PRIN 2015
Ministero dell'Istruzione dell'Università e della Ricerca. Dipartimento per la formazione superiore e per la Ricerca. Direzione Generale per il Coordinamento, la promozione e la valorizzazione della Ricerca.
PRIN: PROGETTI DI RICERCA DI RILEVANTE INTERESSE NAZIONALE – Bando 2015 Prot. 2015EC9PJ5
The subduction and exhumation of the continental lithosphere: their effects on the structure and evolution of the orogens
The project aims contributing to the knowledge of the mechanisms of continental subduction zones and the related orogens. The geometry, kinematics and dynamics of this type of plate boundaries can be studied by means of a wide spectrum of the geosciences, i.e., tectonics, stratigraphy, metamorphism, magmatology, geochemistry, seismology and geophysics. Combining these disciplines, the project aims to study specifically few sectors of the Alps, Apennines, Dinarides, Zagros and Himalayas. We will perform i) the reconstruction of the deep structures by geophysical data (by both Vs data and upper crust seismic reflection profiles); ii) geochemical analysis of the erupted magmas connected to collisional settings; iii) structural analysis and field mapping of regional shear zones and faults will be finalized, including the more external thrusts able to shape the structures of the orogenic prisms. From the direct observations we can gain information of the kinematics, on the timing and of the P-T-t paths of the involved rocks. The different structural levels actually exposed ensure to check the structures and processes at different depths. In particular the exposures in the Alps and Himalayas allow to observe crustal sections down to the lower continental crust. The path to the surface of deep-seated continental crustal slices and their subsequent uplift can originate a climatic barrier with consequences on the global atmospheric circulations and climate (e.g. Himalayas). The influence on the climate could derive also from the amount of metacarbonate rocks producing C02 by metamorphic reactions during their exhumation. The Alpine-Appenninic-Himalayan orogens are among the best examples including both medium-high and low geothermal gradients belts. The fluid circulation and the fracturing of the rocks can have consequences on the mineralization and subsequent leaching causing alteration of the quality of the water shed. The exposure history of the rocks to the surface and their uplift can be unravelled by the detritus provided by the growing belt and deposited in the foreland. The amount of sediments sourced from the belt and the geometry of the regional decollement are able to influence the rate of propagation of the orogen toward the foreland and the formation/shaping of orogenic salients and recesses.
The project topics will be faced integrating the following aspects:
- Field mapping of specific study key-areas
- Collection of samples for structural analysis, P-T-t reconstruction of the metamorphic evolution; geochronology, river sandstones petrography; geochemical analysis of magmatic suites
- Interpretation of seismic reflection profiles for determining decollement depths, regional monocline dip, stratigraphic evolution and subsidence rates
- Lithospheric-mantle tomography
- Analysis of the seismicity and its mechanical constraints as a function of the tectonic setting
- Numerical modelling for reproducing the evolution of orogens associated to continental subduction should finally be able to integrate the different data and models
Specific methodology for studying salients and recesses associated to subduction of continental lithosphere and to unravel their link to the geodynamics of the Appenines belt are:
- Quantify natural subsidence rates or uplift in Italy through databases of well logs
- Model the type of deformation and hence the stress distribution in the linking areas between salient and recesses
- Understand the mechanisms that drive the seismic hazard in Italy
- Acquire seismic data in cooperation with the National Research Council, with studies focused in areas characterized by high seismic risk and located in the nearby of densely populated areas
The interpretation of seismic profiles will be performed by using dedicated softwares such as Kingdom and Petrel; moreover the numerical modeling will be performed using Comsol. In order to refine the geophysical data base of the lithosphere and mantle structure associated to continental subduction, the project plans to improve the existing Vs velocities models of the lithosphere-asthenosphere system obtained by absolute tomography. This data acquisition will be completed for the Mediterranean and Central European areas to perform a synoptic analysis of the subduction zones and a comparative analysis with other structures from the Middle East to the Tibet. The models will be refined to a resolution of 0.5°x0.5° in selected zones (e.g., transects along the Southern Apennines). The Vs models are retrieved from the non-linear inversion of group velocity dispersion data obtained from the analysis of earthquake recordings and ambient noise cross-correlations at two receivers. The measurement of dispersion data at periods close enough to the lowest one sampled by regional tomographic studies and the combination of local and regional dispersion data in the inversion step allows to define crust and mantle structures with great resolution. Lithospheric-crustal Vs models will be retrieved (1) in the Sannio-Matese-Campanian Apennines in order to define the thickness of the carbonate platform, of metamorphic rock sequence, and to recognize low VS layers to attribute to the brittle-ductile transition and (2) in the Campi Flegrei district mainly to detect low velocity layers related to the presence of partially molten material. Moreover, the thermal state of the lithosphere-asthenosphere system will be delineated coupling Vs-temperature conversion techniques with geochemical and petrological information. The models will provide a detailed zonation of the lithosphere-asthenosphere system: the geometry of the slabs in subduction, their mechanical and thermal properties, and the identification of partially molten levels. The interpretation of crustal-scale geophysical images with the reference section of the plumbing system of a fossil caldera