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Geologica Acta
Universitat de Barcelona, Geologica Acta, Faculty Member
- CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Spanish National Research Council), Geology, Faculty MemberInstitut cartografic i Geologic de Catalunya, Geology, Faculty MemberUniversitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Geology, Faculty Memberadd
- International earth and environmental sciences journal. Open-access and online science publication.
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The scarcity of bathymetric studies in most Turkish lakes does not allow the documentation and the potential causes of lake bottom irregularities. In this study, relatively high-resolution bathymetric data from Lake Sünnet (NW Anatolia)... more
The scarcity of bathymetric studies in most Turkish lakes does not allow the documentation and the potential causes of lake bottom irregularities. In this study, relatively high-resolution bathymetric data from Lake Sünnet (NW Anatolia) revealed five deep (5.7 to 9.2m) and narrow (10 to 20m) depressions located along the boundary between the lake bottom and the steep lake margins. Analysis of lake level data belonging to dry seasons hints no leakage through these depressions. However, the negative conical shape and weakly developed levees around the holes suggest an upward episodic groundwater discharge for which direct evidence has been absent up to date. A combined hydraulic and soil mechanical model applied successfully explains the pockmark activity due to the flow of water through conduits in karstic carbonate bedrock. According to sedimentation rates and average depth of pockmarks in Lake Sünnet, and available regional paleoclimate studies, the onset of pockmark activity might coincide with the transition from the Near East Aridification Phase to the humid Beyşehir Occupation Phase around 300 BCE in SW and NW Anatolia.
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The Miocene Daralu Porphyry Copper Deposits (PCDs) is found associated with other porphyries such as Sarcheshmeh and Meiduk in the Kerman Cenozoic Magmatic Arc (KCMA), southern Iran. In this research, we provided whole-rock geochemical... more
The Miocene Daralu Porphyry Copper Deposits (PCDs) is found associated with other porphyries such as Sarcheshmeh and Meiduk in the Kerman Cenozoic Magmatic Arc (KCMA), southern Iran. In this research, we provided whole-rock geochemical data, characteristics of hydrothermal fluid and sulfur isotope composition of the Daralu intrusive body, and discussed the nature, tectonic setting and fluid evolution of this deposit aiming to investigate its fertility.
The Daralu porphyry shows adakites affinity, that is, high Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios and positive Eu anomalies. The REEs patterns indicate a strong fractionation ([La/Yb]n= 28.73). High La/Sm and Dy/Yb ratios suggest enrichment of amphibole and garnet as residual phases in melt source, whereas partial melting of plagioclase increases Eu and Sr in the parent magma. The presence of garnet implies a pressure equivalent to the thickness of more than 40km of crust.
To elucidate the evolutionary history of fluids and the origin of the Daralu deposit, we focused on the origin and composition of the fluid through petrography, Raman spectroscopy, and microthermometry studies of fluid inclusions. The fluid inclusions have been divided into four types: vapor (type I), aqueous-vapor (type II), CO2- bearing (type III), and multiphase (type IV). The Raman shifts included 1284 and 1388 cm−1 for CO2 and 2750–3900 cm−1 for H2O. The events such as NaCl supersaturation, exhausting of CO2-rich components, high oxygen fugacity and temperature decreasing through mineralization stages were critical in controlling the fertility of the Daralu PCD. The obtained δ34S data for sulfides yielded an average of +5.5‰. Based on the observed features, it was concluded that Daralu porphyry shares formation conditions with other productive porphyries of the KCMA.
The Daralu porphyry shows adakites affinity, that is, high Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios and positive Eu anomalies. The REEs patterns indicate a strong fractionation ([La/Yb]n= 28.73). High La/Sm and Dy/Yb ratios suggest enrichment of amphibole and garnet as residual phases in melt source, whereas partial melting of plagioclase increases Eu and Sr in the parent magma. The presence of garnet implies a pressure equivalent to the thickness of more than 40km of crust.
To elucidate the evolutionary history of fluids and the origin of the Daralu deposit, we focused on the origin and composition of the fluid through petrography, Raman spectroscopy, and microthermometry studies of fluid inclusions. The fluid inclusions have been divided into four types: vapor (type I), aqueous-vapor (type II), CO2- bearing (type III), and multiphase (type IV). The Raman shifts included 1284 and 1388 cm−1 for CO2 and 2750–3900 cm−1 for H2O. The events such as NaCl supersaturation, exhausting of CO2-rich components, high oxygen fugacity and temperature decreasing through mineralization stages were critical in controlling the fertility of the Daralu PCD. The obtained δ34S data for sulfides yielded an average of +5.5‰. Based on the observed features, it was concluded that Daralu porphyry shares formation conditions with other productive porphyries of the KCMA.
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Slip models of the April 25, 1989 (Mw 6.9) earthquake and the Acapulco earthquake of September 8, 2021 (Mw 7.0) were determined to analyze its rupture zone and understand the relationship of interplate earthquakes in the Acapulco–San... more
Slip models of the April 25, 1989 (Mw 6.9) earthquake and the Acapulco earthquake of September 8, 2021 (Mw 7.0) were determined to analyze its rupture zone and understand the relationship of interplate earthquakes in the Acapulco–San Marcos subduction zone. For both events, velocity P and SH waves recorded at teleseismic distances were modeled. For the 1989 San Marcos event, two slip zones were determined with a maximum slip of 121cm, a stress drop of 8bars and a rupture duration of approximately 13s. This event showed a complex rupture. For the 2021 Acapulco event, a zone of maximum slip of 267cm, a stress drop of 5bars, and a rupture duration of approximately 24s were determined. Analysis of rupture zones suggests that complex events occur in the Acapulco–San Marcos subduction zone. Therefore, these results have important implications in seismic potential studies since the source parameters are critical.
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We investigated the origin and spatio-temporal evolution of cooling fractures in pillow basalt which undergo thermal contraction after their eruption in an aqueous environment. Through a computer-based simulation using Fourier... more
We investigated the origin and spatio-temporal evolution of cooling fractures in pillow basalt which undergo thermal contraction after their eruption in an aqueous environment. Through a computer-based simulation using Fourier transformation, the thermo elastic stress displacement profiles within individual pillow units are determined. The scaled model (pillow diameter - 1 meter) generated radial, linear fractures perpendicular to pillow margin and irregular discrete flaws in the pillow interior like the ones observed in natural examples. Radial linear fractures of 3–5 centimetre in length have been measured in pillows of average one-metre diameter from the Maradihalli region, in the Chitradurga Schist Belt, India. An estimated time of 94–118 minutes was required to get radial fractures of similar length in the simulation. Our model efficiently replicated the generation and distribution of thermal fractures and allowed an estimation of cooling time for the peripheral glassy zone but has limitations in deciphering the formation of fracture networks in progressively crystalline inner zone of pillows.
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In Billefjorden, central Spitsbergen, Devonian collapse and Carboniferous rift-related sedimentary strata were deposited unconformably over Proterozoic basement rocks displaying well developed N-S-trending Caledonian grain. Caledonian... more
In Billefjorden, central Spitsbergen, Devonian collapse and Carboniferous rift-related sedimentary strata were deposited unconformably over Proterozoic basement rocks displaying well developed N-S-trending Caledonian grain. Caledonian structures and fabrics are thought to have controlled the location and trend of subsequent Devonian and Carboniferous basin-bounding faults like the Billefjorden fault zone and Lemströmfjellet–Løvehovden fault. However, fieldwork and interpretation of aerial photographs in Proterozoic basement rocks reveal the existence of steep, abundant, WNW-ESE-striking brittle faults that are sub-orthogonal to known major Caledonian and postCaledonian structures in Billefjorden, but that do not extend into adjacent-overlying, rift-related, Pennsylvanian rocks of the Gipsdalen Group. Structural analysis of field data and aerial photographs suggest that WNW-ESEstriking faults in basement rocks in Billefjorden formed as (sinistral) strike-slip and normal faults during Devonian-Mississippian extension in agreement with previously inferred models of sinistral transtension. The abundance of these faults suggests that their formation was controlled by analogously trending, preexisting structural grain (planar anisotropies) at depth, and their pronounced WNW-ESE strike suggests that the strike of preexisting anisotropies were comparable to recently identified, crustal-scale, WNW-ESE-striking Timanian thrust systems in Svalbard and the northern Barents Sea
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The mantle rocks from Kadaboura and Madara areas represent sections of dismembered ophiolitic complexes developed during the Neoproterozoic in the Eastern Desert of Egypt, which is located in the northwestern corner of the Arabian–Nubian... more
The mantle rocks from Kadaboura and Madara areas represent sections of dismembered ophiolitic complexes developed during the Neoproterozoic in the Eastern Desert of Egypt, which is located in the northwestern corner of the Arabian–Nubian Shield. The Kadaboura mantle rocks comprise serpentinites and serpentinized dunites, whereas those of the Madara consist of serpentinites and serpentinized pyroxenites.
Despite the serpentinization of the studied mantle rocks, few relicts of primary chromite, olivine and pyroxene are preserved. Chromite is partly altered having unaltered Al-rich chromite cores surrounded by Fe-rich chromite and Cr-rich magnetite rims. The unaltered Al-rich chromite cores show compositions equilibrated at temperatures mostly below ~500-600°C, which is a temperature comparable to that estimated for primary chromite in greenschist up to lower amphibolite facies rocks. The high Cr# [100×Cr/(Cr+Al)= 47-76] of the unaltered chromite cores and the Mg-rich nature of the olivine relicts (Fo91–94) indicate that the studied mantle rocks were produced from a highly depleted mantle that experienced high degrees of melt extraction (mostly ~30-40%). This range of melt extraction resembles that estimated for supra-subduction zone peridotites, but higher than that in abyssal and passive margin peridotites. Furthermore, the clinopyroxene relicts show compositions comparable to those from the Mariana forearc peridotites. Bulk-rock geochemistry also reflects derivation from an extremely depleted and a highly refractory mantle source. Modeling of rare-earth elements suggests that the studied mantle rocks were possibly formed by the interaction of their highly depleted harzburgitic mantle precursors with subduction-related melts/fluids during their evolution in a fore-arc basin of the supra-subduction zone.
The proposed geodynamic model suggests that the oceanic lithosphere generated during the seafloor spreading of the Mozambique Ocean was emplaced in the upper plate of the intra-oceanic subduction zone, in which the formely depleted Neoproterozoic mantle of the Arabian-Nubian Shield experienced mature phases of hydrous melting, extreme depletion and enrichment.
Despite the serpentinization of the studied mantle rocks, few relicts of primary chromite, olivine and pyroxene are preserved. Chromite is partly altered having unaltered Al-rich chromite cores surrounded by Fe-rich chromite and Cr-rich magnetite rims. The unaltered Al-rich chromite cores show compositions equilibrated at temperatures mostly below ~500-600°C, which is a temperature comparable to that estimated for primary chromite in greenschist up to lower amphibolite facies rocks. The high Cr# [100×Cr/(Cr+Al)= 47-76] of the unaltered chromite cores and the Mg-rich nature of the olivine relicts (Fo91–94) indicate that the studied mantle rocks were produced from a highly depleted mantle that experienced high degrees of melt extraction (mostly ~30-40%). This range of melt extraction resembles that estimated for supra-subduction zone peridotites, but higher than that in abyssal and passive margin peridotites. Furthermore, the clinopyroxene relicts show compositions comparable to those from the Mariana forearc peridotites. Bulk-rock geochemistry also reflects derivation from an extremely depleted and a highly refractory mantle source. Modeling of rare-earth elements suggests that the studied mantle rocks were possibly formed by the interaction of their highly depleted harzburgitic mantle precursors with subduction-related melts/fluids during their evolution in a fore-arc basin of the supra-subduction zone.
The proposed geodynamic model suggests that the oceanic lithosphere generated during the seafloor spreading of the Mozambique Ocean was emplaced in the upper plate of the intra-oceanic subduction zone, in which the formely depleted Neoproterozoic mantle of the Arabian-Nubian Shield experienced mature phases of hydrous melting, extreme depletion and enrichment.
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Understanding the interaction between tectonics, climatically-driven surficial processes, and bedrock erodibility provides insight into how the landscape develops over space and time. Although numerous active faults, lithologic and... more
Understanding the interaction between tectonics, climatically-driven surficial processes, and bedrock erodibility provides insight into how the landscape develops over space and time. Although numerous active faults, lithologic and climatic variability control the landscape across Northern Thailand, the influence of these factors on the spatial adjustment of a dynamic landscape is largely unknown. In the study, we focus on lower-order channels developed across the eastern terrain of the Mae Tha fault, in which spatial variability in rock mass quality and fault characteristics strongly control the landscape. We combine topographic data analysis from channel profiles and geologic field observations to determine variations in bedrock watershed characteristics and any linear structures across the site. Our results reveal that channels in the northern and central zones of the terrain are relatively steeper because a west-dipping fault controls them with less fracture density of granite. Channels in the south, however, are less steep as an oblique-slip fault governs their profiles with a higher fracture density of bedrock. Moreover, channels flowing across different lithologic bedrocks exhibit steeper channel profiles than channels developed in uniform lithology. Our study highlights the use of topographic adjustment as one of the efficient tools to describe the dynamics of active deformation on the landscape over space and time. According to the mutual analysis, our finding suggests that lithologic resistance and spatial differences in fault lineaments ultimately control characters of channel profiles and overall landscape topography.
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The GAARlandia hypothesis has produced vigorous debate among biologists regarding whether now-submerged landforms that existed in the Caribbean region during the late Paleogene might have acted as a barrier for marine organisms and as a... more
The GAARlandia hypothesis has produced vigorous debate among biologists regarding whether now-submerged landforms that existed in the Caribbean region during the late Paleogene might have acted as a barrier for marine organisms and as a bridge for terrestrial biotas migrating from South America into the Greater Antilles. This concept derived from the hypothesized emergence history of the Aves Ridge. In the quarter century since GAARlandia was first proposed, new paleontological, geological and geophysical information has greatly extended the database available. Here we reaffirm that GAARlandia was a positive topographic feature from middle Eocene, and was exposed above sea level between late Eocene and early Oligocene when it facilitated biotic colonization of the northern Greater Antilles and their satellite islands, whether as a series of closely spaced islands or as a continuous peninsula projecting from northeastern South America along the crown of the rise.
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A state of the art of the Barremian Konservat-Lagerstätte of la Pedrera de Meià site (Southern Pyrenees) is compiled here including the acquisition of new geological data. The relevance of this site, together with the nearby la Cabroa... more
A state of the art of the Barremian Konservat-Lagerstätte of la Pedrera de Meià site (Southern Pyrenees) is compiled here including the acquisition of new geological data. The relevance of this site, together with the nearby la Cabroa site, is due to its paleobiotic richness and the fact that 113 holotypes and paratypes of flora and fauna have already been defined. Since its discovery at the end of the 19th century and its exploitation as a lithographic limestone quarry, the site has been the object of paleontological interest by national and foreign research teams that are summarized here (including the catalogue of 224 publications). A survey of the existing type specimens in collections all over Europe is also provided, being France and Germany, the countries where more fossils are hosted other than Spain.The geological frame of this site is also reviewed, by revisiting unpublished geological mappings (mainly that of Krusat, 1966) and integrating it in a comprehensive map that includes 4 revisited outcrops of lithographic limestone which could be potential paleontological sites. Previous stratigraphic sections did allow the precise framing of paleontological data and findings, that now can be allocated in new stratigraphic sections accounting for 50m and that contain a minimum of 40.000 laminae, being a minimum estimation of the years represented in the la Pedrera de Meià site.
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The electrical properties of the boundary beneath the Deccan Volcanic Province and the western Dharwar craton are imaged by using the magnetotelluric method. The magnetotelluric study was carried out along a 150km long WNW-ESE profile... more
The electrical properties of the boundary beneath the Deccan Volcanic Province and the western Dharwar craton are imaged by using the magnetotelluric method. The magnetotelluric study was carried out along a 150km long WNW-ESE profile from Belgaum (in the Deccan Volcanic Province) to Haveri (in the western Dharwar craton). Data from 19 magnetotelluric stations spaced 10-15km apart were used. The dominant regional geo-electric strike direction obtained is N20ºE. Two-dimensional (2-D) inversion is done by using the non-linear conjugate gradient scheme for both apparent resistivity and phase. The 2-D resistivity model shows a high electrical resistivity character (>10,000ohm·m) in the western Dharwar craton. Two conductive anomalies are mapped in the crustal region. In the WNW side of the profile, a conductive feature (~200ohm·m) is imaged in the mid-lower crust and, in the central part of the profile another conductive feature is mapped in the lower crust. The robustness of conductive features is tested using linear and non-linear sensitivity analyses. The conductor mapped in the WNW part of the profile is considered as a deep-seated fault representing a boundary or a rift related feature beneath the Deccan Volcanic Province and the western Dharwar craton. A zone of enhanced conductivity (<50ohm·m) at an approximate depth of 10-30km may represent the presence of the rift in the region. This conducting feature on the Western side of the E-W trending Kaladgi Basin can be interpreted as the extension of the Kaladgi Basin further west. A wellcorrelated geological cross-section is also derived to interpret the resistive features mapped in this study. The electrical resistivity nature of the crust is compared with other regions of the world.
