Sedimentary evolution of a Late Pleistocene temperate red algal reef (Coralligène) on Rhodes,Greece: correlation with global sea‐level fluctuations

Autochthonous red algal structures known as coralligène de plateau occur in the modern warm‐temperate Mediterranean Sea at water depths from 20 to 120 m, but fossil counterparts are not so well‐known. This study describes, from an uplifted coastal section at Plimiri on the island of Rhodes, a 450 m long by 10 m thick Late Pleistocene red algal reef (Coralligène Facies), interpreted as being a coralligène de plateau, and its associated deposits. The Coralligène Facies, constructed mainly by Lithophyllum and Titanoderma, sits unconformably upon the Plio‐Pleistocene Rhodes Formation and is overlain by a Maerl Facies (2 m), a Mixed Siliciclastic‐Carbonate Facies (0·2 m) and an Aeolian Sand Facies (2·5 m). The three calcareous facies, of Heterozoan character, are correlated with established members in the Lindos Acropolis Formation in the north of the island, while the aeolian facies is assigned to the new Plimiri Aeolianite Formation. The palaeoenvironmental and genetic‐stratigraphic interpretations of these mixed siliciclastic‐carbonate temperate water deposits involved consideration of certain characteristics associated with siliciclastic shelf and tropical carbonate shelf models, such as vertical grain‐size trends and the stratigraphic position of zooxanthellate coral growths. Integration of these results with electron spin resonance dates of bivalve shells indicates that the Coralligène Facies was deposited during Marine Isotope Stage 6 to 5e transgressive event (ca 135 to 120 ka), in water depths of 20 to 50 m, and the overlying Maerl Facies was deposited during regression from Marine Isotope Stage 5e to 5d (ca 120 to 110 ka), at water depths of 25 to 40 m. The capping Aeolian Sand Facies, involving dual terrestrial subunits, is interpreted as having formed during each of the glacial intervals Marine Isotope Stages 4 (71 to 59 ka) and 2 (24 to 12 ka), with soil formation during the subsequent interglacial periods of Marine Isotope Stages 3 and 1, respectively. Accumulation rates of about 0·7 mm year^?1 are estimated for the Coralligène Facies and minimum accumulation rates of 0·2 mm year^?1 are estimated for the Maerl Facies. The existence of older red algal reefs in the Plimiri region during at least Marine Isotope Stages 7 (245 to 186 ka) and 9 (339 to 303 ka) is inferred from the occurrence of reworked coralligène‐type lithoclasts in the basal part of the section and from the electron spin resonance ages of transported bivalve shells.     

Methane‐related microbial gypsum calcitization in stromatolites of a marine evaporative setting (Münder Formation,Upper Jurassic,Hils Syncline,north Germany)

Fossil stromatolites may reveal information about their hydrochemical palaeoenvironment, provided that assignment to a specific microbial community and a corresponding biogeochemical mechanism of formation can be made. Tithonian stromatolites of the Münder Formation at Thüste, north Germany, have traditionally been considered as formed by intertidal cyanobacterial communities. However, thin sections of the stromatolites show elongated angular traces of former gypsum crystals in a dense arrangement, but no algal or cyanobacterial filament traces. Moreover, high Fe²⁺ and Mn²⁺ contents, oxygen‐isotope and sulphur‐isotope ratios of carbonate‐bound sulphates, and sulphurized hydrocarbon biomarkers of the stromatolitic carbonate indicate that CaCO₃ precipitation occurred near the oxic–anoxic interface as a result of intensive bacterial sulphur cycling rather than photosynthetic activity. Furthermore, anaerobic oxidation of methane by Archaea may have driven CaCO₃ precipitation in deeper parts of the biofilm community, as reflected by high concentrations of squalane with a strongly negative δ¹³C in conjunction with evaporite pseudomorphs showing extremely low δ¹³C_Carb ratios. Consequently, the Thüste stromatolites are now interpreted as having initially formed by gypsum impregnation of biofilms. Subsequently, early Mg‐calcitic calcitization within the biofilms occurred because of combined bacterial iron, manganese and sulphate reduction, with an increasing contribution of anaerobic oxidation of methane with depth. This model plausibly explains the prominent preservation of signals derived from oxygen‐independent metabolic pathways, whereas virtually no geochemical record exists for an aerobic community that may, nevertheless, have prevailed at the stromatolite surface. Photic‐zone stromatolites with a prominent signal of anaerobic oxidation of methane may be common in, and indicative of, oxygen‐depleted sulphate‐bearing environments with high rates of methane production, conditions that possibly were fulfilled at the Archaean to Proterozoic transition.     