exposed to a depth of 25 Km in the Sesia magmatic system is expected to have a significant impact on the most popular and questionable views about magma chamber processes, providing potential application on monitoring volcanic hazard. Fieldwork activity will be combined with structural analysis, petrographic, petrologic and geochronologic studies on different transects of the Himalayan belt, from the lower plains up to the Tethyan sequences (in Nepal, India, Tibet). Tectonic, petrographic, and petrologic analysis combined with in-situ geochronology on accessory minerals (e.g. zircon, monazite) will allow to constrain the P-T-t-d evolution of the crustal units in both the footwall and hanging-wall of the main shear zones. Finally, this multidisciplinary approach will also be used to investigate the role of metacarbonate rocks, locally abundant along the selected transects, as potential sources of metamorphic CO2. The shallow and surface evolution of orogens associate to continental subduction will be performed investigating the impact of tectonic processes on rock exhumation, formation of topographic relief and sediment generation, and the complex feedbacks between endogenous and exogenous processes with reference to climate change at regional and global scale comparing sediments generated today from different tracts of Alpine-Himalayan belts. Special attention will be dedicated to provenance analysis of turbidite samples collected during the IODP 354 and 355 cruises to the Indus Fan and to correlation with detrital signatures in the Indus fluvio-deltaic system. The research will focus on the pre-collisional, sin-collisional and post-collisional sedimentary record north, along and south of the Indus-Yarlung suture zone, from the western Himalaya, to south Tibet. The tectono-metamorphic study in the Himalayan belt represents an excellent natural laboratory for the quality and quantity of outcrops. Shear zones and brittle faults developed for all the length of the belt and have been active for several million years throughout different structural levels, providing a rare case history for the brittle-ductile transition. Architecture and kinematics of shear zones will be studied through meso and microstructural analyses, joined with kinematic vorticity analysis to better define the non coaxiality of the flow. Paleofluids will be investigated through fluid inclusion studies trapped during different stages of the tectonic evolution in order to define fluid composition and their time evolution at different structural levels. Active fluid flow, sampled in cold and thermal springs along the main tectonic discontinuities (i.e. Main Central Thrust, Main Frontal Thrust), will be studied for the physico-chemical parameters, major ion chemistry, trace elements and, on a subset of samples, dissolved gas components (in particular CO2). In some of the emergences continuous monitoring divers for temperature and electrical conductivity and to estimate the outflow rate will be installed. Mineralizations related to fluid transport will be studied through X-Ray, Raman, Sem and microprobe analyses. Dating of activity of tectonic discontinuities by Ar/Ar geochronology and thermocronology of heavy minerals will help to unvestigate the recent uplift of different tectonic units and to study the propagation of tectonic discontinuities towards the foreland. All the experimental data will be processed and interpreted within a model of reactive transport and crustal processes. In the Alps, a combined low-temperature thermochronology, geochemistry and cosmogenic analyses of apatite and quartz grains in modern sands will allow to investigate the exhumation and erosion patterns of the orogen at different time scales. Apatite fission-track analysis will illuminate long-term erosion patterns since the Alpine subduction. The AFT dataset integrated with trace-element and Sm-Nd isotopic geochemistry and independent mineral-concentration measurements will allow us to calculate sediment budgets and to investigate erosion-patterns on a shorter time scale, to be combined with cosmogenic-nuclide data provided by ongoing collaboration with the GFZ Potsdam. As far as it concerns magmatism, the research will be performed by applying both classical and innovative methodologies to a set of volcanic samples selected from key magmatic association erupted or emplaced in continental collisional settings, namely i) the Central Mediterranean region and ii) the Western Anatolian area. The determination of trace elements and Sr, Nd and Pb isotope ratios will provide the basic knowledge about the investigated systems. This will be coupled with the application, on selected samples, of innovative geochemical and isotopic tools that will provide a significant contribution to the achievement of the aims of the project. The major and minor element composition of early crystallising phases (e.g. Ni and Mn content in high-Fo olivine) will be used to investigate the effect of crust-derived component on the mineralogy of mantle sources of the studied magmas. Uranium-series disequilibria will provide information on the mechanism and timescale of crust recycling during subduction as well as on mantle melting processes. Non-traditional isotope systems (Molybdenum and 238U/235U), will provide further and new constrain on the origin and lithology of the recycled crustal material, since they are characterized by low-temperature (i.e. on the Earth's surface) mass dependent fractionation, but remaining insensitive to magmatic processes (e.g. mantle melting and magma differentiation). Another significant portion of the project will focus on investigating and quantifying the geochemical evolution and differentiation of the magmas within the crust, with particular attention to extent of processes such as crustal assimilation en route to the surface, which have the potential to overprint the primary geochemical and isotopic characteristics of the magmas. On this regard, the study of the aforementioned magmatic association will be coupled with a detailed investigation of a the fossil Sesia magmatic system (Val Sesia), which represents an exceptional test site to investigate the complex interaction between mantle-derived magmas and the thickened and fertile continental crust.
