Formation of the world's largest molybdenum metallogenic belt: a plate-tectonic perspective on the Qinling molybdenum deposits

Qinling ore belt is the largest known molybdenum belt in the world with a total reserve of >5 Mt of Mo metal. Based on the geochemical behaviour of Mo, the structural settings of the Qinling orogenic belt, and geological events in eastern China, we propose that tectonic settings are of critical importance to the formation of these ore deposits. Molybdenum is very rare in the earth with an abundance of ～0.8 ppm in the continental crust. Both surface- and magmatic-hydrothermal enrichment processes are required for Mo mineralization. It can be easily oxidized to form water-soluble MoO₄ ^– in the surface environment, especially in the Phanaerozoic, and then precipitated under anoxic conditions. Therefore, closed or semi-closed water bodies with large catchment areas and high chemical erosion rates are the most favourable locations for Mo-enriched sediments. The Qinling orogenic belt was located in the tropics during crustal collisions, such that the chemical erosion was presumably intense, whereas the Erlangping back-arc basin was probably a closed or semi-closed water body as a result of plate convergence. More than 90% of the Mo reserves so far discovered in the Qinling molybdenum belt are associated with the Palaeozoic Erlangping back-arc basin. Compiled Re–Os isotopic ages for porphyry deposits (including several carbonate vein deposits) that have been dated show peaks during 220 million years (>0.32 Mt), 145 million years (>?3.5 Mt), and 115 million years (>?0.84 Mt), which correlate well with the three major episodes of granitoid magmatism since the Triassic. The ～220 million year episode of mineralization, represented by the Huanglongpu carbonate vein-type deposit and the Wenquan porphyry deposit, coincided with the formation of the South Qinling syn-orogenic granites as well as the Dabie ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks, suggests a genetic relationship with the collision between South and North China Blocks. The ～145 Ma porphyry Mo deposits, representing the main mineralization, are attributed to reactivation by ridge subduction along the lower Yangtze River belt to the east of the Qinling orogen ～150–140 Ma. The ～115 Ma Mo deposits likely reflect slab rollback of the northwestwards subducting Pacific plate ～125–110 Ma.     

International cities: some geographical considerations and a case study of Montreal

Several cities perform important international functions to such an extent that they may be described as international cities. This paper discusses their activities and influence with a view to establishing a conceptual framework for geographic research. A major argument is that there are opportunities for geographers to utilise familiar concepts and approaches in a new context, and to contribute to a research problem which has both theoretical and applied significance. The paper also discusses the case of Montreal, examining a number of its internationally oriented activities.     

Experimental exsolution textures in the system bornite-chalcopyrite: Genetic implications concerning natural ores

Textural interpretation of ore-mineral assemblages, such as bornite-chalcopyrite (bn-cpy) intergrowths, should be based on definite experimentation. Appropriate exsolution and coarsening experiments were performed using sealed, evacuated, silicaglass tubes; synthetic bn-cpy solid solutions were annealed between 100° and 350°C for times of 20 min to 10 weeks. Early-formed textures develop through nucleation and growth and depend on the initial degree of supersaturation and the metal diffusivities. Final textures, due to additional growth and coarsening, are very sensitive to temperature and may serve as geothermometers. Mutual boundary textures which form above 250°C can originate by: (1) simultaneous precipitation; (2) exsolution during slow cooling from above the solvus; and (3) metamorphism to temperatures above about 250°C. Widmanstätten textures are not compatible with slow cooling, but indicate: (1) low-temperature replacement of bn; or (2) exsolution of cpy lamellae from anomalous bn heated to around 200°–250°C during mild metamorphism.     

The Grenvillian and Pan-African orogens: World's largest orogenies through geologic time, and their implications on the origin of superplume

