Dolomitization of the Latemar platform: Fluid flow and dolomite evolution

The Anisian–Ladinian Latemar platform, northern Italy, presents a spectacularly exposed outcrop analogue for dolomitized carbonate reservoirs in relation to fracture-controlled igneous intrusions. Although the Latemar is one of the best studied carbonate platforms worldwide, timing and evolution of dolomitization and the link to fractures and dikes have not been explored in detail. Previous dolomite observations are based on a stratigraphically limited portion of the platform. This study extends observations to the complete exposed interval in which dolomite bodies occur, including those within the less accessible Valsorda valley.Numerous parallel mafic dikes crosscut the Latemar platform and border several of its large dolomite bodies (50 m wide, 100 m high). Within dikes and along dike-carbonate contacts, there are abundant dolomite veins that are geochemically related to surrounding dolomite bodies. Dolomitization is the result of limestone interaction with hydrothermal fluids delivered along these dikes. At dike boundaries, impermeable marble aureoles exist derived from contact metamorphism. The marble aureoles have locally shielded surrounding limestone from dolomitizing fluid. Dolomite occurs only where the ‘protective’ marble is missing or crosscut by fractures. Based on geometric relationships, we conclude that dikes and their damage zones formed the pathways for the dolomitizing fluids and functioned as boundaries for dolomite bodies.From field observations and petrography, we established a detailed paragenesis. Dolomitization started shortly after dike emplacement. There is an evolution in the Fe content of matrix dolomite and dolomite veins, from highly ferroan dolomite to non-ferroan (saddle) dolomite, alternating with episodes of silica cementation. Non-ferroan calcite precipitation followed dolomitization, possibly indicating concurrent depletion in Mg. This stage likely resulted in further limestone recrystallization rather than dolomitization. Stable and radiogenic isotopes suggest that the dolomitizing fluid comprised Carnian seawater with elevated Fe and Mg from interaction with other lithologies (possibly the nearby Predazzo intrusion).     

Geochemical and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic insight into the low-Ti basalts from southern Paraná Igneous Province,Brazil: the role of crustal contamination

ABSTRACT

The south hinge of the Torres Syncline in southernmost Brazil hosts a volcanic succession of pahoehoe and rubbly Gramado-type lavas belonging to the ~132 Ma Paraná–Etendeka Igneous Province. We evaluate the geochemical and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic variations using local-scale stratigraphy in order to discuss the petrogenesis of lava flows in a single magma type and to estimate the role of crustal contamination and the potential contaminants involved. The geochemical and isotopic variations along the lava pile are not systematic, implying that the magma chamber could have undergone successive replenishments of basaltic magma. The process of crustal assimilation explains the high and widespread initial Sr isotopic ratios at 0.707798–0.715751 and the very low ε_Nd at ?8.36 to ?5.41, with associated Pb isotopic variations (18.42 < ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb < 18.86; 15.65 < ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb < 15.71; 38.62 < ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb < 39.37). The magmatic evolution of the SCSH and LJ lava flows begins with the storage of mafic liquids during a short period in the shallow-level magma chamber, which allowed the magma ascent with composition of olivine basalts. The continuous fractional crystallization within the magma chamber coupled with variable assimilation degrees of distinct contaminants with Palaeoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic ages, in addition to significant contribution of magma recharge, led to magma ascent with basaltic andesite composition that displays at surface a simple pahoehoe morphology. The continuous magma recharge in the magma chamber coupled with higher assimilation degree allowed the formation of basaltic andesite lavas with more contaminated isotopic signatures that exhibit rubbly morphology at the surface. Differentiation process of liquids coupled with the highest assimilation degrees of distinct contaminants during longer time in a shallow-level magma chamber, which is distinct from that where SCSH and LJ magmas have been stored, led to the formation of andesites of the Morro da Cruz section that exhibit the most contaminated isotopic signatures.     

