Interpretation of neovolcanic versus palaeovolcanic sand grains: an example from Miocene deep-marine sandstone of the Topanga Group (Southern California)

Despite abundant data on volcaniclastic sand(stone), the compositional, spatial and temporal distribution of volcanic detritus within the sedimentary record is poorly documented. One of the most intricate tasks in optical analysis of sand(stone) containing volcanic particles is to distinguish grains derived by erosion of ancient volcanic rocks (i.e. palaeovolcanic, noncoeval grains) from grains generated by active volcanism (subaqueous and/or subaerial) during sedimentation (neovolcanic, coeval grains). Deep-marine volcaniclastic sandstones of the Middle Topanga Group of southern California are interstratified with 3000-m-thick volcanic deposits (both subaqueous and subaerial lava and pyroclastic rocks, ranging from basalt, andesite to dacite). These rocks overlie quartzofeldspathic sandstones (petrofacies 1) of the Lower Topanga Group, derived from deep erosion of a Mesozoic magmatic arc. Changes in sandstone composition in the Middle Topanga Group provide an example of the influence of coeval volcanism on deep-marine sedimentation. Volcaniclastic strata were deposited in deep-marine portions of a turbidite complex (volcaniclastic apron) built onto a succession of intrabasinal lava flows and on the steep flanks of subaerially emplaced lava flows and pyroclastic rocks. The Middle Topanga Group sandstones are vertically organized into four distinctive petrofacies (2–5). Directly overlying basalt and basaltic-andesite lava flows, petrofacies 2 is a pure volcanolithic sandstone, including vitric, microlitic and lathwork volcanic grains, and neovolcanic crystals (plagioclase, pyroxene and olivine). The abundance of quenched glass (palagonite) fragments suggests a subaqueous neovolcanic provenance, whereas sandstones including andesite and minor basalt grains suggest subaerial neovolcanic provenance. This petrofacies probably was deposited during syneruptive Periods, testifying to provenance from both intrabasinal and extrabasinal volcanic events. Deposited during intereruptive periods, impure volcanolithic petrofacies 3 includes both neovolcanic (85%) and older detritus derived from plutonic, metamorphic and palaeovolcanic rocks. During post-eruptive periods, the overlying quartzofeldspathic petrofacies 4 and 5 testify to progressive decrease of neovolcanic detritus (48–14%) and increase of plutonic-metamorphic and palaeovolcanic detritus. The Upper Topanga Group (Calabasas Formation), conformably overlying the Middle unit, has dominantly plutoniclastic sandstone (petrofacies 6). Neovolcanic detritus is drastically reduced (4%) whereas palaeovolcanic detritus is similar to percentages of the Lower Topanga Group (petrofacies 1). In general, the volcaniclastic contribution represents a well-defined marker in the sedimentary record. Detailed compositional study of volcaniclastic strata and volcanic particles (including both compositional and textural attributes) provides important constraints on deciphering spatial (extrabasinal vs. intrabasinal) and temporal relationships between neovolcanic events (pre-, syn-, inter- and post-eruptive periods) and older detritus.     

Sedimentary geology of the Palaeoarchaean Buck Ridge (South Africa) and Kittys Gap (Western Australia) volcano-sedimentary complexes

The two Palaeoarchaean volcano-sedimentary complexes of the Buck Ridge (Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa) and Kittys Gap (Coppin Gap Greenstone Belt, East Pilbara, Australia) have a similar geological setting and age (∼3.45 Ga). The predominantly volcaniclastic sediments are concentrated at the top of these complexes, and experienced thorough, (very) early diagenetic silicification. In many places the silicification process has led to excellent preservation of the primary sedimentary structures. Elsewhere it has resulted in their obliteration or replacement by diagenetic structures. The Buck Ridge chert forms a regressive-transgressive succession, deposited around base level, with lacustrine and littoral marine facies. Deposition of the Kittys Gap Chert was also close to base level, almost exclusively subaqueous, with tidal influence and a regressive sequential trend.     

Lithofacies associations and structural evolution of the Archean Rio das Velhas greenstone belt,Quadrilátero Ferrífero,Brazil: A review of the setting of gold deposits

