A new method of estimating the ratio between in situ rock stresses and tectonics based on empirical and probabilistic analyses

This paper describes a new procedure for assessing the ratio between in situ stresses in rock masses by means of K (K = σ_H / σ_v, being σ_H and σ_v principal stress) and tectonics for purposes of engineering geology and rock mechanics. The method combines the use of the logic decision tree and the empirical relationship between the Tectonic Stress Index, TSI, and a series of K in situ values obtained from an extensive database. The decision tree considers geological and geophysical factors affecting stress magnitudes both on the regional and local scale. The TSI index is defined by geological and geomechanical parameters. The method proposed provides an assessment of the magnitude of horizontal stresses of tectonic origin. Results for several regions of Europe are presented and the possible applications of the procedure are discussed.     

Composition, P-T parameters, and metasomatic transformations of mafic schists of the Svyatoi Nos Peninsula, Eastern Baikal Area

The paper reports data on rock and mineral compositions from the Svyatonosskaya Formation, which is a continuation of the Ol’khon Series in the northern part of the Svyatoi Nos Peninsula, eastern shore of Lake Baikal. The pyroxene-amphibole-plagioclase schists (metagabbro) are replaced there by the garnet-biotite-quartz assemblage, which was formed, according to the data of various geothermometers and calculations by the THERMOCALC computer program, under conditions corresponding to the transition from the granulite (848–811°C) to high grades of the amphibolite (715–670°C) facies under high pressures (8.7 ±1.6 kbar). In petrogenetic grids, these conditions fall onto the line of the onset of eclogitization. In nature these rocks are a continuation of the Chernorudskaya-Barakchinskaya zone of elevated pressures in the Ol’khon area. The metasomatic rocks were formed simultaneously with strike-slip faulting, when coupled zones of relatively high-(eclogite-like) and low-pressure (quartzite-marble melange) developed at the inflow of SiO₂ and K₂O and the removal of MgO and CaO. Analogous compositional changes in gneisses and schists in tectonic extension zones in Ol’khon Island and neighboring areas occurred during the development of migmatites. The migmatization of the gneisses was likely coupled with the garnetization of mafic schists in high-pressure zones and the formation of eclogite-like rocks replacing marbles. The accompanying graphitization of this block suggests that the metasomatic fluid had a hydrocarbon-hydrogen composition.     

Liquid immiscibility in deep-seated magmas and the generation of carbonatite melts

This paper reviews the results of investigations of melt inclusions in minerals of carbonatites and spatially associated silicate rocks genetically related to various deep-seated undersaturated silicate magmas of alkaline ultrabasic, alkaline basic, lamproitic, and kimberlitic compositions. The analysis of this direct genetic information showed that all the deep magmas are inherently enriched in volatile components, the most abundant among which are carbon dioxide, alkalis, halides, sulfur, and phosphorus. The volatiles probably initially served as agents of mantle metasomatism and promoted melting in deep magma sources. The derived magmas became enriched in carbon dioxide, alkalis, and other volatile components owing to the crystallization and fractionation of early high-magnesium minerals and gradually acquired the characteristics of carbonated silicate liquids. When critical compositional parameters were reached, the accumulated volatiles catalyzed immiscibility, the magmas became heterogeneous, and two-phase carbonate-silicate liquid immiscibility occurred at temperatures of ≥1280–1250°C. The immiscibility was accompanied by the partitioning of elements: the major portion of fluid components partitioned together with Ca into the carbonate-salt fraction (parental carbonatite melt), and the silicate melt was correspondingly depleted in these components and became more silicic. After spatial separation, the silicate and carbonate-silicate melts evolved independently during slow cooling. Differentiation and fractionation were characteristic of silicate melts. The carbonatite melts became again heterogeneous within the temperature range from 1200 to 800–600°C and separated into immiscible carbonate-salt fractions of various compositions: alkali-sulfate, alkali-phosphate, alkali-fluoride, alkali-chloride, and Fe-Mg-Ca carbonate. In large scale systems, polyphase silicate-carbonate-salt liquid immiscibility is usually manifested during the slow cooling and prolonged evolution of deeply derived melts in the Earth’s crust. It may lead to the formation of various types of intrusive carbonatites: widespread calcite-dolomite and rare alkali-sulfate, alkali-phosphate, and alkali-halide rocks. The initial alkaline carbonatite melts can retain their compositions enriched in P, S, Cl, and F only at rapid eruption followed by instantaneous quenching.     

