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SDLRC - Scientific Articles all years by Author - Po+
The Sheahan Diamond Literature Reference Compilation
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Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 175, 8, 25p. Pdf
Canada, Baffin Island
deposit - Chidliak
Abstract: The 156-138 Ma Chidliak kimberlites on the Eastern Hall peninsula (EHP) of Baffin Island entrained mantle xenoliths interpreted to have been a part of the Archean North Atlantic Craton (NAC) lithospheric mantle. We studied 19 Chidliak eclogite xenoliths that comprise 10 bimineralic, 5 rutile-bearing, 3 orthopyroxene-bearing and 1 kyanite-bearing eclogites. We report major and trace element compositions of the minerals, calculated bulk compositions, pressures and temperatures of the rock formation and model melt extraction from viable protoliths. The eclogite samples are classified into three groups of HREE-enriched, LREE-depleted and metasomatized based on their reconstructed whole-rock REE patterns. PT parameters of the eclogites were calculated by projecting garnet-clinopyroxene temperatures onto the local P-T arrays for 65 Chidliak peridotite xenoliths. All Chidliak eclogites are equilibrated in the diamond P-T field and cluster in two groups, low-temperature (n?=?5, 840-990 °C at 4.1-5.0 GPa) and high-temperature (n?=?11, T?>?1320 °C at P?>?7.0 GPa). The reconstructed Mg-rich major element bulk compositions and trace elements patterns are similar to Archean basalts from the North Atlantic and Superior cratons and the oceanic gabbros. The LREE-depleted Chidliak eclogites could be residues after 15-55% partial melting of Archean basalt at the eclogite facies of metamorphism that led to extraction of a tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite melt from the EHP. The HREE-depleted eclogites may have experienced a lower degree (<10%) of partial melting. Two eclogites may have formed after the gabbro protolith based on the presence of kyanite, high Sr content of garnet and positive Eu anomalies in garnet and bulk eclogite compositions. The metasomatism is reflected in higher Ce/Yb, Sr/Y, TiO2 or MgO of the eclogites. The average contents of MgO, FeO and CaO in NAC eclogites are statistically distinct from those in Slave craton eclogites with a probability of?>95%. The former are more magnesian, less ferrous and calcic, contain more magnesian and less calcic garnets, and lower proportions of group C eclogites. The contrast may relate to the stronger NAC metasomatism by silicate-carbonate melt observed in Chidliak peridotitic mantle, or to the different formation ages of the eclogites beneath the two cratons.
Abstract: The subduction of carbonates beyond 250-300?km, where redox conditions favour the presence of metallic iron (Fe), will result in redox reactions with the Fe dispersed in the silicate rocks. Here, we studied the effect of water on the carbonate-Fe interaction in the hydromagnesite-Fe system at 6, 8 and 16?GPa and the peridotite-CO2-H2O-Fe system at 8?GPa, using a multianvil apparatus. In all of the studied samples, we observed the formation of magnesiowüstite, graphite and carbide. Additionally, in the peridotite-CO2-H2O-Fe system, magnesiowüstite reacted with pyroxenes, resulting in olivine enrichment. Kinetic calculations performed at 8?GPa showed that, at the pressure-temperature (P-T) parameters of the ‘hot’, ‘medium’ and ‘cold’ subduction, about 40, 12 and 4?vol% of carbonates, respectively, would be reduced in the hydrous system within 1 Myr, assuming direct contact with Fe. Based on the present results, it is suggested that carbonates will largely be consumed during the characteristic subduction time to the mantle transition zone by reaction with the reduced mantle in the presence of hydrous fluid.
Abstract: The phase relations in the system Na2CO3?CaCO3?MgCO3 have been studied at 3?GPa and 700-1285?°C using a Kawai-type multianvil press. At 700?°C, the system has five intermediate compounds: dolomite, Mg-bearing Na2Ca4(CO3)5 burbankite, Na2Ca3(CO3)4, Na4Ca(CO3)3, and eitelite. As temperature increases to 800?°C, the system is complicated by an appearance of Ca-dolomite and Mg-bearing shortite, while Na2Ca4(CO3)5 disappears. At 850?°C, Na4Ca(CO3)3 decomposes to produce Na carbonate and nyerereite. The latter melts incongruently at 875?±?25?°C to form Na2Ca3(CO3)4. Incongruent melting of eitelite to magnesite and liquid, occurs at 925?±?25 °C. Mg-bearing shortite melts incongruently at 950?±?50?°C, producing Na2Ca3(CO3)4 and liquid. Na2Ca3(CO3)4 disappears at 1000?°C via incongruent melting to calcite and liquid. The liquidus projection of the studied ternary system has seven primary solidification phase regions for magnesite, dolomite-calcite solid solutions, Na2Ca3(CO3)4, Mg-bearing shortite, nyerereite, eitelite, and Na carbonate. The primary solidification regions are separated by five peritectic and three cotectic monovariant lines. The system has six ternary peritectic points and one minimum on the liquidus at 850?°C and 52Na2CO3?48(Ca0.62Mg0.38)CO3. The minimum point resembles a eutectic controlled by a four-phase reaction, by which, on cooling, a liquid transforms into three solid phases: shortite, Na carbonate, and eitelite. Since the system has a single eutectic at 3?GPa, there is no thermal barrier preventing continuous liquid fractionation from Na-poor toward Na-rich dolomitic compositions more alkaline than eitelite and nyerereite. Considering the present results and previous data, a range of Na-Ca-Mg double carbonates changes in the following sequence upon pressure and temperature increase: Na2Ca2(CO3)3 (Amm2) shortite, Na2Ca(CO3)2 (P21ca) nyerereite, Na2Mg(CO3)2 () eitelite (0.1?GPa)???Na2(Ca0.97-0.98Mg0.02-0.03)4(CO3)5 (P63mc), Na2(Ca?0.91Mg?0.09)3(CO3)4 (P1n1), Na2(Ca???0.81?Mg0?0.19)(CO3)2 () nyerereite, Na2(Ca0.77-0.93Mg0.07-0.23)2(CO3)3 (Amm2) shortite, Na4(Ca0.90-0.98Mg0.02-0.10)(CO3)3 (Ia3d), Na2(Mg?0.9Ca0?0.1)(CO3)2 (P21ca) eitelite (3?GPa)???Na2(Ca?0.87Mg0?0.13)4(CO3)5 (P63mc), Na2(Ca?0.89Mg?0.11)3(CO3)4 (P1n1), Na4(Ca???0.7?Mg0?0.3)(CO3)3 (Ia3d), Na2(Mg?0.92Ca0?0.08)(CO3)2 (P21ca) eitelite (6?GPa). Using the present results at 3?GPa and previous data at 6?GPa in the Na2CO3?CaCO3?MgCO3 system, we constrained isopleths of the Na2CO3 content in melt coexisting with Ca-Mg carbonates. We found that the cratonic geotherms cross the isopleths so that the carbonatite melt percolating upward via the continental mantle lithosphere should become progressively enriched in Na, evolving from alkali-poor dolomitic composition at depths exceeding 200?km toward sodic dolomitic with the ~52?mol% Na2CO3 at 80-120?km depths.
Abstract: The phase relations in the system Na2CO3?CaCO3?MgCO3 have been studied at 3?GPa and 700-1285?°C using a Kawai-type multianvil press. At 700?°C, the system has five intermediate compounds: dolomite, Mg-bearing Na2Ca4(CO3)5 burbankite, Na2Ca3(CO3)4, Na4Ca(CO3)3, and eitelite. As temperature increases to 800?°C, the system is complicated by an appearance of Ca-dolomite and Mg-bearing shortite, while Na2Ca4(CO3)5 disappears. At 850?°C, Na4Ca(CO3)3 decomposes to produce Na carbonate and nyerereite. The latter melts incongruently at 875?±?25?°C to form Na2Ca3(CO3)4. Incongruent melting of eitelite to magnesite and liquid, occurs at 925?±?25 °C. Mg-bearing shortite melts incongruently at 950?±?50?°C, producing Na2Ca3(CO3)4 and liquid. Na2Ca3(CO3)4 disappears at 1000?°C via incongruent melting to calcite and liquid. The liquidus projection of the studied ternary system has seven primary solidification phase regions for magnesite, dolomite-calcite solid solutions, Na2Ca3(CO3)4, Mg-bearing shortite, nyerereite, eitelite, and Na carbonate. The primary solidification regions are separated by five peritectic and three cotectic monovariant lines. The system has six ternary peritectic points and one minimum on the liquidus at 850?°C and 52Na2CO3?48(Ca0.62Mg0.38)CO3. The minimum point resembles a eutectic controlled by a four-phase reaction, by which, on cooling, a liquid transforms into three solid phases: shortite, Na carbonate, and eitelite. Since the system has a single eutectic at 3?GPa, there is no thermal barrier preventing continuous liquid fractionation from Na-poor toward Na-rich dolomitic compositions more alkaline than eitelite and nyerereite. Considering the present results and previous data, a range of Na-Ca-Mg double carbonates changes in the following sequence upon pressure and temperature increase: Na2Ca2(CO3)3 (Amm2) shortite, Na2Ca(CO3)2 (P21ca) nyerereite, Na2Mg(CO3)2 () eitelite (0.1?GPa)???Na2(Ca0.97-0.98Mg0.02-0.03)4(CO3)5 (P63mc), Na2(Ca?0.91Mg?0.09)3(CO3)4 (P1n1), Na2(Ca???0.81?Mg0?0.19)(CO3)2 () nyerereite, Na2(Ca0.77-0.93Mg0.07-0.23)2(CO3)3 (Amm2) shortite, Na4(Ca0.90-0.98Mg0.02-0.10)(CO3)3 (Ia3d), Na2(Mg?0.9Ca0?0.1)(CO3)2 (P21ca) eitelite (3?GPa)???Na2(Ca?0.87Mg0?0.13)4(CO3)5 (P63mc), Na2(Ca?0.89Mg?0.11)3(CO3)4 (P1n1), Na4(Ca???0.7?Mg0?0.3)(CO3)3 (Ia3d), Na2(Mg?0.92Ca0?0.08)(CO3)2 (P21ca) eitelite (6?GPa). Using the present results at 3?GPa and previous data at 6?GPa in the Na2CO3?CaCO3?MgCO3 system, we constrained isopleths of the Na2CO3 content in melt coexisting with Ca-Mg carbonates. We found that the cratonic geotherms cross the isopleths so that the carbonatite melt percolating upward via the continental mantle lithosphere should become progressively enriched in Na, evolving from alkali-poor dolomitic composition at depths exceeding 200?km toward sodic dolomitic with the ~52?mol% Na2CO3 at 80-120?km depths.
Abstract: Subsolidus and melting phase relationships in the system Na2CO3-CaCO3-MgCO3 have been studied at 6?GPa and 900-1250?°C using a Kawai-type multianvil press. At 900 and 1000?°C, the system has four intermediate compounds: Na2Ca4(CO3)5 burbankite, Na2Ca3(CO3)4, Na4Ca(CO3)3, and Na2Mg(CO3)2 eitelite. The Na-Ca compounds dissolve noticeable amounts of Mg component, whereas eitelite dissolves a few percents of Ca component: Na2(Ca?0.91Mg?0.09)4(CO3)5, Na2(Ca?0.94Mg?0.06)3(CO3)4, Na4(Ca?0.67Mg?0.33)(CO3)3, and Na2(Mg?.93Ca?0.07)(CO3)2. At 1050?°C, the system is complicated by an appearance of dolomite. Na-Ca burbankite decomposes at 1075?±?25?°C to aragonite plus Na2Ca3(CO3)4. Na4Ca(CO3)3 and eitelite disappear via congruent melting between 1200 and 1250?°C. Na2Ca3(CO3)4 remains stable through the whole studied temperature range. The liquidus projection of the studied ternary system has eight primary solidification phase regions for magnesite, dolomite, calcite-dolomite solid solutions, aragonite, Na2Ca3(CO3)4, Na4Ca(CO3)3, and Na2CO3 solid solutions. The system has five ternary peritectic reaction points and one minimum on the liquidus at 1050?°C and 48Na2CO3•52(Ca0.75Mg0.25)CO3. The minimum point resembles a eutectic controlled by a four-phase reaction, by which a liquid transforms into three solid phases upon cooling: Na2(Ca0.94Mg0.06)3(CO3)4, Na4(Ca0.67Mg0.33)(CO3)3, and Na2(Mg0.93Ca0.07)(CO3)2 eitelite. Since at 6?GPa, the system has a single eutectic, there is no thermal barrier preventing continuous liquid fractionation from alkali-poor toward Na-rich dolomitic compositions. Cooling of the Na-Ca-Mg carbonatite melt from 1400 to 1100?°C within the lherzolite substrate will be accompanied by magnesite crystallization and wehrlitization keeping calcium number of the melt at 40 and shifting the Na2CO3 content to ?40?mol%. In the case of the eclogitic wall rock, the cooling will be accompanied by dolomite crystallization keeping calcium number of the melt at 60-65 and shifting the Na2CO3 content to ?30?mol%.
Abstract: Melt inclusions in kimberlitic and metamorphic diamonds worldwide range in composition from potassic aluminosilicate to alkali-rich carbonatitic and their low-temperature derivative, a saline high-density fluid (HDF). The discovery of CO2 inclusions in diamonds containing eclogitic minerals are also essential. These melts and HDFs may be responsible for diamond formation and metasomatic alteration of mantle rocks since the late Archean to Phanerozoic. Although a genetic link between these melts and fluids was suggested, their origin is still highly uncertain. Here we present experimental results on melting phase relations in a carbonated pelite at 6?GPa and 900-1500?°C. We found that just below solidus K2O enters potassium feldspar or K2TiSi3O9 wadeite coexisting with clinopyroxene, garnet, kyanite, coesite, and dolomite. The potassium phases react with dolomite to produce garnet, kyanite, coesite, and potassic dolomitic melt, 40(K0.90Na0.10)2CO3•60Ca0.55Mg0.24Fe0.21CO3?+?1.9?mol% SiO2?+?0.7?mol% TiO2?+?1.4?mol% Al2O3 at the solidus established near 1000?°C. Molecular CO2 liberates at 1100?°C. Potassic aluminosilicate melt appears in addition to carbonatite melt at 1200?°C. This melt contains (mol/wt%): SiO2?=?57.0/52.4, TiO2?=?1.8/2.3, Al2O3?=?8.5/13.0, FeO?=?1.4/1.6, MgO?=?1.9/1.2, CaO?=?3.8/3.2, Na2O?=?3.2/3.0, K2O?=?10.5/15.2, CO2?=?12.0/8.0, while carbonatite melt can be approximated as 24(K0.81Na0.19)2CO3•76Ca0.59Mg0.21Fe0.20CO3?+?3.0?mol% SiO2?+?1.6?mol% TiO2?+?1.4?mol% Al2O3. Both melts remain stable to at least 1500?°C coexisting with CO2 fluid and residual eclogite assemblage consisting of K-rich omphacite (0.4-1.5?wt% K2O), almandine-pyrope-grossular garnet, kyanite, and coesite. The obtained immiscible alkali?carbonatitic and potassic aluminosilicate melts resemble compositions of melt inclusions in diamonds worldwide. Thus, these melts entrapped by diamonds could be derived by partial melting of the carbonated material of the continental crust subducted down to 180-200?km depths. Given the high solubility of chlorides and water in both carbonate and aluminosilicate melts inferred in previous experiments, the saline end-member, brine, could evolve from potassic carbonatitic and/or silicic melts by fractionation of Ca-Mg carbonates/eclogitic minerals and accumulation of alkalis, chlorine and water in the residual low-temperature supercritical fluid. Direct extraction from the hydrated marine sediments under conditions of cold subduction would be another possibility for the brine formation.
Abstract: Melt inclusions in kimberlitic and metamorphic diamonds worldwide range in composition from potassic aluminosilicate to alkali-rich carbonatitic and their low-temperature derivative, a saline high-density fluid (HDF). The discovery of CO2 inclusions in diamonds containing eclogitic minerals are also essential. These melts and HDFs may be responsible for diamond formation and metasomatic alteration of mantle rocks since the late Archean to Phanerozoic. Although a genetic link between these melts and fluids was suggested, their origin is still highly uncertain. Here we present experimental results on melting phase relations in a carbonated pelite at 6?GPa and 900-1500?°C. We found that just below solidus K2O enters potassium feldspar or K2TiSi3O9 wadeite coexisting with clinopyroxene, garnet, kyanite, coesite, and dolomite. The potassium phases react with dolomite to produce garnet, kyanite, coesite, and potassic dolomitic melt, 40(K0.90Na0.10)2CO3•60Ca0.55Mg0.24Fe0.21CO3?+?1.9?mol% SiO2?+?0.7?mol% TiO2?+?1.4?mol% Al2O3 at the solidus established near 1000?°C. Molecular CO2 liberates at 1100?°C. Potassic aluminosilicate melt appears in addition to carbonatite melt at 1200?°C. This melt contains (mol/wt%): SiO2?=?57.0/52.4, TiO2?=?1.8/2.3, Al2O3?=?8.5/13.0, FeO?=?1.4/1.6, MgO?=?1.9/1.2, CaO?=?3.8/3.2, Na2O?=?3.2/3.0, K2O?=?10.5/15.2, CO2?=?12.0/8.0, while carbonatite melt can be approximated as 24(K0.81Na0.19)2CO3•76Ca0.59Mg0.21Fe0.20CO3?+?3.0?mol% SiO2?+?1.6?mol% TiO2?+?1.4?mol% Al2O3. Both melts remain stable to at least 1500?°C coexisting with CO2 fluid and residual eclogite assemblage consisting of K-rich omphacite (0.4-1.5?wt% K2O), almandine-pyrope-grossular garnet, kyanite, and coesite. The obtained immiscible alkali?carbonatitic and potassic aluminosilicate melts resemble compositions of melt inclusions in diamonds worldwide. Thus, these melts entrapped by diamonds could be derived by partial melting of the carbonated material of the continental crust subducted down to 180-200?km depths. Given the high solubility of chlorides and water in both carbonate and aluminosilicate melts inferred in previous experiments, the saline end-member, brine, could evolve from potassic carbonatitic and/or silicic melts by fractionation of Ca-Mg carbonates/eclogitic minerals and accumulation of alkalis, chlorine and water in the residual low-temperature supercritical fluid. Direct extraction from the hydrated marine sediments under conditions of cold subduction would be another possibility for the brine formation.
