Iron in Precambrian rocks: implications for the global oxygen budget of the ancient Earth

Banded iron formations (BIF) are prominent in sediments older than 2 Ga. However, little is known about the absolute abundance of BIF in Archean and Early Proterozoic sediments, and the source of the Fe is still somewhat uncertain. Also unknown is the role that Fe may have played in the maintenance of low oxygen pressures in the Archean and Early Proterozoic atmosphere. An analysis of the chemical composition of Precambrian rocks provides some insight into the role of Fe in Precambrian geochemical cycles. The Fe content of igneous rocks is well correlated with their Ti content. Plots of Fe vs. Ti in Precambrian sandstones and graywackes fall very close to the igneous rock trend. Plots of Fe vs. Ti in Precambrian shales also follow this trend but show a definite scatter toward an excess of Fe. Phanerozoic shales and sandstones lie essentially on the igneous rock trend and show surprisingly little scatter. Mn/Ti relations show a stronger indication of Precambrian Mn loss, perhaps due to weathering under a less oxidizing early atmosphere. These data show that Fe was neither substantially added to nor significantly redistributed in Archean and early Proterozoic sediments. Enough hydrothermal Fe was added to these sediments to increase the average Fe content of shales by at most a factor of 2. This enrichment would probably not have greatly affected the near-surface redox cycle or atmospheric oxygen levels. Continued redistribution of Fe and mixing with weathered igneous rocks during the recycling of Precambrian sediments account for the excellent correlation of Fe with Ti in Phanerozoic shales and for the similarity between their Fe/Ti ratio and that of igneous rocks.     

中国东部入海河流沉积物磁性矿物化学特征及物源意义

大量陆源碎屑物质主要通过以长江、黄河为代表的大江大河和以瓯江、浊水溪为代表的山溪性小河流的携带输移至中国东部海域,海域沉积物的物源识别是当前的研究热点。本文通过原子吸收光谱法测试了磁性矿物中的11种元素（Ti、Fe、Cr、Mg、Al、V、Ca、Co、Zn、Mn和S）,旨在探讨这些河流沉积物（ < 45μm）的磁性矿物群体化学特征,提取其物源指示意义,为边缘海沉积物物源判别提供依据。研究结果表明,这些河流沉积物的磁性矿物主要是以铁氧化物（磁铁矿）为主,铁硫化物含量很低（ < 2%）,只有台湾浊水溪沉积物中含有相对较多的铁硫化物（主要是磁黄铁矿）,为1.84%。除此之外,各河流沉积物磁性矿物中铁氧化物的化学元素组成（Ti、Mg、Ca、Al、Cr、V、Mn、Co和Zn）差异也很明显,其中黄河富含Mg和Ca,长江富含Ti,钱塘江富含Al,瓯江富含Cr,台湾浊水溪相对来说富含Al和Co,而其余元素含量远低于其他河流。从磁性矿物成因图上看,黄河沉积物中磁性矿物落在碱性岩浆岩成因区,但这并不是反映了流域磁性矿物的母岩为碱性岩浆岩,而是由于流域中黄土土壤化过程中产生的细颗粒磁性矿物中含有较高的碱土金属元素（如Mg和Ca）所致;其他河流磁性矿物成因与其流域母岩关系密切,如长江和浙闽河流主要为超基性-基性-中性岩浆岩成因,浊水溪为沉积变质-接触交代成因,都与其所处流域的磁性矿物的母岩类型较为一致。利用Ti+V-S+Co-Ca+Mg三角图可以有效地区分黄河、长江和浙闽河流、浊水溪沉积物物源。磁性矿物群体中的Mn、Zn、Al、Cr元素的差异有助于进一步确定长江和浙闽河流的泥沙来源。同时,发现磁性矿物单颗粒和群体化学组成特征具有一定差异性,很可能是由于分析方法不同所造成。

     

The Nordic Volcanological Institute: understanding volcanoes at spreading centres

The Nordic countries (known as 'Norden') are not immediately associated with volcanoes: Norway with folded mountains cut by fjords and its offshore oil and gas deposits, Sweden and Finland by the western part of the Baltic shield, a huge area of Precambrian rocks, of which gneisses form a large part, and Denmark, a country of Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks, where glacial, superficial deposits are of major importance. But Norden also includes Iceland, where everyone immediately thinks of volcanoes and glaciers. Clearly volcanological research would be expected to be a major priority for the Icelandic nation. However, in the other Nordic countries old volcanic and other igneous rocks play a significant role, comprising a large part of the Precambrian and Caledonian terrains and being a key to many of the commercial mineral deposits which play a major role in the economies of Norway, Sweden and Finland. Even Denmark, a country of sedimentary rocks has an impressive sequence of Paleogene volcanic ashes and the Faeroe Islands, made up almost entirely of basalts, are part of Denmark.     

