The U-Pb geochronology of the Mukhal alkaline massif (western Transbaikalia)

We present results of U-Pb (SHRIMP II) geochronological study of the rocks of the Mukhal alkaline massif in the Vitim alkaline province, western Transbaikalia. The available K-Ar and Rb-Sr dates for the alkaline rocks (Saizhen complex) of the Vitim province, including the Mukhal massif, vary over a broad range of values. The obtained age of crystallization of the Mukhal urtites refines the time when the regional alkaline magmatism began. The age of zircons and magmatic processes within the Barguzin area (315–275 Ma) is close to the peak of main events, which occurred between 295 and 275 Ma. These processes took place at the early stage of evolution of the Late Paleozoic rift system in Central Asia, whose activity was associated with the activity of mantle superplume.     

Composition and geodynamic conditions of formation of the intrusive rocks of the Gromadnen-Vurguveem peridotite-gabbro massif,western Chukotka

The Gromadnen-Vurguveem peridotite-gabbro massif is confined to one of the largest ophiolite complex of western Chukotka and composed mainly of intrusive rocks. This paper reports the first comprehensive compositional data for its plutonic rocks (petrochemistry, geochemistry, and compositions of minerals). In terms of petrography, two groups of rocks can be distinguished in the Gromadnen-Vurguveem peridotite-gabbro massif. The first group includes leucocratic gabbroids (mostly gabbronorites), composing most of the massif. The second group includes olivine-bearing cumulate rocks: olivine gabbros, troctolites, plagioclase-bearing dunites, and amphibolized wehrlites. The major element variations in these rocks suggest their affiliation to low-titanium, low-potassium, and high-alumina plutonic derivatives of island-arc magmatism. According to geochemical characteristics (distribution of REEs and indicator incompatible elements), the gabbroids of the first group are akin to both island-arc tholeiites and boninites. The olivine-bearing rocks of the second groups show boninitic affinity. Based on these observations, it was concluded that the intrusive complex of the Gromadnen-Vurguveem massif was formed during an early stage of the development of an ensimatic island arc.     

Composition and genesis of inner-contact syenites of the Khasurta quartz syenite-monzonite massif,western Transbaikalia

The paper reports data on the geological structure, mineralogy, and geochemistry of inner-contact syenites of the Late Paleozoic Khasurta quartz syenite-monzonite massif in western Transbaikalia. The rocks of the massif intrude Cambrian terrigenous-carbonate deposits transformed (depending on their composition) into apodolomitic magnesian spinel-fassaite skarns or plagioclase-quartz-biotite-cordierite hornfels that replaced amphibole-biotite schists. The skarn zone does not exceed a few dozen centimeters in thicknes. The inner-contact zone of the intrusion a few dozen meters thick consists of leucocratic medium-grained pyroxene syenites, which consist of coarsely perthitic K-Na feldspar (90–95 vol %) with plagioclase (An _40–46) cores, zonal clinopyroxene (up to 5–7 vol %), and sphene (up to 3–4 vol %). The inner-contact syenites differ from all other rocks of this massif in having the highest alkalinity and elevated concentrations of SiO₂ and the lowest contents of CaO, MgO, and FeO. The mineralogical composition of the inner-contact syenites makes them similar to skarn-related metasomatic rocks (Korzhinskii, 1948), but the pyroxenes of these rocks contain melt inclusions homogenizing at 1100°C, a fact testifying to the magmatic genesis of the rocks. The results of our research indicate that the inner-contact syenites were formed with the assimilation of the host dolomites by the syenite melt. The enrichment of the inner-contact syenite melt in CaO and MgO and a significant increase in its liquidus temperature due to CO₂ dissolution (Jahannes and Holtz, 1996) facilitated the crystallization of calcic plagioclase, pyroxene, and magnetite. The fractionation of these minerals resulted in the enrichment of the residual melt in SiO₂ and alkalis, mostly K₂O, and this subalkaline residual melt produced that K-Na feldspar, which is the predominant mineral of these rocks, and sphene. Excess CO₂ drastically suppressed the H₂O activity in the melt and thus hampered the crystallization of amphibole and biotite in the inner-contact zone of the intrusion. Mass-balance calculations indicate that dolomite assimilation was not very extensive and did not exceed 1: 10.     

