Petrological imaging of an active pluton beneath Cerro Uturuncu,Bolivia

Uturuncu is a dormant volcano in the Altiplano of SW Bolivia. A present day ~70 km diameter interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) anomaly roughly centred on Uturuncu’s edifice is believed to be a result of magma intrusion into an active crustal pluton. Past activity at the volcano, spanning 0.89 to 0.27 Ma, is exclusively effusive and almost all lavas and domes are dacitic with phenocrysts of plagioclase, orthopyroxene, biotite, ilmenite and Ti-magnetite plus or minus quartz, and microlites of plagioclase and orthopyroxene set in rhyolitic groundmass glass. Plagioclase-hosted melt inclusions (MI) are rhyolitic with major element compositions that are similar to groundmass glasses. H₂O concentrations plotted versus incompatible elements for individual samples describe a trend typical of near-isobaric, volatile-saturated crystallisation. At 870 °C, the average magma temperature calculated from Fe–Ti oxides, the average H₂O of 3.2 ± 0.7 wt% and CO₂ typically <160 ppm equate to MI trapping pressures of 50–120 MPa, approximately 2–4.5 km below surface. Such shallow storage precludes the role of dacite magma emplacement into pre-eruptive storage regions as being the cause of the observed InSAR anomaly. Storage pressures, whole-rock (WR) chemistry and phase assemblage are remarkably consistent across the eruptive history of the volcano, although magmatic temperatures calculated from Fe–Ti oxide geothermometry, zircon saturation thermometry using MI and orthopyroxene-melt thermometry range from 760 to 925 °C at NNO ± 1 log. This large temperature range is similar to that of saturation temperatures of observed phases in experimental data on Uturuncu dacites. The variation in calculated temperatures is attributed to piecemeal construction of the active pluton by successive inputs of new magma into a growing volume of plutonic mush. Fluctuating temperatures within the mush can account for sieve-textured cores and complex zoning in plagioclase phenocrysts, resorption of quartz and biotite phenocrysts and apatite microlites. That Fe–Ti oxide temperatures vary by ~50–100 °C in a single thin section indicates that magmas were not homogenised effectively prior to eruption. Phenocryst contents do not correlate with calculated magmatic temperatures, consistent with crystal entrainment from the mush during magma ascent and eruption. Microlites grew during ascent from the magma storage region. Variability in the proportion of microlites is attributed to differing ascent and effusion rates with faster rates in general for lavas >0.5 Ma compared to those <0.5 Ma. High microlite contents of domes indicate that effusion rates were probably slowest in dome-forming eruptions. Linear trends in WR major and trace element chemistries, highly variable, bimodal mineral compositions, and the presence of mafic enclaves in lavas demonstrate that intrusion of more mafic magmas into the evolving, shallow plutonic mush also occurred further amplifying local temperature fluctuations. Crystallisation and resorption of accessory phases, particularly ilmenite and apatite, can be detected in MI and groundmass glass trace element covariation trends, which are oblique to WRs. Marked variability of Ba, Sr and La in MI can be attributed to temperature-controlled, localised crystallisation of plagioclase, orthopyroxene and biotite within the evolving mush.     

The petrogenesis of granitoid rocks unusually rich in apatite in the Western Tatra Mts. (S-Poland, Western Carpathians)

In the bottom part of the tongue-shaped, layered granitoid intrusion, exposed in the Western Tatra Mts., apatite-rich granitic rocks occur as pseudo-layers and pockets between I-type hybrid mafic precursors and homogeneous S-type felsic granitoids. The apatite-rich rocks are peraluminous (ASI?=?1.12–1.61), with P₂O₅ contents ranging from 0.05 to 3.41 wt.% (<7.5 vol.% apatite), shoshonitic to high-K calc-alkaline. Apatite is present as long-prismatic zoned crystals (Ap₁) and as large xenomorphic unzoned crystals (Ap₂). Ap₁ apatite and biotite represent an early cumulate. Feldspar and Ap₂ textural relations may reflect the interaction of the crystal faces of both minerals and support a model based on local saturation of (P, Ca, F) versus (K, Na, Al, Si, Ba) in the border zones. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns for the apatite rocks and for pure apatite suggest apatite was a main REE carrier in these rocks. Minerals characteristics and the whole rock chemistry suggest both reduced S-type and I-type magma influenced the apatite-rich rocks. The field observations, mineral and rock chemistry as well as mass-balance calculations point out that the presence of apatite-rich rocks may be linked to the continuous mixing of felsic and mafic magmas, creating unique phosphorus- and aluminium-rich magma portions. Formation of these rocks was initially dominated by the complex flowage-controlled and to some extent also gravity-driven separation of early-formed zoned minerals and, subsequently, by local saturation in the border zones of growing feldspar and apatite crystals. Slow diffusion in the phosphorus-rich magma pockets favoured the local saturation and simultaneous crystallization of apatite and feldspars in a crystal-ladden melt.     

