Rhenium–osmium systematics of the Mount Isa copper orebody and the Eastern Creek Volcanics,Queensland, Australia: implications for ore genesis

The syn-tectonic breccia-hosted Mount Isa Cu deposit in northwest Queensland is the largest sediment-hosted Cu deposit in Australia. Whole-rock samples of chalcopyrite-rich Cu ore form an isochron with a Re–Os age of 1,372 ± 41 Ma. This age is more than 100 Ma younger than the previously accepted age of Cu ore formation, an Ar–Ar mineral age for biotite separated from the host rocks within the alteration envelope to the Cu orebody. This discrepancy cannot be unequivocally resolved due to a lack of other absolute geochronological constraints for Cu mineralisation or the deformation event associated with Cu emplacement. The 1,372 ± 41 Ma date may reflect (a) the time of Cu deposition, (b) the time of a hydrothermal event that reset the Re–Os signature of the Cu ore or (c) mixing of the Re–Os isotope systematics between the host rocks and Cu-bearing fluids. However, a range of published Ar–Ar and Rb–Sr dates for potassic alteration associated with Cu mineralisation also records an event between 1,350 and 1,400 Ma and these are consistent with the 1,372 Ma Re–Os age. The 1.8 Ga Eastern Creek Volcanics are a series of tholeiitic basalts with a primary magmatic Cu enrichment which occur adjacent to the Mount Isa Cu deposit. The whole-rock Os isotopic signature of the Eastern Creek Volcanics ranges from mantle-like values for the upper Pickwick Member, to more radiogenic/crustal values for the lower Cromwell Member. The Re–Os isotope signature of the Cu ores overlaps with those calculated for the two volcanic members at 1,372 Ma; hence, the Os isotope data are supportive of the concept that the Os in the Cu ores was sourced from the Eastern Creek Volcanics. By inference, it is therefore postulated that the Eastern Creek Volcanics are the source of Cu in the Mount Isa deposit, as both Os and Cu are readily transported by oxidised hydrothermal fluids, such as those that are thought to have formed the Cu orebody. The Pickwick Member yields a Re–Os isochron age of 1,833 ± 51 Ma, which is within error of previously reported age constraints. The initial ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os isotopic ratio of 0.114 ± 0.067 (γOs = −0.7) is slightly subchondritic, and together with other trace element geochemical constraints, is consistent with a subcontinental lithospheric mantle source. The Pickwick Member records a minimum age of ca. 1.95 Ga for melt depletion in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath the Mount Isa Inlier prior to the extraction of the magmas which formed the Eastern Creek Volcanics. This corresponds with the end of subduction-related magmatism along the eastern margin of the Northern Australian Craton, which included the Mount Isa Inlier.     

西南暗色岩铜镍硫化物矿化岩体与峨眉山玄武岩的关系--以云南金宝山岩体为例

内容提要本文以金宝山为典型实例,根据元素地球化学特征探讨了西南暗色岩铜镍硫化物矿化岩体与峨眉山玄武岩的关系。分析表明,金宝山超镁铁岩与低钛峨眉山玄武岩在元素地球化学特征上具有一致的岩浆成因属性,两者在成岩机制上互补,低钛峨眉山玄武岩普遍经历了橄榄石结晶分异和硫化物熔离亏损作用,金宝山成矿岩体则与低钛峨眉山玄武岩同源岩浆深部分异的堆晶相相对应,由堆晶橄榄石及熔离硫化物和部分残余熔体构成的“晶-糊”侵位形成,因此认为铜镍硫化物矿床成矿岩体与低钛峨眉山玄武岩为同源异相产物。     

杨柳坪岩浆Ni-Cu-PGE硫化物矿床PGE地球化学特征

杨柳坪岩浆Ni-Cu-PGE硫化物矿床与大石包组玄武岩的PGE原始地幔标准化配分模式为向左倾斜的PPGE富集型.PGE特征参数表明,正子岩窝岩(矿)体与大石包组玄武岩具有负Pt异常和Rh的富集的特征,这可能反映了岩浆早期Pt-Fe合金的析出以及未发生尖晶石相的结晶分离的演化历史.大石包组玄武岩的PGE参数与正子岩窝岩(矿)体的总体趋势具有很好的吻合性,暗示着两者之间具有一定的成生联系.     

