Examples of convective fractionation in high‐temperature granites from the Lachlan Fold Belt

Igneous rocks derived from high‐temperature, crystal‐poor magmas of intermediate potassic composition are widespread in the central Lachlan Fold Belt, and have been assigned to the Boggy Plain Supersuite. These rocks range in composition from 45 to 78% SiO₂, with a marked paucity of examples in the range 65–70% SiO₂, the composition dominant in most other granites of the Lachlan Fold Belt. Evidence is presented from two units of the Boggy Plain Supersuite, the Boggy Plain zoned pluton and the Nallawa complex, to demonstrate that these high‐temperature magmas solidified under a regime of convective fractionation. By this process, a magma body solidified from margin to centre as the zone of solidification moved progressively inwards. High‐temperature near‐liquidus minerals with a certain proportion of trapped interstitial differentiated melt, separated from the buoyant differentiated melt during solidification. In most cases much of this differentiated melt buoyantly rose to the top of the magma chamber to form felsic sheets that overly the solidifying main magma chamber beneath. Some of these felsic tops erupted as volcanic rocks, but they mainly form extensive high‐level intrusive bodies, the largest being the granitic part of the Yeoval complex, with an area of over 200 km². Back‐mixing of fractionated melt into the main magma chamber progressively changed the composition of the main melt, resulting in highly zoned plutons. In the more felsic part of the Boggy Plain zoned pluton back‐mixing was dominant, if not exclusive, forming an intrusive body cryptically zoned from 63% SiO₂ on the margin to 72% SiO₂ in the core. It is suggested that tonalitic bodies do not generally crystallise through convective fractionation because the differentiated melt is volumetrically small and totally trapped within the interstitial space: back‐mixing is excluded and homogeneous plutons with essentially the composition of the parental melt are formed.     

Two contrasting granite types: 25 years later

The concept of I‐ and S‐type granites was introduced in 1974 to account for the observation that, apart from the most felsic rocks, the granites in the Lachlan Fold Belt have properties that generally fall into two distinct groups. This has been interpreted to result from derivation by partial melting of two kinds of source rocks, namely sedimentary and older igneous rocks. The original publication on these two granite types is reprinted and reviewed in the light of 25 years of continuing study into these granites.     

Chronology of landscape evolution and soil development in the upper Flinders River area,Queensland, based on isotopic dating of Cainozoic basalts

Victorian granites containing more than 750 ppm Ba are almost entirely confined to the region between a line from Geelong to Swan Hill and the Wonnangatta Fault Zone. Granite Ba contents normalised to 70% SiO₂ range from 620 to 733 ppm in western Victoria, 719 to 1560 ppm in central Victoria and 493 to 689 ppm in eastern Victoria. Melting of Ba-rich (meta)sedimentary rocks in the lower – middle crust is implicated in the petrogenesis of central Victorian S types, at least. Thus, granite geochemistry supports the concept of some sort of (largely concealed) Ba-rich Selwyn Block beneath central Victoria, although the boundaries that have been proposed for the block are modified here. There is a strong possibility that the Selwyn Block is an exotic terrane emplaced by northwest-directed strike-slip movement during the Bindian Orogeny. Such movement appears to have been controlled by the previously postulated Baragwanath Transform and another fundamental fault here called the Ulrich Transform. Asthenospheric upwelling related to movement on the Ulrich and Baragwanath Transforms may be the explanation for the twin belts of 400 Ma plutonism occurring to the west of the former and to the east of the latter. The southern extension of the Ulrich Transform may be the Tamar – Tiers structure in Tasmania. Plate-tectonic models suggesting Ordovician – Silurian subduction in Victoria need to be carefully revisited given the possibility of Siluro-Devonian exotic terrane emplacement.     

Granite weathering and silcrete formation on the Yilgarn Block,Western Australia

Weathering profiles developed on granitic rocks, exposed in the breakaways of the Barr‐Smith Range in the N of the Yilgarn Block of Western Australia, consist of kaolinitic saprolites merging upwards into silcrete, sandstone and grit. The sandstones and silcretes may also form columns or dykes, penetrating downwards into the saprolite. The silcretes are cemented by quartz and anatase, with zircon (QAZ‐cement), and‐the sandstones are cemented by aluminosilicates, either apparently amorphous (as siliceous allophane) or partly crystalline, as kaolinite and opaline silica. Transitional zones between silcretes and sandstones have all cement types. The profiles are characterized by low concentrations of alkalis and alkaline earths and most metals. The QAZ‐silcrete horizons may contain over 3% TiO₂ and 1000 p.p.m. Zr. The profiles evolved through at least four stages: (i) Formation of the deep saprolite‐sand weathering profile by kaolinization of feldspar and mica at depth, and the solution of kaolinite near the top of the profile, causing settling of resistant quartz grains, (ii) Precipitation of QAZ‐cement, the TiO₂ and SiO₂ being derived partly by lateral migration from upslope. (iii) Precipitation of aluminosilicates, in the sandstone and the saprolite. (iv) Erosion and exposure of the profiles by pedimentation. A similar profile occurs further S, at Gabbin, but no QAZ‐silcrete is present and the only exposures are in exploration pits. The kaolinitic saprolite‐quartz sand profiles probably formed under humid conditions, as the equivalents of ferruginous laterite developed on more basic rocks nearby and of lateritic bauxite in the Darling Range. However,’ the sand was a surface horizon and there is no evidence that there was ever a ferruginous zone at these sites. The sequential precipitation of QAZ‐ and aluminosilicate‐cements was probably, a response to increasing aridity and reduced groundwater flow. Aluminosilicate‐cemented materials tend to disaggregrate on exposure but they are probably more abundant than the more prominent QAZ‐silcretes.     