Main targets of the project are:
- Improved information on the deep and shallow structure and evolution of classic continental subduction zones
- New updated field data on the ductile and brittle-ductile shear zones, granite emplacement, paleo and active fluid flow and related mineralizations during the exhumation of continental crust units from the Himalayan orogen.
- Produce a predictive methods of analysis of the areas with greater exposure of earthquakes with magnitude > 4, located in areas of current low strain rate, where in the ductile crust the deformation occurs in steady state, while in the upper crust faults are locked and there is an active mechanism of stick (interseismic)-slip (coseismic).
- Reproduce in laboratory the physical conditions similar to those occurring in nature for the nucleation of earthquakes, with the aim of better understanding the phenomena acting during the entire seismic cycle.
- Constrain the role of subducted crustal components in the processes of mantle metasomatism and melting in generating volcanism.
The project will improve our understanding of the geodynamic evolution of continental subduction zones and the related orogen or accretionary prism and on the earlier exhumation of continental units during the collisional stage. For example, the results will lead to a significant increase of knowledge on the tectonic, metamorphic and geochronological evolution of both the small-cold Alpine and large-hot Himalayan orogens. We expect a better understand of the relations between shear zone, from ductile to brittle, and fluid migration through time up to the surface and the role of fluid in strain softening processes related to localization of shear zones. Some geochemical methodologies are very innovative since no literature is available on non-traditional isotopes on magmatic rocks of continental collisional geodynamic settings. Therefore the proposed research will represent a significant advancement in the knowledge of magmatic systems generated in continental collision. Moreover, the project may shed light on the mechanisms governing plate tectonics and seismicity.
Obiettivo della ricerca eseguita dall'unità di Milano-Bicocca (RU3 - UniMIB)
The goal of the scientific research of the RU3 - UniMIB was to evaluate the effects of subduction and exhumation of continental crust on environmental and climate change, with the close integration of the RU3 with other research units. This specifically concerned the study of the regional geology of the Alpine and Himalayan mountain belts and of endogenous and exogenous processes that impact on climatic conditions at different scales. Changes in topographic relief, varying rates of continental rock weathering and erosion can be reconstructed by the detailed study of the geometric, textural and compositional features of sedimentary successions, which allows us to assess how and why erosion and accumulation rates varied in time, and how and to what extent climatic changes have influenced the mineralogy and geochemistry of sediments. The RU3 program was complementary particularly to that of the RU4 and RU5, allowing us to assess the effects of the same tectonic processes on the volume and composition of detritus produced, and consequently their impact on environmental and climate dynamics. Moreover, the results obtained on Himalayan bedrock units were compared with and constrained by our thorough investigation of the Mesozoic to Cenozoic pre- to syn- and post-collisional sedimentary record. The collaboration with other research units has been particularly close whenever will be studied the same geological macro-objects, i.e., the Alpine belt (and specifically the timing and mechanisms of exhumation, and the volumes of detritus shed by high-pressure to ultra-high-pressure units) and the Himalayan belt (and specifically the timing and mechanisms of exhumation, and the volumes of detritus shed by tectonic units of the central Himalaya). In this project we have cooperated with the other RUs in order to test the tectono-stratigraphy of orogenic belts and characterization of detrital suites produced as a function of the geometry and polarity of subduction with respect to the mantle flow inferred in the hotspot reference frame, allowing us to integrate geophysical data with surface geology constraints and to investigate the deepest levels of the Alpine orogen and the interaction between subducting slabs and the upper mantle. A significant part of these activities has been carried out in close contact with European (London, Lancaster, Nancy, Grenoble, Geneva, Potsdam) and Chinese (Nanjing, Beijing, Shanghai, Lanzhou) research centers.
Descrizione della ricerca eseguita dall'unità di Milano-Bicocca (RU3 - UniMIB)
The research activity of RU3 (UniMIB) was focused on subduction-related orogenic processes and on four main topics: A) Geology of the Himalaya and Tibet; B) Dispersal systems of orogenic sand in the Himalaya and Adjacent regions of southern and eastern Asia; C) Dispersal systems of orogenic sand in other source-to-sink systems; D) Methodological aspects of provenance analysis. Topic 1 can be subdivided into 6 subjects: 1) The early growth of Tibet (7 scientific articles all resulting from collaboration with researchers of Nanjing and other Chines universities were published on peer-review International journals); 2) The Transhimalayan arc-trench system (2 articles); 3) Pre-collisional evolution of the Indian margin (6 articles); 4) The India-Asia collision (7 articles); 5) Post-collisional evolution of the Asian margin (2 articles); 6) Evolution of the Himalayan orogen (2 articles). Topic 2 includes studies of river systems within the Himalayan belt as well as turbiditic systems fed by them in the Indian Ocean (13 articles), studies of fluvial and eolian systems in Tibet, China, and Indochina (11 articles). Topic 3 includes studies in the Alps, Caucasus, Anatolia and the Zagros mountains, and Taiwan (6 articles overall). Topic 4 included methodological research on sand and sandstone petrology, heavy-minerals, detrital geochronology, and statistical treatment of provenance data (9 articles overall). One general article was published in Earth Science Reviews on the controversial topic of slab break-off. The main results of our research include a far better understanding of the tectonic and topographi evolution of the Tibetan Plateau well before the onset of the India-Asia collision, a much more precise assessment of the age of continental collision in Himalaya, which is the most important geological event of the Cenozoic Era. Methodological research has also produced important advance in both classical and innovative techniques used in provenance analysis, technical procedures, concepts, and data processing. Regional studies have highlighted the modalities with which huge masses of detritus are transferred from orogenic highlands to coastal areas and to the deep-sea, which has major impact on subduction-related tectonic processes, Earth’s landscape and climate.
