Elemental and isotopic compositions of the hydrothermal sulfide on the East Pacific Rise near 13°N

The mineralogical,elemental,and isotopic characteristics of a hydrothermal sulfide sample from one dredge station (12°42.30'N,103°54.48'W,water depth 2655 m) on the East Pacific Rise near 13°N were analyzed.The hydrothermal sulfide was composed mainly of sphalerite,chalcopyrite,and pyrite and was a Zn-rich sulfide;in layer ep-s-1,goethite formed by secondary oxidation was found.The concentrations of rare elements,such as Li (0.15×10-6-0.30×10-6),Be (0.01×10-6-0.05×10-6),Zr (73.8×10-9-1344×10-9),Nb (8.14×10-9-64.7×10-9),Hf (2.54×10-9-28.0×10-9),and Ta (0.203×10-9-1.21×10-9),were far lower in the hydrothermal sulfide than in the ocean crust,whereas the content of Au was higher and the contents of Co,Ni,Sr,Cs,Ba,Bi,and U were low.The correlations between Zn and Cr,Cd and Ga,Cu and P,P and In (R2 0.8) were positive,whereas those between Zn and Fe,Cu,and Ba (R2 0.8) were distinctly negative.From low-temperature mineral assemblages to high-temperature mineral assemblages,the spatial distributions of dispersive and rare elements (e.g.In,Li,Cs) in the hydrothermal sulfide displayed corresponding variations.The variations observed in some elements (e.g.,Cd,Cs,P) are controlled by Zn,Fe,and Cu sulfides,respectively.Seafloor weathering accounts for the enrichment of V,Mn,and rare earth elements (REE) in the henna sulfide-oxidation layer that bears the secondary oxide mineral,leading to identical REE patterns for this layer (ep-s-1) and seawater.Seafloor weathering also distinctly affects the correlations between the element ratios of the hydrothermal sulfide.From high-temperature mineral assemblages to low-temperature mineral assemblages,Fe content and δ 34S value of the hydrothermal sulfide increase gradually,and Zn content and lead isotopic ratios decrease gradually on the contrary,which indicate the influences of seawater on elements and the sulfur and lead isotopic compositions enhance gradually during the formation of hydrothermal sulfides.     

Hydrothermal alteration of plagioclase microphenocrysts and glass in basalts from the East Pacific Rise near 13°N: An SEM-EDS study

The interactions of seafloor hydrothermal fluid with igneous rocks can result in leaching elements from the rocks,creating potential ore-forming fluids and influencing the chemical compositions of near-bottom seawater.The hydrothermal alteration of plagioclase microphenocrysts and basaltic glass in the pillow basalts from one dredge station(103°57.62′′W,12°50.55′N,water depth 2480 m)on the East Pacific Rise(EPR)near 13°N were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope(SEM)and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry(EDS).The results show that the edges of the plagioclase microphenocrysts and the basaltic glass fragments are altered but the pyroxene and olivine microphenocrysts in the interior of the pillow basalts appear to be unaffected by the hydrothermal fluids.In addition,our results show that the chemical alteration at the rims of the plagioclase microphenocrysts and the edges of basaltic glass fragments can be divided into separate types of alteration.The chemical difference in hydrothermal alteration of the plagioclase microphenocrysts and the basaltic glass indicate that different degrees of hydrothermal fluid-solid phase interaction have taken place at the surface of the pillow basalts.If the degree of hydrothermal fluid-solid phase interaction is relatively minor,Si,Al,Ca and Na diffuse from the inside of the solid phase out and as a result these elements have a tendency to accumulate in the edge of the plagioclase microphenocrysts or basaltic glass.If the degree of hydrothermal fluid-solid phase interaction is relatively strong,Si,Al,Ca and Na also diffuse from the inside of solid phase out but these elements will have a relatively low concentration in the edge of the plagioclase microphenocrysts or basaltic glass.Based on the chemical variation observed in the edges of plagioclase microphenocrysts and basaltic glass,we estimate that the content of Si,Al and Fe in the edges of plagioclase microphenocrysts can have a variation of 10.69%,17.59%and 109%,respectively.Similarly,the Si,Al and Fe concentrations in the edges of basaltic glass can have a variation of 9.79%,16.30%and 37.83%,respectively,during the interaction of hydrothermal fluids and seafloor pillow basalt.     