U–Pb zircon geochronology of Silurian–Devonian granites in southeastern Australia: implications for the timing of the Benambran Orogeny and the I–S dichotomy

Despite extensive geochemical study and their importance to granite studies, the geochronology of Silurian to early-Devonian granitic rocks of southeastern Australia is poorly understood. In order to provide an improved temporal framework, new ion microprobe U–Pb zircon ages are presented from these rocks, and previous work is critically reviewed. Geochronological control is best in the Berridale Batholith, where S- and I-type granites have a close spatial relationship. In this region, there is a small volume of I-type granite that crystallised at 436 Ma, followed closely by a large volume of S-type granite at 432 Ma. I-type granite is abundant in a second peak at ca 417 Ma, although the Jindabyne pluton from the Kosciuszko Batholith is slightly older, at 424 Ma. A broader survey of S-type granite throughout the eastern Lachlan Orogen shows that the 432 Ma event is ubiquitous. There is no temporal overlap between S- and I-type granites in the Kosciuszko and Berridale Batholiths, which suggests that factors other than variations in degree of crustal contamination (which may include variation in tectonic setting, heat-flow, mass transfer across the crust–mantle boundary and/or availability in source materials) contribute to the diversity in granite types. The S-type granitic rocks occupy an aerial extent of greater than 28 000 km², and geochronological constraints suggest that the crystallisation of these granites took place over a relatively small interval, probably less than 10 m.y. This implies a magmatic flux of over 64 km³/Ma per km strike length, comparable to other high-flux granitic belts. Previous work has linked the Benambran Orogeny to the generation of the S-type granites, and so the age of these granites constrains the age of Benambran Orogenesis     

内蒙古浩尧尔忽洞高钾钙碱性花岗岩岩石成因及构造意义

浩尧尔忽洞金矿为低品位超大型中低温热液型金矿,矿区内华力西期花岗岩发育。SiO2含量为71．5％～73．07％,Na2O／K2O值为0．59～0．67,平均值为0．64,属于高钾钙碱性系列。哈克图解上各元素含量随SiO2变化成线性规律明显,具I型花岗岩特征。Mg^#为39～49,其平均值为43,与下地壳麻粒岩的平均值（45．36）相近。∑REE值变化范围为72．64×10^-6～132．6×10^-6总体上稀土含量较低。（La／Yb）Ⅳ值为12．99～34．13,显示轻重稀土有较大的分馏。在稀土元素蛛网图上表现为右倾。Ba／Th值为133．93～178．93,认为板片俯冲流体影响较小。OEu含量为0．52～0．96,平均值为0．75,具有中等到低的Eu亏损。根据其地球化学特征,认为该岩体为后碰撞期形成的高钾钙碱性I型花岗岩。     

The Use of Gamma Ray Spectrometry as an Aid for Uranium Exploration in Kab Amiri Area,Central Eastern Desert,Egypt

High‐resolution gamma ray spectrometry was exploited to locate the potential radioactive targets at Kab Amiri granite pluton, Central Eastern Desert, Egypt. The Kab Amiri pluton forms a concentric granitic body of monzogranite to syenogranite composition intruded into mafic‐ultramific rocks. To identify and detect anomalous concentrations of natural radioactive elements in the study area, contour maps of equivalent uranium (eU ppm), equivalent thorium (eTh ppm), potassium (K%) and their geochemical ratios (eU/Th, eTh/K and eU‐eTh/3.5) as well as standard deviation map of uranium were constructed and interpreted. Qualitative and quantitative interpretations of the spectrometric survey data revealed the presence of seven radioactive anomalies in the south of the studied area. These anomalies could be related to the prevailing faulting directions NE and ENE fault trends. The southernmost anomalous zone is related to high episyenitization and uranium concentrations. It exhibits a sharp increase in the eU concentrations reaching 370 ppm resulting in a high eU/eTh ratio reaching 4.5 and characterized by oval shape trending in the NE direction. Constructing the contour map of the (eU‐eTh/3.5) was helpful in defining the trends of uranium migration and enabling the delineation of the limit between the negative contours (leaching) and positive contours (deposition).     

