Relationships between Campi Flegrei and Mt. Somma volcanism: evidence from melt inclusions in clinopyroxene phenocrysts from volcanic breccia xenoliths

Summary We present compositions of reheated melt inclusions in clinopyroxene phenocrysts from three mafic xenoliths in Breccia Museo, Campi Flegrei, Italy. Melt inclusion compositions are remarkably different from the compositions of known contemporary Campi Flegrei lavas, being significantly enriched in K₂O and depleted in Na₂O. Some differences are also evident in FeO^* (total Fe as FeO) and TiO₂ contents. The clinopyroxene phenocrysts could not have crystallised from Campi Flegrei magmas. We suggest that they originated from a volcanic system genetically very similar to, and possibly linked with, the >14 ka volcanic system of Mt. Somma, another Campanian volcano ∼ 30 km east from Campi Flegrei, from which Vesuvius subsequently developed. This result indicates a close relationship (or link) between the two volcanic systems which have until now been considered separate. We speculate that the link was established prior to eruption of the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (NYT) (∼ 12 ka). The xenoliths were derived from a volcanic system older than the host breccias themselves. We suggest that this older volcanism had close similarities with the volcanism of the older products of Mt. Somma (∼25 ka). Received March 20, 2000; accepted November 2, 2000     

Garnet-Pyroxenite-Derived End-Member Magma Type in Kamchatka: Evidence from Composition of Olivine and Olivine-Hosted Melt Inclusions in Holocene Rocks of Kekuknaisky Volcano

Late Quaternary volcanoes of Sredinny Range (Kamchatka) attract geoscientists’ attention by their unusual geochemical features and geodynamic setting. They produced volcanic rocks that are enriched relative to N-MORB in most of incompatible trace elements (except HREE), including strong enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements, and show a negative Nb–Ta anomaly, which is typical for rocks formed in supra-subduction settings. However, modern subduction of the Pacific Plate does not reach the most part of Sredinny Range, as inferred by mapping of Wadati–Benioff zone or seismic tomography. We constrain the source of parental magmas for Sredinny Range volcanic rocks by combining major and trace element geochemical data for olivine and naturally quenched olivine-hosed melt inclusions for Holocene tephra layers of the Kekuknaisky field. Composition of the most magnesian olivine (Ni > 2000 ppm, Fe/Mn ≈ 75 at Mg# ~ 84–85 mol %) and geochemical characteristics of the most primitive melts (FC3MS = 0.61 ± 0.04 (2s)) are consistent with their derivation from a pyroxenite source, while elevated LREE/HREE ratios in lavas indicate that it contained garnet. This garnet-bearing pyroxenite likely originated from the lower crust or lithospheric mantle. Its melting could have occurred due to delamination and sinking into the hotter mantle.     

High-grade iron ore at Windarling, Yilgarn Craton: a product of syn-orogenic deformation, hypogene hydrothermal alteration and supergene modification in an Archean BIF-basalt lithostratigraphy