The Rio das Velhas greenstone belt is located in the Quadrilátero Ferrífero region, in the southern extremity of the São Francisco Craton, central-southern part of the State of Minas Gerais, SE Brazil. The metavolcano–sedimentary rocks of the Rio das Velhas Supergroup in this region are subdivided into the Nova Lima and Maquiné Groups. The former occurs at the base of the sequence, and contains the major Au deposits of the region. New geochronological data, along with a review of geochemical data for volcanic and sedimentary rocks, suggest at least two generations of greenstone belts, dated at 2900 and 2780 Ma. Seven lithofacies associations are identified, from bottom to top, encompassing (1) mafic–ultramafic volcanic; (2) volcano–chemical–sedimentary; (3) clastic–chemical–sedimentary, (4) volcaniclastic association with four lithofacies: monomictic and polymictic breccias, conglomerate–graywacke, graywacke–sandstone, graywacke–argillite; (5) resedimented association, including three sequences of graywacke–argillite, in the north and eastern, at greenschist facies and in the south, at amphibolite metamorphic facies; (6) coastal association with four lithofacies: sandstone with medium- to large-scale cross-bedding, sandstone with ripple marks, sandstone with herringbone cross-bedding, sandstone–siltstone; (7) non-marine association with the lithofacies: conglomerate–sandstone, coarse-grained sandstone, fine- to medium-grained sandstone. Four generations of structures are recognized: the first and second are Archean and compressional, driven from NNE to SSW; the third is extensional and attributed to the Paleoproterozoic Transamazonian Orogenic Cycle; and the fourth is compressional, driven from E to W, is related to the Neoproterozoic Brasiliano Orogenic Cycle. Gold deposits in the Rio das Velhas greenstone belt are structurally controlled and occur associated with hydrothermal alterations along Archean thrust shear zones of the second generation of structures.Sedimentation occurred during four episodes. Cycle 1 is interpreted to have occurred between 2800 and 2780 Ma, based on the ages of the mafic and felsic volcanism, and comprises predominantly chemical sedimentary rocks intercalated with mafic–ultramafic volcanic flows. It includes the volcano–chemical–sedimentary lithofacies association and part of the mafic–ultramafic volcanic association. The cycle is related to the initial extensional stage of the greenstone belt formation, with the deposition of sediments contemporaneous with volcanic flows that formed the submarine mafic plains. Cycle 2 encompasses the clastic–chemical–sedimentary association and distal turbidites of the resedimented association, in the eastern sector of the Quadrilátero Ferrífero. It was deposited in the initial stages of the felsic volcanism. Cycle 2 includes the coastal and resedimented associations in the southern sector, in advanced stages of subduction. In this southern sedimentary cycle it is also possible to recognize a stable shelf environment. Following the felsic volcanism, Cycle 3 comprises sedimentary rocks of the volcaniclastic and resedimented lithofacies associations, largely in the northern sector of the area. The characteristics of both associations indicate a submarine fan environment transitional to non-marine successions related to felsic volcanic edifices and related to the formation of island arcs. Cycle 4 is made up of clastic sedimentary rocks belonging to the non-marine lithofacies association. They are interpreted as braided plain and alluvial fan deposits in a retroarc foreland basin with the supply of debris from the previous cycles.     

Volcanic evolution of a long-lived Ordovician island-arc province in the Parkes region of the Lachlan Fold Belt,southeastern Australia

The Ordovician mafic volcanic rocks in the Parkes region of New South Wales occur as three distinct packages of volcaniclastic and coherent volcanic rocks and minor limestone that formed part of an oceanic island arc succession. The oldest package is the Early Ordovician Nelungaloo Volcanics and overlying Yarrimbah Formation. These formations consist of volcanic siltstone, sandstone, polymictic breccia, conglomerate facies interpreted as moderately deep-water turbidites and coarser grained debris-flow deposits emplaced in the medial to distal part of a subaqueous volcaniclastic apron flanking an active volcanic centre(s). Broadly conformable massive to brecciated andesites in the apron deposits are interpreted as synsedimentary sills and/or lava flows. A hiatus in volcanism occurred between the Bendigonian and early Darriwilian (ca 476 – 466 Ma). Deposition of the second package, which produced the Middle to Late Ordovician Goonumbla Volcanics, Billabong Creek Limestone and Gunningbland Formation, commenced with shallow-water limestones and minor volcaniclastic rocks. During an approximately 15 million years period, a thick sequence of bedded volcanic sandstone, limestone and minor siltstone and volcanic breccia were deposited in very shallow to moderate water depths. The top of this package is marked by thick volcanic conglomerate and sandstone mass-flow deposits and approximately coeval basaltic andesite lavas and sills sourced from a nearby volcano. The upper age limit of this package is constrained as approximately 450 Ma by Ea3/4 fossils and monzodiorite that intrudes the Goonumbla Volcanics. The lower limit of the third package, which constitutes the Wombin Volcanics, is poorly constrained and the duration of the hiatus that separates the Goonumbla and Wombin Volcanics is unknown but may be as long as 10 million years. The Wombin Volcanics record development of a thick, proximal volcaniclastic apron flanking a compositionally more evolved volcanic edifice in the immediate Parkes area. Thick crystal-rich turbiditic sandstones of mafic provenance are intercalated with polymictic volcanic breccias and megablock breccias that are interpreted as proximal subaqueous debris-flow and debris-avalanche deposits, respectively. The sequence also includes numerous trachyandesite bodies, many of which were emplaced within the volcaniclastic apron as synsedimentary sills. No evidence was found at Parkes to support the existence of a previously proposed 22 km diameter collapse caldera and the source volcanoes for the Ordovician are envisaged as complex stratovolcanoes.     

Structure,gravity models and stratigraphy of an early Proterozoic volcanic—sedimentary belt in northeastern Ghana

The structure of an early Proterozoic volcanic—sedimentary belt in northeastern Ghana is inferred from the distribution of lithologic units and interpretation of Bouguer gravity anomaly associated with the belt. It is shown from gravity modelling that the vertical thickness (depth) of the volcanic—sedimentary succession is ca. 3 km and that the structure of the western part of the belt is an overturned anticline, an interpretation consistent with facing data. This structure provides the basis from which the stratigraphic order of the mapped lithic units is deduced: (1) fine-grained epiclastic sediments interbedded with minor felsic tuffs, followed by (2) tholeiitic basaltic lavas, which are overlain by (3) calc-alkaline andesitic and dacitic lavas and tuffs; the youngest volcanic unit belonging to the sequence is a calc-alkaline mafic tuff (4). A manganese-rich chemical sediment is preserved at the boundary between the tholeiitic mafic lava and calc-alkaline intermediate volcanic rock units. The early Proterozoic sequence, which is unconformably overlain by coarse fluviatile sediments, is estimated to be ca. 8500 m thick. The stratigraphic sequence in the study area contrasts strongly with the conceptual stratigraphic schemes which are currently held to be valid for similar lithologic associations of early Proterozoic age (Birimian) in the West African shield.     