Problemi riscontrati nel corso della ricerca dall'unità di Milano-Bicocca (RU3 - UniMIB)
We had to face numerous minor organization problem but no serious problems during our research activity. Our research was carried out in close collaboration with numerous university and research centers worldwide, which on the one side means that there is always a problem in one laboratory (for instance the laser system at UCL failed 4 times in a year, which repeatedly retarded collection of several sets of data and forced us in a few occasions to prepare new separate) but never problems at the same time in all laboratories. Research thus not invariably followed the expected program but was always possible to redirect our focus due to momentary hindrances or, vice-versa, according to new opportunities of collaboration.
Risultati scientifici conseguiti dall'unità di Milano-Bicocca (RU3 - UniMIB)
Innovative methods for the study of mineralogy of turbidites in ongoing and future IODP expeditions. La messa in opera di metodologie scientifiche avanzate (es. uso della microscopia Raman”) per la determinazione e lo studio in dettaglio dei minerali pesanti presenti all’interno dei sedimenti torbiditici della classe granulometrica del silt (<62 micron) ha permesso di migliorare le nostre conoscenze sui processi legati all’alterazione e all’erosione dei sedimenti fluviali delle zone orogeniche.
Prodotti realizzati dall'unità di Milano-Bicocca (RU3 - UniMIB)
SUBDUCTION-RELATED OROGENIC PROCESSES
1. Garzanti, E., Radeff, G., Malusà, M., 2018. Slab breakoff: A critical appraisal of a geological theory as applied in space and time. Earth-Science Reviews, 177, 303-319.
HIMALAYA & TIBET
The early growth of Tibet
1. Ma, A., Hu, X., Garzanti, E., Han, Z., Lai, W., 2017. Sedimentary and tectonic evolution of the southern Qiangtang basin: implications for the Lhasa-Qiangtang collision timing. Journal of Geophysical Research – Solid Earth, 122, doi:10.1002/2017JB014211.
2. Wang, J-G., Hu, X., Garzanti, E., Ji, W-Q., Liu, Z-C., Liu X-C., Wu. F-Y., 2017. Early Cretaceous topographic growth of the Lhasaplano, Tibetan Plateau: constraints from the Damxung Conglomerate. Journal of Geophysical Research – Solid Earth, 122, doi:10.1002/2017JB014278.
3. Zhang, S., Hu, X.M., Han, Z., Li, J., Garzanti, E., 2018. Climatic and tectonic controls on Cretaceous-Palaeogene sea-level changes recorded in the Tarim epicontinental sea. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 501, 92-110, doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.04.008.
4. Lai, W., Hu, X.M., Garzanti, E., Sun, G.Y., Garzione, C.N., BouDagher-Fadel, M., Ma, A., 2019. Initial growth of the Northern Lhasaplano (Tibetan Plateau) in the early Late Cretaceous (92 Ma). Geological Society of America Bulletin, doi.org/10.1130/B35124.1.
5. Lai, W., Hu, X.M., Garzanti, E., Xu, Y., Ma, A., Li, W., 2019. Early Cretaceous sedimentary evolution of the northern Lhasa terrane and the timing of initial Lhasa-Qiangtang collision. Gondwana Research, 73, 136–152, doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2019.03.016
6. Wang, J.G., Hu, X.M., Garzanti, E., BouDagher-Fadel, M.K., Liu, Z.C., Li, J., Wu, F.Y., 2019. From extension to tectonic inversion: mid-Cretaceous onset of Andean-type orogeny and topographic growth of Tibet. Geological Society of America Bulletin, in review.
7. Xue, W.W., Hu, X.M., Ma, A., Garzanti, M., Li. J., 2020. Eustatic and tectonic control on the evolution of the Jurassic North Qiangtang Basin: implications for hydrocarbon exploration. Submitted to AAPG Bulletin, 2 Feb 2020.
THE TRANSHIMALAYAN ARC-TRENCH SYSTEM
1. Wang, J-G., Hu, X.M., Garzanti, E., An, W., Liu, X-C, 2017. The birth of the Xigaze forearc basin in southern Tibet. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 465, 38-47.
2. An, W., Hu, X., Garzanti, E., 2018. Provenance of the Upper Cretaceous Neo-tethyan trench deposits (Luogangcuo Formation, southern Tibet). Lithosphere, doi.org/10.1130/L690.1.
