapsed in the modification stage of the crater and was annihilated by the resurge. The fractured basement and the impact breccia were initially rich in open cavities. These became partly filled with dominantly calcite. The filling contributed to a low-density contrast, generating a negative gravity anomaly of 22 gu. The gravity model indicates a central uplift and a NW-directed tilt of the structure. This tilt is also seen in the magnetic models. The apparent absence of any impact melt is probably real and related to the environment of impact.

Stratigraphic record of thrust propagation, Carboniferous foreland basin, Pyrenees, with emphasis on Pays-de-Sault (France/Spain)

Abstract: The Carboniferous culm of the Pays-de-Sault is divided into two diachronous and synshortening series. These series are dated Late Visean (Pic d'Ourtiset series in a northern overthrust unit) and Early Namurian E2 (La Fajolle series in a southern underthrust unit) from an association of foraminifers, algae, and microproblematica identified in clasts of conglomerates. According to structural positions and facies criteria, these two series are interpreted as two turbiditic depocenters which were generated by southward thrust propagation during Late Visean and Early Namurian. At the scale of the Pyrenean Hercynian range, this evolution is consistent with a thrust and depocenter sequence propagating on the wedge-top depozone of a foreland basin system from the northeast (Mouthoumet subpyrenean massif) to the southwest (end of the High Primary Range) during Late Visean to Westphalian C time interval.

Compositional variations during phases of progradation and retrogradation of a Triassic carbonate platform (Picco di Vallandro/Dürrenstein, dolomites, Italy)

Abstract: In this paper data are presented on the composition of sediments deposited at the toe of slope during progradation or retreat of Triassic carbonate platforms in the Dolomites (Italy). For this purpose a succession was studied from the toe of slope of a Triassic (Carnian) carbonate platform (Picco di Vallendro/Durrenstein, Dolomites, Italy). The microfacies analysis of selected calciturbidites sequences revealed a reduced input of oncolites and ooids during progradation and an increase in clasts. The main input, however, was derived from the reefs on the platform. Retrogradation of the platform showed an increase of filaments and radiolarians (open ocean biota) as well as carbonate mud and a reduced input of grains that originated within the reefs on the platform. Both during progradation and retrogradation parts of the platform were flooded and could produce excess sediment that could be exported to the surrounding basins. However, the absence of platform interior biota documents that progradation occurred from sediments of the reefal belt, probably during relative sea-level lowstands. Carbonate composition varies systematically with toe-of-slope progradation/retrogradation and, thus, argues for carbonate production as the main driver of the geometries observed at the toe of slope.

The impossible galapagos connection : geometric constraints for a near-american origin of the caribbean plate

Abstract: Geometric constraints derived from the present plate configuration and from plate motion vectors of the Caribbean as well as the North and South American plates within a hotspot reference frame indicate that the thickened Caribbean oceanic crust was formed in a near-American position rather, than at the Galapagos hotspot. A lateral displacement of more than 1000 km between the Caribbean plate and the North and South American plates is related to differences in plate motion velocities during the Cenozoic era. The differential motion between the Caribbean and the American plates results from trench-parallel mantle flow as a response to the westward motion of the American plates.

Soft-sediment deformation structures interpreted as seismites in the uppermost Aptian to lowermost Albian transgressive deposits of the Chihuahua basin (Mexico)

Abstract: Several levels of soft-sediment deformation structures (s.-s.d.s.) cut by synsedimentary normal faults have been observed in the transition beds between the “Las Vigas” and “La Virgen” formations (Cretaceous) in the northeastern part of the Chihuahua basin in Mexico. These structures consisted of four kinds of motifs (floating breccias, flame-like structures, large pillow structures, and wavy structures). They are restricted to five “stratigraphic” levels (Σ1–Σ5) and surrounded by undeformed beds in fluvio-lacustrine and tidal deposits and can be traced over a distance of several hundred meters. This deformation is interpreted to have resulted from the combined effects of liquidization and shear stress in soft-sediments due to local earthquakes in the area which could have been generated during the rifting stage of the Chihuahua basin. New constraints placed on the age of the “Las Vigas” Formation (bracketed by Late Aptian charophytes at the bottom and colomiellids of late Aptian to earliest Albian age at the top) suggest that this synrift tectonism lasted at least until the end of the Aptian.