The Xitieshan volcanic sediment-hosted massive sulfide deposit,North Qaidam,China: Geology,structural deformation and geochronology

The Xitieshan deposit (~ 64 Mt at 4.86% Zn, 4.16% Pb, 58 g/t Ag, and 0.68 g/t Au) is hosted by the Middle to Late Ordovician Tanjianshan Group of the North Qaidam tectonic metallogenic belt, NW China. This belt is characterized by island arc volcanic, ultra-high pressure (UHP) metamorphic and ophiolitic rocks. The Tanjianshan Group constitutes a succession of metamorphosed bimodal volcanic and sedimentary rocks, which are interpreted to have formed on the margin of a back-arc ocean basin between the Qaidam block and the Qilian block.Four stratigraphic units are identified within the Ordovician Tanjianshan Group. From northeast to southwest they are: 1) unit a, or the lower volcanic-sedimentary rocks, comprising bimodal volcanic rocks (unit a-1) and sedimentary rocks (unit a-2) ranging from carbonates to black carbonaceous schist; 2) unit b, or intermediate-mafic volcaniclastic rocks, characterized by intermediate to mafic volcaniclastic rocks intercalated with lamellar carbonaceous schist and minor marble lenses; 3) unit c, a purplish red sandy conglomerate that unconformably overlies unit b, representing the product of the foreland basin sedimentation during the Early Silurian; 4) unit d, or mafic volcanic rocks, from base to up, comprising the lower mafic volcaniclastic rocks (unit d-1), middle clastic sedimentary rocks (unit d-2), upper mafic volcaniclastic rocks (unit d-3), and uppermost mafic volcanic rocks (unit d-4). Unit a-2 hosts most of the massive sulfides whereas unit b contains subordinate amounts.The massive stratiform lenses constitute most of the Xitieshan deposit with significant amount of semi-massive and irregularly-shaped sulfides and minor amounts in stringer veins. Pyrite, galena and sphalerite are the dominant sulfide minerals, with subordinate pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite. Quartz is a dominant gangue mineral. Sericite, quartz, chlorite, and carbonate alteration of host rocks accompanies the mineralization.U-Pb zircon geochronology yields three ages of 454 Ma, 452 Ma and 451 Ma for the footwall felsic volcanic rocks in unit a-1, sedimentary host rocks in unit a-2 and hanging-wall unit b, respectively. The Xitieshan deposit is considered to be coeval with the sedimentation of unit a-2 and unit b of the Tanjianshan Group. The Xitieshan deposit has been intensely deformed during two phases (main ductile shear and minor ductile-brittle deformation). The main ductile shear deformation controls the general strike of the ore zones, whereas minor deformation controls the internal geometry of the ore bodies. ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar age of muscovite from mylonitized granitic gneisses in the ductile shear zone is ~ 399 Ma, which is interpreted to date the Xitieshan ductile shear zone, suggesting that Early Devonian metamorphism and deformation post-dated the Tanjianshan Group.The Xitieshan deposit has many features similar to that of the Bathurst district of Canada, the Iberian Pyrite Belt of Spain, the Wolverine volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit in Canada. Based on its tectonic setting, host-rock types, local geologic setting, metal grades, geochronology, temperatures and salinities of mineralizing fluid and source of sulfur, the Xitieshan deposit has features similar to sedimentary exhalative (SEDEX) and VMS deposits and is similar to volcanic and sediment-hosted massive sulfide (VSHMS) deposits.     

The lower Devonian Kowmung volcaniclastics: A deep‐water succession of mass‐flow origin,northeastern Lachlan Fold Belt,N.S.W.

The Lower to ?Middle Devonian Kowmung Volcaniclastics form the upper part of a succession of Upper Siluran to mid‐Devonian flyschoid rocks in the Yerranderie area of N.S.W., and contain two major facies associations. (1) A mudstone facies association represents the ambient, background sedimentation, comprising predominantly buff mudstone that is host to an assemblage of coarser‐grained sediments, including graded‐bedded to massive siltstone, sandstone, conglomerate, allodapic limestone, and large allochthonous limestone blocks and associated limestone breccia. Bouma sequences are common, sole structures occur and maximum bed thickness is about 3 m. (2) A volcaniclastic facies association intrudes and interrupts the accumulation of the ambient mudstone facies association, and contains massive to partly graded, quartzofeldspathic siltstone, sandstone, breccia and conglomerate. Sedimentation units in the volcaniclastic facies association are up to 120 m thick. The two facies associations interfinger. Stratigraphically, the base of the Kowmung Volcaniclastics is taken as the first sedimentation unit of the volcaniclastic facies association. The mudstone facies association below this level is part of the Siluro‐Devonian Taralga Group.

Both facies associations were deposited in relatively deep‐water. The dominant transport process in both associations was mass‐flow, involving granular mass‐flows (turbidity currents, grain flows), debris flows and avalanches. Massive mudstone is hemipelagic in origin. The volcaniclastic facies association probably represents a submarine volcanic apron around the emergent, volcanic Bindook Complex. Grossly, the succession coarsens upwards, and there is evidence of several sources of sediment, rather than a single point at the head of a submarine fan.

