Les placers à silice ultrapure français : étude gîtologique comparative

The comparative study of two French high-purity silica placers of European class suitable for the electrometallurgy of silicon and ferrosilicon, located at Boudeau and Thédirac, in the Dordogne and Lot departments respectively, indicates strong similarities as regards the sources and the transportation of quartz, as well as a same process of undercover karstification as a determining factor in the formation of the deposits. The main difference lies in the number of the stages necessary to the formation of the trap. This comparative study allows the constitution of dynamic models for the genesis of these economic quartz concentrations. To cite this article: L. Désindes et al., C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

Climate change, patch choice, and intensification at Pont d'Ambon (Dordogne, France) during the Younger Dryas

This paper considers the impact of the Younger Dryas on the prehistoric inhabitants of Pont d'Ambon, a site in the Dordogne region of southwestern France, through an examination of the zooarchaeological remains from this site. An investigation of patch choice indicates that patch choice evenness declines during the Younger Dryas due to increasing local dominance of the grassland patch. Analyses of demographic composition, cutmark frequency, and marrow processing in the wild European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) assemblage suggest intensified rabbit use during this period. This study thus supports the hypothesis that changing climate had significant impacts on the prehistoric inhabitants of Pont d'Ambon. However, the traditional climate hypothesis—that changing climate negatively impacted the availability of larger fauna, forcing a switch to smaller, lower-ranked prey items—is not supported here. The inhabitants of Pont d'Ambon seem to have adapted to changing climate by efficiently exploiting the new species available to them, and possibly, during the Younger Dryas, by intensifying their use of one of these new species, the European rabbit.     

Colloform high-purity platinum from the placer deposit of Koura River (Gornaya Shoriya,Russia)

A microinclusion of colloform high-purity platinum in a grain of platinum-group minerals (PGM) from the alluvial gold-bearing placer deposit in the south of Western Siberia (Russia) was detected and characterized for the first time. It is different in composition, texture, and conditions of formation from high-purity platinum of other regions described in the literature. The main characteristics of investigated high-purity platinum are colloform-layered texture, admixture of Fe (0.37–0.78 wt%), and paragenesis of Cu-rich isoferroplatinum, hongshiite, and rhodarsenide. The PGM grain with high-purity platinum is multiphase and heterogeneous in texture. It is a product of intensive metasomatic transformation of Cu-rich isoferroplatinum (Pt₃(Fe_0.6Cu_0.4)). The transformation was carried out in two stages: 1 – copper stage including three substages (Cu-rich isoferroplatinum, copper platinum and hongshiite); and 2 – arsenic (rhodarsenide). The formation of high-purity platinum was separated in time from the formation of isoferroplatinum and was carried out by precipitation from postmagmatic solutions.     

Native gold in Ti-bearing placers of the Ariadna cluster and its bedrock sources (Primorye region)

Centuries of intense mining of noble metals from placers of the southern Far East has exhausted their reserves. The prospects for increasing the raw material base of the region are connected with complex exogenic deposits, where noble metals play a subordinate role. The study of native gold from Ti-bearing placers spatially and genetically associated with the Ariadna mafic-ultramafic massif located on the right side of the Bol’shaya Ussurka River reveals the placer-forming role of polygenic and polychronous bedrock sources. Mafic-ultramafic rocks yielded cupriferous and mercuric gold; quartz veins with Au-As mineralization likely serve as another source of placers.     

Quaternary stresses revealed by calcite twinning inversion: insights from observations in the Savonnières underground quarry (eastern France)

Calcite samples were extracted both from the rock matrix and the superficial coating of a karstified fault plane of an underground quarry, located in the eastern border of the Paris basin. The karstification is dated as Quaternary. Analysis of mechanical calcite twinning reveals that only the calcite matrix has also undergone a compression trending WNW that can be attributed to the Mio-Pliocene alpine collision. Both coating and matrix have undergone a strike-slip regime with σ₁ roughly trending north–south, that could correspond to the regional present-day state of stress, a strike-slip compression rather trending NNW, modified by local phenomena. To cite this article: M. Rocher et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).     

