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1.
火山灰地层学主要依靠火山玻璃的成分进行源区的识别,然而,当火山玻璃成分不均一时就会对源区识别造成影响.四海龙湾玛珥湖位于东北新生代龙岗火山区内,其湖泊沉积物可以记录周边的火山喷发,电子探针等方法得到的火山玻璃成分可以揭示其喷发来源.同时,玛珥湖的纹层年龄可以限定其喷发年龄.在四海龙湾沉积物(钻孔2008) 的78~79 cm岩芯处出现一层火山灰层,其纹层年龄为AD 308 a,电子探针结果显示火山玻璃具有不均一的主量元素组成,为玄武质粗安岩到碱玄质响岩.FeO、TiO2及Al2O3等与MgO协变图解更清楚地显示了此次火山喷发的火山玻璃成分的不均一性.火山玻璃与火山灰全岩对比分析显示,全岩分析在火山灰地层学应用中容易造成对比偏差. 相似文献
2.
湖光岩玛珥湖沉积物中的火山灰保存了其原始形貌、原生的沉积和成分特征,是进行岩芯沉积物对比和定年的理想材料之一。除了对火山灰进行常规的定年外,通过精确测定火山灰中玻璃碎屑(玻屑)的成分,并与已知时代的火山喷发物成分对比确定火山灰的年龄已成为火山灰年代学研究的重要领域之一,因为它能够区分年龄差别在同位素定年误差之内的数层火山灰。本文利用电子探针分析了湖光岩玛珥湖岩芯火山灰中玻屑的成分,经与全球年龄已知火山喷发物的成分对比和分析,认为该火山灰的年龄为74000aB.P.,在此基础上,讨论了湖光岩玛珥湖岩芯74000aB.P.以来沉积速率的变化趋势。 相似文献
3.
目前对于粘土层中伊蒙混层矿物的堆垛结构、单元层含量与岩浆母质及环境条件关系的了解等,仍然十分匮乏.一定沉积环境下火山灰层中粘土矿物组合、以及伊蒙混层堆垛方式精细结构特征,可能记录了沉积(包括成岩作用) 环境对火山物质蚀变产物的影响.采用X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、元素地球化学分析、氧同位素分析方法等方法,对贵州新民深海相二叠系-三叠系(P-T) 界线附近蚀变火山灰层的地球化学特征、粘土矿物精细结构特征等进行了深入研究.结果表明,4个火山灰粘土层均含有2种具有R3结构、不同混层比的伊蒙混层矿物相,且均出现粘土矿物集合体取代原先的火山碎屑颗粒或在颗粒表面生长的现象,粘土矿物形成于沉积-成岩阶段因而其泥质结构被保留;样品XM-5-1和XM-5-2的Fe3+原子数分别为0.16和0.17个且具有明显Eu负异常和较低的K2O含量,而XM-5-3和XM-5-4的Fe3+原子数均为0.14个,说明相对于前2个粘土层,后2个的岩浆母质更加偏向酸性而表现为成岩蚀变程度更强.粘土矿物的氧同位素组成为17.3‰~18.1‰,与常温下蒙脱石与海水的平衡数值相近,表明粘土矿物化学组成与海底成岩蚀变环境有关,而不同火山灰层的粘土矿物学特征则主要取决于岩浆岩母质以及成岩蚀变强度. 相似文献
4.
岩溶型铝土矿中火山物质参与成矿的直接证据需要进一步明确。通过线路调查和剖面研究，在桂西大范围内的铝土矿及其早期的铝土质岩中观察到大量的火山灰，含量大于30%；火山灰种类有岩屑、晶屑、玻屑和火山尘，塑性—半塑性变形及刚性爆裂显著，自由降落为主，属原地—准原地沉积；火山灰易于分解为水铝石、高岭石、赤铁矿等微细矿物，屑状火山灰相对尘状火山灰更易于矿化，大量火山灰主要以直接铝土矿化作用成矿。元素地球化学特征显示铝土矿和铝土质岩具有亲岩浆性，不活动元素图解判别及铝土矿测年数据显示火山灰原岩浆以碱性玄武岩为主，与岛弧火山岩一致，主要来自于哀牢山—松马造山带的二叠纪岛弧，铝土矿层具有穿时性，部分火山灰可来源于峨眉山火成岩。铝土矿层中的火山灰丰富，跨度长，可能是瓜德鲁普世末生物灭绝的肇凶。 相似文献
5.
