230Th/234U dating of Holocene tufas: possibilities and problems

High-resolution chronologies in continental carbonate deposits such as tufas are required for detailed palaeoclimatic and environmental studies. This work set out to establish if high-resolution U-series dating of detritus-rich Holocene tufas is routinely possible. The study centres on a paludal Holocene tufa from southern England that already has an existing Holocene chronology, based on ¹⁴C and supported by biostratigraphy, against which to compare U-series dates. The results show that significant detrital contamination combined with low initial U concentrations, and short time for ingrowth of radiogenic ²³⁰Th make high-resolution U-series dating of Holocene tufa very difficult. Moreover, a single (²³⁰Th/²³²Th)_initial value to correct for the presence of detrital ²³⁰Th is not appropriate at the study site, a finding that may apply to most Holocene tufas. Total sample dissolution of coeval samples demonstrates considerable variability in the isotopic composition of the detritus. The total sample dissolution data are too scattered to constrain chronologies at the required resolution and may indicate the incorporation of a ²³⁰Th-rich component in the detritus.     

<Superscript>230</Superscript>Th/U Chronology and Geochemistry of Irinovskoe Hydrothermal Field (Mid-Atlantic Ridge)

The results of ²³⁰Th/U dating and mineralogical–geochemical studies of sulfide ores from the Irinovskoe hydrothermal field and the Severo-Zapadnoe ore occurrence (Mid-Atlantic Ridge) are presented. Sulfides are represented primarily by copper–sulfide ores with 12–30% Cu content; sulfur- and zinc-sulfide ores are distributed less frequently. The analysis of a change in the composition of sulfides over time has made it possible to identify three stages of formation. Each stage assumes that mineral associations are changed from high-temperature (sulfur and copper sulfide) to medium temperature (Zn–Cu and Zn-sulfide) sulfide ores. The whole age range of formation of the hydrothermal deposits falls within the time interval of about 58000–8000 for the Irinovskoe field and 69000–11000 years ago for the Severo-Zapadnoe ore occurrence.     

Differential behavior of components of the <Superscript>238</Superscript>U-<Superscript>206</Superscript>Pb and <Superscript>235</Superscript>U-<Superscript>207</Superscript>Pb isotopic systems in polymineralic U ores

U-Pb systems were examined in samples (ranging from 4 to 10 cm³ in volume) of ore material taken from along a 3.5-m profile across a zone of U mineralization exposed in an underground mine at the Strel’tsovskoe U deposit in eastern Transbaikalia. The behaviors of two isotopic U-Pb systems (²³⁸U-²⁰⁶Pb and ²³⁵U-²⁰⁷Pb) are principally different in all samples from our profile. While the individual samples are characterized by a vast scatter of their T(²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U) age values (from 112 to 717 Ma), the corresponding T(²⁰⁷Pb/²³⁵U) values vary much less significantly (from 127 to 142 Ma) and are generally close to the true age of the U mineralization. The main reason for the distortion of the U-Pb system is the long-lasting (for tens of million years) migration of intermediate decay products in the ²³⁸U-²⁰⁶Pb(RD²³⁸U) in the samples. This process resulted in the loss of RD²³⁸U from domains with high U concentrations and the subsequent accommodation of RD²³⁸U at sites with low U concentrations. The long-term effect of these opposite processes resulted in a deficit or excess of ²⁰⁶Pb as the final product of ²³⁸U decay. The loss or migration of RD²³⁸U are explained by the occurrence of pitchblende in association with U oxides that have higher Si and OH concentrations than those in the pitchblende and a higher ⁺⁶U/⁺⁴U ratio. The finely dispersed character of the mineralization and the loose or metamict texture of the material are the principal prerequisites for RD²³⁸U loss and an excess of ²⁰⁶Pb in adjacent domains with low U concentrations. Domains with low U contents in the zone with U mineralization serve as geochemical barriers (because of sulfides contained in them) at which long-lived RD²³⁸U(²²⁶Ra, ²¹⁰Po, ²¹⁰Bi, and ²¹⁰Pb) were accommodated and subsequently caused an excess of ²⁰⁶Pb. The ²³⁵U-²⁰⁷Pb system remained closed because of the much briefer lifetime of the ²³⁵U decay products. This may account for the significant discrepancies between the T(²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U) and T(²⁰⁷Pb/²³⁵U) age values. RD²³⁸U was most probably lost via the migration of radioisotopes at the middle part and end of the ²³⁸U family (starting with ²²⁶Ra). The heavy Th, Pa, and U radioisotopes (²³⁴Th, ²³⁴Pa, ²³⁴U, and ²³⁰Th) that occur closer to the beginning of ²³⁸U decay, before ²²⁶Ra, only relatively insignificantly participated in the process. Our results show that the loss and migration of RD²³⁸U are, under certain conditions, the main (or even the only) process responsible for the distortion of the U-Pb system.     

