Structural and fluid evolution of Saraburi Group sedimentary carbonates,central Thailand: A tectonically driven fluid system

A stable isotopic study, focused on calcite cements, vein-fill calcite and various bioclasts was conducted on variably deformed and thrusted Lower and Middle Permian carbonates of the Saraburi Group. Samples were collected in quarry faces across 3 areas in the Saraburi–Lopburi region of central Thailand. Stable isotope crossplots (carbon and oxygen), using texture-aware isotope samples, defined variable, but related, fluid-cement histories, which are tied to regional burial and then orogenic overprints driven by the Indosinian (Triassic) orogeny. This was followed by telogenetic overprints, driven by late Cenozoic uplift. The studied carbonates were deposited along the western margin of the Indochina Block, where they were deposited as isolated calcareous algal, sponge and fusilinid-rimmed platforms on highs bound by extensional faults. The platform areas passed laterally and vertically into more siliciclastic dominated sequences, deposited in somewhat deeper waters within probable fault-bound lows. Regional post-depositional mesogenetic fluid-rock re-equilibration of the isotope values in ongoing calcite precipitates occurred until the matrix permeability was occluded via compaction and pressure solution. This regional burial regime was followed by collision of the Indochina and Sibumasu blocks during the Indosinian (Triassic) blocks, which drove a set of structurally focused (thrust-plane related) increasingly warmer set of fluids through the studied sequences. The final diagenetic overprint seen in the isotopic values of the latest calcite cements occurs in a telogenetic (uplift) setting driven by Cenozoic tectonics and isostatic uplift. Integration of isotope data with its structural setting establishes a clear separation in fluid events related to two time-separate tectonic episodes; its fluid chemistry defines the Permo-Triassic closure of the Paleotethys and its subsequent reactivation during the Tertiary collision of India and Asia. The C–O covariant plot fields in the Permian carbonates of central Thailand are so distinct that it is possible to use their signatures to separate burial from meteoric cements in drill cuttings and hence recognise equivalent subsurface unconformities and likely zone of porosity development in possible “buried hill plays in Thailand.     

Trophic ecology and vertical patterns of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in zooplankton from oxygen minimum zone regions

The unique physical and biogeochemical characteristics of oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) influence plankton ecology, including zooplankton trophic webs. Using carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes, this study examined zooplankton trophic webs in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific (ETNP) OMZ. δ¹³C values were used to indicate zooplankton food sources, and δ¹⁵N values were used to indicate zooplankton trophic position and nitrogen cycle pathways. Vertically stratified MOCNESS net tows collected zooplankton from 0 to 1000 m at two stations along a north-south transect in the ETNP during 2007 and 2008, the Tehuantepec Bowl and the Costa Rica Dome. Zooplankton samples were separated into four size fractions for stable isotope analyses. Particulate organic matter (POM), assumed to represent a primary food source for zooplankton, was collected with McLane large volume in situ pumps.The isotopic composition and trophic ecology of the ETNP zooplankton community had distinct spatial and vertical patterns influenced by OMZ structure. The most pronounced vertical isotope gradients occurred near the upper and lower OMZ oxyclines. Material with lower δ¹³C values was apparently produced in the upper oxycline, possibly by chemoautotrophic microbes, and was subsequently consumed by zooplankton. Between-station differences in δ¹⁵N values suggested that different nitrogen cycle processes were dominant at the two locations, which influenced the isotopic characteristics of the zooplankton community. A strong depth gradient in zooplankton δ¹⁵N values in the lower oxycline suggested an increase in trophic cycling just below the core of the OMZ. Shallow POM (0–110 m) was likely the most important food source for mixed layer, upper oxycline, and OMZ core zooplankton, while deep POM was an important food source for most lower oxycline zooplankton (except for samples dominated by the seasonally migrating copepod Eucalanus inermis). There was no consistent isotopic progression among the four zooplankton size classes for these bulk mixed assemblage samples, implying overlapping trophic webs within the total size range considered.     

