Evidence for Multistage and Polychronous Alkaline–Ultrabasic Mesozoic Magmatism in the Area of Diamondiferous Placers of the Ebelyakh River Basin (Eastern Slope of the Anabar Shield)

Doklady Earth Sciences - New mineralogical and isotope–geochemical data for zircon megacrysts (n = 48) from alluvium of Kholomolokh Creek (a tributary of the Ebelakh River) are reported....     

Precambrian microcontinents of the Ural-Mongolian Belt: New paleomagnetic and geochronological data

The knowledge on the early stages of evolution of the Ural-Mongolian Belt (UMB) (Late Neoproterozoic-Cambrian) is a key for understanding of its evolution in the Paleozoic. Unfortunately, this stage remains poorly studied. The tectonic reconstructions of the UMB for this time primarily depend on the views on the kinematics and tectonic evolution of numerous sialic massifs with Precambrian basement in the structure of the Tien Shan, Kazakhstan, Altai, and Mongolia. At present, the concept of the origin of these massifs is largely based on the lithostratigraphic similarity of the Neoproterozoic and Lower Paleozoic sections of the Tarim, South China, and Siberian platforms with coeval sections of Precambrian massifs within the UMB. New paleomagnetic and geochronological data can serve as additional sources of information on the origin and paleotectonic position of the microcontinents. In this paper, we present new isotopic datings and a new paleomagnetic determination for the Neoproterozoic volcanic rocks of the Zabhan Formation from the Baydrag microcontinent in central Mongolia. It is established that 805−770 Ma ago (U-Pb LA-MC-ICP-MS age of zircon) the Baydrag microcontinent was situated at a latitude of 47 ± 14° in the Northern or Southern hemisphere. These data provide new insights into the possible origin of the Precambrian micro-continents in the UMB. Analysis of paleomagnetic data and comparison of the age of the basement beneath various plates allow us to state rather confidently that ∼800 Ma ago the micro-continents of the UMB belonged to one of the North Rodinian plates: Indian, Tarim, or South China; their Australian origin is less probable.     

Inclusions of Cr- and Cr–Nb-Rutile in pyropes from the Internatsionalnaya kimberlite pipe,Yakutia

The results of study of rutile inclusions in pyrope from the Internatsionalnaya kimberlite pipe are presented. Rutile is characterized by unusually high contents of impurities (up to 25 wt %). The presence of Cr₂O₃ (up to 9.75 wt %) and Nb₂O₅ (up to 15.57 wt %) are most typical. Rutile inclusions often occur in assemblage with Ti-rich oxides: picroilmenite and crichtonite group minerals. The Cr-pyropes with inclusions of rutile, picroilmenite, and crichtonite group minerals were formed in the lithospheric mantle beneath the Mirnyi field during their joint crystallization from melts enriched in Fe, Ti, and other incompatible elements as a result of metasomatic enrichment of the depleted lithospheric mantle.     

Inclusions of crichtonite group minerals in pyropes from the Internatsionalnaya kimberlite pipe,Yakutia

The results of study of crichtonite group minerals in pyropes from the Internatsionalnaya kimberlite pipe are reported. Most of the studied samples are characterized by high concentrations of Sr, Ca, Na, and LREEs in comparison with minerals of the LIMA series from kimberlites of South Africa, whereas the average concentrations of Ba and K are significantly lower. Crichtonite group minerals in pyropes are characterized by predomination of Na over K in most samples and by a high concentration of Al₂O₃ (up to 4.5 wt %). Findings of inclusions of crichtonite group minerals with high concentrations of incompatible elements provide evidence for the metasomatic origin of host chromium-rich pyropes.