Fracture-related hydrothermal alteration of metagranitic rock and associated changes in mineralogy, geochemistry and degree of oxidation: a case study at Forsmark, central Sweden

Red-staining of rocks due to fluid–rock interaction during hydrothermal circulation in fractures is a common feature in crystalline sequences. In this study, red-stained metagranitic rock adjacent to fractures in Forsmark, central Sweden, has been studied with emphasis on the mineral reactions and associated element mobility occurring during the alteration. The main mineral reactions associated with the hydrothermal alteration are an almost complete saussuritization of plagioclase accompanied by total chloritization of biotite. Magnetite has been partly replaced by hematite whereas quartz and K-feldspar were relatively unaffected by the hydrothermal alteration. We show that redistribution of elements on the whole rock scale was very limited and is mainly manifested by enrichment of Na₂O and volatiles and depletion of CaO, FeO and SiO₂ in the red-stained rock. However, on the microscale, element redistribution was more extensive, with both intragranular and intergranular migration of e.g. Ca, K, Na, Al, Si, Fe, Ba, Cs, Rb, Sr, Ti and REEs. The altered rock shows a shift towards higher total oxidation factors, but the change is smaller than 1σ and the red-staining of the rock is due to hematite dissemination rather than a significant oxidation of the rock. An increase in the connected porosity is also observed in the altered rock.     

Regional climate changes drive increased scaled-chrysophyte abundance in lakes downwind of Athabasca Oil Sands nitrogen emissions

Several limnological and paleolimnological investigations have linked enhanced atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition to nutrient enrichment and increased primary production. The Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) in northeast Alberta, Canada is a significant source of N emissions, particularly since development intensified during the 1990s, and recent paleolimnological investigations provide evidence of increased lake production in adjacent areas subject to enhanced N deposition. The AOSR, however, has also experienced atmospheric warming since ca. AD 1900, and therefore the relative effects of nutrient deposition and climate changes on lake production remain unclear. We undertook a factorial-design paleolimnological assessment of 16 lakes in northwest Saskatchewan to quantify changes in abundance and species composition of scaled chrysophytes over the past 100 years. Study sites included both N-limited and P-limited lakes within control regions, as well as lakes that receive enhanced N deposition from the AOSR. We hypothesized that a change in algal communities within N-limited AOSR-impacted lakes, without concurrent changes in the other lake groups, would suggest AOSR-derived N as a driver of enhanced primary production. Instead, marked increases in concentrations of scaled chrysophytes, mainly Mallomonas crassisquama, occurred in the recent sediments in cores from all four lake groups (N-limited vs. P-limited, impacted vs. control), suggesting that regional climate change rather than N deposition was the paramount process enhancing chrysophyte production. Because chrysophyte abundances tended to be higher in deep, lower-pH lakes, and chrysophyte time series were fit best by lake-specific generalized additive models, we infer that climate effects may have been mediated by additional catchment and/or lake-specific processes.     

New Isotopic data from davidites and sulfides in the bidjovagge gold-copper deposit,Finnmark, Northern Norway

Summary The Bidjovagge gold-copper deposit (69°17'N, 22°29'E) occurs in the north-south trending Proterozoic Kautokeino greenstone belt. The greenstone belt consists of shallow marine sediments and mafic to ultramafic volcanites, which are intruded by diabase sills and granitoids. The sequence can be correlated with the 1930 to 2200 Ma Kiruna greenstone belt. Svecokarelian intrusions took place in two phases between 1880–1890 Ma and between 1860-1870 Ma.The deposit occurs in the stratigraphically lower part of the belt along a north-south trending anticlinal structure on the border between greenschist and amphibolite grade metamorphism within the Baltic-Bothnia megashear zone. The deposit is related to shear zones and hosted by albitic felsite, a metasomatic rock formed along the contact with the diabase sills.The only ore minerals of economic significance are native gold and chalcopyrite. Other common ore minerals are pyrite and pyrrhotite. Marcasite, magnetite, ilmenite, hematite, tellurides, rutile, sphalerite, galena, davidite and pentlandite occur in accessory amounts. A total of 10 samples of davidite, 14 sulfides and 4 samples of albitic felsite were analyzed for their isotopic compositions. Our best estimate for the age of the davidites (1885 ± 18 Ma) is based on the upper intersection of a U/Pb concordia diagram and is identified as the time of davidite (and gold) mineralization. This age is confirmed by a Sm/Nd date of 1886 ± 88 Ma on the same material. At 1339 ± 8 Ma, a metamorphic or metasomatic event disturbed the U/Pb system in some of the davidite samples and completely reset the U/Pb ratios in the albitic felsites. The sulfide minerals, containing trace U and Pb, were strongly disturbed during galena formation at about 500–550 Ma but apparently were initially formed at the same time as, or shortly after, the davidite. Based on an estimated time of formation of galena during the development of the early Paleozoic peneplain in the area, the Pb/Pb data are interpreted as a two-stage isochron with an initial age of 1876 ± 15 Ma.The relation between the mineralization and shear zones, the correspondence between the age of the mineralization and the Svecokarelian orogeny and the initial ratios of the radiogenic isotopes of the ore forming solutions, all support a metamorphic/metasomatic origin for the gold and copper mineralization.

