The alteration of olivine in basaltic and associated lavas

Olivines which cool under oxidizing conditions exsolve iron oxides at high temperature, and at low temperatures break down to essentially chloritic materials. Olivines which cool under non-oxidizing conditions alter at intermediate temperatures to complex assemblages of chlorite and interstratified phyllosilicates containing a smectite. Alteration under oxidizing conditions at low temperature, probably below 140° C, produces iddingsite, an orientated assemblage of goethite and interstratified phyllosilicates also containing a smectite.Post-deuteric alteration extends or initiates the breakdown of olivine to phyllosilicate mixtures often resulting in widespread movement of materials through the flow. Post-deuteric alteration of iddingsite produces strongly pleochroic, highly ordered varieties which eventually break down to green phyllosilicate assemblages.Weathering of olivine may produce orientated assemblages similar to deuteric forms of iddingsite. Weathering of green alteration products results in oxidation and the liberation of discrete iron hydroxides.Alteration in all cases requires exchange of material between interstitial components and olivine. During deuteric alteration, plagioclase and pyroxene are usually unaffected.     

Contact metamorphism/hydrothermal alteration of Tertiary basalts from the Isle of Skye,northwest Scotland

Alkali olivine basalts from Skye were simultaneously contact metamorphosed by Tertiary gabbro and granite intrusions and altered by the hydrothermal convection system that the plutons induced. Four metamorphic zones were mapped around the plutons. Furthest from the intrusions, in the primary olivine zone, metabasalts are composed of combinations of igneous olivine, augite, plagioclase, titaniferous magnetite, ilmenite, zeolites, gyrolite, sulfides, and chlorite-smectite intergrowths. Closer to the plutons, in the smectite zone, saponite and carbonate appear, primary olivine and gyrolite disappear, and zeolites decrease dramatically in abundance. Still closer to the plutons, in the amphibole zone, actinolite, edenite, chlorite, sphene, epidote, andradite, and quartz appear and saponite and chlorite-smectite intergrowths disappear. Along parts of the contact between gabbro and basalt, in the orthopyroxeneolivine zone, orthopyroxene, metamorphic olivine, and biotite appear and amphibole, chlorite, sphene, epidote, andradite, carbonate, and quartz disappear. Whole-rock chemical data indicate only minor change in the major-element chemical composition of the metabasalts during progressive metamorphism/hydrothermal alteration. Two-pyroxene eothermometry and various mineral-fluid equilibria suggest the range of peak temperatures attained in the metamorphic zones: orthopyroxene-olivine zone, 900°1, 030° C; amphibole zone, 400°–900° C; smectite and primary olivine zones, < 400° C. Mineralogical and oxygen isotopic alteration of the metabasalts were closely coupled: Basalts from the primary olivine zone with nearly unaltered igneous mineralogies have normal or near-normal wholerock ¹⁸O>+5 (SMOW); mineralogically more altered basalts from the smectite zone have whole-rock ¹⁸O=+2 to +5; still more mineralogically altered basalts from the amphibole zone (with one exception) have ¹⁸O<+ 2; completely recrystallized hornfelses from the orthopyroxene-olivine zone have ¹⁸O<0. The principal mechanism of isotope exchange between basalt and metamorphic/ hydrothermal fluid probably was heterogeneous mineralfluid reaction.Metabasalts from the orthopyroxene-olivine zone are mineralogically fresh pyroxene hornfelses that record crystallization temperatures > 1,000° C yet have highly altered whole-rock oxygen isotope compositions, ¹⁸O<0%. The hornfelses chemically interacted with metamorphic/hydrothermal fluids either at very high temperatures or while they were heated to > 1,000° C or both. Their mineralogy, however, rules out significant water-rock interaction after they cooled below 900° C. Hydrothermal convection on Skye was a two-stage process: (a) fluid flow through wall rocks initially was pervasive while they are heated; (b) fluid flow after the thermal peak in the wall rocks was sufficiently channelized that rocks such as those in the orthopyroxeneolivine zone were isolated from further fluid-rock interaction during all or almost all of the cooling history of the hydrothermal system.     

