A geochemical aid to igneous rock type identification in deeply weathered terrain

A technique employing Ti, Zr and Cr to aid in the identification of primary igneous rock type in deeply weathered situations is described. The method is based on Ti/Zr ratio which is little affected either by primary alteration or weathering and adequately defines compositional fields for major igneous rock types. For volcanic rocks Ti/Zr ratios are rhyolite <4< dacite <12< andesite <60< basalt. Ultramafic rocks cannot be discriminated from mafic rocks by Ti/Zr ratio but are generally distinguished by high Cr.     

Evolution of regoliths and landscapes in deeply weathered terrain — implications for geochemical exploration

Thick, commonly lateritic, regoliths are widespread in inter-tropical regions of the world and present particular challenges in exploration. These are best tackled through a sound understanding of the evolution of the landscapes in which they occur. The regoliths formed under humid, warm to tropical conditions and, although they may have been modified by later climatic changes, i.e., to more humid or more arid conditions, many chemical and mineralogical characteristics are retained. These include the geochemical expressions of concealed mineralization. Erosional and depositional processes control the preservation and occurrence of specific regolith units that may be used as sample media and, in turn, target size, element associations and contrast, thereby influencing sampling procedures, analysis and data interpretation. These parameters are best summarized in terms geochemical dispersion models based on the degree of preservation of the pre-existing lateritic regolith. Regolith–landform mapping permits an assessment of the terrain in terms of such models. In relict regolith–landform regimes, in which the lateritic regolith is largely preserved, broad multi-element anomalies in the upper ferruginous horizons (lateritic residuum) can be detected using sample intervals of 1 km or more. In contrast, in erosional regimes, where this material is absent, anomalies in upper saprolite, and the soil and lag derived from it, are more restricted in area and closer sampling intervals, (200×40 m or less) may be necessary. Lag and soil are, generally, ineffective in depositional areas, except where the sediments are very thin (e.g.,<2 m) or overburden provenance can be established. Stratigraphic drilling is necessary to establish whether the overburden overlies a buried lateritic horizon or an erosion surface cut in saprolite. Lateritic residuum remains an excellent sample medium if present, again with widespread haloes, but where it is absent, leaching and the restricted haloes in upper saprolite present formidable problems. Ferruginous saprolite or composites across the unconformity may be effective, but otherwise carefully targeted drilling and sampling through saprolite and saprock may be necessary. Partial extraction analyses have yet to demonstrate significant results except in very specific environments. In arid regions, pedogenic carbonate (calcrete, caliche) may be a valuable sample medium for Au exploration, principally in erosional regimes, and in depositional areas where the overburden is shallow. Sample intervals range from 1 km for regional surveys, through to 100×20 m in prospect evaluation. Saprolite is an essential sample medium in all landform environments, but the restricted halos and possibility of leaching requires that drilling and sampling should be at close intervals.     

A geological assessment of airborne electromagnetics for mineral exploration through deeply weathered profiles in the southeast Yilgarn Cratonic margin,Western Australia

