Initial Stages Of Rifting Research Articles

Evidence for Early-Middle Triassic faulting and possible rifting from the Helez Deep Borehole in the coastal plain of Israel

Summary A 600 m thick conglomerate, the Erez conglomerate, was penetrated in the Helez Deep borehole, drilled in the Coastal Plain of Israel. This conglomerate is underlain by a 40 m thick sandy shale of probable Early Triassic age, and is overlain by 190 m of Late Triassic peritidal dolomites. This sedimentary sequence is underlain by metamorphic Precambrian basement. The Erez conglomerate is polymictic, consisting of various types of carbonate fragments, of ages varying from Upper Permian to Anisian. The fragments are angular to subrounded, poorly sorted, ranging in diameter from fractions of a millimetre to several decimetres. The matrix consists of black argillaceous micrite, yielding palynomorphs of Scythian-Anisian age. It is suggested that the Erez Conglomerate is analogous to the thick, well-developed accumulation of polymictic conglomerates along the margins of the Miocene Suez and Plio-Pleistocene Dead Sea rifts, and thus indicating a major faulting phase and possibly an initial stage of rifting during Early-Middle Triassic times. Although an Upper Palaeozoic updoming prior to rifting may be considered, it is not a necessary postulate to explain the borehole data.

Chemical variation in Hercynian basalts relative to plate tectonics

The geochemistry of Hercynian basalts is reviewed with special reference to SW England. Hercynian basalts have the following chemical features: (1) relative enrichment in incompatible elements, (2) fractionated rare earth element (REE) patterns ranging from mild to strongly light-REE enriched, and (3) generally low large-ion-lithophile (LIL)/high field strength (HFS) element ratios. High and variable alkali contents and K/Rb ratios are indicative of low-grade alteration. Basalts are predominantly tholeiites, although alkali basalts may be developed on some trough margins. Basalts from different sedimentary troughs within the main Hercynian tectonic zones are characterized by specific incompatible element abundances and ratios. These variations are interpreted in terms of variable fractional crystallization, partial melting and mantle heterogeneity. Hercynian volcanism was typically bimodal with basic and acid products characterizing the Rheno-Hercynian and Saxo-Thuringian zones. Activity in the Moldanubian zone was more variable with a high proportion of calc-alkali andesites. Two systematic chemical changes throughout the Devonian and Carboniferous have been recognized, with both light/heavy REE and LIL/HFS element ratios increasing with time. These features may relate to the introduction of LIL-enriched fluids derived by dehydration of subducted lithosphere that caused progressive metasomatism of the overlying mantle wedge. Chemical discrimination of tectonic setting demonstrates that most of the basalts typify the continental intra-plate environment, although early Devonian basalts produced in the initial stages of continent rifting have some of the chemical features of incompatible element enriched oceanic basalts. An ensialic back-arc basin model underlain by a shallow northward-dipping subduction zone provides a possible explanation for the spatial and temporal variation in the Hercynian volcanic rocks.

Ore deposition in a proterozoic incipient rift zone environment: a tentative model for the Filipstad-Grythyttan-Hjulsjö region, Bergslagen, Sweden

The 1.9–1.8 Ga Bergslagen Supracrustal Series comprises: an Early Volcanic Stage represented by the Lower Leptite Group, an Initial Rift Stage by the Middle Leptite Group, a Rift Stage by the Upper Leptite-halleflinta and Slate Group, metabasites and the Granite-Granophyre Suite, and a Post-rift Stage by conglomerate beds, remobilized granite-granophyres and the Hyttsjo Gabbro-Tonalite Suite. The formation and subsequent alteration of iron, manganese and sulfide skarn ores in the Supracrustal Series involve:

Sedimentation patterns in the Barberton Mountain Land, South Africa, and the Pilbara Block, Australia: Evidence for Archean rifted continental margins

