REGIONAL MAGNETOTELLURIC SURVEYS IN HYDROCARBON EXPLORATION, PARANA BASIN, BRAZIL.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stanley, William D.; Saad, Antonio; Ohofugi, Walter

1985-01-01

The mangetotelluric geophysical method has been used effectively as a hydrocarbon exploration tool in the intracratonic Parana basin of South America. The 1-2 km thick surface basalts and buried diabase sills pose no problem for the magnetotelluric method because the natural electromagnetic fields used as the energy source pass easily through the basalt. Data for the regional study were taken on six profiles with sounding spaced 8 to 15 km apart. The magnetotelluric sounding data outline a linear uplift known as the Ponta Grossa arch. This major structural feature cuts across the northeast-trending intracratonic basin almost perpendicularly, and is injected with numerous diabase dikes. Significant electrical contrasts occur between the Permian sediments and older units, so that magnetotelluric measurements can give an indication of the regional thickness of the Permian and younger sediments to aid in interpreting hydrocarbon migration patterns and possible trap areas. Refs.

Investigation of Physico-Chemical Properties of Sand-Lime Products Modified of Diabase Aggregate and Chalcedonite Meal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dachowski, Ryszard; Komisarczyk, Katarzyna

2017-10-01

In the era of rapid development in the construction industry, particular attention is focused on harmless and natural materials. Some of the best materials for building masonry walls are sand-lime products. Silicates are obtained from a mixture of quartz, sand and a small amount of water. They emerge as a result of the hydrothermal treatment conducted under high pressure and at a temperature of app. 203 °C. Silicates were modified of different kinds of aggregates, glass or plastics, and the content of dry ingredients was changed because of this fact. The paper describes the studies where the combination of diabase aggregate and chalcedonite meal was used. Microstructure of the products was analyzed with the use of mercury intrusion porosimetry, SEM and XRD methods. Variable content of chalcedonite meal changes the internal structure and the physico-chemical properties.

Hydrogeology, groundwater seepage, nitrate distribution, and flux at the Raleigh hydrologic research station, Wake County, North Carolina, 2005-2007

USGS Publications Warehouse

McSwain, Kristen Bukowski; Bolich, Richard E.; Chapman, Melinda J.

2013-01-01

rom 2005 to 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey and the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Water Quality, conducted a study to describe the geologic framework, measure groundwater quality, characterize the groundwater-flow system, and describe the groundwater/surface-water interaction at the 60-acre Raleigh hydrogeologic research station (RHRS) located at the Neuse River Waste Water Treatment Plant in eastern Wake County, North Carolina. Previous studies have shown that the local groundwater quality of the surficial and bedrock aquifers at the RHRS had been affected by high levels of nutrients. Geologic, hydrologic, and water-quality data were collected from 3 coreholes, 12 wells, and 4 piezometers at 3 well clusters, as well as from 2 surface-water sites, 2 multiport piezometers, and 80 discrete locations in the streambed of the Neuse River. Data collected were used to evaluate the three primary zones of the Piedmont aquifer (regolith, transition zone, and fractured bedrock) and characterize the interaction of groundwater and surface water as a mechanism of nutrient transport to the Neuse River. A conceptual hydrogeologic cross section across the RHRS was constructed using new and existing data. Two previously unmapped north striking, nearly vertical diabase dikes intrude the granite beneath the site. Groundwater within the diabase dike appeared to be hydraulically isolated from the surrounding granite bedrock and regolith. A correlation exists between foliation and fracture orientation, with most fractures striking parallel to foliation. Flowmeter logging in two of the bedrock wells indicated that not all of the water-bearing fractures labeled as water bearing were hydraulically active, even when stressed by pumping. Groundwater levels measured in wells at the RHRS displayed climatic and seasonal trends, with elevated groundwater levels occurring during the late spring and declining to a low in the late fall. Vertical gradients in the groundwater discharge area near the Neuse River were complex and were affected by fluctuations in river stage, with the exception of a well completed in a diabase dike. Water-quality data from the wells and surface-water sites at the RHRS were collected continuously as well as during periodic sampling events. Surface-water samples collected from a tributary were most similar in chemical composition to groundwater found in the regolith and transition zone. Nitrate (measured as nitrite plus nitrate, as nitrogen) concentrations in the sampled wells and tributary ranged from about 5 to more than 120 milligrams per liter as nitrogen. Waterborne continuous resistivity profiling conducted on the Neuse River in the area of the RHRS measured areas of low apparent resistivity that likely represent groundwater contaminated by high concentrations of nitrate. These areas were located on either side of a diabase dike and at the outfall of two unnamed tributaries. The diabase dike preferentially directed the discharge of groundwater to the Neuse River and may isolate groundwater movement laterally. Discrete temperature measurements made within the pore water beneath the Neuse River revealed seeps of colder groundwater discharging into warmer surface water near a diabase dike. Water-quality samples collected from the pore water beneath the Neuse River indicated that nitrate was present at concentrations as high as 80 milligrams per liter as nitrogen on the RHRS side of the river. The highest concentrations of nitrate were located within pore water collected from an area near a diabase dike that was identified as a suspected seepage area. Hydraulic head was measured and pore water samples were collected from two 140-centimeter-deep (55.1-inch-deep) multiport piezometers that were installed in bed sediments on opposite sides of a diabase dike. The concentration of nitrate in pore water at a suspected seepage area ranged from 42 to 82 milligrams per liter as nitrogen with a median concentration of 79 milligrams per liter as nitrogen. On the opposite side of the dike, concentrations of nitrate in pore water samples ranged from 3 to 91 milligrams per liter as nitrogen with a median concentration of 52 milligrams per liter. At one of the multiport piezometers the vertical gradient of hydraulic head between the Neuse River and the groundwater was too small to measure. At the multiport piezometer located in the suspected seepage area, an upward gradient of about 0.1 was present and explains the occurrence of higher concentrations of nitrate near the sediment/water interface. Horizontal seepage flux from the surficial aquifer to the edge of the Neuse River was estimated for 2006. Along a 130-foot flow path, the estimated seepage flux ranged from –0.52 to 0.2 foot per day with a median of 0.09 foot per day. The estimated advective horizontal mass flux of nitrate along a 300-foot reach of the Neuse River ranged from –10.9 to 5 pounds per day with a median of 2.2 pounds per day. The total horizontal mass flux of nitrate from the surficial aquifer to the Neuse River along the 130-foot flow path was estimated to be about 750 pounds for all of 2006. Seepage meters were deployed on the bed of the Neuse River in the areas of the multiport piezometers on either side of the diabase dike to estimate rates of vertical groundwater discharge and flux of nitrate. The average estimated daily seepage flux differed by two orders of magnitude between seepage areas. The potential vertical flux of nitrate from groundwater to the Neuse River was estimated at an average of 2.5 grams per day near one of the multiport piezometers and an average of 784 grams per day at the other. These approximations suggest that under some hydrologic conditions there is the potential for substantial quantities of nitrate to discharge from the groundwater to the Neuse River.

Early post-collisional Brasiliano magmatism in Botuverá region, Santa Catarina, southern Brazil: Evidence from petrology, geochemistry, isotope geology and geochronology of the diabase and lamprophyre dikes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sacks de Campos, Roberto; Philipp, Ruy Paulo; Massonne, Hans-Joachim; Chemale, Farid

2012-08-01

The post-collisional magmatism related to Brasiliano orogeny represented the final stage of the Dom Feliciano Belt in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina states, southern Brazil, presenting high-K calc-alkaline to shoshonitic and alkaline chemical signatures. Magmatic episodes related to this early period were found in Botuverá region, Santa Catarina state, represented by diabase and lamprophyre (spessartite-type) dikes intrusive in metavolcano-sedimentary rocks of the Brusque Metamorphic Complex (CMB). These dikes have massive structure and igneous textures ranging from very fine equigranular to porphyritic, and the latter is characterized by the presence of phenocrysts of plagioclase and hornblende. The dikes have northeast direction and sharp contacts with the metamorphic rocks, indicating that its position was after the main orogenic regional metamorphism that affected the CMB, interpreted as of collisional nature. The diabase has a basic composition, whereas spessartite lamprophyres are intermediate, with geochemical affinities to the tholeiitic series, with a significant enrichment in light rare-earth elements (LREE) and large ion lithophile elements (LILE) such as Cs, Rb, Ba, K and Sr, and negative anomalies for high-field-strength elements (HFS) such as Nb, Ta, U and T. The concentration of standard trace elements and the Th/Yb and Ta/Yb ratios indicate that these magmas were derived from an enriched mantle source and were strongly contaminated by crust. Except for higher values of K, these features are similar to those found in basaltic volcanic rocks associated with the post-collisional period in south Brazil. The widely dispersed values of ɛND (618), ranging between -13.74 and +5.52, highlights the heterogeneity of the source and reinforces the importance of a crustal component in the generation of these rocks. The extremely low value of ɛNd (618), of -21.67 obtained for spessartite lamprophyres supports the importance of the involvement of crust in the genesis of this rock. Using the U-Pb and LA-ICP-MS method, a concordant age of 618 ± 8.7 Ma was obtained in zircon crystals of a diabase dike of the region of Barra do Areia, in Botuverá, SC. The existence of inherited zircon grains older than 1800 Ma in this sample supports the involvement of Paleoproterozoic continental crust. The data analysis characterizes the first magmatic age related to the post-collisional period of the Brasiliano orogeny in this region of the Santa Catarina Shield.

Ages and petrogenesis of Jurassic and Cretaceous intrusive rocks in the Matsu Islands: Implications for lower crust modification beneath southeastern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jing-Yuan; Yang, Jin-Hui; Ji, Wei-Qiang

2017-12-01

Major and trace element, whole-rock Sr-, Nd- and Hf-isotope, zircon U-Pb age and Hf-O isotope data are reported for the intrusive rocks from the Matsu Islands in the coastal area of southeastern (SE) China, in order to study the ages, sources and petrogenesis of these rocks and evolution of the lower crust. The rocks include gneissic granite, massive granite, brecciated granite and diabase. Secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS) zircon U-Pb dating reveals that the rocks in the Matsu Islands were emplaced at ∼160 Ma, ∼130 Ma and ∼94 Ma. The Jurassic granites (∼160 Ma) have high SiO2 (74.1-74.5 wt%) and K2O + Na2O (8.32-8.33 wt%) contents and high Rb/Sr ratios of 0.6-1.2 and (La/Yb)CN ratios of 12.6-19.4. Their relatively high initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7074-0.7101), variable and negative εNd(t) values (-9.2 to -5.4), and variable zircon εHf(t) (-17.0 to +5.2) and δ18O (4.7-8.1‰) values indicate they were mainly derived from an ancient lower crustal source, but with involvement of high εHf(t) and low δ18O materials. The Early Cretaceous diabase (∼130 Ma) has SiO2 content of 56.5 wt%, relatively high MgO concentration, low initial 87Sr/86Sr ratio and negative εNd(t) value, similar to geochemical features of other Cretaceous mafic rocks in the coastal area of SE China. Zircons from the diabase have high εHf(t) values (-5.5 to +0.2) and relatively low δ18O values of 4.2-5.0‰. These characteristics indicate that the parental magma of the diabase was generated by partial melting of enriched lithospheric mantle, which have been metasomatised by altered oceanic crust-derived low-δ18O fluids. For the Cretaceous granitoids (∼130 Ma and 94 Ma), they have relatively low SiO2 (68.0-71.3 wt%) and K2O + Na2O (5.30-7.55 wt%) contents and low Rb/Sr ratios and (La/Yb)CN ratios of 5.8-7.1. They have low initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7071-0.7082), homogeneous εNd(t) (-4.3 to -4.5) and relatively high zircon εHf(t) values (-3.7 to +1.2) and low δ18O values (4.6-5.9‰). Their isotopic compositions are similar to those of the diabases in this study as well as other Cretaceous mafic rocks in the coastal area of SE China, suggesting that the sources of the Cretaceous granitoids might be the newly formed lower crust related to the underplated mafic rocks. Whole-rock geochemical, Sr-Nd and zircon Hf-O isotopic compositions indicate that the Jurassic granitoids are most likely generated by partial melting of relatively ancient basement rocks, whereas the Cretaceous granitoids were generated by partial melting of relatively young lower crustal rocks with addition of mantle-derived magma. This distinction implies that the pre-existing ancient lower crust beneath the coastal area of SE China has been modified by large-scale mafic magma underplating. Therefore, underplating of mantle-derived mafic magma would result in modification of the pre-existing ancient lower crust and formation of the relatively juvenile lower crust.

Hands-On Teaching through a Student Field Project in Applied Geophysics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klasner, John Samuel; Crockett, Jeffrey Jon; Horton, Kimberly Beth; Poe, Michele Daun; Wollert, Matthew Todd

1992-01-01

Describes the Proffit Mountain project, part of a senior-level class in applied geophysics that provides students with hands-on experience in applying principles and techniques learned in class. Students conduct magnetic, gravity, and radiometric studies over a diabase body which intrudes rhyolite at Proffitt Mountain in southeast Missouri.…

Geology and origin of the late Proterozoic Darb Zubaydah ophiolite, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Quick, J.E.

1990-01-01

The Darb Zubaydah ophiolite, north-central Arabian Shield, preserves a largely intact section consisting of ultramafic rocks, gabbro, diabase, granodiorite, and interbedded volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Formation of these rocks within or near an island arc is indicated by the absence of pelagic sediments and the abundance of pillow basalt, turbiditic sediments, lahar deposits, and basaltic to rhyolitic tuff. The oldest extrusive rocks formed in a young, relatively unevolved island arc or in a back-arc basin sufficiently close to an arc to receive calc-alkaline lava flows and coarse-grained, arc-derived detritus. Overlying turbidites and lahar deposits of the Kaffan sandstone point to the initiation of a rifting event. High-Ti basalts, which erupted above the Kaffan sandstone, and related diabase are interpreted to be magmatic products of incipient intra-arc rifting. Renewed arc volcanism produced calc-alkaline volcanic rocks that interfingered with the high-Ti basalt and later dominated the section as the volcanic apron of the arc prograded basinward. Extrusion of voluminous calc-alkaline tuff may have been contemporaneous with intrusion of granodiorite and gravity-driven landsliding. -from Author

Synthesis and revision of groups within the Newark Supergroup, eastern North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Weems, R.E.; Olsen, P.E.

1997-01-01

The Newark Supergroup currently includes nine stratigraphic groups, each of which applies to part or all of the rock column of only one or a few basins. Because the group nomenclature within the Newark Supergroup is neither inclusive nor parallel in its concepts, nearly half of the strata within the Newark Supergroup lacks any group placement. A new system is proposed herein that (1) establishes unambiguous group boundaries, (2) places all Newark Supergroup strata into groups, (3) reduces the number of group names from nine to three, (4) creates parallelism between groups and three major successive tectonic events that created the rift basins containing the Newark Supergroup, and (5) coincidentally provides isochronous or nearly isochronous group boundaries. These proposed groups are (1) the Chatham Group (Middle Triassic to basal Lower Jurassic sedimentary rocks), (2) the Meriden Group (Lower Jurassic extrusive volcanic and sedimentary rocks), and (3) the Agawam Group (new name) (Lower Jurassic sedimentary rocks above all early Mesozoic igneous intrusive and extrusive rocks). This new rock classification system makes use of the fact that a discrete interval of synchronous or nearly synchronous volcanism and plutonism occurred throughout the early Mesozoic rift system of eastern North America. The presence or absence of volcanic rocks provides a powerful stratigraphic tool for establishing regional groups and group boundaries. The presence of sedimentary rocks injected by diabase dikes and sills, in the absence of extrusive volcanic rocks, places Newark Supergroup rocks in the Chatham Group. The presence of extrusive volcanic rocks, interbedded with sedimentary rocks injected by diabase dikes and sills, places Newark Supergroup rocks in the Meriden Group. The presence of sedimentary rocks lacking both extrusive volcanic rocks and diabase dikes and sills, places Newark Supergroup rocks in the Agawam Group. Application of this new regional group stratigraphy to the early Mesozoic rift basins requires revision of the stratigraphy of several basins to make formation boundaries match group boundaries.

Magnetic fabrics of the Cretaceous dike swarms from São Paulo coastline (SE Brazil): Its relationship with South Atlantic Ocean opening

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raposo, M. Irene B.

2017-11-01

Magnetic fabric and rock magnetism studies were performed on 91 dikes from Cretaceous diabase and lamprophyre dike swarms that outcrop side by side on the beaches of NE São Paulo State coastline. The dikes crosscut Archean and Proterozoic poly-metamorphic rocks of the Costeiro Complex. Their thicknesses range from a few centimeters to 2 m for lamprophyre and up to about 10 m for the diabase. They trend predominantly N30°-60°E with vertical dip. Magnetic fabrics were determined using anisotropy of low-field magnetic susceptibility (AMS) and anisotropy of anhysteretic remanent magnetization (AARM). Rock-magnetism measurements reveal that magnetite grains in the range of 2-5 μm are the magnetic mineral of both swarms. For most dikes, these grains are the carriers of bulk magnetic susceptibility but, surprisingly, are not responsible for the AMS which is carried by Fe-bearing minerals as shown by AARM. The main AMS fabric recognized in the swarms is due to magma flow, in which the Kmax-Kint plane is parallel to the dike's plane, and the magnetic foliation pole (Kmin) is perpendicular to it. The analysis of the Kmax inclination showed that the dikes were fed by horizontal to vertical flows. However, for the majority of the dikes the AMS and AARM tensors are not coaxial. The AARM lineation (AARMmax) is oriented N30-60W, approximately perpendicular to AMS lineation (Kmax) suggesting that magnetite grains were rotated approximately 90° anticlockwise from the dike plane. The AARMmax orientation is similar to the direction of a fault system mainly in the Santos marginal basin which was formed in the Cretaceous rifting during the South Atlantic opening. Therefore the AARM fabric is tectonic in origin, and the comparison of AMS and AARM fabrics suggests that lamprophyre and diabase dikes were emplaced in three distinct events in the earliest stages of the South Atlantic opening.

Silurian/Ordovician asymmetrical sill-like bodies from La Codosera syncline, W Spain: A case of tholeiitic partial melts emplaced in a single magma pulse and derived from a metasomatized mantle source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

López-Moro, F. J.; Murciego, A.; López-Plaza, M.

2007-07-01

A Silurian/Ordovician extensional event in the southernmost sectors of the Central Iberian Zone is inferred from the Sm/Nd isochron obtained (436 ± 17 Ma) after the diabase sills from the La Codosera syncline. From the geochemical and mineralogical points of view, the diabase sills are subalkaline and range between high-Mg tholeiite diabases to tholeiite andesites. LREE enrichment, an Nb negative anomaly, the absence of a Ta trough and a high Nd isotope signature ( ɛNd t = + 6) are the most relevant geochemical features. The diabase bodies are up to 330 m in thickness and were sampled from bottom to top along several different sections, permitting the definition of an accumulation of clinopyroxene, olivine and plagioclase close to chilled margins at the bottom, and abundant pegmatoid layers at the top. Chemical profiles and mass-balance modelling suggest that the bulk rock and chilled margin compositions are not dissimilar, defining an unusual S-type vertical compositional profile for large (> 50 m thick) sills, which in turn strongly suggests a single magma pulse and a probable gravitational settling. Assuming chilled margin samples as the parental magma, as well as Cr-enriched samples as cumulate layers, a two-stage liquid line of descent has been established, the first one consisting of a clinopyroxene-plagioclase-olivine cumulate assemblage. A second stage in relation to the depletion in Ti, Fe and V is accounted for by ilmenite fractionation, along with that of clinopyroxene, plagioclase and olivine fractionation. Thermobarometric estimations reveal that the clinopyroxene (around 1100 °C and 197 MPa) was a late mineral phase, whereas the plagioclase (around 1200 °C) was pre- to syn-emplacement, in agreement with the presence only of plagioclase phenocrysts in the chilled margins and the very abundant positive Eu anomaly. The energy constraint modelling is consistent with the lack of a significant assimilation process owing to the high temperature contrast between the country rock and the magma itself. The compositional characteristics of chilled margins enable them to be ruled out as primary melts in equilibrium with mantle olivine (Fo 91), a certain amount of olivine fractionation being required, which might have occurred in magma conduits en route to shallow emplacement levels in the crust. Spinel lherzolitic xenoliths from the European Cenozoic alkaline magmatism appear to be unsuitable protoliths to account for the chilled margin compositions. Instead, a hybrid mantle source consisting of a small amount of OIB-mantle component (5 wt.%) and a depleted end-member mantle component seems to be a plausible protolith, resulting in a good fit with the fractionation-corrected chilled margin trends for 10% of partial melting.

Deformational sequence of a portion of the Michipicoten greenstone belt, Chabanel Township, Ontario

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shrady, C. H.; Mcgill, G. E.

1986-01-01

Detailed mapping at a scale of one inch = 400 feet is being carried out within a fume kill, having excellent exposure, located in the southwestern portion of the Michipicoten Greenstone Belt near Wawa, Ontario. The rocks are metasediments and metavolcanics of lower greenschist facies. U-Pb geochronology indicates that they are at least 2698 + or - 11 Ma old. The lithologic packages strike northeast to northwest, but the dominant strike is approximately east-west. Sedimentary structures and graded bedding are well preserved, aiding in the structural interpretation of this multiply deformed area. At least six phases of deformation within a relatively small area of the Michipicoten Greenstone Belt have been tentatively identified. These include the following structural features in approximate order of occurrence: (0) soft-sediment structures; (1) regionally overturned rocks, flattened pebbles, bedding parallel cleavage, and early, approximately bedding parallel faults; (2) northwest to north striking cleavage; (3) northeast striking cleavage and associated folds, and at least some late movement on approximately bedding parallel faults; (4) north-northwest and northeast trending faults; and (5) diabase dikes and associated fracture cleavages. Minor displacement of the diabase dikes occurs on faults that appear to be reactivated older structures.

Time-Dependent Behavior of Diabase and a Nonlinear Creep Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Wendong; Zhang, Qiangyong; Li, Shucai; Wang, Shugang

2014-07-01

Triaxial creep tests were performed on diabase specimens from the dam foundation of the Dagangshan hydropower station, and the typical characteristics of creep curves were analyzed. Based on the test results under different stress levels, a new nonlinear visco-elasto-plastic creep model with creep threshold and long-term strength was proposed by connecting an instantaneous elastic Hooke body, a visco-elasto-plastic Schiffman body, and a nonlinear visco-plastic body in series mode. By introducing the nonlinear visco-plastic component, this creep model can describe the typical creep behavior, which includes the primary creep stage, the secondary creep stage, and the tertiary creep stage. Three-dimensional creep equations under constant stress conditions were deduced. The yield approach index (YAI) was used as the criterion for the piecewise creep function to resolve the difficulty in determining the creep threshold value and the long-term strength. The expression of the visco-plastic component was derived in detail and the three-dimensional central difference form was given. An example was used to verify the credibility of the model. The creep parameters were identified, and the calculated curves were in good agreement with the experimental curves, indicating that the model is capable of replicating the physical processes.

Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) in the Siilinjärvi carbonatite complex, eastern Finland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almqvist, Bjarne; Karell, Fredrik; Högdahl, Karin; Malehmir, Alireza; Heino, Pasi; Salo, Aleksi

2017-04-01

We present a set of AMS measurements on samples from the Siilinjärvi alkaline-carbonatite complex in eastern Finland. The complex has a tabular shape (ca. 16 km long, 1.5 km wide) that strikes north-south and is constrained within a steeply dipping N-S oriented deformation zone. It consists of a mixture of lithologies, including carbonatite, fenite and glimmerite (mica-rich rocks), which is hosted within a Precambrian granite and gneiss. After emplacement of the carbonatite, the complex was subsequently intruded by diabase dykes. Deformation has occurred in several episodes after dyke intrusions, and strain is heterogeneously distributed among the different lithologies. Strain localizes mainly within glimmerite and carbonatite, and at the contacts between dykes and glimmerite/carbonatite where shear zones develop locally. Structures provide indications for both simple (strike-slip) and pure shear components in the deformation history of the complex, although the former may dominate. Thirty-six localities were sampled, providing 272 specimens for AMS measurements, within the southern and eastern parts of the Siilinjärvi open-pit mine (within the complex), mainly from diabase dykes, glimmerite and carbonatites; a smaller number of samples were collected from fenite. Sampling was carried out in order to investigate magnetic fabrics in relation to the emplacement of the dykes and their structural relationship to the glimmerite/carbonatite. Structural measurements were made to accompany the magnetic fabric study. The magnetic fabric shows a magnetic foliation plane that is oriented north-south, with sub-horizontal k3-axes oriented nearly east-west. Magnetic lineation (k1) clusters sub-vertically, but does show a tendency to spread along the north-south magnetic foliation great circle. The dataset can be further divided into two sub-sets based on the bulk susceptibility (km) and degree of anisotropy (P). The bulk of the data set ( 70 %), belonging to samples of diabase, is characterized by bulk susceptibility ranging from 1.26e-4 to 1.29e-3 [SI], and P <1.15 (i.e., <15 %). Glimmerites (and carbonatites) show considerably higher bulk susceptibility (4.27e-4 to 2.09e-1 [SI]) and P (up to 1.61), indicative of 1) a much higher magnetite content and 2) larger strain. The glimmerite/carbonatite shows a well-defined N-S magnetic lineation, with k1 and k2 dispersed along the foliation great circle. The diabase AMS shows greater scattering when considering the complete data set, which is likely tied to the individual orientations of dykes in the complex. Ongoing analysis focuses on the details of structural and AMS relationships, between dykes and glimmerite/carbonatite, in order to unravel their emplacement and subsequent deformation. This study was carried out within the ERA-MIN 1 StartGeoDelineation project sponsored by Vinnova (project number 2014-06238), SGU, Tekes, Nordic Iron Ore, and Yara.

Oceanic Lithosphere Magnetization: Marine Magnetic Investigations of Crustal Accretion and Tectonic Processes in Mid-Ocean Ridge Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

vs TiO2 ...................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238 A2.4 Discussion...types can not be formed by metamorphic processes. Diabase samples have a green color that is characteristic of chlorite, a low temperature greenschist...grain boundaries of altered olivine and plagioclase (Fig. 3-14c and 13d). Zoning is observed within the oxides indicating alteration; light colored oxides

Deep drilling at the Siljan Ring impact structure: oxygen-isotope geochemistry of granite

USGS Publications Warehouse

Komor, S.C.; Valley, J.W.

1990-01-01

The Siljan Ring is a 362-Ma-old impact structure formed in 1700-Ma-old I-type granites. A 6.8-km-deep borehole provides a vertical profile through granites and isolated horizontal diabase sills. Fluid-inclusion thermometry, and oxygen-isotope compositions of vein quartz, granite, diabase, impact melt, and pseudotachylite, reveal a complex history of fluid activity in the Siljan Ring, much of which can be related to the meteorite impact. In granites from the deep borehole, ??18O values of matrix quartz increase with depth from near 8.0 at the surface to 9.5??? at 5760 m depth. In contrast, feldspar ??18O values decrease with depth from near 10 at the surface to 7.1??? at 5760 m, forming a pattern opposite to the one defined by quartz isotopic compositions. Values of ??18O for surface granites outside the impact structure are distinct from those in near-surface samples from the deep borehole. In the deep borehole, feldspar coloration varies from brick-red at the surface to white at 5760 m, and the abundances of crack-healing calcite and other secondary minerals decrease over the same interval. Superimposed on the overall decrease in alteration intensity with depth are localized fracture zones at 4662, 5415, and 6044 m depth that contain altered granites, and which provided pathways for deep penetration of surface water. The antithetic variation of quartz and feldspar ??18O values, which can be correlated with mineralogical evidence of alteration, provides evidence for interaction between rocks and impact-heated fluids (100-300?? C) in the upper 2 km of the pluton. Penetration of water to depths below 2 km was restricted by a general decrease in impact-fracturing with depth, and by a 60-m-thick diabase sill at 1500 m depth that may have been an aquitard. At depths below 4 km in the pluton, where water/rock ratios were low, oxygen isotopic compositions preserve evidence for limited high-temperature (>500?? C) exchange between alkali feldspar and fluids. The high-temperature exchange may have been a post-impact event involving impact-heated fluids, or a post-magmatic event. ?? 1990 Springer-Verlag.

Subducted slab-plume interaction traced by magnesium isotopes in the northern margin of the Tarim Large Igneous Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Zhiguo; Zhang, Zhaochong; Xie, Qiuhong; Hou, Tong; Ke, Shan

2018-05-01

Incorporation of subducted slabs may account for the geochemical and isotopic variations of large igneous provinces (LIPs). However, the mechanism and process by which subducted slabs are involved into magmas is still highly debated. Here, we report a set of high resolution Mg isotopes for a suite of alkaline and Fe-rich rocks (including basalts, mafic-ultramafic layered intrusions, diabase dykes and mantle xenoliths in the kimberlitic rocks) from Tarim Large Igneous Province (TLIP). We observed that δ26 Mg values of basalts range from -0.29 to - 0.45 ‰, -0.31 to - 0.42 ‰ for mafic-ultramafic layered intrusions, -0.28 to - 0.31 ‰ for diabase dykes and -0.29 to - 0.44 ‰ for pyroxenite xenoliths from the kimberlitic rocks, typically lighter than the normal mantle source (- 0.25 ‰ ± 0.04, 2 SD). After carefully precluding other possibilities, we propose that the light Mg isotopic compositions and high FeO contents should be ascribed to the involvement of recycled sedimentary carbonate rocks and pyroxenite/eclogite. Moreover, from basalts, through layered intrusions to diabase dykes, (87Sr/86Sr)i values and δ18OV-SMOW declined, whereas ε (Nd) t and δ26 Mg values increased with progressive partial melting of mantle, indicating that components of carbonate rock and pyroxenite/eclogite in the mantle sources were waning over time. In combination with the previous reported Mg isotopes for carbonatite, nephelinite and kimberlitic rocks in TLIP, two distinct mantle domains are recognized for this province: 1) a lithospheric mantle source for basalts and mafic-ultramafic layered intrusions which were modified by calcite/dolomite and eclogite-derived high-Si melts, as evidenced by enriched Sr-Nd-O and light Mg isotopic compositions; 2) a plume source for carbonatite, nephelinite and kimberlitic rocks which were related to magnesite or periclase/perovskite involvement as reflected by depleted Sr-Nd-O and extremely light Mg isotopes. Ultimately, our study suggests that subducted slabs could make important contributions to LIP generation, and establishes a potential linkage between plate tectonics and mantle plume.

Petrogenesis of Cretaceous volcanic-intrusive complex from the giant Yanbei tin deposit, South China: Implication for multiple magma sources, tin mineralization, and geodynamic setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Qian; Zhao, Kui-Dong; Lai, Pan-Chen; Jiang, Shao-Yong; Chen, Wei

2018-01-01

The giant Yanbei tin ore deposit is the largest porphyry-type tin deposit in South China. The orebodies are hosted by the granite porphyry in the central part of the Yanbei volcanic basin in southern Jiangxi Province. The Yanbei volcanic-intrusive complex mainly consists of dacitic-rhyolitic volcanic rocks, granite, granite porphyry and diabase dikes. In previous papers, the granite porphyry was considered as subvolcanic rocks, which came from the same single magma chamber with the volcanic rocks. In this study, zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotope data, as well as whole-rock geochemical and Sr-Nd isotopic compositions of different magmatic units in the Yanbei complex are reported. Geochronologic results show that various magmatic units have different formation ages. The dacite yielded a zircon U-Pb age of 143 ± 1 Ma, and the granite porphyry has the emplacement age of 138 ± 1 Ma. Diabase dikes which represented the final stage of magmatism, yielded a zircon U-Pb age of 128 ± 1 Ma. Distinctive whole rock Sr-Nd and zircon Hf isotopic compositions suggest that these magmatic units were derived from different magma sources. The volcanic rocks were mainly derived from the partial melting of Paleoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks without additions of mantle-derived magma. The granite porphyry has an A-type geochemical affinity, and was derived from remelting of Paleo-Mesoproterozoic crustal source with involvement of a subordinate mantle-derived magma. The granite porphyry is also a typical stanniferous granite with high F (4070-6090 ppm) and Sn (7-39 ppm) contents. It underwent strongly crystal fractionation of plagioclase, K-feldspar, and accessory minerals (like apatite, Fe-Ti oxides), which may contribute to the tin mineralization. The diabase was derived by partial melting of enriched lithospheric mantle which had been metasomatised by slab-derived fluids. The change of magmatic sources reflected an increasing extensional tectonic environment, perhaps induced by slab rollback of subducted paleo-Pacific plate.

To Plume or Not To Plume: SC Mesozoic Diabase Dike Orientations, Stress Fields During the Break-up of Pangea, and the Feasibility of a Causal Plume.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beutel, E. K.; Alexander, M.; Kotecha, A.; Edwards, D.

2002-12-01

New compilations of Mesozoic diabase dikes in South Carolina suggest that previously unrecognized N-S and NE-SW dike orientations exist throughout the western Charlotte belt, into the Carolina belt and possible into the Laurens Thrust Stack. Previous studies indicated that the majority of dikes in South Carolina were solely NW trending. While we found that the majority of dikes did trend NW-SE, the number and size of the NE-SW and N-S trending dikes indicate that these are not mere fingers off the main NW trending dikes and are likely true swarms. Previous studies of Mesozoic diabase dikes further north along the Atlantic coast have found evidence that suggests that NW-SE trending dikes are the oldest set, the N-S trending set followed, and the NE-SW trending dikes were injected last. Based on this relationship, and the stress field that most likely existed in the crust during the injection of each dike set, we have constructed a series of evolutionary models for the break-up of Pangea. Our models are based on the assumption that the multiple overlapping swarms negate the possibility of a plume being solely responsible for the break-up or for the dikes. These models suggest a complicated history of relative motion between Africa, North America, and South America. Finite element models were run to test the feasibility of these models. Preliminary model results suggest that the extensional stresses necessary for the major dike patterns seen in northwestern Africa, northern South America, and the southeastern United States may have occurred when the relative motion of Africa was northeast of North America. Initial model runs suggest that multiple dike orientations are best accounted for by a strongly nonlinear rift trend, a temporary aulacogen in Georgia, and/or rift propagation. The affect of events in the Gulf of Mexico is strongly dependent on the location and trend of the rifts and micro-continents modeled.

Sr isotopic tracer study of the Samail ophiolite, Oman.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lanphere, M.A.; Coleman, R.G.; Hopson, C.A.

1981-01-01

Rb and Sr concentrations and Sr-isotopic compositions were measured in 41 whole-rock samples and 12 mineral separates from units of the Samail ophiolite, including peridotite, gabbro, plagiogranite, diabase dykes, and gabbro and websterite dykes within the metamorphic peridotite. Ten samples of cumulate gabbro from the Wadir Kadir section and nine samples from the Wadi Khafifah section have 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 0.70314 + or - 0.00030 and 0.70306 + or - 0.00034, respectively. The dispersion in Sr- isotopic composition may reflect real heterogeneities in the magma source region. The average Sr-isotopic composition of cumulate gabbro falls in the range of isotopic compositions of modern MORB. The 87Sr/86Sr ratios of noncumulate gabbro, plagiogranite, and diabase dykes range 0.7034-0.7047, 0.7038-0.7046 and 0.7037- 0.7061, respectively. These higher 87Sr/86Sr ratios are due to alteration of initial magmatic compositions by hydrothermal exchange with sea-water. Mineral separates from dykes that cut harzburgite tectonite have Sr-isotopic compositions which agree with that of cumulate gabbro. These data indicate that the cumulate gabbro and the different dykes were derived from partial melting of source regions that had similar long-term histories and chemical compositions.-T.R.

The 1.33-1.30 Ga Yanliao large igneous province in the North China Craton: Implications for reconstruction of the Nuna (Columbia) supercontinent, and specifically with the North Australian Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Shuan-Hong; Zhao, Yue; Li, Xian-Hua; Ernst, Richard E.; Yang, Zhen-Yu

2017-05-01

The Yanliao rift zone in the northern North China Craton (NCC) is the location of the standard section for late Paleoproterozoic-Mesoproterozoic stratigraphy in China and is associated with the emplacement of large volumes of diabase sills. Detailed field investigations show that the sills are distributed over a region that is >600 km long and >200 km wide, with areal extent > 1.2 ×105 km2 and cumulative thickness of the sills in any one area ranging from 50 m to >1800 m. High-resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) baddeleyite dating shows that emplacement of these sills occurred between about 1330 and 1305 Ma with a peak age of 1323 Ma. Emplacement of these diabase sills was accompanied by pre-magmatic uplift that started at about 1.35-1.34 Ga as indicated by the disconformity between the Changlongshan and Xiamaling formations and absence of sedimentation after the Xiamaling Formation in some areas. All the diabase sills exhibit similar geochemical features of tholeiitic compositions with intraplate characteristics. Given a relatively short duration of emplacement at 1.33-1.30 Ga, along with the large areal extent and volume, as well as intraplate character, this magmatic province constitutes a large igneous province (LIP). This Yanliao LIP and the accompanying pre-magmatic uplift were related either to a mantle plume and/or continental rifting during breakup of the NCC from the Nuna (Columbia) supercontinent. Paleomagnetic, ash bed and LIP data and other geological constraints suggest that the NCC had a close connection with Siberia, Laurentia, Baltica, North Australia and India crustal blocks. In particular, the most direct age match between the 1.33-1.30 Ga Yanliao LIP and the 1.33-1.30 Ga Derim Derim-Galiwinku LIP of the North Australian Craton (NAC), as well as the similarities between the late Paleoproterozoic-Mesoproterozoic stratigraphic units of the Yanliao rift in the NCC with the southeastern McArthur Basin in the NAC, indicate that the Yanliao and Derim Derim-Galiwinku events are fragmented parts of the same LIP, supporting the paleomagnetically plausible idea that the NCC and NAC were connected (or at least near neighbors) during the early Mesoproterozoic period.

Complete Bouguer gravity and aeromagnetic maps of the Rattlesnake Roadless Area, Missoula County, Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kulik, Dolores M.

1986-01-01

The rocks in the study area consist mainly of the Helena Formation and the Missoula Group of the Belt Supergroup (Proterozoic Y).  Rock units of less importance are diabase sills and dikes of probable Proterozoic Z age, Middle Cambrian rocks, and glacial deposits.  Structurally, the study area consists of the Rattlesnake thrust system in the south part and a parautochthonous area broken by vertical faults in the north part.

Original Size of the Sudbury Structure: Evidence from Field Investigations and Imaging Radar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowmman, Paul D., Jr.

1999-01-01

This paper summarizes results of continuing studies of the original size of the Sudbury impact structure, including imaging radar and field investigations of supposed "Sudbury breccia" north of the Sudbury Igneous Comples (SIC). Imaging radar acquired from Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) aircraft, European Space Agency Remote Sensing Satellite (ERS-1), and RADARSAT shows no evidence of outer rings concentric with the North Range. Illumination directions are such that these rings, presumably extension fractures, would be conspicuous by look azimuth highlighting if they existed. Field mapping supports this interpretation, showing that supposed ring fractures occupied by Huronian sediments are essentially synclines older than the 1850 Ma impact and are not related to the impact. Field investigations of "Sudbury breccia" north of the SIC shows that most if not all of it is inside or along contacts with diabase dykes of the Sudbury Swarm (ca. 1238 Ma), and hence is far too young to be related to the impact. A recently-discovered occurrence of "Sudbury breccia" south of the SIC, near Creighton, is similarly associated with a NW-trending diabase dyke cutting the SIC, supporting the post-impact age of the breccia. It is concluded that the original north rim of the Sudbury crater was not more than 5 to 10 km north of the present North Range SIC contact, and that published estimates of the crater size (ca 200 km diameter) are incorrect.

Petrography and character of the bedrock surface beneath western Cape Cod, Massachusetts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hallett, B.W.; Poppe, L.J.; Brand, S.G.

2004-01-01

Cores collected during recent drilling in western Cape Cod, Massachusetts provide insight into the topography and petrology of the underlying bedrock. 62 drill sites spread over a ???140 km2 study area produced cores of granitoids (31), orthogneisses (20), basalts/diabases (4), amphibolites (3), felsic mylonites (2), and dolomitic rock (2). Granitoid cores range in composition from granite to tonalite to quartz diorite, but are dominated by single-mica granites. Alteration is common in nearly all cores examined in this study, and is evidenced by the secondary growth of chlorite and epidote. The granitoids resemble rocks of the Dedham and Fall River terranes (Wones and Goldsmith 1991). Gneisses from the study area generally contain the mineral assemblage hornblende+plagioclase+quartz+biotite+epidote??chlorite?? sphene??K-feldspar??sericite+oxides. Based on mineral assemblages, we estimate peak metamorphic grade to be of lower amphibolite facies. X-ray powder diffraction of unmetamorphosed dolomitic cores shows presence of layered silicates (clays), plagioclase, and possible magnesite. Contours of the bedrock surface show locally irregular topography suggesting erosion by glacial scour. The distribution of lithologies suggests a possible continuation of the New Bedford gneissic terrane that outcrops 25 km to the west. Dolomitic rocks may represent a lithified fault gouge material at the eastern edge of the gneissic zone. Basalts/diabases are interpreted to be post-metamorphic dikes of Late Paleozoic age, or possibly associated with Mesozoic rifting.

Aeromagnetic and gravity investigations of the Coastal Area and Continental Shelf of Liberia, West Africa, and their relation to continental drift

USGS Publications Warehouse

Behrendt, John C.; Wotorson, Cletus S.

1970-01-01

An aeromagnetic survey has shown the existence of several basins in which magnetic basement depths are greater than 5 km on the continental shelf off Liberia. Magnetic diabase of 176 to 192 m.y. (Jurassic) in age intruding the Paleozoic (?) rocks and overlain by younger rocks onshore requires the distinction between “magnetic basement” and “basement.” Several lines of evidence suggest that the Paleozoic(?) rocks are less than 1 km thick; this implies that the diabase does not introduce a large error in depth-to-basement estimates. The dikes or their extrusive equivalents are traceable, on the basis of the magnetic data, beneath the younger sedimentary rock in the basins to the edge of the continental slope. The magnetic data also delineate a second zone of diabase dikes 90 km inland, parallel to the coast, which cross the entire country. The intrusion of the younger dikes probably coincides with rifting at the beginning of the separation of Africa and South America, and the associated magnetic anomaly zones appear to be parallel with and continuous into the anomaly bands in the Atlantic. A major northeast-trending break in the magnetic fabric intersects the coast near 9° W. and is associated with Eburnean age rocks (about 2000 m.y.) to the southeast as contrasted with Liberian-age rocks (about 2700 m.y.) to the northwest. Change in magnetic fabric direction inland from northeast to northwest in the coastal area allows recognition of a boundary between the Liberian-age rocks inland and Pan-African-age (about 550 m.y.) rocks in the coastal area northwest of about 9° 20'W. Sets of north-northwest-and west-northwest—trending faults of 1 to 2 km vertical displacement cut the Cretaceous sedimentary rocks onshore and can be traced into the offshore basins. Vertical displacements of several kilometers in the magnetic basement underlying the continental shelf suggest a pattern of block faulting all along the coast and continental shelf. Negative Bouguer anomalies exist over two Cretaceous basins in the coastal area; a negative Bouguer anomaly exists over one of the basins southwest of Monrovia, as shown by a marine traverse, suggesting that Cretaceous or younger sedimentary rocks fill these basins also. A 50 to 60 mgal positive Bouguer anomaly area exists along the coast from Sierra Leone to Ivory Coast. This anomaly correlates with mafic granulites in the Monrovia region, where the gradient is too steep to be entirely due to crustal thickening at the continental margin and may be related to tectonic activity associated with the basins. The only major break in this positive anomaly above basement rocks along the entire coast of Liberia is over granite gneiss adjacent to (and presumably underlying) the only onshore basins on the Liberian coast. Three seismic reflection profiles support the interpretation of a substantial section of sedimentary rock offshore. A suggested sequence of events indicates tectonic activity in the periods about 2700, about 2000, and about 550 m.y. B.P.; uplift and exposure of deep crustal rocks; deposition of Paleozoic sediments; intrusion of diabase dikes in inland zones; intrusion of 176 to 192 m.y.-old dikes and sills accompanying separation of Africa and South and North America; block faulting along coast and continental shelf, and active sea-floor spreading; filling of basins in Cretaceous and Tertiary(?) time; basaltic extrusion on spreading sea floor and sedimentation on continental shelf and slope.

The Effect of Pressure and Deviatoric Stress on Rock Magnetism

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-10-31

34 I 0 z 0.6 I 0.5 0 50 100 150 200 PRESSURE, MPaI 1.0 UNIAXIAL STRESS H0.9 z U 0.8 Lw 0.7 I 0 .6 I Z 0.5 .. m 0.4 ’ ’ ’ 0 50 100 150 200 m STRESS...DIFFERENCE, MPaI Figure 2-1. Normalized TRM is shown as a function of pressure or stress difference for the first loading cycle on diabase specimens. The

Jurassic rifting at the Eurasian Tethys margin: Geochemical and geochronological constraints from granitoids of North Makran, southeastern Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hunziker, Daniela; Burg, Jean-Pierre; Bouilhol, Pierre; von Quadt, Albrecht

2015-03-01

This study focuses on an east-west trending belt of granitic to intermediate intrusions and their volcanic cover in the northern Dur Kan Complex, a continental slice outcropping to the north of the exposed Makran accretionary wedge in southeastern Iran. Field observations, petrographic descriptions, trace element, and isotope analyses combined with U-Pb zircon geochronology are presented to determine the time frame of magmatism and tectonic setting during the formation of these rocks. Results document three magmatic episodes with different melt sources for (1) granites, (2) a diorite-trondhjemite-plagiogranite sequence, and (3) diabases and lavas. Granites, dated at 170-175 Ma, represent crystallized melt with a strong continental isotopic contribution. The diorite-trondhjemite-plagiogranite sequence is 165-153 Ma old and derives from a mantle magma source with minor continental contribution. East-west trending diabase dikes and bodies intruded the granitoids, which were eroded and then covered by Valanginian (140-133 Ma) alkaline lavas and sediments. Alkaline dikes and lavas have a mantle isotopic composition. Temporal correlation with plutonites of the Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone to the northwest defines a narrow, NW-SE striking and nearly 2000 km long belt of Jurassic intrusions. The increasing mantle influence in the magma sources is explained by thinning of continental lithosphere and related mantle upwelling/decompression melting. Accordingly, the formation of the studied igneous rocks is related to the extension of the Iranian continental margin, which ultimately led to the formation of the Tethys-related North Makran Ophiolites.

Paleomagnetism of the Middle Proterozoic Electra Lake Gabbro, Needle Mountains, southwestern Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harlan, S.S.; Geissman, J.W.

1998-01-01

The Electra Lake Gabbro is a small 1.435 Ga pluton that intrudes 1.7 to 1.6 Ga gneisses and schists of the Needle Mountains in southwestern Colorado. Paleomagnetic samples were collected from the main phases of the gabbro, diabase dikes, granite, and alaskite dikes that cut the gabbro and from a partially melted zone in gneiss along the southern margin of the pluton. Gabbro, diabase, and some melt zone samples have a single-polarity characteristic magnetization of northeast declination (D) and moderate negative inclination (I). Demagnetization behavior and rock magnetic characteristics indicate that the remanence is carried by nearly pure magnetite. After correction for the minor west dip of overlying Paleozoic strata, we obtain a mean direction of D = 32.1??, I = -41.9?? (k = 94, ??95 = 3.3??, N = 21 sites) and a paleomagnetic pole at 21.1?? S, 221.1 ??E, (K= 89, A95 = 3.4??). This pole is similar to poles from the Middle Proterozoic Belt Supergroup but is located at a higher southerly latitude than poles from other 1.47-1.44 Ga plutons from North America, most of which plot at equatorial latitudes. The reason for this discrepancy is not clear but may result from a combination of factors, including unrecognized tilting of the gabbro, the failure of this relatively small pluton to fully average paleosecular variation, and uncertainties in the overall reliability of other 1.5-1.4 Ga poles of the North American apparent polar wander path.

Original Size and Shape of the Sudbury Structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowman, P. D., Jr.

1997-01-01

This paper presents new evidence bearing on the original size and shape of the Sudbury impact structure. Current opinion is almost unanimous that the structure is a multiring basin with an original diameter of about 200 km and a circular shape that has since been shortened in a northwest-southeast direction by Penokean deformation Evidence for this interpretation, collected chiefly from north of the Sudbury Igneous Complex (SIC), includes supposed outer rings on Landsat imagery, distant occurrences of "Sudbury breccia" (generally defined as pseudotachylite), shatter cone occurrences, and outliers of Huronian sedimentary rock thought to be down-faulted rings. New data from imaging radar and field work north of the SIC, however, contradict this evidence. Radar imagery shows no signs of the supposed outer rings mapped by earlier workers on Landsat images. The most prominent ring has been found to be a chance alignment of two independent fracture sets. Radar imagery from the CCRS Convair 580, with look direction almost normal to the north rim of the SIC, shows no evidence of the rings despite strong look azimuth highlighting. Radar imagery has shown many unmapped diabase dikes north of the SIC. Several exposures of supposed Sudbury breccia are associated with these dikes or with Nipissing diabase intrusions, in some cases actually inside the dikes or directly continuous with them. They appear to be igneous intrusion breccias with no relation to impact. Shock-wave interaction at lithologic contacts cannot be invoked for most of these, because they are part of a northwest trending swarm cutting the SIC in the North Range, and hence too young for an impact origin. Similar diabase-related breccias and pseudotachylite-like veins have been found far outside the Sudbury area between Chapleau and Thessalon. Shatter cones north of the SIC are few and poorly developed, perhaps due to the coarse-grained Footwall rock, and cannot be considered a continuous zone analogous to their occurrence on the South Range in Huronian rocks. Supposed down-faulted outliers of Huronian rocks north of the SIC show no consistent relation to faulting, and the Huronian/Archean contact is locally erosional. Radar imagery and field-checking confirm Rousell's conclusion that the North Range has undergone little or no Penokean deformation. T'his implies that the plan view outline of the crater (floor of the SIC) is original. Extrapolation of the North Range as part of a circular arc leads to an impossibly great diameter. It is concluded that although Penokean deformation largely accounts for the structure's shape, the original crater was not circular and was much smaller than 200 km across.

Paleomagnetism of the Middle Proterozoic Electra Lake Gabbro, Needle Mountains, southwestern Colorado

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harlan, Stephen S.; Geissman, John W.

1998-07-01

The Electra Lake Gabbro is a small 1.435 Ga pluton that intrudes 1.7 to 1.6 Ga gneisses and schists of the Needle Mountains in southwestern Colorado. Paleomagnetic samples were collected from the main phases of the gabbro, diabase dikes, granite, and alaskite dikes that cut the gabbro and from a partially melted zone in gneiss along the southern margin of the pluton. Gabbro, diabase, and some melt zone samples have a single-polarity characteristic magnetization of northeast declination (D) and moderate negative inclination (I). Demagnetization behavior and rock magnetic characteristics indicate that the remanence is carried by nearly pure magnetite. After correction for the minor west dip of overlying Paleozoic strata, we obtain a mean direction of D = 32.1°, I = -41.9° ( k: = 94, α95 = 3.3°, N = 21 sites) and a paleomagnetic pole at 21.1°S, 221.1°E, (K = 89, A95 = 3.4°). This pole is similar to poles from the Middle Proterozoic Belt Supergroup but is located at a higher southerly latitude than poles from other 1.47-1.44 Ga plutons from North America, most of which plot at equatorial latitudes. The reason for this discrepancy is not clear but may result from a combination of factors, including unrecognized tilting of the gabbro, the failure of this relatively small pluton to fully average paleosecular variation, and uncertainties in the overall reliability of other 1.5-1.4 Ga poles of the North American apparent polar wander path.

Contemporaneous alkaline and tholeiitic magmatism in the Ponta Grossa Arch, Paraná-Etendeka Magmatic Province: Constraints from U-Pb zircon/baddeleyite and 40Ar/39Ar phlogopite dating of the José Fernandes Gabbro and mafic dykes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almeida, Vidyã V.; Janasi, Valdecir A.; Heaman, Larry M.; Shaulis, Barry J.; Hollanda, Maria Helena B. M.; Renne, Paul R.

2018-04-01

We report the first high-precision ID-TIMS U-Pb baddeleyite/zircon and 40Ar/39Ar step-heating phlogopite age data for diabase and lamprophyre dykes and a mafic intrusion (José Fernandes Gabbro) located within the Ponta Grossa Arch, Brazil, in order to constrain the temporal evolution between Early Cretaceous tholeiitic and alkaline magmatism of the Paraná-Etendeka Magmatic Province. U-Pb dates from chemically abraded zircon data yielded the best estimate for the emplacement ages of a high Ti-P-Sr basaltic dyke (133.9 ± 0.2 Ma), a dyke with basaltic andesite composition (133.4 ± 0.2 Ma) and the José Fernandes Gabbro (134.5 ± 0.1 Ma). A 40Ar/39Ar phlogopite step-heating age of 133.7 ± 0.1 Ma from a lamprophyre dyke is identical within error to the U-Pb age of the diabase dykes, indicating that tholeiitic and alkaline magmatism were coeval in the Ponta Grossa Arch. Although nearly all analysed fractions are concordant and show low analytical uncertainties (± 0.3-0.9 Ma for baddeleyite; 0.1-0.4 Ma for zircon; 2σ), Pb loss is observed in all baddeleyite fractions and in some initial zircon fractions not submitted to the most extreme chemical abrasion treatment. The resulting age spread may reflect intense and continued magmatic activity in the Ponta Grossa Arch.

An oxygen isotope profile in a section of Cretaceous oceanic crust, Samail Ophiolite, Oman: Evidence for δ18O buffering of the oceans by deep (>5 km) seawater-hydrothermal circulation at mid-ocean ridges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gregory, Robert T.; Taylor, Hugh P., Jr.

1981-04-01

Isotopic analyses of 75 samples from the Samail ophiolite indicate that pervasive subsolidus hydrothermal exchange with seawater occurred throughout the upper 75% of this 8-km-thick oceanic crustal section; locally, the H2O even penetrated down into the tectonized peridotite. Pillow lavas (δ18O = 10.7 to 12.7) and sheeted dikes (4.9 to 11.3) are typically enriched in 18O, and the gabbros (3.7 to 5.9) are depleted in 18O. In the latter rocks, water/rock ≤ 0.3, and δ18Ocpx ≈ 2.9 + 0.44 δ18Ofeld, indicating pronounced isotopic disequilibrium. The mineral δ18O values approximately follow an exchange (mixing) trajectory which requires that plagioclase must exchange with H2O about 3 to 5 times faster than clinopyroxene. The minimum δ18Ofeld value (3.6) occurs about 2.5 km below the diabase-gabbro contact. Although the gabbro plagioclase appears to be generally petrographically unaltered, its oxygen has been thoroughly exchanged; the absence of hydrous alteration minerals, except for minor talc and/or amphibole, suggests that this exchange occurred at T > 400°-500°C. Plagioclase δ18O values increase up section from their minimum values, becoming coincident with primary magmatic values near the gabbro-sheeted diabase contact and reaching 11.8 in the diabase dikes. These 18O enrichments in greenschist facies diabases are in part due to exchange with strongly 18O-shifted fluids, in addition to retrograde exchange at much lower temperatures. The δ18O data and the geometry of the mid-ocean ridge (MOR) magma chamber require that two decoupled hydrothermal systems must be present during much of the early spreading history of the oceanic crust (approximately the first 106 years); one system is centered over the ridge axis and probably involves several convective cells that circulate downward to the roof of the magma chamber, while the other system operates underneath the wings of the chamber, in the layered gabbros. Upward discharge of 18O-shifted water into the altered dikes from the lower system, just beyond the distal edge of the magma chamber, combined with the effects of continued low-T hydrothermal activity, produces the 18O enrichments in the dike complex. Integrating δ18O as a function of depth for the entire ophiolite establishes (within geologic and analytical error) that the average δ18O (5.7 ± 0.2) of the oceanic crust did not change as a result of all these hydrothermal interactions with seawater. Therefore the net change in δ18O of seawater was also zero, indicating that seawater is buffered by MOR hydrothermal circulation. Under steady state conditions the overall bulk 18O fractionation (Δ) between the oceans and primary mid-ocean ridge basalt magmas is calculated to be +6.1 ± 0.3, implying that seawater has had a constant δ18O≈-0.4 (in the absence of transient effects such as continental glaciation). Utilizing these new data on the depth of interaction of seawater with the oceanic crust, numerical modeling of the hydrothermal exchange shows that as long as worldwide spreading rates are greater than 1 km2/yr, 18O buffering of seawater will occur. These conclusions can be extended as far back in time as the Archean (> 2.6 eons) with the proviso that Δ may have been slightly smaller (about 5?) because of the overall higher temperatures that could have prevailed then. Thus ocean water has probably had a constant δ18O value of about -1.0 to +1.0 during almost all of earth's history.

Arsenic, Boron, and Fluoride Concentrations in Ground Water in and Near Diabase Intrusions, Newark Basin, Southeastern Pennsylvania

USGS Publications Warehouse

Senior, Lisa A.; Sloto, Ronald A.

2006-01-01

During an investigation in 2000 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) of possible contaminant releases from an industrial facility on Congo Road near Gilbertsville in Berks and Montgomery Counties, southeastern Pennsylvania, concentrations of arsenic and fluoride above USEPA drinking-water standards of 10 ?g/L and 4 mg/L, respectively, and of boron above the USEPA health advisory level of 600 ?g/L were measured in ground water in an area along the northwestern edge of the Newark Basin. In 2003, the USEPA requested technical assistance from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to help identify sources of arsenic, boron, and fluoride in the ground water in the Congo Road area, which included possible anthropogenic releases and naturally occurring mineralization in the local bedrock aquifer, and to identify other areas in the Newark Basin of southeastern Pennsylvania with similarly elevated concentrations of these constituents. The USGS reviewed available data and collected additional ground-water samples in the Congo Road area and four similar hydrogeologic settings. The Newark Basin is the largest of the 13 major exposed Mesozoic rift basins that stretch from Nova Scotia to South Carolina. Rocks in the Newark Basin include Triassic through Jurassic-age sedimentary sequences of sandstones and shales that were intruded by diabase. Mineral deposits of hydrothermal origin are associated with alteration zones bordering intrusions of diabase and also occur as strata-bound replacement deposits of copper and zinc in sedimentary rocks. The USGS review of data available in 2003 showed that water from about 10 percent of wells throughout the Newark Basin of southeastern Pennsylvania had concentrations of arsenic greater than the USEPA maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 ?g/L; the highest reported arsenic concentration was at about 70 ?g/L. Few data on boron were available, and the highest reported boron concentration in well-water samples was 60 ?g/L in contrast to concentrations over 5,000 ?g/L in the Congo Road area. Although concentrations of fluoride up to 4 mg/L were reported for a few well-water samples collected throughout the Newark Basin, about 90 percent of the samples had concentrations of 0.5 mg/L or less. The USGS sampled 58 wells primarily in 5 areas in the Newark Basin, southeastern Pennsylvania, from February 2004 through April 2005 to identify other possible areas of elevated arsenic, boron, and fluoride and to characterize the geochemical environment associated with elevated concentrations of these constituents. Sampled wells included 12 monitor wells at an industrial facility near Congo Road, 45 private-supply wells in Berks, Montgomery, and Bucks Counties, and 1 private-supply well near Dillsburg, York County, an area where elevated fluoride in ground water had been reported in the adjacent Gettysburg Basin. Wells were sampled in transects from the diabase through the adjacent hornfels and into the unaltered shales of the Brunswick Group. Field measurements were made of pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration, and specific conductance. Samples were analyzed in the laboratory for major ions, nutrients, total organic carbon, dissolved and total concentrations of selected trace elements, and boron isotopic composition. Generally, the ground water from the 46 private-supply wells had relatively neutral to alkaline pH (ranging from 6.1 to 9.1) and moderate concentrations of dissolved oxygen. Most water samples were of the calcium-bicarbonate type. Concentrations of arsenic up to 60 ?g/L, boron up to 3,950 ?g/L, and fluoride up to 0.70 mg/L were measured. Drinking-water standards or health advisories (for constituents that do not have standards established) were exceeded most frequently (about 20 percent of samples) for arsenic and boron and less frequently (6 percent or less of samples) for total iron, manganese, sulfate, nitrate, lead, molybdenum, and strontium. In water from 12 monitor

Determination of niobium in the parts per million range in rocks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grimaldi, F.S.

1960-01-01

A modified niobium thiocyanate spectrophotometric procedure relatively insensitive to titanium interference is presented. Elements such as tungsten, molybdenum, vanadium, and rhenium, which seriously interfere in the spectrophotometric determination of niobium, are separated by simple sodium hydroxide fusion and leach; iron and magnesium are used as carriers for the niobium. Tolerance limits are given for 28 elements in the spectrophotometric method. Specific application is made to the determination of niobium in the parts per million range in rocks. The granite G-1 contains 0.0022% niobium and the diabase W-1 0.00096% niobium.

Petrology of deep drill hole, Kilauea Volcano

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

Grose, L.T.; Keller, G.V.

1976-12-01

The first deep drill hole (1262 m TD) at the summit of an active volcano (1102 m elev) was drilled in 1973 at Kilauea volcano, Hawaii with support from NSF and USGS. The hole is located within southern margin of Kilauea caldera in northern part of a 15 km/sup 2/ triangular block bounded by east rift zone, Koae fault zone, and southwest rift zone-a summit area relatively free of faults, rifts, and extrusions. Nearest eruptions are from fissures 1.2 km away which are active in 1974 and which do not trend toward the drill hole. Core recovery totals 47 mmore » from 29 core runs at rather evenly spaced intervals to total depth. Megascopic, thin-section, and X-ray examination reveals: (1) Recovered core is essentially vesicular, intergranular, nonporphyritic to porphyritic olivine basalt with minor olivine diabase, picrite diabase, and basalt, (2) Hyaloclastite and pillow basalt are absent, (3) Below water table (614 m elev) with increasing depth, vesicularity decreases, and density, crystallinity, competence, vesicle fill, and alteration irregularly increase, (4) Alteration first occurs at water table where calcite and silica partially fill vesticles and olivine is partially serpentinized, (5) At about 570 m elev massive serpentinization of olivine and deposition of montmorillonite-nontronite occur; at about 210 m elev truscottite and tobermorite occur in vesicles; at about 35 m elev mordenite occurs in vesicles, (6) Bottom-hole cores have complete filling of vesicles with silica, minor silica replacement, and complete alteration of olivine, and (7) Plagioclase is unaltered. Chemical analyses of bottom-hole cores are similar to those of modern summit lavas. Alteration and low porosity in bottom-hole cores plus abrupt temperature increase suggest the drill hole penetrated a self-sealed ''cap rock'' to a hydrothermal convection cell and possibly a magma body.« less

Exposure age and erosional history of an upland planation surface in the US Atlantic Piedmont

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stanford, S.D.; Seidl, M.A.; Ashley, G.M.

2000-01-01

The upland planation surface in the Piedmont of central New Jersey consists of summit flats, as much as 130 km2 in area, that truncate bedding and structure in diabase, basalt, sandstone, mudstone and gneiss. These flats define a low-relief regional surface that corresponds in elevation to residual hills in the adjacent Coastal Plain capped by a fluvial gravel of late Miocene age. A Pliocene fluvial sand is inset 50 m below the upland features. These associations suggest a late Miocene or early Pliocene age for the surface. To assess exposure age and erosional history, a 4??4 m core of clayey diabase saprolite on a 3 km2 remnant of the surface was sampled at six depths for atmospherically produced cosmogenic 10Be. The measured inventory, assuming a deposition rate of 1??3 x 106 atoms cm-2 a-1, yields a minimum exposure age of 227 000 years, or, assuming continuous surface erosion, a constant erosion rate of 10 m Ma-1. Because the sample site lies about 60 m above the aggradation surface of the Pliocene fluvial deposit, and itself supports a pre-Pliocene fluvial gravel lag, this erosion rate is too high. Rather, episodic surface erosion and runoff bypassing probably have produced an inventory deficit. Reasonable estimates of surface erosion (up to 10 m) and bypassing (up to 50 per cent of total precipitation) yield exposure ages of as much as 6??4 Ma. These results indicate that (1) the surface is probably of pre-Pleistocene age and has been modified by Pleistocene erosion, and (2) exposure ages based on 10Be inventories are highly sensitive to surface erosion and runoff bypassing. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.

The Kara and Ust-Kara impact structures (USSR) and their relevance to the K/T boundary event

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koeberl, Christian; Nazarov, M. A.; Harrison, T. M.; Sharpton, V. L.; Murali, A. V.; Burke, K.

1988-01-01

The Kara and Ust-Kara craters are twin impact structures situated at about 69 deg 10 min N; 65 deg 00 min E at the Kara Sea. For Kara a diameter of about 55 km would be a very conservative estimate, and field observations indicate a maximum current diameter of about 60 km. The diameter of Ust-Kara has to be larger than 16 km. A better estimate might be 25 km but in all likelihood it is even larger. Suevites and impactites from the Kara area have been known since the beginning of the century, but had been misidentified as glacial deposits. Only about 15 years ago the impact origin of the two structures was demonstrated, following the recognition of shock metamorphism in the area. The composition of the target rocks is mirrored by the composition of the clasts within the suevites. In the southern part of Kara, Permian shales and limestones are sometimes accompanied by diabasic dykes, similar to in the central uplift. Due to the high degree of shock metamorphism the shocked magmatic rocks are not easily identified, although most of them seem to be of diabasic or dioritic composition. The impact melts (tagamites) are grey to dark grey fine grained crystallized rocks showing very fine mineral components and are the product of shock-melting with later recrystallization. The impact glasses show a layered structure, inclusions, and vesicles, and have colors ranging from translucent white over brown and grey to black. A complete geochemical characterization of the Kara and Ust-Kara impact craters was attempted by analyzing more than 40 samples of target rocks, shocked rocks, suevites, impact melts, and impact glasses for major and trace elements.

Petrology and chemistry of Permian coals from the Paraná Basin: 1. Santa Terezinha, Leão-Butiá and Candiota Coalfields, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kalkreuth, W.; Holz, M.; Kern, M.; Machado, G.; Mexias, A.; Silva, M.B.; Willett, J.; Finkelman, R.; Burger, H.

2006-01-01

Hierarchical cluster analysis identified three groups of major minerals and seven groups of trace elements based on similarity levels. On a regional scale, the coalfields can be separated by the differences in rank (Candiota and Leão-Butiá versus Santa Terezinha) and by applying discriminant analysis based on 4 trace elements (Li, As, Sr, Sb). Highest Rb and Sr values occur at Candiota and are linked to syngenetic volcanism of the area, whereas high Y and Sr values at Santa Terezinha can be related to the frequent diabase intrusions in that area.

Sr, Nd and Pb isotopes in Proterozoic intrusives astride the Grenville Front in Labrador: Implications for crustal contamination and basement mapping

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ashwal, L.D.; Wooden, J.L.; Emslie, R.F.

1986-01-01

We report Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions of mid-Proterozoic anorthosites and related rocks (1.45-1.65 Ga) and of younger olivine diabase dikes (1.4 Ga) from two complexes on either side of the Grenville Front in Labrador. Anorthositic or diabasic samples from the Mealy Mountains (Grenville Province) and Harp Lake (Nain-Churchill Provinces) complexes have very similar major, minor and trace element compositions, but distinctly different isotopic signatures. All Mealy Mountains samples have ISr = 0.7025-0.7033, ??{lunate}Nd = +0.6 to +5.6 and Pb isotopic compositions consistent with derivation from a mantle source depleted with respect to Nd/Sm and Rb/Sr. Pb isotopic compositions for the Mealy Mountains samples are slightly more radiogenic than model mantle compositions. All Harp Lake samples have ISr = 0.7032-0.7066, ??{lunate}Nd = -0.3 to -4.4 and variable, but generally unradiogenic 207Pb 204Pb and 206Pb 204Pb compared to model mantle, suggesting mixing between a mantle-derived component and a U-depleted crustal contaminant. Crustal contaminants are probably a variety of Archean high-grade quartzofeldspathic gneisses with low U/Pb ratios and include a component that must be isotopically similar to the early Archean (>3.6 Ga) Uivak gneisses of Labrador or the Amitsoq gneisses of west Greenland. This would imply that the ancient gneiss complex of coastal Labrador and Greenland is larger than indicated by present surface exposure and may extend in the subsurface as far west as the Labrador Trough. If Harp Lake and Mealy Mountains samples were subjected to the same degree of contamination, as suggested by their chemical similarities, then the Mealy contaminants must be much younger, probably early or middle Proterozoic in age. The Labrador segment of the Grenville Front, therefore, appears to coincide with the southern margin of the Archean North Atlantic craton and may represent a pre mid-Proterozoic suture. ?? 1986.

Rheology of Diabase: Implications for Tectonics on Venus and Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kohlstedt, David L.

2001-01-01

Two important goals of our experimental investigation of the rheological behavior of diabase rocks were: (1) to determine flow laws describing their creep behavior over wide ranges of temperature, stress and strain rate and (2) to develop an understanding of the physical mechanisms by which these rocks flow under laboratory conditions. With this basis, a primary objective then was to construct constitutive equations that can be used to extrapolate from laboratory to planetary conditions. We specifically studied the rheological properties of both natural rock samples and synthetic aggregates. The former provided constraints for geologic systems, while the latter defined the relative contributions of the constituent mineral phases and avoided the influence of glass/melt found in natural samples. In addition, partially molten samples of crustal rock composition were deformed in shear to large strains (greater than 200%) important in crustal environments. The results of this research yielded essential rheological properties essential for models of crustal deformation on terrestrial planets, specifically Venus and Mars, as well as on the geodynamical evolution of these planets. Over the past three years, we also completed our investigation of the creep behavior of water ice with applications to the glaciers, ice sheets and icy satellites. Constitutive equations were determined that describe flow over a wide ranged of stress, strain rate, grain size and temperature. In the case of ice, three creep regimes were delineate. Extrapolation demonstrates that dislocation glide and grain boundary sliding processes dominate flow in ice I under planetary conditions and that diffusion creep is not an important deformation mechanism either in the laboratory or on icy satellites. These results have already been incorporated by other investigators into models describing, for example, the thickness and stability of the ice shell on Europa and to unravel long-standing discrepancies between field observations on glaciers and laboratory results.