Temperature — composition relationships of authigenic micaceous minerals in the Los Azufres geothermal system

Smectite, illite, celadonite and chlorite are the major products of alteration of rhyolites and andesites, in the upper part of the Los Azufres geothermal system. Changes in mineral assemblages and composition of phases are observed as a function of depth and host rock lithology. Two different sequences characterize the rhyolites and the andesites from the surface to a depth of about 1500 m: kaolinitesmectite (±interlayered illite/smectite)illitemuscovite (rhyolites), and kaolinitesmectite (±interlayered illite/smectite)illite+celadoniteillite+chloritechlorite (andesites).Illite, and chlorite at depth, are largely dominant. Similar substitutions and correlations among chemical constituents characterize illites from rhyolites or andesites, but their compositions in the two host rock lithologies exhibit slight but significant differences, especially in their Fe and Mg contents which are the highest in illites from andesites. Illite exhibits progressive changes in composition with depth: a strong increase in the K content in the interlayer, together with an increase of the Fe content in the octahedral site. These changes correspond to a slight increase in the molar fraction of Fe-(Mg) celadonite end-members, and mostly to a dramatic decrease of pyrophyllite with increasing temperature.Temperature of the mineralogical and compositional changes was estimated from fluid inclusions studies, combined with other geothermometric approaches (chemical geothermometers and direct measurements). Variation of X-pyrophyllite with temperature is proposed as a geothermometer for different host rock lithologies. Transitions between the stability fields of illite±interstratified illite-smectite and illite+chlorite is around 200±30° C, and between illite+chlorite and chlorite around 290±20° C.     

Oriented precipitate complexes in iron-rich olivines produced experimentally in aqueous oxidizing environment

 Iron-rich olivines (Fa₁₀₀∼Fa₇₀Fo₃₀) experimentally altered in alkaline and acidic aqueous oxidizing environment were examined in transmission electron microscope to determine the precipitate phases and their crystallographic relationships to the host. The planar zones consist of precipitates of laihunite and hematite in alkaline aqueous oxidizing environment while hematite and amorphous silica in acidic aqueous oxidizing environment. The directions of planar zones produced in alkaline aqueous oxidizing environment are parallel to (100)∼(001) of olivine dependent on the composition of the host olivines, while those produced in acidic aqueous oxidizing environment are always parallel to (001) of olivine independent from the composition of the host olivine. These differences are interpreted by the dissolution kinetics of olivine. The present experimental results explain why the planar zones found in oxidized iron-rich olivines in carbonaceous chondrite are parallel to (100) of olivine while those in terrestrial olivines are parallel to (001) of olivine. That is, the difference is attributed to the pH of the alteration environment. Received: August 19, 1996 / Revised, accepted: February 14, 1997     

Diastrophisme et sédimentation dans le Bassin de PetroŞeni (Roumanie)

Résumé Les faunes de Mollusques découvertes pendant les dix dernières années, auxquelles s'ajoutent des arguments d'ordre paléoclimatique, tectonique et paléogéographique, prouvent que les dépÔts de ce bassin, que l'on attribuait à l'Oligocène et à tout le Miocène presque, appartiennent en réalité au Tortonien supérieur. La sédimentation a commencé pendant les derniers mouvements de la phase styrienne pour s'achever au début des mouvements de la phase moldave. à l'époque relativement calme qui sépare ces deux phases se sont formées les quelques 27 couches de charbon à épaisseurs, par endroit, remarquables.

---

So far the Petroeni Basin has been investigated only on a local scale without taking into account either the numerous and important advances related to the knowledge of some large areas belonging to Carpathian regions, or the evolution of the adjacent Neogene basins. The Oligocene and Aquitanian ages were assigned to these deposits by the first geologists without sufficient consideration of the palaeontological basis. These ages have been accepted for many years. The field work of the last years yielded the discovery of a rich Tortonian fauna. Palaeontological, palaeoclimatic and tectonical data suggest, for the time being, that the entire series of sediments in the basin represents a sole stage — the Tortonian. This stage cannot be considered complete but is represented only by its upper part. The assumption that all the deposits of the basin are Tortonian in age can be supported only with difficulty, but it is the only age which accounts for all geological observations. The large thickness of the deposits is considered the result of intense subsidence, during the Upper Styrian movements of ruptural character, which led to formation of a relatively small-sized graben. The exclusive presence of the Upper Tortonian tallies with the importance of the transgression which took place at the end of the Middle Miocene over large areas of the Carpathian regions.

