Hydrogen and oxygen isotopic compositions of sedimentary kaolin deposits,Egypt: Paleoclimatic implications

The clay fractions of sedimentary kaolin deposits representing different ages (Carboniferous and Cretaceous), types (pisolitic flint and plastic), and localities (Sinai and Aswan) from Egypt were analyzed for their H and O isotopic compositions to examine the paleoclimate conditions during their formation. The δD values of the Carboniferous deposits in Sinai range between −67‰ and −88‰, while the values for the Cretaceous deposits in Sinai range between −59‰ and −75‰. The δ¹⁸O values of the Carboniferous deposits range from 17.9‰ to 19.4‰ and the values for the Cretaceous deposits range between 19.2‰ and 20.4‰. The relatively low δD and δ¹⁸O values of the Carboniferous deposit at the Abu Natash area (−67‰ and 17.9‰, respectively) compared to other Carboniferous deposits (averages of −83.3‰, and 18.8‰ for δD and δ¹⁸O, respectively) could be due to isotopic exchange between this deposit and the adjacent dolomite and/or the enclosed hydrothermally-formed Mn ores of the Carboniferous Um Bogma Formation. The δD and δ¹⁸O values of the Cretaceous pisolitic flint kaolin deposit from Aswan (averages of −65‰ and 20.3‰, respectively) and plastic kaolin from the same area (averages of −66‰ and 19.5‰, respectively) are almost identical. The differences in the δ¹⁸O values between the clay fractions of the pisolitic flint kaolin (20.3‰) and the previously analyzed bulk kaolin of the same deposit (average of 17.5‰) suggest a significant effect of non-clay minerals on the isotopic compositions of the kaolin deposits.The H and O isotopic compositions plot close to the kaolinite line that marks the isotopic composition of kaolinite in equilibrium with meteoric water at 20 °C. This indicates that the kaolinite from both the Carboniferous and Cretaceous deposits in Egypt formed by meteoric water weathering of the source rock(s). The δD and δ¹⁸O values also suggest that kaolinite of these deposits formed under warm-temperate to tropical conditions. The slight deviations of some samples from the kaolinite line suggest post-depositional modifications of the isotopic compositions of studied deposits probably due to the interaction between earlier-formed kaolinite and downward percolating meteoric water.The δD and δ¹⁸O values of the Cretaceous and Carboniferous deposits from all localities suggest that both deposits formed under similar climatic conditions due to the location of Egypt at almost the same distance from the equator either to the south during the Carboniferous or to the north during the Cretaceous.     

Geochemistry and origin of the Cretaceous sedimentary kaolin deposits,Red Sea,Egypt

This work reports, for the first time, the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of the Cretaceous sedimentary kaolin deposits in the Red Sea area, Egypt and sheds the light on their source. Mineralogical and geochemical analyses of both bulk deposits and the sand and clay fractions of these deposits indicated that they are composed of kaolinite (average of 75 wt.%) and quartz (average of 22 wt.%). Traces of anatase (average of 1 wt.%) were identified in all kaolin samples, while traces of halite (average of 2 wt.%) and hematite (average of 1 wt.%) were reported in the majority of the analyzed samples. The clay fractions show relatively high contents of TiO₂ (average of 2.1%), Ni (average of 103 ppm), Nb (average of 98 ppm), Y (average of 67 ppm), and Zr (average of 630 ppm). Sum of the rare earth elements (ΣREE) in the clay fractions varies between 193 and 352 ppm. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns show enrichment of the light REE relative to the heavy REE ((La/Yb)_N = 9) and negative Eu anomaly (Eu*/Eu = 0.67).     

Phosphate deposits of Neogene age in Greece. Mineralogy, geochemistry and genetic implications

In Greece, several occurrences of phosphates have been located in Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary rocks. The aim of the present paper is to describe the mineralogy, geochemistry and the origin of the phosphates deposited in marine and lacustrine basins of Neogene age in Greece. Phosphates of marine origin formed in an outer shelf-upper slope environment (Palliki Peninsula, Kefalonia Island) as well as in a hemipelagic environment (Heraklion, Crete Island). In both the deposits, the phosphate minerals belong to the apatite group. In Kefalonia Island, phosphatic material accumulations occur in the field as scattered or accumulated vertebrate bones, fish teeth and other biogenic components, hosted in a sandy limestone of Upper Tortonian age. On a microscopic scale, in the groundmass of the limestone, phosphate minerals are present as fillings and secondarily as replacements of foraminiferal and other calcareous microfossil tests. In Crete Island, burrowed cobbles and phosphatic concretions up to 10 cm in diameter have been detected east of Heraklion town. The phosphatic material is hosted in a sandy marlstone that is interbedded with diatomaceous rocks of Middle Pliocene age. Phosphates of lacustrine origin have been formed in the NW–SE-oriented Upper Miocene basins of Florina–Ptolemais and Elassona–Sarantaporo, located, respectively, in western Macedonia and Thessaly, Greece. The phosphate minerals are mainly represented by Ca/Fe phosphates such as anapaite and mitridatite and secondarily by Ca phosphates of the apatite group that are hosted in a thick succession of clayey diatomite rock. They usually form lenticular layers, asymmetric lenses, nodular and botryoidal aggregates, and faecal pellet replacements.

