Lead-isotope evidence for a Hercynian origin of the Salsigne gold deposit (Southern Massif Central,France)

The Salsigne gold deposit contains a complex association of sulphide layers, gold-rich disseminations, quartz-bearing veins and flat reefs, which are hosted by folded and slightly metamorphosed Paleozoic sediments on both sides of a major thrust zone. It is demonstrated that these various Au-As ore types have similar lead-isotope compositions (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.22–18.56), which are characteristic of Hercynian ore deposits in the southern Massif Central. The Lower Cambrian to Devonian host rocks and associated Pb-Zn-Ba occurrences display distinctly less radiogenic corrected isotopic signatures (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 17.83–17.98), which are characteristic of Cambrian lead in the Montagne-Noire. Concerning the controversial origin of the Salsigne gold mineralization, these results disagree with the former syngenetic hypothesis and support a new model of Hercynian syntectonic gold concentration.This work was supported by BRGM'S scientific program: Le gisement de Salsigne: caractérisation du modèle et évaluation du potentiel aurifère du district     

Identification of an underfilled foreland basin system in the Upper Devonian of the Central Pyrenees: implications for the Hercynian orogeny

A foreland basin succession has been identified in the Frasnian of the Central Pyrenees. This succession comprises a carbonate-dominated transgressive system which recorded the cratonward migration of the foreland basin subsidence, and siliciclastic depocenters which recorded the progression of the thrust-fold deformation. The foreland basin system has always been maintained in deep-marine environments, i.e., at an underfilled depositional state. It was associated with a thrust wedge which descended toward a deep-marine hinterland, i.e., with a type of orogenic wedge usually related to subduction zones. The Frasnian foreland basin system differs from the one known in the Carboniferous which evolved to overfilled depositional state and was associated with a thrust wedge rising toward a mountainous hinterland. Consequently, the Hercynian orogeny in the Pyrenees seems to result first, from a Frasnian thrusting controlled by a subduction zone located north of the Pyrenees, and second, from a Carboniferous thrusting controlled by the surrection of a frontal thrust belt in the Pyrenees. The association of underfilled foreland basin systems and hinterland-dipping thrust wedges, as exemplified in the Frasnian of the Pyrenees, can be interpreted as illustrative of the initial stages of thrust-wedge growth in deep-marine settings.     

The Hercynian orogeny in the South Armorican Massif (Saint-Georges-sur-Loire Unit, Ligerian Domain, France): rifting and welding of continental stripes

A new approach to explain the Western Hercynian Belt is given by a lithological and structural study of the St-Georges-sur-Loire Unit (southern part of the French Armorican Massif). This unit is interpreted as a Devonian olistostrome sheared to the North. It is formed in an accretionary prism linked with a south-dipping subduction zone, called the Layon subduction zone. It results from a chaotic sedimentation including exotic blocks of various lithologies and ages in a Middle Devonian pebbly mudstone matrix. An inovative geodynamic model involving microblock rifting and collision is discussed to explain the presence of the St-Georges-sur-Loire Unit in the Armorican Massif. This model involves two Palaeozoic subductions and emphasizes the role of the Nort-sur-Erdre fault, considered as a major polyphase suture zone separating South and Central Armorica.     

New petrologic evidence for Hercynian metamorphism in the Venn-Stavelot Massif,Belgium

The basal quartzite (grit) of the Gedinne that overlies unconformably the Salmian of Ordovician age was found to contain a pebble of the typical garnetiferous Mn-rich coticules occurring in the Salmian. However, the metamorphic mineral assemblage Mn-rich garnet-chlorite-muscovite present in the pebble was also formed in the pelitic matrix of the quartzite itself and must, therefore, be due to a post-Gedinnian, Hercynian event of metamorphism. The garnets of the pebble and the matrix are of identical composition and free from chemical zoning, but they are richer in Fe than the spessartine of in situ coticules. This seems to indicate that the pebble did not contain any garnet at the time of its deposition thus ruling out any noteworthy degree of pre-Gedinne, i. e. Caledonian metamorphism. The temperature of the Hercynian metamorphism was about 400?–450? C and represents the highest degree of metamorphism found in rocks exposed in the central and northern parts of the Rhenish Mass.     

