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SDLRC - Scientific Articles all years by Author - Ro+
The Sheahan Diamond Literature Reference Compilation
The Sheahan Diamond Literature Reference Compilation is compiled by Patricia Sheahan who publishes on a monthly basis a list of new scientific articles related to diamonds as well as media coverage and corporate announcementscalled the Sheahan Diamond Literature Service that is distributed as a free pdf to a list of followers. Pat has kindly agreed to allow her work to be made available as an online digital resource at Kaiser Research Online so that a broader community interested in diamonds and related geology can benefit. The references are for personal use information purposes only; when available a link is provided to an online location where the full article can be accessed or purchased directly. Reproduction of this compilation in part or in whole without permission from the Sheahan Diamond Literature Service is strictly prohibited. Return to Diamond Resource Center
Sheahan Diamond Literature Reference Compilation - Scientific Articles by Author for all years
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Langer, K., Robarick, E., Sobolev, N.V., Shatsky, V.S.
Single crystal spectra of garnets from Diamondiferous high pressure metamorphic rocks from Kazakhstan -indications for OH-,H2O, and FeTi chargetransfer.
European Journal of Mineralogy, Vol. 5, No. 6, Nov-Dec pp. 1091-1100.
Abstract: The Tethys margin in central and eastern Asia is comprised of continental terranes separated by suture zones, some of which remain cryptic. Determining the crustal architecture, and therefore the geological history, of the Eastern Tethyan margin remains challenging. Sited in the heart of this region, Myanmar is a highly prospective but poorly explored minerals jurisdiction. A better understanding of Myanmar's mineralization can only be realized through a better understanding of its tectonic history, itself reflected in at least four major magmatic belts. The Eastern and the Main Range Provinces are associated with the Late Permian to Early Triassic closure of Palaeo-Tethys. The Mogok-Mandalay-Mergui Belt and Wuntho-Popa Arc are a response to the Eocene closure of Neo-Tethys. However, magmatic ages outside these two orogenic events are also recorded. We present new zircon U-Pb, Lu-Hf and O isotope data from magmatic rocks across Myanmar, which we append to the existing dataset to isotopically characterize Myanmar's magmatic belts. Eastern Province Permian I-type magmatism has evolved eHf (-10.9 to -6.4), whilst Main Range Province Triassic S-type magmatism also records evolved eHf (-13.5 to -8.8). The Mogok-Mandalay-Mergui Belt is here divided into the Tin Province and the Mogok Metamorphic Belt. The Tin Province hosts ca. 77-50 Ma magmatism with evolved eHf (-1.2 to -15.2), and d 18 O of 5.6-8.3‰. The Mogok Metamorphic Belt exhibits a more complex magmatic and metamorphic history, and granitoids record Jurassic, Late Cretaceous, and Eocene to Miocene phases of magmatism, all of which exhibit evolved eHf values between -4.6 and -17.6, and d 18 O between 6.3 and 9.2‰. From the Tagaung-Myitkyina Belt, we report a magmatic age of 172 Ma and eHf of 18.1 to 10.8. To accommodate the geological evidence, we propose a tectonic model for Myanmar involving a greater Sibumasu - where the documented zircon isotopic variations reflect compositional variations in magmatic source - and invoke the role of a Tengchong Block. The Baoshan Block and Greater Sibumasu were likely assembled on or before the Triassic, a former Andean margin and suture which may lie across the Northern Shan Plateau, and reflected in isotopic differences between the northern and southern parts of the Mogok Metamorphic Belt. This contiguous Sibumasu-Baoshan Block then sutured onto the Indochina margin in the Late Triassic. We propose that a Tengchong Block within Myanmar provides for a southerly termination of the Meso-Tethys suture immediately north of the Mogok area. A discrete Tengchong Block may explain a discontinuous arc of Late Triassic to Jurassic I-type magmatism in central Myanmar, representing an Andean-type margin sited above a subducting Meso-Tethys on the margin of Sibumasu. The Tengchong Block sutured onto Greater Sibumasu before the Late Cretaceous, after which subduction of Neo-Tethys drove the magmatism of the Wuntho-Popa Arc and ultimately that of the Tin Province. The metallogenic character of granite belts in Myanmar reflects the crustal architecture of the region, which is remarkable for its prolific endowment of granite-hosted Sn-W mineralization in two quite distinct granite belts related to sequential Indosinian and Himalayan orogenesis.
South African Journal of Geology, Vol. 124, 1, pp. 141-162. pdf
Mantle
tectonics
Abstract:
Space probes in our solar system have examined all bodies larger than about 400 km in diameter and shown that Earth is the only silicate planet with extant plate tectonics sensu stricto. Venus and Earth are about the same size at 12 000 km diameter, and close in density at 5 200 and 5 500 kg.m-3 respectively. Venus and Mars are stagnant lid planets; Mars may have had plate tectonics and Venus may have had alternating ca. 0.5 Ga periods of stagnant lid punctuated by short periods of plate turnover. In this paper, we contend that Earth has seen five, distinct, tectonic periods characterized by mainly different rock associations and patterns with rapid transitions between them; the Hadean to ca. 4.0 Ga, the Eo- and Palaeoarchaean to ca. 3.1 Ga, the Neoarchaean to ca. 2.5 Ga, the Proterozoic to ca. 0.8 Ga, and the Neoproterozoic and Phanerozoic. Plate tectonics sensu stricto, as we know it for present-day Earth, was operating during the Neoproterozoic and Phanerozoic, as witnessed by features such as obducted supra-subduction zone ophiolites, blueschists, jadeite, ruby, continental thin sediment sheets, continental shelf, edge, and rise assemblages, collisional sutures, and long strike-slip faults with large displacements. From rock associations and structures, nothing resembling plate tectonics operated prior to ca. 2.5 Ga. Archaean geology is almost wholly dissimilar from Proterozoic-Phanerozoic geology. Most of the Proterozoic operated in a plate tectonic milieu but, during the Archaean, Earth behaved in a non-plate tectonic way and was probably characterised by a stagnant lid with heat-loss by pluming and volcanism, together with diapiric inversion of tonalite-trondjemite-granodiorite (TTG) basement diapirs through sinking keels of greenstone supracrustals, and very minor mobilism. The Palaeoarchaean differed from the Neoarchaean in having a more blobby appearance whereas a crude linearity is typical of the Neoarchaean. The Hadean was probably a dry stagnant lid Earth with the bulk of its water delivered during the late heavy bombardment, when that thin mafic lithosphere was fragmented to sink into the asthenosphere and generate the copious TTG Ancient Grey Gneisses (AGG). During the Archaean, a stagnant unsegmented, lithospheric lid characterised Earth, although a case can be made for some form of mobilism with “block jostling”, rifting, compression and strike-slip faulting on a small scale. We conclude, following Burke and Dewey (1973), that there is no evidence for subduction on a global scale before about 2.5 Ga, although there is geochemical evidence for some form of local recycling of crustal material into the mantle during that period. After 2.5 Ga, linear/curvilinear deformation belts were developed, which “weld” cratons together and palaeomagnetism indicates that large, lateral, relative motions among continents had begun by at least 1.88 Ga. The “boring billion”, from about 1.8 to 0.8 Ga, was a period of two super-continents (Nuna, also known as Columbia, and Rodinia) characterised by substantial magmatism of intraplate type leading to the hypothesis that Earth had reverted to a single plate planet over this period; however, orogens with marginal accretionary tectonics and related magmatism and ore genesis indicate that plate tectonics was still taking place at and beyond the bounds of these supercontinents. The break-up of Rodinia heralded modern plate tectonics from about 0.8 Ga. Our conclusions are based, almost wholly, upon geological data sets, including petrology, ore geology and geochemistry, with minor input from modelling and theory.
Environmental and economic risk assessment/management in mine development
American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) Preprint, Annual Meeting held Phoenix Arizona Feb. 24-27th. 1992, Preprint No. 92-149, 9p
Global
Economics, Ore reserves, Legal, Environmental case study
Abstract: The breakup of Africa from South America is associated with the emplacement of the Paraná-Etendeka flood basalt province from around 134 Ma and the Tristan da Cunha plume. Yet many additional volcanic events occur that are younger than the main pulse of the Paraná-Etendeka and straddle the rift to drift phases of the main breakup. This contribution reports on new geochronological constraints from the Angolan part of the African Margin. Three coastal and one inland section have been sampled stretching across some 400 Km, with 39Ar/40Ar, U-Pb and Palaeontology used to provide age constraints. Ages from the new data range from ~100 to 81 Ma, with three main events (cr. 100, 91 and 82-81 Ma). Volcanic events are occurring within the Early to Late Cretaceous, along this part of the margin with a general younging towards Namibia. With the constraints of additional age information both onshore and offshore Angola, a clear younging trend at the early stages of rift to drift is recorded in the volcanic events that unzip from North to South. Similar age volcanic events are reported from the Brazilian side of the conjugate margin, and highlight the need to fully incorporate these relatively low volume volcanic pulses into the plate tectonic breakup models of the South Atlantic Margin.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 467, pp. 99-107.
Mantle
chlorine
Abstract: We report concentrations of Chlorine (Cl) in synthetic wadsleyite (Wd) and ringwoodite (Rw) in the system NaCl-(Mg,?Fe)2SiO4 under hydrous and anhydrous conditions. Multi-anvil press experiments were performed under pressures (14-22 GPa) and temperatures (1100-1400?°C) relevant to the transition zone (TZ: 410-670 km depth). Cl and H contents were measured using Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) and Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis (ERDA) respectively. Results show that Cl content in Rw and Wd is significantly higher than in other nominally anhydrous minerals from the upper mantle (olivine, pyroxene, garnet), with up to 490 ppm Cl in anhydrous Rw, and from 174 to 200 ppm Cl in hydrous Wd and up to 113 ppm Cl in hydrous Rw. These results put constrains on the Cl budget of the deep Earth. Based on these results, we propose that the TZ may be a major repository for major halogen elements in the mantle, where Cl may be concentrated together with H2OH2O and F (see Roberge et al., 2015). Assuming a continuous supply by subduction and a water-rich TZ, we use the concentrations measured in Wd (174 ppm Cl) and in Rw (106 ppm Cl) and we obtain a maximum value for the Cl budget for the bulk silicate Earth (BSE) of 15.1 × 1022 g Cl, equivalent to 37 ppm Cl. This value is larger than the 17 ppm Cl proposed previously by McDonough and Sun (1995) and evidences that the Cl content of the mantle may be higher than previously thought. Comparison of the present results with the budget calculated for F (Roberge et al., 2015) shows that while both elements abundances are probably underestimated for the bulk silicate Earth, their relative abundances are preserved. The BSE is too rich in F with respect to heavy halogen elements to be compatible with a primordial origin from chondrites CI-like (carbonaceous chondrites CC) material only. We thus propose a combination of two processes to explain these relative abundances: a primordial contribution of different chondritic-like materials, including EC-like (enstatite chondrites), possibly followed by a distinct fractionation of F during the Earth differentiation due to its lithophile behavior compared to Cl, Br and I.
De Wit, M., Bhebhe, Z., Davidson, J., Haggerty, S.E., Hundt, P., Jacob, J., Lynn, M., Marshall, T.R., Skinner, C., Smithson, K., Stiefenhofer, J., Robert, M., Revitt, A., Spaggiari, R., Ward, J.
Abstract: From the discovery of diamonds in South Africa in 1866 until the end of 2013, Africa is estimated to have produced almost 3.2 Bct out of a total global production of 5.03 Bct, or 63.6% of all diamonds that have ever been mined. In 2013 African countries ranked 2nd (Botswana), 3rd (DRC), 6th (Zimbabwe), 7th (Angola), 8th (South Africa), and 9th (Namibia), in terms of carat production and 1st (Botswana), 4th (Namibia), 5th (Angola), 6th (South Africa), 7th (Zimbabwe), and 9th (DRC), in terms of value of the diamonds produced. In 2013 Africa produced 70.6 Mct out of a global total of 130.5 Mct or 54.1%, which was valued at US$ 8.7 billion representing 61.5% of the global value of US$ 14.1 billion.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 496, 1, pp. 142-158.
Asia, Borneo
convection
Abstract: Most, but not all, geodynamic models predict 1-2 km of mantle convective draw-down of the Earth's surface in a region centered on Borneo within southeast Asia. Nevertheless, there is geomorphic, geologic and geophysical evidence which suggests that convective uplift might have played some role in sculpting Bornean physiography. For example, a long wavelength free-air gravity anomaly of +60 mGal centered on Borneo coincides with the distribution of Neogene basaltic magmatism and with the locus of sub-plate slow shear wave velocity anomalies. Global positioning system measurements, an estimate of elastic thickness, and crustal isostatic considerations suggest that regional shortening does not entirely account for kilometer-scale regional elevation. Here, we explore the possible evolution of the Bornean landscape by extracting and modeling an inventory of 90 longitudinal river profiles. Misfit between observed and calculated river profiles is minimized by smoothly varying uplift rate as a function of space and time. Erosional parameters are chosen by assuming that regional uplift post-dates Eocene deposition of marine carbonate rocks. The robustness of this calibration is tested against independent geologic observations such as thermochronometric measurements, offshore sedimentary flux calculations, and the history of volcanism. A calculated cumulative uplift history suggests that kilometer-scale Bornean topography grew rapidly during Neogene times. This suggestion is corroborated by an offshore Miocene transition from carbonate to clastic deposition. Co-location of regional uplift and slow shear wave velocity anomalies immediately beneath the lithospheric plate implies that regional uplift could have been at least partly generated and maintained by temperature anomalies within an asthenospheric channel.
New 207 Pb 206 Pb and 40 Ar 39 Ar ages from SW Montana: constraints on the Proterozoic and Archean tectonic and depositional history of the Wyoming Province.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 242, pp. 165-190.
United States, Arizona
peridotite
Abstract: Scientists have known for a long time that various types of rock conduct current differently and that these differences are even more pronounced as the temperatures and pressures increase farther beneath Earth’s surface. They also know that unusual changes in electrical conductivity can signal activity down below, like migrating magma or a release of trapped fluids. Thus, electrical measurements can uncover clues about the events that trigger earthquakes and volcanic eruptions here on the surface. They can also give clues to the mantle’s structure and dynamics. However, interpreting these signals is far from straightforward. Earth scientists increasingly use electrical observations made in the field to image Earth’s crust and mantle, in particular, at subduction zones and mid-ocean ridges. An effective means of interpreting these electrical images and placing them into context with other geological observations is key to translating raw data into usable knowledge. Such knowledge includes assessing potential hazards by investigating, for example, links between fluid release and earthquake generation or the production and transport of magmatic melt from its source region to an eventual eruption. SIGMELTS is a freely available app that helps to characterize electrically conductive or resistive features detected at depth using electromagnetic observations. The objective of this Web application is to facilitate the elaboration of models of the electrical properties of crust and mantle materials, which, in turn, is used to improve the interpretation of field electromagnetic observations. A new version of SIGMELTS is now available.
The 4th Colloquium on Diamonds - source to use held Gabarone March 1-3, 2010, 10p.
Africa, Botswana
Deposit - Jwaneng
Abstract: Debswana's Jwaneng Mine (south-central Botswana) is the richest diamond mine• in the world and has been contributing substantial revenue to Botswana since the mine started operating in 1982. The resource consists of 3 separate volcanic pipes/vents namely North, South and Centre pipes (2 additional small kimberlite bodies have also been intersected within the mining pit) which erupted through Transvaal strata and the overlying Karoo sediments - 245 million years ago. Although earlier drilling and geophysical surveys suggest that the 3 pipes extend to depths greater than 1 km below the surface, the resource is only at an indicated level of confidence to a depth of 400m, and mining activities will start exploiting the inferred resource material below 400m in 2014.
Journal of Metamorphic Geology, in press available
Mantle
Craton
Abstract: The Proterozoic belts that occur along the margins of the West Australian Craton, as well as those in intraplate settings, generally share similar geological histories that suggest a common plate-margin driver for orogeny. However, the thermal drivers for intraplate orogenesis are generally more poorly understood. The Mutherbukin Tectonic Event records a protracted period of Mesoproterozoic reworking of the Capricorn Orogen and offers significant insight into both the tectonic drivers and heat sources of long-lived intraplate orogens. Mineral assemblages and tectonic fabrics related to this event occur within a 50 km-wide fault-bound corridor in the central part of the Gascoyne Province in Western Australia. This zone preserves a crustal profile, with greenschist facies rocks in the north grading to upper amphibolite facies rocks in the south. The P- T-t evolution of 13 samples from 10 localities across the Mutherbukin Zone is investigated using phase equilibria modelling integrated with in situ U-Pb monazite and zircon geochronology. Garnet chemistry from selected samples is used to further refine the P-T history and shows that the dominant events recorded in this zone are prolonged D1 transpression between c. 1320 and 1270 Ma, followed by D2 transtension from c. 1210 to 1170 Ma. Peak metamorphic conditions in the mid-crust reached >650 °C and 4.4-7 kbar at c. 1210-1200 Ma. Most samples record a single clockwise P-T evolution during this event, although some samples might have experienced multiple perturbations. The heat source for metamorphism was primarily conductive heating of radiogenic mid- and upper crust, derived from earlier crustal differentiation events. This crust was thickened during D1 transpression, although the thermal effects persisted longer than the deformation event. Peak metamorphism was terminated by D2 transtension at c. 1210 Ma, with subsequent cooling driven by thinning of the radiogenic crust. The coincidence of a sedimentary basin acting as a thermal lid and a highly radiogenic mid-crustal batholith restricted to the Mutherbukin Zone accounts for reworking being confined to a discrete crustal corridor. Our results show that radiogenic regions in the shallow to mid crust can elevate the thermal gradient and localize deformation, causing the crust to be more responsive to far-field stresses. The Mutherbukin Tectonic Event in the Capricorn Orogen was synchronous with numerous Mesoproterozoic events around the West Australian Craton, suggesting that thick cratonic roots play an important role in propagating stresses generated at distant plate boundaries.
Journal of Metamorphic Geology, Vol. 35, 6, pp. 631-661.
Mantle
geothermometry
Abstract: The Proterozoic belts that occur along the margins of the West Australian Craton, as well as those in intraplate settings, generally share similar geological histories that suggest a common plate-margin driver for orogeny. However, the thermal drivers for intraplate orogenesis are more poorly understood. The Mutherbukin Tectonic Event records a protracted period of Mesoproterozoic reworking of the Capricorn Orogen and offers significant insight into both the tectonic drivers and heat sources of long-lived intraplate orogens. Mineral assemblages and tectonic fabrics related to this event occur within a 50 km-wide fault-bound corridor in the central part of the Gascoyne Province in Western Australia. This zone preserves a crustal profile, with greenschist facies rocks in the north grading to upper amphibolite facies rocks in the south. The P–T–t evolution of 13 samples from 10 localities across the Mutherbukin Zone is investigated using phase equilibria modelling integrated with in situ U–Pb monazite and zircon geochronology. Garnet chemistry from selected samples is used to further refine the P–T history and shows that the dominant events recorded in this zone are prolonged D1 transpression between c. 1,320 and 1,270 Ma, followed by D2 transtension from c. 1,210 to 1,170 Ma. Peak metamorphic conditions in the mid-crust reached >650°C and 4.4–7 kbar at c. 1,210–1,200 Ma. Most samples record a single clockwise P–T evolution during this event, although some samples might have experienced multiple perturbations. The heat source for metamorphism was primarily conductive heating of radiogenic mid- and upper crust, derived from earlier crustal differentiation events. This crust was thickened during D1 transpression, although the thermal effects persisted longer than the deformation event. Peak metamorphism was terminated by D2 transtension at c. 1,210 Ma, with subsequent cooling driven by thinning of the radiogenic crust. The coincidence of a sedimentary basin acting as a thermal lid and a highly radiogenic mid-crustal batholith restricted to the Mutherbukin Zone accounts for reworking being confined to a discrete crustal corridor. Our results show that radiogenic regions in the shallow to mid crust can elevate the thermal gradient and localize deformation, causing the crust to be more responsive to far-field stresses. The Mutherbukin Tectonic Event in the Capricorn Orogen was synchronous with numerous Mesoproterozoic events around the West Australian Craton, suggesting that thick cratonic roots play an important role in propagating stresses generated at distant plate boundaries.
Abstract: Geological mapping and zircon U-Pb/Hf isotope data from 35 samples from the central Tanzania Craton and surrounding orogenic belts to the south and east allow a revised model of Precambrian crustal evolution of this part of East Africa. The geochronology of two studied segments of the craton shows them to be essentially the same, suggesting that they form a contiguous crustal section dominated by granitoid plutons. The oldest orthogneisses are dated at ca. 2820 Ma (Dodoma Suite) and the youngest alkaline syenite plutons at ca. 2610 Ma (Singida Suite). Plutonism was interrupted by a period of deposition of volcano-sedimentary rocks metamorphosed to greenschist facies, directly dated by a pyroclastic metavolcanic rock which gave an age of ca. 2725 Ma. This is supported by detrital zircons from psammitic metasedimentary rocks, which indicate a maximum depositional age of ca. 2740 Ma, with additional detrital sources 2820 and 2940 Ma. Thus, 200 Ma of episodic magmatism in this part of the Tanzania Craton was punctuated by a period of uplift, exhumation, erosion and clastic sedimentation/volcanism, followed by burial and renewed granitic to syenitic magmatism. In eastern Tanzania (Handeni block), in the heart of the East African Orogen, all the dated orthogneisses and charnockites (apart from those of the overthrust Neoproterozoic granulite nappes), have Neoarchaean protolith ages within a narrow range between 2710 and 2630 Ma, identical to (but more restricted than) the ages of the Singida Suite. They show evidence of Ediacaran "Pan-African" isotopic disturbance, but this is poorly defined. In contrast, granulite samples from the Wami Complex nappe were dated at ca. 605 and ca. 675 Ma, coeval with previous dates of the "Eastern Granulites" of eastern Tanzania and granulite nappes of adjacent NE Mozambique. To the south of the Tanzania Craton, samples of orthogneiss from the northern part of the Lupa area were dated at ca. 2730 Ma and clearly belong to the Tanzania Craton. However, granitoid samples from the southern part of the Lupa "block" have Palaeoproterozoic (Ubendian) intrusive ages of ca. 1920 Ma. Outcrops further south, at the northern tip of Lake Malawi, mark the SE continuation of the Ubendian belt, albeit with slightly younger ages of igneous rocks (ca. 1870-1900 Ma) which provide a link with the Ponte Messuli Complex, along strike to the SE in northern Mozambique. In SW Tanzania, rocks from the Mgazini area gave Ubendian protolith ages of ca. 1980-1800 Ma, but these rocks underwent Late Mesoproterozoic high-grade metamorphism between 1015 and 1040 Ma. One granitoid gave a crystallisation age of ca. 1080 Ma correlating with known Mesoproterozoic crust to the east in SE Tanzania and NE Mozambique. However, while the crust in the Mgazini area was clearly one of original Ubendian age, reworked and intruded by granitoids at ca. 1 Ga, the crust of SE Tanzania is a mixed Mesoproterozoic terrane and a continuation from NE Mozambique. Hence the Mgazini area lies at the edge of the Ubendian belt which was re-worked during the Mesoproterozoic orogen (South Irumide belt), providing a further constraint on the distribution of ca. 1 Ga crust in SE Africa. Hf data from near-concordant analyses of detrital zircons from a sample from the Tanzania Craton lie along a Pb-loss trajectory (Lu/Hf = 0), extending back to ?3.9 Ga. This probably represents the initial depleted mantle extraction event of the cratonic core. Furthermore, the Hf data from all igneous samples, regardless of age, from the entire study area (including the Neoproterozoic granulite nappes) show a shallow evolution trend (Lu/Hf = 0.028) extending back to the same mantle extraction age. This implies the entire Tanzanian crust sampled in this study represents over 3.5 billion years of crustal reworking from a single crustal reservoir and that the innermost core of the Tanzanian Craton that was subsequently reworked was composed of a very depleted, mafic source with a very high Lu/Hf ratio. Our study helps to define the architecture of the Tanzanian Craton and its evolution from a single age-source in the early Eoarchaean.
Abstract: From the scant Hadean records of the Jack Hills to Cenozoic supervolcanoes, the continental crust provides a synoptic view deep into Earth history. However, the information is fragmented, as large volumes of continental crust have been recycled back into the mantle by a variety of processes. The preserved crustal record is the balance between the volume of crust generated by magmatic processes and the volume destroyed through return to the mantle by tectonic erosion and lower crustal delamination. At present-day, the Earth has reached near-equilibrium between the amount of crust being generated and that being returned to the mantle at subduction zones. However, multiple lines of evidence support secular change in crustal processes through time, including magma compositions, mantle temperatures, and metamorphic gradients. Though a variety of isotopic proxies are used to estimate crustal growth through time, none of those currently utilized are able to quantify the volumes of crust recycled back into the mantle. This implies the estimates of preserved continental crust and growth curves derived therefrom represent only a minimum of total crustal growth. We posit that from the Neoarchean, the probable onset of modern-day style plate tectonics (i.e. steep subduction), there has been no net crustal growth (and perhaps even a net loss) of the continental crust. Deciphering changes from this equilibrium state through geologic time remains a continual pursuit of crustal evolution studies.
Abstract: The Tethys margin in central and eastern Asia is comprised of continental terranes separated by suture zones, some of which remain cryptic. Determining the crustal architecture, and therefore the geological history, of the Eastern Tethyan margin remains challenging. Sited in the heart of this region, Myanmar is a highly prospective but poorly explored minerals jurisdiction. A better understanding of Myanmar's mineralization can only be realized through a better understanding of its tectonic history, itself reflected in at least four major magmatic belts. The Eastern and the Main Range Provinces are associated with the Late Permian to Early Triassic closure of Palaeo-Tethys. The Mogok-Mandalay-Mergui Belt and Wuntho-Popa Arc are a response to the Eocene closure of Neo-Tethys. However, magmatic ages outside these two orogenic events are also recorded. We present new zircon U-Pb, Lu-Hf and O isotope data from magmatic rocks across Myanmar, which we append to the existing dataset to isotopically characterize Myanmar's magmatic belts. Eastern Province Permian I-type magmatism has evolved eHf (-10.9 to -6.4), whilst Main Range Province Triassic S-type magmatism also records evolved eHf (-13.5 to -8.8). The Mogok-Mandalay-Mergui Belt is here divided into the Tin Province and the Mogok Metamorphic Belt. The Tin Province hosts ca. 77-50 Ma magmatism with evolved eHf (-1.2 to -15.2), and d 18 O of 5.6-8.3‰. The Mogok Metamorphic Belt exhibits a more complex magmatic and metamorphic history, and granitoids record Jurassic, Late Cretaceous, and Eocene to Miocene phases of magmatism, all of which exhibit evolved eHf values between -4.6 and -17.6, and d 18 O between 6.3 and 9.2‰. From the Tagaung-Myitkyina Belt, we report a magmatic age of 172 Ma and eHf of 18.1 to 10.8. To accommodate the geological evidence, we propose a tectonic model for Myanmar involving a greater Sibumasu - where the documented zircon isotopic variations reflect compositional variations in magmatic source - and invoke the role of a Tengchong Block. The Baoshan Block and Greater Sibumasu were likely assembled on or before the Triassic, a former Andean margin and suture which may lie across the Northern Shan Plateau, and reflected in isotopic differences between the northern and southern parts of the Mogok Metamorphic Belt. This contiguous Sibumasu-Baoshan Block then sutured onto the Indochina margin in the Late Triassic. We propose that a Tengchong Block within Myanmar provides for a southerly termination of the Meso-Tethys suture immediately north of the Mogok area. A discrete Tengchong Block may explain a discontinuous arc of Late Triassic to Jurassic I-type magmatism in central Myanmar, representing an Andean-type margin sited above a subducting Meso-Tethys on the margin of Sibumasu. The Tengchong Block sutured onto Greater Sibumasu before the Late Cretaceous, after which subduction of Neo-Tethys drove the magmatism of the Wuntho-Popa Arc and ultimately that of the Tin Province. The metallogenic character of granite belts in Myanmar reflects the crustal architecture of the region, which is remarkable for its prolific endowment of granite-hosted Sn-W mineralization in two quite distinct granite belts related to sequential Indosinian and Himalayan orogenesis.
Abstract: The evolution of Earth's biosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere is tied to the formation of continental crust and its subsequent movements on tectonic plates. The supercontinent cycle posits that the continental crust is periodically amalgamated into a single landmass, subsequently breaking up and dispersing into various continental fragments. Columbia is possibly the first true supercontinent, it amalgamated during the 2.0-1.7 Ga period, and collisional orogenesis resulting from its formation peaked at 1.95-1.85 Ga. Geological and palaeomagnetic evidence indicate that Columbia remained as a quasi-integral continental lid until at least 1.3 Ga. Numerous break-up attempts are evidenced by dyke swarms with a large temporal and spatial range; however, palaeomagnetic and geologic evidence suggest these attempts remained unsuccessful. Rather than dispersing into continental fragments, the Columbia supercontinent underwent only minor modifications to form the next supercontinent (Rodinia) at 1.1-0.9 Ga; these included the transformation of external accretionary belts into the internal Grenville and equivalent collisional belts. Although Columbia provides evidence for a form of ‘lid tectonics’, modern style plate tectonics occurred on its periphery in the form of accretionary orogens. The detrital zircon and preserved geological record are compatible with an increase in the volume of continental crust during Columbia's lifespan; this is a consequence of the continuous accretionary processes along its margins. The quiescence in plate tectonic movements during Columbia's lifespan is correlative with a long period of stability in Earth's atmospheric and oceanic chemistry. Increased variability starting at 1.3 Ga in the environmental record coincides with the transformation of Columbia to Rodinia; thus, the link between plate tectonics and environmental change is strengthened with this interpretation of supercontinent history.
Abstract: Many of the world's largest known REE deposits are associated with post-collisional alkaline-carbonatite magmatic complexes (e.g., the Minanning-Dechang belt, China). These systems are potassic to ultrapotassic in composition and contain LREE-dominated mineralisation associated with F and Ba-rich carbonatite breccias, carbonatite dykes and carbo-hydrothermal veins. They are typically emplaced through major shear zones during a period of 'relaxation' that postdates continental collision by up to 75 Ma. The subduction of sediment during continental collision is potentially a key control on the 'fertility' of the mantle source, and understanding the role of sediment is a crucial step towards better exploration models. However, the identification of sediment source components to alkaline systems has not been straightforward because their petrological complexity precludes traditional methods such as trace-element ratios and major-element modelling of crystal fractionation. We use a global database of Sr, Nd and Hf isotope compositions for alkaline and carbonatite systems, alongside geodynamic reconstructions to identify favourable source components for mineralisation and to provide direct information about the origin of the metals of interest. Subduction of shale and carbonate sequences is likely to introduce REE + HFSE and potentially mineralising ligands (F-, CO3 2-) into the mantle source for post-collisional alkaline systems; clastic sediments are poorer in these vital components. This research provides a framework through which the mineral exploration industry can identify tectonic environments that are predisposed to form REE mineralisation, providing regional-scale (100-1000 km) guidance especially for systems hidden beneath sedimentary cover.
Earth-Science Reviews, Vol. 211, doi.org/10.1016 /j.earscirev.2020 .103413 17p. Pdf
Global
cratons
Abstract: Long-lived (800?Ma) Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic accretionary orogens on the margins of Laurentia, Baltica, Amazonia, and Kalahari collided to form the core of the supercontinent, Rodinia. Accretionary orogens in Laurentia and Baltica record predominately radiogenic zircon ?Hf(t) and whole-rock Pb isotopic compositions, short crustal residence times (ca. 0.5?Ga), and the development of arc-backarc complexes. The accretionary orogenic record of Laurentia and Baltica is consistent with a retreating accretionary orogen and analogous to the Phanerozoic western Pacific orogenic system. In contrast, the Mesoproterozoic orogens of Amazon and Kalahari cratons record unradiogenic zircon ?Hf(t) values, ca. 0.8?Ga crustal residence times, and more ancient whole-rock Pb isotopic signatures. The accretionary orogenic record of Amazonia and Kalahari indicates the preferential incorporation of cratonic material in continental arcs of advancing accretionary orogens comparable to the Phanerozoic eastern Pacific orogenic system. Based on similarities in the geodynamic evolution of the Phanerozoic circum-Pacific orogens peripheral to Gondwana/Pangea, we suggest that the Mesoproterozoic accretionary orogens formed as peripheral subduction zones along the margin of the supercontinent Nuna (ca. 1.8-1.6?Ga). The eventual collapse of this peripheral subduction zone onto itself and closure of the external ocean around Nuna to form Rodinia is equivalent to the projected future collapse of the circum-Pacific subduction system and juxtaposition of Australia-Asia with South America. The juxtaposition of advancing and retreating accretionary orogens at the core of the supercontinent Rodinia demonstrates that supercontinent assembly can occur by the closure of external oceans and indicates that future closure of the Pacific Ocean is plausible.
Abstract: Volcanic eruptions often occur simultaneously1, 2, 3, 4 or tap multiple magma reservoirs5, 6. Such lateral interactions between magmatic systems are attributed to stress changes7, 8 or hydraulic connections4, 8, 9, 10 but the precise conditions under which coupled eruptions occur have yet to be quantified. Here we use interferometric synthetic aperture radar satellite data to analyse the surface deformation generated by volcanic unrest in the Kenyan Rift. We identify several magma sources located at depths of 2-5?km; importantly, sources that are spaced less than about 10?km apart interact, whereas those spaced more than about 25?km apart do not. However, volcanoes up to 25?km apart have interacted in the geologic past1, 11. Thus, volcanic coupling is not simply controlled by the distance between the magma reservoirs. We then consider different tectonic settings globally, including intraplate volcanoes such as Hawaii and Yellowstone, arc volcanism in Alaska and Chile, and other rift settings, such as New Zealand, Iceland and Afar. We find that the most closely spaced magmatic interactions are controlled by the extent of a shallow crystal mush layer, stress changes can couple large eruptions over distances of about 20-40?km, and only large dyke intrusions or subduction earthquakes could generate coupled eruptions over distances of about 50-100?km.
Pittari, A., Cas, R.A.F., Lefebvre, N., Robey, J., Kurszlaukis, S., Webb, K.
Eruption processes and facies architecture of the Orion Central kimberlite volcanic complex, Fort a la Corne: kimberlite mass flow deposits in a sedimentary basin.
Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, Vol. 174, 1-3, pp. 152-170.
The eminent eight. IKC and history of conference and the prominent delegates ( ones who initiated the idea and followed through attending all 10 conferences to date).
Abstract: Samples from three petrographically distinct, intrusive kimberlite bodies and associated kimberlite dykes from the eastern lobe of the Du Toitspan kimberlite pipe, Kimberley, South Africa, have been analysed for their bulk rock major and trace element compositions and their olivine and phlogopite compositions. The two dominant intrusive bodies (D13, D14) are distinguished by the one (D13) being phlogopite-rich and best classified as a macrocrystic hypabyssal phlogopite kimberlite, and the other (D14) being phlogopite-poor and best classified as a macrocrystic hypabyssal monticellite kimberlite. The minor D17 intrusive body is classified as a macrocrystic transitional hypabyssal serpentinized phlogopite kimberlite. The associated kimberlite dykes range texturally from aphanitic to macrocrystic and are classified as calcite kimberlites. The major kimberlite intrusions and their associated dykes show no evidence of crustal contamination and are characterised by broadly overlapping geochemistry except for distinctly higher K2O (> 2?wt%) and Al2O3 (>3?wt%) and flattening HREE patterns (Gd/YbN?=?6.5-7.0) in the D13 - phlogopite kimberlite compared to the D14 - monticellite kimberlite and the calcite kimberlite dykes (Gd/YbN?=?9.6-12.1). These distinguishing geochemical features of the D13 - phlogopite kimberlite are comparable to typical Group II kimberlites in southern Africa. However, their diagnostic incompatible trace element ratios (for example, Th/Nb, La/Nb, Ce/Pb, and Ba/Nb) are instead comparable to other kimberlite intrusions analysed in this study and to southern African Group I kimberlites in general. Semi-quantitative modelling suggests that these kimberlite intrusions could have derived by low (<1%) degrees of partial melting of a source region that is enriched in LREE (Lan?=?~6.1; Ybn?~?1.47) comparable to metasomatised peridotites from the underlying lithospheric mantle. The composition of the D13 phlogopite kimberlite is consistent with a partial melt of a modally metasomatised source containing a higher proportion of residual clinopyroxene relative to garnet (compared to that giving rise to the D14 monticellite kimberlite and calcite kimberlite dykes), as well as accessory amounts of phlogopite, i.e. a garnet phlogopite peridotite (GPP). The absence of K-anomalies on primitive mantle normalized diagrams for the D13 phlogopite kimberlite requires that phlogopite was not a residual phase during partial melting and was exhausted shortly before or at the moment of melt segregation. The higher Gd/Yb ratios and lower K2O in the D14 monticellite kimberlite and calcite kimberlite dykes can be explained by partial melting of a cryptically metasomatized, phlogopite - free, garnet peridotite (GP) source, containing a higher proportion of garnet relative to clinopyroxene. The low absolute K and strong negative K-anomaly on primitive mantle normalized diagrams for the D14 monticellite kimberlite were inherited from a source region that previously experienced cryptic metasomatism by a differentiated fluid already carrying a negative K-anomaly.
Scott Smith, B.H., Nowicki, T.E., Russell, J.K., Webb, K.J., Mitchell, R.H., Hetman, C.M., Harder, M., Skinner, E.M.W., Robey, Jv.A.
Kimberlite terminology and classification.
Proceedings of the 10th. International Kimberlite Conference, Vol. 2, Special Issue of the Journal of the Geological Society of India,, Vol. 2, pp. 1-17.
Abstract: There are two types of emerged relief on the Earth: high elevation areas (mountain belts and rift shoulders) in active tectonic settings and low elevation domains (anorogenic plateaus and plains) characteristic of the interior of the continents i.e. 70% of the Earth emerged relief. Both plateaus and plains are characterized by large erosional surfaces, called planation surfaces that display undulations with middle (several tens of kilometres) to very long (several thousands of kilometres) wavelengths, i.e. characteristic of lithospheric and mantle deformations respectively. Our objective is here (1) to present a new method of characterization of the very long and long wavelength deformations using planation surfaces with an application to Central Africa and (2) to reconstruct the growth of the very long wavelength relief since 40 Ma, as a record of past mantle dynamics below Central Africa. (i) The African relief results from two major types of planation surfaces, etchplains (weathering surfaces by laterites) and pediplains/pediments. These planation surfaces are stepped along plateaus with different elevations. This stepping of landforms records a local base level fall due to a local tectonic uplift. (ii) Central Africa is an extensive etchplain-type weathering surface - called the African Surface - from the uppermost Cretaceous (70 Ma) to the Middle Eocene (45 Ma) with a paroxysm around the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum. Restoration of this surface in Central Africa suggests very low-elevation planation surfaces adjusted to the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean with a divide located around the present-day eastern branch of the East African Rift. (iii) The present-day topography of Central Africa is younger than 40 -30 Ma and records very long wavelength deformations (1000 -2000 km) with (1) the growth of the Cameroon Dome and East African Dome since 34 Ma, (2) the Angola Mountains since 15 -12 Ma increasing up to Pleistocene times and (3) the uplift of the low-elevation (300 m) Congo Basin since 10 -3 Ma. Some long wavelength deformations (several 100 km) also occurred with (1) the low-elevation Central African Rise since 34 Ma and (2) the Atlantic Bulge since 20 -16 Ma. These very long wavelength deformations record mantle dynamics, with a sharp increase of mantle upwelling around 34 Ma and an increase of the wavelength of the deformation and then of mantle convection around 10 -3 Ma.
The geology and geochemistry of the Wadagera kimberlite and the characteristics of the underlying subcontinental lithospheric mantle, Dharwar Craton, India
10th. International Kimberlite Conference Feb. 6-11, Bangalore India, Abstract
Magnetite Serpentine Calcite Dykes at Premier Mine and Aspects of Their Relationship to Kimberlite and to Carbonatite Of Alkalic Carbonatite Complexes.
Physics and Chemistry of the Earth., Vol. 9, PP. 61-70.
Implementing cost effective on-site remediation technologies for mineral processing wastes
American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) Preprint, Annual Meeting held Phoenix Arizona Feb. 24-27th. 1992, Preprint No. 92-205, 16p
Butler, J.P., Jamieson, R.A., Steenkamp, H.M., Robinson, P.
Discovery of coesite eclogite from the Nordyane UHP domain, Western Gneiss region, Norway: field relations, metamorphic history and tectonic significance.
Journal of Metamorphic Geology, in press available
Abstract: Diamonds have been discovered in mantle peridotites and chromitites of six ophiolitic massifs along the 1300 km?long Yarlung?Zangbo suture (Bai et al., 1993; Yang et al., 2014; Xu et al., 2015), and in the Dongqiao and Dingqing mantle peridotites of the Bangong?Nujiang suture in the eastern Tethyan zone (Robinson et al., 2004; Xiong et al., 2018). Recently, in?situ diamond, coesite and other UHP mineral have also been reported in the Nidar ophiolite of the western Yarlung?Zangbo suture (Das et al., 2015, 2017). The above?mentioned diamond?bearing ophiolites represent remnants of the eastern Mesozoic Tethyan oceanic lithosphere. New publications show that diamonds also occur in chromitites in the Pozanti?Karsanti ophiolite of Turkey, and in the Mirdita ophiolite of Albania in the western Tethyan zone (Lian et al., 2017; Xiong et al., 2017; Wu et al., 2018). Similar diamonds and associated minerals have also reported from Paleozoic ophiolitic chromitites of Central Asian Orogenic Belt of China and the Ray?Iz ophiolite in the Polar Urals, Russia (Yang et al., 2015a, b; Tian et al., 2015; Huang et al, 2015). Importantly, in?situ diamonds have been recovered in chromitites of both the Luobusa ophiolite in Tbet and the Ray?Iz ophiolite in Russia (Yang et al., 2014, 2015a). The extensive occurrences of such ultra?high pressure (UHP) minerals in many ophiolites suggest formation by similar geological events in different oceans and orogenic belts of different ages. Compared to diamonds from kimberlites and UHP metamorphic belts, micro?diamonds from ophiolites present a new occurrence of diamond that requires significantly different physical and chemical conditions of formation in Earth's mantle. The forms of chromite and qingsongites (BN) indicate that ophiolitic chromitite may form at depths of >150?380 km or even deeper in the mantle (Yang et al., 2007; Dobrthinetskaya et al., 2009). The very light C isotope composition (?13C ?18 to ?28‰) of these ophiolitic diamonds and their Mn?bearing mineral inclusions, as well as coesite and clinopyroxene lamallae in chromite grains all indicate recycling of ancient continental or oceanic crustal materials into the deep mantle (>300 km) or down to the mantle transition zone via subduction (Yang et al., 2014, 2015a; Robinson et al., 2015; Moe et al., 2018). These new observations and new data strongly suggest that micro?diamonds and their host podiform chromitite may have formed near the transition zone in the deep mantle, and that they were then transported upward into shallow mantle depths by convection processes. The in?situ occurrence of micro?diamonds has been well?demonstrated by different groups of international researchers, along with other UHP minerals in podiform chromitites and ophiolitic peridotites clearly indicate their deep mantle origin and effectively address questions of possible contamination during sample processing and analytical work. The widespread occurrence of ophiolite?hosted diamonds and associated UHP mineral groups suggests that they may be a common feature of in?situ oceanic mantle. The fundamental scientific question to address here is how and where these micro?diamonds and UHP minerals first crystallized, how they were incorporated into ophiolitic chromitites and peridotites and how they were preserved during transport to the surface. Thus, diamonds and UHP minerals in ophiolites have raised new scientific problems and opened a new window for geologists to study recycling from crust to deep mantle and back to the surface.
Petrology of ODP LED 125: mantle peridotites And related rocks from serpentine diapiric seamounts in the IZU-Ogasawara-Mariana forearc
Geological Association of Canada (GAC)/Mineralogical Association of Canada (MAC) Vancouver 90 Program with Abstracts, Held May 16-18, Vol. 15, p. A63. Abstract
Diamond -bearing peridotites from Tibetan ophiolites: implications for a subduction related origin of diamonds
Mid-continent diamonds Geological Association of Canada (GAC)-Mineralogical Association of Canada (MAC) Symposium ABSTRACT volume, held Edmonton May, pp. 77-84
Abstract: In recent years we have confirmed the existence of ophiolite-hosted diamonds on Earth, which occur in mantle peridotites and podiform chromitites of many ophiolites. These diamonds differ significantly from most kimberlite varieties, particularly in their inclusions. The typical inclusions in the diamonds are Mn-rich phases, i.e., NiMnCo alloy, native Mn, MnO, galaxite, Mn olivine and Mn garnet. Ca-silicate perovskite, a typical lower mantle mineral, was identified as mineral inclusions in diamond. One occurs as a 60-nanometer, euhedral grain associated with NiMnCo alloy and graphite, while another one occurs as a 50-nanometer grain within a large inclusion containing both NiMnCo alloy and Nd-Se-Cu-S phase. By EDS the perovskite has Ca 48.3%, Si 37.7% and Mn 14.1% with oxygen. TEM diffraction data show that the inclusion has d-spacings and angles between adjacent lattice planes are consistent to the Ca-silicate perovskite with an orthorhombic structure. The only known source of such light carbon is organic material in surface sediments and the best known sources of abundant manganese are Fe-Mn-rich sediments and Mn nodules, both of which are common on the seafloor. Many parts of the modern seafloor are also covered by sediments with a continental provenance. Phases such as SiO2 and Al2O3 are not expected in mantle peridotites and must have been introduced from shallow levels. We propose that subduction of oceanic lithosphere carries C, Mn, Si, Al and REE to the transition zone or lower mantle where the material is mixed with highly reduced material, perhaps derived from greater depths. Crystallization of diamond from a C-rich fluid encapsulates the observed inclusions. The diamonds and associated minerals are incorporated into chromite grains during chromite crystallization at depth of mantle transition zone, and are carried to shallower levels by mantle convection. Accumulation of chromite grains produces podiform chromitites containing a range of exotic minerals. However, the presence of diamonds and other UHP minerals in ophiolitic peridotites indicates that such phases can persist far outside their normal stability fields.
Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Vol. 47, 7, p. 163. abstract
Europe, Turkey
Moissanite
Abstract: The Aladag ophiolite in the eastern Tauride belt, southern Turkey, is a well-preserved remnant of oceanic lithosphere. It consists of, in ascending order, harzburgitic to dunitic tectonites, ultramafic and mafic cumulates, isotropic gabbros, sheeted dikes and basaltic pillow lavas. Podiform chromitites are common in the mantle peridotites. Thus far, more than 200 grains of microdiamond and more than 100 grains of moissanite (SiC) have been separated from one sample of podiform chromitite. The microdiamonds occur mostly as subhedral to euhedral, colorless to pale yellow grains, about 50-300 ?m in size. Moissanite grains are generally subhedral, light blue to deep blue in color and variable in size. These grains of diamond and moissanite are very similar to in-situ grains in podiform chromitites of Tibet and the Polar Urals of Russia (Yang et al., 2014; 2015), indicating that they are natural minerals, not the result of natural or anthropogenic contamination. As reported elsewhere, the diamonds and moissanite are accompanied by a range of other minerals, including rutile, zircon, quartz and sulfides. The discovery of diamond, moissanite and other unusual minerals in the podiform chromitites of the Aladag massif provide additional evidence for the widespread occurrence of these minerals in ophiolites, indicating that they are related to global mantle processes.
Abstract: Various combinations of diamond, moissanite, zircon, quartz, corundum, rutile, titanite, almandine garnet, kyanite, and andalusite have been recovered from the Dangqiong peridotites. More than 80 grains of diamond have been recovered, most of which are pale yellow to reddish-orange to colorless. The grains are all 100-200 µm in size and mostly anhedral, but with a range of morphologies including elongated, octahedral and subhedral varieties. Their identification was confirmed by a characteristic shift in the Raman spectra between 1325 cm?1 and 1333 cm?1, mostly at 1331.51 cm?1 or 1326.96 cm?1. Integration of the mineralogical, petrological and geochemical data for the Dongqiong peridotites suggests a multi-stage formation for this body and similar ophiolites in the Yarlung-Zangbo suture zone. Chromian spinel grains and perhaps small bodies of chromitite crystallized at various depths in the upper mantle, and encapsulated the UHP, highly reduced and crustal minerals. Some oceanic crustal slabs containing the chromian spinel and their inclusion were later trapped in suprasubduction zones (SSZ), where they were modified by island arc tholeiitic and boninitic magmas, thus changing the chromian spinel compositions and depositing chromitite ores in melt channels.
Abstract: Various combinations of diamond, moissanite, zircon, corundum, rutile and titanitehave been recovered from the Bulqiza chromitites. More than 10 grains of diamond have been recovered, most of which are pale yellow to reddish–orange to colorless. The grains are all 100–300 ?m in size and mostly anhedral, but with a range of morphologies including elongated, octahedral and subhedral varieties. Their identification was confirmed by a characteristic shift in the Raman spectra between 1325 cm?1 and 1333 cm?1, mostly at 1331.51 cm?1 or 1326.96 cm?1. This investigation extends the occurrence of diamond and moissanite to the Bulqiza chromitites in the Eastern Mirdita Ophiolite. Integration of the mineralogical, petrological and geochemical data of the Bulqiza chromitites suggests their multi–stage formation. Magnesiochromite grains and perhaps small bodies of chromitite formed at various depths in the upper mantle, and encapsulated the ultra–high pressure, highly reduced and crustal minerals. Some oceanic crustal slabs containing the magnesiochromite and their inclusion were later trapped in suprasubduction zones, where they were modified by tholeiitic and boninitic arc magmas, thus changing the magnesiochromite compositions and depositing chromitite ores in melt channels.
Acta Geologica Sinica, Vol. 91, s1, p. 32 abstract
China
diamond inclusions
Abstract: The Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) is a huge tectonic mélange that lies between the North China Craton and the Siberian Block. It is composed of multiple orogenic belts, continental fragments, magmatic and metamorphic rocks, suture zones and discontinuous ophiolite belts. Although the Hegenshan and Sartohay ophiolites are separated by nearly 3000 km and lie in completely different parts of the CAOB, they are remarkably similar in many respects. Both are composed mainly of serpentinized peridotite and dunite, with minor gabbro and sparse basalt. They both host significant podiform chromitites that consist of high-Al, refractory magnesiochromite with Cr#s [100Cr/(Cr+Al)] averaging >60. The Sartohay ophiolite has a zircon U-Pb age of ca. 300 Ma and has been intruded by granitic plutons of similar age, resulting in intense hydrothermal activity and the formation of gold-bearing listwanites. The age of the Hegenshan is not firmly established but is thought to have formed in the Carboniferous. Like many other ophiolites that we have investigated in other orogenic belts, the chromitites in these two bodies have abundant diamonds, as well as numerous super-reduced and crustal minerals. The diamonds are mostly, colorless to pale yellow, 200-300 ?m across and have euhedral to anhedral shapes. They all have low carbon isotopes (?14C = ?18 to ?29) and some have visible inclusions. These are accompanied by numerous super-reduced minerals such as moissanite, native elements (Fe, Cr, Si, Al, Mn), and alloys (e.g., Ni-Mn-Fe, Ni-Fe-Al, Ni-Mn-Co, Cr-Ni-Fe, Cr-Fe, Cr-Fe-Mn), as well as a wide range of oxides, sulfides and silicates. Grains of zircon are abundant in the chromitites of both ophiolites and range in age from Precambrian to Cretaceous, reflecting both incorporation of old zircons and modification of grains by hydrothermal alteration. Our investigation confirms that high-Al, refractory chromitites in these two ophiolites have the same range of exotic minerals as high-Cr metallurgical chromitites such as those in the Luobusa ophiolite of Tibet. These collections of exotic minerals in ophiolitic chromitites indicate complex, multi-stage recycling of oceanic and continental crustal material at least to the mantle transition zone, followed by uprise and emplacement of the peridotites into relatively shallow ophiolites.
Abstract: The Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) is a huge tectonic mélange that lies between the North China Craton and the Siberian Block. It is composed of multiple orogenic belts, continental fragments, magmatic and metamorphic rocks, suture zones and discontinuous ophiolite belts. Although the Hegenshan and Sartohay ophiolites are separated by nearly 3000 km and lie in completely different parts of the CAOB, they are remarkably similar in many respects. Both are composed mainly of serpentinized peridotite and dunite, with minor gabbro and sparse basalt. They both host significant podiform chromitites that consist of high-Al, refractory magnesiochromite with Cr#s [100Cr/(Cr+Al)] averaging >60. The Sartohay ophiolite has a zircon U-Pb age of ca. 300 Ma and has been intruded by granitic plutons of similar age, resulting in intense hydrothermal activity and the formation of gold-bearing listwanites. The age of the Hegenshan is not firmly established but is thought to have formed in the Carboniferous.Like many other ophiolites that we have investigated in other orogenic belts, the chromitites in these two bodies have abundant diamonds, as well as numerous super-reduced and crustal minerals. The diamonds are mostly, colorless to pale yellow, 200-300 ?m across and have euhedral to anhedral shapes. They all have low carbon isotopes (?14C = ?18 to ?29) and some have visible inclusions. These are accompanied by numerous super-reduced minerals such as moissanite, native elements (Fe, Cr, Si, Al, Mn), and alloys (e.g., Ni-Mn-Fe, Ni-Fe-Al, Ni-Mn-Co, Cr-Ni-Fe, Cr-Fe, Cr-Fe-Mn), as well as a wide range of oxides, sulfides and silicates. Grains of zircon are abundant in the chromitites of both ophiolites and range in age from Precambrian to Cretaceous, reflecting both incorporation of old zircons and modification of grains by hydrothermal alteration. Our investigation confirms that high-Al, refractory chromitites in these two ophiolites have the same range of exotic minerals as high-Cr metallurgical chromitites such as those in the Luobusa ophiolite of Tibet. These collections of exotic minerals in ophiolitic chromitites indicate complex, multi-stage recycling of oceanic and continental crustal material at least to the mantle transition zone, followed by uprise and emplacement of the peridotites into relatively shallow ophiolites.
Abstract: We document in this study the geological occurrence of diamonds and other ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) minerals in ophiolitic mantle peridotites and podiform chromitites from different orogenic belts. These minerals exist in both high-Cr and high-Al chromitites. Most ophiolite-hosted diamonds are small (? 200-500 ?m across), and some contain distinctive inclusions (i.e., coesite, Ni-Mn-Co alloys, spessartite, tephroite). All of the analyzed diamonds have extremely light carbon isotope compositions (?13C = -28.7 to -18.3‰) and variable trace element contents that distinguish them from most kimberlitic and UHP metamorphic varieties. A wide range of highly reduced minerals, such as native elements, Ni-Mn-Co alloys, Fe-Si and Fe-C phases and moissanite (SiC) also occuras accompanying mineral separates confirming the super-reducing conditions of their environment of formation. The presence of exsolution lamellae of diopside and coesite in some chromite grains suggests chromite crystallization depths around >380 km, near the mantle transition zone. Carbon and other recycled crustal materials at these depths are likely to have been derived from previously subducted material. The peridotites encapsulating the podiform chromitites and diamonds were transported to shallow mantle by convection cells beneath oceanic spreading centers. The chromitites may have formed in the deep mantle or in shallow suprasubduction zone environments. Our observations suggest that diamonds, UHP minerals and recycled crustal material are likely to be ubiquitous in the oceanic mantle.
International Symposium on Deep Earth Exploration and Practices, Beijing Oct. 24-26. 1 p. abstract
China
diamond genesis
Abstract: Diamonds have been discovered in mantle peridotites and chromitites of six ophiolitic massifs along the 1300 km?long Yarlung?Zangbo suture (Bai et al., 1993; Yang et al., 2014; Xu et al., 2015), and in the Dongqiao and Dingqing mantle peridotites of the Bangong?Nujiang suture in the eastern Tethyan zone (Robinson et al., 2004; Xiong et al., 2018). Recently, in?situ diamond, coesite and other UHP mineral have also been reported in the Nidar ophiolite of the western Yarlung?Zangbo suture (Das et al., 2015, 2017). The above?mentioned diamond?bearing ophiolites represent remnants of the eastern Mesozoic Tethyan oceanic lithosphere. New publications show that diamonds also occur in chromitites in the Pozanti?Karsanti ophiolite of Turkey, and in the Mirdita ophiolite of Albania in the western Tethyan zone (Lian et al., 2017; Xiong et al., 2017; Wu et al., 2018). Similar diamonds and associated minerals have also reported from Paleozoic ophiolitic chromitites of Central Asian Orogenic Belt of China and the Ray?Iz ophiolite in the Polar Urals, Russia (Yang et al., 2015a, b; Tian et al., 2015; Huang et al, 2015). Importantly, in?situ diamonds have been recovered in chromitites of both the Luobusa ophiolite in Tbet and the Ray?Iz ophiolite in Russia (Yang et al., 2014, 2015a). The extensive occurrences of such ultra?high pressure (UHP) minerals in many ophiolites suggest formation by similar geological events in different oceans and orogenic belts of different ages. Compared to diamonds from kimberlites and UHP metamorphic belts, micro?diamonds from ophiolites present a new occurrence of diamond that requires significantly different physical and chemical conditions of formation in Earth's mantle. The forms of chromite and qingsongites (BN) indicate that ophiolitic chromitite may form at depths of >150?380 km or even deeper in the mantle (Yang et al., 2007; Dobrthinetskaya et al., 2009). The very light C isotope composition (?13C ?18 to ?28‰) of these ophiolitic diamonds and their Mn?bearing mineral inclusions, as well as coesite and clinopyroxene lamallae in chromite grains all indicate recycling of ancient continental or oceanic crustal materials into the deep mantle (>300 km) or down to the mantle transition zone via subduction (Yang et al., 2014, 2015a; Robinson et al., 2015; Moe et al., 2018). These new observations and new data strongly suggest that micro?diamonds and their host podiform chromitite may have formed near the transition zone in the deep mantle, and that they were then transported upward into shallow mantle depths by convection processes. The in?situ occurrence of micro?diamonds has been well?demonstrated by different groups of international researchers, along with other UHP minerals in podiform chromitites and ophiolitic peridotites clearly indicate their deep mantle origin and effectively address questions of possible contamination during sample processing and analytical work. The widespread occurrence of ophiolite?hosted diamonds and associated UHP mineral groups suggests that they may be a common feature of in?situ oceanic mantle. The fundamental scientific question to address here is how and where these micro?diamonds and UHP minerals first crystallized, how they were incorporated into ophiolitic chromitites and peridotites and how they were preserved during transport to the surface. Thus, diamonds and UHP minerals in ophiolites have raised new scientific problems and opened a new window for geologists to study recycling from crust to deep mantle and back to the surface.
Abstract: Farré?de?Pablo et al. (2018) report a new occurrence of in situ microdiamonds enclosed in chromite from ophiolitic chromitite pods hosted in the Tehuitzingo serpentinite of southern Mexico. The discovery enlarges the number of occurrence of the ophiolite?hosted microdiamonds to 7 countries in the world, including India (Das, 2015, 2017), Albania (Xiong et al., 2017; Wu et al., 2017), Turkey (Lian et al., 2017), Myanmar (Chen et al., 2018), Russia (Yang et al., 2015), and China (Bai et al., 1993; Xu et al., 2009). The microdiamonds occur in ophiolitic podiform chromitites and peridotites, and are generally interpreted as UHP phases formed at pressures > 4 GPa (Yang et al., 2014; Griffin et al., 2016; Das et al., 2017). However, Farré?de?Pablo et al. (2018) conclude that the Tehuitzingo diamonds were formed under low?temperature and low?pressure conditions during serpentinization, which challenges the current knowledge of diamond formation. Here, we discuss several lines of evidence that do not support the authors' conclusion.
Abstract: The tectonic setting of northeastern Angola was influenced by the opening of the South Atlantic Ocean, which reactivated deep NE-SW-trending faults during the early Cretaceous. The new interpretation of a kimberlitic pulse during the middle of the Aptian and the Albian, which provides precise data on the age of a significant diamond-bearing kimberlite pulse in Angola, will be an important guide in future diamond exploration. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the petrogenetic evolution of the kimberlites in northeastern Angola and have important implications for diamond exploration. Six kimberlite pipes within the Lucapa structure in northeastern Angola have been investigated using major and trace element geochemistry of mantle xenoliths, macro- and megacrysts. Geothermobarometric calculations were carried out using xenoliths and well-calibrated single crystals of clinopyroxene. Geochronological and isotopic studies were also performed where there were samples available of sufficient quality. Results indicate that the underlying mantle experienced variable conditions of equilibration among the six sites. Subsequent metasomatic enrichment events also support a hypothesis of different sources for these kimberlites. The U/Th values suggest at least two different sources of zircon crystals from the Catoca suite. These different populations may reflect different sources of kimberlitic magma, with some of the grains produced in U- and Th-enriched metasomatized mantle units, an idea consistent with the two populations of zircon identified on the basis of their trace element compositions. This research shows the absence of fresh Mg-rich ilmenite in the Catoca kimberlite (one of the largest bodies of kimberlite in the world), as well as the occurrence of Fe3+-rich ilmenite, do not exclude the presence of diamond in the kimberlite. This is a new insight into the concept of ilmenite and diamond exploration and leads to the conclusion that compositional attributes must be evaluated in light of textural attributes.