Integrated geothermal modeling on different scales in the Northeast German basin

Abstract: Geothermal modeling is an important part of large-scale basin studies. Based on a new 3D structural model of the Northeast German basin, the present day regional geothermal field is modeled. Range and regional trend of the modeled temperature values are in agreement with the published data. Due to the high spatial resolution, the calculated temperature distribution provides additional information with respect to areas where no measured data is available. The results are used as input and boundary parameters for small-scale models of geothermal energy production. In general, in many regions not enough data is available to define all necessary physical or chemical parameters for modeling. In this context, data obtained from the large-scale model help to constrain unknown parameters. Subsequently, the small-scale model is used to simulate various production schemes focusing on enhanced predictions with respect to the possible lifetime of such installations. The simulation results also show the need for elaborated models if reliable predictions of the temperature evolution are required.

Facies analysis and sequence stratigraphy of neoproterozoic Platform deposits in Adrar of Mauritania, Taoudeni basin, West Africa

Abstract: The Neoproterozoic and Palaeozoic Taoudeni basin forms the flat-lying and unmetamorphosed sedimentary cover of the West African Craton. In the western part of this basin, the Char Group and the lower part of the Atar Group make up a 400-m-thick Neoproterozoic siliciclastic succession which rests on the Palaeoproterozoic metamorphic and granitic basement. Five erosional bounding surfaces of regional extent have been identified in this succession. These surfaces separate five stratigraphic units with lithofacies associations ranging from fluvial to coastal and fluvial-, tide-, or wave-dominated shallow marine deposits. Owing to their regional extent and their position within the succession, the erosive bounding surfaces correspond to relative sea-level falls, and accordingly the five stratigraphic units they bound represent allocyclic transgressive–regressive depositional sequences (S1–S5). Changes in the nature of the deposits forming the transgressive–regressive cycles reflect landward or seaward shifts of the stacked sequences. These successive relative sea-level changes are related to the reactivation of basement faults and tilting during rifting of the Pan-Afro-Brasiliano supercontinent 1000 m.y. ago. The stromatolite bearing carbonate-shale sequences which form the rest of the Atar Group mark the onset of a quiet period of homogeneous subsidence contemporaneous with the Pan-African I oceanization 800–700 m.y. ago.

Petrology and geochemistry of post–kinematic mafic rocks from the Paleoproterozoic Ubendian belt, NE Katanga (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Abstract: The Paleoproterozoic post-kinematic Ubendian mafic rocks from northeastern Katanga (Democratic Republic of Congo) are olivine-and-quartz tholeiites which in many respects resemble Phanerozoic continental tholeiites. The analogies are suggested by the petrographic features and the major element diagrams classically used to infer magmatic affinity. The clinopyroxene compositions straddle the boundary between clinopyroxenes from orogenic and extensional tectonic settings. In addition, the whole-rock compositions are mostly Ti- and P-poor as in low Ti–P continental flood basalts and in subduction-related mafic magmas. The same conclusion is sustained by the trace-element compositions (e.g., occurrence of mafic magmas with high Th/Ta and La/Ta values; low Sr/Ce ratios, etc). These geochemical features indicate involvement of a subduction component at the source of these extensional igneous rocks. Convective mixing of asthenospheric mantle with the overlying lithospheric mantle enriched during the Ubendian subduction or mixing of melts from both mantle components can account for the composition of the post-orogenic Ubendian mafic rocks.

Variscan P–T deformation paths from the southwestern Aiguilles Rouges massif (External massif, western Alps) and their implication for its tectonic evolution

Abstract: Petrological and structural investigations in metapelites and amphibolites were undertaken to unravel the Variscan tectonic and metamorphic evolution of the southwestern Aiguilles Rouges massif. The geometry of planar and linear structures indicates a transpressive deformation regime with a change from predominantly subhorizontal to subvertical movements during its evolution. In metapelite samples from gneiss areas, garnet zonation trends have been correlated with chemical variations in plagioclase and biotite by microstructural observations. Applied conventional cation-exchange and net-transfer geothermobarometers yielded anti-clockwise P–T-deformation paths. Clockwise P–T-deformation paths resulted from (Na, Ca)-amphibole zonations of amphibolite samples from a different lithotectonic unit. Notable differences in P–T conditions and the general shape of P–T paths for the gneisses and amphibolites indicate that the units do not represent a continuous metamorphic zonation and underwent no common tectono-metamorphic evolution throughout the entire deformation. The combination of P–T-deformation paths and structural investigations revealed first-stage thrust tectonics followed by a transpressive deformation which was responsible for the uplift of the southwestern Aiguilles Rouges massif.