TIMS测定铀矿石样品中^234U/^238U、^230Th/^232Th、^228Ra/^226Ra的方法研究

研究了TIMS测定铀矿石样品中234U/238U、230Th/232Th、228Ra/226Ra的方法。建立了铀矿石密闭混酸一次溶样的方法和采用阴离子、阳离子和Sr特效树脂逐级离子交换分离纯化U、Th和Ra的流程,满足了TIMS测量要求。测定结果表明：100～1000 ng的天然铀中234U/238U,其测量精密度从静态多接收的2.34%提高到动态多接收的0.47%;对230Th与232Th丰度接近、质量为1μg左右的钍,采用三带点样技术和法拉第多接收技术测定230Th/232Th,其内精度平均值为0.0048%,外精度为0.028%;采用单带加钽发射剂,ETP跳峰测定50～100 fg镭-228稀释剂中的228Ra/226Ra,其内精度小于0.10%,外精度小于0.20%。比较TIMS和HR-ICP-MS、α能谱法测定234U/238U、230Th/232Th、228Ra/226Ra结果,三者结果相吻合。TIMS测量法样品用量少、快速、准确、精密度高,是U、Th、Ra同位素比值测定方法的又一补充。     

Granitoid magmatism of the Lermontovskaya and Vostok-2 tungsten ore-magmatic systems: U-Pb (SHRIMP) dating and isotope characteristics (<Superscript>3</Superscript>He/<Superscript>4</Superscript>He) of ores

U-Pb (SHRIMP) isotope dating of magmatic complexes of tungsten ore-magmatic systems (OMSs) resulted in a conclusion about the close age (103–105 Ma) of their formation in the magmatic rock masses from the Tatibinsk plutonic series whose location is controlled by the Sikhote-Alin’ strike-slip fault system. The OMSs are formed within the zones of strike-slip fault extensions (“windows”) dipping into the mantle, which establishes the conditions for the participation of deep fluids in the generation of melts at the level of crustal-mantle interaction. The new data from the study of the isotope composition of helium in the fluid inclusions showed that the content of mantle helium in ores of tungsten OMSs is approximately 10%.     

<Superscript>226</Superscript>Ra, <Superscript>232</Superscript>Th and <Superscript>40</Superscript>K activities in soils of Cuihua Mountain National Geological Park,China

Gamma activity from the naturally occurring radionuclides namely, ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, the primordial radionuclide ⁴⁰K was measured in the soil of Cuihua Mountain National Geological Park, China using γ-ray spectrometry technique. The mean activity of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K were found to be 27.2 ± 6.5, 43.9 ± 6.2 and 653.1 ± 127.6 Bq kg⁻¹, respectively. The concentrations of these radionuclides were compared with the typical world values and the average activities of Chinese soil. The radium equivalent activity, the air absorbed dose rate, the annual effective dose rate, and the external hazard index were evaluated and compared with the internationally approved values. All the soil samples have Ra_eq lower than the limit of 370 Bq kg⁻¹ and H _ex less than unity. The overall mean outdoor terrestrial gamma dose rate is 66.3 nGy h⁻¹ and the corresponding outdoor annual effective dose is 0.081 mSv.     

Detailed <Superscript>40</Superscript>Ar/<Superscript>39</Superscript>Ar dating of geologic events associated with the Mantos Blancos copper deposit,northern Chile