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Western Anatolia is one of the most rapidly extending and seismically active regions in the world. The circa N-S extension since the Early Miocene caused the formation of E-W trending major grabens and... more
Western Anatolia is one of the most rapidly extending and seismically active regions in the world. The circa N-S extension since the Early Miocene caused the formation of E-W trending major grabens and intervening horsts, having earthquake potentials with magnitude ≥5. The E-W oriented Büyük Menderes Graben cross-cuts the broadly N-S oriented Bozdoğan and Karacasu grabens, of which the boundary faults of the latter are the source of seismic activity. Geomorphic indices, including drainage basin asymmetry, mountain front sinuosity, valley-floor width to valley height ratio, stream length-gradient index and normalized channel steepness index, were used to evaluate the boundary fault segments of the Bozdoğan and Karacasu grabens. The results indicate that both grabens are tectonically active and therefore regions of earthquake potential, consistent with the epicenters of earthquakes. Thus, it can be inferred that fault segments of second-order grabens, which are crosscut by the boundary faults of seismically active main depressions, are apparently reactivated by ongoing tectonism and may represent seismic activity. This suggestion applies also for similar basins located in the western Anatolia.
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Microbial endolithic communities are ubiquitous in many deserts around the globe. They have been found in many different lithologies, including quartz, plagioclase and calcite. The use of culture methods in geomicrobiology is important... more
Microbial endolithic communities are ubiquitous in many deserts around the globe. They have been found in many different lithologies, including quartz, plagioclase and calcite. The use of culture methods in geomicrobiology is important because most bacteria are non-cultivable, which makes it very difficult to characterize and describe them. In this study, endolithic bacteria and yeast were cultured in three rock-forming minerals (quartz, K-feldspar and calcite) with standard culture methodologies. It was demonstrated that these endolithic microorganisms could grow in noble agar enriched with a mineral different from the one they were extracted. Microbes were also cultured in a nutritive broth under some physicochemical factors (sugar, salt, pH and temperature) to study their possible tolerance to different ecological conditions. These results were combined with Multiple Factorial Analysis to identify statistical trends between their morphologies (pigment, size and Gram stain), chemical elements and their tolerance to physicochemical factors. Our results show that it might exist a relationship between pigments in microbial colonies,their tolerance to pH9, salinity and temperature conditions; and that Gram-negative bacillus might have a high adaptive ability to different enriched minimum media. Characterizing microbial communities associated with lithic substrates in the laboratory could be helpful for future planning in the search for life on Mars.
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This work assessed the age distribution of Cadomian/Pan-African orogenic events (550-590 and 605-790Ma, respectively) in several zones of Iberian Massif by means of detrital and inherited zircon analysis compilation. Detrital zircon age... more
This work assessed the age distribution of Cadomian/Pan-African orogenic events (550-590 and 605-790Ma, respectively) in several zones of Iberian Massif by means of detrital and inherited zircon analysis compilation. Detrital zircon age spectra show that throughout the late Neoproterozoic-to-Early Ordovician era (~120Ma sedimentary record), the main systematic peak occurs at ~610Ma, followed by peaks at typical Cadomian ages (~590-550Ma). Inherited zircons incorporated in Cambrian-to-Lower Ordovician igneous rocks show typical Cadomian ages (~590-550Ma) but, once again, a remarkably consistent Pan-African ~610Ma peak occurs.
In accordance with compiled zircon data and taking into account the evidence of North African peri-cratonic inliers, Ediacaran (~610Ma) zircons incorporated in Paleozoic magmas provide indirect evidence of Pan-African magmatism, suggesting that these magmas and synorogenic sediments are likely to constitute the cryptic stratigraphic infrastructure of most of the Iberian Massif. The main source of ~610Ma inherited zircons may be the lateral chrono-equivalents of the Saghro and Bou Salda-M`Gouna Groups (Anti-Atlas, Morocco) and/or coeval igneous rocks from West African Craton or Trans-Sahara Belt, emplaced at a stratigraphic level below the late- Ediacaran sediments of the Ossa Morena Zone and the Central Iberian Zone.
Assuming that the Iberian crust is a fragment of the Pan-African orogen, a relative paleoposition situated between the West African Craton and the Trans-Saharan Belt during the Late Neoproterozoic is proposed. The closed- system behaviour of Stenian-Tonian detrital zircon ages in the Trans-Sahara Belt suggests that this mega-cordillera acted as a barrier, in paleogeographic terms, separating the Sahara Metacraton from Iberia. In Iberia, the opening of the system to Stenian-Tonian detrital zircons during the Ordovician indicates that, at that time, the Trans-Saharan Belt had already become a vast peneplain, which favoured a large drainage system with a long-distance transport mechanism that fed the passive continental margins.
In accordance with compiled zircon data and taking into account the evidence of North African peri-cratonic inliers, Ediacaran (~610Ma) zircons incorporated in Paleozoic magmas provide indirect evidence of Pan-African magmatism, suggesting that these magmas and synorogenic sediments are likely to constitute the cryptic stratigraphic infrastructure of most of the Iberian Massif. The main source of ~610Ma inherited zircons may be the lateral chrono-equivalents of the Saghro and Bou Salda-M`Gouna Groups (Anti-Atlas, Morocco) and/or coeval igneous rocks from West African Craton or Trans-Sahara Belt, emplaced at a stratigraphic level below the late- Ediacaran sediments of the Ossa Morena Zone and the Central Iberian Zone.
Assuming that the Iberian crust is a fragment of the Pan-African orogen, a relative paleoposition situated between the West African Craton and the Trans-Saharan Belt during the Late Neoproterozoic is proposed. The closed- system behaviour of Stenian-Tonian detrital zircon ages in the Trans-Sahara Belt suggests that this mega-cordillera acted as a barrier, in paleogeographic terms, separating the Sahara Metacraton from Iberia. In Iberia, the opening of the system to Stenian-Tonian detrital zircons during the Ordovician indicates that, at that time, the Trans-Saharan Belt had already become a vast peneplain, which favoured a large drainage system with a long-distance transport mechanism that fed the passive continental margins.
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Despite the large number of magnetostratigraphic studies in the South Pyrenean Basin aiming to calibrate the basin chronostratigraphy and the biostratigraphic scales, the South Eastern Jaca Basin remains unexplored from this perspective,... more
Despite the large number of magnetostratigraphic studies in the South Pyrenean Basin aiming to calibrate the basin chronostratigraphy and the biostratigraphic scales, the South Eastern Jaca Basin remains unexplored from this perspective, and its relation with the Ainsa Basin is not fully understood. In this work we contribute with new magnetostratigraphic data from the 950m thick Las Bellostas section, located in the northern hinge of the Balzes anticline. Well-proven primary signal (positive fold test and two pseudo-antiparallel polarities) supported by numerous primary data in the surroundings allow us building a reliable local polarity sequence of eight magnetozones (from R1 to N4). Additionally, seven new biostratigraphic samples (Nummulites and Assilina) in the lower part of the section (marine environment) allows tightening the section to the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale (GPTS) and proposing a refined age model for the southeastern Jaca Basin. The section starts in the Boltaña Fm., of Cuisian age (Shallow Benthic Zone, SBZ11), is followed by a sedimentary gap from C22n to C20n as witnessed by biostratigraphic data (SBZ11 underneath the hiatus and SBZ16 just atop). The deltaic Sobrarbe Fm can be tracked until the C19n (Late Lutetian). From this point (200m) until the top of the section (950m), at least, the entire C18n chron can be recognized within the molassic Campodarbe Fm (C18n.2n-C18n.1r and C18n.1n) (Bartonian) equivalent to the West to the prodeltaic Arguis marls Fm. The Middle Cusian (SBZ11) to Middle Lutetian (SBZ15) stratigraphic hiatus is, in part, enhanced by the structural position at the hinge of the Balzes anticline. These new chronostratigraphic constraints help refining the WE and N-S stratigraphic relationships in the eastern Jaca Basin and in the Ainsa Basin. This section also allows us to accurately refine the kinematics of the rotational activity in the eastern External Sierras. The significant difference in magnetic declination along the section and neighboring paleomagnetic data from the Balzes anticline (from ≈70º clockwise at the base of the stratigraphic section to non-significant at the top) together with the new age model for the Eastern Jaca Basin help characterizing the rotational activity of the Balzes thrust sheet. The rotation took place between chrons C20r (Middle Lutetian; 45Ma) and C17 (Lower Priabonian 37-38Ma) in agreement to nearby structures (Boltaña, Pico del Aguila anticlines) but clearly diachronic to western ones (Santo Domingo anticline). Besides, the rotational
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The identification of new rock types in the volcano-sedimentary sequences of the Singhbhum Craton has attracted much attention in recent years. The present study deals on newly identified Nb-Enriched Basalts (NEB) from the... more
The identification of new rock types in the volcano-sedimentary sequences of the Singhbhum Craton has attracted much attention in recent years. The present study deals on newly identified Nb-Enriched Basalts (NEB) from the Khandadharpahar-Kadakala-Thakuranipahar (KKT) section, western Singhbhum Craton, which is comparable in composition to basalts-basaltic andesites and calk-alkaline in character. These metabasites have a porphyritic texture with phenocrysts of pyroxene and plagioclase, as well as a groundmass that has metamorphosed to the greenschist facies. High Nb contents (7.5-22.8ppm) combined with high (Nb/Th) PM (0.28-0.59), (Nb/La) PM (0.40-0.69) and Nb/U (11.7-34.4) ratios, compared to arc basalts ((Nb/Th) PM = 0.10-1.19; (Nb/La) PM 0.17-0.99, Nb/ U<10), characterized them as NEB. Negative Nb, Zr, Hf and Ti anomalies, and Nb/Th vs La/Nb and Th/Nb vs. La/ Sm relationships, collectively indicate typical arc volcanics. The available geochemical parameters suggest a genesis of KKT metabasites through i) slab melt migration from the downgoing oceanic crust, ii) low-degree melting of the garnet-bearing peridotite in the mantle wedge metasomatized by the slab melts, iii) slab melt-peridotite interaction triggering increasing Nb concentrations and iv) NEB generation in an arc-related environment. The discovery of KKT NEB sheds new information on Paleoproterozoic subduction-zone processes and crustal growth in the Singhbhum craton.
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This is the first report of organic-walled tentaculid remains from Givetian through Frasnian age deposits of the Michigan and Appalachian Basins in western Laurussia. This adds to the geographic scope of similar finds that have been... more
This is the first report of organic-walled tentaculid remains from Givetian through Frasnian age deposits of the Michigan and Appalachian Basins in western Laurussia. This adds to the geographic scope of similar finds that
have been described from the Frasnian through the Famennian in eastern Laurussia. However, those previous specimens were retrieved through palynological preparations and more closely resemble sheath structures rather than the full forms found herein, which were retrieved through complete maceration with ammonium surfactants.
have been described from the Frasnian through the Famennian in eastern Laurussia. However, those previous specimens were retrieved through palynological preparations and more closely resemble sheath structures rather than the full forms found herein, which were retrieved through complete maceration with ammonium surfactants.
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Post-collision Pliocene-Quaternary basaltic rocks outcrop in the Kerman Cenozoic Magmatic Arc (KCMA) to the northwest and east of Shahr-e-Babak city. These porphyritic and vesicular basaltic rocks are composed essentially of... more
Post-collision Pliocene-Quaternary basaltic rocks outcrop in the Kerman Cenozoic Magmatic Arc (KCMA) to the northwest and east of Shahr-e-Babak city. These porphyritic and vesicular basaltic rocks are composed
essentially of clinopyroxene, olivine, and plagioclase. These basalts display alkaline affinity and negative Ta, Zr, Rb anomaly, but slightly negative Nb anomaly, relative to elements with similar compatibility, and positive Ba, K,
Sr anomaly, suggesting their magma source related to subduction-accretion with implication of subducted slab derived components to the source. In the primitive mantle and chondrite normalized diagrams, these rocks show trace elements (except depletion in Nb, Ta) and Rare Earth Element (REE) patterns similar to the Ocean Island Basalts (OIB) and share trace and major element characteristics similar to High-Nb Basalts (HNBs). Geochemical analyses for major and trace elements suggest that the Shahr-e-Babak HNBs have undergone insignificant crustal contamination and minor olivine + Fe-Ti oxide ±clinopyroxene fractional crystallization. These HNBs derived from a partial melting (~5%) of garnet-peridotite mantle wedge, which have already metasomatized by overlying sediments, fluids, and adakitic (slab-derived) melts as major metasomatic agents in post-collision setting in the KCMA. We conclude that asthenospheric upwelling arising from slab break-off followed by the roll-back of subducting Neotethys slab also triggered metasomatized peridotite mantle wedge and caused its partial melting in the subduction zone.
essentially of clinopyroxene, olivine, and plagioclase. These basalts display alkaline affinity and negative Ta, Zr, Rb anomaly, but slightly negative Nb anomaly, relative to elements with similar compatibility, and positive Ba, K,
Sr anomaly, suggesting their magma source related to subduction-accretion with implication of subducted slab derived components to the source. In the primitive mantle and chondrite normalized diagrams, these rocks show trace elements (except depletion in Nb, Ta) and Rare Earth Element (REE) patterns similar to the Ocean Island Basalts (OIB) and share trace and major element characteristics similar to High-Nb Basalts (HNBs). Geochemical analyses for major and trace elements suggest that the Shahr-e-Babak HNBs have undergone insignificant crustal contamination and minor olivine + Fe-Ti oxide ±clinopyroxene fractional crystallization. These HNBs derived from a partial melting (~5%) of garnet-peridotite mantle wedge, which have already metasomatized by overlying sediments, fluids, and adakitic (slab-derived) melts as major metasomatic agents in post-collision setting in the KCMA. We conclude that asthenospheric upwelling arising from slab break-off followed by the roll-back of subducting Neotethys slab also triggered metasomatized peridotite mantle wedge and caused its partial melting in the subduction zone.
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This study shows a comparison and analysis of results from a modelling exercise concerning a field experiment involving the transport and retention of different radionuclide tracers in crystalline rock. This exercise was... more
This study shows a comparison and analysis of results from a modelling exercise concerning a field experiment involving the transport and retention of different radionuclide tracers in crystalline rock. This exercise was performed within the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB) Task Force on Modelling of Groundwater Flow and Transport of Solutes (Task Force GWFTS).Task 9B of the Task Force GWFTS was the second subtask within Task 9 and focused on the modelling of experimental results from the Long Term Sorption Diffusion Experiment in situ tracer test. The test had been performed at a depth of about 410m in the Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory. Synthetic groundwater containing a cocktail of radionuclide tracers was circulated for 198 days on the natural surface of a fracture and in a narrow slim hole drilled in unaltered rock matrix. Overcoring of the rock after the end of the test allowed for the measurement of tracer distribution profiles in the rock from the fracture surface (A cores) and also from the slim hole (D cores). The measured tracer activities in the rock samples showed long profiles (several cm) for non- or weakly-sorbing tracers (Cl-36, Na-22), but also for many of the more strongly-sorbing radionuclides. The understanding of this unexpected feature was one of the main motivations for this modelling exercise. However, re-evaluation and revision of the data during the course of Task 9B provided evidence that the anomalous long tails at low activities for strongly sorbing tracers were artefacts due to cross-contamination during rock sample preparation. A few data points remained for Cs-137, Ba-133, Ni-63 and Cd-109, but most measurements at long distances from the tracer source (>10mm) were now below the reported detection limits.Ten different modelling teams provided results for this exercise, using different concepts and codes. The tracers that were finally considered were Na-22, Cl-36, Co-57, Ni-63, Ba-133, Cs-137, Cd-109, Ra-226 and Np-237. Three main types of models were used: i) analytical solutions to the transport-retention equations, ii) continuum-porous-medium numerical models, and iii) microstructure-based models accounting for small-scale heterogeneity (i.e. mineral grains, porosities and/or microfracture distributions) and potential centimetre-scale fractures. The modelling by the different teams led to some important conclusions, concerning for instance the presence of a disturbed zone (a few mm in thickness) next to the fracture surface and to the wall of the slim hole and the role of micro-fractures and cm-scale fractures in the transport of weakly sorbing tracers. These conclusions could be reached after the re-evaluation and revision of the experimental data (tracer profiles in the rock) and the analysis of the different sets of model results provided by the different teams.