The Quebradagrande Complex: A Lower Cretaceous ensialic marginal basin in the Central Cordillera of the Colombian Andes

The Quebradagrande Complex of Western Colombia consists of volcanic and Albian–Aptian sedimentary rocks of oceanic affinity and outcrops in a highly deformed zone where spatial relationships are difficult to unravel. Berriasian–Aptian sediments that display continental to shallow marine sedimentary facies and mafic and ultramafic plutonic rocks are associated with the Quebradagrande Complex. Geochemically, the basalts and andesites of the Quebradagrande Complex mostly display calc-alkaline affinities, are enriched in large-ion lithophile elements relative to high field strength elements, and thus are typical of volcanic rocks generated in supra-subduction zone mantle wedges. The Quebradagrande Complex parallels the western margin of the Colombian Andes’ Central Cordillera, forming a narrow, discontinuous strip fault-bounded on both sides by metamorphic rocks. The age of the metamorphic rocks east of the Quebradagrande Complex is well established as Neoproterozoic. However, the age of the metamorphics to the west – the Arquía Complex – is poorly constrained; they may have formed during either the Neoproterozoic or Lower Cretaceous. A Neoproterozoic age for the Arquía Complex is favored by both its close proximity to sedimentary rocks mapped as Paleozoic and its intrusion by Triassic plutons. Thus, the Quebradagrande Complex could represent an intracratonic marginal basin produced by spreading-subsidence, where the progressive thinning of the lithosphere generated gradually deeper sedimentary environments, eventually resulting in the generation of oceanic crust. This phenomenon was common in the Peruvian and Chilean Andes during the Uppermost Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous. The marginal basin was trapped during the collision of the Caribbean–Colombian Cretaceous oceanic plateau, which accreted west of the Arquía Complex in the Early Eocene. Differences in the geochemical characteristics of basalts of the oceanic plateau and those of the Quebradagrande Complex indicate these units were generated in very different tectonic settings.     

Genesis of Central Indian Ocean basin seamounts: morphological,petrological, and geochemical evidence

International Journal of Earth Sciences - We present the petrological investigation carried out of the seamounts located between water depths of 4300 and 5385 m in the Central Indian Ocean...     

Geochronological and petrological constraints from the evolution in the Saxon Granulite Massif,Germany, on the Variscan continental collision orogeny

Controversy over the plate tectonic affinity and evolution of the Saxon granulites in a two‐ or multi‐plate setting during inter‐ or intracontinental collision makes the Saxon Granulite Massif a key area for the understanding of the Palaeozoic Variscan orogeny. The massif is a large dome structure in which tectonic slivers of metapelite and metaophiolite units occur along a shear zone separating a diapir‐like body of high‐P granulite below from low‐P metasedimentary rocks above. Each of the upper structural units records a different metamorphic evolution until its assembly with the exhuming granulite body. New age and petrologic data suggest that the metaophiolites developed from early Cambrian protoliths during high‐P amphibolite facies metamorphism in the mid‐ to late‐Devonian and thermal overprinting by the exhuming hot granulite body in the early Carboniferous. A correlation of new Ar–Ar biotite ages with published P–T–t data for the granulites implies that exhumation and cooling of the granulite body occurred at average rates of ~8 mm/year and ~80°C/Ma, with a drop in exhumation rate from ~20 to ~2.5 mm/year and a slight rise in cooling rate between early and late stages of exhumation. A time lag of c. 2 Ma between cooling through the closure temperatures for argon diffusion in hornblende and biotite indicates a cooling rate of 90°C/Ma when all units had assembled into the massif. A two‐plate model of the Variscan orogeny in which the above evolution is related to a short‐lived intra‐Gondwana subduction zone conflicts with the oceanic affinity of the metaophiolites and the timescale of c. 50 Ma for the metamorphism. Alternative models focusing on the internal Variscan belt assume distinctly different material paths through the lower or upper crust for strikingly similar granulite massifs. An earlier proposed model of bilateral subduction below the internal Variscan belt may solve this problem.     

