Oxidation of Structural Fe(II) in Biotite by Lithotrophic Fe(II)-oxidizing microorganisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shelobolina, E.; Blöthe, M.; Xu, H.; Konishi, H.; Roden, E.

2008-12-01

The potential for microbial involvement in the oxidation of Fe(II)-bearing phyllosilicates is an understudied aspect of soil/sediment Fe biogeochemistry. An important property of structural Fe in Fe-bearing smectites is their ability to undergo multiple redox cycles without being mobilized. An obvious choice of mineral substrate for enumeration/isolation of Fe(II)-oxidizing microorganisms would be reduced smectite. But reduced smectite is readily oxidized by air. That is why biotite was chosen as a substrate for this study. In contrast to smectite, biotite is more stable in the presence of air, but incapable of redox cycling. Once Fe(II) is oxidized, biotite is weathered to expendable 2:1 phyllosilicates or kaolinite. First, we evaluated the ability of a neutral-pH lithoautotrophic nitrate-reducing enrichment culture (MPI culture), recovered by Straub et al (Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 1996, 62:1458-1460) from a freshwater ditch, to oxidize two different specimens of biotite. The culture was capable of multiple transfers in anaerobic nitrate-containing biotite suspensions. The growth of MPI culture resulted in decrease of 0.5 N HCl-extractable Fe(II) content and simultaneous nitrate reduction. Cell yields were comparable to those observed for other neutral-pH lithoautotrophic Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria. High resolution TEM examination revealed structural and chemical changes at the edges of oxidized biotite and formation of reddish amorphous precipitates dominated by Si and Fe. To further evaluate efficiency of biotite for recovery of oxygen- and nitrate-dependent Fe(II) oxidizing cultures microbial enumeration study was performed using subsoil from a site near Madison, WI. The soil is rich in Fe-bearing smectite and shows evidence of redoximorphic features. The enumeration of Fe(II) oxidizing organisms from this sediment showed 10-fold higher efficiency of biotite over soluble Fe(II) for recovery of Fe(II)-oxidizers. Isolation and identification of both aerobic and nitrate-utilizing Fe(II)-oxidizing cultures is under way. This study demonstrates that biotite can be effectively used to recover and study microorganisms involved in the oxidative side of iron redox cycle in phyllosilicates. Our findings also indicate that microbial redox metabolism has the potential to vastly accelerate the oxidative weathering of otherwise relatively stable Fe(II)-bearing phyllosilicates.

F-Cl-OH partitioning between biotite and apatite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Chen; Sverjensky, Dimitri A.

1992-09-01

An assessment of F-C1-OH partitioning between natural apatite and biotite in a variety of rocks was used to evaluate reciprocal (Mg, Fe 2+, Al VI) (F, Cl, OH) mixing properties for biotite according to the reciprocal salt solution model of WOOD and NICHOLLS (1978). Ideal mixing of F-C1-OH and Fe-Mg-Al VI in the hydroxyl and octahedral sites is assumed for biotites with dilute Cl concentrations. The reciprocal interaction parameters, in terms of Gibbs free energies, for the reactions KMg3[ AlSi3O10]( OH) 2 + KFe3[ AlSi3O10]( F) 2 = KMg3[ AlSi3O10]( F) 2 + KFe3[ AlSi3O10]( OH) 2 Phl Fann Fphl Ann and KMg3[ AlSi3O10]( Cl) 2 + KFe3[ AlSi3O10]( OH) 2 = KMg3[ AlSi3O10]( OH) 2 + KFe3[ AlSi3O10] ( Cl) 2 Clphl Ann Phl Clann are about -10 kcal/mol and -4.5 kcal/mol, respectively. These mixing properties are consistent with standard state thermodynamic properties for F and Cl endmember phases from ZHU and SVERJENSKY (1991). The approach of studying F-C1-OH partitioning between biotite and apatite permits distinguishing the reciprocal effects from the effects of temperature, pressure, and fluid composition. The resultant mixing properties are consistent with observations both in hydrothermal experiments and in natural mineral assemblages. The mixing properties presented in this study enable us now to predict F and Cl concentrations of hydrothermal fluids from the measured F and Cl concentrations in biotite with variable Fe-Mg-Al VI proportions. A case study of the Santa Rita porphyry copper deposits, New Mexico, shows that hydrothermal fluids responsible for the phyllic alteration had a salinity about 3 molal Cl -, in agreement with fluid inclusion studies. Our internally consistent standard thermodynamic properties and solid solution models also lead to recalibration of the apatite-biotite geothermometer. The revised geothermometer predicts temperatures that agree with those estimated from other independent geothermometers. The large reciprocal effects in biotite also point out the need to revise other geothermometers using biotite and to revise the ideal mixing model for biotite in petrologic studies.

Rates of biotite weathering, and clay mineral transformation and neoformation, determined from watershed geochemical mass-balance methods for the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, Southern Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina, USA

Treesearch

Jason R. Price; Michael A. Velbel

2013-01-01

Biotite is a common constituent of silicate bedrock. Its weathering releases plant nutrients and consumes atmospheric CO2. Because of its stoichiometric relationship with its transformational weathering product and sensitivity to botanical activity, calculating biotite weathering rates using watershed mass-balance methods has proven challenging....

Geophysical interpretation of the gneiss terrane of northern Washington and southern British Columbia, and its implications for uranium exploration

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cady, John W.; Fox, Kenneth F.

1984-01-01

The Omineca crystalline belt of northeastern Washington and southern British Columbia has a regional Bouguer gravity high, and individual gneiss domes within the terrane are marked by local gravity highs. Models of crustal structure that satisfy the limited available seismic-refraction data and explain the gravity high over the gneiss terrane permit the hypothesis that the core metamorphic complexes are the surface expression of a zone of dense infrastructure that makes up the upper 20 km (kilometers) of the crust within the crystalline belt. The Omineca crystalline belt is characterized regionally by low aeromagnetic relief. The gneiss domes and biotite- and biotite-muscovite granites are generally marked by low magnetic relief, whereas hornblende-biotite granites often cause magnetic highs. Exceptional magnetic highs mark zones of magnetic rock within the biotite- and biotite-muscovite granites and the gneiss domes; these areas are worthy of study, both to determine the origin and disposition of the magnetite and to explore the possible existence of uraniferous magnetite deposits.

The effect of oriented microcracks and crystallographic and shape preferred orientation on bulk elastic anisotropy of a foliated biotite gneiss from Outokumpu

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kern, H.; Ivankina, T. I.; Nikitin, A. N.; Lokajíček, T.; Pros, Z.

2008-10-01

Elastic anisotropy is an important property of crustal and mantle rocks. This study investigates the contribution of oriented microcracks and crystallographic (LPO) and shape preferred orientation (SPO) to the bulk elastic anisotropy of a strongly foliated biotite gneiss, using different methodologies. The rock is felsic in composition (about 70 vol.% SiO 2) and made up by about 40 vol.% quartz, 37 vol.% plagioclase and 23 vol.% biotite. Measurements of compressional (Vp) and shear wave (Vs) velocities on a sample cube in the three foliation-related structural directions (up to 600 MPa) and of the 3D P-wave velocity distribution on a sample sphere (up to 200 MPa) revealed a strong pressure sensitivity of Vp, Vs and P-wave anisotropy in the low pressure range. A major contribution to bulk anisotropy is from biotite. Importantly, intercrystalline and intracrystalline cracks are closely linked to the morphologic sheet plane (001) of the biotite minerals, leading to very high anisotropy at low pressure. Above about 150 MPa the effect of cracks is almost eliminated, due to progressive closure of microcracks. The residual (pressure-independent) part of velocity anisotropy is mainly caused by the strong alignment of the platy biotite minerals, displaying a strong SPO and LPO. Calculation of the 3D velocity distribution based on neutron diffraction texture measurements of biotite, quartz, and plagioclase and their single-crystal properties give evidence for an important contribution of the biotite LPO to the intrinsic velocity anisotropy, confirming the experimental findings that maximum and minimum velocities and shear wave splitting are closely related to foliation. Comparison of the LPO-based calculated anisotropy (about 8%) with measured intrinsic anisotropy (about 15% at 600 MPa) give hints for a major contribution of SPO to the bulk anisotropy of the rock.

Scales of equilibrium and disequilibrium during cleavage formation in chlorite and biotite-grade phyllites, SE Vermont

USGS Publications Warehouse

McWilliams, C.K.; Wintsch, R.P.; Kunk, Michael J.

2007-01-01

Detailed electron microprobe analyses of phyllosilicates in crenulated phyllites from south-eastern Vermont show that grain-scale zoning is common, and sympathetic zoning in adjacent minerals is nearly universal. We interpret this to reflect a pressure-solution mechanism for cleavage development, where precipitation from a very small fluid reservoir fractionated that fluid. Multiple analyses along single muscovite, biotite and chlorite grains (30–200 μm in length) show zoning patterns indicating Tschermakitic substitutions in muscovite and both Tschermakitic and di/trioctahedral substitutions in biotite and chlorite. Using cross-cutting relationships and mineral chemistry it is shown that these patterns persist in cleavages produced at metamorphic conditions of chlorite-grade, chlorite-grade overprinted by biotite-grade and biotite-grade. Zoning patterns are comparable in all three settings, requiring a similar cleavage-forming mechanism independent of metamorphic grade. Moreover, the use of 40Ar/39Ar geochronology demonstrates this is true regardless of age. Furthermore, samples with chlorite-grade cleavages overprinted by biotite porphyroblasts suggest the closure temperatures for the diffusion of Al, Si, Mg and Fe ions are greater than the temperature of the biotite isograd (>∼400 °C). Parallel and smoothly fanning tie lines produced by coexisting muscovite–chlorite, and muscovite–biotite pairs on compositional diagrams demonstrate effectively instantaneous chemical equilibrium and probably indicate simultaneous crystallization.These results do not support theories suggesting cleavages form in fluid-dominated systems. If crenulation cleavages formed in systems in which the chemical potentials of all major components are fixed by an external reservoir, then the compositions of individual grains defining these cleavages would be uniform. On the contrary, the fine-scale chemical zoning observed probably reflects a grain-scale process consistent with a pressure-solution mechanism in which the aqueous activities of major components are defined by local dissolution and precipitation. Thus the role of fluids was probably limited to one of catalysing pressure-solution and fluids apparently did not drive cleavage development.

Geochemical and K Ar age constraints on the Late Neoproterozoic (?) gneisses at Um Tenassib area, north Eastern Desert, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eliwa, Hassan A.

2007-05-01

Wadi Um Tenassib metamorphic rocks consist mainly of biotite gneiss and biotite-hornblende gneiss with subordinate intercalations of amphibolite, migmatitic gneiss, and aplitic granite. Biotite-hornblende gneiss, biotite gneiss, and aplitic granite are geochemically characterized and their cooling ages are determined by using the K-Ar method on biotite. The Um Tenassib gneisses (UTG) range in composition from quartz diorite/monzodiorite to granodiorite. They were derived from igneous rocks that pertain to calc alkaline and metaluminous to weakly peraluminous affinities and were generated in continental volcanic arc setting. REE patterns of the UTG are moderately fractionated (La N/Lu N = 5.9-7.5) relative to those of the aplitic granite (La N/Lu N = 33). The similarity in the geochemical characteristics and REE patterns of both gneiss types indicate their magmatic consanguinity. Amphiboles of the UTG biotite-hornblende gneisses are mainly hornblende, together with few paragasitic hornblende and edenite. Plagioclase composition is oligoclase to andesine (An 21-46) in the biotite-hornblende gneiss, and oligoclase (An 11-26) in the biotite gneiss. Mineral chemistry of amphibole and plagioclase indicate that the gneisses were metamorphosed under low- to medium-pressure of 2.6-6.4 kbar and at medium to high temperatures of 660-755 °C. The K-Ar biotite cooling ages (seven samples) range from 585 ± 12 Ma to 598 ± 12 Ma for the UTG, except one biotite-hornblende gneiss sample gives age of 577 ± 11 Ma. These ages suggest a latest metamorphic cooling event at ca. 585-600 Ma time span, which is consistent with the proposed cooling ages of ˜600 Ma for the Elat metamorphic rocks [Cosca, M.A., Shimron, A., Caby, R., 1999. Late Precambrian metamorphism and cooling in the Arabian-Nubian Shield: petrology and 40Ar/ 39Ar geochronology of metamorphic rocks of the Elat area (southern Israel). Precamb. Res. 98, 107-127]. It may indicate that the metamorphism of the UTG might have been contemporaneous with the suggested regional metamorphism at 620 ± 10 Ma for Sinai metamorphic rocks (Cosca et al., 1999) and/or the emplacement age at 614 Ma for the granodiorite in the study area [Stern, R.J., Hedge, C.E., 1985. Geochronological and isotopic constraints on the Late Precambrian crustal evolution in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. Am. J. Sci. 285, 97-127]. These ages also lie within the range of magmatic activity of the Younger Granites in the North Eastern Desert (575-600 Ma).

Petrogenesis of the Late Jurassic peraluminous biotite granites and muscovite-bearing granites in SE China: geochronological, elemental and Sr-Nd-O-Hf isotopic constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Yao-Hui; Zhu, Shu-Qi

2017-12-01

Biotite granites and muscovite-bearing granites are dominant rock types of the widespread granites in SE China. However, their petrogenesis has been enigmatic. A combined study of zircon U-Pb dating and Lu-Hf isotopes, whole-rock element geochemistry and Sr-Nd-O isotopes was performed for three late Mesozoic granitic plutons (Xinfengjie, Jiangbei and Dabu) in central Jiangxi province, SE China. All the plutons are composed of biotite granites and muscovite-bearing granites that have been poorly investigated previously. The new data not only allow us to assess their sources and magma evolution processes, but also helps us to better understand the genetic link to the large-scale polymetallic mineralization in SE China. LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating shows that three plutons were emplaced in the Late Jurassic (159-148 Ma) and that the muscovite-bearing granites are almost contemporaneous with the biotite granites. The biotite granites have SiO2 contents of 70.3-74.4 wt% and are weakly to strongly peraluminous with ASI from 1.00 to 1.26, and show a general decrease in ASI with increasing SiO2. They have relatively high zircon saturation temperatures ( T Zr = 707-817 °C, most > 745 °C) and show a general decrease in T Zr with increasing SiO2. They have high initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7136 to 0.7166) and high δ18O values (9.1-12.8‰, most > 9.5‰) and clearly negative ɛ Nd (T) (- 9.5 to - 11.8) and ɛ Hf (T) (in situ zircon) (- 13.1 to - 13.5). The muscovite-bearing granites have high SiO2 contents (74.7-78.2 wt%). They are also weakly to strongly peraluminous with ASI of 1.04-1.18 but show a general increase in ASI with increasing SiO2. They have relatively low T Zr (671-764 °C, most < 745 °C) and also show a general decrease in T Zr with increasing SiO2. The muscovite-bearing granites have high Rb (up to 810 ppm) and high (K2O + Na2O)/CaO (up to 270), Rb/Sr (up to 42) and Rb/Ba (up to 30) as well as low K/Rb (< 150, down to 50), Zr/Hf (< 24, down to 11) and Nb/Ta (< 6, down to 2). They show similar Nd-O-Hf isotopic compositions to the biotite granites with ɛ Nd (T) of - 8.7 to - 12.0, δ18O of 8.7-13.0‰ (most > 9.5‰) and ɛ Hf (T) (in situ zircon) of - 11.3 to - 13.1. Geochemical data suggest the origin of the biotite granites and muscovite-bearing granites as follows: Partial melting of Precambrian metasedimentary rocks (mainly two-mica schist) in the lower crust at temperatures of ca. 820 °C generated the melts of the less felsic biotite granites. Such primary crustal melts underwent biotite-dominant fractionation crystallization, forming the felsic biotite granites. Progressive plagioclase-dominant fractionation crystallization from the evolved biotite granites produced the more felsic muscovite-bearing granites. Thus, the biotite granites belong to the S-type whereas the muscovite-bearing granites are highly fractionated S-type granites. We further suggest that during the formation of the muscovite-bearing granites the fractional crystallization was accompanied by fluid fractionation and most likely the addition of internally derived mineralizing fluids. That is why the large-scale polymetallic mineralization is closely related to the muscovite-bearing granites rather than biotite granites in SE China. This is important to further understand the source and origin of biotite granites and muscovite-bearing granites in SE China even worldwide.

Petrographic and geochemical comparisons between the lower crystalline basement-derived section and the granite megablock and amphibolite megablock of the Eyreville B core, Chesapeake Bay impact structure, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Townsend, G.N.; Gibson, R.L.; Horton, J. Wright; Reimold, W.U.; Schmitt, R.T.; Bartosova, K.

2009-01-01

The Eyreville B core from the Chesapeake Bay impact structure, Virginia, USA, contains a lower basement-derived section (1551.19 m to 1766.32 m deep) and two megablocks of dominantly (1) amphibolite (1376.38 m to 1389.35 m deep) and (2) granite (1095.74 m to 1371.11 m deep), which are separated by an impactite succession. Metasedimentary rocks (muscovite-quartz-plagioclase-biotite-graphite ?? fibrolite ?? garnet ?? tourmaline ?? pyrite ?? rutile ?? pyrrhotite mica schist, hornblende-plagioclase-epidote-biotite- K-feldspar-quartz-titanite-calcite amphibolite, and vesuvianite-plagioclase- quartz-epidote calc-silicate rock) are dominant in the upper part of the lower basement-derived section, and they are intruded by pegmatitic to coarse-grained granite (K-feldspar-plagioclase-quartz-muscovite ?? biotite ?? garnet) that increases in volume proportion downward. The granite megablock contains both gneissic and weakly or nonfoliated biotite granite varieties (K-feldspar-quartz-plagioclase-biotite ?? muscovite ?? pyrite), with small schist xenoliths consisting of biotite-plagioclase-quartz ?? epidote ?? amphibole. The lower basement-derived section and both megablocks exhibit similar middleto upper-amphibolite-facies metamorphic grades that suggest they might represent parts of a single terrane. However, the mica schists in the lower basement-derived sequence and in the megablock xenoliths show differences in both mineralogy and whole-rock chemistry that suggest a more mafi c source for the xenoliths. Similarly, the mineralogy of the amphibolite in the lower basement-derived section and its association with calc-silicate rock suggest a sedimentary protolith, whereas the bulk-rock and mineral chemistry of the megablock amphibolite indicate an igneous protolith. The lower basement-derived granite also shows bulk chemical and mineralogical differences from the megablock gneissic and biotite granites. ?? 2009 The Geological Society of America.

Excess Ar in biotites from the Broderick Falls (Webuye) area, western Kenya: implications for the tectonothermal history of the Mozambique Belt and its Archaean foreland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shibata, K.; Suwa, K.; Uchiumi, S.; Agata, T.

1996-10-01

RbSr whole rock and KAr mineral age determinations were made on rocks from the Broderick Falls (Webuye) area, western Kenya. Granitic rocks yielded a RbSr whole rock isochron age of 2555 ± 101 Ma with an initial {87Sr}/{86Sr} ratio of 0.70121 ± 0.00038. This age represents the time of granitoid emplacement. KAr mineral ages range from 574 to 3420 Ma, which is very variable with respect to mineral type and locality. Mylonitic granodiorite very close to the Nandi Escarpment gave a KAr age of 916 Ma from biotite, suggesting the time of the activity of the Nandi Fault, which may be an earlier phase of the Pan-African Orogeny. Ages of biotites in a zone between 4 and 6 km northeast of the Nandi Fault are anomalously high compared to those of coexisting hornblende and the RbSr isochron age, confirming the existence of excess 40Ar in biotite. Excess 40Ar was probably introduced into biotite under the appropriate temperature conditions prevailing near the Nandi Fault. Taramite, a rare sodic-calcic amphibole, was found in a cordierite-biotite gneiss of the Kavirondian Supergroup and gave a typical Pan-African KAr age of 574 Ma. The last Pan-African metamorphism occurred in the terrane east of the Surongai Thrust.

δ30Si systematics in a granitic saprolite, Puerto Rico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ziegler, Karen; Chadwick, Oliver A.; White, Arthur F.; Brzezinski, Mark A.

2005-01-01

Granite weathering and clay mineral formation impart distinct and interpretable stable Si isotope (δ30Si) signatures to their solid and aqueous products. Within a saprolite, clay minerals have δ30Si values ∼2.0‰ more negative than their parent mineral and the δ30Si signature of the bulk solid is determined by the ratio of primary to secondary minerals. Mineral-specific weathering reactions predominate at different depths, driving changes in differing δ30Sipore watervalues. At the bedrock-saprolite interface, dissolution of plagioclase and hornblende creates δ30Sipore water signatures more positive than granite by up to 1.2‰; these reactions are the main contributor of Si to stream water and determine its δ30Si value. Throughout the saprolite, biotite weathering releases Si to pore waters but kaolinite overgrowth formation modulates its contribution to pore-water Si. The influence of biotite on δ30Sipore water is greatest near the bedrock where biotite-derived Si mixes with bulk pore water prior to kaolinite formation. Higher in the saprolite, biotite grains have become more isolated by kaolinite overgrowth, which consumes biotite-derived Si that would otherwise influence δ30Sipore water. Because of this isolation, which shifts the dominant source of pore-water Si from biotite to quartz, δ30Sipore water values are more negative than granite by up to 1.3‰ near the top of the saprolite.

Geochemistry and thermodynamics of an earthquake: A case study of pseudotachylites within mylonitic granitoid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Hehe; Lee, Cin-Ty A.; Morgan, Julia K.; Ross, Catherine H.

2015-11-01

Pseudotachylites are melts produced by frictional heating during seismic slip. Understanding their origin and their influence on slip behavior is critical to understanding the physics of earthquakes. To provide insight into this topic, we conducted a case study in the proto-mylonitic to mylonitic Asbestos Mountain granitoid in the eastern Peninsular Ranges batholith (California), which records both ductile (mylonites) and brittle deformation features (pseudotachylites and ultracataclasites). U-Pb chronology and Zr thermometry of titanite porphyroblasts in the mylonites indicate that mylonitization of the plutons occurred at near solidus conditions (∼ 750 °C) over a 10 Ma interval from 89 to 78 Ma. Mylonitization resulted in recrystallization of quartz, plagioclase and biotite, with the biotite concentrated into biotite-rich foliation planes. Subsequent brittle deformation is superimposed on the ductile fabrics. Micro-XRF elemental mapping and in situ LA-ICP-MS analyses on these brittle deformation products show that the pseudotachylites are more mafic (lower Si, but higher Fe) and K-rich than the host mylonite, while the ultracataclasites are intermediate between the host and the pseudotachylites. Inverse mass balance calculations show that both brittle deformation products are depleted in quartz but enriched in biotite, with the pseudotachylites showing the most significant enrichment in biotite, indicating preferential involvement of biotite during brittle deformation. We suggest that biotite-rich layers generated during ductile deformation may have been the preferred locus of subsequent brittle deformation, presumably because such layers represent zones of weakness. Frictional heating associated with slip along such planes results in melting, which causes a decrease in viscosity, in turn leading to further strain localization. During the short time span of an earthquake, frictional melting appears to be a disequilibrium process, in which the minerals are melted in order of their melting points, from biotite (∼ 800 °C) to plagioclase (∼ 1400 °C) and finally to quartz (∼ 1700 °C), rather than by equilibrium melting, which results in silicic eutectoid melts at lower temperatures (∼ 650 °C). Thus, with progressive slip, melt composition should evolve from mafic to felsic, eventually approaching the bulk composition of the host rock. The mafic composition of the pseudotachylites thus indicates that they formed between the melting point of biotite and plagioclase (800- 1400 °C). Our chemical and modeling analyses on the pseudotachylites suggest that the chemical composition of pseudotachylites can potentially be used to constrain the thermodynamic conditions in the shear zone as well as earthquake source mechanics.

Biofilm Formation and Adaptation by Pseudomonas fluorescens on both Biotite and Glass Coupons Under Varying Fe-Nutrient Availability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grant, M.; Helms, G. L.; Shi, Z.; Thomashow, L.; Keller, C. K.; Harsh, J. B.

2014-12-01

We isolated an efficient weathering strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens from the rhizosphere of a White Pine (Pinus strobus) seedling. We grew it in a drip-flow biofilm reactor using both Fe-abundant and Fe-deficient media on either a glass or biotite coupon. Our working hypothesis was that the bacterium would respond to Fe deficiency by enhancing biotite weathering through an increase in the relative amount of polysaccharides in the biofilm compared to the Fe-abundant treatment. Because Fe is necessary for biofilm development, we hypothesized that biomass production on the biotite surface would exceed that on a Fe-free glass slide only in the Fe-deficient medium. We quantified total biomass, specific number of viable cells (SNVC), and the concentrations of K, Mg, and Fe in the biofilm. High-resolution magic angle spinning proton nuclear magnetic resonance (HR-MAS 1H-NMR) spectroscopy was used to characterize the biofilm matrix in terms of relative biofilm constituent concentrations. Compared with biofilms grown on glass, biofilms grown on biotite had higher total biomass and SNVC irrespective of Fe supply, with a near doubling of both the biofilm biomass from 0.43 to 0.76 mg cm-2 and SNVC from 1.52 × 107 to 3.24 × 107 CFU cm-2 mg-1 when Fe was deficient, and an increase in biomass from 1.94 to 2.46 mg cm-2 and in SNVC from 8.39 × 107 to 1.96 × 108 CFU cm-2 mg-1 when Fe was sufficient. Similarly with Fe deficient, the cation concentrations in biofilms grown on biotite vs. glass increased 2.14 and 2.46 times for K and Mg, respectively, and 7.01 times for Fe. When Fe was sufficient, the concentrations of cations increased 1.24, 2.07, and 3.77 times for K, Mg, and Fe, respectively. Based on NMR spectra, no significant change in biofilm chemistry occurred between the glass and biotite systems whether Fe was deficient or not. However, we did observe an increase in the ratio of the integrated areas corresponding to the carbohydrate and protein NMR regions, increasing from 0.52 for biofilms grown on biotite with Fe, to 0.74 for biofilms grown on biotite without Fe. The response to Fe deficiency suggests that the biofilm adapted to nutrient stress rather than the surface it attached to and that the primary response was increased polysaccharide production.

Radiogenic nature of argon-40 in the oldest biotites of the Kola peninsula

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gerling, E.K.; Gorokhovskii, B.M.

1986-07-01

It is shown by three graphical methods that ancient biotite aged 5.1.10/sup 9/ yr. and older does not contain excess /sup 40/Ar and that the whole /sup 40/Ar was formed via radioactive decay of /sup 40/K present in the minerals. It is suggested that due to variation in the force of gravitational interaction with the age of the universe, the K-decay of the /sup 40/K nucleus slowed down, which indeed is the cause of enhanced age of the Kola biotite.

Examination of chloritization of biotite as a tool for reconstructing the physicochemical parameters of mineralization and associated alteration in the Zafarghand porphyry copper system, Ardestan, Central Iran: mineral-chemistry and stable isotope analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aminroayaei Yamini, Maryam; Tutti, Faramarz; Aminoroayaei Yamini, Mohammad Reza; Ahmadian, Jamshid; Wan, Bo

2017-10-01

The chloritization of biotite and stable isotopes of silicate have been studied for the Zafarghand porphyry copper deposit, Ardestan, Iran. The studied area, in the central part of the Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic belt, contains porphyry-style Cu mineralization and associated hydrothermal alteration within the Miocene (19-26 Ma, Zircon U-Pb age) granodioritc stock and adjacent andesitic to rhyodacitic volcanic rocks (ca. 56 Ma, zircon U-Pb age). The primary and secondary biotite that formed during potassic alteration in this porphyry and these volcanic host rocks are variably chloritized. Chloritization of biotite pseudomorphically is characterized by an increase in MgO, FeOt, and MnO, with decreasing in SiO2, K2O, and TiO2. Based on the Ti-in-biotite geothermometer of Henry et al. (Am Mineral 90:316-328, 2005) and Al-in-chlorite geothermometer of Cathelineau (Clay Miner 23:417-485, 1988), crystallization temperatures of primary biotite representative of magmatic conditions and later chloritization temperature range from 617° to 675 °C ± 24 °C and 177° to 346 °C, respectively. Calculated isotopic compositions of fluids that chloritized primary and secondary biotite display isotopic compositions of 1.1 to 1.7 per mil for δ18O and -19.9 to -20.5 per mil for δD consistent with meteoric water. Sericite, barren, and A-type-quartz veins from phyllic alteration were produced by mixed magmatic and meteoric water with δ18O values from -2.8 to 2.5 and δD values of ˜ -23 per mil; the narrow range of δD values of the propylitic epidote may be due to a meteoric water with δ18O values from 0.8 to 1.6 and δD values from -14.6 to -16.9 per mil.

Biofilm adaptation to iron availability in the presence of biotite and consequences for chemical weathering.

PubMed

Grant, M R; Tymon, L S; Helms, G L; Thomashow, L S; Kent Keller, C; Harsh, J B

2016-11-01

Bacteria in nature often live within biofilms, exopolymeric matrices that provide a favorable environment that can differ markedly from their surroundings. Biofilms have been found growing on mineral surfaces and are expected to play a role in weathering those surfaces, but a clear understanding of how environmental factors, such as trace-nutrient limitation, influence this role is lacking. Here, we examine biofilm development by Pseudomonas putida in media either deficient or sufficient in Fe during growth on biotite, an Fe rich mineral, or on glass. We hypothesized that the bacteria would respond to Fe deficiency by enhancing biotite dissolution and by the formation of binding sites to inhibit Fe leaching from the system. Glass coupons acted as a no-Fe control to investigate whether biofilm response depended on the presence of Fe in the supporting solid. Biofilms grown on biotite, as compared to glass, had significantly greater biofilm biomass, specific numbers of viable cells (SNVC), and biofilm cation concentrations of K, Mg, and Fe, and these differences were greater when Fe was deficient in the medium. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed that biofilm growth altered the biotite surface, smoothing the rough, jagged edges of channels scratched by hand on the biotite, and dissolving away small, easy-to-access particles scattered across the planar surface. High-resolution magic angle spinning proton nuclear magnetic resonance (HRMAS 1 H NMR) spectroscopy showed that, in the Fe-deficient medium, the relative amount of polysaccharide nearly doubled relative to that in biofilms grown in the medium amended with Fe. The results imply that the bacteria responded to the Fe deficiency by obtaining Fe from biotite and used the biofilm matrix to enhance weathering and as a sink for released cation nutrients. These results demonstrate one mechanism by which biofilms may help soil microbes overcome nutrient deficiencies in oligotrophic systems. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Prograde infiltration of Cl-rich fluid into the granulitic continental crust from a collision zone in East Antarctica (Perlebandet, Sør Rondane Mountains)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawakami, Tetsuo; Higashino, Fumiko; Skrzypek, Etienne; Satish-Kumar, M.; Grantham, Geoffrey; Tsuchiya, Noriyoshi; Ishikawa, Masahiro; Sakata, Shuhei; Hirata, Takafumi

2017-03-01

Utilizing microstructures of Cl-bearing biotite in pelitic and felsic metamorphic rocks, the timing of Cl-rich fluid infiltration is correlated with the pressure-temperature-time (P-T-t) path of upper amphibolite- to granulite-facies metamorphic rocks from Perlebandet, Sør Rondane Mountains (SRM), East Antarctica. Microstructural observation indicates that the stable Al2SiO5 polymorph changed from sillimanite to kyanite + andalusite + sillimanite, and P-T estimates from geothermobarometry point to a counterclockwise P-T path characteristic of the SW terrane of the SRM. In situ laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for U-Pb dating of zircon inclusions in garnet yielded ca. 580 Ma, likely representing the age of garnet-forming metamorphism at Perlebandet. Inclusion-host relationships among garnet, sillimanite, and Cl-rich biotite (Cl > 0.4 wt%) reveal that formation of Cl-rich biotite took place during prograde metamorphism in the sillimanite stability field. This process probably predated partial melting consuming biotite (Cl = 0.1-0.3 wt%). This was followed by retrograde, moderately Cl-bearing biotite (Cl = 0.1-0.3 wt%) replacing garnet. Similar timings of Cl-rich biotite formation in different samples, and similar f(H2O)/f(HCl) values of coexisting fluid estimated for each stage can be best explained by prograde Cl-rich fluid infiltration. Fluid-present partial melting at the onset of prograde metamorphism probably contributed to elevate the Cl concentration (and possibly salinity) of the fluid, and consumption of the fluid resulted in the progress of dehydration melting. The retrograde fluid was released from crystallizing Cl-bearing partial melts or derived externally. The prograde Cl-rich fluid infiltration in Perlebandet presumably took place at the uppermost part of the footwall of the collision boundary. Localized distribution of Cl-rich biotite and hornblende along large-scale shear zones and detachments in the SRM supports external input of Cl-rich fluids through tectonic boundaries during continental collision.

Petrographic and geochemical comparisons between the lower crystalline basement-derived section and the granite megablock and amphibolite megablock of the Eyreville-B core, Chesapeake Bay impact structure

USGS Publications Warehouse

Townsend, Gabrielle N.; Gibson, Roger L.; Horton, J. Wright; Reimold, Wolf Uwe; Schmitt, Ralf T.; Bartosova, Katerina

2009-01-01

The Eyreville B core from the Chesapeake Bay impact structure, Virginia, USA, contains a lower basement-derived section (1551.19 m to 1766.32 m deep) and two megablocks of dominantly (1) amphibolite (1376.38 m to 1389.35 m deep) and (2) granite (1095.74 m to 1371.11 m deep), which are separated by an impactite succession. Metasedimentary rocks (muscovite-quartz-plagioclase-biotite-graphite ± fibrolite ± garnet ± tourmaline ± pyrite ± rutile ± pyrrhotite mica schist, hornblende-plagioclase-epidote-biotite-K-feldspar-quartz-titanite-calcite amphibolite, and vesuvianite-plagioclase-quartz-epidote calc-silicate rock) are dominant in the upper part of the lower basement-derived section, and they are intruded by pegmatitic to coarse-grained granite (K-feldspar-plagioclase-quartz-muscovite ± biotite ± garnet) that increases in volume proportion downward. The granite megablock contains both gneissic and weakly or nonfoliated biotite granite varieties (K-feldspar-quartz-plagioclase-biotite ± muscovite ± pyrite), with small schist xenoliths consisting of biotite-plagioclase-quartz ± epidote ± amphibole. The lower basement-derived section and both megablocks exhibit similar middle- to upper-amphibolite-facies metamorphic grades that suggest they might represent parts of a single terrane. However, the mica schists in the lower basement-derived sequence and in the megablock xenoliths show differences in both mineralogy and whole-rock chemistry that suggest a more mafic source for the xenoliths. Similarly, the mineralogy of the amphibolite in the lower basement-derived section and its association with calc-silicate rock suggest a sedimentary protolith, whereas the bulk-rock and mineral chemistry of the megablock amphibolite indicate an igneous protolith. The lower basement-derived granite also shows bulk chemical and mineralogical differences from the megablock gneissic and biotite granites.

Autotrophic denitrification supported by biotite dissolution in crystalline aquifers (1): New insights from short-term batch experiments.

PubMed

Aquilina, Luc; Roques, Clément; Boisson, Alexandre; Vergnaud-Ayraud, Virginie; Labasque, Thierry; Pauwels, Hélène; Pételet-Giraud, Emmanuelle; Pettenati, Marie; Dufresne, Alexis; Bethencourt, Lorine; Bour, Olivier

2018-04-01

We investigate denitrification mechanisms through batch experiments using crushed rock and groundwater from a granitic aquifer subject to long term pumping (Ploemeur, France). Except for sterilized experiments, extensive denitrification reaction induces NO 3 decreases ranging from 0.3 to 0.6mmol/L. Carbon concentrations, either organic or inorganic, remain relatively stable and do not document potential heterotrophic denitrification. Batch experiments show a clear effect of mineral dissolution which is documented through cation (K, Na, Ca) and Fluoride production. These productions are tightly related to denitrification progress during the experiment. Conversely, limited amounts of SO 4 , systematically lower than autotrophic denitrification coupled to sulfur oxidation stoichiometry, are produced during the experiments which indicates that sulfur oxidation is not likely even when pyrite is added to the experiments. Analysis of cation ratios, both in isolated minerals of the granite and within water of the batch, allow the mineral dissolution during the experiments to be quantified. Using cation ratios, we show that batch experiments are characterized mainly by biotite dissolution. As biotite contains 21 to 30% of Fe and 0.3 to 1.7% of F, it constitutes a potential source for these two elements. Denitrification could be attributed to the oxidation of Fe(II) contained in biotite. We computed the amount of K and F produced through biotite dissolution when entirely attributing denitrification to biotite dissolution. Computed amounts show that this process may account for the observed K and F produced. We interpret these results as the development of microbial activity which induces mineral dissolution in order to uptake Fe(II) which is used for denitrification. Although pyrite is probably available, SO 4 and cation measurements favor a large biotite dissolution reaction which could account for all the observed Fe production. Chemical composition of groundwater produced from the Ploemeur site indicates similar denitrification processes although original composition shows mainly plagioclase dissolution. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Occurrence of fluororichterite and fluorian biotite in the In Tifar trachyte neck (Tazrouk district, Hoggar volcanic province, Sahara, Algeria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azzouni-Sekkal, Abla; Bonin, Bernard; Ben El Khaznadji, Riad

2013-09-01

The unusual occurrence in the In Tifar trachyte neck (Tazrouk district, Hoggar volcanic province, Sahara, Algeria) of the fluorian biotite-fluororichterite association is presented. The two mineral species were previously unknown in the Hoggar and their association is uncommon worldwide. Ti-rich biotite has 28-40% OH sites occupied by fluorine, hence the use of the modifier "fluorian". Sodic-calcic fluororichterite has more than 55% OH sites filled by fluorine, hence the use of the prefix "fluoro". Well-defined F-Mg affinities are documented in both cases, while Cl remains very low. Temperatures are estimated roughly at 775-700 °C at low pressures. The fluorian biotite → fluororichterite sequence of crystallisation implies increasingly high fH2F2/fH2O ratios in metaluminous H2O-dominated evolving to peralkaline F-enriched fluids.

Crystalline rocks of the Strawberry Lake area, Front Range, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Young, Edward J.

1991-01-01

This report is a petrographic and geochemical study of the bedrock and a petrologic discussion based on felsic-mafic and silica-saturation ratios of the Strawberry Lake area. This volume is published as chapters A and B. These chapters are not available separatelyThe Strawberry lake area lies between the Continental Divide and Granby, Colorado, just north of Tabernash. It is underlain by Proterozoic rocks composed of biotite gneiss and two plutons-Boulder Creek Granodiorite of the Routt Plutonic Suite and Silver Plume Granite of the Berthoud Plutonic Suite. Relict enclaves of biotite gneiss are not uncommon in the Boulder Creek Granodiorite, in the Silver Plume Granite, and in the granitic enclaves in the biotite gneiss. Granitic and mafic enclaves in the Boulder Creek Granodiorite, granitic enclaves in the Silver Plume Granite and in the biotite gneiss, and a Tertiary andesite porphyry dike complete the rock types.

Geology and porphyry copper-type alteration-mineralization of igneous rocks at the Christmas Mine, Gila County, Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Koski, Randolph A.

1979-01-01

The Christmas copper deposit, located in southern Gila County, Arizona, is part of the major porphyry copper province of southwestern North America. Although Christmas is known for skarn deposits in Paleozoic carbonate rocks, ore-grade porphyry-type copper mineralization also occurs in a composite granodioritic intrusive complex and adjacent mafic volcanic country rocks. This study considers the nature, distribution, and genesis of alteration-mineralization in the igneous rock environment at Christmas. At the southeast end of the Dripping Spring Mountains, the Pennsylvanian Naco Limestone is unconformably overlain by the Cretaceous Williamson Canyon Volcanics, a westward-thinning sequence of basaltic volcanic breccia and lava flows, and subordinate clastic sedimentary rocks. Paleozoic and Mesozoic strata are intruded by Laramide-age dikes, sills, and small stocks of hornblende andesite porphyry and hornblende rhyodacite porphyry, and the mineralized Christmas intrusive complex. Rocks of the elongate Christmas stock, intruded along an east-northeast-trending fracture zone, are grouped into early, veined quartz diorite (Dark Phase), biotite granodiorite porphyry (Light Phase), and granodiorite; and late, unveined dacite porphyry and granodiorite porphyry. Biotite rhyodacite porphyry dikes extending east and west from the vicinity of the stock are probably coeval with biotite granodiorite porphyry. Accumulated normal displacement of approximately 1 km along the northwest-trending Christmas-Joker fault system has juxtaposed contrasting levels (lower, intrusive-carbonate rock environment and upper, intrusive-volcanic rock environment) within the porphyry copper system. K-Ar age determinations and whole-rock chemical analyses of the major intrusive rock types indicate that Laramide calc-alkaline magmatism and ore deposition at Christmas evolved over an extended period from within the Late Cretaceous (~75-80 m.y. ago) to early Paleocene (~63-61 m.y. ago). The sequence of igneous rocks is progressively more alkaline and silicic from basalt to granodiorite. Early (Stage I) chalcopyrite-bornite (-molybdenite) mineralization and genetically related K-silicate alteration are centered on the Christmas stock. K-silicate alteration is manifested by pervasive hornblende-destructive biotitization in the stock, biotitization of basaltic volcanic wall rocks, and a continuous stockwork of K-feldspar veinlets and quartz-K-feldspar veins in the stock and quartz-sulfide veins in volcanic rocks. Younger (Stage II) pyrite-chalcopyrite mineralization and quartz-sericite-chlorite alteration occur in a zone overlapping with but largely peripheral to the zone of Stage I stockwork veins. Within the Christmas intrusive complex, K-silicate-altered rocks in the central stock are flanked east and west by zones of fracture-controlled quartz-sericite alteration and strong pyritization. In volcanic rocks quartz-chlorite-pyrite-chalcopyrite veins are superimposed on earlier biotitization and crosscut Stage I quartz-sulfide veins. Beyond the zones of quartz-sericite alteration, biotite rhyodacite porphyry dikes contain the propylitic alteration assemblage epidote-chlorite-albite-sphene. Chemical analyses indicate the following changes during pervasive alteration of igneous rocks: (1) addition of Si, K, H, S, and Cu, and loss of Fe 3+ and Ca during intense biotitization of basalt; (2) loss of Na and Ca, increase of Fe3+/Fe2+, and strong H-metasomatism during sericitization of quartz diorite; and (3) increase in Ca, Na, and Fe3+/Fe2+, and loss of K during intense propylitization of biotite rhyodacite porphyry dikes. Thorough biotitization of biotite granodiorite porphyry in the Christmas stock was largely an isochemical process. Fluid-inclusion petrography reveals that Stage I veins are characterized by low to moderate populations of moderate-salinity and gas-rich inclusions, and sparse but ubiquitous halite-bearing inclusions. Moderate-salinity an

The effect of temperature on experimental and natural chemical weathering rates of granitoid rocks

USGS Publications Warehouse

White, A.F.; Blum, A.E.; Bullen, T.D.; Vivit, D.V.; Schulz, M.; Fitzpatrick, J.

1999-01-01

The effects of climatic temperature variations (5-35??C) on chemical weathering are investigated both experimentally using flow-through columns containing fresh and weathered granitoid rocks and for natural granitoid weathering in watersheds based on annual solute discharge. Although experimental Na and Si effluent concentrations are significantly higher in the fresh relative to the weathered granitoids, the proportional increases in concentration with increasing temperature are similar. Si and Na exhibit comparable average apparent activation energies (E(a)) of 56 and 61 kJ/mol, respectively, which are similar to those reported for experimental feldspar dissolution measured over larger temperature ranges. A coupled temperature-precipitation model, using an expanded database for solute discharge fluxes from a global distribution of 86 granitoid watersheds, produces an apparent activation energy for Si (51 kJ/mol), which is also comparable to those derived from the experimental study. This correlation reinforces evidence that temperature does significantly impact natural silicate weathering rates. Effluent K concentrations in the column study are elevated with respect to other cations compared to watershed discharge due to the rapid oxidation/dissolution of biotite. K concentrations are less sensitive to temperature, resulting in a lower average E(a) value (27 kJ/mol) indicative of K loss from lower energy interlayer sites in biotite. At lower temperatures, initial cation release from biotite is significantly faster than cation release from plagioclase. This agrees with reported higher K/Na ratios in cold glacial watersheds relative to warmer temperate environments. Increased release of less radiogenic Sr from plagioclase relative to biotite at increasing temperature produces corresponding decreases in 87Sr/86Sr ratios in the column effluents. A simple mixing calculation using effluent K/Na ratios, Sr concentrations and 87Sr/86Sr ratios for biotite and plagioclase approximates stoichiometric cation ratios from biotite/plagioclase dissolution at warmer temperatures (35??C), but progressively overestimates the relative proportion of biotite with decreasing temperature. Ca, Mg, and Sr concentrations closely correlate, exhibit no consistent trends with temperature, and are controlled by trace amounts of calcite or exchange within weathered biotite. The inability of the watershed model to differentiate a climate signal for such species correlates with the lower temperature dependence observed in the experimental studies.

The Southeast Asian Tin Belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwartz, M. O.; Rajah, S. S.; Askury, A. K.; Putthapiban, P.; Djaswadi, S.

1995-07-01

The Southeast Asian Tin Belt is a north-south elongate zone 2800 km long and 400 km wide, extending from Burma (Myanmar) and Thailand to Peninsular Malaysia and the Indonesian Tin Islands. Altogether 9.6 million tonnes of tin, equivalent to 54% of the world's tin production is derived from this region. Most of the granitoids in the region can be grouped geographically into elongate provinces or belts, based on petrographic and geochronological features. - The Main Range Granitoid Province in western Peninsular Malaysia, southern Peninsular Thailand and central Thailand is almost entirely made up of biotite granite (184-230 Ma). Tin deposits associated with these granites contributed 55% of the historic tin production of Southeast Asia. - The Northern Granitoid Province in northern Thailand (0.1% of tin production) also has dominant biotite granite (200-269 Ma) but it is distinguished by abundant post-intrusion deformation. - The Eastern Granitoid Province extends from eastern Peninsular Malaysia to eastern Thailand. The Malaysian part is subdivided into the East Coast Belt (220-263 Ma), Boundary Range Belt (197-257 Ma) and Central Belt (79-219 Ma). The granitoids cover a wide compositional range from biotite granite to hornblende-biotite granite/granodiorite and diorite-gabbro. Tin deposits are associated with biotite granite in the East Coast Belt (3% of tin production). The granitoids in the other areas of the Eastern Granitoid Province are barren. - The Western Granitoid Province (22-149 Ma) in northern Peninsular Thailand, western Thailand and Burma has biotite granite and hornblende-biotite granite/granodiorite. Tin deposits are associated with biotite granite, which probably is the dominant phase (14% of tin production). The granitoids of the Indonesian Tin Islands (193-251 Ma) do not permit grouping into geographically distinct units. Main Range-type and Eastern Province-type plutons occur next to each other. Most of the tin deposits are associated with Main Range-type plutons (28% of tin production). Tin-mineralized plutons are characterized by high concentrations of SiO 2, K 2O, Rb, Sn, Th and U, whereas the concentrations of Fe 2O 3, MgO, CaO, Na 2O, Ba and Sr as well as the Fe2O3/FeO ratios are low. Tin-mineralized plutons are also distinguished by high initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios low magnetic susceptibilities.

Weathering of the Rio Blanco quartz diorite, Luquillo Mountains, Puerto Rico: Coupling oxidation, dissolution, and fracturing

USGS Publications Warehouse

Buss, H.L.; Sak, P.B.; Webb, S.M.; Brantley, S.L.

2008-01-01

In the mountainous Rio Icacos watershed in northeastern Puerto Rico, quartz diorite bedrock weathers spheroidally, producing a 0.2-2 m thick zone of partially weathered rock layers (???2.5 cm thickness each) called rindlets, which form concentric layers around corestones. Spheroidal fracturing has been modeled to occur when a weathering reaction with a positive ??V of reaction builds up elastic strain energy. The rates of spheroidal fracturing and saprolite formation are therefore controlled by the rate of the weathering reaction. Chemical, petrographic, and spectroscopic evidence demonstrates that biotite oxidation is the most likely fracture-inducing reaction. This reaction occurs with an expansion in d (0 0 1) from 10.0 to 10.5 A??, forming 'altered biotite'. Progressive biotite oxidation across the rindlet zone was inferred from thin sections and gradients in K and Fe(II). Using the gradient in Fe(II) and constraints based on cosmogenic age dates, we calculated a biotite oxidation reaction rate of 8.2 ?? 10-14 mol biotite m-2 s-1. Biotite oxidation was documented within the bedrock corestone by synchrotron X-ray microprobe fluorescence imaging and XANES. X-ray microprobe images of Fe(II) and Fe(III) at 2 ??m resolution revealed that oxidized zones within individual biotite crystals are the first evidence of alteration of the otherwise unaltered corestone. Fluids entering along fractures lead to the dissolution of plagioclase within the rindlet zone. Within 7 cm surrounding the rindlet-saprolite interface, hornblende dissolves to completion at a rate of 6.3 ?? 10-13 mol hornblende m-2 s-1: the fastest reported rate of hornblende weathering in the field. This rate is consistent with laboratory-derived hornblende dissolution rates. By revealing the coupling of these mineral weathering reactions to fracturing and porosity formation we are able to describe the process by which the quartz diorite bedrock disaggregates and forms saprolite. In the corestone, biotite oxidation induces spheroidal fracturing, facilitating the influx of fluids that react with other minerals, dissolving plagioclase and chlorite, creating additional porosity, and eventually dissolving hornblende and precipitating secondary minerals. The thickness of the resultant saprolite is maintained at steady state by a positive feedback between the denudation rate and the weathering advance rate driven by the concentration of pore water O2 at the bedrock-saprolite interface. ?? 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determination of geochemical affinities of granitic rocks from the Aue-Schwarzenberg zone (Erzgebirge, Germany) by multivariate statistics

USGS Publications Warehouse

Forster, H.-J.; Davis, J.C.

2000-01-01

Variscan granites of the Erzgebirge region can be effectively classified into five genetically distinct major groups by canonical analysis of geochemical variables. The same classification procedure, when applied to small plutons in the Aue-Schwarzenberg granite zone (ASGZ), shows that all ASGZ granites have compositional affinities to low-F biotite or low-F two-mica granite groups. This suggests that the ASGZ granites were emplaced during the first, late-collisional stage of silicic magmatism in the region, which occurred between about 325 and 318 Ma. The numerous biotite granite bodies in the zone are geochemically distinct from both the neighboring Kirchberg granite pluton and the spatially displaced Niederbobritzsch biotite granite massif. Instead, these bodies seem to constitute a third sub-group within the low-F biotite granite class. The ASGZ biotite granites represent three or more genetically distinct bodies, thus highlighting the enormous compositional variability within this group of granites. Least evolved samples of two-mica granites from the ASGZ apparently reflect the assimilation of low-grade metamorphic country rocks during emplacement, altering the original composition of the melts by enhancing primary Al content. The same genesis is implied for the rare "cordierite granite" facies of the Bergen massif, the type pluton for the low-F two-mica granite group in the Erzgebirge.

Subsolidus migmatization in high-grade meta-tuffs (Kurkijärvi, southwest Finland)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blom, K. A.

1988-07-01

The phenomenon of migmatization was studied in Precambrian metavolcanic gneisses of calc-alkaline chemistry, outcropping along a prograde amphibolite/granulite facies transition in the West Uusimaa Complex of SW Finland. This paper discusses one of the studied gneiss levels (a garnet-bearing Qtz/Plag/Ksp/Bio-gneiss) which was observed to transsect the metamorphic isograd pattern at almost right angle. The gneiss was studied for structures, whole-rock chemistry (major, trace and REE), mineral content, microtextures, plagioclase anorthite content and fluid inclusions. Data concerning the latter four subjects are presented. Migmatization proved to: (1) have occurred parallel to compositional banding of the rocks; (2) have produced identical leucosome/melanosome/mesosome mineral parageneses; (3) have initiated feldspar/garnet-poikiloblasthesis (and occasionally biotite porphyroblasthesis) in leucosome, and biotite-/garnet-poikiloblasthesis in melanosome; (4) have caused entrapment of unstrained quartz blebs carrying isolated (primary) two-phase pure H 2O fluid inclusions of unique filling degree range in the above-mentioned feldspar- and garnet-poikiloblasts; (5) have occurred post-D 1/pre-D 2, synchronous to amphibolitefacies metamorphism, in the subsolidus regime; (6) have been affected by D 2 in the way of localized mylonitization of the melanosome, and quartz migration (exudation) from adjacent mesosome into leucosome; and (7) have had some control by the biotite content of the original compositionally banded rock. Initial leucosome formation appears to have been controlled by the pre-leucosome biotite content: the recalculated modal biotite content of the leucosome/melanosome combination conspicuously is in the range of 5-20 vol.% of biotite. Final extent of the leucosome shows on its turn a marked correlation with mesosome modal biotite content. Because leucosomes occur carrying a recalculated modal biotite content equalling adjacent mesosome biotite content, a second factor is held responsible for the onset of migmatization in the buried and sheared rock: deficient water balance. Migmatization, initiated at {P}/{T} conditions fit for feldspar recrystallization and almandine formation, was induced during prograde metamorphism to cancel an established zonation in water pressure or water content parallel to compositional banding. Zones of low PH 2O or wt.% H 2O thereby were converted into leucosomes, while zones of higher PH 2O or wt.% H 2O remained unaffected (and became mesosome). That XH 2O did not vary at the onset of migmatization is recorded in the isolated pure H 2O fluid inclusions contained in the quartz blebs enclosed in the studied leucosome- and melanosome-poikiloblasts. Restore of water balance (either by internally controlled factors or externally introduced ones) halted migmatization and its obliteration of compositional banding.

TRANSFORMATION OF CARBON TETRACHLORIDE IN THE PRESENCE OF SULFIDE, BIOTITE, AND VERMICULITE

EPA Science Inventory

Carbon tetrachloride is transformed in aqueous solutions containing dissolved hydrogen sulfide more rapidly in the presence of the minerals biotite and vermiculite than in homogeneous systems. Approximately 8045% of the CC4 was transformed to COP via the measured intermediate, CS...

Origin of biotite-hornblende-garnet coronas between oxides and plagioclase in olivine metagabbros, Adirondack region, New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Whitney, P.R.; McLelland, J.M.

1982-01-01

Complex multivariant reactions involving Fe-Ti oxide minerals, plagioclase and olivine have produced coronas of biotite, hornblende and garnet between ilmenite and plagioclase in Adirondack olivine metagabbros. Both the biotite (6-10% TiO2) and the hornblende (3-6% TiO2) are exceptionally Titanium-rich. The garnet is nearly identical in composition to the garnet in coronas around olivine in the same rocks. The coronas form in two stages: (a) Plagioclase+Fe-Ti Oxides+Olivine+water =Hornblende+Spinel+Orthopyroxene??Biotite +more-sodic Plagioclase (b) Hornblende+Orthopyroxene??Spinel+Plagioclase =Garnet+Clinopyroxene+more-sodic Plagioclase The Orthopyroxene and part of the clinopyroxene form adjacent to olivine. Both reactions are linked by exchange of Mg2+ and Fe2+ with the reactions forming pyroxene and garnet coronas around olivine in the same rocks. The reactions occur under granulite fades metamorphic conditions, either during isobaric cooling or with increasing pressure at high temperature. ?? 1983 Springer-Verlag.

Geology of Nicholson's point granite, Natal Metamorphic Province, South Africa: the chemistry of charnockitic alteration and origin of the granite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grantham, G. H.; Allen, A. R.; Cornell, D. H.; Harris, C.

1996-10-01

In the Port Edward area of southern Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, charnockitic aureoles up to ˜4 m in width are developed adjacent to contacts with Port Edward enderbite and pegmatites intruded into the normally garnetiferous Nicholson's Point granite. Other mineralogical differences between the aureoles and the granite include increased myrmekite and significantly less biotite in the former and the replacement of pyrite by pyrrhotite in the charnockitic rocks. No significant differences in major element chemistry between the garnet-biotite Nicholson's Point granite and charnockitic Nicholson's Point granite are seen, except possibly for higher CaO and TiO 2 in the charnockite. Higher Rb, Th, Nb and Y contents in the garnet-biotite granite suggest that these elements have been locally depleted from garnet-biotite granite during char nockitisation. This depletion is considered to be related to the reduction in biotite. Strontium and Ba contents are significantly higher in the charnockite. Generally higher S contents in the charnockite suggest S metasomatism, with S possibly being added from the enderbite. No differences in δ18O isotope data are seen between the garnetiferous and hypersthene bearing granite. In the charnockite the LREEs are weakly depleted whereas the HREEs show greater depletion compared to the garnetiferous granite. The depletions in REEs are thought to be related to the breakdown of garnet. Europium is marginally enriched or unchanged in the charnockite relative to the garnetiferous granite. Two-pyroxene thermometry on the Port Edward enderbite suggests that it was intruded at temperatures of ˜1000-1100°C. The replacement of pyrite by pyrrhotite is also consistent with a thermal auroele. Consequently the charnockitic zones developed around the intrusions of Port Edward enderbite may result from the thermally driven dehydration of biotite. The aureoles developed adjacent to pegmatites are not considered to have resulted from heat but probably by destabilisation of biotite by a low aH 20 fluid phase, possibly hypersaline brines. The Nicholson's Point granite has geochemical characteristics typical of within-plate granites, A-type granites and rapakivi granites, however the stable and radiogenic isotope characteristics suggest a significant crustal component in the source.

Weathering of the Rio Blanco Quartz Diorite, Luquillo Mountains, Puerto Rico: Coupling Oxidation, Dissolution, And Fracturing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Buss, H.L.; Sak, P.B.; Webb, S.M.

2009-05-12

In the mountainous Rio Icacos watershed in northeastern Puerto Rico, quartz diorite bedrock weathers spheroidally, producing a 0.2-2 m thick zone of partially weathered rock layers ({approx}2.5 cm thickness each) called rindlets, which form concentric layers around corestones. Spheroidal fracturing has been modeled to occur when a weathering reaction with a positive {Delta}V of reaction builds up elastic strain energy. The rates of spheroidal fracturing and saprolite formation are therefore controlled by the rate of the weathering reaction. Chemical, petrographic, and spectroscopic evidence demonstrates that biotite oxidation is the most likely fracture-inducing reaction. This reaction occurs with an expansion inmore » d (0 0 1) from 10.0 to 10.5 {angstrom}, forming 'altered biotite'. Progressive biotite oxidation across the rindlet zone was inferred from thin sections and gradients in K and Fe(II). Using the gradient in Fe(II) and constraints based on cosmogenic age dates, we calculated a biotite oxidation reaction rate of 8.2 x 10{sup -14} mol biotite m{sup -2} s{sup -1}. Biotite oxidation was documented within the bedrock corestone by synchrotron X-ray microprobe fluorescence imaging and XANES. X-ray microprobe images of Fe(II) and Fe(III) at 2 {micro}m resolution revealed that oxidized zones within individual biotite crystals are the first evidence of alteration of the otherwise unaltered corestone. Fluids entering along fractures lead to the dissolution of plagioclase within the rindlet zone. Within 7 cm surrounding the rindlet-saprolite interface, hornblende dissolves to completion at a rate of 6.3 x 10{sup -13} mol hornblende m{sup -2} s{sup -1}: the fastest reported rate of hornblende weathering in the field. This rate is consistent with laboratory-derived hornblende dissolution rates. By revealing the coupling of these mineral weathering reactions to fracturing and porosity formation we are able to describe the process by which the quartz diorite bedrock disaggregates and forms saprolite. In the corestone, biotite oxidation induces spheroidal fracturing, facilitating the influx of fluids that react with other minerals, dissolving plagioclase and chlorite, creating additional porosity, and eventually dissolving hornblende and precipitating secondary minerals. The thickness of the resultant saprolite is maintained at steady state by a positive feedback between the denudation rate and the weathering advance rate driven by the concentration of pore water O{sub 2} at the bedrock-saprolite interface.« less

The Pikes Peak batholith, Colorado front range, and a model for the origin of the gabbro-anorthosite-syenite-potassic granite suite

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barker, F.; Wones, D.R.; Sharp, W.N.; Desborough, G.A.

1975-01-01

This study of the Pikes Peak batholith includes the mineralogy and petrology of quartz syenite at West Creek and of fayalite-bearing and fayalite-free biotite granite near Mount Rosa; major element chemistry of the batholith; comparisons with similar postorogenic, intracratonic, sodic to potassic intrusives; and genesis of the batholith. The batholith is elongate in plan, 50 by 100 km, composite, and generally subalkalic. It was emplaced at shallow depth 1,040 m. y. ago, sharply transects its walls and may have breached its roof. Biotite granite and biotite-hornblende granite are predominant; quartz syenite, fayalite granite and riebeckite granite are present in minor amounts. Fayalite-bearing and fayalite-free quartz syenite, fayalite-biotite granite and riebeckite granite show a well-defined sodic differentiation trend; the less sodic fayalite-free granites exhibit a broader compositional range and no sharp trends. Crystallization was largely at PH2O < Ptotal; PH2O approached Ptotal only at late stages. Aplite residual to fayalite-free biotite granite in the north formed at about 1,500 bars, or 5 km depth. Feldspar assemblages indicate late stages of crystallization at about 720??C. In the south ilmenite and manganian fayalite indicate fO2 of 10-17 or 10-18 bars. Biotite and fayalite compositions and the 'granite minimum' imply completion of crystallization at about 700??C and 1,500 bars. Nearby fayalite-free biotite granite crystallized at higher water fugacity. All types of syenite and granite contain 5-6% K2O through a range of SiO2 of 63-76%. Average Na2O percentages in quartz syenite are 6.2, fayalite granite 4.2, and fayalite-free granite 3.3 MgO contents are low, 0.03-0.4%; FeO averages 1.9-2.5%. FeO/Fe2O3 ratios are high. Fluorine ranges from 0.3 to 0.6%. The Pikes Peak intrusives are similar in mode of emplacement, composition, and probably genesis to rapakivi intrusives of Finland, the Younger Granites of Nigeria, Cape Ann Granite and Beverly Syenite, Mass., and syenite of Kungnat, Greenland, among others - allowing for different levels of erosion. A suite that includes gabbro or basalt, anorthosite, quartz syenite, fayalite granite, riebeckite granite, and biotite and/or hornblende granites is of worldwide occurrence. A model is proposed in which mantle-derived, convecting alkali olivine basaltic magma first reacts with K2O-poor lower crust of granulite facies to produce magma of quartz syenitic composition. The syenitic liquid in turn reacts with granodioritic to granitic intermediate crust of amphibolite facies to produce the predominant fayalite-free biotite and biotite-hornblende granites of the batholith. This reaction of magma and roof involves both partial melting and the reconstitution and precipitation of refractory phases, as Bowen proposed. Intermediate liquids include MgO-depleted and Na2O-enriched gabbro, which precipitated anorthosite, and alkali diorite. The heat source is the basaltic magma; the heat required for partial melting of the roof is supplied largely by heats of crystallization of phases that settle out of the liquid - mostly olivine, clinopyroxene and plagioclase. ?? 1975.

A geochemical investigation of selected areas in Greenville and Laurens counties, South Carolina--implications for mineral resources

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jackson, John C.

1992-01-01

The purpose of this study is to geochemically evaluate three areas within the Greenville 1° x 2° quadrangle (see index map) that have been shown by previous studies to contain anomalously high amounts of tin. Jackson and Moore (1992) reported the presence of cassiterite (SnO2)-bearing heavy-mineral concentrates from stream sediment samples that were collected during a regional geochemical reconnaissance of the Greenville 1° x 2° quadrangle. The data reported here confirm identified in selected heavy-mineral concentrate samples. In addition, anomalously high concentrations of barium, beryllium, lanthanum, and thorium are also reported for parts of the same areas. No significant mineral deposits are known to occur in the study areas. There was, however, minor production of monazite from several nearby localities (Sloan, 1908), and gold was produced from deposits in the northeastern part of Greenville County and nearby Spartanburg County (McCauley and Butler, 1966). The three areas selected for resampling are located in the Inner Piedmont physiographic province of South Carolina (see index map). The generalized tectonic setting of the region and the locations of the study is just north of Greenville, S.C. Much of it is within the moderately to steeply sloped terrane of Paris Mountain State Park where elevations reach approximately 600 m. Simpsonville, S.C., is neat the center of the second study area, and the southernmost study area is near Hickory Tavern, S.C. Both the Simpsonville and Hickory Tavern study areas are in more gently rolling Piedmont terrane. Each of the sampled areas is drained by tributaries of the Enoree and Reedy Rivers. Parts of three different thrust sheets underlie the region covered by this study (fig. 1); in ascending structural position, they are the Six Mile, Paris Mountain, and Laurens thrust sheets (Nelson and others, 1987). Nelson (1988, p. 7) described the contacts between these sheets as being along unnamed faults. The rocks in and around the study areas have undergone sillimanite-muscovite-grade metamorphism (Nelson, 1988, p. 9). Nelson (1988, p. 13) reports that the Six Mile thrust sheet was metamorphosed about 344 Ma. The geology of these sheets as described in this study, including geologic contacts, rock descriptions, and unit names, generally follows that of Nelson and others (1987, 1989). Within the Paris Mountain study area, rocks of the Paris Mountain thrust sheet predominate (fig. 2) and consist of a biotite-muscovite-sillimanite schist (EZsp) that has extensive lenses of fine- to medium- grained biotite granite gneiss (Pzgp). Areas of biotite granite gneiss that occur in the southern part of the Paris Mountain study area contain extensive pegmatitic and leucogranitic phases. These pegmatitic zones consist mostly of coarse-grained microcline feldspar and quartz with minor amounts of muscovite, biotite, and garnet. Smaller pegmatite lenses (<0.5 m thick) that occur within the biotite-muscovite-sillimanite schist of the Paris Mountain study area are generally of similar mineralogy, although some contain tourmaline crystals up to 5 cm in length. The Six Mile thrust sheet underlies the northern edge of the Paris Mountain study area, where it is composed of gneissic biotitic granites of the Caesars Head Granite (figs. 1 and 2). The northwestern part of the Simpsonville study area (figs. 1 and 3), within the Paris Mountain thrust sheet, is underlain by a biotite-muscovite-sillimanite schist (EZsp) that contains lenses of biotite granite gneiss (Pzgp). In the southeastern part of the Simpsonville study area, within the Laurens thrust sheet, biotite gneiss (EZgl), biotite granite gneiss (Pzgf), and minor amphibolite (EZal) are interlayered biotite (EZgl), granite gneiss (Dgg), and amphibolite (EZal) of the Laurens thrust sheet (fig. 4).

Biotite Comminution in Phyllosilicate Rich Mylonites: Microstructural and Nanostructural Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aslin, J.; Mariani, E.; Dawson, K.

2017-12-01

Micas are one of the most important mineral groups with regard to the strength and rheology of the Earth's crust. This is a result of their distinct weakness relative to other silicate phases coupled with their generally high abundance at mid-crustal conditions. Despite this, relatively little is known regarding the mechanisms of viscous deformation in micas. The samples used in this study were collected from the Cossato-Mergozzo-Brissago (C-M-B) line, an amphibolite facies mylonitic shear zone in Northern Italy. The granitoid and metasedimentary protoliths of this 100 -150 m wide shear zone ensure a high but variable phyllosilicate content within predominantly quartzofelspathic lithologies. Initial microstructural analysis using optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals a significant change in biotite deformation behaviour with increasing strain. At low strains kinking and basal glide dominate, however at higher strain biotite undergoes a dramatic grain size reduction which is at first concentrated along grain edges and kink band boundaries but later involves the entire grain. In the highest strain samples examined, biotite only survives as a component of a very fine grained matrix. In contrast, muscovite, also present in these rocks, remains coarse, forming kinked and bent mica fish even to high strains. The comminution of biotite is of critical importance to the microstructural evolution of these mylonites as it facilitates the development of an interconnected network of fine and potentially very weak grains. However, the mechanism responsible is not clear. We use transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to observe and characterise the intracrystalline structure of the biotite in these samples both prior to and after this grain size reduction has taken place. A better understanding of the nano-scale microstructures produced by natural deformation in micas will aid in determining the mechanisms which control the way these important crustal minerals accommodate strain.

Phase distribution and flow mechanism in an amphibolite facies ultramylonite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kilian, Rüdiger

2014-05-01

Rocks deforming by diffusion creep, are usually characterized by a small grain size, a weak or no crystallographic preferred orientation and an anti-correlated phase distribution of which the latter gives the most revealing insight into the active deformation mechanism. The present study focuses on the phase distribution in an amphibolite facies ultramylonite from a several meters wide shear zone within the Nordmannvik Nappe of the Norwegian Caledonides. In the shear zone, a granulite facies protolith is transformed to a fine grained matrix of quartz (50%), biotite (20%), white mica (20%), oligoclase (7%) and ilmenite/titanite with grain sizes below 10 μm (eq. diameter). Large grains of garnet, white mica and plagioclase form porphyroclasts. At high matrix proportions white mica and plagioclase porphyroclasts are less abundant. The matrix shows a homogeneous fabric and shows a strong anti-correlation of phases. Quartz forms single grains or clusters, which are at most a few grains thick, with a long axis inclined at 30 - 60° to the foliation, antithetic to the sense of shear. Quartz clusters have a regular spacing of ~30 μm, separated by biotite-stacks and oligoclase. White mica forms parallel to the foliation and replaces longer biotite grains (during shearing of the mica). Concurrently new biotite grows at those quartz grain boundaries, which are oriented at a high angle to the foliation. Only adjacent to porphyroclasts, the matrix homogeneity is disturbed. Biotite and plagioclase are depleted in the compressional sector and grow in the extensional sector. Correspondingly, garnet porphyroclasts have newly grown Ca-rich rims in compressional sectors and signs of dissolution in extensional ones. Thermodynamic modeling suggests that the modal composition of the matrix and the Ca-rich garnet rims form the stable assemblage. The microstructural positions of the phases can be related to the kinematics of granular flow. The alignment of quartz grains into clusters subparallel to the inferred shortening direction can be compared to the dynamic formation of force chains permitting high and low pressure sites in the matrix, similarly observed in numerical models of granular flow (e.g. Deubelbeiss et al., 2011). Biotite + oligoclase occupy sites of locally lower pressure and garnet rims + white mica those of higher pressure. It is suggested that a cyclic reaction of garnet + white mica = plagioclase + biotite, driven by dynamically changing, local gradients, causes the distribution of phases by nucleation, growth and mutual replacement during granular flow. Additionally, straining of biotite might contribute to its replacement by white mica. Deubelbeiss, Y., B. J. P. Kaus, J. A. D. Connolly, and L. Caricchi (2011), Potential causes for the non-Newtonian rheology of crystal-bearing magmas, Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 12, Q05007, doi:10.1029/2010GC003485.

Distribution of manganese between coexisting biotite and hornblende in plutonic rocks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Greenland, L.P.; Gottfried, D.; Tilling, R.I.

1968-01-01

The distribution of manganese between coexisting biotite and hornblende for 80 mineral pairs from igneous rocks of diverse provenance (including Southern California, Sierra Nevada, Boulder, and Boulder Creek batholiths and the Jemez Mountains volcanics) has been determined by neutron activation analysis. Data on the distribution ratio (Kd = Mnhornblende Mnbiotite) indicate that an equilibrium distribution of Mn is closely approached, though not completely attained, in most samples from plutonic environments. Comparison of Kd values of mineral pairs with bulk chemical composition of host rocks reveals no correlation. Because initial crystallization temperatures vary with rock composition, the lack of correlation of composition with Kd suggests that the equilibrium distribution of Mn between biotite and hornblende reflects exchange at subsolidus temperatures rather than initial crystallization temperatures. The highest Kd values are for volcanic rocks, in which rapid quenching prevents subsolidus redistribution of Mn. For sample pairs from the Southern California and Sierra Nevada batholiths there is a positive correlation of Kd with TiO2 content of biotite. Though the evidence is not compelling, Kd may also correlate with the rate of cooling and/or the presence or absence of sphene in the rock. ?? 1968.

Estimating the Mg# and AlVI content of biotite and chlorite from shortwave infrared reflectance spectroscopy: Predictive equations and recommendations for their use

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lypaczewski, Philip; Rivard, Benoit

2018-06-01

Shortwave infrared (SWIR, 1000-2500 nm) reflectance spectra of biotite and chlorite were investigated to establish quantitative relationships between spectral metrics and mineral chemistry, determined by electron microprobe analysis (EMPA). Samples spanning a broad range of mineral compositions were used to establish regression equations to Mg#, which can be estimated to ±3 and ±5 Mg#, and to AlVI content, which can be estimated to ±0.044 AlVI (11 O) and ±0.09 AlVI (14 O), respectively for biotite and chlorite. Both minerals have absorptions at common positions (1400, 2250, 2330 nm), and spectral interference may occur in mineral mixtures. For an equivalent Mg#, absorptions of chlorite are offset to 1-15 nm higher wavelengths relative to those of biotite. If the incorrect mineral is identified, errors in the estimation of composition may occur. Additionally, the 2250 nm absorption, which is related to Al(Mg,Fe)-OH in both minerals, is strongly affected by both the AlVI content and Mg#. This can lead to erroneous Mg# estimations in low AlVI samples. Recommendations to mitigate these issues are presented.

Revisiting elastic anisotropy of biotite gneiss from the Outokumpu scientific drill hole based on new texture measurements and texture-based velocity calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wenk, H.-R.; Vasin, R. N.; Kern, H.; Matthies, S.; Vogel, S. C.; Ivankina, T. I.

2012-10-01

A sample of biotite gneiss from the Outokumpu deep drilling project in Finland was investigated by Kern et al. (2008) for crystal preferred orientation and elastic anisotropy. Considerable differences between measured acoustic velocities and velocities calculated on the basis of texture patterns were observed. Measured P-wave anisotropy was 15.1% versus a Voigt average yielding 7.9%. Here we investigate the same sample with different methods and using different averaging techniques. Analyzing time-of-flight neutron diffraction data from Dubna-SKAT and LANSCE-HIPPO diffractometers with the Rietveld technique, much stronger preferred orientation for biotite is determined, compared to conventional pole-figure analysis reported previously. The comparison reveals important differences: HIPPO has much better counting statistics but pole figure coverage is poor. SKAT has better angular resolution. Using the new preferred orientation data and applying a self-consistent averaging method that takes grain shapes into account, close agreement of calculated and measured P-wave velocities is observed (12.6%). This is further improved by adding 0.1 vol.% flat micropores parallel to the biotite platelets in the simulation (14.9%).

Genesis of a zoned granite stock, Seward Peninsula, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hudson, Travis

1977-01-01

A composite epizonal stock of biotite granite has intruded a diverse assemblage of metamorphic rocks in the Serpentine Hot Springs area of north-central Seward Peninsula, Alaska. The metamorphic rocks include amphibolite-facies orthogneiss and paragneiss, greenschist-facies fine-grained siliceous and graphitic metasediments, and a variety of carbonate rocks. Lithologic units within the metamorphic terrane trend generally north-northeast and dip moderately toward the southeast. Thrust faults locally juxtapose lithologic units in the metamorphic assemblage, and normal faults displace both the metamorphic rocks and some parts of the granite stock. The gneisses and graphitic metasediments are believed to be late Precambrian in age, but the carbonate rocks are in part Paleozoic. Dating by the potassium-argon method indicates that the granite stock is Late Cretaceous. The stock has sharp discordant contacts, beyond which is a well-developed thermal aureole with rocks of hornblende hornfels facies. The average mode of the granite is 29 percent plagioclase, 31 percent quartz, 36 percent K-feldspar, and 4 percent biotite. Accessory minerals include apatite, magnetite, sphene, allanite, and zircon. Late-stage or deuteric minerals include muscovite, fluorite, tourmaline, quartz, and albite. The stock is a zoned complex containing rocks with several textural facies that are present in four partly concentric zones. Zone 1 is a discontinuous border unit, containing fine- to coarse-grained biotite granite, that grades inward into zone 2. Zone 2 consists of porphyritic biotite granite with oriented phenocrysts of pinkish-gray microcline in a coarse-grained equigranular groundmass of plagioclase, quartz, and biotite. It is in sharp, concordant to discordant contact with rocks of zone 3. Zone 3 consists of seriate-textured biotite granite that has been intruded by bodies of porphyritic biotite granite containing phenocrysts of plagioclase, K-feldspar, quartz, and biotite in an aplitic groundmass. Flow structures, pegmatite and aplite segregations, and miarolitic cavities are common in the seriate-textured granite. Zone 4, which forms the central part of the complex, consists of fine- to medium-grained biotite granite and locally developed leucogranite. Small miarolitic cavities are common within it. Eight textural facies have been defined within the complex, and mineralogic, petrographic, modal, and chemical variations are broadly systematic within the facies sequence. Study of these variations shows that the gradational facies of zones l and 2 systematically shift toward more mafic compositions inward within the complex. Seriate-textured rocks of zone 3 are similar in composition to those of zone 2, but porphyritic rocks of zone 3 and rocks of zone 4 mark shifts to more felsic compositions. These late-crystallizing felsic rocks are products of an interior residual magma system. This system was enriched in water and certain trace elements including tin, lithium, niobium, lead, and zinc. The complex as a whole has higher concentrations of these elements than many other granites. The nature of this geochemical specialization is particularly well demonstrated by the trace-element composition of biotite. The crystallization history of the pluton was complex. The available data suggest that this history could have included: (1) chilling and metasomatic alteration adjacent to the contact, (2) in-situ crystallization in several marginal facies accompanied by some transfer of residual constituents toward interior parts of the pluton, (3) slight upward displacement of magma that was subjacent to the crystallized walls, accompanied by disequilibrium crystallization and local vapor saturation, (4) upward displacement of part of the residual water-rich interior magma, accompanied by rapid loss of a separated vapor phase, and (5) displacement of the margins of the pluton by normal faults, accompanied by loss of an exsolved vapor phase from th

40Ar-39Ar dating of Archean iron oxide Cu-Au and Paleoproterozoic granite-related Cu-Au deposits in the Carajás Mineral Province, Brazil: implications for genetic models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pollard, Peter J.; Taylor, Roger G.; Peters, Lisa; Matos, Fernando; Freitas, Cantidiano; Saboia, Lineu; Huhn, Sergio

2018-05-01

40Ar-39Ar dating of biotite from IOCG and granite-related Cu-Au deposits in the Carajás Mineral Province provides evidence for the timing of mineralization and constraints on genetic models of ore formation. Ages of biotite from greisen and quartz-rich vein and breccia deposits, Alvo 118—1885 ± 4 Ma, Breves—1886 ± 5 Ma, Estrela—1896 ± 7 Ma, and Gameleira—1908 ± 7 Ma, demonstrate the close temporal relationship between Cu-Au mineralization and subjacent A-type granites. Mineralization is hosted within granite cupolas (Breves) or in vein/breccia systems emanating from the cupolas (Estrela and Gameleira), consistent with a genetic relationship of mineralization to the B-Li-F-rich granites. Plateau and minimum ages of biotite from IOCG deposits, including Igarapé Bahia, Cristalino, Corta Goela, and GT34, range from 2537 ± 6 Ma to 2193 ± 4 Ma. The 40Ar-39Ar age of biotite from Igarapé Bahia (2537 ± 6 Ma) is similar to a previous SHRIMP 207Pb-206Pb age for monazite of 2575 ± 12 Ma when the uncertainties in the respective analyses and standards are taken into account. The age spectrum for biotite from Cristalino shows increasing ages for successive steps, consistent with post-crystallization Ar loss, and the age of 2388 ± 5 Ma for the last three steps is considered a minimum age for Cu-Au mineralization. The age of biotite from the GT34 prospect (2512 ± 7 Ma) coincides with a previously identified period of basement reactivation and may indicate the formation of Cu-Au mineralization at this time or resetting of biotite from an older mineralization event at this time. At Corta Goela, within the Canaã Shear Zone, the biotite age of 2193 ± 4 Ma lies between the ages of IOCG (2.57-2.76 Ga) and granite-related Cu-Au ( 1.88 Ga) deposits elsewhere in the Carajás district but is similar to previously reported 40Ar-39Ar ages for amphibole from Sossego, possibly indicating that mineralization at both Sossego and Corta Goela was affected by a thermal event at this time. The Paleoproterozoic Cu-Au deposits are commonly hosted within Neoarchean IOCG alteration systems and the common occurrence of potassic alteration (especially biotite) in both types of deposits means that special care is required in interpreting the paragenesis of alteration in both types of deposits. The Paleoproterozoic Cu-Au deposits are reduced, and sulfur- and quartz-rich deposits lacking in major amounts of iron oxides and are therefore unlike IOCG deposits. Instead, they share many characteristics in common with widespread Paleoproterozoic Sn-W deposits in the Amazon Craton, including close spatial and temporal relationships with reduced A-type B-Li-F granites, and the occurrence of greisen and quartz-rich vein/breccia systems within and above granite cupolas. The occurrence of sericitic alteration in the Paleoproterozoic Cu-Au deposits is not evidence for an upward transition to sericitic alteration in IOCG deposits in the Carajás Mineral Province.

Hydrogen isotope investigation of amphibole and biotite phenocrysts in silicic magmas erupted at Lassen Volcanic Center, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Underwood, S.J.; Feeley, T.C.; Clynne, M.A.

2012-01-01

Hydrogen isotope ratio, water content and Fe3 +/Fe2 + in coexisting amphibole and biotite phenocrysts in volcanic rocks can provide insight into shallow pre- and syn-eruptive magmatic processes such as vesiculation, and lava drainback with mixing into less devolatilized magma that erupts later in a volcanic sequence. We studied four ~ 35 ka and younger eruption sequences (i.e. Kings Creek, Lassen Peak, Chaos Crags, and 1915) at the Lassen Volcanic Center (LVC), California, where intrusion of crystal-rich silicic magma mushes by mafic magmas is inferred from the varying abundances of mafic magmatic inclusions (MMIs) in the silicic volcanic rocks. Types and relative proportions of reacted and unreacted hydrous phenocryst populations are evaluated with accompanying chemical and H isotope changes. Biotite phenocrysts were more susceptible to rehydration in older vesicular glassy volcanic rocks than coexisting amphibole phenocrysts. Biotite and magnesiohornblende phenocrysts toward the core of the Lassen Peak dome are extensively dehydroxylated and reacted from prolonged exposure to high temperature, low pressure, and higher fO2 conditions from post-emplacement cooling. In silicic volcanic rocks not affected by alteration, biotite phenocrysts are often relatively more dehydroxylated than are magnesiohornblende phenocrysts of similar size; this is likely due to the ca 10 times larger overall bulk H diffusion coefficient in biotite. A simplified model of dehydrogenation in hydrous phenocrysts above reaction closure temperature suggests that eruption and quench of magma ascended to the surface in a few hours is too short a time for substantial H loss from amphibole. In contrast, slowly ascended magma can have extremely dehydrogenated and possibly dehydrated biotite, relatively less dehydrogenated magnesiohornblende and reaction rims on both phases. Eruptive products containing the highest proportions of mottled dehydrogenated crystals could indicate that within a few days prior to eruption, degassed vesiculated magma or lava had drained back down the volcanic conduit and mixed with less devolatilized magma. The vesiculated magma contained hydrous phenocrysts with lattice damage, which locally raised the effective H diffusion coefficient by ca 10–100 × and resulted in increased mineral dehydrogenation. Remobilization of dacite magma mush by relatively more reduced mafic magma appears to have generated further fO2 variations in May 1915 as oxidized magma from shallow levels circulated to depths where dehydrogenation of hydrous phenocrysts began. The δDMagmatic H2O expressed in LVC acid hot springs is likely a mixture derived from devolatilized ascending mafic magmas and crystallizing silicic magma mush.

Evidence for an Alleghanian (Early Carboniferous to Late Permian) tectonothermal event in the New Jersey Coastal Plain basement from 40Ar/39Ar biotite data, geochemistry and gravity modeling

USGS Publications Warehouse

Maguire, T.J.; Volkert, R.A.; Swisher, C. C.; Sheridan, R.E.

2009-01-01

40Ar/39Ar dating of biotite from felsic orthogneiss recovered from the -3890-foot level of the Island Beach State Park (IBSP) well beneath the outer New Jersey Coastal Plain was accomplished using CO2 laser incremental-heating techniques. Over 75% of the Ar released from the incremental-heating experiment form a well-behaved plateau with a calculated age of 243.98 ?? 0.10 Ma. The new 244 Ma biotite age reported here is a cooling age younger than the metamorphic event that crystallized or reheated the biotite. We consider reheating of older biotite to be unlikely because the concordant 40Ar/39Ar spectrum upon repeated incremental laser heating showed a well-developed plateau. Thus, biotites from the IBSP gneiss are interpreted as having crystallized during a single thermal event, followed by cooling to below 300 ??C. The IBSP well falls on a structural and geophysical anomaly trend that is along strike with rocks of the Bronson Hill anticlinorium to the north of the IBSP gneiss. Locally graphitic metasedimentary schists and gneisses recovered from New Jersey wells inboard of the IBSP well gneiss correlate to similar lithologies of the Connecticut Valley synclinorium west of the Hartford basin. Our reinterpretation of the IBSP gneiss as metamorphosed dacite or dacitic tuff is consistent with a correlation to some rocks of the Bronson Hill magmatic arc east of the Hartford basin. If correct, this would imply a Late Ordovician age for the protolith of the IBSP gneiss. Reported 40Ar/39Ar biotite ages of 235-253 Ma from southwestern Rhode Island, and of 238-247 Ma from southeastern Connecticut, are interpreted as cooling ages following a tectonothermal event associated with the Alleghanian orogeny (Early Carboniferous to Late Permian). Cooling ages of Alleghanian age (Early Carboniferous to Late Permian) are not recognized west of the Bronson Hill volcanic arc in either central Connecticut or in Massachusetts. Therefore, the 244 Ma cooling age presented here, and the geochemical affinity of the IBSP gneiss to some orthogneisses of the Bronson Hill arc, support an interpretation of the IBSP well as representing the southern continuation of the Bronson Hill arc into New Jersey. Moreover, it documents the presence of rocks beneath the outer New Jersey Coastal Plain that experienced a Permian Alleghanian metamorphism. ?? 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Kink-bands: Shock deformation of biotite resulting from a nuclear explosion

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cummings, D.

1965-01-01

Microscopic examination of granodiorite samples from the shock region around a nuclear explosion reveals sharply folded lens-shaped zones (kink-bands) in the mineral biotite. Fifty percent of these zones are oriented approximately 90?? to the direction of shock-wave propagation, but other zones are symmetrically concentrated at shear angles of 50?? and 70?? to the direction of shock-wave propagation.

Petrogenesis of incipient charnockite in the Ikalamavony sub-domain, south-central Madagascar: New insights from phase equilibrium modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Endo, Takahiro; Tsunogae, Toshiaki; Santosh, M.; Shaji, E.; Rambeloson, Roger A.

2017-06-01

Incipient charnockites representing granulite formation on a mesoscopic scale occur in the Ambodin Ifandana area of Ikalamavony sub-domain in south-central Madagascar. Here we report new petrological data from these rocks, and discuss the process of granulite formation on the basis of petrography, mineral equilibrium modeling, and fluid inclusion studies. The incipient charnockites occur as brownish patches, lenses, and layers characterized by an assemblage of biotite + orthopyroxene + K-feldspar + plagioclase + quartz + magnetite + ilmenite within host orthopyroxene-free biotite gneiss with an assemblage of biotite + K-feldspar + plagioclase + quartz + magnetite + ilmenite. Lenses and layers of calc-silicate rock (clinopyroxene + garnet + plagioclase + quartz + titanite + calcite) are typically associated with the charnockite. Coarse-grained charnockite occurs along the contact between the layered charnockite and calc-silicate rock. The application of mineral equilibrium modeling on the mineral assemblages in charnockite and biotite gneiss employing the NCKFMASHTO system as well as fluid inclusion study on coarse-grained charnockite defines a P-T range of 8.5-10.5 kbar and 880-900 °C, which is nearly consistent with the inferred P-T condition of the Ikalamavony sub-domain (8.0-10.5 kbar and 820-880 °C). The result of T versus H2O activity (a(H2O)) modeling demonstrates that orthopyroxene-bearing assemblage in charnockite is stable under relatively low a(H2O) condition of 0.42-0.43, which is consistent with the popular models of incipient-charnockite formation related to the lowering of water activity and stabilization of orthopyroxene through dehydration of biotite. The occurrence of calc-silicate rocks adjacent to the charnockite suggests that the CO2-bearing fluid that caused dehydration and incipient-charnockite formation might have been derived through decarbonation of calc-silicate rocks during the initial stage of decompression slightly after the peak metamorphism. The calc-silicate rocks might have also behaved as a cap rock that trapped CO2 infiltrated from an external source. 'CO2-rich fluid ponds' formed beneath calc-silicate layers could have enhanced dehydration of biotite to orthopyroxene, and produced layers of coarse-grained charnockite adjacent to calc-silicate layers.

Lithologically controlled invisible gold, Yukon, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacKenzie, Doug; Craw, Dave; Finnigan, Craig

2015-02-01

The newly discovered Cretaceous Coffee orogenic gold deposit (>4 Moz resource) consists of an extensive oxidised zone developed on primary sulphidic rock. The primary mineralised rock is characterised by invisible gold in arsenian pyrite that has replaced biotite in selected host rocks. The deposit has a cryptic surface expression and is an example of an extremely subtle exploration target. Hydrothermal emplacement was controlled by extensional fractures, with breccias, but most mineralisation was focused on biotite-bearing granitic gneiss, metasedimentary gneisses, and younger biotite granite. Fine-grained (<0.1 mm) arsenian pyrite replaced biotite along mineral cleavage planes and followed biotite-rich metamorphic and post-metamorphic structural fabrics. Arsenian pyrite also formed overgrowths on earlier coarse-grained (up to 2 mm) barren hydrothermal pyrite. Arsenian pyrite is concentrically zoned on the 1-10-μm scale with respect to As, Sb, and Au contents and typically contains ˜5 wt% As, ˜500 mg/kg Sb, and ˜500 mg/kg Au, in solid solution. Biotite replacement was accompanied by sericitisation, silicification, and ankerite impregnation. Hydrothermal alteration involved dilution and localised depletion of K, Na, and Al in silicified host rocks, but most Ca, Mg, and Fe concentrations remained broadly constant. Magnesium-rich ultramafic host rocks were only weakly mineralised with auriferous arsenian pyrite and have fuchsite and magnesite alteration. Near-surface oxidation has liberated nanoparticulate and microparticulate supergene gold, which remains essentially invisible. Varying degrees of oxidation extend as deep as 250 m below the present subdued topographic surface, well beyond the present vadose zone, and this deep oxidation may have occurred during post-mineralisation uplift and erosion in the Cretaceous. Oxidation has leached some As from the surficial mineralised rocks, decreasing the geochemical signal, which is also obscured by the localised presence of high background As (up to 100 mg/kg) in metasedimentary quartzites in the region. Antimony provides more reliable soil anomalies than As, but most Sb anomalies are <100 mg/kg. The persistence of invisible gold into the extensive supergene zone, with little gold particle size enhancement, has ensured that no placer deposits have formed in nearby streams, further restricting the surface footprint and Au dispersal halo of this subtle exploration target.

Biotite percussion figures in naturally deformed mylonites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Shutong; Ji, Shouyuan

1991-05-01

Under experimental conditions, characteristic fracture patterns can be produced on cleavage plates on mica by using a blunt tool. If stress is applied rapidly by striking the surface in a controlled way, a pattern known as the "percussion figure" is produced. When the stress is applied by steady pressure on the tool, a different but complementary pattern of fracture is formed. In sum, these induced fractures constitute the "pressure figure". The orientation of each of these two sets of fractures with respect to the optical axial plane (OAP) of mica is different and therefore diagnostic of the manner in which they are produced. These patterns are distinct from those formed as a result of exsolution of Fe-Ti oxides which are commonly visible in sections of biotite cut parallel to the basal plane (001). A description is given of percussion figures produced by natural deformation in biotites from mylonite belts cutting the Proterozoic metasediments of the Feidong Group in eastern Anhui Province and another from Yunnan Province, China. The principal fracture of the natural percussion figure evidently is parallel to the (OAP) of the biotite and the other two sets are quite distinct as well, thus identifying it really as a percussion figure. Microscopic inclusions of sphene also are located along the crystallographically controlled fracture planes of the percussion figures. The data indicate that high strain rates would be required to form these natural percussion figures and that a special history of deformation must have affected the mylonites in which they occur. It is proposed that the homogeneous deformation of the mylonite in a ductile regime was complicated by strain hardening which led to episodes of abrupt stress itself relief (stick-slip) at rates of strain high enough to induce the formation of percussion figures in the biotites.

Deformation behavior of migmatites: insights from microstructural analysis of a garnet-sillimanite-mullite-quartz-feldspar-bearing anatectic migmatite at Rampura-Agucha, Aravalli-Delhi Fold Belt, NW India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prakash, Abhishek; Piazolo, Sandra; Saha, Lopamudra; Bhattacharya, Abhijit; Pal, Durgesh Kumar; Sarkar, Saheli

2018-03-01

In the present study we investigate the microstructural development in mullite, quartz and garnet in an anatectic migmatite hosted within a Grenvillian-age shear zone in the Aravalli-Delhi Fold Belt. The migmatite exhibits three main deformation structures and fabrics (S1, S2, S3). Elongated garnet porphyroblasts are aligned parallel to the metatexite S2 layers and contain crenulation hinges defined by biotite-sillimanite-mullite-quartz (with S1 axial planar foliation). Microstructural evidence and phase equilibrium relations establish the garnet as a peritectic phase of incongruent melting by breakdown of biotite, sillimanite ± mullite and quartz at peak P-T of 8 kbar, 730 °C along a tight-loop, clockwise P-T path. Monazite dating establishes that the partial melting occurred between 1000 and 870 Ma. The absence of subgrains and systematic crystal lattice distortions in these garnets despite their elongation suggests growth pseudomorphing pre-existing 3-D networks of S1 biotite aggregates rather than high-temperature crystal plastic deformation which is noted in the S1 quartz grains that exhibit strong crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO), undulatory extinction and subgrains. Mode-I fractures in these garnet porphyroblasts induced by high melt pressure during late stage of partial melt crystallization are filled by retrograde biotite-sillimanite. Weak CPO and non-systematic crystal lattice distortions in the coarse quartz grains within the S2 leucosome domains indicate these crystallized during melt solidification without later crystal plastic deformation overprint. In the later stages of deformation (D3), strain was mostly accommodated in the mullite-biotite-sillimanite-rich restite domains forming S3 which warps around garnet and leucosome domains; consequently, fine-grained S3 quartz does not exhibit strong CPOs.

Conduit margin heating and deformation during the AD 1886 basaltic Plinian eruption at Tarawera volcano, New Zealand.

PubMed

Schauroth, Jenny; Wadsworth, Fabian B; Kennedy, Ben; von Aulock, Felix W; Lavallée, Yan; Damby, David E; Vasseur, Jérémie; Scheu, Bettina; Dingwell, Donald B

During explosive eruptions, a suspension of gas and pyroclasts rises rapidly within a conduit. Here, we have analysed textures preserved in the walls of a pyroclastic feeder dyke of the AD 1886 Tarawera basaltic Plinian fissure eruption. The samples examined consist of basaltic ash and scoria plastered onto a conduit wall of a coherent rhyolite dome and a welded rhyolitic dome breccia. We examine the textural evidence for the response of the wall material, built of ∼75 vol.% glass and ∼25 vol.% crystals (pore-free equivalent), to mass movement in the adjacent conduit. In the rhyolitic wall material, we quantify the orientation and aspect ratio of biotite crystals as strain markers of simple shear deformation, and interpret juxtaposed regions of vesiculation and vesicle collapse as evidence of conduit wall heating. Systematic changes occur close to the margin: (1) porosity is highly variable, with areas locally vesiculated or densified, (2) biotite crystals are oriented with their long axis parallel to the margin, (3) the biotites have greater aspect ratios close to the margin and (4) the biotite crystals are fractured. We interpret the biotite phenocryst deformation to result from crystal fracture, rotation and cleavage-parallel bookcase translation. These textural observations are inferred to indicate mechanical coupling between the hot gas-ash jet and the conduit wall and reheating of wall rock rhyolite. We couple these observations with a simple 1D conductive heating model to show what minimum temperature the conduit wall needs to reach in order to achieve a temperature above the glass transition throughout the texturally-defined deformed zone. We propose that conduit wall heating and resulting deformation influences conduit margin outgassing and may enhance the intensity of such large basaltic eruptions.

Investigating the response of biotite to impact metamorphism: Examples from the Steen River impact structure, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walton, E. L.; Sharp, T. G.; Hu, J.; Tschauner, O.

2018-01-01

Impact metamorphic effects from quartz and feldspar and to a lesser extent olivine and pyroxene have been studied in detail. Comparatively, studies documenting shock effects in other minerals, such as double chain inosilicates, phyllosilicates, carbonates, and sulfates, are lacking. In this study, we investigate impact metamorphism recorded in crystalline basement rocks from the Steen River impact structure (SRIS), a 25 km diameter complex crater in NW Alberta, Canada. An array of advanced analytical techniques was used to characterize the breakdown of biotite in two distinct settings: along the margins of localized regions of shock melting and within granitic target rocks entrained as clasts in a breccia. In response to elevated temperature gradients along shock vein margins, biotite transformed at high pressure to an almandine-Ca/Fe majorite-rich garnet with a density of 4.2 g cm-3. The shock-produced garnets are poikilitic, with oxide and silicate glass inclusions. Areas interstitial to garnets are vesiculated, in support of models for the formation of shock veins via oscillatory slip, with deformation continuing during pressure release. Biotite within granitic clasts entrained within the hot breccia matrix thermally decomposed at ambient pressure to produce a fine-grained mineral assemblage of orthopyroxene + sanidine + titanomagnetite. These minerals are aligned to the (001) cleavage plane of the original crystal. In this and previous work, the transformation of an inosilicate (pargasite) and a phyllosilicate (biotite) to form garnet, an easily identifiable, robust mineral, has been documented. We contend that in deeply eroded astroblemes, high-pressure minerals that form within or in the environs of shock veins may serve as one of the possibly few surviving indicators of impact metamorphism.

Effects of Mineral Compositions on Matrix Diffusion and Sorption of 75Se(IV) in Granite.

PubMed

Yang, Xiaoyu; Ge, Xiangkun; He, Jiangang; Wang, Chunli; Qi, Liye; Wang, Xiangyun; Liu, Chunli

2018-02-06

Exploring the migration behaviors of selenium in granite is critical for the safe disposal of radioactive waste. The matrix diffusion and sorption of 75 Se(IV) (analogue for 79 Se) in granite were systematically studied to set reliable parameters in this work. Through-diffusion and batch sorption experiments were conduct with four types of Beishan granite. The magnitudes of the obtained apparent diffusion coefficient (D a ) values are of the following order: monzogranite > granodiorite-2 > granodiorite-1, which is opposite to the sequence of the K d values obtained from both the diffusion model and batch sorption experiments. The EPMA results of the granitic flakes showed that there was no obvious enrichment of Se(IV) on quartz, microcline and albite. Only biotite showed a weak affinity for Se(IV). Macroscopic sorption behaviors of Se(IV) on the four types of granite were identical with the sequence of the granitic biotite contents. Quantitative fitting results were also provided. XPS and XANES spectroscopy data revealed that bidentate inner-sphere complexes were formed between Se(IV) and Fe(III). Our results indicate that biotite can be representative of the Se(IV) sorption in complex mineral assemblages such as granite, and the biotite contents are critically important to evaluate Se(IV) transport in granite.

New biotite and muscovite isotopic reference materials, USGS57 and USGS58, for δ2H measurements–A replacement for NBS 30

USGS Publications Warehouse

Qi, Haiping; Coplen, Tyler B.; Gehre, Matthias; Vennemann, Torsten W.; Brand, Willi A.; Geilmann, Heike; Olack, Gerard; Bindeman, Ilya N.; Palandri, Jim; Huang, Li; Longstaffe, Fred J.

2017-01-01

The advent of continuous-flow isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (CF-IRMS) coupled with a high temperature conversion (HTC) system enabled faster, more cost effective, and more precise δ2H analysis of hydrogen-bearing solids. Accurate hydrogen isotopic analysis by on-line or off-line techniques requires appropriate isotopic reference materials (RMs). A strategy of two-point calibrations spanning δ2H range of the unknowns using two RMs is recommended. Unfortunately, the supply of the previously widely used isotopic RM, NBS 30 biotite, is exhausted. In addition, recent measurements have shown that the determination of δ2H values of NBS 30 biotite on the VSMOW-SLAP isotope-delta scale by on-line HTC systems with CF-IRMS may be unreliable because hydrogen in this biotite may not be converted quantitatively to molecular hydrogen. The δ2HVSMOW-SLAP values of NBS 30 biotite analyzed by on-line HTC systems can be as much as 21 mUr (or ‰) too positive compared to the accepted value of − 65.7 mUr, determined by only a few conventional off-line measurements. To ensure accurate and traceable on-line hydrogen isotope-ratio determinations in mineral samples, we here propose two isotopically homogeneous, hydrous mineral RMs with well-characterized isotope-ratio values, which are urgently needed. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has prepared two such RMs, USGS57 biotite and USGS58 muscovite. The δ2H values were determined by both glassy carbon-based on-line conversion and chromium-based on-line conversion, and results were confirmed by off-line conversion. The quantitative conversion of hydrogen from the two RMs using the on-line HTC method was carefully evaluated in this study. The isotopic compositions of these new RMs with 1-σ uncertainties and mass fractions of hydrogen are:USGS57 (biotite)δ2HVSMOW-SLAP = − 91.5 ± 2.4 mUr (n = 24)Mass fraction hydrogen = 0.416 ± 0.002% (n = 4)Mass fraction water = 3.74 ± 0.02% (n = 4)USGS58 (muscovite)δ2HVSMOW-SLAP = − 28.4 ± 1.6 mUr (n = 24)Mass fraction hydrogen = 0.448 ± 0.002% (n = 4)Mass fraction water = 4.03 ± 0.02% (n = 4).These δ2HVSMOW-SLAP values encompass typical ranges for solid unknowns of crustal and mantle origin and are available to users for recommended two-point calibration.

Equilibrium-disequilibrium relations in the Monte Rosa Granite, Western Alps: Petrological, Rb-Sr and stable isotope data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Frey, M.; Hunziker, J.C.; O'Neil, J.R.; Schwander, H.W.

1976-01-01

Nine samples from the Monte Rosa Granite have been investigated by microscopic, X-ray, wet chemical, electron microprobe, stable isotope and Rb-Sr and K-Ar methods. Two mineral assemblages have been distinguished by optical methods and dated as Permian and mid-Tertiary by means of Rb-Sr age determinations. The Permian assemblage comprises quartz, orthoclase, oligoclase, biotite, and muscovite whereas the Alpine assemblage comprises quartz, microcline, albite+epidote or oligoclase, biotite, and phengite. Disequilibrium between the Permian and Alpine mineral assemblages is documented by the following facts: (i) Two texturally distinguishable generations of white K-mica are 2 M muscovite (Si=3.1-3.2) and 2 M or 3 T phengite (Si=3.3-3.4). Five muscovites show Permian Rb-Sr ages and oxygen isotope fractionations indicating temperatures between 520 and 560 ?? C; however, K-Ar ages are mixed or rejuvenated. Phengite always shows mid-Tertiary Rb-Sr ages, (ii) Two biotite generations can be recognized, although textural evidence is often ambiguous. Three out of four texturally old biotites show mid-Tertiary Rb-Sr cooling ages while the oxygen isotopic fractionations point to Permian, mixed or Alpine temperatures, (iii) Comparison of radiogenic and stable isotope relations indicates that the radiogenic isotopes in the interlayer positions of the micas were mobilized during Alpine time without recrystallization, that is, without breaking Al-O or Si-O bonds. High Ti contents in young muscovites and biotites also indicate that the octahedral (and tetrahedral) sites remained undisturbed during rejuvenation. (iv) 'Isotopic reversals' in the order of O18 enrichment between K-feldspar and albite exist. Arguments for equilibrium during Permian time are meagre because of Alpine overprinting effects. Texturally old muscovites show high temperatures and Permian Rb-Sr ages in concordancy with Rb-Sr whole rock ages. For the tectonically least affected samples, excellent concordance between quartz-muscovite and quartz-biotite 'Permian temperatures' implies oxygen isotope equilibrium in Permian time which was undisturbed during Alpine metamorphism. Arguments for equilibrium during the mid-Tertiary metamorphism are as follows: (i) Mid-Tertiary Rb-Sr mineral isochrons of up to six minerals exist, (ii) Oxygen isotope temperatures of coexisting Alpine phengites and biotites are concordant. The major factor for the adjustment of the Permian assemblages to Alpine conditions was the degree of Alpine tectonic overprinting rather than the maximum temperatures reached during the mid-Tertiary Alpine metamorphism. The lack of exchange with externally introduced fluid phases in the samples least affected by tectonism indicates that the Monte Rosa Granite 'stewed in its own juices'. This seems to be the major cause for the persistence of Permian ages and corresponding temperatures. ?? 1976 Springer-Verlag.

Late Neoproterozoic metamorphic assemblages along the Pan-African Hamisana Shear Zone, southeastern Egypt: Metamorphism, geochemistry and petrogenesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali-Bik, Mohamed W.; Sadek, Mohamed F.; Ghabrial, Doris Sadek

2014-11-01

A variety of Late Neoproterozoic gneisses and amphibolites are distributed along the N-S trending Hamisana Shear Zone (HSZ), in southeastern Egypt. The HSZ originated after the accretion of the Arabian-Nubian Shield (ANS) and covers an area of about 1500 km2 in southeastern Egypt and northeastern Sudan. The architecture of the northern part of the HSZ is best explained as a tectono-stratigraphic column, in which allochthonous ophiolitic mélange was thrusted onto metamorphosed island-arc assemblages (gneisses and amphibolites). The latter rock units were generally subjected to two successive phases of amphibolite facies metamorphism, followed by a thermal phase and retrograde overprint. The early penetrative, low- to medium-pressure metamorphism (M1) was synchronous with D1-gneissosity and N-S trending lineation, demarcating the high strain HSZ. The mineral assemblages formed during the M1 phase include quartz + andesine + hornblende (I) + biotite (I) in hornblende-biotite gneiss, quartz + andesine + pargasitic hornblende (I) + ferroan pargasitic hornblende (I) + edenitic hornblende (I) in hornblende-schist, quartz + plagioclase + biotite + muscovite in psammopelitic gneiss, and diopside + tremolite + calcite + sphene ± garnet in calc-silicates, being characteristic for amphibolite facies with metamorphic conditions of 600 ± 50 °C and 5-6.5 kbar. The second metamorphic phase (M2) is related to the crystallization of biotite and/or hornblende in S2 foliation demarcating the NE-SW trending dextral shear deformation (D2). The calculated temperature for this M2 phase is about 592 °C. Subsequent thermal events are documented by growth of spinel and scapolite in calc-silicate rocks and of cordierite in psammopelitic gneiss in response to uplift, decomposition and heat provided by the nearby late-formed igneous intrusions. Finally, the rocks reached a temperature of about 530 °C during the cooling retrogressive stage. Based on geological, petrological and geochemical investigations, the island arc assemblages are grouped into: (a) meta-igneous rocks (hornblende-biotite gneiss, biotite gneiss and amphibolites) and (b) metasedimentary rocks (psammopelitic gneiss, hornblende-schist and calc-silicates). Geochemical inspection revealed the non-consanguineous nature of these rock units. They represent subduction-related, theoleiitic and calc-alkaline magmatic rocks and their concomitant sedimentary derivations as well as minor continental shelf calcareous sediments. In terms of maturity, the geochemical signatures of these subduction-related rocks point to an immature volcanic arc origin.

The role of metasomatism in the balance of halogens in ore-forming process at porphyry Cu-Mo deposits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berzina, A. N.

2009-04-01

Volatile components play an important role in the evolution of ore-magmatic systems and their ore potential. Of special interest are fluorine and chlorine compounds that principally control the transportation of ore elements by the fluid in a magmatic process and under high-temperature hydrothermal conditions. Study of the evolution of fluorine-chlorine activity in the ore-forming process and their source is usually based on analysis of their magmatic history, whereas the additional source of fluorine and chlorine released during metasomatic alteration of rocks hosting mineralization is poorly discussed in the existing literature. Based on microprobe data on Cl and F abundances in halogen-containing minerals (biotite, amphibole, apatite, titanite) in intrusive rocks and their hydrothermally altered varieties, the role of metasomatic processes in the balance of volatiles in the ore-forming system is discussed by the example of porphyry Cu-Mo deposits of Siberia (Russia) and Mongolia. Two groups of the deposits are considered: copper-molybdenum (Erdenetiin Ovoo, Mongolia and Aksug, Russia) with prevailing propylitic and phyllic alteration and molybdenum-copper (Sora, Russia), with predominant potassic alteration. All types of hydrothermal alterations have led to drastic decrease in Cl contents in metasomatic minerals as compared with halogen-containing magmatic minerals. All studied deposits (particularly those where propylitic and phyllic alteration were developed) show a nearly complete chlorine removal from altered halogen-containing rock-forming minerals (biotite and amphibole). The Cl content in amphibole decreases several times at the stage of replacement with actinolite in the process of propylitization. In the later chlorites (ripidolite and brunsvigite) that replace amphibole, actinolite, and biotite, chlorine is not detected by microprobe (detection limit 0.01-0.02% Cl). Chlorine was also not detected in white micas (muscovite-phengite series) in quartz-sericite alteration zones. No Cl-bearing minerals were revealed in ore-metasomatic assemblages with the exception of extremely low Cl contents in secondary biotite and very rare low-Cl apatite in the early potassic alteration zone. In contrast, fluorine concentrates in chlorites and white micas; however, the F content in them is commonly lower than in dark minerals, especially in biotite from altered rocks. The highest F contents are typical of biotites related to potassic alteration (K-feldspar + biotite + quartz assemblage). For example, the F content at the Sora deposit ranges from 2.5-2.7 wt.% in the metasomatic biotite to 0.44-1.63 wt.% in the rock-forming biotite of host granitoids. At this deposit, fluorite is a major mineral of the ore-metasomatic assemblage. The Mo-rich Sora deposit drastically differs from the Cu-rich Erdenetiin Ovoo and Aksug deposits by extremely low (0.02-0.08 wt.%) Cl contents in dark minerals from all of the host rocks. The considerable quantity of chlorine released as a result of large-scale propylitic and phyllic alteration from halogen-bearing dark minerals at Cu-rich deposits considerably affected the general Cl budget in the ore-metasomatic system. This could significantly promote the generation of Cl-rich (up to 50-70 wt.% NaCl-equiv.) ore-forming solutions at such deposits. At the Sora deposit characterized by less concentrated ore-bearing solutions (12-20 wt.% NaCl-equiv.), the metasomatic alteration of host rocks was not accompanied by an appreciable removal of Cl. At the studied deposits, huge volumes of enclosing rocks were involved in metasomatism. The large amounts of halogens released during the metasomatic alteration of host rocks might have significantly influenced the balance of volatiles in the ore forming system, including the increase in the salinity of hydrothermal solutions.

Geochronology of archean gneisses in the Lake Helen area, Southwestern Big Horn Mountains, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Arth, Joseph G.; Barker, F.; Stern, T.W.

1980-01-01

The RbSr and UPb methods were used to study gneisses in the 7 1 2-minute Lake Helen quadrangle of the Big Horn Mountains, Wyoming. Two episodes of magmatism, deformation and metamorphism occurred during the Archean. Trondhjemitic to tonalitic orthogneisses and amphibolite of the first episode (E-1) are cut by a trondhjemite pluton and a calc-alkaline intrusive series of the second episode (E-2). The E-2 series includes hornblende-biotite quartz diorite, biotite tonalite, biotite granodiorite and biotite granite. A RbSr whole-rock isochron for E-1 gneisses indicates an age of 3007 ?? 34 Ma (1 sigma) and an initial 87Sr/86Sr of 0.7001 ?? 0.0001. UPb determination on zircon from E-1 gneisses yield a concordia intercept age of 2947 ?? 50 Ma. The low initial ratio suggests that the gneisses had no significant crustal history prior to metamorphism, and that the magmas from which they formed had originated from a mafic source. A RbSr whole-rock isochron for E-2 gneisses gives an age of 2801 ?? 31 Ma. The 87Sr/86Sr initial ration is 0.7015 ?? 0.0002 and precludes the existence of the rocks for more than 150 Ma prior to metamorphism. The E-2 magmas may have originated from melting of E-1 gneisses or from a more mafic source. ?? 1980.

40Ar/39Ar dating of a Langhian biotite-rich clay layer in the pelagic sequence of the Cònero Riviera, Ancona, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mader, Dieter; Montanari, Alessandro; Gattacceca, Jérôme; Koeberl, Christian; Handler, Robert; Coccioni, Rodolfo

2001-12-01

A nearly complete and undisturbed Miocene carbonate sequence is present in the easternmost part of the Umbria-Marche basin, Italy, which is ideal for detailed and integrated stratigraphic investigations of the Miocene Epoch. In this study, we were trying to obtain evidence for the presence or absence of distal ejecta from the 15 Ma Ries impact structure in southern Germany, located about 600 km to the north-northwest of the Umbria-Marche basin. The first step is to find coeval strata in the Umbria-Marche sequence. At the La Vedova section, Cònero Riviera, we dated a volcaniclastic biotite-rich clay layer, the Aldo Level, which is situated within planktonic foraminiferal Zone N8, at 14.9±0.2 Ma, using the 40Ar/39Ar method. Together with detailed geologic and stratigraphic information about the Aldo Level, the resulting age can be used confidentially to calibrate the Langhian stage. Besides providing new constraints on Miocene geochronology, this age can now be used for impact stratigraphic studies. To directly correlate the biotite ages of the La Vedova section with rocks from the Ries impact event, Ries impact glass was also analyzed and found to be coeval. Although unrelated to this impact event, the biotite-rich clay layer should help in the search for evidence of distal ejecta related to the Ries crater.

Geochemistry of biotite granites from the Lamas de Olo Pluton, northern Portugal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernandes, Susana; Gomes, Maria; Teixeira, Rui; Corfu, Fernando

2013-04-01

In the Central Iberian Zone (CIZ) extensive crustal recycling occurred during the post-thickening extension stage of the Variscan orogeny (~330-290 Ma). After the ductile deformation phase D3 (~320-300 Ma), characterized by the intrusion of large volumes of highly peraluminous granitic magmas, rapid and drastic tectonic changes at about 300 Ma gave rise to the brittle phase of deformation D4 that controlled the emplacement of Fe-K subalkaline granites (296-290 Ma; Dias et al. 1998). The Lamas de Olo Pluton (LOP) is controlled by NE-SW and NW-SE fracture systems, probably related to the Régua-Verin fault zone (Pereira, 1989). The LOP is a medium to coarse-grained, porphyritic biotite granite, accompanied by medium- to fine grained, porphyritic biotite granite (Alto dos Cabeços- AC) and a more leucocratic, fine-grained, slightly porphyritic biotite-muscovite granite (Barragens- BA). The contacts between LO and AC are generally diffuse, whereas those to BA are sharp. In fact, the BA granite can occur in dykes and sills cutting LO and AC. Microgranular enclaves and xenoliths are very rare. The LOP intrudes the Douro Group, presumably of Precambrian to Cambrian age, and two-mica granites from the Vila Real composite massif. The LOP granites consist of quartz, microcline, plagioclase, biotite, zircon, titanite, tourmaline apatite, fluorite, ilmenite, magnetite, and rutile, with muscovite in BA granite and rare allanite in the LO and AC granites. The plagioclase composition is of oligoclase (An12) - andesine (An35) for LO granite, albite (An9) - andesine (An30) for CA granite and albite (An5) - oligoclase (An20) for BA granite. There are decreases in: a) anorthite content from phenocryst to matrix plagioclase; b) Ba content from phenocryst to matrix microcline in all granites. The Fe2+ biotite has a composition similar to that of biotite from calc-alkaline to sub-alkaline rock series. The LO and AC granites are meta- to peraluminous with ASI variable between 1.05 and 1.21, and display isotopic signatures of (87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.7044-0.7077 and Nd = -2.2 to -1.1. Six samples of LO define a whole rock isochron age of 285±15 Ma with (87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.7051±0.001 (MSWD = 0.11). Two monazite analyses for the LO granite yield an weighted average 207Pb/235U age of 297.19±0.73 Ma, consistent with the preliminary ID-TIMS U-Pb analyses of two transparent and euhedral prisms of zircon that define a concordia age of 296.37 ±0.52 Ma (MSWD = 0.66). The linear trends of major and trace elements variation diagrams of LO and AC granites and their similar mean values of (87Sr/86Sr)i point, at this stage, to an involvement of mid-crustal sources, probably mixed with asthenospheric material. Therefore, LOP consists of post-D3 biotite granites installed in higher structural crustal levels, testifying the occurrence of a crustal growth episode after the major recycling processes that occurred during the deformation phase D3. We thank Prof. J.F. Santos and Dr. S. Ribeiro and Petrochron project (PTDC/CTE-GIX/112561/2009) for the Rb-Sr isotopic data obtained at LGI of University of Aveiro, Portugal. Dias, G. et al. 1998. Lithos, 45, 349-369. Pereira, E., 1989. Serviços Geológicos de Portugal.

Petrography and geochemistry of precambrian rocks from GT-2 and EE-1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Laughlin, A.W.; Eddy, A.

1977-08-01

During the drilling of GT-2 and EE-1, 27 cores totaling about 35 m were collected from the Precambrian section. Samples of each different lithology in each core were taken for petrographic and whole-rock major- and trace-element analyses. Whole-rock analyses are now completed on 37 samples. From these data four major Precambrian units were identified at the Fenton Hill site. Geophysical logs and cuttings were used to extrapolate between cores. The most abundant rock type is an extremely variable gneissic unit comprising about 75% of the rock penetrated. This rock is strongly foliated and may range compositionally from syenogranitic to tonaliticmore » over a few centimeters. The bulk of the unit falls within the monzogranite field. Interlayered with the gneiss is a ferrohastingsite-biotite schist which compositionally resembles a basaltic andesite. A fault contact between the schist and gneiss was observed in one core. Intrusive into this metamorphic complex are two igneous rocks. A leucocratic monzogranite occurs as at least two 15-m-thick dikes, and a biotite-granodiorite body was intercepted by 338 m of drill hole. Both rocks are unfoliated and equigranular. The biotite granodiorite is very homogeneous and is characterized by high modal contents of biotite and sphene and by high K/sub 2/O, TiO/sub 2/, and P/sub 2/O/sub 5/ contents. Although all of the cores examined show fractures, most of these are tightly sealed or healed. Calcite is the most abundant fracture filling mineral, but epidote, quartz, chlorite, clays or sulfides have also been observed. The degree of alteration of the essential minerals normally increases as these fractures are approached. The homogeneity of the biotite granodiorite at the bottom of GT-2 and the high degree of fracture filling ensure an ideal setting for the Hot Dry Rock Experiment.« less

New geochronological evidence for the timing of early Tertiary ridge subduction in southern Alaska: A section in Geologic studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1998

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bradley, Dwight C.; Parrish, Randall; Clendenen, William; Lux, Daniel R.; Layer, Paul W.; Heizler, Matthew; Donley, D. Thomas

2000-01-01

We present new U/Pb (monazite, zircon) and 40Ar/39Ar (biotite, amphibole) ages for 10 Tertiary plutons and dikes that intrude the Chugach–Prince William accretionary complex of southern Alaska. The Sanak pluton of Sanak Island yielded ages of 61.1±0.5 Ma (zircon) and 62.7±0.35 (biotite). The Shumagin pluton of Big Koniuji Island yielded a U/Pb zircon age of 61.1±0.3 Ma. Two biotite ages from the Kodiak batholith of Kodiak Island are nearly identical at 58.3±0.2 and 57.3±2.5 Ma. Amphibole from a dike at Malina Bay, Afognak Island, is 59.3±2.2 Ma; amphibole from a dike in Seldovia Bay, Kenai Peninsula, is 57.0±0.2 Ma. The Nuka pluton, Kenai Peninsula, yielded ages of 56.0±0.5 Ma (monazite) and 54.2±0.1 (biotite). Biotite plateau ages are reported for the Aialik (52.2±0.9 Ma), Tustumena (53.2±1.1 Ma), Chernof (54.2±1.1 Ma), and Hive Island (53.4±0.4 Ma) plutons of the Kenai Peninsula. Together, these new results confirm, but refine, the previously documented along-strike diachronous age trend of near-trench magmatism during the early Tertiary. We suggest that this event began at 61 Ma at Sanak Island, 2-4 m.y. later than previously supposed. An intermediate dike near Tutka Bay, Kenai Peninsula, yielded a hornblende age of 115±2 Ma. This represents a near-trench magmatic event that had heretofore gone unrecognized on the Kenai Peninsula; correlative Early Cretaceous near-trench plutons are known from the western Chugach Mountains near Palmer.

Biogenic Weathering: Solubilization of Iron from Minerals by Epilithic Freshwater Algae and Cyanobacteria

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

A sandstone outcrop exposed to freshwater seepage supports a diverse assemblage of photosynthetic microbes. Dominant taxa are two cyanophytes (Oscillatoria sp., Rivularia sp.) and a unicellular green alga (Palmellococcus sp.). Less abundant taxa include a filamentous green alga, Microspora, and the desmid Cosmarium. Biologic activity is evidenced by measured levels of chlorophyll and lipids. Bioassay methods confirm the ability of these microbes to dissolve and metabolize Fe from ferruginous minerals. Chromatographic analysis reveals citric acid as the likely chelating agent; this low molecular weight organic acid is detectable in interstitial fluid in the sandstone, measured as 0.0756 mg/mL. Bioassays using a model organism, Synechoccus elongates strain UTEX 650, show that Fe availability varies among different ferruginous minerals. In decreasing order of Fe availability: magnetite > limonite > biotite > siderite > hematite. Biotite was selected for detailed study because it is the most abundant iron-bearing mineral in the sandstone. SEM images support the microbiologic evidence, showing weathering of biotite compared to relatively undamaged grains of other silicate minerals. PMID:29342973

Petrogenesis of the Zheduoshan Cenozoic granites in the eastern margin of Tibet: Constraints on the initial activity of the Xianshuihe Fault

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lai, Shao-cong; Zhao, Shao-wei

2018-06-01

The Zheduoshan Miocene granitic pluton is exposed at the eastern margin of Tibet and along the strike-slip Xianshuihe Fault, and is the product of syn-tectonic magmatism closely related to this fault. This paper is focused on the petrogenesis of different granitic lithological units in the Zheduoshan composite intrusion, and the results of geochronology and lithology show that the Zheduoshan Miocene granitic pluton is incremental assembly by three stages of granitic magma influx and growth, represented by fine-grain biotite granite at 18.0 Ma, corase-grain and porphyraceous biotite monzogranite at 16.0 Ma and medium-grain two-mica monzogranite at 14.0 Ma. Combining with the geochemical signatures, these granitic rocks have high intial 87Sr/86Sr ratios, enriched Nd and Hf isotopic compositions, revealing that the sources of these granitic rocks are metabasatic rocks for fine-grain biotite granite, greywackes for coarse-grain biotite monzogranite and medium-grain monzogranite. These granites have high Sr/Y ratios, revealing that these granitic magma form at high pressure condition. The Sr/Y ratios and calculated crystallization pressure gradually decreased, implying the pressure gradually decreasing with the formation of these three stages of granites, which is probably caused by the tectonic mechanism transition from compression to strike-slip extension during the generation of these granites at 18.0-14.4 Ma. This tectonic mechanism change implied the initial activity of Xianshuihe Fault at least before 14.4 Ma.

Relationship of orogen-parallel exhumation in the Tauern and Rechnitz Windows to eastward lateral escape of the Eastern Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Favaro, Silvia; Schuster, Ralf; Scharf, Andrea; Handy, Mark R.