攀西小关河地区核桃树富铂岩浆硫化物矿床岩石地球化学特征及成矿机制研究

核桃树富铂岩浆硫化物矿床位于四川会理县小关河地区,是峨眉山大火成岩省中含较高铂族元素含量的岩浆硫化物矿床之一。本文通过对核桃树岩体及部分硫化物矿石主量元素、微量元素及铂族元素的系统分析,讨论了该岩体的岩浆源区及母岩浆性质、地幔部分熔融程度,并探讨了其成因机制。研究认为,核桃树含矿岩体属拉斑玄武岩成因系列,具有与峨眉山玄武岩相似的微量元素组成特征,是峨眉山大火成岩省构造-岩浆活动的产物;铂族元素的原始地幔标准化配分型式与金宝山铂钯矿相似,没有PGE相对于Ni和Cu的明显亏损,Pt和Pd相对Os、Ir、Ru和Rh富集,为PPGE富集的左倾型式,Pd/Ir=1.5~13.1,低于一般大陆拉斑玄武岩,与原始地幔接近。通过岩石地球化学及模拟分析表明,成矿母岩浆MgO约为11.93%、SiO_2约为49.88%、FeOT约为13.71%、TiO_2约为2.61%,为高Mg拉斑玄武质岩浆,是由类似于洋岛玄武岩岩浆源区成分的地幔经过较高程度(约20.17%)的部分熔融形成的苦橄质岩浆演化而来。与小关河地区主要的几类岩浆硫化物矿床的镍铜铂族元素组成及硫化物熔离模式对比分析发现,核桃树高的PGE含量和低的Cu/Pd比值说明了该矿床的硫化物是从PGE不亏损的玄武质岩浆中熔离出来的,类似金宝山矿床。成岩成矿机制分析认为,部分熔融形成的苦橄质岩浆在上升的过程中,发生了以橄榄石(约12.7%)为代表的镁铁质矿物堆积,并形成残余髙镁玄武质岩浆;部分残余髙镁玄武质岩浆向浅部运移过程中,由于温度降低、混染等因素的影响,导致岩浆S饱和,触发硫化物熔离作用的发生(R值为2000~50000),熔离出硫化物熔体与岩浆通道内晶出的橄榄石构成含矿"晶粥",在构造挤压作用下,在浅部岩浆房中由于重力影响发生堆积作用形成具有较富PGE的含矿岩体,R值较大变化正好与PGE含量较大变化相对应。     

吐哈盆地早二叠世玄武岩原始岩浆性质:来自熔融包裹体成分的制约

东天山地区的二叠纪玄武岩沿着区域的北东东向断裂呈脉状分布,吐哈盆地玄武岩的40Ar-39Ar坪年龄为298.2±3.8Ma,为早二叠世,与前人的玄武岩年龄结果在误差范围内一致。可能与东天山地区二叠纪岩浆铜镍矿床镁铁-超镁铁岩有密切的成因联系。吐哈玄武岩的主微量成分显示其为岛弧拉斑、大陆弧玄武岩,轻稀土富集和Nb、Ta负异常,指示源区可能经历过俯冲作用的改造。吐哈盆地二叠纪玄武岩含有新鲜的橄榄石和长石斑晶,橄榄石斑晶中熔融包裹体较发育。熔融包裹体为玻璃质、气相和玻璃质、气相、固相两种类型。包裹体中不透明矿物主要为磁铁矿,说明捕获包裹体时岩浆的氧逸度和Fe含量较高。熔融包裹体分为高MgO和低MgO含量两种。高MgO含量的包体同时具有低SiO_2、低微量和稀土元素含量的特征,可能为地幔高部分熔融的产物,且经历过深部演化程度较弱。该高MgO熔体的微量元素显示Nb、Ta亏损的特征,具有N-MORB特征的微量和稀土元素分配模式,预示该熔体为受到俯冲交代的地幔熔融形成。熔融包裹体相对玄武岩具有低的Th和Ta含量、相对弱的Nb和Ta的负异常的特征,指示熔融包裹体的成分经受改造程度低于玄武岩,暗示可能为经历过较少后期作用改造的相对原始的熔体。熔体中Cu含量(12.4×10~(-6)~299×10~(-6))在正常玄武质岩浆含量范围内,而Ni含量(236×10~(-6)~697×10~(-6))高于高镁溢流科马提岩和洋中脊玄武岩。该Cu、Ni含量略显解耦的熔体可能代表了经历过深部少量的硫化物熔离,带走小部分Cu和Ni等成矿元素之后所捕获的岩浆。如果将该熔体视为东天山地区二叠纪岩浆铜镍硫化物矿床的母岩浆,该母岩浆中Ni含量相对较高可能是岩浆铜镍硫化物矿床中矿石的Ni/Cu比值大多大于1.0的主要因素。     

From initiation to termination: a petrostratigraphic tour of the Ethiopian Low-Ti Flood Basalt Province

