The influence of the characteristics of quartz and mineral deterioration on the strength of granitic dimensional stones

It is important to have a thorough knowledge of the petrographic characteristics of rocks to evaluate and understand their mechanical behavior. This paper deals with the influence of the texture and the mineral characteristics of nine Portuguese granites employed as dimensional stones. This study evaluates different mineral characteristics, such as mineral deterioration, grain size, quartz fissuration and the contacts between quartz and others mineral groups. The main differences in the studied granites were identified, clarifying the relationship between the petrographic characteristics. The consequences on their respective mechanical behavior were subsequently evaluated. The physical and textural characteristics of quartz in the studied granites have proven to be very important for understanding the behavior of granitic rocks under compressive stress. Uniaxial compressive strength values are not proportional to the quartz–feldspar ratio or quartz content and there is a tendency for strength to decrease with the increase in quartz. This could be related to the increase in quartz-quartz contacts and the decrease in the rock capacity for accommodating the deformation.     

Statistical approach of the influence of petrography in mechanical properties and durability of granitic stones

The influence of petrographic features on the strength of granitic stones is a wide studied topic which finds different correlations depending on the research and the granite type. The aim of this article was to provide an accurate statistical analysis in which the amount of analysed data did not imply any doubt about the representativity of the samples and the accuracy of the results. The focused principal component analysis was used because it allows to explain a determinate property in relation to several variables. In addition, the expression of the results was done as a simple and graphical representation that allowed to interpret the results in a global way. Data of texture, mineralogy and strength of 12 granites were obtained in this study and were completed by those of more than 100 granites obtained from the literature. The durability of the twelve granite characterized was also assessed. A thermal fatigue test was carried out in 5?×?5?×?5 cm cubes revealing that the thermal expansion experimented by the different minerals was enough to produce variations in the crack network even if temperature was lower than the microfissuration threshold.     

Granitic dimensional stones in Uruguay: evaluation and assessment of potential resources

In Uruguay commercial granite varieties comprise mafic rocks, granitoids, and syenitoids. There is a long tradition in Uruguay, as well as worldwide, of using dimensional stones in architecture and art, specially granitic ones. Some of the present applications of these dimensional stones are as façade cladding, countertops, and outdoor and indoor floor slabs. The color spectrum of the Uruguayan granitic dimensional stones varies from black to light gray, covering a wide variety of red and pink and minor greenish-gray. The décor of these granitic dimensional stones is mainly determined by their fabric, fundamentally the grain size and the color distribution between the different minerals that compose the rocks. In the present research the most important commercial granites were sampled to analyze their petrography and petrophysical properties. A detailed structural analysis has been performed in several deposits, as well as the application of the software 3D Block Expert for modeling the possible raw block size distribution. Other factors controlling the mining viability of the deposits were also studied (e.g., homogeneity/heterogeneity of color and décor) and the possible reserves were calculated.     

Black dimensional stones: geology, technical properties and deposit characterization of the dolerites from Uruguay

Dimensional stones with a black color occupy a prominent place on the international market. Uruguayan dolerite dikes of andesitic and andesitic–basaltic composition are mined for commercial blocks of black dimensional stones. A total of 16 dikes of both compositions were studied and samples collected for geochemical and petrographical analysis. Color measurements were performed on different black dimensional stones in order to compare them with the Uruguayan dolerites. Samples of the two commercial varieties (Absolute Black and Moderate Black) were obtained for petrophysical analysis (e.g. density, porosity, uniaxial compressive strength, tensile strength, etc.). Detailed structural analyses were performed in several quarries. Geochemistry and petrography determines the intensity of the black color. The Uruguayan dolerite Absolute Black is the darkest black dimensional stone analyzed in this study. The petrophysical properties of Uruguayan dolerites make them one of the highest quality black dimensional stones. Structural analyses show that five joint sets have been recognized: two sub-vertical joints, one horizontal and two diagonal. These joint sets are one of the most important factors that control the deposits, since they control the block size distribution and the amount of waste material.     