Banded iron formation (BIF)-hosted iron ore deposits in the Windarling Range are located in the lower greenstone succession of the Marda–Diemals greenstone belt, Southern Cross domain, Yilgarn Craton and constitute a total hematite–martite–goethite ore resource of minimum 52 Mt at 60 wt.% Fe (0.07 P). Banded iron formation is interlayered with high-Mg basalts at Windarling and precipitated during episodes of volcanic quiescence. Trace element content and the rare earth element (REE) ratios Y/Ho (42 to 45), Sm/Yb (1.5), together with positive La and Gd anomalies in ‘least-altered’ hematite–magnetite–metachert–BIF indicate the precipitation from Archean seawater that was fertilised by hydrothermal vent fluids with a basaltic HREE-Y signature. Hypogene iron ore in sub-greenschist facies metamorphosed BIF formed during three distinct stages: ore stage 1 was a syn- to post-metamorphic, syn-D₁, Fe–Ca–Mg–Ni–Co–P–REE metasomatism that produced local Ni–REE-rich Fe–dolomite–magnetite alteration in BIF. Hydrothermal alteration was induced by hot fluid flow controlled by brittle–ductile reactivation of BIF-basalt margins and crosscutting D₁ faults. The Ni–Co-rich content of dolomite and a shift in REE ratios in carbonate-altered BIF towards Archean mafic rock signature (Y/Ho to 31 to 40, Sm/Yb to 1 to 2 and Gd/Gd* to 1.2 to 1.4) suggest that high-Mg basalts in the Windarling Range were the primary source of introduced metals. During ore stage 2, a syn-deformational and likely acidic and oxidised fluid flow along BIF-basalt margins and within D₁ faults leached carbonate and precipitated lepidoblastic and anhedral/granoblastic hematite. High-grade magnetite–hematite ore is formed during this stage. Ore stage 3 hydrothermal specular hematite (spcH)–Fe–dolomite–quartz alteration was controlled by a late-orogenic, brittle, compressional/transpressional stage (D₄; the regional-scale shear-zone-related D₃ is not preserved in Windarling). This minor event remobilised iron oxides, carbonate and quartz to form veins and breccia but did not generate significant volumes of iron ore. Ore stage 4 involved Mesozoic(?) to recent supergene oxidation and hydration in a weathering environment reaching down to depths of ～100 to maximum 200 m below surface. Supergene ore formation involved goethite replacement of dolomite and quartz as well as martitisation. Important ‘ground preparation’ for supergene modification and upgrade were mainly the formation of steep D₁ to D₄ structures, steep BIF/basalt margins and particularly the syn-D₁ to syn-D₂ carbonate alteration of BIF that is most susceptible to supergene dissolution. The Windarling deposits are structurally controlled, supergene-modified hydrothermal iron ore systems that share comparable physical, chemical and ore-forming characteristics to other iron ore deposits in the Yilgarn Craton (e.g. Koolyanobbing, Beebyn in the Weld Range, Mt. Gibson). However, the remarkable variety in pre-, syn- and post-deformational ore textures (relative to D₁ and D₂) has not been described elsewhere in the Yilgarn and are similar to the ore deposits in high-strain zones, such as of Brazil (Quadrilátero Ferrífero or Iron Quadrangle) and Nigeria. The overall similarity of alteration stages, i.e. the sequence of hydrothermal carbonate introduction and hypogene leaching, with other greenstone belt-hosted iron ore deposits supports the interpretation that syn-orogenic BIF alteration and upgrade was crucial in the formation of hypogene–supergene iron ore deposits in the Yilgarn Craton and possibly in other Archean/Paleoproterozoic greenstone belt settings worldwide.     

A Comparative Study of Five Reference Materials and the Lombard Meteorite for the Determination of the Platinum‐Group Elements and Gold by LA‐ICP‐MS

A range of independently characterised reference materials (RMs) for LA‐ICP‐MS, used for the determination of the platinum‐group elements (PGE) and Au in a sulfide matrix, were analysed and compared: 8b, PGE‐A, NiS‐3, Po727‐T1, Po724‐T and the Lombard meteorite. The newly developed RM NiS‐3 was used as the RM for the calibration of all LA‐ICP‐MS analyses and the measured concentrations of the other RMs compared against their published concentrations. This data were also used to assess the consistency of concentrations calibrated against the different RMs. It was found that Po727‐T1 and 8b produced results that were comparable, within uncertainty, for all elements. Po727‐T1 also produced consistent results with NiS‐3 for all elements. All other RMs showed differences for some elements, especially Ru in Po724‐T, and Os, Ir and Au in PGE‐A. The homogeneity of the PGE and Au in each RM was assessed, by comparing the precision of multiple LA‐ICP‐MS spot analyses with the average uncertainty of the signal. Po724‐T, Po727‐T1 and the Lombard meteorite were found to be homogeneous for all elements, but 8b, PGE‐A and NiS‐3 were heterogeneous for some elements. This is the first direct comparison between a range of independently characterised PGE and Au LA‐ICP‐MS RMs.     

