Pink Sapphire from Southern Kerala, S. India: Implications on India-Madagascar Correlation Within Gondwana Assembly

We report here the occurrence of pink sapphires in association with a variety of gemstones from the Trivandrum Granulite Block south of the Achankovil Shear Zone in southern India. The mineralization is associated with pegmatites or veins emplaced within granulite facies aluminous supracrustals. The sapphires show near-pure A1,0, composition (98.43-99.48 wt.%) with traces of Cr, O, (0.02-0.12 wt.%) and FeO (0.01-0.12 wt.%). The available radiometric age of 513-2 Ma for gem quality zircon associated with pink sapphire in the Melankode locality confirms that the mineralization is of late Pan-African age. Pink sapphires have been widely reported from a number of localities in southern Madagascar including Betroka, Illakaka, Antranondambo and Ambossary. Sapphires of various hues also occur in the Ratnapura gem district in the southwestern part of Sri Lanka. The pink sapphire occurrences in southern Madagascar and southern Kerala provide strong evidence for India-Madagascar juxtaposition in the Gondwana assembly with the Ranotsara Shear Zone in southern Madagascar extending into the Achankovil Shear Zone in southern India.     

Deforestation in the Madagascar Highlands – Established `truth' and scientific uncertainty

The Madagascar central highlands with their red soils and erosion gullies are often held up as a frightening example of the consequences of deforestation. They are also used as a model of how the entire island will look if so-called `forest unfriendly activities' of local people continue. This insight is based on a narrative that describes the highlands as totally forested by the time of human arrival and gradually deforested as a response to human activities. This paper questions the deforestation narrative of Madagascar and points at alternative explanations for present day land cover. By the use of alternative sources of information the paper presents a counter-narrative that sees the treeless rolling planes of Madagascar as a result of several abiotic and biotic changes and not as the work of one single agent. The paper points at the political nature of the deforestation narrative as an explanation for its hegemonic position. On a theoretical level the paper makes an attempt to investigate the epistemological implication of a social constructivist approach to environmental discourses in Third World settings. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Etmopterus alphus n. sp.: a new lanternshark (Squaliformes: Etmopteridae) from the south-western Indian Ocean

A new species of lanternshark, Etmopterus alphus (Squaliformes: Etmopteridae), is described from the south-western Indian Ocean. The new species resembles other members of the ‘Etmopterus lucifer’ clade in having linear rows of dermal denticles and most closely resembles E. molleri from the south-western Pacific. The new species is fairly common along the upper continental slopes off central Mozambique, at depths between 472 and 558?m, and is also found on the southern Madagascar Ridge in 650–792?m depth. It can be distinguished from other members of the E. lucifer clade by a combination of characteristics, including arrangement of flank and caudal markings, dimension of flank markings and shape, size and arrangement of dermal denticles along the body. Molecular analysis further supports the distinction of E. alphus from other members of the E. lucifer clade.     

Paleomagnetic evidence for a stationary Marion hotspot: Additional paleomagnetic data from Madagascar

The island of Madagascar experienced widespread magmatism at ca. 90 Ma due to its interaction with the Marion hotspot. Previous paleomagnetic data from igneous rocks in the southwestern and northwestern regions of the island indicated that the Marion hotspot has remained fixed for the past 90 Ma. We report paleomagnetic data from northeastern Madagascar (d'Analava Complex). Samples were collected from basalts, rhyolites, gabbros and a dolerite dyke. Sixty samples from 5 sites yield a paleomagnetic pole at 66.7°S, 43.5°E (A95 = 10.7°) and a grand mean pole (GMP) calculated from 10 different studies covering the entire island of Madagascar falls at 68.9°S, 49.0°E (A95 = 4.4°). This pole translates to a paleolatitude for the Volcan de l'Androy (focal point of the hotspot) at 45.2° + 6°/− 5°S compared to the current location of the Marion hotspot at  46°S. Our results confirm, and expand upon, previous studies that argue for the fixity of the Marion hotspot for the past 90 Ma.     

Phanerozoic upper crustal tectono-thermal development of basement rocks from central Madagascar: An integrated fission-track and structural study

An integrated study of fission-track (FT) dating and structural geology revealed a complex tectono-thermal history preserved in basement rocks of central Madagascar since the amalgamation of Gondwana at the end of the Cambrian. A detailed study of five domains argues for several cooling steps with associated brittle deformations during the separation of Madagascar.Titanite and apatite FT ages range between 483 Ma and 266 Ma and between 460 Ma and 79 Ma, respectively. The titanite FT data indicate that the final cooling after the latest metamorphic overprint was terminated at c. 500 Ma (FC1). A 150 Myr phase of minor cooling (SC2), possibly related to a phase of tectonic quiescence and isostatic compensation, followed episode FC1. Between the Carboniferous and Early Jurassic, when an intracontinental rift developed between East Africa and Madagascar, complex brittle deformation effected the western margin of Madagascar and led to differential cooling of small basement blocks (FC3–FC5). During this period, ductile structural trends were reactivated at the western basement margin and in the centre of the island.A Late Cretaceous thermal event (T1) affected apatite FT data of samples from western–central and the eastern margin of Madagascar. These ages are related to the Madagascar–India/Seychelles break-up, whereby the thermal penetration along the eastern coast was restricted to the west by the Angavo shear zone (AGSZ). The Cretaceous evolution of the eastern margin was associated with minor erosion and was triggered by vertical displacements along brittle structures.     