---

Zusammenfassung Das Petroenier-Becken wurde bis heute nur in einem ganz engen Rahmen untersucht, ohne die zahlreichen und wichtigen Fortschritte über den Weidegang der Karpaten und der benachbarten neogenen Becken zu berücksichtigen. Das oligozäne und aquitanische Alter der Ablagerungen, das von den ersten Forschern postuliert wurde, ist von den meisten Geologen bis ins letzte Jahrzehnt angenommen worden. Es mangelte jedoch an einer vertieften paläontologischen Grundlage. Die reichhaltige Flora hat sich für die eindeutige Bestimmung des Alters als unzureichend erwiesen. Die fünf festgestellten lithologischen und biologischen Fazies wurden irrtümlicherweise als verschiedene Altersstufen des Oligozäns und des Miozäns betrachtet. Die Feldarbeiten im letzten Jahrzehnt haben jedoch eine reiche Molluskenfauna tortonischen Alters erbracht. Paläontologische, paläoklimatische und tektonische Ergebnisse bezeugen heute, daß die meisten Ablagerungen nur einer einzigen Stufe, nämlich dem Torton, angehören. Eine nähere Untersuchung lehrt weiter, daß auch das Torton unvollständig abgelagert wurde, da es nur durch sein letztes Drittel vertreten ist. Die letzten Ablagerungen gehören möglicherweise dem ältesten Sarmatikum an. Der Schluß über das spätmittelmiozäne Alter des ganzen Schichtkomplexes ist der einzige, welcher uns heute erlaubt, sämtliche geologischen Tatsachen zu verstehen. Die etwa 2000 m Mächtigkeit der Schichten ist die Folge einer intensiven Ablagerung in einem tiefen Einbruchsbecken während der mittelmiozänen Bewegungsphasen. Die Ablagerung der Kohlenflöze entspricht der Ruhezeit zwischen den steyerischen und den moldavischen Krustenbewegungen. Das mittelmiozäne Alter der Schichten des Beckens von Petroeni steht mit der weiten mittelmiozänen Meerestransgression in Mittelund Südosteuropa im Einklang.

---

— . , , . . , 25 , , , , .

     

The nakhlite meteorites: Augite-rich igneous rocks from Mars

The seven nakhlite meteorites are augite-rich igneous rocks that formed in flows or shallow intrusions of basaltic magma on Mars. They consist of euhedral to subhedral crystals of augite and olivine (to 1 cm long) in fine-grained mesostases. The augite crystals have homogeneous cores of Mg′=63% and rims that are normally zoned to iron enrichment. The core-rim zoning is cut by iron-enriched zones along fractures and is replaced locally by ferroan low-Ca pyroxene. The core compositions of the olivines vary inversely with the steepness of their rim zoning - sharp rim zoning goes with the most magnesian cores (Mg′=42%), homogeneous olivines are the most ferroan. The olivine and augite crystals contain multiphase inclusions representing trapped magma. Among the olivine and augite crystals is mesostasis, composed principally of plagioclase and/or glass, with euhedra of titanomagnetite and many minor minerals. Olivine and mesostasis glass are partially replaced by veinlets and patches of iddingsite, a mixture of smectite clays, iron oxy-hydroxides and carbonate minerals. In the mesostasis are rare patches of a salt alteration assemblage: halite, siderite, and anhydrite/gypsum. The nakhlites are little shocked, but have been affected chemically and biologically by their residence on Earth.Differences among the chemical compositions of the nakhlites can be ascribed mostly to different proportions of augite, olivine, and mesostasis. Compared to common basalts, they are rich in Ca, strongly depleted in Al, and enriched in magmaphile (incompatible) elements, including the LREE. Nakhlites contain little pre-terrestrial organic matter. Oxygen isotope ratios are not terrestrial, and are different in anhydrous silicates and in iddingsite. The alteration assemblages all have heavy oxygen and heavy carbon, while D/H values are extreme and scattered. Igneous sulfur had a solar-system isotopic ratio, but in most minerals was altered to higher and lower values. High precision analyses show mass-independent fractionations of S isotopes. Nitrogen and noble gases are complex and represent three components: two mantle sources (Chas-E and Chas-S), and fractionated Martian atmosphere.The nakhlites are igneous cumulate rocks, formed from basaltic magma at ∼1.3 Ga, containing excess crystals over what would form from pure magma. After accumulation of their augite and olivine crystals, they were affected (to various degrees) by crystallization of the magma, element diffusion among minerals and magma, chemical reactions among minerals and magma, magma movement among the crystals, and post-igneous chemical equilibration. The extent of these modifications varies, from least to greatest, in the order: MIL03346, NWA817, Y000593, Nakhla=Governador Valadares, Lafayette, and NWA998.Chemical, isotopic, and chronologic data confirm that the nakhlites formed on Mars, most likely in thick lava flows or shallow intrusions. Their crystallization ages, referenced to crater count chronologies for Mars, suggest that the nakhlites formed on the large volcanic constructs of Tharsis, Elysium, or Syrtis Major. The nakhlites were suffused with liquid water, probably at ∼620 ma. This water dissolved olivine and mesostasis glass, and deposited iddingsite and salt minerals in their places. The nakhlites were ejected from Mars at ∼10.75 Ma by an asteroid impact and fell to Earth within the last 10,000 years.Although the nakhlites are enriched in incompatible elements, their source mantle was strongly depleted. This depletion event was ancient, as the nakhlites’ source mantle was fractionated while short-lived radionuclides (e.g., ) were still active. This differentiation event may have been core formation coupled with a magma ocean, as is inferred for the moon.     