Abstract: In this study, we compare the major- and trace-element compositions of olivine, garnet, and clinopyroxene that occur as single crystals (142 grains), with those derived from xenoliths (51 samples) from six kimberlites in the Lucapa area, northeastern Angola: Tchiuzo, Anomaly 116, Catoca, Alto Cuilo-4, Alto Cuilo-63 and Cucumbi-79. The samples were analyzed using electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The results suggest different paragenetic associations for these kimberlites in the Lucapa area. Compositional overlap in some of the macrocryst and mantle xenolith samples indicates a xenocrystic origin for some of those macrocrysts. The presence of mantle xenocrysts suggests the possibility of finding diamond. Geothermobarometric calculations were carried out using EPMA data from xenoliths by applying the program PTEXL.XLT. Additional well calibrated single-clinopyroxene thermobarometric calculations were also applied. Results indicate the underlying mantle experienced different equilibration conditions. Subsequent metasomatic enrichment events also support a hypothesis of different sources for the kimberlites. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the petrogenetic evolution of the kimberlites in northeastern Angola and have important implications for diamond exploration.
deposits - Tchiuzo, Anomaly 116, Catoca, Alt Cuilo-4, Cuilo-63, Cucumbi-79.
Abstract: In this study, we compare the major- and trace-element compositions of olivine, garnet, and clinopyroxene that occur as single crystals (142 grains), with those derived from xenoliths (51 samples) from six kimberlites in the Lucapa area, northeastern Angola: Tchiuzo, Anomaly 116, Catoca, Alto Cuilo-4, Alto Cuilo-63 and Cucumbi-79. The samples were analyzed using electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The results suggest different paragenetic associations for these kimberlites in the Lucapa area. Compositional overlap in some of the macrocryst and mantle xenolith samples indicates a xenocrystic origin for some of those macrocrysts. The presence of mantle xenocrysts suggests the possibility of finding diamond. Geothermobarometric calculations were carried out using EPMA data from xenoliths by applying the program PTEXL.XLT. Additional well calibrated single-clinopyroxene thermobarometric calculations were also applied. Results indicate the underlying mantle experienced different equilibration conditions. Subsequent metasomatic enrichment events also support a hypothesis of different sources for the kimberlites. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the petrogenetic evolution of the kimberlites in northeastern Angola and have important implications for diamond exploration.
Abstract: We present new major element geochemical data, and review the existing data for ilmenite macrocrysts, megacrysts, as well as ilmenite in mantle xenoliths from four diamondiferous kimberlite fields in the Yakutian province. This combined data set includes 10,874 analyses of ilmenite from 94 kimberlite pipes. In the studied samples we identify various different ilmenite compositional distributions (e.g., “Haggerty's parabola”, or “Step-like” trends in MgO-Cr2O3 bivariate space), which are common to all kimberlites from a given cluster, but the compositional distributions differ between clusters. We propose three stages of ilmenite crystallization: 1) Mg-Cr poor ilmenite crystallising from a primitive asthenospheric melt (the base of Haggerty's parabola on MgO-Cr2O3 plots). 2) This primitive asthenospheric melt was then modified by the partial assimilation of lithospheric material, which enriched the melt in MgO and Cr2O3 (left branch of Haggerty’s parabola). 3) Ilmenite subsequently underwent sub-solidus recrystallization in the presence of an evolved kimberlite melt under increasing oxygen fugacity (ƒO2) conditions (right branch of Haggerty’s parabola in MgO-Cr2O3 plots). Significant differences in the ilmenite compositional distribution between different kimberlite fields are the result of diverse conditions during subsequent ilmenite crystallization in a kimberlite melt ascending through the lithospheric mantle, which have different textures and compositions beneath the studied kimberlite fields. We propose that a TiO2 fluid formed due to immiscibility of an asthenospheric melt with low Cr and high Ti contents. This fluid infiltrated lithospheric mantle rocks forming Mg-ilmenite. These features indicate a genetic link between ilmenite and the host kimberlite melt.
Journal of South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Vol. 116, Feb. pp. 189-201.
Canada, Northwest Territories
Deposit - Fox, Ekati
Abstract: Multiple-point simulation (MPS) methods have been developed over the last decade as a means of reproducing complex geological patterns while generating stochastic simulations. Some geological spatial configurations are complex, such as the spatial geometries and patterns of diamond-bearing kimberlite pipes and their internal facies controlling diamond quality and distribution. Two MPS methods were tested for modelling the geology of a diamond pipe located at the Ekati mine, NT, Canada. These are the single normal equation simulation algorithm SNESIM, which captures different patterns from a training image (TI), and the filter simulation algorithm FILTERSIM, which classifies the patterns founded on the TI. Both methods were tested in the stochastic simulation of a four-category geology model: crater, diatreme, xenoliths, and host rock. Soft information about the location of host rock was also used. The validation of the simulation results shows a reasonable reproduction of the geometry and data proportions for all geological units considered; the validation of spatial statistics, however, shows that although simulated realizations from both methods reasonably reproduce the fourth-order spatial statistics of the TI, they do not reproduce well the same spatial statistics of the available data (when this differs from the TI). An interesting observation is that SNESIM better imitated the shape of the pipe, while FILTERSIM yielded a better reproduction of the xenolith bodies.
Boletin del Museo Nacional de Historia Narural del Paraguay, Vol. 20, 2, pp. 205-213. pdf available in * Port
South America, Paraguay
Impact Crater
Abstract: We report here the discovery and study of several new modeled large impact craters in Eastern Paraguay, South America. They were studied by geophysical information (gravimetry, magnetism), field geology and also by microscopic petrography. Clear evidences of shock metamorphic effects were found (e.g., diaplectic glasses, PF, PDF in quartz and feldspar) at 4 of the modeled craters: 1) Negla: diameter:~80-81 km., 2) Yasuka Renda D:~96 km., 3) Tapyta, D: ~80 km. and 4) San Miguel, D: 130-136 km. 5) Curuguaty, D: ~110 km. was detected and studied only by geophysical information. Target-rocks range goes from the crystalline Archaic basement to Permian sediments. The modeled craters were in some cases cut by tholeiitic/alkaline rocks of Mesozoic age and partially covered by lavas of the basaltic Mesozoic flows (Negla, Yasuka Renda, Tapyta and Curuguaty). One of them was covered in part by sediments of Grupo Caacupé (age: Silurian/Devonian). Some of these modeled craters show gold, diamonds, uranium and REE mineral deposits associated. All new modeled large impact craters are partially to markedly eroded.
Abstract: In 1992 Rampino noticed a large, almost circular negative gravity anomaly (~30 mGal) on the Falkland Plateau to the WNW of Malvinas Islands/Falklnad Islands using satellite data then available, and speculated that it might be associated with a large (~250 km wide?) buried impact structure. In some more recent compilations Rocca & Presser (2015) and Rocca et al. (2017) was attended the Malvinas Islands/Falklnad Islands “buried impact structure” with particular care; but also these works was harshly criticized. The present text, which is an advance to demonstrate the certain possibilities that this Malvinas Islands/Falklnad Islands It could really be a very probable mega impact structure, gathers shows and evaluates the existing and available indirect information; like gravimetry (Isostasy, Free-air and Bouguer); seismic reflection (Geco Prakla); and, even commenting aspects of its magnetic behavior and its local geology. In all gravimetric analyses from the Malvinas Islands/Falklnad Islands “buried impact structure” it can be shown that an annulus of positive gravity anomaly surrounding a circular oval depression of negative (isostasy and Free-air)/much lower (Bouguer) values gravity anomaly. The most relevant gravimetric information would be the near circular to oval Bouguer gravity low anomaly (with a minimum value of ~150 mGal) surrounded by at least circular ~255 kilometers wide circular ring of positive gravity anomaly (maximum ~225 mGal); a very high values of Bouguer anomaly that are highly compatible with what is expected to be found in mega impact structures. The Malvinas probable impact structure shows almost 100 mGal superior to the volcanic complex of Iceland; so it seems obvious that Malvinas probable impact structure moves away from a speculation by mega-paleo-volcano origin. When gravimetrically modeled, a probable peak ring of ~255 km is evidenced; as well as, the inferred the ~550 km probable rim-crest; configuration that reproduces an almost perfect and symmetrical modeling of a very probable giant impact structure with its clear visible the very probable elements: rim crest-annulus basin-peak ring-central basin-peak ring-annulus basin-rim crest. Four Geco Prakla seismic reflection lines on the area located to the SW of the potential peak ring show a vertical and disturbed crystalline basement (the “peak ring”); in three of them, the “central basin” what would it be filled with sediments after impact (probable ejecta). Using the empirical formula of Assumpção et al. (2013) calculation for crustal thickness could be found very clearly strong CT distortion along Malvinas very probable giant impact structure: around 3400-4000 meters; as is to be expected in terrestrial mega impact structure. Harness the EMAG2v3 a global Earth Magnetic Anomaly Grid compiled from satellite (Meyer et al., 2017) for the Malvinas very probable giant impact structure a well superior anomaly was found and better definition than observed, using the same information, to the one characterized by the impact crater Chicxulub. The geological map of the Falkland Islands Government that was placed on top of the modeling isostasy gravimetric map where the approximate circumference of the very probable peak-ring and the very probable rim-crest is highlighted. This information allows to see that the largest island (West Malvinas) would be part of the very probable peak-ring and the smaller island (East Malvinas) would be part of the very probable rim-crest; both separated by the depression that would correspond to the very probable annulus basin. Based on what was analyzed in the Malvinas Islands area, we concluded the Malvinas exhibited geophysics traits of a large ancient asteroid impact; i.e. Malvinas very probable giant impact structure. Very probable impact structure what could be among one of the world's largest impact crater.
Pyroclastic Flow Journal of Geology, Vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 1-14. pdf.
Antarctica
impact structure
Abstract: In 1992 Rampino noticed a large, almost circular negative gravity anomaly (~30 mGal) on the Falkland Plateau to the WNW of Malvinas Islands/Falkland Islands using satellite data then available, and speculated that it might be associated with a large (~250 km wide?) buried impact structure. In some more recent compilations Rocca & Presser (2015) and Rocca et al. (2017) was attended the Malvinas Islands/Falkland Islands “buried impact structure” with particular care; but also these works was harshly criticized. The present text, which is an advance to demonstrate the certain possibilities that this Malvinas Islands/Falklnad Islands It could really be a very probable mega impact structure, gathers shows and evaluates the existing and available indirect information; like gravimetry (Isostasy, Free-air and Bouguer); seismic reflection (Geco Prakla); and, even commenting aspects of its magnetic behavior and its local geology. In all gravimetric analyses from the Malvinas Islands/Falklnad Islands “buried impact structure” it can be shown that an annulus of positive gravity anomaly surrounding a circular oval depression of negative (isostasy and Free-air)/much lower (Bouguer) values gravity anomaly. The most relevant gravimetric information would be the near circular to oval Bouguer gravity low anomaly (with a minimum value of ~150 mGal) surrounded by at least circular ~255 kilometers wide circular ring of positive gravity anomaly (maximum ~225 mGal); a very high values of Bouguer anomaly that are highly compatible with what is expected to be found in mega impact structures. The Malvinas probable impact structure shows almost 100 mGal superior to the volcanic complex of Iceland; so it seems obvious that Malvinas probable impact structure moves away from a speculation by mega-paleo-volcano origin. When gravimetrically modeled, a probable peak ring of ~255 km is evidenced; as well as, the inferred the ~550 km probable rim-crest; configuration that reproduces an almost perfect and symmetrical modeling of a very probable giant impact structure with its clear visible the very probable elements: rim crest-annulus basin-peak ring-central basin-peak ring-annulus basin-rim crest. Four Geco Prakla seismic reflection lines on the area located to the SW of the potential peak ring show a vertical and disturbed crystalline basement (the “peak ring”); in three of them, the “central basin” what would it be filled with sediments after impact (probable ejecta). Using the empirical formula of Assumpção et al. (2013) calculation for crustal thickness could be found very clearly strong CT distortion along Malvinas very probable giant impact structure: around 3400-4000 meters; as is to be expected in terrestrial mega impact structure. Harness the EMAG2v3 a global Earth Magnetic Anomaly Grid compiled from satellite (Meyer et al., 2017) for the Malvinas very probable giant impact structure a well superior anomaly was found and better definition than observed, using the same information, to the one characterized by the impact crater Chicxulub. The geological map of the Falkland Islands Government that was placed ontop of the modeling isostasy gravimetric map where the approximate circumference of the very probable peak-ring and the very probable rim-crest is highlighted. This information allows to see that the largest island (West Malvinas) would be part of the very probable peak-ring and the smaller island (East Malvinas) would be part of the very probable rim-crest; both separated by the depression that would correspond to the very probable annulus basin. Based on what was analyzed in the Malvinas Islands area, we concluded the Malvinas exhibited geophysics traits of a large ancient asteroid impact; i.e. Malvinas very probable giant impact structure. Very probable impact structure what could be among one of the world's largest impact crater.
Abstract: The petrographic study of two samples (quartzite and impactite) of Cerro León, a mountain range located in the middle of very probable impact basins (Cerro Leon-1, 2, 3 and 4-department of Alto Paraguay, Western-Paraguay) indicated evidences of impact metamorphism: PDFs (Not decorated and decorated) and diaplectic glass. Associated with diaplectic glass, impact diamonds or diamond/lonsdaleite crystals (micro and small macros) were observed with a range of morphologies including isolated and mostly agglutinated crystal varieties. Impact diamonds estimated to have formed by carbonate impact metamorphism present in the sedimentary target-rock of the Silurian/Devonian age. The identification of elements that reveal the impact metamorphism, in the analyzed samples of the Cerro León, evidences that the area of occurrence that would have been indicated as Very Probable Impact Basin, would be more of an Impact Basin.
Abstract: Mantle xenoliths hosted in Cenozoic alkaline rocks of northern Madagascar (Massif d'Ambre and Bobaomby volcanic fields) are spinel lherzolites, harzburgites and rare websterites. Petrography, electron microprobe, LA-ICP-MS and thermal ionization mass spectrometry techniques allowed to recognize domains characterized by variable degree of partial melting and extent of re-enrichment processes: 1) refractory spinel-to-spinel + plagioclase-lherzolites, with clinopyroxenes having marked LREE (Light Rare Earth Elements) depletion ((La/Yb)N ~ 0.2) and very high 143Nd/144Nd (0.513594), which represent a limited and shallow portion of old mantle that suffered low degree partial melting (2–3%) and was later accreted to the lithosphere. These lherzolites acted as a low-porosity region, being, in places, percolated by small volumes of melts shortly before eruption; 2) lherzolites and harzburgites that suffered variable degrees of partial melt extraction (up to 15%), assisted and/or followed by pervasive, porous flow infiltration of alkaline melts in a relatively large porosity region, leading to the creation of a wide area rich in secondary mineral phases (i.e. olivine, clinopyroxene and pargasitic amphibole), enriched in incompatible elements (e.g., LaN/YbN in clinopyroxene up to 15) and having radiogenic Sr and unradiogenic Nd; 3) websterites and wehrlite-bearing samples that record differentiation processes of alkaline melts highly enriched in Th, U and LREE, not yet documented in the erupted volcanics of northern Madagascar. The mantle xenoliths of northern Madagascar show a regional decrease of the equilibration temperature from to SW (up to 1180 °C, Nosy Be Archipelago) to the NE (up to 900 °C, Bobaomby district). A significant lithologic and geochemical variation of the shallow lithospheric mantle beneath northern Madagascar is noted, in contrast with the relatively uniform geochemical and isotopic composition of the host alkali basalt and basanite lavas.
Journal of African Earth Sciences, Vol. 174, 104059, 17p. Pdf
Africa, Madagascar
melilitites
Abstract: The olivine melilitites from the southern part of the 6.8 Ma-old Takarindiona volcanic field (Eastern Madagascar) are olivine ± chromite -phyric lavas, with zoned titanaugite, perovskite, melilite, nepheline, monticellite, Ba-Ti-mica and Fe-Ti oxides as microphenocrysts and groundmass phases. The rocks are very primitive, rich in incompatible trace elements (e.g., Ba = 1049 ± 153 ppm, Sr = 1050 ± 167 ppm, Nb = 98 ± 13 ppm; La/Ybn = 41 ± 5; La/Nb = 0.88 ± 0.05), and have restricted ranges of initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.70391-0.70410) and 143Nd/144Nd (0.51272-0.51282). The rocks follow a differentiation trend controlled by ab. 20% removal/addition of phenocryst olivine ± chromite. The olivine melilititic magmas are the product of small degrees of partial melting (1-3%) of a peridotitic source, enriched in highly incompatible trace elements by CO2-, F-, and H2O-rich melts, located within the garnet stability field (3-3.5 GPa and ~100 km depth) of sub-continental lithospheric mantle, where carbonates (dolomite) and possibly phlogopite were stable phases. Mantle xenoliths within the volcanics are mostly spinel harzburgites having mineral modes and chemical compositions suggesting variable degrees of "basalt" melt extraction. Based on textural and chemical evidence, and quantitative thermobarometric estimates, the xenoliths were incorporated at a pressure of ~1.1 GPa (~35-40 km depth), far shallower than the source of the melilititic magmas, and along a predictably cool geotherm beneath Archean continental lithosphere. Highly resorbed orthopyroxene xenocrysts mantled by augite indicate that the melilitites may have also entrained lower crustal materials or underplated subalkaline rocks. The mantle sources of the lavas and mantle xenoliths of the Takarindiona district indicate stratification of the lithospheric mantle, and help constraining the lithospheric features and the magmatic history of the Eastern Madagascar craton.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol. 125, e2019JB017884.
Mantle, South America
subduction
Abstract: Nazca subduction beneath South America is one of our best modern examples of long?lived ocean?continent subduction on the planet, serving as a foundation for our understanding of subduction processes. Within that framework, persistent heterogeneities at a range of scales in both the South America and Nazca plates is difficult to reconcile without detailed knowledge of the subducted Nazca slab structure. Here we use teleseismic travel time residuals from >1,000 broadband and short?period seismic stations across South America in a single tomographic inversion to produce the highest?resolution contiguous P wave tomography model of the subducting slab and surrounding mantle beneath South America to date. Our model reveals a continuous trench?parallel fast seismic velocity anomaly across the majority of South America that is consistent with the subducting Nazca slab. The imaged anomaly indicates a number of robust features of the subducted slab, including variable slab dip, extensive lower mantle penetration, slab stagnation in the lower mantle, and variable slab amplitude, that are incorporated into a new, comprehensive model of the geometry of the Nazca slab surface to ~1,100 km depth. Lower mantle slab penetration along the entire margin suggests that lower mantle slab anchoring is insufficient to explain along strike upper plate variability while slab stagnation in the lower mantle indicates that the 1,000 km discontinuity is dominant beneath South America.
Abstract: We present major and trace element compositions of mineral concentrates comprising garnet xenocrysts, ilmenite, phlogopite, spinel, zircon, and uncommon minerals (titanite, calzirtite, anatase, baddeleyite and pyrochlore) of a newly discovered Late Cretaceous kimberlite (U-Pb zircon age 90.0 ± 1.3 Ma; 2?) named Osvaldo França 1, located in the Alto Paranaíba Igneous Province (APIP), southeastern Brazil. Pyrope grains are lherzolitic (Lherz-1, Lherz-2 and Lherz-3), harzburgitic (Harz-3) and wehrlitic (Wehr-2). The pyrope xenocrysts cover a wide mantle column in the subcratonic lithosphere (66-143 km; 20-43 kbar) at relatively low temperatures (811-875 °C). The shallowest part of this mantle is represented by Lherz-1 pyropes (20-32 kbar), which have low-Cr (Cr2O3 = 1.74-6.89 wt.%) and fractionated middle to heavy rare earth elements (MREE-HREE) pattern. The deepest samples are represented by Lherz-2, Lherz-3, Harz-3, and Wehr-2 pyropes (36-43 kbar). They contain high-Cr contents (Cr2O3 = 7.36-11.19 wt.%) and are characterized by sinusoidal (Lherz-2 and Wehr-2) and spoon-like (Lherz-3 and Harz-3) REE patterns. According to their REE and trace elements, pyrope xenocrysts have enriched nature (e.g., Ce and Yb vs. Cr2O3), indicating that the cratonic lithosphere has been affected by a silicate melt with subalkaline/tholeiite composition due to their low Zr, Ti and Y concentrations. Besides minerals with typical kimberlitic signatures, such as ilmenite and zircon, the exotic compositions of phlogopite and ulvöspinel suggest an enriched component in the magma source. The formation of rare mineral phases with strong enrichment of light-REE (LREE) and high field strength elements (HFSE) is attributed to the late-stage kimberlitic melt. We propose a tectonic model where a thermal anomaly, represented by the low-velocity seismic anomaly observed in P-wave seismic tomography images, supplied heat to activate the alkaline magmatism from a metasomatized cratonic mantle source during the late-stages of Gondwana fragmentation and consequent South Atlantic Ocean opening. The metasomatism recorded by mineral phases is a product of long-lived recycling of subducted oceanic plates since the Neoproterozoic (Brasiliano Orogeny) or even older collisional events, contributing to the exotic character of the Osvaldo França 1 kimberlite, as well as to the cratonic lithospheric mantle.
Abstract: Oceanic lithospheric mantle is generally interpreted as depleted mantle residue after mid-ocean ridge basalt extraction. Several models have suggested that metasomatic processes can refertilize portions of the lithospheric mantle before subduction. Here, we report mantle xenocrysts and xenoliths in petit-spot lavas that provide direct evidence that the lower oceanic lithosphere is affected by metasomatic processes. We find a chemical similarity between clinopyroxene observed in petit-spot mantle xenoliths and clinopyroxene from melt-metasomatized garnet or spinel peridotites, which are sampled by kimberlites and intracontinental basalts respectively. We suggest that extensional stresses in oceanic lithosphere, such as plate bending in front of subduction zones, allow low-degree melts from the seismic low-velocity zone to percolate, interact and weaken the oceanic lithospheric mantle. Thus, metasomatism is not limited to mantle upwelling zones such as mid-ocean ridges or mantle plumes, but could be initiated by tectonic processes. Since plate flexure is a global mechanism in subduction zones, a significant portion of oceanic lithospheric mantle is likely to be metasomatized. Recycling of metasomatic domains into the convecting mantle is fundamental to understanding the generation of small-scale mantle isotopic and volatile heterogeneities sampled by oceanic island and mid-ocean ridge basalts.
Abstract: The rifted continental margins of Mozambique provide excellent examples of continental passive margins with a significant structural variability associated with magmatism and inheritance. Despite accumulated knowledge, the tectonic structure and nature of the crust beneath the South Mozambique Coastal Plain (SMCP) are still poorly known. This study interprets high-resolution seismic reflection data paired with data from industry-drilled wells and proposes a structural model of the Limpopo transform margin in a magma-rich context. Results indicate that the Limpopo transform margin is characterized by an ocean-continent transition that links the Beira-High and Natal valley margin segments and represents the western limit of the continental crust, separating continental volcano-sedimentary infilled grabens from the oceanic crust domain. These basins result from the emplacement of the Karoo Supergroup during a Permo-Triassic tectonic event, followed by an Early Jurassic tectonic and magmatic event. This latter led to the establishment of steady-state seafloor spreading at ca.156 Ma along the SMCP. A Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous event corresponds to formation of the Limpopo transform fault zone. Which accommodated the SSE-ward displacement of Antarctica with respect to Africa. We define a new type of margin: the magma-rich transform margin, characterized by the presence of voluminous magmatic extrusion and intrusion coincident with the formation and evolution of the transform margin. The Limpopo transform fault zone consists of several syn-transfer and -transform faults rather than a single transform fault. The intense magmatic activity was associated primarily with mantle dynamics, which controlled the large-scale differential subsidence along the transform margin.
Watremez, L., Leroy, S., d'Acremont, E., Roche, V., Evain, M., Lepretre, A., Verrier, F., Aslanian, D., Dias, N., Afilhado, A., Schnurle, P., Castilla, R., Despinois, F., Moulin, M.
Abstract: A variety of structures results from the interplay of evolving far-field forces, plate kinematics, and magmatic activity during continental break-up. The east Limpopo transform margin, offshore northern Mozambique, formed as Africa and Antarctica separated during the mid-Jurassic period break-up of the Gondwana supercontinent. The nature of the crust onshore has been discussed for decades in an effort to resolve issues with plate kinematic models. Two seismic refraction profiles with coincident multichannel seismic reflection profiles allow us to interpret the seismic velocity structures across the margin, both onshore and offshore. These seismic profiles allow us to (a) delineate the major regional crustal domains; (b) identify widespread indications of magmatic activity; and (c) map crustal structure and geometry of this magma-rich transform margin. Careful examination of the profiles allows us to make the following observations and interpretations: (a) on land, continental crust is overlain by a >10-km thick volcano-sedimentary wedge related to an early rifting stage, (b) offshore, thick oceanic crust formed due to intense magmatic activity, and between the two (c) a 50-60-km wide transform zone where the crustal structures are affected by intense magmatic activity and faulting. The prominent presence of intrusive and extrusive igneous units may be attributed to the combination of a deep-seated melting anomaly and a trans-tensional fault zone running through thinned lithosphere that allowed melt to reach the surface. A comparison of the crustal thinning along other transform margins shows a probable dependence with the thermal and/or tectonic history of the lithosphere.
Abstract: Geoscientists have long been trying to answer the complicated questions of how and why Earth’s continents formed. New research suggests a solution that surprised even the investigators themselves.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, doi.org:10.1007/ s00410-018-1499-5 19p.
Europe, Turkey
diamond inclusions
Abstract: The Pozanti-Karsanti ophiolite (PKO) is one of the largest oceanic remnants in the Tauride belt, Turkey. Micro-diamonds were recovered from the podiform chromitites, and these diamonds were investigated based on morphology, color, cathodoluminescence, nitrogen content, carbon and nitrogen isotopes, internal structure and inclusions. The diamonds recovered from the PKO are mainly mixed-habit diamonds with sectors of different brightness under the cathodoluminescence images. The total ?13C range of the PKO diamonds varies between ? 18.8 and ? 28.4‰, with a principle ?13C mode at ? 25‰. Nitrogen contents of the diamonds range from 7 to 541 ppm with a mean value of 171 ppm, and the ?15N values range from ? 19.1 to 16.6‰, with a ?15N mode of ? 9‰. Stacking faults and partial dislocations are commonly observed in the Transmission Electron Microscopy foils whereas inclusions are rather rare. Combinations of ( Ca0.81Mn0.19)SiO3, NiMnCo-alloy and nanosized, quenched fluid phases were observed as inclusions in the PKO diamonds. We believe that the 13C-depleted carbon signature of the PKO diamonds derived from previously subducted crustal matter. These diamonds may have crystallized from C-saturated fluids in the asthenospheric mantle at depth below 250 km which were subsequently carried rapidly upward by asthenospheric melts.
Abstract: Coupled oxygen-hafnium isotope and trace element geochemical data were obtained using thirty eight previously dated zircon grains extracted from five mafic to intermediate crustal xenoliths of the Wyoming Craton (Montana, USA). Xenoliths include mid to lower crustal (642-817?°C and 3.5-9.4?kbar) mafic granulites and amphibolites with dominantly Mesoproterozoic (1772-1874?Ma) and minor Paleoproterozoic to Late Archean (2004-2534?Ma) 207Pb/206Pb zircon ages. Zircon oxygen isotope data indicate derivation from melts in equilibrium with a mantle source that interacted with limited supracrustal material (?18O?=?4.4-5.7‰), as well as the incorporation of supracrustal fluids or melts into mantle source regions (?18O?=?6.0-8.1‰). The small within-sample isotopic variability suggests that primary zircon did not exchange with isotopically distinct fluids or melts after initial formation. Initial zircon Hf isotopic values are highly variable across all xenoliths (?Hf?=?+3.7 to ?17.6), consistent with protolith derivation from mantle sources that incorporated evolved, unradiogenic material or were modified by subduction-related fluids. Within a single granulite xenolith, two zircon types are recognized based on CL imagery, Hf isotopes and U-Pb ages (Type I and Type II). Type I magmatic zircons show dispersed ages (ca. 1700-2534?Ma) and unradiogenic initial Hf (?Hf?=??17.6 to ?1.5, 176Hf/177Hf?=?0.281074-0.281232). The spread in ages and initial ?Hf, but narrow range in initial 176Hf/177Hf, points to variable Pb loss in response to dissolution-recrystallization of pre-existing zircon. Type II metamorphic zircon yields a younger Proterozoic population (ca. 1700-2155?Ma) with more radiogenic initial Hf relative to Type I zircon (?Hf?=??7.9 to +1.4, 176Hf/177Hf?=?0.281427-0.281578); this type represents newly grown metamorphic zircon that formed in the solid-state and incorporated Zr and Hf from pre-existing zircon and silicate matrix/metamorphic phases. REE patterns from all xenoliths are steep and positively sloping without discernible HREE depletion relative to LREE, implying zircon crystallization/recrystallization in the absence of garnet. Negative Eu anomalies signify simultaneous zircon and feldspar crystallization. Solid-state recrystallization may have lead to variations in LREE, Eu and Ce in certain xenoliths. Xenoliths containing magmatic zircon (1834?±?19?Ma) with mantle-like ?18O (4.4-5.5‰) and radiogenic initial ?Hf (?2.3 to +3.7) likely formed through crystallization of melts derived from a mantle source that incorporated minor amounts of subducted sedimentary/supracrustal material. Proterozoic (1874?±?8?Ma) xenoliths with elevated ?18O (6.0-7.0‰) and unradiogenic initial ?Hf (?8.2 to ?9.6) within magmatic zircon represent melt products of subduction-induced melting and metasomatism of the overlying mantle wedge in the vicinity of the northern GFTZ. Older (ca. 2534?Ma) xenoliths containing zircons with elevated ?18O (6.4-7.2‰) and unradiogenic ?Hf (up to ?17.6) represent crystallization of protolith magmas extracted from a mantle source metasomatized by subduction-derived fluids and melts in the Late Archean or earlier. Zircon geochronology and isotope systematics within Mesoproterozoic xenoliths support a model of ocean-closure and subsequent continental collision between the Medicine Hat Block and Wyoming Craton, resulting in the formation of subduction-related melts at ca. 1834-1874?Ma, followed by ca. 1770?Ma collision-related metamorphism thereafter.
Comparative garnet, pyroxene, chromite and magnesium-ilmenite xenocryst compositions in selected kimberlitic sources and their relevance to diamondexploration
Geological Society of Australia Abstracts, No. 25, No. A12.11 pp. 243-244. Abstract
Edwards, D., Rock, N.M.S., Taylor, W.R., Griffin, B.J., Sun, S-S.
The Aries Diamondiferous kimberlite pipe, central Kimberley block, westernAustralia: mineralogy, petrology and geochem. of the pipe rock and indicators
Proceedings of Fifth International Kimberlite Conference held Araxa June 1991, Servico Geologico do Brasil (CPRM) Special, pp. 82-84
Major element systematics of alkaline volcanic and lamprophyric rocks -toward a geochem. and petrogenetic class scheme potentially diamondiferous alkaline rocks
Proceedings of Fifth International Kimberlite Conference held Araxa June 1991, Servico Geologico do Brasil (CPRM) Special, pp. 414-416
Global
LAMPA database major and trace elements, Alkaline volcanic and lamprophyric rocks
Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, Vol. 19, 5, pp. 1690-1712.
Africa
geomorphology
Abstract: West African drainage reorganization during Cretaceous opening of the Atlantic Ocean is deciphered here from geochemical provenance studies of Central Atlantic sediments. Changes in the geochemical signature of marine sediments are reflected in major and trace element concentrations and strontium?neodymium radiogenic isotopic compositions of Cretaceous sedimentary rocks from eight Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) sites and one exploration well. Homogeneous major and trace element compositions over time indicate sources with average upper (continental) crust signatures. However, detailed information on the ages of these sources is revealed by neodymium isotopes (expressed as ?Nd). The ?Nd(0) values from the DSDP sites show a three?step decrease during the Late Cretaceous: (1) the Albian?Middle Cenomanian ?Nd(0) values are heterogeneous (-5.5 to ?14.9) reflecting the existence of at least three subdrainage basins with distinct sedimentary sources (Hercynian/Paleozoic, Precambrian, and mixed Precambrian/Paleozoic); (2) during the Late Cenomanian?Turonian interval, ?Nd(0) values become homogeneous in the deepwater basin (-10.3 to ?12.4), showing a negative shift of 2 epsilon units interpreted as an increasing contribution of Precambrian inputs; (3) this negative shift continues in the Campanian?Maastrichtian (?Nd(0)?=??15), indicating that Precambrian sources became dominant. These provenance changes are hypothesized to be related to the opening of the South and Equatorial Atlantic Ocean, coincident with tectonic uplift of the continental margin triggered by Africa?Europe convergence. Finally, the difference between ?Nd(0)values of Cretaceous sediments from the Senegal continental shelf and from the deepwater basins suggests that ocean currents prevented detrital material from the Mauritanides reaching deepwater areas.
uranium-lead (U-Pb) geochronology of deformation and metamorphism across a central transect of the Early Proterozoic: Tornget Orogen, North River map area, Labrador.
Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, Vol. 30, pp. 1470-89.
Ramping up from construction to operations: lessons learned at Gahcho Kue diamond mine.
2018 Yellowknife Geoscience Forum , p. 65. abstract
Canada, Northwest Territories
deposit - Gahcho Kue
Abstract: Numerous glacial dispersal trains, spatially and compositionally associated to kimberlites, have been characterized and mapped in the Lac de Gras region, Northwest Territories (NT). However, a small number of these trains have yet to be associated with a source. Additionally, a number of known sub-cropping kimberlites do not have well-defined, spatially associated, trains of indicator minerals. These issues suggest that local factors may be important in controlling the occurrence, shape, and strength of a dispersal pattern and its spatial association with a kimberlite. Identifying these factors and understanding their effect on the dispersion of indicator minerals could provide a road map for finding additional diamondiferous kimberlites in the NT and elsewhere. Here we examine contrasting dispersal trains from south and southwest of Lac de Gras, as well as situations where the source of known dispersal trains (e.g., Coppermine Train) continue to elude exploration geologists. Using both surface and subsurface datasets, we find that the bedrock geology and topography of the source area, as well as those of the dispersal area, are potential key controls on the type and shape of dispersal patterns. Even across discontinuous drift and subdued shield relief we find that bedrock topography and lithology modulated the effect of glacial dynamics on till production and provenance. These 'bedrock factors' have interacted in various ways during Quaternary glaciations, in combinations unique to each case, to generate complex dispersal patterns in three dimensions. Accounting for these factors, using both surface and subsurface data, could enhance the success of drift exploration programs and improve their outcome in the glaciated shield terrains of northern Canada.
Abstract: The lack of consensus on the possible range of initial kimberlite melt compositions and their evolution as they ascend through and interact with mantle and crustal wall rocks, hampers a complete understanding of kimberlite petrogenesis. Attempts to resolve these issues are complicated by the fact that kimberlite rocks are mixtures of magmatic, xenocrystic and antecrystic components and, hence, are not directly representative of their parental melt composition. Furthermore, there is a lack of direct evidence of the assimilation processes that may characterise kimberlitic melts during ascent, which makes understanding their melt evolution difficult. In this contribution we provide novel constraints on the interaction between precursor kimberlite melts and lithospheric mantle wall rocks. We present detailed textural and geochemical data for a carbonate-rich vein assemblage that traverses a garnet wehrlite xenolith [equilibrated at ~ 1060 °C and 43 kbar (~ 140-145 km)] from the Bultfontein kimberlite (Kimberley, South Africa). This vein assemblage is dominated by Ca-Mg carbonates, with subordinate oxide minerals, olivine, sulphides, and apatite. Vein phases have highly variable compositions indicating formation under disequilibrium conditions. Primary inclusions in the vein minerals and secondary inclusion trails in host wehrlite minerals contain abundant alkali-bearing phases (e.g., Na-K bearing carbonates, Mg-freudenbergite, Na-bearing apatite and phlogopite). The Sr-isotope composition of vein carbonates overlaps those of groundmass calcite from the Bultfontein kimberlite, as well as perovskite from the other kimberlites in the Kimberley area. Clinopyroxene and garnet in the host wehrlite are resorbed and have Si-rich reaction mantles where in contact with the carbonate-rich veins. Within some veins, the carbonates occur as droplet-like, globular segregations, separated from a similarly shaped Si-rich phase by a thin meniscus of Mg-magnetite. These textures are interpreted to represent immiscibility between carbonate and silicate melts. The preservation of reaction mantles, immiscibility textures and disequilibrium in the vein assemblage, suggests quenching, probably triggered by entrainment and rapid transport toward the Earth's surface in the host kimberlite magma. Based on the Sr-isotope systematics of vein carbonate minerals, and the close temporal relationship between carbonate-rich metasomatism and kimberlite magmatism, we suggest that the carbonate-rich vein assemblage was produced by the interaction between a melt genetically related to the Bultfontein kimberlite and wehrlitic mantle wall rock. If correct, this unique xenolith sample provides a rare snapshot of the assimilation processes that might characterise parental kimberlite melts during their ascent through the lithospheric mantle.
Abstract: The abundance and distribution of halogens (F, Cl) are rarely recorded in kimberlites and therefore their petrogenetic significance is poorly constrained. Halogens are usually present in kimberlite rocks in the structure of phlogopite and apatite, but their original concentrations are never fully retained due to the effects of alteration. To provide new constraints on the origin and evolution of halogens in kimberlites and their melts, we present a detailed study of the petrography and geochemistry of the late-Cretaceous Group-I (or archetypal) Roger kimberlite (Ekati cluster, Canada). The studied samples contain abundant anhedral-to-euhedral olivine which is set in a crystalline groundmass of monticellite, phlogopite, apatite, spinel (i.e. magnesian ulvöspinel-magnetite (MUM), Mg-magnetite, pleonaste, Cr-spinel), and perovskite along with abundant secondary alteration phases (i.e. serpentine, garnet (andradite-schlorlomite), amakinite ((Fe2 +, Mg, Mn)(OH)2), calcite). The Roger kimberlite is characterised by the highest recorded F-content (up to 2688 ppm) of the Ekati cluster kimberlites, which is reflected by the preservation of F-rich phases, where bultfonteinite (Ca4(Si2O7)(F, OH)2) and fluorite commonly replace olivine. In order to examine the composition and evolution of the kimberlite melt prior to post-magmatic processes, we studied melt inclusions in olivine, Cr-spinel, monticellite and apatite. Primary multiphase melt inclusions in Cr-spinel, monticellite and apatite and secondary inclusions in olivine are shown to contain a diversity of daughter phases and compositions that are dominated by alkali/alkali-earth (Na, K, Ba, Sr)-enriched Ca-Mg-carbonates ± F, Na-K-chlorides and sulphates, phosphates ± REE, spinel, silicates (e.g. olivine, phlogopite, (clino)humite), and sulphides. Although alkali/alkali-earth- and halogen-bearing phases are abundant in melt inclusions, they are generally absent from the kimberlite groundmass, most likely due to ubiquitous effects of syn- and/or post-magmatic alteration (i.e. serpentinisation). Comparisons between halogens and other trace elements of similar compatibility (i.e. F/Nd and Cl/U) in the Roger kimberlite and their respective estimated primitive mantle abundances show that halogens should be a more significant component in kimberlites than typically measured. We propose that fluorine in the Roger kimberlite was magmatic and was redistributed during hydrothermal alteration by Ca-bearing serpentinising fluids to produce the observed bultfonteinite/fluorite assemblages. Based the compositions and daughter mineral assemblages in primary melt inclusions and reconstructed halogen abundances, we suggest that Cr-spinel, monticellite and apatite crystallised from a variably differentiated Si-P-Cl-F-bearing carbonate melt that was enriched in alkalis/alkali-earths and highly incompatible trace elements
Abstract: Monticellite is a magmatic and/or deuteric mineral that is often present, but widely varying in concentrations in Group-I (or archetypal) kimberlites. To provide new constraints on the petrogenesis of monticellite and its potential significance to kimberlite melt evolution, we examine the petrography and geochemistry of the minimally altered hypabyssal monticellite-rich Leslie (Canada) and Pipe 1 (Finland) kimberlites. In these kimberlites, monticellite (Mtc) is abundant (25–45 vol%) and can be classified into two distinct morphological types: discrete and intergrown groundmass grains (Mtc-I), and replacement of olivine (Mtc-II).
Monticellite in group-I kimberlites: Implications for evolution of parental melts and post-emplacement CO 2 degassing (PDF Download Available).
Abstract: The abundance and distribution of halogens (F, Cl) are rarely recorded in kimberlites and therefore their petrogenetic significance is poorly constrained. Halogens are usually present in kimberlite rocks in the structure of phlogopite and apatite, but their original concentrations are never fully retained due to the effects of alteration. To provide new constraints on the origin and evolution of halogens in kimberlites and their melts, we present a detailed study of the petrography and geochemistry of the late-Cretaceous Group-I (or archetypal) Roger kimberlite (Ekati cluster, Canada). The studied samples contain abundant anhedral-to-euhedral olivine which is set in a crystalline groundmass of monticellite, phlogopite, apatite, spinel (i.e. magnesian ulvöspinel-magnetite (MUM), Mg-magnetite, pleonaste, Cr-spinel), and perovskite along with abundant secondary alteration phases (i.e. serpentine, garnet (andradite-schlorlomite), amakinite ((Fe2 +, Mg, Mn)(OH)2), calcite). The Roger kimberlite is characterised by the highest recorded F-content (up to 2688 ppm) of the Ekati cluster kimberlites, which is reflected by the preservation of F-rich phases, where bultfonteinite (Ca4(Si2O7)(F, OH)2) and fluorite commonly replace olivine. In order to examine the composition and evolution of the kimberlite melt prior to post-magmatic processes, we studied melt inclusions in olivine, Cr-spinel, monticellite and apatite. Primary multiphase melt inclusions in Cr-spinel, monticellite and apatite and secondary inclusions in olivine are shown to contain a diversity of daughter phases and compositions that are dominated by alkali/alkali-earth (Na, K, Ba, Sr)-enriched Ca-Mg-carbonates ± F, Na-K-chlorides and sulphates, phosphates ± REE, spinel, silicates (e.g. olivine, phlogopite, (clino)humite), and sulphides. Although alkali/alkali-earth- and halogen-bearing phases are abundant in melt inclusions, they are generally absent from the kimberlite groundmass, most likely due to ubiquitous effects of syn- and/or post-magmatic alteration (i.e. serpentinisation). Comparisons between halogens and other trace elements of similar compatibility (i.e. F/Nd and Cl/U) in the Roger kimberlite and their respective estimated primitive mantle abundances show that halogens should be a more significant component in kimberlites than typically measured. We propose that fluorine in the Roger kimberlite was magmatic and was redistributed during hydrothermal alteration by Ca-bearing serpentinising fluids to produce the observed bultfonteinite/fluorite assemblages. Based the compositions and daughter mineral assemblages in primary melt inclusions and reconstructed halogen abundances, we suggest that Cr-spinel, monticellite and apatite crystallised from a variably differentiated Si-P-Cl-F-bearing carbonate melt that was enriched in alkalis/alkali-earths and highly incompatible trace elements.
Abstract: Monticellite is a magmatic and/or deuteric mineral that is often present, but widely varying in concentrations in Group-I (or archetypal) kimberlites. To provide new constraints on the petrogenesis of monticellite and its potential significance to kimberlite melt evolution, we examine the petrography and geochemistry of the minimally altered hypabyssal monticellite-rich Leslie (Canada) and Pipe 1 (Finland) kimberlites. In these kimberlites, monticellite (Mtc) is abundant (25-45 vol%) and can be classified into two distinct morphological types: discrete and intergrown groundmass grains (Mtc-I), and replacement of olivine (Mtc-II). Primary multiphase melt inclusions in monticellite, perovskite and Mg-magnetite contain assemblages dominated by alkali (Na, K, Ba, Sr)-enriched Ca-Mg-carbonates, chlorides, phosphates, spinel, silicates (e.g. olivine, phlogopite) and sulphides. These melt inclusions probably represent snapshots of a variably differentiated kimberlite melt that evolved in-situ towards carbonatitic and silica-poor compositions. Although unconstrained in their concentration, the presence of alkali-carbonates and chlorides in melt inclusions suggests they are a more significant component of the kimberlite melt than commonly recorded by whole-rock analyses. We present petrographic and textural evidence showing that pseudomorphic Mtc-II resulted from an in-situ reaction between olivine and the carbonate component of the kimberlite melt in the decarbonation reactio. This reaction is supported by the preservation of abundant primary inclusions of periclase and to a lesser extent Fe-Mg-oxides in monticellite, perovskite and Mg-magnetite. Based on the preservation of primary periclase inclusions, we infer that periclase also existed in the groundmass, but was subsequently altered to brucite. We suggest that CO2 degassing in the latter stages of kimberlite emplacement into the crust is largely driven by the observed reaction between olivine and the carbonate melt. For this reaction to proceed, CO2 should be removed (i.e. degassed), which will cause further reaction and additional degassing in response to this chemical system change (Le Chatelier's principle). Our study demonstrates that these proposed decarbonation reactions may be a commonly overlooked process in the crystallisation of monticellite and exsolution of CO2, which may in turn contribute to the explosive eruption and brecciation processes that occur during kimberlite magma emplacement and pipe formation.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 174, 8 22p.
Africa, South Africa, Russia, Canada, Northwest Territories
deposit - Bultfontein, Roberts Victor, Udachnaya-East, Obnazhennaya, Vtorogodnitsa, Koala, Leslie
Abstract: Djerfisherite (K6(Fe,Ni,Cu)25S26Cl) occurs as an accessory phase in the groundmass of many kimberlites, kimberlite-hosted mantle xenoliths, and as a daughter inclusion phase in diamonds and kimberlitic minerals. Djerfisherite typically occurs as replacement of pre-existing Fe-Ni-Cu sulphides (i.e. pyrrhotite, pentlandite and chalcopyrite), but can also occur as individual grains, or as poikilitic phase in the groundmass of kimberlites. In this study, we present new constraints on the origin and genesis of djerfisherite in kimberlites and their entrained xenoliths. Djerfisherite has extremely heterogeneous compositions in terms of Fe, Ni and Cu ratios. However, there appears to be no distinct compositional range of djerfisherite indicative of a particular setting (i.e. kimberlites, xenoliths or diamonds), rather this compositional diversity reflects the composition of the host kimberlite melt and/or interacting metasomatic medium. In addition, djerfisherite may contain K and Cl contents less than the ideal formula unit. Raman spectroscopy and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) revealed that these K-Cl poor sulphides still maintain the same djerfisherite crystal structure. Two potential mechanisms for djerfisherite formation are considered: (1) replacement of pre-existing Fe-Ni-Cu sulphides by djerfisherite, which is attributed to precursor sulphides reacting with metasomatic K-Cl bearing melts/fluids in the mantle or the transporting kimberlite melt; (2) direct crystallisation of djerfisherite from the kimberlite melt in groundmass or due to kimberlite melt infiltration into xenoliths. The occurrence of djerfisherite in kimberlites and its mantle cargo from localities worldwide provides strong evidence that the metasomatising/infiltrating kimberlite melt/fluid was enriched in K and Cl. We suggest that kimberlites originated from melts that were more enriched in alkalis and halogens relative to their whole-rock compositions.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 175, 13p. Pdf
Russia
perovskite
Abstract: The exceptional accumulation of perovskite in the alkaline-ultramafic Afrikanda complex (Kola Peninsula, Russia) led to the study of polymineralic inclusions hosted in perovskite and magnetite to understand the development of the perovskite-rich zones in the olivinites, clinopyroxenites and silicocarbonatites. The abundance of inclusions varies across the three perovskite textures, with numerous inclusions hosted in the fine-grained equigranular perovskite, fewer inclusions in the coarse-grained interlocked perovskite and rare inclusions in the massive perovskite. A variety of silicate, carbonate, sulphide, phosphate and oxide phases are assembled randomly and in variable proportions in the inclusions. Our observations reveal that the inclusions are not bona fide melt inclusions. We propose that the inclusions represent material trapped during subsolidus sintering of magmatic perovskite. The continuation of the sintering process resulted in the coarsening of inclusion-rich subhedral perovskite into inclusion-poor anhedral and massive perovskite. These findings advocate the importance of inclusion studies for interpreting the origin of oxide minerals and their associated economic deposits and suggest that the formation of large scale accumulations of minerals in other oxide deposits may be a result of annealing of individual disseminated grains.
Rubidium/Strontium and Sm/neodymium ratios of metasomatized mantle: implications for the roleof metasomatized mantle in the petrogenesis of Na2Orich alkaline basalts
Mantle metasomatism and alkaline magmatism, edited E. Mullen Morris and, No. 215, pp. 127-138
Mineral composition in cognate inclusions in Late Miocene-Early Pliocene potassic lamprophyres with affinities to lamproites from the Denizli region, Western Anatolia, Turkey: implications for uppermost mantle processes in a back arc setting.
Mainprice, D., Le Page, Y., Rodgers, J., Jouanna, P.
Predicted elastic properties of hydrous D phase at mantle pressures: implications for the anisotropy of subducted slabs near 670 km discontinuity and in the lower mantle.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 259, 3-4, pp. 283-296.
Mainprice, D., Le Page, Y., Rodgers, J., Jouanna, P.
Predicted elastic properties of hydrous D phase at mantle pressures: implications for the anisotropy of subducted slabs near 670 km discontinuity and in the lower mantle.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 259, 3-4, pp. 283-296.
Polat, A., Herxberg, C., Munker, C., Rodgers, R., Kusky, T., Li, J., Fryer, B.
Geochemical and petrological evidence for a supra subduction zone origin of Neoarchean (ca 2.5 Ga) peridotites, central orogenic belt, North Chin a craton.
Geological Society of America Bulletin, Vol. 118, 7, July pp. 771-784.
Comparative in-situ U-Th-Pb geochronology and trace element composition of baddeleyite and low U zircon from carbonatites of the Paleozoic Kovdor, Kola Pen.
Comparative in-situ U-Th-Pb geochronology and trace element composition of baddeleyite and low U-zircon from carbonatites of the Paleozoic Kovdor alkaline ultramafic complex Kola Peninsula, Russia.
Zircon trace element characteristics and ages in granulite xenoliths: a key to understanding the age and origin of the lower crust, Arkhangelsk kimberlite province, Russia.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 167, pp. 973-980.
Abstract: Pyrochlore is the main host of rare-metal elements of carbonatite rocks, including phoscorites, typical for prolonged history of alkaline magma crystallization at the mafic-ultramafic polyphase Kovdor massif. Pyrochlore associated with baddeleyite, zircon, zirkelite, zirkonolite and forms octahedral and cube-octahedral poikilitic crystals up to 2-5 cm, and represented by U, Ba-Sr and REE species of pyrochlore subgroup. The studied Kovdor pyrochlores are characterized by increased up to 6.5% U and an extremely high Th – up to 40%, with Th/U up to 500. Pyrochlore U-Pb SHRIMP ages of 290-364 Ma correlate with variations in U of different samples, whereas the Th and common Pb have a minor effect on this value. Obtained ages are significantly underestimated and may reflect the influence of the matrix effect or later low-temperature closing of the U-Pb pyrochlore system, as well as the actual transformations of pyrochlore crystal matrix due to the interaction with the late carbonate fluids. Thus the early pyrochlores and U-pyrochlores crystallized at 364 Ma within phoscorites and early calcite carbonatites, whereas Sr-Ba pyrochlores of late calcitedolomite carbonatite formed at 340 Ma, and Th-pyrochlore rims occured at the later stages of the interaction with metasomatizing fluids 290 m.y. ago. Kovdor baddeleyite is also charecterized by high composition heterogeneity determined by the difference in its origin from olivinites to ore-bearing foscorites and postmagmatic syenites. But baddeleyite from calcitemagnetite mineral association have uniform U: 184 ±40, Th: 6.4 ±1.7, ¦REE: 34 ±6, Hf: 7629 ± 599, Nb: 3595 ±840, Ti: 56 ±14, Y: 22 ±4 ppm, and HHf: +6.5 ±1.7 at the age of 379 ±6 Ma. The U-Pb SHRIMP age data demonstrate the concordance of all studied baddeleyite samples and the absence of a significant age difference between baddeleyites of the carbonatite phase: 379 ±3 and foscorites: 379 ±4 Ma. The weighted average age for all the studied baddeleyite samples (n = 8) is 379 ±2.4 Ma at MSWD of 0.6. This can also indicate a relatively short time-interval of magmatism in the formation of Kovdor polyphase massif which did not exceed 5 m.y. and could be related to the Devonian mantleplume activity.
Pyrochlore group minerals from Paleozoic carbonatite massifs of the Kola Peninsula: composition and evolution.
Carbonatite-alkaline rocks and associated mineral deposits , Dec. 8-11, abstract p. 20-21.
Russia, Kola Peninsula
carbonatites
Abstract: Chemical composition and evolution of pyrochlore-group minerals (Nb?Ta?Ti) from the early phoscorites and calcite carbonatites, and late rare-earth dolomite carbonatites from Seblyavr and Vuorijarvi Paleozoic massifs have been studied. There are two trends in pyrochlore composition evolution: the change of U, Ti, and Ta enriched varieties by calcium high-Nb, and the change of early calcium varieties by barium-strontium pyrochlores. The substitutions are described by the typical reactions: 2Ti4+ + U4+ ? 2Nb5+ + Ca2+; Ta5+ ? Nb5+; U4+ + v (vacancy) ? 2Ca2+. The Ca ranges in pyrochlores are explained by isomorphic occupation of the cation position A with Ba, Sr, and REE, the total concentration of which increases as the carbonatite melt evolved and reaches a maximum in rare-earth dolomite carbonatites. The formation of barium pyrochlore is mainly due to successive crystallization from the Ba and Sr enriched melt (oscillatory zoning crystals), or with the secondary replacement of grain margins of the calcium pyrochlore, as an additional mechanism of formation. High enrichments in LREE2O3 (up to 6 wt.%) are identified. The fluorine content in pyrochlore group minerals varies widely. A high concentration (up to 8 wt.%) is found in central and marginal zones of crystals from calcite carbonatites, while it decreases in the pyrochlore from dolomite carbonatites. Fluorine in the crystal lattice has sufficient stability during cation-exchange processes and it is not lost in the case of developing of late carbonatites over the earlier ones. In the late mineral populations the relics enriched by this component are observed. There is a positive correlation of fluorine with sodium. The marginal and fractured zones of pyrochlore crystals from all rock types are represented by phases with a cation deficiency in position A and an increased Si. The evolution of mineral composition depends on the alkaline-ultramafic melt crystallization differentiation, enrichment of the late melts by alkalis and alkaline earth metals at the high fluorine activity. It is determined that the fluorine sharply increases from the early pyroxenites to the carbonatite rocks of the massif. The foscorites and carbonatites of the early stages of crystallization are the most enriched in fluorine, while the late dolomite carbonatites are depleted by this component and enriched in chlorine and water. The fluorine saturation of the early stages of carbonatite melting leads to the formation of fluorapatite and pyrochlore minerals which are the main mineralsconcentrators of fluorine. Pyrochlore group minerals from the Paleozoic carbonatite complexes of the Kola Peninsula are characterized by decreasing Pb, Th and U, and Th/U ratios in the transition from the early foscorites to later calcite carbonatites and hydrothermal dolomite carbonatites. The pyrochlore age varies within the 420-320 m.y. interval (U-Pb SHRIMPII data), while the rocks of the earliest magmatic stages has an individual grain age of 423 ± 15 Ma, but pyrochlore ages for calcite and dolomite carbonatites are younger: 351 ± 8.0 Ma and 324 ± 6.1 Ma, respectively. Such a dispersion of the age data is apparently associated with a disturbed Th/U ratio due to high ability for cation-exchange processes of pyrochlore crystalline matrix including secondary transformations. The research was done within the framework of the scientific program of Russian Academy of Sciences and state contract K41.2014.014 with Sevzapnedra.
Comminocacoes Geologicas ( Researchgate), July, 7p. Pdf
Africa, Angola
deposit - Bailundo
Abstract: Pyrochlore group minerals are common accessory phases in many rock types of the Bailundo Carbonatite Complex. These minerals record compositional and textural features that provide useful information regarding their genesis and accumulation, monitoring magmatic, metasomatic and weathering events. In drill core samples, primary compositions (significant Ta and U contents, and relatively low Nb and F values) are found in relict cores of strongly metasomatized pyrochlore grains; irregular patches in pyrochlore rims, typically enriched in F, Na and Nb, reflect fluid alteration fronts. At shallower levels, preserved pyrochlores show well-defined concentric zoning and substantially higher values of F and Nb. In the weathering profile, alteration processes include replacement of F, Na and Ca by Ba, Sr, Pb and H2O. These data suggest the possibility of Nb concentration in late-magmatic fluids as fluoride complexes, and its subsequent mobilization and crystallization in the form of pyrochlore at shallower levels of the Bailundo Carbonatite Complex.
Communicacoes Geologicas *** in PORT, researchgate 7p. Pdf
Africa, Angola
deposit - Bailundo
Abstract: Pyrochlore group minerals are common accessory phases in alkaline-carbonatitic complexes, and the most important Nb ore worldwide. Its capacity to embody a wide range of compositions can often provide useful insights in Nb occurrence and concentration processes. In the Bailundo Carbonatitic Complex (BCC, Angola), two major sets of pyrochlore can be distinguished: (1) magmatic/metasomatic pyrochlore in deep carbonatitic rocks, often displaying diffuse textures obliterating primary zoning, with slightly low contents in Nb2O5 (average 50 wt%), and in other chemical components (Ta, U, Na); and (2) supergene pyrochlore in the weathering profile, displaying corroded and bleached patches along microfractures (in some cases, with relics of magmatic pyrochlore), that show higher contents in Nb2O5 (up to 73 wt%), Ba and Pb. Compositional and textural variations recorded in pyrochlore crystals illustrate the geodynamic events that took place in the BCC and contributed to high Nb concentration in the weathering profile, thus being quite useful to distinguish different mineralization types and as Nb-exploration tools.
Journal of African Earth Sciences, Vol. 177, 104154, 16p. Pdf
Africa, Angola
deposit - Bailundo
Abstract: Pyrochlore is a common accessory in carbonatite rocks and its composition can provide useful insights on petrogenetic and post-magmatic metal-enrichment processes, especially those which favour its occurrence and concentration. Comprehensive compositional and textural characterization of a large set of pyrochlores from the Bailundo Carbonatite Complex (SW Angola) and associated surface rocks was the basis to (i) evaluate the main effects of metasomatism and weathering as causes of metal leaching or concentration; and (ii) assess pyrochlore compositions as potential petrogenetic or metallogenetic tools, with particular emphasis on pyrochlore enrichment in economic components, such as Ta, REE, U, Th and Pb, during weathering processes. Unweathered fluor- and hydroxyl-calciopyrochlores from deep-seated carbonatitic rocks (provided by a 600 m-deep drill-core) often present high Ta/Nb ratios, as well as high U and Th contents, and comparatively low overall REE concentrations. Metasomatic effects are not easy to assess, given the extreme compositional variability of these pyrochlores. On the other hand, some systematic trends can be established in pyrochlores from weathered surface rocks: these pyrochlores usually show strong depletion in most A-site cations (e.g., Na, Ca, U), and clear enrichment in Nb and in large-ion metals (e.g., Ba, Sr, Pb) usually absent in unweathered pyrochlores. REE seem to be relatively immobile and to become concentrated during weathering. Along with some REE phosphates and oxides, pyrochlore is often present in several domains of the weathering profile, occurring in the outcropping weathered carbonatite as well as in the regolith immediately overlying the intrusion. Thus, both the Bailundo carbonatite intrusion and its weathering products, concentrated inside the ridge formed by differential erosion of the fenitic aureole, constitute good exploration targets for Nb (±Ta ± REE). However, future exploration work should also include a 3-D understanding of the chemical and geological processes at work in both geological environments.
Rodrigues Pinto, L.G., Banik de Padua, M., Ussami, N., Vitorello, I., Lopes Padhilha, A., Braitenberg, C.