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An integrated study including magnetostratigraphy, larger benthic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy is presented herein. This work was performed in shallow marine siliciclastics rich in larger foraminifera, around... more
An integrated study including magnetostratigraphy, larger benthic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossil
biostratigraphy is presented herein. This work was performed in shallow marine siliciclastics rich in larger
foraminifera, around the Ypresian/Lutetian boundary in the Ésera valley (South-Central Pyrenees). Although the
calcareous nannofossil content in the studied interval is low, not allowing a precise Y/L boundary to be recognised,
the taxa found are enough to support the chronostratigraphic attribution.
Data obtained in the Ésera valley section has improved the knowledge of larger benthic foraminifera (Nummulites
and Assilina) distribution through chron C21. SBZ 11 to SBZ 12 transition took place at the lowermost C21r, as
shown in previous works. SBZ 12 assemblages extend into C21n, where the SBZ 12 to SBZ 13 boundary occurs.
These data, obtained in shallow marine siliciclastic facies, with in situ fauna, results in a shift of the SBZ 12/SBZ
13 boundary to the Lower Lutetian, younger than previously believed. Accordingly, the Ypresian/Lutetian boundary
occurs in SBZ 12.
biostratigraphy is presented herein. This work was performed in shallow marine siliciclastics rich in larger
foraminifera, around the Ypresian/Lutetian boundary in the Ésera valley (South-Central Pyrenees). Although the
calcareous nannofossil content in the studied interval is low, not allowing a precise Y/L boundary to be recognised,
the taxa found are enough to support the chronostratigraphic attribution.
Data obtained in the Ésera valley section has improved the knowledge of larger benthic foraminifera (Nummulites
and Assilina) distribution through chron C21. SBZ 11 to SBZ 12 transition took place at the lowermost C21r, as
shown in previous works. SBZ 12 assemblages extend into C21n, where the SBZ 12 to SBZ 13 boundary occurs.
These data, obtained in shallow marine siliciclastic facies, with in situ fauna, results in a shift of the SBZ 12/SBZ
13 boundary to the Lower Lutetian, younger than previously believed. Accordingly, the Ypresian/Lutetian boundary
occurs in SBZ 12.
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Geostatistical and multivariate statistical analyses were applied to heavy mineral data from an Amazonian fluvial-lake system near the Tapajós River mouth to investigate the spatial distribution and source-area of sediments. Twenty-one... more
Geostatistical and multivariate statistical analyses were applied to heavy mineral data from an Amazonian fluvial-lake system near the Tapajós River mouth to investigate the spatial distribution and source-area of sediments. Twenty-one points were investigated, and the physical characteristics of the Green Lake deepest point were determined. Sand accumulates in the lake margins and mud quantity increases towards the lake center. Heavy mineral assemblage is composed of zircon, tourmaline, kyanite, rutile, staurolite, anatase, sillimanite, garnet, and spinel. Tourmaline, staurolite, and spinel are more abundant in the southeast area of the lake, while kyanite is dominant in the north area and zircon is in the whole lake except in its southeast area. Zircon - tourmaline and zircon - staurolite pairs are negatively correlated (r=-0.947 and -0.775, respectively), while tourmaline - staurolite and sillimanite - anatase pairs have a positive correlation (r=0.628 and 0.675, respectively) which indicate different source rock types. Geostatistical analysis grouped the heavy minerals in three grups: Group 1 (tourmaline – staurolite – spinel - kyanite) and Group 2 (garnet – rutile – sillimanite - anatase) related to metamorphic source rocks ranging from medium to high grade, and Group 3 (zircon) related to acid igneous source rocks. The heavy mineral assemblage of Green Lake is analogous to the assemblage of the Alter do Chão Formation, indicating that this formation is the source of sediments of Green Lake.
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Here we describe a new elasmobranch assemblage consisting of isolated dental material from the Aquitanian near-shore marine deposits of the Shuwayr and Warak formations at Sharbithat, in eastern Sultanate of Oman. The faunal composition... more
Here we describe a new elasmobranch assemblage consisting of isolated dental material from the Aquitanian near-shore marine deposits of the Shuwayr and Warak formations at Sharbithat, in eastern Sultanate of Oman. The faunal composition clearly indicates affinities to other early Miocene elasmobranch-bearing localities worldwide. This assemblage is predominantly composed of large and common pelagic sharks as well as teeth attributable to a new species of fantail stingray, Taeniurops tosii, as old as the oldest undisputable fossil records of Taeniurops. The study of this fossil assemblage presented here improves the knowledge of the ancient elasmobranchs that frequented the eastern Arabian coasts during the closure of the Neotethys and the birth of the Arabian Sea.
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This paper deals with the Oligo-Miocene coral reefs in the Mohammadabad Area, W Baft, SW Kerman. The studied coral reefs include 11 families, 25 genera and 33 species of the scleractinian corals. The coral reef successions have been... more
This paper deals with the Oligo-Miocene coral reefs in the Mohammadabad Area, W Baft, SW Kerman. The studied coral reefs include 11 families, 25 genera and 33 species of the scleractinian corals. The coral reef successions have been deposited in three cycles on a mixed siliciclastic-carbonate platform. To understand the paleoecology, reef architecture and depositional model of the studied reefal successions, statistical analyses based on the coral niches, sedimentology analyses based on the grain size of the marly strata and microfacies analyses on limestone strata have been used. Based on the statistical analyses, the coral community includes eight ecotypes. The distribution of these ecotypes indicates that, despite of various thicknesses, and in all three coral reef successions, the branching and fast growth ecotypes are present in the basal parts and the massive, placoid and meandroid colonies are recorded in the slope, crest and distal parts of the reefs. The main disruptive phenomenon that stopped reef development and affected the reef architecture has been the addition of clastic deposits to the carbonate system. This sediment load increase is recorded as marly strata. By the addition of clastic sediment load to the system, the carbonate content of the system has been diluted, the salinity, water transparency and photic level are decreased, the favorable attachment hard substrate for coral polyps is limited, the nutrient and oxygen flux is disrupted and the coral reefs are suffocated.
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The Paleogene Liushagang Formation is part of the Fushan Sag, a continental lacustrine basin located at the Southeastern margin of the Beibuwan Basin, South China Sea. Further understanding of the deep-water gravity flow deposits in this... more
The Paleogene Liushagang Formation is part of the Fushan Sag, a continental lacustrine basin located at the Southeastern margin of the Beibuwan Basin, South China Sea. Further understanding of the deep-water gravity flow deposits in this formation will be conducive to lithologic reservoir exploration in the sag. In this study, three members of the Liushagang Formation, SQEls3, SQEls2 and SQEls1, from old to young, are used with core observation, well log data, and three-dimensional seismic data to identify four deep-lacustrine gravity flow lithofacies including their vertical and lateral relationships within the depositional system. The results are then used to establish a deep-water gravity flow depositional model. Four types of gravity flow lithofacies developed in the sag: sandy debrite, turbidite, sandy slump, and bottom-current deposits. Sand-rich sub-lacustrine fan deposits with typical turbidite channels developed mainly in the western depression, whereas distal isolated lobes formed by sandy debrite flow deposits occurred mainly in the eastern depression. The results obtained in this study will be helpful in the research of gravity flows in similar continental lacustrine environments. Deep-lacustrine gravity flow. Turbidity current. Sandy debrite. Fushan Sag. Beibuwan Basin.
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This paper aims to present a new neotectonic perspective concordant with the seismic activities in Turkey and surrounding regions. The neotectonic structures have been re-evaluated mainly by using focal mechanism solutions and... more
This paper aims to present a new neotectonic perspective concordant with the seismic activities in Turkey and surrounding regions. The neotectonic structures have been re-evaluated mainly by using focal mechanism solutions and high-resolution satellite (Google Earth) images. The Southeast Anatolian Wedge explains thrust/blind thrust and asymmetrical folding relationship in SE Turkey, Syria, and Northern Iraq. The neotectonic structures of the Turkish-Iranian Plateau are enlightened by the rhomboidal cell model which creates a base to determine multiple intersection points between the region-wide left-and right-lateral shear zones. The releasing stepover between the North Anatolian Fault Zone and Southeast Anatolian-Zagros Fault Zone, plus their connections with the Northeast Anatolian Fault Zone and the East Anatolian Fault Zone are described in a more meaningful way with the Anatolian Diagonal concept. It also clarifies the role of left-lateral shear zone in the west-southwest movement of Anatolian plate and its relationship with the Aegean and Cyprus arcs. A neotectonic region under the influence of NW-SE contraction is determined between the North Anatolian, Eskişehir, and Kırıkkale-Erbaa fault zones in which the Elmadağ-Eldivan and Abdüsselam pinched crustal wedges and the Beypazarı Blind Thrust Zone are developed. A new route for the southern branch of the North Anatolian Fault Zone is determined between Bolu and Değirmenlik (Milos) Island in the Aegean Sea via Mudurnu, Bursa, Balıkesir, and İzmir. All main neotectonic structures mentioned in this paper are evaluated by the elastic dislocation modelling and new neotectonic provinces are suggested. Neotectonics. Eastern Mediterranean. Turkish-Iranian Plateau. Earthquake. GNSS. Block modelling.
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Exteriores) is presented herein. The large dataset provided in this work includes Nummulites and Alveolina species, along with a variety of other porcellaneous and hyaline taxa with lesser biostratigraphic relevance. Most of the larger... more
Exteriores) is presented herein. The large dataset provided in this work includes Nummulites and Alveolina species, along with a variety of other porcellaneous and hyaline taxa with lesser biostratigraphic relevance. Most of the larger foraminifera described in this work correspond to the Lutetian (SBZ13 to SBZ16 biozones) interval, but late Ypresian (SBZ11, Cuisian) and early Bartonian (SBZ17) shallow benthic zones have also been identified. A new species, Idalina osquetaensis, is described. The systematic revision of middle to late Lutetian alveolines led to a reassessment of Alveolina fusiformis and the finding of two new precursor forms, described as Alveolina aff. fragilis and Alveolina aff. elongata. The new taxa fill in the gap existing so far in the middle to late Lutetian alveolinid biostratigraphy. Despite not being exclusive to SBZ16, these forms provide realiable biostratigraphic information in facies where Nummulites are not present. This realibility lies on the correlation of Nummulites and Alveolina biostratigraphic markers in the same sections and their calibration to the global time scale through magnetostratigraphy. Magnetostratigraphic calibration of described taxa is provided, along with an update of the SBZ calibration to the Geological Time Scale (Gradstein et al., 2012)
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Post-collisional mafic dykes crosscut the Paleozoic metamorphic basement and late-Variscan plutons in Les Guilleries massif (Catalan Coastal Ranges, NE Iberia). The predominance of mafic phenocrysts, porphyritic texture,... more
Post-collisional mafic dykes crosscut the Paleozoic metamorphic basement and late-Variscan plutons in Les Guilleries massif (Catalan Coastal Ranges, NE Iberia). The predominance of mafic phenocrysts, porphyritic texture, abundant amphibole, high MgO and volatile content, together with crustal-like trace-element patterns indicate that the dykes correspond to calc-alkaline lamprophyres, mainly spessartites. Their enrichment in LILE, HFSE and REE and initial Sr-Nd isotopic compositions (87Sr/86Sri between 0.70851 and 0.71127, ε Ndi between -5.23 and -4.63) are consistent with an enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle source. U-Pb ages of matrix titanite crystals yield concordia ages of 262±7Ma, congruent with crosscutting relationships. Post-magmatic processes are evidenced by intense chloritization and albitization of the lamprophyres, together with systematic variations of Na2O vs SiO2, K2O, CaO, Ba, Rb, Cs, Pb, Sr, Tl, and Zn, and possibly the removal of F. The geochemical and geochronological data support an orogenic geochemical affinity, in accordance with the transitional tectonic regime between Variscan compression/transpression and post-collisional transtension/extension, related to the fragmentation of Pangea and thinning of the lithosphere. The lamprophyre dykes studied could represent the youngest pulse of Variscan orogenic magmatism and, therefore, mark its end in NE Iberia before the onset of the generalized Triassic extension.
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Bulk carbon and oxygen stable isotopes of ancient shallow-marine carbonates can record the effects of multiple palaeoenvironmental factors, but also the imprint of several post-depositional processes, which may alter the... more
Bulk carbon and oxygen stable isotopes of ancient shallow-marine carbonates can record the effects of multiple palaeoenvironmental factors, but also the imprint of several post-depositional processes, which may alter the original marine isotopic composition. In this study, carbon and oxygen stable isotope analyses were performed on bulk carbonate, bivalve calcitic-shell (Trichites) and calcite vein samples from two stratigraphic sections (Tosos and Fuendetodos, present-day distance 15km), representing proximal inner- and distal mid-ramp environments, respectively, of the uppermost Kimmeridgian ramp facies deposited in the northern Iberian Basin (NE Spain). These successions underwent different diagenetic pathways that altered the primary marine isotopic composition in each section in different ways. Different burial histories, tectonic uplift and a variable exposure to meteoric diagenesis from the end of the Kimmeridgian to the Cenozoic (following Alpine tectonic uplift) are reflected in the different alteration patterns of the carbon and oxygen stable isotope signatures. A significant deviation to lower values in both δ13C and δ18O is recorded in those carbonates mostly exposed to meteoric diagenesis (distal mid-ramp Fuendetodos section), because of post-depositional tectonic uplift (telogenesis). On the other hand, the deposits mainly affected by burial diagenesis (proximal inner-ramp Tosos section) only record low δ18O with respect to expected values for pristine Kimmeridgian marine carbonates. The different burial and tectonic uplift histories of these deposits in each sector, due to their different tectonic evolution in this part of the basin, resulted in a variable degree of diagenetic resetting. However, in spite of the different diagenetic resetting reported of the carbon and oxygen stable isotope signatures in each section, these carbonates show similar cement types in terms of fabrics and cathodoluminescence properties. The diagenetic resetting reported for these carbonates prevents the use of the δ13C and δ18O records for addressing palaeoenvironmental interpretations, but instead highlights useful features regarding the variable diagenetic overprint of the studied shallow-marine carbonate successions concerning their specific post-depositional history.
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The Messinian Salinity Crisis (5.97-5.33Ma) may be one of the most significant periods of sea-level change in recent geologic history. During this period, evaporite deposition throughout the Mediterranean basin records a series of... more
The Messinian Salinity Crisis (5.97-5.33Ma) may be one of the most significant periods of sea-level change in recent geologic history. During this period, evaporite deposition throughout the Mediterranean basin records a series of dramatic environmental changes as flow through the Strait of Gibraltar was restricted. In the first stage of evaporite deposition, cycles of gypsum appear in shallow basins on the margins of the Mediterranean. The complex environmental history giving rise to these cycles has been investigated for decades but remains controversial. Notably, whether the evaporites are connected to significant changes in Mediterranean sea level is an open question. In one proposed model, competition between tectonic uplift and erosion at the Strait of Gibraltar gives rise to selfsustaining sea-level oscillations—limit cycles—which trigger evaporite deposition. Here I show that limit cycles are not a robust result of the proposed model and discuss how any oscillations produced by this model depend on an unrealistic formulation of a key model equation. First, I simplify the model equations and test whether limit cycles are produced in 64 million unique combinations of model parameters, finding oscillations in only 0.2% of all simulations. Next, I examine the formulation of a critical model equation representing stream channel slope over the Strait of Gibraltar, concluding that a more realistic formulation would render sea-level limit cycles improbable, if not impossible, in the proposed model.
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Previous investigations of plutons in Sumatra were focused on age dating with minimum geochemistry composition analysis. The purpose of this study is to define the geochemistry classification of the intrusions in central Sumatra on... more
Previous investigations of plutons in Sumatra were focused on age dating with minimum geochemistry composition analysis. The purpose of this study is to define the geochemistry classification of the intrusions in central Sumatra on describing the emplacement mechanism associated with Southeast Asia tectonics. The rocks composed of quartz, K-feldspar, and plagioclase with amphibole, biotite, epidote, and zircon as accessory minerals. Six of seven studied plutons range from monzodiorite to granite with metaluminous-slight peraluminous, medium to very high-K calc-alkaline, magnesian, calcic to calc-alkalic affinities. The studied samples depict a wide range of total REE composition of 39-1,369ppm. Most of the rocks denote Sr, Ti, Y, Ce, and Eu anomalies on the primitive-mantle and chondrite normalized diagram. LREE are more enriched in comparison to HREE with (La/ Sm)N= 1.71-18.75 and (Gd/Lu)N= 0.15-2.59. Most of the studied plutons are classified in the I-type according to the A/CNK value, negative SiO2 to P2O5 correlation with magnesian and arc-associated character. A-type nature of Sijunjung Granite is displayed on its high silica and REE content with ferroan, calc-alkalic, and within-plate affinities. The existence of A-type intrusion implies an extensional setting during long time subduction episodes, which triggered I-type magmatism since Late Permian to Neogene in Sumatra.