Abstract: To evaluate the effect of Na on the carbonate-silicate liquid immiscibility in the diamond stability field, we performed experiments along some specific joins of the system KAlSi3O8-CaMg(CO3)2 ± NaAlSi2O6 ± Na2CO3 at 6 GPa. Melting in all studied joins begins at 1000-1050 °C. The melting in the Kfs + Dol system is controlled by the reaction 6 KAlSi3O8 (K-feldspar) + 6 CaMg(CO3)2 (dolomite) = 2 (Can,Mg1-n)3Al2Si3O12 (garnet) + Al2SiO5 (kyanite) + 11 SiO2 (coesite) + 3 K2(Ca1-n,Mgn)2(CO3)3 (carbonatitic melt) + 3 CO2 (fluid), where n ~ 0.3-0.4. A temperature increasing to 1300 °C yields an appearance of the silicic immiscible melt in addition to carbonatitic melt via the reaction K2CO3 (carbonatitic melt) + Al2SiO5 (kyanite) + 5 SiO2 (coesite) = 2 KAlSi3O8 (silicic melt) + CO2 (fluid or solute in melts). The silicic melt composition is close to KAlSi3O8 with dissolved CaMg(CO3)2 and molecular CO2. An addition of NaAlSi2O6 or Na2CO3 to the system results in partial decomposition of K-feldspar and formation of K-bearing carbonates, (K, Na)2Mg(CO3)2 and (K, Na)2Ca3(CO3)4. Their melting produces carbonatite melt with the approximate composition of 4(K, Na)2CO3•6Ca0.6Mg0.4CO3 and magnesite. Besides, the presence of NaAlSi2O6 in the studied system shifts the lower-temperature limit of immiscibility to 1500°?, while the presence of Na2CO3 eliminates the appearance of silicic melt by the following reaction: 2 KAlSi3O8 (in the silicic melt) + Na2CO3 = 2 NaAlSi2O6 (in clinopyroxene) + K2CO3 (in the carbonatitic melt) + SiO2 (coesite). Thus, an increase of the Na2O content in the system Na2O-K2O-CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-CO2 consumes Al2O3 and SiO2 from silicic melt to form clinopyroxene. We found that grossular-pyrope and diopside-jadeite solid solutions can coexist with CO2 fluid at 900-1500 °C and 6 GPa. Thus, CO2 fluid is stable in the eclogitic suite in the diamond stability field under temperature conditions of the continental lithosphere and subducting slabs. Variations in the Na2O content observed in carbonatitic melts trapped by natural in diamonds exceed those derived by the pelite melting. The present experiments show that an addition of NaAlSi2O6 to the Kfs + Dol system does not cause an increase of the Na2O content in the carbonatitic melt, whereas the addition of Na2CO3 at Na2O/Al2O3 > 1 yields the formation of the melts with the Na2O contents covering the entire range of natural compositions. Thus, only the presence of additional salt components can explain the elevated Na2O content in the melts trapped in lithospheric diamonds. In addition to carbonates, sodium can be hosted by chlorides, sulfates, etc.
Abstract: The range of carbonatite melts in equilibrium with the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) under geothermal conditions is limited by alkali-rich near-eutectic compositions. Therefore, here we employed eutectic Na/K-Ca-Mg-Fe carbonate mixtures to model the interaction of a metasomatic carbonatite melt with natural garnet lherzolite. The experiments were performed at 1100 and 1200 °C and 6 GPa in graphite capsules using a multianvil press. The run duration was 111 and 86 h, respectively. To verify achieving an equilibrium, a synthetic mixture identical to natural lherzolite was also employed. We have found that both Na- and K-bearing carbonatite melts cause wehrlitization accompanying by the elimination of orthopyroxene and an increase of CaO in garnet at a constant Cr2O3. Interaction with the K?carbonatite melt alters clinopyroxene composition toward lower Na2O (0.2-0.3 wt%), and higher K2O (0.5-1.0 wt%), whereas the Na?carbonatite melt revealed the opposite effect. The resulting melts have a following approximate composition [40(Na, K)2CO3?60Ca0.5Mg0.4Fe0.1CO2 + 0.6-1.4 wt% SiO2] displaying a decrease in Ca# at a nearly constant alkali content relative to the initial composition, where Ca# = 100?Ca/(Ca + Mg + Fe). We have also found that alkali-poor (? 20 mol% (Na, K)2CO3) carbonate mixtures do not melt completely but yield magnesite and alkali- and Ca-rich melts like those in the systems with eutectic mixtures. Under SCLM P-T conditions the range of carbonatite melt compositions is restricted by the full melting field of alkali-rich carbonates in the corresponding Na/K-Ca-Mg carbonate systems. Infiltration of less alkaline higher-temperature carbonatite melt in SCLM and its subsequent cooling to the ambient mantle temperature, 1100-1200 °C at 6 GPa, should cause crystallization of magnesite and shift the melt composition to [30(Na, K)2CO3?70Ca0.6Mg0.3Fe0.1CO3]. Owing to its high Ca#, this melt is not stable in equilibrium with orthopyroxene yielding its disappearance by CaMg exchange reaction producing clinopyroxene, magnesite, and shifting the melt composition toward higher alkali content. The melts containing 40-45 mol% of alkaline carbonates have no limitation in Ca# because the corresponding binary NaMg and KMg carbonate eutectics are located near 1200 °C. Therefore, these melts can achieve Ca# ? 30-40 and, be in equilibrium with garnet lherzolites and harzburgites under the geothermal condition of SCLM. Considering the present results and previous experimental data the following ranges of carbonatite melt compositions can be expected in equilibrium with garnet peridotites at the base of SCLM: Ca# < 30 and > 30 mol% (K, Na)2CO3 in equilibrium with harzburgite; Ca# 30-40, >25 mol% (K, Na)2CO3 in equilibrium with lherzolite; and Ca# 40-60 and >20 mol% (K, Na)2CO3 in equilibrium with wehrlite.
Abstract: To evaluate the effect of Na on the carbonate-silicate liquid immiscibility in the diamond stability field, we performed experiments along some specific joins of the system KAlSi3O8-CaMg(CO3)2 ± NaAlSi2O6 ± Na2CO3 at 6 GPa. Melting in all studied joins begins at 1000-1050 °C. The melting in the Kfs + Dol system is controlled by the reaction 6 KAlSi3O8 (K-feldspar) + 6 CaMg(CO3)2 (dolomite) = 2 (Can,Mg1-n)3Al2Si3O12 (garnet) + Al2SiO5 (kyanite) + 11 SiO2 (coesite) + 3 K2(Ca1-n,Mgn)2(CO3)3 (carbonatitic melt) + 3 CO2 (fluid), where n ~ 0.3-0.4. A temperature increasing to 1300 °C yields an appearance of the silicic immiscible melt in addition to carbonatitic melt via the reaction K2CO3 (carbonatitic melt) + Al2SiO5 (kyanite) + 5 SiO2 (coesite) = 2 KAlSi3O8 (silicic melt) + CO2 (fluid or solute in melts). The silicic melt composition is close to KAlSi3O8 with dissolved CaMg(CO3)2 and molecular CO2. An addition of NaAlSi2O6 or Na2CO3 to the system results in partial decomposition of K-feldspar and formation of K-bearing carbonates, (K, Na)2Mg(CO3)2 and (K, Na)2Ca3(CO3)4. Their melting produces carbonatite melt with the approximate composition of 4(K, Na)2CO3•6Ca0.6Mg0.4CO3 and magnesite. Besides, the presence of NaAlSi2O6 in the studied system shifts the lower-temperature limit of immiscibility to 1500°?, while the presence of Na2CO3 eliminates the appearance of silicic melt by the following reaction: 2 KAlSi3O8 (in the silicic melt) + Na2CO3 = 2 NaAlSi2O6 (in clinopyroxene) + K2CO3 (in the carbonatitic melt) + SiO2 (coesite). Thus, an increase of the Na2O content in the system Na2O-K2O-CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-CO2 consumes Al2O3 and SiO2 from silicic melt to form clinopyroxene. We found that grossular-pyrope and diopside-jadeite solid solutions can coexist with CO2 fluid at 900-1500 °C and 6 GPa. Thus, CO2 fluid is stable in the eclogitic suite in the diamond stability field under temperature conditions of the continental lithosphere and subducting slabs. Variations in the Na2O content observed in carbonatitic melts trapped by natural in diamonds exceed those derived by the pelite melting. The present experiments show that an addition of NaAlSi2O6 to the Kfs + Dol system does not cause an increase of the Na2O content in the carbonatitic melt, whereas the addition of Na2CO3 at Na2O/Al2O3 > 1 yields the formation of the melts with the Na2O contents covering the entire range of natural compositions. Thus, only the presence of additional salt components can explain the elevated Na2O content in the melts trapped in lithospheric diamonds. In addition to carbonates, sodium can be hosted by chlorides, sulfates, etc.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 176, 34 21p. Pdf
Mantle
carbonatites
Abstract: The reactions between pyroxenes and carbonates have been studied in the CaMgSi2O6 + MgCO3 (Di + 2Mgs), CaMgSi2O6 + NaAlSi2O6 + 2MgCO3 (Di + Jd + 2Mgs), CaMgSi2O6 + Na2Mg(CO3)2 (Di + Eit), and CaMgSi2O6 + K2Mg(CO3)2 (Di + K2Mg) systems at pressures of 3.0 and 4.5 GPa in the temperature range 850-1300 °C and compared with those established previously at 6.0 GPa. The Di + 2Mgs solidus locates at 1220 °C / 3 GPa and 1400 °C / 6 GPa. Near-solidus melt is carbonatitic with SiO2 < 4 wt% and Ca# 56. The Di + Jd + 2Mgs solidus locates near 1050 °C at 3 GPa, rises to 1200 °C at 4.5 GPa, and 1350 °C at 6 GPa. The solidus is controlled by the reaction: 4NaAlSi2O6.2CaMgSi2O6 (clinopyroxene) + 12MgCO3 (magnesite) = 2MgAl2SiO6.5Mg2Si2O6 (clinopyroxene) + 2[Na2CO3.CaCO3.MgCO3] (liquid) + 6CO2. As pressure increases, the composition of solidus melt evolves from 26Na2CO3?74Ca0.58Mg0.42CO3 at 3 GPa to 10Na2CO3?90Ca0.50Mg0.50CO3 at 6 GPa. Melting in the Di + Eit and Di + K2Mg systems is controlled by the reactions: CaMgSi2O6 (clinopyroxene) + 2(Na or K)2 Mg(CO3)2 (eitelite) = Mg2Si2O6 (orthopyroxene) + 2[(Na or K)2CO3?Ca0.5Mg0.5CO3] (liquid). The Di + Eit solidus locates at 925 °C / 3 GPa and 1100 °C / 6 GPa, whereas the Di + K2Mg solidus is located at 50 °C lower. The resulting melts have alkali-rich carbonate compositions, (Na or K)2CO3?Ca0.4Mg0.6CO3. The obtained results suggest that most carbonates belong to the ultramafic suite would survive during subduction into the deep mantle and experience partial melting involving alkaline carbonates, eitelite or K2Mg(CO3)2, under geothermal conditions of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (35-40 mW/m2). On the other hand, the jadeite component in clinopyroxene would be an important fluxing agent responsible for the partial melting of carbonated rocks under the rift margin geotherm (60 mW/m2) at a depth of about 100 km, yielding the formation of Na-carbonatite melt.
Abstract: It is well known that water significantly lowers mantle solidi. But it turns out this paradigm is not always true. Here, we studied the interaction of K-rich carbonate melts with the natural garnet lherzolite from the Udachnaya kimberlite (Russia) in the presence of water at 3.0-6.5 GPa, corresponding to depths of 100-200 km. We found that at ? 1100 °C, the metasomatic interaction consumes garnet, orthopyroxene, and melt to produce phlogopite ± K-richterite + magnesite ± dolomite. Besides, primary clinopyroxene is replaced by one with a lower amount of jadeite component. Thus, the addition of water to the K-rich carbonate melt, infiltrating the subcontinental lithospheric mantle, should yield its partial or complete disappearance accompanied by phlogopitization and carbonation. The studied systems have H2O/K2O = 2, like that in phlogopite, and therefore correspond to carbonated phlogopite peridotite under fluid-absent conditions. At 4.0-6.5 GPa, the solidus of carbonated phlogopite peridotite is controlled by the following reaction: phlogopite + clinopyroxene + magnesite = garnet + orthopyroxene + olivine + hydrous K-carbonatite melt, which is bracketed between 1100 and 1200 °C. At 3 GPa, the solidus temperature decreases to about 1050 °C presumably owing to the Ca-Mg exchange reaction, clinopyroxene + magnesite = orthopyroxene + dolomite, which stabilizes dolomite reacting with phlogopite at a lower temperature than magnesite. Our results suggest that the phlogopite- and carbonate-rich metasomatic vein networks, weakening rigid lithosphere and promoting continental rifting, could be formed as a result of infiltration of hydrous K-carbonatite melt at the base of subcontinental lithospheric mantle. Stretching and thinning of the cratonic lithosphere make geotherms warmer and shifts their intersections with the solidus of carbonated phlogopite peridotite to shallower depths. Consequently, the successive erosion of the continental lithosphere and ascent of the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary during continental rifting should be accompanied by remelting of phlogopite-carbonate metasomes, upward percolation of K-rich melt, and its solidification at the front of the magmatic-metasomatic mantle system.
Abstract: The interaction of natural eclogite (Ecl) with synthetic hydrous carbonate melts with Na:K = 0:1 (KH2) and 1:1 (NKH2) was studied in multianvil experiments at 3-6 GPa and 850-1250 °C. The interaction with KH2 consumes garnet and clinopyroxene producing phlogopite and calcite-dolomite solid solution. Besides, the interaction yields a decrease in the jadeite component of clinopyroxene, evolving eclogite toward pyroxenite. This is consistent with a metasomatic alteration of eclogite xenoliths, manifested as Na-poor “spongy” clinopyroxene, replacing primary omphacite, and kelyphitic rims around garnet, containing phlogopite and carbonates. The interaction with NKH2 also produces phlogopite and carbonate, but the latter is more magnesian and represented by magnesite, above the solidus, and magnesite + dolomite below the solidus. The interaction with NKH2 increases the jadeite component in clinopyroxene and grossular component in garnet, evolving eclogite Group A to eclogite Group B. The studied systems have H2O/K2O = 2, like that in phlogopite, and therefore correspond to carbonated phlogopite eclogite under fluid-absent conditions. Based on the obtained results its solidus is situated near 1050 °C at 3 GPa and decreases to 950 °C at 6 GPa. Thus, hydrous K- and Na-K-carbonatite melts can coexist with eclogite in SCLM at depths exceeding 120-170 km, and solidify as temperature decreases below 950-1050 °C according to the following solidus reactions: pyrope + diopside + melt ? phlogopite + dolomite, below 6 GPa, and pyrope + diopside + melt ? phlogopite + magnesite + grossular, at 6 GPa. The melting reaction, involving phlogopite and dolomite, suggests the partial melting at the peak of ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism (UHPM) during continent-continent plate collision. The prograde P-T path of UHPM crosses the solidus of clinopyroxene + garnet + phlogopite + dolomite assemblage at 4.7-5.2 GPa and 970-990 °C and yields the formation of hydrous K-carbonatite melt-fluid in situ. This melt could be responsible for the formation of K-bearing clinopyroxenes and microdiamonds in the UHPM marbles in the Kokchetav massif, Kazakhstan. The retrograde P-T path intersects the solidus that has a negative Clapeyron slope in the diamond stability field. Thus, the hydrous K-carbonatite melt should disappear soon after the peak of metamorphism reacting with garnet to produce Ca-Mg carbonates and phlogopite.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 581, 11p.