Geochemical Characteristics and Metallogenesis of the Qingkuangshan Ni‐Cu‐PGE Mineralized Mafic‐Ultramafic Intrusion in Huili County,Sichuan Province,SW China

The Qingkuangshan Ni-Cu-PGE deposit, located in the Xiaoguanhe region of Huili County, Sichuan Province, is one of several Ni-Cu-PGE deposits in the Emeishan Large Igneous Province (ELIP). The ore-bearing intrusion is a mafic-ultramafic body. This paper reports major elements, trace elements and platinum-group elements in different types of rocks and sulfide-mineralized samples in the intrusion. These data are used to evaluate the source mantle characteristics, the degree of mantle partial melting, the composition of parental magma and the ore-forming processes. The results show that Qingkuangshan intrusion is part of the ELIP. The rocks have trace element ratios similar to the coeval Emeishan basalts. The primitive mantle-normalized patterns of Ni-Cu-PGE have positive slopes, and the ratios of Pd/Ir are lower than 22. The PGE compositions of sulfide ores and associated rocks are characterized by Ru depletion. The PGE contents in bulk sulfides are slightly depleted relative to Ni and Cu, which is similar to the Yangliuping Ni-Cu-PGE deposit. The composition of the parental magma for the intrusion is estimated to contain about 14.65 wt% MgO, 48.66 wt% SiO2 and 15.48 wt% FeOt, and the degree of mantle partial melting is estimated to be about 20%. In comparison with other typical Ni-Cu-PGE deposits in the ELIP, the Qingkuangshan Ni-Cu-PGE deposit has lower PGE contents than the Jinbaoshan PGE deposit, but has higher PGE contents than the Limahe and Baimazhai Ni-Cu deposit, and has similar PGE contents to the Yangliuping Ni-Cu-PGE deposit. The moderate PGE depletions in the bulk sulfide of the Qingkuanghan deposit suggest that the parental magma of the host intrusion may have undergone minor sulfide segregation at depth. The mixing calculations suggests that an average of 10% crustal contamination in the magma, which may have been the main cause of sulfide saturation in the magma. We propose that sulfide segregation from a moderately PGE depleted magma took place prior to magma emplacement at Qingkuangshan, that small amounts of immiscible sulfide droplets and olivine and chromite crystals were suspended in the ascending magma, and that the suspended materials settled down when the magma passed trough the Qingkuangshan conduit. The Qingkuangshan sulfide-bearing intrusion is interpreted to a feeder of Emeishan flood basalts in the region.     

塔里木溢流玄武岩的喷发特征

通过对柯坪地区二叠系野外火山岩露头剖面和英买力、哈拉哈塘井区二叠系火山岩钻井剖面的对比,将塔里木早二叠世溢流玄武岩划分为三个旋回,从老到新依次是:库普库兹满溢流玄武岩旋回(KP),长英质火山碎屑岩旋回(FP)和开派兹雷克溢流玄武岩旋回(KZ)。KP旋回以巨厚溢流玄武岩夹凝灰岩为特征,在柯坪露头区和英买力井区均可划分出三层巨厚玄武质熔岩流,至哈拉哈塘井区减少为一层玄武岩流,但长英质火山碎屑岩和熔岩厚度增加。FP旋回在柯坪露头区自下而上包括空落相凝灰岩,熔结凝灰岩,再沉积火山碎屑岩和正常碎屑岩夹火山灰层,该层可与英买力及哈拉哈塘井区的凝灰岩层对比,表明在塔北存在一期面积广泛的长英质火山喷发。KZ旋回以溢流玄武岩为主,在开派兹雷克剖面识别出四期喷发共8层溢流玄武岩和一期安山质玄武岩,每期喷发之间夹少量碎屑岩,但未见长英质火山碎屑岩夹层,该特征与英买力和哈拉哈塘井区的火山层序组合不同,而与塔中溢流玄武岩类似。三个火山旋回的划分表明塔里木大火成岩省经历了"基性溢流玄武岩-酸性火山碎屑岩-基性溢流玄武岩"的演变过程,与Afro-Arabian溢流玄武岩省相似,可进行对比研究。     

Influence of localised igneous activity on cleat dawsonite formation in Late Permian coal measures, Upper Hunter Valley, Australia