Continental flood basalts (CFBs), thought to preserve the magmatic record of an impinging mantle plume head, offer spatial and temporal insights into melt generation processes in large igneous provinces (LIPs). Despite the utility of CFBs in probing mantle plume composition, these basalts typically erupt fractionated compositions, suggestive of significant residence time in the continental lithosphere. The location and duration of residence within the lithosphere provide additional insights into the flux of plume-related magmas. The NW Ethiopian plateau offers a well-preserved stratigraphic sequence from flood basalt initiation to termination, and is thus an important target for study of CFBs. This study examines modal observations within a stratigraphic framework and places these observations within the context of the magmatic evolution of the Ethiopian CFB province. Data demonstrate multiple pulses of magma recharge punctuated by brief shut-down events, with initial flows fed by magmas that experienced deeper fractionation (lower crust). Broad changes in modal mineralogy and flow cyclicity are consistent with fluctuating changes in magmatic flux through a complex plumbing system, indicating pulsed magma flux and an overall shallowing of the magmatic plumbing system over time. The composition of plagioclase megacrysts suggests a constant replenishing of new primitive magma recharging the shallow plumbing system during the main phase of volcanism, reaching an apex prior to flood basalt termination. The petrostratigraphic data sets presented in this paper provide new insight into the evolution of a magma plumbing system in a CFB province.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987111000429

The three most crucial factors for the formation of large and super-large magmatic sulfide deposits are: (1) a large volume of mantle-derived mafic-ultramafic magmas that participated in the formation of the deposits; (2) fractional crystallization and crustal contamination, particularly the input of sulfur from crustal rocks, resulting in sulfide immiscibility and segregation; and (3) the timing of sulfide concentration in the intrusion. The super-large magmatic Ni-Cu sulfide deposits around the world have been found in small mafic-ultramafic intrusions, except for the Sudbury deposit. Studies in the past decade indicated that the intrusions hosting large and super-large magmatic sulfide deposits occur in magma conduits, such as those in China, including Jinchuan (Gansu), Yangliuping (Sichuan), Kalatongke (Xinjiang), and Hongqiling (Jilin). Magma conduits as open magma systems provide a perfect environment for extensive concentration of immiscible sulfide melts, which have been found to occur along deep regional faults. The origin of many mantle-derived magmas is closely associated with mantle plumes, intracontinental rifts, or post-collisional extension. Although it has been confirmed that sulfide immiscibility results from crustal contamination, grades of sulfide ores are also related to the nature of the parental magmas, the ratio between silicate magma and immiscible sulfide melt, the reaction between the sulfide melts and newly injected silicate magmas, and fractionation of the sulfide melt. The field relationships of the ore-bearing intrusion and the sulfide ore body are controlled by the geological features of the wall rocks. In this paper, we attempt to demonstrate the general characteristics, formation mechanism,tectonic settings, and indicators of magmatic sulfide deposits occurring in magmatic conduits which would provide guidelines for further exploration.     

内蒙古金厂沟梁金(铜)矿床的PGE、铁族和亲硫元素的地球化学特征与物质来源、形成环境

首次采用盐酸-过氧化氢封闭熔矿与ICP-MS相结合的方法,对金厂沟梁金(铜)矿床东、西两矿区典型矿石的铂族元素(PGE)、亲铁以及亲硫元素的含量进行了系统测定,结果显示矿石中上述元素的含量均高于实验的检测限;地球化学演化特征显示含矿流体具有岩浆性质,PGE对原始地幔/球粒陨石标准化后的配分曲线均呈强烈左倾斜的分馏模式,其配分曲线和与幔源岩浆有关的富铜硫化物和富铜镍硫化物熔体的形式相似,并与幔源玄武岩、碳酸盐熔体的配分模式基本一致,反映含矿流体具有幔源岩浆属性;从区域构造、岩浆热事件角度出发,结合典型斑岩铜(钼)矿床的PGE特征,初步确定其含矿流体形成于中生代大陆边缘环境,其直接的热动源是中生代底侵的玄武岩浆。成矿阶段富含金、铜矿石的Pd/Pt、Pd/Ir比值接近低钛玄武岩浆以及玄武安山岩,而成矿早阶段贫金、铜样品的Pd/Pt、Pd/Ir比值接近地幔;反映早期含矿流体可能是直接来自中生代幔源玄武质岩浆结晶分异,而富金(铜)流体的形成可能是玄武质岩浆演化晚期被地壳物质强烈混染后的富超临界流体岩浆(低钛熔体)发生岩浆与流体分离而产生;含矿流体演化过程的PGE地球化学行为与Cu或S(As)的饱和度有关,即主要受亲硫(铜)元素或结晶分异的硫化物矿物相所制约。     

New SHRIMP geochronology for the Western Fold Belt of the Mt Isa Inlier: developing a 1800 – 1650 Ma event framework ∗