Mineral exploration in regolith-dominated environments is challenging, requiring the development of new technical tools and approaches. When airborne electromagnetics (AEM) is combined with information on stratigraphy, mineralogy, geochemistry, drilling and landscape observations in a geological context, it becomes a powerful approach to describe the architecture of the regolith cover. This has significant implications for mineral exploration in any regolith-dominated terrain (RDT). This research presents two case studies of AEM data, integrated in a geological context for mineral exploration in the Yilgarn craton margin/Albany–Fraser Orogen (AFO).In one of the study sites presented (study site 1: Neale tenement), the availability of AEM data allowed for lateral and vertical extrapolation of the information contained in datasets at specific locations, thereby creating a 2D architectural model for the regolith cover. In addition, it was determined: (1) the total thickness of the regolith cover and its variability (between 2 m and ~ 65 m); (2) that low conductivity transported overburden and silcrete units, with a total thickness between ~ 5 and 45 m, is widely distributed, capping the upper saprolite; and (3) that the silcrete unit varies laterally from being completely cemented to permeable, and that these permeable areas (“windows”) coincide vertically with mineralogical/textural/moisture/salt content changes in the underlying saprolite, resulting in increased conductivity. This has been interpreted as resulting from more intense vertical weathering, and consequently a higher vertical geochemical dispersion of the basement signature towards surface. AEM has been used to assist in identifying and describing the lateral continuity of these “windows” in areas with no direct field observations. Surface geochemical sampling above these permeable areas may deliver more reliable geochemical basement signatures.In the second study site (Silver Lake tenement) the AEM data was strongly influenced by the high conductivity of the hypersaline groundwater. This had a significant effect on the AEM response, resulting in reduced depth penetration and reduced resolution of subtle conductivity contrasts between cover units. Despite this, the AEM data set, combined with geological observations in the area, was able to map the presence and extent of a buried palaeochannel network, the most significant architectural sedimentary feature in the cover. This interpretation allowed for a more efficient drilling campaign to be designed to sample the fresh basement rock suites in the area, by avoiding drilling into palaeochannels.Integrated and constrained by the geological context, the application of AEM conductivity models by geologists is envisioned as one of the most promising tools within the exploration geologist toolbox to understand the architecture of the cover.     

A tectono-geomorphic model of the hydrogeology of deeply weathered crystalline rock: Evidence from Uganda

Deeply weathered crystalline rock forms important aquifers for public water supply throughout low-latitude regions of Africa, South America, and Asia, but these aquifers have considerable heterogeneity and produce low well yields. Aquifers occur in the bedrock and overlying weathered mantle and are the products of geomorphic activity of meteoric water, principally deep weathering and stripping. The fundamental relationship between the hydrogeology and geomorphology of these terrains has, however, remained unresolved. This study demonstrates the ability of a recently developed tectono-geomorphic model of landscape evolution in Uganda to explain the hydrogeological characteristics of two basins, as determined using a combination of textural analysis, slug tests, packer tests, and pumping tests. The geopetal imprint of long-term deep weathering and erosional unloading is identified in the vertical heterogeneity of the fractured-bedrock and weathered-mantle aquifers; horizontal heterogeneity is lithologically controlled. The two units form an integrated aquifer system in which the more transmissive (5–20 m²/d) and porous weathered mantle provides storage to underlying bedrock fractures (transmissivity, T, ≈1 m²/d). The thickness and extent of the more productive weathered-mantle aquifer are functions of contemporary geomorphic processes. The utility of the tectono-geomorphic model, applicable to deeply weathered environments, is that it coherently describes the basin-scale hydrogeological characteristics of these complex terrains. Received, June 1999/Revised, January 2000/Accepted, January 2000     

A proposed method of defining deeply weathered rock units based on regional geological mapping in southwest Queensland

A practical system of defining deeply weathered rock horizons is proposed, using the concept of a profile, defined as the vertical extent of a weathered rock sequence from the initiating land surface or originating surface down to unweathered parent rock. Advantages inherent in this system lie in the strict stratigraphic approach, its applicability to field mapping, and its broad accordance with accepted principles and concepts of the Australian Code of Stratigraphic Nomenclature. Establishment of a reference (type) section for each profile, with formal registration by a central authority, together with validation through publication, are recommended. Profile names, which carry some genetic implications, are distinguished from lithostrati‐graphic units through the use of distinctive map symbols and inclusion of the word profile within profile names. Three weathered rock units (Morney profile, Canaway profile and Curalle silcrete profile), and one altered rock unit (Haddon silcrete) which is believed to be a product of subsurface silicification, are formally defined. Parent rocks of these profiles (Winton and Eyre Formations) are described to demonstrate the nature of weathering and substantiate the recognition of a particular profile. Combinations of parent rock and weathered profile relationships are given to explain regional continuity of these profiles throughout southwest Queensland.     