2013-04-01

Neogene orogen-parallel extensional in the Tauern and Rechnitz Windows and eastward lateral extrusion of the Eastern Alps are manifested, respectively, by exhumation and cooling and by subsidence of pull-apart basins. These events overlap in time, giving rise to the question of their relationship. The Tauern Window exposes relics of the European continental margin (Subpenninic units) and Alpine Tethys Ocean (Penninic units) beneath units derived from the Adriatic microplate (Austroalpine nappes). In the eastern part of the Tauern Window, the Subpenninic and Penninic nappes are deformed by two domes (Sonnblick and Hochalm domes) and the intervening tight Mallnitz synform. Reddy et al. (1996) proposed that the Sonnblick dome cooled first based on a trend of decreasing Rb-Sr and Ar-Ar white mica and biotite ages from the northwestern part of the Sonnblick Dome to the southeastern part of the Hochalm dome. When combined with this existing dataset, new Rb/Sr biotite ages point to simultaneous cooling of the domes to below the closure temperature of this isotopic system. Rb-Sr muscovite ages decrease from 26-30 Ma in the northwest to 20-25 Ma in the southeast. Rb-Sr biotite ages young in the same direction from 20-23 Ma to 16-19 Ma. The biotite ages do not vary in a transect of the Mallnitz synform and are therefore inferred to post-date this structure. Apatite fission track data follow this same NW to SE trend. A SE increase in intensity of mylinitic shearing along strike of the Mallnitz synform is interpreted to be a manifestation of stretch faulting related to normal faulting along the central part of the Katschberg Shear Zone system at the eastern end of the Tauern Window (Scharf et al., submitted). We attribute the SE decrease of the biotite cooling ages to an increased component of tectonic unroofing towards the eastern margin of the Tauern Window. Three new Rb-Sr biotite ages in the range of 16-26 Ma from the lowermost Austroalpine units (Wechsel and Semmering nappes) immediately above the Rechnitz Window are also interpreted to reflect cooling during extensional exhumation. This age range overlaps with that of rapid subsidence and sedimentation in pull-apart basins of the Eastern Alps (17-12 Ma) and opening of the Pannonian Basin (21-15 Ma) behind the retreating Carpathian subduction orogen. This suggests that exhumation in the Rechnitz Window and lateral escape of the Eastern Alps were broadly coeval with both Adriatic indentation and Carpathian rollback subduction.

Oxygen Isotopes and the Cooling History of the Mount Barcroft Area, Central White Mountains, Easternmost California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ernst, W. G.; Rumble, D.

2001-12-01

The White-Inyo Range + Owens Valley marks the western limit of the Basin and Range province, directly east of the Sierra Nevada. At Mount Barcroft, mid-Mesozoic, alkaline, bimodal White Mountain Peak metavolcanic + metaclastic rocks on the N are separated from Lower Cambrian siliciclastic + carbonate metasedimentary strata on the S by the NE-trending Middle Jurassic Barcroft mafic granodioritic pluton. It consists of mineralogically/chemically intergradational gabbro/diorite, granodiorite, metadiorite, and alaskite. Eastward, the section is intruded by the Late Cretaceous, ternary-minimum McAfee Creek Granite. Ignoring altered dikes, bulk-rock analyses of plutonic rocks indicate that metaluminous, I-type rocks of the Barcroft comagmatic suite possess an av(12) d18O value of 7.5. Slightly peraluminous, apparently S-type granitic rocks sensu stricto of the McAfee Creek series have an av(8) d18O value of 8.6. Evidence is lacking for large-scale bulk-rock interaction with near-surface waters, suggesting intermediate crustal depths of intrusion and cooling for these plutons. Coexisting Barcroft minerals exhibit consistent oxygen isotopic partitioning from high to low d18O in the sequence quartz > plagioclase > K-feldspar >> amphibole = biotite. Wall-rock quartz and biotite are richer in 18O than analogous phases in the plutonic rocks, and show slightly greater fractionations than igneous counterparts. Along its borders, late-stage exchange with heated aqueous fluids, derived from recrystallized wall rocks due to emplacement of the Middle Jurassic magma, increased 18O/16O ratios of dikes, and some Barcroft igneous plagioclase and subsolidus tremolite-actinolite. Oxygen isotope geothermometry for Barcroft quartz-amphibole and quartz-biotite pairs yields broadly similar temperatures; the combined average of 13 pairs is 519oC. A single quartz-biotite pair analyzed from a Lower Cambrian quartzite within the inner metamorphic aureole of the Barcroft pluton yields a temperature of 511oC, in agreement with values based on wall-rock metamorphic parageneses. Barcroft quartz, feldspars, biotite, and clinoamphiboles were subjected to exchange with deuteric fluid, and re-equilibrated under subsolidus conditions. Quartz-plagioclase pairs from two Barcroft granodiorites possess similar temperatures of 519 and 515oC, so also re-equilibrated at subsolidus temperatures. Areal distributions for quartz-plagioclase, quartz-clinoamphibole, and quartz-biotite pairs reveal that annealing temperatures are lowest in axial portions of the Barcroft granodioritic pluton. Late Cretaceous emplacement of the McAfee Creek Granite had little effect on d18O values of Barcroft minerals and bulk rocks.

Chlorite, Biotite, Illite, Muscovite and Feldspar Dissolution Kinetics at Variable pH and Temperatures up to 280 deg C

DOE Data Explorer

Carroll, Susan; Smith, Megan M.; Lammers, Kristin

2017-02-24

Chemical reactions pose an important but poorly understood threat to EGS long-term success because of their impact on fracture permeability. This report summarizes the dissolution rate equations for layered silicates where data were lacking for geothermal systems. Here we report updated rate laws for chlorite (Carroll and Smith 2013), biotite (Carroll and Smith, 2015), illite (Carroll and Smith, 2014), and for muscovite. Also included is a spreadsheet with rate data and rate equations for use in reactive transport simulators.

The Role of Halogens in High-Grade Metamorphism and Anatexis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aranovich, L.; Safonov, O.

2016-12-01

We review factors controlling the distribution of the two major halogens, F and Cl, in high-grade metamorphic rocks; their compositional correlations and partitioning between minerals; experimental data on stability and phase equilibria of the halogen-bearing minerals; the influence of halogens on Fe-Mg exchange reactions; and the means of estimating concentrations/activity of halogen species concentration/ activity in the fluid phase ("chlorimetry and fluorimetry") via calculation of equilibrium conditions for mineral assemblages containing halogen-bearing phases. Clear negative correlation between the F content and XFe=Fe/(Fe+Mg) suggests that natural biotite and amphibole obey the Fe-F avoidance rule. A strong positive correlation exists between K and Cl in amphibole. A scattering of points on the XFe -Cl and TiO2- Cl diagrams indicate the possible involvement of an exotic Cl-rich phase (fluid or melt) during the formation of Cl-bearing biotite and amphibole. Fluorine and Cl substituting for OH-groups substantially stabilize minerals relative to dehydration and melting. They should also strongly affect partitioning of Fe and Mg between biotite, amphibole and anhydrous minerals. This effect is quantified for Fe-Mg exchange reactions involving biotite (Zhu and Sverjensky, 1992), but remains to be evaluated for amphibole. Calculations based on recent thermodynamic systematics show that the relatively Mg-rich, Cl-poor biotite (for example, XFe = 0.4 and about 0.2 wt.% Cl) may coexist with a fairly Cl-rich fluid, i.e. total Cl/(Cl+H2O) from 0.1-0.3, depending on the assemblage, under granulite facies P-T conditions. Alkali (and Ca) metasomatism caused by interaction of high grade rocks with halogen-bearing fluids has major impact on the subsolidus phase transformations and melting processes during high-grade metamorphism and anatexis. For example, an increase in sodium content in plagioclase (Pl) by 20 mol% due to infiltration of Na- fluid into the quartz (Qtz)-bearing rocks decreases melting temperature by about 50o. Similar effect may occur in the originally Qtz-absent rocks due to interaction with Ca-rich fluids. Acknowledgements: This work was supported by RFBR grant 15-05-01053.

Performance of ground-penetrating radar on granitic regoliths with different mineral composition

USGS Publications Warehouse

Breiner, J.M.; Doolittle, James A.; Horton, Radley M.; Graham, R.C.

2011-01-01

Although ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is extensively used to characterize the regolith, few studies have addressed the effects of chemical and mineralogical compositions of soils and bedrock on its performance. This investigation evaluated the performance of GPR on two different granitic regoliths of somewhat different mineralogical composition in the San Jacinto Mountains of southern California. Radar records collected at a site where soils are Alfisols were more depth restricted than the radar record obtained at a site where soils are Entisols. Although the Alfisols contain an argillic horizon, and the Entisols have no such horizon of clay accumulation, the main impact on GPR effectiveness is related to mineralogy. The bedrock at the Alfisol site, which contains more mafic minerals (5% hornblende and 20% biotite), is more attenuating to GPR than the bedrock at the Entisol site, where mafic mineral content is less (<1% hornblende and 10% biotite). Thus, a relatively minor variation in bedrock mineralogy, specifically the increased biotite content, severely restricts the performance of GPR. Copyright ?? 2011 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Deformation partitioning and fabric development during shearing of felsic migmatites (Valpelline Series, NW Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pariani, Federico; Menegon, Luca; Bistacchi, Andrea; Malaspina, Nadia

2014-05-01

The relationships between partial melting and deformation in the continental lower crust are critical for understanding lithosphere rheology and the processes leading to melt segregation. In metapelitic rocks in the lower portions of the crust partial melting typically occurs via dehydration of biotite and is generally characterized by a negative volume change when garnet is produced as a peritectic phase. As a result, segregation of biotite-derived melt by fracturing resulting from dilational strain is not common. Hence segregation of biotite-derived melts in the lower crust is likely to be controlled by active deformation via creation of structural anisotropies (fabric), which define migration pathways from the grain-size to the kilometre scale. This study investigates the relations between deformation mechanisms of minerals, fabric development and grain- and meso-scale deformation partitioning in felsic migmatites. The study area is located in the Valpelline Series of the Dent Blanche Nappe in the north-western Alps, which represents a slice of pre-Alpine lower crust dominated by metapelitic migmatites (i.e. 'kinzigites' in the Alpine literature). The migmatites are stromatic and show a leucosome-melanosome interlayering defining the dominant foliation (S2), which forms along a sinistral shear zone at least 1 km thick and laterally continuous for at least 8 km. Ti-in biotite geothermometry, mineral inclusions in garnet, and literature data indicate that S2 formed at P, T conditions of 800-820°C, 0.4-0.7 GPa, during dehydration melting of biotite. The melanosomes have about 80 vol% of garnet + biotite + sillimanite and are very poor in quartz and feldspars, indicating almost complete removal of melt. Garnet forms slightly elongated grains wrapped by biotite and sillimanite layers. Compositional maps of the elongated garnet do not show any zonation. EBSD analysis indicates that the elongated garnets are actually clusters of individual grains with no internal misorientation. We interpret these microstructures as deriving from amalgamation of individual garnets in elongated sites during shearing. Prismatic sillimanite has a strong crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) with the c-axes parallel to the stretching lineation. However, evidence for internal misorientaton is scarce, indicating that the CPO was probably achieved by passive rotation during shearing. Elongated K-feldspar grains also do not show any internal misorientation and crystal plasticity features. They are rich of sillimanite and quartz inclusions, suggesting that they represent melt pockets crystallized near the site of production. K-feldspar has a weak CPO with the (010) planes parallel to the foliation and either <100> or <101> axis parallel to the lineation. The high aspect ratio was probably achieved by oriented growth during crystallization of melt. In summary, deformation mechanisms of minerals during melt removal from the melanosome seem to be dominated by passive rotation and oriented growth during magmatic flow, with negligible contribution of dislocation creep. A large (at least several hundred metres thick across foliation) low-strain domain of less pelitic, more quartzofeldspathic composition has escaped the pervasive development of S2. This domain preserves an S1 associated with older stages of partial melting. We speculate that the different bulk and mineralogical composition, reflecting the different nature of the protolith but also the effect of pre-existing melting episodes, determined a reduced melting during D2. This resulted in localization of deformation along melt-richer portions of this lower crustal section.

Syntectonic emplacement of the Triassic biotite-syenogranite intrusions in the Taili area, western Liaoning, NE China: Insights from petrogenesis, rheology and geochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Weimin; Liu, Yongjiang; Jin, Wei; Neubauer, Franz; Zhao, Yingli; Liang, Chenyue; Wen, Quanbo; Feng, Zhiqiang; Li, Jing; Liu, Qing

2017-05-01

The North China Craton (NCC) is one of the oldest cratons in the world, and it recently becomes a hot study area because of large volumes of Mesozoic intrusions associated with lithospheric thinning contributing to cratonic destruction in late Mesozoic times. However, the timing of initial thinning and destruction is still controversial. The Taili area, western Liaoning Province, in the northeastern part of the NCC well exposes the Archean basement rocks and the Mesozoic magmatic rocks with variable plastic deformation. This study focuses on the syntectonic emplacement of the Triassic biotite-syenogranite intrusions, in order to understand their petrogenesis, timing as well as the geological significance. Zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb ages reveal that the biotite-syenogranites formed between 246 and 191 Ma, and contain many ancient (2564-2317 Ma) zircon xenocrysts. Geochemical data suggests that the biotite-syenogranites display an adakitic affinity with high Sr/Y = 135-167 and (La/Yb)N = 48-69, as well as negligible Eu anomalies (δEu = 0.87-0.94), high negative zircon εHf(t) values (-15.5 to -21.5) and ancient TDM2 ages (2246-2598 Ma). This data suggests that the parent magmas were generated from partial melting of thickened Archean lower crustal rocks probably due to the bidirectional amalgamation of the NCC with the NE China micro-blocks and the Yangtze Craton in its north and south, respectively. In the middle part of the Taili area, magmatic fabrics are well preserved in the biotite-syenogranite intrusion characterized by the strong preferred orientation of biotite and hornblende crystals, which parallel to the intrusion margin and are slightly oblique to the gneissosity of the sheared host Neoarchean granitic gneisses. The quartz grain size piezometer suggests that the paleo-differential stresses weaken toward to the central part of the intrusion, ranging from 21.40-22.22 MPa to 16.74-19.34 MPa, during quartz crystallization in the emplacement stage. This allow deduce much higher strain rates in the center (1.26 × 10-11-2.24 × 10-9 s-1) than at the margin (9.07 × 10-12-1.31 × 10-9 s-1) of the pluton. These observations are interpreted by the rheological behavior of magma during the magmatic ;pipe; flow. The adakitic source melts ascended through the conduits along weak NE-trending sinistral shear zones, and emplaced at the shallower depth of ∼16 km before Early Jurassic (∼190 Ma). The biotite-syenogranites were still in a semisolid state, when garnet-bearing granitic aplites injected at ∼220 Ma. This stage records elongate (constrictional) strain under the sinistral shear stresses, particularly in quartz grains occurring in the margin of intrusions. In combination with previous studies, an exhumation rate of the NCC's Archean basement (from ∼25 km to ∼11 km in depth) is calculated as initial low exhumation rate of ∼4.0 mm/kyr from Neoarchean to Late Triassic, and subsequent a rapid exhumation process of ∼63 mm/kyr between Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous. All the results presented here allow us to consider the geodynamic evolution of the eastern NCC and constrain the onset of lithospheric thinning and cratonic destruction of the NCC as early as Middle Triassic (∼240 Ma) triggered by the amalgamation of adjacent blocks. It developed prosperously since Late Triassic, due to the oblique subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate.

Petrochemistry of late miocene peraluminous silicic volcanic rocks from the Morococala field, Bolivia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Morgan, VI G.B.; London, D.; Luedke, R.G.

1998-01-01

Late Miocene peraluminous volcanic rocks of the Morococala field, Bolivia, define a layered stratigraphy of basal andalusite-, biotite-(?? Muscovite)-bearing rhyolite tuffs (AR), overlain by cordierite-, biotite-bearing rhyolite tuffs (CR), and capped by biotite-beanng quartz latite tuffs, lavas, and late domal flows (QL). Mineral and whole-rock compositions become more evolved from top to bottom, with differentiation reflected by decreasing Ca, Ba, Mg, Fe, and rare earth elements (REE) versus increasing F, Na/K, and aluminosity from QL to AR. Mineral, whole-rock, and glass inclusion compositions are consistent with derivation of all three rock types from a single stratified magma reservoir, but age and spatial relations between the three units make this unlikely. Genesis of the QL involved biotite-dehydration melting of an aluminous source at T > 750??C and P ??? 4-6 kbar. If not co-magmatic with QL, the other units were generated primarily by muscovite-dehydration melting at T = 730-750??C and P ??? 3??5-4??5 kbar for CR, and T ??? 750??C for AR with pre-emptive residence at low pressure (1??5-3??0 kbar). Low hematite contents (XHem ??? 0??06) of ilmenite grains in AR, CR, and early grains (as inclusions in plagioclase and sanidine cores) in QL indicate reduced conditions imposed by a graphite-bearing source. Compositional variability among texturally later oxides (ilmenite with XHem = 0??06-0??50, primary magnetite), however, apparently records progressive increases in pre-eruptive f(O2) in QL. Plagioclase-melt equilibria and electron microprobe analysis difference for quartz-hosted glass inclusions suggest pre-emptive melt H2O contents ??? 5-7 wt % for the AR, ???4-6 wt % for the CR, and ???3-5 wt % for the QL.

Cesium adsorption and distribution onto crushed granite under different physicochemical conditions.

PubMed

Tsai, Shih-Chin; Wang, Tsing-Hai; Li, Ming-Hsu; Wei, Yuan-Yaw; Teng, Shi-Ping

2009-01-30

The adsorption of cesium onto crushed granite was investigated under different physicochemical conditions including contact time, Cs loading, ionic strength and temperature. In addition, the distribution of adsorbed Cs was examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and EDS mapping techniques. The results showed that Cs adsorption to crushed granite behaved as a first-order reaction with nice regression coefficients (R(2) > or = 0.971). Both Freundlich and Langmuir models were applicable to describe the adsorption. The maximum sorption capacity determined by Langmuir model was 80 micromol g(-1) at 25 degrees C and 10 micromol g(-1) at 55 degrees C. The reduced sorption capacity at high temperature was related to the partial enhancement of desorption from granite surface. In general, Cs adsorption was exothermic (DeltaH<0, with median of -12 kJ mol(-1)) and spontaneous (DeltaG<0, with median of -6.1 at 25 degrees C and -5.0 kJ mol(-1) at 55 degrees C). The presence of competing cations such as sodium and potassium ions in synthetic groundwater significantly reduces the Cs adsorption onto granite. The scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) mapping method provided substantial evidences that micaceous minerals (biotite in this case) dominate Cs adsorption. These adsorbed Cs ions were notably distributed onto the frayed edges of biotite minerals. More importantly, the locations of these adsorbed Cs were coincided with the potassium depletion area, implying the displacement of K by Cs adsorption. Further XRD patterns displayed a decreased intensity of signal of biotite as the Cs loading increased, revealing that the interlayer space of biotite was affected by Cs adsorption.

Determining mineral weathering rates based on solid and solute weathering gradients and velocities: Application to biotite weathering in saprolites

USGS Publications Warehouse

White, A.F.

2002-01-01

Chemical weathering gradients are defined by the changes in the measured elemental concentrations in solids and pore waters with depth in soils and regoliths. An increase in the mineral weathering rate increases the change in these concentrations with depth while increases in the weathering velocity decrease the change. The solid-state weathering velocity is the rate at which the weathering front propagates through the regolith and the solute weathering velocity is equivalent to the rate of pore water infiltration. These relationships provide a unifying approach to calculating both solid and solute weathering rates from the respective ratios of the weathering velocities and gradients. Contemporary weathering rates based on solute residence times can be directly compared to long-term past weathering based on changes in regolith composition. Both rates incorporate identical parameters describing mineral abundance, stoichiometry, and surface area. Weathering gradients were used to calculate biotite weathering rates in saprolitic regoliths in the Piedmont of Northern Georgia, USA and in Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico. Solid-state weathering gradients for Mg and K at Panola produced reaction rates of 3 to 6 x 10-17 mol m-2 s-1 for biotite. Faster weathering rates of 1.8 to 3.6 ?? 10-16 mol m-2 s-1 are calculated based on Mg and K pore water gradients in the Rio Icacos regolith. The relative rates are in agreement with a warmer and wetter tropical climate in Puerto Rico. Both natural rates are three to six orders of magnitude slower than reported experimental rates of biotite weathering. ?? 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Iron and chlorine as guides to stratiform Cu-Co-Au deposits, Idaho Cobalt Belt, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nash, J.T.; Connor, J.J.

1993-01-01

The Cu-Co-Au deposits of the Idaho Cobalt Belt are in lithostratigraphic zones of the Middle Proterozoic Yellowjacket Formation characterized by distinctive chemical and mineralogical compositions including high concentrations of Fe (15- > 30 wt. percent Fe2O3), Cl (0.1-1.10 wt. percent), and magnetite or biotite (> 50 vol. percent). The Cu-Co-Au deposits of the Blackbird mine are stratabound in Fe-silicate facies rocks that are rich in biotite, Fe, and Cl, but stratigraphically equivalent rocks farther than 10 km from ore deposits have similar compositions. A lower lithostratigraphic zone containing magnetite and small Cu-Co-Au deposits extends for more than 40 km. The Fe-rich strata are probably exhalative units related to mafic volcanism and submarine hot springs, but the origin of the high Cl concentrations is less clear. Former chlorine-rich pore fluids are suggested by the presence of supersaline fluid inclusions, by Cl-rich biotite and scapolite (as much as 1.87 percent Cl in Fe-rich biotite), and by high Cl concentrations in rock samples. Chlorine is enriched in specific strata and in zones characterized by soft-sediment deformation, thus probably was introduced during sedimentation or diagenesis. Unlike some metasedimentary rocks containing scapolite and high Cl, the Yellowjacket Formation lacks evidence for evaporitic strata that could have been a source of Cl. More likely, the Cl reflects a submarine brine that carried Fe, K, and base metals. Strata containing anomalous Fe-K-Cl are considered to be a guide to sub-basins favorable for the occurrence of stratiform base-metal deposits. ?? 1993 Springer-Verlag.

Magnetic Fabrics of Biotite- and Tourmaline-bearing Granites : The Carnmenellis and Bodmin Plutons (british Cornwall)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguema, T. Minstsa Mi; Bouchez, J. L.

In order to extract geological information about the possible emplacement mode of the late-Variscan granite plutons of British Cornwall, detailed petro-structural studies, including magnetic fabric coverages, have been performed in Carnmenellis and Bodmin plutons. The behaviour of these granites is paramagnetic (no magnetite). However, tourmaline is ubiquitous in addition to biotite and iron-bearing muscovite. Since tourmaline has an «inverse» magneto-crystalline intrinsic anisotropy, its magnetic signal perturbates th e easy-to-interpret signal carried by the phyllosilicates. In order to overcome the magnetic signal of tourmaline, most specimens were in-air heated at 650°C during 2 hours. This helped growing magnetite grains out of biotite. These new magnetites, that are demonstrated to be magnetically mimetic with respect to biotite, re-inforce dramatically the magnetic signal of the phyllosilicates. A new structural map of Carnmenellis, obtained from after-heating AMS measurements, is compared with the original one. A dominant NW-SE trend of shallowly plunging lineations is reinforced and is attributed to magma stretch along this direction during pluton emplacement within its overlying country rocks. This agrees with some of Ghosh's field measurements (1934), and with already existing regional reconstructions. In addition, a conspicuous NE-SW lineation trend is revealed, in places where the tourmaline content is possibly the highest, particularly along a NE-SW trending corridor crossing through the pluton at its center. These NE-SW trending domains and lineations are ascribed to late-magmatic tension- gashes along which the magma was flowing and the late, boron-enriched, fluids were collected. The preliminary results obtained from Bodmin (work in progress) will be presented and compared with those of Carnmenellis, and integrated into the regional geology frame of western England.

Paleoproterozoic multistage metamorphic events in Jining metapelitic rocks from the Khondalite Belt in the North China Craton: Evidence from petrology, phase equilibria modelling and U-Pb geochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Jia; Liu, Fulai; Liu, Pinghua

2017-05-01

Metapelitic rocks of the Jining Complex (sillimanite-cordierite-garnet (Sil-Crd-Grt) gneisses, sillimanite-garnet (Sil-Grt) gneisses and quartzofeldspathic rocks) are exposed in the eastern segment of the Khondalite Belt (KB) in the North China Craton (NCC). The Sil-Crd-Grt gneisses have preserved polyphase mineral assemblages and microstructural evidence of anatexis, resulting from biotite dehydration melting. Petrological observations revealed that the Sil-Crd-Grt gneisses contain three metamorphic assemblages: a peak assemblage of garnet porphyroblast and matrix biotite + sillimanite + K-feldspar + plagioclase + quartz + ilmenite + magnetite, a post-peak near-isothermal decompressional assemblage of garnet + cordierite + biotite + sillimanite + K-feldspar + plagioclase + quartz + ilmenite + magnetite, and a decompressional cooling assemblage of garnet + biotite + cordierite + K-feldspar + plagioclase + quartz + ilmenite + magnetite. A clockwise P-T path was defined involving the inferred peak stage followed by post-peak near-isothermal decompression and decompressional cooling stages, with P-T conditions of 790-825 °C and 9-10 kbar, 810-890 °C and 6.0-6.5 kbar, and 780-810 °C and 4.0-5.5 kbar, respectively. Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) U-Pb analyses of the Sil-Crd-Grt gneisses and Sil-Grt gneisses for the detrital and metamorphic zircons yielded a protolith age of ∼2.0 Ga and the late Paleoproterozoic metamorphic age of 1895-1885 Ma. The results reveal that the metapelitic rocks of the Jining Complex underwent continent-continent subduction or collision in the peak metamorphic stage, followed by a post-collisional exhumation event in the post-peak decompressional stage, and a subsequent decompressional cooling stage between the Yinshan and Ordos blocks to form the Paleoproterozoic KB.

Geochemical modeling of low melt-fraction anatexis in a peraluminous system: The Pena Negra complex (central Spain)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bea, F.

1991-07-01

A study was made of the chemical fractionation associated with four cases of anatectic segregation of low melt-fraction cordieritic granites from migmatized meta-greywackes. The aims of the study were to (1) reveal the fractionation patterns of major and trace elements, (2) compare the major element chemistry of leucogranites and the quantitative behavior of source minerals during anatexis - inferred by mass-balance adjustment - with available experimental data for peraluminous systems, and (3) discuss the behavior of trace elements in crustal melting by comparing the chemically determined composition of leucogranites with the results of three fractionation models. Two of these assumemore » a perfect diffusive behavior of trace elements within residual solids, but they use a different set of distribution coefficients. The third assumes a perfect nondiffusive behavior. In relation to their source rocks, the leucogranites are strongly depleted in Li, Transition Elements, and Light Rare Earth Elements, but enriched in K{sub 2}O, SiO{sub 2}, and Ba. Mass balance analysis using the Anatexis Mixing Model shows that the chemistry of cordierite leucogranites is compatible with its having originated by closed-system, water-undersaturated anatexis on previously migmatized meta-greywackes, leaving a residue enriched in cordierite plus biotite and exhausted in K-feldspar. Biotite melts congruently unless important amounts of sillimanite were also present in the source. Compared with experimental metals obtained from sources with the same chemical composition but with a different femic mineralogy (biotite + sillimanite, instead of cordierite + biotite), the Pena Negra leucogranites are richer in K{sub 2}O and MgO with a lower Fe/(Fe + Mg) ratio. The differences in magnesium are believed to result from the changes in the mineral assemblage of the source rocks.« less

Change in mineral weathering behaviors of a bacterium Chitinophaga jiangningensis JN53 under different nutrition conditions.

PubMed

Cheng, Cheng; Wang, Qi; He, Linyan; Sheng, Xiafang

2017-04-01

Bacteria play important roles in mineral weathering and soil formation. However, little is known about the nutrition-related changes in mineral weathering potential and pattern of bacteria. In this study, mineral weathering behaviors of a novel mineral-weathering bacterium Chitinophaga jiangningensis JN53 were characterized in the presence of three contrasting biotite or potassium feldspar-added media. C. jiangningensis JN53 increased more Fe release from the minerals in the M-BHm (nutrition-poor medium) than in the SSKM (nutrition-rich medium) and BHm (nutrition-moderate medium), while C. jiangningensis JN53 released more Al from the minerals and Si from biotite in the SSKM. Similar Si release from potassium feldspar by C. jiangningensis JN53 was observed in the SSKM, BHm, and M-BHm. K releasing ability of C. jiangningensis JN53 was significantly higher in the biotite-added M-BHm. Highest and lowest growth of C. jiangningensis JN53 was observed in the SSKM and M-BHm, respectively. In the presence of the minerals, C. jiangningensis JN53 mainly produced gluconic acid in the SSKM and acetic acid in the BHm and M-BHm. C. jiangningensis JN53 also produced large amount of succinic acid in the biotite-added SSKM and oxalic acid in the potassium feldspar-added M-BHm. The results showed the growth, production of organic acids, and mineral weathering ability of C. jiangningensis JN53 in the three contrasting nutrition conditions. The results also suggested the change in the mineral weathering behaviors of C. jiangningensis JN53 under different levels of nutrition conditions. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Chlorite, Biotite, Illite, Muscovite, and Feldspar Dissolution Kinetics at Variable pH and Temperatures up to 280 C

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carroll, S.; Smith, M.; Lammers, K.

2016-10-05

Summary Sheet silicates and clays are ubiquitous in geothermal environments. Their dissolution is of interest because this process contributes to scaling reactions along fluid pathways and alteration of fracture surfaces, which could affect reservoir permeability. In order to better predict the geochemical impacts on long-term performance of engineered geothermal systems, we have measured chlorite, biotite, illite, and muscovite dissolution and developed generalized kinetic rate laws that are applicable over an expanded range of solution pH and temperature for each mineral. This report summarizes the rate equations for layered silicates where data were lacking for geothermal systems.

Geochemistry of peraluminous tonalite and trondhjemite, the Cornucopia stock, Blue Mountains, NE Oregon

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, K.; Barnes, C.G.; Kistler, R.W.

1993-04-01

The Cretaceous Cornucopia stock was emplaced into a greenschist-facies Permo-Triassic arc terrane. The stock comprises five distinct units: hornblende biotite tonalite, biotite trondhjemite, and three cordierite biotite trondhjemites, all with late dacitic and granitic dikes. Tonalite and trondhjemites span a narrow range of SiO[sub 2] contents and exhibit characteristics of a high-Al tonalite-trondhjemite-dacite (TTD) suite: LREE enrichment, low Y (< 15 ppm), Nb (< 10 ppm), Rb/Sr ([le]0.04), and high Sr (550--800 ppm). Euhedral cordierite phenocrysts imply the trondhjemites were H[sub 2]O-rich and were emplaced at pressures of < 2 kbars. Trace element and REE models are consistent with anmore » origin for the tonalite and trondhjemites by variable degrees (< 40%) of partial melting of a low-K tholeiitic source, with a garnet amphibolite residuum. Individual units are not related by fractional crystallization, but instead represent distinct partial melts. High Sr contents in the TTD rocks, the presence of residual garnet, and abundant residual amphibole implied by partial melting models suggest that melting occurred under H[sub 2]O-rich conditions at P [ge] 8--10 kbars.« less

Mg isotope fractionation during microbe-mineral interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Insu; Ryu, Jong-sik; Lee, Kwang-sik; Lee, Dongho

2014-05-01

Magnesium is involved in various biogeochemical processes important to the global climate change over geological time-scale. Mg isotopes allow us to directly trace the Mg cycle in the Earth's surface but the factors controlling Mg isotopic compositions have not fully understood yet. Here, we conducted a batch experiment using two bacterial species (Shewanella putrefaciens and Burkholderia fungorum) and three major Mg-bearing minerals (biotite, dolomite and hornblende). All elemental concentrations increased by 336 h and then reached to steady-state values, of which Mg concentrations varied depending on minerals and bacterial species. This result indicates that the mineral dissolution is affect by the presence of microbes, which either provide organic acids or attach onto mineral surface. The Mg isotopic compositions of initial minerals biotite, dolomite and hornblende are -0.35o of biotite, -0.99o of dolomite, and -0.24o of hornblende, in δ26Mg. Similarly, δ26Mg values increased by 336 h and reached to steady-state values, which also varied with minerals and microbes. During dissolution of three minerals, the light isotope of Mg is preferentially incorporated into the dissolved phases and then the dissolved δ26Mg values become consistent with those of minerals with the time.

Geology and ore deposits of the Chicago Creek area, Clear Creek County, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harrison, J.E.; Wells, J.D.

1956-01-01

The Chicago Creek area, Clear Creek County, Colo., forms part of the Front Range mineral belt, which is a northeast-trending belt of coextensive porphyry intrusive rocks and hydrothermal veins of Tertiary age. More than $4.5 million worth of gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, and uranium was produced from the mines in the area between 1859 and 1954. This investigation was made by the Geological survey on behalf of the Division of Raw Materials of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. The bedrock in the area is Precambrian and consists of igneous rocks, some of which have been metamorphosed , and metasedimentary rocks. The metasedimentary rocks include biotite-quartz-plagioclase gneiss that is locally garnetiferous, sillimanitic biotite-quartz gneiss, amphibolite, and lime-silicate gneiss. Rocks that may be metasedimentary or meta-igneous are quartz monzonite gneiss and granite gneiss and pegmatite. The granite gneiss and pegmatite locally form a migmatite with the biotitic metasedimentary rocks. These older rocks have been intruded by granodiorite, quartz, and granite pegmatite. During Tertiary time the Precambrian rocks were invaded by dikes and plugs of quartz monzonite porphyry, alaskite porphyry, granite porphyry, monzonite porphyry, bostonite and garnetiferous bostonite porphyry, quartz bostonite porphyry, trachytic granite porphyry, and biotite-quartz latite-porphyry. Solifluction debris of Wisconsin age forms sheets filling some of the high basins, covering some of the steep slopes, and filling parts of some of the valleys; talus and talus slides of Wisconsin age rest of or are mixed with solifluction debris in some of the high basins. Recent and/or Pleistocene alluvium is present along valley flats of the larger streams and gulches. Two periods of Precambrian folding can be recognized in the area. The older folding crumpled the metasedimentary rocks into a series of upright and overturned north-northeast plunging anticlines and synclines. Quartz monzonite gneiss, granite gneiss and pegmatite, granodiorite, and quartz diorite and associated hornblendite are metamorphosed during this period. The second period of folding appears to have been the reflection at depth of faulting nearer the surface; it resulted in crushing as well as some folding of the already folded rocks into terrace and monoclinal folds that plunge gently east-northeast. The biotite-muscovite granite, which is the youngest major Precambrian rock unit, is both concordant (phacolithic) and crosscutting along the older fold system and has been fractured by the younger fold system.

Orebody geometry, fluid and metal sources of the Omitiomire Cu deposit in the Ekuja Dome of the Damara Belt in Namibia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitt, Shawn; Kisters, Alexander; Vennemann, Torsten; Steven, Nick

2018-02-01

The Omitiomire Cu deposit (resource of 137 Mt at 0.54% Cu) in the Ekuja Dome of the Damara Belt in Namibia is hosted by an anastomosing, low-angle Pan-African (ca. 520 Ma) shear zone system developed around an older (ca. 1100-1060 Ma), late Mesoproterozoic intrusive breccia between a suite of mafic rocks (originally lava flows) and later tonalitic gneisses. High-grade ore shoots preferentially formed along contacts between tectonically interleaved biotite-epidote-quartz-chalcocite schists and felsic gneisses, and are directly related to an increase in the number and cumulative thickness of thin, contact-parallel mineralized shear zones. Alteration and mineralization are associated with elevated concentrations of K2O, Cr, Rb, S, and Cu and a loss of Na2O, CaO, and MgO. Oxygen isotope fractionation for quartz-biotite, quartz-feldspar, and quartz-amphibole mineral pairs support equilibrium temperatures of between 500 and 650 °C during the fluid/rock interaction. Mineral separates from amphibole-biotite gneisses and mineralized schists have similar ranges in δ18O values of about 1.2 to 2 ‰ relative to VSMOW. Coexisting minerals are arranged in an order of increasing δ18O values from biotite, to epidote, amphibole, and quartz, suggesting that the Omitiomire Shear Zone was a rock-dominated system. Similarly, H-isotope results for mineral separates from biotite-epidote schists and amphibole gneisses do not show any reversals for D/H fractionations, with δD values of between -48 and -82 ‰, typical of metamorphic-magmatic rocks. The homogeneous and low δ34S values (-6.1 to -4.7 ‰ CDT) are compatible with a local redistribution of sulfur from magmatic rocks and interaction with sulfur derived from metamorphic fluids of metasedimentary origin. The relatively low fluid/rock ratios and elevated Cu values (>1500 ppm) from unaltered amphibolite point to a local redistribution of an earlier (late Mesoproterozoic) Keweenaw-type Cu mineralization into later Pan-African shear zones during the exhumation of the Ekuja Dome. The timing, polyphase evolution, and tectonic setting of the Omitiomire deposit show remarkable similarities with the large Cu deposits of the Domes Region in the adjoining Lufilian Arc of northern Zambia. This suggests the presence of a much larger, regionally significant Cu province extending from central Namibia, through northern Botswana, and into Zambia.

The petrogenesis of the Early Permian Variscan granites of the Cornubian Batholith: Lower plate post-collisional peraluminous magmatism in the Rhenohercynian Zone of SW England

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simons, B.; Shail, Robin K.; Andersen, Jens C. Ø.

2016-09-01

The Early Permian Cornubian Batholith was generated during an extensional regime following Variscan convergence within the Rhenohercynian Zone of SW England. Its component granites can be classified, using mineralogical, textural and geochemical criteria, into five main types, all of which are peraluminous (A/CNK > 1.1): G1 (two-mica), G2 (muscovite), G3 (biotite), G4 (tourmaline) and G5 (topaz). G1 granites formed through up to 20% muscovite and minor biotite dehydration melting of a metagreywacke source at moderate temperatures and pressures (731-806 °C, > 5 kbar). Younger G3 granites formed through higher temperature, lower pressure (768-847 °C, < 4 kbar) biotite-dominated melting of a similar source. Partial melting was strongly influenced by the progressive lower-mid crustal emplacement of mafic igneous rocks during post-Variscan extension and a minor (< 5%-10%) mantle-derived component in the granites is possible. Two distinct fractionation series, G1-G2 and G3-G4, are defined using whole-rock geochemical and mineral chemical data. Variations in the major elements, Ba, Sr and Rb indicate that G1 and G3 granites underwent 15%-30% fractionation of an assemblage dominated by plagioclase, alkali feldspar and biotite to form more evolved G2 and G4 granites, respectively. Decreasing whole-rock abundances of Zr, Th and REE support the fractionation of zircon, monazite, apatite and allanite. Subsolidus alteration in G2 and G4 granites is indicated by non-primary muscovite and tourmaline and modification of major and trace element trends for G3-G4 granites, particularly for P2O5 and Rb. Topaz (G5) granites show low Zr, REE and extreme enrichment in Rb (up to 1530 ppm) and Nb (79 ppm) that cannot be related in a straightforward manner to continued differentiation of the G1-G2 or G3-G4 series. Instead, they are considered to represent partial melting, mediated by granulite facies fluids, of a biotite-rich restite following extraction of G1 and/or G3 magmas; they do not exhibit the typical geochemical characteristics of intraplate A-type granites.

Two types of gabbroic xenoliths from rhyolite dominated Niijima volcano, northern part of Izu-Bonin arc: petrological and geochemical constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arakawa, Yoji; Endo, Daisuke; Ikehata, Kei; Oshika, Junya; Shinmura, Taro; Mori, Yasushi

2017-03-01

We examined the petrography, petrology, and geochemistry of two types of gabbroic xenoliths (A- and B-type xenoliths) in olivine basalt and biotite rhyolite units among the dominantly rhyolitic rocks in Niijima volcano, northern Izu-Bonin volcanic arc, central Japan. A-type gabbroic xenoliths consisting of plagioclase, clinopyroxene, and orthopyroxene with an adcumulate texture were found in both olivine basalt and biotite rhyolite units, and B-type gabbroic xenoliths consisting of plagioclase and amphibole with an orthocumulate texture were found only in biotite rhyolite units. Geothermal- and barometricmodelling based on mineral chemistry indicated that the A-type gabbro formed at higher temperatures (899-955°C) and pressures (3.6-5.9 kbar) than the B-type gabbro (687-824°C and 0.8-3.6 kbar). These findings and whole-rock chemistry suggest different parental magmas for the two types of gabbro. The A-type gabbro was likely formed from basaltic magma, whereas the B-type gabbro was likely formed from an intermediate (andesitic) magma. The gabbroic xenoliths in erupted products at Niijima volcano indicate the presence of mafic to intermediate cumulate bodies of different origins at relatively shallower levels beneath the dominantly rhyolitic volcano.

THE AGES OF BOMA MIGMATITES AND OF THE WEST CONGOLIAN OROGENY. PRELIMINARY DATA ON THE AGES OF THE MAYUMBIAN AND AN EARLIER FORMATION (in French)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cahen, L.; Delhal, J.; Ledent, D.

1963-08-01

The oldest, (2760 plus or minus 500) million years or older, is interpreted as representing an episode of an orogenic cycle, older than the Mayumbian orogeny. The next event, also only approximately dated between 1480 and 1800 million years is the Mayumbian orogeny. The last major event, of which a late tectonic phase is circa 615 million years old, is the West-Congolian orogeny which is followed by posttectonic pegmatites and veins spanning the interval between 520 (pegmatites) to circa 445 (last veins) million years. Numerous biotites have, by both the Rb--Sr and the K--Ar method, yielded apparent ages similar tomore » those of the last post-tectonic veins, though their true age be certainly older. This is also the case for-a K--Ar age on microcline. These results indicate that these apparent ages on biotite and microcline are probably caused by a post-tectonic hydrothermal event and/or by the uplift which took place at the same time, after the West Congolian folding. It therefore follows that low Rb-- Sr apparent ages on biotites are not necessarily caused by superimposed tectonics or by an important metamorphism. (auth)« less

Petrology and mineral chemistry of peraluminous Marziyan granites, Sanandaj-Sirjan metamorphic belt (NW Iran)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darvishi, Esmaiel; Khalili, Mahmoud; Beavers, Roy; Sayari, Mohammad

2015-10-01

The Marziyan granites are located in the north of Azna and crop out in the Sanandaj-Sirjan metamorphic belt. These rocks contain minerals such as quartz, K-feldspars, plagioclase, biotite, muscovite, garnet, tourmaline and minor sillimanite. The mineral chemistry of biotite indicates Fe-rich (siderophyllite), low TiO2, high Al2O3, and low MgO nature, suggesting considerable Al concentration in the source magma. These biotites crystallized from peraluminous S-type granite magma belonging to the ilmenite series. The white mica is rich in alumina and has muscovite composition. The peraluminous nature of these rocks is manifested by their remarkably high SiO2, Al2O3 and high molar A/CNK (> 1.1) ratio. The latter feature is reflected by the presence of garnet and muscovite. All field observations, petrography, mineral chemistry and petrology evidence indicate a peraluminous, S-type nature of the Marziyan granitic rocks that formed by partial melting of metapelite rocks in the mid to upper crust possibly under vapour-absent conditions. These rocks display geochemical characteristics that span the medium to high-K and calc-alkaline nature and profound chemical features typical of syn-collisional magmatism during collision of the Afro-Arabian continental plate and the Central Iranian microplate.

Metagabbro associated with the shear zone on Prins Karls Forland (Svalbard, Arctic)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maraszewska, Maria; Manecki, Maciej; Czerny, Jerzy; Schneider, David; Myhre, Per Inge; Faehnrich, Karol; Barnes, Christopher

2016-04-01

Prins Karls Forland (PKF) is a N-S elongated island situated west of Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago, High Arctic. The northern part of the island is dominated by siliciclastic metasediments regionally metamorphosed to greenshist facies assemblages during one distinct stage of tectonism. Amphibolite facies garnet-mica schists, mica schists, quartzites and carbonate-silicate rocks exhibiting evidence of at least two distinct, strong deformation episodes (including mylonitization) locally outcrop on the east coast of PKF, termed the Pinkie Unit. A ~1 km wide shear zone containing ductile to brittle structures and distinct outcrops of greenstones (metagabbros and greenschists), associated with magnetite ore, separates these two contrasting tectonic units. Ten samples of greenstones were collected on the slopes of Lauratzonfjellet and Boureefjellet for petrologic and geochemical analyses. Despite intense localized shearing, the metagabbros are undeformed and preserve coarse crystalline, magmatic texture, which is locally poikilitic. The primary magmatic assemblage consists of brown hornblende, plagioclase, biotite and opaque minerals, with accessory apatite and titanite. No relicts of pyroxenes are preserved. Formation of secondary uralite, sericite and chlorite is observed. Metamorphic assemblage consists of actinolite pseudomorhs after hornblende, epidote, and second generation biotite. Blue amphibole is observed in one sample from Boureefjellet; greenschists from Boureefjellet also contain fibrous blue amphibole, as well as garnets, actinolite, epidote and biotite. Some rocks sampled on Boureefjellet are more strongly deformed and exhibit probably two stages of metamorphism: amphibolite facies metamorphism resulting in blue amphibole-garnet assemblage followed by greenschist facies metamorphism resulting in actinolite-epidote-biotite paragenesis. Parallel and overlapping patterns on chondrite-normalized REE diagrams and spider diagrams indicate that these metagabbros are comagmatic. Enrichment in incompatible lighter elements and position of projections on discrimination diagrams suggest ocean island basalt (OIB) character of primary magmas. The age of these rocks is unknown and is an objective of ongoing investigation. This work is partially funded by AGH research grant no 11.11.140.319.

Preserved magnetic fabrics vs. annealed microstructures in the syntectonic recrystallised George granite, South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferré, E. C.; Améglio, L.

2000-08-01

The Saldanian basement of the Cape Fold Belt of South Africa outcrops in the Kaaimans inlier with granite plutons intruded in low-grade pelitic and quartzitic metasediments around 535 Ma. New field data support a ubiquitous Saldanian top-to-the-north thrust kinematics coeval with granite emplacement with no substantial Cape tectonic overprint. The granites and their contact aureoles display both synkinematic and post-kinematic fabrics. This and the high strain zone commonly observed all along the contact between the Kaaimans inlier and the Cape Fold Belt, suggest a structural decoupling between the basement and its cover. Microstructures in the Kaaimans inlier and in the George pluton establish a post-kinematic, pervasive and thermal overprint of Saldanian age. Granites and country rocks record a medium-temperature/high-strain deformation phase followed by a strong low-temperature/static recrystallisation. Two sets of andalusite porphyroblasts occur systematically in the contact aureoles of the studied plutons and cannot be explained by successive magmatic pulses. The granites, studied by the Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility (AMS) technique, are paramagnetic (20< Km<300 μSI). Biotite is mostly at the origin of the bulk rock susceptibility although minor contributions of tourmaline or ferromagnetic phases may occur. The contribution of biotite alone to the bulk magnetic susceptibility is supported by two quantitative models based, respectively, on whole rock compositions (Curie-Weiss law) and on intrinsic mineral susceptibilities. The magnetic foliations and lineations are homogeneous throughout the George pluton and are consistent with field structures. The AMS results mainly from the magneto-crystalline anisotropy of biotite and from its lattice preferred orientation (LPO) in the rock. The magnetic fabric reveals the biotite subfabrics that had been acquired before static recrystallisation and which was not modified by the subsequent thermal metamorphic event. The magnetic fabric therefore preserves the emplacement-related deformation fabric.

Metamorphic P-T-t path retrieved from metapelites in the southeastern Taihua metamorphic complex, and the Paleoproterozoic tectonic evolution of the southern North China Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Jun-Sheng; Zhai, Ming-Guo; Lu, Lin-Sheng; Wang, Hao Y. C.; Chen, Hong-Xu; Peng, Tao; Wu, Chun-Ming; Zhao, Tai-Ping

2017-02-01

The Taihua metamorphic complex in the southern part of the North China Craton is composed of tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) gneisses, amphibolites, metapelitic gneisses, marbles, quartzites, and banded iron formations (BIFs). The protoliths of the complex have ages ranging from ∼2.1 to ∼2.9 Ga and was metamorphosed under the upper amphibolite to granulite facies conditions with NWW-SEE-striking gneissosity. Metapelitites from the Wugang area have three stages of metamorphic mineral assemblages. The prograde metamorphic mineral assemblage (M1) includes biotite + plagioclase + quartz + ilmenite preserved as inclusions in garnet porphyroblasts. The peak mineral assemblage (M2) consists of garnet porphyroblasts and matrix minerals of sillimanite + biotite + plagioclase + quartz + K-feldspar + ilmenite + rutile + pyrite. The retrograde mineral assemblage (M3), biotite + plagioclase + quartz, occurs as symplectic assemblages surrounding embayed garnet porphyroblasts. Garnet porphyroblasts are chemically zoned. Pseudosection calculated in the NCKFMASHTO model system suggests that mantles of garnet porphyroblasts define high-pressure granulites facies P-T conditions of 12.2 kbar and 830 °C, whereas garnet rims record P-T conditions of 10.2 kbar and 840 °C. Integrating the prograde mineral assemblages, zoning of garnet porphyroblasts with symplectic assemblages, a clockwise metamorphic P-T path can be retrieved. High resolution SIMS U-Pb dating and LA-ICP-MS trace element measurements of the metamorphic zircons demonstrate that metapelites in Wugang possibly record the peak or near peak metamorphic ages of ∼1.92 Ga. Furthermore, 40Ar/39Ar dating of biotite in metapelites suggests that the cooling of the Taihua complex may have lasted until ∼1.83 Ga. Therefore, a long-lived Palaeoproterozoic metamorphic event may define a slow exhumation process. Field relationship and new metamorphic data for the Taihua metamorphic complex does not support the previous model in which the Tran-North China Craton (TNCO) was formed through the collision between the East and West blocks.

A Two-Stage Model for Origin of Al-rich Crustal Xenoliths in Miocene Andesite, Diablo Range, West-Central California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metzger, E. P.; Ernst, W. G.

2003-12-01

Miocene ( ˜ 8-10.5 Ma) andesite exposed as small plugs and dikes in the Diablo Range of west-central California encloses scattered xenoliths with diverse compositions and textures. The andesite is part of the Diablo Range Volcanics (DRV), a mafic to intermediate suite that is broadly coeval with and may be erosional remnants of the more extensive Quien Sabe Field located to the south and east. The DRV suite is inferred to be part of a northwestwardly younging sequence of volcanic fields that may be related to migration of the Mendocino Triple Junction (MTJ). Two basic categories of xenoliths are present: (1) metasedimentary rocks including quartzite, biotite schist, garnet-clinopyroxene gneiss, and distinctive sillimanite-corundum rocks; and (2) gabbroic and dioritic rocks exhibiting plutonic textures. Preliminary analysis has focused on aluminous xenoliths in which blocky porphyroblasts consisting of intergrown plagioclase, corundum, and hercynite +/- sillimanite +/- alkali feldspar up to ˜ 2 cm in length are surrounded by a very fine-grained granoblastic matrix of plagioclase, orthopyroxene, and hercynite +/- biotite +/- alkali feldspar +/- minor quartz. Glass is present both within the inclusions and in the surrounding matrix. The square to elongate outlines of the plagioclase-corundum inclusions suggest that they are pseudomorphic after andalusite. The corundum-bearing xenoliths are interpreted as the products of two stages of high T-low P metamorphism. The first event involved mid-crustal metamorphism (reflecting cessation of outboard subduction/refrigeration?) to produce andalusite-bearing hornfels; other phases probably included K-feldspar, Na-plagioclase, muscovite, biotite, and quartz. The second stage of recrystallization took place when the previously metamorphosed wall rock was incorporated in andesitic magma, possibly during passage of the MTJ. In response to heating by the magma, andalusite was replaced by corundum, plagioclase +/- sillimanite, muscovite and quartz broke down to produce more K-feldspar and sillimanite, and most of the biotite decomposed, forming abundant hercynite.

Pressure-Temperature Studies and Structural Setting of Amphibolite-Grade Rocks Within the Easternmost Indus-Ysangpo Suture Zone and Forearc Complex (Tidding Formation), N. Indo-Burma Ranges of N.E. India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braza, M.; Haproff, P. J.

2016-12-01

The easternmost extension of the Indus-Ysangpo suture (IYS) and Xigaze forearc complex, the Tidding Formation of northeastern India, remains the least-studied sequence representing closure of the Neotethys ocean and syn-tectonic sedimentation. In this study, we present P-T determinations coupled with detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology and detailed geologic mapping to uncover the depositional and metamorphic history of Tidding suture and forearc rocks during Himalayan orogenesis. Four mica schists were sampled from successive NW-SE-striking thrust sheets within the Dibang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh (N.E. India), southwest of the easternmost L. Cretaceous Gangdese batholith. Use of the garnet-muscovite-biotite-plagioclase (GMBP) thermobarometer and Ti-in-biotite thermometer on schist sample PH-1-8-13-26 yield peak conditions of 627 ± 28°C and 10.4 ± 1.1 kbar. Similarly, use of the garnet-biotite Fe-Mg exchange thermometer and garnet-aluminosilicate-silica-plagioclase (GASP) barometer yield 644 ± 50°C and 12 ± 1 kbar for schist sample PH-11-14-15-24 within the same thrust sheet. Both samples contain recrystallized quartz along grain boundaries and garnets contain no significant compositional zoning. At structurally lower levels, garnet chlorite schist (PH-1-8-13-8) sampled from the Mayodia klippe records peak temperatures below 650°C. Garnets display growth zoning, with increasing Mn and decreasing Fe and Mg from rim to core. Application of the Ti-in-biotite thermometer to a mafic schist (PH-1-3-13-1B) within the Mayodia klippe near a southwestward-directed thrust yields a peak temperature of 679 ± 24°C. Our study reveals metamorphism of IYS rocks occurred at deep crustal levels (>30 km) during northward Neotethys subduction. Suture rocks were subsequently exhumed by orogen-scale N-dipping thrusts during growth of the easternmost Himalayan orogen.

Autotrophic denitrification supported by biotite dissolution in crystalline aquifers: (2) transient mixing and denitrification dynamic during long-term pumping.

PubMed

Roques, Clément; Aquilina, Luc; Boisson, Alexandre; Vergnaud-Ayraud, Virginie; Labasque, Thierry; Longuevergne, Laurent; Laurencelle, Marc; Dufresne, Alexis; de Dreuzy, Jean-Raynald; Pauwels, Hélène; Bour, Olivier

2018-04-01

We investigated the mixing and dynamic of denitrification processes induced by long-term pumping in the crystalline aquifer of Ploemeur (Brittany, France). Hydrological and geochemical parameters have been continuously recorded over 15 boreholes in 5km 2 on a 25-year period. This extensive spatial and temporal monitoring of conservative as well as reactive compounds is a key opportunity to identify aquifer-scale transport and reactive processes in crystalline aquifers. Time series analysis of the conservative elements recorded at the pumped well were used to determine mixing fractions from different compartments of the aquifer on the basis of a Principal Component Analysis approach coupled with an end-member mixing analysis. We could reveal that pumping thus induces a thorough reorganization of fluxes known as capture, favoring infiltration and vertical fluxes in the recharge zone, and upwelling of deep and distant water at long-term time scales. These mixing fractions were then used to quantify the extent of denitrification linked to pumping. Based on the results from batch experiments described in a companion paper, our computations revealed that i) autotrophic denitrification processes are dominant in this context where carbon sources are limited, that ii) nitrate reduction does not only come from the oxidation of pyrite as classically described in previous studies analyzing denitrification processes in similar contexts, and that iii) biotite plays a critical role in sustaining the nitrate reduction process. Both nitrate reduction, sulfate production as well as fluor release ratios support the hypothesis that biotite plays a key role of electron donor in this context. The batch-to-site similarities support biotite availability and the role by bacterial communities as key controls of nitrate removal in such crystalline aquifers. However, the long term data monitoring also indicates that mixing and reactive processes evolve extremely slowly at the scale of the decade. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Intensive low-temperature tectono-hydrothermal overprint of peraluminous rare-metal granite: a case study from the Dlhá dolina valley (Gemericum, Slovakia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breiter, Karel; Broska, Igor; Uher, Pavel

2015-02-01

A unique case of low-temperature metamorphic (hydrothermal) overprint of peraluminous, highly evolved rare-metal S-type granite is described. The hidden Dlhá dolina granite pluton of Permian age (Western Carpathians, eastern Slovakia) is composed of barren biotite granite, mineralized Li-mica granite and albitite. Based on whole-rock chemical data and evaluation of compositional variations of rock-forming and accessory minerals (Rb-P-enriched K-feldspar and albite; biotite, zinnwaldite and di-octahedral micas; Hf-(Sc)-rich zircon, fluorapatite, topaz, schorlitic tourmaline), the following evolutionary scenario is proposed: (1) Intrusion of evolved peraluminous melt enriched in Li, B, P, F, Sn, Nb, Ta, and W took place followed by intrusion of a large body of biotite granites into Paleozoic metapelites and metarhyolite tuffs; (2) The highly evolved melt differentiated in situ forming tourmaline-bearing Li-biotite granite at the bottom, topaz-zinnwaldite granite in the middle, and quartz albitite to albitite at the top of the cupola. The main part of the Sn, Nb, and Ta crystallized from the melt as disseminated cassiterite and Nb-Ta oxide minerals within the albitite, while disseminated wolframite appears mainly within the topaz-zinnwaldite granite. The fluid separated from the last portion of crystallized magma caused small scale greisenization of the albitite; (3) Alpine (Cretaceous) thrusting strongly tectonized and mylonitized the upper part of the pluton. Hydrothermal low-temperature fluids enriched in Ca, Mg, and CO2 unfiltered mechanically damaged granite. This fluid-driven overprint caused formation of carbonate veinlets, alteration and release of phosphorus from crystal lattice of feldspars and Li from micas, precipitating secondary Sr-enriched apatite and Mg-rich micas. Consequently, all bulk-rock and mineral markers were reset and now represent the P-T conditions of the Alpine overprint.

Characteristics of the Late Devonian Tsagaan Suvarga Cu-Mo deposit, Southern Mongolia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tungalag, Naidansuren; Jargalan, Sereenen; Khashgerel, Bat-Erdene; Mijiddorj, Chuluunbaatar; Kavalieris, Imants

2018-05-01

The Late Devonian Tsagaan Suvarga deposit (255 Mt at 0.55% Cu, 0.02% Mo) is located on the NW margin of the Tsagaan Suvarga Complex (TSC), which extends ENE over 15 × 10 km and comprises mainly medium-grained equigranular hornblende-biotite quartz monzonite and monzodiorite. Distinct mineralized intrusions are inferred from distribution of Cu-Mo mineralization but are not clearly discernible. The Tsagaan Suvarga Complex is a window within Carboniferous volcanic and sedimentary rocks, and wall rocks to the TSC are not known or exposed in the nearby district. Whole-rock analyses and Sr-Nd isotopes, 87Sr/86Sr0 = 0.7027 to 0.7038 (n = 12) and ɛNd0 = + 4.26 to + 2.77 (n = 12), show that the granitoids are subduction-related I-type, high K-calc-alkaline to shoshonitic series and derived from a mantle source. They exhibit fractionated light rare earth elements, without depleted Eu and depleted middle heavy rare earth elements and Y, typical of oxidized, fertile porphyry magmatic suites. Early porphyry-style quartz veins include A- and B-type. Molybdenite occurs in monomineralic veins (1-5 mm) or A veins. Copper mineralization occurs mainly as chalcopyrite and subordinate bornite, disseminated and associated with quartz-muscovite veins. Pyrite (vol%) content is less than chalcopyrite and bornite combined. Deep oxidation to about 50 m depth has formed zones of malachite and covellite in late fractures. The most important alteration is actinolite-biotite-chlorite-magnetite replacing hornblende and primary biotite. Quartz-K-feldspar alteration is minor. Late albite replaces primary K-feldspar and enhances sodic rims on plagioclase crystals. Quartz-muscovite (or sericitic alteration) overprints actinolite-biotite and porphyry-type quartz veins. Field observations and petrographic studies suggest that the bulk of the chalcopyrite-bornite mineralization at the Tsagaan Suvarga formed together with coarse muscovite alteration.

La Escalerilla pluton, San Luis Argentina: The orogenic and post-orogenic magmatic evolution of the famatinian cycle at Sierras de San Luis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morosini, Augusto Francisco; Ortiz Suárez, Ariel Emilio; Otamendi, Juan Enrique; Pagano, Diego Sebastián; Ramos, Gabriel Alejandro

2017-01-01

Field relationships, geochemical analysis and two new absolute ages (LA-MC-ICP-MS U/Pb-zircon) allow the division of the La Escalerilla pluton (previously considered to be a single granitic body) into two different plutons: a new La Escalerilla pluton (s.s.), dated at 476.7 ± 9.6 Ma, that represents the northern portion, and the El Volcán pluton, dated at 404.5 ± 8.5 Ma, located in the southern sector. The La Escalerilla pluton is composed of three facies: (1) biotite-bearing granodiorite, (2) porphyritic biotite-bearing granite, and (3) porphyritic two micas-bearing leucogranite, being the presence of late-magmatic dykes in these facies common. The El Volcán pluton is composed of two main facies: 1) porphyritic biotite-bearing granite, and 2) two micas-bearing leucogranite, but amphibole-bearing monzodioritic and tonalititic mega-enclaves are also common, as well as some dykes of amphibole and clinopyroxene-bearing syenites. A peculiarity between the two plutons is that their most representative facies (porphyritic biotite-bearing granites) have, apart from different absolute ages, distinctive geochemical characteristics in their concentrations of trace elements; the La Escalerilla granite is comparatively poorer in Ba, Sr, Nb, La, Ce, P, and richer in Rb, Tb, Y, Tm and Yb. The El Volcán granite is notably enriched in Sr and depleted in Y, resulting in high Sr/Y ratios (12.67-39.08) compared to the La Escalerilla granite (1.11-2.41). These contrasts indicate that the separation from their sources occurred at different depths: below 25 km for the La Escalerilla, and above 30 km for the El Volcán. Moreover, the contrasts allow us to interpret a thin crust linked to an environment of pre-collisional subduction for the first case, and a thickened crust of post-collisional environment for the second, respectively.

Recycling argon through metamorphic reactions: The record in symplectites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDonald, Christopher S.; Regis, Daniele; Warren, Clare J.; Kelley, Simon P.; Sherlock, Sarah C.

2018-02-01

The 40Ar/39Ar ages of metamorphic micas that crystallized at high temperatures are commonly interpreted as cooling ages, with grains considered to have lost 40Ar via thermally-driven diffusion into the grain boundary network. Recently reported laser-ablation data suggest that the spatial distribution of Ar in metamorphic micas does not always conform to the patterns predicted by diffusion theory and that despite high metamorphic temperatures, argon was not removed efficiently from the local system during metamorphic evolution. In the Western Gneiss Region (WGR), Norway, felsic gneisses preserve microtextural evidence for the breakdown of phengite to biotite and plagioclase symplectites during near isothermal decompression from c. 20-25 to c. 8-12 kbar at 700 °C. These samples provide an ideal natural laboratory to assess whether the complete replacement of one K-bearing mineral by another at high temperatures completely 'resets' the Ar clock, or whether there is some inheritance of 40Ar in the neocrystallized phase. The timing of the high-temperature portion of the WGR metamorphic cycle has been well constrained in previous studies. However, the timing of cooling following the overprint is still much debated. In-situ laser ablation spot dating in phengite, biotite-plagioclase symplectites and coarser, texturally later biotite yielded 40Ar/39Ar ages that span much of the metamorphic cycle. Together these data show that despite residence at temperatures of 700 °C, Ar is not completely removed by diffusive loss or during metamorphic recrystallization. Instead, Ar released during phengite breakdown appears to be partially reincorporated into the newly crystallizing biotite and plagioclase (or is trapped in fluid inclusions in those phases) within a close system. Our data show that the microtextural and petrographic evolution of the sample being dated provides a critical framework in which local 40Ar recycling can be tracked, thus potentially allowing 40Ar/39Ar dates to be linked more accurately to metamorphic history.

Geochronology and petrogenesis of the Early Cretaceous A-type granite from the Feie'shan W-Sn deposit in the eastern Guangdong Province, SE China: Implications for W-Sn mineralization and geodynamic setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Peng; Mao, Jingwen; Santosh, M.; Bao, Zhian; Zeng, Xiaojian; Jia, Lihui

2018-02-01

The Feie'shan greisen-type W-Sn deposit in the eastern Guangdong Province forms part of the Southeastern Coastal Metallogenic Belt (SCMB) in South China. Here we present zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb geochronology of the biotite granite which shows a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 134.7 ± 2.0 Ma, consistent with the zircon U-Pb, biotite 40Ar-39Ar and molybdenite Re-Os ages in the previous study. The biotite granite is peraluminous and belongs to high-K calc-alkaline type. It is characterized by high SiO2, K2O, F, K2O + Na2O and FeOt/(FeOt + MgO), and low CaO, MgO, TiO2 and P2O5 contents, enrichment in Rb, Cs, Th and U, and depletion in Ba, Sr, Zr, Ti and P, with flat REE patterns and distinctly negative Eu anomalies, showing an A2-type affinity. The rocks also display extremely low Ba, Sr and Ti concentrations and high Rb/Sr, Rb/Ba and low CaO/(Na2O + K2O) ratios, indicating high degree of fractionation. Zircon grains from the granite have low Eu/Eu* and Ce4 +/Ce3 + ratios, suggesting low oxygen fugacity. The highly fractionated and reduced features imply that the Feie'shan mineralization is genetically related to the biotite granite. The εNd(t) values and zircon εHf(t) values of the biotite granite range from - 2.96 to - 1.95 and - 5.69 to 0.62, with two-stage Nd and Hf model ages (TDM2) of 1083 to 1164 Ma and 1150 to 1552 Ma, indicating that they were derived from magma hybridization between anatectic granitic and mantle-derived mafic magmas. In combination with previous studies, we propose a geodynamic model for the 145―135 Ma W-Sn mineral system and related magmatism in the southwestern domain of the SCMB. After ca. 145 Ma, the subduction orientation of the Izanagi plate changed from oblique to parallel with respect to the continental margin resulting in large-scale lithosphere extension and thinning, which led to the upwelling of asthenosphere. The ascending mantle-derived mafic magmas provided not only supplied the heat for crustal remelting but also added juvenile mantle-derived melts resulting in the formation of mafic dikes, and I- or A-type granitic intrusions related to the W-Sn ore mineral systems.

40Ar/39Ar thermochronologic constraints on the tectonothermal evolution of the Northern East Humboldt range metamorphic core complex, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGrew, A.J.; Snee, L.W.

1994-01-01

The northern East Humboldt Range (NEHR) of northeastern Nevada exposes a suite of complexly deformed migmatitic, upper amphibolite-facies rocks in the footwall of the Ruby Mountains-East Humboldt Range (RM-EHR) detachment fault. New 40Ar/39Ar data on hornblende, muscovite, biotite, and potassium feldspar help constrain the kinematic and thermal evolution of this terrain during Tertiary extensional exhumation. Hornblende samples from relatively high structural levels yield discordant age spectra that suggest initial cooling during early Tertiary time (63-49 Ma). When coupled with petrological constraints indicating a strongly decompressional P-T-t path above 550??C, the hornblende data suggest that exhumation of the RM-EHR may have initiated in early Tertiary time, approximately coincident with the initial phases of unroofing in the Wood Hills immediately to the east and with the end of thrusting in the late Mesozoic to early Tertiary Sevier orogenic belt of eastern Nevada and western Utah. This temporal coincidence suggests that gravitational collapse of tectonically thickened crust in the internal zone of the Sevier belt could have driven the initial phases of unroofing. Thermal history during the final stage of exhumation of the NEHR is constrained by discordant hornblende cooling ages of 36-29 Ma from deep structural levels and biotite, muscovite, and potassium feldspar cooling ages of 27-21 Ma from a range of structural levels. Comparison of muscovite, biotite, and potassium feldspar cooling ages with previously published fission-track cooling ages implies very rapid cooling rates at temperatures below the closure temperature for muscovite (270??-350??C), but time gaps of > 7 m.y. between hornblende and mica cooling ages suggest that cooling at higher temperatures was more gradual. In addition, comparison of 40Ar 39Ar mica cooling ages with previously published fission-track apatite cooling ages suggests pronounced thermal gradients between the NEHR and adjacent areas during latest Oligocene to earliest Miocene time. Such thermal gradients could be readily explained if the RM-EHR detachment fault dipped > 30?? between the 300??C and 100??C isotherms. Finally, 40Ar 39Ar biotite cooling ages increase southward through the East Humboldt Range, compatible with northward extrapolation of a previously recognized pattern of WNW-younging biotite cooling ages from the Ruby Mountains. A simple model involving the propagation of footwall uplift in the direction of tectonic transport beneath an initially listric normal fault can explain the principle features of the Oligoce??ne to Miocene thermochronologic data set for the RM-EHR. ?? 1994.

Acid-neutralizing potential of minerals in intrusive rocks of the Boulder batholith in northern Jefferson County, Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Desborough, George A.; Briggs, Paul H.; Mazza, Nilah; Driscoll, Rhonda

1998-01-01

Experimental studies show that fresh granitic rocks of the Boulder batholith in the Boulder River headwaters near Basin, Montana have significant acid-neutralizing potential and are capable of neutralizing acidic water derived from metal-mining related wastes or mine workings. Laboratory studies show that in addition to the acidneutralizing potential (ANP) of minor amounts of calcite in these rocks, biotite, tremolite, and feldspars will contribute significantly to long-term ANP. We produced 0.45 micrometer-filtered acidic (pH = 2.95) leachate for use in these ANP experiments by exposing metal-mining related wastes to deionized water in a waste:leachate ratio of 1:20. We then exposed these leachates to finely-ground and sized fractions of batholith rocks, and some of their mineral fractions for extended and repeated periods, for which results are reported here. The intent was to understand what reactions of metal-rich acidic water and fresh igneous rocks would produce. The reactions between the acidic leachates and the bulk rocks and mineral fractions are complex. Factors such as precipitation of phases like Fe-hydroxides and Alhydroxides and the balance between dissolved cations and anions that are sulfate dominated complicate analysis of the results. Research by others of acid neutralization by biotite and tremolite attributed a rise in pH to proton (H+) adsorption in sites vacated by K, Mg, and Ca. Destruction of the silicate framework and liberation of associated structural hydroxyl ions may contribute to ANP. Studies by others have indicated that the conversion of biotite to a vermiculite-type structure by removal of K at a pH of 4 consumes about six protons for every mole of biotite, but at a pH of 3 there is pronounced dissolution of the tetrahedral lattice. The ANP of fresh granitic rocks is much higher than anticipated. The three bulk Boulder igneous rock samples studied have minimum ANP equivalent to about 10-14 weight percent calcite. This ANP is in addition to that provided by the 0.36-1.4 weight percent calcite present in these samples. The total rock ANP is thus equivalent to that of many sedimentary rocks that are generally believed to be among the most efficient for attenuation of acidic waters. The long-term ANP contributed by biotite, tremolite, feldspars, and possibly unidentified minerals in these rocks, as well as calcite, are all important with regard to their natural remediation of degraded water quality originating from Fe-sulfide rich mineral deposits and the associated mine wastes and acid-mine drainage water.

The 3D distribution of cordierite and biotite in hornfels from the Bugaboo contact aureole (British Columbia, Canada)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaidies, Fred; Petley-Ragan, Arianne; Pattison, David

2016-04-01

The size, abundance, shape and spatial distribution of metamorphic minerals bears important information on the rates and mechanisms of fundamental processes that take place during metamorphic crystallization. X-ray computed tomography (XR-CT) has become the method of choice to study the three-dimensional (3D) disposition of minerals in rocks as it allows investigation of relatively large sample volumes at sufficiently high resolution required for statistically meaningful analyses, and as its non-destructive fashion permits further studies such as mineral chemical, isotopic or crystallographic analyses of select grains identified through XR-CT. We present results obtained through the quantification of the 3D disposition of cordierite and biotite crystals in a hornfels from the contact aureole of the Bugaboo Batholith (British Columbia, Canada) using XR-CT and global as well as scale-dependent pattern statistics (Petley-Ragan et al., 2016). The results demonstrate a random distribution of cordierite and biotite crystal sizes for all scales across the entire rock volume studied indicative of interface-controlled prograde metamorphic reaction kinetics. We show that the common approach to approximate the shape of crystals as spherical underestimates the influence of the Strauss hard-core process on rock texture which may be misinterpreted to reflect ordering of crystal sizes by inhibition of nucleation and growth commonly associated with diffusion-controlled reaction kinetics. According to our findings, Strauss hard-core ordering develops at length scales equal to and less than the average major axis of the crystal population. This is significantly larger than what is obtained if a spherical crystal geometry would be assumed, and increases with deviation from sphericity. For the cordierite and biotite populations investigated in this research, Strauss hard-core ordering developed at length scales of up to ˜2.2 and 1.25 mm, respectively, which is almost 1 mm longer than the scales that would be obtained if a spherical geometry would have been assumed. Our results highlight the importance of a critical assessment of the geometrical model assumptions commonly applied in the 3D analysis of crystal size distributions, and underline the need for a quantitative understanding of interface processes in order to appreciate their role in the kinetics of contact metamorphic reactions and rock texture formation. References: Petley-Ragan A, Gaidies F, Pattison DRM (2016) A statistical analysis of the distribution of cordierite and biotite in hornfels from the Bugaboo contact aureole: implications for the kinetics of porphyroblast crystallization. Journal of Metamorphic Geology 34:85-101

Geologic history of the Blackbird Co-Cu district in the Lemhi subbasin of the Belt-Purcell Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bookstrom, Arthur A.; Box, Stephen E.; Cossette, Pamela M.; Frost, Thomas P.; Gillerman, Virginia; King, George; Zirakparvar, N. Alex

2016-01-01

The Blackbird cobalt-copper (Co-Cu) district in the Salmon River Mountains of east-central Idaho occupies the central part of the Idaho cobalt belt—a northwest-elongate, 55-km-long belt of Co-Cu occurrences, hosted in grayish siliciclastic metasedimentary strata of the Lemhi subbasin (of the Mesoproterozoic Belt-Purcell Basin). The Blackbird district contains at least eight stratabound ore zones and many discordant lodes, mostly in the upper part of the banded siltite unit of the Apple Creek Formation of Yellow Lake, which generally consists of interbedded siltite and argillite. In the Blackbird mine area, argillite beds in six stratigraphic intervals are altered to biotitite containing over 75 vol% of greenish hydrothermal biotite, which is preferentially mineralized.Past production and currently estimated resources of the Blackbird district total ~17 Mt of ore, averaging 0.74% Co, 1.4% Cu, and 1.0 ppm Au (not including downdip projections of ore zones that are open downward). A compilation of relative-age relationships and isotopic age determinations indicates that most cobalt mineralization occurred in Mesoproterozoic time, whereas most copper mineralization occurred in Cretaceous time.Mesoproterozoic cobaltite mineralization accompanied and followed dynamothermal metamorphism and bimodal plutonism during the Middle Mesoproterozoic East Kootenay orogeny (ca. 1379–1325 Ma), and also accompanied Grenvilleage (Late Mesoproterozoic) thermal metamorphism (ca. 1200–1000 Ma). Stratabound cobaltite-biotite ore zones typically contain cobaltite1 in a matrix of biotitite ± tourmaline ± minor xenotime (ca. 1370–1320 Ma) ± minor chalcopyrite ± sparse allanite ± sparse microscopic native gold in cobaltite. Such cobaltite-biotite lodes are locally folded into tight F2 folds with axial-planar S2 cleavage and schistosity. Discordant replacement-style lodes of cobaltite2-biotite ore ± xenotime2 (ca. 1320–1270 Ma) commonly follow S2fractures and fabrics. Discordant quartz-biotite and quartz-tourmaline breccias, and veins contain cobaltite3 ± xenotime3 (ca. 1058–990 Ma).Mesoproterozoic cobaltite deposition was followed by: (1) within-plate plutonism (530–485 Ma) and emplacement of mafic dikes (which cut cobaltite lodes but are cut by quartz-Fe-Cu-sulfide veins); (2) garnet-grade metamorphism (ca. 151–93 Ma); (3) Fe-Cu-sulfide mineralization (ca. 110–92 Ma); and (4) minor quartz ± Au-Ag ± Bi mineralization (ca. 92–83 Ma).Cretaceous Fe-Cu-sulfide vein, breccia, and replacement-style deposits contain various combinations of chalcopyrite ± pyrrhotite ± pyrite ± cobaltian arsenopyrite (not cobaltite) ± arsenopyrite ± quartz ± siderite ± monazite (ca. 144–88 Ma but mostly 110–92 Ma) ± xenotime (104–93 Ma). Highly radiogenic Pb (in these sulfides) and Sr (in siderite) indicate that these elements resided in Mesoproterozoic source rocks until they were mobilized after ca. 100 Ma. Fe-Cu-sulfide veins, breccias, and replacement deposits appear relatively undeformed and generally lack metamorphic fabrics.Composite Co-Cu-Au ore contains early cobaltite-biotite lodes, cut by Fe-Cu-sulfide veins and breccias, or overprinted by Fe-Cu-sulfide replacement-style deposits, and locally cut by quartz veinlets ± Au-Ag ± Bi minerals.

Strain Distribution in a Partially Molten Crust: Insights from the AMS Study of Carlos Chagas Anatexite, ARAÇUAI Belt (se Brazil)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavalcante, G.; Silva, M.; Vauchez, A. R.

2012-12-01

Anatectic domains, characterized by abundant migmatites, represent portions of the middle crust that have been partially molten. The Carlos Chagas anatexite is a unit that includes diatexites, metaxites and anatetic, peraluminous granites. It is localized in eastern domain of the Araçuaí Belt, which was formed during the amalgamation of West Gondwana by the collision of the Sao Francisco and Congo cratons. This orogenic segment underwent a synkinematic high temperature (>750oC)-low pressure (~ 6MPa) metamorphism that causes widespread partial melting of the middle crust. The Carlos Chagas unit is composed by quartz, feldspar, garnet, biotite, sillimanite, ilmenite, rutile and cordierite. U-Pb data indicates that its crystallization occurred c. a. 574 ~ 3 Ma. The main feature of this migmatite is the presence of a pervasive magmatic foliation, which is marked by the preferential alignment of biotite, alkali feldspars and plagioclase. At the grain scale, quartz displays evidence of interstitial crystallization and few solid-state deformation fabrics are observed. We used anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) as a tool for recovering mineral fabric and thus the flow field of the Carlos Chagas anatexite. Magnetic properties of 153 samples were measured. They yield dominantly low values of the bulk magnetic susceptibility (km <360 x 10-6 SI), low anisotropy degrees (1.03 - 1.19), and the mean shape parameter ranges from - 0.3 to 0.8, with oblate ellipsoids (T > 0) being dominantly more frequent than prolates ones. These magnetics characteristics are consistent with biotite being the dominant carrier of the AMS. Magnetic foliations and lineations suggest two main structural patterns. The northern portion of the studied area shows shallowly plunging lineations (02° - 20°) to SE (140°-120°) or NW (340°-300°), while the foliation strikes NW-SE with shallow dips (03°-10°). Local subvertical foliation dips (70°) are due to NE-SW trending transcurrent shear zones. The southern region shows complex magnetic fabric patterns. Magnetic lineation plunges range from 05° to 58°, in varied directions, while the foliation strikes from NW-SE to NE-SW with low to high dips, lacking a statistical preferred orientation. Using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis we investigated the correlation of the biotite crystallographic fabrics with the AMS fabric and structural field measurements of the Carlos Chagas anatexite. EBSD data for biotite document a correspondence between the <001> direction of biotite and k3 (as well as macroscopic foliation). In hot orogens such as the orogenic sector studied here, strain localization is not efficient and rocks are deformed homogeneously. Field data, AMS and EBSD studies suggest that, in the anatectic unit as well as in the adjacent units of the Araçuaí belt, the Africa-South America convergence resulted in the development of a complex, 3D strain field in huge volumes of magmatic and anatetic rocks, which hinder a simpler, high-temperature plastic flow regime.

Syntectonic Variscan magmatism in the Aguiar da Beira region (Iberian Massif, Portugal)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mafalda Costa, Maria; Margarida Neiva, Ana; do Rosario Azevedo, Maria; Corfu, Fernando

2014-05-01

The Aguiar da Beira region (Portugal) is located in the core of the Iberian Massif, more precisely in the Central-Iberian Zone, which is dominantly composed by abundant volumes of plutonic rocks, emplaced into Late Proterozoic - Early Cambrian and Palaeozoic metasediments, mainly during or slightly after the third deformation phase of the Variscan Orogeny (D3). A considerable amount of these granites are syntectonic, intruded during the peak of this deformation event (D3). In particular, at the Aguiar da Beira region, two suites of syntectonic granitoids represent distinct magmatic series: a medium- to coarse-grained porphyritic biotite granodiorite-granite (322 Ma), which belongs to the early granodiorite series, and a medium-grained muscovite-biotite granite (317 Ma) that is part of the two-mica peraluminous leucogranites suite. The petrographic, geochemical (whole-rock and mineral compositions) and isotopic (Sr-Nd, δ18O-wr and δ18O-zr) study of the two intrusions reveals their remarkably different character. It is concluded that they correspond to two independent magma pulses, derived from distinct sources and/or petrogenetic processes. The biotite granodiorite-granite is a weakly peraluminous intrusion, characterized by intermediate to felsic SiO2 contents (66 - 68 %), high Ba, Sr and REE, and biotite with high Al and Mg contents, typical of the calc-alkaline associations. The Sr-Nd initial ratios are homogeneous (87Sr-86Sr322: 0.7070 - 0.7074; ɛNd322: -3.9 to -4.6) and overlap the isotopic signatures of lower crustal felsic metaigneous granulites (Villaseca et al. 1999). This similarity, which is further supported by δ18O-wr and δ18O-zr data, may indicate an origin by anatexis of lower felsic metaigneous rocks. Alternatively, the same data, allied to the presence of microgranular enclaves seen in this intrusion, can also be explained by the mixing of lower crustal derived magmas and mantle melts. By contrast, the muscovite-biotite granite has an entirely distinct geochemical signature, typical of S-type granites: a highly evolved and strongly peraluminous character (SiO2 = 72 - 74 %; CaO = 0.3-0.6 %; A/CNK = 1.18 - 1.36, low Mg, Ti, Ba, Sr, ΣREE, HFSE contents, and high Al2O3-TiO2 ratio e Rb-Sr ratios), high (87Sr-86Sr)317 (0.7104 - 0.7146), low ɛNd317 (-7.7 to -8.7), and high δ18O (δ18O-wr = 11.33 %; δ18O-zr = 9.5 ± 0.2 o). The data suggest that this magma was derived from the partial melting of metasedimentary middle crustal protoliths, which has been successfully modeled. The observed variation in major and trace element composition suggests an evolution controlled by fractionational crystallization of a mineral association composed by plagioclase, biotite, apatite, zircon, monazite, ilmenite. The first author benefited from a PhD grant from the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (SFRH.BD.2005.21410)and support from PETROCHRON (PTDC.CTE-GIX.112561.2009).

Contact metamorphism, partial melting and fluid flow in the granitic footwall of the South Kawishiwi Intrusion, Duluth Complex, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benko, Z.; Mogessie, A.; Molnar, F.; Severson, M.; Hauck, S.; Lechler, P.; Arehart, G.

2012-04-01

The footwall of the South Kawishiwi Intrusion (SKI) a part of the Mesoproterozoic (1.1 Ga) Duluth Complex consists of Archean granite-gneiss, diorite, granodiorite (Giant Range Batholith), thin condensed sequences of Paleoproterozoic shale (Virginia Fm.), as well as banded iron formation (Biwabik Iron Fm). Detailed (re)logging and petrographic analysis of granitic footwall rocks in the NM-57 drillhole from the Dunka Pit area has been performed to understand metamorphic processes, partial melting, deformation and geochemical characteristics of de-volatilization or influx of fluids. In the studied drillhole the footwall consists of foliated metagranite that is intersected by mafic (dioritic) dykes of older age than the SKI. In the proximal contact zones, in the mafic dykes, the orthopyroxene+clinopyroxene+plagioclase+quartz+Fe-Ti-oxide+hornblende±biotite porphyroblasts embedded in a plagioclase+K-feldspar+orthopyroxene+apatite matrix indicate pyroxene-hornfels facies conditions. Migmatitization is revealed by the euhedral crystal faces of plagioclase and pyroxene against anhedral quartz crystals in the in-situ leucosome and by the presence of abundant in-source plagioclase±biotite leucosome veinlets. Amphibole in the melanosome of mafic dykes was formed with breakdown of biotite and implies addition of H2O to the system during partial melting. Towards the deeper zones, the partially melted metatexite-granite can be characterized by K-feldspar+plagioclase+quartz+ortho/clinopyroxene+biotite+Fe-Ti-oxide+apatite mineral assemblage. The felsic veins with either pegmatitic or aplititic textures display sharp contact both to the granite and the mafic veins. They are characterized by K-feldspar+quartz±plagioclase±muscovite mineral assemblage. Sporadic occurrence of muscovite suggest local fluid saturated conditions. Emplacement of gabbroic rocks of the SKI generated intense shear in some zones of the granitic footwall resulting in formation of biotite-rich mylonites with lepidoblastic texture. High modal content of syn-tectonic biotite in these shear zones indicate involvement of large amount of fluids during deformation. Apatite is an omnipresent accessory mineral in all rock types, with up to 1-3% modal proportion. Crystal habit is columnar or rarely needle-like. XCl/XF and XOH/XF ratios of apatite were compared with depth in the drillhole and in relation to the host rock type. Apatite in the metagranite and in the mafic dyke is fluorine-rich (XFgranite≈1,27-1,63; XFmafic dyke≈1,51-1,83) and their XCl/XFgranite≈0,083 to 0,051 and XCl/XFmafic dyke≈0,051 to 0,044 ratios decrease towards the distal parts of the contact. Apatite in biotite-rich mylonite, as well as in the porphyroblasts of mafic dykes, is extremely depleted in chlorine- and hydroxyl-anions (XCl/XFmylonite≈0,02 and XOH/XFmylonite≈0,14), whereas apatite in felsic dykes and in the in-source leucosome are enriched in hydroxyl and chlorine relative to fluorine (XCl/XFfelsic vein≈0,21 and XOH/XFfelsic vein≈0,37). These variations suggest release of chlorine enriched fluids from the partially melted contact zones and movement and enrichments of these fluids in migration channels of partial melts. It has been for a long time accepted that fluids emerging from the metamorphosed Virginia Formation played an essential role in the formation of the Cu-Ni sulphide and PGE mineralization at the bottom of the gabbroic intrusions in the northwestern marginal zones of the Duluth Complex. Our study proves that the granitic footwall was also an important source of fluids and melts. We acknowledge the Austrian Science Found (FWF P23157-N21) to A. Mogessie for the financial support.

Metamorphic mineral assemblages of slightly calcic pelitic rocks in and around the Taconic Allochthon, southwestern Massachusetts and adjacent Connecticut and New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zen, E-an

1981-01-01

The mineral assemblages from metamorphosed slightly calcic pelitic rocks of the Taconic Range in southwestern Massachusetts and adjacent areas of Connecticut and New York were studied petrographically and chemically. These rocks vary in metamorphic grade from those below the chloritoid zone through the chloritoid and garnet zones into the kyanite-staurolite zone. Microprobe data on the ferromagnesian minerals show that the sequence of increasing Fe/ (Fe+Mg) value is, from the lowest, chlorite, biotite, hornblende, chloritoid, staurolite, garnet. Hornblende, epidote, garnet, and plagioclase are the most common minerals that carry significant calcium. Biotite is persistently deficient in alkali but is abnormally rich in octahedral aluminum to such an extent that the overall charge balance can be ascribed to an AI=K+ (Fe,Mg) diadochy. Muscovite contains small though persistent amounts of iron and magnesium in octahedral positions but has a variable K/Na ratio, which is potentially useful as a geothermometer. One low-grade muscovite is highly phengitic, but the white micas in rocks from metamorphic grades higher than chloritoid zone do not contain significant phengite components. Chlorite is persistently high in aluminum and so its ratio of divalent ions to aluminum is approximately that of garnet. Many garnets show pronounced zoning in manganese and less pronounced zoning in calcium. Garnet coexisting with hornblende contains a high proportion of the grossularitic component. The calcium content is significant in all the analyzed garnets, except those from a cummingtonite-bearing sample that is free of muscovite. This suggests that in slightly calcic pelitic rocks, calcium-free garnet cannot coexist with muscovite. Most of the mineral assemblages formed in the presence of excess quartz and muscovite. The phase-petrologic analysis, made with the aid of an eight-phase multisystematic model, shows the following major points: 1. Chloritoid and staurolite coexist in a definite interval of prograde metamorphism. 2. Biotite-chloritoid does not constitute an alternative assemblage to garnet-chlorite-muscovite, because the former combination is found predominantly in the presence of the latter combination. Because the garnet contains lime, all five phases are stable together in lowlime pelitic rocks. 3. The first appearance of staurolite in the area does not correspond to the reaction leading to the first intrinsic stable existence of this phase. Inasmuch as the first appearanc,e of staurolite is always in chlorite-bearing as semblages, I suggest that the mapped staurolite zone marker corresponds to a reaction whereby staurolitechlorite becomes stable. The probable lower grade chemical equivalent, for example, chloritoid-aluminum silicate, however, has not been found in the area of study. Several staurolite-forming reactions discussed in the literature are ruled out because of the relative siderophility of the minerals. A second staurolite isograd involves the reaction, chloritoid+chlorite+muscovite= staurolite+biotite. A third isograd involves staurolite+ chlorite=biotite+kyanite; this reaction is postulated on the basis of the observed assemblage biotite-kyanitesta urolite-garnet-muscoviteplagioclase-quartzilmenite. 4. In low-grade rocks, epidote is stable considerably before the first appearance of chloritoid. The nature of the high-aluminum phase in low-grade rocks that leads to the formation of chloritoid remains obscure. The epidote is always rich in ferric iron (pistacite content of about 1/ 4 to 1/3). Garnet-bearing assemblages (with or without epidote) are formed next as metamorphic grade increases. The next more calcium-rich silicate is hornblende, and despite the meager data on assemblages that include hornblende, the first intrinsic appearance of this phase has probably been recorded. At highstaurolite grade, the most calcium-rich assemblage in pelitic rocks is hornblende-garnet-biotite-plagioclase (bytownit

New Rb-Sr mineral ages temporally link plume events with accretion at the margin of Gondwana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Flowerdew, M.J.; Daly, J.S.; Riley, T.R.

2007-01-01

Five of six Rb-Sr muscovite mineral isochron ages from the Scotia Metamorphic Complex of the South Orkney Islands, West Antarctica, average 190 ± 4 Ma. The muscovite ages are interpreted to date foliation-formation and thus also accretion and subduction at the Gondwana margin. Coincident picrite and ferropicrite magmatism, indicative of melts from deep-seated depleted mantle, permits a causative link between accretion and the arrival of the Karoo – Ferrar – Chon Aike mantle plume in the Early Jurassic. Three biotite Rb-Sr mineral isochron ages are consistently younger and average 176 ± 5 Ma. The biotite ages may record post-metamorphic cooling or more likely retrogressive metamorphic effects during uplift.

The Neutron Tomography Studies of the Rocks from the Kola Superdeep Borehole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kichanov, S. E.; Kozlenko, D. P.; Ivankina, T. I.; Rutkauskas, A. V.; Lukin, E. V.; Savenko, B. N.

The volume morphology of a gneiss sample K-8802 recovered from the deep of 8802 m of the Kola Superdeep Borehole and its surface homologue sample PL-36 have been studied by means of neutron radiography and tomography methods. The volumes and size distributions of a biotite-muscovite grains as well as grains orientation distribution have been obtained from experimental data. It was found that the average volumes of the biotite-muscovite grains in surface homologue sample is noticeably larger than the average volume of grains in the deep-seated gneiss sample K-8802. This drastically differences in grains volumes can be explained by the recrystallization processes in deep of the Kola Superdeep Borehole at high temperatures and high pressures.

Precise K-Ar, 40Ar/39Ar, Rb-Sr and U/Pb mineral ages from the 27.5 Ma fish canyon tuff reference standard

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lanphere, M.A.; Baadsgaard, H.

2001-01-01

The accuracy of ages measured using the 40Ar/39Ar technique is affected by uncertainties in the age of radiation fluence-monitor minerals. At present, there is lack of agreement about the ages of certain minerals used as fluence monitors. The accuracy of the age of a standard may be improved if the age can be measured using different decay schemes. This has been done by measuring ages on minerals from the Oligocene Fish Canyon Tuff (FCT) using the K-Ar, 40Ar/39Ar. Rb-Sr and U/Pb methods. K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar total fusion ages of sanidine, biotite and hornblende yielded a mean age of 27.57 ?? 0.36 Ma. The weighted mean 40Ar/39Ar plateau age of sanidine and biotite is 27.57 ?? 0.18 Ma. A biotite-feldspar Rb-Sr isochron yielded an age of 27.44 ?? 0.16 Ma. The U-Pb data for zircon are complex because of the presence of Precambrian zircons and inheritance of radiogenic Pb. Zircons with 207Pb/235U < 0.4 yielded a discordia line with a lower concordia intercept of 27.52 ?? 0.09 Ma. Evaluation of the combined data suggests that the best age for FCT is 27.51 Ma. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.

Metamorphism in the Potomac composite terrane, Virginia-Maryland

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Drake, A.A. Jr.

1985-01-01

Metamorphic rocks in the Potomac Valley occur in three allochthon-precursory melange pairs unconformably overlain by the Popes Head Formation which is at greenschist facies of metamorphism. The highest motif, the Piney Branch Complex and Yorkshire Formation are also in the greenschist facies. The middle motif, consists of the Peters Creek Schist and the Sykesville Formation. Quartzose schists and metagraywacke of the Peters Creek contain serpentinite debris and have had a complex metamorphic history: Barrovian prograde to amphibolite facies (with sillimanite), a localized retrograde event producing chlorite phyllonite, and a later greenschist prograde event. The Sykeville is at biotite +/- garnetmore » grade and contains deformed olistoliths of Peters Creek, including phyllonite, at various grades. The lower motif consists of the Annandale Group (pelitic schists and metasandstone) and Indian Run Formation. The Annandale has experienced two greenschist metamorphisms. The Indian Run is at biotite +/- garnet grade and contains previously metamorphosed and deformed olistoliths of Annandale. The allochthons have had different histories, but after stacking they were metamorphosed with their melanges and the Popes Head to biotite grade. The Popes Head has experienced three phases of folding, the earliest synkinematic with Occoquan emplacement. These fold phases are superposed on earlier structures in the older rocks and are probably of Late Cambrian age (Penobscotian). Earlier deformation is probably of Late Proterozoic age (Cadomian). Neither of these deformations is recognized in North American rocks.« less

Influence of the nonexchangeable potassium of mica on radiocesium uptake by paddy rice.

PubMed

Eguchi, Tetsuya; Ohta, Takeshi; Ishikawa, Tetsuya; Matsunami, Hisaya; Takahashi, Yoshihiko; Kubo, Katashi; Yamaguchi, Noriko; Kihou, Nobuharu; Shinano, Takuro

2015-09-01

A pot cultivation experiment was conducted to elucidate the influence of the nonexchangeable potassium (K) of mica on radiocesium ((137)Cs) uptake by paddy rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Koshihikari), and to evaluate the potential of mica application as a countermeasure to reduce radiocesium transfer from soil to paddy rice. The increase in the exchangeable K concentrations of soils, measured before planting, due to mica (muscovite, biotite, and phlogopite) application was negligible. However, in trioctahedral mica (biotite and phlogopite)-treated soil, the release of nonexchangeable K from the mica interlayer maintained the soil-solution K at a higher level during the growing season in comparison to the control, and consequently decreased the (137)Cs transfer factor for brown rice (TF). The sodium tetraphenylboron (TPB)-extractable K concentration of the soils, measured before planting, was strongly negatively correlated with the TF, whereas the exchangeable K concentration of the soils, also measured before planting, was not correlated with the TF. Therefore, we conclude that TPB-extractable K is more reliable than exchangeable K as a basis of fertilizer recommendations for radiocesium-contaminated paddy fields. Phlogopite-treated soils exhibited higher TPB-extractable K concentrations and lower TF values than biotite-treated soils. We thus conclude that phlogopite application is an effective countermeasure to reduce radiocesium uptake in paddy rice. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mobility of gold during metamorphism of the Dalradian in Scotland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pitcairn, I. K.; Skelton, A. D. L.; Wohlgemuth-Ueberwasser, C. C.

2015-09-01

Mobility of Au and related metals during metamorphism has been suggested to be the source of metals enriched in orogenic Au deposits. This study investigates the mobility of Au, As, and Sb during metamorphism of the Dalradian metasedimentary rocks of Scotland. The metamorphic processes in the Dalradian of Scotland are extremely well studied, and the terrane is an ideal area to investigate mobility of these metals. Our results show that of the 25 major and trace elements analysed, only Au, As, Sb, S and volatile contents as shown by loss on ignition (LOI) values show systematic variation with the metamorphic grade of the samples. Average Au concentrations decrease from 1.1 ± 0.55 ppb and 0.72 ± 0.34 ppb in chlorite and biotite zone rocks down to 0.4 ± 0.22 ppb and 0.34 ± 0.13 ppb in kyanite and sillimanite zone rocks. Average As concentrations decrease from 4.8 ppm (range 0.5 to 17.8 ppm) and 1.96 ± 1.9 ppm in chlorite and biotite zone rocks down to 0.24 ± 0.15 ppm and 0.2 ± 0.12 ppm in kyanite and sillimanite zone rocks. Average Sb concentrations decrease from 0.18 ± 0.15 ppm and 0.11 ± 0.10 ppm in chlorite and biotite zone rocks down to 0.04 ± 0.02 ppm in both kyanite and sillimanite zone rocks. Sulphur and LOI concentrations also show significant decreases. Mass balance calculations indicate that compared to chlorite and biotite zone samples, sillimanite zone samples have an average mass loss of 62 ± 14%, 94 ± 4% and 74 ± 14% for Au, As, and Sb respectively. Every 1 km3 of chlorite-biotite zone mixed psammitic-pelitic protolith rock that is metamorphosed to sillimanite zone conditions would release 1.5 t Au, 8613 t As, 270 t Sb, and 1.02 Mt S. The mobility of these elements is strongly controlled by the paragenesis of sulphide minerals. Pyrite, sphalerite, galena and cobaltite (as well as gersdorffite) decrease in abundance with increasing metamorphic grade in the Dalradian metasedimentary rocks. A critical aspect of the sulphide paragenesis is the transition of pyrite to pyrrhotite. This transition is complete by mid greenschist facies in the Loch Lomond samples but is more gradual at Glen Esk occurring between biotite and sillimanite zones. The Au, As, and Sb content of the sulphide assemblage also decreases with increasing metamorphic grade, and we suggest that this is a controlling factor on the mobility of these metals from the Dalradian metasedimentary rocks during metamorphism. Chlorite may be an important host mineral for As in the greenschist facies rocks. Breakdown of chlorite indirectly drives the mobility of Au, As, and Sb, as this produces the bulk of metamorphic fluid that drives transition between pyrite and pyrrhotite. We suggest that there is potential for significant undiscovered mineralisation in the Central and SW Highlands of Scotland. However, as the total mass of gold mobilised is lower than observed in other metasedimentary terranes such as the Otago and Alpine Schist's, New Zealand, very efficient fluid focussing and trapping mechanisms would be required to form large deposits in the Dalradian of Scotland.

Detrital zircon and igneous protolith ages of high-grade metamorphic rocks in the Highland and Wanni Complexes, Sri Lanka: Their geochronological correlation with southern India and East Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitano, Ippei; Osanai, Yasuhito; Nakano, Nobuhiko; Adachi, Tatsuro; Fitzsimons, Ian C. W.

2018-05-01

The high-grade metamorphic rocks of Sri Lanka place valuable constraints on the assembly of central parts of the Gondwana supercontinent. They are subdivided into the Wanni Complex (WC), Highland Complex (HC) and Vijayan Complex (VC), but their correlation with neighbouring Gondwana terranes is hindered by a poor understanding of the contact between the HC and WC. Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) U-Pb dating of remnant zircon cores from 45 high-grade metamorphic rocks in Sri Lanka reveals two domains with different age characteristics that correlate with the HC and WC and which help constrain the location of the boundary between them. The HC is dominated by detrital zircon ages of ca. 3500-1500 Ma from garnet-biotite gneiss, garnet-cordierite-biotite gneiss, some samples of garnet-orthopyroxene-biotite gneiss and siliceous gneiss (interpreted as paragneisses) and igneous protolith ages of ca. 2000-1800 Ma from garnet-hornblende-biotite gneiss, other samples of garnet-orthopyroxene-biotite gneiss, garnet-two-pyroxene granulite, two-pyroxene granulite and charnockite (interpreted as orthogneisses). In contrast, the WC is dominated by detrital zircon ages of ca. 1100-700 Ma from paragneisses and igneous protolith ages of ca. 1100-800 Ma from orthogneisses. This clearly suggests the HC and WC have different origins, but some of our results and previous data indicate their spatial distribution does not correspond exactly to the unit boundary proposed in earlier studies using Nd model ages. Detrital zircon and igneous protolith ages in the HC suggest that sedimentary protoliths were eroded from local 2000-1800 Ma igneous rocks and an older Paleoproterozoic to Archean craton. In contrast, the WC sedimentary protoliths were mainly eroded from local late Mesoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic igneous rocks with very minor components from an older 2500-1500 Ma craton, and in the case of the WC precursor sediments there was possibly additional detritus derived from early to middle Neoproterozoic metamorphic rocks. The relic zircon core ages in the HC are comparable with those of the Trivandrum Block and Nagercoil Block of southern India. In contrast, those ages in the WC match the Achankovil Shear Zone and Southern Madurai Block of southern India. These comparisons are also supported by Th/U ratios of detrital zircon cores from paragneisses (Th/U ratios of >0.10 for the former and not only >0.10 but also ≤0.10 for the latter). Comparisons with the Lützow-Holm Complex of East Antarctica indicate that the geochronological characteristics of the HC and WC broadly match those of the Skallen Group, and the Ongul and Okuiwa Groups, respectively.

Paleoproterozoic migmatitic gneisses from the Tandilia belt (Argentina), Río de la Plata craton, record cooling at deep crustal levels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martínez, Juan Cruz; Massonne, Hans-Joachim; Dristas, Jorge Anastasio; Theye, Thomas; Graff, Ailín Ayelén

2016-04-01

We studied high-grade metamorphic rocks of the El Cristo hill area of the Tandilia belt. Mineral analyses and thermodynamic calculations were carried out for two adjacent rock samples: an amphibole-biotite gneiss and a garnet-biotite-bearing migmatite. Peritectic garnets in the migmatite show core compositions of pyr4.5(gro + andr)10spes6alm79.5 changing to pyr3.5(gro + andr)17spes6alm73.5 at their thin rims. Garnet compositions in the gneiss are pyr6.5(gro + andr)26spes12alm55.5 and pyr4.5(gro + andr)34spes12alm49.5 for core and rim, respectively. A P-T path was constructed by calculating pseudosections in the 11-component system Si-Ti-Al-Fe-Mn-Mg-Ca-Na-K-O-H and contouring them by isopleths for garnet components using the PERPLE_X software package. Supra-solidus crystallization of garnet cores in the migmatite began at 5.8 kbar and 660 °C. Garnet rims equilibrated at 7.0 kbar and 640 °C compatible with garnet cores in the amphibole-biotite gneiss (7.6 kbar and 660 °C). The further chemical development of garnet in this rock points to P-T conditions of 11.6 kbar and 620 °C and 12.2 kbar and 595 °C (outermost garnet rim). At this high-pressure stage Ca-amphibole was not stable. Most biotite formed during exhumation whereas the high-pressure accessory minerals, titanite and epidote, persisted. According to the obtained anti-clockwise P-T path the originally partly melted material was tectonically transported from ∼22 km (middle crust) to ∼40 km (lower crust) depths reaching a geothermal gradient as low as 15 °C km-1. This transport probably occurred along a major suture zone, which was active during the Paleoproterozoic (2.25-2.10 Ga), before a terminating collision of terranes near the SW boundary of the Rio de la Plata craton.

Geochemistry of the July 2015 pyroclastic flow at Volcán de Colima

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atlas, Z. D.; Long, E.; Macorps, E.; Garcia Hernandez, M.; Charbonnier, S. J.; Varley, N. R.

2016-12-01

We investigated the geochemical variation of the July 2015 pyroclastic density current (PDC) from Volcán de Colima, Mexico. This important eruption produced a highly mobile PDC, with the largest run-out since 1913 (10.7 km). The eruptive mechanism is still unclear and geochemical characterization is critical to determine its origin. Normalized major element concentrations define differentiation trends and concentrations similar to 1998-2000 lava, consistent with earlier volcanic products. SiO2 ranges from 59.9 to 61.0 wt.% with low Mg# (0.48-0.51), moderate K2O (1.35-1.42 wt.%) and higher total alkalis (6.95-7.66 wt.%). The PDC is characterized by high Sr, Ba, Nb and U, low Ba/Nb and Sc/Y ratios. Higher Sr can be attributed to abundant plagioclase, however high Ba, Nb and U must be attributed to other minerals. U is compatible in apatite or ilmenite but due to the incompatible behavior P2O5 with SiO2 apatite contribution is unlikely. Nb is partitioned into ilmenite but also biotite, while Ba strongly partitions to biotite/phlogopite, known from scoria cone lamprophyre magma erupted next to Volcán de Colima. Our data suggest that U along with some Nb is partitioned to Ti-Fe oxide or to ilmentie. Covariation of U and Nb with Ba suggests that biotite +/- ilmenite may be involved in the generation of the 2015 PDC magma. The lack of an Eu anomaly and overall REE patterns suggest that excess plagioclase likely comes from fragments of previously emplaced lava and that the source and overall generation of the PDC is similar to recent eruptive products. LILE along with high Nb is unlike 1913 but are more similar to 1869 and 1880 rocks, lower K melt inclusions of Reubi & Blundy (2008) and unit N from Crummy et al. (2014) erupted 7000 Ybp and represent a sharp departure from the pre-1999 eruptive products. Our results indicate that the PDC chemistry must have some influence from the addition of a biotite bearing gabbrotic endmember in accord with previous studies.

The Haselgebirge evaporitic mélange in central Northern Calcareous Alps (Austria): Part of the Permian to Lower Triassic rift of the Meliata ocean?

PubMed

Schorn, Anja; Neubauer, Franz; Genser, Johann; Bernroider, Manfred

2013-01-11

For the reconstruction of Alpine tectonics of the Eastern Alps, the evaporitic Permian to Lower Triassic Haselgebirge Formation plays a key role in (1) the origin of Haselgebirge bearing nappes, (2) the inclusion of magmatic and metamorphic rocks revealing tectonic processes not preserved in other units, and (3) the debated mode of emplacement of the nappes, namely gravity-driven or tectonic. Within the Moosegg quarry of the central Northern Calcareous Alps gypsum/anhydrite bodies are tectonically mixed with lenses of sedimentary rocks and decimeter- to meter-sized tectonic clasts of plutonic and subvolcanic rocks and rare metamorphics. We examined various types of (1) widespread biotite-diorite, meta-syenite, (2) meta-dolerite and rare ultramafic rocks (serpentinite, pyroxenite) as well as (3) rare metamorphic banded meta-psammitic schists and meta-doleritic blueschists. The apparent 40 Ar/ 39 Ar biotite ages from three biotite-diorite, meta-dolerite and meta-doleritic blueschist samples with variable composition and fabrics range from 248 to 270 Ma (e.g., 251.2 ± 1.1 Ma) indicating a Permian age of cooling after magma crystallisation or metamorphism. The chemical composition of biotite-diorite and meta-syenite indicates an alkaline trend interpreted to represent a rift-related magmatic suite. These, as well as Permian to Jurassic sedimentary rocks, were incorporated during Cretaceous nappe emplacement forming the sulphatic Haselgebirge mélange. The scattered 40 Ar/ 39 Ar white mica ages of a meta-doleritic blueschist (of N-MORB origin) and banded meta-psammitic schist are ca. 349 and 378 Ma, respectively, proving the Variscan age of pressure-dominated metamorphism. These ages are similar to detrital white mica ages reported from the underlying Rossfeld Formations, indicating a close source-sink relationship. According to our new data, the Haselgebirge bearing nappe was transported over the Lower Cretaceous Rossfeld Formations, which include many clasts derived from the Haselgebirge Formation and its exotic blocks deposited in front of the incoming nappe comprising the Haselgebirge Formation.

A re-appraisal of the stratigraphy and volcanology of the Cerro Galán volcanic system, NW Argentina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Folkes, Christopher B.; Wright, Heather M.; Cas, Ray A.F.; de Silva, Shanaka L.; Lesti, Chiara; Viramonte, Jose G.

2011-01-01

From detailed fieldwork and biotite 40Ar/39Ar dating correlated with paleomagnetic analyses of lithic clasts, we present a revision of the stratigraphy, areal extent and volume estimates of ignimbrites in the Cerro Galán volcanic complex. We find evidence for nine distinct outflow ignimbrites, including two newly identified ignimbrites in the Toconquis Group (the Pitas and Vega Ignimbrites). Toconquis Group Ignimbrites (~5.60–4.51 Ma biotite ages) have been discovered to the southwest and north of the caldera, increasing their spatial extents from previous estimates. Previously thought to be contemporaneous, we distinguish the Real Grande Ignimbrite (4.68 ± 0.07 Ma biotite age) from the Cueva Negra Ignimbrite (3.77 ± 0.08 Ma biotite age). The form and collapse processes of the Cerro Galán caldera are also reassessed. Based on re-interpretation of the margins of the caldera, we find evidence for a fault-bounded trapdoor collapse hinged along a regional N-S fault on the eastern side of the caldera and accommodated on a N-S fault on the western caldera margin. The collapsed area defines a roughly isosceles trapezoid shape elongated E-W and with maximum dimensions 27 × 16 km. The Cerro Galán Ignimbrite (CGI; 2.08 ± 0.02 Ma sanidine age) outflow sheet extends to 40 km in all directions from the inferred structural margins, with a maximum runout distance of ~80 km to the north of the caldera. New deposit volume estimates confirm an increase in eruptive volume through time, wherein the Toconquis Group Ignimbrites increase in volume from the ~10 km3 Lower Merihuaca Ignimbrite to a maximum of ~390 km3 (Dense Rock Equivalent; DRE) with the Real Grande Ignimbrite. The climactic CGI has a revised volume of ~630 km3 (DRE), approximately two thirds of the commonly quoted value.

Microstructures and Petrology of Melt Inclusions in the Anatectic Sequence of Jubrique (Betic Cordillera, S Spain): Implications for Crustal Anatexis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acosta-vigil, A.; Barich, A.; Garrido, C. J.; Cesare, B.; Tajčmanová, L.; Bartoli, O.

2014-12-01

We report a new occurrence of melt inclusions in polymetamorphic granulitic gneisses of the Jubrique unit, a complete though thinned crustal section located above the Ronda peridotite slab (Betic Cordillera, S Spain). The gneissic sequence is composed of mylonitic gneisses at the bottom and porphyroblastic gneisses on top. Mylonitic gneisses are strongly deformed rocks with abundant garnet and rare biotite. Except for the presence of melt inclusions, microstructures indicating the former presence of melt are rare or absent. Upwards in the sequence garnet decreases whereas biotite increases in proportion. Melt inclusions are present from cores to rims of garnets throughout the entire sequence. Most of the former melt inclusions are now totally crystallized and correspond to nanogranites, whereas some of them are partially made of glass or, more rarely, are totally glassy. They show negative crystal shapes and range in size from ≈5 to 200 micrometers, with a mean size of ≈30-40 micrometers. Daughter phases in nanogranites and partially crystallized melt inclusions include quartz, feldspars, biotite and muscovite; accidental minerals include kyanite, graphite, zircon, monazite, rutile and ilmenite; glass has a granitic composition. Melt inclusions are mostly similar throughout all the gneissic sequence. Some fluid inclusions, of possible primary origin, are spatially associated with melt inclusions, indicating that at some point during the suprasolidus history of these rocks granitic melt and fluid coexisted. Thermodynamic modeling and conventional thermobarometry of mylonitic gneisses provide peak conditions of ≈850 ºC and 12-14 kbar, corresponding to cores of large garnets with inclusions of kyanite and rutile. Post-peak conditions of ≈800-850 ºC and 5-6 kbar are represented by rim regions of large garnets with inclusions of sillimanite and ilmenite, cordierite-quartz-biotite coronas replacing garnet rims, and the matrix with oriented sillimanite. Previous conventional petrologic studies on these strongly deformed rocks have proposed that anatexis started during decompression from peak to post-peak conditions and in the field of sillimanite. The study of melt inclusions shows, however, that melt was already present in the system at peak conditions, and that most garnet grew in the presence of melt.

Trace element partitioning between coexisting biotite and muscovite from metamorphic rocks, western Labrador: Structural, compositional and thermal controls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Panseok; Rivers, Toby

2000-04-01

Coexisting biotite and muscovite in ten metapelitic and quartzofeldspathic rocks from western Labrador have been analyzed by electron microprobe for major and minor elements and by a laser ablation microprobe coupled to ICP-MS (LAM-ICP-MS) for selected trace elements - Li, Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Cs, Ba, REE, Hf and Ta. The samples have experienced a single prograde Grenvillian metamorphism ranging from 490 to 680°C and from 7 to 12 kbar. The trace element compositions of coexisting micas in the metamorphic rocks are used to assess the effects of crystal structure, major element composition and temperature on the partitioning of each element between biotite and muscovite. Overall, trace element distributions are systematic across the range of metamorphic grade and bulk composition, suggesting that chemical equilibrium was approached. Most distribution coefficients (biotite/muscovite) show good agreement with published data. However, distribution coefficients for Co and Sr are significantly different from previous determinations, probably because of contamination associated with older data obtained by bulk analysis techniques. The sequence of distribution coefficients is governed mainly by the ionic radii and charges of substituting cations compared to the optimum ionic radius of each crystallographic site in the micas. In particular, distribution coefficients exhibit the sequence Cr 3+ (0.615 Å) > V 3+ (0.64 Å) > Sc 3+ (0.745 Å) in VI-sites, and Ba 2+ (1.61 Å) > Sr 2+ (1.44 Å) and Cs + (1.88 Å) > K + (1.64 Å) > Rb + (1.72 Å) > Na + (1.39 Å) in XII-sites. The distributions of Li, Sc, Sr and Ba appear to be thermally sensitive but are also controlled by major element compositions of micas. V and Zr partitioning is dependent on T and may be used to cross-check thermometry calculations where the latter suffer from retrograde re-equilibration and/or high concentrations of Fe 3+. The ranges and dependence of distribution coefficients on major element compositions provide important constraints on the values that can be used in geochemical modeling.

Co-existing calcic amphiboles in calc-alkaline andesites: Possible evidence of a zoned magma chamber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, Nathan L.

1982-03-01

Hornblende-biotite andesites erupted from Mount Price and Clinker Peak volcanoes, southwestern British Columbia, contain two texturally and compositionally distinct calcic amphiboles: pargasitic hornblende xenocrysts and magnesio-hornblende microphenocrysts. Disequilibrium relationships exhibited by these amphiboles and associated minerals suggest that the magnesio-hornblendes precipitated under chemical and thermal conditions that were intermediate between those under which pargasitic hornblende and biotite, respectively, crystallized. Experimental studies of crystallization in double-diffusive systems (Chen and Turner, 1980; Turner, 1980; McBirney, 1980) suggest that these varied magmatic environments can be explained as a consequence of progressive crystallization within a zoned magma chamber. Although gravitational settling may have played a role, the observed mineral assemblages probably developed by convective mixing of crystals precipitated at the cooling margins with those crystallized in the interior of the compositionally stratified magma column.

Partitioning of zinc among common ferromagnesian minerals and implications for hydrothermal mobilization

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, C.A.

1994-01-01

In systems where metals are scavenging from crystalline rocks by through-flowing fluids, the important host minerals must be dissolved or must undergo cation-exchange reactions with the fluid. Whereas copper resides in sulfides, zinc resides in magnetic and, to a lesser extent, in biotite, clinopyroxene and olivine. Magnetite is known from petrographic studies to be more resistant to alteration than sulfides. For metals extracted from crystalline rocks, the Cu:Zn mass ratio may thus decrease with progressive alteration. In systems where metals are scavenged from cooling magmas by exsolving fluids, the metals are partitioned among melt, fluid and any crystals that have fractionated. For zinc, crystal fractionation may be an important sink if magnetite or biotite crystallize before fluid saturation. The zinc concentrations of magmatic fluids will thus be reduced. -from Author

Polychronous (Early Cretaceous to Palaeogene) emplacement of the Mundwara alkaline complex, Rajasthan, India: 40Ar/39Ar geochronology, petrochemistry and geodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pande, Kanchan; Cucciniello, Ciro; Sheth, Hetu; Vijayan, Anjali; Sharma, Kamal Kant; Purohit, Ritesh; Jagadeesan, K. C.; Shinde, Sapna

2017-07-01

The Mundwara alkaline plutonic complex (Rajasthan, north-western India) is considered a part of the Late Cretaceous-Palaeogene Deccan Traps flood basalt province, based on geochronological data (mainly 40Ar/39Ar, on whole rocks, biotite and hornblende). We have studied the petrology and mineral chemistry of some Mundwara mafic rocks containing mica and amphibole. Geothermobarometry indicates emplacement of the complex at middle to upper crustal levels. We have obtained new 40Ar/39Ar ages of 80-84 Ma on biotite separates from mafic rocks and 102-110 Ma on whole-rock nepheline syenites. There is no evidence for excess 40Ar. The combined results show that some of the constituent intrusions of the Mundwara complex are of Deccan age, but others are older and unrelated to the Deccan Traps. The Mundwara alkaline complex is thus polychronous and similar to many alkaline complexes around the world that show recurrent magmatism, sometimes over hundreds of millions of years. The primary biotite and amphibole in Mundwara mafic rocks indicate hydrous parental magmas, derived from hydrated mantle peridotite at relatively low temperatures, thus ruling out a mantle plume. This hydration and metasomatism of the Rajasthan lithospheric mantle may have occurred during Jurassic subduction under Gondwanaland, or Precambrian subduction events. Low-degree decompression melting of this old, enriched lithospheric mantle, due to periodic diffuse lithospheric extension, gradually built the Mundwara complex from the Early Cretaceous to Palaeogene time.

Mesoproterozoic graphite deposits, New Jersey Highlands: Geologic and stable isotopic evidence for possible algal origins

USGS Publications Warehouse

Volkert, R.A.

2000-01-01

Graphite deposits of Mesoproterozoic age are locally abundant in the eastern New Jersey Highlands, where they are hosted by sulphidic biotite-quartz-feldspar gneiss, metaquartzite, and anatectic pegmatite. Gneiss and metaquartzite represent a shallow marine shelf sequence of locally organic-rich sand and mud. Graphite from massive deposits within metaquartzite yielded ??13C values of -26 ?? 2??? (1??), and graphite from massive deposits within biotite-quartz-feldspar gneiss yielded ??13C values of -23 ??4???. Disseminated graphite from biotite-quartz-feldspar gneiss country rock was -22 ??3???, indistinguishable from the massive deposits hosted by the same lithology. Anatectic pegmatite is graphitic only where generated from graphite-bearing host rocks; one sample gave a ??13C value of -15???. The ??34S values of trace pyrrhotite are uniform within individual deposits, but vary from 0 to 9??? from one deposit to another. Apart from pegmatitic occurrences, evidence is lacking for long-range mobilization of carbon during Grenvillian orogenesis or post-Grenvillian tectonism. The field, petrographic, and isotope data suggest that massive graphite was formed by granulite-facies metamorphism of Proterozoic accumulations of sedimentary organic matter, possibly algal mats. Preservation of these accumulations in the sedimentary environment requires anoxic basin waters or rapid burial. Anoxia would also favour the accumulation of dissolved ferrous iron in basin waters, which may explain some of the metasediment-hosted massive magnetite deposits in the New Jersey Highlands. ?? 2000 NRC.

Aluminosilicate Dissolution and Silicate Carbonation during Geologic CO2 Sequestration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Min, Yujia

Geologic CO2 sequestration (GCS) is considered a promising method to reduce anthropogenic CO2 emission. Assessing the supercritical CO2 (scCO2) gas or liquid phase water (g, l)-mineral interactions is critical to evaluating the viability of GCS processes. This work contributes to our understanding of geochemical reactions at CO 2-water (g, l)-mineral interfaces, by investigating the dissolution of aluminosilicates in CO2-acidified water (l). Plagioclase and biotite were chosen as model minerals in reservoir rock and caprock, respectively. To elucidate the effects of brine chemistry, first, the influences of cations in brine including Na, Ca, and K, have been investigated. In addition to the cations, the effects of abundant anions including sulfate and oxalate were also examined. Besides the reactions in aqueous phase, we also examine the carbonation of silicates in water (g)-bearing supercritical CO2 (scCO2) under conditions relevant to GCS. For the metal carbonation, in particular, the effects of particle sizes, water, temperature, and pressure on the carbonation of wollastonite were systematically examined. For understanding the cations effects in brine, the impacts of Na concentrations up to 4 M on the dissolution of plagioclase and biotite were examined. High concentrations of Na significantly inhibited plagioclase dissolution by competing adsorption with proton and suppressing proton-promoted dissolution. Ca has a similar effect to Na, and their effects did not suppress each other when Na and Ca co-existed. For biotite, the inhibition effects of Na coupled with an enhancing effect due to ion exchange reaction between Na and interlayer K, which cracked the basal surfaces of biotite. The K in aqueous phase significantly inhibited the dissolution. If the biotite is equilibrated with NaCl solutions initially, the biotite dissolved faster than the original biotite and the dissolution was inhibited by Na and K in brine. The outcomes improve our current knowledge of silicates dissolution to the high salinity conditions in subsurface environments. In addition to cations, the role of anions in geochemical reactions in subsurfaces are important. This study investigated the anion effects by studying sulfate and oxalate. Sulfate formed monodentate surface complexes with the Al sites on plagioclase surface and enhanced the dissolution. Oxalate was also found to enhance the plagioclase dissolution. Co-existing oxalate and sulfate suppressed the effects of sulfate on plagioclase dissolution. This information provides useful insights for understanding the roles of sulfate and organic compounds on the CO2 water-mineral interactions during scCO2 enhanced oil recovery. The results also aid in formulating a scientific guideline of the proper amount of SO2 co-injection with CO2. Water in GCS sites can exist in water-bearing scCO2 in addition to the aqueous phase in brine. Thus, it is important to understand the effects of water-bearing scCO2 on the carbonation of silicates. To address the gap between the nano- and micro-sized particles used in the laboratory to the large grains in field sites, we utilized wollastonite and investigated the effects of particle sizes on the wollastonite carbonation in water-bearing scCO2. The thickness of the reacted layer on the particle surfaces was found to be constant for different sized particles. The amorphous silica layer formed act as a diffusion barrier for water-bearing scCO2. In addition, the reaction extent was higher with more water, lower temperature, and higher pressure. Further, higher water saturation percentage and lower temperature can lead to the formation of more permeable amorphous silica layers. This thesis included the investigations of both liquid phase and vapor phase water that contacted with scCO2, and the effects of cations and anions on both formation and caprock minerals. The findings from this work improve our knowledge of the geochemical reactions at CO2-water-mineral interfaces, which will help us design a safer GCS operation and assess the impacts of GCS on the environmental safety and quality.

