Sediment hosted lead–zinc deposits of the Neoproterozoic Bambuí Group and correlative sequences, São Francisco Craton, Brazil: A review and a possible metallogenic evolution model

The Proterozoic sediment-hosted Zn–(Pb) sulfide and non-sulfide deposits of the São Francisco Craton, Brazil, are partially syn-diagenetic and epigenetic and were probably formed during extensional events. The majority of the deposits occur within shallow water dolomites. The Pb isotopic data of sulfides are relatively homogeneous for individual deposits and plot above the upper crust evolution curve of the Plumbotectonic model. Some of the deposits are characterized by highly radiogenic lead (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ≥ 21) originating from the highly radioactive crust of the São Francisco Craton. Pb and S isotopic data suggest the sources of metal and sulfur for the deposits to be the basement rocks and seawater sulfates in the sediments, respectively. The relatively high temperatures of formation (100 to 250 °C) and moderate salinity (3% to 20% NaCl equiv.) of the primary fluid inclusions in the sphalerite crystals suggest the participation of basinal mineralizing fluids in ore formation. The steep paleo-geothermal gradient generated by the radioactively enriched basement rocks probably assisted in heating up the circulating mineralizing fluids.     

Isotopic and hydrochemical studies of groundwater flow and salinity in the Southern Upper Rhine Graben

In order to determine the origin and the propagation mechanisms of highly concentrated chloride brines within the Quaternary aquifer system in the southern part of the Upper Rhine Graben, a combined isotope (H, O, C) and hydrochemical analysis was carried out. Groundwater recharge in this area is a complex system, consisting of local precipitation, river bank filtration, lateral flow from the Graben borders and, to a minor extent, an old Pleistocene component. In some areas, groundwater consists of up to 90% of recent bank filtrate, reaching depths down to at least 100 m. The isotopic and hydrochemical results show, that the elevated chloride concentrations in the Quaternary aquifer mainly result from leaky settling basins charged by the French potash mines until the mid 1970s. Input of natural brines coming from tertiary salt diapirs is of only minor importance. While infiltrating, the anthropogenic brines were strongly diluted by local river bank filtrate of the Rhine. Nevertheless, maximum chloride concentrations nowadays still reach some 10,000 mg/l at the base of the aquifer at a depth of more than 100 m below surface. The main volume of the brines is stored in the less permeable lower part of the quaternary sediments (Breisgau-Formation) whereas only a minor part is transported northwards with the rapid convective groundwater flow. Brines undergoing only dilution preserve their hydrochemical characteristics (NaCl-type). In contrast, brines recirculated from the Breisgau-Formation show a northwards increasing alteration through ion exchange processes. Potassium and sodium may be fixed in the fine grained aquifer material while calcium is set free into the groundwater. After a flow distance of about 12 km, complex hydraulic interactions between groundwater and surface waters lead to the rise of strongly diluted and hydrochemically altered brines with chloride contents up to maximum 700 mg/l. The presented case study is an example for a detailed analysis of a multi-component groundwater mixing system using combined isotope and hydrochemical methods. Furthermore, cation exchange is shown as a major process affecting the hydrochemical evolution of the young groundwater in the southern Upper Rhine Graben which is locally strongly polluted by chloride as a consequence of former potash mining.     

Limnology of Two Antarctic Epishelf Lakes and their Potential to Record Periods of Ice Shelf Loss

