Expected changes in future agro-climatological conditions in Northeast Thailand and their differences between general circulation models

We have studied future changes in the atmospheric and hydrological environments in Northeast Thailand from the viewpoint of risk assessment of future cultural environments in crop fields. To obtain robust and reliable estimation for future climate, ten general circulation models under three warming scenarios, B1, A1B, and A2, were used in this study. The obtained change trends show that daily maximum air temperature and precipitation will increase by 2.6°C and 4.0%, respectively, whereas soil moisture will decrease by c.a. 1% point in volumetric water content at the end of this century under the A1B scenario. Seasonal contrasts in precipitation will intensify: precipitation increases in the rainy season and precipitation decreases in the dry season. Soil moisture will slightly decrease almost throughout the year. Despite a homogeneous increase in the air temperature over Northeast Thailand, a future decrease in soil water content will show a geographically inhomogeneous distribution: Soil will experience a relative larger decrease in wetness at a shallow depth on the Khorat plateau than in the surrounding mountainous area, reflecting vegetation cover and soil texture. The predicted increase in air temperature is relatively consistent between general circulation models. In contrast, relatively large intermodel differences in precipitation, especially in long-term trends, produce unwanted bias errors in the estimation of other hydrological elements, such as soil moisture and evaporation, and cause uncertainties in projection of the agro-climatological environment. Offline hydrological simulation with a wide precipitation range is one strategy to compensate for such uncertainties and to obtain reliable risk assessment of future cultural conditions in rainfed paddy fields in Northeast Thailand.     

The Daduhe gold field at the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau: He, Ar, S, O, and H isotopic data and their metallogenic implications

The Daduhe gold field comprises several shear-zone-controlled Tertiary lode gold deposits distributed at the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. The deposits are hosted in a Precambrian granite–greenstone terrane within the Yangtze Craton. The gold mineralization occurs mainly as auriferous quartz veins with minor sulphide minerals. Fluid inclusions in pyrite have ³He/⁴He ratios of 0.16 to 0.86 R_a, whereas their ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar ratios range from 298 to 3288, indicating a mixing of fluids of mantle and crust origins. The δ³⁴S values of pyrite are of 0.7–4.2‰ (n = 12), suggesting a mantle source or leaching from the mafic country rocks. δ¹⁸O values calculated from hydrothermal quartz are between − 1.5‰ and + 6.0‰ and δD values of the fluids in the fluid inclusions in quartz are − 39‰ and − 108‰. These ranges demonstrate a mixing of magmatic/metamorphic and meteoric fluids. The noble gas isotopic data, along with the stable isotopic data suggest that the ore-forming fluids have a dominantly crustal source with a significant mantle component.     

Sensitive High-Resolution Ion Microprobe U-Pb Zircon and 40Ar-39Ar Muscovite Ages of the Yinshan Deposit in the Northeast Jiangxi Province, South China

The Yinshan deposit in the Jiangnan tectonic belt in South China consists of Pb‐Zn‐Ag and Cu‐Au ore bodies. This deposit contains approximately 83 Mt of the Cu‐Au ores at 0.52% Cu and 0.8 g/t Au, and 84 Mt of the Pb‐Zn‐Ag ores at 1.25% Pb, 1.02% Zn and 33.3 g/t Ag. It is hosted by low‐grade metamorphosed sedimentary rocks and mafic volcanic rocks of the lower Mesoproterozoic Shuangqiaoshan Group, and continental volcanic rocks of the Jurassic Erhuling Group and dacitic subvolcanic rocks. The ore bodies mainly consist of veinlets of sulfide minerals and sulfide‐disseminated rocks, which are divided into Cu‐Au and Pb‐Zn‐Ag ore bodies. The Cu‐Au ore bodies occur in the area close to a dacite porphyry stock (No. 3 stock), whereas Pb‐Zn‐Ag bodies occur in areas distal from the No. 3 stock. Muscovite is the main alteration mineral associated with the Cu‐Au ore bodies, and muscovite and chlorite are associated with the Pb‐Zn‐Ag ores. A zircon sensitive high‐resolution ion microprobe U‐Pb age from the No. 3 dacite stock suggests it was emplaced in Early Jurassic. Three ⁴⁰Ar‐³⁹Ar incremental‐heating mineral ages from muscovite, which are related to Cu‐Au and Pb‐Zn‐Ag mineralization, yielded 179–175 Ma. These muscovite ages indicate that Cu‐Au mineralization occurred at 178.2±1.4 Ma (2σ), and Pb‐Zn‐Ag mineralization at 175.4±1.2 Ma (2σ) and 175.3±1.1 Ma (2σ), which supports a restricted period for the mineralization. The Early Jurassic ages for the mineralization at Yinshan are similar to that of the porphyry Cu mineralization at Dexing in Jiangnan tectonic belt, and suggest that the polymetallic mineralization occurred in a regional transcompressional tectonic regime.     

