Ore-forming Сonditions of the Blagodat Gold Deposit in the Riphean Metamorphic Rocks of the Yenisey Ridge According to Geochemical and Isotopic Data

Neodymium and strontium isotopic composition and rare earth elements (REE) distribution pattern have been determined in whole rocks and minerals were separated from host metamorphic rocks and disseminated sulfide ores of the Blagodat gold deposit. Isotopic data are given to construct few isochrones that could be reflected an age of main stages of metamorphic and metasomatic alteration in rocks varieties during a successive accumulation of gold in structural traps. The significant temporal range in the forming of the studied rocks can be interpreted as an evidence of multi-stage tectonic destruction accompanying with trust-folding processes, shear deformations and development of local fracture zones that had place from the Late Riphean to Middle Paleozoic time. According to isotopic data basic ore-forming processes were realized in the relatively narrow interval from 690 to 750 Ma that correspond to a beginning of continental rifting on the western margin of Siberian craton. Chemistry and trace element distribution are closed for host and auriferous schists and mainly showed differences in the composition initial sedimentary units. The middle negative value εNd (from -14 to -16) and very high positive value εSr (from +570 to +725) are mostly corresponded to that of upper continental crust matter. The role of synchronic granite intrusions in the studied area can be only estimated due to a generation of thermal energy and crustal fluids

Earthquakes: from chemical alteration to mechanical rupture

In the standard rebound theory of earthquakes, elastic deformation energy is progressively stored in the crust until a threshold is reached at which it is suddenly released in an earthquake. We review three important paradoxes, the strain paradox, the stress paradox and the heat flow paradox, that are difficult to account for in this picture, either individually or when taken together. Resolutions of these paradoxes usually call for additional assumptions on the nature of the rupture process (such as novel modes of deformations and ruptures) prior to and/or during an earthquake, on the nature of the fault and on the effect of trapped fluids within the crust at seismogenic depths. We review the evidence for the essential importance of water and its interaction with the modes of deformations. Water is usually seen to have mainly the mechanical effect of decreasing the normal lithostatic stress in the fault core on one hand and to weaken rock materials via hydrolytic weakening and stress corrosion on the other hand. We also review the evidences that water plays a major role in the alteration of minerals subjected to finite strains into other structures in out-of-equilibrium conditions. This suggests novel exciting routes to understand what is an earthquake, that requires to develop a truly multidisciplinary approach involving mineral chemistry, geology, rupture mechanics and statistical physics.Comment: 44 pages, 1 figures, submitted to Physics Report

Shock effects in plagioclase feldspar from the Mistastin Lake impact structure, Canada

Shock metamorphism, caused by hypervelocity impact, is a poorly understood process in feldspar due to the complexity of the crystal structure, the relative ease of weathering, and chemical variations, making optical studies of shocked feldspars challenging. Understanding shock metamorphism in feldspars, and plagioclase in particular, is vital for understanding the history of Earth's moon, Mars, and many other planetary bodies. We present here a comprehensive study of shock effects in andesine and labradorite from the Mistastin Lake impact structure, Labrador, Canada. Samples from a range of different settings were studied, from in situ central uplift materials to clasts from various breccias and impact melt rocks. Evidence of shock metamorphism includes undulose extinction, offset twins, kinked twins, alternate twin deformation, and partial to complete transformation to diaplectic plagioclase glass. In some cases, isotropization of alternating twin lamellae was observed. Planar deformation features (PDFs) are notably absent in the plagioclase, even when present in neighboring quartz grains. It is notable that various microlites, twin planes, and compositionally different lamellae could easily be mistaken for PDFs and so care must be taken. A pseudomorphous zeolite phase (levyne-Ca) was identified as a replacement mineral of diaplectic feldspar glass in some samples, which could, in some instances, also be potentially mistaken for PDFs. We suggest that the lack of PDFs in plagioclase could be due to a combination of structural controls relating to the crystal structure of different feldspars and/or the presence of existing planes of weakness in the form of twin and cleavage planes