Thermal history of the evaporitic Haselgebirge mélange in the Northern Calcareous Alps (Austria)

Abstract: In the central and eastern part of the Northern Calcareous Alps, Upper Permian evaporitic rocks form a tectonic melange whose distribution is restricted largely to the topmost thrust unit (Juvavicum). Mudrock and dolostone samples associated with the evaporites in ten major outcrops (mostly mines) were examined in order to constrain the paleothermal conditions of the melange. Measurements of illite "crystallinity" reveal a regionally variable pattern of metamorphic grade ranging from diagenesis to the high anchizone and possibly epizone. Most samples contained very little organic matter and vitrinite particles were rare. Samples containing vitrinite show consistent minimum reflectance values of ∼1.3–1.7% Ro, whereas maximum reflectance values are more variable (up to 4.9%). The former data constrain the minimum burial temperatures to ∼160–180°C. The observed variability in illite "crystallinity" and organic maturity both between and within individual outcrops is consistent with the melange architecture of this unit and is in good agreement with the regional thermal pattern recognized in Middle to Upper Triassic carbonate formations within the Juvavicum by conodont color alteration studies. Melange formation and heating of the evaporites is suggested to be linked to the Upper Jurassic closure of the Meliata-Hallstatt Ocean and subsequent thrusting of obducted terranes (Juvavicum) into the depositional realm of the Northern Calcareous Alps.

Volume strain, strain type and flow path in a narrow shear zone

Abstract: This study explores the state of finite strain and changes in the mean kinematic vorticity number, grain size, whole-rock chemistry and mineralogy across an upper amphibolite-facies shear zone in a metadiorite, northern Malawi, east-central Africa. P–T conditions during shear-zone formation and deformation were approximately 700–750 °C and 5–7 kbar and are slightly less than P–T conditions for the regional peak of metamorphism. The major rock-forming minerals, plagioclase, hornblende, biotite, and quartz, were deformed by crystal-plastic processes accompanied by, except for hornblende, dynamic recrystallization. The modal abundance of all four major rock-forming minerals shows no systematic change from the country rock into and across the shear zone, indicating that shear-zone development was not associated with retrograde mineral reactions. The grain size of the major rock-forming minerals decreases within the shear zone. Plagioclase and hornblende, which occur as porphyroblasts outside the shear zone, exhibit a bimodal grain-size distribution within the shear zone. Quartz has a unimodal grain-size distribution in the shear zone. Major and trace element chemistry does not change systematically across the shear zone, implying no volume change in the mylonite. Matrix strain data for plagioclase and hornblende by the Fry method and fabric strain as deduced from Rf/φ analysis of plagioclase and quartz grains demonstrate a slightly constrictional strain type (K≈1.5) across the shear zone. The quantitative finite-strain data for the different residual minerals as obtained by unlike methods show no systematic variation, but recrystallized plagioclase grains record higher strain than the residual grains. The mean kinematic vorticity number changes from approximately 0.3 outside to approximately 0.8 within the shear zone, indicating that the bulk deformation path deviated from progressive simple shear. The estimates for finite strain and the degree of noncoaxiality account for approximately 50% of thinning normal to the shear zone.

The Rio Sassito sedimentary succession (Ordovician): a pinpoint in the geodynamic evolution of the Argentine Precordillera

Abstract: In the Precordillera of western Argentina, an isolated outcrop of Llandeilian siliciclastics and Caradocian limestones (Rio Sassito succession) reveals a complex interplay between the tectonic and the sedimentary history of the Precordillera during Middle and Late Ordovician times. The succession is composed of a lower siliciclastic interval and an upper carbonate interval and is bounded below and above by erosional unconformities. Dating of these unconformities, which in many places merged to form one single surface, demonstrates that the most important erosional event took place prior to the deposition of the Rio Sassito succession. This erosional event is correlated to extensional tectonics during continental breakup and the separation of the Precordillera from Laurentia. Block faulting with the formation of horst and graben structures provided the topography for the establishment of a pelagic carbonate platform during the Caradoc. In our view, there are no indications that these phenomena are related to the accretion of the Precordillera to Gondwana or to the formation of an Ordovician supercontinent. The carbonate sediments are typical of temperate-water settings, characterized by the absence of ooids, oncoids, and algae, and by the presence of abundant abraded bioclasts, intraclasts, and peloids. The inference of a temperate-water environment does not, as previously supposed, indicate the accretion of the Precordillera to Gondwana, but is more likely related to global cooling prior to the Ashgillian glaciation.