Provenance is diverse. In the mudstone facies association, framework grains in sandstone are microlitic volcanic‐rock fragments with a mafic to intermediate volcanic source. Clasts in conglomerate and breccia are consistent with derivation from the regionally extensive, quartzose Ordovician flyschoid successions. Clasts of ?penecontemporaneous limestone also occur. The volcaniclastic facies association was probably derived largely from the nearby, coeval Bindook Complex, which consists of silicic ash‐flow and ash‐fall tuff, lava, associated sediment and granitoids. Detritus was either derived directly from volcanic eruptions or was worked in fringing littoral and fluvial environments prior to redeposition by mass‐flow. Quartzite boulders mixed with volcanic clasts in the conglomerate suggest that Ordovician quartzarenite was also exposed around the volcanic complex. Tentative provenance correlations have been made between the different rock units in the Kowmung Volcaniclastics and their possible sources in the northern part of the Bindook Complex.     

Geochemistry of the Dubois greenstone succession: An early proterozoic bimodal volcanic association in west-central Colorado

The Dubois greenstone succession, an Early Proterozoic supracrustal succession in west-central Colorado, is composed of fine-grained felsic volcaniclastic sediments, ash-flow tuffs, and tholeiitic flows, sills and dikes. The volcanic rocks comprise a bimodal suite of tholeiite and rhyolite. The tholeiites are divided into two groups: Group I exhibiting nearly flat REE patterns (20–30 × chondrites) and Group II with light REE-enriched patterns (40–70 × chondrites). These groups can be produced by two-stage melting of an undepleted or enriched garnet lherzolite source in which garnet remains in the residue of only the first melting stage which produces Group II magmas. The felsic magmas can be produced by partial melting of a high-grade gneiss in the lower crust in which zircon is entrained in the magma.The Dubois greenstone succession appears to have formed by felsic and mafic subaqueous eruptions in which some ash-flows, upon entering water, underwent phreatomagmatic explosions giving rise to detritus which formed the volcaniclastic sediments. Although tectonic setting cannot be assigned to the succession with a high degree of confidence, an immature back-arc basin developed on sialic crust in consistent with most data.     

Ceno-Tethyan Jurassic Radiolarian Fauna from the Raskoh Arc, Balochistan, Pakistan

The Raskoh arc is about 250 km long, 40 km wide and trends in ENE direction. The arc is convex towards southeast and terminated by the Chaman transform fault zone towards east. This arc is designated as frontal arc of the Chagai-Raskoh arc system. The Late Cretaceous Kuchakki Volcanic Group is the most widespread and previously considered the oldest unit of the the Raskoh arc followed by sedimentary rock formations including Rakhshani Formation (Paleocene), Kharan Limestone (Early Eocene) and Nauroze Formation (Middle Eocene to Oligocene), Dalbandin Formation (Miocene to Pleistocene), and semi-unconsolidated Subrecent and Recent deposits. The Rakhshani Formation is the most widespread and well-exposed unit of the Raskoh arc. During the present field investigation the Rakhshani forma-tion in the southeastern part of the Raskoh arc, is identified as an accretionary complex, which is designated as Raskoh accretionary complex. The Raskoh accretionary comple is subdivided into three units: (a) Bunap sedimen-tary complex, (b) Charkohan radiolarian chert, and (c) Raskoh ophiolite melange. The Bunap sedimentary complex is farther divided into three tectonostratigraphic units viz., northern, middle and southern. Each unit is bounded by thrust faults, which is usually marked by sheared serpentinites, except northern unit, which has gradational and at places faulted contact with the Kuchakki Volcanic Group. The northern unit is mainly composed of allochthonous fragments and blocks of limestone, sandstone, mudstone and the volcanics in dark gray, greenish gray and bluish gray siliceous flaky shale. At places the shale is metamorphosed into phyllite. This unit is thrust over the middle unit, which exhibits relatively a coherent stratigraphy, represented by greenish gray calcareous flaky shale with intercalation of thin beds and lenticular bodies of mudstone, sandstone and limestone. The middle unit is again thrust over the southern unit, which is mainly composed of large exotic blocks of volcanic rocks, limestone, sand-stone, mudstone and conglomerate embedded in dark gray, greenish gray and bluish gray siliceous flaky shale which is generally moderately argillized. The unit is thrust over the Kharan Limestone. During the present field investigation about 350 meter thick sequence of thin-bedded maroon and green chert intercalated with the siliceous flaky shale of the same colour are discovered within this unit, which is found in the southeastern part of the Ras-koh arc. This chert sequence occurs on the margins of a large exotic block (350m X 3 km) of volcaniclastic rocks of unknown origin, which makes an overturned syncline. This chert sequence is developed on its both limbs and has lower faulted contact with the Bunap sedimentary complex. Two samples collected from this chert sequence yielded radiolarian fauna, which include Parvicingula sp., Laxto-rum sp., Parahsuum cf. simplum, Parahsuum sp., Nassellaria gen. et sp. indet., Hsuum cf. Matsuokai., Archaeo-spongoprunum sp., Nassellaria gen. et sp. indet. and Hagias gen. et sp. indet., Tricolocapsa sp., Hsuum sp., Ris-tola sp., Archaeospongoprunum sp. and Tritrabinate gen. et sp. indet. This radiolarian chert sequence represents the late Early to Middle Jurassic pelagic sediment deposited in Ceno-Tethyan ocean floor; prior to the inception of volcanism in the Raskoh arc and accreted with the arc during Late Cretaceous to Eocene along with the Bunap sedimentary complex of Late Jurassic age.     