Electrogeochemical patterns in surface soils - Detection of blind mineralization beneath exotic cover, Thalanga, Queensland, Australia

The problem of using surface geochemical exploration techniques in areas of very thick and electrically conductive weathering residuum is common to much of Australia. At the Elura deposit (New South Wales) a distinct electrogeochemical H⁺ anomaly can be detected in the top few cm of residual soil above about 100 m of conductive residual overburden. In the present paper the results of an investigation of the much more difficult problem of detecting sulfide mineralization beneath thick conductive transported overburden are described.The objective of the study was to demonstrate that sulfide mineralization beneath thick transported overburden can be detected by geochemical patterns in surface soils in the context of an electrogeochemical model of dispersion.The Thalanga massive sulfide deposit in northeast Queensland has at least 4 million tonnes of 15% combined Zn, Pb and Cu. The mineralized horizon lies at the contact between rhyolitic and dacitic rocks of the Cambro-Ordovician Mt. Windsor Volcanics. The deposit is covered by transported cemented Tertiary terrigenous clayey sandstones and grits; these are electrically conductive and vary in thickness from 0 to 70 m.Near-surface soil samples were collected along five traverses normal to the strike of mineralization. The traverses were located to give 0 m, 1 m, 30 m, 50 m, and 70 m overburden thicknesses; there is no known significant mineralization along the last traverse which is assumed to be background, and there is a small gossan where the overburden is absent.Dispersion patterns influenced by electrogeochemical processes should result in relatively low values for ions over massive sulfides with lateral peaks; this has been termed a “rabbit-ear” anomaly. “Rabbit-ear” anomalies in surface soils for H⁺, Cu, and Zn occur over the sulfide zone. The H⁺ pattern is better defined where there is a significant depth of overburden (where the anomaly is about 500 m wide). The Cu anomaly is 300–600 m wide, and the Zn anomaly is 450–675 m wide.Even where the overburden is 50 m thick, anomalous “rabbit-ear” anomalies for H⁺ and Zn are clearly identifiable, but the anomaly for Cu is a single peak of 20 ppm over the hanging wall. It is suggested that the results of this work convincingly demonstrate that at Thalanga surface soil samples may reliably be used to detect massive sulfide deposits - even where they are effectively blind beneath a considerable thickness of transported and conductive overburden. The processes of dispersion are speculated to be diffusion, and it is argued that the pattern-controlling mechanism is electrochemical.     

Shallow landslides in deeply weathered slates of the Sierra de Collcerola (Catalonian Coastal Range, Spain)

Stability conditions in an area located NW of Barcelona (Spain) are discussed. Here, several mass movements were observed, mainly affecting weathered Paleozoic slates. Many of these failures involved slopes cut along recent infrastructures: debris flows, wedge and plane failures, generally surficial, occurred more frequently. After a detailed geological and geomorphologic survey, geomechanic characterization was carried out, according to RMR and SMR classifications. This rating gave a prediction of slope behaviour, in fairly good agreement with the real observed one.

Stability numerical analysis was carried out for the main cut slopes, based upon the Limit Equilibrium Method. First of all, the deterministic factor of safety was computed using the mean values of parameters. After that, a simulation technique based upon the Monte Carlo Method was applied in order to obtain factor of safety distributions. The probability of failure was estimated as P(F<1).

Finally, results from deterministic and probabilistic approaches were compared. The effectiveness of different possible remedial measures was highlighted by means of a sensitivity analysis, which showed that the more important parameters in the study area are the geometrical ones (height, slope and failure plane angles). The final technical solutions adopted are briefly outlined.     