The role of regional lithogeochemistry in mineral exploration

Regional lithogeochemical surveys can be used to determine the geochemical characteristics of particular tectonic regions as well as mapping geochemistry in relation to geology and ore deposits at a larger scale. Regional lithogeochemistry is of particular value for assigning signatures to associations of igneous rocks which are related geochemically and geologically.The application of regional lithogeochemistry to mineral exploration is reviewed here with particular reference to the Mesozoic magmatic province of Mongolia. Geochemical data for granitoids are shown to have particular application to: (1) the classification and grouping of rocks of similar petrochemical and mineral compositions; (2) the compilation of tectonic and metallogenic maps; (3) the identification of metallogenic provinces and ore zones; and (4) predictive modelling to identify ore-bearing associations. Moreover, such data can be used to estimate the probable types and sizes of ore bodies associated with particular geochemical rock types. Regional lithogeochemistry thus forms an essential basis for prospecting for mineral deposits.     

Composition, mineral assemblages, and genesis of titanite and malayaite in skarns

The composition of minerals of the titanite-malayaite series and their mineral assemblages and genesis were examined at the Bol’shoi Kan’on deposit in Magadan oblast and at other deposits. These minerals were demonstrated to be typomorphic Sn-bearing silicates in postmagmatic bimetasomatic hypabyssal calc skarns and skarnoids in tin-bearing provinces. The series of these minerals with similar crystal structures has a miscibility gap, and the minerals are characterized by notably different Sn concentrations. Moreover, titanite may contain Al, Fe, F, and OH, whose concentrations decrease in the Sn-bearing members of the series (malayaite). These silicates were formed at many deposits after the successive transforms of skarn mineral assemblages. The early assemblages include wollastonite in calcic carbonate rocks and diopside and salite in skarnoids. The latter minerals are replaced first by hedenbergite with subordinate amounts of vesuvianite and garnet first of grossular and then andradite composition. This process was syngenetic with the formation of borosilicates (danburite, axinite, and tourmaline). Ti thereby may be accommodated in grossular and Sn in Fe-bearing silicates, mostly, in andradite. Skarns often contain both titanite and malayaite, which were produced in these rocks earlier than cassiterite. The isomorphic series of these minerals has a miscibility gap. The oreforming processes ended with the crystallization of quartz, fluorite, and rare sulfides, including stannite. The late Sn-bearing minerals at some deposits are stokesite and Mg, Fe, and Ca stannates, which crystallized during malayaite replacement by newly formed calcite-quartz aggregates. The Sn-bearing sulfides are replaced by varlamoffite during supergene processes.     

Partial least squares-discriminant analysis of trace element compositions of magnetite from various VMS deposit subtypes: Application to mineral exploration

