Origin of the Archean Sask craton and its extent within the Trans-Hudson orogen: evidence from Pb and Nd isotopic compositions of basement rocks and post-orogenic intrusions

U-Pb zircon ages from the exposed Sask craton are 2450-3100 Ma, from the Peter Lake Domain 2575-2640 Ma, and from rocks of the Trans-Hudson orogen 1840-1880 Ma. U-Pb monazite and zircon ages of post-orogenic pegmatites and aplites are 1770-1800 Ma. Common Pb and Sm-Nd isotopic compositions of post-orogenic intrusions, as probes of crust beneath the orogen, were compared to Sask craton rocks and ca. 1850 Ma orogenic rocks to infer the origin and subsurface distribution of the Sask craton within the internides of the Trans-Hudson orogen. Results show that post-orogenic intrusions within most of the Glennie Domain and Hanson Lake block were derived, at least in part, from Archean source materials, demonstrating that the Sask craton lies beneath Paleoproterozoic orogenic rocks present at the surface. In contrast, common Pb and Sm-Nd isotopic compositions from pegmatites and aplites of the La Ronge Domain are essentially identical with those of the Paleoproterozoic orogenic rocks into which they are intruded, indicating derivation by partial melting of similar rocks. Thus, if the Sask craton extended to the west beneath the La Ronge Domain, it was beneath the zone of melting that produced the post-orogenic intrusions, making it unlikely that the Sask craton is a detached part of the Hearne craton. Many samples from the Sask craton have elevated Pb-208/Pb-204 ratios, unlike Superior craton or Hearne craton rocks, suggesting that the Sask craton was derived from an exotic source, such as the Wyoming craton, which shares similar elevated Pb-208/Pb-204 ratios.

Isotopic studies of the Guerrero composite terrane, west-central Mexico: Implications for provenance of crustal rocks and genesis of ore metals

A variety of world-class mineral deposits occur in Mesozoic and Tertiary rocks of the Guerrero terrane. New Pb isotope analyses of various crustal units and ores from distinct subterranes of the Guerrero terrane are presented to trace metal sources in these deposits and infer source reservoirs. New Sr and Nd isotope results are provided to gain insight into the provenance of the crustal rocks from the Guerrero terrane. Triassic schist samples from the Arteaga Complex and Triassic-Jurassic phyllite and slate samples from the Tejupilco metamorphic suite contain radiogenic Pb (206Pb/204Pb = 18.701–19.256) relative to bulk earth models. Cretaceous sedimentary rocks of the Zihuatanejo Sequence are more radiogenic (206Pb/204Pb = 18.763–19.437) than samples from the Huetamo Sequence (206Pb/204Pb = 18.630–18.998). Tertiary intrusive rocks from La Verde, Inguaran, La Esmeralda, and El Malacate plot to the right of the average Pb crust evolution curve of Stacey and Kramers (206Pb/204Pb = 18.705–19.033). Ores from the La Verde and La Esmeralda porphyry copper deposits yield isotopic ratios (206Pb/204Pb = 18.678–18.723) that are generally less radiogenic than the host igneous rocks, but plot within the field defined by the sedimentary rocks from the Huetamo Sequence. Tertiary intrusive rocks from the Zimapan and La Negra districts in the Sierra Madre terrane plot above and to the right of the Stacey-Kramers reference line (206Pb/204Pb = 18.804–18.972). Lead isotope ratios of ore minerals from the Zimapan and La Negra skarn mines ( 206Pb/204Pb = 18.775–18.975) resemble those of the associated igneous rocks, implying a magmatic Pb input in the skarn deposits. New Sr and Nd isotope data on metamorphic rocks (87Sr/ 86Sr = 0.707757–0.726494 and 143Nd/144 Nd = 0.512109–0.512653) suggest that the basement of the Guerrero terrane originated from sources that had been derived from an old cratonic area. The narrow ranges and generally low 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.704860–0.705755) and 143Nd/144Nd values (0.512765–0.512772) above that of bulk earth for igneous rocks from Inguaran, El Malacate, and La Esmeralda suggest a relatively low degree of crustal contamination. However, the isotopic values for the La Verde site (87Sr/86Sr = 0.708784 and 143Nd/144Nd = 0.512640) may indicate the involvement of a more evolved crustal component.

