Mineralogical and geochemical study of a newly discovered mafic granulite, northwest China: Implications for tectonic evolution of the Altay Orogenic Belt

Abstract A mafic granulite body was newly discovered in the Altay Orogenic Belt, northwest China. The rocks comprise a suite of coarse‐grained and fine‐grained granulites. Orthopyroxenes (hypersthenes) in the rocks have high X_Mg and low Al₂O₃ contents, whereas clinopyroxenes have low TiO₂ and Al₂O₃ contents. Amphiboles and biotites have a high Mg/(Mg + Fe²⁺) ratio and low contents of F and Cl. The peak metamorphic pressure–temperature (P–T) conditions are estimated as 750–780°C and 6–7 kbar, and retrograde P–T conditions are in the range of 590–620°C and 2.3–3.7 kbar, indicating significant decompression. Metamorphic reactions and P–T estimates define a clockwise P–T path. Geochemically, the rocks are high in Mg/(Mg + Fe) and Al₂O₃, depleted in U, Th, K and Rb, and characterized by light rare earth element enrichment and a weak positive Eu anomaly. The Altay mafic granulite shows depleted Nb, P and Ti contents in the mid‐oceanic ridge basalt normalized spider diagram. The geochemical characteristics suggest that the protolith of the Altay mafic granulite was calc‐alkaline basalt and andesite with an island‐arc affinity. The rock has a high ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratio with ?Nd(0) > 0, indicating derivation from a mantle‐depleted source. In the present study, a two‐stage model for the evolution of the Altay mafic granulite is proposed: an early stage in which calc‐alkaline basalt and andesite with island‐arc affinity were subducted into a deeper level of the crust and subjected to granulite‐facies metamorphism generating the mafic granulite, followed by the later stage exhumation of the system into the upper crust by the late Paleozoic thrusting.     

河南冷水北沟铅锌银矿床流体包裹体研究及矿床成因

河南栾川冷水北沟铅锌银矿床位于华北克拉通南界栾川断裂北侧。矿床赋存于中-晚元古代浅变质碎屑岩建造中,受断裂控制,矿体呈脉状;矿石主要由金属硫化物,少量石英和碳酸盐组成;围岩蚀变和成矿过程分为4个阶段,以石英- 黄铁矿组合(Ⅰ阶段)、黄铁矿-闪锌矿组合(Ⅱ阶段)、多金属硫化物(Ⅲ阶段)和碳酸盐(Ⅳ阶段)为标志。包裹体研究表明,成矿流体为含 CH_4的碳水体系,盐度为0.22～13.8 wt% NaCl eqv.。从早到晚,流体包裹体均一温度为420℃～340℃(Ⅰ)、370℃～280℃(Ⅱ)、320℃～260℃(Ⅲ)和<260℃(Ⅳ)。Ⅰ、Ⅱ阶段的流体盐度低于8 wt% NaCl eqv.,Ⅲ阶段增高至13.8 wt%NaCl eqv.,甚至偶见子晶。Ⅰ、Ⅱ阶段的流体包裹体均一压力分为两组,即180～200MPa 和70～80MPa,代表着深约8km 的静水与静岩压力系统的共存或交替;Ⅲ阶段只有70～80MPa 一组压力,指示开放环境注入的静水压力体系。Ⅰ、Ⅱ阶段静岩与静水压力系统的交替现象完全吻合于断层阀模式,含 CH_4的 CO_2-H_O 流体的脉动沸腾消耗了流体成矿系统热能,并使盐度不断增高、成矿。该认识可被Ⅱ阶段广泛存在的沸腾流体包裹体组合证明,也与流体包裹体成分类型、矿物共生组合特征、矿石组构的规律演化相一致。以上表明,冷水北沟是一个典型的形成于碰撞造山挤压向伸展转变期的造山型 Pb-Zn-Ag 矿床实例,成矿机理可由碰撞造山成岩成矿与流体作用模型(即 CMF 模式)所解释。     