黑鳞云母花岗质岩浆的结晶分异及钠长花岗质岩浆的形成

以含F、过铝质、K_2O>Na_2O为特征的浅色黑鳞云母花岗岩为初始物,在P=150MPa,T=850～650℃和H_2O不饱和条件下进行熔化-结晶分异实验,结果表明:首先晶出的是石英和富钾碱性长石;随结晶温度下降和结晶相含量的增加,残余熔体中挥发份F及Na_2O、Al_2O_3含量逐渐增加,SiO_2、K_2O、CaO含量减少,显示含F浅色花岗质熔体具有向贫硅富钠的富氟钠长花岗质熔体组成演化的趋势;700℃开始,残余熔体具有天然富氟钠长花岗岩的组成特征:富Na_2O(Na_2O>K_2O)、Al_2O_3(>16％)和F(>1.5％)。上述残余熔体组成的演化特征与自然界从含氟黑鳞云母花岗岩到富氟钠长花岗岩的组成变化规律是一致的,充分证明了在本文的实验条件下,含氟黑鳞云母花岗岩能够经结晶分异演化出富氟钠长花岗岩熔体。     

Phosphorus in granitic rocks of Colombia

One hundred and three samples of granitic rock taken systematically from the Andean part of Colombia reveal that the observed variation in phosphorus content reflects the variation observed for the wholerock chemical composition. This relationship was established using a form of trend analysis termed COMTRENA and information-theory statistics.     

Fragmentation of granitic quartz in water

Studies of grain fragmentation in natural streams have the limitation that the full size range of the debris produced is virtually unobtainable. Experiments described here for grain fragmentation in a rotating drum permitted the study of all of the debris, and a fragmentation load technique was used to relate experimentally and naturally fragmented material. The present investigation has been focused on granitic quartz. Relatively gentle collective movement in water can cause significant fragmentation of coarse, nascent, granitic quartz grains. The debris produced by rotating in a drum a range of single sieve fractions, taken from gravel in the headwaters of a stream draining granite, had continuous size distributions down to (and probably beyond) 0·06 μm. Quartz was the dominant fragmentation product in all fractions down to 2 μm and present in finer fractions. When pebbles moved with sand in these experiments, breakage of the latter was greatly increased. In comparison with that of breakage, the effect of attrition on granitic quartz was negligible. At least a proportion of granitic quartz grains are subject to a fatigue effect as a result of impacts in water. Evidently they are thus progressively weakened prior to being broken. Size analysis of debris showed a significant break at 20 μ, suggesting some special production of quartz particles just below this size. Granitic quartz is criss-crossed with partially healed cracks acquired before the zone of weathering is reached. The wholesale breakage that affects it, particularly in pebbly streams, is largely due to the reopening of these cracks. Progressive fragmentation of this material must eventually reach a stage wherein grains comprising single original crack-bounded volume elements are produced. Such grains, lacking significant internal weaknesses, must strongly resist further breakage. Possibly the preferential production of quartz grains just below 20 μm in size may represent an accumulation of these single, crack-bounded volume elements.     

Formation and ascent of granitic magmas

New results obtained by the investigation of liquidus and solidus phase relationships in the haplogranite system Qz-Ab-Or are used to discuss the evolution of magmas during their ascent in the crust. It is assumed that the magmas are formed at 720°C, 820°C, 920°C and at a depth corresponding to a pressure of 8 kbar. The starting composition of the magma is taken as 50% melt plus 50% quartz and feldspars. In case of a closed system (no heat exchange and no transfer of elements) the melt fraction of magmas, the water activity and the viscosity increase with decreasing pressure. The temperature slightly decreases. At 700°C the viscosity is approximatively 2 orders of magnitude lower than at 900°C. This is related to the higher amount of water in the (H₂O-undersaturated) melt at low T. It is also shown that dehydration melting is only realistic at high T (900°C). At lower temperatures water has to be added from outside to obtain an intrusive magma with approximatively 50% melt.

