Depositional environments of the Mediterranean “Lower Evaporites” of the Messinian salinity crisis: Constraints from quantitative analyses

We use simple quantitative analyses to evaluate controversial water level scenarios for the Mediterranean “Lower Evaporites” of the Messinian salinity crisis. Our results indicate that a shallow-water scenario for the Lower Gypsum units – with Mediterranean water level lower than the sill at Gibraltar – would imply unrealistic salt thicknesses on the order of 3 km. Some outflow to the open ocean must have persisted, implying that the Mediterranean was a deep-water basin during Lower Gypsum formation. Since glacio-eustatic fluctuations do not seem to have had a major influence on Lower Gypsum deposits, Mediterranean water level was even substantially higher than the Gibraltar sill. Our analyses furthermore show that precessional changes in the freshwater budget may explain the observed cyclic lithological changes of gypsum and non-evaporitic sediments. Potential precipitation of gypsum in the deep Mediterranean basins would have critically depended on the availability of oxygen and thus on the stratification of the water column. Finally, our results indicate that the deep Mediterranean halite units could have been deposited under shallow conditions, assuming that they correspond to the ~ 70 kyr time interval between glacials TG12 and TG14, when Mediterranean outflow to the Atlantic was blocked.     

Neogene evaporites in desert volcanic environments: Atacama Desert, northern Chile

The Upper Miocene and Pliocene evaporite deposits of the Atacama Desert of northern Chile (Hilaricos and Soledad Formations) are among the few non‐marine evaporites in which aridity not only formed the deposits, but has also preserved them almost unaltered under near‐surface conditions. These deposits are largely composed of displacive Ca sulphate and halite together with minor amounts of glauberite, thenardite and polyhalite. However, at the base and top of these deposits, there are also beds of gypsum crystal pseudomorphs that originally formed as free‐growth forms within shallow brine bodies, rather than as displacive sediments. The halite is present as interstitial cement, displacive cubes and shallow‐water, bottom‐growth chevron crusts. Most of the calcium sulphate is presently anhydrite, pseudomorphous after gypsum, that was the primary depositional sulphate mineral. The secondary anhydrite formed under early diagenetic conditions after slight burial (some metres) resulting from the effect of strongly evolved pore brines. The anhydrite has been preserved without rehydration during late diagenetic and exhumation stages on account of the arid environment of the Atacama Desert. Both the Hilaricos and the Soledad Formations contain geochemical markers indicating that these Neogene evaporites had a largely non‐marine origin. Bromine content in the halite is very low (few p.p.m.), indicating neither a sedimentological relation with sea water nor the likelihood of direct recycling of prior marine halites. Moreover, the δ³⁴S of sulphates (+4·5‰ to +9‰) also reflects a non‐marine origin, with a strong volcanic influence, although some recycling of Mesozoic marine sulphates cannot be ruled out. δ³⁴S of dissolved sulphate from hot springs and streams in the area commonly displays positive values (+2‰ to +10‰). Leaching of oxidized sulphur and chlorine compounds from volcanoes and epithermal ore bodies, very common in the associated drainage areas, have been the main contribution to the accumulation of evaporites. The sedimentary and diagenetic evolution of the Hilaricos and Soledad evaporites (based on lithofacies analysis) provides information about the palaeohydrological conditions in the Central Depression of northern Chile during the Neogene. In addition, the diagenesis and exhumation history of these evaporites confirms the persistence of strongly arid conditions from Late Miocene until the present. A final phase of tectonism took place permitting the internal drainage to change and open to the sea, resulting in dissolution and removal of a significant portion of these deposits. Despite the extensive dissolution, the remaining evaporites have undergone little late exhumational hydration.     

衡阳盆地盐类矿床地质特征与矿床成因

衡阳盆地盐类矿产有石盐、钙芒硝、硬石膏（石膏），均产于下第三系霞流市组茶山坳段中。矿体呈层状、似层状、透镜状产出，产状平缓，与岩层产状一致。矿石中ＮａＣｌ品位４３～５４％，钙芒硝矿石中Ｎａ＿２ＳＯ＿４品位２５～３８％，硬石膏（石膏）矿石中ＣａＳＯ＿４品位４５～７０％。属内陆湖相蒸发沉积之硫酸盐氯化物型矿床。     

古代石盐岩流体包裹体均一温度分析方法及古环境解释

由于石盐岩中的流体包裹体保留了其沉积时的古水温和组分信息, 一直是古环境和矿床地质研究中的重要工作, 但由于石盐岩易于塑性变形的特性, 给其研究带来很大困难。本文主要针对石盐岩流体包裹体均一温度分析方法, 从单一液相包裹体均一温度测试的冷冻条件和样品经历高温改造后测试结果的可靠性两方面进行了实验。实验结果表明: 在不发生明显的完全冷冻结冰情况下, 不同冷冻条件下形成气泡后均一温度差别不大(低于3.6℃)。然而, 一旦包裹体发生了完全结冰的现象, 其均一温度比冷冻至–18℃条件下可高出47.8℃。实验同时表明高温(110℃以上)会引起石盐流体包裹体的均一温度发生明显变化。没有受到高温影响和测试过程中的低温冷冻干扰情况下, 以低的升温速率获得的石盐中单一液相包裹体均一温度可以代表石盐形成时的古水温, 其与石盐沉积时的大气温度较为接近, 可用于古气候研究。     