Rare earth elements,neodymium and strontium isotopic systematics in mineral waters: evidence from the Massif Central,France

Rare Earth Elements (REEs), and Sr and Nd isotope distributions, have been studied in mineralized waters from the Massif Central (France). The CO₂-rich springs are characterized by a neutral pH (6–7) associated with total dissolved solids (TDS) from 1 to 7 g l⁻¹. The waters result from the mixing of very mineralized water pools, thought to have equilibrated at a temperature of around 200°C with superficial waters. These two mineral water pools evidenced by Sr isotopes and dissolved REEs could reflect 2 different stages of water–rock interaction and an equilibrium with different mineral assemblages.The concentrations of individual dissolved REEs and total dissolved REEs (ΣREE), in the mineral waters examined, vary over several orders of magnitude but are not dependent on the main parameters of the waters (TDS, T°C, pH, Total Organic C). The dissolved REE concentrations presented as upper continental crust normalized patterns show HREE enrichment in most of the samples. The time evolution of REE patterns does not show significant fluctuations except in 1 borehole, located in the Limagne d’Allier area, which was sampled on 16 occasions over an 18 month period. Ten samples are HREE-enriched, whereas 6 samples show flat patterns.The aqueous speciation of REEs shows that CO²⁻₃ complexes dominate (>80%) over the free metal, F⁻, SO²⁻₄ and HCO⁻₃ complexes. The detailed speciation demonstrates that the fractionation of REEs (i.e. the HREE enrichment) in CO₂-rich and pH neutral fluids is due essentially to the predominance of the CO²⁻₃ complexes.The Sr isotopic composition of the mineral waters in the Massif Central shows different mixing processes; in the Cézallier area at least 3 end-member water types exist. The most dilute end-member is likely to originate as poorly mineralized waters with minimal groundwater circulation. Two other mineralized end-members are identified, although the link between the geographical location of spring outflow and the mixing proportion between the 2 end-members is not systematic. The range in ϵ_Nd(0) for mineralized waters in the Massif Central correlates well with that of the known parent rocks except for 4 springs. One way to explain the ϵ_Nd(0) in these instances is a contribution from drainage of volcanic rocks. The isotopic systematics help to constrain the hydrogeological models for this area.     

A mantle-derived bimodal suite in the Hercynian Belt: Nd isotope and trace element evidence for a subduction-related rift origin of the Late Devonian Brévenne metavolcanics, Massif Central (France)

In the Brévenne Series (NE Massif Central), a low-grade bimodal association of metabasalts and metarhyolites is exposed, together with intrusive trondhjemite bodies. Zircon U-Pb dating constrains their magmatic emplacement at 366 ± 5 Ma and 358 ± 1 Ma, respectively. The metabasalts are characterized by a distinct enrichment in incompatible elements (e.g. Th and LREE) and positive ɛNd_i (from +5 to +8). Combined isotope and trace element systematics rule out crustal contamination of mafic melts as a suitable cause of the LILE (large ion lithophile element)-enrichment. Rather, a mixing process between a component similar to mid ocean ridge basalts and an enriched end-member with ɛNd_i > +5 is suggested. An enriched-mantle source of ocean island basalt affinity is precluded by the relative depletion of high field strength elements, especially Nb which shows negative anomalies in chondrite-normalized patterns. On the contrary, a subduction-related origin for the LILE enrichment would be more consistent. It may be inferred that arc-like melts [enriched in Th and LREE (light rare earth elements) and depleted in Nb, with ɛNd_i > +5] were produced through partial melting of a depleted-mantle source, to which a small amount of crustally derived component had been added. The metarhyolites are enriched in LILE, and have a close genetic relationship with the metabasalts, as evidenced by their high ɛNd_i (from +4.7 to +6.8). Although the chemical evidence remains ambiguous, it is suggested that fractional crystallization, accompanied by subordinate assimilation, is the petrogenetic process most consistent with the data. The trondhjemites are isotopically distinct from the metarhyolites. Their ɛNd_i values (from −1.0 to +2.2) reflect an important contribution of continental crust to their genesis, and disprove their inferred cogenetism with the felsic volcanics. A review of modern environments in which such bimodal suites are exposed, shows that settings involving incipient rifting of a volcanic arc fringing a continental margin, or built upon young, thin continental crust might provide suitable analogues. Geodynamic reconstructions are complicated by subsequent tectonic events which disrupted the initial patterns, and by Mesozoic-Cenozoic sedimentary cover. However, this subduction-related magmatism enlarges the growing body of evidence for southward subduction processes until the Late Devonian during the evolution of the northern flank of the European Variscides. As a general implication, it is suggested that the combined use of the Sm-Nd system with incompatible elements relatively resistant during alteration and low-grade metamorphism (REE, Th, Zr, Nb) may provide diagnostic criteria for recognizing the tectonic setting of bimodal metaigneous suites in ancient orogenic belts. Received: 21 April 1997 / Accepted: 30 June 1997     