Immiscible silicate liquid partition coefficients: implications for crystal-melt element partitioning and basalt petrogenesis

This study investigates partitioning of elements between immiscible aluminosilicate and borosilicate liquids using three synthetic mixtures doped with 32 trace elements. In order to get a good spatial separation of immiscible liquids, we employed a high-temperature centrifuge. Experiments were performed at 1,050–1,150°C, 1 atm, in sealed Fe and Pt containers. Quenched products were analysed by electron microprobe and LA ICP-MS. Nernst partition coefficients (D’s) between the Fe-rich and Si-rich aluminosilicate immiscible liquids are the highest for Zn (3.3) and Fe (2.6) and the lowest for Rb and K (0.4–0.5). The plots of D values against ionic potential Z/r in all the compositions show a convex upward trend, which is typical also for element partitioning between immiscible silicate and salt melts. The results bear upon the speciation and structural position of elements in multicomponent silicate liquids. The ferrobasalt–rhyolite liquid immiscibility is observed in evolved basaltic magmas, and may play an important role in large gabbroic intrusions, such as Skaergaard, and during the generation of unusual lavas, such as ferropicrites.     

峨眉火成岩省内带岩浆硫化物含矿岩体橄榄石的成因意义

岩浆镍-铜-铂族元素(PGE)硫化物矿床是峨眉火成岩省地幔柱活动形成的两个重要的成矿系列之一[1～3].目前已发现的与峨眉火成岩省相关的40余个镍-铜-铂族元素硫化物矿床(或矿点)中,多数分布在内带[3,4].它们可分为:1)富Ni、Cu而贫PGE的Ni-Cu型(如力马河和清水河);2)富Ni,Cu且PGE中等的Ni-Cu-PGE型(如清矿山和黄草坪);3)贫Ni、Cu富PGE的PGE型(如金宝山和杨合武).     

Structural,lithological, and geochemical constraints on the dynamic magma plumbing system of the Jinchuan Ni–Cu sulfide deposit,NW China

Eastern and western portions of the Jinchuan ultramafic intrusion have previously been interpreted as dismembered segments of a single elongate intrusion by late faults. However, the different stratigraphic sequences of the two portions indicate that they are originally two separate intrusions, referred to as Eastern and Western intrusions in this study. The Eastern intrusion is characterized by a concentric distribution of rock types with a core of sulfide dunite enveloped by lherzolite, whereas the Western intrusion is composed of the Upper and Lower units, interpreted as magmatic mega cycles with regular variations in lithology and chemistry. In the Western intrusion, the Upper unit consists of fine-grained dunite, lherzolite, and pyroxenite from its base to its top. The MgO contents decrease upward from the dunites (42–45 wt.%) to the lherzolites (36–41 wt.%), while Al₂O₃ and incompatible elements increase upward. In contrast, the Lower unit consists of coarse-grained dunites and lherzolites containing 37–40 and 28–35 wt.% MgO, respectively. Sharp contacts between the Upper and Lower units and fine-grained dunite xenoliths at the top of the Lower unit indicate that the Lower unit intruded along the base of the Upper unit. Disseminated and net-textured sulfides primarily occur in the Lower unit and comprise the no. 24 ore body. Very low S contents (<100 ppm) of the wall rocks at Jinchuan indicate that they were not the source of S causing sulfide immiscibility. Sulfide segregation more likely occurred in deep-seated magma chambers, and sulfides were deposited in the Western intrusion when sulfide-bearing magmas passed through the intrusion. In contrast, the Eastern intrusion was formed by injections of sulfide-free and sulfide-bearing olivine-crystal mushes, respectively, from another deep-seated staging magma chamber. The Eastern and Western intrusions and the deep-seated magma chambers comprise a complicated magma plumbing system at Jinchuan. Normal faults played a significant role in the formation of the magma plumbing system and provided pathways for the magmas.     