The integration of detrital and magmatic U – Pb zircon SHIRMP geochronology with facies analysis has allowed the development of a chronostratigraphic framework for the Leichhardt and Calvert Superbasins of the Western Fold Belt, Mt Isa Inlier. This new event chart recognises three supersequences in the Leichhardt Superbasin: the Guide, Myally and Quilalar Supersequences. The Guide Supersequence spans the interval ca 1800 – 1785 Ma and includes the Bottletree Formation and the Mt Guide Quartzite. Sequence relationships suggest that this sedimentary package represents an asymmetric second-order cycle, recording a thickened transgressive suite of deposits and a comparatively thin second-order highstand. The overlying Myally Supersequence spans the interval ca 1780 – 1765 Ma and includes the Eastern Creek Volcanics and syndepositional Lena Quartzite, and the Myally Subgroup. This package represents a second-order supersequence cycle in which mafic volcanism was initiated during a phase of east – west extension. Following the cessation of volcanism, transgression led to the deposition of the Alsace Quartzite and deeper water Bortala Formation. An increase in the rate of sediment supply over accommodation resulted in progradation and deposition of the Whitworth Quartzite and redbed playa facies of the Lochness Formation as accommodation closed. The Quilalar Supersequence spans the interval ca 1755 – 1740 Ma. Sequence analysis in the eastern part of the Leichhardt River Fault Trough identifies a transgressive suite of facies at the base of this supersequence. Black shales from the upper part of the transgressive deposits characterise the condensed section for this supersequence. Facies analysis indicates that deposition took place in a series of storm-, tide- and wave-dominated shelfal marine depositional systems. Although there are no new depositional age constraints for the younger Bigie Formation, field relationships suggest that it is coeval with, or immediately preceded, the ca 1710 Ma Fiery magmatic event. Therefore, a separate supersequence is defined for the Bigie Formation, the Big Supersequence, even though it may be more genetically related to the Fiery magmatic event. The Big Supersequence, together with the ca 1690 Ma Prize Supersequence, comprise the Calvert Superbasin. The evolution of the Leichhardt and Calvert Superbasins are temporally and spatially related to magmatism. In particular, the new maximum depositional ages for the Guide and Myally Supersequences refine the age of the Eastern Creek Volcanics to ca 1780 – 1775 Ma. The new age for the Weberra Granite is within error of the age for the Fiery Creek Volcanics, indicating that they are both part of the ca 1710 Ma Fiery event. New ages for the Sybella Granite confirm that magmatism associated with this magmatic event is refined to 1680 – 1670 Ma, and is followed by deposition of the Gun Supersequence. Combining the new geochronological constraints with previous work now provides a detailed stratigraphic event framework between 1800 and 1575 Ma for the Western Fold Belt of the Mt Isa Inlier, and allows detailed comparisons and correlations with the Eastern Fold Belt and other Proterozoic terranes.     

Enrichment of Platinum-group Elements (PGE) and Re-Os Isotopic Tracing for Porphyry Copper (Gold) Deposits

Platinum-group elements （PGE） in PGE-rich porphyry copper （gold） deposits are mainly Pt and Pd, whereas the concentrations of other PGE （Ru, Rh, Os, Ir） are significantly low. Moreover, Pt and Pd mainly exist in sulfides in the forms of crystal lattice or tiny platinum-group mineral （PGM） inclusions. The present data show that there is a positive relationship between Pt and Pd concentrations and Cu （Au） in porphyry copper （gold） deposits. The comparison of chondrite-normalized PGE distribution patterns between the ore-bearing porphyry intrusions and ore-barren porphyry intrusions in arc setting, 187^Os/188^Os, 87^Sr/86^Sr and S isotopes for porphyry copper （gold） deposits shows that PGEs were mainly derived from the mantle, and fluids from subduction zones devoted trivial PGE to the magma. The porphyry copper （gold） deposits associated with subducted events are most probably enriched in PGE, whereas those related to crustal thickening, lithospheric delamination or underplating rarely concentrate PGE. The osmium isotopic compositions in porphyry copper （gold） deposits reveal that （187^Os/188^Os）i values are highly variable and not lower than those of primitive upper mantle （PUM） and mantle peridotite, however, osmium concentrations are commonly lower than mantle peridotite, suggesting that parental magmas of some porphyry intrusions had experienced crustal contamination during magma evolution. Experimental investigations have proved that PGE exist in the forms of Cl^- and HS^- complexes during transportation and migration of the oreforming fluids. This paper summarizes previous studies including crucial controlling factors and mechanisms for PGE enrichment, and points out that the mantle-derived magmas parental to porphyry intrusions are the prerequisite for PGE enrichment in porphyry copper （gold） deposits. Favorable physical and chemical conditions （including salinity, temperature, pressure, pH, and oxygen fugacity） in hydrothermal fluids crucially control the     

