Basement control on dyke distribution in Large Igneous Provinces: Case study of the Karoo triple junction.

Continental flood basalts consist of vast quantities of lava, sills and giant dyke swarms that are associated with continental break-up. The commonly radiating geometry of dyke swarms in these provinces is generally interpreted as the result of the stress regime that affected the lithosphere during the initial stage of continental break-up or as the result of plume impact. On the other hand, structures in the basement may also control dyke orientations, though such control has not previously been documented. In order to test the role of pre-dyke structures, we investigated four major putative Karoo-aged dyke swarms that taken together represent a giant radiating dyke swarm (the so-called "triple-junction") ascribed to the Jurassic Karoo continental flood basalt (> 3x10 6 km2; southern Africa). One of the best tests to discriminate between neoformed and inherited dyke orientation is to detect Precambrian dykes in the Jurassic swarms. Accordingly, we efficiently distinguished between Jurassic and Precambrian dykes using abbreviated low resolution, 40Ar/39Ar incremental heating schedules. Save-Limpopo dyke swarm samples (n = 19) yield either apparent Proterozoic (728-1683 Ma) or Mesozoic (131-179 Ma) integrated ages; the Olifants River swarm (n = 20) includes only Proterozoic (851-1731 Ma) and Archaean (2470-2872 Ma) dykes. The single age obtained on one N-S striking dyke (1464 Ma) suggests that the Lebombo dyke swarm includes Proterozoic dykes in the basement as well. These dates demonstrate the existence of pre-Karoo dykes in these swarms as previously hypothesized without supporting age data.In addition, aeromagnetic and air-photo interpretations indicate that: (1) dyke emplacement was largely controlled by major discontinuities such as the Zimbabwe and Kaapvaal craton boundaries, the orientation of the Limpopo mobile belt, and other pre-dyke structures including shear zones and (2) considering its polygenetic, pre-Mesozoic origin, the Olif ants River dyke swarm cannot be considered part of the Karoo magmatic event.This study, along with previous results obtained on the Okavango dyke swarm, shows that the apparent "triple junction" formed by radiating dyke swarms is not a Jurassic structure; rather, it reflects weakened lithospheric pathways that have controlled dyke orientations over hundreds of millions of years. One consequence is that the "triple-junction" geometry can no longer be unambiguously used as a mantle plume marker as previously proposed, although it does not preclude the possible existence of a mantle plume. More generally, we suggest that most Phanerozoic dyke swarms (including triple junctions) related to continental flood basalts were probably controlled in part by pre-existing lithospheric discontinuities

The Karoo triple junction questioned : evidence from Jurassic and Proterozoc 40Ar/39Ar ages and geochemistry of the giant Okavango dyke swarm (Botswana).

The lower Jurassic Karoo-Ferrar magmatism represents one of the most important Phanerozoic continental flood basalt (CFB) provinces. The Karoo CFB province is dominated by tholeiitic traps and apparently radiating giant dyke swarms covering altogether ca. 3 106 km2. This study focuses on the giant N110j-trending Okavango dyke swarm (ODS) stretching over 1500 km across Botswana. This dyke swarm represents the main (failed) arm of the so-called Karoo triple junction that is generally considered as a key marker of the impingement of the Karoo starting mantle plume head. ODS dolerites yield six new plagioclase 40Ar/39Ar plateau (and miniplateau) ages ranging from 178.7F0.7 and 180.9F1.3 Ma. The distribution of the ages along a narrow Gaussian curve suggests a short period of magmatic activity centered around 179 Ma, i.e., f5 Ma younger than the emplacement age of Karoo mafic magmas in the southern part of the Karoo CFB province (f184). This age difference indicates that Karoo magmatism does not represent a short-lived event as is generally the case for most CFB but lasted at least 5Ma over the whole province. In addition, small clusters of plagioclase separated from 28 other dykes and measured by "speedy" step-heating experiments (with mostly two to three steps), gave either "Karoo" or Proterozoic ages.Integrated ages of the Proterozoic rocks range from 851 6 to 1672 7 Ma, and one plateau age (959.1 4.6 Ma) and one possibly geologically significant weighted mean age (982.7 4.0 Ma) were obtained. Proterozoic and Karoo mafic rocks are petrographically similar, but Proterozoic dykes display clear geochemical differences (e.g., TiO 22.1%). Geochemical data combined with available Ar/Ar dates allow the identification of the two groups within a total set of 77 dykes investigated: f10% of the bulk ODS dykes are Proterozoic. Thus, the Jurassic Karoo ODS dykes were emplaced along reactivated Proterozoic structures and there is no pristine Jurassic Nuanetsi triple junction as commonly proposed. This throws into doubt the validity of the "active plume head" Karoo CFB rift models as being responsible for the observed "triple junction" dyke geometr

Remobilisation features and structural control on ore grade distribution at the Konkola stratiform Cu-Co ore deposit, Zambia