The major and trace element content of a representative set of rocks was studied. Their geochemistry was found to be controlled by the presence of detrital minerals, the host rock mineralogies, and the types of phosphate minerals present. The relatively high amounts of uranium, arsenic and barium detected in some of the phosphate rocks studied are mainly related with organic matter and are comparable to those detected in other phosphate deposits worldwide.

In the deposits studied, phosphogenesis was mainly promoted by the decay of organic substances derived from diatoms, fishes and other vertebrates, leaves and trunks, and faecal pellets in a highly reducing environment on or just below the sea or lake bottom, and secondarily by the feeding of the basin with phosphate-bearing nutrients that originated in the land.     

广西钦州-防城地区次生氧化锰矿床矿物学和地球化学研究及矿床成因意义

钦州-防城锰矿带是中国次生氧化锰矿的重要产地之一,其含锰岩系为上泥盆统榴江组含锰硅质岩。锰矿床主要赋存在以腐岩带为主的风化壳中,矿石的主要矿物为软锰矿、锰钡矿、隐钾锰矿、锂硬锰矿、钙锰矿等,与之伴生的其他表生矿物有赤铁矿、针铁矿、石英、高岭石和其他粘土矿物。矿石多呈葡萄状、块状、网脉状构造。与原生含锰硅质岩相比,次生氧化锰矿矿石的品位明显提高,Mn含量平均达到42.6%。矿石化学分析和单矿物电子探针成分分析表明,氧化锰矿石中还普遍出现Co、Ni、Cu、Zn等元素的富集,其平均含量分别为0.05%(最高0.40%)、0.09%(最高0.53%)、0.08%(最高0.53%)和1%(最高2.2%);它们主要以类质同象和吸附的形式赋存在锂硬锰矿及隐钾锰矿中。氧化锰矿石和锰氧化物的Mn/Fe比值均较高,一般大于6～10,说明该区化学风化强烈,铁、锰分离显著,有利于形成高品位的优质锰矿。有害杂质元素P主要存在于针铁矿等铁的氧化物中。氧化锰矿的形成和空间分布受气候、构造、含锰岩系及地形地貌等多种因素的影响和控制。     

Composition,radioactivity, and possible applications of kaolin deposits of Sinai,Egypt

This work discusses the composition, radioactivity, and possible utilization of the kaolin resources in Sinai which are hosted in thick sandstone sequences belonging to the Carboniferous (Wadi Khaboba) and Early Cretaceous (Wadi Iseila and Abansakar) ages. The characterization of kaolin was done by microscopic and SEM examination, supported by XRD and ICP-MS analyses. The studied kaolin resources consist of kaolinite, as the main constituent, associated with subsidiary dickite and halloysite, and minor contribution of smectite and illite. The most dominant non-clay mineral is quartz, besides minor gypsum, dolomite, and hematite. Ferrugination dominates, in most cases, at the upper boundaries of the kaolin lenses, suggesting possible supergene activity. The high Al₂O₃/SiO₂ ratio for the Cretaceous kaolin (0.54, in average) specifies its better grade relative to the Carboniferous kaolin (0.43, in average). The kaolin of the middle part of lens C in Wadi Iseila contains Si/Al molecular ratio of about unity, suggesting high-grade kaolin. The Carboniferous kaolin has enriched the radionuclides: U, Th, and Ra (at disequilibrium state due to leaching of eU relative to Ra) and the REE, relative to that of the Cretaceous age. The Carboniferous kaolin is characterized by a higher contribution of HREE (zircon signature), whereas LREE seems to be more influential for the Early Cretaceous kaolin (monazite signature). In spite of the very high CIA index (93 to 99), none of the analyzed kaolin deposits displays Ce abnormality. The high radioactivity of some Carboniferous kaolin can be a serious impediment for its utilization or its exportation. The kaolin of Sinai does not satisfy the international standards for paperwork industries and refractory manufacturing, but beneficiation may overcome this challenge. However, some lenses have high-grade kaolin with a low percentage of oxides of iron, magnesium, calcium, sodium, and potassium and a low radioactivity, hence nominated for the local refractory industry. The high-grade kaolin of Sinai fulfills the standards required for ceramics manufacturing in the global market. Grade 3 kaolin (< 30%, Al₂O₃) can be used in the manufacturing of white Portland cement and red glaze manufacturing on both local and global markets.     