Copper mobility in the Eastern Creek Volcanics, Mount Isa, Australia: evidence from laser ablation ICP-MS of iron-titanium oxides

The Palaeoproterozoic Eastern Creek Volcanics are a series of copper-rich tholeiitic basalts which occur adjacent to the giant sediment-hosted Mount Isa copper deposit in Queensland, Australia. The volcanic rocks are often cited as the source of metals for the deposit. New laser ablation ICP-MS analyses of iron–titanium oxides from the basalts provide evidence for the local mobilisation of copper during regional greenschist facies metamorphism. This interpretation is based on the observation that copper-bearing magmatic titanomagnetite was destabilised during greenschist facies metamorphism, and the new magnetite which crystallised was copper poor. Petrological observations, regional geochemical signatures and geochemical modelling suggest that the mobilised copper was concentrated in syn-metamorphic epidote-rich alteration zones, creating a pre-concentration of copper before the main mineralisation event at Mount Isa. Geochemical modelling demonstrates this process is enhanced by the addition of CO₂ from adjacent carbonate-rich sediments during metamorphic devolatilisation. Regional geochemical data illustrate elevated copper concentrations in epidote-rich zones (high CaO), but where these zones are overprinted by potassic alteration (high K₂O), copper is depleted. A two-stage model is proposed whereby after metamorphic copper enrichment in epidote–titanite alteration zones, an oxidised potassium-rich fluid leached copper from the epidote-altered metabasalts and deposited it in the overlying sedimentary rocks to form the Mount Isa copper deposit. This ore-forming fluid is expressed regionally as potassium feldspar-rich veins and locally as biotite-rich alteration, which formed around major fluid conduits between the metabasalt metal source rocks and the overlying deposit host sequence. This model is consistent with the remobilisation of copper from mafic source rocks, as has been found at other world-class copper deposits.Electronic supplementary material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

Geochemistry and Petrogenesis of Three Series of Cenozoic Basalts from Southeastern China

Cenozoic basaltic volcanism in southeastern China was related to the lithospheric extension and asthenospheric upwelling at the eastern Eurasian continental margin. The cenozoic basaltic rocks from this region can be grouped into three different series: tholeiitic basalts, alkali basalts, and picritic-nephelinitic basalts. Each basalt series has distinctive geochemical features and is not derived from a common source rock by different degrees of partial melting or from a common parental magma by fractional crystallization. The mineralogy, petrography, and major and trace-element geochemistry of the tholeiites are similar to oceanic island basalts, implying that the mantle source for these Chinese continental tholeiites was similar to that of the oceanic island basalts—an asthenospheric mantle. The alkali basalts and picritic-nephelinitic basalts are enriched in incompatible trace elements, and their geochemical features can be interpreted as a result of partial melting of an enriched lithospheric mantle, or the mixing products of an asthenospheric magma with a component derived from an enriched lithospheric mantle through thermal erosion at the base of the lithosphere. But the lack of a transitional rock type and continuous variational trends among these basalts suggests that the mixing between asthenospheric magmas and lithospheric magmas probably was not significant in the petrogenesis of the basalts from SE China. Low-degree partial melting of enriched lithospheric mantle alone can account for the observed geochemical data from these basalts.     

新疆北部幔源岩浆矿床的类型、时空分布及成矿谱系

新疆北部与幔源岩浆有关的矿床种类齐全,成矿环境复杂,时代和类型繁多,在中国乃至世界颇具特色。主要矿床类型包括铬铁矿矿床、钒钛磁铁矿矿床、铜镍硫化物矿床、铂族元素(PGE)矿床、铜镍-钒钛铁复合型矿床、含钴磁铁矿矿床、玄武岩自然铜矿床、热液型钴-多金属矿床,以及非金属矿床等。按照含矿地质体的类型,可分为6种类型:蛇绿岩型、层状杂岩型、小侵入体型、阿拉斯加型、浅成岩型和喷出岩型。这些幔源岩浆矿床可划分为3个成岩成矿系列:铜镍系列、钛铁系列和铬铁系列。钛铁系列以碱性层状岩体型钒钛磁铁矿、铁磷矿为代表,岩石具有明显的富Fe特征,属于碱性富铁质的高钛玄武岩系列;铜镍系列以小侵入体型铜镍矿、阿拉斯加型铜镍-PGE矿为代表,岩石属于铁质的拉斑玄武岩-钙碱性系列;铬铁系列主要为蛇绿岩型铬铁矿,岩石具富Mg贫Fe特征,属于镁质系列。3个系列的岩浆都具有亏损地幔源特征,可能都与地幔柱活动有关;岩浆源区富含相应的成矿元素,是形成3个系列矿床相应成矿地质体的主要条件。3个系列矿床的成矿机制可分为深部熔离/岩浆分异、就地分凝、矿浆贯入、岩浆热液等过程。根据各系列矿床之间存在的紧密联系,建立了与幔源岩浆作用有关的3个系列矿床综合模式: 亏损地幔部分熔融产生的幔源岩浆在上升过程中发生熔离/分异,分离为3个系列,由于外部物质加入在地壳深部发生分异和熔离,在不同深度富集形成铬铁矿、钒钛磁铁矿和铜镍硫化物矿床,临近地表时流体富集和分离成含矿流体,分别形成浅成岩型磁铁矿和喷出岩型自然铜矿。新疆北部各类幔源岩浆矿床从早到晚主要产于3期构造阶段/构造类型: 大陆裂解期、板块俯冲期、碰撞/后碰撞造山期(又分3个阶段: 碰撞后伸展阶段、幔柱叠加造山阶段、后碰撞结束阶段)。     