Evaluating the effect of lithology on porosity development in ridgetops in the Appalachian Piedmont

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marcon, V.; Gu, X.; Fisher, B.; Brantley, S. L.

2016-12-01

Together, chemical and physical processes transform fresh bedrock into friable weathered material. Even in systems where lithology, tectonic history, and climatic history are all known, it is challenging to predict the depth of weathering because the mechanisms that control the rate of regolith formation are not understood. In the Appalachian Piedmont, where rates of regolith formation and erosion are thought to be in a rough steady state, the depth of weathering varies with lithology. The Piedmont provides a controlled natural environment to isolate the effects of lithology on weathering processes so we can start to understand the mechanisms that initiate and drive weathering. Weathering is deepest over feldspathic rocks (schist/granite) with regolith 20-30m thick and thinnest over mafic and ultramafic rocks (diabase/serpentinite) with regolith <5m thick (Pavich et al., 1989). We are exploring both chemical and physical controls on weathering. For example, when regolith thickness is plotted versus fracture toughness of each lithology, regolith thickness generally increases with decreasing fracture toughness. However, serpentinite, a rheologically weak rock, does not follow this trend with thin soils. To understand this observation, physical weathering parameters (porosity, connectivity, and surface area) were evaluated using neutron scattering on Piedmont rocks at different degrees of weathering. Samples of both weathered diabase and serpentinite are dominated by small pores (<0.1micron), whereas pores in schist are characteristically larger (1-10microns). As serpentinite weathers, porosity is created by serpentinization reactions and lost from collapse during weathering. Serpentinite consists of easily weathered hydrous minerals with little quartz. Comparatively, rocks with more quartz (e.g. schist) have a supportive skeleton as the rock weathers. This quartz skeleton could prevent the collapse of pores and result in isovolumetric weathering. Non-isovolumetric weathering limits infiltration of reactive fluids deeper into the rock, minimizing regolith formation in serpentinite due to its lack of a quartz skeleton. Given this, fracture toughness may be an important parameter to consider in terms of predicting regolith thickness.

Paleomagnetism and geochronology of an Early Proterozoic quartz diorite in the southern Wind River Range, Wyoming, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harlan, S.S.; Geisman, J.W.; Premo, W.R.

2003-01-01

We present geochronologic and paleomagnetic data from a north-trending quartz diorite intrusion that cuts Archean metasedimentary and metaigneous rocks of the South Pass Greenstone Belt of the Wyoming craton. The quartz diorite was previously thought to be either Archean or Early Proterozoic (?) in age and is cut by north and northeast-trending Proterozoic diabase dikes of uncertain age, for which we also report paleomagnetic data. New U-Pb analyses of baddeleyite and zircon from the quartz diorite yield a concordia upper intercept age of 2170 ?? 8 Ma (95% confidence). An 40Ar/39Ar amphibole date from the same sample yields a similar apparent age of about 2124 ?? 30 Ma (2??), thus confirming that the intrusion is Early Proterozoic in age and that it has probably not been thermally disturbed since emplacement. A magmatic event at ca. 2.17 Ga has not previously been documented in the Wyoming craton. The quartz diorite and one of the crosscutting diabase dikes yield essentially identical, well-defined characteristic remanent magnetizations. Results from eight sites in the quartz diorite yield an in situ mean direction of north declination and moderate to steep positive inclination (Dec.=355??, Inc.=65??, k=145, ??95=5??) with a paleomagnetic pole at 84??N, 215??E (??m=6??, ??p=7??). Data from other diabase dike sites are inconsistent with the quartz diorite results, but the importance of these results is uncertain because the age of the dikes is not well known. Interpretation of the quartz diorite remanent magnetization is problematic. The in situ direction is similar to expected directions for magnetizations of Late Cretaceous/early Tertiary age. However, there is no compelling evidence to suggest that these rocks were remagnetized during the late Mesozoic or Cenozoic. Assuming this magnetization to be primary, then the in situ paleomagnetic pole is strongly discordant with poles of 2167, 2214, and 2217 Ma from the Canadian Shield, and is consistent with proposed separation of the Wyoming Craton and Laurentia prior to about 1.8 Ga. Correcting the quartz diorite pole for the possible effects of Laramide-age tilting of the Wind River Range, based on the attitude of nearby overlying Cambrian Flathead Sandstone (dip=20??, N20??E), gives a tilt corrected pole of 75??N, 58??E (??m=4??, ??p=6??), which is also discordant with respect to time-equivalent poles from the Superior Province. Reconstruction of the Superior and Wyoming Province using a rotation similar to that proposed by Roscoe and Card [Can. J. Earth Sci. 46(1993)2475] is problematic, but reconstruction of the Superior and Wyoming Provinces based on restoring them to their correct paleolatitude and orientation using a closest approach fit indicates that the two cratons could have been adjacent at about 2.17 Ga prior to rifting at about 2.15 Ga. The paleomagnetic data presented are consistent with the hypothesis that the Huronian and Snowy Pass Supergroups could have evolved as part of a single epicratonic sedimentary basin during the Early Proterozoic. ?? 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Investigations of the characteristics, origin, and residence time of the upland residual mantle of the Piedmont of Fairfax County, Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pavich, M.J.; Leo, G.W.; Obermeier, S.F.; Estabrook, J.R.

1989-01-01

Undisturbed cores of upland regolith developed from a variety of crystalline rocks of the Piedmont province in Fairfax County, Va., have been obtained by using a combination of Shelby tubes, Denison sampler, and modified diamond core drilling. The core study correlated variations in chemistry, mineralogy, and texture with engineering properties throughout individual weathering profiles and contrasted these parameters among weathering profiles developed from various parent rocks. Coring sites were chosen to obtain a maximum depth of weathering on diverse lithologies. The rocks that were investigated included metapelite, metagraywacke, granite, diabase, and serpentinite. Four to twelve samples per core were selected for analysis of petrography, texture, clay mineralogy, and major-element chemistry. The number of samples was determined on the basis of (1) the thickness of the weathering profile (from about 1 m in serpentinite to more than 30 m in pelitic schist) and (2) megascopic changes in the weathering profile. Shear strength and compressibility were determined on corresponding segments of core. Standard penetration tests were performed adjacent to coring sites to evaluate in-place engineering properties. The regolith profiles on all rocks can be subdivided into soil, massive subsoil, saprolite, and weathered rock zones. Major differences in thicknesses of these zones are related to parent rock. Total regolith thickness is related to saprolite thickness. Saprolite is thickest on quartzofeldspathic metapelite, metagraywacke, and granite; thinner on diabase; and thinnest on serpentinite. Thickness of saprolite is related to rock structure and mineralogy. Geochemical changes of saprolite developed from each rock type follow predictable trends from fresh rock to soil profile, with increases in Ti, AI, Fe 3 +, and H 2 0+relative to absolute losses of Si, Fe2+, Mg, Ca, and Na. These variations are more pronounced in the weathering profiles above mafic and ultramafic rocks than in those above metagraywacke. Clay minerals in granite, schist, and metagraywacke saprolites are kaolinite, dioctahedral vermiculite, interlayered mica-vermiculite, and minor illite. Gibbsite is developed in near-surface samples of schist. Standard penetration test data for the upper 7 m of saprolite above schist, metagraywacke, and granite suggest alternations between stronger and weaker horizons that correlate with megascopic ally identified zones: soil, massive subsoil, and saprolite. The data correlate with density. Shear strength increases fairly regularly downward in the weathering profile. The engineering behavior of diabase saprolite is controlled by a dense, plastic, near-surface clay layer (montmorillonite and kaolinite) overlying rock that is weathered to a granular state (grus); the engineering properties of serpentinite are controlled by a very thin weathering profile. Similarities in regolith thickness, zonation, mineralogy, and chemistry of quartzofeldspathic rocks indicate the existence of fundamental geochemical and geomechanical controls on regolith evolution on the Piedmont upland. Data from the profiles of quartzofeldspathic regolith are used to construct a model suggesting the principal rate-control steps in the development and downwasting of the upland regolith. This model is consistent with available information about Piedmont hydrology and tectonic uplift.

Analysis of low levels of rare earths by radiochemical neutron activation analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wandless, G.A.; Morgan, J.W.

1985-01-01

A procedure for the radiochemical neutron-activation analysis for the rare earth elements (REE) involves the separation of the REE as a group by rapid ion-exchange methods and determination of yields by reactivation or by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometry. The U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) standard rocks, BCR-1 and AGV-1, were analyzed to determine the precision and accuracy of the method. We found that the precision was ??5-10% on the basis of replicate analysis and that, in general the accuracy was within ??5% of accepted values for most REE. Data for USGS standard rocks BIR-1 (Icelandic basalt) and DNC-1 (North Carolina diabase) are also presented. ?? 1985 Akade??miai Kiado??.

Mineral compositions of plutonic rocks from the Lewis Hills massif, Bay of Islands ophiolite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Susan E.; Elthon, Don

1988-01-01

Mineral compositions of residual and cumulate rocks from the Lewis Hills massif of the Bay of Islands ophiolite complex are reported and interpreted in the context of magnetic processes involved in the geochemical evolution of spatially associated diabase dikes. The mineral compositions reflect greater degrees of partial melting than most abyssal peridotites do and appear to represent the most depleted end of abyssal peridotite compositions. Subsolidus equilibration between Cr-Al spinal and olivine generally has occurred at temperatures of 700 to 900 C. The spinel variations agree with the overall fractionation of basaltic magmas producing spinels with progressively lower Cr numbers. The compositions of clinopyroxenes suggest that the fractionation of two different magma series produced the various cumulate rocks.

Microcrack closure in rocks under stress - Direct observation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Batzle, M. L.; Simmons, G.; Siegfried, R. W.

1980-01-01

Direct observations of the closure of microcracks in rocks under increasing stress are reported. Uniaxial stresses up to 300 bars were applied to untreated and previously heated samples of Westerly granite and Frederick diabase by a small hydraulic press which fit entirely within a scanning electron microscope. Crack closure characteristics are found to depend on crack orientation, with cracks perpendicular to the applied stress closing and those parallel tending to open, as well as crack aspect ratio, crack intersection properties, stress concentrations and surface roughness. Uniaxial and hydrostatic stress measurements are found to be strongly dependent on fracture content as observed by SEM, and the observed hysteresis in strain measurements in the first stress cycles is also related to microscopic processes

Ocean plateau-seamount origin of basaltic rocks, Angayucham terrane, central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barker, F.; Jones, D.L.; Budahn, J.R.; Coney, P.J.

1988-01-01

The Angayucham terrane of north-central Alaska (immediately S of the Brooks Range) is a large (ca. 500 km E-W), allochthonous complex of Devonian to Lower Jurassic pillow basalt, diabase sills, gabbro plutons, and chert. The mafic rocks are transitional normal-to-enriched, mid-ocean-ridge (MORB) type tholeiites (TiO2 1.2-3.4%, Nb 7-23 ppm, Ta 0.24-1.08 ppm, Zr 69-214 ppm, and light REE's slightly depleted to moderately enriched). Geologic and geochemical constraints indicate that Angayucham terrane is the upper "skin' (ca. 3-4 km thick) of a long-lived (ca. 170-200 ma) oceanic plateau whose basaltic-gabbroic rocks are like those of seamounts of the East Pacific Rise. -Authors

A reconnaissance space sensing investigation of crustal structure for a strip from the eastern Sierra Nevada to the Colorado Plateau

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liggett, M. A. (Principal Investigator)

1974-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. Research progress in an investigation using ERTS-1 MSS imagery to study regional tectonics and related natural resources is summarized. Field reconnaissance guided by analysis of ERTS-1 imagery has resulted in development of a tectonic model relating strike-slip faulting to crustal extension in the southern Basin Range Province. The tectonics of the northern Death Valley-Furnace Creek Fault Zone and spacially associated volcanism and mercury mineralization were also investigated. Field work in the southern Sierra Nevada has confirmed the existence of faults and diabase dike swarms aligned along several major lineaments first recognized in ERTS-1 imagery. Various image enhancement and analysis techniques employed in the study of ERTS-1 data are summarized.

A plutonic view of explosive volcanism: the shatter zone of the Cadillac Mountain granite, Maine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiebe, R.

2013-12-01

The Silurian Cadillac Mountain granite (CMG) is about 15 km in diameter. It is underlain on its deeper western margin by layered gabbro-diorite (GD) up to 3 km thick and on its eastern and southern margins by an intrusive breccia (the 'shatter zone' (SZ)), up to 1 km wide. Coeval rhyolite tuffs, ignimbrites and lavas occur near the southern margin of the granite. The more shallow eastern part of the SZ can be divided into three zones: (SZA) An outer zone against country rock (CR) consists of strongly broken up, deformed sedimentary rocks and angular blocks of diabase invaded by thin irregular veins of aphanitic felsite. All CR fragments are tightly packed with less than ~ 15% matrix, which coarsens inward to vfg quartz, feldspar and biotite. (SZB) A central zone contains abundant sedimentary and scarce rhyolite blocks (typically < 1 m) and larger diabase blocks (from < 1 m to 10s of meters). This zone has 20 to 60% fg to mg matrix with quartz, two feldspars, biotite and abundant pieces of CR down to a few mm. It typically has a strong flow fabric around CR blocks. (SZC) The inner zone has only large (10-80 m) blocks of sedimentary rock, diabase and rhyolite (flows and ignimbrite). The mg granitic matrix (>60%) has blocky hypersolvus feldspar, interstitial to equant quartz, Fe-cpx, Fe-hornblende, two oxides and scarce fayalite. Feldspar in this zone consistently has a sequence of zones consisting of: (1) a homogeneous core of ~ An10Ab80Or10, (2) a transition up to 1 mm wide with 10-15 Or-Ab oscillations (e.g. from Or10 to Or30), each from 20 to 100 microns in width, and (3) a nearly homogeneous rim of variable width averaging about An3Ab70Or27. The occurrence of crystals with such distinctive zoning over such a great distance (18 km) suggests that the zoning was produced by an intensive parameter and not by magma mixing. Because the crystals are restricted to the SZ matrix, processes that produced the shatter zone probably also influenced feldspar zoning. Analysis of clast size distribution of CR fragments in SZA and SZB suggests an extremely high-energy environment consistent with a pyroclastic eruption from the CMG magma chamber (Roy et al. 2012). If such an eruption did occur, one expected effect would be episodic, sudden drops in pressure during degassing and eruptive events. Since the lower part of the chamber was apparently relatively dry (hypersolvus alkali feldspar with ternary feldspar occurs in CMG immediately above the GD), the drop in pressure would lower H2O activity so that the Ab-rich loop of the alkali feldspar phase diagram would shift to higher T, causing the melt to fall below the liquidus and shift the equilibrium solid feldspar to higher Or values. This matches the initial oscillatory zone to higher Or on the homogeneous cores. Because the SZ terminates at the top of the GD, it is likely that mafic input contributed to the eruption. The large inward increase in the crystallization T of the matrix from SZA to SZC probably records initial escape of a cooler felsic cap and upwelling of deep, hot hypersolvus magma along with partial collapse of the chamber roof.

Reconnaissance Borehole Geophysical, Geological, and Hydrological Data from the Proposed Hydrodynamic Compartments of the Culpeper Basin in Loudoun, Prince William, Culpeper, Orange, and Fairfax Counties, Virginia (Version 1.0)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ryan, Michael P.; Pierce, Herbert A.; Johnson, Carole D.; Sutphin, David M.; Daniels, David L.; Smoot, Joseph P.; Costain, John K.; Coruh, Cahit; Harlow, George E.

2006-01-01

The Culpeper basin is part of a much larger system of ancient depressions or troughs, that lie inboard of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, and largely within the Applachian Piedmont Geologic Province of eastern North America, and the transition region with the neighboring Blue Ridge Geologic Province. This basin system formed during an abortive attempt to make a great ocean basin during the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic, and the eroded remnants of the basins record major episodes of sedimentation, igneous intrusion and eruption, and pervasive contact metamorphism. Altogether, some twenty nine basins formed between what is now Nova Scotia and Georgia. Many of these basins are discontinuous along their strike, and have therefore recorded isolated environments for fluvial and lacustrine sedimentation. Several basins (including the Culpeper, Gettysburg, and Newark basins) are fault-bounded on the west, and Mesozoic crustal stretching has produced assymetrical patterns of basin subsidence resulting in a progressive basin deepening to the west, and a virtual onlap relationship with the pre-basin Proterozoic rocks to the east. A result of such a pattern of basin deepening is the development of sequences of sandstones and siltstones that systemmatically increase in dip towards the accomodating western border faults. A second major structural theme in several of the major Mesozoic basins (including the Culpeper) concerns the geometry of igneous intrusion, as discussed below. Froelich (1982, 1985) and Lee and Froelich (1989) discuss the general geology of the Culpeper basin, and Smoot (1989) discusses the sedimentation environments and sedimentary facies of the Mesozoic with respect to fluvial and shallow lacustrine deposition in the Culpeper basin. Ryan and others, 2007a, b, discuss the role of diabase-induced compartmentalization in the Culpeper basin (and other Mesozoic basins), and illustrate (using alteration mineral suites within the diabase and adjacent hornfels, among other evidence) how this process has played a role in organizing the paleo- and contemporary-flow of crustal fluids at local and regional scales. Within this report, the Newark Supergroup nomenclature of Weems and Olsen (1997) is adopted.

Investigating the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility and other rock magnetic properties of the Beaver River Diabase in northeastern Minnesota

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hariri, Samer H.

The Beaver River Diabase (BRD) is a series of mafic dikes and sills within the Beaver Bay Complex (BBC) of northern Minnesota, which formed during the development of the ~1.1 Ga Midcontinent Rift (MCR). The BRD is one of the youngest and most extensive intrusive phases of the BBC. The BRD dikes and sills were emplaced into the medial levels of the 6-10 kilometer-thick North Shore Volcanic Group and occur over an arcuate area extending 120 by 20 kilometers. The BRD is composed of fine- to medium-grained ophitic olivine gabbro and does not display obvious foliation or lineation features and rarely displays modal layering. Without obvious magmatic internal structures, it is difficult to determine emplacement properties such as flow direction using standard geologic mapping or petrographic techniques. For this reason, we measured the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS), in conjunction with other rock magnetic properties, to better understand the BRD's emplacement and deformation history in the context of the MCR. AMS measures the directional dependence of low-field magnetic susceptibility, and is used to infer a shape-preferred orientation of magnetic minerals within a rock, which can be related to specific emplacement mechanisms (e.g. directional flow or settling). Preliminary analysis of AMS at 20 sites within the southern half of the BRD (with 4-7 samples per site) shows maximum susceptibility values between 4.48 x 10-6 and 2.22 x 10-4 m 3/kg (1165 and 65400 μSI). Most specimens display nearly isotropic AMS ellipsoids (Pj < 1.15) with minor degrees of prolateness and oblateness. However, about 20% of specimens have higher anisotropies (Pj between 1.15 and 1.67) and higher degrees of oblateness and prolateness. Variations in AMS properties may reflect differences in concentration and composition of magnetic minerals, as well as emplacement mechanisms. Measurements of susceptibility as a function of temperature yield Curie points between 470 and 570 °C, indicating the presence of low-titanium titanomagnetite. Major hysteresis loops show coercivities between 1 and 25 mT, consistent with titanomagnetite as the dominant remanence carrier.

Mineralogical, chemical, and physical properties of the regolith overlying crystalline rocks, Fairfax County, Virginia: a preliminary report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leo, Gerhard W.; Pavich, M.J.; Obermeier, Stephen F.

1977-01-01

Undisturbed cores of saprolite developed on crystalline rocks of the Piedmont Province in Fairfax County, Virginia have been obtained using a combination of Shelby tubes, Denison sampler, and modified diamond core-drilling. The principal purpose of the core study is to correlate variations in chemistry, mineralogy and texture with engineering properties throughout the weathering profile. Coring sites were chosen to obtain a maximum depth of weathering on diverse lithologies. The rocks investigated include pelitic schist, metagraywacke, granite, diabase and serpentinite. Four to twelve samples per core were selected, depending on thickness of 1) the weathering profile (from about 1 m in serpentinite to more than 30 m in pelitic schist) and on 2) megascopic changes in saprolite character for analysis of petrography, texture, clay mineralogy andd major element chemistry. Shear strength and compressibility were determined on corresponding segments of core. Standard penetration tests were performed adjacent to coring sites to evaluate engineering properties in situ. Geochemical changes of saprolite developed from each rock type follow predictable trends from fresh rock to soil profile, with relative Increases in Si, Ti, Al, Fe3+ and H20; variable K; and relative loss of Fe 2+, Mg, Ca, and Na. These variations are more pronounced in the weathering profiles over mafic and ultramafic rocks than metagraywacke. Clay minerals in granite, schist and metagraywacke saprolite are kaolinite, dioctahedral vermiculite, interlayered micavermiculite, and minor illite. Gibbsite is locally developed in near-surface samples of schist. Standard penetration test data for the upper 7 m of saprolite over schist and metagraywacke suggest alternations between stronger and weaker horizons than probably reflect variations in lithology including the presence of quartz lenses. Results for granite saprolite are most consistent but indicate lower strength. Shear strength increases fairly regularly downward in the weathering profile. The engineering behavior of diabase saprolite is controlled by a dense, plastic, near-surface clay layer (montmorillonite and kaolinite)overlying rock which is weathered to a granular state (grus), while engineering properties of serpentinite are determined by a very thin weathering profile.

Discrimination of Thermal versus Mechanical Effects of Shock on Rock Magnetic Properties of Spherically Shocked up to 10-160 GPa Basalt and Diabase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bezaeva, N. S.; Swanson-Hysell, N.; Tikoo, S.; Badyukov, D. D.; Kars, M. A. C.; Egli, R.; Chareev, D. A.; Fairchild, L. M.

2016-12-01

Understanding how shock waves generated during hypervelocity impacts affect rock magnetic properties is key for interpreting the paleomagnetic records of lunar rocks, meteorites, and cratered planetary surfaces. Laboratory simulations of impacts show that ultra-high shocks may induce substantial post-shock heating of the target material. At high pressures (>10 GPa), shock heating occurs in tandem with mechanical effects, such as grain fracturing and creation of crystallographic defects and dislocations within magnetic grains. This makes it difficult to conclude whether shock-induced changes in the rock magnetic properties of target materials are primarily associated with mechanical or thermal effects. Here we present novel experimental methods to discriminate between mechanical and thermal effects of shock on magnetic properties and illustrate it with two examples of spherically shocked terrestrial basalt and diabase [1], which were shocked to pressures of 10 to >160 GPa, and investigate possible explanations for the observed shock-induced magnetic hardening (i.e., increase in remanent coercivity Bcr). The methods consist of i) conducting extra heating experiments at temperatures resembling those experienced during high-pressure shock events on untreated equivalents of shocked rocks (with further comparison of Bcr of shocked and heated samples) and ii) quantitative comparison of high-resolution first-order reversal curve (FORC) diagrams (field step: 0.5-0.7 mT) for shocked, heated and untreated specimens. Using this approach, we demonstrated that the shock-induced coercivity hardening in our samples is predominantly due to solid-state, mechanical effects of shock rather than alteration associated with shock heating. Indeed, heating-induced changes in Bcr in the post-shock temperature range were minor. Visual inspection of FORC contours (in addition to detailed analyses) reveals a stretching of the FORC distribution of shocked sample towards higher coercivities, consistent with shock-induced hardening. However, shock does not alter the intrinsic shape of coercivity and the shape of FORC contours (apart from field scaling) while heating does, which is seen as a significant alteration of FORC contours. Reference: [1] Swanson-Hysell N. L. et al. 2014. G3 15:2039-2047.

Geology and tectonics of the Archean Superior Province, Canadian Shield

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Card, K. D.

1986-01-01

Superior Province consists mainly of Late Archean rocks with Middle Archean gneisses in the south, and possibly in the north. The Late Archean supracrustal sequences are of island arc and interarc affinity and are cut by abundant plutonic rocks, including early arc-related intrusions, late synorogenic intrusions, and post-orogenic plutons that are possibly the product of crustal melting caused by thermal blanketing of newly-thickened continental crust combined with high mantle heat flux. The contemporaneity of magmatic and deformational events along the lengths of the belts is consistent with a subduction-dominated tectonic regime for assembly of the Kenoran Orogen. Successive addition of volcanic arcs accompanied and followed by voluminous plutonism resulted in crustal thickening and stabilization of the Superior craton prior to uplift of Kapuskasing granulites, emplacement of the Matachewan diabase dykes, and Early Proterozoic marginal rifting.

Geochemical recognition of a captured back-arc basin metabasaltic complex, southwestern Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Donato, M.M.

1991-01-01

An extensive fault-bounded amphibolite terrane of Late Jurassic (145 ?? 2 Ma) metamorphic age occurring in the northeastern Klamath Mountains of southern Oregon has been recognized as the remnants of an ancient back-arc basin. In spite of thorough metamorphic recrystallization under amphibolite-facies conditions, the amphibolite locally displays relict igneous textures which suggest that the protoliths included basaltic dikes or sills, shallow diabase intrusions, and gabbros. The geochemical data, together with the present-day geologic context, indicate that the tectonic setting of eruption/intrusion was probably within a back-arc basin that existed inboard (east) of a pre-Nevadan volcanic arc. The basalt (now amphibolite) and the overlying sediments (now the May Creek Schist) were metamorphosed and deformed during accretion to North America during the Late Jurassic Nevadan orogeny. -from Author

Analysis and application of ERTS-1 data for regional geological mapping

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gold, D. P.; Parizek, R. R.; Alexander, S. A.

1973-01-01

Combined visual and digital techniques of analysing ERTS-1 data for geologic information have been tried on selected areas in Pennsylvania. The major physiolographic and structural provinces show up well. Supervised mapping, following the imaged expression of known geologic features on ERTS band 5 enlargements (1:250,000) of parts of eastern Pennsylvania, delimited the Diabase Sills and the Precambrian rocks of the Reading Prong with remarkable accuracy. From unsupervised mapping, transgressive linear features are apparent in unexpected density, and exhibit strong control over river valley and stream channel directions. They are unaffected by bedrock type, age, or primary structural boundaries, which suggests they are either rejuvenated basement joint directions on different scales, or they are a recently impressed structure possibly associated with a drifting North American plate. With ground mapping and underflight data, 6 scales of linear features have been recognized.

Shock compression of a recrystallized anorthositic rock from Apollo 15

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ahrens, T. J.; Gibbons, R. V.; O'Keefe, J. D.

1973-01-01

Hugoniot measurements on 15,418, a recrystallized and brecciated gabbroic anorthosite, yield a value of the Hugoniot elastic limit (HEL) varying from 45 to 70 kbar as the final shock pressure is varied from 70 to 280 kbar. Above the HEL and to 150 kbar, the pressure-density Hugoniot is closely described by a hydrostatic equation of state constructed from ultrasonic data for single-crystal plagioclase and pyroxene. Above 150 kbar, the Hugoniot states indicate that a series of one or more shock-induced phase changes are occurring in the plagioclase and pyroxene. From Hugoniot data for both the single-crystal minerals and the Frederick diabase, we infer that the shock-induced high-pressure phases in 15,418 probably consists of a 3.71 g/cu cm density, high-pressure structure for plagioclase and a 4.70 g/cu cm perovskite-type structure for pyroxene.

Mineralogy and geochemistry of Eocene Helete formation , Adiyaman, Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, J.; Lee, I.; Yildirim, E.

2013-12-01

Helete formation is located at Adiyaman, Turkey which is in the Alpine-Himalayan orogeny belt. Helete formation is represented by andesitic, basaltic and gabbroic rocks cut by localized felsic intrusions and overlain by open-marine Nummulitic carbonate sediments. Electron microprobe analyses were conducted for 15 rocks samples of Helete formation. These rock samples are named as basalt, andesite, gabbro, diorite, dacite, and granite. Basalt and andesite samples are composed of clinopyroxene(augite), plagioclase(Ab98-96), carbonate, and hyaline. Gabbro samples have wide range of plagioclase composition from anorthite to albite(Ab92-16), and other minerals like clinopyroxene(augite) and amphibole(hornblende and actinolite). Diabase samples consist of epidote group minerals and sphene with plagioclase(Ab80), pyroxene and hornblende. Dacite samples are composed of dolomite and quartz. Granite samples are composed of quartz, chlorite, and plagioclase which range from albite to oligoclase in composition (Ab98-89).

Igneous stratigraphy and rock-types from a deep transect of the gabbroic lower crust of the Atlantis Bank core complex (SW Indian Ridge): preliminary results from IODP Expedition 360

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanfilippo, A.; France, L.; Ghosh, B.; Liu, C. Z.; Morishita, T.; Natland, J. H.; Dick, H. J.; MacLeod, C. J.; Expedition 360 Scientists, I.

2016-12-01

International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 360 represents the first leg of a multi-phase drilling programme ('SloMo' project) aimed at investigating the nature of the lower crust and Moho at slow spreading ridges. As an initial phase of the SloMo project, IODP Exp. 360 intended to recover a representative transect of the lower oceanic crust formed at Atlantis Bank, an oceanic core complex on the SW Indian Ridge. During this expedition, 89 cores of gabbroic rocks were recovered at Hole U1473A, drilled to 789.7 m below seafloor. This hole was subsequently deepened to 809.4 mbsf during transit Expedition 362T, which recovered additional 7 cores. The gabbroic section recovered at Hole U1473A consists of several types of gabbro, diabase, and felsic veins. The main lithology is dominated by olivine gabbro (76.5% in abundance), followed by gabbro containing 1-2% oxide (9.5%), gabbro with >2% oxide (7.4%), gabbro sensu stricto (5.1%), felsic veins (1.5%) and diabase (<0.5%). The different lithologies appear randomly distributed throughout the section, although oxide abundance seems to decrease slightly downhole, except for the lowermost intervals where oxide gabbros are more abundant. Based on changes in rock types, grain size, texture, and the occurrence of felsic material, we identified eight lithologic units, which locally define separate geochemical trends. Each unit is characterized by meter-scale heterogeneity which classically characterizes gabbros formed at slow spreading ridges. Reaction textures in olivine gabbros, crosscutting relationships between oxide gabbros and host rocks, the presence of intrusive to sutured contacts, igneous layering and the widespread occurrence of felsic veins and segregations indicate that the evolution of this section was controlled by complicated interactions of magmatic processes, e.g., fractional crystallization, melt-rock reaction, late-stage melt migration, which were active in a crystal mush formed by multiple injections of magma. This contribution describes the main features of these rocks and discusses the complexity of the igneous processes producing this 800 m-long transect of oceanic crust that was formed in a robust magmatic segment of an ultraslow spreading ridge.

Rainfall and Seasonal Movement of the Weeks Creek Landslide, San Mateo County, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wieczorek, Gerald F.; Reid, Mark E.; Jodicke, Walter; Pearson, Chris; Wilcox, Grant

2007-01-01

Introduction Many different types of landslide occur in the Santa Cruz Mountains of San Mateo County, Calif. (Brabb and Pampeyan, 1972); most slope movement is triggered by strong earthquakes, heavy rainfall, or shoreline erosion. In this area, shallow landslides of loose soil and rock, which may transform into debris flows, commonly occur during individual storms when rainfall exceeds a threshold of intensity and duration (Cannon and Ellen, 1985; Wieczorek and Sarmiento, 1988; Wilson and Wieczorek, 1995). In contrast, deeper rotational and translational slides (Varnes, 1978) typically begin to move only after days to weeks or months of heavy rain. Once started, they can continue to move for months during and after a heavy rainfall season, for example, the Scenic Drive landslide at La Honda, Calif. (Jayko and others, 1998; Wells and others, 2005, 2006). Although the rainfall characteristics triggering rapid, shallow landslides have been documented (Wieczorek, 1987; Cannon and Ellen, 1988), the rainfall conditions leading to repeated deeper-seated slope movements are less well known. The Weeks Creek landslide (Adam, 1975), near the western crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains north of La Honda in San Mateo County (fig. 1), consists of a large prehistoric section containing a historically active section; both sections have earthflow morphologies. The entire landslide mass, which extends about 1,000 m westward from an elevation of 220 m down to an elevation of 120 m, is about 300 to 370 m wide (Cole and others, 1994); The prehistoric section of the landslide is about 30 m deep and approximately 10 million m3 in volume (Cole and others, 1994). The smaller, historically active portion of the Weeks Creek landslide (fig. 1) is only approximately 500 m long, 200 m wide, and 13 m deep (Cole and others, 1994). Near the landslide, the Santa Cruz Mountains consist of tightly folded, Tertiary sedimentary bedrock materials of the Butano sandstone and San Lorenzo Formations (Eocene through Lower Oligocene). These sedimentary bedrock materials are locally intruded by Oligocene diabase and capped by Oligocene through Miocene basalt of the Mindego Formation (Brabb, 1980; Cole and others, 1994). Within the active landslide, as documented from multiple borings by Cole and others (1994), deeply weathered mudstone and sandstone of the San Lorenzo Formation extends to a depth of about 10 to 13 m, where the active shear zone is located. Beneath this, within the deeper prehistoric landslide, mudstone extends to a depth of about 24 to 32 m and is underlain by strong diabase bedrock. The basal rupture surface of the prehistoric landslide is located near the mudstone/diabase contact (Cole and others, 1994). The historically active section of the Weeks Creek landslide, which is crossed by the La Honda road (California Highway 84, fig. 1), was first noticed to partially move during the great 1906 San Francisco earthquake (Lawson, 1908). It has moved repeatedly over the ensuing years but generally only during wet rainy seasons. For some of these active years, ground cracks and lateral displacements were recorded by local residents Walter Jodicke and Chris Pearson, as well as by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) personnel. In spring 2006, fresh ground cracks were noted in parts of the prehistoric, previously inactive section of the landslide. In this report, we present daily rainfall measurements from 1973 through 2006 obtained at the landslide site and summarize available observations of slope movement over that period. In addition, we present more detailed observations of rainfall, ground-water pressure, and slope movement for three water years spanning the period 1981-1984. We conclude with some preliminary observations about rainfall and slope movement at this site.

Timing of tectonic evolution of the East Kunlun Orogen, Northern Tibet Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Yunpeng

2017-04-01

The East Kunlun Orogen, located at the northern Tibet Plateau, represents the western segment of the Central China Orogenic Belt which was formed by amalgamation of the North China blocks and South China blocks. It is a key to understanding the formation of Eastern Asian continent as well as the evolution of the Pangea supercontinent. Based on detailed geological mapping, geochemical and geochronological investigations, the orogen is divided into three main tectonic belts, from north to south, including the Northern Qimantagh, Central Kunlun and Southern Kunlun Belts by the Qimantagh suture, Central Kunlun suture and South Kunlun fault. The Qimantagh suture is marked by the Early Paleozoic ophiolites outcropped in the Yangziquan, Wutumeiren, and Tatuo areas, which consist mainly of peridotites, gabbros, diabases and basalts. Besides, the ophiolite in the Wutumeiren is characterized by occurring anorthosite while the ophiolite in the Tatuo occurring chert. The basalts and diabases from both Yaziquan and Tatuo areas display depletion of Nb, Ta, P and Ti, and enrichment of LILE, suggesting a subduction related tectonic setting. LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb age of 421 Ma for the diabase represents the formation age of the Yaziquan ophiolite, while the U-Pb ages of 490 Ma and 505 Ma for gabbro and anorthosite, respectively, constrain the formation age of the Tatuo ophiolite. The basaltic rocks in the Wutumeiren area display flat distribution of HFSEs (such as Nb, Ta, K, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Zr, Sm, Eu, Ti, Dy, Y, Yb and Lu) and slightly enrichment in LREEs, while the peridotites showing depletion in MREEs. The LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb age of 431 Ma for the gabbro represents the formation age of the Wutumeiren ophiolite. Together with regional geology, we suggest herewith a back-arc basin tectonic setting during ca. 505-421 Ma at least for the Qimantagh suture. The Central Kunlun suture is represented by the ophiolite in the Wutuo area, which is characterized by depletion of Nb, Ta, P and Ti, and enrichment of LILEs, LREEs, K, Pb, Sr and Nd, accounting for a subduction relation setting. The gabbro yields a LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb age of 243 Ma, representing the formation age of the ophiolite. Taking into account of evidence from the Early Paleozoic ophiolites in the Buqinshan ( Bian Qiantao et al., 2001, 2007; Li Zuochen et al., 2013; Li Ruibao et al., 2014; Liu Zhanqing et al., 2011) and the Derni areas (Chen Liang et al., 2001, 2003), the Central Kunlun ocean might be existed from Early Paleozoic to Middle Triassic time. The Northern Qimantagh tectonic belt, to the north of the Qimantagh suture, exposes a large volume of Early Paleozoic granitic plutons and volcanic rocks. Geochemistry of the granites suggests an arc setting. LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb ages ranging from ca. 440 to 402 Ma constrain the time of the subduction and arc setting. The Central Kunlun tectonic belt is characterized by occurring of Paleo-Proterozoic basement which was intruded by large amounts of Triassic granitoids. The basement represented by the Jinshuikou Group including gneisses, amphibolites and marbles, yields a protolith formation age of 2.2 Ga which was overprinted by Neoproterozoic tectono-thermal event. The plutonic intrusions display LA-ICP-MS zircon ages mainly of 260-200 Ma with minor ages of 470-400 Ma, revealing a long-lived subduction from Early Paleozoic to Late Triassic. Taken into together all above evidence, trench-arc-back arc basin tectonics were suggested here accounting for the tectonic evolution of the East Kunlun Orogeny during Early Paleozoic to Triassic time.

Cooperative investigation of precision and accuracy: In chemical analysis of silicate rocks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schlecht, W.G.

1951-01-01

This is the preliminary report of the first extensive program ever organized to study the analysis of igneous rocks, a study sponsored by the United States Geological Survey, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Large samples of two typical igneous rocks, a granite and a diabase, were carefully prepared and divided. Small samples (about 70 grams) of each were sent to 25 rock-analysis laboratories throughout the world; analyses of one or both samples were reported by 34 analysts in these laboratories. The results, which showed rather large discrepancies, are presented in histograms. The great discordance in results reflects the present unsatisfactory state of rock analysis. It is hoped that the ultimate establishment of standard samples and procedures will contribute to the improvement of quality of analyses. The two rock samples have also been thoroughly studied spectrographically and petrographically. Detailed reports of all the studies will be published.

Geophysical methods as mapping tools in a strata-bound gold deposit: Haile mine, South Carolina slate belt.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wynn, J.C.; Luce, R.W.

1984-01-01

The Haile mine is the largest gold producer in the eastern USA. It is postulated to be a strata-bound gold deposit formed by a fumarolic or hot-spring system in felsic tuffs of Cambrian(?) age. Two mineralized zones occur, each composed of a sericitic part overlain by a siliceous part. Au is concentrated in especially silicified horizons and in pyrite horizons in the siliceous part of each mineralized zone. The tuffs are metamorphosed to greenschist facies and intruded by diabase and other mafic dykes. Weathering is deep and the mineralized tuffs are partly covered by coastal-plain sediments. It is suggested that certain geophysical methods may be useful in mapping and exploring Haile-type deposits in the Carolina slate belt. Very low frequency electromagnetic resistivity surveys help define alteration and silicified zones. A magnetic survey found sharp highs that correlate with unexposed mafic and ultramafic dykes. Induced polarization proved useful in giving a two-dimensional view of the structure.-G.J.N.

Geology and neotectonism in the epicentral area of the 2011 M5.8 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Burton, William C.; Spears, David B.; Harrison, Richard W.; Evans, Nicholas H.; Schindler, J. Stephen; Counts, Ronald C.

2015-01-01

arc (Ordovician Chopawamsic Formation) to Laurentia, intrusion of a granodiorite pluton (Ordovician Ellisville pluton), and formation of a post-Chopawamsic successor basin (Ordovician Quantico Formation), all accompanied by early Paleozoic regional deformation and metamorphism. Local transpressional faulting and retrograde metamorphism occurred in the late Paleozoic, followed by diabase dike intrusion and possible local normal faulting in the early Mesozoic. The overall goal of the bedrock mapping is to determine what existing geologic structures might have been reactivated during the 2011 seismic event, and surfi cial deposits along the South Anna River are being mapped in order to determine possible neotectonic uplift. In addition to bedrock and surfi cial studies, we have excavated trenches in an area that contains two late Paleozoic faults and represents the updip projection of the causative fault for the 2011 quake. The trenches reveal faulting that has offset surfi cial deposits dated as Quaternary in age, as well as numerous other brittle structures that suggest a geologically recent history of neotectonic activity.

Investigating the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility and other rock magnetic properties of the Beaver River Diabase in northeastern Minnesota

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hariri, S. H.; Brownlee, S. J.; Feinberg, J. M.; Jackson, M. J.; Miller, J. D.

2013-12-01

The Beaver River Diabase (BRD) is a series of mafic dikes and sills within the Beaver Bay Complex (BBC) of northern Minnesota, which formed during the development of the ~1.1 Ga Midcontinent Rift (MCR). The BRD is one of the youngest and most extensive intrusive phases of the BBC. The BRD dikes and sills were emplaced into the medial levels of the 6-10 kilometer-thick North Shore Volcanic Group and occur over an arcuate area extending 120 by 20 kilometers. The BRD is composed of fine- to medium-grained ophitic olivine gabbro and does not display obvious foliation or lineation features and rarely displays modal layering. Without obvious magmatic internal structures, it is difficult to determine emplacement properties such as flow direction using standard geologic mapping or petrographic techniques. For this reason, we measured the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS), in conjunction with other rock magnetic properties, to better understand the BRD's emplacement and deformation history in the context of the MCR. AMS measures the directional dependence of low-field magnetic susceptibility, and is used to infer a shape-preferred orientation of magnetic minerals within a rock, which can be related to specific emplacement mechanisms (e.g. directional flow or settling). Preliminary analysis of AMS at 20 sites within the southern half of the BRD (with 4-7 samples per site) shows maximum susceptibility values between 4.48 x 10-6 and 2.22 x 10-4 m3/kg (1165 and 65400 μSI). Most specimens display nearly isotropic AMS ellipsoids (Pj < 1.15) with minor degrees of prolateness and oblateness. However, about 20% of specimens have higher anisotropies (Pj between 1.15 and 1.67) and higher degrees of oblateness and prolateness. Variations in AMS properties may reflect differences in concentration and composition, as well as emplacement mechanisms. Measurements of susceptibility as a function of temperature yield Curie points between 470 and 570 °C, indicating a presence of low-titanium titanomagnetite. Major hysteresis loops and first order reversal curve (FORC) experiments show coercivities between 1 and 125 mT, with a bulk average microcoercivity of 25 mT, consistent with titanomagnetite as the dominant remanence carrier. Further analysis will also investigate the relationship of AMS to rock fabric by measuring mineral crystal preferred orientations using electron backscatter diffraction. These measurements will supplement the AMS data, and provide links to the role of microstructure, texture and mineralogy in AMS.

Asteroid 4 Vesta: A Fully Differentiated Dwarf Planet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mittlefehldt, David

2014-01-01

One conclusion derived from the study of meteorites is that some of them - most irons, stony irons, some achondrites - hail from asteroids that were heated to the point where metallic cores and basaltic crusts were formed. Telescopic observations show that there remains only one large asteroid with a basaltic crust, 4 Vesta; present day mean radius 263 km. The largest clan of achondrites, the howardite, eucrite and diogenite (HED) meteorites, represent the crust of their parent asteroid. Diogenites are cumulate harzburgites and orthopyroxenites from the lower crust whilst eucrites are cumulate gabbros, diabases and basalts from the upper crust. Howardites are impact-engendered breccias of diogenites and eucrites. A strong case can be made that HEDs are derived from Vesta. The NASA Dawn spacecraft orbited Vesta for 14 months returning data allowing geological, mineralogical, compositional and geophysical interpretations of Vesta's surface and structure. Combined with geochemical and petrological observations of HED meteorites, differentiation models for Vesta can be developed. Proto-Vesta probably consisted of primitive chondritic materials. Compositional evidence, primarily from basaltic eucrites, indicates that Vesta was melted to high degree (>=50%) which facilitated homogenization of the silicate phase and separation of immiscible Fe,Ni metal plus Fe sulphide into a core. Geophysical models based on Dawn data support a core of 110 km radius. The silicate melt vigorously convected and initially followed a path of equilibrium crystallization forming a harzburgitic mantle, possibly overlying a dunitic restite. Once the fraction of crystals was sufficient to cause convective lockup, the remaining melt collected between the mantle and the cool thermal boundary layer. This melt undergoes fractional crystallization to form a dominantly orthopyroxenite (diogenite) lower crust. The initial thermal boundary layer of primitive chondritic material is gradually replaced by a mafic crust through impact disruption and foundering. The quenched mafic crust thickens over time through magma extrusion/intrusion. Melt from the residual magma ocean intrudes and penetrates the mafic crust forming cumulate eucrite plutons, and dikes, sills and flows of basaltic eucrite composition. The post-differentiation vestan structure is thus not too dissimilar from that of terrestrial planets: (i) a metallic core; (ii) an ultramafic mantle comprised of a lower dunitic layer (if melting was substantially <100%) and an upper cumulate harzburgitic layer; (iii) a lower crust of harzburgitic and orthopyroxenitic cumulates; and (iv) an upper mafic crust of basalts and diabases (melt compositions) with cumulate gabbro intrusions. Impacts have excavated to the lower crust and delivered howardites, eucrites and diogenites to Earth, but there is yet no evidence demonstrating excavation of the vestan mantlle.

sRecovery Act: Geologic Characterization of the South Georgia Rift Basin for Source Proximal CO 2 Storage

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

Waddell, Michael

This study focuses on evaluating the feasibility and suitability of using the Jurassic/Triassic (J/TR) sediments of the South Georgia Rift basin (SGR) for CO 2 storage in southern South Carolina and southern Georgia The SGR basin in South Carolina (SC), prior to this project, was one of the least understood rift basin along the east coast of the U.S. In the SC part of the basin there was only one well (Norris Lightsey #1) the penetrated into J/TR. Because of the scarcity of data, a scaled approach used to evaluate the feasibility of storing CO 2 in the SGR basin.more » In the SGR basin, 240 km (~149 mi) of 2-D seismic and 2.6 km2 3-D (1 mi2) seismic data was collected, process, and interpreted in SC. In southern Georgia 81.3 km (~50.5 mi) consisting of two 2-D seismic lines were acquired, process, and interpreted. Seismic analysis revealed that the SGR basin in SC has had a very complex structural history resulting the J/TR section being highly faulted. The seismic data is southern Georgia suggest SGR basin has not gone through a complex structural history as the study area in SC. The project drilled one characterization borehole (Rizer # 1) in SC. The Rizer #1 was drilled but due to geologic problems, the project team was only able to drill to 1890 meters (6200 feet) instead of the proposed final depth 2744 meters (9002 feet). The drilling goals outlined in the original scope of work were not met. The project was only able to obtain 18 meters (59 feet) of conventional core and 106 rotary sidewall cores. All the conventional core and sidewall cores were in sandstone. We were unable to core any potential igneous caprock. Petrographic analysis of the conventional core and sidewall cores determined that the average porosity of the sedimentary material was 3.4% and the average permeability was 0.065 millidarcy. Compaction and diagenetic studies of the samples determined there would not be any porosity or permeability at depth in SC. In Georgia there appears to be porosity in the J/TR section based on neutron log porosity values. The only zones in Rizer #1 that appear to be porous were fractured diabase units where saline formation water was flowing into the borehole. Two geocellular models were created for the SC and GA study area. Flow simulation modeling was performed on the SC data set. The injection simulation used the newly acquired basin data as well as the Petrel 3-D geologic model that included geologic structure. Due to the new basin findings as a result of the newly acquired data, during phase two of the modeling the diabase unit was used as reservoir and the sandstone units were used as caprock. Conclusion are: 1) the SGR basin is composed of numerous sub-basins, 2) this study only looked at portions of two sub-basins, 3) in SC, 30 million tonnes of CO 2 can be injected into the diabase units if the fracture network is continuous through the units, 4) due to the severity of the faulting there is no way of assuring the injected CO 2 will not migrate upward into the overlying Coastal Plain aquifers, 5) in Georgia there appears to porous zones in the J/TR sandstones, 6) as in SC there is faulting in the sub-basin and the seismic suggest the faulting extends upward into the Coastal Plain making that area not suitable for CO 2 sequestration, 7) the complex faulting observed at both study areas appear to be associated with transfer fault zones (Heffner 2013), if sub-basins in the Georgia portion of the SGR basin can be located that are far away from the transfer fault zones there is a strong possibility of sequestering CO 2 in these areas, and 9) the SGR basin covers area in three states and this project only studied two small areas so there is enormous potential for CO 2 sequestration in other portions the basin and further research needs to be done to find these areas.« less

Bedrock geologic map of the Nashua South quadrangle, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, and Middlesex County, Massachusetts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walsh, Gregory J.; Jahns, Richard H.; Aleinikoff, John N.

2013-01-01

The bedrock geology of the 7.5-minute Nashua South quadrangle consists primarily of deformed Silurian metasedimentary rocks of the Berwick Formation. The metasedimentary rocks are intruded by a Late Silurian to Early Devonian diorite-gabbro suite, Devonian rocks of the Ayer Granodiorite, Devonian granitic rocks of the New Hampshire Plutonic Suite including pegmatite and the Chelmsford Granite, and Jurassic diabase dikes. The bedrock geology was mapped to study the tectonic history of the area and to provide a framework for ongoing hydrogeologic characterization of the fractured bedrock of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. This report presents mapping by G.J. Walsh and R.H. Jahns and zircon U-Pb geochronology by J.N. Aleinikoff. The complete report consists of a map, text pamphlet, and GIS database. The map and text pamphlet are only available as downloadable files (see frame at right). The GIS database is available for download in ESRITM shapefile and Google EarthTM formats, and includes contacts of bedrock geologic units, faults, outcrops, structural geologic information, photographs, and a three-dimensional model.

Evidence for a complex archean deformational history; southwestern Michipicoten Greenstone Belt, Ontario

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcgill, George E.; Shrady, Catherine H.

1986-01-01

The Michipicoten Greenstone Belt extends for about 150 km ENE from the northeastern angle of Lake Superior. In common with many other Archean greenstone belts, it is characterized by generally steep bedding dips and a distribution of major lithologic types suggesting a crudely synclinal structure for the belt as a whole. Detailed mapping and determination of structural sequence demonstrates that the structure is much more complex. The Archean history of the belt includes formation of at least three regionally significant cleavages, kilometer-scale overturning, extensive shearing, and diabase intrusion. Most well defined, mappable 'packages' of sedimentary rocks appear to be bounded by faults. These faults were active relatively early in the structural history of the belt, when extensive overturning also occurred. Steepening of dips, NW-SE shortening, development of steep NE cleavage, and pervasive shearing all postdate the early faulting and the regional overturning, obscuring much of the detail needed to define the geometry of the earlier structures. The results obtained so far suggest, however, that the Michipicoten Greenstone Belt underwent an early stage of thrusting and associated isoclinal folding, probably in a convergent tectonic environment.

Geochemical and isotopic characteristics of spring and groundwater in the State of São Paulo, Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szikszay, M.; Teissedre, J.-M.; Barner, U.; Matsui, E.

1981-12-01

A study of spring water shows that a correlation exists between the physical and chemical characteristics of the water and the lithology from where it issues. Water from crystalline rock can be classified as Ca/1bMg-bicarbonate, with low conductivity and temperature; water from sediments and/or weathered crystalline rock as Ca/1bMg-chloride—sulfate; and from volcanic rock, diabase and basalt as Na-bicarbonate water. Monthly samples of eight springs and of rain water in the region of Águas da Prata were analyzed for the deuterium and 18O isotopic contents expressed as δD and δ18O in order to determine the origin of these waters. The coincidence of the isotopic values of spring water with the regional meteoric line indicates a local source of recharge. Chemical anomalies of groundwater in the shallow Bauru and Basalto aquifers in the Paraná Basin are probably caused by ascending water from the confined deep Botucatu—Piramboia aquifer through fracture and fault zones.

Low pressure radon diffusion - A laboratory study and its implications for lunar venting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Friesen, L. J.; Adams, J. A. S.

1976-01-01

Results of a study of radon migration through columns of fine particulate materials, at total pressures of 0.02-0.2 torr, are reported. Materials studied were: NBS Glass Spheres (SRM 1003), Emerson & Cuming Eccospheres (IG-101), activated coconut charcoal, Lipaci obsidian, and W-1 Standard Diabase. Rates of diffusion were used to derive heats of adsorption for radon on the materials tested. The most reliable values found clustered around 8-9 kcal/mole. These high heats of adsorption, if typical for most materials, combined with low percentages of radon emanation by lunar soils found by other researchers, imply that random walk diffusion will not be an important mechanism for redistributing the radon and the radon daughters produced in the lunar regolith. In particular, since random walk migration is not a sufficient mechanism to account for localized high concentrations of radon-222 and its daughter polonium-210 observed by the Apollo 15 and 16 command modules, an alternative mechanism is proposed, in which radon would be swept to the surface by other gases during intermittent venting events.

Geologic map of the Weka Dur gold deposit, Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan, modified from the 1967 original map compilation of M.P. Guguev and others

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peters, Stephen G.; Stettner, Will R.; Masonic, Linda M.

2014-01-01

The Weka Dur gold deposit lies in a cluster of other gold deposits in Badakhshan Province (Ragh district), such as the Kadar, Nesheb Dur, and Rishaw gold occurrences. These gold occurrences lie within a zone of late Hercynian folding and are most likely related to fluids that originated from orogenic processes. The Weka Dur deposit is the largest recorded gold occurrence in Afghanistan and is hosted in Proterozoic mica schist and amphibolite that is intruded by diabase dikes and other intrusive rocks. The tabular orebody is 350 meters (m) long and 2 m wide and can be traced downdip for 110 m. Mineralization consists of ochreous, brecciated schists containing high gold concentrations along gently and steeply dipping fissures. The brecciated rocks grade to 46.7 grams per ton (g/t) silver and contain arsenopyrite, galena, chalcopyrite, and scheelite. Trenches and adits were constructed, mapped, and sampled during the 1960s. Calculated resources are 958.3 kilograms of gold, averaging 4.1 g/t gold.

Discovery of potential protein biomarkers of lung adenocarcinoma in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid by SWATH MS data-independent acquisition and targeted data extraction.

PubMed

Ortea, I; Rodríguez-Ariza, A; Chicano-Gálvez, E; Arenas Vacas, M S; Jurado Gámez, B

2016-04-14

Lung cancer currently ranks as the neoplasia with the highest global mortality rate. Although some improvements have been introduced in recent years, new advances in diagnosis are required in order to increase survival rates. New mildly invasive endoscopy-based diagnostic techniques include the collection of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), which is discarded after using a portion of the fluid for standard pathological procedures. BALF proteomic analysis can contribute to clinical practice with more sensitive biomarkers, and can complement cytohistological studies by aiding in the diagnosis, prognosis, and subtyping of lung cancer, as well as the monitoring of treatment response. The range of quantitative proteomics methodologies used for biomarker discovery is currently being broadened with the introduction of data-independent acquisition (DIA) analysis-related approaches that address the massive quantitation of the components of a proteome. Here we report for the first time a DIA-based quantitative proteomics study using BALF as the source for the discovery of potential lung cancer biomarkers. The results have been encouraging in terms of the number of identified and quantified proteins. A panel of candidate protein biomarkers for adenocarcinoma in BALF is reported; this points to the activation of the complement network as being strongly over-represented and suggests this pathway as a potential target for lung cancer research. In addition, the results reported for haptoglobin, complement C4-A, and glutathione S-transferase pi are consistent with previous studies, which indicates that these proteins deserve further consideration as potential lung cancer biomarkers in BALF. Our study demonstrates that the analysis of BALF proteins by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), combining a simple sample pre-treatment and SWATH DIA MS, is a useful method for the discovery of potential lung cancer biomarkers. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) analysis can contribute to clinical practice with more sensitive biomarkers, thus complementing cytohistological studies in order to aid in the diagnosis, prognosis, and subtyping of lung cancer, as well as the monitoring of treatment response. Here we report a panel of candidate protein biomarkers for adenocarcinoma in BALF. Forty-four proteins showed a fold-change higher than 3.75 among adenocarcinoma patients compared with controls. This report is the first DIA-based quantitative proteomics study to use bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) as a matrix for discovering potential biomarkers. The results are encouraging in terms of the number of identified and quantified proteins, demonstrating that the analysis of BALF proteins by a SWATH approach is a useful method for the discovery of potential biomarkers of pulmonary diseases. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Experimental Studies of Dynamic Fault Weakening Due to Thermal Pressurization of Pore Fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldsby, David; Tullis, Terry; Platt, John; Okazaki, Keishi

2016-04-01

High-velocity friction experiments and geophysical observations suggest that mature faults weaken dramatically during seismic slip. However, while many coseismic weakening mechanisms have been proposed, it is still unclear which mechanisms are most important or how the efficiency of weakening varies within the seismogenic zone. Thermal pressurization is one possible coseismic weakening mechanism driven by the thermal expansion of native pore fluids, which leads to elevated pore pressures and significant coseismic weakening. While thermal pressurization has been studied theoretically for many decades, and invoked in recent earthquake simulations, its activation in laboratory experiments has remained elusive. Several high-speed friction studies have yielded indirect evidence for thermal pressurization, yet none has directly linked with existing theoretical models or the relevant physical parameters, such as permeability, slip, and slip rate, that control the weakening rate. To fill this gap, we are conducting thermal pressurization experiments on fluid-saturated, low-permeability rocks (Frederick diabase) at slip rates up to ~5 mm/s, at constant confining pressures in the range 21-149 MPa and initial imposed pore pressures in the range 10-25 MPa. The impractically low permeability of the as-is diabase, ~10-23 m2, is increased prior to the test by thermal cracking, yielding measured permeabilities in the range 1.3*10-18 to 6.1*10-19 m2. These values of permeability are high enough to allow sample saturation over one to several days, but low enough to confine the elevated pore pressures generated by frictional heating during rapid sliding. Our experiments reveal a rapid decay of shear stress following a step-change in velocity from 10 μm/s to 4.8 mm/s. In one test, the decrease in shear stress of ~25% over the first 28 mm of slip at 4.8 mm/s agrees closely with the theoretical solution for slip on a plane (Rice [2006]), with an inferred slip-weakening distance of ~500 mm, which is in the range predicted by inserting laboratory-determined rock and fluid properties into the formula for L* from Rice [2006]. In another test, steps from 10 μm/s to three different velocities (1.2 mm/s, 2.4 mm/s, and 4.8 mm/s) all fit the Rice solution with values of L* that varied systematically with velocity as predicted by the theory. Deviations from the theoretical prediction occur at displacements larger than 28 mm, since the experimental sample is not a semi-infinite half space, as assumed in the models, and heat is lost to the high-conductivity steel of the sample assembly. To our knowledge, this is the best experimental validation of thermal pressurization to date.

Paleoproterozoic mafic dike swarms of the Dunhuang Block: record of initial breakup of the Columbia suppercontinent?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, X. T.; Zhang, C. L.

2017-12-01

Mafic dike swarms have been described as igneous record related to the breakup and dispersal of continental masses. Studying their origin and distribution are thus important for the understanding of the regional magmatic-tectonic evolution during the late Paleoproterozoic and possible relationship between the Dunhuang Block and the Columbia supercontinent. Here detail petrolography, zircon U-Pb age, and geochemistry are presented of the mafic dikes in the Dunhuang Block. The mafic dikes are tabular, E-W trending, mainly consist of the diabase and diabasic gabbro. Fine-grained gabbroic rocks are seen in the center of some of the thick dikes. These rocks are massive, showing ophitic texture with tholeiitic affinity and dominated by basaltic compositions. Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb dating of these dykes yields emplacement age of 1867 ± 8 Ma. According to their geochemical features, the mafic dikes are subdivided into three groups (G1, G2, and G3). G1 dikes have low SiO2 (47.80-48.82%), high MgO (6.00-8.44%), Cr (92-170 ppm), and Ni (46-106 ppm), indicating that they were not significantly affected by fractional crystallization or crustal assimilations. This result is consistent with their insignificant Nb-Ta troughs on the incompatible elements spider diagrams. Compared to G1 dikes, G2 dikes show higher SiO2 (49.18-49.76%), lower MgO (4.92-5.23%), Cr (35-44 ppm), and Ni (72-82 ppm). They show moderate Nb-Ta depletion on the primitive mantle normalized spider diagrams. Compared with G1 and G2 dikes, G3 dikes exhibit lowest SiO2 (46.05-49.76%) and MgO (4.07-4.37%) and highest TiO2 (3.38-3.50%), P2O5 (1.81-1.94%), and total alkalis (5.04-5.73%). In addition, G3 dikes have higher total REE abundances and extremely depleted in Nb-Ta with Nb/La ratios from 0.25 to 0.27. Although these mafic dikes show different REE and trace element patterns, the element signatures (Nb/La, Th/La, Ce/Nb, Th/Nb, and (Zr/Nb)N ratios) are similar to those of the intraplate basalts, while different from the volcanic arc basalts or mid-ocean ridge basalts. This may suggest that the primitive magmas of G1, G2, and G3 were derived from an OIB-like mantle source, which may be related to the plume magmatism or to an intracontinental extension setting, associated with the initial breakup of the Columbia suppercontinent.

Evidence from Ocean Drilling Program Leg 149 mafic igneous rocks for oceanic crust in the Iberia Abyssal Plain ocean-continent transition zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seifert, Karl E.; Chang, Cheng-Wen; Brunotte, Dale A.

1997-04-01

Leg 149 of the Ocean Drilling Program explored the ocean-continent transition (OCT) on the Iberia Abyssal Plain and its role in the opening of the Atlantic Ocean approximately 130 Ma. Mafic igneous rocks recovered from Holes 899B and 900A have Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB) trace element and isotopic characteristics indicating that a spreading center was active during the opening of the Iberia Abyssal Plain OCT. The Hole 899B weathered basalt and diabase clasts have transitional to enriched MORB rare earth element characteristics, and the Hole 900A metamorphosed gabbros have MORB initial epsilon Nd values between +6 and +11. During the opening event the Iberia Abyssal Plain OCT is envisioned to have resembled the central and northern parts of the present Red Sea with localized spreading centers and magma chambers producing localized patches of MORB mafic rocks. The lack of a normal ocean floor magnetic anomaly pattern in the Iberia Abyssal Plain means that a continuous spreading center similar to that observed in the present southern Red Sea was not formed before spreading ceased in the Iberia Abyssal Plain OCT and jumped to the present Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

Iron sulfide deposits at Wadi Wassat, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Roberts, R.J.; Rossman, D.L.; Bagdady, A.Y.; Conway, C.M.; Helaby, A.M.

1981-01-01

Massive and disseminated iron sulfide deposits in Wadi Wassat form lenticular, stratabound deposits in cherty Precambrian sedimentary rocks interlayered with Precambrian calcareous sedimentary rocks, pyroclastic rocks, and andesitic flow rocks. These rocks have been cut by a wide variety of plutonic and dike rocks including gabbro, diorite, granodiorite, diabase, rhyolite, and granite. The zone containing the sulfide lenses is nearly 16 km long and is cut off by granitic rocks at both the northern and southern ends. The lenses are as much as 200 m thick; one can be traced along strike for more than 4 km. The lenses consist mostly of iron sulfides. Pyrite is the principal sulfide mineral; near intrusive bodies the pyrite has been partially converted to pyrrhotite and locally mobilized into fractures. The sulfides have been oxidized to a depth of about 25 m. Preliminary calculations indicate that about 107,500,000 tons of sulfides, averaging 40 percent iron and 35 percent sulfur, are available to a depth of i00 m. Small amounts of nickel, cobalt, zinc, and copper are also present, but at metal prices prevailing in early 1981, these do not constitute significant resources.

Bedrock geologic and joint trend map of the Pinardville quadrangle, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire

USGS Publications Warehouse

Burton, William C.; Armstrong, Thomas R.

2013-01-01

The bedrock geology of the Pinardville quadrangle includes the Massabesic Gneiss Complex, exposed in the core of a regional northeast-trending anticlinorium, and highly deformed metasedimentary rocks of the Rangeley Formation, exposed along the northwest limb of the anticlinorium. Both formations were subjected to high-grade metamorphism and partial melting: the Rangeley during the middle Paleozoic Acadian orogeny, and the Massabesic Gneiss Complex during both the Acadian and the late Paleozoic Alleghanian orogeny. Granitoids produced during these orogenies range in age from Devonian (Spaulding Tonalite) to Permian (granite at Damon Pond), each with associated pegmatite. In the latest Paleozoic the Massabesic Gneiss Complex was uplifted with respect to the Rangeley Formation along the ductile Powder Hill fault, which also had a left-lateral component. Uplift continued into the early Mesozoic, producing the 2-kilometer-wide Campbell Hill fault zone, which is marked by northwest-dipping normal faults and dilational map-scale quartz bodies. Rare, undeformed Jurassic diabase dikes cut all older lithologies and structures. A second map is a compilation of joint orientations measured at all outcrops in the quadrangle. There is a great diversity of strike trends, with northeast perhaps being the most predominant.

A reconnaissance space sensing investigation of the crustal structure for a strip from the eastern Sierra Nevada to the Colorado Plateau: April 1971

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bechtold, I. C. (Principal Investigator); Liggett, M. A.

1972-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. An area of anomalous linear topographic grain and color expressions was recognized in Apollo 9 and ERTS-1 imagery along the Colorado River of northwestern Arizona and southern Nevada. Field reconnaissance and analysis of U-2 photography has shown the anomaly to be a zone of north to north-northwest trending dike swarms and associated granitic plutons. The dikes vary in composition from rhyolite to diabase, with an average composition nearer rhyolite. Shearing and displacement of host rocks along dikes suggest dike emplacement along active fault zones. Post-dike deformation has resulted in shearing and complex normal faulting along a similar north-south trend. The epizonal plutonism and volcanism of this north-south belt appears to represent a structurally controlled volcanogenic province which ends abruptly in the vicinity of Lake Mead at a probable eastern extension of the Las Vegas Shear Zone. The magnitude and chronology of extensional faulting and plutonism recognized in the north-south zone, support the hypothesis that the Las Vegas Shear Zone is a transform fault separating two areas of crustal spreading.

An overview of the association between lamprophyric intrusions and rare-metal mineralization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Štemprok, Miroslav; Seifert, Thomas

2011-01-01

Granite-related rare metal districts in orogenic settings are occasionally associated with lamprophyre dikes. We recorded 63 occurrences of lamprophyres in bimodal dike suites of about 200 granite bodies related to rare metal deposits. Most lamprophyres occur in Paleozoic and Mesozoic metallogenic provinces in the northern hemisphere. Lamprophyres which are associated with rare metal deposits are calc-alkaline (kersantites, minettes, spessartites) or more rarely alkaline lamprophyres (camptonites, monchiquites) which occur in the roof zone of complex granitic bodies as pre-granitic, intra-granitic, intra-ore or post-ore dikes. Most lamprophyres are spatially associated with dominant felsic dikes and/or with mafic dikes represented by diorites or diabases. Diorites and lamprophyres occasionally exhibit transitional compositions from one to another. Lamprophyres share common geochemical characteristics of highly evolved granitoids such as enrichment in K and F, increased abundances of Li, Rb, and Cs and enrichment in some HFSE (e.g. Zr, U, Th, Mo, Sn, W). Lamprophyres in rare metal districts testify to accessibility of the upper crust to mantle products at the time of rare metal mineralization and possible influence of mantle melts or mantle-derived fluids in the differentiation of granitic melts in the lower crust.

Structure, Geochemistry, and Kinematics at the Slow-Spreading 16°30'N Region of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urann, B.; Dick, H. J.; Smith, D. K.

2017-12-01

The 16°30'N region of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is characterized by active detachment faulting and weakly magmatic crustal accretion, where abundant mantle peridotite is exposed on the seafloor along with pillow basalts, gabbro, and diabase. We present a comprehensive tectonic, petrologic, and geochemical analysis of this slow-spreading ridge section. We utilize the high density dredging from R/V Knorr in 2013 to structurally map the seafloor, in an attempt to understand crustal architecture and the interplay between ephemeral magmatism and crustal accretion. Geochemically, this region exposes some of the most refractory mantle yet found in the oceans, with olivine Mg# of 91 to 92, spatially consistent yet elevated chromian spinel Cr# of 45 to 60, and clinopyroxene ultra-depleted in rare earth elements. Such refractory mantle is at odds with anhydrous melting at a mid-ocean ridge setting at typical mantle potential temperatures, and is more characteristic of a hydrous melting regime. Our data suggests that portions of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge are underlain by highly refractory buoyant relict mantle, likely recycled from a previous hydrous melting event.

Experimental investigation of the brittle-viscous transition in mafic rocks - Interplay between fracturing, reaction, and viscous deformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marti, Sina; Stünitz, Holger; Heilbronner, Renée; Plümper, Oliver; Drury, Martyn

2017-12-01

Rock deformation experiments are performed on fault gouge fabricated from 'Maryland Diabase' rock powder to investigate the transition from dominant brittle to dominant viscous behaviour. At the imposed strain rates of γ˙ = 3 ·10-5 - 3 ·10-6 s-1, the transition is observed in the temperature range of (600 °C < T < 800 °C) at confining pressures of (0.5 GPa ≤ Pc ≤ 1.5 GPa). The transition thereby takes place by a switch from brittle fracturing and cataclastic flow to viscous dissolution-precipitation creep and grain boundary sliding. Mineral reactions and resulting grain size refinement by nucleation are observed to be critical processes for the switch to viscous deformation, i.e., grain size sensitive creep. In the transitional regime, the mechanical response of the sample is a mixed-mode between brittle and viscous rheology and microstructures associated with both brittle and viscous deformation are observed. As grain size reduction by reaction and nucleation is a time dependent process, the brittle-viscous transition is not only a function of T but to a large extent also of microstructural evolution.

Summary of hydrogeologic and ground-water-quality data and hydrogeologic framework at selected well sites, Adams County, Pennsylvania

USGS Publications Warehouse

Low, Dennis J.; Dugas, Diana L.

