Triact spicules in proterozoic rocks of the Northern Territory of Australia

Triact fragments, probably of sponge spicules, occur in a siliceous rock found in the Proterozoic succession along the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory of Australia.     

Hydrothermal processes associated with meteorite impact structures: evidence from three Australian examples and implications for economic resources

Meteorite impacts cause conversion of kinetic energy into thermal energy. Part of this thermal energy is used to form a melt sheet, part is dissipated to heat the target rocks and these together with the hot rocks that elastically rebound from the depth of several kilometres (central uplift) activate hydrothermal circulation. Impact-generated hydrothermal systems have been documented from several impact structures world-wide. Three Australian examples—Shoemaker, Woodleigh and Yarrabubba—provide evidence of hydrothermal fluid flow both within and around the structures. Field observations, and petrographic and geochemical data suggest a common evolutionary trend of post-impact hydrothermal activity from early high-temperature alkali metasomatism to a later lower temperature H⁺ metasomatism, resulting in the overprinting by hydrous mineral assemblages. Hydrothermal systems activated by meteorite-impact events are important because they may also form economic mineral deposits, as is documented for several impact structures in the world. A working model of hydrothermal circulation in terrestrial impact structures posits two main stages: (i) initial high-temperature fluids percolate downward causing widespread alkali metasomatism of the shattered target rocks below the melt sheet, resulting in their modification to rocks of syenitic affinity; and (ii) inflow of meteoric water and progressive cooling of the melt sheet leads to a lower temperature stage, in which hydrothermal fluid flow tends to move upward, resulting in mineral assemblages and alteration patterns that resemble those of epithermal systems. In addition, these fluids can discharge at the surface as hot springs.     

Timing of brittle faulting and thermal events,Sydney region: association with the early stages of extension of East Gondwana

Structural studies in the Sydney region have revealed the presence of vertical to near-vertical, north-northeast-striking faults that are manifest as joint swarms and highly brecciated zones in which gouge of varying thickness is developed. Strike-slip movement accompanied by minor dip-slip, normal movement occurred on these faults. Timing of movement on these faults by K–Ar dating of illite and illite–smectite in fractions extracted from fault gouges, was attempted. These dates were compared with dates obtained from the host-rocks. K–Ar ages determined from the 2–10 μm to <0.1 μm fractions produced from the gouge and host-rocks, range from 159.5 ± 3.2 to 106.6 ± 2.1 Ma (n = 26). In <0.5 μm fractions extracted from the gouges that are less contaminated by detrital phases, K–Ar ages vary from 138 ± 4.4 to 106.5 ± 2.1 Ma (mean 121 Ma; n = 6) which are similar to ages obtained from host-rocks in the Sydney region. The similarity in age between the host rocks and gouge suggests that the K–Ar system has been reset. The resetting is attributed to a thermal event at ca 120 Ma related to the underplating of felsic intrusions associated with early stages of breakup of East Gondwana. Subsequent to this event, dykes of Early Eocene age (K–Ar whole-rock: 51.0 ± 1.1 Ma) exploited north-northeast-striking faults and subsequently developed brecciated margins. These observations and the fact that gouge formed before the thermal event suggests that movement took place on north-northeast-striking faults prior to 120 Ma and after 51 Ma.     

Genesis and Age Constraints on Gold Deposits of the Daerae Mine, Sangju Area, Central-Northern Sobaegsan Massif, Korea

Abstract: Gold mineralization of the Daerae mine represents the first recognized example of the Jurassic gold mineralization in the Sangju area, Korea. It occurs as a single stage of quartz veins that fill fault fractures in Precambrian gneiss of the central‐northern Sobaegsan Massif. The mineralogical characteristics of quartz veins, such as the simple mineralogy and relatively gold‐rich (65–72 atomic % Au) nature of electrum, as well as the CO₂–rich and low salinity nature of fluid inclusions, are consistent with the ‘mesothermal‐type’ gold deposits previously recognized in the Youngdong area (about 50 km southwest of the Sangju area). Ore fluids were evolved mainly through CO₂ immiscibility at temperatures between about 250 and 325 C. Vein sulfides characteristically have negative sulfur isotopic values (–1.9 to +0.2 %), which have been very rarely reported in South Korea, and possibly indicate the derivation of sulfur from an ilmenite‐series granite melt. The calculated O and H isotopic compositions of hydrothermal fluids at Daerae (δ¹⁸O_water = +5.2 to +5.9 %; δD_water = –59 to –67 %) are very similar to those from the Youngdong area, and indicate the important role of magmatic water in gold mineralization. The ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar age dating of a pure alteration sericite sample yields a high‐temperature plateau age of 188.3 0.1 Ma, indicating an early Jurassic age for the gold mineralization at Daerae. The lower temperature Ar‐Ar plateau defines an age of 158.4 2.0 Ma (middle Jurassic), interpreted as reset by a subsequent thermal effect after quartz vein formation. The younger plateau age is the same as the previously reported K‐Ar ages (145–171 Ma) for the other ‘mesothermal–type’ gold deposits in the Youngdong and Jungwon areas, Korea, which are too young in view of the new Jurassic Ar‐Ar plateau age (around 188 Ma).     