The use of “loam” concentrates in geochemical exploration in deeply weathered arid terrains

This paper reviews some aspects of the use of “loam” (soil) concentrates in geochemical surveys in arid, deeply weathered environments.An orientation survey at a small Ni-Cu-Co prospect in Western Australia has shown that discrimination between mineralized and unmineralized samples could be achieved using Ni, Cu, Co, Cr, Zn, As, Sn, Sc, Ti, Yb and Y in the coarse fraction of heavy concentrates. However, at the same prospect the best contrast for Ni, Cu and Co in surface samples was provided by analysis of the same fraction following a cold ammonium citrate/hydroxylamine hydrochloride digestion.At a nearby, larger prospect, some 54 km² in area, concentrates were separated, by jigging, from bulk soil samples, themselves composites of representative subsamples. Sampling at a density of 4 samples per km² revealed 1–2 km² size anomalies of Cu, Ni, Co, Cr, As and Au which could be related, variously, to known Ni-Cu and Au mineralization.In Botswana, analysis of concentrates, separated by tabling from samples collected at a density of 1 sample per 7.5 km² over an area of 5400 km², identified distinctive geochemical districts. Enhanced values of Au and of Cu-Ni in the concentrates were relatable to known mineralization and the results suggested that there were also Sn-W-Mo-Bi (granitoid) and Au-Pb-Zn-Bi-Sn (volcanogenic) associations which could lead to new prospecting targets. Anomalies of certain elements (for example, Cu in an ultramafic environment) may be more readily detected in surface material by “enrichment indexing” the concentrate data.     

常规物探方法在深部隐伏矿体勘查中的应用——以河北四家井铁铜矿为例

高精度磁测不仅能够发现强磁性铁矿床,亦能对主要控矿容矿构造、地质单元进行划分和圈定;时间域激发极化法,通过中梯普查测量能有效地圈定金属硫化矿床的激电异常,对该异常的激电测深测量,可定性、定量地计算出隐伏矿床的产状、埋深、规模及空间展布特征等.文章阐述了在河北省涞水县四家井铁铜矿深部矿体勘查中采用电、磁法结合的方式取得了较好的地质找矿效果.     

Electrogeochemical extraction technique in the prospecting of buried gold deposits

A new electrogeochemical extraction technique has been used in cooperation with the field paper chromatographic method to determine gold which migrates in ionic form and is deposited on the electrode inserted in the soil. The technique has been tested with encouraging results in several Au areas. The results indicate that distinct Au anomalies can be discovered which have been buried by transported overburden.     

Analysis of a weathered profile on sulfide mineralization at Mugga Mugga, Western Australia

The mineralogy and geochemistry of the massive pyrite-pyrrhotite mineralization, which contains minor magnetite, sphalerite and galena, the weathered profile and surface gossan at Mugga Mugga in Western Australia have been examined. Reactions between amphibolite wall rocks and acid waters from the oxidation of the iron sulfides have resulted in distinct mineralogical zonation of the weathered profile which is further modified near the surface by lateritization. At the base of the weathered zone an opaline chert (Opal-CT) has been precipitated from fluctuations of the water table. A gossanous zone from 25.14–68.80 m with boxworks after massive pyrite is modified by abundant kaolinite, dickite and an alunite-type mineral derived from amphibolite wall rocks, while above 25.14 m both plinthite and mottled clay zones of a laterite profile are evident. Some characteristics of a mature gossan profile – sulfate-phosphate-arsenate near the base, a carbonate zone higher in the profile, and an oxide zone near the surface – overprint the gross zonation.At the interface between sulfide and weathered rock Mg, Ca, K, S, Zn, Cd, Hg, Ba are depleted, As, Sb, Mo, Cr and V contents increase and in the weathered zone, SiO₂, TiO₂, P₂O₅, SO₃, Pb, Zn, Hg, Sb, Co, Ni, W, Ba, Sr and Zr decrease up the profile whilst Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃, CO₂, Cu and As increase. Of the elements associated with the massive pyrite (Pb, Zn, Cu, Ag, As, Cd, Hg, Sb, Co, Ni) anomalous concentrations of Pb, Cu, Ag, As and Sb occur in the surface gossan despite the possibility of complete leaching by highly acidic solutions. These anomalies are similar to those found in gossans over pyrite mineralization elsewhere in the Yilgarn Block.     