1999-01-01

Rapid population growth in Adams County has increased the demand for ground water and led Adams County planning officials to undertake an effort to evaluate the capabilities of existing community water systems to meet future, projected growth and to begin wellhead-protection programs for public-supply wells. As part of this effort, this report summarizes ground-water data on a countywide scale and provides hydrogeologic information needed to delineate wellheadprotection areas in three hydrogeologic units (Gettysburg Lowland, Blue Ridge, and Piedmont Lowland).Reported yields, specific capacities, well depths, and reported overburden thickness can vary by hydrogeologic unit, geologic formation, water use (domestic and nondomestic), and topographic setting. The reported yields of domestic wells drilled in the Gettysburg Lowland (median reported yield of 10 gallons per minute) are significantly greater than the reported yields from the Blue Ridge, Piedmont Lowland, and Piedmont Upland (median reported yields of 7.0, 8.0, and 7.0 gallons per minute, respectively). Reported yields of domestic wells completed in the diabase and the New Oxford Formation of the Gettysburg Lowland, and in the metarhyolite and metabasalt of the Blue Ridge, are significantly lower than reported yields of wells completed in the Gettysburg Formation. For nondomestic wells, reported yields from the Conestoga Formation of the Piedmont Lowland are significantly greater than in the diabase. Reported yields of nondomestic wells drilled in the Gettysburg, New Oxford, and Conestoga Formations, and the metarhyolite are significantly greater than those for domestic wells drilled in the respective geologic formations. Specific capacities of nondomestic wells in the Conestoga and Gettysburg Formations are significantly greater than their domestic counterparts. Specific capacities of nondomestic wells in the Conestoga Formation are significantly greater than the specific capacities of nondomestic wells in the metarhyolite, diabase, and Gettysburg and New Oxford Formations.Well depths do not vary considerably by hydrogeologic unit; instead, the greatest variability is by water use. Nondomestic wells drilled in the metarhyolite, Kinzers, Conestoga, Gettysburg, and New Oxford Formations are completed at significantly greater depths than their domestic counterparts. The reported thickness of overburden varies significantly by geologic formation and water use, but not by topographic setting. The median overburden thickness of the Blue Ridge (35 feet) is greater than in any other hydrologic unit.Except where adversely affected by human activities, ground water in Adams County is suitable for most purposes. Calcium and magnesium are the dominant cations, and bicarbonate is the dominant anion. In general, the pH and hardness of ground water is lower in areas that are underlain by crystalline rocks (Blue Ridge and Piedmont Upland) than in areas underlain by sedimentary rocks, especially where limestone or dolomite is dominant (Piedmont Lowland). Dissolved nitrate (as N) and dissolved nitrite (as N) concentrations in the water from 9 of 69 wells and 3 of 80 wells sampled exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) maximum contaminant levels (MCL) of 10 and 1.0 mg/L (milligrams per liter), respectively. Sulfate concentrations greater than the proposed USEPA MCL of 500 mg/L were reported from the water in 3 of 110 wells sampled. Iron concentrations in the water from 13 of 67 wells sampled and manganese in the water from 9 of 64 wells sampled exceeded the USEPA secondary maximum contaminant level (SMCL) of 300 and 50 mg/L (micrograms per liter), respectively. Aluminum concentrations in the water from 16 of 22 wells sampled exceeded the lower USEPA SMCL threshold of 50 µg/L. Pesticides were detected in the water from seven wells but at concentrations that did not exceed USEPA MCL's. Most volatile organic compounds detected in the ground water were confined to USEPA Superfund sites or the immediate area around the sites.The hydrogeologic framework in the vicinity of four public-supply well fields (Gettysburg, Abbottstown, Fairfield, and Littlestown) consists of two zones—an upper zone and a lower zone. In general, the upper zone is thin (5 to 60 feet or more) and dominated by saturated regolith and deeply weathered bedrock. The upper zone is bounded at the top by the water table and below by bedrock in which secondary porosity and permeability are considerably lower. Ground water is generally unconfined, and recharge rates are rapid. Ground-water flow is influenced more strongly by the topography of the ground surface and bedrock surface than by geologic structure. The lower zone is relatively thick (400 to 1,000 feet) and consists of slightly weathered to highly competent bedrock. Ground-water flow paths in the lower zone are generally greater and recharge rates are longer than in the upper zone; confined conditions are common, especially at depth.

Sr-Nd-Hf isotopes of the intrusive rocks in the Cretaceous Xigaze ophiolite, southern Tibet: Constraints on its formation setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Liang-Liang; Liu, Chuan-Zhou; Wu, Fu-Yuan; Zhang, Chang; Ji, Wei-Qiang; Wang, Jian-Gang

2016-08-01

The Cretaceous Xigaze ophiolite is best exposed at the central part of the Yarlung-Zangbo Suture Zone, Tibet Plateau. It consists of a thick section of mantle peridotites, but a relatively thin mafic sequence. This study presents geochronological and geochemical data for intrusive dykes (both mafic and felsic) and basalts to revisit the formation setting of the Xigaze ophiolite. The rodingites are characterized by high CaO and low Na2O contents relative to mafic dykes and show big variations in trace element compositions. Both gabbros and diabases have similar geochemical compositions, with MgO contents of 6.42-11.48 wt% and Mg# of 0.56-0.71. They display REE patterns similar to N-MORB and are variably enriched in large ion lithophile elements. Basalts have fractionated compositions and display LREE-depleted patterns very similar to N-MORB. They do not show obvious enrichment in LILE and depletion in high-field-strength elements, but a negative Nb anomaly is present. The studied plagiogranites have compositions of trondhjemite to tonalite, with high Na2O and low K2O contents. They have low TiO2 contents less than 1 wt%, consistent with melts formed by anatexis of gabbros rather than by differentiation of basalts. Zircons from seven samples, including three rodingites, three plagiogranites, and one gabbro, have been dated and yielded U-Pb ages of 124.6 130.5 Ma, indicating the Xigaze ophiolite was formed during the Early Cretaceous. They have mantle-like δ18O values of + 4.92 + 5.26‰ and very positive εHf(t) values of + 16 + 13.3. Ages of the rodingites and less altered gabbros indicate that serpentinization was occurred at 125 Ma. Occurrence of both gabbroic and diabase dykes within the serpentinites suggests that the mantle lithosphere of the Xigaze ophiolite was rapidly exhumed. Both mafic and felsic dykes have slightly more radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr ratios relative to MORB, but depleted Hf-Nd isotpe compositions. They have a limited range of εNd(t) values of + 7.9 + 8.9 but variable εHf(t) values ranging from + 9.9 to + 16.7, which are similar to the global MORB. This indicates that the intrusive dykes within the Xigaze ophiolite were derived from a depleted mantle source, which has not been obviously affected by recycling of subducted materials. The MOR-type basalts in this study, combined with the basalts with SSZ signatures previous reported in the literature indicate the diversity of basalts in the Xigaze ophiolite. We apply the forearc hyperextension model to reconcile the occurrence of both MOR- and SSZ-type basalts in the Xigaze ophiolite. In this model, the SSZ-type basalts were produced by melting of the metasomatized mantle wedge during exhumation, whereas the MOR-type basalts were derived from the upwelling asthenosphere triggered by forearc hyperextension.

Variation of Nb-Ta, Zr-Hf, Th-U and K-Cs in two diabase-granophyre suites

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gottfried, D.; Greenland, L.P.; Campbell, E.Y.

1968-01-01

Concentrations of Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, Th, U and Cs have been determined in samples of igneous rocks representing the diabase-granophyre suites from Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, and Great Lake, Tasmania. Niobium and tantalum have a three to fourfold increase with differentiation in each of the suites. The chilled margin of the Great Lake intrusion contains half the niobium and tantalum content (5.3 ppm and 0.4 ppm, respectively) of the chilled basalt from Dillsburg (10 ppm and 0.9 ppm, respectively). The twofold difference between the suites is correlated with differences in their titanium content. The average Nb Ta ratios for each suite are similar: 13.5 for the Great Lake suite, and 14.4 for the Dillsburg suite. The zirconium content of the two suites is essentially the same and increases from 50 to 60 ppm in the chilled margins to 240-300 ppm in the granophyres. Hafnium is low in the early formed rocks (0.5 -1.5 ppm and achieves a maximum in the granophyres (5-8 ppm). The Zr Hfratio decreases from 68 to 33 with progressive differentiation. In the Dillsburg suite thorium and uranium increase from 2.6 ppm and 0.6 ppm, respectively, in the chilled samples to 11.8 ppm and 3.1 ppm in the granophyres. The chilled margin of the Great Lake suite contains 3.2 ppm thorium and 9.8 ppm uranium; the granophyre contains 11.2 ppm thorium and 2.8 ppm uranium. The average Th U ratios of the Dillsburg and Great Lake suites are nearly the same-4.1 and 4.4, respectively. Within each suite the Th U ratio remains quite constant. Cesium and the K Cs ratio do not vary systematically in the Dillsburg suite possibly because of redistribution or loss of cesium by complex geologic processes. Except for the chilled margin of the Great Lake suite, the variation of Cs and the K Cs ratio are in accord with theoretical considerations. Cesium increases from about 0.6 ppm in the lower zone to 3.5 ppm in the granophyre; the K Cs ratio varies from 10 ?? 103 in the lower zone to 6 ?? 103 in the granophyre. A comparison of the abundance of some of these elements is made with those reported on oceanic tholeiites from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Trace elements with large ionic radii (Th, U, Cs) are present in significantly greater concentrations in the two continental tholeiitic series than in the oceanic tholeiites. However, this does not seem to be true for lithophilic elements of smaller ionic radii (Zr and Nb). These trace element distribution patterns, when considered with other minor element and isotopic studies, indicate that 1. (1) crustal contamination does not entirely account for differences between continental and oceanic tholeiites, and 2. (2) the oceanic tholeiites do not necessarily delimit the geochemical characteristics of the mantle. ?? 1968.

Synthesis of crustal seismic structure and implications for the concept of a slab gap beneath Coastal California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brocher, T.M.; ten Brink, Uri S.; Abramovitz, T.

1999-01-01

Compilation of seismic transects across the central and northern California Coast Ranges provides evidence for the widespread tectonic emplacement beneath the margin of a slab of partially subducted oceanic lithosphere. The oceanic crust of this lithosphere can be traced landward from the former convergent margin (fossil trench), beneath the Coast Ranges, to at least as far east as the Coast Range/Great Valley boundary. Comparison of measured shear and compressional wave velocities in the middle crust beneath the Hayward fault with laboratory measurements suggests that the middle crust is a diabase (oceanic crust). Both of these observations are consistent with recent models of the high heat flow and age progression of Neogene volcanism along the Coast Ranges based on tectonic emplacement (stalling) of young, hot oceanic lithosphere beneath the margin, but appear to contradict the major predictions of the slab-gap or asthenospheric-window model. Finally, the Neogene volcanism and major strike-slip faults in the Coast Ranges occur within the thickest regions (>14 km thick) of the forearc, suggesting that the locations of Cenozoic volcanism and faulting along the margin are structurally controlled by the forearc thickness rather than being determined by the location of a broad slab gap.

Performance evaluation of high modulus asphalt concrete mixes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haritonovs, V.; Tihonovs, J.; Zaumanis, M.

2016-04-01

Dolomite is one of the most available sedimentary rocks in the territory of Latvia. Dolomite quarries contain about 1000 million tons of this material. However, according to Latvian Road Specifications, this dolomite cannot be used for average and high intensity roads because of its low quality (mainly, LA index). Therefore, mostly imported magmatic rocks (granite, diabase, gabbro, basalt) or imported dolomite are used which makes asphalt expensive. However, practical experience shows that even with these high quality materials roads exhibit rutting, fatigue and thermal cracks. The aim of the research is to develop a high performance asphalt concrete for base and binder courses using only locally available aggregates. In order to achieve resistance against deformations at a high ambient temperature, a hard grade binder was used. Workability, fatigue and thermal cracking resistance, as well as sufficient water resistance is achieved by low porosity (3-5%) and higher binder content compared to traditional asphalt mixtures. The design of the asphalt includes a combination of empirical and performance based tests, which in laboratory circumstances allow simulating traffic and environmental loads. High performance AC 16 base asphalt concrete was created using local dolomite aggregate with polymer modified (PMB 10/40-65) and hard grade (B20/30) bitumen. The mixtures were specified based on fundamental properties in accordance to EN 13108-1 standard.

Geology of the Spruce Pine District, Avery, Mitchell, and Yancy Counties, North Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brobst, Donald Albert

1962-01-01

The Spruce Pine pegmatite district, a northeastward-trending belt 25 miles long and 10 miles wide, lies in parts of Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey Counties in the Blue Ridge Province of western North Carolina. The most abundant rocks in the district are interlayered mica and amphibole gneisses and schists, all of which are believed to be of Precambrian age. These rocks are cut by small bodies of dunite and associated rocks of Precambrian (?) age, large bodies of alaskite and associated pegmatite of early Paleozoic age, and basaltic and diabasic dikes and sills of Triassic (?) age. The rocks of the district have been weathered to saprolite that is locally 50 feet thick. The major structure in the area is a southwestward-plunging asymmetrical synclinorium that has its steeper limb on the northwest side. Feldspar, muscovite as sheet and scrap (ground) mica, and kaolin from the alaskite and associated pegmatite account for over 90 percent of the total mineral production of the district. Amounts of other pegmatite minerals, including quartz, beryl, columbite-tantalite, rare-earth and uranium minerals are an extremely small part of the mineral resources. Actual or potential products from other rocks are olivine, vermiculite, asbestos, talc, chromium and nickel, soapstone, mica schist, garnet, kyanite, dolomite marble, and construction materials.

Brittle extension of the continental crust along a rooted system of low-angle normal faults: Colorado River extensional corridor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

John, B. E.; Howard, K. A.

1985-01-01

A transect across the 100 km wide Colorado River extensional corridor of mid-Tertiary age shows that the upper 10 to 15 km of crystalline crust extended along an imbricate system of brittle low-angle normal faults. The faults cut gently down a section in the NE-direction of tectonic transport from a headwall breakaway in the Old Woman Mountains, California. Successively higher allochthons above a basal detachment fault are futher displaced from the headwall, some as much as tens of kilometers. Allochthonous blocks are tilted toward the headwall as evidenced by the dip of the cappoing Tertiary strata and originally horizontal Proterozoic diabase sheets. On the down-dip side of the corridor in Arizona, the faults root under the unbroken Hualapai Mountains and the Colorado Plateau. Slip on faults at all exposed levels of the crust was unidirectional. Brittle thinning above these faults affected the entire upper crust, and wholly removed it locally along the central corridor or core complex region. Isostatic uplift exposed metamorphic core complexes in the domed footwall. These data support a model that the crust in California moved out from under Arizona along an asymmetric, rooted normal-slip shear system. Ductile deformation must have accompanied mid-Tertiary crustal extension at deeper structural levels in Arizona.

Conodont color alteration index and upper Paleozoic thermal history of the Amazonas Basin, Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardoso, Cassiane Negreiros; Sanz-López, Javier; Blanco-Ferrera, Silvia; Lemos, Valesca Brasil; Scomazzon, Ana Karina

2015-12-01

The conodont color alteration index (CAI) was determined in elements from core samples of the Frasnian Barreirinha Formation (one well) and of the Pennsylvanian-Permian Tapajós Group (twenty three wells and one limestone quarry) in the Amazonas Basin. The thermal history of the basin is analyzed using the CAI value distribution represented in maps and stratigraphic sections through correlation schemes, and in conjunction with previously published data. The pattern of palaeotemperatures for CAI values of 1.5-3 is coincident with organic matter maturation under a sedimentary overburden providing diagenetic conditions in the oil/gas window. Locally, conodonts show metamorphism (CAI value of 6-7) in relation to the intrusion of diabase bodies in beds including high geothermal gradient evaporites. Microtextural alteration on the surface conodonts commonly shows several types of overgrowth microtextures developed in diagenetic conditions. Locally, recrystallization in conodonts with a high CAI value is congruent with contact metamorphism in relation to Mesozoic intrusions. The CAI values of 1.5 or 2 observed close to the surface in several areas of the basin may be interpreted in relation to a high thermal palaeogradient derived from the magmatic episode or/and to the local denudation of the upper part of the Paleozoic succession prior to this thermal event.

Two-polarity magnetization in the Manson impact breccia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steiner, M. B.; Shoemaker, E. M.

1993-01-01

A preliminary paleomagnetic study of the impact breccia matrix and clasts has produced surprising results--nearly antipodal normal and reversed polarity magnetic vectors are observed in different portions of the core. Near-antipodal magnetizations within a segment of matrix and within individual samples rule out core inversion as the explanation of the dual polarity. In both the dense and the sandy matrix breccias, the magnetizations of clasts and matrix within the same core segment are identical; this negative 'conglomerate test' indicates that magnetization originated after impact. Paleomagnetic study of the Manson Impact Structure is an attempt to refine the Ar-40/Ar-39 age (65.7 +/- 1 m.y.) that suggests Manson to be a Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary impact. Refinement is possible because the boundary occurs within a reversed polarity interval (29R) of only 0.5 m.y. duration. The two breccia types in the Manson structure were both examined: one of a very dense matrix and apparently partially melted, and the breccia stratigraphically below it of granular or 'sandy' chloritic matrix. Samples were taken from the matrixes and a wide variety of clast compositions, including granite, diabase, gneiss, amphibolite, and melted granite. Currently, measurements have been made on 22 samples, using 30-35 steps of either alternating field (AF) or thermal demagnetization.

Rb-Sr And Sm-Nd Ages, and Petrogenesis of Depleted Shergottite Northwest Africa 5990

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shih, C. Y.; Nyquist, L. E.; Reese, Y.; Irving, A. J.

2011-01-01

Northwest Africa (NWA) 5990 is a very fresh Martian meteorite recently found on Hamada du Draa, Morocco and was classified as an olivine-bearing diabasic igneous rock related to depleted shergottites [1]. The study of [1] also showed that NWA 5990 resembles QUE 94201 in chemical, textural and isotopic aspects, except QUE 94201 contains no olivine. The depleted shergottites are characterized by REE patterns that are highly depleted in LREE, older Sm-Nd ages of 327-575 Ma and highly LREE-depleted sources with Nd= +35+48 [2-7]. Age-dating these samples by Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr methods is very challenging because they have been strongly shocked and contain very low abundances of light rare earth elements (Sm and Nd), Rb and Sr. In addition, terrestrial contaminants which are commonly present in desert meteorites will compromise the equilibrium of isotopic systems. Since NWA 5990 is a very fresh meteorite, it probably has not been subject to significant desert weathering and thus is a good sample for isotopic studies. In this report, we present Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd isotopic results for NWA 5990, discuss the correlation of the determined ages with those of other depleted shergottites, especially QUE 94201, and discuss the petrogenesis of depleted shergottites.

Origin of SNC kaersutitic amphibole: Experimental data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rutherford, M. J.; Heine, Bruce; Johnson, Marie

1987-01-01

The SNC meteorites, a group of cumulus textured, fine grained diabases, pyroxenites, and dunites, appear to have crystallized at relatively shallow depths on the same SNC parent body. Hydrous minerals generally are not present among the cumulus and intercumulus minerals in these meteorites except for some iddingsite alteration of olivine. The presence of hydrous magmatic amphibole in the SNC melt inclusions indicates that crystallization of the melt inclusions had to take place at significant pressure, probably greater than 1 kb based on previous amphibole stability data. If experimental data for kaersutite amphibole were to be obtained, it should be possible to estimate this pressure more precisely then previously, and to estimate the volatile (H2O) content of the parent magma. At this point, the factors controlling the chemistry and stability of high TiO2, kaersutitic amphiboles are not known. In an attempt to determine the factors which control the stability and chemistry of TiO2-rich amphibole, data was refined and extrapolated from four experimental studies of amphibole-melt equilibria recently completed. At the same time, hypothermal experiments were performed on a composition considered to be an early melt in the Shergotty magma liquid line of descent. The latter experiments were an attempt to reproduce crystallization of the amphibole-bearing melt inclusions.

The U-Th-Pb, Sm-Nd, and Ar-Ar isotopic systematics of lunar meteorite Yamato-793169

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Torigoye, Noriko; Misawa, Keji; Dalrymple, G. Brent; Tatsumoto, Mitsunobu

1993-01-01

U-Th-Pb, Sm-Nd, and (Ar-40)-(Ar-39) isotopic studies were performed on Yamato (Y)-793169, an unbrecciated diabasic lunar meteorite whose chemical composition is close to low Ti(LT) and very low-Ti (VLT) mare basalts. The isotopic data indicate that the meteorite was formed earlier than 3.9 Ga from a source with low U/Pb and high Sm/Nd and was distributed by a thermal event at 751 Ma. due to the small sample size (104 mg), a plagioclase crystal and glass grains were handpicked for Ar analysis, leaving four fractions for the U-Th-Pb and Sm-Nd studies; a fine-grained fraction (less than 63 microns; Fine) and three medium-grained fractions (63-150 microns). Medium-grained fractions were divided by density; a heavy fraction (rho greater than 3.3) consisting mainly of pyroxene (PX1), a lighter fraction (rho less than 2.8) consisting of plagioclase (PL), and a middle density fraction (predominantly pyroxene; PX2). The fractions were washed with acetone and alcohol, and then leached in 0.01 HBr and 0.1N HBr in order to remove any terrestrial Pb contamination. Analysis of the HBr leaches revealed that this meteorite was heavily contaminated with terrestrial Pb during its residence in Antarctic ice.

Sedimentary rocks of the coast of Liberia

USGS Publications Warehouse

White, Richard William

1969-01-01

Two basins containing sedimentary rocks o# probable Cretaceous age have been recognized near the coast of Liberia in the area between Monrovia and Buchanan; geophysical evidence suggests that similar though larger basins exist on the adjacent continental shelf. The oldest sedimentary unit recognized, the Paynesville Sandstone of possible early to middle Paleozoic age, is intruded by dikes and sills of diabase of early Jurassic age and lies unconformably on crystalline rocks of late Precambrian age. Dips in the Paynesville Sandstone define a structural basin centered south of Roberts International Airport (formerly called Roberts Field) about 25 miles east of Monrovla. Wackes and conglomerates of Cretaceous age, herein named the Farmington River Formation, unconformably overlie the Paynesville Sandstone and constitute the sedimentary fill in the Roberts basin. The Bassa basin lies to the southeast of the Roberts basin and is separated from it by an upwarp of crystalline rocks. The basin is occupied by wackes and conglomerates of the Farmington River Formation, which apparently lie directly on the crystalline basement. Both basins are bounded on the northeast by northwest-trending dip-slip faults. The best potential for petroleum deposits that exists in Liberia is beneath the adjacent continental shelf and slope. Geophysical exploration and drilling will be required to evaluate this potential.

Tectonic Evolution of the Careón Ophiolite (Northwest Spain): A Remnant of Oceanic Lithosphere in the Variscan Belt.

PubMed

Díaz García F; Arenas; Martínez Catalán JR; González del Tánago J; Dunning

1999-09-01

Analysis of the Careón Unit in the Ordenes Complex (northwest Iberian Massif) has supplied relevant data concerning the existence of a Paleozoic oceanic lithosphere, probably related to the Rheic realm, and the early subduction-related events that were obscured along much of the Variscan belt by subsequent collision tectonics. The ophiolite consists of serpentinized harzburgite and dunite in the lower section and a crustal section made up of coarse-grained and pegmatitic gabbros. An Early Devonian zircon age (395+/-2 Ma, U-Pb) was obtained in a leucocratic gabbro. The whole section was intruded by numerous diabasic gabbro dikes. Convergence processes took place shortly afterward, giving rise to a mantle-rooted synthetic thrust system, with some coeval igneous activity. Garnet amphibolite, developed in metamorphic soles, was found discontinuously attached to the thrust fault. The soles graded downward to epidote-amphibolite facies metabasite and were partially retrogressed to greenschist facies conditions. Thermobarometric estimations carried out at a metamorphic sole (T approximately 650 degrees C; P approximately 11.5 kbar) suggested that imbrications developed in a subduction setting, and regional geology places this subduction in the context of an early Variscan accretionary wedge. Subduction and imbrication of oceanic lithosphere was followed by underthrusting of the Gondwana continental margin.

Geologic map of the Dusar area, Herat Province, Afghanistan; Modified from the 1973 original map compilations of V.I. Tarasenko and others

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tucker, Robert D.; Stettner, Will R.; Masonic, Linda M.; Bogdanow, Anya K.

2017-10-24

The geologic maps and cross sections presented in this report are redrafted and modified versions of the Geologic map and map of useful minerals of the Dusar area (scale 1:50,000) and Geologic sketch map of the Dusar and Namak-sory ore occurrences (scale 1:10,000), located in the Herat Province, Afghanistan. The original maps and cross sections are contained in unpublished Soviet report no. 0290 (Tarasenko and others, 1973) prepared in cooperation with the Ministry of Mines and Industries of the Royal Government of Afghanistan, in Kabul during 1973 under contract no. 50728. The redrafted maps and cross sections (modified from Tarasenko and others, 1973) illustrate the geological structure and mineral occurrences of the Dusar copper-gold-silver-lead-zinc prospect area of western Afghanistan, located within the Dusar-Shaida copper and tin area of interest (AOI), Herat Province, Afghanistan.Mineralization in the Dusar area is hosted within Early Jurassic to Early Cretaceous stratified volcanic and sedimentary rocks associated with numerous diabase and gabbro-diabase intrusive bodies and is generally near a major northeast-trending system of faults and quartz veins. Host rocks consist of quartz keratophyre and quartz-feldspar porphyry, with layers of schist, phyllite, and quartz-chlorite and chlorite-sericite slate; and limestone and shale, with schist and carbonate-chlorite and chlorite slate. Known mineralization includes an extensive quartz vein system, shown on the map as the “northern occurrence,” as well as the Dusar and Namak-sory gossan zones, interpreted to have formed from remnant pyrite mineralization. The veins of the northern occurrence and their altered host rocks are known to contain anomalous to economic concentrations of precious and base metals, with concentrations locally in excess of 2 parts per million gold, 100 parts per million silver, 5 percent copper, and 1 percent lead. These veins occur in swarms, and are hosted along structures that are approximately concordant with the plane of the metamorphic fabric. The veins consist mostly of quartz, with minor carbonate and sulfide minerals, and display weak alteration halos along their margins. The gossans are locally anomalous in these metals, but their size and extent makes them attractive exploration targets for potential massive sulfide mineralization.The Dusar gossan zone is a massive, ochreous, and siliceous limonitic rock, approximately 2,200 meters long, 30 to 250 meters wide, and 2.0 to 7.2 meters thick. Drilling below the Dusar gossan intersected a siliceous, sericitic, and limonitic rock underlain by quartz keratophyre with abundant disseminated pyrite. Mineralized sections grade 0.06 weight percent copper and up to 0.05 weight percent zinc. The Namak-sory gossan zone contains a similar deposit with anomalous concentrations of copper, zinc, and gold.The redrafted maps and cross sections reproduce the topology of rock units, contacts, and faults of the original Soviet maps and cross sections, and include minor modifications based on examination of the originals and observations made during two brief field visits by USGS staff in August, 2010, and June, 2013.

Hydrogeological Modelling of Some Geothermal Waters of Ivrindi, Havran and Gönen in the Province Capital of Balikesir, Western Anatolia, Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Özgür, Nevzat; Ugurlu, Zehra; Memis, Ümit; Aydemir, Eda

2017-12-01

In this study, hydrogeological, hydrogeochemical and isotope geochemical features of Havran, Gönen and Ivrindi within the province capital of Balıkesir, Turkey were investigated in detail. The Early Triassic Karakaya formation in the study area of Havran forms the oldest rocks consisting of spilitic basalts, diabases, gabbros, mudstones, cherts and radiolarites. There are limestone blocks in this formation with intercalations with sandstones and with feldspar contents, quartzite, conglomerates and siltstones. Oligocene to Miocene granodiorite intrusions were generated in association with intensively volcanic events in the area. Between Upper Oligocene and Early Miocene, andesitic and dacitic pyroclastic rocks cropped out due to intensively volcanism. Later, conglomerates, sandstones, claystones, marls and limestones as lacustrine sediments formed from Middle to Upper Miocene in the study area. In the study area of Gönen, the Lower Triassic Karakaya formation consists of basalts, diabases, gabbros, mudstones, cherts and radiolarites and forms the basement rocks overlain by Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous sandy limestones. Upper and Middle Miocene volcanics which can be considered intensive Biga Peninsula volcanos outcrop in the area. These andesitic lava flows are of black, gray and red color with intensive fissures. Neogene lacustrine sediments consist of conglomerates, sandstones, marl, claystone and clayey limestones. Upper Miocene to Pliocene rhyolitic pyroclastics and dacitic lava flows are the volcanic rocks which are overlain by Pliocene conglomerates, sandstones and claystones. In the study area of Ivrindi, the Çaldağ limestones are the oldest formation in Permian age. Çavdartepe metamorphic rocks are of Lower Triassic in which can be observed marbles sporadically. The Kınık formation consisting of conglomerates, sandstones, siltstones and limestones are of Lower Triassic age and display a lateral Stratigraphic progress with volcanic rocks. Upper Miocene to Pliocene Yürekli formation consists of dacites and rhyodacites. Upper Miocene to Pliocene Soma formation is composed of clayey limestone, marl, siltstone, intercalations of sandstone, agglomerate and andesitic gravels and blocks cemented by tuffs. Quaternary alluvium is the youngest formation. The samples of geothermal waters in the area of Havran can be considered as Na-Ca-(SO4)-HCO3, Na-(SO4)-HCO3 and Na-SO4 type waters. In comparison, the geothermal waters in Gönen are of Na-(SO4)-HCO3 and Na-HCO3 type waters. The geothermal waters of Ivrindi are considered as Na-Ca-HCO3 type waters. In the area, a groundwater sample is of Ca-Mg-HCO3 type water. The geothermal waters belong to the cations of Na+K>Ca>Mg in Havran, Gönen and Ivrindi and to the anions of SO4>HCO3>Cl in Havran, HCO3>SO4>Cl in Gönen and SO4>HCO3>Cl in Ivrindi. In the diagram of Na-K-Mg1/2, the geothermal waters in Havran, Gönen and Ivrindi of the province capital of Balıkesir can be classified as immature waters.

High Modulus Asphalt Concrete with Dolomite Aggregates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haritonovs, V.; Tihonovs, J.; Smirnovs, J.

2015-11-01

Dolomite is one of the most widely available sedimentary rocks in the territory of Latvia. Dolomite quarries contain about 1,000 million tons of this material. However, according to Latvian Road Specifications, this dolomite cannot be used for average and high intensity roads because of its low quality, mainly, its LA index (The Los Angeles abrasion test). Therefore, mostly the imported magmatic rocks (granite, diabase, gabbro, basalt) or imported dolomite are used, which makes asphalt expensive. However, practical experience shows that even with these high quality materials roads exhibit rutting, fatigue, and thermal cracks. The aim of the research is to develop a high performance asphalt concrete for base and binder courses using only locally available aggregates. In order to achieve resistance against deformations at a high ambient temperature, a hard grade binder was used. Workability, fatigue and thermal cracking resistance, as well as sufficient water resistance is achieved by low porosity (3-5%) and higher binder content compared to traditional asphalt mixtures. The design of the asphalt includes a combination of empirical and performance based tests, which in laboratory circumstances allow simulating traffic and environmental loads. High performance AC 16 base asphalt concrete was created using local dolomite aggregate with polymer modified (PMB 10/40-65) and hard grade (B20/30) bitumen. The mixtures were specified based on fundamental properties in accordance with EN 13108-1 standard.

Statistical analysis of the radon-222 potential of rocks in Virginia, U.S.A.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brown, C. Erwin; Mose, D.G.; Mushrush, G.W.; Chrosniak, C.E.

1992-01-01

More than 3,200 indoor radon-222 (222Rn) measurements were made seasonally in an area of about 1,000 square kilometers of the Coastal Plain and Piedmont physiographic provinces in Virginia, U.S.A. Results of these measurements indicate that some geological units are associated, on the average, with twice as much indoor222Rn as other geological units, and that indoor222Rn varies seasonally. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to test whether indoor222Rn concentrations for data gathered over the winter and summer seasons differ significantly by rock unit. The tests concluded that indoor222Rn concentrations for different rock units were not equal at the 5-percent significance level. The rocks associated with the highest median indoor222Rn concentration are specific rocks in the Mesozoic Culpeper basin, including shale and siltstone units with Jurassic diabase intrusives, and mica schists in the Piedmont physiographic province. The pre-Triassic Peters Creek Schist has the highest ranking in terms of indoor222Rn concentration. The rocks associated with the lowest indoor222Rn concentrations include coastal plain sediments, the Occoquan Granite, Falls Church Tonalite, Piney Branch Mafic and Ultramafic complex, and unnamed mafic and ultramafic inclusions, respectively. The rocks have been ranked according to observed222Rn concentration by transforming the average rank of indoor222Rn concentrations to z scores. ?? 1992 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.

Quaternary Basalts in Grand Canyon: Correlation of Flows Using Lidar, 40Ar/39Ar Dating, Geochemical Correlation, Neotectonic Studies, and History of Lava Dams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crow, R. S.; Karlstrom, K. E.; McIntosh, W. C.; Dunbar, N. W.; Peters, L.; Raucci, J.; Umhoefer, P. J.

2005-12-01

In western Grand Canyon, basalts flowed into the already existing canyon from at least 719 ka to present. These basalts provide a key for deciphering Quaternary rates of incision, neotectonic slip rates on the Toroweap and Hurricane faults, and the history of lava dams. Stratigraphy and/or inset relationships between basalt flows is exceedingly complex because of the multiple eruptions, extreme topography, long transport distance, and incomplete preservation. Correlation of flows using 40Ar/39Ar dating, LIDAR data, orthophotography, and geochemical analysis, as well as structural and geomorphic studies, lead to a working hypothesis for four major episodes of basaltic eruptive activity. From 719 to 484 Ma major volcanoes erupted near the Toroweap fault zone. The extent of the remnants and presence of 527 ka dikes indicates that cones where built within Grand Canyon during this phase. These flows had the longest outflow (719 ka flow at mile 246). At 349 to 296 ka flows seem to have entered the canyon at Whitmore Wash, north rim. The two remaining episodes, dated at 199-193 ka and 109-97 ka are interpreted to have cascaded into the canyon at and upstream from Whitmore Wash. LIDAR/orthophotography interpretation of the tops and bottoms of the flows and geochemical analysis of phenocrysts aid in correlation of undated remnants and reconstructing the shape of volcanic edifices. Flows dated from 720-450 ka include Prospect, Black Ledge, D-Dam, and Toroweap flows, thus Black Ledge flows are considerably older than previously thought. The 350 to 300 flows include Whitmore, Layered Diabase, Massive Diabase, and 177-mile flows. All the dated 200 and 100 ka flows have been called Grey Ledge flows, suggesting that the Grey Ledge represents two distinct events. Basalt data indicate an interaction of canyon incision and Quaternary fault slip. Bedrock incision rates are calculated using dated flows that overly bedrock straths. Rates vary across active faults indicating fault dampening of apparent river incision rates. Incision rates for eastern Grand Canyon are 127 m/my over 387 ka. Similar rates just east of the Toroweap faults (136 m/my over 349 ka and 153 m/my over 484 ka) suggest that a fairly uniform regional rate of ~ 140 m/my can be considered the average rate for Grand Canyon incision east of the Toroweap fault. This is subequal to the sum of apparent incision rate just below the Toroweap fault (56 m/my over 484 ka) plus fault slip rate (90 m/my over 550 ka). Similarly, apparent incision rates below the Hurricane fault (66 m/my over 527 ka and 76 m/my over 604 ka, near Granite Park) plus fault slip rate (~80±20 m/my over 185 ka) is subequal to the far field incision rate. Accumulating data suggests that apparent incision rates are lowest adjacent to faults in the hanging wall and highest adjacent to faults in the footwall, with rates varying systematically across fault blocks. This suggests that faulting is taking place by domino rotation of blocks bounded by normal faults with mild listric character. These new empirical data help constrain physical models for Quaternary fault slip across the active Colorado Plateau- Basin and Range bounding structures.

Post-igneous redistribution of components in eucrites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Phinney, W. C.; Lindstrom, D. J.; Mittlefehldt, D. W.; Martinez, R. R.

1993-01-01

In our analyses, we utilize a microdrilling technique that removes 40 to 100 micron diameter cores from mineral grains in thin sections analyzed by microprobe. The cores are then analyzed by INAA using the technique of Lindstrom. Three eucrites were selected for application of this analytical technique: monomict breccias Pasamonte and Stannern and unbrecciated EET90020. Pasamonte is among the most unequilibrated of the eucrites on the basis of zoning in pyroxenes and is considered to be an igneous rock not significantly affected by metamorphism. Stannern has igneous texture but its pyroxenes indicate some re-equilibration, although little, if any, recrystallization. EET90020 has a granulite texture and has been substantially recrystallized. Our sample of Pasamonte contains several clasts of different grain sizes ranging from glass to fine grained with diabasic texture containing lathy plagioclase, unexsolved pigeonite, and mesostasis. Cores were taken of the glass and from minerals and mesostases in six lithic clasts which normally allowed sampling of more than one phase per clast. Our sample of Stannern is also a breccia but with little difference in grain size between clasts and matrix. The plagioclase and pigeonite are blocky, twinned, and exsolved and coexist with a bit of mesostasis. Cores were taken of plagioclase and pigeonite with no attempt to distinguish separate clasts. EET90020 is a granular mixture of twinned plagioclase and pigeonite having rather uniform size and many triple junctions. Several cores were taken of both phases. Both clear and cloudy grains of plagioclase and pyroxene were sampled in all three eucrites.

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

Petrogenesis of the Majiari ophiolite (western Tibet, China): Implications for intra-oceanic subduction in the Bangong-Nujiang Tethys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Qiang-tai; Liu, Wei-liang; Xia, Bin; Cai, Zhou-rong; Chen, Wei-yan; Li, Jian-feng; Yin, Zheng-xin

2017-09-01

The Majiari ophiolite lies in the western Bangong-Nujiang Suture Zone, which separates the Qiangtang and Lhasa blocks in central Tibet. The ophiolite consists of peridotite, gabbro/diabase and basalt. Zircon U-Pb dating yielded an age of 170.5 ± 1.7 Ma for the gabbro, whereas 40Ar/39Ar dating of plagioclase from the same gabbro yielded ages of 108.4 ± 2.6 Ma (plateau age) and 112 ± 2 Ma (isochron age), indicating that the ophiolite was formed during the Middle Jurassic and was probably emplaced during the Early Cretaceous. Zircons from the gabbro have εHf(t) values ranging from +6.9 to +10.6 and f(Lu/Hf) values ranging from -0.92 to -0.98. Mafic lavas plot in the tholeiitic basalt field but are depleted in Nb, Ta and Ti and enriched in Rb, Ba and Th in the N-MORB-normalized trace element spider diagram. These lavas have whole-rock εNd(t) values of +5.9 to +6.6, suggesting that they were derived from a depleted mantle source, which was probably modified by subducted materials. The Majiari ophiolite probably formed in a typical back-arc basin above a supra-subduction zone (SSZ) mantle wedge. Intra-oceanic subduction occurred during the Middle Jurassic and collision of the Lhasa and South Qiangtang terranes likely occurred in the Early Cretaceous. Thus, closure of the Bangong-Nujiang Tethys Ocean likely occurred before the Early Cretaceous.

Whole Rock and Mineral Chemistry from the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chau, K. X.; Draper, G.; Sen, G.

2014-12-01

The Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) was a large igneous province (LIP) emplaced approximately 200 million years ago during the rifting of Pangaea, shortly before the opening of the Atlantic Ocean. Although a comparatively small amount of the original province remains today, the locations of the existing outcrops on four continents (North America, South America, Africa, and Europe) show the extensive reach of igneous activity and indicate that the CAMP was likely one of the biggest LIPs known. Because of the geologic and global significance of this episode, a knowledge of the conditions that generated and emplaced such a large volume of magma would help better understand mantle and tectonic processes. In this study, we compare whole rock and mineral chemistry data from three of the North American outcrops: the Palisades Sill of the Newark Basin in eastern New York and New Jersey, the Centreville Sheet of the Culpeper Basin in northern Virginia, and the York Haven pluton of the Gettysburg Basin in southeastern Pennsylvania. The diabases are quartz-normative theoleiites; their chemistries are indicate high degrees of internal differentiation and thermal disequilbirum, consistent with magma bodies cooling as a closed or near-closed system. The trace element data shows that, although there is evidence to support a deep mantle source for CAMP melts, there is also a shallower component influencing the chemistries of the samples. We interpret this as the signal of an ancient subducted slab through which CAMP melts passed.

The origin of oceanic crust and metabasic rocks protolith, the Luk Ulo Mélange Complex, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Permana, H.; Munasri; Mukti, Maruf M.; Nurhidayati, A. U.; Aribowo, S.

2018-02-01

The Luk Ulo Mélange Complex (LUMC) is composed of tectonic slices of rocks that surrounded by scaly clay matrix. These rocks consist of serpentinite, gabbro, diabase, and basalt, eclogite, blueschist, amphibolite, schist, gneiss, phylite and slate, granite, chert, red limestone, claystone and sandstone. The LUMC was formed since Paleocene to Eocene, gradually uplifted of HP-UHP metabasic-metapelite (P: 20-27kbar; T: 410-628°C) to near surface mixed with hemipelagic sedimentary rocks. The metamorphic rocks were formed during 101-125 Ma (Early Cretaceous) within 70 to 100 km depth and ∼6°C/km thermal gradient. It took about 50-57 Myr for these rocks to reach the near surface during Paleocene-Eocene, with an uplift rate at ∼1.4-1.8 km/year to form the mélange complex. The low thermal gradient was due to subduction of old and cold oceanic crust. The subducted oceanic crust (MORB) as protolith of Cretaceous metabasic rocks must be older than Cretaceous. The data show that the basalt of oceanic crust is Cretaceous (130-81 Ma) comparable to the age of the cherts (Early to Late Cretaceous). Therefore, we consider that neither oceanic crust exposed in LUMC nor all of part of the old oceanic crust is the protolith of LUMC metabasic subducted beneath the Eurasian Plate. These oceanic rocks possibly originated or part of the edge of micro-continental that merged as a part of the LUMC during the collision with the Eurasian margin.

Standardized Profiling of The Membrane-Enriched Proteome of Mouse Dorsal Root Ganglia (DRG) Provides Novel Insights Into Chronic Pain.

PubMed

Rouwette, Tom; Sondermann, Julia; Avenali, Luca; Gomez-Varela, David; Schmidt, Manuela

2016-06-01

Chronic pain is a complex disease with limited treatment options. Several profiling efforts have been employed with the aim to dissect its molecular underpinnings. However, generated results are often inconsistent and nonoverlapping, which is largely because of inherent technical constraints. Emerging data-independent acquisition (DIA)-mass spectrometry (MS) has the potential to provide unbiased, reproducible and quantitative proteome maps - a prerequisite for standardization among experiments. Here, we designed a DIA-based proteomics workflow to profile changes in the abundance of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) proteins in two mouse models of chronic pain, inflammatory and neuropathic. We generated a DRG-specific spectral library containing 3067 DRG proteins, which enables their standardized quantification by means of DIA-MS in any laboratory. Using this resource, we profiled 2526 DRG proteins in each biological replicate of both chronic pain models and respective controls with unprecedented reproducibility. We detected numerous differentially regulated proteins, the majority of which exhibited pain model-specificity. Our approach recapitulates known biology and discovers dozens of proteins that have not been characterized in the somatosensory system before. Functional validation experiments and analysis of mouse pain behaviors demonstrate that indeed meaningful protein alterations were discovered. These results illustrate how the application of DIA-MS can open new avenues to achieve the long-awaited standardization in the molecular dissection of pathologies of the somatosensory system. Therefore, our findings provide a valuable framework to qualitatively extend our understanding of chronic pain and somatosensation. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Partial eclogitization of the Ambolten gabbro-norite, north-east Greenland Caledonides

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gilotti, J.A.; Elvevold, S.

1998-01-01

Partially eclogitized igneous bodies composed of gabbro, leucogabbro, anorthosite and cross-cutting diabase dikes are well represented in the North-East Greenland Eclogite Province. A 200 x 100 meter intrusive body on Ambolten Island (78?? 20' N, 19?? 15' W) records a prograde transition from gabbro-norite to eclogite facies coronitic metagabro-norite surrounded by hydrated margins of undeformed to strongly foliated amphibolite. Igneous plagioclase + olivine + enstatite + augite + oxides convert to eclogite facies assemblages consisting of garnet, omphacite, diopside, enstatite, kyanite, zoisite, rutile and pargasitic amphibole through several coronitic reactions. Relict cumulus plagioclase laths are replaced by an outer corona of garnet, an inner corona of omphacite and an internal region of sodic plagioclase, garnet, kyanite, omphacite and zoisite. Olivine and intercumulus pyroxene are partly replaced by metamorphic pyroxenes and amphibole. The corona structures, zoning patterns, diversity of mineral compositions in a single thin section, and preservation of metastable asemblages are characteristic of diffusion-controlled metamorphism. The most extreme disequilibrium is found in static amphibolites, where igneous pyroxenes, plagioclase domains with eclogite facies, assemblages, and matrix amphibole coexist. Complete eclogitization was not attained at Ambolten due to a lack of fluids needed to drive diffusion during prograde and retrograde metamorphism. The P-T conditions of the high-pressure metamorphism are estimated at ??? 750??C and > 18 kbar. Well-equilibrated, foliated amphibolites from the margin of the gabbro-norite supports our contention that the entire North-East Greenland Eclogite Province experienced Caledonian high-pressure metamorphism, even though no eclogite facies assemblages have been found in the quartzofeldspathic host gneisses to date.

Geology of the Harpers Ferry Quadrangle, Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Southworth, Scott; Brezinski, David K.

1996-01-01

The Harpers Ferry quadrangle covers a portion of the northeast-plunging Blue Ridge-South Mountain anticlinorium, a west-verging allochthonous fold complex of the late Paleozoic Alleghanian orogeny. The core of the anticlinorium consists of high-grade paragneisses and granitic gneisses that are related to the Grenville orogeny. These rocks are intruded by Late Proterozoic metadiabase and metarhyolite dikes and are unconformably overlain by Late Proterozoic metasedimentary rocks of the Swift Run Formation and metavolcanic rocks of the Catoctin Formation, which accumulated during continental rifting of Laurentia (native North America) that resulted in the opening of the Iapetus Ocean. Lower Cambrian metasedimentary rocks of the Loudoun, Weverton, Harpers, and Antietam Formations and carbonate rocks of the Tomstown Formation were deposited in the rift-to-drift transition as the early Paleozoic passive continental margin evolved. The Short Hill fault is an early Paleozoic normal fault that was contractionally reactivated as a thrust fault and folded in the late Paleozoic. The Keedysville detachment is a folded thrust fault at the contact of the Antietam and Tomstown Formations. Late Paleozoic shear zones and thrust faults are common. These rocks were deformed and metamorphosed to greenschist-facies during the formation of the anticlinorium. The Alleghanian deformation was accompanied by a main fold phase and a regional penetrative axial plane cleavage, which was followed by a minor fold phase with crenulation cleavage. Early Jurassic diabase dikes transected the anticlinorium during Mesozoic continental rifting that resulted in the opening of the Atlantic Ocean. Cenozoic deposits that overlie the bedrock include bedrock landslides, terraces, colluvium, and alluvium.

The Žermanice sill: new insights into the mineralogy, petrology, age, and origin of the teschenite association rocks in the Western Carpathians, Czech Republic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matýsek, Dalibor; Jirásek, Jakub; Skupien, Petr; Thomson, Stuart N.

2018-04-01

The Žermanice locality represents the best-exposed example of the meta-basaltoid/meta-gabbroic rock type of the teschenite association. It forms a subhorizontal volcanic body (sill) 27-30 m thick. The subvolcanic rock is inhomogeneous and slightly differentiated. The predominant rock type is a basaltoid (diabase-dolerite), medium-grained, speckled, mesocratic rock exhibiting an evident subophitic texture. Miarolitic cavities are abundant in some places. The major rock constituents are albite, microcline, chlorite, and pyroxene, as well as analcime and plagioclase in places. The accessory magmatic phases are biotite, ilmenite, fluorapatite, sulphides, Ti-rich magnetite, Nb-rich baddeleyite, and chevkinite-(Ce) or perrierite-(Ce). A large extent of alteration is evident from the presence of chloritization, albitization of plagioclases, and zeolitization (analcimization). Geochemical analyses reveal an affinity for metaluminous igneous rocks. The best fit is with the within-plate basalts or the within-plate volcanic zones. The classification of this rock is problematic because of the mixed intrusive and extrusive features; the choice is between meta-alkali basalt and metadolerite (meta-microgabbro). 207Pb common lead-corrected U-Pb apatite dating yields a weighted mean age of 120.4 ± 9.6 Ma, which corresponds to the middle Aptian. The igneous body is at most ca. 10 Ma younger than the surrounding late Hauterivian sediments and might have been emplaced into unconsolidated or partly consolidated sediments. According to our research, it is evident that at least some teschenite association rocks are in fact low-grade metamorphic rocks.

The Resurrection Peninsula ophiolite

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nelson, Steven W.; Miller, M.L.; Dumoulin, Julie A.; Nelson, Steven W.; Hamilton, Thomas D.

1989-01-01

The Resurrection Peninsula forms the east side of Resurrection Bay (fig. 3). Relief ranges from 437 m (1,434 ft) at the southern end of the peninsula to more than 1,463 m (4,800 ft) opposite the head of the bay. All rock units composing the informally named Resurrection Peninsula ophiolite of Nelson and others (1987) are visible or accessible by boat."Ophiolite" has been a geologic term since 1827 (Coleman, 1977). The term "ophiolite" initially referred to the rock serpentinite; the Greek root "ophi" (meaning snake or serpent) alluded to the greenish, mottled, and shiny appearance of serpentinites. In 1927, Steinmann described a rock association in the Alps, sometimes known as the "Steinmann Trinity', consisting of serpentine, diabase and spilitic lavas, and chert. Recognition of this suite led to the idea that ophiolites represent submarine magmatism that took place early in the development of a eugeosyncline. In the early 1970s the Steinmann Trinity was reconsidered in light of the plate tectonic theory, new petrologic studies, and the recognition of abducted oceanic lithosphere in orogenic belts of the world. In 1972 at a Geological Society of America Penrose Conference (Anonymous, 1972) the term "ophiolite" was defined as a distinctive assemblage of mafic to ultramafic rocks, with no emphasis on their origin. A complete ophiolite should contain, from bottom to top:1) Tectonized ultramafic rocks (more or less serpentinized)2) Gabbro complex containing cumulus textures and commonly cumulus peridotites3) Mafic sheeted-dike complex, grading upward into;4) Submarine pillow lavas of basaltic composition. Common associated rock types include plagiogranite (Na-rich) and an overlying sedimentary section typically dominated by chert.

Geologic Setting of the Hamme Tungsten District, North Carolina and Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Parker, John Mason

1963-01-01

The Hamme tungsten district is in the eastern part of the Piedmont province, mainly in Vance County, North Carolina, but it extends a few miles into Virginia. The district is underlain by a central lenticular pluton of albite granodiorite that trends north-northeastward and is flanked on both sides by metamorphic rocks of low and medium grade that dip steeply westward. The relative ages of the metamorphic rocks are uncertain. The oldest rocks are likely to be the biotite gneisses in the eastern part of the district; successively younger units expose westward across the district are sericite-chlorite phyllites, greenstone, metafelsites, and metabasalts. The biotite gneisses and minor intercalated hornblende gneiss, which have a total thickness of many thousand feet, were derived from sediments. Some of the gneiss grades into phyllites and as probably formed by metasomatic alteration of the phyllites. Sericite-chlorite phyllite, epidote-quartz meta siltstone, quartzite, and conglomeratic phyllite occur principally in a wide belt on the west side of the central albite granodiorite. This unit is some 10,000 feet thick and originally consisted mainly of sediments of the graywacke suite. Greenstone totaling about 500 feet in thickness lies west of the phyllite and was derived from maflc lava flows and andesitic tuff. Metamorphosed massive aphanitic and porphyritic flows and dikes that range in composition from dacite to rhyolite, and phyllitic metatuffs and tuffaceous breccia are exposed west of the greenstone. These total at least 3,000 feet in thickness. Massive metabasalt that resembles greenstone but is less altered is common in the area between the Hamme district and the Virgilina district to the west. The thickness of the metabasalt is about 600 to 6,000 feet. The metamorphic rocks of the Hamme and Virgilina districts are parts of the Carolina slate belt, but map units cannot be directly correlated. Rocks in the Hamme district are thought by the writer to have been derived mainly from graywackes and volcanic flows, and subordinately from pyroclastic materials, whereas the rocks of the Virgilina district were interpreted by earlier workers as being mainly volcanic with much pyroclastic material but little sediment. Igneous, and perhaps pseudo igneous, rocks in the district include hornblende gabbro, albite granodiorite, aplite, and pegmatite--all of which are probably middle Paleozoic in age--and diabase and hypersthene tonalite of Late Triassic age. The gabbro forms three lenticular to subcircular bodies up to 2% miles in width in the western part of the area. Albite granodiorite forms a pluton with a maximum width of 7 miles which occupies the center of the area. At its northeastern end the pluton narrows abruptly to a point. Phyllite forms the wall rocks on all sides of the albite granodiorite. The contact is gradational and conformable in most places, but on the northwest side it cuts across wall structure for about 3 miles. Near its western edge the albite granodiorite includes a northeast-trending zone of schistose wall rock in and near which are localized the tungsten deposits. The origin of the albite granodiorite is uncertain, but it may have formed by the metasomatic replacement of the wallrocks, during which albite porphyroblasts developed first and were followed by microcline and quartz. Diabase and hypersthene tonalite occur as dikes and sills along four northward-trending belts. The dikes are a few feet to more than 300 feet thick, and several extend along strike for more than 10 miles. The Hamme district Is in the eastern part of the Carolina slate belt, and the Virg1l1na district lies along the western side of the belt. Rocks in the Hamme district dip mostly westward and in the Vifg1lina district dip mainly eastward into a syncline. This syncline, here named the Spewmarrow syncline, may be a structure of regional significance. Tungsten in the Hamme district occurs mainly

Bimodal Silurian and Lower Devonian volcanic rock assemblages in the Machias-Eastport area, Maine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gates, Olcott; Moench, R.H.

1981-01-01

Exposed in the Machias-Eastport area of southeastern Maine is the thickest (at least 8,000 m), best exposed, best dated, and most nearly complete succession of Silurian and Lower Devonian volcanic strata in the coastal volcanic belt, remnants of which crop out along the coasts of southern New Brunswick, Canada, and southeastern New England in the United States. The volcanics were erupted through the 600-700-million-year-old Avalonian sialic basement. To test the possibility that this volcanic belt was a magmatic arc above a subduction zone prior to presumed Acadian continental collision, samples representing the entire section in the Machias-Eastport area of Maine were chemically analyzed. Three strongly bimodal assemblages of volcanic rocks and associated intrusives are recognized, herein called the Silurian, older Devonian, and younger Devonian assemblages. The Silurian assemblage contains typically nonporphyritic high-alumina tholeiitic basalts, basaltic andesites, and diabase of continental characterand calc-alkalic rhyolites, silicic dacites, and one known dike of andesite. These rocks are associated with fossiliferous, predominantly marine strata of the Quoddy, Dennys, and Edmunds Formations, and the Leighton Formation of the Pembroke Group (the stratigraphic rank of both is revised herein for the Machias-Eastport area), all of Silurian age. The shallow marine Hersey Formation (stratigraphic rank also revised herein) of the Pembroke Group, of latest Silurian age (and possibly earliest Devonian, as suggested by an ostracode fauna), contains no known volcanics; and it evidently was deposited during a volcanic hiatus that immediately preceded emergence of the coastal volcanic belt and the eruption of the older Devonian assemblage. The older Devonian assemblage, in the lagoonal to subaerial Lower Devonian Eastport Formation, contains tholeiitic basalts and basaltic andesites, typically with abundant plagioclase phenocrysts and typically richer in iron and titanium and poorer in magnesium and nickel than the Silurian basalts; and the Eastport Formation has rhyolites and silicic dacites that have higher average SiO2 and K2O contents and higher ratios of FeO* to MgO than the Silurian ones. The younger Devonian assemblage is represented by one sample of basalt from a flow in red beds of the post-Acadian Upper Devonian Perry Formation, and by three samples from pre-Acadian diabases that intrude the Leighton and Hersey Formations. These rocks are even richer in titanium and iron and poorer in magnesium and nickel than the older Devonian basalts. Post-Acadian granitic plutons exposed along the coastal belt for which analyses are available are tentatively included in the younger Devonian assemblage. The most conspicuous features of the coastal volcanics and associated intrusives are the preponderance of rocks of basaltic composition ( < 52 percent SiO2 ) in the Silurian assemblage, and the near absence in all assemblages of intermediate rocks having 57-67 percent SiO2 (calculated without volatiles). All the rocks are variably altered spilites and keratophyres. The basaltic types are adequately defined, however, by eight samples of least altered basalts having calcic plagioclase, clinopyroxene, and 0.5 percent or less CO2 , The more altered basalts are variably enriched or depleted in Na2O, K2O, and CaO relative to the least altered ones. In the silicic rocks no primary ferromagnesian minerals are preserved. The Na2O and K2O contents of the silicic rocks are erratic; they are approximately reciprocal, possibly owing to alkali exchange while the rocks were still glassy. We propose that the coastal volcanic belt extended along an axis of thermal swelling in the Earth's mantle and upward intrusion of partially melted mantle into the sialic Avalonian crust. These processes were accompanied by shoaling and emergence of the belt, and they produced the bimodal volcanism. Tholeiitic basaltic melts segregated from mantle material

An Integrated Geochronological, Petrological, Geochemical and Paleomagnetic Study of Paleoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic Mafic Dyke Swarms in the Nain Craton, Labrador

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahin, Tugce

The Nain craton comprises the western, Labrador segment of the larger North Atlantic craton (NAC) which exposes Early through Late Archean gneisses. The NAC is bounded on all sides by Paleoproterozoic collisional orogens that involved either considerable structural reworking (Torngat-Nagssugtoqidian-Lewisian) or the accretion of juvenile arc magmas (Ketilidian-Makkovik). The NAC remains poorly understood compared to other Archean crustal blocks now dispersed globally. Compounding this problem is a lack of reliable paleomagnetic poles for NAC units that predate its assembly into the supercontinent Laurentia by ca. 1800 Ma, which could be used to test neighboring relationships with other cratonic fragments. In order to understand the history of the NAC as part of a possible, larger supercontinent, the record of mafic dyke swarms affecting the craton, particularly those that postdate the Late Archean terrane assembly, were examined in this study. Diabase or gabbroic dyke swarms are invaluable in such studies because their geometries offer possible locus points, they often have a punctuated emplacement and precisely datable crystallization histories, and they have cooling histories and oxide mineralogy amenable to recovering robust paleopoles. Coastal Labrador exposes a number of mafic dykes, some of which are demonstrably Paleoproterozoic (e.g. 2235 Ma Kikkertavak dykes; 2121 Ma Tikkigatsiagak dykes) or Mesoproterozoic (e.g. 1280-1270 Ma Nain and Harp dykes) in age (U-Pb; baddeleyite or zircon). The southern half of the Nain craton (Hopedale block) in particular preserves a rich array of mafic dykes. Dyke cross-cutting relationships are numerous and relatively well exposed, permitting multiple opportunities for paleomagnetic field tests (e.g. baked contact). The results presented here allow understanding of the tectonic evolution of the NAC with implications for strengthened Labrador-Greenland correlations, and testing possible Paleoproterozoic supercontinent reconstructions.

The uranium-bearing nickel-cobalt-native silver deposits in the Black Hawk district, Grant County, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gillerman, Elliot; Whitebread, Donald H.

1953-01-01

The Black Hawk (Bullard Peak) district, Grant County, N. Mex., is 21 miles by road west of Silver City. From 1881 to 1893 more than $1,000,000.00 of high-grade silver ore is reported to have been shipped from the district. Since 1893 there has been no mining in the district except during a short period in 1917 when the Black Hawk mine was rehabilitated. Pre-Cambrian quartz diorite gneiss, which contains inclusions of quartzite, schist, monzonite, and quartz monzonite, is the most widespread rock in the district. The quartz diorite gneiss is intruded by many pre-Cambrian and younger rocks, including diorite granite, diabase, monzonite porphyry and andesite and is overlain by the Upper Cretaceous Beartooth quartzite. The monzonite porphyry, probably of late Cretaceous or early Tertiary age, forms a small stock along the northwestern edge of the district and numerous dikes and irregular masses throughout the district. The ore deposits are in fissure veins that contain silver, cobalt, and uranium. The ore minerals, which include native silver, niccolite, millerite, skutterudite, nickel skutterudite, bismuthinite, pitchblende, and sphalerite, are in a carbonate gangue in narrow, persistent veins, most of which trend northeasterly. Pitchblende has been identified in the Black Hawk and the Alhabra deposits and unidentified radioactive minerals were found at five other localities. The deposits that contain the radioactive minerals constitude a belt 600 to 1,500 feet wide that trends about N. 45° E., and is approximately parallel to the southeastern boundary of the monzonite porphyry stock. All the major ore deposits are in the quartz diorite gneiss in close proximity to the monzonite porphyry. The ore deposits are similar to the deposits at Great Bear Lake, Canada, and Joachimstahl, Czechoslovakia.

Water-Resources Data and Hydrogeologic Setting at the Raleigh Hydrogeologic Research Station, Wake County, North Carolina, 2005-2007

USGS Publications Warehouse

McSwain, Kristen Bukowski; Bolich, Richard E.; Chapman, Melinda J.; Huffman, Brad A.

2009-01-01

Water-resources data were collected to describe the hydrologic conditions at the Raleigh hydrogeologic research station, located in the Piedmont Physiographic Province of North Carolina. Data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Water Quality, from May 2005 through September 2007 are presented in this report. Three well clusters and four piezometers were installed at the Raleigh hydrogeologic research station along an assumed flow path from recharge to discharge areas. Each well cluster includes four wells to monitor the regolith, transition zone, and shallow and deep bedrock. Borehole, surface, and waterborne geophysics were conducted to examine the lithology and physical properties of the bedrock and to determine the aerial extent of near vertical diabase dikes. Slug tests were conducted in the wells at each cluster to determine the hydraulic conductivity of the formation tapped by each well. Periodic water-level altitudes were measured in all wells and in four piezometers. Continuous hourly water levels were measured in wells for variable periods of time during the study, and a surface-water gage collected 15-minute stage data from April to June 2006. In October 2005 and April 2006, water-quality samples were collected from a tributary and in all wells at the Raleigh hydrogeologic research station. Continuous water-quality data were collected hourly in three wells from December 2005 through January 2007 and every 15 minutes in the tributary from May to June 2006. In August 2006, streambed temperatures and drive-point ground-water samples were collected across lines of section spanning the Neuse River.

Comprehensive Pb-Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic, trace element, and mineralogical characterization of mafic to ultramafic rock reference materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fourny, Anaïs.; Weis, Dominique; Scoates, James S.

2016-03-01

Controlling the accuracy and precision of geochemical analyses requires the use of characterized reference materials with matrices similar to those of the unknown samples being analyzed. We report a comprehensive Pb-Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic and trace element concentration data set, combined with quantitative phase analysis by XRD Rietveld refinement, for a wide range of mafic to ultramafic rock reference materials analyzed at the Pacific Centre for Isotopic and Geochemical Research, University of British Columbia. The samples include a pyroxenite (NIM-P), five basalts (BHVO-2, BIR-1a, JB-3, BE-N, GSR-3), a diabase (W-2), a dolerite (DNC-1), a norite (NIM-N), and an anorthosite (AN-G); results from a leucogabbro (Stillwater) are also reported. Individual isotopic ratios determined by MC-ICP-MS and TIMS, and multielement analyses by HR-ICP-MS are reported with 4-12 complete analytical duplicates for each sample. The basaltic reference materials have coherent Sr and Nd isotopic ratios with external precision below 50 ppm (2SD) and below 100 ppm for Hf isotopes (except BIR-1a). For Pb isotopic reproducibility, several of the basalts (JB-3, BHVO-2) require acid leaching prior to dissolution. The plutonic reference materials also have coherent Sr and Nd isotopic ratios (<50 ppm), however, obtaining good reproducibility for Pb and Hf isotopic ratios is more challenging for NIM-P, NIM-N, and AN-G due to a variety of factors, including postcrystallization Pb mobility and the presence of accessory zircon. Collectively, these results form a comprehensive new database that can be used by the geochemical community for evaluating the radiogenic isotope and trace element compositions of volcanic and plutonic mafic-ultramafic rocks.

Characteristics and Significance of Magma Emplacement Horizons, Black Sturgeon Sill, Nipigon, Ontario

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zieg, M. J.; Hone, S. V.

2017-12-01

Spatial scales strongly control the timescales of processes in igneous intrusions, particularly through the thermal evolution of the magma, which in turn governs the evolution of crystallinity, viscosity, and other important physical and chemical properties of the system. In this study, we have collected a highly detailed data set comprising geochemical (bulk rock composition), textural (size and alignment of plagioclase crystals), and mineralogical (modal abundance) profiles through the central portion of the 250 m thick Black Sturgeon diabase sill. In this data, we have identified characteristic signals in texture (soft and somewhat diffuse chills), composition (reversals in differentiation trends), and mineralogy (olivine accumulations), all coinciding and recurring at roughly 10 meter intervals. Based on these signatures, we are able to map out multiple zones representing discrete pulses of magma that were emplaced sequentially as the intrusion was inflated. Simple thermal calculations suggest that each 10 meters of new crystallization would require repose times on the order of 10-100 years. To build up 250 meters of magma at this rate would only require approximately 250-2500 years, significantly less than the thermal lifetime of the entire sill. The soft chills we observe in the Black Sturgeon sill are therefore consistent with a system that remained warm throughout the emplacement process. Successive pulses were injected into partially crystalline mush, rather than pure liquid (which would result in hybridization) or solid (which would produce sharp hard chills). Episodic emplacement is by now widely recognized as a fundamental process in the formation of large felsic magma chambers; our results suggest that this also may be an important consideration in understanding the evolution of smaller mafic intrusions.

High-precision U-Pb geochronology in the Minnesota River Valley subprovince and its bearing on the Neoarchean to Paleoproterozoic evolution of the southern Superior Province

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmitz, M.D.; Bowring, S.A.; Southwick, D.L.; Boerboom, Terrence; Wirth, K.R.

2006-01-01

High-precision U-Pb ages have been obtained for high-grade gneisses, late-kinematic to postkinematic granitic plutons, and a crosscutting mafic dike of the Archean Minnesota River Valley tectonic subprovince, at the southern ramparts of the Superior craton of North America. The antiquity of the Minnesota River Valley terranes is confirmed by a high-precision U-Pb zircon age of 3422 ?? 2 Ma for a tonalitic phase of the Morton Gneiss. Voluminous, late-kinematic monzogranites of the Benson (Ortonville granite) and Morton (Sacred Heart granite) blocks yield identical crystallization ages of 2603 ?? 1 Ma, illustrating the synchrony and rapidity of deep crustal melting and plutonism throughout the Minnesota River Valley terranes. Postkinematic, 2591 ?? 2 Ma syenogranites and aplitic dikes in both blocks effectively constrain the final penetrative deformation of the Minnesota River Valley subprovince. Monazite growth from 2609 to 2595 Ma in granulitic paragneisses of the Benson and Montevideo blocks is interpreted to record prograde to peak granulite facies metamorphic conditions associated with crustal thickening and magmatism. Neoarchean metamorphism and plutonism are interpreted to record the timing of collisional accretion and terminal suturing of the Mesoarchean continental Minnesota River Valley terranes to the southern margin of the Superior Province, along the western Great Lakes tectonic zone. Subsequent Paleoproterozoic rifting of this margin is recorded by voluminous basaltic dike intrusion, expressed in the Minnesota River Valley by major WNW-trending tholeiitic diabase dikes dated at 2067 ?? 1 Ma, only slightly younger than the structurally and geochemically similar 2077 ?? 4 Ma Fort Frances (Kenora-Kabetogama) dike swarm of northern Minnesota and adjoining Canada. ?? 2006 Geological Society of America.

Ages and Nd, Sr isotopic systematics in the Sierran foothills ophiolite belt, CA: the Smartville and Feather River complexes

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

Shaw, H.F.; Niemeyer, S.

1985-01-01

Sm-Nd dating has shown the Kings-Kaweah ophiolite to be approx. 480 My old. Its Nd, Sr, and Pb isotopic compositions require an unusually old depleted mantle source. Samples from the Smartville and Feather River complexes have been analyzed in a search for similar highly depleted, early Paleozoic ophiolites in the northern foothills ophiolite belt. Six whole rocks from Smartville, encompassing representative lithologies, plus plagioclase and pyroxene mineral separates define a 183 +/- 22 My Sm-Nd isochron. This age, interpreted as the igneous age, is older than, but within error of, approx. 160 My U-Pb ages previously obtained from plagiogranite zirconmore » analyses. One diabase with unusually high Rb/Sr yields a depleted mantle Sr model age of 200 +/- 25 My, consistent with the Sm-ND age. These compositions are clearly oceanic in character but do not discriminate among possible tectonic settings for the formation of the Smartville complex. Sm-Nd data for flaser gabbros and related rocks from Feather River scatter about an approx. 230 My errorchron with element of/sub Nd/(T) = +6.3 to +8.7. Initial /sup 87/Sr//sup 86/Sr ranges from 0.7028 to 0.7031. These results indicate a complex history with initial isotopic heterogeneities and/or disturbances of the isotopic systems. If primary, the element of/sub Nd/ (T) values are somewhat low, suggesting a possible arc origin for these rocks. Neither the Smartville nor Feather R. complexes appear to be related to the Kings-Kaweah ophiolite which, so far, is unique among foothill ophiolites in having an early Paleozoic age and a clear MORB, as opposed to arc or marginal basin, isotopic signature.« less

Midcontinent microcosm: Geology of the Atkins lake - Marengo falls area (Field trip 2)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bjørnerud, Marcia; Cannon, William F.

