Meta-igneous origin of Hercynian peraluminous granites in N.W. French Massif Central: implications for crustal history reconstructions

Seventy samples of Hercynian peraluminous granites (Guéret, Millevaches and Saint Sylvestre massifs) and metamorphic units of the Limousin area were analysed for Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd. The source rocks of the peraluminous granites can be found in the metamorphic rocks of Limousin, among them meta-igneous rocks were largely predominent over meta-sedimentary rocks in the source of the three granites. Millevaches and Guéret granites were generated by the partial melting of rocks comprising meta-volcanics and meta-sediments, whereas the Saint Sylvestre granite was produced exclusively by the melting of late Precambrian granites. This leads to confusing T _DM ^Nd values, the confusion being amplified by the segregation of monazite during the petrogenetic evolution of the peraluminous granites, which leads to dramatic fractionation in Sm/Nd ratios. The data of the present study tend to demonstrate that peraluminous granites do not give a good representation of isotopic mean crustal estimates. Late Precambrian time seems, however, to have been a period of extensive crustal generation in Western Europe.     

The distribution of halogens and carbon in PGE-bearing ultramafics of the Acoje ophiolite block, Zambales, Philippines

Evidence for redistribution of Pt and Pd in the Acoje ultramafic rocks led to an investigation of the role of Cl, Br, F, I and C in Pt and Pd transport in hydrothermal solution. Anomalously high contents of 300–1000 ppm Cl, 3 ppm Br, up to 50 ppm F, 180–380 ppm I and 300–3300 ppm C are characteristic of the Acoje ultramafic rocks. The Cl and Br concentrations are restricted to serpentinized dunites and a positive correlation between Br and Cl indicate their common origin and their introduction during serpentinization. The ratios Br/Cl,F/Cl, and I/Cl correspond to those of sediments that contain seawater which suggests that Cl, Br and I were partly expelled from deep sea sediments during emplacement of the ophiolite. Fluorine could have been derived from mantle material.Carbon occurs in fluid inclusions in olivines as CO₂, CO or CH₄ and/or submicroscopic graphite. The high C content in serpentinized dunites suggests that C, at least in part, is also of serpentinization origin.Chlorine is mainly incorporated into Fe-rich serpentines and Ca-amphiboles. Very low F concentration in hydrous phases is common, except in serpentines from pyroxenes, pargasites and edenites. Brucite is finely dispersed in serpentines derived from olivines, indicating low CO₂-activity during brucite formation and a pH of about 11.The presence of Pt and Pd tellurides, arsenides and bismuthides and the absence of selenides, in spite of elevated Se concentrations in bulk analyses of about 5 ppm, indicates that the stability conditions for selenide formation were not obtained during alteration. The formation of Pt and Pd halogen complexes, requiring highly oxidizing (f_O2 > hematite-magnetite boundary (HM)) and acid environments is not favoured for Pt and Pd transport in Acoje ultramafics. An redistribution caused by the solubility reduction of Pt and Pd by Te, Bi and As and a precipitation of their intermetallic phases is proposed. No correlation between Cl and PGE-bearing rock units was observed, which indicates the minor role of halogens during redistribution of Pt and Pd in the Acoje ophiolite.     

Mercury dispersion halos as ore guides for massive sulfide deposits,West Shasta district,California

In the West Shasta district, California, flat-lying deposits of massive pyrite containing chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena, and tetrahedrite occur within a section of unmineralized rhyolites and tuffs. Mercury was determined in residual soils derived from apparently unmineralized rocks at stratigraphic levels from 50 to 200 feet over known ore at the Early Bird, Keystone, and Mammoth mines. In each case, pronounced mercury anomalies were found. The mercury content of anomalous soils ranges up to 340 ppb (parts per billion, 10^–9 g/g) over a background of 20 to 60 ppb.