Epeirogeny,orogeny and the tectonic development of the Kaapvaal basin,Southern Africa

The Kaapvaal intrageosyncline, one of the oldest cratonic basins of the Precambrian shield areas, offers an almost complete record of deposition and diastrophism that occurred between c. 1,4 and 3,0 Ga B.P. Its tectonic development started after the consolidation of the Early Archaean crustal structure when sequences such as the Pongola, Dominion Reef and Witwatersrand accumulated in a tectonically stable environment between c. 2,4 and 3,0 Ga B.P. This early epeirogenic or platformal stage was followed by a period of deposition of the Ventersdorp, Transvaal and Waterberg-Matsap sequences between c. 1,4 and 2,4 Ga B.P. Gravity-induced deformation which culminated in post-Matsap folding in the northern Cape and in post-Waterberg faulting in parts of the northern Transvaal and Botswana, affected portions of the basin situated close to the boundary of the craton with surrounding mobile belts. In Late Precambrian times the tectonic activity was either insignificant or it was again confined to the marginal zones of the craton (e. g. partial tectonic reactivation of the Lower Proterozoic sequences in the foreland of the Namaqua Mobile Belt between c. 0,9 and 1,25 Ga B.P.).Although the Kaapvaal basin represents an epeirogenic feature, the structure of its marginal parts displays some of the characteristics of orogenic belts (e. g. the linearity of fold structures in the Matsap synclinorium in the northern Cape and its uniform vergence towards the axis of the Waterberg-Matsap basin). However, the deformation of sequences in the Kaapvaal basin was not associated with magma generation, and the metamorphism operative in the basin during the Lower Proterozoic was only of burial type.The depositional and deformational history of the platform cover in the tectonically labile marginal zones of the Kaapvaal Craton is related to the tectonic evolution of the adjoining mobile belts. This can be shown by the example of the Namaqua Belt and its foreland in the northern Cape where continuity of certain geological units and tectonic structures exists across the front of the mobile belt. This continuity, together with the similar timing of the tectonic events in the mobile belt and on the craton, points to a common cause for the broad movements of uplift and subsidence on the craton, and for the profound deformation in restricted zones along its margin and in adjoining mobile belts.