Mineralogy,geochemistry and the origin of high-phosphorus oolitic iron ores of Aswan,Egypt

The Coniacian-Santonian high-phosphorus oolitic iron ore at Aswan area is one of the major iron ore deposits in Egypt. However, there are no reports on its geochemistry, which includes trace and rare earth elements evaluation. Texture, mineralogy and origin of phosphorus that represents the main impurity in these ore deposits have not been discussed in previous studies. In this investigation, iron ores from three localities were subjected to petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical analyses. The Aswan oolitic iron ores consist of uniform size ooids with snowball-like texture and tangentially arranged laminae of hematite and chamosite. The ores also possess detrital quartz, apatite and fine-grained ferruginous chamosite groundmass. In addition to Fe₂O₃, the studied iron ores show relatively high contents of SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ due to the abundance of quartz and chamosite. P₂O₅ ranges from 0.3 to 3.4 wt.% showing strong positive correlation with CaO and suggesting the occurrence of P mainly as apatite. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the occurrence of this apatite as hydroxyapatite. Under the optical microscope and scanning electron microscope, hydroxyapatite occurred as massive and structureless grains of undefined outlines and variable size (5–150 μm) inside the ooids and/or in the ferruginous groundmass. Among trace elements, V, Ba, Sr, Co, Zr, Y, Ni, Zn, and Cu occurred in relatively high concentrations (62–240 ppm) in comparison to other trace elements. Most of these trace elements exhibit positive correlations with SiO₂, Al₂O₃, and TiO₂ suggesting their occurrence in the detrital fraction which includes the clay minerals. ΣREE ranges between 129.5 and 617 ppm with strong positive correlations with P₂O₅ indicating the occurrence of REE in the apatite. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns showed LREE enrichment over HREE ((La/Yb)_N = 2.3–5.4) and negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.75–0.89). The oolitic texture of the studied ores forms as direct precipitation of iron-rich minerals from sea water in open space near the sediment-water interface by accretion of FeO, SiO_2, and Al₂O₃ around suspended solid particles such as quartz and parts of broken ooliths. The fairly uniform size of the ooids reflects sorting due to the current action. The geochemistry of major and trace elements in the ores reflects their hydrogenous origin. The oolitic iron ores of the Timsha Formation represent a transgressive phase of the Tethys into southern Egypt during the Coniacian-Santonian between the non-marine Turonian Abu Agag and Santonian-Campanian Um Barmil formations. The abundance of detrital quartz, positive correlations between trace elements and TiO₂ and Al₂O₃, and the abundance mudstone intervals within the iron ores supports the detrital source of Fe. This prediction is due to the weathering of adjacent land masses from Cambrian to late Cretaceous. The texture of the apatite and the REE patterns, which occurs entirely in the apatite, exhibits a pattern similar to those in the granite, thus suggesting a detrital origin of the hydroxyapatite that was probably derived from the Precambrian igneous rocks. Determining the mode of occurrence and grain size of hydroxyapatite assists in the maximum utilization of both physical and biological separation of apatite from the Aswan iron ores, and hence encourages the use of these ores as raw materials in the iron making industry.     

Organic geochemistry of the Dongsheng sedimentary uranium ore deposits,China

Organic matter (OM) associated with the Dongsheng sedimentary U ore hosting sandstone/siltstone was characterized by Rock-Eval, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and stable C isotope analysis and compared to other OM in the sandstone/siltstone interbedded organic matter-rich strata. The OM in all of the analyzed samples is Type III with Ro less than 0.6%, indicating that the OM associated with these U ore deposits can be classified as a poor hydrocarbon source potential for oil and gas. n-Alkanes in the organic-rich strata are characterized by a higher relative abundance of high-molecular-weight (HMW) homologues and are dominated by C₂₅, C₂₇ or C₂₉ with distinct odd-to-even C number predominances from C₂₃ to C₂₉. In contrast, in the sandstone/siltstone samples, the n-alkanes have a higher relative abundance of medium-molecular-weight homologues and are dominated by C₂₂ with no or only slight odd-to-even C number predominances from C₂₃ to C₂₉. Methyl alkanoates in the sandstone/siltstone extracts range from C₁₄ to C₃₀, maximizing at C₁₆, with a strong even C number predominance, but in the organic-rich layers the HMW homologues are higher, maximizing at C₂₄, C₂₆ or C₂₈, also with an even predominance above C₂₂. n-Alkanes in the sandstone/siltstone sequence are significantly depleted in ¹³C relative to n-alkanes in most of the organic-rich strata. Diasterenes, ββ-hopanes and hopenes are present in nearly all the organic-rich sediments but in the sandstone/siltstone samples they occur as the geologically mature isomers. All the results indicate that the OM in the Dongsheng U ore body is derived from different kinds of source materials. The organic compounds in the organic-rich strata are mainly terrestrial, whereas, in the sand/siltstones, they are derived mainly from aquatic biota. Similar distribution patterns and consistent δ¹³C variations between n-alkanes and methyl alkanoates in corresponding samples suggest they are derived from the same precursors. The OM in the organic-rich strata does not appear to have a direct role in the precipitation of the U ore in the sandstone, but an indirect role cannot be excluded. The OM in the U hosting sandstone shows a relatively low hydrogen index, presumably due to oxidation or radiolytic damage.     