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The Datça Graben in southwestern Anatolia is a WNW-trending seismically active depression, with tectonic activity since Pliocene time. This tectonic activity is controlled by normal faults, which have effected ancient settlements. The... more
The Datça Graben in southwestern Anatolia is a WNW-trending seismically active depression, with tectonic activity since Pliocene time. This tectonic activity is controlled by normal faults, which have effected ancient settlements. The Cnidus city (old and modern)-an ancient mercantile centre during the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods-is one of the places that has recorded this activity. The ancient harbour walls of Cnidus, lying 2.2-4.0m below sea level, contain important traces about sea-level changes and tectonics over the past 2.6kyr. Palaeostress analysis along boundary faults in the Datça graben yields an almost N-S oriented pure tensional regime, compatible with earthquake focal mechanism solutions located around the Datça peninsula. Additionally, an almost E−W trending surface rupture related to a historical earthquake in modern Cnidus, which shows normal fault characteristics, gives further support to the ongoing extension along the Kızlan, Karaköy and Cnidus fault zones. Previous studies on late Quaternary sea-level changes around the Datça peninsula suggest that 2.6kyr ago sea level was 1.0-1.25m lower than today. From the present-day depth of the old Cnidus harbour remains and regional sea-level records, it can be inferred that tectonics has played a significant role. Our calculations show that the Datça graben is subsiding at rates of 0.36-0.46mm/yr in the central part and 1.05-1.15mm/yr in the southern part. These values match those found in other areas around the Datça peninsula.
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The Lipovany and Mučín paleobotanical localities contain important floral associations within the tuff horizons, which were used for determination of subtropical to tropical climatic conditions during the Early Miocene. Based on the... more
The Lipovany and Mučín paleobotanical localities contain important floral associations within the tuff horizons, which were used for determination of subtropical to tropical climatic conditions during the Early Miocene. Based on the combination of results from plagioclase and biotite 40Ar/39Ar dating, the age of the tuff deposition is around 17.3Ma. For the Lipovany locality, single-grain 40Ar/39Ar convergent ages of 17.49±0.54Ma and 17.28±0.06Ma, for plagioclase and biotite were obtained, respectively. The Mučín locality only provide an imprecise convergent age of 16.5±1.4Ma due to the small size of the analyzed plagioclase crystals. The results thus allowed to include the fossil subtropical flora of the studied localities in the late Ottnangian regional stage (upper part of the Burdigalian). Additionally, these age data indicate that deposition of the overlaying Salgótarján Formation starts much later than originally thought (during Ottnangian-Karpatian boundary).
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Research on two strata-like intrusions from Slatina-Timiş (STG) and Buchin (BG) at West Getic Domain of the South Carpathians (Semenic Mountains) identified granitoids with adakitic signature in a continental collision environment.... more
Research on two strata-like intrusions from Slatina-Timiş (STG) and Buchin (BG) at West Getic Domain of the South Carpathians (Semenic Mountains) identified granitoids with adakitic signature in a continental collision environment. Whole-rock geochemical composition with high Na 2 O, Al 2 O 3 and Sr, depleted Y (<18ppm) and HREE (Yb< 1.8ppm) contents, high Sr/Y (>40), (La/Yb) N (>10) ratios and no Eu anomalies overlaps the High-Silica Adakites (HSA) main characteristics, though there are differences related to lower Mg#, heavy metal contents and slightly increased 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios. Comparison with HSA, Tonalite-Trondhjemite-Granodiorite (TTG) rocks and melts from experiments on basaltic sources suggests partial melting at pressures exceeding 1.25GPa and temperatures of 800-900ºC (confirmed by calculated Ti-in zircon temperatures) as the main genetic process, leaving residues of garnet amphibolite, garnet granulite or eclogite type. The adakitic signature along with geochemical variations observed in the STG-BG rocks indicate oceanic source melts affected by increasing mantle influence and decreasing crustal input that may restrict the tectonic setting to slab melting during a subduction at low angle conditions. An alternative model relates the STG-BG magma genesis to garnet-amphibolite and eclogite partial melting due to decompression and heating at crustal depth of 60-50km during syn-subduction exhumation of eclogitized slab fragments and mantle cumulates. The granitoids were entrained into a buoyant mélange during collision and placed randomly between two continental units. U-Pb zircon ages obtained by LA-ICP-MS and interpreted as Ordovician igneous crystallization time and Variscan recrystallization imprint are confirmed by trace-element characteristics of the dated zircon zones, connecting the STG-BG magmatism to a pre-Variscan subduction-collision event. The rich zircon inheritance reveals Neoproterozoic juvenile source and older crustal components represented by Neoarchean to Paleoproterozoic zircons.
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Details of the Early-Middle Frasnian boundary interval of the Pymvashor River section (Timan-Pechora Basin, Cis- Urals, in the far north of European Russia) are revealed by biostratigraphically constrained carbonate (δ13Ccarb) and organic... more
Details of the Early-Middle Frasnian boundary interval of the Pymvashor River section (Timan-Pechora Basin, Cis- Urals, in the far north of European Russia) are revealed by biostratigraphically constrained carbonate (δ13Ccarb) and organic carbon (δ13Corg) stable data. The studied interval corresponds to the lower part of the Domanik Formation, which consists of interbedded limestone and shale beds. Organic-rich black shale that lacks bioturbation and benthic organisms indicates an oxygen-depleted depositional environment. Detection of isorenieratene derivatives in organic matter indicates that anoxia was present in the photic zone during deposition. The Pymvashor River section contains δ13Ccarb and δ13Corg isotope records related to the Early-Middle Frasnian isotope Event. The similarity between the Cis-Uralian (this study) and the Chinese δ13Ccarb and δ13Corg oscillations, including the twostep pattern of the recorded major positive excursions, suggests a robust correlation of the Late Devonian Early- Middle Frasnian isotope Event and minor intra-event excursions. Magnitude of variations and values of δ13Corg and δ13Ccarb in the punctata Zone in the Pymvashor River section are minor than those observed in the North American, Polish, and Chinese successions. Such difference may reflect specific variation of the local environments.
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This study uses mineralogical, petrological, geochemical, and Sr and Nd isotope data along with K-Ar ages to infer the petrogenesis and geodynamic evolution of Middle Triassic high-K calc-alkaline lavas and their associated pyroclastics... more
This study uses mineralogical, petrological, geochemical, and Sr and Nd isotope data along with K-Ar ages to infer the petrogenesis and geodynamic evolution of Middle Triassic high-K calc-alkaline lavas and their associated pyroclastics of Mt. Kuna Gora in NW Croatia. Their analogue mineralogy and bulk-rock geochemistry testify to the coeval origin of both rock types. Sanidine and plagioclase accompanied by minor augite and Ti-bearing magnetite are the major phases found in a matrix of devitrified volcanic glass and plagioclase microlites. Hydrothermal and diagenetic processes in the pyroclastics originated the formation of chlorite and white mica, and mixed-layer clay minerals, respectively. Petrography reveals the following crystallization order: spinel → clinopyroxene → plagioclase → alkali-feldspar±Fe-Ti oxides. Geochemical and isotopic data suggests that the studied rocks had a complex origin that included the contamination of subduction-generated magmas by lithospheric mantle melts. This presumes an interplay between fertile arc mantle, subducted continental crust, and depleted or ocean island basalts-like mantle. A low degree of crustal contamination stands as a last step in the formation of such “hybrid” magmas. The subducted Paleotethyan oceanic lithosphere went through processes of partial melting at depths of ~45-49 km and pressures of ≤1.6GPa and fractionation that produced melts which gave rise to the studied rocks. In the model we are proposing herein such formed partial melts are related to the demise of the northward subduction of the Paleotethys oceanic lithosphere during the Early to Middle Triassic epoch, which is consistent with an active, ensialic mature volcanic arc developing along Laurussian southern active margins.
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The Bitlis-Pötürge Massif of SE Turkey is a metamorphic belt separating the Arabian Plate from the Taurides. It includes a non-metamorphic Palaeozoic sequence that contains locally fossiliferous strata. Here is reported for the first time... more
The Bitlis-Pötürge Massif of SE Turkey is a metamorphic belt separating the Arabian Plate from the Taurides. It includes a non-metamorphic Palaeozoic sequence that contains locally fossiliferous strata. Here is reported for the first time an assemblage of Upper Devonian rugose and tabulate corals from the Meydan Formation, composed of the rugose Frechastraea schafferi (penecke), Peneckiella cf. teicherti Hill, Pseudopexiphyllum supradevonicum (penecke), and Macgeea desioi von schouppé, and the tabulate Thamnopora reticulata (de blainville), Alveolites ex. gr. suborbicularis and Scoliopora sp. The rugose corals suggest a Late Frasnian age. The palaeobiogeographic affinities of corals are discussed. The species F. schafferi and the genus Pseudopexiphyllum –so far only reported from Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan– are probably limited to the northern margin of Gondwana and therefore diagnostic for this palaeogeographic area. Until now, the northern margin of Gondwana yielded very few Upper Devonian corals so this occurrence in SE Turkey is particularly important to estimate the relationship between these corals and the ones from the northern margin of the Palaeotethys Ocean.
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A taxonomic study of the Paleocene larger foraminifera from the Pyrenean basin has led to the description of sixty taxa including two new species: Alveolina korresensis and Valvulineria bacetai. In this work, we present a... more
A taxonomic study of the Paleocene larger foraminifera from the Pyrenean basin has led to the description of sixty taxa including two new species: Alveolina korresensis and Valvulineria bacetai. In this work, we present a chronostratigraphic recalibration of the Paleocene Shallow Benthic Zones SBZ 1 to SBZ 4 based on correlation with calcareous nannofossil and planktic foraminifera biozones, all integrated within the stratigraphic framework of Paleocene platform to basin depositional sequences established for the whole Pyrenean domain. The samples were collected in autochtonous and parautochtonous deposits from ten key stratigraphic sections, representative of coastal to platform margin depositional settings. The results from two sections representing base of slope facies with intercalations of calcareous turbidites, which include penecontemporaneous platform-derived biota have been integrated in the study. The regional chronostratigraphic framework is derived from magneto-biochronological studies carried out in the Zumaia section, the global reference section for the Danian-Selandian and Selandian-Thanetian GSSPs. A new calibration of the Paleocene SBZs is proposed. The SBZ 1 is constrained to the first 1.09m.y. of the Paleocene; this first Paleogene biozone lacks distinct larger foraminiferal markers and thus is defined by an association of non-exclusive taxa composed of Valvulineria patalaensis, Stomatorbina? binkhorsti, Planorbulina? antiqua and Bangiana hanseni. The SBZ 2 now appears as the biozone encompassing most of the Danian stage (from ca. 64.9m.a. to 61.6m.a.), and is characterized by the association of Haymanella elongata,
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Stratigraphic and sedimentological study of distal alluvial and lacustrine deposits in the Plana de la Negra-Sancho Abarca area (western-central Ebro Basin, NE Iberia) within the early and middle Miocene allows five main... more
Stratigraphic and sedimentological study of distal alluvial and lacustrine deposits in the Plana de la Negra-Sancho Abarca area (western-central Ebro Basin, NE Iberia) within the early and middle Miocene allows five main lithofacies to be characterized and mapped within two tectosedimentary units, construction of a sedimentary facies model and discussion on allogenic controls on sedimentation. In this area, the boundary between tectosedimentary units T5 and T6 appears to be conformable and is marked by the change from dominant clastics to carbonates. Correlation of the studied outcrops with nearby sections that already had magnetostratigraphic and biostratigraphic data allows the studied succession to be dated from C5Dr to C5Cn (Burdigalian-Langhian), placing the boundary T5/T6 at ca.16.1-16.05Ma. Seven vertical facies sequences document deposition of distal alluvial clastics and palustrine and lacustrine carbonates. Sandstones and mudstones represent low-sinuosity channels and lateral and terminal splays by unconfined flows runnig across the alluvial plain, associated to the Pyrenean-derived Luna fluvial system. The carbonates contain charophytes, ostracods, bivalves and gastropods, indicating deposition in 2-4m deep lakes. Laminated carbonate facies record reworking of shore carbonates and the influx fine-siliciclastic sediment offshore. Abundant bioturbation and desiccation features indicate episodic submergence and subaerial exposure. Four main episodes of alluvial and associated palustrine/lacustrine facies belt shifts are identified. Alluvial deposition in the studied T5 unit is related to low lake level conditions, rather than to a Pyrenean uplift. The maximum extent of the freshwater carbonates occur at the base of unit T6. This is consistent with conditions of increasing humidity of the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum
The Pabdeh Brown Shale Unit (BSU) is an organic-rich calcareous mudstone within the Paleogene Pabdeh Formation, which has not yet been investigated in detail. A total of 166 core and cutting samples were selected from four wells in the... more
The Pabdeh Brown Shale Unit (BSU) is an organic-rich calcareous mudstone within the Paleogene Pabdeh Formation, which has not yet been investigated in detail. A total of 166 core and cutting samples were selected from four wells in the Dezful Embayment to investigate the organic geochemical and the mineralogical compositions, as well as the shale oil potential of the BSU. XRD results show that it is mainly comprised of calcite (53wt.%), clay minerals (25wt.%), and quartz (14wt.%). TOC contents generally range from 1 to 9wt.% (avg. 4.2, 2.9, 5.2 and 3.3wt.%, for GS, KR, RR and RS wells, respectively) with HI values ranging between 400 and 650 mg HC/g TOC. Based on average values of Tmax and vitrinite reflectance, as well as saturate biomarker ratios, the BSU is immature at wells RR and RS (ranging from 0.3 to 0.53%) and its maturity increases northward at wells KR and GS (ranging from 0.5% to 0.67%). The organic matter is dominated by Type ΙΙ kerogen and is generally composed of liptinite and amorphous material with minor terrestrial input. Based on various biomarker parameters, the organic matter was most likely deposited under anoxic marine conditions. The mineralogical characteristics (i.e. presence of brittle minerals) and organic geochemical properties (i.e. TOC >2wt% and Type II kerogen) support the conclusion that the Pabdeh BSU displays a considerable shale oil potential where it attains appropriate thermal maturity.
Quartz veins hosted in the infra and overlying series to the (Sardic) Upper Ordovician Unconformity provide new insights into the structural and thermal evolution of the pre-Variscan rocks of the Eastern Pyrenees. In the La Molina area... more
Quartz veins hosted in the infra and overlying series to the (Sardic) Upper Ordovician Unconformity provide new insights into the structural and thermal evolution of the pre-Variscan rocks of the Eastern Pyrenees. In the La Molina area (Canigó massif), two generations of metric-scale quartz veins (V1 and V2) are distinguished by their distribution patterns and their relationship with deformational macro, meso, and microstructures. P-T formation conditions are obtained by combining chlorite geothermometry and fluid inclusion microthermometry data.
Discrepancies on formation temperature for chlorites located at different positions within the veins are discussed, concluding that veins grew in a low fluid/rock ratio regime. V1 veins can be related to the Late Ordovician
synsedimentary faulting episode as revealed by their distribution patterns, formation mechanisms, and fluid-rock interactions. We propose an Alpine age for the V2 veins, based on their structure and the emplacement conditions of 318±12°C and 2.4±0.2kbar, with an estimated geothermal gradient of 34°C∙km-1 and a burial depth of ca. 9km. Results obtained here are compared with other quartz veins spread throughout the Palaeozoic basement of the Eastern Pyrenees.
Discrepancies on formation temperature for chlorites located at different positions within the veins are discussed, concluding that veins grew in a low fluid/rock ratio regime. V1 veins can be related to the Late Ordovician
synsedimentary faulting episode as revealed by their distribution patterns, formation mechanisms, and fluid-rock interactions. We propose an Alpine age for the V2 veins, based on their structure and the emplacement conditions of 318±12°C and 2.4±0.2kbar, with an estimated geothermal gradient of 34°C∙km-1 and a burial depth of ca. 9km. Results obtained here are compared with other quartz veins spread throughout the Palaeozoic basement of the Eastern Pyrenees.