A geochemical study of crustal plutonic rocks from the southern Mariana Trench forearc: Relationship to volcanic rocks erupted during subduction initiation

Two suites of intermediate-felsic plutonic rocks were recovered by dredges RD63 and RD64 (R/V KK81-06-26) from the northern wall of the Mariana trench near Guam, which is located in the southern part of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana (IBM) island arc system. The locations of the dredges are significant as the area contains volcanic rocks (forearc basalts and boninites) that have been pivotal in explaining processes that occur when one lithospheric plate initially begins to subduct beneath another. The plutonic rocks have been classified based on petrologic and geochemical analyses, which provides insight to their origin and evolution in context of the surrounding Mariana trench. Based on whole rock geochemistry, these rocks (SiO2: 49-78 wt%) have island arc trace element signatures (Ba, Sr, Rb enrichment, Nb-Ta negative anomalies, U/Th enrichment), consistent with the adjacent IBM volcanics. Depletion of rare earth elements (REEs) relative to primitive mantle and excess Zr and Hf compared to the middle REEs indicate that the source of the plutonic rocks is similar to boninites and transitional boninites. Early IBM volcanic rocks define isotopic fields (Sr, Pb, Nd and Hf-isotopes) that represent different aspects of the subduction process (e.g., sediment influence, mantle provenance). The southern Mariana plutonic rocks overlap these fields, but show a clear distinction between RD63 and RD64. Modeling of the REEs, Zr and Hf shows that the plutonic suites formed via melting of boninite crust or by crystallization from a boninite-like magma rather than other sources that are found in the IBM system. The data presented support the hypothesis that the plutonic rocks from RD63 and RD64 are products of subduction initiation and are likely pieces of middle crust in the forearc exposed at the surface by faulting and serpentine mudvolcanoes. Their existence shows that intermediate-felsic crust may form very early in the history of an intra-oceanic island arc system. Plutonic rocks with similar formation histories may exist in obducted suprasubduction zone ophiolites and would be evidence that felsic-intermediate forearc plutonics are eventually accreted to the continents.

Estrutura crustal e mantélica da província Borborema através de funções do receptor e dispersão de ondas superficiais

The Borborema Province, located in northeastern Brazil, has a basement of Precambrian age and a tectonic framework structured at the Neoproterozoic (740-560 Ma). After separation between South America and Africa during the Mesozoic, a rift system was formed, giving rise to a number of marginal and inland basins in the Province. After continental breakup, episodes of volcanism and uplift characterized the evolution of the Province. Plateau uplift was initially related to magmatic underplating of mafic material at the base of the crust, perhaps related to the generation of young continental plugs (45-7 Ma) along the Macau-Queimadas Alignment (MQA), due to a small-scale convection at the continental edge. The goal of this study is to investigate the causes of intra-plate uplift and its relationship to MQA volcanism, by using broadband seismology and integrating our results with independent geophysical and geological studies in the Borborema Province. The investigation of the deep structure of the Province with broadband seismic data includes receiver functions and surface-wave dispersion tomography. Both the receiver functions and surface-wave dispersion tomography are methods that use teleseismic events and allow to develop estimates of crustal parameters such as crustal thickness, Vp/Vs ratio, and S-velocity structure. The seismograms used for the receiver function work were obtained from 52 stations in Northeast Brazil: 16 broadband stations from the RSISNE network (Rede Sismográfica do Nordeste do Brasil), and 21 short-period and 6 broadband stations from the INCT-ET network (Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia – Estudos Tectônicos). These results add signifi- cantly to previous datasets collected at individual stations in the Province, which include station RCBR (GSN - Global Seismic Network), stations CAUB and AGBL (Brazilian Lithosphere Seismic Project IAG/USP), and 6 other broadband stations that were part of the Projeto Milênio - Estudos geofísicos e tectônicos na Província Borborema/CNPq. For the surface-wave vii tomography, seismograms recorde at 22 broadband stations were utilized: 16 broadband stations from the RSISNE network and 6 broadband stations from the Milênio project. The new constraints developed in this work include: (i) estimates of crustal thickness and bulk Vp/Vs ratio for each station using receiver functions; (ii) new measurements of surfassewave group velocity, which were integrated to existing measurementes from a continental-scale tomography for South America, and (iii) S-wave velocity models (1D) at various locations in the Borborema Province, developed through the simultaneous inversion of receiver functions and surface-wave dispersion velocities. The results display S-wave velocity structure down to the base of the crust that are consistent with the presence of a 5-7.5 km thick mafic layer. The mafic layer was observed only in the southern portion of the Plateau and absent in its northern portion. Another important observation is that our models divide the plateau into a region of thin crust (northern Plateau) and a region of thick crust (southern Plateau), confirming results from independent refraction surveys and receiver function analyses. Existing models of plateau uplift, nonetheless, cannot explain all the new observations. It is proposed that during the Brazilian orogeny a layer of preexisting mafic material was delaminated, as a whole or in part, from the original Brasiliano crust. Partial delamination would have happened in the southern portion of the plateau, where independent studies found evidence of a more resistant rheology. During Mesozoic rifting, thinning of the crust around the southern Plateau would have formed the marginal basins and the Sertaneja depression, which would have included the northern part of the Plateau. In the Cenozoic, uplift of the northern Plateau would have occurred, resulting in a northern Plateau without mafic material at the base of the crust and a southern Plateau with partially delaminated mafic layer.

