Classification of Granitic Pegmatites and Pegmatite-Bearing Granitic Systems

Geology of Ore Deposits - The paper discusses the concepts of pegmatitic rocks, pegmatite and pegmatoid bodies, and classification of granitic pegmatites and their relationships with various types...     

The effects of climate and landscape position on chemical denudation and mineral transformation in the Santa Catalina mountain critical zone observatory

Understanding the interactions of climate, physical erosion, chemical weathering and pedogenic processes is essential when considering the evolution of critical zone systems. Interactions among these components are particularly important to predicting how semiarid landscapes will respond to forecasted changes in precipitation and temperature under future climate change. The primary goal of this study was to understand how climate and landscape structure interact to control chemical denudation and mineral transformation across a range of semiarid ecosystems in southern Arizona. The research was conducted along the steep environmental gradient encompassed by the Santa Catalina Mountains Critical Zone Observatory (SCM-CZO). The gradient is dominated by granitic parent materials and spans significant range in both mean annual temperature (>10 °C) and precipitation (>50 cm a^?1), with concomitant shift in vegetation communities from desert scrub to mixed conifer forest. Regolith profiles were sampled from divergent and convergent landscape positions in five different ecosystems to quantify how climate-landscape position interactions control regolith development. Regolith development was quantified as depth to paralithic contact and degree of chemical weathering and mineral transformation using a combination of quantitative and semi-quantitative X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses of bulk soils and specific particle size classes. Depth to paralithic contact was found to increase systematically with elevation for divergent positions at approximately 28 cm per 1000 m elevation, but varied inconsistently for convergent positions. The relative differences in depth between convergent and divergent landscape positions was greatest at the low and high elevation sites and is hypothesized to be a product of changes in physical erosion rates across the gradient. Quartz/Plagioclase (Q/P) ratios were used as a general proxy for bulk regolith chemical denudation. Q/P was generally higher in divergent landscape positions compared to the adjacent convergent hollows. Convergent landscape positions appear to be collecting solute-rich soil–waters from divergent positions thereby inhibiting chemical denudation. Clay mineral assemblage of the low elevation sites was dominated by smectite and partially dehydrated halloysite whereas vermiculite and kaolinite were predominant in the high elevation sites. The increased depth to paralithic contact, chemical denudation and mineral transformation are likely functions of greater water availability and increased primary productivity. Landscape position within a given ecosystem exerts strong control on chemical denudation as a result of the redistribution of water and solutes across the landscape surface. The combined data from this research demonstrates a strong interactive control of climate, landscape position and erosion on the development of soil and regolith.     

龙门山褶皱冲断带沿走向差异剥蚀作用 ——砂箱物理模型的启示

褶皱冲断带-前陆盆地系统普遍存在浅表构造剥蚀-沉积作用及其相关耦合机制,从而具有复杂的三维空间构造变形特征与演化过程.本文基于青藏高原东缘龙门山褶皱冲断带-前陆盆地系统,通过沿走向变化的剥蚀-沉积作用砂箱物理模拟实验和野外地质调查等研究,揭示其沿走向变化的剥蚀-沉积作用,导致了褶皱冲断带大规模抬升剥蚀、断层多期活化与无...     

辽河盆地东部地区新老第三纪界面地层剥蚀量研究

辽河盆地新老第三纪地层间断面（N／E）形成于盆地由裂隐发育阶段向坳陷发育阶段转化的过渡时期，界面之下的裂隐沉积地层在早第三纪末期遭受了强烈剥蚀。在运用声波时差资料计算了近40口单井的地层剥蚀量的基础上，分析了地形对地层剥蚀的控制作用，恢复了辽河盆地东部凹陷北就地区N／E间断面地层剥蚀厚度等值线圈。结果显示该区域内N／E间断面地层剥蚀量的横向变化具有北部大、南部小、古河道两侧大、河道所在位置小的特点。     