Geochemical anomalies of hydrothermal plume at EPR 13°N

During the DY105-12, 14cruise (R/V DAYANG YIHAO, November 2003) on East Pacific Rise (EPR) 12- 13°N, the submarine hydrothermal activity was investigated and the CTD hydrocast was carried out at EPR12°39′N-12°54′N. From the temperature anomalies and the concentrations of magnesium, chlorine, bromine in seawater samples, we discover that magnesium depletes 9.3%-22.4%, chlorine and bro- mine enrich 10.3%-28.7% and 10.7%-29.0% respectively relative to normal seawater at the stations which have chemistry anomalies, moreover temperature and chemistry anomalies are at the same layer. The depletion of magnesium in the plume may be caused by a fluid lacking of magnesium which rises after the hydrothermal fluid reaches the equilibrium with ambient seawater, the enrichment of chlorine and bromine might be the result of inputting later brine which is generated by phase separation due to hydrothermal activity. In addition, the Br/Cl ratio in the abnormal layers at the survey area is identical to that in seawater, which implies that halite dissolution (or precipitation) occurs neither when the fluid is vented nor when hydrothermal fluid entraining ambient seawater rises to form plume. From the ab- normal instance at E55 station, it is very possible that there might exist a new hydrothermal vent site.     

Periodical mixing of MORB magmas near East Pacific Rise 13°N: Evidence from modeling and zoned plagioclase phenocrysts

Thirty-six basalt samples from near East Pacific Rise 13°N are analyzed for major and trace elements. Different types of zoned plagioclase phenocrysts in basalts are also backscatter imaged, and major element profiles scanned and analyzed for microprobe. Basalts dredged from a restricted area have evolved to different extents (MgO=9.38wt%—6.76wt%). High MgO basalts are modeled for crystalliza-tion to MgO of about 7wt%, and resulted in the Ni contents (≈28 ppm) that are generally lower than that in observed basalts (>60 ppm). It suggests that low MgO basalts may have experienced more intensive magma mixing. High MgO (9.38wt%) basalt is modeled for self-"mixing-crystallization", and the high Ni contents in low MgO basalts can be generated in small scale and periodical self-mixing of new magma (high MgO). "Mixing-crystallization" processes that low MgO magmas experienced accord with recent 226Ra/230Th disequilibria studies for magma residence time, in which low MgO magmas have experi-enced more circles of "mixing-crystallization" in relatively longer residence time. Magma mixing is not homogeneous in magma chamber, however, low MgO magmas are closer to stable composition pro-duced by periodical "mixing-crystallization", which is also an important reason for magma diversity in East Pacific Rise. Zoned plagioclase phenocrysts can be divided into two types: with and without high An# cores, both of which have multiple reversed An# zones, suggesting periodical mixing of their host magmas. Cores of zoned plagioclase in low MgO (7.45wt%) basalt differ significantly with their mantle in An#, but are similar in An# with microlite cores (products of equilibrium crystallization) in high MgO (9.38wt%) basalt, which further shows that plagioclase phenocryst cores in low MgO basalts may have formed in their parental magmas before entering into the magma chamber.     