Groundwater/surface-water interactions on deeply weathered surfaces of low relief: evidence from Lakes Victoria and Kyoga, Uganda

Little is known of the interactions between groundwater and surface water on deeply weathered landscapes of low relief in the Great Lakes Region of Africa (GLRA). The role of groundwater in sustaining surface-water levels during periods of absent rainfall is disputed and groundwater is commonly excluded from estimations of surface-water balances. Triangulated piezometers installed beside lake gauging stations on Lake Victoria and Lake Kyoga in Uganda provide the first evidence of the dynamic interaction between groundwater and surface water in the GLRA. Stable isotope ratios (²H:¹H, ¹⁸O:¹⁶O) support piezometric evidence that groundwater primarily discharges to lakes but show further that mixing of groundwater and lake water has occurred at one site on Lake Victoria (Jinja). Layered-aquifer heterogeneity, wherein fluvial-lacustrine sands overlie saprolite, gives rise to both rapid and slow groundwater fluxes to lakes which is evident from the recession of borehole hydrographs following recharge events. Darcy throughflow calculations suggest that direct contributions from groundwater to Lake Victoria comprise <1% of the total inflows to the lake. Groundwater/surface-water interactions are strongly influenced by changing drainage base (lake) levels that are controlled, in part, by regional climate variability and dam releases from Lake Victoria (Jinja).     

Metasomatism of a depleted granulite facies terrain in the Arunta Block,central Australia

Geochemical investigations in the Utralanama Block, an intermediate pressure granulite facies terrain in the Arunta Block, central Australia, has revealed several anomalous features, not consistent with the depletion of granitophile components generally considered to accompany granulite facies metamorphism. However, other geochemical features are indicative of depletion. The mean K₂O for the Utralanama Block is exceptionally low relative to most other granulite facies terrains, but Rb contents are comparatively high. Consequently, the mean K/Rb ratio is relatively low for granulite facies terrains as is the mean Ba/Rb ratio, whilst mean K/Sr and Rb/Sr ratios are much higher than usual for such terrains. Only the K/Ba ratio shows equivalent values to depleted terrains elsewhere.Comparison of these ratios for the three main compositional groups of rocks in the Utralanama Block reveals that for mafic rocks all the above ratios are characteristic of extreme depletion, whereas, for all but the K/Ba ratio, mean ratios for the pelitic rocks, and to a lesser extent for the quartzofeldspathic rocks approach normal crustal values or values for metasomatic rocks. The abnormally high Rb/Sr ratios of these rocks compared to average crustal rocks suggest, however, that metasomatism is the cause of the anomalous geochemical features of the Utralanama Block, and this is supported by field and microstructural evidence. Thus, Rb/Sr ratios appear to be useful indicators of metasomatism where no gross mineralogical or microstructural evidence for metasomatism is obvious, and under such conditions the K/Ba ratio may be more reliable than the K/Rb ratio for indicating prior depletion of the terrain.     

Trace element distribution in the soils above deeply weathered pegmatites, Virginia, U.S.A.: implications for exploration

Chemical partitioning data are of fundamental interest to exploration geochemists. This paper is one of the few studies which has investigated the relative proportions of the rare elements in various soil extracts. The dispersion of trace elements from weathering pegmatites in Powhatan Country, Virginia, was found to be restricted to the immediate vicinity of the pegmatites. A sequential extraction procedure was used to measure the distribution of Be, La, Nb, Sn, U, Li, and Ni,among the following fractions of the B soil horizons: exchangeable, Fe and Mn oxyhydroxide, residual, and aqua regia digestion. The elements Sn, Be, Li, and U were found to be associated with soils over the complex Herbb No. 2 pegmatite, whereas La and Ni were generally associated with the background soils.A geochemical exploration model was developed using stepwise discriminant function analysis to determine the combination of elements and soil extracts that best differentiates between complex pegmatitic, simple pegmatitic, and background soils. Log-transformed aqua regia extract concentrations of Sn, La, U, and Li were the most effective variables when used to separate complex pegmatitic from simple pegmatitic soils.     