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Zusammenfassung Die Kaapvaal-Intrageosynkline ist eines der ältesten bekannten kratonischen Becken, und ihre Entwicklungsgeschichte kann über einen Zeitraum von 1,6 Milliarden Jahren verfolgt werden.Das Becken entstand in einem früh-epigenetischen oder Plattform-Stadium, als die Pongola-, Dominion-Reef- und Witwatersrand-Schichten vor ca. 3,0 bis 2,4 Milliarden Jahren auf die konsolidierte frühpräkambrische Kruste abgelagert wurden. In einem weiteren Sedimentationszyklus folgten die Ventersdorp-, Transvaal- und Waterberg-Matsap-Schichten vor 2,4 bis 1,4 Milliarden Jahren. Gravitationsfaltung, die ihren Höhepunkt mit der Matsap-Deformation in der nördlichen Kapprovinz erreichte, und Störungsbewegungen im nördlichen Transvaal und in Botswana haben das Becken randlich im Grenzbereich zwischen Kraton und den umgebenden mobilen Zonen beeinflußt. Tektonische Bewegungen im Spätpräkambrium waren entweder unbedeutend oder sie spielten sich wiederum im Randbereich des Beckens ab (z. B. tektonische Rejuvenation von frühproterozoischen Gesteinen im Vorland des Namaqua-Mobile-Belt von ca 0,9 bis 1,25 Milliarden Jahren).Obwohl das Kaapvaal-Becken epirogenen Charakter aufweist, so zeigen doch die Strukturen in seinem Randbereich oft orogene Züge. Die Deformation im Beckeninneren war jedoch nicht von Magmaintrusionen begleitet, und während des Frühproterozoikums wurde die Beckenfüllung lediglich von einer geringen Versenkungsmetamorphose erfaßt.Die Sedimentations- und Deformationsgeschichte der Plattform-Serien im tektonisch labilen Randbereich des Kaapvaal-Kratons ist eng mit der strukturellen Entwicklung in den benachbarten mobilen Zonen verbunden. Dies wird am Beispiel des Namaqua-Mobile-Belt und seines Vorlandes in der nördlichen Kapprovinz gezeigt, wo bestimmte geologische Einheiten und Strukturen vom mobilen Bereich in den kratonischen Bereich verfolgt werden können. Diese Kontinuität und der zeitliche Zusammenhang zwischen Deformation immobile belt und auf dem Kraton deuten auf eine gemeinsame Ursache für die weitgespannten epirogenetischen Bewegungen im Beckenbereich und die orogene Tektonik am Rande des Kratons hin.Der Unterschied zwischen stabilen und mobilen Bereichen ist wahrscheinlich auf unterschiedliche Krustendicke und -stärke zurückzuführen, so daß die gleichen tektonischen (orogenen) Bewegungen einerseits zu alpinotypen Strukturen führen, während sie in starken (d. h. schon verfestigten) Krustenteilen germanotype Verformung und Epirogenese zur Folge haben. Orogene oder epirogene Bewegungen hängen daher entweder von verschiedenartiger tektonischer Beanspruchung benachbarter Krustenteile während eines bestimmten Zeitraumes ab, oder sie spiegeln fundamentale Veränderungen in einem bestimmten Krustenbereich im Laufe seiner Entwicklungsgeschichte wider.Ein Beispiel für den ersten Fall ist die in vorliegender Arbeit beschriebene unterschiedliche Entwicklung des Kaapvaal-Beckens und des benachbarten Namaqua-Mobile-Belt im Frühproterozoikum, während letzterer Fall durch die spätarchaische Kratonisierung des Kaapvaal-Grundgebirges und die nachfolgende Evolution der Kaapvaal-Plattform charakterisiert ist.

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Résumé Le Kaapvaal intragéosynclinal, un des plus vieux bassins cratoniques connus des boucliers précambriens, apporte un record presque complet de sédimentation et de diastrophisme qui apparut entre 1400 Ma et 3000 Ma. Son développement tectonique commença après la stabilisation tectonique de la croûte de l'Archéen moyen quand des séries telles que le Pongola, le Dominion Reef et le Witwatersrand se furent déposées dans un milieu tectoniquement stable entre 2400 Ma et 3000 Ma. Cette époque épéiro-génique précoce fut suivie par la période de sédimentation des séries du Ventersdorp, du Transvaal et du Waterberg-Matsap, entre 1400 Ma et 2400 Ma. Le plissement par gravitation qui culmina avec la déformation de Matsap dans le Nord de la province du Cap et par le décrochement post-Waterberg dans certaines parties du Nord du Transvaal et du Botswana, influença les parties du bassin placées en bordure entre le craton et les zones mobiles qui l'entouraient.L'activité tectonique entre 1400 Ma et 600 Ma fut ou insignifiquante ou à nouveau se limita aux parties marginales du craton (c'est à dire une réactivation tectonique partielle des séries du Protérozoïque inférieur dans l'avant-pays de la zone mobile du Namaqualand, entre 900 Ma et 1250 Ma).Bien que le bassin de Kaapvaal montre un caractère épirogénique, les structures des parties marginales montrent cependant quelques traits caractéristiques pour les ceintures orogéniques. La déformation des séries de l'intérieur du bassin du Kaapvaal ne fut cependant pas accompagnée d'intrusions magmatiques, et pendant le Protérozoïque ancien le comblement du bassin fut affecté seulement d'un léger métamorphisme d'enfouissement.L'histoire de la sédimentation et de la déformation des séries de plateforme dans le domaine marginal tectoniquement labile du craton du Kaapvaal est mis en relation avec l'évolution structurale des zones mobiles voisines. C'est ce que montre l'exemple du «Namaqua Mobile Belt» et de son avant-pays dans la province septentrionale du Cap où s'établit la continuité entre la zone mobile et le craton. Cette continuité, et aussi la liaison dans le temps entre la déformation dans la zone mobile et dans le craton, indiquent une cause commune pour les grands mouvements de soulèvement et de subsidence dans le domaine du bassin et pour la déformation profonde en bordure du craton.La différence entre les domaines stables et mobiles est à rapporter vraissemblablement à des épaisseurs et à des résistances différentes de la croûte, de sorte que les mêmes mouvements tectoniques (orogéniques) d'une part conduisent à des structures alpinotypes, tandis que d'autre part dans les parties de la croûtes suffisamment fortes (c'est-à-dire déjà consolidées) ils ont pour effet une déformation germanotype et une épirogenèse. Les mouvements orogéniques ou épirogéniques ou bien dépendent de sollicitations tectoniques de type différent entre parties de la croûte voisines pendant une durée déterminée, ou bien ils reflètent des modifications fondamentales dans un domaine déterminé de la croûte au cours de son développement historique.Un exemple du premier cas est donné par le développement différentiel, décrit dans le présent travail du bassin du Kaapvaal et de la Ceinture mobile du Namaque, voisine, au cours du Protérozoïque ancien, tandis que le dernier cas est donné par la cratonisation, à la fin de l'Archéen, du socle du Kaapvaal et par l'évolution de la plateforme du Kaapvaal qui l'a suivie.