2011-01-01

Archean and Proterozoic rocks exposed over about 16km2 between Atkins Lake and Coffee Lake in southeastern Bayfield County (Fig. 1) chronicle almost all of the major Precambrian geologic events in the history of the southern Superior Craton. The oldest rocks are part of a locally gneissic quartz monzonite complex, the Puritan Batholith, with an igneous Rb-Sr age of 2710+140 Ma (Sims et al., 1977). At the regional scale, this complex is part of one of the youngest Archean granite-greenstone belts in the Superior Province, and it intrudes greenstones of the Neoarchean Ramsay Formation. In the Atkins Lake – Marengo River area, the Puritan Batholith is nonconformably overlain by the Paleoproterozoic (ca. 2200 Ma) Bad River Dolomite. The Bad River Dolomite is in turn separated by an unconformity from rocks of the ca. 1875 Ma Menominee Group (Palms Formation and Ironwood Iron-formation), which locally contain mafic volcanic rocks and diabase sills (Cannon et al., 2008). These Paleoproterozoic rocks provide insight into climate and biogeochemical cycles during the transition to an oxidizing atmosphere (Bekker et al., 2006) and have deformational fabrics (folds, strong cleavage, local mylonite zones) that record the ca. 1850 Ma Penokean Orogeny. The youngest rocks in the area are Mesoproterozoic basaltic lava flows (Siemens Creek Volcanics, ca. 1110 Ma) and a layered mafic complex (the Mineral Lake Intrusion, also ca. 1100 Ma), both related to the Mid-continent Rift. All of the stratified units show static contact metamorphic textures near their contacts with the Mineral Lake Intrusion. Thus the area constitutes a microcosm of the regional bedrock geology, and the cross-cutting relationships among the units provide clear constraints on the relative timing of different phases of deformation and magmatism (Cannon etal., 2008, Bjørnerud, 2010a).

The role of post-collisional strike-slip tectonics in the geological evolution of the late Neoproterozoic volcano-sedimentary Guaratubinha Basin, southern Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barão, Leonardo M.; Trzaskos, Barbara; Vesely, Fernando F.; de Castro, Luís Gustavo; Ferreira, Francisco J. F.; Vasconcellos, Eleonora M. G.; Barbosa, Tiago C.

2017-12-01

The Guaratubinha Basin is a late Neoproterozoic volcano-sedimentary basin included in the transitional-stage basins of the South American Platform. The aim of this study is to investigate its tectonic evolution through a detailed structural analysis based on remote sensing and field data. The structural and aerogeophysics data indicate that at least three major deformational events affected the basin. Event E1 caused the activation of the two main basin-bounding fault zones, the Guaratubinha Master Fault and the Guaricana Shear Zone. These structures, oriented N20-45E, are associated with well-defined right-lateral to oblique vertical faults, conjugate normal faults and vertical flow structures. Progressive transtensional deformation along the two main fault systems was the main mechanism for basin formation and the deposition of thick coarse-grained deposits close to basin-borders. The continuous opening of the basin provided intense intermediate and acid magmatism as well as deposition of volcaniclastic sediments. Event E2 characterizes generalized compression, recorded as minor thrust faults with tectonic transport toward the northwest and left-lateral activation of the NNE-SSW Palmital Shear Zone. Event E3 is related to the Mesozoic tectonism associated with the South Atlantic opening, which generated diabase dykes and predominantly right-lateral strike-slip faults oriented N10-50W. Its rhomboidal geometry with long axis parallel to major Precambrian shear zones, the main presence of high-angle, strike-slip or oblique faults, the asymmetric distribution of geological units and field evidence for concomitant Neoproterozoic magmatism and strike-slip movements are consistent with pull-apart basins reported in the literature.

a Possible Ancient Core Complex in the Northern Cache Creek Terrane, British Columbia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zagorevski, A.

2013-12-01

The Cache Creek terrane (CCT) in Canadian Cordillera comprises a belt of Mississippian to Jurassic oceanic rocks that include Tethyan carbonates and alkaline basalts that are demonstrably exotic to Laurentia. The exotic Tethyan faunas in the CCT, combined with its inboard position with respect to Stikinia and Yukon-Tanana terranes has led to a variety of tectonic hypotheses including oroclinal enclosure of CCT by Stikinia, Yukon-Tanana and Quesnellia during the Jurassic. Detailed studies have demonstrated that the northern CCT is in fact a composite terrane that includes ophiolitic rocks of both ocean island and island arc origins. The western margin of the CCT is characterized by imbricated harzburgite, island arc tholeiite, sedimentary rocks and locally significant felsic volcanic rocks of the Kutcho arc. Gabbro is volumetrically minor and sheeted dyke complexes are either very rare or not developed. The felsic arc volcanic rocks and the pyroxenite bodies that cut the harzburgite have been previously isotopically dated as Middle Triassic (ca. 245 Ma) suggesting that melt percolation through the mantle was coeval with Kutcho arc magmatism and coincided with a magmatic gap in Stikinia. In general the contact between the mantle and supracrustal rocks is faulted making it difficult to determine the original relationships between the mantle and island arc tholeiites. Locally, the contact appears to be intact and is characterized by mantle tectonites with pyroxenite veins overlain by cumulate plagioclase-orthopyroxene gabbro and fine grained diabase. Elsewhere, volcanic and sedimentary rocks sit in fault contact structurally above the mantle. The absence of voluminous gabbro and sheeted dyke complexes, presence of coeval magmas in the crust and mantle, and low angle extensional faulting in some areas suggests that the western part of the CCT may preserve an ocean core complex similar to the Godzilla Megamullion in the Parece-Vela Basin. Such a hypothesis suggests that the western CCT, including the associated large slabs of mantle, is tectonically related to the Stikinia-Quesnellia rather than to the exotic Tethyan seamount(s).

Stratigraphic units overlying the Zambales Ophiolite Complex (ZOC) in Luzon, (Philippines): Tectonostratigraphic significance and regional implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Queaño, Karlo L.; Dimalanta, Carla B.; Yumul, Graciano P.; Marquez, Edanjarlo J.; Faustino-Eslava, Decibel V.; Suzuki, Shigeyuki; Ishida, Keisuke

2017-07-01

The Zambales Ophiolite Complex (ZOC) on the island of Luzon, Philippines is one of the most well-studied crust-mantle sequences in the region. Several massifs comprise the ZOC, one of which is the Coto Block overlain by clastic sedimentary units previously dated as Eocene. Geochronologic studies from diabase, granodiorites and other late-stage magmatic products similarly yielded the same age. Succeeding tectonic models have therefore all been grounded on the assumption that the entire ZOC is Eocene. Recent investigations, however, revealed the presence of chert blocks within the Early to Middle Miocene clastic formation overlying the Acoje Block in the northern part of the ophiolite complex. Radiolarians extracted from the cherts yielded a stratigraphic range that suggests a Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous age. The recognition of a much older age than previously reported of the ZOC warrants a re-examination of its actual distribution and genesis. Correlating with other similarly-aged ophiolites, we suggest defining a western Mesozoic ophiolite belt, largely extending from the west-central portion of the archipelago to the northeastern tip of Luzon island. Tentatively, we attribute the Mesozoic ophiolitic and associated rocks in western Luzon to an arc-continent collision involving the Philippine Mobile Belt and the Palawan Microcontinental Block. In addition, differences in the clastic compositions of the Cenozoic sedimentary formations provide material not only for deciphering the ZOC's unroofing history but also for constraining the timing of province linkage. The intermittent appearance of lithic fragments and detrital minerals from the ophiolite in the units of the Middle Miocene Candelaria Limestone and the Late Miocene to Early Pliocene Sta. Cruz Formation indicates significant but geographically variable contributions from the ophiolite complex. In the northern Zambales Range, the Sta. Cruz Formation caps the Coto Block and the Acoje Block of the ZOC, providing a minimum age for their amalgamation.

Hydrogeology and ground-water quality of northern Bucks County, Pennsylvania

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sloto, Ronald A.; Schreffler, Curtis L.

1994-01-01

Water from wells in the crystalline rocks has the lowest median pH (5.8), the lowest median specific conductance (139 microsiemens per centimeter), the lowest median alkalinity [16 mg/L (milligrams per liter) as CaCOg], and the highest dissolved oxygen concentration (9.0 mg/L) of the hydrogeologic units. Water from wells in carbonate rocks has the highest median pH (7.8) and the highest median alkalinity (195 mg/L as CaCO3) of the hydrogeologic units. Water from wells in the Lockatong Formation has the highest median specific conductance (428 microsiemens per centimeter) and the lowest dissolved oxygen concentration (0.8 mg/L) of the hydrogeologic units. Water from wells in crystalline rocks contains the lowest concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS) of the hydrogeologic units. Water from the Lockatong Formation contains the highest concentration of TDS of the hydrogeologic units. Water from only 1 of 83 wells sampled exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) secondary maximum contaminant level (SMCL) for TDS; the well is in the Lockatong Formation. Five of 86 samples (6 percent) and 6 of 75 samples (8 percent) exceed the USEPA SMCL for iron and manganese, respectively. Nitrate is the most prevalent nitrogen species in ground water. The median nitrate concentration for all hydrogeologic units is 2.3 mg/L. Of 71 water samples from wells, no concentrations of nitrate exceed the USEPA maximum contaminant level. The median dissolved radon-222 activity was highest for water samples from wells in crystalline rock [3,600 pCi/L (picocuries per liter)] and lowest for water samples from wells in the Lockatong Formation (340 pCi/L) and diabase (350 pCi/L). Water samples for analysis for volatile organic compounds (VOC's) were collected from 34 wells in areas where the potential existed for the presence of VOC's in ground water. VOC's were detected in 23 percent of the 34 wells sampled. The most commonly detected compound was trichloroethylene (13 percent of sampled wells).

Recent Results of Hadal Investigations in the Southern Mariana Trench

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fryer, P. B.; Hellebrand, E.; Sharma, S. K.; Acosta-Maeda, T.; Jicha, B. R.; Cameron, J.

2014-12-01

The deepest parts of the southern Mariana Trench have variously been interpreted to 1) indicate strike-slip motion along the trench, 2) contain a series of 3 sediment ponds at greater than 10,900 m depth separated from one another by fault-controlled ridges on the subducting plate, and 3) have an even deeper feature in the western-most pond (Vitiaz Deep). Recent lander deployments in all three ponds and the Deepsea Challenger submersible dive by J. Cameron in 2012 showed that the deepest ponds within the Challenger Deep area have nearly unbroken, flat surfaces. One point explored showed veined serpentinite at a depth of 10,800+ m. The potential for active serpentinite-hosted seeps and vent communities was demonstrated for the Shinkai Vent Field at 5,800m depth. Rocks collected using the Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution's hybrid remotely operated vehicle, Nereus, in 2009 from deep (10,879 m) on the incoming plate south of the Challenger Deep, were recovered from the base of a fault scarp where large, columnar-jointed blocks are draped with sediment. Optical microscopy, electron-microprobe and Raman analysis show that they are partially altered massive diabase with altered interstitial glass and containing microbial tubules in vug-filling secondary phases. The chain of seamounts striking NNW, colinear with the Lyra Trough, has been interpreted as a boundary between the Pacific Plate and the seafloor north of the Caroline Ridge. Sediments, drilled from above postulated basement north of the Caroline Ridge are no older that Oligocene. Ar/Ar age dates completed for one rock collected by Nereus in 2009 give a weighted mean plateau age, based on two experiments, of 24.6 +/- 3.2 Ma. Thus, the igneous basement of the subducting plate south of the Challenger Deep is, far younger than the Jurassic Pacific Plate subducting further east. This represents a previously unidentified tectonic plate. With new vehicles and technologies the future for hadal exploration is ripe.

Geologic History of Asteroid 4 Vesta

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mittlefehldt, David W.

2014-01-01

Some types of meteorites - most irons, stony irons, some achondrites - hail from asteroids that were heated to the point where magmatism occurred within a very few million years of the formation of the earliest solids in the solar system. The largest clan of achondrites, the howardite, eucrite and diogenite (HED) meteorites, represent the crust of their parent asteroid]. Diogenites are cumulate harzburgites and orthopyroxenites from the lower crust whilst eucrites are basalts, diabases and cumulate gabbros from the upper crust. Howardites are impact-engendered breccias mostly of diogenites and eucrites. There remains only one large asteroid with a basaltic crust, 4 Vesta, which is thought to be the source of the HED clan. Differentiation models for Vesta are based on HED compositions. Proto-Vesta consisted of chondritic materials containing Al-26, a potent, short-lived heat source. Inferences from compositional data are that Vesta was melted to high degree (=50%) allowing homogenization of the silicate phase and separation of a metallic core. Convection of the silicate magma ocean allowed equilibrium crystallization, forming a harzburgitic mantle. After convective lockup occurred, melt collected between the mantle and the cool thermal boundary layer and underwent fractional crystallization forming an orthopyroxene-rich (diogenite) lower crust. The initial thermal boundary layer of chondritic material was replaced by a mafic upper crust through impact disruption and foundering. The mafic crust thickened over time as additional residual magma intrudes and penetrates the mafic crust forming plutons, dikes, sills and flows of cumulate and basaltic eucrite composition. This magmatic history may have taken only 2-3 Myr. This magma ocean scenario is at odds with a model of heat and magma transport that indicates that small degrees of melt would be rapidly expelled from source regions, precluding development of a magma ocean. Constraints from radiogenic Mg-26 distibutions suggest that the parent asteroid of HEDs was much smaller than Vesta. Thus, first-order questions regarding asteroid differentiation remain.

ODP Leg 210 Drills the Newfoundland Margin in the Newfoundland-Iberia Non-Volcanic Rift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tucholke, B. E.; Sibuet, J.

2003-12-01

The final leg of the Ocean Drilling Project (Leg 210, July-September 2003) was devoted to studying the history of rifting and post-rift sedimentation in the Newfoundland-Iberia rift. For the first time, drilling was conducted in the Newfoundland Basin along a transect conjugate to previous drill sites on the Iberia margin (Legs 149 and 173) to obtain data on a complete `non-volcanic' rift system. The prime site during this leg (Site 1276) was drilled in the transition zone between known continental crust and known oceanic crust at chrons M3 and younger. Extensive geophysical work and deep-sea drilling have shown that this transition-zone crust on the conjugate Iberia margin is exhumed continental mantle that is strongly serpentinized in its upper part. Transition-zone crust on the Newfoundland side, however, is typically a kilometer or more shallower and has much smoother topography, and seismic refraction data suggest that the crust may be thin (about 4 km) oceanic crust. A major goal of Site 1276 was to investigate these differences by sampling basement and a strong, basinwide reflection (U) overlying basement. Site 1276 was cored from 800 to 1737 m below seafloor with excellent recovery (avg. 85%), bottoming in two alkaline diabase sills >10 m thick that are estimated to be 100-200 meters above basement. The sills have sedimentary contacts that show extensive hydrothermal metamorphism. Associated sediment structural features indicate that the sills were intruded at shallow levels within highly porous sediments. The upper sill likely is at the level of the U reflection, which correlates with lower Albian - uppermost Aptian(?) fine- to coarse-grained gravity-flow deposits. Overlying lower Albian to lower Oligocene sediments record paleoceanographic conditions similar to those on the Iberia margin and in the main North Atlantic basin, including deposition of `black shales'; however, they show an extensive component of gravity-flow deposits throughout.

Geology of the Ishmas gold district, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Doebrich, Jeff L.; White, Willis M.

1991-01-01

The Ishmas gold district was mapped at 1:25,000 scale to place auriferous mineralization into geologic perspective, to assist in creating an ore-deposit model, and to aid in devising a strategy for subsequent exploration elsewhere in the Jabal Ishmas-Wadi Tathlith gold belt. The precratonic evolution of the district began with the deposition of a tholeiitic mafic volcanic and volcaniclastic sequence that was intruded by diabase and gabbro. Basaltic to rhyodacitic volcanism following a calc-alkaline evolutionary trend ensued. Subsequent deposition of a thick wacke and sandstone unit represented the final phase in the volcano sedimentary accumulation. The emplacement of a large lopolithic layered-gabbro complex marked the end of the precratonic evolutionary cycle. The district coincides with the boundary of two allochthonous terranes. The collisional Nabitah orogeny represents the suturing of the two terranes. The effects of this event are manifested by numerous north-trending, steeply dipping faults, shear zones, and mylonite belts, as well as diapiric serpentinite. During the waning stages of the orogeny, auriferous quartz pods were precipitated in dilatant structures within the north-trending shear zones by deep-seated circulating fluids. The emplacement of a tonalite stock was closely followed by the formation of N. 20°-35° W. -trending faults. These faults influenced the emplacement of dacite porphyry stocks and associated auriferous quartz veins. The auriferous veins are massive, tabular open-fracture fillings that are spatially, temporally, and genetically related to the dacite porphyry. The emplacement of a quartz monzodiorite stock was responsible for additional auriferous quartz vein mineralization that is almost exclusively hosted by the intrusion. A nearly random orientation of the veins indicates that no regional structure influenced their formation. The formation of a series of N. 60°-80° W -trending faults represents the final episode in the district's geologic history and corresponds to the cratonic reactivation that affected a large part of the Arabian Shield (that is, the Najd faulting event). 

The postglacial Stuoragurra Fault, North Norway - A textural and mineralogical study.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roaldset, E.

2012-04-01

The postglacial Stuoragurra Fault, North Norway - A textural and mineralogical study Elen Roaldset(1), Mari Åm (2), and Oddleiv Olesen(3) 1) Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, P.O.Box 1172 Blindern, 0318 Oslo, Norway 2) Statoil R &D, P. O. Box 2470, 7005 Trondheim, Norway 3) Norwegian Geological Survey, P.O.Box 6315 Sluppen, 7491 Trondheim, Norway The Stuoragurra Fault is part of the Lapland province of postglacial faults and was identified in 1983 during a colloborative project between the Geological Surveys of Finland Norway and Sweden. The Stuoragurra Fault is an 80 km long fault zone which contains three main segments of eastward dipping faults (30-55 deg.) with up to 10 m of reverse displacement and a 7 m high escarpment. It cross-cuts glaciofluvial deposits and consequently being younger than 10.000 years. The postglacial fault segments follow to a large extent older fault zones represented by lithified breccias and diabases of Proterozoic age. In this paper we will present textural and mineralogical study of a 135 m continous core drilled across the fault zone. The investigation methods include quality assessments by rock quality designation methods (RQD and Q- methods), textural and petrological descriptions visually and by thin section microscopy, and mineralogical analysis by X-ray diffraction. Special attention is drawn to neoformed and/or degraded minerals like clay minerals and iron oxides/hydroxides. The quality assessments of the cored material reflect the degree of rock deformation and fragmentation and show the quality of the bedrock generally to be of very poor (about 60%) to poor quality" (25%) The main minerals in the fresh rock are quarts, feldspar, mica and iron oxides (magnetite and ilmenite). Throughout the cored borehole products of weathering have formed on fissures, fractures and in strongly deformed, gravelly, zones. The neoformed minerals include kaolinite, smectite, and vermiculite, as well as goethite. The mineralogical transformations will be discussed in relation to the rock texture,petrophysical properties and fault characteristics.

Geologic Map of the Cascade Head Area, Northwestern Oregon Coast Range (Neskiwin, Nestucca Bay, Hebo, and Dolph 7.5 minute Quadrangles)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Snavely, Parke D.; Niem, Alan; Wong, Florence L.; MacLeod, Norman S.; Calhoun, Tracy K.; Minasian, Diane L.; Niem, Wendy

1996-01-01

The geology of the Cascade Head area bridges the geology in the Tillamook Highlands to the north (Wells and others, 1994; 1995) with that of the Newport Embayment on the south (Snavely and others, 1976 a,b,c). The four 7.5-minute quadrangles (Neskowin, Nestucca Bay, Hebo, and Dolph) which comprise the Cascade Head area include significant stratigraphic, structural, and igneous data that are essential in unraveling the geology of the northern and central part of the Oregon Coast Range and of the adjacent continental shelfEarlier studies (Snavely and Vokes, 1949) were of a broad reconnaissance nature because of limited access in this rugged, densely forested part of the Siuslaw National Forest. Also, numerous thick sills of late middle Eocene diabase and middle Miocene basalt mask the Eocene stratigraphic relationships. Previous mapping was hampered by a lack of precise biostratigraphic data. However, recent advances in biostratigraphy and radiometric age dating and geochemistry have provided the necessary tools to decipher stratigraphic and structural relationships in the Eocene sedimentary and volcanic rock sequences (W.W. Rau, personal communication, 1978 to 1988; Bukry and Snavely, 1988). Many important stratigraphic and igneous relationships are displayed within the Casacde Head area: (1) turbidite sandstone of the middle Eocene Tyee Formation, which is widespread in the central and southern part of the Oregon Coast Range (Snavely and others, 1964), was not deposited in the western part of the Cascade Head, and is of limited extent north of the map area (Wells and others, 1994); (2) the late middle Eocene Yamhill Formation, which crops out along the west and east flank of the Oregon Coast Range, overlaps older strata and overlies an erosional unconformity on the lower Eocene Siletz River Volcanics (Snavely and others, 1990; 1991); (3) thick sills of late middle Eocene diabase (43 Ma) are widespread in the Cascade Head area and also form much of the eastern flank of the Tillamook Highlands (Wells and others, 1994), but are rare south of the map area; (4) Cascade Head is the northernmost eruptive center of late Eocene alkalic basalts--85 km north of the eruptive center of correlative alkalic flows of the Yachats Basalt in the Newport Embayment (Snavely and Vokes, 1949; Snavely and others, 1990; Barnes and Barnes, 1992; Davis and others, 1995); (5) early Oligocene (33 Ma) sills and dikes of nepheline syenite and camptonite present in the Newport Embayment (Snavely and Wagner, 1961) are not found in the Cascade Head area; (6) extensive middle Oligocene (30 Ma) granophyric gabbro sills that are widespread in the central part of the Oregon Coast Range (Snavely and Wagner, 1961; MacLeod, 1969) are not present in the Cascade Head area. The Cascade Head area is the last segment of the Oregon Coast to receive detailed geologic mapping. Increased logging operations in the 1970's and 1980's created numerous new roadcut exposures and access to exposures in stream beds. More importantly, microfossil biostratigraphic control, available since 1970, based upon foraminifer determinations by W.W. Rau and nannofossil determinations by David Bukry provided critical information on stratigraphic succession as well as on depositional environments of the deep water (bathyal) siltstone units present in much of the Cascade Head area. These paleontologic data also permitted correlations with other sedimentary sequences mapped in the Newport Embayment and in the Tillamook Highlands as well as in western Washington. New 7.5-minute topographic maps and aerial photographs which became available in the late 1980's provided detailed topography which can be related to the distribution of thick sills and broad landslide areas, as well as a precise geographic relationship of geologic observations in this densely forested and brush-covered terrain. New geographic information systems (GIS) technology has produced a digitized color map of the Cascade Head area that combines the four 7.5-minute quadrangles that previously were open-filed as separate black and white 7.5-minute quadrangles (Snavely and others, 1990; 1990a; 1991; 1993). The tectonic framework and stratigraphic architecture presented on the map of the Cascade Head area was obtained by classic geologic field methods. This information could have been obtained only through detailed observation and sampling along stream beds, road cuts, and outcrops. Remote sensing techniques were of minor help in unraveling the geology in this poorly exposed and complex terrain, a terrain that characterizes much of the Oregon and Washington Coast Ranges.

Michael Tuomey's 1848 geological survey of South Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nystrom, P.G.

1999-01-01

One hundred and fifty years ago, Michael Tuomey completed his 'Report on the Geology of South Carolina,' the result of four years of arduous labor. The report is the first detailed and comprehensive geological description of the entire state, and it includes a geological map that shows the distribution of Coastal Plain and Piedmont-Blue Ridge units. In the sesquicentennial of Tuomey's survey, it is fitting that we recognize his important early contribution to the geology of South Carolina and the southeast. Tuomey's report is a 293-page volume with a 48-page appendix and an index. Although he gave a complete depiction of Coastal Plain geology and delineated Cretaceous, Lower Eocene, Eocene, Miocene, Post-Pliocene, and alluvial units on his map, the emphasis herein is on his mapping of the Piedmont and Blue Ridge. The metamorphic units he delineated are clay slate, mica slate, talcose slate, hornblende slate, gneiss, and lime rock. Gneiss is the most extensive unit on the map. His map shows many elements of the geologic framework we recognize today. The distribution of his clay slate unit corresponds closely with the Carolina slate and Bel Air belts as we know them now. The gneiss between the two clay slate areas matches the Kiokee belt. Areas of mica slate approximate the northern part of the Kings Mountain belt and the Chauga belt. He also recognized that his talcose slate unit was associated with gold deposits. Granitic and basaltic intrusive rocks are also delineated on the map. It shows the Newberry, Columbia, and Liberty Hill granites we recognize today. Basaltic intrusives outlined include the Bush River of western Newberry County, Dutchmans Creek, Big Wateree Creek, and Ogden gabbros. He described the regional extent of diabase dikes as occuring from Virginia to Alabama, noted their preferred direction and diagrammed their near-vertical orientation. He also referred to the distinctive soil and topography that develops on the large gabbros. Michael Tuomey's report is truly a benchmark publication, for sixty years passed before the next statewide survey was done. Upon completing the report, he left South Carolina to become director of the Alabama Geological Survey.

Magma traps and driving pressure: consequences for pluton shape and emplacement in an extensional regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hogan, John P.; Price, Jonathan D.; Gilbert, M. Charles

1998-09-01

The level of emplacement and final form of felsic and mafic igneous rocks of the Wichita Mountains Igneous Province, southwestern Oklahoma, U.S.A. are discussed in light of magma driving pressure, lithostatic load, and crustal magma traps. Deposition of voluminous A-type rhyolites upon an eroded gabbroic substrate formed a subhorizontal strength anisotropy that acted as a crustal magma trap for subsequent rising felsic and mafic magma. Intruded along this crustal magma trap are the A-type sheet granites (length/thickness 100:1) of the Wichita Granite Group, of which the Mount Scott Granite sheet is typical, and smaller plutons of biotite bearing Roosevelt Gabbro. In marked contrast to the subhorizontal granite sheets, the gabbro plutons form more equant stocks with flat roofs and steep side walls. Late Diabase dikes cross-cut all other units, but accompanying basaltic flows are extremely rare in the volcanic pile. Based on magmastatic calculations, we draw the following conclusions concerning the level of emplacement and the shape of these intrusions. (1) Magma can rise to a depth at which the magma driving pressure becomes negligible. Magma that maintains a positive driving pressure at the surface has the potential to erupt. (2) Magma ascent may be arrested at a deeper level in the crust by a subhorizontal strength anisotropy (i.e. crustal magma trap) if the magma driving pressure is greater than or equal to the lithostatic load at the depth of the subhorizontal strength anisotropy. (3) Subhorizontal sheet-intrusions form along crustal magma traps when the magma driving pressure greatly exceeds the lithostatic load. Under such conditions, the magma driving pressure is sufficent to lift the overburden to create the necessary space for the intrusion. (4) Thicker steep-sided stocks or batholiths, with flat roofs, form at crustal magma traps when the magma driving pressure approximates that of the lithostatic load. Under these conditions, the necessary space for the intrusion must be created by other mechanisms (e.g. stoping). (5) Subvertical sheets (i.e. dikes) form when the magma driving pressure is less than the lithostatic load at the level of emplacement.

Intimate Views of Cretaceous Plutons, the Colorado River Extensional Corridor, and Colorado River Stratigraphy in and near Topock Gorge, Southwest USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howard, K. A.; John, B. E.; Nielson, J. E.; Miller, J. M.; Priest, S. S.

2010-12-01

Geologic mapping of the Topock 7.5’ quadrangle, CA-AZ, reveals a structurally complex part of the Colorado River extensional corridor, and a younger stratigraphic record of landscape evolution during the history of the Colorado River. Paleoproterozoic gneisses and Mesoproterozoic granitoids and diabase sheets are exposed through cross-sectional thicknesses of many kilometers. Mesozoic to Tertary igneous rocks intrude the older rocks and include dismembered parts of the Late Cretaceous Chemehuevi Mountains Plutonic Suite. Plutons of this suite exposed in the Arizona part of the quad reconstruct, if Miocene deformation is restored, as cupolas capping the sill-like Chemehuevi Mountains batholith exposed in California. A nonconformity between Proterozoic and Miocene rocks reflects pre-Miocene uplift and erosional stripping of regional Paleozoic and Mesozoic strata. Thick (1-3 km) Miocene sections of volcanic rocks, sedimentary breccias, and conglomerate record the Colorado River extensional corridor’s structural and erosional evolution. Four major Miocene low-angle normal faults and a steep block-bounding Miocene fault divide the deformed rocks into major structural plates and giant tilted blocks on the east side of the Chemehuevi Mountains core complex. The low-angle faults attenuate >10 km of crustal section, superposing supracrustal and upper crustal rocks against originally deeper gneisses and granitoids. The block-bounding Gold Dome fault zone juxtaposes two large hanging-wall blocks, each tilted 90°, and splays at its tip into folds that deform layered Miocene rocks. A 15-16 Ma synfaulting intrusion occupies the triangular zone or gap where the folding strata detached from an inside corner along this fault between the tilt blocks. Post-extensional landscape evolution is recorded by upper Miocene to Quaternary strata, locally deformed. This includes several Pliocene and younger aggradational episodes in the Colorado River valley, and intervening degradation episodes at times when the river re-incised. Post-Miocene aggradational sequences include (1) the Bouse Formation, (2) fluvial deposits correlated with the alluvium of Bullhead City, (3) a younger fluvial boulder conglomerate, (4) the Chemehuevi Formation and related valley-margin deposits, and (5) and Holocene deposits under the valley floor.

Reconnaissance geology of the Ghazzalah Quadrangle, sheet 26/41 A, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Quick, James E.

1983-01-01

The Ghazzalah quadrangle is located in the northern Precambrian shield of Saudi Arabia between lat 26?30' and 27?00' N. and long 41?00' and 41?30' E. The area is underlain by two lithologically distinct, Precambrian volcanosedimentary units and a wide range of dioritoid and granitoid plutonic intrusive rocks. The only Phanerozoic rocks consist of one outcrop of Tertiary(?) basalt and widespread but thin deposits of Quaternary detritus. The Banana greenstone, the oldest rock in the quadrangle, consists of intermediate volcanic and subvolcanic rocks and minor interbedded marble, which have been metamorphosed to greenschist-facies assemblages. Volcanic rocks mainly range in composition from basalt to andesite, and subvolcanic rocks consist of diorite and diabase. The Banana greenstone is unconformably overlain by silicic volcanic rocks and minor arkosic sandstone and breccia of the Hadn formation. Preservation of delicate volcanic textures suggests that the rocks have been only incipiently metamorphosed. Unpublished rubidium/strontium isotopic data for the Hadn formation suggest an age of 620 to 610 Ma. Intrusive rocks are separable according to their ages relative to the Hadn formation. Those that are unconformably overlain by the Hadn formation consist of hornblende quartz diorite and gabbro, which may be consanguineous with the Banana greenstone, and younger tonalite, biotite-hornblende granodiorite, syenogranite, and monzogranite. Plutons of monzogranite, alkali-feldspar g,ranite, syenbgranite, peralkaline granite, and hypabyssal intrusions of granophyre were probably emplaced during a period coincident with and (or) following Hadn volcanism. Uranium-lead and rubidium/strontium isotopic data for two plutons in the adjacent Al Qasr quadrangle suggest that plutonic activity persisted in the region until about 580 to 570 Ma. Faulting appears to postdate all of the plutonic rocks. The dominant faults belong to a northeast-trending system of right-lateral shears; a subordinant system consists of mainly north- to northwest-trending faults. The peralkaline-granite plutons underlying Jibal Ba'gham and Jibal ar Rumman have the most economic potential. Wadi samples from these areas show an anomalous concentrations of tin, lead, niobium, and yttrium. Localized, intense radiometric anomalies in the Ba'gham intrusive complex are associated with high concentrations )f thorium, uranium, andrare-earth elements.

Shear heating and metamorphism in subduction zones, 1. Thermal models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohn, M. J.; Castro, A. E.; Spear, F. S.

2017-12-01

Popular thermal-mechanical models of modern subduction systems are 100-500 °C colder at c. 50 km depth than pressure-temperature (P-T) conditions determined from exhumed metamorphic rocks. This discrepancy has been ascribed by some to profound bias in the rock record, i.e. metamorphic rocks reflect only anomalously warm subduction, not normal subduction. Accurately inferring subduction zone thermal structure, whether from models or rocks, is crucial for predicting depths of seismicity, fluid release, and sub-arc melting conditions. Here, we show that adding realistic shear stresses to thermal models implies P-T conditions quantitatively consistent with those recorded by exhumed metamorphic rocks, suggesting that metamorphic rock P-T conditions are not anomalously warm. Heat flow measurements from subduction zone fore-arcs typically indicate effective coefficients of friction (µ) ranging from 0.025 to 0.1. We included these coefficients of friction in analytical models of subduction zone interface temperatures. Using global averages of subducting plate age (50 Ma), subduction velocity (6 cm/yr), and subducting plate geometry (central Chile), temperatures at 50 km depth (1.5 GPa) increase by c. 200 °C for µ=0.025 to 700 °C for µ=0.1. However, at high temperatures, thermal softening will reduce frictional heating, and temperatures will not increase as much with depth. Including initial weakening of materials ranging from wet quartz (c. 300 °C) to diabase (c. 600 °C) in the analytical models produces concave-upward P-T distributions on P-T diagrams, with temperatures c. 100 to 500 °C higher than models with no shear heating. The absolute P-T conditions and concave-upward shape of the shear-heating + thermal softening models almost perfectly matches the distribution of P-T conditions derived from a compilation of exhumed metamorphic rocks. Numerical models of modern subduction zones that include shear heating also overlap metamorphic data. Thus, excepting the very hottest examples, exhumed metamorphic rocks represent the products of normal, not anomalous, subduction. Consequently numerous geochemical, petrologic, and geophysical interpretations that have been founded on models that lack shear heating must be re-evaluated.

Asbestos in the United States, exclusive of Alaska and Hawaii

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chidester, A.H.; Shride, A.F.

1962-01-01

The asbestos deposits in the United States (exclusive of Alaska and Hawaii) are shown on the accompanying map. The principal mineralogic types of asbestos (chrysotile and amphibole) are indicated by the shape of symbols, and the relative importance of the deposit is indicated by the size of symbols. The text lists localities by State by numbers that are keyed to the map. Localities are distinguished by name of mine, prospect, or geographic area; their coordinates are given to the nearest minute of latitude and longitude. Geologic relations of each occurrence, if known, are characterized briefly. The text and map were compiled from published and unpublished information, and at least one reference is given for each locality if reports on it have been published. Chrysotile asbestos, a variety of serpentine, occurs chiefly in serpentinized peridotite and is distributed in the United States in two principal belts, the eastern extending from Maine to Alabama, and the western extending from Washington to California, where numerous masses of ultramafic rocks were intruded in Paleozoic and Mesozoic time, respectively. Domestic production from deposits of this type has not been large compared with that of Canada from the extensively developed deposits in Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia. The principal mine in the United States is located at Belvidere Mountain, Vt. Minor amounts of asbestos have been produced from other deposits in these belts and from scattered occurrences of chrysotile elsewhe,re in a number of States between them. Increased exploration and development activity for short-fiber chrysotile has recently been reported in California. Chrysotile also occurs in bedded limestone, metamorphosed close to intrusions of diabase. The principal occurrences of this type are in Arizona, where small quantities of long-fiber, low-iron chrysotile have been mined from numerous small deposits. Several species of amphibole occur in fibrous forms; in the United States only anthophyllite and tremolite are known to have commercial importance. As both the anthophyllite and tremolite occur in ultramafic rocks, associated greenstone, and amphibolite, the overall distribution of amphibole asbestos in the United States is like that of chrysotile. The deposits are generally small and erratic in distribution.

New mapping near Iron Creek, Talkeetna Mountains, indicates presence of Nikolai greenstone

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmidt, Jeanine M.; Werdon, Melanie B.; Wardlaw, Bruce R.

2003-01-01

Detailed geologic mapping in the Iron Creek area, Talkeetna Mountains B-5 Quadrangle, has documented several intrusive bodies and rock units not previously recognized and has extended the geologic history of the area through the Mesozoic and into the Tertiary era. Greenschist-facies metabasalt and metagabbro previously thought to be Paleozoic are intruded by Late Cretaceous to Paleocene dioritic to granitic plutons. The metabasalts are massive to amygdaloidal, commonly contain abundant magnetite, and large areas are patchily altered to epidote ± quartz. They host numerous copper oxide–copper sulfide–quartz–hematite veins and amygdule fillings. These lithologic features, recognized in the field, suggested a correlation of the metamafic rocks with the Late Triassic Nikolai Greenstone, which had not previously been mapped in the Iron Creek area. Thin, discontinuous metalimestones that overlie the metabasalt sequence had previously been assigned a Pennsylvanian(?) and Early Permian age on the basis of correlation with marbles to the north, which yielded Late Paleozoic or Permian macrofossils, or both. Three new samples from the metalimestones near Iron Creek yielded Late Triassic conodonts, which confirms the correlation of the underlying metamafic rocks with Nikolai Greenstone. These new data extend the occurrence of Nikolai Greenstone about 70 km southwest of its previously mapped extent.Five to 10 km north of the conodont sample localities, numerous microgabbro and diabase sills intrude siliceous and locally calcareous metasedimentary rocks of uncertain age. These sills probably represent feeder zones to the Nikolai Greenstone. In the Mt. Hayes quadrangle 150 km to the northeast, large sill-form mafic and ultramafic feeders (for example, the Fish Lake complex) to the Nikolai Greenstone in the Amphitheatre Mountains host magmatic sulfide nickel–copper–platinum-group-element (PGE) mineralization. This new recognition of Nikolai Greenstone and possible magmatic feeders in the Iron Creek area suggests a much greater potential for large PGE, copper, or nickel deposits in the Talkeetna Mountains than previous mineral resource appraisals of the area have suggested, and requires reevaluation of large-scale tectonic models for the area.

Dating the Gaofan and Hutuo Groups - Targets to investigate the Paleoproterozoic Great Oxidation Event in North China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Peng; Feng, Lianjun; Sun, Fengbo; Yang, Shuyan; Su, Xiangdong; Zhang, Zhiyue; Wang, Chong

2017-05-01

There are several sedimentary units in North China that are proposed to be associated with the Paleoproterozoic Great Oxidation Event (GOE) and/or subsequent events; however, few of them have been precisely dated. In this study, deposition age of the greenschist facies Gaofan and Hutuo Groups is determined. Zircon grains liberated from a tuff layer (metamorphosed to sericite-quartz schist) in the upper part of the Mohe Formation (the second of the three formations of the Gaofan Group) yield a weighted average 207Pb/206Pb age of 2186 ± 8 Ma (n = 7, MSWD = 1.3), representing time of deposition. This age and the detrital zircon U-Pb ages of the basal feldspar quartzite (meta-siltstone), as well as the initial deposition age of the unconformably overlying Hutuo Group, confine the deposition age of the Gaofan Group to 2350-2150 Ma. This result negates the Gaofan Group as one subgroup of the 2560-2510 Ma Wutai greenstone belt. Zircons from the Banlaoyao mafic sill (meta-diabase) that intruded the Dongye Subgroup of the Hutuo Group yield an upper intercept U-Pb age of 2057 ± 25 Ma (n = 14, MSWD = 1.3), representing time of crystallization. Considering the age of the basalt in the first formation of the Doucun Subgroup and the tuff in the first formation of the Dongye Subgroup, the deposition age of the Doucun and Dongye Subgroups of the Hutuo Group is confined to 2150-2090 Ma and 2090-2060 Ma, respectively. These age brackets, as well as the available carbon and nitrogen isotope data indicate that the Zhangxianbu Formation of the Gaofan Group possibly recorded the GOE; whereas the Mohe-Yaokouqian Formations of the Gaofan Group and the Doucun-Dongye Subgroups of the Hutuo Group recorded the subsequent Lomagundi-Jatuli Event (LJE). However, the Lomagundi-Jatuli carbon excursions are hardly distinguishable from the Gaofan Group and the Doucun Subgroup (Hutuo Group) as both units consist of little inorganic carbon but terrestrial clastic turbidites.

Effect of ultramafic intrusions and associated mineralized rocks on the aqueous geochemistry of the Tangle Lakes Area, Alaska: Chapter C in Studies by the U.S. Geological Survey in Alaska, 2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wang, Bronwen; Gough, Larry P.; Wanty, Richard B.; Lee, Gregory K.; Vohden, James; O’Neill, J. Michael; Kerin, L. Jack

2013-01-01

Stream water was collected at 30 sites within the Tangle Lakes area of the Delta mineral belt in Alaska. Sampling focused on streams near the ultramafic rocks of the Fish Lake intrusive complex south of Eureka Creek and the Tangle Complex area east of Fourteen Mile Lake, as well as on those within the deformed metasedimentary, metavolcanic, and intrusive rocks of the Specimen Creek drainage and drainages east of Eureka Glacier. Major, minor, and trace elements were analyzed in aqueous samples for this reconnaissance aqueous geochemistry effort. The lithologic differences within the study area are reflected in the major-ion chemistry of the water. The dominant major cation in streams draining mafic and ultramafic rocks is Mg2+; abundant Mg and low Ca in these streams reflect the abundance of Mg-rich minerals in these intrusions. Nickel and Cu are detected in 84 percent and 87 percent of the filtered samples, respectively. Nickel and Cu concentrations ranged from Ni <0.4 to 10.1 micrograms per liter (mg/L), with a median of 4.2 mg/L, and Cu <0.5 to 27 mg/L, with a median of 1.2 mg/L. Trace-element concentrations in water are generally low relative to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency freshwater aquatic-life criteria; however, Cu concentrations exceed the hardness-based criteria for both chronic and acute exposure at some sites. The entire rare earth element (REE) suite is found in samples from the Specimen Creek sites MH5, MH4, and MH6 and, with the exception of Tb and Tm, at site MH14. These samples were all collected within drainages containing or downstream from Tertiary gabbro, diabase, and metagabbro (Trgb) exposures. Chondrite and source rock fractionation profiles for the aqueous samples were light rare earth element depleted, with negative Ce and Eu anomalies, indicating fractionation of the REE during weathering. Fractionation patterns indicate that the REE are primarily in the dissolved, as opposed to colloidal, phase.

Targeted Investigation of Base Metal Mineralization beneath Glacial Cover using Magnetic Field Methods, Petrophysics, and Petrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veglio, E.; Ugalde, H. A.; Lenauer, I.; Milkereit, B.

2017-12-01

Magnetic anomalies near areas of known base metal sulphide mineralization were seen in regional airborne data from the Bay of Chaleur in northern New Brunswick, Canada. A ground magnetic investigation was performed over this area to better characterize the source of these regional anomalies and to investigate their relation to the sulphide mineralization. The mineralization is hosted in Late Silurian to Early Devonian volcano-sedimentary stratigraphy and has been identified in several boreholes. This volcano-sedimentary stratigraphy was deposited in a half-graben shallow marine setting, where hydrothermal fluids transported sulphide mineralization through a fault network. The ground magnetic surveys show that two anomalous regions characterized by a total magnetic field of 54,100 nT and 55,500 nT, whereas the shallow alteration associated with mineralized zones are approximately 53,450 nT. These are significant magnetic anomalies are close to 700 nT and 2,000 nT greater than the surrounding area. In order to compare the ground data to the existing airborne, the ground magnetic data was upward continued to a height of 100 meters. The few occurrences of bedrock outcrops on the property confirm the occurrence of rhyolites and tuffs, as well as the presence of sulphide mineralization. However, much of the study area is densely vegetated and covered by glacial sediments of up to 25 meters thickness. Thus, to better interpret the geology and occurrence of the sulphide mineralization, several boreholes were examined on the basis of magnetic susceptibility and further correlated with the borehole logs and observations of lithologies in core. It was found that an individual mafic unit has several orders of magnitude higher magnetic susceptibility than the alteration zones and felsic tuffs where mineralization occurs. This indicates that the magnetic anomaly identified both in the regional magnetic survey and the ground survey is likely caused by the occurrence of this mafic unit. Petrographic analysis of this unit indicates it is a diabase dyke. Further characterization of the host rocks of the sulphide mineralization and the alteration will be accomplished by incorporating historic petrophysical studies of density and conductivity to complement the existing magnetic susceptibility measurements.

Mesostructural observations along the Western coast of Bel'kovsky Island: preliminary results (North-Eastern Laptev Sea region, Russian Arctic)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verzhbitsky, V. E.

2003-04-01

This study is based on the field works carried out by the Institute of the Lithosphere of Marginal Seas RAS in the central part of the Bel'kovsky island during 2002 August-September. In the tectonic sense the Bel'kovsky island is located in the eastern part of the Late Cretaceous (?) - Cenozoic Laptev Sea rift system and also is a part of extended Bel’kov horst, dividing Bel’kov Svyatoi Nos (in the east) and Anisin (in the west) rifts (e.g. Drachev et al, 1998). Mesostructural investigations included statistical measurments of kinematic indicators (cleavage planes, extensional veins, slickensides, axes of folds and bedding plains) in Devonian and Carboniferous sedimentary formations and also slickensides in diabase magmatic complex (presumably of Late Paleozoic age). It is supposed, that this studies will allow to characterize the stages of regional tectonic processes: synsedimentary (slump) folds formation (1), NE-SW compression (2), which corresponds to the general (NW-SE trending) structural pattern of the island, E-W compression (3), expressed in N-S trending subvertical cleavage and associated strike-slips and thrust faults, NW-SE (4) and ENE-WSW - NE-SW (5) extension, expressed in strike-slip faults with different strike-slip component, and also, probably to specify the character of the recent tectonic processes near to the area of conjunction between the Eurasian and American plates. It is likely, that synsedimentary (slump) folds, identified in the Carboniferous clastic formation marks the paleoslope setting of New Siberian Islands Chukotka platform (block). Presumably, second of the determined stages corresponds to closing of the South Anyui Lyakhov paleooceanic basin in Neocomian; the last stage, expressed in wide-developed submeridional normal faults with sinistral strike-slip component along the western coast of the island, reflects the modern regional stress-field in area of conjunction between the Eurasian and American plates (e.g. Avetisov, 1999). The intermediate tectonic settings, presumably characterize various stages of Laptev Sea rift system development. This work is supported by INTAS-01-0762 (“NEMLOR”) project, “World Ocean” program of RAS and RFBR (00-15-98479).

Rock magnetic and paleomagnetic study of the Keurusselkä impact structure, central Finland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raiskila, Selen; Salminen, Johanna; Elbra, Tiiu; Pesonen, Lauri J.

2011-11-01

There are 31 proven impact structures in Fennoscandia—one of the most densely crater-populated areas of the Earth. The recently discovered Keurusselkä impact structure (62°08' N, 24°37' E) is located within the Central Finland Granitoid Complex, which formed 1890-1860 Ma ago during the Svecofennian orogeny. It is a deeply eroded complex crater that yields in situ shatter cones with evidence of shock metamorphism, e.g., planar deformation features in quartz. New petrophysical and rock magnetic results of shocked and unshocked target rocks of various lithologies combined with paleomagnetic studies are presented. The suggested central uplift with shatter cones is characterized by increased magnetization and susceptibility. The presence of magnetite and pyrrhotite was observed as carriers for the remanent magnetization. Four different remanent magnetization directions were isolated: (1) a characteristic Svecofennian target rock component A with a mean direction of D = 334.8°, I = 45.6°, α95 = 14.9° yielding a pole (Plat = 51.1°, Plon = 241.9°, A95 = 15.1°), (2) component B, D = 42.4°, I = 64.1°, α95 = 8.4° yielding a pole (Plat = 61.0°, Plon = 129.1°, A95 = 10.6°), (3) component C (D = 159.5°, I = 65.4°, α95 = 10.7°) yielding a pole (Plat = 21.0°, Plon = 39.3°, A95 = 15.6°), and (4) component E (D = 275.5°, I = 62.0°, α95 = 14.4°) yielding a pole (Plat = 39.7°, Plon = 314.3°, A95 = 19.7°). Components C and E are considered much younger, possibly Neoproterozoic overprints, compared with the components A and B. The pole of component B corresponds with the 1120 Ma pole of Salla diabase dyke and is in agreement with the 40Ar/39Ar age of 1140 Ma from a pseudotachylitic breccia vein in a central part of the structure. Therefore, component B could be related to the impact, and thus represent the impact age.

Exploring Cumulates in Small, Shallow Parts of a Large Mafic Magma System to Provide Baseline Models for Crystallization in Larger Intrusions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srogi, L.; Willis, K. V.; Lutz, T. M.; Plank, T. A.; Pollock, M.; Connolly, B.; Wood, A. M.

2016-12-01

Small, shallow portions of large magmatic systems cool more rapidly and potentially have less subsolidus overprinting than large mafic intrusions, but it is unclear whether they are small-scale analogs for the same crystallization processes. The Morgantown-Jacksonwald magmatic system (MJS), western Newark Basin, Pennsylvania, is part of the 201-Ma Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) formed during Pangean rifting. The MJS consists of several interconnected intrusions exposed in cross-section from the Jacksonwald basalt at the paleosurface to 6 km depth (<0.2 GPa). Mg-rich orthopyroxene (opx) phenocrysts form crystal accumulations in some dikes and in basal and roof zones of sills in the MJS, in many CAMP intrusions, and in younger Ferrar dolerites, Antarctica. Some samples with opx phenocrysts have dm-scale modal layering. Despite ubiquitous occurrence, the opx is little-studied and our work tests most previous authors' assumption that opx was brought in from deeper intrusions. Opx cores with Mg/(Mg+Fe) of 80-77% yield mid-crustal pressures of 0.4-0.6 GPa (using method of Putirka, 2008). LA-ICPMS was used to obtain trace element concentrations in mm-size phenocrysts in a chill margin within 0.5m of the basal contact and cm-size phenocrysts from cumulate about 10m above. REE concentrations are similar in both samples: LREE-depleted cores (normalized La/Sm = 0.05-0.1); variably LREE-enriched rims; some negative Eu anomalies. REE patterns calculated for liquids in equilibrium with opx using published Kd values are roughly parallel to but significantly higher than REE in host chill margin diabase. CSDs of opx and matrix plagioclase from several samples within 10m of the basal contact will be used to evaluate models of crystal growth vs. mechanical sorting. Modes and mineral compositions are not consistent with MELTS fractionation models: opx crystallizes in place of pigeonite; pyroxenes are zoned in Ca not Fe-Mg; late-crystallizing quartz and K-feldspar are lacking. These features suggest crystallization buffered by earlier phases in the crystal mush with some melt migration, similar to processes that produce more extreme layering in large mafic intrusions.

The Late Paleozoic magmatic evolution of the Aqishan-Yamansu belt, Eastern Tianshan: Constraints from geochronology, geochemistry and Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopes of igneous rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Liandang; Chen, Huayong; Zhang, Li; Zhang, Weifeng; Yang, Juntao; Yan, Xuelu

2018-03-01

The Aqishan-Yamansu belt in the Eastern Tianshan (Xinjiang, NW China) is an important mineralization belt. The belt mainly comprises Carboniferous volcanic, volcaniclastic and clastic rocks, and hosts many intermediate-felsic intrusions and Fe (-Cu) deposits. The biotite diorite, felsic brecciated tuff, granodiorite and syenite from the western Aqishan-Yamansu belt are newly zircon U-Pb dated to be 316.7 ± 1.4 Ma, 315.6 ± 2.6 Ma, 305.8 ± 1.9 Ma and 252.5 ± 1.4 Ma, respectively. The mafic rocks (mafic brecciated tuff and diabase porphyry) are tholeiitic to calc-alkaline series, LILE-rich (e.g., Rb, Ba and Pb), HFSE-depleted (e.g., Nb and Ta), and have high Mg#(44-60), Nb/Ta (15.0-20.0), Ba/La (>30) and Ba/Nb (>57) values/ratios, and low Th/Yb ratios (<1), probably originating from mantle wedge metasomatized by slab-derived fluids. The intermediate-felsic igneous rocks are LILE-rich, HFSE-depleted, with high Sr and Y contents showing typical of normal arc magma affinity. Moreover, the depleted εHf(t) (>2.10) and positive εNd(t) (>5.7), combined with variable Nb/Ta ratios (9.52-21.4), Y/Nb ratios (1.47-39.7) and Pb isotopes (206Pb/204Pb = 16.225-17.640, 207Pb/204Pb = 15.454-15.520, 208Pb/204Pb = 37.097-38.025) suggest that these rocks were magma mixing products between juvenile crustal-derived magmas and minor mantle-derived magmas. Combined published works with our new ages, geochemical and isotopic data, we propose that the Aqishan-Yamansu belt was an Early Carboniferous fore-arc basin during the southward subduction of the Kangguer oceanic slab beneath the Yili-Central Tianshan block. With the continuing southward subduction, the Aqishan-Yamansu fore-arc basin initiated to close, which generated the mafic and intensive intermediate-felsic magmatism associated with regional Fe (-Cu) mineralization.

Growth and Construction of Oceanic Crust at Atlantis Bank, Southwest Indian Ridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwartz, J. J.; John, B. E.; Cheadle, M. J.; Miranda, E. A.; Grimes, C. B.; Wooden, J. L.; Dick, H. J.

2005-12-01

Magmatic zircon is a common accessory mineral in oceanic crustal rocks including gabbro, oxide gabbro, diabase and felsic veins. Its presence in these rocks provides an exceptional opportunity to document crustal growth processes at slow-spreading mid-ocean ridges. We present nineteen Pb/U zircon SHRIMP-RG ion probe ages of lower crustal rocks collected by manned submersible, ROV, dredging and ODP drilling from a 20 x 30 km2 area of Atlantis Bank, Southwest Indian Ridge, which allow us to constrain the growth and construction of oceanic crust. Weighted average 206Pb/238U ages of these samples range from 10.7 to 13.9 Ma, with errors of 0.1-0.6 m.y. (<1 - 4%). At least 75% of these gabbros accreted within error of the predicted sea-surface magnetic age, whereas up to 25% are between 700,000 and 2.5 m.y. older. In one sample, we identified zircon with inherited cores as much as 1.5 m.y. older than their corresponding rims. There is no observable correlation between age and lithology, and the anomalously old samples are not from any specific part of Atlantis Bank; they appear to be randomly distributed amongst the non-anomalous age samples and come from various structural depths. We consider two models to explain the presence of these anomalously old rocks: i) a stochastic intrusion model whereby magma was intruded at different spatial locations within the rift valley as the plates spread apart, resulting in the entrapment of older lower crust by subsequent intrusions; and/or ii) a model in which some gabbroic bodies originally crystallized at depths of ~5-18 km below the base of the crust in a thick, cold, axial lithosphere and were subsequently uplifted along flow-lines and intruded by shallow-level magmas during the creation of Atlantis Bank. In this model, the difference in time between the Pb/U zircon crystallization age and the magnetic age is a proxy for the depth at which zircon crystallized (assuming a constant mantle upwelling rate during the construction of Atlantis Bank over ~1.3 m.y.). We prefer the latter model, although aspects of both models may apply.

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.

Overview of Hole GT3A: The sheeted dike/gabbro transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abe, N.; Harris, M.; Michibayashi, K.; de Obeso, J. C.; Kelemen, P. B.; Takazawa, E.; Teagle, D. A. H.; Coggon, J. A.; Matter, J. M.; Phase I Science Party, T. O. D. P.

2017-12-01

Hole GT3A (23.11409 N, 58.21172 E) was drilled by the Oman Drilling Project (OmDP) into Wadi Abdah of the Samail ophiolite, Oman. OmDP is an international collaboration supported by the International Continental Scientifi1c Drilling Program, the Deep Carbon Observatory, NSF, IODP, JAMSTEC, and the European, Japanese, German and Swiss Science Foundations, with in-kind support in Oman from the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources, Public Authority of Mining, Sultan Qaboos University, and the German University of Technology. Hole GT3A was diamond cored in February to March 2017 to a total depth of 400 m. The outer surfaces of the cores were imaged and described on site before being curated, boxed and shipped to the IODP drill ship Chikyu, where they underwent comprehensive visual and instrumental analysis. Hole GT3A recovered predominantly sheeted dikes and gabbros and has been sub-divided into 4 igneous groups based on the abundance of gabbro downhole. Group 1 (Upper Sheeted Dike Sequence) occurs from 0 to 111.02 m, group II (Upper Gabbro Sequence) is from 111.02 to 127.89 m, group III (Lower Sheeted Dike Sequence) is between 127.89 to 233.84 m and group IV (Lower Gabbro Sequence) is from 233.84 to 400 m. Group II and IV are both associated with almost equal proportions of dikes to gabbroic lithologies, whereas group I & III have >95% dikes. The sheeted dikes were logged as either basalt (46.9 %) or diabase (26.2 %) depending on the predominant grain size of the dike. Gabbroic lithologies include (most to least abundant) gabbro, oxide gabbro and olivine gabbro. Other lithologies present include diorite (7.5%) and tonalite and trondhjemite (1%). Tonalite and trondhjemite are present as cm-sized dikelets and are found within group II and IV. Gabbroic lithologies generally display a varitextured appearance and are characterised by the co-existence of poikilitic and granular domains. Detailed observations of chilled margins and igneous contacts reveal the relative timing of dike and gabbro intrusion, and identify that the Upper Gabbro Sequence intrudes into dikes, whereas the Lower Gabbro Sequence is intruded by dikes.

Fundamental Statistical Descriptions of Plasma Turbulence in Magnetic Fields

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

John A. Krommes

2001-02-16

A pedagogical review of the historical development and current status (as of early 2000) of systematic statistical theories of plasma turbulence is undertaken. Emphasis is on conceptual foundations and methodology, not practical applications. Particular attention is paid to equations and formalism appropriate to strongly magnetized, fully ionized plasmas. Extensive reference to the literature on neutral-fluid turbulence is made, but the unique properties and problems of plasmas are emphasized throughout. Discussions are given of quasilinear theory, weak-turbulence theory, resonance-broadening theory, and the clump algorithm. Those are developed independently, then shown to be special cases of the direct-interaction approximation (DIA), which providesmore » a central focus for the article. Various methods of renormalized perturbation theory are described, then unified with the aid of the generating-functional formalism of Martin, Siggia, and Rose. A general expression for the renormalized dielectric function is deduced and discussed in detail. Modern approaches such as decimation and PDF methods are described. Derivations of DIA-based Markovian closures are discussed. The eddy-damped quasinormal Markovian closure is shown to be nonrealizable in the presence of waves, and a new realizable Markovian closure is presented. The test-field model and a realizable modification thereof are also summarized. Numerical solutions of various closures for some plasma-physics paradigms are reviewed. The variational approach to bounds on transport is developed. Miscellaneous topics include Onsager symmetries for turbulence, the interpretation of entropy balances for both kinetic and fluid descriptions, self-organized criticality, statistical interactions between disparate scales, and the roles of both mean and random shear. Appendices are provided on Fourier transform conventions, dimensional and scaling analysis, the derivations of nonlinear gyrokinetic and gyrofluid equations, stochasticity criteria for quasilinear theory, formal aspects of resonance-broadening theory, Novikov's theorem, the treatment of weak inhomogeneity, the derivation of the Vlasov weak-turbulence wave kinetic equation from a fully renormalized description, some features of a code for solving the direct-interaction approximation and related Markovian closures, the details of the solution of the EDQNM closure for a solvable three-wave model, and the notation used in the article.« less

Altitude and Configuration of the Potentiometric Surface in the Upper White Clay Creek and Lower West Branch Brandywine Creek Basins including Portions of Penn, London Grove, New Garden, Londonderry, West Marlborough, Highland, and East Fallowfield Townships and West Grove, Avondale, Modena, and South Coatesville boroughs, Chester County, Pennsylvania, May through July 2006

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hale, Lindsay B.

2007-01-01

INTRODUCTION Since 1984, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been mapping the altitude and configuration of the potentiometric surface in Chester County as part of an ongoing cooperative program to measure and describe the water resources of the county. These maps can be used to determine the general direction of ground-water flow and are frequently referenced by municipalities and developers to evaluate ground-water conditions for water supply and resource-protection requirements. For this study, the potentiometric surface was mapped for an area in south-central Chester County. The northern part of the map includes portions of Highland, East Fallowfield, Londonderry, and West Marlborough Townships and South Coatesville and Modena Boroughs. The southern part of the map includes portions of Londonderry, West Marlborough, Penn, London Grove, and New Garden Townships and West Grove and Avondale Boroughs. The study area is mostly underlain by metamorphic rocks of the Glenarm Supergroup including Peters Creek Schist, Octoraro Phyllite, Wissahickon Schist, Cockeysville Mrable, and Setters Quartzite; and by pegmatite, mafic gneiss, felsic gneiss, and diabase. Ground water is obtained from these bedrock formations by wells that intercept fractures. The altitude and configuration of the potentiometric surface was contoured from water levels measured on different dates in available wells during May through July 2006 and from the altitude of springs and perennial streams. Topography was used as a guide for contouring so that the altitude of the potentiometric surface was inferred nowhere to be higher than the land surface. The potentiometric surface shown on this map is an approximation of the water table. The altitude of the actual potentiometric surface may differ from the water table, especially in areas where wells are completed in a semi-confined zone or have long open intervals that reflect the composite hydraulic head of multiple water-yielding fractures. A composite head may differ from the potentiometric-surface altitude, particularly beneath hilltops and valleys where vertical hydraulic gradients are significant.

A Pan African age for the HP-HT granulite gneisses of Zabargad island: implications for the early stages of the Red Sea rifting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lancelot, Joël R.; Bosch, Delphine

1991-12-01

Up to now the age of granulite gneisses intruded by the Zabargad mantle diapir has been an unsolved problem. These gneisses may represent either a part of the adjacent continental crust primarily differentiated during the Pan African orogeny, or new crust composed of Miocene clastic sediments deposited in a developing rift, crosscut by a diabase dike swarm and gabbroic intrusions, and finally metamorphosed and deformed by the mantle diapir. Previous geochronological results obtained on Zabargad island and Al Lith and Tihama-Asir complexes (Saudi Arabia) suggest an Early Miocene age of emplacement for the Zabargad mantle diapir during the early opening of the Red Sea rift. In contrast, Sm sbnd Nd and Rb sbnd Sr internal isochrons yield Pan African dates for felsic and basic granulites collected 500-600 m from the contact zone with the peridotites. Devoid of evidence for retrograde metamorphic, minerals from a felsic granulite provide well-defined Rb sbnd Sr and Sm sbnd Nd dates of 655 ± 8 and 699 ± 34 Ma for the HP-HT metamorphic event (10 kbar, 850°C). The thermal event related to the diapir emplacement is not recorded in the Sm sbnd Nd and Rb sbnd Sr systems of the studied gneisses; in contrast, the development of a retrograde amphibolite metamorphic paragenesis strongly disturbed the Rb sbnd Sr isotopic system of the mafic granulite. The initial 143Nd/ 144Nd ratio of the felsic granulite is higher than the contemporaneous value for CHUR and is in agreement with other Nd isotopic data for samples of upper crust from the Arabian shield. This result suggests that source rocks of the felsic granulite were derived at 1.0 to 1.2 Ga from either an average MORB-type mantle or a local 2.2 Ga LREE-depleted mantle. Zabargad gneisses represent a part of the disrupted lower continental crust of the Pan African Afro-Arabian shield. During early stages of the Red Sea rifting in the Miocene, these Precambrian granulites were intruded and dragged upwards by a rising peridotite diapir.

A-type granite and the Red Sea opening

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coleman, R.G.; DeBari, S.; Peterman, Z.

1992-01-01

Miocene-Oligocene A-type granite intrudes the eastern side of the Red Sea margin within the zone of extension from Jiddah, Saudi Arabia south to Yemen. The intrusions developed in the early stages of continental extension as Arabia began to move slowly away from Africa (around 30-20 Ma). Within the narrow zone of extension silicic magmas formed dikes, sills, small plutons and extrusive equivalents. In the Jabal Tirf area of Saudi Arabia these rocks occur in an elongate zone consisting of late Precambrian basement to the east, which is gradually invaded by mafic dikes. The number of dikes increases westward until an igneous complex is produced parallel to the present Red Sea axis. The Jabal Tirf igneous complex consists of diabase and rhyolite-granophyre sills (20-24 Ma). Although these are intrusine intrusive rocks their textures indicate shallow depths of intrusion (< 1 km). To the south, in the Yemen, contemporaneous with alkali basaltic eruptions (26-30 Ma) and later silicic eruptions, small plutons, dikes, and stocks of alkali granite invaded thick (1500 m) volcanic series, at various levels and times. Erosion within the uplifted margin of Yemen suggests that the maximum depth of intrusion was less than 1-2 km. Granophyric intrusions (20-30 Ma) within mafic dike swarms similar to the Jabal Tirf complex are present along the western edge of the Yemen volcanic plateau, marking a north-south zone of continental extension. The alkali granites of Yemen consist primarily of perthitic feldspar and quartz with some minor alkali amphiboles and acmite. These granites represent water-poor, hypersolvus magmas generated from parent alkali basalt magmas. The granophyric, two-feldspar granites associated with the mafic dike swarms and layered gabbros formed by fractional crystallization from tholeiitic basalt parent developed in the early stages of extension. Initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios of these rocks and their bulk chemistry indicate that production of peralkaline and metaluminous granitic magmas involved both fractio??nation and partial melting as they ascended through the late Precambrian crust of the Arabian plate. ?? 1992.

Aspects of Non-Newtonian Viscoelastic Deformation Produced by Slip on a Major Strike- slip Fault

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Postek, E. W.; Houseman, G. A.; Jimack, P. K.

2008-12-01

Non-Newtonian flow occurs in crustal deformation processes on the long timescales associated with large- scale continental deformation, and also on the short time-scales associated with post-seismic deformation. The co-seismic displacement is determined by the instantaneous elastic response of the rocks on either side of the fault surface to the distribution of slip on the surface of the fault. The post-seismic deformation is determined by some combination of visco-elastic relaxation of the medium and post-seismic creep on the fault. The response of the crust may depend on elastic moduli, Poisson's ratio, temperature, pressure and creep function parameters including stress exponent, activation energy, activation volume and viscosity coefficient. We use the von Mises function in describing the non-linear Maxwell visco-elastic creep models. In this study we examine a model of a strike-slip fault crossing a 3D block. The fault slips at time zero, and we solve for the viscoelastic deformation field throughout the 3D volume using a 3D finite element method. We perform parametric studies on the constitutive equation by varying these parameters and the depth of the fault event. Our findings are focused on the fact that the system is very sensitive to the above mentioned parameters. In particular, the most important seems to be the temperature profiles and stress exponent. The activation energy and the pressure are of lower importance, however, they have their meaning. We investigated the relaxation times and the deformation patterns. We took the material properties as typical to dry quartzite and diabase. Depending on the parameters the surface can be deformed permanently or the deformation can decrease. We attempt to compare qualitatively the calculated post-seismic response in terms of the post-seismic displacement history of the earth's surface with InSAR patterns determined from recent major strike-slip earthquakes. Quantitative comparison of the observations with these numerical model results can in principle provide a better understanding of the physical properties of the sub-surface and further insight into the diagnostic properties of the earthquake cycles of major fault systems.

Multiple nuclide cosmogenic dating of very old desert pavements on the Puna Plateau, Northwest Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dortch, J.; Schoenbohm, L. M.

2011-12-01

Wind erosion of bedrock has been suggested to be responsible for the removal of more than 800 m of strata in the Qaidam Basin while wind deposition creates large-scale landforms such as the loess plateau. Wind eroded landforms, such as desert pavements in the Namibian Desert, Africa, form relic landscapes that are stable for more than 5 Ma. Desert pavements are of particular importance because of their widespread occurrence on terraces and fans, in mountains and coastal areas, and in hot and cold deserts including: Southwestern Africa, Antartic Dry valleys, Southwest USA, Denmark, Ireland, Israel, Sweden, and Central Tibet. Moreover, greater than 95 % of ventifacts on desert pavements are suspected to be late Quaternary to Holocene in age and are located on surfaces suitable for cosmogenic radionuclide dating. In spite of this, glacial, fluvial, and mass wasting systems have received far more attention than wind as an important geomorphic agent of erosion, deposition, and rock mass redistribution. Our goal is to: 1) quantify bedrock wind erosion rates; 2) quantify the ages of old, stable desert pavements; 3) and to identify which lithology-isotope pair provides the most accurate exposure ages for desert pavements in arid landscapes. The Puna Plateau, Argentina, is an ideal area to undertake this study because numerous wind eroded/deposited landforms are present, rates of fluvial erosion are low, and glaciation is limited. Mapping using remote sensed images shows that a significant portion of the Puna Plateau surface is covered by wind eroded or wind deposited landforms. These landforms align with the dominant wind direction (southeast) determined from ~450 ventifact measurements from 9 locations on the plateau. Twelve amalgamated samples sets that span six lithologies (granite, gneiss, quartzite, rhyolite, diabase, and basalt) using four cosmogenic isotopes (10Be, 26Al, 36Cl, 3He) on ventifacted clasts were collected from two surfaces to identify the most appropriate lithologies and cosmogenic isotopes for obtaining an accurate chronology of desert pavements. Moreover, 3He dating of six in situ samples from basalt flows with independent 39Ar/40Ar ages will begin to address long-term time-averaged wind erosion rates of bedrock while enabling wind-erosion rate corrections for pavement ventifacts. Our results and methodology can be applied worldwide and will aid future research in the many environments where ventifacts and/or high wind erosion rates are found.

The ophiolitic North Fork terrane in the Salmon River region, central Klamath Mountains, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ando, C.J.; Irwin, W.P.; Jones, D.L.; Saleeby, J.B.

1983-01-01

The North Fork terrane is an assemblage of ophiolitic and other oceanic volcanic and sedimentary rocks that has been internally imbricated and folded. The ophiolitic rocks form a north-trending belt through the central part of the region and consist of a disrupted sequence of homogeneous gabbro, diabase, massive to pillowed basalt, and interleaved tectonitic harzburgite. U-Pb zircon age data on a plagiogranite pod from the gabbroic unit indicate that at least this part of the igneous sequence is late Paleozoic in age.The ophiolitic belt is flanked on either side by mafic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks, limestone, bedded chert, and argillite. Most of the chert is Triassic, including much of Late Triassic age, but chert with uncertain stratigraphic relations at one locality is Permian. The strata flanking the east side of the ophiolitic belt face eastward, and depositional contacts between units are for the most part preserved. The strata on the west side of the ophiolitic belt are more highly disrupted than those on the east side, contain chert-argillite melange, and have unproven stratigraphic relation to either the ophiolitic rocks or the eastern strata.Rocks of the North Fork terrane do not show widespread evidence of penetrative deformation at elevated temperatures, except an early tectonitic fabric in the harzburgite. Slip-fiber foliation in serpentinite, phacoidal foliation in chert and mafic rocks, scaly foliation in argillite, and mesoscopic folds in bedded chert are consistent with an interpretation of large-scale anti-formal folding of the terrane about a north-south hinge found along the ophiolitic belt, but other structural interpretations are tenable. The age of folding of North Fork rocks is constrained by the involvement of Triassic and younger cherts and crosscutting Late Jurassic plutons. Deformation in the North Fork terrane must have spanned a short period of time because the terrane is bounded structurally above and below by Middle or Late Jurassic thrust faults.The North Fork terrane appears to contain no arc volcanic rocks or arc-derived detritus, suggesting that it neither constituted the base for an arc nor was in a basinal setting adjacent to an arc sediment source. Details of the progressive accretion and evolutionary relationship of the North Fork to other terranes of the Klamath Mountains are not yet clear.

