Garnet granulites of Sutam River middle current sutam river (Aldan Shield) as possible indicators of metamorhosed and tectonically displaced Post-Hadean weathering crust

The article discusses the problem of the nature of high-alumina garnet granulites from Sutam River (Aldan Shield). The studies revealed that the majority of detrital grains have U-Pb age of up to 1.92 Ga; however the zircon grain of 3.94 Ga has been for the first time discovered in Russia. This age is estimated as the upper limit of the Hadean eon. The goals of the present studies were to reveal the petrogenesis of garnet granulites and to find out the origin of the Hadean zircon in these garnet granulites and the mechanisms of injection diapirism of garnet granulite body to the upper horizons of the crust. The comparison of garnet granulites and middle crust showed that the granulites are enriched in the whole spectrum of rare earth elements (except of Eu) as well as Al2O3, U, Th and are depleted in Na, Ca и Sr (the most mobile elements). This in combination with other geochemical indicators suggested the granulite protolith as an upper part of the allite zone of middle crust weathering, formed in arid climate. The Hadean zircon grain is regarded as having been captured from the granites of middle crust. The diapirism of garnet granulites (with the captured Hadean zircon) proceeded during the Paleoproterozoic thermotectogenesis of the Aldan shield which were accompanied by the horizontal propagation of deep-seated granite-anorthosite tectonic flows from the plume’s center to its periphery. During the movement of these flows the fragments of the lower and middle crust were shifted both laterally and vertically. When they moved vertically they were discretely intruded in the upper granite-gneiss crust (1.83-1.82 Ga) under high pressure. The 3.94 Ga zircon is comparable with the Hadean zircons from Acasta orthogneiss (Canadian shield, 4.03-3.94 Ga, SHRIMP and ID-TIMS)

Magma feeding paleochannel in the Monchegorsk ore region: geochemistry, isotope U-Pb and Sm-Nd analysis (Kola region, Russia)

A comprehensive study of a 340 m thick lenticular-sheet body of ultramafic composition penetrated by structural well M-1 at a depth of about 2.2 km was accomplished. Its main volume is composed of plagioharzburgite; fine-grained rocks of norite and orthopyroxenite chilling zones are preserved on endocontacts. The rocks of the body are similar in composition to the rocks near the underlying ore-bearing layered intrusion – the Monchepluton. The age of intrusion of the ultramafic body is 2510 ± 9 Ma (U-Pb, ID-TIMS, zircon) and, taking into account analytical errors, is comparable with the formation period of the Monchepluton (2507-2498 Ma). According to the study of the Sm-Nd system in rocks and minerals, a positive value of the eNd (+1.1) parameter was established, similar to that in dunites and chromitites of the Monchepluton. Based on these results, the ultramafic body penetrated at depth was assigned to the magma feeding paleochannel through which the ultramafic, weakly contaminated magma entered the overlying magma chamber. This body is a unique example of a magma-feeding system for the ore-bearing layered intrusion of Precambrian age

Palaeoproterozoic to Eoarchaean crustal growth in southern Siberia: a Nd-isotope synthesis

Nd-isotope analyses from 114 rock samples are reported from the southern part of the Siberian craton to establish a first-order crustal formation scheme for the region. The Nd-isotopedata show considerable variability within and among different cratonic units. In many cases this variability reflects differing degrees of mixing between juvenile and older (up to Eoarchaean) crustal components. The fragments of Palaeoproterozoic juvenile crust within the studied segment of the Siberian craton margin have Nd-model ages of 2.0-2.3 Ga. Voluminous Palaeoproterozoicgranites ( 1.85 Ga) were intruded into cratonic fragments and suture zones. These granites mark the stabilization of the southern Siberian craton. The complexity in the Nd data indicatea long history of crustal development, extending from the Eoarchaean to the Palaeoproterozoiceras, which is interpreted to reflect the amalgamation of distinct Archaean crustal fragments, with differing histories, during Palaeoproterozoic accretion at 1.9-2.0 Ga and subsequent cratonic stabilization at 1.85 Ga. Such a model temporally coincides with important orogenic events on nearly every continent and suggests that the Siberian craton participated in the formation of a Palaeoproterozoic supercontinent at around 1.9 Ga

Mass-spectrometric REE analysis in sulphide minerals

The standard samples of diorite, granite and anorthosite (National Centre for Petrographic and Geochemical Research (CRPG CNRS, Nancy, France) were analyzed to measure rare-earth element (REE) concentrations by the ICP MS method (quadrupole ELAN 9000 DRC-e) without preliminary dilution and concentration procedures. The certified values of REE concentrations measured on ELEMENT-2 mass-spectrometer by ICP MS method in Nancy are also well reproduced on ELAN 9000. The mass-spectrometer analytical environment and modes of operation were adjusted to detect REE in sulphide minerals by the example of the pyrite from the PGE Penikat layered intrusion (Finland) and chalcopyrite from the Talnakh deposit (Kazakhstan). The total REE content in the pyrite is ca. 3.5 ppm, that is enough to establish Sm-Nd age of pyrite. By the example of State Standard Sample 2463 (Apatite, Russia) it is shown how to apply the mineral/chondrite spectra to evaluate the accuracy of the REE analytical results

