Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb ages and trace element geochemistry of the Kuhai gabbro and the Dur''''ngoi diorite in the southern east Kunlun tectonic belt, Qinghai, Western China and their geological implications

Timing of the intermediate-basic igneous rocks developed in the area of Kuhai-A'nyêmaqên along the southern east Kunlun tectonic belt is a controversial issue. This paper presents new zircon SHRIMP U-Pb dating data for igneous zircons from the Kuhai gabbro and the Dur'ngoi diorite in the Kuhai-A'nyemaqen tectonic belt, which are 555±9 Ma and 493±6 Ma, respectively. The trace element geochemical features of the Kuhai gabbro and the Dur'ngoi diorite are similar to those of ocean island basalts (OIB) and island arc basalts (IAB), respectively. Thus, the Kuhai gabbro with the age of 555±9 Ma and OIB geochemical features is similar to the Yushigou oceanic ophiolite in the North Qilian orogen, whereas the Dur'ngoi diorite with the age of 493±6 Ma and IAB geochemical features is similar to the island arc volcanic rocks developed in the north Qaidam. The Late Neoproterozoic to Early Ordovician ophiolite complex in the area of Kuhai-A'nyêmaqên suggests that the southern margin of the "Qilian-Qaidam-Kunlun" archipelagic ocean in this period was located in the southern east Kunlun tectonic belt. Therefore, the southern east Kunlun tectonic belt in the early Paleozoic is not comparable to the Mianlüe tectonic belt in the Qinling orogenic belt.     

新疆东昆仑阿其克库勒湖西缘地区蛇绿岩的确证

新疆东昆仑阿其克库勒湖西缘出露了一套超基性—基性岩。该蛇绿岩的野外地质、岩石学以及岩石化学特征表明它们是由变质橄榄岩和堆晶岩两大单元组成的蛇绿岩 ,是否存在蛇绿岩的其它单元值得进一步研究。同时 ,这些特征表明其与青海东昆仑清水泉蛇绿岩相似 ,指示它们可能为同一洋壳的残余。     

Soils and Land use on Lithologically Diverse Ophiolitic Alluvia on the Coastal Plain of Palawan,Philippines

The soils on the southeastern coastal plain of Palawan, Philippines are developed on alluvium derived from various lithologies of the Palawan Ophiolitic Complex. There is little lateral mixing of the alluvium. The soil pattern is interpreted as the result of increasing weathering and leaching with age on deposits of different lithological origins. In the ultramafic catchment the younger soils are infertile due to several unfavourable characteristics, including high contents of heavy metals and Mg, deficiencies of P and micro‐nutrients, and impermeability. These soils improve with increased weathering and leaching, and the older soils have better physical and Mg characteristics. In felsic alluvia the reverse is found, and the soils on younger deposits are the most fertile, while the older soils have unfavourable combinations of subsoil compaction, acidity and dominance by aluminium. These patterns are reflected in the current land use, with areas of sparse settlement and cultivation on the less fertile soils on younger ultramafic and older felsic alluvia. These areas have been avoided or abandoned, rather than overlooked, by farmers and cannot be considered as “empty lands”. Their sustainable development will require careful management. Most of the more fertile land is already cultivated.     

PGE geochemistry of Jiding ophiolite in Tibet and its constraint on mantle processes

The total PGE amount (σPGE) of mantle peridotite in the Jiding ophiolite is slightly higher than that of the primitive mantle, but the PGE contents of basalt are higher than those of the mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB), with obviously lower Pd/Ir ratios. The accumulates, dyke swarm and basalts show remarkable negative Pt and positive Rh anomalies, resulting in the special N-type PGE patterns. Mantle peridotite and crustal rocks have similar distribution patterns. It is proposed that the PGE distribution patterns in the Jiding ophiolite are closely related with a higher degree of partial melting of the mantle in this region. Magmatic crystallization-differentiation led to PGE fractionation, thus making the contents of PGE in the accumulates decrease in the ascending direction. The higher content of Au in the Jiding ophiolite is the result of metasomatic alteration at later stages. Pt-Pd fractionation indicates that both the PGEs are controlled by their alloy and sulfide phases. Positive Rh anomalies seem to be related with higher oxygen fugacity in the melts.     

Tectonics of Precambrian basement of the Tarim craton

The Altyn Tagh Mountain is the main area where the Precambrian basements of Tarim craton are exposed. There are two ophiolitic belts in Altyn Tagh: one belt is exposed in the northern margin of Altyn Tagh whose formation age is about (829±60) Ma, the other is situated along the southern margin of Altyn Tagh and has a formation age of about (1449±270) Ma. This paper proposes a simple tectonic model for the Precambrian basement of Tarim craton established from ophiolites in Altyn Tagh area. The south Tarim block had amalgamated with Qaidam block during about 1400-1500 Ma along the present Altyn fault, while the south Tarim-Qaidam united block was still separated from the north Tarim block by an ocean. The united block of south Tarim and Qaidam collided with north Tarim block along the zone of high positive anomaly of central Tarim, Hongliugou and Lapeiquan in about 800 Ma. So since the Sinian (beginning at 800 Ma) there has been an integrated basement for Tarim craton.     

