A porphyry-skarn metallogenic system in the Lesser Xing’an Range,NE China: Implications from U–Pb and Re–Os geochronology and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopes of the Luming Mo and Xulaojiugou Pb–Zn deposits

The Luming porphyry Mo deposit and the Xulaojiugou skarn Pb–Zn deposit are located in the southeast Lesser Xing’an Range, NE China. They are about 15 km apart, and are both related to monzogranite. Mo orebodies in the Luming deposit are hosted within the medium- to fine-grained monzogranite, while Pb–Zn orebodies in the Xulaojiugou deposit are hosted by the contact zone between the medium-grained monzogranite and the marbles of the early Cambrian Qianshan Formation.LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb dating of the ore-related monzogranite in the Luming deposit yields crystallization age of 180.7 ± 1.6 Ma, and the medium-grained and porphyritic monzogranites from the Xulaojiugou deposit yield crystallization ages of 181.2 ± 1.1 Ma and 179.9 ± 1.0 Ma, respectively. Analyses of seven molybdenite samples from the Luming deposit display Re–Os isochron age of 177.9 ± 2.6 Ma. These results indicate that the mineralization in the Luming and Xulaojiugou deposits occurred at about 181–178 Ma. These two deposits are genetically linked and belong to a porphyry-skarn metallogenic system. Combined with the previously reported geochronological data for ore deposits in adjacent areas, we consider that the early Jurassic is an important epoch for Mo and Pb–Zn mineralization in the Lesser Xing’an Range.The monzogranites from the Luming and Xulaojiugou deposits are enriched in and Rb, Th, U, Pb and light rare earth elements (LREEs), and are depleted in Ba, Nb, Ta, P, Ti and Eu. They have positive ε_Hf(t) values of 1.0–4.0 with two-stage Hf model ages (T_DM2) of 868–1033 Ma. Whole-rock Sr and Nd isotopes show restricted ranges of initial compositions, with (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i between 0.706346 and 0.707384 and ε_Nd(t) between −3.5 and −1.8. These data indicate that their primary magmas originated from the partial melting of a depleted lithospheric mantle which had been metasomatized by subducted slab-derived fluids/melts. The early Jurassic magmatic–metallogenic events in the Lesser Xing’an Range are interpreted as a response to the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate.     

大兴安岭北段富克山岩浆弧的组成:对蒙古—鄂霍茨克洋南向俯冲的制约

富克山岩浆弧呈北东向分布于大兴安岭北段富克山—古莲河一带,其物质组成、形成时代及其空间展布规律对于研究蒙古—鄂霍茨克洋晚三叠世地质构造演化具有重要意义。本文对其内的辉长岩、闪长岩、花岗闪长岩进行了岩石学、地球化学及锆石U-Pb定年分析研究,探讨大兴安岭北段晚三叠世时期的构造背景。LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb定年获得辉长岩、花岗闪长岩的结晶年龄分别为(205.7±2.2) Ma、(203.2±2.5) Ma,反映了晚三叠世的构造岩浆事件。岩石学和地球化学研究表明,辉长岩、闪长岩具有富钠、高铝、高钙、高镁、高Mg^#值、低钛等特征,属于拉斑系列与钙碱性过渡系列岩石,无明显的Eu负异常,相对富集LILE和LREE,亏损HFSE。花岗闪长岩具有高硅、富钠、高铝、低镁等特征,属于钙碱性系列岩石,高Sr,低Y、Yb,无明显的Eu负异常,显示了O型埃达克质岩石的地球化学特征。富克山岩浆弧的空间展布,具有由北向南的分布规律,指示了蒙古—鄂霍茨克洋具有往南的俯冲极性。     

Properties of fluids attending variable recrystallization of quartzite during contact metamorphism in the White‐Inyo Range,California

