Das Hoch-Tief-Umwandlungsverhalten mikrokristalliner Quarze

The optical and x-ray investigation of 51 microcrystalline quartz samples show that they are built up of fibrous chalcedony (agates) or finest crystalline, isometric grained quartz (flints, cherts, jasper or Chrysoprase). These samples were examined by standardized d.t.a. — methods in order to get their inversion characteristics.

1. A third of the samples conteins low-temperature cristobalite in addition to quartz (in two samples even as main component); the high-low inversion of this mineral lies between 80 and 245° C according to its defect character. In five samples of jasper low- tridymite is occurring as minor component.
2. In contrary to macrocrystalline quartz crystals microcrystalline quartzes generally show no sharp inversion point. The inversion takes place over an interval of nearly 50° C, to be seen in the d.t.a. curve as a broad, only slightly endothermic effect with hardly visible peak or several small minima. In the curves of 15 samples no inversion could be detected. This broad inversion peak is caused by different defect characters of the crystals or even of parts of the crystals which invert at different temperatures (Flörke, 1955).
3. There is no dependance of t _i on the size of crystallites at least for crystals with diameter greater than 0.05 μ. The temperature of the most prominent inversion minimum allows a division of the microcrystalline quartz crystals analogous the macrocrystalline classification into samples with t _i below and above 570° C. The lowest (518±2° C) and the highest t _i (578,7+0,3° C) were measured at different parts of the same sample of a Chrysoprase.
4. The intensity of the brown and red coloured parts of agate and jasper grows with increasing Fe₂O₃-content, but there is no connection between t _i and chemical composition.
5. As in macrocrystalline quartzes of caverns and veins there are also some t _i -differences between the marginal and the central parts of agates or jaspers. The explanation lies in the mechanism of formation: higher t _i in the margin (e.g. in one globular jasper) points to a formation by silification, whereas higher t _i in the center indicates a formation by the filling up of cavities and veins.
6. The variation in t _i of microcrystalline quartzes and the comparison of these t _i ? with those of associated low-temperature cristobalite shows a connection between temperatures of formation and inversion: samples with low t _i (i.e. with a great number of defects) should be formed at low temperatures, that is by sedimentary or diagenetic processes, and samples with t _i above 570° C (i.e. nearly without defects in the structure) should have crystallized out of hydrothermal solutions. The weak inversion peaks below 570° which in d.t.a. curves often appear besides a main peak at 570° C represent the small amount of diagenetically formed microcrystalline quartz with a large degree of defect character.

     

Laihunite—A new iron silicate mineral

Laihuite reported in the present paper is a new iron silicate mineral found in China with the following characteristics:

1. This mineral occurs in a metamorphic iron deposit, associated with fayalite, hypersthene, quartz, magnetitc, etc.
2. The mineral is opaque, black in colour, thickly tabular in shape with luster metallic to sub-metallic, two perfect cleavages and specific gravity of 3.92.
3. Its main chemical components are Fe and Si with Fe³⁺>Fe²⁺. The analysis gave the formula of Fe Fe _1.00 ³⁺ ·Fe _0.58 ²⁺ ·Mg _0.03 ²⁺ ·Si_0.96O₄.
4. Its DTA curve shows an exothermic peak at 713°C.
5. The mineral has its own infrared spectrum distinctive from that of other minerals.
6. This mineral is of orthorhombic system; space group:C _2h ^/5 ?P2₁/c; unit cell:α=5.813ű0.005,b=4.812ű0.005,c=10.211ű0.005,β=90.87°.
7. The Mössbauer spectrum of this mineral is given, too.