Origin of a native sulfur chimney in the Kueishantao hydrothermal field, offshore northeast Taiwan

Analyses of rare earth and trace element concentrations of native sulfur samples from the Kueishantao hydrothermal field were performed at the Seafloor Hydrothermal Activity Laboratory of the Key Labo-ratory of Marine Geology and Environment, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Using an Elan DRC II ICP-MS, and combining the sulfur isotopic compositions of native sulfur samples, we studied the sources and formation of a native sulfur chimney. The results show, when comparing them with native sulfur from crater lakes and other volcanic areas, that the native sulfur content of this chimney is very high (99.96%), the rare earth element (REE) and trace element constituents of the chimney are very low (ΣREE<21×10?9), and the chondrite-normalized REE patterns of the native sulfur samples are similar to those of the Kueishantao andesite, implying that the interaction of subseafloor fluid-andesite at the Kueishantao hydrothermal field was of short duration. The sulfur isotopic compo-sitions of the native sulfur samples reveal that the sulfur of the chimney, from H2S and SO2, originated by magmatic degassing and that the REEs and trace elements are mostly from the Kueishantao ande-site and partly from seawater. Combining these results with an analysis of the thermodynamics, it is clear that from the relatively low temperature (<116 ℃ ), the oxygenated and acidic environment is favorable for formation of this native sulfur chimney in the Kueishantao hydrothermal field.     

New index of ferromanganese crusts reflecting oceanic environmental oxidation

Ferromanganese crusts (hereinafter crusts) form in aerobic environment and the environmental oxida-tion degree is recorded by the redox sensitive element Co in the crusts. The ages of the layers from the surface to bottom of the crusts are determined, and main element contents at high resolution along the depth sections of three crusts from the Pacific Ocean are analyzed by an electron microprobe. Thus the variations of Co/(Fe Mn) and Co/(Ni Cu) with age/depth of the crust layers are obtained. By comparing the ratios of Co/(Fe Mn) and Co/(Ni Cu) with the δ 18O curves of the Pacific benthic foraminifera, we find that these two ratios can reflect the variation of the environmental oxidation state under which the crust layers deposit. The evolution of the oxidation degree reflected by the two indexes resembles the evo-lution of temperature since the Oligocene reflected by the δ 18O curves of the Pacific benthic foraminif-era. This suggests that the crust-forming environment after the Oligocene is controlled mainly by the oxygen-rich bottom water originated from the Antarctic bottom water (AABW). However it is not the case prior to the Oligocene. Furthermore it suggests that the environmental oxidation degree controls the formation of the crusts and the Co contents in the crusts. This explains why the Co contents in the crusts increase with time up to now.     

Gold contents of both mantle-derived xenoliths and sulfides in them from eastern China

The gold contents of 59 samples of mantle-derived xenoliths, along with 85 samples of sulfide assem-blages in them, of Cenozoic basalt from eight districts in eastern China are analyzed. The gold contents of mantle xenoliths usually fall in the range of 10-9―10-8, whereas those of the sulfide assemblages fall in the range of 10-4―10-2. This implies that the latter are several hundred thousand times higher than the former, and thus that Au in the mantle is concentrated mostly in sulfide assemblages. Gold con-tents of both mantle-derived xenoliths and sulfide assemblages in them are inhomogeneous spatially, but their distribution rules are similar. Except the samples from Hainan Province, either the mantle xenoliths with high gold content or sulfide assemblages of the mantle-derived xenoliths with high gold content are distributed mostly on the north and south margins of the North China platform (Hannuoba of Hebei Province and Linqu, Changle of Shandong Province), corresponding to districts with concen-trated gold deposits in northwest Hebei Province and Jiaodong Peninsula of Shandong Province. This may reflect the correlativity in age, nature and composition between the continental crust and the un-derlying lithospheric mantle. The underlying lithospheric mantle of the North China platform is an an-cient gold-rich lithospheric mantle. The gold-rich lithospheric mantle may be the material source of later activation, enrichment, transportation and mineralization of gold by auriferous CO2 mantle fluids.     

