Geological Journal最新文献

The tectonic evolution of terranes and microblocks is crucial for understanding the supercontinental cycle. Sri Lanka, centrally located between East and West Gondwana, offers insights into late Neoproterozoic continental tectonics. Ambiguities in defining boundaries between the Highland Complex (HC) and Wanni Complex (WC) of Sri Lanka prompted this study. Utilising whole-rock major and trace element geochemistry, and U–Pb zircon geochronology, we explore charnockites at the inferred HC-WC boundary, revealing their tectonic nature. Charnockites on the WC side (CWCs) display tholeiitic trends, characterised as Fe-rich, metaluminous A2-type granites. Tectonic discrimination diagrams position CWCs in the within-plate granite field. The ²³⁸U/²⁰⁶Pb zircon geochronology of three WC-side charnockites gave Late Neoproterozoic metamorphic ages from 576 ± 37 to 561 ± 50 Ma and middle to early Neoproterozoic protolith crystallisation ages from 1011 ± 46 to 690 ± 15 Ma. Hence, protoliths of CWCs suggest some form of extensional tectonics in a continental environment during the early to middle Neoproterozoic that played a major role in the crustal evolution of the northeastern part of the WC. Out of the collected seven charnockites in the HC side (CHCs), three samples shared geochemical signatures resembling the CWCs. The ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U zircon ages of one of the samples yielded crystallisation age of ~780 ± 6 Ma and, metamorphic ages from 608 ± 9 to 541 ± 16 Ma, respectively. The rest of the CHCs exhibit calc-alkaline trend, identified as Mg-rich, metaluminous, I-type granites. Tectonic discrimination diagrams reveal volcanic arc signatures, indicating a subduction-related collisional tectonic setting. Geochemical and geochronological findings, coupled with field relations and prior research, lead to the interpretation that charnockites in the northeastern HC-WC boundary possess a distinctive geodynamic history, implying involvement in two distinct tectonic settings. Presently, at the erosion surface, the north-eastern portion of the HC-WC boundary, exhibits a highly diffused nature and manifests as a mixed rock zone.

The Northern Sichuan Foreland Basin, which is located in the northwest of South China Craton (SCC), was formed by the intracontinental thrusting between the Qinling Orogenic Belt (QOB) and SCC. The Upper Triassic to Jurassic sedimentary successions within this foreland basin, contain crucial information for revealing the intracontinental deformation sequence between the QOB and the SCC. In this study, based on a systematic dataset, including the palaeocurrent orientation, sandstone modal composition, and detrital zircons U–Pb age data, we attempt to reveal the tectonic processes during the Late Triassic to Jurassic interval. The palaeocurrent orientations, which is primarily directed in the southward and northwestward directions, indicate that the sediments were sourced from the north and southeast. The sandstone clastic components reveal multiple sources, including the magmatic arc and continental crust. Detrital zircons from six samples yield six major U–Pb age groups, including 2650–2350, 2050–1720, 1000–620, 520–380, 350–210, and 205–160 Ma. The Upper Triassic sediments contain a relatively high density of 2490, 1860, 810, 440, and 230 Ma, which are mostly consistent with the QOB, northern SCC and Jiangnan Suture Zone provenances. The majority age population of 2050–1750 Ma observed within the Xujiahe Formation, is considered to be primarily sourced from northern SCC, suggesting the uplift and erosion of the northern SCC, probably imply extreme shortening between the QOB and SCC. The Baitianba and Xintiangou formations, which contain lesser 2050–1720 Ma aged zircons, indicate a period of lacustrine expansion and tectonic quiescence after the shortening. The Middle Jurassic Shaximiao Formation, and the Upper Jurassic Suining and Penglaizhen formations, involve a major age population of 2050–1720 Ma that were sourced from northern SCC, indicate another phase of uplifting of the northern SCC related to a second stage of extreme intracontinental shortening and deformation between the SCC and the QOB. In summary, the above results indicate that, an initial phase of extensive shortening between the QOB and the SCC during the Late Triassic, was followed by a period of tectonic quiescence during the Early Jurassic, and another phase of extreme intracontinental shortening between the QOB and SCC during the Middle to Late Jurassic.

Rare earth element fractionation in volcanic rocks can be used to recognise both petrogenetic processes and tectonic settings. We present a simple geochemical modelling approach using CeYb proxy employing the Magma Chamber Simulator tool and the binary mixing model to understand the range and the limits of variation in the enrichment of incompatible trace elements, brought about in evolved magmas by differentiation processes in known Phanerozoic tectonic settings in conjunction with the ThNbYb proxy. By extending this approach to the volcanic rocks of the Meso-Neoarchean greenstone belts it is observed that rocks, which fall beyond the limits set by binary mixing and fractional crystallisation in a bivariant trace element plot were most likely generated by the modification of the mantle source by subducting slab-derived fluids prior to the melting of the source and the diversification of the magmas into differentiated rocks. Subduction–accretion process was established at least by the Meso-Neoarchean. The greenstone belts of the Dharwar and Yilgarn cratons represent Archean analogues of oceanic crust that were predominantly emplaced in a convergent-margin tectonic setting and probably acted as suture zones that juxtaposed continental crustal masses by horizontal tectonic forces.

