Serpentinization history of the Río Guanajibo serpentinite body,Puerto Rico

The Río Guanajibo serpentinite body (RGSB) near Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, is part of an ophiolite mélange thrust in an oceanic convergent zone. The aim of this study was to characterize the extent and chronology of serpentinization within this peridotite mass. Mineralogy, microstructures, and veining episodes within the RGSB were characterized using optical microscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and structural analyses. This study identified, for the first time, all three serpentine polymorphs (i.e., antigorite, chrysotile, lizardite) in serpentinite samples collected from Puerto Rico. Lizardite, the initial serpentine mineral formed from widespread hydration of olivine, was found throughout serpentinite samples. Chrysotile was the most abundant polymorph observed in sheared serpentinite samples, consistent with conditions favoring low fluid to rock ratios, supersaturation and abundant porosity. Antigorite was observed as a replacement texture in serpentinites that were not exposed to greenschist facies metamorphic conditions, and were frequently found in veins with a shear component. The results indicate that metamorphic conditions do not exclusively dictate polymorph formation.The mineralogy and textures observed within the different vein generations reflect the formation conditions, and deformational mechanisms, that occurred during the serpentinization process; six veining episodes (V1 – V6) were identified and grouped into four stages of serpentinization. Stage one (V1 and V2 type veins) represents the earliest stages of serpentinization and was characterized by microscopic fracture networks that formed as a result of cracking during the initial hydration of olivine under low water/rock ratios. During stage two (V3 and V4 type veins), fibrous crack - seal veins formed to accommodate continued volume expansion, via incremental fracture openings, caused by continued hydration of olivine. The ascension of serpentinite into the upper lithosphere was inferred to occur during Stage three; V5 type veins are associated with this stage. Textures and vein morphologies, representing supersaturated conditions and a decrease in temperature, were observed. Stage 4 (V6 type veins) was characterized by shear deformation features, which formed as a result of thrusting associated with the emplacement of the RGSB or Late Eocene transpression and fault reactivation along the Caribbean plate boundary.     

Juxtaposition of India and Antarctica During the Precambrian: Inferences from Geochemistry of Mafic Dykes

There are several geological, geochemical and geophysical evidences, which corroborate reconstruction of Gondwanaland and juxtaposition of India and Antarctica. Petrology of the Precambrian mafic dykes of East Antarctica and Central-East India also support juxtaposition of India and Antarctica. Mafic dykes of different generations are emplaced in the Archaean granite gneisses of these regions. These dykes appear to be an important tool to support juxtaposition of India and Antarctica. Geological and petrological data of the Central-East India Precambrian mafic dykes suggest four episodes of mafic magmatism in the region - three tholeiitic and one noritic (?). Similarly, East Antarctica also comprises four dyke suites, emplaced during three distinct periods. These suites are 2.4 Ga meta-tholeiites, 2.4 Ga high-Mg tholeiites, 1.8 Ga dolerites and 1.2–1.4 Ga dolerites. Geochemical compositions of these mafic dykes are compared and they show good relationships with each other. Similarities in petrological and geochemical characteristics of Precambrian mafic dykes of East Antarctica and Central-East India strongly support juxtaposition of these two continents.     

山西省早白垩纪碳酸岩元素同位素和锆石U-Pb定年研究

碳酸岩广泛出露在华北克拉通的山西省。此文中,针对研究区的碳酸岩墙,我们给出新的地球化学、Sr-Nd同位素和锆石U-Pb年龄。LA-ICP-MS锆石定年结果显示,该岩墙的侵位年龄为132.9Ma,全岩K-Ar年龄为131.3~132.6 Ma。碳酸岩墙具有非常一致的主量元素组成,富集轻稀土元素和大离子亲石元素(Ba、U、Pb、Sr),以及亏损K和高场强元素(Ta、P和Ti)。另外,该岩墙具有相对一致的(87Sr/86Sr)i(0.7079~0.7083)和负的εNd(t)(-16.7~-15.2)。以上地球化学特征表明,该岩墙为大陆地壳和此大陆岩石圈地幔混合时期,受明显地壳混染的下岩石圈地幔的部分熔融作用。     

地面高精度磁测在交点型铀矿勘探中的应用

本次研究区域为赣粤交界处下庄铀矿田区,区内交点型铀矿严格受断裂构造与辉绿岩脉复合轨迹控制,铀矿几乎无磁性但辉绿岩脉磁性较强,研究任务是寻找地下隐伏辉绿岩脉。地面高精度磁测数据显示该区磁异常幅值常在正负几十纳特之间,通过ΔT平面等值线图难以判断辉绿岩脉分布,但其化极后0°方向水平一阶导数等值线图的正值与辉绿岩脉对应关系良好。     