阿尔泰东南缘布尔根地区造山带型金矿床硫铅同位素特征及地质意义

阿尔泰东南缘布尔根地区造山带型金矿床受韧性剪切带控制,有两种矿化类型:一为石英脉型,另一种为糜棱岩型。糜棱岩型金矿硫化物的δ~(34)S 值变化于-10.009‰～-2.819‰,平均值为-5.29‰,石英脉型金矿硫化物的δ~(34)S 值变化于-0.062‰～-1.688‰,平均值为-1.0575‰。布尔根地区金矿床的金属硫化物样品具有较窄的~(206)Pb/~(204)Pb 比值,变化于17.71～18.35;相对较高的~(207)Pb/~(204)Pb 比值为15.31～15.64和~(208)Pb/~(204)Pb 比值为37.13～38.07,铅同位素分析结果表明,该区金矿床成矿物质铅来源于地幔及下地壳。硫、铅同位素特征反映了布尔根地区金矿床成矿物质具有多来源特征。     

Linking the Sulu UHP belt to the Korean Peninsula: Evidence from eclogite, Precambrian basement, and Paleozoic sedimentary basins

Considerable debate on whether and how the Sulu Orogenic Belt extends eastward to the Korean Peninsula has remained over the past decade. New results reported here include the following: (1) an eclogite and retrograded eclogite-bearing complex (Hongseong Complex) is discovered in South Korea, in which the eclogite occurs as lenses in circa  810–820 Ma granitic gneiss. SHRIMP zircon dating of the eclogite yields  230 Ma for the metamorphic age and  880 Ma for the protolith age; (2) The basement of the Rangnim, Gyeonggi and Yeongnam massifs have affinities to the basement of the North China Block (NCB). However the Gyeonggi Massif encloses a minor amount of large or small slabs of the Hongseong Complex that are similar to the rocks of the Sulu Belt. (3) Two main Paleozoic basins within the Rangnim and Gyeonggi massifs have a similar Paleozoic tectono-stratigraphy to the NCB. (4) The Imjingang and Ogcheon belts do not exhibit any metamorphic characteristics of collisional orogenic belts. Based on these facts, we propose a crustal-detachment and thrust model and suggest that the collision belt between the Yangtze Block (YB) and NCB (Sino–Korea Craton) is preserved along the western margin of the Korean Peninsula. The lower part of the UHP metamorphosed lithosphere of the YB was subducted under the Korean Peninsula and not uplifted to the surface. The lower crust of the YB (the Hongseong Complex) was detached from the subducted lithosphere and thrust over the Korean Peninsula, and inserted into the basement rocks of the Gyeonggi Massif. The upper crust of the YB possibly was detached from the lower crust and overthrusted along the Honam and Chugaryong shear zones. The Imjingang and Ogcheon belts possibly represent the detached upper crust of YB and their present occurrences are controlled by a Mesozoic strike–slip shear structure. All these detached lower and upper crustal slabs were strongly deformed during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous tectonic event leading to their present geological distribution and characteristics.     

C02-CH4流体与金成矿作用：以阿尔泰山南缘和穆龙套金矿为例

造山型金矿的成矿作用与H20-CO2流体有着密切的联系。然而对阿尔泰山南缘和穆龙套金矿的流体包裹体研究表明，无水的CO2-CH4流体在中亚成矿域中一些金矿床中具有同样重要意义。阿尔泰山南缘萨热阔布金矿包裹体的Xch4达0.20～0.23，穆龙套金矿的XCH4为0.07～0.23。CH4扩大了流体不混溶的范围，有利于对Au的富集沉淀。CO2流体在Au成矿中的重要作用至少包括了三方面的意义，即：缓冲流体PH值范围、提高流体中的Au含量并使其维持与还原硫的络合作用进行迁移；扩大超临界流体的温度范围；增加流体不混溶的区域。CH4的加入扩大了流体不混溶的范围，有利于对Au的富集沉淀。     

The Palaeozoic tectono-metallogenic evolution of the northern Tasman Fold Belt System, Australia: Interplay of subduction rollback and accretion