Extensional deformation structures within a convergent orogen: The Val di Lima low-angle normal fault system (Northern Apennines,Italy)

A low-angle extensional fault system affecting the non metamorphic rocks of the carbonate dominated Tuscan succession is exposed in the Lima valley (Northern Apennines, Italy). This fault system affects the right-side-up limb of a kilometric-scale recumbent isoclinal anticline and is, in turn, affected by superimposed folding and late-tectonic high-angle extensional faulting.The architecture of the low-angle fault system has been investigated through detailed structural mapping and damage zone characterization. Pressure-depth conditions and paleofluid evolution of the fault system have been studied through microstructural, mineralogical, petrographic, fluid inclusion and stable isotope analyses. Our results show that the low-angle fault system was active during exhumation of the Tuscan succession at about 180°C and 5 km depth, with the involvement of low-salinity fluids. Within this temperature - depth framework, the fault zone architecture shows important differences related to the different lithologies involved in the fault system and to the role played by the fluids during deformation. In places, footwall overpressuring influenced active deformation mechanisms and favored shear strain localization.Our observations indicate that extensional structures affected the central sector of the Northern Apennines thrust wedge during the orogenic contractional history, modifying the fluid circulation through the upper crust and influencing its mechanical behavior.     

The Moreira Gomes deposit of the Cuiú-Cuiú goldfield: Fluid inclusions and stable isotope constraints and implications for the genesis of granite-hosted gold mineralization in the Tapajós Gold Province,Brazil

Moreira Gomes is a recently discovered deposit (21.7 t Au) of the Cuiú-Cuiú goldfield, Tapajós Gold Province, Amazonian Craton. The mineralized zone is about 1200 m long, 30–50 m wide, and at least 400 m in depth. The zone is controlled by a subvertical, east–west-trending structure that is related to a left lateral strike-slip fault system. The host rocks are predominantly tonalites of the Creporizão Intrusive Suite (1997 ± 2 Ma) of uncertain tectonic setting (magmatic arc or post-collision). Hydrothermal alteration and mineralization are predominantly of the fissure-filling type and locally pervasive. Sericitization, chloritization, sulfidation, silicification, carbonatization and epidotization are the observed alteration types. Pyrite is the predominant sulfide mineral and bears inclusions of chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite and minor hessite and bismuthinite. Gold occurs predominantly as inclusions in pyrite and subordinately in the free-milling state in quartz veins. Ag, Pb and Bi have been detected by semi-quantitative EDS analysis.Three types of fluid inclusions, hosted in quartz veins and veinlets, have been identified. (1) one- and two-phase CO₂ inclusions; (2) two- and three-phase H₂O–CO₂-salt inclusions, and (3) two-phase H₂O-salt inclusions. The CO₂-bearing types are interpreted as the product of phase separation of an immiscible fluid. This fluid presents low to moderate density, low to moderate salinity (1.6–11.8 wt.% NaCl equivalent) and was trapped at 280° to 350 °C. The chemical system of the aqueous inclusions may contain CaCl₂ and/or MgCl₂, salinity varies from zero to 10.1 wt.% NaCl equivalent. Only locally salinities up to 25% have been recorded. This fluid was trapped between 120° and 220 °C and is interpreted as resulting from mixing of a hotter and more saline aqueous fluid (in part derived from phase separation of the H₂O–CO₂ fluid) with a cooler and dilute aqueous fluid.The δ³⁴S values of pyrite (−0.3‰ to 3.9‰) are probably related to magmatic sulfur. The isotopic composition of inclusion fluids and of the fluid in equilibrium with hydrothermal minerals (quartz, chlorite, and calcite) show δ¹⁸O and δD values that range from +0.5 to +9.8‰, and from −49 to −8‰, respectively. Mineral pairs show equilibrium isotopic temperatures that are compatible with the fluid inclusion homogenization temperatures and with textural relationships of the hydrothermal minerals.Isotopic results combined with mineralogical and fluid inclusion data are interpreted to reflect a magmatic-hydrothermal system that evolved in at least three stages. (1) Exsolution of a CO₂-bearing magmatic fluid between 400 °C and 320–350 °C and up to 2.1 kbar (6 km in depth) followed by phase separation and main precipitation of the hydrothermal assemblage composed of chlorite–sericite–pyrite–quartz-gold. (2) Cooling and continuous exsolution of CO₂ produced a CO₂-depleted and slightly more saline aqueous fluid that was trapped mainly at 250°–280 °C. The predominant hydrothermal assemblage of stage 1 continued to form, but epidote is the main phase at this stage. (3) Mixing of the stage 2 aqueous fluid with a cooler and dilute aqueous fluid of meteoric origin, which was responsible for the main carbonatization phase. The mineralizing fluid was neutral to slightly alkaline and relatively reduced. H₂S (and/or HS^-) might have been the main sulfur species in the fluid and Au(HS)^2- was probably the gold transporting complex. Gold deposition occurred as a consequence of a combination of mechanisms, such as phase separation, mixing and fluid-rock interaction.The Moreira Gomes is a granite-hosted gold deposit that is interpreted to be a product of a magmatic-hydrothermal gold system. The age of ore formation (∼1.86 Ga) is consistent with the final stages of evolution of the widespread high-K, calc-alkaline Parauari Intrusive Suite, although the transitional to predominantly alkaline Maloquinha Intrusive Suite cannot be ruled out. Notwithstanding, the deposit does not show the classic features of (oxidized or reduced) intrusion-related gold deposits of Phanerozoic magmatic arcs.     