Deep Hydrothermal Circulation and Implications for the Early Crustal Compositional and Thermal Evolution of Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parmentier, E. M.; Mustard, J. F.; Ehlmann, B. L.; Roach, L. H.

2007-12-01

Both orbital remote sensing and geophysical observations indicate an important role for hydrothermal crustal cooling during the Noachian epoch. Orbital remote sensing shows that phyllosilicate minerals are common in Noachian-aged terrains but have not been observed in younger terrains (<3.8 Ga). Throughout the Noachian highlands, phyllosilicates are observed in deeply eroded terrains as well as in association with impact craters, in their walls, rims, ejecta, and in central peaks of craters as large as 45 km, corresponding to excavation depths of 4-5 km. CRISM and OMEGA mapping typically show phyllosilicate-bearing rocks occupy the lowest observable stratigraphic unit, and the most common alteration minerals are iron magnesium smectites which typically form at low pressures and temperatures <200°C. Widespread occurrences of phyllosilicates to depths of at least 4-5 km may provide evidence for deep crustal hydrothermal circulation during the Noachian. Geophysical evidence from surface deformation associated with faulting and from the analysis of the relationship of gravity and topography suggest elastic lithosphere thicknesses a large as ~30 km near the end of the Noachian, corresponding to surface heatflux of 20-40 mW/m2. Relaxation of elastic stresses due to thermally activated creep results in elastic lithosphere thicknesses sensitive to crustal temperatures. Plausible planetary thermal evolution models with chondritic abundances of heat producing elements predict a surface heat flux of 50-60 mW/m2 near the end of the Noachian. The difference in the heat flux required for planetary cooling and that inferred from elastic lithospheric thickness, suggests that a significant fraction of heatflow reaching the surface may be transported by hydrothermal convection rather than by conduction alone. Relaxation of crustal thickness variations due to lower crustal flow is sensitive to both the temperature and geothermal gradient at the crust-mantle boundary. In the presence of a low thermal conductivity regolith, thermal evolution models also indicate that crustal thickness variations created during the Noachian would not be preserved, even with a creep-resistant dry diabase rheology. Thus, a mechanism enhancing heat flux in the Noachian Martian crust is indicated. The studies to be reported will summarize these individual constraints on thermal structure and explore their combined implications for the depth and vigor of hydrothermal circulation during the early crustal evolution of Mars.

Geologic Map of the Upper Wolf Island Creek Watershed, Reidsville Area, Rockingham County, North Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Horton, J. Wright; Geddes, Donald J.

2006-01-01

This geologic map provides a foundation for hydrogeologic investigations in the Reidsville area of Rockingham County, north-central North Carolina. The 16-mi2 area within the Southeast Eden and Reidsville 7.5-min quadrangles includes the watershed of Wolf Island Creek and its tributary, Carroll Creek, upstream of their confluence. Layered metamorphic rocks in this area of the Milton terrane, here informally named the Chinqua-Penn metamorphic suite, include a heterogeneous mica gneiss and schist unit that contains interlayers and lenses of white-mica schist, felsic gneiss, amphibolite, and ultramafic rock; a felsic gneiss that contains interlayers of amphibolite, white-mica schist, and minor ultramafic lenses; and a migmatitic biotite gneiss. Crushed stone is produced from an active quarry in the felsic gneiss. Igneous intrusive rocks include a mafic-ultramafic assemblage that may have originated as mafic intrusive bodies containing ultramafic cumulates, a foliated two-mica granite informally named the granite of Reidsville, and unmetamorphosed Jurassic diabase dikes. The newly recognized Carroll Creek shear zone strikes roughly east-west and separates heterogeneous mica gneiss and schist to the north from structurally overlying felsic gneiss to the south. Regional amphibolite-facies metamorphism accompanied polyphase ductile deformation in the metamorphic rocks. Two phases of isoclinal to tight folding and related penetrative deformation, described as D1 and D2, were followed by phases of high-strain mylonitic deformation in shear zones and late gentle to open folding. Later brittle deformation produced minor faults, steep joints, foliation-parallel parting, and sheeting joints. The metamorphic and igneous rocks are mantled by saprolite and residual soil derived from weathering of the underlying bedrock, and unconsolidated Quaternary alluvium occupies the flood plains of Wolf Island Creek and its tributaries. The geologic map delineates lithologic and structural features that may act as barriers or conduits for ground-water flow. It provides a hydrogeologic framework for the upper Wolf Island Creek drainage basin, including coreholes and ground-water monitoring wells along two transects. Collaborative hydrogeologic investigations by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the U.S. Geological Survey are in progress to increase understanding of the influence of geological features on ground-water quality, availability, and transport in an area representative of large areas in the west-central Piedmont.

Potassium Isotopes as a New Tracer of Seafloor Hydrothermal Alteration: The Bay of Islands Ophiolite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parendo, C. A.; Jacobsen, S. B.; Wang, K.

2016-12-01

Hydrothermal circulation at and around oceanic spreading ridges results in elemental exchange between seawater and oceanic crust, with profound implications for both the ionic composition of seawater and the elemental composition of various solid-Earth reservoirs over geological time. Potassium is among the elements known to be mobile during hydrothermal alteration. Here we investigate the isotopic character of this K exchange by obtaining high-precision 41K/39K data for 6 samples from the Bay of Islands Ophiolite, Newfoundland, Canada—a piece of ca. 485 Ma oceanic crust that was affected by seafloor hydrothermal alteration prior to being obducted. Our 41K/39K analyses are generated using an Isoprobe-P MC-ICPMS equipped with a hexapole collision and reaction cell, which essentially eliminates interferences from the K-isotope mass spectrum. The analyses have an external reproducibility of about 0.07‰ (2SD). We find that the 41K/39K ratios of the ophiolite rocks span a range of approximately 0.70‰ and covary with previously determined 87Sr/86Sr ratios. The stratigraphically deepest, least-altered sample (an olivine gabbro) has a 41K/39K ratio within error of that typically observed in common igneous rocks. The stratigraphically higher, more-altered samples (which include hornblende gabbro, plagiogranite, diabase, and basalt) have 41K/39K ratios that are markedly heavier. This variability in 41K/39K ratios is interpreted to reflect variable addition of seawater K to the rocks. A simple open-system water-rock interaction calculation shows that the covariation between 41K/39K and 87Sr/86Sr can be plausibly explained as the result of hydrothermal alteration. The simplest scenario assumes that the 41K/39K ratio of seawater at the time of interest was similar to its present-day value, in which case the calculation suggests that isotopically heavy seawater K is added to oceanic crust with little fractionation—i.e., an effective fractionation factor near 0.0‰. The findings of this study indicate that 41K/39K ratios will be useful in future efforts to constrain the hydrothermal flux of the marine K cycle, to identify ancient fragments of oceanic crust, and to track oceanic crust as it is subducted, incorporated into the mantle, and sampled by arc, ocean island, and mid-ocean ridge volcanism.

Origin of ore-forming fluids of the Haigou gold deposit in the eastern Central Asian Orogenic belt, NE China: Constraints from H-O-He-Ar isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Qingdong; He, Huaiyu; Zhu, Rixiang; Zhang, Song; Wang, Yongbin; Su, Fei

2017-08-01

The Haigou lode deposit contains 40 t of gold at an average grade of 3.5 g/t, and is one of the largest deposits in the Jiapigou gold belt located along the eastern segment of the northern margin of the North China Craton. The deposit comprises 15 gold-bearing quartz veins hosted in a Carboniferous monzonite-monzogranite stock. Cretaceous dikes consisting of diorite, diabase, and granodiorite porphyries are well developed in the deposit. The diorite porphyry dikes (130.4 ± 6.3 Ma) occur together with gold-bearing quartz veins in NNE- and NE-striking faults. Gold-bearing quartz veins crosscut the diorite porphyry dikes, and the veins are in turn crosscut by E-W-striking 124.6 ± 2.2 Ma granodiorite porphyry dikes. The mineralization mainly occurs as auriferous quartz veins with minor amounts of sulfide minerals, including pyrite, galena, chalcopyrite, and molybdenite. Gold occurs as either native gold or calaverite. Common gangue minerals in the deposit include quartz, sericite, and calcite. The deposit is characterized by various types of hydrothermal alteration, including silicification, sericitization, chloritization, potassic alteration, and carbonatization. Three stages of hydrothermal activity have been recognized in the deposit: (1) a barren quartz stage; (2) a polymetallic sulfide (gold) stage; (3) a calcite stage. Fluid inclusions in hydrothermal pyrites have 3He/4He ratios of 0.3 to 3.3 Ra and 40Ar/36Ar ratios of 351 to 1353, indicating mixing of fluids of mantle and crustal origin. Hydrothermal quartz yielded δ18O values of -1.3‰ to +7.2‰ and δD values of fluid inclusions in the quartz vary between -80‰ and -104‰. These stable isotope data also suggest mixing of magmatic and meteoric fluids. Noble gas and stable isotopic data suggest that the ore fluids have a predominant mantle source with a significant crustal component. Based on the spatial association of gold-bearing quartz veins with early Cretaceous intrusions, and the H-O-He-Ar isotopic data from the deposit and intrusions, we propose that gold mineralization in the Haigou deposit was formed in an extensional setting and was related to the early Cretaceous, mantle-derived intrusions.

Lower crustal earthquakes in the North China Basin and implications for crustal rheology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuen, D. A.; Dong, Y.; Ni, S.; LI, Z.

2017-12-01

The North China Basin is a Mesozoic-Cenozoic continental rift basin on the eastern North China Craton. It is the central region of craton destruction, also a very seismically active area suffering severely from devastating earthquakes, such as the 1966 Xingtai M7.2 earthquake, the 1967 Hejian M6.3 earthquake, and the 1976 Tangshan M7.8 earthquake. We found remarkable discrepancies of depth distribution among the three earthquakes, for instance, the Xingtai and Tangshan earthquakes are both upper-crustal earthquakes occurring between 9 and 15 km on depth, but the depth of the Hejian earthquake was reported of about 30 72 km, ranging from lowermost crust to upper mantle. In order to investigate the focal depth of earthquakes near Hejian area, we developed a method to resolve focal depth for local earthquakes occurring beneath sedimentary regions by P and S converted waves. With this method, we obtained well-resolved depths of 44 local events with magnitudes between M1.0 and M3.0 during 2008 to 2016 at the Hejian seismic zone, with a mean depth uncertainty of about 2 km. The depth distribution shows abundant earthquakes at depth of 20 km, with some events in the lower crust, but absence of seismicity deeper than 25 km. In particular, we aimed at deducing some constraints on the local crustal rheology from depth-frequency distribution. Therefore, we performed a comparison between the depth-frequency distribution and the crustal strength envelop, and found a good fit between the depth profile in the Hejian seismic zone and the yield strength envelop in the Baikal Rift Systems. As a conclusion, we infer that the seismogenic thickness is 25 km and the main deformation mechanism is brittle fracture in the North China Basin . And we made two hypotheses: (1) the rheological layering of dominant rheology in the North China Basin is similar to that of the Baikal Rift Systems, which can be explained with a quartz rheology at 0 10 km depth and a diabase rheology at 10 35 km depth; (2) the temperature is moderate in the seismogenic zone of crust and relative high below 25 km. We also suggest that, many accurately resolved earthquake locations can shed light on the nature of the crustal rheology locally, and that our method can be employed in other sedimentary regions which are seismically active.

Tectonics of Antarctica

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hamilton, W.

1967-01-01

Antarctica consists of large and wholly continental east Antarctica and smaller west Antarctica which would form large and small islands, even after isostatic rebound, if its ice cap were melted. Most of east Antarctica is a Precambrian Shield, in much of which charnockites are characteristic. The high Transantarctic Mountains, along the Ross and Weddell Seas, largely follow a geosyncline of Upper Precambrian sedimentary rocks that were deformed, metamorphosed and intruded by granitic rocks during Late Cambrian or Early Ordovician time. The rocks of the orogen were peneplained, then covered by thin and mostly continental Devonian-Jurassic sediments, which were intruded by Jurassic diabase sheets and overlain by plateau-forming tholeiites. Late Cenozoic doming and block-faulting have raised the present high mountains. Northeastern Victoria Land, the end of the Transantarctic Mountains south of New Zealand, preserves part of a Middle Paleozoic orogen. Clastic strata laid unconformably upon the Lower Paleozoic plutonic complex were metamorphosed at low grade, highly deformed and intruded by Late Devonian or Early Carboniferous granodiorites. The overlying Triassic continental sedimentary rocks have been broadly folded and normal-faulted. Interior west Antarctica is composed of miogeosynclinal clastic and subordinate carbonate rocks which span the Paleozoic Era and which were deformed, metamorphosed at generally low grade, and intruded by granitic rocks during Early Mesozoic time and possibly during other times also. Patterns of orogenic belts, if systematic, cannot yet be defined; but fragmentation and rotation of crustal blocks by oroclinal folding and strike-slip faulting can be suggested. The Ellsworth Mountains, for example, consist of Cambrian-Permian metasedimentary rocks that strike northward toward the noncorrelative and latitudinally striking Mesozoic terrane of the Antarctic Peninsula in one direction and southward toward that of the Lower Paleozoic: terrane of the Transantarctic Mountains in the other; the three regions may be separated by great strike-slip faults. The Antarctic Peninsula in west Antarctica, south of South America, consists of metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks intruded by Late Cretaceous quartz diorite. The pre-granitic rocks are of Jurassic and Early Cretaceous ages wherever they have been dated by fossils, although some crystalline complexes may be older. The S-shape of the peninsula may represent oroclinal bending within Cenozoic time as part of a motion system in which a narrow continental bridge between South America and Antarctica was deformed and ruptured. Perhaps this bridge lagged behind as the larger continental plates drifted into the Pacific Ocean Basin. ?? 1967.

Petrology of the Basalt of Summit Creek: A [Slab] Window into Pacific Northwest Tectonics during the Eocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kant, L. B.; Tepper, J. H.; Nelson, B. K.

2012-12-01

Variation in composition of basalts within the Cascade arc reflects the regional effects of subducting slab windows. The earliest preserved Tertiary manifestation of this process is the 55-44 Ma Basalt of Summit Creek (BSC), located southeast of Mount Rainier. At the base of this steeply dipping 2000 m section of subaerial lavas are basalts / diabases with arc traits (e.g., HFSE depletions, 1.0-1.2 wt. % K2O) and isotopic compositions (207Pb/204Pb > 15.58; ɛNd = +5.8 to +6.7) that overlap those of modern Cascade arc rocks. Conformably overlying these arc rocks (and separated by ~35m of shale, sandstone and conglomerate) are tholeiitic basalts with OIB affinities (<0.4 wt. % K2O, Y/Nb = 1.1-2.3, concave spidergram profiles) and isotopic signatures of a more depleted mantle source (207Pb/204Pb < 15.56; ɛNd = +7.1 to +7.8). In major element, trace element, and isotopic composition the upper BSC lavas are broadly similar to the voluminous Crescent Formation basalts on the Olympic Peninsula, which are coeval with the BSC but located ~100 km farther west. Compositional diversity within the upper BSC section (Mg# 66-30) appears to reflect both fractional crystallization and source heterogeneity. Modeling with MELTS (Ghiroso and Sack, 1995) indicates that differentiation dominated by removal of clinopyroxene and plagioclase took place at mid crustal depths (P = 5 kbar) and that the parent magma had <0.2 wt. % water. However, this process cannot account for all incompatible element data, which indicate the existence of two distinct magma series that differ most notably in Sr, Zr, and K2O contents. Arc basalts of the lower BSC may represent the southernmost extension of the Cretaceous-Tertiary North Cascades arc (Miller et al., 2009); however, basalts higher in the section have OIB traits and reflect a different tectonic setting. We propose that the transition from arc to OIB magmatism in the BSC records the arrival beneath the arc of a slab window produced by subduction of the Kula-Farallon Ridge (KFR). Previous research on subduction of the KFR has been limited to the coast. Improved dating and petrology of the BSC will help to better constrain the location and behavior of the KFR slab window as it moved further inboard beneath the North American plate.

Initial report of the physical property measurement, ChikyuOman core description Phase I: sheeted dike and gabbro boundary from ICDP Holes GT1A, GT2A and GT3A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abe, N.; Okazaki, K.; Hatakeyama, K.; Ildefonse, B.; Leong, J. A. M.; Tateishi, Y.; Teagle, D. A. H.; Takazawa, E.; Kelemen, P. B.; Michibayashi, K.; Coggon, J. A.; Harris, M.; de Obeso, J. C.

2017-12-01

We report results on the physical property measurements of the core samples from ICDP Holes GT1A, GT2A and GT3A drilled at Samail Ophiolite, Sultanate of Oman. Cores from Holes GT1A and GT2A in the lower crust section are mainly composed of gabbros (gabbro and olivine gabbro), and small amounts of ultramafic rocks (wehrlite and dunite), while cores from Hole GT3A at the boundary between sheeted dikes and gabbro are mainly composed of basalt and diabase, followed by gabbros (gabbro, olivine gabbro and oxide gabbro), and less common felsic dikes, trondhjemite and tonalite, intrude the mafic rocks. Measurements of physical properties were undertaken to characterize recovered core material. Onboard the Drilling Vessel Chikyu, whole-round measurements included X-ray CT image, natural gamma radiation, and magnetic susceptibility for Leg 1, and additional P-wave velocity, gamma ray attenuation density, and electrical resistivity during Leg 2. Split-core point magnetic susceptibility and color spectroscopy were measured for all core sections. P-wave velocity, bulk/grain density and porosity of more than 500 discrete cube samples, and thermal conductivity on more than 240 pieces from the working half of the split core sections were also measured. Physical Properties of gabbroic rocks from Holes GT1A and GT2A are similar to typical oceanic gabbros from ODP and IODP expeditions at Atlantis Bank, Southwestern Indian Ridge (ODP Legs 118, 176 and 179; IODP Exp 360) and at Hess Deep, Eastern Pacific (ODP Leg 147 and IODP Exp. 345). Average P-wave velocity, bulk density, grain density, porosity and thermal conductivity are 6.7 km/s, 2.92 g/cm^3, 2.93 g/cm^3, 0.98% and 2.46 W/m/K, respectively. P-wave velocity of samples from all three holes is inversely correlated with porosity. No clear correlation between the original lithology and physical properties is observed. GT3A cores show a wider range (e.g., Vp from 2.2 to 7.1 km/s) of values for the measured physical properties, compared to gabbros from Holes GT1A and GT2A.

Petrogenesis and tectonic significance of the calc-alkaline, bimodal Aztec Wash pluton, Eldorado Mountains, Colorado River extensional corridor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falkner, Claudia M.; Miller, Calvin F.; Wooden, Joseph L.; Heizler, Matthew T.

1995-06-01

The 15.7 Ma Aztec Wash pluton is located in the central Eldorado Mountains of the Colorado River extensional corridor in southern Nevada, immediately south of the well-known imbricated volcanic sequence that has been widely cited in studies of extensional tectonism (e.g., Anderson, 1971). It is a shallow level (≤5 km), essentially bimodal complex, primarily made up of granite (˜72 wt % SiO2) and diabase and diorite (˜54 wt % SiO2), with minor amounts of more mafic, intermediate, and highly evolved rocks. The mafic and felsic magmas mingled extensively but mixed only to a limited extent. Late synplutonic mafic and felsic dikes represent continuing injection of the same bimodal magmas. The mafic rocks have high incompatible element concentrations (e.g., K2O ˜ 3 wt %, Ba ˜ 1600 ppm, light rare earth elements 350 × chondrite) and enriched isotopic compositions (ɛNd -7.5, 87Sr/86Sr 0.708); generation in ancient, enriched mantle lithosphere with limited subsequent crustal contamination is inferred. The granite is more potassic (˜5 wt %) than the mafic rocks, but it has comparable or lower concentrations of most incompatible elements; its isotopic composition (ɛNd -10, 87Sr/86Sr 0.710) is intermediate between those of the mafic rocks and local ancient crust. The granites thus indicate hybridization of the crust by mafic magma, but it is unclear whether this hybridization occurred at deeper levels in this magmatic system, or during an earlier mid-Tertiary or Mesozoic magmatic event. Emplacement of the Aztec Wash pluton preceded peak east west extension in the northern Eldorado Mountains (˜15.2 Ma (Gans et al., 1994)), but it coincided with at least modest extension as indicated by the uniform NS orientation of the late dikes and the mafic injections into the magma chamber. Total extension and tilting of the pluton after crystallization was minor, in contrast to the east tilted area to the north and west tilted area to the south. Timing and style of extension are thus consistent with the pluton's location within, and perhaps mechanical influence on, a major accommodation zone, as suggested by Faulds et al. (1990) and Faulds (1994).

What lies beneath: geophysical mapping of a concealed Precambrian intrusive complex along the Iowa–Minnesota border

USGS Publications Warehouse

Drenth, Benjamin J.; Anderson, Raymond R.; Schulz, Klaus J.; Feinberg, Joshua M.; Chandler, Val W.; Cannon, William F.

2015-01-01

Large-amplitude gravity and magnetic highs over northeast Iowa are interpreted to reflect a buried intrusive complex composed of mafic–ultramafic rocks, the northeast Iowa intrusive complex (NEIIC), intruding Yavapai province (1.8–1.72 Ga) rocks. The age of the complex is unproven, although it has been considered to be Keweenawan (∼1.1 Ga). Because only four boreholes reach the complex, which is covered by 200–700 m of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, geophysical methods are critical to developing a better understanding of the nature and mineral resource potential of the NEIIC. Lithologic and cross-cutting relations interpreted from high-resolution aeromagnetic and airborne gravity gradient data are presented in the form of a preliminary geologic map of the basement Precambrian rocks. Numerous magnetic anomalies are coincident with airborne gravity gradient (AGG) highs, indicating widespread strongly magnetized and dense rocks of likely mafic–ultramafic composition. A Yavapai-age metagabbro unit is interpreted to be part of a layered intrusion with subvertical dip. Another presumed Yavapai unit has low density and weak magnetization, observations consistent with felsic plutons. Northeast-trending, linear magnetic lows are interpreted to reflect reversely magnetized diabase dikes and have properties consistent with Keweenawan rocks. The interpreted dikes are cut in places by normally magnetized mafic–ultramafic rocks, suggesting that the latter represent younger Keweenawan rocks. Distinctive horseshoe-shaped magnetic and AGG highs correspond with a known gabbro, and surround rocks with weaker magnetization and lower density. Here, informally called the Decorah complex, the source body has notable geophysical similarities to Keweenawan alkaline ring complexes, such as the Coldwell and Killala Lake complexes, and Mesoproterozoic anorogenic complexes, such as the Kiglapait, Hettasch, and Voisey’s Bay intrusions in Labrador. Results presented here suggest that much of the NEIIC is composed of such complexes, and broadly speaking, may be a discontinuous group of several intrusive bodies. Most units are cut by suspected northwest-trending faults imaged as magnetic lineaments, and one produces apparent sinistral fault separation of a dike in the eastern part of the survey area. The location, trend, and apparent sinistral sense of motion are consistent with the suspected faults being part of the Belle Plaine fault zone, a complex transform fault zone within the Midcontinent rift system that is here proposed to correspond with a major structural discontinuity.

Geologic map of the Washington West 30’ × 60’ quadrangle, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lyttle, Peter T.; Aleinikoff, John N.; Burton, William C.; Crider, E. Allen; Drake, Avery A.; Froelich, Albert J.; Horton, J. Wright; Kasselas, Gregorios; Mixon, Robert B.; McCartan, Lucy; Nelson, Arthur E.; Newell, Wayne L.; Pavlides, Louis; Powars, David S.; Southworth, C. Scott; Weems, Robert E.

2018-01-02

The Washington West 30’ × 60’ quadrangle covers an area of approximately 4,884 square kilometers (1,343 square miles) in and west of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The eastern part of the area is highly urbanized, and more rural areas to the west are rapidly being developed. The area lies entirely within the Chesapeake Bay drainage basin and mostly within the Potomac River watershed. It contains part of the Nation's main north-south transportation corridor east of the Blue Ridge Mountains, consisting of Interstate Highway 95, U.S. Highway 1, and railroads, as well as parts of the Capital Beltway and Interstate Highway 66. Extensive Federal land holdings in addition to those in Washington, D.C., include the Marine Corps Development and Education Command at Quantico, Fort Belvoir, Vint Hill Farms Station, the Naval Ordnance Station at Indian Head, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park, Great Falls Park, and Manassas National Battlefield Park. The quadrangle contains most of Washington, D.C.; part or all of Arlington, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Rappahannock, and Stafford Counties in northern Virginia; and parts of Charles, Montgomery, and Prince Georges Counties in Maryland.The Washington West quadrangle spans four geologic provinces. From west to east these provinces are the Blue Ridge province, the early Mesozoic Culpeper basin, the Piedmont province, and the Coastal Plain province. There is some overlap in ages of rocks in the Blue Ridge and Piedmont provinces. The Blue Ridge province, which occupies the western part of the quadrangle, contains metamorphic and igneous rocks of Mesoproterozoic to Early Cambrian age. Mesoproterozoic (Grenville-age) rocks are mostly granitic gneisses, although older metaigneous rocks are found as xenoliths. Small areas of Neoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks nonconformably overlie Mesoproterozoic rocks. Neoproterozoic granitic rocks of the Robertson River Igneous Suite intruded the Mesoproterozoic rocks. The Mesoproterozoic rocks are nonconformably overlain by Neoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks of the Fauquier and Lynchburg Groups, which in turn are overlain by metabasalt of the Catoctin Formation. The Catoctin Formation is overlain by Lower Cambrian clastic metasedimentary rocks of the Chilhowee Group. The Piedmont province is exposed in the east-central part of the map area, between overlapping sedimentary units of the Culpeper basin on the west and those of the Coastal Plain province on the east. In this area, the Piedmont province contains Neoproterozoic and lower Paleozoic metamorphosed sedimentary, volcanic, and plutonic rocks. Allochthonous mélange complexes on the western side of the Piedmont are bordered on the east by metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks of the Chopawamsic Formation, which has been interpreted as part of volcanic arc. The mélange complexes are unconformably overlain by metasedimentary rocks of the Popes Head Formation. The Silurian and Ordovician Quantico Formation is the youngest metasedimentary unit in this part of the Piedmont. Igneous rocks include the Garrisonville Mafic Complex, transported ultramafic and mafic inclusions in mélanges, monzogranite of the Dale City pluton, and Ordovician tonalitic and granitic plutons. Jurassic diabase dikes are the youngest intrusions. The fault boundary between rocks of the Blue Ridge and Piedmont provinces is concealed beneath the Culpeper basin in this area but is exposed farther south. Early Mesozoic rocks of the Culpeper basin unconformably overlie those of the Piedmont and Blue Ridge provinces in the central part of the quadrangle. The north-northeast-trending extensional basin contains Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic nonmarine sedimentary rocks. Lower Jurassic sedimentary strata are interbedded with basalt flows, and both Upper Triassic and Lower Jurassic strata are intruded by diabase of Early Jurassic age. The Bull Run Mountain fault, a major Mesozoic normal fault characterized by down-to-the-east displacement, separates rocks of the Culpeper basin from those of the Blue Ridge province on the west. On the east, the contact between rocks of the Culpeper basin and those of the Piedmont province is an unconformity, which has been locally disrupted by normal faults. Sediments of the Coastal Plain province unconformably overlie rocks of the Piedmont province along the Fall Zone and occupy the eastern part of the quadrangle. Lower Cretaceous deposits of the Potomac Formation consist of fluvial-deltaic gravels, sands, silts, and clays. Discontinuous fluvial and estuarine terrace deposits of Pleistocene and middle- to late-Tertiary age flank the modern Potomac River valley unconformable capping these Cretaceous strata and the crystalline basement where the Cretaceous has been removed by erosion. East of the Potomac River, the Potomac Formation is onlapped and unconformably overlain by a westward thinning wedge of marine sedimentary deposits of Late Cretaceous and early- and late-Tertiary age. Basement rooted Coastal Plain faults of Tertiary to Quaternary age occur along the Fall Zone and this part of the inner Coastal Plain. These Coastal Plain faults have geomorphic expression that appear to influence river drainage patterns.The geologic map of the Washington West quadrangle is intended to serve as a foundation for applying geologic information to problems involving land use decisions, groundwater availability and quality, earth resources such as natural aggregate for construction, assessment of natural hazards, and engineering and environmental studies for waste disposal sites and construction projects. This 1:100,000-scale map is mainly based on more detailed geologic mapping at a scale of 1:24,000.

Breccia Formation at a Complex Impact Crater: Slate Islands, Lake Superior, Ontario, Canada

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dressler, B. O.; Sharpton, V. L.

1997-01-01

The Slate Islands impact structure is the eroded remnant of a approximately 30-32 km-diameter complex impact structure located in northern Lake Superior, Ontario, Canada. Target rocks are Archean supracrustal and igneous rocks and Proterozoic metavolcanics, metasediments, and diabase. A wide variety of breccias occurs on the islands, many of which contain fragments exhibiting shock metamorphic features. Aphanitic, narrow and inclusion-poor pseudotachylite veins, commonly with more or less parallel boundaries and apophyses branching off them, represent the earliest breccias formed during the compression stage of the impact process. Coarse-grained, polymictic elastic matrix breccias form small to very large, inclusion-rich dikes and irregularly shaped bodies that may contain altered glass fragments. These breccias have sharp contacts with their host rocks and include a wide range of fragment types some of which were transported over minimum distances of approximately 2 km away from the center of the structure. They cut across pseudotachylite veins and contain inclusions of them. Field and petrographic evidence indicate that these polymictic breccias formed predominantly during the excavation and central uplift stages of the impact process. Monomictic breccias, characterized by angular fragments and transitional contacts with their host rocks, occur in parautochthonous target rocks, mainly on the outlying islands of the Slate Islands archipelago. A few contain fragmented and disrupted, coarse-grained, polymictic clastic matrix breccia dikes. This is an indication that at least some of these monomictic breccias formed late in the impact process and that they are probably related to a late crater modification stage. A small number of relatively large occurrences of glass-poor, suevitic breccias occur at the flanks of the central uplift and along the inner flank of the outer ring of the Slate Islands complex crater. A coarse, glass-free, allogenic breccia, containing shatter-coned fragments derived from Proterozoic target rocks (upper target strata), observed at two locations may be analogous to the 'Bunt Breccia' of the Ries crater in Germany. At one of these locations this breccia lies close to a crater suevite deposit. At the other, it overlies parautochthonous, monomictic breccia. The State Islands impact breccias are superbly exposed, much better than breccias in most other terrestrial impact structures. Observations, including those indicative of multiple and and sequential processes, provide insight on how impact breccias form and how they relate to the various phases of the impact process. Eventually they will lead to an improved understanding of planetary impact processes.

Geologic map of the Kings Mountain and Grover quadrangles, Cleveland and Gaston Counties, North Carolina, and Cherokee and York Counties, South Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Horton, J. Wright

2006-01-01

This geologic map of the Kings Mountain and Grover 7.5-minute quadrangles, N.C.-S.C., straddles a regional geological boundary between the Inner Piedmont and Carolina terranes. The Kings Mountain sequence (informal name) on the western flank of the Carolina terrane in this area includes the Neoproterozoic Battleground and Blacksburg Formations. The Battleground Formation has a lower part consisting of metavolcanic rocks and interlayered schist, and an upper part consisting of quartz-sericite phyllite and schist interlayered with quartz-pebble metaconglomerate, aluminous quartzite, micaceous quartzite, manganiferous rock, and metavolcanic rocks. The Blacksburg Formation consists of phyllitic metasiltstone interlayered with thinner units of marble, laminated micaceous quartzite, hornblende gneiss, and amphibolite. Layered metamorphic rocks of the Inner Piedmont terrane include muscovite-biotite gneiss, muscovite schist, and amphibolite. The Kings Mountain sequence has been intruded by metatonalite and metatrondhjemite (Neoproterozoic), metadiorite and metagabbro (Paleozoic), and High Shoals Granite (Pennsylvanian). Layered metamorphic rocks of the Inner Piedmont in this area have been intruded by Toluca Granite (Ordovician?), Cherryville Granite and associated pegmatite (Mississippian), and spodumene pegmatite (Mississippian). Diabase dikes (early Jurassic) are locally present throughout the area. Ductile fault zones of regional scale include the Kings Mountain and Kings Creek shear zones. In this area, the Kings Mountain shear zone forms the boundary between the Inner Piedmont and Carolina terranes, and the Kings Creek shear zone separates the Battleground Formation from the Blacksburg Formation. Structural styles change across the Kings Mountain shear zone from steeply-dipping layers, foliations, and folds on the southeast to gently- and moderately-dipping layers, foliations, and recumbent folds on the northwest. Mineral assemblages in the Kings Mountain sequence show a westward decrease from upper amphibolite facies (sillimanite zone) near the High Shoals Granite on the east side of the map to greenschist (epidote-amphibolite) facies in the south-central part of the area near the Kings Mountain shear zone. Amphibolite-facies mineral assemblages in the Inner Piedmont terrane increase in grade from the kyanite zone near the Kings Mountain shear zone to the sillimanite zone in the northwest part of the map. Surficial deposits include alluvium in the stream valleys and colluvium along ridges and steep slopes. These quadrangles are unusual in their richness and variety of mineral deposits, which include spodumene (lithium), cassiterite (tin), mica, feldspar, silica, clay, marble, kyanite and sillimanite, barite, manganese, sand and gravel, gold, pyrite, and iron. (Abstract from pamphlet.)

Geologic Map of the Kings Mountain and Grover Quadrangles, Cleveland and Gaston Counties, North Carolina, and Cherokee and York Counties, South Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Horton, J. Wright

2008-01-01

This geologic map of the Kings Mountain and Grover 7.5-min quadrangles, N.C.-S.C., straddles a regional geological boundary between the Inner Piedmont and Carolina terranes. The Kings Mountain sequence (informal name) on the western flank of the Carolina terrane in this area includes the Neoproterozoic Battleground and Blacksburg Formations. The Battleground Formation has a lower part consisting of metavolcanic rocks and interlayered schist and an upper part consisting of quartz-sericite phyllite and schist interlayered with quartz-pebble metaconglomerate, aluminous quartzite, micaceous quartzite, manganiferous rock, and metavolcanic rocks. The Blacks-burg Formation consists of phyllitic metasiltstone interlayered with thinner units of marble, laminated micaceous quartzite, hornblende gneiss, and amphibolite. Layered metamorphic rocks of the Inner Piedmont terrane include muscovite-biotite gneiss, muscovite schist, and amphibolite. The Kings Mountain sequence has been intruded by metatonalite and metatrondhjemite (Neoproterozoic), metagabbro and metadiorite (Paleozoic?), and the High Shoals Granite (Pennsylvanian). Layered metamorphic rocks of the Inner Piedmont in this area have been intruded by the Toluca Granite (Ordovician?), the Cherryville Granite and associated pegmatite (Mississippian), and spodumene pegmatite (Mississippian). Diabase dikes (early Jurassic) are locally present throughout the area. Ductile fault zones of regional scale include the Kings Mountain and Kings Creek shear zones. In this area, the Kings Mountain shear zone forms the boundary between the Inner Piedmont and Carolina terranes, and the Kings Creek shear zone separates the Battleground Formation from the Blacksburg Formation. Structural styles change across the Kings Mountain shear zone from steeply dipping layers, foliations, and folds on the southeast to gently and moderately dipping layers, foliations, and recumbent folds on the northwest. Mineral assemblages in the Kings Mountain sequence show a westward decrease from upper amphibolite facies (sillimanite zone) near the High Shoals Granite in the eastern side of the map area to upper greenschist (epidote-amphibolite) facies in the south-central part of the area near the Kings Mountain shear zone. Amphibolite-facies mineral assemblages in the Inner Piedmont terrane increase in grade from the kyanite zone near the Kings Mountain shear zone to the sillimanite zone in the northwestern part of the map area. Surficial deposits include alluvium in the stream valleys and colluvium along ridges and steep slopes. These quadrangles are unusual in the richness and variety of the mineral deposits that they contain, which include spodumene (lithium), cassiterite (tin), mica, feldspar, silica, clay, marble, kyanite and sillimanite, barite, manganese, sand and gravel, gold, pyrite, and iron.

The oldest island arc and ophiolite complexes of the Russian Arctic (Taimyr Peninsula)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vernikovskaya, Antonina E.; Vernikovsky, Valery A.; Metelkin, Dmitriy V.; Matushkin, Nikolay Y.; Romanova, Irina V.

2015-04-01

Knowing the age of indicator complexes such as island arc, ophiolite, collisional, subductional etc. is extremely important for paleogeodynamic reconstructions. The age along with other geological and geophysical data enables the reestablishing of the positions of terranes of various origins in relation to continental margins and to each other. When studying the issues concerning the ancient Arctida paleocontinent, the nature of terranes and continental plates that compose the present day arctic shelf and submerged ridges it is important to determine the main stages of tectonic events. At the same time it is particularly important to establish the earliest stages of tectonic transformations. The Taimyr-Severnaya Zemlya orogenic belt is one of the large accretionary-collisional key structures in the Arctic. The Central Taimyr accretionary belt includes two granite-metamorphic terranes: Faddey and Mamont-Shrenk that include the oldest igneous formations of Taimyr. Those are granitoids with U/Pb zircons age of 850-830 Ma (Faddey) and 940-885 Ma (Mamont-Shrenk). Presently we have determined fragments of paleo-island arcs and ophiolites in the framing of these terranes. Moreover, in addition to already identified Neoproterozoic (755-730 Ma) ophiolites and island arc rocks (plagiogranites, gabbro, volcanics) we found more ancient rock complexes in the framings of both terranes closer in age to the Meso-Neoproterozoic boundary. In the region of the Tree Sisters Lake a paleo-island arc complex was found including plagiogranites and plagiorhyodacites with U-Pb isotopic zircon age of 969-961 Ma. Sm-Nd isotopic data for these rocks showed a Mesoproterozoic model age: TNd(DM) varies from 1170 to 1219 Ma. These data as well as Rb-Sr isotopic investigations indicate a predominance of a mantle component in the magmatic sources of these rocks: ɛNd (967-961) = 5.1-5.2 and (87Sr/86Sr)0 =0.70258-0.70391. In the framing of the Mamont-Shrenk terrane we determined ophiolite fragments in the mouths of Krasnaya River and Kabachkovaya Hill. The Kabachkovaya ophiolites form near E-W elongated narrow zones of ultramafic rocks and small plutons of fine and medium grained gabbros and diabases among flows of tholeitic basalts forming pillow lavas and tuffs. Ar/Ar dating of amphiboles from metagabbros in the Krasnaya R. mouth yielded an age of 1029 Ma. In conclusion, these data indicate the existence of Meso-Neoproterozoic ophiolites and island arcs in the Russian Arctic, which, with available paleomagnetic data, allows composing more correct plate tectonic reconstructions for the early stages of the evolution of this region.

Magnesium Isotope Composition of the Altered Upper Oceanic Crust at ODP Holes 504B and 896A, Costa Rica Rift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beaumais, A.; Teagle, D. A. H.; James, R. H.; Pearce, C. R.; Milton, J. A.; Alt, J.; Coggon, R. M.

2017-12-01

Alteration of the oceanic crust is thought to be the principal sink of Mg in seawater, but the effect of this process on the Mg isotope (δ26Mg) composition of the oceans remains unclear. Here we present the first measurements of Mg isotopes in altered oceanic crust from ODP Holes 504B and 896A, located in 5.9 Ma crust, 200 km south of the intermediate spreading rate Costa Rica Rift. Hole 504B penetrates: (i) A volcanic section, consisting of partially altered basalt that was open to seawater circulation under oxic-suboxic conditions at temperatures of <150°C. (ii) A transition zone, characterized by mixing between upwelling hydrothermal fluid and seawater between 100 and 350°C. (iii) A sheeted dike complex consisting of diabase partially altered to greenschist facies minerals. Hole 896A penetrates volcanic rocks altered at low temperature (<100 °C) under oxic-suboxic conditions. The overall range in δ26Mg values is -0.53 to -0.01‰; significantly greater than the range observed in unaltered mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB: -0.25 ± 0.06‰ [1]). δ26Mg values decrease with depth in the volcanic sections of both Holes 504B and 896A. The highest δ26Mg values are found in saponite-bearing basalts at the top of the volcanic sections of both holes, and are attributed to the preferential incorporation of heavy Mg isotopes into secondary clays (Mg-saponite). Lower δ26Mg values recorded in the deeper part of the volcanic section may be a result of fluid-rock interaction with isotopically lighter evolved seawater. The transition zone is characterised by MORB-like to relatively high δ26Mg values in the chlorite-smectite bearing basalts. The sheeted dike complex yields a narrow range of MORB-like δ26Mg values suggesting that limited fractionation occurs during high-temperature alteration and that the fluids have very low Mg concentrations. Low temperature fluid-rock interactions modify the Mg isotopic composition of the upper part of the oceanic crust. Therefore, this process could potentially play a role in balancing the δ26Mg of (i) the seawater via lateral fluid flow through oceanic crust off-axis ridge flanks, and (ii) the mantle via recycling of oceanic lithosphere at subduction zones. [1] Teng et al., (2010) GCA 74, 4150-4166.

Petrogenesis and tectonic significance of the late Triassic mafic dikes and felsic volcanic rocks in the East Kunlun Orogenic Belt, Northern Tibet Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Yan; Niu, Yaoling; Li, Jiyong; Ye, Lei; Kong, Juanjuan; Chen, Shuo; Zhang, Yu; Zhang, Guorui

2016-02-01

We present zircon U-Pb ages and geochemical data on the late Triassic mafic dikes (diabase) and felsic volcanic rocks (rhyolite and rhyolitic tuffs) in the East Kunlun Orogenic Belt (EKOB). These rocks give a small age window of 228-218 Ma. The mafic dikes represent evolved alkaline basaltic melts intruding ~ 8-9 Myrs older and volumetrically more abundant A-type granite batholith. Their rare earth element (REE) and multi-element patterns are similar to those of the present-day ocean island basalts (OIBs) except for a weak continental crustal signature (i.e., enrichment of Rb and Pb and weak depletion of Nb, Ta and Ti). Their trace element characteristics together with the high 87Sr/86Sr (0.7076-0.7104), low εNd(t) (- 2.18 to - 3.46), low εHf(t) (- 2.85 to - 4.59) and variable Pb isotopic ratios are consistent with melts derived from metasomatized subcontinental lithospheric mantle with crustal contamination. The felsic volcanic rocks are characterized by high LREE/HREE (e.g., [La/Yb]N of 5.71-17.00) with a negative Eu anomaly and strong depletion in Sr and P, resembling the model upper continental crust (UCC). Given the high 87Sr/86Sr (0.7213-0.7550) and less negative εNd(t) (- 3.83 to - 5.09) and εHf(t) (- 3.06 to - 3.83) than the UCC plus the overlapping isotopes with the mafic dikes and high Nb-Ta rhyolites, the felsic volcanic rocks are best interpreted as resulting from melting-induced mixing with 45-50% crustal materials and 50-55% mantle-derived mafic melts probably parental to the mafic dikes. Such mantle-derived melts underplated and intruded the deep crust as juvenile crustal materials. Partial melting of such juvenile crust produced felsic melts parental to the felsic volcanic rocks in the EKOB. We hypothesize that the late Triassic mafic dikes and felsic volcanic rocks are associated with post-collisional extension and related orogenic collapse. Such processes are probably significant in causing asthenospheric upwelling, decompression melting, induced melting of the prior metasomatized mantle lithosphere and the existing crust. This work represents our ongoing effort in understanding the origin of the juvenile crust and continental crustal accretion through magmatism in the broad context of orogenesis from seafloor subduction to continental collision and to post-collisional processes.

First results from TN273 studies of the SE Mariana Forearc rift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ribeiro, J. M.; Stern, R. J.; Kelley, K. A.; Shaw, A. M.; Shimizu, N.; Martinez, F.; Ishii, T.; Ishizuka, O.; Manton, W. I.

2012-12-01

TN 273 aboard R/V Thomas Thompson (Dec. 22 2011- Jan. 22 2012) studied an unusual region of rifting affecting the southern Mariana forearc S.W. of Guam. The S.E. Mariana Forearc Rift (SEMFR) formed by diffuse tectonic and volcanic deformation (Martinez and Sleeper, this meeting) ~2.7-3.7 Ma ago to accommodate opening of the southernmost Mariana Trough backarc basin. A total of 730 km linear-track of SEMFR seafloor was surveyed with deep-towed side-scan sonar IMI-30. 14 dredges provided samples of SEMFR igneous rocks, analyzed for whole rock (WR) and glass compositions. These new results coupled with results of earlier investigations confirm that SEMFR is dominated by Miocene lavas along with minor gabbro and diabase. SEMFR lavas range in major element composition from primitive basalt to fractionated andesite (Mg# = 0.36-0.73; SiO2 = 50-57 wt%), mainly controlled by crystal fractionation. Rare Earth Element (REE) patterns range from LREE-depleted, N-MORB-like to flat patterns, reflecting different mantle processes (i.e. different sources, degree of melting …). Glassy rinds and olivine-hosted melt inclusions in these lavas contain variable volatile compositions (F = 75-358 ppm, S = 35-1126 ppm, Cl= 74-1400 ppm, CO2 = 15-520 ppm, 0.36-2.36 wt% H2O). SEMFR lavas show spider diagrams with positive anomalies in LILE and negative anomalies in HSFE. SEMFR lavas have backarc basin-like (BAB-like) chemical composition (H2O < 2.5wt%, Ba/Yb~20, Nb/Yb~1 and ɛNd~9) along with stronger enrichment in Rb and Cs than arc and BAB lavas, as demonstrated by their higher Rb/Th and Cs/Ba ratios in WR and glasses, which may reflect the role of the ultra-shallow fluids. Ultra-shallow fluids are derived from the top of the subducting slab, beneath the forearc, where most of the water and the fluid-mobile elements (Rb, Cs, Ba,) are thought to be released (Schmidt and Poli, 1998, EPSL, Savov et al., 2005, G-3). Our results suggest that i) SEMFR lavas formed by metasomatism of a BAB mantle source by ultra-shallow fluids, likely released from subducted sediments and the altered oceanic crust; and ii) the ultra-shallow fluid is aqueous and is characterized by enrichment in Cs and Rb, suggesting that Cs and Rb are decoupled from Ba in ultra-shallow subduction processes.

Petrogenesis of the Baishan granite stock, Eastern Tianshan, NW China: Geodynamic setting and implications for potential mineralization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, MingJian; Qin, KeZhang; Li, GuangMing; Evans, Noreen J.; McInnes, Brent I. A.; Lu, WeiWei; Deng, Gang

2017-11-01

Located in a region rich in Cu-Ni and Mo mineralization, the Baishan granitic stock is barren for reasons that remain enigmatic. Whole rock elemental and Sr-Nd isotope analysis, major element analysis of a number of minerals, and zircon trace element, U-Pb and Hf isotope analysis were undertaken in order to reveal the petrogenesis of the granites. All granites show typical I-type characteristics including metaluminous to slightly peraluminous, calc-alkaline signatures with a strong depletion of Nb, Ta, Ti and P, enrichment of light rare earth elements and large ion lithophile elements (e.g., Cs, Rb, Th, U, K). In addition, a strong depletion in Ti and P, highly fractionated light rare earth element patterns and less fractionated heavy rare earth element patterns, and negative correlations between SiO2 and TiO2, Al2O3, MgO, FeOT, P2O5, Zr and Hf suggest significant fractional crystallization of amphibole, apatite, zircon and Ti-bearing minerals. Whole rock Sr-Nd and zircon Hf isotopic compositions show wide variations with (87Sr/86Sr)i values of 0.70358 to 0.70505, εNd (t) of 3.8 to 7.2, and εHf (t) of 2.4 to 12.2 indicating derivation from partial melting of juvenile lower crust with obvious addition of ancient crust. Zircon U-Pb ages indicate a formation age of 292 Ma, significantly older than the ore-forming granite porphyry and slightly older than the regional mafic-ultramafic, A-type and diabase magmatism of Eastern Tianshan. The granite stocks were likely derived during heating of ascending asthenospheric mantle above a mantle plume in the Early Permian. Mineral chemistry, saturation thermometry, mineral species and whole rock Fe2O3/FeO ratios indicate a crystallization temperature of > 980 to 665 °C, pressure of 1.6 kbar and oxygen fugacity of ≤ NNO for the granite stock. Comparing the geochemistry, magma source and crystallization environment for the Early Permian barren granite and Late Triassic ore-related granite porphyry, the low ratios of Sr/Y and low (La/Yb)N, and reduced oxidation state (≤ NNO) in the granitic stock are signatures of infertility for the Early Permian granite. This study implies high Mo mineralization potential for granitic rocks with high Sr/Y, (La/Yb)N and highly oxidized conditions.

Unusual Rocks of the Yap Ridge - Metamorphosed Basal Cumulates of an Arc ?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hawkins, J. W.; Castillo, P. R.; Batiza, R.

2002-12-01

The 8 to 9 km deep Yap trench, and adjacent Yap Ridge, extend from the southwest end of the Mariana Trench near 11o N, to near 7o 15' N where the trench swings west to intersect the Palau Trench. Unlike other western Pacific subduction systems, the Yap Ridge rises directly from the trench, it has no forearc, neither a remnant nor active volcanic arc, and no inclined seismic zone. The few seismic events recorded are mainly < 70 km depth. Yap Ridge crest depths range from 2.5 km to emergent; there are no emergent volcanoes. Rocks from the islands Yap and Map, are mainly strongly schistose, amphibole-rich, mafic and ultramafic rocks. Metamorphic lineations, and meter-sized mullions having lenticular cross-sections, define inclined (15o southerly dip) tectonic transport. Yap and Map schists are in greenschist facies (actinolite - chlorite - Na-plagioclase, rare titanite and epidote). Talc - tremolite schists, serpentinite, and chlorite-pyroxenite are less common. Small areas of altered andesite are present; quartz diorite and hornblende-rich gabbro occur as clasts in breccias, bomb craters yielded fragments of basalt and diabase. Scattered blankets of laterite several meters thick, and jungle, obscure many details. Deeper crustal rocks exposed on inner wall of Yap Trench, (5 - 2.5 km depths) include amphibolite (Al-hornblende-andesine-titanite) interlayered with calcite- diopside - grossularite marble, and calc-silicate gneisses. Rocks dredged from Yap Ridge include metabasite similar toYap schists, island arc tholeiite series basalt, basaltic andesite, and 2-PX gabbro. These have late Miocene ages (Beccaluva et al., AGU Mon. 23, 1980). Assuming isochemical behavior for immobile elements, protolith for mafic and ultramafic schists had high Mg# (52-83), CaO/Al2O3 0.7-6, Cr 288-1490, Ni 64-609, Zr 13-145, Y 3-28 (ppm).These data suggest picrite, high-Mg basalt, boninite, or OL-PX rich ultramafic cumulates as parents. REE data, e.g. negative slope and (La/Sm)N 0.9-1.9 indicate sub-arc PX-rich cumulates as a likely protolith (from late-Oligocene to late Miocene West Mariana Ridge ?). Basalt, andesite and gabbro have arc-like depleted HFSE and REE patterns. Yap Ridge crust probably formed in a subduction setting; the inactive trench is preserved but subduction has ended. Thick crust of the Caroline Ridge, lying outboard of the Yap Trench, may inhibit subduction. Yap Ridge schists may represent ultramafic cumulates metamorphosed when thrust over arc or forearc crust.

Experimental deformation of a mafic rock - interplay between fracturing, reaction and viscous deformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marti, Sina; Stünitz, Holger; Heilbronner, Renée; Plümper, Oliver; Drury, Martyn

2016-04-01

Deformation experiments were performed on natural Maryland Diabase (˜ 55% Plg, 42% Px, 3% accessories, 0.18 wt.-% H2O added) in a Griggs-type deformation apparatus in order to explore the brittle-viscous transition and the interplay between deformation and mineral reactions. Shear experiments at strain rates of ˜ 2e-5 /s are performed, at T=600, 700 and 800°C and confining pressures Pc=1.0 and 1.5 GPa. Deformation localizes in all experiments. Below 700°C, the microstructure is dominated by brittle deformation with a foliation formed by cataclastic flow and high strain accommodated along 3-5 major ultracataclasite shear bands. At 700°C, the bulk of the material still exhibits abundant microfractures, however, deformation localizes into an anastomosing network of shear bands (SB) formed from a fine-grained (<< 1 μm) mixture of newly formed Plg and Amph. These reaction products occur almost exclusively along syn-kinematic structures such as fractures and SB. Experiments at 800°C show extensive mineral reactions, with the main reaction products Amph+Plg (+Zo). Deformation is localized in broad C' and C SB formed by a fine-grained (0.1 - 0.8 μm) mixture of Plg+Amph (+Zo). The onset of mineral reactions in the 700°C experiments shows that reaction kinetics and diffusional mass transport are fast enough to keep up with the short experimental timescales. While in the 700°C experiments brittle processes kinematically contribute to deformation, fracturing is largely absent at 800°C. Diffusive mass transfer dominates. The very small grain size within SB favours a grain size sensitive deformation mechanism. Due to the presence of water (and relatively high supported stresses), dissolution-precipitation creep is interpreted to be the dominant strain accommodating mechanism. From the change of Amph coronas around Px clasts with strain, we can determine that Amph is re-dissolved at high stress sites while growing in low stress sites, showing the ability of Amph to accommodate strain via dissolution precipitation creep. The transition from dominantly brittle, to dominantly viscous deformation is determined by the onset of diffusive mass transport. In the transitional regime, reaction kinetics are strongly dependent on strain energy and viscously deforming SB form most likely from an initial brittle stage in a dominantly brittle behaving rock. Viscous deformation in our experiments takes place at comparatively low experimental T, providing a realistic phase assemblage and likely deformation mechanism for the lower crust.

Structure and composition of the Southern Mariana Forearc: new observations and samples from Shinkai 6500 dive studies in 2010

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohara, Y.; Reagan, M. K.; Ishizuka, O.; Stern, R. J.

2010-12-01

The 3000-km long Izu-Bonin-Mariana (IBM) Arc system is an outstanding example of an intraoceanic convergent plate margin, and has become the particular focus of Japanese and US efforts to understand the operation of the “Subduction Factory”. In 2006 and 2008, twelve DSV Shinkai 6500 dives (973-977 and 1091-1097) were performed during YK06-12 and YK08-08 Leg 2 cruises along the landward slope of the southern Mariana Trench. The goal was to sample the remaining early arc crust associated with subduction initiation in the IBM system and upper mantle exposed in the forearc in order to gain a clearer understanding of the structure and evolution of Mariana forearc crust and upper mantle. The fruitful results include the recovery of the entire suite of rocks associated with what could be termed a “supra-subduction zone ophiolite” that formed during subduction initiation. An important discovery is that MORB-like tholeiitic basalts crop out over large areas. These “fore-arc basalts” (FAB) underlie boninites and overlie diabasic and gabbroic rocks. Potential origins include eruption at a spreading center before subduction began or eruption during near-trench spreading after subduction began (Reagan et al., 2010, G3). Another important discovery is a region of active forearc rifting at the southern end of the Mariana arc, named SE Mariana Forearc Rift (SEMFR). The SEMFR was firstly mapped with HMR-1 sonar (Martinez et al., 2000, JGR). Two dives at SEMFR recovered less-depleted backarc related peridotites (at Dive 973; Michibayashi et al., 2009, G3), and fresh basalts and basaltic andesites with petrographic characteristics like backarc basin lavas (at Dive 1096; see Ribeiro et al., AGU FM 2010). Although our previous studies have produced a number of important new observations about the geology of the southern Mariana forearc, our understanding of the region is still primitive. We will be conducting another cruise (YK10-12) during late September, 2010 to tackle two important problems by in-situ dive operations using the Shinkai 6500 and deep-tow camera: (1) Increasing the sampling density along the southern Mariana forearc, thereby providing detail for the lithological map of subduction initiation sequences. A particular goal will be to obtain a more complete suite of gabbroic lithologies for better radiometric age control. (2) Increasing the sampling density in the SEMFR to gain a better understanding of this newly indentified active rift and the origin of its near-trench basalts. In this contribution, we will report the results of this cruise, synthesizing our current understanding of the structure and composition of the southern Mariana forearc.

Hydrogeology of, and simulation of ground-water flow in a mantled carbonate-rock system, Cumberland Valley, Pennsylvania

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chichester, D.C.

1996-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey conducted a study in a highly productive and complex regolith-mantled carbonate valley in the northeastern part of the Cumberland Valley, Pa., as part of its Appalachian Valleys and Piedmont Regional Aquifer-system Analysis program. The study was designed to quantify the hydrogeologic characteristics and understand the ground-water flow system of a highly productive and complex thickly mantled carbonate valley. The Cumberland Valley is characterized by complexly folded and faulted carbonate bedrock in the valley bottom, by shale and graywacke to the north, and by red-sedimentary and diabase rocks in the east-southeast. Near the southern valley hillslope, the carbonate rock is overlain by wedge-shaped deposit of regolith, up to 450 feet thick, that is composed of residual material, alluvium, and colluvium. Locally, saturated regolith is greater than 200 feet thick. Seepage-run data indicate that stream reaches, near valley walls, are losing water from the stream, through the regolith, to the ground-water system. Results of hydrograph-separation analyses indicate that base flow in stream basins dominated by regolith-mantled carbonate rock, carbonate rock, and carbonate rock and shale are 81.6, 93.0, and 67.7 percent of total streamflow, respectively. The relative high percentage for the regolith-mantled carbonate-rock basin indicates that the regolith stores precipitation and slowly, steadily releases this water to the carbonate-rock aquifer and to streams as base flow. Anomalies in water-table gradients and configuration are a result of topography and differences in the character and distribution of overburden material, permeability, rock type, and geologic structure. Most ground-water flow is local, and ground water discharges to nearby springs and streams. Regional flow is northeastward to the Susquehanna River. Average-annual water budgets were calculated for the period of record from two continuous streamflow-gaging stations. Average-annual precipitation range from 39.0 to 40.5 inches, and averages about 40 inches for the model area. Average-annual recharge, which was assumed equal to the average-annual base flow, ranged from 12 inches for the Conodoguinet Creek, and 15 inches for the Yellow Breeches Creek. The thickly-mantled carbonate system was modeled as a three- dimensional water-table aquifer. Recharge to, ground-water flow through, and discharge from the Cumberland Valley were simulated. The model was calibrated for steady-state conditions using average recharge and discharge data. Aquifer horizontal hydraulic conductivity was calculated from specific-capacity data for each geologic unit in the area. Particle-tracking analyses indicate that interbasin and intrabasin flows of groundwater occur within the Yellow Breeches Creek Basin and between the Yellow Breeches and Conodoguinet Creek Basins.

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.

Mesozoic units in SE Rhodope (Bulgaria): new structural and petrologic data and geodynamic implications for the Early Jurassic to Mid-Cretaceous evolution of the Vardar ocean basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonev, N.; Stampfli, G.

2003-04-01

In the southeastern Rhodope, both in southern Bulgaria and northern Greece, Mesozoic low-grade to non-metamorphic units, together with similar units in the eastern Vardar zone, were designated as the Circum-Rhodope Belt (CRB) that fringes the Rhodope high-grade metamorphic complex. In the Bulgarian southeastern Rhodope, Mesozoic units show a complicated tectono-stratigraphy underlaid by amphibolite-facies basement units. The basement sequence includes a lower orthogneiss unit with eclogite and meta-ophiolite lenses overlain by an upper marble-schist unit, presumably along a SSW-directed detachment fault as indicated by shear sense indicators. The Mesozoic sequence starts with greenschist units at the base, overlaying the basement along the tectonic contact. Mineral assemblages such as actinolite-chlorite-white mica ± garnet in schists and phyllites indicate medium greenschist facies metamorphism. Kinematic indicators in the same unit demonstrate a top-to-the NNW and NNE shear deformation coeval with metamorphism, subparallel to NW-SE to NE-SW trending mineral elongation lineation and axis of NW vergent small-scale folds. The greenschist unit is overlain by tectonic or depositional contact of melange-like unit that consists of diabases with Lower Jurassic radiolarian chert interlayers, Upper Permian siliciclastics and Middle-Upper Triassic limestones found as blocks in olistostromic member, embedded in Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous turbiditic matrix. The uppermost sedimentary-volcanogenic unit is represented by andesito-basalt lavas and gabbro-diorites, interbedded with terrigeneous-marl and tufaceous sediments that yield Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) fossils, related to the Late Cretaceous back-arc magmatic activity to the north in Sredna Gora zone. Petrologic and geochemical data indicates sub-alkaline and tholeiitic character of the greenschists and ophiolitic basaltic lavas, and the latter are classified as low-K and very low-Ti basalts with some boninitic affinity. Immobile trace element discrimination of both rock types constrains the volcanic (oceanic)-arc origin. They generally show low total REE concentrations (LREE>HREE) with enrichment of LIL elements relative to the HFS elements, and also very low Nb and relatively high Ce content consistent with an island-arc tectonic setting. We consider that the Meliata-Maliac ocean northern passive margin could be the source provenance for the Upper Permian clastics and Middle-Upper Triassic limestone blocks within the olistostromic melange-like unit, whereas turbidites and magmatic blocks may originate in an island arc-accretionary complex that relates to the southward subduction of the Maliac ocean under the supra-subduction back-arc Vardar ocean/island arc system. These new structural and petrologic data allow to precise the tectonic setting of the Mesozoic units and their geodynamic context in the frame of the Early Jurassic to Late Cretaceous evolution of the Vardar ocean.

A new interpretation of the structure of the Sept Iles Intrusive suite, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Higgins, Michael D.

2005-08-01

The layered mafic intrusion at Sept Iles, Canada, is one of the largest intrusions in the world. A new interpretation of its structure is proposed, based on a review of its geology and a comparison with the Skaergaard intrusion, Greenland. Several different magmatic components are recognized; hence the name Sept Iles Intrusive suite (SIIS) is proposed. Emplacement of the suite may have been preceded by eruption of flood basalts. The first magmas of the suite rose in the crust to accumulate beneath the density filter afforded by the basalts. The largest component is the Sept Iles Mafic intrusion (SIMI). The Lower series of the SIMI is dominated by leucotroctolites and leucogabbros. Above it lie the Layered series, which is largely comprised of gabbro and troctolite. Both these units are unchanged from earlier interpretations. The anorthosites (s.l.), gabbros and monzogabbros, formerly called the Transitional series, are now considered to be the Upper Border series, developed by floatation of plagioclase. Common autoliths in the Layered series are parts of the hydrothermally altered Upper Border series from towards the interior of the intrusion, which have foundered and settled through the magma. The contamination of the magma that accompanied this event oxidised iron in the magma and led to the precipitation of magnetite around the periphery of the intrusion. The subsequent depletion of Fe 3+ and/or increase in SiO 2, CaO and P 2O 5 may have induced apatite saturation and accumulation to form two layers rich in apatite, near the base and at top of the Layered series. Granitic magma was developed by fractional crystallisation and was emplaced along the roof of the chamber, where it acquired large quantities of xenoliths. These were probably derived from the flood basalts, their evolved members and fragments of mafic dykes chilled by the granitic magma. Accumulations of monzonite pillows in this unit testify to another magmatic event and a floor to the granitic magma chamber, indicating lateral transport of magma. Chemically distinct syenites in the upper part of the intrusion are part of the Point du Criade intrusion, a large, late composite sill. Diabase and leucogabbro components show a close link with the SIMI and all the acidic magmas may have originally formed by differentiation of the main magma in cupolas towards the centre of the intrusion. A series of late gabbro intrusions that cut the SIMI may represent a rejuvenation of magmatism. The Border zone is a mass of fine-grained rocks that occurs along the border of the SIMI: it may be another magmatic component, or just the lateral border series of the SIMI.

Gossan Hill, Victoria Island, Northwest Territories: An analogue for mine waste reactions within permafrost and implication for the subsurface mineralogy of Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterson, Ronald C.; Williamson, Marie-Claude; Rainbird, Robert H.

2014-08-01

Gossan Hill is located within the Minto Inlier in central Victoria Island, Northwest Territories (N 71.36697°, W 114.95155°). A study of the mineralogical associations and geological setting of this deposit indicates that it is an arrested hydrothermal system frozen in permafrost. From above, the hill stands out because of the topographic relief of 75 m and the orange-brown color of the surficial material. The surface of the hill is marked by areas of concentric color zonation up to 3 m across, with light gray centers surrounded by a yellow-orange ring that is surrounded by an orange-brown color that covers the rest of the surface of the hill. Trenches dug into these areas reveal that the central zone contains quartz and pyrite +/- native sulfur in a loose aggregate of sand-sized grains. This central area is surrounded by a zone dominated by gypsum and quartz with some jarosite. Beyond this, the surrounding surface consists of quartz, hematite, and amorphous iron oxides. The radial arrangement of the mineral assemblage indicates an increase in oxidation of sulfur from the center outward. Analysis of isotopic composition of the sulfur indicates the source of sulfur could be the underlying strata. The hill is underlain by inter-bedded carbonate and sulfate-evaporite sedimentary rocks of the Kilian formation in the upper part of the Neoproterozoic Shaler Super group. The sedimentary rocks were intruded by diabase sills of the 720 Ma Franklin igneous event, which crop out 2 km to the south of Gossan Hill. The soft friable nature of the deposit and the topographic relief of the hill indicate a post-glacial (Pleistocene) age of formation. Permafrost has maintained the disequilibrium mineral assemblage since the cessation of fluid flow. Extraction of the permafrost ice from the central zone yields a liquid with a pH of 2.3. The observed long-term persistence of pyrite encased within the acidic permafrost indicates that oxidation and dissolution reactions common in mine waste are slowed, if not stopped, in such an environment. The predicted rise of Arctic temperatures will cause the active layer to move deeper and result in the release of the acidic solutions frozen in the permafrost. Water ice or frozen CO2 just below the Martian surface would also preserve such mineral disequilibrium for very long periods of time. No region exists on Earth where ice has existed continuously for millions of years, but the Gossan Hill deposit is an excellent terrestrial analogue. On Mars, the subsurface ice may be very old. Ancient reactive Martian mineral assemblages and the fluids associated with them will reflect conditions that existed in the past.

Gravity and magnetic anomalies used to delineate geologic features associated with earthquakes and aftershocks in the central Virginia seismic zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shah, A. K.; Horton, J.; McNamara, D. E.; Spears, D.; Burton, W. C.

2013-12-01

Estimating seismic hazard in intraplate environments can be challenging partly because events are relatively rare and associated data thus limited. Additionally, in areas such as the central Virginia seismic zone, numerous pre-existing faults may or may not be candidates for modern tectonic activity, and other faults may not have been mapped. It is thus important to determine whether or not specific geologic features are associated with seismic events. Geophysical and geologic data collected in response to the Mw5.8 August 23, 2011 central Virginia earthquake provide excellent tools for this purpose. Portable seismographs deployed within days of the main shock showed a series of aftershocks mostly occurring at depths of 3-8 km along a southeast-dipping tabular zone ~10 km long, interpreted as the causative fault or fault zone. These instruments also recorded shallow (< 4 km) aftershocks clustered in several areas at distances of ~2-15 km from the main fault zone. We use new airborne geophysical surveys (gravity, magnetics, radiometrics, and LiDAR) to delineate the distribution of various surface and subsurface geologic features of interest in areas where the earthquake and aftershocks took place. The main (causative fault) aftershock cluster coincides with a linear, NE-trending gravity gradient (~ 2 mgal/km) that extends over 20 km in either direction from the Mw5.8 epicenter. Gravity modeling incorporating seismic estimates of Moho variations suggests the presence of a shallow low-density body overlying the main aftershock cluster, placing it within the upper 2-4 km of the main-fault hanging wall. The gravity, magnetic, and radiometric data also show a bend in generally NE-SW orientation of anomalies close to the Mw5.8 epicenter. Most shallow aftershock clusters occur near weaker short-wavelength gravity gradients of one to several km length. In several cases these gradients correspond to geologic contacts mapped at the surface. Along the gravity gradients, the aftershocks appear to cluster near areas with cross-cutting geologic features such as Jurassic diabase dikes. These associations suggest that local variations in rock density and/or rheology may have contributed to modifications of local stress regimes in a manner encouraging localized seismicity associated with the Mw5.8 event and its aftershocks. Such associations are comparable to results of previous studies recognizing correspondences between seismicity and features such as intrusive bodies and failed rifts in the New Madrid seismic zone and elsewhere. To explore whether similar correspondences may have occurred in the past, we use regional gravity and magnetic data to consider possible relations between historical earthquakes and comparable geologic features elsewhere in the central Virginia seismic zone.

Insights from analog gelatin experiments on the effect of bedding dip on sill morphology and crystal load

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Currier, R. M.; Marsh, B. D.; Mittal, T.