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Occurrence of an Alaskan-type complex in the Middle Tianshan Massif,Central Asian Orogenic Belt: inferences from petrological and mineralogical studies

The Xiadong mafic–ultramafic complex lies in the central part of the Middle Tianshan Massif (MTM), along the southern margin of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). This complex is composed of dunite, hornblende (Hbl) clinopyroxenite, hornblendite, and Hbl gabbro. These rocks are characterized by adcumulated textures and variable alteration. Orthopyroxene is an extremely rare mineral in all rock units and plagioclase is absent in dunite and Hbl clinopyroxenite. Hbl, Fe-chromite, and Cr-magnetite are common phases. Olivines have forsterite (Fo) contents ranging from 92.3 to 96.6. Clinopyroxenes are Ca-rich, Ti-poor diopsides, and mostly altered to tremolites or actinolites. Chromites display low TiO₂ and Al₂O₃ contents and high Cr# and Fe²⁺/(Fe²⁺ + Mg) values. Primary and secondary Hbls show wide compositional variations. These petrological and mineralogical features as well as mineral chemistry are comparable to typical Alaskan-type complexes worldwide, which are widely considered to have formed above subduction zones. The chemistry of clinopyroxene and chromite supports an arc plate-tectonic origin for the Xiadong complex. Its confirmation as an Alaskan-type complex implies that the MTM, with Precambrian basement, was probably a continental arc during oceanic plate underflow and further supports the hypothesis of southward subduction of the Palaeozoic Junggar Ocean.     

A new interpretation of Stephanian deformation in the Decazeville basin (Massif Central, France): consequences on late Variscan tectonism

Five stages of faulting were observed in and around the Stephanian Decazeville basin, in the SW French Massif Central, at the southern edge of the Sillon houiller fault. The older stage ends during middle Stephanian time, and corresponds to a strike-slip regime with N–S shortening and E–W extension. Before the end of the middle Stephanian, three other stages were recorded: two strike-slip regimes with NW–SE, then E–W compression and NE–SW, then N–S extension; and finally a NNE–SSW extensional regime during the main subsidence of the basin from the end of the middle Stephanian to late Stephanian. Based on mining documents, a new interpretation of the N–S striking folds of the Decazeville basin is proposed. Folding may not be associated with E–W compression but with diapirism of coal seams along syn-sedimentary normal faults during the extensional phase. A last strike-slip regime with N–S compression and E–W extension may be related to Cainozoic Pyrenean orogeny. At a regional scale, it is suggested that from the end of the middle Stephanian to the late Stephanian, the main faults in the Decazeville basin may represent a horsetail splay structure at the southern termination of the Sillon houiller fault.     