The Neoproterozoic Earth was shaped largely by the Grenvillian and Pan-African orogenies. Out of these, the Grenvillian orogeny has long been regarded to be of minor nature in terms of global-scale orogenic episodes, whereas the Pan-African orogeny has been widely recognized in many continental fragments, although not in major parts of Asia. Based on chronological information in zircons from major river mouths across several important terrains of the globe, we show here that the Grenvillian orogeny contributed significantly to the formation of the continental crust. The time period between 0.6 Ga and 0.8 Ga marked the climax at the dawn of the Pan-African orogeny. Continental crust formed in this period is concentrated in the Pan-African orogenic belts widely across the globe. These regions were widespread over the half hemisphere of the globe, and were subsequently reduced in size after they moved to form Laurasia. The normalized frequency distribution of zircon ages from river-mouth sand over the world clearly demonstrates that Neoproterozoic and (0.9–0.6 Ga) and Grenvillian (1.3–1.0 Ga) peaks define the largest population. This means that extensive subduction, and hence active plate tectonics, might have operated through these periods. The zircon study has also brought to light new regions of the Grenvillian orogenic belts, particularly in the continents which are now covered by thick Phanerozoic sedimentary basins. Based on the new locations of Grenvillian orogens identified in this study, and using the distribution patterns as a marker bed, we propose revised paleogeographic configurations of the Rodinia and Gondwana supercontinents.Our results demonstrate that the Neoproterozoic was the most active period of crust formation in the Earth. The cold basins, formed right after the assembly of Rodinia, exhibit a basin chain fringing the northern periphery of Rodinia, which turned into sites of mantle upwellings and led to the rifting and separation of the supercontinental assembly. The continents then moved northwards after the formation of Gondwana at ca. 540 Ma, and enlarged the northern half of the supercontinent Pangea since 250 Ma.Based on the results, we also evaluate the role of supercontinents in the mechanism of generation of superplumes addressing the enigma that the coldest mantle right above the Core–Mantle Boundary turns to the hottest one over a period of several hundreds of million years. Slab graveyard formed by the Pan-African subduction can be imaged through P-wave tomography. We postulate that the high-velocity anomaly in the D” layer underneath Gondwana has now transformed to the low-V regions to generate the African superplume. The tectonic history of solid Earth in the Phanerozoic seems to be controlled by the slab graveyards formed by the Grenvillian orogeny ca. 1.0 Ga.     

Tracer diffusion of some alkali,alkaline-earth and transition element ions in a basaltic and an andesitic melt,and the implications concerning melt structure

The diffusion properties of Na, Cs, Sr, Ba, Co, Mn, Fe and Sc ions in a basaltic and an andesitic melt have been determined experimentally using the radiotracer residual-activity method, and narrow platinum capillaries, over the temperature range 1,300–1,400° C. Diffusion of all cations follows an Arrhenius relationship; the values of the activation energies range from 24 kcal mol^–1 for Na to 67 kcal mol^–1 for Co in the andesitic melt, and from 39 kcal mol^–1 for Na to 65 kcal mol^–1 for Cs in the basaltic melt. Relative diffusivities in the basaltic melt, but not in the andesitic melt, correlate with assumed ionic radii values. Each cation, except Na⁺, diffuses faster in the basaltic melt than in the andesitic melt over the studied temperature range. Sodium shows similar diffusivity in the two melts.Compensation diagrams incorporating new and some previously-published data indicate that Cs probably diffuses by different mechanisms in different silicate glass and melt systems. Iron has a relatively high activation energy which is consistent with its part occupancy of tetrahedral co-ordination polyhedra.     

Recrystallisation of oscillatory zoned zircon: some geochronological and petrological implications

Oscillatory zoning is a common feature in zircons from acid igneous rocks and is believed to form during crystallisation of zircons from a magma by a mechanism which is not yet understood. Many zircons with oscillatory zoning also show a patchwork replacement of zoned by unzoned zircon. The unzoned zircon occurs as rounded, transgressive patches distributed throughout the zoned zircon and as areas of transitional replacement where zoned zircon is progressively replaced by unzoned zircon such that only faint traces of original zones remain. This structure is interpreted as a progressive recrystallisation of the oscillatory zoned zircon made unstable by the incorporation of high concentrations of contaminant elements during magmatic crystallisation. Recrystallisation overprints oscillatory zones and appears to have occurred after completion of primary crystallisation. It is accompanied by loss of U, Th and Pb and the removal of oscillatory zones. The recrystallised unzoned zircon is extremely stable with respect to later Pb loss and tends to retain a concordant or slightly discordant U–Pb age. Recrystallisation provides a mechanism for resetting zircon U–Pb ages which is independent of the degree of radiation damage of the zircon lattice. This differs from other models of discordance which involve a leaching of radiogenic Pb as a consequence of a progressive breakdown of the zircon structure through time-integraded radiation damage further enhanced by high concentrations of trace-element contaminants. The U–Pb age of the unzoned zircon may date the recrystallisation event, which may be close to the age of primary crystallisation or reflect a later metamorphism.Dedicated to Borwin Grauert on the occasion of his sixtieth birthday     