Post-emplacement serpentinization and related hydrothermal metamorphism in a kimberlite from Venetia, South Africa

The common serpentine–diopside matrix assemblage in volcaniclastic kimberlite (VK) at the Venetia Mine, South Africa is ascribed to a secondary origin, because of post‐emplacement serpentinization and associated hydrothermal metamorphism. Volcaniclastic deposits with 20–30% porosity infill kimberlite pipes in the waning stages of kimberlite eruptions. Olivine macrocrysts are typically rimmed by talc and are pseudomorphed by lizardite, with minor magnetite. The fine matrix consists of mixtures of lizardite, chlorite, smectite, brucite, calcite, titanite and andradite, an assemblage which either pseudomorphed microcrysts or in‐filled voids. Locally we recognize microcryst pseudomorphs rich in sub‐microscopic mixtures of lizardite with smectite, and other microcryst pseudomorphs and void‐filling matrix rich in chlorite and lizardite. Interstitial lizardite and associated phyllosilicates (brucite, smectite and chlorite) crystallized progressively from meteoric or hydrothermally derived pore waters, and Si⁴⁺ and Mg²⁺ released into the fluid phase during serpentinization of olivine macrocrysts. Radial‐fibrous fringes of diopside microlites around crystals display void‐filling textures because of unrestricted growth into pore spaces. Secondary diopside is attributed to Si⁴⁺, Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ cations released into the fluid phase by interaction with olivine, calcite and plagioclase in siliceous xenoliths. The paucity of primary, fine‐grained groundmass phases resistant to alteration, for example, perovskite and spinel, precludes an origin for the intergrain matrix as altered interstitial ash, glass or a late‐stage kimberlite melt. Isovolumetric replacement of olivine results in a volume increase of 60% so that pore spaces in the original deposit can be easily filled up with serpentine. The source of Al³⁺ to form chlorite and smectite is attributed to alteration of plagioclase in xenoliths which comprise 20–30 vol.% of the deposit. Titanite, hydro‐andradite and second‐generation diopside precipitate as hydrothermal minerals from calcium‐bearing serpentinizing fluids in replacement reactions and as void‐filling minerals. Consideration of mineral equilibria in the CaO‐MgO‐SiO₂‐H₂O‐CO₂ system constrains the common matrix assemblage of lizardite and diopside in X_CO2)–T space. At 300 bar, the assemblage is stable only at temperatures below 370 °C and X_CO2 < 0.01. This upper limit on temperature is well below the plausible solidus of ultrabasic magmas. Furthermore, the requirement of trace CO₂ in the fluid phase implies a post‐emplacement external source rather than ‘autometamorphism’ from kimberlite‐derived fluids, because of high P_CO2 commonly inferred for kimberlite magmas.     

Corona textures in Proterozoic olivine melanorites of the Equeefa Suite,Natal Metamorphic Province,South Africa

Summary Olivine-plagioclase and phlogopite-plagioclase coronas have been identified from olivine melanorites of the Mid- to Late Proterozoic Equeefa Suite in southern Natal, South Africa. Olivine, in contact with plagioclase, is mantled by a shell of clear orthopyroxene, in turn rimmed by pale green (pargasitic) clinoamphibole. Locally a third rim, composed of a fine pargasite-spinel symplectite is developed adjacent to the plagioclase. The second corona reaction has produced greenish-brown pargasite at phlogopite-plagioclase interfaces. A third, less obvious reaction, between olivine and phlogopite is also noted. Analytical data of all the mineral phases present, along with the coronas, are given. Two-pyroxene thermometry yields magmatic core temperatures ( 1120°C), with rim compositions indicating equilibration at 850°C. Consistent with this, the modelled olivine-plagioclase reaction occurs between 830–1050°C with a_waterbetween 0.1 and 1.0 at 7 kbar. The three reactions took place during a prolonged history of cooling and partial hydration of the magmatic olivine melanorites from over 1000°C down to 600°C. The P-T conditions indicated by the reactions suggest this cooling process was essentially isobaric, indicating that the area was not subjected to rapid uplift or burial throughout this entire period.

