Exhumation History of a Garnet Pyroxenite-bearing Mantle Section from a Continent-Ocean Transition (Northern Apennine Ophiolites, Italy)

Garnet clinopyroxenite and garnet websterite layers occur locallywithin mantle peridotite bodies from the External Liguride Jurassicophiolites (Northern Apennines, Italy). These ophiolites werederived from an ocean–continent transition similar tothe present-day western Iberian margin. The garnet clinopyroxenitesare mafic rocks with a primary mineral assemblage of pyrope-richgarnet + sodic Al-augite (Na₂O 2·5 wt %, Al₂O₃ 12·5wt %), with accessory graphite, Fe–Ni sulphides and rutile.Decompression caused Na-rich plagioclase (An_50–45) exsolutionin clinopyroxene porphyroclasts and extensive development ofsymplectites composed of secondary orthopyroxene + plagioclase(An_85–72) + Al-spinel ± clinopyroxene ±ilmenite at the interface between garnet and primary clinopyroxene.Further decompression is recorded by the development of an olivine+ plagioclase-bearing assemblage, locally under syn-kinematicconditions, at the expense of two-pyroxenes + Al-spinel. Mg-richgarnet has been also found in the websterite layers, which arecommonly characterized by the occurrence of symplectites madeof orthopyroxene + Al-spinel ± clinopyroxene. The enclosingperidotites are Ti-amphibole-bearing lherzolites with a fertilegeochemical signature and a widespread plagioclase-facies myloniticfoliation, which preserve in places a spinel tectonite fabric.Lu–Hf and Sm–Nd mineral isochrons (220 ±13 Ma and 186.0 ± 1·8 Ma, respectively) have beenobtained from a garnet clinopyroxenite layer and interpretedas cooling ages. Geothermobarometric estimates for the high-pressureequilibration have yielded T 1100°C and P 2·8 GPa.The early decompression was associated with moderate cooling,corresponding to T 950°, and development of a spinel tectonitefabric in the lherzolites. Further decompression associatedwith plagioclase–olivine growth in both peridotites andpyroxenites was nearly isothermal. The shallow evolution occurredunder a brittle regime and led to the superposition of hornblendeto serpentine veining stages. The garnet pyroxenite-bearingmantle from the External Liguride ophiolites represents a raretectonic sampling of deep levels of subcontinental lithosphereexhumed in an oceanic setting. The exhumation was probably accomplishedthrough a two-step process that started during Late Palaeozoiccontinental extension. The low-pressure portion of the exhumationpath, probably including also the plagioclase mylonitic shearzones, was related to the Mesozoic (Triassic to Jurassic) riftingthat led to continental break-up. In Jurassic times, the studiedmantle sequence became involved in an extensional detachmentprocess that resulted in sea-floor denudation. KEY WORDS: garnet pyroxenite; ophiolite; non-volcanic margin; mantle exhumation; Sm–Nd and Lu–Hf geochronology     

The last deglaciation in the Picos de Europa National Park (Cantabrian Mountains,northern Spain)

A sedimentological and geochemical study of the Lago Enol sequence (Cantabrian Mountains, northern Spain), together with detailed geomorphological mapping, provides a first record of glacier evolution and climate change over the last 40 ka in the Picos de Europa National Park. The Enol glacier retreated from its maximum extent prior to 40 ka BP as demonstrated by the onset of proglacial lacustrine sedimentation in two glaciated depressions: the Comella hollow to the north (before 40 ka BP) and the Lago Enol (before 38 ka BP). These results support previous evidence that the maximum extent of southern European glaciers occurred earlier than in northern Europe. Alternation of homogeneous and laminated proglacial sediments during the glacier retreat illustrate a dynamic glacial evolution during the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 (40–26 ka BP). A slight warming is detected at 26 ka ago with the change from proglacial sediments (in a lake located in contact to the glacier) to glaciolacustrine sedimentation (in a non‐contact or distal lake). Finally, the onset of organic‐rich sediments took place at 18 ka ago. This last transition occurred in two phases, similarly to the North Atlantic Last Termination, suggesting a link between North Atlantic Deep Water formation oscillations and palaeohydrological variability in the Cantabrian Mountains. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