The Konkola deposit is a high grade stratiform Cu–Co ore deposit in the Central African Copperbelt in Zambia. Economic mineralisation is confined to the Ore Shale formation, part of the Neoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks of the Katanga Supergroup. Petrographic study reveals that the copper–cobalt ore minerals are disseminated within the host rock, sometimes concentrated along bedding planes, often associated with dolomitic bands or clustered in cemented lenses and in layer-parallel and irregular veins. The hypogene sulphide mineralogy consists predominantly of chalcopyrite, bornite and chalcocite. Based upon relationships with metamorphic biotite, vein sulphides and most of the sulphides in cemented lenses were precipitated during or after biotite zone greenschist facies metamorphism. New δ34S values of sulphides from the Konkola deposit are presented. The sulphur isotope values range from −8.7‰ to +1.4‰ V-CDT for chalcopyrite from all mineralising phases and from −4.4‰ to +2.0‰ V-CDT for secondary chalcocite. Similarities in δ34S for sulphides from different vein generations, earlier sulphides and secondary chalcocite can be explained by (re)mobilisation of S from earlier formed sulphide phases, an interpretation strongly supported by the petrographic evidence. Deep supergene enrichment and leaching occurs up to a km in depth, predominantly in the form of secondary chalcocite, goethite and malachite and is often associated with zones of high permeability. Detailed distribution maps of total copper and total cobalt contents of the Ore Shale formation show a close relationship between structural features and higher copper and lower cobalt contents, relative to other areas of the mine. Structural features include the Kirilabombwe anticline and fault zones along the axial plane and two fault zones in the southern limb of the anticline. Cobalt and copper behave differently in relation to these structural features. These structures are interpreted to have played a significant role in (re)mobilisation and concentration of the metals, in agreement with observations made elsewhere in the Zambian Copperbelt

The Okavango giant mafic dyke swarm (NE Botswana): its structural significance within the Karoo Large Igneous Province

The structural organization of a giant mafic dyke swarm, the Okavango complex, in the northern Karoo Large Igneous Province (LIP) of NE Botswana is detailed. This N110E-oriented dyke swarm extends for 1500 km with a maximum width of 100 km through Archaean basement terranes and Permo-Jurassic sedimentary sequences. The cornerstone of the study is the quantitative analysis of N>170 (exposed) and N>420 (detected by ground magnetics) dykes evidenced on a ca. 80-km-long section lying in crystalline host-rocks, at high-angle to the densest zone of the swarm (Shashe area). Individual dykes are generally sub-vertical and parallel to the entire swarm. Statistical analysis of width data indicates anomalous dyke frequency (few data <5.0 m) and mean dyke thickness (high value of 17 m) with respect to values classically obtained from other giant swarms. Variations of mean dyke thicknesses from 17 (N110E swarm) to 27 m (adjoining and coeval N70E giant swarm) are assigned to the conditions hosting fracture networks dilated as either shear or pure extensional structures, respectively, in response to an inferred NNW?SSE extension. Both fracture patterns are regarded as inherited brittle basement fabrics associated with a previous (Proterozoic) dyking event. The Okavango N110E dyke swarm is thus a polyphase intrusive system in which total dilation caused by Karoo dykes (estimated frequency of 87%) is 12.2% (6315 m of cumulative dyke width) throughout the 52-km-long projected Shashe section. Assuming that Karoo mafic dyke swarms in NE Botswana follow inherited Proterozoic fractures, as similarly applied for most of the nearly synchronous giant dyke complexes converging towards the Nuanetsi area, leads us to consider that the resulting triple junction-like dyke/fracture pattern is not a definitive proof for a deep mantle plume in the Karoo LIP

Gravity Evidence for a Larger Limpopo Belt in Southern Africa and Geodynamic Implications

The Limpopo Belt of southern Africa is a Neoarchean orogenic belt located between two older Archean provinces, the Zimbabwe craton to the north and the Kaapvaal craton to the south. Previous studies considered the Limpopo Belt to be a linearly trending east-northeast belt with a width of ∼250 km and ∼600 km long. We provide evidence from gravity data constrained by seismic and geochronologic data suggesting that the Limpopo Belt is much larger than previously assumed and includes the Shashe Belt in Botswana, thus defining a southward convex orogenic arc sandwiched between the two cratons. The 2 Ga Magondi orogenic belt truncates the Limpopo-Shahse Belt to the west. The northern marginal, central and southern marginal tectonic zones define a single gravity anomaly on upward continued maps, indicating that they had the same exhumation history. This interpretation requires a tectonic model involving convergence between the Kaapvaal and Zimbabwe cratons during a Neoarchean orogeny that preserved the thick cratonic keel that has been imaged in tomographic models

The Okavango; a river supporting its people, environment and economic development