Magma evolution beneath Bequia,Lesser Antilles,deduced from petrology of lavas and plutonic xenoliths

Extrusive and intrusive igneous rocks represent different parts of a magmatic system and ultimately provide complementary information about the processes operating beneath volcanoes. To shed light on such processes, we have examined and quantified the textures and mineral compositions of plutonic and cumulate xenoliths and lavas from Bequia, Lesser Antilles arc. Both suites contain assemblages of iddingsitized olivine, plagioclase, clinopyroxene and spinel with rare orthopyroxene and ilmenite. Mineral zoning is widespread, but more protracted in lavas than xenoliths. Plagioclase cores and olivine have high anorthite (An?≤?98) and low forsterite (Fo?≤?84) compositions respectively, implying crystallisation from a hydrous mafic melt that was already fractionated. Xenolith textures range from adcumulate to orthocumulate with variable mineral crystallisation sequences. Textural criteria are used to organize the xenoliths into six groups. Amphibole, notably absent from lavas, is a common feature of xenoliths, together with minor biotite and apatite. Bulk compositions of xenoliths deviate from the liquid line of descent of lavas supporting a cumulate origin with varying degrees of reactive infiltration by evolved hydrous melts, preserved as melt inclusions in xenolith crystals. Volatile saturation pressures in melt inclusions indicate cumulate crystallization over a 162–571 MPa pressure range under conditions of high dissolved water contents (up to 7.8 wt% H₂O), consistent with a variety of other thermobarometric estimates. Phase assemblages of xenoliths are consistent with published experimental data on volatile-saturated low-magnesium and high-alumina basalts and basaltic andesite from the Lesser Antilles at pressures of 200–1000 MPa, temperatures of 950–1050 °C and dissolved H₂O contents of 4–7 wt%. Once extracted from mid-crustal mushes, residual melts ascend to higher levels and undergo H₂O-saturated crystallization in shallow, pre-eruptive reservoirs to form phenocrysts and glomerocrysts. The absence of amphibole from lavas reflects instability at low pressures, whereas its abundance in xenoliths testifies to its importance in mid-crustal differentiation processes. A complex, vertically extensive (6 to at least 21 km depth) magmatic system is inferred beneath Bequia. Xenoliths represent fragments of the mush incorporated into ascending magmas. The widespread occurrence of evolved melts in the mush, but the absence of erupted evolved magmas, in contrast to islands in the northern Lesser Antilles, may reflect the relative immaturity of the Bequia magmatic system.     

Volatiles contents, degassing and crystallisation of intermediate magmas at Volcan de Colima, Mexico, inferred from melt inclusions

In volatile-saturated magmas, degassing and crystallisation are interrelated processes which influence the eruption style. Melt inclusions provide critical information on volatile and melt evolution, but this information can be compromised significantly by post-entrapment modification of the inclusions. We assess the reliability and significance of pyroxene-hosted melt inclusion analyses to document the volatile contents (particularly H₂O) and evolution of intermediate arc magmas at Volcán de Colima, Mexico. The melt inclusions have maximal H₂O contents (≤4 wt%) consistent with petrological estimates and the constraint that the magmas crystallised outside the amphibole stability field, demonstrating that pyroxene-hosted melt inclusions can preserve H₂O contents close to their entrapment values even in effusive eruptions with low effusion rates (0.6 m³ s^?1). The absence of noticeable H₂O loss in some of the inclusions requires post-entrapment diffusion coefficients (≤1 × 10^?13 m² s^?1) at least several order of magnitude smaller than experimentally determined H⁺ diffusion coefficient in pyroxenes. The H₂O content distribution is, however, not uniform, and several peaks in the data, interpreted to result from diffusive H₂O reequilibration, are observed around 1 and 0.2 wt%. H₂O diffusive loss is also consistent with the manifest lack of correlations between H₂O and CO₂ or S contents. The absence of textural evidence supporting post-entrapment H₂O loss suggests that diffusion most likely occurred via melt channels prior to sealing of the inclusions, rather than through the host crystals. Good correlation between the melt inclusion sealing and volcano-tectonic seismic swarm depths further indicate that, taken as a whole, the melt inclusion population accurately records the pre-eruptive conditions of the magmatic system. Our data demonstrate that H₂O diffusive loss is a second-order process and that pyroxene-hosted melt inclusions can effectively record the volatile contents and decompression-induced crystallisation paths of vapour-saturated magmas.     

