Trace elements and REE in the Cevonian clastic complexes of the Magnitogorsk Megazone, Southern Urals

The first data on trace-element geochemistry, REEs included, of the Devonian clastic and volcanosedimentary complexes in the Magnitogorsk Megazone have been obtained with ICP-MS. The correlation links and the character of distribution indicate that many elements, including those readily passing into solutions during weathering, were transferred as mechanical suspensions. Therefore, minerals concentrating these elements were largely preserved, as also were the distribution and concentrations of elements inherent to the source rocks. Both accessory minerals (apatite, zircon, Ti-minerals, and magnetite) and rock-forming minerals (pyroxene, amphibole, biotite, serpentine, chlorite, and plagioclase) were found among mineral concentrators. Clay minerals also seem to have participated in the processes. The typical elements of various complexes were identified. The distribution of trace elements is correlated with the stratigraphic position of rocks and depends on the character of the petrographic provinces.     

Mineral Composition and Geochemical Zoning of Bottom Sediments in the Pobeda Hydrothermal Cluster (17°07.45′ N–17°08.7′ N Mid-Atlantic Ridge)

Lithology and Mineral Resources - The paper presents the mineral and chemical compositions of carbonate, metalliferous, and ore-bearing sediments developed within the Pobeda ore cluster based on...     

Identification of Climate Conditions Restricting the Distribution of the Taiga Tick Ixodes Persulcatus on the Territory of Russia and in Neighboring Countries

Doklady Earth Sciences - Identification of climate conditions that determine the distribution of species is an important stage in modeling their habitats. Based on the data of the actual...     

Jurassic and Early Cretaceous Radiolaria of the Lower Amurian Terrane: Khabarovsk region, far east of Russia

New data on biostratigraphy, sedimentology and tectonics of the Russian Far Eastern region (Lower Amurian terrane) are presented. This study shows that sedimentary sequence of the terrane consists of interbedded Radiolaria-bearing siliceous and volcaniclastic sediments spanning an interval of over 90 million years. It is shown that accumulation of radiolarian deposits on an oceanic plate was associated with alkaline (intraplate) volcanism in the Jurassic, while the plate was drifting, and with some arc volcanism during the Early Cretaceous. The younger siliceous rocks contain volcaniclastic material and indicate that the studied sequence approached the trench in the Early Cretaceous (Hauterivian-Barremian) and became accreted in the late Albian–early Cenomanian. We describe and illustrate radiolarian species extracted from 21 samples. A taxonomic list of 194 taxa and nine plates of Jurassic–Early Cretaceous Radiolaria are presented.     

Regular intergrowths of minerals in pegmatites from the Il’meny mountains

This paper summarizes the data on oriented intergrowths of minerals in pegmatites of the Il’meny Mountains. Two-feldspar, two-mica, biotite-amphibole, biotite-pyroxene, and pyroxene-amphibole intergrowths have been revealed in syenitic and miaskitic pegmatites. The orientation of exsolution products has been studied in sunstone (aventurine) and moonstone feldspars, nepheline, and cancrinite. Corundum-biotite-feldspar and two-mica intergrowths and exsolution lamellae occur in stellate corundum from corundum-feldspar veins. Syntactic intergrowths of various amphiboles and chlorites have been detected in pegmatoid ultramafic rocks. Regular quartz-feldspar (graphic) and two-feldspar intergrowths are typical of granitic pegmatites. Two-mica, columbite-samarskite, columbite-ilmenorutile, zircon-xenotime, cassiterite-ilmenorutile, cassiterite-ixiolite, cassiterite-tantalite, tantalite-stibiotantalite, fergusonite-columbite, pyrochlore-fergusonite, and beryl-cordierite intergrowths have been found in granitic pegmatites as well. New intergrowth laws have been established for many pairs of minerals.     

