The petrology and petrogenesis of the Tertiary anorogenic mafic lavas of Southern and Central Queensland,Australia — Possible implications for crustal thickening

The Miocene-Oligocene volcanism of this region is part of the larger Tertiary volcanic province found throughout E. Australia. Within the S.E. Queensland region, the volcanism is strongly bimodal, and has emanated from six major centres, and many additional smaller centres. The mafic lavas (volumetrically dominant) range continuously from ne-normative through to Q-normative and are predominantly andesine-normative; Mg/Mg+Fe (atomic ratios range from 30–60; K₂O ranges from 0.42–2.93%, and TiO₂ from 0.81–3.6%.Phenocryst contents are low (averaging 6.7 vol.%), and comprise olivine (Fa_18–75; Cr-spinel inclusions occur locally in Mg-rich phenocrysts), plagioclase (An_25–68), and less commonly augite, which is relatively aluminous in lavas of the Springsure volcanic centre. Very rare aluminous bronzite occurs in certain Q-normative lavas. Groundmass minerals comprise augite, olivine (Fa_33–77), feldspar (ranging from labradorite through to anorthoclase and sanidine), Fe-Ti oxides, and apatite. Within many of the Q-normative lavas, extensive development of subcalcic and pigeonitic pyroxenes occurs, and also relatively rarely orthopyroxene. Mineralogically, the ne- and ol-normative lavas, and some of the Q-normative lavas are indistinguishable, and in view of the gradations in chemistry, the term hawaiite has been extended to cover these lavas. The term tholeiitic andesite is used to describe the Q-normative lavas containing Ca-poor pyroxenes as groundmass phases.Megacrysts of aluminous augite, aluminous bronzite, olivine, ilmenite, and spinel sporadically occur within the lavas, and their compositions clearly indicate that they are not derived from the Upper Mantle. Rare lherzolite xenoliths are also found.The petrogenesis of these mafic lavas is approached by application of the thermodynamic equilibration technique of Carmichael et al. (1977), utilizing three parental mineral assemblages that could have been in equilibrium with the magmas at P and T. The models are: (a) standard upper mantle mineralogy; (b) an Fe-enriched upper mantle model (Wilkinson and Binns 1977); (c) lower crust mineralogy, based on analysed megacryst compositions. The calculations suggest that these mafic magmas were not in equilibrium with either mantle model prior to eruption, but show much closer approaches to equilibrium with the lower crust model. Calculated equilibration temperatures and pressures (for the lower crust model) range from 995°–l,391° C (average 1,192), and 7.2–16.3 kb (average 12.4). These results are interpreted in terms of a model of intrusion and magma fractionation within the crust-mantle interface region, with consequent crustal underplating and thickening beneath the Tertiary volcanic regions. Some support for the latter is provided by regional isostatic gravity anomalies and physiographic considerations.     

Antithethic and homothetic faults

Antithetic faults are dip slip faults that displace rocks so as to prevent or reduce structural relief, typically producing tilted fault blocks. They may or may not occur in conjugate systems with their opposites, homothetic faults, which serve to increase structural relief. Several examples serve to illustrate the concept and to correct current misunderstandings.

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Zusammenfassung Die Arbeit soll die Begriffe antithetisch und homothetisch klären helfen. Antithetische Verschiebungen wirken dem tektonischen Relief entgegen, homothetische Verwerfungen unterstützen es. Die Begriffe werden an einigen Beispielen erläutert.

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Résumé Ce travail constitue une tentative d'élucider les termes »antithétique« et »homothétique«. Le rejet des failles antithétiques s'oppose à la création d'un relief tectonique. Le rejet des failles homothétiques augmente ce relief. Quelques exemples sont discutés.

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Geochemistry and petrogenesis of late proterozoic volcanic rocks from north-western Africa

The Upper Proterozoic volcanism of northwestern Africa is characterized by the predominance of calc-alkaline rocks. Volcanics with tholeiitic affinities and alkali basalts are rare. The geochemistry and the relative proportions of calc-alkaline rocktypes in the Silet zone (Algeria) and the Ouarzazate formation (Morocco) are similar to those of recent island arc suites where basalts are most abundant while in the Tassendjanet and Gara Akofo zones (Algeria) they resemble contintal margin volcanic suites with a predominance of andesites. The volcanic rocks have undergone low-grade metamorphism which strongly affected alkali and alkali-earth elements and also to a smaller degree, the less mobile elements such as REE, Zr, Hf, Nb, and P. The geochemistry of the calc-alkaline rocks point to a complex origin involving low-pressure fractional crystallization, crustal contamination and derivation from a source already enriched in LILE.     

