Late-Variscan multistage hydrothermal processes unveiled by chemical ages coupled with compositional and textural uraninite variations in W-Au deposits in the western Spanish Central System Batholith

The scheelite skarn from Los Santos and the W-Au veins from El Cabaco district, located in the Spanish Central System Batholith (SCSB), are some of the best-known tungsten ore deposits in Spain. Uraninite is an accessory mineral in both deposits, which underwent several hydrothermal flow events. Chemical and textural characteristics, as well as electron microprobe U-Th-Pb uraninite chemical data from the different stages of the skarn and the vein-type mineralizations, are presented here. Based on these data the uraninite was able to be classified into two groups. Group I uraninite has an octahedral habit and occurs as inclusions in K-feldspar relicts of the leucogranite related to Los Santos skarn formation. It shows high Th (6.95 to 8.51wt.% ThO2) and high Rare Earth Elements (REEs) contents (0.55 to 1.38wt.% ∑REE2O3). Group II uraninite occurs i) associated to El Cabaco granite, in a greenish selvage-style greisen and its reddish envelope and in the mineralized rimming quartz veins and ii) in Los Santos high-temperature endoskarn and anorthite skarn, where it is associated with U-rich mica. This uraninite type has lower Th and ∑REE2O3contents than Group-I uraninite. The mineral chemistry and the assemblage and textural relationships suggest that Group-I uraninite is magmatic and the attained U-Th-Pb chemical age of 300±4Ma is interpreted as the magmatic age of the skarn-forming aplite granites in the western part of the SCSB. Group-II uraninite includes two events: i) hydrothermal uraninite, which yields an age of 295±2Ma, dates a strong alkali mobilization and early tungsten deposition and ii) a later hydrothermal process, around 287±4Ma, that resulted in sulfides and late scheelite precipitation and widespread silicification. Finally, the gold deposition is younger than this silicification according to textural criteria. Therefore, W-Au deposits in the western part of the SCSB were formed by superposition of several processes that took place some 15Ma after the skarn-forming granite crystallized. Comparable W, W-Au and U deposits in the Variscan orogenic belt show a similar timing of hydrothermal events, suggesting that the hydrothermal history was controlled by large-scale Late-Variscan tectonic processes

Phase Decomposition upon Alteration of Radiation-Damaged Monazite-(Ce) from Moss, Ostfold, Norway

The internal textures of crystals of moderately radiation-damaged monazite-(Ce) from Moss, Norway, indicate heavy, secondary chemical alteration. In fact, the cm-sized specimens are no longer mono-mineral monazite but rather a composite consisting of monazite-(Ce) and apatite pervaded by several generations of fractures filled with sulphides and a phase rich in Th, Y, and Si. This composite is virtually a 'pseudomorph' after primary euhedral monazite crystals whose faces are still well preserved. The chemical alteration has resulted in major reworking and decomposition of the primary crystals, with potentially uncontrolled elemental changes, including extensive release of Th from the primary monazite and local redeposition of radionuclides in fracture fillings. This seems to question the general alteration-resistance of orthophosphate phases in a low-temperature, 'wet' environment, and hence their suitability as potential host ceramics for the long-term immobilisation of radioactive waste

Late-Variscan multistage hydrothermal processes unveiled by chemical ages coupled with compositional and textural uraninite variations in W-Au deposits in the western Spanish Central System Batholith

