A 3500 Ma plutonic and volcanic calc-alkaline province in the Archaean East Pilbara Block

Variably foliated, predominantly granodioritic plutonic rocks from the northern part of the Shaw Batholith in the east Pilbara Archaean craton are dated at 3,499±22 Ma (2σ errors) by a whole-rock Pb-Pb isochron. These rocks intrude the surrounding greenstone sequence, and their age is indistinguishable from that sequence. High strain grey gneisses which occupy much of the western and southern Shaw Batholith are chemically and isotopically similar to the North Shaw suite and are inferred to have been derived from this suite by tectonic processes. Felsic volcanics within the greenstones together with a major portion of the granitic batholiths apparently formed in a calc-alkaline volcanic and plutonic province at ～3,500 Ma. This volcanic and plutonic suite is similar to modern calc-alkaline suites on the basis of major element, rare earh element and most other trace element contents. The Archaean suite contrasts with modern equivalents only in having lower concentrations of HREE and higher concentrations of Ni and Cr. The average composition of the North Shaw suite is similar to that of Archaean gneiss belts for most elements and is consistent with the previously formulated hypothesis that the Shaw Batholith is transitional to the upper crustal level of a high-grade gneiss belt. Enrichment of the gneissic crust in the Shaw Batholith in alkali and heat-producing elements is inferred to have taken place by both igneous and hydrothermal processes over a protracted time interval. Late- and post-tectonic adamellite and granite melts intrude the gneissic rocks and there is isotopic evidence consistent with the gneisses being substantially enriched in Rb by pegmatite injection at ～3,000 Ma.     

Reconstructing the event stratigraphy from the complex structural – stratigraphic architecture of an Archaean volcanic – intrusive – sedimentary succession: the Boorara Domain,Eastern Goldfields Superterrane,Western Australia

Two main deformational phases are recognised in the Archaean Boorara Domain of the Kalgoorlie Terrane, Eastern Goldfields Superterrane, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia, primarily involving south-over-north thrust faulting that repeated and thickened the stratigraphy, followed by east-northeast – west-southwest shortening that resulted in macroscale folding of the greenstone lithologies. The domain preserves mid-greenschist facies metamorphic grade, with an increase to lower amphibolite metamorphic grade towards the north of the region. As a result of the deformation and metamorphism, individual stratigraphic horizons are difficult to trace continuously throughout the entire domain. Volcanological and sedimentological textures and structures, primary lithological contacts, petrography and geochemistry have been used to correlate lithofacies between fault-bounded structural blocks. The correlated stratigraphic sequence for the Boorara Domain comprises quartzo-feldspathic turbidite packages, overlain by high-Mg tholeiitic basalt (lower basalt), coherent and clastic dacite facies, intrusive and extrusive komatiite units, an overlying komatiitic basalt unit (upper basalt), and at the stratigraphic top of the sequence, volcaniclastic quartz-rich turbidites. Reconstruction of the stratigraphy and consideration of emplacement dynamics has allowed reconstruction of the emplacement history and setting of the preserved sequence. This involves a felsic, mafic and ultramafic magmatic system emplaced as high-level intrusions, with localised emergent volcanic centres, into a submarine basin in which active sedimentation was occurring.     

Australian provenance for Upper Permian to Cretaceous rocks forming accretionary complexes on the New Zealand sector of the Gondwanaland margin

U–Pb (SHRIMP) detrital zircon age patterns are reported for 12 samples of Permian to Cretaceous turbiditic quartzo‐feldspathic sandstone from the Torlesse and Waipapa suspect terranes of New Zealand. Their major Permian to Triassic, and minor Early Palaeozoic and Mesoproterozoic, age components indicate that most sediment was probably derived from the Carboniferous to Triassic New England Orogen in northeastern Australia. Rapid deposition of voluminous Torlesse/Waipapa turbidite fans during the Late Permian to Late Triassic appears to have been directly linked to uplift and exhumation of the magmatically active orogen during the 265–230 Ma Hunter‐Bowen event. This period of cordilleran‐type orogeny allowed transport of large volumes of quartzo‐feldspathic sediment across the convergent Gondwanaland margin. Post‐Triassic depocentres also received (recycled?) sediment from the relict orogen as well as from Jurassic and Cretaceous volcanic provinces now offshore from southern Queensland and northern New South Wales. The detailed provenance‐age fingerprints provided by the detrital zircon data are also consistent with progressive southward derivation of sediment: from northeastern Queensland during the Permian, southeastern Queensland during the Triassic, and northeastern New South Wales — Lord Howe Rise — Norfolk Ridge during the Jurassic to Cretaceous. Although the dextral sense of displacement is consistent with the tectonic regime during this period, detailed characterisation of source terranes at this scale is hindered by the scarcity of published zircon age data for igneous and sedimentary rocks in Queensland and northern New South Wales. Mesoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic age components cannot be adequately matched with likely source terranes in the Australian‐Antarctic Precambrian craton, and it is possible they originated in the Proterozoic cores of the Cathaysia and Yangtze Blocks of southeast China.     