岩溶型铝土矿中火山物质参与成矿的直接证据需要进一步明确。通过线路调查和剖面研究，在桂西大范围内的铝土矿及其早期的铝土质岩中观察到大量的火山灰，含量大于30%；火山灰种类有岩屑、晶屑、玻屑和火山尘，塑性—半塑性变形及刚性爆裂显著，自由降落为主，属原地—准原地沉积；火山灰易于分解为水铝石、高岭石、赤铁矿等微细矿物，屑状火山灰相对尘状火山灰更易于矿化，大量火山灰主要以直接铝土矿化作用成矿。元素地球化学特征显示铝土矿和铝土质岩具有亲岩浆性，不活动元素图解判别及铝土矿测年数据显示火山灰原岩浆以碱性玄武岩为主，与岛弧火山岩一致，主要来自于哀牢山—松马造山带的二叠纪岛弧，铝土矿层具有穿时性，部分火山灰可来源于峨眉山火成岩。铝土矿层中的火山灰丰富，跨度长，可能是瓜德鲁普统末生物灭绝的肇凶。 相似文献
6.
撞击地层学及其研究进展 总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2
地质历史中的地外物体撞击地球事件可在撞击点、近源区和远源区分别形成撞击坑熔融岩体、近源溅射岩席及海啸沉积和远源溅射层等一系列撞击地层层序。撞击地层有其独特的物理学和化学特征,与正常沉积作用、火山喷发和板块碰撞等成因的地层显然有别。通过对撞击地层层序的时空变化、所包含的撞击成因矿物、撞击微球粒和微玻璃陨石以及古生物和地球化学异常等的研究,可以了解撞击事件的发生频率、幅度和撞击天体的性质等,也为探索生物和地球环境的灾难性变化及其起因提供了新的思路。 相似文献
7.
火山是唯一能够直接反映地球深部存在岩浆的地球动力学现象,对于地球气候演变和宜居性具有重要影响。相比年轻火山,古老火山因其活动过程完整、且可能剥蚀出露多阶段火山喷发产物及岩浆通道、岩浆房等,从而为揭示火山岩浆系统演化和火山活动过程提供重要的研究窗口。本文选择中国东南沿海晚白垩世长屿破火山为研究对象,对其开展火山地质、岩石学、年代学及地球化学研究,以期揭示其火山活动历史及其对中国东南沿海白垩纪古环境的启示意义。长屿火山出露面积约100km^(2),呈近圆形分布,具有较厚的火山地层厚度(总厚度约570m),类似于破火山内的火山堆积特点。由早至晚三个喷发阶段形成的流纹质角砾凝灰岩都显示了典型的火山碎屑流相的特点,发育典型的条纹斑状结构,但表现出不同的晶屑、玻屑及岩屑含量以及熔结程度等岩相学特征,反映火山喷发从初始到高峰、再到减弱的过程,最后岩浆沿火山通道侵出形成流纹斑岩穹隆,标志着火山活动的结束。长屿火山的火山碎屑流式喷发伴随着快速的岩浆房塌陷,以及缺少普林尼式空落堆积,反映了火山活动发生在伸展的构造背景。系统的LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年代学研究获得了不同阶段火山岩一致的形成年龄(97~96Ma),暗示它们具有较短的形成时限,是由同期火山岩浆活动先后喷发形成的。长屿火山岩高的SiO_(2)含量(67%~76%)以及分异的锆石微量元素地球化学特征,表明喷发岩浆来自晶粥提取的熔体,并有晶粥来源晶体的混入。此外,我们在长屿火山岩中发现了南洋杉型丝炭化木(贝壳杉型木属),暗示晚白垩世中国东南沿海地区可能为温暖湿润的亚热带山地气候环境,表明中国东南沿海白垩纪大规模火山活动,在古武夷山脉以东地区形成了地形高耸的海岸山脉。 相似文献
8.