The Middle Riphean volcanogenic complex of Kokchetav massif (Northern Kazakhstan): Structural position and age substantiation

The volcanogenic Kuuspek Formation is a well-defined part of the succession of the Pre-Vendian complexes of the Kokchetav massif (Northern Kazakhstan). The formation is built up of mildly metamorphosed acid lavas, tuffs, and tuffaceous sandstones. At the reference site to the west of the Kokchetav Mountains, the rocks of the Kuuspek Formation compose hinges of small anticlinal folds with sericite-quartz schists of the Late Riphean Sharyk Formation forming the limbs. The Kuuspek Formation lavas are high-alumina rhyolites of high-potassium calc-alkaline series. The U-Pb zircon age of the rhyolites is 1136 ± 4 Ma, thus referring to the Middle Riphean. The Kuuspek rhyolites form the basal part of the Precambrian sedimentary cover of the Kokchetav massif. The cover also comprises schists, limestones, and dolomites of the Sharyk Formation, and quartzites and quartzitic schists of the Late Riphean Kokchetav Formation.     

Fluid and magmatic processes in the formation of the Ary-Bulak ongonite massif (eastern Transbaikalia)

The paper discusses the formation conditions of the Ary-Bulak ongonite massif (eastern Transbaikalia). Studies of melt and fluid inclusions have shown that, along with crystalline phases and a silicate melt, ongonitic magma contained aqueous–saline fluids of different types, fluoride melts compositionally similar to fluorite, sellaite, cryolite, chiolite, and more complex aluminum fluorides as well as silicate melts with abnormal Cs and As contents. An ongonite melt crystallized with the participation of P–Q fluids as vapor solutions, presumably NaF-containing and slightly admixed with chlorides. We studied the properties and composition of brine inclusions from Ca- and F-rich rocks on the margin of the massif. Depending on the thermophysical properties of the host rocks and ongonite melt, the duration of its crystallization has been estimated for a magma chamber of the size and shape of the Ary-Bulak massif. Magma chamber cooling has been modeled, and the density, viscosity, and Rayleigh number of the ongonite melt have been estimated from the composition of silicate glasses in melt inclusions. These data strongly suggest intense convection in the residual magma chamber lasting for centuries. We have calculated possible fluid overpressure during the crystallization and degassing of the ongonite melt in a closed magma chamber.Calcium- and fluorine-rich aphyric and porphyritic rocks on the southwestern margin of the massif might have formed by the following mechanism. Local decompression in the magma chamber quenched an oxygen-containing calcium fluoride melt accumulated at the crystallization front, and then these rocks altered during the interaction with fluids. When penetrating the marginal zone, a P–Q magmatic fluid which coexisted with the melt in the residual chamber cooled and changed its composition and properties. This caused the fluid to boil and segregate into immiscible phases: a vapor solution and a brine extremely rich in Cl, F, K, Cs, Mn, Fe, and Al. The fluoride and silicate liquids were immiscible; the silicate melts had abnormal Cs and As contents; changes in the composition and properties of the magmatic fluids caused them to boil and produce brines. All this is evidence for complex fluid–magma interaction and heterogeneous ongonitic magma during the crystallization of the Ary-Bulak rocks. These processes were favored by the low viscosity and high mobility of the F- and water-rich ongonite melt, intense melt convection in the residual chamber, and rising fluid pressure during its degassing.     

Mafic microgranular enclaves in Late Paleozoic granitoids in the Burgasy quartz syenite massif, western Transbaikalia: Composition and petrogenesis

The paper presents original data on the inner structure, mineralogy, and geochemistry of the Late Paleozoic Burgasy quartz syenite massif in western Transbaikalia and mafic microgranular enclaves (MME) in its rocks. The composition of the mafic microgranular enclaves is close to that of phase-1 monzonitoids of this pluton, but the enclaves are not xenoliths of these rocks but were produced by the crystallization of an individual portion of dispersed hybridized basalt melt. The basaltoid nature of the enclaves follows, first of all, from the relict assemblage of calcic plagioclase (An _73–60) and clinopyroxene and from the magmatic dolerite and microgabbro textures of the rocks. The monzonitoid composition of the enclaves was caused by hybridism, which was responsible for the crystallization of quartz, potassic feldspar, and sodic plagioclase due to the introduction of silica, potassium, and some other components. Hybridism was restricted to a boundary crystallization layer in the deep portion of the magmatic chamber (near its bottom). The scatter of the enclaves throughout the whole volume of the pluton is explained by the density inversion of the hybrid layer and material transfer by convective flows. The mafic enclaves crystallized from basaltic melt of within-plate geochemical type. In spite of intense hybridism, the enclaves preserved typical compositional signatures of mafic magma related to the generation of granites in western Transbaikalia in the Late Paleozoic. The basaltoid nature of the mafic enclaves of the Burgasy Massif testifies that magma was simultaneously generated in the mantle and crust during the development of the Late Paleozoic province in the area.     