Structural evolution of the Lesser Himalayan fold-thrust belt of west central Nepal

The Lesser Himalayan fold-thrust belt on the south flank of the Jajarkot klippe in west central Nepal was mapped in detail between the Main Central thrust in the north and the Main Boundary thrust in the south. South of the Jajarkot klippe, the fold-thrust belt involves sandstone, shale and carbonate rocks that are unmetamorphosed in the foreland and increase in metamorphic grade with higher structural position to sub-greenschist facies towards the hinterland. The exposed stratigraphy is correlative with the Proterozoic Ranimata, Sangram, Galyang, Syangia Formations and Lakharpata Group of Western Nepal and overlain by the Paleozoic Tansen and Kali Gandaki Groups. Based on field mapping and cross-section construction, three distinct thrust sheets were identified separated by top-to-the-south thrust faults. From the foreland (south) to the hinterland (north), the first thrust sheet in the immediate hanging wall of the Main Boundary thrust defines an open syncline. The second thrust sheet contains a very broad synformal duplex, which is structurally stacked against the third thrust sheet containing a homoclinal panel of the oldest exposed Proterozoic stratigraphy. Outcrop scale folds throughout the study area are predominantly south vergent, open, and asymmetric reflecting the larger regional scale folding style, which corroborate the top-to-the-south deformation style seen in the faults of the region. Field techniques were complemented with microstructural and quartz crystallographic c-axis preferred orientation analyses using a petrographic microscope and a fabric analyzer, respectively. Microstructural analysis identified abundant strain-induced recrystallization textures and occasional occurrences of top-to-the-south shear-sense indicators primarily in the hinterland rocks in the immediate footwall of the Main Central Thrust. Top-to-the-south shearing is also supported by quartz crystallographic c-axis preferred orientations. Quartz recrystallization textures indicate an increase in deformation temperature towards the Main Central thrust. A line balance estimate indicates that approximately 15 km of crustal shortening was accommodated by folding and faulting in the fold-thrust belt south of the Jajarkot klippe. Additionally, estimations of shortening velocity suggest that the shortening velocity operating in this section of the fold-thrust belt between 23 to 14 Ma was slower than what is currently observed as a result of the ongoing deformation of the Sub-Himalayan fold-thrust belt.