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Zusammenfassung Neue Ergebnisse, erzielt durch Untersuchungen von Liquidus und Solidus Phasenbeziehungen des Granitsystems Qz-Ab-Or, werden benutzt, um die Entwicklung eines granitoiden Magmas während seines Aufstiegs zu diskutieren. Es wird vorausgesetzt, daß die Magmen bei Temperaturen von 720°C, 820°C und 920°C gebildet werden, sowie in einer Tiefe die einem Druck von 8 kbar entspricht. Die anfängliche Zusammensetzung des Magmas wird mit einem Verhältnis von 50% Schmelze sowie 50% Quarz und Feldspäten angenommen. Im Falle eines geschlossenen Systems (kein Austausch von Wärme und Elementen) steigt die Teilschmelzbildung von Magmen, die Aktivität des Wassers und die Viskosität bei abnehmenden Druck; hierbei sinkt die Temperatur leicht. Bei 700°C ist die Viskosität um ca. 2 Größenordnungen geringer als bei 900°C. Dies wird bedingt durch den höheren Gehalt an Wasser in der (H₂O-untersättigten) Schmelze bei tieferen Temperaturen. Es wird außerdem gezeigt, daß Magmenbildung durch Dehydratation nur bei hohen Temperaturen realistisch ist (900°C). Bei tieferen Temperaturen muß Wasser von außen zugeführt werden um ein intrusives Magma zu erhalten, das ungefähr 50% Schmelze besitzt.

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Résumé L'évolution des magmas granitiques au cours de leur ascension dans la croûte est discutée à la lumière de données nouvelles relatives aux relations entre phases liquides et solides dans le système Q-Ab-Or. On suppose que les magmas se forment à des températures de 720°C, 820°C, 920°C et à une profondeur correspondant à une pression de 8 Kb. On admet pour leur composition initiale un mélange de 50% de liquide et 50% de quartz + feldspaths. Dans le cas d'un système fermé (pas d'échange de chaleur ni de matière), la fraction liquide du magma, l'activité de l'eau et la viscosité augmentent quand la pression diminue; en même temps, la température décroît légèrement. A 700°C, la viscosité est d'environ 2 ordres de grandeur plus basse qu'à 900°C. Cette propriété est en relation avec la teneur en eau plus élevée dans le liquide (sous-saturé en eau) à basse température. On peut également montrer qu'une fusion déshydratante n'est vraisemblable qu'à haute température (900°C). Aux températures plus basses, de l'eau doit être apportée de l'extérieur pour l'obtention d'un magma à 50% de liquide.

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Building stones

The Natural Environment Research Council has designated 12 major research programmes, although there will still be opportunities for individual Earth scientists to pursue their own ideas.     

Occurrence of zinc in granitic biotites

37 granitic plutons in Great Britain and the United States were sampled and biotite separates prepared. These biotites were analysed for zinc and iron and a modal (point-count) analysis was conducted on the granitic samples. The results of these analyses were examined for differences that would characterise mineralised and non-mineralised granites, and for differences between biotites coexisting with muscovite and those coexisting with hornblende. The possibility of differentiating between mineralised and non-mineralised granites on the basis of the zinc content of biotites is rejected, but significant differences in composition are found between biotites from muscovite-biotite-granites and those from hornblende-biotite-granites. Muscovite-bearing granites have low biotite contents, these biotites having high iron and low zinc concentrations; hornblende-bearing granites have high biotite contents but these biotites, in contrast, have comparitively low iron and high zinc concentrations.

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Zusammenfassung Biotitkonzentrate aus 37 granitischen Plutonen aus Großbritannien und den U.S.A. wurden auf ihre Zn- und Fe-Gehalte analysiert. Granite, mit denen Zn-Vererzungen zusammenhängen, können nach diesen Untersuchungen nicht aufgrund der Zn-Gehalte ihrer Biotite von Graniten ohne Zn-Vererzungen unterschieden werden. Die Biotite aus muskovit- und aus hornblendeführenden Graniten unterscheiden sich hingegen: Erstere haben hohe Fe- und niedrige Zn-Konzentrationen bei geringem Biotitanteil am Gestein; bei letzteren ist es umgekehrt.

