The mineralogy and geochemistry of a nickeliferous laterite profile (Greenvale,Queensland, Australia)

A laterite profile on serpentinite at Greenvale, Australia, has been investigated in order to elucidate the formation of the secondary minerals and the trace element behaviour during tropical weathering. Mineralogical and chemical studies indicate that the serpentine alters to montmorillonite, aluminous goethite, and quartz. Chromiferous chlorite, a stable component, becomes concentrated in the weathering profile. No members of the kaolin group or bauxite group were identified, and the alumina occurs chiefly in solid solution with the goethite. In the upper levels of the profile serpentine and mont-morillonite disappear completely, and the amount of alumina substituting in the goethite increases. With increasing depth the Fe₂O₃ and Al₂O₃ content falls, whereas SiO₂ and MgO increase. This is in accordance with the usual trends of lateritic weathering. The trace elements Ni, Co, Mn, Cu and Cr are all concentrated during the weathering process. Evidence suggests that Ni is associated with goethite, and possibly is incorporated in the lattice of this mineral. No appreciable nickel is associated with the manganese minerals. The concentration of Cr takes place mainly through the increase of the stable chromiferous chlorite.

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Ein Lateritprofil des Serpenitis von Greenvale, Australien, wurde hinsichtlich seines Mineral- und Spurengehaltes untersucht. Ausschlaggebend waren die durch die tropische Verwitterung entstandenen Sekundärmineralien. Mineralogische und chemische Untersuchungen lassen erkennen, daß aufgrund der Verwitterung die Serpentingesteine Umwandlungen in Montmorillonit, aluminiumhaltigen Goethit und Quarz zeigen. Minerale der Kaolin- oder Bauxitgruppen ließen sich nicht feststellen, da Aluminiumgehalte in Form fester Lösung im Goethit gebunden wurden; in höher gelegenen Profilen kommen Serpentine und Montmorillonit zum völligen Verschwinden. Mit zunehmender Tiefe nehmen Fe₂O₃- und Al₂O₃-Gehalte ab, während SiO₂ und MgO ansteigen, analog zu Beobachtungen an bekannten lateritischen Verwitterungsprofilen. Im Zuge der Entstehung neuer Verwitterungsmineralien erfahren Elemente wie Nickel, Kobalt, Mangan, Kupfer und Chrom eine partielle Anreicherung. Z. B. wird Nickel in Eisenmineralien gebunden (Goethit), während chromhaltige Chlorite sich als stabil erweisen und sich bei der Verwitterung anreichern.

     

Univariate and multivariate stochastic modeling of the chemical composition of iron ores in Northern Goa, India

Chemical components such as SiO ₂,TiO ₂,MnO, P ₂ O ₅,and especially Fe ₂ O ₃ of the iron ores of Bicholim Mine, Northern Goa, have been determined for lateral and vertical sections of the mine at equal intervals of 3 and 1 m, respectively, so as to form the spatial (time) series. Univariate stationary models of the type Autoregressive moving average—ARMA (p, q)—were established for each series on the basis of statistical analyses of their auto (acf) and partial auto (pacf) correlation functions. These models were used for forecasting assay values at different lead distances from any pivot. Principles of parsimony simplified all of the candidate ARMA (p, q) models to pure AR (p) models, and the univariate forecasts were significantly improved by multivariate stochastic forecasts.     

辽东吉南硼矿矿石特征及其与容矿岩石的关系

辽东吉南硼矿是中国著名的大型硼矿，为了研究矿石与容矿岩石的关系，作者就以研究硼矿石的特征作为切入点。通过矿石的自然形态、矿石结构、矿石构造、矿石化学成分和矿化类型等的分析，揭示出矿石的形成与容矿岩石的地质特征有密切关系，主要体现在：①矿石与容矿岩石的矿物都是富镁质矿物；②矿石对容矿岩石具有交代继承的结构构造；③矿石的稀土元素特征与容矿岩石具相似性的配分模式。从而得出辽东吉南硼矿的容矿岩石不仅为硼矿的形成提供有利的储存空间，而且对硼矿的形成有决定性的岩控作用。     