Znaczenie analizy minerałów ciężkich w badaniach osadów czwartorzędowych Polski

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Racinowski, Roman

2008-01-01

In most regions of Poland the composition of heavy minerals assemblage permits to distinguish the Quaternary deposits from the older ones. The pre-Quaternary deposits are characterized by high content of glauconite, carbonate-ferruginous-manganese concretions, muscovite and chlorites. In their transparent heavy minerals spectrum the following minerals predominate: zircon, tourmaline, rutile, staurolite, disthene. However, the Tertiary deposits in the Carpathians and their foreland contain a significant amount of garnet, and sometimes also amphiboles, pyroxenes and biotite. Pyroxenes and sillimanite are found in the Sudetes foreland. In many Tertiary deposits of the northwestern and western Poland there are rather high contents of amphiboles, biotite, pyroxenes, garnets, rutile. In all Quaternary deposits in Poland the qualitative composition of heavy minerals assemblage is similar but the contents of particular minerals are different depending on the examined grain fraction. In tills (Table 1) and glaciofluvial deposits (Table 2), with the decreasing grain diameter the contents of zircon, rutile, and partly epidote increase, and those of amphiboles and garnets decrease. In rubble of coastal zone in the Polish Baltic Sea, with the decreasing grain diameter the contents of zircon, rutile and epidote increase, and those of amphibole, biotite and pyroxenes decrease (Tables 3-7). In Poland, glacial, glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine deposits are characterized by quantitatively similar composition of heavy minerals assemblage. Amphiboles, biotite, epidotes, garnets and pyroxenes are typical transparent minerals (Tables 8 and 9). Young Pleistocene and Holocene sands of river terraces and dune fields in the upland zone of Poland differ from glacial deposits in low contents of amphiboles, biotite and pyroxenes, and higher contents of garnets and epidotes (Tables 8 and 9). Fossil river and lacustrine deposits of Polish Lowlands have very similar assemblage of heavy minerals to that found in glacial deposits. Both glacial and glaciofluvial deposits have similar composition of heavy minerals assemblage irrespective of their age (Tables 10, 11 and 12). This principle concerns also loesses (Table 13a, b) but the youngest ones are characterized by higher contents of amphiboles and epidotes. The composition of heavy minerals assemblage is useful for determining the source of material forming the Quaternary deposits. In the case of glacial deposits, the enrichment in glauconite, chlorites, and even zircon, rutile, tourmaline, staurolite indicates that material from local older substratum was supplied to the Quaternary deposits. Heavy minerals spectrum of non-glacial deposits can directly indicate the source material that formed a deposit. Conversely, it is difficult to draw the conclusions about fossil and modern weathering-soil horizons in loesses from the composition of heavy minerals assemblage (Tables 14 and 15). The results of heavy minerals analysis are useful for lithodynamic and lithofacial interpretation of flowing water environments, e.g. river (Table 16), glaciofluvial (Table 17) and sea coastal (Table 18).

The Pinkie Unit of the Southwestern Svalbard Caledonian Province and its bearing on distribution of the Torellian-Timanian basement in the High Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kośmińska, Karolina; Majka, Jarosław; Manecki, Maciej

2015-04-01

Here we present for the first time petrological characteristics of metapelites from the Pinkie Unit (Prins Karls Forland, western Svalbard). Rocks belonging to the Pinkie Unit are represented mainly by laminated quartzites, siliciclastic rocks (sometimes with garnet) and garnet-bearing mica schists. They are overthrust by the lower grade lithologies of the Grampian Group. The mineral composition confirmed by preliminary microscopic observations suggests that the Pinkie rocks were subjected to at least amphibolite facies metamorphism. The metamorphic zoning from chloritoid through staurolite, up to kyanite zone is apparent. This indicates Barrovian type metamorphism. The rocks are strongly deformed, M1 assemblages and D1 structures are overprinted by pervasive D2 mylonitic pattern. This study is focused on kyanite-bearing schists. They consist mainly of garnet, plagioclase, biotite, muscovite, kyanite, quartz and turmaline. Garnet forms anhedral crystals. Its chemical composition is characterized by Alm79-84Sps1-5Prp5-11Grs5-10. The profiles through the garnets are almost flat and they seem to be homogenized most probably during peak temperature at an early stage of retrogression. The Si content in muscovite varies from 3.06 to 3.13. Biotite is characterized by XFe in the range of 0.53 - 0.66. The garnet-biotite-muscovite-plagioclase (GBPM) geothermobarometer (Holdaway, 2001; Wu, 2014) has been used for estimation of pressure - temperature conditions. Preliminary calculations indicate peak metamorphic conditions at 8 - 9 kbar and 650 - 700°C. Our P-T calculations provide further evidence for the Barrovian type of metamorphism along the western coast of Svalbard. The correlation of the Pinkie Unit with other higher grade complexes within Southwestern Svalbard Caledonian Province is still difficult, but the studied rocks resemble the Isbjørnhamna Group of Wedel Jarlsberg Land. This is based on the metamorphic grade, mineral assemblage and probable protolith age (post-950Ma; Kośmińska, unpublished data). If this is a case, the Pinkie Unit will provide another evidence of the Torellian-Timanian (late Neoproterozoic, e.g. Majka et al. 2008) tectonothermal event within the Svalbard's Caledonides. In turn, it can bear important implications for Arctic tectonic reconstructions. This project is financed by NCN research project No 2013/11/N/ST10/00357. References: Holdaway M.J., 2001. Recalibration of the GASP geobarometer in light of recent garnet and plagioclase activity models and versions of the garnet-biotite geothermometer. American Mineralogist, 86, 1117-1129. Majka J., Mazur S., Czerny J., Manecki M., Holm D.K., 2008. Late Neoproterozoic amphibolite facies metamorphism of a pre-Caledonian basement block in southwest Wedel Jarlsberg Land, Spitsbergen: new evidence from U-Th-Pb dating of monazite. Geological Magazine, 145, 822-830. Wu C. M., 2014. Revised empirical garnet-biotite-muscovite-plagioclase (GBMP) geobarometer in metapelites. Journal of Metamorphic Geology. doi: 10.1111/jmg.12115

Processes of high-T fluid-rock interaction during gold mineralization in carbonate-bearing metasediments: the Navachab gold deposit, Namibia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dziggel, A.; Wulff, K.; Kolb, J.; Meyer, F. M.

2009-08-01

The Navachab gold deposit in the Damara belt of central Namibia is hosted by a near-vertical sequence of amphibolite facies shelf-type metasediments, including marble, calc-silicate rock, and biotite schist. Petrologic and geochemical data were collected in the ore, alteration halos, and the wall rock to evaluate transport of elements and interaction between the wall rock and the mineralizing fluid. The semi-massive sulfide lenses and quartz-sulfide veins are characterized by a complex polymetallic ore assemblage, comprising pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and arsenopyrite, native bismuth, gold, bismuthinite, and bismuth tellurides. Mass balance calculations indicate the addition of up to several orders of magnitude of Au, Bi, As, Ag, and Cu. The mineralized zones also record up to eightfold higher Mn and Fe concentrations. The semi-massive sulfide lenses are situated in the banded calc-silicate rock. Petrologic and textural data indicate that they represent hydraulic breccias that contain up to 50 vol.% ore minerals, and that are dominated by a high-temperature (T) alteration assemblage of garnet-clinopyroxene-K-feldspar-quartz. The quartz-sulfide veins crosscut all lithological units. Their thickness and mineralogy is strongly controlled by the composition and rheological behavior of the wall rocks. In the biotite schist and calc-silicate rock, they are up to several decimeters thick and quartz-rich, whereas in the marble, the same veins are only a few millimeters thick and dominated by sulfides. The associated alteration halos comprise (1) an actinolite-quartz alteration in the biotite schist, (2) a garnet-clinopyroxene-K-feldspar-quartz alteration in the marble and calc-silicate rock, and (3) a garnet-biotite alteration that is recorded in all rock types except the marble. The hydrothermal overprint was associated with large-scale carbonate dissolution and a dramatic increase in CO2 in the ore fluid. Decarbonation of wall rocks, as well as a low REE content of the ore fluid resulted in the mobilization of the REE, and the decoupling of the LREE from the HREE. The alteration halos not only parallel the mineralized zones, but may also follow up single layers away from the mineralization. Alteration is far more pronounced facing upward, indicating that the rocks were steep when veining occurred. The petrologic and geochemical data indicate that the actinolite-quartz- and garnet-clinopyroxene-K-feldspar-quartz alterations formed in equilibrium with a fluid (super-) saturated in Si, and were mainly controlled by the composition of the wall rocks. In contrast, the garnet-biotite alteration formed by interaction with a fluid undersaturated in Si, and was mainly controlled by the fluid composition. This points to major differences in fluid-rock ratios and changes in fluid composition during alteration. The alteration systematics and geometry of the hydrothermal vein system are consistent with cyclic fluctuations in fluid pressure during fault valve action.

Partial melting of amphibolite to trondhjemite at Nunatak Fiord, St. Elias Mountains, Alaska

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barker, F.; McLellan, E.L.; Plafker, G.

1985-01-01

At Nunatak Fiord, 55km NE of Yakutat, Alaska, a uniform layer of Cretaceous basalt ca. 3km thick was metamorphosed ca. 67 million years ago to amphibolite and locally partially melted to pegmatitic trondhjemite. Segregations of plagioclase-quartz+/-biotite rock, leucosomes in amphibolite matrix, range from stringers 5-10mm thick to blunt pods as thick as 6m. They tend to be parallel to foliation of the amphibolite, but crosscutting is common. The assemblage aluminous hornblende-plagioclase-epidote-sphene-quartz gave a hydrous melt that crystallized to plagioclase-quartz+/-biotite pegmatitic trondhjemite. 5-10% of the rock melted. Eu at 2x chondrites is positively anomalous. REE partitioning in melt/residum was controlled largelymore » by hornblende and sphene. Though the mineralogical variability precludes quantitative modeling, partial melting of garnet-free amphibolite to heavy-REE-depleted trondhjemitic melt is a viable process.« less

40Ar* loss in experimentally deformed muscovite and biotite with implications for 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of naturally deformed rocks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cosca, Michael; Stunitz, Holger; Bourgiex, Anne-Lise; Lee, John P.

2011-01-01

The effects of deformation on radiogenic argon (40Ar*) retentivity in mica are described from high pressure experiments performed on rock samples of peraluminous granite containing euhedral muscovite and biotite. Cylindrical cores, ~15 mm in length and 6.25 mm in diameter, were drilled from granite collected from the South Armorican Massif in northwestern France, loaded into gold capsules, and weld-sealed in the presence of excess water. The samples were deformed at a pressure of 10 kb and a temperature of 600 degrees C over a period 29 of hours within a solid medium assembly in a Griggs-type triaxial hydraulic deformation apparatus. Overall shortening in the experiments was approximately 10%. Transmitted light and secondary and backscattered electron imaging of the deformed granite samples reveals evidence of induced defects and for significant physical grain size reduction by kinking, cracking, and grain segmentation of the micas.

The Goodman swell: a lithospheric flexure caused by crustal loading along the Midcontinent rift system

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peterman, Z.E.; Sims, P.K.

1988-01-01

Rb-Sr biotite ages of Archean and Early to Middle Proterozoic crystalline rocks in northern Wisconsin and adjacent Upper Peninsula of Michigan describe a regionally systematic pattern related to differential uplift. An "age low' occurs in northern Wisconsin where values range from 1070-1172 Ma for rocks with crystallization ages of 1760 to 1865 Ma. These values overlap with the main episode of mafic igneous activity (1090 to 1120 Ma) along the Midcontinent rift system (MRS). We interpret these low biotite ages as registering closure due to cooling below the 300??C isotherm as a consequence of uplift and rapid erosion of an area that we are informally naming the Goodman swell. We interpret the swell to be a forebulge imposed on an elastic crust by loading of mafic igneous rocks along and within the axis of the MRS. -from Authors

Dynamic deformation of volcanic ejecta from the Toba caldera: possible relevance to Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary phenomena

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carter, N.L.; Officer, C.B.; Chesner, C.A.

1986-05-01

Plagioclase and biotite phenocrysts in ignimbrites erupted from the Toba caldera, Sumatra, show microstructures and textures indicative of shock stress levels higher than 10 GPa. Strong dynamic deformation has resulted in intense kinking in biotite and, with increasing shock intensity, the development of plagioclase of planar features, shock mosaicism, incipient recrystallization, and possible partial melting. Microstructures in quartz indicative of strong shock deformation are rare, however, and many shock lamellae, if formed, may have healed during post-shock residence in the hot ignimbrite; they might be preserved in ash falls. Peak shock stresses from explosive silicic volcanism and other endogenous processesmore » may be high and if so would obviate the need for extraterrestrial impacts to produce all dynamically deformed structures, possibly including shock features observed near the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary. 38 references, 3 figures.« less

Alteration and mineralization in the eastern part of the Soldier Mountains, Camas County, Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lewis, Reed S.

2001-01-01

The eastern part of the Soldier Mountains in Camas County, south-central Idaho, is underlain principally by plutonic rocks of Cretaceous and Eocene age that locally have undergone propylitic, potassic, and muscovite-quartz alteration. Muscovite- quartz alteration is Cretaceous in age and is localized along joints and fractures, some of which are filled with quartz. Associated veins have yielded minor amounts of gold. Potassic alteration is probably both Cretaceous and Eocene in age but is weakly developed and limited in extent. Propylitic alteration is Eocene in age and is pronounced around biotite granite plutons. Despite a clear association between plutons of biotite granite and widespread propylitic alteration, mineralization associated with these rocks was minimal. Mineralized areas within more mafic Eocene plutons are characterized by veins and (or) stockworks(?) enriched in copper, molybdenum, and silver, but these areas are restricted in size and have not been productive.

In-situ 40Ar/39Ar Laser Probe Dating of Micas from Mae Ping Shear Zone, Northern Thailand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Y. L.; Yeh, M. W.; Lo, C. H.; Lee, T. Y.; Charusiri, P.

2012-04-01

The Mae Ping Shear Zone (MPSZ, also known as Wang Chao Fault Zone), which trends NW-SE from Myanmar to central Thailand, was considered as the southern boundary of the SE extrusion of Indochina and Sibumasu block during the Cenozoic escape tectonic event of SE asia. Many analyses of 40Ar/39Ar dating on biotite and K-feldspar, K/Ar dating on biotite and illite, zircon fission-track and apatite fission-track dating had been accomplished to constrain the shearing period. Nevertheless, it is hard to convince that the ages could represent the end of the shearing since none of the dated minerals have been proved to be crystallized syn-tectonically. Meta-granitoid and gneiss from the MPSZ were analyzed in this study by applying in-situ 40Ar/39Ar laser probe dating with combination of petrology and micro-structural analysis in the purpose to decipher the geological significance of the dates. Plagioclase was replacing K-feldspar for K-feldspar was cut and embayed by plagioclase observed by SEM + EDS. Muscovite in the granitoid own fish shapes of sinistral sense of shearing, and are always in contact with plagioclase and quartz, which suggests that the muscovite crystallized from the dissolving K-feldspar under amphibolite facies condition. 117 spots on 12 muscovite fishes yield ages from 44 Ma to 35 Ma and have a mean age of 40 Ma. Since the growth condition of the muscovite is higher than the closure temperature, thus we can interpret these muscovite ages as cooling ages. Hence left-lateral shearing of the MPSZ can be deduced as syn- to post-muscovite growth and uplifted the crystalline rocks within the shear zone. The ages of matrix biotite in gneiss has a mean age of 35 Ma, which is consistent with the cooling path reconstructed from previous studies. While the ages of inclusion biotite in the K-feldspar phenocryst scatter from 40 to 50 Ma due to the isotopes were not totally re-equilibrated during the shearing. Consequently, the left-lateral shearing of the MPSZ was supposed to initiate prior to 44 Ma and lasted till 35Ma, which is earlier than previously proposed.

The life cycle of iron Fe(III) oxide: impact of fungi and bacteria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonneville, Steeve

2014-05-01

Iron oxides are ubiquitous reactive constituents of soils, sediments and aquifers. They exhibit vast surface areas which bind a large array of trace metals, nutrients and organic molecules hence controlling their mobility/reactivity in the subsurface. In this context, understanding the "life cycle" of iron oxide in soils is paramount to many biogeochemical processes. Soils environments are notorious for their extreme heterogeneity and variability of chemical, physical conditions and biological agents at play. Here, we present studies investigating the role of two biological agents driving iron oxide dynamics in soils, root-associated fungi (mycorrhiza) and bacteria. Mycorrhiza filaments (hypha) grow preferentially around, and on the surface of nutrient-rich minerals, making mineral-fungi contact zones, hot-spots of chemical alteration in soils. However, because of the microscopic nature of hyphae (only ~ 5 µm wide for up to 1 mm long) and their tendency to strongly adhere to mineral surface, in situ observations of this interfacial micro-environment are scarce. In a microcosm, ectomycorrhiza (Paxillus involutus) was grown symbiotically with a pine tree (Pinus sylvestris) in the presence of freshly-cleaved biotite under humid, yet undersaturated, conditions typical of soils. Using spatially-resolved ion milling technique (FIB), transmission electron microscopy and spectroscopy (TEM/STEM-EDS), synchrotron based X-ray microscopy (STXM), we were able to quantify the speciation of Fe at the biotite-hypha interface. The results shows that substantial oxidation of biotite structural-Fe(II) into Fe(III) subdomains occurs at the contact zone between mycorrhiza and biotite. Once formed, iron(III) oxides can reductively dissolve under suboxic conditions via several abiotic and microbial pathways. In particular, they serve as terminal electron acceptors for the oxidation of organic matter by iron reducing bacteria. We aimed here to understand the role of Fe(III) mineral properties, in particular the influence of solubility, in the kinetics of microbial iron reduction. We used the facultative anaerobic gram-positive bacterium Shewanella putrefaciens as model iron reducing bacterium, with several ferrihydrite, hematite, goethite or lepidocrocite as electron acceptor, and lactate as electron donor. Maximum microbial Fe(III) reduction rates and solubility of Fe(III) phases were found to positively correlated in a Linear Free Energy Relationship suggesting a rate limitation by the electron transfer between iron reductases and a Fe(III) center, or by the subsequent desorption of Fe2+ from the iron oxide mineral surface.

Pegmatite/wallrock interactions, Black Hills, South Dakota: Progressive boron metasomatism adjacent to the Tip Top pegmatite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shearer, C. K.; Papike, J. J.; Simon, S. B.; Laul, J. C.; Christian, R. P.

1984-12-01

Interaction between country rock and fluids derived from the Tip Top pegmatite has resulted in a series of boron enriched assemblages. Between unaltered quartz-mica schist to the pegmatite contact is a succession of four mineral assemblages: (1) Quartz-Biotite-Potassium Feldspar assemblage (Q-B-K), which consists essentially of the original metamorphic silicate assemblage plus anomalously high amounts of modal tourmaline (2) Quartz-Biotite-Tourmaline assemblage (Q-B-T) (3) Tourmaline-Quartz-Muscovite assemblage (T-Q-M) (4) Tourmaline-Quartz assemblage (T-Q). Alkali elements (Cs, Rb, K, Li), SiO 2, and Ba show a decrease from the Q-B-K assemblage to the T-Q assemblage. A1 2O 3, Ga, B, total Fe and Zn increase moderately from the Q-B-K assemblage to the T-Q assemblage. The mineral chemistries also change considerably. The Mg/(Mg + Fe 2+) ratios in biotites range from 0.54 to 0.50 in samples from the Q-B-K assemblage to 0.39 in the (Q-B-T) assemblage. The range in tourmaline end-member components from the Q-B-K assemblage to the T-Q assemblage is as follows: Q-B-K: Dravite .63 Schorl .23 Elbaite .05 Buergerite .09 T-Q: Dravite .23 Schorl .37 Elbaite .17 Buergerite .23. Observed variations in mineral assemblage and whole rock chemistry within the alteration zone appear to a first approximation to be a function of μB2O3 (boron metasomatism) and μK2O (alkali leaching). The breakdown of feldspar and biotite may be approximated by reactions: 2HCl + 2(K, Na)AlSi 3O 8 /ai 2(K, Na)Cl + Al 2SiO 5 + 5SiO 2 + H 2O and 2 Annite + SiO 2 + 5Al 2SiO 5 + 2NaCl + 6H 3BO 3 /ai 2 Tourmaline + 2KCl + 7H 2O. The alteration zone may represent either a single episode (B-, Cs-, Li-, Rb-enriched fluid) or multiple episodes (B, Zn, Mn fluid and Cs, Li, Rb fluid) of pegmatite fluid-schist interactions. In both situations, B in the aqueous fluid from the pegmatite reacts with the schist breaking down sheet silicate "traps" for Cs, Rb, Li, and K and forming tourmaline-rich assemblages.

Metal endowment reflected in chemical composition of silicates and sulfides of mineralized porphyry copper systems, Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic arc, Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zarasvandi, Alireza; Rezaei, Mohsen; Raith, Johann G.; Pourkaseb, Houshang; Asadi, Sina; Saed, Madineh; Lentz, David R.

2018-02-01

The present work attempts to discriminate between the geochemical features of magmatic-hydrothermal systems involved in the early stages of mineralization in high grade versus low grade porphyry copper systems, using chemical compositions of silicate and sulfide minerals (i.e., plagioclase, biotite, pyrite and chalcopyrite). The data indicate that magmatic plagioclase in all of the porphyry copper systems studied here has high An% and Al content with a significant trend of evolution toward AlAl3SiO8 and □Si4O8 endmembers, providing insight into the high melt water contents of the parental magmas. Comparably, excess Al and An% in the high grade deposits appears to be higher than that of selected low grade deposits, representing a direct link between the amounts of exsolving hydrothermal fluids and the potential of metal endowment in porphyry copper deposits (PCDs). Also, higher Al contents accompanied by elevated An% are linked to the increasing intensity of disruptive alteration (phyllic) in feldspars from the high grade deposits. As calculated from biotite compositions, chloride contents are higher in the exsolving hydrothermal fluids that contributed to the early mineralization stages of highly mineralized porphyry systems. However, as evidenced by scattered and elevated log (fH2O)/(fHF) and log (fH2O)/(fHCl) values, chloride contents recorded in biotite could be influenced by post potassic fluids. Geothermometry of biotite associated with the onset of sulfide mineralization indicates that there is a trend of increasing temperature from high grade to low grade porphyry systems. Significantly, this is coupled with a sharp change in copper content of pyrite assemblages precipitated at the early stages of mineralization such that Cu decreased with increasing temperature. Based on EMPA and detailed WDS elemental mapping, trace elements do not exhibit complex compositional zoning or solid solution in the sulfide structure. Nevertheless, significant amounts of Cu and Au are contained in pyrite assemblages as micro- to nano-sized inclusions, especially in the high grade fertile porphyry deposits. However, unexpectedly high concentrations of Te, Se, and Re may be associated with early stage of sulfide mineralization, especially when there is no epithermal lithocap. This may highlight the significance of trace metals partitioning in the sulfides formed at the early stages of mineralization in PCDs.

Episodic crustal growth in the Bundelkhand craton of central India shield: Constraints from petrogenesis of the tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite gneisses and K-rich granites of Bundelkhand tectonic zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chauhan, Hiredya; Saikia, Ashima; Ahmad, Talat

2018-04-01

Tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite gneisses (TTG) and K-rich granites are extensively exposed in the Mesoarchean to Paleoproterozoic Bundelkhand craton of central India. The TTGs rocks are coarse- grained with biotite, plagioclase feldspar, K-feldspar and amphibole as major constituent phases. The major minerals constituting the K-rich granites are K-feldspar, plagioclase feldspar and biotite. They are also medium to coarse grained. Mineral chemical studies show that the amphiboles of TTG are calcic amphibole hastingsite, plagioclase feldspars are mostly of oligoclase composition, K-feldspars are near pure end members and biotites are solid solutions between annite and siderophyllite components. The K-rich granites have biotites of siderophyllite-annite composition similar to those of TTGs, plagioclase feldspars are oligoclase in composition, potassic feldspars have XK ranging from 0.97 to 0.99 and are devoid of any amphibole. The tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite gneiss samples have high SiO2 (64.17-74.52 wt%), Na2O (3.11-5.90 wt%), low Mg# (30-47) and HREE contents, with moderate (La/Yb)_{CN} values (14.7-33.50) and Sr/Y ratios (4.85-98.7). These geochemical characteristics suggest formation of the TTG by partial melting of the hydrous basaltic crust at pressures and depths where garnet and amphibole were stable phases in the Paleo-Mesoarchean. The K-rich granite samples show high SiO2 (64.72-76.73 wt%), K2O (4.31-5.42), low Na2O (2.75-3.31 wt%), Mg# (24-40) and HREE contents, with moderate to high (La/Yb)_{CN} values (9.26-29.75) and Sr/Y ratios (1.52-24). They differ from their TTG in having elevated concentrations of incompatible elements like K, Zr, Th, and REE. These geochemical features indicate formation of the K-granites by anhydrous partial melting of the Paleo-Mesoarchean TTG or mafic crustal materials in an extensional regime. Combined with previous studies it is interpreted that two stages of continental accretion (at 3.59-3.33 and 3.2-3.0 Ga) and reworking (at 2.5-1.9 Ga) occurred in the Bundelkhand craton from Archaean to Paleoproterozoic.

Microstructures and petrology of melt inclusions in the anatectic sequence of Jubrique (Betic Cordillera, S Spain): Implications for crustal anatexis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barich, Amel; Acosta-Vigil, Antonio; Garrido, Carlos J.; Cesare, Bernardo; Tajčmanová, Lucie; Bartoli, Omar

2014-10-01

We report a new occurrence of melt inclusions in polymetamorphic granulitic gneisses of the Jubrique unit, a complete though strongly thinned crustal section located above the Ronda peridotite slab (Betic Cordillera, S Spain). The gneissic sequence is composed of mylonitic gneisses at the bottom and in contact with the peridotites, and porphyroblastic gneisses on top. Mylonitic gneisses are strongly deformed rocks with abundant garnet and rare biotite. Except for the presence of melt inclusions, microstructures indicating the former presence of melt are rare or absent. Upwards in the sequence, garnet decreases whereas biotite increases in modal proportion. Melt inclusions are present from cores to rims of garnets throughout the entire sequence. Most of the former melt inclusions are now totally crystallized and correspond to nanogranites, whereas some of them are partially made of glass or, more rarely, are totally glassy. They show negative crystal shapes and range in size from ≈ 5 to 200 μm, with a mean size of ≈ 30-40 μm. Daughter phases in nanogranites and partially crystallized melt inclusions include quartz, feldspars, biotite and muscovite; accidental minerals include kyanite, graphite, zircon, monazite, rutile and ilmenite; glass has a granitic composition. Melt inclusions are mostly similar throughout all the gneissic sequence. Some fluid inclusions, of possible primary origin, are spatially associated with melt inclusions, indicating that at some point during the suprasolidus history of these rocks granitic melt and fluid coexisted. Thermodynamic modeling and conventional thermobarometry of mylonitic gneisses provide peak conditions of ≈ 850 °C and 12-14 kbar, corresponding to cores of large garnets with inclusions of kyanite and rutile. Post-peak conditions of ≈ 800-850 °C and 5-6 kbar are represented by rim regions of large garnets with inclusions of sillimanite and ilmenite, cordierite-quartz-biotite coronas replacing garnet rims, and the matrix with oriented sillimanite. Previous conventional petrologic studies on these strongly deformed rocks have proposed that anatexis started during decompression from peak to post-peak conditions and in the field of sillimanite. The study of melt inclusions shows, however, that melt was already present in the system at peak conditions, and that most garnet grew in the presence of melt.

Pegmatite/wallrock interactions, Black Hills, South Dakota: Progressive boron metasomatism adjacent to the Tip Top pegmatite

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shearer, C.K.; Papike, J.J.; Simon, S.B.; Laul, J.C.; Christian, R.P.

1984-01-01

Interaction between country rock and fluids derived from the Tip Top pegmatite has resulted in a series of boron enriched assemblages. Between unaltered quartz-mica schist to the pegmatite contact is a succession of four mineral assemblages: 1. (1) Quartz-Biotite-Potassium Feldspar assemblage (Q-B-K), which consists essentially of the original metamorphic silicate assemblage plus anomalously high amounts of modal tourmaline 2. (2) Quartz-Biotite-Tourmaline assemblage (Q-B-T) 3. (3) Tourmaline-Quartz-Muscovite assemblage (T-Q-M) 4. (4) Tourmaline-Quartz assemblage (T-Q). Alkali elements (Cs, Rb, K, Li), SiO2, and Ba show a decrease from the Q-B-K assemblage to the T-Q assemblage. A12O3, Ga, B, total Fe and Zn increase moderately from the Q-B-K assemblage to the T-Q assemblage. The mineral chemistries also change considerably. The Mg/(Mg + Fe2+) ratios in biotites range from 0.54 to 0.50 in samples from the Q-B-K assemblage to 0.39 in the (Q-B-T) assemblage. The range in tourmaline end-member components from the Q-B-K assemblage to the T-Q assemblage is as follows: Q-B-K: Dravite.63 Schorl.23 Elbaite.05 Buergerite.09 T-Q: Dravite.23 Schorl.37 Elbaite.17 Buergerite.23. Observed variations in mineral assemblage and whole rock chemistry within the alteration zone appear to a first approximation to be a function of ??B2O3 (boron metasomatism) and ??K2O (alkali leaching). The breakdown of feldspar and biotite may be approximated by reactions: 2HCl + 2(K, Na)AlSi3O8 /ai 2(K, Na)Cl + Al2SiO5 + 5SiO2 + H2O and 2 Annite + SiO2 + 5Al2SiO5 + 2NaCl + 6H3BO3 /ai 2 Tourmaline + 2KCl + 7H2O. The alteration zone may represent either a single episode (B-, Cs-, Li-, Rb-enriched fluid) or multiple episodes (B, Zn, Mn fluid and Cs, Li, Rb fluid) of pegmatite fluid-schist interactions. In both situations, B in the aqueous fluid from the pegmatite reacts with the schist breaking down sheet silicate "traps" for Cs, Rb, Li, and K and forming tourmaline-rich assemblages. ?? 1984.

Oligocene shoshonitic rocks of the Rogozna Mts. (Central Balkan Peninsula): Evidence of petrogenetic links to the formation of Pb-Zn-Ag ore deposits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borojević Šoštarić, S.; Cvetković, V.; Neubauer, F.; Palinkaš, L. A.; Bernroider, M.; Genser, J.

2012-09-01

This study focuses on age and evolution of the Oligocene quartz latite of the Rogozna Mts. (Central Balkan Peninsula), in order to better understand the link between magmatism and formation of Pb-Zn ± Ag mineralization. New 40Ar/39Ar biotite and amphibole plateau ages suggest that the Rogozna Mts. quartz latite originated through a continuous volcanic episode from 27.3 ± 0.1 to 29.5 ± 0.1 Ma which was immediately followed by a hydrothermal phase. The quartz latites are hypocrystalline porphyritic with phenocrysts and microphenocrysts (~ 60 vol.%) of plagioclase (An37-49), biotite Mg# [100 × Mg / (Mg + Fetot)] < 50, calcic amphibole, quartz, sanidine clinopyroxene and phlogopite (Mg# = 79 to 84). The rocks display numerous disequilibrium textures, such as: sieved plagioclase phenocrysts, dissolution effects on quartz, phlogopitized biotite and amphibole crystals, and phlogopite microphenocrysts showing effects of incomplete growth (or dissolution?) and biotitization. The Rogozna Mts. quartz latites are shoshonitic in character with Na2O/K2O < 1, high LILE/HFSE ratios, strong depletions at Nb and Ti and K, Pb and U peaks on primitive mantle-normalized diagrams. They are similar to other potassic/ultrapotassic rocks in this region, in particular to those of Veliki Majdan and Rudnik (West Serbia), which are also related to Pb-Zn deposits. The evolution of the Rogozna Mts. quartz latite is modeled using a trace element binary mixing model adopting a lamproite magma and a dacite-like calc-alkaline melt as end-members. The model implies that a fractionating magma chamber (~ 4.5-9.5 km) undergoes cooling in the range of > 850 °C-~720 °C and injection of lamproite-like melts. The injection causes an increase of temperature and a decrease of viscosity of the resulting hybrid magma, facilitating its upwelling and triggering pyroclastic eruptions. The addition of new volatiles by lamproitic melts most probably established the conditions for a hydrothermal phase above the magma chamber that was previously degassed explosively. This implies that magma mixing processes can be of great importance for the formation of Pb-Zn deposits. Similar processes are likely to have occurred in other areas with economically significant Pb-Zn-Ag ± other metal mineralization in the region of the Central Balkan Peninsula (Veliki Majdan, Rudnik, Golija, Kopaonik, Avala, etc.).

Zircon trace element and isotopic (Sr, Nd, Hf, Pb) effects of assimilation-fractional crystallization of pegmatite magma: A case study of the Guangshigou biotite pegmatites from the North Qinling Orogen, central China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Feng; Liu, Jia-Jun; Carranza, Emmanuel John M.; Zhang, Shuai; Zhai, De-Gao; Liu, Gang; Wang, Gong-Wen; Zhang, Hong-Yuan; Sha, Ya-Zhou; Yang, Shang-Song

2018-03-01

Evidence for open-system magmatic processes related to wallrock assimilation accompanied by fractional crystallization (AFC) is present in the Guangshigou biotite pegmatites, North Qinling Orogen. The biotite pegmatite-gneiss contacts generally coincide with the greatest enrichment of U and Th. Zircon Usbnd Pb dating constrains the crystallization ages of the biotite pegmatite (rim zone-415 ± 2.6 Ma; internal zone-413.5 ± 2.5 Ma), in line with a pyrite Pbsbnd Pb isochron age (413 ± 22 Ma). Metamict areas in zircon show generally elevated concentrations of trace elements and expulsion of radioactive Pb. Internal zone samples, representing uncontaminated magma, have negative to positive zircon ( 413 Ma) εHf(t) (- 1.53 - + 3.24), low εNd(t) values (- 2.4), and old Hf and Nd model ages (tDM2 = 1.5-1.19 Ga, T2DM = 1.35 Ga, respectively), indicating a dominantly recycled Mesoproterozoic lower crustal material with involvement of some juvenile materials in the source region. The magmatic oxygen fugacity (fO2) and crystallization temperatures ranges from - 24.81 to - 13.34 of log fO2 and 570 °C to 793 °C, respectively. Compared to the internal zone, pegmatite rim samples display a variable and lower εNd(t) values (- 3.9 to - 2.8) and T2DM (1.47-1.37 Ga), but similar Hf isotopic compositions, favouring a three-component isotopic mixing model (recycled Mesoproterozoic lower crust materials, juvenile materials, and host gneiss). Pronounced variations of Ti, Y, U, Th, Hf, and REE concentrations in zircon from grain to grain in individual samples and from area to area within individual grains suggest a fluctuating crystallization environment in hybridized magma from which the rim-hosted zircons crystallized. Variable and high radiogenic Pb ratios of pyrites forming in the hybridized magma were inherited from the matrix. Zircons from both zones exhibit similar Hf isotope patterns, indicating the rim-hosted zircons crystallized during the early stage of hybridization of magma. However, the heterogeneous Nd isotopic composition in individual pegmatites imply an incorporation of wallrock-derived melt with less radiogenic Nd.

Kontay intrusion (Polar Siberia)- an example of strong magmatic differentiation in the single magmatic body

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaitsev, Victor

2016-04-01

Kontay intrusion is located in the north-west part of Maimecha-Kotuy province, (part of Siberian Large Igneous Province) in the northern part of the Siberian Platform. Intrusion is fully overlaid and practically not studied before. Geophysical data evident that intrusion has form of laccolite with diameter ˜7.5 km and thickness ˜ 2.5 km [1]. Initially lower part of intrusion was described as "gabbro-anortozite and anortositic gabbro" and higher part - as "leucocratic granophyric anortosites" [2]. Complex mineralo-petrological-geochemical study allow to divide intrusion section on three zones: Lower zone (below 1100 m) - layered sequence of leucocratic and melanocratic of biotite- and ortopyroxene-bearing gabbro, with minor alkaline feldspar, Middle zone (1100-700m) - biotite- and K-feldspar bearing gabbro and monzonotes, interstitial space often contain micrographical structures. Biotite corroded clinopyroxene and form interstitial crystals and Upper zone (700-214 m) - petrographically monotone porthyric quartz-monzonites and granosyenites with rare phenocrysts of plagioclase, magnetite, clinopyroxene and biotite. The main secondary minerals are albite, amphibole (edenite-feroedenite), secondary biotite, chlorite, and F,Al-bearing titanite. Rocks of the all parts fall in the same trends on the binary petrochemical diagrams, they belong to the High-K calc-alkaline seria. They are clearly more alkaline then intrusions of Norilsk district and less alkaline then alkaline-ultramafic intrusions of Maymecha-Kotuy province. Volcanic rocks of Norilsk and Maymecha-Kotuy area was subdivided for four geochemical types, mainly by the Ti-content, Th/U, Gd/Yb and Sm/Yb ratio: Low-Ti-1 (predominated), Low-Ti-2 (well -developed in Norilsk region), Moderate-Ti (developed only in the lower part of volcanic formation in Norilsk region), High-Ti (rare in Norilsk region, but widely spread in Mailecha-Kotuy area) [3]. Kontay intrusion rocks belong to Moderate-Ti group. The closest analog is Ivakinsky-1 subsute. Cumulus minerals composition changed systematically upward. Two populations of clinopyroxene occur, both are diopside-hedenbergite. The pyroxenes of first population contain 1-1.2% TiO22-2.5% Al2O3 0.2-0.3 % MnO, 0.3-0.35% Na2O, Mg/(Mg+Fe)=0.44-0.50 present only in the lower part of intrusion. These pyroxenes was formed from the melt of High-Ti geochemical type; the second population of pyroxene present overall, Mg/(Mg+Fe) decrease from 0.7 to 0.63, concentration of Al2O3 increase from 0.7 to 1.3, TiO2 increase from 0.4 to 0.6, MnO from 0.4 to 0.7 and Na2O decrease from 0.32 to 0.28 wt%. Biotite Mg/(Mg+Fe) increase from 0.60-0.62 up to 0.76-0.78, TiO2 content decrease from 5 -6.2% to 1.9-2.4%, and MnO content increase from 0.1 to 0.3-0.4%. Plagioclase in the lowest part of intrusion contains An60-An45 cores and An32-An26rims, but in the middle and upper zone plagioclase composition of plagioclase changed systematically with an increase in Ca. Based on the petrochemical and mineralogical data, Kontay intrusion is an example of strongly in-situ differentiated layered intrusion, formed in subvolcanic conditions form the subalkaline moderate-Ti melt with admixture of crystals, genetically linked with high-Ti melts. This study was financially supported by the Russian Science Foundation (grant 115-17-30019) [1] Kushnir (2005) Ph.d. thesises, 25.00.10 Ekatirenburg, 154. [2] Lopatin and Kalashnik (2004) Mineral resourses and perspectives of Taimyr district. 154-156 [3] Fedorenko et al. (2000) International Geology Review. 42. 769-804.

40Ar* loss in experimentally deformed muscovite and biotite with implications for 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of naturally deformed rocks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cosca, M.; Stunitz, H.; Bourgeix, A.-L.; Lee, J.P.

2011-01-01

The effects of deformation on radiogenic argon (40Ar*) retentivity in mica are described from high pressure experiments performed on rock samples of peraluminous granite containing euhedral muscovite and biotite. Cylindrical cores, ???15mm in length and 6.25mm in diameter, were drilled from granite collected from the South Armorican Massif in northwestern France, loaded into gold capsules, and weld-sealed in the presence of excess water. The samples were deformed at a pressure of 10kb and a temperature of 600??C over a period 29 of hours within a solid medium assembly in a Griggs-type triaxial hydraulic deformation apparatus. Overall shortening in the experiments was approximately 10%. Transmitted light and secondary and backscattered electron imaging of the deformed granite samples reveals evidence of induced defects and for significant physical grain size reduction by kinking, cracking, and grain segmentation of the micas.Infrared (IR) laser (CO2) heating of individual 1.5-2.5mm diameter grains of muscovite and biotite separated from the undeformed granite yield well-defined 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages of 311??2Ma (2??). Identical experiments on single grains separated from the experimentally deformed granite yield results indicating 40Ar* loss of 0-35% in muscovite and 2-3% 40Ar* loss in biotite. Intragrain in situ ultraviolet (UV) laser ablation 40Ar/39Ar ages (??4-10%, 1??) of deformed muscovites range from 309??13 to 264??7Ma, consistent with 0-16% 40Ar* loss relative to the undeformed muscovite. The in situ UV laser ablation 40Ar/39Ar ages of deformed biotite vary from 301 to 217Ma, consistent with up to 32% 40Ar* loss. No spatial correlation is observed between in situ 40Ar/39Ar age and position within individual grains. Using available argon diffusion data for muscovite the observed 40Ar* loss in the experimentally treated muscovite can be utilized to predict average 40Ar* diffusion dimensions. Maximum 40Ar/39Ar ages obtained by UV laser ablation overlap those of the undeformed muscovite, indicating argon loss of <1% and an average effective grain radius for 40Ar* diffusion ???700??m. The UV laser ablation and IR laser incremental 40Ar/39Ar ages indicating 40Ar* loss of 16% and 35%, respectively, are consistent with an average diffusion radius ???100??m. These results support a hypothesis of grain-scale 40Ar* diffusion distances in undeformed mica and a heterogeneous mechanical reduction in the intragrain effective diffusion length scale for 40Ar* in deformed mica. Reduction in the effective diffusion length scale in naturally deformed samples occurs most probably through production of mesoscopic and submicroscopic defects such as, e.g., stacking faults. A network of interconnected defects, continuously forming and annealing during dynamic deformation likely plays an important role in controlling both 40Ar* retention and intragrain distribution in deformed mica. Intragrain 40Ar/39Ar ages, when combined with estimates of diffusion kinetics and distances, may provide a means of establishing thermochronological histories from individual micas. ?? 2011.

Two cryptic anatectic events within a syn-collisional granitoid from the Araçuaí orogen (southeastern Brazil): Evidence from the polymetamorphic Carlos Chagas batholith

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melo, M. G.; Stevens, G.; Lana, C.; Pedrosa-Soares, A. C.; Frei, D.; Alkmim, F. F.; Alkmin, L. A.

2017-04-01

From the earliest (ca. 630 Ma) pre-collisional plutons to the latest (ca. 480 Ma) post-collisional intrusions, the Araçuaí orogen (SE Brazil) records an outstanding succession of granite production events in space and time. The Carlos Chagas batholith (CCB) is the largest ( 14,000 km2) granitic body ascribed to the collisional plutonism (G2 supersuite) in the back-arc region of the Araçuaí orogen, to the east of the Rio Doce magmatic arc. A wide range of monazite and zircon ages (> 725 Ma to ca. 490 Ma) have been found in CCB granites, recording a rich history of crustal recycling and inheritance, magmatic crystallization and anatexis. The CCB includes a dominant granite richer in garnet than in biotite, in which three mineral assemblages can be identified: 1) Qz + Pl + Kfs + Bt + Grt + Ilm ± Rt; 2) Qz + Pl + Kfs + Bt + Grt + Ilm + Sil; and 3) Qz + Pl + Kfs + Bt + Grt + Ilm + Sil + Spl. Rocks which contain mineral assemblage 2 and 3 all contain two generations of garnet. Textural evidence for the presence of former melt, recognized in all studied CCB samples, includes: silicate melt inclusions in poikiloblastic garnet, pseudomorphed thin films of melt surrounding both generations of garnet, pseudomorphed melt pools adjacent to garnet and biotite, and plagioclase and quartz with cuspate-lobate shapes occurring among matrix grains. Both generations of garnet crystals (Grt1 and Grt2) are unzoned in terms of major element concentration, contain small rounded inclusions of Ti-rich biotite and, in addition, the Grt2 crystals also contain inclusions of remnant sillimanite needles. Microstructural evidence, in combination with mineral chemistry, indicates that the garnet crystals grew during two distinct metamorphic-anatectic events, as the peritectic products of fluid-absent melting reactions which consumed biotite, quartz and plagioclase, in the case of Grt1, and which consumed biotite, quartz, plagioclase and sillimanite in the case of Grt2. P-T pseudosections calculated via Theriak-Domino, in combination with in situ U-Pb monazite and zircon dating, provide new constraints on the thermal evolution of the back-arc region of the Araçuaí orogen. Data from assemblage 1 suggests P-T conditions for the first granulite-facies metamorphic event (M1) at 790-820 °C and 9.5-10.5 kbar, while the assemblage 2 records P-T conditions for a second granulite-facies metamorphism (M2) of around 770 °C and 6.6 kbar. Monazite and zircon within garnets from the different assemblages give age peaks at 570-550 Ma (M1) and 535-515 Ma (M2), recording two anatectic events in the CCB during a single orogenic cycle. The PT conditions for these metamorphic events can be related to: i) M1, striking crustal thickening, probably involving thrusting of the magmatic arc onto the back-arc region; and ii) M2, decompression related to the gravitational collapse of the Araçuaí orogen.

Age of Jurassic continental tholeiites of French Guyana, Surinam and Guinea: Implications for the initial opening of the Central Atlantic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deckart, Katja; Féraud, Gilbert; Bertrand, Hervé

1997-08-01

A detailed 40Ar/39Ar study, of mineral separates from the Jurassic Atlantic Continental Tholeiites (JACT) of Guyana (French Guyana and Surinam, South America), and Guinea (West Africa) related to the initial opening of the Central Atlantic, has been carried out. In French Guyana, plateau ages of 196.0 ± 5.7 Ma and 196.1 ± 7.5 Ma were obtained on single, small amphibole grains from NNW—SSE trending dykes. In Guinea, single biotite grains from intrusive formations from the Kakoulima and Fouta Djalon areas yielded plateau ages of 200.4 ± 0.2 Ma and 194.8 ± 0.5 Ma, concordant with high temperature apparent ages on other biotites. The bulk plagioclase samples display disturbed age spectra due to alteration and excess argon. However, intermediate temperature, weighted mean plagioclase ages are similar in both regions of Guyana and Guinea, ranging from 200.2 ± 2.4 Ma to 188.7 ± 1.9 Ma, partly in agreement with the amphibole and biotite data. These data, combined with previous 40Ar/39Ar and U/Pb results from the northern part of the Central Atlantic margins, indicate intense magmatic activity distributed over a large area from Iberia to Liberia (ca. 4500 km long) for a short period of time (204-195 Ma, perhaps less for the bulk of the magmatism) during the initial break-up of Pangea continent. These data do not support an initiation of the magmatism from a radial volcano-tectonic system centred in the south of the region, as suggested by May [1], and the initial break-up seems to affect the whole Central Atlantic during a period of 9 Ma.

The geology of the Inconsolable Range, east-central Sierra Nevada, California

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hathaway, G.M; Reed, W.E.

1993-04-01

Detailed mapping of the Inconsolable Range in the east-central Sierra Nevada reveals a structurally and lithologically complex region of multi-phase intrusions. Some plutons are compositionally-zoned [e.g., Inconsolable (100 Ma) and Lamarck (90 Ma)]; others may be the result of magma mixing. Intrusive borders vary from brittle to ductile and sharp to gradational, and are bounded by contact aureoles of varying metamorphic grade. A shear zone (Long Lake shear zone -- LLSZ) bounds the western margin of the Inconsolable Range for 8 km; this is truncated in the south by the Cretaceous Lamarck intrusive suite, and is tectonically overlain in themore » north by the Bishop Creek Pendant (Ordovician ). The LLSZ is a complex zone of interleaved septa of biotite schists, orthogneisses, aplitic screens, and calc-silicate gneisses approximately 500 to 800 m wide. Preliminary interpretation suggests that the LLSZ is the sheared remnant of a Triassic-Jurassic igneous terrane complete with metasedimentary pendants. Juxtaposition of greenschist facies meta-sedimentary rocks of the Chocolate Peak klippe over highly deformed amphibolite grade meta-igneous rocks of the LLSZ postdates movement along the LLSZ. Metamorphic grades suggest that deeper structural levels are exposed within the LLSZ near its southern terminus. Twenty plutonic lithologies have been mapped and informally named (e.g., Spotted biotite quartz diorite), including 3 compositionally-zoned plutons. Zonation within the Lamarck, Inconsolable, and Spotted intrusions are the result of multiple emplacement events into partially crystallized host plutons. Along the eastern border of the Lamarck intrusive suite field evidence indicates four separate intrusive events. The Inconsolable body is a compositionally-zoned biotite, clinopyroxene, quartz diorite with irregular granodiorite margins. The base of the Spotted intrusion appears to have been magmatically eroded by a pulse of the younger Lamarck intrusion.« less

"Gris Quintana": a Spanish granite from the Past into the Future.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

José Tejado, Juan; Mota, M. Isabel; Pereira, Dolores

2014-05-01

"Gris Quintana" is a medium-grained, biotite and amphibole granodiorite extracted in the Pluton of Quintana de la Serena (Extremadura, Spain). It is a constant light grey granite from the Hercynian geologic with excellent physicomechanical and physicochemical properties. The granodiorite is composed of plagioclase, biotite, quartz and alkali feldspar, with accessory allanite, titanite, apatite, zircon and ilmenite, mostly as inclusions within the biotite crystals. This commercial variety is extracted from many quarries in the late Hercynian plutons located in the Iberian Massif in Spain period (transition between Central Iberian and Ossa-Moren Zones), having large reserves of granite. Many of the quarries have their own transformation factory (high production zone), with which the sector is offered an endless variety of finishes and constructive rock typologies. A wide range of solutions to architects and designers are offered. Gris Quintana granite is one of the materials with highest technological benefits that are used in arquitecture. "Gris Quintana" granite has been used since ancient times, not only at a regional, but also at national and international level: paving, building (structural, exterior façadas, interior uses), urban decoration and funeral art. It can be found in monuments and more recently, in buildings of different styles and uses, that stand out in beauty and splendor, lasting in time. Some singular works in "Gris Quintana" granite all over the world: extension to the "Congreso de Diputados" (Parliament) in Madrid, "Puerta de San Vicente" in Madrid, Andalucia Parliament columns in Sevilla, New Senate Buiding in Madird, "Gran Vía" pavement in Madrid, "Teatro Real façade" in Madrid… "Gris Quintana" granite accomplishes all the requirements for its nomination as Global Heritage Stone Resource, for both its use in construction and for artistic purposes.

[sup 40]Ar/[sup 39]Ar mineral ages from southwestern Penobscot Bay, Maine: Evidence for Silurian metamorphism

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

West, D.P. Jr.; Guidotti, C.V.; Lux, D.R.

1992-01-01

The nature and timing of metamorphic events in the Coastal Lithotectonic Block of Maine remain poorly understood. Immediately west and southwest of Penobscot Bay the rocks are polymetamorphic showing evidence for at least two episodes of amphibolite facies metamorphism and later, perhaps regionally extensive, retrograde events. Hornblende mineral separates from two amphibolites din the Port Clyde area have identical Ar-40/Ar-39 plateau ages of 414.0 [+-] 3.3 and 414.0 [+-] 3.9 Ma. These ages are interpreted to reflect the time of cooling following the last significant thermal event in this area. Biotite from an amphibolite in the Port Clyde area givesmore » a total gas age of 346.5 [+-] 3.2 Ma. Hornblende from an amphibolite 7 km to the west near Friendship gives a nearly concordant release spectrum with a plateau age of 369.0 [+-] 3.7 Ma. Coexisting biotite from this amphibolite gives a total gas age of 289.2 [+-] 2.7 Ma. Muscovite from the Waldoboro pluton has a nearly concordant release spectrum with a plateau age of 306.3 [+-] 2.2 Ma. Biotite from this sample gives a total gas age of 288.9 [+-] 2.2 Ma. The 414.0 Ma hornblende cooling ages from the Port Clyde area reflect cooling following a significant high grade Silurian thermal event. This Silurian metamorphism is the same age as tectonothermal events in the Nashoba Terrane in eastern Massachusetts, the Kingston Complex in southern New Brunswick, the Aspy Terrane in Cape Breton island, Nova Scotia, and the Hermitage Flexure in southern Newfoundland.d Thus a distinctive Silurian tectonothermal province located along the western edge of the Avalon Zone appears to extend discontinuously from Massachusetts to Newfoundland.« less

The anatomy of a hydrothermal (explosion ) breccia, Abbot Village, central Maine

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roy, D.C.

1993-03-01

An apparently intrusive hydrothermal breccia is exposed in a large outcrop along Kingsbury Stream downstream from the Route 6 bridge in Abbot Village. The breccia intrudes the Siluro-Devonian Madrid Formation which is comprised of thick-bedded metasandstone interbedded with less fine-grained schist and phyllite at regional biotite grade. In the vicinity of the breccia, the bedding attitude in the Madrid is N60E 70SE and the section faces SE. The breccia is a concordant body with respect to bedding and the exposure shows what appears to the SW terminus of the intrusion which extends an unknown distance NE. The main phase ofmore » the breccia consists of randomly oriented and angular clasts'' of Madrid metasandstone and schist that are cemented by a quartz-dominated matrix. The random orientation of the clasts is present this phase were it is in contact with the country rock. The matrix comprises about 15% of the volume of the breccia and, in addition to quartz, contains biotite, galena, chalcopyrite ( ), pyrite, and an iron-carbonate. In some interstitial matrix, apparently late iron-carbonate fills post-quartz vugs that contain quartz-crystal terminations. The wall phase contains a higher proportion of biotite schist clasts that in places are bent around each other and metasandstone clasts. Quartz veins extending into the country rock near the breccia follow prominent regional joint directions and suggest hydrofracturing of the Madrid was the principal mechanism for breccia formation. The breccia is interpreted to be of explosive origin with the main phase of the body representing clasts that fell down within the vent'' following upward transport. The wall phase is taken to have formed due to adhesion to the wall of breccia clasts during the eruptive stage.« less

Timing and conditions of peak metamorphism and cooling across the Zimithang Thrust, Arunachal Pradesh, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warren, Clare J.; Singh, Athokpam K.; Roberts, Nick M. W.; Regis, Daniele; Halton, Alison M.; Singh, Rajkumar B.

2014-07-01

The Zimithang Thrust juxtaposes two lithotectonic units of the Greater Himalayan Sequence in Arunachal Pradesh, NE India. Monazite U-Pb, muscovite 40Ar/39Ar and thermobarometric data from rocks in the hanging and footwall constrain the timing and conditions of their juxtaposition across the structure, and their subsequent cooling. Monazite grains in biotite-sillimanite gneiss in the hanging wall yield LA-ICP-MS U-Pb ages of 16 ± 0.2 to 12.7 ± 0.4 Ma. A schistose gneiss within the high strain zone yields overlapping-to-younger monazite ages of 14.9 ± 0.3 to 11.5 ± 0.3 Ma. Garnet-staurolite-mica schists in the immediate footwall yield older monazite ages of 27.3 ± 0.6 to 17.1 ± 0.2 Ma. Temperature estimates from Ti-in-biotite and garnet-biotite thermometry suggest similar peak temperatures were achieved in the hanging and footwalls (~ 525-650 °C). Elevated temperatures of ~ 700 °C appear to have been reached in the high strain zone itself and in the footwall further from the thrust. Single grain fusion 40Ar/39Ar muscovite data from samples either side of the thrust yield ages of ~ 7 Ma, suggesting that movement along the thrust juxtaposed the two units by the time the closure temperature of Ar diffusion in muscovite had been reached. These data confirm previous suggestions that major orogen-parallel out-of-sequence structures disrupt the Greater Himalayan Sequence at different times during Himalayan evolution, and highlight an eastwards-younging trend in 40Ar/39Ar muscovite cooling ages at equivalent structural levels along Himalayan strike.

Geochemistry and tectonic setting of the Golabad granitoid complex (SW Nain, Iran)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mansouri Esfahani, Mahin; Khalili, Mahmoud; Alaminia, Zahra

2018-03-01

The Oligo-Miocene Golabad granitoid complex intrusive into the Eocene volcanic rocks occurs in the Urumieh-Dokhtar Magmatic Arc (UDMA) in Iran. According to microscopic and chemical studies, the granitoid complex consists of three different rock types: 1) plutonic rocks comprising diorite, quartz diorite, granodiorite and granite; 2) volcanic rocks composed of basalt, andesite basalt, ± pyroxene bearing andesite and rhyolite, and 3) pyroclastic rocks. The main mineral constituents of these rocks are mostly plagioclase (oligoclase and andesine), quartz, K-feldspar, amphibole (magnesio-hornblende and actinolite-hornblende) and Mg-biotite. In addition, apatite, titanite, zircon, and opaque minerals are common accessory minerals. The studied enclaves are classified as mafic micro-granular enclaves (MME) with monzodiorite compositions. Geochemically, the rocks in this study represent medium to high-K calc-alkaline series, metaluminous and I-type nature. Plotting, the chemical composition of plagioclase on the An-Ab-Or ternary diagram, the temperature of crystallization is estimated to range from 700 to 900 °C at a pressure of 4.5 Kbar. High TiO2 values of biotites from the Golabad granitoid complex suggest magmatic origin and the crystallization temperature is estimated to range from 700 to 750 °C. The amphiboles according to their chemical analysis, are classified as igneous amphiboles generated in high oxygen fugacity conditions. The chemical data of the amphiboles and biotites pointed out to the I- type nature of the Golabad granitoid complex emplaced in an active continental margin subduction setting. The amphibole crystallization pressure was estimated by Al in amphibole varies from 1.09 to 2.28 Kbar. Using the calculated pressure the depth of the formation of the Golabad granitoid complex estimated from 4 to 9 Km.

40Ar/39Ar thermochronology of mesoproterozoic metamorphism in the Colorado Front Range

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shaw, C.A.; Snee, L.W.; Selverstone, J.; Reed, J.C.

1999-01-01

A low-pressure metamorphic episode in the Colorado Front Range has been identified by the presence of staurolite, andalusite, cordierite, and garnet porphyroblasts overprinting earlier assemblages. The overprinting assemblages and reaction textures are most consistent with porphyroblast growth on a prograde metamorphic path with peak temperatures exceeding ~525??C. Twenty-eight 40Ar/39Ar dates on hornblende, muscovite, biotite, and microcline were used to infer the age and thermal conditions of metamorphism. Muscovite and biotite 40Ar/39Ar ages fall mainly in the interval 1400-1340 Ma, consistent with cooling through the closure temperature interval of micas (~400??-300??C) after about 1400 Ma. In contrast, hornblende apparent ages (T(c)~500??-550??C) between 1600 and 1390 Ma reflect variable retention of radiogenic argon. Forward modeling of argon diffusion shows that the distribution of hornblende and mica ages is consistent with the partial resetting of argon systematics ca. 1400 Ma by a thermal pulse reaching maximum temperatures around 550??C and decaying within <20 m.yr. These temperatures match the conditions inferred from the overprinting assemblage; thus, muscovite and biotite ages are interpreted to date the cooling phase of this metamorphic event. This late metamorphism is broadly coeval with the intrusion of ca. 1400-Ma granitic plutons in the study area and throughout the southwestern United States. However, thermal effects are observed far from pluton margins, suggesting pervasive, regional crustal heating rather than restricted contact metamorphism. Our results suggest that ca. 1400-Ma metamorphism and plutonism are manifestations of a regional thermal episode that both partially melted the lower crust and pervasively metamorphosed middle crustal rocks.

Geochemistry, geochronology and Nd isotopes of the Gogó da Onça Granite: A new Paleoproterozoic A-type granite of Carajás Province, Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teixeira, Mayara Fraeda Barbosa; Dall'Agnol, Roberto; Santos, João Orestes Schneider; de Sousa, Luan Alexandre Martins; Lafon, Jean-Michel

2017-12-01

The Gogó da Onça Granite (GOG) comprise a stock located in the Carajás Province in the southeastern part of Amazonian Craton near its border with the Araguaia Belt. Three facies were identified in the pluton: biotite-amphibole granodiorite, biotite-amphibole monzogranite and amphibole-biotite syenogranite. The GGO crosscut discordantly the Archean country rocks and are not foliated. All Gogó da Onça Granite varieties are metaluminous, ferroan A2-subtype granites with reduced character. The major and trace element behavior suggests that its different facies are related by fractional crystallization. Zircon and titanite U-Pb SHRIMP ages show that the pluton crystallized at ∼1880-1870 Ma and is related to the remarkable Paleoproterozoic magmatic event identified in the Carajás Province. Whole-rock Nd isotope data (TDM ages 2.78 to 2.81, εNd values of -9.07 to -9.48) indicate that the GOG magmas derived from an Archaean source compatible with that of some other Paleoproterozoic suites from Carajás Province. The GOG show significant contrasts with the Jamon and Velho Guilherme Paleoproterozoic suites from Carajás Province and the inclusion of the Gogó da Onça granite in any of these suites is not justified. The GOG is more akin to the Serra dos Carajás Suite and to the Seringa and São João granites of Carajás and to the Mesoproterozoic Sherman granite of USA and the Paleoproterozoic Suomenniemi Batholith of Finland. This study puts in evidence the relevance of precise geochronological data and estimation of magma oxidation state in the characterization and correlation of A-type granites.

Partial-melting of fertile metasedimentary rocks controlling the ore formation in the Jiangnan porphyry-skarn tungsten belt, south China: A case study at the giant Zhuxi W-Cu skarn deposit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Shiwei; Mao, Jingwen; Zhu, Yongfeng; Yao, Zaiyu; Chen, Guohua; Rao, Jianfeng; Ouyang, Yongpeng

2018-04-01

The Zhuxi W-Cu deposit, located in the Jiangnan porphyry-skarn W belt, is a world-class W deposit. We studied three coeval mineralization-related intrusions composed of biotite monzogranite, fine-grained granite, and granite porphyry in the Zhuxi mine. These rocks contain peritectic garnet and K-feldspar. The LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating of zircon from the biotite monzogranite, fine-grained granite, and granite porphyry yields average ages of 149.38 ± 0.86 Ma, 149.0 ± 1.0 Ma, and 148.30 ± 1.4 Ma, respectively. The Zhuxi granites are enriched in Cs, Rb, and U and depleted in Ba, Sr, and Ti, with ASI [molar Al2O3 / (CaO + Na2O + K2O)] values of 1.03-2.15. The fine-grained granite exhibits initial 87Sr/86Sr values of 0.716-0.717 and εNd(t) values ranging from -9.61 to -9.21. The εHf(t) values of the biotite monzogranite and fine-grained granite range from -8.83 to -6.30 and from -9.86 to -7.62, respectively. The Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions of these rocks are similar to those of the fertile Neoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks in the Jiangnan W belt. The Zhuxi granites are S-type granites based on their mineral assemblages and geochemical characteristics. The Hf isotopic compositions, Sr-Nd isotopic characteristics, and trace element modelling suggest that the studied granites formed from the dehydration melting of fertile Neoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks caused by the Late Jurassic underplating of OIB-like basaltic magma.

Late Paleozoic-Early Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the Paleo-Asian Ocean: geochronological and geochemical evidence from granitoids in the northern margin of Alxa, Western China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sha, Xin; Wang, Jinrong; Chen, Wanfeng; Liu, Zheng; Zhai, Xinwei; Ma, Jinlong; Wang, Shuhua

2018-03-01

The Paleo-Asian Ocean (Southern Mongolian Ocean) ophiolitic belts and massive granitoids are exposed in the Alxa block, in response to oceanic subduction processes. In this work, we report petrographic, geochemical, and zircon U-Pb age data of some granitoid intrusions from the northern Alxa. Zircon U-Pb dating for the quartz diorite, tonalite, monzogranite, and biotite granite yielded weighted mean 206Pb/238U ages of 302±9.2 Ma, 246.5±4.6 Ma, 235±4.4 Ma, and 229.5±5.6 Ma, respectively. The quartz diorites ( 302 Ma) exhibit geochemical similarities to adakites, likely derived from partial melting of the initially subducted Chaganchulu back-arc oceanic slab. The tonalites ( 246.5 Ma) display geochemical affinities of I-type granites. They were probably derived by fractional crystallization of the modified lithospheric mantle-derived basaltic magmas in a volcanic arc setting. The monzogranites ( 235 Ma) are characterized by low Al2O3, but high Y and Yb with notably negative Eu anomalies. In contrast, the biotite granites ( 229.5 Ma) show high Al2O3 but low Y and Yb with steep HREE patterns and the absence of negative Eu anomalies. Elemental data suggested that the biotite granites were likely derived from a thickened lower crust, but the monzogranites originated from a thin crust. Our data suggested that the initial subduction of the Chaganchulu oceanic slab towards the Alxa block occurred at 302 Ma. This subduction process continued to the Early Triassic ( 246 Ma) and the basin was finally closed before the Middle Triassic ( 235 Ma). Subsequently, the break-off of the subducted slab triggered asthenosphere upwelling (240-230 Ma).

Origin of Zn-Pb-Sb-Au mineralization adjacent to the Paleoproterozoic Boliden Au-rich VMS deposit, Sweden: evidence from petrographic and oxygen isotope characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adomako-Ansah, Kofi; Ishiyama, Daizo; Allen, Rodney

2018-06-01

Adjacent to the world-class Boliden deposit, fine- to coarse-grained Zn-Pb-Sb-Au-rich sulfide-sulfosalt-bearing horizons occur within the base of a metasedimentary succession that has previously been regarded to stratigraphically overlie the Skellefte Volcanics and Boliden deposit. The metasedimentary succession comprises interbedded mudstone and normal-graded crystal-rich volcanic sandstone-siltstone units, interpreted to be low-density turbidity currents in a subaqueous environment below wave base. The sharp contact between the mineralized intervals and volcanic sandstone is concordant to the bedding planes and compaction foliation. Above and below the mineralization, the wall rocks contain well-preserved plagioclase crystals, partly enclosed by a weak alteration composed of bedding-parallel metamorphic biotite±sericite minerals. These observations are consistent with burial (or tectonic) compaction and diagenetic alteration that was overprinted by metamorphic biotite. The occurrence of biotite in the wall rocks and homogenization recrystallization of the sulfide-sulfosalt assemblage in the mineralized intervals are consistent with peak metamorphic conditions ( 350-450 °C, < 4 kbars) in the Boliden area. However, preservation of plagioclase and water-rock interaction under rock-dominant conditions suggest that high δ18O values (+ 10.7 to + 13.5‰) acquired during diagenesis were unchanged by the metamorphic overprint. The δ18O values yield low temperatures (< 150 °C), which indicate pre-metamorphic conditions. These data suggest that the Zn-Pb-Sb-Au-rich intervals formed as pre-metamorphic distal syn-volcanic exhalative mineralization during sedimentation of the Vargfors group metasedimentary rocks. This implies that massive sulfide formation continued even during Vargfors group time and, therefore, there is still potential for discovery of gold-rich base-metal ores in this part of the Skellefte field stratigraphy.

Foliation development and reaction softening by dissolution and precipitation in the transformation of granodiorite to orthogneiss, Glastonbury Complex, Connecticut, U.S.A

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wintsch, R.P.; Aleinikoff, J.N.; Yi, K.

2005-01-01

Textures, microstructures, and patterns of chemical zoning in minerals in a granodioritic orthogneiss in the Glastonbury Complex, Connecticut, lead to the interpretation that foliation development was facilitated by retrograde hydration reactions in the presence of an aqueous fluid. Incomplete replacement of the metastable magmatic minerals K-feldspar + hastingsite + magnetite produced foliation-defining biotite + epidote + quartz. These reaction products did not replace K-feldspar - hastingsite interfaces; rather, either biotite or epidote replaced the amphibole, and plagioclase replaced K-feldspar. Biotite and epidote precipitated syntectonically in discrete layers that define the foliation in the orthogneiss, whereas quartz precipitated primarily in ribbons, further enhancing the fabric. Metastable REE-rich igneous titanite also dissolved, and was incompletely replaced by REE-poor, Al-bearing metamorphic titanite. The similar concentrations of the REE in epidote and titanite show that the REE released by titanite dissolution were precipitated locally as the allanite component in adjacent grains of epidote. The entire process was syntectonic, with most grains showing multiple overgrowths in the direction of extension as defined by stretched xenoliths. Sufficient U was present in the titanite overgrowths to allow SHRIMP dating of cores, mantles, and rims. These results suggest at least three retrograde Alleghanian events of growth in a span of ???30 m.y. Thus the dissolution - transportation - precipitation process not only describes the reaction mechanism but also leads to the redistribution of reaction products into nearly monomineralic layers, thus contributing to metamorphic differentiation and to the development of the foliation. The resulting orthogneiss was much weaker that the granodiorite protolith, owing to this reaction and textural softening.

Composition and molecular scale structure of nanophases formed by precipitation of biotite weathering products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamrat, Wuhib Zewde; Rose, Jérôme; Grauby, Olivier; Doelsch, Emmanuel; Levard, Clément; Chaurand, Perrine; Basile-Doelsch, Isabelle

2018-05-01

Because of their large surface area and reactivity, nanometric-size soil mineral phases have a high potential for soil organic matter stabilization, contaminant sorption or soil aggregation. In the literature, Fe and Al phases have been the main targets of batch-synthesized nanomineral studies while nano-aluminosilicates (Al and Si phases) have been mainly studied in Andic soils. In the present work, we synthesized secondary nanophases of Fe, Al and Si. To simulate a system as close as possible to soil conditions, we conducted laboratory simulations of the processes of (1) biotite alteration in acidic conditions producing a Al Si Fe Mg K leachate solution and (2) the following neoformation of secondary nanophases by titrating the leachate solution to pH 4.2, 5 and 7. The morphology of the nanophases, their size, crystallinity and chemistry were characterized by TEM-EDX on single particles and their local atomic structure by EXAFS (Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure) at the Fe absorption K-edge. The main nanophases formed were amorphous particles 10-60 nm in size whose composition (dominated by Fe and Si) was strongly controlled by the pH conditions at the end of the titration. At pH 4.2 and pH 7, the structure of the nanophases was dominated by the polymerization of Fe, which was hindered by Al, Si, Mg and K. Conversely, at pH 5, the polymerization of Fe was counteracted by precipitation of high amounts of Si. The synthetized nanophases were estimated to be rather analogous to nanophases formed in natural biotite-bearing soils. Because of their small size and potential high surface reactivity, the adsorption capacities of these nanophases with respect to the OM should be revisited in the framework of soil C storage.

Major magmatic events in Mt Meredith, Prince Charles Mountains: First evidence for early Palaeozoic syntectonic granites

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gongurov, N.A.; Laiba, A.A.; Beliatsky, B.V.

2007-01-01

Precambrian rocks at Mt Meredith underwent granulite-facies metamorphism M1. Zircon isotope dating for two orthogneisses revealed the following age signatures: 1294±3 and 957±4Ma; 1105±5 and 887±2Ma. The oldest ages could reflect the time of orthogneiss protolith crystallization and the latest age determinations date Grenvillian metamorphism. The metamorphic rocks were intruded by two-mica and garnet-biotite granites. The granites and host rocks underwent amphibolite-facies metamorphism M2. Zircon isotope analysis of the two-mica granites showed age estimation within 550-510Ma and zircon dating of the garnet-biotite granites revealed the ages of 1107±5, 953±8, and 551±4Ma. As Pan-African age signatures were obtained from only the granite samples, it is possible to suggest that the granites were formed at the time of 510-550Ma and the zircons with greater age values were captured by granites from the host rocks.

Susceptibility of Granite Rock to scCO2/Water at 200 degrees C and 250 degrees C

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sugama, T.; Gill, S., Ecker, L., Butcher, T., Warren, J.

Granite rock comprising anorthoclase-type albite and quartz as its major phases and biotite mica as the minor one was exposed to supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO{sub 2})/water at 250 C and 13.78 MPa pressure for 104 hours. For comparison purpose, four other rocks, albite, hornblende, diorite, and quartz, also were exposed. During the exposure of granite, ionic carbonic acid, known as the wet carbonation reactant, preferentially reacted with anorthoclase-type albite and biotite, rather than with quartz. The susceptibility of biotite to wet carbonation was higher than that of anorthoclase-type albite. All the carbonation by-products of anorthoclase-type albite were amorphous phases includingmore » Na- and K-carbonates, a kaolinite clay-like compound, and silicon dioxide, while wet carbonation converted biotite into potassium aluminum silicate, siderite, and magnesite in crystalline phases and hydrogen fluoride (HF). Three of these reaction by-products, Na- and K-carbonates and HF, were highly soluble in water. Correspondingly, the carbonated top surface layer, about 1.27 mm thick as carbonation depth, developed porous microstructure with numerous large voids, some of which have a size of {>=} 10 {mu}m, reflecting the erosion of granite by the leaching of these water-soluble reaction by-products. Comparing with this carbonation depth, its depth of other minerals was considerable lower, particularly, for hornblende and diorite with 0.07 and 0.02 mm, while no carbonate compound was detected in quartz. The major factor governing these low carbonation depths in these rocks was the formation of water-insensitive scale-like carbonate by-products such as calcite (CaCO{sub 3}), siderite (FeCO{sub 3}), and magnesite (MgCO{sub 3}). Their formation within the superficial layer of these minerals served as protective barrier layer that inhibits and retards further carbonation of fresh underlying minerals, even if the exposure time was extended. Thus, the coverage by this barrier layer of the non-carbonated surfaces of the underlying rock was reason why the hornblende and diorite exhibited a minimum depth of carbonation. Under exposure to the scCO{sub 2}/water at 200 C and 10.34 MPa pressure for up to 42 days, the ranking of the magnitude of erosion caused by wet carbonation was in the following order; granite > albite > hornblende > diorite > quartz. The eroding-caused weight loss of granite (0.88 %) was {approx}2.4, {approx}5.2, {approx}9.8, and {approx}17.6 times greater than that of albite, hornblends, diorite, and quartz, respectively.« less

Iron deposition as acidic groundwater encounters carbonates in the alluvium of Pinal Creek, Arizona, U.S.A.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lind, Carol J.; Oscarson, R.L.

1997-01-01

In a column experiment, acidic groundwater from Pinal Creek Arizona, a Cu mining area, was eluted through a composited alluvial sample obtained from a core that had been removed from a well downgradient of the acidic groundwater. The minerals present in typical grains and flakes in the alluvium before and after the elution were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive multichannel analyses (EDX). The concentrations of Fe, Ti, Mn, Si, Al, Na, Ca, K, Mg and S in these grains and flakes and in their microcrystalline surface coatings were measured by EDX. In addition to magnetite, hematite, and Fe-Ti oxides, Fe was most concentrated in micas (especially biotite-like flakes) and in the microcrystalline coatings. The measured elements in these microcrystalline coatings were primarily K, Fe, Al, and Si. The microcrystalline coatings on the mica flakes also contained Mg. The approximate 1:3 Mg:Si atomic ratios (ARs) of the biotite-like flakes both before and after the elution would suggest that the Fe deposited during the elution had not substituted for Mg in these flakes. As a result of the elution, assuming no loss of Si, the averaged recorded Fe:Si AR of the microcrystalline coatings increased from (0,46 to 0.58):3.00. Iron deposition on the typical grains and flakes may relate to the presence of Fe in the particle on which it is deposited or to the presence of Fe in the microcrystalline surface coatings before elution. The data here are not sufficient for a statistical evaluation, but elution caused the following trends: (1) The Fe:Si A R increased in the (K,Fe,Al,Si)-microcrystalline surface coatings; (2) For the mica flakes, there was more than a 2-fold increase in the Fe:Si AR for the microcrystalline surface coatings of the Fe-rich biotite-like flakes but no measurable increase of the Fe:Si AR for the microcrystalline surface coatings of the muscovite-like flakes that contained 3-5 times less Fe; (3) Also for the biotite-like flakes, the increase in Fe:Si AR was greater in the flakes that had a higher Fe:Si AR; (4) The Fe deposition on the Fe-rich microcrystalline surface coatings of the feldspar was much greater than on the Fe-poor, beige quartz and feldspar grains that, prior to elution, had only CaSO4 microcrystalline coatings; and (5) No Fe was deposited on Fe-poor grains with no microcrystalline surface coating.

Geochemistry of sedimentary-derived migmatite from NE Sardinia, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruciani, Gabriele; Fancello, Dario; Franceschelli, Marcello; Scodina, Massimo

2015-04-01

In NE Sardinia at Porto Ottiolu, about 30 km south of Olbia (NE Sardinia), crops out a sequence of migmatized ortho and paragneiss, belonging to the Variscan basement's axial zone. Sedimentary-derived migmatite, which have a layered appearance in the field, were affected by three major variscan folding phase. D2, which is characterized by tight folds, is the most widespread deformation in the field. Leucosomes consists of discontinuous centimetre-thick, coarse-grained layers, that follow the S2 schistosity and are folded by D2 deformation phase. The contact with mesosome is sharp and sometimes marked by melanosome trails. They consist of quartz, plagioclase, very rare K-feldspar, muscovite, biotite, fibrolite, and rare kyanite. Plagioclase is unzoned oligoclase, though in some cases a thin albite rim is observed. Muscovite occurs as: i) single small- to medium-grained flakes enclosed in feldspar; ii) coarse grained crystals associated to biotite, fibrolite, and opaques, iii) in intergrowth with biotite to form thin elongated, slightly oriented trails, marking the faint foliation. Mesosomes are medium-grained, well foliated rocks, consisting of quartz, plagioclase muscovite, , biotite, fibrolite ± K-feldspar ± garnet. Fibrolite, muscovite and biotite are associated, to form strongly oriented, thick levels. Muscovite also occurs as unoriented crystals, showing quartz exsolutions and thin rims. A few mm-thick melanosome is usually present at the boundary between the leucosomes and mesosomes. Leucosomes are characterized by: SiO2: 75.4-77.9; Al2O3: 13.2-14.5; Fe2O3tot: 0.3-0.5; MgO: 0.1-0.2; CaO: 2.7- 3.7; Na2O: 3.9-4.6; K2O: 0.4-0.6 wt.%. An interesting feature is the relative high calcium content already described in other sedimentary-derived migmatite from Sardinia (Cruciani et al., 2008). In the normative Ab-An-Or diagram (Barker, 1979) the leucosomes plot at the boundary between trondhjemite/tonalite fields. All leucosomes are corundum normative and peraluminous. Mesosomes show a lower content of silica and higher content of iron, magnesium and potash. Major elements ranges are: SiO2: 69.9-70.2; Al2O3: 12.8-13.3; Fe2O3tot: 5.4-5.6; MgO: 2.1-2.3; CaO: 2.0-2.1; Na2O: 2.4-2.5; K2O: 2.2-2.4 wt%. Chondrite-normalized REE pattern, shows that all leucosomes are characterized by a positive Eu anomaly and a significant enrichment in LREE. Mesosomes pattern shows a marked negative Eu anomaly, an enrichment in LREE and a depletion in HREE. Total REE content is higher in mesosomes (132-156 ppm) than in leucosomes (51-58 ppm). Trondjhemite/tonalite composition with high CaO, Na2O and low K2O of the leucosomes will be discussed in relation to their significance and origin. References: Barker, F., 1979, Trondhjemite: definition, environment and hypotheses of origin. In: Barker, F. (Ed.), Trondhjemites, dacites, and related rocks. Developments in petrology, vol. 6. Elsevier,Amsterdam, pp. 1-12. Cruciani, G., Franceschelli, M., Elter, F.M., Puxeddu, M., Utzeri, D., 2008, Petrogenesis of Al-silicate-bearing trondhjemitic migmatites from NE Sardinia, Italy. Lithos v. 102, p. 554-574.

40Ar ∗ loss in experimentally deformed muscovite and biotite with implications for 40Ar/ 39Ar geochronology of naturally deformed rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cosca, Michael; Stunitz, Holger; Bourgeix, Anne-Lise; Lee, John P.

2011-12-01

The effects of deformation on radiogenic argon ( 40Ar ∗) retentivity in mica are described from high pressure experiments performed on rock samples of peraluminous granite containing euhedral muscovite and biotite. Cylindrical cores, ˜15 mm in length and 6.25 mm in diameter, were drilled from granite collected from the South Armorican Massif in northwestern France, loaded into gold capsules, and weld-sealed in the presence of excess water. The samples were deformed at a pressure of 10 kb and a temperature of 600 °C over a period 29 of hours within a solid medium assembly in a Griggs-type triaxial hydraulic deformation apparatus. Overall shortening in the experiments was approximately 10%. Transmitted light and secondary and backscattered electron imaging of the deformed granite samples reveals evidence of induced defects and for significant physical grain size reduction by kinking, cracking, and grain segmentation of the micas. Infrared (IR) laser (CO 2) heating of individual 1.5-2.5 mm diameter grains of muscovite and biotite separated from the undeformed granite yield well-defined 40Ar/ 39Ar plateau ages of 311 ± 2 Ma (2σ). Identical experiments on single grains separated from the experimentally deformed granite yield results indicating 40Ar ∗ loss of 0-35% in muscovite and 2-3% 40Ar ∗ loss in biotite. Intragrain in situ ultraviolet (UV) laser ablation 40Ar/ 39Ar ages (±4-10%, 1σ) of deformed muscovites range from 309 ± 13 to 264 ± 7 Ma, consistent with 0-16% 40Ar ∗ loss relative to the undeformed muscovite. The in situ UV laser ablation 40Ar/ 39Ar ages of deformed biotite vary from 301 to 217 Ma, consistent with up to 32% 40Ar ∗ loss. No spatial correlation is observed between in situ40Ar/ 39Ar age and position within individual grains. Using available argon diffusion data for muscovite the observed 40Ar ∗ loss in the experimentally treated muscovite can be utilized to predict average 40Ar ∗ diffusion dimensions. Maximum 40Ar/ 39Ar ages obtained by UV laser ablation overlap those of the undeformed muscovite, indicating argon loss of <1% and an average effective grain radius for 40Ar ∗ diffusion ⩾700 μm. The UV laser ablation and IR laser incremental 40Ar/ 39Ar ages indicating 40Ar ∗ loss of 16% and 35%, respectively, are consistent with an average diffusion radius ≪100 μm. These results support a hypothesis of grain-scale 40Ar ∗ diffusion distances in undeformed mica and a heterogeneous mechanical reduction in the intragrain effective diffusion length scale for 40Ar ∗ in deformed mica. Reduction in the effective diffusion length scale in naturally deformed samples occurs most probably through production of mesoscopic and submicroscopic defects such as, e.g., stacking faults. A network of interconnected defects, continuously forming and annealing during dynamic deformation likely plays an important role in controlling both 40Ar ∗ retention and intragrain distribution in deformed mica. Intragrain 40Ar/ 39Ar ages, when combined with estimates of diffusion kinetics and distances, may provide a means of establishing thermochronological histories from individual micas.

Mineral chemistry and geochemistry of the Late Neoproterozoic Gabal Abu Diab granitoids, Central Eastern Dessert, Egypt: Implications for the origin of rare metal post-orogenic A-type granites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sami, Mabrouk; Ntaflos, Theodoros; Farahat, Esam S.; Ahmed, Awaad F.; Mohamed, Haroun A.

2015-04-01

The Neoproterozoic Gabal Abu Diab pluton is a part of the Arabian Nubian shield (ANS) continental crust and located in the Central Eastern Desert (CED) of Egypt. It constitutes multiphase granitic pluton intruded into granodiorite and metagabbro-diorite rocks with sharp and nonreactive contacts. Based on field observations, colors, structural variations and petrographic investigations, this granitic outcrop consists of an inner core of two-mica granite (TMG) followed outward by garnet bearing muscovite granite (GBMG) and albite granite (AG). Petrographical study indicated that medium to coarse-grained TMG is dominated by K-feldspar (Or88-98), quartz, plagioclase (albite, An0-7), muscovite and biotite with hypidiomorphic texture. With exception the appearance of garnet and the disappearance of biotite the GBMG resembles the TGM, while AG is leucocratic without any mafic mineral. The main accessories are zircon, Nb and Ta-bearing rutile, columbite, ilmenorutile, ilmenite, magnetite and apatite. This mineralogical similarity and the existence of columbite group minerals (CGM) in all granitoids, indicates a cogenetic relationship. Microprobe analyses reveal that, besides the CGM, rutile and ilmenite are the main repository phases for Nb-Ta-Ti. Columbite-(Mn) exists as individual subhedral crystals (up to 100μm in size) or intimate intergrowth with Nb-bearing rutile and/or ilmenite. The CGM are represented mostly by columbite-(Mn) with Ta/(Ta+Nb) and Mn/(Mn+Fe) ratio ranging from 0.02-0.08 and 0.4-0.9, respectively suggesting extreme degree of magmatic fractionation. Rutile contains significant amounts of Ta (up to 4 wt.% Ta2O5) and Nb (up to 22 wt.% Nb2O5). Biotites are phlogopite-annite in composition (Ann47-60Phlog40-53,on average) and are enriched with AlIV that characterize peraluminous granites. Garnets contain 60-69 mol.% spessartine and 28-36 mol.% almandine where, the ratio of spessartine and almandine together exceeds 95 mole percent, similar to garnet occur within A-type granite worldwide. According to Zhang et al., 2012, the garnet crystallized at the expense of biotite from the MnO-rich evolved melt after fractionation of biotite, plagioclase, K-feldspar, zircon, apatite, and ilmenite. The granitoids are alkali feldspar granites showing distinct geochemical features and most likely, belong to the post-orogenic younger Egyptian granitoids. They are peraluminous A-type alkaline rocks but they have lower Fe2O3, MgO, MnO, CaO, TiO2, P2O5, Sr, Ba, V, and higher SiO2, Na2O, K2O, Nb, Ta, U, Zr, Th, Ga/Al and Rb than the typical rocks of this type. The positive correlation between Ba and Sr, and the negative correlation between Rb and K/Rb reveal fractional crystallization of alkali feldspar. The similarity in most geochemical characteristics suggests that Abu Diab granitoids are genetically related to each other and extremely enrichment in incompatible elements such as Nb and Ta, indicating that they crystallized from extremely differentiated magmas. References: Zhang, J., Ma, C. and She, Z., 2012. An Early Cretaceous garnet-bearing metaluminous A-type granite intrusion in the East Qinling Orogen, central China: Petrological, mineralogical and geochemical constraints. Geoscience Frontiers 3 (5), 635-646.

A complex magma reservoir system for a large volume intra- to extra-caldera ignimbrite: Mineralogical and chemical architecture of the VEI8, Permian Ora ignimbrite (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willcock, M. A. W.; Bargossi, G. M.; Weinberg, R. F.; Gasparotto, G.; Cas, R. A. F.; Giordano, G.; Marocchi, M.

2015-11-01

Intra-caldera settings record a wealth of information on caldera-forming processes, yet field study is rarely possible due to lack of access and exposure. The Permian Ora Formation, Italy, preserves > 1000 m of vertical section through its intra-caldera succession. This provides an excellent opportunity to detail its mineralogical and geochemical architecture and gain understanding of the eruption evolution and insight into the pre-eruptive magma system. Detailed juvenile clast phenocryst and matrix crystal fragment point count and image analysis data, coupled with bulk-rock chemistry and single mineral compositional data, show that the Ora ignimbrite succession is rhyolitic (72.5-77.7% SiO2), crystal-rich (~ 25-57%; average 43%) and has a constant main mineral population (volcanic quartz + sanidine + plagioclase + biotite). Although a seemingly homogeneous ignimbrite succession, important subtle but detectable lateral and vertical variations in modal mineralogy and bulk-rock major and trace elements are identified here. The Ora Formation is comprised of multiple lithofacies, dominated by four densely welded ignimbrite lithofacies. They are crystal-rich, typically lithic-poor (< 2%), and juvenile clast-bearing (average 20%). The ignimbrite lithofacies are distinguished by variation in crystal fragment size and abundance and total lithic content. The intra-caldera stratigraphic architecture shows both localised and some large-scale lithofacies correlation, however, it does not conform to a 'layer-cake' stratigraphy. The intra-caldera succession is divided into two depo-centres: Southern and Northern, with proximal extra-caldera deposits preserved to the south and north of the system. The Southern and Northern intra-caldera ignimbrite successions are discriminated by variations in total biotite crystal abundance. Detailed mineralogical and chemical data records decreases across the caldera system from south to north in biotite phenocrysts in the groundmass of juvenile clasts (average 12-2%), matrix biotite (average 7.5-2%) and plagioclase crystal fragments (average 18-6%), and total crystal fragment abundance in the matrix (average 47-37%); a biotite compositional change to iron-rich (0.57-0.78 Fe); and bulk-rock element decreases in Fe2O3, MgO, P2O5, Ce, Hf, V, La and Zr, and increases in SiO2, Y and Nb, with TiO2. Together, the changes enable subtle distinction of the Southern and Northern successions, indicating that the Northern deposits are more evolved. Furthermore, the data reveals discrimination within the Northern succession, with the northwestern extra-caldera fine-crystal-rich lithofacies, having a distinct texture, componentry and composition. The componentry variation, mineralogical and chemical ranges identified here are consistent with an eruption from a heterogeneous magma system. Our results suggest that the Ora magma was likely stored in multiple chambers within a genetically related magma reservoir network. The mineralogical and chemical architecture together with stratigraphic relationships, enable interpretation of eruption sequence. Caldera eruption is proposed to have commenced in the south and progressed to the north, forming the two pene-contemporaneous caldera depressions. Moreover, this data illustrates heterogeneity and local zonation from base-to-top of the main intra-caldera and extra-caldera successions. These variations together with crystal fragment size variations between ignimbrite lithofacies support the hypothesis of a multi-vent eruption process, incremental caldera in-filling by subtly compositionally different pyroclastic flow pulses, and a lower intensity eruption style (Willcock et al., 2013, 2014).

Preliminary geologic map of the Winchester 7.5' quadrangle, Riverside County, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Morton, Douglas M.

2003-01-01

The Winchester quadrangle is located in the northern part of the Peninsular Ranges Province within the central part of the Perris block, a relatively stable, rectangular in plan view, area located between the Elsinore and San Jacinto fault zones (see location map). The quadrangle is underlain by Cretaceous and older basement rocks. Cretaceous plutonic rocks are part of the composite Peninsular Ranges batholith, which indicates wide variety of granitic rocks, ranging from granite to gabbro. Parts of three major plutonic complexes are within the quadrangle, the Lakeview Mountains pluton, the Domenigoni Valley pluton and the Paloma Valley ring complex. In the northern part of the quadrangle is the southern part of the Lakeview Mountains pluton, a large composite body, most of which lies in the quadrangle to the north. In the center part of the quadrangle is the eastern part of the Domenigoni Valley pluton, which consists of massive biotite-hornblende granodiorite and tonalite; some tonalite in the southern part of the pluton has a relatively pronounced foliation produced by oriented biotite and hornblende. Common to abundant equant-shaped, mafic inclusions occur through out the pluton except in the outermost part where inclusions are absent. The pluton was passively emplaced by piecemeal stoping of a variety of older rocks and the eastern contact is well exposed in the quadrangle. Associated with the Domenigoni Valley pluton is a swarm of latite dikes; the majority of these dikes occur in the Winchester quadrangle, but they extend into the Romoland quadrangle to the west. The latite dikes intrude both the pluton and adjacent metamorphic rocks, most are foliated, and most have a well developed lineation defined by oriented biotite and/or hornblende crystals. Dikes intruding the pluton were emplaced in northwest striking joints; and dikes intruding the metamorphic rocks were emplaced along foliation planes. In the eastern part of the quadrangle a Cretaceous age suture juxtaposes low-metamorphic grade Mesozoic rocks against high-metamorphic grade gneissic-textured Mesozoic rocks. Juxtaposition occurred when the high-metamorphic grade rocks were at upper amphibolite grade temperatures, and produced a steep thermal gradient in the low-metamorphic grade Mesozoic rocks. Age of suturing and attendant metamorphism, based on metamorphic mineral ages, is about 100 Ma (L. Snee, personal communication, 2002). The suture zone appears to vary in thickness, and includes within it a number of metadunite bodies and related rocks. Prebatholithic rocks of Mesozoic age include a wide variety of sedimentary rocks of greenschist or lower metamorphic grade, in the western and central part of the quadrangle, and upper amphibolite grade near the eastern edge of the quadrangle. The metamorphic grade increases from greenschist to upper amphibolite grade over a distance of less than two miles; andalusite and sillimanite isograds are closely spaced near the suture. Metamorphism was Buchan type of relatively high temperature and relatively low pressure (Schwarcz, 1969). Common lithologies of the low metamorphic grade suite include phyllite, lithic greywacke, impure quartzite, meta-arkose, and interlayered quartzite and phyllite. Most of the layering and foliation in the metamorphic rocks is the result of intense structural transposition. Relic bedding appears to be restricted to very local occurrences in hinges of slip folds. The upper amphibolite grade, gneissic-textured Mesozoic rocks consist of sillimanite-biotite gneiss, black amphibolite, and impure quartzite. Anatectic gneiss containing igneous textured segregations of quartz and feldspar is commonly inter leaved with biotite gneiss.

Low-rhenium molybdenite by metamorphism in northern Sweden: Recognition, genesis, and global implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stein, Holly J.

2006-04-01

Re-Os dating of molybdenite is an accurate means to date intrusions and intrusion-related ore deposits using the model age or isochron approach. But, molybdenite has a new niche in the greenschist- to granulite-facies metamorphic environment. Re-Os ages for metamorphic molybdenite may be used to construct regional metamorphic histories. Age significance and accuracy are established by analyzing multiple molybdenite separates extracted from single, petrographically-characterized molybdenite occurrences. In this study, twelve geologically distinct molybdenite-bearing samples from two small Mo districts in northern Sweden trace a 150 m.y. Paleoproterozoic Svecofennian metamorphic history from ˜1900 to 1750 Ma. These data reveal a little-known, widespread and protracted, Late Svecofennian anatexis in northern Sweden. The Kåtaberget Mo-(Cu, F) deposit is located in the Moskosel granite batholith north of the economically-renown Skellefte district. Four different molybdenite samples from outcrop at Kåtaberget indicate an intrusion age of 1895 ± 6 Ma with the formation of later pegmatite-aplite at 1875 ± 6 Ma. The Allebuoda (Björntjärn) and Munka Mo-(W) deposits in the Rappen district are represented by three outcrop and five drill core samples of molybdenite-bearing aplite-pegmatite-granite. These two deposits were previously described as intrusion-related Climax-type Mo mineralization. Re-Os ages for molybdenites from these deposits range from 1865 to 1750 Ma and, significantly, Re concentrations are markedly low, extending to the sub-ppm level. Age agreement within the deposits is conspicuously lacking, whereas, with one exception, age agreement within any single sample (geologic occurrence), as established by analysis of additional molybdenite separates, is very good. These data, together with fundamental geologic observations discussed in this paper, suggest that Mo-(W) mineralization in northern Sweden is not intrusion-related, but the local product of episodic melting of Archean-Paleoproterozoic supracrustal gneisses related to the Svecofennian orogeny. Petrographic traverses across the boundary between widespread, foliation-parallel units of aplitic to pegmatitic pink granite and hosting biotite gneiss directly capture the process of ore formation. Dehydration breakdown of zircon-rich biotite aligned with the foliation in the gneiss is accompanied by formation of new pristine, post-deformational biotite plus sulfides, oxides, hydrothermal zircon and fluorite, all associated with microcline-dominant leucosomes. This process has profound implication for the traditional leucogranite, intrusion-related genesis attributed to the broad classification of Mo-W-Sn-base and precious metal mineralization (e.g., South Mountain Batholith, Nova Scotia; Okiep, Namaqualand, South Africa; Mactung, Yukon; Pogo-Liese, Tintina, Alaska; Carajás and Goiás-Rio Tocantins, Brazil; New England Batholith, NSW, Australia; Bergslagen, Sweden; Nevoria, Western Australia; Alpeinerscharte, Austria; Erzgebirge, Germany; Sardinia-Corsica Batholith). In addition to biotite, metallogenic contributions (e.g., Mo, W, Sn, U, Bi, Cu, Pb, Zn, Fe, Ni, Co, Au, Ag, Te, As, Sb, REE) in various combinations may also be controlled by breakdown of amphibole. In effect, the trace element composition of dehydrating or recrystallizing components in a gneissic rock essentially defines the local and district metallogenic suite. In the absence of focusing structures (e.g., shear zones, sheeted vein development), this process will generally form small and disconnected subeconomic deposits with erratic and unpredictable grades. Low Re content in associated molybdenite is a key indicator for a subeconomic origin by local melting of biotite gneiss (Mo-W) or muscovite schist (Sn-W).

Biofilm adaptation to iron availability in the presence of biotite and consequences for chemical weathering

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bacteria in nature often live within biofilms, exopolymeric matrices that provide a favorable environment that can differ markedly from their surroundings. Biofilms have been found growing on mineral surfaces and are expected to play a role in weathering those surfaces, but this role is not well und...

Early and Late Alkali Igneous Pulses and a High-3He Plume Origin for the Deccan Flood Basalts.

PubMed

Basu, A R; Renne, P R; Dasgupta, D K; Teichmann, F; Poreda, R J

1993-08-13

Several alkalic igneous complexes of nephelinite-carbonatite affinities occur in extensional zones around a region of high heat flow and positive gravity anomaly within the continental flood basalt (CFB) province of Deccan, India. Biotites from two of the complexes yield (40)Ar/(39)Ar dates of 68.53 +/- 0.16 and 68.57 +/- 0.08 million years. Biotite from a third complex, which intrudes the flood basalts, yields an (40)Ar/(39)Ar date of 64.96 +/- 0.1 1 million years. The complexes thus represent early and late magmatism with respect to the main pulse of CFB volcanism 65 million years ago. Rocks from the older complexes show a (3)He/(4)He ratio of 14.0 times the air ratio, an initial (87)Sr/(86)Sr ratio of 0.70483, and other geochemical characteristics similar to ocean island basalts; the later alkalic pulse shows isotopic evidence of crustal contamination. The data document 3.5 million years of incubation of a primitive, high-(3)He mantle plume before the rapid eruption of the Deccan CFB.

40Ar/39Ar age-spectrum data for hornblende, biotite, white mica, and K-feldspar samples from metamorphic rocks in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kunk, Michael J.; McAleer, Ryan J.

2011-01-01

This report contains reduced 40Ar/39Ar data of hornblende, biotite, white mica and (or) sericite, and potassium-feldspar mineral separates and phyllite groundmass samples from metamorphic rocks of the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina and Tennessee. Included in this report are information on the location of the samples and a brief description of the samples. The data contained herein are not interpreted in a geological context, and care should be taken by users unfamiliar with argon isotopic data in the use of these results. No geological meaning is implied for any of the apparent ages presented below, and many of the individual apparent ages are not geologically meaningful. This report is primarily a detailed source document for subsequent publications that will integrate these data into a geological context. All the samples in this report were collected in and around the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee.

Geochemistry of biotite from charnockitoids in the granite-forming series (Nimnyr Block of the Aldan Shield)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sedova, I. S.; Glebovitskii, V. A.; Skublov, S. G.

2016-10-01

The geochemical evolution of biotite (Bt) from garnet-bearing associations in the granite-forming series of the Nimnyr Block (Aldan Shield) is considered. The series includes the primary rock (gneiss or basic rock), autochthonous enderbite- or charnockite-gneiss (Lc1), migmatitic leucosome (Lc2, Lc4), and paraautochthonous charnockite (Lc3-ch1) and (Lc5-ch2 → grn). Bt in each series is characterized by an individual, significant difference in the concentrations of Ti, V, Cr; rarely Al, Fe, Mg, and Rb; and very rarely La, Ce, Nd, and Gd. The uniform trend of evolution of Bt compositions in the series was established for Al, KAl, (K + Na)/Al, rarely for Mg, Ti, and K. In contrast to the series with ch2, Bt becomes enriched in LREEs from autochthonous Lc1 to allochthonous Lc2 and Lc3. The different compositional variations of Bt in relation some minor elements is explained by the different composition of the material, which underwent melting, temperature variations (from 820 to 750°C), and changes in pH of the mineral-forming medium.

Microbial mineral colonization across a subsurface redox transition zone

DOE PAGES

Converse, Brandon J.; McKinley, James P.; Resch, Charles T.; ...

2015-08-28

Here our study employed 16S rRNA gene amplicon pyrosequencing to examine the hypothesis that chemolithotrophic Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB) would preferentially colonize the Fe(II)-bearing mineral biotite compared to quartz sand when the minerals were incubated in situ within a subsurface redox transition zone (RTZ) at the Hanford 300 Area site in Richland, WA, USA. The work was motivated by the recently documented presence of neutral-pH chemolithotrophic FeOB capable of oxidizing structural Fe(II) in primary silicate and secondary phyllosilicate minerals in 300 Area sediments and groundwater (Benzine et al., 2013). Sterilized portions of sand+biotite or sand alone were incubated in situ formore » 5 months within a multilevel sampling (MLS) apparatus that spanned a ca. 2-m interval across the RTZ in two separate groundwater wells. Parallel MLS measurements of aqueous geochemical species were performed prior to deployment of the minerals. Contrary to expectations, the 16S rRNA gene libraries showed no significant difference in microbial communities that colonized the sand+biotite vs. sand-only deployments. Both mineral-associated and groundwater communities were dominated by heterotrophic taxa, with organisms from the Pseudomonadaceae accounting for up to 70% of all reads from the colonized minerals. These results are consistent with previous results indicating the capacity for heterotrophic metabolism (including anaerobic metabolism below the RTZ) as well as the predominance of heterotrophic taxa within 300 Area sediments and groundwater. Although heterotrophic organisms clearly dominated the colonized minerals, several putative lithotrophic (NH 4 +, H 2, Fe(II), and HS - oxidizing) taxa were detected in significant abundance above and within the RTZ. Such organisms may play a role in the coupling of anaerobic microbial metabolism to oxidative pathways with attendant impacts on elemental cycling and redox-sensitive contaminant behavior in the vicinity of the RTZ.« less

A reevaluation of the age of the Vincent-Chocolate Mountains thrust system, southern California

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jacobsen, C.E.; Barth, A.P.

1993-04-01

The Vincent-Chocolate Mountains (VCM) thrust superposes Mesozoic arc plutons and associated Precambrian country rock above subduction-related Pelona-Orocopia schist. The thrust is disrupted in many areas by postmetamorphic deformation, but appears to be intact in the San Gabriel Mountains. Two Rb-Sr mineral-isochron ages from Pelona Schist and mylonite in the San Gabriel Mountains led Ehlig (1981) to conclude that the original thrusting event occurred at c. 60 Ma. However, biotite K-Ar ages determined by Miller and Morton (1980) for upper plate in the same area caused Dillon (1986) to reach a different conclusion. The biotite ages range mainly from 74--60 Mamore » and increase structurally upward from the VCM thrust. Dillon (1986) inferred that the age gradient was due to uplift and cooling of the upper plate during underthrusting of Pelona Schist. This would indicate that the VCM thrust was at least 74 Ma in age. An alternative to the interpretation of Dillon (1986) is that the biotite age gradient largely predates the VCM thrust. Upward heat flow, leading to older ages at higher structural levels, could have resulted from either static cooling of Cretaceous plutons or uplift and erosion induced by crustal thickening during possible west-directed intra-arc thrusting at c. 88--78 Ma (May and Walker, 1989). Subsequent underthrusting of Pelona Schist would establish a cold lower boundary to the crust and cause the closure of isotopic systems in the base of the upper plate. A 60 Ma time of thrusting is also suggested by two amphibole [sup 40]Ar/[sup 39]Ar ages from the Pelona Schist of the San Gabriel Mountains. Peak metamorphic temperature in this area was below 480 C and amphibole ages should thus indicate time of crystallization rather than subsequent cooling. Four phengite [sup 40]Ar/[sup 39]Ar ages of 55--61 Ma from Pelona Schist and mylonite indicate rapid cooling from peak metamorphic temperatures, consistent with subduction refrigeration.« less

Cl-rich hydrous mafic mineral assemblages in the Highiș massif, Apuseni Mountains, Romania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonin, Bernard; Tatu, Mihai

2016-08-01

The Guadalupian (Mid-Permian) Highiș massif (Apuseni Mountains, Romania) displays a bimodal igneous suite of mafic (gabbro, diorite) and A-type felsic (alkali feldspar granite, albite granite, and hybrid granodiorite) rocks. Amphibole is widespread throughout the suite, and yields markedly high chlorine contents. Three groups are identified: Cl-rich potassic hastingsite (2.60-3.40 wt% Cl) within A-type felsic rocks and diorite, mildly Cl-rich pargasite to hornblende (0.80-1.90 wt% Cl) within gabbro, and low F-Cl hornblende within gabbro and hybrid granodiorite. Coexisting biotite is either Cl-rich within diorite, or F-Cl-poor to F-rich within A-type felsic rocks. Chlorine and fluorine are distributed in both mafic phases, according to the F-Fe and Cl-Mg avoidance rules. The low-Ti contents suggest subsolidus compositions. Cl-rich amphibole within diorite and A-type felsic rocks yields a restricted temperature range - from 575 °C down to 400 °C, whereas mildly Cl-rich amphibole within gabbro displays the highest range - from 675 to 360 °C. Temperatures recorded by Cl-rich biotite within diorite range from 590 to 410 °C. Biotite within A-type felsic rocks yields higher temperatures than amphibole: the highest values- from 640 to 540 °C - are recorded in low-F-Cl varieties, whereas the lowest values- from 535 to 500 °C - are displayed by F-rich varieties. All data point to halogen-rich hydrothermal fluids at upper greenschist facies conditions percolating through fractures and shear zones and pervasively permeating the whole Highiș massif, with F precipitating as interstitial fluorite and Cl incorporating into amphibole, during one, or possibly several, hydrothermal episodes that would have occurred during a ~ 150 My-long period of time extending from the Guadalupian (Mid-Permian) to the Albian (Mid-Cretaceous).

Occurrence of Tourmaline in Metasedimentary Rocks of the Isua Supracrustal Belt, Greenland: Implications for Ribose Stabilization in Hadean Marine Sediments.

PubMed

Mishima, Shinpei; Ohtomo, Yoko; Kakegawa, Takeshi

2016-06-01

Abiotic formation of RNA was important for the emergence of terrestrial life, but the acknowledged difficulties of generating and stabilizing ribose have often raised questions regarding how the first RNA might have formed. Previous researchers have proposed that borate could have stabilized ribose; however, the availability of borate on the early Earth has been the subject of intense debate. In order to examine whether borate was available on the early Earth, this study examined metasedimentary rocks from the Isua Supracrustal Belt. Garnet, biotite, and quartz comprise the major constituents of the examined rocks. Field relationships and the chemical compositions of the examined rocks suggest sedimentary origin. The present study found that garnet crystals contain a number of inclusions of tourmaline (a type of borosilicate mineral). All tourmaline crystals are Fe-rich and categorized as schorl. Both garnet and tourmaline often contain graphite inclusions and this close association of tourmaline with garnet and graphite has not been recognized previously. Garnet-biotite and graphite geothermometers suggest that the tourmaline in garnet experienced peak metamorphic conditions (~500 °C and 5 kbar). The mineralogical characteristics of the tourmaline and the whole rock composition indicate that the tourmaline formed authigenically in the sediment during diagenesis and/or early metamorphism. Clay minerals in modern sediments have the capability to adsorb and concentrate borate, which could lead to boron enrichment during diagenesis, followed by tourmaline formation under metamorphic conditions. Clay minerals, deposited on the early Archean seafloor, were the precursors of the garnet and biotite in the examined samples. The studied tourmaline crystals were most likely formed in the same way as modern tourmaline in marine sediments. Therefore, boron enrichment by clays must have been possible even during the early Archean. Thus, similar enrichment could have been possible during the Hadean, providing a stabilization agent for ribose.

Crystallization conditions of porphyritic high-K calc-alkaline granitoids in the extreme northeastern Borborema Province, NE Brazil, and geodynamic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campos, Benedita Cleide Souza; Vilalva, Frederico Castro Jobim; Nascimento, Marcos Antônio Leite do; Galindo, Antônio Carlos

2016-10-01

An integrated textural and chemical study on amphibole, biotite, plagioclase, titanite, epidote, and magnetite was conducted in order to estimate crystallization conditions, along with possible geodynamic implications, for six Ediacaran porphyritic high-K calc-alkaline granite plutons (Monte das Gameleiras, Barcelona, Acari, Caraúbas, Tourão, and Catolé do Rocha) intrusive into Archean to Paleoproterozoic rocks of the São José do Campestre (SJCD) and Rio Piranhas-Seridó (RPSD) domains, northern Borborema Province. The studied rocks include mainly porphyritic leucocratic monzogranites, as well as quartz-monzonites and granodiorites. Textures are marked by K-feldspar megacrysts (5-15 cm long) in a fine-to medium-grained matrix composed of quartz, plagioclase, amphibole, biotite, as well as titanite, epidote, Fesbnd Ti oxides, allanite, apatite, and zircon as accessory minerals. Amphibole, biotite and titanite share similar compositional variations defined by increasing Al and Fe, and decreasing Mg contents from the plutons emplaced into the SJCP (Monte das Gameleiras and Barcelona) towards those in the RPSD (Acari, Caraúbas, Tourão, and Catolé do Rocha). Estimated intensive crystallization parameters reveal a weak westward range of increasing depth of emplacement, pressure and temperature in the study area. The SJCD plutons (to the east) crystallized at shallower crustal depths (14-21 km), under slightly lower pressure (3.8-5.5 kbar) and temperature (701-718 °C) intervals, and high to moderate oxygen fugacity conditions (+0.8 < ΔFQM < +2.0). On the other hand, the RPSD plutons (to the west) were emplaced at slightly deeper depths (18-23 km), under higher, yet variable pressures (4.8-6.2 kbar), temperatures (723-776 °C), and moderate to low oxygen fugacity conditions (-1.0 < ΔFQM < +1.8). These results reinforce the contrasts between the tectono-strutuctural domains of São José do Campestre and Rio Piranhas-Seridó in the northern Borborema Province.

Changing Melt-Migration Geometries with Crustal Depth: an Example From the Eastern Transverse Ranges.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, K. L.; Paterson, S. R.; Barth, A. P.

2006-12-01

Detailed studies of North American Cordilleran sheeted plutons (Miller and Paterson, 2001; Mahan et al., 2003; Manduca et al., 1993) reveal that some have predominantly sub-vertical geometries, indicating construction within fundamentally vertical boundary zones in mid-crustal terrains. In contrast, the Bighorn sheeted complex of the eastern Transverse Ranges in southern California preserves fabrics that indicate a gently to moderately dipping geometry. Preliminary barometry shows that the eastern Transverse Ranges constitutes a tilted cross- section of the Mesozoic arc to depths of about 24 km. Whereas the shallow part of the tilted section is dominated by comparatively homogeneous Mesozoic plutons that intrude Proterozoic basement, the deeper part is dominated by mid-crustal sheeted plutons of Jurassic and Late Cretaceous age. Volumetrically dominant components of the western sheeted plutonic complex are biotite hornblende tonalite, granodiorite, and two mica-garnet granite sheets interlayered at meter to decimeter scale. Field observations indicate a transition from discordant plutons with weak magmatic fabrics to the contemporaneous deeper sheeted plutons with intense magmatic fabrics, suggesting that fabric intensity is related to pluton geometry and depth. Microscope investigations reveal that magmatic textures and fabrics are dominant in sheeted igneous rocks. Magmatic textures are defined by euhedral to subhedral plagioclase, hornblende, and biotite that do not show significant internal crystal-plastic deformation. Magmatic fabrics observable at the outcrop scale are defined by shape preferred orientations of euhedral to subhedral plagioclase, hornblende, and biotite grains. Although magmatic textures and fabrics are observed in all compositions, intense magmatic fabrics are prominent in granodiorite and fine-grained tonalite. Solid-state textures are defined by recrystallization of interstitial quartz and microfracturing of feldspar. Although the sheeted plutons were originally described as foliated metamorphic rocks, the preserved magmatic textures and fabrics suggest that this zone is melt dominated. In addition, the pluton geometries may be explained by changing melt-migration patterns with depth.

Molybdenite Re-Os, zircon U-Pb dating and Lu-Hf isotopic analysis of the Xiaerchulu Au deposit, Inner Mongolia Province, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jia-xin; Nie, Feng-Jun; Zhang, Xue-ni; Jiang, Si-hong

2016-09-01

The Xiaerchulu Au deposit, located in the Southern Orogenic Belt (SOB) of Western Inner Mongolia (WIM), is hosted in an Early Permian (271-261 Ma) volcanic-plutonic sequence. Mineralization took place in silicified biotite granites or along the contact zone between the Neoproterozoic Baiyinbaolage Group and the biotite granite. In order to constrain the timing of the Xiaerchulu mineralization and discuss the petrogenesis of the hosting granites, molybdenite Re-Os, and zircon U-Pb and, Lu-Hf, and REE, geochemical, and Sr-Nd isotopic studies were completed in this study. We measured Re-Os isotopes of six molybdenite samples from the main ore body, which yielded a weighted average model age of 261.7 ± 1.5 Ma with a MSWD of 0.55, indicating that the time of mineralization was at ca. 262 Ma. High precision U-Pb dating for the studied granites yields Permian 206Pb/238U ages ranging from 271 to 269 Ma. These age data confirm that both the intrusion and related mineralization were initiated in Early Permian period. These granites are strongly peraluminous with A/CNK = 1.11-1.12, high SiO2-K2O contents, as well as containing biotite and muscovite, indicating a petrogenesis of typical S-type granites, the above consideration is also consistent with the result of discrimination diagrams. The Re contents of molybdenite, εNd(t), and zircon εHf(t), as well as the 176Hf/177Hf values of the granites, fall into the ranges from 1.153 to 2.740 μg/g, - 11.1 to - 9.3, - 8.8 to - 0.9, and 0.282358 to 0.282688, respectively. All of this evidence suggests that the metals were derived from a predominantly crustal source, the granites originated from crust in an extensional setting, and the rejuvenation of the continent may have play an important role during the ore-forming processes of the Early Permian epoch.

Petrology of iron-rich magmatic segregations associated with strongly peraluminous trondhjemite in the Cornucopia stock, northeastern Oregon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, K.; Barnes, C. G.; Browning, J. M.; Karlsson, H. R.

The Middle Cretaceous Cornucopia stock in the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon is a small composite intrusion consisting of hornblende biotite tonalite, biotite trondhjemite, and three cordierite two mica trondhjemite units. Unusual magnetite + biotite-rich tonalitic rocks are associated with the Crater Lake cordierite trondhjemite, the youngest of the intrusions. Oxide-rich tonalites are characterized by high Fe ( 47-68 wt% total Fe as FeO), low SiO2 (<36 wt%), and enrichments in HFSE and REE (La(N)=361-903). Oxide-rich tonalites appear in a variety of forms, including composite dikes and sheets, in which they are associated with leucocratic tonalite. Leucotonalite is lower in SiO2 (60-72 wt%) than Crater Lake trondhjemite, and generally has ΣREE contents and Eu anomalies intermediate between the oxide-rich tonalite and Crater Lake compositions. Oxide-rich tonalites crosscut, and are crosscut by, shear zones in the host trondhjemite, indicating their emplacement late in the pluton's crystallization history. Granitic dikes crosscut the composite dikes in all localities. Geochemical considerations and sedimentary-like structures, such as load casts and bedding of magnetite-rich assemblages in the composite dikes and sheets, are suggestive of crystal settling from an Fe-rich parental magma. The Fe-rich liquid parental to the oxide-rich tonalite-leucotonalite pairs formed by extensive, in-situ, plagioclase + quartz-dominated crystallization of strongly peraluminous trondhjemite. Early magnetite saturation in the trondhjemite was suppressed, either because the parental trondhjemitic magma had a lower initial total Fe content or because it had a lower ferric-ferrous ratio, possibly reflecting a lower oxygen fugacity. Accumulation of magnetite from Fe-rich residual magma is a viable mechanism for the concentration of iron, and the subsequent formation of Fe-rich rocks, in calcic siliceous intrusions. Apparently, Fe-enrichment can occur locally in calcic magmas, and is not restricted to rocks of mafic tholeiitic or anorthositic affinity.

Petrology of iron-rich magmatic segregations associated with strongly peraluminous trondhjemite in the Cornucopia stock, northeastern Oregon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, K.; Barnes, C. G.; Browning, J. M.; Karlsson, H. R.

2001-11-01

The Middle Cretaceous Cornucopia stock in the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon is a small composite intrusion consisting of hornblende biotite tonalite, biotite trondhjemite, and three cordierite two mica trondhjemite units. Unusual magnetite + biotite-rich tonalitic rocks are associated with the Crater Lake cordierite trondhjemite, the youngest of the intrusions. Oxide-rich tonalites are characterized by high Fe ( 47-68 wt% total Fe as FeO), low SiO2 (<36 wt%), and enrichments in HFSE and REE (La(N)=361-903). Oxide-rich tonalites appear in a variety of forms, including composite dikes and sheets, in which they are associated with leucocratic tonalite. Leucotonalite is lower in SiO2 (60-72 wt%) than Crater Lake trondhjemite, and generally has ΣREE contents and Eu anomalies intermediate between the oxide-rich tonalite and Crater Lake compositions. Oxide-rich tonalites crosscut, and are crosscut by, shear zones in the host trondhjemite, indicating their emplacement late in the pluton's crystallization history. Granitic dikes crosscut the composite dikes in all localities. Geochemical considerations and sedimentary-like structures, such as load casts and bedding of magnetite-rich assemblages in the composite dikes and sheets, are suggestive of crystal settling from an Fe-rich parental magma. The Fe-rich liquid parental to the oxide-rich tonalite-leucotonalite pairs formed by extensive, in-situ, plagioclase + quartz-dominated crystallization of strongly peraluminous trondhjemite. Early magnetite saturation in the trondhjemite was suppressed, either because the parental trondhjemitic magma had a lower initial total Fe content or because it had a lower ferric-ferrous ratio, possibly reflecting a lower oxygen fugacity. Accumulation of magnetite from Fe-rich residual magma is a viable mechanism for the concentration of iron, and the subsequent formation of Fe-rich rocks, in calcic siliceous intrusions. Apparently, Fe-enrichment can occur locally in calcic magmas, and is not restricted to rocks of mafic tholeiitic or anorthositic affinity.

Variscan potassic dyke magmatism of durbachitic affinity at the southern end of the Bohemian Massif (Lower Austria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeitlhofer, Helga; Grasemann, Bernhard; Petrakakis, Konstantin

2016-06-01

Dykes in the Strudengau area (SW Moldanubian Zone, Austria) can be mineralogically divided into lamprophyres (spessartites and kersantites) and felsic dykes (granite porphyries, granitic dykes and pegmatoid dykes). Geochemical analyses of 11 lamprophyres and 7 felsic dykes show evidence of fractional crystallization. The lamprophyres are characterized by metaluminous compositions, intermediate SiO2 contents and high amounts of MgO and K2O; these rocks have high Ba (800-3000 ppm) and Sr (250-1000 ppm) contents as well as an enrichment of large-ion lithophile elements over high field strength elements, typical for enriched mantle sources with variable modifications due to fractionation and crustal contamination. This geochemical signature has been reported from durbachites (biotite- and K feldspar-rich mela-syenites particularly characteristic of the Variscan orogen in Central Europe). For most major elements, calculated fractionation trends from crystallization experiments of durbachites give an excellent match with the data from the Strudengau dykes. This suggests that the lamprophyres and felsic dykes were both products of fractional crystallization and subsequent magma mixing of durbachitic and leucogranitic melts. Rb-Sr geochronological data on biotite from five undeformed kersantites and a locally deformed granite porphyry gave cooling ages of c. 334-318 Ma, indicating synchronous intrusion of the dykes with the nearby outcropping Weinsberger granite (part of the South Bohemian Batholith, c. 330-310 Ma). Oriented matrix biotite separated from the locally deformed granite porphyry gave an Rb-Sr age of c. 318 Ma, interpreted as a deformation age during extensional tectonics. We propose a large-scale extensional regime at c. 320 Ma in the Strudengau area, accompanied by plutonism of fractionated magmas of syncollisional mantle-derived sources, mixed with crustal components. This geodynamic setting is comparable to other areas in the Variscan belt documenting an orogenic wide extension by the end of the Carboniferous.

Petrologic and zircon U-Pb geochronological characteristics of the pelitic granulites from the Badu Complex of the Cathaysia Block, South China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Lei; Zhou, Xiwen; Zhai, Mingguo; Liu, Bo; Cui, Xiahong

2018-06-01

The recognition of the Indosinian Orogeny in the South China block has been controversial and difficult because of strong weathering and thick cover. High temperature (HT) and high pressure (HP) metamorphic rocks related to this orogeny were considered to be absent from this orogenic belt until the recent discovery of eclogite and granulite facies meta-igneous rocks, occurring as lenses within the meta-sedimentary rocks of the Badu Complex. However, metamorphic state of these meta-sedimentary rocks is still not clear. Besides, there have been no geochronological data of HT pelitic granulites previously reported from the Badu Complex. This paper presents petrographic characteristics and zircon geochronological results on the newly discovered kyanite garnet gneiss, pyroxene garnet gneiss and the HT pelitic granulites (sillimanite garnet gneiss). Mineral assemblages are garnet + sillimanite + ternary feldspar + plagioclase + quartz + biotite for the HT pelitic granulite, kyanite + ternary feldspar + garnet + sillimanite + plagioclase + quartz + biotite for the kyanite garnet gneiss, and garnet + biotite + pyroxene + plagioclase + ternary feldspar + quartz for the pyroxene garnet gneiss, respectively. Decompressional coronas around garnet grains can be observed in all these pelitic rocks. Typical granulite facies mineral assemblages and reaction textures suggest that these rocks experienced HP granulite facies metamorphism and overprinted decompression along a clockwise P-T loop. Results from integrated U-Pb dating and REE analysis indicate the growth of metamorphic zircons from depleted heavy REE sources (100-50 chondrite) compared with detrital zircons derived from granitic sources (typically > 1000 chondrite). Metamorphic zircons in HP granulite exhibit no or subdued negative Eu anomalies, which perhaps indicate zircon overgrowth under eclogite facies conditions. The zircon overgrowth ages range from 250 to 235 Ma, suggesting that HP granulite (eclogite) to granulite facies metamorphism of these supracrustal rocks occurred in the Early-Middle Triassic. Based on the presence of HP granulite facies pelitic rocks, it is inferred that significant underthrusting was involved during the Indosinian Orogeny which introduced these supracrustal rocks to lower crustal levels.

Elastic anisotropy of layered rocks: Ultrasonic measurements of plagioclase-biotite-muscovite (sillimanite) gneiss versus texture-based theoretical predictions (effective media modeling)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivankina, T. I.; Zel, I. Yu.; Lokajicek, T.; Kern, H.; Lobanov, K. V.; Zharikov, A. V.

2017-08-01

In this paper we present experimental and theoretical studies on a highly anisotropic layered rock sample characterized by alternating layers of biotite and muscovite (retrogressed from sillimanite) and plagioclase and quartz, respectively. We applied two different experimental methods to determine seismic anisotropy at pressures up to 400 MPa: (1) measurement of P- and S-wave phase velocities on a cube in three foliation-related orthogonal directions and (2) measurement of P-wave group velocities on a sphere in 132 directions The combination of the spatial distribution of P-wave velocities on the sphere (converted to phase velocities) with S-wave velocities of three orthogonal structural directions on the cube made it possible to calculate the bulk elastic moduli of the anisotropic rock sample. On the basis of the crystallographic preferred orientations (CPOs) of major minerals obtained by time-of-flight neutron diffraction, effective media modeling was performed using different inclusion methods and averaging procedures. The implementation of a nonlinear approximation of the P-wave velocity-pressure relation was applied to estimate the mineral matrix properties and the orientation distribution of microcracks. Comparison of theoretical calculations of elastic properties of the mineral matrix with those derived from the nonlinear approximation showed discrepancies in elastic moduli and P-wave velocities of about 10%. The observed discrepancies between the effective media modeling and ultrasonic velocity data are a consequence of the inhomogeneous structure of the sample and inability to perform long-wave approximation. Furthermore, small differences between elastic moduli predicted by the different theoretical models, including specific fabric characteristics such as crystallographic texture, grain shape and layering were observed. It is shown that the bulk elastic anisotropy of the sample is basically controlled by the CPO of biotite and muscovite and their volume proportions in the layers dominated by phyllosilicate minerals.

Ion-adsorption REEs in regolith of the Liberty Hill pluton, South Carolina, USA: An effect of hydrothermal alteration

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bern, Carleton R.; Yesavage, Tiffany; Foley, Nora K.