Book reviews and Book notice

Book reviews and Book notice from Volume 2, Number 2, 1968 of Earth Science Journal

Abundances of trace elements Na, Sc, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Cu in chondrules and meteorites in IN meteorites and terrestrial matter and U in type I carbonaceous chondrites Quarterly progress report, 1 Mar. - 15 Jun. 1966

Abundances of sodium, scandium, chromium, iron, manganese, cobalt, copper, indium, and uranium in chondrules, chondrites, and meteorites determined by neutron activation analysi

Petrologic aspects of plate tectonics

The concept of plate tectonics has developed during the past four years from the hypotheses of continental drift and sea-floor spreading, supported by a variety of evidence from paleomagnetism, geochronology, and marine geology and geophysics. A series of four contiguous papers in the March 1968 issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research correlated on a global scale the linear magnetic anomalies, which are parallel to and bilaterally symmetrical about the oceanic ridge system, with the polarity reversals of the earth's magnetic field imprinted on new oceanic crust as it was generated at the oceanic ridge crests [Pitman et al., 1968; Dickson et al., 1968; Le Pichon and Heirtzler, 1968; Heirtzler et al., 1968]. In 1967 and 1968, four major papers introduced plate tectonics: the earth's surface is considered to be made up of a few rigid crustal plates or blocks in motion relative to each other [McKenzie and Parker, 1967; Morgan, 1968; Le Pichon, 1968; Isacks et al., 1968]

The pioneer work of Bernard Kübler and Martin Frey in very low-grade metamorphic terranes: paleo-geothermal potential of variation in Kübler-Index/organic matter reflectance correlations. A review

Low-temperature metamorphic petrology occupies the P-T field between sedimentary and metamorphic petrology. Two important pillars of low-temperature metamorphism are coal petrology and clay mineralogy. When low temperature petrology was established bridging a hiatus between the two classical geological disciplines of sedimentary geology and metamorphic petrology, geologists faced a need for the usage of different terminology tenets. Martin Frey and Bernard Kübler were two pioneers in low-grade metamorphic petrology. They focused their research on clarifying the relationships of clay mineralogy and organic petrology to metamorphic pressure (P) and temperature (T) conditions. The ultimate aim of M. Frey and B. Kübler was to establish a correlation between clay indices and organic parameters for different geodynamic setting and therefore for various pressure-temperature (P-T) conditions occurring in low grade metamorphic terranes. For this purpose, a special attention was addressed to the correlation between the Kübler-Index (KI) and vitrinite reflectance (VR). All these efforts are dedicated to estimate the P-T conditions and thus to gain insight into the geodynamic evolution of low-grade metamorphic terranes. B. Kübler and M. Frey honored here concentrated their studies to the Helvetic Central Alps area. The very low-grade Helvetic domain is therefore of basic interest of this paper. Ensuing the extensive compilation of data from the Helvetic domain, a reinterpretation of Kübler and Frey's research is presented in the light of last decade's scientific progress. A comprehensive dataset available enables to discriminate many factors influencing the Kübler-Index and organic-matter reflectance alongside to time, temperature and pressure. The correlation is restricted to the KI and organic matter reflectance (mostly VR) because most of the studies used both methods. Organic matter reflectance (OMR) includes data from vitrinite reflectance and bituminite reflectance measurements. Geodynamics has important control on the KI/VR (OMR) correlation. Tectonic units having a similar geodynamic evolution are featured by the comparable KI/OMR trends, related to the particular paleo-geothermal conditions. Obviously the KI/OMR correlations provide a mean to characterise geothermal gradients and metamorphic very-low-grade pressure-temperature conditions. In terranes where high deformations rates are reported, exceeding the high anchizone conditions, strain promotes the kinetic effects of temperature and pressure on the KI versus OMR rati