     

Stabilitätsbeziehungen zwischen Chlorit,Cordierit und Almandin bei der Metamorphose

The stability relations between cordierite and almandite in rocks, having a composition of CaO poor argillaceous rocks, were experimentally investigated. The starting material consisted of a mixture of chlorite, muscovite, and quartz. Systems with widely varying Fe²⁺/Fe²⁺+Mg ratios were investigated by using two different chlorites, thuringite or ripidolite, in the starting mixture. Cordierite is formed according to the following reaction: $${\text{Chlorite + muscovite + quartz}} \rightleftharpoons {\text{cordierite + biotite + Al}}_{\text{2}} {\text{SiO}}_{\text{5}} + {\text{H}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}$$ . At low pressures this reaction characterizes the facies boundary between the albite-epidotehornfels facies and the hornblende-hornfels facies, at medium pressures the beginning of the cordierite-amphibolite facies. Experiments were carried out reversibly and gave the following equilibrium data: 505±10°C at 500 bars H₂O pressure, 513±10°C at 1000 bars H₂O pressure, 527±10°C at 2000 bars H₂O pressure, and 557±10°C at 4000 bars H₂O pressure. These equilibrium data are valid for the Fe-rich starting material, using thuringite as the chlorite, as well as for the Mg-rich starting mixture with ripidolite. At 6000 bars the equilibrium temperature for the Mg-rich mixture is 587±10°C. In the Fe-rich mixture almandite was formed instead of cordierite at 6000 bars. The following reaction was observed: $${\text{Thuringite + muscovite + quartz}} \rightleftharpoons {\text{almandite + biotite + Al}}_{\text{2}} {\text{SiO}}_{\text{5}} {\text{ + H}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}$$ . Experiments with the Fe-rich mixture, containing Fe²⁺/Fe²⁺+Mg in the ratio 8∶10, yielded three stability fields in a P,T-diagram (Fig.1):

1. Above 600°C/5.25 kb and 700°C/6.5 kb almandite+biotite+Al₂SiO₅ coexist stably, cordierite being unstable.
2. The field, in which almandite, biotite and Al₂SiO₅ are stable together with cordierite, is restricted by two curves, passing through the following points:
   1. 625°C/5.5 kb and 700°C/6.5 kb,
   2. 625°C/5.5 kb and 700°C/4.0 kb.
3. At conditions below curves 1 and 2b, cordierite, biotite, and Al₂SiO₅ are formed, but no garnet.

An appreciable MnO-content in the system lowers the pressures needed for the formation of almandite garnet, but the quantitative influence of the spessartite-component on the formation of almandite could not yet be determined. the Mg-rich system with Fe²⁺/Fe²⁺+Mg=0.4 garnet did not form at pressures up to 7 kb in the temperature range investigated. Experiments at unspecified higher pressures (in a simple squeezer-type apparatus) yielded the reaction: $${\text{Ripidolite + muscovite + quartz}} \rightleftharpoons {\text{almandite + biotite + Al}}_{\text{2}} {\text{SiO}}_{\text{5}} {\text{ + H}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}$$ . Further experiments are needed to determine the equilibrium data. The occurence of garnet in metamorphic rocks is discussed in the light of the experimental results.     

Gehlenite stability in the system CaO-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O-CO2

P, T, \(X_{{\text{CO}}_{\text{2}} }\) relations of gehlenite, anorthite, grossularite, wollastonite, corundum and calcite have been determined experimentally at P _f =1 and 4 kb. Using synthetic starting minerals the following reactions have been demonstrated reversibly

1. 2 anorthite+3 calcite=gehlenite+grossularite+3 CO₂.
2. anorthite+corundum+3 calcite=2 gehlenite+3 CO₂.
3. 3anorthite+3 calcite=2 grossularite+corundum+3CO₂.
4. grossularite+2 corundum+3 calcite=3 gehlenite+3 CO₂.
5. anorthite+2 calcite=gehlenite+wollastonite+2CO₂.
6. anorthite+wollastonite+calcite=grossularite+CO₂.
7. grossularite+calcite=gehlenite+2 wollastonite+CO₂.

