Hydrogeology of thermal waters in Viterbo area, central Italy

A conceptual hydrogeological model of the Viterbo thermal area (central Italy) has been developed. Though numerous studies have been conducted on its geological, geochemical and geothermal features, there is no generalized picture defining the origin and yield of the hydrothermal system. These latter aspects have therefore become the objectives of this research, which is based on new hydrogeological and geochemical investigations. The geological setting results in the coexistence of overlapped interacting aquifers. The shallow volcanic aquifer, characterized by fresh waters, is fed from the area around the Cimini Mountains and is limited at its base by the semiconfining marly-calcareous-arenaceous complex and low-permeability clays. To the west of Viterbo, vertical upflows of thermal waters of the sulphate-chloride-alkaline-earth type with higher gas contents, are due to the locally uplifted carbonate reservoir, the reduced thickness of the semiconfining layer and the high local geothermal gradient. The hot waters (30–60°C) are the result of deep circulation within the carbonate rocks (0.5–1.8 km) and have the same recharge area as the volcanic aquifer. The upward flow in the Viterbo thermal area is at least 0.1 m³/s. This flow feeds springs and deep wells, also recharging the volcanic aquifer from below.     

New data on hydrocarbons in auriferous conglomerates of the Witwatersrand ore region, Republic of South Africa

Genesis of deposits in the world’s largest Witwatersrand auriferous region (South Africa) remains a debatable issue over several decades. Based on geological and mineralogical-geochemical investigations, we previously proposed a sedimentary-exhalative hypothesis for its origin. In the present communication, we have attempted to develop and scrutinize this concept based on the study of organic matter in ore and nonore conglomerates, quartz in conglomerate pebbles, and fluid inclusions in quartz from pebbles and cement of ore and nonore conglomerates.     

Geochemistry and formation conditions of rare-metal granites with various fluorine-bearing minerals (fluorite,topaz, and cryolite)

A comparative geochemical study of rare-metal granitoids with various fluorine-bearing minerals (fluorite, topaz, and cryolite) was carried out. It was shown that these rocks correspond to both plumasitic and agpaitic geochemical types. The fluorite-, topaz-, and cryolite-bearing granites of these geochemical types are distinctly different in geochemical parameters and the character of magmatic evolution. These differences are related to the composition of initial magmas and their sources. Rare-metal granitoids with fluorine-bearing minerals compose small massifs, stocks, and dike swarms. Their formation is independent of the composition and age of the country rocks or geologic structures where they occur. Original Russian Text ? V.S. Antipin, E.A. Savina, M.A. Mitichkin, 2006, published in Geokhimiya, 2006, No. 10, pp. 1040–1052.     

Secular variations of the upper crust composition: Implication of geochemical data on the Upper Precambrian shales from the Southern Urals western flank and Uchur-Maya region

In the mid-1980s, it was concluded based on geochemical study that Th, Sc, La concentrations and ratios Th/Sc, La/Sc and Eu/Eu* did not wary significantly in the post-Archean time. It was impossible to judge about compositional variations of upper crust during the Riphean and Vendian, because data of that time characterized a limited number of samples from the post-Archean basins of Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctic. Considered in this work are variations of Eu/Eu*, LREE/HREE, Th/Sc, and La/Sc ratios in Upper Precambrian fine-grained siliciclastic rock of the Southern Urals western flank (Bashkirian meganticlinorium) and Uchur-Maya region (Uchur-Maya plate and Yudoma-Maya belt). As is established, only the Eu anomaly in the studied siliciclastic rocks is practically identical to this parameter of the average post-Archean shale. Three other parameters plot on the Riphean-Vendian variation curves with positive and negative excursions of diverse magnitude, which do not coincide always in time. It is assumed that these excursions likely mark stages of local geodynamic activity, destruction of pre-Riphean cratons, and progressing recycling of sedimentary material during the Riphean.     