PRE-COLLISIONAL EVOLUTION OF THE INDIAN MARGIN
1. Wang, J-G., Wu, F-Y., Garzanti, E., Hu, X., Ji, W-Q., Liu, Z-C., Liu, Z.C., 2016. Upper Triassic turbidites of the northern Tethyan Himalaya (Langjiexue Group): The terminal of a sediment-routing system sourced in the Gondwanide Orogen. Gondwana Research, 34, 84-98.
2. Han, Z., Hu, X., Li, J., Garzanti, E., 2016, Jurassic carbonate microfacies and relative sea-level changes in the Tethys Himalaya (southsouthern Tibet). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 456, 1-20.
3. Meng, Z., Wang, J.G., Ji, W., Zhang, H., Wu, F., Garzanti, E., 2019. The Langjiexue Group is an in situ sedimentary sequence rather than an exotic block: Constraints from coeval Upper Triassic strata of the Tethys Himalaya (Qulonggongba Formation). Science China Earth Sciences, 62, 783-797. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-018-9314-9.
4. Zhang, B., Wie, Y., Garzanti, E., Wang, C., Chen, X., Pan, W., Liu, Q., 2019. Sedimentologic and stratigraphic constraints on the orientation of the Late Triassic northern Indian passive continental margin. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 533, 109234, doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2019.109234.
5. Li, J., Hu, X.M., Garzanti, E., Banerjee, S., BouDagher-Fadel, M., 2019. Late Cretaceous topographic doming caused by initial upwelling of Deccan magmas: Stratigraphic and sedimentological evidence. Geological Society of America Bulletin, https://doi.org/10.1130/B35133.1.
6. Guo, H.F., Chen, X., Yao, H., Han, K., Garzanti, E., Liu, H., Fan, H.H., 2019. Lower Cretaceous clastic dykes in southern Tibet: characteristics and paleogeographic significance, Gondwana Research, in review.
THE INDIA-ASIA COLLISION
1. Hu, X., Garzanti, E., Wang J-G., Huang, W., An, W., Webb, A., 2016 The timing of India-Asia collision onset – facts, theories, controversies. Earth-Science Reviews, 160, 264-299.
2. An, W., Hu, X., Garzanti, E., 2017. Sandstone provenance and tectonic evolution of the Xiukang Mélange from Neotethyan subduction to India-Asia collision (Yarlung-Zangbo suture). Gondwana Research, 41, 222-234
3. Li, J., Hu, X., Garzanti, E., BouDagher-Fadel, M., 2017, Shallow-water carbonate record of the Paleocene–Eocene thermal maximum and tectonic uplift of the Tethys Himalaya during early India-Asia collision (southern Tibet). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 466, 153-165.
4. Najman, Y., Jenks, D., Godin, L., Boudagher-Fadel, M., Millar, I., Garzanti,E., Horstwood, M. Bracciali, L., 2017. The Tethyan Himalayan detrital record shows that India–Asia terminal collision occurred by 54 Ma in the Western Himalaya. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 459, 301-310.
5. Hu, X.M., Wang, J.G., An, W., Garzanti, E., Li, J., 2017. Constraining the timing of the India-Asia continental collision by the sedimentary record. Science China – Earth Sciences, doi: 10.1007/s11430-016-9003-6.
6. Fu, H., Hu, X.M., Crouch, E.M., An,W., Wang, J.G., Garzanti, E., 2018. Upper Cretaceous trench deposits of the Neo-Tethyan subduction zone: Jiachala Formation from Yarlung Zangbo suture zone in Tibet, China. Science China Earth Sciences, 61, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-017-9223-5.
7. An, W., Hu, X.M., Garzanti, E., Wang, J.G., 2019. New precise dating of the India-Asia collision in the Tibetan Himalaya at 61 Ma. To be resubmitted after rejection from Nature Geosciences and Geology.
POST-COLLISIONAL EVOLUTION OF THE ASIAN MARGIN
1. Blayney, T., Najman, Y., Dupont-Nivet, G., Carter, A., Millar, I., Garzanti, E., Sobel, E.R., Rittner, M., Andò, S., Guo, Z.,Vezzoli, G., 2016. Indentation of the Pamirs with respect to the northern margin of Tibet: constraints from the Tarim Basin sedimentary record. Tectonics, 35, 2345-2369, doi:10.1002/2016/TC004222.
