SHRIMP zircon dating and Sm/Nd isotopic investigations of Neoproterozoic granitoids, Eastern Desert, Egypt

There is an increasing evidence for the involvement of pre-Neoproterozoic zircons in the Arabian–Nubian Shield, a Neoproterozoic crustal tract that is generally regarded to be juvenile. The source and significance of these xenocrystic zircons are not clear. In an effort to better understand this problem, older and younger granitoids from the Egyptian basement complex were analyzed for chemical composition, SHRIMP U–Pb zircon ages, and Sm–Nd isotopic compositions. Geochemically, the older granitoids are metaluminous and exhibit characteristics of I-type granites and most likely formed in a convergent margin (arc) tectonic environment. On the other hand, the younger granites are peraluminous and exhibit the characteristics of A-type granites; these are post-collisional granites. The U–Pb SHRIMP dating of zircons revealed the ages of magmatic crystallization as well as the presence of slightly older, presumably inherited zircon grains. The age determined for the older granodiorite is 652.5 ± 2.6 Ma, whereas the younger granitoids are 595–605 Ma. Xenocrystic zircons are found in most of the younger granitoid samples; the xenocrystic grains are all Neoproterozoic, but fall into three age ranges that correspond to the ages of other Eastern Desert igneous rocks, viz. 710–690, 675–650 and 635–610 Ma. The analyzed granitoids have (+3.8 to +6.5) and crystallization ages, which confirm previous indications that the Arabian–Nubian Shield is juvenile Neoproterozoic crust. These results nevertheless indicate that older Neoproterozoic crust contributed to the formation of especially the younger granite magmas.     

Stable isotope study of the Archaean rocks of the Vredefort impact structure,central Kaapvaal Craton,South Africa

The Vredefort dome in the Kaapvaal Craton was formed as a result of the impact of a large meteorite at 2.02 Ga. The central core of Archaean granitic basement rocks is surrounded by a collar of uplifted and overturned strata of the Witwatersrand Supergroup, exposing a substantial depth section of the Archaean crust. Orthogneisses of the core show little variation in whole-rock δ ¹⁸O value, with the majority being between 8 and 10‰, with a mean of 9.2‰ (n = 35). Quartz and feldspar have per mil differences that are consistent with O-isotope equilibrium at high temperatures, suggesting minimal interaction with fluids during subsequent cooling. These data refute previous suggestions that the Outer Granite Gneiss (OGG) and Inlandsee Leucogranofels (ILG) of the core represent middle and lower crust, respectively. Granulite-facies greenstone remnants from the ILG have δ ¹⁸O values that are on average 1.5‰ higher than the ILG host rocks and are unlikely, therefore, to represent the residuum from the partial melting event that formed the host rock. Witwatersrand Supergroup sedimentary rocks of the collar, which were metamorphosed at greenschist-to amphibolite-facies conditions, generally have lower δ ¹⁸O values than the core rocks with a mean value for metapelites of 7.7‰ (n = 45). Overall, through an ∼20 km thick section of crust, there is a general increase in whole-rock δ ¹⁸O value with increasing depth. This is the reverse of what is normal in the crust, largely because the collar rocks have δ ¹⁸O values that are unusually low in comparison with metamorphosed sedimentary rocks worldwide. The collar rocks have δD values ranging from −35 to −115‰ (average −62‰, n = 29), which are consistent with interaction with water of meteoric origin, having a δD of about −25 to −45‰. We suggest that fluid movement through the collar rocks was enhanced by impact-induced secondary permeability in the dome structure. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Chemical and boron-isotope variations in tourmalines from an S-type granite and its source rocks: the Erongo granite and tourmalinites in the Damara Belt,Namibia