The Okavango basin comprises the Cuito and Cubango active catchment areas in Angola, in addition to the Kavango–Okavango non-active catchment in northern Namibia and Botswana. The Okavango River water and its ecosystem resources are critically important sources of livelihoods for people in the basin. Pressures from livelihoods and development are already impacting on the environment. These pressures may increase in the future due to the rapid increase in population, the peace process and associated resettlement activities in Angola, and major development initiatives in Botswana and Namibia. For instance, possible future increase in water abstraction from the Okavango River may affect the long-term environmental sustainability of the Okavango Delta by minimizing channel shifting and thereby reducing spatial biodiversity. The paper argues that while conservation of the natural environment is critical, the pressing development needs must be recognized. The reduction of poverty within the basin should be addressed in order to alleviate adverse effects on the environment. The paper recommends that the development of sustainable tourism and community-based natural resource management initiatives may be appropriate strategies for reaching the Millennium Development Goals of poverty alleviation and achievement of environmental sustainability in the Okavango Basin. These initiatives have a comparative advantage in this area as demonstrated by the performance of the existing projects

Insight into volatile behavior at Nyamuragira volcano (D.R. Congo, Africa) through olivine-hosted melt inclusions

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2011. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 12 (2011): Q0AB11, doi:10.1029/2011GC003699.We present new olivine-hosted melt inclusion volatile (H2O, CO2, S, Cl, F) and major element data from five historic eruptions of Nyamuragira volcano (1912, 1938, 1948, 1986, 2006). Host-olivine Mg#'s range from 71 to 84, with the exception of the 1912 sample (Mg# = 90). Inclusion compositions extend from alkali basalts to basanite-tephrites. Our results indicate inclusion entrapment over depths ranging from 3 to 5 km, which agree with independent estimates of magma storage depths (3–7 km) based on geophysical methods. Melt compositions derived from the 1986 and 2006 Nyamuragira tephra samples best represent pre-eruptive volatile compositions because these samples contain naturally glassy inclusions that underwent less post-entrapment modification than crystallized inclusions. Volatile concentrations of the 1986 and 2006 samples are as follows: H2O ranged from 0.6 to 1.4 wt %, CO2 from 350 to 1900 ppm, S from 1300 to 2400 ppm, Cl from 720 to 990 ppm, and F from 1500 to 2200 ppm. Based on FeOT and S data, we suggest that Nyamuragira magmas have higher fO2 (>NNO) than MORB. We estimate the total amount of sulfur dioxide (SO2) released from the 1986 (0.04 Mt) and 2006 (0.06 Mt) Nyamuragira eruptions using the petrologic method, whereby S contents in melt inclusions are scaled to erupted lava volumes. These amounts are significantly less than satellite-based SO2 emissions for the same eruptions (1986 = ∼1 Mt; 2006 = ∼2 Mt). Potential explanations for this observation are: (1) accumulation of a vapor phase within the magmatic system that is only released during eruptions, and/or (2) syn-eruptive gas release from unerupted magma.Funding for this work was provided by NSF (grant EAR 0910795 (to SAC) and grant EAR 0646694 (to AMS)), as well as the National Geographic Society (grant 7698-04 (to SAC))

The 1920s Flapper in Public Opinion

Most of the results obtained during the research were newspaper articles from the 1920s concerning the flapper culture of that decade. The majority of the material comes from the New York Times archives, and the rest from archives of multiple other newspapers. As the title of this paper suggests, the flapper phenomenon was a rather polarizing one, and as such, research yielded articles both strongly in support of, and strongly condemning flapper lifestyle. However, findings obtained earlier on in the study suggested that the story of the Flapper is a much more layered one than has been suggested by the modern media

The Neoproterozoic Mwashya–Kansuki sedimentary rock succession in the central African Copperbelt, its Cu–Co mineralisation, and regional correlations

International audienceRocks of the Neoproterozoic Mwashya Subgroup (former Upper Mwashya) form the uppermost sedimentary unit of the Roan Group. Based on new field and drill hole observations, the Mwashya is subdivided into three formations: (1) Kamoya, characterized by dolomitic silty shales/siltstones/sandstones and containing a regional marker (the “Conglomerate de Mwashya” bed or complex); (2) Kafubu, formed by finely bedded black carbonaceous shales; and (3) Kanzadi, marked by feldspathic sandstones. Rocks of the Mwashya Subgroup are overlain by the Sturtian age Grand Conglomérat diamictite (equivalent to the Varianto/Brazil and Chuos/Namibia diamictites), and conformably overlie rocks of the Kansuki Formation (former Lower Mwashya), a carbonate unit containing volcaniclastic beds. New geochemical data confirm the continental rift context of this magmatism, which is contemporaneous with rift-related volcanism of the Askevold Formation (Nosib Group, Namibia). A gradational lithological transition between rocks of the Kansuki and the underlying Kanwangungu Formations, and similar petrological composition of these two formations, support the hypothesis that the Kansuki is the uppermost unit of the carbonate-dominated Dipeta/Kanwangungu sequence, and does not form part of the Mwashya Subgroup. Base metal deposits, mostly hosted in rocks of the Kansuki Formation, include weakly disseminated early-stage low-grade Cu–Co mineralisation, which was reworked and enriched, or initially deposited, by metamorphic fluids associated with the Lufilian orogenic event