Intrusion of basaltic magma into a crystallizing granitic magma chamber: The Cordillera del Paine pluton in southern Chile

The Cordillera del Paine pluton in the southernmost Andes of Chile represents a deeply dissected magma chamber where mafic magma intruded into crystallizing granitic magma. Throughout much of the 10x15 km pluton, there is a sharp and continuous boundary at a remarkably constant elevation of 1,100 m that separates granitic rocks (Cordillera del Paine or CP granite: 69–77% SiO₂) which make up the upper levels of the pluton from mafic and comingled rocks (Paine Mafic Complex or PMC: 45–60% SiO₂) which dominate the lower exposures of the pluton. Chilled, crenulate, disrupted contacts of mafic rock against granite demonstrate that partly crystallized granite was intruded by mafic magma which solidified prior to complete crystallization of the granitic magma. The boundary at 1,100 m was a large and stable density contrast between the denser, hotter mafic magma and cooler granitic magma. The granitic magma was more solidified near the margins of the chamber when mafic intrusion occurred, and the PMC is less disrupted by granites there. Near the pluton margins, the PMC grades upward irregularly from cumulate gabbros to monzodiorites. Mafic magma differentiated largely by fractional crystallization as indicated by the presence of cumulate rocks and by the low levels of compatible elements in most PMC rocks. The compositional gap between the PMC and CP granite indicates that mixing (blending) of granitic magma into the mafic magma was less important, although it is apparent from mineral assemblages in mafic rocks. Granitic magma may have incorporated small amounts of mafic liquid that had evolved to >60% SiO₂ by crystallization. Mixing was inhibited by the extent of crystallization of the granite, and by the thermal contrast and the stable density contrast between the magmas. PMC gabbros display disequilibrium mineral assemblages including early formed zoned olivine (with orthopyroxene coronas), clinopyroxene, calcic plagioclase and paragasite and later-formed amphibole, sodic plagioclase, mica and quartz. The early formed gabbroic minerals (and their coronas) are very similar to phenocrysts in late basaltic dikes that cut the upper levels of the CP granite. The inferred parental magmas of both dikes and gabbros were very similar to subalkaline basalts of the Patagonian Plateau that erupted at about the same time, 35 km to the east. Mafic and silicic magmas at Cordillera del Paine are consanguineous, as demonstrated by alkalinity and trace-element ratios. However, the contemporaneity of mafic and silicic magmas precludes a parent-daughter relationship. The granitic magma most likely was derived by differentiation of mafic magmas that were similar to those that later intruded it. Or, the granitic magma may have been contaminated by mafic magmas similar to the PMC magmas before its shallow emplacement. Mixing would be favored at deeper levels when the cooling rate was lower and the granitic magma was less solidified.     

Kimberlite emplacement and mantle sampling through time at A154N kimberlite volcano,Diavik Diamond Mine: lessons from the deep

The Diavik Diamond Mine in the NWT of Canada has produced in excess of 100 million carats from 3 kimberlite pipes since mining commenced in 2002. Here, we present new findings from deep (>400 m below surface) mining, sampling and drilling work in the A154N kimberlite volcano that require a revision of previous geological and emplacement models and provide a window into how the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) below Diavik was sampled by kimberlite magmas through time. Updated internal geological models feature two volcanic packages interpreted to represent two successive cycles of explosive eruption followed by active and passive sedimentation from a presumed crater-rim, both preceded and followed by intrusions of coherent kimberlite. Contact relationships apparent among the geological units allow for a sequential organization of as many as five temporally-discrete emplacement events. Representative populations of mantle minerals extracted from geological units corresponding to four of the emplacement events at A154N are analyzed for major and trace elements, and provide insights into the whether or not kimberlites randomly sample from the mantle. Two independent geothermometers using clinopyroxene and garnet data indicate similar source depths for clinopyroxenes and G9 garnets (130–160 km), and suggest deeper sampling with time for both clinopyroxene and garnets. Harzburgite is limited to 110–160 km, and appears more prevalent in early, low-volume events. Variable ratios of garnet parageneses from the same depth horizons suggest random sampling by passing magmas, but deeper garnet sampling through time suggests early preferential sampling of shallow/depleted SCLM. Evaluations of Ti, Zr, Y and Ga over the range of estimated depths support models of the SCLM underlying the central Slave terrane.