George VI Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula and its northern margin marks the southern most latitudinal limit of recent ice shelf retreat. As part of a project to reconstruct the long-term (Holocene) history of George VI Ice Shelf we studied two epishelf lakes impounded by the ice shelf at Ablation Point, on the east coast of Alexander Island. These lakes, Moutonnée and Ablation, are stratified water bodies with a lower marine layer and an upper freshwater layer. To determine if their sediment records could be used to detect past changes in the presence or absence of the ice shelf it was necessary to describe their present-day limnology and sedimentology. We measured water column chemistry and sampled the water column and sediments of the lakes along vertical and horizontal transects. We analysed these samples for diatoms, stable isotopes (δ¹⁸O, δ²H, δ¹³C_DIC, δ¹³C_org), geochemistry (TOC, TN, C/N ratios) and physical sedimentology (grain-size). This was supplemented by chemical and biological reference data from the catchments. Results showed that the water columns of both lakes are nutrient limited and deficient in phytoplankton. Benthic productivity is low and decreases with depth. Comparison of water column chemistry with an earlier survey shows a net increase in the thickness of the freshwater layer in Moutonnée Lake between 1973 and 2001, which could indicate that George VI Ice Shelf has thinned during this period. However, a similar trend was not observed in Ablation Lake (5 km to the north) and an alternative explanation is that the changes are a seasonal phenomena. Data from the surface sediment transects identified a number of proxies that respond to the present day stratification of the water column including diatom species composition, stable isotopes and geochemistry, particularly in Moutonnée Lake. Collectively these data have been used to develop a conceptual model for determining past ice shelf configuration in epishelf lakes. Specifically, periods of past ice shelf loss, and the removal of the ice dam, would see the present stratified epishelf lake replaced by a marine embayment. It is suggested that this change would leave a clear signature in the lake sediment record, notably the deposition of an exclusively marine biological assemblage, increased ice rafted debris and δ¹³C_org values that are indicative of marine derived organic matter. These authors contributed equally to this work     

Analysis of radionuclide migration through a 200-m Vadose zone following a 16-year infiltration event

Atomic weapons testing at the Nevada Test Site has introduced many tracers for quantifying subsurface hydrologic transport processes in arid climates. In 1975, groundwater adjacent to the Cambric test, conducted beneath Frenchman Flat 10 years earlier, was pumped steadily for 16 years to elicit information on the migration of residual radioactivity through the saturated zone. Radionuclides in the pumping well effluent, including tritium, ¹⁴C, ³⁶Cl, and ⁸⁵Kr, were extensively monitored prior to its discharge in an unlined ditch, where approximately a third of the flow infiltrated over a distance of 1 km. Radionuclide infiltration through a 220-m thick vadose zone created a second, and rather unique long-term field experiment. Effluent data have been utilized in conjunction with geologic data, new radionuclide measurements, isotopic age-dating estimates, and vadose zone flow and transport models to better understand the movement of radionuclides between the ditch, the water table and a nearby groundwater monitoring well. Detection of tritium in the monitoring well occurred approximately 16 years after its initial discharge into the ditch. Modeling and tritium age dating have suggested 3–5 years of this 16-year transit time occurred solely in the vadose zone. They also suggest considerable recirculation of the pumping well discharge back into the original pumping well. Notably, there have been no observations of ¹⁴C or ⁸⁵Kr in the monitoring well, suggesting their preferential retention or volatilization during transit to the water table.     

Carbon and nitrogen isotope composition of particulate organic matter in relation to mucilage formation in the northern Adriatic Sea

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of particulate organic matter (POM) were studied approximately weekly during spring and summer 2003 and 2004 in the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic Sea) in order to track the temporal variations and differences between two years. In parallel, particulate organic carbon (POC) and particulate nitrogen (PN), phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll a), and N and P nutrients were monitored. All studied parameters, especially N and P nutrients and chlorophyll a, showed higher concentrations and larger variability in spring 2004. As a consequence the macroaggregates were produced in late spring 2004. The C and N isotope composition of POM was not directly linked to phytoplankton biomass dynamics. The δ¹³C_POC values covaried with temperature. In 2004, δ¹³C_POC variations followed the δ¹⁵N_PN values as well as the δ¹³C_DIC values which were probably more dependent on the photosynthetic use of ¹²C. Variations in δ¹⁵N_POM values were most probably the consequence of variations in N nutrient sources used in phytoplankton assimilation. The significant correlation between δ¹⁵N_PN values and nitrate concentrations in 2004 implies intense nitrate assimilation in the presence of higher nitrate concentration. This suggests nitrate as the key nutrient in the »new primary production«, later producing macroaggregates with a mean δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of − 19‰ and 5‰, respectively. A low fractionation factor ε, < 1‰, lower than that reported in other marine and lacustrine systems, was found probably to be a consequence of distinct phytoplankton species, i.e. several classes of autotrophic nanoflagellates, and specific growth conditions present in the Gulf of Trieste. The tentative use of C isotope composition of POM revealed a higher contribution of allochthonous organic matter in 2004 compared to 2003 due to higher riverine inflow.     