Magnetotelluric deep soundings, gravity and geoid in the south Sao Francisco craton: geophysical indicators of cratonic lithosphere rejuvenation and crustal underplating.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 297, 3-4, pp. 423-434.
Rodrigues Pinto, L.G., Banik de Padua, M., Ussami, N., Vitorello, I., Lopes Padhilha, A., Braitenberg, C.
Magnetotelluric deep soundings, gravity and geoid in the south Sao Francisco craton: geophysical indicators of cratonic lithosphere rejuvenation and crustal underplating.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 297, 3-4, pp. 423-434.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol. 125, e2019JB017884.
Mantle, South America
subduction
Abstract: Nazca subduction beneath South America is one of our best modern examples of long?lived ocean?continent subduction on the planet, serving as a foundation for our understanding of subduction processes. Within that framework, persistent heterogeneities at a range of scales in both the South America and Nazca plates is difficult to reconcile without detailed knowledge of the subducted Nazca slab structure. Here we use teleseismic travel time residuals from >1,000 broadband and short?period seismic stations across South America in a single tomographic inversion to produce the highest?resolution contiguous P wave tomography model of the subducting slab and surrounding mantle beneath South America to date. Our model reveals a continuous trench?parallel fast seismic velocity anomaly across the majority of South America that is consistent with the subducting Nazca slab. The imaged anomaly indicates a number of robust features of the subducted slab, including variable slab dip, extensive lower mantle penetration, slab stagnation in the lower mantle, and variable slab amplitude, that are incorporated into a new, comprehensive model of the geometry of the Nazca slab surface to ~1,100 km depth. Lower mantle slab penetration along the entire margin suggests that lower mantle slab anchoring is insufficient to explain along strike upper plate variability while slab stagnation in the lower mantle indicates that the 1,000 km discontinuity is dominant beneath South America.
Sanatmaria-Perez, D., Ruiz-Fuertes, J., Pena-Alvarez, M., Chulia-Jordan, R., Marquerno, T., Zimmer, D., Guterrez-Cano, V., Macleod, S., Gregoryanz, E., Popescue, C., Rodriguez-Herandez, P., Munoz, A.
Abstract: Calcium carbonate is a relevant constituent of the Earth’s crust that is transferred into the deep Earth through the subduction process. Its chemical interaction with calcium-rich silicates at high temperatures give rise to the formation of mixed silicate-carbonate minerals, but the structural behavior of these phases under compression is not known. Here we report the existence of a dense polymorph of Ca5(Si2O7)(CO3)2 tilleyite above 8 GPa. We have structurally characterized the two phases at high pressures and temperatures, determined their equations of state and analyzed the evolution of the polyhedral units under compression. This has been possible thanks to the agreement between our powder and single-crystal XRD experiments, Raman spectroscopy measurements and ab-initio simulations. The presence of multiple cation sites, with variable volume and coordination number (6-9) and different polyhedral compressibilities, together with the observation of significant amounts of alumina in compositions of some natural tilleyite assemblages, suggests that post-tilleyite structure has the potential to accommodate cations with different sizes and valencies.
Ernst, R.E., Pereira, E., Hamilton, M.A., Pisarevsky, S.A., Rodriques, J., Tasinari, C.C.G., Teixeira, W., Van-Dunem, V.
Mesoproterozoic intraplate magmatic 'barcode' record of the Angola portion of the Congo craton: newly dated magmatic events at 1505 and 1110 Ma and implications for Nuna ( Columbia) supercontinent reconstructions.
Society of Economic Geology Geoscience and Exploration of the Argyle, Bunder, Diavik, and Murowa Diamond Deposits, Special Publication no. 20, pp. 65-88.
An integrated petrological, geochemical and Re-Os isotope study of peridotite xenoliths from the Argyle lamproite, western Australia and implications for
Abstract: uncommon type of magmatic rocks dominates by carbonate, are broadly enriched in rare earth elements (REE) relative to the majority of igneous silicate rocks. While more than 500 carbonatites are referenced worldwide [1], only a few contain economic REE concentrations that are widely considered as resulting from late magmatic-hydrothermal or supergene processes. Magmatic pre-enrichment, linked to the igneous processes at the origin of carbonatites, are, however, likely to contribute to the REE fertilisation. Field observations [1] and experimental surveys [2, 3] suggest that a large part of the carbonatite melts can be produced as immiscible liquids with silicate magmas. Experimental constraints reveals that such immiscibility processes can lead to both REE enrichments and depletions in carbonatites [2, 3], making the magmatic processes controlling REE enrichments unclear. Here we present results of high-pressure and hightemperature experiments, simultaneously addressing crystal fractionation of alkaline magmas and immiscibility between carbonate and silicate melts. The experimental data reveal that the degree of differentiation, controlling the chemical composition of alkaline melts is a key factor ruling the REE concentration of the coexisting immiscible carbonatites. The parameterization of the experimental data together with the compilation of geochemical data from various alkaline provinces show that REE concentrations similar to those of highly REE enriched carbonatites (?REE > 30000 ppm) can be produced by immiscibility with phono-trachytic melt compositions, while more primitive alkaline magma can only be immiscible with carbonatites that are not significantly enriched in REE.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, in press available 57p. Pdf
Mantle
carbonatite
Abstract: Rare earth element (REE) enrichments in carbonatites are often described as resulting from late magmatic-hydrothermal or supergene processes. However, magmatic pre-enrichment linked to the igneous processes at the origin of carbonatites are likely to contribute to the REE fertilisation. Experimental constraints reveals that immiscibility processes between carbonate and silicate melts can lead to both REE enrichments and depletions in carbonatites making the magmatic processes controlling REE enrichments unclear.
We link REE contents of carbonatites to the magmatic stage at which carbonatites are separated from silicate magma in their course of differentiation. We present results of experiments made at pressure and temperature conditions of alkaline magmas and associated carbonatites differentiation (0.2-1.5 GPa; 725-975?°C; FMQ to FMQ?+?2.5), simultaneously addressing crystal fractionation of alkaline magmas and immiscibility between carbonate (calcio-carbonate type) and silicate melts (nephelinite to phonolite type). The experimental data shows that the degree of differentiation, controlling the chemical composition of alkaline melts, is a key factor ruling the REE concentration of the coexisting immiscible carbonate melts. In order to predict carbonate melt REE enrichments during alkaline magma differentiation, we performed a parameterisation of experimental data on immiscible silicate and carbonate melts, based exclusively on the silica content, the alumina saturation index and the alkali/alkaline-earth elements ratio of silicate melts. This parameterisation is applied to more than 1600 geochemical data of silicate magmas from various alkaline provinces (East African Rift, Canary and Cape Verde Islands) and show that REE concentrations of their potential coeval carbonatite melts can reach concentration ranges similar to those of highly REE enriched carbonatites (?REE?>?30 000?ppm) by immiscibility with phonolitic/phono-trachytic melt compositions, while more primitive alkaline magmas can only be immiscible with carbonatites that are not significantly enriched in REE.
Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, doi.org/10.1016/ j.pepi.2020.106638 51p. Pdf
Mantle
geophysics - magnetics
Abstract: Decompression melting of the upper mantle produces magmas and volcanism at the Earth's surface. Experimental petrology demonstrates that the presence of CO2 and H2O enhances peridotite melting anywhere within the upper mantle down to approximately 200-300?km depth. The presence of mantle melts with compositions ranging from carbonate-rich to silicate-rich unavoidably affects the geophysical signals retrieved from Earth's mantle. Geochemical investigations of erupted intraplate magmas along with geophysical surveys allow for constraining the nature and volume of primary melts, and a sound formalism is required to integrate these diverse datasets into a realistic model for the upper mantle including melting processes. Here, we introduce MAGLAB, a model developed to calculate the composition and volume fraction of melts in the upper mantle, together with the corresponding electrical conductivity of partially molten mantle peridotites at realistic pressure-temperature conditions and volatile contents. We use MAGLAB to show how the compositions of intraplate magmas relate to variations in lithosphere thickness. Progressive partial melting of a homogeneous peridotitic mantle source can in theory create the diversity of compositions observed among the spectrum of intraplate magma types, with kimberlite melts beneath thick continental shields, alkaline magmas such as melilitite, nephelinite and basanite beneath thinner continents and relatively old plus thick oceanic lithospheres, and ‘regular’ basalts beneath the youngest and thinnest oceanic lithospheres as well as beneath significantly thinned continental lithospheres. MAGLAB calculations support recent experimental findings about the role of H2O in the upper mantle on producing primary kimberlitic melts in addition to CO2. We demonstrate the robustness of MAGLAB calculations by reproducing the compositions of erupted melts as well as associated mantle electrical conductivities beneath the Society hotspot in the Pacific Ocean. A comparison of our simulations with magnetotelluric surveys at various oceanic settings shows that the heterogeneities in electrical conductivity of Earth's upper mantle are related to variations in volatile content via the presence of small (generally <<1?wt%) and heterogeneously distributed fractions of CO2-H2O-bearing melts.
Botswana Journal of Earth Sciences, Vol. 7, pp. 29-34. pdf
Africa, Botswana
deposit - KX36
Abstract: The KX36 kimberlite pipe is situated in the southeastern part of Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR), Botswana, approximately 60 km from the known Gope and Kikao kimberlite fields (see figure 1).The kimberlite is covered by 75m of Kalahari sand, has a surface area of 3.6 Ha at the base of the sand cover and was discovered by Petra Diamonds Botswana (Pty) Ltd in 2008. Application of modern geophysical techniques (Ultra hi-resolution low level flying Xcalibur magnetics) and improved sampling method led to the discovery of KX36.The kimberlite was emplaced into the Karoo Supergroup, which comprised the older sedimentary rocks (300 - 185 Ma) overlain by the flood basalts (185Ma). The Karoo Supergroup rocks are overlain by approximately 80m of Kalahari Group sediments.
The Ecca and Beaufort Series; the Karroo Dolerites; Dyke Rocks of Uncertain Age and Kimberlite and Allied Pipes and Fissures in Carnarvon and Victoria West.
Cape of Good Hope Geol. Comm. 13th. Annual Report, PP. 92-105.
Abstract: The Taj Mahal evokes an image of a monumental building and reflecting pool—its classic view. But the Taj Mahal complex is much more than that. It is actually a series of beautiful buildings and gardens in Agra, India, built in the seventeenth century in loving memory of Mumtaz Mahal. This name, given by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to one of his brides, means “Chosen One of the Palace.” Famed for its architectural magnificence, the landmark holds additional significance for the gemologist. Upon closer investigation, one is impressed with the intricacies of the inlay of numerous gems to create thousands of designs throughout the buildings on the grounds. This article sheds light on the gems used in decorating the Taj Mahal and in the extraordinary jewelry collected by Shah Jahan and other Mughals. These gems often took intricate trade routes to Agra, which are also discussed, along with the craft used to create the inlays and the efforts undertaken to preserve this Wonder of the World.
Gwalani, L.G., Rogers, K.A., Demeny, A., Groves, D.L., Ramsay, R., Beard, A., Downes, P.J., Eves, A.
The Yungul carbonatite dykes associated with the epithermal fluorite deposit at Speewah, Kimberley, Australia: carbon and oxygen isotope constraints origin
Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 98, 1-4, pp. 123-141.
Phlogophite in the generation of olivine melilitites from Namaqualand, South Africa and implications for element fractionation processes in the uppermantle.
Harris, J.R., Ponomarev, P., Shang, S., Budkewitsch, P., Rogge, D.
A comparison of automatic and supervised methods for extracting lithological end members from hyper spectral data: application to southern Baffin Island, Nunavut.
Geological Survey of Canada Current Research, 2006-C4 19p.
Tappert, M.C., Rivard, B., Fulop, A., Rogge, D., Feng, J., Tappert, R., Stalder, R.
Characterizing kimberlite dilution by crustal rocks at the Snap Lake diamond mine ( Northwest Territories, Canada) using SWIR ( 1.90-2.36 um) and LWIR ( 8.1-11.1um) hypersprectal imagery collected from drill core.
Economic Geology, Vol. 110, 6, Sept-Oct. pp. 1375-1387.
43rd Annual Yellowknife Geoscience Forum Abstracts, abstract p. 39.
Canada, Northwest Territories
Deposit - Tango
Abstract: Short-wave infrared (SWIR, 1.90-2.36 µm) hyperspectral imagery collected from 171 meters of drill core from the diamondiferous Tango Extension kimberlite using a high spatial resolution imaging system (pixel size: 1.43 x 1.43 µm) was analyzed to create compositional maps that show the distribution of different crustal (dilution) components and different kimberlite types along the drill core. Three types of crustal dilution components were identified in the compositional maps: carbonate, a carbonate-mudstone mixture, and mudstone. Five spectrally distinct types of kimberlite were identified, which differ mainly in their level of hydration and the amount of crustal micro-dilution they contain. Accompanying the compositional maps are depth profiles that provide quantitative abundance information for each compositional component (dilution and kimberlite). These profiles show the abundance of macro-dilution relative to kimberlite and the spatial distribution of the different kimberlite types. Using depth profiles, compositional boundaries along the length of the drill core were identified and compared to the unit boundaries from the visual lithological log. The boundaries identified using the hyperspectral imagery correlate well with the boundaries recorded during visual logging. This study demonstrates that hyperspectral imagery is well suited to the task of mapping the distribution of spectrally distinct kimberlite types, and quantifying kimberlite micro- and macro-dilution by crustal rocks.
Abstract: The results of testing a prototype of a separator for detecting diamonds in kimberlite ore using tagged neutron method are discussed. Kimberlite ore was irradiated with fast tagged neutrons with an energy of 14.1 MeV. The elemental content of the tray with kimberlite ore was determined. The criterion for detecting diamond was the presence of excess carbon concentration in a certain region of a kimberlite sample.
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A., A785, pp. 9-13.
Technology
Methodology
Abstract: A new technology for diamond detection in kimberlite based on the tagged neutron method is proposed. The results of experimental researches on irradiation of kimberlite samples with 14.1-MeV tagged neutrons are discussed. The source of the tagged neutron flux is a portable neutron generator with a built-in 64-pixel silicon alpha-detector with double-sided stripped readout. Characteristic gamma rays resulting from inelastic neutron scattering on nuclei of elements included in the composition of kimberlite are registered by six gamma-detectors based on BGO crystals. The criterion for diamond presence in kimberlite is an increased carbon concentration within a certain volume of the kimberlite sample.
Abstract: Rare earth elements (REEs) including fifteen lanthanides, yttrium and scandium are found in more than 250 minerals, worldwide. REEs are used in various high-tech applications across various industries, such as electrical and electronics, automotive, renewable energy, medical and defence. Therefore, the demand for REEs in the global market is increasing day by day due to the surging demand from various sectors, such as emerging economies, green technology and R&D sectors. Rare earth (RE) deposits are classified on the basis of their genetic associations, mineralogy and form of occurrences. The Bayan Obo, Mountain Pass, Mount Weld and China’s ion adsorption clays are the major RE deposits/mines in the world to date and their genesis, chronology and mineralogy are discussed in this review. In addition, there are other RE deposits, which are currently being mined or in the feasibility or exploration stages. Most of the RE resources, production, processing and supply are concentrated in the Asia-Pacific region. In this regard, China holds the dominancy in the RE industry by producing more than 90% of the current rare earth requirements. Thus, REEs are used as a powerful tool by China in trade wars against other countries, especially against USA in 2019. However, overwhelming challenges in conventional RE explorations and mining make secondary RE resources, such as electric and electronic waste (e-waste) and mine tailings as promising resources in the future. Due to the supply risk of REEs and the monopoly of the REEs market, REEs recycling is currently considered as an effective method to alleviate market fluctuations. However, economical and sustainable processing techniques are yet to be established to exploit REEs via recycling. Moreover, there are growing ecological concerns along with social resistance towards the RE industry. To overcome these issues, the RE industry needs to be assessed to maintain long-term social sustainability by fostering the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Abstract: During Neoproterozoic Snowball Earth glaciations, the oceans gained massive amounts of alkalinity, culminating in the deposition of massive cap carbonates on deglaciation. Changes in terrestrial runoff associated with both breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent and deglaciation can explain some, but not all of the requisite changes in ocean chemistry. Submarine volcanism along shallow ridges formed during supercontinent breakup results in the formation of large volumes of glassy hyaloclastite, which readily alters to palagonite. Here we estimate fluxes of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silica and bicarbonate associated with these shallow-ridge processes, and argue that extensive submarine volcanism during the breakup of Rodinia made an important contribution to changes in ocean chemistry during Snowball Earth glaciations. We use Monte Carlo simulations to show that widespread hyaloclastite alteration under near-global sea-ice cover could lead to Ca2+ and Mg2+ supersaturation over the course of the glaciation that is sufficient to explain the volume of cap carbonates deposited. Furthermore, our conservative estimates of phosphorus release are sufficient to explain the observed P:Fe ratios in sedimentary iron formations from this time. This large phosphorus release may have fuelled primary productivity, which in turn would have contributed to atmospheric O2 rises that followed Snowball Earth episodes.
American Economic Review, Vol. 107, 6, pp. 1564-1610. pdf
Africa
legal
Abstract: We combine georeferenced data on mining extraction of 14 minerals with information on conflict events at spatial resolution of 0.5 degree x 0.5 degree for all of Africa between 1997 and 2010. Exploiting exogenous variations in world prices, we find a positive impact of mining on conflict at the local level. Quantitatively, our estimates suggest that the historical rise in mineral prices (commodity super-cycle) might explain up to one-fourth of the average level of violence across African countries over the period. We then document how a fighting group's control of a mining area contributes to escalation from local to global violence. Finally, we analyze the impact of corporate practices and transparency initiatives in the mining industry.
Eclogite facies relics and a multistage breakdown in metabasites of the KTB pilot hole, northeast Bavaria: implications for the Variscan tectonometamorphic evol
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 112, pp. 261-278
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 171, pp. 51-
Mantle
Geobarometry
Abstract: The stability of the majorite component in garnet has been experimentally investigated at high pressure and high temperature, focusing on the effect of bulk composition and temperature. High-pressure experiments were performed in a multi-anvil apparatus, at pressures ranging from 6 to 14.5 GPa, and temperatures between 1400 and 1700 °C. Experiments were performed in a range of bulk compositions in the system SiO2-Al2O3-Cr2O3-CaO-MgO with varying Cr/(Cr + Al) ratios. The majorite content of garnet gradually increases with pressure, and the composition of the garnet, specifically the Cr/(Cr + Al) ratio, exerts a significant effect on the majorite substitution. We found no significant effect of temperature. We use the experimental results in combination with the literature data to derive two empirical geobarometers, which can be used to determine the equilibration pressure of natural majoritic garnets of peridotitic and eclogitic bulk compositions. The barometer for peridotitic compositions is
P=?77.1+27.6×Si+1.67×Cr
And the barometer for eclogitic compositions is
P=?29.6+11.8×Si+7.81×Na+4.49×Ca.
Abstract: Metasomatic processes are responsible for many of the heterogeneities found in the upper mantle. To better understand the metasomatism in the lithospheric mantle and to illustrate the differences between metasomatism caused by hydrous silicate and carbonate-rich melts, we performed various interaction experiments: (1) Reactions between hydrous eclogite-derived melts and peridotite at 2.2-2.5 GPa and 900-1000 °C reproduce the metasomatism in the mantle wedge above subduction zones. (2) Reactions between carbonate-rich melts and peridotite at 2.5 GPa and 1050-1000 °C, and at 6 GPa and 1200-1250 °C simulate metasomatism of carbonatite and ultramafic silicate-carbonate melts in different regions of cratonic lithosphere. Our experimental results show that partial melting of hydrous eclogite produces hydrous Si- and Al-rich melts that react with peridotite and form bi-mineralic assemblages of Al-rich orthopyroxene and Mg-rich amphibole. We also found that carbonate-rich melts with different compositions react with peridotite and form new metasomatic wehrlitic mineral assemblages. Metasomatic reactions caused by Ca-rich carbonatite melt consume the primary peridotite and produce large amounts of metasomatic clinopyroxene; on the other hand, metasomatism caused by ultramafic silicate-carbonate melts produces less clinopyroxene. Furthermore, our experiments show that ultramafic silicate-carbonate melts react strongly with peridotite and cause crystallization of large amounts of metasomatic Fe-Ti oxides. The reactions of metasomatic melts with peridotite also change the melt composition. For instance, if the carbonatite melt is not entirely consumed during the metasomatic reactions, its melt composition may change dramatically, generating an alkali-rich carbonated silicate melt that is similar in composition to type I kimberlites.
Abstract: Carbonatites are rare igneous carbonate-rich rocks. Most carbonatites contain a large number of accessory oxide, sulfide, and silicate minerals. Baddeleyite (ZrO2) and zircon (ZrSiO4) are common accessory minerals in carbonatites and because these minerals host high concentrations of U and Th, they are often used to determine the ages of formation of the carbonatite. In an experimental study, we constrain the stability fields of baddeleyite and zircon in Ca-rich carbonate melts with different silica concentrations. Our results show that SiO2-free and low silica carbonate melts crystallize baddeleyite, whereas zircon only crystallizes in melts with higher concentration of SiO2. We also find that the zirconsilicate baghdadite (Ca3ZrSi2O9) crystallizes in intermediate compositions. Our experiments indicate that zircon may not be a primary mineral in a low-silica carbonatite melt and care must be taken when interpreting zircon ages from low-silica carbonatite rocks.
Earth and Planteray Science Letters, Vol. 482, pp. 236-244.
Mantle
transition zone
Abstract: The Earth's mantle contains significant amounts of volatile elements, such as hydrogen (H), carbon (C) and the halogens fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl) and bromine (Br) and iodine (I). There is a wealth of knowledge about the global cycling of H and C, but there is only scant data on the concentrations of halogens in different Earth reservoirs and on the behavior of halogens during recycling in subduction zones. Here we focus on the storage potential of F in deeper parts of the Earth's mantle. The transition zone is a region in the Earth's mantle (410-660 km) known for its high water storage capacity, as the high pressure polymorphs of olivine, wadsleyite and ringwoodite are known to be able to incorporate several per-cent of water. In order to assess potential fractionation between water and F in the transition zone of the Earth's mantle, we set out to investigate the storage capacity of the halogen F in wadsleyite and olivine at transition zone conditions. Experiments were performed in a simplified mantle composition at temperatures from 1400?°C to 1900?°C and pressures from 17 up to 21 GPa in a multi anvil apparatus. The results show that F can shift the olivine-wadsleyite transition towards higher pressure. We find that F has an opposing effect to water, the latter of which extends the transition zone towards lower pressure. Moreover, the F storage capacity of wadsleyite is significantly lower than previously anticipated. F concentrations in wadsleyite range from to independent of temperature or pressure. The F storage capacity in wadsleyite is even lower than the F storage capacity of forsterite under transition zone conditions, and the latter can incorporate F under these conditions. Based on our data we find that the transition zone cannot be a reservoir for F as it is assumed to be for water. Furthermore, we argue that during subduction of a volatile-bearing slab, fractionation of water from F will occur, where water enters preferentially the transition zone and F remains in the peridotite of the lowermost upper mantle.
Abstract: Saline (Cl-rich) fluids potentially play an important role as metasomatic agents in the lithospheric mantle. Natural evidence for deep saline fluids exists as inclusions within diamonds and within groundmass minerals in kimberlites. Previous experimental studies have investigated melting relations in the chloride-carbonate-silicate system at upper mantle conditions, but a systematic experimental study of how saline fluids react with the lithospheric mantle is still lacking. Here, we present high-pressure, high-temperature (HP-HT) reaction experiments between a saline fluid and different mantle rocks (lherzolite, harzburgite, eclogite) at conditions corresponding to the lower cratonic lithosphere. Experiments were performed over a P-T range of 3-6 GPa and 1050-1300 °C using a multi-anvil apparatus. Preliminary results show that the interaction between saline fluid and mantle rocks is very reactive, compared to reactions with silico-carbonate melts. The reaction between saline fluid and lherzolite at 4 GPa and 1200 °C leads to extensive melting. The restite consists mainly of olivine and garnet, whereas pyroxenes are only observed as rare inclusions within garnet. In contrast, reactions between saline fluid and eclogite at 4 GPa and 1200 °C also lead to melting, but the melt is more enriched in Si. The restite consists exclusively of garnet. The experimental results demonstrate how saline fluids react with different components of the lithospheric mantle and support evolutionary models of high density fluids within diamonds.
Abstract: Many Cenozoic basaltic rocks in Eastern Australia exhibit an age-progressive trend from north to south, leading to the suggestion that one or more mantle plumes passed beneath the Australian plate. Trace element patterns indicate that the source regions have been metasomatised by infiltrating melts, but the source rock assemblages have never been closely identified. Here, trace element analyses of olivine and whole rock geochemistry for several occurrences in New South Wales (Bingara-Inverell, Dubbo, Barrington and Ebor) are combined to characterize the mineralogy of the source and identify the nature of the melts that caused the metasomatic enrichment. According to Ni/Mg against Mn/Fe and Zn/Fe ratios in olivines, Zn/Fe and FC3MS (FeOT/CaO-3*MgO/SiO2) parameters in whole rocks, tholeiite, alkali basalt, and basanite rich in olivine xenocrysts from Dubbo were derived from pyroxenite-dominated mixed source, mixed pyroxenite+peridotite source, and peridotite-dominated source, respectively. Similarly, basalts from Ebor and Bingara/Inverell are suggested to originate from a mixed pyroxenite+peridotite source based on their high FC3MS values. In contrast, the source of basanite and picrobasalt from Barrington was peridotite with little pyroxenite. High Li and Zn in olivines, high P2O5/TiO2 and Zr/Hf at low Ti/Eu in whole rocks illustrate that the pyroxenite sources of basanites from Bingara/Inverell, Barrington and Dubbo resulted from variable degrees of carbonatitic metasomatism. Partial melting of peridotite metasomatised by carbonatite melts at around the spinel-garnet peridotite transition depth produced basalts and basanites from Dubbo, Barrington, Ebor, Bingara/Inverell and Buckland (Queensland). Carbonatitic metasomatism is widespread in the eastern Australian mantle lithosphere, occurring seaboard of a ledge between thick lithosphere beneath the Australian continent that stretches from Queensland, through New South Wales to Victoria.
Abstract: Cenozoic primitive basanites, nephelinites and melilitites from the Heldburg region, SE Germany, are high-MgO magmas (8•5-14•1?wt % MgO), with low SiO2 (34•2-47•1?wt %) and low to moderately high Al2O3 (9•0-15•5?wt %) and CaO (8•7-12•7?wt %). The Ni and Cr contents of most samples are up to 470?ppm and 640?ppm, respectively, and match those inferred for primary melts. In multi-element diagrams, all samples are highly enriched in incompatible trace elements with chondrite-normalised La/Yb?=?19-45, strongly depleted in Rb and K, with primitive mantle normalised K/La?=?0•15-0•72, and moderately depleted in Pb. The initial Sr-Nd-Hf isotope compositions (87Sr/86Sr?=?0•7033-0•7051, 143Nd/144Nd?=?0•51279-0•51288 and 176Hf/177Hf?=?0•28284-0•28294) fall within the range observed for other Tertiary volcanic rocks of the Central European Volcanic Province, whereas 208Pb/204Pb and 206Pb/204Pb (38•42-38•88 and 18•49-18•98) are distinctly lower at comparable 207Pb/204Pb (15•60-15•65). Trace element modelling and pressure-temperature estimates based on major element compositions and experimental data suggest that the nephelinites/melilitites formed within the lowermost lithospheric mantle, close to the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary, by ?3-5% partial melting of a highly enriched, metasomatised, carbonated phlogopite-bearing garnet-lherzolite at temperatures?<1250?°C and pressures of ?2•8?GPa. This corresponds to a melting depth of less than ?85?km. Formation and eruption of these magmas, based on 40Ar/39Ar dating, started in the late Eocene (38•0 Ma) and lasted until the late Oligocene (25•4 Ma). Basanite eruptions occurred in the same area in the middle Miocene, about 7•7 Myr after nephelinite/melilitite generation has ceased, and lasted from 17•7 to 13•1 Ma. The basanites were generated at lower pressures (2•2-1•7?GPa) at similar temperatures (?1220-1250?°C) within the spinel stability field in the lithospheric mantle by 2-6% partial melting. Isotope and trace element systematics indicate that the lithospheric mantle source of the Heldburg magmas was affected by metasomatism associated with long-lasting subduction of oceanic and continental crust during the Variscan orogeny. Aqueous or supercritical fluids that formed at temperatures?<1000?°C and pressures of likely?>4?GPa infiltrated the thermal boundary layer at the base of the lithospheric mantle and imprinted a crustal lead isotope, and to a minor extent crustal Sr, Nd and Hf isotope signatures. They also reduced Nb/U, Ce/Pb, Lu/Hf, Sm/Nd, U/Pb and Th/Pb, but increased Rb/Sr and Nb/Ta and amplified the enrichment of LILE and LREE relative to HREE. This lead to the highly-enriched trace element patterns observed in both sample suites, and to overall less radiogenic 206Pb/204Pb and 208Pb/204Pb compared to other continental basalts in Central Europe, and to less radiogenic 176Hf/177Hf and 143Nd/144Nd that plot distinctly below the terrestrial mantle array. Temporal evolution of magmatism in the Heldburg region coincides with the changing Tertiary intraplate stress field in Central Europe, which developed in response to the Alpine orogeny. Magmatism was most probably caused in response to lithosphere deformation and perturbation of the thermal boundary layer, and not by actively upwelling asthenosphere.
Abstract: General information is presented on ten agpaitic occurrences located in southern Brazil and at the border between Brazil and Paraguay. All the Brazilian agpaitic rocks are Late Cretaceous in age, whereas the Paraguayan ones are older than Early Triassic. The most significant occurrence is Poços de Caldas, the largest alkaline massif in South America. In general, these agpaitic rocks contain mineral assemblages that indicate presence of typical halogen-bearing Na-Ca-HFSE phases, eudialyte-, rinkite- and wöhlerite-group minerals being the most frequent ones. However, these associations are indeed more complex in terms of composition, with accessory phases in some cases consisting of various minerals, including U-Th oxides/silicates, Nb oxides, REE-Sr-Ba bearing carbonates-fluorocarbonates-phosphates-silicates and Zr-Na rich silicates. They usually form late magmatic stage to hydrothermal/deuteric assemblages linked with coarse and fine-grained, mainly silica-undersaturated evolved rocks. Data also indicate significant differences in type, amount and composition of agpaitic minerals in all investigated occurrences.
Geostandards and Geoanalltical Research, Vol. 43, 3, pp. 543-565.
China, Europe, Sweden, Asia, Mongolia, United States, Africa, Malawi, Madagascar
REE
Abstract: Bastnäsite is the end member of a large group of carbonate-fluoride minerals with the common formula (REE) CO3F•CaCO3. This group is generally widespread and, despite never occurring in large quantities, represents the major economic light rare earth element (LREE) mineral in deposits related to carbonatite and alkaline intrusions. Since bastnäsite is easily altered and commonly contains inclusions of earlier?crystallised minerals, in situ analysis is considered the most suitable method to measure its U?Th?Pb and Sr?Nd isotopic compositions. Electron probe microanalysis and laser ablation (multi?collector) inductively coupled plasma?mass spectrometry of forty?six bastnäsite samples from LREE deposits in China, Pakistan, Sweden, Mongolia, USA, Malawi and Madagascar indicate that this mineral typically has high Th and LREE and moderate U and Sr contents. Analysis of an in?house bastnäsite reference material (K?9) demonstrated that precise and accurate U?Th?Pb ages could be obtained after common Pb correction. Moreover, the Th?Pb age with its high precision is preferable to the U?Pb age because most bastnäsites have relatively high Th rather than U contents. These results will have significant implications for understanding the genesis of endogenous ore deposits and formation processes related to metallogenic geochronology research.
Abstract: Earth's continents drift in response to the force balance between mantle flow and plate tectonics and actively change the plate-mantle coupling. Thus, the patterns of continental drift provide relevant information on the coupled evolution of surface tectonics, mantle structure and dynamics. Here, we investigate rheological controls on such evolutions and use surface tectonic patterns to derive inferences on mantle viscosity structure on Earth. We employ global spherical models of mantle convection featuring self-consistently generated plate tectonics, which are used to compute time-evolving continental configurations for different mantle and lithosphere structures. Our results highlight the importance of the wavelength of mantle flow for continental configuration evolution. Too strong short-wavelength components complicate the aggregation of large continental clusters, while too stable very long wavelength flow tends to enforce compact supercontinent clustering without reasonable dispersal frequencies. Earth-like continental drift with episodic collisions and dispersals thus requires a viscosity structure that supports long-wavelength flow, but also allows for shorter-wavelength contributions. Such a criterion alone is a rather permissive constraint on internal structure, but it can be improved by considering continental-oceanic plate speed ratios and the toroidal-poloidal partitioning of plate motions. The best approximation of Earth's recent tectonic evolution is then achieved with an intermediate lithospheric yield stress and a viscosity structure in which oceanic plates are ? 103 × more viscous than the characteristic upper mantle, which itself is ? 100-200 × less viscous than the lowermost mantle. Such a structure causes continents to move on average ? (2.2 ± 1.0) × slower than oceanic plates, consistent with estimates from present-day and from plate reconstructions. This does not require a low viscosity asthenosphere globally extending below continental roots. However, this plate speed ratio may undergo strong fluctuations on timescales of several 100 Myr that may be linked to periods of enhanced continental collisions and are not yet captured by current tectonic reconstructions.
Ultra high pressure metamorphism and multistage exhumation of eclogite of the Luotian dome, North Dabie Complex Zone: evidence from mineral inclusions -texture
Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, Vol. 42, 4, pp. 607-617.
Liu, Y-C., Deng, L-P., Gu, X-F., Groppo, C., Rolfo, F.
Application of Ti in zircon and Zr in rutile thermometers to constrain high temperature metamorphism in eclogites from the Dabie Orogen, central China.
European Journal of Mineralogy, Vol. 31, pp. 889-803. pdf
China
eclogite
Abstract: A combined study of detailed petrographic observation, mineral chemistry analysis and phase equilibrium modeling indicates that the high-temperature eclogites from the Dabie orogen, central China, experienced two episodes of anatexis: the first is phengite dehydration melting during the exhumation of deeply subducted slices, and the second is heating melting related to the post-orogenic collapse. Petrographic evidence and clues of the anatectic events include biotite + plagioclase + garnet ± amphibole intergrowth in matrix and biotite + plagioclase intergrowth within amphibole porphyroblast. Pressure-temperature (P-T) pseudosection and modal variation diagram indicate that the biotite + plagioclase + garnet ± amphibole in matrix was formed by the reactions phengite + clinopyroxene + quartz = melt + sanidine + garnet + plagioclase and later melt + sanidine + garnet = biotite + plagioclase, while the biotite + plagioclase intergrowths within poikiloblastic amphibole were formed by the reaction amphibole + muscovite + epidote = biotite + plagioclase + melt. In addition, the combination of petrological observations and P-T estimates suggests that the first melting event occurred at the late Triassic, while the second is related to the early Cretaceous mountain-root removal and subsequent asthenospheric upwelling and heat input. As the P-T paths of high-temperature/ultrahigh-pressure rocks have high probabilities to cross-cut phengite-melting curves, phengite melting during decompression may be a common process in these rocks. Moreover, the coexistence of multiple episodes of anatexis in a single tectonic slice suggests caution when identifying and dating partial melting in high-temperature/(ultra)high-pressure rocks.
Abstract: The Rio Apa cratonic fragment crops out in Mato Grosso do Sul State of Brazil and in northeastern Paraguay. It comprises Paleo-Mesoproterozoic medium grade metamorphic rocks, intruded by granitic rocks, and is covered by the Neoprotero-zoic deposits of the Corumbá and Itapocumi Groups. Eastward it is bound by the southern portion of the Paraguay belt. In this work, more than 100 isotopic determina-tions, including U-Pb SHRIMP zircon ages, Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd whole-rock determina-tions, as well as K-Ar and Ar-Ar mineral ages, were reassessed in order to obtain a complete picture of its regional geological history. The tectonic evolution of the Rio Apa Craton starts with the formation of a series of magmatic arc complexes. The oldest U-Pb SHRIMP zircon age comes from a banded gneiss collected in the northern part of the region, with an age of 1950 23 Ma. The large granitic intrusion of the Alumiador Batholith yielded a U-Pb zircon age of 1839 33 Ma, and from the southeastern part of the area two orthogneisses gave zircon U-Pb ages of 1774 26 Ma and 1721 25 Ma. These may be coeval with the Alto Tererê metamorphic rocks of the northeastern corner, intruded in their turn by the Baía das Garças granitic rocks, one of them yielding a zircon U-Pb age of 1754 49 Ma. The original magmatic protoliths of these rocks involved some crustal component, as indicated by the Sm-Nd T DM model ages, between 1.9 and 2.5 Ga. Regional Sr isotopic homogenization, associated with tectonic deformation and medium-grade metamorphism occurred at approximately 1670 Ma, as suggested by Rb-Sr whole rock reference isochrons. Finally, at 1300 Ma ago, the Ar work indicates that the Rio Apa Craton was affected by widespread regional heating, when the temperature probably exceeded 350°C. Geographic distribution, age and isotopic signature of the lithotectonic units suggest the existence of a major suture separating two different tectonic domains, juxtaposed at about 1670 Ma. From that time on, the unified Rio Apa continental block behaved as one coherent and stable tectonic unit. It correlates well with the SW corner of the Amazonian Craton, where the medium-grade rocks of the Juruena-Rio Negro tectonic province, with ages between 1600 and 1780 Ma, were reworked at about 1300 Ma. Looking at the largest scale, the Rio Apa Craton is probably attached to the larger Amazonian Craton, and the actual configuration of southwestern South America is possibly due to a complex arrangement of allochthonous blocks such as the Arequipa, Antofalla and Pampia, with different sizes, that may have originated as disrupted parts of either Laurentia or Amazonia, and were trapped during later collisions of these continental masses.
Abstract: The Variscan French Massif Central (FMC) is classically described as a stack of nappes with increasing metamorphism from the bottom (parautochthonous unit) to the top (lower and upper gneiss units). Ultra-high pressure (UHP) metamorphism was already recognized in the uppermost units, with notably coesite-bearing rocks. We report the first finding of metamorphic microdiamonds in the parautochthonous unit, revealing that the UHP event affected the whole stack of nappes and also that the pressures reached are above what was previously expected, since the presence of diamond, according to the peak temperature estimates for this unit, indicates pressures of ca. 3 GPa (i.e. 100 km depth). At the scale of the FMC, this finding adds complexity to the established models. On a broader scale, this adds evidence of similarity between this part of the belt and other UHP Variscan terranes such as the Erzgebirge and the Bohemian Massif.
Monie, P., Bosch, D., Bruguier, O., Vauchez, A., Rolland, Y., Nsungani, P., Buta Nto, A.
The Late Neoproterozoic/Early Palezoic evolution of the West Congo belt of NW Angola: geochronological (U-Pb and Ar-Ar) and petrostructural constraints.
Abstract: Most critical raw materials, such as the rare-earth elements (REEs), are starting products in long manufacturing supply chains. Unlike most consumers, geoscientists can become involved in responsible sourcing, including best environmental and social practices, because geology is related to environmental impact factors such as energy requirements, resource efficiency, radioactivity and the amount of rock mined. The energy and material inputs and the emissions and waste from mining and processing can be quantified, and studies for REEs show little difference between ‘hard rocks’, such as carbonatites, and easily leachable ion-adsorption clays. The reason is the similarity in the embodied energy in the chemicals used for leaching, dissolution and separation.
Abstract: The geochemistry and mineralogy of REE deposits is diverse, from carbonatite-related deposits, alkaline rocks, mineral sands and ion adsorption clays to potential by-products of phosphate and bauxite, and reuse of waste materials. Despite the large number of prospects that have been explored recently, very little additional REE production has started. A major challenge is to design effective, cost-efficient and environmentally-friendly processing and extraction. Processing flow sheets have to be constructed carefully for each deposit. Translating geochemistry and mineralogy studies, including quantitative mineralogy results, into processing characteristics can be illustrated using results from the Songwe Hill carbonatite, Malawi. Combining results with other published data then allows us to make some general conclusions about the common REE ore minerals and their geological environment, including the REE fluorcarbonate series, monazite and xenotime. The use of chemicals for REE extraction is often the largest environmental burden to mitigate. A new issue is that certain REE, such as Ce, are in oversupply, and are not being recovered in some proposed processing flowsheets. It will be important to understand the environmental and commercial implications of this development.
Lithos, doi.org/10.1016/ j.lithos.2020.105918 67p. Pdf
Africa, South Africa
deposit - Roberts Victor
Abstract: Platinum-group elements (PGE) display a chalcophile behaviour and are largely hosted by base metal sulphide (BMS) minerals in the mantle. During partial melting of the mantle, BMS release their metal budget into the magma generated. The fertility of magma sources is a key component of the mineralisation potential of large igneous provinces (LIP) and the origin of orthomagmatic sulphide deposits hosted in cratonic mafic magmatic systems. Fertility of mantle-derived magma is therefore predicated on our understanding of the abundance of metals, such as the PGE, in the asthenospheric and lithospheric mantle. Estimations of the abundance of chalcophile elements in the upper mantle are based on observations from mantle xenoliths and BMS inclusions in diamonds. Whilst previous assessments exist for the BMS composition and chalcophile element budget of peridotitic mantle, relatively few analyses have been published for eclogitic mantle. Here, we present sulphide petrography and an extensive in situ dataset of BMS trace element compositions from Roberts Victor eclogite xenoliths (Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa). The BMS are dominated by pyrite-chalcopyrite-pentlandite (± pyrrhotite) assemblages with S/Se ratios ranging 1200 to 36,840 (with 87% of analyses having S/Se this editing is incorrect. This should read "(with 87% of analyses having S/Se < 10,000)" Please note the 100 ppm) and are characteristically enriched in Os, Ir, Ru and Rh. Nano- and micron-scale Pd-Pt antimonide, telluride and arsenide platinum-group minerals (PGM) are observed spatially associated with BMS. We suggest that the predominance of pyrite in the xenoliths reflects the process of eclogitisation and that the trace element composition of the eclogite BMS was inherited from oceanic crustal protoliths of the eclogites, introduced into the SCLM via ancient subduction during formation of the Colesberg Magnetic Lineament c. 2.9 Ga and the cratonisation of the Kaapvaal Craton. Crucially, we demonstrate that the PGE budget of eclogitic SCLM may be substantially higher than previously reported, akin to peridotitic compositions, with significant implications for the PGE fertility of cratonic mafic magmatism and metallogenesis. We quantitatively assess these implications by modelling the chalcophile geochemistry of an eclogitic melt component in parental magmas of the mafic Rustenburg Layered Suite of the Bushveld Complex.
Abstract: Recent studies of chromite deposits from the mantle section of ophiolites have revealed a most unusual collection of minerals present as inclusions within the chromite. The initial discoveries were of diamonds from the Luobosa ophiolite in Tibet. Further work has shown that mantle chromitites from ophiolites in Tibet, the Russian Urals and Oman contain a range of crustal minerals including zircon, and a suite of highly reducing minerals including carbides, nitrides and metal alloys. Some of the minerals found represent very high pressure phases indicating that their likely minimum depth is close to the top of the mantle transition zone. These new results suggest that crustal materials may be subducted to mantle transition zone depths and subsequently exhumed during the initiation of new subduction zones-the most likely environment for the formation of their host ophiolites. The presence of highly reducing phases indicates that at mantle transition zone depths the Earth's mantle is "super"-reducing.
Abstract: Dunites in the mantle section of the Oman ophiolite contain olivines which show both a wide range of compositions (Fo86.2 to Fo94) and very high magnesium numbers. These data are combined with experimental liquidus olivine-melt data to show that the range of olivine compositions requires that the dunites formed from a range of melt compositions and that some of these melts were very magnesian, with MgO concentrations up to MgO?=?18-20?wt%. These observations are consistent with the finding of MgO-rich melt inclusions from chromitites in the mantle section of the Oman ophiolite (Rollinson et al., Lithos, 2018). It is proposed that the high Mg-olivines formed in equilibrium with high-Ca boninites, found in the upper section of the pillow lavas sequence of the ophiolite. A model is developed whereby high MgO boninites fractionated olivine through a process of melt-rock reaction/fractionation with the enclosing harzburgite to create a range of dunitic compositions and evolved boninitic lavas. Field evidence shows that the emplacement of boninites was late in the evolution of the Oman ophiolite indicating that the mantle dunites of boninitic origin formed late in the history of the ophiolite. High-Ca boninites form through the shallow, hydrous melting of the mantle wedge in a subduction setting and the presence of boninitic dunites and lavas further supports the view that the Oman ophiolite formed in a fore-arc setting through subduction-induced spreading.
Journal of African Earth Science, Vol. 186, 104434, 12p. Pdf
Africa, Zimbabwe
REE
Abstract: The granulites of the Northern Marginal Zone of the Limpopo belt, Zimbabwe represent the lower crust of the Zimbabwe Craton. They are predominantly felsic in composition and represent magmas of the tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite suite which formed during a period of major crustal growth in the Neoarchaean. However, enclosed within the felsic gneisses of the NMZ are mafic granulites (metabasalts) which make up between 5 and 10% of the rock volume and which both predate and post-date the main TTG magmatism. These rocks show a diverse range of trace element compositions and are used here to characterize those mantle processes which were taking place during this period of crustal growth. The mafic granulites can be subdivided into two main groups. 1. Large metabasite lenses, associated with banded iron formation, represent a supracrustal suite of basalts which predate the emplacement of the TTGs and may be time equivalents of the lower greenstones of the Zimbabwe Craton. Samples can be grouped into three different types of REE pattern - depleted, chondritic and enriched - which is interpreted to show that they were partial melts of a depleted mantle source, which in places interacted with and was contaminated with older felsic crust. 2. Narrow dykes post-date the emplacement of the NMZ TTG suite. There are two geochemical types. Dykes with light-enriched REE patterns are derived from a depleted mantle source but were contaminated with felsic crust during their emplacement. Dykes highly enriched in light REE were derived from an enriched mantle source formed through the refertilisation of a previously depleted mantle source. The deep melting of this refertilised source gave rise to highly enriched mafic melts. The large metabasite lenses could be indicative of the metabasaltic source which subsequently partially melted to form the NMZ TTG magmatic suite. Later deep mantle melting to form the post TTG dykes may be related to the creation of thick Neoarchaean continental crust and associated mantle lithosphere.
Abstract: Recent studies conclude that plate tectonics started 3 b.y. ago in the mid Archean. A transition from a "presubduction" regime to modern plate tectonics is said to be marked by changes in trace-element or isotopic ratios, the appearance of eclogitic inclusions in diamonds, or an apparent change in upper crust composition. Behind these arguments is the notion that subduction was intermittent or impossible early in Earth history when the mantle was hotter. If so, a mechanism other than subduction must have created granitoids of Archean continental crust. In the sagduction model, the base of thick oceanic crust converts to eclogite, founders, and melts to generate granitic magma. Here we evaluate two crucial constraints on the sagduction process: to generate granitic magma requires that water and basalt is taken deep into the mantle; thick oceanic crust is internally differentiated into uppermost layers of hydrated basalt and lower mafic-ultramafic cumulates. Our numerical modelling shows that any deformation within thick, differentiated crust is restricted to the lower cumulates that lack ingredients essential to generate granitic magma. Emplacement of hot intrusions heats the lower crust which was hot and anhydrous. We conclude that the sagduction model is flawed. Recent re-evaluation gives temperatures in ambient Archean upper mantle only moderately higher than in modern mantle, which deflates arguments that subduction was impossible in the Archean. We conclude that Archean continental crust was generated in subduction zones and that plate tectonics started in the early Archean.
Geochemistry International, Vol. 56, 13, pp. 1289-1321.
Mantle
geophysics
Abstract: The generation of crustal material and the formation of continental crust with a thickness of ?40 km involve different physical mechanisms operating over different time-scales and length-scales. This review focusses on the building of a thick crustal assemblage and on the vertical dimension where the consequences of gravity-driven processes are expressed most clearly. Continental crustal material is produced by a sequence of crust and mantle mlelting, fractionation of basaltic melts and sinking of dense mafic cumulates. The repeated operation of these mechanisms over tens of million years leads to a thick stably stratified crust. We evaluate the main mechanisms involved from a physics perspective and identify the key controls and constraints, with special attention to thermal requirements. To form magma reservoirs able to process significant magma volumes and to allow the foundering of mafic cumulates, melt must be fed locally at rates that are larger than that of average crustal growth. This requires the temporary focussing of magmatic activity in a few centers. In some cases, foundering of dense cumulates does not go to completion, leaving a deformed residual body bearing tell-tale traces of the process. Crust must be thicker than a threshold value in a 30-45 km range for mafic cumulates to sink into the mantle below the crust. Once that threshold thickness has been reached, further additions lead to increase the proportion of felsic material in the crust at the expense of mafic lithologies which disappear from the crust. This acts to enhance radiogenic heat production in the crust. One consequence is that crustal temperatures can be kept at high values in times of diminished melt input and also when magmatic activity stops altogether, which may lead to post-orogenic intracrustal melting and differentiation. Another consequence is that the crust becomes too weak mechanically to withstand the elevation difference with neighbouring terranes, which sets a limit on crustal thickening. The thermal structure of the evolving crust is a key constraint on the overall process and depends strongly on radiogenic heat production, which is surely one of the properties that make continental crust very distinctive. In the Archean Superior Province, Canada, the formation of juvenile continental crust and its thermal maturation 2.7 Gy ago can be tracked quite accurately and reproduced by calculations relying on the wealth of heat flow and heat production data available there. Physical models of magma ascent and storage favour the formation of magma reservoirs at shallow levels. This suggests that crustal growth proceeds mostly from the top down, with material that gets buried to increasingly large depths. Vertical growth is accompanied by lateral spreading in two different places. Within the crust, magma intrusions are bound to extend in the horizontal direction. Deeper down, lateral variations of Moho depth that develop due to the focussing of magmatic activity get relaxed by lower crustal flow. This review has not dealt with processes at the interface between the growing crust and the mantle, which may well be where dikes get initiated by mechanisms that have so far defied theoretical analyses. Research in this particular area is required to further our understanding of continental crust formation.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, in press available. 13p.
Mantle
plate tectonics
Abstract: Many recent studies conclude that plate tectonics started about 3 billion years ago in the mid Archean. The transition from a pre-subduction regime to modern plate tectonics is reported to be marked by changes in trace element ratios or isotopic compositions that monitor the rate of growth of the continental crust, the appearance of eclogitic inclusions in diamonds, or an apparent change in the composition of the upper crust. Behind most of these arguments is the hypothesis that, early in Earth history when the mantle was hotter, subduction was intermittent or impossible. If so, a mechanism other than subduction must have created the granitoids that dominate Archean continental crust. One alternative, commonly referred to as sagduction, proposes that the base of thick oceanic crust founders and partially melts to generate granitic magma. Here we evaluate the sagduction process, starting by discussing two crucial concepts: (1) thick oceanic crust is internally differentiated, with hydrated basalt being restricted to the uppermost layers, (2) the generation of granitic magma requires that water and basalt is present in the lower part of the crust or is taken deep into the mantle. We present the results of numerical modelling that demonstrates that when intrusion is taken into account, the lower portion of the crust is well above dehydration temperatures and therefore essentially dry. We show that any deformation within thick, differentiated crust is restricted to the lowermost layers of dry, infertile mafic-ultramafic cumulates that lack the ingredients essential for the generation of granitic magma. Given the implausibility of the sagduction process, we suggest that subduction was the main mechanism that generated granitoid magmas, in the Archean as today.
Abstract: “Super-deep” diamonds are thought to have a sub-lithospheric origin (i.e., below ~300 km depth) because some of the mineral phases entrapped within them as inclusions are considered to be the products of retrograde transformation from lower-mantle or transition-zone precursors. CaSiO3-walstromite, the most abundant Ca-bearing mineral inclusion found in super-deep diamonds, is believed to derive from CaSiO3-perovskite, which is stable only below ~600 km depth, although its real depth of origin is controversial. The remnant pressure (Pinc) retained by an inclusion, combined with the thermoelastic parameters of the mineral inclusion and the diamond host, allows calculation of the entrapment pressure of the diamond-inclusion pair. Raman spectroscopy, together with X-ray diffraction, is the most commonly used method for measuring the Pinc without damaging the diamond host. In the present study we provide, for the first time, a calibration curve to determine the Pinc of a CaSiO3-walstromite inclusion by means of Raman spectroscopy without breaking the diamond. To do so, we performed high-pressure micro-Raman investigations on a CaSiO3-walstromite crystal under hydrostatic stress conditions within a diamond-anvil cell. We additionally calculated the Raman spectrum of CaSiO3-walstromite by ab initio methods both under hydrostatic and non-hydrostatic stress conditions to avoid misinterpretation of the results caused by the possible presence of deviatoric stresses causing anomalous shift of CaSiO3-walstromite Raman peaks. Last, we applied single-inclusion elastic barometry to estimate the minimum entrapment pressure of a CaSiO3-walstromite inclusion trapped in a natural diamond, which is ~9 GPa (~260 km) at 1800 K. These results suggest that the diamond investigated is certainly sub-lithospheric and endorse the hypothesis that the presence of CaSiO3-walstromite is a strong indication of super-deep origin.
Geophysical Research , Vol. 20, EGU2018-13349 1p. Abstract
Iceland
magmatism
Abstract: Porous rocks represent the products of all explosive volcanic eruptions. As magma ascends to the Earth’s surface, bubbles form as a consequence of the evolving saturation state of volatiles dissolved in the melt. The presence of pores (either filled with pressurized volatiles or not) strongly controls the rheological behaviour of magma and thus influences all volcanic processes (pre- syn- and post-eruptive). Nevertheless, the effects of porosity on the rheology of magma are not well characterised, and a general parameterization is not available yet. Here we present a new set of experiments designed to investigate the rheology of porous melts at high temperature (750-800
C), low strain rates (10^6-10^7 s^-1) and variable porosity. Experiments were performed at 1 atm using a Setaram Setsys vertical dilatometer. The starting materials are 5 x 5 mm cores of natural rhyolitic obsidian from Hrafntinnuhryggur, Krafla, Iceland (vesicle and crystal-free) initially containing 0.11(4) wt% dissolved H2O. The experimental procedure is composed by two steps: 1) synthesis of bubble-bearing materials by heating and expansion due to foaming; 2) deformation of the foamed samples. During the first step, the obsidian cores are heated above the glass transition temperature to 900- 1050
C and held for set amounts of time (2-24 h); the volume of the foamed samples increases because H2O vapour-filled bubbles nucleate and expand. The change in volume (measured by He-pycnometry) is linked to the change in porosity (10-50 vol%). For the second step, two different experimental strategies are employed, hereafter “single-stage” and “doublestage” measurements. Single-stage measurements involve deformation of the samples directly after foaming (without quenching). The sample is cooled down from the foaming T to different target T (750-800
C), a constant load (150 g) is applied by silica or alumina probes to the core, and the cores deform isothermally for 5-20 hours. Conversely, double-stage measurements involve deformation of previously synthesised and quenched pore-bearing cores. In this case the sample is heated up to the target T and deformed under an applied load for similar amount of time (5-20 hours). In both cases, the variation in length (displacement) and volume (porosity) is continuously recorded and used to calculate the viscosity of the foamed cores using Gent’s equations. Preliminary results suggest for single-stage measurements a lower effect of bubbles on the bulk viscosity, compared to double-stage measurements. We suggest that the different behaviour may be related to the different microstructure of the experimental materials. For single-stage measurements, closed and H2O vapour-filled bubbles contribute to the observed higher viscosity, whereas in double-stage measurements, possible gas leaking and melt micro-cracking during quenching are able to weaken the porous material and markedly lower suspension viscosity.
Minerals MDPI, Vol. 10, 267 doi: 10.23390/min10030267 14p. Pdf
Mantle
Melililite, carbon
Abstract: Understanding the viscosity of mantle-derived magmas is needed to model their migration mechanisms and ascent rate from the source rock to the surface. High pressure-temperature experimental data are now available on the viscosity of synthetic melts, pure carbonatitic to carbonate-silicate compositions, anhydrous basalts, dacites and rhyolites. However, the viscosity of volatile-bearing melilititic melts, among the most plausible carriers of deep carbon, has not been investigated. In this study, we experimentally determined the viscosity of synthetic liquids with ~31 and ~39 wt% SiO2, 1.60 and 1.42 wt% CO2 and 5.7 and 1 wt% H2O, respectively, at pressures from 1 to 4.7 GPa and temperatures between 1265 and 1755 °C, using the falling-sphere technique combined with in situ X-ray radiography. Our results show viscosities between 0.1044 and 2.1221 Pa•s, with a clear dependence on temperature and SiO2 content. The atomic structure of both melt compositions was also determined at high pressure and temperature, using in situ multi-angle energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction supported by ex situ microFTIR and microRaman spectroscopic measurements. Our results yield evidence that the T-T and T-O (T = Si,Al) interatomic distances of ultrabasic melts are higher than those for basaltic melts known from similar recent studies. Based on our experimental data, melilititic melts are expected to migrate at a rate ~from 2 to 57 km•yr?1 in the present-day or the Archaean mantle, respectively.
Abstract: Alfred Wegener (1880-1930) was a leading explorer, geophysicist, and meteorologist from Germany, and pioneer in the exploration of Greenland (1). His seminal volume of meteorology (2) is universally considered a fundamental manual for this discipline and was long a reference text for students and specialists. Wegener's preeminent scientific legacy, however, is the continental drift hypothesis. He first presented his thesis to the scientific community on 6 January 1912 at the Geological Society of Frankfurt am Main, but his famous monograph on the subject dates to 1915 (3).
Neoproterozoic alkaline magmatism and associated igneous rocks in the western framing of the Siberian craton: petrography, geochemistry, and geochronology.
Russian Geology and Geophysics, Vol. 53, 11, pp. 1176-1196.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 449, pp. 164-175.
United States, Canada
Geophysics - seismics
Abstract: We estimate crustal and uppermost mantle shear velocity structure beneath 30 stations in North America by jointly inverting the high frequency scattered wavefield observed in the P wave coda, together with long period surface wave phase and group dispersion data. Several features distinguish our approach from previous such joint inversions. 1) We apply a cross-convolution method, rather than more standard deconvolution approaches used in receiver function studies, and consider both Love and Rayleigh wave dispersion, allowing us to infer profiles of radial anisotropy. 2) We generate probabilistic 1D radially anisotropic depth profiles across the whole uppermost mantle, down to ?350 km depth. 3) The inverse problem is cast in a trans-dimensional Bayesian formalism, where the number of isotropic and anisotropic layers is treated as unknown, allowing us to obtain models described with the least number of parameters. Results show that the tectonically active region west of the Rocky Mountain Front is marked by a Lithospheric Asthenosphere Boundary and a Lehmann Discontinuity occurring at relatively shallow depths (60-150 km and 100-200 km, respectively), whereas further east, in the stable craton, these discontinuities are deeper (170-200 km and 200-250 km, respectively). In addition, in the stable part of the continent, at least two Mid-Lithospheric Discontinuities are present at intermediate depths, suggesting the existence of strong lithospheric layering, and a mechanism for lithospheric thickening by underplating of additional layers as cratonic age increases. The Moho across the continent as well as mid-crustal discontinuities in the craton are also imaged, in agreement with independent studies.
Abstract: The physical nature of two regions called large low-shear-velocity provinces at the base of Earth's mantle is uncertain. A measurement of their density has implications for our understanding of mantle dynamics.
Abstract: Geochemical variations in volcanic rocks erupted at Earth's surface indicate differences in mantle composition, but our understanding of the location, formation, and history of compositionally distinct mantle domains remains incomplete. In particular, some hotspot lavas contain signatures of primitive regions within the mantle that have remained relatively isolated and unprocessed throughout Earth's history. Here we use models of mantle flow to predict the locations within the mantle that are sampled by the mantle plumes associated with hotspot volcanism. Combining these models of mantle flow with state?of?the?art seismic images and a comprehensive catalog of hotspot lava geochemistry, we find that hotspots with a more primitive geochemical signature (as indicated by the isotopes of helium) sample the two large low shear?velocity provinces in the lowermost mantle. Complementary constraints from xenon and tungsten isotope ratios associated with primitive materials then require these continent?sized provinces in Earth's deep interior formed early in Earth's history, survived the violent Moon?forming giant impact, and remained relatively unmixed with the rest of the solid Earth over the past 4.5 billion years.
Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, Vol. 20, 8, pp. 4130-4145.