2. Zhang, S., Hu, X.M., Garzanti, E., 2019. Paleocene initial indentation and early growth of the Pamir as recorded in the western Tarim Basin. Tectonophysics 772 (2019) 228207
EVOLUTION OF THE HIMALAYAN OROGEN
1. Vögeli, N., Huyghe, P., van der Beek, P., Najman, Y., Garzanti, E., Chauvel, C., 2017. Weathering regime in the Eastern Himalaya since the mid-Miocene: Indications from detrital geochemistry and clay mineralogy of the Kameng River Section, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Basin Research, 30, 59–74
2. Garzanti, E., 2019. The Himalayan foreland basin from collision onset to the present: a sedimentary-petrology perspective. In: Treloar, P. & Searle, M.P. (eds.), Himalayan tectonics: a modern synthesis. Geological Society London, Special Publication, 483, SP483.17, doi.org/10.1144/SP483.17
DISPERSAL SYSTEMS OF OROGENIC SAND
From the Himalayas to the Indus and Bengal-Nicobar deep-sea fans
1. Limonta, M., Resentini, M., Carter, A., Bandopadhyay, P.C., Garzanti, E., 2017, Provenance of Oligocene Andaman Sandstones (Andaman-Nicobar islands): Ganga-Brahmaputra or Irrawaddy derived?. In: Bandopadhyay, P.C., Carter, A. (Eds.), The Andaman–Nicobar Accretionary Ridge: Geology, Tectonics and Hazards. Geological Society London, Memoir 47, 141-152.
2. Gemignani, L., van der Beek, P., Braun, J., Najman, Y., Bernet, M., Garzanti, E., Wijbrans, J.R., 2018. Downstream evolution of the thermochronologic age signal in the Brahmaputra catchment: (eastern Himalaya): Implications for the detrital record of erosion. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 499, 48-61.
3. Garzanti, E., Limonta, M., Vezzoli, G., An, W., Wang, J., Hu, X., 2019, Petrology and multimineral fingerprinting of modern sand generated from a dissected magmatic arc (Lhasa River, Tibet), in Ingersoll, R.V., Lawton, T.F., and Graham, S.A., eds., Tectonics, Sedimentary Basins, and Provenance: A Celebration of William R. Dickinson’s Career: Geological Society of America Special Paper 540, p. 197-221, https://doi.org/10.1130/2018.2540(09).
4. Andò, S., Aharonovich, S., Hahn, A., George, S.C., Clift, P.D., Garzanti, E., 2019, Integrating heavy-mineral, geochemical, and biomarker analyses of Plio-Pleistocene sandy and silty turbidites: a novel approach for provenance studies (Indus Fan, IODP Expedition 355). Geological Magazine, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756819000773
5. Zhang, P., Najman, Y., Mei, L., Millar, I., Sobel, E., Carter, A., Barfod, D., Dhuime, B., Garzanti, E., Govin, G., Vezzoli, G., Hu, X.L., 2019. Palaeodrainage evolution of the large rivers of East Asia, and Himalayan-Tibet tectonics. Earth-Science Reviews, 192, 601-630.
6. Liang, W., Garzanti, E., Andò, S., Gentile, P., Resentini, A., 2019. Multimineral fingerprinting of Transhimalayan and Himalayan sources to Indus-derived Thal Desert sand (central Pakistan). Minerals, 9, 457; doi:10.3390/min9080457
7. Pickering, K.T., Carter, A., Andò, S., Garzanti, E., Limonta, M., Vezzoli, G., Milliken, K.L., Chemale, F., Pouderoux, H., Kutterolfn., S., Mukoyoshi, H., 2019. Sediment provenance of the Nicobar Submarine Fan, Indian Ocean. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, in review.
8. Borromeo, L., Andò, S., France-Lanord, C., Coletti, G., Hahn, A., Garzanti, E., 2019. Provenance of Bengal Shelf Sediments: 1. Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Silt. Minerals, 9, 640; doi:10.3390/min9100640.
9. Garzanti, E., Andò, S., France-Lanord, C., Limonta, M., Borromeo, L., Vezzoli, G., 2019. Provenance of Bengal Shelf Sediments. 2. Petrology of sand. Minerals, 9, 642; doi:10.3390/min9100642.
10. Guo, R., Hu, X.M., Garzanti, E., Lai, W., Yan, B., 2020. How faithfully do the geochronological and geochemical signatures of detrital zircon, titanite, rutile and monazite record magmatic and metamorphic events? A case study from the Himalaya and Tibet. Earth-Science Reviews, 201, 103082.
11. Liang, W., Resentini, A., Guo, R., Garzanti, E., 2020. Petrology and multimineral fingerprinting of modern sand generated from the Tethys Himalaya (Nian River, Tibet). Sedimentary Geology, 399, 105604.
12. Garzanti, E., Andò, S., Vezzoli, G., 2020. Provenance of Cenozoic Indus Fan sediments (IODP SITES U1456 and U1457). Journal of Sedimentary Research, in review.
13. Garzanti, E., Liang, W., Andò, S., Clift, P.D, Resentini, A., Vermeesch, P., Vezzoli, G., 2020. Provenance of Thal Desert sand: focused erosion in the western Himalayan syntaxis and foreland-basin deposition driven by latest Quaternary climate change. Earth-Science Reviews, in review.
Tibet, China, and Indochina
1. Rittner, M., Vermeesch, P., Carter, A., Bird, A., Stevens, T., Garzanti, E., Andò, S., Vezzoli, G., Dutt, R., Xu, Z., Lu, H., 2016. The provenance of Taklamakan desert sand. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 437, 127-137.