Development of new store types: the role of convenience stores in Japan

Since the early 1980's the number of retail shops has declined, while the real volume of retail sales has increased in Japan. The MITI introduced the convenience store from the United States as a new retail type for modernizing small stores in the early 1970's. Curiously, it has seen a significant increase, and now accounts for over 50 000 units nation wide. It has developed not only in urban area but also in rural area. Various location types are seen. It enters into a phase of hard competition between stores. Many traditional small individual retail shops run into closure with the apparition of the convenience store. The convenience store fitted the contemporary life style by extending business hours and an adequate marketing strategy. It sells time and merchandise conveniences for consumers introducing sophisticated management and logistics systems by POS and EOS. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Systematic yet enigmatic depth distribution of the world's modern warm-water carbonate platforms: the 'depth window'

ABSTRACT The world's modern warm-water carbonate platforms are large-scale topographic features. This paper shows that the distribution of platform depths is systematic. The depths to the seafloor of most isolated banks and continent-attached platforms, and the depths to the lagoon floors of most atolls, are all less than 70 m below present sea-level, so that there is a 0–70 m 'depth window'. The depth distribution reflects the platforms' evolution and its controls. The relation of this distribution to Quaternary sea-level fluctuations and sedimentary dynamics sheds light on these controls.     

Neogene patterns of relative plate motion for Africa-Europe: some implications for recent central Mediterranean tectonics

A detailed relative motion picture for the Neogene Africa-Europe plate kinematics is presented. The kinematic reconstruction was carried out using the finite difference solution between the rotation parameters determined for Anomalies 7 to 2 in the Africa-North America-Europe plate motion circuit. The analysis shows a motion of Africa with respect to Europe which is NNE directed during Late Oligocene to Burdigalian times, becoming NNW trending from the Langhian to the early Tortonian; from upper Tortonian times onward, the motion changes to a clear north-west directed convergence. Major Late Neogene tectonic features of the central Mediterranean region can, to a large extent, be explained within the context of the reconstructed major plate motions. Late Tortonian to Recent Africa-Europe slip vectors are compatible with a variety of geological phenomenoa such as north-west directed subduction beneath Calabria, south-east translation of Calabria and extension in the Tyrrhenian Sea, north-west trending slip vectors from thrust earthquakes between Gibraltar and Sicily, and dextral strike-slip across the North African margin.     

Geotechnical characteristics of some clays from south—western Nigeria: implications for industrial utilization

Clays in adequate quantity and of quality for industrial use occur in the Ifon area of Ondo State, Nigeria, in the form of alluvial deposits at Sobe, as sedimentary deposits at Non and Arimogija and as residual clays at Omialafara.

The alluvial clays from Sobe and the sedimentary clays from Ifon are highly plastic while the sedimentary clays from Arimogija are moderately plastic and the Omialafara residual clays only slightly plastic. The clays in general are kaolinitic in composition with minor amounts of illite.

The unconfined compressive strength characteristics of fired pellets of these various clays indicate that the reddish to greyish-brown alluvial clays at Sobe tend to have higher strength values than the dark grey clays of Arimogija. Porosity, firing shrinkage, clay mineralogy and colour after firing all indicate that the clays are very suitable for the manufacture of ceramic wares.     

Metamorphic evolution of the Eiksunddal eclogite complex. Western Norway,and some tectonic implications

The metamorphic evolution of the Western Gneiss Region of Norway (WGR) can be evaluated from examination of eclogites formed as an integral part of the gneiss terrain (ie. in situ). Petrologic data from one of the larger country-rock eclogites within the northwestern part of WGR have been used to construct a P, T, t-path for this crustal volume. Textural relations as well as mineral composition and zonation suggest an early period of amphibolite facies conditions, followed by movement along a very steep positive P/T-gradient towards very high pressure (P25 kb) and moderate temperature (T600° C). Orthopyroxene coexisting with garnet at such conditions was poor in Al (<0.5 wt% Al₂O₃) and is preserved in the cores of orthopyroxene grains in garnet websterites. The increasing Al-content of orthopyroxene towards garnet, and increasing edenite substitution rimwards in zoned amphiboles, suggest a period of decompression accompanied by heating, towards the metamorphic maximum at T 750° C, P20kb. Garnet zoning reflects a general prograde history, but the reactions that control the zoning are insensitive to pressure changes. Jadeitic pyroxenes may have formed in the gneisses at P-max, but would revert to plagioclase subsequent to the metamorphic maximum, giving rise to the observed mineralogy. Further decompression and cooling continued towards high-rank amphibolite facies conditions. This P, T, t-path reflects crustal thickening to 80–90 km during Caledonian time. The uplift path is qualitatively similar to theoretically derived paths in which uplift is assumed to be controlled by erosion. However, uplift following the metamorphic maximum may have been accelerated by a period of suture progradation.     

