The Fazenda Largo off-craton kimberlites of Piauí State, Brazil

In the late 1990s, the Fazenda Largo kimberlite cluster was discovered in the Piauí State of Brazil. As with earlier known kimberlites in this area – Redondão, Santa Filomena-Bom Jesus (Gilbues) and Picos – this cluster is located within the Palaeozoic Parnaiba Sedimentary Basin that separates the São Francisco and the Amazonian Precambrian cratons. Locations of kimberlites are controlled by the ‘Transbrasiliano Lineament’. The Fazenda Largo kimberlites are intensely weathered, almost completely altered rocks with a fine-grained clastic structure, and contain variable amounts of terrigene admixture (quartz sand). These rocks represent near-surface volcano-sedimentary deposits of the crater parts of kimberlite pipes. By petrographic, mineralogical and chemical features, the Fazenda Largo kimberlites are similar to average kimberlite. The composition of the deep-seated material in the Fazenda Largo kimberlites is quite diverse: among mantle microxenoliths are amphibolitised pyrope peridotites, garnetised spinel peridotites, ilmenite peridotites, chromian spinel + chromian diopside + pyrope intergrowths, and large xenoliths of pyrope dunite. High-pressure minerals are predominantly of the ultramafic suite, Cr-association minerals (purplish-red and violet pyrope, chromian spinel, chromian diopside, Cr-pargasite and orthopyroxene). The Ti-association minerals of the ultramafic suite (picroilmenite and orange pyrope), as well as rare grains of orange pyrope-almandine of the eclogite association, are subordinate. Kimberlites from all four pipes contain rare grains of G10 pyrope of the diamond association, but chromian spinel of the diamond association was not encountered. By their tectonic position, by geochemical characteristics, and by the composition of kimberlite indicator minerals, the Fazenda Largo kimberlites, like the others of such type, are unlikely to be economic.     

钻石与合成立方氧化锆的简易鉴别

钻石与合成立方氧化锆外观相似，在没有鉴定仪器的条件下，使用10倍放大镜和肉眼观察颜色、光泽、色散、瑕疵、加工工艺、腰围等，辅以透字试验、亲油性实验、称重、测量直径等简单方法即可将钻石与合成立方氧化锆快速鉴别。     

New measurement of melting and thermal conductivity of iron close to outer core conditions

The amount of literature on both melting and thermal conductivity of iron at Earth’s core conditions is overwhelming and the discrepancies are very large.There is a broad range of experimental techniques each of which is flawed to a certain degree,which may explain the discrepancy.In this report,we present new data using a different method for determining the phase behavior and resistivity of iron in the laser-heated diamond cell by measuring the electrical resistance of both solid and liquid iron wires.The experiment avoids some of the major flaws of previous experiments,the most important of which is the detection of the onset of melting.These measurements confirm a shallow melting curve found earlier and the resistivity data imply a trend towards low thermal conductivity in the liquid outer core.     

Discovery and exploration of the Gosowong epithermal gold deposit, Halmahera, Indonesia

The Gosowong epithermal gold deposit, on the island of Halmahera in eastern Indonesia, is located in an area of primary tropical rain forest with no previous history of gold mining or record of gold mineralisation. The deposit occurs in a newly recognised mineral district which contains a number of epithermal vein systems and at least two centres of low-grade porphyry style Cu–Au mineralisation. Several zones of argillic and advanced argillic alteration have been noted which may be related to additional centres of mineralisation. Gosowong is classified as a low-sulphidation epithermal quartz vein. Bonanza-grade gold–silver mineralisation is developed in shoots over a 400-m strike section of the vein system. Three types of veining are recognized; quartz–adularia veins and breccias; quartz–chlorite–illite veins and breccias; and crystalline or chalcedonic quartz vein stockworks. The area was targetted using a simple geological concept and the deposit was discovered and tested using basic exploration techniques commonly applied in the rugged tropical terrains of Indonesia. Sequential exploration methods comprised reconnaissance drainage sampling of stream sediment, BLEG and float media, ridge and spur soil sampling, prospect scale grid soil sampling, hand trenching and diamond drilling. Lapse time from identification of the initial reconnaissance anomaly to an inferred resource estimate of almost 1 million ounces of gold was less than 3.5 years. This case history illustrates that very detailed exploration is necessary to locate high-grade vein-type gold deposits in a tropical environment, but demonstrates that such resources still remain to be discovered in the relatively under-explored Neogene magmatic arcs of Indonesia.     

ENVIRONMENTALISM AND EUROCENTRISM

ABSTRACT. Environmental determinism has served to validate a Eurocentric world history for several centuries, and it continues to do so today. This essay looks briefly at the historical marriage between environmental determinism and Eurocentric history, then develops a detailed critique of the environmental determinism put forward in two recent world-history books: Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997) and David Landes's The Wealth and Poverty of Nations (1998).     