Confirmation of an interglacial age for the Condat tufa (Dordogne,France) from biostratigraphic and isotopic data

The Condat tufa is a localised deposit, reaching 8.2m in thickness, composed of freshwater carbonates deposited in a complex series of environments which include marsh, spring and stream facies. Five radiocarbon determinations had previously been obtained from different stratigraphic levels within the tufa and had given a consistent series, ranging from 12320 ± 175 BP to 31050 ± 1500BP. Although the youngest two dates, from near the surface of the tufa, had been rejected as being anomalously young, the older dates were regarded as indicating tufa formation during the last cold stage. Biostratigraphic analyses of the molluscan and ostracod faunas, presented here, demonstrate that the tufa formed under fully temperate conditions throughout. The occurrence of certain snails that are either locally extinct (e.g. Belgrandia marginata) or unknown living in western France (e.g. Daudebardia brevipes), together with the geomorphological setting, suggest that the tufa is of interglacial age. New radiocarbon determinations of the Condat tufa all proved to be >33 Ka BP and support this conclusion.     

The protection of karst water resources: the example of the Larzac karst plateau (south of France)

Wide karst plateaus extend in the carbonate rocks of the Grands Causses area, north of Montpellier (south of France). They are surrounded by a hard rock base that feeds important rivers, such as the Tarn River and tributaries, and crosses the plateaus creating deep gorges. The Larzac plateau, the most southern, makes a link with the Mediterranean region. It is traversed by one of the main national roads and another main road under construction from Clermont-Ferrand to Montpellier and Spain. The karst water resource of the plateau, from springs, is used as a water supply for the Millau area (30,000 inhabitants); but it also recharges surface rivers, mainly during the summer and fall when the water level is low, in a region that is well known for water recreation activities, for fish farming and, above all, for sheep farming and Roquefort cheese production. The fundamental question was should the karst and its water resource be fully protected by strict regulations (for example as a nature reservation) in land-use management of the plateau based upon the knowledge of its hydrogeological functioning and its karst structure? Decisions, concerning the ～500-km² area were elaborated from detailed hydrogeological studies, which included natural and artificial tracing, analysis of karst aquifer functioning, landscape analysis, and risk assessment and mapping. Recommendations were proposed to local and regional decision makers to define what were the preferences in terms of water resource protection and water quality restoration. Following such an approach in a karst area is not easy for hydrogeologists or for decision makers. In non-karstic regions, protection zones currently extend over small areas of a few square kilometers, which can be easily placed under the control of a small municipality. In the present example, the main water supplies are two springs that recharge areas that extend respectively over 100 and 110?km². Included are several municipalities, some of which use them for their water supply, whereas others are concerned with pollution risks and land management projects. The recent French Water Act, which considers water as a common heritage, allows for general management by all the users, and it deals with the water and the terrain in which it flows. The regulation tools seem very well suited to karst region management. However, time is needed to educate users and decision makers, and with the help of karst scientists, to work together in a framework that is larger than the usual municipal limits.     

Tectonic history of the Hercynian Armorican Shear belt (Brittany,France)

The Hercynian Armorican belt is made of different tectonic domains separated by large-scale shear zones. One of these domains, Central Brittany, was deformed by regional pervasive dextral strike-slip during Carboniferous times. This paper examines implications that the restoration of ductile strain within Central Brittany has on the deformation history along its boundaries and within adjacent domains. Data used for the analysis include surface structural features and recent deep seismic data. A good consistency is observed between model implications and available geological and structural data. Results lead to a reappraisal of the Carboniferous history of the Armorican belt, including relationships between tectonics, plutonism and basin development. They further emphasize the usefulness of restoration for integrated tectonic analysis of crustal-scale deformation zones.     

A new amber deposit from the Cretaceous (uppermost Albian-lowermost Cenomanian) of southwestern France

A Cretaceous amber deposit has recently been discovered in a quarry of Charente-Maritime (southwestern France), at Cadeuil. This paper presents the sedimentary and palaeoenvironmental settings of the uppermost Albian-lowermost Cenomanian series including the amber deposit. A preliminary analysis of the amber samples reveals diverse fossil arthropods (a few mites and at least 20 insect families within 9 orders), as well as numerous micro-organisms, mainly algae and mycelia. A myceloid colony of bacteria, a flagellate algae and four especially well preserved insects are illustrated (Diptera Dolichopodidae, Diptera Chironomidae, Hymenoptera Parasitica, and Heteroptera Tingidae). The abundance of the limnic micro-organisms is discussed in terms of bloom events. Their relative scarcity in almost all the amber pieces containing fossil arthropods is attributed to differences in the origin of resin: production along trunk and branches for amber with arthropods; production by aquatic roots for amber rich in algae. The absence of pollen and spores in amber is attributed to differences in the respective periods of resin and palynomorph production, which may be related to a seasonal climate during the Albian-Cenomanian transition in Western Europe.     