西藏北部舍索与拉屋铜矿床硫化物铅同位素特征

本文在系统的野外地质工作基础上,对舍索与拉屋矿床的矿石硫化物铅同位素组成进行综合分析,进而示踪其成矿物质来源。结果显示,舍索矿区矿石硫化物铅的²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb值为18.517~18.776,²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb值为15.671~15.756,²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb值为38.955~39.33;拉屋矿区矿石硫化物铅的²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb值为18.651~18.757,²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb值为15.707~15.823,²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb值为39.183~39.561。研究表明,舍索与拉屋矿床矿石硫化物铅同位素含量比值具有明显的上地壳特征,指示两个矿床成矿物质主要来自上地壳。其中舍索矿床成矿物质富集受燕山期岩浆作用影响,而拉屋矿床部分成矿物质由晚石炭纪地幔物质的喷流沉积作用提供。     

Mesoscale experimental study on chemical composition,pore size distribution,and permeability of tailings

To study the seepage characteristics of tailing sand, an indoor sand column test was performed with three kinds of tailing sand obtained from Henan and Shaanxi provinces, China. River sand, quartz sand, and glass beads were also employed for comparison. Using the nuclear magnetic resonance, the researchers studied pore size distribution and permeability under different hydraulic gradients. The chemical composition and particle morphology were analyzed by energy-dispersive spectrometry and X-ray diffraction. The results were as follows. (1) The three kinds of tailings sand are small in diameter, mainly in the range from 0.15 to 0.5 mm. Their diameter distribution is more concentrated than river sand. The surface of tailing sand is rough. As for chemical composition, tailing sand contains many kinds of metal elements. (2) With hydraulic gradient increasing, the micropores in the tailings samples become fewer, the larger pores grow in number, and the peak of the pore size distribution changes to the left; blocking is more obvious. (3) The small pores gradually decrease during the test. Under the influence of groundwater pressure, the smaller gravel could migrate and block tiny pores. The structure of particle arrangement becomes denser. Therefore, it would prevent the seepage liquid from passing through the medium. The permeability coefficient K decreases.     

东坡矿田泥盆系碳酸盐岩18O的亏损与铅锌矿化的关系

23件泥盆系碳酸盐岩O同位素组成显示出，东坡矿田泥盆系碳酸盐具有不同程度的18O亏损现象，18O亏损最大的地区（δ18=10‰左右）与区内铅锌矿化的位置在空间上重叠。研究表明，大气降水与碳酸盐岩O同位素交换作用是碳酸盐岩18O亏损的主要原因，水岩交换作用也伴随着本区的铅锌矿化     

松花江哈尔滨段河床冲积物与沙尘天气关系的讨论

笔者重点分析了哈尔滨河床冲积物的粒度组成,结合沙尘沉降物的粒度组成,论述了裸露河床冲积物对沙尘天气的影响。河床冲积物及沙尘沉降物粒度分析结果显示,裸露河床冲积物粒径大于63μm的颗粒占84%以上,而小于63μm粒径的颗粒很少,小于10μm的颗粒微乎其微;沙尘沉降物中小于63μm的粉粘颗粒含量在90%以上。对河床冲积物而言,无论是砂级别的粗颗粒物质还是粉粘级别的细颗粒物质都与沙尘沉降物的粒度无相关性,对沙尘暴物质组成没有影响或影响很小。受砂级别的粗颗粒物质扬起高度和搬运距离的限制,沙尘暴发生时,裸露河床中的冲积物颗粒不会被远距离搬运而影响到整个哈尔滨地区,真正影响整个哈尔滨地区的沙尘物质是小于63μm的粉砂级别的颗粒,特别是小于10μm的粉尘。笔者认为对哈尔滨沙尘天气产生重大影响的是含有大量细颗粒物质的城市地表土和建筑土等,这些地域是防止沙尘天气的重点治理区域。     

Genetic relation between Holocene transgression and chemical composition of the shallow groundwater in Hangzhou, China

The shallow groundwater in Hangzhou area has the characteristics of high mineralization, high salinity and high contents of iron and manganese. Statistical analyses and the experiments of simulation show that the Holocene transgressive strata has a crucial effect on the formation of chemical composition of the shallow groundwater in the plain area of Hanghzhou. The degree of transgression is in consonance with the variation tendency of the thickness of the transgressive strata. The chemical compositions of the subsurface water in the hilly area depend on the lithology of the aquifers.     

