Distribution of Precambrian iron and gold deposits on the southwestern East European Platform reflected in underlying transcrustal structure and current river systems

The East European Platform is underlain by Archaean and Proterozoic complexes of the East European Craton. In the southwest these are locally exposed in the Ukrainian Shield and the Voronezh Massif on either side of the ca. 2000 km long ESE-striking late Palaeozoic Pripyat–Dniepr–Donets rift. Evaluation with Landsat imagery of 1 : 1,000,000 scale published maps of the Precambrian complexes [Zaritsky, A.I., Galetsky, L.S. (Eds.), 1992. Geology and Metallogeny of the Southwest of the East-European Platform Map Series, 1 : 1,000,000, Ukrainian State Committee on Geology and Utilization of Mineral Resources, Kiev.] is largely obstructed by a cover of post-Palaeozoic sediments and soils of variable thickness. This obstruction is aggravated by an almost continuous patchwork of farmlands. However, analysis of the current drainage patterns in the Dniepr River basin and surrounding regions reveals a spatial coincidence of numerous stream courses and watersheds with previously inferred steep, transcrustal discontinuities of most probably Precambrian age.Transcrustal dislocations constituted important pathways for heat and fluids as is indicated by the distribution of a large proportion of assumed Early Proterozoic hydrothermal iron and gold deposits along them. This distribution is underpinned by the spatial coincidence of mineralization and elongate areas of highly irregular magnetization attributed to uneven distribution of hydrothermal magnetite in banded iron formation. In view of the extent of these dislocations, both vertically and laterally, the generation of hydrothermal fluid flow, emplacement of mantle-sourced magma and associated mineral potential away from banded iron formation complexes is likely. A second group of gold deposits, of Archaean age, is known to occur in association with still recognizable volcanic edifices in greenstone complexes. It is not known if and to what extent such Archaean gold deposits are related to these major transcrustal discontinuities. The kinematics and dynamics of these dislocations and pathways appear largely unknown and deserve high-priority investigation. The geological longevity of the transcrustal dislocation framework till the present day inferred from the current drainage systems is corroborated, however, by repeated regional topographical levelling surveys.     

Flow separation at the inner (convex) and outer (concave) banks of constant‐width and widening open‐channel bends

There is a paucity of data and insight in the mechanisms of, and controls on flow separation and recirculation at natural sharply‐curved river bends. Herein we report on successful laboratory experiments that elucidate flow structure in one constant‐width bend and a second bend with an outer‐bank widening. The experiments were performed with both a flat immobile gravel bed and mobile sand bed with dominant bedload sediment transport. In the constant‐width bend with immobile bed, a zone of mainly horizontal flow separation (vertical rotational axis) formed at the inner bank that did not contain detectable flow recirculation, and an outer‐bank cell of secondary flow with streamwise oriented rotational axis. Surprisingly, the bend with widening at the outer bank and immobile bed did not lead to a transverse expansion of the flow. Rather, flow in the outer‐bank widening weakly recirculated around a vertical axis and hardly interacted with the inner part of the bend, which behaved as a constant‐width bend. In the mobile bed experiment, downstream of the bend apex a pronounced depositional bar developed at the inside of the bend and pronounced scour occurred at the outside. Moreover the deformed bed promoted flow separation over the bar, including return currents. In the constant‐width bend, the topographic steering impeded the generation of an outer‐bank cell of secondary flow. In the bend with outer‐bank widening, the topographic steering induced an outward expansion of the flow, whereby the major part of the discharge was conveyed in the central part of the widening section. Flow in the outer‐bank widening was highly three dimensional and included return currents near the bottom. In conclusion, the experiments elucidated three distinct processes of flow separation common in sharp bends: flow separation at the inner bank, an outer‐bank cell of secondary flow, and flow separation and recirculation in an outer‐bank widening. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pb isotopic constraints on the formation of the Dikulushi Cu–Pb–Zn–Ag mineralisation, Kundelungu Plateau (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Base metal–Ag mineralisation at Dikulushi and in other deposits on the Kundelungu Plateau (Democratic Republic of Congo) developed during two episodes. Subeconomic Cu–Pb–Zn–Fe polysulphide ores were generated during the Lufilian Orogeny (c. 520 Ma ago) in a set of E–W- and NE–SW-oriented faults. Their lead has a relatively unradiogenic and internally inhomogeneous isotopic composition (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.07–18.49), most likely generated by mixing of Pb from isotopically heterogeneous clastic sources. These sulphides were remobilised and enriched after the Lufilian Orogeny, along reactivated and newly formed NE–SW-oriented faults into a chalcocite-dominated Cu–Ag mineralisation of high economic interest. The chalcocite samples contain only trace amounts of lead and show mostly radiogenic Pb isotope signatures that fall along a linear trend in the ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb vs. ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb diagram (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.66–23.65; ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.72–16.02). These anomalous characteristics reflect a two-stage evolution involving admixture of both radiogenic lead and uranium during a young fluid event possibly c. 100 Ma ago. The Pb isotope systematics of local host rocks to mineralisation also indicate some comparable young disturbance of their U–Th–Pb systems, related to the same event. They could have provided Pb with sufficiently radiogenic compositions that was added to less radiogenic Pb remobilised from precursor Cu–Pb–Zn–Fe polysulphides, whereas the U most likely originated from external sources. Local metal sources are also suggested by the ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb–²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb systematics of combined ore and rock lead, which indicate a pronounced and diversified lithological control of the immediate host rocks on the chalcocite-dominated Cu–Ag ores. The Pb isotope systematics of polysulphide mineralisation on the Kundelungu Plateau clearly record a diachronous evolution.