阿尔泰造山带岩石和矿石的氩同位素研究

通过对新疆阿尔泰造山过程中形成的岩石、矿石样品氩同位素组成的研究 ,认为阿尔泰造山带的形成与壳幔相互作用有关 ,造山过程中的地幔脱气现象是存在的。喀拉通克铜镍硫化物矿床的成矿物质主要来自于地幔。可可托海 3 脉伟晶岩型超大型稀有金属矿床的成矿物质及基性超基性岩的母岩浆主要也来自于地幔。而大喀拉苏花岗岩结晶分异型伟晶岩矿床与库威变质型伟晶岩矿床的成矿物质来自于地壳 ,将军山天河石花岗岩与富蕴县城附近的含铜石英脉也主要是地壳物质演化的结果     

苏鲁超高压变质带东海青龙山高压正片麻岩中白云母的^40Ar／^39Ar年代学研究

作为东海青龙山榴辉岩围岩的高压变质的正片麻岩，其白云母的常规^40Ar／^39Ar年龄和Rb—Sr、Sm—Nd年龄一致，激光微区Ar同位素分析表明，白云母的Ar同位素分布也是均匀的。由此得出的初步结论是：①高压变质的正片麻岩中的白云母中不含过剩Ar，这类矿物可以作为^40Ar／^39Ar同位素测年的对象；②青龙山榴辉岩中的白云母含大量过剩氩，而作为其围岩的超高压正片麻岩中的白云母却不含过剩氩，这一事实证明了榴辉岩中白云母的过剩氩不是来自围岩，而是榴辉岩自身继承的。     

福建明溪天然蓝宝石在氩气气氛中的改色实验研究

明溪天然蓝宝石主要呈色元素为Fe和Ti，颜色常带有黄、绿或紫色调，颜色不纯正。在温度为1300℃，环境为氩气气氛中进行热处理后，可消除蓝宝石中原来存在的杂色调，使颜色向纯蓝色方向变化。本文还对热处理后蓝宝石的光吸收港及颜色变化机理进行了初步探讨。     

Excess and Radiogenic Argon in High-Pressure Mylonites of the Tan-Lu Fault Zone, Eastern China

Bulk separates of porphyroclastic phengite, neoformed phengite and their mixtures from the Tan-Lu HP mylonites overprinted on the Sulu UHP rocks were analyzed with the 40Ar/39Ar step heating method. Two samples of the neoformed phengite from ultramylonite give 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages of 209.9±1.8 Ma and 214.3±1.8 Ma, which are interpreted as representing cooling times of the TanLu sinistral faulting, and provide geochronological evidence for the syn-orogenic faulting of the Tan-Lu fault zone. The results show that the phengite formed during the retrograde eclogite-facies mylonitization was not contaminated with excess argon and can be used for dating the deformation. Argon closure in previous K-bearing minerals with excess argon under a retrograde HP dry condition is considered to be the reason for lack of excess argon incorporation in the neoformed phengite. Five porphyroclastic phengite samples yield 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages ranging from 666±12 Ma to 307.1±3.3 Ma, which are interpreted as being contaminated with excess argon. Two mixture samples with plateau ages of 239.4±2.1 Ma and 239.3±2.0 Ma show upward-convex age spectra caused by the mixture of older porphyroclastic phengite with excess argon incorporation and younger neoformed phengite without excess argon incorporation. It is demonstrated that excess argon introduced from the previous UHP metamorphism is still preserved in the pre-existing phengite after the Tan-Lu eclogite-facies mylonitization. The intense deformation under HT and HP conditions cannot erase excess argon in the previous phengite totally due to restricted fluid activities. These porphyroclastic phengite previously contaminated with excess argon cannot be used for dating the later HP deformation. This indicates that deformation under a HP dry condition does not play an important role in removing previous 40Are in phengite.     

土壤气中He、Ar组分在金家地区油气化探中应用研究

对济阳凹陷南缘与鲁西隆起接合部开展了土壤气He、Ar组分及Ar同位素测定,结果表明He的丰度从5.1-6μL/L(S.T.P),δHe值从-4%-16%,平均2.59%;⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar比值从255-325,δ(⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar)值从+11%-11%,He异常主要分布在研究区北部,而Ar等值图分布比较复杂。He、Ar、烃三组分之间的组合关系表明有3个远景区,最有意义的是中深层远景区。此外,根据地质分析及Ar同位素特征表明中深层异常远景区不仅是与已知的第三系油田有关,而且还与深部C-P煤系地层有关,故属煤成气异常。     

胶东邓格庄金矿床流体包裹体氦、氩同位素组成及其成矿物质来源示踪

矿床成因和成矿物质来源一直是成矿理论研究和实际找矿中争论的焦点。选择了邓格庄金矿床5件不同成矿阶段的矿石样品,对黄铁矿流体包裹体氦、氩同位素进行了测试。研究结果表明：R/R_a值为0.008 33～3.612 00,平均为1.400 00;⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar值为465.7～4 674.7;⁴He/⁴⁰Ar^* 值为0.36～1.36,成矿流体中地幔端元流体的比例为3.73%～45.87%,平均为17.67%。结合氢氧同位素、岩浆岩、围岩蚀变和流体包裹体等证据,反映了成矿流体具地壳流体和地幔流体混合特征,主要来源于地壳,并有明显地幔流体混入,上升过程中可能还有少量大气降水的参与。