Crystallization of authigenic carbonates in mud volcanoes at Lake Baikal

This paper presents data on authigenic siderite first found in surface sediments from mud volcanoes in the Central (K-2) and Southern (Malen’kii) basins of Lake Baikal. Ca is the predominant cation, which substitutes Fe in the crystalline lattice of siderite. The enrichment of the carbonates in the ¹³C isotope (from +3.3 to +6.8‰ for the Malen’kii volcano and from +17.7 to +21.9‰ for K-2) results from the crystallization of the carbonates during methane generation via the bacterial destruction of organic matter (acetate). The overall depletion of the carbonates in ¹⁸O is mainly inherited from the isotopic composition of Baikal water.     

General characteristics of the geochemical evolution of silicic melts during the development of massive sulfide magmatic ore systems: Evidence from the investigation of melt inclusions

The investigation of melt inclusions in the minerals of volcanic rocks from the massive sulfide deposits of Siberia and the Urals revealed some specific features in the development of their magmatic ore systems. It was shown that the petrochemical and rare earth element compositions of melt inclusions reflect the geodynamic conditions of their formation: island arc conditions for the massive sulfide deposits of Rudny Altai, eastern Tuva, and the Salair Range and a back arc basin environment for the Yaman-Kasy deposit. The silicic melts of inclusions from the volcanic rocks of massive sulfide deposits show some specific features with respect to the contents of volatile components. In all of the ore deposits studied, fluorine content was always low (0.03–0.08 wt %), whereas chlorine content (0.13–0.28 wt %) was higher than the average value for silicic melts (0.17 wt %). There is a strong differentiation of water content in melt inclusions, both between deposits and between various volcanics from a single deposit. Ore-bearing melts show the highest water contents of 3.34–4.07 wt %. High Cu contents in the silicic melts of the Yubileinoe and Kyzyl-Tashtyg deposits (up to 7118 and 3228 ppm, respectively) may indicate the affinity of some ore components to particular silicic magmas. This is supported by the elevated contents of Cu in the porphyry Cu deposits of Romania (Valea Morii), Mongolia (Bayan Ula), and Bolivia. On the other hand, the silicic melts of inclusions from the molybdenum-uranium deposit of the Strel’tsovka ore field show high contents of another group of ore components (U and F).     

Fe- and Al-Rich metapelites of the Teiskaya Group, Yenisei Range: Geochemistry, protoliths, and the behavior of their material during metamorphism

The Fe- and Al-rich metapelite of the Teiskaya Group in the trans-Angara part of the Yenisei Range are characterized by variable P-T parameters of their metamorphism. Geochemical data on these rocks were used to reproduce the nature and composition of their protolith. The metapelites were determined to be redeposited and metamorphosed Precambrian weathering crusts of the kaolinite type, which were produced by the erosion of Archean rocks of predominantly acid (granitoid) composition in shallow-water continental-margin basins in a humid climate. These results are consistent with the results of the lithological-facies analysis and geodynamic reconstruction of the Precambrian geological evolution of complexes in the Yenisei range. Differences were revealed between the REE patterns in metapelites in various metamorphic zones caused by both the compositional heterogeneity of the protoliths and the prograde (in terms of pressure) mineral reactions of collision metamorphism with the predominant effects of various processes during different evolutionary stages.     