---

Neue Isotopendaten von Davidit und Sulfiden aus der Bidjovagge Gold-Lagerstätte, Finnmark, N.-Norwegen

Zusammenfassung Die Bidjovagge Gold-Kupfer-Lagerstätte (69°17'N, 22°29'E) liegt in dem N-S streichenden proterozoischen Kautokeino Grüngesteinsgürtel. Er besteht aus marinen Flachwassersedimenten, sowie mafischen und ultramafischen Vulkaniten, die von Diabas-Sills und von Granitoiden intrudiert werden. Diese Gesteinsabfolge kann mit dem 1930–2200 Ma alten Kiruna Grüngesteinsgürtel verglichen werden. Sveko-karelische Intrusionen erfolgten zweiphasig, zwischen 1880–1890 Ma und zwischen 1860 und 1870 Ma.Die Lagerstätte liegt in den stratigraphisch tieferen Anteilen diese Grüngesteinsgürtel entlang einer N-S streichenden Antiklinalstruktur im Übergangsbereich zwischen der Grünschiefer und Amphibolitfazies innerhalb der baltisch-bothnischen Mega-Scherzone.Sie ist an Scherzonen und an Albit-Felsite, einem metasomatisch am Kontakt mit den Diabas-Sills gebildeten Gestein, gebunden.Gediegen Gold und Kupferkies sind die wirtschaftlich wichtigsten Erzminerale. Pyrit und Magnetkies sind häufig. Markasit, Magnetit, Ilmenit, Hämatit, Telluride, Rutil, Zinkblende, Bleiglanz, Davidit und Pentlandit kommen akzessorisch vor. 10 Proben von Davidit, 14 Sulfide und 4 Proben von den Albit-Felsiten wurden auf ihre Isotopenzusammensetzung hin untersucht.Der obere Schnittpukt im U/Pb Concordiadiagramm ergab die beste Altersabschätzung für die Davidite (1885 ± 18 Ma). Dieses Alter wird als Zeitpunkt der Davidit (und Gold)-Mineralisation betrachtet. Ein Sm/Nd-Alter von 1886 ± 88 Ma bestätigt dieses. Ein metamorphes oder metasomatisches Ereignis, datiert mit 1339 ± 8 Ma störte das U/Pb System in einigen Daviditproben und führte zu einer vollständigen Reequilibrierung der U/Pb Verhältnisse in den Albit-Felsiten. Die Isotopenverhältnisse der Sulfide, die Spuren von U und Pb enthalten, wurden während der Bildung von Bleiglanz um etwa 500–550 Ma ebenfalls massiv gestört; die Sulfide wurden aber offensichtlich gleichzeitig, oder aber kurz nach Davidit, gebildet. Basierend auf einer Abschätzung des Bleiglanz-Bildungsalters im Zuge der Entwicklung einer altpaläozoischen Peneplain in diesem Gebiet, werden die Pb/Pb Daten als Zweistufen-Isochrone mit einem Ursprungsalter von 1876 ± 15 Ma interpretiert.Die Bindung der Mineralisation an Scherzonen, die Übereinstimmung des Mineralisationsalters mit dem der Sveco-karelischen Orogenese und die Isotopeninitiale der erzbildenden Lösungen belegen einen metamorph/metasomatischen Ursprung der Gold-und Kupfervererzungen.

---

---

With 9 Figures     

Erosion mechanisms and sediment sources in a peatland forest after ditch cleaning

Ditch cleaning in drained peatland forests increases sediment loads and degrades water quality in headwater streams and lakes. A better understanding of the processes controlling ditch erosion and sediment transport in such systems is a prerequisite for proper peatland management. In order to relate hydrological observations to key erosion processes in headwater peatlands drained for forestry, a two‐year study was conducted in a nested sub‐catchment system (treated with ditch cleaning) and at two reference sites. The treated catchment was instrumented for continuous discharge and turbidity monitoring, erosion pin measurements of changes in ditch bed and banks and time‐integrated sampling of suspended sediment (SS) composition. The results showed that ditch cleaning clearly increased transient suspended sediment concentrations (SSCs) and suspended sediment yields (SSYs), and resulted in temporary storage of loosely deposited organic sediment in the ditch network. After exhaustion of this sediment storage, subaerial processes and erosion from ditch banks became dominant in producing sediment for transport. Recorded SSCs were higher on the rising limbs of event hydrographs throughout the study period, indicating that SS transport was limited by availability of erosion‐prone sediment. A strong positive correlation (R² = 0.84, p < 0.001) between rainfall intensity (above a threshold of 1 mm h^?1) and average SSC obtained on the rising limb of hydrographs for the sub‐catchment showed that soil detachment from ditch banks by raindrop impact can directly increase SSC in runoff. At the main catchment outlet, variation in SSC was best explained (R² = 0.67, p < 0.05) by the linear combination of initial discharge (?), peak discharge (+) and the lag time from initial to peak discharge (?). Based on these factors, ditch cleaning slightly increased peak discharges and decreased transit times in the study catchment. The implications of the results for water pollution management in peatland forests are discussed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thermodynamics of mixing in diopside–jadeite,CaMgSi<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>6</Subscript>–NaAlSi<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>6</Subscript>, solid solution from static lattice energy calculations