2017-01-01

Ion-adsorbed rare earth element (REE) deposits supply the majority of world heavy REE production and substantial light REE production, but relatively little is known of their occurrence outside Southeast Asia. We examined the distribution and forms of REEs on a North American pluton located in the highly weathered and slowly eroding South Carolina Piedmont. The Hercynian Liberty Hill pluton experiences a modern climate that includes ~ 1500 mm annual rainfall and a mean annual temperature of 17 °C. The pluton is medium- to coarse-grained biotite-amphibole granite with minor biotite granite facies. REE-bearing phases are diverse and include monazite, zircon, titanite, allanite, apatite and bastnäsite. Weathered profiles were sampled up to 7 m-deep across the ~ 400 km2 pluton. In one profile, ion-adsorbed REEs plus yttrium (REE + Y) ranged up to 581 mg/kg and accounted for up to 77% of total REE + Y in saprolite. In other profiles, ion-adsorbed REE + Y ranged 12–194 mg/kg and only accounted for 3–37% of totals. The profile most enriched in ion-adsorbed REEs was located along the mapped boundary of two granite facies and contained trioctahedral smectite in the saprolite, evidence suggestive of hydrothermal alteration of biotite at that location. Post-emplacement deuteric alteration can generate easily weathered REE phases, particularly fluorocarbonates. In the case of Liberty Hill, hydrothermal alteration may have converted less soluble to more soluble REE minerals. Additionally, regolith P content was inversely correlated with the fraction ion-adsorbed REEs, and weathering related secondary REE-phosphates were found in some regolith profiles. Both patterns illustrate how low P content aids in the accumulation of ion-adsorbed REEs. The localized occurrence at Liberty Hill sheds light on conditions and processes that generate ion-adsorbed REEs.

Elastic wave velocities, chemistry and modal mineralogy of crustal rocks sampled by the Outokumpu scientific drill hole: Evidence from lab measurements and modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kern, H.; Mengel, K.; Strauss, K. W.; Ivankina, T. I.; Nikitin, A. N.; Kukkonen, I. T.

2009-07-01

The Outokumpu scientific deep drill hole intersects a 2500 m deep Precambrian crustal section comprising a 1300 m thick biotite-gneiss series (mica schists) at top, followed by a 200 m thick meta-ophiolite sequence, underlain again by biotite gneisses (mica schists) (500 m thick) with intercalations of amphibolite and meta-pegmatoids (pegmatitic granite). From 2000 m downward the dominating rock types are meta-pegmatoids (pegmatitic granite). Average isotropic intrinsic P- and S-wave velocities and densities of rocks were calculated on the basis of the volume fraction of the constituent minerals and their single crystal properties for 29 core samples covering the depth range 198-2491 m. The modal composition of the rocks is obtained from bulk rock (XRF) and mineral chemistry (microprobe), using least squares fitting. Laboratory seismic measurements on 13 selected samples representing the main lithologies revealed strong anisotropy of P- and S-wave velocities and shear wave splitting. Seismic anisotropy is strongly related to foliation and is, in particular, an important property of the biotite gneisses, which dominate the upper and lower gneiss series. At in situ conditions, velocity anisotropy is largely caused by oriented microcracks, which are not completely closed at the pressures corresponding to the relatively shallow depth drilled by the borehole, in addition to crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) of the phyllosilicates. The contribution of CPO to bulk anisotropy is confirmed by 3D velocity calculations based on neutron diffraction texture measurements. For vertical incidence of the wave train, the in situ velocities derived from the lab measurements are significantly lower than the measured and calculated intrinsic velocities. The experimental results give evidence that the strong reflective nature of the ophiolite-derived rock assemblages is largely affected by oriented microcracks and preferred crystallographic orientation of major minerals, in addition to the lithologic control.

The influence of crystallography and kinetics on phengite breakdown reactions in a low-pressure metamorphic aureole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Worden, R. H.; Droop, G. T. R.; Champness, P. E.

1992-04-01

A natural example of phengite that had undergone partial thermal decomposition at a pressure of about 0.5 kbar and a temperature of about 680° C in a contact aureole was exmined in the transmission electron microscope (TEM). Partially pseudomorphed phengites were found to consist of combinations of phengite, biotite, K-feldspar, mullite, sillimanite, spinel and cordierite. Different areas within individual, partially pseudomorphed, phengite grains show various degrees of reaction and different reaction products; the cores are the least reacted and the margins have reacted most. In the cores the assemblage Al-, Mg-enriched phengite+biotite +K-feldspar+mullite±spinel has formed, whereas the assemblage K-feldspar+mullite+sillimanite+spinel +biotite+cordierite has formed at the edges. According to our thermodynamic calculations, the breakdown of phengite should have produced cordierite+spinel +corundum+K-feldspar in regions isolated from the influx of SiO2 and cordierite+andalusite+quartz+K-feldspar in regions near the edge of the grains that were essentially saturated with SiO2. Chemical equilibrium was not achieved in any part of the partially pseudomorphed phengites on a micron scale or larger. Breakdown theoretically should have been complete by about 550° C; the reaction temperature was overstepped by at least 130° C for 20 25 years. The variations in the degree and type of reaction are probably due partly to the availability of suitable nucleation sites in different regions, partly to the need to remove H2O from reaction sites and partly to the influence of SiO2, which diffused into the grains during metamorphism. The presence of SiO2 lowers the equilibrium temperatures. Thus there is a higher driving force for breakdown near the grain boundaries than in the cores. Most of the products show an orientation relationship with the parent phengite and have consistent habit planes; they have their closest-packed planes and closest-packed directions parallel to one another and to those of phengite. Such relationships minimize the strain and surface energies at nucleation and favour most rapid nucleation and growth of the reaction products. The great structural similarity of biotite to phengite resulted in its having the highest rate of nucleation and growth of any product and it occurred in all areas of the phengite pseudomorphs studied. Mullite and sillimanite were produced metastably. Mullite has more rapid nucleation kinetics than other aluminosilicates because it is structurally disordered. Sillimanite formed rather than andalusite in regions of the partially pseudomorphed phengites where the reaction reached an advanced stage, because the reaction from phengite to andalusite requires an energetically unfavourable change in aluminium co-ordination state.

High precision ages from the Torres del Paine Intrusion, Chile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michel, J.; Baumgartner, L.; Cosca, M.; Ovtcharova, M.; Putlitz, B.; Schaltegger, U.

2006-12-01

The upper crustal bimodal Torres del Paine Intrusion, southern Chile, consists of the lower Paine-Mafic- Complex and the upper Paine-Granite. Geochronologically this bimodal complex is not well studied except for a few existing data from Halpern (1973) and Sanchez (2006). The aim of this study is to supplement the existing data and to constrain the age relations between the major magmatic pulses by applying high precision U-Pb dating on accessory zircons and 40Ar/39Ar-laser-step-heating-ages on biotites from the Torres del Paine Intrusion. The magmatic rocks from mafic complex are fine to medium-grained and vary in composition from quartz- monzonites to granodiorites and gabbros. Coarse-grained olivine gabbros have intruded these rocks in the west. The granitic body is represented by a peraluminous, biotite-orthoclase-granite and a more evolved leucocratic granite in the outer parts towards the host-rock. Field observations suggest a feeder-zone for the granite in the west and that the granite postdates the mafic complex. Two granite samples of the outermost margins in the Northeast and South were analyzed. The zircons were dated by precise isotope-dilution U-Pb techniques of chemically abraded single grains. The data are concordant within the analytical error and define weighted mean 206/238U ages of 12.59 ± 0.03 Ma and 12.58 ± 0.01 Ma for the two samples respectively. A 40Ar/39Ar-age for the second sample yield a date of 12.37 ± 0.11 Ma. Three 40Ar/39Ar -ages of biotites were obtained for rocks belonging to the mafic complex. A hbl-bio- granodiorite from the central part, approximately 150 m below the subhorizontal contact with the granite, gives an age of 12.81 ± 0.11 Ma. A hbl-bio-granodiorite and an olivine-gabbro west of the feeder-zone date at 12.42 ± 0.14 Ma and 12.49 ± 0.11 Ma, respectively. The obtained older age of 12.81 Ma for the granodiorite in the central part is consistent with structural relationships of brittle fracturing of the mafic complex by the granite and we conclude that some parts of the mafic complex were emplaced before the granite. The well defined 206/238U-age for zircons and the slightly younger 40Ar/39Ar -ages for biotites of both rock suites show that emplacement and cooling of the Torres del Paine Intrusion took place in a relatively short time-frame. Halpern, 1973, Geological Society of America Bulletin, 84/7: 2407-2422. Sanchez et.al., 2006. V SSAGI, Punta del Este, April 2006.

Kyanite-garnet gneisses of the Kåfjord Nappe - North Norwegian Caledonides: P-T conditions and monazite Th-U-Pb dating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziemniak, Grzegorz; Kośmińska, Karolina; Majka, Jarosław; Janák, Marian; Manecki, Maciej

2016-04-01

The Kåfjord Nappe is the part of the Skibotn Nappe Complex traditionally ascribed to the Upper Allochthon of the North Norwegian Caledonides. Pressure-temperature (P-T) conditions and metamorphic age of the Kåfjord Nappe are not well constrained, geochronological data are limited to a single Rb-Sr age of c. 440 Ma (Dangla et al. 1978). Metamorphic evolution of kyanite-garnet gneisses of the Kåfjord Nappe is presented here. The kyanite-garnet gneisses are associated with a few meters thick amphibolite lenses. The gneisses mainly consist of quartz, plagioclase, biotite, muscovite, garnet, kyanite, and rutile. Retrograde minerals are represented by sillimanite and chlorite. Garnet occurs as two textural types. Garnet-I forms euhedral porphyroblasts with multiple small inclusions. Profiles through garnet-I show chemical zonation in all components. The composition varies from Alm64-68Prp11-16Grs13-18Sps2-8 in the core to Alm68-70Prp17-18Grs10-13Sps1-3 in the rim. Garnet-II is subhedral to anhedral, its core is inclusion-rich, whereas rim contains only single inclusions. Chemical composition of garnet-II is similar to that of the garnet-I rim. P-T conditions have been estimated using the garnet-biotite-muscovite-plagioclase (GBPM) geothermobarometer (Holdaway, 2001; Wu, 2014). Calculated peak P-T metamorphic conditions are 610-625 °C and 7.6-8.2 kbar corresponding to the amphibolite facies conditions. Phase equilibrium modelling in the NCKFMMnASH system yields peak metamorphic conditions of c. 620 °C at 8 kbar. Growth conditions of garnet-I core modelled in the NCKFMMnASH system are c. 570 °C at 9.7 kbar. Chemical Th-U-total Pb monazite dating has been performed. Preliminary dating results from the kyanite-garnet gneiss of the Kåfjord Nappe yield an array of dates from 468 Ma to 404 Ma. There is a correlation between an increase of yttrium content and decrease of monazite single dates. Compositional maps confirm an increase of yttrium towards the rim of the monazite. This work is partially funded by AGH research grant no 11.11.140.319. References: Dangla, P., Damange, J. C., Ploquin, A., Quarnadel, J. M., Sonet, J., 1978. Donn'es geochronlogiques sur les Caledonides Scandinaves septentrionates (Troms, Norway du Nord). C. r. Acad. Sci. Paris, 286 D, 1653-1656. Holdaway, M. J., 2001. Recalibration of the GASP geobarometer in light of recent garnet and plagioclase activity models and versions of the garnet-biotite geothermometer. American Mineralogist, 86(10), 1117-1129. Wu, C. M., 2015. Revised empirical garnet-biotite-muscovite-plagioclase geobarometer in metapelites. Journal of Metamorphic Geology, 33(2), 167-176.

Publications - GMC 146 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

Science.gov Websites

concentrates from the following 2 NPRA core tuff samples: U.S. Navy Umiat Test #1 (510.5 feet); Umiat Test #11 geochronology studies on biotite concentrates from the following 2 NPRA core tuff samples: U.S. Navy Umiat Test #1 (510.5 feet); Umiat Test #11 (488 feet): Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Temperature and redox path of biotite-bearing intrusives: A method of estimation applied to S- and I-type granites from Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burkhard, Dorothee J. M.

1991-05-01

Estimations of the oxidation state and development of ƒO 2 during magmatic evolution are usually not possible because ƒO 2 is a function of temperature (and pressure). If two independent equations for ƒO 2 = ƒO 2(T) can be obtained, ƒO 2 and the corresponding temperature can be estimated. For biotite-bearing rocks an estimation of ƒO 2 (bio) can be combined with an estimation of ƒO 2 (rock). This latter estimation requires an extrapolation of high-temperature data because low-temperature data are not available. The combination of the two equations provides a quadratic equation in T with the common (negative) solution: Tint= 1/4 c 2{- k1-2 c 1-√(k 1+2 c 1) 2+8 c 2k 2} which permits back calculation of ƒO 2. The usefulness of the method is demonstrated for typical S-type, ilmenite, and I-type, magnetite granites from Australia. Two distinct oxidation states are obtained. It is suggested that the availability of H 2O during granite emplacement largely determines ƒO 2 conditions.

Single and multiphase inclusions in metapelitic garnets of the Rhodope Metamorphic Province, NE Greece.

PubMed

Mposkos, Evripidis; Perraki, Maria; Palikari, Sarra

2009-08-01

Single and multiphase inclusions in garnet porphyroblasts from the diamond-bearing pelitic gneisses were studied by means of combined Raman Spectroscopy and Electron Scanning Microscopy (SEM/EDX). They are either randomly distributed or with preferred orientation within the garnet host and their dimensions vary from less than 5 up to 60 microm. In the single-phase inclusions quartz, rutile, kyanite and graphite dominate. Biotite, zircon, apatite, monazite and allanite are also common. Two types of multiphase inclusions were recognized, hydrous silicate (Type I) and silicate-carbonate (Type II) ones. The carbon-bearing multiphase inclusions predominantly consist of Mg-siderite+graphite+CO(2)+muscovite+quartz formed by a high density carboniferous fluid rich in Fe, Mg, Si and less Ca, Mn, Al and K trapped in the growing garnet in a prograde stage of metamorphism at high-pressure (HP) conditions. The carbon-free multiphase inclusions predominantly consist of biotite+quartz+rutile+/-kyanite+muscovite formed through decompression-dehydration/melting reactions of pre-existing phengite. Single and multiphase inclusions are characterized by polygonal to negative crystal shape formed by dissolution-reprecipitation mechanism between the garnet host and the inclusions during the long lasting cooling period (>100 Ma) of the Kimi Complex.

Wall-rock control of cortain pitchblende deposits in Golden Gate Canyon, Jefferson County, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Adams, John W.; Stugard, Frederick

1954-01-01

Carbonate veins cutting pre-Cambrian metamorphic rocks in Golden Gate Canyon contain pitchblende and base-metal sulfides. The veins occupy extensive faults of Laramide age but normally contain pitchblende only where the cut hornblende gneiss. At the Union Pacific prospect, which was studied in detail, pitchblende, hermatite, and some ankerite formed in advance of sulfides, except possibly for minor pyrite. Base-metal sulfides and the bulk of ankerite-calcite vein-filling were deposited after the pitchblende. Chemical analyses show a high ferrous iron content in the hornblende gneiss in contrast to low ferrous iron in the adjacent biotite gneiss. It is hypothesized that ferrous iron released by alteration of hornblende was partly oxidized to hematite by the ore-bearing solutions and, contemporaneously, uranium was reduced and deposited as pitchblende. In other veins, biotite or iron sulfides may have been similarly effective in precipitating pitchblende. Apparently both the ferrous ion and the sulfide ion can serve as reducing agents and control pitchblende deposition. It is suggested that conditions particularly favorable for uranium deposition are present where uranium-bearing solutions had access to rocks rich in ferrous iron or pre-existing sulfides.

Petrographic Analysis and Geochemical Source Correlation of Pigeon Peak, Sutter Buttes, CA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novotny, N. M.; Hausback, B. P.

2013-12-01

The Sutter Buttes are a volcanic complex located in the center of the Great Valley north of Sacramento. They are comprised of numerous inter-intruding andesite and rhyolite lava domes of varying compositions surrounded by a shallow rampart of associated tephras. The Pigeon Peak block-and-ash flow sequence is located in the rampart and made up of a porphyritic Biotite bearing Hornblende Andesite. The andesite blocks demonstrate a high degree of propylization in hornblende crystals, highly zoned plagioclase, trace olivine, and display a red to gray color gradation. DAR is an andesite dome located less than one mile from Pigeon Peak. Of the 15 to 25 andesite lava domes within four miles from Pigeon Peak, only DAR displays trace olivine, red to grey color stratification, low biotite content, and propylitized hornblende. These characteristic similarities suggest that DAR may be the source for Pigeon Peak. My investigation used microprobe analysis of the DAR and Pigeon Peak feldspar crystals to identify the magmatic history of the magma body before emplacement. Correlation of the anorthite zoning within the feldspars from both locations support my hypothesis that DAR is the source of the Pigeon Peak block-and-ash flow.

Hydrogeologic controls on ground-water discharge to the Washington METRO subway tunnel near the Medical Center station and Crossover, Montgomery County, Maryland

USGS Publications Warehouse

Greene, Earl A.; Shapiro, Allen M.; LaMotte, Andrew E.

2004-01-01

Excessive water intrusion has been observed inside several of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority subway tunnels, with the worst leakage occurring along the Red Line tunnels and stations north of Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. These tunnels were constructed in bedrock that contains permeable (water-bearing) joints and fractures. Excessive water leakage through the walls and water inside the underground facilities has damaged mechanical and electrical components in the tunnel, and has escalated the deterioration rate of the rail system. The U.S. Geological Survey and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority have worked cooperatively on a study from 200003 to describe and quantify the factors controlling ground-water flow into the Red Line subway tunnel near the Medical Center Station and Crossover in Montgomery County, Maryland. The Red Line near the Medical Center Station and Crossover passes through or beneath the gneissic Sykesville Formation and the biotite-hornblende tonalite member of the Georgetown Intrusive Suite, both of which contain numerous fractures. The mapped foliation and joints of the Sykesville Formation in the vicinity of the Medical Center Station and Crossover are generally orientated north-south. Fractures in the Sykesville Formation in outcrops appear to be poorly connected. In the biotite-hornblende tonalite member of the Georgetown Intrusive Suite, the general orientation of the mapped foliation and joints is east-west. In contrast to the fractures in the Sykesville Formation, the fractures in the Georgetown Intrusive Suite in outcrops appear to be more numerous and have a greater degree of connectivity. Fractures intersecting four bedrock wells near the Medical Center Station and Crossover that were drilled into the biotite-hornblende tonalite member of the Georgetown Intrusive Suite show an east-west orientation matching the foliation and joints shown on geologic maps. The excessive water intrusion at the Medical Center Station and Crossover could be the result of its location within the Georgetown Intrusive Suite. The abrupt changes in the mapped directions of ground-water flow based on the hydraulic heads at the contact between the Sykesville Formation and biotite-hornblende tonalite member of the Georgetown Intrusive Suite could also be the result of the change in fracturing between these two lithologies. Saprolite, a residual of soft, red/brown to gray clay from decomposed crystalline rock, overlies the bedrock and varies from about 20 to 55 feet thick, depending on location. On the basis of a slug test conducted in the lower part of the saprolite near the Medical Center Station and Crossover, transmissivity and storativity of the saprolite were estimated to be 10 feet squared per day and 10-6 , respectively. The transmissivity of fractures intersecting bedrock boreholes drilled in the biotite-hornblende tonalite member of the Georgetown Intrusive Suite varies over five orders of magnitude, from a maximum of approximately 10 feet squared per day to the detection limit of the in situ testing apparatus, which is approximately 10-4 feet squared per day. In general, the transmissivity of fractures intersecting the boreholes increases with depth. The low transmissivity of bedrock fractures in close proximity to the saprolite is likely to be caused by the fractures being filled with byproducts of rock weathering, resulting in reduced permeability. 2 Hydrogeologic Controls on Ground-Water Discharge to the Washington METRO Subway Tunnel The bulk transmissivity of the bedrock aquifer is approximately 3.7 feet squared per day, as determined from an aquifer test conducted by pumping a 240-foot-deep borehole and monitoring the drawdown over 3 days in the pumped borehole and several observation boreholes. In general, the hydraulic head decreases with depth in bedrock boreholes, indicating the potential for downward ground-water flow. Based on hydraulic head values mea

Direct Measurement of Recoil Effects on Ar-Ar Standards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, C. M.

2011-12-01

Advances in the precision possible with the Ar-Ar method using new techniques and equipment have led to considerable effort to improve the accuracy of the calibration of interlaboratory standards. However, ultimately the accuracy of the method relies on the measurement of 40Ar*/39ArK ratios on primary standards that have been calibrated with the K-Ar method and, in turn, on secondary standards that are calibrated against primary standards. It is usually assumed that an Ar-Ar total gas age is equivalent to a K-Ar age, but this assumes that there is zero loss of Ar due to recoil. Instead, traditional Ar-Ar total gas ages are in fact Ar retention ages [1] and not, strictly speaking, comparable to K-Ar ages. There have been efforts to estimate the importance of this effect on standards along with prescriptions for minimizing recoil effects [2,3], but these studies have relied on indirect evidence for 39Ar recoil. We report direct measurements of 39Ar recoil for a set of primary and secondary standards using the vacuum encapsulation techniques of [1] and show that significant adjustments to ages assigned to some standards may be needed. The fraction f of 39Ar lost due to recoil for primary standards MMhb-1 hornblende and GA-1550 biotite are 0.00367 and 0.00314 respectively. It is possible to modify the assumed K-Ar ages of these standards so that when using their measured Ar retention 40Ar*/39ArK ratios, one obtains a correct K-Ar age for an unknown, assuming that the unknown sample has zero loss of 39Ar due to recoil. Assuming a primary K-Ar age for MMhb-1 of 520.4 Ma, the modified age would be 522.1 Ma and assuming a primary K-Ar age for GA-1550 of 98.79 Ma [4] yields a modified effective age of 99.09 Ma. Measured f values for secondary standards FCT-3 biotite, FCT-2 sanidine and TCR-2 sanidine are 0.00932, 0.00182 and 0.00039 respectively. Using an R value for FCT-3 biotite relative to MMhb-1 [5], the K-Ar age for this standard would be 27.83 Ma and using R values for FCT and TC sanidines [4] against GA-1550, their K-Ar ages would be 28.06 Ma and 28.41 Ma respectively. For retrospective recalculation purposes, the effective Ar-Ar age of these samples that should yield correct K-Ar ages for unknowns with zero recoil loss would be 28.09 Ma, 28.11 Ma and 28.42 Ma for FCT-3 biotite, FCT-2 sanidine and TCR-2 sanidine respectively. The measured f for FCT-3 appears to explain the R value of it relative to FCT sanidine of 1.0086 found by [8]. From the low T portion of the Ar release spectra of the biotite and amphibole standards, it is clear that the dominant recoil artifact affecting Ar release is the re-implantation mechanism seen in clay samples [1,6,7] and not the loss of 39Ar at the surface of the grain. The geometry of neighboring grains during irradiation and internal defects may predominate in controlling recoil loss. [1] Dong et al., 1995, Science, 267, 355-359. [2] Paine et al., 2006, Geochim.Cosmochim. Acta, 70, 1507-1517. [3] Jourdan et al., 2007, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 71, 2791-2808 [4] Renne et al., 1998, Chem. Geol., 145 117-152. [5] Hall & Farrell, 1995, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 133, 327-338. [6] Hall et al., 1997, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 148, 287-298. [7] Hall et al., 2000, Econ. Geol., 95, 1739-1752. [8] Di Vincenzo & Roman Skála, 2009, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 73, 493-513.

Genesis of emulsion texture due to magma mixing: a case study from Chotanagpur Granite Gneiss Complex of Eastern India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gogoi, Bibhuti; Saikia, Ashima; Ahmad, Mansoor

2016-04-01

The emulsion texture is a rare magma mixing feature in which rounded bodies of one magmatic phase remain dispersed in the other coherent phase (Freundt and Schmincke, 1992). This type of special texture in hybrid rocks can significantly contribute toward understanding the mechanisms facilitating magma mixing and magma chamber dynamics involving two disparate magmas as the exact processes by which mixing occurs still remain unclear. Recent developments in microfluidics have greatly helped us to understand the complex processes governing magma mixing occurring at micro-level. Presented work uses some of the results obtained from microfluidic experiments with a view to understand the formation mechanism of emulsions preserved in the hybrid rocks of the Ghansura Rhyolite Dome (GRD) of Proterozoic Chotanagpur Granite Gneiss Complex (CGGC), Eastern India. The GRD has preserved hybrid rocks displaying emulsion texture that formed due to the interaction of a phenocryst-rich basaltic magma and host rhyolite magma. The emulsions are more or less spherical in shape and dominantly composed of amphibole having biotite rinds set in a matrix of biotite, plagioclase, K-feldspar and quartz. Amphibole compositions were determined from the core of the emulsions to the rim with a view to check for cationic substitutions. The amphibole constituting the emulsions is actinolite in composition, and commonly shows tschermakite (Ts) and pargasite (Prg) substitutions. From petrographical and mineral-chemical analyses we infer that when mafic magma, containing phenocrysts of augite, came in contact with felsic magma, diffusion of cations like H+, Al3+and others occurred from the felsic to the mafic system. These cations reacted with the clinopyroxene phenocrysts in the mafic magma to form amphibole (actinolite) crystals. The formation of amphibole crystals in the mafic system greatly increased the viscosity of the system allowing the amphibole crystals to venture into the adjacent felsic magma as veins. As these veins traversed in the felsic medium they underwent sinuous perturbations as a result of the competition between the viscous torque, due to difference in drag on each side of the veins, and the dynamic viscous bending resistance (Cubaud and Mason, 2009). Further downstream, the undulations amplified and swirls started to develop on the sinuous veins by accumulating the high viscosity mafic phase into central bulbs and depleting the regions in between them forming tails. Gradually the tails thinned out and blended into the surrounding felsic melt forming discrete viscous emulsions/swirls. After separation, the amphibole constituting the emulsions started interacting with the surrounding felsic magma forming biotite at the periphery of the emulsions. Eventually, biotite is eroded away and new rinds simultaneously form on freshly eroded surfaces of emulsions facilitating the mixing process (Farner et al., 2014). Cubaud T and Mason TG (2009) New J. Phys. 11, 075029. Farner et al. (2014) Earth and Planetary Science Letters 393, 49-59. Freundt A and Schmincke HU (1992) Contrib Mineral Petrol 112, 1-19.

Sphene-centered ocellar texture as a petrological tool to unveil the mechanism facilitating magma mixing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gogoi, Bibhuti; Saikia, Ashima; Ahmad, Mansoor

2015-04-01

The sphene-centered ocellar texture is a unique magma mixing feature characterized by leucocratic ocelli of sphene enclosed in a biotite/hornblende-rich matrix (Hibbard, 1991). The ocelli usually consist of plagioclase, K-feldspar and quartz with sphene crystals at its centre. Although geochemical and isotopic data provide concrete evidence for the interaction between two compositionally distinct magmas, the exact processes by which mixing takes place is yet uncertain. So, textural analysis can be used to decipher the behaviour of two disparate magmas during mixing. Presented work is being carried out on the sphene ocelli, occurring in hybrid rocks of the Nimchak Granite Pluton (NGP), to understand its formation while two compositionally different magmas come in contact and try to equilibrate. The NGP is ca. 1 km2in extent which has been extensively intruded by number of mafic dykes exhibiting well preserved magma mixing and mingling structures and textures in the Bathani Volcano-Sedimentary Sequence (BVSS) located on the northern fringe of the Proterozoic Chotanagpur Granite Gneiss Complex (CGGC) of eastern Indian Shield. From petrographic and mineral chemical studies we infer that when basaltic magma intruded the crystallizing granite magma chamber, initially the two compositionally different magmas existed as separate entities. The first interaction that took place between the two phases is diffusion of heat from the relatively hotter mafic magma to the colder felsic one followed by diffusion of elemental components like K and incompatible elements from the felsic to the mafic domain. Once thermal equilibrium was attained between the mafic and felsic melts, the rheological contrasts between the two phases were greatly reduced. This allowed the felsic magma to back-vein into the mafic magma. The influx of back-veined felsic melt into the mafic system disrupted the equilibrium conditions in the mafic domain wherein minerals like amphibole, plagioclase and biotite were crystallizing. This led to the incongruent melting of amphibole and biotite to form liquids of sphene composition. Meanwhile, plagioclase continued to grow in the mafic-turned-hybrid system with a different composition after the advent of felsic melt as indicated by compositional zoning in plagioclase crystals. The newly produced sphene-liquid, owing to its higher affinity for felsic phase than mafic, got incorporated into the back-veining felsic melt forming a distinct liquid of its own. The felsic melt also incorporated crystallizing plagioclase grains in it from the mafic matrix. The mixture of felsic melt, sphene-liquid and plagioclase crystals flowed through the biotite, amphibole and plagioclase dominated matrix towards the low pressure zones to occupy the spherical void spaces left behind by escaping of gases/volatiles forming the sphene ocelli. Hibbard, M.J., 1991. Textural anatomy of twelve magma-mixed granitoid systems. In: Didier, J., Barbarin, B. (Eds.) Enclaves and granite petrology, 431-444.

AMS studies in Portuguese variscan granites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sant'Ovaia, Helena; Martins, Helena; Noronha, Fernando

2014-05-01

A large volume of Variscan granitic rocks outcrop in Central Iberian Zone which are well documented concerning geological mapping, petrography and geochemistry but whose magnetic characteristics and fabric remain unknown. In this study we summarize the available AMS data from approximately 644 sampling stations (5152 samples) on different massifs of Variscan Portuguese granites. Despite their different geological, petrographic and geochemical characteristics, magnetic susceptibility (K) values obtained for the majority of the studied granites range from 15 to 300 × 10-6 SI. The dominant paramagnetic behaviour of the granite bodies reflects the presence of ilmenite as the main iron oxide. This feature indicates the reduced conditions involved in the granite melt formation during the Variscan orogeny. The two-mica granites show K values ranging between 15 to 70 × 10-6 SI which are lower than values displayed by the biotite-rich facies scattered within the interval of 70 and 300 × 10-6 SI. The magnetite-bearing granites are scarce but represented in Lavadores, Gerês and Manteigas. Even so, only the Lavadores body could be considered as a true magnetite-type granite (K >3.0 × 10-3 SI) in face of its K, comprised between 1550 and 19303 × 10-6 SI. Magnetic anisotropy can be used as a "marker" for the deformation experienced by granite mushes during their crustal emplacement and further cooling. Magnetic anisotropy can thus be correlated with the finite deformation of a rock, as record by mineral fabrics. Post-tectonic granites, such as those from Vila Pouca de Aguiar, Pedras Salgadas, Caria, Vila da Ponte, Chaves and Lamas de Olo, have a magnetic anisotropy <2.5% which corresponds to a deformation hardly visible to the naked eye. Nevertheless, at microscopic scale, these granites display almost ubiquitous magmatic to submagmatic microstructures (rare wavy extinction in quartz, erratic subgrain boundaries in quartz and, eventually, folded or kinked biotites). For the two syntectonic mica granites, granites from Porto or Gralheira, the magnetic anisotropy ranges between 5% and 6%, showing high to medium temperature solid-state deformation microstructures (like square-shaped quartz subgrains, recrystallized quartz grains, coupled by kinked biotites and bands of quartz surrounded by mica flakes). In the late to post-tectonic granite bodies, such as those from Castro Daire, Valpaços, Castelo Branco, Mangualde-Trancoso or Serra da Estrela, the magnetic anisotropy falls within the 2.5% and 5% range. The magnetic anisotropy of the Lavadores granite is always higher than 10%. This feature, however, reflects the presence of rough alignments of magnetite co-existent with magmatic to submagmatic microstructures. The shape parameter T is quite variable; however, the average values, for all the massifs, are always higher than zero, suggesting the presence of oblate AMS ellipsoids due to the magnetocrystalline anisotropy of biotite. The values of magnetic susceptibility and magnetic anisotropy allowed a petrophysical characterization of the paramagnetic Variscan granites as was proposed by Sant'Ovaia & Noronha (2005).

Mineral equilibria and zircon, garnet and titanite U-Pb ages constraining the PTt path of granite-related hydrothermal systems at the Big Bell gold deposit, Western Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mueller, Andreas G.; McNaughton, Neal J.

2018-01-01

The Big Bell deposit (75 t gold) is located in a narrow spur of the Meekatharra greenstone belt, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia. Two ore bodies are located in a calcic-potassic contact alteration zone overprinting lineated granodiorite dykes and amphibolite: almandine-cummingtonite-hornblende skarn (1-3 g/t Au, 1700 g/t As, 330 g/t W) and the muscovite-microcline gneiss (3-5 g/t Au, 580 g/t Sb, 620 g/t W) of the Main Lode. Genetic models vary from pre- to post-metamorphic replacement. Hornblende-plagioclase pairs in amphibolite constrain peak metamorphic temperature to 670 ± 50 °C. In contrast, garnet-biotite thermometry provides estimates of 578 ± 50 and 608 ± 50 °C for garnet-cordierite-biotite schist bordering the skarn and enveloping the Main Lode. Garnet-cordierite and garnet-hornblende pairs extend the range of fluid temperature to 540 ± 65 °C, well below peak metamorphic temperature. At 540-600 °C, the alteration assemblage andalusite + sillimanite constrains pressure to 300-400 MPa corresponding to 11-14 km crustal depth. Published U-Pb ages indicate that metamorphism took place in the aureole of the southeast granodiorite-tonalite batholith (2740-2700 Ma), followed by gold mineralization at 2662 ± 5 Ma and by the emplacement of biotite granite and Sn-Ta-Nb granite-pegmatite dykes at 2625-2610 Ma. Amphibolite xenoliths in granite northwest of the deposit record the lowest temperature (628 ± 50 °C), suggesting it lacks a metamorphic aureole. The rare metal dykes are spatially associated with epidote-albite and andradite-diopside skarns (≤1.5 g/t Au), mined where enriched in the weathered zone. We analysed hydrothermal zircon intergrown with andradite. Concordant U-Pb ages of 2612 ± 7 and 2609 ± 10 Ma confirm the presence of a second granite-related system. The zircons display oscillatory zoning and have low Th/U ratios (0.05-0.08). Low-Th titanite from an albite granite dyke has a concordant but reset U-Pb age of 2577 ± 7 Ma.

Paleomagnetism and Lithostratigraphy of the Miocene Tuff of Huntoon Creek Type Section

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, S.; Pluhar, C. J.; Lindeman, J. R.

2014-12-01

Here we define the Tuff of Huntoon Creek (THC), previously identified and mapped in Mono Basin, CA by Gilbert et al. (1968) as "latite ignimbrite" (K-Ar date of 11.1-11.9 Ma). Formally defining this formation and its paleomagnetic characteristics, can help reveal the spatial and temporal relationships of the Walker Lane and Mina Deflection structural features, including distribution of vertical axis rotation. THC is composed of four tuffs with an intercalated volcaniclastic sandstone giving a total stratigraphic thickness of ~300 m. We define THC in a gorge of Huntoon Creek, where the stratigraphic section is capped by Pliocene basalt. The lowest and most extensive stratigraphic unit, the Huntoon Valley member of THC, is ~243 m thick and can be distinguished from other units by the presence of sanidine and biotite phenocrysts and normal polarity. A 7-meter-thick volcaniclastic sandstone overlies the Huntoon Valley member, straddling a magnetic polarity reversal within the section. The 3 overlying members of THC are reversed-polarity, biotite-bearing, sanidine-free tuffs of variable degrees of welding. Their paleomagnetic directions are each statistically distinguishable from the others, indicating that the deposition of each tuff is separated by a significant amount of time and can be used as a geologically instantaneous measure of Earth's magnetic field for purposes of averaging out secular variation. The capping Pliocene olivine basalt was emplaced over an erosional unconformity of significant relief, as evidenced by the complete absence at some locations of the uppermost biotite-bearing THC member. The tilt corrected mean paleomagnetic direction for the 4 members of THC indicate a clockwise rotation magnitude of 77.5°±40.3°. The absolute rotation results of this locality are statistically indistinguishable from the relative rotation results of this locality compared to Cowtrack Mountain (Lindeman et al. 2013). The corroboration of these data suggests that this region of the Mina Deflection has undergone large magnitude clockwise rotation since the emplacement of THC. However, the capping basalt exhibits a magnetic declination of due north, suggesting that this unit experienced little rotation and that rotational deformation in this region had mostly ended by the time of its emplacement at ~3.5 Ma.

Pressure Solution Creep and Textural Softening in Greenschist Facies Phyllonites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wintsch, R. P.; Attenoukon, M.; Kunk, M. J.; McAleer, R. J.; Wathen, B.; Yi, D.

2016-12-01

We have found evidence for dissolution-precipitation creep (DPC) in phyllites and phyllonites naturally deformed at greenschist facies conditions. Since the experiments of Kronenberg et al. (1990) and Mares and Kronenberg (1993) micas are known to be among the weakest of rock-forming minerals. They deform by dislocation glide in their basal plane and when these micas are aligned and contiguous in an orientation favorable for glide they tend to localize strain into shear zones. Therefore, these closed-system experiments suggest that dislocation glide should be the dominant deformation mechanism in mica-rich shear zones from near surface through greenschist facies conditions. In contrast, in naturally deformed rocks we have found strong textural and chemical evidence that micas deform by dissolution-precipitation creep in phyllites at upper and lower greenschist facies conditions. In the Littleton Formation (N.H.) we find retrograde muscovite (pg5)-rich folia (Sn) truncating amphibolite facies Na-rich muscovite and biotite grains that define earlier foliations. Na-rich muscovite grains are also selectively replaced along crenulation axes and boudin necks where plastic and elastic strain are highest. In biotite grade regional metamorphic rocks in the Tananao schist of Taiwan muscovite-rich folia (Sn) truncate crenulated muscovite-biotite schists at high angles. In still lower (chlorite) grade phyllonitic fault zones marking terrane boundaries in southern New England (East Derby shear zone) and in Taiwan (Daugan shear zone) crenulated older fabrics are cut by new undeformed muscovite grains in chlorite-free planar folia. Further evidence for recrystallization rather than dislocation glide comes from the 40Ar/39Ar ages of muscovite in the new Sn folia younger than the age of the truncated folia. The younger ages in each case demonstrate that recrystallization was activated at lower shear stresses than dislocation glide, and that the recrystallization occurred at lower greenschist facies conditions below the closure temperature for diffusion of argon in muscovite. The increase in muscovite/chlorite ratios and change in microchemistry of Sn muscovite, the truncating microstructures, and isotopic results are all incompatible with deformation by dislocation creep.

Magma-Hydrothermal Transition: Basalt Alteration at Supercritical Conditions in Drill Core from Reykjanes, Iceland, Iceland Deep Drilling Project.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zierenberg, R. A.; Fowler, A. P.; Schiffman, P.; Fridleifsson, G. Ó.; Elders, W. A.

2017-12-01

The Iceland Deep Drilling Project well IDDP-2, drilled to 4,659 m in the Reykjanes geothermal system, the on-land extension of the Mid Atlantic Ridge, SW Iceland. Drill core was recovered, for the first time, from a seawater-recharged, basalt-hosted hydrothermal system at supercritical conditions. The well has not yet been allowed to heat to in situ conditions, but temperature and pressure of 426º C and 340 bar was measured at 4500 m depth prior to the final coring runs. Spot drill cores were recovered between drilling depths of 3648.00 m and 4657.58 m. Analysis of the core is on-going, but we present the following initial observations. The cored material comes from a basaltic sheeted dike complex in the brittle-ductile transition zone. Felsic (plagiogranite) segregation veins are present in minor amounts in dikes recovered below 4300 m. Most core is pervasively altered to hornblende + plagioclase, but shows only minor changes in major and minor element composition. The deepest samples record the transition from the magmatic regime to the presently active hydrothermal system. Diabase near dike margins has been locally recrystallized to granoblastic-textured orthopyroxene-clinopyroxe-plagioclase hornfels. High temperature hydrothermal alteration includes calcic plagioclase (up to An100) and aluminous hornblende (up to 11 Wt. % Al2O3) locally intergrown with hydrothermal biotite, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene and/or olivine. Hydrothermal olivine is iron-rich (Mg # 59-64) compared to expected values for igneous olivine. Biotite phenocrysts in felsic segregation veins have higher Cl and Fe compared to hydrothermal biotites. Orthopyroxene-clinopyroxene pairs in partially altered quench dike margins give temperature of 955° to 1067° C. Orthopyroxene-clinopyroxene pairs from hornfels and hydrothermal veins and replacements give temperature ranging from 774° to 888° C. Downhole fluid sampling is planned following thermal equilibration of the drill hole. Previous work has suggested that the Reykjanes geothermal system has been active since the last glaciation, 10ka. No shallow melt bodies have been detected on the Reykjanes Peninsula suggesting that hydrothermal circulation typical of black smoker systems can be sustained with out a magmatic heat source.

Reconnaissance geology of the Jabal Shaqran Quadrangle, sheet 17/44 B, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sable, Edward G.

1982-01-01

The Jabal Shaqran quadrangle lies in the southeastern Asir province, mostly within the westernmost part of the Rub al Khali desert, and is largely covered by Quaternary deposits. Proterozoic crystalline rocks are exposed as inselbergs or rock pediment surfaces along the western border of the quadrangle. The crystalline basement is metavolcanic rock intruded by plutonic to hypabyssal rocks consisting of diorite and gabbro, biotite tonalite gneiss, biotite-hornblende monzogranite, biotite-sodic amphibole granite, and syenogranite to quartz syenite, listed in the inferred order of emplacement. Rhyolite-dacite fels, associated with andesitic to basaltic metavolcanic flow rocks and minor amphibolite, is interpreted to have resulted from metasomatic alteration of the flow rocks during emplacement of granitic plutons. The Wajid Sandstone, of Cambrian to Ordovician age, is largely a coarse-grained quartz arenite with pebbly phases; common crossbedds indicate north-northwest to north-northeast directions of sand transport. Beds are cemented by iron oxide, carbonate, and minor quartz. The Wajid Sandstone is exposed only in the northwestern and northern parts of the quadrangle. Quaternary deposits record a climate that became increasingly more arid. They include Holocene and Pleistocene(?) alluvial and fluvial deposits of sand, gravel, and silt, minor carbonate crusts, and eolian sand and silt. Gravel terraces and gravel plains less than 10 m above the present major wadi channels are widespread and commonly are overlain by marly silt along the wadis. Between major wadis, which discharge into the Rub al Khali basin, gravel-topped surfaces are partly covered by a complex of low, sinuous, discontinuous, generally northwest trending transverse sand dunes. Normal to this trend, higher and more extensive linear dunes and dune complexes, including seif (irq) dunes as high as 50 m, have encroached southwestward. The transverse and linear dunes may represent two stages of advance separated by a pluvial cycle. Studies of aerial photographs indicate that the dunes have not changed appreciably in shape or size between 1951 and 1959, although some seif dunes have advanced their leading edges 15 to 25 m. No potentially economic mineral resources other than sand and gravel were found.

Confirmation of a late Oligocene-early Miocene age of the Deseadan Salla Beds of Bolivia.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Naeser, C.W.; McKee, E.H.; Johnson, N.M.; Macfadden, B.J.

1987-01-01

Three new fission-track (zircon) and four new K-Ar (biotite) dates corroborate a late Oligocene-early Miocene age (22-28 Ma) for the Salla Beds of Bolivia. These ages contrast markedly with the previously accepted age of about 35 Ma for these strata and their contained faunas, and recasts of order and chronology of interchange between New World and Old World mammals. -Authors

Comparative thermometry on pelitic rocks and marbles of the Llano uplift, Texas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Letargo, C.M.R.; Lamb, W.M.

1992-01-01

The Llano Uplift in central Texas is a Grenville-aged metamorphic complex consisting of amphibolite facies assemblages whose development has been attributed to the emplacement of granite plutons between 1.0--1.1 Ga. Temperatures have been obtained from garnet-biotite, garnet-ilmenite, and calcite-dolomite pairs as well as from various silicate equilibria. Application of these geothermometers yield consistent results and are thus indicative of peak conditions attending the amphibolite facies metamorphism. Temperature determined using garnet-biotite and garnet-ilmenite thermometry compare favorably with calcite-dolomite temperatures obtained from marbles in contact with granite plutons in the southeastern part of the uplift. The highest calcite-dolomite temperatures of [approximately]600 Cmore » are obtained from marbles containing an isobarically invariant assemblage consisting of calcite + dolomite + diopside + tremolite + forsterite. At pressures of 2--3 kbar, this isobarically invariant assemblage will be stable at a temperature range of [approximately]600--650 C. Also in close proximity to granites in the southeast uplift is the assemblage muscovite + quartz + k-feldspar + sillimanite [approximately] andalusite which indicate T 650 C and P 2.5 kbar. Assemblages consisting of garnet + sillimanite + quartz + plagioclase (GASP) and garnet + rutile + ilmenite + plagioclase + quartz (GRIPS) are currently being studied to provide additional constraints on pressures of amphibolite facies metamorphism.« less

Geology of the Vienna Mineralized Area, Blaine and Camas Counties, Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mahoney, J. Brian; Horn, Michael C.

2005-01-01

The Vienna mineralized area of south-central Idaho was an important silver-lead-producing district in the late 1800s and has intermittently produced lead, silver, zinc, copper, and gold since that time. The district is underlain by biotite granodiorite of the Cretaceous Idaho batholith, and all mineral deposits are hosted by the biotite granodiorite. The granodiorite intrudes Paleozoic sedimentary rocks of the Sun Valley Group, is overlain by rocks of the Eocene Challis Volcanic Group, and is cut by numerous northeast-trending Eocene faults and dikes. Two mineralogically and texturally distinct vein types are present in a northwest- and east-trending conjugate shear-zone system. The shear zones postdate granodiorite emplacement and joint formation, but predate Eocene fault and dike formation. Ribbon veins consist of alternating bands of massive vein quartz and silver-sulfide (proustite and pyrargyrite) mineral stringers. The ribbon veins were sheared and brecciated during multiple phases of injection of mineralizing fluids. A quartz-sericite-pyrite-galena vein system was subsequently emplaced in the brecciated shear zones. Both vein systems are believed to be the product of mesothermal, multiphase mineralization. K-Ar dating of shear-zone sericite indicates that sericitization occurred at 80.7?2.8 Ma; thus mineralization in the Vienna mineralized area probably is Late Cretaceous in age.

Isograde mapping and mineral identification on the island of Naxos, Greece, using DAIS 7915 hyperspectral data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Echtler, Helmut; Segl, Karl; Dickerhof, Corinna; Chabrillat, Sabine; Kaufmann, Hermann J.

2003-03-01

The ESF-LSF 1997 flight campaign conducted by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) recorded several transects across the island of Naxos using the airborne hyperspectral scanner DAIS. The geological targets cover all major litho-tectonic units of a metamorphic dome with the transition of metamorphic zonations from the outer meta-sedimentary greenschist envelope to the gneissic amphibolite facies and migmatitic core. Mineral identification of alternating marble-dolomite sequences and interlayered schists bearing muscovite and biotite has been accomplished using the airborne hyperspectral DAIS 7915 sensor. Data have been noise filtered based on maximum noise fraction (MNF) and fast Fourier transform (FFT) and converted from radiance to reflectance. For mineral identification, constrained linear spectral unmixing and spectral angle mapper (SAM) algorithms were tested. Due to their unsatisfying results a new approach was developed which consists of a linear mixture modeling and spectral feature fitting. This approach provides more detailed and accurate information. Results are discussed in comparison with detailed geological mapping and additional information. Calcites are clearly separated from dolomites as well as the mica-schist sequences by a good resolution of the mineral muscovite. Thereon an outstanding result represents the very good resolution of the chlorite/mica (muscovite, biotite)-transition defining a metamorphic isograde.

Hydrothermal alteration of deep fractured granite: Effects of dissolution and precipitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishimoto, Shoji; Yoshida, Hidekazu

2010-03-01

This paper investigates the mineralogical effects of hydrothermal alteration at depth in fractures in granite. A fracture accompanied by an alteration halo and filled with clay was found at a depth of 200 m in a drill core through Toki granite, Gifu, central Japan. Microscopic observation, XRD, XRF, EPMA and SXAM investigations revealed that the microcrystalline clays consist of illite, quartz and pyrite and that the halo round the fracture can be subdivided into a phyllic zone adjacent to the fracture, surrounded by a propylitic zone in which Fe-phyllosilicates are present, and a distinctive outer alteration front characterized by plagioclase breakdown. The processes that result in these changes took place in three successive stages: 1) partial dissolution of plagioclase with partial chloritization of biotite; 2) biotite dissolution and precipitation of Fe-phyllosilicate in the dissolution pores; 3) dissolution of K-feldspar and Fe-phyllosilicate, and illite precipitation associated with development of microcracks. These hydrothermal alterations of the granite proceed mainly by a dissolution-precipitation process resulting from the infiltration of hydrothermal fluid along microcracks. Such infiltration causes locally high mobility of Al and increases the ratio of fluid to rock in the alteration halo. These results contribute to an understanding of how granitic rock becomes altered in orogenic fields such as the Japanese island arc.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huntsman, J.R.

Eastern slate belt lithologies in the central Flowers quadrangle consist of metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks. Very fine-grained quartz-white mica phyllite containing narrow, discontinuous layers of thinly laminated chlorite-rich rock and fine-grained, thinly layered, feldspar crystal felsic metatuff comprise the dominant, mappable units consistent across the quadrangle. An increase in grain size accompanied by a replacement of chlorite-rich lithologies with biotite [+-] garnet assemblages suggest metamorphic grade increases towards the western half of the quadrangle (quartz-muscovite schist and biotite-quartz-muscovite-feldspar gneiss). An early, northeast-trending foliation (050[degree] to 060[degree]) dipping moderately to steeply southeast persists across the quadrangle and is axial planar tomore » tight to isoclinal, recumbent to moderately inclined folds. Later non-coaxial folding produced steeply plunging, northerly trending (000[degree] to 020[degree]), open, asymmetric structures verging towards the east/southeast. Shear zones formed locally along the axial trend of these later folds and produced protomylonitic to mylonitic ( ) fabrics. Map patterns and cross-sectional interpretations are best explained by modification of zig-zag fold interference patterns. Thin section examination reveals garnets growing across the early axial planar foliation. The observed increase in metamorphic grade across the quadrangle matches the regional Alleghanian prograde event and constrains relative timing of observed deformational fabrics. Noticeably absent are regional, late-stage upright folds.« less

Geologic setting of the Mountain Pass rare earth deposits, San Bernardino County, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olson, Jerry Chipman

1952-01-01

The Mountain Pass district is in a block of pre-Cambrian metamorphic rocks bounded on the east and south by the alluvium of Ivanpah Valley. This block is separated from Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary and volcanic rocks on the west by the Clark Mountain normal fault, and the northern boundary of the district is a prominent transverse fault. The pre-Cambrian metamorphic complex comprises a great variety of lithologic types including garnetiferous mica gneisses and schists; biotite-garnet-sillimenite gneiss; hornblende gneiss, schist, and amphibolite; biotite gneiss and schist; granitic gneisses and migmatites; pegmatites; and minor amounts of foliated mafic rocks. The rare earth-bearing carbonate rocks are related to potash-rich igneous rocks, of uncertain age, that cut the metamorphic complex. The larger potash-rich intrusive masses, 300 or more feet wide, comprise one granite, two syenite, and four composite shonkinite-syenite bodies. One of the shonkinite-syenite stocks is more than a mile long. Several hundred relatively thin dikes of these potash-rich rocks range in composition, and generally decreasing age, from biotite shonkinite through syenite to granite. A few thin fine-grained shonkinite dikes cut the granite. These potash-rich rocks are cut by east-trending andesitic dikes and by faults. Veins of carbonate rock are most abundant in and near the southwest side of the largest shonkinite-syenite body. Although most veins are less than 6 feet thick, one mass of carbonate rock near the Sulphide Queen min4e is 600 feet in maximum width and 2,400 feet long. About 200 veins have been mapped in the district; their aggregate surface area is probably less than one-tenth that of the large carbonate mass. The carbonate materials, which make up about 60 percent of the veins and the large carbonite body, are chiefly calcite, dolomite, ankerite, and siderite. The other constituents are barite, bastnaesite and perisite, quartz, and variable small quantities of crocidolite, biotite, phlogopite, chlorite, muscovite, apatite, iron oxides, fluorite, monazite, galena, allanite, sphene, pyrite, chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite, malachite, azurite, corussite, wulfenite, aragonite, and thorite. The rare earth oxide content in most of the carbonate rock is less than 13 percent, but in some local concentrations of bastnaesite the content is as high as 40 percent. The origin of the carbonate rocks and related potash-rich igneous rocks is considered in the light of similar associations of carbonate and alkalinic rocks in Sweden, Norway, Russia, South Africa, and the United States. The carbonate rock may have originated (1) as a pre-Cambrian limestone or evaporate sequence in the gneisses; (2) by reaction between magma and the Paleozoic dolomite and limestone overlying the pre-Cambrian complex; (3) by alteration of pre-Cambrian gneisses by emanations from an unknown deep-seated source; or (4) by differentiation of an alkaline magma from shonkinite to syenite to granite, leading to a final carbonate-rich fraction, containing the rare elements, which was emplaced either as a concentrated or a dilute solution. The fourth hypothesis is considered the most plausible.

Three tier transition of Neoarchean TTG-sanukitoid magmatism in the Beit Bridge Complex, Southern Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajesh, H. M.; Belyanin, G. A.; Van Reenen, D. D.

2018-01-01

Neoarchean TTG-sanukitoid associations of contrasting scales occur within the Beit Bridge Complex terrane of the Limpopo Complex in southern Africa. These include the smaller 2.65-2.63 Ga Avoca granitoid and the voluminous 2.73-2.64 Ga Alldays granitoid. This study characterizes the wide compositional spectrum preserved in these two granitoids. The elliptical Avoca pluton consists of a biotite-amphibole-orthopyroxene ± clinopyroxene-bearing core that is dominantly trondhjemite with less dominant tonalite and granodiorite variants, and a thin amphibole-biotite-bearing granite rim, with local occurrence of two-pyroxene-bearing metabasite boudins. While both the core and rim rocks exhibit a linear fabric, the granite in addition preserves a penetrative foliation. Field relations of granite enclaves in the core rocks together with available ages indicate that the core rocks intruded the granite. The foliated biotite ± amphibole-bearing Alldays granitoid contains inclusions of older supracrustals and rocks of the Messina layered intrusion, and is widely distributed. Compositionally, it include tonalites and granodiorites and to a lesser extent trondhjemites. Both the Avoca core and rim rocks are characterized by difference in mineral chemistry, with the mafic minerals Mg-rich in the TTG core, while they are Fe-rich in the granite and metabasite. In comparison, biotite is Mg-rich and amphibole is Fe-rich in the Alldays granitoid. Two groups of Alldays TTG can be delineated in terms of whole-rock geochemical characteristics, and are comparable to the low- to medium-pressure TTG groups delineated by Moyen (2011), while the Avoca TTG is similar to the high-pressure TTG group. The lowest silica samples from each group of granitoid have geochemical characteristics comparable to Archean sanukitoids, with those from the Avoca granitoid similar to low-Ti sanukitoids, and those from the Alldays granitoid similar to low-Ti and high-Ti sanukitoids. Separate petrogenetic models are suggested for different phases of the Avoca core, with the trondhjemite-tonalites considered as high-pressure melts of metabasalt, while the granodiorite with lower SiO2 content, higher K2O and MgO contents, and higher incompatible element contents, than the trondhjemite-tonalites, is a product of hybridization of earlier TTG melts and peridodite. Granite from the Avoca rim are low-pressure melts of pre-existing crustal lithologies. The two groups of Alldays TTG with lower Sr/Y ratios than the Avoca TTG are considered as low- to medium-pressure melts of metabasalt, whose progressive interaction with peridotitic mantle at shallower angles account for the unique composition of Alldays low-Ti and high-Ti sanukitoids. Taken together with their spatial and temporal transition from southeastern ( 2.73-2.72 Ga; low-pressure TTG-low-Ti sanukitoid) to central ( 2.65-2.64 Ga; medium-pressure TTG-high-Ti sanukitoid) to northwestern ( 2.63 Ga; high-pressure TTG-low-Ti sanukitoid) parts of the Beit Bridge Complex, the three tier transition of TTG-sanukitoid magmatism argues for the southern margin of the Beit Bridge Complex to represent an active arc in the Neoarchean.

Pressure-temperature-fluid evolution of the Mongolian Altai in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt: evidence from mineral equilibrium modeling and fluid inclusion studies on amphibolite-facies rocks from western Mongolia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zorigtkhuu, O.-E.

2012-04-01

The Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), also known as Altaids, located between the Archean Siberian Craton to the north and the Tarim and North China Cratons to the south, is regarded as one of the largest accretionary and collisional orogen in the world. Detailed petrological studies on the CAOB therefore provide useful information of pressure-temperature (P-T) history of the orogeny as well as the tectonic evolution of East Asia. This study reports detailed petrological data, particularly the results of phase equilibrium modeling and fluid inclusion analysis, of pelitic schists and amphibolites from Bodonch area, southwestern Mongolia, which occupies a significant part of the Paleozoic history of the Altai Orogen in the southwestern margin of the CAOB, and discuss pressure-temperature-fluid evolution of the area. The dominant mineral assemblages of pelitic schist in Bodonch area are garnet + kyanite + staurolite + biotite + plagioclase, garnet + biotite + staurolite + cordierite, and garnet + biotite + sillimanite + plagioclase with quartz and ilmenite, while amphibolite contains calcic amphibole + quartz + plagioclase + garnet + ilmenite assemblage. Application of conventional garnet-biotite and garnet-cordierite geothermometers as well as GASP geobarometer gave metamorphic conditions of 615-635°C/8.2-8.9 kbar from kyanite-bearing pelitic schist samples. Slightly higher P-T condition of 640-690°C/6.3-10.7 kbar was obtained by mineral equilibrium modeling of garnet-kyanite-staurolite and garnet-staurolite-cordierite assemblages using Theriak-Domino software. The calculation was made in the system Na2O-CaO-K2O-FeO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O (NCKFMASH). We constructed a clockwise P-T path staring from high-pressure amphibolite facies condition within the stability field of kyanite (approximately 650°C/9 kbar) possibly through the stability field of sillimanite by post-peak decompressional cooling. Our petrographical observations of fluid inclusions in pelitic schists identified primary, secondary and pseudosecondary fluid inclusions trapped in quartz grains. The melting temperatures of all the categories of inclusions lie in the narrow range of -57.5 to-56.6°C, close to the triple point of pure CO2. Homogenization of fluids occurs into liquid phase at temperature between -33.3 to +19.4 °C, which convert into densities in the range of 0.78 to 1.09 g/cm3. The estimated CO2 isochores for primary and pseudosecondary high-density inclusions is broadly consistent with the peak metamorphic condition of the studied area. The results, together with the primary and pseudosecondary nature of the inclusions, indicate CO2 was the dominant fluid component during the peak amphibolite-facies metamorphism of the study area. The common occurrences of carbonates and graphite in the study area suggest the origin of CO2 either by oxidation of organic carbon or devolatilization of carbonates in the protolith sedimentary rocks. Key words: P-T condition; geothermobarometry; mineral equilibrium modeling; fluid inclusion; Altai Orogeny; Central Asian Orogenic Belt; Mongolia

A model that helps explain Sr-isotope disequilibrium between feldspar phenocrysts and melt in large-volume silicic magma systems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Duffield, W.A.; Ruiz, J.

1998-01-01

Feldspar phenocrysts of silicic volcanic rocks are commonly in Sr-isotopic disequilibrium with groundmass. In some cases the feldspar is more radiogenic, and in others it is less radiogenic. Several explanations have been published previously, but none of these is able to accommodate both senses of disequilibrium. We present a model by which either more- or less-radiogenic feldspar (or even both within a single eruptive unit) can originate. The model requires a magma body open to interaction with biotite- and feldspar-bearing wall rock. Magma is incrementally contaminated as wall rock melts incongruently. Biotite preferentially melts first, followed by feldspar. Such melting behavior, which is supported by both field and experimental studies, first contaminates magma with a relatively radiogenic addition, followed by a less-radiogenic addition. Feldspar phenocrysts lag behind melt (groundmass of volcanic rock) in incorporating the influx of contaminant, thus resulting in Sr-isotopic disequilibrium between the crystals and melt. The sense of disequilibrium recorded in a volcanic rock depends on when eruption quenches the contamination process. This model is testable by isotopic fingerprinting of individual feldspar crystals. For a given set of geologic boundary conditions, specific core-to-rim Sr-isotopic profiles are expectable. Moreover, phenocrysts that nucleate at different times during the contamination process should record different and predictable parts of the history. Initial results of Sr-isotopic fingerprinting of sanidine phenocrysts from the Taylor Creek Rhyolite are consistent with the model. More tests of the model are desirable.Feldspar phenocrysts of silicic volcanic rocks are commonly in Sr-isotopic disequilibrium with groundmass. In some cases the feldspar is more radiogenic, and in others it is less radiogenic. Several explanations have been published previously, but none of these is able to accommodate both senses of disequilibrium. We present a model by which either more- or less-radiogenic feldspar (or even both within a single eruptive unit) can originate. The model requires a magma body open to interaction with biotite- and feldspar-bearing wall rock. Magma is incrementally contaminated as wall rock melts incongruently. Biotite preferentially melts first, followed by feldspar. Such melting behavior, which is supported by both field and experimental studies, first contaminates magma with a relatively radiogenic addition, followed by a less-radiogenic addition. Feldspar phenocrysts lag behind melt (groundmass of volcanic rock) in incorporating the influx of contaminant, thus resulting in Sr-isotopic disequilibrium between the crystals and melt. The sense of disequilibrium recorded in a volcanic rock depends on when eruption quenches the contamination process. This model is testable by isotopic fingerprinting of individual feldspar crystals. For a given set of geologic boundary conditions, specific core-to-rim Sr-isotopic profiles are expectable. Moreover, phenocrysts that nucleate at different times during the contamination process should record different and predictable parts of the history. Initial results of Sr-isotopic fingerprinting of sanidine phenocrysts from the Taylor Creek Rhyolite are consistent with the model. More tests of the model are desirable.

The Younger Age Limit of Metasedimentary Protolith Formation of the Lower Part of the Udokan Group Rocks (Aldan Shield)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotov, A. B.; Salnikova, E. B.; Kovach, V. P.; Velikoslavinskii, S. D.; Sklyarov, E. V.; Gladkochub, D. P.; Larin, A. M.; Tolmacheva, E. V.; Fedoseenko, A. M.; Plotkina, Yu. V.

2018-04-01

Biotite plagiogranite intruding sediments of the Kodar Sub-Group of the Udokan Group that have both undergone amphibolite grade alterations has been dated by the U-Pb ID TIMS technique using zircon to 2105 ± 6 Ma. This age estimate to a first approximation corresponds to the younger age limit of deposition of the siliciclastics in the lower section of the Udokan Group.

Application of pinch-and-swell structure rheology gauge to determine rock paleo-rheological parameters in Taili, western Liaoning, NE China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Zhengquan; Zeng, Zuoxun; Wu, Linbo; Xu, Shaopeng; Yang, Shuang; Chen, Deli; Wang, Jianxiu

2017-05-01

New results, in combination with previously published ones, reveal that when the Stress Exponent of the Competent layer (SEC) ranges from 1 to 10 (1 < n < 10), Pinch-and-Swell structure Rheology Gauge (PSRG) can only be available under the condition that the Viscosity ratio between the Competent layer and its corresponding Matrix layer (VCM) is larger than 10. Therefore, we made the attempt to calculate the viscosity ratio of pinch-and-swell structure of competent layer to the related matrix and stress exponent. Based on this knowledge, we applied this gauge to calculate SECs and VCMs of eight types of pinch-and-swell structures, which are widely developed in the Taili area of the west Liaoning Province in China. Statistical analysis of the SEC resulted in intervals of four types of competent layers, that is, Medium-scale Granitic coarse-to-pegmatitic Veins, Small-scale Augen Granite aplite Veins, Small-scale Granite aplite Veins, and Small-scale Augen Quartz-K-feldspar veins, with intervals of [3.50, 4.63], [2.64, 4.29], [2.70, 3.51], and [2.50, 3.36] respectively. The preferred intervals of VCM of the five types of pinch-and-swell structures, Small-scale Augen Granite aplite Veins + Fine-grained Biotite-Hornblende-plagioclase Gneiss, Medium-scale Granitic coarse-to-pegmatitic Veins + Fine-grained Biotite-Hornblende-plagioclase Gneiss, Small-scale Augen Granite aplite Veins + medium-to-fine-grained granitic gneiss, Medium-scale Granitic coarse-to-pegmatitic Veins + medium-to-fine-grained granitic gneiss, and Small-scale Augen Granite aplite Veins + fine-grained biotite-plagioclase gneiss, are [19.98, 62.51], [15.90, 61.17], [26.72, 93.27], [22.21, 107.26], and [76.33, 309.39] respectively. The similarities between these calculated SEC statistical preferred intervals and the physical experimental results verify the validity of the PSRG. The competent layers of the pinch-and-swell structures were presented in this study as power-law flow with SEC values that increased with the thickness of the layer. Grain-size plays an important role in the rheology of pinch-and-swell structures. The results offer a case for the application of PSRG and determine the key rock rheological parameters of North China Craton for future related studies.

Voluminous and crystal-rich igneous rocks of the Permian Wurzen volcanic system, northern Saxony, Germany: physical volcanology and geochemical characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Repstock, Alexander; Breitkreuz, Christoph; Lapp, Manuel; Schulz, Bernhard

2018-06-01

The North Saxon Volcanic Complex (NSVC) is a nested caldera edifice dominated by the c. 295 Ma Rochlitz Volcanic System and the c. 289 Ma Wurzen Volcanic System (WVS). The climactic activity of the WVS resembled a VEI ≥ 7 fissure `supereruption' resulting in voluminous and crystal-rich caldera-fill ignimbrites (minimum volume c. 199 km3); caldera outflow facies is not known sofar. Precursory to the WVS `monotonous intermediates', rhyolitic and rhyodacitic volcanic activity led to deposition of the low-volume Wermsdorf and Cannewitz ignimbrites. Modal analysis of the WVS pyroclastic units reveals an inhomogeneous crystal population (≤ 58 vol%) comprising k-feldspar, plagioclase, quartz, ortho- and clinopyroxene and minor amounts of biotite. The Wurzen caldera fill ignimbrites feature three types of fiamme: (1) felsic fiamme; (2) mafic fiamme; and (3) granite-porphyry fiamme. This, the modal variation, and the common presence of clinopyroxene and biotite indicate a strong magma mingling component in the WVS—characteristics which have not been observed in the precursory, Wermsdorf and Cannewitz ignimbrites. The caldera fill ignimbrites feature a large compositional variation from (basaltic) trachyandesite to rhyolite caused by basaltic injection and magma mingling. It is proposed that magmatic underplating led to reheating crystal mush and finally to convection processes within the WVS magma chamber. The predominance of either pyroxene or biotite as mafic mineral in the (trachy-) dacitic to rhyolitic ignimbrites indicates eruption of crystal mush from different magma batches. Prominent negative Nb and Ta anomalies of the Wurzen caldera fill ignimbrites, porphyries, and mafic dykes indicate enhanced melt-crust interaction or contamination of mantle melt. In the aftermath of the WVS caldera eruption, basaltic, trachyandesitic, andesitic and rhyolitic melts ascended puncturing the Wurzen-α and β ignimbrites leading to an array of NW-SE-trending dykes, subvolcanic bodies, and lava domes. Among these, voluminuous granite-to-syenite porphyries emplaced. The deeply eroded WVS caldera allows insight into one of the major magmatic processes that governed the post-collisional phase of the Variscan orogeny in Europe. The study of the deeply eroded supervolcano caldera will lead to the understanding of the connection between a monotonous intermediate ignimbrite and related post-eruptive intrusions.

Reconnaissance geology of the Precambrian rocks in the Ayn Qunay quadrangle, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Overstreet, William C.; Whitlow, Jesse William; Ankary, Abdullah O.

1972-01-01

The Aya Qunay quadrangle covers an area of 2833 sq km in central Saudi Arabia, Only the western edge of the quadrangle is underlain by Precambrian rocks, which were the subject of this investigation. Toward the east the Precambrian rocks are unconformably overlain by Permian and younger sedimentary rocks. The Permian rocks at the west edge of the Ayn Qunay quadrangle consist mainly of a granitic intrusive complex of batholithic dimensions. Parts of the eastern edge of the granitic complex are exposed just west of the overlying Khuff Formation of Permian age, where biotite-hornblende granite of the complex intrudes chlorite-sericite schist of the Precambrian Bi'r Khountina Group. The biotite-hornblende granite of the complex also intrudes plutons of diorite, gabbro, and pyroxenite and is itself intruded by granite porphyry, thereby indicating some difference in age between the granitic rocks in the complex. A sequence of metamorphosed volcanic rocks composed mainly of andesite, rhyolite, and kindred rocks, and called the Halaban Group, is older than the Bi'r Khountina Group. Relations between the Halaban and a gray hornblende-biotite granite gneiss are uncertain, but the gneiss may be older than the Halaban. The few observed contacts disclosed parallel foliation in the two units, but the foliation may have been imposed after the Halaban was deposited on the granite gneiss. Two major left-lateral faults extend west-northwest across the Precambrian rocks but are not in the Permian rocks. These faults parallel to the Najd fault zone found farther south. Seemingly they correlate in time with early movements on the Najd fault zone, but not with the latest. Saprolitic material-of variable thickness is present on the upper surface of the Precambrian rocks beneath the Khuff Formation at many places. Where the Khuff Formation has been removed by erosion, the saprolite is also stripped away. The weathering probably took place in pre-Khuff time. No ancient mines or prospects were seen in the Precambrian rocks; however, a notable positive anomaly for tungsten in concentrates is associated with a small prominence of granite porphyry 35 km southwest of Ayn Qunay. Further investigation of the porphyry should be undertaken to learn the amount of scheelite at this locality.

Geochemistry of the Spor Mountain rhyolite, western Utah, as revealed by laser ablation ICP-MS, cathodoluminescence, and electron microprobe analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dailey, S. R.; Christiansen, E. H.; Dorais, M.; Fernandez, D. P.

2015-12-01

The Miocene topaz rhyolite at Spor Mountain in western Utah hosts one of the largest beryllium deposits in the world and was responsible for producing 85% of the beryllium mined worldwide in 2010 (Boland, 2012). The Spor Mountain rhyolite is composed primarily of Ca-poor plagioclase (An8), sodic sanidine (Or40), Fe-rich biotite (Fe/(Fe+Mg)>0.95; Al 1.2-1.4 apfu), and Ti-poor quartz, along with several trace-element rich accessory phases including zircon, monazite, thorite, columbite, and allanite. Cathodoluminescence (CL) studies of quartz show oscillatory zoning, with 80% of the examined crystals displaying euhedral edges and slightly darker rims. CL images were used to guide laser ablation (LA) ICP-MS analysis of quartz, along with analyses of plagioclase, sanidine, biotite, and glass. Ti concentrations in quartz are 20±6 ppm; there is no quantifiable variation of Ti from core to rim within the diameter of the laser spot (53 microns). Temperatures, calculated using Ti in quartz (at 2 kb, aTiO2=0.34), vary between 529±10 C (Thomas et al., 2011), 669±13 C (Huang and Audetat, 2012), and 691±13 C (Wark and Watson, 2006). Two feldspar thermometry yield temperatures of 686±33 C (Elkins and Grove, 1990) and 670±41 C (Benisek et al., 2010). Zr saturation temperatures (Watson and Harrison, 1983) average 711±28 C. Analysis of the glass reveal the Spor Mountain rhyolite is greatly enriched in rare elements (i.e. Li, Be, F, Ga, Rb, Nb, Mo, Sn, and Ta) compared to average continental crust (Rudnick and Gao, 2003). Be in the glass can have as much as 100 ppm, nearly 50 times the concentration in continental crust. REE partition coefficients for sanidine are 2 to 3 times higher in the Spor Mountain rhyolite when compared to other silicic magmas (Nash and Crecraft, 1985; Mahood and Hildreth, 1983), although plagioclase tends to have lower partition coefficients; biotite has lower partition coefficients for LREE and higher partition coefficients for HREE. The patterns of trace element enrichment and depletion are similar to those of the measured partition coefficients, consistent with a major role for extensive fractional crystallization in the origin of the Be enriched magma.

Cretaceous crust beneath SW Borneo: U-Pb dating of zircons from metamorphic and granitic rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davies, L.; Hall, R.; Armstrong, R.

2012-12-01

Metamorphic basement rocks from SW Borneo are undated but have been suggested to be Palaeozoic. This study shows they record low pressure 'Buchan-type' metamorphism and U-Pb SHRIMP dating of zircons indicates a mid-Cretaceous (volcaniclastic) protolith. SW Borneo is the southeast promontory of Sundaland, the continental core of SE Asia. It has no sedimentary cover and the exposed basement has been widely assumed to be a crustal fragment from the Indochina-China margin. Metamorphic rocks of the Pinoh Group in Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) are intruded by granitoid rocks of Jurassic-Cretaceous age, based on K-Ar dating, suggesting emplacement mainly between 130 and 80 Ma. The Pinoh metamorphic rocks have been described as a suite of pelitic schists, slates, phyllites, and hornfelses, and have not been dated, although they have been correlated with rocks elsewhere in Borneo of supposed Palaeozoic age. Pelitic schists contain biotite, chlorite, cordierite, andalusite, quartz, plagioclase and in some cases high-Mn almandine-rich garnet. Many have a shear fabric associated with biotite and fibrolite intergrowth. Contact metamorphism due to intrusion of the granitoid rocks produced hornfelses with abundant andalusite and cordierite porphyroblasts. Granitoids range from alkali-granite to tonalite and contain abundant hornblende and biotite, with rare white mica. Zircons from granitoid rocks exhibit sector- and concentric- zoning; some have xenocrystic cores mantled by magmatic zircon. There are four important age populations at c. 112, 98, 84 and 84 Ma broadly confirming earlier dating studies. There is a single granite body with a Jurassic age (186 ± 2.3 Ma). Zircons from pelitic metamorphic rocks are typically euhedral, with no evidence of rounding or resorbing of grains; a few preserve volcanic textures. They record older ages than those from igneous rocks; U-Pb ages are Cretaceous with a major population between 134 and 110 Ma. A single sample contains Proterozoic and Phanerozoic zircons. The metamorphic rocks from SW Borneo are not an ancient core to the island as previously assumed. We propose that extensive arc volcanism produced fine grained volcanogenic sediments during the Early Cretaceous deposited on, or reworking, older crust. These sediments were subjected to low pressure 'Buchan-type' metamorphism soon after deposition. Magmatism continued into the Late Cretaceous, resulting in contact metamorphism.

Metamorphism, graphite crystallinity, and sulfide anatexis of the Rampura-Agucha massive sulfide deposit, northwestern India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishra, Biswajit; Bernhardt, Heinz-Jurgen

2009-02-01

Located adjacent to the Banded Gneissic Complex, Rampura-Agucha is the only sulfide ore deposit discovered to date within the Precambrian basement gneisses of Rajasthan. The massive Zn-(Pb) sulfide orebody occurs within graphite-biotite-sillimanite schist along with garnet-biotite-sillimanite gneiss, calc-silicate gneisses, amphibolites, and garnet-bearing leucosomes. Plagioclase-hornblende thermometry in amphibolites yielded a peak metamorphic temperature of 720-780°C, whereas temperatures obtained from Fe-Mg exchange between garnet and biotite (580-610°C) in the pelites correspond to postpeak resetting. Thermodynamic considerations of pertinent silicate equilibria, coupled with sphalerite geobarometry, furnished part of a clockwise P- T- t path with peak P- T of ˜6.2 kbar and 780°C, attained during granulite grade metamorphism of the major Zn-rich stratiform sedimentary exhalative deposits orebody and its host rocks. Arsenopyrite composition in the metamorphosed ore yielded a temperature [and log f( S 2)] range of 352°C (-8.2) to 490°C (-4.64), thus indicating its retrograde nature. Contrary to earlier research on the retrogressed nature of graphite, Raman spectroscopic studies on graphite in the metamorphosed ore reveal variable degree of preservation of prograde graphite crystals (490 ± 43°C with a maximum at 593°C). The main orebody is mineralogically simple (sphalerite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, galena), deformed and metamorphosed while the Pb-Ag-rich sulfosalt-bearing veins and pods that are irregularly distributed within the hanging wall calc-silicate gneisses show no evidence of deformation and metamorphism. The sulfosalt minerals identified include freibergite, boulangerite, pyrargyrite, stephanite, diaphorite, Mn-jamesonite, Cu-free meneghinite, and semseyite; the last three are reported from Agucha for the first time. Stability relations of Cu-free meneghinite and semseyite in the Pb-Ag-rich ores constrain temperatures at >550°C and <300°C, respectively. Features such as (1) low galena-sphalerite interfacial angles, (2) presence of multiphase sulfide-sulfosalt inclusions, (3) microcracks filled with galena (±pyrargyrite) without any hydrothermal alteration, and (4) high contents of Zn, Ag (and Sb) in galena, indicate partial melting in the PbS-Fe0.96S-ZnS-(1% Ag2S ± CuFeS2) system, which was critical for metamorphic remobilization of the Rampura-Agucha deposit.

The timing and origin of pre- and post-caldera volcanism associated with the Mesa Falls Tuff, Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stelten, Mark E.; Champion, Duane E.; Kuntz, Mel A.

2018-01-01

We present new sanidine 40Ar/39Ar ages and paleomagnetic data for pre- and post-caldera rhyolites from the second volcanic cycle of the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field, which culminated in the caldera-forming eruption of the Mesa Falls Tuff at ca. 1.3 Ma. These data allow for a detailed reconstruction of the eruptive history of the second volcanic cycle and provide new insights into the petrogenesis of rhyolite domes and flows erupted during this time period. 40Ar/39Ar age data for the biotite-bearing Bishop Mountain flow demonstrate that it erupted approximately 150 kyr prior to the Mesa Falls Tuff. Integrating 40Ar/39Ar ages and paleomagnetic data for the post-caldera Island Park rhyolite domes suggests that these five crystal-rich rhyolites erupted over a centuries-long time interval at 1.2905 ± 0.0020 Ma (2σ). The biotite-bearing Moonshine Mountain rhyolite dome was originally thought to be the downfaulted vent dome for the pre-caldera Bishop Mountain flow due to their similar petrographic and oxygen isotope characteristics, but new 40Ar/39Ar dating suggest that it erupted near contemporaneously with the Island Park rhyolite domes at 1.2931 ± 0.0018 Ma (2σ) and is a post-caldera eruption. Despite their similar eruption ages, the Island Park rhyolite domes and the Moonshine Mountain dome are chemically and petrographically distinct and are not derived from the same source. Integrating these new data with field relations and existing geochemical data, we present a petrogenetic model for the formation of the post-Mesa Falls Tuff rhyolites. Renewed influx of basaltic and/or silicic recharge magma into the crust at 1.2905 ± 0.0020 Ma led to [1] the formation of the Island Park rhyolite domes from the source region that earlier produced the Mesa Falls Tuff and [2] the formation of Moonshine Mountain dome from the source region that earlier produced the biotite-bearing Bishop Mountain flow. These magmas were stored in the crust for less than a few thousand years before being erupted contemporaneously along a 30 km long, structurally controlled vent zone related to extracaldera Basin and Range faults. These data highlight the rapidity with which magma can be generated and erupted over large distances at Yellowstone.

Magmatic microgranular enclaves of the northeast of Mato Grosso, Brazil, SE Amazonian Craton: Insights into the magmatism of the Uatumã Supergroup on the basis of field and petrological data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarelow Neto, João; Pierosan, Ronaldo; Barros, Márcia Aparecida de Sant'Ana; Chemale, Farid, Jr.; Santos, Fernanda Silva

2017-10-01

Felsic and mafic microgranular enclaves occurs hosted in Paleoproterozoic felsic volcanic and plutonic rocks of the Iriri Group and Rio Dourado Intrusive Suite that crop out in the northeast of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso as part of the Uatumã Supergroup in the SE Amazonian Craton. The volcanic rocks consist of dacites, rhyolites and ignimbrites of the Iriri Group among which dacites yielded a crystallization age of 1895 ± 7 Ma. The granitoids are composed of syenogranites, and monzogranites along with subordinate granodiorites. The granite pluton of syenogranite composition belongs to the Rio Dourado Intrusive Suite and was previously dated at 1876 ± 39 Ma. Mafic enclaves show petrographic features that suggest magma mingling processes and may be classified as olivine-clinopyroxene gabbro, clinopyroxene-hornblende gabbro, biotite-clinopyroxene diorite, biotite-hornblende diorite, and biotite-quartz diorite. Geochemical patterns of dioritic enclaves fit with those of the mafic rocks of the Santa Inês Intrusive Suite and suggest that they are comagmatic. The felsic enclaves consist of quartz monzonites, monzogranites and quartz-rich granitoids, with geochemical patterns and ages compatible with those of the Iriri Group. U-Pb dating of a granodioritic enclave hosted by a syenogranite of the Rio Dourado Intrusive Suite yielded three distinct ages: a Paleoproterozoic magmatic age around 1.87 Ga; a Paleoproterozoic inherited age of 2001 ± 7 Ma; and Neoarchean inherited ages ranging from 2512 to 2767 Ma. The felsic enclaves may have been derived from crustal melts, and contain restitic zircon grains, or chilled margins with zircon removed from the wall rocks. The recognition of diverse geochemical patterns of felsic and mafic enclaves suggests that the study area can represent the top of a shallow complex magma chamber that experienced a number of different replenishment events from diverse sources. The mafic enclaves and their coeval enclosing volcanic rocks suggest that the Uatumã Supergroup felsic magmatism and the Santa Inês mafic magmatism could be contemporaneous. In confirming that, this assumption would allow us to recognize a bimodal character of the Uatumã magmatism in the study area as well as the important role that mantle melts played on its genesis.

Novel Determination of the Orientation of Calcite on Mineral Substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, L.; Ji, X.; Teng, H.

2016-12-01

In the threat of global warming, the transformation from CO2 to stable carbonate minerals is significant to geological CO2 sequestration in the long term.Previous efforts have found that when carbonate minerals nucleate on some mineral substrates ,the time of carbon capture can be shorted .Many efforts have been focused on the dynamics when carbonate minerals nucleate on mineral substrates, but few have studied the orientation of carbonate minerals on mineral substrates. In our experiment, we mainly focused on the orientation of calcite on mineral substrates.We mixed NaHCO3 and CaCl2 to nucleate when mineral substrates were added and a multi-parameter analyzer was used to monitor in real time to determine the induction time for nucleation. On the basis of classical nucleation theory, we got a brand new formula to decide the orientation of calcite on mineral substrates. lntind=(2-cosθ+cos3θ)*16πγ3vm2(12*(kBT)3*(lnS)2)+ln(1/N0v)+ ΔEa/(kBT)where θ is the angle between the substrate and the nuclei, tind is the induction time for nucleation, γ is he average surface free energy, N0 is the total number of particles per unit volume of solution, ΔEa is the activation energy for molecular motion across the embryo-matrix interface, S is the supersaturation index ,kB is the Boltzmann constant. Using the new formula above , when biotite was used as substrate mineral ,we found that the angle between the biotite and the nuclei was 119°. Angle measured on SEM images also supported our conclusion above. Combined with SEM and Debye ring analysed by Rigaku 2D data processing software, we only found one point of (006) in Debye ring, unlike (104)(many points in one ring and it meant that the orientation of (104) is random ). That meant (001) of calcite was first formed on biotite (001). In that case we inferred that 119° was formed by (001) of botite and (012) of calcite for the intersection angle of (001) and (012) was 120°. Future research will focus on the orientation of calcite on muscovite and feldspar to find out the main influence factor of the contact relationship.

Hyperspectral analysis of the ultramafic complex and adjacent lithologies at Mordor, NT, Australia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rowan, L.C.; Simpson, C.J.; Mars, J.C.

2004-01-01

The Mordor Complex consists of a series of potassic ultramafic rocks which were intruded into Proterozoic felsic gneisses and amphibolite and are overlain by quartzite and unconsolidated deposits. In situ and laboratory 0.4 to 2.5 ??m reflectance spectra show Al-OH absorption features caused by absorption in muscovite, kaolinite, and illite/smectite in syenite, granitic gneiss, quartzite and unconsolidated sedimentary deposits, and Fe,Mg-OH features due to phlogopite, biotite, epidote, and hornblende in the mafic and ultramafic rocks. Ferrous-iron absorption positioned near 1.05 ??m is most intense in peridotite reflectance spectra. Ferric-iron absorption is intense in most of the felsic lithologies. HyMap data were recorded in 126 narrow bands from 0.43 to 2.5 ??m along a 7-km-wide swath with approximately 6-m spatial resolution. Correction of the data to spectral reflectance was accomplished by reference to in situ measurements of an extensive, alluvial plain. Spectral classes for matched filter processing were selected by using the pixel purity index procedure and analysis of in situ and laboratory spectra. Considering the spatial distribution of the resulting 14 classes, some classes were combined, which produced eight classes characterized by Al-OH absorption features, and three Fe,Mg-OH absorption-feature classes. Comparison of the distribution of these 11 spectral classes to a generalized lithologic map of the study area shows that the spectral distinction among the eight Al-OH classes is related to variations in primary lithology, weathering products, and vegetation density. Quartzite is represented in three classes, syenite corresponds to a single scattered class, quartz-muscovite-biotite schist defines a single very coherent class, and unconsolidated sediments are portrayed in four classes. The three mafic-ultramafic classes are distinguished on the basis of generally intense Fe,Mg-OH and ferrous-iron absorption features. A single class represents the main Mordor ultramafic mass. Epidote-bearing rocks define another class, which corresponds to biotite gneiss and, in the southern part of the area, to fracture zones. The third class, which exhibits Al-OH, as well as Fe,Mg-OH features, represents hornblende gneiss and other mafic gneisses. These results indicate the importance of analyzing the VNIR and SWIR spectral shape and albedo, as well as analyzing specific spectral features, for mapping lithologic units in this weathered terrain. ?? 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Syn-orogenic magmatism over 100 m.y. in high crustal levels of the central Grenville Province: Characteristics, age and tectonic significance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Groulier, Pierre-Arthur; Indares, Aphrodite; Dunning, Gregory; Moukhsil, Abdelali; Jenner, George

2018-07-01

The Escoumins Supracrustal Belt (ESB) represents higher levels of the infrastructure of a large hot orogen, exposed in a broadly dome and basin pattern. It consists of remnants of a Pinwarian-age (1.52-1.46 Ga) oceanic arc and arc-rift sequence, preserved in the low-P Belt of the central Grenville Province, and was intruded by diverse Grenvillian-age plutons. The plutonic rocks range from quartz monzodiorite to granite and have intrusion ages covering a time interval of 100 My, that represents the entire range of the Grenvillian orogeny. Moreover, the ages, field relations and geochemical signatures of the different intrusions can be matched with different documented stages of the orogeny. The oldest pluton, the magnesian, biotite-bearing Bon-Désir granite (1086 ± 2 Ma), has positive εNd (+0.6), TDM = 1.52 Ga, and is attributed to melting of a juvenile Pinwarian crust as a result of slab break-off, at the onset of continental collision. The ferroan and Ba-Sr enriched, biotite-, amphibole- and clinopyroxene-bearing Michaud plutonic suite (1063 ± 3 Ma) and biotite-rich felsic sill (1045 ± 3 Ma) have εNd (-0.01 - +0.8) and TDM = 1.45-1.48 Ga. Their geochemistry is consistent with fractionation of a mafic magma derived from melting of a Geon 14 subduction-modified subcontinental lithospheric mantle. This magmatism is consistent with convective thinning of subcontinental lithosphere, potentially linked to tectonic extrusion and orogenic collapse. This collapse ultimately led to the juxtaposition of the low-P Belt with the high-T mid-P Belt in the hinterland of the Grenville Province and to amphibolite-facies metamorphism in the former, producing metamorphic zircon overgrowths at 1037 ± 10 Ma. Finally, 988 ± 5 Ma to 983 ± 5 Ma syn-kinematic peraluminous two-mica garnetiferous leucogranite bodies and pegmatites with inherited 1055 ± 2 Ma metamorphic monazite were derived from melting of previously metamorphosed deeper levels of the low-P Belt. This is consistent with a high geothermal gradient linked to thinning of the crust in a Basin and Range setting. The geochemical and age pattern of Grenvillian-age magmatism in the ESB, in conjunction with the overall architecture of the Province, suggests that Laurentia was the upper plate during the Grenvillian orogeny.

Oxygen isotope fractionation between chlorite and water from 170 to 350 C: A preliminary assessment based on partial exchange and fluid/rock experiments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cole, D.R.; Ripley, E.M.

1999-02-01

Oxygen isotope fractionations in laboratory systems have been determined between chlorite and water at 170--350 C. In one series of experiments, the Northrop-Clayton partial exchange method was used where three (sometimes four) isotopically different waters were reacted with chlorite. The percents of exchange determined for the four times from shortest to longest are 4.4, 6.5, 8.0, and 11.9. The fractionations calculated from the Northrop and Clayton method are in modest agreement for the four run durations: 0.13, 0.26, {minus}0.46, and {minus}0.55 per mil. Errors associated with each of these fractionations are quite large (e.g. {+-}1.2 per mil for the longestmore » run). The value determined for the longest run of {approximately}20 weeks is the most reliable of the group and compares very closely with a value of {approximately}{minus}0.7 per mil estimated by Wenner and Taylor based on natural chlorides. Good agreement is also observed with the estimates, {minus}1.2 and {minus}1.3% calculated at 350 C for chlorite compositions with [({Sigma}Fe)/{Sigma}Fe + Mg] = 0.313 and 0.444, respectively, from equations given by Savin and Lee based on their empirical bond-type method. Additional fractionation data have been estimated from hydrothermal granite-fluid experiments where chlorite formed from biotite. Detailed thin section, scanning electron microscope (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and electron microprobe analyses demonstrate that biotite is altered exclusively to chlorite in 13 granite-fluid experiments conducted at the following conditions: T = 170--300 C, P = vapor saturation - 200 b, salinity = H{sub 2}O, 0.1 and 1 m NaCl, fluid/biotite mass ratios = 3--44, run durations = 122--772 h. The amount of chlorite, quantified through point counting and XRD, increased with increasing temperature, salinity, and time. The isotope compositions of chlorite were calculated from mass balance and compared to the final measured {delta}{sup 18}O of the fluids. The 10{sup 3}ln {alpha} values averaged 0.14, 0.8 and 2.9 per mil for 300, 250, and 200 C, respectively. A least-squares regression model of the combined data set (all T`s) is presented.« less

Recycling, Remobilization, and Eruption of Crystals from the Lassen Volcanic Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schrecengost, K.; Cooper, K. M.; Kent, A. J.; Huber, C.; Clynne, M. A.

2016-12-01

The Lassen Volcanic Center recently produced two relatively small dacitic eruptions (0.03 km3 -1.4 km3) with a complex mixing history. Preliminary data for the 1915 Lassen Peak (LP) and the 1103±13 ybp Chaos Crags (CC) eruptions indicate complex mixing between a remobilized crystal mush (hornblende, biotite, sodic plagioclase, quartz) and basalt or basaltic andesite. U-series bulk ages represent crystallization of plagioclase at an average age of either a single event or a mixture of different plagioclase populations that crystallized during distinct crystallization events separated in time. We present 238U-230Th disequilibria for the LP light dacite and black dacite along with three stages (upper pyroclastic flow deposit, Dome B, and Dome F) of the CC eruption. Initial 230Th/232Th activity ratios for the LP plagioclase are higher than the LP host liquid and modeled equilibrium zero-age plagioclase towards the CC host liquid composition. The LP plagioclase data are inconsistent with crystallization from the LP host liquid. Therefore, at least a portion of the plagioclase carried by the LP eruptive products are antecrystic originating from an older and/or isotopically distinct host liquid composition. Moreover, LP bulk plagioclase is consistent with crystallization from the CC host liquid, suggesting that both eruptions are sourced from a similar host reservoir (i.e., crystal mush). Hornblende and biotite from the LP eruption have isotopic ratios that are consistent with zero age crystallization from the LP liquid composition, suggesting that they are younger and originate from a different magma than the plagioclase, with mixing between the magmas prior to eruption. However, it is more likely that hornblende, biotite, and plagioclase with varying average crystal ages were remobilized and erupted from a common crystal mush reservoir during the LP and CC eruptions. These data are consistent with zircon 238U-230Th model ages [1] that emphasize the importance of local, small-scale rejuvenation and mixing within a long-lived magmatic system. Moreover, assuming crystallization from a CC-like liquid compositions, LP bulk plagioclase model ages produce similar ages to those derived from LP and CC zircon (i.e., 17 ka to secular equilibrium). [1] Klemetti and Clynne, PLoS ONE, 9(12): e113157.

Empirical analysis of electromagnetic profiles for groundwater prospecting in rural areas of Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ehinola, O. A.; Opoola, A. O.

2005-05-01

The Slingram electromagnetic (EM) survey using a coil separation of 60 and 100 meters was carried out in 10 villages in Akinyele area of Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria to aid in the development of groundwater. Five main rock types including an undifferentiated gneiss complex (Su), biotite-garnet schist/gneiss (Bs), quartzite and quartz schist (Q), migmatised undifferentiated biotite/hornblende gneiss (M) and pegmatite/quartz vein (P) underlie the study area. A total of 31 EM profiles was made to accurately locate prospective borehole sites in the field. Four main groups with different behavioural pattern were categorized from the EM profiles. Group 1 is characterized by high density of positive (HDP) or high density of negative (HDN) real and imaginary curves, Group 2 by parallel real and imaginary curves intersecting with negligible amplitude (PNA), Group 3 by frequent intersection of high density of negative minima (FHN) real and imaginary curves, and Group 4 by separate and approximately parallel (SAP) real and imaginary curves. Qualitative pictures of the overburden thickness and the extent of fracturing have been proposed from these behavioural patterns. A comparison of the borehole yield with the overburden thickness and the level of fracturing show that borehole yield depends more on the fracture density than on the overburden thickness. Asymmetry of the anomaly was also found useful in the determination of the inclination of the conductor/fracture.

Isolation and the interaction between a mineral-weathering Rhizobium tropici Q34 and silicate minerals.

PubMed

Wang, Rong Rong; Wang, Qi; He, Lin Yan; Qiu, Gang; Sheng, Xia Fang

2015-05-01

The purposes of this study were to isolate and evaluate the interaction between mineral-weathering bacteria and silicate minerals (feldspar and biotite). A mineral-weathering bacterium was isolated from weathered rocks and identified as Rhizobium tropici Q34 based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Si and K concentrations were increased by 1.3- to 4.0-fold and 1.1- to 1.7-fold in the live bacterium-inoculated cultures compared with the controls respectively. Significant increases in the productions of tartaric and succinic acids and extracellular polysaccharides by strain Q34 were observed in cultures with minerals. Furthermore, significantly more tartaric acid and polysaccharide productions by strain Q34 were obtained in the presence of feldspar, while better growth and more citric acid production of strain Q34 were observed in the presence of biotite. Mineral dissolution experiments showed that the organic acids and polysaccharides produced by strain Q34 were also capable of promoting the release of Si and K from the minerals. The results showed that the growth and metabolite production of strain Q34 were enhanced in the presence of the minerals and different mineral exerted distinct impacts on the growth and metabolite production. The bio-weathering process is probably a synergistic action of organic acids and extracellular polysaccharides produced by the bacterium.

Exploring the potential of phyllosilicate minerals as potassium fertilizers using sodium tetraphenylboron and intensive cropping with perennial ryegrass

PubMed Central

Li, Ting; Wang, Huoyan; Wang, Jing; Zhou, Zijun; Zhou, Jianmin

2015-01-01

In response to addressing potassium (K) deficiency in soil and decreasing agricultural production costs, the potential of K-bearing phyllosilicate minerals that can be directly used as an alternative K source has been investigated using sodium tetraphenylboron (NaTPB) extraction and an intensive cropping experiment. The results showed that the critical value of K-release rate and leaf K concentration was 3.30 g kg−1 h−1 and 30.64 g (kg dry matter)−1, respectively under the experimental conditions. According to this critical value, the maximum amount of released K that could be utilized by a plant with no K deficiency symptoms was from biotite (27.80 g kg−1) and vermiculite (5.58 g kg−1), followed by illite, smectite and muscovite with 2.76, 0.88 and 0.49 g kg−1, respectively. Ryegrass grown on phlogopite showed K deficiency symptoms during the overall growth period. It is concluded that biotite and vermiculite can be directly applied as a promising and sustainable alternative to the use of classical K fertilizers, illite can be utilized in combination with soluble K fertilizers, whereas muscovite, phlogopite and smectite may not be suitable for plant growth. Further field experiments are needed to assess the use of these phyllosilicate minerals as sources of K fertilizer. PMID:25782771

Regional and contact metamorphism within the Moy Intrusive Complex, Grampian Highlands, Scotland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaleski, E.

1985-04-01

In central Scotland, the Moy Intrusive Complex consists of (1) the Main Phase — syntectonic peraluminous granodiorite to granite emplaced at c. 455 Ma, intruded by (2) the Finglack Alaskite — post-tectonic leucocratic granite emplaced at 407+/-5 Ma. The Main Phase was emplaced into country rocks at amphibolite facies temperatures. Rb-Sr dates and a compositional spectrum of decreasing celadonite content in Main Phase muscovite suggest the persistence of c. 550° C temperatures for c. 30 Ma but with a declining pressure regime, i.e. isothermal uplift. The Finglack Alaskite was intruded at high structural level, leading to the development of a contact metamorphic aureole in the Main Phase. The thermal effects of contact metamorphism include intergrowths of andalusite, biotite and feldspar in pseudomorphs after muscovite. This is associated with recrystallized granoblastic quartz. Muscovite breakdown and reaction with adjacent biotite, quartz and feldspar, i.e. a function of local mineral assemblage rather than bulk rock composition, is postulated to explain the occurrence of metamorphic andalusite in a granitoid rock. The Main Phase pluton of the Moy Intrusive Complex lies within a NNE trending belt of c. 450 Ma Caledonian tectonic and magmatic activity paralleling the Moine Thrust, and extending from northern Scotland to the Highland Boundary Fault. Syntectonic ‘S-type’ magmatism with upper crustal source areas implies crustal thickening and suggests an intracratonic orogeny.

Two-mica granites of northeastern Nevada.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lee, D.E.; Kistler, R.W.; Friedman, I.; Van Loenen, R. E.

1981-01-01

The field settings are described and analytical data are presented for six two-mica granites from NE Nevada. High delta 18O and 87Sr/86Sr values indicate that all are S-type granite, derived from continental crust. The major element chemistry and accessory mineral contents of these rocks also are characteristic of S-type granites. Chemical, X ray, and other data are presented for the micas recovered from these granites. The muscovites are notably high in Fe2O3, FeO, and MgO. Except for one hydrobiotite, each of the biotites has an MgO content near 6.0 wt%. Two different types of two-mica granites are recognized in the area of this study. One type is distinguished by the presence of many biotite euhedra within muscovite phenocrysts and by an unusual suite of accessory minerals completely devoid of opaque oxides. This type probably resulted from anatexis of late Precambrian argillites under conditions of relatively low oxygen fugacity, along a line that roughly coincides with the westward disappearance of continental basement. In the other textural type of two-mica granite the micas are equigranular and there is a greater variety of accessory minerals. The magmatic evolution of this type also appears to reflect the influence of late Precambrian argillites; there may be age differences between the two types of two-mica granites.-Author

Geochronological and mineralogical constraints on depth of emplacement and ascencion rates of epidote-bearing magmas from northeastern Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sial, Alcides N.; Vasconcelos, Paulo M.; Ferreira, Valderez P.; Pessoa, Ricardo R.; Brasilino, Roberta G.; Morais Neto, João M.

2008-10-01

Calc-alkalic to high-K calc-alkalic granitoid plutons in the Borborema province, northeastern Brazil, have been studied to constrain depth of emplacement by mineralogical and geological methods and to estimate upward magma transport rate based on partial dissolution of magmatic epidote. Laser-probe incremental heating 40Ar/ 39Ar dating of biotite and hornblende single crystals from the Neoproterozoic Tavares and Brejinho high-K calc-alkalic magmatic epidote (mEp)-bearing plutons reveals age differences of around 60 M.y. between these two minerals in each of these two intrusions. These data suggest solidification at relatively great depth followed by prolonged cooling interval between the closure temperatures of biotite and hornblende. Al-in-hornblende barometry indicates that hornblende in several mEp-bearing plutons in the Transversal Domain of the Borborema province solidified at 5 to 7 kbar, whereas in the Seridó and Macururé terranes, solidification pressures range from 3 to 4 kbar. Partial dissolution of epidote indicates very rapid upward transport. Partial corrosion occurred during 15-35 years (Cachoerinha-Salgueiro terrane), 10-30 years (Alto Pajeú), 15 years (Seridó), and 10 years (Macururé) corresponding to upward transport rates of 450-1300, 650-1050, 1200, and 1800 m/year respectively in these four terranes. Rapid upward magma migration in most cases was probably facilitated by diking simultaneous with regional shearing.

A New Sample Transect through the Sierra Madre Occidental Silicic Large Igneous Province in Southern Chihuahua State, Mexico: First Stratigraphic, Petrologic, and Geochemical Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrews, G. D.; Davila Harris, P.; Brown, S. R.; Anderson, L.; Moreno, N.

2014-12-01

We completed a field sampling transect across the northern Sierra Madre Occidental silicic large igneous province (SMO) in December 2013. Here we present the first stratigraphic, petrological, and geochemical data from the transect between Hidalgo del Parral and Guadalupe y Calvo, Chihuahua, Mexico. This is the first new transect across the SMO in 25 years and the only one between existing NE - SW transects at Chihuahua - Hermosillo and Durango - Mazatlan. The 245 km-long transect along Mexican Highway 24 crosses the boundary between the extended (Basin and Range) and non-extended (Sierra Madre Occidental plateau) parts of the SMO, and allows sampling of previously undescribed Oligocene (?) - early Miocene (?) rhyolitic ignimbrites and lavas, and occasional post-rhyolite, Miocene (?) SCORBA basaltic andesite lavas. 54 samples of rhyolitic ignimbrites (40) and lavas (7), and basaltic andesite lavas (7) were sampled along the transect, including 8 canyon sections with more than one unit. The ignimbrites are overwhelming rhyodacitic (plagioclase and hornblende or biotite phyric) or rhyolitic (quartz (+/- sanidine) in additon to plagioclase and hornblende or biotite phyric) and sparsely to highly phyric. Preliminary petrographic (phenocryst abundances) and geochemical (major and trace element) will be presented and compared to existing data from elsewhere in the SMO. Future work will include U-Pb zircon dating and whole rock and in-zircon radiogenic isotopes analyses.

Experimental chemical weathering of various bedrock types at different pH-values. 1. Sandstone and granite

USGS Publications Warehouse

Afifi, A.A.; Bricker, O.P.; Chemerys, J.C.

1985-01-01

Experimental chemical weathering of the so-called Old Rag Granite and Massanutten Sandstone, Virginia, U.S.A., has produced a comparison with the natural environment, and prediction of the effect of acid precipitation. The experimental results of the release of elements, dissolution of minerals, total rock weathered and the degree of weathering as function of volume of leachate were plotted. These data were compared with the natural environment. The use of the plots to predict the effect of high levels of rain acidity on weathering of these rocks is demonstrated. A nonexpandable 14-A?? clay was developed from the alteration of biotite during the experimental chemical weathering of the granite at pH 4. This interstratified Al(OH)-mica clay resembles those of the soil developed on the granite and sandstone. Hydroxy-Al may be precipitating between the mica interlayers and producing a 14-A?? spacing. Development of this clay by chemical alteration of biotite may change the current hypotheses about its origin in the soils of northeastern U.S.A. While Al-hydroxide seems to regulate Al concentrations in stream waters at the present level of rain acidity, it was found that at lower pH and in the presence of high sulfate concentrations, Al solubility may be controlled by Al-sulfate phase(s). ?? 1985.

Carbonation of Rock Minerals by Supercritical Carbon Dioxide at 250 degrees C.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sugama, T.; Ecker, L.; Butcher, T.

2010-06-01

Wet powder-samples of five rock minerals, granite, albite, hornblende, diorite, and biotite mica, were exposed in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) for 3 days at 250 C under 17.23 MPa pressure, and then the susceptibility of the various crystalline phases present in these mineral structures to reactions with hot scCO2 was investigated by XRD and FT-IR. The anorthite present in diorite was identified as the most vulnerable phase to carbonation. In contrast, biotite displayed a great resistance, although its phase was transformed hydrothermally to sanidine and quartz. Granite comprised of two phases, anorthoclase-type albite and quartz. The carbonation of former phasemore » led to the formation of amorphous sodium and potassium carbonates coexisting with the clay-like by-products of the carbonation reaction. The reactivity of quartz to scCO2 was minimal, if any. Among these rock minerals, only hornblende formed crystalline carbonation products, such as calcite and magnesite after exposure, reflecting the likelihood of an increase in its volume. Based upon the feldspar ternary diagram, the carbonation rate of various different minerals in the plagioclase feldspar family depended primarily on the amount of anorthite. On the other hand, alkali feldspar minerals involving anorthoclase-type albite and sanidine had a lower reactivity with scCO2, compared with that of plagioclase feldspar minerals.« less

Formation of cordierite-bearing lavas during anatexis in the lower crust beneath Lipari Island (Aeolian arc, Italy)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Di, Martino C.; Forni, F.; Frezzotti, M.L.; Palmeri, R.; Webster, J.D.; Ayuso, R.A.; Lucchi, F.; Tranne, C.A.

2011-01-01

Cordierite-bearing lavas (CBL;~105 ka) erupted from the Mt. S. Angelo volcano at Lipari (Aeolian arc, Italy) are high-K andesites, displaying a range in the geochemical and isotopic compositions that reflect heterogeneity in the source and/or processes. CBL consist of megacrysts of Ca-plagioclase and clinopyroxene, euhedral crystals of cordierite and garnet, microphenocrysts of orthopyroxene and plagioclase, set in a heterogeneous rhyodacitic-rhyolitic groundmass containing abundant metamorphic and gabbroic xenoliths. New petrographic, chemical and isotopic data indicate formation of CBL by mixing of basaltic-andesitic magmas and high-K peraluminous rhyolitic magmas of anatectic origin and characterize partial melting processes in the lower continental crust of Lipari. Crustal anatectic melts generated through two main dehydration-melting peritectic reactions of metasedimentary rocks: (1) Biotite + Aluminosilicate + Quartz + Albite = Garnet + Cordierite + K-feldspar + Melt; (2) Biotite + Garnet + Quartz = Orthopyroxene + Cordierite + K-feldspar + Melt. Their position into the petrogenetic grid suggests that heating and consequent melting of metasedimentary rocks occurred at temperatures of 725 < T < 900??C and pressures of 0.4-0.45 GPa. Anatexis in the lower crust of Lipari was induced by protracted emplacement of basic magmas in the lower crust (~130 Ky). Crustal melting of the lower crust at 105 ka affected the volcano evolution, impeding frequent maficmagma eruptions, and promoting magma stagnation and fractional crystallization processes. ?? 2011 Springer-Verlag.

Sand and clay mineralogy of sal forest soils of the Doon Siwalik Himalayas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukesh; Manhas, R. K.; Tripathi, A. K.; Raina, A. K.; Gupta, M. K.; Kamboj, S. K.

2011-02-01

The peteromineralogical characterization of the soil was carried out for the 12 soil profiles exposed in the Shorea robusta dominated forests of the Siwalik forest division, Dehradun. The quartz was observed as the dominating light mineral fraction (64-80%) in all the profiles studied. Biotite, hornblende, zircon, tourmaline, rutile and opaques comprising of iron minerals constituted the heavy mineral fraction (20%). The mineralogy of both the sand and clay fractions revealed a mixed mineralogy. The clay minerals in the order of their dominance were vermiculite, illite, kaolinite and mixed layer minerals. The presence of vermiculite and illite in appreciable quantities indicates that these were synthesized from the K-rich soil solution, as orthoclase and micas were present in significant quantities in the sand minerals. The mineral suites identified in the study shows that the geological, climatological and topographical factors of the region collectively played a dominant role in their formation and transformation. After critical appraisal of the results, it may be deduced that the mineralogical composition, physicochemical properties and total elemental analysis of the soils do not show any deficiency of the bases and other plant nutrients in general. The inherent fertility of the soil is good as indicated by the sand and clay mineralogy of the soil and the biotite and feldspar together with the mica is an important source of nutrients for the vegetation in the soils of the Doon valley.

Formation of tectonic peperites from alkaline magmas intruded into wet sediments in the Beiya area, western Yunnan, China

USGS Publications Warehouse

Xu, Xing-Wang; Cai, Xin-Ping; Zhong, Jia-You; Song, Bao-Chang; Peters, Stephen G.

2007-01-01

Tertiary (3.78 Ma to 3.65 Ma) biotite-K-feldspar porphyritic bodies intrude Tertiary, poorly consolidated lacustrine sedimentary rocks in the Beiya mineral district in southwestern China. The intrusives are characterized by a microcrystalline and vitreous-cryptocrystalline groundmass, by replacement of some tabular K-feldspar phenocrysts with microcrystalline chlorite and calcite, and by Fe-rich rings surrounding biotite phenocrysts. Peculiar structures, such as contemporary contact faults and slickensides, ductile shear zones and flow folds, foliation and lineations, tension fractures, and banded and boudin peperites, are developed along the contact zones of the intrusives. These features are related to the forceful intrusion of the alkaline magmas into the wet Tertiary sediments. The partially consolidated magmas were deformed and flattened by continued forceful magma intrusion that produced boudinaged and banded peperites. These peperites characterized by containing oriented deformation fabrics are classified as tectonic peperites as a new type of peperite, and formation of these tectonic peperites was related to fracturing of magmas caused by forceful intrusion and shear deformation and to contemporary migration and injection of fluidized sediments along fractures that dismembered the porphyritic magma. Emplacement of the magma into the wet sediments in the Beiya area is interpreted to be related to a large pressure difference rather than to the buoyancy force.

Effects of NH4+, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ on the Cesium Adsorption/Desorption in Binding Sites of Vermiculitized Biotite.

PubMed

Yin, Xiangbiao; Wang, Xinpeng; Wu, Hao; Takahashi, Hideharu; Inaba, Yusuke; Ohnuki, Toshihiko; Takeshita, Kenji

2017-12-05

The reversibility of cesium adsorption in contaminated soil is largely dependent on its interaction with micaceous minerals, which may be greatly influenced by various cations. Herein, we systematically investigated the effects of NH 4 + , K + , Mg 2+ , and Ca 2+ on the adsorption/desorption of Cs + into different binding sites of vermiculitized biotite (VB). Original VB was initially saturated by NH 4 + , K + , or Mg 2+ ; we then evaluated the adsorption of Cs + on three treated VBs, and the desorption by extraction with NH 4 + , K + , Mg 2+ , or Ca 2+ was further evaluated. Our structural analysis and Cs + extractability determinations showed that NH 4 + and K + both collapsed the interlayers of VB, resulting in the dominant adsorption of Cs + to external surface sites on which Cs + was readily extracted by NH 4 + , K + , Mg 2+ , or Ca 2+ irrespective of their species, whereas Mg 2+ maintained the VB with expanded interlayers, leading to the overwhelming adsorption of Cs + in collapsed interlayer sites on which the Cs + desorption was difficult and varied significantly by the cations used in extraction. The order of Cs + extraction ability from the collapsed interlayers was K + ≫ Mg 2+ ≈ Ca 2+ ≫ NH 4 + . These results could provide important insights into Cs migration in soil and its decontamination for soil remediation.

Strain distribution across a partially molten middle crust: Insights from the AMS mapping of the Carlos Chagas Anatexite, Araçuaí belt (East Brazil)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavalcante, Geane C. G.; Egydio-Silva, Marcos; Vauchez, Alain; Camps, Pierre; Oliveira, Eurídice

2013-10-01

The easternmost part of the Neoproterozoic Araçuaí belt comprises an anatectic domain that involves anatexites (the Carlos Chagas unit), leucogranites and migmatitic granulites that display a well-developed fabric. Microstructural observations support that the deformation occurred in the magmatic to submagmatic state. Structural mapping integrating field and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) revealed a complex, 3D structure. The northern domain displays gently dipping foliations bearing a NW-trending lineation, southward, the lineation trend progressively rotates to EW then SW and the foliation is gently folded. The eastern domain displays E-W and NE-SW trending foliations with moderate to steeply dips bearing a dominantly NS trending lineation. Magnetic mineralogy investigation suggests biotite as the main carrier of the magnetic susceptibility in the anatexites and ferromagnetic minerals in the granulites. Crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) measurements using the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique suggest that the magnetic fabric comes from the crystalline anisotropy of biotite and feldspar grains, especially. The delineation of several structural domains with contrasted flow fabric suggests a 3D flow field involving westward thrusting orthogonal to the belt, northwestward orogen-oblique escape tectonics and NS orogen-parallel flow. This complex deformation pattern may be due to interplay of collision-driven and gravity-driven deformations.

Pulverized granite at the brittle-ductile transition: An example from the Kellyland fault zone, eastern Maine, U.S.A.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sullivan, Walter A.; Peterman, Emily M.

2017-08-01

Granite from a 50-200-m-wide damage zone adjacent to the brittle-ductile Kellyland Fault Zone contains healed fracture networks that exhibit almost all of the characteristics of dynamically pulverized rocks. Fracture networks exhibit only weak preferred orientations, are mutually cross-cutting, separate jigsaw-like interlocking fragments, and are associated with recrystallized areas likely derived from pervasively comminuted material. Fracture networks in samples with primary igneous grain shapes further indicate pulverization. Minimum fracture densities in microcline are ∼100 mm/mm2. Larger fractures in microcline and quartz are sometimes marked by neoblasts, but most fractures are optically continuous with host grains and only visible in cathodoluminescence images. Fractures in plagioclase are crystallographically controlled and typically biotite filled. Petrologic observations and cross-cutting relationships between brittle structures and mylonitic rocks show that fracturing occurred at temperatures of 400 °C or more and pressures of 200 MPa. These constraints extend the known range of pulverization to much higher temperature and pressure conditions than previously thought possible. The mutually cross-cutting healed fractures also provide the first record of repeated damage in pulverized rocks. Furthermore, pulverization must have had a significant but transient effect on wall-rock porosity, and biotite-filled fracture networks in plagioclase form weak zones that could accommodate future strain localization.

Two-pyroxene syenitoids from the Moldanubian Zone of the Bohemian Massif: peculiar magmas derived from a strongly enriched lithospheric mantle source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janoušek, Vojtěch; Holub, František; Gerdes, Axel; Verner, Kryštof

2013-04-01

(Ultra-)potassic plutonic rocks constitute a conspicuous association with metamorphic rocks of the high-grade, lower crustal/upper mantle Gföhl Unit (Moldanubian Zone). They can be subdivided into two contrasting suites: (1) coarse Kfs-phyric amphibole-biotite melagranite to quartz syenite (the durbachite series sensu Holub 1997), and (2) essentially even-grained biotite-two-pyroxene quartz syenites to melagranites (Tábor and Jihlava plutons). The latter, "syenitoid suite", characterized by an originally 'dry' mineral assemblage orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene + Mg-biotite, with accessoric zircon, apatite, ilmenite, monazite and/or rutile ± Cr-spinel, is a subject of the current study. Our conventional U-Pb ages for zircon (336.9 ± 0.6 Ma) and rutile (336.8 ± 0.8 Ma) from the Tábor Pluton, together with the age from the Jihlava body (U-Pb zircon: 335.1 ± 0.6 Ma; Kotková et al. 2010), provide a precise time bracket for the emplacement and rapid cooling of the syenitoids below c.600 ° C (closure temperature of U-Pb system in rutile: Cherniak 2000). This is in line with post-tectonic emplacement of hot dry melt into shallow levels of essentially consolidated orogenic crust. Comparably low temperatures obtained by zircon and rutile saturation calculations document probably a delayed onset of crystallization of the accessories in a hot, alkalis and ferromagnesian components-rich magma derived from a mantle source. Indeed, the structural relations inside and around the ultrapotassic plutons suggest that the most important regional HT/LP flat-lying fabric(s) in the Moldanubian Zone are closely related with the emplacement and crystallization of the durbachite suite at 343-338 Ma. They have formed prior to the relatively shallower emplacement of the essentially post-tectonic syenitoids dated at ~337-336 Ma (Žák et al. 2005; Verner et al. 2006, 2008). The two magmatic suites are thus essentially diachronous and not (nearly) contemporaneous (c. 335 Ma) intrusions at contrasting crustal levels as assumed by Kotková et al. (2010). The syenitoid plutons show mutually comparable, crustal-like radiogenic isotope signatures with highly radiogenic Sr (87Sr/86Sr337= 0.7119-0.7125) and unradiogenic Nd (?Nd337 = -6.8 to -7.6). This, together with the rest of the whole-rock geochemical variation, is in line with a generation from a strongly enriched lithospheric mantle source. It was, shortly before, modified by a deep subduction and relamination of the upper crustal material, similar to the felsic HP granulites common in the Moldanubian Zone (Janoušek & Holub 2007; Lexa et al. 2011). The petrology and chemical data indicate that large-scale mixing with crustally-derived acid magmas can be largely or fully discounted and the key role is ascribed to closed-system fractional crystallization with, or without, crystal accumulation of various combinations of biotite, clinopyroxene and/or orthopyroxene with minor amounts of apatite. This stands in a sharp contrast with the history of volumetrically prevalent, slightly older, durbachite suite, in genesis of which the magma mixing of chemically and isotopically contrasting mantle and crustal components was clearly much more significant (Holub 1997). This research was financially supported by the GAR Project P210-11-2358 (to VJ).

Marine sedimentary provenance evidence for massive discharges of icebergs from the Aurora and Wilkes sub-glacial basins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pierce, E. L.; Williams, T.; van de Flierdt, T.; Hemming, S. R.; Brachfeld, S. A.; Goldstein, S. L.

2010-12-01

Understanding the evolution of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) is a fundamental goal in the field of paleoclimate today. Given the current and projected state of global warming, it is important to know how an ice sheet that holds over 50 m of sea-level has behaved under warmer conditions in the past. Despite the fact that over 98% of the East Antarctica continent is covered by thick (2.1 km on average) ice, the chronological characterization of glaciogenic detrital hornblende grains has been proven an excellent provenance tool in the investigation of the source areas for ice rafted detritus around Antarctica (Roy et al., 2007, Chem. Geo.). A circum-Antarctica core-top survey of Ar-Ar ages in hornblende grains demonstrates that East Antarctica can be simply divided into several sectors that correspond to modern ice divides and published geochronological evidence from sparse outcrops around the margins of the continent. Williams et al., (2010, EPSL) found evidence in ice rafted detritus layers in ODP Site 1165 from the Wilde drift off Prydz Bay for large discharges of icebergs from the Adélie and Wilkes Land coasts occurring during the late Miocene and early Pliocene. Sourcing from the Adélie and Wilkes Land coasts requires iceberg transport more than 1500 km around the Antarctic perimeter, and this is therefore evidence for massive discharges of icebergs from these sectors. In the Aurora and Wilkes Basins in these sectors, the ice sheet is grounded well below sea level, and is therefore thought to be potentially unstable under warmer conditions. Such long distant transport of sediments with distinctive sources is reminiscent of Heinrich Events in the North Atlantic. A model often invoked as the cause of these events is the collapse and retreat of ice-streams, which leads to massive discharges of icebergs, laden with sediment, into the ocean. The importance of this interpretation, if true, has led us to make more detailed studies of Quaternary sediments from the Adélie and Wilkes Land coasts as well as glaciogenic sediments throughout the Cenozoic in Prydz Bay. We will present Ar-Ar ages of detrital hornblende and biotite grains (>150 µm), as well as epsilon-Nd values measured on the terrigenous fine fraction (<63 µm), from 9 marine sediment cores along the Adélie and Wilkes Land coasts of East Antarctica (95° to 165°E), and compare them and proximal Prydz Bay data with IRD layers in ODP Site 1165. We have also compared the Ar-Ar biotite age populations from the same IRD layers in ODP site 1165 that Williams et al., (2010, EPSL) examined to explore the use of Ar-Ar biotite ages as a tracer of IRD; given the high K content in biotite, it may be possible to use the 63-150 µm fraction for provenance studies which may be particularly useful for tracing sources of IRD into the Southern Ocean where IRD abundances are low and thus grain sizes tend to be finer. The combined application of these tracers will allow interpretation of the average crust formation age of the sources, as well as provide information on major tectonothermal pulses and cooling through approximately 300°C.

Geochemical, microtextural and petrological studies of the Samba prospect in the Zambian Copperbelt basement: a metamorphosed Palaeoproterozoic porphyry Cu deposit.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Master, Sharad; Mirrander Ndhlovu, N.

2015-04-01

Ever since Wakefield (1978, IMM Trans., B87, 43-52) described a porphyry-type meta-morphosed Cu prospect, the ca 50 Mt, 0.5% Cu Samba deposit (12.717°S, 27.833°E), hosted by porphyry-associated quartz-sericite-biotite schists in northern Zambia, there has been controversy about its origin and significance. This is because it is situated in the basement to the world's largest stratabound sediment-hosted copper province, the Central African Copperbelt, which is hosted by rocks of the Neoproterozoic Katanga Supergroup. Mineralization in the pre-Katangan basement has long played a prominent role in ore genetic models, with some authors suggesting that basement Cu mineralization may have been recycled into the Katangan basin through erosion and redeposition, while others have suggested that the circulation of fluids through Cu-rich basement may have leached out the metals which are found concentrated in the Katangan orebodies. On the basis of ca 490-460 Ma Ar-Ar ages, Hitzman et al. (2012, Sillitoe Vol., SEG Spec. Publ., 16, 487-514) suggested that Samba represents late-stage impregnation of copper mineralization into the basement, and that it was one of the youngest copper deposits known in the Central African Copperbelt. If the Samba deposit really is that young, then it would have post-dated regional deformation and metamorphism (560-510 Ma), and it ought to be undeformed and unmetamorphosed. The Samba mineralization consists of chalcopyrite and bornite, occurring as disseminations, stringers and veinlets, found in a zone >1 km along strike, in steeply-dipping lenses up to 10m thick and >150m deep. Our new major and trace element XRF geochemical data (14 samples) show that the host rocks are mainly calc-alkaline metadacites. Cu is correlated with Ag (Cu/Ag ~10,000:1) with no Au or Mo. Our study focused on the microtextures and petrology of the Samba ores. We confirm that there is alteration of similar style to that accompanying classical porphyry Cu mineralization, including potassic (biotite+sericite+ quartz), propylitic (clinozoisite+chlorite+saussuritized plagioclase), phyllic (sericite+quartz+ pyrite+hydromuscovite/illite) and argillic (kaolinite+chlorite+dolomite) alteration. The clays were identified with XRD. All the rocks show penetrative deformational textures and fabrics. Our textural studies show that phyllic zone pyrite crystals have quartz-rich pressure shadows, and they predate all phases of deformation. Similarly, in the potassic zone, fracture-controlled biotite stringers in particular orientations are deformed, and partly replaced by chlorite, again showing their pre-deformational, pre-metamorphic origin. Copper sulfide-bearing quartz veinlets are deformed. Many of the alteration assemblages containing biotite or sericite have been deformed into crenulated schists, showing that they were formed early in the deformation history. Coupled with the dating of a Samba metavolcanic rock at 1964±12 Ma (Rainaud et al., 2005, JAES, 42, 1-31), we regard the Samba deposit as a metamorphosed Palaeoproterozoic porphyry-type Cu deposit, which has undergone deformation, and retrograde metamorphism of its alteration assemblages, during the Neoproterozoic Lufilian Orogeny, followed by post-tectonic cooling, which occurred throughout the Copperbelt at about 480±20 Ma. Samba, together with the Mkushi deposits, is part of a long-lived (>100 Ma) Palaeoproterozoic porphyry-Cu province in the Zambian Copperbelt basement, and ore genetic theories for the Copperbelt mineralization must now seriously take this into account.