越南西北部Phan Si Pan地区Ngoi Chi岩组的锆石U-Pb年龄和Hf同位素组成

本文对越南西北部Phan Si Pan地区变质地体中的一个Ngoi Chi片麻岩进行了锆石CL内部结构分析、LA-(MC)-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb定年和Hf同位素分析。CL图象和Th/U比值特征显示该片麻岩样品中的锆石主要为岩浆锆石,有少量窄的变质边。岩浆锆石的年龄为~2.9 Ga,表明该样品是越南西北部Phan Si Pan地区的基底岩石。它们的εHf(t)值为–4.70±0.92,二阶段Hf模式年龄为~3.5 Ga,表明其为更古老的(3.5 Ga)冥太古代地壳物质部分熔融作用形成。变质边部锆石给出了~1.8 Ga的年龄,表明变质作用发生在古元古代早期,Phan Si Pan地区在这一时期可能经历了一次重要的构造热事件。     

Zircon U–Pb ages and Hf isotope compositions of migmatites from the North Qinling terrane and their geological implications

Migmatites are predominant in the North Qinling (NQ) orogen, but their formation ages are poorly constrained. This paper presents a combined study of cathodoluminescence imaging, U–Pb age, trace element and Hf isotopes of zircon in migmatites from the NQ unit. In the migmatites, most zircon grains occur as new, homogeneous crystals, while some are present as overgrowth rims around inherited cores. Morphological and trace element features suggest that the zircon crystals are metamorphic and formed during partial melting. The inherited cores have oscillatory zoning and yield U–Pb ages of c. 900 Ma, representing their protolith ages. The early Neoproterozoic protoliths probably formed in an active continental margin, being a response to the assembly of the supercontinent Rodinia. The migmatite zircon yields Hf model ages of 1911 ± 20 to 990 ± 22 Ma, indicating that the protoliths were derived from reworking of Palaeoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic crustal materials. The anatexis zircon yields formation ages ranging from 455 ± 5 to 420 ± 4 Ma, with a peak at c. 435 Ma. Combined with previous results, we suggest that the migmatization of the NQ terrane occurred at c. 455–400 Ma. The migmatization was c. 50 Ma later than the c. 490 Ma ultra‐high‐P (UHP) metamorphism, indicating that they occurred in two independent tectonic events. By contrast, the migmatization was coeval with the granulite facies metamorphism and the granitic magmatism in the NQ unit, which collectively argue for their formation due to the northward subduction of the Shangdan Ocean. UHP rocks were distributed mainly along the northern margin and occasionally in the inner part of the NQ unit, indicating that they were exhumed along the northern edge and detached from the basement by the subsequent migmatization process.     

An Exploration of the Interplay between the Measurement Uncertainty and the Number of Samples in Contaminated Land Investigations

In the assessment of potentially contaminated land, the number of samples and the uncertainty of the measurements (including that from sampling) are both important factors in the planning and implementation of an investigation. Both parameters also effect the interpretation of the measurements produced, and the process of making decisions based upon those measurements. However, despite their importance, previously there has been no method for assessing if an investigation is fit‐for‐purpose with respect to both of these parameters. The Whole Site Optimised Contaminated Land Investigation (WSOCLI) method has been developed to address this issue, and to allow the optimisation of an investigation with respect to both the number of samples and the measurement uncertainty, using an economic loss function. This function was developed to calculate an ‘expectation of (financial) loss’, incorporating costs of the investigation itself, subsequent land remediation, and potential consequential costs. To allow the evaluation of the WSOCLI method a computer program ‘OCLISIM’ has been developed to produce sample data from simulated contaminated land investigations. One advantage of such an approach is that as the ‘true’ contaminant concentrations are created by the program, these values are known, which is not the case in a real contaminated land investigation. This enables direct comparisons between functions of the ‘true’ concentrations and functions of the simulated measurements. A second advantage of simulation for this purpose is that the WSOCLI method can be tested on many different patterns and intensities of contamination. The WSOCLI method performed particularly well at high sampling densities producing expectations of financial loss that approximated to the true costs, which were also calculated by the program. WSOCLI was shown to produce notable trends in the relationship between the overall cost (i.e., expectation of loss) and both the number of samples and the measurement uncertainty, which are: (a) low measurement uncertainty was optimal when the decision threshold was between the mean background and the mean hot spot concentrations. (b) When the hot spot mean concentration is equal to or near the decision threshold, then mid‐range measurement uncertainties were optimal. (c) When the decision threshold exceeds the mean of the hot spot, mid‐range measurement uncertainties were optimal. The trends indicate that the uncertainty may continue to rise if the difference between hot spot mean and the decision threshold increases further. (d) In any of the above scenarios, the optimal measurement uncertainty was lower if there is a large geochemical variance (i.e., heterogeneity) within the hot spot. (e) The optimal number of samples for each scenario was indicated by the WSOCLI method, and was between 50 and 100 for the scenarios considered generally; although there was significant noise in the predictions, which needs to be addressed in future work to allow such conclusions to be clearer.     