Restricted shallow-water sedimentation of Early Archean stromatolitic and evaporitic strata of the Strelley Pool Chert,Pilbara Block,Western Australia

The 3.4 Ga-old Strelley Pool Chert is a 25-m thick sedimentary unit near the top of the predominantly volcanic Warrawoona Group in greenstone belts of the eastern Pilbara Block, Western Australia. It is here subdivided into 5 members containing 13 lithofacies. The basal Member, I, is composed of quartzose sandstone deposited in a high-energy wave- or tide-dominated shallow-water system. Overlying this are Members II and III, which make up the bulk of the formation and were deposited in a low-energy, partially restricted hypersaline basin. They record a predominantly regressive succesion of deposits including subaqueous laminite, stromatolite and evaporite; stromatolite, carbonaceous laminite, black-and-white banded chert, evaporite and intraformational detrital units deposited under intermittently to predominantly exposed conditions; and subaerially deposited windblown sand, evaporite and evaporite-solution layers. Members IV and V record the progradation of a volcaniclastic alluvial fringe.The Strelley Pool Chert represents an association of sedimentary environments directly comparable to that observed in modern, low-energy, shallow-marine carbonate-evaporite systems, such as along the Trucial Coast of the Persian Gulf, and abundantly developed in Phanerozoic carbonate platform deposits. There is no evidence, however, that uniquely identifies the environment as having been marine. Deposition may have taken place in either a large hypersaline lake or a restricted marine basin. Evidence of predominantly low energy depositional conditions and a paucity of terrigenous detritus indicate that sedimentation was dominated by orthochemical and biological processes. Silicified evaporites, including coarsely crystalline layers resembling Messinian selenite, are widespread and similar to younger evaporite deposits. They clearly indicate that evaporites were common within shallow-water Archean sequences. The presence of an assemblage of biogenic deposits, including organic laminite, stromatolites, encrusting carbonaceous mats, carbonaceous granules and oncolites, deposited under conditions ranging from fully subaqueous to nearly subaerial and locally evaporitic, points to the existence of an ecologically and probably biologically diverse microbial community 3.4 Ga ago.     

Petrography and provenance of silicified early Archaean volcaniclastic sandstones, eastern Pilbara Block, Western Australia

Intense post-depositional alteration has profoundly affected sandstones in the volcanic portions of Early Archaean (3·5–3·3 Ga) greenstone belts. The mineralogy and bulk compositions of most grains have been completely destroyed by pervasive metasomatism, but grain textures are commonly well preserved. Consequently, microtextural information coupled with present alteration compositions as determined petrographically can be used to estimate original framework modes. Silicified Early Archaean volcaniclastic sandstones assigned to the Panorama Formation and Duffer Formation, Warrawoona Group, eastern Pilbara Block, Western Australia, were originally composed of volcanic (VRF) and sedimentary (SRF) rock fragments, volcanic quartz, feldspar, traces of ferromagnesian minerals and pumice. Only volcanic megaquartz remained stable during alteration. All other primary components were replaced by granular microcrystalline quartz (GMC) and sericite. In most areas, the sandstones were composed of dacitic to rhyolitic VRFs, now totally replaced by sericite-poor GMC and recognized by preserved microporphyritic textures. In a few areas, quartz-poor dacitic to andesitic(?) VRFs dominated the detrital assemblage. Minor SRFs and mafic VRFs, now replaced by GMC, are recognized on the basis of colour, internal structures, and internal textures, including skeletal, possible spinifex textures. Detrital feldspar is represented by blocky, sericite-rich grain pseudomorphs. A semi-quantitative point-count scheme, developed for the analysis of heavily altered sandstones, indicates the following primary detrital-mode ranges for Panorama arenites: quartz, 0–28%; feldspar, 0–28%, VRFs, 58–86%, and SRFs 0–25%. In about half the point-counted samples, feldspar could not be distinguished from rock fragments. In such cases, both were counted as one grain type, Lv', which makes up from 84 to 100% of the framework modes of these rocks. These sands were derived from a terrane composed largely of fresh felsic volcanic rocks and sediments, but locally including minor mafic, ultramafic, and sedimentary rocks. Much, but not all, of the felsic volcaniclastic sand represents reworked pyroclastic debris. There is no evidence for contributions from plutonic or metamorphic sources. The Panorama modal assemblage represents a provenance that is lithologically more restricted than that of Archaean greywackes and other siliciclastic units common in the sedimentary portions of these same Early Archaean greenstone belts and younger greenstone belts (3·0–2·7 Ga).     

Sedimentology and depositional model for glaciolacustrine deposits in an ice-dammed tributary valley, western Tasmania, Australia

Quaternary sedimentary successions are described from the Linda Valley, a small valley in western Tasmania that was dammed by ice during Early and Middle Pleistocene glaciations. Mapping and logging of exposures suggest that an orderly sequence of deposits formed during ice incursion, occupation and withdrawal from tributary valleys. Four principal sediment assemblages record different stages of ice occupation in the valley. As the glacier advanced, a proglacial, lacustrine sediment assemblage dominated by laminated silts and muds deposited from suspension accumulated in front of the glacier. A subglacial sediment assemblage consisting of deformed lacustrine deposits and lodgement till records the overriding of lake-bottom sediments as the glacier advanced up the valley into the proglacial lake. As the glacier withdrew from the valley, a supraglacial sediment assemblage of diamict, gravel, sand and silt facies formed on melting ice in the upper part of the valley. A lacustrine regression in the supraglacial assemblage is inferred on the basis of a change from deposits mainly resulting from suspension in a subaqueous setting to relatively thin and laterally discontinuous laminated sediments, occurrence of clastic dykes, and increasing complexity of the geometry of deposits that indicate deposition in a subaerial setting. A deltaic sediment assemblage deposited during the final stage of ice withdrawal from the valley consists of steeply dipping diamict and normally graded gravel facies formed on delta foresets by subaqueous sediment gravity flows. The sediment source for the delta, which prograded toward the retreating ice margin, was the supraglacial sediment assemblage previously deposited in the upper part of the valley. A depositional model developed from the study of the Linda Valley may be applicable to other alpine glaciated areas where glaciers flowed through or terminated in medium- to high-relief topography.     