火山是岩浆活动在地表的主要呈现形式,古老火山由于剥蚀作用出露多阶段火山喷发产物及岩浆通道、岩浆房等,从而为揭示岩浆房内部结构和成分演化提供重要窗口。锆石在长期结晶生长过程中,能够记录岩浆系统的结晶分异、晶体- 熔体分离和岩浆补给等过程。闽西南晚侏罗世廖天山破火山是保存最完整的中国东南部晚中生代早期代表性破火山之一,本文对其开展锆石U- Pb年代学、Lu- Hf同位素组成和微量元素成分分析,以期揭示其火山活动时序、岩浆来源和演化过程。廖天山火山活动具有阶段性和多期次性,一段火山活动开始于约161. 5±0. 7 Ma,喷发断续且规模较为有限;二段火山岩形成于159. 9±0. 9~156. 9±0. 8 Ma,该时段喷发产物规模巨大,构成破火山主体;最后岩浆在153. 2±0. 7 Ma沿火山通道侵出形成流纹斑岩岩穹,标志着火山活动的结束。锆石Lu- Hf同位素组成显示,廖天山破火山岩浆主要源于古元古代地壳基底的部分重熔,但有不同程度的亏损幔源物质贡献,且在三个火山活动阶段中幔源物质参与比例不同,二段火山岩中相对较低。不同批次岩浆可能从源区分别上升,在深部岩浆房发生岩浆混合,而后在浅部岩浆房短暂留存发生分离结晶作用。根据岩浆来源的变化和火山岩相组合,我们认为廖天山火山活动形成于相对挤压转向伸展的构造环境,受制于晚侏罗世古太平洋板块俯冲以及板片俯冲角度变化的地球动力学背景。 相似文献
9.
华南地区二叠纪-三叠纪界线酸性火山灰的源区与规模 总被引：4，自引：4，他引：0
华南地区二叠纪-三叠纪之交(Permian-Triassic Boundary,简称PTB)火山灰与生物灭绝事件在地层层位上高度相关,可能是灭绝事件的触发因素之一,对其成因、来源和规模的研究具有重要科学意义。本研究在对广西来宾地区蓬莱滩剖面大隆组顶部凝灰质砂岩岩相学研究的基础上,通过碎屑锆石年代学、Hf同位素及微量元素的分析,结合华南地区PTB凝灰岩和火山粘土岩时空分布特征对其源区和规模进行讨论和限定。蓬莱滩剖面大隆组顶部2个凝灰质砂岩样品中81%的碎屑锆石U-Pb年龄集中在235±2.7Ma~258±4.8Ma之间,呈现出~252Ma的单一峰值;11%的锆石年龄为260±3.2Ma~276±3.6Ma;年龄为294±5.8Ma~561±6.9Ma的锆石6颗;元古宙锆石5颗,最老年龄为2063±13.4Ma。样品中晚二叠世碎屑锆石的Hf同位素表现出地壳来源特征,除一颗锆石值为+10.3外,其余均落在-16.5~-5.0之间,与华南PTB典型剖面基本一致。碎屑锆石U-Th-Hf-Nb微量元素特征显示其具有来源于大陆岩浆弧的属性。蓬莱滩剖面凝灰质砂岩中存在大量粒径0.5~2mm的晶屑,部分粒径甚至达到3mm,这些粗粒火山碎屑物暗示该剖面距离火山口源区较近。蓬莱滩剖面火山碎屑物的锆石U-Pb年龄和地层位置与华南PTB火山灰基本一致,并具有相似的锆石Hf同位素和微量元素特征,表明两者可能来自同一源区。在空间分布上,华南地区PTB附近的火山碎屑沉积岩和较粗的凝灰岩仅出现在华南的西南部,而华南北部主要分布粒度小于0.3mm的细粒火山灰,火山碎屑粒度由西南向东北逐渐减小的规律表明火山物质来源于华南西南缘。近年来,包括海南岛二叠纪花岗岩及桂西南酸性火山岩在内的众多证据表明华南板块西南缘存在一个二叠纪大陆岩浆弧。因此,本文提出华南PTB火山灰可能来源于华南板块西南缘古特提斯大陆岩浆弧。PTB火山灰仅分布在华南地区,在华北、西北等地区均未发现或报道同时期的火山灰,说明与这次俯冲作用相关的弧岩浆火山喷发规模有限,推测其不是触发全球性PTB生物灭绝事件的主要原因。 相似文献
10.