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The Llert syncline is located in the South-central Pyrenees, between the eastern termination of the E-W trending Cotiella Basin and the north-western limb of the N-S trending Turbón-Serrado fold system. The Cotiella Basin is an inverted... more
The Llert syncline is located in the South-central Pyrenees, between the eastern termination of the E-W trending Cotiella Basin and the north-western limb of the N-S trending Turbón-Serrado fold system. The Cotiella Basin is an inverted upper Coniacian-lower Santonian salt-floored post-rift extensional basin developed along the northern Iberian rift system. The Turbón-Serrado fold system consists of upper Santonian–Maastrichtian contractional saltcored anticlines developed above an inverted transfer zone of the Pyrenean rift system. Based on field observations, we have conducted a 3D reconstruction of the Llert syncline in order to further constrain the transition between these oblique salt-related structures. Our results suggest that the evolution of the Llert syncline was mainly controlled by tectonic shortening related to the positive inversion of the Cotiella Basin, synchronously to the growth of the Turbón-Serrado detachment anticline. This structure was also conditioned by the pre-compressional structural framework of the Pyrenean rift system. Our contribution provides new insight into the geometric and kinematic relationships of structures developed during the inversion of passive margins involving salt.
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SHRIMP and LA-ICP-MS analyses carried out on zircons from the Río de los Sauces granite revealed their metamorphic and igneous nature. The metamorphic zircons yielded an age of 537±4.8 (2σ)Ma that probably predates the onset of the... more
SHRIMP and LA-ICP-MS analyses carried out on zircons from the Río de los Sauces granite revealed their metamorphic and igneous nature. The metamorphic zircons yielded an age of 537±4.8 (2σ)Ma that probably predates the onset of the anatexis during the Pampean orogeny. By contrast, the igneous zircons yielded a younger age of 529±6 (2σ)Ma and reflected its crystallization age. These data point to a short time lag of ca. 8Myr between the High Temperature (HT) metamorphic peak and the subsequent crystallization age of the granite. Concordia age of 534±3.8 (2σ)Ma, for both types of zircon populations, can be considered as the mean age of the Pampean HT metamorphism in the Sierras de Córdoba. Pampean Orogeny. Pampean Metamorphism. Río de los Sauces granite. U-Pb SHRIMP dating. LA-ICP-MS analyses.
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The paper presents the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of two groups of hydrothermalites and their relation with igneous rocks of the Ermakovka deposit. The first group includes F-Be ore bodies, occurring outside the granite... more
The paper presents the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of two groups of hydrothermalites and their relation with igneous rocks of the Ermakovka deposit. The first group includes F-Be ore bodies, occurring outside the granite massif. The second group is presented in veinlets with sulfates, phosphates, kaolinite, muscovite and hematite. It contains Rare Earth Elements (REE) mineralization (monazite, florencite, xenotime) and occurs within the massif. There are two different massifs of igneous rocks (granite and syenite) at the area of the deposit which have ages (226-227Ma) close to the age of hydrothermalites (225Ma). Each of them could be a source of F-Be-containing veins. This paper reviews the ore potential of these rocks. It includes a mineralogical study isotopic analyses of Sr, Nd and O, and trace, including rare-earth element compositions and age determination (U-Pb) of F-Be ores. The data obtained by us evidence that the fluid source of F-Be ores were syenites rather than granites. This is proven by the absence of Be-mineralization in granites and schlieren pegmatites, and a sharp difference in composition of their fluid phases. A reductive fluid specification forming F-Be ores (containing CH4, H2, N2, CO2 and H2S), contrasts sharply with fluid specification of granites. The granites are characterized by high oxygen fugacity, due to ferric iron, sulfates and phosphates. Besides isotopic composition of oxygen in quartz (7.4 and 5.1 ‰ δ18О V-SMOW respectively), initial Sr ratios (0.7056-0.7065 and 0.707-0.709 respectively) and REE compositions are different.
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The lower Eocene sediments from the classical Paleogene section exposed along the Kheu River, northern Caucasus, southern Russia are here studied. This ca. 50m thick succession is lithologically contrasting: the lower and upper parts are... more
The lower Eocene sediments from the classical Paleogene section exposed along the Kheu River, northern Caucasus, southern Russia are here studied. This ca. 50m thick succession is lithologically contrasting: the lower and upper parts are composed by soft marls separated by a thick Radiolaria-rich unit of non-calcareous and low-calcareous mudstones with intercalations of compact cherty layers. According to nannofossil and dinocyst biostratigraphy, the unique intercalation of Total Organic Carbon (TOC)-rich sediment (sapropelitic bed) in the lower part of the lower Eocene correspond to the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) and a series of sapropelitic interlayers in the upper marly part of the lower Eocene succession correlates with the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO). The study of nannofossil and dinocyst assemblages enabled detailed zonal subdivision and first-order calibration of nannofossil and dinocyst bio-events during this time-span. The studied interval of the section embraces the complete succession of nannofossil zones NP9-NP13 of Martini, 1971, CP8-CP11 of Okada and Bukry, 1980 and CNP11-CNE5 of Agnini et al., 2014. By means of dinocyst stratigraphy, the succession of Apectodinium hyperacanthum, Axiodinium augustum, Deflandrea oebisfeldensis, Dracodinium astra, Stenodinium meckelfeldense, Dracodinium varielongitudum, Ochetodinium romanum/Samlandia chlamydophora and Areosphaeridium diktyoplokum zones are identified in the Ypresian part of the Kheu section.
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The dyke of the Papôa volcanic breccia cross-cutting the Lower Jurassic sequence of the Lusitanian Basin (West Iberia) contains granitic xenoliths. In this study, for the first time, U-Th-Pb zircon analysis of two xenoliths yielded c.... more
The dyke of the Papôa volcanic breccia cross-cutting the Lower Jurassic sequence of the Lusitanian Basin (West Iberia) contains granitic xenoliths. In this study, for the first time, U-Th-Pb zircon analysis of two xenoliths yielded c. 298Ma for the biotite granite and of c. 305-291Ma for the two-mica granite, indicating that the pre-Mesozoic basement of the Lusitanian Basin includes Permian intrusions. These ages are close within the margin of error to the age of the Late Carboniferous granites of the Berlengas isles that with the Late Devonian high-grade metamorphic rocks of the Farilhões isles, located northwest of the study area, form the pre-Mesozoic basement of the Lusitanian Basin. These new geochronological findings enable us to establish that Permo-Carboniferous magmatism lasted at least 14Ma in this region, as in other regions of the Appalachian-Variscan belt. Furthermore, a comparison with available data from Paleozoic tectonic units of the Appalachian-Variscan belt located in and outside the Iberian Massif suggests that the Lusitanian Basin (Peniche) most probably rests on the South Portuguese Zone, which may correlates with the Rhenohercynian Zone present in southwest England, and the Meguma terrane of Nova Scotia.
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The Pabdeh Brown Shale Unit (BSU) is an organic-rich calcareous mudstone within the Paleogene Pabdeh Formation, which has not yet been investigated in detail. A total of 166 core and cutting samples were selected from four wells in the... more
The Pabdeh Brown Shale Unit (BSU) is an organic-rich calcareous mudstone within the Paleogene Pabdeh
Formation, which has not yet been investigated in detail. A total of 166 core and cutting samples were selected
from four wells in the Dezful Embayment to investigate the organic geochemical and mineralogical compositions,
as well as the shale oil potential of the BSU. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) results show that it is mainly comprised
of calcite (53wt.%), clay minerals (25wt.%) and quartz (14wt.%). Total Organic Content (TOC) values generally
range from 1 to 9wt.% (avg. 4.2, 2.9, 5.2 and 3.3wt.%, for GS, KR, RR and RS wells, respectively) with Hydrogen
Index (HI) values ranging between 400 and 650mg HC/g TOC. Based on average values of Tmax and vitrinite
reflectance, as well as saturate biomarker ratios, the BSU is immature at wells RR and RS (ranging from 0.3 to
0.53%) and its maturity increases northward at wells KR and GS (ranging from 0.5% to 0.67%). The organic
matter is dominated by Type ΙΙ kerogen and is generally composed of liptinite and amorphous material with minor
terrestrial input. Based on various biomarker parameters, the organic matter was most likely deposited under
anoxic marine conditions. The favorable mineralogical composition (i.e. presence of brittle minerals) and organic
geochemical properties (i.e. TOC>2wt% and Type II kerogen) support the conclusion that the Pabdeh BSU displays
a considerable shale oil potential where it attains appropriate thermal maturity.
Formation, which has not yet been investigated in detail. A total of 166 core and cutting samples were selected
from four wells in the Dezful Embayment to investigate the organic geochemical and mineralogical compositions,
as well as the shale oil potential of the BSU. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) results show that it is mainly comprised
of calcite (53wt.%), clay minerals (25wt.%) and quartz (14wt.%). Total Organic Content (TOC) values generally
range from 1 to 9wt.% (avg. 4.2, 2.9, 5.2 and 3.3wt.%, for GS, KR, RR and RS wells, respectively) with Hydrogen
Index (HI) values ranging between 400 and 650mg HC/g TOC. Based on average values of Tmax and vitrinite
reflectance, as well as saturate biomarker ratios, the BSU is immature at wells RR and RS (ranging from 0.3 to
0.53%) and its maturity increases northward at wells KR and GS (ranging from 0.5% to 0.67%). The organic
matter is dominated by Type ΙΙ kerogen and is generally composed of liptinite and amorphous material with minor
terrestrial input. Based on various biomarker parameters, the organic matter was most likely deposited under
anoxic marine conditions. The favorable mineralogical composition (i.e. presence of brittle minerals) and organic
geochemical properties (i.e. TOC>2wt% and Type II kerogen) support the conclusion that the Pabdeh BSU displays
a considerable shale oil potential where it attains appropriate thermal maturity.
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The middle−upper Eocene to lower Oligocene Kazandere Limestone Member of the Soğucak Formation is widely represented in the Thrace Basin and rich in shallow-water marine foraminifera. Very shallow-water Priabonian facies described here... more
The middle−upper Eocene to lower Oligocene Kazandere Limestone Member of the Soğucak Formation is widely represented in the Thrace Basin and rich in shallow-water marine foraminifera. Very shallow-water Priabonian facies described here include Borelis vonderschimitti, Borelis laxispira sp. nov., Chapmanina gassinensis, Chapmanina elongata sp. nov., Pfendericonusglobulus sp. nov., Orbitolites minimus,Coscinospira sp. Last occurrences of the aforementioned Priabonian species and first appearances of the shallow-water marine Rupelian species Nummulites fichteli, Nummulites vascus and Operculina complanata define the Eocene−Oligocene boundary in the new Kazandere Member at the northeast Thrace Basin.
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A total of 208 boreholes with continuous core sampling, drilled for the construction of the high-speed train line through the city of Barcelona and other nearby infrastructures, were studied. The correlation of the lithologic logs of... more
A total of 208 boreholes with continuous core sampling, drilled for the construction of the high-speed train line through the city of Barcelona and other nearby infrastructures, were studied. The correlation of the lithologic logs of these boreholes allows identifying five main depositional sequences bounded by sharp erosional surfaces: i) lower Miocene, of alluvial origin; ii) middle Miocene, of deltaic-lacustrine origin; iii) lower Pliocene, of beach-shelf origin; iv) Pleistocene, of alluvial origin and v) Holocene, of deltaic origin. The erosive surfaces that separate these sequences represent important erosive hiatus linked to prolonged sea level falls at regional scale, which eliminated the upper part of each one. Sedimentation took place during decreasing intensity of extensional tectonic activity that mainly affected the Miocene deposits. The Plio-Quaternary units show their original structure apparently without tectonic alterations. Some new biostratigraphic data based on foraminifer assemblages allowed making accurate estimate of the age of the deposits.
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Each scientist is specialized in his or her field of research and in the tools that he or she uses during the research in a specified site. Thus, he or she is the most suitable person for improving the tools by overcoming their... more
Each scientist is specialized in his or her field of research and in the tools that he or she uses during the research in a specified site. Thus, he or she is the most suitable person for improving the tools by overcoming their limitations to realize faster and higher quality analysis. However, most scientists are not software developers. Hence, it is necessary to provide them with an easy approach that enables non-software developers to improve and customize their tools. This paper presents an approach for easily improving and customizing any hydrogeological software. It is the result of experiences with updating several interdisciplinary case studies. The main insights of this approach have been demonstrated using four examples: MIX (FORTRAN-based), BrineMIX (C++-based), EasyQuim and EasyBal (both spreadsheet-based). The improved software has been proven to be a better tool for enhanced analysis by substantially reducing the computation time and the tedious processing of the input and output data files.
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Stratigraphic and sedimentological study of distal alluvial and lacustrine deposits in the Plana de la Negra-Sancho Abarca area (western-central Ebro Basin, NE Iberia) within the early and middle Miocene allows five main lithofacies to be... more
Stratigraphic and sedimentological study of distal alluvial and lacustrine deposits in the Plana de la Negra-Sancho Abarca area (western-central Ebro Basin, NE Iberia) within the early and middle Miocene allows five main lithofacies to be characterized and mapped within two tectosedimentary units, construction of a sedimentary facies model and discussion on allogenic controls on sedimentation. In this area, the boundary between tectosedimentary units T5 and T6 appears to be conformable and is marked by the change from dominant clastics to carbonates. Correlation of the studied outcrops with nearby sections that already had magnetostratigraphic and biostratigraphic data allows the studied succession to be dated from C5Dr to C5Cn (Burdigalian-Langhian), placing the boundary T5/T6 at ca.16.1-16.05Ma. Seven vertical facies sequences document deposition of distal alluvial clastics and palustrine and lacustrine carbonates. Sandstones and mudstones represent low-sinuosity channels and lateral and terminal splays by unconfined flows runnig across the alluvial plain, associated to the Pyrenean-derived Luna fluvial system. The carbonates contain charophytes, ostracods, bivalves and gastropods, indicating deposition in 2-4m deep lakes. Laminated carbonate facies record reworking of shore carbonates and the influx fine-siliciclastic sediment offshore. Abundant bioturbation and desiccation features indicate episodic submergence and subaerial exposure. Four main episodes of alluvial and associated palustrine/lacustrine facies belt shifts are identified. Alluvial deposition in the studied T5 unit is related to low lake level conditions, rather than to a Pyrenean uplift. The maximum extent of the freshwater carbonates occur at the base of unit T6. This is consistent with conditions of increasing humidity of the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum. Miocene stratigraphy. Palustrine-lacustrine facies model. Ebro Basin. Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum.
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In the coming years the Anthropocene will be likely submitted to formalization by the Anthropocene Working Group as a chronostratigraphic unit of the Geologic Time Scale. This has generated an increasing debate among detractors and... more
In the coming years the Anthropocene will be likely submitted to formalization by the Anthropocene Working Group as a chronostratigraphic unit of the Geologic Time Scale. This has generated an increasing debate among detractors and defenders of its formalization in general, and of the proposal by the Anthropocene Working Group in particular. Here, the main issues regarding the Geologic Time Scale and the rules to formalize units, the empirical data supporting the Anthropocene formalization and the critiques to formalize it are critically reviewed. The procedure to formalize the Anthropocene is not dissimilar from those of the other units of the Geologic Time Scale and has been essentially based on stratigraphic and geologic criteria. Following the recommendation of the Anthropocene Working Group and based on the empirical evidence on the Anthropocene as it is expressed in strata and, more important, on the immanent and structural link between the Anthropocene and the reproduction of capital, it is proposed to define Capitalian as a Stage of the Anthropocene Epoch. In this way, a truly comprehensive understanding of the Earth history is obtained, which comprises the ultimate causes of the ongoing planetary transformation and its stratigraphic expression.
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Northern Portugal is characterized by the occurrence of numerous W hydrothermal deposits spatially associated with granites. The primary goal of this work is to establish a relationship between the magnetic behavior of the granites and... more
Northern Portugal is characterized by the occurrence of numerous W hydrothermal deposits spatially associated with granites. The primary goal of this work is to establish a relationship between the magnetic behavior of the granites and the redox conditions during magma genesis, as this can influence the occurrence of mineralizations, namely of W (Mo). To this end, the magnetic mineralogy of the granites of the Lamas de Olo Pluton, a post-tectonic pluton in northern Portugal, with associated W (Mo) occurrences was characterized and compared with the magnetic mineralogy of other post-tectonic Variscan plutons. This pluton is composed of different biotite granites: Lamas de Olo, Alto dos Cabeços and Barragem. To better characterize its magnetic behavior, different analytical techniques that complement previous magnetic susceptibility studies were performed. The magnetic mineralogy of Lamas de Olo Pluton was then compared with other post-tectonic Variscan plutons such as the Vila Pouca de Aguiar, Peneda-Gerês and Lavadores-Madalena plutons. The presence of magnetite in some of these granites is important because it points to melt-oxidized conditions not commonly found in Iberian Variscan granites. Our study shows that granite areas where magnetite and/or magnetite/ilmenite coexist are important targets for W (Mo) mineralizations. The results indicate that a few plutons have granites with a complex redox history which leads to the formation of magnetite and ilmenite.