The scheelite skarn from Los Santos and the W-Au veins from El Cabaco district, located in the Spanish Central System Batholith (SCSB), are some of the best-known tungsten ore deposits in Spain. Uraninite is an accessory mineral in both deposits, which underwent several hydrothermal flow events. Chemical and textural characteristics, as well as electron microprobe U-Th-Pb uraninite chemical data from the different stages of the skarn and the vein-type mineralizations, are presented here. Based on these data the uraninite was able to be classified into two groups. Group I uraninite has an octahedral habit and occurs as inclusions in K-feldspar relicts of the leucogranite related to Los Santos skarn formation. It shows high Th (6.95 to 8.51wt.% ThO2) and high Rare Earth Elements (REEs) contents (0.55 to 1.38wt.% ∑REE2O3). Group II uraninite occurs i) associated to El Cabaco granite, in a greenish selvage-style greisen and its reddish envelope and in the mineralized rimming quartz veins and ii) in Los Santos high-temperature endoskarn and anorthite skarn, where it is associated with U-rich mica. This uraninite type has lower Th and ∑REE2O3contents than Group-I uraninite. The mineral chemistry and the assemblage and textural relationships suggest that Group-I uraninite is magmatic and the attained U-Th-Pb chemical age of 300±4Ma is interpreted as the magmatic age of the skarn-forming aplite granites in the western part of the SCSB. Group-II uraninite includes two events: i) hydrothermal uraninite, which yields an age of 295±2Ma, dates a strong alkali mobilization and early tungsten deposition and ii) a later hydrothermal process, around 287±4Ma, that resulted in sulfides and late scheelite precipitation and widespread silicification. Finally, the gold deposition is younger than this silicification according to textural criteria. Therefore, W-Au deposits in the western part of the SCSB were formed by superposition of several processes that took place some 15Ma after the skarn-forming granite crystallized. Comparable W, W-Au and U deposits in the Variscan orogenic belt show a similar timing of hydrothermal events, suggesting that the hydrothermal history was controlled by large-scale Late-Variscan tectonic processes

Selection of suitable reference genes for accurate normalization of gene expression profile studies in non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND: In real-time RT quantitative PCR (qPCR) the accuracy of normalized data is highly dependent on the reliability of the reference genes (RGs). Failure to use an appropriate control gene for normalization of qPCR data may result in biased gene expression profiles, as well as low precision, so that only gross changes in expression level are declared statistically significant or patterns of expression are erroneously characterized. Therefore, it is essential to determine whether potential RGs are appropriate for specific experimental purposes. Aim of this study was to identify and validate RGs for use in the differentiation of normal and tumor lung expression profiles. METHODS: A meta-analysis of lung cancer transcription profiles generated with the GeneChip technology was used to identify five putative RGs. Their consistency and that of seven commonly used RGs was tested by using Taqman probes on 18 paired normal-tumor lung snap-frozen specimens obtained from non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients during primary curative resection. RESULTS: The 12 RGs displayed showed a wide range of Ct values: except for rRNA18S (mean 9.8), the mean values of all the commercial RGs and ESD ranged from 19 to 26, whereas those of the microarray-selected RGs (BTF-3, YAP1, HIST1H2BC, RPL30) exceeded 26. RG expression stability within sample populations and under the experimental conditions (tumour versus normal lung specimens) was evaluated by: (1) descriptive statistic; (2) equivalence test; (3) GeNorm applet. All these approaches indicated that the most stable RGs were POLR2A, rRNA18S, YAP1 and ESD. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that POLR2A, rRNA18S, YAP1 and ESD are the most suitable RGs for gene expression profile studies in NSCLC. Furthermore, they highlight the limitations of commercial RGs and indicate that meta-data analysis of genome-wide transcription profiling studies may identify new RGs

Rates of retrograde metamorphism and their implications for the rheology of the crust: an experimental study

We have carried out experimental studies of the rate at which water is consumed by hydration reactions under mid-crustal conditions. Both pelitic and mafic assemblages are susceptible to extensive hydration in the laboratory on a time scale of weeks to months. Quantitative hydration rate determinations were made using enstatite–oligoclase ± diopside powder mixtures and a natural hypersthene hornfels. Under all conditions, the main hydration product was saponite clay with variable amounts of talc according to the initial proportion of enstatite to plagioclase. The experiments yield consistent rates for water consumption of around 10−8 g H2O per m2 of mineral surface per second at 400°C and 300 MPa (3 kbar). Additional experiments were run at 300°C and 500°C and at lower pressures (40 MPa), as well as with NaCl; rates appear to be faster at higher temperatures and in the presence of salt, but slower at low pressure. Comparison of powder and core experiments on the natural hornfels indicates that it is primarily the outer surface of the rock core that is available for hydration, with only minor infiltration along grain boundaries. The hydration rates reported here appear to be typical for the types of lithology that demonstrate moderate to high degrees of retrogression along joints and deformation zones in crystalline rocks of the upper crust. Assuming that the surface roughness and damage effects in a natural fault zone are comparable with those of the materials used here in the experiments, the measured hydration rates imply that a natural fracture in crystalline rocks of the middle crust that becomes filled with a water film 0·2 mm in thickness will dry out through incorporation of the water into hydrous phases on a time scale of the order of 10–100 years. This clearly implies that free water has only a short residence time in crystalline rocks of the middle crust or deeper, provided they have cooled below their original temperature of formation and therefore have the potential to undergo retrograde hydration. We infer that the strength of retrograde shear zones in the middle to lower crust will fluctuate through time, with episodes of water infiltration resulting in short periods of water weakening before the water is fully consumed and the rocks become stronger once more