Geochemistry and geochronology of the Sierra de Gomez Limestone-hosted U deposit,Chihuahua: Implications for distribution of Rio Grande rift mineral deposits in northern Mexico

Uranium deposits form in a variety of settings. They are partially controlled by the secular evolution of Earth processes, including deposits in extension-related settings such as the intra-cratonic Rio Grande rift. Plio-Quaternary volcanism, mineral deposits, and hydrothermal spots occur along the Chihuahua Central Graben. The age of the Sierra de Gomez U-deposit is 1.8 Ma (based on LA-MC-ICP-MS dating on a uranophane monocrystal), which is contemporaneous with the late mineralization event of the Peña Blanca U-deposit, as well as Rio Grande Rift (RGR)-type deposits in Chihuahua and intraplate volcanism. Studies of fluid inclusions in fluorite and late calcite indicate the presence of hydrocarbons and CH₄-rich brine. Homogenization temperatures range from 87 to 112 °C, and the mean composition (2.0 mol NaCl and 0.3 mol CaCl with CH₄) is comparable to mineralizing brines in MVT deposits and carbonated hydrocarbon reservoirs. Evolution of C and O stable isotopic values for the calcite cement in the Sierra de Gomez Limestone-hosted U deposit illustrates that two separate calcite precipitation events occurred: (1) travertine filling karst structures in the presence of meteoric water and (2) U mineralization during deep hydrothermal fluid circulation that included interactions with a heat source and basement leaching. In a regional context, a metallogenic model suggests that the Chihuahua Trough area is deep enough to generate fluid migration by hydrothermal and/or compaction processes through RGR extensional faults until a favorable trapping horizon is reached. This causes uranium precipitation because water/rock interaction processes generate a local redox barrier.     

Geology and volcanic stratigraphy of the Canatuan and Malusok volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits,southwestern Mindanao,Philippines

The Canatuan and Malusok massive sulfide deposits are located near Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte, in southwestern Mindanao, Philippines. The Canatuan–Malusok area is underlain by the Jurassic–Cretaceous Tungauan schists, which form much of the Zamboanga Peninsula. The volcanic strata at Canatuan and Malusok can be traced for >7 km along strike and is host to at least three discrete massive sulfide bodies: Canatuan, Malusok and SE Malusok. Basal basaltic andesite volcanic rocks are generally chemically uniform and show only moderate alteration. The massive sulfide deposits occur in overlying rhyolitic to rhyodacitic volcanic rocks that are altered to a schistose assemblage of quartz, sericite, chlorite and pyrite. The alteration is texturally destructive but graded clastic beds are locally observed. Despite tropical saprolitic weathering, four lithogeochemical subunits of the felsic package are identified. Stratigraphic interleaving, however, has made correlation of these units over any significant distance difficult. The sulfide lenses are overlain by a few metres of felsic schists which locally contain manganese-bearing silicates and oxides that serve as a stratigraphic marker. Hangingwall andesitic volcaniclastic rocks are discontinuously preserved, although where present, they consist of regularly bedded mafic volcanic sandstones. The lateral continuity of a manganese-bearing marker and flanking felsic volcaniclastic intervals indicate that locally the volcanic strata form a homoclinal sequence. The Canatuan Au–Ag–Cu–Zn deposit consists of a gossan overlying a massive sulfide lens. The sulfides and gossan are flat lying and hosted within felsic volcanic rocks. The gossan is gold–silver-rich, and was formed by a combination of oxidation and volume collapse of the original sulfide lens. The sulfide minerals present below the current water table, are auriferous massive pyrite with base metal sulfides, with some supergene chalcocite. The transition from gossan to sulfides is very sharp, occurring at the water table. Massive sulfide deposits at Malusok are hosted in the same felsic sequence as Canatuan and they have similar base and precious metal contents. Only limited gossan has been found at Malusok. The bimodal nature of the volcanic rocks at Canatuan, together with their low HFSE contents, near-flat REE patterns and tholeiitic affinities, suggest that they formed in an intra-oceanic arc setting above a depleted mantle source. Mafic and felsic volcanic rocks of similar composition have been recovered from the Tonga-Kermadec and Izu-Bonin-Marianas island-arc systems in the western Pacific. Mafic rocks at Canatuan show no evidence for LILE enrichment that characterizes melts derived from metasomatized mantle under more mature arcs, suggesting that they are the product of a nascent, rather than a mature arc. There is no evidence from the REE, or other incompatible trace elements, that continental crust or evolved arc crust was involved in the generation of the Canatuan-Malusok volcanic rocks. Although it has been proposed that the Zamboanga metamorphic complex comprises microcontinental fragments of Eurasian affinity, our data do not support an evolved crustal setting for the Canatuan-Malusok volcanic rocks, which we suggest were derived from an intra-oceanic arc and subsequently accreted to the eastern Mindanao terrane.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00126-003-0350-7Editorial handling: R.R. Large     