Sources of the Late Riphean carbonatite magmatism of Northern Transbaikalia: Geochemical and isotope-geochemical data

New major and trace element and Nd-Sr isotope results are reported for the carbonatites of the Veseloe and Pogranichnoe occurrences, Northern Transbaikalia. The carbonatites from both these occurrences are enriched in Sr, Ba, LREE, Th, U, and depleted in Ti, Cr, and V relative to primitive mantle. As compared to the “average dolomite carbonatite”, the rocks from the Northern Transbaikalia have higher contents of Ni, Cr, and low contents of Ba, Ti, and V. The rocks are characterized by ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶S in the range of 0.7037–0.7043 and ɛNd from + 0.6 to + 2.05. Obtained geochemical and isotope data indicate that the carbonatites were derived from moderately depleted source with a contribution of enriched component.     

Step-wise growth of biotite porphyroblasts in pelitic schists of the western Lys-Caillaouas massif (Pyrenees)

Detailed optical and electron microscope (SEM and TEM) examination of biotite blasts from pelitic schists of the western Lys-Caillaouas massif in the Pyrenees reveals a variety of microstructures suggesting growth of the blasts before and after a thermal peak during the D₂ deformation. In the early stages of growth the biotites had (001) at high angles to S₁, and they appear to have existed as thin (001) parallel plates. In many cases blastesis is suggested to have involved growth of the biotites into their own continuously dilating pressure shadows. Inclusions with dentate grain boundaries, banded structures, and ‘radiator-fin’ intergrowths suggest a mechanism analogous to the Ramsay crack seal model for vein formation, but here involving step-wise dilation of a pressure-shadow cavity into which the adjacent blast itself was growing.     

Petrogenesis of composite dikes in granitoids of western Transbaikalia

The performed studies have revealed two varieties of composite dikes differing in morphology and internal structure depending on (1) the proportions of salic and basic components and (2) the rheologic state of the host environment. The latter can be both a solid substrate with open fractures and a melt at different stages of crystallization. The evaluated isotopic age of dikes in the Shaluta massif, 290.8 ± 2.7 Ma and 283.4 ± 3.4 Ma, is correlated with the time of the pluton formation. The age of the composite dike breaking through the metamorphic deposits on the eastern shore of Lake Baikal is 284.10 ± 0.96 Ma. The mass formation of composite dikes in western Transbaikalia is correlated with the Late Paleozoic magmatism, which resulted in one of the Earth’s largest granitoid provinces. The intrusion of dikes was not a single-stage event; it lasted at least 10-12 Myr and was apparently related to the repeated intrusion of large volumes of salic magmas and the formation of granitoid plutons. Early Mesozoic composite dikes associated with alkali-granitoid plutons of the Late Kunalei igneous complex (230-210 Ma) are much scarcer. Basic magmas of the composite dikes were generated at depths greater than 75 km as a result of the melting of a modified (enriched in crustal components) mantle source. Salic components of the dikes, independently of their geologic position, are generally similar in composition to the granitoids of the plutonic facies, and the differences are apparently due to hybridization proceeding at great depths.© 2018, V.S. Sobolev IGM, Siberian Branch of the RAS. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.     

Isotope and geochemical characteristics of rocks from the Oshurkovo apatite-bearing massif,Western Transbaikalia

We present the results of a study on gabbroic rocks, syenites, pegmatites, carbonatites, and hydrothermal products of the Oshurkovo apatite-bearing massif. The results include Nd and Sr isotope ratios; the isotope compositions of carbon and oxygen in calcite; oxygen in apatite, magnetite, and silicate minerals (phlogopite, titanite, diopside, amphibole, K-feldspar, and quartz); sulfur in barite; and hydrogen in mica. The isotopic data are close to the EM-1 enriched mantle values and confirm a comagmatic relationship between the gabbros and carbonatites. The binary plot ?_Nd vs. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr demonstrates strong differentiation between silicate rocks and carbonatites, as is the case with the other Late Mesozoic carbonatite occurrences of southwestern Transbaikalia. The oxygen isotope composition of all comagmatic phases also falls within the range of mantle values. A clear trend toward heavier oxygen and lighter carbon isotope compositions is observed in all successively emplaced phases, which is consistent with a trend defined by hydrothermal products formed under the influence of the parent magma chamber. Carbonates formed during the greenstone alteration of gabbroic rocks are enriched in the light oxygen isotope (δ¹⁸O from ?2.8 to ?7.3‰), suggesting a contribution of vadose water.     