The biodegradation of layered silicates under the influence of cyanobacterial-actinomycetes associations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanova, Ekaterina

2013-04-01

The weathering of sheet silicates is well known to be related to local and global geochemical cycles. Content and composition of clay minerals in soil determine the sorption properties of the soil horizons, water-holding capacity of the soil, stickiness, plasticity, etc. Microorganisms have a diverse range of mechanisms of minerals' structure transformation (acid- and alkali formation, biosorption, complexing, etc). One of the methods is an ability of exopolysaccharide-formation, in particular the formation of mucus, common to many bacteria, including cyanobacteria. Mucous covers cyanobacteria are the specific econiches for other bacteria, including actinomycetes. The objective was to analyze the structural changes of clay minerals under the influence of the cyanobacterial-actinomycetes associative growth. The objects of the study were: 1) the experimental symbiotic association, consisting of free-living heterocyst-formative cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis Kutz. ATCC 294132 and actinomycete Streptomyces cyaneofuscatus FR837630, 2) rock samples obtained from the Museum of the Soil Science Department of the Lomonosov Moscow State University: kaolinite, consisting of kaolin (96%) Al4 (OH) 8 [Si4O10]; mixed with hydromica, chlorite and quartz; vermiculite, consisting of vermiculite (Ca, Mg, ...)*(Mg, Fe)3(OH)2[(Si, Al)4O10]*4H2O and trioctahedral mica (biotite). The mineralogical compositions of the rocks were determined by the universal X-ray Diffractometer Carl Zeiss Yena. The operationg regime was kept constant (30 kv, 40 mA). The cultivation of the association of actinomycete S. cyanoefuscatus and cyanobacterium A. variabilis caused a reduction in the intensity of kaolinite and hydromica reflexes. However, since both (mica and kaolinite) components have a rigid structure, the significant structural transformation of the minerals was not revealed. Another pattern was observed in the experiment, where the rock sample of vermiculite was used as the mineral substrate. The associative growth of S. cyaneofuscatus and A. variabilis led to the transformation of minerals indicated by the significant decreasing of the intensity of the reflections of vermiculite as well as biotite. Reduction in the intensity of the basal reflections of vermiculite (d001, d004 and d005) three times indicates the process of biodestruction of this component of the rock. The formation of the swelling phase - the product of biotite transformation into the mica-vermicullite mixed-layer formation was revealed. The study demonstrates the differences in the transformation of clay minerals under the influence of cyanobacterial-actinomycetes association, depending on minerals' crystal chemistry and it's resistance to weathering. The rate of the process transformation of micas into the mixed-layer formation depends on their structure - trioctahedral mica (biotite, part of vermiculite sample) are transformated much faster than dioctahedral. The growth of associative thallus and monocultures of cyanobacterium and actinomycete promoted the removal of potassium (?), magnesium (Mg) and aluminum (Al) from the crystal lattice of the rock sample of vermiculite. Leaching of elements due to the influence of associative thallus exceeded the release of cations observed in the sample under the influence of the growth of cyanobacterium and streptomycete monocultures and in the control sample of vermiculite. Therefore, the association's biodegradation impact on the mineral structure was significantly greater than the influence of the monocultures of cyanobacteria and actinomycetes.

Rubidium-strontium date of possibly 3 billion years for a granitic rock from antarctica.

PubMed

Halpern, M

1970-09-04

A single total rock sample of biotite granite from Jule Peaks, Antarctica, has been dated by the rubidium-strontium method at about 3 billion years. The juxtaposition of this sector of Antarctica with Africa in the Dietz and Sproll continental drift reconstruction results in a possible geochronologic fit of the Princess Martha Coast of Antarctica with a covered possible notheastern extension of the African Swaziland Shield, which contains granitic rocks that are also 3 billion years old.

Preliminary Geothermal Exploration at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-09-01

porphyries with olivine phenocrysts. Individual flows may be about 50 feet thick around Pisgah Crater but taper out to a few feet thick at the flow’s...Pleistocene in age (Dibblee, 1966b). SUNSHINE PEAK The dominant rock of Sunshine Peak is dacite porphyry , a gray-white to light greenish- gray rock, with 40...northwest-trending andesite porphyry dikes. 14 ’-WC TP 6747 Roof pendants of biotite quartz monzonite and quartz monzonite occur in the dacite porphyry . The

Empirical analysis of electromagnetic profiles for groundwater prospecting in rural areas of Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ehinola, O. A.; Opoola, A. O.; Adesokan, H. A.

2006-04-01

The Slingram electromagnetic (EM) survey using a coil separation of 60 and 100 m was carried out in ten villages in the Akinyele area of Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria to aid in the development of groundwater. Five main rock types including an undifferentiated gneiss complex (Su), biotite-garnet schist/gneiss (Bs), quartzite and quartz schist (Q), migmatized undifferentiated biotite/hornblende gneiss (M) and pegmatite/quartz vein (P) underlie the study area. A total of 31 EM profiles was made to accurately locate prospective borehole sites in the field. Four main groups with different behavioural patterns were categorized from the EM profiles. Group 1 is characterized by a high density of positive (HDP) or a high density of negative (HDN) real and imaginary curves, Group 2 by parallel real and imaginary curves intersecting with negligible amplitude (PNA), Group 3 by frequent intersection of a high density of negative minima (FHN) real and imaginary curves, and Group 4 by separate and approximately parallel (SAP) real and imaginary curves. Qualitative pictures of the overburden thickness and the extent of fracturing have been proposed from these behavioural patterns. A comparison of the borehole yield with the overburden thickness and the level of fracturing shows that the borehole yield depends more on the fracture density than on the overburden thickness. The asymmetry of the anomaly was also found to be useful in the determination of the inclination of the conductor/fracture.

The Cauaburi magmatic arc: Litho-stratigraphic review and evolution of the Imeri Domain, Rio Negro Province, Amazonian Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carneiro, Marcia C. R.; Nascimento, Rielva S. C.; Almeida, Marcelo E.; Salazar, Carlos A.; Trindade, Ivaldo Rodrigues da; Rodrigues, Vanisse de Oliveira; Passos, Marcel S.

2017-08-01

A lithostratigraphic review of the Cauaburi Complex was carried out by means of field, tectono-metamorphic and geochemical data, which were the basis for the sub-division of the Cauaburi Complex orthogneisses into the Santa Izabel do Rio Negro, Cumati and São Jorge facies. These rocks crop out between São Gabriel da Cachoeira and Santa Izabel do Rio Negro, Amazonas, Brazil. The gneisses of the Santa Izabel do Rio Negro and Cumati facies are metaluminous and of calc-alkaline affinity; in turn, the rocks of the São Jorge facies are peraluminous and of alkaline affinity. They vary from (amphibole)-biotite granodiorites/monzogranites (Cumati and Santa Izabel do Rio Negro facies) to spessartite-bearing biotite monzogranites (São Jorge facies). The Cauaburi Complex geochemical signature is compatible with that of granites generated in collisional settings (magmatic arc?) and its evolution is related to three distinct tectono-metamorphic events: D1, causing foliation S1, which developed during the Cauaburi Complex syn-tectonic emplacement in the Cauaburi Orogeny; D2/M2, causing foliation S2, which was generated under amphibolite facies conditions (717.9 °C and 5.84 kbars), and the emplacement of I- and S-type granite during the Içana Orogen, and low-temperature D3, associated with the K'Mudku Event, which caused foliation S3 and reworking via transcurrent shear zones under greenschist facies conditions.

A microfluidic approach to water-rock interactions using thin rock sections: Pb and U sorption onto thin shale and granite sections.

PubMed

Oh, Youn Soo; Jo, Ho Young; Ryu, Ji-Hun; Kim, Geon-Young

2017-02-15

The feasibility of using microfluidic tests to investigate water-rock (mineral) interactions in fractures regarding sorption onto thin rock sections (i.e., shale and granite) of lead (Pb) and uranium (U) was evaluated using a synthetic PbCl 2 solution and uranium-containing natural groundwater as fluids. Effluent composition and element distribution on the thin rock sections before and after microfluidic testing were analyzed. Most Pb removal (9.8mg/cm 2 ) occurred within 3.5h (140 PVF), which was 74% of the total Pb removal (13.2mg/cm 2 ) at the end of testing (14.5h, 560 PVF). Element composition on the thin shale sections determined by μ-XRF analysis indicated that Pb removal was related primarily to Fe-containing minerals (e.g., pyrite). Two thin granite sections (biotite rich, Bt-R and biotite poor, Bt-P) exhibited no marked difference in uranium removal capacity, but a slightly higher amount of uranium was removed onto the thin Bt-R section (266μg/cm 2 ) than the thin Bt-P section (240μg/cm 2 ) within 120h (4800 PVF). However, uranium could not be detected by micro X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF) analysis, likely due to the detection limit. These results suggest that microfluidic testing on thin rock sections enables quantitative evaluation of rock (mineral)-water interactions at the micro-fracture or pore scale. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spatial variations in focused exhumation along a continental-scale strike-slip fault: The Denali fault of the eastern Alaska Range

USGS Publications Warehouse

Benowitz, J.A.; Layer, P.W.; Armstrong, P.; Perry, S.E.; Haeussler, Peter J.; Fitzgerald, P.G.; VanLaningham, S.

2011-01-01

40Ar/39Ar, apatite fission-track, and apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronological techniques were used to determine the Neogene exhumation history of the topographically asymmetric eastern Alaska Range. Exhumation cooling ages range from ~33 Ma to ~18 Ma for 40Ar/39Ar biotite, ~18 Ma to ~6 Ma for K-feldspar minimum closure ages, and ~15 Ma to ~1 Ma for apatite fission-track ages, and apatite (U-Th)/He cooling ages range from ~4 Ma to ~1 Ma. There has been at least ~11 km of exhumation adjacent to the north side of Denali fault during the Neogene inferred from biotite 40Ar/39Ar thermochronology. Variations in exhumation history along and across the strike of the fault are influenced by both far-field effects and local structural irregularities. We infer deformation and rapid exhumation have been occurring in the eastern Alaska Range since at least ~22 Ma most likely related to the continued collision of the Yakutat microplate with the North American plate. The Nenana Mountain region is the late Pleistocene to Holocene (~past 1 Ma) primary locus of tectonically driven exhumation in the eastern Alaska Range, possibly related to variations in fault geometry. During the Pliocene, a marked increase in climatic instability and related global cooling is temporally correlated with an increase in exhumation rates in the eastern Alaska Range north of the Denali fault system.

Geology of the Trenton Prong, west-central New Jersey

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Volkert, R.A.; Drake, A.A.Jr.

1993-03-01

The Trenton Prong in New Jersey is underlain by a heterogeneous sequence of rocks that is divisible into northern and southern belts separated by the steeply southeast-dipping Huntingdon Valley fault (HVF). The northern belt contains metagabbro, charnockite, and dacite/tonalite, upon which biotite-bearing quartzofeldspathic gneiss, calc-silicate gneiss, and minor marble may rest unconformably. The mineralogy and geochemistry of these rocks are remarkably similar to those of Middle Proterozoic rocks in the New Jersey Highlands, and the authors interpret them to be correlative. Northern belt rocks are unconformably overlain by the Cambrian Chickies Quartzite, which is cut off to the northeast bymore » the HVF. The southern belt contains felsic to intermediate quartzofeldspathic gneiss and schist and minor amounts of metavolcanic rocks, all of which may be at slightly lower metamorphic grade than those in the northern belt. High TiO[sub 2] metabasalt is chemically identical to diabase dikes that intrude Middle Proterozoic rocks in the New Jersey Highlands; it is interpreted to be Late Proterozoic in age. Rocks in the southern belt have been thrust northwestward over the Chickies and Middle Proterozoic rocks along the HVF. South of the southern belt, biotite schist and gneiss of the Wissahickon Formation are thrust onto both belts of basement rocks on the HVF and a splay from the HVF, the Morrisville thrust fault. Both faults are marked by augen gneiss that shows evidence of dextral shear.« less

Geology of 1. 7 GA ( ) Baldwin gneiss in the Baldwin Lake type area, San Bernardino Mountains, southern California

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barth, A.P.; Ehlig, P.L.; Wooden, J.L.

1993-04-01

Precambrian gneisses in the San Bernardino Mountains were first identified and described in the vicinity of Baldwin Lake by Guillou (1953). Five lithologic units mappable at 1:24,000 scale are recognized: biotite [+-] muscovite quartzofeldspathic gneiss, amphibolite, pyroxene metagabbro, augen gneiss, and biotite [+-] muscovite granitic gneiss. Baldwin gneiss with this L < S tectonite fabric is unconformably overlain by latest Proterozoic, upright, greenschist/hornfels facies quartzite (Big Bear Group). North and northeast of Baldwin Lake, the gneissic fabric is rotated toward the northwest, subparallel to the Doble fault. Along this fault, Baldwin gneiss is structurally underlain by overturned Paleozoic quartzite andmore » marble (Zabriskie Quartzite and Carrara Formation). Regional relations suggest that the Doble fault is a northeast-directed basement thrust fault of pre-Late Cretaceous age, and may be contemporaneous with late Paleozoic deformation and metamorphism of Paleozoic rocks further west in the range. Field relations suggest that Baldwin gneiss in its type area largely retains Proterozoic fabrics and mineral assemblages, despite marginal Phanerozoic reworking. Silver (1971) reported a U-Pb zircon age of ca. 1,730 Ma for Baldwin augen ( ) gneiss, from an unknown locality, and Miller and Morton (1980) reported Late Cretaceous mica K-Ar ages from a sample of augen gneiss. Preliminary Pb isotopic ratios in galena, feldspar and whole rock samples of Baldwin gneiss, and feldspars in Mesozoic plutons suggest isotopic affinity to the Mojave crustal province of Wooden and Miller (1990).« less

Mineral Type and Solution Chemistry Affect the Structure and Composition of Actively Growing Bacterial Communities as Revealed by Bromodeoxyuridine Immunocapture and 16S rRNA Pyrosequencing.

PubMed

Kelly, L C; Colin, Y; Turpault, M-P; Uroz, S

2016-08-01

Understanding how minerals affect bacterial communities and their in situ activities in relation to environmental conditions are central issues in soil microbial ecology, as minerals represent essential reservoirs of inorganic nutrients for the biosphere. To determine the impact of mineral type and solution chemistry on soil bacterial communities, we compared the diversity, composition, and functional abilities of a soil bacterial community incubated in presence/absence of different mineral types (apatite, biotite, obsidian). Microcosms were prepared containing different liquid culture media devoid of particular essential nutrients, the nutrients provided only in the introduced minerals and therefore only available to the microbial community through mineral dissolution by biotic and/or abiotic processes. By combining functional screening of bacterial isolates and community analysis by bromodeoxyuridine DNA immunocapture and 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing, we demonstrated that bacterial communities were mainly impacted by the solution chemistry at the taxonomic level and by the mineral type at the functional level. Metabolically active bacterial communities varied with solution chemistry and mineral type. Burkholderia were significantly enriched in the obsidian treatment compared to the biotite treatment and were the most effective isolates at solubilizing phosphorous or mobilizing iron, in all the treatments. A detailed analysis revealed that the 16S rRNA gene sequences of the OTUs or isolated strains assigned as Burkholderia in our study showed high homology with effective mineral-weathering bacteria previously recovered from the same experimental site.

Assessment of Blasting Performance Using Electronic Vis-à-Vis Shock Tube Detonators in Strong Garnet Biotite Sillimanite Gneiss Formations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Suresh Kumar; Rai, Piyush

2016-04-01

This paper presents a comparative investigation of the shock tube and electronic detonating systems practised in bench blasting. The blast trials were conducted on overburden rocks of Garnet Biotite Sillimanite Gneiss formations in one of the largest metalliferous mine of India. The study revealed that the choice of detonating system was crucial in deciding the fragment size and its distribution within the blasted muck-piles. The fragment size and its distribution affected the digging rate of excavators. Also, the shape of the blasted muck-pile was found to be related to the degree of fragmentation. From the present work, it may be inferred that in electronic detonation system, timely release of explosive energy resulted in better overall blasting performance. Hence, the precision in delay time must be considered in designing blast rounds in such overburden rock formations. State-of-art image analysis, GPS based muck-pile profile plotting techniques were rigorously used in the investigation. The study revealed that a mean fragment size (K50) value for shock tube detonated blasts (0.55-0.59 m) was higher than that of electronically detonated blasts (0.43-0.45 m). The digging rate of designated shovels (34 m3) with electronically detonated blasts was consistently more than 5000 t/h, which was almost 13 % higher in comparison to shock tube detonated blasts. Furthermore, favourable muck-pile shapes were witnessed in electronically detonated blasts from the observations made on the dozer performance.

Compositional and mineralogical zoning by inward crystallization of mafic magma: evidence from the Guwoon hornblende gabbro-diorite Complex, Hwacheon, Korea.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Y.-R.; Kim, G.-Y.

2009-04-01

The small body, ca. 1.3 by 1.6km, of a hot-air ballon shape hornblende gabbro - diorite Complex, in Gowoonri, Hwacheon, Korea consists of marginal diorite and central hornblende gabbro. The volumetrically dominant hornblende gabbro in the core of the Complex shows a zoned distribution with three layers distinguished by different dominant mafic mineral phases. From the margin toward the core of the hornblende gabbro body, the domintant mafic minerals change from amphibole phenocryst of nearly rounded shape in cross section with pyroxene pseudomorph through prismatic shape of amphibole to polycrystalline biotite aggregates. Systematic variations in geochemical characteristics among three distinct zones of hornblende gabbro body are also observed. From the outer zone toward the core, major oxides such as MnO, MgO, and CaO show a decreasing tendency, whereas total FeO/(total FeO + MgO) value shows an increasing tendency. Concentrations of trace elements also show systematic variations. Where incompatible elements such as Ba and Th increase, compatible elements like Cr and Sc decrease from the margin toward the core. The zonal distribution divided by change in dominant mafic mineral phase from pyroxene through amphibole to biotite, and systematic compositional changes in both major and trace elements from the outer zone toward the core of the hornblende gabbro body suggest that an inward crystallization mechanism played a major role in the formation of the hornblende gabbro in Guwoonri, Hwacheon, Korea.

Cesium desorption behavior of weathered biotite in Fukushima considering the actual radioactive contamination level of soils.

PubMed

Mukai, Hiroki; Tamura, Kenji; Kikuchi, Ryosuke; Takahashi, Yoshio; Yaita, Tsuyoshi; Kogure, Toshihiro

2018-10-01

For the better understanding of radioactive contamination in Fukushima Prefecture at present and in future, Cs desorption experiments have been conducted mainly using weathered biotite (WB) collected from Fukushima Prefecture and considering the actual contamination level (∼10 -10  wt%) of radiocesium in Fukushima Prefecture. In the experiments, 137 Cs sorbed to WB by immersing in 137 Cs solution for one day was mostly desorbed by solutions of 1 M NaNO 3 , 1 M LiNO 3 , 10 -1  M HCl, and 10 -1  M HNO 3 , although it was barely desorbed by 1 M KNO 3 , 1 M CsNO 3 , 1 M NH 4 NO 3 , and natural seawater. X-ray diffraction analysis of WB after immersing in these solutions suggested that the collapse of the hydrated interlayers in WB suppressed the desorption of Cs. On the other hand, 137 Cs was barely desorbed from WB even by the treatments with solutions of NaNO 3 and LiNO 3 if the duration for the sorption was longer than approximately two weeks, as well as radioactive WB collected from actual contaminated soils in Fukushima Prefecture. This result implies that Cs sorbed in WB became more strongly fixed with time. Probably removal of radiocesium sorbed in weathered granitic soil at Fukushima Prefecture is difficult by any electrolyte solutions, as more than seven years have passed since the accident. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sapphirine-bearing granulites from the Tongbai orogen, China: Petrology, phase equilibria, zircon U-Pb geochronology and implications for Paleozoic ultrahigh temperature metamorphism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiang, Hua; Zhong, Zeng-Qiu; Li, Ye; Qi, Min; Zhou, Han-Wen; Zhang, Li; Zhang, Ze-Ming; Santosh, M.

2014-11-01

We report here for the first time the occurrence of sapphirine-bearing granulites within the Qinling Group of the Qinling-Tongbai orogen and provide robust evidence for extreme crustal metamorphism at ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) conditions. We document the UHT indicator of sapphirine and spinel in a mafic granulite consisting of orthopyroxene, biotite, plagioclase, amphibole and rutile/ilmenite. The ferromagnesian minerals in the sapphirine-bearing granulite have high XMg [Mg/(Mg + Fe)] (orthopyroxene XMg = 0.84-0.95; biotite XMg = 0.81; amphibole XMg = 0.87-0.96). The phase equilibria modeling demonstrates that the early spinel-bearing assemblage is stable at 923-950 °C and 6.7-8.9 kbar, and the peak assemblage of Opx + Pl + Spr/Spl + Amp + Bt + Ilm (+ melt) defines a field at 922-947 °C and 8.4-10.2 kbar. Rutiles have variable Zr concentrations but mostly cluster at ca. 1,500 and 3400 ppm. Zr-in-rutile geothermometry yielded high temperatures of up to 890-940 °C. Zircon U-Pb dating of the granulite constrains the timing of the immediate post-peak and retrograde metamorphic stages as 429 ± 7 Ma and 412 ± 4 Ma, respectively. The UHT metamorphism, together with extensive occurrence of coeval magmatic suites suggests that the Tongbai orogen experienced a Paleozoic Andean-type orogeny probably derived from mid-oceanic ridge subduction of the Qinling Ocean.

Eolian additions to late Quaternary alpine soils, Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, Colorado Front Range

USGS Publications Warehouse

Muhs, D.R.; Benedict, J.B.

2006-01-01

Surface horizons of many alpine soils on Quaternary deposits in high-mountain settings are enriched in silt. The origin of these particles has been debated, particularly in the Rocky Mountain region of North America. The most common explanations are frost shattering of coarser particles and eolian additions from distant sources. We studied soil A horizons on alpine moraines of late-glacial (Satanta Peak) age in the Colorado Front Range. Surface horizons of soils on these moraines are enriched in silt and have a particle size distribution that resembles loess and dust deposits found elsewhere. The compositions of sand and silt fractions of the soils were compared to possible local source rocks, using immobile trace elements Ti, Nb, Zr, Ce, and Y. The sand fractions of soils have a wide range of trace element ratios, similar to the range of values in the local biotite gneiss bedrock. In contrast, silt fractions have narrower ranges of trace element ratios that do not overlap the range of these ratios in biotite gneiss. The particle size and geochemical results support an interpretation that silts in these soils are derived from airborne dust. Eolian silts were most likely derived from distant sources, such as the semiarid North Park and Middle Park basins to the west. We hypothesize that much of the eolian influx to soils of the Front Range occurred during an early to mid-Holocene warm period, when sediment availability in semiarid source basins was at a maximum.

Revised nomenclature and stratigraphic relationships of the Fredericksburg Complex and Quantico Formation of the Virginia Piedmont

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pavlides, Louis

1980-01-01

The Fredericksburg Complex, in part a migmatitic terrane in northeast Virginia, is subdivided on the basis of lithology, as well as aeromagnetic and aeroradiometric data, into two metamorphic suites. These suites are separated by the northeast-trending Spotsylvania lineament, a rectilinear geophysical feature that is probably the trace of an old fault zone. East of the lineament, the Po River Metamorphic Suite, of Proterozoic Z and (or) early Paleozoic age, consists dominantly of biotite gneiss, generally augen gneiss, and lesser amounts of hornblende gneiss and mica schist. West of the Spotsylvania lineament is the Ta River Metamorphic Suite, composed mostly of amphibolite and amphibole gneiss. However, to the southwest, along its strike belt, the Ta River contains abundant biotite gneiss and mica schist. Both the Ta River and Po River contain abundant foliated granitoid and pegmatoid bodies as concordant tabular masses and as crosscutting dikes; these rocks are considered part of the Ta River and Po River Metamorphic Suites. The amphibolitic Holly Corner Gneiss is interpreted to be a western allochthonous equivalent of the Ta River. Both the Ta River and Holly Corner are considered to be coeval, eastern, distal facies of the Lower Cambrian(?) Chopawamsic Formation. The Paleozoic Falls Run Granite Gneiss intrudes the Ta River Metamorphic Suite and the Holly Corner Gneiss; locally the Falls Run is interpreted to have been transported westward with the Holly Corner after intrusion. The Quantico Formation, in the core of the Quantico-Columbia synclinorium, rests with angular unconformity along its northwest and southeast limbs, respectively, on the Chopawamsic Formation and the Ta River Metamorphic Suite. The Quantico Formation is assigned the same Late Ordovician age and similar stratigraphic position as the Arvonia Slate of the Arvonia syncline. The youngest rocks of the area are the granitoid and pegmatoid bodies of the Falmouth Intrusive Suite. They consist of several generations of chiefly dikes and sills that are intrusive into the Fredericksburg Complex and into the Quantico Formation. Granitoid rocks also form small plutons. The Falmouth is isotopically dated as Carboniferous in age. Some of the metavolcanic rocks of the Evington Group and part of the amphibolite gneiss and amphibolite of the Hatcher Complex, named by W. B. Brown in 1969, are probably coeval with the Chopawamsic Formation and hence equivalents of the Ta River Metamorphic Suite and the Holly Corner Gneiss. The biotitic gneiss and granitoid rocks east of the Spotsylvania lineament in the Dillwyn area are considered to be coeval with the Po River Metamorphic Suite.

Emerald mineralization and metasomatism of amphibolite, khaltaro granitic pegmatite - Hydrothermal vein system, Haramosh Mountains, Northern Pakistan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Laurs, B.M.; Dilles, J.H.; Snee, L.W.

1996-01-01

Emerald mineralization is found within 0.1- to 1-m-thick hydrothermal veins and granitic pegmatites cutting amphibolite within the Nanga Parbat - Haramosh massif, in northern Pakistan. The amphibolite forms a sill-like body within garnet-mica schist, and both are part of a regional layered gneiss unit of Proterozoic (?) age. The 40Ar/39Ar data for muscovite from a pegmatite yield a plateau age of 9.13 ?? 0.04 Ma. Muscovite from mica schist and hornblende from amphibolite yield disturbed spectra with interpreted ages of 9 to 10 Ma and more than 225 Ma, respectively, which indicate that peak Tertiary metamorphism reached 325 to 550??C prior to 10 Ma. Pegmatites were emplaced after peak metamorphism during this interval and are older than pegmatites farther south in the massif. At Khaltaro, simply zoned albite-rich miarolitic pegmatites and hydrothermal veins containing various proportions of quartz, albite, tourmaline, muscovite, and beryl are associated with a 1- to 3-m-thick heterogeneous leucogranite sill, that is locally albitized. The pegmatites likely crystallized at 650 to 600??C at pressures of less than 2 kbar. Crystals of emerald form within thin (0.20, 0.54-0.89 wt%), to pale blue beryl (<0.07, 0.10-0.63%), to colorless beryl (<0.07, 0.07-0.28%). The amphibolite is metasomatized in less than 20-cm-wide selvages that are symmetrically zoned around veins or pegmatites. A sporadic inner zone containing F-rich biotite, tourmaline, and fluorite, with local albite, muscovite, quartz, and rare beryl, gives way to an intermediate zone containing biotite and fluorite with local plagioclase and quartz, and to an outer zone of amphibolite containing sparse biotite and local quartz. The inner and intermediate zones experienced gains of K, H, F, B, Li, Rb, Cs, Be, Ta, Nb, As, Y and Sr, and losses of Si, Mg, Ca, Fe, Cr, V and Sc. The outer alteration zone has gained F, Li, Rb, Cs, and As. Oxygen isotope analyses of igneous and hydrothermal minerals indicate that a single fluid of magmatic origin with ??18OH2O = 8??? produced the pegmatite-vein system and hydrothermal alteration at temperatures between 550 and 400??C. The formation of emerald results from introduction of HF-rich magmatic-hydrothermal fluids into the amphibolite, which caused hydrogen ion metasomatism and released Cr and Fe into the pegmatite-vein system.

K-Ar geochronology of basement rocks on the northern flank of the Huancabama deflection, Ecuador

USGS Publications Warehouse

Feininger, Tomas; Silberman, M.L.

1982-01-01

The Huancabamba deflection, a major Andean orocline located at the Ecuador-Peru border, constitutes an important geologic boundary on the Pacific coast of South America. Crust to the north of the deflection is oceanic and the basement is composed of basic igneous rocks of Cretaceous age, whereas crust to the south is continental and felsic rocks of Precambrian to Cretaceous age make up the basement. The northern flank of the Huancabamba Deflection in El Oro Province, Ecuador, is underlain by Precambrian polymetamorphic basic rocks of the Piedras Group; shale, siltstone, sandstone, and their metamorphosed equivalents in the Tahuin Group (in part of Devonian age); concordant syntectonic granitic rocks; quartz diorite and alaskite of the Maroabeli pluton; a protrusion of serpentinized harzburgite that contains a large inclusion of blueschist-facies metamorphic rocks, the Raspas Formation, and metamorphic rocks north of the La Palma fault. Biotite from gneiss of the Tahuin Group yields a Late Triassic K-Ar age (210 ? 8 m.y.). This is interpreted as an uplift age and is consistent with a regional metamorphism of Paleozoic age. A nearby sample from the Piedras Group that yielded a hornblende K-Ar age of 196 ? 8 m.y. was affected by the same metamorphic event. Biotite from quartz diorite of the mesozonal Maroabeli pluton yields a Late Triassic age (214 ? 6 m.y.) which is interpreted as an uplift age which may be only slightly younger than the age of magmatic crystallization. Emplacement of the pluton may postdate regional metamorphism of the Tahuin Group. Phengite from politic schist of the Raspas Formation yields an Early Cretaceous K-Ar age (132 ? 5 m.y.). This age is believed to date the isostatic rise of the encasing serpentinized harzburgite as movement along a subjacent subduction zone ceased, and it is synchronous with the age of the youngest lavas of a coeval volcanic arc in eastern Ecuador. A Late Cretaceous K-Ar age (74.4 ? 1.1 m.y.) from hornblende in amphibolite north of the La Palma fault shows that rocks there are distinct from the superficially similar rocks of the Tahuin Group to the south. Biotite from schist in the Eastern Andean Cordillera yields an Early Eocene age (56.6 ? 1.6 m.y.). Metamorphic rocks in the northern part of the Eastern Andean Cordillera are Cretaceous in age and were metamorphosed in part in early Tertiary time. They are unrelated to and were metamorphosed later than any of the diverse rocks exposed on the northern flank of the Huancabamba Deflection.

Geochemical and isotopic evidence for the petrogenesis and emplacement tectonics of the Serra dos Órgãos batholith in the Ribeira belt, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Machado, Rômulo; Philipp, Ruy Paulo; McReath, Ian; Peucat, Jean Jacques

2016-07-01

The Serra dos Órgãos batholith in the State of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) is a NE-SW-trending elongated body that occupies ca. 5000 km2 in plan view. It is a foliated intrusion, especially at its borders and is crosscut by syn-magmatic shear zones, with foliations that are moderately-to steeply-dipping to the northwest and moderately-to shallow-dipping in the center and to the southeast, in a configuration of a large laccolith. It was emplaced between 560 and 570 Ma, during an extensional episode that was part of a series of events that comprise the Brasiliano Orogeny in SE Brazil, and which includes deformation, metamorphism and granite intrusion during the interval between 630 and 480 Ma. The two main rock types in the batholith are biotite-hornblende monzogranite, and biotite leucogranite, with subordinate tonalite, granodiorite, diorite, quartz diorite (enclaves), aplite and pegmatite. Harker-type diagrams help show two rock groups with similar trends of evolution: a dioritic and a granitic. The first one is tholeiitic, whereas the second is calc-alkaline, with medium-to high-K calc-alkaline affinity and metaluminous to slightly peraluminous character. In both groups strong decrease in Al2O3, MgO, FeOT and CaO relative to silica contents are observed, which is compatible with trends of fractional crystallization involving clinopyroxene and/or hornblende, plagioclase, opaque minerals, apatite, microcline and biotite. The Sr and Nd isotopic data suggest recycling of a Paleoproterozoic crust as an important petrological process to generate the batholith rocks. Geothermometry (amphibole composition) and geobarometry (saturation in zircon and apatite) indicate that most of the batholith solidified at mid to lower crustal levels at about 750 °C and between 5 and 5.5 kbar. We consider that Serra dos Órgãos crustal protoliths underwent melting caused by the interaction with hotter mafic magma at the base of the crust. These two magmas, with distinct initial compositions and rheology, probably underwent mixing and mingling. This process continued during the rise of the magma through the crust, which was accompanied by magmatic differentiation. The main feature that characterizes the post-collisional Serra dos Órgãos granite magmatism is the connection with high angle ductile shear zones of continental scale and presence to a greater or lesser extent of mafic magmas.

Tectono-metamorphic evolution of the Kibuye-Gitarama-Gatumba area (Rwanda): using petrochronology to unravel the geodynamic framework of the Karagwe-Ankole Belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Daele, Johanna; Jacques, Dominique; Hulsbosch, Niels; Dewaele, Stijn; Muchez, Philippe

2017-04-01

The Mesoproterozoic Karagwe-Ankole Belt (KAB) extends from Burundi over Rwanda and NW-Tanzania to S-Uganda (Central Africa). The integration of the metamorphic and magmatic evolution of this orogenic belt in a consistent geodynamic framework is still controversial. Additionally, geochronological information on the deformation phases is limited. This tectono-metamorphic model is, however, a crucial component in the understanding of the Meso- to Early Neoproterozoic mineralization processes. A detailed structural mapping of road and river transects was performed in the Kibuye-Gitarama-Gatumba area (West Rwanda) to determine the deformation history of the KAB. Structural analyses and petrographic studies identified two main compressive deformation phases. A locally observed foliation with a N45W-N50W orientation is interpreted as the consequence of a first compressional phase (D1, shortening direction N40E-N45E). Additionally, a well-developed crenulation cleavage and a regionally pervasive foliation were found. The cleavage and foliation have an orientation of N20W-N30W (exceptionally N20E) and are indicative of a second compressional phase (D2) with an EW shortening direction. Final extension (D3) along a N30W-N10E direction resulted in boudinage and joint development. Fieldwork observations combined with known ages of the granites in the KAB indicate that D1 and D2 took place prior to 986 Ma while D3 is younger than 986 Ma. Based on thin section petrography, a petrochronological strategy was outlined to fill in the gaps of the currently broadly defined timeframe. The regional metamorphic grade of the study area is upper greenschist, with the formation of muscovite, biotite, chlorite, garnet, staurolite and cordierite. The main penetrative tectonic foliations (D1 and D2) are expressed by the preferential orientation of muscovite or biotite. In some cases, muscovite growing along the crenulation cleavage (syn-D2) was observed. Furthermore, pre- and syn-D2 garnets were identified. Different generations of quartz veins (post-dating D3) contain muscovite, garnet and/or biotite. These minerals provide excellent dating possibilities (Ar-Ar, in-situ Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd). The obtained results will be used to refine the chronological aspects of the deformation history of the KAB. Furthermore, these data will be combined with regional structural data, petrographic and geothermobarometric analyses to reconstruct the tectono-metamorphic evolution of the Karagwe-Ankole Belt, which will allow to obtain a better insight in the geodynamic evolution and the ore-forming processes.

Tectonic uplift and denudation rate influence soil chemical weathering intensity in a semi-arid environment, southeast Spain: physico-chemical and mineralogical evidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ameijeiras-Mariño, Yolanda; Opfergelt, Sophie; Schoonejans, Jérôme; Vanacker, Veerle; Sonnet, Philippe; Delmelle, Pierre

2015-04-01

Tectonic uplift is known to influence denudation rates. Denudation, including chemical weathering and physical erosion, affects soil production rates and weathering intensities. At topographic steady state, weathering can be transport- or weathering-limited. In the transport-limited regime, low denudation rates should lead to comparatively high weathering intensities, while in the weathering-limited case high denudation rates are associated with lower weathering intensities. Here, we test if this relationship applies to semi-arid environments where chemical weathering is generally slow. Three catchments (EST, FIL and CAB) were studied in the Internal Zone of the Betic Cordillera in southeast Spain, spanning a range of increasing uplift rates (10-170 mm/kyr) and increasing denudation rates (20-250 mm/kyr) from EST to CAB. In each catchment, two ridgetop soil profiles were sampled down to the bedrock. The three catchments have similar vegetation and climatic conditions, with precipitation of 250- 315 mm/yr and mean annual temperature of 15-17 °C. The mineralogy of the bedrock, as determined by XRD, is similar across the three catchments and is characterized by the presence of quartz, muscovite, clinochlore, biotite and plagioclase. This primary mineral assemblage is also found in the catchment soils, indicating that the soils studied derive from the same parent material. The soil clay-size fraction is dominated by kaolinite, vermiculite and illite. However, the proportions of the soil primary and secondary minerals vary between the catchment sites. The abundance of biotite decreases from CAB (14%) to EST (4%), whereas the quartz and clay contents show an opposite tendency (from 30 to 69% and 9.9 to 14.3%, respectively). Further, the abundance of vermiculite increases from CAB to EST. The results are interpreted in terms of increasing weathering intensity from CAB to EST by weathering of biotite into vermiculite and enrichment of soils on more weathering resistant quartz. Soil weathering intensity in each catchment was assessed previously [1] using three independent weathering indices: the Total Reserve in Bases (TRB = [Ca2+] + [Na+] + [K+] + [Mg2+]), soil Fed/Fet ratio (Fe-oxides/total Fe), and Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC). In agreement with the soil mineralogy, the physico-chemical analyses revealed increasing weathering intensity from CAB to EST. We postulate that the higher chemical weathering intensity in EST reflects lower denudation and uplift rates compared to CAB and therefore, soil chemical weathering intensity in this semi-arid environment may be controlled by denudation and uplift rates [1] Ameijeiras-Mariño et al, EGU 2014-9714-1

Highly differentiated magmas linked with polymetallic mineralization: A case study from the Cuihongshan granitic intrusions, Lesser Xing'an Range, NE China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fei, Xianghui; Zhang, Zhaochong; Cheng, Zhiguo; Santosh, M.; Jin, Ziliang; Wen, Bingbing; Li, Zixi; Xu, Lijuan

2018-03-01

The genetic link between granitoids and polymetallic skarn mineralization has remained equivocal. The Cuihongshan skarn-porphyry W-Mo-Pb-Zn-(Fe-Cu) deposit in the eastern part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt provides a unique example to address this issue. The major rock types in the mine area are Early Paleozoic intrusions composed of biotite syenogranite and biotite porphyritic granite and Early Mesozoic intrusions represented by porphyritic quartz monzonite, biotite monzogranite, and porphyritic granite. The diagnostic mineralogical and geochemical features indicate that the rocks belong to A2-type granites. The Early Paleozoic suite shows zircon U-Pb ages of 501 Ma, and εHf(t) values of - 4.4 to + 2.7 and + 2.4 to + 7.6, respectively. In combination with their coherent geochemical trends, these rocks are inferred to be products of in-situ differentiation. Although the Mesozoic suite shows crystallization ages of 194-196 Ma, εHf(t) values are in the range of - 2.5 to + 7.5 for the porphyritic quartz monzonite, the - 1.8 to + 4.5 values for the monzogranite and the + 2.3 to + 8.0 range for the porphyritic granite. The porphyritic quartz monzonite displays distinct mineral assemblage and shows significant compositional gap with the other two lithofacies. In contrast, the monzogranite and porphyritic granite have similar geochemical features, and are thus inferred to be co-magmatic. Considering the high SiO2 contents, variable εHf(t) (- 4.4 to + 8.0) and εNd(t) values (- 8.4 to + 0.28) for the two suites, we infer that both episodes of granitoid magmatism resulted from partial melting of crustal materials with a mixed source containing varying proportions of juvenile and Precambrian crustal components. The Early Mesozoic porphyritic granite shows a highly evolved F-rich geochemical affinity, and experienced magma-fluid interaction. Cassiterite from the calcic skarn and the magnesian skarn that coexists with magnetite orebodies shows a mean U-Pb age of 195.4 ± 1.9 Ma and 191.2 ± 7.5 Ma respectively, indicating that the mineralization is genetically related to the Mesozoic granitic rocks. We infer that halogen-rich magmatic-hydrothermal fluids were derived from the Early Mesozoic highly fractionated magma, and the spatial association of the metallic elements with different geochemical behavior in the Cuihongshan deposit is correlated to multiple stages of evolution of halogen-rich magmatic-hydrothermal fluids.

Geochronology and geochemistry of the granites from the Zhuxi W-Cu ore deposit in South China: Implication for petrogenesis, geodynamical setting and mineralization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Xiaofei; Hou, Zengqian; Zhao, Miao; Chen, Guohua; Rao, Jianfeng; Li, Yan; Wei, Jin; Ouyang, Yongpeng

2018-04-01

The giant Zhuxi tungsten deposit is located in the Taqian-Fuchun Ore Belt in northeastern Jiangxi province, and genetically associated with the Zhuxi granitic stocks and dykes. Three mineralization-related granites including granite porphyry dykes (GP), biotite granitic stocks (BG), and white granitic dykes (WG), were identified in the Zhuxi deposit. SHRIMP zircon U-Pb analysis for the three granitic rocks present ages ranging from 153.5 ± 1.0 Ma to 150.4 ± 1.0 Ma. The BG mainly contains quartz, microcline, albite, biotite and muscovite with minor accessory minerals including zircon, apatite, monazite, Ti/Fe oxides, and dolerite. However, the WG is mainly composed of quartz, microcline and albite with minor muscovite and accessory minerals. The GP is a medium-grained porphyritic granite and its phenocrysts include quartz, alkali feldspar, muscovite and plagioclase. All the Zhuxi granites have high SiO2 content (71.97 wt%-81.19 wt%) and total alkali (3.25 wt%-9.42 wt%), and their valid aluminum saturation index (ASI) values show a wide range of 1.03 to 2.49. High Rb/Sr ratios, low Sr content (<50 ppm) and markedly negative Eu anomalies of GP, WG and BG demonstrated that the Zhuxi granites are highly fractioned and intensive crystal differentiated. Because they display the features of both I- and S-types granites, they were confirmed to be I-S transform-type granites. Whole rock εNd(t) and zircon εHf(t) values fall into the ranges of -6.98 to -11.97, and -3.1 to -11.5, and the Nd (TDM2) and Hf two-stage model ages (TDMc) are 1.51-1.92 Ga and 1.42-2.01 Ga, respectively. Geochemical and isotopic data suggest that these highly fractionated I-S transform-type granites were originated from magmas which showed affinity with the Proterozoic continent and the Shuangqiaoshan Group and little mantle contribution was involved during the generation of Zhuxi granitic rocks. Extreme fractional crystallization resulted in further enrichment of tungsten in the evolved granitic magma. New data, presented together with previously published data, suggest that the Zhuxi granitic complex was likely to be formed during lithospheric compression setting during the late Jurassic to early Cretaceous. The biotite granite stock predominately contributed to the production of skarn alteration and mineralization, followed by the white granite dyke; the granite porphyry dykes have little effect.

Generation of Late Mesozoic Qianlishan A2-type granite in Nanling Range, South China: Implications for Shizhuyuan W-Sn mineralization and tectonic evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yuxiao; Li, He; Sun, Weidong; Ireland, Trevor; Tian, Xufeng; Hu, Yongbin; Yang, Wubin; Chen, Chen; Xu, Deru

2016-12-01

The Late Mesozoic Qianlishan granitic complex in the western Nanling Range, South China is associated with the Shizhuyuan giant W-Sn-Mo-Bi polymetallic deposit. It mainly consists of three phases of intrusions, P-1 porphyritic biotite granite, P-2 equigranular biotite granite and P-3 granite porphyry. All three phases of granite contain quartz, plagioclase, K-feldspar and Fe-rich biotite. They have geochemical affinities of A-type granites, e.g., high FeOT/(FeOT + MgO) ratios (0.84-0.99), total alkali (Na2O + K2O, 7.50-9.04 wt.%), high Ga/Al ratios (10,000*Ga/Al > 2.6) and high Zr + Nb + Y + Ce concentrations (> 350 ppm). High Y/Nb ratios (> 1.2) suggest that the Qianlishan complex belongs to A2-type granite. Zircon U-Pb ages indicate a short age interval decreasing from 158-157 Ma, to 158-155 Ma and to 154 Ma for the P-1, P-2 and P-3 granites, respectively. These ages are similar to the mineralization age of the Shizhuyuan tungsten polymetallic deposit, within error. The Qianlishan granites were generated at low oxygen fugacity conditions based on the low values of zircon Ce4 +/Ce3 + ratios (1.53-198) and significantly negative Eu anomalies (EuN/EuN*, 0.03-0.13) in apatite. New zircon εHf(t) values for the P-3 granite range from - 13.0 to - 4.4, similar to those previously obtained for the P-1 and P-2 granites. Both the granite and apatite grains therein are characterized by high F but low Cl concentrations, suggesting the influx of a high F/Cl component. The P-2 granites especially contain higher F contents (1840-8690 ppm) and W (7-158 ppm) and Sn (6-51 ppm) concentrations and with stronger evolution features. Positive trends between F and W and Sn of Qianlishan complex indicate that high F source is crucial for mineralization of W and Sn. We consider that the lithospheric mantle source may have been metasomatized by subduction fluids in the far end of subduction zones to produce the A2 feature of the Qianlishan granite and the fluorine was introduced through breakdown of phengite in the oceanic slab. Partial melting of the lithospheric mantle was induced by upwelling of the asthenospheric mantle as a consequence of slab rollback. Tungsten and tin have been enriched in reduced granitic magmas through fractionation enhanced by high F contents, forming the giant polymetallic deposits.

An isotopic study of mafic microgranular enclaves in the Katsuragi adakitic tonalite, southwestern Japan.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tezuka, N.; Tsuboi, M.; Asahara, Y.

2017-12-01

The Cretaceous Katsuragi tonalite in southwestern Japan has been regarded as adakite formed by the partial melting of lower crust a) b). The tonalite is 10 x 15 km in areal extent, is composed of hornblende-biotite tonalite with a mineral assemblage of plagioclase, biotite, quartz and hornblende, and contains mafic microgranular enclaves (MME). The MME has dioritic composition with a mineral assemblage of plagioclase, biotite, hornblende and quartz. The boundary between the tonalite and the MME is sharp. To reveal the relationship between the MME and adakitic feature of the host tonalite, we have focused on the chemical and Sr-Nd isotopic compositions of the MME in the Katsuragi tonalite. Three models have been proposed for the origin of MME: restite, magma-mixing, and cumulate c). In the restite model, MME is regarded as a residual material of partial melting, and therefore chemical compositions of MME and host should show a linear trend on the Harker's diagram. However, the Katsuragi tonalite and its MME do not show one linear trend. Based on mixing of two magmas, initial 87Sr/86Sr (SrI) value of MME is basically different from that of its host. However, the SrI value of the MME is 0.70725-0.70749 and is identical to the value of 0.70728 in the Katsuragi tonalite d), indicating one magma source for the MME and its host. According to the cumulate model, MME forms from cumulate piles by subsequent feeding of congenetic magma immediately after the early crystallized minerals are solidified. The concordance of the age and SrI between the Katsuragi tonalite and its MME strongly indicate the cumulate origin c). Furthermore, the mineral assemblage of the MME resembles with the common mineral assemblage of andesitic cumulate such as plagioclase, hornblende and quartz c), and this is consistent with the cumulate model. Based on the cumulate origin of the MME, the adakitic feature of chemical composition in the host rock is potentially formed by the separation of cumulate. In the presentation, we evaluate the adakitic, chemical composition of the Katsuragi tonalite by calculation of MME separation from parental magma. a) K. Takemura, M. Tsuboi, 2014, MAGMA, 96, 31, 44. b) Y. Nishioka, 2008, 115th Ann. Meet. Geol. Soc. Japan, Abstr., 131.c) S. Chen et al., 2016, Lithos, 248, 251, 455, 468. d) K. Morioka et al., 2000, Island Arc, 9, 46, 54.

Sources of granite magmatism in the Embu Terrane (Ribeira Belt, Brazil): Neoproterozoic crust recycling constrained by elemental and isotope (Sr-Nd-Pb) geochemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alves, Adriana; Janasi, Valdecir de Assis; Campos Neto, Mario da Costa

2016-07-01

Whole rock elemental and Sr-Nd isotope geochemistry and in situ K-feldspar Pb isotope geochemistry were used to identify the sources involved in the genesis of Neoproterozoic granites from the Embu Terrane, Ribeira Belt, SE Brazil. Granite magmatism spanned over 200 Ma (810-580 Ma), and is dominated by crust-derived relatively low-T (850-750 °C, zircon saturation) biotite granites to biotite-muscovite granites. Two Cryogenian plutons show the least negative εNdt (-8 to -10) and highest mg# (30-40) of the whole set. Their compositions are strongly contrasted, implying distinct sources for the peraluminous (ASI ∼ 1.2) ∼660 Ma Serra do Quebra-Cangalha batholith (metasedimentary rocks from relatively young upper crust with high Rb/Sr and low Th/U) and the metaluminous (ASI = 0.96-1.00) ∼ 630 Ma Santa Catarina Granite. Although not typical, the geochemical signature of these granites may reflect a continental margin arc environment, and they could be products of a prolonged period of oceanic plate consumption started at ∼810 Ma. The predominant Ediacaran (595-580 Ma) plutons have a spread of compositions from biotite granites with SiO2 as low as ∼65% (e.g., Itapeti, Mauá, Sabaúna and Lagoinha granites) to fractionated muscovite granites (Mogi das Cruzes, Santa Branca and Guacuri granites; up to ∼75% SiO2). εNdT are characteristically negative (-12 to -18), with corresponding Nd TDM indicating sources with Paleoproterozoic mean crustal ages (2.0-2.5 Ga). The Guacuri and Santa Branca muscovite granites have the more negative εNdt, highest 87Sr/86Srt (0.714-0.717) and lowest 208Pb/206Pb and 207Pb/206Pb, consistent with an old metasedimentary source with low time-integrated Rb/Sr. However, a positive Nd-Sr isotope correlation is suggested by data from the other granites, and would be consistent with mixing between an older source predominant in the Mauá granite and a younger, high Rb/Sr source that is more abundant in the Lagoinha granite sample. The Ediacaran granites are coeval with profuse granite magmatism attributed to continental arc magmatism in northern Ribeira and Araçuaí belts. However, their evolved compositions with low mg# and dominantly peraluminous character are unlike those of magmatic arc granites, and they are more likely products of post-collisional magmatism or correspond to an inner belt of crust-derived granites.

Ore genesis constraints on the Idaho Cobalt Belt from fluid inclusion gas, noble gas isotope, and ion ratio analyses

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hofstra, Albert H.; Landis, Gary P.

2012-01-01

The Idaho cobalt belt is a 60-km-long alignment of deposits composed of cobaltite, Co pyrite, chalcopyrite, and gold with anomalous Nb, Y, Be, and rare-earth elements (REEs) in a quartz-biotite-tourmaline gangue hosted in Mesoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks of the Lemhi Group. It is the largest cobalt resource in the United States with historic production from the Blackbird Mine. All of the deposits were deformed and metamorphosed to upper greenschist-lower amphibolite grade in the Cretaceous. They occur near a 1377 Ma anorogenic bimodal plutonic complex. The enhanced solubility of Fe, Co, Cu, and Au as chloride complexes together with gangue biotite rich in Fe and Cl and gangue quartz containing hypersaline inclusions allows that hot saline fluids were involved. The isotopes of B in gangue tourmaline are suggestive of a marine source, whereas those of Pb in ore suggest a U ± Th-enriched source. The ore and gangue minerals in this belt may have trapped components in fluid inclusions that are distinct from those in post-ore minerals and metamorphic minerals. Such components can potentially be identified and distinguished by their relative abundances in contrasting samples. Therefore, we obtained samples of Co and Cu sulfides, gangue quartz, biotite, and tourmaline and post-ore quartz veins as well as Cretaceous metamorphic garnet and determined the gas, noble gas isotope, and ion ratios of fluid inclusion extracts by mass spectrometry and ion chromatography. The most abundant gases present in extracts from each sample type are biased toward the gas-rich population of inclusions trapped during maximum burial and metamorphism. All have CO2/CH4 and N2/Ar ratios of evolved crustal fluids, and many yield a range of H2-CH4-CO2-H2S equilibration temperatures consistent with the metamorphic grade. Cretaceous garnet and post-ore minerals have high RH and RS values suggestive of reduced sulfidic conditions. Most extracts have anomalous 4He produced by decay of U and Th and 38Ar produced by nucleogenic production from 41K. In contrast, some ore and gangue minerals yield significant SO2 and have low RH and RS values of a more oxidized fluid. Three extracts from gangue quartz have high helium R/RA values indicative of a mantle source and neon isotope compositions that require nucleogenic production of 22Ne in fluorite from U ± Th decay. Two extracts from gangue quartz have estimated 40K/40Ar that permit a Precambrian age. Extracts from gangue quartz in three different ore zones are biased toward the hypersaline population of inclusions and have a tight range of ion ratios (Na, K, NH4, Cl, Br, F) suggestive of a single fluid. Their Na, Cl, Br ratios suggest this fluid was a mixture of magmatic and basinal brine. Na-K-Ca temperatures (279°-347°C) are similar to homogenization temperatures of hypersaline inclusions. The high K/Na of the brine may be due to albitization of K silicate minerals in country rocks. Influx of K-rich brines is consistent with the K metasomatism necessary to form gangue biotite with high Cl. An extract from a post-ore quartz vein is distinct and has Na, Cl, Br ratios that resemble metamorphic fluids in Cretaceous silver veins of the Coeur d'Alene district in the Belt Basin. The results show that in some samples, for certain components, it is possible to "see through" the Cretaceous metamorphic overprint. Of great import for genetic models, the volatiles trapped in gangue quartz have 3He derived from a mantle source and 22Ne derived from fluorite, both of which may be attributed to nearby ~1377 Ma basalt-rhyolite magmatism. The brine trapped in gangue quartz is a mixture of magmatic fluid and evaporated seawater. The former requires a granitic intrusion that is present in the bimodal intrusive complex, and the latter equatorial paleolatitudes that existed in the Mesoproterozoic. The results permit genetic models involving heat and fluids from the neighboring bimodal plutonic complex and convection of basinal brine in the Lemhi Group. While the inferred fluid sources in the Idaho cobalt belt are similar in many respects to those in iron oxide copper-gold deposits, the fluids were more reduced such that iron was fixed in biotite and tourmaline instead of iron oxides.

Mineral resource of the month: mica

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hedrick, J.B.

2008-01-01

Humans have been using mica for millennia. Mica was first mined in India about 4,000 years ago, where it was used primarily in medicines, and some Hindu physicians still incorporate biotite mica into medicines today. Early civilizations also used mica for decorations, as windows and as surfaces on which to draw or paint. Maya temples were decorated with mica pigments, which were incorporated into the stucco to make it sparkle in the sun. In North America, ancient inhabitants adorned gravesites and burial mounds with animal figures made of mica.

Mineral resource of the month: Vermiculite

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tanner, Arnold O.

2014-01-01

Vermiculite comprises a group of hydrated, laminar magnesium-aluminum-iron silicate minerals resembling mica. They are secondary minerals, typically altered biotite, iron-rich phlogopite or other micas or clay-like minerals that are themselves sometimes alteration products of amphibole, chlorite, olivine and pyroxene. Vermiculite deposits are associated with volcanic ultramafic rocks rich in magnesium silicate minerals, and flakes of the mineral range in color from black to shades of brown and yellow. The crystal structure of vermiculite contains water molecules, a property that is critical to its processing for common uses.

The occurrence of fluor-wagnerite in UHT granulites and its implications towards understanding fluid regimes in the evolution of deep crust: a case study from the Eastern Ghats Belt, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Kaushik; Tomioka, Naotaka; Bose, Sankar; Ando, Jun-ichi; Ohnishi, Ichiro

2017-06-01

We report the occurrence of a rare phosphate mineral, fluor-wagnerite (Mg1.91-1.94Fe0.06-0.07Ca<0.01) (P0.99-1.00O4)(OH0.02-0.17F0.98-0.83) from the Eastern Ghats Belt of India, an orogenic belt evolved during Meso- to Neoproterozoic time. The host rock, i.e. high- to ultrahigh temperature (UHT) granulites ( 1000 °C, 8-9 kbar) of the studied area was retrogressed after emplacement to mid-crustal level (800-850 °C, 6-6.5 kbar) as deduced from their pressure -temperature histories. Based on mineral chemical data and micro-Raman analyses, we document an unusual high Mg-F-rich chemistry of the F-wagnerite, which occur both in peak metamorphic porphyroblastic assemblages as well as in the retrograde matrix assemblage. Therefore, in absence of other common phosphates like apatite, fluor-wagnerite can act as an indicator for the presence of F-bearing fluids for rocks with high X Mg and/or fO2. The occurrence of F-rich minerals as monitors for fluid compositions has important implications for the onset of biotite dehydration melting and hence melt production in the deep crust. We propose that fluor-wagnerite can occur as an accessory mineral associated with F-rich fluids in lower-mid crustal rocks, and F in coexisting minerals should be taken into consideration when reconciling the petrogenetic grid of biotite-dehydration melting.

Petrogenesis and tectonic implications of the Yadong leucogranites, southern Himalaya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gou, Zhengbin; Zhang, Zeming; Dong, Xin; Xiang, Hua; Ding, Huixia; Tian, Zuolin; Lei, Hengcong

2016-07-01

The leucogranites in the Higher Himalayan Sequence (HHS) provide a probe to elucidate the crustal melting of continental collisional orogen. An integrated geochemical and geochronological study of the Yadong leucogranites, southern Himalaya, shows that these rocks have relatively high SiO2 contents of 69.77 to 75.32 wt.% and alumina saturation index (A/CNK) of 1.09-1.40, typical of peraluminous granites. They show moderately fractionated REE patterns with negative Eu anomalies, and are characterized by enriched LILE (Rb and Cs) and depleted HFSE (Zr, Hf, Nb and Ta). LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon dating of ten samples yields crystallization ages ranging from 21.0 to 11.7 Ma. The zircons have variable εHf(t) values of - 26.3 to - 3.5 and corresponding Hf two-stage model ages of 2.77-1.33 Ga. The present study reveals that the muscovite-biotite leucogranites (2ML) have higher TiO2, MgO, CaO, Sr, Ba and Zr contents, lower Rb/Sr ratios than the tourmaline-muscovite leucogranites (TML). Zircon and monazite saturation thermometry results show that the melt temperatures (681-784 °C) of the 2ML are 20-80 °C higher than those (663-705 °C) of the TML. Combining with previous results, we propose that the TML were derived from the muscovite-dehydration melting, whereas the 2ML dominantly resulted from the biotite-dehydration melting during the prograde metamorphism of the pelitic and felsic granulites of the HHS. Therefore, the Himalayan leucogranites were probably formed during the subduction of the Indian crust following the India and Asia collision.

Alteration Mineralogy and Geochemical Characteristics of Porphyry Cu-Mo Mineralization in Domaniç (Kütahya) Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sariiz, K.; Sendir, H.

2012-04-01

The study area is located at 30 km northwest of Domaniç (Kütahya) and covers on approximately 250 square kilometers. The Devonian (Paleozoic) schists which are composed of gneiss, mica schist and chlorite schist is the oldest unit of the study area. This units are overlain unconformably by the Permian Allıkaya Marbles. Eocene granodioritic intrusives cut other rock series and located as a batholite. Magmatic units present porphyric and holocrystalline textures. Granodioritic intrusions are represented by tonalite, tonalite porphyr, granodiorite, granodiorite porphyr, granite, diorite, diorite porphyries. Potassic, phyllitic and prophyllitic hydrothermal alteration zones are determined in host rocks and wallrocks. Mineralizations are observed as disseminated, and stockwork types within the granodioritic rocks. Ore minerals are pyrotine, pyrite, chalcopyrite, molybdenite, rutile, bornite, sphalerite, marcasite and limonite. Geochemically, it is of sub-alkaline affinity, belongs to the high-K, calc-alkaline series and displays features of typical I-type affinity. They show enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements (LIL) and depletion Nb and Ti indicating a subduction zone related magmatic signature for their origin. δ18O (quartz) values range from 8,8 to 12,1 ‰. δ18O (biotite) and δD (biotite) values range from 2,6 to 6,1 ‰ and -87 - -125 (SMOW). These values indicate that mixture magmatic-meteoric of hydrothermal solutions origin which are potassic to propylitic zones. δ13C (calcite) values range from 1,9 to 3,3 ‰ (PDB). Calcite values within the marine carbonates in the study area.

The zinc stable isotope signature of waste rock drainage in Arctic Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matthies, Romy; Blowes, David

2014-05-01

Leachate emerging from a pilot-scale waste rock pile of the Diavik diamond mine, Northwest Territories, was monitored. The well-characterized waste rock consists of granite, pegmatitic granite and biotite schist with an average total sulfur and carbonate carbon concentration of 0.053 and 0.027 wt. %, respectively. During the field seasons of 2011 and 2012, the Zn stable isotope footprint was characterized alongside standard monitoring parameters. pH ranged between 4.3 and 6.8 and carbonate alkalinity was low or undetectable. Al and Fe concentrations averaged 6.78 mg L-1 and 175 µg L-1, respectively. The pH and metal mobility were governed by sulfide oxidation and sorption and co-precipitation onto iron and aluminium hydroxides. The main processes controlling zinc mobility in the range of 0.4 and 4.7 mg L-1 was the oxidative dissolution of sphalerite (ZnS) in the biotite schist and the attenuation of zinc onto secondary iron and aluminium hydroxides and desorption upon the pH declining below the pHpzc. The isotope ratios between -0.16 and +0.19 ‰ (δ66Zn, avg = +0.05 ‰, n = 43) are consistent with values reported from other sphalerite containing deposits. Zn isotope ratios and concentrations were largely uncorrelated suggesting that the processes affecting Zn mobility had little or no impact on the Zn isotope signature. Data indicate, that the Zn isotope ratios of the waste rock leachate may be used as a fingerprint to track anthropogenic, mine-derived Zn sources under varying environmental conditions.

Isotopic exchange in mineral-fluid systems. IV. The crystal chemical controls on oxygen isotope exchange rates in carbonate-H 2O and layer silicate-H 2O systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cole, David R.

2000-03-01

Oxygen isotope exchange between minerals and water in systems far from chemical equilibrium is controlled largely by surface reactions such as dissolution-precipitation. In many cases, this behavior can be modeled adequately by a simple pseudo-first order rate model that accounts for changes in surface area of the solid. Previous modeling of high temperature isotope exchange data for carbonates, sulfates, and silicates indicated that within a given mineral group there appears to be a systematic relationship between rate and mineral chemistry. We tested this idea by conducting oxygen isotope exchange experiments in the systems, carbonate-H 2O and layer silicate-H 2O at 300 and 350°C, respectively. Witherite (BaCO 3), strontianite (SrCO 3) and calcite (CaCO 3) were reacted with pure H 2O for different lengths of time (271-1390 h) at 300°C and 100 bars. The layer silicates, chlorite, biotite and muscovite were reacted with H 2O for durations ranging from 132 to 3282 h at 350°C and 250 bars. A detailed survey of grain sizes and grain habits using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated that grain regrowth occurred in all experiments to varying extents. Changes in the mean grain diameters were particularly significant in experiments involving withertite, strontianite and biotite. The variations in the extent of oxygen isotope exchange were measured as a function of time, and fit to a pseudo-first order rate model that accounted for the change in surface area of the solid during reaction. The isotopic rates (ln r) for the carbonate-H 2O system are -20.75 ± 0.44, -18.95 ± 0.62 and -18.51 ± 0.48 mol O m -2 s -1 for calcite, strontianite and witherite, respectively. The oxygen isotope exchange rates for layer silicate-H 2O systems are -23.99 ± 0.89, -23.14 ± 0.74 and -22.40 ± 0.66 mol O m -2 s -1 for muscovite, biotite and chlorite, respectively. The rates for the carbonate-H 2O systems increase in order from calcite to strontianite to witherite. This order clearly reflects the influence of the change in cation chemistry, i.e., Ba > Sr > Ca. A similar pattern is observed for the layer silicate-H 2O systems, where chlorite>biotite>muscovite. The link between cation chemistry and rate is more complicated in this case, but in general, the order follows a trend where Mg-Fe > K-Mg > K, with an associated increase in Si and Al, and decrease in hydroxyl. The isotopic-chemical relations suggest that oxygen isotope exchange behavior monitored experimentally in this study is the net result of bond-breaking and dissolution of the mineral, complex ion formation in solution and growth of the mineral, whose structure is controlled, in large part, by the lattice energy. We compared the rates against the electrostatic attractive lattice energies (neglecting the repulsive forces), normalized per number of cations. The correlations between rates and lattice energies are quite good for both mineral-H 2O systems. The increase in rates correlated with a decrease in the electrostatic attractive lattice energies, i.e., the greater the lattice energy required to break up the crystal, the more sluggish the rates for both chemical and isotopic exchange. By establishing an unambiguous relationship between rate, lattice energy, and ultimately temperature, we can begin to develop empirical equations useful in predicting rates of isotopic exchange for minerals for which experimental data are lacking.

Mesoproterozoic juvenile mafic-ultramafic magmatism in the SW Amazonian Craton (Rio Negro-Juruena province): SHRIMP U-Pb geochronology and Nd-Sr constraints of the Figueira Branca Suite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teixeira, Wilson; Geraldes, Mauro C.; D'Agrella-Filho, Manoel S.; Santos, João O. S.; Sant'Ana Barros, Márcia A.; Ruiz, Amarildo S.; Corrêa da Costa, Paulo C.

2011-12-01

The Figueira Branca Suite (FBS) comprises a layered mafic-ultramafic complex which together with mafic-felsic plugs makes up a string of NW-trending intrusive bodies that are emplaced into the Jauru domain (Rio Negro-Juruena province; 1.80-1.60 Ga). This domain comprises Orosirian calc-alkaline rocks and coeval metamorphic volcanic-sedimentary associations, intruded by voluminous granitoid plutons resulted from outboard Cachoeirinha (1587-1522 Ma) and Santa Helena (1485-1420 Ma) accretionary orogens that eventually created the Rondonian-San Ignacio province along the SW margin of the proto-Amazonian Craton. SHRIMP U-Pb age in zircon for one cumulatic gabbro from the FBS yielded a concordia intercept age of 1425.5 ± 8.0 Ma (MSWD = 1.11). Another gabbroic plug which crops out to the East gives a similar within error concordia intercept zircon age of 1415.9 ± 6.9 Ma (MSWD = 0.25), whereas a nearby monzogranite yields a concordia intercept zircon age of 1428.9 ± 2.8 Ma (MSWD = 1.30). All these results are crystallization ages and constrain an important intraplate magmatic event within the Orosirian continental crust at the time of outboard Santa Helena orogen. On the other hand, igneous titanite from another gabbro located to the West of the FBS yielded a weighted mean 207Pb/ 206Pb crystallization age of 1541 ± 23 Ma (MSWD = 0.74). Therefore this rock is not genetically associated with the FBS, as previously suggested by the field information. Additional Nd-Sr isotopic analyses of the FBS mafic-ultramafic rocks and coeval gabbro showed comparable ɛNd(1.42Ga) values (+3.0 to +4.7) and variable ɛSr(1.42Ga) ones (-39.1 to -8.1). These data plot in the depleted field quadrant of the Nd-Sr diagram, indicating a significant influence of the MORB end-member reservoir in the magma genesis. This interpretation is similarly supported by comparison of the Nd evolutionary path of the FBS with those that characterize the isotopic evolution of the Jauru crust and the Cachoeirinha and Santa Helena intrusive plutons. The bulk isotopic signature allows the genetic relationship among the Santa Helena Suite and the FBS and coeval rocks. The anorogenic character of the FBS is supported by the geologic framework of the Jauru domain, given that the emplacement took place under an extensional regime, associated with the recognized regional NW-trending structures. 40Ar- 39Ar analyses were carried out in mafic rocks that are assigned to the FBS. Biotite from a gabbronorite yielded an ideogram age of 1222 ± 5 Ma while a nearby troctolite yielded plateau biotite ages of 1275 ± 4 Ma and 1268 ± 4 Ma. These ages are minimum estimates of the regional cooling of the FBS. One gabbro of the Alto Jauru Group yields a 40Ar- 39Ar plateau age of 1781 ± 15 Ma, interpreted as the time of regional cooling that succeeded continental accretion and metamorphism at Orosirian times. Later on heterogenous crustal thickening and uplift took place from West to East, as response from the Cachoeirinha and Santa Helena orogen dynamics, which is marked by the 1539-1510 Ma and 1452-1322 Ma 40Ar- 39Ar age-patterns, respectively. The available apparent ages suggest that Cachoeirinha crust was subjected to a fast exhumation rate (ca. 50 m.y.), as estimated by the zircon-titanite-hornblende-biotite time-path, while the Santa Helena crust seems to display a lower exhumation rate. Particularly, the youngest 40Ar- 39Ar biotite age (1322 Ma) available for the Santa Helena crust signals the post-tectonic phase of the Rondonian-San Ignacio province.

Characterization of magmatism and deformation in "Foz do Douro Metamorphic Complex" (N Portugal): insights from AMS studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sousa, Mónica; Sant'Ovaia, Helena; Noronha, Fernando

2013-04-01

The "Foz do Douro Metamorphic Complex" (FDMC) is situated on the shoreline of Porto extending along ~3km series of small beaches. The geology of this zone is marked by magnificent outcrops of a thin band of Precambrian metamorphic rocks intruded by Variscan granites and by the effects of Porto-Tomar-Ferreira do Alentejo, N330° a N340°, dextral, shear zone [1,2]. The metamorphic band is represented by outcrops of metasedimentary rocks, spatially associated to different types of orthogneisses and amphibolites that constitute the FDMC [3]. The granites belong to a late-Variscan granite group (298±11Ma) [4]. Studies of Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility (AMS) were carried out on several types of orthogneisses and amphibolites from the FDMC, as well as on the Variscan granites and tonalites. The results presented here are related to 218 samples collected on 21 sampling sites: 6 sites (n=67) on leucocratic orthogneisses (Group 1), 10 sites (n=99) on biotite orthogneisses (Group 2), 1 site (n=11) on amphibolite (Group 3), 1 site (n=11) on biotite granite (Group 4), 2 sites (n=20) on biotite porphyritic granites (Group 5) and 1 site (n=10) on tonalite (Group 6). Magnetic anisotropy, expressed by the ratio Kmax/Kmin, ranges from 1.045 to 1.144 in Groups 1, 3, 4 and 5 and from 1.139 to 1.297 in Groups 2 and 6. The magnetic fabric is characterized by subvertical magnetic foliations in all lithologies with directions varying from N41° to N86° in Groups 1 and 2, N0° to N10° in Group 3, N80° to N90° in Group 6 and N130° to N140° in Groups 4 and 5, and mainly subvertical magnetic lineations dipping 50° to 86° in Groups 1 and 2, 77 to 80° in Group 3, 75° to 80° in Group 5 and 65° to 70° in Group 6, with the exception of 3 orthogneisses (one belonging to Group 1 and two from Group 2) and two granites (one belonging to Group 4 and one to Group 5) which reveal subhorizontal (04° to 36°) magnetic lineations. Magnetic susceptibility (K) ranges between 20.0 and 74.3 x 10-6 SI in Groups 1 and 4, which indicates a paramagnetic behaviour of these lithologies due to the presence of minerals, such as biotite and ilmenite. In Groups 2, 3, 5 and 6, K present values > 10-3 SI which indicates the presence of magnetite (0.12 to 1.49 x 10-3 SI in Group 2 and averages of 0.58 x 10-3 SI in Group 3, 0.22 x 10-3 SI in Group 5 and 1.0 x10-3 SI in Group 6). The anisotropy and magnetic fabric of the FDMC formations and of the granitic rocks are clear indicators of different styles of deformation on these rocks. The results confirm the field observations pointing out that this area was affected by intense deformation probably subjected to deformation partioning. K values indicate distinct types of magmatism: a oxidized type (magnetite type) (Groups 2, 3, 5 and 6) and a reduced type (Groups 1 and 4). References [1] Chaminé et al. (2003) Cadernos Lab. Xeolóxicos de Laxe 28, 37-78. [2] Ribeiro et al. (2009) C. R. Geoscience 341, 127-139. [3] Noronha & Leterrier (2000) Revista Real Academia Galega de Ciências XIX, 21-42. [4] Martins et al. (2011) C. R. Geoscience 343, 387-396. Acknowledgements Research carried out at the "Centro de Geologia UP" an R&D unit from "Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia" (FCT). First author is being funded by a doctoral scholarship from FCT (Ref. SFRH/BD/47891/2008).

Preliminary Geologic Map of the Hemet 7.5' Quadrangle, Riverside County, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Morton, Douglas M.; Matti, Jon C.

2005-01-01

The Hemet 7.5' quadrangle is located near the eastern edge of the Perris block of the Peninsular Ranges batholith. The northeastern corner of the quadrangle extends across the San Jacinto Fault Zone onto the edge of the San Jacinto Mountains block. The Perris block is a relatively stable area located between the Elsinore Fault Zone on the west and the San Jacinto Fault Zone on the east. Both of the fault zones are active; the San Jacinto being the seismically most active in southern California. The fault zone is obscured by very young alluvial deposits. The concealed location of the San Jacinto Fault Zone shown on this quadrangle is after Sharp, 1967. The geology of the quadrangle is dominated by Cretaceous tonalite formerly included in the Coahuila Valley pluton of Sharp (1967). The northern part of Sharp's Coahuila Valley pluton is separated out as the Hemet pluton. Tonalite of the Hemet pluton is more heterogeneous than the tonalite of the Coahuila Valley pluton and has a different sturctural pattern. The Coahuila Valley pluton consists of relatively homogeneous hornblende-biotite tonalite, commonly with readily visible large euhedral honey-colored sphene crystals. Only the tip of the adjacent Tucalota Valley pluton, another large tonalite pluton, extends into the quadrangle. Tonalite of the Tucalota Valley pluton is very similar to the tonalite of the Coahuila Valley pluton except it generally lacks readily visible sphene. In the western part of the quadrangle a variety of amphibolite grade metasedimentary rocks are informally referred to as the rocks of Menifee Valley; named for exposures around Menifee Valley west of the Hemet quadrangle. In the southwestern corner of the quadrangle a mixture of schist and gneiss marks a suture that separated low metamorphic grade metasedimentary rocks to the west from high metamorphic grade rocks to the east. The age of these rocks is interpreted to be Triassic and the age of the suturing is about 100 Ma, essentially the same age as the adjacent Coahuila Valley pluton. Rocks within the suture zone consist of a mixture of lithologies from both sides of the suture. Gneiss, schist, and anatectic gneiss are the predominate lithologies within the rocks on the east side of the suture. Lesser amounts of metalithic greywacke and lenticular masses of black amphibolite are subordinate rock types. Biotite, biotite-sillimanite and lesser amounts of garnet-biotite-sillimanite schist and metaquartzite-metalithic greywacke lithologies occur west of the suture. Pleistocene continental beds, termed the Bautista beds occur east of the San Jacinto Fault Zone in the northeast corner of the quadrangle. Most of the Bautista beds were derived from the San Jacinto pluton that is located just to the east of the sedimentary rocks. Along the northern part of the quadrangle is the southern part of a large Holocene-late Pleistocene fan emanating from Baustista Canyon. Sediments in the Bautista fan are characterized by their content of detritus derived from amphibolite grade metasedimentary rocks located in the Bautista Canyon drainage. Between the Holocene-late Pleistocene Bautista fan and the Santa Rosa Hills is the remnant of a much older Bautista Canyon alluvial fan. A pronounced Holocene-late Pleistocene channel was developed along the south fringe of the very old alluvial fan and the Santa Rosa Hill. A now dissected late to middle Pleistocene alluvial complex was produced by the coalesced fans of Goodhart, St. Johns, and Avery canyons, and Cactus Valley. Pleistocene continental beds, termed the Bautista beds occur east of the San Jacinto Fault Zone in the northeast corner of the quadrangle. Most of the Bautista beds were derived from the San Jacinto pluton that is located just to the east of the sedimentary rocks. Along the northern part of the quadrangle is the southern part of a large Holocene-late Pleistocene fan emanating from Baustista Canyon. Sediments in the Bautista fan are characterized by

Intrusive rocks of the Holden and Lucerne quadrangles, Washington; the relation of depth zones, composition, textures, and emplacement of plutons

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cater, Fred W.

1982-01-01

The core of the northern Cascade Range in Washington consists of Precambrian and upper Paleozoic metamorphic rocks cut by numerous plutons, ranging in age from early Triassic to Miocene. The older plutons have been eroded to catazonal depths, whereas subvolcanic rocks are exposed in the youngest plutons. The Holden and Lucerne quadrangles span a -sizeable and representative part of this core. The oldest of the formations mapped in these quadrangles is the Swakane Biotite Gneiss, which was shown on the quadrangle maps as Cretaceous and older in age. The Swakane has yielded a middle Paleozoic metamorphic age, and also contains evidence of zircon inherited from some parent material more than 1,650 m.y. old. In this report, the Swakane is assigned an early Paleozoic or older age. It consists mostly of biotite gneiss, but interlayered with it are scattered layers and lenses of hornblende schist and gneiss, clinozoisite-epidote gneiss, and quartzite. Thickness of the Swakane is many thousands of meters, and the base is not exposed. The biotite gneiss is probably derived from a pile of siliceous volcanic rocks containing scattered sedimentary beds and basalt flows. Overlying the Swakane is a thick sequence of eugeosynclinal upper Paleozoic rocks metamorphosed to amphibolite grade. The sequence includes quartzite and thin layers of marble, hornblende schist and gneiss, graphitic schist, and smaller amounts of schist and gneiss of widely varying compositions. The layers have been tightly and complexly folded, and, in places, probably had been thrust over the overlying Swakane prior to metamorphism. Youngest of the supracrustal rocks in the area are shale, arkosic sandstone, and conglomerate of the Paleocene Swauk Formation. These rocks are preserved in the Chiwaukum graben, a major structural element of the region. Of uncertain age, but possibly as old as any of the intrusive rocks in the area, are small masses of ultramafic rocks, now almost completely altered to serpentine. These occur either as included irregular masses in later intrusives or as tectonically emplaced lenses in metamorphic rocks. Also of uncertain age but probably much younger, perhaps as young as Eocene, are larger masses of hornblendite and hornblende periodotite that grade into hornblende gabbro. These are exposed on the surface and in the underground workings of the Holden mine. Oldest of the granitoid intrusives are the narrow, nearly concordant Dumbell Mountain plutons, having a radiometric age of about 220 m.y. They consist of gneissic hornblende-quartz diorite and quartz diorite gneiss. Most contacts consist of lit-par-lit zones, but some are gradational or more rarely sharp. The plutons are typically catazonal. Closely resembling the Dumbell Mountain plutons in outcrop appearance, but differing considerably in composition, are the Bearcat Ridge plutons. These consist of gneissic quartz diorite and granodiorite. The Bearcat Ridge plutons are not in contact with older dated plutons, but because their textural and structural characteristics so closely resemble those of the Dumbell Mountain plutons, they are considered to be the same age. Their composition, however, is suggestive of a much younger age. Cutting the Dumbell Mountain plutons is the Leroy Creek pluton, consisting of gneissic biotite-quartz diorite and trondjhemite. The gneissic foliation in the Leroy Creek is characterized by a strong and pervasive swirling. Cutting both the Dumbell Mountain and Leroy Creek plutons are the almost dikelike Seven-fingered Jack plutons. These range in composition from gabbro to quartz diorite; associated with them are contact complexes of highly varied rocks characterized by gabbro and coarse-grained hornblendite. Most of the rocks are gneissic, but some are massive and structureless. Radiometric ages by various methods range from 100 to 193 m.y. Dikes, sills, small stocks, and irregular clots of leucocratic quartz diorite and granodiorite are abundant in t

Experimental constraints on the relative stabilities of the two systems monazite-(Ce) - allanite-(Ce) - fluorapatite and xenotime-(Y) - (Y,HREE)-rich epidote - (Y,HREE)-rich fluorapatite, in high Ca and Na-Ca environments under P-T conditions of 200-1000 MPa and 450-750 °C

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budzyń, Bartosz; Harlov, Daniel E.; Kozub-Budzyń, Gabriela A.; Majka, Jarosław

2017-04-01

The relative stabilities of phases within the two systems monazite-(Ce) - fluorapatite - allanite-(Ce) and xenotime-(Y) - (Y,HREE)-rich fluorapatite - (Y,HREE)-rich epidote have been tested experimentally as a function of pressure and temperature in systems roughly replicating granitic to pelitic composition with high and moderate bulk CaO/Na2O ratios over a wide range of P-T conditions from 200 to 1000 MPa and 450 to 750 °C via four sets of experiments. These included (1) monazite-(Ce), labradorite, sanidine, biotite, muscovite, SiO2, CaF2, and 2 M Ca(OH)2; (2) monazite-(Ce), albite, sanidine, biotite, muscovite, SiO2, CaF2, Na2Si2O5, and H2O; (3) xenotime-(Y), labradorite, sanidine, biotite, muscovite, garnet, SiO2, CaF2, and 2 M Ca(OH)2; and (4) xenotime-(Y), albite, sanidine, biotite, muscovite, garnet, SiO2, CaF2, Na2Si2O5, and H2O. Monazite-(Ce) breakdown was documented in experimental sets (1) and (2). In experimental set (1), the Ca high activity (estimated bulk CaO/Na2O ratio of 13.3) promoted the formation of REE-rich epidote, allanite-(Ce), REE-rich fluorapatite, and fluorcalciobritholite at the expense of monazite-(Ce). In contrast, a bulk CaO/Na2O ratio of 1.0 in runs in set (2) prevented the formation of REE-rich epidote and allanite-(Ce). The reacted monazite-(Ce) was partially replaced by REE-rich fluorapatite-fluorcalciobritholite in all runs, REE-rich steacyite in experiments at 450 °C, 200-1000 MPa, and 550 °C, 200-600 MPa, and minor cheralite in runs at 650-750 °C, 200-1000 MPa. The experimental results support previous natural observations and thermodynamic modeling of phase equilibria, which demonstrate that an increased CaO bulk content expands the stability field of allanite-(Ce) relative to monazite-(Ce) at higher temperatures indicating that the relative stabilities of monazite-(Ce) and allanite-(Ce) depend on the bulk CaO/Na2O ratio. The experiments also provide new insights into the re-equilibration of monazite-(Ce) via fluid-aided coupled dissolution-reprecipitation, which affects the Th-U-Pb system in runs at 450 °C, 200-1000 MPa, and 550 °C, 200-600 MPa. A lack of compositional alteration in the Th, U, and Pb in monazite-(Ce) at 550 °C, 800-1000 MPa, and in experiments at 650-750 °C, 200-1000 MPa indicates the limited influence of fluid-mediated alteration on volume diffusion under high P-T conditions. Experimental sets (3) and (4) resulted in xenotime-(Y) breakdown and partial replacement by (Y,REE)-rich fluorapatite to Y-rich fluorcalciobritholite. Additionally, (Y,HREE)-rich epidote formed at the expense of xenotime-(Y) in three runs with 2 M Ca(OH)2 fluid, at 550 °C, 800 MPa; 650 °C, 800 MPa; and 650 °C, 1000 MPa similar to the experiments involving monazite-(Ce). These results confirm that replacement of xenotime-(Y) by (Y,HREE)-rich epidote is induced by a high Ca bulk content with a high CaO/Na2O ratio. These experiments demonstrate also that the relative stabilities of xenotime-(Y) and (Y,HREE)-rich epidote are strongly controlled by pressure.

SHRIMP U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar age constraints for relating plutonism and mineralization in the Boulder batholith region, Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lund, K.; Aleinikoff, J.N.; Kunk, Michael J.; Unruh, D.M.; Zeihen, G.D.; Hodges, W.C.; du Bray, E.A.; O'Neill, J. M.

2002-01-01

The composite Boulder batholith, Montana, hosts a variety of mineral deposit types, including important silver-rich polymetallic quartz vein districts in the northern part of the batholith and the giant Butte porphyry copper-molybdenum pre-Main Stage system and crosscutting copper-rich Main Stage vein system in the southern part of the batholith. Previous dating studies have identified ambiguous relationships among igneous and mineralizing events. Mineralizing hydrothermal fluids for these types of deposits and magma for quartz porphyry dikes at Butte have all been considered to be late-stage differentiates of the Boulder batholith. However, previous dating studies indicated that the Boulder batholith plutons cooled from about 78 to 72 Ma, whereas copper-rich Main Stage veins at Butte were dated at about 61 Ma. Recent efforts to date the porphyry copper-molybdenum pre-Main Stage deposits at Butte resulted in conflicting estimates of both 64 and 76 Ma for the mineralizing events. Silver-rich polymetallic quartz vein deposits elsewhere in the batholith have not been dated previously. To resolve this controversy, we used the U.S. Geological Survey, Stanford, SHRIMP RG ion mic??roprobe to date single-age domains within zircons from plutonic rock samples and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology to date white mica, biotite, and K-feldspar from mineral deposits. U-Pb zircon ages are Rader Creek Granodiorite, 80.4 ?? 1.2 Ma; Unionville Granodiorite, 78.2 ?? 0.8 Ma; Pulpit Rock granite, 76.5 ?? 0.8 Ma; Butte Granite, 74.5 ?? 0.9 Ma; altered Steward-type quartz porphyry dike (I-15 roadcut), 66.5 ?? 1.0 Ma; altered Steward-type quartz porphyry dike (Continental pit), 65.7 ?? 0.9 Ma; and quartz monzodiorite of Boulder Baldy (Big Belt Mountains), 66.2 ?? 0.9 Ma. Zircons from Rader Creek Granodiorite and quartz porphyry dike samples contain Archean inheritance. The 40Ar/39Ar ages are muscovite, silver-rich polymetallic quartz vein (Basin district), 74.4 ?? 0.3 Ma; muscovite, silver-rich polymetallic quartz vein (Boulder district), 74.4 ?? 1.2 Ma; muscovite, early dark micaceous vein (Continental pit), 63.6 ?? 0.2 Ma; biotite, early dark micaceous vein (Continental pit), 63.6 ?? 0.2 Ma; potassium feldspar, early dark micaceous vein (Continental pit), 63 to 59 Ma; and biotite, biotite breccia dike (Continental pit), 63.6 ?? 0.2 Ma. Outlying silver-rich polymetallic quartz veins of the Basin and Boulder mining districts probably are directly related to the 74.5 Ma Butte Granite, whereas Steward-type east-west quartz porphyry dikes and Butte pre-Main Stage deposits are parts of a 66 to 64 Ma magmatic-mineralization system unrelated to emplacement of the Boulder batholith. The age of the crosscutting Main Stage veins may be about 61 Ma as originally reported but can only be bracketed as younger than the 64 Ma pre-Main Stage mineralization and older than the about 50 Ma Eocene Lowland Creek intrusions. The 66 Ma age for the quartz monzodiorite of Boulder Baldy and consideration of previous dating studies in the region indicate that small ca. 66 Ma plutonic systems may be common in the Boulder batholith region and especially to the east. The approximately 64 Ma porphyry copper systems at Butte and gold mineralization at Miller Mountain are indicative of regionally important mineralizing systems of this age in the Boulder batholith region. Resolution of the age and probable magmatic source of the Butte pre-Main Stage porphyry copper-molybdenum system and of the silver-rich polymetallic quartz vein systems in the northern part of the Boulder batholith documents that these deposits formed from two discrete periods of hydrothermal mineralization related to two discrete magmatic events.

Strata-bound Fe-Co-Cu-Au-Bi-Y-REE deposits of the Idaho Cobalt Belt: Multistage hydrothermal mineralization in a magmatic-related iron oxide copper-gold system

USGS Publications Warehouse

Slack, John F.

2012-01-01

Mineralogical and geochemical studies of strata-bound Fe-Co-Cu-Au-Bi-Y-rare-earth element (REE) deposits of the Idaho cobalt belt in east-central Idaho provide evidence of multistage epigenetic mineralization by magmatic-hydrothermal processes in an iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) system. Deposits of the Idaho cobalt belt comprise three types: (1) strata-bound sulfide lenses in the Blackbird district, which are cobaltite and, less commonly, chalcopyrite rich with locally abundant gold, native bismuth, bismuthinite, xenotime, allanite, monazite, and the Be-rich silicate gadolinite-(Y), with sparse uraninite, stannite, and Bi tellurides, in a gangue of quartz, chlorite, biotite, muscovite, garnet, tourmaline, chloritoid, and/or siderite, with locally abundant fluorapatite or magnetite; (2) discordant tourmalinized breccias in the Blackbird district that in places have concentrations of cobaltite, chalcopyrite, gold, and xenotime; and (3) strata-bound magnetite-rich lenses in the Iron Creek area, which contain cobaltiferous pyrite and locally sparse chalcopyrite or xenotime. Most sulfide-rich deposits in the Blackbird district are enclosed by strata-bound lenses composed mainly of Cl-rich Fe biotite; some deposits have quartz-rich envelopes.Whole-rock analyses of 48 Co- and/or Cu-rich samples show high concentrations of Au (up to 26.8 ppm), Bi (up to 9.16 wt %), Y (up to 0.83 wt %), ∑REEs (up to 2.56 wt %), Ni (up to 6,780 ppm), and Be (up to 1,180 ppm), with locally elevated U (up to 124 ppm) and Sn (up to 133 ppm); Zn and Pb contents are uniformly low (≤821 and ≤61 ppm, respectively). Varimax factor analysis of bulk compositions of these samples reveals geochemically distinct element groupings that reflect statistical associations of monazite, allanite, and xenotime; biotite and gold; detrital minerals; chalcopyrite and sparse stannite; quartz; and cobaltite with sparse selenides and tellurides. Significantly, Cu is statistically separate from Co and As, consistent with the general lack of abundant chalcopyrite in cobaltite-rich samples.Paragenetic relations determined by scanning electron microscopy indicate that the earliest Y-REE-Be mineralization preceded deposition of Co, Cu, Au, and Bi. Allanite, xenotime, and gadolinite-(Y) commonly occur as intergrowths with and inclusions in cobaltite; the opposite texture is rare. Monazite, in contrast, forms a poikiloblastic matrix to cobaltite and thin rims on allanite and xenotime, reflecting a later metamorphic paragenesis. Allanite and xenotime also show evidence of late dissolution and reprecipitation, forming discordant rims on older anhedral allanite and xenotime and separate euhedral crystals of each mineral. Textural data suggest extensive deformation of the deposits by folding and shearing, and by pervasive recrystallization, all during Cretaceous metamorphism. Sensitive high resolution ion microprobe U-Pb geochronology by Aleinikoff et al. (2012) supports these paragenetic interpretations, documenting contemporaneous Mesoproterozoic growth of early xenotime and crystallization of megacrystic A-type granite on the northern border of the district. These ages are used together with mineralogical and geochemical data from the present study to support an epigenetic, IOCG model for Fe-Co-Cu-Au-Bi-Y-REE deposits of the Idaho cobalt belt. A sulfide facies variant of IOCG deposits is proposed for the Blackbird district, in which reducing hydrothermal conditions favored deposition of sulfide minerals over iron oxides. This new model includes Mesoproterozoic vein mineralization and related Fe-Cl metasomatism that formed the biotite-rich lenses, a predominantly felsic magmatic source for metals in the deposits, given their local abundance of Y, REEs, and Be, and a major sedimentary component in the hydrothermal fluids based on independent sulfur isotope and boron isotope data for sulfides and ore-related tourmaline, respectively.

Rhyacian A-type tholeiitic granites in southern Brazil: Geochemistry, U-Pb zircon ages and Nd model ages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mesquita, Maria José; Bitencourt, Maria de Fátima; Nardi, Lauro Stoll; Picanço, Jefferson; Chemale, Farid, Jr.; Pimenta, Vanessa de Almeida

2017-04-01

In the southern South American platform, 2.5 to 2.0 Ga terranes, probably related to the Atlantica supercontinent, occur mainly as minor reworked inliers within Neoproterozoic, Brasiliano/Pan-African orogenic belts, as the Ribeira Belt in southern Brazil. The dispersion of such fragments has generated uncertainties about their geotectonic reconstruction, and their study has been supported mainly by elemental and isotope geochemistry. The southern Ribeira Belt lies between the Paranapanema and Luiz Alves cratons and contains reworked Neoarquean and Paleoproterozoic terranes which outcrop as basement nuclei in supracrustal sequences, as the Setuva Complex. The Água Comprida Suite, situated in the northern part of the Setuva Complex, consists of Amphibole-Biotite Syenogranite (ABS), Porphyritic Biotite Syenogranite (PBS), and Equigranular Biotite Syenogranite (EBS). All granites are foliated and intensively deformed. The oldest foliation (Sn) is marked by augen feldspars set in a recrystallized matrix, followed by a crenulation cleavage (Sn + 1) which evolves to discrete shear zones. ABS is a metaluminous, reduced A-type granite with FeOt / (FeOt + MgO) > 0.9, with high HFSE and REE contents, corresponding to magmas related to continental medium to high-K tholeiitic series. PBS and specially EBS are highly differentiated, metaluminous to peraluminous (EBS), oxidized granites. The increase of Al2O3 and Rb, and decrease of HFS and RE elements relative to ABS indicate their evolution from tholeiitic magmas. The Água Comprida Suite granites are cogenetic rocks evolved from a within-plate mantle source, marked by high Nb, Ta, and Y. The influence of previously metasomatised mantle sources is evidenced by negative Nb, Ti, and P anomalies. The age of ABS is 2187 ± 26 Ma, and that of PBS is between 2180 ± 13 to 2186 ± 22 Ma. The Nd model age of 2.4 Ga, and εNd(2.18 Ga) between - 0.23 and - 0.27 support the interpretation of ABS being formed from juvenile material with a minor crustal component. The deviation of εNd(2.18 Ga) for PBS and EBS (- 0.69 to - 2.65), plus the higher Nd model ages (2.4 to 2.5 Ga) suggest crustal contamination. A post-collisional environment for the interaction of the mafic tholeiitic and felsic crustal magmas is suggested for the formation of the Água Comprida Suite, based mainly on geochemical features of these magmas. Post-collisional environments are still not described in the Rhyacian orogenies of southern Brazil, and this proposition may be an important contribution for the study of the final period of amalgamation of the Paleoproterozoic supercontinent in southern South America.

Zircon U-Pb geochronology and geochemistry of granites in the Zhuguangshan complex, South China: Implications for uranium mineralization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Long; Chen, Zhenyu; Li, Xiaofeng; Li, Shengrong; Santosh, M.; Huang, Guolong

2018-05-01

The Zhuguangshan complex, composed of Caledonian, Indosinian, and Yanshanian granites, and Cretaceous mafic dykes, is one of the most important granite-hosted uranium producers in South China. Here we present LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb and hornblende 40Ar/39Ar geochronology and whole-rock and biotite geochemistry for the granites in this complex to evaluate the magmatism and its constraints on uranium mineralization. Samples collected from the Fuxi, Youdong, Longhuashan, Chikeng, Qiling, and Sanjiangkou intrusions yield zircon weighted 206Pb/238U ages of 426.7 ± 5.4 Ma, 226.4 ± 3.5 Ma, 225.0 ± 2.7 Ma, 152.2 ± 3.0 Ma, 153.9 ± 2.1 Ma, and 155.2 ± 2.1 Ma, respectively. A new Ar-Ar dating of the hornblende of the diabase from the Changjiang uranium ore field yields a plateau age of 145.1 ± 1.5 Ma. These results coupled with published geochronological data indicate that six major magmatic events occurred in the study area at 420-435 Ma, 225-240 Ma, 150-165 Ma, 140 Ma, 105 Ma, and 90 Ma. Both U-bearing and barren granites occur in this complex, and they display differences in whole-rock and biotite geochemistry. The barren granites show higher Al2O3, CaO, TFMM, Rb, Zr, Ba, SI, Mg#, (La/Yb)N, and Eu/Eu*, but lower SiO2, ALK, Rb, DI, Rb/Sr, and TiO2/MgO than those of the U-bearing granites. Biotites in the U-bearing granites are close to the Fe-rich siderophyllite-annite end member with Fe/(Fe + Mg) ratios higher than 0.66, whereas those in the barren granites are relatively close to the Mg-rich eastonite-phlogopite end member with Fe/(Fe + Mg) ratios <0.66. The U-bearing granites were mainly derived from the partial melting of pelitic sedimentary source, whereas the psammitic source generated the barren granites. In addition, the barren granites show higher TFMM, Ba, and Eu/Eu* but lower SiO2, Rb/Sr and Al2O3/TiO2 ratios with higher zircon saturation temperatures relative to the U-bearing granites. These results indicate that the geochemical compositions of the U-bearing and barren granites are dictated not only by the compositions of source rocks but also the physicochemical conditions of partial melting. Our study suggests that these two factors are also the major factors that control uranium ore potential of the granites in the Zhuguangshan complex. The geochemical variations of U-bearing and barren granites can serve as a potential detector for granite-hosted uranium deposits.

Fe-Ti oxide geothermometry: thermodynamic formulation and the estimation of intensive variables in silicic magmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghiorso, Mark S.; Sack, O.

1991-10-01

A new thermodynamic formulation of the Fe-Ti oxide geothermometer/oxygen barometer is developed. The method is based upon recently calibrated models for spinel solid solutions in the quinary system (Fe2+, Mg)(Al,Fe3+,Cr)2O4-(Fe2+, Mg)2TiO4 by Sack and Ghiorso, and rhombohedral oxides in the quaternary system (Fe2+,Mg,Mn)TiO3-Fe2O3 (this paper). The formulation is internally consistent with thermodynamic models for (Fe2+,Mg)-olivine and -orthopyroxene solid solutions and end-member thermodynamic properties tabulated by Berman. The constituent expressions account for compositional and temperature dependent cation ordering and reproduce miscibility gap features in all of the component binaries. The calibration does not account for the excess Gibbs energy resulting from compositional and temperature dependent magnetic ordering in either phase. This limits application of the method to assemblages that equilibrated at temperatures above 600° C. Practical implementation of the proposed geothermometer/oxygen barometer requires minimal use of projection algorthms in accommodating compositions of naturally occurring phases. The new formulation is applied to the estimation of temperature and oxygen fugacity in a wide variety of intermediate to silicic volcanic rocks. In combination with previous work on olivine and orthopyroxene thermodynamics, equilibration pressures are computed for a subset of these volcanics that contain the assemblage quartz, oxides and either ferromagnesian silicate. The calculated log10 f O 2- T relations are reflected in coexisting ferromagnesian mineral assemblages. Volcanics with the lowest relative oxygen fugacity (Δlog10 f O 2) are characterized by the assemblage olivine-quartz, those with slightly higher Δ log10 f O 2 s, by the assemblage orthopyroxene-quartz. The sequence proceeds with the necessary phases biotite-feldspar, then hornblende-quartz-clinopyroxene, and finally at the highest Δ log10 f O 2 s, sphene-quartz-clinopyroxene. Quantitative analysis of these trends, utilizing thermodynamic data for the constituent phases, establishes that, in most cases, the T-log10 f O 2value computed from the oxides is consistent with the compositions of coexisting silicate phases, indicating that phenocryst equilibrium was achieved prior to eruption. There is, however, considerable evidence of oxide-silicate disequilibrium in samples collected from more slowly cooled domes and obsidians. In addition, T-log10 f O 2trends from volcanic rocks that contain biotite and orthopyroxene are interpreted to imply a condition of Fe2+-Mg exchange disequilibrium between orthopyroxene and coexisting ferromagnesian silicates and melt. It is suspected that many biotite-feldspar-quartz-orthopyroxene bearing low temperature volcanic rocks inherit orthopyroxene xenocrysts which crystallized earlier in the cooling history of the magma body.

Cooling, exhumation, and deformation in the Hindu Kush, NW Pakistan: New constraints from preliminary 40Ar/39Ar and fission track analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faisal, Shah; Larson, Kyle P.; Camacho, Alfredo; Coutand, Isabelle

2018-06-01

Asian crust in the Hindu Kush region in northern Pakistan records a protracted history of rifting, subduction and collision not commonly preserved within the Himalaya. Because of this, it is key to understanding the development of the southern Eurasian margin both prior to and after collision with India. New mica 40Ar/39Ar and apatite fission track geochronologic data from this region provide constraints on the kinematics of the Hindu Kush. 40Ar/39Ar muscovite and biotite ages from the late Cambrian Kafiristan pluton are 379.7 ± 1.7 Ma and 47.2 ± 0.3 Ma, respectively. The muscovite age may record cooling or partial resetting, while the biotite age is interpreted to record a thermal disruption associated with the early stages of continental collision in the Himalayan system. A 111.0 ± 0.6 Ma muscovite age from the northern part of the Tirich Mir pluton (∼123 Ma old; U-Pb) is interpreted to indicate a recrystallization event ∼12 Myrs after its intrusion. In addition, a younger muscovite age of 47.5 ± 0.2 Ma was derived from the opposite side of the same pluton in the immediate hanging wall of the Tirich Mir fault. This Eocene age is interpreted to represent the time of recrystallization during fault (re)activation in the early stages of India-Asia continent-continent collision. 40Ar/39Ar biotite analysis from the Buni-Zom pluton yields an age of 61.6 ± 1.1 Ma and is interpreted to reflect cooling at mid-upper crustal levels subsequent to the pluton's emplacement in the middle Cretaceous. Finally, 17.1-21.3 Ma 40Ar/39Ar ages from the Garam Chasma pluton and surrounding metapelites indicate cooling immediately following crystallization of the leucogranite body in the earliest Miocene/latest Oligocene. The younger cooling history is resolved by fission track dating of apatite (AFT). In the vicinity of the bounding Tirich Mir fault, the Tirich Mir pluton yields an AFT age of 1.4 ± 0.3 Ma, which is consistent with active exhumation associated with the surface uplift of the 7700+ m Tirich Mir peak. The Garam Chasma pluton has a young age of 3.5 ± 0.2 Ma, which also records rapid rock uplift and exhumation in the area. Finally, an AFT age of 9.1 ± 2.1 Ma was extracted from a metapelite in the footwall of an east verging thrust fault separating it from the Garam Chasma pluton to the west. The difference in ages, Pliocene vs. late Miocene, reflect differential cooling/exhumation paths across that structure.

The Puelche volcanic field: Extensive Pleistocene rhyolite lava flows in the Andes of central Chile

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hildreth, W.; Fierstein, J.; Godoy, E.; Drake, Robert E.; Singer, B.

1999-01-01

A remote volcanic field in the rugged headwaters of the Rio Puelche and Rio Invernada (35.8??S) constitutes the largest cluster of Quaternary rhyolite lava flows yet identified in the Andean Southern Volcanic Zone. The Puelche Volcanic Field belongs to an intra-arc belt of silicic magmatic centers that extends, at least, 140 km north-south and lies well east of the volcanic front but nonetheless considerably west of the intraplate extensional fields of basaltic and alkaline centers of pampean Argentina. The authors' mapping has distinguished one shallow intrusive mass of early Pleistocene biotite rhyodacite (70.5% SiO2), 11 eruptive units of mid-Pleistocene high-K biotite-rhyolite lava (71.3-75.6% SiO2), and 4 eruptive units of basaltic andesite (53.95-4.9% SiO2), the conduits of which cut some of the rhyolites. Basal contacts of the rhyolite lava flows (and subjacent pyroclastic precursors) are generally scree covered, but glacial erosion has exposed internal flow structures and lithologic zonation superbly. Thicknesses of individual rhyolite lava flows range from 75 m to 400 m. Feeders for several units are well exposed. Cliff-draping unconformities and intracanyon relationships among the 11 rhyolite units show that the eruptive sequence spanned at least one glacial episode that accentuated the local relief. Lack of ice-contact features suggests, however, that all or most eruptions took place during non-glacial intervals probably between 400 ka and 100 ka. Post-eruptive glacial erosion reduced the rhyolites to several non-contiguous remnants that altogether cover 83 km2 and represent a surviving volume of about 21 km3. Consideration of slopes, lava thicknesses, and paleotopography suggest that the original area and volume were each about three times greater. Phenocryst content of the rhyolites ranges from 1 to 12%, with plagioclase>>biotite>FeTi oxides in all units and amphibole conspicuous in the least silicic. The chemically varied basaltic andesites range from phenocryst-poor to phenocryst-rich, exhibiting large differences in proportions of clinopyroxene, olivine, plagioclase, and xenocrystic quartz. Compositional bimodality of the volcanic field is striking, there being no Quaternary eruptive units having SiO2 contents between 55 and 70%. Major and trace element compositions of the mafic and silicic rocks are nonetheless typical of continental-margin arc suites, not of intracontinental suites. The lack of intermediate eruptive units and the differences between the mafic and rhyolitic lavas in Sr-isotope composition suggest that the rhyolites fractionated from a hybrid parent rather than continuously from basaltic magma. The rhyolites may contain larger contributions of upper-crustal partial melts than do silicic products of the volcanic-front centers 30 km to the west.

Geology of the Copper King Mine area, Prairie Divide, Larimer County, Colorado (Part 1)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sims, Paul Kibler; Phair, George

1952-01-01

The Copper King mine, in Larimer County, Colo., in the northern part of the Front Range of Colorado, was operated for a short time prior to World War II for copper and zino, but since 1949, when pitchblende was discovered on the mine dump, it has been worked for uranium. The bedrock in the mine area consists predominantly of pre-Cambrian (Silver Plums) granite with minor migmatite and metasediments--biotite-quartz-plagioclase gneiss, biotite schist, quartzite, amphibolite, amphibole skarn, and biotite skols. The metasediments occur as inclusions that trend northeast in the granite. This trend is essentially parallel to the prevailing foliation in the granite. At places the metasediments are crosscut sharply by the granite to form angular, partly discordant, steep-walled bodies in the granite. Faults, confined to a narrow zone that extends through the mine, cut both the pre-Cambrian rocks and the contained sulfide deposits. The Copper King fault, a breccia zone, contains a deposit of pitchblende; the other faults are believed to be later than the ore. The two types of mineral deposits--massive sulfide and pitchblende deposits--in the mine area, are of widely different mineralogy, age, and origin. The massive sulfide deposits are small and consist of pyrite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, and in places magnetite in amphibole skarn, mice skols, and quartzite. The deposit at the Copper King mine has yielded small quantities of high-grade sphalerite ore. The massive sulfides are pyrometasomatic deposits of pre-Cambrian age. The pitchblende at the Copper King mine is principally in the Copper King vein, a tight, hard breccia zone that cuts through both granite and the massive sulfide deposit. A small part of the pitchblende is in small fractures near the vein and in boxwork pyrite adjacent to the vein; the post-ore faults, close to their intersection with the Copper King vein, contain some radioactive material, but elsewhere, so far as is known, they are barren. The pitchblende in the deposit forms a steeply plunging ore shoot that has a horizontal length of more than 50 feet and a vertical height of about 85 feet. The thickness of the ore shoot averages about 2 feet, but it ranges from a feather edge to about 4 feet. The hard pitch-blende is intimately intergrown with siderite; other gangue minerals include pyrite, quartz, and finely comminuted fragments of the wall rocks. The vein was repeatedly reopened during mineral deposition as shown by several stages of brecciation and recommended by the vein matter. The pitchblende deposit probably formed at intermediate temperatures and depths and, according to the Pb/U ratio, is about 60 million years old--an early Tertiary age.

Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen isotope studies of the regional metamorphic complex at Naxos, Greece

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rye, R.O.; Schuiling, R.D.; Rye, D.M.; Jansen, J.B.H.

1976-01-01

At Naxos, Greece, a migmatite dome is surrounded by schists and marbles of decreasing metamorphic grade. Sillimanite, kyanite, biotite, chlorite, and glaucophane zones are recognized at successively greater distances from the migmatite dome. Quartz-muscovite and quartz-biotite oxygen isotope and mineralogie temperatures range from 350 to 700??C. The metamorphic complex can be divided into multiple schist-rich (including migmatites) and marblerich zones. The ??18O values of silicate minerals in migmatite and schist units and quartz segregations in the schist-rich zones decrease with increase in metamorphic grades. The calculated ??18OH2O values of the metamorphic fluids in the schist-rich zones decrease from about 15??? in the lower grades to an average of about 8.5??? in the migmatite. The ??D values of OH-minerals (muscovite, biotite, chlorite, and glaucophane) in the schist-rich zones also decrease with increase in grade. The calculated ??DH2O values for the metamorphic fluid decrease from -5??? in the glaucophane zone to an average of about -70??? in the migmatite. The ??D values of water in fluid inclusions in quartz segregations in the higher grade rocks are consistent with this trend. The??18O values of silicate minerals and quartz segregations in marble-rich zones are usually very large and were controlled by exchange with the adjacent marbles. The ??D values of the OH minerals in some marble-rich zones may reflect the value of water contained in the rocks prior to metamorphism. Detailed data on 20 marble units show systematic variations of ??18O values which depend upon metamorphic grade. Below the 540??C isograd very steep ??18O gradients at the margins and large ??18O values in the interior of the marbles indicate that oxygen isotope exchange with the adjacent schist units was usually limited to the margins of the marbles with more exchange occurring in the stratigraphic bottom than in the top margins. Above the 540??C isograd lower ??18O values occur in the interior of the marble units reflecting a greater degree of recrystallization and the occurrence of Ca-Mg-silicates. Almost all the ??13C values of the marbles are in the range of unaltered marine limestones. Nevertheless, the ??13C values of most marble units show a general correlation with ??18O values. The CO2 H2O mole ratio of fluid inclusions in quartz segregations range from 0.01 to 2. The??13C values of the CO2 range from -8.0 to 3.6??? and indicate that at some localities CO2 in the metamorphic fluid was not in carbon isotopic equilibrium with the marbles. ?? 1976.

On the age of sinistral shearing along the southern border of the Tauern Window (Eastern Alps).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitzig, C.; Schneider, S.; Hammerschmidt, K.

2009-04-01

The first-order structure of the western Tauern Window consists of three upright, ENE-striking antiforms of large amplitude, whose flanks are overprinted by sinistral shear zones, striking parallel to the axial planes of the antiforms. Analogue modelling suggests that these shear zones accommodate part of the shortening of the South Alpine indenter (Rosenberg et al., 2004). The age of sinistral shearing in the western Tauern Window and immediately south of it is still controversial. Mancktelow et al. (2001) suggested that sinistral shearing at the southern border of the Tauern Window terminated at 30 Ma. Based on monazite spot dates ranging between 29.0-20.3 Ma (n=10) of dextral shear zones, which cross-cut the sinistral Greiner shear zone, Barnes et al. (2004) argued that the switch from sinistral to dextral shear occurred shortly after the thermal peak of the Alpine orogeny (c.~ 30 Ma). Recent dating of mica-bearing marble suggested that the activity of the southernmost sinistral shear zone of the Tauern Window (the Ahrntal shear zone) was 19.8±0.4 Ma ago (Glodny et al. 2008). Sinistral shearing is commonly interpreted as part of the 2nd Alpine phase of deformation that affected the Tauern Window. The main foliation (S1) of the Tauern Window was acquired during a first phase, which resulted in the present day nappe stack. Only along some of the later shear zones a second Alpine foliation (S2) was formed. At present no attempt has been made, to distinguish the two and directly date the S2 mylonitic foliation. In the present work we use the Rb/Sr method to date mineral pairs formed under greenschist to lower amphibolite facies conditions from the tonalitic Zentral Gneiss. We dated four samples, two from the inferred undeformed tonalite protolith, one from the strongly foliated tonalitic gneiss and one from an outcrop-scale sinistral shear zone within the foliated tonalitic gneiss. Generally biotite and feldspar define isochrones for the four samples. The undeformed tonalites yield an age of 26.4±0.1 Ma and of 11.1±0.1 Ma, the strongly foliated tonalitic gneiss yields an age of 19.8±0.1 Ma, which is close to the age of the outcrop-scale shear zone of 18.0±0.1 Ma. It is difficult to interpret the 11 Ma age of one undeformed sample, because it is significantly younger than the ages obtained from zircon fission tracks from neighbouring areas. The older age of 26 Ma for the undeformed tonalite sample is interpreted as cooling age below the closure temperature of biotite, based on the following arguments: 1) This age is consistent with the inferred regional thermochronological distribution of cooling (Luth and Willingshofer, 2008); 2) The rock fabric is undeformed; 3) The age is older than the two deformed samples collected within a distance of a few hundreds of meters. The mineral assemblage of the deformed samples (green biotite and albite crystallisation) differs from the one of the undeformed rocks (red-brown biotite and K-feldspar clasts). Therefore, the albite-biotite isochrons of the deformed samples are inferred to date the deformation event. This age of deformation is consistent with the age determination of Glodny et al. (2008) from deformed marbles of the Schieferhülle, and with previous dating of sinistral shearing along the northern border of the western Tauern Window (Schneider et al., 2007), which yielded an average (n=5) age of 21.9±1.6 Ma. Therefore, sinistral deformation appears to have affected contemporaneously both the northern and the southern margins of the Zentral Gneiss in the western Tauern Window. References: Barnes, J. D., Selverstone, J. & Sharp, Z.D., 2004. Interactions between serpentinite devolatilization, metasomatism and strike-slip strain localization during deep-crustal shearing in the Eastern Alps. Journal of Metamorphic Geology, 22, 283-300. Glodny, J., Ring, U. Kühn. A., 2008. Coeval high-pressure metamorphism, thrusting, strike slip, and extensional shearing in the Tauern Window, Eastern Alps, Tectonics, 27, TC4004, DOI:10.1029/2007TC002193. Luth, S.W., & Willingshofer, E. 2008. Mapping of the Post-Collisional Cooling History of the Eastern Alps, Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel DOI:10.1007/s00015-008-1294-9 Mancktelow, N.S., Stöckli, D., Grollimund, B., Müller, W., Fügenschuh, B., Viola, G., Seward, D. & Villa, I., 2001. The DAV and Periadriatic fault systems in the eastern Alps south of the Tauern Window. International Journal of Earth Sciences, 90, 593-622. Rosenberg, C.L., Brun, J.-P., Cagnard, F., and Gapais, D., 2007. Oblique indentation in the Eastern Alps: Insights from laboratory experiments, Tectonics, 26, TC2003, doi:10.1029/2006TC001960. Schneider, S., Hammerschmidt, K., and Rosenberg, C.L., 2007. In-situ Rb-Sr dating of the SEMP mylonites, western Tauern Window, Eastern Alps Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 9, 09136. SRef-ID: 1607-7962/gra/EGU2007-A-09136

Evidence for fourth generation structures in the Piedra Lumbre region, Western Picuris Mountains, New Mexico

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chernoff, C.B.; Helper, M.A.; Mosher, S.

1993-02-01

Mid-Proterozoic Hondo Group metasediments in the western Picuris Mountains, New Mexico clearly display 3 generations of previously recognized penetrative, synmetamorphic structures and a previously undocumented forth generation of overprinting folds with an associated axial planar foliation. The earliest structures include: (1) a bedding-parallel S[sub 1] foliation and rare, rootless, intrafolial F[sub 1] folds; (2) north-verging, west-trending F[sub 2] folds and an axial planar metamorphic foliation (S[sub 2]); (3) a steeply dipping, N-S striking crenulation cleavage (S[sub 3]). In the Piedra Lumbre region, southwest-plunging, open, upright chevron and box folds (F[sub 4]) locally reorient F[sub 2], S[sub 2] and S[sub 3]more » crenulations. The largest F[sub 4] folds in the Piedra Lumbre region have half-wavelengths of 500 meters. An associated nearly vertical foliation (S[sub 4]) overprints the first three foliations. The S[sub 4] foliation is a crenulation cleavage in micaceous layers and a discontinuous alignment of biotite laths in quartzose layers. Crystallization of biotite during S[sub 4] and chloritoid after S[sub 4], along with static recrystallization and mineral replacement by chlorite, suggests this deformation occurred during the waning stages of mid-Proterozoic metamorphism. The orientation of F[sub 2] and F[sub 4] folds are similar and both appear to occur on a regional scale. Interference of open upright F[sub 4] folds and tight, north-verging, overturned F[sub 2] folds produces a geometry that resembles that of the kilometer-scale Copper Hill Anticline of the western Picuris Mountains, previously interpreted to be solely the result of F[sub 2] folding.« less

Formation of albitite-hosted uranium within IOCG systems: the Southern Breccia, Great Bear magmatic zone, Northwest Territories, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montreuil, Jean-François; Corriveau, Louise; Potter, Eric G.

2015-03-01

Uranium and polymetallic U mineralization hosted within brecciated albitites occurs one kilometer south of the magnetite-rich Au-Co-Bi-Cu NICO deposit in the southern Great Bear magmatic zone (GBMZ), Canada. Concentrations up to 1 wt% U are distributed throughout a 3 by 0.5 km albitization corridor defined as the Southern Breccia zone. Two distinct U mineralization events are observed. Primary uraninite precipitated with or without pyrite-chalcopyrite ± molybdenite within magnetite-ilmenite-biotite-K-feldspar-altered breccias during high-temperature potassic-iron alteration. Subsequently, pitchblende precipitated in earthy hematite-specular hematite-chlorite veins associated with a low-temperature iron-magnesium alteration. The uraninite-bearing mineralization postdates sodic (albite) and more localized high-temperature potassic-iron (biotite-magnetite ± K-feldspar) alteration yet predates potassic (K-feldspar), boron (tourmaline) and potassic-iron-magnesium (hematite ± K-feldspar ± chlorite) alteration. The Southern Breccia zone shares attributes of the Valhalla (Australia) and Lagoa Real (Brazil) albitite-hosted U deposits but contains greater iron oxide contents and lower contents of riebeckite and carbonates. Potassium, Ni, and Th are also enriched whereas Zr and Sr are depleted with respect to the aforementioned albitite-hosted U deposits. Field relationships, geochemical signatures and available U-Pb dates on pre-, syn- and post-mineralization intrusions place the development of the Southern Breccia and the NICO deposit as part of a single iron oxide alkali-altered (IOAA) system. In addition, this case example illustrates that albitite-hosted U deposits can form in albitization zones that predate base and precious metal ore zones in a single IOAA system and become traps for U and multiple metals once the tectonic regime favors fluid mixing and oxidation-reduction reactions.

The role of magma mixing/mingling and cumulate melting in the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff caldera-forming eruption (Campi Flegrei, Southern Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forni, Francesca; Petricca, Eleonora; Bachmann, Olivier; Mollo, Silvio; De Astis, Gianfilippo; Piochi, Monica

2018-06-01

Understanding the mechanisms responsible for the generation of chemical gradients in high-volume ignimbrites is key to retrieve information on the processes that control the maturation and eruption of large silicic magmatic reservoirs. Over the last 60 ky, two large ignimbrites showing remarkable zoning were emplaced during caldera-forming eruptions at Campi Flegrei (i.e., Campanian Ignimbrite, CI, 39 ka and Neapolitan Yellow Tuff, NYT, 15 ka). While the CI displays linear compositional, thermal and crystallinity gradients, the NYT is a more complex ignimbrite characterized by crystal-poor magmas ranging in composition from trachy-andesites to phonolites. By combining major and trace element compositions of matrix glasses and mineral phases from juvenile clasts located at different stratigraphic heights along the NYT pyroclastic sequence, we interpret such compositional gradients as the result of mixing/mingling between three different magmas: (1) a resident evolved magma showing geochemical characteristics of a melt extracted from a cumulate mush dominated by clinopyroxene, plagioclase and oxides with minor sanidine and biotite; (2) a hotter and more mafic magma from recharge providing high-An plagioclase and high-Mg clinopyroxene crystals and (3) a compositionally intermediate magma derived from remelting of low temperature mineral phases (i.e., sanidine and biotite) within the cumulate crystal mush. We suggest that the presence of a refractory crystal mush, as documented by the occurrence of abundant crystal clots containing clinopyroxene, plagioclase and oxides, is the main reason for the lack of erupted crystal-rich material in the NYT. A comparison between the NYT and the CI, characterized by both crystal-poor extracted melts and crystal-rich magmas representing remobilized portions of a "mature" (i.e., sanidine dominated) cumulate residue, allows evaluation of the capability of crystal mushes of becoming eruptible upon recharge.

Geologic map of the South Sierra Wilderness and South Sierra Roadless area, southern Sierra Nevada, California

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Diggles, M.F.; Carter, K.E.

1993-04-01

The study area is underlain predominantly by granitoid rocks of the Sierra Nevada batholith. Metamorphic rocks are present in roof pendants mainly in the southwest corner of the study area and consist of quartz-biotite schist, phyllite, quartzite, marble, calc-silicate hornfels, and meta-dacite. Among the seven Triassic and (or) Jurassic plutons are three newly described units that consist of the gabbro of Deer Mountain, the tonalite of Falls Creek, and the quartz diorite of Round Mountain. The map shows one newly described unit that intrudes Triassic rocks: the granodiorite of Monache Creek which is a leucocratic, medium-grained, equi-granular, locally porphyritic biotitemore » hornblende granodiorite. Among the seven Cretaceous plutons are two newly described units. The Cretaceous rocks are generally medium- to coarse-grained, potassium-feldspar porphyritic granite with biotite and minor hornblende; it includes abundant pods of alaskite. The granite of Haiwee Creek is similar but only locally potassium-feldspar porphyritic and with only minor hornblende. Major-element data plotted on Harker diagrams show the older rocks to be higher in iron and magnesium and lower in silica than the younger rocks. There are abundant local pods of alaskite throughout the study area that consist of medium- to coarse-grained, leucocratic granite, alkali-feldspar granite and associated aplite and pegmatite bodies occurring as small pods and highly leucocratic border phases of nearby plutons. Tertiary and Quaternary volcanic rock include the rhyolite of Monache Mountain and Quaternary surficial deposits: fan, stream-channel, colluvium, talus, meadow-filling, rock-glacier, and glacial-moraine deposits. Important structures include the Sierran front fault and a possible extensional feature along which Bacon (1978) suggests Monache Mountain erupted.« less

Silica-undersaturated reaction zones at a crust-mantle interface in the Highland Complex, Sri Lanka: Mass transfer and melt infiltration during high-temperature metasomatism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernando, G. W. A. R.; Dharmapriya, P. L.; Baumgartner, Lukas P.

2017-07-01

Sri Lanka is a crucial Gondwana fragment mostly composed of granulitic rocks in the Highland Complex surrounded by rocks with granulite to amphibolite grade in the Vijayan and Wanni Complex that were structurally juxtaposed during Pan-African orogeny. Fluids associated with granulite-facies metamorphism are thought to have controlled various lower crustal processes such as dehydration/hydration reactions, partial melting, and high-temperature metasomatism. Chemical disequilibrium in the hybrid contact zone between a near peak post-tectonic ultramafic enclave and siliceous granulitic gneiss at Rupaha within the Highland Complex produced metasomatic reaction zones under the presence of melt. Different reaction zones observed in the contact zone show the mineral assemblages phlogopite + spinel + sapphirine (zone A), spinel + sapphirine + corundum (zone B), corundum ( 30%) + biotite + plagioclase zone (zone C) and plagioclase + biotite + corundum ( 5%) zone (zone D). Chemical potential diagrams and mass balance reveal that the addition of Mg from ultramafic rocks and removal of Si from siliceous granulitic gneiss gave rise to residual enrichment of Al in the metasomatized mineral assemblages. We propose that contact metasomatism between the two units, promoted by melt influx, caused steady state diffusional transport across the profile. Corundum growth was promoted by the strong residual Al enrichment and Si depletion in reaction zone whereas sapphirine may have been formed under high Mg activity near the ultramafic rocks. Modelling also indicated that metasomatic alteration occurred at ca. 850 °C at 9 kbar, which is consistent with post-peak metamorphic conditions reached during the initial stage of exhumation in the lower crust and with temperature calculations based on conventional geothermometry.

Zircon dating and mineralogy of the Mokong Pan-African magmatic epidote-bearing granite (North Cameroon)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tchameni, R.; Sun, F.; Dawaï, D.; Danra, G.; Tékoum, L.; Nomo Negue, E.; Vanderhaeghe, O.; Nzolang, C.; Dagwaï, Nguihdama

2016-09-01

We present the mineralogy and age of the magmatic epidote-bearing granite composing most of the Mokong pluton, in the Central Africa orogenic belt (North Cameroon). This pluton intrudes Neoproterozoic (~830 to 700 Ma) low- to high-grade schists and gneisses (Poli-Maroua group), and is crosscut or interleaved with bodies of biotite granite of various sizes. The pluton is weakly deformed in its interior, but solid-state deformation increases toward its margins marked by narrow mylonitic bands trending NNE-SSW. The magmatic epidote granitic rocks are classified as quartz monzodiorite, granodiorite, monzogranite, and syenogranite. They are medium- to coarse-grained and composed of K-feldspar + plagioclase + biotite + amphibole + epidote + magnetite + titanite + zircon + apatite. In these granites, the pistacite component [atomic Fe+3/(Fe3+ + Al)] in epidote ranges from 16 to 29 %. High oxygen fugacity (log ƒO2 - 14 to -11) and the preservation of epidote suggest that the magma was oxidized. Al-in hornblende barometry and hornblende-plagioclase thermometry indicate hornblende crystallization between 0.53 and 0.78 GPa at a temperature ranging from 633 to 779 °C. Zircon saturation thermometry gives temperature estimates ranging from 504 to 916 °C, the latter being obtained on samples containing inherited zircons. U/Pb geochronology by LA-ICP-MS on zircon grains characterized by magmatic zoning yields a concordia age of 668 ± 11 Ma (2 σ). The Mokong granite is the only known occurrence magmatic epidote in Cameroon, and is an important milestone for the comparison of the Central Africa orogenic belt with the Brasiliano Fold Belt, where such granites are much more abundant.