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Zusammenfassung Geochemische Untersuchungen im West-Shasta-Distrikt (California/USA) zeigten, daß über den bekannten, aber verborgenen Erzkörpern der Early Bird, der Keystone-und der Mammoth-Mine Quecksilber-Anomalien in Residualböden auftreten. Die flach liegenden, linsenförmigen Erzkörper bestehen aus massivem Pyrit, kleineren Mengen Kupferkies und untergeordnet Bleiglanz, Zinkblende, Fahlerz, Magnetkies und Magnetit. Sie werden von unmineralisierten Rhyolith- und Tuffhorizonten überlagert, die im Bereich der untersuchten Vorkommen etwa 20 bis 70 m mächtig sind. Anomale Bodenproben enthalten bis zu 340 ppb Quecksilber. Die Untergrund-Werte liegen in einem Bereich zwischen 20 und 60 ppb Hg.

     

Paläomagnetische Komplexuntersuchungen an Eruptiv- und Sedimentgesteinen des Böhmischen Massivs

Summary Complex methods, used at Potsdam since 1960 [4, 5, 6]³), nowadays are successfully tried for paleomagnetic studies also. Results in this direction in the following are discussed in detail.     

The Archean BIF-hosted Cuiabá Gold deposit, Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Minas Gerais, Brazil

The Cuiabá Gold Deposit is located in the northern part of the Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The region constitutes an Archean granite–greenstone terrane composed of a basement complex (ca. 3.2 Ga), the Rio das Velhas Supergroup greenstone sequence, and related granitoids (3.0–2.7 Ga), which are overlain by the Proterozoic supracrustal sequences of the Minas (< 2.6–2.1  Ga) and Espinhaço (1.7 Ga) supergroups.The stratigraphy of the Cuiabá area is part of the Nova Lima Group, which forms the lower part of the Rio das Velhas Supergroup. The lithological succession of the mine area comprises, from bottom to top, lower mafic metavolcanics intercalated with carbonaceous metasedimentary rocks, the gold-bearing Cuiabá-Banded Iron Formation (BIF), upper mafic metavolcanics and volcanoclastics and metasedimentary rocks. The metamorphism reached the greenschist facies. Tectonic structures of the deposit area are genetically related to deformation phases D₁, D₂, D₃, which took place under crustal compression representing one progressive deformational event (E_n).The bulk of the economic-grade gold mineralization is related to six main ore shoots, contained within the Cuiabá BIF horizon, which range in thickness between 1 and 6 m. The BIF-hosted gold orebodies (> 4 ppm Au) represent sulfide-rich segments of the Cuiabá BIF, which grade laterally into non-economic mineralized or barren iron formation. Transitions from sulfide-rich to sulfide-poor BIF are indicated by decreasing gold grades from over 60 ppm to values below the fire assay detection limit in sulfide-poor portions. The deposit is “gold-only”, and shows a characteristic association of Au with Ag, As, Sb and low base-metal contents. The gold is fine grained (up to 60 μm), and is generally associated with sulfide layers, occurring as inclusions, in fractures or along grain boundaries of pyrite, the predominant sulfide mineral (> 90 vol.%). Gold is characterized by an average fineness of 0.840 and a large range of fineness (0.759 to 0.941).The country rocks to the mineralized BIF show strong sericite, carbonate and chlorite alteration, typical of greenschist facies metamorphic conditions. Textures observed on microscopic to mine scales indicate that the mineralized Cuiabá BIF is the result of sulfidation involving pervasive replacement of Fe-carbonates (siderite–ankerite) by Fe-sulfides. Gold mineralization at Cuiabá shows various features reported for Archean gold–lode deposits including the: (1) association of gold mineralization with Fe-rich host rocks; (2) strong structural control of the gold orebodies, showing remarkable down-plunge continuity (> 3 km) relative to strike length and width (up to 20 m); (3) epigenetic nature of the mineralization, with sulfidation as the major wall–rock alteration and directly associated with gold deposition; (4) geochemical signature, with mineralization showing consistent metal associations (Au–Ag–As–Sb and low base metal), which is compatible with metamorphic fluids.