Mantle
geophysics - seismics
Abstract: Geochemical variations in volcanic rocks erupted at Earth's surface indicate differences in mantle composition, but our understanding of the location, formation, and history of compositionally distinct mantle domains remains incomplete. In particular, some hotspot lavas contain signatures of primitive regions within the mantle that have remained relatively isolated and unprocessed throughout Earth's history. Here we use models of mantle flow to predict the locations within the mantle that are sampled by the mantle plumes associated with hotspot volcanism. Combining these models of mantle flow with state-of-the-art seismic images and a comprehensive catalog of hotspot lava geochemistry, we find that hotspots with a more primitive geochemical signature (as indicated by the isotopes of helium) sample the two large low shear-velocity provinces in the lowermost mantle. Complementary constraints from xenon and tungsten isotope ratios associated with primitive materials then require these continent-sized provinces in Earth's deep interior formed early in Earth's history, survived the violent Moon-forming giant impact, and remained relatively unmixed with the rest of the solid Earth over the past 4.5 billion years.
Abstract: Based on SEMUCB?WM1 tomographic model, validated by other recent models, and fluid mechanics constraints, we show that the large low shear velocity provinces (LLSVPs) present at the base of the Earth's mantle beneath the Pacific and Africa do not extend as compact, uniform structures very high above the core?mantle boundary. In contrast, they contain a number of well?separated, low?velocity conduits that extend vertically throughout most of the lower mantle. The conceptual model of compact piles, continuously covering the areal extent of the LLSVPs, is therefore not correct. Instead, each LLSVP is composed of a bundle of thermochemical upwellings probably enriched in denser than average material. It is only when the tomographic model is filtered to long wavelengths that the two bundles of plumes appear as uniform provinces. Furthermore, the overall shape of the LLSVPs is probably controlled by the distribution of subducted slabs, and due to their thermochemical nature, the position of both LLSVPs and individual upwelling dynamics should be time dependent. There is also evidence for smaller plumes originating near the CMB in the faster than average regions of the voting map of Lekic et al. (2012, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2012.09.014) as well as other, barely resolved, weaker plumes within the LLSVPs. These finer?scale features are starting to be resolved tomographically owing to improvements in full waveform modeling of body waves, including diffracted S waves (Sdiff) and waves multiply reflected on the core?mantle boundary (ScS) and their codas.
Abstract: Volcanic hotspots are thought to be fed by hot, active upwellings from the deep mantle, with excess temperatures (Tex) ~100° to 300°C higher than those of mid-ocean ridges. However, Tex estimates are limited in geographical coverage and often inconsistent for individual hotspots. We infer the temperature of oceanic hotspots and ridges simultaneously by converting seismic velocity to temperature. We show that while ~45% of plume-fed hotspots are hot (Tex ? 155°C), ~15% are cold (Tex ? 36°C) and ~40% are not hot enough to actively upwell (50°C ? Tex ? 136°C). Hot hotspots have an extremely high helium-3/helium-4 ratio and buoyancy flux, but cold hotspots do not. The latter may originate at upper mantle depths. Alternatively, the deep plumes that feed them may be entrained and cooled by small-scale convection.
Abstract: Some seismic models derived from tomographic studies indicate elevated shear?wave velocities (?4.7 km/s) around 120?150 km depth in cratonic lithospheric mantle. These velocities are higher than those of cratonic peridotites, even assuming a cold cratonic geotherm (i.e., 35 mW/m2 surface heat flux) and accounting for compositional heterogeneity in cratonic peridotite xenoliths and the effects of anelasticity. We reviewed various geophysical and petrologic constraints on the nature of cratonic roots (seismic velocities, lithology/mineralogy, electrical conductivity, and gravity) and explored a range of permissible rock and mineral assemblages that can explain the high seismic velocities. These constraints suggest that diamond and eclogite are the most likely high?Vs candidates to explain the observed velocities, but matching the high shear?wave velocities requires either a large proportion of eclogite (>50 vol.%) or the presence of up to 3 vol.% diamond, with the exact values depending on peridotite and eclogite compositions and the geotherm. Both of these estimates are higher than predicted by observations made on natural samples from kimberlites. However, a combination of ?20 vol.% eclogite and ~2 vol.% diamond may account for high shear?wave velocities, in proportions consistent with multiple geophysical observables, data from natural samples, and within mass balance constraints for global carbon. Our results further show that cratonic thermal structure need not be significantly cooler than determined from xenolith thermobarometry.
Geochemistry International, Vol. 55, 4, pp. 360-366.
Russia, Siberia
diamondoid
Abstract: A broad suite of geological materials were studied a using a handheld laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument. Because LIBS is simultaneously sensitive to all elements, the full broadband emission spectrum recorded from a single laser shot provides a ‘chemical fingerprint’ of any material - solid, liquid or gas. The distinguishing chemical characteristics of the samples analysed were identified through principal component analysis (PCA), which demonstrates how this technique for statistical analysis can be used to identify spectral differences between similar sample types based on minor and trace constituents. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLSDA) was used to distinguish and classify the materials, with excellent discrimination achieved for all sample types. This study illustrates through four selected examples involving carbonate minerals and rocks, the oxide mineral pair columbite-tantalite, the silicate mineral garnet and native gold how portable, handheld LIBS analysers can be used as a tool for real-time chemical analysis under simulated field conditions for element or mineral identification plus such applications as stratigraphic correlation, provenance determination and natural resources exploration.
Mineralium Deposita, Vol. 38, pp. 496-504. Available pdf
Global
Microdiamonds - responses
Abstract: The economic evaluation of diamond-bearing kimberlites is usually carried out in four stages. Expenditure tends to increase by an order of magnitude at each successive stage. At the end of each stage, the sample results should be critically appraised before deciding to proceed to the next phase. In the first stage, even before individual kimberlite bodies have been discovered, the indicator mineral geochemistry will give a first rough idea of the diamond potential. The relative abundance of harzburgitic pyropes (subcalcic chrome-rich) is often directly correlated with the diamond grade. In the next stage, when the kimberlite body has been discovered, a relatively small sample of a few hundred kilograms will be enough to recover sufficient microdiamonds to allow an extrapolation of the size distribution towards the commercial-sized diamonds and a rough estimate of their grade. If positive, the third stage should be a limited bulk sampling programme (order of 200 tonnes) to determine the commercial-sized diamond grade, expressed as carats per tonne. The aim of the final stage is to obtain a parcel of the order of 1,000 carats to estimate the average commercial value of the diamonds. The robustness and reliability of the grade and value estimates can be verified with extreme value analysis and by obtaining the confidence limits with bootstrapping.
Mayer, B., Jung, S., Romer, R.,Pfander, J., Klugel, A., Pack, A., Groner, E.
Amphibole in alkaline basalts from intraplate settings: implications for the petrogenesis of alkaline lavas from the metasomatised lithospheric mantle.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 167, 3, pp. 1-22.
Genesis of ultramafic lamprophyres and carbonatites at Aillik Bay, Labrador: a consequence of incipient lithospheric thinning beneath the North Atlantic Craton
Wawrzenitz, N., Romer, R.L., Oberhansli, R., Dong, S.
Dating of subduction and differential exhumation of UHP rocks fromn the Central Dabie Complex ( E-China): constraints from microfabrics, Rb-Sr and U-Pb isotope systems.
Trumbull, R.B., Reid, D.L., De Beer, C., Van Acken, D., Romer, R.L.
Magmatism and continental breakup at the west margin of southern Africa: a geochemical comparison of dolerite dikes from northwestern Namibia and the Western Cape.
South African Journal of Geology, Vol. 110, 2-3, Sept. pp. 477-502.
Tappe, S., Smart, K.A., Stracke, A., Romer, R.L., Prelevic, D., van den Bogaard, P.
Melt evolution beneath a rifted carton edge: 40Ar/39/Ar geochronology and Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotope systematics of primitive alkaline basalts and lamprophyres from the SW Baltic Shield.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 173, pp. 1-36.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 173, pp. 1-36.
Europe
Geochronology
Abstract: A new high-precision 40Ar/39Ar anorthoclase feldspar age of 176.7 ± 0.5 Ma (2-sigma) reveals that small-volume alkaline basaltic magmatism occurred at the rifted SW margin of the Baltic Shield in Scania (southern Sweden), at a time of global plate reorganization associated with the inception of Pangea supercontinent break-up. Our combined elemental and Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotope dataset for representative basanite and nephelinite samples (>8 wt.% MgO) from 16 subvolcanic necks of the 30 by 40 km large Jurassic volcanic field suggests magma derivation from a moderately depleted mantle source (87Sr/86Sri = 0.7034-0.7048; ?Ndi = +4.4 to +5.2; ?Hfi = +4.7 to +8.1; 206Pb/204Pbi = 18.8-19.5). The mafic alkaline melts segregated from mixed peridotite-pyroxenite mantle with a potential temperature of ?1400 °C at 2.7-4.2 GPa (?90-120 km depths), which places ultimate melt generation within the convecting upper mantle, provided that the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary beneath the southern Baltic Shield margin was at ?100 km depth during Mesozoic-Cenozoic rifting. Isotopic shifts and incompatible element enrichment relative to Depleted Mantle reflect involvement of at least 20% recycled oceanic lithosphere component (i.e., pyroxenite) with some minor continent-derived sediment during partial melting of well-stirred convecting upper mantle peridotite. Although pargasitic amphibole-rich metasomatized lithospheric mantle is excluded as the main source of the Jurassic magmas from Scania, hydrous ultramafic veins (i.e., hornblendite) may have caused subtle modifications to the compositions of passing sublithospheric melts. For example, modeling suggests that the more radiogenic Hf (?Hfi = +6.3 to +8.1) and Pb (206Pb/204Pbi = 18.9-19.5) isotopic compositions of the more sodic and H2O-rich nephelinites, compared with relatively homogenous basanites (?Hfi = +4.7 to +6.1; 206Pb/204Pbi = 18.8-18.9), originate from minor interactions between rising asthenospheric melts and amphibole-rich metasomatic components. The metasomatic components were likely introduced to the lithospheric mantle beneath the southern Baltic Shield margin during extensive Permo-Carboniferous magmatic activity, a scenario that is supported by the geochemical and isotope compositions of ca. 286 Ma lamprophyres from Scania (87Sr/86Sri = 0.7040-0.7054; ?Ndi = +2.0 to +3.1; ?Hfi = +6.1 to +9.0; 206Pb/204Pbi = 17.8-18.2). Strong variations in lithosphere thickness and thermal structure across the southern Baltic Shield margin may have caused transient small-scale mantle convection. This resulted in relatively fast and focused upwellings and lateral flow beneath the thinned lithosphere, where mafic alkaline magmas formed by low degrees of decompression melting of sublithospheric mantle. Such a geodynamic scenario would allow for enriched recycled components with low melting points to be preferentially sampled from the more depleted and refractory convecting upper mantle when channeled along a destabilizing craton edge. Similar to the ‘lid effect’ in oceanic island volcanic provinces, lithospheric architecture may exert strong control on the mantle melting regime, and thus offer a simple explanation for the geochemical resemblance of continental and oceanic intraplate mafic alkaline magmas of high Na/K affinity.
Abstract: During convergence of Gondwana-derived microplates and Laurussia in the Palaeozoic, subduction of oceanic and continental crusts and their sedimentary cover introduced material of regionally contrasting chemical and isotopic compositions into the mantle. This slab material metasomatised the local mantle, producing a highly heterogeneous lithospheric mantle beneath the European Variscides. The eastern termination of the European Variscides (Moldanubian and Saxo-Thuringian zones of Austria, Czech Republic, Germany and Poland) is unusual in that the mantle was modified by material from several subduction zones within a small area. Orogenic lamproites sampled this lithospheric mantle, which has a chemical signature reflecting extreme depletion (low CaO and Al2O3 contents and high Mg-number) followed by strong metasomatic enrichment, giving rise to crust-like trace element patterns, variable radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr(330) (0.7062-0.7127) and non-radiogenic Nd isotopic compositions (?Nd(330) = ? 2.8 to ? 7.8), crustal Pb isotopic compositions, and a wide range of ?7Li values (? 5.1 to + 5.1). This metasomatic signature is variably expressed in the lamproites, depending on the extent of melting and the nature of the source of the metasomatic component. Preferential melting of the metasomatically enriched (veined) lithospheric mantle with K-rich amphibole resulted in lamproitic melts with very negative, crust-like ?7Li values, which correlate positively with peralkalinity, HFSE contents and lower ?Nd. Both the higher degree of melting and progressive consumption of the metasomatic component reduce the chemical and isotopic imprints of the metasomatic end member. The very positive ?7Li values of some lamproites indicate that the source of these lamproites may have been modified by subducted oceanic lithosphere. Fresh olivine from the Brloh (Moldanubian) lamproitic dyke shows very high Fo (up to 94%) and very high Li contents (up to 25 ppm), demonstrating that the extremely depleted and later enriched lithospheric mantle may have contributed significantly to the Li budget of the lamproites. The regional distribution of lamproites with contrasting chemical and isotopic fingerprints mimics the distribution of the different Variscan subduction zones.
Earth and Planetary science Letters, Vol. 466, pp. 152-167.
Mantle
Metasomatism, magma, carbonatite
Abstract: Kimberlite and carbonatite magmas that intrude cratonic lithosphere are among the deepest probes of the terrestrial carbon cycle. Their co-existence on thick continental shields is commonly attributed to continuous partial melting sequences of carbonated peridotite at >150 km depths, possibly as deep as the mantle transition zone. At Tikiusaaq on the North Atlantic craton in West Greenland, approximately 160 Ma old ultrafresh kimberlite dykes and carbonatite sheets provide a rare opportunity to study the origin and evolution of carbonate-rich melts beneath cratons. Although their Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb-Li isotopic compositions suggest a common convecting upper mantle source that includes depleted and recycled oceanic crust components (e.g., negative ??Hf??Hf coupled with View the MathML source>+5‰?7Li), incompatible trace element modelling identifies only the kimberlites as near-primary low-degree partial melts (0.05-3%) of carbonated peridotite. In contrast, the trace element systematics of the carbonatites are difficult to reproduce by partial melting of carbonated peridotite, and the heavy carbon isotopic signatures (?3.6 to View the MathML source?2.4‰?13C for carbonatites versus ?5.7 to View the MathML source?3.6‰?13C for kimberlites) require open-system fractionation at magmatic temperatures.
Given that the oxidation state of Earth's mantle at >150 km depth is too reduced to enable larger volumes of ‘pure’ carbonate melt to migrate, it is reasonable to speculate that percolating near-solidus melts of carbonated peridotite must be silicate-dominated with only dilute carbonate contents, similar to the Tikiusaaq kimberlite compositions (e.g., 16-33 wt.% SiO2). This concept is supported by our findings from the North Atlantic craton where kimberlite and other deeply derived carbonated silicate melts, such as aillikites, exsolve their carbonate components within the shallow lithosphere en route to the Earth's surface, thereby producing carbonatite magmas. The relative abundances of trace elements of such highly differentiated ‘cratonic carbonatites’ have only little in common with those of metasomatic agents that act on the deeper lithosphere. Consequently, carbonatite trace element systematics should only be used with caution when constraining carbon mobility and metasomatism at mantle depths. Regardless of the exact nature of carbonate-bearing melts within the mantle lithosphere, they play an important role in enrichment processes, thereby decreasing the stability of buoyant cratons and promoting rift initiation - as exemplified by the Mesozoic-Cenozoic breakup of the North Atlantic craton.
Abstract: Cenozoic primitive basanites, nephelinites and melilitites from the Heldburg region, SE Germany, are high-MgO magmas (8•5-14•1?wt % MgO), with low SiO2 (34•2-47•1?wt %) and low to moderately high Al2O3 (9•0-15•5?wt %) and CaO (8•7-12•7?wt %). The Ni and Cr contents of most samples are up to 470?ppm and 640?ppm, respectively, and match those inferred for primary melts. In multi-element diagrams, all samples are highly enriched in incompatible trace elements with chondrite-normalised La/Yb?=?19-45, strongly depleted in Rb and K, with primitive mantle normalised K/La?=?0•15-0•72, and moderately depleted in Pb. The initial Sr-Nd-Hf isotope compositions (87Sr/86Sr?=?0•7033-0•7051, 143Nd/144Nd?=?0•51279-0•51288 and 176Hf/177Hf?=?0•28284-0•28294) fall within the range observed for other Tertiary volcanic rocks of the Central European Volcanic Province, whereas 208Pb/204Pb and 206Pb/204Pb (38•42-38•88 and 18•49-18•98) are distinctly lower at comparable 207Pb/204Pb (15•60-15•65). Trace element modelling and pressure-temperature estimates based on major element compositions and experimental data suggest that the nephelinites/melilitites formed within the lowermost lithospheric mantle, close to the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary, by ?3-5% partial melting of a highly enriched, metasomatised, carbonated phlogopite-bearing garnet-lherzolite at temperatures?<1250?°C and pressures of ?2•8?GPa. This corresponds to a melting depth of less than ?85?km. Formation and eruption of these magmas, based on 40Ar/39Ar dating, started in the late Eocene (38•0 Ma) and lasted until the late Oligocene (25•4 Ma). Basanite eruptions occurred in the same area in the middle Miocene, about 7•7 Myr after nephelinite/melilitite generation has ceased, and lasted from 17•7 to 13•1 Ma. The basanites were generated at lower pressures (2•2-1•7?GPa) at similar temperatures (?1220-1250?°C) within the spinel stability field in the lithospheric mantle by 2-6% partial melting. Isotope and trace element systematics indicate that the lithospheric mantle source of the Heldburg magmas was affected by metasomatism associated with long-lasting subduction of oceanic and continental crust during the Variscan orogeny. Aqueous or supercritical fluids that formed at temperatures?<1000?°C and pressures of likely?>4?GPa infiltrated the thermal boundary layer at the base of the lithospheric mantle and imprinted a crustal lead isotope, and to a minor extent crustal Sr, Nd and Hf isotope signatures. They also reduced Nb/U, Ce/Pb, Lu/Hf, Sm/Nd, U/Pb and Th/Pb, but increased Rb/Sr and Nb/Ta and amplified the enrichment of LILE and LREE relative to HREE. This lead to the highly-enriched trace element patterns observed in both sample suites, and to overall less radiogenic 206Pb/204Pb and 208Pb/204Pb compared to other continental basalts in Central Europe, and to less radiogenic 176Hf/177Hf and 143Nd/144Nd that plot distinctly below the terrestrial mantle array. Temporal evolution of magmatism in the Heldburg region coincides with the changing Tertiary intraplate stress field in Central Europe, which developed in response to the Alpine orogeny. Magmatism was most probably caused in response to lithosphere deformation and perturbation of the thermal boundary layer, and not by actively upwelling asthenosphere.
Abstract: We present a statistical approach to data mining and quantitatively evaluating detrital age spectra for sedimentary provenance analyses and palaeogeographic reconstructions. Multidimensional scaling coupled with density-based clustering allows the objective identification of provenance end-member populations and sedimentary mixing processes for a composite crust. We compiled 58 601 detrital zircon U-Pb ages from 770 Precambrian to Lower Palaeozoic shelf sedimentary rocks from 160 publications and applied statistical provenance analysis for the Peri-Gondwanan crust north of Africa and the adjacent areas. We have filtered the dataset to reduce the age spectra to the provenance signal, and compared the signal with age patterns of potential source regions. In terms of provenance, our results reveal three distinct areas, namely the Avalonian, West African and East African-Arabian zircon provinces. Except for the Rheic Ocean separating the Avalonian Zircon Province from Gondwana, the statistical analysis provides no evidence for the existence of additional oceanic lithosphere. This implies a vast and contiguous Peri-Gondwanan shelf south of the Rheic Ocean that is supplied by two contrasting super-fan systems, reflected in the zircon provinces of West Africa and East Africa-Arabia.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, in press available. 45p.
Mantle
subduction
Abstract: Archean peridotite xenoliths in the ?2.52 Ga Zhulagou diorite (Yinshan Block, North China Craton) show chemical and Li isotopic evidence for metasomatism above an ancient subduction zone. The peridotite xenoliths are composed of olivine + orthopyroxene + amphibole + phlogopite + serpentine. The peridotite xenoliths have low whole-rock Mg# (80-81) and low Mg# (81-84) in olivine, indicating that they are cumulates that formed near the crust-mantle boundary. Petrological observations, mineral trace element data and isotopic ages show that the sequence of hydrous minerals is amphibole-serpentine-phlogopite. SIMS U-Pb dating of zircon from peridotites yielded an upper intercept age at ?2.53 Ga, and a U-Pb lower intercept age at ?1.8 Ga. The age of ?2.53 Ga is interpreted to date the crystallization of zircon from the metasomatized mantle melt that formed the Zhulagou cumulate peridotite. Rb-Sr mineral isochrons date phlogopite formation at ?1760 Ma, consistent with the lower intercept age of zircon. Pargasitic amphibole from the Zhulagou peridotites has fractionated REE, pronounced depletions of Nb, Ta, Zr and Ti, and heavy ?7Li (?+14‰) and light ?11B (?-11‰). Combined with slightly depleted mantle whole rock ?Nd (?+1.3) and high zircon ?18O (+5.6 to +7.0‰), the amphibole composition reflects that the peridotite xenoliths formed from melts that carried the geochemical and isotopic fingerprint typical for a metasomatized mantle wedge above a subduction zone. The Zhulagou peridotite xenoliths have the highest ?7Li values (?+12‰) recorded in Archean peridotites. Isotopically heavy Li and light B in olivine, orthopyroxene, and amphibole from the peridotite xenoliths show that Li and B may decouple during partial melting or fluid release from the subducted slab. The decoupling of Li and B may have a variety of reasons, including different host minerals for Li and B in the source and different protoliths in the subducted slab. The Li and B isotopic record on the recycling of ancient material demonstrates that modern-style subduction operated already in the late Archean.
Abstract: The Pb isotope composition of the upper mantle beneath Central Europe is heterogeneous due to the subduction of regionally contrasting material during the Variscan and Alpine orogenies. Late Variscan to Cenozoic mantle-derived melts allow mapping this heterogeneity on a regional scale for the last ca. 340 Myr. Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic anorogenic magmatic rocks of the Bohemian Massif (lamprophyres, volcanic rocks of basanite/tephrite and trachyte/phonolite series) concentrate mostly in the Eger Rift. Cretaceous ultramafic lamprophyres yielded the most radiogenic Pb isotope signatures reflecting a maximum contribution from metasomatised lithospheric mantle, whereas Tertiary alkaline lamprophyres originated from mantle with less radiogenic 206Pb/204Pb ratios suggesting a more substantial modification of lithospheric source by interaction with asthenospheric-derived melts. Cenozoic volcanic rocks of the basanite/tephrite and trachyte/phonolite series define a linear mixing trend between these components, indicating dilution of the initial lithospheric mantle signature by upwelling asthenosphere during rifting. The Pb isotope composition of Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic magmatic rocks of the Bohemian Massif follows the same Pb growth curve as Variscan orogenic lamprophyres and lamproites that formed during the collision between Laurussia, Gondwana, and associated terranes. This implies that the crustal Pb signature in the post-Variscan mantle is repeatedly sampled by younger anorogenic melts. Most Cenozoic mantle-derived rocks of Central Europe show similar Pb isotope ranges as the Bohemian Massif.
Abstract: Late Cretaceous global plate reorganization associated with the inception of counterclockwise rotation of Africa relative to Europe initiated in the Balkan region small-volume magmatism of diverse geochemical signature along the enigmatic Sava-Vardar Zone. We study a Late Cretaceous lamprophyric sill in Ripanj village near Belgrade to constrain this magmatic episode. The lamprophyre is characterized by high contents of Na, P, Fe and Al, and low contents of K, Ca and Mg. Its original nature (Na, K, Ca and Mg) is concealed by intense alteration (albitization of feldspar and partial chloritization of phlogopite) that erased the ultrapotassic affinity of the rocks and resulted in extremely low K/Na ratios. The recalculated chemical composition demonstrates that the rocks are ultrapotassic, with K2O and MgO > 3 wt % and K2O/Na2O > 2, and belong to the durbachite-vaugnerite series, i. e., the plutonic equivalents of minettes and kersantites. Two phlogopite concentrates gave Ar-Ar ages of 86.80 ± 0.5 Ma and 86.90 ± 0.5 Ma. Our combined elemental and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope data (87Sr/86Sr 0.70667-0.70677, 143Nd/144Nd 0.512426-0.512429, 206Pb/204Pb 18.82-19.13, 207Pb/204Pb 15.67-15.68, 208Pb/204Pb 38.92-39.19) for representative lamprophyric samples suggests magma derivation from a light rare earth elements (LREE) and K enriched, metasomatized mantle source. The content of LREE of the rocks is enriched, whereas heavy rare earth elements (HREE) is depleted. Rare earth elements (REE) of the whole rock and REE of diopside all indicate that garnet was present in their source. There are two viable and mutually-excluding geodynamic scenarios for the Late Cretaceous magmatism in the Balkans: (i) If the Sava-Vardar ocean still existed in the Late Cretaceous and was subducted under the European plate with arc volcanism along the Apuseni-Banat-Timok-Panagyurishte-Srednjogorje belt, coeval magmatism in the Sava-Vardar Zone occurred in a fore-arc setting, and may be related to ridge subduction; (ii) If the Mesozoic ocean closed already during the Upper Jurassic or Lower Cretaceous, the Late Cretaceous volcanism within the Sava-Vardar Zone represents intracontinental volcanism associated with transtensional tectonics.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, in press available pdf 45p.
China
craton
Abstract: Archean peridotite xenoliths in the ?2.52?Ga Zhulagou diorite (Yinshan Block, North China Craton) show chemical and Li isotopic evidence for metasomatism above an ancient subduction zone. The peridotite xenoliths are composed of olivine?+?orthopyroxene?+?amphibole?+?phlogopite?+?serpentine. The peridotite xenoliths have low whole-rock Mg# (80-81) and low Mg# (81-84) in olivine, indicating that they are cumulates that formed near the crust-mantle boundary. Petrological observations, mineral trace element data and isotopic ages show that the sequence of hydrous minerals is amphibole-serpentine-phlogopite. SIMS U-Pb dating of zircon from peridotites yielded an upper intercept age at ?2.53?Ga, and a U-Pb lower intercept age at ?1.8?Ga. The age of ?2.53?Ga is interpreted to date the crystallization of zircon from the metasomatized mantle melt that formed the Zhulagou cumulate peridotite. Rb-Sr mineral isochrons date phlogopite formation at ?1760?Ma, consistent with the lower intercept age of zircon. Pargasitic amphibole from the Zhulagou peridotites has fractionated REE, pronounced depletions of Nb, Ta, Zr and Ti, and heavy ?7Li (?+14‰) and light ?11B (?-11‰). Combined with slightly depleted mantle whole rock ?Nd (?+1.3) and high zircon ?18O (+5.6 to +7.0‰), the amphibole composition reflects that the peridotite xenoliths formed from melts that carried the geochemical and isotopic fingerprint typical for a metasomatized mantle wedge above a subduction zone. The Zhulagou peridotite xenoliths have the highest ?7Li values (?+12‰) recorded in Archean peridotites. Isotopically heavy Li and light B in olivine, orthopyroxene, and amphibole from the peridotite xenoliths show that Li and B may decouple during partial melting or fluid release from the subducted slab. The decoupling of Li and B may have a variety of reasons, including different host minerals for Li and B in the source and different protoliths in the subducted slab. The Li and B isotopic record on the recycling of ancient material demonstrates that modern-style subduction operated already in the late Archean.
Abstract: Variscan orogenic lamproites in the Bohemian Massif predominantly occur as 1 to 2?m wide and petrographically uniform dykes along the eastern borders of the Moldanubian and Saxo-Thuringian zones. Variscan orogenic lamproites were derived by preferential melting of subduction-related olivine-free metasomatic vein assemblages stabilised in the lithospheric mantle. These lamproitic melts may subsequently undergo extensive differentiation. In this study, we present the first combined petrographic and Sr-Nd-Pb-Li isotope characteristics of a complex lamproite exposed at ca 100?m long profile near Horní Rokytnice (Czech Republic) in the Saxo-Thuringian Zone. This lamproite is characterised by the primary mineral assemblage of K-amphibole + K-feldspar ± aegirine and quartz that petrographically varies from relatively primitive (fine-grained, mafic) to more differentiated (medium- to coarse-grained, felsic) pegmatitic lamproite domains. These domains may represent the product of crystallisation of immiscible liquids that had separated from the mafic melt. The primitive lamproite zone is characterised by the typomorphic minerals - baotite, benitoite, and henrymeyerite. The more differentiated pegmatitic domains are free of aegirine and show replacement of primary red-luminescent (Fe3+-rich) K-feldspar by blue-luminescent (Fe-poor) K-feldspar. Residual fluids rich in Ca, Ti, and HFSE in combination with the decreasing peralkalinity of the lamproite system resulted in the local formation of secondary zircon, titanite and quartz at the expense of the primary Ti-Ba-Zr-K lamproitic mineral assemblages. Lamproites from the Moldanubian and Saxo-Thuringian zones fall on separate mixing trends in the 87Sr/86Sr(t) - ?Nd(t) diagram, which indicates that the mantle beneath these two zones had been metasomatised by different crustal material. The scatter in the peralkalinity index vs. ?7Li diagram indicates that the Li isotope composition is not controlled by mixing of two end members metasome and ambient depleted mantle alone, but may also be affected by late-stage magmatic and hydrothermal processes. The compositionally zoned Horní Rokytnice dyke is special as the petrographically different types show a variation of about 4 ?-units in ?7Li due to dyke-internal processes, such as fractionation, which increases ?7Li in late-stage lamproitic melts, and post-emplacement interaction with fluids that reduced ?7Li in samples that have lost Li. Post-emplacement alteration also led to the disturbance in the Pb isotope systematics of the differentiated orogenic lamproite as indicated by variable over-correction of in situ radiogenic Pb ingrowth.
Journal of Petrology, Vol. 61, 7, doi.org/10.1093 /petrology/egaa072
Europe
magmatism
Abstract: The orogenic development after the continental collision between Laurussia and Gondwana, led to two contrasting associations of mantle-derived magmatic rocks on the territory of the Bohemian Massif: (i) a 340-310?Ma lamprophyre-lamproite orogenic association; and (ii) a 300-275?Ma lamprophyre association of anorogenic affinity. Major types of potassic mantle-derived magmatic rocks recognized in the orogenic and anorogenic associations include: (i) calc-alkaline to alkaline lamprophyres; (ii) alkaline ‘orthopyroxene minettes’ and geochemically related rocks grouped here under the new term lampyrite; and (iii) peralkaline lamproites. These three types significantly differ with respect to mineral, whole-rock and Sr-Nd-Pb-Li isotope composition and spatial distribution. The calc-alkaline lamprophyres occur throughout the entire Saxo-Thuringian and Moldanubian zones, whereas the different types of malte-derived potassic rocks are spatially restricted to particular zones. Rocks of the Carboniferous lamprophyre-lamproite orogenic association are characterized by variable negative ?Nd(i) and variably radiogenic Sr(i), whereas the rocks of the Permian lamprophyre association of anorogenic affinity are characterized by positive ?Nd(i) and relatively young depleted-mantle Nd-model ages reflecting increasing input from upwelling asthenospheric mantle. The small variation in the Pb isotopic composition of post-collisional potassic mantle-derived magmatic rocks (of both the orogenic and anorogenic series) implies that the Pb budget of the mantle beneath the Bohemian Massif is dominated by the same crust-derived material, which itself may include material derived from several sources. The source rocks of ‘orthopyroxene minettes’ are characterized by isotopically light (‘eclogitic’) Li and strongly radiogenic (crustal) Sr and may have been metasomatized by high-pressure fluids along the edge of a subduction zone. In contrast, the strongly Al2O3 and CaO depleted mantle source of the lamproites is characterized by isotopically heavy Li and high SiO2 and extreme K2O contents. This mantle source may have been metasomatized predominantly by melts. The mantle source of the lamprophyres may have undergone metasomatism by both fluids and melts.
Prelevic, D., Akal, C., Foley, S.F., Romer, R.R.,Stracke, A., Van den Bogaard, P.
Ultrapotassic mafic rocks as geochemical proxies for post collisional dynamics of orogenic lithospheric mantle: the case of southwestern Anatolia, Turkey.
Peralk-Carb 2011, workshop held Tubingen Germany June 16-18, Poster
Prelevic, D., Akal, C., Romer, R.R., Sracke, A., Van den Bogaard, P.
Ultrapotassic mafic rocks as geochemical proxies for post collisional dynamics of orogenic lithospheric mantle: the case of southwestern Anatolia, Turkey.
Peralk-Carb 2011... workshop June 16-18, Tubingen, Germany, Abstract p.119-121.
Prelevic, D., Akal, C., Romer, R.R., Sracke, A., Van den Bogaard, P.
Ultrapotassic mafic rocks as geochemical proxies for post collisional dynamics of orogenic lithospheric mantle: the case of southwestern Anatolia, Turkey.
Peralk-Carb 2011... workshop June 16-18, Tubingen, Germany, Abstract p.119-121.
The Canadian Mineralogist, Vol. 55, 4, pp. 521-533.
Technology
Deposit - Renard 2
Abstract: The purpose of this work is to investigate the crystal growth parameters necessary or sufficient to obtain a crystal specifically of gem quality. We assume adequate chemistry is available. First, nucleation must occur with only a limited number of nuclei, otherwise too many crystals will be produced, and they will be too small to be faceted into a gem. Two growth mechanisms are readily documented for gems: Most commonly there is slow growth, driven by a spiral growth mechanism, leading to large single individuals. There are only a few examples of fast growth leading to gem-quality edifices: examples include “gota de aceite” Colombian emerald or the dendritic “pseudo cube” for gem diamonds. We have not documented the intermediate conditions between these two extremes in the Sunagawa diagram, which would correspond to 2D nucleation growth. The presence of inclusions is to be limited to desirable ones. Thus, in general, a good stability of the growth interface is the best guarantee of good clarity in the final gem. As for the interface, in general, growth conditions must be relatively stable over the period necessary to achieve growth. Perhaps surprisingly, it has become well documented that gem-quality near-colorless diamonds may have experienced quite a complex growth history. Therefore, the term stability has to be re-defined for each system producing a given gem. The length of time it takes to achieve crystallization of the gem has rarely been studied or estimated. Scientific evidence from experimental petrology and the growth of synthetic gems indicates that it does not take millions of years to grow a gem, but that this exercise may be achieved in a week to, arguably, a few years at the most. Available free space to grow does not appear always necessary, but it helps. Otherwise deformation, inclusions, and other negative effects may occur. Finally, no dramatic post-growth events, such as fracturing or etching, should affect the gem crystal.
Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 43, 23, pp. 12,054-62.
United States
Geophysics - seismics
Abstract: To constrain crustal structures in the southern Appalachians and the suture zone with the Gondwanan-affinity Suwannee terrane, we applied the 2-D generalized Radon transform wavefield migration method to the scattered incident P wavefield recorded by the EarthScope Southeastern Suture of the Appalachian Margin Experiment and adjacent Transportable Array stations. We resolve the root of thickened crust beneath the high topography of the Blue Ridge Mountains and estimate its density contrast with the mantle to be only 104?±?20?kg/m3. A weak velocity contrast across the crustal root Moho is observed and may be related to an ongoing crustal delamination event, possibly contributing to local tectonic rejuvenation. Beneath the Suwannee terrane, we confirm prior observations of a gently south-southeastward dipping crustal suture, indicating the terminal collision of Laurentia and Gondwana involved several hundred kilometers of overthrusting.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 501, pp. 67-77.
Mantle
subduction
Abstract: The mechanisms underpinning the formation of a focused volcanic arc above subduction zones are debated. Suggestions include controls by: (i) where the subducting plate releases water, lowering the solidus in the overlying mantle wedge; (ii) the location where the mantle wedge melts to the highest degree; and (iii) a limit on melt formation and migration imposed by the cool shallow corner of the wedge. Here, we evaluate these three proposed mechanisms using a set of kinematically-driven 2D thermo-mechanical mantle-wedge models in which subduction velocity, slab dip and age, overriding-plate thickness and the depth of decoupling between the two plates are systematically varied. All mechanisms predict, on the basis of model geometry, that the arc-trench distance, D, decreases strongly with increasing dip, consistent with the negative D-dip correlations found in global subduction data. Model trends of sub-arc slab depth, H, with dip are positive if H is wedge-temperature controlled and overriding-plate thickness does not exceed the decoupling depth by more than 50 km, and negative if H is slab-temperature controlled. Observed global H-dip trends are overall positive. With increasing overriding plate thickness, the position of maximum melting shifts to smaller H and D, while the position of the trenchward limit of the melt zone, controlled by the wedge's cold corner, shifts to larger H and D, similar to the trend in the data for oceanic subduction zones. Thus, the limit imposed by the wedge corner on melting and melt migration seems to exert the first-order control on arc position.
Abstract: Various combinations of diamond, moissanite, zircon, quartz, corundum, rutile, titanite, almandine garnet, kyanite, and andalusite have been recovered from the Dangqiong peridotites. More than 80 grains of diamond have been recovered, most of which are pale yellow to reddish-orange to colorless. The grains are all 100-200 µm in size and mostly anhedral, but with a range of morphologies including elongated, octahedral and subhedral varieties. Their identification was confirmed by a characteristic shift in the Raman spectra between 1325 cm?1 and 1333 cm?1, mostly at 1331.51 cm?1 or 1326.96 cm?1. Integration of the mineralogical, petrological and geochemical data for the Dongqiong peridotites suggests a multi-stage formation for this body and similar ophiolites in the Yarlung-Zangbo suture zone. Chromian spinel grains and perhaps small bodies of chromitite crystallized at various depths in the upper mantle, and encapsulated the UHP, highly reduced and crustal minerals. Some oceanic crustal slabs containing the chromian spinel and their inclusion were later trapped in suprasubduction zones (SSZ), where they were modified by island arc tholeiitic and boninitic magmas, thus changing the chromian spinel compositions and depositing chromitite ores in melt channels.
Abstract: Various combinations of diamond, moissanite, zircon, corundum, rutile and titanitehave been recovered from the Bulqiza chromitites. More than 10 grains of diamond have been recovered, most of which are pale yellow to reddish–orange to colorless. The grains are all 100–300 ?m in size and mostly anhedral, but with a range of morphologies including elongated, octahedral and subhedral varieties. Their identification was confirmed by a characteristic shift in the Raman spectra between 1325 cm?1 and 1333 cm?1, mostly at 1331.51 cm?1 or 1326.96 cm?1. This investigation extends the occurrence of diamond and moissanite to the Bulqiza chromitites in the Eastern Mirdita Ophiolite. Integration of the mineralogical, petrological and geochemical data of the Bulqiza chromitites suggests their multi–stage formation. Magnesiochromite grains and perhaps small bodies of chromitite formed at various depths in the upper mantle, and encapsulated the ultra–high pressure, highly reduced and crustal minerals. Some oceanic crustal slabs containing the magnesiochromite and their inclusion were later trapped in suprasubduction zones, where they were modified by tholeiitic and boninitic arc magmas, thus changing the magnesiochromite compositions and depositing chromitite ores in melt channels.
Coupled substitutions involving REEs and Sodium and Silicon in apatites in Alkaline rocks from the Ilimaussaqintrusion, South Greenland, and the petrol.implication
American Mineralogist, Vol. 74, No. 7 and 8, July-August pp. 896-901
The 4th Colloquium on Diamonds - source to use held Gabarone March 1-3, 2010, 14p.
Africa, South Africa
Deposit - Finsch
Abstract: De Beers' Finsch Mine is situated in the Northern Cape ,province, 170 km northwest of Kimberley. The concentrator facility, designed and constructed by Bateman Engineering, was commissioned in 1967 and upgraded in 1979 using diamond liberation and extraction technology available at the time of design. Since then significant advances in diamond processing and technology have been made and these -have been incorporated into the new main treatment plant and recovery plant flowsheets, making diamond liberation and recovery from the Pre-1979 dumps a viable economic option at Finsch." Significant challenges were experienced as a result of the integration of new technology and its associated infrastructure into an existing plant. Major process flow changes were implemented during the execution phase of the project. The combined effect of these issues resulted in the project being overspent by 25% and the final handover to the Client was some 18 months later than originally planned." The paper highlights some of the difficulties experienced as a result of changes made during the execution phases of the project.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 275, pp. 140-162.
Mantle
craton
Abstract: The extent to which Earth’s sub-continental lithospheric mantle modulates the flux of volatile elements from our planet’s deep interior to its atmosphere (via volcanism) is poorly constrained. Here, we focus on "off-craton" sub-continental lithospheric mantle because this long-lived reservoir potentially acts as both a volatile “sink” and “source” during major heating and rifting events. The sub-continental lithospheric mantle is primarily formed of peridotites with subordinate amounts of pyroxenites. While both lithologies are dominated by nominally-volatile-free mantle minerals, some of these phases have been shown to contain non-negligible amounts of H2O (e.g. 100’s of ppmw in clinopyroxene). Data for volatile elements other than Li are, however, limited. We present new, high-precision, in-situ Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry analyses of H, F, Cl, Li and B in olivine and pyroxenes from well-characterised garnet- and spinel-bearing peridotites and pyroxenites (from southern Patagonia and the Antarctic Peninsula). Our study confirms that clinopyroxene is the main host of H2O and F. The maximum F contents we report (up to 154 ppmw) are higher than those in previous studies and occur in Ti-Cr diopsides in highly-metasomatised peridotites and Ti-Al augites from clinopyroxenite veins. Water contents of clinopyroxenes (up to 615 ppmw) are within the range previously published for continental mantle. Lithium concentrations are low (<5 ppmw) in all analysed phases and both Cl and B are below detection levels (14 ppmw and 0.03 ppmw, respectively). Unique to our study is the large variation in major- and trace-element concentrations of the clinopyroxenes, which allows us to place quantitative constraints on how volatiles are stored in the mantle. We demonstrate that: (i) F contents of clinopyroxenes closely correlate with Ti and (ii) and is systematic and inversely correlated with temperature. Despite the redistribution of volatiles during sub-solidus re-equilibration, we show that the first order control on the concentration of volatiles in clinopyroxene is the style of metasomatism, i.e. channellised flow versus reactive percolation. The mean bulk volatile contents of peridotites from Pali Aike and the Antarctic Peninsula (H2O?=?89?±?31 ppmw, F?=?16?±?11.2 ppmw and Li?=?2?±?0.7 ppmw) are within the range previously published for continental "off-craton" mantle. The pyroxenites have significantly higher mean bulk concentrations of H2O (260?±?59 ppmw), F (86?±?43 ppmw) and Li (1.0?±?0.35 ppmw). While the greater capacity of mantle pyroxenites to host H2O relative to the associated peridotites has previously been observed in global "off-craton" mantle xenolith suites (e.g. Oahu, Hawaii; eastern China and the Rio Grande Rift, SW USA), here we show for the first time that pyroxenites are also major hosts of F (but not Cl, Li or B). Because of their relatively low solidus temperatures, pyroxenites in "off-craton" settings will be readily re-mobilised during lithospheric extension (and heating). We suggest these pyroxene-rich mantle lithologies may be responsible for the elevated concentrations of H2O and F observed in basalts and volcanic gasses from major continental rift zones and flood basalt provinces, and hence an important consideration in models of global volatile cycles.
Abstract: The terminal Mesoproterozoic was a period of widespread tectonic convergence globally, culminating in the amalgamation of the Rodinia supercontinent. However, in Laurentia, long-lived orogenesis on its eastern margin was punctuated by short-lived extension that generated the Midcontinent Rift ca. 1110-1090 Ma. Whereas this cratonic rift basin is typically considered an isolated occurrence, a series of new depositional ages demonstrate that multiple cratonic basins in northern Laurentia originated around this time. We present a Re-Os isochron date of 1087.1 ± 5.9 Ma from organic-rich shales of the Agu Bay Formation of the Fury and Hecla Basin, which is one of four closely spaced cratonic basins spanning from northeastern Canada to northwestern Greenland known as the Bylot basins. This age is identical, within uncertainty, to ages from the Midcontinent Rift and the Amundsen Basin in northwestern Canada. These ages imply that the late Mesoproterozoic extensional episode in Laurentia was widespread and likely linked to a common origin. We propose that significant thermal anomalies and mantle upwelling related to supercontinent assembly centered around the Midcontinent Rift influenced the reactivation of crustal weaknesses in Arctic Laurentia beginning ca. 1090 Ma, triggering the formation of a series of cratonic basins.
Abstract: Continental rifts evolve along two possible paths. In one, a rift successfully evolves into seafloor spreading, leaving the rift structures buried beneath thick sedimentary and volcanic rocks at a passive continental margin. Alternatively, the rift fails and remains as a fossil feature within a continent. We consider insights into these processes from studies of North America's Midcontinent Rift (MCR). The MCR combines the linear geometry of a rift formed at a plate boundary and the huge igneous rock volume of a Large Igneous Province. The rift is a fault bounded basin filled with volcanics and sediments, which record a history of extension, volcanism, sedimentation, subsidence, and inversion. The MCR came close to evolving into an oceanic spreading center, but it instead failed and thus records a late stage of rifting. It thus preserves a snapshot of a stage of the process by which actively extending rifts, characterized by upwelling mantle and negative gravity anomalies, evolve either into failed and often inverted rifts without upwelling mantle and positive gravity anomalies or into passive continental margins. Many rifts can be viewed as following a generally similar evolutionary sequence, within which a complex combination of factors control the variability of structures within and among rifts. Study of the MCR also gives insight into passive continental margins. The MCR gives a snapshot of deposition of a thick, dense, and highly magnetized volcanic section during rifting. Surface exposures, seismic, and gravity data delineate a rift basin filled by inward dipping flood basalt layers, underlain by thinned and underplated crust. The fact that the MCR shows many features of a rifted volcanic margin suggests that it came close to continental breakup before it failed, and illustrates how many passive margin features form prior to breakup.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 175, 15p.
Canada
olivine
Abstract: Interactions between carbonated ultramafic silicate magmas and the continental lithospheric mantle results in the formation of dunite—a ubiquitous xenolith type in kimberlites and aillikites. However, whether this process dominantly occurs in the mantle source region or by subsequent interactions between lithospheric mantle fragments and transporting silica-undersaturated magmas during ascent remains debated. Aillikite magmas, which are derived from the fusion of carbonate-phlogopite metasomes under diamond-stability field upper mantle conditions, have a mineralogically more complex source than kimberlites, providing an opportunity to more fully constrain the origin of dunite xenoliths in such deeply sourced carbonated silicate magmas. Here we present a major and trace element study of olivine occurring in xenoliths and as phenocrysts in an aillikite dike located on the southern Superior Craton. We show that olivine within the dunite microxenoliths exhibits extreme enrichment in Al, Cr, Na, and V when compared to equivalent xenoliths carried by kimberlites. We interpret these results as evidence for the presence of carbonate-phlogopite metasomes left residual in the cratonic mantle source during aillikite magma formation. Our results are inconsistent with models of dunite formation through orthopyroxene dissolution upon kimberlite/aillikite magma ascent, supporting an origin for such dunites that is more closely linked to primary melt generation at the base of relatively thick continental lithosphere. Our work demonstrates that it is possible to constrain the precursor composition of cratonic mantle dunite at depth, thereby facilitating the further exploration of how carbonated silicate magmas modify and weaken continental lithospheric roots.
Rooney, T.O., Nelson, W.R., Dosso, L., Furman, T., Hanan, B.
The role of continental lithosphere metasomes in the production of HIMU-like magmatism on the northeast African and Arabian plates, East African Rift zone.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 461, pp. 105-118.
Mantle
Metasomatism
Abstract: Peridotite constitutes most of the Earth's upper mantle, and it is therefore unsurprising that most mantle-derived magmas exhibit evidence of past equilibrium with an olivine-dominated source. Although there is mounting evidence for the role of pyroxenite in magma generation within upwelling mantle plumes, a less documented non-peridotite source of melts are metasomatic veins (metasomes) within the lithospheric mantle. Here we present major and trace element analyses of 66 lavas erupted from a small Miocene shield volcano located within the Ethiopian flood basalt province. Erupted lavas are intercalated with lahars and pyroclastic horizons that are overlain by a later stage of activity manifested in small cinder cones and flows. The lavas form two distinctive petrographic and geochemical groups: (A) an olivine-phyric, low Ti group (1.7-2.7 wt.% TiO2; 4.0-13.6 wt.% MgO), which geochemically resembles most of the basalts in the region. These low Ti lavas are the only geochemical units identified in the later cinder cones and associated lava flows; (B) a clinopyroxene-phyric high Ti group (3.1-6.5 wt.% TiO2; 2.8-9.2 wt.% MgO), which resembles the Oligocene HT-2 flood basalts. This unit is found intercalated with low Ti lavas within the Miocene shield. In comparison to the low Ti group, the high Ti lavas exhibit a profound depletion in Ni, Cr, Al, and Si, and significant enrichment in Ca, Fe, V, and the most incompatible trace elements. A characteristic negative K anomaly in primitive-mantle normalized diagrams, and Na2O > K2O, suggests a source rich in amphibole, devoid of olivine, and perhaps containing some carbonate and magnetite. While melt generation during rift development in Ethiopia is strongly correlated with the thermo-chemical anomalies associated with the African Superplume, thermobaric destabilization and melting of mantle metasomes may also contribute to lithospheric thinning. In regions impacted by mantle plumes, such melts may be critical to weakening of the continental lithosphere and the development of rifts.
Abstract: Carbon isotope compositions and the distribution of nitrogen and hydrogen in diamonds from 18 eclogites from Nurbinskaya kimberlites were studied in situ in polished plates. Cathodoluminescence images show that most of the diamonds have complex growth structures with distinctive cores, intermediate and rim zones. In some diamonds the cores display dissolution features, and intermediate growth zones are separated from the cores by narrow rounded oscillatory zones. At least three crystals show interrupted multistage diamond growth; variations in ? ¹³C of 2–3‰ occur across the contacts between distinct zones. Generally, ?¹³C within the diamond cores varies only by 1–2‰, in rare cases up to 3.3‰. ?¹³C values are usually lower in the intermediate zones and drop further towards the rims by up to 3‰. High-resolution SIMS profiles show that variations in ?¹³C across the diamond growth zones are sharp with no evidence of diffusive relaxation.
Abstract: The instruction of Earth science courses often relies upon the observation of in-hand specimens which poses a significant barrier to delivering courses in an online format. While there are abundant resources for the digital delivery of 3-dimensional images of rock specimens, there are limited avenues to deliver microscopic materials to students in a manner that approximates the in-person experience. We have developed an accessible solution for creating and delivering microscopic educational materials to students. Our solution is an open-source device that combines a 3D-printed mechanism, to move a sample around the microscope, and an integrated camera that are both controlled by a central, inexpensive computer. The PiAutoStage system can be attached to almost any microscope and is capable of automatically imaging an entire microscopic sample by combining hundreds of collected images into a single panorama. We have found that the images permit an experience comparable to using a microscope and have the additional benefit of allowing students to examine, not only the field of view permitted in a microscope but an entire sample at once. The system is low-cost and utilizes widely available components making it universally accessible to any institution with an existing microscope.
Abstract: Geophysical imaging of trans-lithospheric structures provide a spatial link between ore deposits in the crust and the underlying cratonic mantle. However, the deep lithosphere's role in ore deposit genesis remains poorly understood because remotely acquired datasets do not provide any direct constraints on the behaviour of ore elements within these mantle-roots. The abundance and behaviour of ore elements governs the metallic endowment of the cratonic mantle and the economic potential of mantle-derived magmas. Herein we present in situ electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) geochemical datasets for clinopyroxene and olivine mantle xenocrysts from the Jurassic Kirkland Lake kimberlite field, Abitibi greenstone belt, Canada. We specifically focus on unconventional trace elements, including ore elements with chalcophile and/or siderophile affinities (Ag-As-Au-Bi-Cu-Mo-Pb-Pt-Pd-Sb-Se-Sn-Te-W-Zn). Robust principal component analysis suggests that low-T, large-ion lithophile element alteration (Ba-Sr), which likely occurred during kimberlite emplacement, represents the largest source of variance for the xenocryst dataset. PT-dependent element partitioning during sub-solidus equilibration represents the second most important control on olivine and clinopyroxene chemistry. We demonstrate that least-altered, high-PT mantle silicates are, in fact, a significant mineral host for a range of ore elements (Cu-Zn ± Ag ± As ± Se ± Sn ± Mo) within equilibrated, garnet peridotite at depth (70-190 km). Statistical analysis of the raw, individual mass sweeps for each LA-ICP-MS signal suggest that the most abundant ore elements (Cu-Zn) occur predominantly as PT-dependent substitution reactions with the dominant mineral-forming elements, rather than as inclusions. A subset of high-PT olivine (160-180 km) yields Fe-Ni-S-poor and Na (Au ± Pt ± Pd)-rich compositions, which may reflect metasomatism, sulphide segregation and trapping of precious metal-bearing fluids at the base of the lithosphere. These anomalous mantle fragments possibly represent the first, direct sampling of precious metal-modified mantle peridotite beneath the Abitibi. Mid-PT olivine xenocrysts (70-120 km), which yield Mg-rich and high field-strength element-poor compositions, document a highly melt-depleted segment of mantle peridotite coincident with and below a shallow-dipping, low-seismic-velocity anomaly and conductive feature of the Kirkland Lake mid-lithosphere at 70-100 km. We speculate that the trace element signature of mid-PT xenocrysts documents the re-distribution of high-charge and incompatible elements from refractory garnet peridotite to phlogopite- and/or amphibole-bearing peridotite with conductive metasomatic up-flow zones. The rapid, sub-solidus diffusion of elements at high-T suggest that these processes likely occurred during, and/or immediately preceding, kimberlite volcanism. New in situ Pb isotope analyses of clinopyroxene xenocrysts sampled from metasomatized, low-Al garnet peridotite, however, also document ancient metasomatic events that likely pre-date Jurassic kimberlitic volcanism by at least one billion years.
Abstract: Structure within the Earth is best studied in three dimensions and using several coincident overlays of diverse information with which one can best see where unusual properties match up. Here we use regional surfaces causing discontinuities in seismic waves a few hundred kilometers deep in the Earth, intersected and thus calibrated by rebuilt rock columns using rare rock samples erupted to the surface in two locations. Electrically conductive regions can be mapped using natural (magnetotelluric) currents. East- and west-dipping seismic discontinuity surfaces match surface structures that developed about 1.8 billion years ago marginal to the Superior crustal block. Surfaces dipping to the southeast and northwest match some boundaries between crustal blocks that are over 2.5 billion years old, but many such crustal boundaries trend more east-west. Conductive rocks appear more commonly above these discontinuity surfaces where gas-rich fluids apparently flowed and that the discontinuities somehow filtered these fluids. The mismatch in orientation and dip between the most ancient deep and exposed structures suggests that plate tectonic processes operating today differed earlier than 2.5 billion years ago.
The diamonds and kimberlitic indicative minerals within the context of stratigraphy and source in Shefa Yamim drill SY-15, Pliocene-Pleistcene Qishon River Valley.
Abstract: Recent findings of diamonds in ophiolitic peridotites and chromitites challenge our traditional notion of Earth mantle dynamics. Models attempting to explain these findings involve incorporation of diamonds into chromite near the mantle transition zone. However, the occurrence of metastable diamonds in this context has not been considered. Here, we report for the first time in situ microdiamonds in chromite from ophiolitic chromitite pods hosted in the Tehuitzingo serpentinite (southern Mexico). Here, diamonds occur as fracture-filling inclusions along with quartz, clinochlore, serpentine, and amorphous carbon, thus indicating a secondary origin during the shallow hydration of chromitite. Chromite chemical variations across the diamond-bearing healed fractures indicate formation during the retrograde evolution of chromitite at temperatures between 670 °C and 515 °C. During this stage, diamond precipitated metastably at low pressure from reduced C-O-H fluids that infiltrated from the host peridotite at the onset of serpentinization processes. Diamond was preserved as a result of fracture healing at the same temperature interval in which the chromite alteration began. These mechanisms of diamond formation challenge the idea that the occurrence of diamond in ophiolitic rocks constitutes an unequivocal indicator of ultrahigh-pressure conditions.
Abstract: The highly siderophile elements (HSE: Os, Ir, Ru, Rh, Pt, Pd, Re, Au) exist in solid solution in accessory base-metal sulfides (BMS) as well as nano-to-micron scale minerals in rocks of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). The latter include platinum-group minerals (PGM) and gold minerals, which may vary widely in morphology, composition and distribution. The PGM form isolated grains often associated with larger BMS hosted in residual olivine, located at interstices in between peridotite-forming minerals or more commonly in association with metasomatic minerals (pyroxenes, carbonates, phosphates) and silicate glasses in some peridotite xenoliths. The PGM found inside residual olivine are mainly Os-, Ir- and Ru-rich sulfides and alloys. In contrast, those associated with metasomatic minerals or silicate glasses of peridotite xenoliths consist of Pt, Pd, and Rh bonded with semimetals like As, Te, Bi, and Sn. Nanoscale observations on natural samples along with the results of recent experiments indicate that nucleation of PGM is mainly related with the uptake of HSE by nanoparticles, nanominerals or nanomelts at high temperature (> 900?°C) in both silicate and/or sulfide melts, regardless of the residual or metasomatic origin of their host minerals. A similar interpretation can be assumed for gold minerals. Our observations highlight that nanoscale processes play an important role on the ore-forming potential of primitive mantle-derived magmas parental to magmatic-hydrothermal deposits enriched in noble metals. The metal inventory in these magmas could be related with the physical incorporation of HSE-bearing nanoparticles or nanomelts during processes of partial melting of mantle peridotite and melt migration from the mantle to overlying continental crust.
Abstract: Diamond is commonly regarded as an indicator of ultra-high pressure conditions in Earth System Science. This canonical view is challenged by recent data and interpretations that suggest metastable growth of diamond in low pressure environments. One such environment is serpentinisation of oceanic lithosphere, which produces highly reduced CH4-bearing fluids after olivine alteration by reaction with infiltrating fluids. Here we report the first ever observed in situ diamond within olivine-hosted, CH4-rich fluid inclusions from low pressure oceanic gabbro and chromitite samples from the Moa-Baracoa ophiolitic massif, eastern Cuba. Diamond is encapsulated in voids below the polished mineral surface forming a typical serpentinisation array, with methane, serpentine and magnetite, providing definitive evidence for its metastable growth upon low temperature and low pressure alteration of oceanic lithosphere and super-reduction of infiltrated fluids. Thermodynamic modelling of the observed solid and fluid assemblage at a reference P-T point appropriate for serpentinisation (350 °C and 100 MPa) is consistent with extreme reduction of the fluid to logfO2 (MPa) = ?45.3 (?logfO2[Iron-Magnetite] = ?6.5). These findings imply that the formation of metastable diamond at low pressure in serpentinised olivine is a widespread process in modern and ancient oceanic lithosphere, questioning a generalised ultra-high pressure origin for ophiolitic diamond.
Abstract: Recent findings of diamonds in ophiolitic peridotites and chromitites challenge our traditional notion of Earth mantle dynamics. Models attempting to explain these findings involve incorporation of diamonds into chromite near the mantle transition zone. However, the occurrence of metastable diamonds in this context has not been considered. Here, we report for the first time in situ microdiamonds in chromite from ophiolitic chromitite pods hosted in the Tehuitzingo serpentinite (southern Mexico). Here, diamonds occur as fracture-filling inclusions along with quartz, clinochlore, serpentine, and amorphous carbon, thus indicating a secondary origin during the shallow hydration of chromitite. Chromite chemical variations across the diamond-bearing healed fractures indicate formation during the retrograde evolution of chromitite at temperatures between 670 °C and 515 °C. During this stage, diamond precipitated metastably at low pressure from reduced C-O-H fluids that infiltrated from the host peridotite at the onset of serpentinization processes. Diamond was preserved as a result of fracture healing at the same temperature interval in which the chromite alteration began. These mechanisms of diamond formation challenge the idea that the occurrence of diamond in ophiolitic rocks constitutes an unequivocal indicator of ultrahigh-pressure conditions.
Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 46, 3, pp. 1348-1356.
Mantle
UHP
Abstract: Iron oxides are important end?members of the complex materials that constitute the Earth's interior. Among them, FeO and Fe2O3 have long been considered as the main end?members of the ferrous (Fe2+) and ferric (Fe3+) states of iron, respectively. All geochemical models assume that high oxygen concentrations are systematically associated to the formation of ferric iron in minerals. The recent discovery of O22? peroxide ions in a phase of chemical formula FeO2Hx stable under high?pressure and high?temperature conditions challenges this general concept. However, up to now, the valences of iron and oxygen in FeO2Hx have only been indirectly inferred from a structural analogy with pyrite FeS2. Here we compressed goethite (FeOOH), an Fe3+?bearing mineral, at lower mantle pressure and temperature conditions by using laser?heated diamond?anvil cells, and we probed the iron oxidation state upon transformation of FeOOH in the pressure-temperature stability field of FeO2Hx using in situ X?ray absorption spectroscopy. The data demonstrate that upon this transformation iron has transformed into ferrous Fe2+. Such reduced iron despite high oxygen concentrations suggests that our current views of oxidized and reduced species in the lower mantle of the Earth should be reconsidered.
Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiora, 13p. Pdf
Mantle
melting
Abstract: Physical properties of silicate melts play a key role for global planetary dynamics, controlling for example volcanic eruption styles, mantle convection and elemental cycling in the deep Earth. They are significantly modified by structural changes at the atomic scale due to external parameters such as pressure and temperature or due to chemistry. Structural rearrangements such as 4- to 6-fold coordination change of Si with increasing depth may profoundly influence melt properties, but have so far mostly been studied at ambient temperature due to experimental difficulties. In order to investigate the structural properties of silicate melts and their densification mechanisms at conditions relevant to the deep Earth's interior, we studied haplo basaltic glasses and melts (albite-diopside composition) at high pressure and temperature conditions in resistively and laser-heated diamond anvil cells using X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy. Samples were doped with 10 wt of Ge, which is accessible with this experimental technique and which commonly serves as a structural analogue for the network forming cation Si. We acquired spectra on the Ge K edge up to 48 GPa and 5000 K and derived the average Ge-O coordination number , and bond distance as functions of pressure. Our results demonstrate a continuous transformation from tetrahedral to octahedral coordination between ca. 5 and 30 GPa at ambient temperature. Above 1600 K the data reveal a reduction of the pressure needed to complete conversion to octahedral coordination by ca. 30 . The results allow us to determine the influence of temperature on the Si coordination number changes in natural melts in the Earth's interior. We propose that the complete transition to octahedral coordination in basaltic melts is reached at about 40 GPa, corresponding to a depth of ca. 1200 km in the uppermost lower mantle. At the core-mantle boundary (2900 km, 130 GPa, 3000 K) the existence of non-buoyant melts has been proposed to explain observed low seismic wave velocity features. Our results highlight that the melt composition can affect the melt density at such extreme conditions and may strongly influence the structural response.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 494, pp. 42-49.
Mantle
geodynamics
Abstract: The geodynamic regime of the early Earth remains elusive, with so far proposed hypotheses ranging from stagnant lid convection to rapid plate tectonics. Available geological data are severely limited for the first two billion years of the Earth's history, and this scarcity of relevant data is often compounded by the nonuniqueness of interpretation. Here we propose that the samarium-neodymium isotope evolution, which has been suggested to be consistent with stagnant lid convection in the early Earth, may be better understood as the result of rapid crustal growth and extensive crustal recycling. We delineate the permissible scenario of crustal evolution through geochemical box modeling with a Monte Carlo sampling of the model parameter space, and our results suggest that the net growth of continental crust was complete by the end of the Hadean and that the rate of crustal recycling could have been as high as kg Gyr?1 at that time and has gradually decreased since then. Such crustal evolution yields a specific prediction for the present-day distribution of crustal formation ages, which is shown to be in remarkable agreement with a recent estimate based on the global compilation of zircon age data. The mode of subsolidus mantle convection after the putative magma ocean is probably plate tectonics, but its style could have been very different from that of contemporary plate tectonics, characterized by more voluminous magmatism and more destructive subduction.
Abstract: The Mt. Vulture (Basilicata, Southern Italy) is an alkaline carbonatite volcano whose extrusive rocks are mafic, alkaline with different Na/K ratios, mainly SiO2 undersaturated, with relatively high contents of Cl, S, F, and CO2 [1]. Their composition ranges from basalts to basanites to tephrite to phono-tephrites and phonolites. Along with this magma suite have been erupted mantle xenolith bearing-carbonatitic melilitites and carbonatites [1, 2]. Holocrystalline ejecta have been studied in detail to reconstruct the composition of the subvolcanic/plutonic bodies beneath Mt. Vulture. The ejacta are haüine-bearing clinopyoxenites with variable content of olivine, amphibole and phlogopite, haüine foidolites with some nepheline and leucite, haüine-calcite-syenites, syenites, calcite melilitolites, K-feldspar bering-alvikites and a sovite [3]. There is a continuous variation in the modal and geochemical composition between clinopyroxenite and foidolite, that might be related to the chemical evolution shown by the extrusive rocks. The ejecta show an enrichment trend in LILE, LREE and HFSE consistent with fractional crystallisation evolution, from clinopyroxenites to foidolites and from foid-syenites to syenites. The foid-syeniites are rich in U, Pb, Sr, LREE and contain britholite, wholerite, Upyrochlore. The most evolved syenite however, is less enriched in REE but contains elevate content of U and HFSE. The sovite contains intercumulus alkali carbonates. A glimemerite vein in a haüine foidolite contain REE-rich apatite, shorlomite and U-pyrochlore. These findings suggest that alkaline-alogen-H2O-CO2 rich fluids can be formed during sub-volcanic/plutonic fractional crystallisation. These fluids can produce fenitisation and/or can form mineralisation enriched in REE and HFSE. The ejecta suite studied represents the intrusive complex beneath the volcano and these rock types are typical of ring complexes in alkaline carbonatite volcanoes.
Abstract: A new discovery of carbonatites at Pianciano, Ficoreto and Forcinelle in the Roman Region demonstrates that Italian carbonatites are not just isolated, mantle xenoliths-bearing, primitive diatremic rocks but also evolved sub-type fluor-calciocarbonatite (F?10 wt.%) associated with fluor ore (F?30 wt.%). New data constrain a multi-stage petrogenetic process, 1-orthomagmatic, 2-carbothermal, 3-hydrothermal. Petrography and geochemistry are conducive to processes of immiscibility and decarbonation, rather than assimilation and crystal fractionation. A CO2-rich, ultra-alkaline magma is inferred to produce immiscible melilite leucitite and carbonatite melts, at lithospheric mantle depths. At the crustal level and in the presence of massive CO2 exsolution, decarbonation reactions may be the dominant processes. Decarbonation consumes dolomite and produces calcite and periclase, which, in turn, react with silica to produce forsterite and Ca silicates (monticellite, melilite, andradite). Under carbothermal conditions, carbonate breakdown releases Sr, Ba and LREE; F and S become concentrated in residual fluids, allowing precipitation of fluorite and barite, as well as celestine and anhydrite. Fluor-calciocarbonatite is the best candidate to exsolve fluids able to deposit fluor ore, which has a smaller volume. At the hydrothermal stage, REE concentration and temperature dropping allow the formation of LREEF2+ and LREECO3+ ligands, which control the precipitation of interstitial LREE fluorcarbonate and silicates -(bastnäsite-(Ce)- Ce(CO3)F and -britholite-(Ce)- (Ce,Ca)5(SiO4,PO4)3(OH,F) . Vanadates such as wakefieldite, CeVO4, vanadinite, Pb5(VO4)3Cl and coronadite Pb(Mn4+6 Mn3+2)O16 characterise the matrix. At temperatures of ?100°C analcime, halloysite, quartz, barren calcite, and zeolites (K-Ca) precipitate in expansion fractures, veins and dyke aureoles.
Abstract: A new discovery of carbonatites at Pianciano, Ficoreto and Forcinelle in the Roman Region demonstrates that Italian carbonatites are not just isolated, mantle xenoliths-bearing, primitive diatremic rocks but also evolved sub-type fluor-calciocarbonatite (F~10 wt.%) associated with fluor ore (F~30 wt.%). New data constrain a multi-stage petrogenetic process, 1-orthomagmatic, 2-carbothermal, 3-hydrothermal. Petrography and geochemistry are conducive to processes of immiscibility and decarbonation, rather than assimilation and crystal fractionation. A CO2-rich, ultra-alkaline magma is inferred to produce immiscible melilite leucitite and carbonatite melts, at lithospheric mantle depths. At the crustal level and in the presence of massive CO2 exsolution, decarbonation reactions may be the dominant processes. Decarbonation consumes dolomite and produces calcite and periclase, which, in turn, react with silica to produce forsterite and Ca silicates (monticellite, melilite, andradite). Under carbothermal conditions, carbonate breakdown releases Sr, Ba and LREE; F and S become concentrated in residual fluids, allowing precipitation of fluorite and barite, as well as celestine and anhydrite. Fluor-calciocarbonatite is the best candidate to exsolve fluids able to deposit fluor ore, which has a smaller volume. At the hydrothermal stage, REE concentration and temperature dropping allow the formation of LREEF2+ and LREECO3+ ligands, which control the precipitation of interstitial LREE fluorcarbonate and silicates -(bastnäsite-(Ce)- Ce(CO3)F and -britholite-(Ce)- (Ce,Ca)5(SiO4,PO4)3(OH,F) . Vanadates such as wakefieldite, CeVO4, vanadinite, Pb5(VO4)3Cl and coronadite Pb(Mn4+6 Mn3+2)O16 characterise the matrix. At temperatures of =100°C analcime, halloysite, quartz, barren calcite, and zeolites (K-Ca) precipitate in expansion fractures, veins and dyke aureoles.
Abstract: Engineering coherent systems is a central goal of quantum science. Color centers in diamond are a promising approach, with the potential to combine the coherence of atoms with the scalability of a solid-state platform. We report a color center that shows insensitivity to environmental decoherence caused by phonons and electric field noise: the neutral charge state of silicon vacancy (SiV0). Through careful materials engineering, we achieved >80% conversion of implanted silicon to SiV0. SiV0 exhibits spin-lattice relaxation times approaching 1 minute and coherence times approaching 1 second. Its optical properties are very favorable, with ~90% of its emission into the zero-phonon line and near -transform-limited optical linewidths. These combined properties make SiV0 a promising defect for quantum network applications.
Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Vol. 7, 4, pp. 216-239.
Global
microdiamonds
Abstract: Concerns around the use of micro-diamonds for resource estimation have been raised by some workers because: 1) multiple diamond populations are present in many parts of the mantle source region, 2) small diamonds in kimberlite could be exposed to proportionately greater levels of resorption and modification, and 3) euhedral micro-diamonds could crystallize immediately prior to kimberlite eruption. This paper addresses these concerns and discusses the geology of the mantle and the principal diamond host rocks, the impact of mantle processes, compares micro- and macro-diamond properties and features, and outlines several steps that can be undertaken to identify and mitigate the risk of resorption of diamond and its impact on the diamond grade size relationship.
Communicacoes Geologicas *** in PORT, researchgate 7p. Pdf
Africa, Angola
deposit - Bailundo
Abstract: Pyrochlore group minerals are common accessory phases in alkaline-carbonatitic complexes, and the most important Nb ore worldwide. Its capacity to embody a wide range of compositions can often provide useful insights in Nb occurrence and concentration processes. In the Bailundo Carbonatitic Complex (BCC, Angola), two major sets of pyrochlore can be distinguished: (1) magmatic/metasomatic pyrochlore in deep carbonatitic rocks, often displaying diffuse textures obliterating primary zoning, with slightly low contents in Nb2O5 (average 50 wt%), and in other chemical components (Ta, U, Na); and (2) supergene pyrochlore in the weathering profile, displaying corroded and bleached patches along microfractures (in some cases, with relics of magmatic pyrochlore), that show higher contents in Nb2O5 (up to 73 wt%), Ba and Pb. Compositional and textural variations recorded in pyrochlore crystals illustrate the geodynamic events that took place in the BCC and contributed to high Nb concentration in the weathering profile, thus being quite useful to distinguish different mineralization types and as Nb-exploration tools.
Journal of African Earth Sciences, Vol. 177, 104154, 16p. Pdf
Africa, Angola
deposit - Bailundo
Abstract: Pyrochlore is a common accessory in carbonatite rocks and its composition can provide useful insights on petrogenetic and post-magmatic metal-enrichment processes, especially those which favour its occurrence and concentration. Comprehensive compositional and textural characterization of a large set of pyrochlores from the Bailundo Carbonatite Complex (SW Angola) and associated surface rocks was the basis to (i) evaluate the main effects of metasomatism and weathering as causes of metal leaching or concentration; and (ii) assess pyrochlore compositions as potential petrogenetic or metallogenetic tools, with particular emphasis on pyrochlore enrichment in economic components, such as Ta, REE, U, Th and Pb, during weathering processes. Unweathered fluor- and hydroxyl-calciopyrochlores from deep-seated carbonatitic rocks (provided by a 600 m-deep drill-core) often present high Ta/Nb ratios, as well as high U and Th contents, and comparatively low overall REE concentrations. Metasomatic effects are not easy to assess, given the extreme compositional variability of these pyrochlores. On the other hand, some systematic trends can be established in pyrochlores from weathered surface rocks: these pyrochlores usually show strong depletion in most A-site cations (e.g., Na, Ca, U), and clear enrichment in Nb and in large-ion metals (e.g., Ba, Sr, Pb) usually absent in unweathered pyrochlores. REE seem to be relatively immobile and to become concentrated during weathering. Along with some REE phosphates and oxides, pyrochlore is often present in several domains of the weathering profile, occurring in the outcropping weathered carbonatite as well as in the regolith immediately overlying the intrusion. Thus, both the Bailundo carbonatite intrusion and its weathering products, concentrated inside the ridge formed by differential erosion of the fenitic aureole, constitute good exploration targets for Nb (±Ta ± REE). However, future exploration work should also include a 3-D understanding of the chemical and geological processes at work in both geological environments.
Comminocacoes Geologicas ( Researchgate), July, 7p. Pdf
Africa, Angola
deposit - Bailundo
Abstract: Pyrochlore group minerals are common accessory phases in many rock types of the Bailundo Carbonatite Complex. These minerals record compositional and textural features that provide useful information regarding their genesis and accumulation, monitoring magmatic, metasomatic and weathering events. In drill core samples, primary compositions (significant Ta and U contents, and relatively low Nb and F values) are found in relict cores of strongly metasomatized pyrochlore grains; irregular patches in pyrochlore rims, typically enriched in F, Na and Nb, reflect fluid alteration fronts. At shallower levels, preserved pyrochlores show well-defined concentric zoning and substantially higher values of F and Nb. In the weathering profile, alteration processes include replacement of F, Na and Ca by Ba, Sr, Pb and H2O. These data suggest the possibility of Nb concentration in late-magmatic fluids as fluoride complexes, and its subsequent mobilization and crystallization in the form of pyrochlore at shallower levels of the Bailundo Carbonatite Complex.
Rosenthal, A., Yaxley, G.M., Crichton, W.A., Kovacs, I.J., Spandler, C., Hermann, J., Sandorne, J.K., Rose-Koga, E., Pelleter, A-A.
Phase relations and melting of nominally 'dry' residual eclogites with variable CaO/Na2O from 3 to 5 Gpa and 1250 to 1500C; implications for refertilisation of upwelling heterogeneous mantle.
Diamond & Related Materials, Vol. 109, 108049, 6p. Pdf
Mantle
nitrogen
Abstract: Single crystal diamond (<5?ppm nitrogen) containing native NV centers with coherence time of 150??s was irradiated with 2?MeV alpha particles, with doses ranging from 1012 ion/cm2 to 1015 ion/cm2. The effect of ion damage on the coherence time of NV centers was studied using optically detected magnetic resonance and supplemented by fluorescence and Raman microscopy. A cross-sectional geometry was employed so that the NV coherence time could be measured as a function of increasing defect concentration along the ion track. Surprisingly, although the ODMR contrast was found to decrease with increasing ion induced vacancy concentration, the measured decoherence time remained undiminished at 150us despite the estimated vacancy concentration reaching a value of 40?ppm at the end of range. These results suggest that ion induced damage in the form of an increase in vacancy concentration does not necessarily result in a significant increase in the density of the background spin bath.
Devriese, S.G.R., Corcoran, N., Cowan, D., Davis, K., Bild-Enkin, D., Fournier, D., Heagy, L., Kang, S., Marchant, D., McMillan, M.S., Mitchell, M., Rosenkjar, G., Yang, D., Oldenburg, D.W.
Magnetic inversion of three airborne dat a sets over the Tli Kwi Cho kimberlite complex.
SEG Annual Meeting Denver, pp. 1790-1794 extended abstract
Fournier, D., Heagy, L., Corcoran, N., Devriese, S.G.R., Bild-Enkin, D., Davis, K., Kang, S., Marchant, D., McMillan, M.S., Mitchell, M., Rosenkjar, G., Yang, D., Oldenburg, D.W.
Multi-EM systems inversion - towards a common conductivity model for Tli Kwi Cho complex.
SEG Annual Meeting Denver, pp. 1795-1798. Extended abstract
Devriese, S.G.R., Corcoran, N., Cowan, D., Davis, K., Bild-Enkin, D., Fournier, D., Heagy, L., Kang, S., Marchant, D., McMillan, M.S., Mitchell, M., Rosenkjar, G., Yang, D., Oldenburg, D.W.
Abstract: The magnetic and electromagnetic responses from airborne systems at Tli Kwi Cho, a kimberlite complex in the Northwest Territories, Canada, have received considerable attention over the last two decades but a complete understanding of the causative physical properties is not yet at hand. Our analysis is distributed among three papers. In the first, we find a 3D magnetic susceptibility model for the area; in the second, we find a 3D conductivity model; and in the third paper, we find a 3D chargeability model. Our goal is to explain all the geophysical results within a geologic framework. In this first paper, we invert three independent airborne magnetic data sets flown over the Tli Kwi Cho kimberlite complex located in the Lac de Gras kimberlite field in Northwest Territories, Canada. The complex consists of two kimberlites known as DO-27 and DO-18. An initial airborne DIGHEM survey was flown in 1992 and AeroTEM and VTEM data subsequently acquired in 2003 and 2004, respectively. In this paper, we invert each magnetic data set in three dimensions. Both kimberlites are recovered in each model, with DO-27 as a more susceptible body than DO-18. Our goal is to simultaneously invert the three data sets to generate a single susceptibility model for Tli Kwi Cho. This project is part of a larger, on-going investigation by UBC-GIF on inverting magnetic, electromagnetic, and induced polarization data from the Tli Kwi Cho area.
Fournier, D., Heagy, L., Corcoran, N., Cowan, D., Devriese, S.G.R., Bild-Enkin, D., Davis, K., Kang, S., Marchant, D., McMillan, M.S., Mitchell, M., Rosenkjar, G., Yang, D., Oldenburg, D.W.
Abstract: The magnetic and electromagnetic responses from airborne systems at Tli Kwi Cho, a kimberlite complex in the Northwest Territories, Canada, have received considerable attention over the last two decades but a complete understanding of the causative physical properties is not yet at hand. Our analysis is distributed among three posters. In the first we find a 3D magnetic susceptibility model for the area; in the second we find a 3D conductivity model; and in the third we find a 3D chargeability model that can explain the negative transient responses measured over the kimberlite pipes. In this second paper we focus upon the task of finding a conductivity model that is compatible with three airborne data sets flown between 1992 and 2004: one frequency-domain data set (DIGHEM) and two time-domain systems (AeroTEM and VTEM). The goal is to obtain a 3D model from which geologic questions can be answered, but even more importantly, to provide a background conductivity needed to complete the 3D IP inversion of airborne EM data. We begin by modifying our pre-existing 1D frequency and time domain inversion codes to produce models that have more lateral continuity. The results are useful in their own right but we have also found that 1D analysis is often very effective in bringing to light erroneous data, assisting in estimating noise floors, and providing some starting information for developing a background model for the 3D EM inversion. Here we show some results from our Laterally Constrained Inversion (LCI) framework. The recovered conductivity models seem to agree on the general location of the kimberlite pipes but disagree on the geometry and conductivity values at depth. The complete 3D inversions in time and frequency, needed to resolved these issues, are currently in progress.
Devriese, S.G.R., Corcoran, N., Cowan, D., Davis, K., Bild-Enkin, D., Fournier, D., Heagy, L., Kang, S., Marchant, D., McMillan, M.S., Mitchell, M., Rosenkjar, G., Yang, D., Oldenburg, D.W.
Abstract: The magnetic and electromagnetic responses from airborne systems at Tli Kwi Cho, a kimberlite complex in the Northwest Territories, Canada, have received considerable attention over the last two decades but a complete understanding of the causative physical properties is not yet at hand. Our analysis is distributed among three papers. In the first, we find a 3D magnetic susceptibility model for the area; in the second, we find a 3D conductivity model; and in the third paper, we find a 3D chargeability model. Our goal is to explain all the geophysical results within a geologic framework. In this first paper, we invert three independent airborne magnetic data sets flown over the Tli Kwi Cho kimberlite complex located in the Lac de Gras kimberlite field in Northwest Territories, Canada. The complex consists of two kimberlites known as DO-27 and DO- 18. An initial airborne DIGHEM survey was flown in 1992 and AeroTEM and VTEM data subsequently acquired in 2003 and 2004, respectively. In this paper, we invert each magnetic data set in three dimensions. Both kimberlites are recovered in each model, with DO-27 as a more susceptible body than DO-18. Our goal is to simultaneously invert the three data sets to generate a single susceptibility model for Tli Kwi Cho. This project is part of a larger, on-going investigation by UBC-GIF on inverting magnetic, electromagnetic, and induced polarization data from the Tli Kwi Cho area.
Fournier, D., Heagy, L., Corcoran, N., Cowan, D., Devriese, S.G.R., Bild-Enkin, D., Davis, K., Marchant, M., McMillan, M.S., Mitchell, M., Rosenkjar, G., Yang, D., Oldenburg, D.W.
Abstract: The magnetic and electromagnetic responses from airborne systems at Tli Kwi Cho, a kimberlite complex in the Northwest Territories, Canada, have received considerable attention over the last two decades but a complete understanding of the causative physical properties is not yet at hand. Our analysis is distributed among three posters. In the first we find a 3D magnetic susceptibility model for the area; in the second we find a 3D conductivity model; and in the third we find a 3D chargeability model that can explain the negative transient responses measured over the kimberlite pipes. In this second paper we focus upon the task of finding a conductivity model that is compatible with three airborne data sets flown between 1992 and 2004: one frequency-domain data set (DIGHEM) and two time-domain systems (AeroTEM and VTEM). The goal is to obtain a 3D model from which geologic questions can be answered, but even more importantly, to provide a background conductivity needed to complete the 3D IP inversion of airborne EM data. We begin by modifying our pre-existing 1D frequency and time domain inversion codes to produce models that have more lateral continuity. The results are useful in their own right but we have also found that 1D analysis is often very effective in bringing to light erroneous data, assisting in estimating noise floors, and providing some starting information for developing a background model for the 3D EM inversion. Here we show some results from our Laterally Constrained Inversion (LCI) framework. The recovered conductivity models seem to agree on the general location of the kimberlite pipes but disagree on the geometry and conductivity values at depth. The complete 3D inversions in time and frequency, needed to resolved these issues, are currently in progress.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 222, Feb 1, pp. 421-435.
Mantle
geobarometry
Abstract: We have performed an experimental cross calibration of a suite of mineral equilibria within mantle rock bulk compositions that are commonly used in geobarometry to determine the equilibration depths of upper mantle assemblages. Multiple barometers were compared simultaneously in experimental runs, where the pressure was determined using in-situ measurements of the unit cell volumes of MgO, NaCl, Re and h-BN between 3.6 and 10.4?GPa, and 1250 and 1500?°C. The experiments were performed in a large volume press (LVPs) in combination with synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Noble metal capsules drilled with multiple sample chambers were loaded with a range of bulk compositions representative of peridotite, eclogite and pyroxenite lithologies. By this approach, we simultaneously calibrated the geobarometers applicable to different mantle lithologies under identical and well determined pressure and temperature conditions. We identified discrepancies between the calculated and experimental pressures for which we propose simple linear or constant correction factors to some of the previously published barometric equations. As a result, we establish internally-consistent cross-calibrations for a number of garnet-orthopyroxene, garnet-clinopyroxene, Ca-Tschermaks-in-clinopyroxene and majorite geobarometers.
Rosenthal, A., Yaxley, G.M., Crichton, W.A., Kovacs, I.J., Spandler, C., Hermann, J., Sandorne, J.K., Rose-Koga, E., Pelleter, A-A.
Phase relations and melting of nominally 'dry' residual eclogites with variable CaO/Na2O from 3 to 5 Gpa and 1250 to 1500C; implications for refertilisation of upwelling heterogeneous mantle.
Abstract: In this paper an improved prediction-area plot has been developed. This type of plot includes performance measures similar to other existing methods (receiver operating characteristics, success-rate curves and ordinary prediction-area plots) and, therefore, offers a reliable method for evaluating the performance of spatial evidence maps and prospectivity models. To demonstrate the reliability of the improved prediction-area plot proposed, we investigated the benefits of augmented targeting criteria through remotely sensed exploration features, compared to only geological map-derived criteria, for mineral prospectivity analysis using as an example the podiform chromite deposits of the Sabzevar Ophiolite Belt, Iran. The application of the newly developed improved prediction-area plot to the prospectivity models generated in this study indicated that the augmented targeting criteria by using remote sensing data perform better than non-updated geological map-derived criteria, and that model effectiveness can be improved by using an integrated approach that entails geologic remote sensing.
Abstract: An important issue in Earth’s earliest history is the timing and mixing history of the late accreted material that supplied highly siderophile elements to Earth’s mantle after core segregation. Previously, constraints on ancient mantle processes could only be obtained indirectly from mantle-derived magmas such as basalts or komatiites. Relics of Eoarchean (older than 3.8 Ga) mantle were proposed to occur within the Eoarchean terrains of western Greenland. Here we provide geochemical evidence, including combined platinum group element (PGE) and Re-Os isotope data, showing that modern mantle-like peridotites occur at two localities in southwest Greenland. Rhenium-depletion model ages of these peridotites are mostly of Eoarchean age, in accord with U-Pb zircon ages of crosscutting granitoid intrusives. PGE abundances and patterns are similar to those of modern depleted mantle peridotites. For the first time, such patterns provide conclusive evidence for preservation of Eoarchean depleted mantle rocks that are clearly distinguishable from magmatic cumulates or komatiites. Abundances of Os, Ir, and Ru combined with Os isotope compositions in the Greenland peridotites reveal that primitive late accreted material appears to have been efficiently mixed into the sampled mantle domains by Eoarchean time.
Abstract: We performed laser-heated diamond anvil cell experiments on bulk compositions in the systems MgO-SiO2-H2O (MSH) and MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O (MASH) that constrain the stability of hydrous phases in Earth’s lower mantle. Phase identification by synchrotron powder diffraction reveals a consistent set of stability relations for the high-pressure, dense hydrous silicate phases D and H. In the MSH system phase D is stable to ~ 50 GPa, independent of temperature from ~ 1300 to 1700 K. Phase H becomes stable between 35 and 40 GPa, and the phase H out reaction occurs at ~ 55 GPa at 1600 K with a negative dT/dP slope of ~ -75 K/GPa. Between ~ 30 and 50 GPa dehydration melting occurs at ~ 1800K with a flat dT/dP slope. A cusp along the solidus at ~ 50 GPa corresponds with the intersection of the subsolidus phase H out reaction, and the dT/dP melting slope steepens to ~ 15 K/GPa up to ~ 85 GPa.
Compositional relations between natrolite, gonnardite, and thomsonite-products of nepheline alteration in alkaline rocks of the Magnet Cove igneouscomplex
Geological Society of America (GSA) Annual Meeting Abstracts, Vol. 21, No. 6, p. A326. Abstract
Abstract: Drift prospecting has been a successful mineral exploration tool in previously glaciated terrains. Based on the concepts of glacial dynamics, and related sediment production, transport and deposition, drift prospecting surveys assess compositional variability within glacial sediments and trace indicators of mineralization back to a buried bedrock source. The time-transgressive nature of shifting ice flow direction and related till production is an important factor, controlling the shape and extent of dispersal patterns in till. The effect of changing ice flow on the composition of till has been well-studied in both map view, as well as longitudinally in cross section (i.e., dispersal curves). Fewer studies have looked at dispersal patterns holistically in three-dimensions. Here, we use 94 reverse circulation (RC) boreholes, yielding 254 till samples, to reconstruct the subsurface geometry of a dispersal train from a pair of buried kimberlite pipes (DO-27 and DO-18) in the Northwest Territories. Discrete smooth interpolation modeling in SKUA-GOCAD based on downhole data allows for visualization of geochemical anomalies within the till column, as well as the subsurface density of kimberlite indicator mineral grains. Through the combination of borehole data, field work, and modeling, we are able to compare three-dimensional dispersal patterns in the subsurface with local ice flow records, measured from erosional ice flow indicators in the field. This dataset allows us to evaluate the role that changing ice flow, as well as local bedrock surface topography, play in controlling dispersal and deposition of clastic sediment by past ice sheets. Our modeling documents buried palimpsest terrains along older ice flow trajectories, demonstrating lateral and vertical variability within a single, relatively thin and discontinuous till sheet. Furthermore, we observe relationships between local indicator mineral concentrations and bedrock topography, with indicator mineral dispersal concentrated along a bedrock-controlled topographic low aligned with the most recent ice flow. This work demonstrates the benefit of detailed mapping and visualization of a dispersal plume, even in areas of relatively thin and discontinuous till cover, highlighting the role basal topography and shifting ice flow plays on shaping the surface expression of a dispersal train.
Abstract: The goal of this work is to determine the effect of multiple glaciations on till composition, in a zone of transition from a multi-till stratigraphy within the Hudson Bay Lowland (HBL) to a single till stratigraphy over the Precambrian shield. The study area, in NE Manitoba, has access to numerous sections that expose multiple tills, in addition to interglacial and postglacial sediments. Sequences of thick till are not easily separated into different units, despite previous field attempts to define four named tills. The compositional transition to thin till overlying the Precambrian Shield in the west is also not well understood. Yet, the two different settings were affected by the same 3+ glacial cycles. The wide range in eastern- and/or northeastern-sourced calcareous clast concentrations, and ‘locally’-sourced shield clast concentrations, combined with variable concentrations of northern-sourced clasts, suggests that the tills of northeastern Manitoba are ‘provenance’ hybrids. Local tills result from the net effect of multiple glacial processes that underwent spatiotemporal variability. Mixed provenance applies not only to surface tills, but to the subsurface tills as well. Preliminary results suggest that carbonate transport across the shield was continuous throughout several glacial cycles, but the bulk of transport likely occurred prior to the most recent glacial cycle. Current work has established a northern-Manitoba ice-flow history using the erosional and depositional record, which encompasses 5 to 7 phases. This new compilation is used in conjunction with ‘till-clast’ stratigraphy and ‘till-geochemistry’ stratigraphy, to identify a new provenance framework for tills in northeastern Manitoba.
45th. Annual Yellowknife Geoscience Forum, p. 67 abstract
Canada, Northwest Territories
geochemistry - indicator minerals
Abstract: Tracing surficial dispersal patterns of indicator minerals within glacial sediments in the main up-ice direction has greatly contributed to numerous mineral discoveries of economic value in the Northwest Territories. However, many cases have also reported perplexing scenarios of dispersal trains seemingly lacking a source, or known sources without a spatially associated dispersal train at the surface. These ‘special’ cases often hinder exploration efforts, and tend to remain poorly understood; yet these cases are becoming increasingly important to decipher as exploration moves into more complex terrains. We present an overview of our research done in the Lac de Gras area over the past few years in collaboration with the Northwest Territories Geological Survey and their partners investigating the effect of multiple ice flows, variable bedrock topography and drift thickness, and the complexities of glacial sedimentary environments on 2D and 3D mechanical (detrital) dispersion. Our research draws from surface and subsurface datasets from various sources at both the regional and local scales. We show that despite the occurrence of relatively long, continuous, surficial patterns extending in the direction of the latest-strongest ice flow event in the region, a subtle record of the time-transgressive glacial history is also frequently preserved. These records yield information about the net effect on sediment dispersion of multiple ice flow phases, bedrock geology, basal topography, and glacial depositional processes. Our findings suggest these geological factors played a key role in producing some of the most irregular and enigmatic dispersal patterns in the region. They also offer insights into how to best characterize and explain the signal (or lack thereof) from elusive buried sources of potential economic interest.
Ross, M., Kelley, S.E., Janzen, R., Stirling, R.A., Normandeau, P.X., Elliott, B.
Orphan and elusive glacial dispersal trains from kimberlites in the Lac de Gras area.
2018 Yellowknife Geoscience Forum , p. 65-66. abstract
Canada, Northwest Territories
geochemistry
Abstract: Numerous glacial dispersal trains, spatially and compositionally associated to kimberlites, have been characterized and mapped in the Lac de Gras region, Northwest Territories (NT). However, a small number of these trains have yet to be associated with a source. Additionally, a number of known sub-cropping kimberlites do not have well-defined, spatially associated, trains of indicator minerals. These issues suggest that local factors may be important in controlling the occurrence, shape, and strength of a dispersal pattern and its spatial association with a kimberlite. Identifying these factors and understanding their effect on the dispersion of indicator minerals could provide a road map for finding additional diamondiferous kimberlites in the NT and elsewhere. Here we examine contrasting dispersal trains from south and southwest of Lac de Gras, as well as situations where the source of known dispersal trains (e.g., Coppermine Train) continue to elude exploration geologists. Using both surface and subsurface datasets, we find that the bedrock geology and topography of the source area, as well as those of the dispersal area, are potential key controls on the type and shape of dispersal patterns. Even across discontinuous drift and subdued shield relief we find that bedrock topography and lithology modulated the effect of glacial dynamics on till production and provenance. These 'bedrock factors' have interacted in various ways during Quaternary glaciations, in combinations unique to each case, to generate complex dispersal patterns in three dimensions. Accounting for these factors, using both surface and subsurface data, could enhance the success of drift exploration programs and improve their outcome in the glaciated shield terrains of northern Canada.
Stirling, R.A., Kelley, S.E., Ross, M., Elliott, B., Normandeau, P.X.
Surface and subsurface till characteristics in a drumlin field south of Lac de Gras, NT; implications for drift prospecting. ( Dominion's Ekati and North Arrow)
2018 Yellowknife Geoscience Forum , p. 80. abstract
Canada, Northwest Territories
deposit - Ekati
Abstract: Successful diamond exploration is becoming increasingly challenging as the best expressed targets have been found. Areas of variable drift thickness and heterogeneous surficial deposits present several challenges to exploration. One particular aspect that is poorly understood is the effect of well-developed drumlin fields on the surface expression of dispersal trains. Our study focuses on drumlin fields and their potential effects in the expression of a dispersal pattern. Because drumlins are often stratified we hypothesize that multiple till layers of contrasting provenance, representing multiple ice-flow directions, can occur at the surface across drumlin fields due to erosional processes. This has the potential to affect analysis and interpretation of surficial till dispersion data.
To test this hypothesis, we examined data from a large RC drilling dataset donated by Dominion Diamond Ekati Corp. and North Arrow Minerals Inc. and complemented it with field-based surficial geology observations and analysis of additional surficial till samples across targeted drumlins. The surficial samples were collected at the top and on the sides of drumlins to test whether any glacial stratigraphy is expressed, especially in areas where post-glacial erosion may have exposed internal drumlin stratigraphy. Based on the RC data and available maps drift thickness within the drumlin field ranges from 1 meter in the swales between drumlins to about 20 meters on the top of the highest amplitude drumlins. Locally measured ice-flow indicators (n=11) show three distinct ice-flow directions from older to youngest: 260, 290, 305 degrees. Preliminary analysis of textural and compositional data shows variations within the till at depth as well as across the drumlin field. Ongoing work focuses on determining the relationship (or lack thereof) between till characteristics, drumlins, and ice flow history (till provenance), as well as on three-dimensional dispersal patterns of kimberlite indicator minerals and related geochemical pathfinders. This work will highlight landform feature considerations by using multiple parameters to analyze sample data in areas with complex glacial geology and high diamond potential.
Abstract: Limited field studies and sparse chronological constraints in the southwestern Great Slave Lake area creates uncertainties about the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) flow history and deglacial chronology. Improved understanding of the western LIS ice-margin morphology and retreat history is required to refine larger ice-sheet interpretations and timing for northwest drainage of glacial Lake McConnell. Using new field observations and geochronology we establish ice-flow history and better constrain regional deglaciation. Paleo-ice flow indicators (n = 66) show an oldest southwestern flow (230°), an intermediate northwesterly flow (305°), and a youngest westerly flow (250°). Till samples bulk sediment and matrix properties (n = 160) allowed identification of two till units. A lower grey till sourced mainly from local Paleozoic sediments produced clast fabrics indicating a southwesterly flow direction, overlain by a brown till that contained an increased Canadian Shield content with lodged elongate boulders a-axes and boulder-top striation orientations indicating a west to northwest ice-flow direction. Ice-flow results show a clockwise shift in direction interpreted as evidence for ice-divide migration followed by topographically controlled deglacial westward flow influenced by the Mackenzie River valley. Minimum deglacial timing estimates were constrained through optical dating of fine-sand deposits in a well-developed strandline (n = 2) and seven aeolian dunes; ages range from 9.9 ± 0.6 to 10.8 ± 0.7 ka BP. These ages are from dunes located below glacial Lake McConnell maximum water level and may thus provide new local lake level age constraints. Ice retreat is informed by a newly-mapped segment of the Snake River moraine, which is an understudied feature in the region. New ice-flow history and ice-margin retreat interpretations will be integrated into the larger body of work on the western LIS providing more confident conclusions on ice-sheet evolution and meltwater drainage pathways, specifically in the southwestern Great Slave Lake area.
Abstract: Fieldwork conducted since 2010 by the Geological Survey of Canada under the GEM programs has revealed a more complex glacial history of the southern Great Slave Lake region of the Northwest Territories than was previously reported. New reconstructions of the Laurentide Ice Sheet paleo-ice flow history have been established from field observations of erosional and/or depositional ice-flow indicators (e.g. striae, bedrock grooves, till clast fabrics, and streamlined landforms), new geochronological constraints, and interpretations of glacial stratigraphy. Three distinct ice-flow phases are consistently observed in areas proximal to the western margin of the Canadian Shield between the Slave River near Fort Smith and Hay River further west. These phases are: 1) an oldest southwest flow; 2) a long-term sustained ice flow to the northwest; and, 3) a youngest west-southwest flow during Late Wisconsin deglaciation, which includes extensions of the Great Slave Lake and Hay River ice streams further east than previous mapped. At Hay River approaching the eastern limit of soft Cretaceous bedrock of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, the ice flow pattern no longer shows the aforementioned consistent chronology. From Hay River to the Liard River, near the zone where the Laurentide and Cordilleran ice sheet coalesced, a thinning ice profile, topographic highlands such as the Cameron Hills and Horn Plateau, and the deep basin that Great Slave Lake currently occupies, played a significant role on the dynamics of the Laurentide Ice Sheet during early ice advance, retreat during Marine Isotope Stage 3, Late Wisconsin advance and deglaciation. Other factors, such as increased sediment supply and clay content from Cretaceous shale bedrock were also significant in influencing ice-sheet behaviour. The role of elevated porewater pressures over subglacial clay-rich sediments controlled the extent and dynamics of several discordant ice streams in upland and lowland regions within the study area.
Abstract: Complex ice flow history, variable bedrock topography, landform types, and drift thickness may lead to complex glacial sediment dispersal patterns that are difficult to interpret, with implications for subglacial sediment provenance and related ice sheet research, as well as for mineral (drift) exploration. This study investigates the controls of bedrock topography, drift thickness, and landforms on 3D dispersal patterns in two study areas located southeast of Lac de Gras, Northwest Territories. The two areas are situated only about 25 km apart and have a similar ice flow history (clockwise shift from SW to NW). However, study area #1 hosts kimberlites within low topographic relief, while area #2 hosts kimberlites on a small granitic hill. The distribution and type of sediment-landform assemblages, as well as drift thickness, also differ between the two areas. Sediment characteristics, matrix geochemistry, and kimberlite indicator minerals (KIM) from surficial samples (n = 51) were analyzed and compared with a sample subset (n = 2000, from 250 boreholes) from a large RC drilling dataset donated by industry. Digital elevation models and a surficial geology map were also used. Results show contrasting patterns between the two areas, despite a similar ice flow record. Area #1 has a well-developed, yet fragmented 3D dispersal train consistent with the clockwise ice flow shift record. Area #2's dispersal patterns are less clearly-defined and appear unrelated or only weakly related to the known local source within the granitic hill. We find relationships between: 1) the strength of dispersal patterns and the bedrock topography in the kimberlitic source area; and, 2) the dispersal style and 3D shape within sediment-landform landsystems. These relationships have implications for drift prospecting survey design, as well as the interpretation of dispersal train patterns.
Yellowknife Forum NWTgeoscience.ca, abstract volume p. 89-90.
Canada, Northwest Territories
deposit - lac de Gras
Abstract: Till dispersal patterns may appear as a consistent train of indicators extending in the direction of the latest ice-flow phase from a source, or along a direction defined by an older ice-flow phase. However, other dispersal patterns, sometimes even in the same area, may have poorly-defined, discontinuous trains, or even lack dispersal trains all together. This research investigates dispersal patterns from two sites southeast of Lac de Gras that were affected by the same ice-flow history, but show important differences in bedrock topography, till thickness, and subglacial landform assemblages. The goal is to improve our understanding of bedrock and till thickness effects on dispersal trains. New local ice-flow indicators (n=16) constrain local ice-flow history. Digital elevation models and a surficial map are used to identify surficial landforms and to loosely constrain bedrock topography. We also use a subset of KIM results from a large industry-donated RC-drilling database (n=502 from 185 boreholes) which includes information on subsurface sediment characteristics and depth-to-bedrock data, which further constrain bedrock topography. In addition, we use texture, matrix geochemistry, KIMs, and clast lithology from a smaller set of 51 surface samples to compare dispersal patterns at surface and at depth. Part of the eastern study area is characterized by a well-defined drumlin field associated with the young NW ice-flow phase, variable till thickness (0-18m), and relatively flat bedrock topography (<20m elevation change). Kimberlites WO-17/WO-20 exhibit a short, but well-defined KIM dispersal train in the direction of the last dominant flow phase (NW); the dispersal area is also characterized by thin discontinuous till. A second KIM dispersal train is also recognized in the thicker till of the drumlin field SW of WO-17/20. Based on its location relative to WO-17/20, and till geochemistry and lithology counts, this pattern is interpreted to be a palimpsest train associated to the oldest SW ice flow. The western study area, located 20km from the eastern area, is characterized by a similar ice-flow history, but its bedrock topography varies more (~70m), with thin till, generally under 4m. A known kimberlite within the western area (Big Blue) is nestled within a bedrock topographic high ~20m above the surrounding terrain. Fragmented and more elusive till anomalies occur down-ice from this source. The lack of a well-developed dispersal train associated with the kimberlite is noteworthy, and may be due to the evolution of subglacial conditions around the bedrock hill. Our current model involves initial basal sliding and erosion of the top of the kimberlite and englacial entrainment. This phase was followed by reduced local abrasion and erosion rates within the kimberlite depression, possibly related to the development of low-pressure cavities over several local depressions: an idea supported by evidence of late-stage meltwater activity. This research highlights the important role of bedrock topography and related subglacial conditions both in the source area and dispersal area, as well as the potential for enhanced preservation of palimpsest trains in drumlinized till blankets.
Abstract: Reconstructions of past ice-flow provide useful insights into the long-term behaviour of past ice sheets and help to understand how glaciated landscapes are shaped. Here, we present reconstruction of a 10-phase ice-flow history from southwestern Hudson Bay in northeastern Manitoba (Canada), a dynamic region situated between two major ice dispersal centres of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. We utilize a diverse geologic dataset including 1900 field-based erosional indicators, 12 streamlined-landform flowsets, esker and meltwater corridor orientations, 103 till-fabrics analyses, and 1344 till-clast lithology counts. Our reconstruction suggests that both pre-MIS 2 and MIS 2 glaciations followed similar growth patterns, where ice advanced into study area from ice centered to the east (probably in northern Quebec), followed by a switch in ice-flow direction indicating flow from the Keewatin ice centre to the northwest and north. The cause for this switch in ice-flow orientation is uncertain, but the youngest switch may relate to retreat of ice during MIS 3 that then left space for Keewatin-sourced ice to advance over the study area. While modelling experiments indicate widespread cold-based conditions in the study area during the last glacial cycle, uniformly relict landscapes are not common. Instead, the glaciated landscape is palimpsest and commonly fragmented, forming a subglacial bed mosaic of erosional and depositional assemblages that record both shifting ice-flow direction through time and shifting subglacial conditions. Each assemblage formed, or modified, during times of dynamic (warm-based) ice, and later preserved under conditions below or close to the pressure melting point (slow and sluggish, or cold-based).
Journal of Geochemical Exploration, Vol. 199, pp. 105-127.
Canada, Northwest Territories
geomorphology
Abstract: Tracing indicator minerals and geochemical pathfinders in glacial sediments back to their up-ice source is a common mineral exploration approach in prospective, formerly glaciated regions. In this study, we utilize surface and subsurface data from the Lac de Gras area of the Northwest Territories to develop a three-dimensional understanding of till compositional anomalies emanating from two known kimberlite pipes, DO-18 and DO-27. Specifically, this study examines the three-dimensional shape of dispersal trains as defined by geochemical pathfinder elements and kimberlite indicator minerals shed from a pair of kimberlite pipes within a till cover of variable thickness. From our ninety-four reverse circulation boreholes (n?=?251 till samples), and other publicly-available geologic datasets, we have reconstructed bedrock topography, till thickness, and the subsurface geometry of two dispersal trains. Utilizing our three-dimensional dataset, we have documented the role of basal topography in creating dispersal patterns with contrasting geometries from two adjacent kimberlites, as well as in the preferential preservation of older till units. The combination of field observations of ice-flow indicators and till compositional data demonstrates that features produced by multiple ice flows are preserved in both the erosional and depositional records in this region. Three-dimensional dispersion patterns of kimberlite indicators reflect the effect of shifting ice-flow direction with respect to slope aspect of bedrock topography in governing compositional variability within glacial drift. Our findings suggest that surficial data do not capture the full extent of dispersion patterns even in areas of relatively thin and discontinuous till cover.
Ross, P., White, J.D., Lorenz, V., Zimanowski, B., Boettner, R., McClintock, M.
Why lower diatremes in kimberlitic and non-kimberlitic systems are non-stratified, homogenized, and contain steep internal contacts: episodic burst and debris jets.
GAC/MAC/AGU Meeting held May 23-27 Toronto, Abstract only
Quantification of vesicle characteristerics in some diatreme filling deposits, and the explosivity levels of magma water interactions within diatremes.
Journal of Geothermal Volcanology and Research, Vol. 245-246, pp. 55-67.
Valentine, G.A., Graettinger, A.H, Macorps, E., Ross, P-S., White, J.D.L., Dohring, E., Sonder, I.
Experiments with vertically and laterally migrating subsurface explosions with applications to the geology of phreatomagmatic and hydrothermal explosion craters and diatremes.
Bulletin of Volcanology, Vol. 79, 2 in press available
South America, Mexico
Diatremes
Abstract: Felsic maar-diatreme volcanoes host major ore deposits but have been largely ignored in the volcanology literature, especially for the diatreme portion of the system. Here, we use two Mexican tuff rings as analogs for the maar ejecta ring, new observations from one diatreme, and the economic geology literature on four other mineralized felsic maar-diatremes to produce an integrated picture of this type of volcano. The ejecta rings are up to 50 m+ thick and extend laterally up to ?1.5 km from the crater edge. In two Mexican examples, the lower part of the ejecta ring is dominated by pyroclastic surge deposits with abundant lithic clasts (up to 80% at Hoya de Estrada). These deposits display low-angle cross-bedding, dune bedforms, undulating beds, channels, bomb sags, and accretionary lapilli and are interpreted as phreatomagmatic. Rhyolitic juvenile clasts at Tepexitl have only 0-25% vesicles in this portion of the ring. The upper parts of the ejecta ring sequences in the Mexican examples have a different character: lithic clasts can be less abundant, the grain size is typically coarser, and the juvenile clasts can be different in character (with some more vesicular fragments). Fragmentation was probably shallower at this stage. The post-eruptive maar crater infill is known at Wau and consists of reworked pyroclastic deposits as well as lacustrine and other sediments. Underneath are bedded upper diatreme deposits, interpreted as pyroclastic surge and fall deposits. The upper diatreme and post-eruptive crater deposits have dips larger than 30° at Wau, with approximately centroclinal attitudes. At still lower structural levels, the diatreme pyroclastic infill is largely unbedded; Montana Tunnels and Kelian are good examples of this. At Cerro de Pasco, the pyroclastic infill seems bedded despite about 500 m of post-eruptive erosion relative to the pre-eruptive surface. The contact between the country rocks and the diatreme is sometimes characterized by country rock breccias (Kelian, Mt. Rawdon). Pyroclastic rocks in the diatreme are typically poorly sorted, and ash-rich. They contain a heterolithic mix of juvenile clasts and lithic clasts from various stratigraphic levels. Megablocks derived from the ejecta ring or the country rocks are often found in the diatremes. Evidence for multiple explosions is in the form of steep crosscutting pyroclastic bodies within some diatremes and fragments of pyroclastic rocks within other pyroclastic facies. Pyroclastic rocks are cut by coherent felsic dikes and plugs which may have been feeders to lava domes at the surface. Allowing for the difference in magma composition, felsic maar-diatreme volcanoes have many similarities with their ultramafic to mafic equivalents. Differences include a common association with felsic domes, inside the crater or just outside (Wau), although the domes within the crater may be destroyed during the eruption (Hoya de Estrada, Tepexitl); the dikes and plugs feeding and invading felsic diatremes seem larger; the processes of phreatomagmatic explosions involving felsic magmas may be different.
Abstract: The Hopi Buttes volcanic field (HBVF) is located on the Colorado Plateau, Northern Arizona. In this Miocene volcanic field, the erosion level increases southward, allowing the study of maar-diatreme volcanoes from top (posteruptive crater infill and ejecta ring) to bottom (lower diatreme). The Twin Peaks volcanic complex consists mostly of two hills (North Peak and South Peak) with thick lavas at their summits and pyroclastic rocks underneath. In the HBVF, such volcanic remnants have received little scientific attention so far, despite their relative abundance. Our field observations allow us to interpret the North and South Peaks as remnants of two maar-diatreme volcanoes which evolved into lava lakes filling the craters. Within the complex, we distinguish four volcanic units (from unit 1 at the bottom to unit 4 at the top). On the basis of the field description of the deposits and the componentry measurements, we suggest that unit 1 is phreatomagmatic, unit 2 is phreato-strombolian (with mixed phreatomagmatic and strombolian characteristics), unit 3a is phreato-hawaiian (with mixed phreatomagmatic and hawaiian characteristics), unit 3b is hawaiian (formed by lava fountains) and unit 4 consists of lava lakes filling the maar craters. There is therefore a progressive evolution from a purely phreatomagmatic eruptive style, which excavated the craters and diatremes and partly filled them, to magmatic explosive to nonexplosive eruptive styles, which filled the maar craters up to the pre-eruptive surface. We discuss traditional criteria used to distinguish phreatomagmatic from magmatic eruptive styles in ultramafic to mafic maar-diatreme volcanoes.
Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research ( researchgate), 34p. Pdf
United States, Arizona
diatremes
Abstract: Round Butte (Hopi Buttes volcanic field, Arizona) exposes a diatreme 170-190 m across, 190 m below the pre-eruptive surface. The central part of the massif is 130-150 m in diameter, displaying 20-30 m-high subvertical cliffs. The well-known layer-cake stratigraphy of the sedimentary rocks of the Colorado Plateau permits identification of the largest lithic fragments preserved in the Round Butte diatreme. We define three main groups of pyroclastic facies: undisturbed beds, disturbed beds and non-bedded rocks. Two other minor facies groups were mapped: megablocks (blocks over 2 m in long axis), and small-volume debris avalanche deposits. Pyroclastic megablocks are finer grained and richer in lithic clasts than most diatreme rocks surrounding them. These pyroclastic megablocks are interpreted as subsided portions of the maar ejecta ring. Sedimentary megablocks originate either from above, or from the same level, relative to their current location, i.e. no megablock has a net upward displacement. Small-volume debris avalanche deposits are poorly sorted deposits resulting from gravitational destabilization of the surrounding country rocks into the syn-eruptive crater. Small-volume debris avalanches and individual megablock collapse are the main ways in which the crater grew in size laterally during the eruption. We combine the componentry of the disturbed bedded pyroclastic facies, the non-bedded pyroclastic facies and the pyroclastic megablocks with a series of conceptual models for country rock fragmentation. This exercise further allows us to estimate diatreme wall slopes of 70° below the Bidahochi Formation to approximately the depth of the root zone around 440 m below the pre-eruptive surface. Lithic fragments at the current level of exposure come from elevations up to 190 m above (i.e., up to the pre-eruptive surface) and up to 250 m below (i.e., down to the root zone) their current locations. Pyroclastic units displaying the richest content of lithic clasts with a deep origin are typically the non-bedded facies interpreted to have formed from debris jets during the eruption.
Compressional reworking of the East African Orogen in the Uluguru Mountains of eastern Tanzania at c. 550Ma: implications for the final assembly of Gondwana.
Abstract: The metamorphic core of the Betic-Rif orogenic chain (Alboran Domain) is made up of lower crustal rocks forming the envelope of the Ronda (Spain) and Beni Bousera (Morocco) peridotites. The deepest sections of the crustal envelopes are made of migmatitic granulites associated with diffuse acidic magmatic products, making these exposure and ideal site to investigate the textural and petrological connection between crustal anatexis and granite magmatism in the contintental crust. However, still debated is the timing of intracrustal emplacement of the peridotite bodies, with models proposing either Alpine (early Miocene) or Hercynian ages, and still uncertain is the linkage between peridotite emplacement and crustal anatexis. In this study, by combining rock textures with whole-rock geochemistry, metamorphic thermobarometry, the U-Pb zircon geochronology and the analysis of the garnet and zircon REE chemistry, we document the P-T-t evolution of the granulite facies migmatites that form the immediate envelope of the Beni Bousera peridotites of the Rif belt. A main episode of Permo-Carboniferous (ca. 300-290?Ma) deep crustal anatexis, melt extraction and migration is documented that we link to the crustal emplacement of the Beni Bousera peridotites during collapse of the Hercynian orogen. Correlation at a regional scale suggests that the Beni-Bousera section can be tentatively correlated with the pre-Alpine (Permo-Carboniferous) basement units tectonically interleaved within the orogenic structure of the Alpine chain. The results of this study provide ultimate constraints to reconstruct the tectono-metamorphic evolution of the Alboran Domain in the Western Mediterranean and impose re-assessment of the modes and rates through which Alpine orogenic construction and collapse occurred and operated in the region.
Abstract: Naturalistic and geo?mineralogical museum collections are one of the most relevant sources for research on meteorites the world over. Here, we present the description of a new Italian meteorite that has been recently discovered at the Royal Mineralogical Museum of Naples in Italy.
Coupled substitution of Hydrogen and minor elements in rutile and the implications of high OH contents in niobium and chromium rich rutile from the upper mantle.
American Mineralogist, Vol. 78, No. 11, 12, November-December pp. 1181-1191.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 433, pp. 125-132.
Mantle
NAMs Nominally Anhydrous Minerals
Abstract: The mantle is the major reservoir of Earth's water, hosted within Nominally Anhydrous Minerals (NAMs) (e.g., , , and ), in the form of hydrogen bonded to the silicate's structural oxygen. From whence cometh this water? Is the water in these minerals representative of the Earth's primitive upper mantle or did it come from melting events linked to crustal formation or to more recent metasomatic/re-fertilization events? During diamond formation, NAMs are encapsulated at hundreds of kilometers depth within the mantle, thereby possibly shielding and preserving their pristine water contents from re-equilibrating with fluids and melts percolating through the lithospheric mantle. Here we show that the NAMs included in diamonds from six locales on the Siberian Craton contain measurable and variable H2O concentrations from 2 to 34 parts per million by weight (ppmw) in olivine, 7 to 276 ppmw in clinopyroxene, and 11-17 ppmw in garnets. Our results suggest that if the inclusions were in equilibrium with the diamond-forming fluid, the water fugacity would have been unrealistically low. Instead, we consider the H2O contents of the inclusions, shielded by diamonds, as pristine representatives of the residual mantle prior to encapsulation, and indicative of a protogenetic origin for the inclusions. Hydrogen diffusion in the diamond does not appear to have modified these values significantly. The H2O contents of NAMs in mantle xenoliths may represent some later metasomatic event(s), and are not always representative of most of the continental lithospheric mantle. Results from the present study also support the conclusions of Peslier et al. (2010) and Novella et al. (2015) that the dry nature of the SCLM of a craton may provide stabilization of its thickened continental roots.
Low water contents in diamond mineral inclusions: proto-genetic origin in a dry cratonic lithosphere.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 433, pp. 125-132.
Russia, Africa
Kaapvaal and Siberian SCLMs
Abstract: The mantle is the major reservoir of Earth's water, hosted within Nominally Anhydrous Minerals (NAMs) (e.g., , , and ), in the form of hydrogen bonded to the silicate's structural oxygen. From whence cometh this water? Is the water in these minerals representative of the Earth's primitive upper mantle or did it come from melting events linked to crustal formation or to more recent metasomatic/re-fertilization events? During diamond formation, NAMs are encapsulated at hundreds of kilometers depth within the mantle, thereby possibly shielding and preserving their pristine water contents from re-equilibrating with fluids and melts percolating through the lithospheric mantle. Here we show that the NAMs included in diamonds from six locales on the Siberian Craton contain measurable and variable H2O concentrations from 2 to 34 parts per million by weight (ppmw) in olivine, 7 to 276 ppmw in clinopyroxene, and 11-17 ppmw in garnets. Our results suggest that if the inclusions were in equilibrium with the diamond-forming fluid, the water fugacity would have been unrealistically low. Instead, we consider the H2O contents of the inclusions, shielded by diamonds, as pristine representatives of the residual mantle prior to encapsulation, and indicative of a protogenetic origin for the inclusions. Hydrogen diffusion in the diamond does not appear to have modified these values significantly. The H2O contents of NAMs in mantle xenoliths may represent some later metasomatic event(s), and are not always representative of most of the continental lithospheric mantle. Results from the present study also support the conclusions of Peslier et al. (2010) and Novella et al. (2015) that the dry nature of the SCLM of a craton may provide stabilization of its thickened continental roots.
Abstract: Extensive study has shown that these inclusions contain mantle-derived fluids (e.g. Navon et al., 1988, Izraeli et al., 2001, 2004 Tomlinson et al., 2009; Logvinova et al., 2011; Zedgenizov et al., 2011; Smith et al., 2012, Smith et al., 2015 Howell et al., 2012b Howell et al., , 2013 Weiss et al., 2013 Weiss et al., , 2015 Rakovan et al., 2014; Smit et al., in press), Here we use the term 'milky' to describe diamonds that contain zones of opalescent to brown or grey opaque appearance (Gaillou and Rossman, 2014). The exact cause of this opacity is yet to be defined, and forms the purpose of this paper.
Abstract: In its pure form, diamond is colorless. However, in nature (or even when made in laboratories), diamonds are never composed of 100 percent carbon atoms. Even colorless diamonds will contain some defects: missing carbon atoms or containing trace amounts of nitrogen or hydrogen, for example. When present in certain atomic arrangements and concentrations, most minor components cause absorption of specific wavelengths of light, giving rise to color. The color in diamond is not source specific, even if some mines are known to produce more of certain colors, such as blue diamonds from the Premiere mine in South Africa, or brown and pink diamonds from the Argyle mine in Australia. Virtually every single diamond mine could produce any kind of colored diamond. At auction, record prices for gems are currently held by pink and blue diamonds: for example, $2,155,332 per carat for a 24.78-carat Fancy vivid pink diamond (sold at Sotheby's in 2010) and $1.8 million per carat for a 5.3-carat Fancy deep blue diamond (sold at Bonhams in London in April 2013).
Abstract: Calcium silicate perovskite, CaSiO3, is arguably the most geochemically important phase in the lower mantle, because it concentrates elements that are incompatible in the upper mantle, including the heat-generating elements thorium and uranium, which have half-lives longer than the geologic history of Earth. We report CaSiO3-perovskite as an approved mineral (IMA2020-012a) with the name davemaoite. The natural specimen of davemaoite proves the existence of compositional heterogeneity within the lower mantle. Our observations indicate that davemaoite also hosts potassium in addition to uranium and thorium in its structure. Hence, the regional and global abundances of davemaoite influence the heat budget of the deep mantle, where the mineral is thermodynamically stable.
Journal of South American Earth Sciences, Vol. 80, pp. 1-17.
