Mineralogy and mineral chemistry of auriferous stream sediments from Al Wajh area, NW Saudi Arabia

A detailed ore microscopic study strengthened by fire assay data of Al Wajh stream sediments (Wadi Al Miyah, Wadi Haramil and Wadi Thalbah) in northwestern Saudi Arabia shows economic concentrations of gold in the silt fraction (40–63 μm). However, particles of extremely fine “dusty” gold (≤40 μm in size) were also identified in most stations as independent grains. The maximum gold content in the samples of Wadi Al Miyah is 13.61 wt%, which is reported for the heavy fraction (<40 μm). Maximum gold content in the heavy fractions of Wadi Haramil stream sediments amounts 6.90 g/t Au in a relatively coarse fraction (63–125 μm). It appears that the most fertile heavy fraction in gold among the analysed samples are those from Wadi Thalbah that have the highest index figure, which makes the placer gold in them more profitable from the economic point of view. The gold content in the heavy fractions of samples from Wadi Thalbah is economically high lying in the range 6.27–28.83 g/t Au, except for a sample collected at the upstream with 0.77 g/t Au. Al Wajh stream sediments (including the beach light and black sands) are also rich in Fe–Ti oxides, rutile and zircon, whereas monazite and thorite are much lesser. Mineral chemistry of magnetite indicates a distinct titanomagnetite variety (with 3.85 wt% TiO₂) which is consistent with the ore microscopic investigation. The titanomagnetite is V- and Cr-free, which indicates derivation from a more felsic source than a mafic one. No traces of U were found in zircon that sometimes bears up to 2.74 wt% Hf₂O₃. Chemical analyses of monazite show typical common contents of rare earth elements such as La, Ce, Nd and Sm. Thorite is either U-free or uranothorite varieties where the latter contains up to 31.79 wt% UO₂. One of the U-free thorite grains is Y-bearing and contains 7.13 wt% Y₂O₃.

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كيميائية المعادن من التحليل التقديري الناري لرسوبيات الوديان في منطقة الوجه- شمال غرب المملكة العربية السعودية

توضح الدراسة المجهرية للخامات المعدنية والتي تعضدها بيانات التحليل التقديري الناري لرسوبيات الوديان بمنطقة الوجه (وادي المياه، وادي حرامل، وادي ثلبة) في شمال المملكة العربية السعودية، أن هناك تركيزات اقتصادية للذهب في كسرة الغرين التي يتراوح حجمها من 40 إلى 63 ميكرومتر. في معظم الحالات المدروسة تم رصد حبيبات من الذهب الطليق متناهية الصغر (أقل أو تساوي 40 ميكروميتر). كما اتضح أيضا أن أعلى محتوى لفلز الذهب وجد في القطفات المعدنية الثقيلة دقيقة الحجم المأخوذة من وادي المياه والتي تقدر 13.61 جرام/الطن. أما المحتوى الأعلى في القطفات المعدنية الثقيلة الأكبر نسبيا في الحجم (تتراوح من 63 إلى 125 ميكروميتر) المأخوذة من الرواسب الوديانية بوادي حرامل يصل إلى 6.90 جرام/طن. ويبدو أن القطفات الثقيلة لرسوبيات وادي ثلبة الوديانية هي الأخصب من حيث محتوى الذهب وتلك العينات لها شكل مميز مما يجعل ذهب المراقد بذلك الوادي ذو ربحية مشجعة وذلك من الناحية الاقتصادية. وتتراوح التركيزات الاقتصادية للذهب في عينات وادي ثلبة بين 6.27 - 28.83 جرام/طن باستثناء عينة وحيدة تم تسجيل كمية ذهب بها لا تتعدى 0.77 جرام/طن. عينات الرواسب الوديانية بمنطقة الوجه (بما في ذلك الرمال الشاطئية السوداء والفاتحة اللون) غنية بمعادن خامات أكاسيد الحديد والتيتانيوم والروتيل والزيركون، بالإضافة إلى كميات أقل بكثير من معدني المونازيت والثوريت. وتوضح كيمياء المعادن أن معدن الماجنيتيت غني بالتيتانوماجنيتيت (ماجنيتيت تيتاني به 3.85% من ثاني أوكسيد التيتانيوم) وهو ما أثبتته أيضا الدراسة المجهرية. وهذا الماجنيتيت التيتاني لا يحتوي على عنصري الكروم والفاتيديوم مما يعطي دلالة على أن هذه الصخور فلسية أكثر منها مافية، وأن الزيركون الموجود لا يحتوي على عنصر اليورانيوم بينما يحتوي على أكسيد هافتيوم حتى 2.74%. أما التحاليل الكيميائية للمونازيت فإنها تظهر وجود كميات من العناصر الأرضية النادرة مثل اللانثاتوم والسيريوم والنيوديوم والسماريوم. أما معدن الثوريت فقد تم تسجيل نوعان منه أحدهما لا يحتوي على اليورانيوم أما الآخر فيحتوي على 31.79% من ثاني أوكسيد اليورانيوم. ولقد اكتشف في إحدى حبيبات الثوريت أنها لا تحتوي على اليورانيوم ولكنها تحتوي على عنصر أكسيد الأيتريوم تصل نسبته إلى 7.13%.