Fluid inclusions in the metamorphic aureole of the Eureka Valley‐Joshua Flat‐Beer Creek (EJB) pluton in the White‐Inyo Range, California, reveal the compositions and origin of fluids that were present during variable recrystallization of quartzite with sedimentary grain shapes to metaquartzite with granoblastic texture. Metamorphosed sedimentary formations, including quartzites, marbles, calcsilicates and schists, became ductile and strongly attenuated in the aureole during growth of the magma chamber. The microstructures of quartzites have an unusual distribution in that within ~250 m from the pluton, where temperatures exceeded 650 °C, they exhibit relict sedimentary grain shapes, only small amount of grain boundary migration (GBM), and crystallographic preferred orientations (CPOs) dominated by <a> slip. At distances >250 m, quartzites were completely recrystallized by GBM and CPOs are indicative of prism [c] slip, characteristics that are typically associated with H₂O‐assisted, high‐T recrystallization. The lack of extensive GBM in the inner aureole can be attributed to rapid replacement of H₂O by CO₂ produced by reaction of quartz grains with calcite cement that also produced interstitial wollastonite. Fluid inclusions in the inner aureole generally occur in margins of quartz grains and are either wholly aqueous (Type 1) or also contain H₂S, CO₂ and CH₄ (Type 2). Type 2 inclusions occur only in some stratigraphic layers. In both inclusion types, NaCl and CaCl₂, in variable proportions, dominate the solutes in the aqueous phase, whereas FeCl₂ and KCl are less abundant solutes. The solutes indicate attainment of a degree of equilibrium with carbonates and schists that are interbedded with the quartzites. Some Types 1 and 2 inclusions in the inner aureole show evidence of decrepitation due to high amounts of strain and/or heating suffered by the host rocks, which suggests that they represent pore fluids that existed in the rocks prior to contact metamorphism. In addition to Type 1 inclusions, outer aureole quartzites also contain inclusions that contain CO₂ vapour bubbles in addition to aqueous phase (Type 3). These inclusions only occur in interiors of granoblastic quartz that was produced by large amounts of GBM. The aqueous phase has identical ranges of first melting and final ice melting temperatures as Type 1 inclusions, suggesting that they have the same solute compositions. These inclusions are thought to represent the interstitial pore H₂O that promoted recrystallization of quartz and reacted with graphite to produce CO₂. Absence of significant amounts of CH₄ in Type 3 inclusions is attributed to elevated fO₂ that was buffered by mineral assemblages in interbedded schists. As opposed to the large amount of CO₂ that was produced by the wollastonite‐forming reaction in the inner aureole to inhibit GBM, the amount of CO₂ produced in the outer aureole by reaction between H₂O and graphite was apparently insufficient to inhibit recrystallization of quartz.     

A Periglacial Palaeoenvionment in the Upper Carboniferous–Lower Permian Tobra Formation of the Salt Range, Pakistan

The Upper Carboniferous—Lower Permian(Upper Pennsylvanian-Asselian) Tobra Formation is exposed in the Salt and Trans Indus ranges of Pakistan.The formation exhibits an alluvial plain(alluvial fan-piedmont alluvial plain) facies association in the Salt Range and Khisor Range.In addition,a stream flow facies association is restricted to the eastern Salt Range.The alluvial plain facies association is comprised of clast-supported massive conglomerate(Gmc),diamictite(Dm)facies,and massive sandstone(Sm) Hthofacies whereas the stream flow-dominated alluvial plain facies association includes fine-grained sandstone and siltstone(Fss),fining upwards pebbly sandstone(Sf),and massive mudstone(Fm) Hthofacies.The lack of glacial signatures(particularly glacial grooves and striatums) in the deposits in the Tobra Formation,which are,in contrast,present in their timeequivalent and palaeogeographically nearby strata of the Arabian peninsula,e.g.the AI Khlata Formation of Oman and Unayzah B member of the Saudi Arabia,suggests a pro-to periglacial,i.e.glaciofluvial depositional setting for the Tobra Formation.The sedimentology of the Tobra Formation attests that the Salt Range,Pakistan,occupied a palaeogeographic position just beyond the maximum glacial extent during Upper Pennsylvanian-Asselian time.     