2. Pan, B., Pang, H., Gao, H., Garzanti, E., Zou, Y., Liu, X., Li, F., Jia, Y., 2016. Heavy-mineral analysis and provenance of Yellow River sediments around the China Loess Plateau. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 127, 1-11.
3. Vezzoli, G., Limonta, M., Garzanti, E., Yang, S., 2016. Quantitative provenance analysis of sediments in the Changjiang (Yangtze) River (China). In: Raju, R.N. (Ed.), Geostatistical and Geospatial Approaches for the Characterization of Natural Resources in the Environment, Challenges, Processes and Strategies. Springer International Publishing, pp. 293-300.
4. Vezzoli, G., Garzanti, E., Limonta, M., Andó, S., Yang, S., 2016. Erosion patterns in the Changjiang (Yangtze River) catchment revealed by bulk-sample versus single-mineral provenance budgets. Geomorphology, 261, 177-192.
5. Garzanti, E., Wang, J-G., Vezzoli, G., Limonta, M., 2016. Tracing provenance and sediment fluxes in the Irrawaddy River basin (Myanmar). Chemical Geology, 440, 73-90.
6. Peng, W., Nie, J., Wang, Z., Qiang, X., Garzanti, E., Pfaff, K., Song, Y., Stevens, T., 2017. A major change in precipitation gradient on the Chinese Loess Plateau at the Pliocene-Quaternary boundary. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jseaes.2017.10.031.
7. Fenn, K., Stevens, T., Bird, A., Limonta, M., Rittner, M., Vermeesch, P., Andò, S., Garzanti, E., Lu, H., Zhang, H., Ling, Z., 2017. Insights into the provenance of the Chinese Loess Plateau from joint zircon U-Pb and garnet geochemical analysis of last glacial loess. Quaternary Research, doi:10.1017/qua.2017.86.
8. Pang, H., Pan, B., Garzanti, E., Gao, H., Zhao, X., Chen, D., 2018. Mineralogy and geochemistry of modern Yellow River sediments: Implications for weathering and provenance. Chemical Geology, 488, 76-86, doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2018.04.010.
9. Wang, Z., Nie, J-S., Wang, J-P., Zhang, H-B., Peng, W-B., Garzanti, E., Hu, X-F., Stevens, T., Pfaff, K., Pan, B-T., 2019. Testing contrasting models of the formation of the upper Yellow River using heavy-mineral data from the Yinchuan Basin drill cores. Geophysical Research Letters, doi: 10.1029/2019GL084179.
10. Wang, Z., Zhang, H., Garzanti, E., Nie, J., Peng, W., Andò, S., Hu, X.F., Pan, B., Pfaff, K., 2019. Evolution of the upper Yellow River as revealed by changes in heavy-mineral and geochemical (REE) signatures of fluvial terraces (Lanzhou, China). Minerals, 9, 603; doi:10.3390/min9100603.
11. Najman, Y., Sobel, E., Millar, I., Stockli, D., Govin, G., Lisker, F., Garzanti, E., Limonta, M., Vezzoli, G., Szymanski, E., Kahn, A., 2019. The evolution of the Indo-Burman Ranges, Myanmar. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2019.115948
OTHER OROGENIC SYSTEMS
The Alps
1. Wittman, H., Malusà, M.G., Resentini, A., Garzanti, E., Niedermann, S., 2016. The cosmogenic record of mountain erosion transmitted across a foreland basin: source-to-sink analysis of in situ 10Be, 26Al and 21Ne in sediment of the Po river catchment. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 452, 258-271.
2. Malusà, M.G., Wang, J.G., Garzanti, E., Liu, Z.C., Villa, I.M., Wittmann, H., 2017. Trace element and Nd isotope systematics in detrital apatite of the Po river catchment: the single-mineral record of Alpine erosion disentangled. Lithos, 290-291, 48-59.
The Caucasus
1. Vezzoli, G., Garzanti, E., Limonta, M., Radeff, G., 2020. Focused erosion at the core of the Greater Caucasus: sediment generation and dispersal from Mt. Elbrus to the Caspian Sea. Earth-Science Reviews, Earth-Science Reviews. 200, 102987 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2019.102987
Anatolia and the Zagros
1. Garzanti, E., Al-Juboury, A.I., Zoleikhaei, Y., Vermeesch, P., Jotheri, J., Akkoca, D.B., Allen, M., Andò, S., Limonta, M., Padoan, M., Resentini, A., Rittner, M., Vezzoli, G., 2016. The Euphrates-Tigris-Karun river system: provenance, recycling and dispersal of quartz-poor foreland-basin sediments in arid climate. Earth-Science Reviews, 162, 107-128.
Taiwan
1. Garzanti, E., Resentini, A., 2016. Provenance control on chemical indices of weathering (Taiwan river sands). Sedimentary Geology, 336, 81-95.
2. Resentini, A., Goren, L., Castelltort, S., Garzanti, E., 2017. Partitioning the sediment flux by provenance and tracing erosion patterns in Taiwan. Journal Geophysical Research - Earth Surface, 122, doi:10.1002/2016JF004026.