Static lattice energy calculations (SLEC), based on empirical interatomic potentials, have been performed for a set of 800 different structures in a 2 × 2 × 4 supercell of C2/c diopside with compositions between diopside and jadeite, and with different states of order of the exchangeable Na/Ca and Mg/Al cations. Excess static energies of these structures have been cluster expanded in a basis set of 37 pair-interaction parameters. These parameters have been used to constrain Monte Carlo simulations of temperature-dependent properties in the range of 273–2,023 K and to calculate a temperature–composition phase diagram. The simulations predict the order–disorder transition in omphacite at 1,150 ± 20°C in good agreement with the experimental data of Carpenter (Mineral Petrol 78:433–440, 1981). The stronger ordering of Mg/Al within the M1 site than of Ca/Na in the M2 site is attributed to the shorter M1–M1 nearest-neighbor distance, and, consequently, the stronger ordering force. The comparison of the simulated relationship between the order parameters corresponding to M1 and M2 sites with the X-ray refinement data on natural omphacites (Boffa Ballaran et al. in Am Mineral 83:419–433, 1998) suggests that the cation ordering becomes kinetically ineffective at about 600°C.     

Using Multiple Grids in Markov Mesh Facies Modeling

A multigrid Markov mesh model for geological facies is formulated by defining a hierarchy of nested grids and defining a Markov mesh model for each of these grids. The facies probabilities in the Markov mesh models are formulated as generalized linear models that combine functions of the grid values in a sequential neighborhood. The parameters in the generalized linear model for each grid are estimated from the training image. During simulation, the coarse patterns are first laid out, and by simulating increasingly finer grids we are able to recreate patterns at different scales. The method is applied to several tests cases and results are compared to the training image and the results of a commercially available snesim algorithm. In each test case, simulation results are compared qualitatively by visual inspection, and quantitatively by using volume fractions, and an upscaled permeability tensor. When compared to the training image, the method produces results that only have a few percent deviation from the values of the training image. When compared with the snesim algorithm the results in general have the same quality. The largest computational cost in the multigrid Markov mesh is the estimation of model parameters from the training image. This is of comparable CPU time to that of creating one snesim realization. The simulation of one realization is typically ten times faster than the estimation.     

Experimental determination of rare earth element partitioning between hydrous silicate melt,amphibole and garnet peridotite minerals at upper mantle pressures and temperatures

Partition coefficients of Ce, Sm and Tm involving garnet peridotite minerals, amphibole and hydrous silicate melt have been determined experimentally in the temperature and pressure ranges 950–1075°C and 10–25 kbar.Only several parts per million to several tens of parts per million of rare earth element (REE) can dissolve in the minerals before the crystal-liquid partition coefficients begin to vary as a function of REE content. The concentration ranges of constant partition coefficient increase with increasing temperature and are also positively correlated with the magnitude of the crystal-liquid partition coefficients. The upper concentration limits of constant partition coefficient and the value of the crystal-liquid partition coefficient for REE decrease in the order garnet > clinopyroxene > amphibole > orthopyroxene > olivine.Partition coefficients may vary by at least an order of magnitude as a function of bulk composition of the liquid phase (e.g. changing from basaltic to andesitic). The approximate ranges of the values of the partition coefficients as a function of bulk liquid composition are as follows:

$\text{Ce}\text{Sm}\text{Tm}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>ga-liq</mtext>}}\text{0.01–0.1}\text{0.3–3.4}\text{1–10}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>cpx-liq</mtext>}}\text{0.05–0.4}\text{0.09–0.7}\text{0.04–0.4}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>amph-liq</mtext>}}\text{0.04–0.4}\text{0.08–0.8}\text{0.07–0.7}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>opx-liq</mtext>}}\text{0.04–0.1}\text{0.05–0.1}\text{0.08–0.1}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>ol-liq</mtext>}}\text{0.01–0.02}\text{0.01–0.02}\text{0.01–0.02}$

where the values increase with increasing acidity of the melt.     