Carbonates and sources of fluids in ores and metasomatites of the Ermakovka fluorite-bertrandite-phenacite deposit (western Transbaikalia)

We present results of isotope-geochemical study of the Ermakovka F-Be deposit, including data on the oxygen and carbon isotope compositions in dolomite and calcite marbles and in carbonates accompanying skarns, of early and late stages of ore formation and of post-ore parageneses. To elucidate the sources of fluids participated in the ore formation, we calculated the oxygen isotope composition in water and the hydrogen isotope composition in hydroxyl-containing minerals. Phlogopite in marbleized dolomites, vesuvianite and amphibole in skarns, eudidimite and bertrandite in ore parageneses, and bavenite formed during post-ore processes are analyzed. Most of the ore-stage minerals are depleted in heavy oxygen. Their 5¹⁸O values are lower than 5-6%c (SMOW). Oxygen in carbonate minerals of the initial stage (dolomite and bastnaesite) is heavier (1.3-4.9%c) than that in calcite (+ 2 to -3.7%c). The 5¹⁸O values of water in equilibrium both with carbonate and with silicate minerals (-4 to -14%c) suggest the contribution of meteoric water to the mineral formation. A magmatic fluid (5¹⁸O from + 6 to + 9%c) participated in the skarn formation at the initial stage, and a meteoric fluid, at the final stage (5¹⁸O from -1 to -9%c). A meteoric source is confirmed by the depleted hydrogen isotope composition in minerals (5D from -119 to -192%c).     

Inner structure,composition, and genesis of the Chineiskii anorthosite-gabbronorite massif,Northern Transbaikalia

The Chineiskii anorthosite-gabbronorite massif is the most typical layered intrusion in Russia, which is accompanied by large V and Cu deposits. This massif is first considered to be a component of the Proterozoic volcanic-plutonic system of the Kodar-Udokan district, whose largest massifs are Chineiskii and Lukturskii. This system also comprises numerous dikes (including the Main gabbronorite dike at the Udokan deposit, whose thickness reaches 200 m), which are likely the magmatic feeders of ancient volcanism. An intermediate position in the vertical section of the magmatic system is occupied by gabbroids, whose exposures occur in the peripheral part of the Lurbunskii granite massif. The intrusive rocks were proved to be genetically interrelated and show certain similar geochemical features: they bear elevated TiO₂ concentrations and have similar trace element patterns and (La/Sm)_N and (Gd/Yb)_N ratios (1.5–2.3 and 1.87–2.06, respectively). The Chineiskii Massif is thought to have been formed by the successive emplacement of genetically similar basic magmas, which produced four rock groups with fine and coarse layering and cyclicity of variable rank (microrhythms, rhythms, units, and series). The results of cluster analysis indicate that the rocks can be classified into 13 petrochemical types. The phase and chemical characteristics of the parental melts of these compositions were simulated with the use of the COMAGMAT-3.5 computer model, which was also applied to evaluate the composition of the most primitive initial magma of the whole Chineiskii Massif. Our results indicate that the primitive magma was heterogeneous (olivine + plagioclase ± titanomagnetite + melt) at a temperature of approximately 1130°C. The initial melt had a ferrobasaltic composition and was close to saturation with magnetite at ～NNO ± 0.5     

New data on sedimentation and pedogenesis in the Selenga Midland (western Transbaikalia) during Late Glacial and Holocene

The investigation of soil-sedimentary sequences formed in different erosional and depositional environments in the central part of the Selenga Midland (western Transbaikalia region) during Late Glacial and Holocene made it possible to reveal nine periods of activation of exogenic processes and sedimentation and eight stages of intense pedogenesis, to define the specific features of these pedogenesis and sedimentation epochs, and to assess their duration. The data on the intensity of sedimentation and its influence on pedogenesis is demonstrated. Asynchronous development of exogenic processes and pedogenesis related to the landscapeâ “climate heterogeneity of the Selenga Midland have been revealed. The latter is reflected in more distinct epochs of intense exogenic processes in more arid southern areas of the midland and more durable periods of pedogenesis in humid climatic environments of its central part.     