Geochemistry of mafic igneous rocks of the northern Prince Charles Mountains,Antarctica

Rare mafic dykes, which intrude 1000 Ma high‐grade metamorphic rocks of the northern Prince Charles Mountains‐Mawson Coast area, are compositionally distinct from abundant early to middle Proterozoic tholeiite dykes, which are confined to Archaean or early Proterozoic terrains in the southern Prince Charles Mountains and elsewhere in East Antarctica, and which have therefore proved useful as stratigraphic markers. The younger dykes (and extrusive rocks) are a composition‐ally heterogeneous group with a wide range of ages (at least Cambrian to Eocene), although most are of K‐rich alkaline composition or have alkaline affinites. Their strong enrichment in highly incompatible elements (Rb, Ba, Th, Nb, K, Pb, Th and U) relative to less incompatible elements (La, Ce and P) suggests derivation by partial melting of more enriched mantle source regions than those of most of the Proterozoic tholeiite suites. However, unlike the latter, many incompatible element ratios have been significantly affected by fractional crystallisation and possibly also by the presence of residual minor phases during low degrees of melting.     

异剥钙榴岩及其岩石成因意义

异剥钙榴岩作为一种特殊的交代变质岩,绝大多数与超镁铁岩的蛇纹石化有关,是超镁铁岩蛇纹石化过程中所产生的富钙流体对与其伴生的相关岩石进行钙交代的结果。蛇纹石化的超镁铁岩或为蛇绿岩的端员组分,或为太古代绿岩带、阿拉斯加型和阿尔卑斯型等其它成因类型的超镁铁岩。它们多为纯橄榄岩、方辉橄榄岩和辉石岩等。异剥钙榴岩的形成主要取决于超镁铁岩的蛇纹石化作用和钙交代程度,而与超镁铁岩的成因类型、构造属性和时代归属没有多大的关系。那种将异剥钙榴岩片面地看成蛇绿岩的组成部分或者作为鉴别蛇绿岩辅助标志的观点需要改正。     

南羌塘增生过程的中-晚三叠世岩浆记录:藏北玛依岗日-角木日地区基性岩墙

古特提斯洋向北俯冲形成增生杂岩,它们向南增生构成了南羌塘增生地体,且增生期内发育的岩浆岩可以用来研究南羌塘的增生过程。在南羌塘增生杂岩带内,由北向南,发育有玛依岗日(MG)辉长岩墙、角木日(JM)辉长辉绿岩墙。锆石U-Pb测年结果显示,两者分别形成于237. 1±2. 3Ma和230. 7±1. 8Ma,为南羌塘增生期内岩浆岩。它们的岩石地球化学特征均介于OIB与E-MORB之间,富集Ti、Nb,以及LREE和LILE。Nd-Pb同位素结果显示两者均起源于富集地幔源区。Sm/YbLa/Yb图解显示,两者均起源于尖晶石-石榴石二辉橄榄岩源区,相对于JM辉长辉绿岩MG辉长岩部分熔融程度较高。两者Mg#和Ni、Cr特征表明,MG辉长岩分异程度高于JM辉长辉绿岩。Th/Nb-La/Nb图解显示,相对于JM辉长辉绿岩MG辉长岩经历了一定程度的地壳混染。综合研究认为,MG辉长岩和JM辉长辉绿岩为古特提斯洋壳俯冲过程中软流圈上涌的两次岩浆活动的产物,并受俯冲洋壳和地幔楔影响。MG辉长岩和JM辉长辉绿岩记录了南羌塘的增生过程,它们为相关研究提供了岩浆岩证据。     