Cenozoic Eucla Basin and associated palaeovalleys,southern Australia — Climatic and tectonic influences on landscape evolution,sedimentation and heavy mineral accumulation

The Eucla Basin including the vast Nullarbor Plain lies on the margins of the Yilgarn, Musgrave and Gawler cratons in southern Australia and owes its distinctive landscape to a unique set of interactions between eustatic, climatic and tectonic processes over the last ~ 50 Ma. Understanding of the history of the basin and the palaeovalleys that drained from the surrounding cratons are important because they contain major mineral deposits, and the sediments derived from them contain remobilised gold, uranium, and heavy minerals. In particular, a remarkably preserved palaeoshoreline sequence along the north-eastern margin of the Eucla Basin is highly prospective for heavy mineral placer deposits. The record of marine, marginal marine, estuarine, fluvial and lacustrine environments, as constrained mainly by an extensive borehole dataset, reflects major depositional events during the Palaeocene–Early Eocene, Middle–Late Eocene, Oligocene–Early Miocene, Middle Miocene–Early Pliocene and Pliocene–Quaternary. These events reflect the key role of eustatic sea-level variation which, during highstands, inundated the craton margins, flooding palaeovalleys to up to 400 km inboard of the present coastline. However, a systematic eastward migration of the depocentre across the Eucla Basin during the Neogene, together with apparent flow reversals in a number of palaeovalley systems draining the Gawler Craton, suggest that the Eucla Basin has also been subject to differential vertical movements, expressed as a west-side up, east-side down tilting of ~ 100–200 m. This differential movement forms part of a broader north-down–southwest-up dynamic topographic tilting of the Australian continent associated with relatively fast (6–7 cm/yr) northward plate motion since fast spreading commenced in the Southern Ocean at ~ 43 Ma. We suggest that the evolving dynamic topography field has played a key role in facilitating development of placer deposits, largely through multistage, eastward reworking of near-shore sequences during highstand transgressive cycles on a progressively tilting platform under the influence of persistent westerly weather systems.     

A Pliocene mega-tsunami deposit and associated features in the Ranquil Formation,southern Chile

An exceptionally large tsunami affected the coastline of southern Chile during the Pliocene. Its backflow eroded coarse beach and coastal dune sediments and redistributed them over the continental shelf and slope. Sandstone dykes and sills injected from the base of the resulting hyperconcentrated flow into underlying cohesive muds, assisted in plucking up large blocks of the latter and incorporating them into the flow. Locally, the rip-up intraclasts were fragmented further by smaller-scale injections to form a distinct breccia of angular to rounded mudstone clasts within a medium to coarse sandstone matrix. Sandstone sills in places mimic normal sedimentary beds, complete with structures resembling inverse gradation, planar laminae, as well as ripple and trough cross-lamination. These were probably formed by internal sediment flow and shear stress as the semi-liquefied sand was forcefully injected into cracks. In borehole cores, such sills can easily be misinterpreted as normal sedimentary beds, which can have important implications for hydrocarbon exploration.     

Some types of small clinoforms in latest continental deposits

Some rare types of small clinoforms found in the latest continental deposits of lowland platform and mountain regions are described. The clinoforms are represented by prodelta deposits of mountain lakes, oblique-bedded horizons of floodplain alluvium of strongly meandering rivers, thick and short lenses of mountain alluvium, and alluvium horizons of great lowland rivers with oblique bedding grading into horizontal bedding. Such structures bear information on paleogeographic, morphological, and lithodynamic features of continental sedimentation.     

The Mordor Alkaline Igneous Complex,Central Australia: PGE-enriched disseminated sulfide layers in cumulates from a lamprophyric magma