The earliest Jurassic A-type granite in the Nanling Range of southeastern South China: petrogenesis and geological implications

The tectonic transition from the palaeo-Tethyan to palaeo-Pacific dynamic domains in the South China Block (SCB) is still a matter of debate. The A-type granites collected from the southeastern SCB offered an opportunity to illustrate this tectonic transition. This article records a set of petrographic, geochronological, and geochemical data for the Wengong granitic pluton from the eastern Nanling Range. LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb dating shows a crystallization age of 196.9 ± 4.4 Ma with ε_Hf(t) values ranging from +2.1 to +7.7. The samples have high SiO₂, Zr+Nb+Ce+Y, FeOt/MgO, Ga/Al, and Y/Nb and are depleted in Nb–Ta, Zr–Hf, Ba, Sr, Ti, and Eu, similar to those of the A₂-type granite. Their initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios range from 0.70885 to 0.70983 and the ε_Nd(t) values range from ?2.9 to ?1.1, close to those of the Early Palaeozoic mafic rocks in the southeastern SCB. The Wengong A₂-type granite was derived from partial melting of the mafic rocks underplated into the lower crust during the Early Palaeozoic.

The Mesozoic A-type granites in the southeastern SCB can be subdivided into 229–215 Ma (Late Triassic), 197–152 Ma (Jurassic), and 135–92 Ma (Cretaceous). They differ in geochemical and spatial distribution characteristics. The Late Triassic A-type granites were formed in the post-collision extensional setting associated with the palaeo-Tethyan dynamic domain, whereas the Cretaceous A-type granites were under the control of the palaeo-Pacific dynamic domain. The A-type granites were hardly exposed during the Late Triassic–Early Jurassic and Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous. The Jurassic A-type granites were formed in the intra-plate extensional setting, a response to the tectonic transition from the palaeo-Tethyan to palaeo-Pacific dynamic domains. Thus, the occurrence of the Wengong A₂-type granite indicates that this tectonic transition possibly initiated at the earliest Early Jurassic.     

New data on the Baraba Formation age (the Sredinnyi Range of Kamchatka)

In the Sredinnyi Range of Kamchatka, the Baraba Formation of continental conglomerates is assumed to be of the late Campanian age based on found flora remains, but data of isotopic geochronology suggest the Eocene age of these deposits. New data on radiolarians from cherty pebbles are considered in this work along with results of fission-track dating of zircons from pebbles and matrix of the Baraba conglomerates. Fission-track dates obtained for zircons from matrix approve the Eocene age of the Baraba Formation, and new dates characterizing pebbles are not contradicting this conclusion. The Baraba Formation structural position can hardly be lower, therefore, than that of the Irunei Formation.     

Middle Permian Mixed Siliciclastic-Carbonate System on the Northwestern Margin of the Indian Plate, Pakistan: Implications for Paleoclimate and Carbonate Platform Evolution

A mixed siliciclastic-carbonate system that responds to changes in Permian climate and subsequent carbonate platform evolution is investigated using microscopic details of the Middle Permian Amb Formation(Fm.),in Saiyiduwali section,Khisor Range,northern Pakistan.Thin sections were made from rocks throughout the stratigraphic section of the Amb Fm.and analyzed with an emphasis on carbonate and clastic microfacies,and the latter interpreted within the existing chronostratigraphic framework.Outcrop observations reveal that the units comprise coarse-grained,channelized,ripplemarked,and burrowed sandstone and sandy,fossiliferous limestone with minor marls and shale intercalations,suggesting deposition in a subaqueous tide-dominated delta to beach barrier.Based on the determined seven microfacies coupled with outcrop observation,the Amb Fm.was deposited in a tide-influenced subaqueous delta to middle shelf environment under fluctuating sea level.The deposition of compositionally mature sandstone in the lower part of the formation suggests reworking of detritus from the rift shoulders and an adjacent source area with an ambient warm and humid climate.The stratal mixing of carbonates and compositionally mature siliciclastic units in the middle part suggest deposition under tectonic and climate-induced terrigenous and carbonate fluxes to the basin.Thus the deposition shows a perfect transition from clastic-dominated deltaic to pure carbonate platform settings as a result of warm climate and tectonics.This Middle Permian warming is confirmed by sea-level rise and the presence of a temperature-sensitive fusulinid fauna in association with photozoan-based ooids.Deposition of the Amb Fm.and establishment of a carbonate platform are envisaged to be associated with major rifting of northern Gondwana,which subsequently resulted in the development of a rift basin at the passive margin of the NW Indian Plate then in northern Pakistan.     