Altered volcanic ash layers of the Late Cretaceous San Felipe Formation, Sierra Madre Oriental (Northeastern Mexico): Usbnd Pb geochronology, provenance and tectonic setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Velasco-Tapia, Fernando; Martínez-Paco, Margarita; Iriondo, Alexander; Ocampo-Díaz, Yam Zul Ernesto; Cruz-Gámez, Esther María; Ramos-Ledezma, Andrés; Andaverde, Jorge Alberto; Ostrooumov, Mikhail; Masuch, Dirk

2016-10-01

A detailed petrographic, geochemical, and Usbnd Pb geochronological study of altered volcanic ash layers, collected in eight outcrops of the Late Cretaceous San Felipe Formation (Sierra Madre Oriental, Northeastern Mexico), has been carried out. The main objectives have been: (1) to establish a deposit period, and (2) to propose a reliable provenance-transport-deposit-diagenetic model. These volcano-sedimentary strata represent the altered remains of vitreous-crystalline ash (main grains: quartz + K-feldspar (sanidine) + Na-plagioclase + zircon + biotite; groundmass: glass + calcite + clinochlore + illite) deposited and preserved in a shallow, relatively large in area, open platform environment. Major and trace element geochemistry indicate that parent volcanism was mainly rhyodacitic to rhyolitic in composition. Discrimination diagrams suggest a link to continental arc transitional to extension tectonic setting. Usbnd Pb geochronology in zircon has revealed that the volcanic ash was released from their sources approximately during the range 84.6 ± 0.8 to 73.7 ± 0.3 Ma, being transported to the depocenters. Burial diagenesis process was marked by: (a) a limited recycling, (b) the partial loss of original components (mainly K-feldspar, plagioclase, biotite and glass), and (c) the addition of quartz, calcite, illite and clinochlore. The location of the source area remains uncertain, although the lack of enrichment in Zr/Sc ratio suggests that ashes were subjected to relatively fast and short-distance transport process. El Peñuelo intrusive complex, at 130-170 km west of the depocenters, is the nearest known zone of active magmatism during the Upper Cretaceous. This intermediate to felsic pluton, characterized by a geochemical affinity to post-orogenic tectonic setting, could be linked to the volcanic sources.

Comparative Analysis of Fluoride Concentrations in Groundwaters in Northern and Southern Ghana: Implications for the Contaminant Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sunkari, Emmanuel Daanoba; Zango, Musah Saeed; Korboe, Harriet Mateko

2018-04-01

Bongo and Sekyere South districts, both in the northern and southern parts of Ghana, respectively, have high populations living in rural areas and most of them use groundwater for drinking purposes. The groundwater in these areas is prone to contamination from natural and/or artificial sources. Therefore this study aims; (1) to present a comparative analysis of the fluoride concentration in groundwater samples from Bongo and Sekyere South districts and the associated groundwater-rock interaction that may be the cause for the varied fluoride concentrations, (2) to determine the leaching potential of fluoride from the host rocks as the possible mechanism for groundwater contamination. Sixty (60) groundwater samples from active pumping wells and twelve (12) rock samples from outcrops were collected from various communities in the two districts for fluoride concentration and mineralogical analysis. Based on the variations in fluoride concentration, fluoride spatial distribution maps were prepared using empirical Bayesian kriging interpolation method and analysed by means of hierarchical cluster analysis. The fluoride concentration in Bongo district varies between 1.71 and 4.0 mg/L, whereas that in Sekyere South district changes from 0.3 to 0.8 mg/L. From the mineralogical studies, biotite has the highest percentage in the Bongo district and has positive correlation with fluoride concentration in the analysed water samples than in the Sekyere South district. The elevated fluoride concentration in the Bongo district relative to the Sekyere South district is due to the dissolution of biotite in the groundwater and the sufficient groundwater-rock interaction since the water samples are mainly sourced from deeper boreholes. This high fluoride concentration has resulted in a plethora of reported cases of dental fluorosis and other health-related issues in Bongo.

Syn-extensional emplacement of the 1. 42 Ga Sandia Granite, N. M

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Karlstrom, K.E.; Kirby, E.; Andronicos, C.

1993-02-01

The 1.42 Ga Sandia pluton is one of a suite of Middle Proterozoic granitoid intrusions exposed in northern New Mexico. It crops out over 420 km[sup 2] in the Sandia Mountains, just east of Albuquerque. Recent structural work indicates that the pluton was emplaced syntectonically with respect to a transtensional ductile shear zone on its southeastern side. The shear zone is 1-2 km wide, dips 60[degree] NW under the pluton, and is thus inferred to be a deformed base or lower side of the pluton. From NW to SE, a transect across the zone consists of (1) essentially undeformed, locallymore » flow-foliated Sandia pluton (megacrystic monzogranite); (2) mylonitic, augen orthogneiss that is clearly sheared Sandia pluton; its matrix is depleted in quartz and K-feldspar and enriched in biotite relative to the undeformed pluton; (3) Cibola granite - a 1 km wide zone of fine to coarse grained, equigranular, leucocratic granite; (4) the Tijeras Fault - a Phanerozoic brittle fault; (5) the Tijeras Greenstone - unsheared amphibolite and interlayered pelitic schist and quartzite. Field and microstructural relationships indicate that pluton crystallization was synchronous with shear zone movements. Shear zone movement is interpreted to have punctuated segregation of evolved melts during fractional crystallization of the magma. Geochemical data show linear trends in major and trace elements, with compositional gaps between the main pluton and leucocratic phases. Strain studies suggest that the biotite-rich mylonitic augen orthogneiss records significant volume loss in the matrix. Melts presumably were drawn down pressure gradients into the active shear zone after the main unit was 50--70% crystallized. Further work is required to constrain whether extension was related to regional deformation or only to pluton emplacement.« less

Comparative Analysis of Fluoride Concentrations in Groundwaters in Northern and Southern Ghana: Implications for the Contaminant Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sunkari, Emmanuel Daanoba; Zango, Musah Saeed; Korboe, Harriet Mateko

2018-05-01

Bongo and Sekyere South districts, both in the northern and southern parts of Ghana, respectively, have high populations living in rural areas and most of them use groundwater for drinking purposes. The groundwater in these areas is prone to contamination from natural and/or artificial sources. Therefore this study aims; (1) to present a comparative analysis of the fluoride concentration in groundwater samples from Bongo and Sekyere South districts and the associated groundwater-rock interaction that may be the cause for the varied fluoride concentrations, (2) to determine the leaching potential of fluoride from the host rocks as the possible mechanism for groundwater contamination. Sixty (60) groundwater samples from active pumping wells and twelve (12) rock samples from outcrops were collected from various communities in the two districts for fluoride concentration and mineralogical analysis. Based on the variations in fluoride concentration, fluoride spatial distribution maps were prepared using empirical Bayesian kriging interpolation method and analysed by means of hierarchical cluster analysis. The fluoride concentration in Bongo district varies between 1.71 and 4.0 mg/L, whereas that in Sekyere South district changes from 0.3 to 0.8 mg/L. From the mineralogical studies, biotite has the highest percentage in the Bongo district and has positive correlation with fluoride concentration in the analysed water samples than in the Sekyere South district. The elevated fluoride concentration in the Bongo district relative to the Sekyere South district is due to the dissolution of biotite in the groundwater and the sufficient groundwater-rock interaction since the water samples are mainly sourced from deeper boreholes. This high fluoride concentration has resulted in a plethora of reported cases of dental fluorosis and other health-related issues in Bongo.

Late Triassic granites from Bangka, Indonesia: A continuation of the Main Range granite province of the South-East Asian Tin Belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ng, Samuel Wai-Pan; Whitehouse, Martin J.; Roselee, Muhammad H.; Teschner, Claudia; Murtadha, Sayed; Oliver, Grahame J. H.; Ghani, Azman A.; Chang, Su-Chin

2017-05-01

The South-East Asian Tin Belt is one of the most tin-productive regions in the world. It comprises three north-south oriented granite provinces, of which the arc-related Eastern granite province and the collision-related Main Range granite province run across Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia. These tin-producing granite provinces with different mineral assemblages are separated by Paleo-Tethyan sutures exposed in Thailand and Malaysia. The Eastern Province is usually characterised by granites with biotite ± hornblende. Main Range granites are sometimes characterised by the presence of biotite ± muscovite. However, the physical boundary between the two types of granite is not well-defined on the Indonesian Tin Islands, because the Paleo-Tethyan suture is not exposed on land there. Both hornblende-bearing (previously interpreted as I-type) and hornblende-barren (previously interpreted as S-type) granites are apparently randomly distributed on the Indonesian Tin Islands. Granites exposed on Bangka, the largest and southernmost Tin Island, no matter whether they are hornblende-bearing or hornblende-barren, are geochemically similar to Malaysian Main Range granites. The average ɛNd(t) value obtained from the granites from Bangka (average ɛNd(t) = -8.2) falls within the range of the Main Range Province (-9.6 to -5.4). These granites have SIMS zircon U-Pb ages of ca. 225 Ma and ca. 220 Ma, respectively that are both within the period of Main Range magmatism (∼226-201 Ma) in the Peninsular Malaysia. We suggest that the granites exposed on Bangka represent the continuation of the Main Range Province, and that the Paleo-Tethyan suture lies to the east of the island.

Tectono-metamorphic evolution of the Jomolhari massif: Variations in timing of syn-collisional metamorphism across western Bhutan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Regis, Daniele; Warren, Clare J.; Young, David; Roberts, Nick M. W.

2014-03-01

Our current understanding of the rates and timescales of mountain-building processes is largely based on information recorded in U-bearing accessory minerals such as monazite, which is found in low abundance but which hosts the majority of the trace element budget. Monazite petrochronology was used to investigate the timing of crustal melting in migmatitic metasedimentary rocks from the Jomolhari massif (NW Bhutan). The samples were metamorphosed at upper amphibolite to granulite facies conditions (~ 0.85 GPa, ~ 800 °C), after an earlier High-Pressure stage (P > 1.4 GPa), and underwent partial melting through dehydration melting reactions involving muscovite and biotite. In order to link the timing of monazite growth/dissolution to the pressure-temperature (P-T) evolution of the samples, we identified 'chemical fingerprints' in major and accessory phases that were used to back-trace specific metamorphic reactions. Variations in Eu anomaly and Ti in garnet were linked to the growth and dissolution of major phases (e.g. growth of K-feldspar and dehydration melting of muscovite/biotite). Differences in M/HREE and Y from garnet core to rim were instead related to apatite breakdown and monazite-forming reactions. Chemically zoned monazite crystals reacted multiple times during the metamorphic evolution suggesting that the Jomolhari massif experienced a prolonged high-temperature metamorphic evolution from 36 Ma to 18 Ma, significantly different from the P-T-time path recorded in other portions of the Greater Himalayan Sequence (GHS) in Bhutan. Our data demonstrate unequivocally that the GHS in Bhutan consists of units that experienced independent high-grade histories and that were juxtaposed across different tectonic structures during exhumation. The GHS may have been exhumed in response to (pulsed) mid-crustal flow but cannot be considered a coherent block.

Finding Paleoclimates Using Pedogenic Carbonates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garapaty, C.; Bella Pratt, K.; Blisniuk, K.

2016-12-01

Carbonate rinds naturally form on the undersides of clasts in desert soil. These carbonate rinds can be used to determine past climates in these environments because they contain certain radioactive isotopes and stable isotopes. Radioactive isotopes can provide the age of soil formation because carbonate rinds only form after the soil. When the carbonates are forming on the rock, in desert soil, they trap miniscule amounts of uranium which will radioactively decay into thorium. Therefore, the uranium to thorium ratio found when the carbonates are analyzed can accurately give you the date of the sample. On the other hand stable isotopes help determine the average temperature at the time the carbonate was formed. The oxygen in the CO3- (carbonate) are usually 16O and 18O. The ratio of 16O to 18O can give you the temperature of the environment when the carbonates formed. This ratio depends on temperature because water with 16O evaporates first since it is lighter and 18O precipitates more easily because it is heavier. Evaporation, precipitation, and temperature change, easily alters the concentration of the ratio of 16O to 18O so it is easy to calculate the temperature, in that area and at that time, from it. The samples I worked on are from the Sonoran Desert in Southern California. I used a microscope, tweezers and a small pick to remove the carbonate from the clast and remove the biotite and other contamination from the carbonate. Later, we wash the samples by hand and by using an ultrasonic machine to make them even cleaner by washing away any loose material. We had to remove the biotite and wash away the loose material because the carbonates need to be clean in order for us to analyze it accurately.

Pseudotachylyte in the Tananao Metamorphic Complex, Taiwan: Occurrence and dynamic phase changes of fossil earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Hao-Tsu; Hwang, Shyh-Lung; Shen, Pouyan; Yui, Tzen-Fu

2012-12-01

Pseudotachylyte veins and cataclasites were studied in the mylonitized granitic gneiss of the Tananao Metamorphic Complex at Hoping, Eastern Taiwan. The aphanitic pseudotachylyte veins vary in thickness, ranging from millimeters to about 1 cm. Field and optical microscopic observations show that such pseudotachylyte veins cut across cataclasites, which, in turn, transect the mylonitized granitic gneiss. Scanning electron microscopic images also show that both the pseudotachylyte veins and the cataclasites have been metasomatized by a K-rich fluid, resulting in the replacement of Na-plagioclase by K-feldspar (veins). Analytical electron microscopic observations reveal further details of physical and chemical changes (mainly fragmentation, dislocations, cleaving-healing with inclusions and relic voids, and retention of high-temperature albite) of quartz and feldspar in crushed grains. Pseudotachylytes occur as dark veins having a higher content of chlorite-biotite, clinozoisite-epidote and titanite fragments than cataclasites. These veins, coupled with hematite/jarosite-Fe-rich amorphous shell/carbonaceous material, indicate that crushing, healing/sintering, and inhomogeneous melt/fluid infiltration involving incipient and intermediate/high temperature melt patches, before and/or contemporaneous with the metasomatic K-rich fluid, prevailed in a coupled or sequential manner in the faulting event to form nonequilibrium phase assemblage. The chlorite-biotite, carbonaceous material and other nanoscale minerals could be vulnerable in future earthquakes under the influence of water. The timing of the formation of these pseudotachylyte veins should be later than the area's age of mylonitization of granitic gneiss of approximately 4.1-3.0 Ma (Wang et al., 1998). The formation of pseudotachylytes registers the fossil earthquakes during early stages in the exhumation history of the uplifting Taiwan Mountain belt since the Plio-Pleistocene Arc-Continent collision.

Proterozoic evolution of part of the Embu Complex, eastern São Paulo state, SE Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vinagre da Costa, Rodrigo; Trouw, Rudolph Allard Johannes; Mendes, Julio Cezar; Geraldes, Mauro; Távora, Arthur; Nepomuceno, Felipe; de Araújo Junior, Edson Barros

2017-11-01

This paper presents detrital zircon ages obtained in rocks of the Embu Complex, southeastern São Paulo State, Brazil. The Embu Complex encompasses a Paleoproterozoic basement represented by migmatitic hornblende and biotite orthogneisses covered by (kyanite)-(sillimanite)-(garnet) bearing biotite-muscovite schists and paragneisses with decametric intercalations of quartzites and calcsilicate rocks. In the studied area this metasedimentary sequence is intruded by the porphyritic Serra do Quebra Cangalhagranite. Through field and microstructural studies, four ductile deformational phases wereidentified. Metamorphic events related to the Brasiliano Orogeny that affected the studied rocks were dominantly under medium temperature and pressure conditions, from greenschist to middle amphibolite facies. Detrital zircon crystals from a ∼10 m thick quartzite layer were analyzed by LA-ICP-MS resulting in a wide range of ages between 2100 and 600 Ma that fall mainly in four groups: the first group between 2.1 and 1.6 Ga, with apex at 1.7 Ga; two less expressive Mesoproterozoic groups with values between 1.6 and 1.2 Ga; and a fourth group with values between 1.2 and 0.6 Ga. Considering the geochronological data, the sedimentation of the basin began after 852 ± 40 Ma (the youngest igneous grain) and finished before ∼786 Ma (metamorphic rim). The age of the intrusive Serra do Quebra Cangalha granite (∼680 Ma) is consistent with this minimum age. The opening of the basin could be related to the break-up of Rodinia, which resulted in several small continents, among them the Paranapanema and São Francisco paleocontinents. Comparing these data with similar provenance data from the Apiaí terrane, itseems probable that the Embu Complex was physically connected with it during most of their evolution.

PRIMARY MINERALIZATION OF URANIUM-BEARING "SILICEOUS REEF" VEINS IN THE BOULDER BATHOLITH, MONTANA. PART I. THE HOST ROCKS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wright, H.D.; Bieler, B.H.

1960-01-01

Between 1952 and 1956 a study was made of some of the uranium-bearing hydrothermal veins in the northern part of the Boulder batholith, Montana. Three mines, the W. Wilson, G. Washington, and Free Enterprise, were investigated in detail. The veins are characterized by a microcrystalline quartz gangue containing sparsely scattered, very fine-grained sulfide minerals and uraninite. Above the present water table, secondary uranium minerals are abundant locally. Throughout the area the veins --called "siliceous reefs"--strike east to northeast, are of steep dip, and vary in thickness from a fraction of an inch to several feet. The country rock is granodioritemore » containing, in order of abundance, plagioclase (An/sub 30/ to An/sub 36/), quartz, orthoclase, biotite, and hornblende, with apatite, zircon, and sphene. Small bodies of aplite, pegmatite, and alaskite occur along some veins. The granodiorite adjacent to the veins is rather strongly altered. The alteration is similar throughout all of the deposits studied, in barren and orebearing portions alike. The essential minerals show a characteristic sequence of alteration, in the order hornblende, andesine, biotite, orthoclase, and quartz. Successive zones of alteration are characterized, from the vein outward, by maximum development of sericite (muscovite polytype 1M, in part), kaolinite, and montmorillonite. Other alteration products are quartz, pyrite, calcite, leucoxene, and chlorite. The alteration resulted in an increase in silica and ferric iron, a decrease in alumina, total iron, ferrous iron, lime, soda, and magnesia, and little change in potash, titania, phosphorus, carbon dioxide, and sulfur. Consideration of the stability fields of the sheet structure silicate minerals indicates little basis for interpretation of the temperatures prevailing during mineralization. (auth)« less

Geologic columns for the ICDP-USGS Eyreville B core, Chesapeake Bay impact structure: Impactites and crystalline rocks, 1766 to 1096 m depth

USGS Publications Warehouse

Horton, J. Wright; Gibson, R.L.; Reimold, W.U.; Wittmann, A.; Gohn, G.S.; Edwards, L.E.

2009-01-01

The International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP)-U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Eyreville drill cores from the Chesapeake Bay impact structure provide one of the most complete geologic sections ever obtained from an impact structure. This paper presents a series of geologic columns and descriptive lithologic information for the lower impactite and crystalline-rock sections in the cores. The lowermost cored section (1766-1551 m depth) is a complex assemblage of mica schists that commonly contain graphite and fibrolitic sillimanite, intrusive granite pegmatites that grade into coarse granite, and local zones of mylonitic deformation. This basement-derived section is variably overprinted by brittle cataclastic fabrics and locally cut by dikes of polymict impact breccia, including several suevite dikes. An overlying succession of suevites and lithic impact breccias (1551-1397 m) includes a lower section dominated by polymict lithic impact breccia with blocks (up to 17 m) and boulders of cataclastic gneiss and an upper section (above 1474 m) of suevites and clast-rich impact melt rocks. The uppermost suevite is overlain by 26 m (1397-1371 m) of gravelly quartz sand that contains an amphibolite block and boulders of cataclasite and suevite. Above the sand, a 275-m-thick allochthonous granite slab (1371-1096 m) includes gneissic biotite granite, fine- and medium-to-coarse-grained biotite granites, and red altered granite near the base. The granite slab is overlain by more gravelly sand, and both are attributed to debris-avalanche and/or rockslide deposition that slightly preceded or accompanied seawater-resurge into the collapsing transient crater. ?? 2009 The Geological Society of America.

Synchronous partial melting, deformation, and magmatism: evidence from in an exhumed Proterozoic orogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levine, J. S. F.; Mosher, S.

2017-12-01

Older orogenic belts that now expose the middle and lower crust record interaction between partial melting, magmatism, and deformation. A field- and microstructural-based case study from the Wet Mountains of central Colorado, an exhumed section of Proterozoic rock, shows structures associated with anatexis and magmatism, from the grain- to the kilometer-scale, that indicate the interconnection between deformation, partial melting, and magmatism, and allow reconstructions of the processes occurring in hot active orogens. Metamorphic grade, along with the degree of deformation, partial melting, and magmatism increase from northwest to southeast. Deformation synchronous with this high-grade metamorphic event is localized into areas with greater quantities of former melt, and preferential melting occurs within high-strain locations. In the less deformed northwest, partial melting occurs dominantly via muscovite-dehydration melting, with a low abundance of partial melting, and an absence of granitic magmatism. The central Wet Mountains are characterized by biotite dehydration melting, abundant former melt and foliation-parallel inferred melt channels along grain boundaries, and the presence of a nearby granitic pluton. Rocks in the southern portion of the Wet Mountains are characterized by partial melting via both biotite dehydration and granitic wet melting, with widespread partial melting as evidenced by well-preserved former melt microstructures and evidence for back reaction between melt and the host rocks. The southern Wet Mountains has more intense deformation and widespread plutonism than other locations and two generations of dikes and sills. Recognition of textures and fabrics associated with partial melting in older orogens is paramount for interpreting the complex interplay of processes occurring in the cores of orogenic systems.

Isolation of Phyllosilicate–Iron Redox Cycling Microorganisms from an Illite–Smectite Rich Hydromorphic Soil

PubMed Central

Shelobolina, Evgenya; Konishi, Hiromi; Xu, Huifang; Benzine, Jason; Xiong, Mai Yia; Wu, Tao; Blöthe, Marco; Roden, Eric

2012-01-01

The biogeochemistry of phyllosilicate–Fe redox cycling was studied in a Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass) dominated redoximorphic soil from Shovelers Sink, a small glacial depression near Madison, WI. The clay size fraction of Shovelers Sink soil accounts for 16% of the dry weight of the soil, yet contributes 74% of total Fe. The dominant mineral in the clay size fraction is mixed layer illite–smectite, and in contrast to many other soils and sediments, Fe(III) oxides are present in low abundance. We examined the Fe biogeochemistry of Shovelers Sink soils, estimated the abundance of Fe redox cycling microorganisms, and isolated in pure culture representative phyllosilicate–Fe oxidizing and reducing organisms. The abundance of phyllosilicate–Fe reducing and oxidizing organisms was low compared to culturable aerobic heterotrophs. Both direct isolation and dilution-to-extinction approaches using structural Fe(II) in Bancroft biotite as a Fe(II) source, and O2 as the electron acceptor, resulted in recovery of common rhizosphere organisms including Bradyrhizobium spp. and strains of Cupriavidus necator and Ralstonia solanacearum. In addition to oxidizing biotite and soluble Fe(II) with O2, each of these isolates was able to oxidize Fe(II) in reduced NAu-2 smectite with NO3- as the electron acceptor. Oxidized NAu-2 smectite or amorphous Fe(III) oxide served as electron acceptors for enrichment and isolation of Fe(III)-reducing microorganisms, resulting in recovery of a strain related to Geobacter toluenoxydans. The ability of the recovered microorganisms to cycle phyllosilicate–Fe was verified in an experiment with native Shovelers Sink clay. This study confirms that Fe in the native Shovelers Sink clay is readily available for microbial redox transformation and can be cycled by the Fe(III)-reducing and Fe(II)-oxidizing microorganisms recovered from the soil. PMID:22493596

Isolation of phyllosilicate-iron redox cycling microorganisms from an illite-smectite rich hydromorphic soil.

PubMed

Shelobolina, Evgenya; Konishi, Hiromi; Xu, Huifang; Benzine, Jason; Xiong, Mai Yia; Wu, Tao; Blöthe, Marco; Roden, Eric

2012-01-01

The biogeochemistry of phyllosilicate-Fe redox cycling was studied in a Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass) dominated redoximorphic soil from Shovelers Sink, a small glacial depression near Madison, WI. The clay size fraction of Shovelers Sink soil accounts for 16% of the dry weight of the soil, yet contributes 74% of total Fe. The dominant mineral in the clay size fraction is mixed layer illite-smectite, and in contrast to many other soils and sediments, Fe(III) oxides are present in low abundance. We examined the Fe biogeochemistry of Shovelers Sink soils, estimated the abundance of Fe redox cycling microorganisms, and isolated in pure culture representative phyllosilicate-Fe oxidizing and reducing organisms. The abundance of phyllosilicate-Fe reducing and oxidizing organisms was low compared to culturable aerobic heterotrophs. Both direct isolation and dilution-to-extinction approaches using structural Fe(II) in Bancroft biotite as a Fe(II) source, and O(2) as the electron acceptor, resulted in recovery of common rhizosphere organisms including Bradyrhizobium spp. and strains of Cupriavidus necator and Ralstonia solanacearum. In addition to oxidizing biotite and soluble Fe(II) with O(2), each of these isolates was able to oxidize Fe(II) in reduced NAu-2 smectite with [Formula: see text] as the electron acceptor. Oxidized NAu-2 smectite or amorphous Fe(III) oxide served as electron acceptors for enrichment and isolation of Fe(III)-reducing microorganisms, resulting in recovery of a strain related to Geobacter toluenoxydans. The ability of the recovered microorganisms to cycle phyllosilicate-Fe was verified in an experiment with native Shovelers Sink clay. This study confirms that Fe in the native Shovelers Sink clay is readily available for microbial redox transformation and can be cycled by the Fe(III)-reducing and Fe(II)-oxidizing microorganisms recovered from the soil.

Lithologic analysis from multispectral thermal infrared data of the alkalic rock complex at Iron Hill, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Watson, K.; Rowan, L.C.; Bowers, T.L.; Anton-Pacheco, C.; Gumiel, P.; Miller, S.H.

1996-01-01

Airborne thermal-infrared multispectral scanner (TIMS) data of the Iron Hill carbonatite-alkalic igneous rock complex in south-central Colorado are analyzed using a new spectral emissivity ratio algorithm and confirmed by field examination using existing 1:24 000-scale geologic maps and petrographic studies. Color composite images show that the alkalic rocks could be clearly identified and that differences existed among alkalic rocks in several parts of the complex. An unsupervised classification algorithm defines four alkalic rock classes within the complex: biotitic pyroxenite, uncompahgrite, augitic pyroxenite, and fenite + nepheline syenite. Felsic rock classes defined in the surrounding country rock are an extensive class consisting of tuff, granite, and felsite, a less extensive class of granite and felsite, and quartzite. The general composition of the classes can be determined from comparisons of the TIMS spectra with laboratory spectra. Carbonatite rocks are not classified, and we attribute that to the fact that dolomite, the predominant carbonate mineral in the complex, has a spectral feature that falls between TIMS channels 5 and 6. Mineralogical variability in the fenitized granite contributed to the nonuniform pattern of the fenite-nepheline syenite class. The biotitic pyroxenite, which resulted from alteration of the pyroxenite, is spatially associated and appears to be related to narrow carbonatite dikes and sills. Results from a linear unmixing algorithm suggest that the detected spatial extent of the two mixed felsic rock classes was sensitive to the amount of vegetation cover. These results illustrate that spectral thermal infrared data can be processed to yield compositional information that can be a cost-effective tool to target mineral exploration, particularly in igneous terranes.

Monzonitoid magmatism of the copper-porphyritic Lazurnoe deposit (South Primor'e): U-Pb and K-Ar geochronology and peculiarities of ore-bearing magma genesis by the data of isotopic-geochemical studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakhno, V. G.; Kovalenko, S. V.; Alenicheva, A. A.

2011-05-01

Magmatic rocks from the copper-porphyritic Lazurnoe deposit (Central Primor'e) have been studied. It has been found that rocks from the Lazurnyi massif are referred to gabbro-monzodiorites, monzodiorites, and monzo-granodiorites formed during two magmatic phases of different ages. The earlier phase is represented by gabbro-monzodiorites and diorites of the North Stock, and the later one, by gabbro-monzodiorites and monzo-grano-diorites of the South Stock. On the basis of isotopic dating by the U-Pb (SHRIMP) method for zircon and by the K-Ar method for hornblendes and biotites, the age of magmatic rocks is determined at 110 ± 4 for the earlier phase and at 103.5 ± 1.5 for the later one. Examination of the isotopic composition for Nd, Sr, Pb, Hf, δ18O, and REE spectra has shown that melts of the first phase are contaminated with crustal rocks and they are typical for a high degree of secondary alterations. Potassiumfeldspar, biotite, propylitic alterations, and sulfidization are manifested in these rocks. The rocks of the later stage of magmatism are characteristic for a primitive composition of isotopes and the absence of secondary alterations. They carry the features of adakite specifics that allows us to consider them derivatives of mantle generation under high fluid pressure. The intrusion of fluid-saturated melts of the second phase into the magmatic source of the first phase caused both an alteration pattern of rocks and copper-porphyritic mineralization. Isotopes of sulfur and oxygen allow us to consider the ore component to be of magmatic origin.

Can the Metamorphic Basement of Northwestern Guatemala be Correlated with the Chuacús Complex?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cacao, N.; Martens, U.

2007-05-01

The Chuacús complex constitutes a northward concave metamorphic belt that stretches ca. 150 km south of the Cuilco-Chixoy-Polochic (CCP) fault system in central and central-eastern Guatemala. It represents the basement of the southern edge of the Maya block, being well exposed in the sierra de Chuacús and the sierra de Las Minas. It is composed of high-Al metapelites, amphibolites, quartzofeldspathic gneisses, and migmatites. In central Guatemala the Chuacús complex contains ubiquitous epidote-amphibolite mineral associations, and local relics of eclogite reveal a previous high-pressure metamorphic event. North of the CCP, in the Sierra de Los Cuchumatanes area of western Guatemala, metamorphic rocks have been considered the equivalent of the Chuacús complex and hence been given the name Western Chuacús group, These rocks, which were intruded by granitic rocks and later mylonitized, include chloritic schist and gneiss, biotite-garnet schist, migmatites, and amphibolites. No eclogitic relics have been found within metamorphic rocks in northwestern Guatemala. Petrographic analyses of garnet-biotite schist reveal abundant retrogression and the formation of abundant zeolite-bearing veins associated with intrusion. Although metamorphic conditions in the greenschist and amphibolite facies are similar to those in the sierra de Chuacús, the association with deformed intrusive granites is unique for western Guatemala. Hence a correlation with metasediments intruded by the Rabinal granite in the San Gabriel area of Baja Verapaz seems more feasible than a correlation with the Chuacús complex. This idea is supported by reintegration of the Cenozoic left-lateral displacement along the CCP, which would place the metamorphic basement of western Guatemala north of Baja Verapaz, adjacent to metasediments intruded by granites in the San Gabriel-Rabinal area.

Geochemistry and stratigraphic relations of middle Proterozoic rocks of the New Jersey Highlands

USGS Publications Warehouse

Volkert, Richard A.; Drake, Avery Ala

1999-01-01

Middle Proterozoic rocks of the New Jersey Highlands consist of a basement of dacitic, tonalitic, trondhjemitic, and charnockitic rocks that constitute the Losee metamorphic suite. These rocks are unconformably overlain by a layered supracrustal sequence of quartzo-feldspathic and calcareous rocks. Abundant sheets of hornblende- and biotite-bearing rocks of the Byram intrusive suite and clinopyroxene-bearing rocks of the Lake Hopatcong intrusive suite were synkinematically emplaced at about 1,090 Ma. These intrusive suites constitute the Vernon Supersuite. The postorogenic Mount Eve Granite has been dated at 1,020?4 Ma and is confined to the extreme northern Highlands.

Geologic map of the Wenatchee 1:100,000 Quadrangle, central Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tabor, R.W.; Waitt, R.B.; Frizzell, V.A.; Swanson, D.A.; Byerly, G.R.; Bentley, R.D.

1982-01-01

The rocks and deposits within the Wenatchee quadrangle can be grouped into six generalized units: (1) Precambrian(?) Swakane Biotite Gneiss in the northeastern part of the quadrangle and the probable Jurassic low-grade metamorphic suite, mostly composed of the Easton Schist, in the southwestern part; (2) the Mesozoic Ingalls Tectonic Complex; (3) the Mesozoic Mount Stuart batholith; (4) lower and middle Tertiary nonmarine sedimentary and volcanic rocks; (5) Miocene basalt flows and interbedded epiclastic rocks constituting part of the Columbia River Basalt Group and interbedded silicic volcaniclastic rocks of the Ellensburg Formation; and (6) Pliocene to Holocene alluvium, glacial, flood, and mass-wastage deposits.

How does litter become soil organic matter? Tracing the fate of needle- and root-derived soil organic matter through 10 years of decomposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hicks Pries, Caitlin E.; Hatton, Pierre-Joseph; Castanha, Cristina; Bird, Jeffrey A.; Torn, Margaret S.

2014-05-01

All soil organic matter (SOM) is derived from plant material. However, little is known about the process by which plant litter becomes SOM (as opposed to the better-studied controls on rates of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) loss from litter). We investigated the transformations of above- and below-ground plant inputs in soil over ten years, and whether litter type (roots versus needles) affects the form and location of litter-derived C and N in soil after 10 years. We placed 15N and 13C-labeled Pinus ponderosa needle and fine root litter in the Blodgett Experimental Forest in the Sierra Nevada foothills in 2001. A two-way factorial design was used with needle and root litter placed into O and A soil horizons. Litter was inserted into the given horizon within soil mesocosms (10.2 cm diameter x 24 cm long PVC) that had two 5 x 5 cm mesh windows to allow contact with the surrounding soil. After 0.5, 1, 1.5, 4.5, and 10 years, the mesocosms were collected from the field. Isotopes were used to measure the percent recovery of the litter C and N in the bulk soil of the O and A horizons. To investigate mineral associations of the added litter C and N after 10 years, we sequentially fractionated the soils by density. The fractions were a free light fraction (<1.75 g cm-3), a fraction dominated by secondary phyllosilicate minerals (1.75-2.5 g cm-3), a quartz and feldspar-dominated fraction (2.5-2.78 g cm-3), and a fraction dominated by biotite with kaolinite and iron oxide coatings (>2.78 g cm-3). These fractions differ in the type of organic matter they are associated with according to C:N ratios and molecular characterization via FTIR. The biotite fraction had the lowest C:N ratios, indicating it was the most microbially-processed. After 10 years, more root litter C (about 44%) was retained in the soil than needle litter C (about 28%). In line with slower rates of decomposition, root C and N remained in the particulate (>2 mm) fraction and the free light fraction longer than needle C. However, there were similar amounts of root and needle C and N in the mineral-associated pools with 12-17% of the remaining C associated with secondary phyllosilicates and less than 1% associated with biotite. C:N ratios of the litter-derived OM were much lower in the mineral fractions than in the free light fraction. In conclusion, litter type affects how long organic matter is retained in soils by affecting the earlier stages of decomposition when microbes are utilizing substrates that are part of larger OM particles, but litter type does not appear to affect later stages of decomposition, when microbially-processed OM becomes associated with minerals.

U–Pb, Rb–Sr, and U-series isotope geochemistry of rocks and fracture minerals from the Chalk River Laboratories site, Grenville Province, Ontario, Canada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Neymark, Leonid; Peterman, Zell E.; Moscati, Richard J.; Thivierge, R. H.

2013-01-01

As part of the Geologic Waste Management Facility feasibility study, Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) is evaluating the suitability of the Chalk River Laboratories (CRL) site in Ontario, situated in crystalline rock of the southwestern Grenville Province, for the possible development of an underground repository for low- and intermediate-level nuclear waste. This paper presents petrographic and trace element analyses, U–Pb zircon dating results, and Rb–Sr, U–Pb and U-series isotopic analyses of gneissic drill core samples from the deep CRG-series characterization boreholes at the CRL site. The main rock types intersected in the boreholes include hornblende–biotite (±pyroxene) gneisses of granitic to granodioritic composition, leucocratic granitic gneisses with sparse mafic minerals, and garnet-bearing gneisses with variable amounts of biotite and/or hornblende. The trace element data for whole-rock samples plot in the fields of within-plate, syn-collision, and volcanic arc-type granites in discrimination diagrams used for the tectonic interpretation of granitic rocks.Zircons separated from biotite gneiss and metagranite samples yielded SHRIMP-RG U–Pb ages of 1472 ± 14 (2σ) and 1045 ± 6 Ma, respectively, in very good agreement with widespread Early Mesoproterozoic plutonic ages and Ottawan orogeny ages in the Central Gneiss Belt. The Rb–Sr, U–Pb, and Pb–Pb whole-rock errorchron apparent ages of most of the CRL gneiss samples are consistent with zircon U–Pb age and do not indicate substantial large-scale preferential element mobility during superimposed metamorphic and water/rock interaction processes. This may confirm the integrity of the rock mass, which is a positive attribute for a potential nuclear waste repository. Most 234U/238U activity ratios (AR) in whole rock samples are within errors of the secular equilibrium value of one, indicating that the rocks have not experienced any appreciable U loss or gain within the past 1 Ma. However, 234U/238U AR in fracture mineral samples collected down to borehole lengths of about 740 m deviate from the secular equilibrium value and 234U/238U model ages calculated for fracture mineral samples showing excess 234U range from 593 to 1415 ka, thus providing evidence of fracture flow in the associated bedrock during the past 1.5 Ma. Rare earth element patterns are variable in fracture-filling calcites and Fe oxides/hydroxides but are similar to those observed in associated whole-rock samples. The observed Ce anomalies are very small (CeN/CeN∗≈1">CeN/CeN∗≈1), do not vary with depth, and, therefore, do not contain evidence that the studied fracture minerals precipitated from oxidizing waters at the conceptual depth of a repository.

Thermal durations and heating behaviour for the Barrovian metamorphism, Scotland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viete, D. R.; Lister, G. S.; Hermann, J.; Forster, M. A.; Oliver, G. J.

2008-12-01

Published U/Pb ages for the syn-metamorphic gabbros and granites of the Grampian Terrane, Scotland, that provided heat for the classical Barrovian metamorphism, suggests that they were emplaced between 473.5 and 470 Ma. New SHRIMP U/Pb ages of 472.2 ± 5.8 Ma and 470.4 ± 6.1 Ma for peak metamorphism in the highest-grade units of the Barrovian metamorphic series are consistent with a 473.5 to 470 Ma heating episode in the highest-grade units. U/Pb-calibrated 40Ar/39Ar ages for white mica from the Barrovian metamorphic series vary from c. 465 Ma for the biotite zone to c. 461 Ma for the sillimanite zone and suggest that the Barrovian thermal episode lasted less than 8.5 million years in the biotite zone and less than 12.5 million years in the sillimanite zone. The lowest-grade units of the Barrovian metamorphic series retain detrital ages in white mica 40Ar/39Ar step-heating spectra, while units metamorphosed to temperatures of 475°C or more yield Grampian 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages. Forward modelling of Ar diffusion from white mica grains was carried out for different grain sizes and thermal histories to match the position of the across-metamorphic-grade transition from detrital 40Ar/39Ar patterns to Grampian 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages. The results of Ar diffusion modelling are consistent with thermal durations of between one and 4.5 million years for the Barrovian metamorphism of the biotite zone. Microstructural observations suggest that peak metamorphism and cooling occurred earliest in the lowest-grade units of the Barrovian metamorphic series and metamorphism in the higher-grade units continued for longer. We propose metamorphic durations of between 3.5 and eight million years for the Barrovian metamorphism of the sillimanite zone. Geochemical textures preserved within high-grade garnets from the Barrovian metamorphic series record evidence of Mn diffusion over c. 1000 μm lengthscales during the Barrovian metamorphism. In addition, sillimanite-grade garnets from the Barrovian metamorphic series preserve c. 100 μm diffusion textures between sillimanite-grade rim domains and lower-grade cores. Timescales for Fickian diffusion processes increase with the square of the diffusion lengthscale. Lengthscales of diffusion are considered within the context of 3.5- to eight-million-year duration for the Barrovian thermal event. Heat associated with regional metamorphism appears to have accumulated within the metamorphosed units following numerous, short- timescale (tens of thousands of year) heating events. Shear zones that occur in the highest-grade parts of the Barrovian metamorphic series provide a suitably narrow heating region for regional metamorphism over a several million years and, with episodic movement histories, can account for self-similar heating behaviour (by mechanical work and/or the introduction of magmas and hot fluids).

Geochronologic constraints on syntaxial development in the Nanga Parbat region, Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winslow, David M.; Zeitler, Peter K.; Chamberlain, C. Page; Williams, Ian S.

1996-12-01

40Ar/39Ar data (hornblende, biotite, muscovite, and K-feldspar) and U/Pb data (zircons) were obtained from the Nanga Parbat-Haramosh Massif (NPHM), NW Pakistan, along three transects in the southern regions of the NPHM. We have based our interpretations on our new data as well as geochronologic dates from previous studies in the northern regions of the massif. Geochronologic data show that the NPHM has experienced exceptionally high denudation and cooling rates over the past 10 m.y. U/Pb ages determined through sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) "depth-profiling" experiments on metamorphic zircons and conventional U/Pb monazite dates suggest that the timing of metamorphism varied across the massif. In addition, we have documented that the massif has experienced postmetamorphic, differential cooling both along and across strike. Thermochronologic data on currently exposed surface rocks suggest that cooling occurred more recently and at greater rates in the south-central regions of the massif (representing deeper crustal levels) than along the margins and northern regions of the massif. Within the Tato region, cooling following peak metamorphic temperatures of 600°-700 °C was as high as 140 °C/m.y. following partial melting of pelitic units. Biotites from this area record plateau ages of 0.9 ± 0.1 Ma. Along the Astor and Indus gorges, cooling was less rapid (approximately 70°-80°C/m.y.) following peak metamorphism as indicated by U/Pb monazite ages of 6-8 Ma and 40Ar/39Ar muscovite cooling ages of 2.2-3.4 Ma. Cooling over the last 3 m.y. occurred at rates of 100°-140 °C/m.y. The overall cooling age pattern within the massif is interpreted syntaxial growth through the development of north plunging antiforms prior to 3 Ma, followed by reverse faulting along east dipping fault zones. Along the Raikot River transect the biotite cooling age pattern is consistent with the folding of isotherms during folding of the foliation surfaces. The age pattern was disrupted at 1 Ma due to faulting along the Raikot and Tato faults. An electronic supplement of Tables A1, A2, and A3 may be obtained on a diskette or Anonymous FTP from KOSMOS.AGU.ORG (LOGIN to AGU's FTP account using ANONYMOUS as the username and GUEST as the password. Go to the right directory by typing CD APEND. Type LS to see what files are available. Type GUEST and the name of the file to get it. Finally, type EXIT to leave the system.) (Paper 95TC00032, Geochronologic constraints on syntaxial development in the Nanga Parbat region, Pakistan, David M. Winslow, Peter K. Zeitler, C. Page Chamberlain, and Ian S. Williams). Diskette may be ordered from American Geophysical Union, 2000 Florida Avenue, N. W., Washington, DC 20009; $$15.00. Payment must accompany order.

Geology and geochronology of granitoid and metamorphic rocks of late Archean age in northwestern Wisconsin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sims, P.K.; Peterman, Z.E.; Zartman, R.E.; Benedict, F.C.

1985-01-01

Granitoid rocks of the Puritan Quartz Monzonite and associated biotite gneiss and amphibolite in northwestern Wisconsin compose the southwestern part of the Puritan batholith of Late Archean age. They differ from rocks in the Michigan segment of the batholith in having been deformed by brittle-ductile deformation and partly recrystallized during shearing accompanying development of the midcontinent rift system of Keweenawan (Middle Proterozoic) age. Granitoid rocks ranging in composition from granite to tonalite are dominant in the Wisconsin part of the batholith. To the north of the Mineral Lake fault zone, they are massive to weakly foliated and dominantly of granite composition, whereas south of the fault zone they are more strongly foliated and mainly of tonalite composition. Massive granite, leucogranite, and granite pegmatite cut the dominant granitoid rocks. Intercalated with the granitoid rocks in small to large conformable bodies are biotite gneiss, amphibolite, and local tonalite gneiss. Metagabbro dikes of probable Early Proterozoic age as much as 15 m thick cut the Archean rocks. Rubidium-strontium whole-rock data indicate a Late Archean age for the granitoids and gneisses, but data points are scattered and do not define a single isochron. Zircon from two samples of tonalitic gneiss for uranium-thorium-Iead dating define a single chord on a concordia diagram, establishing an age of 2,735?16 m.y. The lower intercept age of 1,052?70 m.y. is in close agreement with rubidium-strontium and potassium-argon biotite ages from the gneisses. Two episodes of deformation and metamorphism are recorded in the Archean rocks. Deformation during the Late Archean produced a steep west-northwest-oriented foliation and gently plunging fold axes and was accompanied by low amphibolite-facies metamorphism of the bedded rocks. A younger deformation resulting from largely brittle fracture was accompanied by retrogressive metamorphism; this deformation is most evident adjacent to the Mineral Lake fault and took place during Keweenawan rifting about 1,050 m.y. ago. The Mineral Lake fault is one of several northwest-trending faults in the Lake Superior region that originated in the Late Archean and were reactivated intermittently during the Proterozoic, including Keweenawan time. The faults dominantly have right-lateral displacements. The Archean rocks of the Puritan batholith exposed in northwestern Wisconsin compose part of the greenstone-granite terrane, as defined in the Lake Superior region. These rocks were formed 2,7502,600 m.y. ago. The long dimension of the Puritan batholith as well as that of several batholiths in adjacent Minnesota are oriented sub parallel to the boundary between the greenstone-granite terrane and the older gneiss terrane, to the south. This conformity in trend is interpreted as indicating that the granite probably was emplaced after the two basement crustal segments had been joined.

The Phillips pluton, Maine, USA: evidence of heterogeneous crustal sources and implications for granite ascent and emplacement mechanisms in convergent orogens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pressley, Rachel A.; Brown, Michael

1999-03-01

The Phillips pluton (age of 403.8±1.3 Ma) was assembled at a crustal level below the contemporary brittle-plastic transition during regional dextral-reverse transpressive deformation. The pluton is composed dominantly of medium- to coarse-grained leucogranite sensu lato (s.l.), but within its bounds includes decametric massive outcrop of fine- to medium-grained granodiorite (s.l.). In places, the leucogranite contains centimetric enclaves apparently of the granodiorite. Granodiorite is host to more biotite than muscovite, and more calcic, oscillatory-zoned plagioclase, compared to the leucogranite. Pegmatitic granite and composite pegmatite-aplite occur as metric sheets within the pluton and as larger bodies outside the pluton to the SW. Magmatic fabrics, defined by biotite schlieren, occur locally in the leucogranite; the attitude of these fabrics and layering within the leucogranite are concordant with the NE-striking, steeply-dipping country rock foliation. K 2O contents, Rb/Sr ratios, Rb, Sr and Ba covariations, and chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE) patterns of leucogranite are consistent with high-to-moderate a(H 2O) muscovite dehydration equilibrium eutectic melting of a predominantly pelite source similar to metasedimentary rocks of the surrounding central Maine belt (CMB). The REE patterns and Rb/Sr ratios of granodiorite also suggest derivation from a metasedimentary source, but more likely by moderate-to-low a(H 2O) (muscovite-) biotite dehydration equilibrium eutectic to non-eutectic (minimum) melting of a protolith dominated by greywacke in which garnet and plagioclase were residual phases. Both granite (s.l.) types have heterogeneous initial Nd isotope compositions. Samples of granodiorite define a range in ɛNd (404 Ma) of -1.8 to +0.1 (±0.3 2 σ uncertainty), and samples of leucogranite define a range in ɛNd (404 Ma) of -8.0 to -5.3 (±0.3 2 σ uncertainty). This bimodal distribution suggests that melts were derived from a minimum of two sources. The data are consistent with these sources being CMB metasedimentary rocks ( ɛNd (404 Ma)<-4) for the leucogranite, and Avalon-like (peri-Gondwanan) metasedimentary crust ( ɛNd (404 Ma)>-4) for the granodiorite. The range of Nd isotope compositions within each granite type most likely reflects isotopic heterogeneity inherited from the source. These data imply that the integrity of individual melt batches was maintained during ascent, and that extensive mixing of melt batches during emplacement at this level in the pluton did not occur, although centimetric enclaves have intermediate Nd isotope compositions consistent with small-scale interactions between magmas. We infer that the Phillips pluton represents the root of a larger pluton, and that what remains of this larger pluton is the feeder constructed from multiple melt batches arrested during waning flow of granite magma through a crustal-scale shear zone system.

Garnet zoning and metamorphism of the Barrovian type area, Scotland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dempster, T. J.

1985-03-01

A microprobe investigation of the high grade metamorphic zones from the Barrovian type area in Angus, Scotland, shows the importance of local zones of retrograde cation exchange between garnet, staurolite and biotite. The interpretation of this zoning, established during a slow cooling history, is critical to any study of metamorphic reactions or conditions. The extent and intensity of these diffusion effects are dependent on a number of parameters including grainsize, fabric orientation, heating and cooling history, and the modal abundance of the phases. Increasing diffusion within garnets with metamorphic grade, and the subsequent retrograde effects are modelled using Temperature-Time-Transformation diagrams and provide information on the activation energy for Fe-Mg diffusion in garnet.

Middle Proterozoic uplift events in the Dunbar dome of northeastern Wisconsin, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peterman, Z.E.; Sims, P.K.; Zartman, R.E.; Schulz, K.J.

1985-01-01

Isotopic ages of granitic and metamorphic rocks exposed in the Dunbar structural dome of northeastern Wisconsin identify a protracted series of tectonic and "hydrothermal" events that culminated in major regional uplift during Middle Proterozoic (Keweenawan; ca 1,100 Ma) continental rifting and volcanism. The major rock-forming events and the structural development of the dome occurred during the interval 1,862+/-4 Ma to 1,836+/-6 Ma. Whole-rock Rb-Sr ages are partly reset in response to a widely recognized but cryptic event in Wisconsin and Michigan at about 1,630 Ma. The scale and systematic character of the whole-rock resetting strongly suggests the presence of a fluid phase derived in situ from water dissolved in the silicates or externally from a subthrust plate of low-grade metamorphic rocks. The regional nature of the 1,630-Ma disturbance possibly indicates that it is related to a major tectonic event such as an active plate margin far to the south. Rb-Sr biotite ages for the Dunbar dome (this study), the southern complex of the Marquette district (Van Schmus and Woolsey 1975) and the Felch trough area (Aldrich and others 1965) provide a remarkably coherent pattern that reflects multiple episodes of differential uplift. Younger events superimposed on a regional 1,630-Ma imprint are recorded at 1,330 Ma and 1,140 Ma. The 1,330 Ma disturbance could reflect stabilization following intrusion of the Wolf River batholith at 1,485 Ma. The 1,140-Ma uplift event occurred during Keweenawan rifting and volcanism as a result of stresses imposed on a mosaic of fault-bounded blocks with possible subcrustal influence. The remarkably small variance in the 1,140-Ma biotite age peak argues for rapid uplift and cooling, and hence rapid erosion. Detritus from the uplift probably was being shed into nearby tectonic basins most of which did not survive subsequent uplift and erosion. ?? 1985 Springer-Verlag.

Granite emplacement at the termination of a major Variscan transcurrent shear zone: The late collisional Viseu batholith

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valle Aguado, B.; Azevedo, M. R.; Nolan, J.; Medina, J.; Costa, M. M.; Corfu, F.; Martínez Catalán, J. R.

2017-05-01

A major event of plutonic activity occurred all across the Central Iberian Zone of the Iberian Variscan Belt at the end of Late Paleozoic Variscan collisional tectonism. The present study focuses on the western sector of the Viseu late-post-tectonic batholith (central Portugal), a large composite intrusion comprising three main plutonic units: (a) small bodies of mafic to intermediate composition preferentially concentrated along the northern border, (b) a wide ring of coarse porphyritic biotite monzogranite (Cota-Viseu granite) and (c) a more evolved medium porphyritic, biotite-muscovite monzogranite occupying the central part of the intrusion (Alcafache granite). The compositional zonation pattern of the whole batholith and the complex mixing/mingling relationships between the voluminous Cota-Viseu porphyritic granite and the mafic/intermediate rocks suggest that these melts were withdrawn from a lower crustal source region undergoing partial melting, invasion by mantle-derived mafic magmas, mixing and fractional crystallization. New CA-ID-TIMS U-Pb zircon ages indicate that pluton assembly via multipulse injection of successive magma batches took place between 299.4 ± 0.4 Ma and 296.0 ± 0.6 Ma. A detailed anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) survey suggests that pluton emplacement occurred at the extensional termination of a regional-scale, ENE-WSW trending, sinistral D3 shear zone - the Juzbado-Penalva Shear Zone (JPSZ). A dilational opening model involving the development of "en-échelon" tensional gashes at the extensional termination of the fault, followed by progressive opening and widening of north-south trending fractures, provided the space into which the successive magma batches arriving from below were emplaced. Vertical inflation was accommodated by depression of the pluton floor. The proposed model is consistent with the asymmetric wedge-shaped geometry of the intrusion (steep root zone on the northern side, discordant subvertical walls and a shallowing pluton floor towards the south).

Rheology and Deformation Mechanisms in a High Temperature Shear Zone from a Microstructural and Crystalographic Preferred Orientation Approach: AN Example from se Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavalcante, G. C.; Egydio-Silva, M.; Vauchez, A. R.; Lagoeiro, L. E.

2014-12-01

The Ribeira belt, located in southeastern Brazil, was formed during the Brasiliano (Pan- African) orogeny by the collision between the proto South American and African continents resulting in the amalgamation of Western Gondwana at around 670-480 Ma. Its northern termination displays a transcurrent shear zone network, the 250 km long Além Paraíba-Pádua shear zone, which involves granulites, migmatites and granites facies mylonites deformed in transpression. A detailed microstructural and crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) study of the rock-forming minerals is being undertaken to infer constraints on the rheology of continental crust during the nucleation and development of this shear zone. A variety of mylonites (from protomylonites to ultramylonites) have been analyzed by Electron Backscattering Diffraction (EBSD) in order to determine the CPO of minerals, especially quartz, feldspars, amphibole, pyroxene and biotite. High-grade mylonites often exhibit ribbon-shaped quartz, probably due to high temperature grain boundary migration. They frequently wrap around K-feldspar porphyroclast exhibiting undulose extinction and core-mantle structures that may be related to bulging and/or subgrain rotation recrystallisation. In these HT mylonites, plagioclase is dynamically recrystallized and form fine-grained layers alternating with quartz-ribbons. Hornblende porphyroclasts present strain shadows of opaque mineral. Medium to high-grade mylonites derived from each felsic and mafic granulite and migmatitic gneisses show plagioclase with undulose extinction and deformation twins, quartz grains with both ribbon and porphyroclast shapes (> 3mm in size), orthopyroxene and garnet as porhyroclast and porphyroblast, respectively, and strongly oriented biotite. CPO of quartz indicates that it was deformed through plastic deformation with the activation of prism {a}. Feldspar CPOs show concentrations of [001] close to the lineation, of [010] close to the pole of the foliation and of [100] close to the Y strain axis, suggesting activation of the [001] (010) slip system.

Thondhjemite of the Talkeetna Mountains: An unusually large low-K pluton in Alaska's Peninsular terrane

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ford, A.B.; Arth, J.G.; Csejtey, B.

1993-04-01

An unusually large, elongate Jurassic pluton of trondhjemite, about 120- by 10--15 km in dimensions, intruded Jurassic plutonic and metamorphic rocks of the Peninsular terrane in the central Talkeetna Mountains of south-central Alaska. Muscovite and biotite yield minimum ages of 150--145 Ma. The N40[degree]E-trending body is concordant with regional structures. It is the youngest member of a subduction-related Jurassic plutonic suite in the Peninsular terrane that, along with Wrangellia, was accreted to the North American continent in the middle Cretaceous. Rocks, commonly sheared, are medium to coarse grained and leucocratic (CI = 3--9). Biotite is the chief mafic mineral. Minormore » muscovite and garnet are common and green hornblende rare. Samples (n = 27) from the body's entire length have an average Mg[number sign] of 45 and an SiO[sub 2] continuum of 67--74% (avg. 70.7%). High Al[sub 2]O[sub 3] (14.4--17.9%, avg. 16.5%) is typical of continental trondhjemite. Averages for Zr (109 ppm) and Nb (3.5 ppm) and the ratios K/Rb (491) and Zr/Nb (34) are typical of orogenic igneous rocks of subduction origin. Four samples analyzed have low ([sup 87]Sr/[sup 86]Sr)[sub i] (avg. 0.7036). Very low Rb/Sr (avg. 0.027) is similar to Idaho batholith trondhjemites. REE patterns with low to moderate LREE and HREE with flat patterns and low contents suggest residual garnet or hornblende during partial melting or fractionation. The pluton appears homogeneous in outcrop. However, some geographic variations in chemistry, as in SiO[sub 2] contents and especially in Eu/Eu[sup *], suggest existence of perhaps three regionally separate plumbing systems, or chambers in which different processes such as plagioclase accumulation or hornblende fractionation were active.« less

Leucogranites of the Teton Range, Wyoming: A record of Archean collisional orogeny

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frost, Carol D.; Swapp, Susan M.; Frost, B. Ronald; Finley-Blasi, Lee; Fitz-Gerald, D. Braden

2016-07-01

Leucogranitic rocks formed by crustal melting are a prominent feature of collisional orogens of all ages. This study describes leucogranitic gneisses associated with an Archean collisional orogeny preserved in the Teton Range of northwestern Wyoming, USA. These leucogneisses formed at 2.68 Ga, and initial Nd isotopic compositions suggest they are derived from relatively juvenile sources. Two distinct groups of leucogneisses, both trondhjemitic, are identified on the basis of field relations, petrology, and geochemistry. The Webb Canyon gneiss forms large, sheet-like bodies of hornblende biotite trondhjemite and granodiorite. This gneiss is silica-rich (SiO2 = 70-80%), strongly ferroan, comparatively low in alumina, and is characterized by high Zr and Y, low Sr, and high REE contents that define ;seagull;-shaped REE patterns. The Bitch Creek gneiss forms small sills, dikes, and plutons of biotite trondhjemite. Silica, Zr, Y, and REE are lower and alumina and Sr are higher than in the Webb Canyon gneiss. These differences reflect different melting conditions: the Webb Canyon gneiss formed by dehydration melting in which amphibole and quartz breaks down, accounting for the low alumina, high FeO, high silica content and observed trace element characteristics. The Bitch Creek gneiss formed by H2O-excess melting in which plagioclase breaks down leaving an amphibole-rich restite, producing magmas higher in alumina and Sr and lower in FeO and HREE. Both melt mechanisms are expected in collisional environments: dehydration melting accompanies gravitational collapse and tectonic extension of dramatically thickened crust, and water-excess melting may occur when collision places a relatively cool, hydrous lower plate beneath a hotter upper plate. The Archean leucogranitic gneisses of the Teton Range are calcic trondhjemites and granodiorites whereas younger collisional leucogranites typically are true granites. The difference in leucogranite composition reflects the geochemically immature Archean crust that partially melted in the Teton Range compared to the more geochemically evolved rocks typically involved in younger collisional orogens.

The Chunky Gal Mountain fault-detachment-normal fault providing evidence for Early-to-Middle Paleozoic extensional unroofing of the eastern Blue Ridge, or folded thrust

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hatcher, R.D. Jr.

1993-03-01

The Chunky Gal Mountain fault (CGMF), located in the western Blue Ridge of southern NC and northern GA, contains unequivocal evidence for hanging wall-down-to-the-west movement. The 50 m-thick fault zone here consists of a series of shear zones in the footwall in a mass of mylonitized garnet-rich biotite gneiss. The main contact with the hanging wall reveals both a contrast in rock type and truncation of fabrics. Above the fault are amphibolite, ultramafic rocks, and minor metasandstone and pelitic schist of the Buck Creek mafic-ultramafic complex, while the footwall contains complexly folded metasandstone, pelitic schist, and calcsilicate pods of themore » Coleman River Formation. In the present orientation, the mylonitic foliation in the footwall rocks of the GGMF is subvertical; foliation in the hanging wall is subhorizontal at road level. These rocks were metamorphosed to upper amphibolite facies assemblages, and, after emplacement of the CGMF, were cut by brittle faults and trondhjemite dikes that contain no obvious tectonic fabric. Movement on the CGMF occurred near the thermal peak because enough heat remained in the rocks after movement to statically anneal the mylonite microfabric, but mesoscopic rotated porphyroclasts, rotated (dragged) earlier foliation, and some S-C fabrics clearly indicate the shear sense and vergence of this structure. Shear zones related to the CGMF transposed earlier fabrics, although some relicts preserving earlier structures remain in the shear zones. These rotated but untransposed relicts of amphibolite and garnet-rich biotite gneiss mylonite may indicate locally higher strain rates in subsidiary shear zones. The thermal/mechanical properties of the CGMF make it difficult to connect to the Shope Fork or Soque River thrusts farther south and east. Thus the hanging-wall-down configuration provides an alternative hypothesis that the CGMF may be a detachment-normal fault related to Taconian extensional unroofing of the Appalachians.« less

Geochemical and geostatistical appraisal of fluoride contamination: An insight into the Quaternary aquifer.

PubMed

Thapa, Raju; Gupta, Srimanta; Gupta, Arindam; Reddy, Dontireddy Venkat; Kaur, Harjeet

2018-06-01

Fluoride (F - ) in groundwater poses a severe public health threat in the Dwarka River Basin (DRB) of West Bengal, India, where many cases of fluorosis have been reported. This research evaluates the spatial distribution patterns of major cations and anions, delineates zones of high F - concentrations within alluvial sediments of the DRB, and identifies both the sources and the geochemical processes responsible for the release of F - to groundwater. A total of 607 groundwater samples were collected from shallow and deep tube wells located within the DRB, encompassing an area of 435 km 2 and including 211 villages. Fluoride levels range from 0.01 to 10.6 mg/L, and high concentrations (>1.5 mg/L) are restricted to isolated areas within the basin (occurring within nine of the villages and comprising 4.3% of the samples collected). The high-fluoride areas are characterized by mostly Na-HCO 3 type groundwater, where the abundance of cations and anions are Na +  > Ca 2+  > Mg 2+  > K + and HCO 3 -  > Cl -  > SO 4 2-  > F -  > NO 3 -  > Br - , respectively. Analyses of the groundwater geochemistry and sediment mineralogy suggest that fluoride is released to groundwater primarily through the hydrolysis of albite and biotite; however, the resulting alkaline conditions are also favorable for release of fluoride from weathered biotite and clay minerals through anion exchange (OH - in groundwater replacing F - within the mineral structure). Multiple linear regression models show that fluoride concentrations can be predicted from the measures of other dissolved constituents with a high degree of accuracy (R 2  = 0.96 for high fluoride samples and R 2  = 0.8 for low fluoride samples). Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Uwagi o badaniu minerałów ciężkich w lessach Polski

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Racinowski, Roman

2010-01-01

Research on loess' heavy minerals had been carried out in Poland since the 30's of the 20th century. The research was intensified in the 2nd half of the 20th century as helpful in answer to the problem relating to loess' genesis and age. Since the size of heavy minerals in loess is grouped in the range of 20-100 μm, therefore their determination was proceeded on grains fraction 0.25-0.01 mm or 0.06-0.01 mm. These days determination is carried out on the material with diameter 0.10-0.06 mm. Heavy minerals dominating in the Polish loess are: garnets, zircon, rutile, the supporting ones are: amphiboles, biotite, epidotes, and tourmalines. Qualitatively similar heavy minerals appear in each loess fraction. However, their percentage fractions are variable in neighbouring profiles and cross-sections. Mineral content allows to draw preliminary conclusions on the source material of loess silts and on transport characteristics, as well as on the course of deposition process. In the case of the Polish loess stored material originates from blown away pre-Quaternary rock-mantle (rich in zircon, rutile, and partly in garnets), Pleistocene lacustrine-flooding muds and glacial tills (rich in amphibole, biotite, epidotes, and garnets). Comparing the spectrum of heavy minerals in the Polish loess one can state that in particular regions neighbouring profiles do not show significant similarity with regard to quantitative content of heavy minerals. Therefore, it is not possible in a universal manner to apply those results to unique lithostratigraphic inference. On the basis of research made on contemporarily developed loess soil levels, as well as appearing there levels of fossil soils, it is not possible to differentiate without any doubt the content of minerals with various resistance to destruction as a result of pedological processes.

Petrogenesis of Mesozoic granites in the Xitian, South China: Evidence from whole-rock geochemistry and zircon isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Q.; Sun, J.; He, M.; Hou, Q.; Niu, R.

2017-12-01

Mesozoic granitoids are widespread in southeastern China, which accompanied with lots of world-famous polymetallic deposits. The mineralization is believed to be related to the Mesozoic granitic magmatism. However, the petrogenesis of these granites and their relation to the mineralization are still debated. As a typical granitic pluton, Xitian granites from the eastern Hunan Province are formed during this period and associated with tungsten-tin deposit. Whole-rock geochemical, SIMS zircon geochronology and oxygen isotopes, as well as LA-ICPMS zircon Lu-Hf isotopic analyses, were carried out on a suite of rocks from Xitian granitic pluton to constrain their magmatic sources and petrogenesis. Xitian granitic pluton is mainly composed of biotite adamellite, biotite granite, fine-grained granite. SIMS and LA-ICPMS U-Pb dating of zircons indicate that there are two episodes of these rocks, i.e., Late Triassic granites (227-233Ma) and Late Jurassic granites (150-154Ma). The Xitian granites are silica-rich, potassic and weakly peraluminous. Petrographic and geochemical features show that they are highly fractionated I-type granites. The combined elemental and isotopic results indicated that the Late Triassic granite in Xitian area experienced a process of crystal fractionation of crustal-derived magmas coupled with strong assimilation of the surrounding rocks. The occurrence of Jurassic granitoids in Xitian area is attributed to ascending of mantle-derived magmas, which provide heat for partial melting of crustal materials. The Late Jurassic granite may be derived from juvenile crust or partial melting of ancient crustal rocks, whereas high degrees of crystal fractionation further enriched tungsten-tin in the evolved granitic rocks. This work was financially supported by the Research Cooperation between Institute and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences grant (Y552012Y00), Public Welfare Project of the Ministry of land and Resources of China (201211024-04), National Key R&D Program of China(2016YFC0600401) and National Science Foundation of China (NSFC grant 41273046).

Multivariate analyses of Erzgebirge granite and rhyolite composition: Implications for classification of granites and their genetic relations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Forster, H.-J.; Davis, J.C.; Tischendorf, G.; Seltmann, R.

1999-01-01

High-precision major, minor and trace element analyses for 44 elements have been made of 329 Late Variscan granitic and rhyolitic rocks from the Erzgebirge metallogenic province of Germany. The intrusive histories of some of these granites are not completely understood and exposures of rock are not adequate to resolve relationships between what apparently are different plutons. Therefore, it is necessary to turn to chemical analyses to decipher the evolution of the plutons and their relationships. A new classification of Erzgebirge plutons into five major groups of granites, based on petrologic interpretations of geochemical and mineralogical relationships (low-F biotite granites; low-F two-mica granites; high-F, high-P2O5 Li-mica granites; high-F, low-P2O5 Li-mica granites; high-F, low-P2O5 biotite granites) was tested by multivariate techniques. Canonical analyses of major elements, minor elements, trace elements and ratio variables all distinguish the groups with differing amounts of success. Univariate ANOVA's, in combination with forward-stepwise and backward-elimination canonical analyses, were used to select ten variables which were most effective in distinguishing groups. In a biplot, groups form distinct clusters roughly arranged along a quadratic path. Within groups, individual plutons tend to be arranged in patterns possibly reflecting granitic evolution. Canonical functions were used to classify samples of rhyolites of unknown association into the five groups. Another canonical analysis was based on ten elements traditionally used in petrology and which were important in the new classification of granites. Their biplot pattern is similar to that from statistically chosen variables but less effective at distinguishing the five groups of granites. This study shows that multivariate statistical techniques can provide significant insight into problems of granitic petrogenesis and may be superior to conventional procedures for petrological interpretation.

Contrasted crustal sources as defined by whole-rock and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope geochemistry of neoproterozoic early post-collisional granitic magmatism within the Southern Brazilian Shear Belt, Camboriú, Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Florisbal, Luana Moreira; de Assis Janasi, Valdecir; de Fátima Bitencourt, Maria; Stoll Nardi, Lauro Valentim; Heaman, Larry M.

2012-11-01

The early phase of post-collisional granitic magmatism in the Camboriú region, south Brazil, is represented by the porphyritic biotite ± hornblende Rio Pequeno Granite (RPG; 630-620 Ma) and the younger (˜610 Ma), equigranular, biotite ± muscovite Serra dos Macacos Granite (SMG). The two granite types share some geochemical characteristics, but the more felsic SMG constitutes a distinctive group not related to RPG by simple fractionation processes, as indicated by its lower FeOt, TiO2, K2O/Na2O and higher Zr Al2O3, Na2O, Ba and Sr when compared to RPG of similar SiO2 range. Sr-Nd-Pb isotopes require different sources. The SMG derives from old crustal sources, possibly related to the Paleoproterozoic protoliths of the Camboriú Complex, as indicated by strongly negative ɛNdt (-23 to -24) and unradiogenic Pb (e.g., 206Pb/204Pb = 16.0-16.3; 207Pb/204Pb = 15.3-15.4) and confirmed by previous LA-MC-ICPMS data showing dominant zircon inheritance of Archean to Paleoproterozoic age. In contrast, the RPG shows less negative ɛNdt (-12 to -15) and a distinctive zircon inheritance pattern with no traces of post-1.6 Ga sources. This is indicative of younger sources whose significance in the regional context is still unclear; some contribution of mantle-derived magmas is indicated by coeval mafic dykes and may account for some of the geochemical and isotopic characteristics of the least differentiated varieties of the RPG. The transcurrent tectonics seems to have played an essential role in the generation of mantle-derived magmas despite their emplacement within a low-strain zone. It may have facilitated their interaction with crustal melts which seem to be to a large extent the products of reworking of Paleoproterozoic orthogneisses from the Camboriú Complex.

Trondhjemitic leucosomes in paragneisses from NE Sardinia: Geochemistry and P-T conditions of melting and crystallization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fancello, D.; Cruciani, G.; Franceschelli, M.; Massonne, H.-J.

2018-04-01

The sedimentary-derived migmatites from Porto Ottiolu consist of mesosomes and tonalitic to trondhjemitic leucosomes. These rocks contain quartz + plagioclase + muscovite + biotite in different proportions and locally fibrolite, K-feldspar and kyanite relicts. The contact between leucosomes and mesosomes is commonly marked by mm- to cm-thick melanosomes mainly formed by oriented biotite and fibrolite, muscovite, and variable amounts of quartz and plagioclase. Pressure-temperature (P-T) modeling using pseudosections and their contouring by isopleths for modal abundances of minerals and melt and Si/Al and Na/K ratios of the melt suggests that anatexis occurred at 700 °C and 1.1 GPa with the contribution of 2 wt% of free water. The complete crystallization of the leucosome melt was finalized at P-T conditions of 640-690 °C and 0.40-0.55 GPa. The leucosomes are folded or parallel to the S2 schistosity indicating their pre to syn-D2 formation. The leucosomes are enriched in SiO2, CaO, Na2O, Sr and depleted in Fe2O3, MgO, TiO2, K2O, Rb, Ba, Cr, V, Zr, Nb, and REE, except Eu, compared to the surrounding mesosomes. The high CaO contents up to 3.3 wt%, the low K2O contents (mean 0.57 wt%) and Rb/Sr ratios (<0.15), and the moderately fractionated REE pattern with positive Eu anomalies support the formation of water-fluxed melts from a sedimentary source. Mica segregation during crystallization of the melt and/or disequilibrium melting contributed to the geochemical signature of these leucosomes. Especially the former process is responsible for the very low K content in the leucosomes and the mismatch between measured and predicted Si/Al and Na/K ratios in the leucosomes without mica segregation.

Magmatic and tectonic evolution of the Ladakh Block from field studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raz, U.; Honegger, K.

1989-04-01

The Ladakh Block is in an intermediate position between the Indian plate in the south and the Karakorum-Tibetan plate in the north. To the west it is separated from the Kohistan Arc by the Nanga Parbat Syntaxis, to the east it is cut off from the Lhasa Block by the Gartok-Nubra Fault. Present data, together with previously published results, show, that the Ladakh Block consists of an island arc in the south and a calc-alkaline batholith in the north with remnants of a continental crust. Migmatitic gneisses and metasedimentary sequences, such as quartzites and metapelites, interbedded with basaltic volcanics and overlain by thick platform carbonates were found as evidence of a continental crust. Remnants of megafossils ( Megalodon and Lithiotis) within the high-grade metamorphic marbles indicate a probable age of Late Triassic to Early Jurassic. These sediments were intruded by a faintly layered hornblende-gabbro, which preceded the calc-alkaline magmatic episode. Gabbro and gabbronorites are found as roof pendants and large inclusions within diorites and granodiorites. The major part of the batholith consists of granodiorite and biotite-granite plutons, ranging from Late Cretaceous to Tertiary. Associated with the intrusives are volcanic rocks with trachyandesite to alkalibasalt and basalt-andesite to rhyolite compositions. Garnet-bearing leucogranites succeeded the emplacement of the major plutons. The magmatic stage ended, finally, by intense fracturing and injections of NE-SW striking andesitic dykes. The southernmost unit of the Ladakh Block is formed by oceanic crust with serpentinized peridotite and hornblende-gabbro and is covered by volcanics of an island-arc type (Dras volcanics). These units are intruded by gabbronorite, as well as Middle and Upper Cretaceous granodiorite and coarse-grained biotite-granite. In a plate tectonic view the Ladakh Block represents a transitional sector between the pure island arc of Kohistan in the west and the Andean type margin of the Lhasa Block in the east.

Using titanite petrochronology to monitor CO2-degassing episodes from the Himalayas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rapa, Giulia; Groppo, Chiara; Rolfo, Franco; Petrelli, Maurizio; Mosca, Pietro

2017-04-01

Metamorphic degassing from active collisional orogens supplies a significant fraction of CO2 to the atmosphere, playing a fundamental role in the long-term (> 1 Ma) global carbon cycle (Gaillardet & Galy, 2008). The petro-chronologic study of the CO2-source rocks (e.g. calc-silicate rocks) in collisional settings is therefore fundamental to understand the nature, timing, duration and magnitude of the orogenic carbon cycle. So far, the incomplete knowledge of these systems hindered a reliable quantitative modelling of metamorphic CO2 fluxes. A detailed petrological modelling of a clinopyroxene + scapolite + K-feldspar + plagioclase + biotite + zoisite ± calcite calc-silicate rock from central Nepal Himalaya allowed us to identify and fully characterize - for the first time - different metamorphic reactions that led to the simultaneous growth of titanite and production of CO2. These reactions involve biotite (rather than rutile) as the Ti-bearing reactant counterpart of titanite. The results of petrological modelling combined with Zr-in-Ttn thermometry and U-Pb geochronology suggest that in the studied sample, most titanite grains grew during two nearly continuous episodes of titanite formation: a near-peak event at 730-740°C, 10 kbar, 25.5±1.5 Ma, and a peak event at 740-765°C, 10.5 kbar, 22±3 Ma. Both episodes of titanite growth are correlated to specific CO2-producing reactions, thus allowing to constrain the timing, duration and P-T conditions of the main CO2-producing events, as well as the amounts of CO2 produced. Assuming that fluids released at a depth of ca. 30 km are able to reach the Earth's surface 10 Ma after their production, it is therefore possible to speculate on the role exerted by the Himalayan orogenesis on the climate in the past. Gaillardet J. & Galy A. (2008): Himalaya-carbon sink or source? Science, 320, 1727-1728.

Geochronology and thermobarometry of the granitoid rocks within the Vaasa granite-migmatite complex, western Finland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurhila, Matti; Kotilainen, Anna; Tiljander, Mia; Hölttä, Pentti; Korja, Annakaisa

2015-04-01

The Vaasa granite-migmatite dome in west-central Finland has been formed in the Svecofennian orogeny, after the main collisional stage at ~1.9 Ga. The structure consists of a granite-migmatite core surrounded by metasedimentary rocks with outward decreasing metamorphic grade. The core comprises anatectic garnet-bearing granites, diatexites, pyroxene granites, and minor intrusive granodiorites. Geochemically, all of the rocks are peraluminous and magnesian. The Vaasa granites have close to average upper crustal compositions, and they show signs of titanite and plagioclase fractionation. The heavy REEs vary strongly according to garnet retention. Zircon U-Pb ages for these rock types indicate crystallization at 1875 Ma for the diatexites and garnet-bearing granites and at 1870 Ma for the pyroxene granites. Melt-forming temperatures are estimated by zircon and monazite saturation temperatures, and by Al/Ti ratios. No clear difference in the melting temperatures of the various rock types could be detected. However, while the monazite and zircon saturation temperatures point to temperatures around 800 ° C, the Al-Ti thermometer gives consistently about 100 ° C degrees higher results. Given the anatectic and felsic nature of the rocks, the lower temperature estimates seem more probable. Crystallization temperatures and pressures were calculated with the help of mineral chemical analyses. Garnet-biotite-plagioclase-quartz thermobarometry, and Al-in-hornblende barometry indicate pressures of 5.5-6 kbars for the diatexites, the pyroxene granites and an intrusive granodiorite. Significantly lower pressures of 2-4 kbars are recorded for the garnet-bearing granites. The garnet-biotite thermometer implies crystallization temperatures between 650 - 700 ° C for the pyroxene granites and the diatexites, and upto 600 ° C for the garnet-bearing granites. These results are markedly lower than those indicated by the whole-rock saturation temperatures of the same rocks. This may suggest that the melting has been non-saturated or that the post-crystallization leaching has affected the mineral compositions.

Genetic relationship of high-Mg dioritic pluton to iron mineralization: A case study from the Jinling skarn-type iron deposit in the North China Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Ziliang; Zhang, Zhaochong; Hou, Tong; Santosh, M.; Han, Liu

2015-12-01

The Jinling complex is spatially and temporally associated with the Jinling skarn-type iron deposit. The complex is composed of biotite diorite, hornblende diorite, monzonite and quartz diorite. U-Pb dating of zircons from the biotite diorite and monzonite using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) yields ages of 126 ± 1.9 Ma and 128 ± 1.4 Ma, respectively. The unaltered rocks in the complex are characterized by variable contents of SiO2 (54.6-65.3 wt.%), MgO (2.7-9.2 wt.%), total FeO (3.5-8.8 wt.%), Na2O + K2O (5.2-8.9 wt.%), high Mg# values (73-88), Cr (103-452 ppm) and Ni (49-212 ppm) contents. The altered monzonite has lower MgO (2.1-3.7 wt.%), total FeO (1.2-2.6 wt.%) and higher Na2O + K2O (8.5-9.9 wt.%) contents. The initial (87Sr/86Sr)t ranges from 0.70450 to 0.70555 and εNd(t) shows a range of -3.0 to -8.0. The geochemical characteristics suggest that the primary magma witnessed the interaction between the partial melts of relatively oxidized delaminated ancient crust and mantle peridotite. Fractional crystallization and crustal contamination during the magmatic ascent and emplacement are also indicated. The Jinling skarn-type Fe deposit is of hydrothermal origin and the Fe enrichment can be ascribed to multiple factors. The delaminated ancient crustal source contributed to the high oxygen fugacity of the primary magma. Two-stage Fe-enrichment process involving fractional crystallization of the primary magma giving rise to high Cl and Fe contents in the magmatic hydrothermal fluid and later Fe-leaching process, accounts for the high-grade ore bodies.

Major and trace element investigation of the Pine Mountain massif--The southernmost exposure of Grenville age crust in North America

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Salpas, P.A.; Daniell, N.

1992-01-01

The Pine Mountain massif is a 1.1 Ga basement massif exposed in Alabama and Georgia. The Whatley Mill Gneiss (WMG) constitutes a major exposure of rock in the Pine Mountain massif of eastern Alabama. Based on appearance in outcrop, the WMG can be divided into three distinct lithologies. The first is a massive augen gneiss (AG) consisting of K-spar augen in a finer grained matrix of biotite, K-spar, plagioclase, and quartz. The second lithology is a fine-grained gneiss (FG) composed predominantly of quartz with minor muscovite. The FG occurs sporadically as band of mylonite within the AG. The third lithologymore » is generally accepted to be the protolith of the AG. It is a relatively unfoliated and undeformed rock (UN) of sparse occurrence whose mineralogy is similar to that of the AG but also contains hornblende and rounded mafic inclusions of biotite gneiss. AG and FG samples were collected along a traverse through over 220 meters of stratigraphic thickness of the WMG and were analyzed for major element compositions by XRF and for trace element compositions by INAA. Relative to the AG samples, the FG samples are enriched in SiO[sub 2] and depleted in FeO and ferromagnesian trace elements such as Sc. REE concentrations are generally higher in the AG than in the FG but the sizes of the ranges in concentrations among both groups of rocks are similar. REE systematics indicate that the silica-rich fluid introduced into the AG during shearing appears to have made negligible contributions to the absolute and relative whole-rock REE concentrations but, instead, simply diluted the REE in the parent AG. Based upon the limited sampling of UN so far, deformation to produce the foliated AG, including augen formation, appears to have occurred isochemically.« less

U-Pb zircon and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of sericite from hydrothermal alteration zones: new constraints for the timing of Ediacaran gold mineralization in the Sukhaybarat area, western Afif terrane, Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harbi, Hesham M.; Ali, Kamal A.; McNaughton, Neal J.; Andresen, Arild

2018-04-01

The Sukhaybarat East and Red Hill deposits, in the northeastern part of the Arabian Shield, are mesothermal vein-type gold deposits hosted by late Cryogenian-Ediacaran intrusive rocks of the Idah suites (diorite, tonalite, granodiorite) and, at Sukhaybarat East, also by Ediacaran metasedimentary rocks. Gold mineralization comprises quartz-arsenopyrite veins (Sukhaybarat East), quartz-carbonate-pyrite veins (Red Hill), and subordinate gold-base metal sulfide veins. In the Red Hill deposit, alteration is complicated due to multiple overprinting hydrothermal events and is characteristically affected by pervasive, pink quartz-K-feldspar-hematite alteration which is overprinted by potassic alteration characterized by a quartz-biotite-carbonate-muscovite/sericite-rutile-apatite assemblage. This assemblage is associated with molybdenite veins which appear to form late in the paragenetic sequence and may represent either evolution of the ore fluid composition, or a later, unrelated mineralized fluids. Hydrothermal alteration at the Sukhaybarat East deposit is dominated by quartz-carbonate-sericite-arsenopyrite assemblages. Zircon from ore-hosting tonalite at Sukhaybarat East yields a U-Pb age of 629 ± 6 Ma, and biotite from the same rock gives an 40Ar/39Ar age of 622 ± 23 Ma. The 40Ar/39Ar age is within the uncertainty range for the U-Pb age of the host intrusion and is interpreted as a minimally disturbed cooling age for the tonalite. In the Red Hill area, granodiorite was emplaced at 615 ± 5 Ma, whereas muscovite/sericite separated from a mineralized sample of a quartz-carbonate-pyrite vein, that was overprinted by molybdenite-bearing veinlets, yields an 40Ar/39Ar age of 597 ± 8 Ma. We interpreted this age to represent the maximum age of the molybdenite mineralization and the probable minimum age of gold mineralization in the Red Hill deposit.

Mesozoic thermal history and timing of structural events for the Yukon-Tanana Upland, east-central Alaska: 40Ar/39Ar data from metamorphic and plutonic rocks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dusel-Bacon, C.; Lanphere, M.A.; Sharp, W.D.; Layer, P.W.; Hansen, V.L.

2002-01-01

We present new 40Ar/39Ar ages for hornblende, muscovite, and biotite from metamorphic and plutonic rocks from the Yukon-Tanana Upland, Alaska. Integration of our data with published 40Ar/39Ar, kinematic, and metamorphic pressure (P) and temperature (T) data confirms and refines the complex interaction of metamorphism and tectonism proposed for the region. The oldest metamorphic episode(s) postdates Middle Permian magmatism and predates the intrusion of Late Triassic (215-212 Ma) granitoids into the Fortymile River assemblage (Taylor Mountain assemblage of previous papers). In the eastern Eagle quadrangle, rapid and widespread Early Jurassic cooling is indicated by ???188-186 Ma 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages for hornblende from plutons that intrude the Fortymile River assemblage, and for metamorphic minerals from the Fortymile River assemblage and the structurally underlying Nasina assemblage. We interpret these Early Jurassic ages to represent cooling resulting from northwest-directed contraction that emplaced the Fortymile River assemblage onto the Nasina assemblage to the north as well as the Lake George assemblage to the south. This cooling was the final stage of a continuum of subduction-related contraction that produced crustal thickening, intermediate- to high-P metamorphism within both the Fortymile River assemblage and the structurally underlying Lake George assemblage, and Late Triassic and Early Jurassic plutonism in the Fortymile River and Nasina assemblages. Although a few metamorphic samples from the Lake George assemblage yield Jurassic 40Ar/39Ar cooling ages, most yield Early Cretaceous 40Ar/39Ar ages: hornblende ???135-115 Ma, and muscovite and biotite ???110-108 Ma. We interpret the Early Cretaceous metamorphic cooling, in most areas, to have resulted from regional extension and exhumation of the lower plate, previously tectonically thickened during Early Jurassic and older convergence.

Proterozoic metamorphism and uplift history of the north-central Laramie Mountains, Wyoming, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Patel, S.C.; Frost, B.R.; Chamberlain, K.R.; Snyder, G.L.

1999-01-01

The Laramie Mountains of south-eastern Wyoming contain two metamorphic domains that are separated by the 1.76 Ga. Laramie Peak shear zone (LPSZ). South of the LPSZ lies the Palmer Canyon block, where apatite U-Pb ages are c. 1745 Ma and the rocks have undergone Proterozoic kyanite-grade Barrovian metamorphism. In contrast, in the Laramie Peak block, north of the shear zone, the U-Pb apatite ages are 2.4-2.1 Ga, the granitic rocks are unmetamorphosed and supracrustal rocks record only low-T amphibolite facies metamorphism that is Archean in age. Peak mineral assemblages in the Palmer Canyon block include (a) quartz-biotite-plagioclase-garnet-staurolite-kyanite in the pelitic schists; (b) quartz-biotite-plagioclase-low-Ca amphiboles-kyanite in Mg-Al-rich schists, and locally (c) hornblende-plagioclase-garnet in amphibolites. All rock types show abundant textural evidence of decompression and retrograde re-equilibration. Notable among the texturally late minerals are cordierite and sapphirine, which occur in coronas around kyanite in Mg-Al-rich schists. Thermobarometry from texturally early and late assemblages for samples from different areas within the Palmer Canyon block define decompression from > 7 kbar to < 3 kbar. The high-pressure regional metamorphism is interpreted to be a response to thrusting associated with the Medicine Bow orogeny at c. 1.78-1.76 Ga. At this time, the north-central Laramie Range was tectonically thickened by as much as 12 km. This crustal thickening extended for more than 60 km north of the Cheyenne belt in southern Wyoming. Late in the orogenic cycle, rocks of the Palmer Canyon block were uplifted and unroofed as the result of transpression along the Laramie Peak shear zone to produce the widespread decompression textures. The Proterozoic tectonic history of the central Laramie Range is similar to exhumation that accompanied late-orogenic oblique convergence in many Phanerozoic orogenic belts.

Sequential Leaching of Chromium Contaminated Sediments - A Study Characterizing Natural Attenuation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musa, D.; Ding, M.; Beroff, S.; Rearick, M.; Perkins, G.; WoldeGabriel, G. W.; Ware, D.; Harris, R.; Kluk, E.; Katzman, D.; Reimus, P. W.; Heikoop, J. M.

2015-12-01

Natural attenuation is an important process in slowing down the transport of hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), an anthropogenic environmental contaminant, either by adsorption of Cr(VI) to sediments, or by reduction to nontoxic trivalent chromium, Cr(III). The capacity and mechanism of attenuation is explored in this sequential leaching study of different particle size fractions of chromium contaminated sediments and similar uncontaminated sediments from the regional aquifer near Los Alamos, New Mexico. Using this leaching protocol each sediment sample is split in two: one half is leached three times using a 0.1 M sodium bicarbonate/carbonate solution, while the second half is leached three times using a 0.01 M nitric acid, followed by two consecutively increasing magnitudes of nitric acid concentrations. Based on the amphoteric nature of chromium, alkaline leaching is used to establish the amount of Cr(VI) sorbed on the sediment, whereas acid leaching is used to establish the amount of Cr(III). The weak acid is predicted to release the attenuated anthropogenic Cr(III), without affecting Cr-bearing minerals. The sequential, stronger, acid is anticipated to leach Cr(III)-incorporated in the minerals. The efficiency and validation of the sequential leaching method is assessed by comparing the leaching behavior of bentonite and biotite samples, with and without loaded Cr(VI). A 97% chromium mass balance of leached Cr(VI)-loaded bentonite and biotite proves the viability of this method for further use on leaching contaminated sediments. By comparing contaminated and uncontaminated sediment leachate results, of chromium and other major and trace elements, the signature of anthropogenic chromium is determined. Further mineralogical characterization of the sediments provides a quantitative measure of the natural attenuation capacity for chromium. Understanding these results is pertinent in delineating the optimal procedure for the remediation of Cr(VI) in the regional aquifer near Los Alamos.

Fluoride abundance and controls in fresh groundwater in Quaternary deposits and bedrock fractures in an area with fluorine-rich granitoid rocks.

PubMed

Berger, Tobias; Mathurin, Frédéric A; Drake, Henrik; Åström, Mats E

2016-11-01

This study focuses on fluoride (F(-)) concentrations in groundwater in an area in northern Europe (Laxemar, southeast Sweden) where high F(-) concentrations have previously been found in surface waters such as streams and quarries. Fluoride concentrations were determined over time in groundwater in the Quaternary deposits ("regolith groundwater"), and with different sampling techniques from just beneath the ground surface to nearly -700m in the bedrock (fracture) groundwater. A number of potential controls of dissolved F(-) were studied, including geological variables, mineralogy, mineral chemistry and hydrology. In the regolith groundwater the F(-) concentrations (0.3-4.2mg/L) were relatively stable over time at each sampling site but varied widely among the sampling sites. In these groundwaters, the F(-) concentrations were uncorrelated with sample (filter) depth and the water table in meters above sea level (masl), with the thicknesses of the groundwater column and the regolith, and with the distribution of soil types at the sampling sites. Fluoride concentrations were, however, correlated with the anticipated spatial distribution of erosional material (till) derived from a F-rich circular granite intrusion. Abundant release of F(-) from such material is thus suggested, primarily via dissolution of fluorite and weathering of biotite. In the fresh fracture groundwater, the F(-) concentrations (1.2-7.4mg/L) were generally higher than in the regolith groundwater, and were uncorrelated with depth and with location relative to the granite intrusion. Two mechanisms explaining the overall high F(-) levels in the fracture groundwater were addressed. First, weathering/dissolution of fluorite, bastnäsite and apophyllite, which are secondary minerals formed in the fractures during past hydrothermal events, and biotite which is a primary mineral exposed on fracture walls. Second, long water-residence times, favoring water-rock interaction and build-up of high dissolved F(-) concentrations. The findings are relevant in contexts of extraction of groundwater for drinking-water purposes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thermal and exhumation history of the central Tianshan (NW China): Constraints by U-Pb geochronology and Ar-Ar and (U-Th)/He thermochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, J.; Chen, W.; Hodges, K. V.; Xiao, W.; Van Soest, M. C.; Cai, K.; Zhang, B.; Mercer, C. M.; Yuan, C.

2015-12-01

Geochronology and thermochronology using multiple mineral-isotopic chronometers reveals the thermo-tectonic history of the central Tianshan (NW China) from emplacement to exhumation. Granites from the central Tianshan, which are associated with the southward subduction of the northern Tianshan Ocean, have been dated at 362-354 Ma using the LA-ICP-MS Zircon U-Pb method. A younger diorite sample (282 ± 1 Ma, Zircon U-Pb method by LA-ICP-MS) from northern Tianshan formed during the final closure of the Northern Tianshan Ocean when the Junggar Block collided with the Yili-Central Tianshan Block. 40Ar/39Ar step-wise heating plateau dates (biotite Ar/Ar: 312-293 Ma; Plagioclase Ar/Ar: 270-229 Ma) from the Central Tianshan show rapid post-magmatic cooling during the Late Carboniferous-Early Permian followed by a more modest rate of cooling from the middle Permian to the middle Jurassic. The northern Tianshan diorite (biotite Ar/Ar: 240 ± 1 Ma) also reveals a middle Jurassic cooling. Apatite (U-Th )/He dates from the central Tianshan samples range from ca. 130 Ma to ca. 116 Ma. The Apatite (U-Th )/He date for the northern Tianshan sample is ca. 27 Ma. Previous studies also reported Apatite (U-Th)/He ages of ca. 44 Ma-11 Ma in the Baluntai area of the southern Central Tianshan[1]. Two episodes of cooling are distinguished by thermal history modelling: (1) Mesozoic cooling occurred as the result of the exhumation and tectonic reactivation of the central Tianshan; and (2) The Tianshan orogenic belt has been rapidly exhumed since the Middle Cenozoic. References [1] Lü, H.H., Chang, Y., Wang, W., Zhou, Z.Y., 2013. Rapid exhumation of the Tianshan Mountains since the early Miocene: Evidence from combined apatite fission track and (U-Th)/He thermochronology. Science China: Earth Sciences, 43(12): 1964-1974 (in Chinese).

Identifying Non-Hotspot Volcanism in the Young Walvis Ridge Guyot Province using High-Resolution 40Ar/39Ar Geochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schnur, S.; Koppers, A. A.

2013-12-01

The Walvis Ridge is a linear volcanic feature stretching almost 3000 km from the coast of Namibia to its hypothesized origin at the Tristan and Gough hotspots in the South Atlantic. It is considered a key example of a primary hotspot trail and is frequently used as a constraint on African plate motion. Despite its importance, the Walvis Ridge has remained poorly studied, and it is unknown if all the seamounts at its young end can be attributed to a hotspot source. Only about 15 of the more than 80 volcanic centers in the young Walvis Ridge Guyot Province have been dated. A group of about 14 large (2-3 km high) seamounts forms a lineament that runs roughly perpendicular to the nearby Mid-Atlantic Ridge (38°S lineament). These seamounts do not seem to match the spatial trends of the Tristan and Gough tracks and are thought to have formed either as near-ridge seamounts or by lithospheric cracking related to the nearby fracture zone. We present here the results of 26 step heating experiments by the 40Ar/39Ar method. Experiments were conducted on groundmass, plagioclase, alkali feldspar, and biotite separates from 13 samples, representing 7 seamounts in and around the 38°S lineament. Biotite and alkali feldspar are common at the 38°S seamounts, but are rarely found elsewhere on the Walvis Ridge, providing additional evidence that these seamounts may have a unique source. The high resolution 40Ar/39Ar ages will be used to plot the age progression of volcanism along this lineament and at nearby seamounts. This information may indicate if the 38°S seamounts are part of the main hotspot trend or are related to magmatic and tectonic processes at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

Reconnaissance study of the Taylor Mountains pluton, southwestern Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hudson, Travis L.; Miller, Marti L.; Klimasauskas, Edward P.; Layer, Paul W.

2010-01-01

The Taylor Mountains pluton is a Late Cretaceous to early Tertiary (median age 65 + or ? 2 Ma) epizonal, composite biotite granite stock located about 235 km (145 mi) northeast of Dillingham in southwestern Alaska. This 30 km2 (12 mi2) pluton has sharp and discordant contacts with hornfels that developed in Upper Cretaceous clastic sedimentary rocks of the Kuskokwim Group. The three intrusive phases in the Taylor Mountains pluton, in order of emplacement, are (1) porphyritic granite containing large K-feldspar phenocrysts in a coarse-grained groundmass, (2) porphyritic granite containing large K-feldspar and smaller, but still coarse, plagioclase, quartz, and biotite phenocrysts in a fine-grained groundmass, and (3) fine-grained, leucocratic, equigranular granite. The porphyritic granites have different emplacement histories, but similar compositions; averages are 69.43 percent SiO2, 1.62 percent CaO, 5.23 percent FeO+MgO, 3.11 percent Na2O, and 4.50 percent K2O. The fine-grained, equigranular granite is distinctly felsic compared to porphyritic granite; it averages 75.3 percent SiO2, 0.49 percent CaO, 1.52 percent FeO+MgO, 3.31 percent Na2O, and 4.87 percent K2O. Many trace elements including Ni, Cr, Sc, V, Ba, Sr, Zr, Y, Nb, La, Ce, Th, and Nd are strongly depleted in fine-grained equigranular granite. Trace elements are not highly enriched in any of the granites. Known hydrothermal alteration is limited to one tourmaline-quartz replacement zone in porphyritic granite. Mineral deposits in the Taylor Mountains area are primarily placer gold (plus wolframite, cassiterite, and cinnabar); sources for these likely include scattered veins in hornfels peripheral to the Taylor Mountain pluton. The granite magmas that formed the Taylor Mountains pluton are thought to represent melted continental crust that possibly formed in response to high heat flow in the waning stage of Late Cretaceous subduction beneath interior Alaska.

Indoor radon risk associated to post-tectonic biotite granites from Vila Pouca de Aguiar pluton, northern Portugal.

PubMed

Martins, L M O; Gomes, M E P; Teixeira, R J S; Pereira, A J S C; Neves, L J P F

2016-11-01

At Vila Pouca de Aguiar area, northern Portugal, crops out a post-tectonic Variscan granite pluton, related with the Régua-Vila Real-Verín fault zone, comprising three types of biotite granites. Among these granites, PSG granite yield the highest average contents of U, probably due to its enrichment in accessory U-bearing minerals such as zircon. In the proximity of faults and joints, these granites are often affected by different degrees of hydrothermal alteration, forming reddish altered rocks, commonly known as "episyenites". These altered rocks are probably associated to the occurrence of hydrothermal processes, which led to uranium enrichment in the most advanced stages of episyenitization. In these granites, both average gamma absorbed dose rates in outdoor and indoor air are higher than those of the world average. Furthermore, even in the worst usage scenario, all these granites can be used as a building material, since their annual effective doses are similar to the limit defined by the European Commission. The geometric mean of radon activity of 91 dwellings located at the Vila Pouca de Aguiar pluton is 568Bqm(-3), exceeding that of other northern Portuguese granites. Measurements carried out during a winter season, indicate that 62.6% of the analysed dwellings yield higher indoor radon average values than the Portuguese legislation limit (400Bqm(-3)), and annual effective doses due higher than the world's average value (1.2mSvy(-1)). The interaction of geogenic, architectural and anthropogenic features is crucial to explain the variance in the geometric mean of radon activity of dwellings from Vila Pouca de Aguiar pluton, but the role of geologic faults is probably the most important decisive factor to increase the indoor radon concentration in dwellings. Hence, the development of awareness campaigns in order to inform population about the incurred radiological risks to radon exposure are highly recommended for this specific area. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mid Carboniferous lamprophyres, Cobequid Fault Zone, eastern Canada, linked to sodic granites, voluminous gabbro, and albitization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pe-Piper, Georgia; Piper, David J. W.; Papoutsa, Angeliki

2018-01-01

Major intra-continental shear zones developed during the later stages of continental collision in a back-arc setting are sites of prolonged magmatism. Mantle metasomatism results from both melting of subducted sediments and oceanic crust. In the Cobequid Fault Zone of the northern Appalachians, back-arc A-type granites and gabbros dated ca. 360 Ma are locally intruded by lamprophyric dykes dated ca. 335 Ma. All the lamprophyres are kersantites with biotite and albite, lesser ilmenite, titanite and fluorapatite, and minor magmatic calcite, allanite, pyrite, magnetite, quartz and K-feldspar in some samples. The lamprophyres show enrichment in Rb, Ba, K, Th and REE and classify as calc-alkaline lamprophyre on the basis of biotite and whole rock chemistry. Pb isotopes lie on a mixing line between normal mantle-derived gabbro and OIB magma. Nd isotopes range from 1.3-3.5 εNdt, a little lower than in local gabbro. Most lamprophyres have δ18O = 3.8-4.4‰. Country rock is cut by pyrite-(Mg)-chlorite veins with euhedral allanite crystals that resemble the lamprophyres mineralogically, with the Mg-chlorite representing chloritized glass. Early Carboniferous unenriched mafic dykes and minor volcanic rocks are widespread along the major active strike-slip fault zones. The lamprophyres are geographically restricted to within 10 km of a small granitoid pluton with some sodic amphibole and widespread albitization. This was displaced by early Carboniferous strike-slip faulting from its original position close to the large Wentworth Pluton, the site of mantle-derived sodic amphibole granite, a major late gabbro pluton, and a volcanic carapace several kilometres thick, previously demonstrated to be the site of mantle upwelling and metasomatism. The age of the lamprophyres implies that enriched source material in upper lithospheric mantle or lower crust was displaced 50 km by crustal scale strike-slip faulting after enrichment by the mantle upwelling before lamprophyre emplacement. This indicates a multi-stage process to emplace lamprophyric magma.

Tourmaline orbicules in peraluminous monzogranites of Argentina: A study case of fluid-rock interaction between leucogranite and country-rock metasediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lira, Raúl; Poklepovic, María F.

2017-12-01

Tourmaline orbicules hosted in peraluminous granites are documented worldwide. Seven occurrences were identified in Argentina. Petrography, mineral chemistry, whole-rock geochemistry mass balance and microthermometric studies were performed in orbicules formed at the cupola of a peraluminous A-type leucogranite (Los Riojanos pluton), as well as complementary investigation was achieved in other orbicules of similar geological setting. Mass balance computations in zoned orbicules consistently confirmed immobility of Si both in core and halo, immobility of K and little loss of Al during halo reactions. Elements gained and lost in the schorl-rich core are Fe, Al, Mg, Ti, Ba, Sr, Y and Zr, and Na, K, Rb and Nb, respectively; in the halo, K, Ba, Sr, Y, Zr and locally CaO, were gained, and Fe, Mg, Na, Al, Rb and Nb were lost. The schorl-rich core is enriched in LREE relative to the leucogranite host. A temperature-salinity plot from fluid inclusion data delineates a magmatic-meteoric mixing trend of diluting salinity with descending temperature. Computed δDH20 values from Los Riojanos orbicule schorl suggest magmatic and magmatic-meteoric mixed origins. In Los Riojanos, mass balance constraints suggest that Fe, Mg, Ba, Sr and metallic traces like Zn and V (±Pb) were most likely derived from country-rock schists and gneisses through fluid-rock exchange reactions. A late magmatic-, volatile-rich- fluid exsolution scenario for the formation of orbicules is envisaged. Schorl crystallization was likely delayed to the latest stages of leucogranite consolidation, not only favored by the high diffusivity of B2O3 preferentially partitioned into the exsolved aqueous-rich fluid, but also likely limited to the low availability of Fe and Mg from the scarce granitic biotite, and to the high F- content of the melt. The spatial confination of orbicules to the contact zone granite-metasediments suggests that orbicules were not formed until exsolved fluids reached the boundary with the biotite-rich country-rock.

Slanic Tuff and associated Miocene evaporite deposits, Eastern Carpathians, Romania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bojar, Ana-Voica; Halas, Stanislaw; Barbu, Victor; Bojar, Hans-Peter; Wojtowicz, Artur; Duliu, Octavian

2017-04-01

Miocene tuffs of calcalkaline composition are widespread in the Carpathians, Pannonian and Eastern Alpine realm. Their occurrences are described in outcrops as well as in the subsurface. The presence of such tuffs may offer important criteria for stratigraphic correlations and help to establish the absolute age of deposits and associated climatic and environmental changes. The Green Stone Hill (Muntele Piatra Verde) is situated to the north of Slanic-Prahova salt mine, in the bend region of the Eastern Carpathians, Romania. From bottom to top the section is composed of: marls with Globigerina followed by the so called Slanic tuff, gypsum and salt breccia and, on the top, radiolarian bearing shales. The stratigraphic age of the section is Middle to Upper Badenian (nannoplankton zones NN5 to NN6). XRD investigations of the green Slanic tuff show that the main mineralogical component is clinoptilolite (zeolite) followed by quartz and plagioclase. For this type of tuff there is no crystalline phase, which may be used for radiometric dating. In the middle part of the green tuff interval, we found discrete layers of a much coarser white tuff, with mineralogy consisting of quartz, plagioclase, biotite and clinoptilolite. The white tuff forming distinct layers within the green tuff, has an andesitic composition. 40Ar/39Ar dating of biotite concentrates from the white tuff gives an age of 13.6±0.2Ma, the dated layer being situated below the gypsum and salt breccia. We consider that the age is well constraining the time when the green tuffs were formed at the border of the basin. From this level upwards discrete gypsum layers occurs within the green tuffs, the age may be considered as indicating the base of the evaporitic sequence. To the south-east, from this level upwards evaporites, mainly salt formed. The age suggests that evaporitic deposits formed after the Mid Badenian climatic optimum, evaporitic formation being related to restricted circulation due the drop of sea-level and tectonism.

Age and tectonomagmatic setting of the Eocene Çöpler-Kabataş magmatic complex and porphyry-epithermal Au deposit, East Central Anatolia, Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

İmer, Ali; Richards, Jeremy P.; Creaser, Robert A.

2013-06-01

The Çöpler epithermal Au deposit and related subeconomic porphyry Cu-Au deposit is hosted by the middle Eocene Çöpler-Kabataş magmatic complex in central eastern Anatolia. The intrusive rocks of the complex were emplaced into Late Paleozoic-Mesozoic metamorphosed sedimentary basement rocks near the northeastern margin of the Tauride-Anatolide Block. Igneous biotite from two samples of the magmatic complex yielded 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages of 43.75 ± 0.26 Ma and 44.19 ± 0.23, whereas igneous hornblende from a third sample yielded a plateau age of 44.13 ± 0.38. These ages closely overlap with 40Ar/39Ar ages of hydrothermal sericite (44.44 ± 0.28 Ma) and biotite (43.84 ± 0.26 Ma), and Re-Os ages from two molybdenite samples (44.6 ± 0.2 and 43.9 ± 0.2 Ma) suggesting a short-lived (<1 my) magmatic and hydrothermal history at Çöpler. No suitable minerals were found that could be used to date the epithermal system, but it is inferred to be close in age to the precursor porphyry system. The Çöpler-Kabataş intrusive rocks show I-type calc-alkaline affinities. Their normalized trace element patterns show enrichments in large ion lithophile and light rare earth elements and relative depletions in middle and heavy rare earth elements, resembling magmas generated in convergent margins. However, given its distance from the coeval Eocene Maden-Helete volcanic arc, the complex is interpreted to be formed in a back-arc setting, in response to Paleocene slab roll-back and upper-plate extension. The tectonomagmatic environment of porphyry-epithermal mineralization at Çöpler is comparable to some other isolated back-arc porphyry systems such as Bajo de la Alumbrera (Argentina) or Bingham Canyon (USA).

Gamma-radiation monitoring in post-tectonic biotitic granites at Celorico da Beira

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domingos, Filipa; Barbosa, Susana; Pereira, Alcides; Neves, Luís

2017-04-01

Despite its obvious relevance, the effect of meteorological variables such as temperature, pressure, wind, rainfall and particularly humidity on the temporal variability of natural radiation is complex and still not fully understood. Moreover, the nature of their influence with increasing depth is also poorly understood. Thereby, two boreholes were set 3 m apart in the region of Celorico da Beira within post-tectonic biotitic granites of the Beiras Batolith. Continuous measurements were obtained with identical gamma-ray scintillometers deployed at depths of 1 and 6 m during a 6 month period in the years of 2014 and 2015. Temperature, relative humidity, pressure, rainfall, wind speed and direction were measured at the site, as well as temperature and relative humidity inside the boreholes, with the aim of assessing the influence of meteorological parameters on the temporal variability of gamma radiation at two distinct depths. Both time series display a complex temporal structure including multiyear, seasonal and daily variability. At 1 m depth, a daily periodicity on the gamma ray counts time series was noticed with daily maxima occurring most frequently from 8 to 12 p.m. and daily minima between 8 and 12 a.m.. At 6 m depth, maximum and minimum daily means occurred with approximately a 10 h lag from the above. Gamma radiation data exhibited fairly strong correlations with temperature and relative humidity, however, varying with depth. Gamma radiation counts increased with increasing temperature and decreasing relative humidity at 1 m depth, while at a 6 m depth the opposite was recorded, with counts increasing with relative humidity and decreasing with temperature. Wind speed was shown to be inversely related with counts at 6 m depth, while positively correlated at 1 m depth. Pressure and rainfall had minor effects on both short-term and long-term gamma radiation counts.

Timing of anatexis and melt crystallization in the Socorro-Guaxupé Nappe, SE Brazil: Insights from trace element composition of zircon, monazite and garnet coupled to Usbnd Pb geochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rocha, B. C.; Moraes, R.; Möller, A.; Cioffi, C. R.; Jercinovic, M. J.

2017-04-01

The timing of partial melting and melt crystallization in granulite facies rocks of the Socorro-Guaxupé Nappe (SGN), Brazil is constrained using a combination of imaging techniques, LA-ICP-MS and EPMA dating, trace element geochemistry and thermobarometry. (Orthopyroxene)-garnet-bearing migmatite that records extensive biotite dehydration melting shows evidence for a clockwise P-T-t path. UHT peak conditions were attained at 1030 ± 110 °C, 11.7 ± 1.4 kbar, with post-peak cooling to 865 ± 38 °C, 8.9 ± 0.8 kbar. Cryogenian igneous inheritance of ca. 720-640 Ma is identified in oscillatory zoned zircon cores (n = 167) with steep HREE patterns. Resorbed, Y-rich monazite cores preserve a prograde growth stage at 631 ± 4 Ma prior to the partial melting event, providing an upper age limit for the granulite facies metamorphism in the SGN. REE-rich, Th-depleted monazite related to apatite records the initial stages of decompression at 628 ± 4 Ma. Multiple monazite growth episodes record melt crystallization events at 624 ± 3 Ma, 612 ± 5 Ma and 608 ± 6 Ma. Stubby, equant "soccer ball" zircon provide evidence for melt crystallization at 613 ± 2 Ma and 607 ± 4 Ma. The excess scatter in zircon and monazite age populations between 629 ± 4 and 601 ± 3 Ma is interpreted as discontinuous and episodic growth within this age range, characterizing a prolonged metamorphic event in the SGN lasting ca. 30 m.y. The development of Y + HREE-rich monazite rims at ca. 600 Ma documents retrograde garnet breakdown, extensive biotite growth and the final stages of melt crystallization. Th-rich, Y + HREE-poor monazite rims at ca. 590 Ma record monazite recrystallization.

Representation of the crystalline rock matrix as a micro-Discrete Fracture Network: concepts and application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trinchero, P.; Löfgren, M.; Bosbach, D.; Deissmann, G.; Ebrahimi, H.; Gylling, B.; Molinero, J.; Puigdomenech, I.; Selroos, J. O.; Sidborn, M.; Svensson, U.

2017-12-01

The matrix of crystalline rocks is typically constituted by mineral grains with characteristic sizes that vary from mm-scale (or less) up to cm-scale. These mineral grains are separated and intersected by micro-fractures, which build the so-called inter-granular space. Here, we present a generic model of the crystalline rock matrix, which is built upon a micro-Discrete Fracture Network (micro-DFN). To mimic the multiscale nature of grains and inter-granular space, different sets of micro-fractures are employed, each having a different length interval and intensity. The occurrence of these fracture sets is described by Poisson distributions, while the fracture aperture in these sets defines the porosity of the rock matrix. The proposed micro-DFN model is tested and calibrated against experimental observations from Forsmark (Sweden) and the resulting system is used to carry out numerical experiments aimed at assessing the redox buffering capacity of the heterogeneous crystalline rock matrix against the infiltration of glacial oxygenated melt-water. The chemically reactive mineral considered in this study is biotite, whose distribution is simulated with a single stochastic realization that honors the average abundance and grain size observed in mineralogical studies of Forsmark. The exposed surface area of biotite grains, which provide a source of ferrous ions that are in turn oxidized by the dissolved oxygen, is related to the underlying micro-DFN. The results of the mechanistic reactive transport simulations are compared to an existing analytical solution based on the assumption of homogeneity. This evaluation shows that the matrix indeed behaves as a composite system, with most of the oxygen being consumed in "highly reactive pathways" and a non negligible part of the oxygen diffuses deeper into the matrix. Sensitivity analyses to diffusivity show that this effect is more pronounced at high Damköhler numbers (diffusion limited regime) while at lower Damköhler numbers the solution approaches that predicted by the homogeneous model.

Geologic Map of the Big Delta B-1 Quadrangle, East-Central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Day, Warren C.; O'Neill, J. Michael; Aleinikoff, John N.; Green, Gregory N.; Saltus, Richard W.; Gough, Larry P.

2007-01-01

Geologic mapping and U-Pb age dating of rocks from the Big Delta B-1 quadrangle, east-central Alaska, have yielded new insights into the geology and gold mineral resource for the headwater region of the Goodpaster River, northeast of Delta, Alaska. The area lies within the Yukon-Tanana Upland and is underlain by Paleozoic and Cretaceous crystalline bedrock and contains several gold mines and prospects. The Paleozoic units include biotite gneiss, quartzite interlayered with metapelite, and amphibolite gneiss. The Paleozoic units were intruded during the Devonian by tonalitic to granitic plutons, which, as a result of regional Mesozoic metamorphism and tectonism, are now augen gneiss and biotite orthogneiss. The Mesozoic regional metamorphism and ductile deformation of the entire Yukon-Tanana Upland culminated by the Late Cretaceous (about 116 Ma) as a result of northwest-directed regional transpression along the southern margin of the North American craton. This dynamothermal episode was followed by invasion of syn- to post-tectonic granodioritic to granitic batholiths during the Late Cretaceous (about 113-107 Ma), followed by a pulse of 100-95 Ma quartz feldspar porphyry intrusions. Gold mineralization is spatially associated with various post-tectonic Late Cretaceous granitic dikes and batholiths throughout the quadrangle. A northeast-trending structural corridor, described herein as the Black Mountain tectonic zone, both controlled the emplacement of some of the Cretaceous intrusive rocks, gold deposits, and prospects, as well as formed a deep-seated crustal conduit along which a subsequent rhyolite flow-dome complex erupted during the Paleocene. Tertiary uplift and erosion resulted in the development of extensive erosional pediments. Quaternary alpine glaciation carved beautiful, broad valleys in the eastern part of the quadrangle, leaving behind terminal moraines in the headwater region of the Goodpaster river drainage. Continued Holocene to Recent deformation along the Black Mountain tectonic zone has offset Tertiary terraces, as well as Quaternary fluvial and alluvial deposits, indicating that the area has a long, complex, and ongoing tectonic history.

Co-Cu-Au deposits in metasedimentary rocks-A preliminary report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Slack, J.F.; Causey, J.D.; Eppinger, R.G.; Gray, J.E.; Johnson, C.A.; Lund, K.I.; Schulz, K.J.

2010-01-01

A compilation of data on global Co-Cu-Au deposits in metasedimentary rocks refines previous descriptive models for their occurrence and provides important information for mineral resource assessments and exploration programs. This compilation forms the basis for a new classification of such deposits, which is speculative at this early stage of research. As defined herein, the Co-Cu-Au deposits contain 0.1 percent or more by weight of Co in ore or mineralized rock, comprising disseminated to semi-massive Co-bearing sulfide minerals with associated Fe- and Cu-bearing sulfides, and local gold, concentrated predominantly within rift-related, siliciclastic metasedimentary rocks of Proterozoic age. Some deposits have appreciable Ag ? Bi ? W ? Ni ? Y ? rare earth elements ? U. Deposit geometry includes stratabound and stratiform layers, lenses, and veins, and (or) discordant veins and breccias. The geometry of most deposits is controlled by stratigraphic layering, folds, axial-plane cleavage, shear zones, breccias, or faults. Ore minerals are mainly cobaltite, skutterudite, glaucodot, and chalcopyrite, with minor gold, arsenopyrite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, bismuthinite, and bismuth; some deposits have appreciable tetrahedrite, uraninite, monazite, allanite, xenotime, apatite, scheelite, or molybdenite. Magnetite can be abundant in breccias, veins, or stratabound lenses within ore or surrounding country rocks. Common gangue minerals include quartz, biotite, muscovite, K-feldspar, albite, chlorite, and scapolite; many deposits contain minor to major amounts of tourmaline. Altered wall rocks generally have abundant biotite or albite. Mesoproterozoic metasedimentary successions constitute the predominant geologic setting. Felsic and (or) mafic plutons are spatially associated with many deposits and at some localities may be contemporaneous with, and involved in, ore formation. Geoenvironmental data for the Blackbird mining district in central Idaho indicate that weathering of abundant Fe, S, As, Co, and Cu in sulfide minerals of the deposits produces acidic waters, especially in pyrite-rich deposits; mine runoff has high concentrations of Fe, Cu, and Mn that exceed U.S. drinking water or aquatic life standards.

Amphibole Fractional Crystallization and Delamination in Arc Roots: Implications for the `Missing' Nb Reservoir in the Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galster, F.; Chatterjee, R. N.; Stockli, D. F.

2017-12-01

Most geologic processes should not fractionate Nb from Ta but Earth's major silicate reservoirs have subchondritic Nb/Ta values. Nb/Ta of >10000 basalts and basaltic andesites from different tectonic settings (GEOROC) cluster around 16, indistinguishable from upper mantle values. In contrast, Nb/Ta in more evolved arc volcanics have progressively lower values, reaching continental crust estimates, and correlate negatively with SiO2 (see figure) and positively with TiO2 and MgO. This global trend suggests that differentiation processes in magmatic arcs could explain bulk crustal Nb/Ta estimates. Understanding processes that govern fractionation of Nb from Ta in arcs can provide key insights on continental crust formation and help identify Earth's `missing' Nb reservoir. Ti-rich phases (rutile, titanite and ilmenite) have DNb/DTa <1, and therefore, their fractionation from mafic to intermediate liquids cannot explain the observed trend. Instead, fractionation of biotite and amphibole could lower Nb/Ta values in the evolved liquid. Lack of correlation between Nb/Ta and K2O in global volcanic rocks implies that biotite plays a minor role in fractionating Nb from Ta during differentiation. Experimental petrology and evidence from exposed arc sections indicate that amphibole fractionation and delamination of island arc roots can explain the andesitic composition of bulk continental crust. Experimental studies have shown that amphibole Mg# correlate with DNb/DTa and amphibole could effectively fractionate Nb from Ta. Preliminary data from lower to middle crustal amphiboles from preserved arcs show sub- to super-chondritic Nb/Ta up to >60. This suggests that delamination of amphibole-rich cumulates can be a viable mechanism for the preferential removal of Nb from the continental crust. Future examination of Nb/Ta ratios in lower crustal amphiboles from various preserved arcs will provide improved constraints on the Nb-Ta paradox of the silicate Earth.

P-T evolution of metasedimentary rocks of the Santa Filomena Complex, Riacho do Pontal Orogen, Borborema Province (NE Brazil): Geothermobarometry and metamorphic modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos, Felipe H.; Amaral, Wagner S.; Luvizotto, George L.; Martins de Sousa, Daniel F.

2018-03-01

We present in this paper petrologic data and discuss the pressure-temperature (P-T) metamorphic history of the neoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks of the Santa Filomena Complex, Riacho do Pontal Orogen, which is inserted in the southern portion of the Borborema Province (Northeast Brazil). Therefore, the data provide constraints on metamorphic evolution during Neoproterozoic Brasiliano Orogeny in Northeast Brazil. The rocks studied are aluminous schists and paragneisses. Silver-gray and red pelitic schists are intensely deformed, biotite-muscovite rich, contain centimeter-sized garnet, staurolite and kyanite porphyroblasts, and subordinately plagioclase and quartz. Paragneisses are from light gray to dark gray colored, medium to coarse-grained and display a well-spaced foliated matrix of biotite, and kyanite and garnet porphyroblasts. Locally, the schists and paragneisses are migmatized. Pressure-temperature modelling based on thermobarometric calculations indicate that metamorphism reached 643 °C with pressures estimated in 12 kbar. Pre-peak and post-peak metamorphic conditions are constrained by mineralogical and textural relationships: garnet inclusion-rich and inclusion-free (possible of higher T) are documented and the inclusion-rich core probably indicates a Sn-1 foliation that was transposed by Sn. The pre-peak stage most probably occurred close to 500 °C and 8 kbar, in upper greenschist to lower amphibolite facies metamorphism along kyanite stability field. We also propose that post-peak stage was associated with isothermal decompression along a possible path of tectonic exhumation in conditions of 600 °C and 7 kbar. To further evaluate the equilibrium condition, pressure-temperature pseudosections were calculated for the metasedimentary rocks. Thus, the estimated metamorphic peak took place in the upper amphibolite facies. A suggested clockwise pressure-temperature path is compatible with the regional tectonic setting of continent-continent collision which occurred in the Late Neoproterozoic of Borborema Province, during the Brasiliano Orogeny.

Reconnaissance geology and geochronology of the Precambrian of the Granite Mountains, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peterman, Zell E.; Hildreth, Robert A.

1978-01-01

The Precambrian of the western part of the Granite Mountains, Wyoming, contains a metamorphic complex of gneisses, schists, and amphibolites that were derived through amphibolite-grade metamorphism from a sedimentary-volcanic sequence perhaps similar to that exposed in the southeastern Wind River Mountains. Whole-rock Rb-Sr dating places the time of metamorphism at 2,860?80 million years. A high initial 87Sr/ 86 S r ratio of 0.7048 suggests that either the protoliths or the source terrane of the sedimentary component is several hundred million years older than the time of metamorphism. Following an interval of 300:t100 million years for which the geologic record is lacking or still undeciphered, the metamorphic complex was intruded by a batholith and satellite bodies of medium- to coarse-grained, generally massive biotite granite and related pegmatite and aplite. The main body of granite is dated at 2,550?60 million years by the Rb-Sr method. Limited data suggest that diabase dikes were emplaced and nephrite veins were formed only shortly after intrusion of the granite. Emplacement of the granite at about 2,550 million years ago appears to be related to a major period of regional granitic plutonism in the Precambrian of southern and western Wyoming. Granites, in the strict sense, that are dated between 2,450 and 2,600 million years occur in the Teton Range, the Sierra Madre, the Medicine Bow Mountains and the Laramie Range. This episode of granitic plutonism occured some 50 to 100 million years later than the major tonalitic to granitic plutonism in the Superior province of northern Minnesota and adjacent Ontario-the nearest exposed Precambrian W terrane that is analogous to the Wyoming province. Initial 87Sr / 86Sr ratios of some of the Wyoming granites are higher than expected if the rocks had been derived from juvenile magmas and it is likely that older crustal rocks were involved to some degree in the generation of these granites. Slightly to highly disturbed Rb-Sr and K-Ar mineral ages are obtained on rocks of the metamorphic complex and on the granite. These ages range from about 2,400 to 1,420 million years and are part of a regional pattern of lowered mineral ages of Precambrian W rocks of southern Wyoming. A major discontinuity in these mineral ages occurs along a line extending from the northern Laramie Range, through the northern part of the Granite Mountains, to the southeastern Wind River Mountains. North of this line, Rb-Sr and K-Ar biotite ages are 2,300 million years or greater, whereas to the south, the biotite ages decrease drastically over a short distance, to a common range of 1,600-1,400 million years. We suggest that these lowered ages represent regional cooling below the 300 0 C isotherm as a consequence of uplift and erosion of the large crustal block occurring south of the age discontinuity. In this interpretation, the westerly-trending age discontinuity would be a zone of major crustal dislocation that resulted from vertical tectonics in late Precambrian X or early Precambrian Y time.