Tourmaline is widespread in metapelites and pegmatites from the Neoproterozoic Damara Belt, which form the basement and potential source rocks of the Cretaceous Erongo granite. This study traces the B-isotope variations in tourmalines from the basement, from the Erongo granite and from its hydrothermal stage. Tourmalines from the basement are alkali-deficient schorl-dravites, with B-isotope ratios typical for continental crust (δ¹¹B average −8.4‰ ± 1.4, n = 11; one sample at −13‰, n = 2). Virtually all tourmaline in the Erongo granite occurs in distinctive tourmaline-quartz orbicules. This “main-stage” tourmaline is alkali-deficient schorl (20–30% X-site vacancy, Fe/(Fe + Mg) 0.8–1), with uniform B-isotope compositions (δ¹¹B −8.7‰ ± 1.5, n = 49) that are indistinguishable from the basement average, suggesting that boron was derived from anatexis of the local basement rocks with no significant shift in isotopic composition. Secondary, hydrothermal tourmaline in the granite has a bimodal B-isotope distribution with one peak at about −9‰, like the main-stage tourmaline, and a second at −2‰. We propose that the tourmaline-rich orbicules formed late in the crystallization history from an immiscible Na–B–Fe-rich hydrous melt. The massive precipitation of orbicular tourmaline nearly exhausted the melt in boron and the shift of δ¹¹B to −2‰ in secondary tourmaline can be explained by Rayleigh fractionation after about 90% B-depletion in the residual fluid. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

郯庐断裂带张八岭隆起南段花岗岩LA-ICP MS锆石U-Pb年龄及其构造意义

本文利用LA-ICP MS方法,对零星分布于郯庐断裂带张八岭隆起南段肥东-巢湖地区的一些花岗岩体进行了锆石U-Pb同位素年代学研究.结果表明,西徐村北岩体、尖山岩体、西花村岩体、永丰岩体和锦张村岩体的形成年龄分别为126.9 ±1.0Ma、114.8±1.3Ma、108.1 ±1.6Ma、103.0 ±0.9Ma和120.3 ±0.7Ma,这些花岗岩体均形成于早白垩世,但侵位时间有一定差异.与郯庐断裂带西侧的鲁西、徐淮、蚌埠地区同时代克拉通内部侵入岩相比,断裂带内岩浆活动持续的时间更长(～27Ma).这一结果不但指示郯庐断裂带上的岩浆活动是不均一的,各地岩浆在活动的强烈程度和时间特征上均有很大的差异,而且显示了断裂带内比克拉通内部岩浆活动结束时间较晚,暗示其下岩石圈可能有更为强烈的减薄程度和更长的减薄历史.     

花岗岩研究的误区——关于花岗岩研究的思考之五

本文在对花岗岩四大基石(混合作用、结晶分离作用、构造环境和源区)问题分析的基础上,指出花岗岩研究存在的三大误区: (1)不恰当地仿效玄武岩的理论和研究方法,忽视了花岗岩的复杂性。(2)不恰当地用板块构造学说解释大陆花岗岩问题。板块构造是地球演化到一定阶段的产物,并成功解释了与板块边界相联系的岩浆活动,但是,它不能解决主要来源于大陆的花岗岩的地质问题。(3)太过重视花岗岩的地球化学研究而忽视了对花岗岩基础地质的研究。作者指出,地球化学方法在花岗岩中的使用应当是有限制的,花岗岩研究陷入误区是我们缺少扎实的基础研究、对板块构造的理解不深和对花岗岩复杂性认识不足等三个方面的原因造成的。文中还批评了学术界存在的人云亦云的奴性思想,指出它严重地阻碍了我们的创新思维,是当前亟待改进和克服的。     