Mineralogy,geochemistry and origin of Mn in the high-Mn iron ores,Bahariya Oasis,Egypt

Although Mn is one of the major impurities in the economic iron ores from the Bahariya Oasis, information on its modes of occurrence and origin is lacking in previous studies. High-Mn iron ores from El Gedida and Ghorabi–Nasser iron mines were subjected to detailed mineralogical, geochemical, and petrographic investigations using X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared absorption spectrometry (IR), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) to clarify the modes of occurrence of Mn in these deposits and its origin. The results showed that the MnO₂ contents range between 0.03 and 13.9 wt.%. Three mineralogical types have been identified for the Mn in the high-Mn iron ores, including: (1) inclusions within the hematite and goethite and/or Mn accumulated on their active surfaces, (2) coarse-grained and crystalline pyrolusite, and (3) fine-grained cement-like Mn oxide and hydroxide minerals (bixbyite, cryptomelane, aurorite, romanechite, manjiroite, and pyrochroite) between the Fe-bearing minerals. The Mn carbonate mineral (rhodochrosite) was detected only in the Ghorabi–Nasser high-Mn iron ores. Since IR patterns of low-Mn and high-Mn samples are almost the same, a combination of XRD analysis using non-filtered Fe-Kα radiations and Raman spectroscopy could be the best way to identify and distinguish between different Mn minerals.Assuming that both Fe and Mn were derived from the same source, the occurrence of high-Mn iron ores at the base of the stratigraphic section of the deposits overlain by the low-Mn iron ores indicated a supergene origin of the studied ores by descending solutions. The predominance of Mn oxide and hydroxide minerals in botryoidal shapes supports this interpretation. The small grain size of Mn-bearing minerals as well as the features of microbial fossils such as spherical, elliptical, and filamentous shapes of the Fe-bearing minerals suggested a microbial origin of studied iron ores.Variations in the distribution and mineralogy types of Mn in the iron ores of the Bahariya Oasis demanded detailed mineralogical and petrographic characterizations of the deposits before the beneficiation of high-Mn iron ores from the Bahariya Oasis as feedstock for the ironmaking industries in Egypt by magnetizing reduction. High Mn contents, especially in the Ghorabi–Nasser iron ore and occurrence of Mn as inclusions and/or accumulated on the surface of the Fe-bearing minerals would suggest a possible utilization of the high-Mn iron ores to produce ferromanganese alloys.     

Microstructure and geochemistry studies on Messinian gypsum deposits from the Northern Coast of Egypt

Messinian gypsum deposits from Dir El-Baraqan area, Northern Coast of Egypt, were investigated by stable sulfur isotope method, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy to differentiate features formed under substantial microbial influences as indicator of paleoenvironments. Petrographically, gypsum deposits were classified into three types: biolaminated gypsum, disordered selenite, and swallow-tail selenitic crystals. Biolaminated gypsum is characterized by regular alternating dark and light laminae, which were formed due to the seasonal environmental changes in Dir El-Baraqan area. Stable sulfur isotope data show that the gypsum deposits are characterized by δ³⁴S values ranging from +18.1 to +28.1 ‰. In swallow-tail gypsum, the δ³⁴S values are characterized by a narrow range (from +20.0 to +20.2 ‰) which is considered as the primary phase. In biolaminated gypsum, the δ³⁴S values ranged from +22.8 to +28.1 ‰ which is considered as the secondary phase. However, the white laminae are characterized by δ³⁴S values ranging from +22.8 to +24.1 ‰, while dark laminae are characterized by δ³⁴S values ranging from +27.2 to +28.1 ‰. The high δ³⁴S values of dark laminae revealed the increasing activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria.     

Mineralogy and geochemistry of the Au-Ag ore deposits of the South Korean Peninsula

Pyrite and arsenopyrite are the predominant ore minerals in the Korean Au-Ag deposits of this study. The X _Ni ^py , X _Co ^py , X _Ni ^apy , and X _Co ^apy values range between 100 and 3,000 ppm, 200 and 6,000 ppm, 200 and 8,200 ppm, and 100 and 10,200 ppm, respectively. Most X _Ni ^py /X _Co ^py values fall in the field lower than values varying 0.16–1.30. Arsenopyrite also tends to prefer cobalt rather than nickel showing X _Ni ^apy /X _Co ^apy values between 0.20 and 1.40. The concentrations of minor elements in ores and gangue minerals vary 1–55 ppm Au and 1–1,120 ppm Ag for the former and 4–57 ppm Ni and 2–45 ppm Co for the latter. The Au/Ag ratio in ore has a good correlation to the Ni/Co ratio of arsenopyrite to gangue. The (Ni/Co)_py-(Ni/Co)_gangue and (Ni/Co)_apy-(Ni/Co)_gangue diagrams revealed that the values from the Korean Au-Ag deposits plot in the field lower than 900 °C which is the lowermost temperature determined by previous partitioning experiments.     