Construction of the granitoid crust of an island arc. Part II: a quantitative petrogenetic model

Results of simple model calculations that integrate cumulate compositions from the Kohistan arc terrain are presented in order to develop a consistent petrogenetic model to explain the Kohistan island arc granitoids. The model allows a quantitative approximation of the possible relative roles of fractional crystallization and assimilation to explain the silica-rich upper crust composition of oceanic arcs. Depending in detail on the parental magma composition hydrous moderate-to-high pressure fractional crystallization in the lower crust/upper mantle is an adequate upper continental crust forming mechanism in terms of volume and compositions. Accordingly, assimilation and partial melting in the lower crust is not per se a necessary process to explain island arc granitoids. However, deriving few percent of melts using low degree of dehydration melting is a crucial process to produce volumetrically important amounts of upper continental crust from silica-poorer parental magmas. Even though the model can explain the silica-rich upper crustal composition of the Kohistan, the fractionation model does not predict the accepted composition of the bulk continental crust. This finding supports the idea that additional crustal refining mechanism (e.g., delamination of lower crustal rocks) and/or non-cogenetic magmatic process were critical to create the bulk continental crust composition.     

Geochemical Characteristics and Metallogenesis of the Qingkuangshan Ni‐Cu‐PGE Mineralized Mafic‐Ultramafic Intrusion in Huili County,Sichuan Province,SW China

The Qingkuangshan Ni-Cu-PGE deposit, located in the Xiaoguanhe region of Huili County, Sichuan Province, is one of several Ni-Cu-PGE deposits in the Emeishan Large Igneous Province (ELIP). The ore-bearing intrusion is a mafic-ultramafic body. This paper reports major elements, trace elements and platinum-group elements in different types of rocks and sulfide-mineralized samples in the intrusion. These data are used to evaluate the source mantle characteristics, the degree of mantle partial melting, the composition of parental magma and the ore-forming processes. The results show that Qingkuangshan intrusion is part of the ELIP. The rocks have trace element ratios similar to the coeval Emeishan basalts. The primitive mantle-normalized patterns of Ni-Cu-PGE have positive slopes, and the ratios of Pd/Ir are lower than 22. The PGE compositions of sulfide ores and associated rocks are characterized by Ru depletion. The PGE contents in bulk sulfides are slightly depleted relative to Ni and Cu, which is similar to the Yangliuping Ni-Cu-PGE deposit. The composition of the parental magma for the intrusion is estimated to contain about 14.65 wt% MgO, 48.66 wt% SiO2 and 15.48 wt% FeOt, and the degree of mantle partial melting is estimated to be about 20%. In comparison with other typical Ni-Cu-PGE deposits in the ELIP, the Qingkuangshan Ni-Cu-PGE deposit has lower PGE contents than the Jinbaoshan PGE deposit, but has higher PGE contents than the Limahe and Baimazhai Ni-Cu deposit, and has similar PGE contents to the Yangliuping Ni-Cu-PGE deposit. The moderate PGE depletions in the bulk sulfide of the Qingkuanghan deposit suggest that the parental magma of the host intrusion may have undergone minor sulfide segregation at depth. The mixing calculations suggests that an average of 10% crustal contamination in the magma, which may have been the main cause of sulfide saturation in the magma. We propose that sulfide segregation from a moderately PGE depleted magma took place prior to magma emplacement at Qingkuangshan, that small amounts of immiscible sulfide droplets and olivine and chromite crystals were suspended in the ascending magma, and that the suspended materials settled down when the magma passed trough the Qingkuangshan conduit. The Qingkuangshan sulfide-bearing intrusion is interpreted to a feeder of Emeishan flood basalts in the region.     