黄土陡坡降雨冲刷试验及其三维颗粒流流-固耦合模拟

针对坡角为70°的黄土边坡,进行2.7 mm/min降雨强度下的室内坡面冲刷试验。根据边坡冲刷破坏的过程特征,将边坡侵蚀方式演变过程归纳为试验初期的片蚀、中期的细沟侵蚀、到后期的切沟侵蚀和坍塌。试验中坡顶处侵蚀强度大于其他部位,当坡面形成上下贯通的切沟之后,水流开始掏蚀沟槽底部土体,随着冲刷的持续,切沟两侧土体强度降低,坡顶土体发生坍塌。以此为基础利用三维颗粒流软件PFC3D对边坡降雨冲刷过程进行流-固耦合模拟,在模拟颗粒大变形的同时得到颗粒运动轨迹、孔隙率、流体单元内流速等重要参数,这些参数的定量变化过程反映了降雨过程中边坡遭受侵蚀程度及水流侵蚀能力的分布规律:坡顶处侵蚀最为强烈、水流侵蚀能力最强,且两者随高度降低呈减小趋势,与室内试验结果一致。     

Multi-stage emerald formation during Pan-African regional metamorphism: The Zabara,Sikait, Umm Kabo deposits,South Eastern desert of Egypt

The genesis of gem-quality deep green emeralds of Zabara, Sikait and Umm Kabo (South Eastern Desert, Egypt) is to date a controversial topic. The emerald-bearing biotite schists and quartz lenses are interpreted alternatively as a product of (i) thrust-fault-shear zone – controlled large scale alkali-metasomatism driven by post-magmatic fluid flow or of (ii) a large scale interaction between syntectonic pegmatitic magma or hydrothermal fluids with pre-existing basic to ultrabasic rocks, or of (iii) a syn- to post-tectonic regional metamorphism and small scale blackwall metasomatism. Detailed microstructural and chemical analyses of the Egyptian emeralds and their host rocks show that three generations of beryl can be distinguished: a colourless pegmatitic beryl; a pale green Cr-poor beryl crystallized from pegmatite-related hydrothermal fluids; and a deep green Cr- and Mg-rich emerald. The crystallization of the Cr- and Mg-rich emerald was controlled by the very local availability of Cr, Mg and Be-rich metamorphic fluids during the Pan-African tectono-thermal event. Emerald-rich quartz lenses demonstrate that those fluids locally did mobilize quartz, too. The pale green emeralds found within the pegmatites in association with colourless beryl are the product of a mobilization of colourless pegmatitic beryl and/or phenakite by late pegmatitic fluids slightly enriched in Cr by an interaction with the Cr-rich country rocks. The late pegmatitic fluids are typically Na-rich as is demonstrated by the pervasive albitization of the pegmatites. The complex interplay of magmatic and regional metamorphic events during the genesis of the Egyptian emeralds/beryls makes it impossible through stable oxygen isotope data to relate their genesis to the one or the other event.     

区域土壤侵蚀定量研究的国内外进展

由于水土保持宏观决策的需要、土壤侵蚀学科自身的进步和全球变化研究的促进,过去的10多年来,国内外研究者对区域尺度土壤侵蚀研究给予了高度重视。已经开展的主要研究包括:全球和区域（包括国家尺度）土壤侵蚀调查、区域土壤侵蚀过程和尺度效应、区域土壤侵蚀因子和区域土壤侵蚀模型等。将区域土壤侵蚀作为现代陆地地表过程的一部分,充分考虑全球变化的影响,集成土壤侵蚀研究成果与遥感和GIS技术,开发分布式区域土壤侵蚀模型,成为区域土壤侵蚀定量评价研究的基本趋势。在对国内外区域土壤侵蚀定量评价研究评述的基础上,提出我国近期在区域土壤侵蚀方面研究的重点问题为：区域土壤侵蚀过程及其尺度效应的量化描述、区域土壤侵蚀模型开发、区域土壤侵蚀动态模拟与趋势预测、区域土壤侵蚀与全球变化关系研究和区域土壤侵蚀数据处理与管理方法。     