Mineralogy and geochemistry studies on the Nusab El Balgum granitic batches,South Western Desert,Egypt

Igneous rocks of Nusab El Balgum are formed as an elongated complex mass covering an area of about 4 km?×?12.5 km (50 km²), in the NNE-SSW direction of the Tarfawi-Qena-South Sinai trend, which is a branch of the Trans-African shear zone at the intersection with the Kalabsha fault, which is a branch from Guinean-Nubian lineaments. The continuous reactivation of these two major weakness zones from the late Triassic to recent times has created many generations of the magma batches. The exposed granitic rocks of these batches at Nusab El Balgum were represented by the fresh peralkaline granite (youngest) and hydrothermally altered granites (oldest). The fresh peralkaline granite takes the form of a small stock composed essentially of perthites, quartz, sodic pyroxenes, amphiboles (secondary), and rare albite according to the proportion of presence, respectively. The accessory minerals are zircon, bastnaesite-(Ce), columbite-(Fe), magnetite, barite, and sphalerite. The geochemical study indicated that this granite is peralkaline, ferroan, A-type (specifically belongs to the A1-subgroup), anorogeny, emplaced in a within-plate, and crystallized at relatively shallow depth from the alkali basaltic magma similar to the OIBs. Furthermore, it is enriched in the HFSE (e.g., Th, U, Nb, REE, and Zr). The hydrothermally altered granites are formed as an incomplete ring shape and a small stock. They were formed during the late Cretaceous age and were altered due to the hydrothermal solutions from the continuous reactivation affected weakness zones and the new magmatic batches. The hydrothermally altered granites are extremely rich in HFSE found in the accessory minerals such as zircon (different in shape, size, and contains inclusions of bastnaesite and columbite), columbite-(Fe&Mn), rare gittinsite, pyrochlore minerals (ceriopyrochlore and plumbopyrochlore) carlosbarbosaite, changbaiite, bastnaesite-(Ce), monazite-(Ce), stetindite, cerianite-(Ce), thorite, and uranothorite. These rocks were subjected to many highly superimposed hydrothermal alteration types, including propylitic, sericitic, potassic, silicification, argillic, and Fe-Mn oxy-hydroxides. The hydrothermal solutions with low temperatures and containing F^1? and CO₃^2?, PO₄^3? and H₂O caused redistribution; transportation and redeposition of the HFSE in these rocks, in addition to the clay minerals and K-metasomatism, were formed. The relations between the silicification index (SI?=?SiO₂/(SiO₂ + Al₂O₃) and Zr, Nb, Th, U, LREE, and HREE are positive but they become negative with the K-metasomatism.     

Mineralogy,geochemistry, radioactivity and environmental impacts of Gabal Marwa granites,southeastern Sinai,Egypt

The Gabal Marwa area is located in the southeastern part of Sinai,Egypt.It comprises gneisses and migmatites,granodiorites and monzogranites.Field,petrographic,mineralogic and chemical investigations indicated that the Gabal Marwa granites are classified as granodiorites and monzogranites.The monzogranites constitute the most predominant rock unit exposed in the study area.They have been subjected to hydrothermal alterations,especially along the shear zones.Sericitization,desilicification,nametasomatism and development of spotty or dendritic manganese oxides are the most pronounced alteration features.These alterations resulted in the increase of TiO2,Al2O3,FeOt,MnO,CaO,MgO,Na2O,K2O and Cr,Zr,Rb,Y and Sr and the decrease of SiO2,P2O5,Ni,Zn,Ba and Nb.Radiometric studies indicated that the altered granites belong to high thorium,high uranium granites.The U,Th,U and Th,Th/U,Th and U-K variation diagrams suggested that magmatic processes controlled the distribution of these elements but the effect of hydrothermal alteration processes were clearly distinct.The Scanning Electron Microscope and X-ray Diffraction analyses indicated that the most important radioactive minerals include uranothorite,thorite,zircon,monazite and samarskite.Cinnabar and Mn minerals were also found.From the U,Th,Ra and K activity concentrations obtained for all the studied granitic samples,radium equivalent activity(Raeq),external hazard index(Hex),and internal hazard index(Hin),were calculated to assess the radiation hazard to human beings living in dwellings made of the studied granites.Altered monzogranites have radioactivity above the proposed acceptable level and,therefore,caution must be taken when these granites are used as building materials.     

