Intersections linéamentaires et minéralisation dans les Montagnes Rocheuses de l'Amérique du Nord

Lineament intersections of the humid and semi-arid climates are described, analyzed and compared as much for their occurrences and patterns exhibited as for their relationship to mineralization. For each environment, the mineralized intersections are compared with each other first, then compared with barren intersections. While lineament intersections in a humid climate are quite complex, being formed by an aggregation of several “sub-intersections” (with a mine that may occur within several kilometers from one of these secondary centers), the intersections in the semiarid climate were until this time considered to be rather simple and very sharply marked in the field (with a deposit that may occur from 0 to 1 kilometer at the most from a center). This observation remains valid but the apparent contradiction resolves itself when it is accepted, from experience gained in the humid environment, that the axes of the very broad sandy valleys of the semi-arid country without any doubt must represent lineaments of major importance. It results that intersections of such lineaments have been buried for millions of years, leaving only those intersections of lesser importance still visible now on the eroded mountains. Mining deposits in this environment must therefore be considered as occurring around and very close to lineament intersections of a secondary or third order represented most of the time by well-marked faults. A revision of the lineament theories in the semi-arid climate is in order prior to any further interpretation. A mining exploration technique in the humid environment can tentatively be presented by the fact that the elements of lineament structure are so much more easily detected than in the semi-arid environment.     

Evolution cristallochimique des amphiboles dans la série granitique de Fort-Trinquet (Mauritanie)

The precambrian postorogenic pluton of the Fort-Trinquet area (Northern Mauretania) is composed by a series of granitic rocks in which amphiboles are the characteristic mafic minerals. Twenty six amphiboles have been separated and chemically analysed; the optical properties and the unit-cell data are also given.The crystallographic and chemical differences between these minerals reflect the variations in bulk composition of the host-rocks. In the plutonic suite, two igneous trends have been recognized: 1) a granitic trend (quartz monzonite-adamellite-granite) and 2) a syenitic trend (syenite-quartz bearing syenite-alkali granite). The amphiboles of the first trend belong to the tremolite-hastingsite series; they become richer in hastingsite mole with increasing proportion of quartz and decreasing Mg/(Mg+Fe) ratio in the rocks. The granitoids of the second trend are characterized by the occurrence of two amphiboles: a primary prismatic green-coloured actinolitic hornblende generally surrounded by a dark blue rim of riebeckite composition; the riebeckite may also form some acicular crystals associated to needles of stilpnomelane. These coexisting amphiboles would result from autometasomatic reactions which affected the rocks of the syenitic trend and which gave rise to the late alkali pegmatites where the constituent is a low arfvedsonitic riebeckite. The major substitutions involved in that amphibole transformation are Na^x R³⁺Ca^x R²⁺ and Na^xSiCa^xAl^IV.Comparison with experimental data allows to estimate the physical conditions during the emplacement and the tardimagmatic evolution of this granitoid series.     

Les degats radiatifs dans le charbon uranifere du schaentzel

Résumé L'étude minéragraphique et autoradiographique du charbon du Schaentzel montre le caractère surimposé de la minéralisation d'uranium, son mode d'introduction et de fixation. On a observé une très faible activité du charbon dépourvu d'inclusions ou de fissures, ainsi qu'une relation entre l'augmentation locale de la réflectivité et la quantité d'uranium.

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Mineragraphic and autoradiographic study of the Schaentzel coal shows the superposed character of the uranium mineralization and its mode of introduction and fixation. One observes a very low activity of coal, devoid of inclusions or fractures, and a relationship between the local increase of reflectivity and quantity of uranium.

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Zusammenfassung Eine erzmikroskopische und Kernemulsionsplatte Untersuchung der Schaentzel Kohle zeigt den sekundären Charakter der Uranvererzung, die Art ihrer Zufuhr und Ablagerung. Es konnte eine sehr schwache Aktivität der Einschluß- bzw. spaltfreien Kohle, sowie eine Beziehung zwischen den örtlichen Ansteigen des Reflexionsvermögen und der Uranmenge beobachtet werden.

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Etude de la repartition du manganese dans le Devonien Superieur de las Cabesses (Ariège)

The authors have studied the distribution of Si, Al, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Ti, Ba, Cu, Ni éléments in Griotte upper devonian limestone by spectrography and polarography and have revealed a double correlation:

1. 1.
   Mn⁴⁺ - Ba confirmed as a result of the examination by Castaing microprobe micro fissures in which manganese has collected.     