Some observations on the geochemistry of gold mineralization in the weathered zone at Norseman, Western Australia

At Norseman Au mineralization is hosted by parallel easterly dipping quartz reefs in a westerly dipping sequence of Archaean basaltic flows and As is strongly correlated with this mineralization. Near-surface exploration is hampered by an extensive cover of deeply weathered soils and a veneer of silty calcareous material, probably of aeolian origin, which, because of its low Fe content of < 5%, has a very low (< 10 ppm) and often indiscernible As signature over mineralization. At a test traverse over the southern end of the Mararoa quartz reef, drill sampling to 10 m depth in highly weathered in situ material beneath the calcareous veneer produced As anomalies which are strongly correlated with the extrapolation to surface of a shear zone hosting Au mineralization which is probably blind. The As anomalies can be extended into the surface horizon by manipulating the data to compensate for the low Fe content of the calcareous layer.The Au values in the drill samples were very low and poorly correlated with the extrapolation to surface of the Mararoa shear. However, the absence of a Au halo (at a 10 ppb detection limit) may be due to the shear being barren near surface, or may be due to the samples being taken from the strongly leached zones of a laterite profile. In the area of the test traverse at the southern Mararoa area, the upper horizons of the original laterite profile have been eroded away and the remaining horizons covered by a veneer of calcareous material. There is a better correlation of the Au values of the shallow drill samples with the projection to surface of a porphyry, which hosts minor low-grade Au mineralization.The results for Au dispersion around the Mararoa shear contrast with dispersion at the nearby Hinemoa Mine where gold mineralization crops out. Channel sampling in costeans showed that an Au anomaly (threshold 40 ppb) extends 50 to 150 m into oxidized wall rocks. This well defined halo may be due to the secondary dispersion of Au from the quartz reef into the ferruginous zone of the laterite profile.Gold in the leaves and twigs of Melaleuca pauperiflora F. Muell. from the traverse at the southern end of the Mararoa shear was determined by neutron activation analysis and found to be broadly correlated with the projected Au mineralization. However, the lack of correlation with the soil Au values to 10 m may be due to the plants taking up most of their water from below the depth of sampling.     

Improvements in seismic reflection techniques for studying the lithosphere in Australia

Over the last 25 years the Australian Bureau of Mineral Resources (BMR) has attempted to record seismic reflection data in several parts of Australia to determine if good quality near-vertical reflections could be obtained from the deep crust and upper mantle. Data recorded prior to 1976, using analogue instruments and large shots, did obtain good to fair quality deep events, but the short lengths of the traverses recorded did not allow discrimination between primary reflections and the coherent noise. The high cost of the special effort prevented recording of long traverses, and hence the study of the true nature of the deep reflections. From 1976 onwards, with the advent of digital recording and processing equipment and techniques, it became possible to obtain good quality deep reflection data on long traverses with the parameters such as small charges, short spreads, etc. which are normally used for recording good sedimentary reflections. The recent data allow better identification of reflections and study of their character, and provide a higher resolution picture of the nature and structure of the deep crust and upper mantle, than had been possible before. BMR is, therefore, now recording good deep reflection data on all traverses during normal sedimentary basin surveys, and accumulating the information necessary for studying the evolution of lithosphere in Australia.     

深埋巷道围岩稳定性分析与控制技术研究

针对岩石具有应变软化和剪胀的特点,推导了巷道围岩松动圈理论计算公式,理论分析了巷道埋深、围岩强度、应变软化程度以及支护阻力对围岩稳定性的影响,提出了锚喷、锚注和锚索“三锚”支护的新概念,并成功地应用于工程实践,取得了良好的技术和经济效益。     

Noble gas and carbon isotope ratios in Argyle diamonds,Western Australia: Evidence for a deeply subducted volatile component