Stable (δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O) and radiogenic ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotopic data have been used to investigate the origin of cleat dawsonite (NaAlCO₃(OH)₂) in the Late Permian Wittingham Coal Measures of the Upper Hunter region in the Sydney Basin, New South Wales. The δ¹³C_PDB values have a narrow range (− 1.7‰ to + 2.4‰), with an average of + 0.3‰, suggesting a magmatic source for the carbon. In contrast, δ¹⁸O_SMOW values have a wide range (+ 13.6‰ to + 19.8‰), and decrease systematically with decreasing distance from a major intrusion. This systematic variation reflects establishment of localised hydrothermal cells. Water–rock interaction between fluids associated with these hydrothermal cells, and Rb-poor volcaniclastic detritus in the coal measures, produced mantle-like ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.705032 to 0.706464) in the dawsonite.     

阿拉套山南缘岩浆岩锆石SHRIMP年代学研究

位于中国与哈萨克什坦国边境的阿拉套山南缘,火山岩及花岗岩十分发育。其中流纹岩分布广泛,仅研究区内面积达370.8km~2,与下伏早石炭世阿克沙克组及晚石炭世东图津河组呈角度不整合或假整合,SHRIMP 锆石 U-Pb 年龄300±5Ma。乌拉斯台花岗岩体是研究区内规模最大的岩体,出露面积约82km~2,侵入于早石炭统阿克沙克组及至晚石炭统东图津河组以及早二叠统乌郎组火山岩内,与围岩界线清楚。岩体形态不规则,由4个侵入次岩体组成。第4次侵入的花岗闪长岩体 HRIMP 锆石 U-Pb 年龄为294±4Ma。夏尔敖腊岩体为由4个侵入次组成的岩体,侵入于早石炭统内,平面上呈不规则椭圆形,出露面积近10km~2,主要岩性为二长花岗岩。出露规模较大的第6次侵入岩体的 SHRIMP 锆石 U-Pb 年龄为299±6Ma。研究表明,新疆阿拉套山南缘岩浆岩,SHRIMP 锆石 U-Pb 同位素年龄300Ma 左右,主要形成于晚石炭世末至早二叠世初,为同一构造-岩浆作用下的产物。     

The Schmidt hammer in rock material characterization

The Schmidt hammer provides a quick and inexpensive measure of surface hardness that is widely used for estimating the mechanical properties of rock material. However, a number of issues such as hammer type, normalization of rebound values, specimen dimensions, surface smoothness, weathering and moisture content, and testing, data reduction and analysis procedures continue to influence the consistency and reliability of the Schmidt hammer test results. This paper presents: a) a critical review of these basic issues; and b) the results of tests conducted on granitic rocks of various weathering grades in the light of the conclusions of this review. It was found that a very good correlation exists between L and N hammer rebound values and that both hammers are fairly sensitive to the physical properties, particularly to dry density though less so to effective and total porosities. The N hammer, producing a lesser scatter in the data, proved to be more efficient than the L hammer in predicting uniaxial compressive strength and Young's modulus. The exponential form of the correlation curves was found to reflect microstructural changes during the course of weathering and the differences in the probing scales or mechanisms in the means of measuring these mechanical properties, and could be generalized to other crystalline igneous rocks. The possibility of predicting weathering grades from rebound values was also explored. The changes in the rebound values during multiple impacts at a given point produced a better indication of the weathering grade than a single impact value. It was concluded that increasing the impact energy and plunger tip diameter should significantly reduce the scatter in coarse-grained weathered rocks and hence improve the reliability of the Schmidt hammer as a rock material characterization tool.     