Global Secular Dynamics in the Planar Three-Body Problem

We use the global construction which was made in [6, 7] of the secular systems of the planar three-body problem, with regularized double inner collisions. These normal forms describe the slow deformations of the Keplerian ellipses which each of the bodies would describe if it underwent the universal attraction of only one fictitious other body. They are parametrized by the masses and the semi-major axes of the bodies and are completely integrable on a fixed transversally Cantor set of the parameter space. We study this global integrable dynamics reduced by the symmetry of rotation and determine its bifurcation diagram when the semi-major axes ratio is small enough. In particular it is shown that there are some new secular hyperbolic or elliptic singularities, some of which do not belong to the subset of aligned ellipses. The bifurcation diagram may be used to prove the existence of some new families of 2-, 3- or 4-frequency quasiperiodic motions in the planar three-body problem [7], as well as some drift orbits in the planar n-body problem [8].     

Discovery of the Paleo-Tethys residual peridotites along the Anyemaqen–KunLun suture zone (North Tibet)

The spinel peridotite from the Anyemaqen suture contains ?5% residual clinopyroxene and is characterized by a high abundance of the magmaphile elements Fe, Al and Ti in the primary mineral phases. Our data demonstrate that this rock represents residual mantle material, which has been affected by less than 10% partial melting prior to its emplacement. Its textural features indicate that the rock has been plastically deformed in a non-coaxial regime under lithospheric physical conditions at a relatively cool thermal regime below solidus temperature. We suggest that the peridotites from the Anyemaqen suture represent mantle material, which was either emplaced during incipient rifting on the Palaeozoic passive margin of Asia, or uplifted at slow spreading ridge setting in Paleo-Tethyan Ocean. Further researches are needed to make a definite choice between these two alternatives. To cite this article: E.A. Konstantinovskaia et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).     

Boiling and vertical mineralization zoning: a case study from the Apacheta low-sulfidation epithermal gold-silver deposit, southern Peru

The Au-Ag (-Pb-Zn) Apacheta deposit is located in the Shila district, 600 km southeast of Lima in the Cordillera Occidental of Arequipa Province, southern Peru. The vein mineralization is found in Early to Middle Miocene calc-alkaline lava flows and volcanic breccias. Both gangue and sulfide mineralization express a typical low-sulfidation system; assay data show element zoning with base metals enriched at depth and higher concentrations of precious metals in the upper part of the veins. Three main deposition stages are observed: (1) early pyrite and base-metal sulfides with minor electrum 1 and acanthite; (2) brecciation of this mineral assemblage and cross-cutting veinlets with subhedral quartz crystals, Mn-bearing calcite and rhombic adularia crystals; and finally (3) veinlets and geodal filling of an assemblage of tennantite/tetrahedrite + colorless sphalerite 2 + galena + chalcopyrite + electrum 2. Fluid inclusions in the mineralized veins display two distinct types: aqueous-carbonic liquid-rich Lw-c inclusions, and aqueous-carbonic vapor-rich Vw-c inclusions. Microthermometric data indicate that the ore minerals were deposited between 300 and 225 °C from relatively dilute hydrothermal fluids (0.6-3.4 wt% NaCl). The physical and chemical characteristics of the hydrothermal fluids show a vertical evolution, with in particular a drop in temperature and a loss of H₂S. The presence of adularia and platy calcite and of co-existing liquid-rich and vapor-rich inclusions in the ore-stage indicates a boiling event. Strong H₂S enrichment in the Vw-c inclusions observed at -200 m, the abundance of platy calcite, and the occurrence of hydrothermal breccia at this level may indicate a zone of intense boiling. The vertical element zoning observed in the Apacheta deposit thus seems to be directly related to the vertical evolution of hydrothermal-fluid characteristics. Precious-metal deposition mainly occurred above the 200-m level below the present-day surface, in response to a liquid/vapor phase separation due to an upward boiling front.     

Les minéraux techniques naturels : connaissance,typologie et propriétés d'usageNatural technical minerals: investigation,typology and utilisation properties

By nature minerals are heterogeneous materials for many of their properties. These properties also vary according to composition and structure fluctuations, compared to definitions. Technical minerals are used in applications where their performances depend on intrinsic properties and processing conditions. It is possible to base rankings on simple criteria, allowing estimating the abilities of minerals for each utilisation. The research of the corresponding mechanisms concerns the molecular level. These questions are discussed for kaolins, raw materials for baked clays, talqueous materials and montmorillonites. To cite this article: J. Yvon et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 717–730.