The Tugtutoq Younger Giant Dyke Complex, South Greenland: Fractional Crystallization of Transitional Olivine Basalt Magma

The Younger Giant Dyke Complex consists of a set of massivecoalescing dykes of Proterozoic age (c. 1170 Ma), resultingfrom intrusion of a suite of transitional olivine basaltic/hawaiiticmagmas in a continental rift setting. The suite, compositionallyrelated by low pressure (< 10 kb) olivine-plagioclase fractionation,is believed to have had a deeper level evolution dominated bypyroxene and possibly garnet fractionation. Slow cooling insitu of the interior parts of the dyke complex produced cumuliticsuites. Those exposed range from gabbroic to syenitic; residualbodies of riebeckite granite and, very subordinate, feldspathoidalsyenite were also generated. The basic magmas had notably lowfO₂ values, leading to delayed magnetite and clinopyroxene precipitation,relatively iron-rich differentiates and some residual liquidsof pantelleritic composition. The basic magmas had high F/Clvalues and are inferred to have had low H₂O contents. They werealso characterized by relatively high K/Rb and low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Srvalues; these characteristics imply a mantle source with highF/Cl but depleted in Rb relative to K and Sr. Basaltic magmasresponsible for (a) the preceding Older Giant Dyke Complex and(b) a suite of anorthositic xenoliths within the Younger GiantDyke Complex, are inferred to have been derived from separateprimary magma batches independent of those that yielded theYounger Giant Dyke Complex. The giant dykes are the highest-levelrepresentatives of a larger basic complex responsible for theextensive linear gravity ‘high’ in the Tugtutôq-Narssaqarea.     

Criteria for the instability of upper-stage plane beds

Calculations of the critical dimensionless bed stresses that obtain when upper-stage plane beds should revert to ripple and dune bed forms are presented. Strong support is given to the Bagnold ‘universal’ plane-bed instability criterion and to a modified criterion suggested by Allen over a wide range of solids grain size. A reinterpretation of the mechanism of plane bed instability is based upon the extent to which significant grain concentrations in plane bed flows increase apparent fluid viscosity and decrease turbulence production over potential bed defects, thereby preventing ripple or dune propagation and growth.     

Salt tectonics in block of the Norwegian sector of the North Sea

Seismic reflection data are used to investigate the structure of block of the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, situated in the Norwegian—Danish Basin. Zechstein (Upper Permian) salt occurs in this basin, having given rise to widespread and intense salt tectonics.A number of reflections can be recognized and identified on the seismic sections. They are the Top Oligocene, the Top Paleocene, the Base Tertiary, and the Top Lower Cretaceous reflections, as well as a Jurassic reflection and the Base Permian Salt reflection (only found locally).The geological structure of the area is illustrated by means of seismic contour maps and cross-sections.Three salt plugs (a northern, a central and a southern one) are present in block 8/8. Two of these pierce Base Tertiary. The third (southern) one is more deep-seated. A major growth fault connects the northern and central plugs. The southern salt plug is surrounded by a rim syncline.The movements on the major fault and in the salt plugs in the course of geological time are investigated. It is found that there is evidence for movement in Late Jurassic, Cretaceous and Tertiary times until at least Early Miocene times.The possible cause of the structure of block is considered in detail. It is found that the movement of the salt in at least the central salt plug is intimately connected with movements on the major growth fault. The hypothesis is advanced that all local tectonic movements are due to the flow of salt and a scheme for this salt flow is proposed. A number of special features of the tectonics of the area which support this concept are dis- cussed.Volumetric considerations are also used. The approximate volume of the salt in the plugs as well as the volume of salt drained from part of the area are calculated. Finally, deep reflection evidence is used to estimate the depth of the base of the Zech- stein salt and the top of the crystalline basement in the southern part of the area.     