South America, Brazil
carbonatite
Abstract: We present results of U-Pb dating (by MC-ICP-MS) of zircons from samples that cover all of the known lithotypes in the Seis Lagos Carbonatite Complex and associated lateritic mineralization (the Morro dos Seis Lagos Nb deposit). The host rock (gneiss) yielded an age of 1828 ± 09 Ma interpreted as the crystallization time of this unit. The altered feldspar vein in the same gneiss yielded an age of 1839 ± 29 Ma. Carbonatite samples provided 3 groups of ages. The first group comprises inherited zircons with ages compatible with the gneissic host rock: 1819 ± 10 Ma (superior intercept), 1826 ± 5 Ma (concordant age), and 1812 ± 27 Ma (superior intercept), all from the Orosirian. The second and the third group of ages are from the same carbonatite sample: the superior intercept age of 1525 ± 21 Ma (MSWD ¼ 0.77) and the superior intercept age of 1328 ± 58 Ma (MSWD ¼ 1.4). The mineralogical study indicates that the ~1.3 Ga zircons have affinity with carbonatite. It is, however, a tendence rather than a well-defined result. The data allow state that the age of 1328 ± 58 Ma represents the maximum age of the carbonatite. Without the same certainty, we consider that the data suggest that this age may be the carbonatite age, whose emplacement would have been related to the evolution of the K'Mudku belt. The best age obtained in laterite samples (a superior intercept age of 1828 ± 12 Ma) is considered the age of the main source for the inherited zircons related to the gneissic host rock.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 470, pp. 54-63.
Mantle
geophysics - seismic
Abstract: Seismic tomography resolves anomalies interpreted as oceanic lithosphere subducted deep into Earth's lower mantle. However, the fate of the compositionally distinct oceanic crust that is part of the lithosphere is poorly constrained but provides important constraints on mixing processes and the recycling process in the deep Earth. We present high-resolution seismic array analyses of anomalous P-waves sampling the deep mantle, and deterministically locate heterogeneities in the lowermost 300 km of the mantle. Spectral analysis indicates that the dominant scale length of the heterogeneity is 4 to 7 km. The heterogeneity distribution varies laterally and radially and heterogeneities are more abundant near the margins of the lowermost mantle Large Low Velocity Provinces (LLVPs), consistent with mantle convection simulations that show elevated accumulations of deeply advected crustal material near the boundaries of thermo-chemical piles. The size and distribution of the observed heterogeneities is consistent with that expected for subducted oceanic crust. These results thus suggest the deep mantle contains an imprint of continued subduction of oceanic crust, stirred by mantle convection and modulated by long lasting thermo-chemical structures. The preferred location of the heterogeneity in the lowermost mantle is consistent with a thermo-chemical origin of the LLVPs. Our observations relate to the mixing behaviour of small length-scale heterogeneity in the deep Earth and indicate that compositional heterogeneities from the subduction process can survive for extended times in the lowermost mantle.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 472, pp. 164-173.
Mantle
geophysics, seismic
Abstract: Subduction zones are likely a major source of compositional heterogeneities in the mantle, which may preserve a record of the subduction history and mantle convection processes. The fine-scale structure associated with mantle heterogeneities can be studied using the scattered seismic wavefield that arrives as coda to or as energy preceding many body wave arrivals. In this study we analyse precursors to PP by creating stacks recorded at globally distributed stations. We create stacks aligned on the PP arrival in 5° distance bins (with range 70–120°) from 600 earthquakes recorded at 193 stations stacking a total of 7320 seismic records. As the energy trailing the direct P arrival, the P coda, interferes with the PP precursors, we suppress the P coda by subtracting a best fitting exponential curve to this energy. The resultant stacks show that PP precursors related to scattering from heterogeneities in the mantle are present for all distances. Lateral variations are explored by producing two regional stacks across the Atlantic and Pacific hemispheres, but we find only negligible differences in the precursory signature between these two regions. The similarity of these two regions suggests that well mixed subducted material can survive at upper and mid-mantle depth. To describe the scattered wavefield in the mantle, we compare the global stacks to synthetic seismograms generated using a Monte Carlo phonon scattering technique. We propose a best-fitting layered heterogeneity model, BRT2017, characterised by a three layer mantle with a background heterogeneity strength (?=0.8%) and a depth-interval of increased heterogeneity strength (?=1%) between 1000 km and 1800 km. The scalelength of heterogeneity is found to be 8 km throughout the mantle. Since mantle heterogeneity of 8 km scale may be linked to subducted oceanic crust, the detection of increased heterogeneity at mid-mantle depths could be associated with stalled slabs due to increases in viscosity, supporting recent observations of mantle viscosity increases due to the iron spin transition at depths of ?1000 km.
Abstract: arth’s magnetic field is generated by turbulent motion in its fluid outer core. Although the bulk of the outer core is vigorously convecting and well mixed, some seismic, geomagnetic and geodynamic evidence suggests that a global stably stratified layer exists at the top of Earth’s core. Such a layer would strongly influence thermal, chemical and momentum exchange across the core-mantle boundary and thus have important implications for the dynamics and evolution of the core. Here we argue that the relevant scenario is not global stratification, but rather regional stratification arising solely from the lateral variations in heat flux at the core-mantle boundary. Using our extensive suite of numerical simulations of the dynamics of the fluid core with heterogeneous core-mantle boundary heat flux, we predict that thermal regional inversion layers extend hundreds of kilometres into the core under anomalously hot regions of the lowermost mantle. Although the majority of the outermost core remains actively convecting, sufficiently large and strong regional inversion layers produce a one-dimensional temperature profile that mimics a globally stratified layer below the core-mantle boundary—an apparent thermal stratification despite the average heat flux across the core-mantle boundary being strongly superadiabatic.
Abstract: The consumption of mineral resources and energy has increased exponentially over the last 100 years. Further growth is expected until at least the middle of the 21st century as the demand for minerals is stimulated by the industrialization of poor countries, increasing urbanization, penetration of rapidly evolving high technologies, and the transition to low-carbon energies. In order to meet this demand, more metals will have to be produced by 2050 than over the last 100 years, which raises questions about the sustainability and conditions of supply. The answers to these questions are not only a matter of available reserves. Major effort will be required to develop new approaches and dynamic models to address social, economic, environmental, geological, technological, legal and geopolitical impacts of the need for resources.
Earths Oldest Rocks, researchgate.com Chapter 28, 20p. Pdf available
Canada, Manitoba
craton
Abstract: This chapter describes the Assean Lake Complex (ALC) at ancient crust at the Northwestern margin of the Superior Craton, Manitoba, and Canada. An initial tectonic model for the Assean Lake area indicated that a regionally extensive high-strain zone running through the lake marks the suture between Archean high-grade crustal terranes of the Superior Craton to the southeast and Paleoproterozoic rocks of the Trans-Hudson Orogen to the northwest. Detailed geologic remapping combined with isotopic and geochemical studies led to a re-interpretation of the crust immediately north of the Assean Lake high-strain zone as Mesoarchean. The study area straddles the boundary between the Archean Superior Craton and the ca.1.90-1.84 Ga arc and marginal basin rocks of the Trans-Hudson Orogen, which represent the remains of ca. 1.83-1.76 Ga ocean closure and orogeny. It is indicated that the gneisses of the Split Lake Block consist primarily of meta-igneous protoliths of gabbroic to granitic composition. Tonalite and granodiorite are the most volumetrically dominant, but an anorthosite dome is also present in the northeast. Mapping, isotopic, and age data combined with high-resolution aero-magnetic data indicate that the Mesoarchean ALC is a crustal slice up to 10 km wide, and has a strike length of at least 50 km.
Nestola, F., Korolev, N., Kopylova, M., Rotiroti, N., Pearson, D.G., Pamato, M.G., Alvaro, M., Peruzzo, L., Gurney, J.J., Moore, A.E., Davidson, J.
CaSiO3 perovskite in diamond indicates the recycling of oceanic crust into the lower mantle.
Nature, Vol. 555, March 8, pp. 237-241.
Mantle
deposit - Cullinan
Abstract: Laboratory experiments and seismology data have created a clear theoretical picture of the most abundant minerals that comprise the deeper parts of the Earth’s mantle. Discoveries of some of these minerals in ‘super-deep’ diamonds—formed between two hundred and about one thousand kilometres into the lower mantle—have confirmed part of this picture1,2,3,4,5. A notable exception is the high-pressure perovskite-structured polymorph of calcium silicate (CaSiO3). This mineral—expected to be the fourth most abundant in the Earth—has not previously been found in nature. Being the dominant host for calcium and, owing to its accommodating crystal structure, the major sink for heat-producing elements (potassium, uranium and thorium) in the transition zone and lower mantle, it is critical to establish its presence. Here we report the discovery of the perovskite-structured polymorph of CaSiO3 in a diamond from South African Cullinan kimberlite. The mineral is intergrown with about six per cent calcium titanate (CaTiO3). The titanium-rich composition of this inclusion indicates a bulk composition consistent with derivation from basaltic oceanic crust subducted to pressures equivalent to those present at the depths of the uppermost lower mantle. The relatively ‘heavy’ carbon isotopic composition of the surrounding diamond, together with the pristine high-pressure CaSiO3 structure, provides evidence for the recycling of oceanic crust and surficial carbon to lower-mantle depths.https://www.nature.com/articles/nature25972
Variations of the oxygen conditions in mantle column beneath Siberian kimberlite pipes and it's application to lithospheric structure of feeding systems.
Vladykin: VI International Workshop, held Mirny, Deep seated magmatism, its sources and plumes, pp. 125-144.
Kurszlaukis, S., Mahotkin, I., Rotman, A.Y., Kolesnikov, G.W., Makovchuk, I.V.
Syn and post eruptive volcanic processes in the Yubileinaya kimberlite pipe, Yakutia, Russia and implications for the emplacement of South African style kimberlite
Abstract: The continental margin of the Guiana Shield formed at the intersection of the Central and Equatorial Atlantic Oceans that developed one after the other and, in doing so, achieved the break-up of the Gondwana supercontinent. To form these Ocean, the continent crust was stretched and broke but the way this thinning is actually varying along the margin and the causes are not known so we used offshore industrial data to map it. This allows us showing that the width of the continental margin depends primarily on the direction along which the crust was thinned such that the continental margin width is much wider (200-300 km) in domains where this direction is perpendicular to the margin than in domain where it is oblique (<100 km). This also allow us showing that the continental margin resulting from the opening of the Central Atlantic Ocean is systematically wider than the one resulting from the opening of the Equatorial Atlantic. Additionally, our observations suggest that Central Atlantic Ocean opened under warmer conditions than the Equatorial Atlantic. Finally, the area at the intersection of the Central and Equatorial Atlantic Oceans, individualized a promontory of continental crust that formed the present-day Demerara Plateau.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 453, pp. 146-156.
Canada, Ontario
Gravity
Abstract: The Earth's surface was depressed under the weight of ice during the last glaciations. Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) induces the slow recession of the trough that is left after deglaciation and is responsible for a contemporary uplift rate of more than 1 cm/yr around Hudson Bay. The present-day residual depression, an indicator of still-ongoing GIA, is difficult to identify in the observed topography, which is predominantly sensitive to crustal heterogeneities. According to the most widespread GIA models, which feature a viscosity of on top of the lower mantle, the trough is approximately 100 m deep and cannot explain the observed gravity anomalies across North America. These large anomalies are therefore usually attributed to subcontinental density heterogeneities in the tectosphere or to slab downwelling in the deep mantle.
Roulleau, E., Pinti, D.L., Stevenson, R.K., Takahata, N., Sano, Y., Pitre, F.
N, Ar and Pb isotopic co-variation in magmatic minerals: discriminating fractionation processes from magmatic sources in Montregian Hills, Quebec, Canada.
Dyke Swarms of the World: a modern perspective, Srivastava et al. eds. Springer , pp. 263-314.
Africa, West Africa, South America
geochronology
Abstract: Eight different generations of dolerite dykes crosscutting the Paleoproterozoic basement in West Africa and one in South America were dated using the high precision U-Pb TIMS method on baddeleyite. Some of the individual dykes reach over 300 km in length and they are considered parts of much larger systems of mafic dyke swarms representing the plumbing systems for large igneous provinces (LIPs). The new U-Pb ages obtained for the investigated swarms in the southern West African Craton (WAC) are the following (oldest to youngest): 1791?±?3 Ma for the N010° Libiri swarm, 1764?±?4 Ma for the N035° Kédougou swarm, 1575?±?5 for the N100° Korsimoro swarm, ~1525-1529 Ma for the N130° Essakane swarm, 1521?±?3 Ma for the N90° Sambarabougou swarm, 915?±?7 Ma for the N070° Oda swarm, 867?±?16 Ma for the N355° Manso swarm, 202?±?5 Ma and 198?±?16 Ma for the N040° Hounde swarm, and 200?±?3 Ma for the sills in the Taoudeni basin. The last ones are related to the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) event. The Hounde swarm is oblique to the dominant radiating CAMP swarm and may be linked with the similar-trending elongate Kakoulima intrusion in Guinea. In addition, the N150° Käyser swarm (Amazonian craton, South America) is dated at 1528?±?2 Ma, providing a robust match with the Essakane swarm in a standard Amazonia-West African craton reconstruction, and resulting in a combined linear swarm >1500 km by >1500 km in extent. The Precambrian LIP barcode ages of c. 1790, 1765-1750, 1575, 1520, 915. 870 Ma for the WAC are compared with the global LIP record to identify possible matches on other crustal blocks, with reconstruction implications. These results contribute to the refinement of the magmatic ‘barcode’ for the West African and Amazonian cratons, representing the first steps towards plausible global paleogeographic reconstructions involving the West African and Amazonian cratons.
Journal of African Earth Sciences, Vol. 179, 104206, 21p. pdf
Africa, Cameroon, Central African Republic
geophysics
Abstract: The Bangui Magnetic Anomaly (BMA) is one of the largest magnetic anomalies in the world whose origin is still not known. This research investigated the crustal thickness, Curie depths and thermal structures in the Central African sub-regions - Cameroon, Central African Republic and adjacent countries - which are largely characterized by the Bangui Magnetic Anomaly. To achieve a better understanding and clearer idea of the location of the possible sources of the BMA, analyses of geothermal structures were conducted. Two potential methods were used: gravity to evaluate the crustal thickness and magnetics for geothermal analysis. Spectral analysis of gravity data shows that crustal thickness range between 14 and 55 km. The highest depths were found in Central African Republic. The lower values of crustal thickness were obtained in South-Chad basin with a minimum of roughly 14 km. Geothermal analysis is carried out using the Curie point depth, thermal gradient and heat-flow evaluations. The results show that the BMA is related to a thick crust of roughly 40 km. Depth to the bottom of possible sources does not exceed the lower crust. The mean Curie point depth estimated is 38 km with an error of ±2 km. Geothermal results also show the difference in the thermal behaviour between the crust in the Pan African and Precambrian domain. The mobile zone which constitutes the Pan African domain is associated with a thin crust of high heat-flow values of 65 mW/m2. However, the Precambrian domain beneath the BMA is associated with a thick crust with lower heat-flow values (roughly 45 mW/m2). The difference between crustal thickness and Curie point depths shows that all the sources of the BMA are crustal. The present results are in favour of a geological origin for the Bangui Magnetic anomaly.
Abstract: The presence and speciation of volatile C-H-O elements in the silicate systems play an important role in the genesis of magmas on the Earth’s mantle, due to the fact that these elements, mainly in the form of H2O, CO2, CH4 and CxHy, decrease the solidi temperatures of source rocks, making magmatism possible in Earth’s present day thermal conditions [1]. Among those elements, carbon is the only element that changes its valence according to the oxygen fugacity (fO2) conditions of the environment, resulting in different speciation, as: CO3 -2, CO2, Cgraphite/diamond, CH4 or heavier hydrocarbons. In the present work, we are determining phase stability of minerals, water, CO2 and CH4 in the system Nefeline-Kalsilite-Diopside. Our experiments are conducted under 4.0 GPa and temperatures up to 1300°C, using a 1000 tonf hydraulic press coupled with toroidal chambers. Preliminary experiments performed at 1300°C and 4.0GPa (initial composition in the Olivine-Quartz- Kalsalite/Nepheline system: 40mol% Ol90, 40mol% Nph50Kls50 and 20mol% Qz, PH2O,CO2=Ptotal) resulted in the formation of forsterite (Fo90) in equilibrium with phlogopite (Phl), melt and volatile phases (CO2 and CH4). Closer to the Diopside vertice, the addition of CO3 to the sample resulted in a imisibility of a carbonatitic and a silicatic melt, in which the carbonititic melt is enriched in sodium, while the silcate melt is enriched in potassium. Appart from that, experiments in different parts of the diagram suggest compositions from nephelinite-kalsilitite to lamproites composition for the silicate melt in equilibrium with diopside (solid solution with omphacite) and phlogopite. This work is a continuation of previous work in the anhydrous diagram and future works will provide the addition of CH4 as the volatile phase
Gondwana Research, Vol. 70, pp. 1-24. doi:10.1016/ j.gr.2018.12.005
South America, Brazil
craton
Abstract: The study of Paleoproterozoic rocks is crucial for understanding Earth's tectonic evolution during the time when most of the modern crust and ore deposits were formed. The rocks of the Brazilian Amazonian Craton record some of the most-complete and best-preserved Paleoproterozoic magmatic and volcanic episodes on Earth. Following previous investigations, we present new lithofaciological and stratigraphic records of the felsic rocks of the Tapajós Mineral Province (TMP) (~2-1.88?Ga) and the São Felix do Xingú region (SFX) (~1.88?Ga) which, combined with new petrological and geochronological data, help providing a more complete understanding of the tectonic, magmatic and volcanological evolution of the Amazonian Craton. This magmatism/volcanism is thought to be formed in a late-/post-orogenic to extentional regime confirmed by the new geochemical data presented here. The transition from late-convergent to extensional tectonic setting could register the beginning of the taphrogenesis that marked the Amazonian Craton throughout the Mesoproterozoic. The volcanological approach of this contribution can serve as a strategy for the modelling of the evolution of Precambrian volcano-sedimentary basins around the world. The large amount of rocks analyzed are divided into primary and secondary volcaniclastic products depending on if they resulted from a direct volcanic activity (pyroclastic) or processes that reworked pyroclastic fragments. Furthermore, the deposits are subdivided into massive and stratified, depending on their primary mechanisms of transport and emplacement. By confirming the results from previous studies, our study permits to depict a more precise paleo-environmental picture of the processes that occurred in the Amazonian Craton during the Late-Paleoproterozoic. In particular, the presence of large regional-scale fissural systems and caldera collapses produced large silicic explosive volcanic eruptions, also accompanied by the emission of large volume effusive products. Although studies on the Amazonian Craton are still scarce and controversial, the present study provides new evidence that this volcanism may have formed one of the largest Silicic Large Igneous Provinces (SLIP) on earth. Our data also confirm that at least two major Paleoproterozoic periods of formation of volcanic rocks exist in the Amazonian craton. This point is of great relevance for any future interpretation of the geological evolution of this craton.
Abstract: The study of Paleoproterozoic rocks is crucial for understanding Earth's tectonic evolution during the time when most of the modern crust and ore deposits were formed. The rocks of the Brazilian Amazonian Craton record some of the most-complete and best-preserved Paleoproterozoic magmatic and volcanic episodes on Earth. Following previous investigations, we present new lithofaciological and stratigraphic records of the felsic rocks of the Tapajós Mineral Province (TMP) (~2-1.88?Ga) and the São Felix do Xingú region (SFX) (~1.88?Ga) which, combined with new petrological and geochronological data, help providing a more complete understanding of the tectonic, magmatic and volcanological evolution of the Amazonian Craton. This magmatism/volcanism is thought to be formed in a late-/post-orogenic to extentional regime confirmed by the new geochemical data presented here. The transition from late-convergent to extensional tectonic setting could register the beginning of the taphrogenesis that marked the Amazonian Craton throughout the Mesoproterozoic. The volcanological approach of this contribution can serve as a strategy for the modelling of the evolution of Precambrian volcano-sedimentary basins around the world. The large amount of rocks analyzed are divided into primary and secondary volcaniclastic products depending on if they resulted from a direct volcanic activity (pyroclastic) or processes that reworked pyroclastic fragments. Furthermore, the deposits are subdivided into massive and stratified, depending on their primary mechanisms of transport and emplacement. By confirming the results from previous studies, our study permits to depict a more precise paleo-environmental picture of the processes that occurred in the Amazonian Craton during the Late-Paleoproterozoic. In particular, the presence of large regional-scale fissural systems and caldera collapses produced large silicic explosive volcanic eruptions, also accompanied by the emission of large volume effusive products. Although studies on the Amazonian Craton are still scarce and controversial, the present study provides new evidence that this volcanism may have formed one of the largest Silicic Large Igneous Provinces (SLIP) on earth. Our data also confirm that at least two major Paleoproterozoic periods of formation of volcanic rocks exist in the Amazonian craton. This point is of great relevance for any future interpretation of the geological evolution of this craton.
Abstract: The study of Paleoproterozoic rocks is crucial for understanding Earth's tectonic evolution during the time when most of the modern crust and ore deposits were formed. The rocks of the Brazilian Amazonian Craton record some of the most-complete and best-preserved Paleoproterozoic magmatic and volcanic episodes on Earth. Following previous investigations, we present new lithofaciological and stratigraphic records of the felsic rocks of the Tapajós Mineral Province (TMP) (~2-1.88?Ga) and the São Felix do Xingú region (SFX) (~1.88?Ga) which, combined with new petrological and geochronological data, help providing a more complete understanding of the tectonic, magmatic and volcanological evolution of the Amazonian Craton. This magmatism/volcanism is thought to be formed in a late-/post-orogenic to extentional regime confirmed by the new geochemical data presented here. The transition from late-convergent to extensional tectonic setting could register the beginning of the taphrogenesis that marked the Amazonian Craton throughout the Mesoproterozoic. The volcanological approach of this contribution can serve as a strategy for the modelling of the evolution of Precambrian volcano-sedimentary basins around the world. The large amount of rocks analyzed are divided into primary and secondary volcaniclastic products depending on if they resulted from a direct volcanic activity (pyroclastic) or processes that reworked pyroclastic fragments. Furthermore, the deposits are subdivided into massive and stratified, depending on their primary mechanisms of transport and emplacement. By confirming the results from previous studies, our study permits to depict a more precise paleo-environmental picture of the processes that occurred in the Amazonian Craton during the Late-Paleoproterozoic. In particular, the presence of large regional-scale fissural systems and caldera collapses produced large silicic explosive volcanic eruptions, also accompanied by the emission of large volume effusive products. Although studies on the Amazonian Craton are still scarce and controversial, the present study provides new evidence that this volcanism may have formed one of the largest Silicic Large Igneous Provinces (SLIP) on earth. Our data also confirm that at least two major Paleoproterozoic periods of formation of volcanic rocks exist in the Amazonian craton. This point is of great relevance for any future interpretation of the geological evolution of this craton.
Abstract: The highly siderophile elements (HSE: Os, Ir, Ru, Rh, Pt, Pd, Re, Au) exist in solid solution in accessory base-metal sulfides (BMS) as well as nano-to-micron scale minerals in rocks of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). The latter include platinum-group minerals (PGM) and gold minerals, which may vary widely in morphology, composition and distribution. The PGM form isolated grains often associated with larger BMS hosted in residual olivine, located at interstices in between peridotite-forming minerals or more commonly in association with metasomatic minerals (pyroxenes, carbonates, phosphates) and silicate glasses in some peridotite xenoliths. The PGM found inside residual olivine are mainly Os-, Ir- and Ru-rich sulfides and alloys. In contrast, those associated with metasomatic minerals or silicate glasses of peridotite xenoliths consist of Pt, Pd, and Rh bonded with semimetals like As, Te, Bi, and Sn. Nanoscale observations on natural samples along with the results of recent experiments indicate that nucleation of PGM is mainly related with the uptake of HSE by nanoparticles, nanominerals or nanomelts at high temperature (> 900?°C) in both silicate and/or sulfide melts, regardless of the residual or metasomatic origin of their host minerals. A similar interpretation can be assumed for gold minerals. Our observations highlight that nanoscale processes play an important role on the ore-forming potential of primitive mantle-derived magmas parental to magmatic-hydrothermal deposits enriched in noble metals. The metal inventory in these magmas could be related with the physical incorporation of HSE-bearing nanoparticles or nanomelts during processes of partial melting of mantle peridotite and melt migration from the mantle to overlying continental crust.
The Composition of Monoclinic Pyroxenes from Kimberlite. In: Kimberlite Volcanism and the Primary Content in the Northeast Part of the Siberian Platform
Joint seismic geodynamic mineral physical modeling of African geodynamics: a reconciliation of deep mantle convection with surface geophysical constraints.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 295, 3-4, pp. 329-341.
Abstract: Continental crust is buoyant compared with its oceanic counterpart and resists subduction into the mantle. When two continents collide, the mass balance for the continental crust is therefore assumed to be maintained. Here we use estimates of pre-collisional crustal thickness and convergence history derived from plate kinematic models to calculate the crustal mass balance in the India-Asia collisional system. Using the current best estimates for the timing of the diachronous onset of collision between India and Eurasia, we find that about 50% of the pre-collisional continental crustal mass cannot be accounted for in the crustal reservoir preserved at Earth’s surface today—represented by the mass preserved in the thickened crust that makes up the Himalaya, Tibet and much of adjacent Asia, as well as southeast Asian tectonic escape and exported eroded sediments. This implies large-scale subduction of continental crust during the collision, with a mass equivalent to about 15% of the total oceanic crustal subduction flux since 56 million years ago. We suggest that similar contamination of the mantle by direct input of radiogenic continental crustal materials during past continent-continent collisions is reflected in some ocean crust and ocean island basalt geochemistry. The subduction of continental crust may therefore contribute significantly to the evolution of mantle geochemistry.
Roy, A., Sarkar, A., Jeyakumar, S., Aggrawal, S.K., Ebihara, M., Satoh, H.
Late Archean mantle metasomatism below eastern Indian Craton: evidence from trace elements, REE geochemistry and Sr Nd O isotope systematics of ultramafic dykes.
Proceedings National Academy of Sciences India , Vol. 113, 4, pp. 649-666. Ingenta 1045680437
Roy, A., Sarkar, A., Jeyakumar, S., Aggrawal, S.K., Ebihara, M., Satoh, H.
Late Archean mantle metasomatism below eastern Indian craton: evidence from trace elements, REE geochemistry and Sr Nd O isotope systematics of ultramafic dykes.
Proceedings National Academy of Sciences India , Vol. 113, 4, pp. 649-665.
Abstract: The Central Indian Tectonic Zone (CITZ) is a major E-W striking mobile belt dissecting the Indian Craton along which the northern and southern Indian cratonic blocks have joined to make the Greater Indian Landmass (GIL). CITZ has a long evolutionary history spanning over 1000 Myrs (2.1-0.9 Ga), overlapping with the assembly and dispersal of two supercontinents - Columbia and Rodinia. Despite a lot of recent work carried out on the CITZ, several outstanding issues remain, especially on the nature and timing of different orogenic events identified in the southern part of this mobile belt. The present contribution attempts to summarize the major petrological, structural and geochronological studies carried out in the CITZ and reappraise the tectonic models in the context of the current database. It is surmised that, while the northern part of CITZ records Paleoproterozoic (ca. 1.8 Ga) orogenic events, the southern part is dominated by a late Palaeoproterozoic-early Mesoproterozoic (ca.1.6-1.5 Ga) collision, followed by crustal extension, and finally a late Mesoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic (ca. 1.04-0.93 Ga) collision that led to the final stitching of the North and South Indian cratonic blocks. Tectonic evolution of the CITZ is discussed in the context of the Proterozoic supercontinent cycle.
International Journal of earth Sciences, Vol. 110, pp. 1593-1609.
Canada, Ontario
carbonatite
Abstract: Igneous intrusions are important to the thermomechanical evolution of continents because they inject heat into their relatively cold host rocks, and potentially change the distribution of radiogenic heat production and thermal properties within the crust. To explore one aspect of the complex evolution of the continental crust, this paper investigates the local thermal effects of two intrusive rock types (carbonatites and anorthosites) on the Archean Superior Province of the Canadian shield. We provide new data on their contrasting properties: rock density near 298 K, thermal diffusivity, and heat capacity up to 800 K (which altogether yield thermal conductivity), plus radiogenic element contents. The volumetrically small carbonatites have widely varying radiogenic heat production (2–56 µW m?3) and moderate thermal conductivity at 298 K (~?1 to 4 W m?1 K?1) which decreases with temperature. The massive Shawmere anorthosite has nearly negligible radiogenic heat production (
Abstract: The Deccan volcanic province (DVP) witnessed a massive outpouring of flood basalts of ?2 million km3 volume, at ?65 Ma, in less than a Myr. The volcanic eruption is concomitant with crustal extension, lithospheric thinning and magma influx beneath the major rift systems namely Cambay, Narmada, and Kutch. In this study, we investigate the anisotropic and isotropic variations within the crust and upper mantle beneath the northwestern DVP by estimating the shear wave velocity (VSV, VSH, and VSoigt) and radial anisotropy (?oigt) models using the Surface Wave Tomography technique. A joint inversion of the regionalized Rayleigh and Love wave group velocities is performed, using the genetic algorithm approach. Our results reveal different intracrustal layers, lid, and a low?velocity zone (LVZ). This LVZ comprises of a uniform asthenospheric low?velocity layer (LVL) of average VSV 4.44 km/s and VSH 4.47 km/s, and another LVL below, of average VSV 4.45 km/s and VSH 4.41 km/s. Furthermore, the LVZ represents a negative anomaly with reference to different global models (AK135, STW105, PREM, and S2.9EA). A negative ?oigt is observed in the LVZ, indicating dominance of vertical flow. This could be related to presence of partials melts, volatile materials and/or a thermal anomaly. We also identified the Moho (?34-40 km) and lithosphere?asthenosphere boundary (?84-123 km). The low VS values, negative ?oigt and a thin lithosphere (?84 km) in the vicinity of Gulf of Cambay affirm the presence of a plume head beneath it, in concurrence with the hypothesis of Indian Plate?Reunion plume interaction.
Using xenoliths to explore variations in upper mantle composition and the relation of composition to seismic velocity structure beneath the Colorado Plateau.
Geological Society of America Annual Meeting 2007, Denver Oct. 28, 1p. Abstract
PGE geochemistry of Diamondiferous and non-Diamondiferous kimberlites from eastern Dharwar craton, southern India: implications for understanding the nature of the mantle below Dharwar.
10th. International Kimberlite Conference Held Bangalore India Feb. 6-11, Poster abstract
Abstract: The Deccan volcanic province (DVP) witnessed a massive outpouring of flood basalts of ?2 million km3 volume, at ?65 Ma, in less than a Myr. The volcanic eruption is concomitant with crustal extension, lithospheric thinning and magma influx beneath the major rift systems namely Cambay, Narmada, and Kutch. In this study, we investigate the anisotropic and isotropic variations within the crust and upper mantle beneath the northwestern DVP by estimating the shear wave velocity (VSV, VSH, and VSoigt) and radial anisotropy (?oigt) models using the Surface Wave Tomography technique. A joint inversion of the regionalized Rayleigh and Love wave group velocities is performed, using the genetic algorithm approach. Our results reveal different intracrustal layers, lid, and a low?velocity zone (LVZ). This LVZ comprises of a uniform asthenospheric low?velocity layer (LVL) of average VSV 4.44 km/s and VSH 4.47 km/s, and another LVL below, of average VSV 4.45 km/s and VSH 4.41 km/s. Furthermore, the LVZ represents a negative anomaly with reference to different global models (AK135, STW105, PREM, and S2.9EA). A negative ?oigt is observed in the LVZ, indicating dominance of vertical flow. This could be related to presence of partials melts, volatile materials and/or a thermal anomaly. We also identified the Moho (?34-40 km) and lithosphere?asthenosphere boundary (?84-123 km). The low VS values, negative ?oigt and a thin lithosphere (?84 km) in the vicinity of Gulf of Cambay affirm the presence of a plume head beneath it, in concurrence with the hypothesis of Indian Plate?Reunion plume interaction.
International Journal of Earth Sciences, Vol. 105, 4, pp. 1087-1107.
India
Not specific to diamonds
Abstract: We have carried out radioelemental (232Th, 238U, 40K), petrological and geochemical analyses on granitoids and gneisses covering major rock formations of the Bundelkhand craton, central India. Our data reveal that above characteristics are distinct among granitoids (i.e. pink, biotite and grey granitoids) and gneisses (i.e. potassic and sodic types). Pink granitoid is K-feldspar-rich and meta-aluminous to per-aluminous in character. Biotite granitoid is meta-aluminous in character. Grey granitoid is rich in Na-feldspar and mafic minerals, granodiorite to diorite in composition and meta-aluminous in character. Among these granitoids, radioelements (Th, U, K) are highest in pink granitoid (45.0 ± 21.7 ppm, 7.2 ± 3.4 ppm, 4.2 ± 0.4 %), intermediate in biotite granitoid (44.5 ± 28.2 ppm, 5.4 ± 2.8 ppm, 3.4 ± 0.7 %) and lowest in grey granitoid (17.7 ± 4.3 ppm, 4.4 ± 0.6 ppm, 3.0 ± 0.4 %). Among gneisses, potassic-type gneisses have higher radioelements (11.8 ± 5.3 ppm, 3.1 ± 1.2 ppm, 2.0 ± 0.5 %) than the sodic-type gneisses (5.6 ± 2.8 ppm, 1.3 ± 0.5 ppm, 1.4 ± 0.7 %). Moreover, the pink granitoid and the biotite granitoid have higher Th/U (6 and 8, respectively) compared to the grey granitoid (Th/U: 4), implying enrichment of Th in pink and biotite granitoids relative to grey granitoid. K/U among pink, biotite and grey granitoids shows little variation (0.6 × 104, 0.6 × 104, 0.7 × 104, respectively), indicating relatively similar increase in K and U. Therefore, mineralogical and petrological data along with radioelemental ratios suggest that radioelemental variations in these lithounits are mainly related to abundances of the radioactive minerals that have formed by the fractionation of LILE from different magma sources. Based on present data, the craton can be divided into three distinct zones that can be correlated with its evolution in time and space. The central part, where gneisses are associated with metavolcanics of greenstone belt, is characterized by lowest radioelements and is the oldest component. The southern part, dominated by pink granitoid, is characterized by highest radioelements and is the youngest part. The northern part, dominated by grey and biotite granitoid, is characterized by moderate radioelements.
PNAS, Vol. 118 (46) e2105746118 doi.org/10.73/pnas.210746118 pdf
Mantle
tectonics
Abstract: When and how Earth's earliest continents—the cratons—first emerged above the oceans (i.e., emersion) remain uncertain. Here, we analyze a craton-wide record of Paleo-to-Mesoarchean granitoid magmatism and terrestrial to shallow-marine sedimentation preserved in the Singhbhum Craton (India) and combine the results with isostatic modeling to examine the timing and mechanism of one of the earliest episodes of large-scale continental emersion on Earth. Detrital zircon U-Pb(-Hf) data constrain the timing of terrestrial to shallow-marine sedimentation on the Singhbhum Craton, which resolves the timing of craton-wide emersion. Time-integrated petrogenetic modeling of the granitoids quantifies the progressive changes in the cratonic crustal thickness and composition and the pressure-temperature conditions of granitoid magmatism, which elucidates the underlying mechanism and tectonic setting of emersion. The results show that the entire Singhbhum Craton became subaerial ?3.3 to 3.2 billion years ago (Ga) due to progressive crustal maturation and thickening driven by voluminous granitoid magmatism within a plateau-like setting. A similar sedimentary-magmatic evolution also accompanied the early (>3 Ga) emersion of other cratons (e.g., Kaapvaal Craton). Therefore, we propose that the emersion of Earth’s earliest continents began during the late Paleoarchean to early Mesoarchean and was driven by the isostatic rise of their magmatically thickened (?50 km thick), buoyant, silica-rich crust. The inferred plateau-like tectonic settings suggest that subduction collision-driven compressional orogenesis was not essential in driving continental emersion, at least before the Neoarchean. We further surmise that this early emersion of cratons could be responsible for the transient and localized episodes of atmospheric-oceanic oxygenation (O2-whiffs) and glaciation on Archean Earth.
Abstract: Eocene paleoclimate reconstructions are rarely accompanied by parallel estimates of CO2 from the same locality, complicating assessment of the equilibrium climate response to elevated CO2. We reconstruct temperature, precipitation, and CO2 from latest middle Eocene (ca. 38 Ma) terrestrial sediments in the posteruptive sediment fill of the Giraffe kimberlite in subarctic Canada. Mutual climatic range and oxygen isotope analyses of botanical fossils reveal a humid-temperate forest ecosystem with mean annual temperatures (MATs) more than 17 °C warmer than present and mean annual precipitation ?4× present. Metasequoia stomatal indices and gas-exchange modeling produce median CO2 concentrations of ?630 and ?430 ppm, respectively, with a combined median estimate of ?490 ppm. Reconstructed MATs are more than 6 °C warmer than those produced by Eocene climate models forced at 560 ppm CO2. Estimates of regional climate sensitivity, expressed as ?MAT per CO2 doubling above preindustrial levels, converge on a value of ?13 °C, underscoring the capacity for exceptional polar amplification of warming and hydrological intensification under modest CO2 concentrations once both fast and slow feedbacks become expressed.
45th. Annual Yellowknife Geoscience Forum, p. 65 abstract
Canada, Northwest Territories
deposit - Giraffe
Abstract: Several Lac de Gras kimberlite pipes host thick accumulations of stratified post-eruptive lacustrine sediment and peat. Given the range of Lac de Gras kimberlite emplacement ages, these fills - though rare - provide a unique sedimentary archive of paleoenvironments during the sustained Early Cenozoic “greenhouse” interval, in a high-latitude region otherwise devoid of Phanerozoic sediment cover. Extensive exploration drilling has provided a valuable window into this unique sedimentary record, which would have otherwise remained covered by Quaternary glacial deposits. Our focus to date has been multidisciplinary study of the Giraffe pipe sediment fill: an ~80 m-thick sequence of post-eruptive lacustrine silt overlain by peat, which paints a remarkable picture of a humid-temperate Middle Eocene forest ecosystem on the Canadian Shield. Post-eruptive chronology is provided by interbedded distal tephra horizons, likely sourced from Alaska, that have been dated by glass fission-track and zircon U-Pb techniques. Paleoclimate proxies derived from pollen, wood cellulose oxygen isotopes, and biomarkers converge on reconstructed mean annual temperatures >17 °C warmer than present, with mean winter temperatures above freezing, and mean annual precipitation ~4x present. Two independent reconstructions of CO2 from well preserved conifer foliage suggest that this warming occurred under relatively modest atmospheric CO2 concentrations of 430-630 ppm. These findings provide direct field-based evidence for dramatic past arctic warming at CO2 concentrations that were well within the range of projections under “business-as-usual” emissions scenarios, underscoring the capacity for exceptional polar amplification of climate change under modest CO2 concentrations once both fast and slow feedbacks processes become expressed. Our studies at Giraffe pipe also highlight the scientific value of archived exploration drill core in the Lac de Gras kimberlite field, particularly with respect to pipes that are unremarkable for the purpose of diamond exploration.
Abstract: The global geodynamic regime of early Earth, which operated before the onset of plate tectonics, remains contentious. As geological and geochemical data suggest hotter Archean mantle temperature1, 2 and more intense juvenile magmatism than in the present-day Earth3, 4, two crust-mantle interaction modes differing in melt eruption efficiency have been proposed: the Io-like heat-pipe tectonics regime dominated by volcanism5, 6 and the “Plutonic squishy lid” tectonics regime governed by intrusive magmatism, which is thought to apply to the dynamics of Venus7, 8, 9. Both tectonics regimes are capable of producing primordial tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) continental crust5, 10 but lithospheric geotherms and crust production rates as well as proportions of various TTG compositions differ greatly9, 10, which implies that the heat-pipe and Plutonic squishy lid hypotheses can be tested using natural data11. Here we investigate the creation of primordial TTG-like continental crust using self-consistent numerical models of global thermochemical convection associated with magmatic processes. We show that the volcanism-dominated heat-pipe tectonics model results in cold crustal geotherms and is not able to produce Earth-like primordial continental crust. In contrast, the Plutonic squishy lid tectonics regime dominated by intrusive magmatism results in hotter crustal geotherms and is capable of reproducing the observed proportions of various TTG rocks. Using a systematic parameter study, we show that the typical modern eruption efficiency of less than 40 per cent12 leads to the production of the expected amounts of the three main primordial crustal compositions previously reported from field data4, 11 (low-, medium- and high-pressure TTG). Our study thus suggests that the pre-plate-tectonics Archean Earth operated globally in the Plutonic squishy lid regime rather than in an Io-like heat-pipe regime.
Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, Vol. 20, 3, pp. 1358-1386.
Mantle
geothermometry
Abstract: Continents influence the mantle's convective wavelength and the heat flow escaping from the planet's surface. Over the last few decades, many numerical and analytical studies have contributed to the debate about whether the continents can warm up the subcontinental mantle or not and if they do, then to what extent? However, a consensus regarding the exact nature and magnitude of this correlation between continents and elevated temperatures in the subcontinental mantle remains to be achieved. By conducting a systematic parameter study using 2?D global mantle convection simulations with mobile continents, we provide qualitative and quantitative observations on the nature of this correlation. In our incompressible and compressible convection models, we observe the general processes of downwellings bringing cold material into the mantle along continental margins and a subsequent buildup of warm thermal anomalies underneath the continents. We compute the amplitude and degree of this correlation using spectral decomposition of the temperature and composition fields. The dominant degree of correlation evolves with time and changes with continental configuration. Using simple empirical fits, we observe that this correlation decreases with increasing core temperature, number of continents, internal heating, or decreasing reference viscosity. We also report simple regressions of the time dependence of this correlation. Additionally, we show that decompression melting as a result of a mantle upwelling or small?scale sublithospheric convection leads to voluminous volcanism. The emplacement of this dense basalt?eclogite material breaks the continents apart and destroys the correlation.
Abstract: The majority of continental crust formed during the hotter Archean was composed of Tonalite-Trondhjemite-Granodiorite (TTG) rocks. In contrast to the present-day loci of crust formation around subduction zones and intra-plate tectonic settings, TTGs are formed when hydrated basalt melts at garnet-amphibolite, granulite or eclogite facies conditions. Generating continental crust requires a two step differentiation process. Basaltic magma is extracted from the pyrolytic mantle, is hydrated, and then partially melts to form continental crust. Here, we parameterise the melt production and melt extraction processes and show self-consistent generation of primordial continental crust using evolutionary thermochemical mantle convection models. To study the growth of TTG and the geodynamic regime of early Earth, we systematically vary the ratio of intrusive (plutonic) and eruptive (volcanic) magmatism, initial core temperature, and internal friction coefficient. As the amount of TTG that can be extracted from the basalt (or basalt-to-TTG production efficiency) is not known, we also test two different values in our simulations, thereby limiting TTG mass to 10% or 50% of basalt mass. For simulations with lower basalt-to-TTG production efficiency, the volume of TTG crust produced is in agreement with net crustal growth models but overall crustal (basaltic and TTG) composition stays more mafic than expected from geochemical data. With higher production efficiency, abundant TTG crust is produced, with a production rate far exceeding typical net crustal growth models but the felsic to mafic crustal ratio follows the expected trend. These modelling results indicate that (i) early Earth exhibited a "plutonic squishy lid" or vertical-tectonics geodynamic regime, (ii) present-day slab-driven subduction was not necessary for the production of early continental crust, and (iii) the Archean Earth was dominated by intrusive magmatism as opposed to "heat-pipe" eruptive magmatism.
Zedgenizov, D., Rubatto, D., Shatsky, V., Ragozin, A., Kalinina, V.
Eclogitic diamonds from variable crustal protoliths in the northeastern Siberian Craton: trace elements and coupled Delta13C-delta 180 signatures in diamonds and garnet inclusions.
Abstract: The Barchi-Kol terrain is a classic locality of ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphism within the Kokchetav metamorphic belt. We provide a detailed and systematic characterization of four metasedimentary samples using dominant mineral assemblages, mineral inclusions in zircon and monazite, garnet zonation with respect to major and trace elements, and Zr-in-rutile and Ti-in-zircon temperatures. A typical diamond-bearing gneiss records peak conditions of 49 ± 4 kbar and 950-1000 °C. Near isothermal decompression of this rock resulted in the breakdown of phengite associated with a pervasive recrystallization of the rock. The same terrain also contains mica schists that experienced peak conditions close to those of the diamond-bearing rocks, but they were exhumed along a cooler path where phengite remained stable. In these rocks, major and trace element zoning in garnet has been completely equilibrated. A layered gneiss was metamorphosed at UHP conditions in the coesite field, but did not reach diamond-facies conditions (peak conditions: 30 kbar and 800-900 °C). In this sample, garnet records retrograde zonation in major elements and also retains prograde zoning in trace elements. A garnet-kyanite-micaschist that reached significantly lower pressures (24 ± 2 kbar, 710 ± 20 °C) contains garnet with major and trace element zoning. The diverse garnet zoning in samples that experienced different metamorphic conditions allows to establish that diffusional equilibration of rare earth element in garnet likely occurs at ~900-950 °C. Different metamorphic conditions in the four investigated samples are also documented in zircon trace element zonation and mineral inclusions in zircon and monazite. -Pb geochronology of metamorphic zircon and monazite domains demonstrates that prograde (528-521 Ma), peak (528-522 Ma), and peak to retrograde metamorphism (503-532 Ma) occurred over a relatively short time interval that is indistinguishable from metamorphism of other UHP rocks within the Kokchetav metamorphic belt. Therefore, the assembly of rocks with contrasting P-T trajectories must have occurred in a single subduction-exhumation cycle, providing a snapshot of the thermal structure of a subducted continental margin prior to collision. The rocks were initially buried along a low geothermal gradient. At 20-25 kbar they underwent near isobaric heating of 200 °C, which was followed by continued burial along a low geothermal gradient. Such a step-wise geotherm is in good agreement with predictions from subduction zone thermal models.
Abstract: Abundant multiphase solid inclusions (MSI) were found in garnet in an ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) paragneiss from the Kokchetav complex, Kazakhstan. The MSI are composed of mineral associations that include rock-forming and accessory minerals, which crystallized during exhumation. We present experimental and analytical protocols for how such inclusions can be homogenized to glass and analysed for major and trace elements. After homogenization we identified two types of glass. One type is present in garnet porphyroblasts in the melanocratic part of the sample and represents a high-pressure melt formed close to peak conditions of >45 kbar, 1000°C. These inclusions are characterized by high concentrations of light rare earth elements (LREE), Th and U. Extraction of these melts resulted in a pronounced depletion of the Kokchetav gneisses in those elements. Measured partition coefficients of large ion lithophile elements (LILE) between phengite inclusions and melt inclusions are DRb?=?1•9-2•5, DBa?=?1•1-6•9 and DCs?=?0•6-0•8, resulting in limited depletion of these elements during partial melting in the presence of phengite. The Nb concentration in melts (27?ppm) is about double that in the restite (15?ppm), indicating slightly incompatible behaviour during UHP anatexis, despite the presence of residual accessory rutile and phengite. A second type of inclusion occurs in garnet from the leucocratic part of the rock and represents a late-stage melt formed during exhumation at 650-750°C and crustal pressures. These inclusions are characterized by low LREE and Nb and high U. Zircon domains formed during high-temperature melting are characterized by high Ti content (100-300?ppm) and unfractionated Th/U (0•4-0•8), whereas the low-temperature domains display low Ti (10?ppm) and Th/U (0•08). The composition of UHP melts with moderate enrichment in LILE, no depletion in Nb and extreme enrichment in LREE and Th is remarkably different from the trace element signature of arc basalts, arguing against involvement of this type of melting in the generation of arc crust. The composition of the UHP melt inclusions is similar to that of melt inclusions from HP crustal xenoliths from Pamir and also to some shoshonites from Tibet. UHP anatexis, as observed in the Kokchetav massif, might be related to the formation of shoshonitic alkaline igneous rocks, which are common in collisional settings.
Geochemical Perspective Letters, Vol. 10, pp. 43-48. doi:10.7185/ geochemlet.1904
Mantle
xenoliths
Abstract: Heat flow studies suggest that the lower crust has low concentrations of heat-producing elements. This could be due to either (i) greater fractions of basaltic rock at depth or (ii) metamorphic depletion of radioactive elements from rocks with more evolved (andesitic to granodioritic) compositions. However, seismic data suggest that lower crust is not predominantly basaltic, and previous studies (using Pb and Sr isotopes) have shown that lower crustal rocks have experienced significant losses of U and Rb. This loss, however, is poorly constrained for K, which is inferred to be the most important source of radioactive heat in the earliest crust. Our high precision Ca isotope measurements on a suite of granulite facies rocks and minerals from several localities show that significant losses of K (~60 % to >95 %) are associated with high temperature metamorphism. These results support models whereby reduction of heat production from the lower crust, and consequent stabilisation of continental cratons in the Precambrian, are largely due to high temperature metamorphic processes. Relative changes in whole rock K/Ca suggest that 20-30 % minimum (granitic) melt removal can explain the K depletions.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 435, 1, pp. 31-35.
Russia
Deposit - Udachnaya
Abstract: The study of diamond and its solid inclusions is of paramount importance to acquire direct information on the deepest regions of the Earth. However, although diamond is one of the most studied materials in geology, the diamond-inclusion relationships are not yet understood: do they form simultaneously (syngenesis) or are inclusions pre-existing objects on which diamond nucleated (protogenesis)? Here we report, for the first time, adhesion energies between diamond (D) and forsterite (Fo) to provide a crucial contribution to the syngenesis/protogenesis debate. The following interfaces were investigated at quantum-mechanical level: (i) (001)D/(001)Fo, (ii) (001)D/(021)Fo, and (iii) (111)D/(001)Fo. Our data, along with the ones recently obtained on the (110)D/(101)Fo interface, revealed an unexpected thermodynamic behaviour, all interfaces showing almost equal and low adhesion energies: accordingly, diamond and olivine have an extremely low chemical affinity and cannot develop preferential orientations, even during an eventual epitaxial growth. Combining these results with those of our previous work concerning the morphology constraints of diamond on its inclusions, we can state that the two main arguments used so far in favour of diamond/inclusions syngenesis cannot be longer considered valid, at least for olivine.
Melluso, L., Lustrino, M., Ruberti, E., Brotzu, P., Barros Gomes, C., Morbidelli, Morra, Svisero, Amelio
Major and trace element composition of olivine perovskite, clinopyroxene, Cr Fe Ti oxides, phlogopite and host kamafugites and kimberlites, Alto Paranaiba,
Canadian Mineralogist, Vol. 46, no. 2 Feb. pp. 19-40.
Azzone, R.G., Enrich, G.E.R., De Barros Gomes, C., Ruberti, E.
Trace element composition of parental magmas from mafic-ultramafic cumulates determined by in situ mineral analyses: the Juquia mafic-ultramafic alkaline-carbonatite massif, SE Brazil.
Journal of South American Earth Sciences, in press available, 17p.
Guarino, V., Wu, F-Y., Lustrino, M., Melluso, L.,Brotzu, P., De Barros Gomes, C., Ruberti, E., Tassarini, C.C.G., Svisero, D.P.
U Pb ages, Sr Nd isotope geochemistry, and petrogenesis of kimberlites, kamafugites and phlogopite picrites of the Alto Paranaiba Igneous Province, Brazil.
Azzone, R.G., Enrich, G.E.R., De Barros Goes, C., Ruberti, E.
Trace element composition of parental magmas from mafic-ultramafic cumulates by in situ mineral analyses: the Juquia mafic-ultramafic alkaline carbonatite massif, SE Brazil.
Journal of South American Earth Sciences, Vol. 41, pp. 5-21.
Guarino, V., Wu, F-Y., Lustrino, M., Melluso, L., Brotzu, P., Barros Gomes, C.de, Ruberti, E., Tassarini, C.C.G., Svisero, D.P.
U-Pb ages, Sr, Nd isotope geochemistry, and petrogenesis of kimberlites, kamafugites and phlogopte-picrites of the Alto Paranaiba Igneous Province, Brazil.
Journal of South American Earth Sciences, Vol. 71, pp. 248-261.
South America, Paraguay
Carbonatite
Abstract: This work describes rare accessory minerals in volcanic and subvolcanic silica-undersaturated peralkaline and agpaitic rocks from the Permo-Triassic Cerro Boggiani complex (Eastern Paraguay) in the Alto Paraguay Alkaline Province. These accessory phases consist of various minerals including Th-U oxides/silicates, Nb-oxide, REE-Sr-Ba bearing carbonates-fluorcarbonates-phosphates-silicates and Zr-Na rich silicates. They form a late-stage magmatic to deuteric/metasomatic assemblage in agpaitic nepheline syenites and phonolite dykes/lava flows made of sodalite, analcime, albite, fluorite, calcite, ilmenite-pyrophanite, titanite and zircon. It is inferred that carbonatitic fluids rich in F, Na and REE percolated into the subvolcanic system and metasomatically interacted with the Cerro Boggiani peralkaline and agpaitic silicate melts at the thermal boundary layers of the magma chamber, during and shortly after their late-stage magmatic crystallization and hydrothermal deuteric alteration.
Journal of South American Earth Sciences, Vol. 77, pp. 286-309.
South America, Brazil
alkaline - Jacupiringa
Abstract: The Jacupiranga Complex is one of several Meso-Cenozoic alkaline intrusive complexes along the margins of the intracratonic Paraná Basin in southern Brazil. The complex encompasses a wide range of rock-types, including dunites, wehrlites, clinopyroxenites, melteigites-ijolites, feldspar-bearing rocks (diorites, syenites, and monzonites), lamprophyres and apatite-rich carbonatites. While carbonatites have been extensively investigated over the last decades, little attention has been paid to the silicate rocks. This study presents new geochonological and geochemical data on the Jacupiranga Complex, with particular emphasis on the silicate lithotypes. 40Ar/39Ar ages for different lithotypes range from 133.7 ± 0.5 Ma to 131.4 ± 0.5 Ma, while monzonite zircon analyzed by SHRIMP yields a U-Pb concordia age of 134.9 ± 1.3 Ma. These ages indicate a narrow time frame for the Jacupiranga Complex emplacement, contemporaneous with the Paraná Magmatic Province. Most of the Jacupiranga rocks are SiO2-undersaturated, except for a quartz-normative monzonite. Based on geochemical compositions, the Jacupiranga silicate lithotypes may be separated into two magma-evolution trends: (1) a strongly silica-undersaturated series, comprising part of the clinopyroxenites and the ijolitic rocks, probably related to nephelinite melts and (2) a mildly silica-undersaturated series, related to basanite parental magmas and comprising the feldspar-bearing rocks, phonolites, lamprophyres, and part of the clinopyroxenites. Dunites and wehrlites are characterized by olivine compositionally restricted to the Fo83-84 interval and concentrations of CaO (0.13–0.54 wt%) and NiO (0.19–0.33 wt%) consistent with derivation by fractional crystallization, although it is not clear whether these rocks belong to the nephelinite or basanite series. Lamprophyre dikes within the complex are considered as good representatives of the basanite parental magma. Compositions of calculated melts in equilibrium with diopside cores from clinopyroxenites are quite similar to those of the lamprophyres, suggesting that at least a part of the clinopyroxenites is related to the basanite series. Some feldspar-bearing rocks (i.e. meladiorite and monzonite) show petrographic features and geochemical and isotope compositions indicative of crustal assimilation, although this may be relegated to a local process. Relatively high CaO/Al2O3 and La/Zr and low Ti/Eu ratios from the lamprophyres and calculated melts in equilibrium with cumulus clinopyroxene point to a lithospheric mantle metasomatized by CO2-rich fluids, suggesting vein-plus-wall-rock melting mechanisms. The chemical differences among those liquids are thought to reflect both variable contributions of melting resulting from veins and variable clinopyroxene/garnet proportions of the source.
International Journal of Earth Sciences, Vol. 106, 6, pp. 1963-1989.
South America, Brazil
carbonatite - Catalao II
Abstract: The Catalão II carbonatitic complex is part of the Alto Paranaíba Igneous Province (APIP), central Brazil, close to the Catalão I complex. Drill-hole sampling and detailed mineralogical and geochemical study point out the existence of ultramafic lamprophyres (phlogopite-picrites), calciocarbonatites, ferrocarbonatites, magnetitites, apatitites, phlogopitites and fenites, most of them of cumulitic origin. U–Pb data have constrained the age of Catalão I carbonatitic complex between 78 ± 1 and 81 ± 4 Ma. The initial strontium, neodymium and hafnium isotopic data of Catalão II (87Sr/86Sri= 0.70503–0.70599; ?Ndi= ?6.8 to ?4.7; 176Hf/177Hf = 0.28248–0.28249; ?Hfi= ?10.33 to ?10.8) are similar to the isotopic composition of the Catalão I complex and fall within the field of APIP kimberlites, kamafugites and phlogopite-picrites, indicating the provenance from an old lithospheric mantle source. Carbon isotopic data for Catalão II carbonatites (?13C = ?6.35 to ?5.68 ‰) confirm the mantle origin of the carbon for these rocks. The origin of Catalão II cumulitic rocks is thought to be caused by differential settling of the heavy phases (magnetite, apatite, pyrochlore and sulphides) in a magma chamber repeatedly filled by carbonatitic/ferrocarbonatitic liquids (s.l.). The Sr–Nd isotopic composition of the Catalão II rocks matches those of APIP rocks and is markedly different from the isotopic features of alkaline-carbonatitic complexes in the southernmost Brazil. The differences are also observed in the lithologies and the magmatic affinity of the igneous rocks found in the two areas, thus demonstrating the existence of regional-scale heterogeneity in the mantle sources underneath the Brazilian platform.
Abstract: Oxygen fugacity (ƒO2) conditions were established for Três Ranchos IV (TR-IV, diamond-bearing) and Limeira I (LM-I, barren) kimberlite intrusions, in Alto Paranaíba Alkaline Province, to constrain a possible correlation between fO2 and diamond instability. Temperature and pressure estimates obtained from the xenocryst assemblage composition are compatible up to garnet lherzolite levels. It suggests that both intrusions could cross the diamond-stability field. The ƒO2 of the TR-IV constrained by perovskite oxygen barometry presents an average value of -2.4 for ?NNO, with standard deviation of 1.30 (n = 120), whereas those calculations for LM-I have an average value of -1.31 for ?NNO, with standard deviation of 1.38 (n = 81). Considering these uncertainties, there is an important superposition of fO2 values for both intrusions, in which there is higher tendency of more reduced conditions for TR-IV. For the LM-I, an oxybarometer based on the composition of monticellite yielded a similar ?NNO range: -4.2 and +2.5. Some crystals and samples present trends towards more reduced conditions, while others display more oxidized conditions for each intrusion. Due to the superposition of ranges and absence of a preferential trend, the influence of fO2 for the possible instability of diamonds in the study area remains uncertain.
Abstract: General information is presented on ten agpaitic occurrences located in southern Brazil and at the border between Brazil and Paraguay. All the Brazilian agpaitic rocks are Late Cretaceous in age, whereas the Paraguayan ones are older than Early Triassic. The most significant occurrence is Poços de Caldas, the largest alkaline massif in South America. In general, these agpaitic rocks contain mineral assemblages that indicate presence of typical halogen-bearing Na-Ca-HFSE phases, eudialyte-, rinkite- and wöhlerite-group minerals being the most frequent ones. However, these associations are indeed more complex in terms of composition, with accessory phases in some cases consisting of various minerals, including U-Th oxides/silicates, Nb oxides, REE-Sr-Ba bearing carbonates-fluorocarbonates-phosphates-silicates and Zr-Na rich silicates. They usually form late magmatic stage to hydrothermal/deuteric assemblages linked with coarse and fine-grained, mainly silica-undersaturated evolved rocks. Data also indicate significant differences in type, amount and composition of agpaitic minerals in all investigated occurrences.
Chmyz, L., Azzone, R.G., Ruberti, E., Marks, M.A.W.
Olivines as probes into assimilation of silicate rocks by carbonate magmas: unraveling the genesis of reaction rocks from the Jacupiranga alkaline-carbonatite complex, southern Brazil.
Progress in Earth and Planetary Science, Vol. 3, 7p.
Mantle
Melting
Abstract: Because of the high energies involved, giant impacts that occur during planetary accretion cause large degrees of melting. The depth of melting in the target body after each collision determines the pressure and temperature conditions of metal-silicate equilibration and thus geochemical fractionation that results from core-mantle differentiation. The accretional collisions involved in forming the terrestrial planets of the inner Solar System have been calculated by previous studies using N-body accretion simulations. Here we use the output from such simulations to determine the volumes of melt produced and thus the pressure and temperature conditions of metal-silicate equilibration, after each impact, as Earth-like planets accrete. For these calculations a parameterised melting model is used that takes impact velocity, impact angle and the respective masses of the impacting bodies into account. The evolution of metal-silicate equilibration pressures (as defined by evolving magma ocean depths) during Earth’s accretion depends strongly on the lifetime of impact-generated magma oceans compared to the time interval between large impacts. In addition, such results depend on starting parameters in the N-body simulations, such as the number and initial mass of embryos. Thus, there is the potential for combining the results, such as those presented here, with multistage core formation models to better constrain the accretional history of the Earth.