Tectonic geomorphology assessment of the Ken River catchment near Panna, Madhya Pradesh, India

This thesis focuses on tectonic geomorphology and the response of the Ken River catchment to postulated tectonic forcing along a NE-striking monocline fold in the Panna region, Madhya Pradesh, India. Peninsular India is underlain by three northeast-trending paleotopographic ridges of Precambrian Indian basement, bounded by crustal-scale faults. Of particular interest is the Pokhara lineament, a crustal scale fault that defines the eastern edge of the Faizabad ridge, a paleotopographic high cored by the Archean Bundelkhand craton. The Pokhara lineament coincides with the monocline structure developed in the Proterozoic Vindhyan Supergroup rocks along the Bundelkhand cratonic margin. A peculiar, deeply incised meander-like feature, preserved along the Ken River where it flows through the monocline, may be intimately related to the tectonic regime of this system. This thesis examines 41 longitudinal stream profiles across the length of the monocline structure to identify any tectonic signals generated from recent surface uplift above the Pokhara lineament. It also investigates the evolution of the Ken River catchment in response to the generation of the monocline fold. Digital Elevation Models (DEM) from Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) were used to delineate a series of tributary watersheds and extract individual stream profiles which were imported into MATLAB for analysis. Regression limits were chosen to define distinct channel segments, and knickpoints were defined at breaks between channel segments where there was a discrete change in the steepness of the channel profile. The longitudinal channel profiles exhibit the characteristics of a fluvial system in transient state. There is a significant downstream increase in normalized steepness index in the channel profiles, as well as a general increase in concavity downstream, with some channels exhibiting convex, over-steepened segments. Normalized steepness indices and uppermost knickpoint elevations are on average much higher in streams along the southwest segment of the monocline compared to streams along the northeast segment. Most channel profiles have two to three knickpoints, predominantly exhibiting slope-break morphology. These data have important implications for recent surface uplift above the Pokhara lineament. Furthermore, geomorphic features preserved along the Ken River suggest that it is an antecedent river. The incised meander-like feature appears to be the abandoned river valley of a former Ken River course that was captured during the evolution of the landscape by what is the present day Ken River.

Deep Crustal Structure of the North-West African Margin from Combined Wide-angle and Reflection Seismic Data (MIRROR Seismic Survey)

The structure of the Moroccan and Nova Scotia conjugate rifted margins is of key importance for understanding the Mesozoic break-up and evolution of the northern central Atlantic Ocean basin. Seven combined multichannel reflection (MCS) and wide-angle seismic (OBS) data profiles were acquired along the Atlantic Moroccan margin between the latitudes of 31.5° and 33° N during the MIRROR seismic survey in 2011, in order to image the transition from continental to oceanic crust, to study the variation in crustal structure and to characterize the crust under the West African Coast Magnetic Anomaly (WACMA). The data were modeled using a forward modeling approach. The final models image crustal thinning from 36 km thickness below the continent to approximately 8 km in the oceanic domain. A 100 km wide zone characterized by rough basement topography and high seismic velocities up to 7.4 km/s in the lower crust is observed westward of the West African Coast Magnetic Anomaly. No basin underlain by continental crust has been imaged in this region, as has been identified north of our study area. Comparison to the conjugate Nova Scotian margin shows a similar continental crustal thickness and layer geometry, and the existence of exhumed and serpentinized upper mantle material on the Canadian side only. The oceanic crustal thickness is lower on the Canadian margin.

Upper crustal structure of Madeira Island revealed from ambient noise tomography

We present the first image of the Madeira upper crustal structure, using ambient seismic noise tomography. 16 months of ambient noise, recorded in a dense network of 26 seismometers deployed across Madeira, allowed reconstructing Rayleigh wave Green's functions between receivers. Dispersion analysis was performed in the short period band from 1.0 to 4.0 s. Group velocity measurements were regionalized to obtain 2D tomographic images, with a lateral resolution of 2.0 km in central Madeira. Afterwards, the dispersion curves, extracted from each cell of the 2D group velocity maps, were inverted as a function of depth to obtain a 3D shear wave velocity model of the upper crust, from the surface to a depth of 2.0 km. The obtained 3D velocity model reveals features throughout the island that correlates well with surface geology and island evolution.

