Relations between metamorphism and orogeny in a typical section of the Indian Himalayas

Summary A comprehensive geological and petrological investigation has been undertaken in an area of about 10 000 km² in the Indian Himalaya (S-Lahul, Himachal Pradesh). The development of mineral assemblages in metamorphic rocks of medium grade is considered to be a dominant Alpine event, although almost exclusively Paleozoic and Precambrian rocks have been involved. The Barrowian type of this metamorphism, ranging from the anchi- to the sillimanite zone, took place under the elavated T-gradient of about 4°C/100 m. It is suggested that normal geothermal conditions prevailed only in the outermost zone of this orogenic belt. In the Late Tertiary this metamorphic series has been moved as a huge nappe upon the Lower Himalaya. During this process a unique feature of reverse metamorphism has been formed. It can be shown that this feature was caused by a combination of metamorphism and very rapid tectonic movements.

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Beziehungen zwischen Metamorphose und Orogenese in einem typischen Querschnitt des Indischen Himalaya

Zusammenfassung Ein etwa 10 000 km² großes Gebiet des Indischen Himalaya (S-Lahul, Himachal Pradesh) wurde einer umfassenden geologischen und petrographischen Bearbeitung unterzogen. Die Ausbildung der in den mittelgradig metamorphen Gesteinen vorliegenden Mineralparagenesen wird als ein dominant alpines Ereignis betrachtet, obwohl fast nur paläozoische und präkambrische Gesteine einbezogen wurden. Die Metamorphose selbst ist von Barrow-Typus und reicht von der Anchi- bis zur Sillimanitzone. Sie fand unter einem erhöhten Temperaturgradienten von etwa 4°C/100 m statt. Nur in der äußersten Zone des Orogens entsprach der Gradient etwa normalen geothermischen Verhältnissen. Im Spättertiär wurde diese alpin-metamorphe Serie in Form einer mächtigen Kristallindecke dem Niedrigen Himalaya aufgeschoben. Dabei wurde eine einzigartige Zone inverser Metamorphose ausgebildet. Es konnte gezeigt werden, daß diese inverse Metamorphose durch das Zusammenwirken von Metamorphose und sehr rasch ablaufender Tektonik entstand.

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With 13 Figures

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Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c.B. Sander on the occasion of his 90th birthday.     

The variation of tetrahedral bond lengths in sodic plagioclase feldspars

Multiple linear regression analysis has been applied to the geometric and chemical variables in sodic plagioclases in order to determine their relative effects on individual T-O bond lengths in the Al_1+xSi_3?xO₈ tetrahedral framework. Using data from crystal structure analyses of low and high albite, An₁₆ and An₂₈, and assuming that low albite is completely ordered, 1 $$\begin{gathered} {\text{T}} - {\text{O = 1}}{\text{.568}} + {\text{[(0}}{\text{.122) x (Al content of the T site)]}} \hfill \\ {\text{ }} - {\text{[(0}}{\text{.037) x (}}\Delta {\text{{\rm A}l}}_{{\text{br}}} )] + [0.063){\text{ x }}(\Sigma {\text{[}}q{\text{/(Na,Ca}} - {\text{O)}}^{\text{2}} ])] \hfill \\ {\text{ }} + {\text{[(0}}{\text{.029) x (}} - {\text{1/cosT}} - {\text{O}} - {\text{T)]}} \hfill \\ \end{gathered}$$ where the Al content of a particular tetrahedral (T) site can be estimated from empirically-derived determinative curves, where Δ Al_br is a linkage factor to account for the Al content of adjacent tetrahedral sites, where the formal charge on the (Na_1?xCa_x) atom is q=1+x, and where T-O-T is the inter-tetrahedral angle involving the T-O bond. For sodic plagioclases it is essential to know only the anorthite content and the 2Θ₁₃₁-2Θ_1¯31 spacing (CuK _α radiation) in order to determine the independent variables in this equation and thus to evaluate the individual T-O distances. The 64 individual T-O distances predicted for the four sodic plagioclases by this equation agree well with the observed T-O bond lengths (σ=0.004 Å; r=0.994), and the method has been used by way of example to rationalize the T-O bond lengths in analcime (cf. Ferraris, Jones and Yerkess, 1972).     