The Mordor Alkaline Igneous Complex (MAIC) is a composite intrusion comprising a body of syenite and a funnel-shaped layered mafic–ultramafic intrusion of lamprophyric parentage, the Mordor Mafic–Ultramafic Intrusion or MMUI. The MMUI is highly unusual among intrusions of lamprophyric or potassic parentage in containing primary magmatic platinum-group element (PGE)-enriched sulfides. The MMUI sequence consists largely of phlogopite-rich pyroxenitic cumulates, with an inward dipping conformable layer of olivine-bearing cumulates divisible into a number of cyclic units. Stratiform-disseminated sulfide accumulations are of two types: disseminated layers at the base of cyclic units, with relatively high PGE tenors; and patchy PGE-poor disseminations within magnetite-bearing upper parts of cyclic units. Sulfide-enriched layers at cycle bases contain anomalous platinum group element contents with grades up to 1.5 g/t Pt+Pd+Au over 1-m intervals, returning to background values of low parts per billion (ppb) on a meter scale. They correspond to reversals in normal fractionation trends and are interpreted as the result of new magma influxes into a continuously replenished magma chamber. Basal layers have decoupled Cu and PGE peaks reflecting increasing PGE tenors up-section, due to increasing R factors during the replenishment episode, or progressive mixing of between resident PGE-poor magma and more PGE-enriched replenishing magma. The presence of PGE enriched sulfides in cumulates from a lamprophyric magma implies that low-degree partial melts do not necessarily leave sulfides and PGEs in the mantle restite during partial melting. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Fluid and source magma evolution of the Questa porphyry Mo deposit,New Mexico,USA

Combined fluid inclusion microthermometry and microanalysis by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) are used to constrain the hydrothermal processes forming a typical Climax-type porphyry Mo deposit. Molybdenum mineralisation at Questa occurred in two superimposed hydrothermal stages, a magmatic-hydrothermal breccia and later stockwork veining. In both stages, texturally earliest fluids were single-phase, of low salinity (~7 wt.% NaCl_equiv.) and intermediate-density. Upon decompression to ~300 bar, they boiled off a vapour phase, leaving behind a residual brine (up to 45 wt.% NaCl_equiv) at temperatures of ~420°C. The highest average Mo concentrations in this hot brine were ~500 μg/g, exceeding the Mo content of the intermediate-density input fluid by about an order of magnitude and reflecting pre-concentration of Mo by fluid phase separation prior to MoS₂ deposition from the brine. Molybdenum concentrations in brine inclusions, then, decrease down to 5 μg/g, recording Mo precipitation in response to cooling of the saline liquid to ~360°C. Molybdenite precipitation from a dense, residual and probably sulphide-depleted brine is proposed to explain the tabular shape of the ore body and the absence of Cu-Fe sulphides in contrast to the more common Cu-Mo deposits related to porphyry stocks. Cesium and Rb concentrations in the single-phase fluids of the breccia range from 2 to 8 and from 40 to 65 μg/g, respectively. In the stockwork veins, Cs and Rb concentrations are significantly higher (45–90 and 110–230 μg/g, respectively). Because Cs and Rb are incompatible and hydrothermally non-reactive elements, the systematic increase in their concentration requires two distinct pulses of fluid exsolution from a progressively more fractionated magma. By contrast, major element and ore metal concentrations of these two fluid pulses remain essentially constant. Mass balance calculations using fluid chemical data from LA-ICPMS suggest that at least 25 km³ of melt and 7 Gt of deep input fluid were necessary to provide the amount of Mo contained in the stockwork vein stage alone. While the absolute amounts of fluid and melt are uncertain, the well-constrained element ratios in the fluids together with empirical fluid/melt partition coefficients derived from the inclusion analyses suggest a high water content of the source melt of ~10%. In line with other circumstantial evidence, these results suggest that initial fluid exsolution may have occurred at a confining pressure exceeding 5 kbar. The source of the molybdenum-mineralising fluids probably was a particularly large magma chamber that crystallised and fractionated in the lower crust or at mid-crustal level, well below the shallow intrusions immediately underlying Questa and other porphyry molybdenum deposits. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Anhydrite pseudomorphs and the origin of stratiform Cu–Co ores in the Katangan Copperbelt (Democratic Republic of Congo)

