The origin of the Maozu carbonate-hosted Pb–Zn deposit,southwest China: Constrained by C–O–S–Pb isotopic compositions and Sm–Nd isotopic age

The Maozu Pb–Zn deposit, located on the western margin of the Yangtze Block, southwest China, is a typical carbonate-hosted deposit in the Sichuan–Yunnan–Guizhou Pb–Zn metallogenic province with Pb + Zn reserves of about 2.0 million tonnes grading 4.15 wt.% Pb and 7.25 wt.% Zn. Its ore bodies are hosted in Sinian (635–541 Ma) Dengying Formation dolostone and show stratiform, vein and irregular textures. Ores are composed of sphalerite, galena, pyrite, calcite, dolomite, quartz and fluorite with massive, banded, disseminated and veined structures. The C–O–Sm–Nd isotopic compositions of hydrothermal calcites and S–Pb isotopic compositions of sulfides were analyzed to constrain the origin of the Maozu deposit. δ¹³C_PDB and δ¹⁸O_SMOW values of hydrothermal calcites range from −3.7‰ to −2.0‰ and +13.8‰ to +17.5‰, respectively, and plot near the marine carbonate rocks field in a plot of δ¹³C_PDB vs. δ¹⁸O_SMOW, with a negative correlation. It suggests that CO₂ in the hydrothermal fluids was mainly originated from marine carbonate rocks, with limited influence from sedimentary organic matter. δ³⁴S_CDT values of sulfides range from +9.9‰ to +19.2‰, similar to that of Cambrian to Triassic seawater sulfate (+15‰ to +35‰) and evaporate (+15‰ to +30‰) in the Cambrian to Triassic sedimentary strata. It suggests that reduced sulfur was derived from evaporate in sedimentary strata by thermo chemical sulfate reduction. Sulfides have low radiogenic Pb isotope compositions (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.129–18.375, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.640–15.686 and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 38.220–38.577) that plot in the field between upper crust and the orogenic belt evolution curve in the plot of ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb vs. ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, and similar to that of age corrected Proterozoic basement rocks (Dongchuan and Kunyang Groups). This indicates that ore-forming metals were mainly derived from basement rocks. Hydrothermal calcite yields a Sm–Nd isotopic age of 196 ± 13 Ma, possibly reflecting the timing of Pb–Zn mineralization in the SYG province, younger than the Permian Emeishan mantle plume (∼260 Ma). All data combined suggests that hydrothermal fluids circulated through basement rocks where they picked up metals and migrated to surface, mixed with reduced sulfur-bearing fluids and precipitated metals. Ore genesis of the Maozu deposit is different from known magmatic–hydrothermal, Sedimentary Exhalative or Mississippi Valley-types, which maybe represent a unique ore deposit type, named as the SYG-type.     

Zircon U–Pb age,Hf isotopic compositions and geochemistry of the Silurian Fengdingshan I-type granite Pluton and Taoyuan mafic–felsic Complex at the southeastern margin of the Yangtze Block

This work presents an integrated study of zircon U–Pb ages and Hf isotope along with whole-rock geochemistry on Silurian Fengdingshan I-type granites and Taoyuan mafic–felsic intrusive Complex located at the southeastern margin of the Yangtze Block, filling in a gap in understanding of Paleozoic I-type granites and mafic-intermediate igneous rocks in the eastern South China Craton (SCC). The Fengdingshan granite and Taoyuan hornblende gabbro are dated at 436 ± 5 Ma and 409 ± 2 Ma, respectively. The Fengdingshan granites display characteristics of calc-alkaline I-type granite with high initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of 0.7093–0.7127, low εNd(t) values ranging from −5.6 to −5.4 and corresponding Nd model ages (T_2DM) of 1.6 Ga. Their zircon grains have εHf(t) values ranging from −2.7 to 2.6 and model ages of 951–1164 Ma. The Taoyuan mafic rocks exhibit typical arc-like geochemistry, with enrichment in Rb, Th, U and Pb and depletion in Nb, Ta. They have initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of 0.7053–0.7058, εNd(t) values of 0.2–1.6 and corresponding T_2DM of 1.0–1.1 Ga. Their zircon grains have εHf(t) values ranging from 3.2 to 6.1 and model ages of 774–911 Ma. Diorite and granodiorite from the Taoyuan Complex have initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of 0.7065–0.7117, εNd(t) values from −5.7 to −1.9 and Nd model ages of 1.3–1.6 Ga. The petrographic and geochemical characteristics indicate that the Fengdingshan granites probably formed by reworking of Neoproterozoic basalts with very little of juvenile mantle-derived magma. The Taoyuan Complex formed by magma mixing and mingling, in which the mafic member originated from a metasomatized lithospheric mantle. Both the Fengdingshan and Taoyuan Plutons formed in a post-orogenic collapse stage in an intracontinental tectonic regime. Besides the Paleozoic Fengdingshan granites and Taoyuan hornblende gabbro, other Neoproterozoic and Indosinian igneous rocks located along the southeastern and western margin of the Yangtze Block also exhibit decoupled Nd–Hf isotopic systemics, which may be a fingerprint of a previous late Mesoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic oceanic subduction.     