Preliminary assessment of the geothermal potential of Rosario de la Frontera area (Salta,NW Argentina): Insight from hydro-geological,hydro-geochemical and structural investigations

This work is part of a project aimed to the development and application of hydrogeological, hydrogeochemical and geological methodologies for the study of the geothermal system of Rosario de La Frontera (NW Argentina).The surface thermal manifestations of this area, whose temperatures range from 22.6 to 92.6 °C, are mainly located in the northern sector of Sierra de la Candelaria anticline. This regional structure crops out between the provinces of Salta and Tucuman (NW Argentina), at the foothills of the central Andean retro-wedge.The present investigation focuses on hydrogeological and structural data, and isotopic compositions (¹⁸O, D and ³H) of thermal springs.Preliminary results allowed to define: i) the meteoric origin of spring water and their long (more than 50 years) residence time at depth, ii) a positive water balance, ranging between 2 and 4 millions of m³/yr, and iii) a conservative geothermal reservoir volume of about 39 km³, iv) a geothermal potential with Er = 5.6*10¹⁸ J and Ef = 0.8*10¹⁸ J.     

四川省白玉县呷村-有热矿区成矿流体地球化学

四川省白玉县呷村银多金属矿床是我国著名的VMS型矿床之一,该矿床由西矿带热液流体补给通道相的脉状-网脉状矿化系统和东矿带的海底盆(洼)地卤水池喷气-化学沉积系统组成。有热矿床紧邻呷村矿床的南部,实质上是呷村矿带(体)的自然南延部分,具有相同的地质背景和成矿环境。本文分别对呷村西矿带、东矿带以及有热矿床进行了主成矿期石英的流体包裹体测试和氢、氧同位素分析以及硫化物的硫同位素分析。显微测温结果显示,呷村矿床从西矿带到东矿带,即由深部向浅部表现为成矿温度下降(258.0～209.8℃),流体的盐度略变小(4.42%～4.18%NaCleqv),而流体的密度增大(0.816～0.894g/cm3),并且有热矿床成矿流体特征(平均成矿温度为244.3℃;平均盐度为4.71%NaCleqv;平均密度为0.841g/cm3)与呷村西矿带流体特征更类似。显微激光拉曼光谱分析显示流体包裹体的液相成分主要为H2O,气相成分为H2O、CO2、N2以及CH4。氢、氧同位素研究显示,成矿流体为海水和岩浆水的混合流体。硫同位素分析结果表明,呷村西矿带(δ34S平均值为-3.65‰)与呷村东矿带的硫(δ34S平均值为-0.68‰)和有热矿床(δ34S平均值为-3.74‰)的硫都由深部岩浆提供,并且有热矿床与呷村西矿带的硫同位素特征更类似。成矿流体物理化学特征和同位素示踪结果表明,有热矿床目前已知矿体可与呷村西矿带对比,暗示可能存在尚未发现的类似呷村东矿带的富矿体。呷村-有热矿区的成矿机制为:在海水对流的成矿模式下,由岩浆水和海水混合而成的成矿流体,携带来自岩浆来源的成矿物质,自下而上向上运移和循环,在热液补给通道和海底发生淀积作用,形成脉状-网脉状矿体和块状矿体。     