     

Deep pre-eruptive storage of silicic magmas feeding Plinian and dome-forming eruptions of central and northern Dominica (Lesser Antilles) inferred from volatile contents of melt inclusions

Volatiles contribute to magma ascent through the sub-volcanic plumbing system. Here, we investigate melt inclusion compositions in terms of major and trace elements, as well as volatiles (H₂O, CO₂, SO₂, F, Cl, Br, S) for Quaternary Plinian and dome-forming dacite and andesite eruptions in the central and the northern part of Dominica (Lesser Antilles arc). Melt inclusions, hosted in orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and plagioclase are consistently rhyolitic. Post-entrapment crystallisation effects are limited, and negligible in orthopyroxene-hosted inclusions. Melt inclusions are among the most water-rich yet recorded (≤?8 wt% H₂O). CO₂ contents are generally low (<?650 ppm), although in general the highest pressure melt inclusion contain the highest CO₂. Some low-pressure (<?3 kbars) inclusions have elevated CO₂ (up to 1100–1150 ppm), suggestive of fluxing of shallow magmas with CO₂-rich fluids. CO₂-trace element systematics indicate that melts were volatile-saturated at the time of entrapment and can be used for volatile-saturation barometry. The calculated pressure range (0.8–7.5 kbars) indicates that magmas originate from a vertically-extensive (3–27 km depth) storage zone within the crust that may extend to the sub-Dominica Moho (28 km). The vertically-extensive crustal system is consistent with mush models for sub-volcanic arc crust wherein mantle-derived mafic magmas undergo differentiation over a range of crustal depths. The other volatile range of composition for melt inclusions from the central part is F (75–557 ppm), Cl (1525–3137 ppm), Br (6.1–15.4 ppm) and SO₂ (<?140 ppm), and for the northern part it’s F (92–798 ppm), Cl (1506–4428 ppm), Br (not determined) and SO₂ (<?569; one value at 1015 ppm). All MIs, regardless of provenance, describe the same Cl/F correlation (8.3?±?2.7), indicating that the magma source at depth is similar. The high H₂O content of Dominica magmas has implications for hazard assessment.     

Water,restite and granite mineralisation

Dehydration (vapour absent) partial melting reactions in the Earth's crust produce a hydrous granitic melt phase, new anhydrous minerals that are mostly pyroxenes, and new plagioclase more calcic than the initial plagioclase. These solid phases of the melt reaction are restite. If the restite is carried to high levels in the crust as a component of the magma, cooling and crystallisation to granite will result in back reactions in which the H₂O in the melt phase is consumed and is not then available to form a hydrothermal solution. Even in magmas in which some restite has been removed there will be some back reaction and again less H₂O. Only fractional crystallisation will enrich the H₂O in the magma in sufficient amounts to form a substantial quantity of hydrothermal solution and possible mineralisation.     

Highly fractionated I-type granites in NE China (I): geochronology and petrogenesis

Northeastern (NE) China is the easternmost part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), which is celebrated for its accretionary tectonics and the world's most important juvenile crust production in the Phanerozoic era. Abundant granitoids occur in the Great Xing'an, Lesser Xing'an and Zhangguangcai Ranges in NE China. This paper presents partial results of a series of studies on the granitoids from this region, aiming to understand their role in the building of new continental crust in eastern Asia. Three composite granite plutons (Xinhuatun, Lamashan and Yiershi) were chosen for geochemical and isotopic study in order to determine their emplacement ages and petrogenesis. Petrographically, they range from granodiorite (minor), monzogranite, syenogranite to alkali-feldspar granite. Quartz and perthitic feldspar are principal phases, accompanied by minor amounts of plagioclase, biotite (<5%) and other accessory minerals. In addition, many contain abundant miarolitic cavities which suggest that they were emplaced at shallow levels with extensive fractional crystallization. Geochemically, the granites are silica-rich, peraluminous and have high contents of alkalis. They invariably show enrichment in light rare earth elements (LREE) and significant negative Eu anomalies. All the granitic rocks demonstrate the characteristic negative anomalies in Ba, Nb, Sr, P, Eu, and Ti, and a positive anomaly in Pb in the spidergram.

The emplacement of the Xinhuatun pluton took place at 184±4 Ma as revealed by zircon SHRIMP U–Pb data. This is also supported by the slightly younger Rb–Sr whole-rock (WR) isochron age of 173±3 Ma. A whole-rock (WR) Rb–Sr isochron age of 154±3 Ma was obtained for the Lamashan pluton, which is interpreted as close to the time of emplacement. The Yiershi pluton was intruded at about 140 Ma as evidenced by a zircon U–Pb age of 137±2 Ma and WR Rb–Sr isochron age of 143±5 Ma. Biotite-WR Rb–Sr isochrons and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages of feldspars allow us to estimate the cooling rate of each pluton.

Geochemical data suggest that the rocks are highly fractionated I-type granites. Fractionation of biotite and feldspars was the principal process of magmatic differentiation and responsible for major element variation. Rb, Sr and Ba concentrations were controlled by feldspar separation, whereas REE elements were fractionated by accessory minerals, such as apatite, allanite and monazite.     