福建武平地区桃溪群混合岩U-Pb定年及其Hf同位素组成:对桃溪群时代及郁南运动的约束

桃溪群混合岩位于南岭东段武夷山褶皱带南段.本文通过采自桃溪附近帽村-田园两个代表性花岗片麻岩样品进行LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb 测年获得494～496Ma的结晶年龄,641～657Ma和799Ma两组继承锆石的206Pb/238U 表观年龄.同时对样品FJ-137进行的Hf同位素测定表明其εHf(t)变化于-2.3...     

Trace element and sulfur isotopic evidence for redox changes during formation of the Wallaby Gold Deposit,Western Australia

Wallaby is a major gold deposit of the St Ives Gold field of Western Australia, with an estimated resource of 8 million ounces of gold. It has a well-established paragenesis across five vein sets that displays macroscopic evidence of changing redox through time; from hematite to magnetite. Micro-analysis of pyrite from each vein generation shows a progressive and gradual change in redox conditions. The sulfur isotope composition has a δ³⁴S range of −7.7 to +9.8‰ using 3 μm spots on the Sensitive High Resolution Iron Micro Probe-Stable Isotope (SHRIMP-SI). Negative values indicative of an oxidized sulfur signature are found in the earliest generation of pyrite (which coexists with hematite) that also contains high concentrations of As, Ni, Zn, Ag, Sb, Cu and Pb. Conversely, positive values representative of reduced sulfur are found in later generations of pyrite, with lower concentrations of As, Ni, Sb, Cu, Zn and Pb. These later pyrite crystals display higher As/Ni, As/Sb, and As/Bi, and lower Cu/Te. These geochemical trends are the result of redox controlled transport and partitioning into pyrite of minor and trace elements now within the pyrite structure. Previous studies suggested a single orogenic event formed the Wallaby Deposit. This is not supported by the present study. Trace element ratios such as As/Ni clearly delineate the high Au generations and could be used as an exploration tool. It is suggested that pyrite from the Wallaby Gold Deposit formed via desulfidation and a gradual change in redox conditions within an evolving fluid and did not result from mixing of two separate fluids as previously advocated. Utilizing pyrite to link the entire fluid history of Wallaby demonstrates the general use of pyrite as a valuable mineral tracer in gold-bearing fluid systems.     

Polymetallic (Pb-Zn-Cu-Ag ± Au) vein-type deposits in brittle-ductile transtensional shear zones,Eastern Sierras Pampeanas (Argentina): Age constraints and significance for the Late Paleozoic tectonic evolution and metallogenesis