Relation between trace and major element composition of the Chitaldrug metabasalts,Mysore, India,and the Archaean mantle

The ferromagnesium trace-element content of the Chitaldrug metabasalts is not compatable with its normative composition. The major elements resemble quartz-normative tholeiites and some trace-elements like Co are even higher or similar to that of olivine-normative tholeiites or the deep-oceanic tholeiites. The relationship between MgO and ferromagnesium traces is sympathetic but of very low order. The high ferromagnesium trace content in this suite and its poor relation with major elements suggest that probably the Archaean/Early Precambrian upper mantle had higher levels of these elements than the present mantle. Lateral compositional inhomogeneities in the Archaean upper mantle are also indicated from the available trace-element data over the Archaean metabasalts from different shields.     

Refractory organic carbon in particle-size fractions of arable soils I: distribution of refractory carbon between the size fractions

Refractory compounds are responsible for the long-term sequestration of organic matter in soil. The aim of this study is to assess the storage of refractory compounds, i.e. compounds with long turnover times, across size separates in arable soils. The contents and distribution of organic carbon (OC) and nitrogen (N) in size fractions were examined for two contrasting treatment types from long-term agroecosystem experiments, i.e. C-depleted and fertilized plots. The soil organic carbon (SOC) pool of the C-depleted plots is considered to be relatively enriched in refractory compounds compared with the SOC in the fertilized counterparts. In two of the three long-term experiments, the relative retention of OC in separates <20 μm was considerably higher than in separates 2000–20 μm (OC contents in depleted plots compared with fertilized plots). Highest residual contents of OC were found in fractions <6 μm. In the third experiment, additionally to the very fine fractions, separates 250–20 μm retained a high proportion of OC. The behavior of N was analogous to that of OC: the highest relative residues in the depleted plots were found in fine separates. These results indicate that in the investigated arable soils, C and N compounds associated with fine separates are most stable. Refractory OC in arable soils may be largely stored in fine particle-size fractions.     

Geographical distribution of arsenic in sediments within the Rio Conchos Basin,Mexico

Arsenic (As) content of sediments from the Rio Conchos and Rio San Pedro in northern Mexico were measured to determine if this toxic metalloid had accumulated to unsafe levels to humans and aquatic life. The spatial distribution of As in each of the six clusters of river and arroyo sediments was analyzed to determine variations with respect to background levels and to infer about potential As sources and sinks. In the northern part of the study area, background concentrations varied little throughout the area and concentrations in river sediments were close to background levels. In the southern part, however, the content of As in arroyo sediment contained a wider range of values and anomalous concentrations. The latter could be traced in part to the presence of mine tailings. As concentrations were below the limit in all studied river stretches and thus do not pose an immediate threat to the river environment, but As content in reservoir sediments exceeded the guideline values. Reservoirs seem to act as a sink for As, warranting closer observation and monitoring.     

Correlation between distribution and shape of VMS deposits and regional deformation patterns,Skellefte district,northern Sweden