The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar geochronological method was applied to date magmatic and hydrothermal alteration events in the Mantos Blancos mining district in the Coastal Cordillera of northern Chile, allowing the distinction of two separate mineralization events. The Late Jurassic Mantos Blancos orebody, hosted in Jurassic volcanic rocks, is a magmatic-hydrothermal breccia-style Cu deposit. Two superimposed mineralization events have been recently proposed. The first event is accompanied by a phyllic hydrothermal alteration affecting a rhyolitic dome. The second mineralization event is related to the intrusion of bimodal stocks and sills inside the deposit. Because of the superposition of several magmatic and hydrothermal events, the obtained ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age data are complex; however, with a careful interpretation of the age spectra, it is possible to detect complex histories of successive emplacement, alteration, mineralization, and thermal resetting. The extrusion of Jurassic basic to intermediate volcanic rocks of the La Negra Formation is dated at 156.3 ± 1.4 Ma (2σ) using plagioclase from an andesitic lava flow. The first mineralization event and associated phyllic alteration affecting the rhyolitic dome occurred around 155–156 Ma. A younger bimodal intrusive event, supposed to be equivalent to the bimodal stock and sill system inside the deposit, is probably responsible for the second mineralization event dated at ca. 142 Ma. Other low-temperature alteration events have been dated on sericitized plagioclase at ca. 145–146, 125, and 101 Ma. This is the first time that two distinct mineralization events have been documented from radiometric data for a copper deposit in the metallogenic belt of the Coastal Cordillera of northern Chile. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Timing and duration of supergene mineralization at the Xinrong manganese deposit,western Guangdong Province,South China: cryptomelane <Superscript>40</Superscript>Ar/<Superscript>39</Superscript>Ar dating

Supergene Mn-oxide deposits are widely distributed in Guangxi, Guangdong, Yunnan, and Hunan Provinces, South China, accounting for 18% of the total Mn reserves in the country. Direct dating of supergene Mn enrichment, however, is lacking. In this paper, we present high-resolution ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages of Mn oxides from the Xinrong Mn deposit, western Guangdong, to place numerical constraints on the timing and duration of supergene Mn enrichment. A total of ten cryptomelane samples, spanning a vertical extent of 67 m, were dated using the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar laser incremental heating technique, with seven samples yielding well-defined plateau or pseudo-plateau ages ranging from 23.48 ± 0.91 to 2.06 ± 0.05 Ma (2σ). One sample yields a staircase spectrum that does not reach a plateau; the spectrum, however, indicates the presence of two or more generations of Mn oxides in the sample, whose ages are best estimated at 22.34 ± 0.31 and 10.2 ± 0.86 Ma, respectively. The remaining two samples gave meaningless or uninterpretable results due to significant ³⁹Ar recoil and contamination by old phases. The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar data thus reveal a protracted history of weathering and supergene Mn enrichment that started at least in the end of the Oligocene or beginning of Miocene and extending into the latest Pliocene. Staircase-apparent age spectra, resulting from banded or botryoidal samples, yield an average growth rate of Mn oxides at 0.6–0.7 × 10⁻³ mm kyr⁻¹. The values indicate that a 1-mm grain of Mn oxides may host minerals precipitated during a time span of ca. 1.5 m.y., and accumulation of Mn oxides to form economic deposits under weathering environments may take millions of years. The distribution of weathering ages shows that the oldest Mn oxides occur on the top of the profile, whereas the youngest minerals are found at the bottom, suggesting downward propagation of weathering fronts. However, two samples located at the intermediate depths of the profile yield ages comparable with those occurring at the highest elevations. Such a complexity of age distribution is interpreted in terms of preferential penetration of Mn-rich weathering solutions along more permeable fault zones, or as a result of multi stages of dissolution and re-precipitation of Mn oxides. A synthesis of geochronological and geological data suggests that formation of the Xinrong deposit was a consequence of a combination of favorable lithological, climatic, and structural conditions. Because the climatic and structural conditions are similar among the provinces of South China during the Cenozoic, the geochronological results obtained at Xinrong may also have implications for the timing of supergene Mn enrichment throughout South China.     

<Superscript>238</Superscript>U and <Superscript>235</Superscript>U isotope fractionation upon oxidation of uranium-bearing rocks by fracture waters

The variations in ²³⁸U/²³⁵U values accompanying mobilization of U by fracture waters from uranium-bearing rocks, in which U occurs as a fine impregnation of oxides and silicates, were studied by the high-precision (±0.07‰) MC–ICP–MS method. Transition of U into the aqueous phase in the oxidized state U(VI) is accompanied by its isotope fractionation with enrichment of dissolved U(VI) in the heavy isotope ²³⁸U up to 0.32‰ in relation to the composition of the solid phases. According to the sign, this effect is consistent with the tendency of the behavior of ²³⁸U and ²³⁵U upon interaction of river waters with rocks of the catchment areas [11] and with the effect observed during oxidation of uraninite by the oxygen-bearing NaHCO₃ solution [12].     

