Radial patterns of bitumen dykes around Quaternary volcanoes,provinces of northern Neuquén and southernmost Mendoza,Argentina

Where the Neuquén Basin of Argentina abuts the Andes, hundreds of veins of solid hydrocarbon (bitumen) are visible at the surface. Many of these veins became mines, especially in the last century. By consensus, the bitumen has resulted from maturation of organic-rich shales, especially the Vaca Muerta Fm of Late Jurassic age, but also the Agrio Fm of Early Cretaceous age. To account for their maturation, recent authors have invoked regional subsidence, whereas early geologists invoked magmatic activity. During 12 field seasons (since 1998), we have tracked down the bitumen localities, mapped the veins and host rocks, sampled them, studied their compositions, and dated some of them. In the provinces of northern Neuquén and southernmost Mendoza, the bitumen veins are mostly sub-vertical dykes. They tend to be straight and continuous, crosscutting regional structures and strata of all ages, from Jurassic to Palaeocene. Most of the localities lie within 70 km of Tromen volcano, although four are along the Rio Colorado fault zone and another two are at the base of Auca Mahuida volcano. On both volcanic edifices, lavas are of late Pliocene to Pleistocene age. Although regionally many of the bitumen dykes tend to track the current direction of maximum horizontal tectonic stress (ENE), others do not. However, most of the dykes radiate outward from the volcanoes, especially Tromen. Thicknesses of dykes tend to be greatest close to Tromen and where the host rocks are the most resistant to fracturing. Many of the dykes occur in the exhumed hanging walls of deep thrusts, especially at the foot of Tromen. Here the bitumen is in places of high grade (impsonite), whereas further out it tends to be of medium grade (grahamite). A few bitumen dykes contain fragments of Vaca Muerta shale, so that we infer forceful expulsion of source rock. At Curacó Mine, some shale fragments contain bedding-parallel veins of fibrous calcite (beef) and these contain some bitumen, which is geochemically of low grade. In contrast, a large crosscutting bitumen dyke is of higher grade and formed later. At other localities, near basement faults, bitumen dykes have cap-rocks of hydrothermal calcrete. Other dykes or their wall rocks contain hydrothermal minerals. Finally, some dykes splay upward towards the current land surface. We conclude that (1) the bitumen dykes formed during volcanic activity in Pliocene–Pleistocene times, and that (2) heat advection by hydrothermal fluids helped to generate oil, which migrated upwards or downwards from the source rock and filled intrusive veins, before solidifying to bitumen, by loss of volatile elements. This unconventional hydrocarbon system may have significant implications for regional exploration in the foothills of the Andes.     

The role of syntectonic sedimentation in the evolution of doubly vergent thrust wedges and foreland folds

This paper shows the evolution of time-constrained two-dimensional scaled analogue models of doubly vergent thrust systems in the presence of syntectonic sedimentation. Two sets of experiments were considered: (1) the addition of a syntectonic layer composed of a polymer and overlying sand in the prowedge; and (2) the addition to the previous condition of a progradational sedimentary load. Results from the first set of experiments indicate that the foreland fold-and-thrust belt has a strong relationship with the competence of the syntectonic layers. When the competence is low, the deformation produces tight asymmetric detachment-folds. As the competence increases, the fold-and-thrust belt shows break-trough folds with longer and better defined foreland-vergence. Results from the second set of experiments indicate that structural vergence is determined by the sense of progradation of the syntectonic layers, and in the case of strong aggradation at the prowedge, extension and reactive diapirism form contemporaneously with the contraction. Three end-members are proposed for mountain front thrust systems formed in the presence of syntectonic polymer and sand sedimentation: (1) outcropping fold-and-thrust belt sequence, in the case of no syntectonic sedimentation; (2) long displacement blind-thrust sheets, in the case of under-filled basins and (3) short displacement blind-thrust sheets, in the case of over-filled basins. All results indicate that ductile units at the base of syntectonic layers increase the displacement of the underlying frontal thrusts at the prowedge, and reduce the critical taper. Results also indicate that at very high sedimentary rates and hyper-critical taper conditions the prowedge collapses. Conclusions drawn from this research may be applied as an analogue to foreland evolution and to evaluate hydrocarbon generation, migration, and entrapment in thrust belts in areas where seismic imaging is generally poor.     

