Post‐Great Oxidation Event Orosirian–Statherian iron formations on the São Francisco craton: Geotectonic implications

The protocratonic core of the São Francisco craton assembled during the 2.1–2.0 Ga Transamazonian orogeny. Orosirian Fe‐rich sequences that extend from the northwestern border of the São Francisco protocraton (Colomi Group) to the southeast under the Espinhaço Belt (the < 1.99 Ga Serra da Serpentina Group) record the opening of an intracratonic basin with the episodically developed ferruginous waters prior to the initiation of the Espinhaço rift at 1.8 Ga. Ferruginous conditions developed again during deposition of the Canjica Iron Formation of the < 1.7 Ga Serra de São José Group in the Espinhaço rift (contemporaneously with felsic magmatism; Conceição do Mato Dentro Rhyolite and Borrachudos Granitic Suite) and extensive sandstones of the < (1666 ±32) Ma Itapanhoacanga and < (1683 ±11) Ma São João da Chapada Formations. In the upper São João da Chapada Formation, banded hematitic phyllite also records input of Fe‐rich fluids. The young age of these iron formations with respect to the conventionally accepted 1.88 Ga age for the youngest shallow‐marine Paleoproterozoic iron formations, the apparent absence of granular facies (granular iron formations), and yet shallow‐water (above fair‐weather base) depositional environment indicate that an unusual setting developed in a large basin after the Great Oxidation Event, in the aftermath of the Transamazonian orogeny. We propose that mantle plumes led to the opening of a previously unrecognized rift system, that could have caused the magmatism, supplied hydrothermal Fe and led to the opening of the Espinhaço, Pirapora, and Paramirim rifts, later obliterated by the Araçuaí orogenic belt during the Neoproterozoic to Early Paleozoic Brasiliano orogeny. The rift system did not develop into an open continental margin but probably evolved into a broad sag basin, stretching across the São Francisco and Congo cratons.     

A triple porosity scheme for fluid/solid substitution: theory and experiment

Quantifying the effects of pore-filling materials on elastic properties of porous rocks is of considerable interest in geophysical practice. For rocks saturated with fluids, the Gassmann equation is proved effective in estimating the exact change in seismic velocity or rock moduli upon the changes in properties of pore infill. For solid substance or viscoelastic materials, however, the Gassmann theory is not applicable as the rigidity of the pore fill (either elastic or viscoelastic) prevents pressure communication in the pore space, which is a key assumption of the Gassmann equation. In this paper, we explored the elastic properties of a sandstone sample saturated with fluid and solid substance under different confining pressures. This sandstone sample is saturated with octadecane, which is a hydrocarbon with a melting point of 28°C, making it convenient to use in the lab in both solid and fluid forms. Ultrasonically measured velocities of the dry rock exhibit strong pressure dependency, which is largely reduced for the filling of solid octadecane. Predictions by the Gassmann theory for the elastic moduli of the sandstone saturated with liquid octadecane are consistent with ultrasonic measurements, but underestimate the elastic moduli of the sandstone saturated with solid octadecane. Our analysis shows that the difference between the elastic moduli of the dry and solid-octadecane-saturated sandstone is controlled by the squirt flow between stiff, compliant, and the so-called intermediate pores (with an aspect ratio larger than that of compliant pore but much less than that of stiff pores). Therefore, we developed a triple porosity model to quantify the combined squirt flow effects of compliant and intermediate pores saturated with solid or viscoelastic infill. Full saturation of remaining stiff pores with solid or viscoelastic materials is then considered by the lower embedded bound theory. The proposed model gave a reasonable fit to the ultrasonic measurements of the elastic moduli of the sandstone saturated with liquid or solid octadecane. Comparison of the predictions by the new model to other solid substitution schemes implied that accounting for the combined effects of compliant and intermediate pores is necessary to explain the solid squirt effects.     

Experimental estimation of velocities and anisotropy of a series of Swedish crystalline rocks and ores