The petrography and mineral chemistry of magnetite from fifteen volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits in Canada, and the Lasail VMS deposit in Oman, as well as from two VMS-associated banded iron formations (BIF), Austin Brook (New Brunswick, Canada) and Izok Lake (Nunavut, Canada), were investigated using optical microscopy, electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA), and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The method of robust estimation for compositional data (robCompositions) was applied to investigate geochemical censored data. Among thirty-seven elements analyzed by EPMA and/or LA-ICP-MS in magnetite from the studied deposits/bedrock lithologies, only the results for Si, Ca, Zr, Al, Mg, Ti, Zn, Co and Ni contain < 40% censored values, and thus could be imputed using robCompositions. Imputed censored data were transformed using centered log-ratios to overcome the closure effect on compositional data. Transformed data were classified by partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) to identify different compositional characteristics of magnetite from VMS deposits and BIFs. The integration of petrography and mineral chemistry identifies three types of magnetite in VMS settings: magmatic, hydrothermal, and metamorphic. Magmatic magnetite in VMS deposit host bedrocks is characterized by ilmenite exsolution and may be overprinted by metamorphism. Some VMS deposits contain hydrothermal magnetite, which is intergrown with sulfides, and shows a metamorphic overprint as it is partly replaced by common metamorphic minerals including chlorite, sericite, anthophyllite, and/or actinolite, whereas the majority of the deposits are characterized by metamorphic magnetite formed by replacing pre-existing sulfides and/or silicates, and is intergrown with metamorphic minerals. Among VMS deposits of the Noranda mining district, the West Ansil deposit is characterized by hydrothermal-metamorphic magnetite zoned by inclusion-free cores and Si- and Mg-rich rims. Magnetite from the studied VMS-associated BIFs is also metamorphic in origin. Aluminum, Ti and Zn contents of magnetite can separate BIF from the other mineralized and un-mineralized bedrock lithologies in the studied VMS settings.PLS-DA shows that variable compositions of magnetite slightly discriminate different studied deposits/bedrock lithologies. The geochemical observations suggest that the variation in magnetite chemistry from different VMS settings might be sourced from differences in: 1) the composition and temperature of parental magmas or hydrothermal fluids, 2) the composition of host bedrocks, 3) the composition of co-forming minerals, and 4) oxygen fugacity. PLS-DA distinguishes magnetite compositions from the studied VMS deposits and BIFs from that of the other ore deposit types including Ni–Cu, porphyry Cu-Mo-Au, iron oxide-copper- gold, iron oxide-apatite, and the Bayan Obo REE-Fe-Nb deposit. Magnetite from the VMS settings on average contains lower concentrations of Si, Zr, Al, Mg, Ti, Zn, Co and Ni relative to that from the other mineral deposit types. PLS-DA of magnetite data from VMS deposits and BIFs of the Bathurst mining camp as well as PLS-DA of magnetite compositions from various mineral deposit types yield discrimination models for application to mineral exploration for VMS deposits using indicator minerals in Quaternary lithified sedimentary rocks.     

Sedimentary rock-hosted Au deposits of the Dian–Qian–Gui area, Guizhou, and Yunnan Provinces, and Guangxi District, China

Sedimentary rock-hosted Au deposits in the Dian–Qian–Gui area in southwest China are hosted in Paleozoic and early Mesozoic sedimentary rocks along the southwest margin of the Yangtze (South China) Precambrian craton. Most deposits have characteristics similar to Carlin-type Au deposits and are spatially associated, on a regional scale, with deposits of coal, Sb, barite, As, Tl, and Hg. Sedimentary rock-hosted Au deposits are disseminated stratabound and(or) structurally controlled. The deposits have many similar characteristics, particularly mineralogy, geochemistry, host rock, and structural control. Most deposits are associated with structural domes, stratabound breccia bodies, unconformity surfaces or intense brittle–ductile deformation zones, such as the Youjiang fault system. Typical characteristics include impure carbonate rock or calcareous and carbonaceous host rock that contains disseminated pyrite, marcasite, and arsenopyrite—usually with μm-sized Au, commonly in As-rich rims of pyrite and in disseminations. Late realgar, orpiment, stibnite, and Hg minerals are spatially associated with earlier forming sulfide minerals. Minor base–metal sulfides, such as galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, and Pb–Sb–As–sulphosalts also are present. The rocks locally are silicified and altered to sericite–clay (illite). Rocks and(or) stream-sediment geochemical signatures typically include elevated concentrations of As, Sb, Hg, Tl, and Ba. A general lack of igneous rocks in the Dian–Qian–Gui area implies non-pluton-related, ore forming processes. Some deposits contain evidence that sources of the metal may have originated in carbonaceous parts of the sedimentary pile or other sedimentary or volcanic horizons. This genetic process may be associated with formation and mobilization of petroleum and Hg in the region and may also be related to As-, Au-, and Tl-bearing coal horizons. Many deposits also contain textures and features indicative of strong structural control by tectonic domes or shear zones and also suggest syndeformational ore deposition, possibly related to the Youjiang fault system. Several sedimentary rock-hosted Au deposits in the Dian–Qian–Gui area also are of the red earth-type and Au grades have been concentrated and enhanced during episodes of deep weathering.     