北阿尔金拉配泉米兰群片麻岩及其中两期基性岩墙群LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年龄及地质意义

北阿尔金拉配泉北侧米兰群混合角闪斜长片麻岩被2期基性岩墙群(辉绿玢岩和棕闪煌斑岩)侵位。本次分别对三者进行了LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb同位素侧年。混合岩化角闪斜长片麻岩中锆石结晶年龄为2007Ma±25Ma,结合西北地区2.0Ga左右广泛的构造-热事件,可能与Columbia超大陆汇聚有关。辉绿玢岩和棕闪煌斑岩的年龄结构相似,锆石较老年龄组分分别为1962～2093Ma和1804～2038Ma,系在侵位时从围岩(混合角闪斜长片麻岩)中捕获的锆石的年龄;最年轻的年龄组分(79～94Ma)代表基性岩墙群的侵位时间,与阿尔金北缘断裂伸展活动有关;古生代年龄(288～504Ma)为岩墙群上侵过程中同化混染北阿尔金蛇绿混杂岩带部分岩石的年龄。     

SHRIMP Zircon U‐Pb Dating of Alkaline Dykes in the Pobei Area,Beishan Rift,Xinjiang Autonomous Region,China: Implications for Tectonic Setting and Mantle Plume Events

In the Beishan rift in the eastern Tianshan orogen, Xinjiang Province, a N-S-trending dyke swarm is present in the Pobei area. The swarm cuts through the 270–290 Ma mafic-ultramafic intrusions associated with Ni-Cu sulphide mineralization. These mafic-ultramafic intrusions are typically found along E-W major faults in the Tianshan orogenic belts. We report SHRIMP U-Pb dating of zircons from a dyke of alkaline composition, which yielded a mean age of 252±9 Ma. Alkaline dykes of the same age are found in the Altay region of Siberia. This age is younger than the 270–290 Ma intraplate magmatic events that produced the mafic-ultramafic intrusions in the region, but in general agreement with the 250–260 Ma Permian plume event that gave rise to the Siberian traps and the Emeishan flood basalts in SW China. We suggest that there is a link between the Emeishan event and the dyke swarm in the Beishan rift and that the intraplate magmatism at 270–290 Ma reflects an early stage of mantle plume activity. The N-S trending dyke swarm in the Beishan rift may represent a later stage in the evolution of mantle plume activity in the NW and SW of China. We also speculate that in Beishan rift and possibly elsewhere in the Tianshan region, the dykes fed basaltic volcanism, whose products have since been eroded due to the strong uplift of the Tianshan orogen as a result of the India-Eurasia collision in the Cenozoic.     

华北克拉通山西省晚石炭世基性岩墙成因：锆石U-Pb年龄、地球化学和Sr-Nd同位素证据

作为岩石圈伸展拉张背景侵位的特征岩石,基性岩墙群（煌斑岩、辉绿岩和辉绿玢岩等）地质和地球化学研究日益受到地质研究者的关注。研究显示,基性岩墙在全球范围主要分布在美国、加拿大、巴西、澳大利亚和中国等地区,且年代格架主要集中在前寒武纪时期（2.4Ga、2.1Ga、1.8Ga、1.4Ga、1.0Ga）。目前,国内中生代以来基性岩墙群主要出露于华北克拉通、华南、西藏和塔里木盆地。本研究基性岩墙来自山西省大同附近,对于该套岩墙,本文给出了锆石U-Pb定年、地球化学和Sr-Nd同位素证据。LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年龄为293Ma,岩石具有变化较小的主元素变化特征（SiO₂=50.78%~51.35%,TiO₂=2.16%~2.32%,Al₂O₃=14.53%~15.08%,Fe₂O₃=12.42%~12.66%,MnO=0.13%~0.16%,MgO=5.14%~5.35%,CaO=7.93%~8.25%,Na₂O=3.52%~3.78%,K₂O=1.01%~1.14%和P₂O₅=0.24%~0.36%）。另外,基性岩墙富集轻稀土元素、大离子侵石元素（Ba,K和Sr）和高场强元素（Nb,Ta和Zr）,亏损Th、Pb和Ti。同时,基性岩墙具有相对一致的（⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr）_i比值（0.70422~0.70423）,正的ε_Nd（t）值（5.8~6.1）和变化较小的Nd模式年龄（t_DM1=0.67~0.72Ga,t_DM2=0.57~0.59Ga）。以上特征表明,基性岩墙来自亏损软流圈地幔的分布熔融作用,岩浆侵位过程中发生了橄榄石、辉石和含Ti相矿物的分离结晶作用,但没有受到地壳物质的混染作用影响。基性岩墙的成因上与华北克拉通和西伯利亚板块碰撞后的拉伸作用有密切联系。     