In the T, \(X_{{\text{CO}}_{\text{2}} }\) diagram at P _f =1 kb two isobaric invariant points have been located at 770±10°C, \(X_{{\text{CO}}_{\text{2}} }\) =0.27 and at 840±10°C, \(X_{{\text{CO}}_{\text{2}} }\) =0.55. Formation of gehlenite from low temperature assemblages according to (4) and (2) takes place at 1 kb and 715–855° C, \(X_{{\text{CO}}_{\text{2}} }\) =0.1–1.0. In agreement with experimental results the formation of gehlenite in natural metamorphic rocks is restricted to shallow, high temperature contact aureoles.     

Field and petrological evidence for the development of an ensialic marginal basin related to the Hercynian orogeny in the Massif Central,France

Six lithologic units in tectonic contact with each other have been defined during mapping of the Devonian in the Beaujolais area of the northeastern Massif Central. Five main igneous suites have been recognized:

1. A transitional basaltic suite restricted to a single unit.
2. An acid volcanic-plutonic suite the members of which are related by fractional crystallization and magma mixing.
3. Low-TiO₂ volcanic rocks with calc-alkaline affinities.
4. A TiO₂-rich tholeiitic suite related to an ophiolitic complex.
5. A plutonic suite with close resemblances to Alaskantype intrusions.

The transitional metabasalts (1) form the oldest igneous suite and could represent either an intraplate magmatic forerunner of rifting or tectonic slices of weakly metamorphosed rocks representing a pre-Acadian event. The next three suites may be related to a short-lived ensialic marginal basin that developed between the Acadian and Bretonian orogenies. The basin is asymmetric, with the ophiolite of the central part flanked by an acid ridge on one side and a passive continental margin on the other. Quartz-keratophyres (2) and calc-alkalic basic volcanic rocks (3) were intercalated in varying proportions to form a bimodal volcanic pile before the rifting event that led to the formation of the ophiolites (4). The acid ridge (2) may be due to the reactivation of a continental basement. Cumulate rocks with Alaskan-type affinities occur as olistoliths, emplaced before the formation of the rift basin, supporting a comparison of the Hercynian belt with accreted magmatic arc terranes.     

Mesozoic volcanics of western sicily

The Mesozoic lavas and minor intrusions in the thrust sheets of western Sicily have the following characteristics:

1. The lavas in the Triassic Mufara Formation in the north were broken into fragments which rotated independently within the incompetent strata that enclose them. This behavior is characteristic of igneous rocks found within the more internal (northerly) thrust units.
2. The Jurassic lavas in the more external (southerly) units have consistent directions which agree with those of the Ammonitico Rosso limestones in the same zone and lie about 30° clockwise from those of coeval autochthonous formations in Tunisia.Schult's presumed Cretaceous directions from Custonaci on the north coast (similar to those found in the Cretaceous Scaglia Rossa at Terrasini to the east byChannel et al., 1980) are rotated still more (140°) with respect to those of the autochthonous Iblean platform of SE Sicily. These differences are believed to reflect rotation of the thrust sheets during tectonic transport in Cenozoic times, the internal units being the most strongly rotated.
3. All the igneous rocks are highly altered: generally the original mineralogy cannot be completely determined. Relative abundances of some of the less mobile elements (Ti, Sr, Y) suggest that they are intraplate basalts.

     

Phase relations of talc and tremolite in metamorphic calcite-dolomite sediments in the southern portion of the Damara Belt (South West Africa)

The occurrence of talc and tremolite in a temperature gradient was investigated in siliceous calcite-dolomite sediments exposed along a strip in the southeastern part of the Damara Orogen. Five bivariant reactions may lead to the formation of talc and tremolite:

1. 3 dolomite+4 quartz+1 H₂O ? 1 talc+3 calcite+3 CO₂
2. 5 talc+6 calcite+4 quartz ? 1 tremolite+6 CO₂+2 H₂O
3. 2 talc+3 calcite ? 1 tremolite+1 dolomite+1 CO₂+1 H₂O
4. 5 dolomite+8 quartz+1 H₂O ? 1 tremolite+3 calcite+7 CO₂
5. 2 dolomite+1 talc+4 quartz ? 1 tremolite+4 CO₂.

