Community‐Derived Standards for LA‐ICP‐MS U‐(Th‐)Pb Geochronology – Uncertainty Propagation,Age Interpretation and Data Reporting

The LA‐ICP‐MS U‐(Th‐)Pb geochronology international community has defined new standards for the determination of U‐(Th‐)Pb ages. A new workflow defines the appropriate propagation of uncertainties for these data, identifying random and systematic components. Only data with uncertainties relating to random error should be used in weighted mean calculations of population ages; uncertainty components for systematic errors are propagated after this stage, preventing their erroneous reduction. Following this improved uncertainty propagation protocol, data can be compared at different uncertainty levels to better resolve age differences. New reference values for commonly used zircon, monazite and titanite reference materials are defined (based on ID‐TIMS) after removing corrections for common lead and the effects of excess ²³⁰Th. These values more accurately reflect the material sampled during the determination of calibration factors by LA‐ICP‐MS analysis. Recommendations are made to graphically represent data only with uncertainty ellipses at 2s and to submit or cite validation data with sample data when submitting data for publication. New data‐reporting standards are defined to help improve the peer‐review process. With these improvements, LA‐ICP‐MS U‐(Th‐)Pb data can be considered more robust, accurate, better documented and quantified, directly contributing to their improved scientific interpretation.     

The Legacy of Jedidiah Morse in Early American Geography Education: Forgotten and/or Forgettable Geographer?

Despite numerous and significant writings by historians of geography and biographers from other disciplines, and his authorship of the first geography textbooks written in and for the new American republic, most geographers are largely unaware of the contributions of Jedidiah Morse in academic geography. Writings about Morse suggest that he had alienated himself from many of his contemporaries early in his career through his authoritarian brand of Calvinistic republicanism, a perceived contradiction of that style with his entrepreneurial ambitions, his role in the controversial Bavarian Illuminati, and a dispute with a noted New England historian. But subsequent, broader intellectual movements sealed Morse's fate as a forgotten geographer (to most), including the end of the Second Great Awakening, Transcendentalism, Darwinism, and the “new,” process‐based geographical thinking inspired by Carl Ritter, Alexander von Humboldt, and Arnold Guyot. Regardless of the reasons for Morse's lost legacy, his contributions to geographical education are important and should be remembered.     

Middle Jurassic–Early Cretaceous tectonic evolution of the Bayanhushuo area,southern Great Xing’an Range,NE China: constraints from zircon U–Pb geochronological and geochemical data of volcanic and subvolcanic rocks

This study presents new zircon U–Pb geochronology, geochemistry, and zircon Hf isotopic data of volcanic and subvolcanic rocks that crop out in the Bayanhushuo area of the southern Great Xing’an Range (GXR) of NE China. These data provide insights into the tectonic evolution of this area during the late Mesozoic and constrain the evolution of the Mongol–Okhotsk Ocean. Combining these new ages with previously published data suggests that the late Mesozoic volcanism occurred in two distinct episodes: Early–Middle Jurassic (176–173 Ma) and Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous (151–138 Ma). The Early–Middle Jurassic dacite porphyry belongs to high-K calc-alkaline series, showing the features of I-type igneous rock. This unit has zircon ε_Hf(t) values from +4.06 to +11.62 that yield two-stage model ages (T_DM2) from 959 to 481 Ma. The geochemistry of the dacite porphyry is indicative of formation in a volcanic arc tectonic setting, and it is derived from a primary magma generated by the partial melting of juvenile mafic crustal material. The Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks belong to high-K calc-alkaline or shoshonite series and have A₂-type affinities. These volcanics have ε_Hf(t) and T_DM2 values from +5.00 to +8.93 and from 879 to 627 Ma, respectively. The geochemistry of these Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks is indicative of formation in a post-collisional extensional environment, and they formed from primary magmas generated by the partial melting of juvenile mafic lower crust. The discovery of late Mesozoic volcanic and subvolcanic rocks within the southern GXR indicates that this region was in volcanic arc and extensional tectonic settings during the Early–Middle Jurassic and the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous, respectively. This indicates that the Mongol–Okhotsk oceanic plate was undergoing subduction during the Early–Middle Jurassic, and this ocean adjacent to the GXR may have closed by the Late Middle Jurassic–Early Late Jurassic.     