Sm-Nd dating and rare earth element geochemistry of the hydrothermal calcites from Guling carbonate-hosted talc mineralization in the central Guangxi province,South China

Many carbonate-hosted talc mineralization,which are widespread in South China,exclusively developed in Carboniferous dolomitic limestone with many siliceous bands and nodules,and cherts.One of those typical deposits is the Guling talc deposit in Mashan County,central Guangxi province,with a talc reserve of1.51 million tons.Mineral associations in the deposit are sample,mainly including talc and calcite.In this paper,Sm-Nd isotopic system and rare earth elements and yttrium(REE + Y) for the hydrothermal calcite intergrown with talc are used to constrain the age and origin of the talc mineralization.The hydrothermal calcite samples from the deposit display Sm and Nd concentrations ranging from 0.18 to 0.85 and 0.85 to 4.56 ppm,respectively,and variable Sm/Nd ratios of 0.21-0.24.These calcites further yield an Sm-Nd isochron age of 232 ±19 Ma(2a)(MSWD = 0.47) with an concordant initial ~(143)Nd-~(144)Nd ratios of 0.511967 ± 0.000017,which should be interpreted as the mineralization age of the Guling talc deposit.In addition,the calcite samples are enriched in REE with the variable SREE contents ranging from 4.82 to21.50 ppm and display relatively consistent chondritenormalized REE + Y patterns with the LREE enrichment(LREE/HREE=2.00-3.60)and the obvious negative Eu(δEu=0.52-0.68)and Ce(δCe=0.16-0.33)anomalies.The Y/Ho ratios of seven calcites varies from 43.30 to59.34,with a mean value of 49.73.The available mineral associations and REE parameters(i.e.,REE patterns and Y/Ho ratios) of those calcites indicate that the ore-forming fluids of the talc mineralization be probably derived from the meteoric waters,in particular evolved ones in the Karst areas and the ore-forming materials(e.g.,Si and Mg) are likely to be originated from the ore-bearing dolostone in the Yanguan Formation(C_1y) and underlying siliceous rocks in the Liujiang Formation(D_3l).Furthermore,the talc mineralization could take place within a hydrothermal system with relative oxidizing environment and middle temperature,due to the obvious negative Eu and Ce anomalies in the calcites in the Guling deposit.     

Fluorite REE characteristics of the Diyanqinamu Mo deposit,Inner Mongolia,China

The Diyanqinamu Mo deposit, a newly discovered porphyry deposit in the northern-central part of the Great Xing'an Range, Inner Mongolia, China, is characterized by widely distributed fluorite. It is important to note that almost all the fluorite that is paragenetic with molybdenite is purple. The Tb/Ca–Tb/La ratios of these purple fluorite samples show that they have a hydrothermal origin.The unidirectional solidification texture at the apex of the aplitic granite and the low F contents in the andesite suggest that most of F in fluorite was derived from granitic melts. These observations suggest that the fluorite was related to the magmatic-hydrothermal fluids. All the fluorite separates have consistent total REE contents with LREE-depleted, HREE-enriched, negative Eu anomaly,unapparent Ce anomaly and positive Y anomaly. These characteristics are significantly different than those of country granite, andesite and tuff whole-rock. The positive Y anomaly of the fluorite separates implies that the hydrothermal fluids migrated a long distance, as suggested by the fact that the fluorite-molybdenite veins were mostly hosted in andesite and tuff, far from the Mo ore-forming granites. The features of LREE-depleted and HREE-enriched fluorite are due to the REE-complex in the F-enriched fluids during migration. The stronger negative Eu anomaly of fluorite than those of country rocks suggests that the Eu anomaly of the original hydrothermal fluid was enhanced by the high temperature(generally above 200 or250 °C). The widespread magnetite in the studied deposit indicates that the magmatic-hydrothermal fluid was oxidized at early stage. On the other hand, the pyrite was also paragenetic, with the molybdenite and unapparent Ce anomaly implying that the hydrothermal fluid probably experienced oxygen fugacity decreasing during migration,which is important for Mo mineralization.     