Geochemistry of till in perennially frozen terrain of the Canadian shield— application to prospecting

Shilts, W. W. 1977 06 01: Geochemistry of till in perennially frozen terrain of the Canadian shield - application to prospecting.
Geomorphological (drumlins, ribbed moraine) and geochemical features associated with till in the District of Keewatin are arranged in belts or dispersal trains paralleling the main direction of ice flow. Both types of features can be related to chemical and physical characteristics of specific types of source rocks.
For dispersal studies in perennially frozen terrain, till samples were collected from mudboils at spacings of approximately 1.6 km. The texture of till samples varies significantly from sample site to sample site because of varying source-rock lithologies and periglacial processes. Thus, because fractions coarser than clay are mostly quartz and feldspar and contain very little metal after weathering in the active layer, they were removed by centrifugation so as not to mask the 'true' relative metal contents of samples. The clay-sized fraction was separated from till samples and analyzed on the assumption that it contained scavenging phases that adsorb cations in proportion to those released by weathering of mineralized particles that were originally physically dispersed by glacial action.
Dispersal patterns of copper, zinc, nickel, and uranium were derived for approximately 1000 samples evenly distributed over a 2500 km² grid. From these maps, large dispersal trains of copper and nickel were found, and known areas of high potential for uranium and Cu-Zn mineralization were clearly indicated.     

Complex formation in the ternary system Mg(II)-CO2-H2O

The carbonato and hydrogencarbonato complexes of Mg²⁺ were investigated at 25 and 50° in solutions of the constant ClO₄^? molality (3 M) consisting preponderantly of NaClO₄. The experimental data could be explained assuming the following equilibria: Mg²⁺ + CO_2B + H₂O ag MgHCO⁺₃ + H⁺, $\text{log}{}^1\text{β}{}_1\text{= ?7.64}{}_4\text{± 0.01}{}_7\text{(25°), ?7.46}{}_2\text{± 0.01}{}_1\text{(50°)}$, Mg²⁺ + 2 CO_2g + 2 H₂Oag Mg(HCO₃)⁰₂ ± 2 H⁺, $\text{log}{}^1\text{β}{}_2\text{= ?15.00 ± 0.14 (25°)}$, ?15.37 ± 0.39 (50°), Mg²⁺ + CO_2g + H₂Oag MgCO⁰₃ + 2 H⁺, $\text{log}{}^1\text{k}{}_1\text{= ?15.64 ± 0.06 (25°)}$,?15.23 ± 0.02 (50°), with the assumption γ_MgCO3⁰ = γ_Mg(HCO3)⁰2, ΔG⁰(I = 0) for the reaction MgCO⁰₃ + CO_2g + H₂O = Mg(HCO₃)⁰₂ was estimated to be ?3.9₁ ± 0.8₆ and 0.6 ± 2.4 kJ/mol at 25 and 50°C, respectively. The abundance of carbonate linked Mg(II) species in fresh water systems is discussed.     

Magma fractionation systems beneath the mid-Atlantic ridge at 36–37 ° N

Variation of major and trace elements in drilled basalts from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (DSDP Leg 37) reflects distinct cycles of low pressure fractionation operating independently within a complex network of magma storage reservoirs beneath the crustal spreading axis. Low pressure phase relations are determined by parental magma composition, which varies from An-rich (An/Di > ca. 1.4) to Di-rich (An/Di < ca. 1.4). High An/Di magmas probably formed under slightly hydrous conditions in the mantle. They have low LIL element contents, low P/Y and high Mg/(Mg + Fe) ratios. Zr, P and Y abundance and inter-element ratios are highly diagnostic of primary magma type, and are used to quantify fractional crystallization models.Low pressure fractionation hypotheses were tested by least-squares modelling of whole-rock and phenocryst chemistry, which indicated removal or addition of phenocryst assemblages: ol; pl; ol + pl; ol + pl + cpx; pl + cpx, (± sp). Accumulation of plagioclase or olivine is an important mechanism for generating highly porphyritic rocks. A rare 3-phase (ol + pl + cpx) cumulate resulted from cotectic fractionation of a low An/Di magma type. Olivine and plagioclase cumulates appear to be related to high An/Di magmas. Olivine accumulation has been monitored by comparison of olivine/bulk rock partitioning of Fe and Mg to experimental measurements of the equilibrium K_D value. A single extensive sub-axial magma chamber could not account for the observed chemical variation and would probably be dynamically unstable.     