Zircon U–Pb age,Hf isotopic compositions and geochemistry of the Silurian Fengdingshan I-type granite Pluton and Taoyuan mafic–felsic Complex at the southeastern margin of the Yangtze Block

This work presents an integrated study of zircon U–Pb ages and Hf isotope along with whole-rock geochemistry on Silurian Fengdingshan I-type granites and Taoyuan mafic–felsic intrusive Complex located at the southeastern margin of the Yangtze Block, filling in a gap in understanding of Paleozoic I-type granites and mafic-intermediate igneous rocks in the eastern South China Craton (SCC). The Fengdingshan granite and Taoyuan hornblende gabbro are dated at 436 ± 5 Ma and 409 ± 2 Ma, respectively. The Fengdingshan granites display characteristics of calc-alkaline I-type granite with high initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of 0.7093–0.7127, low εNd(t) values ranging from −5.6 to −5.4 and corresponding Nd model ages (T_2DM) of 1.6 Ga. Their zircon grains have εHf(t) values ranging from −2.7 to 2.6 and model ages of 951–1164 Ma. The Taoyuan mafic rocks exhibit typical arc-like geochemistry, with enrichment in Rb, Th, U and Pb and depletion in Nb, Ta. They have initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of 0.7053–0.7058, εNd(t) values of 0.2–1.6 and corresponding T_2DM of 1.0–1.1 Ga. Their zircon grains have εHf(t) values ranging from 3.2 to 6.1 and model ages of 774–911 Ma. Diorite and granodiorite from the Taoyuan Complex have initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of 0.7065–0.7117, εNd(t) values from −5.7 to −1.9 and Nd model ages of 1.3–1.6 Ga. The petrographic and geochemical characteristics indicate that the Fengdingshan granites probably formed by reworking of Neoproterozoic basalts with very little of juvenile mantle-derived magma. The Taoyuan Complex formed by magma mixing and mingling, in which the mafic member originated from a metasomatized lithospheric mantle. Both the Fengdingshan and Taoyuan Plutons formed in a post-orogenic collapse stage in an intracontinental tectonic regime. Besides the Paleozoic Fengdingshan granites and Taoyuan hornblende gabbro, other Neoproterozoic and Indosinian igneous rocks located along the southeastern and western margin of the Yangtze Block also exhibit decoupled Nd–Hf isotopic systemics, which may be a fingerprint of a previous late Mesoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic oceanic subduction.     

桃山铀矿田地学信息数据库建立及成矿预测系统开发

以桃山铀矿田为例,对GIS地学信息数据库的建立及成矿预测系统的开发进行了研究,阐述了其关键技术,探讨了该数据库系统和预测系统在实际应用中的发展前景及存在的问题。     

江西省峡江铀矿床两期印支期花岗岩的年代学、岩石地球化学和岩石成因——对华南印支期构造背景和产铀花岗岩成因的指示

位于江西省的峡江铀矿床为华南一个典型的花岗岩型铀矿床,铀矿体产在金滩花岗岩体中。野外地质调查和锆石U-Pb同位素定年工作表明金滩花岗岩体主要由两期的印支期花岗岩组成,其中含矿的等粒状二云母花岗岩形成于239±1Ma,而主体的斑状黑云母花岗岩则形成于226±2Ma。二云母花岗岩具有较高的SiO₂含量（74.09%~74.53%）和明显低的TiO₂、CaO和MgO含量,铝饱和指数为1.20~1.46,含有白云母和石榴子石等过铝质矿物,属于典型的强过铝S型花岗岩。斑状黑云母花岗岩的地球化学特征略微不同于二云母花岗岩,相对富集高场强元素和稀土元素,具有明显更低的Rb/Sr比值以及更小的Eu负异常,铝饱和指数变化为1.05~1.13,属于弱过铝到强过铝花岗岩。同位素组成上,两者都具有较低的ε_Nd（t）值（二云母花岗岩：-9.0~-8.8;斑状黑云母二长花岗岩：-9.8~-9.4）和古元古代的模式年龄（二云母花岗岩：1.73~1.75Ga;斑状黑云母二长花岗岩：1.77~1.80Ga）。地球化学和同位素特征表明金滩岩体中的这两期印支期花岗岩应该都为S型花岗岩。较高的Rb/Sr比值和较低的CaO/Na₂O比值表明二云母花岗岩主要由富粘土的泥质沉积岩部分熔融而来,而斑状黑云母二长花岗岩则主要由贫粘土的碎屑沉积岩部分熔融而来。金滩岩体中的两期印支期花岗岩分别对应于华南印支期同碰撞挤压和碰撞后伸展期的岩浆作用。二云母花岗岩含有更高的U含量,矿物学以及地球化学特征与华南其他的典型产铀花岗岩类似。对比研究表明,华南印支期产铀花岗岩的形成应与同碰撞期挤压背景下的泥质沉积岩的部分熔融有关。