A study of three massive star-forming regions in CS lines

We have mapped three star-forming regions (G265.14+1.45, G269.16?1.14, G291.27?0.71) in the CS(3–2) and C³⁴S(2–1) lines using the 15 m SEST telescope (Chile), and analyzed the relative positions of methanol and H₂O masers, IRAS sources, and emission maxima in the CS lines. In most cases, the maser positions are close to those of the IRAS sources. We compared the radial velocities of the maser sources and high-density CS cores, and estimated the CS column densities assuming LTE. The sizes, densities, and masses of the dense core are estimated; the masses obtained in the LTE approximation agree with the virial masses.     

Metamorphism of sulfides and gangue quartz at the Degdekan and Gol’tsovsky gold deposits, Magadan oblast

The Degdekan and Gol’tsovsky gold-quartz deposits are located in the southeastern Yana-Kolyma gold belt. The orebodies occur as quartz veins hosted in metaterrigenous rocks and cut by postmineral basic-intermediate dikes. It was established that metamorphism of sulfides and gangue quartz was restricted to a few centimeters off the dike contact. According to sulfide geothermometers, the metamorphic temperatures close to the contact of dikes attained 700°C at the Degdekan deposit and were no higher than 491°C at the Gol’tsovsky deposit. The formation of the forbidden assemblage of quartz and loellingite and its fine-grained texture indicate that the thermal effect on the Degdekan ore was short-term. The prolonged heating of the ore at the Gol’tsovsky deposit gave rise to the aggradation recrystallization of quartz and the formation of equilibrium sulfide aggregates that show only insignificant differences in composition from the primary phases. The average homogenization temperature of primary and pseudosecondary fluid inclusions is 206 ± 40°C in the unmetamorphosed veins and 257 ± 33°C in the metamorphosed veins. The salinity of fluids in the primary and pseudosecondary inclusions in quartz veins of both types varies from 0.5 to 14.0 wt % NaCl equiv. The melting temperature of liquid CO₂ in the carbon dioxide inclusions, ranging from ?57.0 to ?60.8°C, suggests an admixture of CH₄ and/or N₂. The unmetamorphosed quartz veins were formed at a fluid pressure varying from 0.7 to 1.3 kbar, while quartz veins at the contact with dikes crystallized at a pressure of 0.8–1.5 kbar. The results of gas chromatography showed the presence of CO₂ and H₂O, as well as N₂ and CH₄. The average bulk of volatiles contained in the fluid inclusions in quartz from the metamorphosed veins is 1.5–2 times lower than in the unmetamorphosed veins; this proportion is consistent with the occurrence of decrepitated gas inclusions in the heated quartz.     

Mineralogy and PT formation conditions of lead-zinc ore at the Dzhimidon deposit, north Ossetia

The mineralogy and PT formation conditions of the Dzhimidon Pb-Zn deposit in the Sadon ore district are considered. The deposit is localized in metamorphic rocks of the Buron Formation, which pertain to the pre-Jurassic basement (lower structural stage) and are cut through by Upper Paleozoic granitoids, and in the Lower Jurassic terrigenous sequence (upper structural stage). Orebodies as quartz-sulfide veins are mainly hosted in the metamorphic rocks. Galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, and arsenopyrite are the most abundant sulfides, while quartz, carbonates, chlorite, sericite, and feldspar are gangue minerals. The bismuth mineralization identified at this deposit for the first time is represented by diverse phases of the Ag-Pb-Bi-S system. Five stages of the ore deposit formation are recognized: a premineral stage (quartz-feldspar), three ore-bearing stages (pyrite-arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite-sphalerite, and arsenopyrite-sphalerite-galena), and a postmineral stage (quartz-calcite); each stage comprises one or several mineral assemblages. The study of fluid inclusions in quartz, calcite, and sphalerite of the premineral, ore-forming, and postmineral stages has shown that the ore was deposited mainly from Na chloride solution with a salinity varying from >22 to <1.0 wt % NaCl equiv at a temperature from 460 to ～120°C and 430–290 bars pressure. The third stage was characterized by an abrupt increase in temperature and by the appearance of Mg(Fe,Ca) chloride solutions equally with Na chloride fluids, presumably owing to the emplacement of granite porphyry.