Mantle
metasomatism
Abstract: It is generally accepted that carbonatite metasomatism in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) inevitably causes wehrlitization of the primary lherzolite substrate. However, the K-rich carbonatite inclusions in kimberlitic diamonds containing orthopyroxene indicate that this is not always the case. In the present study, we equilibrated natural garnet lherzolite with carbonate melts containing 33-38 wt% K2O with various Ca# = 10, 20, 30, and 40 at 6 GPa and 1200-1500 °C, where Ca# = 100?Ca/(Ca+Mg+Fe). The original ratio of peridotite to carbonate was 58 to 42 by weight. In the studied temperature range, the melt retains essentially carbonate composition with silica content increasing from 1 to 11-12 wt%. The melt with Ca# 10 alters lherzolite to harzburgite, replacing clinopyroxene by orthopyroxene and decreasing CaO content in garnet below 4 wt%. The melts with Ca# 20-30 also consume clinopyroxene; although CaO content in garnet remains in the range of lherzolitic compositions. The melt with Ca# 40 yields wehrlitization, consuming orthopyroxene, increasing clinopyroxene fraction, and increasing CaO content in garnet above 6 wt%. After the interaction, the Ca# of the melt changes as follows 10 ? 16-28, 20 ? 20-33, 30 ? 27-34, and 40 ? 30-34. The olivine + orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene + garnet assemblage was found in equilibrium with carbonatite melt with Ca# 34 at 1200 °C and Ca# 30 at 1400 °C. Thus, K-rich (26-35 wt% K2O) carbonatite melts with Ca# = 30-34 can appear in equilibrium with garnet lherzolite, while the melts with Ca# < 30 and > 34 can be in equilibrium with harzburgite and wehrlite, respectively, at 6 GPa and 1200-1400 °C. Considering that Ca-Mg-Fe carbonates do not melt at the geothermal conditions of the SCLM, while sodic, dolomitic melt causes wehrlitization, high-Mg (Ca# < 35) K-rich dolomitic melt is the only possible carbonatite fluids that are thermodynamically stable in equilibrium with garnet harzburgites and lherzolites in the SCLM at a depth of about 200 km. At higher temperatures corresponding to the underlying asthenosphere, the high alkalinity ceases to be a requirement for the stability of the carbonate melt. Nevertheless, the regularities established here for the K-rich melts remain valid for less alkaline (4-15 wt% Na2O+K2O) primary kimberlite (i.e., mantle carbonatite) melts in the sublithospheric mantle.
Abstract: Compositional ranges of carbonate melts stable under P-T conditions corresponding to the base of subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) are limited by alkali-rich near-eutectic compositions. In the present work, we investigated the interaction of such melts with the natural eclogite of Group A. It was found that the interaction is accompanied by decreasing Ca# in the melt (L) and increasing Ca# in garnet (Grt) according to the reaction: 3CaCO3 (L) + Mg3Al2Si3O12 (Grt) = 3MgCO3 (Mgs and/or L) + Ca3Al2Si3O12 (Grt), where Mgs is magnesite. The interaction with the Na-Ca-Mg-Fe carbonate melt increases amount of jadeite component in clinopyroxene (Cpx) consuming Al2O3 from garnet and Na2O from the melt according to the reaction: Na2CO3 (L) + CaCO3 (L) + 2Mg3Al2Si3O12 (Grt) + 2CaMgSi2O6 (Cpx) = 2NaAlSi2O6 (Cpx) + Ca3Al2Si3O12 (Grt) + 2MgCO3 (Mgs, L) + 3Mg2SiO4 (Ol). As a result, garnet and omphacite compositions evolve from eclogite Group A to eclogite Group B. A byproduct of the reaction is olivine (Ol), which may explain the formation of inclusions of “mixed” eclogite (garnet + omphacite) and peridotite (olivine) paragenesis in lithospheric diamonds. The interaction with the K-Ca-Mg-Fe carbonate melt increases the K2O content in clinopyroxene to 0.5-1.2 wt%, while the Na2O content lowers to 0.3 wt%. The following range of carbonatite melt compositions can be in equilibrium with eclogite at the base of SCLM (1100-1200 °C and 6 GPa): 18(Na0.97K0.03)2CO3?82(Ca0.63Mg0.30Fe0.07)CO2-42(Na0.97K0.03)2CO3?58(Ca0.46Mg0.45Fe0.09)CO2. Our results also suggest that the partial melting of ‘dry’ carbonated eclogite, if any, at 1100 °C and 6 GPa yields the formation of a carbonate melt with the following composition (mol%) 25(Na0.96K0.04)2CO3?75(Ca0.64Mg0.31Fe0.05)CO2, corresponding to 18-27 wt% Na2O in the melt on a volatile-free basis.
Journal of Mineral Science, Vol. 54, 3, pp. 458-465.
Russia
luminescence
Abstract: Organic and inorganic luminophores of similar luminescence parameters as diamonds are selected. Indicators, based on the selected luminophores, are synthesized. Spectral and kinetic characteristics of luminophores are experimentally determined for making a decision on optimal compositions to ensure maximum extraction of diamonds in X-ray luminescence separation owing to extra recovery of non-luminescent diamond crystals. As the components of luminophore-bearing indicators, anthracene and K-35 luminophores are selected as their parameters conform luminescence parameters of diamonds detected using X-ray luminescence separator with standard settings.
Journal of Mining Science, Vol. 56, 1, pp. 96-103, 8p. Pdf
Russia
luminescence
Abstract: The authors present an efficient modification method of X-ray fluorescence separation with mineral and organic luminophores used to adjust spectral and kinetic characteristics of anomalously luminescent diamonds. The mechanism of attachment of luminophores at diamonds and hydrophobic minerals is proved, including interaction between the organic component of emulsions and the hydrophobic surface of a treated object and the concentration of insoluble luminophore grains at the organic and water interface. Selective attachment of the luminophore-bearing organic phase of emulsion at the diamond surface is achieved owing to phosphatic dispersing agents. Tri-sodium phosphate and sodium hexametaphosphate added to emulsion reduce attachment of the luminophore-bearing organic phase at the surface of kimberlite minerals. It is shown that phosphate concentration of 1.0-1.5 g/l modifies and stabilizes spectral and kinematic parameters of kimberlite mineral on the level of initial values. This mode maintains the spectral and kinematic characteristics of anomalously luminescent diamonds at the wanted level to ensure extraction of diamonds to concentrate.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 479, pp. 1-17.
Mantle
eclogite
Abstract: The conventional wisdom holds that metamorphic reactions take place at pressures near-lithostatic so that the thermodynamic pressure, reflected by the mineral assemblage, is directly correlated with depth. On the other hand, recent field-based observations and geodynamic simulations suggest that heterogeneous stress and significant pressure deviations above lithostatic (overpressure) can occur in Earth's crust. Here we show that eclogite, normally interpreted to form at great depths in subduction zones and Earth's mantle, may form at much shallower depths via local overpressure generated in crustal shear zones. The eclogites studied crop out as lenses hosted by felsic paragneiss in a sheared thrust slice and represent a local pressure and temperature anomaly in the Taconic orogenic belt, southern New England. Sharply-defined chemical zones in garnet, which record ?5 kbar pressure rise and fall accompanied by a temperature increase of 150-200?°C, demonstrate extremely short timescales of diffusion. This requires anomalously fast compression (?500 yrs) and decompression. We use coupled phase equilibria and garnet diffusion forward modeling to fit the observed garnet profiles and test the likely paths using a Monte Carlo-type approach, accounting for off-center sectioning of garnet. The simulation shows that a ?5 kbar pressure increase after the temperature peak is necessary to reproduce the garnet zoning. Remarkably, this post-peak-T compression (from 9 kbar to 14 kbar) lasted only ?500 yrs. If the compression was due to burial along a lithostatic pressure gradient, the descent speed would exceed 30 m?yr?1, defying any observed or modeled subduction rates. Local overpressure in response to partial melting in a confined volume (Vrijmoed et al., 2009) caused by transient shear heating can explain the ultra-fast compression without necessitating burial to great depth.
Vancouver Kimberlite Cluster recorded, https://youtu.be/ GMyoKHoQrJE
Canada, Northwest Territories
deposit - Gahcho Kue
Abstract: A primary rock-hosted diamond Deposit to Reserve Asset Development Standard model governed under the 2014 Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum definition standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves and 2016 Toronto Stock Exchange National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, is presented and discussed. The Gahcho Kué Mine De Beers Canada - Mountain Province Diamonds joint venture project roadmap from exploration commencing in 1992 to definitive Feasibility Study in 2010 is reviewed under the incorporated 2003 Guidelines for the Reporting of Diamond Exploration Results and 2008 Estimation of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves Best Practices Guidelines for Rock Hosted Diamonds. Karowe and Ekati-Sable diamond mines histories are also compared. The Asset Development Standard model utilizes a published De Beers system of kimberlite Deposit to Reserves geo-scientific scorecard classification, that is aligned with reporting of Desktop, Conceptual and Pre-Feasibility to Feasibility Studies.
Abstract: A primary Rock Hosted Diamond Deposit, Resource and Reserve Asset Development Standard (ADS) model governed under the 2014 Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves and 2016 Toronto Stock Exchange National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101), is presented. The De Beers Canada - Mountain Province Diamonds joint venture Gahcho Kué Project roadmap from exploration commencing in 1992, reporting of initial Desktop Study in 2000 to definitive Feasibility Study in 2010 and 2014 Study update is reviewed under the incorporated 2003 Guidelines for the Reporting of Diamond Exploration Results and 2008 Estimation of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves Best Practices Guidelines for Rock Hosted Diamonds. A published De Beers system of diamond Deposit to Resource geo-scientific scorecard classification is summarized and compared against the CIM and NI 43-101 Definition Standards and reporting guidelines. The ADS governance model utilizes the De Beers classification system, that is aligned with reporting of Desktop, Conceptual and Pre-Feasibility to Feasibility Studies.
Minerals MDPI, Vol. 10, 267 doi: 10.23390/min10030267 14p. Pdf
Mantle
Melililite, carbon
Abstract: Understanding the viscosity of mantle-derived magmas is needed to model their migration mechanisms and ascent rate from the source rock to the surface. High pressure-temperature experimental data are now available on the viscosity of synthetic melts, pure carbonatitic to carbonate-silicate compositions, anhydrous basalts, dacites and rhyolites. However, the viscosity of volatile-bearing melilititic melts, among the most plausible carriers of deep carbon, has not been investigated. In this study, we experimentally determined the viscosity of synthetic liquids with ~31 and ~39 wt% SiO2, 1.60 and 1.42 wt% CO2 and 5.7 and 1 wt% H2O, respectively, at pressures from 1 to 4.7 GPa and temperatures between 1265 and 1755 °C, using the falling-sphere technique combined with in situ X-ray radiography. Our results show viscosities between 0.1044 and 2.1221 Pa•s, with a clear dependence on temperature and SiO2 content. The atomic structure of both melt compositions was also determined at high pressure and temperature, using in situ multi-angle energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction supported by ex situ microFTIR and microRaman spectroscopic measurements. Our results yield evidence that the T-T and T-O (T = Si,Al) interatomic distances of ultrabasic melts are higher than those for basaltic melts known from similar recent studies. Based on our experimental data, melilititic melts are expected to migrate at a rate ~from 2 to 57 km•yr?1 in the present-day or the Archaean mantle, respectively.
Abstract: We report the concentrations ([Li]) and isotopic compositions of Li in mineral separates and bulk rocks obtained by MC-ICPMS for 14 previously studied garnet and spinel peridotite xenoliths from the Udachnaya kimberlite in the central Siberian craton as well as major and trace element compositions for a new suite of 13 deformed garnet peridotites. The deformed Udachnaya peridotites occur at > 5 GPa; they are metasomatized residues of melt extraction, which as a group experienced greater modal and chemical enrichments than coarse peridotites. We identify two sub-groups of the deformed peridotites: (a) mainly cryptically metasomatized (similar to coarse peridotites) with relatively low modal cpx (< 6%) and garnet (< 7%), low Ca and high Mg#, sinusoidal REE patterns in garnet, and chemically unequilibrated garnet and cpx; (b) modally metasomatized with more cpx and garnet, higher Ca, Fe and Ti, and equilibrated garnet and cpx. The chemical enrichments are not proportional to deformation degrees. The deformation in the lower lithosphere is caused by a combination of localized stress, heating and fluid ingress from the pathways of ascending proto-kimberlite melts, with metasomatic media evolving due to reactions with wall rocks. Mg-rich olivine in spinel and coarse garnet Udachnaya peridotites has 1.2-1.9 ppm Li and ?7Li of 1.2-5.0‰, i.e. close to olivine in equilibrated fertile to depleted off-craton mantle peridotites from literature data, whereas olivine from the deformed peridotites has higher [Li] (2.4-7.5 ppm) and a broader range of ?7Li (1.8-11.6‰), which we attribute to pre-eruption metasomatism. [Li] in opx is higher than in coexisting olivine while ?7LiOl-Opx (?7LiOl ? ?7LiOpx) ranges from ? 6.6 to 7.8‰, indicating disequilibrium inter-mineral [Li] and Li-isotope partitioning. We relate these Li systematics to interaction of lithospheric peridotites with fluids or melts that are either precursors of kimberlite magmatism or products of their fractionation and/or reaction with host mantle. The melts rich in Na and carbonates infiltrated, heated and weakened wall-rock peridotites to facilitate their deformation as well as produce high [Li] and variable, but mainly high, ?7Li in olivine. The carbonate-rich melts preferentially reacted with the opx without achieving inter-mineral equilibrium because opx is consumed by such melts, and because of small volumes and uneven distribution of the metasomatic media, as well as short time spans between the melt infiltration and the capture of the wall-rock fragments by incoming portions of ascending kimberlite magma as xenoliths. Trapped interstitial liquid solidified as cryptic components responsible for high [Li] and the lack of ?7Li balance between olivine and opx, and bulk rocks. Unaltered ?26Mg values (0.20-0.26‰) measured in several olivine separates show no effects of the metasomatism on Mg-isotopes, apparently due to high Mg in the peridotites.
Geochemical Perspectives Letters, Vol. 3, pp. 230-237.
Canada, Quebec, Anticosti Island
carbon cycle
Abstract: Chemical weathering of silicate rocks is a primary drawdown mechanism of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The processes that affect weathering are therefore central in controlling global climate. A temperature-controlled “weathering thermostat” has long been proposed in stabilising long-term climate, but without definitive evidence from the geologic record. Here we use lithium isotopes (?7Li) to assess the impact of silicate weathering across a significant climate-cooling period, the end-Ordovician Hirnantian glaciation (~445 Ma). We find a positive ?7Li excursion, suggestive of a silicate weathering decline. Using a coupled lithium-carbon model, we show that initiation of the glaciation was likely caused by declining CO2 degassing, which triggered abrupt global cooling, and much lower weathering rates. This lower CO2 drawdown during the glaciation allowed climatic recovery and deglaciation. Combined, the data and model provide support from the geological record for the operation of the weathering thermostat.
Abstract: We report the concentrations ([Li]) and isotopic compositions of Li in mineral separates and bulk rocks obtained by MC-ICPMS for 14 previously studied garnet and spinel peridotite xenoliths from the Udachnaya kimberlite in the central Siberian craton as well as major and trace element compositions for a new suite of 13 deformed garnet peridotites. The deformed Udachnaya peridotites occur at > 5 GPa; they are metasomatized residues of melt extraction, which as a group experienced greater modal and chemical enrichments than coarse peridotites. We identify two sub-groups of the deformed peridotites: (a) mainly cryptically metasomatized (similar to coarse peridotites) with relatively low modal cpx (< 6%) and garnet (< 7%), low Ca and high Mg#, sinusoidal REE patterns in garnet, and chemically unequilibrated garnet and cpx; (b) modally metasomatized with more cpx and garnet, higher Ca, Fe and Ti, and equilibrated garnet and cpx. The chemical enrichments are not proportional to deformation degrees. The deformation in the lower lithosphere is caused by a combination of localized stress, heating and fluid ingress from the pathways of ascending proto-kimberlite melts, with metasomatic media evolving due to reactions with wall rocks. Mg-rich olivine in spinel and coarse garnet Udachnaya peridotites has 1.2-1.9 ppm Li and ?7Li of 1.2-5.0‰, i.e. close to olivine in equilibrated fertile to depleted off-craton mantle peridotites from literature data, whereas olivine from the deformed peridotites has higher [Li] (2.4-7.5 ppm) and a broader range of ?7Li (1.8-11.6‰), which we attribute to pre-eruption metasomatism. [Li] in opx is higher than in coexisting olivine while ?7LiOl-Opx (?7LiOl ? ?7LiOpx) ranges from ? 6.6 to 7.8‰, indicating disequilibrium inter-mineral [Li] and Li-isotope partitioning. We relate these Li systematics to interaction of lithospheric peridotites with fluids or melts that are either precursors of kimberlite magmatism or products of their fractionation and/or reaction with host mantle. The melts rich in Na and carbonates infiltrated, heated and weakened wall-rock peridotites to facilitate their deformation as well as produce high [Li] and variable, but mainly high, ?7Li in olivine. The carbonate-rich melts preferentially reacted with the opx without achieving inter-mineral equilibrium because opx is consumed by such melts, and because of small volumes and uneven distribution of the metasomatic media, as well as short time spans between the melt infiltration and the capture of the wall-rock fragments by incoming portions of ascending kimberlite magma as xenoliths. Trapped interstitial liquid solidified as cryptic components responsible for high [Li] and the lack of ?7Li balance between olivine and opx, and bulk rocks. Unaltered ?26Mg values (0.20-0.26‰) measured in several olivine separates show no effects of the metasomatism on Mg-isotopes, apparently due to high Mg in the peridotites.