Thermal waters in the Lower Yarmouk Gorge and their relation to surrounding aquifers

Sources and mineralization of groundwaters from Cretaceous A7/B2 and B4 limestone aquifers in the Golan and Ajloun Heights are derived from conjoint discussion of stable isotopes of water and sulphate, major ion chemistry, rare earth distribution patterns and the (hydro)geological setting. Isotope fractionation of precipitation was used to derive elevation and continental influence of recharge areas. Positive shift of δ¹⁸O and δ²H occur due to evaporation before replenishment and the interaction with basalts. Major infiltration areas for Golan Heights are the limy foothills of the Mt. Hermon and for the Ajloun Heights the Plateau itself. To a less degree, precipitation infiltrates also the basaltic catchments. Groundwaters are mineralized by water/rock (i) variably altered limestones by diagenesis, (ii) evaporates and seawater brines enclosed in limestone matrix and (iii) locally occurring basaltic intrusiva. In the Yarmouk Gorge, a deep-seated brine of the Ha’on type ascends and mixes with the fresh shallow groundwater.Contrasting the macro chemical composition, REY distribution patterns indicate the lithology of the recharge areas. Infiltration over basalts results in REY patterns distinctly different to those derived from limy catchments.REY and isotope fingerprints prove that water from the Syrian Hauran Plateau is recharging springs and wells in the lowermost Yamouk gorge. The basaltic cover of the Golan Heights is of minor importance for recharge of the underlying A7/B2 aquifer, which becomes recharged at the foothills of Mt. Hermon and gets confined southwards. Even the wells in the basaltic cover receive water from the underlying limestone aquifer.Anomalous heat flux near the Yarmouk gorge and locally in the western escarpment of the Ajloun may be produced by ascending fluids from greater depth and/or by basaltic intrusions.     

陆生植物氮同位素组成与气候环境变化研究进展

近年来,由于植物氮同位素组成(δ15N)记载了气候环境变化的信息,因而被广泛应用于全球变化研究中,成为古气候环境再造和了解现代气候环境变化信息的有力工具。然而,人们对气候环境引起的δ15N变化及其指示的气候环境意义并不完全清楚,这就有可能限制植物δ15N在古气候环境变化等领域研究中的应用。在概述植物氮同位素分馏和植物不同氮源的氮同位素分布的基础上,分析了温度、降水、大气CO2浓度和海拔高度等气候环境因子对陆生植物δ15N的影响以及它们的关系。指出了目前研究中存在的问题及其研究前景,认为在全球变化研究中利用植物氮同位素技术不仅可以重建古气候环境(如重建大气CO2浓度变化),揭示历史时期温度、降水的变化,而且还可以在一定的时间和空间上综合反映生态系统氮循环的特征。     

The Pleistocene evolution of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet in the Prydz bay region: stable isotopic evidence from ODP Site 1167

Ocean Drilling Program Leg 188, Prydz Bay, East Antarctica is part of a larger initiative to explore the Cenozoic history of the Antarctic Ice Sheet through direct drilling and sampling of the continental margins. In this paper, we present stable isotopic results from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1167 located on the Prydz Channel Trough Mouth Fan (TMF), the first Antarctic TMF to be drilled. The foraminifer-based δ¹⁸O record is interpreted along with sedimentary and downhole logging evidence to reconstruct the Quaternary glacial history of Prydz Bay and the adjacent Lambert Glacier Amery Ice Shelf System (LGAISS). We report an electron spin resonance age date of 36.9±3.3 ka at 0.45 m below sea floor and correlate suspected glacial–interglacial cycles with the global isotopic stratigraphy to improve the chronology for Site 1167. The δ¹⁸O record based on planktonic (Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (s.)) and limited benthic results (Globocassidulina crassa), indicates a trend of ice sheet expansion that was interrupted by a period of reduced ice volume and possibly warmer conditions during the early–mid-Pleistocene (0.9–1.38 Ma). An increase in δ¹⁸O values after 900 ka appears to coincide with the mid-Pleistocene climate transition and the expansion of the northern hemisphere ice sheet. The δ¹⁸O record in the upper 50 m of the stratigraphic section indicates as few as three glacial–interglacial cycles, tentatively assigned as marine isotopic stages (MIS) 16–21, are preserved since the Brunhes/Matuyama paleomagnetic reversal (780 ka). This suggests that there is a large unconformity near the top of the section and/or that there may have been few extreme advances of the ice sheet since the mid-Pleistocene climate transition resulting in lowered sedimentation rates on the Prydz Channel TMF. The stable isotopic record from Site 1167 is one of the few available from the area south of the Antarctic Polar Front that has been linked with the global isotopic stratigraphy. Our results suggest the potential for the recovery of useful stable isotopic records in other TMFs.     