2010-12-01

The profusion of sills the world over offers a wide spectrum of geologic conditions under which to study emplacement mechanisms and the establishment of the initial conditions governing the subsequent magmatic evolution. Many diabase/dolerite sills are featureless bodies whose only record of solidification is contained in the variation of crystal size. But other sills formed of magma containing crystals entrained from earlier crystallization episodes often show a rich history of interaction between settling crystals and solidification fronts such that the physical history of differentiation can be readily observed. This work explores this aspect of sills using visco-elastic gelatin as country rock, molten wax as magma and tiny particles as phenocrysts. Magmatic sills form mechanically, when an ascending dike encounters a more rigid layer, is diverted laterally, and systematically inflates as guided along by the interface. In this manner, sills grow about the injection site, and can do so symmetrically or asymmetrically. The degree of asymmetry is affected by the dip angle of the interface. An angled interface implies a directional pressure gradient, and magma flows preferentially in the direction of decreasing pressure, in this case, up tilt. So, the greater the tilt, the greater the asymmetry. By experimentally producing sills in layered, tilted, media, we have investigated the influence of bed dip on sill morphology. Experiments were performed by injecting wax and particles into gelatin where the layers were poured at set angles to mimic tilted bedding. In addition to its visco-elastic properties, gelatin also has the added benefit of transparency, allowing for direct observation during the experiment and can be washed away later to reveal the exact details of the remaining solid. To emulate magma as a multi-phase slurry, a magmatic analog was used consisting of a mixture of molten wax near its liquidus and ultrafine glitter. Wax solidifies in response to thermal loss, as does the liquid portion of magma, affecting emplacement characteristics itself and preserving transient features that would otherwise be lost. The particles act as crystal cargo, and track magmatic flow within the sill. Surprisingly, even though the injection process is a single pulse, the wax-particle combination intimately records several internal lobes that might otherwise be interpreted as a multiple-pulse style emplacement. The end product is a handheld magmatic plumbing system that can be examined in full detail. There are many cases of sills in the geologic record where the original host rock bedding dip at the time of emplacement is unknown due perhaps to subsequent tectonism. In addition to the experiments providing insights on the magmatic evolution of slurries, they may thus also prove useful in inferring the original bed orientation.

MOR vs SSZ origin of the Aladaǧ ophiolite (S-Turkey): implications from clinopyroxene geochemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saka, Samet; Uysal, Ibrahim; Seitz, Michael; Melih Akmaz, Recep

2017-04-01

The Aladaǧ ophiolite is located in the eastern Taurides, north of the city of Adana, southern Turkey. From bottom to top it is composed of mantle peridotites, ultramafic-mafic cumulates, isotropic (massive) gabbro and diabase dykes. Mantle peridotites, represented by varying degrees of serpentinized dunite, harzburgite and lherzolite, are divided into two subgroups according to spinel Cr# and Lanthanum Group Element (LGE) contents. Group-1 mantle peridotites contain spinel with low Cr# [100×Cr/(Cr+Al) = 13-47] values and relatively high heavy LGE contents whereas Group-2 mantle peridotites contain spinel with relatively higher Cr# (44-74) values and lower heavy LGE contents. Clinopyroxene in the Aladaǧ mantle peridotites are diopside in composition. Clinopyroxenes from the Group-1 samples have TiO2 contents up to 0.37 wt.% and Na2O contents up to 0.89 wt.%. Conversely, the Group-2 clinopyroxenes were relatively depleted compared to the Group-1 clinopyroxenes in terms of TiO2 (<0,1 wt.%) and Na2O (<0.56 wt.%) contents. The Al2O3 contents are between 0.36-5.75 wt.% for the Group-1 clinopyroxenes and this value is relatively low and range between 0.06-2.68 wt.% for the Group-2 clinopyroxenes. Chondrite-normalized LGE patterns of clinopyroxene in the Group-1 and the Group-2 samples differ from each other. While the Group-1 clinopyroxenes show almost flat HLGE to MLGE patterns (DyN/LuN= 0.35-1.30 avg; 0.75), the Group-2 clinopyroxenes are represented by a more significant depletion from HLGE to MLGE (DyN/LuN= 0.04-0.41 avg; 0.19). Ti and Dy contents of clinopyroxene from the Group-1 samples range between 320-2536 ppm and 0.43-2.4 ppm, respectively. However, the Group-2 clinopyroxenes contain rather lower Ti and Dy contents compared to Group-1 clinopyroxenes, varying from 34 to 289 ppm and 0.02 to 0.20 ppm, respectively. The major oxide composition and LGE patterns as well as Ti and Dy contents of the clinopyroxenes indicate that Group-1 samples are relatively lower-degree partial melting residue left after melting in the mid-ocean ridges, while the Group-2 samples are higher degree partial melting residue at suprasubduction zone. The high Ti versus Dy and Zr contents of Group-1 clinopyroxenes support that they are dry melting residues at mid-ocean ridge setting; however, lower Ti contents for a given Zr contents of Group-2 clinopyroxenes imply that these clinopyroxenes are formed as a result of hydrous partial melting. This study was supported by #114Y094 TUBITAK project

Geophysical modeling of the northern Appalachian Brompton-Cameron, Central Maine, and Avalon terranes under the New Jersey Coastal Plain

USGS Publications Warehouse

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

2004-01-01

A regional terrane map of the New Jersey Coastal Plain basement was constructed using seismic, drilling, gravity and magnetic data. The Brompton-Cameron and Central Maine terranes were coalesced as one volcanic island arc terrane before obducting onto Laurentian, Grenville age, continental crust in the Taconian orogeny [Rankin, D.W., 1994. Continental margin of the eastern United States: past and present. In: Speed, R.C., (Ed.), Phanerozoic Evolution of North American Continent-Ocean Transitions. DNAG Continent-Ocean Transect Volume. Geological Society of America, Boulder, Colorado, pp. 129-218]. Volcanic island-arc rocks of the Avalon terrane are in contact with Central Maine terrane rocks in southern Connecticut where the latter are overthrust onto the Brompton-Cameron terrane, which is thrust over Laurentian basement. Similarities of these allochthonous island arc terranes (Brompton-Cameron, Central Maine, Avalon) in lithology, fauna and age suggest that they are faulted segments of the margin of one major late Precambrian to early Paleozoic, high latitude peri-Gondwana island arc designated as "Avalonia", which collided with Laurentia in the early to middle Paleozoic. The Brompton Cameron, Central Maine, and Avalon terranes are projected as the basement under the eastern New Jersey Coastal Plain based on drill core samples of metamorphic rocks of active margin/magmatic arc origin. A seismic reflection profile across the New York Bight traces the gentle dipping (approximately 20 degrees) Cameron's Line Taconian suture southeast beneath allochthonous Avalon and other terranes to a 4 sec TWTT depth (approximately 9 km) where the Avalonian rocks are over Laurentian crust. Gentle up-plunge (approximately 5 degrees) projections to the southwest bring the Laurentian Grenville age basement and the drift-stage early Paleozoic cover rocks to windows in Burlington Co. at approximately 1 km depth and Cape May Co. at approximately 2 km depths. The antiformal Shellburne Falls and Chester domes and Chain Lakes-Pelham dome-Bronson Hill structural trends, and the synformal Connecticut Valley-Gaspe structural trend can be traced southwest into the New Jersey Coastal Plain basement. A Mesozoic rift basin, the "Sandy Hook basin", and associated eastern boundary fault is identified, based upon gravity modeling, in the vicinity of Sandy Hook, New Jersey. The thickness of the rift-basin sedimentary rocks contained within the "Sandy Hook basin" is approximately 4.7 km, with the basin extending offshore to the east of the New Jersey coast. Gravity modeling indicates a deep rift basin and the magnetic data indicates a shallow magnetic basement caused by magnetic diabase sills and/or basalt flows contained within the rift-basin sedimentary rocks. The igneous sills and/or flows may be the eastward continuation of the Watchung and Palisades bodies. ?? 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Composition and Structure of Mauna Loa's Submarine West Flank, Hawaii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borchers, D.; Morgan, J. K.; Clague, D. A.; Moore, G. F.

2003-12-01

James Moore's pioneering work on submarine landslides in the Hawaiian Islands contributed significantly to early models for the structure and evolution of Mauna Loa's submarine western flank. The west flank experienced catastrophic failure in the past, generating massive blocks and debris fields offshore. Moore recognized that the midslope bench near the base of the submarine flank must have postdated the debris avalanche, but little data existed to determine if it formed in response to further landsliding or to deeper volcanic processes. As the processes that shaped Mauna Loa are thought to be analogous to those currently active at Kilauea, an improved understanding of Mauna Loa's history can provide valuable insight into the future of the younger Hawaiian volcanoes. Several recent marine surveys in the area, including submersible surveys conducted by MBARI and JAMSTEC, and a multi-channel seismic (MCS) survey carried out by the University of Hawaii, provide important new data about the composition and structure of Mauna Loa's submarine west flank. We carried out detailed geochemical, petrographic and structural analyses of rock samples and dive videos collected from the exposed northern wall of the midslope bench, documenting a repeated sequences of volcaniclastic sandstones and breccias. This stratigraphy contrasts with the predominantly subaerially erupted basalts composing the upper flank. Several thick ponded flows or sill-like diabase units are also interspersed in the section. The volcaniclastic units are highly cemented, and many contain hydrothermal alteration products, including chlorite, zeolites, and actinolite. The most altered rocks occur near the base of the bench and the degree of alteration decreases upward in the section. Samples collected from the outer scarp of the bench show evidence for intense shearing and cataclasis at all scales. The new MCS line crosses Mauna Loa's southern submarine flank and central bench. More than 500 m of finely layered slope strata overlie the upper flank to the south, and are truncated above the Ka Lae avalanche scar. The central bench to the north, sampled by the MBARI dives, shows only thin sediment cover above a poorly reflective interior. Strong deep reflections in both locations begin to resolve the underlying oceanic crust, as well as probable fault planes that may be responsible for flank deformation in this area. The abundance of volcaniclastic rocks with Mauna Loa affinities within the bench supports the idea that giant landslides from Mauna Loa were the source of much of the offshore debris. The stratal repetition, deformation fabrics, and cementation of the volcaniclastics also suggest that the rocks composing the bench were once deeply buried and have been subsequently exhumed by thrusting, most likely driven by deep volcanic spreading.

Facies, Stratigraphic and Depositional Model of the Sediments in the Abrolhos Archipelago (Bahia, BRAZIL)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matte, R. R.; Zambonato, E. E.

2012-04-01

Located in the Mucuri Basin on the continental shelf of southern Bahia state, northeast Brazil, about 70 km from the city of Caravelas,the Abrolhos archipelago is made up of five islands; Santa Barbara, Redonda, Siriba, Guarita and Sueste. The exhumed sediments in the Abrolhos archipelago are a rare record of the turbidite systems which fill the Brazilian Atlantic Basin, and are probably an unprecedented example of a plataform turbidite system (Dr. Mutti, personal communication). Despite the limited area, the outcrops display a wide facies variation produced by different depositional processes, and also allow for the observation of the layer geometries. Associated with such sedimentary rocks, the Abrolhos Volcanic Complex belongs stratigraphically to the Abrolhos Formation. These igneous rocks were dated by the Ar / Ar method, with ages ranging from 60 to 40 My, placing such Volcanic Complex between the Paleocene and Eocene. The sedimentary section is best exposed in the Santa Barbara and Redonda islands and altogether it is 70 m thick. The measured vertical sections show a good stratigraphic correlation between the rocks of the western portion of the first island and those of Redonda Island. However, there is no correlation between the eastern and western portions of Santa Barbara Island, since they are very likely interrupted by the igneous intrusion and possibly by faulting. The sedimentary stack consists of deposits with alternated regressive and transgressive episodes interpreted as high frequency sequences. The coarse facies, sandstones and conglomerates, with abrupt or erosive bases record regressive phases. On the other hand, finer sandstones and siltstones facies, which are partly bioturbated, correspond to phases of a little sediment supply. In the central and eastern portions of Santa Barbara Island, there is a trend of progradational stacking, while both in the western portion of Santa Barbara and in Redonda islands an agradational trend is observed. The predominance of layers with tabular geometry, characteristic of turbidite lobes, the presence of hummocky stratification, trace fossils typical of shallow water (Ophiomorphs and Thalassinoides), all associated with the occurrence of the carbonaceous material as well as plant fragments suggest a deltaic/ plataform depositional context. Textural features and sedimentary structures observed in the conglomerates and sandstones show the action of gravitational flows of high and low density. The fine interlaminated sandstones and siltstones later deformed as slumps or slides, and conglomerates with oriented clasts indicate, respectively, mass movements and action of debris flow. Conglomeratic lags levels record a bypass phenomenon. There are no biostratigraphic data in these studied outcrops. However, petrographic analyses revealed the presence of fragments of igneous rocks (basalts and diabases) in both sandstones and conglomerates, suggesting a relative contemporaneity between igneous activity and sediment deposition. Futhermore, petrographic analyses also found poor permo-porous conditions in the reservoirs due to the presence of fragments of volcanic rocks and the abundance of intraclasts / pseudomatrix.

Geology of the ultrabasic to basic Uitkomst complex, eastern Transvaal, South Africa: an overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gauert, C. D. K.; De Waal, S. A.; Wallmach, T.

1995-11-01

The Uitkomst complex in eastern Transvaal, South Africa, is a mineralized, layered ultrabasic to basic intrusion of Bushveld complex age (2.05-2.06 Ga) that intruded into the sedimentary rocks of the Lower Transvaal Supergroup. The complex is situated 20 km north of Badplaas. It is elongated in a northwesterly direction and is exposed over a total distance of 9 km. The intrusion is interpreted to have an anvil-shaped cross-section with a true thickness of approximately 800 m and is enveloped by metamorphosed and, in places, brecciated country rocks. Post-Bushveld diabase intrusions caused considerable vertical dilation of teh complex. The complex consists of six lithological units (from bottom to top): Basal Gabbro, Lower Harzburgite, Chromitiferous Harzburgite, Main Harzburgite, Pyroxenite and Gabbronorite. The Basal Gabbro Unit, developed at the base of the intrusion and showing a narrow chilled margin of 0.2 to 1.5 m against the floor rocks, has an average thickness of 6 m and grades upwards into the sulphide-rich and xenolith-bearing sequence of the Lower Harzburgite Unit. The latter unit averages 50 m in thickness and is gradationally overlain by the chromite-rich harzburgite of the Chromitiferous Harzburgite Unit (average thickness 60 m). Following on from the Chromitiferous Harzburgite Unit is the 330 m thick Main Harzburgite Unit. The Pyroxenite and Gabbronorite Units (total combined thickness of 310 m) form the uppermost formations of the intrusion. The three lower lithological units, Basal Gabbro to Chromitiferous Harzburgite, are highly altered by late magmatic, hydrothermal processes causing widespread serpentinization, steatitization, saussuritization and uralitization. Field relations, petrography and mineral and whole rock chemistry suggest the following sequence of events, The original emplacement of magma took place from northwest to southeast. The intrusion was bounded between two major fracture zones that gave rise to an elongated body, which acted as a conduit for later magma heaves. The first magma pulses, forming the chilled margin of the intrusion, show chemical affinities to a micropyroxenite described from the Bushveld complex. The Lower Harzburgite and Chromitiferous Harzburgite Units, judged from the abundance of xenoliths, originated by crystal settling from a contaminated basic magma. The Main Harzburgite crystallized from a magma of constant, probably also basic, composition, which flowed through the conduit after formation of the lower three lithological units. At a late stage of emplacement, after replenishment in the conduit came to a standstill, closed system conditions developed in the upper part of the complex, resulting in a magma fractionation trend of increasing incompatible elements contents towards the top of the intrusion. The mineralization in the lower three rock units and at the base was most probably caused by a segregating sulphide liquid forced to precipitate by the oxidative degassing of dolomite. Sulphur isotope ratios indicate various degrees of contamination of the magma by the enveloping sedimentary rocks, which provided the necessary amounts of S to reach S saturation.

Bedrock geologic map of the Littleton and Lower Waterford quadrangles, Essex and Caledonia Counties, Vermont, and Grafton County, New Hampshire

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rankin, Douglas W.

2018-06-13

The bedrock geologic map of the Littleton and Lower Waterford quadrangles covers an area of approximately 107 square miles (277 square kilometers) north and south of the Connecticut River in east-central Vermont and adjacent New Hampshire. This map was created as part of a larger effort to produce a new bedrock geologic map of Vermont through the collection of field data at a scale of 1:24,000. A large part of the map area consists of the Bronson Hill anticlinorium, a post-Early Devonian structure that is cored by metamorphosed Cambrian to Devonian sedimentary, volcanic, and plutonic rocks. The northwestern part of the map is divided by the Monroe fault which separates Early Devonian rocks of the Connecticut Valley-Gaspé trough from rocks of the Bronson Hill anticlinorium.The Bronson Hill anticlinorium is the apex of the Middle Ordovician to earliest-Silurian Bronson Hill magmatic arc that contains the Ammonoosuc Volcanics, Partridge Formation, and Oliverian Plutonic suite, and extends from Maine, down the eastern side of the Connecticut River in New Hampshire, to Long Island Sound. The deformed and partially eroded arc is locally overlain by a relatively thin Silurian section of metasedimentary rocks (Clough Quartzite and Fitch Formation) that thickens to the east. The Silurian section near Littleton is disconformably overlain by a thicker, Lower Devonian section that includes mostly metasedimentary rocks and minor metavolcanic rocks of the Littleton Formation. The Bronson Hill anticlinorium is bisected by a series of northeast-southwest trending Mesozoic normal faults. Primarily among them is the steeply northwest-dipping Ammonoosuc fault that divides older and younger units (upper and lower sections) of the Ammonoosuc Volcanics. The Ammonoosuc Volcanics are lithologically complex and predominantly include interlayered and interfingered rhyolitic to basaltic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks, as well as lesser amounts of metamorphic and metasedimentary rocks. The Ammonoosuc Volcanics overlies the Albee Formation that consists of interlayered feldspathic sandstone, siltstone, pelite, and slate.During the Late Ordovician, a series of arc-related plutons intruded the Ammonoosuc Volcanics, including the Whitefield pluton to the east, the Scrag granite of Billing (1937) in the far southeastern corner of the map, the Highlandcroft Granodiorite just to the west of the Ammonoosuc fault, and the Joslin Turn tonalite (just north of the Connecticut River). To the east of the Monroe fault lies the late Silurian Comerford Intrusive Complex, which consists of metamorphosed gabbro, diorite, tonalite, aplitic tonalite, and crosscutting diabase dikes. Abundant mafic dikes of the Comerford Intrusive Complex intruded the Albee Formation and Ammonoosuc Volcanics well east of the Monroe fault.This report consists of a single geologic map sheet and an online geographic information systems database that includes contacts of bedrock geologic units, faults, outcrops, and structural geologic information.

Geology of the Lake Mary quadrangle, Iron County, Michigan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bayley, Richard W.

1959-01-01

The Lake Mary quadrangle is in eastern Iron County, in the west part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The quadrangle is underlain by Lower and Middle Precambrian rocks, formerly designated Archean and Algonkian rocks, and is extensively covered by Pleistocene glacial deposits. A few Upper Precambrian (Keweenawan) diabase dikes and two remnants of sandstone and dolomite of early Paleozoic age are also found in the area. The major structural feature is the Holmes Lake anticline, the axis of which strikes northwest through the northeast part of the quadrangle. Most of the quadrangle, therefore, is underlain by rock of the west limb of the anticline. To the northwest along the fold axis, the Holmes Lake anticline is separated from the Amasa oval by a saddle of transverse folds in the vicinity of Michigamme Mountain in the Kiernan quadrangle. The Lower Precambrian rocks are represented by the Dickinson group and by porphyritic red granite whose relation to the Dickinson group is uncertain, but which may be older. The rocks of the Dickinson group are chiefly green to black metavolcanic schist and red felsite, some of the latter metarhyolite. The dark schist is commonly magnetic. The Dickinson group underlies the core area of the Holmes Lake anticline, which is flanked by steeply dipping Middle Precambrian formations of the Animikie series. A major unconformity separates the Lower Precambrian rocks from the overlying Middle Precambrian rocks. In ascending order the formations of the Middle Precambrian are the Randville dolomite, the Hemlock formation, which includes the Mansfield iron-bearing slate member, and the Michigamme slate. An unconformity occurs between the Hemlock formation and Michigamme slate. The post-Hemlock unconformity is thought to be represented in the Lake Mary quadrangle by the absence of iron-formation of the Amasa formation, which is known to lie between the Hemlock and the Michigamme to the northwest of the Lake Mary quadrangle in the Crystal Falls quadrangle. Post-Hemlock erosion may account also for the absence of iron-formation of the Fence River formation on the east limb of the Holmes Lake anticline within the Lake Mary quadrangle. The Randville dolomite is not exposed and is known only from diamond drilling in the northeast part of the area where it occurs in the east and west limbs of the Holmes Lake anticline. The formation has a maximum thickness of about 2,100 feet; this includes a lower arkosic phase, some of which is quartz pebble conglomerate, a medial dolomitic phase, and an upper slate phase. The triad is gradational. Included within the formation are a few beds of chloritic schist thought to be of volcanic origin. An unconformity between the Randville and the succeeding Hemlock is not indicated in the quadrangle, but is probably present. The Hemlock formation is best exposed in the northwest and south-central parts of the area. The apparent thickness of the formation is 10,000- 17,000 feet. It is composed mainly of mafic metavolcanic rocks and intercalated slate and iron-formation. In the north part of the quadrangle the volcanic rocks are greenstone, which includes altered basaltic flow rocks, volcanic breccia, tuff, and slate. Pillow structures are common in the metabasalt. It is not certain if any Hemlock rocks are present in the east limb of the Holmes Lake anticline. In the south part of the quadrangle, the rocks of the Hemlock are chiefly chlorite and hornblende schist and hornfels. Pyroxene hornfels is sparingly present. At least two sedimentary slate belts are included in the Hemlock formation. One of these, the Mansfield iron-bearing slate member, includes in its upper part an altered chert-siderite iron-formation 30 to over 150 feet thick from which iron ore has been mined at the Mansfield location. The position of the iron-bearing rocks has been determined magnetically, and past explorations for iron ore are discussed. Though probably; unconformable, the contact between the Hemlock and the Michigamme formations appears conformable. The Michigamme slate consists of at least 4,000 feet of interbedded mica schist and granulite, the altered equivalents of the slate and graywacke characteristic of the Michigamme in adjacent areas. The Michigamme rocks are best exposed in the south part of the quadrangle in the vicinity of Peavy Pond. Two periods of regional metamorphism have resulted in the alteration of almost all of the rocks of the quadrangle. The Lower Precambrian rocks underwent at least one period of metamorphism, uplift, and erosion before the deposition of the Randville dolomite. After the deposition of the Michigamme slate, a post-Middle Precambrian period of regional metamorphism occurred with attending deformation and igneous intrusion. The grade of metamorphism rises toward the south in the area. The rocks in the northern two-thirds of the quadrangle are representative of greenschist facies of regional metamorphism, whereas the rocks in the southern onethird of the quadrangle are representative of the albite-epidote-amphibolite, the amphibolite, and the pyroxene hornfels facies, the metamorphic node centering about the intrusive Peavy Pond complex in the Peavy Pond area. The Precambrian sedimentary and volcanic rocks are cut by intrusive igneous rocks of different types and several different ages. Gabbroic sills and dikes invaded the Hemlock rocks at some time after the Hemlock was deposited and before the post-Middle Precambrian orogeny and metamorphism. Some contact metamorphism attended the intrusion of the major sills. One of the sills, the West Kiernan sill, is well differentiated. A syntectonic igneous body, composed of gabbro and minor ultramafic parts and fringed with intermediate and felsic differentiates and hybrids, the Peavy; Pond complex, was intruded into the Hemlock and Michigamme formations during the post-Middle Precambrian orogeny. The complex is situated in the Peavy Pond area at the crest of the regional metamorphic node. Contact-altered sedimentary and volcanic rocks margin the complex. The effects of regional metamorphism have been superposed on the contact metamorphic rocks peripheral to the complex and on the igneous rocks of the complex as well. The mafic augite-bearing rocks of the complex emplaced early in the orogeny were deformed by granulation at the peak of the deformation and subsequently metamorphosed to hornblende rocks. Some of the intermediate and felsic rocks of the complex were foliated by the deformation, while the more fluid, felsic parts of the complex were intruded under orogenic stress and crystallized after the peak of deformation. The deformation culminated in major faulting during which the formations were dislocated, and some of the granite of the complex was extremely brecciated. A few diabase dikes, probably of Keweenawan age, have intruded the deformed and altered Animikie rocks. The only known metallic resource is iron ore. The Mansfield mine produced 1¥2 million tons of high-grade iron ore between the years 1890 and 1913. Sporadic exploration since 1913 has failed to reveal other ore deposits of economic importance.

A LiDAR Survey of an Exposed Magma Plumbing System in the San Rafael Desert, Utah

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richardson, J. A.; Kinman, S.; Connor, L.; Connor, C.; Wetmore, P. H.

2013-12-01

Fields of dozens to hundreds of volcanoes are a common occurrence on Earth and are created due to distributed-style volcanism often referred to as "monogenetic." These volcanic fields represent a significant hazard on both local and regional scales. While it is important to understand the physical states of active volcanic fields, it is difficult or impossible to directly observe active magma emplacement. Because of this, observing an exposed magmatic plumbing system may enable further efforts to describe active volcanic fields. The magmatic plumbing system of a Pliocene-aged monogenetic volcanic field is currently exposed as a sill and dike swarm in the San Rafael Desert of Central Utah. Alkali diabase and shonkinitic sills and dikes in this region intruded into Mesozoic sedimentary units of the Colorado Plateau and now make up the most erosion resistant units, forming mesas, ridges, and small peaks associated with sills, dikes, and plug-like bodies respectively. Diez et al. (Lithosphere, 2009) and Kiyosugi et al. (Geology, 2012) provide evidence that each cylindrical plug-like body represents a conduit that once fed one volcano. The approximate original depth of the currently exposed swarm is estimated to be 0.8 km. Volcanic and sedimentary materials may be discriminated at very high resolution with the use of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR). LiDAR produces a three dimensional point cloud, where each point has an associated return intensity. High resolution, bare earth digital elevation models (DEMs) can be produced after vegetation is identified and removed from the dataset. The return intensity at each point can enable classification as either sedimentary or volcanic rock. A Terrestrial LiDAR Survey (TLS) has been carried out to map a large hill with at least one volcanic conduit at its core. This survey implements a RIEGL VZ-400 3D Laser Scanner, which successfully maps solid objects in line-of-sight and within 600 meters. The laser used has a near infrared wavelength. The scanner is set up at 11 scan positions around the conduit edifice, enabling the creation of a 3D point cloud for the edifice and surrounding surface geology. Vegetation is then removed and the point cloud is georeferenced to create a bare earth DEM. Points are assigned RGB color values using calibrated photographs taken coincident to the laser scanning. With the processed LiDAR point cloud, volcanic and sedimentary materials may be discriminated by return intensity and RGB color values. We find that intrusive material returns a demonstrably lower intensity signal than the lighter sedimentary units. Along with field mapping during the TLS, this information can provide high resolution detail of the local magma plumbing system. Exposed dikes, sills, and conduits mapped by this survey are extrapolated into a 3D space from the top of the edifice the base election of the survey to provide a first-order estimate of the final intrusive volume of the now eroded volcanic field in this location.

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.

Hydrocarbon Source Rocks in the Deep River and Dan River Triassic Basins, North Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reid, Jeffrey C.; Milici, Robert C.

2008-01-01

This report presents an interpretation of the hydrocarbon source rock potential of the Triassic sedimentary rocks of the Deep River and Dan River basins, North Carolina, based on previously unpublished organic geochemistry data. The organic geochemical data, 87 samples from 28 drill holes, are from the Sanford sub-basin (Cumnock Formation) of the Deep River basin, and from the Dan River basin (Cow Branch Formation). The available organic geochemical data are biased, however, because many of the samples collected for analyses by industry were from drill holes that contained intrusive diabase dikes, sills, and sheets of early Mesozoic age. These intrusive rocks heated and metamorphosed the surrounding sediments and organic matter in the black shale and coal bed source rocks and, thus, masked the source rock potential that they would have had in an unaltered state. In places, heat from the intrusives generated over-mature vitrinite reflectance (%Ro) profiles and metamorphosed the coals to semi-anthracite, anthracite, and coke. The maximum burial depth of these coal beds is unknown, and depth of burial may also have contributed to elevated thermal maturation profiles. The organic geochemistry data show that potential source rocks exist in the Sanford sub-basin and Dan River basin and that the sediments are gas prone rather than oil prone, although both types of hydrocarbons were generated. Total organic carbon (TOC) data for 56 of the samples are greater than the conservative 1.4% TOC threshold necessary for hydrocarbon expulsion. Both the Cow Branch Formation (Dan River basin) and the Cumnock Formation (Deep River basin, Sanford sub-basin) contain potential source rocks for oil, but they are more likely to have yielded natural gas. The organic material in these formations was derived primarily from terrestrial Type III woody (coaly) material and secondarily from lacustrine Type I (algal) material. Both the thermal alteration index (TAI) and vitrinite reflectance data (%Ro) indicate levels of thermal maturity suitable for generation of hydrocarbons. The genetic potential of the source rocks in these Triassic basins is moderate to high and many source rock sections have at least some potential for hydrocarbon generation. Some data for the Cumnock Formation indicate a considerably higher source rock potential than the basin average, with S1 + S2 data in the mid-20 mg HC/g sample range, and some hydrocarbons have been generated. This implies that the genetic potential for all of these strata may have been higher prior to the igneous activity. However, the intergranular porosity and permeability of the Triassic strata are low, which makes fractured reservoirs more attractive as drilling targets. In some places, gravity and magnetic surveys that are used to locate buried intrusive rock may identify local thermal sources that have facilitated gas generation. Alternatively, awareness of the distribution of large intrusive igneous bodies at depth may direct exploration into other areas, where thermal maturation is less than the limits of hydrocarbon destruction. Areas prospective for natural gas also contain large surficial clay resources and any gas discovered could be used as fuel for local industries that produce clay products (principally brick), as well as fuel for other local industries.

Bedrock geologic map of the Miles Pond and Concord quadrangles, Essex and Caledonia Counties, Vermont, and Grafton County, New Hampshire

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rankin, Douglas W.

2018-04-20

The bedrock geologic map of the Miles Pond and Concord quadrangles covers an area of approximately 107 square miles (276 square kilometers) in east-central Vermont and adjacent New Hampshire, north of and along the Connecticut River. This map was created as part of a larger effort to produce a new bedrock geologic map of Vermont through the collection of field data at a scale of 1:24,000. The majority of the map area consists of the Bronson Hill anticlinorium, a post-Early Devonian structure that is cored by metamorphosed Cambrian to Silurian sedimentary, volcanic, and plutonic rocks. A major feature on the map is the Monroe fault, interpreted to be a west-directed, steeply dipping Late Devonian (Acadian) thrust fault. To the west of the Monroe fault, rocks of the Connecticut Valley-Gaspé trough dominate and consist primarily of metamorphosed Silurian and Devonian sedimentary rocks. To the north, the Victory pluton intrudes the Bronson Hill anticlinorium. The Bronson Hill anticlinorium consists of the metamorphosed Albee Formation, the Ammonoosuc Volcanics, the Comerford Intrusive Complex, the Highlandcroft Granodiorite, and the Joselin Turn tonalite. The Albee Formation is an interlayered, feldspathic metasandstone and pelite that is locally sulfidic. Much of the deformed metasandstone is tectonically pinstriped. In places, one can see compositional layering that was transposed by a steeply southeast-dipping foliation. The Ammonoosuc Volcanics are lithologically complex and predominantly include interlayered and interfingered rhyolitic to basaltic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks, as well as lesser amounts of siltstone, phyllite, graywacke, and grit. The Comerford Intrusive Complex crops out east of the Monroe fault and consists of metamorphosed gabbro, diorite, tonalite, aplitic tonalite, and crosscutting diabase dikes. Abundant mafic dikes from the Comerford Intrusive Complex intruded the Albee Formation and Ammonoosuc Volcanics east of the Monroe fault. The Highlandcroft Granodiorite and Joslin Turn tonalite plutons intruded during the Middle to Late Ordovician.West of the Monroe fault, the Connecticut Valley-Gaspé trough consists of the Silurian and Devonian Waits River and Gile Mountain Formations. The Waits River Formation is a carbonaceous muscovite-biotite-quartz (±garnet) phyllite containing abundant beds of micaceous quartz-rich limestone. The Gile Mountain Formation consists of interlayered metasandstone and graphitic (and commonly sulfidic) slate, along with minor calcareous metasandstone and ironstone. Graded bedding is common in the Gile Mountain Formation. Rocks of the Devonian New Hampshire Plutonic Suite intruded as plutons, dikes, and sills. The largest of these is the Victory pluton, which consists of weakly foliated, biotite granite and granodiorite. The Victory pluton also intruded a large part of the Albee Formation to the north.This report consists of a geologic map and an online geographic information systems database that includes contacts of bedrock geologic units, faults, outcrops, and structural geologic information. The geologic map is intended to serve as a foundation for applying geologic information to problems involving land use decisions, groundwater availability and quality, earth resources such as natural aggregate for construction, assessment of natural hazards, and engineering and environmental studies for waste disposal sites and construction projects.

Magmatic and non-magmatic history of the Tyrrhenain backarc Basin: new constraints from geophysical and geological data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prada, Manel; Sallares, Valenti; Ranero, Cesar R.; Zitellini, Nevio; Grevemeyer, Ingo

2016-04-01

The Western Mediterranean region is represented by a system of backarc basins associated to slab rollback and retreat of subduction fronts. The onset of formation of these basins took place in the Oligocene with the opening of the Valencia Through, the Liguro-Provençal and the Algero-Balearic basins, and subsequently, by the formation of the Alboran and Tyrrhenian basins during the early Tortonian. The opening of these basins involved rifting that in some regions evolved until continental break up, that is the case of the Liguro-Provençal, Algero-Balearic, and Tyrrhenian basins. Previous geophysical works in the first two basins revealed a rifted continental crust that transitions to oceanic crust along a region where the basement nature is not clearly defined. In contrast, in the Tyrrhenian Basin, recent analysis of new geophysical and geological data shows a rifted continental crust that transitions along a magmatic-type crust to a region where the mantle is exhumed and locally intruded by basalts. This basement configuration is at odds with current knowledge of rift systems and implies rapid variations of strain and magma production. To understand these processes and their implications on lithospheric backarc extension we first need to constrain in space and time these observations by further analysis of geophysical and geological data. Here we present two analyses; the first one is focused on the spatial variability of magmatism along the Cornaglia Terrace axis, where magmatic-type crust has been previously interpreted. The comparison of three different seismic refraction transects, acquired across the basin axis from North to South, allows to infer that the highest magmatic activity occurred beneath the central and most extended region of the terrace; while it was less important in the North and almost non-existent in the South. The second analysis focuses on the presence of exhumed mantle in the deepest region of the Tyrrhenian, previously interpreted by other authors as oceanic crust. In this case, converted S-waves were used to derive the overall Vp/Vs and Poissońs ratio, as well as S-wave velocity of the basement. The results show values in agreement with serpentinized peridotite, rather than gabbro/diabase, in agreement with our first observation that the mantle is exhumed beneath this particular area of the basin. Then, we used P-wave velocity models to quantify the amount of hydration, which appears to present a depth distribution similar to Continent-Ocean Transition zones at magma-poor rifted margins. These results, together with basement sampling information of MOR-type and intraplate magmatism in the area, suggests that the late stage of mantle exhumation was accompanied or soon followed by the emplacement of MOR-type basalts forming low ridges that preceded intraplate volcanism responsible for the formation of large volcanos in the area. The results presented here demonstrates that the Tyrrhenian Basin has a complex 3D structure within the Mediterranean realm that deserves further exploration of its formation processes by means of numerical modelling.

Geochemistry and Pb Isotopes from the Jan Mayen Fracture Zone and the Extinct Aegir Ridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sayit, K.; Hanan, B. B.; Ito, G.; Howell, S. M.; Vogt, P. R.; Breivik, A. J.; Mjelde, R.; Pedersen, R. B.; Arrgh Scientific Team

2011-12-01

The Aegir Ridge appears as a major gap or "hole" in the N-Atlantic LIP, created by the Iceland hotspot. The Aegir Ridge created anomalously thick crust (8-11 km) during the first 2-4 Myr spreading, followed by a decrease in magma production and crustal thickness of 3.5-6 km (51.4-25 Ma). Possible explanations are, the lithospheric structure of the newly rifting Kolbeinsey Ridge and Jan Mayen micro-continent diverted mantle flow from the hotspot away from Aegir Ridge, and/or plume flux was low at that time. We report trace element and Pb isotope results for basalts dredged from the Jan Mayen FZ and Aegir Ridge flanks ~69-64 °N. Dredges returned Mn crust, erratic cobbles, hyaloclastite, and basalt diabase. Trace elements reveal distinct chemical groups, including very-depleted melts with very high Zr/Nb ratios (60.7) at one end, and melts of highly enriched characteristics on the other (2.7). The very-depleted compositions show significant LREE depletion relative to HREE [Ce/Yb]N=0.3), while the highly enriched compositions show LREE enrichment [Ce/Yb]N=2.2. Th/Nb ratios vary between 0.07-0.49, indicating variable Th enrichment. Trace element systematics indicate that between group elemental variations can't be solely explained by fractional crystallization and/or partial melting, the observed variations are largely source-related. Trace element systematics are consistent with a mixed MORB/OIB/SCLM mantle source, where relatively enriched samples resemble Faeroe Island lavas, and depleted ones are akin to Kolbeinsey Ridge lavas. Jan Mayen FZ rocks have initial (40Ma) 206Pb/204Pb: 207Pb/204Pb: 208Pb/204Pb =18.2-18.57:15.47-15.54:37.83-38.46 and AR, 16.59-18.75:15.16-15.53:37:36.62-38.51. Jan Mayen FZ, and Aegir Ridge samples with 206Pb/204Pb > 18.2 have higher 207Pb/204Pb and 208Pb/204Pb than the Iceland Neovolcanic lavas and are similar to the Iceland Tertiary and anomalous Öræfajökull basalts. Aegir Ridge basalts with 206Pb/204Pb <17.5 plot below the NHRL in the 206Pb/204Pb vs 207Pb/204Pb and above it in the 206Pb/204Pb vs 208Pb/204Pb diagrams, a characteristic of the British Tertiary Province basalts formed during the early stages of opening of the North Atlantic. We can't be certain that the dredged samples represent primary Aegir Ridge material, or if they were derived from elsewhere along the Iceland-Faeroe Ridge (eg, Faeroes), and transported to the dredge locations. If these rocks were erupted at the Aegir Ridge, the data show that at this time the ambient N-Atlantic upper mantle was relatively uncontaminated by the Iceland Plume, but significantly polluted by continental material, presumably during the early opening of the N-Atlantic Ocean Basin. ARRGH Cruise Scientific Team: Rolf Mjelde, Rolf Birger Pedersen, Helene Kraft, Marcus Fink, Ernst Flüh

Geologic map of the Rio Puerco quadrangle, Bernalillo and Valencia Counties, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Maldonado, Florian

2003-01-01

The Rio Puerco quadrangle is located southwest of Albuquerque in central New Mexico and covers part of the western part of the Isleta Reservation. The U.S. Geological Survey, the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, and the University of New Mexico have conducted geologic mapping on the Isleta Reservation and vicinity as part of the Middle Rio Grande Basin Project. The map area contains surficial deposits, calcic soils, fluvial deposits of the Rio Puerco, deposits of the Santa Fe Group, and three volcanic fields. The area is characterized by predominantly north-trending normal faults with generally down-to-the-east movement. Post-Santa Fe Group deposits are composed of surficial deposits (Pleistocene-Holocene) and fluvial deposits of the Rio Puerco (Pleistocene-Holocene). The surficial deposits are divided into eolian, alluvial, colluvial, and landslide deposits. The fluvial deposits of the Rio Puerco consist of four terrace and present channel deposits. The Santa Fe Group is divided into lower and upper parts. The lower part of the Santa Fe Group is exposed near the southwestern corner of the study area where deposits consist of reddish-brown mudstone and sandstone correlated to the Popotosa Formation (Unit 1) of Lozinsky and Tedford (1991). They interpreted deposition of the unit in a basin-floor playa setting. The Popotosa Formation is in fault contact to the east with deposits of the upper Santa Fe Group. The upper Santa Fe Group is derived from major tributary fluvial systems (ancestral Rio Puerco Puerco and possibly the Rio San Jose drainages) draining the adjacent Colorado Plateau and Sierra Nacimiento and correlated to parts of Kelley's (1977) Ceja Formation of the Santa Fe Group and equivalent to Machette's (1978) Sierra Ladrones Formation, Connell's Arroyo Ojito Formation (Connell and others, 1999, and Maldonado's lithofacies of the Isleta Reservation (Maldonado and Atencio,1998a, b). The group also locally includes a fine- grained unit (lower Pleistocene) referred to here as the sand, silt, and clay of Chavez Grant (Qsc). The Ceja Formation of the Santa Fe Group as defined here is divided into the following units in descending stratigraphic order: (1) upper sand and gravel unit (upper Pliocene), (2) middle silt, sand, and clay unit (upper Pliocene), and (3) lower sand and gravel unit (Pliocene). The three volcanic fields in the map area are: (1) basalt of Cat Hills, dated at 98-110 ka and composed of seven lava flows and four cinder cones; the flows overlie calcic soils that overlie the upper sand and gravel unit of the Ceja Formation; (2) lava flow of Cat Mesa, dated at about 3 Ma and interfingers with the upper part of the Ceja Formation; (3) diabase of Mohinas Mountain, dated at 8.3 Ma (Baldridge and others, 1987) and intrudes the Popotosa Formation. Numerous high-angle faults cut the area but are mostly buried. The faults generally trend north but deviate to the northwest and northeast. The major normal faults are the Cat Mesa and Mohinas Mountain faults.

Carbonate petrography, kerogen distribution, and carbon and oxygen isotope variations in an early Proterozoic transition from limestone to iron-formation deposition, Transvaal Supergroup, South Africa

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beukes, N. J.; Klein, C.; Kaufman, A. J.; Hayes, J. M.

1990-01-01

The transition zone comprises Campbellrand microbialaminated (replacing "cryptalgalaminate") limestone and shale, with minor dolomite, conformably overlain by the Kuruman Iron Formation of which the basal part is characterized by siderite-rich microbanded iron-formation with minor magnetite and some hematite-containing units. The iron-formation contains subordinate intraclastic and microbialaminated siderite mesobands and was deposited in deeper water than the limestones. The sequence is virtually unaltered with diagenetic mineral assemblages reflecting a temperature interval of about 110 degrees to 170 degrees C and pressures of 2 kbars. Carbonate minerals in the different rock types are represented by primary micritic precipitates (now recrystallized to microsparite), early precompactional sparry cements and concretions, deep burial limpid euhedral sparites, and spar cements precipitated from metamorphic fluids in close contact with diabase sills. Paragenetic pathways of the carbonate minerals are broadly similar in all lithofacies with kerogen intimately associated with them. Kerogen occurs as pigmentation in carbonate crystals, as reworked organic detritus in clastic-textured carbonate units, and as segregations of kerogen pigment around late diagenetic carbonate crystals. Locally kerogen may also be replaced by carbonate spar. Carbon isotope compositions of the carbonate minerals and kerogen are dependent on their mode of occurrence and on the composition of the dominant carbonate species in a specific lithofacies. Integration of sedimentary, petrographic, geochemical, and isotopic results makes it possible to distinguish between depositional, early diagenetic, deep burial, and metamorphic effects on the isotopic compositions of the carbonate minerals and the kerogen in the sequence. Major conclusions are that deep burial thermal decarboxylation led to 13C depletion in euhedral ferroan sparites and 13C enrichment in kerogen (organic carbon). Metamorphic sparites are most depleted in 13C. Carbonates in oxide-rich iron-formations are more depleted in 13C than those in siderite-rich iron-formation whereas the kerogens in oxide banded iron-formations (BIF) are more enriched. This implies that the siderite-rich iron-formations were not derived from oxide-rich iron-formation through reduction of ferric iron by organic matter. Organic matter oxidation by ferric iron did, however, decrease the abundance of kerogen in oxide-rich iron-formation and led to the formation of isotopically very light sparry carbonates. Siderite and calcmicrosparite both represent recrystallized primary micritic precipitates but differ in their 13C composition, with the siderites depleted in 13C by 4.6 per mil on average relative to calcmicrosparite. This means that the siderites were precipitated from water with dissolved inorganic carbon depleted in 13C by about 9 per mil relative to that from which the limestones precipitated. This implies an ocean system stratified with regard to total carbonate, with the deeper water, from which siderite-rich iron-formation formed, depleted in 13C. Iron-formations were deposited in areas of very low organic matter supply. Depletion of 13C may, therefore, derive not from degradation of organic matter but from hydrothermal activity, a conclusion which is supported by 18O composition of the carbonate minerals and trace element and rare earth element (REE) compositions of the iron-formations.

Appraisal of water resources in the Hackensack River basin, New Jersey

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carswell, L.D.

1976-01-01

The Hackensack River basin, in the northern part of the New Jersey-New York metropolitan area, includes some of the most highly urbanized areas in the United States as well as a largely undeveloped 23.4 square mile area of tidal marsh referred to as the Hackensack Meadows. Bedrock in the Hackensack River basin, consisting of the Newark Group of Triassic age, is composed of diabase dikes and sills and gently westward dipping sandstone, conglomerate, and shale. The Brunswick Formation of the Newark Group is the only important bedrock aquifer in the basin. Water occurs in this aquifer in joints and fractures. The zone of most abundant and largest water-bearing joints and fractures occurs generally within 200 feet of land surface in lowland areas of major streams and within 400 to 500 feet of land surface in upland areas. Reported yields of industrial and public-supply wells tapping the Brunswick are as much as 600 gpm (gallons per minute): the median yield is 100 gpm. The formation is anisotropic; the greatest permeability and thus the movement of water in response to pumping are parallel to the strike of bedding. Therefore, wells in well fields alined perpendicular to strike have minimum interference. The Newark Group is overlain by unconsolidated deposits of till, varved silt and clay, alluvium, and sand and gravel of Quaternary age. Sand and gravel aquifers consist of (1) deltaic deposits formed at the mouths of streams that entered ancient Lake Hackensack in the western part of the basin and (2) valley-fill deposits along the eastern side of the basin. These aquifers locally yield large quantities of water (greater than 300 gpm) to wells. The chemical quality of water in the Brunswick Formation is generally good, and the water is relatively low in dissolved mineral matter in the upper area of the Hackensack River basin. In the lower area of the basin, water in the Brunswick is highly mineralized: specific conductance ranges from 579 to 3,480 micromhos per centimeter at 25 °C; chloride content ranges from 19 to 755 mg/L (milligrams per liter); and sufate content ranges from 87 to 966 mg/L. Chemical quality in both the Brunswick Formation and the unconsolidated deposits in the lower area is affected by induced recharge of poor quality surface water from the Hackensack River and Newark Bay. Water quality in these surface water bodies is influenced by tidal flooding and by the disposal of an average of 57 mgd (million gallons per day) of sewage and industrial wastes in the Hackensack Meadows. Future development of ground-water supplies in the upper area of the basin is restricted, because such development would decrease surface-water supplies which are almost entirely utilized for water supply. Additional development of ground water in the lower area of the basin is limited by the small amount of ground water in the basin and by the intrusion of highly mineralized surface water into the aquifers.

A Geophysical Study in Grand Teton National Park and Vicinity, Teton County, Wyoming: With Sections on Stratigraphy and Structure and Precambrian Rocks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Behrendt, John Charles; Tibbetts, Benton L.; Bonini, William E.; Lavin, Peter M.; Love, J.D.; Reed, John C.

1968-01-01

An integrated geophysical study - comprising gravity, seismic refraction, and aeromagnetic surveys - was made of a 4,600-km2 area in Grand Teton National Park and vicinity, Wyoming, for the purpose of obtaining a better understanding of the structural relationships in the region. The Teton range is largely comprised of Precambrian crystalline rocks and layered metasedimentary gneiss, but it also includes granitic gneiss, hornblende-plagioclase gneiss, granodiorite, and pegmatite and diabase dikes. Elsewhere, the sedimentary section is thick. The presence of each system except Silurian provides a chronological history of most structures. Uplift of the Teton-Gros Ventre area began in the Late Cretaceous; most of the uplift occurred after middle Eocene time. Additional uplift of the Teton Range and downfaulting of Jackson Hole began in the late Pliocene and continues to the present. Bouguer anomalies range from -185 mgal over Precambrian rocks of the Teton Range to -240 mgal over low-density Tertiary and Cretaceous sedimentary rocks of Jackson Hole. The Teton fault (at the west edge of Jackson Hole), as shown by steep gravity gradients and seismic-refraction data, trends north-northeast away from the front of the Teton Range in the area of Jackson Lake. The Teton fault either is shallowly inclined in the Jenny Lake area, or it consists of a series of fault steps in the fault zone; it is approximately vertical in the Arizona Creek area. Seismic-refraction data can be fitted well by a three-layer gravity model with velocities of 2.45 km per sec for the Tertiary and Cretaceous rocks above the Cloverly Formation, 3.9 km per sec for the lower Mesozoic rocks, and 6.1 km per sec for the Paleozoic (limestone and dolomite) and Precambrian rocks. Gravity models computed along two seismic profiles are in good agreement (sigma=+- 2 mgal) if density contrasts with the assumed 2.67 g per cm2 Paleozoic and Precambrian rocks are assumed to be -0.35 and -0.10 g per cm2 for the 2.45 and 3.9 km per sec velocity layers, respectively. The Teton Range has a maximum vertical uplift of about 7 km, as inferred from the maximum depth to basement of about 5 km. Aeromagnetic data show a 400gamma positive anomaly in the Gros Ventre Range, which trends out of the surveyed area at the east edge. Exposed Precambrian rocks contain concentrations of magnetite and hematite. A prominent anomaly of about 100gamma is associated with the Gros Ventre Range, and 100gamma anomalies are associated with the layered gneiss of the Teton Range. On this basis the unmapped Precambrian rocks of the Gross Ventre Range are interpreted as layered gneiss. The sources of the magnetic anomalies, as indicated by depth determination, are at the surface of the Precambrian rocks. A model fitted to a profile across the Gros Ventre Range gives a depth to the Precambrian surface and a susceptibility of 0.0004 emu (electromagnetic units) for the source, which is consistent with modal analyses of the layered gneisses. A residual magnetic map shows that the granitic rocks and layered gneiss probably continue beneath the floor of Jackson Hole east of the Teton fault. The location of aeromagnetic anomalies is consistent with the interpretation that the Teton fault diverges from the front of the Teton Range.

Soil formation on hard rock with and without cover of Pleistocene periglacial slope deposits in humid-temperate climate of Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sauer, Daniela; Schülli-Maurer, Isabelle

2014-05-01

Until the 1960s pedologists in Germany assumed that soils on hard rock in the mountainous regions of Germany developed directly from the underlying hard rock. Then, especially Schilling and Wiefel (1962) in eastern Germany and Semmel (1964, 1968) in western Germany developed, independently from each other, the concept of Pleistocene periglacial slope deposits (PPSD). However, it took several decades until this concept became largely accepted and was also introduced in textbooks and in the German soil and substrate taxonomy. This paper compares soil development on hard rock covered by PPSD in the eastern Rhenish Massif (Germany) to soil development that took place indeed directly on hard rock, in southern Norway, where glaciers removed all loose, weathered material from the rock during the last glacial period. Eight soil profiles developed in PPSD on quartzite and 12 soil profiles developed in PPSD on diabase are compared to four profiles in the Oslofjord region developed from hard rock. Soils were described in the field and analysed with regard to particle size analysis, pH in water, total element composition, Fed, Feo, CEC and base saturation. 1) Podzol developed from medium-grained granite This soil has an age of ca. 10,000 years. An 18 cm thick organic surface layer has accumulated on top of the mineral soil consisting of an E (14 cm) and BCs (14 cm) horizon. Vegetation at the site consists mainly of pine, birch, fir, and blueberry, heather and mosses. 2) Podzol developed from coarse-grained granite This soil has an age of above 11,000 years. The organic surface layer has a thickness of 7 cm; the mineral soil comprises an E (7 cm) and Bs (7 cm) horizon. Vegetation consists mainly of pine, fir, birch, and blueberry, heather, ferns and mosses. 3) Cambic Leptosol developed from Latite This soil has an age of ca. 10,000 years. The thickness of the organic surface layer is 5 cm; the mineral soil comprises an Ah (4 cm) and AB (20 cm) horizon. Vegetation consists mainly of beech, birch, fir, pine, and sorb, blueberry and hair-grass (Deschampsia flexuosa). 4) Cambisol developed from Monzonite This soil has an age of ca. 9,500 years. The thickness of the organic surface layer is 6 cm; the mineral soil comprises an Ah (9 cm), Bw (17 cm) and BC (9 cm) horizon. Vegetation consists mainly of fir, oak, beech, and sorb, blueberry, ferns, grasses and mosses. Geochemical data suggest that the soil has not entirely developed from Monzonite but that the Ah and Bw horizon are mainly composed of a thin layer of beach sediments. The comparison demonstrates the importance of physical weathering under periglacial conditions and formation of PPSD for Holocene soil development on hard rock in central Europe. References: Schilling, W., Wiefel, H. (1962): Jungpleistozäne Periglazialbildungen und ihre regionale Differenzierung in einigen Teilen Thüringens und des Harzes. Geologie, Jg. 11, Heft 4: 393 - 504. Semmel, A. (1964): Junge Schuttdecken in Hessischen Mittelgebirgen. Notitzbl. Hess. L.-Amt Bodenforsch. 92: 275 - 285. Semmel, A. (1968): Studien über den Verlauf jungpleistozäner Formung in Hessen. Frankfurter Geogr. Hefte 45.

Basaltic Diatreme To Root Zone Volcanic Processes In Tuzo Kimberlite Pipe (Gahcho Kué Kimberlite Field, NWT, Canada)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seghedi, I.; Kurszlaukis, S.; Maicher, D.

2009-05-01

Tuzo pipe is infilled by a series of coherent and fragmental kimberlite facies types typical for a diatreme to root zone transition level. Coherent or transitional coherent kimberlite facies dominate at depth, but also occur at shallow levels, either as dikes or as individual or agglutinated coherent kimberlite clasts (CKC). Several fragmental kimberlite varieties fill the central and shallow portions of the pipe. The definition, geometry and extent of the geological units are complex and are controlled by vertical elements. Specific for Tuzo is: (1) high abundance of locally derived xenoliths (granitoids and minor diabase) between and within the kimberlite phases, varying in size from sub-millimeter to several tens of meters, frequent in a belt-like domain between 120-200 m depth in the pipe; (2) the general presence of CKC, represented by round-subround, irregular to amoeboid-shaped clasts with a macrocrystic or aphanitic texture, mainly derived from fragmentation of erupting magma and less commonly from previously solidified kimberlite, as well as recycled pyroclasts. In addition, some CKC are interpreted to be intersections of a complex dike network. This diversity attests formation by various volcanic processes, extending from intrusive to explosive; (3) the presence of bedded polymict wall- rock and kimberlite breccia occurring mostly in deep levels of the pipe below 345 m depth. The gradational contact relationships of these deposits with the surrounding kimberlite rocks and their location suggest that they formed in situ. The emplacement of Tuzo pipe involved repetitive volcanic explosions alternating with periods of relative quiescence causing at least partial consolidation of some facies. The volume deficit in the diatreme-root zone after each eruption was compensated by gravitational collapse of overlying diatreme tephra and pre-fragmented wall-rock xenoliths. Highly explosive phases were alternating with weak explosions or intrusive phases, suggesting an external factor to control the explosive behaviour of the magma. The overall constant volatile content of the kimberlite does not explain the observed extreme change in emplacement behaviour. The facies architecture of fragmental facies dominated by vertical elements is similar to that in non- kimberlitic diatremes and indicates deposition from debris jets marking separate and repeated explosive volcanic events. In basaltic pipes, such jets are generated by phreatomagmatic explosions in the explosion chamber(s) of the root zone, causing abundant country rock fragmentation and further efficient mixture of the various particles. Phases of high explosivity formed the finely fragmented kimberlites containing a high percentage of wall-rock xenoliths, while the fluidal-shaped and partly welded texturally variable and wall-rock- poor transitional coherent facies suggest phases of repetitive, hot, and low-energy fragmentation forming kimberlite spatter. Peperite hosted in kimberlite tephra is also typically found in basaltic root zones. Time gaps in between volcanic eruptive periods are indicated by cognate pyroclasts and reworked wall-rock deposits emplaced by sporadic sedimentation events in subterranean cavities under the widening roof of the pipe. The presence of temporary caves in the root zone is proposed also by the occurrence of spherical CKC in deep- seated fragmental kimberlite and by spatter found in transitional coherent rocks. Evidence for caves was mostly preserved at deeper pipe levels advocating continuously recurring processes during the life span of Tuzo.

Proterozoic Diabase Dyke Swarms of Northern Ontario: Paleomagnetic Indicators of Broad-Scale Crustal Deformation of the Archean Superior Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halls, H. C.

2004-05-01

Several Proterozoic dyke swarms, all with precise U-Pb ages, (Matachewan, Senneterre, Biscotasing, Marathon and Fort Frances) occur over an area of the southern Superior Province covering more than 300,000 square kilometres. Cutting across this region is the Kapuskasing Zone, a 500 km-long fault zone along which dextral transpression at about 1.9 to 2.0 Ga has produced crustal uplift locally in excess of 20 km and lateral fault displacements of up to 70 km (Percival and West, 1994). The 2446-2473 Ma Matachewan swarm has been a subject for study throughout the last 40 years of Canadian paleomagnetism. However only in the last 20 years has the true size of the swarm been realised (Ernst and Halls, 1984; Halls et al., 1994), and the discovery made that regional variations in the direction of primary magnetization in the dykes are intimately related to the Kapuskasing Zone (KZ). The swarm is now known to span a single reversal of the Earth's magnetic field. The younger N polarity epoch, although barely recorded in the dying stages of the intrusive episode, is well preserved in dykes within uplifted crust inside the KZ. Here fine-grained magnetite, exsolved from dyke feldspars due to slow cooling of the swarm at depth, acquired a remanence of probable thermo-chemical origin prior to or during crustal uplift (Halls and Palmer, 1990; Halls et al., 1994; Halls and Zhang, 2003). The inference is that dykes intruded during the older R polarity epoch carry a near surface primary R magnetization but have been remagnetized to N at depth. Paleomagnetic data from that part of the swarm outside the KZ are therefore dominated by the older R polarity magnetization. They show that the western half of the shield has rotated counter-clockwise about 10 to 20 degrees relative to the eastern half across the KZ (Bates and Halls, 1991; Halls and Stott, 2003). This rotation is also seen in paleomagnetic data from the 2170 Ma Biscotasing swarm, which is now known to occur on both sides of the KZ (Halls and Davis, 2004). Lateral variations in clouding intensity and hydrous alteration levels in dyke feldspars reveal that the shield has been gently tilted towards the south, and that superimposed on this tilting is a series of fault-bounded, mostly uplifted, crustal blocks that constitute the KZ. In summary, results from more than 400 paleomagnetic sites in Ontario dykes show that the Superior province, despite being generally regarded as the epitome of a stable craton, has been regionally deformed, perhaps in several stages centred around 2.0 ± 0.2 Ga. If rotation across the KZ accompanied rifting beneath Hudson Bay, it may explain the overall butterfly - shaped outline of the Superior Province. References: Bates, M. and Halls, H. 1991, CJES 28: 1780; Ernst, R. and Halls, H. 1984, CJES 21:1499; Halls, H. and Palmer, H. 1990, CJES 27: 87; Halls, H., Palmer, H.,Bates, M. and Phinney, W. 1994, CJES 31:1182; Halls, H. and Zhang, B. 2003, Tectonophysics 362:123; Halls, H. and Stott, G. 2003, OGS Open File Rept. No. 6120, 7p; Halls, H. and Davis, D. CJES 41,(in press); Percival, J. and West, G. 1994, CJES 31:1256.

Preliminary report on deposit models for sand and gravel in the Cache la Poudre River valley

USGS Publications Warehouse

Langer, W.H.; Lindsey, D.A.

1999-01-01

The stratigraphy, sedimentary features, and physical characteristics of gravel deposits in the Cache la Poudre River valley were studied to establish geologic models for these deposits. Because most of the gravel mined in the valley is beneath the low terraces and floodplain, the quality of these deposits for aggregate was studied in detail at eight sites in a 25.5-mile reach between Fort Collins and Greeley, Colorado. Aggregate quality was determined by field and laboratory measurements on samples collected under a consistent sampling plan. The Broadway terrace is underlain by Pleistocene alluvium and, at some places, by fine-grained wind-blown deposits. The Piney Creek terrace, low terraces, and floodplain are primarily underlain by Holocene alluvium. Pleistocene alluvium may underlie these terraces at isolated locations along the river. Gravels beneath the Piney Creek terrace, low terraces, and floodplain are divisible into two units that are poorly distinguishable at the upstream end of the study area, but are readily distinguishable about 7 miles downstream. Where distinguished, the two gravel units are separated by a sharp, locally erosional, contact. The upper gravel is probably of Holocene age, but the lower gravel is considered to be Holocene and Pleistocene. The primary variation in particle size of the gravels beneath the floodplain and low terraces of the Cache la Poudre River valley is the downstream decrease in the proportion of particles measuring 3/4 inch and larger. Above Fort Collins, about 60 pct of the gravel collects on the 3/4 inch sieve, whereas about 50 pct of gravel collects on the same sieve size at Greeley. For 1.5-inch sieves, the corresponding values are about 50 pct for Fort Collins and only about 30 pct for Greeley. Local differences in particle size and sorting between the upper and lower gravel units were observed in the field, but only the coarsest particle sizes appear to have been concentrated in the lower unit. Field measurements of aggregate quality, pebble lithology, and shape show little significant downstream variation. Pebble lithology is about 25 percent granite; 48 percent pegmatite; 5-7 percent each of gneiss, quartz, and quartzite; and minor amounts of diabase, schist, volcanic porphyry, and sandstone. Among the rock types, only the volcanic porphyries might be reactive with Portland cement. Pebble shape is dominantly equidimensional with a tendency to form thick, disc-shaped particles. Disc-shaped and spherical particles comprise about 39 percent and 31 percent of the pebble-size fraction, respectively. Rod and blade shapes comprise about 18 and 12 percent of the pebble-size fraction, respectively. The relatively large proportion of equidimensional particles in the Cache la Poudre may be due to the small proportion of layered gneiss in gravel. Pebbles having axial ratios less than 0.5, which might be structurally weak, are rare. The two gravel units show subtle local differences and evidence for derivation of the younger gravel from the older gravel. At many sites, the upper gravel unit tends to contain more quartz plus quartzite, has poorer physical quality, and contains more angular pebbles than the lower gravel. Weathering, followed by transport in the river, might be expected to concentrate quartz and quartzite, degrade physical quality, and break pebbles into angular fragments. This conclusion is consistent with local evidence of an erosional contact between the two gravel units.

Gold placer and Quaternary stratigraphy of the Jabal Mokhyat area, southern Najd Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmidt, D.L.; Puffett, W.P.; Campbell, W.L.; Al-Koulak, Z. H.

1981-01-01

An ancient gold placer at Jabal Mokhyat (lat 20?12.2'N., long 43?28'E.), about 90 km east of Qalat Bishah in the southern Najd Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, was studied in 1973. Seven hundred and twenty-eight samples in 25 measured sections were collected along trenches and pits 2.5 m in depth and 2,600 m in total length. Alluvium was thicker than the excavation depth along about 50 percent of the trench length. The average gold content was 4.4 mg per m3, and the highest grade trench contained 40 mg gold per m 3. Because fine particulate gold is rare in the alluvium, a few large particles, 1 to 5 mm in diameter, greatly affected the sampling results. The ancient placer diggings are in small headwater wadis distributed over a 30-km 2 area, and the total dug area is about 1.2 km2. The placer produced an estimated 50 kg of gold and was worked about 2,600 + 250 years ago. The potential for a present-day placer operation is small. The gold is sparsely distributed in locally derived, flood-deposited, immature gravels throughout a stratigraphic section that consists of 1) calichified, saprolitic bedrock of Precambrian age; 2) basal, intensely calichified, saprolitic gravel (0-3 m thick) of Pleistocene age; 3) disconformable, slightly consolidated gravel and sand (0-1 m thick) of late Pleistocene age containing sparse, disseminated caliche; 4) firm loessic silt (0-1 m thick) of early Holocene age; and 5) loose sand and gravel (0.3-1 m thick) of late Holocene age. The loessic silt accumulated during the Holocene pluvial. The top of the loessic silt unit is dated at about 6,000 years B.P. by using charcoal from hearths of ancient man. Following the Holocene pluvial, the climate became arid, and extreme desiccation resulted in abundant eolian sand that progressively diluted the late Holocene gravels. The remnants of the pre-Holocene stratigraphy suggest similar climatic cycles during the Pleistocene. Abundant, sparsely mineralized, gold-bearing quartz veins (0-1 m wide) were the source of the placer gold. These late Proterozoic veins have hydrothermally altered wall-rock zones (1-5 m wide). The veins are dispersed over an area of 50 km 2. Though many veins were prospected in ancient times and some were slightly worked, only the Mokhyat ancient mine, located on a quartz-vein zone 30 m wide by 200 m long, was extensively worked. The quartz contains chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, tetrahedrite, an unidentified bismuth mineral, and small amounts of dispersed gold. The fissure quartz veins lie at the complexly splayed, terminal end of a small northwest-trending Najd fault that elsewhere along strike has ii km of left-lateral displacement. Most large veins are in north-trending vertical fractures where the stresses were distributed along an older, north-trending structural grain in andesitic greenstone terrane. Subhorizontal fracture sets contain conspicuous, well-developed gold-bearing quartz veins and associated alteration zones. These attest to the shallowness and youthfulness of mineralization during latest Precambrian time. Late Precambrian granitic plutons (625-600 m.y. old) had been deeply eroded before the gold minerals were emplaced; hence, the gold is not related to granitic plutonism. Abundant, widely distributed diabasic dikes associated with the Najd faulting event of latest Precambrian age were probably the heat source for the hydrothermal convection system and possibly the source of the gold.

The Mesozoic Caosiyao giant porphyry Mo deposit in Inner Mongolia, North China and Paleo-Pacific subduction-related magmatism in the northern North China Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Huaying; Zhang, Lianchang; Pirajno, Franco; Shu, Qihai; Zhang, Min; Zhu, Mingtian; Xiang, Peng

2016-09-01

The Caosiyao giant porphyry Mo deposit is located in the Wulanchabu area of Inner Mongolia, within the northern North China Craton (NCC). It contains more than 2385 Mt of ore with an average grade of 0.075% Mo. In the Caosiyao mining district, Mo mineralization occurs mainly in a Mesozoic granite porphyry as disseminations and stockworks, with some Mo distributed in Archean metamorphic rocks and diabase as stockworks and veins. The host granite porphyry is composed of two different phases that can be distinguished based on mineral assemblages and textures: one phase contains large and abundant phenocrysts (coarse-grained), while the other phase is characterized by fewer and smaller phenocrysts (medium-grained). Zircon U-Pb-Hf analyses of the former phase yielded a concordant 206Pb/238U age of 149.8 ± 2.4 Ma with a 206Pb/238U weighted mean age of 149.9 ± 2.4 Ma and εHf(t) values ranging from -12.2 to 18.3, while the latter phase gave a concordant 206Pb/238U age of 149.0 ± 2.2 Ma with a 206Pb/238U weighted mean age of 149.0 ± 2.1 Ma and εHf(t) values ranging from -13.1 to 17.7. Five samples of disseminated molybdenite have a 187Re-187Os isochron age of 149.5 ± 5.3 Ma with a weighted average age of 149.0 ± 1.8 Ma, whereas six veinlet-type molybdenite samples have a well-constrained 187Re-187Os isochron age of 146.9 ± 3.1 Ma and a weighted average age of 146.5 ± 0.8 Ma. Thus, it is suggested that the Mo mineralization of the Caosiyao deposit occurred during the Late Jurassic (ca. 147-149 Ma), almost coeval with the emplacement of the host granite porphyry (ca. 149-150 Ma). The host granite porphyry is characterized by high silica (SiO2 = 71.52-74.10 wt%), relatively high levels of oxidation (Fe2O3/FeO = 0.32-0.94 wt%) and high alkali element concentrations (Na2O + K2O = 8.21-8.76 wt%). The host granite porphyry also shows enrichments in U and K, and depletion in Ba, Sr, P, Eu, and Ti, suggesting strong fractional crystallization of plagioclase, biotite, and accessory minerals. These observations, together with high SiO2 contents and a high differentiation index (DI = 89.04-92.44), indicate a strong differentiation of the granite magma. Based on geological, geochronological, isotope systematics, and geochemical studies, we propose, for the first time, a genetic model for the Caosiyao porphyry Mo deposit. Under a regional extensional setting caused by far-field tectonics related to the Paleo-Pacific subduction during the Late Jurassic, a series of geodynamic, magmatic, and ore-forming processes took place, including formation of multi-directional and multi-phase faults, emplacement of the granitic host rocks, and Mo mineralization. Highly silicic, highly oxidized, and alkali-rich granitic magma, derived from partial melting of old lower crust, intruded into the country rocks. This highly differentiated granitic magma and the exsolved ore-forming fluids, enriched in Mo, migrated upward and interacted with the wall rocks. Eventually, ore minerals precipitated in fractures, resulting in the extensive deposition of molybdenite.

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.

Vent Complexes above Dolerite Sills in Phanerozoic LIPs: Implications for Proterozoic LIPs and IOCG Deposits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ernst, R. E.; Bleeker, W.; Svensen, H.; Planke, S.; Polozov, A. G.