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The present study provides new data of the Middle-Upper Triassic successions and their deformation in the eastern Iberian Chain, where contractional tectonics during the Cenozoic disrupted this Mediterranean type of Triassic rocks. The... more
The present study provides new data of the Middle-Upper Triassic successions and their deformation in the eastern Iberian Chain, where contractional tectonics during the Cenozoic disrupted this Mediterranean type of Triassic rocks. The succession, divided into three Muschelkalk units, was studied in the Alt Palància area. In this area, both the lower and upper Muschelkalk consist of two main types of sub-units, those made up of carbonate and those of carbonate-marl alternation. The marked similarity observed between the evaporite units of the middle Muschelkalk and the Keuper hampers their unambiguous discrimination in the field. The integration of geological mapping, stratigraphic logging, palynological dating and gypsum isotope analysis should provide that: i) a change in the structural style, facies, and depositional thickness occurs across a SW to NE transect at both sides of the Espina-Espadà Fault, providing evidence for the extensional activity of this major structure; ii) palynological data assign Anisian age to the Röt facies and to the lower and the middle Muschelkalk units, and Ladinian to the upper Muschelkalk unit; iii) the δ34SCDT and δ18OSMOW values of gypsum are an useful proxy to discriminate between the middle Muschelkalk (δ34S: 15.6 to 17.8‰) and the Keuper (δ34S: 14 to 15.5‰) units; and iv) the isotopic signature also helps to identify clayey-marly-gypsiferous outcrops made up of the two evaporite facies due to tectonic juxtaposition. These results confirm the Mediterranean type of Triassic rocks for the entire Alt Palància and other areas to the NE. This multidisciplinary approach has proved to be a robust method to study Triassic basins in Iberia and in other geological domains where the carbonate-evaporite successions have been greatly disrupted by tectonism.
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Restudy of an Ordovician diploporite specimen from the Middle Ordovician of central Spain reveals that the species ‘Calix’ inornatusmeléndez has four ambulacra, each with two equal facets, an oval hydropore and a smooth thecal surface. In... more
Restudy of an Ordovician diploporite specimen from the Middle Ordovician of central Spain reveals that the species ‘Calix’ inornatusmeléndez has four ambulacra, each with two equal facets, an oval hydropore and a smooth thecal surface. In contrast, the type species of Calix has four ambulacra, each with four facets added in a clockwise direction during growth, a trilobed hydropore, and a theca with spiny plates. Other aristocystitid genera with four ambulacra have one facet per ambulacrum. ‘Calix’ inornatus differs from all other aristocystitid genera and warrants a new generic name, for which we propose Enodicalix.
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The present study provides new data of the Middle-Upper Triassic successions and their deformation in the eastern Iberian Chain, where contractional tectonics during the Cenozoic disrupted this Mediterranean type of Triassic rocks. The... more
The present study provides new data of the Middle-Upper Triassic successions and their deformation in the eastern Iberian Chain, where contractional tectonics during the Cenozoic disrupted this Mediterranean type of Triassic rocks. The succession, divided into three Muschelkalk units, was studied in the Alt Palància area. In this area, both the lower and upper Muschelkalk consist of two main types of sub-units, those made up of carbonate and those of carbonate-marl alternation. The marked similarity observed between the evaporite units of the middle Muschelkalk and the Keuper humpers their unambiguous discrimination in the field. The integration of geological mapping, stratigraphic logging, palynological dating and gypsum isotope analysis carried out provided that: i) a change in the structural style, facies, and depositional thickness occurs across a SW to NE transect at both sides of the Espina-Espadà Fault, providing evidence for the extensional activity of this major structure; ii) palynological data assign Anisian age to the Röt facies and the lower and the middle Muschelkalk units, and Ladinian to the upper Muschelkalk unit; iii) the δ34SCDT and δ18OSMOW values of gypsum reveal as a useful proxy to discriminate between the middle Muschelkalk (δ34S: 15.6 to 17.8‰) and the Keuper (δ34S: 14 to 15.5‰) units; and iv) the isotopic signature also helps to identify clayey-marly gypsiferous outcrops made up of the two evaporite facies due to tectonic juxtaposition. These results confirm the Mediterranean type of Triassic rocks for the entire Alt Palància and other areas to the NE. This multidisciplinary approach reveals as a robust methodology to study Triassic basins in Iberia and to other geological domains where the carbonate-evaporite successions have been greatly disrupted by tectonism.
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Restudy of an Ordovician diploporite specimen from the Middle Ordovician of central Spain reveals that the species ‘Calix’ inornatus MELÉNDEZ has four ambulacra, each with two equal facets, an oval hydropore and a smooth thecal surface.... more
Restudy of an Ordovician diploporite specimen from the Middle Ordovician of central Spain reveals that the species ‘Calix’ inornatus MELÉNDEZ has four ambulacra, each with two equal facets, an oval hydropore and a smooth thecal surface. In contrast, the type species of Calix has four ambulacra, each with four facets added in a clockwise direction during growth, a trilobed hydropore, and a theca with spiny plates. Other aristocystitid genera with four ambulacra have one facet per ambulacrum. ‘Calix’ inornatus differs from all other aristocystitid genera and warrants a new generic name, for which we propose Enodicalix.
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The paper presents the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of two groups of hydrothermal rocks and their relation with subalkaline granites of the Ermakovskoe deposit. The first group includes fluorite-phenakite-bertrandite ore... more
The paper presents the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of two groups of hydrothermal rocks and their relation with subalkaline granites of the Ermakovskoe deposit. The first group includes fluorite-phenakite-bertrandite ore bodies, occurring outside the granite massif. The second group is presented by silicification bodies with sulfates, phosphates, kaolinite, muscovite and hematite. It bears REE (rare earth elements) mineralization (monazite, florencite, xenotime) and occurs within the massif. Our research included isotopic analyses of Sr, Nd and O, studies of trace, including rare-earth element compositions and age determination (U-Pb) of apatite from F-Be ores. Geochemical and isotopic studies are not according with relation between F-Be ores and granites. This is proven by the absence of Be-mineralization in granites and schlieren pegmatites, and a sharp difference in composition of their fluid phases. A reductive fluid specification forming F-Be ores (containing CH4, H2, N2, CO2 and H2S), contrasts sharply with fluid specification of granites. The granites are characterized by high oxygen fugacity, due to ferrous iron, sulfates and phosphates. Besides isotopic composition of oxygen in quartz (7.4 and 5.1‰ δ18О V-SMOW respectively), initial Sr ratios (0.7056-0.7065 and 0.707-0.709 respectively) and REE compositions are different.
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The lower Eocene sediments from the classical Paleogene section exposed along the Kheu River, northern Caucasus, southern Russia are here studied. This ca. 50m thick succession is lithologically contrasting: the lower and upper parts are... more
The lower Eocene sediments from the classical Paleogene section exposed along the Kheu River, northern Caucasus, southern Russia are here studied. This ca. 50m thick succession is lithologically contrasting: the lower and upper parts are composed by soft marls separated by a thick Radiolaria-rich unit of non-calcareous and low-calcareous mudstones with intercalations of compact cherty layers. According to nannofossil and dinocyst biostratigraphy, the unique intercalation of Total Organic Carbon (TOC)-rich sediment (sapropelitic bed) in the lower part of the lower Eocene correspond to the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) and a series of sapropelitic interlayers in the upper marly part of the lower Eocene succession correlates with the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO). The study of nannofossil and dinocyst assemblages enabled detailed zonal subdivision and first-order calibration of nannofossil and dinocyst bio-events during this time-span. The studied interval of the section embraces the complete succession of nannofossil zones NP9-NP13 of Martini, 1971, CP8-CP11 of Okada and Bukry, 1980 and CNP11-CNE5 of Agnini et al., 2014. By means of dinocyst stratigraphy, the succession of Apectodinium hyperacanthum, Axiodinium augustum, Deflandrea oebisfeldensis, Dracodinium astra, Stenodinium meckelfeldense, Dracodinium varielongitudum, Ochetodinium romanum/Samlandia chlamydophora and Areosphaeridium diktyoplokum zones are identified in the Ypresian part of the Kheu section.
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The present research explores the Bañitos-Gollete geothermal field located in the Frontal Andes Cordillera over the Pampean flat-slab. We carried out an audiomagnetotelluric survey in order to define the underground geoelectrical... more
The present research explores the Bañitos-Gollete geothermal field located in the Frontal Andes Cordillera over the Pampean flat-slab. We carried out an audiomagnetotelluric survey in order to define the underground geoelectrical structure and to understand the link between the geothermal fluid flow path and the main geological structures. 2-D audiomagnetotelluric models suggest that the deep-rooted N-S fault system controls the geothermal flow path. We propose a conductive heat-driven system, taking into consideration the geologic setting and the supposed low geothermal gradient of this tectonic environment. The mature Na-Cl waters from Gollete and an estimated reservoir temperature of ~140ºC are consistent with this conceptual model. Further investigations are required to assess the geothermal potential of the study area, and the present work likely represents only the first but necessary step in the exploration process.
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The Langhian Vc unit of Brielas section (Caparica road, Almada), in the marine Miocene of the Lower Tagus Basin (West Portugal), is rich in batoid species. In this study, batoids are represented by 149 isolated fossil teeth and a single... more
The Langhian Vc unit of Brielas section (Caparica road, Almada), in the marine Miocene of the Lower Tagus Basin (West Portugal), is rich in batoid species. In this study, batoids are represented by 149 isolated fossil teeth and a single fossil dental plate collected from a bulk sample of washed and sorted sediment. A total of 12 species belonging to the orders Rhinopristiformes, Rajiformes, Torpediniformes and Myliobatiformes were identified.
All genera and some species are known to have extant representatives. Aetobatus cappettai antunes and balbino, 2006, is described now from Langhian material which suggests it is older than previously supposed. The biogeographic ranges, environmental constraints and behaviour of the species described in this study point out to an infralittoral environment characterized by the dominance of warm water conditions, where episodic upwelling contributed to the occurrence of different types of batoids coexisting in the same habitat.
All genera and some species are known to have extant representatives. Aetobatus cappettai antunes and balbino, 2006, is described now from Langhian material which suggests it is older than previously supposed. The biogeographic ranges, environmental constraints and behaviour of the species described in this study point out to an infralittoral environment characterized by the dominance of warm water conditions, where episodic upwelling contributed to the occurrence of different types of batoids coexisting in the same habitat.
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The left-lateral strike-slip Adıyaman fault is located in eastern Turkey within the plate boundary deformation zone between Arabia and Anatolia. The Adıyaman fault is a major splay from the East Anatolian Fault (EAF), one of the most... more
The left-lateral strike-slip Adıyaman fault is located in eastern Turkey within the plate boundary deformation
zone between Arabia and Anatolia. The Adıyaman fault is a major splay from the East Anatolian Fault (EAF),
one of the most important tectonic structures in the Eastern Mediterranean region. These faults are consequence
of the collision between the Arabian and Anatolian plates and the resulting westward tectonic escape of Anatolia.
Although the EAF has been intensively studied since its discovery in the late 1960s, little is known about the
Adıyaman fault and its tectonic activity. In this study, we extract geomorphic indices including mountain-front
sinuosity (Smf), valley floor width-to-height ratio (Vf), stream length-gradient (SL), catchment Asymmetry Factor
(AF) and hypsometric integrals and curves (HI and HC) to evaluate the relative tectonic activity of the Adıyaman
fault. These three geomorphic indices (AF, HI, and HC) are averaged to define an index for Relative Tectonic
Activity (RTA) that allows the Adıyaman fault to be divided into categories of low, moderate and high RTA.
The results confirm that the Adıyaman fault is an active fault with high to moderate Quaternary tectonic activity.
However, this fault is of minor importance on accommodating plate boundary deformation, as evidenced by the
recent crustal motions determined by GPS studies. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to note that the Adıyaman fault
still poses a significant seismic hazard for the region despite its relatively moderate tectonic activity.
zone between Arabia and Anatolia. The Adıyaman fault is a major splay from the East Anatolian Fault (EAF),
one of the most important tectonic structures in the Eastern Mediterranean region. These faults are consequence
of the collision between the Arabian and Anatolian plates and the resulting westward tectonic escape of Anatolia.
Although the EAF has been intensively studied since its discovery in the late 1960s, little is known about the
Adıyaman fault and its tectonic activity. In this study, we extract geomorphic indices including mountain-front
sinuosity (Smf), valley floor width-to-height ratio (Vf), stream length-gradient (SL), catchment Asymmetry Factor
(AF) and hypsometric integrals and curves (HI and HC) to evaluate the relative tectonic activity of the Adıyaman
fault. These three geomorphic indices (AF, HI, and HC) are averaged to define an index for Relative Tectonic
Activity (RTA) that allows the Adıyaman fault to be divided into categories of low, moderate and high RTA.
The results confirm that the Adıyaman fault is an active fault with high to moderate Quaternary tectonic activity.
However, this fault is of minor importance on accommodating plate boundary deformation, as evidenced by the
recent crustal motions determined by GPS studies. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to note that the Adıyaman fault
still poses a significant seismic hazard for the region despite its relatively moderate tectonic activity.
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New dentary material of Percrocuta carnifex (Pilgrim, 1913) from the Nagri Formation of Hasnot, Pakistan, is described. Specimens of this species from the Siwalik continental deposits described by previous authors are discussed in detail.... more
New dentary material of Percrocuta carnifex (Pilgrim, 1913) from the Nagri Formation of Hasnot, Pakistan, is described. Specimens of this species from the Siwalik continental deposits described by previous authors are discussed in detail. In addition to the taxonomic description of the new material, the occurrence and stratigraphic position of this species within the Siwalik Hills are re-evaluated. Except for the holotype, the specimens assigned to this species are very fragmentary. The newly discovered material, a right mandibular ramus containing teeth, is the best preserved specimen found to date. The comparative analysis, based on tooth morphology and dimensions of previously reported specimens and of the specimen studied here, suggests that this species is restricted to the Chinji and Nagri formations. Finally, the dental morphological features of the studied specimen and those of other species of Percrocuta are compared, and then the phylogenetic relationship between these species is discussed. The described specimen is thus important for the taxonomic, stratigraphic and phylogenetic knowledge of P. carnifex from the Siwaliks.
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Quartz grains collected from Arauco and Mataquito (central Chile) after the 2010 Maule tsunami presented an overwhelming dominance of dissolution textures. The analysis of superficial imprints proved that some grains were mechanically... more
Quartz grains collected from Arauco and Mataquito (central Chile) after the 2010 Maule tsunami presented an overwhelming dominance of dissolution textures. The analysis of superficial imprints proved that some grains were mechanically impacted before deposition. However, the percentage of grains with fresh surfaces and percussion marks was significantly lower than average values from other tsunami deposits elsewhere in the world. In this work, we discuss the reasons for such results in the context of the geomorphological setting of the areas analyzed and its influence on the microtextural signatures observed. The data presented in this study evidences a geographic dependence in the type of microtextures in the areas analyzed. For example, in Arauco the abundance of dissolution textures decreases rapidly towards the center of the embayment and increases towards the rocky headlands of its westernmost sector. By contrast, an increase of mechanical marks (e.g. fresh surfaces) is observed in the central region of the Arauco’s embayment. Similarly, in Mataquito, dissolution features are more abundant in the headlands or small capes, while there is a higher presence of mechanical marks in sandy embayments. The results of this study demonstrate the importance of the geomorphological context as a controlling factor in the intensity of mechanical imprints on the surface of quartz grains transported by tsunamis and deposited in the inner shelf and coastal areas. Therefore, our results suggest that without a detailed geomorphological contextualization microtextural discrimination can lead to misleading interpretations. Hence, there is a need for more microtextural analysis on tsunami deposits in order to assess the variability in the geographic distribution and intensity of microtextures imprinted on the surface of quartz grains deposited during a tsunami event.