Dopant segregations in oxide single-crystal fibers grown by the micro-pulling-down method

(Cr, Al)(2)O-3 (k(0) = 2), (Ga, Al)(2)O-3 (k(0) = 0.3), Gd-3(Cr, Ga)(5)O-12 (k(0) > 1), (Gd, Yb)(3)Ga5O12 (k(0) > 1) and (Yb, Y)(3)Al5O12 (k(0) > 1) fibers have been grown by the micro-pulling-down method. k(0) is the equilibrium distribution coefficient of the dopant with respect to the given host phase. The axial and radial dopant distribution was measured by electron probe microanalysis. The growth interface was frozen by pulling-down the fiber rapidly and quenching the molten zone. In the case of growth with a thin melt zone of about 30-70 mu m between growth front and crucible nozzle radial dopant distributions in form of a homogeneous core and a peripheral rim of different composition were found in all fibers. The growth interface has a bump into the crucible nozzle. For (Yb, Y)(3)Al5O12, Gd-3(Cr, Ga)(5)O-12, (Gd, Yb)(3)Ga5O12 and (Ga, Al)(2)O-3 mainly diffusional transport in the crucible nozzle was found. The dopant concentration is higher or lower at the rim than in the core for k(0) 1, respectively. This axial segregation corresponds to the bend interface. In the case of (Cr, Al)(2)O-3 convective transport inside the crucible nozzle was found. Also, different to the diffusive case, the Cr2O3 concentration in the rim is higher than in the core region although k(0) > 1. The growth with a higher melt zone of about 200 mu m has the same axial segregation behaviour but the radial segregation is strongly suppressed. The interface is spherical. The experiments show, that the radial and axial concentration profiles that are the result from the micro-pulling-down growth of solid solutions are influenced by the distribution coefficient, the geometry of the crucible, the height of the molten zone and melt properties. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Lattice strain across Na–K interdiffusion fronts in alkali feldspar: An electron back-scatter diffraction study

Cation exchange experiments between gem quality sanidine [Formula: see text] and KCl melt produced chemical alteration of alkali feldspar starting at the grain surface and propagating inwards by highly anisotropic Na–K interdiffusion on the alkali sublattice. Diffusion fronts developing in b-direction are very sharp, while diffusion fronts within the a–c-plane are comparatively broad. Due to the composition dependence of the lattice parameters of alkali feldspar, the diffusion induced compositional heterogeneity induces coherency stress and elastic strain. Electron back-scatter diffraction combined with the cross-correlation technique was employed to determine the lattice strain distribution across the Na–K interdiffusion fronts in partially exchanged single crystals of alkali feldspar. The strain changes gradually across the broad fronts within the a–c-plane, with a successive extension primarily in a-direction conferring to the composition strain in unstressed alkali feldspar. In contrast, lattice strain characterised by pronounced extension in b-direction is localised at the sharp diffusion fronts parallel to b, followed by a slight expansion in a-direction in the orthoclase-rich rim. This strain pattern does not confer with the composition induced lattice strain in a stress-free alkali feldspar. It may rather be explained by the mechanical coupling of the exchanged surface layer and the mechanically strong substratum. The lattice distortion localised at the sharp diffusion front may have an influence on the diffusion process and appears to produce a self-sharpening feedback, leading to a local reduction of component mobilities