粤东鸿沟山金矿区流纹斑岩锆石SHRIMP U-Pb定年、Lu-Hf同位素组成及其地质意义

鸿沟山矿区位于华南粤东莲花山钨矿床的中部,是近年来通过地质矿产调查新发现具有找寻金矿潜力的矿床之一。本文以与鸿沟山金等多金属矿化关系密切的流纹斑岩为研究对象,开展了锆石SHRIMP U-Pb定年、流纹斑岩和矿石岩石地球化学、锆石Lu-Hf同位素组成特征研究。获得流纹斑岩锆石206Pb/238U加权平均年龄为169.1±1.5Ma,说明岩体形成于中侏罗世。在微量元素特征方面,流纹斑岩都表现为相对亏损大离子亲石元素Ba、Sr和高强场元素Nb、P、Zr、Hf,富集大离子亲石元素Rb,高强场元素U、Ce、Sm和轻稀土元素La、Nd,流纹斑岩与矿石稀土元素特征基本相似,Eu具中等负异常,但随着矿化强度的增强稀土元素更加富集。流纹斑岩εHf(t)(-15.0~2.2)分布范围宽,二阶段模式年龄TDM2主要变化范围为0.82~0.93 Ga,表明成岩物质主要来源于新元古代古老地壳变质泥岩和变质砂岩部分熔融,并有幔源物质的加入。因此,围绕着该时间段的流纹斑岩岩体,对于找寻W、Cu、Pb、Zn、Bi、Au、稀土、稀有和稀散元素矿产具有重要意义。     

大兴安岭十八站—韩家园地区中酸性侵入岩LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年龄、地球化学特征及其地质意义

大兴安岭北部塔河县十八站—呼玛县韩家园地区发育早古生代中酸性侵入岩。文章选取二长闪长岩和二长花岗岩开展岩石年代学与地球化学研究。二长闪长岩LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年龄为512.4±3.5 Ma,为早—中寒武世岩浆作用的产物。岩石地球化学分析表明,中酸性侵入岩归属于准铝质—弱过铝质(A/CNK=0.77~1.04)钙碱性—高钾钙碱性系列。岩石稀土总量∑REE=69.51×10~(-6)~275.83×10~(-6),轻重稀土分异明显(La/Yb)_N=9.11~26.64。在稀土元素配分图上,显示为LREE富集、HREE相对平缓的右倾型,Eu异常不显著(δEu=0.90~1.35)。微量元素组成具明显富集大离子亲石元素Ba、Sr,显著亏损高场强元素Nb、Ta、Ti的特征。结合区域资料和本文研究,初步分析认为早古生代侵入体形成于活动大陆边缘或岛弧环境,为前古亚洲洋闭合背景下萨拉伊尔造山作用的产物。     

新疆西南天山阿万达金矿区赋矿围岩物源及形成时代:碎屑锆石U-Pb年代学制约

阿万达金矿位于西南天山造山带内。此次研究在简要总结其矿床地质特征基础上,对与阿万达金矿成矿密切相关的阿克苏群中硅质片岩围岩分别进行了岩石地球化学分析和LA-ICP-MS碎屑锆石U-Pb定年研究,以期对围岩的沉积环境、物源及形成时代进行讨论。岩石地球化学分析结果显示,阿万达金矿赋矿围岩中硅质片岩的原岩可能为一套成熟度较低的泥岩或砂岩,物源主要为石英岩质沉积物,沉积环境可能处于活动大陆弧内的沉积盆地内。U-Pb定年结果显示,其碎屑锆石定年数据主要形成了加权平均年龄值为405 Ma或406 Ma的年龄峰,其谐和年龄最小峰值即405 Ma可以作为其最大沉积年龄。因此笔者认为阿克苏群中硅质片岩的沉积时代并不是前人所定的长城纪,而是不老于早泥盆世。另外,这一地层的物源组成具有多样性,～405 Ma碎屑锆石占主体,可能与哈尔克山北缘火山弧内的早泥盆世岩浆活动有关;～745Ma的碎屑锆石的出现,表明其物源有少部分来自新元古代岩石;极少数～2.50 Ga的碎屑锆石的出现,反映了华北地台对本地层有物源上的贡献。     

Chronology of the Mediterranean sea-level highstand during the Last Interglacial: a critical review of the U/Th-dated deposits