Early Carboniferous Radiolarian Fauna from Heiyingshan South of the Tianshan Mountains and Its Geotectonic Significance

Abundant and well-preserved fossil radiolarians found from the Artencasher Formation, Heiyingshan of Baicheng County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, are identified, including 15 species and 2 unnamed species in 9 genera. The fauna is dominated by the Family Entactiniidae of Spumellaria. According to the faunal characteristics, the radiolarians may be divided into five assemblages, namely, the Triaenosphaera sicarius, Entatinosphaera palimbola, Entactinia vulgaris, Belowea cf. variabilis and Archocyrtium sp assemblages. The fauna may be correlated with that from the Early Carboniferous of Frankenwald and Rein in Germany. Thus, ophiolite was formed in the Carboniferous, while the age of collision between the Ili plate and the Tarim plate is Early Carboniferous.     

Petrochemical Investigation of the Antique Ophiolite (Philippines): Implications on Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide and Podiform Chromitite Deposits

Abstract: The Antique ophiolite, located in Panay island (west‐central Philippines), corresponds to several tectonic slices within the suture zone between the Philippine Mobile Belt (PMB) and the North Palawan Block (NPB). It includes dismembered fragments of a basaltic sequence, dominantly pillow‐lavas with minor sheet flows, rare exposures of sheeted dikes, isotropic gabbros, subordinate layered mafic and ultramafic rock sequences and serpentinites. Most of the ophiolite units commonly occur as clasts and blocks within the serpentinites, which intrude the whole ophiolitic body, as well as, the basal conglomerate of the overlying Middle Miocene sedimentary formation. The volcanic rock sequence is characterized by chemical compositions ranging from transitional (T)‐MORB, normal (N)‐MORB and to chemistry intermediate between those of MORB and island arc basalt (IAB). The residual upper mantle sequence is harzburgitic and generally more depleted than the upper mantle underlying modern mid‐oceanic ridges. Calculations using whole‐rock and mineral compositions show that they can represent the residue of a fertile mantle source, which have undergone degrees of partial melting ranging from 9‐22.5 %. Some of the mantle samples display chondrite‐nor‐malized REE and extended multi‐element patterns suggesting enrichments in LREE, Rb, Sr and Zr, which are comparable to those found in fore‐arc peridotites from the Izu‐Bonin‐Mariana (IBM) arc system. The Antique ultramafic rocks also record relatively oxidizing mantle conditions (Δlog f_O2 (FMQ)=0.9‐3.5). As a whole, the ophiolite probably represents an agglomeration of oceanic ridge and fore‐arc crust fragments, which were juxtaposed during the Miocene collision of the PMB and the NPB. The intrusion of the serpentinites might be either coeval or subsequent to the accretion of the oceanic crust onto the fore‐arc. Volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits occur either in or near the contact between the pillow basalts and the overlying sediments or interbedded with the sediments. The morphology of the deposits, type of metals, ore texture and the nature of the host rocks suggest that the formation of the VMS bodies was similar to the accumulation of metals around and in the subsurface of hydrothermal vents observed in modern mid‐oceanic ridge and back‐arc basin rift settings. The podiform chromitites occur as pods and subordinate layers within totally serpentinized dunite in the residual upper mantle sequence. No large coherent chromitite deposit was found since the host dunitic rocks often occur as blocks within the serpentinites. It is difficult to evaluate the original geodynamic setting of the mineralized bodies since the chemistry of the host rocks were considerably modified by alteration during their tectonic emplacement. A preliminary conclusion for Antique is that the VMS is apparently associated with a primitive tholeiitic intermediate MORB‐IAB volcanic suite, the chemistry of which is close to the calculated composition of the liquid that coexisted with the podiform chromitites.     

北祁连石居里地区Cu(Zn)-S矿床地质特征及综合成矿模式

文章主要论述了北祁连山西段石居里矿田内Ⅵ号沟、Ⅷ号沟、九个泉等矿床的基本地质特征，并与北祁连山东段老虎山地区银硐沟、猪嘴哑吧等矿床对比。结合其早古生代构造演化历史、古洋脊或弧间、弧后拉张环境确定矿床类型，将上述3个矿床归属为蛇绿岩Cu(Zn）－S型矿床（类塞浦路斯型）。建立综合成矿模式的基本要求：（1）矿床具有一定的时控性，有一定的含矿层位；（2）生长性断裂的积极参与；（3）海底火山喷发、喷气中心与次级盆地双向控制；（4）多元热流体成矿系统。     

益阳火山岩特征及其形成构造环境分析

益阳火山岩中的熔岩、辉长辉绿岩和玄武质科马提岩,分别与蛇绿岩套中的熔岩、熔岩中的脉岩或岩墙杂岩和层状堆晶辉长岩有相似或相同的化学成分与微量元素含量,它们具有蛇绿岩套属性。与邻区广西、江西和安徽等省的蛇绿岩套分布在同一带上。因而认为,湖南境内沿通道—淑浦—宁乡—浏阳一带存在一条元古宙的古板块消减带,它控制了湖南中北部地区大地构造的演化和发展。