龙门山塘坝子葛仙山碳酸盐岩外来体的岩溶形态特征和成因(续)

塘坝子葛仙山碳酸盐岩外来体中各种岩溶形态十分丰富。通过对岩溶形态特征的总结和岩溶与地层、构造关系的分析,讨论了外来体的成因,认为外来体是构造作用形成的飞来峰。     

玉林市岩溶塌陷地理信息系统

GIS技术的发展为地质灾害的资料管理、危险性评价及对策研究等提供了有力的支持工具。玉林市岩溶塌陷地理信息系统是以GIS软件—MapInfo为平台，针对岩溶塌陷的特点，用VB语言进行二次开发的集数据管理、分析统计、输出为一体的综合系统。系统中录入了建国以来，玉林市发生的71次岩溶塌陷灾害事件，共414个塌陷坑的详细资料，及30多个与岩溶塌陷有关的其它专题信息。分别归类为岩溶塌陷信息、市政信息、勘探信息、水文气象信息、玉(林)柴(油厂)塌陷子系统等。此外，系统提供了信息查询、制作专题图、统计分析等功能，方便、快捷地为地质灾害管理、城市规划、勘察设计等部门提供服务。     

安徽沙溪斑岩铜（金）矿区闪长斑岩形成机制

沙溪铜（金）矿床是目前长江中下游成矿带中已探明储量最大的斑岩型铜矿床。文章通过对沙溪矿区内闪长斑岩的年代学、全岩化学成分、同位素地球化学等综合研究,探讨了闪长斑岩的形成机制。闪长斑岩的LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb加权平均年龄为128.3±1.5 Ma,属于早白垩世岩浆活动产物。岩石具有富碱（ALK=6.12~7.53 wt%）、富钾、富镁（Mg#=38.99~51.53）、准铝质（A/CNK=0.90~0.99）等特征,属于钙碱性—高钾钙碱性系列岩石;岩石轻稀土元素富集,重稀土元素亏损（LaN/YbN=12.63~17.63）,无明显的Eu异常（δEu=0.84~1.14）;大离子亲石元素（Ba、Sr）和Pb等富集,高场强元素（Nb、Ta、Ti等）亏损。闪长斑岩的全岩(87Sr/86Sr)t值为0.7052~0.7056,εNd(t )值为-6.09~-3.42,(206Pb/204Pb)t值为17.51~18.16、(207Pb/204Pb)t值为15.49~15.63、(208Pb/204Pb)t值为37.57~38.45,表明成岩物质源于壳幔混合。130 Ma左右,平移的郯庐断裂的伸展引发了大规模岩浆作用,来自深部的岩浆沿着郯庐断裂带上侵,并混染了大量的地壳物质,形成了沙溪闪长斑岩及与铜矿有关的石英闪长斑岩。     

西藏甲玛铜多金属矿石榴子石矿物学特征及成因意义

甲玛铜多金属矿主要的工业矿体赋存于矽卡岩中,石榴石矽卡岩是主要的矽卡岩类型,因此,研究石榴子石的矿物学特征及其成因具有重要的意义。本文综合前人研究成果,重点对采于甲玛矿区不同钻孔的、不同空间位置的石榴子石进行了矿石学及电子探针分析研究,并系统对比其矿物学特征。对18个石榴子石测点和项目组其它电子探针分析成果表明,甲玛铜多金属矿的石榴子石均为钙质系列,由贫Ti的钙铁榴石和富Ti、Mg、Mn的钙铝榴石组成。受流体氧逸度的制约,矿区中心以钙铁榴石为主,边缘以钙铝榴石为主,从深部至浅部钙铁榴石含量减少,钙铝榴石含量增加。此外,石榴子石"锯齿状"环带成分暗示了其流体过程的多期多阶段性。     

Genesis of intermediate igneous rocks at the end of the Sveconorwegian (Grenvillian) orogeny (S Norway) and their contribution to intracrustal differentiation

Abundant ferroan, metaluminous granitoids (970–950 Ma) emplaced at the end of the Sveconorwegian collisional orogeny (1130–900 Ma) are dominated by intermediate to silicic compositions with rare mafic facies. Both 73% fractional crystallization of an amphibole-bearing gabbroic cumulate substracted from the parent mafic composition and 30% non-modal batch melting of an amphibolitic source equivalent in composition to the mafic facies produce a monzodioritic liquid with appropriate trace element composition. A better fit is obtained for the partial melting process. Both processes could have occurred simultaneously to produce mafic cumulates and restites. As there is no evidence for large volumes of dense mafic rocks in the Sveconorwegian upper crust, these dense mafic rocks were probably produced in the lower crust. Formation of these granitoids, thus, contributed to the vertical stratification of the Proterozoic continental crust and also to the transfer of water from the lower crust to the surface.     