火山灰年代学是控制地层年代最简单可靠的直接手段,近年来在磁性地层、构造演化和古气候环境、考古等研究中被广泛重视和应用,经常成为最关键的要素。然而对其在地层中的识别常常产生较大分歧,制约了对年代的控制及与此相关的许多科学问题的解决。火山玻璃作为火山灰中的常见和标签物质,是识别火山灰最直接可靠的材料。日本强烈的第四纪火山活动和清晰连续的火山灰沉积在这方面具有代表性。本文利用光学显微镜和扫描电镜,对日本樱岛第四纪晚期典型火山灰中的火山玻璃形态和表面结构特征进行观察分析,总结出火山玻璃碎屑的外部形貌为独特、醒目的各种玻璃碎片状,呈各种大小和形态的带有气孔的曲面或弧面尖棱角状颗粒,如锋利的长条状、各种多边形粒状、片状（月牙状、三角状、多边形状等）和三交面状等,表面特征为各种与火山喷发炸裂作用相关的光滑或弱贝壳状断口的曲面,及与火山喷气有关的各种孔洞、管槽、小圆坑、椭圆形坑和眼状坑。其中眼状坑和三交面状这两种特殊表面形态分别只在安山质和流纹质火山灰中出现,为准确识别中-酸性火山灰及其类型提供了微观形态学鉴定标志。 相似文献
11.
Volcanic ash (tephra) erupted from the frequently active Campi Flegrei volcano forms layers in many palaeoenvironmental archives across Italy and the Mediterranean. Proximal deposits of 50 of the post-15 ka eruptions have been thoroughly sampled and analysed to produce a complete database of glass compositions (>1900 analyses) to aid identification of these units. The deposits of individual eruptions are compositionally diverse and this variability is often greater than that observed between different units. Many of the tephra units do not have a unique glass chemistry, with compositionally similar tephra often erupted over long periods of time (1000s years). Thus, glass chemistry alone is not enough to robustly correlate most of the tephra from Campi Flegrei, especially in the last 10 kyrs. In order to reliably correlate the eruption units it is important to take into account the stratigraphy, chronology, magnitude, and dispersal of the eruptions, which has been collated to aid identification. An updated chronology is also presented, which was constrained using Bayesian analysis (OxCal) of published radiocarbon dates and 40Ar/39Ar ages. All the data presented can be employed to help correlate post-15 ka tephra units preserved in archaeological and Holocene palaeoenvironmental archives. The new database of proximal glass compositions has been used to correlate proximal volcanic deposits through to distal tephra layers in the Lago di Monticchio record (Wulf et al., 2004, Wulf et al., 2008) and these correlations provide information on eruption stratigraphy and the tempo of volcanism at Campi Flegrei. 相似文献
12.