Petrogenesis of the Pt–Pd mineralized Jinbaoshan ultramafic intrusion in the Permian Emeishan Large Igneous Province,SW China

The Jinbaoshan ultramafic intrusion is a sheet-like body with a thick wehrlite unit in the center and thin pyroxenite units at the margins. PGE are enriched in several disseminated sulfide zones in the intrusion. Olivine from the intrusion has low Fo and depleted Ni contents compared to olivine from coeval Emeishan picrites. Whole rock major and trace element concentrations suggest that the Jinbaoshan wehrlites originally contained <30% trapped liquid. The total amount of sulfide in the rocks exceeds that which could have been dissolved in the trapped liquid. The Jinbaoshan wehrlites are interpreted to represent residual assemblages formed by dissolution of plagioclase by passing magma. No clear evidence of crustal contamination is indicated by S, Nd and Os isotopes. We envision that sulfide saturation occurred at depth due to olivine and chromite crystallization. Immiscible sulfide droplets were transported to the Jinbaoshan conduit where they accumulated and reacted with magma successively passing through the conduit to achieve high PGE concentrations.     

Apport des marqueurs isotopiques et biogéochimiques dans la reconstitution du paléoenvironnement de la grotte du Lazaret (Nice,Alpes-Maritimes) au cours du Pléistocène supérieur (stade isotopique 5)

The isotopic composition of calcite from the stalagmitic floor E of the Lazaret Cave is interpreted as proxy of atmospheric circulation and vegetal cover changes during IOS 5. The ${\delta }^{18}\mathrm{O}$ variations could indicate change in precipitation sources, which could originate from the Mediterranean Sea during warm periods and from the Atlantic Ocean during colder periods. The ${\delta }^{13}\mathrm{C}$ variations could be related to vegetal cover and soil type. Tree cover appears to be dominant according to pollen spectra, and organic molecules trapped into calcite (sterols, terpenoids, humic acids). To cite this article: L. Rousseau et al., C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

Tracing fluids in basins to refine mineral exploration strategies

To trace the fluid history of sedimentary basins requires integration of relatively diverse sub-disciplines including sedimentology, stratigraphy, tectonics, structural geology, petrography, geochemistry and geophysics. These aspects of basin evolution are interrelated and thus all are required to understand the source, character and distribution of fluids associated with ore deposits hosted in basins. Fluids are strategically associated with both the formation and preservation of almost every type of economic ore deposit in basins. As such, knowledge of the geochemical and physical characteristics, timing, origin, reactivity and flow histories of fluids are basic to formulating effective exploration strategies.     

Contribution of stable isotopes to the understanding of the unsaturated zone of a carbonate aquifer (Nerja Cave, southern Spain)

We analysed the stable isotopes (¹⁸O and ²H) of rainwater and drip water within a cave (Nerja Cave) located in the unsaturated zone of a carbonate aquifer. Rainfall is more abundant and presents lower isotopic content in winter, while the volume of drip water is greater and its isotopic content is lower in summer. The flow analysis of ¹⁸O through the unsaturated zone confirms the seasonal lag between rainfall and the appearance of drip water in the cave and reveals that the unsaturated zone of the aquifer, in the sector of the cave, behaves like an inertial system with a strong capability to modulate the input signal. To cite this article: F. Carrasco et al., C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).