Abstract: Minerals recovered from the deep mantle provide a rare glimpse into deep Earth processes. We report the first discovery of ferric iron-rich majoritic garnet found as inclusions in a host garnet within an eclogite xenolith originating in the deep mantle. The composition of the host garnet indicates an ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic origin, probably at a depth of ~200 km. More importantly, the ferric iron-rich majoritic garnet inclusions show a much deeper origin, at least at a depth of 380 km. The majoritic nature of the inclusions is confirmed by mineral chemistry, x-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy, and their depth of origin is constrained by a new experimental calibration. The unique relationship between the majoritic inclusions and their host garnet has important implications for mantle dynamics within the deep asthenosphere. The high ferric iron content of the inclusions provides insights into the oxidation state of the deep upper mantle.
Abstract: A xenolith of eclogite from the kimberlite pipe Udachnaya-East, Yakutia Grt+Cpx+Ky + S + Coe/Qtz + Dia + Gr has been studied. Graphite inclusions in diamond have been studied in detail by Confocal Raman (CR) mapping. The graphite inclusion in diamond has a highly ordered structure and is characterized by a substantial shift in the band (about 1580 cm-1) by 7 cm-1, indicating a significant residual strain in the inclusion. According to the results of FTIR spectroscopic studies of diamond crystals, a high degree of nitrogen aggregation has been detected: it is present mainly in form A, which means an "ancient" age of the diamonds. In the xenolith studied, the diamond formation occurred about 1 Byr, long before their transport by the kimberlite melt, and the conditions of the final equilibrium were temperatures of 1020 ± 40°C at 4.7 GPa. Thus, these graphite inclusions found in a diamond are the first evidence of crystallization of metastable graphite in a diamond stability field. They were formed in rocks of the upper mantle significantly below (?20 km) the graphite-diamond equilibrium line.
Abstract: The paper describes indicator minerals of kimberlites found on the southern side of the Vilyui syneclise in the Markha River basin, a tributary of the Lena River. It is shown that indicator minerals-pyrope and picroilmenite-derive from Middle Paleozoic kimberlites, very likely diamondiferous. Methods are proposed for further studies on determining the prospects for the diamond content of the southern side of the Vilyui syneclise and the northern slope of the Aldan anteclise.
Abstract: Moissanites were found in tagamites of the Popigai meteorite crater along with impact diamonds. We have studied 55 samples including 49 individual polytypes and six intergrowths. The numbers of 6H, 15R, 4H, 6H/15R, and 6H/4H polytypes are 82, 7, 5, 4, and 2%, respectively. By the assemblage of polytypes, the moissanites of the Popigai astrobleme are distinct from kimberlite moissanites, as well as from synthetic SiC, which is characterized by the absence of the 4H polytype and the presence of more diverse inclusions (including Fe-bearing). The Popigai astrobleme is one of few objects with reliable natural moissanite. Technogenic contamination is excluded, since any researcher can find this mineral in tagamites.
Abstract: The results of the first study of the PGE distribution in deformed lherzolites of the Udachnaya kimberlite pipe (Yakutia) are presented here. The complex character of evolution of the PGE composition in the Deformed lherzolites is assumed to be the result of silicate metasomatism. At the first stage, growth in the amount of clinopyroxene and garnet in the rock is accompanied by a decrease in the concentration of the compatible PGE (Os, Ir). During the final stage, the rock is enriched with incompatible PGE (Pt, Pd) and Re possible due to precipitation of submicron-sized particles of sulfides in the interstitial space of these mantle rocks.
Yelisseyev, A., Khrenov, A., Afanasiev, V., Pustavarov, V., Gromilov, S., Panchenko, A., Poikilenko, N., Litasov, K.
Luminesence of impact diamonds from the Popigai astrobleme.
V.S. Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy Siberian Branch Russian Academy of Sciences International Symposium Advances in high pressure research: breaking scales and horizons ( Courtesy of N. Poikilenko), Held Sept. 22-26, 2p. Abstract
Abstract: Diamond etching in high-temperature ambient-pressure experiments has been performed aimed to assess possible postimpact effects on diamonds in impact craters, for the case of the Popigai crater in Yakutia (Russia). The experiments with different etchants, including various combinations of silicate melts, air, and inert gases, demonstrated the diversity of microstructures on {111} diamond faces: negative or positive trigons, as well as hexagonal, round, or irregularly shaped etch pits and striation. The surface features obtained after etching experiments with kimberlitic diamonds are similar to those observed on natural impact diamonds with some difference due to the origin of the latter as a result of a martensitic transformation of graphite in target rocks. Extrapolated to natural impact diamonds, the experimental results lead to several inferences: (1) Diamond crystals experienced natural oxidation and surface graphitization during the pressure decrease after the impact event, while the molten target rocks remained at high temperatures. (2) Natural etching of diamonds in silicate melts is possible in a large range of oxidation states controlled by O2 diffusion. (3) Impact diamonds near the surface of molten target rocks oxidized at the highest rates, whereas those within the melt were shielded from the oxidizing agents and remained unchanged.
Abstract: The results of morphological examination and the character of the structural orientation and estimation of residual pressure calculated from spectra of combination dispersion in olivine inclusions within diamonds of the Ebelyakh placer and kimberlite pipes of the Yakutian Diamondiferous Province are presented. The data analysis aimed at revealing indications of similarity and/or differences between diamonds from the pipes and the placer. Differences in the structural orientation and spectra of combination dispersion of the inclusions of olivine in dodecahedroids of placers of the northeastern part of the Siberian Platform support the assumption of their non-kimberlite nature.
Abstract: In the mid 1880s a little-known photographer named Robert Harris produced a series of albumen prints showing the stages of body searching that black labourers in De Beers diamond mines were obliged to undergo by state ordinance enacted in 1883. The original photographs surfaced briefly in the sale-room in 2007 but have since disappeared. Two sets of copies survive. Bearing in mind the history of documentary photography in South Africa, this essay examines the historical and textual significance of this series of photographs in the context of the history of mining and discusses the imperatives and ethics of locating, researching and publishing controversial imagery in the internet age.
History of Photography, Vol. 42, 1, pp. 4-24. doi.org/10.1080/ 03087298.2018. 1429095
Africa, South Africa
deposit - Kimberley
Abstract: In the mid 1880s a little-known photographer named Robert Harris produced a series of albumen prints showing the stages of body searching that black labourers in De Beers diamond mines were obliged to undergo by state ordinance enacted in 1883. The original photographs surfaced briefly in the saleroom in 2007 but have since disappeared. Two sets of copies survive. Bearing in mind the history of documentary photography in South Africa, this article examines the historical and textual significance of this series of photographs in the context of the history of mining and discusses the imperatives and ethics of locating, researching, and publishing controversial imagery in the Internet age.
Geochemical Perspectives Letters, Vol. 11, pp. 6-11.
Mantle
mantle plumes, hotspots
Abstract: Tungsten isotopes are the ideal tracers of core-mantle chemical interaction. Given that W is moderately siderophile, it preferentially partitioned into the Earth’s core during its segregation, leaving the mantle depleted in this element. In contrast, Hf is lithophile, and its short-lived radioactive isotope 182Hf decayed entirely to 182W in the mantle after metal-silicate segregation. Therefore, the 182W isotopic composition of the Earth’s mantle and its core are expected to differ by about 200 ppm. Here, we report new high precision W isotope data for mantle-derived rock samples from the Paleoarchean Pilbara Craton, and the Réunion Island and the Kerguelen Archipelago hotspots. Together with other available data, they reveal a temporal shift in the 182W isotopic composition of the mantle that is best explained by core-mantle chemical interaction. Core-mantle exchange might be facilitated by diffusive isotope exchange at the core-mantle boundary, or the exsolution of W-rich, Si-Mg-Fe oxides from the core into the mantle. Tungsten-182 isotope compositions of mantle-derived magmas are similar from 4.3 to 2.7 Ga and decrease afterwards. This change could be related to the onset of the crystallisation of the inner core or to the initiation of post-Archean deep slab subduction that more efficiently mixed the mantle.
The Canadian Mineralogist, Special Publication 14, 634p.
Canada, Quebec
Book
Abstract: This paper introduces a special section of the Canadian Journal of Development Studies, "The Africa Mining Vision: A Manifesto for More Inclusive Extractive Industry-Led Development?" Conceived by African ministers "in charge of mineral resources" with inputs and guidance from African Union Heads of State, the Africa Mining Vision (AMV) was officially launched in February 2009. The papers presented in this special section reflect critically on progress that has since been made with operationalising the AMV at the country level across Africa; the general shortcomings of the manifesto; and the challenges that must be overcome if the continent is to derive g Taking over 20 years of meticulous preparation, László and Elsa Horváth, a duo of dedicated and dynamic amateur mineralogists, along with two researchers, Robert Gault, a mineralogist, and Glenn Poirier, a geologist, have produced the ultimate book "Mont Saint-Hilaire: History, Geology, Mineralogy". The photography captures the colors of Vásárely, the symmetry of Escher, the form of Bartók and the intricate patterns of Mandelbrot, all found here, in this miracle of nature. One cannot but marvel at how this single, small quarry contains such mineral diversity. At last count, over 434 mineral species have been found at Mont Saint-Hilaire, representing 9% of all known mineral species. The 66 type minerals first described from this locality represent 1.3 % of all mineral species, placing the Poudrette quarry in an extremely rarified class for worldwide mineral localities. Almost half, 47, of all known chemical elements are included in this mineral mix. Beginning some 124 million years ago, several million years and a variety of geological processes were needed to accomplish this assemblage. Be captivated, learn and, most of all, enjoy!reater economic benefit from its abundant mineral wealth.
GAC MAC Meeting Special Session SS11: Cratons, kimberlites and diamonds., abstract 1/4p.
Canada, Northwest Territories
Diamond indicators
Abstract: The Central Mackenzie Valley (CMV) area of the Northwest Territories (NWT) comprises a Phanerozoic sedimentary basin that lies between the western margin of the Slave craton and the Cordillera. Although the region is considerably outside the bounds of the exposed Slave craton, both LITHOPROBE and more recent regional-scale surface wave studies (e.g., Priestley and McKenzie, 2006) indicate the likely presence of lithospheric mantle extending into the diamond stability field. Recent work conducted by Olivut Resources Ltd. led to the discovery of 29 kimberlites in the CMV. However, the indicator mineral chemistry of discovered kimberlites does not appear to be a good match (www.olivut.ca) with those during regional till and stream sediment sampling by the Geologic Survey of Canada (GSC) and Northwest Territories Geologic Survey (NTGS) in August 2003 and July 2005. We present new geochemical data on the regional indicator minerals with the aim of obtaining geotherm and depth of mantle sampling constraints on those indicator minerals discovered to date. A statistical evaluation of the data will compare the similarities to indicator mineral chemistry with parts of the Slave craton to evaluate whether the CMV indicators may ultimately be derived from that region. In total 3600 kimberlite indicator mineral grains were picked from the 0.25-2.0 mm size fractions. Peridotitic garnet grains dominate (46%), followed by magnesium ilmenite (26%), with decreasing individual proportions >15% of chromite, low-chrome diopside, olivine, chrome-diopside and eclogitic garnet. A sub-sample of these grains (3143) were analysed by EPMA. Garnet grains classify (after Grütter et al., 2004) as 1015 (62.1%) G9, 270 (16.5%) G11, 113 (6.9%) G10, 103 (6.3%) G12, 57 (3.5%) G1, 46 (2.8%) G10D, and the remaining 31 (1.9%) as G0, G3, G3D, G4, and G5. A sub-set of garnet grains (~700) were selected for LA-ICP-MS trace element analysis. Of the grains selected 74% G9, 14% G10 (and G10D), and 8% G11, with only 4% G12 and G0 (Grütter et al., 2004). Nickel concentrations from these grains range from 2.6-168.2 ppm, with the majority (>80%) between 20-100 ppm, yielding TNi (Canil, 1999) values ranging from 643-1348°C, with the majority between ~1000-1200°C. Using a central Slave craton geothermal gradient (Hasterok and Chapman, 2011), equilibration pressures for these garnet grains range from 20-80 kbars with the majority between 40-60 kbars (120-185 km). Preliminary analysis has 581 (81%) of the erupted peridotitic mantle garnet grains plotting within the diamond stability field (Kennedy and Kennedy, 1976). Of the 128 clinopyroxene grains analysed, only a few represent garnet peridotite (lherzolite) facies KIM clinopyroxene grains following compositional screening. Thermobarometry of these grains (Nimis and Taylor, 2000), assuming they were all derived from the same lithospheric section, yields P-T arrays identical to the central Slave geotherm that was 220 km thick at the time of eruption. These results are encouraging for diamond exploration. We thank Overburden Drilling Management Ltd. for grain picking and recovery of the small diamond, SGS Lakefield Research for mounting grains, and the GSC for probing of the grains.
Evidence for a >200 km thick diamond -bearing root beneath the Central Mackenzie Valley, Northwest Territories, Canada: diamond indicator mineral geochemistry from the Horn Plateau and Trout Lakes regions.
Abstract: Garnet arguably constitutes the most important mineral in diamond exploration studies; not only can the presence of mantle garnet in exploration samples point to kimberlite occurrences, but its minor and trace element composition can further be used to assess the “diamond potential” of a kimberlite. The content of Cr and Ca, especially, has been found to be a reliable tool to test whether garnets originate from within the diamond stability field in the mantle [1]. Trace element patterns can further indicate the mantle host rock of the garnets, for example, whether they originate from a depleted or ultra-depleted mantle section [2]. Routinely, two separate analytical methods are necessary to fully characterize the composition of garnet; major and minor elements are usually determined by electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA), whereas determination of trace elements requires the more sensitive method of laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Here, we demonstrate rapid measurement of the entire suite of elements in garnet employing a new, commercially available timeof-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer, the icpTOF (TOFWERK AG, Thun, Switzerland), coupled to a fast wash-out laser ablation system (Teledyne Cetac Technologies Inc., Omaha, NE, USA). Using garnets from exploration samples taken from the Horn Plateau, Northwest Territories, Canada [3], we directly compare the icpTOF results to EPMA and LA-ICP-MS data. We examine whether the icpTOF can reliably characterize the garnets in Cr versus Ca space and at the same time reproduce their trace element patterns, thereby offering a cost effective method of analysis. The method of LA-ICP-TOF-MS, with its high speed of data acquisition and its ability to record the entire mass spectrum simultaneously, may have great benefits for (diamond) exploration studies. Moreover, the method can be used for fast, highresolution imaging, which is applicable to a wide range of geological materials and settings [4].
University of Alberta, Msc thesis https://doi.org/ 10.7939/R3C53FH3P available
Canada, Northwest Territories
mineral chemistry
Abstract: The Central Mackenzie Valley (CMV) area of Northwest Territories is underlain by Precambrian basement belonging to the North American Craton. The potential of this area to host kimberlitic diamond deposits is relatively high judging from the seismologically-defined lithospheric thickness, the age of basement rocks (2.2-1.7 Ga) and presence of kimberlite indicator minerals (KIMs) in Quaternary sediments. This study presents new major, minor and trace element chemistry data for kimberlite indicator mineral (KIM) grains collected from two regions within the Central Mackenzie Valley, Northwest Territories. The data, along with new kimberlite-related rutile U-Pb ages and ilmenite Hf isotopic compositions are used to constrain the composition and thickness of the lithospheric mantle sampled by the source kimberlite(s) and age of these kimberlites for these two regions. In the processed samples, peridotitic garnets dominate (> 25 % at each location) while eclogitic garnet is almost absent in both regions (< 1 % each). KIM chemistry for the Horn Plateau indicates significant diamond potential, with a strong similarity to KIM systematics from the Central and Western Slave Craton. The most significant issue to resolve in assessing the local diamond potential is the degree to which KIM chemistry reflects local and/or distal kimberlite bodies. Radiogenic isotope analysis of detrital kimberlite-related CMV oxide grains requires at least two broad age groups for eroded source kimberlites. Statistical analysis of the data suggests that it is probable that some of these KIMs were derived from primary and/or secondary sources within the CMV area, while others may have been transported to the area from the east-northeast by Pleistocene glacial and/or glaciofluvial systems. At this stage, KIM chemistry does not allow the exact location of the kimberlitic source(s) to be constrained.
43rd Annual Yellowknife Geoscience Forum Abstracts, abstract p. 86.