金刚石微粉质量的评定

从用户和生产厂家的观点阐述如何评定金刚石微粉的质量。着重论述根据金刚石微粉的粒度、颗粒形状、锐利性、抗磨耗性和强度来评定金刚石微粉的质量     

The equation of state of CaSiO3 perovskite to 108 GPa at 300 K

Pressure–volume measurements have been performed for CaSiO₃ perovskite to 108 GPa at 300 K using NaCl and argon pressure-transmitting media, and energy dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDXD) in a diamond-anvil cell (DAC). By determining a parameter that is the product of the elastic anisotropy, S, and the uniaxial stress component, t, for each data point, we define the stress condition of the sample. For different points at the same pressure in a temperature-quenched sample, the St value can differ by as much as a factor of 5, indicating heterogeneity in the stress condition. This may be responsible for the large scatter of earlier P–V measurements in the DAC which in general used a large diameter X-ray beam. Also, the St value provides insight into the elastic anisotropy, S, of CaSiO₃ perovskite and platinum. The sign of S (positive) for CaSiO₃ perovskite agrees with first principles calculations but the magnitude may be inconsistent. A new compression curve at 300 K was obtained for CaSiO₃ perovskite by using those data points which represent the most nearly hydrostatic conditions. It is observed that the data points with high St values yield larger volumes than the points with small St values at a given pressure. By selecting the data points having low St values (St≤0.005), combining with lower pressure large volume press (LVP) measurements and fitting to third order Birch–Murnaghan equation of state (EOS), we find that CaSiO₃ perovskite is more compressible (V₀=45.58±0.05 ų, K_T0=236±4 GPa, and K_T0′=3.9±0.2 GPa) than suggested by previous studies. The density and bulk modulus of CaSiO₃ perovskite at lower mantle pressures and 300 K are 1–3% greater and 5–15% smaller, respectively, than found in previous studies. This study demonstrates that defining the stress state of the sample is crucial to obtain an accurate 300 K compression curve for unquenchable high-pressure phases.     

Recent Developments in Marine Diamond Mining

The marine diamond deposits of southern Africa owe their existence to fluvial transport down the Orange River to the South Atlantic. On the coast, they were moved, sorted and concentrated by high-energy sea and wind conditions to create a veneer of diamondiferous gravels on the sea floor. Large scale, offshore production by De Beers Marine commenced in 1989 in Namibian waters. The company now acts as a contractor for Namdeb, a corporation owned jointly with the Namibian governments. Some junior public companies also produce diamonds by large-scale mechanized means and conduct extensive exploration programs. Two important developments have occurred recently. Firstly, equipment for the recovery of diamonds from the seabed has been successfully borrowed from other industries. Large drills from onshore civil engineering have been modified for marine sampling and mining. Remotely controlled, seabed-mounted, excavational systems have assumed a major role. The new systems allow both evaluation sampling and subsequent mining to be undertaken by similar or the same equipment, making the results compatible. They permit highly selective extraction and enhanced recovery of the gravels from irregular bedrock in water approaching 200 m deep. But none is universally applicable offshore, each being the preferred system under different conditions. Secondly, the total output of sea diamonds from Namibian waters has increased to 0.8 million carats annually and now exceeds that from all the country's onshore sources. An industry has become established. Corporate and individual perseverence, government encouragement, new technology, shareholders' risk finance, and De Beers' diamond marketing have all played a role in the success. Future diamond production may increase as companies meet the challenge of working lower grade, higher volume deposits, which will require new approaches to the mining process. With a decrease in the physical risk of marine mining, the most variable inputs in operational planning and production forecasting are recovered grade and throughout rate, together with equipment availability. The importance of reliable grade estimation from sufficient sampling density is widely perceived, but the greatest performance risk can involve the predicted excavation rate and 'mineability' of the seabed sediments. Published reserve statements would benefit from a requirement to specify the planned mining method, the consequent cutoff grade to be employed, and whether or not test mining has been undertaken.     

云南泸西县云鹏水电站坝基基础工程处理

大坝基础帷幕灌浆工程中采用新技术、新工艺，使工程质量大幅提高，也使这些新技也能在实践中得到发展和完善，为工程良好的质量和效益打下了坚实的基础。     

Patterns and controls on the distribution of diamondiferous intrusions in Australia

The distribution of kimberlite, lamproite and related alkaline volcanism in Australia can be broadly related to the structure of the Australian continent and lithosphere. Diamondiferous kimberlites and lamproites, with the apparent exception of the weakly diamondiferous Orrorro kimberlites in the Adelaide Fold Belt, lie within the large Precambrian shield where seismic tomographic models and heat flow data indicate the presence of relatively cold, high seismic wave speed lithosphere (tectosphere) typically some 200 km thick or more beneath the Archaean cratons and up to 300 km in parts of central Australia. Many of the diamondiferous intrusions appear to lie at the margins rather than in the centre of the lithosphere domains. The highest concentration of diamondiferous intrusions (kimberlites and lamproites) is on and around the Kimberley Craton where seismic data indicate crustal thicknesses of 35–40 km and a lithosphere up to 275 km thick that is distinct from Proterozoic northern Australia.

Many, but clearly not all, of the intrusions show evidence of regional and local structural controls. Some are spatially associated with known crustal structures, especially regional faults. Others are aligned, either singly or in clusters, along or near discontinuities and/or gradients evident in regional scale potential field data, especially the total horizontal gradients of gravity data continued upward tens to hundreds of kilometres. Many of these features are not evident in the original datasets as their signatures are masked by shorter wavelength (near surface) anomalies. In some cases, the kimberlites and associated rocks lie within crustal blocks and domains defined by discontinuities in the potential field data rather than at domain boundaries.

Our overview suggests that analysis of potential field data, especially horizontal gradients in upwardly continued potential field data, at all scales can assist definition of crustal and, potentially, lithospheric structures that may influence the distribution of diamond pipes. However, more definitive mapping of Australia's diamond prospective regions requires the integration of data on crustal structures, especially trans-lithospheric faults, and geodynamic settings with high resolution tomographic models and other geophysical, petrologic, and isotopic information on the nature of the lithosphere beneath the Australian continent.