Polyphase erosion of subaerial omission surfaces in the Late Dinantian of Anglesey, North Wales

The Lower Carboniferous of Anglesey consists of bioclastic carbonates and subsidiary terrigenous siliciclastics built as a cyclic succession against the northern flank of the contemporary Welsh landmass. Cycle boundaries are marked by subaerial erosive features that are unlike the normal Late Dinantian palaeokarst association, and one such surface, at Red Wharf Bay, shows remarkable evidence of polyphase erosion indicating at least three distinct periods of karstification and one of fluvial channelling. Each erosive period was succeeded by an interval of lithification during which newly arrived siliciclastic sediment was stabilized. Diagenetic textures in the underlying limestones reveal no evidence of this complex surface history, and seen in cathodoluminescence the earliest pore filling cements evidently post-date the entire emergent episode. The karsts occupy positions adjacent to channels and are attributable to overbank flooding rather than atmospheric weathering. Autocyclic mechanisms may be responsible for the polyphase development but the overall control of sedimentary cyclicity is considered to have been eustatic.     

Diamond economics of the Prairie Creek lamproite, Murfreesboro, AR, USA

The Prairie Creek lamproite is the largest of seven ultramafic vents that make up the Prairie Creek lamproite province. Diamonds were first discovered in 1906, and commercial mining continued intermittently until about 1931. The evaluation program undertaken by the Arkansas State Parks Commission in the 1990s resulted in the mapping and evaluation of four major vent facies rock types: olivine lamproite, epiclastic sediments, phlogopite-rich tuff and olivine-rich tuff. Significant diamond contents were found only within the phlogopite-rich tuff (0.11 carat/100 tonnes) and olivine-rich tuff (1.1 carats/100 tonnes).Stratigraphic relationships indicate that the diamondiferous tuffs have undergone <50 m of erosion. Extrapolation of the surface rock units and their diamond contents to the pre-erosion surface suggests that 93,000 carats of diamonds were liberated and then concentrated as a natural surface enrichment. Early commercial production focused on the natural surface concentrations, an assumption supported by historic mining records. Historical grades suggest that 58,000 carats were contained in these surface deposits, about half of those diamonds being recovered during commercial operation. These relationships suggest that 35,000 carats remain as eluvial and alluvial deposits adjacent to the existing tourist area. This erosion model minimizes the prospects for either primary or alluvial commercial mining; however, it does validate early historic mining records and suggests areas for further tourist development within existing park boundaries.     

四川攀西地区稀土资源成矿规律及找矿靶区

以牦牛坪稀土矿为代表的攀西地区是我国重要的稀土资源成矿带,攀西稀土矿包括岩浆热液型、伟晶岩型、第四系砂矿型、火山岩型和离子吸附型等类型。重点针对牦牛坪矿床的成矿地质背景、矿化特征及成矿条件等成矿机制进行分析,研究控矿与成矿要素、成矿规律; 完善了岩浆热液型轻稀土矿床成矿模型; 厘清了区域上不同类型矿床的产出特点及各类型矿床的内在成因联系,并科学分析区域稀土资源,圈定稀土找矿靶区,进一步缩小找矿范围。     

A model for the origin of ilmenite in kimberlite and diamond: implications for the genesis of the discrete nodule (megacryst) suite