---

Korona-Texturen in proterozoischen Olivin-Melanoriten der Equeefa Suite, Natal Metamorphic Province, Südafrika

Zusammenfassung Aus Olivin-Melanoriten der mittel- bis spätproterozoischen Equeefa Suite im südlichen Natal, Südafrika, wurden Olivin-Plagioklas und Phlogopit-Plagioklas-Koronartexturen beobachtet. Olivin, der mit Plagioklas im Kontakt steht, wird von einem klaren Saum vom Orthopyroxen ummantelt, der seinerseits von blaßgrünem (pargasitischem) Klinoamphibol umsäumt wird. Stellenweise ist ein dritter Saum, bestehend aus feinkörnigem symplektitischem Pargasit-Spinell im Kontakt mit Plagioklas ausgebildet. Die zweite koronabildende Reaktion resultiert in Bildung eines grünbraunen Pargasites an Phlogopit-Plagioklas Kornkontakten. Eine dritte, weniger auffällige Reaktion zwischen Olivin und Phlogopit wurde ebenfalls beobachtet. Zwei-Pyroxen-Thermometrie ergab magmatische Temperaturen der Kernbereiche ( 1120°C) und belegt eine Gleichgewichtseinstellung in den Randzonen bei ca. 850°C. Olivin-Plagioklas-Modellreaktionen liegen ebenfalls in einem Temperaturbereich von 830–1050°C bei Wasseraktivitäten von 0.1 bis 1.0 und einem Druck von 7 kbar. Die drei Reaktionen liefen im Zuge einer länger andauernden Abkühlung unter teilweiser Hydratisierung der magmatischen Melanorite in einem Temperaturbereich von 1000°C bis ca. 600°C ab. Die aus den Reaktionen ableitbaren P-T-Bedingungen sprechen für eine im wesentlichen isobare Abkhlungsgeschichte und zeigen, daß dieses Gebiet wáhrend dieser gesamten Periode keiner raschen Hebung bzw. keiner Versenkung unterworfen worden ist.

     

Chemical weathering in Luzon, Philippines from clay mineralogy and major-element geochemistry of river sediments

Clay mineralogy and major-element geochemistry of 35 surface sediment samples collected in 21 major to moderate rivers of Luzon, Philippines are used to evaluate the present chemical weathering process. The clay mineral assemblage consists mainly of smectite (average 86%) with minor kaolinite (9%) and chlorite (5%) and very scarce illite (1%), and does not show strong island-wide differences. The major element results of both bulk and clay-fraction sediments indicate that the formation of clay minerals is accompanied by leaching of Ca and Na first and of Fe and Mn thereafter during the chemical weathering process. A low-moderate chemical weathering degree of bulk sediments and a moderate-intensive degree of clay-fraction sediments are obtained in Luzon rivers based on proxies of chemical index of alteration (CIA) and smectite crystallinity. It is suggested that the majority of andesitic–basaltic volcanic and sedimentary rocks along with the tectonically active geological setting and sub-tropical East Asian monsoon climate are responsible for the predominance of smectite in the clay mineral assemblage.     

Modification of olivine surface morphology and reactivity by microbial activity during chemical weathering

Prior transmission electron microscope studies showed that the surface geometry of olivine changes dramatically during natural chemical weathering. However, similar morphological evolution has not been reported in laboratory studies of olivine dissolution. In this study, we examined the development of fayalite (Fe₂SiO₄) surface morphology during both abiotic and biotic (using Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans) laboratory dissolution experiments at an initial pH of 2.0. The fayalite came from Cheyenne Canyon, Colorado (Smithsonian # R 3516) and contains a few percent laihunite (olivine structure with ordered ferric iron and vacancies, ∼Fe_0.8²⁺Fe_0.8³⁺SiO₄). High-resolution field emission low voltage scanning electron microscope (SEM) characterization of all reacted samples showed etch patterns consistent with those reported from naturally reacted olivine. High-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) data demonstrated pervasive channeling on (001), with channel spacings that range down to < 10 nm. Formation of channels on (001) is probably initiated by preferential removal of cations from olivine M1 sites. Channeling confers at least an order of magnitude increase in surface area. Relict strips of olivine between channels contain laihunite layers that are oriented parallel to channel margins. X-ray diffraction analyses indicated that the relative abundance of laihunite is higher in reacted compared to unreacted samples. This result is consistent with prior studies of naturally weathered olivine that suggest that laihunite is far less readily dissolved than olivine.Samples reacted in the presence of A. ferrooxidans cells that enzymatically oxidized iron, or in solutions where ferric iron was added to simulate biological activity, dissolve at a much slower rate than samples reacted abiotically. We attribute suppression of the olivine dissolution rate to surface adsorption of Fe³⁺. It is probable that ferric iron adsorption is controlled by M2 sites in the underlying olivine structure. If this is coupled with removal of M1 cations during channel formation, then a modified laihunite-like surface will develop (vacancies in laihunite are on M1 sites). Although surface modification might only penetrate a few atomic layers, an inherently unreactive laihunite-like surface structure could explain both the pervasive channeling and the dramatic suppression of the measured dissolution rate.     