Low-pressure,water-assisted anatexis of basic dykes in a contact metamorphic aureole,Fuerteventura (Canary Islands): oxygen isotope evidence for a meteoric fluid origin

Migmatites produced by low-pressure anatexis of basic dykes are found in a contact metamorphic aureole around a pyroxenite–gabbro intrusion (PX2), on Fuerteventura. Dykes outside and inside the aureole record interaction with meteoric water, with low or negative δ¹⁸O whole-rock values (+0.2 to −3.4‰), decreasing towards the contact. Recrystallised plagioclase, diopside, biotite and oxides, from within the aureole, show a similar evolution with lowest δ¹⁸O values (−2.8, −4.2, −4.4 and −7.6‰, respectively) in the migmatite zone, close to the intrusion. Relict clinopyroxene phenocrysts preserved in all dykes, retain typically magmatic δ¹⁸O values up to the anatectic zone, where the values are lower and more heterogeneous. Low δ¹⁸O values, decreasing towards the intrusion, can be ascribed to the advection of meteoric water during magma emplacement, with increasing fluid/rock ratios (higher dyke intensities towards the intrusion acting as fluid-pathways) and higher temperatures promoting increasing exchange during recrystallisation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Oxygen isotopic compositions of Allende Type C CAIs: Evidence for isotopic exchange during nebular melting and asteroidal metamorphism

In situ oxygen isotopic measurements of primary and secondary minerals in Type C CAIs from the Allende CV3 chondrite reveal that the pattern of relative enrichments and depletions of ¹⁶O in the primary minerals within each individual CAI are similar to the patterns observed in Types A and B CAIs from the same meteorite. Spinel is consistently the most ¹⁶O-rich (Δ¹⁷O = −25‰ to −15‰), followed by Al,Ti-dioside (Δ¹⁷O = −20‰ to −5‰) and anorthite (Δ¹⁷O = −15‰ to 0‰). Melilite is the most ¹⁶O-depleted primary mineral (Δ¹⁷O = −5‰ to −3‰). We conclude that the original melting event that formed Type C CAIs occurred in a ¹⁶O-rich (Δ¹⁷O  −20‰) nebular gas and they subsequently experienced oxygen isotopic exchange in a ¹⁶O-poor reservoir. At least three of these (ABC, TS26F1 and 93) experienced remelting at the time and place where chondrules were forming, trapping and partially assimilating ¹⁶O-poor chondrule fragments. The observation that the pyroxene is ¹⁶O-rich relative to the feldspar, even though the feldspar preceded it in the igneous crystallization sequence, disproves the class of CAI isotopic exchange models in which partial melting of a ¹⁶O-rich solid in a ¹⁶O-poor gas is followed by slow crystallization in that gas. For the typical (not associated with chondrule materials) Type C CAIs as well for as the Types A and B CAIs, the exchange that produced internal isotopic heterogeneity within each CAI must have occurred largely in the solid state. The secondary phases grossular, monticellite and forsterite commonly have similar oxygen isotopic compositions to the melilite and anorthite they replace, but in one case (CAI 160) grossular is ¹⁶O-enriched (Δ¹⁷O = −10‰ to −6‰) relative to melilite (Δ¹⁷O = −5‰ to −3‰), meaning that the melilite and anorthite must have exchanged its oxygen subsequent to secondary alteration. This isotopic exchange in melilite and anorthite likely occurred on the CV parent asteroid, possibly during fluid-assisted thermal metamorphism.     