     

PEDOGENESIS IN LATE PREHISTORIC INDIAN MOUNDS,UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY

Inceptisols are developed on silt loam, loam, and sandy loam Indian mounds at the Keller Mound Group and Bluff Top Mound in northeastern Iowa. The mounds date to the Allamakee Phase of the Late Woodland Period (ca. 1650–1250 B.P.) and are built with fill obtained from the A, E, and upper B horizons of pre-existing soils (Alfisols). Differences in the morphologic and chemical characteristics of soils on different mounds are attributed to textural differences of the mounds' fill. Coarse-textured mound fill is pedogenically altered at a faster rate than fine-textured fill, but total carbon percentage of the A horizon attains a steady state faster in fine-textured mound fill. Total phosphorus content is used to determine from which horizons of pre-existing soils the specific layers of mound fill originated. Rates and pathways of pedogenesis in mound fill may not provide good analogues for the early stages of soil development in materials that have not undergone previous weathering and subsequent modification by humans. Nevertheless, mound soils are useful benchmarks for some pedologic studies since they provide time lines for evaluating minimum rates for development of argillic and albic horizons, as well as attainment of the Alfisol order.     

新疆塔什库尔干斯如依迭尔铅锌矿区花岗闪长岩锆石U-Pb定年及其意义

对塔什库尔干斯如依迭尔铅锌矿点与成矿作用有关的花岗闪长岩开展了系统的年代学、岩石地球化学研究工作。LA-ICP MS 锆石U-Pb定年结果表明,花岗闪长岩成岩年龄为12.7±0.13Ma,与前人在塔什库尔干地区获得的苦子干和卡日巴生岩体(11Ma)年龄在误差范围内相一致,表明斯如依迭尔铅锌矿点成矿作用发生于喜山期;岩石地球化学分析结果表明,它们为弱过铝质,具富Al、K,属于高钾钙碱性-钾玄岩系列,相对富集Rb、Ba、Th、U等大离子亲石元素(LILE)、亏损Zr、Y、Ta、Nb等高场强元素(HFSE)和稀土总量相对较高,形成于造山后伸展构造体制。区内独特的成矿特征,是青藏高原西北缘构造 转换带对主碰撞带造山作用过程响应的记录;区内独特的成矿事件,是该区在喀喇昆仑走滑断裂系统早期挤压、晚期拉张影响下,是强烈的富碱岩浆活动和成矿作用的产物。区内主干断裂及其次级断裂常常控制富碱岩浆岩体及相关矿床定位和分布。     