Compositional variation of coexisting olivine,orthopyroxene and Fe/Mg-ferrite as a function of T and f_{O_2 }: a geothermometer and oxygen-barometer

A thermodynamic model is developed that describes the compositional variation of coexisting olivine, orthopyroxene, and ferrite (Fe₃O₄-MgFe₂O₄) as a function of and T. The ferrite phase has a cation distribution which varies from nearly inverse to nearly random with increasing T and is described with a model in which the number of sites per formula unit on which mixing occurs varies from 1.67 to 2.0. Given this model and the equilibrium phase composition data for coexisting olivine and ferrite at 1,300° C of Jamieson and Roeder (1984), the ferrite solution is described to an excellent approximation by a symmetric regular solution model with W _ft =+14.0 ±0.3 kJ/mole. Orthopyroxene and olivine non-ideality are also considered. The T-dependence of the equilibrium constant for the oxidation reaction 6Fs+2Mt=6Fa+O₂ and the two Fe/Mg exchange reactions between olivine-ferrite and olivine-orthopyroxene, are used to calculate the compositional variation of coexisting phases as a function of and T. The results are summarized on an isobaric (1 bar) –1/Tplot with the compositional variation of olivine, ferrite, and orthopyroxene shown by sets of isopleths. The ferrite isopleths intersect those of olivine and orthopyroxene at sufficiently high angles for this assemblage to serve as a sensitive geothermometer and oxygen-barometer. The model is applied to orthopyroxene-ferrite symplectite in coronas around olivine in a metamorphosed gabbro, to olivine-hosted orthopyroxene-ferrite symplectite in unmetamorphosed gabbros and norites and to olivine-hosted orthopyroxene-ferrite symplectites developed within the rims of lherzolite xenoliths.     

Oxygen isotope compositions of selected laramide-tertiary granitoid stocks in the Colorado Mineral Belt and their bearing on the origin of climax-type granite-molybdenum systems

Quartz phenocrysts from 31 granitoid stocks in the Colorado Mineral Belt yield ¹⁸O values less than 10.4, with most values between 9.3 and 10.4. An average magmatic value of about 8.5 is suggested. The stocks resemble A-type granites; these data support magma genesis by partial melting of previously depleted, fluorine-enriched, lower crustal granulites, followed by extreme differentiation and volatile evolution in the upper crust.Subsolidus interaction of isotopically light water with stocks has reduced most feldspar and whole rock ¹⁸O values. Unaltered samples from Climax-type molybdenumbearing granites, however, show no greater isotopic disturbance than samples from unmineralized stocks. Although meteoric water certainly played a role in post-mineralization alteration, particularly in feldspars, it is not required during high-temperature mineralization processes. We suggest that slightly low ¹⁸O values in some vein and replacement minerals associated with molybdenum mineralization may have resulted from equilibration with isotopically light magmatic water and/or heavy isotope depletion of the ore fluid by precipitation of earlier phases.Accumulation of sufficient quantities of isotopically light magmatic water to produce measured depletions of ¹⁸O requires extreme chemical stratification in a large magma reservoir. Upward migration of a highly fractionated, volatile-rich magma into a small apical Climax-type diapir, including large scale transport of silica, alkalis, molybdenum, and other vapor soluble elements, may occur with depression of the solidus temperature and reduction of magma viscosity by fluorine. Climax-type granites may provide examples of ¹⁸O depletion in magmatic systems without meteoric water influx.     