Mineralogy and geochemistry of volcanic and plutonic rocks from the boundaries of the Caroline plate: Tectonic implications

Chemical and mineralogical data from rocks dredged at six sites along plate boundaries around the Caroline Sea define at least three separate igneous suites. Three sites were located in the Sorol Trough, along the Caroline-Pacific plate boundary, and three sites were located in the Ayu Trough along the Caroline-Philippine plate boundary. Geophysical data suggest that both features have originated through processes of crustal extension.Weathered basalts with mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) affinities were recovered from the base of the northern margin of the Sorol Trough. Fresh transitional-to-alkalic pillow basalts from a seamount in the central part of the trough have geochemical and Sr-isotopic characteristics similar to enriched MORB or volcanics associated with off-ridge volcanism. A suite of tholeiitic rocks consisting of high-Mg basalt, ferrobasalt and a variety of mafic to ultramafic rocks dredged from the western section of the Sorol Trough has chemical and mineralogical characteristics of other intraplate tholeiitic suites like those from Hawaii. The ferrobasalts could have been derived from a high-Mg basaltic liquid through fractional crystallization of olivine, clinopyroxene and plagioclase. The geochemical data indicate that both MORB and “hot-spot” type sources have been involved in the generation of magmas beneath the Sorol Trough. Furthermore, the highly metamorphosed and tectonized mafic to ultramafic rocks recovered with the tholeiites suggest that a significant component of shear accompanied crustal accretion along “leaky” transform faults within the Sorol Trough.The chemical and isotopic characteristics of fresh to weathered pillow-lava fragments from the axial rift and eastern margin of the Ayu Trough, suggest that a MORB-type source was tapped during crustal accretion along a central spreading centre. An assemblage of metabasalts, metagabbros and silicic plutonic rocks (plagiogranites), recovered from a scarp along the western margin of the trough, have petrologic and chemical features analogous to rocks from plutonic complexes in ophiolites and some oceanic ridges. The plagiogranites could be differentiates from a relatively hydrous MORB magma, but cannot be related to the slightly LIL-enriched basalts in the Ayu Trough by crystal fractionation. Two separate mantle sources are implicated. Metamorphic features in the plutonic rocks are inferred to be the result of hydrothermal and dynamic events associated with the inception of spreading and to subsequent tectonism which exposed them.The petrochemistry of rocks from the Ayu and Sorol troughs is consistent with the hypothesis that crustal accretion occurred along the northern and western boundaries of the Caroline plate and further suggests that a variety of sub-oceanic mantle sources have been involved in the genesis of the crust in each region.     

Mineralogy and geochemistry of gold-bearing arsenian pyrite from the Shuiyindong Carlin-type gold deposit, Guizhou, China: implications for gold depositional processes

Arsenian pyrite in the Shuiyindong Carlin-type gold deposit in Guizhou, China, is the major host for gold with 300 to 4,000 ppm Au and 0.65 to 14.1 wt.% As. Electron miroprobe data show a negative correlation of As and S in arsenian pyrite, which is consistent with the substitution of As for S in the pyrite structure. The relatively homogeneous distribution of gold in arsenian pyrite and a positive correlation of As and Au, with Au/As ratios below the solubility limit of gold in arsenian pyrite, suggest that invisible gold is likely present as Au¹⁺ in a structurally bound Au complex in arsenian pyrite. Geochemical modeling using the laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analysis of fluid inclusions for the major ore forming stage shows that the dominant Au species were Au(HS)₂⁻ (77%) and AuHS_(aq)⁰ (23%). Gold-hydroxyl and Gold-chloride complexes were negligible. The ore fluid was undersaturated with respect to native Au, with a saturation index of −3.8. The predominant As species was H₃AsO₃⁰ _(aq). Pyrite in the Shuiyindong deposit shows chemical zonation with rims richer in As and Au than cores, reflecting the chemical evolution of the ore-bearing fluids. The early ore fluids had relatively high activities of As and Au, to deposit unzoned and zoned arsenian pyrite that host most gold in the deposit. The ore fluids then became depleted in Au and As and formed As-poor pyrite overgrowth rims on gold-bearing arsenian pyrite. Arsenopyrite overgrowth aggregates on arsenian pyrite indicate a late fluid with relatively high activity of As. The lack of evidence of boiling and the low iron content of fluid inclusions in quartz, suggest that iron in arsenian pyrite was most likely derived from dissolution of ferroan minerals in the host rocks, with sulfidation of the dissolved iron by H₂S-rich ore fluids being the most important mechanism of gold deposition in the Shuiyindong Carlin-type deposit.     

印度次大陆中央构造带沉积—变质型锰矿的矿物学和地球化学

对印度中央构造带sauaar带锰矿及其围岩的31个样品进行了显微镜仔细的观察和鉴定,并分析了其主量元素、微量元素和稀土元素的地球化学特征,发现该带的锰矿主要是软锰矿和硬锰矿,锰矿主要富集在锰榴石英岩内.含锰岩系样品具非常高的Mn/Fe比值,说明热液运输和成矿作用期间锰和铁的强烈分异;MnO/TiO2为67.98-1417.52,说明有大量陆源物质经风化、搬运加入并混合沉积而成.用太古界平均澳大利亚页岩（PAAS）标准化后,稀土元素含量中δEu,δCe都有明显的正异常,说明该带锰矿床是在较强氧化海洋环境和有大量陆源物质加入的条件下沉积,并经过热液的变质交代作用而成的沉积一变质型锰矿床.该沉积—变质型锰矿的发现和研究对我国南方扬子克拉通中元古代浅变质岩系的锰矿寻找具有一定的借鉴意义.     