Niklas Leicher Biagio Giaccio Alison Pereira Sebastien Nomade Lorenzo Monaco Giorgio Mannella Paolo Galli Edoardo Peronance Danilo Mauro Palladino Gianluca Sottili Giovanni Zanchetta Bernd Wagner 《Boreas: An International Journal of Quaternary Research》2023,52(2):240-271
Thirty-two tephra layers were identified in the time-interval 313–366 ka (Marine Isotope Stages 9–10) of the Quaternary lacustrine succession of the Fucino Basin, central Italy. Twenty-seven of these tephra layers yielded suitable geochemical material to explore their volcanic origins. Investigations also included the acquisition of geochemical data of some relevant, chronologically compatible proximal units from Italian volcanoes. The record contains tephra from some well-known eruptions and eruptive sequences of Roman and Roccamonfina volcanoes, such as the Magliano Romano Plinian Fall, the Orvieto–Bagnoregio Ignimbrite, the Lower White Trachytic Tuff and the Brown Leucitic Tuff. In addition, the record documents eruptions currently undescribed in proximal (i.e. near-vent) sections, suggesting a more complex history of the major eruptions of the Colli Albani, Sabatini, Vulsini and Roccamonfina volcanoes between 313 and 366 ka. Six of the investigated tephra layers were directly dated by single-crystal-fusion 40Ar/39Ar dating, providing the basis for a Bayesian age–depth model and a reassessment of the chronologies for both already known and dated eruptive units and for so far undated eruptions. The results provide a significant contribution for improving knowledge on the peri-Tyrrhenian explosive activity as well as for extending the Mediterranean tephrostratigraphical framework, which was previously based on limited proximal and distal archives for that time interval. 相似文献
13.
A hitherto unknown distal volcanic ash layer has been detected in a sediment core recovered from the southeastern Levantine Sea (Eastern Mediterranean Sea). Radiometric, stratigraphic and sedimentological data show that the tephra, here termed as S1 tephra, was deposited between 8970 and 8690 cal yr BP. The high-silica rhyolitic composition excludes an origin from any known eruptions of the Italian, Aegean or Arabian volcanic provinces but suggests a prevailing Central Anatolian provenance. We compare the S1 tephra with proximal to medial-distal tephra deposits from well-known Mediterranean ash layers and ash fall deposits from the Central Anatolian volcanic field using electron probe microanalyses on volcanic glass shards and morphological analyses on ash particles. We postulate a correlation with the Early Holocene ‘Dikkart?n’ dome eruption of Erciyes Da? volcano (Cappadocia, Turkey). So far, no tephra of the Central Anatolian volcanic province has been detected in marine sediment archives in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The occurrence of the S1 tephra in the south-eastern part of the Levantine Sea indicates a wide dispersal of pyroclastic material from Erciyes Da? more than 600 km to the south and is therefore an important tephrostratigraphical marker in sediments of the easternmost Mediterranean Sea and the adjacent hinterland. 相似文献
14.
PETER M. ABBOTT WILLIAM E. N. AUSTIN SIWAN M. DAVIES NICHOLAS J. G. PEARCE FIONA D. HIBBERT 《第四纪科学杂志》2013,28(5):501-514
The Eemian interglacial and the onset of the subsequent glacial period serve as the most recent analogue for the natural operation of the climate system during the current interglacial. Pronounced climatic oscillations occurred during this period, but their nature and pattern are poorly understood due to dating limitations and unknown phase relationships between different regions and archives. Tephrochronology offers considerable potential for precise correlation of disparate palaeoclimatic archives preserving evidence of these rapid climatic transitions through the tracing of common isochronous tephra horizons. We outline the identification of three previously unknown cryptotephra horizons within a marine core from the Rockall Trough, North East Atlantic. This sequence preserves a high‐resolution record of this interval and shard size, geochemical heterogeneity and the co‐variance of shard concentrations with ice‐rafted debris data are utilized to demonstrate that primary airfall was the most likely transport and depositional pathway. The main geochemical populations of these horizons have similar transitional alkali major and trace element compositions, suggesting that they were derived from a common Icelandic source, potentially the Öræfajökull volcanic system. These tephra horizons represent additions to the North Atlantic event stratigraphy for this period and tentative correlations to Icelandic terrestrial deposits are proposed for two horizons. 相似文献
15.