云南关键矿产重要矿床成矿系列

云南地处特提斯成矿域与滨太平洋成矿域交汇部位,地质构造复杂,岩浆活动频繁,成矿条件优越。本文将铅、锌、铜、锡、钨、金、银、磷、钛、稀土金属(16种)、稀有金属(9种)和分散元素(8种)列为云南优势关键矿产,总结其资源特征,并针对这些矿产开展矿床成矿系列研究。研究结果显示,全省共可划分出88个矿床成矿系列或亚系列,其中与以上优势关键矿产有关的矿床成矿系列或亚系列有48个,共118个矿床式;以成矿省为单元,华南(陆块)成矿省(云南部分)有8个矿床成矿系列或亚系列,16个矿床式;上扬子(陆块)成矿省(云南部分)有16个矿床成矿系列或亚系列,35个矿床式;三江(造山带)成矿省(云南部分)有19个矿床成矿系列或亚系列,57个矿床式;腾冲(造山带)成矿省有5个矿床成矿系列或亚系列,10个矿床式。按成矿时代,新生代矿床成矿系列或亚系列有16个、中生代12个、古生代12个、前寒武纪5个和跨中生代和新生代3个,成矿强度依次为新生代→中生代→古生代→前寒武纪。     

Composition, mineral assemblages, and genesis of serendibite-bearing magnesian skarns

Variations in the composition and mineral assemblages of boronaluminosilciates (serendibite, grandidierite, kornerupine, and tourmaline) were studied in the abyssal and hypabyssal skarns of New York and California, United States, the Taezhnyi deposit of southern Yakutia, and deposits of the Pamirs, and compared to their occurrences around the world. The genesis of the boronaluminosilicates depends on the facies of the replaced skarns and the calcareous-skarn alteration of the primary composition of the host rocks. The substitution between Mg and Fe, as well as between Al, Si, and B, was studied in complex boronaluminosilciates and associated minerals. It was shown that f of serendibite is determined by that in the replaced skarn minerals (pyroxenes, spinel, sapphirine, and grandidierite) and is inherited in the replacing tourmaline and late silicates. Unlike serendibite, kornerupine is a typomorphic mineral of only bimetasomatic skarns of the abyssal facies. Serendibite, grandidierite, kornerupine, and tourmaline crystallized during the postmagmatic stage of the evolution of boron mineralization at skarn deposits of both the abyssal and the hypabyssal facies, at contact with magnesian carbonate sequences and desilicified aluminosilicate rocks.     

Intrusion-Related Gold Deposits of North China Craton, People's Republic of China

Abstract. Intrusion‐related gold deposits are widely distributed within the North China craton or along its marginal fold belts. Presently, about 200 individual intrusion‐related gold deposits (prospects) have been discovered, among which Yuerya, Anjia‐yingzi, Linglong, Jiaojia, Chenjiazhangzi, Qiyugou, Jinjiazhuang, Dongping, Hougou, Huangtuliang, Guilaizhuang, Wulashan and Donghuofang are the most important ones. In general, the intrusion‐related gold deposits can be classified into three major groups according to their host rocks: (1) hosted by or related to felsic intrusions, including (la) calc‐alkaline granitoid intrusions and (lb) cryptoexplosion breccia pipes; (2) related to ultramafic intrusions, and (3) hosted by or related to alkaline intrusions. The first group contains the Yuerya, Anjiayingzi, Linglong, Jiaojia, Chenjiazhangzi and Qiyugou gold deposits. Gold mineralization at these deposits occurs within Mesozoic Yanshanian calc‐alkaline granitoid intrusions or cryptoexplosion breccia pipes as gold‐bearing quartz veins and replacement bodies. Pyrite, galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, native gold and electrum are major metallic minerals. The Jinjiazhuang deposit belongs to the second group, and occurs within Hercynian diopsidite and peridotite as quartz veins and replacement bodies. Pyrite, marcasite, arsenopyrite, native gold and electrum are identified. The third group includes the Dongping, Hougou, Huangtuliang, Guilaizhuang, Wulashan and Donghuofang deposits. Gold mineralization at these deposits occurs predominantly within the Hercynian alkaline intrusive complexes as K‐feldspar‐quartz veins and replacement bodies. Major metal minerals are pyrite, galena, chalcopyrite, tellurides, native gold and electrum. All these pyrite separates from Hercynian and Yanshanian intrusions or cryptoexplosion pipes associated with the gold deposits show a broad range in δ³⁴S value, which is overall higher than those Precambrian rocks and their hosted gold deposits. For the alkaline intrusion‐related gold deposits, the δ³⁴S values of the sulfides (pyrite, galena and chalcopyrite) from the deposits increase systematically from orebodies to the alkaline intrusions. All of these intrusion‐related gold deposits show relatively radiogenic lead isotopic compositions compared to mantle or lower crust curves. Most lead isotope data of sulfides from the gold ores plot in between the fields of the intrusions and Precambrian metamorphic rocks. Data are interpreted as indicative of a mixing of sulfur and lead from magma with those from Precambrian metamorphic rocks. Isotopic age data, geological and geochemical evidences suggest that the ore‐forming materials for the intrusion‐related gold deposits were generated during the emplacement of the Hercynian or Yanshanian intrusion. The calc‐alkaline or alkaline magma may provide heat, volatiles and metals for the intrusion‐related gold deposits. Evolved meteoric water, which circulated the wall rocks, was also progressively involved in the magmatic hydrothermal system, and may have dominated the ore fluids during late stage of ore‐forming processes. Therefore, the ore fluid may have resulted from the mixing of calc‐alkaline or alkaline magmatic fluids and evolved meteoric water. All these intrusion‐related gold deposits are believed to be products of Hercynian or Yanshanian calc‐alkaline and alkaline igneous processes along deep‐seated fault zones within the North China craton or along its marginal belts.     