Detecting inter-aquifer leakage in areas with limited data using hydraulics and multiple environmental tracers,including <Superscript>4</Superscript>He, <Superscript>36</Superscript>Cl/Cl, <Superscript>14</Superscript>C and <Superscript>87</Superscript>Sr/<Superscript>86</Superscript>Sr

The investigation of regionally extensive groundwater systems in remote areas is hindered by a shortage of data due to a sparse observation network, which limits our understanding of the hydrogeological processes in arid regions. The study used a multidisciplinary approach to determine hydraulic connectivity between the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) and the underlying Arckaringa Basin in the desert region of Central Australia. In order to manage the impacts of groundwater abstraction from the Arckaringa Basin, it is vital to understand its connectivity with the GAB (upper aquifer), as the latter supports local pastoral stations and groundwater-dependent springs with unique endemic flora and fauna. The study is based on the collation of available geological information, a detailed analysis of hydraulic data, and data on environmental tracers. Enhanced inter-aquifer leakage in the centre of the study area was identified, as well as recharge to the GAB from ephemeral rivers and waterholes. Throughout the rest of the study area, inter-aquifer leakage is likely controlled by diffuse inter-aquifer leakage, but the coarse spatial resolution means that the presence of additional enhanced inter-aquifer leakage sites cannot be excluded. This study makes the case that a multi-tracer approach along with groundwater hydraulics and geology provides a tool-set to investigate enhanced inter-aquifer leakage even in a groundwater basin with a paucity of data. A particular problem encountered in this study was the ambiguous interpretation of different age tracers, which is attributed to diffusive transport across flow paths caused by low recharge rates.     

Geodynamic interpretation of the <Superscript>40</Superscript>Ar/<Superscript>39</Superscript>Ar dating of ophiolitic and arc-related mafics and metamafics of the northern part of the Anadyr-Koryak region

Isotope datings of amphibole-bearing mafics and metamafics in the northern part of the Anadyr-Koryak region allow clarification of the time of magmatic and metamorphic processes, which are synchronous with certain stages of the geodynamic development of the northwest segment of the Pacific mobile belt in the Phanerozoic. To define the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age of amphiboles, eight samples of amphibole gabbroids and metamafics were selected during field work from five massifs representing ophiolites and mafic plutons of the island arc. Rocks from terranes of three foldbelts: 1) Pekulnei (Chukotka region), 2) Ust-Belaya (West Koryak region), and 3) the Tamvatnei and El’gevayam subterranes of the Mainits terrane (Koryak-Kamchatka region), were studied. The isotope investigations enabled us to divide the studied amphiboles into two groups varying in rock petrographic features. The first was represented by gabbroids of the Svetlorechensk massif of the Pekulnei Range and by ophiolites of the Tamvatnei Mts.; their magmatic amphiboles show the distribution of argon isotopes in the form of clearly distinguished plateau with an age ranging within 120–129 Ma. The second group includes metamorphic amphiboles of metagabbroids and apogabbro amphibolites of the Ust-Belaya Mts., Pekulnei and Kenkeren ranges (El’gevayam subterranes). Their age spectra show loss of argon and do not provide well defined plateaus the datings obtained for them are interpreted as minimum ages. Dates of amphiboles from the metagabbro of the upper tectonic plate of the Ust-Belaya allochthon points to metamorphism in the suprasubduction environment in the fragment of Late Neoproterozoic oceanic lithosphere in Middle-Late Devonian time, long before the Uda-Murgal island arc system was formed. The amphibolite metamorphism in the dunite-clinopyroxenite-metagabbro Pekulnei sequence was dated to occur at the Permian-Triassic boundary. The age of amphiboles from gabbrodiorites of the Kenkeren Range was dated to be Early Jurassic that confirmed their assignment to the El’gevayam volcanic-plutonic assemblage. These data are consistent with geological concepts and make more precise the available age dates. Neocomian-Aptian ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age of amphibolites from the Pekulnei and Tamvatnei gabbroids make evident that mafics of these terranes (varying in geodynamic formation settings and in petrogenesis) were generated in later stages of the development of the West Pekulnei and Mainits-Algan Middle-Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous island arc systems, presumably due to breakup of island arcs in the Neocomian.     