Mineralogical and chemical relationships indicate that the majority of ilmenites recovered from Group I kimberlites crystallized directly from the kimberlite magma in two contrasting P-T regimes: Ilmenites of the discrete nodule association formed in pegmatitic veins and apophyses surrounding the kimberlite magma at depth. Compositional ranges of the discrete nodule assemblage reflect essentially isobaric crystallization across the thermal aureole about the magma reservoir. Early crystallization of high pressure Cr-rich phases (garnet, clinopyroxene and possibly spinel) could result in later forming megacryst ilmenites being Cr-poor. During ascent of the kimberlite magma (essentially identical to the liquid injected into the pegmatitic veins), crystallization of garnet and clinopyroxene would be inhibited as a result of the expansion of the olivine phase field. The magma would not undergo Crdepletion, with the result that later crystallizing (ground-mass) ilmenites would be Cr-rich relative to associated ilmenite megacrysts.Rare ilmenite inclusions in diamonds show chemical affinities with those of the discrete nodule suite. It is proposed that large Type IIa diamonds may be late-crystallizing members of the discrete nodule assemblage. They are in other words related to the kimberlite event itself, and would represent a third diamond paragenesis, distinctly younger than those related to peridotites and eclogites.The mode of formation of rare MARID suite and metasomatized mantle xenoliths is not clearly understood, although mineralogical and chemical evidence point to a direct or indirect link to the host kimberlite.     

Geochemistry of K‐feldspar and Muscovite in Rare‐element Pegmatites and Granites from the Totoral Pegmatite Field,San Luis,Argentina

The geochemistry of K‐feldspar for K, P, Sr, Ba, Rb, Cs, Ga, and of muscovite for the same elements plus Nb and Ta, was used for proving the parental relationships of S‐type granites and LCT (Li, Cs, Ta) rare‐element pegmatites in the southernmost pegmatitic field of the Pampean pegmatite province in Argentina. The variation of K/Rb‐Cs, K/Cs‐Rb, K/Rb‐Rb/Sr, K/Rb‐Ba in K‐feldspar from the granites and pegmatites show that they form an association with the evolutional sequence: granites → barren‐ to transitional pegmatites → beryl type, beryl‐columbite‐phosphate pegmatites → complex type of spodumene subtype pegmatites → albite‐spodumene type → albite type pegmatites. This sequence reflects the regional distribution of the different magmatic units. The Ta‐Cs diagram for muscovite reveals that none of the studied pegmatites exceed the threshold established in previous studies for being considered with important tantalum oxide mineralization. The granites and pegmatites constitute a rare‐element pegmatitic field in which different magmatic units form a continuous fractionation trend, extended from the less evolved granitic facies to the most geochemically specialized pegmatites     

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

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

Hillslope Topography from Unconstrained Photographs

Quantifications of Earth surface topography are essential for modeling the connections between physical and chemical processes of erosion and the shape of the landscape. Enormous investments are made in developing and testing process-based landscape evolution models. These models may never be applied to real topography because of the difficulties in obtaining high-resolution (1–2 m) topographic data in the form of digital elevation models (DEMs). Here we present a simple methodology to extract the high-resolution three-dimensional topographic surface from photographs taken with a hand-held camera with no constraints imposed on the camera positions or field survey. This technique requires only the selection of corresponding points in three or more photographs. From these corresponding points the unknown camera positions and surface topography are simultaneously estimated. We compare results from surface reconstructions estimated from high-resolution survey data from field sites in the Oregon Coast Range and northern California to verify our technique. Our most rigorous test of the algorithms presented here is from the soil-mantled hillslopes of the Santa Cruz marine terrace sequence. Results from three unconstrained photographs yield an estimated surface, with errors on the order of 1 m, that compares well with high-resolution GPS survey data and can be used as an input DEM in process-based landscape evolution modeling.     

Deep structure and metallogeny of the Kirovograd polymetallic ore district,the Ukrainian Shield: Correlation of geological and seismic data