滇西兰坪盆地茅草坪脉状Cu矿床流体包裹体和稳定同位素地球化学研究

兰坪盆地西缘发育一条重要的脉状Cu矿带,矿床的成矿流体来源一直存在较大的争议。本次研究对该矿带南段新发现的茅草坪矿床进行流体包裹体和H-O-C-S同位素研究,结合前人发表的该矿带矿床的同位素数据,探讨矿床成矿流体特征和来源。茅草坪矿床早(A1脉)、晚(A2脉)两期含矿石英脉中的流体包裹体均为含CO2盐水包裹体,可细分为含石盐子晶、富液相(水溶液相)、富气相(CO2相)包裹体等不同类型。根据流体包裹体的共生特点,将其划分为3组包裹体组合:(1)第I组,出现在A1脉石英中,为富液相(I-W型)、富气相(I-C型)和含石盐子晶(I-S型)包裹体共生;(2)第Ⅱ组,同样出现在A1脉石英中,为富液相(Ⅱ-W型)和富气相(Ⅱ-C型)包裹体共生;(3)第Ⅲ组,出现在A2脉石英中,为富液相(Ⅲ-W型)和富气相(Ⅲ-C型)包裹体共生。测温结果显示:I-S型包裹体均一温度在293~370℃之间,流体盐度为30.06%~39.76%Na Cleqv;Ⅱ-W型包裹体均一温度在302~490℃之间,流体盐度为1.23%~18.63%Na Cleqv;Ⅲ-W型包裹体均一温度在263~400℃之间,流体盐度为1.20%~11.34%Na Cleqv。同一组内,包裹体气/液相比高度变化,表明包裹体捕获时的流体呈不均一态,此时包裹体均一温度中低值部分近似代表该组包裹体真实的捕获温度。因此,从I组到Ⅲ组,包裹体分别捕获于280~320℃(I组、Ⅱ组)和260~280℃(Ⅲ组),结合盐度数据,反应初始成矿流体发生沸腾作用,伴随石盐子晶析出,流体盐度下降,随后温度降低。茅草坪矿床成矿流体富CO2的特点与区域内其他脉状Cu矿床一致,但盐度明显偏高。矿床热液石英的δDV-SMOW值变化在-94.6‰~-56.2‰之间,计算的流体的δ18OV-SMOW值集中在+8.1‰~+9.6‰之间,与区域其他脉状Cu矿床相似,数据主要落在原生岩浆水区域的下方,表明流体来源于岩浆水,但经历了开放系统下的脱气作用,没有盆地流体或大气降水的贡献;热液碳酸盐方解石的δ13CV-PDF值为-8.3‰~-2.4‰,δ18OV-SMOW值为14.46‰~16.63‰,与区域其他脉状Cu矿床的C-O同位素组成相似,但C同位素组成明显低于区域脉状Pb-Zn矿床(碳主要来自盆地流体溶解的碳酸盐岩);黄铜矿的δ34SV-CDT值变化于-6.4‰~-3.9‰之间,处于区域其他脉状Cu矿床的S同位素组成范围内,但区别于区域砂岩型Cu矿床(硫来自硫酸盐的细菌还原作用)。因此,推测矿床的CO2和硫可能也来自脱气的岩浆。茅草坪脉状Cu矿床成矿流体的研究表明:兰坪盆地西缘脉状Cu矿床成矿流体可能来自富CO2、经历脱气的岩浆水,没有大气降水和盆地卤水的参与。