Late Archaean Ti–rich,Al–depleted komatiites and komatiitic volcaniclastic rocks from the Murchison Terrane in Western Australia

Greenstone belts in the northern Murchison Terrane of the Yilgarn Craton contain an extensive suite of 2.9–3.0 Ga, porphyritic komatiites and komatiitic volcaniclastic rocks. These unusual Ti–rich Al–depleted komatiites have been sampled at Gabanintha and are characterised by higher incompatible‐element abundances than most suites of Barberton‐type Al–depleted komatiites. They form a petrogenetically related group with similar Ti– and incompatible‐element‐rich, Al–depleted porphyritic komatiites and komatiitic volcaniclastic rocks from Karasjok in Norway, Dachine in French Guiana and Steep Rock‐Lumby Lake in Canada (here called Karasjok‐type komatiites). Their Al–depletion results from magma generation at depths of >250 km in the presence of residual majorite‐garnet. The porphyritic textures and abundance of amygdales and volcaniclastic rocks typical of this type of komatiite are features of hydrous ultramafic magmas. The incompatible‐element‐rich ultramafic rocks from Dachine contain diamonds that were most likely picked up as parent magmas interacted with mantle lithosphere that had been hydrated and chemically modified. Consequently the interaction of Karasjok‐type komatiite magmas with thick, island arc or continental mantle lithosphere may have resulted in their elevated water and incompatible‐element contents. The occurrence of Karasjok‐type komatiite lavas and volcaniclastic rocks in the northern Murchison Terrane suggests that during the Late Archaean that terrane had a hydrated, metasomatised or subduction‐modified mantle lithosphere.     

Petrographic and geochemical evidence for hydrothermal evolution of the North Deposit,Mt Tom Price,Western Australia

High-grade iron mineralisation (>65%Fe) in the North Deposit occurs as an E-W trending synclinal sheet within banded iron formation (BIF) of the Early Proterozoic Dales Gorge Member and consists of martite-microplaty hematite ore. Three hypogene alteration zones between unmineralised BIF and high-grade iron ore are observed: (1) distal magnetite-siderite-iron silicate, (2) intermediate hematite-ankerite-magnetite, and (3) proximal martite-microplaty hematite-apatite alteration zones. Fluid inclusions trapped in ankerite within ankerite-hematite veins in the hematite-ankerite-magnetite alteration zone revealed mostly H₂O–CaCl₂ pseudosecondary and secondary inclusions with salinities of 23.9±1.5 (1, n=38) and 24.4±1.5 (1, n=66) eq.wt.% CaCl₂, respectively. Pseudosecondary inclusions homogenised at 253±59.9°C (1, n=34) and secondary inclusions at 117±10.0°C (1, n=66). The decrepitation of pseudosecondary inclusions above 350°C suggests that their trapping temperatures are likely to be higher (i.e. 400°C). Hypogene siderite and ankerite from magnetite-siderite-iron silicate and hematite-ankerite-magnetite alteration zones have similar oxygen isotope compositions, but increasingly enriched carbon isotopes from magnetite-siderite-iron silicate alteration (–8.8±0.7, 1, n=17) to hematite-ankerite-magnetite alteration zones (–4.9±2.2, 1, n=17) when compared to the dolomite in the Wittenoom Formation (0.9±0.7, 1, n=15) that underlies the deposit. A two-stage hydrothermal-supergene model is proposed for the formation of the North Deposit. Early 1a hypogene alteration involved the upward movement of hydrothermal, CaCl₂-rich brines (150–250°C), likely from the carbonate-rich Wittenoom Formation (¹³C signature of 0.9±0.7, 1, n=15), within large-scale folds of the Dales Gorge Member. Fluid rock reactions transformed unmineralised BIF to magnetite siderite-iron silicate BIF, with subsequent desilicification of the chert bands. Stage 1b hypogene alteration is characterised by an increase in temperature (possibly to 400°C), depleted ¹³C signature of –4.9±2.2 (1, n=17), and the formation of hematite-ankerite-magnetite alteration and finally the crystallisation of microplaty hematite. Late Stage 1c hypogene alteration involved the interaction of low temperature (~120°C) basinal brines with the hematite-ankerite-magnetite hydrothermal assemblage leaving a porous martite-microplaty hematite-apatite mineral assemblage. Stage 2 supergene enrichment in the Tertiary resulted in the removal of residual ankerite and apatite and the weathering of the shale bands to clay.Editorial handling: B. Lehmann     