Several cryptotephra layers that originate from Icelandic volcanic eruptions with a volcanic explosivity index (VEI) of ≤ 4 and tephra volumes of < 1 km3 have previously been identified in Northern Europe, albeit within a restricted geographical area. One of these is the Hekla 1947 tephra that formed a visible fall-out in southern Finland. We searched for the Hekla 1947 tephra from peat archives within the previously inferred fall-out zone but found no evidence of its presence. Instead, we report the first identification of Hekla 1845 and Hekla 1510 cryptotephra layers outside of Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Ireland and the UK. Additionally, Hekla 1158 tephra was found in Finland for the first time. Our results confirm that Icelandic eruptions of moderate size can form cryptotephra deposits that are extensive enough to be used in inter-regional correlations of environmental archives and carry a great potential for refining regional tephrochronological frameworks. Our results also reveal that Icelandic tephra has been dispersed into Finnish airspace at least seven times during the past millennium and in addition to a direct eastward route the ash clouds can travel either via a northerly or a southerly transport pathway. 相似文献
16.
Studies of recent eruptions have improved our understanding of volcanic ash transport and deposition, but have also raised important questions about the behaviour of far-travelled (distal) volcanic ash. In particular, it is difficult to reconcile estimates of distal ash mass and transport distance determined from eyewitness accounts, mapped deposits, satellite-based observations and cryptotephra records. Here we address this problem using data from well-characterized eruptions that, collectively, include all four data types. Data from recent eruptions allow us to relate eyewitness accounts to mapped deposits on the ground and satellite-based observations of ash in the air; observations from an historical eruption link eyewitness accounts to cryptotephra deposits. Together these examples show that (i) 10–20% of the erupted mass is typically deposited outside the mapped limits; (ii) estimates of the ash mass transported in volcanic clouds cannot account for all of this unmapped ash; and (iii) ash fall observed at distances beyond mapped deposits can have measurable impacts, and can form cryptotephra deposits with high (>~1000 cm−3) shard counts. We conclude that cryptotephra data can be incorporated into volcanological studies of ash transport and deposition and provide important insight into both the behaviour and impacts of far-travelled volcanic ash particles. 相似文献
17.
Andesitic and basaltic andesitic tephra layers are abundant in Holocene deposits from the Antarctic Peninsula. Visually discernible tephra horizons occur in three lakes on Livingston Island. Tephra in two other lakes and in a moss bank on Elephant Island, with very low ash concentrations, were detected magnetically. Deception Island is the most likely volcanic source for the tephra. With direct 14C dating, age/depth curves, and cross-correlations at least 14 tephra horizons dating to between ca. 4700 and 250 yr B.P. were identified and now form the basis for a preliminary regional tephrochronology that will be a valuable dating tool for investigating the Holocene climatic history of Antarctica. 相似文献
18.
Chunqing Sun Gill Plunkett Zeyang Zhu Lei Zhang Bin Zhang Di Zhang Qian Mao Haitao You Luo Wang Guoqiang Chu Jiaqi Liu 《第四纪科学杂志》2021,36(7):1143-1148
Far-travelled ash layers from explosive volcanic eruptions can provide invaluable marker horizons for dating and correlating regional to global sedimentary archives. Here, we present a new cryptotephra associated with the ~5.9 cal ka bp Towada-Chuseri eruption (To-Cu) in a peat sediment record from northeast China. This tephra exhibits a rhyolitic glass composition that can be distinguished from other widespread tephra layers around the region of Japan and northeast China. Our findings extend the known range of this ash significantly, making it now traceable about 1200 km from its source, Towada volcano, Japan. Notably, this tephra provides an important isochron for synchronising palaeoenvironmental studies during the mid-Holocene period from the western Pacific, central Japan, Japan Sea and northeast China. 相似文献
19.