Blueschist metamorphism and P-T regimes in active subduction zones

Blueschist-type metamorphism involves the progressive development of some of the following minerals: at low grades, zeolites, pumpellyite, lawsonite + quartz, aragonite, jadeitic pyroxene + quartz; then at higher grades, zoisite-epidote, kyanite, omphacite, garnet and blue-green hornblende. Comparisons of natural assemblages with experimentally determined phase equilibria and oxygen isotopic analyses yield apparent physical conditions in the range 150–500° C at fluid (≈ lithostatic) pressures on the order of 3–8 + kbar. The unusually low metamorphic geothermal gradient indicated is on the order of 10–15°C/km.Blueschist belts seem to be confined to oceanic trench-type environments where they are hypothesized to represent subducted material which has buoyantly returned to the surface since recrystallization. Calculated downward deflections of the isotherms in the subducted lithospheric slabs yield similar or even lower geothermal gradients than deduced from the mineral parageneses. The disposition of relatively high-pressure isogradic surfaces in the upper portions of a model subduction zone demonstrates that the observed sequence of metamorphic facies reflects the direction of lithospheric plate descent.The approximate magnitude of inferred underflow can be gauged by the presence or absence of a contemporaneous high-temperature volcanic + plutonic + metamorphic complex in the non-subducted lithospheric plate. Greater amounts of underflow evidently are required to build up larger, relatively high-temperature, low-pressure terranes.Blueschist belts tend to be associated in time and space, indicating that since Late Paleozoic time, many convergent plate junctions have remained in approximately the same positions relative to the stable lithospheric slabs. The fact that, where preserved, older blueschistic belts, hence plate sutures, are located farther inland suggests that in some cases the subduction zones have stepped seaward with time, allowing, for the episodic return towards the surface of old trench melanges, hence growth of the non-subducted plates.     

The forms of mercury in some australian stratiform Pb-Zn-Ag deposits of different regional metamorphic grades

Mercury concentrations of four Australian stratiform lead-zinc-silver deposits of Proterozoic age are not directly related to their metamoprhic grade and are probably determined by local factors. Average mercury contents of H. Y. C. mineralization (unmetamorphosed) is 1300 ppb, Mount Isa ore (greenschist facies) 8300 ppb, Squirrel Hills mineralization (amphibolite facies) 100 ppb, and Broken Hill ore (granulite facies) ranges from 1000 ppb for A lode to 37000 ppb for No. 3 lens. In present-day sulfidic muds from the Coorong region of South Australia, mercury is present as mercury sulfide either as inclusions or chemisorbed on mackinawite. This may be analogous to the manner of mercury occurrence in sediments which predated the ingress of lead-zinc-silver mineralization into ancient basins. In bedded H. Y. C. mineralization mercury is present principally in pyrite, but recrystallized mineralization contains mercury in both sphalerite and pyrite. In bedded Mount Isa ore mercury is present in sphalerite, but in remobilized ore which is enriched in galena, freibergite and pyrrhotite, it occurs in both sphalerite and freibergite. Mineralization from Squirrel Hills contains no tetrahedrite, and sphalerite is the host for most mercury. Normal Broken Hill ore contains mercury parti tioned approximately evenly between sphalerite and tetrahedrite, but mercury is enriched in remobilized ore. Veins generated during retrograde metamorphism of the Broken Hill lodes contain high levels of mercury, and multiple veins produced in this fashion around other deposits could result in mercury haloes that can be detected during exploration programs. The way mercury is held in stratiform leadzinc-silver deposits, and the lack of decrease of mercury contents with increasing metamorphic grade, rules out total loss of mercury during metamorphism. Primary mercury haloes around this type of mineralization are due to mercury in disseminated ore-forming minerals or late-stage vein systems contain secondary mercury-bearing minerals.     