Early Permian to Middle Jurassic rifting and sedimentation in East Africa and Madagascar

Pre-drift sediments of Madagascar (Early Permian-Middle Jurassic) have been studied palynologically. These studies resulted in a more precise dating of individual stratigraphic units and the recognition of minor and major breaks in the succession. Palynostratigraphic and physical evidence of unconformities have been used to subdivide the pre-drift sediments into depositional cycles and to infer rifting events. A comparison with equivalent strata of Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia shows a general correspondence and provides additional information for the construction of a generalized framework for the East African/Madagascan region which demonstrates the relationships between rifting and sedimentation and elucidates the prehistory of the break-up of Gondwana into a western and eastern fragment during the Middle Jurassic. The predrift succession of East Africa/Madagascar can be subdivided into two major sequences, a Karoo sequence (cycles 1–5, Asselian-early Smithian) and a transitional sequence (cycles 6–9, Ladinian-early Bajocian). The two sequences are separeted by a late Scythian to Anisian hiatus which indicates extensive uplift and erosion before a major rifting event initiated the resumption of sedimentation in the Ladinian. This Middle Triassic event marks the transition from the intracratonic rift stage to the pericratonic basin stage and correlates with a significant event in the Pangaean history, the transition from final coalescence to initial dispersal. The onset of the southward drift of Madagascar is believed to have occurred about 60 Ma later near the Aalenian-Bajocian boundary, contemporaneous with or immediately after the deposition of syntectonic sediments of cycle 9.     

Gymnospermes s.l. du Jurassique supérieur du massif Manamana,Sud-Ouest de Madagascar: une nouvelle paléoflore gondwanienne

Fossil plants from Upper Jurassic sediments belonging to the Gymnosperms s.l. have been studied in the Manamana massif from the southwestern part of Madagascar. The levels are Upper Oxfordian in age on the basis of the palaeontological content, especially with ammonites. The majority of fossil plants are devoided of organic matter but in some cases collodion peels have been made to present epidermal characters. The cuticle of Brachyphyllum madagascariense nov. sp. has been observed with scanning electron microscope (SEM). This new flora is constituted by Pteridospermales and Coniferales. Fragmentary fronds of Pteridospermales have been collected of Pachypteris sp. A and Pachypteris sp. B. Some epidermal characters are described. Coniferales are represented by leafy stems. The diagnosis of Brachyphyllum madagascariense nov. sp. is given with morphological and epidermal characters. Others conifers have been determined: Brachyphyllum sp. A, Brachyphyllum sp. B, Elatocladus sp., Cupressinocladus sp., Cyparissidium sp.. Araucarites sp. remains are probably isolated fertile scales of a female cone. Complete cones of Conites sp. are also present.Comparisons of the systematic composition are made with other Gondwana floras of the same age from Antarctica, South America, Madagascar, India, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. This flora shows xerophytic adaptations. With the Filicales described by Appert (1973a, b) from the same localities, it is now the most diverse flora from the Upper Jurassic of Madagascar, despite the lack of Cycadales, Bennettitales and Angiosperms.     