To provide a guide for future deep (<1.5 km) seismic mineral exploration and to better understand the nature of reflections imaged by surface reflection seismic data in two mining camps and a carbonatite complex of Sweden, more than 50 rock and ore samples were collected and measured for their seismic velocities. The samples are geographically from the northern and central parts of Sweden, ranging from metallic ore deposits, meta‐volcanic and meta‐intrusive rocks to deformed and metamorphosed rocks. First, ultrasonic measurements of P‐ and S‐wave velocities at both atmospheric and elevated pressures, using 0.5 MHz P‐ and S‐wave transducers were conducted. The ultrasonic measurements suggest that most of the measured velocities show positive correlation with the density of the samples with an exception of a massive sulphide ore sample that shows significant low P‐ and S‐wave velocities. The low P‐ and S‐wave velocities are attributed to the mineral texture of the sample and partly lower pyrite content in comparison with a similar type sample obtained from Norway, which shows significantly higher P‐ and S‐wave velocities. Later, an iron ore sample from the central part of Sweden was measured using a low‐frequency (0.1–50 Hz) apparatus to provide comparison with the ultrasonic velocity measurements. The low‐frequency measurements indicate that the iron ore sample has minimal dispersion and attenuation. The iron ore sample shows the highest acoustic impedance among our samples suggesting that these deposits are favourable targets for seismic methods. This is further demonstrated by a real seismic section acquired over an iron ore mine in the central part of Sweden. Finally, a laser‐interferometer device was used to analyse elastic anisotropy of five rock samples taken from a major deformation zone in order to provide insights into the nature of reflections observed from the deformation zone. Up to 10% velocity‐anisotropy is estimated and demonstrated to be present for the samples taken from the deformation zone using the laser‐interferometery measurements. However, the origin of the reflections from the major deformation zone is attributed to a combination of anisotropy and amphibolite lenses within the deformation zone.     

Neoproterozoic Alkaline Igneous Rocks,Carbonatites and Gold Deposits of the Yenisei Ridge,Central Siberia: Evidence of Mantle Plume Activity and Late Collision Shear Tectonics Associated with Orogenic Gold Mineralization

This paper discusses the plausible genetic relationship between disseminated Au‐sulfide mineralization and mantle plume‐related magmatism in the context of the tectonic evolution of the Yenisei ridge in central Siberia. The relationship is inferred based on structural and geochemical studies of the Blagodat Au deposit, and the Transangara alkaline syenite and Penchenga fenite‐carbonatite complexes. Analyses of Nd, Sr and Ar isotopic compositions of samples from these geological features show their possible close temporal relationships but different sources. Nevertheless, the present data sets suggest that thermal effects of mantle plume activity likely controlled hydrothermal fluid mobilization in metamorphic suites and further enrichment of gold. The structural setting of the Blagodat Au deposit demonstrates the typical example of Au‐sulfide mineralization controlled by late collisional shear deformations. The present example of Au deposit associated temporally and spatially with carbonatites and alkaline rock complexes is an exclusive case in the Earth's history supporting a plausible genetic relationship between mantle plume‐related magmatism and orogenic‐Au mineralization.     

Drained-to-undrained transition of bulk modulus in fluid-saturated porous rock induced by dead volume variation

We examine the effect of poroelastic boundary conditions when determining elastic properties of fluid-saturated porous rocks from forced-oscillation laboratory experiments. One undesired yet often unavoidable complication in the estimation of the undrained bulk modulus is due to the presence of the so-called dead volume. It implies that some fluid mass can escape the rock sample under applying a confining pressure perturbation. Thus, the dead volume compromises the undrained state required to unambiguously determine the undrained bulk modulus. In this paper, we model data of recently performed low-frequency (0.1 Hz) measurements. Therein, the dead volume has been systematically varied from 10% to 1000% of the pore volume. For the smallest dead volume, the inferred bulk modulus is close to the Biot–Gassmann undrained bulk modulus. With increasing dead volume, the experimentally inferred bulk modulus approaches the drained bulk modulus. We show that the transition from undrained to drained state as a function of dead volume can be modelled with a 1D poroelastic model for the rock sample-dead volume system with a boundary condition that honours the continuity of the fluid volume flux. We discuss the limitations of the 1D model when applied to data recorded at higher frequencies (up to 100 Hz).     

An experimental study of solid matrix weakening in water‐saturated Savonnières limestone

Petrophysical properties of carbonate reservoirs are less predictable than that of siliciclastic reservoirs. One of the main reasons for this is the physical and chemical interactions of carbonate rocks with pore fluids. Such interactions can significantly change the elastic properties of the rock matrix and grains, making the applicability of Gassmann's fluid substitution procedure debatable. This study is an attempt to understand the mechanisms of fluid‐rock interactions and the influence of these interactions on elastic parameters of carbonates. We performed precise indentation tests on Savonnières limestone at a microscale level under dry, distilled water, and n‐Decane saturated conditions. Our experiments display softening of the rock matrix after water saturation. We have found that mainly the ooid cortices, peloid nuclei and prismatic intergranular cement are affected by water flooding. We also observed a shear modulus reduction in Savonnières limestone in an experiment performed at ultrasonic frequencies. One of the most important results obtained in our experimental study is that the Gassmann fluid substitution theory might not always be applicable to predict the elastic moduli of fluid‐saturated limestones.