Petrography, Mineralogy, and Metamorphic Evolution of an Eclogite from the Island of Margarita, Venezuela

The petrography and mineralogy of a coarse-grained eclogitelens from the La Rinconada Group of northeastern Margarita Island,Venezuela, reflect the metamorphic evolution of the rock. Omphacite+ garnet + paragonite + barroisite + epidote + rutile/ilmenite+ quartz + pyrite + apatite represents the stable assemblagemarking the culmination of a single metamorphic episode. Electronmicroprobe analyses of the major minerals indicate an affinitywith Smulikowski's low-temperature ‘ophiolitic’type. Schreinemakers relationships among the mineral phasesallow the observed complex reaction relations to be explainedas late-stage depressurization effects. The crystallizationof eclogite instead of amphibole gneiss, as in the chemicallyidentical country rock, must be related to a lower _H2O in theaqueous fluid phase attending metamorphism. It is inferred frommineralogical stability data that the ‘culmination assemblage’was stable at approximately 450–525 °C and 11.5–13.5kb load pressure, and that depressurization to less than 5 kboccurred at slightly increasing metamorphic temperatures.     

Rank of coal beds of the Narragansett basin,Massachusetts and Rhode Island

Coal of the Narragansett basin generally has been considered to be anthracite and/or meta-anthracite. However, no single reliable method has been used to distinguish these two ranks in this basin. Three methods — chemical, X-ray, and petrographic — have been used with some degree of success on coal of the Narragansett basin, but too often the results are in conflict. Chemical methods have been limited by inadequate sampling on a coal-bed-by-coal-bed basis and by a lack of analyses made according to (American Society for Testing and Materials, 1974) standard specifications.In addition, when corrections are made by using the Parr formulas, as required by the ASTM (1974) procedures, the generally high to very high ash content of coal from the Narragansett basin causes the fixed-carbon content to appear higher than it actually is. X-ray methods using the degree of graphitization as a measure of rank are not reliable because some of the graphite is related to shearing and brecciation associated with folding and faulting. Petrographic methods using reflectance on vitrinite give results that are generally consistent with results from chemical determinations. However, it is not clear whether the mean maximum reflectance or mean bireflectance is a better indicator of similar rank of such high-rank coals that have been structurally deformed.Coal from the Cranston Mine, RI, is probably meta-anthracite and coal from the Portsmouth Mine is probably anthracite. These ranks are based on chemical,X-ray, and petrographic data and are supported by associated metamorphic mineral assemblages that indicate that the Cranston Mine is in a higher metamorphic zone than the zone containing the Porthmouth Mine. Interpretation of the rank of Mansfield, MA, coal on the basis of extant chemical data is difficult because it is an impure coal with an ash content of 33 to 50%. Reflectance data indicate that the Mansfield, Foxborough, and Plainville coals in the northern part of the Narragansett basin are meta-anthracite but this is in disagreement with the rank suggested by the low degree of metamorphism of the associated rocks.     

Comparative discharges of fresh and waste water along the California coast

As the population of California grows, the discharge of domestic and industrial waste water and power-plant cooling water into coastal waters continuously increases. About 0.75 × 10⁶ m³ of industrial waste water, 3.75 × 10⁶ m³ of domestic waste water, and 26.5 × 10⁶ m³ of thermal effluent are discharged daily into California's nearshore waters. These waters do not have an infinite capacity to break down and disperse the pollutants. Waste water discharged near shore may remain there for considerable time and have a significant effect on water quality and marine life. The low population and wet climate of the northern coastal region have led to small discharges of waste water but very large inputs of fresh water to the ocean. Southward along the Pacific Coast the climate becomes more arid, and population increases. This combination leads to a large excess of waste-water over fresh-water discharge. Many individual waste-water discharges exceed the average daily discharge of most of the rivers which enter the coastal waters.