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Mudstones in the Sha-3 member of the Shahejie Formation, in the Tanggu area of the Huanghua Depression, have been found to contain analcime and ankerite. Hydrothermal sedimentation has been invoked to explain the origin of these two... more
Mudstones in the Sha-3 member of the Shahejie Formation, in the Tanggu area of the Huanghua Depression, have been found to contain analcime and ankerite. Hydrothermal sedimentation has been invoked to explain the origin of these two minerals, raising the question of whether hydrothermal activity occurred at a sufficient scale to significantly raise the salinity of the depositional environment. We applied a suite of organic petrological and geochemical methods to directly address this question. Maceral composition, kerogen type, and the distribution of n-alkanes, hopanes, and steranes indicate that the organic matter contained in these mudstones and dolomitic mudstones is mainly derived from algae and bacteria. The dominant acritarch genera, C31R/C30 hopane ratio, gammacerane index, Pr/Ph ratio, and the relationship between Pr/n-C17 and Ph/n-C18 suggest that the mudstones and dolomitic mudstones were deposited in an anoxic, saline lacustrine environment. Tmax, biomarker maturity indices, the Thermal Alteration Index (TAI) and Acritarch Alteration Index (AAI), and vitrinite reflectance all indicate that the organic matter is at an immature to early mature stage. The estimated maximum paleotemperature is close to the present-day burial temperature, and much lower than the homogenization temperature of the analcime veins in dolostones. Combined with the absence of unresolved complex mixtures on the n-alkane pattern, this suggests that hydrothermal activity had a negligible impact on the salinity and alkalinity of the depositional lake.
Research Interests: Geochemistry, Sedimentology, Saline Lake, Social Stratification, Petrology and Geochemistry, and 15 moreChina studies, Stratification, Hydrothermal systems, Salinity, Dolomites, N-Alkanes, Soil organic matter, Hydrothermal Activity, Organic Petrology, Mudstone, Sequence Stratigraphy of Mudstones, Organic Matter, Analcime, Shahejie Formation, and ankerite
Remains of a digestive system from a slightly damaged articulated specimen of the comparatively rare bathycheilid trilobite Prionocheilus vokovicensis (Šnajdr, 1956) are described for the first time. The specimen comes from the Middle... more
Remains of a digestive system from a slightly damaged articulated specimen of the comparatively rare bathycheilid trilobite Prionocheilus vokovicensis (Šnajdr, 1956) are described for the first time. The specimen comes from the Middle Ordovician Šárka Formation of the Prague Basin and contains the midgut region of the digestive system preserved through the axial region of glabella and six anterior thoracic segments. The anterior-most part of the digestive system is unknown as the anterior glabellar lobes are not preserved in the studied specimen. In the cephalic shield, the remains of two pairs of gut diverticulae are seen in the posterior region of the glabella. Remains of five pairs of small cavities developed in the axis of the first six thoracic segments represent the remains of thoracic gut diverticulae. The discussed specimen possess the first undoubted remain of digestive structures established within the family Bathycheilidae (PŘibyl, 1953).
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The Ollo de Sapo Formation comprises variably metamorphosed felsic peraluminous volcanic rocks and highlevel granites that crop out over some 600km from the Cantabrian coast to central Spain in the northern part of the Central Iberian... more
The Ollo de Sapo Formation comprises variably metamorphosed felsic peraluminous volcanic rocks and highlevel granites that crop out over some 600km from the Cantabrian coast to central Spain in the northern part of the Central Iberian Zone. The Ollo de Sapo magmatism is not obviously connected with any major tectonic or metamorphic event so its origin is controversial. Some authors, based on trace-elements, have proposed that the Ollo de Sapo magmas originated in a supra-subduction setting but others, based on abnormally high zircon inheritance and field and structural data, favored a rifting environment. Here we present new oxygen and hafnium isotope data from the very characteristic Ollo the Sapo zircons, which in most cases, consist of ca. 485Ma rims and ca. 590-615Ma cores. We found that the Cambrian-Ordovician rims yielded unimodal distributions that cluster around ∂18O=10, typical of S-type magmas formed from melting of altered crust. The Ediacaran cores, in contrast, cluster around ∂18O=6.5, consistent with being arc-magmas. Rims and cores have the same average Hf isotope composition, but the rims are considerably more uniform. These data, coupled with existing wholerock element and Sr and Nd isotopic data, indicate that the Ollo de Sapo were S-type magmas that resulted from anatexis of younger-than-600Ma immature sediments mostly derived from different Ediacaran igneous rocks with a wide range of Hf isotope composition.
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One of the most outstanding characteristics of some granodioritic to granitic rocks is the presence of K-feldspar megacrysts. For instance, granodiorites and monzogranites of the Spanish Central System batholith present variable amounts... more
One of the most outstanding characteristics of some granodioritic to granitic rocks is the presence of K-feldspar megacrysts. For instance, granodiorites and monzogranites of the Spanish Central System batholith present variable amounts of large (up to 10cm in length) euhedral K-feldspar crystals. The porphyritic textures, the euhedral shape, the alignment of plagioclase and biotite inclusions and the magmatic fabrics point to a magmatic origin for these megacrysts.
This work presents a phase equilibria study in a high-K2O granodioritic system. A series of experiments were conducted with a granodioritic composition (GEMbiot) to study the crystallization sequence at the emplacement conditions in the Gredos massif, i.e. 4 H2O wt.% and 0.4GPa. Experimental results show that orthopiroxene is the liquidus phase at 1010ºC, which reacts with the H2O-rich melt to stabilize biotite between 980 and 940ºC. Plagioclase crystallizes at around 910ºC, and K-feldspar crystallizes in the matrix between 750 and 700ºC when the crystal fraction is around 0.5. However, at 850ºC, a pelite-doped experiment shows euhedral K-feldspar (≈5vol%) in both the reactive xenolith domain together with cordierite and the granodioritic domain, where the K2O wt.% rose from 4.5 in the normal experiment to 5.9 in the doped experiment. These results suggest that the bulk-assimilation process promotes the bulk and heterogeneous K2O enrichment in a huge granodioritic magma volume, which triggers an early crystallization of K-feldspar megacrysts. Because of this early crystallization of the megacrysts, the magmatic foliations defined by K-feldspar megacrysts are formed during and after the emplacement processes and are highly influenced by tectonic kinematics.
This work presents a phase equilibria study in a high-K2O granodioritic system. A series of experiments were conducted with a granodioritic composition (GEMbiot) to study the crystallization sequence at the emplacement conditions in the Gredos massif, i.e. 4 H2O wt.% and 0.4GPa. Experimental results show that orthopiroxene is the liquidus phase at 1010ºC, which reacts with the H2O-rich melt to stabilize biotite between 980 and 940ºC. Plagioclase crystallizes at around 910ºC, and K-feldspar crystallizes in the matrix between 750 and 700ºC when the crystal fraction is around 0.5. However, at 850ºC, a pelite-doped experiment shows euhedral K-feldspar (≈5vol%) in both the reactive xenolith domain together with cordierite and the granodioritic domain, where the K2O wt.% rose from 4.5 in the normal experiment to 5.9 in the doped experiment. These results suggest that the bulk-assimilation process promotes the bulk and heterogeneous K2O enrichment in a huge granodioritic magma volume, which triggers an early crystallization of K-feldspar megacrysts. Because of this early crystallization of the megacrysts, the magmatic foliations defined by K-feldspar megacrysts are formed during and after the emplacement processes and are highly influenced by tectonic kinematics.
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The North African section of the Gondwana margin was the site of voluminous, arc-related magmatism during the Late Neoproterozoic (Avalonian–Cadomian orogen). The lower (and older) metasedimentary sequence that constitutes the Basal Units... more
The North African section of the Gondwana margin was the site of voluminous, arc-related magmatism during the Late Neoproterozoic (Avalonian–Cadomian orogen). The lower (and older) metasedimentary sequence that constitutes the Basal Units of the Allochthonous Complexes of NW Iberia was deposited in that setting. In these units, sedimentation was followed by the intrusion of tonalites and granodiorites in the late Cambrian (ca. 493–489Ma). In the Late Paleozoic, the collision of Gondwana and Laurussia (Variscan orogeny) deformed and metamorphosed the whole ensemble.
New whole rock geochemical analysis performed in seven samples of metatonalites and fourteen samples of metagranodiorites are characterized by: i) slight enrichment in incompatible elements (Rb, Ba, Th, U), ii) negative anomalies in Nb, Ta, P, and Ti, and iii) negative anomalies in Eu. These chemical features are in agreement with a subduction-related setting for the genesis of both types of magma, which is also supported by chemical discrimination using tectonic setting diagrams. Positive anomalies of Pb suggest a crustal component. The new geochemical data reveal that the convergent orogen that ruled the paleogeography of the Gondwana periphery during the Neoproterozoic (Cadomian orogen) remained active beyond the Neoproterozoic-Cambrian transition, up to at least late Cambrian times.
New whole rock geochemical analysis performed in seven samples of metatonalites and fourteen samples of metagranodiorites are characterized by: i) slight enrichment in incompatible elements (Rb, Ba, Th, U), ii) negative anomalies in Nb, Ta, P, and Ti, and iii) negative anomalies in Eu. These chemical features are in agreement with a subduction-related setting for the genesis of both types of magma, which is also supported by chemical discrimination using tectonic setting diagrams. Positive anomalies of Pb suggest a crustal component. The new geochemical data reveal that the convergent orogen that ruled the paleogeography of the Gondwana periphery during the Neoproterozoic (Cadomian orogen) remained active beyond the Neoproterozoic-Cambrian transition, up to at least late Cambrian times.
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Olivine hornblendites (cortlandtites) form part of the Montnegre mafic complex related to late-Variscan I-type granitoids in the Catalan Coastal Ranges. Two generations of spinel are present in these hornblendites: Spl1 forms euhedral... more
Olivine hornblendites (cortlandtites) form part of the Montnegre mafic complex related to late-Variscan I-type granitoids in the Catalan Coastal Ranges. Two generations of spinel are present in these hornblendites: Spl1 forms euhedral crystals included in both olivine and Spl2. Spl2 forms euhedral to anhedral crystals associated with phlogopite and fibrous colourless amphibole forming pseudomorphs after olivine. Compositions of Spl1 are picotite-Al chromite (Fe#: 77.78-66.60; Cr#: 30.12-52.22; Fe3+/R3+: 6.99-21.89; 0.10< TiO2%<0.62). Compositions of Spl2 are pleonaste (Fe#: 37.86-52.12; Cr#: 1.00-15.45; Fe3+/R3+: 0.31-5.21; TiO2%<0.10). The two types of spinel follow a CrAl trend, mainly due to the substitution (Fe2+)-1Cr-1= MgAl, which is interpreted as the result of mixing between two different mantle-derived melts. The compositions of early Spl1 crystals included in olivine are characteristic of Al-rich basalts. More aluminous Spl2 would result from reaction of olivine with a less evolved, Al and K-rich mantle-derived melt after new refilling of the magma chamber or channel. As a whole, spinels from similar examples of Variscan olivine hronblendites also follow a CrAl trend with high Fe# and starting at higher Cr# than other trends of this type. Cr# heterogeneity in the early spinels from these Variscan hornblendites would be inherited from the variable Al content of the mafic melts involved in their genesis.
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Experimental investigations and thermodynamic calculations of the phase relations of a cordierite-rich monzogranite from the Cabeza de Araya batholith (Cáceres, Spain) have been performed to understand the formation of cordierite. The... more
Experimental investigations and thermodynamic calculations of the phase relations of a cordierite-rich monzogranite from the Cabeza de Araya batholith (Cáceres, Spain) have been performed to understand the formation of cordierite. The experiments failed to crystallize cordierite in the pressure range 200-600MPa, in the temperature range 700-975ºC and for different water activities (melt water contents between 2 and 6 wt.%). In contrast, clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene (absent in the natural mineral rock assemblage), together with biotite, were observed as ferromagnesian assemblage in a wide range of experimental conditions. Thermodynamic calculations, using the software PERPLE_X, describe the formation of cordierite only at 200 and 400MPa and very low water contents, and the amount of cordierite formed in the models is always below 3.5 vol.%. The results indicate that cordierite is not in equilibrium with the bulk rock compositions. The most probable explanation was that cordierite nucleated and crystallized from a melt that is not in equilibrium with part of the mineral assemblage present in the magma. This " non-reactive " mineral assemblage was mainly composed of plagioclase. The silicate melts from which cordierite crystallized was more Al-rich and K-rich than the silicate melt composition in equilibrium with the bulk composition. One possible process for the high Al content of the silicate melt is related to assimilation and partial melting of Al-rich metasediments. An exo-perictetic reaction is assumed to account for both textural and geochemical observations. On the other hand, hybridization processes typical for calc-alkaline series can also explain the high proportions of " non-reactive " minerals observed in relatively high temperature magmas. This study clearly demonstrates that silicate melts in a crystal mush can depart significantly from the composition of melt that should be in equilibrium with the bulk solid assemblage.
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Magnetic susceptibility (MS) has been measured in Variscan granites from central Spain. They yield values in the order of 15 to 180μSI units for S- and I-type granites, indicating that both types belong to the ilmenite series. Only... more
Magnetic susceptibility (MS) has been measured in Variscan granites from central Spain. They yield values in the order of 15 to 180μSI units for S- and I-type granites, indicating that both types belong to the ilmenite series. Only samples from magnetite-bearing leucogranites from the I-type La Pedriza massif show high MS values, in the order of 500-1400μSI, reflecting the presence of this ferromagnetic mineral. Mineral chemistry of magmatic Fe-rich minerals (mainly biotite) suggests similar oxidation values for both granite types. MS values change in highly fractionated granites accordingly either with the presence of rare new Fe-oxide phases (some I-type leucogranites) or with the marked modal amount decrease of Fe-rich minerals (I- and S-type leucogranites). The redox state in highly fractionated granite melts is mostly controlled by magmatic processes that modify redox conditions inherited from the source region. Thus, the occurrence of magnetite or ilmenite in granites is primarily controlled by the oxidation state of the source material but also by the differentiation degree of the granite melt. The presence of magnetite in some Variscan I-type leucogranites might be a consequence of crystal fractionation processes in a more limited mafic mineral assemblage than in S-type granite melts.
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Basic to intermediate high-K, high-Mg mantle-derived rocks occur throughout the Iberian Massif and are particularly important in the Tormes Dome, where vaugnerites form several stocks and small plutons. One of the largest and... more
Basic to intermediate high-K, high-Mg mantle-derived rocks occur throughout the Iberian Massif and are particularly important in the Tormes Dome, where vaugnerites form several stocks and small plutons. One of the largest and geochemically most variable among these plutons is the Calzadilla pluton in the Tormes Dome that crystallized at 318 ± 1.4Ma (Bashkirian; U-Pb TIMS zircon). This age reveals that the vaugnerite pluton was emplaced during the transition from late D2 extensional deformation to early D3 contractional deformation (319 to 317Ma). Large-scale extension in the area resulted, on one hand, in extensive anatexis in the crust due to quasiisothermal decompression and mica-dehydration melting and, on the other hand, in the upwelling of the mantle, which induced partial melting of the enriched domains in the lithospheric mantle. The driving reason why crustal and mantle melts were coeval is extension. The U-Pb ID-TIMS age of allanite is not related to the emplacement nor cooling of the Calzadilla vaugnerite, but it seems to be related to a younger subsolidus overprint ca. 275Ma that, in the scale of the Central Iberian Zone, corresponds to a period of hydrothermal alteration, including episyenite formation and tungsten mineralization.
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In northeastern Mexico, volcanic rocks interbedded with Late Triassic–Jurassic siliciclastic and evaporitic strata have been linked to magmatic arcs developed in the Pangea western margin during its initial phase of fragmentation. This... more
In northeastern Mexico, volcanic rocks interbedded with Late Triassic–Jurassic siliciclastic and evaporitic strata have been linked to magmatic arcs developed in the Pangea western margin during its initial phase of fragmentation. This work provides new petrographic and geochemical data for volcanism included in the El Alamar and Minas Viejas formations outcropping in the Galeana region. Andesitic dykes and sills (n= 10) in the El Alamar redbeds show SiO2= 47.5–59.1% and MgO= 1.2–4.2%, as well as a geochemical affinity to island arc magmas. This work represents the first report of this tectonic setting in the region. Geological and petrographic evidence suggest that this arc system likely developed after ~220 and before ~193Ma. Trachy-andesitic and rhyodacitic domes (n= 20) associated with the Minas Viejas gypsum-carbonates sequence show SiO2= 61.8–82.7% and MgO= 0.1–4.0% with a tectonic affinity to continental arc. A rhyodacite sample from this region has been dated by U-Pb in zircon, yielding an age of 149.4 ± 1.2Ma (n= 21), being the youngest age related to this arc. Finally, we propose a threestep model to explain the tectonic evolution from Late Triassic island arc to Jurassic continental arc system in the northeastern Mexico.