Post-rift evolution of the Gulf of Lion margin tested by stratigraphic modelling

The sedimentary architecture of basins and passive margins is determined by a complex interaction of parameters, including subsidence, eustasy, and sediment supply. A quantification of the post-rift (20 Ma-0 Ma) vertical movements of the Gulf of Lion (West Mediterranean) is proposed here based on the stratigraphic study of sedimentary paleomarkers using a large 3D grid of reflection seismic data, correlations with existing drillings, and refraction data. Post-rift subsidence was measured by the direct use of sedimentary geometries analysed in 3D and validated by numerical stratigraphic modelling. Three domains of subsidence were found: on the continental shelf and slope, subsidence corresponds to a seaward tilting with different amplitudes, whereas the deep basin subsides purely vertically. We show that these domains fit with the deeper crustal domains highlighted by previous geophysical data, and that post-break-up subsidence follows the initial hinge lines of the rifting phase. Subsidence rates are quantified on each domain for each stratigraphic interval. At a constant distance from the rotational hinge line, the Plio-Quaternary subsidence rate is constant on the shelf overall. Conversely, Miocene subsidence rates are very different on the eastern and western shelves. Stratigraphic simulations focused on the Messinian salinity crisis (MSC) were also performed. Their results are discussed together with our post-rift subsidence estimates in order to provide ideas and hypotheses for future detailed quantifications of Miocene subsidence, including isostatic readjustments linked to the MSC.

The Southeast Indian Ridge between 88°E and 118°E: Variations in crustal accretion at constant spreading rate

The temperature of the mantle and the rate of melt production are parameters which play important roles in controlling the style of crustal accretion along mid-ocean ridges. To investigate the variability in crustal accretion that develops in response to variations in mantle temperature, we have conducted a geophysical investigation of the Southeast Indian Ridge (SEIR) between the Amsterdam hotspot and the Australian-Antarctic Discordance (88 degrees E-118 degrees E). The spreading center deepens by 2100 m from west to east within the study area. Despite a uniform, intermediate spreading rate (69-75 mm yr-l), the SEIR exhibits the range in axial morphology displayed by the East Pacific Rise and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) and usually associated with variations in spreading rate. The spreading center is characterized by an axial high west of 102 degrees 45'E, whereas an axial valley is prevalent east of this longitude. Both the deepening of the ridge axis and the general evolution of axial morphology from an axial high to a rift valley are not uniform. A region of intermediate morphology separates axial highs and MAR-like rift valleys. Local transitions in axial morphology occur in three areas along the ridge axis. The increase in axial depth toward the Australian-Antarctic Discordance may be explained by the thinning of the oceanic crust by similar to 4 km and the change in axial topography. The long-wavelength changes observed along the SEIR can be attributed to a gradient in mantle temperature between regions influenced by the Amsterdam and Kerguelen hot spots and the Australian-Antarctic Discordance. However, local processes, perhaps associated with an heterogeneous mantle or along-axis asthenospheric flow, may give rise to local transitions in axial topography and depth anomalies.

Petrografia, geoquímica e geocronologia das rochas metavulcânicas e metaplutônicas dos Greenstone Belts faina e Serra de Santa Rita : implicações para o ambiente tectônico

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Geociências, Pós-Graduação em Geologia, 2016.

Prognostic Value Of Dna And Mrna E6/e7 Of Human Papillomavirus In The Evolution Of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia Grade 2.

This study aimed at evaluating whether human papillomavirus (HPV) groups and E6/E7 mRNA of HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, and 45 are prognostic of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2 outcome in women with a cervical smear showing a low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL). This cohort study included women with biopsy-confirmed CIN 2 who were followed up for 12 months, with cervical smear and colposcopy performed every three months. Women with a negative or low-risk HPV status showed 100% CIN 2 regression. The CIN 2 regression rates at the 12-month follow-up were 69.4% for women with alpha-9 HPV versus 91.7% for other HPV species or HPV-negative status (P < 0.05). For women with HPV 16, the CIN 2 regression rate at the 12-month follow-up was 61.4% versus 89.5% for other HPV types or HPV-negative status (P < 0.05). The CIN 2 regression rate was 68.3% for women who tested positive for HPV E6/E7 mRNA versus 82.0% for the negative results, but this difference was not statistically significant. The expectant management for women with biopsy-confirmed CIN 2 and previous cytological tests showing LSIL exhibited a very high rate of spontaneous regression. HPV 16 is associated with a higher CIN 2 progression rate than other HPV infections. HPV E6/E7 mRNA is not a prognostic marker of the CIN 2 clinical outcome, although this analysis cannot be considered conclusive. Given the small sample size, this study could be considered a pilot for future larger studies on the role of predictive markers of CIN 2 evolution.