Geological and Geochemical Characteristics of the Hydrothermal Clay Alteration in South Korea

Abstract: Hydrothermally altered areas forming pyrophyllite‐kaolin‐sericite‐alunite deposits are distributed in Chonnam and Kyongsang areas, Cretaceous volcanic field of the Yuchon Group. The Chonnam alteration area is located within depression zone which is composed of volcanic and granitic rocks of late Cretaceous age. The clay deposits of this area show the genetic relationship with silicic lava domes. The Kyongsang alteration area is mainly distributed within Kyongsang Basin comprising volcanic, sedimentary and granitic rocks of Cretaceous and Tertiary age. Most of the clay deposits of this area are closely related to cauldrons. Paleozoic clay deposit occurs in the contact zone between Precambrian Hongjesa granite gneiss and Paleozoic Jangsan quartzite of Choson Supergroup. Cretaceous igneous rocks of the both alteration areas belong to high K calc‐alkaline series formed in the volcanic arc of continental margin by subduction‐related magmatism. Chonnam igneous rocks show more enrichment of crustal components such as K, La, Ce, Sm, Nd and Ba, higher (La/Yb)cn ratio, and higher initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio (0. 708 to 0. 712) than those of Kyongsang igneous rocks. This might be due to the difference of degree of crustal contamination during Cretaceous magmatism. The most characteristic alteration minerals of Chonnam clay deposits are alunite, kaolin, quartz, pyrophyllite and diaspore which were formed by acidic solution. Those of Kyongsang clay deposits are sericite, quartz and pyrophyllite which were formed by weak acid and neutral solution. The formation ages of the clay deposits of two alteration areas range from 70. 1 to 81. 4 Ma and 39. 7 to 79. 4 Ma, respectively. The Daehyun clay deposit in Ponghwa area of Kyongsang province shows the alteration age range from 290 to 336 Ma. This result shows the different alteration episode from the hydrothermal alteration of Cretaceous to early Tertiary in the Kyongsang and Chonnam alteration areas. These data indicate, at least, three hydrothermal activities of Tertiary (middle to late Eocene), late Cretaceous (Santonian to Maastrichtian) and Paleozoic Carboniferous Periods in South Korea.     

Giant Mineral Deposits and Their Geodynamic Setting in the Lanping Basin, Yunnan, China

There are giant mineral deposits, including the Jinding Zn-Pb and Baiyangping Ag-Co-Cu, and otherimportant mineral deposits (e.g., Baiyangchang Ag-Cu, Jinman Cu deposits, etc.) in the Lanping Mesozoic-Cenozoic Basin, Yunnan Province, China. The tabular ore-bodies and some veins hosted in terrestrial clastic rocks of the Mesozoic-Cenozoic age and no outcropping of igneous rocks in the giant deposits lead to the proposal of syngenetic origin, but the giant mineral deposits are not stratabound (e.g. MVT, sandstone- and Sedex-type). They formed in a continental red basin with intense crust movement. The mineralization is controlled by structures and lithology and occurs in different strata, and no sedimentary nature and no exhalative sediments are identified in the deposits. The deposits show some relations with organic matter (now asphalt and petroleum) and evaporates (gypsum). The middle-low-temperature (mainly 110℃ to 280℃) mineralization took place at a depth of about 0.9 km to 3.1 km during the early     