The smallest of the largest: a new look at possible dwarfing in sauropod dinosaurs

Franz Baron Nopcsa recognised that the Late Cretaceous titanosaurid sauropod from Transylvania, Magyarosaurus dacus, was much smaller than the better known sauropods from the Upper Jurassic of the United States and even from Late Cretaceous deposits elsewhere in the world. In keeping with his biogeographic interpretations, Nopcsa viewed this difference as a consequence of body-size effects via island habitation. We present a preliminary re-evaluation of Nopcsa's claims and their heterochronic consequences using two approaches, viz. (1) regression analysis of humeral data as a means of establishing patterns in body size among titanosaurids, and (2) optimisation of humeral data onto titanosaurid cladograms to evaluate evolutionary trends within the clade. Our regression analysis is based on twenty species distributed among fourteen genera of neosauropods and uses length and mid-shaft mediolateral width of the humerus of presumed fully adult forms, and of growth samples that consist of postnatal to adult individuals. Linear regression analysis suggests that, among adult neosauropods, M. dacus appears to be represented by the smallest individuals; that M. dacus humeri appear to be more similar to those of subadults than to adults of other taxa; and that this juvenile morphology may constitute dwarfing in M. dacus by paedomorphosis. In order for these regressions to reflect their evolutionary context more fully, we also present optimisation analyses of humeral form within Titanosauroidea. Although many aspects of the phylogeny of this clade are relatively poorly resolved, preliminary results of our analyses are consistent with the conclusion that M. dacus was a heterochronic dwarf.     

Experimental petrochemistry of some highly siderophile elements at high temperatures, and some implications for core formation and the mantle''s early history

The highly siderophile elements (HSE's: Ru, Rh, Pd, Re, Os, Ir, Pt and Au) and those elements with distribution coefficients between Fe-rich metal and silicate phases which exceed 10⁴. The large magnitude of these distribution coefficients makes them exceedingly difficult to measure experimentally. We describe a new experimental campaign aimed at obtaining reliable values of D_M^{mets/sil melt} for selected HSE's indirectly, by measuring the solubilities of the pure metals (or simple HSE alloys) in haplobasaltic melts as a function of oxygen fugacity.

Preliminary results for Pd, Au, Ir and Re indicate that the HSE's may dissolve in silicate melts in unusually low valence states, e.g., 2+ for Ir and 1+ for the others. These unusual valence states may be important in understanding the geochemical properties of the HSE's. Inferred values of D_M^{met/sil melt} from the solubility data at 1400°C and IW −1 are 10⁷ for Pd and Au, and 10⁹−10¹² for Ir. Metal/silicate partition coefficients are thus confirmed to be very large, and are also different for the different HSE's.

A review of the abundance of the HSE's in the Earth's upper mantle shows that they are all present at 0.8% of chondritic, i.e. they have the same relative abundance, and the ratios of their concentrations are chondritic (e.g., Re/Os). Both the low degree of depletion (compared to the high values of D_M^{met/sil melt}) and the chondritic relative abundances support the idea that the mantle's HSE's were added in a “late veneer” after the cessation of core formation. Sulfur is even more depleted in the mantle relative to CI chondrites than the HSE's: this implies a late veneer which was depleted in volatile elements, and which was added to a mantle stripped of S. Since considerable S dissolves in silicate melt, this further implies that core formation in the Earth either occurred under P−T conditions below the solicate solidus, or, if the process occurred over a range of temperatures in a cooling Earth, then the process continued down to conditions below the silicate solidus.

The chondritic relative abundances of the HSE's in the upper mantle argue for a chemically unstratified primitive mantle, unless the late veneer was mixed only into the upper mantle.     

