Metamorphic rocks of the Murmansk domain (Kola Peninsula) as compared with the oldest rock associations of the northeastern Baltic shield,Canada, and Greenland

Rock associations characterized by heterogeneous sets of petrogeochemical parameters were compared by quantifying the degree of their similarity-dissimilarity and searching for discrimination trends between them. Using procedures specially developed for this purpose, it was demonstrated for the first time that the lithotectonic complexes of the Murmansk domain are fundamentally different from those of typical granulite-gneiss terrains and resemble the granite-greenstone terrains of the Baltic shield, Greenland, and Canada. Based on the whole data set, the Murmansk domain can be considered as a deeply eroded Archean granite-greenstone terrain retaining only the tonalite-trondhjemite-gneiss basement with abundant supracrustal enclaves. A trend of the compositional difference between the older and younger rock associations is similar to that between the tholeiitic and boninitic volcanic series. It was suggested that the petrogeochemical “age” trend reflects the initial stage of the compositional evolution of the metamagmatic rocks of the region from metamorphic rocks similar to tholeiites at the early stages to the Paleoproterozoic boninite-like rocks, which are believed to be linked to the unique PGE-bearing province of the northeastern Baltic shield. This implies that the specific metallogenic features of the region emerged already in the Archean, which supported the suggestion on the long duration of geological processes in the Early Precambrian.     

The Ca-Eskola component in eclogitic clinopyroxene as a function of pressure, temperature and bulk composition: an experimental study to 15 GPa with possible implications for the formation of oriented SiO2-inclusions in omphacite

Experiments have been conducted in the P-T range 2.5–15 GPa and 850–1,500°C using bulk compositions in the systems SiO₂–TiO₂–Al₂O₃–Fe₂O₃–FeO–MnO–MgO–CaO–Na₂O–K₂O–P₂O₅ and SiO₂–TiO₂–Al₂O₃–MgO–CaO–Na₂O to investigate the Ca-Eskola (CaEs Ca_0.5□_0.5AlSi₂O₆) content of clinopyroxene in eclogitic assemblages containing garnet + clinopyroxene + SiO₂ ± TiO₂ ± kyanite as a function of P, T, and bulk composition. The results show that CaEs_ss in clinopyroxene increases with increasing T and is strongly bulk composition dependent whereby high CaEs-contents are favoured by bulk compositions with high normative anorthite and low diopside contents. In this study, a maximum of 18 mol% CaEs_ss was found at 6 GPa and 1,350°C in a kyanite-eclogite assemblage garnet + clinopyroxene + kyanite + rutile + coesite. By comparison, no significant increase in CaEs_ss with increasing P could be observed. If the formation of oriented SiO₂-rods frequently observed in eclogititc clinopyroxenes is due to the retrogressive breakdown of a CaEs-component then these textures are a cooling rather than a decompression phenomenon and are most likely to be found in kyanite-bearing eclogites cooled from temperatures ≥750°C. The presence of clinopyroxene with approx. 4 mol% CaEs_ss in an experiment conducted at 2.5 GPa/850°C confirms earlier suggestions based on field data that vacancy-rich clinopyroxenes are not necessarily restricted to ultrahigh pressure metamorphic conditions. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Application of precise 142Nd/144Nd analysis of small samples to inclusions in diamonds (Finsch,South Africa) and Hadean Zircons (Jack Hills,Western Australia)

¹⁴⁶Sm–¹⁴²Nd and ¹⁴⁷Sm–¹⁴³Nd systematics were investigated in garnet inclusions in diamonds from Finsch (S. Africa) and Hadean zircons from Jack Hills (W. Australia) to assess the potential of these systems as recorders of early Earth evolution. The study of Finsch inclusions was conducted on a composite sample of 50 peridotitic pyropes with a Nd model age of 3.3 Ga. Analysis of the Jack Hills zircons was performed on 790 grains with ion microprobe ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb spot ages from 3.95 to 4.19 Ga. Finsch pyropes yield 100 × ?¹⁴²Nd = ? 6 ± 12 ppm, ?¹⁴³Nd = ? 32.5, and ¹⁴⁷Sm/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0.1150. These results do not confirm previous claims for a 30 ppm ¹⁴²Nd excess in South African cratonic mantle. The lack of a ¹⁴²Nd anomaly in these inclusions suggests that isotopic heterogeneities created by early mantle differentiation were remixed at a very fine scale prior to isolation of the South African lithosphere. Alternatively, this result may indicate that only a fraction of the mantle experienced depletion during the first 400 Myr of its history. Analysis of the Jack Hills zircon composite yielded 100 × ?¹⁴²Nd = 8 ± 10 ppm, ?¹⁴³Nd = 45 ± 1, and ¹⁴⁷Sm/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0.5891. Back-calculation of this present-day ?¹⁴³Nd yields an unrealistic estimate for the initial ?¹⁴³Nd of ? 160 ?-units, clearly indicating post-crystallization disturbance of the ¹⁴⁷Sm–¹⁴³Nd system. Examination of ^146,147Sm–^142,143Nd data reveals that the Nd budget of the Jack Hills sample is dominated by non-radiogenic Nd, possibly contained in recrystallized zircon rims or secondary subsurface minerals. This secondary material is characterized by highly discordant U–Pb ages. Although the mass fraction of altered zircon is unlikely to exceed 5–10% of total sample, its high LREE content precludes a reliable evaluation of ¹⁴⁶Sm–¹⁴²Nd systematics in Jack Hills zircons.     