Abstract Archean supracrustal sequences in the Barberton Mountain Land, South Africa, and the Pilbara Block, Australia, consist of lower volcanic and upper dominantly terrigenous clastic intervals. As evidenced by the paleoenvironments of intercalated sedimentary horizons, volcanism occurred mainly in shallow waters. The overlying ca 3.3 Ga sedimentary intervals contain various common as well as unique paleoenvironments, the understanding of which places significant constraints on Archean crustal models. Lateral and vertical associations of inferred paleoenvironments are used to interpret the geotectonic history of the Archean depositories. The early sedimentary history of the greenstone belts is characterized by terrestrial and subaqueous graben-fill associations of facies related to the initial rift stage of basin development. Continued rifting and initial spreading produced submarine grabens within which ironformations accumulated in response to waning volcanism. Source area uplift resulted in progradation of submarine fans across the basinal chemical sediments. The turbidites are gradational directly into braided alluvial sediments, in part of fan delta origin, suggesting that the continental to marine transition occurred along a narrow continental shelf. In the Barberton Mountain Land the steep-rift margin was succeeded by the development of a stable continental shelf or shelf rise margin through progradation of the turbidite wedge possibly in association with a eustatic rise in sea-level related to continued spreading. On this shelf extensive tidal, deltaic and barrier beach sediments accumulated. Sedimentation was terminated by closure of the passive margin oceans. The late-Archean Pongola Supergroup in South Africa is considered to be the late-orogenic molasse response to this closure and represents the completion of the Wilson cycle.

Thermal history and subsidence of rifted continental margins—evidence from wells on the Nova Scotian and Labrador Shelves

The subsidence histories of the Labrador and Nova Scotian rifted continental margins have been determined from biostratigraphic data for 11 deep exploratory wells off Nova Scotia, for five wells off Labrador, for three wells northeast of Newfoundland, and for one well off the northeast coast of the United States of America. The components of subsidence, due to sediment loading, and when possible due to loading by changes in eustatic sea level, were removed, leaving that part of the subsidence, the tectonic subsidence, caused by cooling of the lithosphere or by other deep seated processes. The thermal cooling model theoretically predicts a linear relationship between tectonic subsidence and t½, where t is the time since subsidence began. This relationship should be obeyed during the first tens of Ma of subsidence. The slope of this curve depends upon the temperature to which the crust and upper mantle were heated during the initial rifting stage and can be used to derive the temperature–time history within the sediments, the present temperature distribution, and geothermal gradient. The data show that the observed subsidence curves behave in accordance with the thermal cooling model, at least during the first 80 Ma after subsidence began and obey the equation y = 300(± 80)t1/2 m, where y is the tectonic subsidence. The slopes of the subsidence curves are similar for the Labrador Shelf, the Nova Scotian Shelf, and the shelf off the northeastern U.S.A. More rapid and variable subsidence occurs northeast of Newfoundland and this may be associated, in a way yet to be established, with the anomalous foundered continental crust near the Orphan Knoll and Flemish Cap micro-continents which lie close to this area. After about 80 Ma, the subsidence appears to depart from the linear t1/2 law in a manner similar to the subsidence curves for oceanic crust, but this is not well established by the data. The present temperatures and temperature gradients computed using the slope of the subsidence curves show good agreement with measured values; geothermal gradients of 17.5 °C km−1 and 26 °C km−1 are calculated off Nova Scotia and Labrador respectively, and mean values of about 23 °C km−1 are observed. The computed temperature–time history within the sediments was used to estimate values of vitrinite reflectance, an indicator of the degree of organic metamorphism. These values show reasonable agreement with the measured values and suggest that only the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous sediments off Nova Scotia and the Paleocene sediments off Labrador are sufficiently mature to be good sources of petroleum. The linear t1/2 behaviour of the subsidence, and the good agreement between predicted and observed temperatures support the contention that cooling is largely responsible for the observed tectonic subsidence. The similarity of results from different areas suggests that the usefulness of the method is not restricted to a particular geographical area and may be applied to other rifted continental margins. Comparisons between the subsidence rates, thermal histories, and crustal structure at rifted margins on a worldwide scale may provide insights concerning the processes controlling their development. The temperature–time histories of the sediments estimated from the subsidence may be useful in establishing the potential of a rifted margin area for petroleum generation when little other information is available.

Is Ozone Trapped in the Solid Carbon Dioxide Polar Cap of Mars?

The oldest sediment yet sampled from the abyssal margins of South America, late Jurassic (or possibly very early Cretaceous) shallow-water, coarse-grained, calcareous sandstone containing palynomorphs and mollusk prisms, was recovered from a depth of 4400 meters on the seaward scarp of the Demerara Plateau. The sandstone was deposited in a shallow, late Jurassic epicontinental sea after the initial stages of rifting when the newly created Atlantic began to founder.

Jurassic Sandstone from the Tropical Atlantic

The oldest sediment yet sampled from the abyssal margins of South America, late Jurassic (or possibly very early Cretaceous) shallow-water, coarse-grained, calcareous sandstone containing palynomorphs and mollusk prisms, was recovered from a depth of 4400 meters on the seaward scarp of the Demerara Plateau. The sandstone was deposited in a shallow, late Jurassic epicontinental sea after the initial stages of rifting when the newly created Atlantic began to founder.