The Sulfide/Silicate Coefficients of Nd and Sm: Geochemical “Fingerprints” for the Syn- and Epigenetic Cu-Ni-(PGE) Ores in the NE Fennoscandian Shield

One of the current directions of the Sm-Nd isotope systematics development is a dating of the ore process using sulfide minerals. Yet, the issue of the existence of rare earth elements (REE) in sulfides is still a matter for discussion. Sulfides from ore-bearing rocks of Proterozoic (2.53–1.98 Ga) Cu-Ni and platinum group elements (PGE) deposits of the Fennoscandian Shield were studied. It is found that the most probable source of REE in sulfide minerals from Cu-Ni-PGE complexes could be submicronic fluid inclusions, which are trapped at the mineral crystallization stage. In such a case, fluid or melt inclusions are specimens of the syngenetic parental melt, from which the base mineral formed, and these reflect a composition of the parental fluid. The mineral–rock partition coefficients for Nd and Sm can be used as “fingerprints” for individual deposits, and these are isotope-geochemical indicators of the ore-caused fluid that is syngenetic to sulfide. Moreover, the DNd/DSm ratio for various sulfide minerals can be used as a prospective geochemical tool for reconstructing a mineral formation sequence in ore complexes. On the other hand, differences in isotope compositions of sulfide neodymium could be markers of some ore-caused fluids and related to certain generations of sulfide minerals

The Paleoproterozoic Kandalaksha-Kolvitsa Gabbro-Anorthosite Complex (Fennoscandian Shield): New U–Pb, Sm–Nd, and Nd–Sr (ID-TIMS) Isotope Data on the Age of Formation, Metamorphism, and Geochemical Features of Zircon (LA-ICP-MS)

The paper provides new U–Pb, Sm–Nd, and Nd–Sr isotope-geochronological data on rocks of the Paleoproterozoic Kandalaksha-Kolvitsa gabbro-anorthosite complex. Rare earth element (REE) contents in zircons from basic rock varieties of the Kandalaksha-Kolvitsa area were analyzed in situ using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Plots of REE distribution were constructed, confirming the magmatic origin of zircon. Temperatures of zircon crystallization were estimated using a Ti-in-zircon geochronometer. The U–Pb method with a 205Pb artificial tracer was first applied to date single zircon grains (2448 ± 5 Ma) from metagabbro of the Kolvitsa massif. The U–Pb analysis of zircon from anorthosites of the Kandalaksha massif dated the early stage of the granulite metamorphism at 2230 ± 10 Ma. The Sm–Nd isotope age was estimated on metamorphic minerals (apatite, garnet, sulfides) and whole rock at 1985 ± 17 Ma (granulite metamorphism) for the Kolvitsa massif and at 1887 ± 37 Ma (high-temperature metasomatic transformations) and 1692 ± 71 Ma (regional fluid reworking) for the Kandalaksha massif. The Sm–Nd model age of metagabbro was 3.3 Ga with a negative value of εNd = 4.6, which corresponds with either processes of crustal contamination or primary enriched mantle reservoir of primary magmas

The Origin and Evolution of Ore-Bearing Rocks in the Loypishnun Deposit (Monchetundra Massif, NE Fennoscandian Shield): Isotope Nd-Sr and REE Geochemical Data

The Monchetundra massif is located in the north-eastern Fennoscandian Shield and refers to Paleoproterozoic massifs of the East-Scandinavian Large Igneous Province. The general section of the massif comprises two parts, the lower norite-orthopyroxenite and the upper mafic zones. The lower zone is of great interest due to its associated industrial platinum group elements (PGE) mineralization. The structure and peculiar features of rocks in the lower zone were studied using a drill core from the borehole MT-70 in the south-eastern slope of the Monchetundra massif intersecting the ore zone 1 of the Loypishnun deposit (according to the CJSC Terskaya Mining Company data). A comparison of the barren and ore-bearing varieties of norites and pyroxenites in the Loypishnun deposit shows that the ore samples have the lowest negative εNd values, a relatively more differentiated distribution spectrum with the Light rare earth elements (LREE) dominating over the Heavy REE (HREE), Eu/Eu* ≥ 1, and a higher mean content of alkali and large-ion lithophile elements (Ba, Rb, and Cs). New geochemical data indicated an origin of magmas for rocks from a layered series in the Loypishnun deposit by a high degree of melting of a LREE-rich source with a low mean content of REE. Negative εNd values, low ISr values, and a marked negative Nb indicate that the crustal material affected the evolution of rocks in the lower zone of the massif more than in the upper zone. The formation of ore bodies in the Loypishnun deposit was governed by the crust-mantle interaction, magmatic differentiation, and association with the most differentiated varieties, and by further concentration of the ore at the late and post-magmatic stages in a highly permeable environment for fluids in the Monchetundra fault zone

