Spatial distribution of kimberlite in the Slave craton, Canada: a geometrical approach

Exploration within the Slave craton has revealed clusters of kimberlite intrusions, commonly with internally consistent geochemical and temporal characteristics. Translation diagrams (“Fry analysis”) allow an unbiased geometrical examination of the distance and direction between each kimberlite occurrence and all others in the database. Recurrent patterns are visually accentuated due to the square function in data density. Circular histograms quantify the azimuthal density of kimberlite at various distances. For this study, the database comprises the geographic position of 212 kimberlite occurrences of which 70% are from the Lac de Gras field (LDG). Analyses are presented separately for the LDG data and for all non-LDG data in order to test for regional variations and to avoid overwhelming the craton-scale studies by the high density of LDG data.

Empirical grouping of kimberlite locations results in delineation of five elliptical clusters that encompass all but four kimberlite occurrences. Clusters within the western part of the craton are elongate to the north–northeast and align within a narrow zone (“Western Corridor”). Elsewhere, the clusters are elongate to the northwest or west–northwest and appear to be arranged en echelon within a poorly defined north–northwest trending zone (“Central Corridor”). Geometrical spatial analyses of kimberlite locations highlight the craton-scale pattern of emplacement within the two main corridors. At regional and local scales, individual intrusions are preferentially located towards the west–northwest (ca. 280°) and north–northeast (ca. 015°) of other intrusions, and these orientations are interpreted to reflect upper mantle trends in magma generation. At local scales (10–25 km), kimberlite of the central and southern craton tends to be located to the northeast (ca. 045°), and possibly weakly to the east–northeast (ca. 070°), of other intrusions, and these orientations correspond to major crustal fractures systems. It is proposed that kimberlite emplacement is controlled primarily by the interaction of elongate 280° and 015° source regions with near-surface deviations influenced by crustal fracture systems.

The 015° trend evident at craton, regional, and local scales is parallel to a swarm of alkaline diabase dykes that are concentrated in a ca. 30-km-wide corridor passing through Lac de Gras. A profound spatial association between significantly diamondiferous kimberlite and the margins of the dyke corridor suggests the corridor is the surface expression of a mantle-depth structure. It remains unclear whether the proposed mantle structure coincides with a diamond-rich zone near the base of the lithosphere, or delineates pathways favorable for diamond preservation during emplacement. The linear array of kimberlite within the western craton forms a parallel corridor that may be an analogous mantle structure, but which to date has failed to yield economic diamond concentrations.     

A synthesis: Late Cenozoic stress field distribution at northeastern corner of the Eastern Mediterranean,SE Turkey

Fault kinematic analysis and inversion of focal mechanisms of shallow earthquakes reveal significant evolution of the regional stress regime in the northeastern most corner of the Eastern Mediterranean region since the Mio-Pliocene to the present time. This study was carried out in the interaction area between the Arabian/African plates and the Anatolian block. The evolution of stress regimes consists of a change from older transpression to younger transtension. Both strike-slip stress regimes having a NNW- to northwest-trending σ_Hmax (σ₁) and ENE- to northeast-trending σ_Hmin (σ₃) axes induce a sinistral component of displacement on the major intra-continental Karatas–Osmaniye and Misis–Ceyhan faults elongated with the northeast-trending Misis Range between Adana and Osmaniye provinces (sub-area i) and by a NNE-trending plate boundary Amanos fault running along Amanos Range between Antakya and Kahramanmaras provinces (sub-area ii). The inversion results show that the transtensional stress regime is dominantly strike-slip to extension, with an ENE- to northeast-trending σ_Hmin (σ₃) axis for sub-areas (i) and (ii), respectively. The inversions of earthquake focal mechanisms indicate that the transtensional stress regime is still active in the whole study area since probably recent Quaternary time. To cite this article: S. Over et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).     

Évidences paléomagnétiques et paléontologiques en faveur d'une position antipodale du craton Ouest-Africain et de la Chine du Nord : conséquences paléogéographiques

Reappraisal of the palaeomagnetic data previously published about the West African Craton and their comparison with the most recent information obtained on doleritic dykes and stromatolite-bearing formations allow us to propose, after a critical examination of the old geochronological data, a new path for the West African Craton between 2200 and 700 Ma. This path has been compared with that of eastern China (which can be simply divided into a northern and a southern China block) between 1400 and 700 Ma. We can observe that these two blocks show a common path before their accretion to the Rodinia super-continent. These two blocks, which were located close the equator and at the outboard of Rodinia at about 1000 Ma, were also characterized by identical stromatolitic assemblages. This result shows that West Africa and Eastern China represented the antipodal continental margins of Rodinia. One can also deduce from our data that the accretion of Rodinia mainly resulted from north–south-oriented displacements. To cite this article: J.-P. Lefort et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).     