Sedimentary basin formation associated with a silicic large igneous province: stratigraphy and provenance of the Mesoproterozoic Roopena Basin,Gawler Range Volcanics

The Mesoproterozoic Gawler Silicic Large Igneous Province (SLIP) in the Gawler Craton and Curnamona Province, southern Australia, comprises extensive felsic and lesser mafic volcanic sequences, with only limited sedimentary successions. The Roopena Basin is a rare example of a synvolcanic sedimentary basin that formed within the Gawler SLIP in the eastern Gawler Craton. It is a north–south-trending basin with a preserved area of 75 km², bound by the Roopena and Wizzo Well faults, and contains three units of the lower Gawler Range Volcanics; the Angle Dam Dacite, Fresh Well Formation and Roopena Basalt. The Angle Dam Dacite is a porphyritic lava and the oldest part of the volcanic succession, directly overlying basement. The Fresh Well Formation overlies the Angle Dam Dacite or basement, comprises three coarsening-upwards volcaniclastic packages of claystone, siltstone, fine-grained to coarse-grained lithic sandstone and conglomerate deposited in a fluvio-lacustrine setting, and contains three tuff members. The Roopena Basalt is interlayered with the Fresh Well Formation, and comprises auto-brecciated lavas that exhibit only local interaction with water or wet sediment. Sharp basal contacts of the prograding packages within the Fresh Well Formation provide evidence of rapid flooding events within the basin. New detrital zircon geochronology of a sandstone within the Fresh Well Formation yielded a maximum depositional age of ca 1580 Ma, with provenance dominated by felsic volcanic units of the 1635–1605 Ma St Peter Suite. Sedimentation in the Gawler SLIP appears to have occurred in isolated basins with limited areal extent. It was largely restricted to the eastern Gawler Craton, and as well as the Roopena Basin, and includes similar basins at the Olympic Dam and Prominent Hill iron oxide–copper–gold ± uranium (IOCG ± U) deposits. The coincidence of sedimentation and mafic volcanism in the eastern Gawler Craton suggests that this region underwent extension at this time, although high-temperature metamorphism and compressional deformation occurred in some parts of the Gawler Craton and Curnamona Province synchronous with the Gawler SLIP. The Roopena Basin sedimentary rocks and underlying basement contain hematite–chlorite–sericite–white mica assemblages, permissive of hematite-style IOCG mineral deposits; however, no significant ore deposit has yet been discovered in the Roopena Basin.     

Late Paleozoic to Early Jurassic tectonic development of the high Andean Principal Cordillera,El Indio Region,Chile (29–30°S)

Regional mapping (1:50,000) and U-Pb and K-Ar geochronology in the El Indio region refines the knowledge of the distribution, lithostratigraphy, and age of the sedimentary, volcanic, and intrusive rocks that comprise the regionally extensive Pastos Blancos Group which is equivalent to the Choiyoi Group of the Argentine Frontal Cordillera. The Pastos Blancos Group (which we elevate to Group status herein) includes at least two diachronous volcanic–sedimentary sequences: an older felsic volcanic and volcaniclastic unit, the Guanaco Sonso sequence, that is Permian in age, and a younger bimodal volcanic and volcaniclastic unit, the Los Tilos sequence that is Middle Triassic to Early Jurassic. Sedimentary rocks of the Los Tilos sequence are transitional upward into the overlying Early to Middle Jurassic shallow marine limestones of the Lautaro Formation.Intrusions that make up the regionally extensive Permian to Early Jurassic plutons of the Chollay and Elqui-Limarı́ batholiths that were previously mapped as a single plutonic association, the Ingaguás Complex, include in the El Indio region at least three discrete intrusive units. These include: Early Permian (280–270 Ma) biotite granites, Early to Middle Triassic (242–238 Ma) silica-rich leucocratic granites and rhyolitic porphyries that made up the bulk of the Chollay Batholith, and a younger Late Triassic–Early Jurassic unit (221–200 Ma) of mainly intrusive rhyolitic porphyries, extrusive domes, and subordinate mafic intrusions and both felsic and mafic dikes, which are coeval with volcanic rocks of the Los Tilos sequence.Our data show that latest Paleozoic to Early Jurassic intrusive, volcanic, and sedimentary rocks in the El Indio region of the High Andes of Chile between 29–30°S likely formed during extension driven processes after the cessation of Carboniferous–Early Permian subduction along the western edge of Gondwana. These processes began by Late Permian time, but instead of recording a single and protracted magmatic event, as has been previously suggested, rocks that belong to the Pastos Blancos Group and the Ingaguás Intrusive Complex record at least three discrete periods of silicic to bimodal magmatism which occurred during the Middle Permian to Early Jurassic interval.     