A new species of Baikuris (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Sphecomyrminae) in mid-Cretaceous amber from France

A new species of the extinct ant genus Baikuris Dlussky, 1987 (Formicidae: Sphecomyrminae) is described and figured from a male preserved in a piece of ∼100 Myr amber from Charentes, in southwestern France. Baikuris maximus sp. nov., is distinguished from other species notably by its larger size, its forewing with vein 2M+Cu absent and vein 3Cu tubular, and the presence of a subpetiolar process. The diagnosis of the genus is emended, and its distribution during the Cretaceous is briefly discussed.     

Molluscan successions from the Holocene tufa of St Germain‐le‐Vasson,Normandy (France) and their biogeographical significance

A detailed molluscan succession from a 10 m thick deposit of Holocene tufa at St Germain‐le‐Vasson, Normandy, provides the most complete record from northern France and has shed new light on the historical biogeography of several species of land snail. The succession has been reconstructed from four profiles and a chronology provided by accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating of charcoal, wood and shell. The onset of tufa formation occurred after 9700±90 yr BP and persisted until 4213±77 yr BP. The tufa appears to have accumulated at a remarkably constant rate (14.4–16.5 cm 100 yr^?1), except for the upper levels, where the rate increases fourfold. The succession has been divided into six local molluscan zones. An early assemblage consisting of ecologically tolerant species and those indicative of marshy grassland is replaced by a sequence of shade‐demanding taxa, reflecting the encroachment of woodland. Shaded conditions persist until the end of the sequence but the most hygrophilous elements decline after 5422±60 yr BP (zone 5), a change also reflected in the tufa lithology by the development of silty grey horizons. Notable species recovered from the tufa include Acicula fusca, Vertigo substriata, V. alpestris, V. moulinsiana (all rare or unknown living in northern France). Hygromia limbata, a twentieth century introduction to Britain, was previously thought to be a relatively recent arrival in northern France, but its record at St Germain shows that it has been present in Normandy since 6500 yr BP. Azeca goodalli, another shade‐demanding species, appeared at St Germain much later, just after 4420±65 yr BP. Several other species present in the tufa, such as Pomatias elegans, no longer live on the site, adding to the evidence for a distributional decline in Normandy and elsewhere. Perhaps the most noteworthy record is that of Leiostyla anglica, between about 8500 yr BP and 5000 yr BP, because this constitutes its only Holocene occurrence from mainland Europe. Following this discovery it seems likely that further Holocene sites with L. anglica may be found along the western seaboard of Europe connecting populations in Iberia with those of the British Isles. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Deep reflection seismic imaging of the internal zone of the South Armorican Hercynian belt (western France) (ARMOR 2/Géofrance 3D Program)

We present results and interpretation of a 72 km long deep seismic reflection profile acquired across the internal zone of the Hercynian belt of South Brittany. The profile is of excellent quality, most of the crust being highly reflective. The “ARMOR 2 South” profile, is correlated with the “ARMOR 2 North” profile that was published in 2003. Correlation of the main subsurface reflections with surface geological and structural data provides important information about the crustal structure that resulted from thickening during Late Devonian and regional-scale extension during Late Carboniferous. In particular, seismics image shows a very high reflectivity zone, lying flat over more than 40 km at about 10–12 km depth. This zone is interpreted as a major zone of ductile crustal thinning.     

Lidryopinae,new byrrhid subfamily from the Lower Cretaceous of France (Coleoptera,Byrrhidae)

The byrrhid subfamily Lidryopinae subfam. nov. is proposed for Lidryops occultus gen. et sp. nov. described from Lower Cretaceous “opaque” amber originated from Archingeay-Les Nouillers, Charente-Maritime, southwest France which was studied using propagation phase contrast X-ray synchrotron microtomography at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (Grenoble). This byrrhid subfamily differs from members of the closely related groups (Chelonariidae, Limnichidae, Dryopidae, Elmidae, Lutrochidae) in the set of characters including the moderately convex dorsum, the subpectinate antennae, the five-segmented tarsi with strongly lobed tarsomeres 1–4, subsecuriform ultimate maxillary and labial palpomeres. An assumption on probable lifestyle of Lidryops occultus gen. et sp. nov. is proposed on the basis of structural peculiarities. A short review of the byrrhid fossil record and its analysis are made.