Mingling of Immiscible Dolomite Carbonatite and Trachyte in Tuffs from the Massif Central, France

A pyroclastic tuff from the Velay volcanic province in the FrenchMassif Central contains blocks up to 30 cm long of local basementrocks, lava clasts, coarse-grained cumulates and pyroclasticfragments, with more or less diffuse boundaries with the hosttuff, which probably represent more consolidated parts of thetuff. All of the pyroclastics examined and approximately 10%of the cumulate xenoliths contain carbonates in variable amounts,textures and mineralogy. In some of the tuff samples, dolomiteoccurs in large amounts (up to 57%), principally as immiscibleglobules in trachytic melt (now glass), and represents the firstoccurrence of carbonatite reported from the Massif Central.The other carbonates, magnesiosiderite in the mafic cumulatesor occasionally in some tuffs, and calcite in the felsic cumulates,are always associated with a silicate glass of trachytic composition.Coexisting feldspars and carbonates in the various types ofsample are approximately in Sr isotopic equilibrium with aninitial ratio of about 0·7042. C- and O-isotopic compositionsof the carbonates covary and cover a very wide range of compositionfrom -2·9 to 3·9     

Radiometric evidence for an Acadian tectonometamorphic event in Western Massif Central Français

Systematic Rb-Sr determinations on granites and orthogneisses in the Western part of Massif Central Français (Limousin) permit us to say that metamorphism and associated folding occured in this area during the Devonian (between 400 and 350 m.y.) with anatexis stated at 360 m.y. Two premetamorphic magmatic episodes are located in the upper Cambrian-early Ordovician (520-490 m.y.) and in the Ordovician (460-450 m.y.). This should be compared with very similar radiometric results from Rouergue to South Brittany; thus a South Brittany-Limousin-Rouergue axis may be easily related to the acadian part from Appalachian belt.     

Structural analysis of tin-bearing mineralization in Bou El Jaj district (Hercynian Central Massif,Morocco)

The aim of this paper is to characterize the geological setting of tin-bearing mineralization at the Bou El Jaj (BLJ) sector, located in the NE termination of the Moroccan Central Massif, South of Meknes city, along the NE-SW-striking shear zone. The main tin mineralization corresponds to a NNE-SSW altered corridor of tourmaline, about 10 to 12 km long, from BLJ to Achmmach mount. The geological structures are affected by three ductile deformation phases D1, (E-W shortening), D2 (NW-SE shortening), and D3 (N-S shortening), overprinting folds, and one brittle deformation event D4 (NW-SE shortening), which was synchronous with alteration and mineralization. The tourmaline-altered sediments occur in two parallel veins, about 2.5 km long and 200 m wide for each one, and are controlled by structures such as bedding, main cleavage, thrusts, and joints. Tin mineralization as cassiterite is always associated with tourmaline alteration and is controlled by the different structures.     

Thermobarometry and granite genesis: the Hercynian low-P, high-T Velay anatectic dome (French Massif Central)

The Velay dome (French Massif Central) offers a quasi-continuous section across an anatectic domain comprising low- to high-grade schists, gneisses and granites. Two main tectonometamorphic events, and their related generation of granitic material, were recognized in addition to a major Barrrovian tangential event (D2) attributed to intracontinental collision tectonics: (i) a medium- to low- P , high- T event (D3) which gave rise to migmatites and syntectonic monzonitic granites and granodiorites, and (ii) a widespread melting event (D4) which led to the generation of migmatities, the Velay granite and post-anatectic granites.
Thermobarometry on samples collected from both the metamorphic envelope and the granitic core distinguishes two distinct geotherms: (i) a first, associated with the D3 event, characterized by P > 5 kbar, T ≤ 750° C and water-present melting (biotite remains stable) which led to large-scale migmatization but minor amount of granites; (ii) a second, associated with the D4 event and characterized by vapour-absent melting ( P = 4–5 kbar, T = 760–850° C) which gave rise to the Velay granites and late-migmatitic granites. The temperature increase during the D4 event is attributed to the intrusion of hot mafic magmas within the crust.
The time-integrated features of the different granitic rocks in the Velay dome can be directly related to a _H2O in the source region and illustrate the progressive dehydration of a middle to lower crustal segment over 60 Ma.     