     

Experimental deformation of partially melted granitic aggregates

Abstract The effects of varying amounts of partial melt on the deformation of granitic aggregates have been tested experimentally at conditions (900°C, 1500 MPa, 10^-4 to 10^-6/s) where melt-free samples deform by dislocation creep, with microstructures approximately equivalent to those of upper greenschist facies. Experiments were performed on samples of various grain sizes, including an aplite (150 μm) and sintered aggregates of quartz-albitemicrocline (10–50 and 2–10 μm). Water was added to the samples to obtain various amounts of melt (1–15% in the aplite, 1–5% in the sintered aggregates). Optical and TEM observations of the melt distribution in hydrostatically annealed samples show that the melt in the sintered aggregates is homogeneously distributed along an interconnected network of triple junction channels, while the melt in the aplites is inhomogeneously distributed. The effect of partial melt on deformation depends an melt amount and distribution, grain size and strain rate. For samples deformed with ? 1% melt, all grain sizes exhibit microstructures indicative of dislocation creep. For samples deformed with 3–5% melt, the 150 μm and 10–50 μm grain size samples also exhibit dislocation creep microstructures, but the 2–10 μm grain size samples exhibit abundant TEM-scale evidence of dissolution-precipitation and little evidence of dislocation activity, suggesting a switch in deformation mechanism to predominantly melt-enhanced diffusion creep. At natural strain rates melt-enhanced diffusion creep would predominate at larger grain sizes, although probably not for most coarse-grained granites. The effects of melt percentage and strain rate have been studied for the 150 μm aplites. For samples with ? 5 and 10% melt, deformation at 10^–6/s squeezes excess melt out of the central compressed region allowing predominantly dislocation creep. Conversely, deformation at 10^-5/s produces considerable cataclasis presumably because the excess melt cannot flow laterally fast enough and a high pore fluid pressure results. For samples with 15% melt, deformation at both strain rates produces cataclasis, presumably because the inhomogeneous melt distribution resulted in regions of decoupled grains, which would produce high stress concentrations at point contacts. At natural strain rates there should be little or no cataclasis if an equilibrium melt texture exists and if the melt can flow as fast as the imposed strain rate. However, if the melt is confined and cannot migrate, a high pore fluid pressure should promote brittle deformation.     

Rare earth elements in granitic rocks

The younger granites in Finland contain more REE than the older ones. In the youngest, postorogenic rapakivi granites, the total REE concentration is highest, the light REE are more enriched, and the negative Eu anomaly is more pronounced than in the older granites. The enrichment of the light REE, the anomalous behavior of the extreme elements (La, Ce, and Lu) in normalized graphs, and the depletion of Eu indicate the degree of differentiation the rock has undergone. These features are usually more pronounced in large, homogeneous granites than in metamorphic or volcanogenic rocks. Silicic vein rocks usually contain less REE than the granites proper; the distribution pattern in many is as in granites, but in some the heavy elements are more enriched. The positive Eu anomaly in Precambrian metamorphic rocks is tentatively attributed to metamorphic differentiation and to the secretion of silicic material from the host rock.     

中国花岗伟晶岩的研究历程及发展态势

我国是稀有金属资源大国,产出了众多独具特色的稀有金属花岗伟晶岩矿床。国内外学者对这些花岗伟晶岩的研究较大地促进了世界伟晶岩理论的发展。在世界伟晶岩研究历程中,虽然有学者认为伟晶岩形成于热液交代作用,但从较早的Jahns-Burnham模型,到后来的London提出的岩浆非平衡结晶模型和Thomas提出的岩浆液态分离模型,都强调了岩浆分异作用对于伟晶岩形成的重要性。我国花岗伟晶岩研究继承于苏联科学家的伟晶岩理论,并逐渐与国际接轨,在对阿尔泰、川西等地区典型花岗伟晶岩的研究过程中,提出了基于云母和长石的花岗伟晶岩分类方案;发展出变质分异型、超变质分异型和重熔岩浆分异型等伟晶岩成因模型;建立了指示高分异伟晶岩熔体-流体演化的矿物标型特征;通过对伟晶岩中富晶体包裹体的深入研究,揭示出我国典型花岗伟晶岩形成于较高温压条件的特点;同位素定年和示踪技术的发展,提升了对我国伟晶岩时空分布和物质来源的认识程度。在今后,我国应该重视矿物学、成矿流体、高温高压实验研究,重视稀有金属伟晶岩的综合绿色开发利用,揭示典型伟晶岩的形成机制,创新伟晶岩成岩成矿理论,实现我国稀有金属资源找矿行动和资源开发利用的进步。     