Paleoproterozoic mafic dyke swarms of the Belomorian Province,eastern Fennoscandian Shield

Paleoproterozoic mafic igneous rocks (2450–1970 Ma) are exposed in the form of layered intrusions, dykes, and volcanic rocks in the Karelian, Kola and Murmansk provinces and in the form of dykes and small intrusions in the Belomorian Province, Eastern Fennoscandian Shield. The age and sequence of mafic dyke emplacement during the Paleoproterozoic are very similar in these regions. Further comparisons of geochemical characteristics of mafic dyke swarms in the Belomorian Province and neighboring cratons show considerable similarities.     

The 2.40 Ga Ringvassøy mafic dykes, West Troms Basement Complex, Norway: The concluding act of early Palaeoproterozoic continental breakup

A north to northwest trending mafic dyke swarm of gabbronoritic and gabbroic composition makes up a significant part of the Archean basement on the island of Ringvassøy in northern Norway. U–Pb geochronology of zircon and baddeleyite in a gabbronorite provides an age of emplacement of 2403 ± 3 Ma. Metamict zircon in a plagioclase phyric dyke yield data that are discordant but consistent with the age of the gabbronoritic dyke. Titanite indicates a metamorphic overprint at 1768 ± 4 Ma. The two types of dyke show some distinct chemical characteristics. They are both tholeiitic, enriched in LREEs and LILE elements but depleted in HFS elements including Nb. Their Nd isotopic composition yields _Nd values of −1.5 to −1.8 for gabbronorites and −0.4 to +1.3 for the plagioclase phyric dykes. The chemical and isotopic constraints are typical of continental basalts.The Ringvassøy mafic dykes correlate broadly with a global Palaeoproterozoic magmatic event that formed extensive bimodal intrusive and extrusive suites in most Archaean cratons, including the northeastern Fennoscandian Shield. In detail, the 2403 ± 3 Ma Ringvassøy dykes postdated most episodes of magmatism at this time. On the regional scale there is a distinct trend from a 2505–2490 Ma suite present in the Kola Peninsula, over a second 2460–2440 Ma suite present both in Kola and further south in Karelia, to the 2403 Ma dykes on Ringvassøy. This variation suggests that the locus of maximum extension and magmatic activity may have been shifting with time.     

华北克拉通北缘凉城基性岩墙成因及古地理的重建意义

为揭示华北克拉通北缘凉城基性岩墙的形成时代、岩石成因、构造背景及对罗迪尼亚超大陆重建的意义,本研究借助激光烧蚀多接收器等离子质谱(LA-MC-ICP-MS)锆石U-Pb定年、Hf同位素及全岩地球化学研究手段,对凉城桃花沟岩墙开展了系统研究。研究结果显示,凉城桃花沟岩墙为新元古代早期(903±15 Ma)基性岩浆活动的产物,归属拉斑岩石系列,具有较高的TFeO(12.78%～16.30%)及TiO₂(2.59%～3.31%)含量、较低的MgO(2.87%～3.83%)、Cr(32.7×10^-6～42.0×10^-6)、Ni(11.6×10^-6～14.5×10^-6)含量及Mg^#值(29～38),富集轻稀土元素(LREE)、Rb、Pb、Zr及Hf元素,亏损Ba、Sr、Nb、Ta、Ti及Eu(Eu/Eu^*=0.74～0.83)元素。锆石原位ε_Hf(t)范围为2.4～13.4,单阶段Hf模式年龄(t_DM1     

东昆仑造山带早中生代镁铁质岩墙群LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb定年、元素和Sr-Nd-Hf同位素地球化学