The Skellefte district in northern Sweden is host to abundant volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits comprising pyritic, massive, semi-massive and disseminated Zn–Cu–Au ± Pb ores surrounded by disseminated pyrite and with or without stockwork mineralisation. The VMS deposits are associated with Palaeoproterozoic upper crustal extension (D₁) that resulted in the development of normal faults and related transfer faults. The VMS ores formed as sub-seafloor replacement in both felsic volcaniclastic and sedimentary rocks and partly as exhalative deposits within the uppermost part of the volcanic stratigraphy. Subsequently, the district was subjected to deformation (D₂) during crustal shortening. Comparing the distribution of VMS deposits with the regional fault pattern reveals a close spatial relationship of VMS deposits to the faults that formed during crustal extension (D₁) utilising the syn-extensional faults as fluid conduits. Analysing the shape and orientation of VMS ore bodies shows how their deformation pattern mimics those of the hosting structures and results from the overprinting D₂ deformation. Furthermore, regional structural transitions are imitated in the deformation patterns of the ore bodies. Plotting the aspect ratios of VMS ore bodies and the comparison with undeformed equivalents in the Hokuroko district, Japan allow an estimation of apparent strain and show correlation with the D₂ deformation intensity of the certain structural domains. A comparison of the size of VMS deposits with their location shows that the smallest deposits are not related to known high-strain zones and the largest deposits are associated with regional-scale high-strain zones. The comparison of distribution and size with the pattern of high-strain zones provides an important tool for regional-scale mineral exploration in the Skellefte district, whereas the analysis of ore body shape and orientation can aid near-mine exploration activities.     

矿物成分和细观结构与岩石材料力学性质的关系

岩石材料的宏观力学性质取决于其矿物成分和细观结构。使用材料试验机,测定了岩浆岩、化学沉积岩以及碎屑沉积岩9种岩样的力学性质参数。采用X射线衍射方法,测定了相应岩样的矿物成分。使用扫描电镜,观测了相应岩样的细观结构。分析了矿物成分和细观结构分别与力学性质参数的定性关系。对各组岩样的研究分析表明：存在于颗粒边界的裂隙会显著降低岩样的抗拉强度,长石矿物是岩样脆性的主要来源,颗粒大小和面理结构会对岩石的内摩擦角造成显著的影响,细晶花岗岩中较高的方解石含量使其抗压强度和弹性模量较小,细晶花岗岩中石英含量较高,其粘聚力较大;石盐晶体的细小与紧密堆积,造成了相应岩样的膨胀或蠕变特性,有机质的存在会对岩盐的力学性能产生显著的弱化;岩样中颗粒间的弱带,会弱化岩石材料的力学性能。深灰色泥岩中石英胶结物的次生加大现象,使得深灰色泥岩的力学性能得到提高。     

Mineralogical siting and distribution of gold in quartz veins and sulfide ores of the Ashanti mine and other deposits in the Ashanti belt of Ghana: genetic implications

The Ashanti belt of Ghana constitutes a gold province which has produced a total of about 1500 t of gold historically. Gold mineralization is found in steep, NNE-SSW to NE-SW trending shear zones predominantly transecting metasediments of the Palaeoproterozoic Birimian Supergroup (2.2–2.1 Ga), disseminated in ca. 2.1 Ga granitoids, in paleo-conglomerates of the Tarkwaian Group (< 2135 Ma), and in recent placers. The distribution of gold, its chemistry, paragenesis and mineralogical siting in the mesothermal ores of the major mines in the Ashanti belt, namely Konongo, Ashanti, Bogosu and Prestea mine, are the subject of this study. At the localities studied, gold is present in two main types of ores: 1. Quartz veins with free-milling gold. The gold is relatively silver-rich (true fineness values from 730 to 954) and is accompanied by a distinct suite of Cu, Pb, Sb sulfides. 2. Sulfide ores, consisting of arsenopyrite, pyrite and rarer pyrrhotite and marcasite, with refractory gold. The ores have apparent fineness values larger than 910. Arsenopyrite and locally (at Bogosu) pyrite were identified as the hosts of submicroscopic gold. Mean concentrations of gold in arsenopyrite in various samples from the different mines, obtained by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), range from 67 to 314 ppm Au. Gold concentration mapping in individual arsenopyrite crystals from the different deposits revealed similar patterns of gold distribution: the grains possess a gold-poor core, and elevated gold contents are present along distinct crystal growth zones towards their rims. The outermost crystal layer is usually gold-poor. The well-preserved distribution patterns also indicate that remobilization of gold from the sulfides played an insignificant role in the ores of the Ashanti belt. Multiple quartz veining and growth zoning of the sulfides are interpreted as manifestations of multiple episodes of fluid infiltration, fluid flow and mineral deposition. The bimodal occurrence of gold in spatially closely associated quartz vein and sulfide ores indicates a genetic link between these ore types. A model implying a grossly coeval formation of the ores from mesothermal fluids is proposed. Received: 28 September 1995 / Accepted: 11 June 1996