Partitioning of FeO between magnesiwustite and liquid iron at high pressures and temperatures: implications for the composition of the Earth's outer core.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 257, 3-4, May 30, pp. 435-449.
Mosenfelder, J.L., Asimow, P.D., Frost, D.J., Rubie, D.C., Ahrens, T.J.
The MgSiO3 system at high pressure: thermodynamic properties of perovskite, postperovskite and melt from global inversion of shock and static compression data.
Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 114, B1 B01203.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 417, pp. 67-77.
Mantle
Core, mantle
Abstract: Deformation-assisted segregation of metallic and sulphidic liquid from a solid peridotitic matrix is a process that may contribute to the early differentiation of small planetesimals into a metallic core and a silicate mantle. Here we present results of an experimental study using a simplified system consisting of a polycrystalline Fo90-olivine matrix containing a small percentage of iron sulphide and a synthetic primitive MORB melt, in order to investigate whether the silicate melt enhances the interconnection and segregation of FeS liquid under deformation conditions at varying strain rates. The experiments have been performed at 2 GPa, 1450?°C and strain rates between 1×10?3 s?11×10?3 s?1 to 1×10?5 s?11×10?5 s?1. Our results show that the presence of silicate melt actually hinders the migration and segregation of sulphide liquid by reducing its interconnectivity. At low to moderate strain rates the sulphide liquid pockets preserved a roundish shape, showing the liquid behavior is governed mainly by surface tension rather than by differential stress. Even at the highest strain rates, insignificant FeS segregation and interconnection were observed. On the other hand the basaltic melt was very mobile during deformation, accommodating part of the strain, which led to its segregation from the matrix at high bulk strains leaving the sulphide liquid stranded in the olivine matrix. Hence, we conclude that deformation-induced percolation of sulphide liquid does not contribute to the formation of planetary cores after the silicate solidus is overstepped. A possible early deformation enhanced core-mantle differentiation after overstepping the Fe-S solidus is not possible between the initial formation of silicate melt and the formation of a widespread magma ocean.
Abstract: Earth and the Moon are shown here to have indistinguishable oxygen isotope ratios, with a difference in ??17O of ?1 ± 5 parts per million (2 standard error). On the basis of these data and our new planet formation simulations that include a realistic model for primordial oxygen isotopic reservoirs, our results favor vigorous mixing during the giant impact and therefore a high-energy, high-angular-momentum impact. The results indicate that the late veneer impactors had an average ??17O within approximately 1 per mil of the terrestrial value, limiting possible sources for this late addition of mass to the Earth-Moon system.
Abstract: The composition of Earth’s atmosphere depends on the redox state of the mantle, which became more oxidizing at some stage after Earth’s core started to form. Through high-pressure experiments, we found that Fe2+ in a deep magma ocean would disproportionate to Fe3+ plus metallic iron at high pressures. The separation of this metallic iron to the core raised the oxidation state of the upper mantle, changing the chemistry of degassing volatiles that formed the atmosphere to more oxidized species. Additionally, the resulting gradient in redox state of the magma ocean allowed dissolved CO2 from the atmosphere to precipitate as diamond at depth. This explains Earth’s carbon-rich interior and suggests that redox evolution during accretion was an important variable in determining the composition of the terrestrial atmosphere.
American Mineralogist, Vol. 106, pp. 1835-1843. pdf
Mantle
sulfides
Abstract: The concentration of sulfur that can be dissolved in a silicate liquid is of fundamental importance because it is closely associated with several major Earth-related processes. Considerable effort has been made to understand the interplay between the efects of silicate melt composition and its capacity to retain sulfur, but the dependence on pressure and temperature is mostly based on experiments performed at pressures and temperatures below 6 GPa and 2073 K. Here we present a study of the effects of pressure and temperature on sulfur content at sulfide saturation of a peridotitic liquid. We performed 14 multi-anvil experiments using a peridotitic starting composition, and we produced 25 new measurements at conditions ranging from 7 to 23 GPa and 2173 to 2623 K. We analyzed the recovered samples using both electron microprobe and laser ablation ICP-MS. We compiled our data together with previously published data that were obtained at lower P-T conditions and with various silicate melt compositions. We present a new model based on this combined data set that encompasses the entire range of upper mantle pressure-temperature conditions, along with the efect of a wide range of silicate melt compositions. Our findings are consistent with earlier work based on extrapolation from lower-pressure and lower-temperature experiments and show a decrease of sulfur content at sulfide saturation (SCSS) with increasing pressure and an increase of SCSS with increasing temperature. We have extrapolated our results to pressure-temperature conditions of the Earth’s primitive magma ocean, and show that FeS will exsolve from the molten silicate and can efectively be extracted to the core by a process that has been termed the "Hadean Matte." We also discuss briefly the implications of our results for the lunar magma ocean.
Abstract: About 435 mineral species have been identified in meteorites including native elements, metals and metallic alloys, carbides, nitrides and oxynitrides, phosphides, silicides, sulfides and hydroxysulfides, tellurides, arsenides and sulfarsenides, halides, oxides, hydroxides, carbonates, sulfates, molybdates, tungstates, phosphates and silico phosphates, oxalates, and silicates from all six structural groups. The minerals in meteorites can be categorized as having formed by a myriad of processes that are not all mutually distinct: (1) condensation in gaseous envelopes around evolved stars (presolar grains), (2) condensation in the solar nebula, (3) crystallization in CAI and AOI melts, (4) crystallization in chondrule melts, (5) exsolution during the cooling of CAIs, (6) exsolution during the cooling of chondrules and opaque assemblages, (7) annealing of amorphous material, (8) thermal metamorphism and exsolution, (9) aqueous alteration, hydrothermal alteration and metasomatism, (10) shock metamorphism, (11) condensation within impact plumes, (12) crystallization from melts in differentiated or partially differentiated bodies, (13) condensation from late-stage vapors in differentiated bodies, (14) exsolution, inversion and subsolidus redox effects within cooling igneous materials, (15) solar heating near perihelion, (16) atmospheric passage, and (17) terrestrial weathering.
Chemistry, chronology and tectonic significance of the Tulameen southeastern British Columbia
Geological Association of Canada (GAC)/Mineralogical Association of Canada (MAC) Vancouver 90 Program with Abstracts, Held May 16-18, Vol. 15, p. A114. Abstract
Mesoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic evolution of the Siberian Craton and adjacent microcontinents: an overview with constraints for a Laurentian Connection.
Mesoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic evolution of the Siberian Craton and adjacent microcontinents: an overview with constraints for a Laurentian Connection.
A note on the appearance of inclusions in garnets supposedly from India and problems relating to disclosure of origin: using this as an elementary example.
The South African Gemologist, Vol. 6, No. 2, June, pp. 11-13.
Nuclear instruments and methods in Physics Research Section B , Vol. 123 ( 1-4) pp. 579-582.
Technology
spectrometry
Abstract: A brief overview is provided of the uses of AMS in mineral analysis, emphasizing the selection of appropriate samples. Simple guidelines are given for judging the suitability of a set of samples (and the type of problem that they pose) for AMS, as opposed to other methods of in-situ analysis. Optimal interpretation of the AMS data requires that the method be employed in conjunction with a range of other types of information. These include textural and mineralogical observations obtained with petrographic or scanning electron microscopes, plus in-situ chemical data for areas of the target typically 1–250 ?m in diameter, obtained by some combination of complementary techniques, such as electron, proton or ion microprobe analysis (EPM, PIXE and SIMS, respectively).
Chorowicz, J., Guezlane, M., Rudant, J., Vidal, G.
Use of MOMS-1 dat a for geological mapping of the Aswa lineament(East African Rift)
National Technical Information Service, In ESA Proceedings 4th. International Colloquium in Spectral Signatures in Remote, N89 10382/4 4p. April 1988 Entire Conference $ 49.95
Abstract: The mineralogy of a new lamproitic diatreme 200-250 m in diameter and 3 ga in area is studied in detail. The chemical and 3-D mineralogical analysis identify the diatreme rocks as strongly altered olivine lamproites with a large volume (50-60%) of xenoliths of strongly altered spinel (garnet) lherzolites and harzburgites-dunites. Numerous grains-xenocrysts of indicator minerals of diamond have been extracted from the heavy concentrates (the weight of the initial product is 742 g and the size is 100-500 ?m) as a result of hydroseparation: (1) subcalcium (CaOav. 2.6 wt %) high-Cr (Cr2O3 av. 5.3 wt %) pyrope (50 grains); (2) chrome diopside (7 and 8 mol % of kosmochlor and jadeite components, respectively, >40 grains); (3) high-Cr chromite (Cr2O3 > 62 wt %); and (4) picroilmenite (MgO 12-13.8 wt %) and Cr-rutile (Cr2O3 1.1 wt %). Xenocrysts prove the mantle endogene (the level of garnet lherzolites) source of the magmatic center of lamproites and forecast the diamond potential of the new diatreme in the Kostomuksha ore district.
Abstract: In ore processing, electric-pulse disaggregation (EPD) is used for the liberation of mineral crystals from host rocks. Since 2019, EPD technology has been used exclusively to recover emeralds produced from the Kagem mine in Zambia. This article compares the differences in the recovery of emeralds from micaceous schist host rock at the Kagem mine by EPD technology versus the conventional hand-cobbing method. The amount of emeralds obtained using both methods was similar, but EPD had numerous advantages in terms of liberation speed, ease of performing the process and the characteristics of the liberated emeralds.
Abstract: The mineralogy of a new lamproitic diatreme 200-250 m in diameter and 3 ga in area is studied in detail. The chemical and 3-D mineralogical analysis identify the diatreme rocks as strongly altered olivine lamproites with a large volume (50-60%) of xenoliths of strongly altered spinel (garnet) lherzolites and harzburgites-dunites. Numerous grains-xenocrysts of indicator minerals of diamond have been extracted from the heavy concentrates (the weight of the initial product is 742 g and the size is 100-500 ?m) as a result of hydroseparation: (1) subcalcium (CaOav. 2.6 wt %) high-Cr (Cr2O3 av. 5.3 wt %) pyrope (50 grains); (2) chrome diopside (7 and 8 mol % of kosmochlor and jadeite components, respectively, >40 grains); (3) high-Cr chromite (Cr2O3 > 62 wt %); and (4) picroilmenite (MgO 12-13.8 wt %) and Cr-rutile (Cr2O3 1.1 wt %). Xenocrysts prove the mantle endogene (the level of garnet lherzolites) source of the magmatic center of lamproites and forecast the diamond potential of the new diatreme in the Kostomuksha ore district.
Conditions of formation of kimberlite diamond and The problem of Diamond bearing capacity from the point of view of theory of open catalyticsystems.(Russian)
Geochemistry International (Geokhimiya), (Russian), No. 7, pp. 961-972
Conditions of formation of kimberlite diamonds and problem of Diamond bearing capacity from the point of view of theory of opencatalytic-systems.(Russian)
Geochemistry International (Geokhimiya), (Russian), No. 7, July pp. 961-972
Abstract: The Earth’s surface inventory of carbon is critical for maintaining the planet’s habitability, yet the majority of Earth’s carbon is likely sequestered in the solid Earth. Understanding how Earth’s shallow carbon cycle evolved requires an assesment of the total carbon accreted, how it was distributed between Earth’s reservoirs, and how these reservoirs continue to exchange carbon. The low carbon content of Earth’s depleted upper mantle has been well constrained by primitive olivine hosted melt inclusions and the CO2/3He ratios of magmatic fluids. Using mass balance constraints we show that either the lower mantle is considerably more carbon rich, or the Earth has lost much of its initial carbon inventory. Distinguising between these scenarios is crucial for understanding the development and maintenance of Earth’s shallow carbon cycle. We assess the carbon content of the lower mantle using new melt inclusion datasets from Iceland, sampling both primordial and recycled mantle material. By comparing carbon concentrations with lithophile element concentrations we find evidence that carbon rich material is transported in the Iceland plume. Furthermore, we demonstrate that such datasets provide only a low bound on the true carbon content of the lower mantle, due to fundamental limits imposed by magma mixing, degassing and inclusion decrepitation. Using a global compilation of melt inclusion analyses we argue these processes occur ubiquitously and are likely to limit our ability to robustly resolve high mantle carbon using melt inclusion datasets. By combining these observations with global mass balance constraints we derive new estimates of the carbon content of primordial and recycled mantle material.
Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, Vol. 19, 12, pp. 4694-4721.
Mantle
melting
Abstract: Basaltic lavas, created by melting the convecting mantle, show variability of concentration of trace element that are correlated with their affinity for the liquid phase during melting. The observed variability in lavas and melt inclusions carries information about heterogeneity in the mantle. The difficulty is to disentangle the contributions of source heterogeneity (i.e., spatial variability of mantle composition before melting) and process heterogeneity (i.e., spatial and temporal variability in melt transport). Here we develop an end?member model of the source heterogeneity and show that it is inadequate to explain observations.
neodymium and Strontium isotopic compositions of lower-crustal xenoliths from northQueensland, Australia: implications for neodymium model ages and crustal growth proc
Chem. Geol, Vol. 83, No. 3/4, June 25, pp. 195-208
Marks, M.A.W., Rudnick, R.L., McCammon, C., Vennemann, T., Markl, G.
Arrested kinetic Li isotope fractionation at the margin of the Ilimaussaq complex: evidence for open system processes during final cooling peralkaline igneous rocks
Abstract: The Mg isotopic compositions of garnet and clinopyroxene mineral separates and whole rocks from 21 xenolithic eclogites (11 low-MgO eclogites and 10 high-MgO eclogites) from the Koidu kimberlite complex, erupted within the Archean Man Shield, Sierra Leone, West Africa, provide new evidence bearing on the origin of cratonic eclogites. Garnet and clinopyroxene in both low-MgO and high-MgO eclogites generally record equilibrium inter-mineral Mg isotope partitioning, with ?26Mg varying from -2.15‰ to -0.46‰ in garnets and from -0.49‰ to +0.35‰ in clinopyroxenes. Bulk ?26Mg values (-1.38‰ to +0.05‰), constructed from garnet and clinopyroxene data, are similar to results from rock powders (-1.60‰ to +0.17‰), suggesting that kimberlite infiltration has had negligible influence on the Mg isotopic compositions of the xenoliths. The ?26Mg values of low-MgO eclogites (-0.80‰ to +0.05‰) exceed the range of mantle peridotite xenoliths (-0.25‰ ± 0.04‰), consistent with the eclogite’s derivation from recycled altered oceanic crust. Similarly variable ?26Mg values in high-MgO eclogites (-0.95‰ to -0.13‰), together with their high MgO and low FeO contents, suggest that high-MgO eclogites were produced by Mg-Fe exchange between partially molten low-MgO eclogites and surrounding peridotites. Our study shows that cratonic xenolithic eclogites preserve a record of Mg isotopic compositions produced by low-pressure, surficial isotope fractionations. The recycling of oceanic crust therefore increases the Mg isotope heterogeneity of the mantle.
Abstract: The Mg isotopic compositions of garnet and clinopyroxene mineral separates and whole rocks from 21 xenolithic eclogites (11 low-MgO eclogites and 10 high-MgO eclogites) from the Koidu kimberlite complex, erupted within the Archean Man Shield, Sierra Leone, West Africa, provide new evidence bearing on the origin of cratonic eclogites. Garnet and clinopyroxene in both low-MgO and high-MgO eclogites generally record equilibrium inter-mineral Mg isotope partitioning, with ?26Mg varying from -2.15‰ to -0.46‰ in garnets and from -0.49‰ to +0.35‰ in clinopyroxenes. Bulk ?26Mg values (-1.38‰-to +0.05-), constructed from garnet and clinopyroxene data, are similar to results from rock powders (-1.60‰ to +0.17‰), suggesting that kimberlite infiltration has had negligible influence on the Mg isotopic compositions of the xenoliths. The ?26Mg values of low-MgO eclogites (-0.80‰ to +0.05‰) exceed the range of mantle peridotite xenoliths (-0.25- ± 0.04-), consistent with the eclogite’s derivation from recycled altered oceanic crust. Similarly variable ?26Mg values in high-MgO eclogites (-0.95‰ to -0.13‰), together with their high MgO and low FeO contents, suggest that high-MgO eclogites were produced by Mg-Fe exchange between partially molten low-MgO eclogites and surrounding peridotites. Our study shows that cratonic xenolithic eclogites preserve a record of Mg isotopic compositions produced by low-pressure, surficial isotope fractionations. The recycling of oceanic crust therefore increases the Mg isotope heterogeneity of the mantle.-
Abstract: The Archean Eon witnessed the production of early continental crust, the emergence of life, and fundamental changes to the atmosphere. The nature of the first continental crust, which was the interface between the surface and deep Earth, has been obscured by the weathering, erosion, and tectonism that followed its formation. We used Ni/Co and Cr/Zn ratios in Archean terrigenous sedimentary rocks and Archean igneous/metaigneous rocks to track the bulk MgO composition of the Archean upper continental crust. This crust evolved from a highly mafic bulk composition before 3.0 billion years ago to a felsic bulk composition by 2.5 billion years ago. This compositional change was attended by a fivefold increase in the mass of the upper continental crust due to addition of granitic rocks, suggesting the onset of global plate tectonics at ~3.0 billion years ago.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, in press available 78p.
Mantle
Bulk chemistry
Abstract: The composition of the fine-grained matrix of glacial diamictites from the Mesoarchean, Paleoproterozoic, Neoproterozoic, and Paleozoic, collected from four modern continents, reflect the secular evolution of the average composition of the upper continental crust (UCC). The effects of localized provenance are present in some cases, but distinctive geochemical signatures exist in diamictites of the same age from different localities, suggesting that these are global signatures. Archean UCC, dominated by greenstone basalts and less so komatiites, was more mafic, based on major elements and transition metal trace elements. Temporal changes in oxygen isotope ratios, rare earth elements, and high field strength elements indicate that the UCC became more differentiated and that tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite suites became less important with time, findings consistent with previous studies. We also document the concentrations of siderophile and chalcophile elements (Ga, Ge, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, W, Tl, Bi) and lithophile Be in the UCC through time, and use the data for the younger diamictites to construct a new estimate of average UCC along with associated uncertainties.
Abstract: Some seismic models derived from tomographic studies indicate elevated shear?wave velocities (?4.7 km/s) around 120?150 km depth in cratonic lithospheric mantle. These velocities are higher than those of cratonic peridotites, even assuming a cold cratonic geotherm (i.e., 35 mW/m2 surface heat flux) and accounting for compositional heterogeneity in cratonic peridotite xenoliths and the effects of anelasticity. We reviewed various geophysical and petrologic constraints on the nature of cratonic roots (seismic velocities, lithology/mineralogy, electrical conductivity, and gravity) and explored a range of permissible rock and mineral assemblages that can explain the high seismic velocities. These constraints suggest that diamond and eclogite are the most likely high?Vs candidates to explain the observed velocities, but matching the high shear?wave velocities requires either a large proportion of eclogite (>50 vol.%) or the presence of up to 3 vol.% diamond, with the exact values depending on peridotite and eclogite compositions and the geotherm. Both of these estimates are higher than predicted by observations made on natural samples from kimberlites. However, a combination of ?20 vol.% eclogite and ~2 vol.% diamond may account for high shear?wave velocities, in proportions consistent with multiple geophysical observables, data from natural samples, and within mass balance constraints for global carbon. Our results further show that cratonic thermal structure need not be significantly cooler than determined from xenolith thermobarometry.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, in press available, 32p.
Asia, Tibet, Andes
melting
Abstract: The lithospheric mantle beneath Archean cratons is conspicuously refractory and thick compared to younger continental lithosphere (Jordan, 1988, Boyd, 1989; Lee and Chin, 2014), but how such thick lithospheres formed is unclear. Using a large global geochemical database of Archean igneous crustal rocks overlying these thick cratonic roots, we show from Gd/Yb- and MnO/FeOT-SiO2 trends that crustal differentiation required continuous garnet fractionation. Today, these signatures are only found where crust is anomalously thick (60-70?km), as in the Northern and Central Andes and Southern Tibet. The widespread garnet signature in Archean igneous suites suggests that thickening occurred not only in the lithospheric mantle but also in the crust during continent formation in the late Archean. Building thick crust requires tectonic thickening or magmatic inflation rates that can compete against gravitational collapse through lower crustal flow, which would have been enhanced in the Archean when geotherms were hotter and crustal rocks weaker. We propose that Archean crust and mantle lithosphere formed by thickening over mantle downwelling sites with minimum strain rates on the order of 10?13-10?12 s?1, requiring mantle flow rates associated with late Archean crust formation to be 10-100 times faster than today.
www.minsocam.org/ MSA/Centennial/ MSA_Centennial _Symposium.html The next 100 years of mineral science, June 20-21, p. 20. Abstract
Mantle
tectonics
Abstract: Earth is the only planet in our solar system that has continents, which are a by-product of 4.5 billion years of tectono-magmatic evolution. The continental crust is miniscule by mass (only 0.5 wt% of the bulk silicate Earth), but contains significant amounts of Earth’s total budget of highly incompatible elements, which include the heat-producing elements K, Th, and U. Because of igneous and metamorphic processes, most of these elements are concentrated within the upper continental crust (UCC). Thus, determining the UCC composition through time provides important information about the bulk crust composition, its impact on heat distribution within the Earth, the tectonic processes that may have generated and influence the crust, as well as the crust’s influence on the atmosphere and ocean through chemical weathering feedbacks. Studies of fine-grained terrigenous sedimentary rocks, including shales and the finegrained matrix of glacial diamictites allow one to examine how the average composition of the upper continental crust may have changed since ~3.5 Ga, and how the crust may record important events. For example, the rise of atmospheric oxygen is imprinted on the compositions of glacial diamictites: prior to the great oxidation event (GOE) diamictites contain expected concentrations of Mo and V relative to other similarly incompatible elements (Gaschnig et al., 2014). Following the GOE, diamictites are systematically depleted in Mo and V due to their increased solubility in their more oxidized forms (e.g., Mo6+, V5+). Changes in transition metals (Ni/Co, Cr/Zn, Cr/U) in both shales and diamictites mark a fundamental shift in average UCC from mafic (~11 wt.% MgO) to felsic (3-4 wt.% MgO) in the interval between 3.0 and 2.5 Ga (Gaschnig et al., 2016; Tang et al., 2016; Smit and Mezger, 2017). This shift is not simply a change in the proportion of komatiite, but reflects a significant decrease in basaltic component from ?60% at 3.0 Ga to present-day proportions by 2.5 Ga (Chen et al., 2019). This fundamental change in crust composition may mark the onset of efficient granite production via plate tectonic processes (Dhuime et al., 2015; Tang et al., 2016) and may have contributed to the rise of atmospheric oxygen by removing oxygen sinks (Lee et al., 2016; Smit and Mezger, 2017).
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 267, pp. 179-195.
Africa, Tanzania
peridotite
Abstract: Hydrogen concentration profiles through olivine and pyroxene in peridotite xenoliths carried in rift basalts from northern Tanzania (Lashaine, Eledoi, and Kisite localities) show bell-shaped distributions, indicating that diffusive hydrogen loss has occurred in all minerals. Homogeneous major element concentrations and equilibration of hydrogen between the cores of olivine and coexisting pyroxene suggest that hydrogen loss resulted from diffusive degassing during host magma emplacement. For these samples, hydrogen diffusivities in olivine and coexisting pyroxene must be within the same order of magnitude, similar to experimentally determined diffusivities, but in contrast to previous observations made on xenolithic peridotites. We demonstrate here, for the first time using natural samples, that significant differences in activation energy is likely the primary parameter that causes the discrepancy between hydrogen diffusion in olivine and pyroxene observed in different suites of mantle xenoliths. Because hydrogen diffuses faster in olivine than in pyroxene as temperature increases, hydrogen loss in the Tanzanian mantle xenoliths must have occurred at relatively low temperatures (?750 - ?900 °C), whereas hydrogen loss observed in previous xenolith studies likely occurred at higher temperatures (?950 to > 1200 °C). Thus, the diffusive loss of hydrogen in the Tanzanian mantle xenoliths may have occurred at shallow depths or at the Earth’s surface.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 175, 22p. Pdf.
Russia
deposit - Obnazhennaya
Abstract: The petrology, mineral major and trace-element concentrations, and garnet oxygen isotopic composition of low-MgO (11-16 wt%) eclogites from the Obnazhennaya kimberlite, Siberian craton, are used to infer their petrogenesis. These eclogites contain two types of compositionally distinct garnet: granular coarse garnet, and garnet exsolution (lamellae and fine-grained garnet) in clinopyroxene. The former record higher temperatures at lower pressures than the latter, which record the last stage of equilibrium at moderate pressure-temperature conditions 2.3-3.7 GPa and 855-1095 °C in the upper mantle at the time of entrainment. Although derived from the garnet stability field, these rocks have low-pressure cumulate protoliths containing plagioclase, olivine, and clinopyroxene as reflected by pronounced positive Eu and Sr anomalies in all eclogites, and low heavy rare earth element (HREE) contents in both minerals and reconstructed bulk rocks for a number of samples. Major elements, transition metals, and the HREE compositions of the reconstructed whole rocks are analogous to modern oceanic gabbro cumulates. Despite geochemical signatures supporting an oceanic crust origin, mantle-like ?18O of the garnets (5.07-5.62‰) for most samples indicates that the protoliths either did not interact with seawater or have coincidently approximately normal igneous values. Some of the eclogite xenoliths have lower SiO2 contents and depleted light REE ((Nd/Yb)N?
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 278, pp. 6-15.
Mantle
craton
Abstract: The lithospheric mantle beneath Archean cratons is conspicuously refractory and thick compared to younger continental lithosphere ( Jordan, 1988 , Boyd, 1989 ; Lee and Chin, 2014), but how such thick lithospheres formed is unclear. Using a large global geochemical database of Archean igneous crustal rocks overlying these thick cratonic roots, we show from Gd/Yb- and MnO/FeOT-SiO2 trends that crustal differentiation required continuous garnet fractionation. Today, these signatures are only found where crust is anomalously thick (60-70?km), as in the Northern and Central Andes and Southern Tibet. The widespread garnet signature in Archean igneous suites suggests that thickening occurred not only in the lithospheric mantle but also in the crust during continent formation in the late Archean. Building thick crust requires tectonic thickening or magmatic inflation rates that can compete against gravitational collapse through lower crustal flow, which would have been enhanced in the Archean when geotherms were hotter and crustal rocks weaker. We propose that Archean crust and mantle lithosphere formed by thickening over mantle downwelling sites with minimum strain rates on the order of 10?13-10?12 s?1, requiring mantle flow rates associated with late Archean crust formation to be 10-100 times faster than today.
Abstract: The petrology, mineral major and trace element concentrations, and garnet oxygen isotopic composition of low-MgO (11-16 wt.%) eclogites from the Obnazhennaya kimberlite, Siberian craton, are used to infer their petrogenesis. These eclogites equilibrated at moderate pressure-temperature conditions 2.3-3.7 GPa and 855- 1095?C at the time of entrainment. Although derived from the garnet stability field, these rocks have low-pressure cumulate protoliths containing plagioclase, olivine, and clinopyroxene as reflected by pronounced positive Eu and Sr anomalies in all eclogites, and low heavy rare earth element (HREE) contents in both minerals and reconstructed bulk rocks for a number of samples. Major elements, transition metals, and the HREE compositions of the reconstructed whole rocks are analogous to modern oceanic gabbro cumulates. Despite geochemical signatures supporting an oceanic crust origin, mantle-like ?18O of the garnets (5.07-5.62 ‰ ) for most samples indicates that the protoliths either did not interact with seawater or have coincidently approximately normal igneous values. Some of the eclogite xenoliths have lower SiO2 contents and depleted light REE ((Nd/Yb)N ? 1) compared to modern oceanic gabbros, suggesting that they experienced partial melting. Positively inclined middle to heavy-REE patterns ((Dy/Yb)N ?1) of the reconstructed bulk rocks mostly result from repeated partial melting in the eclogite stability field, based on melting model calculations. We therefore suggest that the Obnazhennaya low-MgO eclogites may represent the gabbroic section of subducted or foundered basaltic crust that underwent continued partial melting processes at high pressures where garnet was the main residual phase.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 175, 97, 30p. Pdf
Africa, Tanzania
craton
Abstract: U-Pb petrochronology of deep crustal xenoliths and outcrops across northeastern Tanzania track the thermal evolution of the Mozambique Belt and Tanzanian Craton following the Neoproterozoic East African Orogeny (EAO) and subsequent Neogene rifting. At the craton margin, the upper-middle crust record thermal quiescence since the Archean (2.8-2.5 Ga zircon, rutile, and apatite in granite and amphibolite xenoliths). The lower crust of the craton documents thermal pulses associated with Neoarchean ultra-high temperature metamorphism (ca. 2.64 Ga,?>?900 °C zircon), the EAO (600-500 Ma rutile), and fluid influx during rifting (?650 °C (above Pb closure of rutile and apatite) at the time of eruption. Zoned titanite records growth during cooling of the lower crust at 550 Ma, followed by fluid influx during slow cooling and exhumation (0.1-1 °C/Myr after 450 Ma). Permissible lower-crustal temperatures for the craton and orogen suggest variable mantle heat flow through the crust and reflect differences in mantle lithosphere thickness rather than advective heating from rifting.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 580, 11p. Pdf
Mantle
eclogites
Abstract: Zinc isotopic compositions (ZnJMC-Lyon) of low-MgO (<13 wt.%) and high-MgO (>16 wt.%) eclogites from the Koidu kimberlite complex, Sierra Leone, West African Craton, help constrain the origins of cratonic eclogites. The Zn of low-MgO eclogites range from MORB-like to significantly higher values (0.21‰ to 0.75‰), and correlate inversely with Zn concentrations. Since marine carbonates are characterized by higher Zn and lower Zn concentration than basaltic rocks, the low-MgO eclogites are suggested to originate from altered oceanic crustal protoliths that underwent isotopic exchange with carbonates within the crust during subduction. Compared to low-MgO eclogites, all but one of the high-MgO eclogites also have high Zn (0.35‰ to 0.95‰), but they have lower Zn concentrations and Zn/Fe ratios, both of which are negatively correlated with MgO contents. These features point to formation of high-MgO eclogites via metasomatic overprinting of low-MgO eclogites through addition of secondary clinopyroxenes crystallized from infiltrating ultramafic melts. Thus, both low-MgO and high-MgO eclogites bear the imprint of subducted carbonate-bearing oceanic crust. Our study shows that the distinctively high-Zn signatures of marine carbonates can be retained in deeply subducted oceanic crust that may contribute to mantle sources of intraplate alkali basalts with elevated Zn and Zn/Fe. Therefore, Zn isotopes provide a viable means to trace carbonate recycling in the mantle.
Abstract: The viscosity structure of Earth’s deep mantle affects the thermal evolution of Earth, the ascent of mantle plumes, settling of subducted oceanic lithosphere, and the mixing of compositional heterogeneities in the mantle. Based on a reanalysis of the long-wavelength nonhydrostatic geoid, we infer viscous layering of the mantle using a method that allows us to avoid a priori assumptions about its variation with depth. We detect an increase in viscosity at 800- to 1200-kilometers depth, far greater than the depth of the mineral phase transformations that define the mantle transition zone. The viscosity increase is coincident in depth with regions where seismic tomography has imaged slab stagnation, plume deflection, and changes in large-scale structure and offers a simple explanation of these phenomena.
Abstract: Geochemical variations in volcanic rocks erupted at Earth's surface indicate differences in mantle composition, but our understanding of the location, formation, and history of compositionally distinct mantle domains remains incomplete. In particular, some hotspot lavas contain signatures of primitive regions within the mantle that have remained relatively isolated and unprocessed throughout Earth's history. Here we use models of mantle flow to predict the locations within the mantle that are sampled by the mantle plumes associated with hotspot volcanism. Combining these models of mantle flow with state?of?the?art seismic images and a comprehensive catalog of hotspot lava geochemistry, we find that hotspots with a more primitive geochemical signature (as indicated by the isotopes of helium) sample the two large low shear?velocity provinces in the lowermost mantle. Complementary constraints from xenon and tungsten isotope ratios associated with primitive materials then require these continent?sized provinces in Earth's deep interior formed early in Earth's history, survived the violent Moon?forming giant impact, and remained relatively unmixed with the rest of the solid Earth over the past 4.5 billion years.
Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, Vol. 20, 8, pp. 4130-4145.
Mantle
geophysics - seismics
Abstract: Geochemical variations in volcanic rocks erupted at Earth's surface indicate differences in mantle composition, but our understanding of the location, formation, and history of compositionally distinct mantle domains remains incomplete. In particular, some hotspot lavas contain signatures of primitive regions within the mantle that have remained relatively isolated and unprocessed throughout Earth's history. Here we use models of mantle flow to predict the locations within the mantle that are sampled by the mantle plumes associated with hotspot volcanism. Combining these models of mantle flow with state-of-the-art seismic images and a comprehensive catalog of hotspot lava geochemistry, we find that hotspots with a more primitive geochemical signature (as indicated by the isotopes of helium) sample the two large low shear-velocity provinces in the lowermost mantle. Complementary constraints from xenon and tungsten isotope ratios associated with primitive materials then require these continent-sized provinces in Earth's deep interior formed early in Earth's history, survived the violent Moon-forming giant impact, and remained relatively unmixed with the rest of the solid Earth over the past 4.5 billion years.
Abstract: Asthenosphere beneath the relatively thin lithosphere of the Basin and Range province appears to be juxtaposed in step-like fashion against the Colorado Plateau's thick lithospheric keel. Primary to near-primary basalts are found above this edge, in the San Francisco-Morman Mountain volcanic fields, north central Arizona, western USA. We show that at least two distinct peridotite-dominated mantle end-members contributed to the origin of the basalts. One has paired Nd and Hf isotopic characteristics that cluster near the mantle array and trace element patterns as expected for melts generated in the asthenosphere, possibly in the presence of garnet. The second has isotopic compositions displaced above the ?Hf - ?Nd mantle array which, together with its particular trace element characteristics, indicate contributions from hydrogenous sediments and/or melt (carbonatite or silicate)-related metasomatism. Melt equilibration temperatures obtained from Si- and Mg-thermobarometry are mostly 1340-1425°C and account for the effects of water (assumed to be 2 wt.%) and estimated CO2 (variable). Melt equilibration depths cluster at the inferred location of the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary at ?70-75 km beneath the southwestern margin of the Colorado Plateau but scatter to somewhat greater values (?100 km). Melt generation may have initiated in or below the garnet-spinel facies transition zone by edge-driven convection and continued as mantle and/or melts upwelled, assimilating and sometimes equilibrating with shallower contaminated mantle, until melts were finally extracted.
European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2017, Vienna April 23-28, 1p. 16340 Abstract
South America, Brazil
Deposit - Juina
Abstract: We describe a new methodology to collect energy domain Mössbauer spectra of inclusions in natural diamonds using a Synchrotron Mössbauer Source (SMS). Measurements were carried out at the Nuclear Resonance beamline ID18 at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (Grenoble, France). We applied this non-destructive approach to collect SMS spectra of a ferropericlase inclusion still contained within its diamond host from Juina (Brazil). The high spatial resolution of the measurement (~ 15 ?m) enabled multiple regions of the 190 × 105 ?m2 inclusion to be sampled and showed that while Fe3 +/Fetot values in ferropericlase were below the detection limit (0.02) overall, there was a magnetic component whose abundance varied systematically across the inclusion. Hyperfine parameters of the magnetic component are consistent with magnesioferrite, and the absence of superparamagnetism allows the minimum particle size to be estimated as ~ 30 nm. Bulk Fe3 +/Fetot values are similar to those reported for other ferropericlase inclusions from Juina, and their variation across the inclusion can provide constraints on its history.
Abstract: We describe a new methodology to collect energy domain Mössbauer spectra of inclusions in natural diamonds using a Synchrotron Mössbauer Source (SMS). Measurements were carried out at the Nuclear Resonance beamline ID18 at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (Grenoble, France). We applied this non-destructive approach to collect SMS spectra of a ferropericlase inclusion still contained within its diamond host from Juina (Brazil). The high spatial resolution of the measurement (~ 15 ?m) enabled multiple regions of the 190 × 105 ?m2 inclusion to be sampled and showed that while Fe3 +/Fetot values in ferropericlase were below the detection limit (0.02) overall, there was a magnetic component whose abundance varied systematically across the inclusion. Hyperfine parameters of the magnetic component are consistent with magnesioferrite, and the absence of superparamagnetism allows the minimum particle size to be estimated as ~ 30 nm. Bulk Fe3 +/Fetot values are similar to those reported for other ferropericlase inclusions from Juina, and their variation across the inclusion can provide constraints on its history.
Cerantola, V., Bykova, E., Kupenko, I., Merlini, M., Ismailova, L., McCammon, C., Bykov, M., Chumakov, A.I., Petitgirard, S., Kantor, I., Svityk, V., Jacobs, J., Hanfland, M., Mezouar, M., Prescher, C., Ruffer, R., Prakapenka, V.B., Duvbovinsky, L.
Abstract: The Earth’s crust-mantle boundary, the Mohorovi?i? discontinuity, has been traditionally considered to be the interface between the magnetic crust and the non-magnetic mantle1. However, this assumption has been questioned by geophysical observations2,3 and by the identification of magnetic remanence in mantle xenoliths4, which suggest mantle magnetic sources. Owing to their high critical temperatures, iron oxides are the only potential sources of magnetic anomalies at mantle depths5. Haematite (?-Fe2O3) is the dominant iron oxide in subducted lithologies at depths of 300 to 600 kilometres, delineated by the thermal decomposition of magnetite and the crystallization of a high-pressure magnetite phase deeper than about 600 kilometres6. The lack of data on the magnetic properties of haematite at relevant pressure-temperature conditions, however, hinders the identification of magnetic boundaries within the mantle and their contribution to observed magnetic anomalies. Here we apply synchrotron Mössbauer source spectroscopy in laser-heated diamond anvil cells to investigate the magnetic transitions and critical temperatures in Fe2O3 polymorphs7 at pressures and temperatures of up to 90 gigapascals and 1,300 kelvin, respectively. Our results show that haematite remains magnetic at the depth of the transition zone in the Earth’s mantle in cold or very cold subduction geotherms, forming a frame of deep magnetized rocks in the West Pacific region. The deep magnetic sources spatially correlate with preferred paths of the Earth’s virtual geomagnetic poles during reversals8 that might not reflect the geometry of the transitional field. Rather, the paths might be an artefact caused by magnetized haematite-bearing rocks in cold subducting slabs at mid-transition zone depths. Such deep sources should be taken into account when carrying out inversions of the Earth’s geomagnetic data9, and especially in studies of planetary bodies that no longer have a dynamo10, such as Mars.
Abstract: The rifted continental margins of Mozambique provide excellent examples of continental passive margins with a significant structural variability associated with magmatism and inheritance. Despite accumulated knowledge, the tectonic structure and nature of the crust beneath the South Mozambique Coastal Plain (SMCP) are still poorly known. This study interprets high-resolution seismic reflection data paired with data from industry-drilled wells and proposes a structural model of the Limpopo transform margin in a magma-rich context. Results indicate that the Limpopo transform margin is characterized by an ocean-continent transition that links the Beira-High and Natal valley margin segments and represents the western limit of the continental crust, separating continental volcano-sedimentary infilled grabens from the oceanic crust domain. These basins result from the emplacement of the Karoo Supergroup during a Permo-Triassic tectonic event, followed by an Early Jurassic tectonic and magmatic event. This latter led to the establishment of steady-state seafloor spreading at ca.156 Ma along the SMCP. A Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous event corresponds to formation of the Limpopo transform fault zone. Which accommodated the SSE-ward displacement of Antarctica with respect to Africa. We define a new type of margin: the magma-rich transform margin, characterized by the presence of voluminous magmatic extrusion and intrusion coincident with the formation and evolution of the transform margin. The Limpopo transform fault zone consists of several syn-transfer and -transform faults rather than a single transform fault. The intense magmatic activity was associated primarily with mantle dynamics, which controlled the large-scale differential subsidence along the transform margin.
Abstract: Differential cycling of carbonate and organic carbon in the mantle may link the Great Oxidation Event and the subsequent increase in carbon isotope values, according to a model that links the Earth’s surface and interior.
Abstract: Short- and long-term processes at or close to the subduction plate interface (e.g.,mineral transformations, fluid release, seismicity and more generally deformation) might be more closely related than previously thought. Increasing evidence from the fossil rock record suggests that some episodes of their long geological evolution match or are close to timescales of the seismic cycle. This contribution uses rocks recovered (episodically) from subduction zones, together with insights from thermomechanical modelling, to provide a new dynamic vision of the nature, structure and properties of the plate interface and to bridge the gap between the mechanical behavior of active subduction zones (e.g.,coupling inferred from geophysical monitoring) and fossil ones (e.g.,coupling required to detach and recover subducted slab fragments). Based on critical observations and an exhaustive compilation of worldwide subducted oceanic units (for which the presence near the plate interface, rock types, pressure, temperature, T/P gradients, thickness and timing of detachment can be assessed), the present study demonstrates how long-term mechanical coupling exerts a key control on detachment from the slab and potential rock recovery. Critical assessment of rock T/P characteristics indicates that these fragments can indeed be used as natural probes and provide reliable information on subduction interface dynamics down to ~2.8?GPa. Rock clusters are identified at depths of 30, 5560 and 80?km, with some differences between rock types. Data also reveal a first-order evolution with subduction cooling (in the first ~5?Myr), which is interpreted as reflecting a systematic trend from strong to weak mechanical coupling, after which subduction is lubricated and mostly inhibits rock recovery. This contribution places bounds on the plate interface constitution, regular thickness (<300?m; i.e. where/when there is no detachment), changing geometry and effective viscosity. The concept of ‘coupled thickness' is used here to capture subduction interface dynamics, notably during episodes of strong mechanical coupling, and to link long- and short-term deformation. Mechanical coupling depends on mantle wedge rheology, viscosity contrasts and initial structures (e.g.,heterogeneous lithosphere, existence of décollement horizons, extent of hydration, asperities) but also on boundary conditions (convergence rates, kinematics), and therefore differs for warm and cold subduction settings. Although most present-day subduction zone segments (both along strike and downdip) are likely below the detachment threshold, we propose that the most favorable location for detachment corresponds to the spatial transition between coupled and decoupled areas. Effective strain localization involves dissolution-precipitation and dislocation creep but also possibly brittle fractures and earthquakes, even at intermediate depths.
Abstract: New and compiled data of zircon U-Pb ages and geochemical-isotopic constraints provide new insights into the orogenic evolution of the Rio Apa Terrane (RAT) and its close affinity with the Amazonia throughout the Proterozoic. Two terranes with distinct evolutionary histories built the RAT. The Porto Murtinho (2070-1940 Ma) and Amoguijá (1870-1820 Ma) magmatic arcs generated the Western Terrane which is mainly composed of short-lived crustal components. Granitoid rocks (1870 Ma) in the distal Corumbá Window indicate that the RAT is much larger in extent. The Caracol accretionary arc (1800-1740 Ma) and the associated Alto Tererê back-arc basin formed away from the Amoguijá belt, being roughly coeval with the adjoining Baía das Garças suite (1776 Ma) and Paso Bravo granitoid rocks (1774-1752 Ma). These tectonic units constitute the Eastern Terrane, whilst the NdHf isotopic constraints indicate derivation from a predominantly juvenile magma source with the minor input of crustal-derived contaminants. The youngest detrital zircon grains from the Alto Tererê samples gave 1740-1790 Ma ages and unimodal age spectra were mainly present. The basin infill was, therefore, most likely concomitant with the exhumation of the Caracol belt. Alto Tererê provenance study also included detritus from passive to active margin settings. The RAT underwent regional cooling between 1.35 and 1.27 Ga, documented mainly by 40Ar39Ar and KAr ages. This age pattern matches a collisional episode that formed the accretionary margin of Amazonia, suggesting that the RAT was a close neighbor at Ectasian times. The geodynamic interplay between them lasted until 1.1 Ga ago, highlighted by some shared-components of a LIP event.
neodymium isotopes and the origin of the Grenville age Rocks in Texas:implications for Proterozoic evolution Of the United States, Mid-continentalregion
Journal of Geology, Vol. 97, No. 6, November pp. 685-696
Electron back scatter diffraction based identification and quantification of diamonds from the RIF gneisses ( Spain and Morocco): economic implications.
Diamond and Related Materials, Vol. 40, pp. 24-31.
Technology
Microdiamonds - responses
Abstract: A transmission electron microscopy study of garnet from diamond-grade gneisses of the Betic Cordillera (Spain) has revealed the presence of abundant, previously unrecognized, nanosized carbonaceous grains, coexisting with micrometer-sized graphite and diamond. The nanosized particles occur as multiwall nanotubes, and as polyhedral and quasi-spherical graphite + diamond nanoparticles, whereas larger graphite particles appear as rods and as tabular crystals. The topotactic relationships between graphite in nanoparticles and in micrometer-sized particles and the host garnet suggest that carbon nano- and microparticles precipitated from an originally homogeneous solid solution of carbon in the garnet. Based on orientation relationships and on experimental data it is suggested that the three main types of nanosized particles (nanospheres, polyhedral particles and nanotubes) were the precursor of the three main types of larger carbon phases (diamond, tabular and rod-shaped graphite particles, respectively). It is interpreted, as in the case of diamond-graphite nanocomposites, that diamond formation in the core of the nanoparticles is due to an increase of the cross-links between the layers, and then, to the collapse, at a certain point, of the whole graphite structure into diamond. This finding opens a new door for explaining the origin of some metamorphic diamonds and of coexisting graphite and diamond in ultrahigh pressure rocks.
Sanatmaria-Perez, D., Ruiz-Fuertes, J., Pena-Alvarez, M., Chulia-Jordan, R., Marquerno, T., Zimmer, D., Guterrez-Cano, V., Macleod, S., Gregoryanz, E., Popescue, C., Rodriguez-Herandez, P., Munoz, A.
Abstract: Calcium carbonate is a relevant constituent of the Earth’s crust that is transferred into the deep Earth through the subduction process. Its chemical interaction with calcium-rich silicates at high temperatures give rise to the formation of mixed silicate-carbonate minerals, but the structural behavior of these phases under compression is not known. Here we report the existence of a dense polymorph of Ca5(Si2O7)(CO3)2 tilleyite above 8 GPa. We have structurally characterized the two phases at high pressures and temperatures, determined their equations of state and analyzed the evolution of the polyhedral units under compression. This has been possible thanks to the agreement between our powder and single-crystal XRD experiments, Raman spectroscopy measurements and ab-initio simulations. The presence of multiple cation sites, with variable volume and coordination number (6-9) and different polyhedral compressibilities, together with the observation of significant amounts of alumina in compositions of some natural tilleyite assemblages, suggests that post-tilleyite structure has the potential to accommodate cations with different sizes and valencies.
Eocene potassic magmatism of the Milk River area southern Alberta NTS 72E and Sweet Grass Hills, northern Montana: overview and new dat a on mineralogy, geochemistry, petrology and economic potential.
Alberta Geological Survey, Open file report 2012-01, 96p. Free pdf
Geochemistry, mineralogy and petrology of the Eocene potassic magmatism from the Milk River area, southern Alberta and Sweet Grass Hills, northern Montana.
Abstract: Galena from four REE-rich (Khibina, Sallanlatvi, Seblyavr, Vuoriyarvi) and REE-poor (Kovdor) carbonatites, as well as hydrothermal veins (Khibina) all from the Devonian Kola Alkaline Province of northwestern Russia was analysed for trace elements and Pb and S isotope compositions. Microprobe analyses show that the only detectable elements in galena are Bi and Ag and these vary from not detectable to 2.23 and not detectable to 0.43 wt.% respectively. Three distinct galena groups can be recognized using Bi and Ag contents, which differ from groupings based on Pb isotope data. The Pb isotope ratios show significant spread with 206Pb/204Pb ratios (16.79 to 18.99), 207Pb/204Pb (15.22 to 15.58) and 208Pb/204Pb ratios (36.75 to 38.62). A near-linear array in a 207Pb/204Pb vs. 206Pb/204Pb ratio diagram is consistent with mixing between distinct mantle sources, one of which formed during a major differentiation event in the late Archaean or earlier. The S isotopic composition (?34S) of galena from carbonatites is significantly lighter (–-6.7 to -–10.3% Canyon Diablo Troilite (CDT) from REE-rich Khibina, Seblyavr and Vuoriyarvi carbonatites, and - 3.2% CDT from REE-poor Kovdor carbonatites) than the mantle value of 0%. Although there is no correlation between S and any of the Pb isotope ratios, Bi and Ag abundances correlate negatively with ?34S values. The variations in the isotopic composition of Pb are attributed to partial melting of an isotopically heterogeneous mantle source, while those of ?34S (together with Bi and Ag abundances) are considered to be process driven. Although variation in Pb isotope values between complexes might reflect different degrees of interaction between carbonatitic melts and continental crust or metasomatized lithosphere, the published noble gas and C, O, Sr, Nd and Hf isotopic data suggest that the variable Pb isotope ratios are best attributed to isotopic differences preserved within a sub-lithospheric mantle source. Different Pb isotopic compositions of galena from the same complex are consistent with a model of magma replenishment by carbonatitic melts/fluids each marked by quite different Pb isotopic compositions.
Limiting effect of UHP metamorphism on length scales of oxygen, hydrogen and argon isotope exchange: an example from the Qinglongshan UHP eclogites, Sulu Terrain.
International Geology Review, Vol. 47, 7, pp. 716-749.
Abstract: Self-consistent geodynamic modeling that includes melting is challenging as the chemistry of the source rocks continuously changes as a result of melt extraction. Here, we describe a new method to study the interaction between physical and chemical processes in an uprising heterogeneous mantle plume by combining a geodynamic code with a thermodynamic modeling approach for magma generation and evolution. We pre-computed hundreds of phase diagrams, each of them for a different chemical system. After melt is extracted, the phase diagram with the closest bulk rock chemistry to the depleted source rock is updated locally. The petrological evolution of rocks is tracked via evolving chemical compositions of source rocks and extracted melts using twelve oxide compositional parameters. As a result, a wide variety of newly generated magmatic rocks can in principle be produced from mantle rocks with different degrees of depletion. The results show that a variable geothermal gradient, the amount of extracted melt and plume excess temperature affect the magma production and chemistry by influencing decompression melting and the depletion of rocks. Decompression melting is facilitated by a shallower lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary and an increase in the amount of extracted magma is induced by a lower critical melt fraction for melt extraction and/or higher plume temperatures. Increasing critical melt fractions activates the extraction of melts triggered by decompression at a later stage and slows down the depletion process from the metasomatized mantle. Melt compositional trends are used to determine melting related processes by focusing on K2O/Na2O ratio as indicator for the rock type that has been molten. Thus, a step-like-profile in K2O/Na2O might be explained by a transition between melting metasomatized and pyrolitic mantle components reproducible through numerical modeling of a heterogeneous asthenospheric mantle source. A potential application of the developed method is shown for the West Eifel volcanic field.
Koehm, D., Lindenfeld, M., Rumpker, G., Aanyu, K., Haines, S., Passchier, C.W., Sachu, T.
Active transgression faults in rift transfer zones: evidence for complex stress fields and implications for crustal fragmentation processes in the western branch
International Journal of Earth Sciences, Vol. 99, 7, pp. 1633-1642.
Abstract: It has been long observed that the amalgamation of supercontinents, including Rodinia, is coeval with peaks of UPb ages of global detrital zircons. However, our new compilation of global geochemical, mineralogical, and ore geologic records shows that the assembly of Rodinia stands out from others, in terms of whole-rock trace element geochemistry, as well as records of mineralogy and ore deposits. During the assembly of Rodinia, Nb, Y, and Zr concentrations were enriched in igneous rocks, with prolific formation of zircon and minerals bearing Th, Nb or Y, and formation of NYF-type pegmatites and REE ore deposits. At the same time, many types of ore deposits are relatively poorly represented in Rodinin terranes, including deposits of orogenic gold, porphyry copper, and volcanic hosted massive sulfide deposits, with a corresponding paucity of many minerals (e.g., minerals bearing Au, Sb, Ni) associated with these deposits. We interpret these records as indicating the prevalence of ‘non-arc’ magmatism and a relative lack of subduction-related arc magma preserved in the surviving pieces of the Rodinia supercontinent, distinct from other episodes of supercontinent assembly. We further attribute the prevalence of ‘non-arc’ magmatism to enhanced asthenosphere-lithosphere interactions in the Mesoproterozoic, and speculate that the lack of ‘arc-collisional’ magma may be related to enhanced erosion of Rodinia orogenic belts.
www.minsocam.org/ MSA/Centennial/ MSA_Centennial _Symposium.html The next 100 years of mineral science, June 20-21, p. 31. Abstract
Global
geochemistry
Abstract: The successful utilization of big data has direct implications for field-based and laboratory-based petrological and geochemical studies as well as ever-growing “data mining” studies. In considering the major advances in the fields of mineralogy, petrology, and geochemistry, it is important to recognize the various styles and sizes of data that have been available to geologists through time. The petrologic and geochemical fields span tremendous scales, and major milestones in understanding have been contributed to the field across these scales through time. Goldschmidt’s (1937) classification of the elements was largely based on the preference of different elements to form distinct minerals within meteorites and predated the vast majority of experimental data on elemental behavior and partitioning. Dana’s monumental contribution, the System of Mineralogy (Third Edition, 1850), was developed using available chemical, atomic, and symmetry data even before Xray diffraction had been invented. As mineral classification became systematically defined, with further aid from continued technological advances, mineral assemblages could be used for even higher-level classification. The concept of metamorphic facies was introduced by Eskola (1915, 1920), stemming out of a study that focused on Norwegian eclogites. Tuttle and Bowen (1958) employed experimental techniques in order to replicate natural phenomena in a more controlled, observable, and reproducible way: these experiments resulted in the ability to understand the phase relations in granites. These early contributions laid the groundwork for the basic understanding of how elements behave, how minerals form, and how mineral assemblages reflect formation conditions of rocks on Earth. With the increasing availability of more forms of geochemical and petrological data, the compilation of data and application of these datasets to complex questions has become more prevalent. Trace element compositions have contributed to the development of discrimination plots that allow for not only the classification of rock types but the interpretation of, for example, magma sources and amount of crustal contamination. The compilation of zircon age dates, after the advent and common use of the U-Pb geochronologic technique, has allowed for massive compilations of ages across the world and contributed to the development of our current understanding of the supercontinent cycle through Earth’s history. Currently, there are significant, publicly sourced and publicly available datasets (e.g., NAVDAT, EarthChem, Georoc, etc.) that contain information ranging from whole rock chemical analyses to age dates to isotopic analyses. With the ever-increasing amount of available data, we are able to address more complex questions and look deeper back into geologic history. One such complex question being addressed with big-data approaches is the geochemical footprint of the supercontinent Rodinia and potential driving factors behind its apparent distinct igneous geochemistry. Further, this case study emphasizes the challenge facing any geologist utilizing big-data, in understanding the source of data and the persistent challenge of preservational bias through the rock record.
Brazil Journal of Geology ( www.scielo.br) ENG, 17p. Pdf
South America, Brazil
deposit - Tres Estradas
Abstract: Carbonatites were recently discovered in Southern Brazil, which increased the interest to evaluate the economic potential of these uncommon rocks, especially the Três Estradas Carbonatite. Carbonates are the dominant minerals of fresh rock followed by apatite, but the weathering process makes apatite abundant. We focused on apatite from the carbonatite using conventional petrography and electronic microscopy associated with microprobe, micro-Raman and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Results demonstrate the existence of four types. The primary type is associated with the rock crystallization and the subsequent three others are associated with weathering processes. The alteration mechanism was favorable for initial carbonate leaching and subsequent increase of phosphate with late precipitation of three new apatite generations. The deduced model involves long exposure during polycyclic climate changes, intercalating periods of warm dry with humid climate. The apatite types differ chemically and morphologically and have distinctive characteristics that are suitable to be used to differentiate them. These properties should be considered in future planes of industrial processes to transform apatite into single superphosphate, a basic input for fertilizer production.
Schmadicke, E., Okrusch, M., Rupprecht-Gutowski, P., Will, T.M.
Garnet pyroxenite, eclogite and alkremite xenoliths from the off-craton Gibeon kimberlite field, Namibia: a window into the upper mantle of the Rehoboth Terrane.
Schmadicke, E., Okrusch, M., Rupprecht-Gutpwski, P., Will, T.M.
Garnet pyroxenite, eclogite and alkremite xenoliths from the off-craton Gibeon kimberlite field, Namibia: a window into the upper mantle of Rehoboth Terrane.
Physics and Chemistry of Minerals, Vol. 45, pp. 745-758.
Russia, Kola Peninsula
alkaline
Abstract: The new eudialyte-group mineral siudaite, ideally Na8(Mn2+2Na)Ca6Fe3+3Zr3NbSi25O74(OH)2Cl•5H2O, was discovered in a peralkaline pegmatite situated at the Eveslogchorr Mt., Khibiny alkaline massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia. The associated minerals are aegirine, albite, microcline, nepheline, astrophyllite, and loparite-(Ce). Siudaite forms yellow to brownish-yellow equant anhedral grains up to 1.5 cm across. Its lustre is vitreous, and the streak is white. Cleavage is none observed. The Mohs’ hardness is 4½. Density measured by hydrostatic weighing is 2.96(1) g/cm3. Density calculated using the empirical formula is equal to 2.973 g/cm3. Siudaite is nonpleochroic, optically uniaxial, negative, with ??=?1.635(1) and ??=?1.626(1) (??=?589 nm). The IR spectrum is given. The chemical composition of siudaite is (wt%; electron microprobe, H2O determined by HCN analysis): Na2O 8.40, K2O 0.62, CaO 9.81, La2O3 1.03, Ce2O3 1.62, Pr2O3 0.21, Nd2O3 0.29, MnO 6.45, Fe2O3 4.51. TiO2 0.54, ZrO2 11.67, HfO2 0.29, Nb2O5 2.76, SiO2 47.20, Cl 0.54, H2O 3.5, -O?=?Cl ??0.12, total 99.32. According to Mössbauer spectroscopy data, all iron is trivalent. The empirical formula (based on 24.5 Si atoms pfu, in accordance with structural data) is [Na7.57(H2O)1.43]?9(Mn1.11Na0.88Ce0.31La0.20Nd0.05Pr0.04K0.41)?3(H2O)1.8(C a5.46Mn0.54)?6(Fe3+1.76Mn2+1.19)?2.95Nb0.65(T i0.20Si0.50)?0.71(Zr2.95Hf0.04Ti0.01)?3Si24.00Cl0.47O70(OH)2Cl0.47•1.2H2O. The crystal structure was determined using single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. The new mineral is trigonal, space group R3m, with a?=?14.1885(26) Å, c?=?29.831(7) Å, V?=?5200.8(23) Å3 and Z?=?3. Siudaite is chemically related to georgbarsanovite and is its analogue with Fe3+-dominant M2 site. The strongest lines of the powder X-ray diffraction pattern [d, Å (I, %) (hkl)] are: 6.38 (60) (-114), 4.29 (55) (-225), 3.389 (47) (131), 3.191 (63) (-228). 2.963 (100) (4-15), 2.843 (99) (-444), 2.577 (49) (3-39). Siudaite is named after the Polish mineralogist and geochemist Rafa? Siuda (b. 1975).
Diamond & Related Materials, doi.1016/j.diamond.2018.11.018 30p.
Russia
synthetics
Abstract: Defect transformations in type Ib synthetic diamond annealed at a temperature of 1870?°C under stabilizing pressure (HPHT annealing) and in hydrogen atmosphere at normal pressure (LPHT annealing) are compared. Spectroscopic data obtained on the samples before and after annealing prove that the processes of nitrogen aggregation and formation of nitrogen?nickel complexes are similar in both cases. Essential differences between HPHT and LPHT annealing are stronger graphitization at macroscopic imperfections and enhanced lattice distortions around point defects in the latter case. The lattice distortion around point defects is revealed as a considerable broadening of zero-phonon lines of “soft” (vacancy-related) optical centers. It was found that LPHT annealing may enhance overall intensity of luminescence of HPHT-grown synthetic diamonds.