青藏高原南部与东南部重要成矿带的大地构造定格与找矿前景

印度/亚洲汇聚-碰撞过程经历了新特提斯洋盆滋生、消减和俯冲、亚洲南缘增生造山以及印度/亚洲碰撞造山和青藏高原的隆升,在青藏高原南部和东南部造就了"冈底斯火山岩浆带"、"雅鲁藏布江缝合带"、"喜马拉雅碰撞造山带"和大量物质向南东逃逸的"三江侧向挤出地体群",以及相应形成具有重大找矿突破战略前景的"冈底斯成矿带"、"雅鲁藏布江成矿带"、"特提斯喜马拉雅成矿带"和"三江成矿带"。本文通过对四大成矿带的大地构造定格讨论了与资源前景相关的科学问题,提出"冈底斯成矿带"中的岛弧型斑岩铜金矿具有找矿的重大潜力、重视藏东—滇西地区的俯冲-碰撞型岩浆成矿专属性研究;提出扩大西藏罗布莎铬铁矿矿集区的开发规模,以及在西部阿里地区的大型超基性岩体中寻找新的铬铁矿远景地的思路;在三江多阶段成矿作用的叠合型矿床中,集中古特提斯和新特提斯成矿类型,关注与斜向碰撞有关的走滑剪切带对成矿作用的制约机制;需进一步确定特提斯喜马拉雅矿化带与藏南拆离系关系和重视始—中新世高Sr/Y花岗(斑)岩的成矿专属性及找矿前景。     

Messinian palaeoclimate and palaeo-environment in the western Mediterranean realm: insights from the geochemistry of continental deposits of NW Sardinia (Italy)

To evaluate the palaeo-environmental parameters of a portion of the Sardinia–Corsica microplate during the Messinian drop in sea level, we examined the chemistry and mineralogy of upper Tortonian–lower Messinian (late Miocene) clayey continental deposits from NW Sardinia. Differences exist between the uppermost part of the succession, which is devoid of carbonate phases, and the lower part, reflecting changes in provenance and climate. The carbonate-free samples were probably derived from quartzite of the metamorphic basement and were deposited under a climate characterized by alternating dry and relatively wet periods. The other samples were derived from basement phyllite and were deposited under a warm, dry climate that promoted the capillary rise of Ca²⁺ and bicarbonate from a shallow water table, and therefore, the precipitation of carbonate. This part of the succession contains both calcite and dolomite. The presence of barite indicates an important concentration of SO₄ ^2? in the solution from which the CaMg(CO₃)₂ precipitated. The formation of dolomite under hypersaline conditions may be explained by bacterial degradation of organic matter, which produced CO₂ and ammonia, thereby increasing the solution alkalinity. The succession formed in an oxic environment, except for a calcite-rich level that formed under relatively reducing conditions. For this level, the large amount of calcite and the lack of dolomite indicate an alkaline environment and a very low Mg²⁺/Ca²⁺ ratio in the soil solution. These observations, coupled with the reducing conditions, indicate the availability of large amounts of degraded organic matter, probably related to a period typified by a wetter climate.     

Petrogenesis and tectonic implications of early Silurian high-K calc-alkaline granites and their potassic microgranular enclaves,western Kunlun orogen,NW Tibetan Plateau

The western Kunlun orogen occupies a key position along the tectonic junction between the Pan-Asian and Tethyan domains, reflecting Proto- and Palaeo-Tethys subduction and terrane collision during early Palaeozoic to early Mesozoic time. We present the first detailed zircon U–Pb chronology, major and trace element, and Sr–Nd–O–Hf isotope geochemistry of the Qiukesu pluton and its microgranular enclaves from this multiple orogenic belt. SHRIMP zircon U–Pb dating shows that the Qiukesu pluton was emplaced in the early Silurian (ca. 435 Ma). It consists of weakly peraluminous high-K calc-alkaline monzogranite and syenogranite, with initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of 0.7131–0.7229, ?_Nd(T) of –4.1 to –5.7, δ¹⁸O of 8.0–10.8‰, and ?_Hf(T) (in situ zircon) of –4.9. Elemental and isotopic data suggest that the granites formed by partial melting of lower-crustal granulitized metasedimentary-igneous Precambrian basement triggered by underplating of coeval mantle-derived enclave-forming intermediate magmas. Fractional crystallization of these purely crustal melts may explain the more felsic end-member granitic rocks, whereas such crustal melts plus additional input from coeval enclave-forming intermediate magma could account for the less felsic granites. The enclaves are intermediate (SiO₂ 57.6–62.2 wt.%) with high K₂O (1.8–3.6 wt.%). They have initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of 0.7132–0.7226, ?_Nd(T) of –5.0 to –6.0, δ¹⁸O of 6.9–9.9‰, and ?_Hf(T) (in situ zircon) of –8.1. We interpret the enclave magmas as having been derived by partial melting of subduction-modified mantle in the P–T transition zone between the spinel and spinel-garnet stability fields. Our new data suggest that subduction of the Proto-Tethyan oceanic crust was continuous to the early Silurian (ca. 435 Ma); the final closure of the Proto-Tethys occurred in the middle Silurian.     