老挝人民民主共和国地质矿产概况

老挝地质矿产调查程度很低,目前对地质构造特征和矿产资源情况只了解其大概.其境内总体上为古生代和中生代褶皱,仅在西北部可见少量前寒武纪变质基底.现已发现了铁、金、铜、铅、锌、锡、钼、锑、钾盐、石膏、煤、高岭土、宝石等20余种矿产,其中经过系统地质勘查的矿床(点)很少,投入工业开发的更少,具有很大的资源开发潜力.     

Tectonic controls on gold deposits and their environmental impact, New Zealand

New Zealand is an active orogenic belt which varies along its length from continental collision to continent–ocean subduction tectonics. Mesothermal gold deposits, with rare mercury, have formed in collisional settings from late Mesozoic to Pleistocene, with youngest deposits along the axis of the actively rising Southern Alps mountain chain. Epithermal gold and mercury deposits have formed, and are still forming associated with calcalkaline volcanism above the subduction zone, and with basaltic volcanism associated with extensional faulting. The environmental impact of mineral deposits is related to tectonic setting, mineralogy, and climate, all of which are governed by the geometry of the orogen. Mesothermal mineralisation added carbonates to calcite-bearing host rocks in what is now cool semiarid or extreme Alpine settings, and oxidation of sulphides does not result in significant acidification of the environment. Arsenic is the principal metal of environmental significance, and is readily mobilised from these deposits at neutral to alkaline pH. Mercury may be leached from cinnabar and/or gold on geological time scales. In contrast, epithermal mineral deposits have hydrothermal clay alteration, locally further clay-altered by deep temperate to subtropical weathering, and calcite is generally subordinate to sulphides. Acidification accompanies oxidation of these deposits, and copper, cadmium, lead and zinc are readily mobilised into the environment. Mercury can be mobilised by these acid solutions as well, where mercury occurs in minerals other than cinnabar.     

Geochemical characteristics of igneous rocks associated with epithermal mineral deposits—A review

Newly synthesized data indicate that the geochemistry of igneous rocks associated with epithermal mineral deposits varies extensively and continuously from subalkaline basaltic to rhyolitic compositions. Trace element and isotopic data for these rocks are consistent with subduction-related magmatism and suggest that the primary source magmas were generated by partial melting of the mantle-wedge above subducting oceanic slabs. Broad geochemical and petrographic diversity of individual igneous rock units associated with epithermal deposits indicate that the associated magmas evolved by open-system processes. Following migration to shallow crustal reservoirs, these magmas evolved by assimilation, recharge, and partial homogenization; these processes contribute to arc magmatism worldwide.Although epithermal deposits with the largest Au and Ag production are associated with felsic to intermediate composition igneous rocks, demonstrable relationships between magmas having any particular composition and epithermal deposit genesis are completely absent because the composition of igneous rock units associated with epithermal deposits ranges from basalt to rhyolite. Consequently, igneous rock compositions do not constitute effective exploration criteria with respect to identification of terranes prospective for epithermal deposit formation. However, the close spatial and temporal association of igneous rocks and epithermal deposits does suggest a mutual genetic relationship. Igneous systems likely contribute heat and some of the fluids and metals involved in epithermal deposit formation. Accordingly, deposit formation requires optimization of source metal contents, appropriate fluid compositions and characteristics, structural features conducive to hydrothermal fluid flow and confinement, and receptive host rocks, but not magmas with special compositional characteristics.     

Dissolution kinetics and the weathering of mafic minerals

Fayalite, hypersthene, basalt, and obsidian were dissolved in buffered solutions (25°C; pH 4.5 and 5.5) under air, N₂ or O₂ atmospheres, in order to follow the kinetics of dissolution. Each dissolved more rapidly at lower pH values, dissolving most rapidly in the initial few days, followed by slower dissolution for periods up to six months. Dissolution was more rapid when air was excluded. In oxygen atmospheres an Fe(OH)₃ precipitate armors mineral surfaces, thus inhibiting further dissolution, and further affects the solution by scavenging dissolved silica and cations. Dissolution reactions include initial exchange between cations and H⁺, incongruent dissolution of silicate structures, oxidation of Fe²⁺ in solution, precipitation of Fe(OH)₃, and scavenging of dissolved silica and cations by Fe(OH)₃. Dissolution kinetics may explain weathering of mafic rocks and minerals at the Earth's surface, the formation of Fe-oxide coatings on mineral grains, weathering of submarine mafic rocks and intrastratal solution of mafic minerals in buried sandstones. Early Precambrian weathering would have been more rapid before the appearance of large amounts of oxygen in the atmosphere, and continental denudation rates may have been higher than at present because of this effect and the predominance of mafic igneous rocks at an early stage of continent formation and growth.     