The symbolic order of objects and the frame of geographical action: An analysis of the modes and effects of categorisation of the geographical world as applied to the mountains in the West

Societies cope with their geographical environment with the help of objects and categories of objects. Objects are cognitive symbols enabling societies to come to terms with the incertainties and complexity of the real. This text begins by presenting processes of objectivation and of categorisation of geographical reality. Then, it analyses how far categorisation of objects influences the practice and the transformation of corresponding reality. Coping with categorisation and transformation, it thus circumscribes the interactions between language, cognition and action by which geographical entities are transformed. It illustrates this thesis with the historical transformation of modes of apprehension of the mountains in the West and the parallel transformation of their usage and the modes of planning applied to them. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The continuity of Basque political violence: A geographical perspective on the legitimisation of violence

After twenty years of parliamentary democracy in Spain the Basque liberation movement ETA is still using violent methods. Considerable support for ETA has persisted in the Spanish Basque Country. Based on voting patterns in Euskadi the persistent support for ETA is studied. ETA support through voting for its political wing Herri Batasuna is concentrated in specific areas. Through ecological analysis the relative weight of cultural, socio-economic, demographic and locational factors in voting patterns is determined. At a local level particular cultural contexts reproduce support for violent separatism. The continuity of violence legitimisation is a Spanish Basque phenomenon as it is confined to the Basque-speaking parts of Spain. The small-size settlements of the Basque Country offer a context of social control which enables mass legitimisation of political violence.     

Thermoluminescence of quartz from Shihu gold deposit, western Hebei province, China: some implications for gold exploration

Thermoluminescence (TL) of monomineralic separates have been widely used in various geosciences fields in order to trace the thermal history and aid in prospecting for gold deposits. Quartz is a ubiquitous mineral in the Shihu gold deposit, which is situated in the northern part of the Taihang orogenic belt in the North China craton (NCC). The deposit is hosted by ductile-brittle faults within an Archean metamorphic core complex of the Fuping Group. This deposit is characterized by gold-bearing quartz-polymetallic sulfides and quartz veins. New TL results have been obtained for quartz, in which four type-TL glow curves were identified. The gold-bearing quartz present type III glow curves that consist of two peak glow curves at the middle and high peak temperatures with the similar TL intensity. In addition, the cross-sections of peak temperatures and TL intensity highlight the valuable area where the Au-bearing quartz present weak TL intensity and low-middle peak temperatures. Our results significantly enhance the usefulness of quartz in metallogenic studies of the North China craton and as an indicator mineral in mineral exploration of the Taihang Mountain region.     

Lake sediments deposited on the Flims rockslide mass: the key to date the largest mass movement of the Alps

Long piston cores taken from the subsurface of two mountain lakes of the eastern Swiss Alps recovered sediments, which overlie the Flims rockslide deposits. These sediments provide new information on the chronology of the largest known Alpine rockslide and can be used to reconstruct the post landslide environmental evolution. The oldest ¹⁴C date of the lake sediments yields a minimum age of the rockslide at 9660–9430 cal. yr BP. In addition, the dating of a wood fragment contained in the rockslide deposits directly below the lake sediments shows a maximum age of 9480–9120 cal. yr BP. The overlap of the maximum and minimum ages, 9480–9430 cal. yr BP, approximates the age of the Flims rockslide. This early Holocene range coincides with a period of higher frequency of large mass movements observed in the Alps, which could be related to climatic changes.     

The tectonic implications of some small scale structures in the Mona Complex of Holy Isle, North Wales

The rocks of the Rhoscolyn area of Anglesey, North Wales have been subjected to more than one phase of deformation. The result is a complex and often confusing array of minor structures. Using these minor structures, an attempt is made to recognise the major deformation phases that have affected the rocks and to reconstruct the tectonic history of the area. In order to do this it is necessary to consider the deformation of minor structures such as pinch-and-swell; the origin of certain lineations; the problems associated with the buckling of a material that contains two mechanically active planar fabrics, e.g. cleavage and bedding, and the use of pre-existing quartz veins to determine the mechanism of folding.     

An ion microprobe study of anhydrous oxygen diffusion in anorthite: a comparison with hydrothermal data and some geological implications

The diffusion rate of ¹⁸O tracer atoms in anorthite (An₉₇Ab₀₃) under anhydrous conditions has been measured using SIMS techniques. The tracer source was ¹⁸O₂ 98.4% gas at 1 bar, in the temperature range 1300° C–850° C. The measured diffusion constants are D ₀=1 _–0.6 ⁺¹ ×10^–9 m²s^–1 Q=236±8 kJ mol^–1 Comparison of these values with published data for ¹⁸O diffusion in anorthite under hydrothermal conditions shows that dry oxygen diffusivities are orders of magnitude lower than equivalent wet values at similar temperatures. The effect of these differences on oxygen isotope equilibration during cooling is discussed.