Mineralogy, geochemistry and genesis of kaolins from the Amazon region

The kaolin deposits of the Amazon region of Brazil are of lateritic origin, modified by subsequent reduced lacustrine and/or swamp environment. They are contemporaneous with lateritic bauxites found in the same region, all formed from aluminium silicate rocks. These are principally sedimentary rocks from the Cretaceous period (Itapecuru and Alter do Chão), but also include metamorphic and felsic volcanic rocks. After erosion of the upper part of these profiles they became locally a substratum for swampy and/or lacustrine environments mostly developed over the clayey saprolitic horizon where kaolin occurs. The saprolitic horizon is made up mainly of iron-mottled kaolinite which has been subject to an intense deferrification, which has increased the kaolin brightness and thickness. The kaolins are basically made up of well-crystallized kaolinite, quartz, sometimes illite-muscovite, anatase and hematite. In certain locations, crandallite-goyazite is also present. The deposits studied differ from each other in the mineral content levels, concentration of principal elements and in trace element distribution. The greatest quantity of quartz and, consequently SiO₂, is intrinsically related to the type of parent rock. Small sedimentary deposits occur in alluvial flood plains located not very far from the lateritic source.     

Mineralogy,geochemistry, and genesis of the bauxite deposits on the Gove and Mitchell Plateaux,northern Australia

For optimum bauxitisation conditions a relatively stable geomorphological history is essential. On the Gove and Mitchell Plateaux therefore, the adverse effects of land emergence and ensuing planation are counteracted by associated mild synclinal warping, so that the deposits constituted coastal hinge zones of at least two successive land (erosion) cycles. Nevertheless, following the main Cretaceous and Tertiary period of bauxitisation by leaching, the deposits were partially submerged by the sea and, particularly at Mitchell Plateau, extensively reworked. Assisted by quantitative heavy mineral studies distinct unconformities within several bauxite profiles can be established. Finally, the quantitative mineralogy of both deposits is discussed in some detail and an origin (supported by experimental studies) proposed.

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Zusammenfassung Die beste Voraussetzung für eine optimale Bauxitisation ist geomorphologische Stabilität. Auf den Gove- und Mitchell-Plateaus wirken den gegensätzlichen Auswirkungen von Landhebung (epirogenetischer Bewegung) und darauf folgender Abflachung (durch Erosion) damit verbundene schwache synklinale Verzerrungen entgegen, so daß die Bauxit-Lager Übergangszonen zweier Küstengebiete von mindestens zwei aufeinanderfolgenden Erosions(gelände)zyklen bildeten. Nach der Kreide- und Tertiär-Periode der Bauxitisation durch Eigenauslaugung lagen diese Gebiete teilweise unter dem Meeresspiegel und wurden vor allem am Mitchell Plateau weitgehend aufgearbeitet. Mit Hilfe von quantitativen Analysen von Schwermineralen können deutliche Diskordanzen zwischen mehreren Bauxitprofilen festgestellt werden. Abschließend wird die quantitative Mineralogie beider Lager detailliert diskutiert und deren Ursprung (gestützt auf experimentelle Untersuchungen) vorgeschlagen.

     

Microthermometry and geochemistry of fluid inclusions from the Tennant Creek gold-copper deposits: implications for ore deposition and exploration