Is there excess argon in the Fish Canyon magmatic system?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilkinson, C. M.; Sherlock, S.; Kelley, S. P.; Charlier, B. L.

2010-12-01

Some phenocrysts from the Fish Canyon Tuff (San Juan volcanic field, south-western Colorado, USA) have yielded anomalously old 40Ar/39Ar apparent ages and yet the sanidine ages are sufficiently reproducible to allow its use as an international standard. The eruption age of the Fish Canyon tuff has recently been determined by high precision analysis and recalibration of the decay constants based on the sanidine standard at 28.305 ± 0.036 Ma [1], slightly younger than the generally accepted U-Pb age. Previously, minerals from the tuff have been used in various geochronological studies e.g., fission-track; U-Pb; Rb-Sr; K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar, but U-Pb zircon ages which range 28.37 - 28.61 Ma appear to be older than the sanidine and other minerals, including biotite, yield older ages (27.41 - 28.25 Ma for biotite) [2]. In the Fish Canyon volcanic system, the erupted products are thought to exist in the magma chamber for significant periods prior to eruption [3] and then pass rapidly from a high temperature magmatic environment (where Ar is free to re-equilibrate among the minerals), to effectively being quenched upon eruption (where Ar becomes immobile). Artificially elevated ages, older than eruption age, have been identified in some 40Ar/39Ar geochronological studies (e.g. [4]). These older ages may either reflect; 1) argon accumulation in pheno- or xenocrysts (by radioactive decay of parent 40K), 2) excess argon (40ArE) incorporated into a mineral during crystallisation (via diffusion into the mineral lattice or hosted within fluid or melt inclusions) or 3) inherited radiogenic argon (the dated material contains a component older than the age of eruption) [5]. To better understand the effects of 40ArE on 40Ar/39Ar apparent ages we have conducted a detailed study of intra-grain grain age variations by UV-LAMP Ar-analysis. Analysis of polished thick sections has been performed in-situ using a 213nm laser and Nu Instruments Noblesse which is able to discriminate against interfering peaks at mass 36 allowing us to correct for the atmospheric 40Ar content. By using this method to analyse potassium-rich minerals (sanidine and biotite) and potassium-poor minerals (quartz and plagioclase), it has been possible to study the distribution of argon within these mineral phases and its incorporation into melt, fluid and solid inclusions. Here we report new 40Ar/39Ar intra-grain age data of minerals from the Fish Canyon Tuff, which despite being well characterised and extensively researched has not yet been a subject for this particular technique. [1] Renne P. R. et al., (2010) Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 74, 5349-5367. [2] Bachmann, O. et al., (2007) Chemical Geology, 236, 134-166.[3] Charlier, B.L.A. et al., (2007) Journal of Petrology, 48, 1875-1894. [4] Esser, R. P. et al., (1997) Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 61, 3789-3801. [5] Kelley, S. (2002) Chemical Geology, 188, 1-22. Corresponding Author: c.m.wilkinson@open.ac.uk

Timing and Mechanisms of Exhumation in West Central Sulawesi, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hennig, J.; Hall, R.; Watkinson, I. M.; Forster, M.

2012-12-01

New U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar ages from basement and intrusive rocks from NW Sulawesi record Neogene deformation, much younger than expected, and rapid exhumation. The unusual K-shape of Sulawesi reflects a complex tectonic history in the convergent zone between the Australian, Eurasian and Philippine Sea plates. The Neck is only a few tens of kilometres wide but includes mountains up to 2.5 km high, separating the 2 km deep Gorontalo Bay from similar depths of the Makassar Straits. It represents the Mesozoic-Cenozoic Sundaland continental margin and includes numerous granitoid intrusions. Little is known about the basement protoliths, timing of deformation or causes of magmatic activity. New models propose an important role for extension, associated with rollback of the Banda and North Sulawesi subduction zones. The major NNW-trending Palu-Koro strike-slip fault exhumes ultra high-pressure rocks and granitoids and may be related to North Sulawesi subduction. Work in progress on central Sulawesi's granitic basement orthogneisses shows that zircons dated by U-Pb LA-ICPMS contain Proterozoic inherited cores, and Devonian, Permo-Triassic and Jurassic zircon populations, which suggest an Australian-derived terrane. Basement rocks of the Palu Metamorphic Complex (PMC) were also thought to have Permo-Triassic protoliths and were previously suggested to represent the upper plate of a late Mesozoic subduction zone. Schistose rocks of the PMC have a complex history of metamorphism, crystal growth and deformation. Aluminium silicate porphyroblasts were interpreted as the product of contact metamorphism around granitic intrusions. However, pre-kinematic cordierite, andalusite porphyroblasts and muscovite pseudomorphs after staurolite in the complex indicate a regional high temperature-low pressure metamorphic event. The schists are strongly mylonitized, and overprinted by an S-C fabric recording several generations of biotite and some muscovite growth. 40Ar/39Ar thermochronology reveals a Pliocene cooling age. Further dating of biotites, white mica and amphiboles from schists and amphibolite intercalations is ongoing to determine the history of mylonitic deformation. Temperature-age plots using U-Pb zircon dating, and 40Ar/39Ar and (U-Th)/He geochronological techniques on biotites and apatites from granitic rocks, define thermal histories for the intrusions. Granites from the Neck and the mountain range west of the Palu-Koro Fault have approximately Late Miocene crystallisation ages as indicated by LA-ICPMS and 40Ar/39Ar cooling ages of 7.20 ± 0.05 Ma and 6.41 ± 0.06 Ma. Late-stage exhumation started in the Neck during the Pliocene (AHe: 2.9 ± 0.2 Ma). Erosion rates determined by (U-Th)/He ages can help estimate the amount of sediment input into adjacent deep basins. Age-elevation plots and modelling suggest exhumation rates of 0.75 (-0.16/+0.27) mm/a, which results in a calculated amount of c. 2 km of continental crust that has been removed in the last 3 Myr. We suggest magmatism, metamorphic core complex exhumation, and subsidence of Gorontalo Bay are all related to crustal thinning due to extension driven by subduction rollback.

SHRIMP study of zircons from Early Archean rocks in the Minnesota River Valley: Implications for the tectonic history of the Superior Province

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bickford, M.E.; Wooden, J.L.; Bauer, R.L.

2006-01-01

Interest in Paleoarchean to early Mesoarchean crust in North America has been sparked by the recent identification of ca. 3800-3500 Ma rocks on the northern margin of the Superior craton in the Assean Lake region of northern Manitoba and the Porpoise Cove terrane in northern Quebec. It has long been known that similarly ancient gneisses are exposed on the southern margin of the Superior craton in the Minnesota River Valley and in northern Michigan, but the ages of these rocks have been poorly constrained, because methods applied in the 1960s through late 1970s were inadequate to unravel the complexities of their thermotectonic history. Rocks exposed in the Minnesota River Valley include a complex of migmatitic granitic gneisses, schistose to gneissic amphibolite, metagabbro, and paragneisses. The best-known units are the Morton Gneiss and the Montevideo Gneiss. The complex of ancient gneisses is intruded by a major younger, weakly deformed granite body, the Sacred Heart granite. Regional geophysical anomalies that extend across the Minnesota River Valley have been interpreted as defining boundaries between distinct blocks containing the various gneissic units. New sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb data from complex zircons yielded the following ages: Montevideo Gneiss near Montevideo, 3485 ?? 10 Ma, granodiorite intrusion, 3385 ?? 8 Ma; Montevideo Gneiss at Granite Falls, 3497 ?? 9 Ma, metamorphic event, 3300-3350 Ma, mafic intrusion, 3141 ?? 2 Ma, metamorphic overprint (rims), 2606 ?? 4 Ma; Morton Gneiss: 3524 ?? 9 Ma, granodiorite intrusion, 3370 ?? 8 Ma, metamorphic overprints (growth of rims), 3140 ?? 2 Ma and 2595 ?? 4 Ma; biotite-garnet paragneiss, 2619 ?? 20 Ma; and Sacred Heart granite, 2604 ?? 4 Ma. Zircons from a cordierite-bearing feldspar-biotite schist overlying the Morton Gneiss yielded well-defined age peaks at 3520, 3480, 3380, and 3140 Ma, showing detrital input from most of the older rock units; 2600 Ma rims on these zircons indicate metamorphism at this time. Zircons from a hypersthene-bearing biotite-garnet paragneiss, overlying the Montevideo Gneiss near Granite Falls, yielded ca. 2600 Ma ages, indicating zircon growth during high-grade metamorphism at this time. Despite some differences in the intensity of the 2600 Ma event between the Morton and Montevideo blocks, both blocks display similar thermochronologic relationships and ages, suggesting that their boundary is not a fundamental suture between two distinct Paleoarchean terranes. Previously obtained zircon age data from the tonalitic gneiss at Watersmeet Dome in northern Michigan indicated formation at ca. 3500 Ma, whereas a granite body near Thayer was dated at 2745 ?? 65 Ma and leucogranite dikes are ca. 2600 Ma. Thus, these rocks and those in the Minnesota River Valley were formed in the late Paleoarchean and show a history of igneous activity and metamorphism in the Mesoarchean and Neoarchean. The occurrence of ancient crustal rocks on both the northern and southern margins of the ca. 2900-2700 Superior craton suggests that they are remnants of once more-extensive Paleoarchean crust that existed prior to formation of the Neoarchean Superior craton. ?? 2006 Geological Society of America.

Deformation of quartz and feldspar at mid-crustal depths in an extensional normal fault (Viveiro Fault, NW Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

López-Sánchez, M. A.; Llana-Fúnez, S.; Marcos, A.; Martínez, F. J.

2012-04-01

Metamorphic reactions, deformation mechanism and chemical changes during mylonitization and ultramylonitization of granite affected by a crustal-scale shear zone are investigated using microstructural observations and quantitative analysis. The Vivero Fault (VF) is a large extensional shear zone (>140Km) in NW of Iberia that follows the main Variscan trend dipping 60° toward the West. The movement accumulated during its tectonic history affects the major lithostratigraphic sequence of Palaeozoic and Neoproterozoic rocks and the metamorphic facies developed during Variscan orogenesis. Staurolite, and locally, andalucite plus biotite grew in the hangingwall during the development of VF, overprinted the previous regional Variscan greenschist facies metamorphism. Andalusite growth took place during the intrusion of syntectonic granitic bodies, such as the deformed granite studied here. The Penedo Gordo granite is coarse-grained two-mica biotite-rich granite intruding the VF and its hangingwall. This granite developed a localized deformation consisting of a set of narrow zones (mm to metric scales) heterogeneously distributed subsequently to its intrusion. Based on pseudosections for representative hangingwall pelites hosting the granite and the inferred metamorphic evolution, the shear zone that outcrops at present-day erosion surface was previously active at 14,7-17 km depth (390-450 MPa). Temperature estimates during deformation reach at least the range 500-600° C, implying a local gradient of 35±6°C/km. Microstructures in the mylonites are characterized by bulging (BLG) to subgrain rotation (SGR) recristallization in quartz with the increasing of deformation. Albitisation, flame-perthite and tartan twining are common in K-feldspar at the early stage of deformation. The inferred dominant deformation mechanisms are: i) intracrystalline plasticity in quartz, ii) cataclasis with syntectonic crystallisation of very fine albite-oligoclase and micas in K-feldspar, and iii) cataclasis with precipitation of K-feldspar in fractures and other dilatational sites in plagioclase. Ultramylonites consist of a matrix mainly containing feldspar, quartz and micas (mainly biotite) with an average grain size below 15 μm, usually featuring some quartz pods and small feldspar porphyroclast. Quartz pods disintegrate into polycrystalline aggregates, and the resultant grains are mixed into the surrounding matrix reaching its average grain size. In the matrix, grain size is uniform and the distribution of mineral phases tends to be homogeneous. Mass balance analysis based on major elements indicates that the deformation process was not isochemical for some elements. Preliminary XRF results show that the mylonitic/ultramylonitic samples are depleted in Na and Mn and enriched in K and Ca respect to the original protolith, while others remains stable (Si, Al or Fe). This data suggests a large-scale transport of some components, and therefore, that fluids were involved during deformation. Similar feldspar microstructures in mylonites, implying cataclasis and neocrystallisation, have been previously reported in natural rocks where the temperature was estimated between 250 to 450°C (see Fitz-Gerald and Stünitz 1993, Hippertt 1998 or Ree et al. 2005). In opposition to this, petrological and mineralogical thermometry data indicate that temperatures during deformation of FV reached at 500-600°C, extending the temperature range previously reported.

Heat capacities and thermodynamic properties of annite (aluminous iron biotite)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hemingway, B.S.; Robie, R.A.

1990-01-01

The heat capacities have been measured between 7 and 650 K by quasi-adiabatic calorimetry and differential scanning calorimetry. At 298.15 K and 1 bar, the calorimetric entropy for our sample is 354.9??0.7 J/(mol.K). A minimum configurational entropy of 18.7 J/(mol.K) for full disorder of Al/Si in the tetrahedral sites should be added to the calorimetric entropy for third-law calculations. The heat capacity equation [Cp in units of J/mol.K)] Cp0 = 583.586 + 0.075246T - 3420.60T-0.5 - (4.4551 ?? 106)T-2 fits the experimental and estimated heat capacities for our sample (valid range 250 to 1000 K) with an average deviation of 0.37%. -from Authors

Laser ablation of iron-rich black films from exposed granite surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delgado Rodrigues, J.; Costa, D.; Mascalchi, M.; Osticioli, I.; Siano, S.

2014-10-01

Here, we investigated the potential of laser removal of iron-rich dark films from weathered granite substrates, which represents a very difficult conservation problem because of the polymineralic nature of the stone and of its complex deterioration mechanisms. As often occurs, biotite was the most critical component because of its high optical absorption, low melting temperature, and pronounced cleavage, which required a careful control of the photothermal and photomechanical effects to optimize the selective ablation of the mentioned unwanted dark film. Different pulse durations and wavelengths Nd:YAG lasers were tested and optimal irradiation conditions were determined through thorough analytical characterisations. Besides addressing a specific conservation problem, the present work provides information of general valence in laser uncovering of encrusted granite.

Geology of Saipan, Mariana Islands; Part 2, Petrology and soils

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmidt, R.G.; Johnson, J. H.; McCracken, R.J.

1957-01-01

The rocks that comprise the volcanic formations of Saipan are of two principal types: dacites, which are characteristically glassy, and andesites, which are comparatively crystalline. The dacites consist primarily of silicic glass, oligoclase, and silica minerals (quartz, tridymite, cristobalite, chalcedony, and opal). Minor constituents in these rocks are green hornblende, biotite, magnetite, and hematite. The andesites are composed principally of labradorite, hypersthene, augite, and subcalcrc augite. Minor but also characteristic constituents of the andesites are quartz, tridymite, cristobalite, anorthoclase, and accessory magnetite, ilmenite, rutile, and apatite. Nine varieties of dacite and andesite are recognized on the basis of chemical composition, mineralogy, and texture. These are dacite, dacite vitrophyre, dacite perlite, hornblende-bearing dacite porphyry, augite-hypersthene andesite, quartz-bearing augite-hypersthene andesite, quartz-bearing augite-hypersthene andesite porphyry, augite andesite, and hypersthene andesite.

Plumbing the depths of batholiths

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zen, E.-A.

1989-01-01

Knowledge of the pressure of consolidation of a pluton and the pressure-time history of magmatic evolution should allow better understanding of the tectonic and thermal history of the crust. Available methods to estimate pressures of plutons are mainly for those of consolidation. These are either extrinsic, based on geological context, or intrinsic, based on mineral texture, mineral assemblage, fluid inclusions, mineral inclusions, apparent cooling rates, and mineral chemistry. The methods of lattice-dimension matching of mineral inclusions and of detailed chemistry for zoned minerals could lead to pressure-time reconstructions. Future barometers based on mineral chemistry should use atomic species that have low diffusion coefficients and whose values are not sensitive to computational schemes and cumulative analytical errors. Aluminum and silicon in coexisting hornblende, biotite, pyroxene, plagioclase, or garnet are reasonable candidate phases for barometry. -from Author

A study of the depth of weathering and its relationship to the mechanical properties of near-surface rocks in the Mojave Desert

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stierman, D.J.; Healy, J.H.

1985-01-01

Weathered granite extends 70 m deep at Hi Vista in the arid central Mojave Desert of southern California. The low strength of this granite is due to the alteration of biotite and chlorite montmorillonite. Deep weathering probably occurs in most granites, although we cannot rule out some anomalous mechanisms at Hi Vista. Geophysical instruments set in these slightly altered rocks are limited by the unstable behavior of the rocks. Thus, tectonic signals from instruments placed in shallow boreholes give vague results. Geophysical measurements of these weathered rocks resemble measurements of granitic rocks near major faults. The rheology of the rocks in which instruments are placed limits the useful sensitivity of the instruments. ?? 1985 Birkha??user Verlag.

The Boulder Creek Batholith, Front Range, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gable, Dolores J.

1980-01-01

The Boulder Creek batholith is the best known of several large Precambrian batholiths of similar rock composition that crop out across central Colorado. The rocks in the batholith belong to the calc-alkaline series and range in composition from granodiorite through quartz diorite (tonalite) to gneissic aplite. Two rock types dominate': the Boulder Creek Granodiorite, the major rock unit, and a more leucocratic and slightly younger unit herein named Twin Spruce Quartz Monzonite. Besides mafic inclusions, which occur mainly in hornblende-bearing phases of the Boulder Creek Granodiorite, there are cogenetic older and younger lenses, dikes, and small plutons of hornblende diorite, hornblendite, gabbro, and pyroxenite. Pyroxenite is not found in the batholith. The Boulder Creek Granodiorite in the batholith represents essentially two contemporaneous magmas, a northern body occurring in the Gold Hill and Boulder quadrangles and a larger southern body exposed in the Blackhawk and the greater parts of the Tungsten and Eldorado Springs quadrangles. The two bodies are chemically and mineralogically distinct. The northern body is richer in CaO and poorer in K2O, is more mafic, and has a larger percentage of plagioclase than the southern body. A crude sequence of rock types occurs from west to east in the batholith accompanied by a change in plagioclase composition from calcic plagioclase on the west to sodic on the east. Ore minerals tend to decrease, and the ratio potassium feldspar:plagioclase increases inward from the western contact of the batholith, indicating that the Boulder Creek batholith is similar to granodiorite batholiths the world over. Emplacement of the Boulder Creek batholith was contemporaneous with plastic deformation and high-grade regional metamorphism that folded the country rock and the batholith contact along west-northwest and north-northwest axes. Also, smaller satellitic granodiorite bodies tend to conform to the trends of foliation and fold axes in the country rock, suggesting that emplacement was controlled by preexisting structures in the country rock. On a gross scale, chemical equilibrium in the Boulder Creek Granodiorite is expressed by a near 1:1 ratio, or straight-line relationship in the distribution of iron, magnesium, and manganese in biotite and hornblende. General mineralogical trends in the Boulder Creek Granodiorite indicate that modal biotite, hornblende, and plagioclase tend to increase and quartz and microcline tend to decrease as CaO increases. These trends were not found in the Twin Spruce Quartz Monzonite. Differentiation is believed to have played a major role and assimilation a minor role in the development of the Boulder Creek batholith. The Boulder Creek Granodiorite is of probable mantle or lower crust origin, and, based on the scant data available, the Twin Spruce Quartz Monzonite may be of crustal origin, but the magma was extensively altered by contaminants of ambiguous origin. Mafic inclusions, possibly derived from a dioritic magma which was an early differentiate associated temporally with the Boulder Creek Granodiorite and (or) the Twin Spruce Quartz Monzonite, were in jected into the Boulder Creek Granodiorite during the mush stage and before the batholith was completely crystallized. Biotite, hornblende, and potassium feldspar were studied extensively. Their chemistry and petrology indicate a homogeneity throughout the batholith not believed possible by a casual observance of the batholithic rocks in the field. The accessory minerals, where investigated, also tend to indicate this same pervasive homogeneity.

Gneiss wastes as secondary raw material for the ceramic industry: an example from the Verbano Cusio Ossola district (Piedmont, north-western Alps, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavallo, Alessandro

2015-04-01

The Verbano Cusio Ossola province (VCO, Piedmont, north-western Italy) is one of the most important Italian quarrying districts, due to the peculiarity and variety of its exploited rock types, mainly orthogneisses such as Serizzo and Beola, and subordinately granites, marbles and other rocks. The most important and extensively exploited ornamental stone from the VCO province is surely the Serizzo, commercialized in four main varieties, and representing about 70% of all the stone production from the VCO area. The protholith of the Serizzo is a Permian granite - granodiorite metamorphosed during the alpine events, and the rock-forming minerals are mainly quartz, K-feldspar, plagioclase (andesine), biotite, with variable amounts of muscovite and epidote (allanite). The other important ornamental stone of the VCO province is the Beola, a series of heterogeneous materials (mainly orthogneisses) with marked (mylonitic) foliation and strong mineralogical lineation, occurring in the median Ossola Valley; its production (15% of the whole stones of the VCO) is subordinated with respect to that of Serizzo. The mineralogical composition of the Beola varieties is similar to Serizzo, consisting of quite homogeneous quartz, K-feldspar (orthoclase or microcline), plagioclase, biotite and muscovite. The main differences relate to the grain size, the rock fabric (generally mylonitic) and to the presence of accessory/secondary minerals. Recent regulatory developments and the growing environmental awareness, require an increasing reuse of wastes deriving from the extraction and processing of dimension stones (up to 50 % of the extracted gross volume). Granite wastes from the VCO (Baveno pink granite and Montorfano white granite), after specific industrial treatments (crushing, sieving, drying, magnetic separation of biotite and hornblende), are used successfully as quartz-feldspars mix in the ceramic industry, with very low FeOtot content. On the other hand, other quartzose-feldspathic rocks (i.e. Serizzo and Beola), are potential sources of secondary raw materials for the ceramic industry. To assess the feasibility of a reuse of these waste materials, an extensive sampling was performed on the main quarry dumps. The waste rocks were characterized by polarized light optical microscopy (OM) on thin sections, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), quantitative X-ray powder diffraction (XRD-QPA with the Rietveld method), electron microprobe (WDS and EDS) and whole-rock geochemistry (ICP-AES, ICP-MS and LECO®). The performed analyzes show a marked mineralogical and chemical heterogeneity (e.g. highly variable content of phyllosilicates, FeOtot content between 0.39 and 6.99 wt.%), as well as important textural and granulometric differences. On the other hand, the composition of feldspars is quite homogeneous, with the plagioclase ranging from almost pure albite to oligoclase (An 25 - 30%). Some varieties of Serizzo and Beola (Serizzo Sempione, Serizzo Formazza and Beola Bianca) are preferable because of their relatively low FeOtot content, but granulometric and textural factors should never be overlooked, as they have an important feedback in the efficiency and feasibility of the industrial treatments (e.g. magnetic separation). Specifically, some Beola varieties with particularly fine grain size and mylonitic texture, are poorly-suited to industrial ore treatments. On the contrary, the Serizzo varieties, although with a generally higher FeOtot content, have a coarser and homogeneous (and therefore preferable) grain size. Waste materials with different composition could be mixed properly until reaching the desired "ideal" compositions for the following industrial treatments. In any case, an accurate characterization of the waste materials from each of quarry dump is of fundamental importance.

Geology of the Cupsuptic quadrangle, Maine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harwood, David S.

1966-01-01

The Cupsuptic quadrangle, in west-central Maine, lies in a relatively narrow belt of pre-Silurian rocks extending from the Connecticut River valley across northern New Hampshire to north-central Maine. The Albee Formation, composed of green, purple, and black phyllite with interbedded-quartzite, is exposed in the core of a regional anticlinorium overlain to the southeast by greenstone of the Oquossoc Formation which in turn is overlain by black slate of the Kamankeag Formation. In the northern part of the quadrangle the Albee Formation is overlain by black slate, feldspathic graywacke, and minor greenstone of the Dixville Formation. The Kamankeag Formation is dated as 1-ate Middle Ordovician by graptolites (zone 12) found near the base of the unit. The Dixville Formation is correlated with the Kamankeag Formation and Oquossoc Formation and is considered to be Middle Ordovician. The Albee Formation is considered to be Middle to Lower Ordovician from correlations with similar rocks in northeastern and southwestern Vermont. The Oquossoc and Kamankeag Formations are correlated with the Amonoosuc and Partridge Formations of northern New Hampshire. The pre-Silurian rocks are unconformably overlain by unnamed rocks of Silurian age in the southeast, west-central, and northwest ninths of the quadrangle. The basal Silurian units are boulder to cobble polymict conglomerate and quartz-pebble conglomerate of late Lower Silurian (Upper Llandovery) age. The overlying rocks are either well-bedded slate and quartzite, silty limestone, or arenaceous limestone. Thearenaceous limestone contains Upper Silurian (Lower Ludlow) brachiopods. The stratified rocks have been intruded by three stocks of biotite-muscovite quartz monzonite, a large body of metadiorite and associated serpentinite, smaller bodies of gabbro, granodiorite, and intrusive felsite, as well as numerous diabase and quartz monzonite dikes. The metadiorite and serpentinite, and possibly the gabbro and granodiorite are Late Ordovician in age. The quartz monzonite is considered to be Late Devonian. Five tectonic events are inferred from the structural features in the area. The earliest was a period of folding producing tightly-appressed, northeast-trending folds in the rocks of pre-Silurian age. In the second stage the folded pre-Silurian rocks were uplifted, eroded, and truncated to produce a major unconformity between the Middle Ordovician and Lower Silurian rocks. These events constitute the Taconic orogeny. The third tectonic event was a period of folding, probably of Middle Devonian age, that warped the unconformity and overlying rocks into open, gently-plunging, east-trending folds. This period of folding undoubtedly changed the attitude of the early folds in the pre-Silurian units but it did not produce any recognizable, cross-cutting planar features in the older rocks. The fourth tectonic event was a period of igneous intrusion that locally deformed the northeast-trending folds in the pre-Silurian rocks into a macroscopic drag fold plunging at 80 degrees in a direction S.10?w. A north-trending, subvertical slip cleavage was produced locally during this period of Late Devonian (?) deformation. A period of faulting, possibly of Triassic age, dislocated some of the earlier features. The rocks are in the chlorite zone of regional metamorphism, but have been contact metamorphosed to sillimanite-bearing hornfels adjacent to the quartz monzonite stocks. The chemical changes in chlorite, biotite, garnet, cordierite, and muscovite in the chlorite, biotite, andalusite, and sillimanite zones have been-studied by optical and x-ray methods and by partial chemical analyses. The progressive changes in mineral assemblages have been graphically portrayed on quaternary diagrams and ternary projections.

First evidence of the Ellesmerian metamorphism on Svalbard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kośmińska, Karolina; Majka, Jarosław; Manecki, Maciej; Schneider, David A.

2016-04-01

The Ellesmerian fold-and-thrust belt is exposed in the High Arctic from Ellesmere Island in the east, through North Greenland, to Svalbard in the west (e.g. Piepjohn et al., 2015). It developed during Late Devonian - Early Carboniferous, and overprinted older (mainly Caledonian) structures. It is thought that this fold-and-thrust belt was formed due to collision of the Pearya Terrane and Svalbard with the Franklinian Basin of Laurentia. Traditionally, the Ellesmerian fold-and-thrust belt comprises a passive continental margin affected by foreland deformation processes, but the exact larger scale tectonic context of this belt is disputable. It is partly because the Eocene Eurekan deformation superimposed significantly the Ellesmerian structures, thus making the reconstruction of the pre-Eurekan history very difficult. Here we present for the first time evidence for Ellesmerian metamorphism within the crystalline basement of Svalbard. These rocks are exposed in the Pinkie unit on Prins Karls Forland (W-Svalbard), which exhibits tectonic contacts with the overlying sequences. The Pinkie unit is mainly composed of strongly deformed lithologies such as laminated quartzites, siliciclastic rocks and garnet-bearing mica schists. Detrital zircon dating yielded ages as young as Neoproterozoic (0.95-1.05 Ga), thus the Pinkie unit is considered to be Neoproterozoic (Kośmińska et al., 2015a). The M1 assemblages and D1 structures are affected by D2 mylonitization (cf. Faehnrich et al., 2016, this meeting). Petrological characterization and Th-U-total Pb chemical monazite dating have been performed on the Pinkie metapelites. These rocks exhibit an apparent inverted Barrovian metamorphic sequence, within which three metamorphic zones have been distinguished: garnet+staurolite+muscovite+biotite, garnet+staurolite+kyanite+muscovite+biotite, garnet+kyanite+muscovite+biotite. The P-T estimates using the QuiG barometry coupled with thermodynamic modelling revealed that the metapelites were formed under amphibolite facies conditions at c. 7-9 kbar and 550-650 °C (Kośmińska et al., 2015b). Monazite dating was performed on samples from these three metamorphic zones. The chemical zonation of monazite allows the identification of several monazite populations, which likely developed during different stages of Barrovian metamorphism. The geochronology demonstrate protracted monazite growth from the early prograde stage at c. 370 Ma to the peak conditions at c. 355 Ma. Thus it is evident that the Ellesmerian event was not limited to the relatively cold deformation as previously thought. The amphibolite facies metamorphism of c. 370-355 Ma that was documented in our study sheds new light on understanding of the character of this tectonothermal event. This project is financed by NCN research project No 2013/11/N/ST10/00357 and partially funded by AGH research grant no 11.11.140.319. References: Faehnrich et al., 2016. A tectonic window into the crystalline basement of Prins Karls Forland, Spitsbergen. EGU General Assembly 2016. Kośmińska et al., 2015b. Metamorphic evolution of the Pinkie unit metapelites from Svalbard (High Arctic): P-T-t study including Quartz-in-garnet barometry (QuiG). GSA 2015: Annual Meeting, Baltimore. Kośmińska et al., 2015a. Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology of metasediments from southwestern Svalbard's Caledonian Province. EGU General Assembly 2015. Piepjohn et al., 2015. Tectonic map of the Ellesmerian and Eurekan deformation belts on Svalbard, North Greenland, and the Queen Elizabeth Islands (Canadian Arctic). Arktos, DOI 10.1007/s41063-015-0015-7.

Geochemistry and petrogenesis of the Mesoarchean granites from the Canaã dos Carajás area, Carajás Province, Brazil: Implications for the origin of Archean granites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feio, G. R. L.; Dall'Agnol, R.

2012-12-01

Four Mesoarchean (2.93 to 2.83 Ga) granite units, which encompass the Canaã dos Carajás, Bom Jesus, Cruzadão and Serra Dourada granites, were recognized in the Canaã dos Carajás area of the Archean Carajás Province. The Mesoarchean units are composed dominantly of biotite leucomonzogranites. They are compared with the Neoarchean Planalto suite (2.73 Ga) which encompasses biotite-hornblende monzogranites to syenogranites. The Canaã dos Carajás, Bom Jesus and the variety of the Cruzadão granite with higher (La/Yb)N are geochemically more akin to the calc-alkaline granites, whereas the other varieties of the Cruzadão granite are transitional between calc-alkaline and alkaline granites. The Serra Dourada granite has an ambiguous geochemical character with some features similar to those of calc-alkaline granites and other peraluminous granites. The Planalto granites have ferroan character, are similar geochemically to reduced A-type granites and show a strong geochemical contrast with the Mesoarchean studied granites. The Mesoarchean granites described in the Canaã dos Carajás area are geochemically distinct to those of the Rio Maria domain of the Carajás Province. The Canaã dos Carajás and Bom Jesus granites are similar to the high-Ca granites, whereas the Cruzadão and Serra Dourada are more akin to the low-CaO granites of the Yilgarn craton. The geochemical characteristics of the Mesoarchean studied granites approach those of the biotite granite group of Dharwar but the latter are enriched in HFSE and HREE compared to the Canaã dos Carajás granites. The Neoarchean Planalto suite granite has no counterpart in the Mesoarchean Rio Maria domain of the Carajás Province, neither in the Yilgarn and Dharwar cratons. Geochemical modeling suggests that partial melting of a source similar in composition to an Archean basaltic andesite of the Carajás Province could give origin to the Bom Jesus and Cruzadão granites. In the case of the Bom Jesus granite the residue of melting contained, in similar proportions, plagioclase, clinopyroxene, amphibole, and garnet, with subordinate ilmenite. The variations in (La/Yb)N and Sr/Y of the Cruzadão granite are controlled by changes in the residual melting phases. Garnet and amphibole are abundant in the residue of the variety with higher (La/Yb)N, whereas in the rocks with moderate to lower (La/Yb)N garnet is absent, magnetite appears in the residue and amphibole initially increases but is replaced by orthopyroxene in the rocks with the lowest (La/Yb)N. In the Canaã dos Carajás and Serra Dourada granites garnet was probably an absent phase in the residue of melting and the influence of amphibole was also apparently limited. A crustal environment and a variable pressure from 10 to 7-8 kbar are estimated for the generation of the granite magmas. The Bom Jesus and Cruzadão granites of Carajás derived from basaltic andesite sources and not of TTG and their geochemical contrasts can be explained by variation in the pressure of melting. The sources of Archean granite magmas are more diversified and could be more mafic than generally admitted.

Veined pyroxenite xenoliths in Ugandan kamafugites: mantle or magma? Using in situ techniques for 87Sr/86Sr-isotopes and trace elements as tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Link, Klemens; Tommasini, Simone; Braschi, Eleonora; Conticelli, Sandro; Barifaijo, Erasmus; Tiberindwa, John V.; Foley, Stephen F.

2010-05-01

The genesis of pyroxenite nodules in Ugandan kamafugites and their possible genetic relationships is a matter of debate. In earlier studies the pyroxenites were considered either as xenoliths from pervasively metasomatized peridotite mantle (Lloyd, 1981) or as distinct paragenesises occurring as veins within the peridotitic mantle (Harte et al., 1993). In both cases the xenoliths would represent mantle material that was at least partly involved as source material for the kamafugite melts. A third alternative could be that they represent cumulates of the lavas. In any case, the nodules provide important information for understanding the generation of ultrapotassic lavas and for characterizing the rift-related lithosphere mantle as part of the initial continental rift process. Originally the ultrapotassic kamafugites were considered to be single stage partial melts of pervasively metasomatized mantle but new geochemical studies indicate a multistage development (Rosenthal et al., 2009). Nd, Hf and Os isotopes point to mixing between components derived from metasomatically influenced peridotite and mica-pyroxenite. In-situ investigation of the Sr-isotope and trace element compositions of individual minerals in a number of xenoliths allows us to constrain their genesis and relation to the host lavas. The nodules appear to originate by near-liquidus crystallization of melts derived from enriched peridotite within the cratonic lithosphere mantle. They later partially remelted to form one source of the potassium-rich kamafugites. Sr-isotopes from different domains within single mineral grains in the nodules and host lavas are used to trace the nodules' role as a potential source to lavas, and trace element measurements are used to support the conclusions. Rb/Sr- measurements from the biotites to constrain the time between nodule crystallization and eruption of the Quaternary lavas to about 3.3 Ma. This also suggests a significant increase of the geothermal gradient beneath the preceding rift within that time. Structures on microscopic scale indicate at least two different generations of mineral growth clearly related to multiphase magmatic events forming the nodules. Rare composite samples allow a correlation between the older and younger parageneses, demonstrating reaction between the older matrix pyroxenite and the younger, high-Ti melt. The relatively low (~0,13wt%) Cr2O3-contents together with the high LREE concentrations measured in the oldest observed clinopyroxenes (La~12,4 x PRIMA with La/Lu~21) as well as the lack of any other characteristic mineral relicts argue against a pervasively overprinted peridotite mantle. Comparable 87Sr/86Sr- values close to bulk earth values as well as similar 143Nd/144Nd- ratios in the nodules (0,512480-0,5122573) and the lavas (average: 0,512551) support a genetic link between the kamafugites and the nodules as suggested by experiments (Lloyd et al. 1985). Low radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr ratios in Rb-free clinopyroxene and perovskite (0,704459-0,704487) constrain initial values for the source whereas slightly more radiogenic values from cogenetic Rb-bearing biotites (0,704754- 0,704762) are the result of radioactive decay after mineral growth. The majority of the kamafugite 87Sr/86Sr values lie between the two end-members (0,704624- 0,704717). Additionally considering microscale structures showing melting processes we conclude that the nodules represent one source and that the intermediate 87Sr/86Sr values of the lavas reflect the melting of differing proportions of biotite and clinopyroxene in the source region.

The region of the Piedra Berroqueña: A potencial Global Heritage Stone Province.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freire-Lista, David Martin; Fort, Rafael

2015-04-01

The Piedra Berroqueña region occupies an area of approximately 4000 km2 in the Sierra de Guadarrama, Spanish Central System, the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. This region has provided most of the building granites used in Madrid and surrounding provinces. Traditional methods of cutting and carving stone have been preserved and it is easy to locate historic quarries in its landscape in addition to mechanized quarries with large reserves of this dimension stone that is exported worldwide in the form of blocks or slabs with different finishes. The Piedra Berroqueña has been used as a building stone since before the Romans. Petrophysical and durability characteristics have allowed to endure monuments as representative as The Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial (1563-1584), del Sol Gate (1857-1862), Royal Palace (1738-1764), Alcalá Gate (1770-1778) or Prado Museum (1785-1808) in Madrid, Spain. Also the Piedra Berroqueña is part of most residential buildings and streets of this city, as well as modern buildings around the world, such as airport terminals in Athens, Cork, the British consulate in Hong Kong and headquarters of banks in Jakarta, among others. Piedra Berroqueña province is presented in this abstract, which has many granite quarries with common characteristics such as their grey tones and the presence of darker enclaves "Gabarros or negrones". In the Piedra Berroqueña province four main types of granite can be distinguish: Peraluminous granites; with biotite and occasional cordierite, whose most representative historic quarries are in Alpedrete, Colmenar Viejo, El Boalo, El Berrocal and Collado Mediano. Biotite granites with occasional amphibole are present in historic quarries in El Berrueco, Lozoyuela-Navas-Sieteiglesias and Pelayo de la Presa, among others. Currently exploited in Valdemanco and La Cabrera and marketed under the commercial names of Aurora Blanco, Blanco Berrocal, Crema Champagne, Blanco Castilla, Crema Cabrera, Blanco Perla, Crema Valdemanco. In Cadalso de los Vidrios it is marketed under the commercial name of Gris Cadalso and Rosa Cadalso. Biotite granites without cordierite or amphibole and the most representative historic quarries are in San Lorenzo del Escorial, Valdemorillo, Robledo de Chavela, Colmenar de Arroyo, Chapinería and Navas del Rey. In Zarzalejo is marketed under the commercial name of Gris Escorial. Leucogranites in Manzanares el Real, San Martín de Valdeiglesias or La Cabrera there are historical quarries. In the Cadalso de los Vidrios is exported under the commercial name Blanco Ártico, Blanco Cristal and Oro Cristal. The Piedra Berroqueña province meets the requirements proposed to be nominated for GHSP. This nomination will contribute to better understanding and dissemination of an area with attractive economic aspects that focuses on the use of its resources. Thus, the Piedra Berroqueña remains part of the heritage of the province, whether used as a replacement stone for restoration of heritage buildings or when used for new buildings. Acknowledgements This study was funded by the Community of Madrid under the GEOMATERIALS 2 project (S2013/MIT-2914). The authors are members of the Complutense University of Madrid's Research Group: "Alteración y Conservación de los Materiales Pétreos del Patrimonio" (ref. 921349).

Volcanostratigraphy, petrography and petrochemistry of Late Cretaceous volcanic rocks from the Görele area (Giresun, NE Turkey)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oguz, Simge; Aydin, Faruk; Baser, Rasim

2015-04-01

In this study, we have reported for lithological, petrographical and geochemical features of late Cretaceous volcanic rocks from the Çanakçı and the Karabörk areas in the south-eastern part of Görele (Giresun, NE Turkey) in order to investigate their origin and magmatic evolution. Based on the previous ages and recent volcano-stratigraphic studies, the late Cretaceous time in the study area is characterized by an intensive volcanic activity that occurred in two different periods. The first period of the late Cretaceous volcanism (Cenomanian-Santonian; 100-85 My), conformably overlain by Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous massive carbonates (Berdiga Formation), is represented by bimodal units consisting of mainly mafic rock series (basaltic-andesitic lavas and hyaloclastites, dikes and sills) in the lower part (Çatak Formation), and felsic rock series (dacitic lavas and hyaloclastites, crystal- and pyrite-bearing tuffs) in the upper part (Kızılkaya Formation). The second period of the late Cretaceous volcanism (Santonian-Late Campanian; 85-75 Ma) is also represented by bimodal character and again begins with mafic rock suites (basaltic-basaltic andesitic lavas and hyaloclastites) in the lower part (Çağlayan Formation), and grades upward into felsic rock suites (biotite-bearing rhyolitic lavas, ignimbrites and hyaloclastites) through the upper part (Tirebolu Formation). These bimodal units are intercalated with volcanic conglomerates-sandstones, claystones, marl and red pelagic limestones throughout the volcanic sequence, and the felsic rock series have a special important due to hosting of volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits in the region. All volcano-sedimentary units are covered by Tonya Formation (Late Campanian-Paleocene) containing calciturbidites, biomicrites and clayey limestones. The mafic rocks in the two volcanic periods generally include basalt, basaltic andesite and minor andesite, whereas felsic volcanics of the first period mainly consists of dacite but those of the second period have biotite-bearing rhyolite. The basalts and basaltic andesites exhibit subaphyric to porphyritic texture with phenocrysts of calcic plagioclase and augite in a fine-grained to microcrystalline groundmass, consisting of plag+cpx+mag. Andesite samples display a porphyritic texture with phenocrysts of calcic to sodic plagioclase and augite in a hyalopilitic matrix of plag+cpx±amph+mag. Zircon and magnetite are common accessory minerals, whereas chlorite, epidote and calcite are typical alteration products. On the other hand, the dacitic and rhyolitic rocks commonly show a porphyritic texture with predominant feldspar, quartz and some biotite phenocrysts. The microgranular to felsophyric groundmass is mainly composed of aphanitic plagioclase, K-feldspar and quartz. Accessory minerals include zircon, apatite and magnetite. Typical alteration minerals include late-formed sericite, albite and clay minerals. Late Cretaceous mafic and felsic volcanic rocks have a largely sub-alkaline character with typical arc geochemical signatures. N-MORB-normalised multi-element patterns show that all rock samples are enriched in LILEs (e.g. Rb, Ba, Th) but depleted in Nb and Ti. The chondrite-normalized REE patterns are concave shapes with low to medium enrichment, suggesting a common mantle source for the studied bimodal rock series. All geochemical data reflecting typical characteristics of subduction-related magmas are commonly attributed to a depleted mantle source, which has been previously enriched by fluids or sediments. Acknowledgments This work was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK, grant 112Y365)

Origins of chromite and magnetite in sedimentary rocks deposited in a shallow water environment in the 3.2 Ga Moodies Group, South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otake, T.; Sakamoto, Y.; Itoh, S.; Yurimoto, H.; Kakegawa, T.

2012-12-01

*Otake, T. totake@eng.hokudai.ac.jp Div. of Sustainable Resources Engineering, Hokkaido Univ., Sapporo, Japan Sakamoto, Y. yu.sakamoto12@gmail.com Dep. of Earth Science, Tohoku Univ., Sendai, Japan Itoh, S. sitoh@ep.sci.hokudai.ac.jp Dep. of Natural History Sciences, Hokkaido Univ., Sapporo, Japan Yurimoto. H. yuri@ep.sci.hokudai.ac.jp Dep. of Natural History Sciences, Hokkaido Univ., Sapporo, Japan Kakegawa, T. kakegawa@m.tohoku.ac.jp Dep. of Earth Science, Tohoku Univ., Sendai, Japan Geochemical data from ferruginous chemical sedimentary rocks (e.g., Banded Iron Formation: BIF) have been used to reconstruct the surface environments of early Earth. However, only a few studies have investigated the geochemical characteristics of BIFs deposited in a shallow water environment during the Archean, which may have differed from those deposited in a deep water environment. Therefore, we investigated geological, petrographic and geochemical characteristics of ferruginous rocks deposited in a shallow water environment in the Moodies group, in the Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa. We obtained ferruginous rock samples in the Moodies group from both an outcrop and underground gold mine, and compared the characteristics of these samples. The 70 sedimentary rock samples were divided into groups based on the dominant Fe minerals they contain: Hematite-rich jaspilite (HM group), Magnetite-rich iron formation/shale/sandstone (MT group), and Siderite-rich sandstone (SD group). Samples in the HM group are predominantly composed of fine-grained quartz (< 20 μm) and hematite (< 5 μm), which are interpreted to be chemical precipitates. Samples in the MT group contain quartz, magnetite, siderite, ankerite, chlorite, biotite and chromite. The grain size of magnetite is much larger (20-150 μm) than that of hematite in the HM group. The magnetite is interpreted as a secondary mineral transformed from hematite during early diagenesis. Results of in situ oxygen isotope analysis by SIMS showed that magnetite in the Moodies group has similar δ18O values to those in the least metamorphosed BIFs. All chromite observed in the MT group is overgrown by magnetite. Samples in the SD group contain quartz, siderite, chlorite, biotite, and chromite; the chromite is included in Mg-rich siderite or silicate minerals (e.g., chlorite and biotite). Oxygen isotope compositions indicate that chromite in both the MT and SD groups, was hydrothermally altered. Results of geochemical analyses of the bulk outcrop samples showed that FeTotal/Ti and Cr/Ti ratios of outcrop samples increase concordantly in the ferruginous zone, particularly in the MT group. The Cr/Ti ratios of the underground samples also increase with increasing the Fetotal/Ti ratios. On the other hand, Th/U ratios of both the outcrop and underground samples decrease with increasing FeTotal/Ti ratios. The correlations of Fetotal/Ti ratios with U/Th and Cr/Ti ratios indicate that dissolved Cr and U species in the ocean were coprecipitated with ferric (hydr)oxides during the formation of ferruginous rocks of the Moodies Group. These results suggest that Cr and U were chemically mobile, possibly as oxidized species, in the Earth's surface environment at ~3.2 Ga.

Significance of a near-source tephra-stratigraphic sequence to the eruptive history of Hayes Volcano, south-central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wallace, Kristi; Coombs, Michelle L.; Hayden, Leslie A.; Waythomas, Christopher F.

2014-01-01

Bluffs along the Hayes River valley, 31 km northeast and 40 km downstream from Hayes Volcano, reveal volcanic deposits that shed new light on its eruptive history. Three thick (>10 cm) and five thin (<10 cm) tephra-fall deposits are dacitic in whole rock composition and contain high proportions of amphibole to pyroxene and minor biotite and broadly correlate to Hayes tephra set H defined by earlier investigators. Two basal ages for the tephra-fall sequence of 3,690±30 and 3,750±30 14C yr B.P. are also consistent with the Hayes tephra set H timeframe. Distinguishing among Hayes tephra set H units is critical because the set is an important time-stratigraphic marker in south-central Alaska and this section provides a new reference section for Hayes tephra set H. Analysis of Fe-Ti oxide grains in the tephras shows promise for identifying individual Hayes deposits. Beneath the dacitic tephra sequence lies an older, poorly sorted tephra (tephra A) that contains dacite and rhyolite lapilli and whose basal age is 4,450±30 14C yr B.P. Immediately below the tephra-fall sequence (Unit III) lies a series of mass-flow deposits that are rich in rhyodacitic clasts (Unit II). Below Unit II and possibly coeval with it, is a 20–30 m thick pumiceous pyroclastic-flow deposit (Unit I) that extends to the valley floor. Here informally named the Hayes River ignimbrite, this deposit contains pumice clasts of rhyolite with quartz, sanidine, plagioclase, and biotite phenocrysts, an assemblage that is unique among known Quaternary volcanic products of Hayes and other Alaskan volcanoes. Units I, II, and tephra A of Unit III represent at least two previously unrecognized eruptions of Hayes Volcano that occurred prior to ~3,700 yr B.P. No compositionally equivalent distal tephra deposits correlative with Hayes Volcano rhyodacites or rhyolites have yet been identified, perhaps indicating that some of these deposits are pre-Holocene, and were largely removed by glacial ice during the last ice age. More field and analytical work is needed to further refine the eruptive history of Hayes Volcano.

Petrology and Geochemistry of an Upper Crustal Mafic Complex- Hidden Lakes, Sierra Nevada Batholith, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, M.; Bucholz, C. E.; Jagoutz, O. E.; Eddy, M. P.

2017-12-01

Magmatic differentiation in arc settings is likely a polybaric process, with crystallization of primitive basalts occurring primarily in the lower crust and more evolved melts in the upper crust. The general lack of mafic-ultramafic cumulates in the silicic paleo-arc upper crust supports this model. However, the Sierra Nevada Batholith preserves numerous mafic intrusions up to 25 km2, suggesting that significant volumes of mafic magma may differentiate at shallow crustal levels. Previous studies on several such intrusions report ages contemporaneous with Cretaceous batholith emplacement (Coleman et al., 1995), but only a few have investigated their chemistry and relationship to arc magmatism (Frost, 1987; Frost & Mahood, 1987; Sisson et al., 1996). We present field observations, petrography, mineral chemistry, and bulk rock compositional data for the Hidden Lakes Mafic Complex (HLMC), located in the Central Sierra Nevada Batholith. Preliminary CA-ID-TIMS U-Pb zircon ages constrain crystallization between 90 and 95 Ma, slightly older than the surrounding Cretaceous felsic plutons (89-90 Ma) and younger than adjacent Jurassic granodiorites (172 Ma). This 2.2 km2 complex consists of biotite+amphibole gabbros through qtz-monzonites, in gradational contact, and contains local pods of biotite- and amphibole-bearing olivine-orthopyroxenites and gabbronorites. Mineral compositions and field relations suggest that these lithologies were derived from a common crystallization sequence. The most primitive olivine-pyroxenite contains olivine and orthopyroxene in equilibrium with a melt with Mg# 54. Subsequent crystallization over a temperature range of 1025 to 700°C produced more evolved lithologies up to qtz-monzonites. Al-in-hornblende calculations for HLMC qtz-monzonites indicate a crystallization depth of 9-10 km, well into the upper crust. The early crystallization of amphibole requires a parental basalt with >6 wt% H2O, which may have enabled it to ascend into the upper crust due to decreased density and viscosity. However, the estimated parental melt is not primitive (rather than Mg# 70), suggesting that differentiation of a more mafic precursor parental melt in the lower crust modified the chemistry and rheological properties of the melt prior to its ascent into the upper crust.

Origin and evolution of a submarine large igneous province: the Kerguelen Plateau and Broken Ridge, southern Indian Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frey, F. A.; Coffin, M. F.; Wallace, P. J.; Weis, D.; Zhao, X.; Wise, S. W.; Wähnert, V.; Teagle, D. A. H.; Saccocia, P. J.; Reusch, D. N.; Pringle, M. S.; Nicolaysen, K. E.; Neal, C. R.; Müller, R. D.; Moore, C. L.; Mahoney, J. J.; Keszthelyi, L.; Inokuchi, H.; Duncan, R. A.; Delius, H.; Damuth, J. E.; Damasceno, D.; Coxall, H. K.; Borre, M. K.; Boehm, F.; Barling, J.; Arndt, N. T.; Antretter, M.

2000-02-01

Oceanic plateaus form by mantle processes distinct from those forming oceanic crust at divergent plate boundaries. Eleven drillsites into igneous basement of Kerguelen Plateau and Broken Ridge, including seven from the recent Ocean Drilling Program Leg 183 (1998-99) and four from Legs 119 and 120 (1987-88), show that the dominant rocks are basalts with geochemical characteristics distinct from those of mid-ocean ridge basalts. Moreover, the physical characteristics of the lava flows and the presence of wood fragments, charcoal, pollen, spores and seeds in the shallow water sediments overlying the igneous basement show that the growth rate of the plateau was sufficient to form subaerial landmasses. Most of the southern Kerguelen Plateau formed at ˜110 Ma, but the uppermost submarine lavas in the northern Kerguelen Plateau erupted during Cenozoic time. These results are consistent with derivation of the plateau by partial melting of the Kerguelen plume. Leg 183 provided two new major observations about the final growth stages of the Kerguelen Plateau. 1: At several locations, volcanism ended with explosive eruptions of volatile-rich, felsic magmas; although the total volume of felsic volcanic rocks is poorly constrained, the explosive nature of the eruptions may have resulted in globally significant effects on climate and atmospheric chemistry during the late-stage, subaerial growth of the Kerguelen Plateau. 2: At one drillsite, clasts of garnet-biotite gneiss, a continental rock, occur in a fluvial conglomerate intercalated within basaltic flows. Previously, geochemical and geophysical evidence has been used to infer continental lithospheric components within this large igneous province. A continental geochemical signature in an oceanic setting may represent deeply recycled crust incorporated into the Kerguelen plume or continental fragments dispersed during initial formation of the Indian Ocean during breakup of Gondwana. The clasts of garnet-biotite gneiss are the first unequivocal evidence of continental crust in this oceanic plateau. We propose that during initial breakup between India and Antarctica, the spreading center jumped northwards transferring slivers of the continental Indian plate to oceanic portions of the Antarctic plate.

Tonalite and trondhjemite plutonism in the western Chugach Mountains, so. Alaska: an example of near trench magmatism

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Monteverde, D.; Pavlis, T.

1985-01-01

In the northern Chugach Mountains of southern Alaska a suite of granitoid plutons were emplaced in a near-trench setting in mid-Early Cretaceous time. The plutons intrude both the then continental edge marked by Jurassic igneous and metamorphic rocks of the Peninsular terrane and the accretionary prism composed of the Early Cretaceous McHugh Complex. Field, petrographic and geochemical data classify the plutonic rocks as ranging from a hornblende-biotite tonalite to a biotite trondjhemite. Most of the rocks are post-metamorphic and show hypidiomorphic granular textures. Locally, however, the rocks are weakly foliated and quartz shows grain size reduction (serrate textures) indicative ofmore » minor ductile strain; suggesting some strain following emplacement. Geochemically, Harker variation diagrams show a linear variation as related to silica content: MgO, FeO total, TiO/sub 2/, and CaO and Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ decrease while Na/sub 2/O, K/sub 2/O, MnO and P/sub 2/O/sub 5/ maintain constant percentages with increasing silica content. Chemical ranges include: SiO/sub 2/ 61.98 to 74.90%, Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ 19.35 to 14.25%, CaO 6.93 to 2.23%, Na/sub 2/O averages 4.33%, K/sub 2/O averages 0.91%. The rocks are a high Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ (calcic.) trondjhemite of Barker (1979). Most of the rocks are strongly peraluminous (>1.1% corundum normative); garnet crystals show equilibrium textures without reaction rims; and stable isotope analysis of a small sample suite show significant /sup 08/O enrichment (>9.6 per mil SMOW). Two possible petrographic models fit the data. The entail a fractional crystallization-assimilation model and a partial melting of a low temperature hydrothermally altered basalt. The tectonic mechanism responsible for this unusual event is elusive but two models are allowable: 1) a ridge-trench encounter; and 2) melting along thrust planes during initiation of subduction - a mechanism analogous to melting along great crystalline thrust sheets.« less

Combining Textural Techniques to Explore Effects of Diagenesis and Low-grade Metamorphism on Iron Mineralogy and Iron Speciation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slotznick, S. P.; Webb, S.; Eiler, J. M.; Kirschvink, J. L.; Fischer, W. W.

2016-12-01

Iron chemistry and mineralogy in the sedimentary rocks provide a valuable tool for studying paleoenvironmental conditions due to the fact that iron atoms can take on either the +II or +III valence state under geological redox conditions. One method utilizing this redox chemistry is `iron speciation', a bulk chemical sequential extraction technique that maps proportions of iron species to redox conditions empirically calibrated from modern sediments. However, all Precambrian and many Phanerozoic rocks have experienced post-depositional processes; it is vital to explore their effects on iron mineralogy and speciation. We combined light and electron microscopy, magnetic microscopy, (synchrotron-based) microprobe x-ray spectroscopy, and rock magnetic measurements in order to deconvolve secondary overprints from primary phases and provide quantitative measurement of iron minerals. These techniques were applied to excellently-preserved shale and siltstone samples of the 1.4 Ga lower Belt Supergroup, Montana and Idaho, USA, spanning a metamorphic gradient from sub-biotite to garnet zone. Previously measured Silurian-Devonian shales, sandstones, and carbonates in Maine and Vermont, USA spanning from the chlorite to kyanite zone provided additional well-constrained, quantitative data for comparison and to extend our analysis. In all of the studied samples, pyrrhotite formation occurred at the sub-biotite or sub-chlorite zone. Pyrrhotite was interpreted to form from pyrite and/or other iron phases based on lithology; these reactions can affect the paleoredox proxy. Iron carbonates can also severely influence iron speciation results since they often form in anoxic pore fluids during diagenesis; textural analyses of the Belt Supergroup samples highlighted that iron-bearing carbonates were early diagenetic cements or later diagenetic overprints. The inclusion of iron from diagenetic minerals during iron speciation analyses will skew results by providing a view of pore-fluid redox, not ancient water column chemistry. While our analyses and biological indicators suggest that the studied samples of the lower Belt Supergroup and New England were deposited in oxic water columns, iron speciation results imply anoxic/ferruginous conditions due to diagenetic alterations affecting the record.

Geochemistry and geochronology of ore-bearing and barren intrusions in the Luanchuan ore fields of East Qinling metallogenic belt, China: Diverse tectonic evolution and implications for mineral exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Fei; Wang, Gongwen; Santosh, M.; Yang, Fan; Shen, Zhiwei; Kong, Liang; Guo, Nana; Zhang, Xuhuang; Jia, Wenjuan

2018-05-01

The Luanchuan ore fields form part of the East Qinling metallogenic belt in central China. In this study, we compare two ore-bearing intrusions, the Shibaogou granitic pluton (SBG) and the Zhongyuku granitic pluton (ZYK), with the ore-barren Laojunshan intrusion (LJS) from the Luanchuan ore field. Geochemically, all the three intrusions are characterized by high-Si, high-K, and alkalis, together with moderate-ASI, exhibiting I-type granite features. The rocks, especially the ore-related plutons also show enrichment in LREEs. Mineral chemistry of biotite from the intrusions exhibits similar features of high Si and Mg, and low Al and Fe. Zircon grains from the ZYK intrusion yielded a U-Pb age of 149.6 ± 2.4 Ma. The zircon grains show εHf (t) values and two stage model ages (TDM2) in the range of -16.8 to -19.7 and 1998-2156 Ma respectively. The biotite composition and Hf isotopic data indicate that the magma was derived by re-melting of deep crustal material with minor input of mantle components. We evaluate the results to understand the physico-chemical conditions, petrogenesis, and tectonic setting, and their implications for mineral exploration. The ore-bearing plutons show wide ranges of temperature and oxygen fugacity, favoring Mo-W mineralization. In addition, estimates on pressure and depth of emplacement suggest that lower solidification pressure in a decompressional setting contributed to the evolution of magmatic hydrothermal deposits. Our data suggest that the ZYK has the highest potential for Mo-W mineralization. The ore-bearing plutons of ZYK and SBG were formed in a transitional tectonic setting from compression to extension, with the large-scale metallogeny triggered by slab melts at ca. 145 Ma. However, the ore-barren LJS batholith formed in an extension-related geodynamic setting at ∼115 Ma. Our study shows that different tectonic settings and consequent physico-chemical conditions dictated the ore potential of the intrusions in the Luanchuan ore district.

Potential for Nitrogen Fixation and Nitrification in the Granite-Hosted Subsurface at Henderson Mine, CO

PubMed Central

Swanner, Elizabeth D.; Templeton, Alexis S.

2011-01-01

The existence of life in the deep terrestrial subsurface is established, yet few studies have investigated the origin of nitrogen that supports deep life. Previously, 16S rRNA gene surveys cataloged a diverse microbial community in subsurface fluids draining from boreholes 3000 feet deep at Henderson Mine, CO, USA (Sahl et al., 2008). The prior characterization of the fluid chemistry and microbial community forms the basis for the further investigation here of the source of NH4+. The reported fluid chemistry included N2, NH4+ (5–112 μM), NO2− (27–48 μM), and NO3− (17–72 μM). In this study, the correlation between low NH4+ concentrations in dominantly meteoric fluids and higher NH4+ in rock-reacted fluids is used to hypothesize that NH4+ is sourced from NH4+-bearing biotite. However, biotite samples from the host rocks and ore-body minerals were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microscopy and none-contained NH4+. However, the nitrogenase-encoding gene nifH was successfully amplified from DNA of the fluid sample with high NH4+, suggesting that subsurface microbes have the capability to fix N2. If so, unregulated nitrogen fixation may account for the relatively high NH4+ concentrations in the fluids. Additionally, the amoA and nxrB genes for archaeal ammonium monooxygenase and nitrite oxidoreductase, respectively, were amplified from the high NH4+ fluid DNA, while bacterial amoA genes were not. Putative nitrifying organisms are closely related to ammonium-oxidizing Crenarchaeota and nitrite-oxidizing Nitrospira detected in other subsurface sites based upon 16S rRNA sequence analysis. Thermodynamic calculations underscore the importance of NH4+ as an energy source in a subsurface nitrification pathway. These results suggest that the subsurface microbial community at Henderson is adapted to the low nutrient and energy environment by their capability of fixing nitrogen, and that fixed nitrogen may support subsurface biomass via nitrification. PMID:22190904

Petrogenesis of cataclastic rocks within the San Andreas fault zone of Southern California U.S.A.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawford Anderson, J.; Osborne, Robert H.; Palmer, Donald F.

1980-08-01

This paper petrologically characterizes cataclastic rocks derived from four sites within the San Andreas fault zone of southern California. In this area, the fault traverses an extensive plutonic and metamorphic terrane and the principal cataclastic rock formed at these upper crustal levels is unindurated gouge derived from a range of crystalline rocks including diorite, tonalite, granite, aplite, and pegmatite. The mineralogical nature of this gouge is decidedly different from the "clay gouge" reported by Wu (1975) for central California and is essentially a rock flour with a quartz, feldspar, biotite, chlorite, amphibole, epidote and oxide mineralogy representing the milled-down equivalent of the original rock. Clay development is minor (less than 4 wt. %) to nonexistent and is exclusively kaolinite. Alterations involve hematitic oxidation, chlorite alteration on biotite and amphibole, and local introduction of calcite. Electron microprobe analysis showed that in general the major minerals were not reequilibrated with the pressure—temperature regime imposed during cataclasis. Petrochemically, the form of cataclasis that we have investigated is largely an isochemical process. Some hydration occurs but the maximum amount is less than 2.2% added H 2O. Study of a 375 m deep core from a tonalite pluton adjacent to the fault showed that for Si, Al, Ti, Fe, Mg, Mn, K, Na, Li, Rb, and Ba, no leaching and/or enrichment occurred. Several samples experienced a depletion in Sr during cataclasis while lesser number had an enrichment of Ca (result of calcite veining). Texturally, the fault gouge is not dominated by clay-size material but consists largely of silt and fine sand-sized particles. An intriguing aspect of our work on the drill core is a general decrease in particulate size with depth (and confining pressure) with the predominate shifting sequentially from fine sand to silt-size material. The original fabric of these rocks is commonly not disrupted during the cataclasis. It is evident that the gouge development in these primarily igneous crystalline terranes is largely an in situ process with minimal mixing of rock types. Fabric analyses reveal that brecciation (shattering), not shearing, is the major deformational mechanism at these upper crustal levels.

Ornamental Planting Restoration at Jefferson's Poplar Forest Through XRF and ICP-OES Analysis of Disturbed Soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatfield, M.; Low, P. C.; Devlin, S.

2011-12-01

Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest estate near Lynchburg, VA is currently attempting to restore the property to its Jeffersonian condition. Subsequent modifications to the property following its sale by Jefferson's heirs included the removal of the original trees in order to facilitate agricultural activity. One key facet of the restoration involves determining the precise location of the sixty-four paper mulberry trees that Jefferson reportedly had transplanted in 1815 from his on-site nursery to near the main house. At Monticello, it is well-documented that Jefferson used contextually innovative fertilizing techniques, including the addition of gypsum and lime "to restore the exhaustion of a single crop from the soil." Whether he used these methods in the nursery at Poplar Forest to the degree that decades of subsequent leaching, weathering, and other disturbances would not erase remains historically and analytically unclear. Since the transplantation process requires that large amounts of soil be moved with the trees, small areas of compositionally distinct soils in the suspected planting area could be used to establish the exact location of each tree through differentiating between nursery and in situ soils. Through X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) and intercoupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) geochemical analysis, the specific composition of soil can be determined. Preliminary analysis shows slight differences in phosphorus and sulfur between the nursery and in situ soil; however, the property lies on three different distinct geological units: actinolite schist and feldspathic metagreywacke units of the Alligator Back formation, and biotite gneiss of the Ashe Formation (biotite gneiss). The location of the nursery where the sixty-four paper mulberry trees were originally grown lies on the feldspathic metagreywacke unit; whereas the relocation site where Jefferson had them planted rests on the actinolite schist unit. Percursory study identifies significant differences in major elements such as silicon, aluminum, calcium, and manganese. Locating the presence of the nursery soil within the relocation site soil will allow staff archaeologists to replant the paper mulberry trees in order to reconstruct Jefferson's plantation.

Lithium and Beryllium By-product Recovery from the Round Top Mountain, Texas, Peraluminous Rhyolite Heavy Rare Earth Deposit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pingitore, N. E., Jr.; Clague, J. W.; Gorski, D.

2016-12-01

The technology metals Li and Be combine low mass and unique properties. Li batteries are critical in applications at scales from micro-electronics to automotive and grid storage. Low mass Be structural components are essential in aerospace/defense applications and in non-sparking BeCu alloy oilfield tools. Most Li is sourced from desert salarsin the "Lithium Triangle" of Argentina—Bolivia—Chile. In contrast, Materion Corp mines >80% of global Be at Spor Mountain, UT. The massive peraluminous rhyolite heavy rare earth deposit at Round Top Mountain, TX is also enriched in Li, 500 ppm, and Be, 50 ppm. 2016 prices of 7000/tonne Li2CO3 (19% Li) and 1000/kg Be metal suggest favorable economics to extract Li and Be as by-products of HREE mining. Li and some Be are hosted in annite biotite that comprises up to 5% of the rhyolite. Texas Mineral Resources Corp proposes to heap leach crushed rhyolite with dilute H2SO4to release the yttrofluorite-hosted HREEs. At bench scale the annite biotite dissolves, but not quartz and feldspars (>90% of the rock). A series of 40 high-yield laboratory tests at various acid strength, particle size, and exposure time released up to 350 ppm (70%) of the Li and 14 ppm (30%) of the Be. For a 20,000 tonne/day operation, these recoveries correspond to daily production of >3 tonnes Li and 250 kg Be. Higher Li and Be recoveries also increased yields of gangue elements, Fe & Al, into solution. This complicates subsequent separation of Li, Be, and HREEs from the pregnant leach solution. Recovery of target HREEs did not increase beyond 200 ppm Li and 8 ppm Be recovery. Greater Li and Be recoveries increased acid consumption. Thus the "sweet spot" economics for heap leach is likely under conditions of acid strength, grain size, and exposure time that do not maximize by-product Li and Be recoveries. Evolving market prices for the full target element suite and additional costs to recover and purify the Li and Be must also be considered.

Grenvillian magmatism in the northern Virginia Blue Ridge: Petrologic implications of episodic granitic magma production and the significance of postorogenic A-type charnockite

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tollo, R.P.; Aleinikoff, J.N.; Borduas, E.A.; Dickin, A.P.; McNutt, R.H.; Fanning, C.M.

2006-01-01

Grenvillian (1.2 to 1.0 Ga) plutonic rocks in northern Virginia preserve evidence of episodic, mostly granitic magmatism that spanned more than 150 million years (m.y.) of crustal reworking. Crystallization ages determined by sensitive high resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb isotopic analyses of zircon and monazite, combined with results from previous studies, define three periods of magmatic activity at 1183-1144 Ma (Magmatic Interval I), 1120-1111 Ma (Magmatic Interval II), and 1078-1028 Ma (Magmatic Interval III). Magmatic activity produced dominantly tholeiitic plutons composed of (1) low-silica charnockite, (2) leucogranite, (3) non-leucocratic granitoid (with or without orthopyroxene (opx)), and (4) intermediate biotite-rich granitoid. Field, petrologic, geochemical, and geochronologic data indicate that charnockite and non-charnockitic granitoids were closely associated in both space and time, indicating that presence of opx is related to magmatic conditions, not metamorphic grade. Geochemical and Nd isotopic data, combined with results from experimental studies, indicate that leucogranites (Magmatic Intervals I and III) and non-leucocratic granitoids (Magmatic Intervals I and II) were derived from parental magmas produced by either a high degree of partial melting of isotopically evolved tonalitic sources or less advanced partial melting of dominantly tonalitic sources that also included a more mafic component. Post-orogenic, circa 1050 Ma low-silica charnockite is characterized by A-type compositional affinity including high FeOt/(FeOt + MgO), Ga/Al, Zr, Nb, Y, and Zn, and was derived from parental magmas produced by partial melting of potassic mafic sources in the lower crust. Linear geochemical trends defined by leucogranites, low-silica charnockite, and biotite-rich monzogranite emplaced during Magmatic Interval III reflect differences in source-related characteristics; these features do not represent an igneous fractionation sequence. A compositional gap between circa 1160 Ma magnesian low-silica charnockite and penecontemporaneous higher silica lithologies likewise precludes a fractionation relationship among plutons intruded during Magmatic Interval I. Correspondence in timing of magmatic activity between the Blue Ridge and neighboring Mesoproterozoic terranes underscores the widespread nature of Grenvillian processes in the region.

The late Oligocene Cevizlidere Cu-Au-Mo deposit, Tunceli Province, eastern Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

İmer, Ali; Richards, Jeremy P.; Creaser, Robert A.; Spell, Terry L.

2015-02-01

The Cevizlidere deposit, located in the Tunceli Province of eastern Anatolia, is the largest porphyry Cu-Au-Mo system in Turkey. The deposit is spatially related to a composite stock, which was emplaced into Paleozoic limestones and Paleogene andesitic rocks to the southeast of the Munzur mountains, near the southwestern margin of the Ovacık pull-apart basin. The host plutonic rocks at Cevizlidere are porphyritic, medium-K calc-alkaline diorites and granodiorites. 40Ar/39Ar incremental step-heating analysis of two igneous biotite separates obtained from syn-mineral diorite porphyry yielded late Oligocene cooling ages of 25.49 ± 0.10 and 25.10 ± 0.14 Ma, whereas hydrothermal biotite yielded an age of 24.73 ± 0.08 Ma. Re-Os ages obtained from two molybdenite separates (24.90 ± 0.10 and 24.78 ± 0.10 Ma) indicate that porphyry-style alteration and mineralization developed shortly after magma emplacement. The whole-rock geochemical composition of the Cevizlidere porphyry intrusions is consistent with derivation from partial melting of the metasomatized supra-subduction zone mantle. However, based on regional tectonic reconstructions, Oligocene magmatic activity in this area appears to be related to a major kinematic reorganization that took place at around 25 Ma, during the switch from subduction to collisional tectonics in eastern Anatolia. This kinematic switch may be attributed to break-off of the Southern Neo-Tethys oceanic slab prior to the Arabia-Eurasia continent-continent collision (~12-10 Ma) following widespread middle Eocene (50-43 Ma) arc/back-arc magmatism. In this respect, the subduction-related tectonic setting of the late Oligocene Cevizlidere porphyry deposit is similar to that of the middle Eocene Çöpler epithermal Au deposit. The late timing of Cevizlidere with respect to the Southern Neo-Tethys subduction may be comparable to some early to late Miocene porphyry-epithermal systems that lie within the contiguous Urumieh-Dokhtar belt in central Iran. The later timing in Iran reflects the diachronous nature of the Eurasia-Afro-Arabia collision.

Ar-40/Ar-39 age determinations for the Rotoiti eruption, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flude, S.; Storey, M.

2013-12-01

The contemporaneous Rotoiti and Earthquake Flat ignimbrites, erupted from the Taupo Volcanic zone, New Zealand, form a distinctive tephrostratigraphic horizon in the Southern Pacific. Radioisotopic dating results for these eruptions remain controversial, with published ages ranging from 35.1 × 2.8 ka [1] to 71 × 6 ka [2], with 61.0 × 1.5 ka [3] often being cited as the most widely accepted age. These eruptions are difficult to date as their age is near the limit for various radiometric dating techniques, which are complicated by a large proportion of inherited material (xenocrysts) and a lack of phases suitable for dating. Glass-bearing plutonic blocks erupted with the Rotoiti and Earthquake Flat ignimbrites have previously been interpreted as deriving from a slowly cooled and incompletely solidified magma body that was sampled by the eruptions. They contain large vugs lined with euhedral quartz, sanidine and biotite crystals, indicating that these crystals grew in a gas or aqueous fluid rich environment and are interpreted to have formed shortly before or during eruption. Here we will present Ar-40/Ar-39 ages for sanidines and biotites extracted from vugs in lithic blocks erupted as part of the Earthquake Flat ignimbrite. We show that, even for vug-lining material, inherited ages remain a problem and are the likely source of the wide variation in published radiometric ages. Nevertheless, many of the Ar-40/Ar-39 ages are much younger than the 61 ka age [3] and are more consistent with the recent stratigraphic, C-14 and U-238/Th-230+(U-Th)/He ages that have been suggested (e.g. [4,5]). 1. Whitehead, N. & Ditchburn, R. New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics 37, 381-383 (1994). 2. Ota, Y., Omura, A. & Iwata, H. New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics 32, 327-331 (1989). 3. Wilson, C. J. N. et al. Quaternary Science Reviews 26, 1861-1870 (2007). 4. Molloy, C., Shane, P. & Augustinus, P. Geological Society of America Bulletin 121, 1666-1677 (2009). 5. Danišík, M. et al. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 349-350, 240-250 (2012).

Mineralogy and geochemistry of the Mahi River sediments in tectonically active western India: Implications for Deccan large igneous province source, weathering and mobility of elements in a semi-arid climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Anupam; Sensarma, Sarajit; Kumar, Kamlesh; Khanna, P. P.; Saini, N. K.

2013-03-01

Large igneous provinces (LIPs) hosting mafic rocks over million km2 are likely to influence global sediment production and distribution and help in resolving discrepancies in upper continental crust (UCC) compositions. This work focuses on the texture, mineralogy, and compositions including REE of fine sand/silt deposited by a small to medium-sized river, the Mahi River (about 600 km) in a tectonically active, semi-arid region draining the Deccan Traps in western India, one of the largest LIPs in the world. The results are also applied to a sedimentary rock of fluvial origin (Siwalik mudstone/siltstone) to ascertain the source characteristics of this alluvium and evaluate comparative element (K, Ba, Sr, Na, Ca and Mg) mobility. The Mahi sediments are lithiarenite, mostly composed of quartz and basalt fragments with lesser pyroxene, biotite, feldspar, calcite and clay minerals (smectite ± illite). The Mahi sediments have higher FeOt (⩽10.9 wt.%), TiO2 (⩽2.41 wt.%), Al2O3 (⩽15.2 wt.%), Cr (⩽737 ppm), Co (⩽36 ppm), Cu (⩽107 ppm) than the UCC and PAAS; Ni (⩽54 ppm) higher than the UCC (33.5 ppm), but similar to PAAS (60 ppm). The low CIA (37-59) values and presence of basalt fragments and smectite in the samples suggest incipient weathering in the semi-arid Mahi catchment. In agreement with the mineralogy, the UCC-normalized LREE depleted patterns (LREE/HREE < 1) in the Mahi sediments confirm Deccan basalt contributions from the provenance with about 70-75% basalts and 25-30% Archean biotite-rich granitoids. The mafic contribution, in addition to the UCC, is important for the Siwalik rocks too. Similarly limited depletion of Ba, K and Ca (Ba ⩾ K > Ca) in weathering-limited Mahi (aver CIA 47.5) and transport-limited Siwalik (aver CIA 69) systems indicate their climate insensitivity. At the same time, more Ba depletion than Ca is new for the Deccan Traps River. Decoupling of Ca and Sr, however, could be mineralogy controlled.

Geologic Map of the Clark Peak Quadrangle, Jackson and Larimer Counties, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kellogg, Karl S.; Ruleman, Chester A.; Shroba, Ralph R.; Braddock, William A.

2008-01-01

The Clark Peak quadrangle encompasses the southern end of the Medicine Bow Mountains and the northernmost end of the Mummy Range. The Continental Divide traverses the map area and Highway 14 cross the Divide at Cameron Pass, in the southeastern corner of the map. Approximately the eastern half of the map, and a few areas to the west, are underlain by Early Proterozoic plutonic and metamorphic rocks. Most of these basement rocks are part of the ~1,715 Ma Rawah batholith, composed mostly of pinkish, massive to moderately foliated monzogranite and granodiorite intruded by numerous, large pegmatite- aplite bodies. The metamorphic rocks, many of which form large inclusions in the granitic rocks of the Rawah batholith, include biotite-hornblende gneiss, hornblende gneiss, amphibolite, and biotite schist. The crystalline basement rocks are thrust westward along the Medicine Bow thrust over a sequence of sedimentary rocks as old as the Upper Permian Satanka Shale. The Satanka Shale, Middle and Lower Triassic Chugwater group, and a thin sandstone tentatively correlated with the Lower Jurassic and Upper Triassic Jelm Formation are combined as one map unit. This undivided unit is overlain sequentially upward by the Upper Jurassic Sundance Formation, Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation, Lower Cretaceous Dakota Group, Upper and Lower Cretaceous Benton Group, Upper Cretaceous Niobrara Formation, and the Eocene and Paleocene Coalmont Formation. The Late Cretaceous to early Eocene Medicine Bow thrust is folded in places, and several back thrusts produced a complicated thrust pattern in the south part of the map. Early Oligocene magmatism produced rhyolite tuff, dacite and basalt flows, and intermediate dikes and small stocks. A 40Ar/39Ar date on sanidine from one rhyolite tuff is ~28.5 Ma; a similar whole-rock date on a trachybasalt is ~29.6 Ma. A very coarse, unsorted probably pre-Quaternary ridge-top diamicton crops out in the southern part of the quadrangle. Numerous glacial deposits (mostly of Pinedale age), rock glaciers, block-slope deposits, landslide deposits, talus deposits, fan deposits, colluvium, and alluvium comprise the surficial deposits of the map area.

Thermometers and thermobarometers in granitic systems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anderson, J.L.; Barth, A.P.; Wooden, J.L.; Mazdab, F.; ,

2008-01-01

The ability to determine the thermal and barometric history during crystallization and emplacement of granitic plutons has been enhanced by several new calibrations applicable to granitic mineral assemblages. Other existing calibrations for granitic plutons have continued to be popular and fairly robust. Recent advances include the trace element thermometers Ti-in-quartz, Ti-in-zircon, and Zr-in-sphene (titanite), which need to be further evaluated on the roles of reduced activities due to lack of a saturating phase, the effect of pressure dependence (particularly for the Ti-in-zircon thermometer), and how resistive these thermometers are to subsolidus reequilibration. As zircon and sphene are also hosts to radiogenic isotopes, these minerals potentially also provide new insights into the temperature - time history of magmas. When used in conjunction with pressure-sensitive mineral equilibria in the same rocks, a complete assessment of the P-T-t (pressure-temperature-time) path is possible given that the mineralogy of plutons can reflect crystallization over a range of pressure and temperature during ascent and emplacement and that many intrusions are now seen as forming over several millions of years during the protracted history of batholith construction. Accessory mineral saturation thermometers, such as those for zircon, apatite, and allanite, provide a different and powerful perspective, specifically that of the temperature of the onset of crystallization of these minerals, which can allow an estimate of the range of temperature between the liquidus and solidus of a given pluton. In assessment of the depth of crystallization and emplacement of granitic plutons, the Al-in-hornblende remains popular for metaluminous granites when appropriately corrected for temperature. For peraluminous granites, potential new calibrations exist for the assemblages bearing garnet, biotite, plagioclase, muscovite, and quartz. Other thermometers, based on oxygen abundance, and including Fe-Ti oxides, pyroxene, fayalitic olivine, quartz, sphene, and/or biotite, some of which have been recently revised, can provide additional information on temperature and oxygen fugacity. Oxygen fugacity can range over several orders of magnitude in different magmatic systems and can have profound influence on the mineralogy and mineral compositions in granitic magmas. It also forms the foundation of the popular magnetite- versus ilmenite-series granite classification. Copyright ?? Mineralogical Society of America.

[Influence of surface roughness on degree of polarization of biotite plagioclase gneiss varying with viewing angle].

PubMed

Xiang, Yun; Yan, Lei; Zhao, Yun-sheng; Gou, Zhi-yang; Chen, Wei

2011-12-01

Polarized reflectance is influenced by such factors as its physical and chemical properties, the viewing geometry composed of light incident zenith, viewing zenith and viewing azimuth relative to light incidence, surface roughness and texture, surface density, detection wavelengths, polarization phase angle and so on. In the present paper, the influence of surface roughness on the degree of polarization (DOP) of biotite plagioclase gneiss varying with viewing angle was inquired and analyzed quantitatively. The polarized spectra were measured by ASD FS3 spectrometer on the goniometer located in Northeast Normal University. When the incident zenith angle was fixed at 50 degrees, it was showed that on the rock surfaces with different roughness, in the specular reflection direction, the DOP spectrum within 350-2500 nm increased to the highest value first, and then began to decline varying with viewing zenith angle from 0 degree to 80 degrees. The characterized band (520 +/- 10) nm was picked out for further analysis. The correlation analysis between the peak DOP value of zenith and surface roughness showed that they are in a power function relationship, with the regression equation: y = 0.604x(-0.297), R2 = 0.985 4. The correlation model of the angle where the peak is in and the surface roughness is y = 3.4194x + 51.584, y < 90 degrees , R2 = 0.8177. With the detecting azimuth farther away from 180 degrees azimuth where the maximum DOP exists, the DOP lowers gradually and tends to 0. In the detection azimuth 180 dgrees , the correlation analysis between the peak values of DOP on the (520 =/- 10) nm band for five rocks and their surface roughness indicates a power function, with the regression equation being y = 0.5822x(-0.333), R2 = 0.9843. F tests of the above regression models indicate that the peak value and its corresponding viewing angle correlate much with surface roughness. The study provides a theoretical base for polarization remote sensing, and impels the rock and city architecture discrimination and minerals mapping.

Mid-Cretaceous oblique rifting of West Antarctica: Emplacement and rapid cooling of the Fosdick Mountains migmatite-cored gneiss dome

USGS Publications Warehouse

McFadden, Rory; Teyssier, Christian; Siddoway, Christine; Cosca, Michael A.; Fanning, C. Mark

2015-01-01

In Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica, the Fosdick Mountains migmatite-cored gneiss dome was exhumed from mid- to lower middle crustal depths during the incipient stage of the West Antarctic Rift system in the mid-Cretaceous. Prior to and during exhumation, major crustal melting and deformation included transfer and emplacement of voluminous granitic material and numerous intrusions of mantle-derived diorite in dikes. A succession of melt- and magma-related structures formed at temperatures in excess of 665 ± 50 °C based on Ti-in-zircon thermometry. These record a transition from wrench to oblique extensional deformation that culminated in the development of the oblique South Fosdick Detachment zone. Solid-state fabrics within the detachment zone and overprinting brittle structures record translation of the detachment zone and dome to shallow levels.To determine the duration of exhumation and cooling, we sampled granite and gneisses at high spatial resolution for U–Pb zircon geochronology and 40Ar/39Ar hornblende and biotite thermochronology. U–Pb zircon crystallization ages for the youngest granites are 102 Ma. Three hornblende ages are 103 to 100 Ma and 12 biotite ages are 101 to 99 Ma. All overlap within uncertainty. The coincidence of zircon crystallization ages with 40Ar/39Ar cooling ages indicates cooling rates > 100 °C/m.y. that, when considered together with overprinting structures, indicates rapid exhumation of granite and migmatite from deep to shallow crustal levels within a transcurrent setting. Orientations of structures and age-constrained crosscutting relationships indicate counterclockwise rotation of stretching axes from oblique extension into nearly orthogonal extension with respect to the Marie Byrd Land margin. The rotation may be a result of localized extension arising from unroofing and arching of the Fosdick dome, extensional opening within a pull-apart zone, or changes in plate boundary configuration.The rapid tectonic and temperature evolution of the Fosdick Mountains dome lends support to recently developed numerical models of crustal flow and cooling in orogenic crust undergoing extension/transtension, and accords with numerous studies of migmatite-cored gneiss domes in transcurrent settings.

Peculiar Feldspar And Quartz Inclusions Within Zircons From Anorthosites, North Eastern Desert, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eliwa, H. A.; Dawoud, M. I.; Khalaf, I. M.; Negendank, J. F.; Itaya, T.

2004-12-01

Zircons from three anorthosite outcrops along Wadi Dib area, north Eastern Desert of Egypt contain abundant and conspicuous inclusions of quartz, feldspar, amphibole and apatite. These anorthosites, as (50-100m thick) layers, represent the top of mafic-ultramafic intrusions exhibiting rhythmic layering visible by reputation of melanocratic and leucocratic layers. Field and microscopic studies exhibit that these anorthosites were affected by the action of residual magmatic solutions associated with the late stage crystallization of the younger granites, which modified their mineralogical composition. They are composed totally of plagioclase with subordinate amount of clinoenstatite, augite, amphibole, biotite, K-feldspar, and quartz. Accessories are magnetite, ilmenite, apatite and zircon. The abundance and the mode of occurrence of K-feldspar, quartz, and biotite with apatite and zircon among the megacrysts suggest their formation is ascribed to the interaction with the residual solutions. The microprobe data exhibit difference between feldspar and amphiboles contained herein zircons and those as anorthosite mineral constituents. The genetic relationship between zircons and their inclusions suggests later growth of zircons than inclusions and most probably at the final stage of rock modification. Zircons are magmatic and found in the interstitial feldspar and quartz among plagioclase megacrysts in aggregates or as individual grains. The microscopic and SEM images investigation exhibit that most zircons are subhedral to euhedral equant and prismatic crystals. Most zircons have same range of crystal morphologies and internal growth structures with predominance of prism /{100/} and pyramid /{101/} and occasionally prism /{110/} and pyramid /{111/}. No evidences for poly-faceted grains, inherited cores or later overgrowths were detected. CL images distinguished zircons with visible core-rim structures and others with regular and continuous growth zones contained herein various inclusions. The dark CL cores in the core-rim structured zircons are higher in U, Y and sometimes Hf relative to the CL bright rims. Microprobe data and x-ray chemical mapping of various zoned zircons suggest that U and Y with sometimes Hf have a negative correlation to the CL brightness, while Th doesn't exhibit any significant correlation.

Pre-Alpine contrasting tectono-metamorphic evolutions within the Southern Steep Belt, Central Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roda, Manuel; Zucali, Michele; Li, Zheng-Xiang; Spalla, Maria Iole; Yao, Weihua

2018-06-01

In the Southern Steep Belt, Italian Central Alps, relicts of the pre-Alpine continental crust are preserved. Between Valtellina and Val Camonica, a poly-metamorphic rock association occurs, which belongs to the Austroalpine units and includes two classically subdivided units: the Languard-Campo nappe (LCN) and the Tonale Series (TS). The outcropping rocks are low to medium grade muscovite, biotite and minor staurolite-bearing gneisses and micaschists, which include interlayered garnet- and biotite-bearing amphibolites, marbles, quartzites and pegmatites, as well as sillimanite-bearing gneisses and micaschists. Permian intrusives (granitoids, diorites and minor gabbros) emplaced in the metamorphic rocks. We performed a detailed structural, petrological and geochronological analysis focusing on the two main lithotypes, namely, staurolite-bearing micaschists and sillimanite-bearing paragneisses, to reconstruct the Variscan and Permian-Triassic history of this crustal section. The reconstruction of the tectono-metamorphic evolution allows for the distinction between two different tectono-metamorphic units during the early pre-Alpine evolution (D1) and predates the Permian intrusives, which comprise rocks from both TS and LCN. In the staurolite-bearing micaschists, D1 developed under amphibolite facies conditions (P = 0.7-1.1 GPa, T = 580-660 °C), while in the sillimanite-bearing paragneisses formed under granulite facies conditions (P = 0.6-1.0 GPa, T> 780 °C). The two tectono-metamorphic units coupled together during the second pre-Alpine stage (D2) under granulite-amphibolite facies conditions at a lower pressure (P = 0.4-0.6 GPa, T = 620-750 °C) forming a single tectono-metamorphic unit (Languard-Tonale Tectono-Metamorphic Unit), which comprised the previously distinguished LCN and TS. Geochronological analyses on zircon rims indicate ages ranging between 250 and 275 Ma for D2, contemporaneous with the emplacement of Permian intrusives. This event developed under a high thermal state, which is compatible with an extensional tectonic setting that occurred during the exhumation of the Languard-Tonale Tectono-Metamorphic Unit. The extensional regime is interpreted as being responsible for the thinning of the Adriatic continental lithosphere during the Permian, which may be related to an early rifting phase of Pangea.

Argon behaviour in an inverted Barrovian sequence, Sikkim Himalaya: The consequences of temperature and timescale on 40Ar/39Ar mica geochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mottram, Catherine M.; Warren, Clare J.; Halton, Alison M.; Kelley, Simon P.; Harris, Nigel B. W.

2015-12-01

40Ar/39Ar dating of metamorphic rocks sometimes yields complicated datasets which are difficult to interpret in terms of timescales of the metamorphic cycle. Single-grain fusion and step-heating data were obtained for rocks sampled through a major thrust-sense shear zone (the Main Central Thrust) and the associated inverted metamorphic zone in the Sikkim region of the eastern Himalaya. This transect provides a natural laboratory to explore factors influencing apparent 40Ar/39Ar ages in similar lithologies at a variety of metamorphic pressure and temperature (P-T) conditions. The 40Ar/39Ar dataset records progressively younger apparent age populations and a decrease in within-sample dispersion with increasing temperature through the sequence. The white mica populations span 2-9 Ma within each sample in the structurally lower levels (garnet grade) but only 0-3 Ma at structurally higher levels (kyanite-sillimanite grade). Mean white mica single-grain fusion population ages vary from 16.2 ± 3.9 Ma (2σ) to 13.2 ± 1.3 Ma (2σ) from lowest to highest levels. White mica step-heating data from the same samples yields plateau ages from 14.27 ± 0.13 Ma to 12.96 ± 0.05 Ma. Biotite yield older apparent age populations with mean single-grain fusion dates varying from 74.7 ± 11.8 Ma (2σ) at the lowest structural levels to 18.6 ± 4.7 Ma (2σ) at the highest structural levels; the step-heating plateaux are commonly disturbed. Temperatures > 600 °C at pressures of 0.4-0.8 GPa sustained over > 5 Ma, appear to be required for white mica and biotite ages to be consistent with diffusive, open-system cooling. At lower temperatures, and/or over shorter metamorphic timescales, more 40Ar is retained than results from simple diffusion models suggest. Diffusion modelling of Ar in white mica from the highest structural levels suggests that the high-temperature rocks cooled at a rate of 50-80 °C Ma- 1, consistent with rapid thrusting, extrusion and exhumation along the Main Central Thrust during the mid-Miocene.

Development of a Laser Probe for Argon Isotope Studies.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McConville, Paul

Available from UMI in association with The British Library. The first objective of this study was to develop a laser outgassing facility for argon isotope studies. Apart from the laser and construction of the laser sample port, existing vacuum and mass spectrometer systems were used. Laser performance and optimum operating conditions were investigated. The second objective was test and evaluate the laser extraction technique by studies of simple geological samples. Previous laser ^{40} Ar-^{39}Ar dating studies by other workers had not systematically established the basis or characteristics of the method. Results from laser and complementary stepped heating studies of the ^{40}Ar-^ {39}Ar dating standard hornblende, hb3gr; a phlogopite sample from the Palabora (Phalaborwa) Complex; and biotites in a thin section of the Hamlet Bjerg granite from East Greenland, verified that: (1) Laser extraction reproduced within experimental error the stepped heating ^{40}Ar-^ {39}Ar and K-Ar ages of simple samples. (2) The precision of the technique i.e. the amount of sample required to give reliable ages, was limited in the present experiments largely by the level of the blanks and backgrounds to 10-100 ug samples. (3) Sample outgassing appeared to be limited to the order of 10 um outside the physical size of the laser pit, consistent with other estimates of the spatial definition in the literature. This could be understood by thermal diffusion and the length of the laser pulse. (4) The efficiency of the laser pulse in melting and outgassing mineral samples was shown to be dependent on silicate latent heats and mineral absorption at the laser wavelength. In addition, the ^{40} Ar-^{39}Ar age of the geologically significant Palabora Complex was determined as (2053 +/- 5) Ma. Excess argon led to a discrepancy between the laser and stepped heating ages of biotite and muscovite, (405 +/- 5) Ma, and laser ages of feldspars (510 +/- 20) Ma in the Hamlet Bjerg granite. This illustrated one advantage of in situ laser age determinations on mineral grains in thin section. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

Microstructure and seismic anisotropy of phyllite from Geumseongri Formation and Munjuri Formation in Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, S.; Jung, H.

2016-12-01

Mica is a mineral group that shows the strongest seismic anisotropy among the minerals comprising continental crust of the Earth. It is also noteworthy that alignment of mica can strongly affect magnitude and symmetry of seismic anisotropy if a seismic wave passes through a rock composed of mica more than 20-40%. Thus, it is highly necessary to analyze mica-rich rocks to investigate the origin of seismic anisotropy observed in continental crust. In this study, muscovite-quartz phyllites from Geumseongri and Munjuri Formation in Korea were analyzed using Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD) to measure lattice preferred orientation (LPO) of minerals. The samples are mainly composed of muscovite, quartz, albite, chlorite, and biotite with minor calcite and rutile. The EBSD analysis showed that the muscovite [001] axis was strongly aligned normal to the foliation while both [100] and [010] axes were dispersed parallel to the foliation. Chlorite and biotite also exhibited similar LPO except for the chlorite [001] axis in the sample 2619, dispersed normal to the lineation. LPOs of quartz were weak in most samples. The albite (010) pole in the sample 2363M and (001) pole in the sample 2364Q were aligned normal to the foliation. Seismic anisotropy was calculated based on the LPO and modal composition of the specimens. The anisotropy of P-wave (Vp) for quartz was in the range of 4.3 - 9.3% and 3.3 - 6.7% for albite. The maximum shear wave anisotropy (AVs) was in the range of 5.3 - 11.2% for quartz and 3.9 - 5.4% for albite. The Vp anisotropy and maximum AVs anisotropy of mica were in the range of 19.3 - 53.4% and 11.6 - 62.9%, respectively, which are much larger than those of other minerals. As a result, The Vp and maximum AVs anisotropy for whole rock were in the range of 11.8 - 44% and 11.6 - 51.8%, respectively. These results show that modal composition and alignment of mica mainly control the magnitude and symmetry of seismic anisotropy.

The magmatism and metamorphism at the Malayer area, Western Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahadnejad, V.; Valizadeh, M. V.; Esmaeily, D.

2009-04-01

The Malayer area is located in the NW-SE aligned Sanandaj-Sirjan metamorphic belt, western Iran and consists mainly of Mesozoic schists so-called Hamadan Phyllites, Jurassic to Tertiary intrusive rocks and related contact metamorphic aureoles, aplites and pegmatites. The Sanandj-Sirjan Zone is produced by oblique collisional event between Arabian plate and Central Iran microcontinent. Highest level of regional metamorphism in the area is greenschist facies and injection of felsic magmas is caused contact metamorphism. Magmatism is consist of a general northwest trend large felsic to intermediate intrusive bodies. The main trend of structural features i.e. faults, fractures and other structural features is NW-SE. The Malayer granitoid complex is ellipsoid in shape and has NW-SE foliation especially at the corners of the intrusions. Petrography of the magmatic rocks revealed recrystallization of quartz and feldspars, bending of biotite, and aligment of minerals paralle to the main trend of magmatic and metamorphic country rocks. These indicated that intrusion of felsic magma is coincide to the regional metamorphism and is syn-tectoinc. Non-extensive contact metamorphism aureoles and rareness of pegmatite and aplite in the area are interpreted as injection of felsic magmas into the high-strain metamorphic zone. The regional metamorphic rocks mainly consist of meta-sandstone, slate, phyllite, schist. These gray to dark metasedimentary rocks are consist of quartz, muscovite, turmaline, epidote, biotite and chlorite. Sheeted minerals form extended schistosity and study of porphyroblast-matrix relationships shows that injection of granitic magma into the country rocks is syn to post-tectonic. Syn-tectonic indicating porphyroblast growth synchronous with the development of the external fabric. The thermal contact area of the granite can be observed in the contact margin of granite and regional metamorphic rocks, where it produced hornfelses, andalusit-garnet schists and local feldspatisation. Hornfels has surrounded the Malayer intrusive body in its southern, eastern and to some extent northeastern parts. It shows a rather sharp contact with the granodiorite. According to field and microscopic investigations, an original clay-sandstone has been converted into hornfels due to contact metamorphism. Some small highly altered granitic patches are seen in the hornfels unit, especially close to its contact with the Malayer intrusive body.

Generation of trondhjemite from partial melting of dacite under granulite facies conditions: an example from the New Jersey Highlands, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Puffer, J.H.; Volkert, R.A.

1991-01-01

New field and geochemical data place the Losee Metamorphic Suite (a tonalite/trondhjemite complex) of northern New Jersey into the context of a major Proterozoic continental are represented by a discontinuous belt of northern Appalachian metadacite. Samples of Losee rock range from extremely leucocratic trondhjemite locally associated with amphibolite, to banded biotite, hornblende, pyroxene, and garnet-bearing tonalites. The major element and REE composition of the tonalite closely resembles dacite from continental are settings and model melts extracted from an eclogite residue by partial melting at 15 kbar. The REE composition of most Losee trondhjemite is enriched in REE, particularly HREE, compared with Losee tonalite, and is interpreted as the product of local anatectic melting of Losee tonalite (metadacite) that occurred in a granulite facies environment during the Grenville orogeny. ?? 1991.

Sur l'origine par altération du substratum schisteux de la minéralisation chlorurée des eaux d'une nappe côtière sous climat semi-aride (Chtouka-Massa, Maroc)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krimissa, Samira; Michelot, Jean-Luc; Bouchaou, Lhoussaine; Mudry, Jacques; Hsissou, Youssef

2004-11-01

The origin of chloride ions in groundwater from the Chtouka-Massa plain (Morocco) was studied by using chemical and isotopic analyses of water, and petrographic and chemical analyses of rocks. It appears that the schist formation, which forms the basement of the studied aquifer, is the main source of the high Cl - concentrations in groundwater. In these schists, chloride is, for a part, probably contained in biotites, and is released into groundwater through the weathering of these minerals. However, the exceptionally high chloride contents of these schists are difficult to explain if one does not assume that they also contain evaporitic-type minerals. To cite this article: S. Krimissa et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).

K-Ar chronology of the Luohe iron district, Anhui Province, China

USGS Publications Warehouse

McKee, E.H.

1988-01-01

Twelve samples of rock from the four mapped units or cycles and one of the major intrusive bodies were collected and evaluated for K-Ar age determination. These include specimens from outcrop and from drill core. Biotite from two outcrop and two core samples and hornblende from one outcrop sample were separated from the sample and dated; a sixth sample was dated using crushed, sieved, and acid-treated whole rock. The ages and analytical data to support them are compatible with the observed relationships in the field or from the drill holes. The percent of K2O in all samples is typical of fresh unaltered mineral phases and the percent of radiogenetic 40Ar relative to total 40Ar is high (88.8 to 63.8%) yielding relatively low analytical errors. -from Authors

The Laramide Mesa formation and the Ojo de Agua caldera, southeast of the Cananea copper mining district, Sonora, Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cox, Dennis P.; Miller, Robert J.; Woodbourne, Keith L.

2006-01-01

The Mesa Formation extends from Cananea, Mexico, southeast to the Sonora River and is the main host rock of Laramide porphyry copper deposits in the Cananea District and at the Alacran porphyry prospect to the east. The Mesa consists of two members-a lower andesite and an upper dacite. The lowest part of the dacite member is a crystal tuff about 100 m thick. This tuff is the outfall of a caldera centered near the village of Ojo de Agua, dated by 40Ar/39Ar at 65.8 Ma ?0.4. The Ojo de Agua Caldera is about 9 km in diameter and is filled by a light gray biotite dacite tuff with abundant flattened pumice fragments. The volume of the caldera is estimated to be 24 km3.

Influence of microscale heterogeneity and microstructure on the tensile behavior of crystalline rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahabadi, O. K.; Tatone, B. S. A.; Grasselli, G.

2014-07-01

This study investigates the influence of microscale heterogeneity and microcracks on the failure behavior and mechanical response of a crystalline rock. The thin section analysis for obtaining the microcrack density is presented. Using micro X-ray computed tomography (μCT) scanning of failed laboratory specimens, the influence of heterogeneity and, in particular, biotite grains on the brittle fracture of the specimens is discussed and various failure patterns are characterized. Three groups of numerical simulations are presented, which demonstrate the role of microcracks and the influence of μCT-based and stochastically generated phase distributions. The mechanical response, stress distribution, and fracturing process obtained by the numerical simulations are also discussed. The simulation results illustrate that heterogeneity and microcracks should be considered to accurately predict the tensile strength and failure behavior of the sample.

Ages and sources of components of Zn-Pb, Cu, precious metal, and platinum group element deposits in the goodsprings district, Clark County, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vikre, Peter G.; Browne, Quentin J.; Fleck, Robert J.; Hofstra, Albert H.; Wooden, Joseph L.

2011-01-01

The Goodsprings district, Clark County, Nevada, includes zinc-dominant carbonate replacement deposits of probable late Paleozoic age, and lead-dominant carbonate replacement deposits, copper ± precious metal-platinum group element (PGE) deposits, and gold ± silver deposits that are spatially associated with Late Triassic porphyritic intrusions. The district encompasses ~500 km2 although the distribution of all deposits has been laterally condensed by late Mesozoic crustal contraction. Zinc, Pb, and Cu production from about 90 deposits was ~160,000 metric tons (t) (Zn > Pb >> Cu), 2.1 million ounces (Moz) Ag, 0.09 Moz Au, and small amounts of PGEs—Co, V, Hg, Sb, Ni, Mo, Mn, Ir, and U—were also recovered.Zinc-dominant carbonate replacement deposits (Zn > Pb; Ag ± Cu) resemble Mississippi Valley Type (MVT) Zn-Pb deposits in that they occur in karst and fault breccias in Mississippian limestone where the southern margin of the regional late Paleozoic foreland basin adjoins Proterozoic crystalline rocks of the craton. They consist of calcite, dolomite, sphalerite, and galena with variably positive S isotope compositions (δ34S values range from 2.5–13‰), and highly radiogenic Pb isotope compositions (206Pb/204Pb >19), typical of MVT deposits above crystalline Precambrian basement. These deposits may have formed when southward flow of saline fluids, derived from basinal and older sedimentary rocks, encountered thinner strata and pinch-outs against the craton, forcing fluid mixing and mineral precipitation in karst and fault breccias. Lead-dominant carbonate replacement deposits (Pb > Zn, Ag ± Cu ± Au) occur among other deposit types, often near porphyritic intrusions. They generally contain higher concentrations of precious metals than zinc-dominant deposits and relatively abundant iron oxides after pyrite. They share characteristics with copper ± precious metal-PGE and gold ± silver deposits including fine-grained quartz replacement of carbonate minerals in ore breccias and relatively low S and Pb isotope values (δ34S values vary from 0–~4‰; 206Pb/204Pb <18.5). Copper ± precious metal-PGE deposits (Cu, Co, Ag, Au, Pd, and Pt) consist of Cu carbonate minerals (after chalcocite and chalcopyrite) and fine-grained quartz that have replaced breccia clasts and margins of fissures in Paleozoic limestones and dolomites near porphyritic intrusions. Gold ± silver deposits occur along contacts and within small-volume stocks and dikes of feldspar porphyry, one textural variety of porphyritic intrusions. Lead isotope compositions of copper ± precious metal-PGE, gold ± silver, and lead-dominant carbonate replacement deposits are similar to those of Mojave crust plutons, indicating derivation of Pb from 1.7 Ga crystalline basement or from Late Proterozoic siliciclastic sedimentary rocks derived from 1.7 Ga crystalline basement.Four texturally and modally distinctive porphyritic intrusions are exposed largely in the central part of the district: feldspar quartz porphyry, plagioclase quartz porphyry, feldspar biotite quartz porphyry, and feldspar porphyry. Intrusions consist of 64 to 70 percent SiO2 and variable K2O/Na2O (0.14–5.33) that reflect proportions of K-feldspar and albite phenocrysts and megacrysts as well as partial alteration to K-mica; quartz and biotite phenocrysts are present in several subtypes. Albite may have formed during emplacement of magma in brine-saturated basinal strata, whereas hydrothermal alteration of matrix, phenocrystic, and megacrystic feldspar and biotite to K-mica, pyrite, and other hydrothermal minerals occurred during and after intrusion emplacement. Small volumes of garnet-diopside-quartz and retrograde epidote-mica-amphibole skarn have replaced carbonate rocks adjacent to one intrusion subtype (feldspar-quartz porphyry), but alteration of carbonate rocks at intrusion contacts elsewhere is inconspicuous.Uranium-lead ages of igneous zircons vary inconsistently from ~ 180 to 230 Ma and are too imprecise to distinguish age differences among intrusion subtypes; most ages are 210 to 225 Ma, yielding a mean of 217 ± 1 Ma. K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar ages of magmatic (plagioclase, biotite) and hydrothermal (K-mica) minerals span a similar range (183–227 Ma), demonstrating broadly contemporaneous intrusion emplacement and hydrothermal alteration but allowing for multiple Late Triassic magmatic-hydrothermal events. Imprecision and range of isotopic ages may have resulted from burial beneath Mesozoic and Tertiary strata and multiple intrusion of magmas, causing thermal disturbance to Ar systems and Pb loss from zircons in intrusions.Separate late Paleozoic (zinc-dominant carbonate replacement deposits) and Late Triassic (all other deposits) mineralizing events are supported by form, distribution, and host rocks of metal deposits, by hydrothermal mineral assemblages, isotope compositions, metal abundances, and metal diversity, and by small intrusion volumes. These characteristics collectively distinguish the Goodsprings district from larger intrusion related carbonate replacement districts in the western United States. They can be used to evaluate proximity to unexposed porphyritic intrusions associated with PGE and gold ± silver mineralization.

Influence of microwaves on the leaching kinetics of uraninite from a low grade ore in dilute sulfuric acid.

PubMed

Madakkaruppan, V; Pius, Anitha; T, Sreenivas; Giri, Nitai; Sarbajna, Chanchal

2016-08-05

This paper describes a study on microwave assisted leaching of uranium from a low-grade ore of Indian origin. The host rock for uranium mineralization is chlorite-biotite-muscovite-quartzo-feldspathic schist. The dominant presence of siliceous minerals determined leaching of uranium values in sulfuric acid medium under oxidizing conditions. Process parametric studies like the effect of sulfuric acid concentration (0.12-0.50M), redox potential (400-500mV), particle size (600-300μm) and temperature (35°-95°C) indicated that microwave assisted leaching is more efficient in terms of overall uranium dissolution, kinetics and provide relatively less impurities (Si, Al, Mg and Fe) in the leach liquor compared to conventional conductive leaching. The kinetics of leaching followed shrinking core model with product layer diffusion as controlling mechanism. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessment of groundwater potential based on aquifer properties of hard rock terrain in the Chittar-Uppodai watershed, Tamil Nadu, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, T. Jeyavel Raja; Balasubramanian, A.; Kumar, R. S.; Dushiyanthan, C.; Thiruneelakandan, B.; Suresh, R.; Karthikeyan, K.; Davidraju, D.

2016-06-01

Aquifer performance was tested in 24 locations to assess the groundwater potential of the hard rock terrain in the Chittar-Uppodai watershed of the Tambaraparani River basin. Geologically, the area consists of biotite gneiss, charnockite, and quartzite. The aquifer characteristics, such as transmissivity ( T), the storage coefficient, specific capacity, optimum yield, and the recovery rate were calculated. The drawdown transmissivity was determined using Jacob's straight-line method, while the recovery transmissivity was determined by the Theis method. The drawdown transmissivity was low in the western areas, particularly at Kadayanallur, and was higher in the other areas. The recovery transmissivity was high in the western area, and, with the exception of Gangaikondan, was low at other locations. The assessment indicates that there is groundwater potential in the western part of the study area because of favorable results for recovery drawdown, aquifer thickness, and specific capacity.

Zircon-quartz-calcite segregations in carbonate-alkaline metasomatic rocks of the western Baikal region and their petrogenetic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savelyeva, V. B.; Bazarova, E. P.; Sharygin, V. V.; Karmanov, N. S.

2015-12-01

Fine-grained segregations up to 5 mm in size composed of graphic intergrowths of zircon, quartz, calcite and containing up to 0.8 wt % SrO have been found in albite-riebeckite and dolomite-biotite metasomatic rocks formed after alaskite granite. They contain magnetite, titanomagnetite (25.4 wt % TiO2), cerite-(Ce,Nd), rutile (up to 1.2 wt % Nb2O5), as well as rare micrograins of monazite-(Ce), bastnaesite-(Ce), and barite (up to 5.7 wt % SrO). The fine-grained structure of mineral aggregates suggests a metacolloidal nature. It is assumed that the zircon-quartz-calcite assemblage was formed due to exchange decomposition reaction between the salt phase of hydrothermal solution with predominant Na2CO3, elevated Zr and, to a lesser extent, Fe, Ti, LREE, Nb contents and dissolved calcium and silica compounds of a Na2SiO3 type.

Metamorphism, argon depletion, heat flow and stress on the Alpine fault

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scholz, C. H.; Beavan, J.; Hanks, T. C.

1978-01-01

The Alpine fault of New Zealand is a major continental transform fault which was uplifted on its southeast side 4 to 11 km within the last 5 m.y. This uplift has exposed the Haast schists, which were metamorphosed from the adjacent Torlesse graywackes. The Haast schists increase in metamorphic grade from prehnite-pumpellyite facies 9-12 km from the fault through the chlorite and biotite zones of the greenschist facies to the garnet-oligoclase zone amphibolite facies within 4 km of the fault. These metamorphic zone boundaries are subparallel to the fault for 350 km along the strike. The K-Ar and Rb-Sr ages of the schists increase with distance from the fault: from 4 m.y. within 3 km of the fault to approximately 110 m.y. 20 km from the fault. Field relations show that the source of heat that produced the argon depletion aureole was the fault itself.

Early Proterozoic activity on Archean faults in the western Superior province - evidence from pseudotachylite

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peterman, Z.E.; Day, W.

1989-01-01

Major transcurrent faults in the Superior province developed in the Late Archean at the close of the Kenoran orogeny. Reactivation of some of these faults late in the Early Proterozoic is indicated by Rb-Sr analyses of pseudotachylite from the Rainy Lake-Seine River and Quetico faults in the Rainy Lake region of Minnesota and Ontario. Fault veins of pseudotachylite and immediately adjacent country rock at two localities yielded subparallel isochrons that are pooled for an age of 1947??23 Ma. K-Ar and Rb-Sr biotite ages register earlier regional cooling of the terrane at about 2500 Ma with no evidence of younger thermal overprinting at temperatures exceeding 300??C. Accordingly, the 1947??23 Ma age is interpreted as dating the formation of the pseudotachylite. Reactivation of existing faults at this time was caused by stresses transmitted from margins of the Superior province where compressional tectonic events were occurring. -Authors

In situ differentiation and evolution of potassic syenites from Svidnya, Bulgaria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dyulgerov, Momchil; Platevoet, Bernard

2013-12-01

Potassic syenites from Svidnya, Bulgaria crop out as small isolated bodies as the primary for this intrusion liquid has basic to intermediate composition. The evolution in a closed magma chamber created plutonic rocks ranging from basic (melasyenite) to acid (granite) and from metaluminous to peralkaline. The most mafic varieties show cumulative textures typical for orthocumulates with cumulus phases clinopyroxene, biotite, apatite and potassium feldspar as gravitational settling is a viable process for separation of particles in the bottom parts of magma chamber. In the middle stratigraphic level of biggest body modal igneous layering with development of dark (clinopyroxene + amphibole) and light (potassium feldspar) laminas was observed. Oscillatory crystallization around eutectic point resulted in cyclic separation of mafic and felsic phases in repetitive layers. Fractionation of Ca- and Al-rich phases—clinopyroxene, biotie and potassium feldspar created peralkaline residual liquid strongly enriched in HFS elements.

Effect of Bacillus subtilis on Granite Weathering: A Laboratory Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, W.; Ogawa, N.; Oguchi, C. T.; Hatta, T.; Matsukura, Y.

2006-12-01

We performed a comparative experiment to investigate how the ubiquitous soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis weathers granite and which granite-forming minerals weather more rapidly via biological processes. Batch type experiments (granite specimen in a 500 ml solution including NaCl, glucose, yeast extract and bacteria Bacillus subtilis at 27°E C) were carried out for 30 days. Granite surfaces were observed by SEM before and after the experiment. Bacillus subtilis had a strong influence on granite weathering by forming pits. There were 2.4 times as many pits and micropores were 2.3 times wider in granite exposed to Bacillus subtilis when compared with bacteria-free samples. Bacillus subtilis appear to preferentially select an optimum place to adhere to the mineral and dissolve essential elements from the mineral to live. Plagioclase was more vulnerable to bacterial weathering than biotite among the granite composing minerals.

Characterization of mineral phases of agricultural soil samples of Colombian coffee using Mössbauer spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez, Humberto Bustos; Lozano, Dagoberto Oyola; Martínez, Yebrayl Antonio Rojas; Pinilla, Marlene Rivera; Alcázar, German Antonio Pérez

2012-03-01

Soil chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Mössbauer spectrometry (MS) of 57Fe were used to characterize mineral phases of samples taken from the productive layer (horizon A) of agricultural coffee soil from Tolima (Colombia). Chemical analysis shows the chemical and textural parameters of samples from two different regions of Tolima, i.e., Ibagué and Santa Isabel. By XRD phases like illite (I), andesine (A) and quartz (Q) in both samples were identified. The quantity of these phases is different for the two samples. The MS spectra taken at room temperature were adjusted by using five doublets, three of them associated to Fe + 3 type sites and the other two to Fe + 2 type sites. According to their isomer shift and quadrupole splitting the presence of phases like illite (detected by DRX), nontronite and biotite (not detected by XRD) can be postulated.

40Ar/39Ar Data for White Mica, Biotite, and K-Feldspar Samples from Low-Grade Metamorphic Rocks in the Westminster Terrane and Adjacent Rocks, Maryland

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kunk, Michael J.; McAleer, Ryan J.

2008-01-01

This report contains reduced 40Ar/39Ar data of white mica and K-feldspar mineral separates and matrix of a whole rock phyllite, all from low-grade metamorphic rocks of the Westminster terrane and adjacent strata in central Maryland. This report presents these data in a preliminary form, but in more detail than can be accommodated in todays professional journals. Also included in this report is information on the location of the samples and a brief description of the samples. The data contained herein are not interpreted in a geological context, and care should be taken by readers unfamiliar with argon isotopic data in the use of these results; many of the individual apparent ages are not geologically meaningful. This report is primarily a detailed source document for subsequent publications that will integrate these data into a geological context.

A reconnaissance 40Ar/39Ar geochronologic study of ore-bearing and related rocks, Siberian Russia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dalrymple, G.B.; Czamanske, G.K.; Fedorenko, V.A.; Simonov, O.N.; Lanphere, M.A.; Likhachev, A.P.

1995-01-01

40Ar/39Ar age spectra of biotite from a mineralized vein in the ore-bearing, Noril'sk I intrusion and from picritic-like gabbrodolerite from the weakly mineralized, Lower Talnakh intrusion show that these bodies were emplaced at 249 ?? 2 Ma, which is not significantly different from the age of the Permian-Triassic boundary. The ore-bearing intrusions postdate the lower third of the flood-basalt sequence in the Noril'sk area and, on the basis of geochemistry, can best be correlated with lavas slightly younger than those which they cut. Thus, flood basalt was erupted at the time of the Permian-Triassic mass extinction event, although its role in this event is, as yet, ill defined. Additional new 40Ar/39Ar age data for a group of intrusive and extrusive rocks on the western margin of the Siberian craton are discussed. -from Authors

Hydrothermal alteration of a rhyolitic hyaloclastite from Ponza Island, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ylagan, Robert F.; Altaner, Stephen P.; Pozzuoli, Antonio

1996-12-01

A rhyolitic hyaloclastite from Ponza island, Italy, has been hydrothermally altered producing four distinct alteration zones based on XRD and field textures: (1) non-pervasive argillic zone; (2) propylitic zone; (3) silicic zone; and (4) sericitic zone. The unaltered hyaloclastite is a volcanic breccia with clasts of vesiculated obsidian in a matrix of predominantly pumice lapilli. Incomplete alteration of the hyaloclastite resulted in the non pervasive argillic zone, characterized by smectite and disordered opal-CT. Obsidian clasts, some pumice lapilli, and pyrogenic plagioclase and biotite are unaltered. Smectite has an irregular flakey morphology, although euhedral particles are occasionally observed. The propylitic zone is characterized by mixed-layer illite/smectite (I/S) with 10 to 85% illite (I), mordenite, opal-C and authigenic K-feldspar (akspar). The matrix of the hyaloclastite is completely altered and obsidian clasts are silicified; however, plagioclase and biotite phenocrysts remain unaltered. Flakey I/S replaces pumice, and mordenite, akspar and silica line and fill pores. I/S particles are composed predominantly of subequant plates and euhedral laths. The silicic zone is characterized by highly illitic I/S with ≥ 90% I, quartz, akspar and occasional albite. In this zone the matrix and clasts are completely altered, and pyrogenic plagioclase shows significant alteration. Illitic I/S has a euhedral lath-like morphology. In the sericitic zone the hyaloclastite altered primarily to illitic I/S with ≥ 66% I, quartz, and minor akspar and pyrite. Clay minerals completely replace pyrogenic feldspars and little evidence remains of the original hyaloclastite texture. Unlike other zones, illitic I/S is fibrous and pure illite samples are composed of euhedral laths and hexagonal plates. The temperatures of hydrothermal alteration likely ranged from 30 to 90 °C for the argillic zone, from 110 to 160 °C for the propylitic zone, from 160 to 270 °C for the silicic zone, and were possibly as high as 300 °C for the sericitic zone. The four zones occur as linear bands that increase in intensity north of the bentonite mine at Cala dell'Acqua. The alteration zones have two orientations and may be structurally controlled by E-W- and NE-SW-trending faulting which is consistent with the dominant structural trends of the Pontine archipelago. Finally, hydrothermal alteration most likely involved seawater based on the geologic evolution of Ponza.

Trans-Amazonian U-Th-Pb monazite ages and P-T-d exhumation paths of garnet-bearing leucogranite and migmatitic country rock of the southeastern Tandilia belt, Rio de la Plata craton in Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martínez, Juan Cruz; Massonne, Hans-Joachim; Frisicale, María Cristina; Dristas, Jorge A.

2017-03-01

A garnet-bearing leucogranite and two country rocks from the Transamazonian Tandilia belt of the Rio de la Plata craton were studied in detail. The leucogranite contains garnet with homogeneous composition of pyr6(gros + andr)2spes5alm87. In a garnet-biotite migmatite, the core and rim compositions of garnet are pyr1.7(gros + andr)5spes5.6alm87.7 and pyr1.2(gros + andr)5.5spes6.7alm86.6, respectively. These compositions in a sillimanite-garnet-muscovite migmatite are pyr4(gros + andr)2.7spes2.7alm90.6 and pyr2.7(gros + andr)4spes3.2alm90.1, respectively. We used this information to decipher the P-T evolution of the rocks applying P-T and T-H2O pseudosections with the PERPLE_X computer software package taking into consideration deformational microstructures. The leucogranite records an isothermal decompression from 5.3 to 3.8 kbar at 665 °C. The garnet-biotite migmatite was exhumed from 5.5 kbar at 630 °C to 4.3 kbar at 615 °C and the sillimanite-garnet-muscovite migmatite from supersolidus conditions of 670 °C and 3.6 kbar to 625 °C at 2.4 kbar. Late andalusite formed in this rock. Seventy four analyses of 28 monazite grains of the country rocks yielded three groups of U-Th-Pb ages which were related to a collisional event (I: ca. 2.13-2.14 Ga.), a postcollisional thermal overprint (II: ca. 2.01 Ga) and slow cooling of the orogen (III: 1.80-1.90 Ga). Inherited ages of 2.28 and 2.25 Ga could refer to an early accretionary stage of the orogen. An age of 2.41 Ga indicates the presence of recycled Siderian continental crust. Synkinematic crystallization of melts and the subsolidus development of an S2-foliation, demonstrated by deformational microstructures, occurred during the exhumation of the studied area from depths of 18 km to 8 km in the time interval 2.01-1.90 Ga.

Monazite behaviours during high-temperature metamorphism: a case study from Dinggye region, Tibetan Himalaya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jia-Min; Wu, Fu-Yuan; Rubatto, Daniela; Liu, Shi-Ran; Zhang, Jin-Jiang

2017-04-01

Monazite is a key accessory mineral for metamorphic geochronology, but its growth mechanisms during melt-bearing high-temperature metamorphism is not well understood. Therefore, the petrology, pressure-temperature and timing of metamorphism have been investigated in pelitic and psammitic granulites from the Greater Himalayan Crystalline Complex (GHC) in Dinggye, southern Tibet. These rocks underwent an isothermal decompression process from pressure conditions of >10 kbar to <5 kbar with constant temperatures of 750-830°C, and recorded three metamorphic stages of kyanite-grade (M1), sillimanite-grade (M2) and cordierite-spinel grade (M3). Monazite and zircon crystals were analyzed for ages by microbeam techniques either in mounts or thin sections. Ages were linked to specific conditions of mineral growth by comprehensive studies on zoning patterns, trace element signatures, index mineral inclusions (melt inclusions, sillimanite and K-feldspar) in dated domains and textural correlations with coexisting minerals. The results show that inherited domains (500-400 Ma) are common in monazite even at granulite-facies conditions. Few monazites formed at the M1-stage ( 30-29 Ma) and recorded heterogeneous Th, Y, and HREE compositions, which formed by recrystallization related to muscovite dehydration melting reaction. These monazite grains were protected from dissolution or lateral overprinting mainly by the armour effect of matrix crystals (biotite and quartz). Most monazite grains formed at the M3-stage (21-19 Ma) through either dissolution-reprecipitation or recrystallization that was related to biotite dehydration melting reaction. These monazite grains record HREE and Y signatures in local equilibrium with different reactions involving either garnet breakdown or peritectic garnet growth. Another peak of monazite growth occurs during melt crystallization ( 15 Ma), and these monazites are unzoned and have homogeneous compositions. Our results documented the widespread recrystallization to account for monazite growth during high-temperature metamorphism and related melting reactions that trigger monazite recrystallization. In a regional sense, our P-T-t data along with published data indicate that the pre-M1 eclogite-facies metamorphism occurred at 39-30 Ma in the Dinggye Himalaya. Our results are in favour of a steady exhumation of the GHC rocks since Oligocene that was contributed by partial melting. Key words: U-Th-Pb geochronology, Monazite, Recrystallization, Pelitic granulite, Himalaya

Numerical modeling of the impact of temperature on the behavior of minerals in the Soultz-sous-Forêts enhanced geothermal system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Ngo, Viet; Lucas, Yann; Clément, Alain; Fritz, Bertrand

2015-04-01

Operation of the enhanced geothermal system (EGS) requires to re-inject fluid, after heat exchange at the surface to the energy production, into the geothermal reservoir. This cold re-injected fluid can cause a strong disequilibrium with the fluid and granitic rock within the geothermal reservoir and then implies the possible dissolution/precipitation of minerals. The hydrothermal alterations include the transformation of plagioclase, biotite and K-feldspar and the precipitation of various secondary minerals. The major sealing phases observed in the main fracture zones are quartz, calcite, and clay minerals. These mineralogical transformations may modify the porosity, permeability and fluid pathways of the geothermal reservoir. In the Soultz-sous-Forêts EGS (Alsace, France), the hydraulic connection between the injection well and the production well is quite poor. Therefore, understanding the impact of changes in temperature, which are caused by the re-injected fluid, on the behavior of minerals (especially for the main newly-formed minerals such as quartz, calcite and clay minerals) is a critical preliminary step for the long-term prediction of their evolution. The approach used in the present work is typically based on a geochemical code, called THERMA, which enables to calculate the changes in equilibrium constants of all primary and secondary minerals and aqueous species as a function of temperature. Our model accounted for a wide range of different mineral groups in order to make sure a large freedom for the numerical calculations. The modeling results showed that when the temperature of geothermal reservoir is cooled down, quartz, calcite, illites, galena and pyrite have tendency towards equilibrium state, which indicates that they are precipitated under the geothermal conditions. In contrast, other minerals including plagioclase, K-feldspar and biotite remained unsaturated. These behaviors of minerals were further illustrated by the Khorzinsky stability diagrams, which are based on the activities of different species such as H4SiO4, Ca2+, Mg2+, and Al3+ and take into account partial CO2 pressure,. The modeling results further suggested that we should pay a special attention to the main minerals (e.g., quartz, calcite and illites) when studying the changes in porosity and permeability of the geothermal reservoir. This study was preparing a simulation of water-rock interaction processes related to these temperature conditions.