Relative sea-level (RSL) evolution during Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 5 in the Mediterranean basin is still not fully understood despite a plethora of morphological, stratigraphic and geochronological studies carried out on highstand deposits of this area. In this review we assembled a database of 323 U/Th-dated samples (e.g. corals, molluscs, speleothems) which were used to chronologically constrain RSL evolution within MIS 5. The application of strict geochemical criteria to the U/Th samples indicates that only ~33% of data available for the Mediterranean Sea can be considered ‘reliable’. Most of these data (~65%) refer to the MIS 5e highstand, while only ~17% could be related to the MIS 5a. No attribution to MIS 5c can be unequivocally supported. Nevertheless, the resulting framework does not allow us to define a satisfactory RSL trend during the MIS 5e highstand and subsequent MIS 5 substages. Overall, the proposed selection of reliable/unreliable data would be useful for detecting areas where MIS 5 substage attributions are not supported by confident U/Th chronological data and thus the related reconstructions need to be revised. In this regard, the resulting framework calls for a reappraisal and re-examination of the Mediterranean records with advanced geochronological methodologies.     

华北克拉通东缘金岭杂岩体岩浆源区及构造背景:来自岩相学、岩石地球化学及年代学的证据

金岭杂岩体由细粒黑云角闪闪长岩、中细粒黑云角闪闪长岩、中细粒黑云角闪二长闪长岩和细粒角闪二长闪长岩组成,是鲁西地区典型矽卡岩型富铁矿(金岭铁矿)控矿岩体。本次研究对细粒黑云角闪闪长岩和细粒角闪二长闪长岩进行了锆石LA‐ICP‐MS U‐Pb定年,其结果分别为129.2±3.2 Ma和132.8±1.2 Ma,表明该杂岩体的侵位时代为早白垩世。样品SiO2、K2O和Na2O含量分别介于54.17%~63.73%、1.92%~4.76%和3.10%~5.41%之间,K2O/Na2O为0.58~0.94,A/CNK为0.60~0.93,具有轻稀土富集,重稀土亏损的右倾型稀土配分模式,轻、重稀土分馏程度中等((La/Yb)N=9.94~23.49),Eu异常不明显(δEu=0.84~1.10),具中—弱负Ce异常(δCe=0.56~0.92)。样品以富集大离子亲石元素(Ba、K、U、Pb等)、亏损高场强元素(Nb、Ta、Ti)以及高Sr/Y为特征。金岭杂岩体为燕山晚期岩浆活动产物,属准铝质高钾钙碱性系列,岩浆主要来源于富集岩石圈地幔的部分熔融,并在岩浆上升侵位的过程中有地壳物质的同化混染。燕山晚期华北克拉通在古太平洋板块俯冲后后撤引起的板内伸展环境下,增厚陆壳减薄阶段,岩浆上侵就位形成金岭杂岩体。     

Geology and Mineral Chemistry of Uranium- and Thorium-bearing Minerals in Rare-Metal (NYF) Pegmatites of Um Solimate,South Eastern Desert,Egypt

The garnet muscovite granitic pegmatite of Um Solimate, in southern Egypt, represents a promising asset for strategic and economic metals, especially Bi–Ni–Ag–Nb–Ta as well as U and Th. The ore bodies occur as large masses, pockets and/or veins of very coarse-grained pegmatites, which consist mainly of K-feldspar, quartz and albite with subordinate muscovite, garnet, and biotite. Radiometric data revealed that eU- and eTh-contents of the pegmatites reach up to 39 ppm and 82 ppm, respectively. The studied pegmatites are enriched in primary U and Th minerals (uraninite, coffinite, thorianite and uranothorite) as well as Hf-rich zircon and monazite, which give rise to anomalous radioactive zones. Niobium-tantalium-bearing minerals (i.e. ferrocolumbite, microlite and uranopyrochlore), xenotime, barite, galena, fluorite, and apatite are ubiquitous, and, consequently, the studied pegmatites belong tothe Niobium–Yttrium–Fluorine-type (NYF) family. The noble metal mineralization includes argentite (Ag2S), native Ni and Bi as well as bismite and bismoclite. In addition, beryl and tourmaline are observed in pegmatites near the contact with metasediments and ultramafic bodies. The observed compositional variations of Ta/(Ta+Nb) and Mn/(Mn+Fe) ratios in columbite (0.08–0.45 and 0.11–0.57, respectively) and Hf contents in zircon (3.54–6.46 wt%) may reflectan extreme degree of magmatic fractionation leading to formation of the pegmatite orebody.