Quaternary high-Nb basalts: existence of young oceanic crust under the Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone,NW Iran

Quaternary basaltic volcanoes are distributed in the northern part of the Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone (N-SSZ). Those in the Ghorveh area of the N-SSZ are characterized by low SiO₂, high alkalis, and LILE + LREE enrichment. They also have high Mg numbers (Mg# = 65–70) and high contents of Cr (>300 ppm), Ni (>177 ppm), and TiO₂ (>1.5 wt.%), suggesting that they crystallized directly from primary magma. The basalts are classified as high-Nb basalts (HNB), with Nb concentrations greater than 20 ppm. Their ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values range from 0.7049 to 0.7053 and their ?⁰_Nd values lie between –0.2 and 1.1. The small negative values of ?⁰_Nd indicate involvement of continental material in the evolution of the source magma in the area. Based on these new chemical and isotopic data and their relationship to the Plio-Quaternary volcanic adakites in northern Ghorveh, we propose that the partial fusion of metasomatized mantle associated with adakitic magma was responsible for generation of the HNB rocks following late Miocene collision of the Arabian and Iranian plates. Rollback of Neotethyan oceanic spreading and mantle plume activity caused a thinning of the northern SSZ lithosphere; furthermore, the S wave tomography model beneath the N-SSZ supports this hypothesized lithospheric thinning. The HNB rocks have close spatial proximity and temporal association with adakites, which were formed by the subduction of young (<25 Ma) oceanic crust. Our discussion clarifies the role of the oceanic slab in the post-collision generation of the HNB basalts in this area. Our data confirm the relationship of the HNB rocks to the subduction zone instead of to the oceanic island basalt (OIB) type magma in extensional zones.     

Arc magmatism in eastern Kumaun Himalaya,India: A study based on geochemistry of granitoid rocks

Petrochemical studies of granitoid rocks from the eastern part of Kumaun region suggest that the leading edge of India represents an active arc during Late Paleoproterozoic times. It has been observed that melt generation for granodiorite rocks from the eastern Almora Nappe and Chhiplakot klippe along with the Askot klippe was caused through a subduction‐related process involving hydrous partial melting of a Paleoproterozoic amphibole‐ and/or garnet‐bearing mafic source with the involvement of sediments from the subduction zone. The medium‐ to high‐K basic rocks, common in subduction‐related magmatic arcs, can also explain the generation of the high‐K granodiorites of the Chhiplakot klippe. The augen gneisses from the eastern Almora nappe and Chhiplakot klippe along with the Askot klippe further show geochemical similarity with the associated granodiorites, suggesting there is a genetic linkage with one another.     

Metamorphic history of the South Tibetan Detachment System,Mt. Everest region,revealed by RSCM thermometry and phase equilibria modelling

This study combines microstructural observations with Raman spectroscopy on carbonaceous material (RSCM), phase equilibria modelling and U–Pb dating of titanite to delineate the metamorphic history of a well‐exposed section through the South Tibetan Detachment System (STDS) in the Dzakaa Chu valley of Southern Tibet. In the hanging wall of the STDS, undeformed Tibetan Sedimentary Series rocks consistently record peak metamorphic temperatures of ～340 °C. Temperatures increase down‐section, reaching ～650 °C at the base of the shear zone, defining an apparent metamorphic field gradient of ～310 °C km^?1 across the entire structure. U–Th–Pb geochronological data indicate that metamorphism and deformation at high temperatures occurred over a protracted period from at least 20 to 13 Ma. Deformation within this 1‐km‐thick zone of distributed top‐down‐to‐the‐northeast ductile shear included a strong component of vertical shortening and was responsible for significant condensing of palaeo‐isotherms along the upper margin of the Greater Himalayan Series (GHS). We interpret the preservation of such a high metamorphic gradient to be the result of a progressive up‐section migration in the locus of deformation within the zone. This segment of the STDS provides a detailed thermal and kinematic record of the exhumation of footwall GHS rocks from beneath the southern margin of the Tibetan plateau.