Petrogenesis of ca 1.50 Ga granitic gneiss of the Coompana Block: filling the ‘magmatic gap’ of Mesoproterozoic Australia

The Coompana Block is an essentially unknown basement province that separates the Gawler Craton of South Australia from the Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia. Previously unstudied granitic gneiss intersected by deep drilling in the Coompana Block represents an important period of within-plate magmatism during a time of relative magmatic quiescence in the Australian Proterozoic. Granitic gneiss intersected at ～1500 m depth in Mallabie 1 diamond drillhole is metaluminous and dominantly granodioritic in composition. The granodiorites have distinctive A-type chemistry characterised by high contents of Zr, Nb, Y, Ga, LREE with low Mg#, Sr, CaO and HREE. U – Pb LA-ICPMS dating of magmatic zircons provides an age of 1505 ± 7 Ma, interpreted as the crystallisation age of the granite protolith. ? _Nd values are high with respect to exposed crust of the Musgrave Province and Gawler Craton, and range from +1.2 to +3.3 at 1.5 Ga. The granitic gneiss is interpreted to be a fractionated melt of a mantle-derived parental melt. The tectonic environment into which the precursor granite was emplaced is not clear. One possibility is emplacement within an extensional environment. Regardless, the granitic gneiss intersected in Mallabie 1 represents magmatic activity during the ‘Australian Mesoproterozoic magmatic gap’ of ca 1.50 – 1.35 Ga, and is a possible source for ca 1.50 detrital zircons found in sedimentary rocks of Tasmania and Antarctica, and metasedimentary rocks of the eastern Musgrave Province.     

某些花岗岩中稀土元素赋存状态的研究

通过邓阜仙、老牛山和石家湾花岗岩稀土元素与主要氧化物之间逐步回归分析,认为岩石中稀土元素含量的变化主要和CaO成正相关关系。在此基础上,对富Ca矿物中稀土元素赋存能力的研究及有关岩体实际资料的分析表明,稀土元素主要赋存于榍石、褐帘石、磷灰石和锆石等副矿物中,并且这些副矿物的含量和组合特点的变化,基本上反映了岩石中稀土元素含量和配分型式的变化。这一研究,对探讨岩体的成因和演化具有重要意义。     

A granite–gabbro complex from Madagascar: constraints on melting of the lower crust

The Ranomandry Complex is a Neoproterozoic, nested intrusion from central Madagascar composed of a gabbroic core within a coeval peraluminous granite ring intruding pelitic metasediments. Although xenocryst entrainment and magma mixing have both contributed to marginal phases of the granite, the primary melt is characterised by steep LREE/HREE ratios and negligible, or slightly positive, Eu anomalies. Both isotopic and trace element systematics preclude an origin from either partial melting of the metapelitic country rock or from fractional crystallisation of the gabbroic magma. However, trace-element modelling suggests an origin from the dehydration melting of a plagioclase-poor, garnet-bearing metagreywacke at temperatures of 850–900 °C and at lower crustal pressures (>10 kbar). Melting of an enriched subcontinental mantle generated gabbroic magmas that caused advective heating and anatexis at the base of thickened continental crust during their ascent. Transport of the resulting granite magma was facilitated by the pre-existing plumbing system that overcame thermal and mechanical problems associated with both diapirism and self-propagating dykes as mechanisms for long-distance transport of granite magmas. The nested geometry of the intrusions is an indication of a structurally homogeneous lower crust that contains no pre-existing shear zones or fault systems.     

Tectono–Magmatic Evolution and Metallogenesis along the Northeast Jiangxi Deep Fault, China

Abstract: From the southernmost part of Jiangsu province to the northeastern part of Jiangxi province, China, the Northeast Jiangxi Deep Fault runs for about 400 km length with a width of 30 to 40 km. This fault marks the suture zone of two ter-ranes of Proterozoic age. At the both sides of the fault, Yanshanian granitic activity is recognized. That is, the Dexing-Wuyuan porphyry belt on the NW side of the fault, and the Damaoshan-Lingshan granite belt on the SE side. The former activity is characterized by the occurrence of small stocks of granodioritic composition, rich in siderophile elements but poor in LIL elements. No distinct Eu anomaly is recognized in the REE pattern, and a low initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio is reported. Magnetite, sphene and apatite are observed as accessory minerals. On the contrary, granitic activity on the SE side of the fault is characterized by the occurrence of composite batholiths, in general of granitic to monzogranitic composition, rich in LIL and alkali elements but poor in siderophile and alkali earth elements. A strong Eu anamaly is recognized in the REE pattern, and initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios are as high as 0. 716. Fluorite, zircon and REE minerals are observed as accessory minerals. These two contrasting granitic activities are refered to as syntexis– and transformation–types, respectively, following the classification commonly used in China, and have similar petrochemical characteristics to those defined for the magnetite– and ilmenite–series, and I– and S-type granitoids. Considering that the above igneous activity occurred far from the supposed subduction zone along the East Coast of China, intracontinental A-type (continent to continent) subduction is proposed to have occurred northwestwards along the NE Jiangxi Deep Fault during Yanshanian time due to a strong compressional stress from SE to NW. A-type subduction introduced the continental slab to some depth, and resulted in the production of the paired granitic activity observed on both sides of the fault. Many mineral deposits are associated with both granitic belts. In the Dexing-Wuyuan porphyry belt, the Dexing porphyry Cu and Yinshan polymetallic deposits are representative, whereas in the Damaoshan-Lingshan granite belt, several tens of rare metal deposits are known such as the Geyuan Nb–Ta–W–Sn deposits. Metal assemblages of those deposits reflect the source materials of magmas in both granitic belts.     