<Superscript>40</Superscript>Ar-<Superscript>39</Superscript>Ar dating of lamprophyre dykes in the Baimazhai nickel deposit,Yunnan Province,China, and its geological significance

The Baimazhai nickel deposit, Yunnan Province, China, is located in the southern part of the Sanjiang （Tri-river） alkali-rich intrusive rock belt （Sanjiang ARIR）. In this paper was conducted ^40Ar-^39Ar dating of two phlogopites in lamprophyres which are, as dikes, widely distributed in the orefield, and two plateau ages were acquired, i.e., 32.46±0.62 Ma and 32.01±0.60 Ma, respectively （averaging 32.23±0.60 Ma）. The ages are obviously younger than those of the ore-hosted complex and mineralization of the Baimazhai nickel deposit. In combination with the characteristics, it is indicated that lamprophyres in the orefield and those in the Sanjiang ARIR are similar in tectonic setting, mineral assemblage and geochemistry. It is considered that lamprophyres in the orefield are the important component of the Sanjiang ARIR, and the lamprophyres and ore-hosted complex in the orefield represent the products of two times of different magmatic activity from different mantle sources. On the other hand, the age of lamprophyres in the orefield is older than that of the strike-slip shearing of the Ailaoshan-Honghe fault belt, suggesting that the strike-slip shearing of the Ailaoshan-Honghe fault belt is not the factor leading to magmatic activity of lamprophyres in the orefield, while it is more possible that magmatic activity of the Sanjiang ARIR promoted strike-slip shearing of the fault belt.     

Laser probe <Superscript>40</Superscript>Ar/<Superscript>39</Superscript>Ar dating for quartz from auriferous quartz veins in the Shihu gold deposit,western Hebei Province,North China

The Shihu gold deposit is situated in the central shear zone of the Meso-Cenozoic Fuping metamorphic core complex in the middle-northern part of the Taihang Mountains. This kind of gold deposits named after ‘Shihu type’ widely occurs in this region. Gold-bearing quartz veins are their most important industrial orebodies. Detailed laser ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar geochronology of the mineralized quartz veins in the study area reveals details of its tectono-magmatic history. The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages for the quartz are between 134.4 Ma and 155.9 Ma with a mean age of 141±4 Ma on the isochron line and 139±7 Ma on the inverse isochron line, respectively, which is interpreted to be the best estimate of the crystalline age of the quartz veins. The gold mineralization was most likely related to an underplating event that took place in the northern part of the Taihang Mountain at ca. 140 Ma. The timing of gold mineralization in the area is similar to those observed in other major gold-producing provinces in the NCC. This episode is simultaneous with those in the eastern NCC, indicative of a widespread late Yanshanian metallogenic event that was a response either to the subduction of the Izanagi-Pacific plate beneath eastern China or to the removal of the Early Cretaceous lithosphere in the eastern NCC. The ore-forming material sources may be the Early Precambrian metamorphic basement, instead of intermediate-acid rock bodies and dykes.     

Tracing the exhumation of the Eclogite Zone (Tauern Window,Eastern Alps) by <Superscript>40</Superscript>Ar/<Superscript>39</Superscript>Ar dating of white mica in eclogites

New radiometric ages from the Subpenninic nappes (Eclogite Zone and Rote Wand – Modereck Nappe, Tauern Window) show that phengites formed under eclogite-facies metamorphic conditions retain their initial isotopic signature, even when associated lithologies were overprinted by greenschist- to amphibolite-facies metamorphism. Different stages of the eclogite-facies evolution can be dated provided ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating is combined with micro-structural analyses. An age of 39 Ma from the Rote Wand – Modereck Nappe is interpreted to be close to the burial age of this unit. Eclogite deformation within the Eclogite Zone started at the pressure peak along distinct shear zones, and prevailed along the exhumation path. An age of ca. 38 Ma is only observed for eclogites not affected by subsequent deformation and is interpreted as maximum age due to the possible influence of homogenously distributed excess argon. During exhumation deformation was localised along distinct mylonitic shear zones. This stage is mainly characterised by the formation of dynamically recrystallized omphacite2 and phengite. Deformation resulted in the resetting of the Ar isotopic system within the recrystallized white mica. Flat argon release spectra showing ages of 32 Ma within mylonites record the timing of cooling along the exhumation path, and the emplacement onto the Venediger Nappe. Ar-release patterns and ³⁶Ar/⁴⁰Ar vs.³⁹Ar/⁴⁰Ar isotope correlation analyses indicate no significant ⁴⁰Ar-loss after initial closure, and only a negligible incorporation of excess argon. From the pressure peak onwards, eclogitic conditions prevailed for almost 8–10 Ma.