Sugar-acid treatment of opal from Wollo, Ethiopia

International audienc

Pedogenic origin of precious opals from Wegel Tena (Ethiopia): Evidence from trace elements and oxygen isotopes

International audienceThe trace element and oxygen isotope composition of Wegel Tena (Ethiopia) gem opals was measured to provide evidence of the conditions of their genesis. Elemental measurements display several behaviors, especially for K, Ca, Sr and Ba suggesting that-in agreement with previous assumptions-the silica-rich fluids that precipitate into opal are fed by the weathering of ignimbrite at several degrees. The distribution of elements in the opals indicates that the sources of silica in the ignimbrite are both glass and feldspar. Rare Earth Element (REE) signatures are also consistent with a weathering process, but underline that a wide range of physical and chemical conditions prevail at the regional, local and even intra-sample scales. The Ce anomaly emphasizes the variations in redox conditions during opal precipitation, whereas Eu anomaly indicates that feldspar dissolution feeds some of the silica-rich fluids. This suggests that the fluid responsible for opal precipitation is not homogenous across the area with underground water circulation, but rather that each sample reflects formation conditions specific to its very local environment. The oxygen isotope signatures of the opals (from 26.52 to 30.98‰ vs SMOW) allow us to formulate several hypotheses concerning their temperature of formation and the isotopic composition of the fluid. The hypothesis consistent with our other measurements is the pedogenic formation of the opals at ambient temperature (18-21 °C) involving a slightly evaporated soil water fed by meteoric water with an isotopic composition lower than at present, during an Oligocene period likely warmer and wetter than today

Play-of-color opal from Wegel Tena, Wollo Province, Ethiopia

A new opal deposit was discovered in 2008 near the village of Wegel Tena, in volcanic rocks of Ethiopia's Wollo Province. Unlike previous Ethiopian opals, the new material is mostly white, with some brown opal, fire opal, and colorless "crystal" opal. Some of it resembles Australian and Brazilian sedimentary opals, with play-of-color that is often very vivid. However, its properties are consistent with those of opal-CT and most volcanic opals. Inclusions consist of pyrite, barium-manganese oxides, and native carbon Some samples show "digit patterns", interpenetrating play-of-color and common opal, resembling fingers. The opaque-to-translucent Wegel Tena opals become transparent when soaked in water, showing a remarkable hydrophane character. White opals from this deposit contain an elevated Ba content, which has not been reported so far in opal-CT. The fire and crystal opals are prone to breakage, while the white, opaque-to-translucent opals are remarkably durable. The proportion of gem-quality material in the Wegel Tena deposit seems unusually high, and 1,500 kg have already been extracted using rudimentary mining techniques. The deposit may extend over several kilometers and could become a major source of gem-quality opa

Geochemical and petrological characterization of gem opals from Wegel Tena, Wollo, Ethiopia: opal formation in an Oligocene soil

Gem opals from Wegel Tena, Wollo Province, Ethiopia, occur in Oligocene rhyolitic ignimbrites. They display a unique geochemistry, with some samples yielding the highest Ba concentrations ever recorded. They are generally much richer in chemical impurities than opals from other localities. For example, the sum Al+Fe or the sum Na+Mg+Ca+K+Ba are often higher. These geochemical features make them easy to distinguish from other opals worldwide. We observed strong geochemical variations and some good positive correlations in our samples, such as Al+Fe vs. Na+Mg+Ca+K+Ba, Al vs Ca, or Ba vs Ca. This shows that the crystallography of opal has controlled, at least in part, the incorporation of chemical impurities, although opal is not well-crystallized. In addition, the multimodal distributions of several chemical impurities (e.g. U vs Sr, Al vs Ca, Ba vs Ca, etc.) suggest at least two origins of silica: weathering of feldspars and weathering of volcanic glass. In addition, opals from Wegel Tena contain numerous well-preserved microscopic plant fossils. Moreover, their host rock exhibits features typical of pedogenesis (abundant clays, desiccation cracks, and grain size sorting). We propose that the opals at Wegel Tena formed during the Oligocene period when volcanic emissions stopped for a time long enough to allow weathering of ingimbrites and therefore liberation of silica. This accompanied the formation of soil and development of plant life, and some plants were trapped in opal

Trinepheline and fabriesite: two new mineral species from the jadeite deposit of Tawmaw (Myanmar)

International audienc

Geochemical and petrological characterization of gem opals from Wegel Tena, Wollo, Ethiopia: opal formation in an Oligocene soil

<p>Gem opals from Wegel Tena, Wollo Province, Ethiopia, occur in Oligocene rhyolitic ignimbrites. They display a unique geochemistry, with some samples yielding the highest Ba concentrations ever recorded. They are generally much richer in chemical impurities than opals from other localities. For example, the sum Al+Fe or the sum Na+Mg+Ca+K+Ba are often higher. These geochemical features make them easy to distinguish from other opals worldwide. We observed strong geochemical variations and some good positive correlations in our samples, such as Al+Fe vs. Na+Mg+Ca+K+Ba, Al vs Ca, or Ba vs Ca. This shows that the crystallography of opal has controlled, at least in part, the incorporation of chemical impurities, although opal is not well-crystallized. In addition, the multimodal distributions of several chemical impurities (e.g. U vs Sr, Al vs Ca, Ba vs Ca, etc.) suggest at least two origins of silica: weathering of feldspars and weathering of volcanic glass. In addition, opals from Wegel Tena contain numerous well-preserved microscopic plant fossils. Moreover, their host rock exhibits features typical of pedogenesis (abundant clays, desiccation cracks, and grain size sorting). We propose that the opals at Wegel Tena formed during the Oligocene period when volcanic emissions stopped for a time long enough to allow weathering of ingimbrites and therefore liberation of silica. This accompanied the formation of soil and development of plant life, and some plants were trapped in opal. </p