Paleoenvironmental significance of aluminum phosphate-sulfate minerals in the upper Cretaceous ooidal ironstones,E-NE Aswan area,southern Egypt

Aluminum phosphate-sulfate (APS) minerals are present as small, disseminated crystals in the upper Cretaceous shallow marine ooidal ironstones, E-NE Aswan area, southern Egypt. Their association with the ironstones is considered as a proxy of subaerial weathering and post-diagenetic meteoric water alteration. The mineralogical composition of the ooidal ironstones was investigated by optical and scanning electron microscopes, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy. The ooidal ironstones are composed mainly of ooids and groundmass, both of which consist of a mixture of detrital (quartz) and diagenetic (fluorapatite, chamosite and pyrite) mineral assemblages. These mineral assemblages are destabilized under acidic and oxidizing, continental conditions. These conditions resulted from the oxidation of pyrite and probably organic matter under warm and humid, tropical climate followed the Santonian Sea regression and subaerial exposure. These pedogenic conditions promoted corrosion of quartz, dissolution of chamosite and apatite and hydrolysis of feldspars of the nearby exposed granitoids. The released Si, Al and Sr from quartz, chamosite and feldspars; Fe and S from pyrite and P, Ca and light rare earth elements (LREE) from apatite are reprecipitated as hematite, kaolinite, apatite and APS minerals from the pore fluids or along fractures. The paragenetic sequence and textural relationships of this post-diagenetic mineral assemblage indicate that hematite was formed by replacement of chamosite followed by formation of a secondary generation of pore filling chlorapatite and APS minerals and finally the precipitation of kaolinite in the remaining pore spaces. The formation of APS minerals and chlorapatite is simultaneous, but APS minerals are stable at shallow depths under acidic to neutral pH conditions, whereas chlorapatite is stable under alkaline pH conditions. Alkaline conditions were maintained at greater depths when the infiltrated acidic fluids reacted with chamosite. The APS minerals display a homogeneous chemical composition in all ironstone locations in Aswan area, corresponding to a solid solution between crandallite (CaAl₃(PO₄)₂(OH)₅·H₂O), goyazite (SrAl₃(PO₄)₂(OH)₅·H₂O), svanbergite (SrAl₃(PO₄)(SO₄)(OH)₆) and woodhouseite (CaAl₃(PO₄)(SO₄)(OH)₆) end-members. The variations in the APS mineral chemistry (AB₃(XO₄)₂(OH)₆) are essentially due to variable substitutions of Sr and LREE for Ca at the A site and limited S for P at the X site. The spatial distribution of APS minerals and their composition in the ooidal ironstones of Aswan area permitted to consider them as good tracers of physicochemical and paleoenvironmental changes, in particular those associated with subaerial exposure and pedogenesis. The post-diagenetic phosphatization and kaolinization of the Aswan ironstones decrease their economic potentiality; thus, understanding paragenetic sequence and textural relationships is essential for the iron ore beneficiation.     

REE Mineralization of Weathered Crust and Clay Sediment on Granitic Rocks in the Sanyo Belt,SW Japan and the Southern Jiangxi Province,China

Rare earth element (REE) geochemistry and mineralogy have been studied in the weathered crusts derived from the Early Yanshanian (Jurassic) biotite granites of Dabu and Dingnan, as well as in the Indosinian (Permian) muscovite–biotite granite of Aigao in southern Jiangxi province, China, and the weathered crusts and clay sediments on biotite granites in the Sanyo belt, SW Japan, that is, Okayama, Tanakami, and Naegi areas. In all of the weathered crusts, biotite and plagioclase commonly tend to decrease toward the upper part of the profile, whereas kaolinite and residual quartz and K‐feldspar increase. The weathered crusts of the Dingnan granites and some Naegi granites, which are characterized by the enrichment in light REE (LREE) in C horizons, have higher total REE (ΣREE) content than the parent REE‐enriched granites. Weathering of LREE‐bearing apatite and fluorocarbonates in the Dingnan granites and allanite and apatite in some Naegi granites may account for the leaching of LREE at the B horizons. The leached LREE must result in subsequent enrichment of LREE in the C horizons. The enrichment is probably associated with mainly adsorption onto kaolinite and partly formation of possible secondary LREE‐bearing minerals. In Japan it was found that REE mineralization occurs not in the weathered granitic crusts but in reworked clay sediments, especially kaolinite‐rich layers, derived mainly from the weathering materials of REE‐enriched granitic rocks. The clay sediments are more enriched in LREE, which likely adsorbed onto kaolinite. Concentration of heavy REE within almost all the weathered crusts and clay sediments, however, may reflect mainly residual REE‐bearing minerals such as zircon, which originated in the parent granitic rocks. The findings of the present study support the three processes for fractionation of the REE during weathering: (i) selective leaching of rocks containing both stable and unstable REE‐bearing minerals; (ii) adsorption onto clay minerals; and (iii) presence of possible secondary LREE‐bearing minerals.     