Records of near-isothermal decompression and clockwise P-T history from the Paleoproterozoic Mahakoshal Belt, Central Indian Tectonic Zone: Constraints from pseudosection modelling and monazite geochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deshmukh, Tanzil; Naraga, Prabhakar; Bhattacharya, Abhijit; Kaliappan, Madhavan

2017-04-01

The Mahakoshal Belt (MB) is regarded as the oldest subunit along the northern collar of the Central Indian Tectonic Zone (CITZ) arguably representing the zone of accretion between the North India Block and the South India Block. The following study focuses on deciphering the structural and metamorphic P-T-t history of the schists/phyllites from the eastern part of the belt, and provides insights into the Paleoproterozoic tectonic development in the CITZ. The schists comprise phengite, quartz, andalusite, biotite, muscovite and margarite, and are associated with veins of rare andalusite + corundum + quartz assemblage. The field relations combined with deformation microtextures in the MB schists suggests three episodes of metamorphism, M1, M2 and M3, corresponding with D1, D2 and D3 deformation events respectively. Inclusion trails (S1) of phengite + biotite + quartz ± chlorite in syn/post-S2 andalusite porphyroblasts constrain the M1 metamorphic event in pelitic schists. The application of pseudosection modelling estimated peak metamorphic conditions at ˜8 kbar and 520 ˚ C. Near isothermal decompression (<4 kbar) resulted in the formation of the andalusite + muscovite bearing retrograde assemblage that stabilized at the expense of phengite-bearing assemblage. Further, andalusite porphyroblasts are replaced by margarite + muscovite + chlorite pseudomorphs (2-3 kbar) during syn/post-S3 fluid-aided metamorphism. Th-U-total Pb dating of monazite grains yield core populations at 1.8-1.9 Ga, and rim populations at 1.7-1.8 Ga and 1.5-1.6 Ga. Thus, the peak metamorphism in MB schists was Paleoproterozoic in age, 1.8-1.9 Ga, and the clockwise P-T path was recorded at 1.7-1.8 Ga, which overlaps with the emplacement of blastoporphyritic granitoids along southern margin of the MB. The results obtained in this study combined with the existing structural-metamorphic-chronological information demonstrate the CITZ to be a composite of desperately-evolved crustal domains. With some major omissions, the tectono-thermal events identified in the CITZ partly overlap with those observed in the Capricorn Orogen (Western Australia) and the Trans North China Orogen. Therefore, these global correlations possibly corroborate new configurations on the assembly and fragmentation of Columbia Supercontinent, but await further studies and robust age determinations in the various parts of CITZ.

The post collisional metamorphic evolution from Ultra High Temperature to Amphibolite facies metamorphism in the Odesan area during the Triassic collision between the North and South China cratons.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Byung Choon; Oh, Chang Whan; Kim, Tae Sung; Yi, Kee Wook

2015-04-01

The Odaesan Gneiss Complex (OGC) is the eastern end of the Hongseong-Odesan collision belt in Korean Peninsula which is the extension of the Dabie-Sulu collision belt between the North and South China blocks. The OGC mainly consists of banded and migmatitic gneiss with porphyritic granitoid and amphibolite. The banded gneiss can be subdivided into garnet-biotite and garnet-orthopyroxene banded gneisses. The highest metamorphic P/T conditions of the migmatitic and garnet-biotite banded gneiss were 760-820°C/6.3-7.2kbar and 810-840°C/7.2-7.8kbar respectively. On the other hand, the garnet-orthopyroxene banded gneiss records 940-950°C/10.5-10.7kbar that is corresponded to UHT metamorphic condition. These data indicate that the peak UHT metamorphic condition of the study area was preserved only within the garnet-orthopyroxene banded gneiss because its lower water content than other gneisses and UHT metamorphic mineral assemblage was completely replaced by the granulite facies metamorphism in other gneisses due to their higher water content than the garnet-orthopyroxene banded gneiss. Finally all gneisses experienced amphibolite facies retrograde metamorphism which is observed locally within rocks, such as garnet rim and surrounding area. The peak UHT metamorphism is estimated to occur at ca. 250-230 Ma using SHRIMP zircon U-Pb age dating and was caused by the heat supplied from asthenospheric mantle through the opening formed by slab break-off during early post collision stage. The calculated metamorphic conditions represent that geothermal gradient of the study area during the post collision stage was 86°C/kbar indicating the regional low-P/T metamorphic event. Besides the Triassic metamorphic age, two Paleoproterozoic metamorphic ages of ca. 1930 and 1886 Ma are also recognized by the SHRIMP age dating from the banded gneisses and Paleoproterozoic emplacement age of ca. 1847 Ma is identified from the porphyritic granitoid which formed in the within plate tectonic setting. These ages are well matched with 1880Ma-1885Ma regional post-collision igneous and metamorphic activities in other areas of the GM indicating that the OGC had undergone Paleoproterozoic metamorphic and igneous activities before the Triassic metamorphism. However it is difficult to confirm the Paleoproterozoic activities due to the strong Triassic metamorphism.

The influence of fluorine on phase relations and REE enrichment in alkaline magmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beard, C. D.; van Hinsberg, V.; Stix, J.; Wilke, M.

2017-12-01

Fluorine is a minor element in most magmas, but higher concentrations to wt% levels have been reported in alkaline systems, including those which host economic deposits of REE + HFSE1. Despite low abundance in most natural melts, fluorine has received great attention from the experimental community because it has a strong influence on melt structure, lowering melting points and drastically reducing viscosity. The effect of fluorine on element speciation has important implications for phase relations and the partitioning of trace elements between minerals and melts, thus metal enrichment processes in alkaline magmas. We have experimentally investigated the impact of fluorine on phase relations and partitioning of rare metals, the REE in particular, in evolved alkaline melts. Synthetic glasses of tephriphonolite to phonolite composition were doped with a wide range of elements at trace levels, and fluorine contents were varied from fluorine-free to 2.5 wt%. Experiments were performed water-saturated in an internally heated pressure vessel at 200 MPa with log fO2 at ca. QFM+1, which represents the intrinsic redox conditions of the setup. Charges were heated to super-liquidus conditions for 16 hours, cooled slowly (1˚C/min) to run temperature and subsequently equilibrated for at least 40 hours. Run products were analysed by EPMA and LA-ICP-MS. The experiments produce an equilibrium assemblage of sodic pyroxene, biotite, Fe-oxide, melt, fluid, ±K-feldspar, ±titanite, ±fluorite. Addition of fluorine markedly increases the mode of biotite, which initially buffers melt F content at low levels (< 0.2 wt%). Only in experiments with more than 0.6 wt% F do we observe a significant increase in the melt F-content. Here, fluorine decreases pyroxene/melt partitioning coefficients equally for all REE where pyroxene composition and P-T conditions are equivalent (ca. 1/2 with 0.6% F). We suggest that the formation of REE-F complexes in the melt2 lowers the availability of metals for incorporation into solid phases. An increasing fluorine content of the melt will thus make the REE progressively more incompatible and available for residual enrichment. 1. Vasyukova, O. & Williams-Jones, A. E. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 139, 110-130 (2014). 2. Ponader, C. W. & Brown Jr., G. E. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 53, 2905-2914 (1989).

Molybdenum mineralization related to the Yangtze's lower crust and differentiation in the Dabie Orogen: Evidence from the geochemical features of the Yaochong porphyry Mo deposit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Qing-Quan; Li, Bin; Shao, Yong-Jun; Lu, An-Huai; Lai, Jian-Qing; Li, Yong-Feng; Luo, Zheng-Zhuan

2017-06-01

The Dabie Orogen is a world-class case for large amounts of Mo mineralization in that it contains at least 10 porphyry Mo deposits with Mo metal reserves over 3 Mt from the time period of 156-110 Ma. However, the principal mechanism for the Mo mineralization remains controversial due to the lack of a precise definition of its source and shallow ore-forming process, which is essential to understand these rare large Mo deposits. Detailed geochronology, geochemistry, and isotopic data for ore-related granites and minerals were analyzed in order to place constraints on the massive Mo mineralization in the Dabie Orogen in eastern China. The Yaochong molybdenum orebodies were hosted in the transition belt and alteration zone between the granitic stocks and the Dabie Complex and were characterized as numerous veinlets with potassic, phyllic and propylitic alterations. The buried Yaochong granitic intrusions and associated molybdenum mineralization yield Early Cretaceous ages of magmatic activities at ca. 138 Ma and extremely similar Re-Os isotope ages for the corresponding Mo metallogenic event at ca. 137 Ma. The Yaochong monzogranite and granite porphyry belong to the highly fractionated I-type granites, which are believed to be derived from the dominantly Yangtze's lower crust mixed with the Northern Dabie Complex due to their geochemical and isotope features. The elemental diversity and isotopic homogeneity suggest that the formation of the Yaochong monzogranite involved the fractionation of biotite, garnet and minor feldspar and accessory minerals combined with a weak crustal assimilation process. In contrast, the granite porphyry was possibly generated by the partial melting of the same mixed lower continental crust via the differentiation process involving the fractionation of feldspar, apatite, and/or titanite. Fractional crystallization processes can significantly elevate the molybdenum concentration in the residual melts. The biotite fractional crystallization results in removal of molybdenum from the vestigial magma since molybdenum is compatible with it, which may account for the barren monzogranite with a low-grade molybdenum mineralization. The ore-bearing granite porphyry has more source materials from the Yangtze's lower crust, which may have contributed most of the molybdenum for the porphyry-related molybdenum deposits in the Dabie metallogenic zone. This porphyry molybdenum aggregation may have been deposited in a post-collision or intracontinental extensional setting.

Two-stage fluid flow and element transfers in shear zones during collision burial-exhumation cycle: Insights from the Mont Blanc Crystalline Massif (Western Alps)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rolland, Y.; Rossi, M.

2016-11-01

The Mont-Blanc Massif was intensely deformed during the Alpine orogenesis: in a first stage of prograde underthrusting at c. 30 Ma and in a second stage of uplift and exhumation at 22-11 Ma. Mid-crustal shear zones of 1 mm-50 m size, neighbouring episyenites (quartz-dissolved altered granite) and alpine veins, have localised intense fluid flow, which produced substantial changes in mineralogy and whole-rock geochemistry. Four main metamorphic zones are oriented parallel to the strike of the massif: (i) epidote, (ii) chlorite, (iii) actinolite-muscovite ± biotite and (iv) muscovite ± biotite. In addition, phlogopite-bearing shear zones occur in the chlorite zone, and calcite-bearing shear zones are locally found in the muscovite zone. The initial chemical composition of the granitic protolith is relatively constant at massif scale, which allows investigating compositional changes related to shear zone activity, and subsequent volume change and elements mobility. The variations of whole-rock composition and mineral chemistry in shear zones reflect variations in fluid/rock ratios and fluid's chemistry, which have produced specific mineral reactions. Estimated time-integrated fluid fluxes are of the order of 106 m3/m2. The mineral assemblages that crystallised upon these fluid-P-T conditions are responsible for specific major and trace element enrichments. The XFe (Fe/Fe + Mg) pattern of shear zone phyllosilicates and the δ13C pattern of vein calcite both show a bell-type pattern across the massif with high values on the massif rims and low values in the centre of the massif. These low XFe and δ13C values are explained by down temperature up-flow of a Fe-Mg-CO2-rich and silica-depleted fluid during stage 1, while the massif was underthrusting. These produced phlogopite, chlorite and actinolite precipitation and quartz hydrolysis, resulting in strong volume losses. In contrast, during stage 2 (uplift), substantial volume gains occurred on the massif rims due to the precipitation of quartz, epidote and muscovite from a local fluid hosted in the Helvetic cover. These two fluids advocate for the presence of an upper-crustal scaled fluid convection cell, with up-going fluids through the lower crust and likely down-going fluids in the 15 km upper crust.

A-type granites from the Guéra Massif, Central Chad: Petrology, geochemistry, geochronology, and petrogenesis.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pham, Ngoc Ha T.; Shellnutt, J. Gregory; Yeh, Meng-Wan; Lee, Tung-Yi

2017-04-01

The poorly studied Saharan Metacraton of North-Central Africa is located between the Arabian-Nubian Shield in the east, the Tuareg Shield in the west and the Central African Orogenic Belt in the south. The Saharan Metacraton is composed of Neoproterozoic juvenile crust and the relics of pre-Neoproterozoic components reactivated during the Pan-African Orogeny. The Republic of Chad, constrained within the Saharan Metacraton, comprises a Phanerozoic cover overlying Precambrian basement outcroppings in four distinct massifs: the Mayo Kebbi, Tibesti, Ouaddaï, and the Guéra. The Guéra massif is the least studied of the four massifs but it likely preserves structures that were formed during the collision between Congo Craton and Saharan Metacraton. The Guéra Massif is composed of mostly granitic rocks. The granitoids have petrologic features that are consistent with A-type granite, such as micrographic intergrowth of sodic and potassic feldspar, the presence of sodic- and iron-rich amphibole, and iron-rich biotite. Compositionally, the granitic rocks of the Guéra Massif have high silica (SiO2 ≥ 68.9 wt.%) content and are metaluminous to marginally peraluminous. The rocks are classified as ferroan calc-alkalic to alkali-calcic with moderately high to very high Fe* ratios. The first zircon U/Pb geochronology of the silicic rocks from the Guéra Massif yielded three main age groups: 590 Ma, 570 Ma, 560 Ma, while a single gabbro yielded an intermediate age ( 580 Ma). A weakly foliated biotite granite yielded two populations, in which the emplacement age is interpreted to be 590 ± 10 Ma, whereas the younger age (550 ± 11 Ma) is considered to be a deformation age. Furthermore, inherited Meso- to Paleoproterozoic zircons are found in this sample. The geochemical and geochronology data indicate that there is a temporal evolution in the composition of rocks with the old, high Mg# granitoids shifting to young, low Mg# granitoids. This reveals that the A-type granites in the Guéra Massif were probably derived by the repeated melting of a single source region, from an initial fertile source to a less fertile source at distinct intervals. Finally, the oldest inherited zircons indicate that the Guéra Massif is either built upon Paleoproterozoic continental crust or that pre-Neoproterozoic rocks were the source of the silicic Ediacaran rocks.

Lesser Antillean Arc Initiation and Migration as a Proxy of Slab Dynamics: Geothermochronology, Thermobarometry and Structure of Saint Martin Granodiorites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noury, M.; Münch, P.; Philippon, M. M.; Bernet, M.; Bruguier, O.; Balvay, M.

2017-12-01

In subduction zones, volcanic arc initiation, cessation, migration and associated upper plate deformation -i.e faulting and vertical motions- reflect large-scale slab dynamics. At the northeastern edge of the Caribbean plate, the Greater Caribbean subduction zone waned out during the Mid Eocene, following the subduction of the Bahamas bank. This arc cessation was contemporaneous with (i) a plate boundary re-organization (evolving from subduction to transform), (ii) upper plate deformation and (iii) arc initiation in the Lesser Antilles. As part of the GAARANTI project that aims at unraveling the relationships between the evolution of terrestrial Caribbean biodiversity and vertical motions resulting from the Lesser Antilles subduction zone dynamic, we study the Saint Martin granodiorites, one of the two Oligocene plutons outcropping in the Lesser Antillean forearc. We investigate the birth and evolution of the Lesser Antillean arc and its thermo-mechanical impact on the Caribbean upper plate. In order to characterize the P,T,t path of the pluton we performed several thermochronological analyses covering a wide range of temperature (U-Pb on zircon -Tc 850°C, Ar/Ar on amphibole -Tc 550°C- and biotite -Tc 325°C-, zircon and apatite fission-tracks -Tc 250 and 110°C, respectively as well as U-Th/He on apatite -Tc 60°C) coupled with in-situ thermobarometry analyses (Al in hornblendes) and structural data. Geochronology and thermobarometry reveal that the granodiorites emplaced at ca. 28 Ma, at a depth of 5 km. Based on the age difference between amphibole and biotite Ar/Ar ages, we show that the northern pluton cooled faster than the southern one. Preliminary thermochronological results show a fast cooling between 29 and 25 Ma and then a continuous and slow cooling since 25 Ma and inverse modeling points to a 10 Ma cooling event. Our investigations give insights on the thermo-mechanical evolution of the arc-forearc region of the Lesser Antilles subduction zone. Considering a mean high of 1200m for the volcanic edifice, the pluton emplaced at shallow depth (ca. 4 km) within the Caribbean plate. The pluton is bounded by N-S faults that could possibly be responsible for the 10 Ma exhumation event. This thermal event may be contemporaneous with the westward arc migration during Miocene times and may reflect slab flattening.

Geology, geochemistry and genesis of the Eocene Lailishan Sn deposit in the Sanjiang region, SW China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Hua-Wen; Pei, Qiu-Ming; Zhang, Shou-Ting; Zhang, Lin-Kui; Tang, Li; Lin, Jin-Zhan; Zheng, Luo

2017-04-01

The Lailishan deposit is an important tin deposit that is genetically associated with an Early Eocene biotite granite in the western Yunnan metallogenic belt in the Sanjiang region, SW China. This study reports new zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotopic data, whole-rock elements, mica Ar-Ar age and C-H-O-S-Pb isotope for the Lailishan Sn deposit. The mineralization-related biotite granite crystallized during the Early Eocene (50.5 Ma), with its zircon εHf(t) values ranging from -11.5 to -7.6 and two-stage Hf model ages (TDM2) ranging from 1.60 to 1.85 Ga. The rocks are peraluminous with A/CNK values of 0.99-1.08. The granites display high Si, Al and K contents but low Mg, Fe and Ca contents. The rocks show flat chondrite-normalized REE patterns with strong Eu negative anomalies. These characteristics indicate that the magma originated from a continental crustal source. The hydrothermal muscovite exhibits an Ar-Ar plateau age of 50.4 ± 0.2 Ma. The δ18O and δD values of hydrothermal quartz from the deposit range from -7.32‰ to 4.01‰ and from -124.9‰ to -87.1‰, respectively. The δ13CPDB and δ18OSMOW values of calcite range from -11.3‰ to -3.7‰ and from +2.2‰ to +12.7‰, respectively. The sulfur isotopic compositions (δ34SV-CDT) range from +3.3‰ to +8.6‰ for sulfide separates, and the lead isotopic ratios 206Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb and 208Pb/204Pb range from 18.668 to 18.746, from 15.710 to 15.743 and from 39.202 to 39.295, respectively. These isotopic compositions are similar to those of magma-derived fluids, indicating that the ore-forming fluids and materials mainly originated from magmatic rocks with some input from meteoric water. This evidence suggests that the tin mineralization is closely linked to the Lailishan I-type granites. In combination with previous data, it is proposed in this study that widespread early Eocene magmatism resulted from the slab breakoff of the subducting Neo-Tethyan slab at ca. 55 Ma.

Root zone of the Late Proterozoic Salma Caldera, northeastern Arabian Shield, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kellogg, Karl S.

1985-11-01

The eroded root of the late Proterozoic Salma caldera crops out in a striking, roughly elliptical feature, about 27 km long and 22 km wide, near the northeastern edge of the Arabian Shield. The caldera is genetically part of an elongate alkalic granitic massif (Jabal Salma) that extends 35 km from the caldera to the southwest. Comenditic ash flow tuff and lava(?) of the caldera fill, probably more than 1 km thick, are the oldest recognized rocks of the caldera complex. These rocks were erupted during caldera collapse associated with the rapid evacuation of the upper, mildly peralkalic part of a zoned magma reservoir. Within the caldera fill, a massive, lithic-rich intracaldera rhyolite, probably a lava in excess of 1 km thick, is overlain by a layered ash flow sequence. Numerous megabreccia blocks, probably derived from the caldera wall, occur in the massive rhyolite. Open folds in the layered volcanic rocks may be due to high-temperature slumping of the rocks toward the center of the caldera following collapse. Later peralkalic granite that intruded the caldera ring fracture zone occurs in an arcuate pattern outside the area of exposed caldera fill. After caldera collapse, metaluminous to peraluminous magma rose beneath the caldera at approximately 580 Ma and solidified as biotite alkali granite, rim syenogranite, and late, high-level granophyre. Rare earth element abundances indicate that the layered rhyolite tuff, peralkalic granite, and granophyre are chemically more evolved than the biotite alkali granite and rim syenogranite. The granophyre intruded the caldera fill as a dome-shaped body composed of numerous sheetlike masses. Granophyric texture resulted from rapid pressure release and quenching accompanying the intrusion of each sheet. Maximum penetration of the granophyre into overlying rocks occurred in the central region and along the west side of the caldera, where the caldera fill volcanic rocks have been removed by erosion. No apparent structural doming of the exposed volcanic rocks along the east side of the caldera took place; the layered ash flows commonly dip steeply toward the center of the caldera. Postemplacement deformation and metamorphism of the caldera are minimal. Small-displacement strike-slip faults cut the complex, which is tilted to the northeast by no more than about 2°.

Sorption and speciation of selenium in boreal forest soil.

PubMed

Söderlund, Mervi; Virkanen, Juhani; Holgersson, Stellan; Lehto, Jukka

2016-11-01

Sorption and speciation of selenium in the initial chemical forms of selenite and selenate were investigated in batch experiments on humus and mineral soil samples taken from a 4-m deep boreal forest soil excavator pit on Olkiluoto Island, on the Baltic Sea coast in southwestern Finland. The HPLC-ICP-MS technique was used to monitor any possible transformations in the selenium liquid phase speciation and to determine the concentrations of selenite and selenate in the samples for calculation of the mass distribution coefficient, K d , for both species. Both SeO 3 2- and SeO 4 2- proved to be resistant forms in the prevailing soil conditions and no changes in selenium liquid phase speciation were seen in the sorption experiments in spite of variations in the initial selenium species, incubation time or conditions, pH, temperature or microbial activity. Selenite sorption on the mineral soil increased with time in aerobic conditions whilst the opposite trend was seen for the anaerobic soil samples. Selenite retention correlated with the contents of organic matter and weakly crystalline oxides of aluminum and iron, solution pH and the specific surface area. Selenate exhibited poorer sorption on soil than selenite and on average the K d values were 27-times lower. Mineral soil was more efficient in retaining selenite and selenate than humus, implicating the possible importance of weakly crystalline aluminum and iron oxides for the retention of oxyanions in Olkiluoto soil. Sterilization of the soil samples decreased the retention of selenite, thus implying some involvement of soil microbes in the sorption processes or a change in sample composition, but it produced no effect for selenate. There was no sorption of selenite by quartz, potassium feldspar, hornblende or muscovite. Biotite showed the best retentive properties for selenite in the model soil solution at about pH 8, followed by hematite, plagioclase and chlorite. The K d values for these minerals were 18, 14, 8 and 7 L/kg, respectively. It is proposed that selenite sorption is affected by the structural Fe(II) in biotite, which is capable of inducing the reduction of SeO 3 2- to Se(0). Selenite probably forms a surface complex with Fe(III) atoms on the surface of hematite, thus explaining its retention on this mineral. None of the minerals retained selenate to any extent. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Metamorphism within the Chugach accretionary complex on southern Baranof Island, southeastern Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zumsteg, Cathy L.; Himmelberg, Glen R.; Karl, Susan M.; Haeussler, Peter J.

2003-01-01

On Baranof Island, southeastern Alaska, we identify four metamorphic events that affect rocks associated with the Chugach accretionary complex. This study focuses on the M1 and M4 metamorphic events. Mesozoic schists, gneisses, and migmatitic gneisses exposed near the Kasnyku pluton on central Baranof Island represent the M1 metamorphic rocks. These rocks underwent amphibolite facies metamorphism. Calculated temperatures and pressures range from about 620 to 780 ºC and 5.5 to 6.6 kbar and are compatible with the observed metamorphic mineral assemblages.The M4 metamorphism affected rocks of the Sitka Graywacke on southern Baranof Island, producing extensive biotite and garnet zones as well as andalusite and sillimanite zones at the contacts of the Crawfish Inlet and Redfish Bay plutons. Calculated M4 temperatures and pressures from the andalusite and sillimanite zones range from 575 to 755 ºC and 3.4 to 6.9 kbar. These results fall within the sillimanite stability field, at pressures higher than andalusite stability. These results may indicate the M4 metamorphic event occurred along a P-T path along which the equilibration of aluminosilicate-garnet-plagioclase-quartz did not occur or was not maintained. This interpretation is supported by the occurrence of andalusite and sillimanite within the same sample. We propose the data reflect a clockwise P-T path with peak M4 metamorphism of the sillimanite-bearing samples adjacent to the intrusions at an approximate depth of 15 to 20 km, followed by rapid uplift without reequilibration of garnet-plagioclase-aluminosilicate-quartz.The large extent of the biotite zone, and possibly the garnet zone, suggests that an additional heat source must have existed to regionally metamorphose these rocks during the M4 event. We suggest the M4 regional thermal metamorphism and intrusion of the Crawfish Inlet and Redfish Bay plutons were synchronous and the result of heat flux from a slab window beneath the accretionary complex at that time. If our conclusions regarding the effect of the slab window are correct, the style of metamorphism is different from the Chugach metamorphic complex, which is clearly linked to a slab window. Therefore, our findings would suggest that there is no distinct metamorphic signature for slab window effects.

Petrogenesis of the mafic microgranular enclaves (MMEs) and their host granodiorites from the Zijinshan intrusion along the Middle-Lower Yangtze River Valley: Implications for geodynamic setting and mineralization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Peng; Mao, Jingwen; Yao, Wei; Wang, Xiaoxia; Jia, Lihui; Yang, Hanwen

2017-09-01

The Zijinshan intrusion is located to the south of the Tongling ore cluster of the Middle-Lower Yangtze River Valley metallogenic belt (YRB) and even south to the Yangxing-Changzhou Fault (YCF), which separates the YRB and the Jiangnan Massif. It is an I-type high-K calc-alkaline granodiorite with abundant MMEs. Zircon LA-MC-ICP-MS U-Pb ages of 144.0 ± 1.0 Ma and 142.5 ± 1.0 Ma for the host granodiorite and MMEs indicate coeval formation. Biotites from the host granodiorites and MMEs have similar composition, with low FeOt/(FeOt + MgO) values of 0.60-0.65 and 0.60-0.65, and high MgO contents of 10.51-11.70 wt.% and 10.89-12.37 wt.%, respectively. All the biotite samples are between the NNO and the MH buffers. The host granodiorites are metaluminous (A/CNK = 0.94-0.95), enriched in Cs, Rb, U and Pb, depleted in Ba, Sr, Nb, Zr, P, and Ti, with moderate negative Eu anomalies of 0.80-0.87, (87Sr/86Sr)i of 0.70874 to 0.70887, εNd(t) of - 5.63 to - 5.36 and εHf(t) of - 8.68 to - 2.76. The MMEs have lower SiO2 and higher K2O, and they are also enriched in Cs, Rb, U, Ta and Pb, and depleted in Ba, Sr, Nb, Zr, P and Ti, with (87Sr/86Sr)i of 0.70889 to 0.70927, εNd(t) of - 5.52 to - 5.20 and εHf(t) of - 6.46 to - 3.59. All these characteristics demonstrate that partial melting of both the lower crust and an enriched lithospheric mantle metasomatized by subducted slab fluid and their subsequent mixing led to the origin of the I-type granodiorite magmas of the Zijinshan intrusion, which took place in the geodynamic context of the subduction of the Izanagi plate. Combined with the field investigations, we suggest that the Zijinshan intrusion has potential for porphyry Cu-Au mineralization and the Cu-Au metallogenic belt of the YRB may have extended to the south of the YCF.

Metamorphic and geochronogical study of the Triassic El Oro metamorphic complex, Ecuador: Implications for high-temperature metamorphism in a forearc zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riel, N.; Guillot, S.; Jaillard, E.; Martelat, J.-E.; Paquette, J.-L.; Schwartz, S.; Goncalves, P.; Duclaux, G.; Thebaud, N.; Lanari, P.; Janots, E.; Yuquilema, J.

2013-01-01

In the forearc of the Andean active margin in southwest Ecuador, the El Oro metamorphic complex exhibits a well exposed tilted forearc section partially migmatized. We used Raman spectroscopy on carbonaceous matter (RSCM) thermometry and pseudosections coupled with mineralogical and textural studies to constrain the pressure-temperature (P-T) evolution of the El Oro metamorphic complex during Triassic times. Our results show that anatexis of the continental crust occurred by white-mica and biotite dehydration melting along a 10 km thick crustal domain (from 4.5 to 8 kbar) with increasing temperature from 650 to 700 °C. In the biotite dehydration melting zone, temperature was buffered at 750-820 °C in a 5 km thick layer. The estimated average thermal gradient during peak metamorphism is of 30 °C/km within the migmatitic domain can be partitioned into two apparent gradients parts. The upper part from surface to 7 km depth records a 40-45 °C/km gradient. The lower part records a quasi-adiabatic geotherm with a 10 °C/km gradient consistent with an isothermal melting zone. Migmatites U-Th-Pb geochronology yielded zircon and monazite ages of 229.3 ± 2.1 Ma and 224.5 ± 2.3 Ma, respectively. This thermal event generated S-type magmatism (the Marcabeli granitoid) and was immediately followed by underplating of the high-pressure low-temperature (HP-LT) Arenillas-Panupalí unit at 225.8 ± 1.8 Ma. The association of high-temperature low-pressure (HT-LP) migmatites with HP-LT unit constitutes a new example of a paired metamorphic belt along the South American margin. We propose that in addition to crustal thinning, underplating of the Piedras gabbroic unit before 230 Ma provided the heat source necessary to foster crustal anatexis. Furthermore, its MORB signature shows that the asthenosphere was involved as the source of the heat anomaly. S-type felsic magmatism is widespread during this time and suggests that a large-scale thermal anomaly affected a large part of the South American margin during the late Triassic. We propose that crustal anatexis is related to an anomaly that arose during subduction of the Panthalassa ocean under the South American margin. Slab verticalization or slab break-off can be invoked as the origin of the upwelling of the asthenosphere.

The potential of chemical fingerprinting of tephra for stratigraphic correlations in the fossil Lagerstätte of the Pisco Formation (Peru)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bosio, Giulia; Gioncada, Anna; Malinverno, Elisa; Villa, Igor Maria; Di Celma, Claudio; Gariboldi, Karen; Urbina, Mario; Bianucci, Giovanni

2017-04-01

The upper Miocene Pisco Formation (Peru) represents a world-known fossil Lagerstätte containing abundant and exceptionally well-preserved marine vertebrates. A detailed chronostratigraphic reconstruction is indispensable to study this fossil record and to understand the evolution of marine vertebrates. Recent work (Bianucci et al., 2016; Di Celma et al., 2016; Gariboldi et al., in press) in the area of the western Ica River Valley defined a detailed chronostratigraphic framework for the Pisco Formation, containing all the fossil vertebrates observed in the area. Such chronostratigraphic framework, based on new 40Ar/39Ar ages on biotite from tephra layers integrated with diatom biostratigraphy, implements previous scattered radiometric data (Brand et al., 2011; Esperante et al., 2015). Tephra layers representing primary air-fall deposition of volcanic ash from the Peruvian Andes volcanoes are very frequent in the Pisco Formation. Several of them do not show evidence of reworking or bioturbation. Due to their regional dispersal and to their geologically instantaneous deposition (Lowe, 2011), they provide the opportunity not only to date specific layers, when suitable for radiometric age determination, but also to correlate different localities, through the chemical fingerprinting of tephra. We collected more than 200 tephra layers from different localities in the Ica Desert along six measured stratigraphic sections. Based on the estimated stratigraphic position, we analyzed specific tephra layers through petrographic characterization, glass shard morphology, electron probe microanalyses of glass shards and, where present, biotite crystals. Despite some difficulties encountered, such as similar magma or mineral composition, local weathering, lack of record due to marine current transport and change in depositional environments among different localities, the correspondence of the obtained data allowed to verify correlations that were supposed during field work and to trace tephra layers from distant outcrop localities, allowing to refine the chronostratigraphy of the Pisco Formation in the western Ica River Valley. Bianucci G. et al (2016) Journal of Maps, 12: 1037-1046. Brand L.R. et al (2011) J. South Am. Earth Sci., 31: 414-425. Di Celma C. et al (2016) Journal of Maps, 12: 1020-1028. Esperante R. et al. (2015) Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 417: 337-370. Gariboldi K. et al (in press) Newsletters on Stratigraphy. Lowe D.J. (2011) Quaternary Geochronology, 6: 107-153.

The Brava seamount, Cape Verde: Beyond the spatial extent of EM1 and petrogenesis of highly evolved alkaline lavas.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barker, Abigail; Andersson, Axel; Troll, Valentin; Hansteen, Thor; Ellam, Robert

2010-05-01

Alkaline lavas from the Brava seamount, Cape Verde are investigated to establish the spatial distribution of compositional heterogeneity in the southwest of the Cape Verde archipelago. Highly evolved lavas provide a record of shallow level magma-crust interaction beneath the Brava seamount. The Brava seamount, located southwest of the island of Brava, Cape Verde was sampled during research cruise 8/85 of the R.R.S. Charles Darwin in 1985. Two groups of highly evolved alkaline volcanics are distinguished from the Brava seamount: 1) pyroxene-phonolites containing clinopyroxene, amphibole, nepheline, ±biotite, and minor sanidine and 2) feldspathoid-phonolites containing nepheline, nausean, minor biotite and leucite. All of the samples have MgO between 0.8 and 2 wt%, comparable to the most evolved volcanics sampled in the Cape Verde archipelago. The feldspathoid-phonolites have NaO2 of 12-13 wt%. Alkaline lavas from the Brava seamount have higher 87Sr/87Sr (0.70337 to 0.70347) at ɛNd of +6 to +7 than previously sampled in Cape Verde. Sr isotopes will be integrated with oxygen isotopes to establish magma and crust interactions in the magmatic plumbing system beneath the Brava seamount. Clinopyroxene-melt thermobarometry will be presented to constrain the depths of equilibrium crystallisation. Sr-O isotopes and thermobarometry will be combined to build a picture of the levels of magma stalling and interaction between magmas and the crust beneath the Brava seamount. The Brava seamount phonolitic lavas have high 206Pb/204Pb of 19.5 to 19.8 with negative ?8/4 and high ɛNd of +6 to +7 in contrast to the positive ?8/4 for lavas from nearby Brava and the southern islands of the Cape Verde archipelago. Lavas from the Brava seamount have Pb-Nd isotope systematics comparable to the northern Cape Verde islands, indicating the southwestern boundary in mantle heterogeneity and thereby the spatial extent of the EM1-like source contributing to the southern islands. The extensive crystallisation and stalling of magma batches at crustal depths shown by thermobarometry will be used in conjunction with geochemistry to constrain the origin of assimilants and implies that an EM1-like source is not found in the mantle source, the shallow lithosphere or crust beneath the Brava seamount.

Detection of Remarkably Low Isotopic Ratio of Iron in Anthropogenic Aerosols and Evaluation of its Contribution to the Surface Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurisu, M.; Iizuka, T.; Sakata, K.; Uematsu, M.; Takahashi, Y.

2015-12-01

It has been reported that phytoplankton growth in the High Nutrient-Low Chlorophyll (HNLC) regions is limited by dissolved iron (DFe) concentration (e.g., Martin and Fitzwater, 1988). Aerosol is known as one of the dominant sources of DFe to the ocean and classified into two origins such as anthropogenic and natural. A series of recent studies showed that Fe in anthropogenic aerosols is more soluble than that in natural aerosols (Takahashi et al., 2013) and has lower isotopic ratio (Mead et al., 2013). However, the difference between Fe isotopic ratio　(δ56Fe: [(56Fe/54Fe)sample/(56Fe/54Fe)IRMM-14]-1) of two origins reported in Mead et al. (2013) is not so large compared with the standard deviation. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine Fe species and δ56Fe in anthropogenic aerosols more accurately and to evaluate its contribution to the ocean surface. Iron species were determined by X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) analysis, while δ56Fe in size-fractionated aerosols were measured by MC-ICP-MS (NEPTUNE Plus) after chemical separation using anion exchange resin. Dominant Fe species in the samples were, ferrihydrite, hematite, and biotite. It was also revealed that coarse particles contained a larger amount of biotite and that fine particles contained a larger amount of hematite, which suggested that anthropogenic aerosols were emitted during combustion processes. In addition, results of Fe isotopic ratio analysis suggested that δ56Fe of coarse particles were around +0.25‰, whereas that of fine particles were -0.5 ˜ -2‰, which was lower than the δ56Fe in anthropogenic aerosol by Mead et al. (2013). The size-fractionated sampling made it possible to determine the δ56Fe in anthropogenic aerosol. Soluble component in fine particles extracted by simulated rain water also showed much lower δ56Fe (δ56Fe = -3.9±0.12‰), suggesting that anthropogenic Fe has much lower isotopic ratio. The remarkably low δ56Fe may be caused by the anthropogenic combustion process. The δ56Fe in anthropogenic aerosols measured here is important to model the budget of iron in the surface ocean.

Origin of the Wunugetushan porphyry Cu-Mo deposit, Inner Mongolia, NE China: Constraints from geology, geochronology, geochemistry, and isotopic compositions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Fang-Fang; Wang, Yin-Hong; Liu, Jia-Jun; Wang, Jian-Ping; Zhao, Chun-Bo; Song, Zhi-Wei

2016-03-01

The Wunugetushan porphyry Cu-Mo deposit is located in the southeastern margin of the Mongol-Okhotsk Orogenic Belt and in the northwestern segment of the Great Xing'an Range, NE China. The orebodies of this deposit are mainly hosted in the monzogranitic porphyry stock and in contact with the granitic porphyry dyke and biotite granite batholith. The SHRIMP zircon U-Pb dating of the granitic porphyry dyke yielded ages of 201.4 ± 3.1 Ma (2σ, MSWD = 1.5). These results indicate that the magmatism in the Wunugetushan area might have occurred at ca. 201 Ma in the early Jurassic, and that the mineralization age (ca. 181 Ma) of this deposit is later than the age of intrusive granitic porphyry in the area. Geochemically, the Wunugetushan granitoids belong to high-K calc-alkaline and shoshonitic series, enriched in K, Rb, Nd, and Pb, and depleted in Sr, Nb, Ti and P, with negative Eu anomalies. In situ Hf isotopic analyses of zircons using LA-MC-ICP-MS indicate that the εHf(t) values for zircons from a granitic porphyry sample vary from +2.4 to +11.8 and that the corresponding crustal model ages (TDMC) vary from 483 to 1088 Ma. The least-altered monzogranitic porphyry, granitic porphyry and biotite granite yielded relatively uniform εNd(t) values from -1.0 to +0.6 and low (87Sr/86Sr)i ratios ranging from 0.704387 to 0.708385. The geochemical and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic data for the granitoids indicate that the source magma for these rocks could be derived from a juvenile lower crust. The δ34S values of sulfides show a narrow range (+0.76‰ to +3.20‰) similar to those of magmatic sulfur, further implying a lower crust origin. Based on the results of this study and the regional geodynamic evolution, it is proposed that the formation of the Wunugetushan deposit and associated granitoids should be linked to the southeastward subduction of the Mongol-Okhotsk oceanic plate beneath the Erguna Massif during the early Jurassic, and that the monzogranitic porphyry intrusions in Wunugetushan area probably provided important ore metals responsible for the large-scale Cu-Mo mineralization.

The History of a Plutonic-Volcanic System Determined from Compositional and Mineral Inclusion Mapping of Alkali Feldspar Megacrysts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belfanti, S. A. D.; Gualda, G. A. R.

2017-12-01

Alkali-feldspar megacrysts (2-20 cm long) occur in many granitic rocks, providing extensive records of crystallization within magma bodies. We will use megacrysts from Yosemite National Park's Tuolumne Intrusive Suite to determine if and how megacrysts record recharge and eruption. Preliminary work has focused on 4 crystals. Based on BSE patterns, crystals can be divided into 3 zones: (1) the core, which represents the crystal's first growth and sometimes displays some resorption; (2) the interior, including a series of sub-zones that correspond to different growth periods; and (3) the rim, or outermost growth stage. Common BSE patterns include decreasing brightness from the inner portion of a growth period outward, increasing brightness towards either side of a boundary, and periods of constant brightness, for a full or partial period. Most mineral inclusions appear as single crystals ( 10-25%) or as groups of 2-4 crystals ( 60-75%). Large clusters of 10 or more individuals are less common ( 5-15%), and clusters of >20 crystals are rare ( 1-3%). Most crystals (85-95%) occur on growth boundaries or within the core. Magnetite is common in the more central parts of the interior zone, appearing only occasionally in the core and towards the rim. Accessories, amphibole, and biotite are more evenly distributed within the megacryst. Biotite and titanite grains large enough to display habit appear to be within 20 degrees of parallel with zone boundaries. Most other inclusions are small or not elongated enough to display clear alignment. The total volume of inclusions (excluding quartz and plagioclase, which have X-ray attenuation very similar to that of alkali feldspar) does not exceed 1% of megacryst volume. Plagioclase seems to be at least equal in volume to all other inclusions combined, but as noted above, its exact volume is currently indiscernible. Magnetite makes up about 1/6 of inclusion volume, zircon 1/3, and all others the remaining half. We will complement our dataset by performing XCT, BSE, EDS, and LA-ICP-MS analysis on the crystals, and continue to improve methods to better discern the zoning patterns. Identifying zoning patterns that are discernable from one another is an important first step towards understanding individual megacryst histories.

Geological evolution of Paniri volcano, Central Andes, northern Chile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godoy, Benigno; Lazcano, José; Rodríguez, Inés; Martínez, Paula; Parada, Miguel Angel; Le Roux, Petrus; Wilke, Hans-Gerhard; Polanco, Edmundo

2018-07-01

Paniri volcano, in northern Chile, belongs to a volcanic chain trending across the main orientation of the Central Andean volcanic province. Field work mapping, stratigraphic sequences, and one new 40Ar/39Ar and eleven previous published 40Ar/39Ar, and K/Ar ages, indicate that the evolution of Paniri involved eruption of seven volcanic units (Malku, Los Gordos, Las Lenguas, Las Negras, Viscacha, Laguna, and Llareta) during four main stages occurring over more than 1 Myr: Plateau Shield (>800 ka); Main Edifice (800-400 ka); Old Cone (400-250 ka); and New Cone (250-100 ka). Considering glacial and fluvial action, an estimated 85.3 km3 of volcanic material were erupted during the eruptive history of Paniri volcano, giving a bulk eruption rate of 0.061 km3/ka, with major activity in the last 150 kyr (eruption rate of 0.101 km3/ka). Lava flows from Paniri show abundant plagioclase together with subordinate ortho-, and clino-pyroxene, and amphibole as main phenocrysts. Moreover, although true basalts are scarce in the Central Andes, olivine-bearing lavas were erupted at Paniri at ∼400 ka. Also, scarce phenocrysts of biotite, quartz, rutile, and opaque minerals (Fe-Ti oxides) were identified. The groundmass of these flows is composed mainly of glass along with pyroxene and plagioclase microlites. Consolidated and unconsolidated pyroclastic deposits of dacitic composition are also present. The consolidated deposits correspond to vitreous tuffs, whilst unconsolidated deposits are composed of pumice clasts up to 5 cm in diameter. Both pyroclastic deposits are composed of glassy groundmass (up to 80% vol.), and subordinated plagioclase, hornblende, and biotite phenocrysts up to 1 cm in length. Results of twenty-four new, coupled with previous published compositional analyses show that volcanic products of Paniri vary from 57% (basaltic-andesite) to 71% (rhyolite) vol. SiO2, with significant linear correlations between major element-oxide and trace-element concentrations. 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios range from 0.7070 to 0.7075, indicating that Paniri, similar to other volcanoes of the San Pedro - Linzor volcanic chain, have undergone significant crustal contamination of its parental magmas. However, the almost constant Sr-isotope compositions of the different volcanic units defined for Paniri volcano, suggested later fractional crystallization of magmas at upper crustal levels.

Mapping of groundwater potential zones in Salem Chalk Hills, Tamil Nadu, India, using remote sensing and GIS techniques.

PubMed

Thilagavathi, N; Subramani, T; Suresh, M; Karunanidhi, D

2015-04-01

This study proposes to introduce the remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) techniques in mapping the groundwater potential zones. Remote sensing and GIS techniques have been used to map the groundwater potential zones in Salem Chalk Hills, Tamil Nadu, India. Charnockites and fissile hornblende biotite gneiss are the major rock types in this region. Dunites and peridodites are the ultramafic rocks which cut across the foliation planes of the gneisses and are highly weathered. It comprises magnesite and chromite deposits which are excavated by five mining companies by adopting bench mining. The thickness of weathered and fracture zone varies from 2.2 to 50 m in gneissic formation and 5.8 to 55 m in charnockite. At the contacts of gneiss and charnockite, the thickness ranges from 9.0 to 90.8 m favoring good groundwater potential. The mine lease area is underlined by fractured and sheared hornblende biotite gneiss where groundwater potential is good. Water catchment tanks in this area of 5 km radius are small to moderate in size and are only seasonal. They remain dry during summer seasons. As perennial water resources are remote, the domestic and agricultural activities in this region depend mainly upon the groundwater resources. The mines are located in gently slope area, and accumulation of water is not observed except in mine pits even during the monsoon period. Therefore, it is essential to map the groundwater potential zones for proper management of the aquifer system. Satellite imageries were also used to extract lineaments, hydrogeomorphic landforms, drainage patterns, and land use, which are the major controlling factors for the occurrence of groundwater. Various thematic layers pertaining to groundwater existence such as geology, geomorphology, land use/land cover, lineament, lineament density, drainage, drainage density, slope, and soil were generated using GIS tools. By integrating all the above thematic layers based on the ranks and weightages, eventually groundwater potential zones were demarcated. The study indicates that groundwater potential is good to high in 22 villages and moderate in 13 villages. The good to high potential zone occupies an area of 128 km2 and moderate potential zone occupies an area of 77 km2. Groundwater occurrence is poor in five villages which need artificial recharge to augment groundwater.

Oxygen and Hydrogen Isotope Values for Unaltered and Hydrothermally Altered Samples from the Cretaceous Linga Plutonic Complex of the Peruvian Coastal Batholith near Ica.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzalez, L. U.; Holk, G. J.; Clausen, B. L.; Poma Porras, O. A.

2015-12-01

A portion of the Peruvian Coastal Batholith near Ica, Peru is being studied using stable isotopes to determine the source of hydrothermal fluids that caused propylitic, phyllic, and potassic alteration in the mineralized Linga plutonic complex. Sources of hydrothermal fluids and water/rock ratios are estimated to understand the role of such fluids in alteration during cooling. A set of 64 mineral analysis from 18 igneous samples, 7 unaltered and 11 altered, were analyzed for D/H and 18O/16O isotopes. The δ18O values for whole rocks with no apparent alteration vary from +6.8‰ to +7.9‰, with sets of δ18O mineral values indicating isotopic equilibrium at closure temperatures from 571°C to 651°C, and no interaction with meteoric water. This conclusion is bolstered by hornblende (-87‰ to -64‰) and biotite (-81‰ to -74‰) δD values Most δ18O values for samples with hydrothermal alteration suggest that alteration results from magmatic fluids; however, several analyses indicate interaction with other fluids. The high δ18O values for plagioclase (+9.3‰) and hornblende (+6.3‰) from a metamorphic aureole in volcanic host rock near a plutonic intrusion may be due to interaction with metamorphic or low temperature magmatic fluids. Plagioclase (+2.6‰) and biotite (+0.1‰) δ18O values in a sample from the Jurassic volcanic envelope indicate a significant effect from meteoric-hydrothermal fluids. An altered monzonite yielded δ18O values for quartz (+5.5‰), K-spar (+5.6‰), and magnetite (+0.4‰), also suggesting interaction with meteoric fluids. A diorite from an area with strong epidotization produced an epidote δD value of -25.8‰ and a monzonite from a highly veined area has an epidote δD value of -36.1‰ suggesting interaction with sea water. This new data indicate that the Linga complex was primarily influenced by magmatic hydrothermal fluids, but metamorphic, meteoric, and sea water may have had some influence in producing alteration assemblages and in cooling the magmatic complex.

A large eruption convulsed in prehistoric times an extensive area of Catamarca, Southern Central Andes, NW Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernandez-Turiel, Jose-Luis; Ratto, Norma; Perez-Torrado, Francisco-Jose; Rodriguez-Gonzalez, Alejandro; Rejas, Marta; Lobo, Agustin

2016-04-01

Geomorphological, stratigraphical, mineralogical and chemical characteristics of many recent 30-160 cm ash deposits occurring at the Bolsón de Fiambalá in Catamarca, NW Argentina, allow their correlation. This lithostratigraphic unit is named Fiambalá Ash and it is uncovered or covered by colluvial deposits and present-day aeolian deposits, reworked products of the primary fall deposits. The grain size of these ash deposits is gritty rather than silty. They are nearly unique among regional ashes in containing hornblende phenocrysts. In addition, they are made up of glass (subangular blocky shards), feldspars, biotite, and quartz; magnetite, ilmenite, apatite and titanite are scarce. The glass is rhyolitic (˜75 to 79 % m/m SiO2; ˜3 to 4 % m/m Na2O; ˜3 to 5 % m/m K2O; 1 to 2 % m/m CaO; normalized to 100 %). On the other hand, in northern margins of Fiambalá basin, extensive remnants of fines-poor pumiceous debris flows and hyperconcentrated sandflow deposits as thick as 10 m are exposed on the walls of the river gorges, where the base is usually covered, e.g., Chuquisaca River. There is no significant unconformity or intercalation of other materials, thus suggesting rapid emplacement after a single eruptive event. A preliminary age of Fiambalá Ash based on archaeological studies bracket it between 1400-1270 and 1270-980 cal a BP (OxCal 4.2.4, SHCal13, 2 sigma). The geographical distribution, the geomorphological features observed in satellite images and the information on the main trends of the stratigraphy, the abundance of hornblende and biotite in the younger proximal ash fall deposits, ignimbrites and lava-domes of the Nevado Tres Cruces complex, favours this edifice as the strongest candidate to be the source of the Upper Holocene pyroclastic deposits found in the Fiambalá basin. The archaeological records seem to evidence the abrupt environmental and societal changes associated with this major eruption. Significant areas of Catamarca were likely rendered uninhabitable, being dramatic the socio-economic and environmental consequences for generations. However, the resilience was high, as evidenced by the relatively quick reintroduction of cultivated fields. The understanding of these impacts could provide valuable insights to manage volcanic hazards related to large explosive eruptions. Financial support was provided by the QUECA Project (MINECO, CGL2011-23307).

Fluid-assisted Ductile Deformation in the Main Central Thrust, Sikkim Himalaya, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty, S.; Majumdar, A. S.; Mukul, M.

2016-12-01

The disparity in the definition and position of the Main Central Thrust (MCT), a major crustal scale fault-zone (FZ) in the Himalaya have hindered detailed studies on its geometry, kinematics, deformation mechanisms and role of fluid aiding in deformation within the MCTFZ. To resolve these ambiguities, we have mapped the MCT using a ductile fault-zone model, characterized by a fault core (FC) of maximum-grain size reduction flanked by relatively less deformed hanging-wall (HWDZ) and footwall damage zones (FWDZ). The mineralogical and compositional variations from protolith to FC are analysed by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF). The study reveals in the structurally lowest exposure near Rongli, Sikkim, India the MCTFZ outcrops with 120m thick FC flanked by 1.2km HWDZ and 1.3km FWDZ. The modal proportion of quartz progressively increases from protolith ( 32%) to the FC ( 90%), coupled with decrease in proportion of feldspars ( 60% to 9%) and biotite ( 6% to 2%). Volume-conservative mass balance calculations show an increase in SiO2 concentration (in wt%), coupled with a decrease in other major and minor element concentrations like Al2O3, TiO2, Fe2O3, Na2O and CaO in the FC relative to the protolith composition. Similar trend was observed for Al2O3 and TiO2 conservative isocon analyses with volume gain of 138% and 55% respectively from the protolith to the FC. The extensive mineralogical and compositional changes from the protolith to the FC indicate fluid-induced element mobilization in the MCTFZ. Evidences of reaction softening, as observed by the transformation of mechanically stronger minerals like feldspar and hornblende to weaker sericite and biotite respectively, attest to deformation in the presence of fluid. The fluid enriches the FC with easily deformable quartz along with reduction in proportion of relatively less deformable feldspar. The presence of fluid facilitates deformation of quartz in MCTFZ at lower temperatures by hydrolytic weakening thus, supplementing deformation by grain-size sensitive dislocation-creep. These results from the present study indicate that fluids have played a significant role in the evolution of the MCTFZ, fluid induced mobility of perceived immobile elements like Al2O3 and TiO2 and probable cause of the ambiguous Ar-Ar ages in the region.

Mafic enclaves in dacitic domes and their relation with La Poruña scoria cone, Central Andes, northern Chile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González-Maurel, O. P.; Gallmeyer, G.; Godoy, B.; Menzies, A.; le Roux, P. J.; Harris, C.

2017-12-01

Chao Dacite, Chillahuita, Cerro Pabellón, Chanka, Chac-Inca, and Cerro La Torta (or Tocorpuri) are dacitic domes of late Pleistocene age (30 to 140 ka; Renzulli et al., 2006; Tierney et al., 2016) located in Northern Chilean Central Andean province (NCCA; 17°20'S - 27°40'S). While, La Poruña is a 180 m high basaltic-andesite scoria cone erupted ca. 100 ka (Wörner et al., 2000). This scoria cone is also located at the NCCA, 26 km to the SW of Chanka and 45 km to the NW of Chao Dacite. The dacitic domes are generally porphyritic and highly crystalline lavas (30 - 50 vol % phenocrysts, plagioclase > biotite > amphibole > quartz ≥ accessory), with hyalopilitic or intersertal groundmass. These domes contain mafic enclaves, mostly andesite in composition, with plagioclase > amphibole > biotite ≥ clinopyroxene ≥ olivine ≥ accessory phenocryst (10 - 20 vol %) in a lightly oxidized groundmass with intersertal or intergranular textures. In contrast, La Poruña rocks are mostly aphanitic (75 - 85 vol % groundmass) and highly vesicular, with plagioclase > olivine ≥ clinopyroxene ≥ orthopyroxene phenocrysts in an intersertal or hyalopilitic groundmass. Although petrographically different, the composition (57 wt % SiO2; 580 ppm Sr, 87Sr/86Sr = 0.7066) of mafic enclaves from Cerro Pabellón dome are similar to the lava flows and pyroclastic blocks of La Poruña scoria cone (55 - 59 wt % SiO2; 560 - 610 ppm Sr; 0.7062 - 0.7066 87Sr/86Sr). Based on this data and the eruption ages of these volcanic structures, we suggest that the mafic enclaves and La Poruña magmas are co-genetic. Thus, we propose that the genesis of these mafic enclaves is associated with the origin of less evolved parental magmas erupted in the NCCA, such as those from La Poruña. In this case, the mafic enclaves would represent batches of less evolved magmas that ascended from deeper sources and probably contributed in the eruption of the dacitic domes. Renzulli et al., 2006. In XI Congreso Geológico Chileno, 2: 307 - 310; Tierney et al., 2016. Geology, 44(8): 683 - 686; Wörner et al., 2000. Revista Geológica de Chile, 27(2): 205 - 240

Bedrock geology of the Mount Carmel and Southington quadrangles, Connecticut

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fritts, Crawford Ellswroth

1962-01-01

New data concerning the geologic structure, stratigraphy, petrography, origin, and ages of bedrock formations in an area of approximately 111 square miles in south-central Connecticut were obtained in the course of detailed geologic mapping from 1957 to 1960. Mapping was done at a scale of 1:24,000 on topographic base maps having a 10-foot contour interval. Bedrock formations are classified in two principal categories. The first includes metasedimentary, meta-igneous, and igneous rocks of Precambrian to Devonian age, which crop out in the western parts of both quadrangles. The second includes sedimentary and igneous rocks of the Newark Group of Late Triassic age, which crop out in the eastern parts of the quadrangles. Diabase dikes, which are Late Triassic or younger in age, intruded rocks in both the western and eastern parts of the map area. Rocks in the western part of the area underwent progressive regional metamorphism in Middle to Late Devonian time. The arrangement of the chlorite, garnet, biotite, staurolite, and kyanite zones here is approximately the mirror-image of metamorphic zones in Dutchess County, New York. However, garnet appeared before biotite in politic rocks in the map area, because the ration MgO/FeO is low. Waterbury Gneiss and the intrusive Woodtick Gneiss are parts of a basement complex of Precambrian age, which forms the core of the Waterbury dome. This structure is near the southern end of a line of similar domes that lie along the crest of a geanticline east of the Green Mountain anticlinorium. The Waterbury Gneiss is believed to have been metamorphosed in Precambrian time as well as in Paleozoic time. The Woodtick Gneiss also may have been metamorphosed more than once. In Paleozoic time, sediments were deposited in geosynclines during two main cycles of sedimentation. The Straits, Southington Mountain, and Derby Hill Schists, which range in age from Cambrian to Ordovician, reflect a transition from relatively clean politic sediments to thinly layered sediments that contained rather high percentages of fine-grained volcanic debris. Metadiabase and metabasalt extrusives above Derby Hill Schist south of the map area represent more intense volcanic activity before or during the early stages of the Taconic disturbance in Late Ordovician time. Impure argillaceous, siliceous, and minor calcareous sediments of the Wepawaug Schist, which is Silurian and Devonian in age, were deposited unconformably on older rocks during renewed subsidence of a geosyncline. The Wepawaug now occupies the trough of a tight syncline, which formed before and during progressive regional metamorphism at the time of the Acadian orogeny in middle to Late Devonian time. Felsic igneous rocks were intruded into the metasedimentary formations of Paleozoic age before the climax of the latest progressive regional metamorphism. Intrusives that gave rise to the Prospect and Ansonia Gneisses were emplaced mainly in the Southington Mountain Schist, and the igneous rocks as well as the host rocks were metamorphosed in the staurolite zone. Although it is possible that these two intrusives were emplaced during the Taconic disturbance, the writer believes it more likely that the igneous rocks from which the Prospect and Ansonia Gneisses formed were emplaced during the Acadian orogeny. Woodbridge Granite, which intruded the Wepawaug Schist, is Devonian in age and undoubtedly was emplaced during the Acadian orogeny. In this area the granite is essentially unmetamorphosed, because it is in the chlorite, garnet, and biotite zones. Southwest of the map area, however, metamorphic equivalents of the Woodbridge are found in Wepawaug Schist in the staurolite zone. The Ansonia Gneiss, therefore, may be a metamorphic equivalent of the Woodbridge Granite. Rocks of Late Triassic age formerly covered the entire map area, but were eroded from the western part after tilting and faulting in Late Triassic time. The New Haven Arkose of the Newark

Petrogenesis of Mesoproterozoic granitic plutons, eastern Llano Uplift, central Texas, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, R. K.; Gray, Walt; Gibbs, Tyson; Gallegos, M. A.

2010-08-01

The Llano Uplift of central Texas is a gentle structural dome exposing ˜ 1370 to 1230 Ma metaigneous and metasedimentary rocks of Grenville affinity along the southern margin of Laurentia. The metamorphic rocks were subsequently intruded by ˜ 1119 to 1070 Ma late syn- to post-tectonic granites collectively known as the Town Mountain Granite (TMG). The eastern most of the TMG, the Marble Falls (MF), Kingsland (KL), and Lone Grove (LG) plutons, are metaluminous to marginally peraluminous, high-K, calc-alkaline, ferroan, biotite-calcic amphibole granites [Fe/(Fe + Mg) = 0.71-0.92 and 0.78-0.91 for biotite and calcic amphibole, respectively] displaying distinct variation trends with increasing silica content. They are chemically and texturally zoned and have mineralogical and chemical characteristics similar to A-type granites; i.e., 1) Fe-rich biotites, calcic amphiboles, accessory fluorite, and sporadic rapakivi texture, 2) high K 2O (> 4 wt.%), 3) low Al 2O 3 (< 16 wt.%) and CaO (< 3 wt.%), 4) high Fe/(Fe + Mg), 5) enrichments in Zr, Nb, REE, Ga/Al, and 6) depleted Eu. However, in contrast to typical A-type granites (having low Sr and Ba) the MF, KL,and LG plutons are enriched in Sr and Ba; i.e., up to 229 ppm and 1090 ppm, respectively. On granite discrimination diagrams [(K 2O + Na 2O)/CaO vs. Zr + Nb + Ce + Y (ppm) and Zr (ppm) vs. Ga/Al*10,000] the KL and MF plutons plot within the A-type field, whereas the LG pluton compositions are divided between A-type and fractionated granite fields (I-, S- and M-types). On tectonic discrimination diagrams (Y vs. Nb ) the MF and KL granites plot in the "within-plate" granite field, but the LG pluton plots across several fields including "within-plate" and "volcanic arc plus syn-collisional" fields. Consequently the tectonic classification on a geochemical basis for the LG pluton is unclear. Based on thermal metamorphic mineral assemblages, normative Q-Ab-Or plots, and Q-Ab-Or-H 2O experimental data (Johannes and Holtz, 1996), crystallization temperatures and pressures are estimated to range from 750 to 850 °C and 200 to 500 MPa, respectively. The assemblage of titanite + magnetite + quartz suggests crystallization at low fO2 [confirmed by Fe/(Fe + Mg) vs. [4] Al microprobe analyses of calcic amphibole] and a water content of less than 1.5 wt.% (Wones, 1989). Like other Town Mountain-type plutons, the MF, KL, and LG granites display comparable iron contents at similar alkali and silica enrichments. Melting models (Ba vs. Sr) suggest the MF, KL, and LG plutons may have evolved from the partial melting (anatexis) of juvenile, tonalitic, lower crustal rocks, followed by plagioclase and pyroxene dominated fractionation. Nd isotopic data for the MF pluton ( ɛNd = + 3.4 at 1.06 Ga; Patchett and Ruiz, 1989) and whole-rock δ18O values for the MF, KL, and LG plutons (+ 7.0 < δ 18O >+10.1‰; Rangel et al., 2008) suggest that the magmas in the eastern Llano Uplift may contain a significant mantle component, whereas relatively high δ18O values (+ 9.3 to + 9.7‰; Bebout and Carlson, 1986) for other coeval TMG rocks suggest that a significant crustal component is involved. Whole-rock and trace-element chemistry indicate that the MF and KL plutons, along with the coarser grained textures of the LG pluton, are 'A-type' granites. However, with no coeval mafic dikes, syenitic compositions, or volcanic rocks it is clear that the TMG plutons do not represent anorogenic granites. The available evidence is most compatible with emplacement of the TMG plutons in a post-orogenic (Grenville), relaxation and extensional (i.e., slab breakoff) setting.

Cataclastic rocks of the San Gabriel fault—an expression of deformation at deeper crustal levels in the San Andreas fault zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, J. Lawford; Osborne, Robert H.; Palmer, Donald F.

1983-10-01

The San Gabriel fault, a deeply eroded late Oligocene to middle Pliocene precursor to the San Andreas, was chosen for petrologic study to provide information regarding intrafault material representative of deeper crustal levels. Cataclastic rocks exposed along the present trace of the San Andreas in this area are exclusively a variety of fault gouge that is essentially a rock flour with a quartz, feldspar, biotite, chlorite, amphibole, epidote, and Fe-Ti oxide mineralogy representing the milled-down equivalent of the original rock (Anderson and Osborne, 1979; Anderson et al., 1980). Likewise, fault gouge and associated breccia are common along the San Gabriel fault, but only where the zone of cataclasis is several tens of meters wide. At several localities, the zone is extremely narrow (several centimeters), and the cataclastic rock type is cataclasite, a dark, aphanitic, and highly comminuted and indurated rock. The cataclastic rocks along the San Gabriel fault exhibit more comminution than that observed for gouge along the San Andreas. The average grain diameter for the San Andreas gouge ranges from 0.01 to 0.06 mm. For the San Gabriel cataclastic rocks, it ranges from 0.0001 to 0.007 mm. Whereas the San Andreas gouge remains particulate to the smallest grain-size, the ultra-fine grain matrix of the San Gabriel cataclasite is composed of a mosaic of equidimensional, interlocking grains. The cataclastic rocks along the San Gabriel fault also show more mineralogiec changes compared to gouge from the San Andreas fault. At the expense of biotite, amphibole, and feldspar, there is some growth of new albite, chlorite, sericite, laumontite, analcime, mordenite (?), and calcite. The highest grade of metamorphism is laumontite-chlorite zone (zeolite facies). Mineral assemblages and constrained uplift rates allow temperature and depth estimates of 200 ± 30° C and 2-5 km, thus suggesting an approximate geothermal gradient of ~50°C/km. Such elevated temperatures imply a moderate to high stress regime for the San Andreas, which is consistent with experimental rock failure studies. Moreover, these results suggest that the previously observed lack of heat flow coaxial with the fault zone may be the result of dissipation rather than low stress. Much of the mineralogy of the cataclastic rocks is still relict from the earlier igneous or metamorphic history of the protolith; porphyroclasts, even in the most deformed rocks, consist of relict plagioclase (oligoclase to andesine), alkali feldspar, quartz, biotite, amphibole, epidote, allanite, and Fe-Ti oxides (ilmenite and magnetite). We have found no significant development of any clay minerals (illite, kaolinite, or montmorillonite). For many sites, the compositions of these minerals directly correspond to the mineral compositions in rock types on one or both sides of the fault. Whole rock major and trace element chemistry coupled with mineral compositions show that mixing within the zone of cataclasis is not uniform, and that originally micaceous foliated, or physically more heterogeneous rock units may contribute a disproportionally large amount to the resultant intrafault material. As previously found for the gouge along the San Andreas, chemical mobility is not a major factor in the formation of cataclastic rocks of the San Gabriel fault. We see only minor changes for Si and alkalies; however, there is a marked mobility of Li, which is a probable result of the alteration and formation of new mica minerals. The gouge of the San Andreas and San Gabriel faults probably formed by cataclastic flow. There is some indication, presently not well constrained, that the fine-grained matrix of the cataclasite of from the San Gabriel fault formed in response to superplastic flow.

Selected fluvial monazite deposits in the southeastern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Overstreet, William C.; White, A.M.; Theobald, P.K.; Caldwell, D.W.

1971-01-01

Farther southwest in Georgia, around Griffin and Zebullon, along streams tributary to the Flint River in the monazite belt the flood plains are generally small and discontinuous, and only about 1 percent of the sediment is gravel. The area between Griffin, Zebullon, and the Flint River is underlain by biotite schist and biotite gneiss into which biotite granite has been intruded. Only along one stream, Flat Creek, which drains monazite-bearing granite near Zetella, Ga., are the tenors in monazite even moderately high, but a combination of thick, clayey overburden and discontinuous flood plains make the stream unsuitable for placer mining. Elsewhere in the Flint River area the heavy-mineral concentrates contain less than 1 percent monazite. The southwesternmost area in which reconnaissance of the monazite belt was conducted includes a groups of southwest-flowing tributaries to the Chattahoochee River north of Pine Mountain and near La Grange, Ga. A combination of three characteristics of the alluvium make the area unfavorable for mining: (1) the upper half of the sedimentary sequence is clay and silt, (2) there is scant gravel, and (3) much of the sand is fine grained. Monazite is associated with the Snelson Granite, schists, and gneisses north of the Towaliga fault, but even in this area the tenor of most riffle sediments is only 0.1 to 0.5 pound of monazite per cubic yard, and the average tenor of the alluvium is about 0.2 pound per cubic Yard. Rocks south of the Towaliga fault contain scant monazite. The monazite-bearing area in the drainage basin of the Chattahoochee River has no monazite placers. Evidence from the areas on the Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers shows that streams in western Georgia are a much poorer source of monazite than streams farther to the northeast in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Also, the northeastern part of the belt in the drainage basins of the Yadkin and Dan Rivers is a poorer source for monazite than the area between the Savannah and Catawba Rivers, S.C.-N.C. Monazite-bearing crystalline rocks in the western belt contain about 0.06 pound of monazite per cubic yard. Residual soil derived from the crystalline rocks contains about 0.3 to 0.4 pound of monazite per cubic yard, and colluvial sediments formed by sheet-wash from saprolite, residual soil, and, rarely, old stream deposits, have an average of 3.1 pounds of monazite to the cubic yard. The data on the tenors of residual and colluvial deposits are far less comprehensive than those an the quantity of monazite in the crystalline rocks, but the tenors are probably of the correct order of magnitude. Neither the crystalline rocks nor the residual soils are ores of monazite. Because the colluvial deposits are thin and have patch distribution they could not be mined independently, but some colluvium could be stripped from the adjoining hills in conjunction with the mining of alluvial deposits in the valleys. It is most unlikely that alluvial monazite placers have formed in the trunk streams leading southeastward out of the monazite belt. Churn drilling on the Broad and North Tyger Rivers, South Carolina, at the east edge of the belt has shown that the bulk of the alluvium is fine-grained sediment that contains 0.2 to 0.4 pound of monazite per cubic yard--tenors that represent no considerable enrichment over those in the crystalline rocks and residual soils. The probable persistence of predominantly fine-grained alluvium downstream to the Coastal Plain and the certain dilution of monazite-bearing concentrates by the inflow of monazite-free suites of heavy minerals between the belt and the fall line suggest that the trunk streams east of the belt are the least favorable sources for alluvial monazite in the Piedmont?

Geomorphological stability of Permo-Triassic albitized profiles - case study of the Montseny-Guilleries High (NE Iberia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parcerisa, D.; Casas, L.; Franke, C.; Gomez-Gras, D.; Lacasa, G.; Nunez, J. A.; Thiry, M.

2010-05-01

Massif paleoalteration profiles (≥ 200 m) occur in the upper parts of the Montseny-Guilleries High (NE Catalan Coastal Ranges). The profiles consist of hard albitized-chloritized-hematized facies in the lower part and softer kaolinized-hematized facies in the upper part of the section. Preliminary paleomagnetic data show Triassic ages for both, the albitized and the kaolinized parts, and point to a surficial formation altered under oxidising conditions. Similar paleoalteration profiles have already been described and dated to Triassic ages elsewhere in Europe [Schmitt, 1992; Ricordel et al., 2007; Parcerisa et al., 2009]. These Permian-Triassic alterations are following a succession of different mineral transformations from the top to the base of the profile: 1) Red facies are defined by an increase in the amount and size of haematite crystals leading to the red colour of the rocks. The increase on haematite content is pervasively affecting the whole rock and is accompanied by the kaolinitization of the feldspars. 2) Pink facies: here, the granite shows an uniform pink colouration, which is mainly due to the albitization of the primary Ca-bearing plagioclases, accompanied by a precipitation of minute haematite, sericite, and calcite crystals inside the albite. Additionally primary biotite is fully chloritized. The pink granites are much more resistant to the present-day weathering than the "unaltered" facies at the base of the profile. 3) Spotted facies is characterized by a partial alteration of the rock, which caused a pink-screened aspect to the rock. The alteration developed along the fractures and is less well developed or absent in the non-fractured zones. In the pink-screened facies, the plagioclases are partially albitized and contain numerous hematite inclusions. Biotites are usually almost entirely chloritized. 4) Unaltered facies: These granites are coloured white to greyish, containing plagioclase and K-feldspar that do not show any trace of albitization. Biotites are not or weakly chloritized. However, these "unaltered" (or primary) granites are strongly weathered into granite boulders embedded in grus by the present-day climatic conditions. The maturest paleoprofiles occur at the northern part of the Catalan Coastal Ranges (i.e. the Montseny-Guilleries High) where the Variscan basement remained exposed during Triassic times. Towards the South the profiles progressively disappear and Triassic sediments acquire their maximum thickness here. The alteration profiles are related with the Permo-Triassic paleosurface still outcroping on wide areas [Gómez-Gras and Ferrer, 1999]. They are partially covered by Triassic fluvial sandstones (Buntsandstein facies) in the South [Gómez-Gras, 1993] and by Palaeocene alluvial conglomerates in the West [Anadón et al., 1979]. The Triassic paleosurface shows a remarkable stability successively outcropping during Mesozoic and Tertiary times, the pre-Tertiary exhumation and even the present day weathering affected very little these albitized profiles. The hardness and thus preservation of the Triassic paleosurface is mainly related to the albitization. The albitized granites are entirely lacking anorthitic plagioclase, which is much more sensitive to chemo-mechanical weathering. Development of albite and additional chloritization of the primary biotite crystals render the rocks much more resistant to weathering and erosion. This stability is particularly well expressed in case of the Montseny-Guilleries High, which is limited by a high fault scarp at the south-eastern margin. The albitized top of the scarp shows remarkably hard fresh rocks, whereas the base of the scarp (formed of primary, non-albitized facies) is deeply weathered into gruss. This is causing much smother landscape reliefs in the valleys and thalwegs. Since a long time the remarkable persistence of the Triassic paleosurface expressed in the Paleozoic massifs has been highlighted by geomorphologists. Only recently we could draw the link of the paleosurface preservation to its albitisation [Battiau-Queney, 1996; Widdowson, 1997]. Anadón, P., Colombo, F., Esteban, M., Marzo, M., Robles, S., Santanach, P., Solé-Sugrañes, L.., 1979. Evolución tectonostratigráfica de los Catalánides. Acta Geológica Hispánica, 14: 242-270. Battiau-Queney Y., 1996, A tentative classification of paleoweathering formations based on geomorphological criteria. Geomorphology, 16, p. 87-102. Gómez-Gras, D., 1993. El Permotrias de la Cordillera Costero Catalana: facies y petrologia sedimentaria (Parte I). Boletin Geologico y Minero, 104(2): 115-161. Gómez-Gras, D., Ferrer, C., 1999. Caracterización petrológica de perfiles de meteorización antiguos desarrollados en granitos tardihercínicos de la Cordillera Costero Catalana. Revista de la Sociedad Geológica de España, 12(2): 281-299. Parcerisa, D., Thiry, M., Schmitt, J.M., 2009. Albitisation related to the Triassic unconformity in igneous rocks of the Morvan Massif (France). International Journal of Earth Sciences (Geol Rundsch). DOI 10.1007/s00531-008-0405-1 Ricordel, C., Parcerisa, D., Thiry, M., Moreau, M.G., Gómez-Gras, D., 2007. Triassic magnetic overprints related to albitization in granites from the Morvan massif (France). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 251: 268-282. Schmitt J.M., 1992, Triassic albitization in southern France : an unusual mineralogical record from a major continental paleosurface. in : Mineralogical and geochemical records of paleoweathering, IGCP 317, Schmitt J.M., Gall Q., (eds), E.N.S.M.P. Mém. Sc. de la Terre, 18, p. 115-132. Widdowson M., 1997, The geomorphological and geological importance of palaeosurfaces. in: Widdowson M. (ed.), Palaeosurfaces: recognition, reconstruction and palaeoenvironmental interpretation. Geol. Soc. Special Publ., 120, p. 1-12.

High REE and Y concentrations in Co-Cu-Au ores of the Blackbird district, Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Slack, J.F.

2006-01-01

Analysis of 11 samples of strata-bound Co-Cu-Au ore from the Blackbird district in Idaho shows previously unknown high concentrations of rare earth elements (REE) and Y, averaging 0.53 wt percent ???REE + Y oxides. Scanning electron microscopy indicates REE and Y residence in monazite, xenotime, and allanite that form complex intergrowths with cobaltite, suggesting coeval Co and REE + Y mineralization during the Mesoproterozoic. Occurrence of high REE and Y concentrations in the Blackbird ores, together with previously documented saline-rich fluid inclusions and Cl-rich biotite, suggest that these are not volcanogenic massive sulfide or sedimentary exhalative deposits but instead are iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposits. Other strata-bound Co deposits of Proterozoic age in the North American Cordillera and elsewhere in the world may have potential for REE and Y resources. IOCG deposits with abundant light REE should also be evaluated for possible unrecognized heavy REE and Y mineralization. ?? 2006 by Economic Geology.

Desorption of cesium from granite under various aqueous conditions.

PubMed

Wang, Tsing-Hai; Li, Ming-Hsu; Wei, Yuan-Yaw; Teng, Shi-Ping

2010-12-01

In this work the desorption of cesium ions from crushed granite in synthetic groundwater (GW) and seawater (SW) was investigated. Results were compared with those obtained in deionized water (DW) and in two kinds of extraction solutions, namely: MgCl(2) and NaOAc (sodium acetate). In general, the desorption rate of Cs from crushed granite increased proportionally with initial Cs loadings. Also, amounts of desorbed Cs ions followed the tendency in the order SW>GW>NaOAc approximately equal MgCl(2)>DW solutions. This indicated that the utilization of extraction reagents for ion exchange will underestimate the Cs desorption behavior. Fitting these experimental data by Langmuir model showed that these extraction reagents have reduced Cs uptake by more than 90%, while only less than 1% of adsorbed Cs ions are still observed in GW and SW solutions in comparison to those in DW. Further SEM/EDS mapping studies clearly demonstrate that these remaining adsorbed Cs ions are at the fracture areas of biotite. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Alkali metal and rare earth element evolution of rock-forming minerals from the Gatumba area pegmatites (Rwanda): Quantitative assessment of crystal-melt fractionation in the regional zonation of pegmatite groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hulsbosch, Niels; Hertogen, Jan; Dewaele, Stijn; André, Luc; Muchez, Philippe

2014-05-01

This study presents a general model for the evaluation of Rayleigh fractional crystallisation as the principal differentiation mechanism in the formation of regionally zoned common and rare-element pegmatites. The magmatic evolution of these systems from a granitic source is reconstructed by means of alkali element and rare earth element (REE) analyses of rock-forming minerals (feldspars, micas and tourmaline), which represent a whole sequence of regional pegmatite zonation. The Gatumba pegmatite field (Rwanda, Central Africa) is chosen as case study area because of its well-developed regional zonation sequence. The pegmatites are spatially and temporally related to peraluminous G4-granites (986 ± 10 Ma). The regional zonation is developed around a G4-granite and the proximal pegmatites grade outwardly into biotite, two-mica and muscovite pegmatites. Rare-element (Nb-Ta-Sn) pegmatites occur most distal from the granite.

Geological sources of fluoride and acceptable intake of fluoride in an endemic fluorosis area, southern Iran.

PubMed

Battaleb-Looie, Sedigheh; Moore, Farid; Jacks, Gunnar; Ketabdari, Mohammad Reza

2012-10-01

The present study is the first attempt to put forward possible source(s) of fluoride in the Dashtestan area, Bushehr Province, southern Iran. In response to reports on the high incidence of dental fluorosis, 35 surface and groundwater samples were collected and analysed for fluoride. The results indicate that dissolved fluoride in the study area is above the maximum permissible limit recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). An additional 35 soil and rock samples were also collected and analysed for fluoride, and rock samples were subjected to petrographic investigations and X-ray diffraction. The results of these analyses show that the most likely source for fluoride in the groundwater is from clay minerals (chlorite) and micas (muscovite, sericite, and biotite) in the soils and rocks in the area. We also note that due to the high average temperatures all year round and excessive water consumption in the area, the optimum fluoride dose level should be lower than that recommended by the WHO.

Agricultural aspects of radiocontamination induced by the Fukushima nuclear accident — A survey of studies by the Univ. of Tokyo Agricultural Dept. (2011–2016)

PubMed Central

NAKANISHI, Tomoko M.

2018-01-01

Immediately after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, a team of 40–50 researchers at the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Tokyo began to analyze the behavior of radioactive materials in the fallout regions. The fallout has remained in situ and become strongly adsorbed within the soil over time. 137Cs was found to bind strongly to the fine clay, weathered biotite, and organic matter in the soil; therefore, it has not mobilized from mountainous regions, even after heavy rainfall. In farmland, the quantity of 137Cs in the soil absorbed by crop plants was small. The downward migration of 137Cs in soil is now estimated at 1–2 mm/year. The intake of 137Cs by trees occurred through the bark and not from the roots. This report summarizes the findings of research across a wide variety of agricultural specialties. PMID:29321444

Petrogensis of rhyolitic domes of Dastjerd (SE Qom)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Askari, Nasim; Kheirkhah, Monireh; Hashem Emami, Mohamad

2010-05-01

The study area is located in South Eastern Qom; this area is marginal part of SW Central Iran, located in Urumieh- Dokhtar magmatic belt. Rhyolitic domes (Post Eocene) as endogenous (crypto dome) are along Meyem slip-fault, that this fault probably is effective in emplacement and magma ascent. The ryholitic rocks contain some phenocrysts of garnets, plagioclases and biotits. The groundmasses are consisting of plagioclase, K-feldspar and quartz. Rhyolitic rocks have calc alkaline trends and base on chemical composition of rhyolite rocks and mica bearing. The source of magma is S-type and per aluminums which belongs to collision environment. It is suggested the role of continental crust in generation rhyolitic rocks. Because of the garnet area is an early crystallizing phase and is only confined to rhyolite, it is inferred that the garnet did not crystallize in more basic magmas and that the rhyolite could not have been derived from a basic magma by crystal fractionation. Keywords: Rhyolitic, slip-fault, collision, S-type, endogenous

Petrology, composition, and age of intrusive rocks associated with the Quartz Hill molybdenite deposit, southeastern Alaska.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hudson, T.; Smith, James G.; Elliott, R.L.

1979-01-01

A large porphyry molybdenum deposit (Quartz Hill deposit) was recently discovered in the heart of the Coast Range batholithic complex about 70 km E of Ketchikan, SE Alaska. Intrusive rocks associated with the mineral deposit form two composite epizonal to hypabyssal stocks and many dikes in country rocks. All observed metallization and alteration is within the Quartz Hill stock. Molybdenite forms fracture coatings and occurs in veins with quartz. Alteration is widespread and includes development of secondary quartz, pyrite, K-feldspar, biotite, white mica, chlorite, and zeolite. Field relations indicate that the stocks were emplaced after regional uplift and erosion of the Coast Range batholithic complex, and K-Ar data show that intrusion and alteration took place in late Oligocene time, about 27 to 30 Ma ago. Data from the Ketchikan quadrangle indicate that porphyry molybdenum metallization in the Coast Range batholithic complex is associated with regionally extensive but spotty, middle Tertiary or younger, felsic magmatism. -from Authors

Agricultural aspects of radiocontamination induced by the Fukushima nuclear accident - A survey of studies by the Univ. of Tokyo Agricultural Dept. (2011-2016).

PubMed

Nakanishi, Tomoko M

2018-01-01

Immediately after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, a team of 40-50 researchers at the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Tokyo began to analyze the behavior of radioactive materials in the fallout regions. The fallout has remained in situ and become strongly adsorbed within the soil over time. 137 Cs was found to bind strongly to the fine clay, weathered biotite, and organic matter in the soil; therefore, it has not mobilized from mountainous regions, even after heavy rainfall. In farmland, the quantity of 137 Cs in the soil absorbed by crop plants was small. The downward migration of 137 Cs in soil is now estimated at 1-2 mm/year. The intake of 137 Cs by trees occurred through the bark and not from the roots. This report summarizes the findings of research across a wide variety of agricultural specialties.

Where fast weathering creates thin regolith and slow weathering creates thick regolith

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bazilevskaya, Ekaterina; Lebedeva, Marina; Pavich, Milan J.; Brantley, Susan L.; Rother, Gernot; Parkinson, Dilworth Y.; Cole, David

2013-01-01

Weathering disaggregates rock into regolith – the fractured or granular earth material that sustains life on the continental land surface. Here, we investigate what controls the depth of regolith formed on ridges of two rock compositions with similar initial porosities in Virginia (USA). A priori, we predicted that the regolith on diabase would be thicker than on granite because the dominant mineral (feldspar) in the diabase weathers faster than its granitic counterpart. However, weathering advanced 20 deeper into the granite than the diabase. The 20 -thicker regolith is attributed mainly to connected micron-sized pores, microfractures formed around oxidizing biotite at 20 m depth, and the lower iron (Fe) content in the felsic rock. Such porosity allows pervasive advection and deep oxidation in the granite. These observations may explain why regolith worldwide is thicker on felsic compared to mafic rock under similar conditions. To understand regolith formation will require better understanding of such deep oxidation reactions and how they impact fluid flow during weathering.

40Ar/ 39Ar dating of micas from granites of NE Kibaran Belt (Karagwe-Ankolean), NW Tanzania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikingura, J. R.; Reynolds, P. H.; Watkinson, D. H.; Bell, K.

1992-11-01

40Ar/ 39Ar total gas ages of muscovites and biotites from granites associated with NE Kibaran belt (Karagwe-Ankolean) in NW Tanzanian are in the range of about 945-700 Ma, much less than the estimated age of the granites. Age gradients in the muscovite spectra are indicative of partial gas loss as a result of thermal overprinting. Evidence for at least two tectonothermal events, at ca. 950 Ma and ca. 700 Ma, is noted. The older of these correlates with the formation of tin-bearing pegmatites and hydrothermal veins in the Kibaran belt; the younger with vein emplacements in the Burundian and/or a deformational episode. Correlation of 40Ar/ 39Ar age data with K-Ar and Rb-Sr data from other parts of the Kibaran belt in Burundi, Rwanda and Zaire indicates that the NE Kibaran belt, east of the Western Rift, experienced a tectonothermal history similar to that of the western part of the during the late-Proterozoic.

Immobile Trace Element Discrimination of Near-cogenetic Eruptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villa, I. M.

2015-12-01

A chemical diagram to discriminate individual magma batches in composite plutonic/volcanic complexes is proposed here: x = Y/Al, y = Zr/Ti. Both ratios are stable during weathering and low-grade metamorphism. Y/Al only depends on fractional crystallization of garnet, xenotime and monazite during magmatogenesis and the degree of partial melting. This already distinguishes individual magmas. Zr/Ti is modified by other phases (rutile, titanite, zircon, ilmenite, biotite, etc) that neither accommodate nor fractionate trivalent cations and provides a totally independent perspective on magmatogenesis. The Y/Al-Zr/Ti plot has no relation to tectonic setting (convergent, rift, intraplate, etc) and is not designed to distinguish lines of descent (calc-alkaline, transitional, etc). Instead, it can discriminate at a very fine scale lavas that share a common regional origin and are therefore confused in classic tectonic discrimination plots. Disentangling individual magma batches is inaccessible to global modeling but important to chronostratigraphers. Application to two well studied examples, Adamello (Alps) and North Anatolia, reproduces known consanguinity and rejects a few dubious ones.

Preservation of ancient impact ages on the R chondrite parent body: 40Ar/39Ar age of hornblende-bearing R chondrite LAP 04840

USGS Publications Warehouse

Righter, Kevin; Cosca, Michael A.; Morgan, Leah

2016-01-01

The hornblende- and biotite-bearing R chondrite LAP 04840 is a rare kind of meteorite possibly containing outer solar system water stored during metamorphism or postshock annealing deep within an asteroid. Because little is known regarding its age and origin, we determined 40Ar/39Ar ages on hornblende-rich separates of the meteorite, and obtained plateau ages of 4340(±40) to 4380(±30) Ma. These well-defined plateau ages, coupled with evidence for postshock annealing, indicate this meteorite records an ancient shock event and subsequent annealing. The age of 4340–4380 Ma (or 4.34–4.38 Ga) for this and other previously dated R chondrites is much older than most impact events recorded by ordinary chondrites and points to an ancient event or events that predated the late heavy bombardment that is recorded in so many meteorites and lunar samples.

Geology of the Ralston Buttes district, Jefferson County, Colorado: a preliminary report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sheridan, Douglas M.; Maxwell, Charles H.; Albee, Arden L.; Van Horn, Richard

1956-01-01

The Ralston Buttes district in Jefferson County is one of the most significant new uranium districts located east of the Continental Divide in Colorado. The district is east of the Colorado Front Range mineral belt, along the east front of the range. From November 1953 through October 1956, about 10,000 tons of uranium ore, much of which was high-grade pitchblende-bearing vein material, was shipped from the district. The ore occurs in deposits that range in size from bodies containing less than 50 tons to ore shoots containing over 1,000 tons. The only other mining activity in the area has been a sporadic production of beryl, feldspar, and scrap mica from Precambrian pegmatites, and quarrying of dimension stone, limestone, and clay from sedimentary rocks. Most of the Ralston Buttes district consists of complexly folded Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rocks - gneiss, schist, quartzite, amphibolite, and granodiorite. Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks crop out in the northeastern part of the district. These rocks are cut by northwesterly-trending fault systems of Laramide age and by small bodies of intrusive rocks that are Tertiary in age. The typical uranium deposits in the district are hydrothermal veins occupying openings in Laramide fault breccias or related fractures that cut the Precambrian rocks. Pitchblende and lesser amounts of secondary uranium minerals are associated with sparse base-mental sulfides in a gangue of carbonate minerals, potash feldspar, and, more rarely, quartz. Less common types of deposits consist of pitchblende and secondary uranium minerals that occupy fractures cutting pegmatites and quartz veins. The uranium deposits are concentrated in two areas, the Ralston Creek area and the Golden Gate Canyon area. The deposits in the Ralston Creek area are located along the Rogers fault system, and the deposits in the Golden Gate Canyon area are along the Hurricane Hill fault system. Two geologic factors were important to the localization of the uranium deposits: (1) favorable structural environment and (2) favorable host rocks. The deposits in each of the two major areas are located where a northwesterly-trending Laramide fault system splits into a complex network of faults. Also, most of the deposits appear to be localized where the faults cut Precambrian rocks rich in hornblende, biotite, or garnet and biotite. The ore controls recognized in this relatively new uranium district may have wider application in areas of similar geology elsewhere in the Front Range.

High temperature pseudotachylytes and ductile shear zones in dry rocks from the continental lower crust (Lofoten, Norway)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menegon, Luca; Pennacchioni, Giorgio; Harris, Katherine; Wood, Elliot

2014-05-01

Understanding the mechanisms of initiation and growth of shear zones under lower crustal conditions is of fundamental importance when assessing lithosphere rheology and strength. In this study we investigate brittle-ductile shear zones developed under lower crustal conditions in anorthosites from Nusfjord, Lofoten (northern Norway). Steep ductile shear zones trend E-W to ESE-WSW and have a stretching lineation plunging steeply to the SSW or SSE. The shear sense is normal (south block down to the south) as indicated by SC and SC' fabrics and sigmoidal foliations. The shear zone show a mylonitic to ultramylonitic fabric, sharp boundaries to the host anorthosites, and abundant anastomosing dark fine-grained layers along the main foliation. The fine-grained layers localized much of the strain. Relatively lower strain domains within or adjacent to shear zones indicate that the fine dark bands of mylonites represent transposed pseudotachylyte which still locally preserve the pristine structures such as chilled margins, breccia textures with angular clasts of the host rock and injection veins; intersecting veins of pseudotachylyte record multiple stages of seismic slip. The orientation of injection veins and marker offset along the most preserved pseudotachylyte fault veins indicate approximately a sinistral strike slip kinematic during faulting event responsible for the friction-induced melting. These observations indicate that ductile shear zones exploited pre-existing brittle fault zones including a network of pseudotachylytes, and that the fine-grained "ultramylonites" derive from former fine-grained pseudotachylytes. The pseudotachylyte microstructure is dominated by plagioclase microlites dispersed in a groundmass of fine-grained clinopyroxene. Clinopyroxene recrystallizes in the damage zone flanking the pseudotachylytes, indicating high metamorphic grade during pseudotachylyte formation. Small idioblastic or cauliflower garnet are scattered through the matrix and overgrow the plagioclase porphyroclasts; in some cases small garnets nucleated along thin microfractures discordant to the pseudotachylyte vein or along the pseudotachylyte boundary. In the host rock garnet form thin continuous coronitic rims surrounding biotite and opaque and discontinuous one around pyroxene. The mineral assemblage of ultramlylonites is also consistent with high grade metamorphic conditions (recrystallized plagioclase and clinopyroxene, biotite and amphibole). Nucleation of ductile shear zones is dictated by the availability of pseudotachylyte veins; remarkably, lithological boundaries have not been exploited by ductile shear zones. Brittle deformation and extreme grain size reduction are likely to be necessary conditions in order to promote ductile strain localization in dry rocks in the lower crust.

Geochronology, geochemical and Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotopic compositions of the granitoids in the Yemaquan orefield, East Kunlun orogenic belt, northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: Implications for magmatic fractional crystallization and sub-solidus hydrothermal alteration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Shuo; Ma, Changqian; Xu, Jiannan

2017-12-01

A general consensus has emerged that high field strength elements (HFSE) can mobile to some extent in a hydrothermal fluid. However, there are hot debates on whether sub-solidus hydrothermal alteration can lower the Nb/Ta ratio in evolved melts. In this study, we present petrography, geochronology and geochemistry of the barren and mineralized rocks in the Yemaquan skarn iron deposit, northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, to probe magmatic-hydrothermal transition. The barren rocks consist of diorites, granodiorites, granites and syenogranites, whereas the porphyritic granodiorites are associated with mineralization for an excellent consistency between the magmatic zircon U-Pb age (225 ± 2 Ma) and the hydrothermal phlogopite 40Ar-39Ar age (225 ± 1.5 Ma). The Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotopic data demonstrate that the Yemaquan granitoids are originated from a relatively homogenous enriched mantle with different degrees of crust contamination (assimilation fractional crystallization, AFC). Trace elements signatures indicate that the porphyritic granodiorites related to mineralization display amphibole crystallization for high water contents, whereas the barren granites have gone through biotite crystallization due to potassium enrichment by continuous upper crust contamination, both of which are responsible for their Nb/Ta ratios, respectively. Modeling results suggest that a basaltic melt with Nb/Ta ratio of 15.3 can reach a minimum Nb/Ta ratio of 12 in the producing granodioritic melt by amphibole fractional crystallization based on partition coefficients of Nb and Ta between amphibole and melts from previous experiments. This may explain the average Nb/Ta ratio (13.7) of the barren granodiorites, while it cannot account for the average Nb/Ta ratio (8.4) of the mineralized porphyritic granodiorites, and it is even lower than that of the granites (10.3) with biotite fractional crystallization. Exsolution of a magmatic-hydrothermal fluid is inevitable when a water saturated magma emplaced in shallow crust, leading to a transportation of certain chemical components from the magmatic melts to exsolved fluids. Because Nb seems more mobile than Ta in fluorine-bearing fluids, we contend that a preferentially transport Nb over Ta by sub-solidus hydrothermal alteration can further lower the Nb/Ta ratios of the mineralized porphyritic granodiorites, which may also result in a broad range of HFSE contents and their ratios in the altered porphyritic granodiorites formed in a post-magmatic process.

Zircon U-Pb ages and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopes of the highly fractionated granite with tetrad REE patterns in the Shamai tungsten deposit in eastern Inner Mongolia, China: Implications for the timing of mineralization and ore genesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Si-Hong; Bagas, Leon; Hu, Peng; Han, Ning; Chen, Chun-Liang; Liu, Yuan; Kang, Huan

2016-09-01

The Shamai tungsten deposit is located in the eastern part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). Tungsten mineralization is closely related to the emplacement of fine- to medium-grained biotite monzogranite (G1) and porphyritic biotite monzogranite (G2) in the Shamai Granite. NW-trending joints and faults host orebodies in the Shamai Granite and Devonian hornfels. The mineralization is characterized by a basal veinlet zone progressing upwards to a thick vein zone followed by a mixed zone, a veinlet zone, and a thread vein zone at the top. The ore-related alteration typically consists of muscovite, greisen, and hornfels. In order to constrain the timing of the Shamai mineralization and discuss the ore genesis, muscovite Ar-Ar, molybdenite Re-Os, and zircon U-Pb geochronological, geochemical, and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic studies were completed on the deposit. The U-Pb zircon dating yielded weighted mean ages of 153 ± 1 Ma for G1 and 146 ± 1 Ma for G2. Muscovite from a wolframite-bearing quartz vein yielded an Ar-Ar plateau age of 140 ± 1 Ma, whereas two molybdenite samples yielded identical Re-Os model ages of 137 ± 2 Ma. These two ages are younger than the two monzogranites, suggesting a prolonged magmatic-hydrothermal interaction during tungsten mineralization. Major and trace element geochemistry shows that both G1 and G2 are characterized by high SiO2 and K2O contents, high A/CNK values (1.08-1.40), a spectacular tetrad effect in their REE distribution patterns, and non-CHARAC (charge-and-radius-controlled) trace element behavior. This suggests that both G1 and G2 are highly differentiated peraluminous rocks with strong hydrothermal interaction. The Nd-Hf isotope data for the Shamai Granite (εNd(t) between - 1.9 and + 7.4, ɛHf(t) from 5.2 to 12.8) are largely compatible with the general scenario for much of the Phanerozoic granite emplaced in the CAOB. It is here suggested that the Shamai Granite originated from partial melting of a juvenile lower crust with minor input of upper crustal material caused by the underplating of mafic magma in an extensional setting. It can also be concluded that the prolonged fractional crystallization and magmatic-hydrothermal interactions have contributed to the formation of the Shamai tungsten deposit.

A genetic link between magnetite mineralization and diorite intrusion at the El Romeral iron oxide-apatite deposit, northern Chile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rojas, Paula A.; Barra, Fernando; Reich, Martin; Deditius, Artur; Simon, Adam; Uribe, Francisco; Romero, Rurik; Rojo, Mario

2018-01-01

El Romeral is one of the largest iron oxide-apatite (IOA) deposits in the Coastal Cordillera of northern Chile. The Cerro Principal magnetite ore body at El Romeral comprises massive magnetite intergrown with actinolite, with minor apatite, scapolite, and sulfides (pyrite ± chalcopyrite). Several generations of magnetite were identified by using a combination of optical and electron microscopy techniques. The main mineralization event is represented by zoned magnetite grains with inclusion-rich cores and inclusion-poor rims, which form the massive magnetite ore body. This main magnetite stage was followed by two late hydrothermal events that are represented by magnetite veinlets that crosscut the massive ore body and by disseminated magnetite in the andesite host rock and in the Romeral diorite. The sulfur stable isotope signature of the late hydrothermal sulfides indicates a magmatic origin for sulfur (δ34S between - 0.8 and 2.9‰), in agreement with previous δ34S data reported for other Chilean IOA and iron oxide-copper-gold deposits. New 40Ar/39Ar dating of actinolite associated with the main magnetite ore stage yielded ages of ca. 128 Ma, concordant within error with a U-Pb zircon age for the Romeral diorite (129.0 ± 0.9 Ma; mean square weighted deviation = 1.9, n = 28). The late hydrothermal magnetite-biotite mineralization is constrained at ca. 118 Ma by 40Ar/39Ar dating of secondary biotite. This potassic alteration is about 10 Ma younger than the main mineralization episode, and it may be related to post-mineralization dikes that crosscut and remobilize Fe from the main magnetite ore body. These data reveal a clear genetic association between magnetite ore formation, sulfide mineralization, and the diorite intrusion at El Romeral (at 129 Ma), followed by a late and more restricted stage of hydrothermal alteration associated with the emplacement of post-ore dikes at ca. 118 Ma. Therefore, this new evidence supports a magmatic-hydrothermal model for the formation of IOA deposits in the Chilean Iron Belt, where the magnetite mineralization was sourced from intermediate magmas during the first Andean stage. In contrast, the beginning of the second Andean stage is characterized by shallow subduction and a compressive regime, which is represented in the district by the emplacement of the Punta de Piedra granite-granodiorite batholith (100 Ma) and marks the end of iron oxide-apatite deposit formation in the area.

Characterization of the Fault Core and Damage Zone of the Borrego Fault, 2010 M7.2 Rupture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorsey, M. T.; Rockwell, T. K.; Girty, G.; Ostermeijer, G.; Mitchell, T. M.; Fletcher, J. M.

2017-12-01

We collected a continuous sample of the fault core and 23 samples of the damage zone out to 52 m across the rupture trace of the 2010 M7.2 El Mayor-Cucapa earthquake to characterize the physical damage and chemical transformations associated with this active seismic source. In addition to quantifying fracture intensity from macroscopic analysis, we cut a continuous thin section through the fault core and from various samples in the damage zone, and ran each sample for XRD analyses for clay mineralogy, XRF for bulk geochemical analyses, and bulk and grain density from which porosity and volumetric strain were derived. The parent rock is a hydrothermally-altered biotite tonalite, with biotite partially altered to chlorite. The presence of epidote with chlorite suggests that these rocks were subjected to relatively high temperatures of 300-400° C. Adjacent to the outermost damage zone is a chaotic breccia zone with distinct chemical and physical characteristics, indicating possible connection to an ancestral fault to the southwest. The damage zone consists of an outer zone of protocataclasite, which grades inward towards mesocataclasite with seams of ultracataclasite. The fault core is anomalous in that it is largely composed of a sliver of marble that has been translated along the fault, so direct comparison with the damage zone is impaired. From collected data, we observe that chloritization increases into the breccia and damage zones, as does the presence of illite. Porosity reaches maximum values in the damage zone adjacent to the core, and closely follows trends in fracture intensity. Statistically significant gains in Mg, Na, K, Mn, and total bulk mass occurred within the inner damage zone, with losses of Ca and P mass, which led to the formation of chlorite and albite. The outer damage zone displays gains in Mg and Na mass with losses in Ca and P mass. The breccia zone shows gains in mass of Mg and Mn and loss in total bulk mass. A gain in LOI in both the breccia and damage zones is attributed to formation of clay. Volumetric strain tracks porosity, as expected, and increases towards the core. Notably, damage appears to be superposed on chemical alterations, which supports the idea that much of the hydrothermal alteration occurred at depth followed by brecciation and cataclasis once the fault zone rocks were exhumed closer to the surface.

Petrogenesis of two Triassic A-type intrusions in the interior of South China and their implications for tectonic transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Li-Qiang; Ling, Hong-Fei; Shen, Wei-Zhou; Wang, Kai-Xing; Huang, Guo-Long

2017-07-01

The evolution of the tectonic regime that was responsible for the Indosinian granitoids in the South China Block (SCB) is still controversial. Investigations on A-type granites can provide important information regarding this tectonic evolution. A detailed study that utilizes whole-rock elemental, Sr-Nd isotopic, in situ zircon U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotopic geochemistry is conducted on the Miantuwo biotite granite in northern Guangdong Province and the Pingtian biotite monzogranite in southern Jiangxi Province, South China. The new data indicate that both the Miantuwo and Pingtian granites were emplaced at 233 ± 2 Ma and show metaluminous to slightly peraluminous A-type granite affinity. The two granites are characterized by high amounts of rare earth elements (total REEs = 247 ppm-557 ppm and 251 ppm-342 ppm) and high field strength elements (Zr + Nb + Ce + Y = 325 ppm-605 ppm and 343 ppm-496 ppm) and high Ga/Al ratios (10,000 × Ga/Al = 2.50-2.98 and 2.62-2.70). Calculations from a zircon saturation thermometer and apatite saturation thermometer indicate that the magmatic temperatures were 800 °C-980 °C for both granites. Both the Miantuwo and Pingtian granites show relatively high initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7151-0.7185 and 0.7170-0.7189), low εNd(t) values (- 9.8 to - 8.6 and - 9.7 to - 9.1) and low to moderate zircon εHf(t) values (- 10.4 to - 6.6 and - 9.5 to - 4.6). Based on these data, we suggest that these two A-type granites were derived from the partial melting of existing mafic to intermediate rocks in the lower crust in response to the underplating and/or intraplating of mantle-derived magma. Our study on the Miantuwo and Pingtian granites, alongside previous studies on other Triassic A-type granites in South China, indicates an extensional tectonic environment during the Late Triassic in the interior of the Cathaysia Block. Alongside existing geological observations and the tectonic evolution in the SCB, we suggest that the interior of the SCB was dominated by a compressional tectonic environment during the Late Permian-Middle Triassic in response to the collisions between the SCB and ambient blocks, and then a tectonic transition from this compressional environment to a post-collisional extension environment began at approximately 233 Ma.

Bluish granites from Extremadura (Spain): a radiological evaluation.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pereira, Dolores; Neves, Luís.; Peinado, Mercedes; Pereira, Alcides; Rodríguez, Leticia; António Blanco, José

2010-05-01

We have found in the area of Trujillo (Extremadura, Spain) a variety of striking bluish granites, outcropping within the Plasenzuela pluton. They are all quarried under different names and are characterized by leucocratic minerals such as quartz, feldspar (both potassium and plagioclase), sometimes giving a fenocrystic texture and muscovite, with some biotite. As accessory phases, idiomorphic tourmaline is found. Recently a bluish phosphate distributed in the whole rock was detected, included within most mineral phases and fillings from stressed structures that are cutting the rock. We attribute the bluish color of the granites to this phosphate. Although biotite is almost always transformed to chlorite, the rock gives an excellent response to be polished. Physico-mechanical properties make this bluish granite a perfect option for most applications. Absorption coefficient is rather low and alteration by thermal changes has not been observed. A secondary facies with yellow colour also occurs, spatially close to the topographic surface, and probably represents an alteration product of the original granite. This facies is also commercialized as ornamental stone. A radiological survey was carried out in the field, using a gamma ray spectrometer. The radiological background is quite homogeneous in the pluton, without significant differences between gamma ray fluxes of both facies (altered and non altered). The average contents of U, Th and K2O determined in situ with the spectrometer are 7.4 ppm, 0.8 ppm and 3.67%, respectively (n=15). Using U as a Ra proxy, the I index of the EU technical document 112 can be determined, and results in a value of 0.64 for the referred composition. This implies that the rock can be used without any restrictions for building purposes. However, a marked difference was observed in radon exhalation tests carried out in laboratorial facilities. The dominant blue variety shows radon exhalation rates comprised between 0.02 and 0.04 Bq.kg-1.h-1 (n=5), which are relatively low values for granitic lithologies, while the yellow one shows radon exhalation rates one order of magnitude higher, comprised between 0.19 and 0.23 Bq.kg-1.h-1 (n=3). Since the uranium contents do not differ between the two varieties, these results can be only interpreted through a marked difference in the mineralogical distribution of U, being a large proportion of this element not confined to accessory minerals in the yellow variety as a result of the alteration processes that affected the rock.

Weathering processes in the Rio Icacos and Rio Mameyes watersheds in Eastern Puerto Rico: Chapter I in Water quality and landscape processes of four watersheds in eastern Puerto Rico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Buss, Heather L.; White, Arthur F.; Murphy, Sheila F.; Stallard, Robert F.

2012-01-01

Streams draining watersheds of the two dominant lithologies (quartz diorite and volcaniclastic rock) in the Luquillo Experimental Forest of eastern Puerto Rico have very high fluxes of bedrock weathering products. The Río Blanco quartz diorite in the Icacos watershed and the Fajardo volcaniclastic rocks in the Mameyes watershed have some of the fastest documented rates of chemical weathering of siliceous rocks in the world. Rapid weathering produces thick, highly leached saprolites in both watersheds that lie just below the soil and largely isolate subsurface biogeochemical and hydrologic processes from those in the soil. The quartz diorite bedrock in the Icacos watershed weathers spheroidally, leaving large, relatively unweathered corestones that are enveloped by slightly weathered rock layers called rindlets. The rindlets wrap around the corestones like an onionskin. Within the corestones, biotite oxidation is thought to induce the spheroidal fracturing that leads to development of rindlets; plagioclase in the rindlets dissolves, creating additional pore spaces. Near the rindlet-saprolite interface, the remaining plagioclase dissolves, hornblende dissolves to completion, and precipitation of kaolinite, gibbsite, and goethite becomes pervasive. In the saprolite, biotite weathers to kaolinite and quartz begins to dissolve. In the soil layer, both quartz and kaolinite dissolve. The volcaniclastic bedrock of the Mameyes watershed weathers even faster than the quartz diorite bedrock of the Icacos watershed, leaving thicker saprolites that are devoid of all primary minerals except quartz. The quartz content of volcaniclastic bedrock may help to control watershed geomorphology; high-quartz rocks form thick saprolites that blanket ridges. Hydrologic flow paths within the weathering profiles vary with total fluid flux, and they influence the chemistry of streams. Under low-flow conditions, the Río Icacos and its tributaries are fed by rainfall and by groundwater from the fracture zones; during storm events, intense rainfall rapidly raises stream levels and water is flushed through the soil as shallow flow. As a result, weathering constituents that shed into streamwaters are dominated by rindlet-zone weathering processes during base flow and by soil weathering processes during stormflow. The upper reaches of the Mameyes watershed are characterized by regolith more than 35 meters thick in places that contains highly fractured rock embedded in its matrix. Weathering contributions to stream chemistry at base flow are predicted to be more spatially variable in the Mameyes watershed than in the Icacos watershed owing to the more complex subsurface weathering profile of the volcaniclastic bedrocks of the Mameyes watershed.

Petrographic, geochemical and isotopic evidence of crustal assimilation processes in the Ponte Nova alkaline mafic-ultramafic massif, SE Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azzone, Rogério Guitarrari; Montecinos Munoz, Patricio; Enrich, Gaston Eduardo Rojas; Alves, Adriana; Ruberti, Excelso; Gomes, Celsode Barros

2016-09-01

Crustal assimilation plus crystal fractionation processes of different basanite magma batches control the evolution of the Ponte Nova cretaceous alkaline mafic-ultramafic massif in SE Brazil. This massif is composed of several intrusions, the main ones with a cumulate character. Disequilibrium features in the early-crystallized phases (e.g., corrosion and sieve textures in cores of clinopyroxene crystals, spongy-cellular-textured plagioclase crystals, gulf corrosion texture in olivine crystals) and classical hybridization textures (e.g., blade biotite and acicular apatite crystals) provide strong evidence of open-system behavior. All samples are olivine- and nepheline-normative rocks with basic-ultrabasic and potassic characters and variable incompatible element enrichments. The wide ranges of whole-rock 87Sr/86Sri and 143Nd/144Ndi ratios (0.70432-0.70641 and 0.512216-0.512555, respectively) are indicative of crustal contribution from the Precambrian basement host rocks. Plagioclase and apatite 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.70422-0.70927) obtained for the most primitive samples of each intrusion indicate disequilibrium conditions from early- to principal-crystallization stages. Isotope mixing-model curves between the least contaminated alkaline basic magma and heterogeneous local crustal components indicate that each intrusion of the massif is differentiated from the others by varied degrees of crustal contribution. The primary mechanisms of crustal contribution to the Ponte Nova massif involve the assimilation of host rock xenoliths during the development of the chamber environment and the assimilation of partial melts from the surrounding host rocks. Thermodynamic models using the melts algorithm indicate that parental alkaline basic magmas can be strongly affected by contamination processes subsequently to their initial stages of crystallization when there is sufficient energy to assimilate partial melts of crustal host rocks. The assimilation processes are considered to be responsible for the increse in the K2O/Na2O, Ba/Sr and Rb/Sr ratios. This enrichment was associated with the relevant role of biotite breakdown in the assimilated host rock partial melts. The petrological model for the Ponte Nova massif is explained as repeated influxes of antecryst-laden basanite magmas that deposited most of their suspended crystals on the floor of the upper-crust magma chamber. Each intrusion is representative of relatively primitive olivine- and clinopyroxene-phyric basanites that had assimilated different degrees of partial melts of heterogeneous host rocks. This study reveals the relevant role of crustal assimilation processes in the magmatic evolution of nepheline-normative rocks, especially in upper-crust chamber environments.

Estimation of the reactive mineral surface area during CO2-rich fluid-rock interaction: the influence of neogenic phases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scislewski, A.; Zuddas, P.

2010-12-01

Mineral dissolution and precipitation reactions actively participate to control fluid chemistry during water-rock interaction. It is however, difficult to estimate and well normalize bulk reaction rates if the mineral surface area exposed to the aqueous solution and effectively participating on the reactions is unknown. We evaluated the changing of the reactive mineral surface area during the interaction between CO2-rich fluids and Albitite/Granitoid rocks (similar mineralogy but different abundances), reacting under flow-through conditions. Our methodology, adopting an inverse modeling approach, is based on the estimation of dissolution rate and reactive surface area of the different minerals participating in the reactions by the reconstruction the chemical evolution of the interacting fluids. The irreversible mass-transfer processes is defined by a fractional degree of advancement, while calculations were carried out for Albite, Microcline, Biotite and Calcite assuming that the ion activity of dissolved silica and aluminium ions was limited by the equilibrium with quartz and kaolinite. Irrespective of the mineral abundance in granite and albitite, we found that mineral dissolution rates did not change significantly in the investigated range of time where output solution’s pH remained in the range between 6 and 8, indicating that the observed variation in fluid composition depends not on pH but rather on the variation of the parent mineral’s reactive surface area. We found that the reactive surface area of Albite varied by more than 2 orders of magnitude, while Microcline, Calcite and Biotite surface areas changed by 1-2 orders of magnitude. We propose that parent mineral chemical heterogeneity and, particularly, the stability of secondary mineral phases may explain the observed variation of the reactive surface area of the minerals. Formation of coatings at the dissolving parent mineral surfaces significantly reduced the amount of surface available to react with CO2-rich fluids, decreasing the effective reactive surface area. Predictive models of CO2 sequestration under geological conditions should take into account the inhibiting role of surface coating formation. The CO2 rich fluid-rock interactions may also have significant consequences on metal mobilization. Our results indicated that the formation of stable carbonate complexes enhances the solubility of uranium minerals of both albitite and granite, facilitating the U(IV) oxidation, and limiting the extent of uranium adsorption onto particles in oxidized waters. This clearly produces an increase of the uranium mobility with significant consequences for the environment.

First occurrence of very low pressure ultra-high temperatures metamorphism in the Khondalite Belt, North China Craton.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lobjoie, Cyril; Lin, Wei; Trap, Pierre; Goncalves, Philippe; Marquer, Didier

2016-04-01

This study report the first occurrence of very low pressure (<0.4GPa) ultra-high temperatures metamorphism within the Paleoproterozoic Khondalite Belt of the North China Craton. This high grade orogenic domain is mostly composed of garnet +/- spinel +/- sapphirine-bearing migmatites, numerous Grt-bearing granites and marbles. These rocks are intruded by numerous metric to kilometric mafic intrusions. Petrological analyses and phase equilibria diagram modeling were performed on garnet and spinel-bearing and olivine-bearing migmatites. Garnet and spinel-bearing migmatites show a quartz, ternary feldspar, garnet, biotite sillimanite and spinel main assemblage. Pseudosection diagram calculations give suprasolidus P-T conditions around ca. 0.7GPa for ca. 900°C that correspond to the peak temperature conditions. Thermometry using ternary feldspar thermometry gives temperatures estimations at ca. 950-1015°C for a pressure of 0.7GPa. The Olivine-bearing migmatite, located at the contact with a mafic intrusion, shows two main assemblages. The first assemblage that makes the rock matrix consists of a micrographic quartz and feldspar domains associated with biotite, sillimanite and spinel. The second assemblage appears within mm-scale pockets with a complex symplectitic texture. Careful investigation revealed that theses pockets formed after garnet pseudomorphosis, with the development of an Opx-Sp-Crd association. Within this assemblage, an olivine-cordierite and Opx-Crd-Bi-Qtz assemblage occurred as smaller pockets. The petrogenetic grid and pseudosection calculations made for this olivine-bearing migmatite give P-T conditions around 0.35GPa for ca. 950°C that correspond to the peak temperature conditions recorded by the olivine-cordierite assemblage. The succession of reactions with garnet pseudomorphosis into an Opx-Spl-Crd followed by the crystallization of an Ol-Crd assemblage is modelled in the petrogenetic grid calculation and correspond to an isobaric clockwise P-T path. Results from in situ LA-ICP-MS U-Th-Pb dating on monazite performed on the Grt-Spl bearing migmatite suggest a duration of partial melting bracketed between ca. 1932Ma and ca. 1898Ma. Zircon U-Th-Pb SIMS dating yield an age of a ca.1.92-1.94 Ga for the olivine-bearing migmatite and the adjacent gabbroic bodies. This age is interpreted as the timing for the very low pressure UHT metamorphism. This first occurrence of very low pressure UHT metamorphism bring new insight for the understanding of the UHT Khondalite Belt. Implications about spatial and temporal distribution of heat and UHT metamorphism in the orogenic crust are discussed.

Control of fault shearing on the fabric of a syn-tectonic granite : magnetic fabric and crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) of quartz input

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walter, Bastien; Géraud, Yves; Diraison, Marc; Oliot, Emilien

2013-04-01

The late-Miocene monzogranitic pluton of Porto Azzurro (PA) on Elba Island (Italy), was emplaced in the footwall of the N-S striking Zuccale Fault (ZF), a Low-Angle Normal Fault (LANF). In the Barbarossa outcrop, this poorly exposed pluton shows few NNE-SSW and WNW-ESE striking shear bands, respectively moderately dipping eastward and steeply dipping northward, which appear to be associated to the brittle fracturation, and no clear relationship between all these structures and the ZF is described. In order to get information about possible relationship between these shear bands, brittle structures and prior fabric of this igneous stock, and about the timing of formation of these ductile deformations relative to the pluton emplacement, rock fabrics were studied on samples taken both inside and outside of one of these shear bands. The magnetic fabric was analyzed with anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility measurements (AMS), and the crystallographic preferred orientations of dynamically recrystallized quartz were measured with the electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) method. Quartz CPOs are directly compared, after EBSD data processing, with the macroscopic ductile structures orientation, according to the geographical North. The pooling of data of these two methods reveals two distinct petrofabrics within the Barbarossa monzogranite. The first fabric, with a low dip angle, is identified only on samples taken outside of the influence of the shear bands. Orientation of paramagnetic minerals, with biotite as the main magnetic mineral carrier, and quartz CPOs are consistent, pervasive within the whole outcrop and are linked to the eastward extension produced by the LANF Zuccale Fault. This fabric suggests that the dynamic of the magmatic supplies during emplacement of the pluton of PA was controlled by the LANF's extension, and confirms this magmatic intrusion to be likely syn-tectonic. The second fabric is identified close or within the studied shear bands with a similar orientation to them. Our data show that these ductile structures impose a local new tectonic fabric overprinting the pre-existing one. The common re-orientation of the magnetic minerals, of the recrystallized quartz and of the brittle structures suggest a strain localization and a continuous strain process localized along stain bands from late-magmatic flowing, highlighted by biotite orientation, then during shear bands activation, at temperature around 350-400° C. Finally, these structures would have remained active through the ductile-brittle transition, leading to the localized intense fracturation of the Barbarossa outcrop.

Fabric Development in a Late-Hercynian Magmatic Strike-Slip Shear Zone in Southern Corsica: Indications of Melt-Supported Large-Scale Deformation Localization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kruhl, J. H.; Vernon, R. H.

2009-05-01

The calc-alcaline granitoids of the Hercynian Corsica Batholith show a large-scale magmatic flow pattern, outlined by the alignment of large (mm-cm) euhedral feldspar crystals. The trend of the steep magmatic foliation is generally N-S in the northern part of the island, swings to approximately E-W orientation in the central part of the Batholith and back again to approximately N-S orientation in the southern part. This pattern is intensified by large-scale magmatic layering, mainly kilometer long lenses and layers of mafic and intermediate intrusions into the granitoids. On the macro- to micro-scale, magma mingling and mixing are present, reflecting the complex intrusion history and the compositional variability of the Corsica Batholith on different scales. Around the Golf of Valinco, a steep, sinistral magmatic shear zone is represented by E-W trending magmatic layering in mingled dioritic, tonalitic, and granitic magmas - previously misleadingly interpreted as migmatites - and by a magmatic flow foliation formed by the alignment of platy feldspar crystals, as well as amphibole and biotite. Characteristic magmatic structures include multiple thin layering, boudinage, monoclinic folding, melt-injected micro shear zones, and fragmenting and back- veining of dioritic enclaves. The intensity of grain alignment roughly correlates with the thickness of layers. It is low in thick and short boudins and high in cm-thin and cm-m long layers. The monoclinic folds refold the magmatic layering. Flat faces of amphibole and biotite grains are aligned in the axial planes of the folds. The feldspar crystals are locally recrystallized to a few large polygonal grains (up to 1 mm across), and quartz commonly shows chessboard subgrain patterns. No further indications of solid-state deformation are present. Field observations, as well as pattern quantification on variably oriented rock surfaces, indicate variations of crystal alignment and fabric anisotropy in cm- to more than 100m-wide bands parallel to the E-W oriented layering, and various stages of melt-present fragmentation. These variations are interpreted as variations of flow intensity and possibly strain-rate variation. The observations on the macro- as well as the micro-scale point to repeated injection of mafic to felsic magma and crystallization in the presence of a regional stress field. The resulting km-scale sinistral, sub-horizontal synmagmatic shear zone reflects large-scale movements during late-Hercynian crustal reorganization and represents an excellent example of localization of deformation into magma-enriched parts of the continental crust.

Mineral weathering experiments to explore the effects of vegetation shifts in high mountain region (Wind River Range, Wyoming, USA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mavris, Christian; Furrer, Gerhard; Dahms, Dennis; Anderson, Suzanne P.; Blum, Alex; Goetze, Jens; Wells, Aaron; Egli, Markus

2015-04-01

Climate change influences the evolution of soil and landscape. With changing climate, both flora and fauna must adapt to new conditions. It is unknown in many respects to what extent soils will react to warming and vegetation change. The aim of this study was to identify possible consequences for soils in a dry-alpine region with respect to weathering of primary minerals and leaching of elements under expected warming climate conditions due to shifts in vegetation. To achieve this, a field empirical approach was used in combination with laboratory weathering experiments simulating several scenarios. Study sites located in Sinks Canyon and in Stough Basin of the Wind River Range, Wyoming, USA, encompass ecotones that consist of tundra, forest, or sagebrush (from moist to dry, with increasing temperature, respectively). All soils are developed on granitoid moraines. The mineralogy of the soils along the altitudinal sequence was analysed using cathodoluminescence and X-ray diffraction, and revealed clear mineral transformations: biotite and plagioclase were both weathered to smectite while plagioclase also weathered to kaolinite. Cooler, wetter, altitude-dependent conditions seemed to promote weathering of these primary minerals. To test the impact of soil solutions from different ecotones on mineral weathering, aqueous extracts from topsoils (A horizons) were reacted with subsoils (B horizons) in batch experiments. Aqueous extracts of topsoil samples were generated for all three ecotones, and these solutions were characterized. For the batch experiments, the topsoil extracts were reacted for 1800 hours with the subsoil samples of the same ecotone, or with the subsoil samples from higher altitude ecotones. Solutions collected periodically during the experiments were measured using ICP-OES and ion chromatography. Dissolved Ca, Mg and K were mainly controlled by the chemical weathering of oligoclase, K-feldspar and biotite. With increasing altitude (and consequently cooler and moister climate) the total concentrations of Ca, Mg and K in the aqueous extracts decreased, the relative ionic contribution by K decreased, while the ionic contribution by Ca increased. Thus, a shift in vegetation due to climate change seems to affect the ionic composition - but not the ionic load - of the soil solution. In the case of a shift from forest - to - sagebrush and tundra - to - forest or sagebrush, the relative contribution by K strongly increases at the expense of Ca. We hypothesize that K should play an important role in future biogeochemical cycles under the assumptions of climate warming and subsequent vegetation shifts to higher altitudes.