Provenance of lateritic bauxite deposits in the Wuchuan–Zheng’an–Daozhen area,Northern Guizhou Province,China: LA-ICP-MS and SIMS U–Pb dating of detrital zircons

The provenance of the large and super-large scale bauxite deposits developed in the Wuchuan–Zheng’an–Daozhen (WZD) alumina metallogenic province in the Yangtze Block of South China is poorly understood. LA-ICP-MS and SIMS U–Pb dating of detrital zircons from bauxite ores and the underlying Hanjiadian Group in the WZD area provide new constrains on the provenance of the WZD bauxite and provide new insight on the bauxite ore-forming process. The ages of the detrital zircons in the bauxites and the zircons in the Hanjiadian Group are similar suggesting that the bauxites are genetically related to the Hanjiadian sediments. The detrital zircon populations of the four samples studied show four primary age peaks: 2600–2400 Ma, 1900–1700 Ma, 1300–700 Ma and 700–400 Ma. The age distribution of detrital zircons indicates that they are probably derived from various sources including Neoproterozoic, Mesoproterozoic, Paleoproterozoic, Archean and some minor Paleozoic sources. The most abundant age population contains a continuous range of ages from 1300 to 700 Ma, ages consistent with subduction-related magmatic activities (1000–740 Ma) along the western margin of the Yangtze Block and the worldwide Grenville orogenic events (1300–1000 Ma). Thus, it is suggested that the main provenances of the WZD bauxite and the Hanjiadian Group are the Neoproterozoic igneous rocks in the western Yangtze Block and the Grenville-age igneous rocks in the southern Cathaysia Block. In addition, this work verifies that the global Grenville orogenic events and subduction-related magmatic activities associated with the Yangtze Block had a significant influence on the formation of the WZD bauxite deposits.     

Seismic random noise attenuation by time-frequency peak filtering based on joint time-frequency distribution

Time-Frequency Peak Filtering (TFPF) is an effective method to eliminate pervasive random noise when seismic signals are analyzed. In conventional TFPF, the pseudo Wigner–Ville distribution (PWVD) is used for estimating instantaneous frequency (IF), but is sensitive to noise interferences that mask the borderline between signal and noise and detract the energy concentration on the IF curve. This leads to the deviation of the peaks of the pseudo Wigner–Ville distribution from the instantaneous frequency, which is the cause of undesirable lateral oscillations as well as of amplitude attenuation of the highly varying seismic signal, and ultimately of the biased seismic signal. With the purpose to overcome greatly these drawbacks and increase the signal-to-noise ratio, we propose in this paper a TFPF refinement that is based upon the joint time-frequency distribution (JTFD). The joint time-frequency distribution is obtained by the combination of the PWVD and smooth PWVD (SPWVD). First we use SPWVD to generate a broad time-frequency area of the signal. Then this area is filtered with a step function to remove some divergent time-frequency points. Finally, the joint time-frequency distribution JTFD is obtained from PWVD weighted by this filtered distribution. The objective pursued with all these operations is to reduce the effects of the interferences and enhance the energy concentration around the IF of the signal in the time-frequency domain. Experiments with synthetic and real seismic data demonstrate that TFPF based on the joint time-frequency distribution can effectively suppress strong random noise and preserve events of interest.     

Buckling behaviour of single pile and pile bent in the Scotch Road Bridge

The buckling behaviour of the 360 × 152 steel H-piles supporting the integral abutments of the Scotch Road Bridge, located in Trenton, New Jersey, has been studied for the cases of single pile and pile bent. Three-dimensional finite-element models for single pile and pile bent have been developed to study the behaviour of these fully embedded piles under axial and lateral loading. An iterative analysis based on extracting the eigenvalues and eigenvectors (mode shapes) that correspond to the pile(s) critical buckling loads has been adopted. The pile(s) and the surrounding sand were modelled using solid continuum elements in the finite-element model. Material non-linearity is accounted for in both the piles and the soil in the base state of the model. A parametric study has been utilized to determine the effect of the geometric and material properties of the pile and the surrounding sand on the predicted critical buckling loads of the piles. The effects of four parameters have been studied: soil stiffness, pile length, type of connection, and combining vertical and lateral loads. The results from the parametric study showed that the variation of the percentage change in the sand stiffness, pile length, and combining vertical and lateral loads with the critical buckling loads of the 360 × 152 H-piles is nonlinear. Furthermore, the parameters studied are more influential in affecting the critical buckling load of a single pile than a pile bent, with the exception of the ‘type of connection’ parameter.     