粤北下庄铀矿田基性岩脉Ar-Ar定年及其与铀成矿关系新认识

基性岩脉是岩石圈伸展作用的产物,对研究地幔性质和地球动力学演化具有十分重要的意义。粤北下庄铀矿田是我国最大的花岗岩型铀矿田之一,区内发育了大量与铀矿化作用密切相关的基性岩脉。前人从地球化学和年代学方面,对基性岩脉和铀矿床做了不同程度的研究,但有关铀矿床的成因及其与基性岩脉内在联系仍有不同认识。本研究新获得一批下庄铀矿田基性岩脉的角闪石40Ar-39Ar年代学数据,识别出一期形成于200～190Ma的基性岩脉,标志着华南地区在印支期碰撞造山作用结束后岩石圈伸展裂解作用可能至少在200～190Ma已经开始。结合前人已有的研究结果,粤北下庄至少发育三期基性岩脉:200～190Ma、～180Ma和145～140Ma,与华南地区在此期间广泛的岩石圈伸展作用相对应。结合成岩成矿作用的时差以及铀矿体与基性岩脉的空间关系,笔者认为准确的获得基性岩脉的侵位时代与铀的成矿作用的年龄,是探讨基性岩脉与铀成矿作用关系的前提。当基性岩脉与铀的成矿作用年龄接近或具有对应关系时,铀矿床中基性岩脉可能不仅可提供幔源流体(∑CO_2矿化剂和He)参与铀的成矿作用,也可为铀的沉淀富集提供理想场所(还原障);当基性岩脉与铀的矿化作用在时间上存在较大的时差时,基性岩脉也可为后期铀的沉淀富集提供条件,且与基性岩脉相关的深大断裂可为幔源流体(∑CO_2矿化剂)参与铀成矿过程提供运移通道。基于此,笔者认为无论基性岩脉的侵位与铀的矿化作用是否存在时差,基性岩脉均可以为后期铀的沉淀富集提供场所,进而促进铀的成矿作用。因此,本文深化了花岗岩型铀矿区内铀成矿作用与基性岩脉内在联系的认识,为该区下一步找矿勘查工作提供重要理论依据。     

The lost Devonian sequence - Sequence stratigraphy of the middle Bakken member,and the importance of clastic dykes in the lower Bakken member shale,North Dakota,USA

The Late Devonian to Early Mississippian Bakken Formation in the Williston basin of North Dakota, USA, shows a tri-partite subdivision: a middle mixed carbonate-siliciclastic member is sandwiched in-between two black siliciclastic mudstones, the lower and upper Bakken member shales. However, the transition from the lower shale member to the middle member does not represent a gradual coarsening but contains in places several millimeter - to centimeter-thick siliciclastic mudstones and carbonates that consist of three facies: (1) a glauconitic carbonate-rich siliciclastic mudstone, (2) a carbonate mud-to wackestone, and (3) an echinoderm wacke-to packstone with shell fragments. These three facies are present in many (all?) of the cores close and directly in the basin center in Mountrail County, North Dakota. At least one of these three facies is present in all 23 cores included in this study.This thin carbonate unit at the transition between the lower and the middle Bakken members is interpreted as representing the remnants of the transgressive systems tract. It is assumed that relative sea-level fell before deposition of the middle Bakken member establishing a proximal coarse-grained to distal fine-grained depositional transect that successively migrated into the basin. During the subsequent transgression, the siliciclastic input was low to absent, and the entire sedimentary system switched to depositing carbonates. The proximal to distal transect during this time showed coarse-grained packstones (and grainstones?) close to the shoreline, and a fining outwards towards the distal parts of the basin. This transgression also eroded what remained of the regressive and most of the subsequent transgressive sediments, leaving only the thin carbonate layer behind. Evidence for the regression, even though no sediment is directly preserved along the lower to middle Bakken member contact, comes from the fill of clastic dykes that cut through the lower Bakken member shale. The fill of the clastic dykes is partly siliciclastic and partly carbonate and not similar to any of the surrounding sediment. This indicates that these dykes must have originated before the middle Bakken member was deposited, yet the overlying sediment must have been carbonate at some point and siliciclastic another time. As it is not present anymore, this sediment must have been entirely removed by erosion.The here presented model suggests that the Bakken Formation reflects two entire sea-level oscillations. The first encompasses the lower Bakken member shale and the siliciclastic regressive portion of the lowstand only preserved as infill of the clastic dykes. The subsequent transgression deposited the carbonates now blanketing the lower to middle Bakken member transition, and the highstand and subsequent regression plus lowstand are represented by the middle Bakken member. The transgressive surface and therewith the onset of the topmost Bakken transgression is marked by the transition from the middle to the upper Bakken shale member.     

Lateral stability analysis of wedged geomembrane tubes using PFC2D

The geomembrane tubes have been widely used for flood barriers, cofferdams, and breakwaters. To prevent the geomembrane tubes from rolling off or slipping along the ground, the simplest method is to place wedges on their downstream side. The numerical analyses using PFC^2D are conducted in this paper to investigate the performance of the geomembrane tubes supported by two types of wedges, named as triangle and fillet wedges. Comparing to the triangle wedge, the fillet wedge reduces 10% of force concentration at the contact point between the geomembrane tube and the top angle. Nondimensional parameters are adopted in the numerical analyses to make the conclusions suitable for the general cases. It is found from the studies that the optimum wedge height to support the geomembrane tubes is 0.12L without depending on the initial pumping pressure nor the wedge types. The initial filling pumping pressure p₀ of 0.162γ_wL and the wedge height h_g of 0.15L are suggested to design the system which could extremely sustain external water level of 0.316L.