Short-chain carboxylates in fluid inclusions in minerals

The carboxylate (formate, acetate, propionate and oxalate) and common inorganic anions (F⁻, Cl⁻ and SO²⁻₄) compositions for aqueous fluid inclusion leachates from 17 mineral samples collected from various deposits have been determined using ion chromatography in conjunction with microthermometric measurements on the fluid inclusions of their host minerals. The minerals, quartz, fluorite, barite, beryl and a few `ore' minerals (wolframite, pyrite and galena), came from hydrothermal vein-type deposits in felsic igneous rocks or Archean metamorphic rocks. The results indicate that short-chain carboxylates are common components in hydrothermal fluids and can be present in considerable amounts. Formic acid (as formate) is the dominant species over other carboxylic acids. The present study raises new questions about the origin and geochemical significance of carboxylates in hydrothermal ore-forming processes.     

Are spherulitic lacustrine carbonates an expression of large-scale mineral carbonation? A case study from the East Kirkton Limestone,Scotland

Lacustrine carbonate deposits with spherulitic facies are poorly understood, but are key to understanding the economically important “Pre-Salt” Mesozoic strata of the South Atlantic. A major barrier to research into these unique and spectacular facies is the lack of good lacustrine spherulite-dominated deposits which are known in outcrop. Stratigraphy and petrography suggest one of the best analogue systems is found in the Carboniferous of Scotland: the East Kirkton Limestone. Here we propose a hydrogeochemical model that explains why the CaCO₃, SiO₂, Mg-Si-Al mineral suite associated with spherular radial calcite facies forms in alkaline lakes above basaltic bedrock. Demonstrating links between igneous bedrock chemistry, lake and spring water chemistry and mineral precipitation, this model has implications for studies of lacustrine sediments in rift basins of all ages. Using empirical and theoretical approaches, we analyze the relationship between metal mobilization from sub-surface volcaniclastic rocks and the potential for precipitation of carbonate minerals, various Mg-bearing minerals and chalcedony in a lacustrine spherulitic carbonate setting. This suite of minerals is most likely formed by in-gassing of CO₂ to a carbon-limited alkaline spring water, consistent with the reaction of alkali igneous rocks in the subsurface with meteoric groundwater. We suggest that an analogous system to that at East Kirkton caused development of the ‘Pre-Salt’ spherulitic carbonate deposits.     

自然重砂成因矿物学特征及找矿指示作用

自然重砂是地质体经自然风化、剥蚀、搬运、沉积等地质作用而分离出的单矿物(或矿物组合)。自然重砂矿物晶体由于仍然保留有许多矿物成因信息,包括颜色、形态、化学成分、物理性质和矿物组合等特征,因此常用于追溯源区地质体或者找矿勘查。这种方法被认为是一种经济实用的找矿方法——自然重砂测量。本文基于全国自然重砂找矿的数据资料,系统梳理了自然重砂的矿物类型、出现频率及其分布等特点,分析了自然重砂的矿物组合和成因矿物学特征,研究了自然重砂矿物的源区烙印、搬运距离及标型指示矿物组合特征,探讨了自然重砂成因矿物学研究意义及其找矿应用前景。自然重砂矿物的颜色、形态及内部结构依然保留着明确的成因矿物学信息:其颜色和晶体形态具有继承性而与其源区母体联系起来,体现源区母体的特性;其矿物组成可分出残余原生重矿物(包括造岩矿物、副矿物、矿石矿物等)和新生重砂矿物两个部分,如赤铜矿、孔雀石等反映着源区岩性体的成分或者赋存状态特征,其矿物组合也在很大程度上继承原生共生矿物而体现诸如有无矿化等意义;重砂颗粒的磨圆度、边界光滑性等表面特征反映搬运距离,有利于明确响应源区母体或者物源,而具有良好的找矿指示意义。