2009-05-01

New insights into the origin of IOCG (iron oxide copper gold) deposits [e.g., 1, 2, 3] follow from recent studies of Phanerozoic Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs). Detailed seismic studies of the 62-55 Ma North Atlantic Igneous Province and complementary studies in the 183 Ma Karoo and 250 Ma Siberian LIPs reveal thousands of hydrothermal vent complexes (HVCs). Up to 5-10 km across at the paleosurface, these vents connect to underlying dolerite sills at paleodepths of up to 8 km [4, 5, 6, 7]. They originate from explosive release of gases generated when thick sills (>50 m) are emplaced into volatile-rich but low-permeability sedimentary strata. HVCs are phreatomagmatic in origin. Their architecture, economic potential for IOCG-type deposits, and effects on climate strongly depend on the type of host rocks (black shales at Karoo and evaporites at Siberian LIPs) and its fluid (brines) saturation at the time of emplacement. About 250 HVCs associated with the Siberian LIP are mineralized having magnetite in the matrix. Some are being mined for Fe (Korshunovskoe and Rudnogorskoe), but their economic potential for copper and gold mineralization is understudied. These observations from the Phanerozoic LIP record suggest that HVCs should also be an essential component of sill provinces associated with Proterozoic LIPs, with a potential for causing major climatic shifts and IOCG-type deposits, particularly if the host sediments include substantial evaporites. Two examples are discussed here. The 725 Ma Franklin LIP covers 1.1 Mkm2 in northern Canada [8]; in the Minto Inlier of Victoria Island, this event comprises volcanics, sills, and breccia pipes [9, 10]. The breccia pipes appear identical to HVCs and, furthermore, the presence of evaporites in the host sediments of the Shaler Supergroup suggests (based on the Siberian trap example) the potential for IOCG-type mineralization. Could 1.59 Ga sills, as exemplified by the exposed Western Channel Diabase sills on the eastern side of Great Bear Lake [11], be the cause of both the Wernecke Breccias of the Yukon (with their hematite, Cu, Co, U and Au mineralization) and the Olympic Dam giant IOCG deposit of the Gawler craton of Australia, which was probably an adjacent block at this time [12, 11]? A dramatic expansion of new targets for IOCGs potentially could be achieved via a systematic survey of sill provinces associated with Proterozoic and Paleozoic LIPs from around the world, with a special focus on those in which the host sediments are evaporate-rich, with the goal of identifying mineralized HVCs. [1] Hitzman, 2000, In: Porter (ed.) v.1; PGC Publishing; [2] Williams et al., 2005, Econ. Geol; [3] Corriveau, 2007, GAC Min. Dep. Div. Spec. Pub 5; [4] Jamtveit et al., 2004, In: Geol. Soc. London, Spec. Publ. 234; [5] Planke et al., 2005, In: Dore & Vining (eds) Geol. Soc. London; [6] Svensen et al., 2006, J. Geol. Soc. London; [7] Svensen et al., 2008, EPSL; [8] Buchan & Ernst, 2004 GSC. Map 2022A; [9] Jefferson et al., 1994, GSC. OF 2789; [10] Rainbird, 1998, GSC OF File 3671; [11] Hamilton & Buchan 2007, GSA Ann. Mtg ; [12] Thorkelson et al., 2001, Prec. Res.

Stratigraphy, geochronology, and accretionary terrane settings of two Bronson Hill arc sequences, northern New England

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moench, R.H.; Aleinikoff, J.N.

2002-01-01

The Ammonoosuc Volcanics, Partridge Formation, and the Oliverian and Highlandcroft Plutonic Suites of the Bronson Hill anticlinorium (BHA) in axial New England are widely accepted as a single Middle to Late Ordovician magmatic arc that was active during closure of Iapetus. Mapping and U-Pb dating indicate, however, that the BHA contains two volcano-sedimentary-intrusive sequences of probable opposite subduction polarity, here termed the Ammonoosuc and Quimby sequences. The Ammonoosuc sequence is defined by the Middle Ordovician Ammonoosuc Volcanics near Littleton, N.H., the type area, northeast to Milan, N.H., and Oquossoc, Me.; it also includes black slate of the Partidge Formation (C. bicornis zone graptolites, ???457 Ma). Related metamorphosed intrusive are the tonalitic Joslin Turn pluton (469 ?? 2 Ma), the Cambridge Black granitic pluton (468 ?? 3 Ma), and gabbro, tonalite (467 ?? 4 Ma), and sheeted diabase of the Chickwolnepy instructions. These intrusives cut lowermost Ammonoosuc (therefore>469 Ma). Probable uppermost Ammonoosuc is dated at 465 ?? 6 and 461 ?? 8 Ma. Successively below the Ammonoosuc are the Dead River and Hurricane Mountain Formations (flysch and melange), and the Jim Pond Formation (484 ?? 5 Ma) and Boil Mountain Complex (both ophiolite), which are structurally underlain by the Neoproterozoic(?) Chain Lakes massif. The Quimby sequence is defined by the Lower Silurian(?) to Upper Ordovician Quimby Formation, composed of bimodal volcanics (443 ?? 4 Ma) and sulfidic shale and graywacke that lie conformably to unconformably above the Ammonoosuc Volcanics and Partridge Formation. Also in the Quimby sequence are several granitic to sparsely gabbroic plutons of the Highlandcroft (441-452 Ma) and Oliverian (435-456 Ma) Plutonic Suites, which intrude the Dead River, Ammonoosuc and Partridge, but not the Quimby Formation. Based on faunal, paleolatitude, and isotropic data, the Ammonoosuc sequence and its correlative and underlying sequences formed off the southern Laurentian margin, but northwest of the principal Iapetan suture, or Red Indian line (RIL). The Boil Mountain-Jim Pond-Hurricane Mountain sequence was ramped northwestward over the Chain Lakes massif at ???475 Ma, on the basal Boil Mountain surface. This obduction probably occurred slightly before obduction on the Baie Verte-Brompton surface (BBL), farther NW, over the Laurentian margin, and was followed by Dead River flysch sedimentation, which ended with the abrupt onset of Ammonoosuc-sequence arc magmatism at ???470 Ma. Ammonoosuc eruptions probably ended at ???460 Ma, when Iapetus closed along the Red Indian line. During a following magmatic hiatus of ???3-5 m.y., now represented by portions of the Partridge Formation that overlie the Ammonoosuc Volcanics, subduction polarity reversed, and subduction resumed below the northwest-dipping Brunswick subduction complex (BSC) of New Brunswick, Canada. Quimby-sequence magmatism (???456-435 Ma) on the the newly accreted Laurentian margin occurred above the BSC, whose footwall is now buried to the southeast by mainly Silurian clastic sediments of the Merrimack-Fredericton trough, deposited in the "Fredericton Sea". In Silurian to Early Devonian time, the NW-dipping BSC footwall was paired with a SE-dipping subduction zone that produced arc magmas of the Coastal Volcanic belt, built on the composite Avalon and adjacent peri-Avalonian terranes. Orogen-normal extension produced by rapid rollback of both subduction zones narrowed the Fredericton Sea, produced the Central Maine and Connecticut Valley-Gaspe?? basins, and culminated in the Acadian orogeny when the sea completely closed in Early Devonian time. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.

Stratigraphy, geochronology, and accretionary terrane settings of two Bronson Hill arc sequences, northern New England

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moench, R.H.; Aleinikoff, J.N.

2003-01-01

The Ammonoosuc Volcanics, Partridge Formation, and the Oliverian and Highlandcroft Plutonic Suites of the Bronson Hill anticlinorium (BHA) in axial New England are widely accepted as a single Middle to Late Ordovician magmatic arc that was active during closure of Iapetus. Mapping and U-Pb dating indicate, however, that the BHA contains two volcano-sedimentary-intrusive sequences of probable opposite subduction polarity, here termed the Ammonoosuc and Quimby sequences. The Ammonoosuc sequence is defined by the Middle Ordovician Ammonoosuc Volcanics near Littleton, NH, the type area, northeast to Milan, NH, and Oquossoc, ME; it also includes black slate of the Partridge Formation ( C. bicornis--zone graptolites, ???457 Ma). Related metamorphosed intrusives are the tonalitic Joslin Turn pluton (469 ?? 2 Ma), the Cambridge Black granitic pluton (468 ?? 3 Ma), and gabbro, tonalite (467 ?? 4 Ma), and sheeted diabase of the Chickwolnepy intrusions. These intrusives cut lowermost Ammonoosuc (therefore >469 Ma). Probable uppermost Ammonoosuc is dated at 465 ?? 6 and 461 ?? 8 Ma. Successively below the Ammonoosuc are the Dead River and Hurricane Mountain Formations (flysch and melange), and the Jim Pond Formation (484 ?? 5 Ma) and Boil Mountain Complex (both ophiolite), which are structurally underlain by the Neoproterozoic(?) Chain Lakes massif. The Quimby sequence is defined by the Lower Silurian(?) to Upper Ordovician Quimby Formation, composed of bimodal volcanics (443 ?? 4 Ma) and sulfidic shale and graywacke that lie conformably to unconformably above the Ammmonoosuc Volcanics and Partridge Formation. Also in the Quimby sequence are several granitic to sparsely gabbroic plutons of the Highlandcroft (441-452 Ma) and Oliverian (435-456 Ma) Plutonic Suites, which intrude the Dead River, Ammonoouc and Partridge, but not the Quimby Formation. Based on faunal, paleolatitude, and isotopic data, the Ammonoosuc sequence and its correlatives and underlying sequences formed off the southern Laurentian margin, but northwest of the principal Iapetan suture, or Red Indian line. The Boil Mountain-Jim Pond-Hurricane Mountain sequence was ramped northwestward over the Chain Lakes massif at ???475 Ma, on the basal Boil Mountain surface. This obduction probably occurred slightly before obduction on the Baie Vert-Brompton surface (BBL), farther NW, over the Laurentian margin, and was followed by Dead River flysch sedimentation, which ended with the abrupt onset of Ammonoosuc-sequence arc magmatism at ???470 Ma. Ammonoosuc eruptions probably ended at ???460 Ma, when Iapetus closed along the Red Indian line. During a following magmatic hiatus of ???3-5 m.y., now represented by portions of the Partridge Formation that overlie the Ammonoosuc Volcanics, subduction polarity reversed, and subduction resumed below the northwest-dipping Brunswick subduction complex (BSC) of New Brunswick, Canada. Quimby-sequence magmatism (???456-435 Ma) on the newly accreted Laurentian margin occurred above the BSC, whose footwall is now buried to the southeast by mainly Silurian clastic sediments of the Merrimack-Fredericton trough, deposited in the "Fredericton Sea". In Silurian to Early Devonian time, the NW-dipping BSC footwall was paired with a SE-dipping subduction zone that produced arc magmas of the Coastal Volcanic belt, built on the composite Avalon and adjacent peri-Avalonian terranes. Orogen-normal extension produced by rapid rollback of both subduction zones narrowed the Fredericton Sea, produced the Central Maine and Connecticut Valley-Gaspe?? basins, and culminated in the Acadian orogeny when the sea completely closed in Early Devonian time. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.

Petrology and geochemistry of late-stage intrusions of the A-type, mid-Proterozoic Pikes Peak batholith (Central Colorado, USA): Implications for petrogenetic models

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, D.R.; Noblett, J.; Wobus, R.A.; Unruh, D.; Douglass, J.; Beane, R.; Davis, C.; Goldman, S.; Kay, G.; Gustavson, B.; Saltoun, B.; Stewart, J.

1999-01-01

The ~1.08 Ga anorogenic, A-type Pikes Peak batholith (Front Range, central Colorado) is dominated by coarse-grained, biotite ?? amphibole syenogranites and minor monzogranites, collectively referred to as Pikes Peak granite (PPG). The batholith is also host to numerous small, late-stage plutons that have been subdivided into two groups (e.g. Wobus, 1976. Studies in Colorado Field Geology, Colorado School of Mines Professional Contributions, Colorado): (1) a sodic series (SiO2= ~44-78 wt%; K/Na=0.32-1.36) composed of gabbro, diabase, syenite/quartz syenite and fayalite and sodic amphibole granite; and (2) a potassic series (SiO2= ~ 70-77 wt%; K/Na=0.95-2.05), composed of biotite granite and minor quartz monzonite. Differences in major and trace element and Nd isotopic characteristics for the two series indicate different petrogenetic histories. Potassic granites of the late-stage intrusions appear to represent crustal anatectic melts derived from tonalite sources, based on comparison of their major element compositions with experimental melt products. In addition, Nd isotopic characteristics of the potassic granites [??(Nd)(1.08 Ga) = -0.2 to -2.7] overlap with those for tonalites/granodiorites [ca 1.7 Ga Boulder Creek intrusions; ??(Nd)(1.08 Ga) = -2.4 to -3.6] exposed in the region. Some of the partial melts evolved by fractionation dominated by feldspar. The late-stage potassic granites share geochemical characteristics with most of the PPG, which is also interpreted to have an anatectic origin involving tonalitic crust. The origin of monzogranites associated with the PPG remains unclear, but mixing between granitic and mafic or intermediate magmas is a possibility. Syenites and granites of the sodic series cannot be explained as crustal melts, but are interpreted as fractionation products of mantle-derived mafic magmas with minor crustal input. High temperature and low oxygen fugacity estimates (e.g. Frost et al., 1988. American Mineralogist 73, 727-740) support a basalt fractionation origin, as do ??(Nd) values for sodic granitoids [??(Nd)(1.08 Ga) = +2.2 to -0.7], which are higher than ??(Nd) values for Colorado crust at 1.08 Ga (ca -1.0 to -4.0). Enrichments in incompatible elements (e.g. rare earth elements, Rb, Y) and depletions in compatible elements (e.g. Cr, Sr, Ba) in the sodic granitoids compared to coeval mafic rocks are also consistent with fractionation. Accessory mineral fractionation, release of fluorine-rich volatiles and/or removal of pegmatitic fluids could have modified abundances of Ce, Nb, Zr and Y in some sodic granitoid magmas. Gabbros and mafic dikes associated with the sodic granitoids have ??(Nd)(1.08 Ga) of -3.0 to +3.5, which are lower than depleted mantle at 1.08 Ga, and their trace element characteristics suggest derivation from mantle sources that were previously affected by subduction-related processes. However, it is difficult to characterize the mantle component in these magmas, because assimilation of crust during magma ascent could also result in their observed geochemical features. The Pikes Peak batholith is composed of at least two petrogenetically different granite types, both of which exhibit geochemical characteristics typical of A-type granites. Models proposed for the petrogenesis of the granitoids imply the existence of mafic rocks at depth and addition of juvenile material to the crust in central Colorado at ~ 1.1 Ga.

Hydrogeology and simulation of ground-water flow at the Gettysburg Elevator Plant Superfund Site, Adams County, Pennsylvania

USGS Publications Warehouse

Low, Dennis J.; Goode, Daniel J.; Risser, Dennis W.

2000-01-01

Ground water in Triassic-age sedimentary fractured-rock aquifers in the area of Gettysburg, Pa., is used as drinking water and for industrial and commercial supply. In 1983, ground water at the Gettysburg Elevator Plant was found by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources to be contaminated with trichloroethene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, and other synthetic organic compounds. As part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency?s Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, 1980 process, a Remedial Investigation was completed in July 1991, a method of site remediation was issued in the Record of Decision dated June 1992, and a Final Design Report was completed in May 1997. In cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the hydrogeologic assessment of the site remediation, the U.S. Geological Survey began a study in 1997 to determine the effects of the onsite and offsite extraction wells on ground-water flow and contaminant migration from the Gettysburg Elevator Plant. This determination is based on hydrologic and geophysical data collected from 1991 to 1998 and on results of numerical model simulations of the local ground-water flow-system. The Gettysburg Elevator Site is underlain by red, green, gray, and black shales of the Heidlersburg Member of the Gettysburg Formation. Correlation of natural-gamma logs indicates the sedimentary rock strike about N. 23 degrees E. and dip about 23 degrees NW. Depth to bedrock onsite commonly is about 6 feet but offsite may be as deep as 40 feet. The ground-water system consists of two zones?a thin, shallow zone composed of soil, clay, and highly weathered bedrock and a thicker, nonweathered or fractured bedrock zone. The shallow zone overlies the bedrock zone and truncates the dipping beds parallel to land surface. Diabase dikes are barriers to ground-water flow in the bedrock zone. The ground-water system is generally confined or semi-confined, even at shallow depths. Depth to water can range from flowing at land surface to more than 71 feet below land surface. Potentiometric maps based on measured water levels at the Gettysburg Elevator Plant indicate ground water flows from west to east, towards Rock Creek. Multiple-well aquifer tests indicate the system is heterogeneous and flow is primarily in dipping beds that contain discrete secondary openings separated by less permeable beds. Water levels in wells open to the pumped bed, as projected along the dipping stratigraphy, are drawn down more than water levels in wells not open to the pumped bed. Ground-water flow was simulated for steady-state conditions prior to pumping and long-term average pumping conditions. The three-dimensional numerical flow model (MODFLOW) was calibrated by use of a parameter estimation program (MODFLOWP). Steady-state conditions were assumed for the calibration period of 1996. An effective areal recharge rate of 7 inches was used in model calibration. The calibrated flow model was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the current onsite and offsite extraction well system. The simulation results generally indicate that the extraction system effectively captures much of the ground-water recharge at the Gettysburg Elevator Plant and, hence, contaminated ground-water migrating from the site. Some of the extraction wells pump at low rates and have very small contributing areas. Results indicate some areal recharge onsite will move to offsite extraction wells.

Stratigraphy, geochronology, and accretionary terrane settings of two Bronson Hill arc sequences, northern New England

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moench, Robert H.; Aleinikoff, John N.

The Ammonoosuc Volcanics, Partridge Formation, and the Oliverian and Highlandcroft Plutonic Suites of the Bronson Hill anticlinorium (BHA) in axial New England are widely accepted as a single Middle to Late Ordovician magmatic arc that was active during closure of Iapetus. Mapping and U-Pb dating indicate, however, that the BHA contains two volcano-sedimentary-intrusive sequences of probable opposite subduction polarity, here termed the Ammonoosuc and Quimby sequences. The Ammonoosuc sequence is defined by the Middle Ordovician Ammonoosuc Volcanics near Littleton, NH, the type area, northeast to Milan, NH, and Oquossoc, ME; it also includes black slate of the Partridge Formation ( C. bicornis--zone graptolites, ∼457 Ma). Related metamorphosed intrusives are the tonalitic Joslin Turn pluton (469 ± 2 Ma), the Cambridge Black granitic pluton (468 ± 3 Ma), and gabbro, tonalite (467 ± 4 Ma), and sheeted diabase of the Chickwolnepy intrusions. These intrusives cut lowermost Ammonoosuc (therefore >469 Ma). Probable uppermost Ammonoosuc is dated at 465 ± 6 and 461 ± 8 Ma. Successively below the Ammonoosuc are the Dead River and Hurricane Mountain Formations (flysch and melange), and the Jim Pond Formation (484 ± 5 Ma) and Boil Mountain Complex (both ophiolite), which are structurally underlain by the Neoproterozoic(?) Chain Lakes massif. The Quimby sequence is defined by the Lower Silurian(?) to Upper Ordovician Quimby Formation, composed of bimodal volcanics (443 ± 4 Ma) and sulfidic shale and graywacke that lie conformably to unconformably above the Ammmonoosuc Volcanics and Partridge Formation. Also in the Quimby sequence are several granitic to sparsely gabbroic plutons of the Highlandcroft (441-452 Ma) and Oliverian (435-456 Ma) Plutonic Suites, which intrude the Dead River, Ammonoouc and Partridge, but not the Quimby Formation. Based on faunal, paleolatitude, and isotopic data, the Ammonoosuc sequence and its correlatives and underlying sequences formed off the southern Laurentian margin, but northwest of the principal Iapetan suture, or Red Indian line. The Boil Mountain-Jim Pond-Hurricane Mountain sequence was ramped northwestward over the Chain Lakes massif at ∼475 Ma, on the basal Boil Mountain surface. This obduction probably occurred slightly before obduction on the Baie Vert-Brompton surface (BBL), farther NW, over the Laurentian margin, and was followed by Dead River flysch sedimentation, which ended with the abrupt onset of Ammonoosuc-sequence arc magmatism at ∼470 Ma. Ammonoosuc eruptions probably ended at ∼460 Ma, when Iapetus closed along the Red Indian line. During a following magmatic hiatus of ∼3-5 m.y., now represented by portions of the Partridge Formation that overlie the Ammonoosuc Volcanics, subduction polarity reversed, and subduction resumed below the northwest-dipping Brunswick subduction complex (BSC) of New Brunswick, Canada. Quimby-sequence magmatism (∼456-435 Ma) on the newly accreted Laurentian margin occurred above the BSC, whose footwall is now buried to the southeast by mainly Silurian clastic sediments of the Merrimack-Fredericton trough, deposited in the “Fredericton Sea”. In Silurian to Early Devonian time, the NW-dipping BSC footwall was paired with a SE-dipping subduction zone that produced arc magmas of the Coastal Volcanic belt, built on the composite Avalon and adjacent peri-Avalonian terranes. Orogen-normal extension produced by rapid rollback of both subduction zones narrowed the Fredericton Sea, produced the Central Maine and Connecticut Valley-Gaspé basins, and culminated in the Acadian orogeny when the sea completely closed in Early Devonian time.

Petrology and Geochemistry of Tethyan Mélange and Flysch Units Adjacent to the Yarlung Zangbo Suture Zone (YZSZ), Southern Tibet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dupuis, C.; Hebert, R.; Wang, C.; Li, Y.; Li, Z.

2004-05-01

Located north of the Himalayas, the E-W trending YZSZ is mainly composed of remnants of the Neo-Tethys ocean-floor and marks the suture between Indian and Eurasian plates. This project aims to define geological units immediately South of the YZSZ ophiolites : the serpentinized ophiolitic mélange, the Jurassic-Cretaceous wildflysch and the Triassic flysch. The ophiolitic mélange is characterized by ultramafic rocks, which can be divided into 3 groups. Cpx-harzburgites contain brownish aluminous spinels with Mg# of 0.7-0.75 and Cr# of 0.15-0.27. They resemble fertile abyssal peridotites with generally smooth LREE-depleted and fairly flat MREE-HREE profiles. Transitional harzburgites contain reddish spinels with Mg# of 0.57-0.66 and Cr# of 0.35-0.46. They resemble depleted abyssal or supra-subduction zone peridotites in that MREE-HREE profiles have positive slopes indicative of high degrees of partial melting. LREE profiles vary from depleted to slightly enriched, consistent with some trapped or interacting melt or aqueous fluids. Harzburgites and dunites contain dark reddish spinels with Mg# of 0.47-0.68 and Cr# of 0.40-0.63. They have U-shaped profiles characteristics of interaction between LREE-enriched melt and REE-depleted mantle residues. Spinel compositions and fractional melting modelling indicate that Cpx-harburgites may be the residues from 5-15% melting, transitional harzburgites from 15-23% melting, and harzburgites and dunites from 22-29% melting. The South Sandwich arc-basin system is considered a modern analog of initial geodynamic setting. Mafic rocks (gabbros, diabases and basalts) are ubiquitous and can be geochemically subdivided according to their source unit. LREE-depleted profiles with average (La/Yb)N of 0.5 and slight negative Nb-Ta and Ti anomalies indicate that rocks from the ophiolitic mélange formed in a back-arc basin, such as back-arc-basin mafic rocks of the Izu-Bonin Arc. REE patterns of rocks from the wildflysch are LREE-enriched with average (La/Yb)N of 5.3. These rocks are of intraplate affinity and are geochemically similar to volcanic rocks of the South Tethyan suture zone of Pakistan, which are interpreted to represent an early expression of the Réunion hotspot. Rocks from the flysch show the most LREE-enriched profiles with average (La/Yb)N of 6.9 and slight negative Nb-Ta and Ti anomalies, which suggest continental lithospheric assimilation. Similarly to volcanic rocks of the Deccan Traps, these rocks are thus interpreted to derive from an enriched mantle source of intraplate type (Réunion hotspot?), with additional contamination from the Indian continental crust (ICC). The geochemical signature of greywackes, red and black shales from the wildflysch and flysch units are all concordant with a continental passive margin setting. Despite fairly important chemical weathering, the signature was not affected by significant sedimentary recycling nor heavy-mineral accumulation. REE patterns show a LREE enrichment typical of shales and indicate an old upper CC provenance for the turbidites. Multi-element patterns indicate both mafic and felsic contributions to the source. The mafic contribution (slight positive Ti anomalies) could originate from mafic blocks of enriched intraplate geochemical affinity found in the sedimentary units, whereas the felsic contribution (slight LREE enrichment and negative NB-Ta anomalies) probably derives from remnants of evolved migmatitic batholith of the ICC.

Paleomagnetism of the Grenville diabase dyke swarm and implications for the mid Vendian paleolatitude of Laurentia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchan, K. L.; Ernst, R. E.; Kumarapeli, P. S.

2004-05-01

The Vendian-early Cambrian drift of Laurentia is important for theories of `Snowball Earth' and the continental breakup that formed the Iapetus Ocean. However, estimates of Laurentia's paleolatitude in this period differ widely. Some authors have proposed that Laurentia remained in low latitude throughout this period, whereas others have supported rapid drift of the continent from low to high and back to low latitude. To assist in evaluating these models, a paleomagnetic study was conducted on the mid Vendian Grenville dyke swarm of southeastern Laurentia. This 700 km long swarm was emplaced along the Ottawa graben, an aulacogen associated with rifting that preceded the opening of the Iapetus Ocean. The swarm was the subject of an early paleomagnetic study by Murthy (1971). More recently, U-Pb baddeleyite and zircon ages of ca. 590 Ma have been described for three Grenville dykes (Kamo et al. 1995). At one of these sites, on the `Mattawa' dyke, a positive paleomagnetic baked contact test was also reported (Hyodo and Dunlop 1993). In that detailed test thermoremanent overprinting in the zone of hybrid magnetization was shown to match that expected from heat conduction for a cooling dyke. Nevertheless, Hyodo and Dunlop suggested that the steep down remanence in the dyke, although primary, was likely acquired during a geomagnetic excursion because it did not appear to fit the then-available polar wander path. In our study, paleomagnetic sampling was carried out at 36 sites, including all three dated locations. A detailed analysis has been completed for the dated sites and preliminary analysis for the remaining sites. A stable steep down remanence was obtained for all samples in the Mattawa dyke, and in most samples from a second dated site. The third dated site is less stably magnetized and has not yielded a usable remanence direction. Ten additional sites yield stable steep down or occasionally steep up remanences. The presence of a steep remanence in two dated dykes and several others demonstrates that the remanence was not simply acquired during a short-term geomagnetic excursion. The positive baked contact test suggests that it is a primary remanence. If so, this would indicate that Laurentia was at high latitude 590 Ma ago. This would correspond to interpretations of steep magnetizations in the 577 Ma Callander Complex of the Ottawa graben (Symons and Chiasson 1991). However, other dykes in our study do not carry the steep down remanence. Six have an intermediate up WNW magnetization (or its reversal to the SE), suggesting that these dykes may not be 590 Ma in age. The WNW remanence is similar to that reported for the poorly-dated Buckingham volcanics of the Ottawa graben (Dankers and Lapointe 1981). Five additional sites carry other SE directions (both up and down) that are scattered along or near a great circle through the Mattawa and Buckingham volcanic directions, indicating that unresolved overprinting may have smeared the site directions. Therefore, caution should be exercised in interpreting the overall paleomagnetic data set until further U-Pb dating and paleomagnetic analysis have clarified whether more than one age of dyke swarm is present and whether significant overprinting has occurred. References: Dankers and Lapointe, 1981, Can. J. Earth Sci. 18: 1174; Hyodo and Dunlop, 1993, J. Geophys. Res. 98: 7997; Kamo, Krogh, and Kumarapeli, 1995, Can. J. Earth Sci. 32: 273; Murthy, 1971, Can. J. Earth Sci. 8: 802; Symons and Chiasson, 1991, Can. J. Earth Sci. 28: 355.

Paleomagnetism of baked sedimentary rocks in the Newark and Culpeper basins: Evidence for the J1 cusp and significant Late Triassic apparent polar wander from the Mesozoic basins of North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kodama, Kenneth P.; Cioppa, Maria T.; Sherwood, Elizabeth; Warnock, Andrew C.

1994-08-01

A paleomagnetic study of 14 sites in the baked sedimentary rocks of the Newark basin Passaic Formation in southeastern Pennsylvania reveals two types of magnetic behavior. Dark gray-colored, baked sedimentary rocks have peak unblocking temperatures of 640°C, high magnetic intensities, and shallow, normal polarity, northeasterly directions. Light gray-colored rocks have peak unblocking temperatures of less than 580°C, low magnetic intensities, and intermediate inclination, normal polarity, northwesterly directions. The low unblocking temperature magnetizations are secondary magnetizations which have declinations similar to but are shallower than the B remagnetization observed by Witte and Kent (1991) throughout the Newark basin. The discrepancy may be due to "underprinting" by an unresolved primary magnetization. The low unblocking temperature magnetization was probably acquired by growth of secondary magnetite during a hydrothermal event, as postulated by Sutter (1988), based on geochronologic data. The high unblocking temperature magnetization is significantly prefolding. Both the low-peak unblocking temperature magnetization and the high-peak unblocking temperature magnetization suggest a 15° counterclockwise block rotation of the Sassamansville syncline. If this rotation is removed from the high unblocking temperature sites collected around the fold, a stronger passage of the fold test results. Six sites were also collected from baked sediments and one site from diabase in northern Virginia's Culpeper basin, since Sutter's geochronological work indicated that the intrusives in the Culpeper basin are coeval to the Newark basin intrusives. Virtual geomagnetic poles (VGPs), based on the tilt-corrected, high-temperature Newark basin magnetizations, were compared with the VGPs calculated from the site means of a high-temperature magnetization isolated from baked sedimentary rocks in the Culpeper basin and to the magnetizations reported by Raymond (1982) from dikes and sills. In this comparison the in situ Culpeper poles agreed with the prefolding Newark poles significantly better than the prefolding Culpeper poles. This result indicates that Culpeper intrusives erupted into already tilted sedimentary rocks. The paleomagnetic pole determined from the combined Culpeper baked sediments, dikes, and sills (in situ coordinates) and the Newark basin baked sediments (tilt-corrected coordinates) lies at 60°N, 69°E and is of 201 Ma age. This latest Triassic/earliest Jurassic pole, when combined with the Newark basin Carnian results (Witte and Kent, 1989) and Norian results (Witte et al., 1991) corrected for a counterclockwise block rotation (Kodama et al., 1994), provides a record of significant polar wander from eastern North America's Mesozoic basins for the Late Triassic. This is consistent with observations made for a similar time period from rocks on the Colorado Plateau (Bazard and Butler, 1991). Comparison of the Newark/Culpeper pole to similar age poles from the Kayenta (Bazard and Butler, 1991) and Moenave Formations (Ekstrand and Butler, 1989) only requires small amounts (5°) of Colorado Plateau rotation. The pole also provides the first well-dated evidence of the Jl cusp in North American apparent polar wander from rocks not located on the Colorado Plateau, thus giving strong support for the usefulness of paleomagnetic Euler pole analysis of apparent polar wander.

Stratigraphy, geochronology, and accretionary terrane settings of two Bronson Hill arc sequences, northern New England

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moench, Robert H.; Aleinikoff, John N.

2002-01-01

The Ammonoosuc Volcanics, Partridge Formation, and the Oliverian and Highlandcroft Plutonic Suites of the Bronson Hill anticlinorium (BHA) in axial New England are widely accepted as a single Middle to Late Ordovician magmatic arc that was active during closure of Iapetus. Mapping and U-Pb dating indicate, however, that the BHA contains two volcano-sedimentary-intrusive sequences of probable opposite subduction polarity, here termed the Ammonoosuc and Quimby sequences. The Ammonoosuc sequence is defined by the Middle Ordovician Ammonoosuc Volcanics near Littleton, N.H., the type area, northeast to Milan, N.H., and Oquossoc, Me.; it also includes black slate of the Partidge Formation ( C. bicornis zone graptolites, ∼457 Ma). Related metamorphosed intrusive are the tonalitic Joslin Turn pluton (469±2 Ma), the Cambridge Black granitic pluton (468±3 Ma), and gabbro, tonalite (467±4 Ma), and sheeted diabase of the Chickwolnepy instructions. These intrusives cut lowermost Ammonoosuc (therefore >469 Ma). Probable uppermost Ammonoosuc is dated at 465±6 and 461±8 Ma. Successively below the Ammonoosuc are the Dead River and Hurricane Mountain Formations (flysch and melange), and the Jim Pond Formation (484±5 Ma) and Boil Mountain Complex (both ophiolite), which are structurally underlain by the Neoproterozoic(?) Chain Lakes massif. The Quimby sequence is defined by the Lower Silurian(?) to Upper Ordovician Quimby Formation, composed of bimodal volcanics (443±4 Ma) and sulfidic shale and graywacke that lie conformably to unconformably above the Ammonoosuc Volcanics and Partridge Formation. Also in the Quimby sequence are several granitic to sparsely gabbroic plutons of the Highlandcroft (441-452 Ma) and Oliverian (435-456 Ma) Plutonic Suites, which intrude the Dead River, Ammonoosuc and Partridge, but not the Quimby Formation. Based on faunal, paleolatitude, and isotropic data, the Ammonoosuc sequence and its correlative and underlying sequences formed off the southern Laurentian margin, but northwest of the principal Iapetan suture, or Red Indian line (RIL). The Boil Mountain-Jim Pond-Hurricane Mountain sequence was ramped northwestward over the Chain Lakes massif at ∼475 Ma, on the basal Boil Mountain surface. This obduction probably occurred slightly before obduction on the Baie Verte-Brompton surface (BBL), farther NW, over the Laurentian margin, and was followed by Dead River flysch sedimentation, which ended with the abrupt onset of Ammonoosuc-sequence arc magmatism at ∼470 Ma. Ammonoosuc eruptions probably ended at ∼460 Ma, when Iapetus closed along the Red Indian line. During a following magmatic hiatus of ∼3-5 m.y., now represented by portions of the Partridge Formation that overlie the Ammonoosuc Volcanics, subduction polarity reversed, and subduction resumed below the northwest-dipping Brunswick subduction complex (BSC) of New Brunswick, Canada. Quimby-sequence magmatism (∼456-435 Ma) on the the newly accreted Laurentian margin occurred above the BSC, whose footwall is now buried to the southeast by mainly Silurian clastic sediments of the Merrimack-Fredericton trough, deposited in the “Fredericton Sea”. In Silurian to Early Devonian time, the NW-dipping BSC footwall was paired with a SE-dipping subduction zone that produced arc magmas of the Coastal Volcanic belt, built on the composite Avalon and adjacent peri-Avalonian terranes. Orogen-normal extension produced by rapid rollback of both subduction zones narrowed the Fredericton Sea, produced the Central Maine and Connecticut Valley-Gaspé basins, and culminated in the Acadian orogeny when the sea completely closed in Early Devonian time.

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

Geology and Mineral Resources of the East Mojave National Scenic Area, San Bernardino County, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Theodore, Ted G.

2007-01-01

The rocks of the East Mojave National Scenic Area (EMNSA) record a history of dynamic geologic events that span more than 1,800 million years (m.y.). These geologic events contributed significantly to development of the spectacular vistas and panoramas present in the area today. The oldest rocks underlie much of the northern part of the EMNSA. These rocks were subjected to extreme pressures and temperatures deep in the Earth's crust about 1,700 million years ago (Ma). They were subsequently intruded by granitic magmas from about 1,695 to 1,650 Ma, by additional granitic magmas at about 1,400 Ma and, later, at about 1,100 Ma, by iron-rich magmas that crystallized to form dark igneous rocks termed diabase. Unusual potassium- and magnesium-rich rocks, emplaced at about 1,400 Ma, crop out in a few places within and near the EMNSA. Their distinctive composition results from very small degrees of partial melting of mantle peridotite that was highly enriched in incompatible trace elements. At Mountain Pass, just outside the northeast boundary of the EMNSA, the potassium- and magnesium-rich rocks are accompanied by a rare type of carbonatite, an igneous rock composed of carbonate minerals, that contains high-grade rare earth element mineralization. Subsequent to these igneous-dominated events, sedimentary strata began to be deposited at about 1,000 Ma; mostly sandstone and shale were deposited initially in marine and, less commonly, in continental environments along the west edge of the core of the North American continent. Sedimentation eventually culminated in the widespread deposition of thick marine limestones from about 400 to about 245 Ma. These limestones represent a continental-shelf environment where shallow-water limestone formed to the east and deeper water limestone formed to the west. The end of the formation of these sedimentary deposits probably was caused by uplift of the shelf, which marked the beginning of a long period of tectonic upheaval. At about 170 Ma, widespread emplacement of coarse-grained granitic magmas began again in the region; some of these magmas also erupted as volcanic rocks. Additional episodes of magmatism took place at about 100 Ma and at 75 Ma. Most of the metallic-mineral occurrences in the EMNSA are associated with the igneous rocks that range in age from 170 to 75 Ma. During each of these magmatic events, the previously deposited sedimentary strata were buckled and broken as the entire region, part of a continental-scale fold and thrust belt, underwent crustal shortening and compression. A period of tectonic quiescence characterized the region from about 65 Ma to about 20 Ma. The quiet period ended abruptly with widespread volcanism along the southern and eastern parts of the EMNSA. The major gold deposits in the Castle Mountains are associated with this episode of volcanism. During this volcanic outburst, the crust extended laterally in several areas that border the EMNSA: along the lower Colorado River 65 km to the east, in the Kingston Range 20 km to the north, and in the central Mojave Desert 75 km to the southwest. This extensional deformation is characterized by the superposition of upper-crustal rocks over midcrustal rocks along large flat-lying faults, several of which project beneath rocks now exposed at the surface in the EMNSA. The near-surface rocks of the EMNSA, however, apparently escaped much of this intense extensional deformation. High-angle faults, which cut several of the mountain ranges, possibly have undergone several periods of movement, which date back to approximately 70 to 100 Ma. Some faults are of local importance to the physiographic development of the mountain ranges and intervening basins, and, in places, the faults seem to have localized various kinds of ore bodies and mineral occurrences. Volcanism and extensional deformation waned from 14 to 11 Ma. By approximately 10 Ma, widespread erosion had produced broad erosional dome-shaped mountains in the n

Geology of Glacier National Park and the Flathead Region, Northwestern Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ross, Clyde P.

1959-01-01

This report summarizes available data on two adjacent and partly overlapping regions in northwestern Montana. The first of these is Glacier National Park plus small areas east and west of the park. The second is here called, for convenience, the Flathead region; it embraces the mountains from the southern tip of Glacier Park to latitude 48 deg north and between the Great Plains on the east and Flathead Valley on the west. The fieldwork under the direction of the writer was done in 1948, 1949, 1950, and 1951, with some work in 1952 and 1953. The two regions together include parts of the Swan, Flathead, Livingstone, and Lewis Ranges. They are drained largely by branches of the Flathead River. On the east and north, however, they are penetrated by tributaries of the Missouri River and in addition by streams that flow into Canada. Roads and highways reach the borders of the regions; but there are few roads in the regions and only two highways cross them. The principal economic value of the assemblage of mountains described in the present report is as a collecting ground for snow to furnish the water used in the surrounding lowlands and as a scenic and wildlife recreation area. A few metallic deposits and lignitic coal beds are known, but these have not proved to be important and cannot, as far as can now be judged, be expected to become so. No oil except minor seeps has yet been found, and most parts of the two regions covered do not appear geologically favorable to the presence of oil in commercial quantities. The high, Hungry Horse Dam on which construction was in progress during the fieldwork now floods part of the Flathead region and will greatly influence the future of that region. The rocks range in age from Precambrian to Recent. The thickest units belong to the Belt series of Precambrian age, and special attention was paid to them. As a result, it is clear that at least the upper part of the series shows marked lateral changes within short distances. This fact introduces complexities into stratigraphic correlation and should be remembered wherever the series is studied. The stromatolites, or fossil algae, in the Belt series, although still imperfectly understood, give clues with respect to problems of ecology and stratigraphy. The subdivisions of the Belt series within the areas covered by the present report are, in ascending order, Altyn limestone, Appekunny argillite, Grinnell argillite, Siyeh limestone, and Missoula group. Local subdivisions of the Missoula group are possible in certain areas, and all the units just named are expected to be subdivided when detailed studies are undertaken. In the Glacier National Park and Flathead regions together, it is probable that between 25,000 and 30,000 feet of beds belonging to the Belt series, possibly more, are present. These consist largely of quartzitic argillite, quartzite, and carbonate rocks, mostly dolomitic. Small gabbroic and diabasic intrusive bodies and, at one horizon, basaltic lava are associated with the Belt series. Above the Belt series is a thick sequence of Cambrian, Devonian, and Carboniferous strata, in which limestone is dominant, followed by strata of Jurassic and Cretaceous age, largely limestone and shale and partly of terrestrial origin. Slightly consolidated gravel, sand, and silt of Tertiary age are preserved in some valleys and as erosional remnants on the plains close to the mountain border. Pleistocene and Recent glacial and fluviatile deposits are plentiful in mountain valleys and on the plains east of the mountains. Sufficient crustal movements took place during the latter part of Belt time to produce tension cracks that permitted some intrusion and related extrusion to occur. Broad crustal warping probably took place at intervals during the Paleozoic era, but these successive movements left little record other than the absence of sedimentary rock units that might otherwise have been deposited. The same can be said of much of the Me

Preliminary report of investigations of springs in the Mogollon Rim region Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Feth, J.H.

1954-01-01

The Geological Survey has made a reconnaissance of springs in the Mogollon Rim region in central Arizona. This region is the source of much of the water in the Gila, Salt, and Verde Rivers. The region has not previously been systematically studied with respect to the occurrence of ground water. The Mogollon Rim is an escarpment that extends about 200 miles in a northwest direction from near Clifton and Morenci in southeastern Arizona and gradually disappears north of Prescott. Lumbering, ranching, and in local areas copper mining are the principal industries. Main lines of drainage extend north on the plateau, north of the rim, and south or southwest below the rim. For convenience in discussion and because of structural differences, the region has been separated into western, central, and eastern divisions. Pre-Cambrian to Recent rocks crop out. Pre-Cambrian formations and those of Paleozoic age constitute the thickest sections. Recent basalt flows cap the plateau portion, except in the central part of the region. Large areas in valleys below the rim are occupied by lake-bed deposits. The valleys are aligned northwest, suggesting the possibility that a structural trough extends almost the full length of the rim southwest of the scarp. In some areas, erosion has caused recession of the escarpment for distances of a few miles to 10 or 15 miles from the major rim faults. The origin of late deposits of sodium Sulfate in the Verde basin has not been adequately, explained. As the salts are concentrated near mineralized districts on the southwest side of the basin, a possible genetic relationship between the two should be considered. Pre-Cambrian granite and basalt of probable Tertiary and Quaternary age are the igneous rocks most widely exposed in the region. Diabase dikes and sills are prominent in some areas; they were intruded probably during Late Cambrian time. A thickness of 2,000 feet of volcanic rocks of probable Cretaceous and Tertiary age is exposed in one area along the rim, but these rocks as yet have not been studied in detail. A hypothetical relationship is advanced to explain the coincidence in estimated volumes of rock erupted in the San Franciscan volcanic field and the volumes displaced by subsidence of the Verde basin. Fold structures are relatively uncommon in the region and are of small extent except the Holbrook dome northwest of Snowflake. High-angle faults, for the most part normal, are the most prominent structures identified. Faults parallel to the rim have been mapped in several areas. The inferred relations are shown on three diagrammatic sections. These faults are thought to account for the presence of two rims in the eastern division, and perhaps as many as three near Payson. Major orogeny in the region is believed to have occurred four times, as follows: (1) In the pre-Cambrian; (2) in Miocene(?) time southwest of the Mogollon escarpment; (3) in Pliocene (?) time at least in the Flagstaff area, and; (4) at or near the beginning of Quaternary time. The Laramide structures, prominent elsewhere on the plateau, are reflected only weakly in the rim region, so far as is known. Studies of perennial base flow of major streams draining southward from the rim indicate a sustained yield of about 175 cfs (cubic feet per second) measured at existing gaging stations. Runoff records and partial seepage runs show a loss of water between the upper reaches of the streams and the storage reservoirs. There is a general tendency for the water to become progressively more highly mineralized with increasing distance from headwater springs. Natural lakes, ponds, swamps, and cienagas are common in the eastern and western divisions of the rim. They lose considerable water, and some are fully desiccated each summer. They are of little use in their present condition, but might be developed as natural water catches from which recharge co

Geology of the Anlauf and Drain Quadrangles, Douglas and Lane Counties, Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hoover, Linn

1963-01-01

The Anlauf and Drain quadrangles, Oregon, lie about 20 miles south of the city of Eugene, in Douglas and Lane Counties. They constitute an area of about 435 square miles that includes parts of both the Cascade Range and Coast Range physiographic provinces. A sequence of lower Tertiary sedimentary and volcanic rocks with a maximum thickness of about 20,000 feet is exposed in the area. The oldest part of this sequence is the Umpqua formation of early Eocene age consisting of a lower member of vesicular and amygdaloidal olivine basalt flows, a middle member of water-laid vitric and lapilli crystal tuff, and an upper member of interbedded fissile siltstone and basaltic sandstone which contains a 300-foot tongue of massive to thick-bedded basaltic sandstone near its top. These rocks are predominantly of marine origin, although the general absence of pillow structures which are common in basaltic lavas of equivalent age elsewhere in the Coast Ranges suggests that some of the flows were poured out subaerially. The overlying tuff member, however, contains Foraminifera and in places has a lime content slightly in excess of 10 percent. Mollusca and Foraminifera indicate that the Umpqua formation is of early Eocene age and is a correlative of the Capay formation of California. The Tyee formation of middle Eocene age overlies the Umpqua formation and consists of more than 5,000 feet of rhythmically deposited sandstone and siltstone in beds 2 to 30 feet thick. The basal part of each bed consists of medium- to coarse-grained sandstone that grades upward into fine-grained sand- stone and siltstone. The principal constituents of the sandstone are quartz, partly a1tered feldspar, mica, clay, and fragments of basalt, fine-grained argillaceous rocks, and mica schist. Other detrital minerals include epidote, garnet, blue-green hornblende, tourmaline, and zoisite. The depositional environment of the Tyee formation is poorly known, although the rhythmic-graded bedding suggests turbidity currents. About 500 feet of sandstone and siltstone assigned to the Spencer formation of late Eocene age unconformably overlies the Tyee formation. The Spencer formation, better exposed in the east-central part of the Coast Ranges, contains marine fossils but also has thin impure coal beds, indicative of strand-line accumulation. The sandstone in the Spencer formation is very similar to that in the Tyee formation, from which it was probably derived. The Fisher formation contains about 5,500 feet of nonmarine pyroclastic and volcanic rocks that are related to the volcanic rock sequences of the western Cascade Range. The formation is characterized by a wide variety of rock types, including conglomerate, tuffaceous sandstone and siltstone, vitric and crystal tuff, waterlaid and mudflow breccia, and andesitic lava flows. These rocks gen- erally occur in lenticular beds that have little stratigraphic significance. The rocks apparently accumulated on a plain slightly above sea level that was subjected alternately to fiooding by running water and to desiccation. Fossil leaves from the lowermost part of the Fisher formation are of late Eocene age; the upper part of the formation is of early, and possibly niiddle, Oligocene age. A few exposures of olivine basalt were mapped in the extreme northern part of the Anlauf quadrangle. The flows, more extensively exposed to the north, overlie the Fisher formation, and, therefore, are tentatively considered to be post-Oligocene in age. All these stratigraphic units, but principally the Fisher formation, are cut by dikes, sills, and stocklike bodies of 'porphyritic basalt, diabase, and norite. Contemporaneously with the emplacement of most of these rocks, in late Miocene (?) time, hydrothermal solutions locailly altered the sedimentary and extrusive igneous racks and deposited cinnabar and other sulfide minerals, carbonates, and silica. Three parallel nartheastward-trending

Sulphide mineralization and wall-rock alteration in ophiolites and modern oceanic spreading centres

USGS Publications Warehouse

Koski, R.A.

1983-01-01

Massive and stockwork Fe-Cu-Zn (Cyprus type) sulphide deposits in the upper parts of ophiolite complexes represent hydrothermal mineralization at ancient accretionary plate boundaries. These deposits are probable metallogenic analogues of the polymetallic sulphide deposits recently discovered along modern oceanic spreading centres. Genetic models for these deposits suggest that mineralization results from large-scale circulation of sea-water through basaltic basement along the tectonically active axis of spreading, a zone of high heat flow. The high geothermal gradient above 1 to 2 km deep magma chambers emplaced below the ridge axis drives the convective circulation cell. Cold oxidizing sea-water penetrating the crust on the ridge flanks becomes heated and evolves into a highly reduced somewhat acidic hydrothermal solvent during interaction with basaltic wall-rock. Depending on the temperature and water/rock ratio, this fluid is capable of leaching and transporting iron, manganese, and base metals; dissolved sea-water sulphate is reduced to sulphide. At the ridge axis, the buoyant hydrothermal fluid rises through permeable wall-rocks, and fluid flow may be focussed along deep-seated fractures related to extensional tectonic processes. Metal sulphides are precipitated along channelways as the ascending fluid undergoes adiabatic expansion and then further cooling during mixing with ambient sub-sea-floor water. Vigorous fluid flow results in venting of reduced fluid at the sea-floor/sea-water interface and deposition of massive sulphide. A comparison of sulphide mineralization and wall-rock alteration in ancient and modern spreading centre environments supports this genetic concept. Massive sulphide deposits in ophiolites generally occur in clusters of closely spaced (< 1-5 km) deposits. Individual deposits are a composite of syngenetic massive sulphide and underlying epigenetic stockwork-vein mineralization. The massive sulphide occurs as concordant tabular, lenticular, or saucer-shaped bodies in pillow lavas and pillow-lava breccia; massive lava flows, hyalcoclastite, tuff, and bedded radolarian chert are less commonly associated rock types. These massive sulphide zones are as much as 700 m long, 200 m wide, and 50 m thick. The pipe-, funnel-, or keel-shaped stockwork zone may extend to a dehpth of 1 km in the sheeted-dike complex. Several deposits in Cyprus are confined to grabens or the hanging wall of premineralization normal faults. Polymetallic massive sulphide deposits and active hydrothermal vents at medium- to fast-rate spreading centres (the East Pacific Rise at lat. 21??N, the Galapagos Spreading Centre at long. 86??W, the Juan de Fuca Ridge at lat. 45??N., and the Southern Trough of Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California) have interdeposit spacings on a scale of tens or hundreds of metres, and are spatially associated with structural ridges or grabens within the narrow (< 5 km) axial valleys of the rift zones. Although the most common substrate for massive sulphide accumulations is stacked sequences of pillow basalt and sheet flows, the sea-floor underlying numerous deposits in Guaymas Basin consists of diatomaceous ooze and terrigenous clastic sediment that is intruded by diabase sills. Mound-like massive sulphide deposits, as much as 30 m wide and 5m high, occur over actively discharging vents on the East Pacific Rise, and many of these deposits serve as the base for narrow chimneys and spires of equal or greater height. Sulphides on the Juan de Fuca Ridge appear to form more widespread blanket deposits in the shallow axial-valley depression. The largest deposit found to date, along the axial ridge of the Galapagos Spreading Centre, has a tabular form and a length of 1000 m, a width of 200 m, and a height of 30 m. The sulphide assemblage in both massive and vein mineralization in Cyprus type deposits is characteristically simple: abundant pyrite or, less commonly, pyrrhotite accompanied by minor marcasite, chalcopyrite

Sediments, structural framework, petroleum potential, environmental conditions, and operational considerations of the United States South Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1975-01-01

The area designated for possible oil and gas lease sale in Bureau of Land Management memorandum 3310 #43 (722) and referred to therein as part of the United States South Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) contains about 98,000 square kilometres of the continental margin seaward of the 3 mile offshore limit and within the 600 metre isobath. The designated area, offshore of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, encompasses parts of three physiographic provinces: the Continental Shelf, the Florida-Hatteras Slope, and the Blake Plateau. The structural framework of the U.3. South Atlantic region is dominated by the Southeast Georgia Embayment --an east-plunging depression recessed into the Atlantic Coastal Plain and shelf between Cape Fear, North Carolina and Jacksonville, Florida. The embayment is bounded to the north by the Cape Fear Arch and to southeast by the Peninsular Arch. Refraction data indicate a minor basement(?) ridge beneath the outer shelf between 30? and 32?N at 80?W. Drill hole data also suggest a gentle fold or accretionary structure (reef?) off the east coast of Florida. Several other structural features have been identified by refraction and reflection techniques and drilling. These are the Yamacraw Uplift, Burton High, Stone Arch, and the Suwannee Channel. Gravity and magnetic anomalies within the area probably result from emplacement of magma bodies along linear features representing fundamental crustal boundaries. Of these anomalies, the most prominent, is a segment of the East Coast Magnetic Anomaly which crosses the coast at Brunswick, Georgia. This anomaly has been interpreted as representing an ancient continental boundary where two formerly separate continental plates collided and were welded together. There may be as much as 5,000 m of sedimentary rocks in the Southeast Georgia Embayment out to the 600 m isobath. Basement rocks beneath the Southeast Georgia Embayment are expected to be similar to those exposed in the Appalachian Piedmont province. Triassic deposits are likely to exist beneath the inner Continental Shelf, and probably consist of nonmarine arkosic sandstones, shales, basalt flows, and diabase intrusions deposited in relatively narrow northeast-trending grabens. Jurassic marine carbonates in the Bahamas grade northward to carbonates, shales, sand, and arkose in North Carolina. Salt may be present in the basal Jurassic section in the Southeast Georgia Embayment. Up to 4,000 m of Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous rocks are expected out to the 600 m water depth. Lower Cretaceous rocks in southern Florida are shallow-water marine limestone and dolomites with beds of anhydrite. In coastal North Carolina the Lower Cretaceous is a marine section made up of shales, sand, and sandy limestone. The Upper Cretaceous is composed almost entirely of marine carbonates in southern Florida grading northward to nonmarine to marginal marine, sandstones and shales with minor amounts of carbonates. In general, Upper Cretaceous rocks will probably maintain a fairly constant thickness (600 m) on the Continental Shelf and grade downdip from terrigeneous sands and shales to more marine chalks, limestones, and dolomites. The Cenozoic rocks are predominantly shallow-water marine carbonates in Florida grading northward into a marginal marine to marine clastic facies composed of sands, marls, and limestones. The offshore Cenozoic section is expected to range in thickness from 600 to 1100 m. A reconstruction of the geologic history suggests that the present continental margin is a result of a collision of the North American and African continental plates during late Paleozoic time and later modification during Late Triassic time when the continental plates separated, forming the present Atlantic Ocean. No commercial production of hydrocarbons has been developed on the Atlantic Coastal Plain immediately adjacent to the studied area even though hydrocarbon shows have been encountered in ons

P-T evolution of the Precambrian mafic rocks hosting the Varena iron ore deposit in SE Lithuania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Šiliauskas, Laurynas; Skridlaitė, Gražina; Prusinskiene, Sabina

2017-04-01

The Precambrian Varena iron ore deposit in the western East European Craton, near the Latvian-East Lithuanian and Middle Lithuanian domain boundary, is buried beneath 210-500 m thick sediments. It consists of variable metasomatic rocks, mostly Mg-Fe skarns, associated with dolomitic marbles, magnetite and other ores. Metasomatites are hosted by metamorphosed igneous (mostly mafic) and sedimentary rocks and crosscut by later granites and diabase dikes. Three samples of altered mafic rocks (D8-3, D8-4 and D8-6) were chosen for PT estimations. D8-3 sample (582.5 m) is a coarse-grained metagabbro near a metasomatic K-Mg hastingsite rock. It consists of diopsidic pyroxene, edenitic and actinolitic hornblende, plagioclase (An22-15) and scapolite with minor titanite, chlorite, apatite and talc. Diopside compositions range from iron richer (Mg# 0.64, jadeite component of 0.027) to magnesium richer (Mg# 0.89, jadeite less than 0.01). Amphiboles vary from primary Mg-hastingsitic (AlVI 0.38 apfu, Mg# 0.70) to secondary edenitic (AlVI 0.25, Mg# 0.72) hornblende. Plagioclase is slightly zoned, cores more calcium-rich (An22-20) than rims (An18-15). Sample D8-4 (588 m) has similar mineral and chemical compositions, but is somewhat more altered than the D8-3 sample. Plagioclase in diopside is more anorthitic (An32-30), while matrix plagioclase is more albitic (An27-20). Sample D8-6 (710 m) is composed of diopside, plagioclase, scapolite, Mg-hornblende and actinolite. Diopside has Mg# of 0.77-0.84 and jadeite component of 0.01-0.02. Amphibole compositions range from Mg-hornblende (Mg# 0.64-0.7, Al VI 0.2-0.17 apfu) to actinolite (Mg# 0.76-0.83, Al VI 0.12-0.10 apfu). Plagioclases are An18 in cores and An10 at rims. Diopsides with the lowest Mg# and highest jadeite components, together with plagioclase cores were used for PT calculations by the winTWQ software (Berman, 1991). Temperatures of 530° C and 550° C and pressures of 6.3 and 6.1 kbar were estimated for the D8-3 and D8-4 samples, respectively. Edenitic (D8-3 and D8-4) and Mg-hornblende (D8-6) and plagioclase rims were used for thermobarometric calculations (Holland and Blundy, 1994 etc). The sample D8-3 yielded 690° to 600° C and 5.6 to 4.6 kbar (4.3 kbar pressures at maximum temperature). Similar results (675-716° C and 4.1-5.5 kbar, 4.9 kbar pressures at maximum temperature) were obtained from the D8-4 sample. The sample D8-6 produced somewhat lower values of 669-532° C and 3.7-1.0 kbar. The D8-3 gabbro may belong to the surrounding c. 1.84 Ga (Bogdanova et al., 2015) Randamonys complex. The gabbros were later metamorphosed at 550oC and 6.3 kbar (peak by clinopyroxene-plagioclase assemblages). A slight decompression to 5.0-4.3 kbar and reheating to c. 700o C (hornblende-plagioclase assemblages) were likely caused by the fluid influx and metasomatism. Such hornblende yielded c. 1.62 Ga age in the neighbouring 982 drilling (40Ar/39Ar age; Bogdanova et al., 2001). The later retrogression to 530o C at c. 3 kbar coincided with the hornblende closure temperature presumably at 1.47 Ga as was recorded in the same 982 drilling. Berman, 1991. CAN MINERAL, 29, 833-856. Bogdanova, S. et al., 2001. Tectonophysics, 339, 39-66. Bogdanova, S. et al., 2015. Precambrian Research, 259, 5-33. Holland, T., Blundy, J., 1994. CONTRIB MINERAL PETROL 116, 433-47.

Geologic map of the Hogback Mountain quadrangle, Lewis and Clark and Meagher Counties, Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reynolds, Mitchell W.

2003-01-01

The geologic map of the Hogback Mountain quadrangle, scale 1:24,000, was made as part of the Montana Investigations Project to provide new information on the stratigraphy, structure, and geologic history of an area in the geologically complex southern part of the Montana disturbed belt. In the Hogback Mountain area, rocks ranging in age from Middle Proterozoic through Cretaceous are strongly folded within and under thrust plates of equivalent rocks. Continental rocks of successive thrust plates have been telescoped eastward over a buttress of the stable continent. Erosional remnants of Oligocene andesitic basalt lie on highest surfaces eroded across the strongly deformed older rocks; younger erosion has dissected the terrain deeply, producing Late Tertiary and Quaternary deposits of alluvium, colluvium, and local landslide debris in the valleys and canyons. Different stratigraphic successions are exposed at different structural levels across the quadrangle. In the northeastern part of the quadrangle at the lowest structural level, rocks of the Upper Mississippian Big Snowy Group, including the Kibbey Formation and the undivided Otter and Heath Formations, the overlying Pennsylvanian Amsden and undivided Quadrant and Phosphoria Formations, the Ellis Group, and the Kootenai Formation, are folded and broken by thrust faults. The next higher structural level, the Avalanche Butte thrust plate, exposes strongly folded and, in places, attenuated strata of Cambrian (Flathead Sandstone, Wolsey Shale, Meagher Limestone, and undivided Pilgrim Formation and Park Shale), Devonian (Maywood Formation, Jefferson Formation, and most of the Three Forks Formation), and Mississippian (uppermost part of the Three Forks Formation and Lodgepole and Mission Canyon Limestones) ages. The overlying Hogback Mountain thrust plate contains strongly folded rocks ranging in age from the Middle Proterozoic Greyson Formation to the Upper and Lower Mississippian Mission Canyon Limestone and Cretaceous diorite sills. The highest structural level, the Moors Mountain thrust plate, contains the Middle Proterozoic Greyson and Newland Formations and discontinuous Upper Proterozoic diabase sills. Rocks are complexly folded and faulted across the quadrangle. At the lowest level in the northeastern part of the quadrangle, Upper Mississippian and younger strata are folded along northwest-trending axes and broken by thrust faults that at outcrop level displace the same rocks. The central core of the quadrangle is formed by the Avalanche Butte thrust plate, which contains recumbently folded and thrust faulted Paleozoic rocks. A succession of four tight recumbent folds within the plate have axial traces that trend northwest and north-northwest, and that are both arched and downfolded along east- and northeast-trending axes. Carbonate rocks of the Mission Canyon and Lodgepole Limestones in the upper part of the Avalanche Butte thrust plate exposed in the canyon of Trout Creek are folded and attenuated in stacked east-directed recumbent folds that developed as a succession of folded duplex thrust slices. The exposed remnant of the next higher structural level, the Hogback Mountain thrust plate, contains northeast- and east-trending folds that are inverted on the upper overturned limb of a younger northwest-trending recumbent fold. The Hogback Mountain thrust fault is itself folded and, in its northernmost exposures, is overturned to dip west beneath the overlying Moors Mountain thrust plate. During post-middle Tertiary deformation, the Hogback Mountain thrust fault moved as a normal fault, down on the east. The structurally highest Moors Mountain thrust plate rests on the Avalanche Butte thrust plate in the southwestern part of the quadrangle and across both the Avalanche Butte and Hogback Mountain thrust plates along the northwest edge of the quadrangle. In the central eastern part of the map area, the edge of a large klippen of the Moors Mounta

Geology of the Plumtree area, Spruce Pine district, North Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brobst, Donald Albert

1953-01-01

This report describes the results of study and geologic mapping (1:12,000) in the 70-square-mile Plumtree area in the northeastern part of the Spruce Pine pegmatite district, on the Blue Ridge upland in western North Carolina. The district has been the chief domestic source of feldspar and sheet mica. The mining belt just west of the Blue Ridge Front trends northeast and is 25 miles long and 10 miles wide. The center of the Plumtree area lies 10 miles northeast of Spruce Pine pegmatite district, on the Blue Ridge upland in western North Carolina. The district has been the chief domestic source of feldspar and sheet mica. The mining belt just west of the Blue Ridge Front trends northeast and is 25 miles long and 10 miles wide. The center of the Plumtree area lies 10 miles northeast of Spruce Pine and includes parts of Mitchell and Avery Counties shown on the portions of the 7.5-minute Spruce Pine, Linville Falls, Newland, North Carolina, and Carvers Gap, North Carolina and Tennessee quadrangle. The topography varies from rugged mountains to rounded or flat topped hills near the entrenched, meandering master streams. Old erosion surfaces are approximately 600,1,100, 1,500, and 2,500 feet above the present master stream level. The area is in late youth or early maturity after rejuvenation.. The regionally metamorphosed rocks of the amophibolite facies form three mappable units: mica gneiss, mica schist, and hornblende rock. These rocks, perhaps of Precambrian age, are intimately interlayered with thicknesses of the individual layers ranging from less than one inch to several tons of feet. Field relationships and chemical data suggest that the mica (Carolina-type) rocks were derived from sandstones, graywackes, and shales and that the hornblende-rich (Roan-type) layers were derived from impure carbonate rocks. The igneous rocks include alaskite and associated pegmatite of early Paleozoic age (?), dunite and associated soapstone of a prepegmatite age, and a few diabasic dikes of post-pegmatite age (Triassic?). The alaskite and pegmatite have similar bulk compositions, notably low in iron (0.3 percent). The major constituents in order of decreasing abundance are plagioclase, perthitic microcline, quartz, and muncovite. All of these minerals, as well as clay deposits derived from the weathering of alaskite under old terraces, have economic value. The zoned pegmatites contain fewer zones which are less complex mineralogically than those in the pegmatites of many other areas. These essentially unmetamorphosed bodies were intruded approximately at the peak of the regional metamorphism. Their emplacement was controlled by local structure and rock type. The source of this igneous material may have been the mobilized portions of the Cranberry gneiss which underlies the area. The dunite bodies were intruded early in the metamorphic cycle. The bodies are commonly zoned: from the wall rock inwards (1) talc-antrophyllite-serpentine fringe, (3) serpentinized dunite, (3) granular olivine core. Dunite, chromite, vermiculite, and anthophyllite are the major economic commodities. Extensive hydrothermal alteration of dunite bodies produced soapstone. The area is the northeast end of a southwest plunging synclinorium about 20 miles wide with the steeper limb on the northwest side. There are three structural zones: zone I on the northwest is characterized by the northeast-trending isoclinal folds with steep southeast dips; zone II on the southwest includes an area of rocks with low and variable dip; zone III is the complex central core. In the extreme northeast zones I and II have an indistinct boundary where they coalesce along the rim of the synclinorium. Six stratigraphic units are exposed totaling approximately 10,500 feet of metamorphic rocks. Small scale structural features include a foliation, and a lineation in the planes of the foliation. Minor folding reflects the trends of the major structures. There are randomly orient

Geology of the Humboldt region and the Iron King mine, Bigbug mining district, Yavapai County, Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Creasey, Saville Cyrus

1951-01-01

The Humboldt region is in central Yavapai County, Arizona. The intersection of the 112? 15' meridian and the 34? 30' N parallel is in the approximate geographical center of the region, and the Iron King mine is about 2000 feet west-northwest of the intersection. Pre-Cambrian rocks form the bedrock in the Humboldt region. Late Cenozoic unconsolidated river wash and valley fill, including some interbedded basalt, locally mantle the pre-Cambrian rocks, especially in the north-central part of the region (Lonesome Valley). The pre-Cambrian rocks consist of five newly defined metavolcanic formations derived from flows and tuff s, and of six intrusive units ranging in composition from granite to gabbro or perhaps more mafic types. Relic bedding-and pillow structures are locally prominent in the metavolcanics; geopetal structures are uncommon, but where present, generally indicate that the top is toward the west, though the evidence is too meager to be conclusive. Low-grade dynamothermal metamorphism altered the metavolcanics and to a lesser extent the intrusive rocks, forming textures, structures, and mineral assemblages characteristic of low temperature and moderate stress. The Texas Gulch formation, which is the easternmost metavolcanic formation, consists of five lithologic units. Arranged in the general order of their appearance from east to west they are meta-andesite breccia, purple slate, metarhyolite tuff, meta-andesite, and green slate. The boundary between the Texas Gulch formation and the Iron King meta-andesite is apparently gradational. The Iron King meta-andesite consists of three meta-andesite tuff units, two meta-andesite flow units and one metarhyolite tuff and conglomerate unit. The assemblage chlorite-albite-epitode with or without quartz is dominant in the meta-andesites. Mafic intrusive rocks, which may be approximately contemporaneous with metamorphism, may explain the presence of actinolitic hornblende in the central part of the formation. Toward the west the Iron King meta-andesite appears to grade into the Spud Mountain metabreccia through a zone containing beds characteristic of either one formation or the other. The Spud Mountain metabreccia consists of interbedded metabreccia and metatuff beds. The metatuffs are largely andesitic in composition, but a few thin beds of metarhyolite tuff occur. The fragments in the metabreccia beds consist chiefly or porphyritic meta-andesites and the matrix is meta-andesite tuff. Pre-Cambrian faults now marked by dikes separate the Chaparral Gulch metavolcanics, which lie west of the Spud Mountain metabreccia, from underlying and overlying formations. The Chaparral Gulch metavolcanics contain metarhyolite tuff, metarhyolite flow, and meta-andesite tuff that locally was contaminated by rhyolitic detritus. The Indian Hills metavolcanics, which are northeast of the Chaparral Gulch metavolcanics, consist of two broad units, one composed of metarhyolites and the other of meta-andesites. Metamorphosed tuffs and flows are believed to be represented in both units and flow breccia in the meta-andesites. Granite and alaskite; granodiorite and quartz diorite; diorite, mafic quartz diorite, gabbro and diabase; metarhyolite (?); and quartz porphyry comprise the pre-Cambrian intrusive units mapped. They include both deep-seated and hypabyssal types. Dynamothermal metamorphism has foliated the smaller bodies and the margins of the larger masses and partly converted them into mineral assemblages stable under low-grade metamorphic conditions. Planar structures (chiefly foliation) are omnipresent and linear structures are common in the pre-Cambrian meta-volcanic rocks. North-trending planar structures dominate in the Indian Hills metavolcanics, and in the Spud Mountain metabreccia, whereas northeast-trending planar structures are dominant in the Texas Gulch formation, Iron King meta-andesite, and Chaparral Gulch metavolcanics. To a lesser extent northeast-trending st

Geology of Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fiske, Richard S.; Hopson, Clifford Andrae; Waters, Aaron Clement

1963-01-01

Mount Rainier National Park includes 378 square miles of rugged terrain on the west slope of the Cascade Mountains in central Washington. Its mast imposing topographic and geologic feature is glacier-clad Mount Rainier. This volcano, composed chiefly of flows of pyroxene andesite, was built upon alt earlier mountainous surface, carved from altered volcanic and sedimentary rocks invaded by plutonic and hypabyssal igneous rocks of great complexity. The oldest rocks in the park area are those that make up the Olmnapecosh Formation of late Eocene age. This formation is more than 10,000 feet thick, and consists almost entirely of volcanic debris. It includes some lensoid accumulations of lava and coarse mudflows, heaped around volcanic centers., but these are surrounded by vastly greater volumes of volcanic clastic rocks, in which beds of unstratified coarse tuff-breccia, about 30 feet in average thickness, alternate with thin-bedded breccias, sandstones, and siltstones composed entirely of volcanic debris. The coarser tuff-breccias were probably deposited from subaqueous volcanic mudflows generated when eruption clouds were discharged directly into water, or when subaerial ash flows and mudflows entered bodies of water. The less mobile mudflows and viscous lavas built islands surrounded by this sea of thinner bedded water-laid clastics. In compostion the lava flows and coarse lava fragments of the Ohanapecosh Formation are mostly andesite, but they include less abundant dacite, basalt, and rhyolite. The Ohanapecosh Formation was folded, regionally altered to minerals characteristic of the zeolite facies of metamorphism, uplifted, and deeply eroded before the overlying Stevens Ridge Formation of Oligocene or early Miocene age was deposited upon it. The Stevens Ridge rocks, which are about 3,000 feet in maximum total thickness, consist mainly of massive ash flows. These are now devitrified and altered, but they originally consisted of rhyodacite pumice lapilli and glass shards, which compacted and welded into thick massive units during emplacement and cooling. Subordinate water-laid clastic rocks occur t(ward the top of the formation, and thin-bedded pyroclastic layers occur between some of the ash flows. Exposures on Backbone Ridge and on Carbon River below the mouth of Cataract Creek show that in places the thick basal Stevens Ridge ash flows swept with great violence over an old erosion surface developed on rocks of the Ohanapecosh Formation. Masses of mud, tree trunks, and other surface debris were swirled upward into the base of the lowermost ash fiery, and lobes and tongues of hot ash were forced downward into. the saprolitic mud. The Stevens Ridge Formation is concordantly overlain by the Fifes Peak Formation of probable early Miocene age, which consists of lava flows, subordinate mudflows, and minor quantities of tuffaceous clastic rocks. The lavas are predominantly olivine basalt and basaltic andesite, but they include a little rhyolite. They are slightly to moderately altered: the ferromagnesian phenocrysts are generally replaced by saponite, chiprite, or carbonate ; the glass is devitrified ; and the rocks are locally permeated by veinlets of zeolite. Swarms of diabase sills and dikes are probably intrusive equivalents of the Fifes Peak lavas. The upper part of the Fifes Peak Formation has been mostly eroded from Mount Rainier National Park, but farther north, in the Cedar Lake quadrangle, it attains a thickness of more than 5,000 feet. The Fifes Peak and earlier formations were gently folded, faulted, uplifted, and eroded before the. late Miocene Tatoosh pluton worked its way upward to shallow depths and eventually broke through to the surface. The rise of the pluton was accompanied by .the injection of a complicated melange of satellitic stocks, sills, and dikes. A favored horizon for intrusion of sills was along or near the unconfo

Refraction and reflection seismic investigations for geological energy-storage site characterization: Dalby (Tornquist Zone), southwest Sweden

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malehmir, Alireza; Bergman, Bo; Andersson, Benjamin; Sturk, Robert; Johansson, Mattis

2017-04-01

Three high-resolution, 5 m shot and receiver spacing using 141-172 receivers, refraction and reflection seismic profiles for the planning of a major underground energy-storage site near the town of Dalby-Lund within the Scania Tornquist suture zone in southwest of Sweden were acquired during August 2015. The site is situated ca. 1 km north of the RFZ (Romeleåsen fault and flexure zone) with a complex geologic and tectonic history. Near vertical dikes are observed from several quarries in the area crosscutting granitic-gneissic-amphibiotic rocks and form clear magnetic lineaments. These dikes likely have also acted as surfaces on which further faulting have occurred. Although a major high-speed and traffic road runs in the middle of the study area, the seismic data show excellent quality particularly for the data along two profiles (profiles 2 and 3) perpendicular to the road, and slightly noisy, due to high wind, for the data along a profile (profile 4) parallel to the road. A bobcat-mounted drop hammer (500 kg) was used to generate the seismic signal. To provide continuity from one side of the road to another, 51 wireless recorders connected to 10 Hz geophones and operating in an autonomous mode were used. GPS times of the source impacts were used to extract the data from the wireless recorders and then merged with the data from the cabled recorders (also 10 Hz geophones). Three shot records per source position were generated and vertically stacked to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. First arrivals are clear in most shot gathers allowing them to be used for traditional refraction seismic data analysis and also for more advanced traveltime tomography. The velocity models obtained through traveltime tomography clearly depict bedrock surface and its undulations and in many places show good correlation with the boreholes recently drilled in the area. At places where bedrock is intersected at greater depths than usual, for example 25 m at one place, depression-looking bedrock is clearly observed in the tomograms suggesting the possibility of weakness zones (likely highly fractured and/or weathered) in the bedrock. Signs of reflections in the raw shot gathers were encouraging and motivated to process the reflection component of the data for the purpose of subsurface imaging. Several northeast dipping, about 60-65 degree, reflections were imaged down to 400 m depth thanks to the close shot and receiver spacing strategy of the data acquisition. These reflections often show coherent character but at occasions are discontinuous and have different appearances. Reflections along profile 4 have for example different characters, shorter and more gently dipping, compared to those observed in profiles 2 and 3 suggesting that the main dip favors the orientation of profiles 2 and 3. The origins of the reflections are unclear ranging from amphibolite sheets to diabase dykes within the gneissic rocks, and each of this implies a different geological scenario (when compared with the geological data from a nearby quarry north of the study area) at where the site will be developed. Future studies should aim at understanding the cause of the reflections, constraining their locations at depth, and if they play any major role for the planning of the underground facilities. This study however illustrates the potential of the combined refraction and reflection imaging for these types of projects. For future developments of the site however a full 3D seismic survey can highly be useful. Acknowledgments: This work was supported by Skanska, and benefited collaborations among experts from Sweco, Lund University and Skanska. Trust project (http://www.trust-geoinfra.se) was fundamental to initiate this project.