EH4及地质雷达在隧道事故调查中的应用

引水隧道施工中屡次发生坍塌,用探地雷达对衬砌质量及地质情况进行探测。经数据反演,清晰勾画出衬砌背后空洞、松散堆积体分布范围,地下水的赋存特征,为治理事故提供切实可靠依据。     

西澳Darling Range地区红土型铝土矿地球化学特征及源区研究

Darling Range位于西澳大利亚地区,红土型铝土矿资源丰富。本文对Darling Range地区红土型铝土矿及相关岩石开展了元素地球化学分析,并对铝土矿中的碎屑锆石和其下伏的花岗岩开展了LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb测年,目的是探讨西澳地区红土型铝土矿的成矿作用及其源区。结果表明,西澳地区红土型铝土矿的主量元素以Al2O3、Fe2O3、SiO2和TiO2为主,Al2O3与SiO2呈显著的负相关关系,与TiO2则呈现显著的正相关关系,表明铝土矿的形成过程是一个去Si富Al、Ti的过程。铝土矿微量元素富集Th、U、Nb、Ta、Zr、Hf、Ti,相对亏损Ba、K、Sr、P、Sm;稀土总量较低,为1.36×10~(-6)~65.58×10~(-6),稀土元素球粒陨石标准化分布曲线略微向右倾斜,富集轻稀土。铝土矿碎屑锆石U-Pb年龄分布于1167Ma和1267Ma与2539~2696Ma(16颗)两个年龄段,分析锆石来源前者可能来自Albany-Fraser造山带;后者加权平均年龄为2579±15Ma(MSWD=1.16),与研究区本次获得的太古宙花岗岩加权平均年龄2585±12Ma(MSWD=0.83)在误差范围内一致,表明铝土矿中的锆石除了来自本区太古宙花岗岩,还有少量的锆石来自Albany-Fraser造山带。结合元素地球化学钛率(Al2O3/TiO2)、lgCr-lgNi、微量元素比值、稀土元素配分模式对铝土矿源区进行示踪表明,Darling Range地区的太古宙花岗岩为红土型铝土矿的主要物质来源。     

Holocene fire and vegetation dynamics in a montane forest, North Cascade Range, Washington, USA

We reconstructed a 10,500-yr fire and vegetation history of a montane site in the North Cascade Range, Washington State based on lake sediment charcoal, macrofossil and pollen records. High-resolution sampling and abundant macrofossils made it possible to analyze relationships between fire and vegetation. During the early Holocene (> 10,500 to ca. 8000 cal yr BP) forests were subalpine woodlands dominated by Pinus contorta. Around 8000 cal yr BP, P. contorta sharply declined in the macrofossil record. Shade tolerant, mesic species first appeared ca. 4500 cal yr BP. Cupressus nootkatensis appeared most recently at 2000 cal yr BP. Fire frequency varies throughout the record, with significantly shorter mean fire return intervals in the early Holocene than the mid and late Holocene. Charcoal peaks are significantly correlated with an initial increase in macrofossil accumulation rates followed by a decrease, likely corresponding to tree mortality following fire. Climate appears to be a key driver in vegetation and fire regimes over millennial time scales. Fire and other disturbances altered forest vegetation at shorter time scales, and vegetation may have mediated local fire regimes. For example, dominance of P. contorta in the early Holocene forests may have been reinforced by its susceptibility to frequent, stand-replacing fire events.