Contrôle structural du partage de Rb entre fluide et micas potassiques dans les pegmatites du Brésil

A geochemical study of pegmatitic micas from Minas Gerais State in Brazil was performed with an electron microprobe, in order to examine the variations of Rb, K, Al and F contents. It is observed a linear decreasing relationship between the [Rb/K] ratio of the micas and their contents in Al^VI. The interpretation is based on the hypothesis that the partition coefficient C_Rb/K^mica/fl between fluid and mineral does not vary significantly as a function of temperature and pressure in the narrow conditions of crystallization of pegmatites. It is suggested that the relation: C_Rb/K^mica/fl=0.55×(5?[Al^VI]) is of crystallochemical order. Micas with low contents in Al take higher contents in Rb because the potassic sites where Rb enters are larger. This relation gives another way of calculating the values [Rb/K] of the fluids knowing Rb, K, Al and Si in the micas. This crystallochemistry also allows us to foresee a direct correlation between Rb and F in the pegmatitic micas. To cite this article: J. Quéméneur et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).     

Phase de Laves dans la première opale CT bidisperse

A Mexican opal from the state of Jalisco has a bidisperse, perfectly ordered structure with framboid silica lepispheres of two different diameters. Its structure has been determined by the observation of a vicinal section, close to a dense plane. Fresh breaks along a vicinal plane emphasized regular steps, which were studied by means of SEM. We have been able to propose unit cell models, theoretical positions of the two sets of spheres, and probable space group, P6₃/mmc. This structure arranges similarly to that of a diatomic compound having an AB₂ stoichiometry and corresponds to a cubic (MgCu₂-type) or hexagonal (MgZn₂-type) Laves phase. This last variety seems to be the most probable structure. To cite this article: J.-P. Gauthier et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).     

Natural gas hydrates: myths,facts and issues

Gas hydrates are solid-like substances naturally occurring beneath the oceans and in polar regions. They contain vast, and potentially unstable, reserves of methane and other natural gases. Many believe that, if released in the environment, the methane from hydrates would be a considerable hazard to marine ecosystems, coastal populations and infrastructures, or worse, that it would dangerously contribute to global warming. On the other hand, hydrates may contain enough natural gas to provide an energy supply assurance for the 21st century. This paper attempts to separate the myths, the facts and the issues that relate to natural gas hydrates beyond the doomsday environmental scenarios and overly optimistic estimates. To cite this article: B. Beauchamp, C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).     

The Liuchiu Hsu island offshore SW Taiwan: tectonic versus diapiric anticline development and comparisons with onshore structures

A structural and microtectonic analysis performed in the Liuchiu Hsu island demonstrates that its Plio-Pleistocene tectonic evolution was dominated by alternating NW–SE shortening and local radial extension caused by mud diapirism. Previous models based on seismic data considering both the formation of the Liuchiu Hsu island and the fold development in SW Taiwan as mainly driven by mud diapirism, fail to account for both the asymmetry of the west vergent thrust-related anticlines onshore and the elongated character of the ridges formed by diapir alignments offshore, which rather argue in favour of a tectonic origin. To cite this article: O. Lacombe et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).     

Caractérisation de zones sources de DNAPL à l'aide de traceurs bisolubles : mise en évidence d'une cinétique de partage

Pollution source characterization by the Partitioning Interwell Tracer Test method requires the assessment of the partitioning coefficient of the tracers with the pollutant. Experiments conducted on batch tests (static) and laboratory columns (dynamic) indicated a partitioning kinetics between the reactive tracer (4-methyl 2-pentanol) and the organic phase (trichlorethene); the partitioning coefficient decreases when the flow velocity through the porous medium increases. This partitioning kinetics has been confirmed by the interpretation of the tracer breakthrough curves with a first-order kinetic transfer model. To cite this article: M. Bohy et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).     

Les formations burdigaliennes de Corse orientale dans leur cadre géodynamique

The earliest marine sediments of eastern Corsica, linked to the birth of the Corsica Basin, are represented by granitic breccia of the Saint-Antoine Formation and pelagic marls of the Alzelle Formation. They are dated as Mid-Burdigalian by nannoplankton and planktonic foraminifera (relative age and grade datings between 18.7 and 18.3 Ma). The Aghione Formation (Latest Burdigalian–Langhian) lies upon the Alzelle Formation. A component of the major East-Corsican faults, the Saint-Antoine Fault, underwent extensional activity during the Burdigalian and until the Late Miocene, when occurred the uplift of the Castagniccia antiform. To cite this article: M.-D. Loÿe-Pilot et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).     

UPb emplacement and 40Ar/39Ar cooling ages of the eastern Mont-Louis granite massif (Eastern Pyrenees,France)

Zircon UPb dating by SIMS of the Mont-Louis granite yields an age of 305±5 Ma, intrepreted to reflect the igneous emplacement age of the massif. It is in agreement with the Hercynian syntectonic character of Pyrenees granite. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar on hornblende, biotite and K-feldspar permit, to estimate the massif cooling. A rapid temperature decrease (≈30 °C/Ma) is revealed from Westphalian to Late Stephanian, coeval with the emplacement of a laccolithe in the upper crust. Then, the cooling rate decreases to ≈1 °C/Ma. This would be consistent with a long time residence for the pluton from the Late Palaeozoic to the Early Cainozoic at 6–8 km depth. To cite this article: O. Maurel et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).