The hydrothermal karstification and its effect on Ordovician carbonate reservoir in Tazhong uplift of Tarim Basin, Northwest China

With a detailed study on petrology, mineralogy and geochemistry of some important Ordovician carbonate well core samples in Tazhong uplift of Tarim Basin, the distinguishing symbols of hydrothermal karstification are first put forward as the phenomena of rock hot depigmentation, hot cataclasm and the appearance of typical hydrothermal minerals such as fluorite, barite, pyrite, quartz and sphalerite. The main homogenization temperatures of primary fluid inclusions in fluorite are from 260 to 310℃, indicating the temperature of hydrothermal fluid. The fluid affected the dissolved rocks and showed typical geochemistry features with low contents of Na and Mg, and high contents of Fe, Mn and Si. The ratio of 3He/4He is 0.02Ra, indicating the fluid from the typical continental crust. The hydrothermal fluid karstification pattern may be described as follows the hot fluid is from the Permian magma, containing dissolving ingredients of CO2 and H2S, and shifts along fault, ruptures and unconformity, and dissolves the surrounding carbonates while it flows. The mechanism of hydrothermal karstification is that the mixture of two or more fluids, which have different ion intensity and pH values, becomes a new unsaturated fluid to carbonates. The hydrothermal karstification is an important process to form hypo-dissolved pinholes in Ordovician carbonates of Tazhong uplift of Tarim Basin, and the forming of hydrothermal minerals also has favorable influence on carbonate reservoirs.     

Discovery of native aluminum and its possible origin from prospective gas hydrate areas in the South China Sea

Aluminum is an active amphoteric metal element, but native aluminum (Al°) can be formed and preserved in special condi- tions so that its occurrence has unique geological significance. In this paper, the coarse fractions ( 63 μm) of 269 samples of surface sediments and of 165 sediment samples in four cores from the South China Sea (SCS) were picked out and analyzed. Al° particles were found in only five surface samples and three samples in two sedimentary cores. The particles are grayish or silver white in color with a strongly metallic luster and high plasticity, and they occur as irregular plats, elongated shapes and spherules with botryoidal structures. The identified Al° particles belong to cubical system, Fm3m space group with a varying from 4.028×10?1 nm to 4.059×10?1 nm. Their chemical compositions consist mainly of Al (95.07%–99.84%) and minor amounts of Si, Fe, Ti, S, Zn, Mg, Ca and trace amounts of K, Na, Cu, Co, P and Mn. Our results show that the identified Al° is authigenic, formed in situ in the prospective areas of gas hydrates, and that it is an unreported type of Al° occurrence. A possi- ble mechanism of Al° formation is proposed: under the strongly reducing micro environments at cold seeps, dissolved Al3+ in sediments is reduced to its metallic state by the strongly reducing agent of H2 through microbial processes and enzyme action. As a result, the Al° particles from the prospective gas hydrate areas in the SCS are the special products, representing the first report on Al° from the sediments at cold seeps. The proposed mechanism provides a theoretical basis for further studies on the special biogeochemical processes at cold seeps.     

Platinum-group element geochemistry of mafic rocks from the Dongchuan area,southwestern China

Mafic intrusions and dykes are well preserved in the Yinmin and Lanniping districts,located within the western margin of the Yangtze Block,SW China.Although these mafic rocks from the two areas formed during different periods,they share similar ranges of PGE concentration.Most of the Yinmin gabbroic dykes contain relatively high PGE concentrations(PGEs = 13.9-87.0 ppb) and low S contents(0.003%-0.020%),higher than the maximum PGE concentrations of mafic magmas melting from the mantle.Two exceptional Yinmin samples are characterized by relatively low PGE(PGEs = 0.31-0.37 ppb) and high S(0.114%-0.257%) contents.In contrast,most samples from the Lanniping gabbroic intrusion have low PGE concentrations(PGEs — 0.12-1.02 ppb) and high S contents(0.130%-0.360%),except that the three samples exhibit relatively high PGE(PGEs = 16.3-34.8 ppb) and low S concentrations(0.014%-0.070%).All the Yinmin and Lanniping samples are characterized by the enrichment of PPGE relative to IPGE in the primitive-mantle normalized diagrams,and the high-PGE samples exhibit obvious Ru anomalies.This study suggests that during the ascent of the parental magma,removal of Os-Ir-Ru alloys and/or chromite/spinel leads to high Pd/Ir ratios and Ru anomalies for the Yinmin high-PGE samples and relatively lower Pd/Ir ratios and Ru anomalies for the Lanniping low-PGE samples.We propose that the magmas parental to the Yinmin gabbroic dykes are initially S-unsaturated,and subsequently,minor evolved magma reached sulfur saturation and led to sulfide segregation.Although the Lanniping parental magmas are originally not saturated in S,the high Cu/Pd ratios(3.8 × 10~4 to 3.2 ×10~6) for most of the Lanniping samples indicate the S-saturated state and sulfide segregation.A calculation shows that the PGE-poor magmas might have experienced 0.01%-0.1% sulfide segregation in the magma chamber.Therefore,our study provides a possible opportunity to discover PGE-enriched sulfide mineralization somewhere near or within the Lanniping mafic intrusion.     