The common paragenesis of four mineral assemblages tc+cc+dol+qtz¹ and tre+tc+ cc+qtz with increasing temperature over an extended area show that the reactions must have taken place along the equilibrium curve or when fluid pressure is not constant along the equilibrium plane of reactions (1) or (2). The described occurrence of the five mineral assemblage tre+tc+cc+dol+qtz can be stable only on the isobaric intersection point, or when P _f is variable on the univariant intersection curve of the equilibrium planes of all five reactions. The genetic relations of the described parageneses are illustrated with the help of a phase diagram. Minimum P-T conditions which prevailed during metamorphism in this part of the Damara Orogen have been estimated to be about 590° C and 5 kb.     

The structural geology of the Dalradian rocks of Slieve Gamph,Cos. Mayo and Sligo,Western Ireland

The paper presents novel information on the Caledonian orogeny in Ireland. A series of Dalradian (Upper Precambrian-Lower Cambrian) metasedimentary rocks occur as an envelope to a granitic igneous complex at Slieve Gamph, Western Ireland. These metasedimentary rocks have been deformed at several distinct times and evidence is shown for the following sequence of events:

1. formation of major nappe structures and a tectonic slide. The axial-plane traces of the folds probably trended N. E.-S. W.
2. formation of upright, gently plunging folds with axial-plane traces of the folds trending N. E.-S. W. Emplacement of the components of the Slieve Gamph igneous complex.
3. formation of a conjugate set of folds:
   1. Open folds with N. N. E.-S. S. W. trending axial-planes which dip to the east,
   2. Open folds with E.W. trending axial-planes which dip to the north.
4. formation of kink-bands, open and conjugate folds with an axialplane trace trending N. W.-S. E.

Late phase of faulting. No isotopic dates are available for these structural events.     

Phase equilibria among pumpellyite,lawsonite, epidote and associated minerals in low grade metamorphic rocks

Phase relations of pumpellyite, epidote, lawsonite, CaCO₃, paragonite, actinolite, crossite and iron oxide are analysed on an Al-Ca-Fe³⁺ diagram in which all minerals are projected from quartz, albite or Jadeite, chlorite and fluid. Fe²⁺ and Mg are treated as a single component because variation in Fe²⁺/Mg has little effect on the stability of phases on the diagram. Comparison of assemblages in the Franciscan, Shuksan, Sanbagawa, New Caledonia, Southern Italian, and Otago metamorphic terranes reveals several reactions, useful for construction of a petrogenetic grid:

1. lawsonite+crossite + paragonite = epidote+chlorite + albite + quartz + H₂O
2. lawsonite + crossite = pumpellyite + epidote + chlorite + albite+ quartz + H₂O
3. crossite + pumpellyite + quartz = epidote + actinolite + albite + chlorite + H₂O
4. crossite + epidote + quartz = actinolite + hematite + albite + chlorite + H₂O
5. calcite + epidote + chlorite + quartz = pumpellyite + actinolite + H₂O + CO₂
6. pumpellyite + chlorite + quartz = epidote + actinolite + H₂O

     

Kyanite eclogites

Prior experimental work has shown that in the laboratory the mineralogy of eclogites is sensitive to the ratio of CaO ∶ MgO ∶ FeO and that the reaction pyroxene + kyanite?garnet + quartz proceeds to the right at high pressures in rocks rich in magnesium and to the left in rocks rich in calcium and iron. Typical basalts crystallized at high pressure never contain kyanite. The chemistry and mineralogy of a large number of naturally occurring eclogites show they belong to three classes.

1. Kyanite-free magmatic eclogites, rich in magnesium, from:
2. kimberlites
3. dunites and serpentinites.
4. Kyanite-bearing eclogites and grosspydites rich in CaO and low in FeO with intermediate MgO from:
5. kimberlites
6. gneisses.
7. Kyanite-free eclogites of metamorphic origin rich in iron with low magnesium and intermediate amounts of calcium from:
8. glaucophane schists
9. gneisses.