The Tasman Fold Belt System in eastern Australia provides a record of the Palaeozoic geological history and growth of the Australian continent along the proto-Pacific margin of Gondwana inboard of an extensive and long-lived subduction system. The Hodgkinson and Broken River provinces represent prominent geological elements of this system and together form the northern Tasman Fold Belt System. Geochronological age dating of the timing of gold formation in the Amanda Bel Goldfield in the Broken River Province and the Hodgkinson Goldfield in the Hodgkinson Province provides constraints on the occurrence of a deformation and mineralisation episode in the Late Devonian–Early Carboniferous. Integration of these newly-obtained data with petrogenetic constraints and a time–space evaluation of the geological evolution of the Hodgkinson and Broken River provinces, as well as other terranes in the northern Tasman Fold Belt System, allows for the development of a geodynamic model for the Palaeozoic evolution of the northern Tasman Fold Belt System. Our model indicates that three cycles of extension–contraction occurred during the Palaeozoic evolution of the northern Tasman Fold Belt System. Episodes of extension were controlled by rollback of the subduction system along the proto-Pacific margin of Gondwana, whereas episodes of contraction resulted from accretion following the arrival of positively buoyant segments (i.e., micro-continental blocks/oceanic plateaus) at the subducting trench.Our composite interpretative model on the geodynamic evolution of the northern Tasman Fold Belt System integrates the timing of the development of mineral deposits throughout this part of the system and provides a significant advancement in the understanding of Palaeozoic geodynamics along the margin of Gondwana in northeast Australia and allows comparison with the southern part of the Tasman Fold Belt System.     

The geology of the Morro Velho gold deposit in the Archean Rio das Velhas greenstone belt, Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Brazil

The Morro Velho gold deposit, Quadrilátero Ferrífero region, Minas Gerais, Brazil, is hosted by rocks at the base of the Archean Rio das Velhas greenstone belt. The deposit occurs within a thick carbonaceous phyllite package, containing intercalations of felsic and intermediate volcaniclastic rocks and dolomites. Considering the temporal and spatial association of the deposit with the Rio das Velhas orogeny, and location in close proximity to a major NNW-trending fault zone, it can be classified as an orogenic gold deposit. Hydrothermal activity was characterized by intense enrichment in alteration zones of carbonates, sulfides, chlorite, white mica±biotite, albite and quartz, as described in other Archean lode-type gold ores. Two types of ore occur in the deposit: dark gray quartz veins and sulfide-rich gold orebodies. The sulfide-rich orebodies range from disseminated concentrations of sulfide minerals to massive sulfide bodies. The sulfide assemblage comprises (by volume), on average, 74% pyrrhotite, 17% arsenopyrite, 8% pyrite and 1% chalcopyrite. The orebodies have a long axis parallel to the local stretching lineation, with continuity down the plunge of fold axis for at least 4.8 km. The group of rocks hosting the Morro Velho gold mineralization is locally referred to as lapa seca. These were isoclinally folded and metamorphosed prior to gold mineralization. The lapa seca and the orebodies it hosts are distributed in five main tight folds related to F1 (the best examples are the X, Main and South orebodies, in level 25), which are disrupted by NE- to E-striking shear zones. Textural features indicate that the sulfide mineralization postdated regional peak metamorphism, and that the massive sulfide ore has subsequently been neither metamorphosed nor deformed. Lead isotope ratios indicate a model age of 2.82 ± 0.05 Ga for both sulfide and gold mineralization. The lapa seca are interpreted as the results of a pre-gold alteration process and may be divided into carbonatic, micaceous and quartzose types. The carbonatic lapa seca is subdivided into gray and brown subtypes. Non-mineralized, gray carbonatic lapa seca forms the hanging wall to the orebodies, and is interpreted as the product of extreme CO₂ metasomatism during hydrothermal alteration. This dolomitic lapa seca ranges in composition from relatively pure limestone and dolomite to silty limestone and dolomite. The brown carbonatic and micaceous lapa secas are the host rocks to gold. These units are interpreted to correspond to the sheared and hydrothermal products of metamorphosed volcaniclastic and/or volcanic rocks of varying composition from dacitic to andesitic, forming various types of schists and phyllites. The high-grade, massive sulfide orebodies occur at the base of the gray carbonatic lapa seca. Both disseminated mineralization and quartz veins are hosted by micaceous lapa seca. The data are consistent with a model of epigenetic mineralization for the lapa seca, from a hydrothermal fluid derived in part from the Archean basement or older crust material.     