21世纪的花岗岩研究, 路在何方？——关于花岗岩研究的思考之六

21世纪的花岗岩怎样研究是一个需要探索的问题。作者认为,应当对现有的花岗岩理论、流行的说法以及术语等进行清理和反思,汲取其精华,剔除其糟粕,抛弃那些不科学、不符合实际、不符合逻辑的部分。例如,在花岗岩研究中摈弃结晶分离的理论,缩小花岗岩混合作用的意义,限制花岗岩构造环境理论的应用,取消幔源、壳源和壳幔混合源的术语等。作者指出,今后花岗岩研究应当着重解决两个问题: (1)花岗岩是怎样的？(2)它何以是这样的？文中提出5个方面的任务作为今后研究的重点,即: 开展花岗岩立典式的研究,将花岗岩研究与古老地壳的研究结合起来,将花岗岩物理性质研究与地球化学究结合起来,开展广泛的实验岩石学研究和创建新的“大陆构造学”理论。鉴于花岗岩研究目前存在的严重误区,现有的花岗岩理论几乎全面崩溃,由四大基石支撑的花岗岩大厦行将坍塌,花岗岩研究正面临全球大洗牌。为此,作者建议开展一场关于花岗岩的大辩论,目的是清理思路,认清问题,明确方向,找到出路。作者呼吁,我们应当加强学习,加速引进人才,克服急躁情绪和浮夸的学风,摈弃从众思想和奴性思想,不以SCI论英雄,改进我们的学习,改善我们的制度,以推进花岗岩研究迈上新台阶。     

相山铀矿田变质基底的变质作用期次

相山铀矿田的变质基底,自晋宁期以来经历了长期而复杂的变质变形演化历史,至中生代为止,共经历了4个期次变质作用的叠加改造:中元古代区域热动力变质作用,中元古代后的热接触变质作用,中生代动力变质作用,中生代晚期的热接触变质作用.多期次变质作用的叠加改造,反映了本区自元古宙以来一直是一处地热异常区.相山地区铀成矿期的成矿作用,是一系列构造-岩浆-变质作用叠加的结果.     

黑龙江东南部穆棱地区“麻山群”的特征及花岗岩锆石SHRIMPU-Pb定年——对佳木斯地块最南缘地壳演化的制约

通过对佳木斯地块南缘穆棱地区常兴村-新兴村剖面的研究,认为这里是“麻山群”和“黑龙江群”的结合部位．具有古大陆边缘的性质。穆棱地区的“麻山群”为佳木斯地块南缘的陆壳基底,其南侧的“黑龙江群”为包括洋壳残片在内的增生-碰撞杂岩。对“麻山群”混合岩的SHRIMP锆石U-Pb定年结果表明：佳木斯地块存在中-新元古代的结晶基底,并遭受到约500Ma变质作用的影响。侵入“麻山群”杂岩的花岗岩的岩石学、地球化学研究表明,这些花岗岩具有S型花岗岩的特征;其SHRIMP锆石U—Pb分析表明,其形成年龄为486Ma＋3Ma,略晚于前人确定的“麻山群”杂岩约500Ma的麻粒岩相变质作用,为同碰撞或碰撞后花岗岩。这些资料进一步证明,该地区可能经历了晚泛非-早加里东期的碰撞造山作用。     

试论东海陆架盆地的基底构造演化和盆地形成机制

本文主要根据东海陆架盆地和周边的地质、地球物理资料,分析盆地的基底岩性特征、结构特征。认为东海陆架盆地的基底除元古界片麻岩外,还分布有一定范围的中生界及古生界。基底构造特征是纵向上多层次,横向上不均一,南北有别,东西分带。构造演化上经历了张、合、压、扭等复杂过程。     

The status of geological dredging techniques

Scientific sea-floor dredging is currently used in marine geology primarily by the hard-rock community interested in the recovery of basement rock samples from the unsedimented deep ocean floor. The technique has generally been eclipsed by ocean drilling for recovery of sedimentary rocks, because of perceived uncertainties in the location of sampling and in the representativeness of recovered material. This contribution reviews dredging equipment currently in use by marine geological institutions and refers to pinger attachments that allow precise information on the behaviour of the dredge to be telemetered back to the ship. We argue that improvements in ship navigation and transponder navigation at the seafloor, when used in conjunction with surface and/or deeply towed sidescan and swathemapping surveys, now allow for considerably less uncertainty on the location of dredge sampling. Refined sorting criteria for dredge hauls are now also available. Recent comparisons of regional sample recovery by ocean drilling and by dredge sampling indicate that the dredge hauls can usefully supplement the drilling data in the construction of sedimentary and tectonic histories of seafloor areas.