Influence of the olivine additive fineness on the oxidation of magnetite pellets

Olivine is used as an additive in Luossavaara–Kiirunavaara AB (LKAB) blast furnace pellets. The LKAB iron ore is magnetite which oxidizes to hematite during the sintering process. Olivine retards the oxidation of magnetite pellets if the threshold temperature of magnesioferrite formation is exceeded.In this study, we have developed a thermogravimetric measuring method to study the relationship between the olivine reactivity in green pellets and the olivine fineness. A less reactive olivine makes the pelletizing process more tolerant of excessively high temperatures in the green pellets during oxidation.The reactivity of olivine decreases when the amount of fine tail in olivine is decreased. The top size is limited by balling. Grinding tests in pilot scale show that if the olivine additive is ground in closed circuit with a ball mill keeping good control over the top size, the olivine fineness can be appreciably decreased without disturbing balling. The olivine reactivity can be decreased by 40% compared to the reference olivine in the production plant. Also, savings can be made on both the grinding energy and grinding media consumption. The results in both pilot scale and full production scale show that better oxidation in the grate due to a coarser olivine additive improves the low temperature reduction strength (LTD, ISO 13930) in pellets.The measuring method developed for the olivine reactivity enabled evaluation of different particle-sizing methods for olivine characterisation. The screening size fraction %−45 μm showed a good correlation to olivine reactivity in green pellets within a very large measuring range. The correlation of laser diffraction analysis to the olivine reactivity showed, however, that the laser diffraction measuring method is affected too much by variations in the large particles.     

Petrology and magnetic properties of the Chiang Khan,Thailand, meteorite

Summary The Chiang Khan meteorite fell on 18th November, 1981 at Chiang Khan, Thailand. It consists of olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, Fe-Ni metal, troilite, chromite, plagioclase, glass, and phosphate in order of abundance. Olivine forms barred or porphyritic chondrules, and its composition is uniform (average Fo_80.2), close to the average composition of olivine in equilibrated H chondrites. Orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene also have compositions similar to those in equilibrated H chondrites. Both well-defined chondrules and their broken fragments are present in the recrystallized matrix. Microcrystalline plagioclase and clinopyroxene often occur in the groundmass of chondrules, but clear interstitial plagioclase is absent. Chemical composition of chromite plots in the field of chromites in H chondrites. Chiang Khan meteorite is thus classified as an equilibrated H 5 type chondrite. The equilibrium temperatures estimated by using mineral pairs are as follows: Opx-Cpx 800–900°C; Ol-Chromite 510°C.Water content is 0.24 wt %, and the hydrogen isotopic composition (D) is –89.5In the thermal demagnetization experiment magnetization steadily decreased from 0 to 500°C, whereas the remanent magnetization obtained in the A.C. demagnetization experiment is very unstable, probably owing to the large grain size of the Fe-Ni metal.With 9 Figures     

Petrology and phase relations of the kyanite-eclogites from eastern Turkey

Eclogites are found as lenses or layers in the Precambrian gneiss terrain of the Bitlis Massif in eastern Turkey. Kyanite-eclogites from the region of Gablor Hill in the Bitlis Massif exhibit relatively minor alteration, and consist of garnet, omphacite, kyanite, zoisite, calcic amphibole, phengite, rutile and quartz. In terms of geological setting and mineral compositions, Gablor eclogites are very similar to eclogites from high-grade gneiss terrains. Metamorphic conditions during the eclogite crystallisation are determined as 625±35° C and 16±3 kbars. The coexistence of white mixa, omphacite and kyanite constrains between 0.4 and 1. Primary calcic amphiboles from the Gablor eclogites exhibit conflicting textures, indicating stable coexistence with, as well as growth from omphacite and garnet. This is explained by a buffering reaction between amphibole, garnet, omphacite, zoisite and kyanite during the eclogite crystallisation, whereby is controlled and buffered by the mineral assemblage.     

Dissolution of olivine during natural weathering

Naturally weathered olivine occurring as phenocrysts in Hawai’ian volcanic rocks from several volcanic centers and regolith/outcrop settings, and as tectonized olivines from several metadunite bodies in the southern Appalachian Blue Ridge, are all similarly corroded by natural weathering. Conical (funnel-shaped) etch pits occur as individual pits, base-to-base pairs of cone-shaped pits, or en echelon arrays. Etch-pit shapes and orientations in the smallest etch-pit arrays visible in conventional scanning electron microscopy resemble even smaller features previously reported from transmission electron microscope investigations of olivine weathering. Etch pits occur in samples with chemical and/or mineralogical evidence of weathering, and/or are associated with, or proximal or directly connected to, fractures or exposed outcrop surface, and therefore are formed by weathering and not inherited from pre-weathering aqueous alteration (e.g., serpentinization, iddingsitization) of these parent rocks. Many etch pits are devoid of weathering products. Natural weathering of olivine is surface-reaction-limited. Similarity of corrosion forms from naturally weathered olivine from multiple igneous and metamorphic parent-rock bodies suggests that olivine weathers in the same manner regardless of its specific crystallization/recrystallization history, eruption/weathering/exposure ages of the olivine’s host rock, and the local regolith history.     