Magma mixing and gold mineralization in the Maevatanana gold deposit,Madagascar

The Maevatanana gold deposit in Madagascar is hosted by Archean metamorphic rocks in quartz–sulfide veins that are structurally controlled by NNW–SSE trending shear zones. Fluid inclusion data show that the trapping conditions in quartz range from 0.87 to 2.58 kbar at temperatures of 269–362 °C. Laser Raman spectroscopy confirms that these inclusions consist of CO₂, SO₂, and H₂O. The δ³⁴S values of the pyrites range from 1.7‰ to 3.6‰, with an average of 2.25‰, supporting a magmatic origin. Noble gases (He, Ne, Ar, Ke, Xe) are chemically inert, thus will not be involved in chemical reactions during geological processes. Also due to the low concentration of He in the atmosphere and the low solubility of He in aqueous fluids, the atmosphere-derived He is unlikely to significantly affect He abundances and isotopic ratios of crustal fluids, ensures that He production should have the typical crust ³He/⁴He ratios. The ³He/⁴He ratios of fluid inclusions in pyrite from the deposit range from 0.06 to 0.12 Ra, while the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar ratios range from 6631 to 11441. We infer that the ore-forming fluids could have been exsolved from a granitic magma. The oxygen and hydrogen isotope compositions of the ore-forming fluids (1.5‰ ≤ δ¹⁸O_H2O ≤ 7.8‰; –72‰ ≤ δD ≤ –117‰) indicate they were derived from a granitic magma. Four pyrite samples from the gold deposit yield a precise Re–Os isochron age of 534 ± 13 Ma. Given that the post-collisional granites in northern and central Madagascar were derived by melting of sub-continental lithospheric mantle and formed between 537 and 522 Ma, we can state that the gold metallogenesis was coeval with the crystallization age of these parental magmas. These data could be accounted for the formation of the Maevatanana gold deposit. First, the shear zones hosting the deposit formed around 2.5 Ga, when the Madagascan micro-continental blocks collided with other continental blocks, triggering large-scale tectono-magmatic activity and forming NNW–SSE trending shear zones. The gold mineralization at Maevatanana is coeval with the crystallization age of the Cambrian post-collisional A-type granitoid plutons in northern and central Madagascar, implying that this deposit is associated with extensional collapse of the East African Orogen. This extension in turn induced asthenospheric upwelling, melting of sub-continental lithospheric mantle. These magmas underplated the lower crust, generating voluminous granitic magmas by partial melting of the lower crust. The mixing magma during tectono-thermal reactivation of the East African Orogen produced large volumes of volatiles that extracted gold from the granitic magma and produced Au–S complexes (e.g., Au(HSO₃)²⁻). The shear zones, which were then placed under extensional collapse of the East African Orogen in the Cambrian, formed favorable pathways for the magmatic ore-forming fluids. These fluids then precipitated gold-sulfides that form the Maevatanana gold deposit.     

Cordierite-bearing granulites from Ihosy,southern Madagascar:Petrology,geochronology and regional correlation of suture zones in Madagascar and India

Madagascar,a major fragment of Gondwana,is mainly composed of Precambrian basenent rocks formed by Mesoarchean to Neoproterozoic tectono-thernial events and recording a Pan-African metamorphic overprint.The Ranotsara Shear Zone in southern Madagascar has been correlated with shear zones in southern India and eastern Africa in the reconstruction of the Gondwana supercontinent.Here we present detailed petrology,mineral chemistry,metamorphic P-T constraints using phase equilibrium modelling and zircon U-Pb geochronological data on high-grade metamorphic rocks from Ihosy within the Ranotsara Shear Zone.Garnet-cordierite gneiss from Ihosy experienced two stages of metamorphism.The peak mineral assemblage is interpreted as garnet+sillimanite+cordierite+quartz+plagioclase+Kfeldspar+magnetite+spinel+ilmenite,which is overprinted by a retrograde mineral assemblage of biotite+garnet+cordierite+quartz+plagioclase+K-feldspar+magnetite+spinel+ilmenite.Phase equilibria nodelling in the system Na_2 O-CaO-K_2 O-FeO-MgO-Al_2 O_3-SiO_2-H_2 O-TiO_2-Fe_2 O_3(NCKFMASHTO) indicates peak metamorphic conditions of 850-960 C and 6.9-77 kbar,and retrograde P-Tconditions of 740 C and 4.8 kbar,that define a clockwise P-T path.Near-concordant ages of detrital zircon grains in the garnet-cordierite gneiss dominantly exhibit ages between 2030 Ma and 1784 Ma,indicating dominantly Paleoproterozoic sources.The lower intercept age of 514±33 Ma probably indicates the timing of high-grade metamorphism,which coincides with the assembly of the Gondwana supercontinent.The comparable rock types,zircon ages and metamorphic P-T paths between the Ranotsara Shear Zone and the Achankovil Suture Zone in southern India support an interpretation that the Ranotsara Shear Zone is a continuation of the Achankovil Suture Zone.     

基于样本数据的红土型铝土矿定量遥感建模与反演研究

定量遥感找矿是遥感大数据在找矿应用中的一项前沿技术。本文采用多元回归分析方法,通过对多组不同数量地表铝土矿样本进行遥感建模与反演实验,探索样本量对定量遥感建模的影响。实验中,首先以地表采样获得的Al2O3、SiO2含量分析结果作为样本数据,再根据样本位置从Landsat 8遥感数据中分别读取1~7个波段反射率数据,然后利用SPSS软件,将Al2O3、SiO2含量与相应的1~7波段反射率进行多元回归分析,并分别建立Al2O3、SiO2含量遥感定量反演模型。为了得到最佳反演模型,随机选出6批不同数量的样本进行建模实验,每批样本大约2/3用于建模,其余1/3用于模型检验。实验结果表明:随着样本量增加,模型的判定系数(R2)均呈先快速升高后缓慢下降的趋势,反演结果的均方根误差则与之相反。当样本量为50左右时,判定系数取得极大值,均方根误差取得极小值,总体具有偏态分布特征。最后,利用遥感影像对样本量为50时建立的模型进行反演验证,研究区地表Al2O3、SiO2含量的反演结果与实际情况吻合得很好,从而证实了该建模方法具有可靠性,可以进一步推广使用。