Tellurium-bearing minerals in zoned sulfide chimneys from Cu-Zn massive sulfide deposits of the Urals, Russia

Tellurium-bearing minerals are generally rare in chimney material from mafic and bimodal felsic volcanic hosted massive sulfide (VMS) deposits, but are abundant in chimneys of the Urals VMS deposits located within Silurian and Devonian bimodal mafic sequences. High physicochemical gradients during chimney growth result in a wide range of telluride and sulfoarsenide assemblages including a variety of Cu-Ag-Te-S and Ag-Pb-Bi-Te solid solution series and tellurium sulfosalts. A change in chimney types from Fe-Cu to Cu-Zn-Fe to Zn-Cu is accompanied by gradual replacement of abundant Fe-, Co, Bi-, and Pb- tellurides by Hg, Ag, Au-Ag telluride and galena-fahlore with native gold assemblages. Decreasing amounts of pyrite, both colloform and pseudomorphic after pyrrhotite, isocubanite ISS and chalcopyrite in the chimneys is coupled with increasing amounts of sphalerite, quatz, barite or talc contents. This trend represents a transition from low- to high sulphidation conditions, and it is observed across a range of the Urals deposits from bimodal mafic- to bimodal felsic-hosted types: Yaman-Kasy → Molodezhnoye → Uzelga → Valentorskoye → Oktyabrskoye → Alexandrinskoye → Tash-Tau → Jusa.     

Trace and minor elements in sphalerite: A LA-ICPMS study

Sphalerite is an important host mineral for a wide range of minor and trace elements. We have used laser-ablation inductively coupled mass spectroscopy (LA-ICPMS) techniques to investigate the distribution of Ag, As, Bi, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Ga, Ge, In, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn and Tl in samples from 26 ore deposits, including specimens with wt.% levels of Mn, Cd, In, Sn and Hg. This technique provides accurate trace element data, confirming that Cd, Co, Ga, Ge, In, Mn, Sn, As and Tl are present in solid solution. The concentrations of most elements vary over several orders of magnitude between deposits and in some cases between single samples from a given deposit. Sphalerite is characterized by a specific range of Cd (typically 0.2-1.0 wt.%) in each deposit. Higher Cd concentrations are rare; spot analyses on samples from skarn at Baisoara (Romania) show up to 13.2 wt.% (Cd²⁺ ↔ Zn²⁺ substitution). The LA-ICPMS technique also allows for identification of other elements, notably Pb, Sb and Bi, mostly as micro-inclusions of minerals carrying those elements, and not as solid solution. Silver may occur both as solid solution and as micro-inclusions. Sphalerite can also incorporate minor amounts of As and Se, and possibly Au (e.g., Magura epithermal Au, Romania). Manganese enrichment (up to ∼4 wt.%) does not appear to enhance incorporation of other elements. Sphalerite from Toyoha (Japan) features superimposed zoning. Indium-sphalerite (up to 6.7 wt.% In) coexists with Sn-sphalerite (up to 2.3 wt.%). Indium concentration correlates with Cu, corroborating coupled (Cu⁺In³⁺) ↔ 2Zn²⁺ substitution. Tin, however, correlates with Ag, suggesting (2Ag⁺Sn⁴⁺) ↔ 3Zn²⁺ coupled substitution. Germanium-bearing sphalerite from Tres Marias (Mexico) contains several hundred ppm Ge, correlating with Fe. We see no evidence of coupled substitution for incorporation of Ge. Accordingly, we postulate that Ge may be present as Ge²⁺ rather than Ge⁴⁺. Trace element concentrations in different deposit types vary because fractionation of a given element into sphalerite is influenced by crystallization temperature, metal source and the amount of sphalerite in the ore. Epithermal and some skarn deposits have higher concentrations of most elements in solid solution. The presence of discrete minerals containing In, Ga, Ge, etc. also contribute to the observed variance in measured concentrations within sphalerite.