Deep marine arc apron deposits and syndepositional magmatism in the Alisitos group at Punta Cono, Baja California, Mexico

Rocks exposed at Punta Cono include very fine-grained to coarse-grained tuffs, lapilli tuffs, and tuff breccias deposited in a deep marine environment. Syndepositional basaltic intrusive activity was common. In one locality a hyaloclastite-peperite complex formed. Slumped sections with fluidal basalt ‘clasts’, derived from intrusions that entered the sediment pile from below, are present elsewhere. Abundant soft-sediment folds in fine-grained laminated subaqueous fall-out tuff suggest steep gradients; these are cut by shallow channels filled with coarse-grained tuff, lapilli tuff, and rare tuff breccia. The combination of marine fossils, extreme textural immaturity, abundant slump features, and syndepositional magmatism indicates deposition upon the submarine flanks of an active volcano. Recognition of magma-wet sediment interaction is hampered in volcaniclastic rocks because of the similarity between host and intrusive fragments. Products of magma-water-sediment interactions at Punta Maria include: (1) jigsaw-puzzle hyaloclastite, formed by non-explosive hydroclastic fragmentation of magma upon contact with water and water-bearing sediment; (2) peperites, produced by mixing of magma with sediment; and (3) an unusual tuff breccia unit, the result of non-explosive mixing of ‘wisps’of lava with sediment during remobilization of an unconsolidated section. Low-explosivity magma-water-sediment interactions are favoured by relatively high hydrostatic pressures in sub-wave base settings.     

The geological setting of tourmalinite at Rum Jungle,N.T., Australia — genetic and economic implications

Tourmalinite is a common rock type associated with Proterozoic strata-bound mineral deposits. Although common, it is often difficult to recognise in the field, leading to misidentification. It occurs as a conformable banded quartz-tourmaline lithological unit comprising at least 15% and as much as 50% of the rock. At Rum Jungle, tourmalinite occurs within the oldest sediments (arenites and magnesites) as distinct lenses, as facies equivalents of quartz-magnetite units and mafic schists (tuffs?) and distal equivalents of polymetallic sulfides. Distinct layering, slump folding, rip-up clasts and the association with diagenetic pyrite suggest a sedimentary environment. Enechelon fracturing of the fine-grained, light green tourmaline crystals spectacularly supports pre-deformation formation. The crystals are optically and chemically zoned parallel to the c axis, with irregular growth lamellae width — which supports a pre-regional metamorphic origin. Analyses show the tourmaline to be the Mg-rich variety “dravite”. Most tourmalinites are interpreted as subaqueous marine deposits. It is more likely that they form in lacustrine, shallow water, evaporitic environments, particularly continental rifts. Suitable B-bearing fluids can be generated by hotspring activity and mobilized by CO₂-rich fluids. Association with chemical sediments suggests tourmalinites also have a chemical sediment precursor. Ample evidence at Rum Jungle supports the notion of a continental rift environment, which was the site of deposition of fluvial arenites and alkaline, evaporitic lake sediments. Localised hot-spring activity contributed B-bearing fluids which precipitated chemical sediments according to the pertaining pH, temperature etc. Diagenetic alteration produced the tourmalinite now present. These tourmalinites are comparable to those of similar age elsewhere e.g. Sullivan, Broken Hill. They can be genetically modelled upon Recent borate concentrations, all of which occur in continental rift environments.     

Age of the Mt Boggola volcanic succession and further geochronological constraint on the Ashburton Basin,Western Australia

The age of strata in the Palaeoproterozoic Ashburton Basin is not well constrained, particularly the generally homogeneous, turbiditic and thick Ashburton Formation containing only a small fraction of volcanics suitable for geochronological examination. The Mt Boggola volcanic succession is one of these rare occurrences, consisting of mafic pillow lavas and breccia overlain by BIF, chert, ferruginous pelite, mafic volcaniclastics and possible felsic tuffs identified in the course of mineral exploration. A locality proximal to the volcanic succession is interpreted as a fragmental volcaniclastic unit derived with minimal reworking from a tuff. Zircon extracted from this unit has yielded a SHRIMP ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb weighted‐mean age of 1829 ± 5 Ma (95% conf.: χ² 1.0). This age is significantly older than that of the June Hill Volcanics in the northwest of the Ashburton Basin that had previously been surmised to be potentially coeval, and provides a further constraint on the evolution and diachroneity of the Ashburton Formation.     

Sedimentological and petrographic evolution of a fluvio-lacustrine environment during the onset of volcanism: Volcanically-induced forcing of sedimentation and environmental responses

This work focuses on the transition from the Las Leoneras to Lonco Trapial Formations, in the lower part of the Early Jurassic succession of the incipient rift phase of the Cañadon Asfalto Basin (western part of Chubut Province – Patagonia, Argentina). Twenty lithofacies have been identified and grouped into seven facies associations on the basis of field characteristics (sedimentological and lithological) and optical microscope analysis, from two localities representing proximal and distal locations in the basin. The spatial relationship between all the lithofacies provided a four-dimensional reconstruction of the palaeoenvironmental evolution, showing how the original, clastic sedimentation in alluvial/fluvial and lake environments was modified by short-lived volcanic events during three volcanic cycles, and how the environment reacted after the input of huge amounts of volcaniclastics. Progradation of small deltas and subaqueous lobes, retrogradation caused by rising lake levels, and frequent erosion of valleys were typical processes in this environment. When explosive volcanism began, the original tectono-climatic control on sedimentation was replaced by the volcanic control, and the volcanically-forced sedimentation broke the equilibrium among production, delivery and accumulation of sediments. The nature of the volcanic eruptions and the different propensity of volcanic lithofacies to produce particles of different size and types (lithics, crystals and glass) are also analyzed. The role of volcanism in the production and transport of great volumes of sediments across sedimentary systems needs to be carefully re-examined, and the analysis on the variability in the composition of volcaniclastic deposits must take into account that volcaniclastic particle types may not simply reflect a linear deepening in the dissection of magmatic arcs through time but are often controlled by the style of the eruptions and the lithological variation of the volcanic products.     