The stratiform Cu–Co ore mineralisation in the Katangan Copperbelt consists of dispersed sulphides and sulphides in nodules and lenses, which are often pseudomorphs after evaporites. Two types of pseudomorphs can be distinguished in the nodules and lenses. In type 1 examples, dolomite precipitated first and was subsequently replaced by Cu–Co sulphides and authigenic quartz, whereas in type 2 examples, authigenic quartz and Cu–Co sulphides precipitated prior to dolomite and are coarse-grained. The sulphur isotopic composition of the copper–cobalt sulphides in the type 1 pseudomorphs is between −10.3 and 3.1‰ relative to the Vienna Canyon Diablo Troilite, indicating that the sulphide component was derived from bacterial sulphate reduction (BSR). The generation of during this process caused the precipitation and replacement of anhydrite by dolomite. A second product of BSR is the generation of H₂S, resulting in the precipitation of Cu–Co sulphides from the mineralising fluids. Initial sulphide precipitation occurred along the rim of the pseudomorphs and continued towards the core. Precipitation of authigenic quartz was most likely induced by a pH decrease during sulphide precipitation. Fluid inclusion data from quartz indicate the presence of a high-salinity (8–18 eq. wt.% NaCl) fluid, possibly derived from evaporated seawater which migrated through the deep subsurface. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of dolomite in type 1 nodules range between 0.71012 and 0.73576, significantly more radiogenic than the strontium isotopic composition of Neoproterozoic marine carbonates (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.7056–0.7087). This suggests intense interaction with siliciclastic sedimentary rocks and/or the granitic basement. The low carbon isotopic composition of the dolomite in the pseudomorphs (−7.02 and −9.93‰ relative to the Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite, V-PDB) compared to the host rock dolomite (−4.90 and +1.31‰ V-PDB) resulted from the oxidation of organic matter during BSR.     

Late Carboniferous porphyry copper mineralization at La Voluntad,Neuquén,Argentina: Constraints from Re–Os molybdenite dating

The La Voluntad porphyry Cu–Mo deposit in Neuquén, Argentina, is one of several poorly known porphyry-type deposits of Paleozoic to Early Jurassic age in the central and southern Andes. Mineralization at La Voluntad is related to a tonalite porphyry from the Chachil Plutonic Complex that intruded metasedimentary units of the Piedra Santa Complex. Five new Re–Os molybdenite ages from four samples representing three different vein types (i.e., quartz–molybdenite, quartz–sericite–molybdenite and quartz–sericite–molybdenite ± chalcopyrite–pyrite) are identical within error and were formed between ~312 to ~316 Ma. Rhenium and Os concentrations range between 34 to 183 ppm and 112 to 599 ppb, respectively. The new Re–Os ages indicate that the main mineralization event at La Voluntad, associated to sericitic alteration, was emplaced during a time span of 1.7 ± 3.2 Ma and that the deposit is Carboniferous in age, not Permian as previously thought. La Voluntad is the oldest porphyry copper deposit so far recognized in the Andes and indicates the presence of an active magmatic arc, with associated porphyry style mineralization, at the proto-Pacific margin of Gondwana during the Early Pennsylvanian.     

Giant submarine landslide grooves in the Neoproterozoic/Lower Cambrian Phe Formation, northwest Himalaya: Mechanisms of formation and palaeogeographic implications

Giant groove casts have been found in the upper Proterozoic to Lower Cambrian Phe Formation (Haimanta Group), a siliciclastic sandstone/shale succession in the Tethyan Zone of the Higher Himalaya tectonic unit. The grooves are among the largest linear erosion structures related to submarine mass-movements observed in the geologic record. They are up to 4 m wide, about 0.2 m deep and can be traced for more than 35 m without changing their character. The grooves are straight, subparallel to cross-cutting striations with shallow semi-circular cross-sections and well-defined superimposed minor ridges and grooves. Groove casts exist on the soles of several sandstone beds within a 73 m thick logged section, commonly associated with flute casts. Their characteristics were compared with several other types of ancient and modern submarine linear erosion structures. A sand-rich, non-channelized basin floor depositional environment is inferred from the lithofacies, the combination of sedimentary structures, the lack of coarse-grained pebbly facies, the lateral continuity of beds, and the lack of channel structures. The grooves probably formed by laminar debris flows/concentrated density flows dragging blocks of already lithified sediment across the basin floor. When the bedding is structurally rotated back to horizontal, the groove casts show consistent North–South oriented palaeocurrent trends, with South-directed palaeocurrent directions indicated by flute casts. These palaeocurrent orientations contrast with previous palaeogeographic reconstructions of this area, which propose sediment delivery from the South. We therefore suggest a new “double provenance” model for the spatial relationship of late Proterozoic to Early Cambrian strata of the Himalaya, in which Lesser and Tethyan Himalayan age-equivalent sediment was deposited in a connected basin, where the former received detritus from the South, and the latter from a hitherto unknown source in the North. One possible candidate for this northern source is the South China Block and an associated Neoproterozoic volcanic arc.