Chemical diffusivity of boron in melts of haplogranitic composition

Chemical diffusivities of B in synthetic melts of haplogranitic composition have been measured by the diffusion couple technique at 1 atm between 1200–1600°C. The compositional profiles were measured by ion microprobe and modelled using the Boltzmann-Matano formalism to retrieve compositionally dependent interdiffusion coefficients. At the experimental conditions, B2O3 is found to exchange primarily with SiO2 and the interdiffusion coefficient increases with increasing replacement of Si by B in the melt. No isotopic fractionation of boron was observed in the diffusion zone at the experimental conditions. The compositional dependence of diffusivity increases with decreasing temperature. The activation energy of diffusion (~70 kcal) is similar to that for viscous flow in melts of the same composition and is relatively insensitive to B content between 1–10 wt% B2O3 in the melt. However, the addition of the initial 1 wt% B2O3 to a haplogranitic melt appears to dramatically lower the activation energy for these processes from ~ 100 kCal to ~70 kCal. Thus, common geochemical concentrations of B may affect petrogenesis of granitic rocks by their influence on these transport properties. Some implications of these results for crystal growth and dissolution in B-bearing melts and boron isotopic variation of granitic melts have been discussed. If diffusion is the rate-limiting process, boron isotopic heterogeneity may be maintained in granitic melts at magmatic temperatures on time scales of millions of years on a millimeter scale. The influence of small amounts of B on transport properties may also contribute toward resolution of an enigma regarding emplacement mechanisms of peraluminous granites

Remote sensing of geobotanical relations in Georgia

The application of remote sensing to geological investigations, with special attention to geobotanical factors, was evaluated. The general areas of investigation included: (1) recognition of mineral deposits; (2) geological mapping; (3) delineation of geological structure, including areas of complex tectonics; and (4) limestone areas where ground withdrawal had intensified surface collapse

Dioctahedral mixed K-Na-micas and paragonite in diagenetic to low-temperature metamorphic terrains: bulk rock chemical, thermodynamic and textural constraints

Abstract Metamorphic mineral assemblages in low-temperature metaclastic rocks often contain paragonite and/or its precursor metastable phase (mixed K-Na-white mica). Relationships between the bulk rock major element chemistries and the formation of paragonite at seven localities from Central and SE-Europe were studied, comparing the bulk chemical characteristics with mineral assemblage, mineral chemical and metamorphic petrological data. Considerable overlaps between the projection fields of bulk chemistries of the Pg-free and Pg-bearing metaclastic rocks indicate significant differences between the actual (as analyzed) and effective bulk chemical compositions. Where inherited, clastic, inert phases/constituents were excluded, it was found that a decrease in Na/(Na+Al*) and in K/(K+Al*) ratios of rocks favors the formation and occurrence of Pg and its precursor phases (Al* denotes here the atomic quantity of aluminum in feldspars, white micas and “pure” hydrous or anhydrous aluminosilicates). In contrast to earlier suggestions, enrichment in Na and/or an increase in Na/K ratio by themselves do not lead to formation of paragonite. Bulk rock chemistries favorable to formation of paragonite and its precursor phases are characterized by enrichment in Al and depletion in Na, K, Ca (and also, Mg and Fe2+). Such bulk rock chemistries are characteristic of chemically “mature” (strongly weathered) source rocks of the pelites and may also be formed by synand post-sedimentary magmatism-related hydrothermal (leaching) activity. What part of the whole rock is active in determining the effective bulk chemistry was investigated by textural examination of diagenetic and anchizone-grade samples. It is hypothesized that although solid phases act as local sources and sinks, transport of elements such as Na through the grain boundaries have much larger communication distances. Sodium-rich white micas nucleate heterogeneously using existing phyllosilicates as templates and are distributed widely on the thin section scale. The results of modeling by THERMOCALC suggest that paragonite preferably forms at higher pressures in low-T metapelites. The stability fields of Pg-bearing assemblages increase, the Pg-in reaction line is shifted towards lower pressures, while the stability field of the Chl-Ms-Ab-Qtz assemblage decreases and is shifted towards higher temperatures with increasing Al* content and decreasing Na/(Na+Al*) and K/(K+Al*) ratios