Canada, Northwest Territories
Geochemistry
Abstract: The Central Mackenzie Valley (CMV) area of the Northwest Territories (NWT) comprises a Phanerozoic sedimentary basin that lies between the western margin of the Slave craton and the Cordillera. Although the region is considerably outside the bounds of the exposed Slave craton, both LITHOPROBE and more recent regional-scale surface wave studies (e.g., Priestley and McKenzie, 2006) indicate the likely presence of lithospheric mantle extending into the diamond stability field. Recent work conducted by Olivut Resources Ltd. led to the discovery of 29 kimberlites in the CMV. However, the indicator mineral chemistry of discovered kimberlites does not appear to be a good match (www.olivut.ca) with those during regional till and stream sediment sampling by the Geologic Survey of Canada (GSC) and Northwest Territories Geologic Survey (NTGS) in August 2003 and July 2005. We present new geochemical data on the regional indicator minerals with the aim of obtaining geotherm and depth of mantle sampling constraints on those indicator minerals discovered to date. A statistical evaluation of the data will compare the similarities to indicator mineral chemistry with parts of the Slave craton to evaluate whether the CMV indicators may ultimately be derived from that region. In total 3600 kimberlite indicator mineral grains were picked from the 0.25-2.0 mm size fractions. Peridotitic garnet grains dominate (46%), followed by magnesium ilmenite (26%), with decreasing individual proportions >15% of chromite, low-chrome diopside, olivine, chrome-diopside and eclogitic garnet. A sub-sample of these grains (3143) were analysed by EPMA. Garnet grains classify (after Grütter et al., 2004) as 1015 (62.1%) G9, 270 (16.5%) G11, 113 (6.9%) G10, 103 (6.3%) G12, 57 (3.5%) G1, 46 (2.8%) G10D, and the remaining 31 (1.9%) as G0, G3, G3D, G4, and G5. A sub-set of garnet grains (~700) were selected for LA-ICP-MS trace element analysis. Of the grains selected 74% G9, 14% G10 (and G10D), and 8% G11, with only 4% G12 and G0 (Grütter et al., 2004). Nickel concentrations from these grains range from 2.6-168.2 ppm, with the majority (>80%) between 20-100 ppm, yielding TNi (Canil, 1999) values ranging from 643-1348°C, with the majority between ~1000-1200°C. Using a central Slave craton geothermal gradient (Hasterok and Chapman, 2011), equilibration pressures for these garnet grains range from 20-80 kbars with the majority between 40-60 kbars (120-185 km). Preliminary analysis has 581 (81%) of the erupted peridotitic mantle garnet grains plotting within the diamond stability field (Kennedy and Kennedy, 1976). Of the 128 clinopyroxene grains analysed, only a few represent garnet peridotite (lherzolite) facies KIM clinopyroxene grains following compositional screening. Thermobarometry of these grains (Nimis and Taylor, 2000), assuming they were all derived from the same lithospheric section, yields P-T arrays identical to the central Slave geotherm that was 220 km thick at the time of eruption. These results are encouraging for diamond exploration. We thank Overburden Drilling Management Ltd. for grain picking and recovery of the small diamond, SGS Lakefield Research for mounting grains, and the GSC for probing of the grains.
Mineralogy and Petrology, doi.org/10.1007/ s00710-018-0641-4 18p.
Canada, Northwest Territories
indicator minerals, geocthermobarometry
Abstract: The Central Mackenzie Valley (CMV) area of Northwest Territories is underlain by Precambrian basement belonging to the North American Craton. The potential of this area to host kimberlitic diamond deposits is relatively high judging from the seismologically-defined lithospheric thickness, age of basement rocks (2.2-1.7 Ga) and presence of kimberlite indicator minerals (KIMs) in Quaternary sediments. This study presents data for a large collection of KIMs recovered from stream sediments and till samples from two study areas in the CMV, the Horn Plateau and Trout Lake. In the processed samples, peridotitic garnets dominate the KIM grain count for both regions (> 25% each) while eclogitic garnet is almost absent in both regions (< 1% each). KIM chemistry for the Horn Plateau indicates significant diamond potential, with a strong similarity to KIM systematics from the Central and Western Slave Craton. The most significant issue to resolve in assessing the local diamond potential is the degree to which KIM chemistry reflects local and/or distal kimberlite bodies. Radiogenic isotope analysis of detrital kimberlite-related CMV ilmenite and rutile grains requires at least two broad age groups for eroded source kimberlites. Statistical analysis of the data suggests that it is probable that some of these KIMs were derived from primary and/or secondary sources within the CMV area, while others may have been transported to the area from the east-northeast by Pleistocene glacial and/or glaciofluvial systems. At this stage, KIM chemistry does not allow the exact location of the kimberlitic source(s) to be constrained.
On the iron isotope heterogeneity of lithospheric mantle xenoliths: implications for mantle metasomatism, the origin of basalts and the iron isotope composition of the Earth.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 165, 6, pp. 1243-1258.
Variations of the oxygen conditions in mantle column beneath Siberian kimberlite pipes and it's application to lithospheric structure of feeding systems.
Vladykin: VI International Workshop, held Mirny, Deep seated magmatism, its sources and plumes, pp. 125-144.
Variations of the oxygen conditions in mantle column beneath Siberian kimberlite pipes and it's application to lithospheric structure of feeding systems.
Vladykin: VI International Workshop, held Mirny, Deep seated magmatism, its sources and plumes, pp. 125-144.
Contents of trace elements in olivines from diamonds and peridotite xenoliths of the V.Grib kimberlite pipe ( Arkhangel'sk Diamondiferous province, Russia).
Abstract: Three main cycle of kimberlite magmatism are known for the Siberian Platform (SP) to date: Middle Paleozoic (D3), and two Mesozoic (T2-3 and J3). All economic highgrade kimberlites are of Middle Paleozoic (MP) age, and this feature is related with influence of melts/fluids of Permian-Triassic Siberian Super Plume produced huge changes in structure and composition of the SP Lithospheric Mantle (LM) including its enrichment by basaltic components, thinning, increase of fo2 and resorption of diamonds. Nevertheless, there are incredible differences in amounts of kimberlite bodies and their average diamond grade between different kimberlite fields of MP age, and these features are connected with intensity of carbonatite and silicate types of metasomatic treatment of the most deep-seated SP LM depleted peridotites especially of Lithosphere-Asthenosphere (LA) interaction zone. U-type lithospheric diamond formation is related with initial stage of carbonatite metasomatism, and its increase produce wehrlitezation and then carbonation of initial Cr-pyrope harzburgites and dunites but not related with diamond formation. Minor scale of silicate metasomatism of these modified LM peridotites produced conditions for generation of insignificant amount of kimberlite melts which form kimberlite fields with few bodies, but significant part of them are presented by high-grade kimberlite. And in case of significant scale of both carbonatite and silicate metasomatism of the LM peridotites produce large volume of kimberlite melt and hundreds of kimberlite bodies in fields with minor amonts of high grade ones.
Abstract: A new classification of kelyphitic rims on garnets from xenoliths of peridotitic and eclogitic parageneses of the mantle section under the Udachnaya-East kimberlite pipe (Yakutia) is presented. Five types of rims are identified: Rim1 develops between garnet and olivine/pyroxene (or rim2) and is composed of high-alumina pyroxenes, spinel, phlogopite; rim2, the coarse grain part of rim1, is located between rim1 and olivine/pyroxene, and mainly consists of phlogopite and less aluminous larger pyroxenes and spinel; rim3 develops between garnet and kimberlite, and presents with phlogopite and Fe-Ti spinel; rim4 sometimes presents instead of rim1/rim2 and consists of zoned high-Cr phlogopite with rare fine grains of chromium spinel; rim5, a “pocket” between garnet and rim1, is represented by microcrystalline aggregates of clinopyroxene, mica, spinel, calcite, and feldspar in different variations. Rims 1, 2, and 3 are typical for garnets of all studied parageneses. Rims 4 and 5 develop on high-Cr subcalcic garnets of the most depleted peridotites. Reactions of the formation of all types of rims are given in the article. Each type of kelyphite demonstrates a clear enrichment with a certain component: Rim1—MgO and alkalis; rim2—TiO2; rim3—FeO and TiO2; rim4—Cr2O3; and rim5—CaO, suggesting the multistage injection of different components by mantle fluid.
Thermal stress, oxygen fugacity and C O H fluid appreciation in cratonic lithospheric mantle: new dat a on peridotite xenoliths from the Udachnaya kimberlite, Siberia.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 357-358, pp. 99-110.
Kimberlite indicator minerals in terrigene sediments of lower part of Mackenzie River Basin, NWT, Canada: evidence of new craton with thick lithosphere.
10th. International Kimberlite Conference Feb. 6-11, Bangalore India, Abstract
New dat a on the mineralogy of megacrystalline pyrope peridotite from the Udachnaya kimberlite pipe, Siberian Craton, Yakutian Diamondiferous province.
Doklady Earth Sciences, Vol. 454. no. 2, pp. 179-184.
Abstract: Eclogite mantle xenoliths from the central part of Siberian craton (Udachnaya and Zarnitsa kimberlite pipes) as well as from the northeastern edge of the craton (Obnazhennaya kimberlite) were studied in detail. Garnet and clinopyroxene show evident exsolution textures. Garnet comprises rutile, ilmenite, apatite, and quartz/coesite oriented inclusions. Clinopyroxene contains rutile (± ilmenite) and apatite precipitates. Granular inclusions of quartz in kyanite and garnet usually retain features of their high-pressure origin. According to thermobarometric calculations, studied eclogitic suite was equilibrated within lithospheric mantle at 3.2–4.9 GPa and 813–1080 °C. The precursor composition of garnets from Udachnaya and Zarnitsa eclogites suggests their stability at depths 210–260 km. Apatite precipitation in clinopyroxenes of Udachnaya and Zarnitsa allows us to declare that original pyroxenes could have been indicative of their high P–T stability. Raman spectroscopic study of quartz and coesite precipitates in garnet porphyroblasts confirms our hypothesis on the origin of the exsolution textures during pressure-temperature decrease. With respect to mineralogical data, we suppose the rocks to be subjected to stepwise decompression and cooling within mantle reservoir.
Abstract: Clinopyroxenite mantle xenoliths from Obnazhënnaya kimberlite pipe, NE part of Siberian craton (Russia), preserve porphyroclastic clinopyroxene with no less than two generations of garnet and orthopyroxene lamellae, sometimes together with rutile. Their crystallographic relationships are consistent with an origin by solid-state exsolution. According to reintegrated major-element chemistry and datasets for natural systems the homogeneous high-Al clinopyroxenes were previously in equilibrium within a T range of ~1400– 1500 şC at a minimum P of 2 GPa. Ca and Al variations in a clinopyroxene assume exsolution to take place during a cooling accompanied by a compression. According to Al contents the growth of orthopyroxene lamellae in the rocks is continued down to ~850 şC and 2.7 GPa. The xenoliths matrix assemblage of Cpx+Grt±Opx marks strain-induced recrystallization where the exsolution features in recrystallized minerals are absent. Later re-equilibration of the mineral assemblage occurred at 790–810 şC and 3.0–3.2 GPa in the cratonic mantle prior to the removal of rocks by kimberlite melts; the reactions were controlled by the diffusion of Ca and Al in a pyroxene structure. It was noted that Sr in clinopyroxenes (284–556 ppm) increases from core to rim together with V (149–226 ppm) and Ca, opposite to Al content higher in the center of Cpx porphyroclasts. A positive Eu anomaly is significant both in clinopyroxenes and garnets (Eu/Eu* = 1.5–1.8 and 1.3–2.0, respectively). Substitution of Al for Si in the pyroxene tetrahedral sites has allowed charging balance for the substitution of additional trivalent REE into the pyroxene M2 site [1]. The process has affected to the Sr2+, Sm3+ and V3+ contents and Eu2+/Eu3+ relations responsible for the presence of Eu anomaly in a pyroxene. The work was supported by the grant of the President of the Russian Federation MK-2231.2017.5. The study with LAT was funded by NSF grant EAR-1144337.
Abstract: We report PGE data in xenoliths of the deformed and granular peridotites. The deformed peridotites are the most deep-seated rocks and represent a narrow range of depth (180-220 km) while granular peridotites are located throughout the section of the lithospheric mantle. PGE distribution in the deformed peridotites [1] generally corresponds to that in our granular peridotites and xenoliths from Lesotho [2]. But in contrast with broad range of PGE concentrations in granular peridotites, the deformed peridotites show nearly flat pattern from Os to Pt, except of Pd (Fig.1). Granular peridotites show good positive correlation between PGE and Fe2O3. We suppose that they enriched in PGE by iron phase during its evolution. As for deformed peridotites we propose that they were depleted in Ir and Os followed by the increase of Ga and Cpx on the first stage of mantle metasomatism. On the last stage the enrichment of Pt, Pd and Re was probably a result of submicron sulphide phase’s presipitation in the interstices of mantle rocks.
Abstract: The rocks, which are totally comprised of olivine and mica, have been found among the xenoliths of the Udachnaya-East pipe (Yakutia). The essential amount (first percents) of ilmenite of different morphology has been found in two rocks. These exotic olivine glimmerites appeared to be similar to the polymict breccia in the wide variations of olivine (LUV709/11 and LUV659/11 - Mg#(%): 86-93 and 83-91, respectively), phlogopite ((wt.%), LUV659/11: SiO2 38.5-40.6, TiO2 2.5-6, Al2O3 11.3-14, Cr2O3 0.4-1, MgO 19.8-23.1, FeO 6.1-7.9, Na2O 0.5-1.3, K2O 8.6-9.9), ilmenite (LUV709/11: Mg#(%) 23.6-47.8; Cr2O3 (wt.%): 0.63-1.01) compositions and also in the abundance of accessory minerals (chromite, rutile, sulphides, calcite, dolomite, siderite, barite). The compositions of rock-forming minerals of the glimmerites do not fall within the compositional fields of similar minerals from the peridotites of kimberlite xenoliths but strongly overlap with that from the polymict breccias. Moreover, the compositions of phlogopite from the glimmerites have demonstrated similar in Al, Fe and Ti composition kimberlite trend typical of phlogopites from the polymict breccia of the South Africa. Unusual olivine glimmerites LUV659/11 and LUV709/11 were probably formed from the ancient protokimberlite melts like polymict breccias. Initially they have been strongly depleted and hence olivine is the main rock-forming mineral. Therefore, two main stages of metasomatic retreatment before the capture by kimberlite can be recognized. One is related with Ti and Fe introduction (ilmenite formation), another, more strong, with abundant introduction of Al and alkalis (mainly K) with a consequent formation of abundant phlogopite. These stages probably had several phases as evidenced by the compositional variations of the formed minerals.
Lithos, DOI:10.1016 /j.lithos.2018 .05.027 available 52p.
Russia
deposit - Udachnaya
Abstract: A suite of seventeen unique, large, and fresh eclogite xenoliths from the Udachnaya pipe have been studied for their whole-rock and mineral major- and trace-element compositions. Based on their major-element compositions, the Udachnaya eclogites can be subdivided in two groups: high magnesian (Mg# 68.8-81.9) and low magnesian (Mg# 56.8-59). The two eclogite groups are clearly different in the style of correlation between major elements. Positive correlations of FeO and CaO with MgO are observed in the low-magnesian group, whereas these correlations are negative in the high-magnesian group. In terms of trace element composition, the Udachnaya eclogites are enriched over Primitive Mantle, but comparable to mid-ocean-ridge basalt composition, except for significant enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements (LILE; Rb, Ba, K, Sr). Most of the samples show a positive Eu anomaly, irrespective of group. Reconstructed whole-rock composition from clinopyroxene and garnet modal abundances contains much less incompatible elements (LILE, light rare earth elements, high field strength elements) than measured composition. Approximately 60 to 100% of the middle rare earth elements, Zr, and Hf, and nearly 100% of the heavy rare earth elements, Co, V, and Sc of the whole-rock budget are concentrated in Gar and Cpx. Variations in major element compositions cover a full section of the modern and Archaean oceanic crust, from troctolite, through gabbroic rocks, to basalts. The low-Mg# eclogites could have formed from upper oceanic crust protoliths, being a mixture of basalts and gabbro, whereas the high-Mg# eclogites are originated from gabbro-troctolite section of the lower oceanic crust. Concordant variations of Eu anomaly with the Lu/Sr ratio and the V and Ni contents in the eclogite compositions are in agreement with the fractionation of plagioclase, clinopyroxene, and olivine in their low-pressure precursor rocks. Negative correlations of SiO2 and MgO, and a low Nd/YbNMORB ratio, in the low-Mg# eclogites are in agreement with partial melt loss, but the presence of accessory quartz limits the degree of melting to 13%. Major and trace element compositions suggest that the high-Mg# eclogites, and, consequently, the lower oceanic crust, could not have experienced significant melt loss, and subduction in the Archaean may have been essentially dry, compared to the present day.
Kimberlite indicator minerals in terrigine sediments of Arctic regions of Siberian and North American ancient platforms: evidence of new cratons with thick lithosphere.
Peridotites of the diamond stability field of the ancient craton lithospheric mantle: relationship with evolution of lithosphere roots and kimberlite melts generation.
Sharygin, I., Litasov, K., Shatskiy, A., Golovin, A., Ohtani, E., Pokhilenko, N.
Is kimberlite magma ascent fuelled by CO2 degassing via orthopyroxene assimilation?
V.S. Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy Siberian Branch Russian Academy of Sciences International Symposium Advances in high pressure research: breaking scales and horizons ( Courtesy of N. Poikilenko), Held Sept. 22-26, 2p. Abstract
Sharygin, I., Litasov, K., Shatskiy, A., Golovin, A., Ohtani, E., Pokhilenko, N.