东昆仑造山带白日其利镁铁质岩墙群以苏长辉长岩为主,含少量含斑辉绿岩,LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年代学指示该套岩墙群结晶侵位年龄为251±2Ma.岩石具有中等的Mg#(31～50)和高铝(16.25％～19.49％)的特征,整体属于钙碱性玄武岩系列岩石(Na2O+ K2O =2.75％～3.51％;FeOT/MgO=1.02～2.22);微量和稀土元素方面,岩石具有较低的稀土总量、轻稀土轻微富集和Eu正异常特征(ΣREE =52.16×10-6～99.81×10-6,(La/Yb)N =2.08～5.49,δEu=1.0～1.3),所有岩石富集LILE(如Rb、Ba和Pb等)而亏损HFSE(如Nb、Ta、P和Ti等),且具有显著不同于地壳的不相容元素组成(如Nb/Ta比值).岩墙具有富集的Sr-Nd同位素组成((87Sr/86 Sr)i=0.71103～0.71502,εNd(t)=-7.4～-3.6),具有相对集中且显著不同于地壳岩浆的Hf同位素组成(εHf(t)=-2.37～1.07).元素地球化学和同位素研究指示镁轶质岩浆起源于流体交代的富集地幔Ⅱ,并未受到显著的地壳混染.构造环境分析表明,岩石具有岛弧和洋中脊玄武岩双重特征.结合区域构造演化分析,我们认为,在晚二叠世-早三叠世时期,在俯冲环境下,板片流体交代使上覆地幔楔发生富集,形成富集地幔Ⅱ,随着该区伸展作用的加强,在早三叠世,进一步诱发了富集地幔的部分熔融并产生镁铁质岩浆,最终侵位结晶就形成了白日其利镁铁质岩墙群.     

Geology of the High Sulfidation Copper Deposits,Monywa Mine,Myanmar

The 50 km² Monywa copper district lies near the Chindwin River within the northward continuation of the Sunda‐Andaman magmatic arc through western Myanmar. There are four deposits; Sabetaung, Sabetaung South, Kyisintaung, and the much larger Letpadaung 7 km to the southeast. Following exploration drilling which began in 1959, production of copper concentrates from a small open pit started at Sabetaung in 1983. Since 1997, when resources totaled 7 million tonnes contained copper in 2 billion tonnes ore, a heap leach–electro‐winning operation has produced over 400,000 t copper cathode from Sabetaung and Sabetaung South. Ore is hosted by mid‐Miocene andesite or dacite porphyry intrusions, and by early mid‐Miocene sandstone and overlying volcaniclastics including eruptive diatreme facies which the porphyries intrude. District‐wide rhyolite dykes and domes with marginal breccias probably post‐date andesite porphyries in the mine area and lack ore‐grade copper. Host rocks to mineralization are altered to phyllic and advanced argillic hydrothermal assemblages within an outer chlorite zone; hypogene alunite is most abundant at Letpadaung and Kyisintaung. Most mineralization is structurally‐controlled with digenite‐chalcocite in breccia dykes, in steeply dipping NE‐trending sheeted veins, and in stockwork and low‐angle sulfide veins. A high‐grade pipe at Sabetaung grades up to 30% Cu, and much of the ore at Sabetaung South is in a NE‐trending zone of mega‐breccia and stockworked sandstone. The hydrothermal alteration, together with replacement quartz, alunite and barite in breccia dykes and veins, the virtual absence of vein quartz, and the presence of chalcopyrite and bornite only as rare veins and as inclusions within the abundant pyrite, indicate that the deposits are high sulfidation. Regional uplift, resistance to erosion and leaching of the altered and mineralized rocks have resulted in porous limonite‐stained leached caps over 200 m thick forming the Letpadaung and Kyisintaung hills. The barren caps pass abruptly downwards at the water table into the highest grade ore at the top of the supergene enrichment zone, within which copper grade, supergene kaolinite and cubic alunite decrease, and pyrite increases with depth; in contrast, marcasite is mostly shallow. Much of the copper to depths exceeding 200 m below the water table occurs as supergene digenite‐chalcocite and minor covellite. Disseminated chalcocite is mostly near‐surface and hence almost certainly supergene. We infer that during prolonged uplift at all four deposits, oxidation of residual pyrite at the water table generated enough acid to leach all the copper from earlier supergene‐enriched ore; below the water table the resulting acid sulfate solutions partly replaced enargite, covellite, chalcopyrite, bornite and pyrite with supergene chalcocite. Undeformed upward‐fining cross‐bedded conglomerates and sands of the ancestral Chindwin River floodplain overlie the margins of the Sabetaung deposits, form a major aquifer up to 40 m thick, and are a potential host for exotic copper mineralization. A mid‐Miocene pluton is inferred to underlie the Monywa deposits, but the possibility of porphyry‐type mineralization within the district is at best highly speculative.