The production of granitic melts during ultrametamorphism

Data concerning the occurrence and mineralogy of granitic rocks and migmatites indicate that granitic liquids are not generally water saturated and do not form on minimum melting curves. Experiments on the partial fusion of crustal materials containing water only in hydrated phases demonstrate that water undersaturated melts with compositional affinities to the granite family are produced at temperatures and pressures in accord with observations on the metamorphio state of migmatite terrains.     

Geochemistry of mineralized granitic rocks of northeast Queensland

Tin-bearing granitic rocks of northeast Queensland range in age from Precambrian to Permian. They are high-level granites or adamellites enriched in volatile elements, such as Li, Be, B, and F. Tin contents are significantly higher than those of non-stanniferous granites, but lower than values reported for many tin granites elsewhere. A distribution of tin in which a high proportion of samples have tin contents significantly higher than background values, appears to be a useful criterion of potential tin mineralization. An uneven distribution of tin in the crust (or possibly the upper mantle) would explain the difference in tin contents of granites associated with tin mineralization, compared with granites from areas which do not contain tin deposits.No correlation of granite geochemistry with lead/zinc or copper mineralization was found. In particular, granites associated with such mineralization do not show anomalous abundances of Pb, Zn, or Cu. If mineralization is regarded as an independent by-product of magma generation rather than the result of differentiation processes, then this lack of correlation is explicable.     

Natural building stones

Natural stone due to its durable properties has been the choice of building materials since the very beginning of civilization. However, once stone is taken from its natural environment it begins to change to reach a state of equilibrium with its new environment. The polluted urban environment is a particularly hostile environment for natural stone and the effect on natural stone buildings, especially of historical or cultural significance, is a major cause for concern. Ongoing research into weathering studies is essential to provide a greater understanding of the processes that trigger stone decay and to ensure the implementation of successful stone conservation and replacement strategies.     

The behaviour of tungsten in granitic melt-vapour systems

An experimental study has been carried out to determine the effect of solution composition on the partitioning behaviour of tungsten in granitic melt-vapour systems at 800° C and 1 kbar. With chloride and phosphate solutions, tungsten partitions strongly into the aqueous phase, whereas with fluoride, carbonate and borate solutions, and water alone, tungsten partitions in favour of the melt. With chloride solutions, the fluid/melt partition coefficients (K _D) for W show a marked positive correlation with chloride concentration, and suggest that at low chloride concentrations W-Cl complexes with low Cl∶W ratios (such as associated equivalents of (WO₃)₂C1⁻) may be present. In contrast, at higher chloride concentrations complexes with high Cl∶W ratios (such as WOCl₄, WCl₆ and associated ionic equivalents) may predominate. With phosphate solutions, K _D shows little variation with phosphate concentration, and phosphorus heteropolytungstates (such as H₃[PW₁₂O₄₀]) may be present. There is no evidence to suggest that fluoride, carbonate or borate complexes of tungsten are important under the experimental conditions: the data for these compositions can be interpreted assuming that isopolytungstates (such as H₆[H₂W₁₂O₄₀]) are present. Within high temperature hydrothermal solutions tungsten may be transported principally as isopolytungstates and heteropolytungstates in addition to chloride complexes, and this may, in part, account for the common association of apatite and arsenopyrite with scheelite and wolframite in tungsten deposits.