The Argyle lamproite pipe of Western Australia contains diamonds formed at depths exceeding 150 km. We undertook noble gas and carbon isotope ratio (δ¹³C) analyses of three diamonds (likely of eclogitic paragenesis) from the Argyle lamproite to test for the possible presence of deeply subducted volatile components, and to further constrain the noble gas evolution of the Earth's mantle. The Argyle diamonds are characterised by mantle ³He (with ³He/⁴He ratios of 0.79 R _A to 0.25 R _A, where R _A is the atmospheric ³He/⁴He ratio of 1.4 × 10^–6), small excess Ar and Xe isotope anomalies relative to atmospheric components, and δ¹³C values of –11.6 to –10.2‰ VPDB. These observations indicate that noble gas and carbon isotopic compositions of the mantle where the Argyle diamonds formed, represent mixtures of an intrinsic mantle component with sedimentary and atmospheric components that may have been introduced through subduction processes.     

Earthquake-induced liquefaction hazard mapping at national-scale in Australia using deep learning techniques

Australia is a relatively stable continental region but not tectonically inert, having geological conditions that are susceptible to liquefaction when subjected to earthquake ground motion. Liquefaction hazard assessment for Australia was conducted because no Australian liquefaction maps that are based on modern AI techniques are currently available. In this study, several conditioning factors including Shear wave velocity (Vs30), clay content, soil water content, soil bulk density, soil thickness, soil pH, distance from river, slope and elevation were considered to estimate the liquefaction potential index (LPI). By considering the Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessment (PSHA) technique, peak ground acceleration (PGA) was derived for 50 yrs period (500 and 2500 yrs return period) in Australia. Firstly, liquefaction hazard index (LHI) (effects based on the size and depth of the liquefiable areas) was estimated by considering the LPI along with the 2% and 10% exceedance probability of earthquake hazard. Secondly, ground acceleration data from the Geoscience Australia projecting 2% and 10% exceedance rate of PGA for 50 yrs were used in this study to produce earthquake induced soil liquefaction hazard maps. Thirdly, deep neural networks (DNNs) were also exerted to estimate liquefaction hazard that can be reported as liquefaction hazard base maps for Australia with an accuracy of 94% and 93%, respectively. As per the results, very-high liquefaction hazard can be observed in Western and Southern Australia including some parts of Victoria. This research is the first ever country-scale study to be considered for soil liquefaction hazard in Australia using geospatial information in association with PSHA and deep learning techniques. This study used an earthquake design magnitude threshold of M_w 6 using the source model characterization. The resulting maps present the earthquake-triggered liquefaction hazard and are intending to establish a conceptual structure to guide more detailed investigations as may be required in the future. The limitations of deep learning models are complex and require huge data, knowledge on topology, parameters, and training method whereas PSHA follows few assumptions. The advantages deal with the reusability of model codes and its transferability to other similar study areas. This research aims to support stakeholders’ on decision making for infrastructure investment, emergency planning and prioritisation of post-earthquake reconstruction projects.     

A sapphirine–phlogopite–cordierite paragenesis in a low-P amphibolite facies terrain, Arunta Inlier, Australia

Summary Silica-undersaturated phlogopite schists from the Cackleberry Metamorphics, Arunta Inlier, central Australia, preserve relatively low-temperature sapphirine-bearing parageneses that developed during low-pressure upper amphibolite facies metamorphism. Peak metamorphic phlogopite–cordierite–sapphirine assemblages are interpreted to have formed during the same event recorded in nearby metapelites, at c.3 kbar and 650–700 °C. Initial cooling of the terrain resulted in the breakdown of sapphirine to corundum–chlorite–phlogopite and corundum–spinel–chlorite assemblages. Further retrogression at greenschist facies conditions resulted in the replacement of sapphirine by diaspore–chlorite intergrowths. The reaction textures are consistent with a near-isobaric heating-cooling path at low-pressure, and provide evidence for the stability of sapphirine at c.700 °C at low pressures in rocks of an appropriate Mg- and Fe³⁺-rich bulk composition. Received August 15, 2001 accepted December 27, 2001