Oleg Mandic Arjan de Leeuw Jeronim Buli? Klaudia F. Kuiper Wout Krijgsman Zlata Juri?i?-Pol?ak 《International Journal of Earth Sciences》2012,101(4):1033-1046
The Pannonian Basin, originating during the Early Miocene, is a large extensional basin incorporated between Alpine, Carpathian and Dinaride fold-thrust belts. Back-arc extensional tectonics triggered deposition of up to 500-m-thick continental fluvio-lacustrine deposits distributed in numerous sub-basins of the Southern Pannonian Basin. Extensive andesitic and dacitic volcanism accompanied the syn-rift deposition and caused a number of pyroclastic intercalations. Here, we analyze two volcanic ash layers located at the base and top of the continental series. The lowermost ash from Mt. Kalnik yielded an 40Ar/39Ar age of 18.07?±?0.07?Ma. This indicates that the marine-continental transition in the Slovenia-Zagorje Basin, coinciding with the onset of rifting tectonics in the Southern Pannonian Basin, occurs roughly at the Eggenburgian/Ottnangian boundary of the regional Paratethys time scale. This age proves the synchronicity of initial rifting in the Southern Pannonian Basin with the beginning of sedimentation in the Dinaride Lake System. Beside geodynamic evolution, the two regions also share a biotic evolutionary history: both belong to the same ecoregion, which we designate here as the Illyrian Bioprovince. The youngest volcanic ash level is sampled at the Glina and Karlovac sub-depressions, and both sites yield the same 40Ar/39Ar age of 15.91?±?0.06 and 16.03?±?0.06?Ma, respectively. This indicates that lacustrine sedimentation in the Southern Pannonian Basin continued at least until the earliest Badenian. The present results provide not only important bench marks on duration of initial synrift in the Pannonian Basin System, but also deliver substantial backbone data for paleogeographic reconstructions in Central and Southeastern Europe around the Early–Middle Miocene transition. 相似文献
20.
Archean felsic volcanic rocks form a 2000 m thick succession stratigraphically below the Helen Iron Formation in the vicinity of the Helen Mine, Wawa, Ontario. Based on relict textures and structures, lateral and vertical facies changes, and fragment type, size and distribution, the felsic volcanic rocks have been subdivided into (a) lava flows and domes (b) hyalotuffs, (c) bedded pyroclastic flows, (d) massive pyroclastic flows, and (e) block and ash flows.Lava flows and domes are flow-banded, massive, and/or brecciated and occur throughout the stratigraphic succession. Dome/flow complexes are believed to mark the end of explosive eruptive cycles. Deposits interpreted as hyalotuffs are finely bedded and composed dominantly of ash-size material and accretionary lapilli. These deposits are interlayered with bedded pyroclastic flow deposits and probably formed from phreatomagmatic eruptions in a shallow subaqueous environment. Such eruptions led to the formation of tuff cones or rings. If these structures emerged they may have restricted the access of seawater to the eruptive vent(s), thus causing a change in eruptive style from short, explosive pulses to the establishment of an eruption column. Collapse of this column would lead to the accumulation of pyroclastic material within and on the flanks of the cone/ring structure, and to flows which move down the structure and into the sea. Bedded pyroclastic deposits in the Wawa area are thought to have formed in this manner, and are now composed of a thicker, more massive basal unit which is overlain by one or more finely bedded ash units. Based on bed thickness, fragment and crystal size, type and abundance, these deposits are further subdivided into central, proximal and distal facies.Central facies units consist of poorly graded, thick (30–80 m) basal beds composed of 23–60% lithic and 1–8% juvenile fragments. These are overlain by 1–4 thinner ash beds (2–25 cm). Proximal facies basal beds range from 2–35 m in thickness and are composed of 15–35% lithic and 4–16% juvenile fragments. Typically, lithic components are normally graded, whereas juvenile fragments are inversely graded. These basal beds are overlain by ash beds (2–14 in number) which range from 12 cm to 6 m in thickness. Distal basal beds, where present, are thin (1–2 m), and composed of 2–8% lithic and 6–21% juvenile fragments. Overlying ash beds range up to 40 in number.The climax of pyroclastic activity is represented by a thick (1000 m) sequence of massive, poorly sorted, pyroclastic flow deposits which are composed of 5–15% lithic fragments and abundant pumice. These deposits are similar to subaerial ash flows and appear to mark the rapid eruption of large volumes of material. They are overlain by felsic lavas and/or domes. Periodic collapse of the growing domes produced abundant coarse volcanic breccia. The overall volcanic environment is suggestive of caldera formation and late stage dome extrusion. 相似文献