Contrasting Fractionation Trends in Coexisting Continental Alkaline Magma Series; Cantal, Massif Central, France

Two coexisting series of strongly alkaline (basanite-tephritephonolite)and weakly alkaline (alkali basalt-trachyandesite-trachyte-rhyolite)lavas occur in the Cantal volcano (French Massif Central). Theparental magmas appear to be derived by variable degrees ofpartial melting of a common asthenospheric mantle source. Derivativetrachyandesites and feldspathoidbearing tephrites show depletionsand enrichments in trace elements which indicate that they havebeen generated by broadly similar fractionation processes, relatedto the removal of a mineral extract, from the parental alkalibasalts and basanites respectively, dominated by olivine, clinopyroxene,amphibole, apatite and titaniferous magnetite±plagioclase.In the most extreme differentiates (trachytes, rhyolites andphonolites) fractionation of zircon, sphene and alkali feldsparexerts a major control on the trace element characteristicsof the magmas. Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic data for the two magma series suggest theimportance of combined assimilation-fractional crystallizationprocesses (AFC) within the lower crust in their evolution. Modellingdemonstrates that the AFC process amplifies the original compositionaldifferences between the parent magmas. After 55% crystallizationin the strongly alkaline series and 65% in the weakly alkalineseries crustal contamination ceases, although fractional crystallizationcontinues beyond this point to produce the most evolved differentiates(phonolites and rhyolites). This may reflect progressive sealingof the lowercrustal magma reservoirs. The tendency of the magmasto follow over- or under-saturated evolutionary trends, producingrhyolitic and phonolitic residua respectively, appears to beestablished at the early stages of magmatic differentiation,reflecting inherent differences in the compositions of the parentalmagmas. KEY WORDS: alkaline magmas; Massif Central; Cantal; AFC; magmatic differentiation     

Petrology of the parental melts and mantle sources of Siberian trap magmatism

Based on the investigation of olivine phenocrysts and melt and spinel inclusions in them from the picrites of the Gudchikhinsky Formation and olivine phenocrysts and the whole-rock geochemistry from the Tuklonsky and Nadezhdinsky formations of the Noril’sk region, the compositions and conditions of formation and evolution of the parental melts and mantle sources of Siberian trap magmatism were evaluated. Olivine phenocrysts from the samples studied are enriched in Ni and depleted in Mn compared with olivines equilibrated with the products of peridotite melting, which suggests a considerable role of a nonperidotitic component (olivine-free pyroxenite) in their mantle source. The onset of Siberian trap magmatism (Gudchikhinsky Formation) was related to the melting of pyroxenite produced by the interaction of ancient recycled oceanic crust with mantle peridotite. During the subsequent evolution of the magmatic system (development of the Tuklonsky and Nadezhdinsky formations), the fraction of the pyroxenite component in the source region decreased rapidly (to 40 and 60%, respectively) owing to the entrainment of peridotite material into the melting zone. The formation of magmas was significantly affected by the contamination by continental crustal material. The primitive magmas of the Gudchikhinsky Formation crystallized under near-surface conditions at temperatures of 1250–1170°C and oxygen fugacities 2.5–3.0 orders of magnitude below the Ni-NiO buffer. Simultaneously, the magmas were contaminated by continental silicic rocks and evaporites. The parental magmas of the Gudchikhinsky rocks corresponded to tholeiitic picrites with 11–14 wt % MgO. They were strongly undersaturated in sulfur, contained less than 0.25 wt % water and carbon dioxide, and were chemically similar to the Hawaiian tholeiites. They were produced by melting of a pyroxenite source at depths of 130–180 km in a mantle plume with a potential temperature of 1500–1580°C. The presence of low melting temperature pyroxenite material in the source of Siberian trap magmas promoted the formation of considerable volumes of melt under the thick continental lithosphere, which could trigger its catastrophic collapse. The contribution of pyroxenite-derived melt to the magmas of the Siberian trap province was no less than 40–50%. This component, whose solid residue was free of sulfides and olivine, played a key role in the origin of high contents of Ni, Cu, and Pt-group elements and low sulfur contents in the parental trap magmas and prevented the early dispersion of these elements at the expense of sulfide melt fractionation. The high contents of Cl in the magmas resulted in considerable HCl emission into the atmosphere and could be responsible for the mass extinction at the Paleozoic-Mesozoic boundary.     