Using in situ REE analysis to study the origin and diagenesis of dolomite of Lower Paleozoic,Tarim Basin

In situ REE concentrations of various dolomites from Tarim Basin were obtained by LA-ICP-MS analysis,and the data were normalized to standard seawater(Seawater Normalized=SWN).Most of the samples have a ΣREE range of less than 20 ppm.All samples show similar REESWN distributions with heavy REE depletion,and positive Ce anomaly,which indicates that they have the same dolomitization fluids(seawater).According to the origin and diagenetic process of dolomite,two types of dolomite are determined and described a...     

Growth of a polymetallic nodule from northwestern continental margin of the South China Sea and its response to changes in paleoceanographical environment of the late Cenozoic

In the northern South China Sea,the accumulation of enormous quantities of terrigenous sediment during Cenozoic rendered well-developed polymetallic nodules very rare.In this study,we analyzed a polymetallic nodule from the northwestern continental margin of the South China Sea using microscopic mineralogical observation,electron probes,X-ray diffraction(XRD),ICP-MS,and Be isotope dating.We found the nodule’s shell layers rich in different types of microstructures,including columnar,laminar,stack-like,petal-like,and porphyritic structures.The major mineral components of the nodule are MnO2.Unlike nodules from the eastern Pacific basin,this nodule has high contents in Fe,Si,Al,and REEs but low contents in Mn,Cu,Co,and Ni.The Mn/Fe ratio is also low and the average REEs content is 1370.4 ppm.There is a strong positive anomaly of Ce;and the Be(beryllium) isotope dating shows the initial time of growth of the nodule to be about 3.29 Ma.The inner compact layer formed from 3.29 Ma to about 1.83 Ma.The laminar and stack-like structures and the low contents of the terrigenous elements such as Fe,Si,REE,and Al indicate the paleoceanographical environment with weak undersea currents and favorable oxidizing conditions.From 1.83 Ma to 0.73 Ma,the growth rate of the nodule increased by about 3%;the microstructures formed during this period are stack-like and columnar.The contents of Si and Al are increased by nearly 10%,indicating an increase of terrigenous sediment input in the northern South China Sea.The content of Ce is decreased by about 16%,indicating a significant weakening of the oxidizing conditions at the seabed.From 0.73 Ma to 0.69 Ma,the growth rate of the nodule rapidly rose up to 8.27 times that of the nodule’s average growth rate,and the contents of Fe,Al,and REEs in the layer also increased,forming a loose layer characterized by oolitic,granular,porphyritic,and petal-like structures,indicating the paleoceanographical environment with a high sedimemtation rate and abundant supply of terrigenous sediment in the northern South China Sea.From 0.69 Ma to 0.22 Ma,the growth rate of the nodule suddenly slowed and the outer compact layer formed.Contents of Fe,Si,REE,Al,Mn,Cu,Co,and Ni in this layer were significantly lower than in other layers.The main structures of the layer are laminar and fissure filling structures.These reflect the paleoceanographical environment with stable undersea currents,poor oxidizing conditions,and other conditions not conducive to nodule growth.The growth process of nodule S04-1DG-1 was found to respond sensitively to the changes of the paleoceanographical environment of the northern South China Sea during the late Cenozoic.     