Abstract: Single crystal CVD diamond has been grown on (100)-oriented CVD diamond seed in six layers to a total thickness of 4.3 mm, each layer being grown in gas with increasing concentration of nitrogen. The nitrogen doping efficiency, distribution of color and internal stress have been studied by SIMS, optical absorption, Raman spectroscopy and birefringence imaging. It is shown that nitrogen doping is very non-uniform. This non-uniformity is explained by the terraced growth of CVD diamond. The color of the nitrogen-doped diamond is grayish-brown with color intensity gradually increasing with nitrogen concentration. The absorption spectra are analyzed in terms of two continua representing brown and gray color components. The brown absorption continuum exponentially rises towards short wavelength. Its intensity correlates with the concentration of nitrogen C-defects. Small vacancy clusters are discussed as the defects responsible for the brown absorption continuum. The gray absorption continuum has weak and almost linear spectral dependence through the near infrared and visible spectral range. It is ascribed to carbon nanoclusters which may form in plasma and get trapped into growing diamond. It is suggested that Mie light scattering on the carbon nanoclusters substantially contributes to the gray absorption continuum and determines its weak spectral dependence. A Raman line at a wavenumber of 1550 cm?1 is described as a characteristic feature of the carbon nanoclusters. The striation pattern of brown/gray color follows the pattern of anomalous birefringence suggesting that the vacancy clusters and carbon inclusions are the main cause of internal stress in CVD diamond. A conclusion is made that high perfection of seed surface at microscale is not a required condition for growth of low-stress, low-inclusion single crystal CVD diamond. Crystallographic order at macroscale is more important requirement for the seed surface.
Diamond & Related Materials, Vol. 113, 108255, 7p. Pdf
Global
luminescence
Abstract: Detailed study of the luminescence of multiple brown CVD diamonds was performed. It has been found that the well-known optical center with zero-phonon line at 468 nm is a characteristic of brown color. It has been found that the defects responsible for 468 nm center are located within brown striations suggesting close relation of the 468 nm center and the vacancy clusters. Simultaneous reduction of the intensity of 468 nm center and brown color during annealing support the assumption of their close relation. Identical spectroscopic parameters of the 468 nm center and the radiation center with ZPL at 492 nm suggest that the former relates to an intrinsic defect probably containing vacancies. The distribution of intensity of the 468 nm center in some brown diamonds follows the distribution of the NV? center while being opposite to that of the NV0 center and the dislocation-related A-band. This observation suggests the negative charge state of the 468 nm center. Due to its high luminescence efficiency, the 468 nm center can be used as a highly sensitive indicator of the traces of vacancy clusters. We found that the 468 nm center is detected practically in every as-grown CVD diamond including colorless CVD diamonds of high structural perfection and high purity.
Adam, J., Oberti, R., Camara, F., Green, T.H., Rushmer, T.
The effect of water on equilibrium relations between clinopyroxenes and basanitic magmas: tracing water and non- volatile incompatible elements in the Earth's mantle.
Abstract: The development of plate tectonics from a pre-plate tectonics regime requires both the initiation of subduction and the development of nascent subduction zones into long-lived contiguous features. Subduction itself has been shown to be sensitive to system parameters such as thermal state and the specific rheology. While generally it has been shown that cold-interior high-Rayleigh-number convection (such as on the Earth today) favours plates and subduction, due to the ability of the interior stresses to couple with the lid, a given system may or may not have plate tectonics depending on its initial conditions. This has led to the idea that there is a strong history dependence to tectonic evolution—and the details of tectonic transitions, including whether they even occur, may depend on the early history of a planet. However, intrinsic convective stresses are not the only dynamic drivers of early planetary evolution. Early planetary geological evolution is dominated by volcanic processes and impacting. These have rarely been considered in thermal evolution models. Recent models exploring the details of plate tectonic initiation have explored the effect of strong thermal plumes or large impacts on surface tectonism, and found that these ‘primary drivers’ can initiate subduction, and, in some cases, over-ride the initial state of the planet. The corollary of this, of course, is that, in the absence of such ongoing drivers, existing or incipient subduction systems under early Earth conditions might fail. The only detailed planetary record we have of this development comes from Earth, and is restricted by the limited geological record of its earliest history. Many recent estimates have suggested an origin of plate tectonics at approximately 3.0?Ga, inferring a monotonically increasing transition from pre-plates, through subduction initiation, to continuous subduction and a modern plate tectonic regime around that time. However, both numerical modelling and the geological record itself suggest a strong nonlinearity in the dynamics of the transition, and it has been noted that the early history of Archaean greenstone belts and trondhjemite-tonalite-granodiorite record many instances of failed subduction. Here, we explore the history of subduction failure on the early Earth, and couple these with insights from numerical models of the geodynamic regime at the time.
Abstract: The development of plate tectonics from a pre-plate tectonics regime requires both the initiation of subduction and the development of nascent subduction zones into long-lived contiguous features. Subduction itself has been shown to be sensitive to system parameters such as thermal state and the specific rheology. While generally it has been shown that cold-interior high-Rayleigh-number convection (such as on the Earth today) favours plates and subduction, due to the ability of the interior stresses to couple with the lid, a given system may or may not have plate tectonics depending on its initial conditions. This has led to the idea that there is a strong history dependence to tectonic evolution—and the details of tectonic transitions, including whether they even occur, may depend on the early history of a planet. However, intrinsic convective stresses are not the only dynamic drivers of early planetary evolution. Early planetary geological evolution is dominated by volcanic processes and impacting. These have rarely been considered in thermal evolution models. Recent models exploring the details of plate tectonic initiation have explored the effect of strong thermal plumes or large impacts on surface tectonism, and found that these ‘primary drivers’ can initiate subduction, and, in some cases, over-ride the initial state of the planet. The corollary of this, of course, is that, in the absence of such ongoing drivers, existing or incipient subduction systems under early Earth conditions might fail. The only detailed planetary record we have of this development comes from Earth, and is restricted by the limited geological record of its earliest history. Many recent estimates have suggested an origin of plate tectonics at approximately 3.0?Ga, inferring a monotonically increasing transition from pre-plates, through subduction initiation, to continuous subduction and a modern plate tectonic regime around that time. However, both numerical modelling and the geological record itself suggest a strong nonlinearity in the dynamics of the transition, and it has been noted that the early history of Archaean greenstone belts and trondhjemite-tonalite-granodiorite record many instances of failed subduction. Here, we explore the history of subduction failure on the early Earth, and couple these with insights from numerical models of the geodynamic regime at the time.
Abstract: Hf-isotope data of greater than 1100 detrital zircon grains from the Palaeozoic, south-central Andean Gondwana margin record the complete crustal evolution of South America, which was the predominant source. The oldest grains, with crustal residence ages of 3.8-4.0 Ga, are consistent with complete recycling of existing continental crust around 4 Ga. We confirm three major Archaean, Palaeoproterozoic (Transamazonian) and late Mesoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic crust-addition phases as well as six igneous phases during Proterozoic to Palaeozoic time involving mixing of juvenile and crustally reworked material. A late Mesoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic, Grenville-age igneous belt can be postulated along the palaeo-margin of South America. This belt was the basement for later magmatic arcs and accreted allochthonous microcontinents as recorded by similar crustal residence ages. Crustal reworking likely dominated over juvenile addition during the Palaeozoic era, and Proterozoic and Archaean zircons were mainly crustally reworked from the eroding, thickened Ordovician Famatinian arc.
Abstract: Hf-isotope data of >1100 detrital zircon grains from the Palaeozoic, south-central Andean Gondwana margin record the complete crustal evolution of South America, which was the predominant source. The oldest grains, with crustal residence ages of 3.8-4.0 Ga, are consistent with complete recycling of existing continental crust around 4 Ga. We confirm three major Archaean, Palaeoproterozoic (Transamazonian) and late Mesoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic crust-addition phases as well as six igneous phases during Proterozoic to Palaeozoic time involving mixing of juvenile and crustally reworked material. A late Mesoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic, Grenville-age igneous belt can be postulated along the palaeo-margin of South America. This belt was the basement for later magmatic arcs and accreted allochthonous microcontinents as recorded by similar crustal residence ages. Crustal reworking likely dominated over juvenile addition during the Palaeozoic era, and Proterozoic and Archaean zircon was mainly crustally reworked from the eroding, thickened Ordovician Famatinian arc.
Chemical composition, volatile components, and trace elements in the magmatic melt of the Kurama mining district, middle Tien Shan: evidence investigation of quartz inclusions
Vladykin, N.V., Deep Seated Magmatism: its sources and plumes, pp. 75-92.
Indicator mineralogy of kimberlite boulders and sand samples from the Lac Baby and Sharp Lake eskers, Lake Timiskaming field, western Quebec and northeast Ontario
Geological Survey of Canada Open File, No. 5050, 21p.
Abstract: Little work has been completed on paleo-ice-sheet flow indicators of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, west of the Keewatin Ice Divide. Field mapping, sampling and analysis of glaciogenic sediment (?500 sample sites) in a ?33,000 km2 region near the East Arm of Great Slave Lake in northwestern Canada, provided a rare opportunity to improve understanding of sediment erosion and transport patterns. Glacially-eroded bedrock and sedimentary landforms record east to west flow with NW and SW divergence, mapped within a portion of the Great Slave Lake flow tract. Transported till reflects a similar divergent flow pattern based on dispersal geometries for multiple indicators (e.g., heavy minerals and lithic fragments), which are aligned with the dominant and latest ice flow direction. Glaciofluvial erosion (e.g., s-forms and till removal), transport, and deposition (mainly as esker sediment) are set within 0.3-3 km wide meltwater erosional corridors, spaced regularly at 10-15 km intervals. Transport paths and distances are comparable in till and esker sediment, however, distances appear to be greater (?5-25 km) in some esker constituents and indicator minerals are typically more concentrated in esker sediment than in till. Corridors form a divergent array identical to the pattern of ice-flow features. The congruence of ice and meltwater flow features is interpreted to be a response to a similar ice sheet gradient, and close timing of events (late dominant glacial ice flow and meltwater flow). The similarity in glacial and glaciofluvial flow patterns has important ramifications for event reconstruction and for exploration geologists utilizing mineral and geochemical tracing methods in this region, and possibly other parts of northern Canada. The correspondence between East Arm dispersal patterns, landforms and flow indicators supports interpretation of a simple and predictable single flow divergence model. This is in contrast to previous, multi-flow models, in which fan-shaped geometries are often reported to result from multiple transport events, compared to single-flow divergence. The observed widespread effects of glaciofluvial processes (e.g., erosional corridors) indicate a need to update existing terrain process models.
Journal of Maps ( Taylor & Francis) on linkedin, Vol. 14, 2, pp. 476-485. pdf
United States, Canada
Glaciation, geomorphology, map
Abstract: A map depicting glacial dispersal trains in North America has been compiled from published sources. It covers the Canadian Shield, the Arctic Islands, the Cordillera and Appalachian mountains, and Phanerozoic sedimentary basins south of the Shield. In total, 140 trains are portrayed, including those emanating from major mineral-deposit types (e.g. gold, base metal, diamondiferous kimberlite, etc.). The map took 10 years of on-and-off work to generate, and it culls data from over 150 years of work by government, industry, and academia. It provides a new tool to help companies find ore deposits in Canada: the trains are generally a better predictor of dispersal distance and direction than striations and streamlined landforms, the data typically depicted on surficial-geology maps, including the Glacial Map of Canada. It also gives new insight into sedimentation patterns and processes beneath ice sheets, a sedimentary environment that, because of its inaccessibility, remains poorly understood and controversial.
Progressive infilling of a kimberlite pipe at Diavik, Northwest Territories, Canada: insights from volcanic facies architecture, textures and granulometry.
Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, Vol. 174, 1-3, pp. 103-116.
A phreatomagmatic kimberlite: the A418 kimberlite pipe, Northwest Territories, Canada.
Proceedings of the 10th. International Kimberlite Conference, Vol. 2, Special Issue of the Journal of the Geological Society of India,, Vol. 2, pp. 97-107.
Kimberlite: rapid ascent of lithospherically modified carbonatitic melts.
Proceedings of the 10th. International Kimberlite Conference, Vol. 1, Special Issue of the Journal of the Geological Society of India,, Vol.1, pp. 195-210.
Scott Smith, B.H., Nowicki, T.E., Russell, J.K., Webb, K.J., Mitchell, R.H., Hetman, C.M., Harder, M., Skinner, E.M.W., Robey, Jv.A.
Kimberlite terminology and classification.
Proceedings of the 10th. International Kimberlite Conference, Vol. 2, Special Issue of the Journal of the Geological Society of India,, Vol. 2, pp. 1-17.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 171, 2p.
Mantle
Harzburgite
Abstract: Using the Hill et al. (Contrib Mineral Petrol 169:13, 2015. doi:10.1007/s00410-014-1102-7) modeling technique, we have tested the idea of Ivanic et al. (Contrib Mineral Petrol 164:505-520, 2012) that decompression and metamorphic re-equilibration of garnet with spinel causes garnet zoning perpendicular to the Cr-Ca harzburgitic trend in garnet composition. The modeling confirms that garnet zoning across the harzburgitic trend cannot form without spinel buffering. The harzburgitic trend is very rare because it results from extreme compositional heterogeneity of the mantle at the same depth. In contrast, the common lherzolitic trend requires less diversity in the bulk composition of the mantle, as it can be established with only a few samples of metamorphically re-equilibrated mantle peridotite deriving from a variety of depths.
Abstract: The thermophysical properties of silicate melts and glasses are of fundamental importance for the characterization of the dynamics and energetics of silicate melts on Earth and terrestrial planets. The heat capacity of silicate melts is of particular importance because of its implications for the temperature dependencies of melt enthalpy and entropy and for the potential relationship to melt structure and transport properties. Currently, there are reliable models for predicting the heat capacity of simple and multicomponent silicate glasses (Cpglass) as a function of composition and temperature. Recent differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements of heat capacity for multicomponent silicate liquid (Cpliquid), however, have shown that published models do not accurately reproduce heat capacity measurements on some silicate melts. Here, we have compiled a database of heat capacity values for hydrous and anhydrous multicomponent natural samples. The measurements are on pairs of glasses and melts over the compositional range (wt%) of: SiO2 (44-79), Al2O3 (5-35), TiO2 (0-3), FeOtot (0 ? 11); Na2O + K2O (0-27); CaO + MgO (0-39), H2O (0-6.3) and minor oxides. The compiled data show strong correlations between silica content (XSiO2) and the configurational heat capacity (Cpconfig) defined as Cpliquid ? Cpglass measured across the glass transition temperature (Tg). This correlation is used to establish an empirical model for predicting Cpliquid as a function of melt composition (i.e. SiO2 content) and values of Cpglass measured at the onset of the glass transition: Cpliquid=52.6-55.88XSiO2+CpglassCpliquid=52.6-55.88XSiO2+Cpglass. The model reproduces values of Cpliquid to within an average relative error of ~ 2.4%. Published models for the heat capacities of silicate melts (e.g., Stebbins, 1984; Richet and Bottinga, 1985; Lange and Navrotsky, 1992) applied to the same dataset have average relative errors in excess of 5.5%.
Abstract: Kimberlite pipes from Chidliak, Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada host surface-derived Paleozoic carbonate xenoliths containing conodonts. Conodonts are phosphatic marine microfossils that experience progressive, cumulative and irreversible colour changes upon heating that are experimentally calibrated as a conodont colour alteration index (CAI). CAI values permit us to estimate the temperatures to which conodont-bearing rocks have been heated. Conodonts have been recovered from 118 samples from 89 carbonate xenoliths collected from 12 of the pipes and CAI values within individual carbonate xenoliths show four types of CAI distributions: (1) CAI values that are uniform throughout the xenolith; (2) lower CAIs in core of a xenolith than the rim; (3) CAIs that increase from one side of the xenolith to the other; and, (4) in one xenolith, higher CAIs in the xenolith core than at the rim. We have used thermal models for post-emplacement conductive cooling of kimberlite pipes and synchronous heating of conodont-bearing xenoliths to establish the temperature-time history of individual xenoliths within the kimberlite bodies. Model results suggest that the time-spans for xenoliths to reach the peak temperatures recorded by CAIs varies from hours for the smallest xenoliths to 2 or 3 years for the largest xenoliths. The thermal modelling shows the first three CAI patterns to be consistent with in situ conductive heating of the xenoliths coupled to the cooling host kimberlite. The fourth pattern remains an anomaly.
Mineralogy and Petrology, in press available, 11p.
Mantle
kimberlite ascent
Abstract: The sustained transportation of particles in a suspension commonly results in particle attrition leading to grain size reduction and shape modification. Particle attrition is a well-studied phenomenon that has mainly focussed on sediments produced in aeolian or fluvial environments. Here, we present analogue experiments designed to explore processes of attrition in the kimberlite system; we focus on olivine as it is the most abundant constituent of kimberlite. The attrition experiments on olivine use separate experimental set-ups to approximate two natural environments relevant to kimberlites. Tumbling mill experiments feature a low energy system supporting near continual particle-particle contact and are relevant to re-sedimentation and dispersal processes. Experiments performed in a fluidized particle bed constitute a substantially higher energy environment pertinent to kimberlite ascent and eruption. The run-products of each experiment are analysed for grain size reduction and shape modification and these data are used to elucidate the rates and extents of olivine attrition as a function of time and energy. Lastly, we model the two experimental datasets with an empirical rate equation that describes the production of daughter products (fines) with time. Both datasets approach a fines production limit, or plateau, at long particle residence times; the fluidized system is much more efficient producing a substantially higher fines content and reaches the plateau faster. Our experimental results and models provide a way to forensically examine a wide range of processes relevant to kimberlite on the basis of olivine size and shape properties.
Geophysical Research , Vol. 20, EGU2018-13349 1p. Abstract
Iceland
magmatism
Abstract: Porous rocks represent the products of all explosive volcanic eruptions. As magma ascends to the Earth’s surface, bubbles form as a consequence of the evolving saturation state of volatiles dissolved in the melt. The presence of pores (either filled with pressurized volatiles or not) strongly controls the rheological behaviour of magma and thus influences all volcanic processes (pre- syn- and post-eruptive). Nevertheless, the effects of porosity on the rheology of magma are not well characterised, and a general parameterization is not available yet. Here we present a new set of experiments designed to investigate the rheology of porous melts at high temperature (750-800
C), low strain rates (10^6-10^7 s^-1) and variable porosity. Experiments were performed at 1 atm using a Setaram Setsys vertical dilatometer. The starting materials are 5 x 5 mm cores of natural rhyolitic obsidian from Hrafntinnuhryggur, Krafla, Iceland (vesicle and crystal-free) initially containing 0.11(4) wt% dissolved H2O. The experimental procedure is composed by two steps: 1) synthesis of bubble-bearing materials by heating and expansion due to foaming; 2) deformation of the foamed samples. During the first step, the obsidian cores are heated above the glass transition temperature to 900- 1050
C and held for set amounts of time (2-24 h); the volume of the foamed samples increases because H2O vapour-filled bubbles nucleate and expand. The change in volume (measured by He-pycnometry) is linked to the change in porosity (10-50 vol%). For the second step, two different experimental strategies are employed, hereafter “single-stage” and “doublestage” measurements. Single-stage measurements involve deformation of the samples directly after foaming (without quenching). The sample is cooled down from the foaming T to different target T (750-800
C), a constant load (150 g) is applied by silica or alumina probes to the core, and the cores deform isothermally for 5-20 hours. Conversely, double-stage measurements involve deformation of previously synthesised and quenched pore-bearing cores. In this case the sample is heated up to the target T and deformed under an applied load for similar amount of time (5-20 hours). In both cases, the variation in length (displacement) and volume (porosity) is continuously recorded and used to calculate the viscosity of the foamed cores using Gent’s equations. Preliminary results suggest for single-stage measurements a lower effect of bubbles on the bulk viscosity, compared to double-stage measurements. We suggest that the different behaviour may be related to the different microstructure of the experimental materials. For single-stage measurements, closed and H2O vapour-filled bubbles contribute to the observed higher viscosity, whereas in double-stage measurements, possible gas leaking and melt micro-cracking during quenching are able to weaken the porous material and markedly lower suspension viscosity.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 501, pp. 202-212.
Mantle
melting
Abstract: The viscosity of silicate melts is the most important physical property governing magma transport and eruption dynamics. This macroscopic property is controlled by composition and temperature but ultimately reflects the structural organization of the melt operating at the microscale. At present, there is no explicit relationship connecting viscosity to silicate melt structure and vice versa. Here, we use a single Raman spectroscopic parameter, indicative of melt structure, to accurately forecast the viscosity of natural, multicomponent silicate melts from spectroscopic measurements on glasses preserved on Earth and other planets. The Raman parameter is taken as the ratio of low and high frequency vibrational bands from the silicate glass by employing a green source laser wavelength of 514.5 nm (R514.5). Our model is based on an empirical linkage between R514.5 and coefficients in the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann function for the temperature dependence of melt viscosity. The calibration of the Raman-based model for melt viscosity is based on 413 high-temperature measurements of viscosity on 23 melt compositions for which published Raman spectra are available. The empirical model obviates the need for chemical measurement of glass compositions, thereby, providing new opportunities for tracking physical and thermochemical properties of melts during igneous processes (e.g., differentiation, mixing, assimilation). Furthermore, our model serves as a milepost for the future use of Raman spectral data for predicting transport (and calorimetric) properties of natural melts at geological conditions (e.g., volatiles and pressure) and production.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 501, pp. 202-212.
Mantle
melting
Abstract: The viscosity of silicate melts is the most important physical property governing magma transport and eruption dynamics. This macroscopic property is controlled by composition and temperature but ultimately reflects the structural organization of the melt operating at the microscale. At present, there is no explicit relationship connecting viscosity to silicate melt structure and vice versa. Here, we use a single Raman spectroscopic parameter, indicative of melt structure, to accurately forecast the viscosity of natural, multicomponent silicate melts from spectroscopic measurements on glasses preserved on Earth and other planets. The Raman parameter is taken as the ratio of low and high frequency vibrational bands from the silicate glass by employing a green source laser wavelength of 514.5 nm (R514.5). Our model is based on an empirical linkage between R514.5 and coefficients in the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann function for the temperature dependence of melt viscosity. The calibration of the Raman-based model for melt viscosity is based on 413 high-temperature measurements of viscosity on 23 melt compositions for which published Raman spectra are available. The empirical model obviates the need for chemical measurement of glass compositions, thereby, providing new opportunities for tracking physical and thermochemical properties of melts during igneous processes (e.g., differentiation, mixing, assimilation). Furthermore, our model serves as a milepost for the future use of Raman spectral data for predicting transport (and calorimetric) properties of natural melts at geological conditions (e.g., volatiles and pressure) and production.
Abstract: Although traditionally considered the realm of igneous petrologists and geochemists, kimberlites have received attention from physical volcanologists interested in how they are emplaced in the crust and how they can erupt. This presentation will review the evidence for the volcaniclastic (i.e. fragmental) nature of kimberlites from examples in Canada's Northwest Territories and in Pennsylvania. A growing body of evidence indicates that kimberlite magmas are gas-dominated (overwhelmingly CO2) suspensions of molten kimberlite liquid and crystals, usually olivines. The olivines, like other mineral phases and xenoliths, are entrained from the surrounding mantle peridotite wall-rock, rather than crystallized from the meager kimberlite liquid, and are, therefore, overwhelmingly xenocrystic. This crystal and rock fragment load is sampled and mechanically processed by a turbulent gas-jet before being immersed in a bath of kimberlite liquid: this is the kimberlite factory. As the gas-charged crack-tip propagates and ascends, new mantle is processed into the kimberlite factory. Each emplacement event records the passage of a kimberlite factory through the mantle and lithosphere. The Masontown kimberlite in Pennsylvania is a solitary hypabyssal kimberlite dyke but it preserves evidence of the passage of a single kimberlite factory. Although many kimberlites stall in the crust, many erupt explosively to produce indisputably volcaniclastic kimberlite lithofacies associated with diatremes. Open-pit mining of several diatremes in Canada reveals the complex temporal-spatial nature of different emplacement events within the same volcanic field, and the ubiquitous presence of hypabyssal kimberlite dykes that fed or attempted to feed explosive eruptions. Such explosive eruptions sustained tephra plumes that produced kimberlite fall deposits and pyroclastic density currents that produced kimberlite ignimbrites; both of which exited their source diatremes and inundated the surrounding landscape.
Frontiers in Earth Science, Vol. 7, pp. 134-145. pdf
Global
kimberlite genesis
Abstract: Kimberlite magmas transport cratonic mantle xenoliths and diamonds to the Earth's surface. However, the mechanisms supporting the successful and efficient ascent of these cargo-laden magmas remains enigmatic due to the absence of historic eruptions, uncertainties in melt composition, and questions concerning their rheology. Mantle-derived xenocrystic olivine is the most abundant component in kimberlite and is uniquely rounded and ellipsoidal in shape. Here, we present data from a series of attrition experiments designed to inform on the transport of low-viscosity melts through the mantle lithosphere. The experimental data suggest that the textural properties of the mantle-derived olivine are records of the flow regime, particle concentration, and transport duration of ascent for kimberlitic magmas. Specifically, our results provide evidence for the rapid and turbulent ascent of kimberlite during their transit through the lithosphere; this transport regime creates mechanical particle-particle interactions that, in combination with chemical processes, continually modify the mantle cargo and facilitate mineral assimilation.
Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, Vol. 56, pp. 870-885.
Canada, British Columbia
lherzolite
Abstract: Basanite lavas near Craven Lake, British Columbia, host a spinel lherzolite xenolith containing cross-cutting veins with pargasitic amphibole (plus minor apatite). The occurrence of vein amphibole in spinel lherzolite is singular for the Canadian Cordillera. The vein crosscuts foliated peridotite and is itself cut by the basanite host. The amphibole is pargasite, which is the most common amphibole composition in mantle peridotite. Rare earth element concentrations in the pargasite are similar to those for mafic alkaline rocks across the northern Cordilleran volcanic province (light rare earth elements ?50× chondrite and heavy rare earth elements ?5× chondrite). Two-pyroxene geothermometry suggests that the vein and host peridotite were thermally equilibrated prior to sampling by the basanite magma. Calculated temperature conditions for the sample, assuming equilibration along a model steady-state geotherm, are between 990 and 1050 °C and correspond to a pressure of 0.15 GPa (?52 ± 2 km depth). These conditions are consistent with the stability limits of mantle pargasite in the presence of a fluid having XH2O < ?0.1. The pargasite vein and associated apatite provide direct evidence for postaccretion fracture infiltration of CO2-F-H2O-bearing silicate fluids into the Cordilleran mantle lithosphere. Pargasite with low aH2O is in equilibrium with parts per million concentrations of H2O in mantle olivine, potentially lowering the mechanical strength of the lithospheric mantle underlying the Cordillera and making it more susceptible to processes such as lithospheric delamination. Remelting of Cordilleran mantle lithosphere containing amphibole veins may be involved in the formation of sporadic nephelinite found in the Canadian Cordillera.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 548, 12p. Pdf
Mantle
kimberlite ascent
Abstract: A wide variety of magmas entrain, transport and erupt mantle material in the form of xenoliths and xenocrysts. The host magmas are often low viscosity in nature and range from basalt to more esoteric compositions such as kimberlite, nephelinite and basanite. Here we focus on kimberlite magmas which are particularly successful at transporting deep mantle cargo to the surface, including economically important quantities of diamond. Collections of mantle-derived xenoliths and xenocrysts are critical to our understanding of the structure, stability, composition, thermal state, age, and origin of the lithosphere. However, they also inform on magma transport conditions. Through a series of scaled analogue experiments, we document the relative mechanical stability of olivine, garnet, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and diamond xenocrysts during magma ascent. Our experiments fluidized these mantle minerals at a constant gas flux for variable amounts of time approximating transport in a high velocity, turbulent, fluid-rich (supercritical fluid or gas, depending on depth) magma. The evolution of mineral surface features, morphology and grain size distributions is analyzed as a function of residence time. We show that on timescales consistent with magma ascent, each mantle mineral is subject to mechanical modification resulting in mass loss and reshaping (rounding) by grain size reduction and surface pitting. We further discuss the chemical consequences of producing fine particle chips that are highly susceptible to dissolution. Lastly, we utilize an empirical model that relates textural observations (e.g. impact pit size) on xenocrysts to differential particle velocities. Our approach applied to natural kimberlitic olivine and garnet xenocrysts indicates differential velocities of - the first direct estimate for velocity in an ascending kimberlite magma.
Nature Communications, 10.1038/s41467-022-28633-w 12p. Pdf
Mantle
magmatism
Abstract: Volcanism on Earth and on other planets and satellites is dominated by the eruption of low viscosity magmas. During explosive eruption, high melt temperatures and the inherent low viscosity of the fluidal pyroclasts allow for substantial post-fragmentation modification during transport obscuring the record of primary, magmatic fragmentation processes. Here, we show these syn-eruption modifications, in the form of melt stripping and agglutination, to be advantageous for providing fundamental insights into lava fountain and jet dynamics, including eruption velocities, grain size distributions and melt physical properties. We show how enigmatic, complex pyroclasts termed pelletal lapilli form by a two-stage process operating above the magmatic fragmentation surface. Melt stripping from pyroclast surfaces creates a spray of fine melt droplets whilst sustained transport in the fountain allows for agglutination and droplet scavenging, thereby coarsening the grain size distribution. We conclude with a set of universal regime diagrams, applicable for all fluidal fountain products, that link fundamental physical processes to eruption conditions and melt physical properties.
Journal of Petrology, 10.1093/petrology/egac028/6553928 24p. pdf
Canada, Northwest Territories
deposit - Lac de Gras
Abstract: In the Lac de Gras (LDG) kimberlite field, Northwest Territories, Canada, coherent kimberlites (CKs) occur as tabular dykes, pipe-shaped diatremes, and irregular bodies without well-defined geometries. Combining the morphology of CK bodies with the occurrence of fragmented olivine microcrysts allows distinction of four CK types at LDG: (1) dykes with no broken olivine; (2) CK without well-defined but probable sheet geometry and no broken olivine; (3) pipe-filling CK (pfCK) with abundant broken olivine and (4) pfCK with no broken olivine. These features suggest an intrusive origin for type 1 and, probably, type 2 CK; a high-energy extrusive emplacement for CK type 3 and a low-energy intrusive or extrusive emplacement for the CK type 4. Here, we compare petrographic and whole-rock, olivine and spinel compositional data for high-energy extrusive pfCK, low-energy pfCK and intrusive CK units to understand the factors controlling their variable emplacement styles. Extrusive CK contain more abundant groundmass phlogopite and monticellite, lower carbonate/silicate mineral abundance ratios and significantly lower dolomite and pleonaste-spinel abundances compared to intrusive CK. This indicates greater CO2 loss and higher H2O/CO2 in the melt phase for the extrusive CK during emplacement. Lower incompatible element concentrations in the extrusive CKs and different chromite Ti# and olivine rim Mg# indicate derivation from distinct primitive melt compositions. The extrusive CK feature higher ?Ndi and marginally higher ?Hfi compositions than the intrusive CK, pointing to derivation from distinct sources. These findings strongly imply that distinct primary melt compositions were largely responsible for the differences in emplacement styles of CK at LDG. Low-energy pfCKs have similar olivine rim Mg#, chromite Ti# and, hence, primitive melt compositions to the high-energy extrusive CK samples. Their marginally different emplacement styles may depend on local factors, such as changing stress regimes, or slightly different volatile concentrations. Both types of pfCK might reflect the waning stages of volcanic sequences resulting from the eruption of a segregated magma column that started with pipe excavation and the explosive emplacement of gas-rich magma (volcaniclastic kimberlite), followed by the less energetic emplacement of melt-rich magma (pfCK). This hypothesis underscores different primary melt compositions for dyke vs pipe-forming (and filling) kimberlites and hence a fundamental primary melt control on the explosivity of kimberlites.
Abstract: Kimberlite magmas entrain, transport and erupt large volumes of mantle-derived olivine grains. Characteristically, the olivine crystals found in kimberlite are rounded and ellipsoidal in shape. The origin of their ellipsoidal morphologies remains somewhat enigmatic given their origin from disaggregation of lithospheric mantle rocks. Explanations include rounding by magmatic corrosion and dissolution (Kamenetsky et al. 2008; Pilbeam et al. 2013) or mechanical milling (Arndt et al. 2006; Arndt et al. 2010; Russell et al. 2012; Jones et al. 2014; Brett et al. 2015). Here, we focus on mechanical processes that operate during turbulent mantle ascent, facilitating reshaping and resurfacing of olivine. During transport orthopyroxene and other mantle minerals are assimilated by the kimberlite magma. One effect of the assimilation is to raise the melt’s SiO2 content, thereby causing a reduction in CO2 solubility and the spontaneous exsolution of a CO2-dominated fluid phase (Brooker et al. 2011; Russell et al. 2012; Moussallam et al. 2015). This assimilation-driven exsolution of a fluid phase provides a continuous decrease in density, an increase in buoyancy, and an accelerating ascent. Additionally, there is strong evidence that, during kimberlite magma ascent through the mantle lithosphere, substantial mechanical modification of the suspended cargo occurs (Jones et al. 2014; Brett et al. 2015). Brett et al. (2015) hypothesized that the ascending dyke segregates into a turbulent gas-rich head where particleparticle interactions dominate followed by a trailing tail of less gas-charged magma. This ascending dyke continually modifies its cargo from initial disaggregation to ultimately, eruption. Here, we present data from a series of novel, scaled, analogue attrition experiments that inform on the rates, efficiency and timings of mechanical modification possible during transport through the mantle lithosphere.
Abstract: Global deep?time plate motion models have traditionally followed a classical rigid plate approach, even though plate deformation is known to be significant. Here we present a global Mesozoic?Cenozoic deforming plate motion model that captures the progressive extension of all continental margins since the initiation of rifting within Pangea at ~240 Ma. The model also includes major failed continental rifts and compressional deformation along collision zones. The outlines and timing of regional deformation episodes are reconstructed from a wealth of published regional tectonic models and associated geological and geophysical data. We reconstruct absolute plate motions in a mantle reference frame with a joint global inversion using hotspot tracks for the last 80 million years and minimizing global trench migration velocities and net lithospheric rotation. In our optimized model net rotation is consistently below 0.2°/Myr, and trench migration scatter is substantially reduced. Distributed plate deformation reaches a Mesozoic peak of 30 million km2 in the Late Jurassic (~160?155 Ma), driven by a vast network of rift systems. After a mid?Cretaceous drop in deformation it reaches a high of 48 million km2 in the Late Eocene (~35 Ma), driven by the progressive growth of plate collisions and the formation of new rift systems. About a third of the continental crustal area has been deformed since 240 Ma, partitioned roughly into 65% extension and 35% compression. This community plate model provides a framework for building detailed regional deforming plate networks and form a constraint for models of basin evolution and the plate?mantle system.
Muller, D., Zahirovic, S., Williams, S.E., Cannon, J., Seton, M., Bower, D.J., Tetley, M., Heine, C., Le Breton, E., Liu, S., Russell, S.H.J., Yang, T., Leonard, J., Gurnis, M.
Abstract: Global deep?time plate motion models have traditionally followed a classical rigid plate approach, even though plate deformation is known to be significant. Here we present a global Mesozoic-Cenozoic deforming plate motion model that captures the progressive extension of all continental margins since the initiation of rifting within Pangea at ~240 Ma. The model also includes major failed continental rifts and compressional deformation along collision zones. The outlines and timing of regional deformation episodes are reconstructed from a wealth of published regional tectonic models and associated geological and geophysical data. We reconstruct absolute plate motions in a mantle reference frame with a joint global inversion using hot spot tracks for the last 80 million years and minimizing global trench migration velocities and net lithospheric rotation. In our optimized model, net rotation is consistently below 0.2°/Myr, and trench migration scatter is substantially reduced. Distributed plate deformation reaches a Mesozoic peak of 30 × 106 km2 in the Late Jurassic (~160-155 Ma), driven by a vast network of rift systems. After a mid?Cretaceous drop in deformation, it reaches a high of 48 x 106 km2 in the Late Eocene (~35 Ma), driven by the progressive growth of plate collisions and the formation of new rift systems. About a third of the continental crustal area has been deformed since 240 Ma, partitioned roughly into 65% extension and 35% compression. This community plate model provides a framework for building detailed regional deforming plate networks and form a constraint for models of basin evolution and the plate?mantle system.
Abstract: North America provides an important test for assessing the coupling of large continents with heterogeneous Archean- to Cenozoic-aged lithospheric provinces to the mantle flow. We use the unprecedented spatial coverage of the USArray seismic network to obtain an extensive and consistent data set of shear wave splitting intensity measurements at 1436 stations. Overall, the measurements are consistent with simple shear deformation in the asthenosphere due to viscous coupling to the overriding lithosphere. The fast directions agree with the absolute plate motion direction with a mean difference of 2° with 27° standard deviation. There are, however, deviations from this simple pattern, including a band along the Rocky Mountain front, indicative of flow complication due to gradients in lithospheric thickness, and variations in amplitude through the central United States, which can be explained through varying contributions of lithospheric anisotropy. Thus, seismic anisotropy may be sourced in both the asthenosphere and lithosphere, and variations in splitting intensity are due to lithospheric anisotropy developed during deformation over long time scales.
Abstract: Over the last 20 years, new concepts have emerged into understanding the processes that lead to build up to large silicic explosive eruptions based on integration of geophysical, geochemical, petrological, geochronological and dynamical modelling. Silicic melts are generated within magma systems extending throughout the crust by segregation from mushy zones. Segregated melt layers become unstable and can assemble into ephemeral upper crustal magma chambers rapidly prior to eruption. In the next 10 years, we can expect major advances in dynamical models as well as in analytical and geophysical methods, which need to be underpinned in field research.
Abstract: Diamonds form from fluids or melts circulating at depth in the Earth's mantle. Analysis of these fluids is possible if they remain entrapped in the diamond during its growth, but this is rarely observed in gem-quality stones. We provide the first evidence that typical mineral inclusions in gem-quality diamonds from the Siberian and Kaapvaal cratons are surrounded by a thin film of hydrous silicic fluid of maximum thickness 1.5 ?m. The fluid contains Si2O(OH)6, Si(OH)4, and molecular H2O and was identified using confocal micro-Raman spectroscopy and synchrotron-based X-ray tomographic microscopy. As the solid mineral inclusions have both peridotitic and eclogitic affinities and occur in two cratonic regions, our results demonstrate the strong connection between water-rich fluids and the growth of gem-quality lithospheric diamonds. The presence of the fluid films should be taken into account for a proper evaluation of H2O contents in the mantle based on H2O contents in solid inclusions and for a robust assessment of diamond formation pressures based on the residual pressures of the inclusions.
Andersson, U.B., Rutanen, HG., Johansson, A., Mansfeld, J., Rimsa, A.
Characterization of the Paleoproterozoic mantle beneath the Fennoscandian shield: geochemistry and isotope geology (Nd, Sr) of ~1.8 Ga mafic plutonic rocks ...
International Geology Review, Vol. 49, 7, pp. 587-625.
Environmental liability management for mineral processors
American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) Preprint, Annual Meeting held Phoenix Arizona Feb. 24-27th. 1992, Preprint No. 92-16. 5p
Gems & Gemology, Sixth International Gemological Symposium Vol. 54, 3, 1p. Abstract p. 276.
Global
diamond color
Abstract: Diamond characterization is carried out via a wide variety of gemological and chemical analyses. An important analytical tool for this purpose is spectroscopic characterization utilizing both absorption and emission measurements. The main techniques are UV-visible and infrared spectroscopy, though Raman as well as cathodoluminescence spectroscopy are also used. We have used electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to compare the properties of treated colored diamonds to the pretreated stones. The colors studied were blue, orange, yellow, green, and pink. The EPR technique determines radicals (atoms with unpaired electrons) and is very sensitive, capable of measuring concentrations as low as ~1 × 10–17 radicals/cm3. The results, shown in table 1, indicate that all the carbon radicals determined are affected by adjacent nitrogen atoms, with the spectra showing a hyperfine structure attributed to the presence of nitrogen. The highest concentration of radicals and hyperfine structures is observed in pink and orange treated diamonds. The results concerning nitrogen concentration were correlated with the infrared spectra, which determine the absorption peaks of the diamonds as well as those of the nitrogen contamination in their crystal structure.
Kovalenko, V.I., Solovova, I.P., Ryabchikov, I.D., et al.
Fluidized CO2 sulphide silicate media as agents of mantle metasomatism and megacrysts formation: evidence from a large druse in a spinel lherzolitexenolith
Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, Vol. 45, No.3 April pp. 280-293
40 Ar 39 Ar dating of a phlogopite bearing websterite: evidence for ancient metasomatism in the subcontinental lithosphere mantle under the Arabian Shield?
A Hawaiian beginning for the Iceland plume: modelling of reconnaissance dat a for olivine hosted melt inclusions in Palaeogene picrite lavas East Greenland.
Thermodynamic analysis of magnetite + titanite + clinopyroxene equilibration temperatures in apatite bearing intrusion of the Khibin a alkaline complex.
Mineralogy and Petrology, in press available, 12p.
South America, Brazil
Deposit - Juina
Abstract: In addition to ultramafic and mafic associations, a primary natrocarbonatitic association occurs in the lower mantle. To date, it was identified as inclusions in diamonds from the Juina area, Mato Grosso State, Brazil. It comprises almost 50 mineral species: carbonates, halides, fluorides, phosphates, sulfates, oxides, silicates, sulfides and native elements. In addition, volatiles are present in this association. Among oxides, coexisting periclase and wüstite were identified, pointing to the formation of the natrocarbonatitic association at a depth greater than 2000 km. Some iron-rich (Mg,Fe)O inclusions in diamond are attributed to the lowermost mantle. The initial lower-mantle carbonatitic melt formed as a result of low-fraction partial melting of carbon-containing lower-mantle material, rich in P, F, Cl and other volatile elements, at the core-mantle boundary. During ascent to the surface, the initial carbonatitic melt dissociated into two immiscible parts, a carbonate-silicate and a chloride-carbonate melt. The latter melt is parental to the natrocarbonatitic lower-mantle association. Diamonds with carbonatitic inclusions were formed in carbonatitic melts or high-density fluids.
Physicochemical conditions of magma formation at the base of the Siberian plume: insights from the investigation of melt inclusions in the meymechites and alkali picrites of the Maimecha Kotui
Physicochemical parameters of the material of mantle plumes: evidence from the thermodynamic analysis of mineral inclusions in sublithospheric diamond.
Geochemistry International, Vol. 52, 11, pp. 903-911.
Abstract: Two typical lamproitic dykes were found in Noril'sk region of the north-western Siberian Craton, which according to mineralogical, geochemical and isotopic criteria belong to anorogenic, non-diamondiferous type of lamproites. According to the geologic relationships, they cut through the Noril'sk-1 intrusion of the Siberian flood basalt province and thus are younger than ~251 Ma. 40Ar/39Ar dating of the two dykes yielded ages of 235.24 ± 0.19 Ma and 233.96 ± 0.19 Ma, showing that they were emplaced in Carnian of the Late Triassic, about 16 Ma after the flood basalt event. There are some indications that there were multiple lamproitic dyke emplacements, including probably emplacement of diamondiferous lamproites, which produced Carnian-age diamond-rich placer deposits in other parts of the Siberian Craton and in adjacent regions. Lead isotope modelling shows that the source of the studied lamproites was formed with participation of recycled crust, which underwent modification of its U/Pb ratio as early as 2.5 Ga. However, the exactmechanismof the recycling cannot be deciphered now. It could be either through delamination of the cratonic crust or subduction of amix of ancient terrigenous sediments into the mantle transition zone.
Canadian Journal of Earth Science, Vol. 55, pp. 130-137.
Global
Kimberlite morphology
Abstract: We use analogue experimentation to test the hypothesis that host rock competence primarily determines the morphology of kimberlite pipes. Natural occurrences of kimberlite pipes are subdivided into three classes: class 1 pipes are steep-sided diatremes emplaced into crystalline rock; class 2 pipes have a wide, shallow crater emplaced into sedimentary rock overlain by unconsolidated sediments; class 3 pipes comprise a steep-sided diatreme with a shallow-angled crater emplaced into competent crystalline rock overlain by unconsolidated sediments. We use different configurations of three analogue materials with varying cohesions to model the contrasting geological settings observed in nature. Pulses of compressed air, representing the energy of the gas-rich head of a kimberlitic magma, are used to disrupt the experimental substrate. In our experiments, the competence and configuration of the analogue materials control the excavation processes as well as the final shape of the analogue pipes: eruption through competent analogue strata results in steep-sided analogue pipes; eruption through weak analogue strata results in wide, shallow analogue pipes; eruption through intermediate strength analogue strata results in analogue pipes with a shallow crater and a steep-sided diatreme. These experimental results correspond with the shapes of natural kimberlite pipes, and demonstrate that variations in the lithology of the host rock are sufficient to generate classic kimberlite pipe shapes. These findings are consistent with models that ascribe the pipe morphologies of natural kimberlites to the competence of the host rocks in which they are emplaced.
Geophysical Research , Vol. 20, EGU2018-13349 1p. Abstract
Iceland
magmatism
Abstract: Porous rocks represent the products of all explosive volcanic eruptions. As magma ascends to the Earth’s surface, bubbles form as a consequence of the evolving saturation state of volatiles dissolved in the melt. The presence of pores (either filled with pressurized volatiles or not) strongly controls the rheological behaviour of magma and thus influences all volcanic processes (pre- syn- and post-eruptive). Nevertheless, the effects of porosity on the rheology of magma are not well characterised, and a general parameterization is not available yet. Here we present a new set of experiments designed to investigate the rheology of porous melts at high temperature (750-800
C), low strain rates (10^6-10^7 s^-1) and variable porosity. Experiments were performed at 1 atm using a Setaram Setsys vertical dilatometer. The starting materials are 5 x 5 mm cores of natural rhyolitic obsidian from Hrafntinnuhryggur, Krafla, Iceland (vesicle and crystal-free) initially containing 0.11(4) wt% dissolved H2O. The experimental procedure is composed by two steps: 1) synthesis of bubble-bearing materials by heating and expansion due to foaming; 2) deformation of the foamed samples. During the first step, the obsidian cores are heated above the glass transition temperature to 900- 1050
C and held for set amounts of time (2-24 h); the volume of the foamed samples increases because H2O vapour-filled bubbles nucleate and expand. The change in volume (measured by He-pycnometry) is linked to the change in porosity (10-50 vol%). For the second step, two different experimental strategies are employed, hereafter “single-stage” and “doublestage” measurements. Single-stage measurements involve deformation of the samples directly after foaming (without quenching). The sample is cooled down from the foaming T to different target T (750-800
C), a constant load (150 g) is applied by silica or alumina probes to the core, and the cores deform isothermally for 5-20 hours. Conversely, double-stage measurements involve deformation of previously synthesised and quenched pore-bearing cores. In this case the sample is heated up to the target T and deformed under an applied load for similar amount of time (5-20 hours). In both cases, the variation in length (displacement) and volume (porosity) is continuously recorded and used to calculate the viscosity of the foamed cores using Gent’s equations. Preliminary results suggest for single-stage measurements a lower effect of bubbles on the bulk viscosity, compared to double-stage measurements. We suggest that the different behaviour may be related to the different microstructure of the experimental materials. For single-stage measurements, closed and H2O vapour-filled bubbles contribute to the observed higher viscosity, whereas in double-stage measurements, possible gas leaking and melt micro-cracking during quenching are able to weaken the porous material and markedly lower suspension viscosity.
Variations in trapping temperatures and trace elements in peridotite-suite inclusions African diamonds- evidence 2 inclusion suites implications lithosphere stratigr
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 110, No. 1, March pp. 1-15
Abstract: Similar to Earth, many large planetesimals in the Solar System experienced planetary-scale processes such as accretion, melting and differentiation. As their cores cooled and solidified, substantial chemical fractionation occurred due to solid metal-liquid metal fractionation. Iron meteorites—core remnants of these ancient planetesimals—record a history of this process. Recent iron isotope analyses of iron meteorites found their 57Fe/54Fe ratios to be heavier than chondritic by approximately 0.1 to 0.2 per mil for most meteorites, indicating that a common parent body process was responsible. However, the mechanism for this fractionation remains poorly understood. Here we experimentally show that the iron isotopic composition of iron meteorites can be explained solely by core crystallization. In our experiments of core crystallization at 1,300?°C, we find that solid metal becomes enriched in the heavier iron isotope by 0.13 per mil relative to liquid metal. Fractional crystallization modelling of the IIIAB iron meteorite parent body shows that observed iridium, gold and iron compositions can be simultaneously reproduced during core crystallization. The model implies the formation of complementary sulfur-rich components of the iron meteorite parental cores that remain unsampled by meteorite records and may be the missing reservoir of isotopically light iron. The lack of sulfide meteorites and previous trace element modelling predicting substantial unsampled volumes of iron meteorite parent cores support our findings.
40 Ar 39 Ar dating of a phlogopite bearing websterite: evidence for ancient metasomatism in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle under the Arabian Shield?
Journal of Mining Science, Vol. 51, 4, pp. 799-810.
Russia
Spectroscopy
Abstract: Using the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), microscopy and microhardness test methods, the change in the crystalline and chemical properties and in microhardness of rock-forming minerals of kimberlites as a result of exposure to high-power nanosecond electromagnetic pulses (HPEM) has been studied. From FTIR and XPS data the non-thermal effect of HPEM results in damage of surface microstructure of dielectric minerals due to formation of microcracks, surface breakdowns and other defects, which ensure effective weakening of rock-forming minerals and reduction in their microhardness by 40-66%.
Journal of Mining Science, Vol. 53, 1, pp. 126-132.
Russia
deposit - Mir
Abstract: The structural and chemical surface transformation of basic kimberlite-forming minerals (calcite, olivine, serpentine) under the contact with natural and waste mineralized water and products of electrochemical treatment of the water are studied using X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray spectral micro-analysis, and atomic force microscopy. It is found that contact with kimberlite extract and recycling water induces chemical modification of calcite surface, which consists in adsorption of hydrocarbon impurities, and chlorine- and silica-bearing compounds, majority of which are removed during interaction with the product of electrochemical treatment of recycling water. The change in the structural and chemical surface properties of rock-forming silicates, aside from adsorption-desorption of organic compound, is also connected with the distortion of nano-size layer structure after leaching of Mg, Fe and Si, and with the carbonatization of the surface.
Abstract: The causes for the formation of large igneous provinces and hotspot trails are still a matter of considerable dispute. Seismic tomography and other studies suggest that hot mantle material rising from the core-mantle boundary (CMB) might play a significant role in the formation of such hotspot trails. An important area to verify this concept is the South Atlantic region, with hotspot trails that spatially coincide with one of the largest low-velocity regions at the CMB, the African large low shear-wave velocity province. The Walvis Ridge started to form during the separation of the South American and African continents at ca. 130 Ma as a consequence of Gondwana breakup. Here, we present the first deep-seismic sounding images of the crustal structure from the landfall area of the Walvis Ridge at the Namibian coast to constrain processes of plume-lithosphere interaction and the formation of continental flood basalts (Paraná and Etendeka continental flood basalts) and associated intrusive rocks. Our study identified a narrow region (<100 km) of high-seismic-velocity anomalies in the middle and lower crust, which we interpret as a massive mafic intrusion into the northern Namibian continental crust. Seismic crustal reflection imaging shows a flat Moho as well as reflectors connecting the high-velocity body with shallow crustal structures that we speculate to mark potential feeder channels of the Etendeka continental flood basalt. We suggest that the observed massive but localized mafic intrusion into the lower crust results from similar-sized variations in the lithosphere (i.e., lithosphere thickness or preexisting structures).
Abstract: In the central part of the European part of Russia in the southeastern part of the Kursk tectonic block, some deposits and occurrences of apatite genetically related to the alkaline-carbonatite complex have been revealed. The results of U-Pb analysis of titanite provided the first confident age estimate of silicate-carbonate (phoscorite) rocks in the Dubravin alkaline-ultramafic-carbonatite massif: they formed no later than 2080 ±13 Ma, which indicates their crystallization in the pre-Oskol time during the final stage of the Early Paleoproterozoic (post-Kursk time) stabilization phase of the Kursk block of Sarmatia (about 2.3-2.1 Ga).
Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, Vol. 20, 4, pp. 2091-2109.
Africa
geophysics
Abstract: In Ethiopia, the African Continent is rifting apart to slowly form a new ocean basin, which will expand the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. How and why this rifting is occurring remains an important unanswered question in earth science. We know tectonic forces are partly responsible, but magmatism also seems a key ingredient for breaking up Africa. Here we use seismic images obtained from signals pulled out of noise, to understand the crustal structure of the region; In particular, how and where magma is stored in the crust, and its relationship to the different stages of continental breakup visible in the region. We find evidence for long?term melt storage in places where rifting is just beginning in southern Ethiopia; whereas in regions where the crust is thinner due to extensive rifting, magma erupts more regularly. The long?term storage of magma in unrifted crust may help to heat and weaken it, allowing rifting to accelerate and propagate further south. We are also able to image regions with hydrothermal fluids in the shallow parts of the crust in inactive fault zones. These results provide insight into the breakup process and the role magma plays at different stages of rifting.
Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, Vol. 309, 106600, 20p. Pdf
Mantle
melting
Abstract: Over the last decade, seismological studies have shed new light on the properties of the mantle lithosphere and their physical and chemical origins. This paper synthesizes recent work to draw comparisons between oceanic and continental lithosphere, with a particular focus on isotropic velocity structure and its implications for mantle temperature and partial melt. In the oceans, many observations of scattered and reflected body waves indicate velocity contrasts whose depths follow an age-dependent trend. New modeling of fundamental mode Rayleigh waves from the Pacific ocean indicates that cooling plate models with asymptotic plate thicknesses of 85-95 km provide the best overall fits to phase velocities at periods of 25 s to 250 s. These thermal models are broadly consistent with the depths of scattered and reflected body wave observations, and with oceanic heat flow data. However, the lithosphere-asthenosphere velocity gradients for 85-95 km asymptotic plate thicknesses are too gradual to generate observable Sp phases, both at ages less than 30 Ma and at ages of 80 Ma or more. To jointly explain Rayleigh wave, scattered and reflected body waves and heat flow data, we propose that oceanic lithosphere can be characterized as a thermal boundary layer with an asymptotic thickness of 85-95 km, but that this layer contains other features, such as zones of partial melt from hydrated or carbonated asthenosphere, that enhance the lithosphere-asthenosphere velocity gradient. Beneath young continental lithosphere, surface wave constraints on lithospheric thickness are also compatible with the depths of lithosphere-asthenosphere velocity gradients implied by converted and scattered body waves. However, typical steady-state conductive models consistent with continental heat flow produce thermal and velocity gradients that are too gradual in depth to produce observed converted and scattered body waves. Unless lithospheric isotherms are concentrated in depth by mantle upwelling or convective removal, the presence of an additional factor, such as partial melt at the base of the thermal lithosphere, is needed to sharpen lithosphere-asthenosphere velocity gradients in many young continental regions. Beneath cratons, numerous body wave conversions and reflections are observed within the thick mantle lithosphere, but the velocity layering they imply appears to be laterally discontinuous. The nature of cratonic lithosphere-asthenosphere velocity gradients remains uncertain, with some studies indicating gradual transitions that are consistent with steady-state thermal models, and other studies inferring more vertically localized velocity gradients.
Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, Vol. 309, di.org/10.1016/ jpepi.2020.106600 20p. Pdf
Mantle
geophysics - seismics
Abstract: Over the last decade, seismological studies have shed new light on the properties of the mantle lithosphere and their physical and chemical origins. This paper synthesizes recent work to draw comparisons between oceanic and continental lithosphere, with a particular focus on isotropic velocity structure and its implications for mantle temperature and partial melt. In the oceans, many observations of scattered and reflected body waves indicate velocity contrasts whose depths follow an age-dependent trend. New modeling of fundamental mode Rayleigh waves from the Pacific ocean indicates that cooling plate models with asymptotic plate thicknesses of 85-95 km provide the best overall fits to phase velocities at periods of 25 s to 250 s. These thermal models are broadly consistent with the depths of scattered and reflected body wave observations, and with oceanic heat flow data. However, the lithosphere-asthenosphere velocity gradients for 85-95 km asymptotic plate thicknesses are too gradual to generate observable Sp phases, both at ages less than 30 Ma and at ages of 80 Ma or more. To jointly explain Rayleigh wave, scattered and reflected body waves and heat flow data, we propose that oceanic lithosphere can be characterized as a thermal boundary layer with an asymptotic thickness of 85-95 km, but that this layer contains other features, such as zones of partial melt from hydrated or carbonated asthenosphere, that enhance the lithosphere-asthenosphere velocity gradient. Beneath young continental lithosphere, surface wave constraints on lithospheric thickness are also compatible with the depths of lithosphere-asthenosphere velocity gradients implied by converted and scattered body waves. However, typical steady-state conductive models consistent with continental heat flow produce thermal and velocity gradients that are too gradual in depth to produce observed converted and scattered body waves. Unless lithospheric isotherms are concentrated in depth by mantle upwelling or convective removal, the presence of an additional factor, such as partial melt at the base of the thermal lithosphere, is needed to sharpen lithosphere-asthenosphere velocity gradients in many young continental regions. Beneath cratons, numerous body wave conversions and reflections are observed within the thick mantle lithosphere, but the velocity layering they imply appears to be laterally discontinuous. The nature of cratonic lithosphere-asthenosphere velocity gradients remains uncertain, with some studies indicating gradual transitions that are consistent with steady-state thermal models, and other studies inferring more vertically localized velocity gradients.
Archean & Phanerozoic paleoplacers: large volume diamond deposits as prospective new targets for diamond exploration and exploitation in Russia and world.
Geochemistry International, Vol. 55, 12, pp. 1118-1130.
Russia
deposit - Lomonosov
Abstract: Thermodynamic numerical simulations were carried out to determine the principal simple and complex migration species of Ca, Mg, Na, K, Al, B, Mn, Mo, Sr, and U with Cl-, OH-, SO4?2, HCO3?, and CO32? in waters at the Lomonosov diamond deposit and to estimate the saturation indexes with respect to kaolinite, Na- and Mg-montmorillonite, Mg- and Na-saponite, muscovite and paragonite, biotite, phlogopite, chromite, pyrite, plagioclase (anorthite, labradorite, and andesine), olivine (forsterite and fayalite), diopside, pyrope, gypsum, anhydrite, barite, magnesite, calcite, dolomite, talc, chrysotile, chlorite, goethite, quartz, microcline, and albite. The waters are proved not to be saturated with respect to the primary (hydrothermal) minerals. The saturation of certain water samples with uranophane suggests that this mineral is of secondary genesis. The ascent of highly mineralized deep waters shall result in the dissolution of minerals whose concentrations are near the saturation ones. To maintain the ecological standards of the discharged waters, they should be diluted and/or purified by adsorbing dissolved U on a reducing reactive barrier.
GSA Annual Meeting, Paper 300-12, 1p. Abstract only Booth
Technology
Synthetic diamonds
Abstract: Defect of [Si-V]- is common in CVD synthetic diamonds, and its occurrence was also reported in some rare natural diamonds (Breeding and Wang, 2008). It is an important feature employed for gem diamond identification, and also has great potential for applications in industry. However little is known about how the silicon impurity gets into diamond lattice either in synthetic or natural diamonds. In this study, we discovered the occurrence of [Si-V]- in HPHT synthetic diamonds and the correlation between its precipitation and diamond growth sectors was successfully determined.
Total 20 samples, HPHT grown diamond wafers from NDT (New Diamond Technology) were studied in addition to one type IIb HPHT synthetic diamond submitted to GIA Laboratory for grading. Distributions of defects in these samples were carefully mapped using infrared microscopy at room temperature and an imaging Raman microscope at liquid nitrogen temperature.
Defect of [Si-V]- has doublet emissions at 736.6/736.9 nm (Clark et al., 1995), and can be effectively excited using 633 nm laser. Analyses were conducted at Liquid Nitrogen temperature as the detection of the Si related emissions peak is temperature dependent (Feng and Schwartz 1993). Additionally, the solvent catalysts used in the HPHT methods to grow synthetic diamond either intentionally or unintentionally contain nickel in varying quantities. Nickel impurity creates optical centers which emit a doublet peak at 882.6/884.3nm, and can be easily excited using 780 nm laser.
The [SiV]- is clearly observed in only certain growth sectors of the synthetic crystal and the distribution is not homogeneous. By comparing the two acquired maps one acquired at 633nm excitation showing the [Si-V]- distribution and one acquired with 780nm excitation showing the nickel defect distribution, it was found that the [Si-V]- is confined to the same growth sector as Ni related defect with higher concentrations/intensity at the edges of these sectors. Since it is well known that the Ni defect is confined exclusively to the octahedral growth sectors {111} of diamond (Lawson et al., 1993), this study for the first time confirmed that [Si-V]- is confined to the {111} octahedral growth sectors.
This new discovery leads to discussion as to the incorporation of silicon in diamond and the relationship to other impurities.