     

Low temperature\lg f_{O_2 } - pH diagrams of sulfur isotope evolution in an equilibrium hydrothermal system

According to Sakai-Ohmoto's theory regarding the evolution of sulfur isotopes in hydrothermal systems, in conjunction of new data on chemical resaction equilibrium constants and equilibrium isotopic fractionation factors as well as on individual ion activity coefficients of aqueous sulfur species, the following lgfo₂.-pH diagrams are constructed:

1. mole fractions of aqueous sulfur species (X _i ),
2. stability fields of some minerals in the Fe-S-O system,
3. diagram depicting the oxidation-reduction-state ratio for aqueous sulfur species (R′)
4. isotopic compositions of sulfur compounds ( \(\delta S_1 ^{34} \) ).

     

Zersetzung von Kalk-Alkali-Gesteinen im rezenten Fumarolengebiet auf Nea Kameni/Santorin/Griechenland

In the present phase of the volcanic activity on Nea Kameni / Santorini / Greece the calc-alkalic volcanic rocks are decomposed by H₂O, CO₂ and SO₂ gases of about 100 °C. Using a method ofGresens (1967) for the determination of gains and losses of compounds five different processes could be distinguished:

1. leaching of compounds
2. enrichment of Ca as gypsum
3. increase of Fe₂O₃ (6%–11%), TiO₂ (0,8%–3%) and Zr
4. enrichment of Al₂O₃ (15%–29%), TiO₂ (0,8%–1,5%) and K
5. increase of Al₂O₃ (15%–26%), Fe₂O₃ (6%–9%), TiO₂ (0,8%–1,3%), Sr, Ba, Pb and Zr

Finally a model for the process of decomposition of calc-alkalic volcanic rocks by sulfuric acid was developed.     

Granites and migmatites of the Damara belt,South West Africa. Petrography and melting experiments

In the central area of the early paleozoic Damara belt migmatites and some types of granites (sensu lato) crop out. Conventional petrographic data were collected and melting experiments were carried out with 63 samples of such rocks. Based on these data, migmatite genesis can be classified as follows:

1. Formation by partial melting and separation of more liquid and more crystalline fractions, the melting behaviour of these fractions has to be principally similar then.
2. Formation by injection of “geologically liquid” crystal-melt mixes into rocks of (incidentally) similar or (more frequently) dissimilar melting behaviour.
3. Formation by partial melting of metasediments of originally different composition. The method is applied and demonstrated for outcrops with complicated interrelations and it is shown that temperature estimates are possible thereby (670° to 710° at 4–5 kb H₂O pressure in the central Damara belt).

     

Petrogenesis of the Elzevir batholith and related trondhjemitic intrusions in the grenville province of eastern Ontario,Canada

The Elzevir batholith belongs to a suite of trondhjemitic intrusions emplaced at ca. 1,240 Ma in the Grenville Province of eastern Ontario. New major and trace element data, including REE, combined with isotopic and petrographic data indicate that:

1. the batholith has calc-alkalic affinities;
2. the Elzevir parental magma is very similar to that of dacites in the nearby, coeval metavolcanic rocks; the magma formed by partial melting of crustal material at granulite grade;
3. chemical differences between the plutonic and volcanic rocks can be best explained by accumulation of plagioclase in the plutonic environment;
4. fractionation was dominated by plagioclase and quartz, with lesser biotite and epidote, and minor zircon and apatite.

It is suggested that melting of sialic crust took place during the ‘docking’ of a partly-evolved, originally ensimatic arc system against the main cratonic mass to the northwest.     