Melting phase relations of the Udachnaya East Group 1 kimberlite at 3.0-6.5 GPA: experimental evidence for alkali-carbonatite composition of primary kimberlite melt.
V.S. Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy Siberian Branch Russian Academy of Sciences International Symposium Advances in high pressure research: breaking scales and horizons ( Courtesy of N. Poikilenko), Held Sept. 22-26, 2p. Abstract
Diamond and Related Materials, Vol. 58, pp. 69-77.
Russia
Deposit - Popigai
Abstract: Impact diamonds (IDs) from the Popigai crater are aggregates of nanoparticulate graphite and cubic and hexagonal diamonds. IDs demonstrate broad-band emissions at 3.05, 2.8, 2.3 and 2.0 eV, which are associated with structural defects and are similar to those in detonation ultra-dispersed diamonds and CVD diamond films. A doublet with components at 1.7856 and 1.7892 eV in some ID samples is related to R1,2 lines of Cr3 + ions in corundum inclusions. The presence of N3, H3, NV0 and NV? vibronic systems in some of the ID samples shows that (i) there is nitrogen impurity and (ii) samples underwent high temperature annealing that promoted vacancies and nitrogen diffusion and defect aggregation. The luminescence decay fits with a sum of two exponential components: lifetime of the fast one is in the 5 to 9 ns range. Parameters of the traps responsible for broad thermoluminescence peaks at 148, 180, 276 and 383 K were estimated.
Abstract: Three main cycle of kimberlite magmatism are known for the Siberian Platform (SP) to date: Middle Paleozoic (D3), and two Mesozoic (T2-3 and J3). All economic highgrade kimberlites are of Middle Paleozoic (MP) age, and this feature is related with influence of melts/fluids of Permian-Triassic Siberian Super Plume produced huge changes in structure and composition of the SP Lithospheric Mantle (LM) including its enrichment by basaltic components, thinning, increase of fo2 and resorption of diamonds. Nevertheless, there are incredible differences in amounts of kimberlite bodies and their average diamond grade between different kimberlite fields of MP age, and these features are connected with intensity of carbonatite and silicate types of metasomatic treatment of the most deep-seated SP LM depleted peridotites especially of Lithosphere-Asthenosphere (LA) interaction zone. U-type lithospheric diamond formation is related with initial stage of carbonatite metasomatism, and its increase produce wehrlitezation and then carbonation of initial Cr-pyrope harzburgites and dunites but not related with diamond formation. Minor scale of silicate metasomatism of these modified LM peridotites produced conditions for generation of insignificant amount of kimberlite melts which form kimberlite fields with few bodies, but significant part of them are presented by high-grade kimberlite. And in case of significant scale of both carbonatite and silicate metasomatism of the LM peridotites produce large volume of kimberlite melt and hundreds of kimberlite bodies in fields with minor amonts of high grade ones.
Morphological features of microdiamonds, sodium in garnet and potassium inpyroxenes content of two eclogite xenoliths from Udachnaya pipe(Yakutia).(Russian)
Doklady Academy of Sciences Akademy Nauk SSSR, (Russian), Vol. 321, No. 3, pp. 585-592
Russia, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Yakutia
Kimberlite pyropes and chromites morphology and chemistry as indicators of diamond grade in Yakutian and Arkangelsk Provinces.
Mid-continent diamonds Geological Association of Canada (GAC)-Mineralogical Association of Canada (MAC) Symposium ABSTRACT volume, held Edmonton May, pp. 63-70.
Russia, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Yakutia
Primary melting sequence of a deep ( >250 km) lithospheric mantle as recorded in the geochemistry of kimberlite carbonatite assemblages, Snap Lake dyke system, Canada.
Sobolev, N., Wirth, R., Logvinova, A.M., Pokhilenko, N.P., Kuzmin, D.V.
Retrograde phase transitions of majorite garnets included in diamonds: a case study of subcalcic Cr rich majorite pyrope from a Snap Lake diamond, Canada.
American Geological Union, Fall meeting Dec. 15-19, Eos Trans. Vol. 89, no. 53, meeting supplement, 1p. abstract
Geochemical evolution of rocks at the base of the lithospheric mantle: evidence from study of xenoliths of deformed peridotites from kimberlite of Udachnaya
Kimberlite indicator minerals in terrigene sediments of lower part of Mackenzie River Basin, NWT, Canada: evidence of new craton with thick lithosphere.
10th. International Kimberlite Conference Feb. 6-11, Bangalore India, Abstract
New dat a on the mineralogy of megacrystalline pyrope peridotite from the Udachnaya kimberlite pipe, Siberian Craton, Yakutian Diamondiferous province.
Doklady Earth Sciences, Vol. 454. no. 2, pp. 179-184.
Sharygin, I.S., Litasov, K.D., Shatskiy, A., Golovin, A.V., Ohtani, E., Pokhilenko, N.P.
Melting phase relations of the Udachnaya-East Group 1 kimberlite at 3.0-6.5GPa: experimental evidence for alkali-carbonatite composition of primary kimberlite melts and implications for mantle plumes.
Abstract: Major flood basalt emplacement events can dramatically alter the composition of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). The Siberian craton experienced one of the largest flood basalt events preserved in the geologic record — eruption of the Permo-Triassic Siberian flood basalts (SFB) at ~250 Myr in response to upwelling of a deep-rooted mantle plume beneath the Siberian SCLM. Here, we present helium isotope (3 He/ 4 He) and concentra-tion data for petrologically-distinct suites of peridotitic xenoliths recovered from two temporally-separated kim-berlites: the 360 Ma Udachnaya and 160 Ma Obnazhennaya pipes, which erupted through the Siberian SCLM and bracket the eruption of the SFB. Measured 3 He/ 4 He ratios span a range from 0.1 to 9.8 R A (where R A = air 3 He/ 4 He) and fall into two distinct groups: 1) predominantly radiogenic pre-plume Udachnaya samples (mean clinopyroxene 3 He/ 4 He = 0.41 ± 0.30 R A (1?); n = 7 excluding 1 outlier), and 2) 'mantle-like' post plume Obnazhennaya samples (mean clinopyroxene 3 He/ 4 He = 4.20 ± 0.90 R A (1?); n = 5 excluding 1 outlier). Olivine separates from both kimberlite pipes tend to have higher 3 He/ 4 He than clinopyroxenes (or garnet). Helium con-tents in Udachnaya samples ([He] = 0.13–1.35 ?cm 3 STP/g; n = 6) overlap with those of Obnazhennaya ([He] = 0.05–1.58 ?cm 3 STP/g; n = 10), but extend to significantly higher values in some instances ([He] = 49– 349 ?cm 3 STP/g; n = 4). Uranium and thorium contents are also reported for the crushed material from which He was extracted in order to evaluate the potential for He migration from the mineral matrix to fluid inclusions. The wide range in He content, together with consistently radiogenic He-isotope values in Udachnaya peridotites suggests that crustal-derived fluids have incongruently metasomatized segments of the Siberian SCLM, whereas high 3 He/ 4 He values in Obnazhennaya peridotites show that this section of the SCLM has been overprinted by Permo-Triassic (plume-derived) basaltic fluids. Indeed, the stark contrast between pre-and post-plume 3 He/ 4 He ra-tios in peridotite xenoliths highlights the potentially powerful utility of He-isotopes for differentiating between various types of metasomatism (i.e., crustal versus basaltic fluids).
Equigranualr eclogites from the V. Grib kimberlite pipe: evidence for Paleoproterozoic subduction on the territory of the Arkangelsk Diamondiferous province.
Russian Geology and Geophysics, Vol. 56, pp. 1701-1716.
Russia
Deposit - Grib
Abstract: New data on metasomatic processes in the lithospheric mantle in the central part of the Arkhangelsk diamondiferous province (ADP) are presented. We studied the major- and trace-element compositions of minerals of 26 garnet peridotite xenoliths from the V. Grib kimberlite pipe; 17 xenoliths contained phlogopite. Detailed mineralogical, petrographic, and geochemical studies of peridotite minerals (garnet, clinopyroxene, and phlogopite) have revealed two types of modal metasomatic enrichment of the lithospheric-mantle rocks: high temperature (melt) and low-temperature (phlogopite). Both types of modal metasomatism significantly changed the chemical composition of the peridotites. Low-temperature modal metasomatism manifests itself as coarse tabular and shapeless phlogopite grains. Two textural varieties of phlogopite show significant differences in chemical composition, primarily in the contents of TiO2, Cr2O3, FeO, Ba, Rb, and Cs. The rock-forming minerals of phlogopite-bearing peridotites differ in chemical composition from phlogopite-free peridotites, mainly in higher FeO content. Most garnets and clinopyroxenes in peridotites are the products of high-temperature mantle metasomatism, as indicated by the high contents of incompatible elements and REE pattern in these minerals. Fractional-crystallization modeling gives an insight into the nature of melts (metasomatic agents). They are close in composition to picrites of the Izhmozero field, basalts of the Tur’ino field, and carbonatites of the Mela field of the ADP. The REE patterns of the peridotite minerals make it possible to determine the sequence of metasomatic enrichment of the lithospheric mantle beneath the V. Grib kimberlite pipe.
Abstract: Experiments on the origin of the Udachnaya-East kimberlite (UEK) have been performed using a Kawai-type multianvil apparatus at 3-6.5GPa and 900-1500°C. The studied composition represents exceptionally fresh Group-I kimberlite containing (wt.%): SiO2=25.9, TiO2=1.8, Al2O3=2.8, FeO=9.0, MgO=30.1, CaO=12.7, Na2O=3.4, K2O=1.3, P2O5=1.0, Cl=0.9, CO2=9.9, and H2O=0.5. The super-solidus assemblage consists of melt, olivine (Ol), Ca-rich (26.0-30.2wt.% CaO) garnet (Gt), Al-spinel (Sp), perovskite (Pv), a CaCO3 phase (calcite or aragonite), and apatite. The low pressure assemblage (3-4GPa) also includes clinopyroxene. The apparent solidus was established between 900 and 1000°C at 6.5GPa. At 6.5GPa and 900°C Na-Ca carbonate with molar ratio of (Na+K)/Ca?0.44 was observed. The UEK did not achieve complete melting even at 1500°C and 6.5GPa, due to excess xenogenic Ol in the starting material. In the studied P-T range, the melt has a Ca-carbonatite composition (Ca#=molar Ca/(Ca+Mg) ratio=0.62-0.84) with high alkali and Cl contents (7.3-11.4wt.% Na2O, 2.8-6.7wt.% K2O, 1.6-3.4wt.% Cl). The K, Na and Cl contents and Ca# decrease with temperature. It is argued that the primary kimberlite melt at depths>200km was an essentially carbonatitic (<5wt.% SiO2), but evolved toward a carbonate-silicate composition (up to 15-20wt.% SiO2) during ascent. The absence of orthopyroxene among the run products indicates that xenogenic orthopyroxene was preferentially dissolved into the kimberlite melt. The obtained subliquidus phase assemblage (Ol+Sp+Pv+Ca-rich Gt) at P-T conditions of the UEK source region, i.e. where melt was in the last equilibrium with source rock before magma ascent, differs from the Opx-bearing peridotitic mineral assemblage of the UEK source region. This difference can be ascribed to the loss of substantial amounts of CO2 from the kimberlite magma at shallow depths, as indicated by both petrological and experimental data. Our study implies that alkali-carbonatite melt would be a liquid phase within mantle plumes generated at the core-mantle boundary or shallower levels of the mantle, enhancing the ascent velocity of the plumes. We conclude that the long-term activity of a rising hot mantle plume and associated carbonatite melt (i.e. kimberlite melt) causes thermo-mechanical erosion of the subcontinental lithosphere mantle (SCLM) roots and creates hot and deformed metasomatic regions in the lower parts of the SCLM, which corresponds to depths constrained by P-T estimates of sheared Gt-peridotite xenoliths. The sheared Gt-peridotites undoubtedly represent samples of these regions.
Doklady Earth Sciences, Vol. 466, 2, Feb. pp. 173-176.
Russia, Yakutia
Deposit - International
Abstract: The results of study of rutile inclusions in pyrope from the Internatsionalnaya kimberlite pipe are presented. Rutile is characterized by unusually high contents of impurities (up to 25 wt %). The presence of Cr2O3 (up to 9.75 wt %) and Nb2O5 (up to 15.57 wt %) are most typical. Rutile inclusions often occur in assemblage with Ti-rich oxides: picroilmenite and crichtonite group minerals. The Cr-pyropes with inclusions of rutile, picroilmenite, and crichtonite group minerals were formed in the lithospheric mantle beneath the Mirnyi field during their joint crystallization from melts enriched in Fe, Ti, and other incompatible elements as a result of metasomatic enrichment of the depleted lithospheric mantle.
Abstract: Paragenetic analysis of pyropes from alluvial deposits of the Muna—Markha interfluve (Sakha-Yakutia Republic) made it possible to distinguish relatively uniform areas that are promising for the discovery of kimberlite bodies.
Abstract: Tychite Na6Mg2(CO3)4(SO3) is a rare natural Na and Mg sulfatocarbonate. It is found only as minor mineral in deposits of saline lakes in the United States, Canada, Uganda, and China. In these continental evaporites tychite has sedimentary genesis. In this study, we report the first occurrence of tychite as a crystal phase in the melt inclusions in olivine from mantle xenoliths of the Udachnaya-East kimberlite pipe. This find provides an evidence for the probability of tychite crystallization from melts; i.e., this rare sulfatocarbonate may have a magmatic origin as well.
Abstract: Mineralogical studies and U-Pb dating have been carried out on rutile included in peridotitic and eclogitic garnets from the Internatsionalnaya pipe, Mirny field, Siberian craton. We also describe a unique peridotitic paragenesis (rutile + forsterite + enstatite + Cr-diopside + Cr-pyrope) preserved in diamond from the Mir pipe, Mirny field. Compositions of rutile from the heavy mineral concentrates of the Internatsionalnaya pipe and rutile inclusions in crustal almandine-rich garnets from the Mayskaya pipe (Nakyn field), as well as from a range of different lithologies, are presented for comparison. Rutile from cratonic mantle peridotites shows characteristic enrichment in Cr, in contrast to lower-Cr rutile from crustal rocks and off-craton mantle. Rutile with Cr2O3 > 1.7 wt% is commonly derived from cratonic mantle, while rutiles with lower Cr2O3 may be both of cratonic and off-cratonic origin. New analytical developments and availability of standards have made rutile accessible to in situ U-Pb dating by laser ablation ICP-MS. A U-Pb age of 369 ± 10 Ma for 9 rutile grains in 7 garnets from the Internatsionalnaya pipe is consistent with the accepted eruption age of the pipe (360 Ma). The equilibrium temperatures of pyropes with rutile inclusions calculated using Ni-in-Gar thermometer range between ~ 725 and 1030 °C, corresponding to a depth range of ca ~ 100-165 km. At the time of entrainment in the kimberlite, garnets with Cr-rich rutile inclusions resided at temperatures well above the closure temperature for Pb in rutile, and thus U-Pb ages on mantle-derived rutile most likely record the emplacement age of the kimberlites. The synthesis of distinctive rutile compositions and U-Pb dating opens new perspectives for using rutile in diamond exploration in cratonic areas.
Abstract: Although kimberlite magma carries large amounts of mantle-derived xenocrysts and xenoliths (with sizes up to meters), this magma ascends from the Earth's mantle (> 150-250 km) to the surface in a matter of hours or days, which enables diamonds to survive. The recently proposed assimilation-fuelled buoyancy model for kimberlite magma ascent emphasizes the importance of fluid CO2 that is produced via the reactive dissolution of mantle-derived orthopyroxene xenocrysts into kimberlite melt, which initially has carbonatitic composition. Here, we use a series of high-pressure experiments to test this model by studying the interaction of orthopyroxene (Opx) with an alkali-dolomitic melt (simplified to 0.7Na2CO3 + 0.3K2CO3 + 2CaMg(CO3)2), which is close to the melt that is produced by the partial melting of a kimberlite source, at P = 3.1-6.5 GPa and T = 1200-1600 °C, i.e., up to pressures that correspond to depths (~ 200 km) from where the ascent of kimberlite magma would start. During the first set of experiments, we study the reaction between powdered Opx and model carbonate melt in a homogeneous mixture. During the second set of experiments, we investigate the mechanism and kinetics of the dissolution of Opx crystals in alkali-dolomitic melt. Depending on the P-T conditions, Opx dissolves in the alkali-dolomitic melt (CL) either congruently or incongruently via the following reactions: Mg2Si2O6 (Opx) + CaMg(CO3)2 (CL) = CaMgSi2O6 (clinopyroxene) + 2MgCO3 (CL) and Mg2Si2O6 (Opx) = Mg2SiO4 (olivine) + SiO2 (CL). The experiments confirm that the dissolution of Opx causes gradual SiO2 enrichment in the initial carbonate melt, as previously suggested. However, the assimilation of Opx by carbonate melt does not produce fluid CO2 in the experiments because the CO2 is totally dissolved in the evolved melt. Thus, our results clearly demonstrate the absence of exsolved CO2 fluid at 3.1-6.5 GPa in ascending kimberlite magma and disprove the assimilation-fuelled buoyancy model for kimberlite magma ascent in the lithospheric mantle. We alternatively suggest that the extreme buoyancy of kimberlite magma at depths of 100-250 km is an exclusive consequence of the unique physical properties (i.e., low density, ultra-low viscosity and, thus, high mobility) of the kimberlite melt, which are dictated by its carbonatitic composition.