Florencite-(Sm)—(Sm,Nd)Al3(PO4)2(OH)6: A new mineral species of the alunite-jarosite group from the subpolar urals

Florencite-(Sm), a new mineral species of the florencite subgroup, was found in association with xenotime-(Y) in quartz veins of the Maldynyrd Range of the Subpolar Urals as thin zones within rhombohedral crystals of florencite-(Ce) with faceting by { 01[`1]1}\{ 01\bar 11\} and { 10[`1]2}\{ 10\bar 12\} . The thickness of particular florencite-(Sm) zones is 0.01–0.1 mm, and the total thickness of a series of such zones is 1–3 mm. Florencite-(Sm) is colorless and pale pink or pale yellow with white streaks; its Mohs hardness is 5.5–6.0. Its measured and calculated densities are 3.70 and 3.743 g/cm³, respectively. The mineral is transparent, nonpleochroic, and uniaxial (positive), and ω = 1.704(2) and ɛ = 1.713(2). The electron beam’s fluorescence spectrum was 592 nm (intense green luminescence of Sm³⁺) and 558 nm (yellow luminescence of Nd³⁺). The chemical composition was as follows (microprobe, average of 2 WDS, wt %): 0.62 La₂O₃, 3.29 Ce₂O₃, 1.05 Pr₂O₃, 10.31 Nd₂O₃, 12.62 Sm₂O₃, 0.41 Eu₂O₃, 2.30 Gd₂O₃, 0.13 Dy₂O₃, 0.71 SrO, 0.35 CaO, 29.89 Al₂O₃, 26.14 P₂O₅, 0.85 SO₃, 0.09 SiO₂, 88.76 in total; 10.74 H₂O (meas.). The empirical formula based on 14 oxygen atoms is (Sm_0.38Nd_0.32Gd_0.07Ce_0.10Pr_0.03La_0.02Eu_0.01Sr_0.04Ca_0.03)1.0Al_3.04(P_1.91S_0.05Si_0.01)_1.97O₁₄H_5.92. The idealized formula is (Sm,Nd)Al₃(PO₄)₂(OH)₆. Mineral is trigonal, space group R3m, a = 6.972(4), c = 16.182(7) ?, V = 681.2 ?³, Z = 3. The XRD pattern is as follows: dln (I) (hkl): 2.925 (10) (113), 1.881 (6) (303), 2.161 (5) (107), 5.65 (4) (101), and 3.479 (4) (110). The IR spectrum: 466, 510, 621, 1036, 1105, 1223, 2957, and 3374 cm⁻¹.     

Hydrothermal metasomatic alteration of carbonate bottom sediments in the Ashadze-1 field (13° N Mid-Atlantic Ridge)

We have performed the first detailed study of hydrothermal alteration of the Holocene-upper Pleistocene sediments in the recent Ashadze-1 hydrothermal field sampled during the 26th cruise of R/V Professor Logachev in 2005. It has been established that alterations in mineralogy and geochemistry are caused by the dissolution of calcite shells in bottom sediments and their metasomatic replacement with sulfides and other hydrothermal minerals. A zone of sediments enriched in magnesian hydrothermal minerals has been revealed in the sediments of the MAR for the first time. It is suggested that metasomatism is related to diffuse percolation of hydrothermal fluids through sediments.     

The orbit and dynamical evolution of the Chelyabinsk object

The orbit of the Chelyabinsk object is calculated, applying the least‐squares method directly to astrometric positions. The dynamical evolution of this object in the past is studied by integrating equations of motion for particles with orbits from the confidence region. It is found that the majority of the Chelyabinsk clones reach the near‐Sun state. Sixty‐seven percent of these objects have collisions with the Sun for 15 Myr in our numerical simulations. The distribution of minimum solar distances shows that the most probable time for the encounters of the Chelyabinsk object with the Sun lies in the interval from ?0.8 Myr to ?2 Myr. This is consistent with the estimate of a cosmic ray exposure age of 1.2 Myr (Popova et al. 2013). A parent body of the Chelyabinsk object should experience strong tidal and thermal effects at this time. The possible association of the Chelyabinsk object with 86039 (1999 NC43) and 2008 DJ is discussed.