The study of deep structure of the Kirovograd ore district proceeds from a broad treatment of its geological boundaries and combination of metasomatic uranium, pegmatitic lithium, and hydrothermal gold deposits, as well as lodes of magmatic titanium ore within these boundaries. The spatial juxtaposition of the Novoukrainsk-Kirovograd granitoid massif and the Korsun-Novomirgorod rapakivi granite-anorthosite massif is a distinguishing feature of the Kirovograd ore district. The former massif along with stratified metamorphic rocks forms an intrusive-ultrametamorphic basement, whereas the latter massif is autonomous with respect to the basement. Taken together, both massifs make up the Novoukrainsk-Korsun-Novomirgorod composite pluton, which determines the architecture of the Kirovograd ore district not only at the present-day erosion surface but also at deeper levels of the lithosphere. The uranium, lithium, and gold deposits are localized in the intrusive-ultrametamorphic basement and controlled by various combinations of intrinsic and superposed structures; the vertical extent of mineralization is also controlled by their combinations. Some combinations are unique. Primarily, these are triple junctions of superposed faults, which host the largest metasomatic uranium orebodies. At the same time, the deposits are spatially related to the local mediumscale trough in topography of the Moho discontinuity. This mantle trench is discordant relative to the Novoukrainsk-Korsun-Novomirgorod pluton. These and other data discussed in the paper allow us to consider the Kirovograd polymetallic ore district as a Paleoproterozoic center of crustal-mantle magmatic activity and ore formation. This center was formed 2.1-1.7 Ga ago in the course of juxtaposition of three development stages differing in associations of intrusive rocks, style of deformation and metamorphism of rocks, origin and localization of ore deposits.     

原地生成宇宙成因核素测年技术思考(一):稳态侵蚀等式解出的ε是当前地表侵蚀速率

原地生成宇宙成因核素测年技术可以方便地计算出地表的暴露年龄和侵蚀速率,从而成为研究地表演化过程的有力工具。在利用原地生成宇宙成因核素测年方法研究地表的侵蚀过程中,常常将稳态侵蚀状态下浓度与侵蚀速率的关系式所计算出的侵蚀速率当成暴露时间内的地表平均侵蚀速率,这其实是不准确的。本文通过数学计算和理论推导,证明由当前稳态侵蚀关系式解出的侵蚀速率是地表当前侵蚀速率(或称为最后恒定侵蚀速率),显然与地表平均侵蚀速率所代表的地质含义是不同的。     

不同成因伟晶岩绿柱石、海蓝宝石矿物学及物理化学特征研究

近期我们对我国不同成因伟晶岩进行了地质地球化学研究［１～３］,证明湖南幕阜山伟晶岩属岩浆分异成因,云南哀牢山伟晶岩属变质深熔成因。本文就两地伟晶岩中绿柱石及海蓝宝石矿物学、形成物理化学条件作对比研究,以探讨不同成因伟晶岩特性。１　地质背景幕阜山位于江南古陆中段,区内出露中元古界冷家溪群变质岩,岩浆活动强烈,广泛出露燕山期花岗岩岩类。冷家溪群地层强烈褶皱,普遍发生浅—中深变质作用,形成板岩、云母片岩,是幕阜山花岗岩体的主要围岩［４］。含铍花岗伟晶岩在二长花岗岩中广泛分布,部分在冷家溪群变质岩中产出…     

The equilibrium gravel coverage of the deflated gobi above the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang, China

Blown sand has caused considerable damage to the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes of China. Controlling the blown sand requires a clear understanding of the processes that govern its production and movement. Experiments were conducted in a wind tunnel and in the field to define the relationships between sand production and gravel coverage in the gobi above the Mogao Grottoes. The gravel that covers the gobi’s surface controls wind erosion, irrespective of its shape and size. The equilibrium coverage by gravel over which no further sand is emitted due to wind erosion increases and the equilibration time that is taken to form the equilibrium gravel coverage decreases with increasing wind velocity. Gravel coverage has reached an equilibrium state in the portion of the gobi directly above the grottoes, but decreases towards the Mingsha Mountains. Drifting sand from these mountains is the main source of sand damage at the Mogao Grottoes. If no additional sand from the mountains were supplied to the gobi, gravel pavements would reach an equilibrium level of coverage and prevent further production of blowing sand. Sand blown from the gobi represents secondary reactivation of sediments originally produced in the Mingsha Mountains. Therefore, to control the blowing sand above the Mogao Grottoes, emphasis should be placed on controlling erosion from the Mingsha Mountains rather than local erosion of sand in the gobi.     