Effects of igneous intrusions on coalbed methane potential, Gunnedah Basin, Australia

The Gunnedah Basin, NSW, Australia, contains more than 500 Gt of coal, and has been the subject of recent coalbed methane exploration. Large areas of the basin contain igneous intrusions and large areas of coal have been heat-affected as a consequence. A detailed study has been undertaken of coal seams intersected in a cored coalbed methane exploration drillhole in which two sill-form igneous intrusions are present. Comparisons are made between coals that are unaltered and coals that have been heat-affected, using petrographic and chemical data, coal seam gas desorption data, and gas chemical analysis data.Results demonstrate that the two igneous intrusions have had a very positive effect on coalbed methane development. The gas content in a number of heat-affected coal seams within thermal aureoles above and below the sills is substantially higher than in adjacent unaffected coal seams. In addition, the intrusions have had little effect on gas quality. The coals in the heat-affected zone were found to contain gas with approximately 95% methane. The coals in the thermal aureoles were found, under the microscope, to contain characteristic micropores and slits, which collectively may serve to enhance gas adsorption capacity, permeability, and gas desorption. Gas contents below each of the sills is substantially higher than above the sill, confirming earlier results that the sills appear to have acted as a reservoir seal, during and for some time after intrusion. The background coal rank in ACM Yannergee DDH 1 is in the high-volatile bituminous range. The igneous intrusions have resulted in an increase in rank such that large areas of coal have moved into the optimal thermogenic gas generation window. This rank increase has affected a major part of the coal-bearing sequence.     

Mid-Cretaceous granitic magmatism during the transition from subduction to extension in southern New Zealand: a chemical and tectonic synthesis

Regional geochronological studies indicate that mid-Cretaceous plutonism (the Hohonu Suite at 110 Ma) in the Hohonu Batholith, Western Province of New Zealand, occurred during a period of rapid tectonic change in the SW Pacific portion of Gondwana. The 30–40 m.y. preceding Hohonu Suite magmatism were dominated by the subduction-related plutonism of the Median Tectonic Zone volcanic arc. Between 125–118 Ma there was a major collisional event, inferred to be the result of collision between the Median Tectonic Zone and the Western Province. This collision resulted in melting of the Median Tectonic Zone arc underplate and generation of a distinctive suite of alkali-calcic granitoids, termed the Separation Point Suite. At 110 Ma there was another pulse of magmatism, restricted to the Buller terrane of the Western Province, and including the Hohonu Suite granitoids. This was followed almost immediately by extension, culminating in the opening of the Tasman Sea some 30 m.y. later. The Hohonu Suite granitoids overlap temporally with the last vestiges of collisional Separation Point magmas and the onset of crustal extension in the Western Province, and thus represent magmatism in a post-collisional setting. Hohonu Suite magmas are typically calc-alkaline, but retain a chemical signature which suggests that the earlier Separation Point Suite magmas and/or sources were involved in Hohonu Suite petrogenesis. A model is proposed in which rapid isothermal uplift, resulting from the post-collisional collapse of continental crust previously thickened during the Median Tectonic Zone collision, caused melting of lower continental crust to generate the Hohonu Suite granitoids. In this example, granitoid composition is a consequence of the composition of the source rocks and the conditions present during melting, and no geochemical signature indicative of the tectonic setting during magmatism is present.     

Vesicle layering in solidified intrusive magma bodies: a newly recognized type of igneous structure

 We report a novel type of layering structure in igneous rocks. The layering structure in the Ogi picrite sill in Sado Island, Japan, is spatially periodic, and appears to be caused by the variation in vesicle volume fraction. The gas phase forming the vesicles apparently exsolved from the interstitial melt at the final stage of solidification of the magma body. We call this type of layering caused by periodic vesiculation in the solidifying magma body "vesicle layering." The presence of vesicle layering in other basic igneous bodies (pillow lava at Ogi and dolerite sill at Atsumi, Japan) implies that it may be a fairly common igneous feature. The width of individual layers slightly, but regularly, increases with distance from the upper contact. The layering plane is perpendicular to the long axes of columnar joints, regardless of gravitational direction, suggesting that the formation of vesicles is mainly controlled by the temperature distribution in the cooling magma body. We propose a model of formation of vesicle layering which is basically the same as that for Liesegang rings. The interplay between the diffusion of heat and magmatic volatiles in melt, and the sudden vesiculation upon supersaturation, both play important roles. Received: 15 February 1996 / Accepted: 24 June 1996