Platinum-group element alloy inclusions in chromites from Archaean mafic-ultramafic units: evidence from the Abitibi and the Agnew-Wiluna Greenstone Belts

Summary The paper investigates the role of primary magmatic phases in the fractionation and concentration of PGE in Archaean mafic and ultramafic systems. The composition of chromites and olivines in sulphur-poor (S<0.6wt%) komatiites from the Agnew-Wiluna Belt (Western Australia), and of chromite concentrated from komatiitic basalt, ferropicritic basalt and tholeiitic basalt from the Abitibi Belt (Canada) were analysed. The results of laser ablation ICP-MS analyses show that PGE-bearing alloys are not stable in crystallising komatiite and that ruthenium is soluble in chromite during crystallisation. Conversely, analyses of chromites separated from Theos Flow tholeiitic basalt indicate that Ir–Os–(±Pt) enrichments (>200ppb) reflect the presence of PGM. Chromites from Freds Flow komatiitic basalt contain Ir-rich clusters, whereas Pt enrichments (>370ppb) in Boston Creek ferropicritic basalt reflect the presence of Pt-rich compounds. The presence of PGE-bearing alloys in Theos Flow and Freds Flow is due to late S-supersaturation, whereas the presence of Pt-rich compounds in Boston Creek Flow reflects high state of melt oxidisation. The lack of PGE-bearing alloys in the olivines and chromites of komatiites can be explained by thermal instability of PGM, depletion in PGE at the mantle source, early S-supersaturation, the oxidisation conditions of the melt, or a combination of these factors.     

A northwest North American training set: distribution of freshwater midges in relation to air temperature and lake depth

Freshwater midges, consisting of Chironomidae, Chaoboridae and Ceratopogonidae, were assessed as a biological proxy for palaeoclimate in eastern Beringia. The northwest North American training set consists of midge assemblages and data for 17 environmental variables collected from 145 lakes in Alaska, British Columbia, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and the Canadian Arctic Islands. Canonical correspondence analyses (CCA) revealed that mean July air temperature, lake depth, arctic tundra vegetation, alpine tundra vegetation, pH, dissolved organic carbon, lichen woodland vegetation and surface area contributed significantly to explaining midge distribution. Weighted averaging partial least squares (WA-PLS) was used to develop midge inference models for mean July air temperature (r _boot² = 0.818, RMSEP = 1.46°C), and transformed depth (ln (x+1); r _boot² = 0.38, and RMSEP = 0.58).     

Controls on the emplacement and genesis of the MKD5 and Sarah’s Find Ni–Cu–PGE deposits,Mount Keith,Agnew–Wiluna Greenstone Belt,Western Australia