Effects Of Therapeutic Approach On The Neonatal Evolution Of Very Low Birth Weight Infants With Patent Ductus Arteriosus.

To analyze the effects of treatment approach on the outcomes of newborns (birth weight [BW] < 1,000 g) with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), from the Brazilian Neonatal Research Network (BNRN) on: death, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), severe intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH III/IV), retinopathy of prematurity requiring surgical (ROPsur), necrotizing enterocolitis requiring surgery (NECsur), and death/BPD. This was a multicentric, cohort study, retrospective data collection, including newborns (BW < 1000 g) with gestational age (GA) < 33 weeks and echocardiographic diagnosis of PDA, from 16 neonatal units of the BNRN from January 1, 2010 to Dec 31, 2011. Newborns who died or were transferred until the third day of life, and those with presence of congenital malformation or infection were excluded. Groups: G1 - conservative approach (without treatment), G2 - pharmacologic (indomethacin or ibuprofen), G3 - surgical ligation (independent of previous treatment). Factors analyzed: antenatal corticosteroid, cesarean section, BW, GA, 5 min. Apgar score < 4, male gender, Score for Neonatal Acute Physiology Perinatal Extension (SNAPPE II), respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), late sepsis (LS), mechanical ventilation (MV), surfactant (< 2 h of life), and time of MV. death, O2 dependence at 36 weeks (BPD36wks), IVH III/IV, ROPsur, NECsur, and death/BPD36wks. Student's t-test, chi-squared test, or Fisher's exact test; Odds ratio (95% CI); logistic binary regression and backward stepwise multiple regression. Software: MedCalc (Medical Calculator) software, version 12.1.4.0. p-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. 1,097 newborns were selected and 494 newborns were included: G1 - 187 (37.8%), G2 - 205 (41.5%), and G3 - 102 (20.6%). The highest mortality was observed in G1 (51.3%) and the lowest in G3 (14.7%). The highest frequencies of BPD36wks (70.6%) and ROPsur were observed in G3 (23.5%). The lowest occurrence of death/BPD36wks occurred in G2 (58.0%). Pharmacological (OR 0.29; 95% CI: 0.14-0.62) and conservative (OR 0.34; 95% CI: 0.14-0.79) treatments were protective for the outcome death/BPD36wks. The conservative approach of PDA was associated to high mortality, the surgical approach to the occurrence of BPD36wks and ROPsur, and the pharmacological treatment was protective for the outcome death/BPD36wks.

Evolution Of The Deaths Registry System In Brazil: Associations With Changes In The Mortality Profile, Under-registration Of Death Counts, And Ill-defined Causes Of Death.

This paper examines the spatial pattern of ill-defined causes of death across Brazilian regions, and its relationship with the evolution of completeness of the deaths registry and changes in the mortality age profile. We make use of the Brazilian Health Informatics Department mortality database and population censuses from 1980 to 2010. We applied demographic methods to evaluate the quality of mortality data for 137 small areas and correct for under-registration of death counts when necessary. The second part of the analysis uses linear regression models to investigate the relationship between, on the one hand, changes in death counts coverage and age profile of mortality, and on the other, changes in the reporting of ill-defined causes of death. The completeness of death counts coverage increases from about 80% in 1980-1991 to over 95% in 2000-2010 at the same time the percentage of ill-defined causes of deaths reduced about 53% in the country. The analysis suggests that the government's efforts to improve data quality are proving successful, and they will allow for a better understanding of the dynamics of health and the mortality transition.