Metallographic cooling rates and origin of IVA iron meteorites

We have determined the metallographic cooling rates for 13 IVA irons using the most recent and most accurate metallographic cooling rate model. Group IVA irons have cooling rates that vary from 6600 °C/Myr at the low-Ni end of the group to 100 °C/Myr at the high-Ni end of the group. This large cooling rate range is totally incompatible with cooling in a mantled core which should have a uniform cooling rate. Thermal and fractional crystallization models have been used to describe the cooling and solidification of the IVA asteroid. The thermal model indicates that a metallic body of 150 ± 50 km in radius with less than 1 km of silicate on the outside of the body has a range of cooling rates that match the metallographic cooling rates in IVA irons in the temperature range 700-400 °C where the Widmanstätten pattern formed. The fractional crystallization model for Ni with initial S contents between 3 and 9 wt% is consistent with the measured variation of cooling rate with bulk Ni and the thermal model. New models for impacts in the early solar system and the evolution of the primordial asteroid belt allow us to propose that the IVA irons crystallized and cooled in a metallic body that was derived from a differentiated protoplanet during a grazing impact. Other large magmatic iron groups, IIAB, IIIAB, and IVB, also show significant cooling rate ranges and are very likely to share a similar history.     

Rare earth elements (REE) and yttrium in stream waters, stream sediments, and Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides: Fractionation, speciation, and controls over REE + Y patterns in the surface environment

We have collected ∼500 stream waters and associated bed-load sediments over an ∼400 km² region of Eastern Canada and analyzed these samples for Fe, Mn, and the rare earth elements (REE + Y). In addition to analyzing the stream sediments by total digestion (multi-acid dissolution with metaborate fusion), we also leached the sediments with 0.25 M hydroxylamine hydrochloride (in 0.05 M HCl), to determine the REE + Y associated with amorphous Fe- and Mn-oxyhydroxide phases. We are thus able to partition the REE into “dissolved” (<0.45 μm), labile (hydroxylamine) and detrital sediment fractions to investigate REE fractionation, and in particular, with respect to the development of Ce and Eu anomalies in oxygenated surface environments. Surface waters are typically LREE depleted ([La/Sm]_NASC ranges from 0.16 to 5.84, average = 0.604, n = 410; where the REE are normalized to the North America Shale Composite), have strongly negative Ce anomalies ([Ce/Ce^∗]_NASC ranges from 0.02 to 1.25, average = 0.277, n = 354), and commonly have positive Eu anomalies ([Eu/Eu^∗]_NASC ranges from 0.295 to 1.77, average = 0.764, n = 84). In contrast, the total sediment have flatter REE + Y patterns relative to NASC ([La/Sm]_NASC ranges from 0.352 to 1.12, average = 0.778, n = 451) and are slightly middle REE enriched ([Gd/Yb]_NASC ranges from 0.55 to 3.75, average = 1.42). Most total sediments have negative Ce and Eu anomalies ([Ce/Ce^∗]_NASC ranges from 0.097 to 2.12, average = 0.799 and [Eu/Eu^∗]_NASC ranges from 0.39 to 1.43, average = 0.802). The partial extraction sediments are commonly less LREE depleted than the total sediments ([La/Sm]_NASC ranges from 0.24 to 3.31, average = 0.901, n = 4537), more MREE enriched ([Gd/Yb]_NASC ranges from 0.765 to 6.28, average = 1.97) and Ce and Eu anomalies (negative and positive) are more pronounced.The partial extraction recovered, on average ∼20% of the Fe in the total sediment, ∼80% of the Mn, and 21-29% of the REEs (Ce = 19% and Y = 32%). Comparison between REEs in water, partial extraction and total sediment analyses indicates that REEs + Y in the stream sediments have two primary sources, the host lithologies (i.e., mechanical dispersion) and hydromorphically transported (the labile fraction). Furthermore, Eu appears to be more mobile than the other REE, whereas Ce is preferentially removed from solution and accumulates in the stream sediments in a less labile form than the other REEs + Y. Despite poor statistical correlations between the REEs + Y and Mn in either the total sediment or partial extractions, based on apparent distribution coefficients and the pH of the stream waters, we suggest that either sediment organic matter and/or possibly δ-MnO₂/FeOOH are likely the predominant sinks for Ce, and to a lesser extent the other REE, in the stream sediments.