Strontium and oxygen isotope decoupling in the Hercynian Trois Seigneurs Massif,Pyrenees: evidence for fluid circulation in a brittle regime

Systematic shifts of oxygen isotopic compositions in the higher grade parts of the high temperature-low pressure Hercynian metamorphic sequence, exposed in the Trois Seigneurs Massif, have previously been explained as a result of an influx of surface-derived water during the prograde part of the metamorphic cycle. It has been suggested that this caused a regional lowering of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr in the metamorphic sequence. Mapping of strontium isotopic compositions across a 15 m meta-carbonate horizon in the higher grade pelite-psammite sequence shows that strontium isotopic compositions were homogenised over length scales of metres or less during the Hercynian metamorphism, which brought the carbonate and pelite-psammite to oxygen isotopic equilibrium with a common fluid. Comparison of model pre-Hercynian ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr profiles across the carbonate (based on a depositional/diagenetic age of 450 Ma and initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.7086 given by 10 m length scale averaging) with the post-Hercynian ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr profile (calculated from analysed ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and Rb/Sr compositions) implies strontium isotopic diffusion distances of ca. 0.4 m in the carbonate and ca. 7 m in the pelite-psammite. The limited Sr-isotopic diffusion distance of 0.4–0.7 m within the carbonate is compatible with pervasive oxygen-isotopic exchange over distances restricted to 4–15 m if fluid strontium concentrations were between 4 and 50 ppm. The strontium isotopic transport distances are not compatible with pervasive oxygen isotopic alteration over the observed 5 km regional scale. Either the flow was perfectly layer-parallel or, more probably, the regional-scale alteration of oxygen took place by fluid circulation in the brittle regime early in, or prior to, the Hercynian metamorphic event. Flow along cracks with incomplete diffusive exchange between fluid and wall rock would allow greater decoupling of oxygen and strontium isotopic transport than pervasive advective transport with local fluid-solid equilibrium.     

REE geochemistry of eclogites and associated rocks from Sauviat-sur-Vige, Massif Central, France

Representative samples of metagabbros, eclogites and a garnet peridotite from the Massif de Sauviat-sur-Vige (West Massif Central) have been analyzed for major and trace elements (including REE). The LREE enriched patterns are distinct from those of modern MORB but resemble those of continental or ocean island tholeiites. An intraplate tectoning setting is thus inferred. Geochemical modeling using REE and major element contents suggests that all the rock types might be related genetically by fractional crystallization, and, in some instances, by mixing of cumulates and differentiated liquid as in the case of the garnet peridotite. P, T estimates from microprobe analyses of coexisting garnet-clinopyroxene pairs yield about 820°C, and P > 15 kb for the eclogite facies metamorphism.     

A complex magmatic system beneath the Devès volcanic field,Massif Central,France: evidence from clinopyroxene megacrysts

Clinopyroxene megacrysts and mineral aggregates with clinopyroxene occur in the volcanic deposits at Mont Briançon and Marais de Limagne, which are located in the northern part of the Devès volcanic field (Massif Central, France). The clinopyroxenes can be subdivided into five groups based upon their major and trace element chemistry. Types 1a, 1b and 1c have mg# ～0.80 and are relatively Al-rich and low in Na and Fe³⁺. Subdivision into three groups is based on differing trace element signatures. Type 2 clinopyroxenes have mg# = 0.63–0.65 and higher Na and Fe³⁺ (Fe³⁺/ΣFe > 0.4) contents and may contain apatite inclusions. A type 3 megacryst is Fe-rich (mg# = ～0.52) and has the highest Na and Fe³⁺ contents, as well as containing titanite and apatite inclusions. High Fe³⁺ contents in all clinopyroxenes investigated emphasises the need to consider Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ when assessing the petrologic origin of such megacrysts. The large range in mg# means that the clinopyroxenes could not all have crystallised from the same melt; in fact comparison with the basanitic host lavas from the two localities reveal that nearly all of the megacrysts are xenocrystic in the strict sense. The clinopyroxenes are mostly genetically related, having crystallised from related melts within the magmatic system that had undergone various degrees of differentiation. Similarities in clinopyroxene chemistry indicate that both volcanic centres are linked to the same magmatic system at depth. Assessing the depth of crystallisation reveals that types 1a and 1b formed in the lithospheric mantle, near the asthenosphere–lithosphere boundary, whereas types 1c, 2 and 3 formed in crustal magma chambers or conduits. Eruption was induced by a pulse of Mg-rich magma from the asthenosphere that entered the existing magmatic system, entraining clinopyroxene as megacrysts at several stages of ascent, before erupting at the surface. The style of eruption at Mont Briançon (cinder cone) and Marais de Limagne (maar) is different and most likely reflects local differences in near-surface hydrology. The essentially identical variety in megacrysts at the two localities suggests that eruption must have been nearly contemporaneous.