This paper discusses new structural, kinematic and geochronological data from polymetallic (Pb-Zn-Cu-Ag ± Au) vein-type deposits hosted in the metamorphic basement of the southern Sierras de Córdoba. A Carboniferous age was established for the hydrothermal event between ∼329 and 315 Ma (Late Mississippian-Early Pennsylvanian) by the K/Ar fine-fraction dating method of sericitic alteration related to metallic ore deposition in the Las Guindas and Oro districts. The obtained ages postdate the spatially associated Devonian magmatism and overlap the A-type Early Carboniferous magmatism defined for the Eastern Sierras Pampeanas. The presence of non-exhumed granitic bodies at shallow depths, possibly related to mineralization, is supported by available geophysical and field evidence.The strain fabric and 3-D kinematic analyses constitute first kinematic data for the Carboniferous basement of the Southern Sierras Pampeanas demonstrating that mineralization was controlled by NNW- and ENE-trending brittle-ductile transtensional shear zones that overprint the earlier high-strain deformation fabrics of the basement. Transtensional deformation has accommodated large amounts of strike-slip movements and subordinated extensional components. The calculated kinematic axes indicate a coherent kinematic pattern of the mineralized systems in the two studied districts, with a maximum extension direction oriented NNE- to NE and maximum shortening direction oriented WNW- to NW. This deformation regime, active during mineralization, point to a non-compressive setting at the Late Mississippian-Early Pennsylvanian boundary. In line with other regional evidence, we propose a distinctive Carboniferous deformational phase in the Eastern Sierras Pampeanas, dominated by transtension. This period would have occurred after the transition with the Devonian compressional/transpressional orogenic regime.     

Zircon U-Pb Geochronology and Hf Isotopic ConstraintsOn Petrogenesis of Plagiogranite from the Cuomuqu Ophiolite, Bangong Lake Area, North Tibet

Field observation,geochemical signatures and zircon Hf isotope data indicate that Cuomuqu ophiolite in the Bangonghu area was formed in a back-arc basin(BAB) above a suprasubduction zone(SSZ). Zircon U-Pb dating of the diabase from the Cuomuqu massif yielded an age of 164.3±1.9 Ma,thus indicating that the ophiolite complex was formed in the Middle Jurassic during back-arc extension of the mature Bangonghu-Nujiang Ocean. The zircon εHf(t) and TDMC values of the plagiogranite are similar to the εHf(t) and TDM of the diabase,respectively. The mode of occurrence of plagiogranites and their bulk-rock and Hf isotope characteristics indicate that they were derived from the mantle,associated with the surrounding gabbro and diabase,and were formed by partial melting of altered and hydrated mafic rocks under shear conditions during lateral drifting of the oceanic crust. The zircon U-Pb age of the plagiogranite is 156.4±1.4 Ma,and it is 7.9 Ma younger than the hosting diabase. In this study,zircon chronological and Hf isotopic data were tentatively analyzed to determine the genesis of plagiogranites in the Cuomuqu ophiolite complex.     

Playa‐lake sedimentation and organic matter accumulation in an Andean piggyback basin: the recent record from the Cuenca de Pozuelos,North‐west Argentina

Expansive playa‐lake systems situated in high‐altitude piggyback basins are important and conspicuous components of both modern and ancient cordilleran orogenic systems. Extant playa lakes provide vital habitat for numerous endemic species, whereas sediments from these deposystems may record signals of climate change or develop natural resources over geological time. Laguna de los Pozuelos (North‐west Argentina) provides the opportunity for an actualistic sedimentological and geochemical assessment of a piggyback basin playa lake in an area of critical interest for understanding Quaternary palaeoclimate dynamics. Silty clays and diatom ooze are the dominant playa‐lake centre microfacies, with concentrations of total organic carbon and biogenic silica commonly exceeding 1·5 wt% in this sub‐environment. Elemental and stable isotopic analyses point to a mixed organic matter composition in the playa‐lake centre, with substantial contributions from algae and transported aquatic macrophytes. Bulk sediment and organic mass accumulation rates in the southern playa‐lake centre approach 0·22 g cm^?2 year^?1 and 2·89 mg cm^?2 year^?1, respectively, indicating moderately rapid deposition with negligible deflation over historic time. Playa margin facies contain higher percentages of fragmented biogenic carbonate (ostracods and charophytes) and inorganically precipitated aragonite crusts due to seasonal pumping and evaporation of ground water. Organic matter accumulation is limited along these heavily bioturbated wet and dry mud flats. Fluvial–lacustrine transitional environments, which are key waterbird habitats, are either silty terminal splay (northern axis) or sandy deltas (southern axis) containing highly oxidized and partially allochthonous organic matter. Modern analogue data from Laguna de los Pozuelos provide key insights for: (i) environmental reconstructions of ancient lake sequences; and (ii) improving facies models for piggyback basins.