Zircon evaporation ages and geochemistry of metamorphosed volcanic rocks from the Vinjamuru domain,Krishna Province: evidence for 1.78 Ga convergent tectonics along the southeastern margin of the Eastern Dharwar Craton

Palaeoproterozoic intermediate to potassic felsic volcanism in volcano‐sedimentary sequences could either have occurred in continental rift or at convergent magmatic arc tectonic settings. The Vinjamuru domain of the Krishna Province in Andhra Pradesh, SE India, contains such felsic and intermediate metavolcanic rocks, whose geochemistry constrains their probable tectonic setting and which were dated by the zircon Pb evaporation method in order to constrain their time of formation. These rocks consist of interlayered quartz–garnet–biotite schist, quartz–hematite–baryte–sericite schist as well as cherty quartzite, and represent a calc‐alkaline volcanic sequence of andesitic to rhyolitic rocks that underwent amphibolite‐facies metamorphism at ~1.61 Ga. Zircons from four felsic metavolcanic rock samples yielded youngest mean ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb ages between 1771 and 1791 Ma, whereas the youngest zircon age for a meta‐andesite is 1868 Ma. A ~2.43 Ga zircon xenocryst reflects incorporation of Neoarchaean basement gneisses. Their calc‐alkaline trends, higher LILE, enriched chondrite‐normalized LREE pattern and negative Nb and Ti anomalies on primitive mantle‐normalized diagrams, suggest formation in a continental magmatic arc tectonic setting. Whereas the intermediate rocks may have been derived from mantle‐source parental arc magmas by fractionation and crustal contamination, the rhyolitic rocks had crustal parental magmas. The Vinjamuru Palaeoproterozoic volcanic eruption implies an event of convergent tectonism at the southeastern margin of the Eastern Dharwar Craton at ~1.78 Ga forming one of the major crustal domains of the Krishna Province. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Platinum-group element constraints on source composition and magma evolution of the Kerguelen Plateau using basalts from ODP Leg 183

Seventeen basalts from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 183 to the Kerguelen Plateau (KP) were analyzed for the platinum-group elements (PGEs: Ir, Ru, Rh, Pt, and Pd), and 15 were analyzed for trace elements. Relative concentrations of the PGEs ranged from ∼0.1 (Ir, Ru) to ∼5 (Pt) times primitive mantle. These relatively high PGE abundances and fractionated patterns are not accounted for by the presence of sulfide minerals; there are only trace sulfides present in thin-section. Sulfur saturation models applied to the KP basalts suggest that the parental magmas may have never reached sulfide saturation, despite large degrees of partial melting (∼30%) and fractional crystallization (∼45%).First order approximations of the fractionation required to produce the KP basalts from an ∼30% partial melt of a spinel peridotite were determined using the PELE program. The model was adapted to better fit the physical and chemical observations from the KP basalts, and requires an initial crystal fractionation stage of at least 30% olivine plus Cr-spinel (49:1), followed by magma replenishment and fractional crystallization (RFC) that included clinopyroxene, plagioclase, and titanomagnetite (15:9:1). The low Pd values ([Pd/Pt]_pm < 1.7) for these samples are not predicted by currently available K_d values. These Pd values are lowest in samples with relatively higher degrees of alteration as indicated by petrographic observations. Positive anomalies are a function of the behavior of the PGEs; they can be reproduced by Cr-spinel, and titanomagnetite crystallization, followed by titanomagnetite resorption during the final stages of crystallization. Our modeling shows that it is difficult to reproduce the PGE abundances by either depleted upper or even primitive mantle sources. Crustal contamination, while indicated at certain sites by the isotopic compositions of the basalts, appears to have had a minimal affect on the PGEs. The PGE abundances measured in the Kerguelen Plateau basalts are best modeled by melting a primitive mantle source to which was added up to 1% of outer core material, followed by fractional crystallization of the melt produced. This reproduces both the abundances and patterns of the PGEs in the Kerguelen Plateau basalts. An alternative model for outer core PGE abundances requires only 0.3% of outer core material to be mixed into the primitive mantle source. While our results are clearly model dependent, they indicate that an outer core component may be present in the Kerguelen plume source.     

云南鸡街碱性超基性岩铂族元素地球化学特征

本文首次报道了攀西裂谷南段云南省鸡街碱性超基性岩中铂族元素(PGE)的地球化学特征。采用改进的Carius管法测定了霞霓钠辉岩、霓霞岩和磷霞岩中的低含量PGE。PPGE与IPGE呈现强烈分馏,推断幔源岩在低程度部分熔融过程中Pt、Pd表现为相似的不相容性,而Ir、Ru表现为相容性,这种分馏效应随着结晶分异作用的进行而逐渐增强。3种岩石均出现Ru的负异常及Pt、Pd的解耦,说明母岩浆经历了早期的橄榄石晶出,在结晶分异过程中Pd较Pt更不相容。由于岩浆上升过程中的压力减小和结晶分异作用导致的成份变化使岩浆可以达到硫的局部饱和而熔离,表现为部分样品中Cu/Pd远高于原始地幔值。本文通过碱性超基性岩与金伯利岩、煌斑岩和邻区碱性、过碱性玄武岩PGE特征的对比,探讨了其岩浆源区及演化特征。