Genesis of sulfide-rich chromite ores by the interaction between chromitite and pegmatitic olivine–norite dikes in the Potosí Mine (Moa-Baracoa ophiolitic massif, eastern Cuba)

The Potosí Mine is located in the Moa-Baracoa massif in the easternmost part of the Cuban Ophiolitic Belt. Chromite mineralization occurs within the mantle-crust transition zone. Two events of magma intrusion overprint the chromitite bodies: one gave rise to the crystallization of pegmatitic olivine-norite dikes, and the other produced pegmatitic gabbro dikes. Sulfide-poor chromite ores, brecciated chromite ores, and sulfide-rich chromite ores can be distinguished in the different chromitite bodies. Sulfide-poor ores represent more than 80 vol% of the chromitites. This type occurs far from the zones intruded by pegmatitic gabbro dikes and shows petrographic and chemical features similar to other chromitite bodies described in the Moa-Baracoa massif. Brecciated chromite ores occur within pegmatitic gabbro dikes. In this type, chromite crystals occur included within chromian diopside and plagioclase. These silicates often contain droplet-like sulfide aggregates. Sulfide-rich ores are spatially associated to the contacts between sulfide-poor chromite and pegmatitic olivine-norite dikes. These ores mainly consist of recrystallized (coarse) chromite with interstitial pyrrhotite, pentlandite, cubanite, and chalcopyrite. Chromite from sulfide-rich ores exhibits TiO₂, FeO, V₂O₃, MnO, and especially, Fe₂O₃ contents, higher than those of chromite from brecciated ores and much higher than those of chromite from sulfide-poor ores. The sulfide-rich ores are PGE-rich (up to 1,113 ppb of total PGE), and show nearly flat chondrite-normalized PGE patterns, slightly above 0.1 times chondritic values. Mineralogical and chemical data indicate that the chromite ores of the Potosí Mine were modified by the intrusions of olivine-norite and gabbro dikes. The interaction between pre-existing sulfide-poor chromite ores and the intruding volatile-rich silicate melts produced strong brecciation, partial dissolution, and recrystallization (coarsening) of chromite. The sulfide assemblage formed by fractionation of the immiscible sulfide melt segregated from the volatile-rich silicate melt that generated the pegmatitic olivine-norite. The segregation of the sulfide melt can be interpreted as the consequence of chemical interaction between intruding melts and the host chromite. The variable extent of this interaction produced chromite ores with variable sulfide ratios. The magmatic nature of the sulfide mineralization is supported by sulfur isotope data, which range from -0.4 to +0.9‰. Sulfide melt collected incompatible PGE (Rh, Pt, Pd) to produce the typical flat chondrite-normalized pattern of sulfide-rich chromite ores.     

Rare-metal pegmatites of Wamba,central Nigeria - their formation in relationship to late Pan-African granites

he Sn-(Nb, Ta) mineralization of the Wamba field (central Nigeria) occurs in muscovite-quartz-microcline pegmatites, which are related to the late-orogenic Pan-African (f 550 Ma) "Older Granites". The emplacement of granites and pegmatites was controlled by late Pan-African shear tectonics. The granitoid magmatism was multiphase and has produced peraluminous biotite granite, biotite-muscovite granite, and muscovite granite plutons. Sodic metasomatism has altered highly evolved granite cupolas and many of the pegmatite dikes. The pegmatitic mineralization of predominantly cassiterite is closely associated with albitization. Chemical data of granites and granitic and pegmatitic muscovites show that Rb, Cs, Sn, Nb, and Ta are enriched during both magmatic and postmagmatic evolution, with highest contents of these elements in early muscovites of the albitized and mineralized pegmatites. Trace-element chemistry of the pegmatitic muscovites reveals a chemical zonation of the pegmatite field related to the late-orogenic shear system.