Gold-copper-bismuth mineralization in the Tennant Creek goldfield of the Northern Territory occurs in pipe-like, ellipsoidal, or lensoidal lodes of magnetite ± hematite ironstones which are hosted in turbiditic sedimentary rocks of Proterozoic age. Fluid inclusion studies have revealed four major inclusion types in quartz associated with mineralized and barren ironstones at Ten nant Creek; (1) liquid-vapour inclusions with low liquid/vapour ratios (Type I), (2) liquid-vapour inclusions with high liquid/vapour ratios or high vapour/liquid ratios and characteristic dark bubbles (Type II), (3) liquid-vapour-halite inclusions (Type III), and (4) liquid-vapour inclusions with variable liquid/vapour ratios (Type V). Type I inclusions are present in the barren ironstones and the unmineralized portions of fertile ironstones, whereas Types II and III inclusions are recognized in fertile ironstones. Trails of Types II and III inclusions cut trails of Type I inclusions. Type I fluid inclusions have homogenization temperatures of 100° to 350 °C with a mode at 200° to 250 °C. Type II inclusions in mineralized ironstones (e.g. Juno, White Devil, Eldorado, TC8 and Gecko K-44 deposits) have homogenization temperatures of 250 °C to 600 °C with a mode of 350 °C. Type I fluid inclusions have a salinity range of 10 to 30 NaCl equiv. wt %. Salinity measurements on fluid inclusions in the mineralized zones gave a range of 10 to 50 NaCl equiv. wt % with a mode of 35 NaCl equiv. wt %. Fluid inclusion studies indicate that the Tennant Creek ironstones were formed from a relatively low temperature and moderately saline fluid, where as gold and copper mineralization was deposited from later hydrothermal fluids of higher temperature and salin ity. Gas analysis indicates the presence of N₂ and CO₂, with very minor CH₄ in Types II inclusions but no N₂ or CH₄ gases in Type I inclusions. Microprobe analysis of the fluid inclusion decrepitates indicates that the inclusions from Tennant Creek contain sodium and calcium as dominant cations and potassium in a subordinate amount. The high temperatures ( 350 °C), high salinities ( 35 NaCl equiv. wt. %) and cation composition of the Tennant Creek ore fluids suggest that the ore fluids were derived from upward migrating heated basinal brines, although contribution from a magmatic source cannot be ruled out. Close association of vapour-rich Type IIb and salt-rich Type III inclusions in the mineralized ironstones (e.g. Juno, White Devil, Eldorado, TC8 and Gecko K-44) indicates heterogeneous trapping of ore fluids. This heterogeneous trapping is interpreted to be due to unmixing (exsolution) of a gas-rich (e.g. N₂) fluid during the upward migration of the metal bearing brines and/or due to degassing caused by reaction of oxidized ore fluids and host ironstones. Fluid inclusion data have important implications regarding the deposition of gold in the ironstones, and may have application in discriminating fertile from barren ironstones.     

Mineralogy,geochemistry, and geotectonic significance of the Neoproterozoic ophiolite of Wadi Arais area,south Eastern Desert,Egypt

ABSTRACT

The dismembered ophiolites in Wadi Arais area of the south Eastern Desert of Egypt are one of a series of Neoproterozoic ophiolites found within the Arabian–Nubian Shield (ANS). We present new major, trace, and rare earth element analyses and mineral composition data from samples of the Wadi Arais ophiolitic rocks with the goal of constraining their geotectonic setting. The suite includes serpentinized ultramafics (mantle section) and greenschist facies metagabbros (crustal section). The major and trace element characteristics of the metagabbro unit show a tholeiitic to calc-alkaline affinity. The serpentinized ultramafics display a bastite, or less commonly mesh, texture of serpentine minerals reflecting harzburgite and dunite protoliths, and unaltered relics of olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, and chrome spinel can be found. Bulk-rock chemistry confirms harzburgite as the main protolith. The high Mg# (91.93–93.15) and low Al₂O₃/SiO₂ ratios (0.01–0.02) of the serpentinized peridotite, together with the high Cr# (>0.6) of their Cr-spinels and the high NiO contents (0.39–0.49 wt.%) of their olivines, are consistent with residual mantle rocks that experienced high degrees of partial melt extraction. The high Cr# and low TiO₂ contents (0.02–0.34 wt.%) of the Cr-spinels are most consistent with modern highly refractory fore-arc peridtotites and suggest that these rocks probably developed in a supra-subduction zone environment.     

Mineralogy, geochemistry, and origin of hydrothermal manganese veins at Wadi Maliek, Southern Eastern Desert, Egypt

The present work deals with the geology, mineralogy, geochemistry, and origin of the metagabbroic-hosted manganese deposits at Wadi Maliek in the southern Eastern Desert of Egypt. The manganese veins are found in the shear zones and channel ways of the fault planes within the metagabbroic rocks pointing to those hydrothermal solutions carrying manganese and iron load penetrating along these fractures. These faults are striking N 80° E?CS 80° W with dipping 65°. These veins vary in thickness from 15?cm up to 125?cm wide; each vein may show difference in thickness from bottom to top. Microscopic examinations, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectral, differential thermal (DTA), thermogravimetric (TGA), and ESEM-EDAX analyses revealed that the manganese minerals consist mainly of pyrolusite, psilomelane, and ramsdellite. Goethite and hematite are the common iron minerals. Petrographically, the manganese deposits can be classified into three ore types based on the predominance of manganese and iron minerals: manganese, manganese?Ciron, and iron ore types. The geochemistry of Maliek deposits indicated that the total averages of some major oxides in manganese, manganese?Ciron, and iron ore types are respectively as follows: SiO₂ (15.64%, 11.52%, and 20.58%), MnO (39.9%, 17.81%, and 0.77%), FeO* (7.13%, 33.31%, and 37.08%), CaO (5.89%, 5.82%, and 5.32%), and Na₂O (1.04%, 1.61%, and 1.53%). With regard to trace elements, the Maliek manganese deposits are rich in Zn, Ba, Pb, Sr, and V. Based on the geological, mineralogical, and geochemical results, the studied manganese deposits are considered to be precipitated from hydrothermal solution.