The Mount Keith (MKD5) nickel sulfide deposit is one of the largest komatiite-hosted nickel sulfide deposits in the world; it is hosted by a distinctive spinifex-free, cumulate-rich, ultramafic horizon/unit termed the Mount Keith Ultramafic (MKU). The Mount Keith Ultramafic shows significant variation along its lateral extent. The internal architecture is made up of adcumulate-textured pods and lenses, which are flanked by thinner meso- and orthocumulate-textured units, overlain by pyroxenitic and gabbroic horizons. The lateral and vertical changes in the geometry and internal architecture reflect variations in the lithological association and emplacement conditions along the strike extent of the belt. The chilled margins of the Mount Keith Ultramafic unit contain ∼1,200 ppm Ni. Olivine cumulates average ∼2,500–3,500 ppm Ni, with few exceptions (Ni > 4,500 ppm) reflecting occurrence of minor nickel sulfides, whereas pyroxenites and gabbros generally contain, respectively, ∼1,500–2,000 and ∼100–1,000 ppm Ni. Olivine cumulates generally contain low Cr concentrations (<2,500 ppm Cr), with the rare presence of chromite-rich intervals containing anomalously high values (>5,000 ppm Cr). The internal stratigraphy of the Mount Keith Ultramafic unit may be subdivided into two groups based on rare earth element distribution. The chilled margins and the internal units of the Main Adcumulate domain display LREE-enriched patterns [(La/Sm) _n  > 1–3] and negative Eu, Hf, Zr, Nb, and Ti anomalies. The internal units in the Western Mineralized Zone generally display flat chondrite-normalized REE patterns and only minor negative Nb anomalies. The pattern of platinum-group element (PGE) distribution varies greatly along the strike extent of the Mount Keith Ultramafic unit. The chilled margins display relatively low absolute concentrations [PGE (excl. Os) ∼16 ppb] and relatively fractionated patterns, with subchondritic Pt/Pd ratios (∼1.5), and superchondritic Pd/Ir ratios (∼3). The PGE trends in the thick adcumulate-textured pods containing widespread nickel sulfide mineralization display positive correlation with sulfide abundance, whereas fractionated pyroxenites and gabbros in the thinner domains display highly depleted PGE concentrations and generally show compatible PGE trends. The nickel sulfide ore typology and style vary greatly along the strike extension of the Mount Keith Ultramafic unit. Basal massive nickel sulfide mineralization (e.g., Sarah’s Find) occurs in the thinner meso- and orthocumulate-textured units, whereas stratabound disseminated nickel sulfide mineralization (e.g., MKD5 Ni Deposit) is hosted in the adcumulate-textured pods. We hypothesize that the very low PGE content of the initial liquid of the Mount Keith Ultramafic unit indicates that the initial magma pulse that penetrated through the dacite host-rock had already equilibrated with sulfides at depth and/or carried entrained immiscible sulfide blebs. We argue that upon emplacement, the intruding magma experienced a significant thermal shock at the contact with water-saturated volcaniclastic breccias. The sudden chilling would have increased the viscosity of the magma, possibly to the point where it was no longer able to sustain the suspension of the immiscible sulfide liquid. As a result, the sulfide blebs coalesced and formed the basal massive sulfide nickel sulfide mineralization at the base of the sill (i.e., Sarah’s Find). Prolonged focused high volume magma flow within the sill resulted in the emplacement of a thick, lens-shaped accumulation of olivine adcumulate. Local variations in intensive parameters other than crustal assimilation (e.g., T, fO₂, fS₂) may be principally responsible for sulfide supersaturation and controlled the local distribution of stratabound disseminated nickel sulfide mineralization (e.g., MKD5 Ni Deposit), generally localized within the core of the thicker dunite lenses.     

Hydrothermal origin for the 2 billion year old Mount Tom Price giant iron ore deposit, Hamersley Province, Western Australia

Giant iron-ore deposits, such as those in the Hamersley Province of northwestern Australia, may contain more than a billion tonnes of almost pure iron oxides and are the world's major source of iron. It is generally accepted that these deposits result from supergene oxidation of host banded iron formation (BIF), accompanied by leaching of silicate and carbonate minerals. New textural evidence however, shows that formation of iron ore at one of those deposits, Mount Tom Price, involved initial high temperature crystallisation of magnetite-siderite-iron silicate assemblages. This was followed by development of hematite- and ferroan dolomite-bearing assemblages with subsequent oxidation of magnetite, leaching of carbonates and silicates and crystallisation of further hematite. Preliminary fluid inclusion studies indicate both low and high salinity aqueous fluids as well as complex salt-rich inclusions with the range of fluid types most likely reflecting interaction of hydrothermal brines with descending meteoric fluids. Initial hematite crystallisation occurred at about 250 °C and high fluid pressures and continued as temperatures decreased. Although the largely hydrothermal origin for mineralisation at Mount Tom Price is in conflict with previously proposed supergene models, it remains consistent with interpretations that the biosphere contained significant oxygen at the time of mineralisation. Received: 16 February 1999 / Accepted: 14 May 1999