Doklady Earth Sciences, Vol. 470, 2, pp. 1023-1026.
Russia, Siberia
Deposit - Billyakh River placers
Abstract: The mineral chemistry and crystal morphology of kimberlite pyropes from the Billyakh River placer in the northeastern Siberian craton are characterised in terms of the placer history. The pyropes bear signatures of chemical weathering (dissolution), presumably in a Middle Paleozoic laterite profile, and therefore were originally hosted by Middle Paleozoic kimberlites. The broad occurrence of placer pyropes with lateritic dissolution signatures points to the presence of Middle Paleozoic diamond-bearing kimberlites in the study area.
Abstract: Mineralogical studies and U-Pb dating have been carried out on rutile included in peridotitic and eclogitic garnets from the Internatsionalnaya pipe, Mirny field, Siberian craton. We also describe a unique peridotitic paragenesis (rutile + forsterite + enstatite + Cr-diopside + Cr-pyrope) preserved in diamond from the Mir pipe, Mirny field. Compositions of rutile from the heavy mineral concentrates of the Internatsionalnaya pipe and rutile inclusions in crustal almandine-rich garnets from the Mayskaya pipe (Nakyn field), as well as from a range of different lithologies, are presented for comparison. Rutile from cratonic mantle peridotites shows characteristic enrichment in Cr, in contrast to lower-Cr rutile from crustal rocks and off-craton mantle. Rutile with Cr2O3 > 1.7 wt% is commonly derived from cratonic mantle, while rutiles with lower Cr2O3 may be both of cratonic and off-cratonic origin. New analytical developments and availability of standards have made rutile accessible to in situ U-Pb dating by laser ablation ICP-MS. A U-Pb age of 369 ± 10 Ma for 9 rutile grains in 6 garnets from the Internatsionalnaya pipe is consistent with the accepted eruption age of the pipe (360 Ma). The equilibrium temperatures of pyropes with rutile inclusions calculated using Ni-in-Gar thermometer range between ~ 725 and 1030 °C, corresponding to a depth range of ca ~ 100-165 km. At the time of entrainment in the kimberlite, garnets with Cr-rich rutile inclusions resided at temperatures well above the closure temperature for Pb in rutile, and thus U-Pb ages on mantle-derived rutile most likely record the emplacement age of the kimberlites. The synthesis of distinctive rutile compositions and U-Pb dating opens new perspectives for using rutile in diamond exploration in cratonic areas.
Abstract: This paper presents new major and trace element data from 150 garnet xenocrysts from the V. Grib kimberlite pipe located in the central part of the Arkhangelsk diamondiferous province (ADP). Based on the concentrations of Cr2O3, CaO, TiO2 and rare earth elements (REE) the garnets were divided into seven groups: (1) lherzolitic “depleted” garnets (“Lz 1”), (2) lherzolitic garnets with normal REE patterns (“Lz 2”), (3) lherzolitic garnets with weakly sinusoidal REE patterns (“Lz 3”), (4) lherzolitic garnets with strongly sinusoidal REE patterns (“Lz 4”), (5) harzburgitic garnets with sinusoidal REE patterns (“Hz”), (6) wehrlitic garnets with weakly sinusoidal REE patterns (“W”), (7) garnets of megacryst paragenesis with normal REE patterns (“Meg”). Detailed mineralogical and geochemical garnet studies and modeling results suggest several stages of mantle metasomatism influenced by carbonatite and silicate melts. Carbonatitic metasomatism at the first stage resulted in refertilization of the lithospheric mantle, which is evidenced by a nearly vertical CaO-Cr2O3 trend from harzburgitic (“Hz”) to lherzolitic (“Lz 4”) garnet composition. Harzburgitic garnets (“Hz”) have probably been formed by interactions between carbonatite melts and exsolved garnets in high-degree melt extraction residues. At the second stage of metasomatism, garnets with weakly sinusoidal REE patterns (“Lz 3”, “W”) were affected by a silicate melt possessing a REE composition similar to that of ADP alkaline mica-poor picrites. At the last stage, the garnets interacted with basaltic melts, which resulted in the decrease CaO-Cr2O3 trend of “Lz 2” garnet composition. Cr-poor garnets of megacryst paragenesis (“Meg”) could crystallize directly from the silicate melt which has a REE composition close to that of ADP alkaline mica-poor picrites. P-T estimates of the garnet xenocrysts indicate that the interval of ?60-110 km of the lithospheric mantle beneath the V. Grib pipe was predominantly affected by the silicate melts, whereas the lithospheric mantle deeper than 150 km was influenced by the carbonatite melts.
Doklady Earth Sciences, Vol. 471, 1, pp. 1104-1207.
Russia
Deposit - Udachnaya
Abstract: New results of Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd isotope analyses have been obtained on samples of deformed peridotite xenoliths collected from the Udachnaya kimberlite pipe (Yakutia). The data obtained imply two main stages of metasomatic alteration of the lithospheric mantle base matter in the central part of the Siberian Craton. Elevated ratios of Sr isotopes may be considered as evidence of an ancient stage of metasomatic enrichment by a carbonatite melt. The acquired Nd isotope composition together with the geochemistry of the deformed peridotite xenoliths suggests that the second stage of metasomatic alteration took place shortly before formation of the kimberlite melt. The metasomatic agent of this stage had a silicate character and arrived from an asthenosphere source, common for the normal OIB type (PREMA) and the Group-I kimberlite.
Doklady Earth Sciences, Vol. 471, 2, pp. 1277-1279.
Mantle
Diamond morphology
Abstract: The first results of experimental study of diamond dissolution in a S-bearing Fe melt at high P-T parameters are reported and the morphology of partially dissolved crystals is compared with that of natural diamonds. Our results show that under the experimental conditions (4 GPa, 1400°C), flat-faced octahedral diamond crystals are transformed into curve-faced octahedroids with morphological features similar to those of natural diamonds.
Doklady Earth Sciences, Vol. 471, 2, pp. 1277-1279.
Mantle
Diamond morphology
Abstract: The first results of experimental study of diamond dissolution in a S-bearing Fe melt at high P-T parameters are reported and the morphology of partially dissolved crystals is compared with that of natural diamonds. Our results show that under the experimental conditions (4 GPa, 1400°C), flat-faced octahedral diamond crystals are transformed into curve-faced octahedroids with morphological features similar to those of natural diamonds.
Abstract: The results of integrated studies of inclusion-containing diamonds from kimberlites of the Snap Lake dike complex (Canada) are presented. Features of the morphology, defect–impurity composition, and internal structure of the diamonds were determined by optic and scanning microscopy. The chemical composition of crystalline inclusions (olivine, garnet, and pyroxene) in diamonds was studied using a microanalyzer with an electronic probe. The inclusions of ultramafic paragenesis in the diamond (87%) are predominant. Carbonates, sulfide and hydrated silicate phases were found only in multiphase microinclusions. The large phlogopite inclusion studied was similar in composition to earlier studied nanosize inclusions of high-silica mica in diamonds from Snap Lake kimberlites. Revealed features of studied diamonds and presence of high-silica mica suggest that diamonds from Snap Lake have formed as the result of interaction between enriched in volatile and titanium high-potassium carbonate–silicate melts and peridotitic substrate at the base of thick lithospheric mantle.
Abstract: Although kimberlite magma carries large amounts of mantle-derived xenocrysts and xenoliths (with sizes up to meters), this magma ascends from the Earth's mantle (> 150–250 km) to the surface in a matter of hours or days, which enables diamonds to survive. The recently proposed assimilation-fuelled buoyancy model for kimberlite magma ascent emphasizes the importance of fluid CO2 that is produced via the reactive dissolution of mantle-derived orthopyroxene xenocrysts into kimberlite melt, which initially has carbonatitic composition. Here, we use a series of high-pressure experiments to test this model by studying the interaction of orthopyroxene (Opx) with an alkali-dolomitic melt (simplified to 0.7Na2CO3 + 0.3K2CO3 + 2CaMg(CO3)2), which is close to the melt that is produced by the partial melting of a kimberlite source, at P = 3.1–6.5 GPa and T = 1200–1600 °C, i.e., up to pressures that correspond to depths (~ 200 km) from where the ascent of kimberlite magma would start. During the first set of experiments, we study the reaction between powdered Opx and model carbonate melt in a homogeneous mixture. During the second set of experiments, we investigate the mechanism and kinetics of the dissolution of Opx crystals in alkali-dolomitic melt. Depending on the P-T conditions, Opx dissolves in the alkali-dolomitic melt (CL) either congruently or incongruently via the following reactions: Mg2Si2O6 (Opx) + CaMg(CO3)2 (CL) = CaMgSi2O6 (clinopyroxene) + 2MgCO3 (CL) and Mg2Si2O6 (Opx) = Mg2SiO4 (olivine) + SiO2 (CL). The experiments confirm that the dissolution of Opx causes gradual SiO2 enrichment in the initial carbonate melt, as previously suggested. However, the assimilation of Opx by carbonate melt does not produce fluid CO2 in the experiments because the CO2 is totally dissolved in the evolved melt. Thus, our results clearly demonstrate the absence of exsolved CO2 fluid at 3.1–6.5 GPa in ascending kimberlite magma and disprove the assimilation-fuelled buoyancy model for kimberlite magma ascent in the lithospheric mantle. We alternatively suggest that the extreme buoyancy of kimberlite magma at depths of 100–250 km is an exclusive consequence of the unique physical properties (i.e., low density, ultra-low viscosity and, thus, high mobility) of the kimberlite melt, which are dictated by its carbonatitic composition.
Abstract: The nitrogen concentration and aggregation form reflect the conditions of diamond formation and diamond evolution in primary source [1]. FTIR measurements were made on 40 colorless or slightly greenish octahedral diamonds from Snap Lake kimberlite dyke system. Studied diamonds differ in nitrogen content, distribution and aggregation degree. The total nitrogen content in different diamond zones is up to 1600 ppm. Diamonds have been classified into two groups on the basis of nitrogen aggregation degree in them. Group 1 includes poorly-aggregated-nitrogen diamonds. We suggest that such diamonds belong to the same generation such as cubic diamonds from Snap Lake [2]. The low degree of nitrogen aggregation in diamonds is indicative of short mantle residence and suggests that they crystallized shortly before kimberlite eruption. Diamonds of Group 2 are characterized by high nitrogen aggregation degree (up to 98.6%). Group 2 includes diamonds either with uniform nitrogen distribution throughout the crystal volume or with a predominance of Bdefect in the center. Inhomogeneity in nitrogen distribution from the center to the edge of the octahedral crystals indicates, at least, about the two, or even more growth stages of a part of the studied diamonds. High nitrogen aggregation degree according to “annealing” model is evidence of diamond staying in the high temperature region or of their residence in the mantle conditions. Results obtained support that significant part of octahedral diamonds from Snap Lake may have formed at the base of a thick lithospheric mantle at depth below 300 km [3].
Doklady Earth Sciences, Vol. 477, 2, pp. 1458-1460.
Russia
deposit - Nyturba
Abstract: Study of the magmatics in the Nakyn kimberlite field, with consideration of the isotope dating results, allowed us to establish a sequence of their formation. First, 368.5-374.4 Ma ago intrusions of the Vilyui-Markha dike belt formed. Then (363-364 Ma) intrusion of kimberlites took place. In the Early Carboniferous (338.2-345.6 Ma), alkaline basaltic magma intruded through faults controlling the kimberlites. The magmatic activity finished 331-324.9 Ma ago with the formation of explosive breccias. It has been found that the Nyurba kimberlite pipe consists of two bodies: their kimberlite melts have successively intruded through independent channels.
Contribution to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 173, 22p.
Mantle
carbonatite
Abstract: We performed an experimental study, designed to reproduce the formation of an unusual merwinite?+?olivine-bearing mantle assemblage recently described as a part of a Ca-rich suite of inclusions in sublithospheric diamonds, through the interaction of peridotite with an alkali-rich Ca-carbonatite melt, derived from deeply subducted oceanic crust. In the first set of experiments, we studied the reaction between powdered Mg-silicates, olivine and orthopyroxene, and a model Ca-carbonate melt (molar Na:K:Ca?=?1:1:2), in a homogeneous mixture, at 3.1 and 6.5 GPa. In these equilibration experiments, we observed the formation of a merwinite?+?olivine-bearing assemblage at 3.1 GPa and 1200 °C and at 6.5 GPa and 1300-1400 °C. The melts coexisting with this assemblage have a low Si and high Ca content (Ca#?=?molar 100?×?Ca/(Ca?+?Mg)?>?0.57). In the second set of experiments, we investigated reaction rims produced by interaction of the same Ca-carbonate melt (molar Na:K:Ca?=?1:1:2) with Mg-silicate, olivine and orthopyroxene, single crystals at 3.1 GPa and 1300 °C and at 6.5 GPa and 1400 °C. The interaction of the Ca-carbonate melt with olivine leads to merwinite formation through the expected reaction: 2Mg2SiO4 (olivine)?+?6CaCO3 (liquid)?=?Ca3MgSi2O8 (merwinite)?+?3CaMg(CO3)2 (liquid). Thus, our experiments confirm the idea that merwinite in the upper mantle may originate via interaction of peridotite with Ca-rich carbonatite melt, and that diamonds hosting merwinite may have a metasomatic origin. It is remarkable that the interaction of the Ca-carbonate melt with orthopyroxene crystals does not produce merwinite both at 3.1 and 6.5 GPa. This indicates that olivine grain boundaries are preferable for merwinite formation in the upper mantle.
Lithos, DOI:10.1016 /j.lithos.2018 .05.027 available 52p.
Russia
deposit - Udachnaya
Abstract: A suite of seventeen unique, large, and fresh eclogite xenoliths from the Udachnaya pipe have been studied for their whole-rock and mineral major- and trace-element compositions. Based on their major-element compositions, the Udachnaya eclogites can be subdivided in two groups: high magnesian (Mg# 68.8-81.9) and low magnesian (Mg# 56.8-59). The two eclogite groups are clearly different in the style of correlation between major elements. Positive correlations of FeO and CaO with MgO are observed in the low-magnesian group, whereas these correlations are negative in the high-magnesian group. In terms of trace element composition, the Udachnaya eclogites are enriched over Primitive Mantle, but comparable to mid-ocean-ridge basalt composition, except for significant enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements (LILE; Rb, Ba, K, Sr). Most of the samples show a positive Eu anomaly, irrespective of group. Reconstructed whole-rock composition from clinopyroxene and garnet modal abundances contains much less incompatible elements (LILE, light rare earth elements, high field strength elements) than measured composition. Approximately 60 to 100% of the middle rare earth elements, Zr, and Hf, and nearly 100% of the heavy rare earth elements, Co, V, and Sc of the whole-rock budget are concentrated in Gar and Cpx. Variations in major element compositions cover a full section of the modern and Archaean oceanic crust, from troctolite, through gabbroic rocks, to basalts. The low-Mg# eclogites could have formed from upper oceanic crust protoliths, being a mixture of basalts and gabbro, whereas the high-Mg# eclogites are originated from gabbro-troctolite section of the lower oceanic crust. Concordant variations of Eu anomaly with the Lu/Sr ratio and the V and Ni contents in the eclogite compositions are in agreement with the fractionation of plagioclase, clinopyroxene, and olivine in their low-pressure precursor rocks. Negative correlations of SiO2 and MgO, and a low Nd/YbNMORB ratio, in the low-Mg# eclogites are in agreement with partial melt loss, but the presence of accessory quartz limits the degree of melting to 13%. Major and trace element compositions suggest that the high-Mg# eclogites, and, consequently, the lower oceanic crust, could not have experienced significant melt loss, and subduction in the Archaean may have been essentially dry, compared to the present day.
Abstract: The results of experiments on dissolution of diamond in a Fe melt with variable concentrations of S at high P-T parameters are presented. It is established that the maximal degree of diamond dissolution occurs at a sulfur concentration of 15 wt %. With decreasing or increasing S content, dissolution of diamond slows down and almost does not occur during the period of the experiment (60 min), when the "eutectic" composition is gained. In contrast to a pure Fe melt, the presence of S decreases the carbon solubility and, therefore, reduces the aggressiveness of metal melt in relation to diamonds, thus, stimulating their preservation in the Earth’s mantle, especially if the concentration of S exceeds that in the "eutectic" composition.
Doklady Earth Sciences, Vol. 482, 1, pp. 1207-1211.
Russia
spectrometry
Abstract: The first chromatography-mass spectroscopy data on volatiles in diamonds synthesized in the Fe-S-C system with 5 wt % S at 1400-1450°C and 5.0-5.5 GPa indicate the evolution of volatile composition during the diamond growth and, correspondingly, the variation in redox conditions of the reaction cell. A significant role is played by various hydrocarbons (HCs) and their derivatives, the content of which can reach 87%. Our data on possible abiogenic synthesis of HCs (components of natural gas and oil) can result in global recalculations (including climate) related to the global C cycle.