Evolution of strontium isotopic composition of sea-water from Late Permian to Early Triassic based on study of marine carbonates,Zhongliang Mountain,Chongqing,China

Collected from a Late Permian to Early Triassic sedimentary section in the Zhongliang Mountain of Chongqing, Southwest China, sixty marine carbonate samples were measured for the 87Sr/86Sr ratios, and corresponding evolution curve was constructed. The concentrations of SiO2, CaO, MgO, Mn and Sr are used to evaluate reservation of strontium isotopic composition for original seawater and the credi-bility of the dissolution method for sample preparation. The results show that most of the samples (except seven samples with the Mn/Sr ratios higher than 2) contain the original geochemistry signa-tures of ancient seawater. Compared to the published 87Sr/86Sr ratios from the Late Permian to Early Triassic, our database reported here is the largest and the curve constructed is the most complete. The strontium isotopic curve from Late Permian to Early Triassic is consistent globally and exhibits a gen-eral trend of steady increase during this period. The minimum of 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.707011) occurs in the Late Permian (30 m in thickness below the Permian-Triassic boundary), and the maximum (0.708281), near the Early-Middle Triassic boundary. The lack of land plants and the rapid continental weathering result in the increase of 87Sr/86Sr ratios during the interval. The Permian-Triassic boundary in Zhongli-ang Mountain Section has been accepted internationally. The 87Sr/86Sr ratios of six samples near the boundary vary from 0.70714 to 0.70715 with an average of 0.70714, which is consistent with the value of 0.70715 (samples are from articulate brachiopod shells) from Korte et al. published in 2006 (within the error range in experiment). Accordingly, the strontium isotope composition in the Permian-Triassic boundary in this paper is of global significance. It can be confirmed that the 87Sr/86Sr ratios of the sea-water in the Permian-Triassic transition are in the range of 0.70714―0.70715.     

Study on lithogeochemistry of Middle Jurassic basalts from southern China represented by the Fankeng basalts from Yongding of Fujian Province

There exists an E-W trending Middle Jurassic volcanic zone in southern China. The Fankeng basalts in the Yongding basin of Fujian Province are considered to be a typical example. The Fankeng basalts have TiO2 contents in the range of 1.92%-3.21%. They are classified as high-Ti basalts. They also have higher total Fe (averaging FeO* = 11.09%). The Middle Jurassic Fankeng basalts from southwestern Fujian have obvious distinctive lithogeochemical features from early Cre- taceous basalts from southeastern coast of China. They have higher HFSE, such as Th, Nb, Ta, Zr and Ti. Their element ratios related with HFSE, such as Zr/Ba, La/Nb, La/Ta ,Zr/Y, Ti/Y, Ba/Nb, K/Ti and Rb/Zr are similar to those of OIB. The most samples have ε Nd(T) of-0.70-0.24, which are near chondrite. Some samples have higher ε Nd(T) of 1.87-3.55.Therefore, these basaltic magmas might be derived from depleted asthenospheric mantle. The lithogeochemical characteristics of the Fankeng basalts may be caused by interaction between asthenosphere and lithosphere at the time. The (Early-) Middle Jurassic basalts and gabbros from southeastern Hunan, southern Jiangxi and northern Guangdong provinces show similar geochemical features to those of the Fankeng basalts from the Yongding of Fujian. Occurrence of these OIB-type basalts in the area may be regarded as the petrological mark of upwelling of asthenosphere at the time. Upwelling of asthenosphere has led to tectonic extension and the formation of rifted basin in the area.     