Ophiolites in ocean-continent transitions: From the Steinmann Trinity to sea-floor spreading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernoulli, Daniel; Jenkyns, Hugh C.

2009-05-01

Before the theory of plate tectonics took hold, there was no coherent model for ocean-continent transitions that included both extant continental margins and fragmentary ancient examples preserved in orogenic belts. Indeed, during the early 1900, two strands of thought developed, one relying on the antiquity and permanence of continents and oceans, advocated by the mainstream of the scientific community and one following mobilist concepts derived from Wegener's hypothesis (1915) of continental drift. As an illustration of the prevailing North-American view, the different composition and thickness of continental and oceanic crust and the resulting isostatic response showed "how improbable it would be to suppose that a continent could founder or go to oceanic depth or that ocean floor at ± 3000 fathoms could ever have been a stable land area since the birth of the oceans" [H.H. Hess, Trans. R. Soc. London, A 222 (1954) 341-348]. Because of the perceived permanence of oceans and continents, mountain chains were thought to originate from narrow, elongated, unstable belts, the geosynclines, circling the continents or following "zones of crustal weakness" within them, from which geanticlines and finally mountain belts would develop. This teleological concept, whereby a geosyncline would inevitably evolve into a mountain chain, dominated geological interpretations of orogenic belts for several decades in the mid-twentieth century. However, the concept of permanence of oceans and continents and the concept of the geosyncline had already met with the critiques of Suess and others. As early as 1905, Steinmann considered the association of peridotite, "diabase" (basalt/dolerite) and radiolarite (a typical ocean-continent transition assemblage), present in the Alps and Apennines, as characteristic of the deep-ocean floor and Bailey (1936) placed Steinmann's interpretation into the context of continental drift and orogeny. Indeed, in both authors' writings, the concept of ophiolites as ocean crust is apparent. Between 1920 and 1930, the stage was thus potentially set for modern mobilist concepts that were, however, to prove attractive to only a small circle of Alpine and peri-Gondwanian geologists. After the Second World War, the 1950s saw the rapid progress of the geophysical and geological exploration of oceans and continental margins that provided the data for a reevaluation of the geosynclinal concept. Actualistic models now equated the former preorogenic miogeosyncline of Stille (1940) and Kay (1951) with passive continental margins [C.L. Drake, M. Ewing, G.H. Sutton, Continental margin and geosynclines: the east coast of North America, north of Cape Hatteras, in: L. Ahrens, et al. (Eds.), Physics and Chemistry of the Earth 3, Pergamon Press, London, 1959, pp. 110-189], the (American version of the) eugeosyncline and its igneous rocks with "collapsing continental rises" [R.S. Dietz, J. Geol. 71 (1963) 314-333] and the ophiolites, the Steinmann Trinity, of the (European) eugeosyncline with fragments of oceanic lithosphere [H.H. Hess, History of ocean basins, in: Petrologic Studies: a Volume to Honor A.F. Buddington, Geol. Soc. Am., New York. 1962, pp. 599-620]. The concept of sea-floor spreading [H.H. Hess, History of ocean basins, in: Petrologic Studies: a Volume to Honor A.F. Buddington, Geol. Soc. Am., New York. 1962, pp. 599-620; H.H. Hess, Mid-oceanic ridges and tectonics of the sea-floor, in: W.F. Whittard, R. Bradshaw (Eds), Submarine Geology and Geophysics, Colston Papers 17, Butterworths, London, 1965, pp. 317-333] finally eliminated the weaknesses in Wegener's hypothesis and, with the coming of the "annus mirabilis" of 1968, the concept of the geosyncline could be laid to rest. Ocean-continent transitions of modern oceans, as revealed by seismology and deep-sea drilling, could now be compared with the remnants of their ancient counterparts preserved in the Alps and elsewhere.

Geology of the Zambales ophiolite, Luzon, Philippines

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rossman, D.L.; Castanada, G.C.; Bacuta, G.C.

1989-01-01

The Zambales ophiolite of western Luzon, Philippines, exposes a typical succession of basalt flows, diabasic dikes, gabbro and tectonized harzburgite. The age established by limiting strata is late Eocene. Lack of evidence of thrust faulting and the general domal disposition of the lithologie units indicate that the ophiolitic rocks are exposed by uplift. Highly complex internal layered structures within the complex are related to processes developed during formation of the ophiolite and the Zambales ophiolite may be one of the least disturbed (by emplacement) ophiolitic masses known. The exposed mass trends north and the upper surface plunges at low angles (a few degrees) to the north and south. The chemistry and composition of the rocks in the northwest part of the Zambales area (Acoje block) is distinct from that in the southeastern segment (Coto block). The Acoje block, according to Evans (1983) and Hawkins and Evans (1983), resembles (on a chemical basis) arc-tholeiite series rocks from intra-island arcs and the rocks in the Coto block are typical back-arc basin rock series. The present writer believes that the ophiolite composes a single genetic unit and that the changes in composition are the result of changes that took place during the initial formation. The gabbro probably formed below a spreading center in an elongate, in cross section, V-shaped, magma chamber. The gabbro is estimated by the writer to be less than 2 km thick and may be less than 1 km in places. Numerous erosional windows through the gabbro in the northern and eastern side of the Zambales area show that the gabbro remaining in those areas is likely to be only a few hundred meters thick. Harzburgite is exposed to a depth of about 800 m in the Bagsit River area and this may be the deepest part of the ophiolite accessible for study on which there is any control on depth. A transitional zone, about 200 m thick lying between the gabbro and harzburgite, is composed of serpentinized dunite. Commonly the dunite contains disseminated sulfide minerals and at the Acoje Mines, platinum-group elements. A compositional layering within the gabbro is in places cumulate in the lower part of the unit but may have formed by nucleation higher up on the relatively steep sides of the magma chamber. A widespread gneissic banding in the gabbro forms large mappable structures which are many times more complex than is the disposition of the major rock units. These structures are believed to be the result of extensive slumping in the magma chamber. The structure produced by the cumulate layering merges with the gneissic banding, commonly without discernible change in attitude. This tectonic layered structure crosses the gabbro-peridotite boundary at any angle without seeming to disturb the original rock distribution. At greater depths below the boundary (ca. 800 m), the harzburgite contains low dipping banding, which probably reflects the result of differential movement within the mantle. Chromite occurs almost exclusively in a zone that generally lies no more than 200-300 m below the gabbro-peridotite boundary. Refractory-grade chromite is found in this zone below the olivine gabbro in the Goto block and as low-grade metallurgical grade chromite below norite in the Acoje block. At Acoje Mines the chromite is present in layers in dunite, which the writer interprets as being distributed in a zone along the gently dipping (ca. 25??) gabbro-peridotite boundary. The steeply dipping (ca. 60-80 ?? ) individual layers lie en echelon along the boundary at an angle (ca. 50 ?? ) to the contact. At Coto the chromite forms large discontinuous masses in the lowest dunite and in the uppermost harzburgite. Except for the chromite present as layers at Acoje, the regional tectonic layering crosses the chromite deposits without structural deviation. The chromite deposits and associated peridotite may be cumulate in origin, but have been modified to such an extent that cumulate textures are gener

Progress report on geologic studies of the Ranger orebodies, Northern Territory, Australia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nash, J.T.; Frishman, David

1982-01-01

The Ranger No. 1 and No. 3 orebodies contain about 124,000 tonnes U3O8 in highly chloritized metasediments of the lower Proterozoic Cahill Formation within about 500 m of the projected sub-Kombolgie Formation unconformity. In both orebodies, oxidized and reduced uranium minerals occur chiefly in quartzose schists that have highly variable amounts of muscovite, sericite, and chlorite. The effects of several periods of alteration are pervasive in the vicinity of orebodies where biotite and garnet are altered to chlorite, and feldspars to white mica or chlorite. Oxidized uranium minerals, associated with earthy iron oxides, occur from the surface to a depth of about 60 m. Below the oxidized zone, uranium occurs chiefly as uraninite and pitchblende disseminated through thick sections of quartz-chlorite-muscovite schist and has no apparent association with graphite or sulfides. In fact, graphite is rare and sulfides are generally low in abundance (<0.5 percent). Higher ore grades occur in disrupted zones a few centimeters thick and in some quartz-chlorite vein-like zones of uncertain origin. Uranium correlates strongly with chlorite, but not all of the many ages of chlorite have associated uranium. At least five textural varieties of chlorite are present and represent at least 3 ages. Preliminary microprobe analyses suggest that Mg-Fe-Al contents are relatively uniform. Apatite commonly occurs with chlorite. Uranium is not common in carbonate rocks and seems to occur only in disrupted zones that have chlorite alteration. Chloritization and silicification are more widespread and intense in the No. 1 orebody than in the No. 3. In both orebodies, hematite occurs tens to hundreds of meters below the weathered zone, in both altered and largely unaltered rocks, with and without uranium. The structure of the orebodies is outwardly simple, particularly in No. 3; dips are less than 40? on most lithologic contacts. The No. 1 orebody is in a basin-like structure about 400 m wide that probably formed in part by progressive removal of carbonate rocks that are as much as 200 m thick adjacent to the No. 1 orebody and below the No. 3 orebody. Quartz-chlorite breccias have formed in the zone of carbonate thinning; uranium is spotty and low grade in these breccias. Chloritized and uraniferous broken and sheared zones, a few centimeters to a few meters thick, have an unknown attitude but must have small displacement. Blocks of altered Kombolgie sandstone are downfaulted into the No. 3 orebody and locally contain reduced uranium minerals. One or more shear zones 5-30 m thick of crushed and smeared fine to coarse rock fragments occur below the orebodies, and other low-angle shears probably occur in the orebodies. The shear zone dips about 40 o and displacement on it is not known. The footwall rocks generally are less retrograded than those in the hanging wall (orebody) and consist of quartz-biotite-feldspar schists and gneisses flanking the Nanambu Complex. A few scattered fractures in the footwall sequence contain pitchblende of unknown age and origin. Major element chemical analyses confirm the lithologic observations of large changes in composition during multiple stages of alteration. Granitic dikes and pelitic schists have gained Fe and Mg and lost Si, Ca, Na, and K during chloritization. Marbles have gained Si, Al, Fe, and P, and lost Mg, Ca, and K during jasperoid-chlorite alteration. Total net chemical gains and losses in the Ranger No. 1 orebody were huge: equal to about 37 percent of the mass of the ore-bearing rock that will be mined. There were net gains in Si and P and net losses in Al, Fe, Mg, Ca, K, and Na. The geologic age(s) of uranium emplacement are obscure because there are few age criteria. Reduced uranium minerals are younger than 1.8-b.y.-old granite dikes, and some occur locally in 1.65-b.y.-old Kombolgie Formation. Diabase dikes (age not known) are thoroughly chloritized and contain sparse ore minerals. Oxidized ura

Geology and mineral deposits of the St. Regis-Superior area, Mineral County, Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Campbell, Arthur B.

1960-01-01

The St. Regis-Superior area occupies about 300 square miles in northwestern Montana and includes parts of the Squaw Peak Range and Coeur d'Alerie Mountains of the northern Rocky Mountains physiographic province. Nearly 50,000 feet of metasedimentary rocks of the Precambrian Belt series, chiefly varieties of quartzite and argillite, underlies most of the area. The Belt series is informally subdivided with reference to the top of the Wallace formation into lower and upper parts. In this area, the lower part of the Belt series is divided into the Prichard, Burke and Revett, St. Regis, and Wallace formations, in order of decreasing age, and the upper part of the Belt series or the Missoula group is divided »into the Spruce, Lupine, Sloway, and Bouchard formations, and an unnamed feldspathic quartzite at Rock Rabbit Ridge, also from oldest to youngest. Formations in the lower part of the Belt series are correlated with formations of the same names in the Coeur d'Alene district, and formations in the upper part of the Belt series are tentatively correlated in part with formations of the Missoula group in the vicinity of Missoula, Mont. Paleozoic quartzite, shale, limestone, and dolomite crop out in several localities in the southeastern part of the area. The limestone unit contains fragments of a single species of Glossopleura of early Middle Cambrian age which, together with lithologic similarities, has been used to correlate at least the quartzite, shale, and limestone part of this Paleozoic sequence with the Flathead sandstone, Gordon shale, and Damnation limestone sequence known elsewhere in northwestern Montana. Several small diabasic dikes and sills are present in the area, generally associated with northwestward-trending faults. The major faults generally trend northwestward and are considered to be part of the Lewis and Clark structural line. The Osburn fault, the major element of the Lewis and Clark line through the Coeur d'Alene district and western Mineral County, has been traced to the east edge of the St. Regis- Superior area, thus extending the mapped length of the fault to about 100 miles. Evidence indicates that this major fault has diminished in intensity in this area and that most of the stress has been relieved along the Boyd Mountain fault that apparently splits from the Osburn fault a few miles west of St. Regis. Stratigraphic and structural evidence indicates a strike-slip right-lateral movement of about 3 miles along the Osburn fault. Horizontal stratigraphic separation along the Boyd Mountain fault indicates a right-lateral movement of about 13 miles.Low-grade regional metamorphism of the sedimentary rocks in the area has caused the recrystallization of quartz grains and the formation of sericite. Argillite and quartzite have been converted to phyllite and foliated quartzite by dynamic metamorphism in a large area north of the central part of the Osburn fault. Some of the shear zones contain a large amount of introduced carbonate minerals. From 1901 through 1953 this area has produced 8,086,827 pounds of zinc, 7,932,958 pounds of lead, 2,053,715 pounds of copper, 584,168 fine ounces of silver, and 588 fine ounces of gold. The lead, sine, and silver have come chiefly from veins in highly foliated rocks near the Osburn fault zone. The attitudes of these veins are controlled in large part by the cleavage. The principal ore minerals are galena, sphalerite, tetrahedrite, and boulangerite, and the gangue minerals are quartz, carbonate minerals, and barite. Most of the copper has come from the Amador vein where chalcopyrite and bornite are the principal ore minerals, and the gangue minerals are pyrite, quartz, and carbonate minerals. The Amador vein occurs in a belt of copper deposits that extends westward into the Coeur d'Alene district. These copper deposits may be genetically associated with diorite dikes and sills lying within the same belt. Fluorspar has been found in three closely spaced prospects along a northward- trending zone of brecciation and small-scale folding in Dry Creek valley. Incomplete production records show that 781 tons of fluorspar has been shipped from 2 of these prospects.

Mafic dykes intrusive into Pre-Cambrian rocks of the São Luís cratonic fragment and Gurupi Belt (Parnaíba Province), north-northeastern Brazil: Geochemistry, Sr-Nd-Pb-O isotopes, 40Ar/39Ar geochronology, and relationships to CAMP magmatism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klein, Evandro L.; Angélica, Rômulo S.; Harris, Chris; Jourdan, Fred; Babinski, Marly

2013-07-01

Dykes of diabase and microgabbro intruded into Pre-Cambrian rocks of the São Luís cratonic fragment and Gurupi Belt, which are tectonic and erosive windows of the Parnaíba Basin in north-northeastern Brazil. Ar-Ar ages were determined, and major, trace element, and Nd-Sr-Pb-O isotopic compositions of these dykes were measured to provide insights into their age, and into the nature of their mantle sources and petrogenetic processes. The data have also been used to compare the chemical and isotopic signatures of the dykes with those of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP). Four chemical groups of mafic dykes have been identified. These comprise two subtypes of high-Ti rocks (i) HTi-1 (TiO2 < 2.3 wt.%; SiO2 > 47 wt.%), (ii) HTi-2 (TiO2 > 2.7 wt.%; SiO2 > 47 wt.%), in addition to (iii) evolved high-Ti (TiO2 > 4 wt.%; SiO2 of ~ 46 wt.%) and (iv) low-Si (TiO2 > 2.2 wt.%; SiO2 < 45 wt.%) rocks. 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of plagioclase returned ages of 201 ± 4 Ma and 193 ± 10 Ma for the HTi-2 subtype, and of 201 ± 2 Ma and 207 ± 9 Ma for the evolved high-Ti group. The HTi-1 and low-Si groups presented highly disturbed age spectra, and did not allow the definition of their emplacement ages. The Argon data indicate an age > 200 Ma for the low-Si group and are dubious with respect to the age of theHTi-1 subtype, if coeval with (i.e., ~ 200 Ma), or older than, the HTi-2 and evolved high-Ti types. All groups present δ18O values of pyroxene that are compatible with uncontaminated mantle-derived magmas. The HTi-1 subtype (average 143Nd/144Nd200 = 0.512644; 87Sr/86Sr200 = 0.7035; 206Pb/204Pb of 17.86) shows the less enriched and less fractionated (more primitive) trace element distribution of all groups. The HTi-2 subtype shows enriched trace element pattern and depleted Nd-Sr signature (143Nd/144Nd200 = 0.512610; 87Sr/86Sr200 = 0.7037) and average 206Pb/204Pb ratios of 17.23. The evolved high-Ti chemical group shows average ratios of 143Nd/144Nd200 = 0.512558, 87Sr/86Sr200 = 0.7035, and 206Pb/204Pb of 16.88, and the more enriched trace-elements signature among the four groups. The chemical and isotopic compositions and trends of the HTi-1/HTi-2/EHTi types are consistent with their derivation from an asthenosphere-derived parental magma further modified by differentiation and minimal crust contamination (higher in the HTi-2 and EHTi types), and by the derivation of one type from another via fractional crystallization. These high- and evolved high-TiO2 types show ages and some chemical and isotopic features that are consistent with those of the CAMP magmatism. Some differences found are ascribed to petrogenetic processes, such as magma differentiation. A combination of warming of the mantle and edge-driven convection beneath the Pangea supercontinent after the closure of the Neoproterozoic (Brasiliano/Pan-African) orogenies in the Ediacaran-Cambrian boundary might have triggered the magmatic event. The low-Si type shows paired Ta-Nb and Zr-Hf depletions, and depleted Sr-Nd (average 143Nd/144Nd200 = 0.512687; 87Sr/86Sr200 = 0.703) and enriched Pb (206Pb/204Pb of 18.66) isotopic compositions that may be interpreted to result either from interaction of a subcontinental lithospheric mantle with products of an earlier subduction or by contamination of the mantle-derived magma during ascent and emplacement in the continental crust. It is hypothesized that these dykes were emplaced in the Ediacaran-Cambrian boundary, after the Neoproterozoic orogeny that built up the Gurupi Belt and in the early extensional stages that preceded the formation of the Parnaíba Basin.

Hydrogeology and simulation of groundwater flow in fractured rock in the Newark basin, Rockland County, New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yager, Richard M.; Ratcliffe, Nicholas M.

2011-01-01

Groundwater in the Newark basin aquifer flows primarily through discrete water-bearing zones parallel to the strike and dip of bedding, whereas flow perpendicular to the strike is restricted, thereby imparting anisotropy to the groundwater flow field. The finite-element model SUTRA was used to represent bedrock structure in the aquifer by spatially varying the orientation of the hydraulic conductivity tensor to reflect variations in the strike and dip of the bedding. Directions of maximum and medium hydraulic conductivity were oriented parallel to the bedding, and the direction of minimum hydraulic conductivity was oriented perpendicular to the bedding. Groundwater flow models were prepared to simulate local flow in the vicinity of the Spring Valley well field and regional flow through the Newark basin aquifer. The Newark basin contains sedimentary rocks deposited as alluvium during the Late Triassic and is one of a series of basins that developed when Mesozoic rifting of the super continent Pangea created the Atlantic Ocean. The westward-dipping basin is filled with interbedded facies of coarse-grained to fine-grained rocks that were intruded by diabase associated with Jurassic volcanism. The Newark basin aquifer is bounded to the north and east by the Palisades sill and to the west by the Ramapo Fault. Although the general dip of bedding is toward the fault, mapping of conglomerate beds indicates the rocks are folded into broad anticlines and synclines. An alternative, more uniform pattern of regional structure, based on interpolated strike and dip measurements from a number of sources, has also been proposed. Two groundwater flow models (A for the former type of bedrock structure and B for the latter type) were developed to represent these alternative depictions of bedrock structure. Transient simulations were calibrated to reproduce measured water-level recoveries in a 9.3 mi² area surrounding the Spring Valley well field during a 5-day aquifer test in 1992. The models represented a 330-ft thick rock mass divided vertically into 10 equally spaced layers and were calibrated through nonlinear regression. Results of model B best matched the observed water-level recoveries with an estimated hydraulic conductivity of 9.5 ft/day, specific storage of 7.6 x 10 -6 ft -1, and Kmax: Kmin anisotropy ratio (hydraulic conductivity parallel to bedding: perpendicular to bedding) of 72:1. Model error was 50 percent greater in model A because the assumed structure did not match the actual strike of bedding in this area. Steady-state simulations of regional flow through the 85.4-mi2 modeled extent of the Newark basin aquifer represented both the alluvial aquifer beneath the Mawah River and the fractured bedrock. The rock mass was divided into two aquifer units: an upper 500-ft thick unit divided into 10 equally spaced layers through which most groundwater is assumed to flow and a lower unit divided into 7 layers with increasing thickness. Models were calibrated through nonlinear regression to average water levels measured in 140 wells from August 2005 through April 2007. Water levels simulated using the two models were similar and generally matched those observed, and the average recharge rate estimated using both models was 19 inches/year for the simulated period. Estimated transmissivity parallel to the strike of bedding (1,100 ft²/d) was uniform in two transmissivity (T) zones in model A, but in model B the transmissivity of a high T zone (1,600 ft²/d), delineated on the basis of aquifer test data, was slightly greater than in a low T zone (1,300 ft²/d). The Kmax: Kmin anisotropy was estimated to be 58:1 in model A and 410:1 in model B, so the proportion of flow perpendicular to bedding is less in model B than in model A. Distributions of groundwater age simulated with models A and B are similar and indicate that most shallow ground-water (225 ft below the bedrock surface) is 5 t

Crystallization history of Kilauea Iki lava lake as seen in drill core recovered in 1967-1979

USGS Publications Warehouse

Helz, R.T.

1980-01-01

Kilauea Iki lava lake formed during the 1959 summit eruption, one of the most picritic eruptions of Kilauea Volcano in the twentieth century. Since 1959 the 110 to 122 m thick lake has cooled slowly, developing steadily thickening upper and lower crusts, with a lens of more molten lava in between. Recent coring dates, with maximum depths reached in the center of the lake, are: 1967 (26.5 m). 1975 (44.2 m), 1976 (46.0 m) and 1979 (52.7 m). These depths define the base of the upper crust at the time of drilling. The bulk of the core consists of a gray, olivine-phyric basalt matrix, which locally contains coarser-grained diabasic segregation veins. The most important megascopic variation in the matrix rock is its variation in olivine content. The upper 15 m of crust is very olivine-rich. Abundance and average size of olivine decrease irregularly downward to 23 m; between 23 and 40 m the rock contains 5-10% of small olivine phenocrysts. Below 40 m. olivine content and average grainsize rise sharply. Olivine contents remain high (20-45%, by volume) throughout the lower crust, except for a narrow (< 6 m) olivine depleted zone near the basalt contact. Petrographically the olivine phenocrysts in Kilauea Iki can be divided into two types. Type 1 phenocrysts are large (1-12 mm long), with irregular blocky outlines, and often contain kink bands. Type 2 crystals are relatively small (0.5-2 mm in length), euhedral and undeformed. The variations in olivine content of the matrix rock are almost entirely variations in the amount of type 1 olivines. Sharp mineral layering of any sort is rare in Kilauea Iki. However, the depth range 41-52 m is marked by the frequent occurrence of steeply dipping (70??-90??) bands or bodies of slightly vuggy olivine-rich rock locally capped with a small cupola of segregation-vein material. In thin section there is clear evidence for relative movement of melt and crystals within these structures. The segregation veins occur only in the upper crust. The most widely distributed (occurring from 4.5-59.4 m) are thin veins (most < 5 cm thick), which cut the core at moderate angles and appear to have been derived from the immediately adjacent wall-rock by filter pressing. There is also a series of thicker (0.1-1.5 m) segregation veins, which recur every 2-3 m, between 20 and 52 m. These have subhorizontal contacts and appear, from similarities in thickness and spacing, to correlate between drill holes as much as 100 m apart. These large veins are not derived from the adjacent wallrock: their mechanism of formation is still problematical. The total thickness of segregation veins in Kilauea Iki is 3-6 m in the central part of the lake, corresponding to 6-11% of the upper crust. Whole-rock compositions for Kilauea Iki fall into two groups: the matrix rock ranges from 20-7.5% MgO, while the segregation veins all contain between 6.0 and 4.5% MgO. There are no whole-rock compositions of intermediate MgO content. Samples from < 12 m show eruption-controlled chemistry. Below that depth, matrix rock compositions have higher Al2O3, TiO2 and alkalies, and lower CaO and FeO, at a given MgO content than do the eruption pumices. The probable causes of this are assimilation of low-melting components from foundered crust, plus removal of olivine, plus removal of minor augite, for rocks with MgO contents of < 8.0%. Given the observed rate of growth of the upper crust, one can infer that significant removal of the type 1 olivine phenocrysts from the upper part of the lake began in 1963 and ceased sometime prior to 1972. The process. probably gravitative settling, appears to have been inhibited earlier by gas streaming from the lower part of the lens of melt. The olivine cumulate zone, which extends into the upper crust, contains relatively few (25-40%) olivine crystals, few of which actually touch each other. The diffuseness of the cumulate zone raises the possibility that the crystals were coated with a relatively visous boundary layer

Crystallization history of Kilauea Iki lava lake as seen in drill core recovered in 1967-1979

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helz, R. T.

1980-12-01

Kilauea Iki lava lake formed during the 1959 summit eruption, one of the most picritic eruptions of Kilauea Volcano in the twentieth century. Since 1959 the 110 to 122 m thick lake has cooled slowly, developing steadily thickening upper and lower crusts, with a lens of more molten lava in between. Recent coring dates, with maximum depths reached in the center of the lake, are: 1967 (26.5 m). 1975 (44.2 m), 1976 (46.0 m) and 1979 (52.7 m). These depths define the base of the upper crust at the time of drilling. The bulk of the core consists of a gray, olivine-phyric basalt matrix, which locally contains coarser-grained diabasic segregation veins. The most important megascopic variation in the matrix rock is its variation in olivine content. The upper 15 m of crust is very olivine-rich. Abundance and average size of olivine decrease irregularly downward to 23 m; between 23 and 40 m the rock contains 5-10% of small olivine phenocrysts. Below 40 m. olivine content and average grainsize rise sharply. Olivine contents remain high (20-45%, by volume) throughout the lower crust, except for a narrow (< 6 m) olivine depleted zone near the basalt contact. Petrographically the olivine phenocrysts in Kilauea Iki can be divided into two types. Type 1 phenocrysts are large (1-12 mm long), with irregular blocky outlines, and often contain kink bands. Type 2 crystals are relatively small (0.5-2 mm in length), euhedral and undeformed. The variations in olivine content of the matrix rock are almost entirely variations in the amount of type 1 olivines. Sharp mineral layering of any sort is rare in Kilauea Iki. However, the depth range 41-52 m is marked by the frequent occurrence of steeply dipping (70°-90°) bands or bodies of slightly vuggy olivine-rich rock locally capped with a small cupola of segregation-vein material. In thin section there is clear evidence for relative movement of melt and crystals within these structures. The segregation veins occur only in the upper crust. The most widely distributed (occurring from 4.5-59.4 m) are thin veins (most < 5 cm thick), which cut the core at moderate angles and appear to have been derived from the immediately adjacent wall-rock by filter pressing. There is also a series of thicker (0.1-1.5 m) segregation veins, which recur every 2-3 m, between 20 and 52 m. These have subhorizontal contacts and appear, from similarities in thickness and spacing, to correlate between drill holes as much as 100 m apart. These large veins are not derived from the adjacent wallrock: their mechanism of formation is still problematical. The total thickness of segregation veins in Kilauea Iki is 3-6 m in the central part of the lake, corresponding to 6-11% of the upper crust. Whole-rock compositions for Kilauea Iki fall into two groups: the matrix rock ranges from 20-7.5% MgO, while the segregation veins all contain between 6.0 and 4.5% MgO. There are no whole-rock compositions of intermediate MgO content. Samples from < 12 m show eruption-controlled chemistry. Below that depth, matrix rock compositions have higher Al2O3, TiO2 and alkalies, and lower CaO and FeO, at a given MgO content than do the eruption pumices. The probable causes of this are assimilation of low-melting components from foundered crust, plus removal of olivine, plus removal of minor augite, for rocks with MgO contents of < 8.0%. Given the observed rate of growth of the upper crust, one can infer that significant removal of the type 1 olivine phenocrysts from the upper part of the lake began in 1963 and ceased sometime prior to 1972. The process. probably gravitative settling, appears to have been inhibited earlier by gas streaming from the lower part of the lens of melt. The olivine cumulate zone, which extends into the upper crust, contains relatively few (25-40%) olivine crystals, few of which actually touch each other. The diffuseness of the cumulate zone raises the possibility that the crystals were coated with a relatively visous boundary layer of melt which moved with them. Calculations of the Stokes’ law settling rates of the largest olivine crystals found at the base of the crust in 1975-76 suggest that the «melt» had a viscosity of > 106 poises, and probably had the properties of a Bingham body, rather than a Newtonian fluid, by that date, which was several years after olivine removal ceased.

Preliminary geologic map of the Simi 7.5' quadrangle, Southern California, a digital database

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yerkes, R.F.; Campbell, R.H.

1997-01-01

The Simi Quadrangle covers an area of about 62 square miles in southern Ventura County. The Santa Clara River Valley occupies the northwestern corner of the quadrangle. Mountainous terrain of South Mountain and Oak Ridge characterizes the northern and central area. Elevation within the quadrangle ranges from about 250 feet along the arroyo bottoms to over 2200 feet. Steep, highly dissected slopes form much of the boundary of the area. In the southeast, Little Simi Valley, drained by Arroyo Simi/Arroyo Las Posas, separates the southern flank of Oak Ridge from the Las Posas Hills. The Las Posas upland area, a broad elevated region that slopes gently to the south, separates the South Mountain-Oak Ridge highlands from the Las Posas-Camarillo Hills between Little Simi Valley on the east and the Oxnard Plain on the west. This relatively low-lying area is also referred to as the Las Posas Valley. Numerous north-south-trending drainages cut South Mountain and Oak Ridge creating steep narrow canyons on north-facing slopes and wide flat-bottomed canyons with incised streams on south-facing slopes. A network of residential streets and ranch and oilfield roads that traverse the area from U.S. Highway 101 and State Highways 118, 23, and 126 provides access to the area. Current land use includes citrus and avocado orchards, oil well drilling and production, sand and gravel quarries, decorative-rock quarries, cattle grazing, suburban residential development, and golf courses. The oldest geologic unit mapped in the Simi Quadrangle is the upper Eocene to lower Miocene Sespe Formation. The Sespe Formation consists of alluvial fan and floodplain deposits of interbedded pebble-cobble conglomerate, massive to thick-bedded sandstone, and thin-bedded siltstone and claystone. In the northern part of the map area, Sespe Formation is overlain by and interfingers with the upper Oligocene to lower Miocene Vaqueros Formation that is composed of transitional and marine sandstone, siltstone, and claystone with local sandy coquina beds. In the Las Posas Hills, Sespe Formation is unconformably overlain by marine sandstones of the middle Miocene Topanga Group that are interlayered with and intruded by basalt flows, breccia, and diabase dikes of the Conejo Volcanics. Deep-marine strata of the upper Miocene Modelo Formation cover the Vaqueros Formation and Topanga Group along the crests and southern flanks of South Mountain and Oak Ridge. They also occur as isolated outcrops in the Las Posas Hills. Locally, Modelo Formation consists of interbedded diatomaceous shale, claystone, mudstone, and siltstone with minor sandstone, limestone, chert, and tuff beds. The most widely exposed rock units in the area are the Plio-Pleistocene marine and non-marine Pico and Saugus Formations that crop out on the southern flank of South Mountain-Oak Ridge. Locally, the Pico Formation consists of marine siltstone and silty shale with minor sandstone and pebbly sandstone. The Saugus Formation overlies and interfingers with the Pico Formation and is composed of interbedded shallow-marine to brackish water sandstone, siltstone, pebble-to-cobble conglomerate, and coquina beds that grade laterally and vertically into non-marine sandstone, siltstone, and conglomerate. A local member of the Saugus Formation is exposed in the southwest corner of the map area. It is predominantly a volcanic breccia conglomerate that resembles the Conejo Volcanics breccia, but is believed to represent remnants of landslide debris shed from the Conejo Volcanics into a local trough during Saugus time. Quaternary surficial deposits cover the floor and margins of the Little Simi Valley, Santa Clara River Valley in the north, and Arroyo Las Posas in the south, and extend up into the larger canyons that drain South Mountain and Oak Ridge. Extensive surficial deposits are also present in the Las Posas upland area in the southwest. These upper Pleistocene to Holocene sediments consist of older and younger alluvial fan and valley deposits, colluvium, active alluvial fans, and active stream deposits. Pleistocene- to Holocene-age landslide deposits are widespread throughout the Simi Quadrangle, especially in the finer grained Tertiary sedimentary units where bedding planes are dip slopes. In addition, massive slumps are present in the Sespe and Vaqueros Formations on anti-dip slopes. Seismic and well data from the San Fernando Valley (SFV) document evolution of that region from mid-Miocene rifting to north-south contraction. Formations in the western SFV subsurface (Cretaceous to Paleogene strata, and Miocene Topanga and Modelo Formations) trace southward to outcrops in the Santa Monica Mountains that constrain faulting along the valley's south basin edge. Cretaceous strata in the Simi Uplift to the west are over 2 km higher than equivalent strata beneath the western SFV across a boundary marked by the Chatsworth Reservoir fault, and Neogene thinning and offlap. The Simi fault, located at the eastern end of the Simi-Santa Rosa fault system, bounds the northern margins of the Simi and Tierra Rejada Valleys. West of Simi Valley, the Simi fault has placed Miocene Conejo Volcanics over Plio-Pleistocene Saugus Formation rocks. The 15.5 ± 0.8 m.y.a. base of the Conejo Volcanics, identified in oil well logs, is inferred to have a dip-slip separation of about 425 to 550 m, suggesting a low long-term slip rate of about 0.03 mm/yr. However, substantial late Quaternary offset is suggested by the presence of more than 150 m of Pleistocene and younger alluvium that fills the east-west trending, down-dropped bedrock trough beneath western Simi Valley. In addition, trenching within faulted colluvial deposits in Tierra Rejada Valley has revealed evidence of multiple shears within Holocene (?) deposits.

Simulating the Formation of Lunar Floor-Fracture Craters Using Elastoviscoplastic Relaxation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dombard, A. J.; Gillis, J. J.

1999-01-01

Lunar floor-fracture craters formed during the height of mare basalt emplacement. Due to a general temporal and spatial relation with the maria, these craters, numbering some 200, may be diagnostic of the thermal structure of the crust during this time. As the name suggests, these craters exhibit brittle failure, generally limited to the central floor region. That, and a shallower depth than fresh lunar craters, has led to two main theories as to their formation: laccolith emplacement under the crater and viscous relaxation. The implications of each model for the state of the Moon's crust during this time are quite different, so the viability of each model must be checked. Laccolith emplacement has been treated elsewhere. However, previous attempts to study the relaxation of the craters have assumed only a uniform, Newtonian viscous response of the near surface to the topographic driving forces, and simply postulated that the fractures resulted from tensile stresses associated with floor uplift. Here, we use a more sophisticated rheological model that includes not only non-Newtonian viscous behavior (i.e., the viscosity is stress-dependent), but also incorporates elastic behavior and a plastic component to the rheology to directly simulate the formation of the floor fractures. The results of our simulations show that while elastoviscoplastic relaxation is potentially viable for larger floor-fracture craters, it is not viable for craters with diameters < or = 60 km, the size of the majority of floor-fracture craters. We employ the finite element method, a numerical technique well suited for boundary-value problems, via the commercially available MARC software package. To test the viability of topographic relaxation, our goal is to prepare the simulations as to maximize the amount of relaxation. We take advantage of the natural axisymmetry of craters, simulating one radial plane. Initial shapes are based on data for fresh craters from Pike. To simplify implementation, a fourth order polynomial is used for the basin, while a third order inverse function is used for the rim. This form closely approximates the long-wavelength behavior of complex craters, while ignoring higher-frequency topography, save the rim. This approximation is appropriate because crater relaxation is strongly controlled by long-wavelength topography. Loading is accomplished assuming a uniform gravity field (1.62 m/s-square) and a uniform density of 2900 kg/cubic m. The initial stress state is set to be hydrostatic, with an additional pressure term to account for any overlying topography. This additional pressure term is tapered exponentially with depth. While the simulations quickly settle on a preferred stress state, and while the final solution is fairly insensitive to the choice of the e-folding depth of the taper, selecting an e-folding depth close to the diameter of the crater sets the initial stress state near the preferred state. We assume a diuranally averaged surface temperature of -20 C, and allow temperature to increase with depth at a rate of 50 K//km. Assuming a thermal conductivity of 2 W/in/K, this gradient translates to a heat flow of 100mW/square m, an extremely high value for the Moon. Temperature, of course, will not increase without bound. To maximize relaxation, we allow our temperature profile to increase linearly until it reaches the solidus (assumed to be 1200C) at a depth of 24.4 km, at which point it is kept constant. The presence of melt will drop the bulk viscosity; however, we have no rheological control for partial melts. Therefore, we make no attempt to simulate this situation. Elastoviscoplastic rheological model. In general, geologic materials can behave in three main ways: elastically, viscously (via solid-state creep), and brittly (plasticity is a continuum approach to simulate this phenomenon). We combine these three deformation mechanisms in an extended Maxwell solid, where the total strain can be broken down into a simple summation of the elastic, creep, and plastic strains. In relaxation phenomena in general, the system takes advantage of any means possible to eliminate deviatoric stresses by relaxing away the topography. Previous analyses have only modeled the viscous response. Comparatively, the elastic response in our model can augment the relaxation, to a point. This effect decreases as the elastic response becomes stiffer; indeed, in the limit of infinite elastic Young's modulus (and with no plasticity), the solution converges on the purely viscous solution. Igneous rocks common to the lunar near-surface have Young's modulii in the range of 10-100 GPa. To maximize relaxation, we use a Young's modulus of 10 GPa. (There is negligible sensitivity to the other elastic modulus, the Poisson's ratio; we use 0.25.) For the viscous response, we use a flow law for steady-state creep in thoroughly dried Columbia diabase, because the high plagioclase (about 70 vol%) and orthopyroxene (about 17 vol%) content is similar to the composition of the lunar highland crust as described by remote sensing and sample studies: noritic anorthosite. This flow law is highly non-Newtonian, i.e., the viscosity is highly stress dependent. That, and the variability with temperature, stands in strong contrast to previous examinations of lunar floor-fracture crater relaxation. To model discrete, brittle faulting, we assume "Byerlee's rule," a standard geodynamical technique. We implement this "rule" with an-angle of internal friction of about 40 deg, and a higher-than-normal cohesion of about 3.2 MPa (to approximate the breaking of unfractured rock). The actual behavior of geologic materials is more complex than in our rheological model, so the uncertainties in the plasticity do not represent the state-of-the-art error. Additional information is contained in the original.

Borehole geophysical investigation of a formerly used defense site, Machiasport, Maine, 2003-2006

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, Carole D.; Mondazzi, Remo A.; Joesten, Peter K.

2011-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, collected borehole geophysical logs in 18 boreholes and interpreted the data along with logs from 19 additional boreholes as part of an ongoing, collaborative investigation at three environmental restoration sites in Machiasport, Maine. These sites, located on hilltops overlooking the seacoast, formerly were used for military defense. At each of the sites, chlorinated solvents, used as part of defense-site operations, have contaminated the fractured-rock aquifer. Borehole geophysical techniques and hydraulic methods were used to characterize bedrock lithology, fractures, and hydraulic properties. In addition, each geophysical method was evaluated for effectiveness for site characterization and for potential application for further aquifer characterization and (or) evaluation of remediation efforts. Results of borehole geophysical logging indicate the subsurface is highly fractured, metavolcanic, intrusive, metasedimentary bedrock. Selected geophysical logs were cross-plotted to assess correlations between rock properties. These plots included combinations of gamma, acoustic reflectivity, electromagnetic induction conductivity, normal resistivity, and single-point resistance. The combined use of acoustic televiewer (ATV) imaging and natural gamma logs proved to be effective for delineating rock types. Each of the rock units in the study area could be mapped in the boreholes, on the basis of the gamma and ATV reflectivity signatures. The gamma and mean ATV reflectivity data were used along with the other geophysical logs for an integrated interpretation, yielding a determination of quartz monzonite, rhyolite, metasedimentary units, or diabase/gabbro rock types. The interpretation of rock types on the basis of the geophysical logs compared well to drilling logs and geologic mapping. These results may be helpful for refining the geologic framework at depth. A stereoplot of all fractures intersecting the boreholes indicates numerous fractures, a high proportion of steeply dipping fractures, and considerable variation in fracture orientation. Low-dip-angle fractures associated with unloading and exfoliation are also present, especially at a depth of less than 100 feet below the top of casing. These sub-horizontal fractures help to connect the steeply dipping fractures, making this a highly connected fracture network. The high variability in the fracture orientations also increases the connectivity of the fracture network. A preliminary comparison of all fracture data from all the boreholes suggests fracturing decreases with depth. Because all the boreholes were not drilled to the same depth, however, there is a clear sampling bias. Hence, the deepest boreholes are analyzed separately for fracture density. For the deepest boreholes in the study, the intensity of fracturing does not decline significantly with depth. It is possible the fractures observed in these boreholes become progressively tighter or closed with depth, but this is difficult to verify with the borehole methods used in this investigation. The fact that there are more sealed fractures at depth (observed in optical televiewer logs in some of the boreholes) may indicate less opening of the sealed fractures, less water moving through the rock, and less weathering of the fracture infilling minerals. Although the fracture orientation remained fairly constant with depth, differences in the fracture patterns for the three restoration sites indicate the orientation of fractures varies across the study area. The fractures in boreholes on Miller Mountain predominantly strike northwest-southeast, and to a lesser degree they strike northeast. The fractures on or near the summit of Howard Mountain strike predominantly east-west and dip north and south, and the fractures near the Transmitter Site strike northeast-southwest and dip northwest and southeast. The fracture populations for the boreholes on or near the summit of Howard Mountain show more variation than at the other two sites. This variation may be related to the proximity of the fault, which is northeast of the summit of Howard Mountain. In a side-by-side comparison of stereoplots from selected boreholes, there was no clear correspondence between fracture orientation and proximity to the fault. There is, however, a difference in the total populations of fractures for the boreholes on or near the summit of Howard Mountain and the boreholes near the Transmitter Site. Further to the southwest and further away from the fault, the fractures at the Transmitter Site predominantly strike northeast-southwest and northwest-southeast.Heat-pulse flowmeter (HPFM) logging was used to identify transmissive fractures and to estimate the hydraulic properties along the boreholes. Ambient downflow was measured in 13 boreholes and ambient upflow was measured in 9 boreholes. In nine other bedrock boreholes, the HPFM did not detect measurable vertical flow. The observed direction of vertical flow in the boreholes generally was consistent with the conceptual flow model of downward movement in recharge locations and upward flow in discharge locations or at breaks in the slope of land surface. Under low-rate pumping or injection rates [0.25 to 1 gallon per minute (gal/min)], one to three inflow zones were identified in each borehole. Two limitations of HPFM methods are (1) the HPFM can only identify zones within 1.5 to 2 orders of magnitude of the most transmissive zone in each borehole, and (2) the HPFM cannot detect flow rates less than 0.010 + or - 0.005 gal/min, which corresponds to a transmissivity of about 1 foot squared per day (ft2/d). Consequently, the HPFM is considered an effective tool for identifying the most transmissive fractures in a borehole, down to its detection level. Transmissivities below that cut-off must be measured with another method, such as packer testing or fluid-replacement logging. Where sufficient water-level and flowmeter data were available, HPFM results were numerically modeled. For each borehole model, the fracture location and measured flow rates were specified, and the head and transmissivity of each fracture zone were adjusted until a model fit was achieved with the interpreted ambient and stressed flow profiles. The transmissivities calculated by this method are similar to the results of an open-hole slug test; with the added information from the flowmeter, however, the head and transmissivity of discrete zones also can be determined. The discrete-interval transmissivities ranged from 0.16 to 330 ft2/d. The flowmeter-derived open-hole transmissivity, which is the combined total of each of the transmissive zones, ranged from 1 to 511 ft2/d. The whole-well open-hole transmissivity values determined with HPFM methods were compared to the results of open-hole hydraulic tests. Despite the fact that the flowmeter-derived transmissivities consistently were lower than the estimates derived from open-hole hydraulic tests alone, the correlation was very strong (with a coefficient of determination, R2, of 0.9866), indicating the HPFM method provides a reasonable estimate of transmissivities for the most transmissive fractures in the borehole. Geologic framework, fracture characterization, and estimates of hydraulic properties were interpreted together to characterize the fracture network. The data and interpretation presented in this report should provide information useful for site investigators as the conceptual site groundwater flow model is refined. Collectively, the results and the conceptual site model are important for evaluating remediation options and planning or implementing the design of a well field and borehole completions that will be adequate for monitoring flow, remediation efforts, groundwater levels, and (or) water quality. Similar kinds of borehole geophysical logging (specifically the borehole imaging, gamma, fluid logs, and HPFM) should be conducted in any newly installed boreholes and integrated with interpretations of any nearby boreholes. If boreholes are installed close to existing or other new boreholes, cross-hole flowmeter surveys may be appropriate and may help characterize the aquifer properties and connections between the boreholes.

Ground Water Atlas of the United States: Segment 11, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Trapp, Henry; Horn, Marilee A.

1997-01-01

Segment 11 consists of the States of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, West Virginia, and the Commonwealths of Pennsylvania and Virginia. All but West Virginia border on the Atlantic Ocean or tidewater. Pennsylvania also borders on Lake Erie. Small parts of northwestern and north-central Pennsylvania drain to Lake Erie and Lake Ontario; the rest of the segment drains either to the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico. Major rivers include the Hudson, the Delaware, the Susquehanna, the Potomac, the Rappahannock, the James, the Chowan, the Neuse, the Tar, the Cape Fear, and the Yadkin-Peedee, all of which drain into the Atlantic Ocean, and the Ohio and its tributaries, which drain to the Gulf of Mexico. Although rivers are important sources of water supply for many cities, such as Trenton, N.J.; Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pa.; Baltimore, Md.; Washington, D.C.; Richmond, Va.; and Raleigh, N.C., one-fourth of the population, particularly the people who live on the Coastal Plain, depends on ground water for supply. Such cities as Camden, N.J.; Dover, Del.; Salisbury and Annapolis, Md.; Parkersburg and Weirton, W.Va.; Norfolk, Va.; and New Bern and Kinston, N.C., use ground water as a source of public supply. All the water in Segment 11 originates as precipitation. Average annual precipitation ranges from less than 36 inches in parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia to more than 80 inches in parts of southwestern North Carolina (fig. 1). In general, precipitation is greatest in mountainous areas (because water tends to condense from moisture-laden air masses as the air passes over the higher altitudes) and near the coast, where water vapor that has been evaporated from the ocean is picked up by onshore winds and falls as precipitation when it reaches the shoreline. Some of the precipitation returns to the atmosphere by evapotranspiration (evaporation plus transpiration by plants), but much of it either flows overland into streams as direct runoff or enters streams as base flow (discharge from one or more aquifers). The distribution of average annual runoff (fig. 2) is similar to the distribution of precipitation; that is, runoff is generally greatest where precipitation is greatest. Runoff rates range from more than 50 inches per year in parts of western North Carolina to less than 12 inches in parts of North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. Parts of the seven following physiographic provinces are in Segment 11: the Coastal Plain, the Piedmont, the Blue Ridge, the New England, the Valley and Ridge, the Appalachian Plateaus, and the Central Lowland. The provinces generally trend northeastward (fig. 3). The northeastern terminus of the Blue Ridge Province is in south-central Pennsylvania, and the southwestern part of the New England Province, the Reading Prong, ends in east-central Pennsylvania. The topography, lithology, and water-bearing characteristics of the rocks that underlie the Blue Ridge Province and the Reading Prong are similar. Accordingly, for purposes of this study, the hydrology of the Reading Prong is discussed with that of the Blue Ridge Province. The Coastal Plain Province is a lowland that borders the Atlantic Ocean. The Coastal Plain is as much as 140 miles wide in North Carolina but narrows northeastward to New Jersey where it terminates in Segment 11 at the south shore of Raritan Bay. Although it is generally a flat, seaward-sloping lowland, this province has areas of moderately steep local relief, and its surface locally reaches altitudes of 350 feet in the southwestern part of the North Carolina Coastal Plain. The Coastal Plain mostly is underlain by semiconsolidated to unconsolidated sediments that consist of silt, clay, and sand, with some gravel and lignite. Some consolidated beds of limestone and sandstone are present. The Coastal Plain sediments range in age from Jurassic to Holocene and dip gently toward the ocean. The boundary between the Coastal Plain and the Piedmont Provinces is called the Fall Line (fig. 3) because falls and rapids commonly form where streams cross the contact between the consolidated rocks of the Piedmont (fig. 4) and the soft, semiconsolidated to unconsolidated sediments of the Coastal Plain. The increase in stream gradient at the Fall Line provided favorable locations for mills and other installations that harnessed water power during the early years of the Industrial Revolution, and on most major rivers, the Fall Line coincides with the head of navigation.The Piedmont Province is an area of varied topography that ranges from lowlands to peaks and ridges of moderate altitude and relief. The metamorphic and igneous rocks of this province range in age from Precambrian to Paleozoic and have been sheared, fractured, and folded. Included in this province, however, are sedimentary basins that formed along rifts in the Earth's crust and contain shale, sandstone, and conglomerate of early Mesozoic age, interbedded locally with basaltic lava flows and minor coal beds. The sedimentary rocks and basalt flows are intruded in places by diabase dikes and sills. The mountain belt of the Blue Ridge Province forms the northwestern margin of the Piedmont in most of Segment 11. This belt consists mostly of igneous and high-rank metamorphic rocks but also includes low-rank metamorphic rocks of late Precambrian age and small areas of sedimentary rocks of Early Cambrian age along its western margin. In this report, the Reading Prong of the New England Province, which is an upland that extends from east of the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania northeastward into New Jersey (fig. 3), is treated as part of the Blue Ridge Province. Part of the Reading Prong in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and a small part of the Piedmont Province in northeastern New Jersey have been glaciated. Glacial deposits completely or partly fill some of the valleys, and the eroding action of the glacial ice removed some of the rock from the ridges. Thus, the glaciated parts of the province have a smoother topography and less relief than other parts. The Valley and Ridge Province is characterized by layered sedimentary rock that has been complexly folded and locally thrust faulted. As the result of repeated cycles of uplift and erosion, resistant layers of well-cemented sandstone and conglomerate form elongate mountain ridges and less resistant, easily eroded layers of limestone, dolomite, and shale form valleys. The rocks of the province range in age from Cambrian to Pennsylvanian. Parts of this province from central Pennsylvania into New Jersey have been glaciated, and glacial deposits fill or partially fill some of the valleys.The Appalachian Plateaus Province is underlain by rocks that are continuous with those of the Valley and Ridge Province, but in the Appalachian Plateaus the layered rocks are nearly flat-lying or gently tilted and warped, rather than being intensively folded and faulted. The boundary between the two provinces is a prominent southeast-facing scarp called the Allegheny Front in most of the northern part of Segment 11 (fig_ 5) and the Cumberland Escarpment in the southern part. The scarp faces the Valley and Ridge Province, and throughout most of the segment, the eastern edge of the Appalachian Plateaus Province is higher than the ridges in the Valley and Ridge. Like parts of the Reading Prong and the Valley and Ridge Province, the northern part of the Appalachian Plateaus Province in Pennsylvania has been glaciated. In the glaciated section, the surface is mantled by glacial drift, and the valleys are partly filled with glacial deposits. The northwestern corner of Segment 11 contains a small part of the Central Lowland Province. This flat lowland is underlain by gently dipping sedimentary rocks, some of which are the same geologic formations as those of the Appalachian Plateaus Province. The two provinces are separated by a northwest- facing scarp. Because of the small area of the Central Lowland Province within the segment and the similarity of aquifer properties with those of the glaciated part of the Appalachian Plateaus Province, the two provinces are discussed together in this report.

Determination of flow losses in the Cape Fear River between B. Everett Jordan Lake and Lillington, North Carolina, 2008-2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Weaver, J. Curtis; McSwain, Kristen Bukowski

2013-01-01

During 2008-2010, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a hydrologic investigation in cooperation with the Triangle J Council of Governments Cape Fear River Flow Study Committee and the North Carolina Division of Water Resources to collect hydrologic data in the Cape Fear River between B. Everett Jordan Lake and Lillington in central North Carolina to help determine if suspected flow losses occur in the reach. Flow loss analyses were completed by summing the daily flow releases at Jordan Lake Dam with the daily discharges at Deep River at Moncure and Buckhorn Creek near Corinth, then subtracting these values from the daily discharges at Cape Fear River at Lillington. Examination of long-term records revealed that during 10,227 days of the 1983-2010 water years, 408 days (4.0 percent) had flow loss when conditions were relatively steady with respect to the previous day's records. The flow loss that occurred on these 40 days ranged from 0.49 to 2,150 cubic feet per second with a median flow loss of 37.2 cubic feet per second. The months with the highest number of days with flow losses were June (16. percent), September (16.9 percent), and October (19.4 percent). A series of synoptic discharge measurements made on six separate days in 2009 provided "snapshots" of overall flow conditions along the study reach. The largest water diversion is just downstream from the confluence of the Haw and Deep Rivers, and discharges substantially decrease in the main stem downstream from the intake point. Downstream from Buckhorn Dam, minimal gain or loss between the dam and Raven Rock State Park was noted. Analyses of discharge measurements and ratings for two streamgages-one at Deep River at Moncure and the other at Cape Fear River at Lillington-were completed to address the accuracy of the relation between stage and discharge at these sites. The ratings analyses did not indicate a particular time during the 1982-2011 water years in which a consistent bias occurred in the computations of discharge records that would indicate false flow losses. A total of 34 measured discharges at a streamgage on the Haw River below B. Everett Jordan Lake near Moncure were compared with the reported hourly flow releases from Jordan Lake Dam. Because 28 of 34 measurements were within plus or minus 10 percent of the hourly flow releases reported by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers, use of the current discharge computation tables for reporting Jordan Lake Dam flow releases is generally supported. A stage gage was operated on the Cape Fear River at Buckhorn Dam near Corinth to collect continuous stage-only records. Throughout the study period, flow over the dam was observed along its length, and flow loss within the study reach is not attributed to river-level fluctuations at the dam. Water-use information and (or) data were obtained for five industrial facilities, a regional power utility, two municipalities, one small hydropower facility on the Deep River, and one quarry operation also adjacent to the Deep River. The largest water users are the regional power producer, a small hydropower operation, and the two municipalities. The total water-use diversions for these facilities range from almost 25.5 to 38.5 cubic feet per second (39.5 to 59.5 million gallons per day) during the winter and summer periods, respectively. This range is equivalent to 69 to 104 percent of the 37 cubic feet per second median flow loss. The Lockville hydropower station is on the Deep River about 1 mile downstream from the streamgage near Moncure. Run-of-river operations at the facility do not appear to affect flow losses in the study reach. The largest water user in the study area is a regional power producer at a coal-fired power-generation plant located immediately adjacent to the Cape Fear River just downstream from the confluence of the Haw an Deep Rivers. Comparisons of daily water withdrawals, sup-plied by the regional power producer, and discharge records at a streamgage on the diversion canal indicated many days when consumption exceeded the producer's estimates for the cooling towers. Uncertainty surrounding reasonable estimates of consumption remained in effect at the end of the study. Data concerning evaporative losses were compiled using two approaches-an analysis of available pan-evaporation data from a National Weather Service cooperative observer station in Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and a compilation of reference open-water evaporation computed by the State Climate Office of North Carolina. The potential flow loss by evaporation from the main stem and the Deep River was estimated to be in the range of 4 to 14 cubic feet per second during May through October, equivalent to 10 to 38 percent of the 37 cubic feet per second median flow loss. Daily water-use diversions and evaporation losses were compared to flow-loss occurrences during the period April 2008 through September 2010. In comparing the surface-water, water-use, and evaporation data compiled for 2008-2010, it is evident that documented water diversions combined with flow losses by open-water evaporation can exceed the net flow gain in the study area and result in flow losses from the reach. Analysis of data from a streamgage downstream from the regional power plant on the diversion canal adjacent to the Cape Fear River provided insight into the occurrence of an apparent flow loss at the streamgage at Lillington. Assessment of the daily discharges and subsequent hydrographs for the canal streamgage indicated at least 24 instances during the study when the flows suddenly changed by magnitudes of 100 to more that 200 cubic feet per second, resulting in a noted time-lag effect on the downstream discharges at the Lillington streamgage, beginning 8 to 16 hours after the sudden flow change. A fiber-optic distributed temperature-sensing survey was conducted on the Cape Fear River at the Raven Rock State Park reach August 12-14, 2009, to determine if the presence of diabase dikes were preferentially directing groundwater discharge. No temperature anomalies of colder water were measured during the survey, which indicated that at the time of the survey that particular reach of the Cape Fear River was a "no-flow" or losing stream. An aerial thermal-infrared survey was conducted on the Haw and Cape Fear Rivers on February 27, 2010, from Jordan Lake Dam to Lillington to qualitatively delineate areas of groundwater discharge on the basis of the contrast between warm groundwater discharge and cold surface-water temperatures. Dis-charge generally was noted as diffuse seepage, but in a few cases springs were detected as inflow at a discrete point of discharge. Two reaches of the Cape Fear River (regional power plant and Bradley Road reaches) were selected for groundwater monitoring with a transect of piezometers installed within the flood plain. Groundwater-level altitudes at these reaches were analyzed for 1 water year (October 1, 2009, to September 30, 2010). Data collected as part of this study represent only a brief period of time and may not represent all conditions and all years; however, the data indicate that, during the dry summer months, the Cape Fear River within the study area is losing an undetermined quantity of water through seepage. Analyses completed during this investigation indicate a study reach with complex flow patterns affected by numerous concurrent factors resulting in flow losses. The causes of flow loss could not be solely attributed to any one factor. Among the factors considered, the occurrences of water diversions and evaporative losses were determined to be sufficient on some days (particularly during the base-flow period) to exceed the net gain in flows between the upstream and downstream ends of the study area. Losses by diversions and evaporation can exceed the median flow loss of 3 cubic feet per second, which indicates that flow loss from the study reach is real. Groundwater data collected during 2009-2010 indicate the possibility of localized flow loss during the summer, particularly in the impounded reach above Buckhorn Dam. However, no indication of unusual patterns was noted that would cause substantial flow loss by groundwater and surface-water interaction at the river bottom.

Quantitative Analysis of Piezoelectric and Seismoelectric Anomalies in Subsurface Geophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eppelbaum, Lev

2017-04-01

The piezoelectric and seismo-electrokinetic phenomena are manifested by electrical and electromagnetic processes that occur in rocks under the influence of elastic oscillations triggered by shots or mechanical impacts (hits) (e.g., Neishtadt and Osipov, 1958; Neishtadt, 1961; Parkhomenko, 1971; Neishtadt et al., 1986; Maxwell et al., 1992; Butler et al., 1994; Kepic et al., 1995; Neishtadt et al., 1996; Mikhalov et al., 1997; Boulytchov, 2000; Dupuis et al., 2009; Schakel et al., 2011; Neishtadt and Eppelbaum, 2012; Jouniaux and Zyserman, 2016). The developed classification divides the above phenomena into the following types: (1) the seismo-electrokinetic (electrokinetic) phenomenon E, which occurs in polyphase media due to the mutual displacement of the solid and liquid phases; (2) the piezoelectric phenomenon, which occurs in rocks that contain piezoactive minerals; (3) the shot-triggered phenomenon, which is observed in rocks in the vicinity of a shot or hit point; (4) the seismoelectric phenomenon I, manifested by the change of the electric current passing through rocks, and (5) high-frequency impulse electromagnetic radiation, which is generated by massive base-metal bodies. This paper describes the above phenomena in detail, describing their nature, manifestation patterns, and registration techniques. Because the manifestation patterns of the above phenomena are different in different rocks, these phenomena can be used as a basis for geophysical exploration techniques. The piezoelectric method is an example of a successful application of piezoelectric and seismo-electrokinetic phenomena in exploration geophysics. It has been successfully applied in mineral exploration and environmental features research in Russia, USA, Canada, Australia, Belorussia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Israel and other countries. This method uses comparatively new geophysical parameter - piezoelectric activity of rocks, ores, and minerals. It enables direct exploration for pegmatite, apatite-nepheline, essentially sphalerite, and ore-quartz deposits of gold, tin, tungsten, molybdenum, zinc, crystal, and other raw materials. This method also enables differentiation of rocks such as bauxites, kimberlites, etc., from the host rocks, by their electrokinetic properties. Classification of some rocks, ores, and minerals by their piezoactivity is given in Table 1. These objects (targets) transform wave elastic oscillations into electromagnetic ones. It should be taken into account that anomalous bodies may be detected not only by positive, but also by negative anomalies, if low-piezoactive body occurs in the higher piezoactive medium. The piezoelectric method is an example of successful application of piezoelectric and seismo-electrokinetic phenomena in exploration and environmental geophysics and designed for delineation of targets differing from the host media by piezoelectric properties (Neishtadt et al., 2006, Neishtadt and Eppelbaum, 2012). This method is employed in surface, downhole, and underground modes. Recent testing of piezeoelectric effects of archaeological samples composed from fired clay have shown values of 2.0 - 3.0 ṡ 10-14 C/N. However, absence of reliable procedures for solving the direct and inverse problems of piezoelectric anomalies (PEA), drastically hampers further progression of the method. Therefore, it was suggested to adapt the tomography procedure, widely used in the seismic prospecting, to the PEA modeling. Diffraction of seismic waves has been computed for models of circular cylinder, thin inclined bed and thick bed (Alperovich et al., 1997). As a result, spatial-time distribution of the electromagnetic field caused by the seismic wave has been found. The computations have shown that effectiveness and reliability of PEA analysis may be critically enhanced by considering total electro- and magnetograms as differentiated from the conventional approaches. Distribution of the electromagnetic field obtained by solving the direct problem was the basis for an inverse problem, i.e. revealing depth of a body occurrence, its location in a space as well as determining physical properties. At the same time, this method has not received a wide practical application taking into account complexity of real geological media. Careful analysis piezo- and seismoelectric anomalies shows the possibility of application of quantitative analysis of these effects advanced methodologies developed in magnetic prospecting for complex physical-geological conditions (Eppelbaum et al., 2000, 2001, 2010; Eppelbaum, 2010; 2011, 2015). Employment of these methodologies (improved modifications of tangents, characteristic points areal methods) for obtaining quantitative characteristics of ore bodies, environmental features and archaeological targets (models of horizontal circular cylinder, sphere, thin bed, thick bed and thin horizontal plate were utilized) have demonstrated their effectiveness. Case study at the archaeological site Tel Kara Hadid Field piezoelectric observations were conducted at the ancient archaeological site Tel Kara Hadid with gold-quartz mineralization in southern Israel within the Precambrian terrain at the northern extension of the Arabian-Nubian Shield (Neishtadt et al., 2006). The area of the archaeological site is located eight kilometers north of the town of Eilat, in an area of strong industrial noise. Ancient river alluvial terraces (extremely heterogeneous at a local scale, varying from boulders to silt) cover the quartz veins and complicate their identification. Piezoelectric measurements conducted over a quartz vein covered by surface sediments (approximately of 0.4 m thickness) produced a sharp (500 μV ) piezoelectric anomaly. Values recorded over the host rocks (clays and shales of basic composition) were close to zero. The observed piezoelectric anomaly was successfully interpreted by the use of methodologies developed in magnetic prospecting. For effective integration of piezo- and seismoelectric interpretation results with other geophysical methods, some schemes developed in theory of information (Eppelbaum, 2014) and wavelet theory (Eppelbaum et al., 2011) can be effectively applied. Table 1. Classification of some rocks, ores, and minerals by their piezoactivity d (10-14 Coulomb/Newton) (after Neishdadt et al., 2006 and Neishtadt and Eppelbaum, 2012, with modifications) Piezoactivity groupRock, Ore, Mineral dmin - dmaxdaver Quartz-tourmaline-cassiterite ore 0.8-28 15.7 Antimonite-quartz ore 0.2-1.35 0.6 I Apatite-nepheline ore 0-5 0.9 Galenite-sphalerite ore 0.2-7.7 3.3 Ijolite 0.1-8 1.2 Melteigite 0.2-5 1.6 Pegmatite 0.1-4.8 1.3 Skarn with galenite-sphalerite mineralization0.1-3 0.6 II Sphalerite-galenite ore 0.3-7.7 3.8 Turjaite 0.9-4.8 2.2 Urtite 0.1-32.5 3.4 Juvite 0.2-5.4 1.8 Aleurolite silicificated 0-0.5 0.2 Aplite 0-1.7 0.6 Breccia aleurolite-quartz 0.1-0.4 0.2 Gneiss 0-1.4 0.2 Granite 0-1.6 0.4 Granodiorite 0-0.2 0.1 Quartzite 0-3.3 0.6 III Pegmatite ceramic 0-1 0.15 Sandstone silicificated and tourmalinised 0.1-1.4 0.5 Feldspars 0-0.4 0.15 Porphyrite 0-0.3 0.1 Ristschorrite 0.3-0.9 0.5 Schist argillaceous 0-0.6 0.2 Hornfels 0-0.4 0.2 Skarn sphaleritic-garnet 0-1 0.3 Skarn pyroxene-garnet 0-0.2 0.1 Aleurolite, amphibolites, andesite, gabbro, 0-0.1 0.05 IV greisens, diabase, sandstone Argillite, beresite, dacite, diorite-porphyrite, 0 0 felsite-liparite, limestone, tuff, fenite I - highly active — piezo-activity of samples is greater than 5.0 ṡ 10-14 C/N II - moderately active — piezo-activity of samples is (0.5 - 5.0) ṡ 10-14 C/N III - weakly active — piezo-activity of samples is lower than 0.5 ṡ 10-14 C/N IV - non-active — piezo-activity of samples are near zero. 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