Diatom assemblage changes in lacustrine sediments from Isla de los Estados, southernmost South America, in response to shifts in the southwesterly wind belt during the last deglaciation

Isla de los Estados (54° 45′S, 63° 10′–64° 46′W) lies east of the main island of Tierra del Fuego and is the southeastern-most point in Argentina. Because of its geographic position near the latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere Westerlies and the strong influence of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), the area is suitable for paleoecological and paleoclimate research. The island is not far north of the Subantarctic Front, which limits the northern boundary of the ACC. Paleoenvironmental study in this geographic location can shed light on past changes in atmospheric and marine circulation patterns. Diatom analysis of the lower part of a sediment sequence from Laguna Cascada (54° 45′ 51.3′′S, 64° 20′ 20.07′′W) enabled inference of changing lake conditions between 16 and 11.1 cal ka BP. Between 16 and 14.4 cal ka BP fragilarioid diatom species, often a pioneer group, dominated the record. Their presence shows seasonally open-water conditions from the onset of sedimentation. In zone II (14.4–12.8 cal ka BP), the dominance of planktonic/tychoplanktonic Aulacoseira spp. might represent longer ice-free periods and windier conditions, which would have kept this heavy species suspended in the water column. This period corresponds to the Antarctic Cold Reversal, when the Southern Hemisphere Westerlies were possibly centered on the latitudes of Tierra del Fuego, resulting in windy and wet conditions. Zone III (12.8–11.1 cal ka BP) is dominated by benthic diatom taxa that are mainly associated with peat and wetland vegetation. This suggests that climate conditions had become milder and less windy, favoring aquatic productivity and terrestrial vegetation development. This change in environmental conditions may have been a consequence of the southward movement of the Southern Hemisphere Westerlies at the start of the Antarctic Holocene thermal optimum.     

Hengill,a high temperature thermal area in Iceland

The results of geological, geochemical and isotopic investigations in the Hengill thermal area in Iceland are presented. This area may be regarded as typical of the Icelandic high temperature areas. The Hengill area is mainly built up of pillow lavas and hyaloclastites, which were piled up in subglacial eruptions. Its western half is traversed by a very active NE-SW trending fault zone about 5 km broad, within which are several eruptive fissures of postglacial age. The volcanic rocks are basalts of various kinds, but minor occurrences of intermediate and rhyolitic rocks are also found. Solfataras and fumaroles occur mainly at higher altitude. Within the fault zone they have a linear distribution along faults. Hot water springs are found in the lowlands on the southern border of the thermal area. The concentrations of chlorine, tritium and deuterium in the water indicate that the hot springs on the lowland are fed by a deep lying aquifer which receives water from a recharge area situated in the western branch of the active volcanic zone upto 70 km to the northeast. The hot springs at higher altitude are the outlets of a secondary circulation system fed by local rain water. This water derives its heat partly from the heat content of the rocks penetrated and partly by steam and gas boiled off from the deeper lying aquifer. Preliminary results from other high temperature areas in Iceland indicate the presence of similar hydrological systems.     

Trace element partitioning and melt structure: An experimental study at 1 atm pressure

Diopside-melt and forsterite-melt rare earth (REE) and Ni partition coefficients have been determined as a function of bulk compositions of the melt. Available Raman spectroscopic data have been used to determine the structures of the melts coexisting with diopside and forsterite. The compositional dependence of the partition coefficients is then related to the structural changes of the melt.The melts in all experiments have a ratio of nonbridging oxygens to tetrahedral cations ($\text{NBO}\text{T}$) between 1 and 0. The quenched melts consist of structural units that have, on the average, 2 (chain), 1 (sheet) and 0 (three-dimensional network) nonbridging oxygens per tetrahedral cation. The proportions of these structural units in the melts, as well as the overall $\text{NBO}\text{T}$, change as a function of the bulk composition of the melt.It has been found that Ce, Sm, Tm and Ni crystal-liquid partition coefficients ($\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{crystal?liq}}{}_{\mathrm{i}}\text{=}\text{C}{}^{\mathrm{crystal}}{}_{\mathrm{i}}\text{C}{}^{\mathrm{liq}}{}_{\mathrm{i}}$) decrease linearly with increasing $\text{NBO}\text{T}$. The values of the individual REE crystal-liquid trace element partition coefficients have different functional relations to $\text{NBO}\text{T}$, so that the degree of light REE enrichment of the melts would depend on their $\text{NBO}\text{T}$.The solution mechanisms of minor oxides such as CO₂, H₂O, TiO₂, P₂O₅ and Fe₂O₃ in silicate melts are known. These data have been recast as changes of $\text{NBO}\text{T}$ of the melts with regard to the type of oxide and its concentration in the melt. From such data the dependence of crystal-liquid partition coefficients on concentration and type of minor oxide in melt solution has been calculated.