Distance least squares modelling of the cubic sodalite structure and of the thermal expansion of Na8(Al6Si6O24)I2

The Distance Least Squares (DLS) structure modelling technique is used to determine the room-temperature structures of the sodalites Li₈(Al₆Si₆O₂₄)Cl₂, Na₈(Al₆Si₆O₂₄)Cl₂, K₈(Al₆Si₆O₂₄)Cl₂, Na₈(Al₆Si₆O₂₄)Br₂, and Na₈(Al₆Si₆O₂₄)I₂. The technique is also used to calculate the thermal expansion behaviour of Na₈(Al₆Si₆O₂₄)I₂ assuming that the discontinuity in its thermal expansion curve occurred either when the ideal fully-expanded state was achieved (case 1) or when the x-coordinate of the sodium atom became 0.25 (case 2). The results are given as plots of bond lengths and bond angles as a function of temperature. Case 2 was preferred and analysis of the results implied that the driving force for the untwisting of the partially-collapsed sodalite framework was in the framework bonds with the cavity ion bonds resisting the untwisting. Best estimates indicate that the expansion of the Na-O and Na-I bonds are 9% and 27.4% respectively, between room temperature and 810° C, and there is an apparent shortening of the framework bond distances of about 1.5%.     

Carbon Dioxide in igneous petrogenesis: I

A number of experimental CO₂ solubility data for silicate and aluminosilicate melts at a variety of P- T conditions are consistent with solution of CO₂ in the melt by polymer condensation reactions such as SiO _4(m ^4? +CO_2(v)+Si _n O _3n+1(m) ⁽²ⁿ⁺¹⁾ ?Si _n+1O _3n+4(m) ^(2n+4)? +CO _3(m ^)2? . For various metalsilicate systems the relative solubility of CO₂ should depend markedly on the relative Gibbs free change of reaction. Experimental solubility data for the systems Li₂O-SiO₂, Na₂O-SiO₂, K₂O-SiO₂, CaO-SiO₂, MgO-SiO₂ and other aluminosilicate melts are in complete accord with predictions based on Gibbs Free energies of model polycondesation reactions. A rigorous thermodynamic treatment of published P- T-wt.% CO₂ solubility data for a number of mineral and natural melts suggests that for the reaction CO_2(m) ? CO_2(v)

1. CO₂-melt mixing may be considered ideal (i.e., { \(a_{{\text{CO}}_{\text{2}} }^m = X_{{\text{CO}}_{\text{2}} }^m \) );
2. \(\bar V_{{\text{CO}}_{\text{2}} }^m \) , the partial molal volume of CO₂ in the melt, is approximately equal to 30 cm³ mole^?1 and independent of P and T;
3. Δ C _p ⁰ is approximately equal to zero in the T range 1,400° to 1,650 °C and
4. enthalpies and entropies of the dissolution reaction depend on the ratio of network modifiers to network builders in the melt. Analytic expressions which relate the CO₂ content of a melt to P, T, and \(f_{{\text{CO}}_{\text{2}} } \) for andesite, tholeiite and olivine melilite melts of the form

$$\ln X_{{\text{CO}}_{\text{2}} }^m = \ln f_{{\text{CO}}_{\text{2}} } - \frac{A}{T} - B - \frac{C}{T}(P - 1)$$ have been determined. Regression parameters are (A, B, C): andesite (3.419, 11.164, 0.408), tholeiite (14.040, 5.440,0.393), melilite (9.226, 7.860, 0.352). The solubility equations are believed to be accurate in the range 3<P<30 kbar and 1,100°<T<1,650 °C. A series of CO₂ isopleth diagrams for a wide range of T and P are drawn for andesitic, tholeiitic and alkalic melts.     

Dating of granulites involved in the hercynian fold-belt of Europe: An example taken from the granulite-facies orthogneisses at La Picherais,Southern Armorican Massif,France

Situated within the crystalline metamorphic complex of Champtoceaux NE of Nantes, the orthogneiss of La Picherais (near St Mars-du-Désert, Loire Atlantique, France) show relicts of a granulite facies paragenesis. Comparison with other granulitic rocks in the Hercynian fold-belt suggest possible ages ranging from Lower Proterozoic to Phanerozoic. The Rb-Sr whole rock method yields an errorchron of 570±110 m.y. for the Picherais orthogneiss, whereas the U-Pb zircon method indicates an upper intersection on Concordia at 1,880±120 m.y. and a lower intersection at 423±10 m.y. Several interpretations are possible for these data: the granite emplacement age was (1) 1,900 m.y. ago. (2) more likely Upper Proterozoic — Lower Palaeozoic. The zircons concordant at 1,900 m.y. were either present in the granitic magma at its time of origin or were introduced into the magma during emplacement. These zircons could be derived from sedimentary horizons such as found in the Lower Ordovician sandstones of the Armorican massif whose zircon age data are presented here.