Significance of Baddeleyite for Paleoproterozoic PGE Deposits with Pt-Pd and Cu-Ni reefs (North-Eastern Fennoscandian Shield): New Results of U-Pb and LA-ICP-MS Studies

Baddeleyite is a significant mineral successfully applied in the U-Pb geochronology for the precise dating of mafic rocks from layered intrusions with the platinum group element PGE and Cu-Ni mineralization The Fennoscandian Shield hosts several layered Pt-Pd Co-Cr-Ni and Ti-V occurrences in the Northern Karelian and Southern Karelian-Finnish belts The aim of this study is to estimate the content and distribution of rare earth elements REE in baddeleyite and to calculate temperatures of the U-Pb system closure and baddeleyite crystallization compared to zircon from Cu-Ni and Pt-Pd deposits in the north-eastern Fennoscandian Shield For the first time baddeleyite crystals from Cu-Ni Monchepluton and Pt-Pd Monchetundra reefs of the Monchegorsk ore area have been studied in situ by the laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry LA-ICP-MS to measure the U-Pb age of formation and the REE conten

Metallogenic Setting and Evolution of the Pados-Tundra Cr-Bearing Ultramafic Complex, Kola Peninsula: Evidence from Sm–Nd and U–Pb Isotopes

The article presents new Sm–Nd and U–Pb geochronological data on rocks of the poorly studied Pados-Tundra Cr-bearing complex. It is part of the Notozero mafic–ultramafic complex (western Kola Peninsula) and occurs at the border of the Paleoproterozoic Lapland Granulite Belt and the Archean Belomorian composite terrain. The Pados-Tundra complex hosts two major zones, the Dunite and Orthopyroxenite Blocks. Dunites are associated with four levels of chromite mineralization. Isotope Sm–Nd studies of dunites, harzburgites, and orthopyroxenites from the central part of the complex have been carried out. The isochron Sm–Nd age on 11 whole-rock samples from a rhythmically layered series of the complex is 2485 ± 38 Ma; the mineral Sm–Nd isochron for harzburgites shows the age of 2475 ± 38 Ma. It corresponds with the time of large-scale rifting that originated in the Fennoscandian Shield. When the rhythmically layered series of the intrusion and its chromite mineralization were formed, hornblendite dykes intruded. The U–Pb and Sm–Nd research has estimated their age at ca. 2080 Ma, which is likely to correspond with the occurrence of the Lapland–Kola Ocean. According to isotope Sm–Nd dating on metamorphic minerals (rutile, amphibole), the age of postmetamorphic cooling of rocks in the complex to 650–600 °C is 1872 ± 76 Ma. The U–Pb age on rutile from a hornblendite dyke (1804 ± 10 Ma) indicates further cooling to 450–400 °C. The conducted research has determined the early Proterozoic age of rocks in the rhythmically layered series in the Pados-Tundra complex. It is close to the age of the Paleoproterozoic ore magmatic system in the Fennoscandian Shield that developed 2.53–2.40 Ga ago. Later episodes of alterations in rocks are directly related to main metamorphic episodes in the region at the turn of 1.9 Ga. Results of the current study expand the geography of the vast Paleoproterozoic East Scandinavian Large Igneous Province and can be applied for further studies of similar mafic–ultramafic complexes

Mass-spectrometric REE analysis in sulphide minerals

<p>The standard samples of diorite, granite and anorthosite (National Centre for Petrographic and</p> <p>Geochemical Research (CRPG CNRS, Nancy, France) were analyzed to measure rare-earth element</p> <p>(REE) concentrations by the ICP MS method (quadrupole ELAN 9000 DRC-e) without preliminary</p> <p>dilution and concentration procedures. The certified values of REE concentrations measured on</p> <p>ELEMENT-2 mass-spectrometer by ICP MS method in Nancy are also well reproduced on ELAN</p> <p>9000. The mass-spectrometer analytical environment and modes of operation were adjusted to detect</p> <p>REE in sulphide minerals by the example of the pyrite from the PGE Penikat layered intrusion</p> <p>(Finland) and chalcopyrite from the Talnakh deposit (Kazakhstan). The total REE content in the pyrite</p> <p>is ca. 3.5 ppm, that is enough to establish Sm-Nd age of pyrite. By the example of State Standard</p> <p>Sample 2463 (apatite, Russia) it is shown how to apply the mineral/chondrite spectra to evaluate the</p> <p>accuracy of the REE analytical results.</p