Early extension in the Late Archaean northeastern Eastern Goldfields Province,Yilgarn Craton,Western Australia

A series of linked extensional detachments, transfer faults, and sediment- and volcanic-filled half-grabens that pre-date regional folding are described in the Late Archaean Margaret anticline, Eastern Goldfields Province, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia. Coeval structures and rock units include layer-parallel extensional detachments, transfer faults (high-angle rotational faults rooted in the detachments and linking layer-parallel shear zones with varying amounts of extension); felsic intrusions, either as granitoids emplaced in or below the detachments, or as fine-grained intrusive bodies emplaced above the detachments and controlled by the high-angle faults; and half-grabens controlled by the high-angle faults and filled with clastic sedimentary and volcanic rocks. At least 1500 m of section is excised across the detachments. The detachments and high-angle faults are folded by the east-northeast regional compression that formed the Margaret anticline. Extensional deformation in the Margaret anticline is correlated with the regionally recognised felsic magmatism and associated volcanic and volcaniclastic basin fill dated at approximately 2685–2670 Ma across the Eastern Goldfields Province. This suggests the extensional event was province-wide and post-dated initial greenstone deposition (at around 2705 Ma) but pre-dated regional compressive deformation. We suggest the extension is the result of a thermal anomaly in the crust, generated by the insulating effect of a thick pile (of the order of 10 km or greater) of mafic and ultramafic volcanic rocks on precursor Archaean felsic crust. The thermal anomaly has generated renewed production of felsic and mafic volcanic rocks, coeval with uplift and extension in the upper crust.     

Lithofacies associations and structural evolution of the Archean Rio das Velhas greenstone belt, Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Brazil: A review of the setting of gold deposits

The Rio das Velhas greenstone belt is located in the Quadrilátero Ferrífero region, in the southern extremity of the São Francisco Craton, central-southern part of the State of Minas Gerais, SE Brazil. The metavolcano–sedimentary rocks of the Rio das Velhas Supergroup in this region are subdivided into the Nova Lima and Maquiné Groups. The former occurs at the base of the sequence, and contains the major Au deposits of the region. New geochronological data, along with a review of geochemical data for volcanic and sedimentary rocks, suggest at least two generations of greenstone belts, dated at 2900 and 2780 Ma. Seven lithofacies associations are identified, from bottom to top, encompassing (1) mafic–ultramafic volcanic; (2) volcano–chemical–sedimentary; (3) clastic–chemical–sedimentary, (4) volcaniclastic association with four lithofacies: monomictic and polymictic breccias, conglomerate–graywacke, graywacke–sandstone, graywacke–argillite; (5) resedimented association, including three sequences of graywacke–argillite, in the north and eastern, at greenschist facies and in the south, at amphibolite metamorphic facies; (6) coastal association with four lithofacies: sandstone with medium- to large-scale cross-bedding, sandstone with ripple marks, sandstone with herringbone cross-bedding, sandstone–siltstone; (7) non-marine association with the lithofacies: conglomerate–sandstone, coarse-grained sandstone, fine- to medium-grained sandstone. Four generations of structures are recognized: the first and second are Archean and compressional, driven from NNE to SSW; the third is extensional and attributed to the Paleoproterozoic Transamazonian Orogenic Cycle; and the fourth is compressional, driven from E to W, is related to the Neoproterozoic Brasiliano Orogenic Cycle. Gold deposits in the Rio das Velhas greenstone belt are structurally controlled and occur associated with hydrothermal alterations along Archean thrust shear zones of the second generation of structures.Sedimentation occurred during four episodes. Cycle 1 is interpreted to have occurred between 2800 and 2780 Ma, based on the ages of the mafic and felsic volcanism, and comprises predominantly chemical sedimentary rocks intercalated with mafic–ultramafic volcanic flows. It includes the volcano–chemical–sedimentary lithofacies association and part of the mafic–ultramafic volcanic association. The cycle is related to the initial extensional stage of the greenstone belt formation, with the deposition of sediments contemporaneous with volcanic flows that formed the submarine mafic plains. Cycle 2 encompasses the clastic–chemical–sedimentary association and distal turbidites of the resedimented association, in the eastern sector of the Quadrilátero Ferrífero. It was deposited in the initial stages of the felsic volcanism. Cycle 2 includes the coastal and resedimented associations in the southern sector, in advanced stages of subduction. In this southern sedimentary cycle it is also possible to recognize a stable shelf environment. Following the felsic volcanism, Cycle 3 comprises sedimentary rocks of the volcaniclastic and resedimented lithofacies associations, largely in the northern sector of the area. The characteristics of both associations indicate a submarine fan environment transitional to non-marine successions related to felsic volcanic edifices and related to the formation of island arcs. Cycle 4 is made up of clastic sedimentary rocks belonging to the non-marine lithofacies association. They are interpreted as braided plain and alluvial fan deposits in a retroarc foreland basin with the supply of debris from the previous cycles.