Prediction of acid mine drainage generation potential in selected mines in the Ashanti Metallogenic Belt using static geochemical methods

Acid mine/rock drainage (AMD/ARD) is the biggest environmental threat facing the mining industry. This study investigates AMD/ARD possibilities in three mines in the Ashanti Belt, using acid base accounting (ABA) and net acid generation pH (NAGpH) tests. Twenty-eight samples of rock units and mine spoil from these mines were collected for ABA and NAGpH tests. Two tailing dumps at Prestea and Nsuta were confirmed by both methods as acid generating with NAGpH of 4.5 and 4.6 and neutralization potential ratio values of 4.38 and 4.60, respectively. Six other samples are classified as potentially acid generating using a variety of established classification criteria. The rest of the samples either exhibited very low sulphur and carbonate content or had excess carbonate over sulphur. Consistency between results from ABA and NAGpH tests validates these tests as adequate tools for preliminary evaluation of AMD/ARD possibilities in any mining project in the Ashanti Belt.     

辽北地区早石炭世变质火山岩年代学和地球化学特征:对华北板块北缘东段构造演化的启示

华北板块北缘东段分布的构造混杂岩带为研究古亚洲洋的演化提供了重要的依据,"下二台岩群"作为该构造混杂岩带的重要组成部分,其形成时代和构造属性仍存在争议。详细的研究表明下二台地区变质火山岩原岩包括流纹岩、英安岩、安山岩,为一套钙碱性火山岩,属于准铝质-弱过铝质岩石,根据岩相学和地球化学特征将其分为变质酸性火山岩和变质中性火山岩;二者均相对富集轻稀土元素,亏损重稀土元素,轻重稀土元素分馏明显,Eu负异常不明显,但变质中性火山岩稀土总量低于变质酸性火山岩,变质酸性火山岩明显亏损Sr、P元素,结合野外产出面积和高场强元素相关性特征,认为二者不是同一基性岩浆分异的产物。变质火山岩锆石LA-ICP-MS U-Pb年龄为341～348Ma,代表其原岩结晶年龄。变质酸性火山岩原始岩浆来自于地壳物质的部分熔融,变质中性火山岩原始岩浆来自于俯冲带附近岩石圈地幔,并遭受了地壳物质的混染,二者均形成于活动大陆边缘火山弧环境。最新研究成果表明"下二台岩群"由不同时代、不同构造环境下形成的地质单元叠置混杂而成,称其为"下二台"构造杂岩更为准确。下二台地区变质火山岩表明在早石炭世初,古亚洲洋板块已经南向俯冲,在华北板块北缘形成活动大陆边缘弧环境,早石炭世变质火山岩原岩为这一俯冲阶段的产物。     

Upper Silurian–Middle Devonian radiolarian zones of the Yokokurayama and Konomori areas in the Kurosegawa Belt, Southwest Japan

Five radiolarian zones, from the Upper Silurian to Middle Devonian, are discriminated from the tuffaceous successions of the Joryu and Nakahata Formations of the Yokokurayama Group of the Yokokurayama area and the Konomori area in the Kurosegawa Belt, Southwest Japan. The definition of the zones is based on the first appearance biohorizon of the characteristic species. The zones are the Pseudospongoprunum sagittatum, Futobari solidus, Trilonche (?) sp. A, Glanta fragilis and Protoholoeciscus hindea zones, in ascending order. The preliminary age assignments for the zones are discussed on the basis of the comparison with other previous documented faunas. The age determination of the formations suggests the presence of unconformities and the episodic sedimentation of the tuffaceous strata in the Yokokurayama Group.