泸州-开江古隆起对川东三叠纪成盐成钾环境的控制作用

泸州-开江古隆起的活动对早中三叠世川东盐类矿床的形成具有重要影响。本文通过川东三叠纪不同成盐阶段古构造特征、石盐及杂卤石的分布和古隆起不同位置含盐系的岩性组合对比等综合研究发现,古隆起相对周缘地形较高,其内部及边缘发育的小盐洼(如长寿地区)由于其水浅、盆小、蒸发速率快,有利于卤水浓缩形成原生杂卤石,也是可溶性钾盐的潜力区;早中三叠世之间发生了大规模的火山活动,成钾的物质来源更加丰富,富钾、镁离子卤水迁移渗流至厚层膏岩层中形成次生杂卤石岩,形成该时期川东杂卤石广布,且范围明显超过石盐岩的格局。     

塔里木盆地巴楚隆起岩盐中原生包裹体特征及意义——以巴探5井为例

塔里木盆地巴楚隆起发育一套中寒武统的膏岩盐层,是较好的区域性盖层。本文对巴楚隆起中段巴探5井蒸发岩层石盐中的包裹体进行了岩相学、显微测温学、热力学计算等研究。岩相学结果表明虽然经历了多期构造以及深埋作用的影响,在石盐中仍然发现了代表表生沉积环境的原生包裹体组合。包裹体的均一温度测温结果表明石盐沉积时的古水温约为29.9℃,与当时的古气候特征相一致。热力学计算表明,石盐中包裹体在埋深过程中所表现出的非等容-非等组成体系的热力学特征,可能是包裹体在后期地质改造过程中得以保存的重要因素之一。     

NaCl-X-H2O三元体系25℃等温蒸发石盐流体包裹体均一温度实验研究

复杂卤水组分对于石盐流体包裹体均一温度的影响尚不明确,文章基于NaCl-X-H_2O(X=KCl, MgCl_2,CaCl_2, Na_2SO_4)三元卤水体系,尝试探讨K~+、Mg~(2+)、Ca~(2+)、SO_4~(2-)对石盐流体包裹体均一温度测试结果的影响。不同卤水体系最大均一温度分析结果表明,K~+、Mg~(2+)、Ca~(2+)的存在总体上会导致石盐流体包裹体均一温度偏大,SO_4~(2-)的存在对均一温度的影响很小。以NaCl-H_2O体系为参照,NaCl-Na_2SO_4-H_2O体系平均均一温度较之要低,而NaCl-KCl-H_2O、NaCl-MgCl_2-H_2O和NaCl-CaCl_2-H_2O体系与其相反。NaCl-KCl-H_2O体系中的KCl浓度与平均均一温度呈现负相关关系,NaCl-MgCl_2-H_2O、NaCl-CaCl_2-H_2O、NaCl-Na_2SO_4-H_2O体系中的w(MgCl_2)、w(CaCl_2)和w(Na_2SO_4)与平均均一温度则呈现正相关关系。平均和最大均一温度分析结果都显示出复杂卤水体系中不同离子及其浓度对石盐流体包裹体均一温度会产生影响。本研究对于具有复杂化学组分卤水结晶析出石盐均一温度的研究具有重要的参考价值。     

罗布泊卤水室内蒸发及天然石盐包裹体均一温度分析探讨

罗布泊卤水经室内恒温（30℃和52℃）蒸发结晶析出石盐，其内含有丰富的液相包裹体。测试这些石盐液相包裹体均一温度，发现仅有少量包裹体均一温度与石盐结晶卤水温度一致，大多数均一温度明显偏离结晶温度，大多数高出卤水温度约20℃～90℃，少数低于卤水温度约6℃～30℃，罗布泊盐湖自然沉积的石盐液相包裹体均一温度也存在类似情况，除少部分数据与当地卤水温度相近，大多也存在明显的差异。说明石盐包裹体均一温度可能受制于多个因数影响。因此，用石盐包裹体均一温度恢复沉积时期古水温或流体介质温度时，不能简单应用，需要综合分析才能从中提取可靠的地质信息。     

内陆盐湖石盐流体包裹体均一温度指示意义的现代过程研究

Halite precipitation with water and air temperature was observed in detail,and homogenization temperature of fluid inclusions in halite formed in ancient and modem Chaka Salt Lake was studied.Halite precipitates mainly in August every year and largely precipitates between 13 and 15pm at one day when water temperatures reach 20℃but can seldom reach 30℃.Homogenization temperatures of fluid inclusions in halite formed in Chaka Salt Lake range from 14℃to 38℃with an average of 23.7℃.The number of inclusions appears an obvious peak value at homogenization temperatures between 18～25℃,which probably represent the water temperature in which halite mainly precipitates when water temperatures reach 20℃.Therefore,homogenization temperatures of fluid inclusions in halite formed in Chaka Salt Lake can well reflect the water temperature.     

Synthetic Fluid Inclusions in the Systems NaCl-H2O and NaCl-CO2-H2O: Dissolution Temperatures of Halite

Abstract. This study examined the effect of CO₂ on NaCl solubility in hydrothermal fluid, with the synthetic fluid inclusion technique. Fluid inclusions of 30–40 wt% NaCl and 5 mol % CO₂ were synthesized, and their halite dissolution temperatures, T_m(halite), were measured. The solubilities of NaCl in CO₂-bearing aqueous fluid were obtained at 160–320C under vapor-saturated pressures. The T_m(halite) value in aqueous fluid with 5 mol % CO₂ obtained in this study agrees with that of Schmidt et al. (1995), showing that 5 mol % CO₂ reduces the solubility of NaCl by about 1 wt%.
Calculation of magnetite solubility suggests that 5–10 mol % CO2 decreases magnetite solubility by 4.5–8.9 % relative to the magnetite solubility in CO2-free solution. Therefore, an increase of CO2 content in ore-forming solutions may cause deposition of iron minerals and produce ore deposits.