Gold Mineralization at the Agawa Prospect in Yamaguchi Prefecture,Southwestern Japan

Agawa gold prospect, located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, southwestern Japan, is a small prospect, where placer gold has been explored and mined since the 17th century. We investigated the prospect to clarify the genesis of the deposit based on the geology, hydrothermal alteration, geochronology, and ore mineralogy. The main mineralized zone of the prospect has a horizontal and vertical extensions of 500 m and 100 m, respectively, and a width of less than 100 m. Gold mineralization in the prospect occurs as dissemination and stockwork veinlets in the intensely sericitized rocks at the apical part of the Agawa dioritic porphyry intrusion at 86.5–88.5 Ma. Mineralization is typified by at least three stages – an early stage characterized by the occurrence of pyrrhotite and native gold; a middle stage by chalcopyrite; and a late stage by pyrite–bornite. Mineral assemblage and fluid inclusion microthermometry estimation suggest a trend of decreasing temperatures from 400°C to 160°C at a constant sulfur fugacity. The mineralizing fluids formed by the mixing of a hypogene fluid of possibly magmatic origin with an external lower‐temperature and lower‐salinity fluid. The mixing process decreased the temperature and salinity of the fluid, resulting in the precipitation of sulfides, native gold and Bi–Te alloys and sulfosalts. The magnetite‐series signature of the Agawa porphyry and related molybdenite‐bearing mineralization indicate that the plutonism of the San‐in granitoids belt extends to the westernmost end of the Honshu Island. The compiled geochronology and distribution of the metallic deposits in the southwestern Japan arc show that transition from ilmenite‐series to magnetite‐series plutonism started earlier in the west, and shifted eastwards with time during the period from Late Cretaceous to Paleogene.     

Mineralogical and Geochemical Characteristics of the Utanobori Gold Deposit in Northern Hokkaido,Japan

The Utanobori gold deposit is a low‐sulfidation, epithermal vein‐type deposit located in northern Hokkaido, Japan. The deposit is hosted by conglomerate, sandstone, and tuff of the Middle to Late Miocene Esashi Formation. These rocks were hydrothermally altered. Silica sinters and quartz‐adularia veins are common in the deposit. The quartz‐adularia veins either contain a ginguro band, which corresponds to the main gold‐bearing vein (Type 1 Veins), or do not contain a ginguro band but contain minor adularia (Type 2 Veins). Type 1 Veins are divided into three stages with 12–14 substages. Ore minerals identified include electrum, naumannite, chlorargyrite, bromargyrite, an unidentified Fe‐Sb mineral, and an Fe‐(Sb)‐As mineral. These ore minerals formed in the main mineralization stages I (bands I‐b and I‐d) and II (band II‐a). Scanning electron microscopy with cathodoluminescence images show that cathodoluminescence‐dark microcrystalline quartz exhibiting colloform (ghost‐sphere) texture is closely associated with ore minerals in the Type 1 Vein and Type 2 Vein, and the Al and K contents of such quartz are commonly >1000 ppm. This indicates that the ore minerals were crystallized from alkaline, silica‐saturated fluids at temperatures <200°C, which initially deposited amorphous silica that was recrystallized to microcrystalline quartz. The average Au content of electrum is 52.5 at% Au (n = 10), 65.7 at% Au (n = 20), and 55.5 at% Au (n = 5) in bands I‐b, I‐d, and II‐a, respectively, of Type 1 Veins. The δ³⁴S_CDT values of two fine‐grained disseminated pyrites in the altered conglomerate and bedded tuff in the argillic altered zone are ?4.3 and ?4.2‰. Ar‐Ar dating on adularia yielded 13.6 ± 0.06 Ma, 13.6 ± 0.07 Ma, and 13.6 ± 0.06 Ma for the stages I, II, and III of the Type 1 Vein, respectively. K‐Ar ages determined on adularia in the silica sinter and on whole‐rock of glassy rhyolite of the Esashi Formation are 15.0 ± 0.4 Ma and 14.6 ± 0.4 Ma, respectively. These radiometric ages indicate that silica sinter associated with the rhyolitic volcanic rocks formed prior to the main gold mineralization.     

The reliability of thermoluminescence dating: A pilot experiment

The accuracy of thermoluminescence dating of pottery was tested by utilizing dendro-chronologically dated provenances in the northern part of the American Southwest. Fairly accurate determinations were achieved for potsherds recovered from sedimentary rock soil, while much younger dates were obtained for potsherds recovered from volcanic rock soil. The reduction of accumulated dose through radon escape might be responsible for the much younger dates of the sherds buried in volcanic soil. The application of the technique to samples recovered from soil matrices in volcanic materials, to burnt volcanic rocks, or to sherds containing ample volcanic rocks should be avoided for reliable determinations.