Partitioning of Na between olivine and melt: An experimental study with application to the formation of meteoritic Na2O-rich chondrule glass and refractory forsterite grains

We report experimentally determined 1 atm olivine/melt D_Na partitioning data for low f_O2, a variety of melt compositions and a temperature range of 1325-1522 °C. We demonstrated that high-current electron microprobe analyses (EPMA, I = 500 nA, 600 s on the peak) allow quantitative determination of Na₂O in olivine down to ∼10 μg/g. The mean olivine/melt D_Na from 12 experimental runs is 0.0031 ± 0.0007 (1σ). This is the recommended value for low pressures and a wide range of natural compositions.This result is applied to the problem of the origin of alkalis in chondrules and the formation of chondritic refractory forsterite grains. The data on Semarkona (LL3.0) chondrules show that Na₂O is primordial and was present during olivine crystallization. For refractory forsterite grains from Murchison (CM2), we demonstrate that high CaO contents are not a result of equilibration with Na₂O-rich melts, but require high activities of CaO during their formation.     

Geochemistry, petrology and ages of the lunar meteorites Kalahari 008 and 009: New constraints on early lunar evolution

Kalahari 008 and 009 are two lunar meteorites that were found close to each other in Botswana. Kalahari 008 is a typical lunar anorthositic breccia; Kalahari 009 a monomict breccia with basaltic composition and mineralogy. Based on minor and trace elements Kalahari 009 is classified as VLT (very-low-Ti) mare basalt with extremely low contents of incompatible elements, including the REE. The Lu-Hf data define an age of 4286 ± 95 Ma indicating that Kalahari 009 is one of the oldest known basalt samples from the Moon. It provides evidence for lunar basalt volcanism prior to 4.1 Ga (pre-Nectarian) and may represent the first sample from a cryptomare. The very radiogenic initial ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf (εHf = +12.9 ± 4.6), the low REE, Th and Ti concentrations indicate that Kalahari 009 formed from re-melting of mantle material that had undergone strong incompatible trace element depletion early in lunar history. This unusually depleted composition points toward a hitherto unsampled basalt source region for the lunar interior that may represent a new depleted endmember source for low-Ti mare basalt volcanism. Apparently, the Moon became chemically very heterogeneous at an early stage in its history and different cumulate sources are responsible for the diverse mare basalt types.Evidence that Kalahari 008 and 009 may be paired includes the similar fayalite content of their olivine, the identical initial Hf isotope composition, the exceptionally low exposure ages of both rocks and the fact that they were found close to each other. Since cryptomaria are covered by highland ejecta, it is possible that these rocks are from the boundary area, where basalt deposits are covered by highland ejecta. The concentrations of cosmogenic radionuclides and trapped noble gases are unusually low in both rocks, although Kalahari 008 contains slightly higher concentrations. A likely reason for this difference is that Kalahari 008 is a polymict breccia containing a briefly exposed regolith, while Kalahari 009 is a monomict brecciated rock that may never have been at the surface of the Moon.Altogether, the compositions of Kalahari 008 and 009 permit new insight into early lunar evolution, as both meteorites sample lunar reservoirs hitherto unsampled by spacecraft missions. The very low Th and REE content of Kalahari 009 as well as the depletion in Sm and the lack of a KREEP-like signature in Kalahari 008 point to a possible source far from the influence of the Procellarum-KREEP Terrane, possibly the lunar farside.     

Large and giant hydrocarbon accumulations in the transitional continent-ocean zone

The petroleum resource potential is considered for the Atlantic, West Pacific, and East Pacific types of deepwater continental margins. The most considerable energy resources are concentrated at the Atlantic-type passive margins in the zone transitional to the ocean. The less studied continental slope of backarc seas of the generally active margins of the West Pacific type is currently not so rich in discoveries as the Atlantic-type margin, but is not devoid of certain expectations. In some of their parameters, the margins bounded by continental slopes may be regarded as analogs of classical passive margins. At the margins of the East Pacific type, the petroleum potential is solely confined to transform segments. In the shelf-continental-slope basins of the rift and pull-apart nature, petroleum fields occur largely in the upper fan complex, and to a lesser extent in the lower graben (rift) complex. In light of world experience, the shelf-continental-slope basins of the Arctic and Pacific margins of Russia are evaluated as highly promising.     

Opacitization conditions of hornblende in Bezymyannyi volcano andesites (March 30, 1956 eruption)

The paper is devoted to the conditions under which opacite rims developed around hornblende grains in andesite of the catastrophic eruption (March 30, 1956) of Bezymyannyi volcano, Kamchatka. The opacite rims were produced by a bimetasomatic reaction between hornblende and melt with the development of the following zoning: hornblende → Px + Pl + Ti-Mag → Px + Pl → Px → melt. Biometasomatic reaction was accompanied by the active removal of CaO from the rim, addition of SiO₂, and more complicated behavior of other components. The hornblende also shows reactions of its volumetric decomposition under near-isochemical conditions. The opacite rims developed under isobaric conditions, at a pressure of approximately 6 kbar. The main reason for the instability of the hornblende was the heating of the magma chamber from 890 to 1005°C due to new hot magma portion injection. The time interval between the injection and the start of eruption was estimated from the thickness of the opacite rims and did not exceed 37 days. Hence, the March 30, 1956, eruption was not related to the volcanic activity in November of 1955 but to the injection of a fresh magma portion in February–March of 1956.