REE geochemistry of core sediments of Cauvery delta,India for provenance studies

The rare earth element(REE) geochemical composition of sediments from two cores were used to investigate the provenances of the Late Pleistocene to Holocene sediments of Cauvery delta, South India. The chondrite-normalized REE patterns and bi-variant plots of Th/Co vs. La/Sc and La/Th vs. Th/Yb indicated felsic source of sediments. Chondrite-normalized plots of REE in both cores are almost parallel and exhibit similar fractionation ratio(Ce/Yb)_N of ～8.2. Furthermore, persistence in REEs patterns implies either uniform source rocks and/or efficient homogenization of sediments during transportation and deposition. Chondrite-normalized patterns of the samples show enrichment of light rare earth elements and flat pattern of heavy rare earth elements; such patterns imply dominance of felsic composition rocks in the provenance. Further, these samples show quite resemblance with Charnockites and Gneisses of Palani and Kodaikanal hill areas. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns of the Pleistocene sediments of Uttrangudi core show similar abundance, fractionation, and Eu anomaly values as of selected samples from Tertiary rocks near southwest part of the delta. We attribute the increased input from this region to the upliftment because of tectonic activity and lowering of sea level during the Pleistocene.     

Sea surface salinity-derived indexes for distinguishing two types of El Ni?o events in the tropical Pacific

In this study, sea surface salinity(SSS) indexes are derived from reanalysis and observational datasets to distinguish the two types of(Central Pacific(CP) and Eastern Pacific(EP)) El Ni?o events in the tropical Pacific. Based on the SSS anomalous spatial and temporal pointwise correlations with sea surface temperature(SST) indexes of two types of El Ni?o events, the key areas with SSS variations for EP and CP El Ni?o events are identified. For EP El Ni?o events, the key areas are located over an arcuate area centered at(0°, 130°E) and in the central equatorial Pacific covering(5°S–5°N, 175°W–158°W). For CP El Ni?o events, the key areas are located in the northeastern western Pacific covering(2°N, 142°E–170°E) and in the southeastern Pacific covering(20°S–10°S, 135°W–95°W). The key areas for EP and CP El Ni?o events in this study are not located near the dateline in the equatorial Pacific and differ from those obtained from the regression or composite methods.Accordingly, these key areas are used to construct SSS indexes, termed as the CP/EP El Ni?o SSS index(CSI/ESI), to distinguish EP and CP El Ni?o events independently. The SSS indexes are verified by different datasets over varying time periods and they can be adequately used to identify the two types of El Ni?o events and serve as another useful tool for monitoring ENSO. These analyses offer novel insight into how to represent the diversity of El Ni?o events.     

Provenance and depositional setting of the Late Miocene-Pleistocene clastic sediments in the eastern Arabian Peninsula and western Iraq using rare earth elements geochemistry

The sandstones of the Late miocene–Pliocene Dibdibba Formation in the Najaf–Karbala Plateau and Basra were examined to determine their source rocks and origin. The rare earth elements(REE) and trace elements(Sc, Co, V, and Th) concentrations in these sandstones revealed that they likely derived from a single source. The steep light rare earth elements(LREE) and flat, heavy rare earth element(HREE) patterns, negative Eu anomaly, and high ΣREE contents in sandstones suggest its derivation from a s...     

Evolution and global correlation for strontium isotopic composition of marine Triassic from Huaying Mountains,eastern Sichuan,China

Strontium isotope stratigraphy (SIS) has progressively become an efficient chemostratigraphic tool in the research and correlation of global geological events, such as global sea level fluctuations, orogeny, and paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental changes. In this paper, 87Sr/86Sr ratios of the Triassic marine carbonate rock samples from Huaying Mountains, eastern Sichuan are measured, and the corre-sponding Sr-isotopic curve is constructed, based on the fundamental principle of strontium isotope stratigraphy, analysis of rock fabric, luminescent intensity, chemical composition and representative evaluation for the coeval seawater information. The 87Sr/86Sr ratios show a rapid rise from 0.70721 near the Permian-Triassic transition to 0.70830 at the end of Early Triassic, and then they decline rapidly to 0.70787 in the early Middle Triassic. These data are generally coincident with 87Sr/86Sr ratios of coeval seawater from previous papers, and the curve is also similar to other previous curves. This indicates that the global geological events are the most important controlling factors to the strontium isotope evolution of the global seawater in the Early and Middle Triassic.