Mineralogy, Geochemistry, and Age Constraints on the Beni Bou Ifrour Skarn Type Magnetite Deposit, Northeastern Morocco

Abstract: The Beni Bou Ifrour deposit of northeastern Morocco is a skarn type magnetite deposit. K-Ar age determination suggests that the mineralization occurred at 7.040.47 Ma. The spatial relationship between skarn and dikes of microgran-odiorite derived from the batholith of Wiksane Granodiorite, and the similarity of age (8.020.22 Ma), confirms that the Wiksane Granodiorite is the igneous rock most probably related to mineralization. The skarn is distributed asymmetrically in the limestone, and magnetite ore was developed just below the calc-silicate skarn as two parallel beds separated by 100 m of barren limestone and schist.
The mineralization can be divided into three stages. The early stage is characterized by the formation of calc-silicate minerals, mainly clinopyroxene (80–70 % diopside) and garnet (early almost pure andradite to the late 60 % andradite). The main stage is characterized by the formation of a large amount of magnetite. Epidote and quartz formed simultaneously with magnetite. Fluid temperatures exceeded 500 C during the early to main stages. Fluid with very high salinity (50–75 wt% NaCl equiv.) was responsible for the formation of the magnetite ore. The oxygen isotope composition, together with the fluid inclusion data, suggests that magmatic fluid was significant for the formation of calc-silicate skarn minerals and magnetite. Low temperature (-230C) and low salinity (-10 % NaCl equiv.) hydrothermal fluids dominated by meteoric water were responsible for the late stage quartz and calcite formation.     

Nature and origin of magnetic minerals within the Middle Jurassic shallow-water carbonate rocks of the Paris Basin, France: implications for magnetostratigraphic dating

The Middle and Upper Jurassic Bathonian-Oxfordian shallow-water carbonate rocks from the Paris Basin, France, consist mainly of oolitic and bioclastic limestones that are hydrocarbon reservoirs in the subsurface. Despite a preliminary positive study, these deposits have been considered to be largely remagnetized (Rochette, private communication), and hence not amenable to palaeomagnetic dating. To establish their magnetic mineralogy and test this remagnetization hypothesis, we have used an integrated investigation combining petrographic, geochemical, rock-magnetic and palaeomagnetic measurements on samples extracted from five cores from the Paris Basin and from outcrops in Burgundy. Magnetic minerals in the Bathonian-Oxfordian carbonates include: (1) primary biogenic single-domain magnetite and detrital multi-domain Ti-magnetite and their oxidized form, maghemite; (2) authigenic spheres of magnetite probably related to hydrocarbons; and (3) goethite, either restricted to ferruginous ooid layers or resulting from surficial alteration, notably replacement of pyrite framboids. Rock-magnetic experiments carried out on 68 samples reveal H _cr/ H _c and M _rs/ M _s ratios ranging from 1.88 to 5.58 and 0.017 to 0.314, respectively. These values are clearly distinct from diagnostic values for a chemical remagnetization. Pyrrhotite was not identified within these sediments. Moreover, the average H _cr/ H _c ratio of 3.14 is significantly different from the value of 1.333 for natural pyrrhotite (Dekkers 1988). These results have a direct implication for the preservation of the primary magnetization; consequently, these deposits are selectively amenable for magnetostratigraphic dating and possible regional correlations.     

Effects of weathering on single-domain magnetite in Early Pliocene marine marls

Rock magnetic parameters are often used to recognize variations in the original magnetic mineralogy and for normalizing purposes in palaeointensity studies. Incipient weathering, however, is shown to have a profound but partly reversible influence on the rock magnetic properties of the marls of the Early Pliocene Trubi formation in southern Sicily (Italy). The remanence in the marls resides in single-domain (SD) magnetite grains, but the remanent coercive force (H_cr) shows a strong variation and most values observed are anomalously high ( H_cr) range 36–188 mT).
The enhanced coercivities are attributed to stress in the magnetite grains induced by surface oxidation at low temperature. Upon heating to 150 °C a reduction of coercivities occurs that can be explained by a stress reduction as a result of a reduction of Fe^2- gradient due to a higher diffusion rate at elevated temperature. After heating to 150 °C, coercivities are quite uniform throughout the outcrop and the values are characteristic of SD magnetite (H_cr range 30–38 mT). The bulk susceptibility increases by 4–24 per cent, and the isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) decreases by 5–11 per cent. The increase in anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM) is large: 20–242 per cent. The magnitude of the changes is related to the degree of weathering.
Another effect of heating the marl samples to 150 °C is a substantial reduction of the coercivities of the secondary overprint in the natural remanent magnetization. After heating. separation of the secondary and primary components by alternating-field demagnetization is more efficient. The usual difficulties of thermal demagnetization above 300 °C may thus be avoided by a combination of moderate heating to 150 °C and subsequent alternating-field demagnetization.     

镓的成矿作用及其在峨眉山大火成岩省中的成矿效应

评述了分散元素镓的应用和成矿作用的研究现状并剖析了镓的成矿研究存在的主要问题。论证了铝土矿床中的镓主要赋存于其中的一水硬铝石且以GaO（OH）形式存在；以晶体化学理论分析，认为中高温热液条件形成的闪锌矿（主要包括铁闪锌矿、黑闪锌矿及富铜铅锌矿中的闪锌矿）是Ca的富集载体，Ca最可能以GaAs、GaxIn1-xAs和三元硫化物M^IGaS2（M^I=T1，Cu，Ag）分子的形式赋存，并可能于后期温度降低的条件下以单矿物（如硫镓铜矿）析出；镓在岩浆岩中的主要富集载体为长石类矿物、尖晶石型矿物以及具反尖晶石型结构的磁铁矿。对峨眉山大火成岩省中的重要矿床类型—攀枝花式超大型钒钛磁铁矿矿床中的代表性矿石进行镓含量分析并阐述了该类型矿床中Ca的成矿效应，初步评估了攀西地区钒钛磁铁矿工业储量中伴生的镓为34．8万t，远景资源量为43．5万t，认为该区超大型钒钛磁铁矿矿床亦属超大型镓矿床，具潜在的重要经济价值。呼吁加强对我国磁铁矿矿床中镓的成矿效应及综合利用的系统研究。     

Electron Probe Microanalysis of Variable Oxidation State Oxides: Protocol and Pitfalls

Electron probe microanalysis of geological oxide materials relies on stoichiometric considerations to estimate the content of undetermined oxygen and thus calculate ZAF (atomic number, absorption, fluorescence) matrix correction factors, requiring the valences of cations in the corresponding software to be unambiguously defined. However, stoichiometric ZAF corrections may be problematic in the presence of other undetermined elements or variable valence state cations. Herein, we analyse several oxides containing such cations, that is magnetite (Fe₃O₄), haematite (Fe₂O₃), hausmannite (Mn₃O₄) and cuprite (Cu₂O). We compare data re‐calculated for incorrect valence states ( Method 1 ) with reference values, revealing incorrect results, due to an incorrect amount of oxygen used in the matrix correction. Some solid‐solution series of haematite and magnetite were also modelled in CalcZAF program to prove the relative errors when the incorrect oxygen is used. To resolve these issues, we describe two accurate methods. Method 2 uses the true valence states of analysed elements. In Method 3, all cations are analysed as metals, with the content of undetermined oxygen determined by difference. As EPMA software does not allow the use of non‐integer valences, Method 3 is applicable to cations with non‐integer or dubious valences in cases where these non‐integer valences cannot be defined.