Post-orogenic shoshonitic magmas of the Yzerfontein pluton,South Africa: the ‘smoking gun’ of mantle melting and crustal growth during Cape granite genesis?

The post-orogenic Yzerfontein pluton, in the Saldania Belt of South Africa was constructed through numerous injections of shoshonitic magmas. Most magma compositions are adequately modelled as products of fractionation, but the monzogranites and syenogranites may have a separate origin. A separate high-Mg mafic series has a less radiogenic mantle source. Fine-grained magmatic enclaves in the intermediate shoshonitic rocks are autoliths. The pluton was emplaced between 533 ± 3 and 537 ± 3 Ma (LA-SF-ICP-MS U–Pb zircon), essentially synchronously with many granitic magmas of the Cape Granite Suite (CGS). Yzerfontein may represent a high-level expression of the mantle heat source that initiated partial melting of the local crust and produced the CGS granitic magmas, late in the Saldanian Orogeny. However, magma mixing is not evident at emplacement level and there are no magmatic kinships with the I-type granitic rocks of the CGS. The mantle wedge is inferred to have been enriched during subduction along the active continental margin. In the late- to post-orogenic phase, the enriched mantle partially melted to produce heterogeneous magma batches, exemplified by those that formed the Yzerfontein pluton, which was further hybridised through minor assimilation of crustal materials. Like Yzerfontein, the small volumes of mafic rocks associated with many batholiths, worldwide, are probably also low-volume, high-level expressions of crustal growth through the emplacement of major amounts of mafic magma into the deep crust.     

北大别主簿源花岗岩和片麻岩矿物的

对大别造山带北部主簿源中生代花岗岩侵入体及其围岩片麻岩进行了矿物氧同位素分析，同时对同一样品进行了矿物 Rb- Sr内部等时线定年。结果表明，花岗岩和片麻岩矿物的氧同位素温度大小顺序为：角闪石 >磁铁矿 >榍石 >石英 >黑云母 >长石，遵循缓慢冷却条件下扩散控制的氧同位素交换封闭顺序，指示这些岩石没有受到后期热液蚀变的扰动。根据黑云母-长石-磷灰石-全岩内部 Rb- Sr等时线测定，花岗岩的年龄为 (118± 3) Ma，代表了岩浆侵位冷却年龄；片麻岩的年龄为 (122± 1) Ma，代表了片麻岩受大面积燕山期岩浆侵位热烘烤达到高温同位素平衡后的冷却年龄。因此，矿物之间的氧同位素平衡与否 ,能够对矿物 Rb- Sr体系封闭后平衡状态的保存性以及矿物内部等时线定年的有效性予直接制约。     

Petrogenesis of the granitic Donkerhuk batholith in the Damara Belt of Namibia: protracted,syntectonic, short-range,crustal magma transfer

The areally extensive (>5000 km²), syn-tectonic, ca. 520 Ma, mainly S-type Donkerhuk batholith was constructed through injection of thousands of mainly sheet-like magma pulses over 20–25 Myr. It intruded schists of the Southern Zone accretionary prism in the Damara Belt of Namibia. Each magma pulse had at least partly crystallised prior to the arrival of the following batch. However, much of the batholith may have remained partially molten for long periods, close to the H₂O-saturated granite solidus. The batholith shows extreme variation in chemistry, while having limited mineralogical variation, and seems to be the world’s most heterogeneous granitic mass. The Nd model ages of ~2 Ga suggest that Eburnean rocks of the former magmatic arc, structurally overlain by the accretionary wedge, are the most probable magma sources. Crustal melting was initiated by mantle heat flux, probably introduced by thermal diffusion rather than magma advection. The granitic magmas were transferred from source to sink, with minimal intermediate storage; the whole process having occurred in the middle crust, resulting in feeble crustal differentiation despite the huge volume of silicic magma generated. Source heterogeneity controlled variation in the magmas and neither mixing nor fractionation was prominent. However, due to the transpressional emplacement régime, local filter pressing formed highly silicic liquids, as well as felsic cumulate rocks. The case of the Donkerhuk batholith demonstrates that emplacement-level tectonics can significantly influence compositional evolution of very large syn-tectonic magma bodies.     