The southern part of South China records an unconformity between the Devonian and the underlying Cambrian strata, which responded to the Caledonian Movement during the Early Palaeozoic period. Zircon U–Pb dating and in situ Lu–Hf isotope analyses were conducted on four samples from the Cambrian and Early Devonian strata near the unconformity on the west side of Qin-Fang Belt, and their significance for palaeogeographic evolution was discussed followed by regional provenance comparisons. The results show that the Early Devonian and Cambrian samples share the similar detrital zircon age spectra with two prominent peaks at ~985 and ~ 530 Ma, respectively. Based on comparisons of the detrital zircon age spectra and ε _Hf(t) values with contemporary igneous zircons inside and outside of South China, the provenances of the Cambrian strata are deduced to be mainly supplied by the old strata in the East Gondwana margins. But the ultimate provenances were mainly from the East Ghats-Rayner orogenic belt and South Indian Granulite Terrane, and partly from Musgrave Province. The provenances of the Early Devonian strata were mainly derived from the recycling of the underlying Cambrian strata. Both sides of the Qin-Fang Belt share the same detrital zircon age spectra in the Cambrian period, indicating that there existed not the South China Residual Ocean. The Early Palaeozoic (460–430 Ma) detrital zircons are absent in the Early Devonian strata on the Qin-Fang Belt and its west side, but are widely distributed in the Middle Devonian strata on the Qin-Fang Belt and eastern margin of the Yunkai Massif, indicating that the most of the Yunkai Massif was submerged below the sea level in the Early Devonian period and emerged above the sea level in the Middle Devonian period.

This study investigates Paleoproterozoic hornblende pyroxenite, a lithological unit within the Khalari Ultramafic-Mafic Complex (KUMC), which is intruded into the Neoarchean-Paleoproterozoic Dongargarh Supergroup near Khalari village in the northern Bastar Craton. A comprehensive characterisation has been conducted through petrological analysis, bulk-rock geochemistry, mineral chemistry, and platinum group elements (PGEs)-Au geochemical studies to understand its petrogenesis and geotectonic implications. The presence of primary amphibole, specific pyroxene chemistry (low Ti and Cr), and enriched LILE, LREE and fluid-mobile elements alongside negative Nb–Ta–Ti anomalies suggest these rocks were crystallised from a mantle melt originated from a metasomatized sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) source. This metasomatization could be due to fluids derived from a subduction event predating the emplacement of the studied rocks. The proposed melt composition is estimated to have formed from 5% to 10% partial melting of a garnet-rich peridotite mantle source. The crystallisation conditions are estimated to have occurred at an average pressure of 7.85 kbar and a temperature of 902°C, indicating moderately shallow depths influenced by fractional crystallisation and slow cooling rates. The emplacement of the KUMC is contemporaneous with several other magmatic activities in the Bastar Craton, around ca. 2.50–2.47 Ga, suggesting that mantle plume might have played a significant role in their formation. Low concentrations of PGEs in the studied samples indicate a PGE-depleted mantle source.

The accurate identification of fracture extension patterns in hydraulic fracturing can provide important guidance for the optimisation of fracturing parameters. In this paper, factors such as effective hole friction and wellbore flow friction during fracturing are fully considered, and a calculation model of net bottom-hole pressure of fracturing is constructed. By introducing the change rate of net bottom-hole pressure and the changing characteristics of the fracturing curve, seven fracture extension modes during hydraulic fracturing in coalbed methane vertical wells are established. The accuracy of the identification method is verified by the fracture monitoring and production results in Shizhuang South Block. The results show that fracture elongation is mainly controlled by in situ stress difference, angle between natural fracture and maximum principal stress, coal tensile strength, fracturing time, proppant and angle between other factors. When the fracture construction parameters are fixed, the smaller the difference between maximum and minimum horizontal principal stresses and the smaller the natural fractures and maximum horizontal principal stresses. When the reservoir potential is similar, the effective extension index is positively correlated with the gas production effect, and the effective extension index can effectively judge the fracturing effect. The higher the proportion of effective extension mode, the longer the extension time and the higher the stable daily gas production. The research results provide a method and reference for clearly identifying the fracture extension and the occurrence conditions of different extension modes in the hydraulic fracturing process.