Die Glaukophangesteine,ihre stofflichen Äquivalente und Uniwandlungsprodukte in Nordcalabrien (Süditalien)

In the southern Apennin (= northern part of the region dealt with) and the Coasta Chain (= southern part) there are metabasalts wich are classified in the northern part as:

1. Glaucophane rocks of the albite-lawsonite-glaucophane-subfacies with the assemblage glaucophane + pumpellyite + lawsonite ±albite ±aragonite ±muscovite (7 rock analyses, 8 mineral analyses). These rocks are conceived as relics of an older burial metamorphism.
2. Rocks with pumpellyite and chlorite or also chlorite alone, that are interpreted as reaction rims between the metastable glaucophane rocks and the country rock (phyllites, quartzites). The assemblages pumpellyite + chlorite and chlorite alone are to be found (2 rock analyses and 2 mineral analyses).
3. Rocks with lawsonite and/or epidote belong to the same mineral facies as the country rock: a facies similar to the greenschist facies (called “lawsonite-albite-chlorite-subfacies”) which is characterized by the assemblages lawsonite + albite + chlorite ±calcite and also epidote ±lawsonite + albite + chlorite ± muscovite. These types are attributed to a younger dynamo-metamorphism (2 rock analyses).

In the southern part, the metabasalts can be found only as rocks with epidote and/or lawsonite, a metamorphism with more than one event cannot be proved petrologically (3 rock analyses). Equations of the observed mineral reactions are given. The transitions of one facies into another are represented in the pseudo-quaternary system Al₂O₃-CaO-Na₂O · Al₂O₃-2 Fe₂O₃ + FeO + MnO + MgO-(H₂O). The pressure-temperature conditions are estimated on the basis of published experimental data (300° C and 6–7 kb for the glaucophane rocks; 400° C and about 6 kb for the rocks with lawsonite and/or epidote) and are compared with geologic facts.     

Geochemical model for the genesis of Gongchangling rich magnetite deposit in China

Based upon geological and geochemical data on the genesis of Gongchangling rich magnetite deposit, it is suggested that the deposit is of multi-genesis, and a three-stage geochemical model for the genesis of the deposit is proposed:

1. Sedimentary stage: the deposition of BIF (magnetite-quartzite) was accompanied by high-grade magnetite (hematite)-siderite ores which are intercalated with magnetite-quartzites as lenses or stratoid shoots.
2. Metamorphic stage: in response to metamorphism, siderite, was decomposed into magnetite and graphite with decreasing f_{O 2} and increasingP _{CO 2}. In the marginal parts of magnetite-siderite ores or within the thin-layered interbeds where f_{O 2} was high relative toP _{CO 2} were formed graphite-free rich magnetite ores.
3. Hydrothermal stage: as a result of later hydrothermal process diffusive metasomatism between the rich ores and the host rocks and silica leaching took place, thus giving rise to the rich magnetite ore of metasomatic type and altered rocks.

     

Les granites du Massif Central Français: étude comparée des leucogranites et granodiorites

Chemical and mineralogical compositions of granitic rocks of the French Massif Central enable us to classify them into two distinct groups: (i) leucogranites, (ii) granodiorites or quartz-monzonites, separated by a natural gap. The differences between these two groups are not only chemical and mineralogical, but are also reflected by:

conditions of crystallization as deduced from compositions and from thermal metamorphism of xenoliths.

nature of inclusions and, especially, the occurrence of basic fine-grained igneous xenoliths restricted to the granodiorite — quartz-monzonite group

relations between intrusive and autochtonous migmatitic masses;

levels of formation and of intrusion; the granodioritic and quartz-monzonitic magmas have originated at deeper horizons of the earth's crust than the leucogranitic one, but have risen higher.

In our opinion these differences are linked, and the specific characteristics of the granodiorites and quartz-monzonites are related to the presence of basic igneous inclusions. These inclusions are relics of deep basic intrusions in the earth's crust, which have overheated the surrounding acid rocks beyond the minimum temperature of melting. Thus granodioritic or quartz-monzonitic melts were produced and were able to rise to superficial levels. These inclusions are missing in leucogranites. The compositions of the latter and their poor mobility suggest a wet anatectic origin in minimal PT conditions.     