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The Eastern Anatolian Plateau emerges from the continental collision between Arabian and Eurasian plates where intense seismicity related to the ongoing convergence characterizes the southern part of the plateau. Active deformation in... more
The Eastern Anatolian Plateau emerges from the continental collision between Arabian and Eurasian plates where intense seismicity related to the ongoing convergence characterizes the southern part of the plateau. Active deformation in this zone is shared by mainly thrust and strike-slip faults. The Özyurt thrust fault and the Gülsünler sinistral strike-slip fault are newly determined fault zones, located to the north of Van city centre. Different types of faults such as thrust, normal and strike-slip faults are observed on the quarry wall excavated in Quaternary lacustrine deposits at the intersection zone of these two faults. Kinematic analysis of fault-slip data has revealed coeval activities of transtensional and compressional structures for the Lake Van Basin. Seismological and geomorphological characteristics of these faults demonstrate the capability of devastating earthquakes for the area.
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The biogeographic distribution of foraminifers and their belonging to either the southern or northern margins of the Paleo-Tethys are used here for paleogeographic reconstructions of Iran during the Carboniferous. Lower Carboniferous... more
The biogeographic distribution of foraminifers and their belonging to either the southern or northern margins of the Paleo-Tethys are used here for paleogeographic reconstructions of Iran during the Carboniferous. Lower Carboniferous foraminiferal assemblages from northern and central Iran show a cosmopolitan character and affinities to both the southern and northern borders of the Paleo-Tethys. Hence, in the Early Carboniferous Iran occupied an intermediate southern latitude position, forming part of Gondwana. This conclusion is consistent with the Late Ordovician to Early Carboniferous drift history of Iran based on paleomagnetic data. In the Late Carboniferous, the foraminiferal affinities of northern and central Iran with the northern part of Paleo-Tethys suggest that Iran separated from Gondwana and moved northwards to a lower latitude. This separation is also evidenced by the Upper Carboniferous coal-bearing sandstones of the Sardar Formation and sandstones with high degree of chemical weathering, which would indicate warm and humid conditions. Considering the composition of foraminiferal fauna along with the evidence of magmatic activities in northwest Iran, it can be inferred that the commencement of the Neo-Tethys opening and continental break-up in Iran occurred sometime in the Late Carboniferous, which contradicts the previous claims that the separation of Iran from Gondwana occurred in Permian and/or Triassic times.
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We investigate the Triassic-Liassic sequence in ten diapirs from the Saharan Atlas (Algeria). Based on detailed mapping, two episodes are identified. The first one consists of a volcano-sedimentary sequence in which three volcanic units... more
We investigate the Triassic-Liassic sequence in ten diapirs from the Saharan Atlas (Algeria). Based on detailed mapping, two episodes are identified. The first one consists of a volcano-sedimentary sequence in which three volcanic units were identified (lower, intermediate and upper units). They are interlayered and sometimes imbricated with siliciclastic to evaporitic levels which record syn-sedimentary tectonics. This sequence was deposited in a lagoonal-continental environment and is assigned to the Triassic magmatic rifting stage. The second episode, lacking lava flows (post magmatic rifting stage), consists of carbonate levels deposited in a lagoonal to marine environment during the Rhaetian-Hettangian. The volcanic units consist of several thin basaltic flows, each 0.5 to 1m thick, with a total thickness of 10–15m. The basalts are low-Ti continental tholeiites, displaying enrichment in large ion lithophile elements and light rare earth elements [(La/Yb)n= 2.5-6] with a negative Nb anomaly. Upwards decrease of light-rare-earth-elements enrichment (e.g. La/Yb) is modelled through increasing melting rate of a spinel-bearing lherzolite source from the lower (6–10wt.%) to the upper (15–20wt.%) unit. The lava flows from the Saharan Atlas share the same geochemical characteristics and evolution as those from the Moroccan Atlas assigned to the Central Atlantic magmatic province. They represent the easternmost witness of this large igneous province so far known.
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The Urumieh-Dokhtar Magmatic Arc (UDMA) is part of the Alpine–Himalayan orogenic belt and interpreted to be a subduction-related Andean-type magmatic arc. Along this belt, Eocene volcanics and some gabbroic to granitic bodies crop out.... more
The Urumieh-Dokhtar Magmatic Arc (UDMA) is part of the Alpine–Himalayan orogenic belt and interpreted to be a subduction-related Andean-type magmatic arc. Along this belt, Eocene volcanics and some gabbroic to granitic bodies crop out. The main rock types of the studied intrusion are granite, granodiorite, and diorite. They have geochemical features typical of magnesian, calc-alkaline, metaluminous to slightly peraluminous granites and I-type intrusive rock that have a strong enrichment in Large-Ion Lithophile (LIL) elements (e.g. Rb, Ba, Sr), and a depletion in High Field Strength (HFS) elements (e.g. Nb, Ti, P), typical of subduction-related magmas. Zircon U-Pb dating was applied to determine the emplacement ages of the different intrusions in the Ardestan area. Among them the Kuh-e Dom diorite is 53.9±0.4Ma old; the Kuh-e Dom granodiorite is 51.10±0.4Ma old; the Mehrabad granodiorite is 36.8±0.5Ma old, the Nasrand granodiorite is 36.5±0.5Ma old, the Zafarghand granodiorite is 24.6±1.0Ma old, and the Feshark granodiorite is 20.5±0.8Ma old. These results delineate more accurately the magmatic evolution related to the Neotethyan subduction from the Lower Eocene to Lower Miocene, and the subsequent Zagros orogeny that resulted from the Arabia-Eurasia collision. The emplacement of these intrusive rocks inside the UDMA, which has a close relationship with the collisional orogeny, is transitional from a subduction-related setting to post-collisional setting in the Ardestan area.
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The Pobei mafic-ultramafic complex in northwestern China comprises magmatic Cu-Ni sulfide ore deposits coexisting with Fe-Ti oxide deposits. The Poshi, Poyi, and Podong ultramafic intrusions host the Cu-Ni ore. The ultramafic intrusions... more
The Pobei mafic-ultramafic complex in northwestern China comprises magmatic Cu-Ni sulfide ore deposits coexisting with Fe-Ti oxide deposits. The Poshi, Poyi, and Podong ultramafic intrusions host the Cu-Ni ore. The ultramafic intrusions experienced four stages during its formation. The intrusion sequence was as follows: dunite, hornblende-peridotite, wehrlite and pyroxenite. The wall rock of the ultramafic intrusions is the gabbro intrusion in the southwestern of the Pobei complex. The Xiaochangshan magmatic deposit outcrops in the magnetitemineralized gabbro in the northeastern part of the Pobei complex. The main emplacement events related to the mineralization in the Pobei complex, are the magnetite-mineralized gabbro related to the Xiaochangshan Fe deposit, the gabbro intrusion associated to the Poyi, Poshi and Podong Cu-Ni deposits, and the ultramafic intrusions that host Cu-Ni deposits (Poyi and Poshi). The U-Pb age of the magnetite-mineralized gabbro is 276±1.7Ma, which is similar to that of the Pobei mafic intrusions. The εHf(t) value of zircon in the magnetite-mineralized gabbro is almost the same as that of the gabbro around the Poyi and Poshi Cu-Ni deposits, indicating that the rocks related to Cu-Ni and magnetite deposits probably originated from the same parental magma. There is a trend of crystallization differentiation evolution in the Harker diagram from the dunite in the Cu-Ni deposit to the magnetite-mineralized gabbro. The monosulfide solid solution fractional crystallization was weak in Pobei; thus, the Pd/Ir values were only influenced by the crystallization of silicate minerals. The more complete the magma evolution is, the greater is the Pd/Ir ratio. The Pd/Ir values of dunite, the lithofacies containing sulfide (including hornblende peridotite, wehrlite, and pyroxenite) in the Poyi Cu-Ni deposit, magnetite-mineralized gabbro, and massive magnetite, are 8.55, 12.18, 12.26, and 18.14, respectively. Thus, the massive magnetite was probably the latest product in the evolution of the Pobei mafic-ultramafic intrusions. We infer that the Cu-Ni sulfide and Fe-Ti oxide ores in the Pobei area were products of a cogenetic magma at different evolutionary stages; at the late stage, the magma became iron enriched through crystallization differentiation. The magma differentiation occurred in a deep staging magma chamber emplaced in the upper magma chamber. Earlier crystallized olivine with some interstitial sulfides gathered at the bottom of the staging magma chamber because of its greater density. That is to say, the ultramafic magma hosting the Cu-Ni sulfide formed at the bottom of the staging magma chamber, while the magnetite-mineralized gabbro was in the upper part. However, the magnetite-mineralized gabbro injected into the upper magma chamber first and the ultramafic lithofacies containing the olivine and the interstitial Cu-Ni sulfides were subsequently emplaced in the upper magma chamber as crystal mush.
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The existence in the Alpujarride Complex (Betic Cordillera, southern Spain) of a relatively continuous extensional event (following crustal thickening) is based on detailed structural studies and is consistent with the P-T paths and... more
The existence in the Alpujarride Complex (Betic Cordillera, southern Spain) of a relatively continuous extensional event (following crustal thickening) is based on detailed structural studies and is consistent with the P-T paths and geochronological data established for the Alpujarride rocks. According to our research, the Alpujarride Complex contains two large-scale shear zones accommodating early Miocene extension. The shear zones contain km-scale recumbent folds, some with sheath fold geometry, and megaboudinage structures, and are closely associated with detachment faults.
Large-scale folds and boudins cause dome-like undulations in the detachments, which are inferred to overlap in time with the deformation in the shear zones. One shear zone in the eastern part of the orogen is top-N; the other, in the western part, is top-E. The change in the shear direction may represent a temporal evolution in the direction of shear, possibly related to a change in the subduction direction in space and time.
Large-scale folds and boudins cause dome-like undulations in the detachments, which are inferred to overlap in time with the deformation in the shear zones. One shear zone in the eastern part of the orogen is top-N; the other, in the western part, is top-E. The change in the shear direction may represent a temporal evolution in the direction of shear, possibly related to a change in the subduction direction in space and time.
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The Asturian Basin is located on the coastline of the North Iberian Margin. This basin is dissected by long-lived E-, NE- and NW-striking faults that delineate a series of extensional fault blocks that became shortened during the Upper... more
The Asturian Basin is located on the coastline of the North Iberian Margin. This basin is dissected by long-lived E-, NE- and NW-striking faults that delineate a series of extensional fault blocks that became shortened during the Upper Cretaceous to Cenozoic Alpine convergence. In the Conejera cove, the NE-striking and SE-dipping Conejera Fault displays a remarkable example of contractional deformation, promoted by the mechanical contrast within the Lower to Middle Jurassic stratigraphic series. Field observations and structural analysis carried out in this study reveal: i) a first system of orthogonal cross-joints oblique to the Conejera Fault and other major onshore boundary faults, ii) a second system of meso-extensional faults parallel to the Conejera Fault, and developed by the reactivation and linkage of the orthogonal cross-joints and iii) a series of contractional folds, thrusts and
pressure solution with a predominant NE to ENE trend. Observed relationships and structural analysis suggest an obliquity between the here inferred direction of the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous stretching (i.e. about N015E) and the onshore boundary faults, whereas the contractional structures are broadly parallel to the NE-striking Conejera Fault and suggest a roughly SSE- to SE-oriented Alpine convergence.
pressure solution with a predominant NE to ENE trend. Observed relationships and structural analysis suggest an obliquity between the here inferred direction of the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous stretching (i.e. about N015E) and the onshore boundary faults, whereas the contractional structures are broadly parallel to the NE-striking Conejera Fault and suggest a roughly SSE- to SE-oriented Alpine convergence.
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The genus Calyxdendrum is here revised to include planktic dendroid graptolites from the Ordovician (Tremadocian to Sandbian). The mass occurrence of Calyxdendrum amicabilis n. sp. from the Fezouata biota represents one of the few... more
The genus Calyxdendrum is here revised to include planktic dendroid graptolites from the Ordovician (Tremadocian to Sandbian). The mass occurrence of Calyxdendrum amicabilis n. sp. from the Fezouata biota represents one of the few occurrences of synrhabdosomes of dendroid morphology that have ever been discovered. Composite structures, formed from about four to six slender, conical tubaria of the species appear as umbrella-shaped synrhabdosomes. In these, the individual tubaria are connected by their short nemata forming an irregularly shaped proximal membrane. The species is found in the late Tremadocian Sagenograptus murrayi Biozone of the Bou Izargane section in the Ternata plain north of Zagora, Morocco. The mass occurrence is interpreted to represent planktic dendroid colonies transported by low velocity currents or moving actively into different water regions on a wide shallow shelf region. They settled in the “soupy” soft sediment, where they were subsequently compacted in the now lithified mudstone. Planktic dendroids of the genus Calyxdendrum are so far known exclusively from the peri-Gondwana region, but may prove to show a wider biogeographical distribution when better known.
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Porosity is a key parameter controlling the physico-chemical behavior of porous rocks. Digital rock physics offers a unique technique for imaging the inherently heterogeneous rock microstructure at fine spatial resolutions and its... more
Porosity is a key parameter controlling the physico-chemical behavior of porous rocks. Digital rock physics offers a unique technique for imaging the inherently heterogeneous rock microstructure at fine spatial resolutions and its computational reconstruction, through which a better understanding and prediction of the rock behavior can be achieved. In this study, we propose a simple but accurate method to build a 3D porosity map of centimeter-scale carbonate rock cores from X-ray Micro Computed Tomography (XMCT) imaging data. The method consists of 3 main steps: i) decomposition of 3D volumetric XMCT data into sub-volumes, ii) processing of equidistributed 2D cross-section images in each sub-volume and iii) 2D slice-by-slice calculation of porosity and its assembly to reconstruct a 3D continuum porosity map over the whole core domain using a MATLAB code. The proposed approach significantly conserves the required memory to manipulate large image datasets. The digitized porosity representations are used to build 3D permeability maps of the cores by applying an explicit permeability-porosity relationship. The permeability maps are used as input for numerical simulation of the rock response to the percolation of reactive fluids through which the general validity of the approach is verified. The developed digital rock model paves the way for an improved understanding of reactive transport in carbonate rocks.
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Western Anatolia is divided into five tectonic zones related to the closure of Neotethys Ocean, from north to south the Tavşanlı Zone, the Afyon Zone, the Menderes Massif, the Lycian Nappes and the Taurides (Okay and Tüysüz, 1999). Basal... more
Western Anatolia is divided into five tectonic zones related to the closure of Neotethys Ocean, from north to south the Tavşanlı Zone, the Afyon Zone, the Menderes Massif, the Lycian Nappes and the Taurides (Okay and Tüysüz, 1999). Basal units of these tectonic zones were intruded in some regions by volcanic activity at different ages. These regions are West Anatolian Volcanic Province
The Chenar volcanic cone intruded the southeastern part of the Dehaj-Sarduiyeh volcano-sedimentary belt, in the southeast Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic arc in Iran. The adakitic rocks, with porphyritic texture, mainly consist of rhyodacites... more
The Chenar volcanic cone intruded the southeastern part of the Dehaj-Sarduiyeh volcano-sedimentary belt, in the southeast Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic arc in Iran. The adakitic rocks, with porphyritic texture, mainly consist of rhyodacites and dacites,commonly comprised of phenocrysts of plagioclase, hornblende and biotite, with rare K-feldspar in a groundmass composed of plagioclase, K-feldspar and quartz. They yielded U-Pb zircon ages of 5.52±0.099Ma, 5.46±0.12Ma, and 6.44±0.12Ma, and radiogenic ɛHf(t) values ranging from +3.1 to +12.7. The whole-rock geochemical analysis of these rocks reveals transitional calc-alkaline to shoshonitic characteristics.
The geochemical characteristics of the study rocks, particularly their high Sr/Y ( 51.6-136.8) at low Y ( 4.43–16.2ppm) and high La/Yb ( 28.4–118.4ppm) at low Yb ( 0.2–1.3ppm), are coherent with a high silica adakitic signature. The whole-rock positive Eu/Eu* anomaly and zircon Ce/Ce* anomaly reflect the effects of an oxidized magmatic signature where the rocks of the study area originated from a mantle source. The high silica adakite geochemical characteristics of the Chenar volcanic cone support formation by partial melting of the modified mantle under the influence of metasomatized subducted oceanic slab in a post-collisional environment.
The geochemical characteristics of the study rocks, particularly their high Sr/Y ( 51.6-136.8) at low Y ( 4.43–16.2ppm) and high La/Yb ( 28.4–118.4ppm) at low Yb ( 0.2–1.3ppm), are coherent with a high silica adakitic signature. The whole-rock positive Eu/Eu* anomaly and zircon Ce/Ce* anomaly reflect the effects of an oxidized magmatic signature where the rocks of the study area originated from a mantle source. The high silica adakite geochemical characteristics of the Chenar volcanic cone support formation by partial melting of the modified mantle under the influence of metasomatized subducted oceanic slab in a post-collisional environment.