雅鲁藏布江缝合带西段东波地幔橄榄岩体钻孔岩心研究

东波地幔橄榄岩是雅鲁藏布江缝合带内代表性超镁铁岩体,位于缝合带西段,面积超过400km2。为查明岩体成因,在岩体中实施了一口千米深的科学钻探(DSD-1)。除上部有约23m厚的第四系堆积物外,钻孔均钻进在地幔橄榄岩中,孔深1002.06m,岩心采取率96.62%。岩心编录结合显微镜下鉴定将岩心划分出44个岩性单元层,并进一步归并为上、下两套岩性:上部(23.1～340.17m)为含单辉方辉橄榄岩(斜方辉石含量为15～20%,单斜辉石含量不足5%);下部(340.17～1002.06m)为方辉橄榄岩(斜方辉石含量为10%～15%,几乎不含单斜辉石),其中发育薄层状纯橄岩和辉石岩以及辉绿岩脉。矿物学及全岩地球化学研究揭示:①东波地幔橄榄岩以方辉橄榄岩为主,其次为含单辉方辉橄榄岩,它们均具有亏损的全岩地球化学及矿物成分组成,指示它们为经历过中高程度部分熔融后的地幔残余岩石;经历过富水流体(熔体)交代作用,表现为角闪石呈柱状交代斜方辉石;②纯橄岩和辉石岩以透镜状或薄层状脉体发育于方辉橄榄岩中,具有岩浆成因的矿物组成,见交代矿物角闪石,指示它们可能为交代成因;③辉绿岩脉兼具N-MORB和弧玄武岩的化学属性,以低SiO2、高MgO和高Al2O3含量为特征,具有与Western Lau Basin玄武岩一致的REE配分型式,形成于较为成熟的弧后盆地环境。东波地幔橄榄岩(及其中的纯橄岩、辉石岩和辉绿岩脉)在成因上与俯冲带关系密切,都受到了与俯冲带相关地质作用的影响。     

The Geochemical Characteristics of the Early Riphean Navysh Volcanic Complex (Southern Urals)

The Navysh volcanic complex, which is an integral part of the Ai Formation (Lower Riphean), overlies Archean–Early Proterozoic formations of the Taratash metamorphic complex. It is represented mainly by trachybasalts, as well as by dacites and metasomatic bostonites. The Navysh complex is subdivided for the first time here into several volcanic series, which differ in their contents of TiO₂ and several incompatible elements. The metasomatic nature of the bostonites has been proven. Reasons are given for excluding dacites from the composition of the Navysh complex.     

Reconstruction of the Holocene climate based on a carbonate sedimentary record from shallow saline Lake Verkhnee Beloe (western Transbaikalia)

We present results of mineralogical and crystallochemical studies of the Holocene carbonate sediments of a small saline lake localized in the Borgoi dry-steppe region, western Transbaikalia. Mg-calcites with a varying Mg content are predominant in the assemblage of endogenic carbonate minerals from bottom sediments. Mathematical modeling of the XRD spectra of carbonates permitted us to identify excess-Ca dolomites, which are an indicator of a shallow (playa) lake. The studies showed that the lacustrine Mg-calcites do not form a continuous series from low- to high-Mg varieties. We discuss the cause of this phenomenon and also consider the existing viewpoints of the structure of low-temperature Mg-calcites and excess-Ca dolomites and their formation conditions in lacustrine sediments. Juxtaposing the carbonate record with the data of lithological analysis, determined stable isotopes (δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C), and distribution of some geochemical indicators of climatic changes, we reconstructed the intricate evolution of Lake Verkhnee Beloe, which was controlled by the regional climate since the postglacial period till the present day.     

The catastrophic flood in Transbaikalia (Central Asia) in 1897: case study

The territory of Transbaikalia (Russia) is subject to occasional large-scale flooding. One of the most significant events in terms of scale and consequences is the historical flood that occurred in August 1897. In this article, we have tried to reconstruct the flood event. For this purpose, we have used all available historical sources (official statistical data, newspaper publications). The flood was observed almost simultaneously in two river basins (the Selenga and Shilka rivers). The main cause of the catastrophic flood was the abnormally intensive rainfall in the Hentey Mountains (Mongolia) and in Chikokonsky Ridge (southern Transbaikalia) in summer 1897. We have singled out four flood stages on the basis of the dates of flooding in different settlements. The flooding was accompanied by silting of considerable areas, and formation of new channels in local places. The flood in August 1897 in Transbaikalia, Russia, clearly demonstrated the vulnerability of both the environment and society to such catastrophic events.