Patterns in the hydrogen and trace element compositions of mantle olivines

 The concentrations of hydrogen and the other trace elements in olivines from mantle xenoliths have been determined by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) for clarifying the incorporation mechanism and the behavior of the hydrogen. The hydrogen contents in olivines from mantle xenoliths range from 10 to 60 ppm wt. H₂O and the concentration range is consistent with the previous infrared (IR) spectroscopic data. IR spectra of the olivine crystals show no effects of the weathering or secondary alteration. The hydrogen is distributed homogeneously among olivine grains in each mantle xenolith. However, the hydrogen contents of the olivine crystals are less than those for the olivine phenocrysts crystallized from the host magma. Olivine inclusions in diamonds also show similar hydrogen contents to the xenolithic olivines. Thus the hydrogen content of xenolithic olivines does not attain equilibrium with water in the host magma during the transportation from the Earth's mantle to the surface, and is taken as a reflection of the hydrogen condition in the mantle. Correlations of hydrogen with trivalent cation contents in garnet peridotitic olivines indicate the incorporation of hydrogen into mantle olivines by a coupled substitution mechanism, with the hydrogen present in the form of hydroxyl in oxygen positions adjacent to the M site vacancies. The hydrogen content of xenolithic olivines increases with pressure but decreases with increasing temperature, suggesting importance of olivine as a water reservoir at low temperature regions such as in subducting slabs. Received August 15, 1995/Revised, accepted November 19, 1996     

Non-eutectic,graphic, micrographie and graphic-like “myrmekitie” structures and textures

True graphic quartz structures in pegmatites from Carrara/Giggiga and Harrar (town) districts of Ethiopia, are compared with the micrographic quartz textures in the Rapakiwi granite of Finland. Graphic-like textures of uraninite in microcline are also discussed and compared with these graphic structures.A quartz vein, about 1–2 meters in thickness, intersects a pegmatite in the Carrara/Giggiga district. This quartz vein extends into the microcline of the pegmatite as fine quartz veins which attain the form and character of graphic quartz. Also the graphic quartz of the Harrar pegmatites is observed to extend into and occupy cracks in the microcline.Comparable in origin to these graphic textures is the micrographic quartz in the Rapakiwi granite. Observations show micrographic quartz following the cleavage directions in the orthoclase as well as the interzonal spaces and the boundaries of inclusions in the K-feldspar.On the basis of the observed structures and textures these graphic and micrographic intergrowths are considered to be due to solutions penetrating or infiltrating into existing structures and not due to simultaneous crystallisation as conditions of eutectic crystallisation would require.In addition to the well known graphic structures there occur graphic or myrmekitic-like intergrowths of uraninite in microcline which, from a structural and physico-chemical point of view, cannot be considered to be due to eutectic crystallisation.     

Partition of Ni between olivine and sulfide: equilibria with sulfide-oxide liquids

The partition of Ni between olivine and monosulfide-oxide liquid has been investigated at 1300–1395° C, =10^–8-9–10^–6.8, and =10^–2.0–10^–0.9, over the composition range 20–79 mol. % NiS. The product olivine compositions varied from Fo98 to Fo59 and from 0.06 to 3.11 wt% NiO. The metal/sulfur ratio of the sulfide-oxide liquid increases with increase in , decrease in , and increase in NiS content. The Ni/Fe exchange reaction has been perfectly reversed using natural olivine and pure forsterite as starting materials. The FeO and NiO contents of olivine from runs equilibrated at the same and form isobaric distributions with NiS content, which, to a first approximation, are dependent at constant temperature and total pressure on a variable term, –0.5 log ( / ). The Ni/Fe distribution coefficient (K _D3) exhibits only a weak decrease from 35 to 29 with increase in from the IW buffer to close to the FMQ buffer. At values higher than FMQ, the sulfide-oxide liquid has the approximate composition (Ni,Fe)₃±_xS₂K _D358. The present K _D3 vs O/(S+O) data define a trend which extrapolates to K _D320 at 10 wt% oxygen in the sulfide-oxide liquid. The compositions of olivine and Ni-Cu sulfides associated with early-magmatic basic rocks and komatiites are consistent, at 1400° C, with a value of -log ( / ) of about 7.7, which is equivalent to 0.0 wt% oxygen in the hypothesized immiscible sulfide-oxide liquid. Therefore, K _D3 would not be reduced significantly from the 30 to 35 range for sulfide-oxide liquids with low oxygen contents.