A laboratory study of the self sealing behaviour of a compacted sand–bentonite mixture

Bricks made of compacted sand–bentonite mixture are considered as a possible engineered barrier to isolate high-level radioactive waste at great depth. This work is aimed at investigating some specific effects related to the presence of discontinuities at the contact between the bricks and the excavation wall. In order to do this, an experimental device was developed in the laboratory. The model is made up of a specially designed infiltration cylinder which allows the precise definition of a planar discontinuity between the compacted specimen (a sand–bentonite mixture made up of sand and Kunigel clay from Japan) and a metal wall. During hydration and subsequent specimen swelling, the planar wall is filled, resulting in a healing process. Three total pressure gauges placed along the wall allow a detailed observation of the increase in total stress against the wall. After different periods of swelling, the maximum resistance of the specimen–wall interface to pressure was tested by imposing a pressure increase through a porous stone placed at one end of the cylinder. It was found that the maximum pressure supported by the interface is a function of the initial thickness of the discontinuity and the initial density of the specimen. It was also found that the maximum sustainable pressure depends linearly on the elapsed time. These results are of interest for optimizing water infiltration procedures in either mock-up tests or real disposal systems. If the maximum sustainable pressure at the interface is known, it is possible either to ensure homogeneous hydration of a mass of bricks by respecting the maximum injection pressure limit or to accelerate hydration by forcing water paths along the discontinuities.     

Artificial neural network model for prediction of rock properties from sound level produced during drilling

In many rock engineering applications such as foundations, slopes and tunnels, the intact rock properties are not actually determined by laboratory tests, due to the requirements of high quality core samples and sophisticated test equipments. Thus, predicting the rock properties by using empirical equations has been an attractive research topic relating to rock engineering practice for many years. Soft computing techniques are now being used as alternative statistical tools. In this study, artificial neural network models were developed to predict the rock properties of the intact rock, by using sound level produced during rock drilling. A database of 832 datasets, including drill bit diameter, drill bit speed, penetration rate of the drill bit and equivalent sound level (L_eq) produced during drilling for input parameters, and uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), Schmidt rebound number (SRN), dry density (ρ), P-wave velocity (V_p), tensile strength (TS), modulus of elasticity (E) and percentage porosity (n) of intact rock for output, was established. The constructed models were checked using various prediction performance indices. Goodness of the fit measures revealed that recommended ANN model fitted the data as accurately as experimental results, indicating the usefulness of artificial neural networks in predicting rock properties.     

Geochemical characteristics and age of metamorphic sole rocks within a Neotethyan ophiolitic mélange from Konya region (central southern Turkey)

Palaeo- and Neo-Tethyan-related magmatic and metamorphic units crop out in Konya region in the south central Anatolia. The Neotethyan assemblage is characterized by mélange and ophiolitic units of Late Cretaceous age. They tectonically overlie the Middle Triassic–Upper Cretaceous neritic to pelagic carbonates of the Tauride platform. The metamorphic sole rocks within the Konya mélange crop out as thin slices beneath the sheared serpentinites and harzburgites. The rock types in the metamorphic sole are amphibolite, epidote-amphibolite, garnet-amphibole schist, plagioclase-amphibole schist, plagioclase-epidote-amphibole schist and quartz-amphibole schist. The geochemistry of the metamorphic sole rocks suggests that they were derived from the alkaline (seamount) and tholeiitic (E-MORB, IAT and boninitic type) magmatic rocks from the upper part of the Neotethyan oceanic crust. Four samples from the amphibolitic rocks yielded ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar isotopic ages, ranging from 87.04 ± .36 Ma to 84.66 ± .30 Ma. Comparison of geochemistry and geochronology for the amphibolitic rocks suggests that the alkaline amphibolite (seamount-type) cooled below 510 ± 25 °C at 87 Ma whereas the tholeiitic amphibolites at 85 Ma during intraoceanic thrusting/subduction. When all the evidence combined together, the intraoceanic subduction initiated in the vicinity of an off-axis plume or a plume-centered spreading ridge in the Inner Tauride Ocean at 87 Ma. During the later stage of the steady-state subduction, the E-MORB volcanics on the top of the down-going slab and the arc-type basalts (IAT/boninitic) detached from the leading edge of the overriding plate, entered the subduction zone after ~2 my and metamorphosed to amphibolite facies in the Inner Tauride Ocean. Duration of the intraoceanic detachment (~87 Ma) and ophiolite emplacement onto the Tauride-Anatolide Platform (Tav?anl? Zone), followed by subsequent HP/LT metamorphism (~82 Ma) spanned ~5 my in the western part of the Inner Tauride Ocean.     

Second kind Chebyshev operational matrix algorithm for solving differential equations of Lane–Emden type

In this paper, we present a new second kind Chebyshev (S2KC) operational matrix of derivatives. With the aid of S2KC, an algorithm is described to obtain numerical solutions of a class of linear and nonlinear Lane–Emden type singular initial value problems (IVPs). The idea of obtaining such solutions is essentially based on reducing the differential equation with its initial conditions to a system of algebraic equations. Two illustrative examples concern relevant physical problems (the Lane–Emden equations of the first and second kind) are discussed to demonstrate the validity and applicability of the suggested algorithm. Numerical results obtained are comparing favorably with the analytical known solutions.