Mineralogy and geochemistry studies on the Nusab El Balgum granitic batches,South Western Desert,Egypt

Igneous rocks of Nusab El Balgum are formed as an elongated complex mass covering an area of about 4 km?×?12.5 km (50 km²), in the NNE-SSW direction of the Tarfawi-Qena-South Sinai trend, which is a branch of the Trans-African shear zone at the intersection with the Kalabsha fault, which is a branch from Guinean-Nubian lineaments. The continuous reactivation of these two major weakness zones from the late Triassic to recent times has created many generations of the magma batches. The exposed granitic rocks of these batches at Nusab El Balgum were represented by the fresh peralkaline granite (youngest) and hydrothermally altered granites (oldest). The fresh peralkaline granite takes the form of a small stock composed essentially of perthites, quartz, sodic pyroxenes, amphiboles (secondary), and rare albite according to the proportion of presence, respectively. The accessory minerals are zircon, bastnaesite-(Ce), columbite-(Fe), magnetite, barite, and sphalerite. The geochemical study indicated that this granite is peralkaline, ferroan, A-type (specifically belongs to the A1-subgroup), anorogeny, emplaced in a within-plate, and crystallized at relatively shallow depth from the alkali basaltic magma similar to the OIBs. Furthermore, it is enriched in the HFSE (e.g., Th, U, Nb, REE, and Zr). The hydrothermally altered granites are formed as an incomplete ring shape and a small stock. They were formed during the late Cretaceous age and were altered due to the hydrothermal solutions from the continuous reactivation affected weakness zones and the new magmatic batches. The hydrothermally altered granites are extremely rich in HFSE found in the accessory minerals such as zircon (different in shape, size, and contains inclusions of bastnaesite and columbite), columbite-(Fe&Mn), rare gittinsite, pyrochlore minerals (ceriopyrochlore and plumbopyrochlore) carlosbarbosaite, changbaiite, bastnaesite-(Ce), monazite-(Ce), stetindite, cerianite-(Ce), thorite, and uranothorite. These rocks were subjected to many highly superimposed hydrothermal alteration types, including propylitic, sericitic, potassic, silicification, argillic, and Fe-Mn oxy-hydroxides. The hydrothermal solutions with low temperatures and containing F^1? and CO₃^2?, PO₄^3? and H₂O caused redistribution; transportation and redeposition of the HFSE in these rocks, in addition to the clay minerals and K-metasomatism, were formed. The relations between the silicification index (SI?=?SiO₂/(SiO₂ + Al₂O₃) and Zr, Nb, Th, U, LREE, and HREE are positive but they become negative with the K-metasomatism.     

Intrusion and contamination of high-temperature dunitic magma: the Nordre Bumandsfjord pluton, Seiland, Arctic Norway

The Caledonian Nappe Complex of Arctic Norway provides rare insights into the interaction between mafic–ultramafic magmas and the deep continental crust. The Kalak Nappe Complex contains >25,000 km³ of mafic igneous rocks, mostly layered gabbros, making up the 570–560 Ma Seiland Igneous Complex. The complex has been intruded by a series of ultramafic magmatic rocks, including the Nordre Bumandsfjord pluton. Field relationships in this pluton show that extremely fluid, dry, relatively Fe-rich (Fo₈₁) dunite magmas intruded a pile of cumulate gabbros, with block stopping and intrusive brecciation. Diking on scales from mm to metres and extensive melting and assimilation of the gabbros attest to high temperatures, consistent with a 2-km-wide granulite-facies contact aureole. Major- and trace-element trends show that the dunites were progressively contaminated by a cpx-rich partial melt of the gabbros, producing a range of lithologies from dunite through lherzolites to wehrlite. Experimental studies of natural samples at 0.8–1 GPa define the dunite solidus at 1,650–1,700 °C. In the average peridotite, contamination has produced a crystallisation interval of ca 400 °C (1,600–1,200 °C); this would provide large amounts of heat for melting and metamorphism and would maintain the fluidity of the magmas to relatively low T, consistent with field relationships. Thermochemical and dynamic modelling demonstrates that the dunitic primary magmas may represent the last melting of a rapidly ascending diapir of previously depleted subducted oceanic lithosphere. The mafic rocks of the Seiland Complex may already have been extracted from this diapir, and the late dikes of the province may reflect melting of the asthenosphere as the diapir spread out beneath the lithosphere. Ultramafic magmas, abundant in the Archean, may still be more common than usually assumed. However, they would only penetrate to the shallow crust under unusually extensional conditions, where ascent could outpace assimilation.