PROVENANCE ANALYSIS – METHODOLOGICAL ARTICLES
1. Malusà, M.G., Resentini, A., Garzanti, E., 2016. Hydraulic sorting and mineral fertility bias in detrital geochronology. Gondwana Research, 31, 1-19.
2. Garzanti, E., 2016. From static to dynamic provenance analysis—Sedimentary petrology upgraded. Sedimentary Geology, 336, 3-13.
3. Vermeesch, P., Resentini, A., Garzanti, E., 2016. An R package for statistical provenance analysis, Sedimentary Geology, 336, 14-25.
4. Garzanti E., 2017. The maturity myth in sedimentology and provenance analysis. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 87, 353-365.
5. Vermeesch, P., Rittner, M., Petrou, E., Omma, J., Mattinson, C., Garzanti, E., 2017. High throughput petrochronology and sedimentary provenance analysis by automated phase mapping and LAICPMS. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 18, doi: 10.1002/2017GC007109.
6. Resentini, A., Andò, S., Garzanti, E., 2018. Quantifying roundness of detrital minerals by image analysis: sediment transport, shape effects, and provenance implications. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 88, 276–289.
7. Garzanti, E., 2019. Petrographic classification of sand and sandstone. Earth-Science Reviews, 192, 545-563.
8. Garzanti, E., Andò, S., 2019. Heavy Minerals for Junior Woodchucks. Minerals, 9(3), 148, doi:10.3390/min9030148.
9. Malusà, M.G., Garzanti, E., 2019. The sedimentology of detrital thermochronology. In: Malusà, M.G. and Fitzgerald, P.G. (eds.), Fission-track Thermochronology and its Application to Geology. Springer, Cham, Switzerland, pp. 123-143.
Tesi di dottorato collegate
Wendong Liang (2019). "Petrology and multimineral fingerprinting of modern sand derived from the Himalayan orogen". Dottorato SCGA (UNIMIB) - curriculum di Geologia, XXXII ciclo.
Sviluppo di software open source o commerciale
1. Quantifying roundness of detrital minerals by image analysis by Resentini Andò, S., Garzanti, E., 2018 (richiede MATLAB®).
2. An R package for statistical provenance analysis by Vermeesch, P., Resentini, A., Garzanti, E., 2016 (richiede R®).
Comunicazioni a congressi internazionali
1. AGU Fall Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. 06-17/12/2017. Titolo presentazione: “Himalayan heavy-mineral fingerprint of silt-sized turbidites in the Indus Fan, IODP Expedition 355”.
2. Meeting IODP: "Land- Ocean interaction across the Indian Ocean: toward regional integration of recent drilling results". Rhode Island (USA). 09-14/07/2017. Titolo presentazione: “Innovative & classical methods for the study of mineralogy of turbidites in ongoing and future IODP expeditions”.
3. WGSG "Working group of sediment generation". Trinity College di Dublino.
26-29/06/2018. Titolo presentazione: “Hydrated-heavy-mineral signature in orogenic sediments”
4. Meeting European Geosciences Union General Assembly (EGU). Vienna. 08-13/04/2018. Titolo presentazione: “Heavy-minerals: an Italian recipe for source to sink analyses”.
5. Meeting European Geosciences Union General Assembly (EGU). Vienna. 08-13/04/2018. Titolo presentazione: “Trace-element and Nd-isotope systematics in detrital apatite of the Po river catchment: implications for the lag-time approach to detrital thermochronology “
6. ECORD Summer School "Sub-seafloor fluid transport and gas hydrate dynamics". Brema (Germania) dal 02-14/09/2018. Titolo presentazione: “Mineralogy of Nicobar Fan turbidites (IODP Exp 362)”.
7. 8th France-Taiwan Symposium in Earth Sciences. Pau (Francia). 20-23/10/2019. Titolo presentazione: “Tracing erosion patterns in Taiwan by sediment composition”.
8. Chapman conference IODP "The Evolution of the Monsoon, Biosphere and Mountain Building in Cenozoic Asia". Washington (USA). 05-10/01/2020. Titolo presentazione: “Provenance of Thal Desert and Indus Fan Sediments”.
Spedizione Internazionale
Attività di campionamento di sedimenti fluviali legati al monte Elbrus e al sistema del fiume Terek, Baksamm (Russia, 20/07/2017 al 10/08/2017) per la ricostruzione dell’evoluzione nel tempo degli orogeni collisionali utilizzando il record sedimentario. In questo modo sono state gettate le basi per una comprensione approfondita dei processi tettonici e sedimentari che precedono e seguono una collisione continentale. Lo studio mineralogico dettagliato dei sedimenti fluviali erosi dalla catena collisionale asiatica ha quindi permesso di investigare l’impatto dell’interazione dei processi tettonici e climatici che interessano l’alterazione e l’erosione della catena collisionale. L'integrazione dei risultati ottenuti con le altre unità di ricerca ha consentito di progredire nella comprensione dei meccanismi che caratterizzano le zone convergenti della Terra e sulle loro relazioni con i rischi naturali.