The role of fluids in the formation and subsequent development of early continental crust

A petrogenetic model is developed to explain the evolution and geochemical character of granitic rocks in early Archean (pre 3.6 Gyr) continental crust taking into account the following important geological constraints, viz.:

1. High geothermal gradients (probably in excess of 90 ° C/km) and resulting widespread granulite facies metamorphism even at relatively shallow depths
2. The fractionation of certain major and trace elements under granulite facies conditions
3. The composition and geochemical behaviour of fluids which emanate from or pass through terrains undergoing granulite facies metamorphism viz. carbonic fluids containing significant amounts of SO₂ and halogens.

In this model tonalitic and trondhjemitic intrusives are regarded as being derived dominantly by partial melting of mafic granulite. The ubiquitous potassic granites, which typical post-date sodic plutonic activity are interpreted to be anatectic melts generated under granulite or amphibolite facies conditions from the previously formed ‘plagiogranites’. The presence of a postulated granulite facies source area for Archean tonalitic rocks, and the geochemical character of fluids which accompany metamorphism under such conditions explains the HREE geochemistry of these suites and casts doubt on the validity of applying currently used trace element fractional melting or crystallization models to these terrains. Similarly it suggests that petrogenetic interpretations based on Sr and Pb isotopic systems must be reevaluated because of the extreme mobility of both parent and daughter elements under granulite facies conditions.     

Aperçu sur les amas sulfurés massifs des hercynides Marocaines

Massive sulfide deposits located on Hercynian islets of northwestern Morocco exhibit four main characteristics:

They are strata-bound massive pyrrhotite deposits mined for sulfur and/or base metals occasionally occurring as sulfides of workable grade.

Volcanic rocks with which these massive sulfide orebodies are associated are scarce, although always present as acid flows of submarine emissions of either rhyolitic or more often quartz-keratophyric nature. Later on, basic plutonics intruded the pelitic country rocks.

Stockworks underlying the massive sulfide orebodies are common, but not systematic. When present, they occur in siltite ± phyllite ± carbonate rocks at the wall of massive sulfide lenses. They consist of fissural disseminations transformed by epimetamorphic recrystallization and by one schistosity generally concordant with s₀.

Associated alterites and exhalites belong to three types, i.e., sericitite (or biotite-rich rock), chloritite, and/or chert (jasper).

Generally well located in a back-arc basin environment characterized by a two-phase geological history, i.e., “extension and volcanism, compression and metamorphism”, these volcano-sedimentary deposits exhibit distal features with regard to the volcanism coeval with their sedimentation. They are mostly linked with strongly reducing environmental properties entailing pyrrhotite and/or magnetite syngenetic deposition, whatever the iron activity.     

Untersuchung von suspendiertem Material in den Hydrothermallaugen des Atlantis-II-Tiefs

Suspended matter was separated from the hydrothermal brines of the Atlantis-II Deep in the Red Sea. Contents of iron, manganese, copper, and zink collected on membrane filters were measured by X-ray-flourescence, and the main results were:

1. Metal concentrations in suspended form were lower by 10^?1 to 10^?5 compared to the dissolved concentrations of the brines.
2. Suspended copper and zink were enriched most pronounced in the deeper brine zone — markedly so in the SW-basin, values there ranged between 10 and 30μg/l, one Zn-value was as high as 60μ/l, the other basins contained mostly less than 1 to 10μg/l.
3. Iron, copper, and zink in the deeper brine zone and in few cases also in the 50°-brine were suspended in the form of sulfide compounds. This conclusion is based only on the slightly purple-, green-, and blue-colored gray hues of the material on the filters and its rapid oxidation upon contact with the air.
4. In the transition zone of the 50°/60°-brine iron hydroxides were highly concentrated with values ranging up to 1000μg Fe/l.
5. Suspended manganese is found only within the transition zone of brine to the normal sea water, where up to 200μg Mn/l in form of darkbrown manganese hydroxides were found.
6. Concurrently with the increased thermal activity since 1966 more strongly reducing conditions within the brines seemed apparent which were caused by discharge of higher amounts of Sulfides into the basins. Increased precipitation of heavy metal sulfides was found to be most pronounced in the SW-basin.