Abstract: The enigmatic appearance of cuboctahedral diamonds in ophiolitic and arc volcanic rocks with morphology and infrared characteristics similar to synthetic diamonds that were grown from metal solvent requires a critical reappraisal. We have studied 15 diamond crystals and fragments from Tolbachik volcano lava flows, using Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (SRXRF) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass-spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). FTIR spectra of Tolbachik diamonds correspond to typical type Ib patterns of synthetic diamonds. In TEM films prepared using focused ion beam technique, we find Mn-Ni and Mn-Si inclusions in Tolbachik diamonds. SRXRF spectra indicate the presence of Fe-Ni and Fe-Ni-Mn inclusions with Cr, Ti, Cu, and Zn impurities. LA-ICP-MS data show variable but significantly elevated concentrations of Mn, Fe, Ni, and Cu reaching up to 70?ppm. These transition metal concentration levels are comparable with those determined by LA-ICP-MS for similar diamonds from Tibetan ophiolites. Mn-Ni (+Fe) solvent was widely used to produce industrial synthetic diamonds in the former USSR and Russia with very similar proportions of these metals. Hence, it appears highly probable that the cuboctahedral diamonds recovered from Kamchatka arc volcanic rocks represent contamination and are likely derived from drilling tools or other hard instruments. Kinetic data on diamond dissolution in basaltic magma or in fluid phase demonstrate that diamond does not form under the pressures and temperature conditions prevalent within the magmatic system beneath the modern-day Klyuchevskoy group of arc volcanoes. We also considered reference data for inclusions in ophiolitic diamonds and compared them with the composition of solvent used in industrial diamond synthesis in China. The similar inclusion chemistry close to Ni70Mn25Co5 for ophiolitic and synthetic Chinese diamonds scrutinized here suggests that most diamonds recovered from Tibetan and other ophiolites are not natural but instead have a synthetic origin. In order to mitigate further dubious reports of diamonds from unconventional tectonic settings and source rocks, we propose a set of discrimination criteria to better distinguish natural cuboctahedral diamonds from those produced synthetically in industrial environments and found as contaminants in mantle- and crust-derived rocks.
Doklady Earth Sciences, Vol. 489, 2, pp. 1409-1412. pdf
Russia, Siberia
diamond alluvials
Abstract: Based on a study of diamond grains from placers of the northeastern Siberian Platform, it is shown that certain types of diamonds (rounded dodecahedroids, diamonds of the II and V?VII varieties, according to the classification by Yu.L. Orlov) could have originated from Precambrian sources. “Ancient” diamonds also differ in terms of their sedimentological history: those of varieties V?VII, despite the maximum abrasion resistance, have the maximum degree of rounding, reflecting their more long-term sedimentological history, and, therefore, their ore bodies were likely the most ancient.
Abstract: We have analyzed 141 grains of pyrope from Neogene sediments in a quarry of construction materials, in the Kenkeme River catchment, along its left-side tributary (Chakiya River), about 60 km northwest of Yakutsk city. The mineral chemistry patterns of pyropes are typical of Jurassic-Cretaceous barren kimberlites, like the pipes of Obnazhennaya or Muza, but are uncommon to diamondiferous Middle Paleozoic kimberlites. The results allow identifying the magmatic event and placing time constraints on kimberlite magmatism in the southeastern flank of the Vilui basin, which was part of the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous tectonic-magmatic event in northeastern Asia.
Abstract: Data on the interaction of the Fe-Ni melt with CaCO3 and graphite at 5 GPa and 1400°? under the thermogradient conditions used in experiments on the growth of diamond on the BARS high-pressure apparatus are presented. The phase composition and component composition of the fluid captured by diamonds in the form of inclusions were studied by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Diamonds were synthesized from graphite. During the interaction of the Fe-Ni melt with CaCO3, Ca-Fe oxides and (Fe, Ni)3C carbide were formed. The stability of heavy hydrocarbons under the experimental conditions was confirmed. It was established that the composition of the fluid in synthesized diamonds is close to the composition of the fluid from inclusions in some natural diamonds. Nevertheless, it was concluded that crystallization of large diamonds under natural conditions is hardly possible due to the filling of the main crystallization volume with refractory oxide phases.
Revista Brasileira de Geociencas*** ENG, Vol. 31, 4, pp. 653-660. pdf
South America, Brazil
kimberlites
Abstract: Garne ts from couc eru ratc from the vargcm l kimberl ite pipe show a long compos itional range and reveallong lincar tre nds within the lherzolite field in a Cr~Ol - CaO% dia gram (Sobolcv et til. 1974) (lip (0 11% MgO). fon ned by grains of different dimensions with fcw deviations to harzburg itcs . Larger grains (fraction +3) arc higher in CaO with less Cr~01 (to 5.5%). TIle Cr20 1 freq uen cy reduc es in hyperbo lic function for each fraction . IImenites reve;1142-56% Ti0 2l..'Olllpositionai range with linear FeO - MgO correhuions but 3(4) separate groups for A I ~01 suggest different proport ion of co-prccipimted gimlet , probably due to polybn ric Irncnonanon. lncreasing Cr~O l nnd r"t..-Q% conte nt (fractionation uegn:e ) with red ucing TiO~ is in accord with Ar c mod el.. Ganict xenolith fnnnldnin II pipe with large Ga r- Cpxgrains and fine Mica-Curb bearing mat rix refer to 60 kbcr and 35 mv/m2 gcothcrm . 11displays enr iched trace c lement pat ter ns but not completely equilibrated compositions for Ga r anti Cpx. sugges ting low degree me lting of rela tively fertile mantle. St udied uuuc rinlmay s uggcsrmcrasomu tized, relat ively fertile and irre gularly heated mantle bene ath Sombcrn Bra zil as found by (Carvalho & Lccnnrdos 1997).
Abstract: The first results on diamond growth in the Fe-?-S system with 1 wt % S (relative to Fe) at 6 GPa and 1450°C have been reported. The diamonds obtained contain about 30 ppm N, on average, and belong to the low-N transition diamond group Ib-IIa. It has been suggested that the reduction conditions formed by certain active elements such as S can play an important role in the formation of natural low-N diamonds.
Abstract: Sulfide-bearing polymineralic inclusions in mantle-derived chromium pyrope garnets of lherzolite paragenesis from lamprophyres of the Chompolo field (Aldan shield, southern Siberian craton) have been studied. The inclusions are composed of either only sulfides or sulfides in association with other minerals (carbonates, silicates, oxides, etc.). The sulfide part of the inclusions is represented by up to four minerals. Among the sulfides, minerals rich in Cu and Ni have been found, whereas Fe sulfides (pyrrhotite, troilite) are absent. This distinguishes the inclusions studied from the majority of sulfide inclusions in mantle minerals and diamonds, as well as in mantle xenoliths from kimberlites. The formation of polymineralic inclusions in chromium garnets of the Chompolo field is attributed to the effect of a carbonate-silicate metasomatic melt/fluid on mantle peridotites, as evidenced by the mineral suite associated with the sulfides. The research results indicate significant differences in the nature of metasomatic processes that occurred in the lithospheric mantle of the southern and central parts of the Siberian craton.
Abstract: Olivine is the most common rock-forming mineral of the majority of the lithospheric mantle rocks beneath ancient cratons. This study provides the information about an epigenetic olivine in a lherzolite xenolith from the Udachnaya kimberlite pipe (Siberian craton), which is characterized by lower Mg# compared to the rock-forming one (Mg# = 87.4). The iron-rich olivine has been observed in the epigenetic mineral assemblage that forms a kelyphite shell around the rock-forming garnet. Olivine from the kelyphite shell occurs as both homogeneous grains (Mg# = 84.3-85.9) and zoned grains (Mg# = 85.1-87.5). The major and minor elements asymmetric zoning patterns have been found in the rock-forming olivine grains at the contact with the kelyphite shell. These olivine grains have an outer low Mg# (up to 85.9) zone at the contact with the kelyphite shell as the epigenetic olivine grains in the kelyphite shell. We suggest that the iron-rich epigenetic olivine was produced as the result of a reaction between the rock-forming garnet and the primitive kimberlite melt. During this reaction, a hybrid melt was formed in the interstitial space. The hybrid melt was iron-enriched relative to the kimberlite melt. The source of iron for the micro-portions of the interstitial hybrid melt was the rock-forming garnet.
Abstract: Comprehensive studies of peridotitic xenoliths from the Udachnaya kimberlite (Yakutian diamond province, Siberian craton) confirm that garnet shows inverse correlation of its volumetric percentage with its Cr2O3 contents in refertilizated peridotites, but no such correlation is observed in depleted peridotites. The correlation relationship plots as an isosceles hyperbola, which is consistent with the existing knowledge of origin of refertilized peridotite. The bulk content of aluminum is proportional to the garnet percentage both in depleted and refertilized peridotites, but Al2O3 in the rock correlates with Cr2O3 in garnet only in the refertilized varieties, while the two parameters are independent in depleted mantle rocks. According to the modeling of refertilization-related composition changes in the Udachnaya peridotites, garnet percentages are directly proportional to the amount of clinopyroxene (Gnt = 0.879*Cpx + 0.022, R2 = 0.78) and inversely proportional to that of olivine (Gnt = 0.026/Ol3.141, R2 = 0.79). As the shares of Gnt and Cpx increase from minimum values, orthopyroxene first increases (to 0.16) and then decreases since 0.65 Ol, 0.09 Cpx, and 0.10 Gnt. This model can constrain the place of the parent rock in the refertilization series knowing Cr2O3 contents in separate garnet grains. The average refertilization degree of lithospheric mantle in the region estimated from the compositions of more than 800 garnet xenocrysts in the Udachnaya kimberlite is expressed in the rock modal composition as: Ol = 0.72, Opx = 0.15, Gnt = 0.07, and Cpx = 0.06 (median values).
Abstract: The results of study secondary crystallized melt inclusions in olivine of a sheared peridotite xenolith from the Komsomolskaya-Magnitnaya kimberlite pipe (Upper Muna field, Yakutia) are reported. Monticellite, phlogopite, tetraferriphlogopite KMg3(Fe3+)Si3O10(F,Cl,OH), apatite, aphthitalite K3Na(SO4)2, burkeite Na6CO3(SO4)2, and carbonates, namely calcite, nyerereite (Na,K)2Ca(CO3)2, shortite Na2Ca2(CO3)3, and eitelite Na2Mg(CO3)2, were detected among the daughter minerals of the melt inclusions by the method of confocal Raman spectroscopy. The abundance of alkali carbonates in the inclusions indicates the alkali-carbonate composition of the melt. Previously, identical inclusions of alkali-carbonate melt were reported in olivine of sheared peridotites from the Udachnaya pipe (Daldyn field). Melt inclusions in sheared peridotites are the relics of a crystallized kimberlite melt that penetrated into peridotites either during the transport of xenoliths to the surface or directly in the mantle shortly prior to the entrapment of xenoliths by the kimberlite magma. If the second scenario took place, the finds of alkali-carbonate melt inclusions in sheared peridotites carried from different mantle depths in the Udachnaya and Komsomolskaya-Magnitnaya kimberlite pipes indicate a large-scale metasomatic alteration of the lithospheric mantle of the Siberian Craton by alkaline-carbonate melts, which preceded the kimberlite magmatism. However, regardless of which of the two models proposed above is correct, the results reported here support the alkali-carbonate composition of primary kimberlite melts.
Abstract: How the Earth's continental crust was formed in the Hadean eon is a subject of considerable debates [1-4]. For example, shallow hydrous peridotites [2,5], in particular the Hadean Earth's serpentinites [6], are potentially important ingredients in the creation of the continental ptoto-crust, but the mechanisms of this formation remain elusive. In this work, experiments to explore serpentinite-basalt interaction under conditions of the Hadean Earth were conducted. Kinetic runs lasting 0.5 to 48 hours at 0.2 to 1.0 GPa and 1250 to 1300°C reveal dehydration of serpentinite and release of a Si-Al-Na-K-rich aqueous fluid. For the first time, generation of heterogeneous hydrous silicic melts (56 to 67 wt% SiO2) in response to the fluid-assisted fertilisation and the subsequent partial melting of the dehydrated serpentinite has been discovered. The melts produced at 0.2 GPa have compositions similar to those of the bulk continental crust [2,3]. These new findings imply that the Earth's sialic proto-crust may be generated via fluid-assisted melting of serpentinized peridotite at shallow depths (?7 km) that do not require plate subduction during the Hadean eon. Shallow serpentinite dehydration and melting may be the principal physico-chemical processes affecting the earliest lithosphere.
Making Earth's continental crust from serpentinite and basalt.
Platinum group element and rhenium osmium geochemistry of selected carbonatites from India, USA and East africa.
Carbonatite-alkaline rocks and associated mineral deposits , Dec. 8-11, abstract p. 22-23.
India, United States, Africa, East Africa
carbonatites
Abstract: Carbonatites and associated alkaline silicate rocks might have potential economic impact for a large variety of metals such as Cu, Ni, Fe and platinum-group elements (PGE - Os, Ir, Ru, Pd, Pt) as it is demonstrated in South Africa (Phalaborwa; Taylor et al. 2009) or Brazil (Ipanema; Fontana 2006). In addition, determined PGE contents along with Re-Os isotopic compositions may also provide important information about PGE fractionation during the genesis of upper mantle-derived carbonatitic melts and nature of their sources. Nevertheless, the existing PGE data for carbonatites are extremely rare, limited mostly to Chinese localities and they are not paralleled by Re-Os isotopic data (Xu et al. 2008). Therefore, in this study, we present the first complete PGE datasets together with Re-Os determinations for a suite of selected carbonatite bodies worldwide. We have chosen eight carbonatite sites with different alkaline rock association, age and geotectonic position. Among these, the youngest samples are from East African rift system and include Oldoinyo Dili, Tanzania with an age spanning from ~0 to 45 Ma; same as Tororo and Sukulu in Uganda (Woolley and Kjarsgaard 2008). These carbonatites are in association with pyroxenites and nepheline syenites. Another young carbonatitic complex is Amba Dongar in west India with Cretaceous age of ~65 Ma associated with alkaline volcanic rocks such as trachybasalts within Deccan Traps (Sukheswala and Udas 1963). Proterozoic bodies are represented by Iron Hill, USA carbonatites associated with pyroxenite, melitolite and ijolite with age ranging from ~520 to 580 Ma (Nash 1972). These carbonatites are famous for their intensive and varied fenitization. Last and the oldest carbonatites in this study comes from Samalpatti and Sevattur, South India having the age of ~800 Ma (Schleicher et al. 1997) and outcropping as small bodies within alkaline rocks such as pyroxenite, syenite and gabbro. The PGE concentrations and Re-Os isotopic ratios were determined by standard methods consisting of decarbonatization using HCl, decomposition of samples in Carius Tubes in the presence of reverse aqua regia and spikes (isotopic dilution), separation of Os by CHCl3 followed by N-TIMS measurements and Ir, Ru, Pd, Pt, Re isolation by anion exchange chromatography followed by ICP-MS measurements. All analysed carbonatites exhibit extremely low PGE contents (? PGE up to 1 ppb), even in the samples with high S contents (up to 1.5 wt. %). Such values are much lower than other determined so far for upper mantle-derived melts such as basalts, komatiites, etc. (Day et al. 2016). Such signatures indicate very low partitioning of PGE into carbonatitic melts and/or early separation of PGE-bearing fraction. Elements from iridium-group I-PGE; Os, Ir and Ru; mostly < 0.1 ppb) are distinctly lower compared to palladiumgroup elements and Re (PPGE; Pt, Pd, Re; mostly > 0.1 ppb) with some rocks being largely enriched in Re (up to ~6 ppb). Most of the analysed carbonatites exhibit progressive enrichment from Os to Re and consequently, PdN/ReN < 0.1 except south India carbonatites and associated alkaline rocks (> 0.30). Rocks analysed so far for Os have OsN/IrN up to 6.2 that might suggest that the carbonatites might concentrate Os over Ir. The highest HSEtot contents have been found in Mg-Cr-rich silicocarbonatites from South India (up to 40 ppb) and taking into account their only slightly radiogenic 187Os/188Os ratios (0.14-0.57), these rocks represents mixture of CO2-rich alkaline mantle melts and country rocks. Very high concentrations of HSE have been also found in magnetite separated from Fe-carbonatite from Amba Dongar, India (0.2-0.5 ppb of I-PGE and 0.9-9 ppb of P-PGE). The 187Os/188Os ratios determined so far for carbonatites from South India vary from 0.24 to 6.5 and calculated ?Os values range from +100 up to +5000. Such wide range of values suggest extremely heterogenous source of the melts and/or possible contamination by 187Os-rich crustal materials.
Earth and Planetary Science letters, Vol. 520, pp. 175-187.
India
carbonatites
Abstract: Carbonatite metasomatism has been widely implicated for worldwide mafic mantle suites but so far, no combined data have been available for highly siderophile element systematics (HSE - Os, Ir, Ru, Pt, Pd, Re) and Re-Os isotopic compositions in carbonatites themselves. We present the first systematic survey of the HSE and Re-Os isotopic compositions in a suite of well-characterized Neoproterozoic carbonatites, silicocarbonatites and associated silicate rocks (pyroxenites, monzogabbros, syenites) from south India in order to place constraints on the HSE systematics in carbonatite magmas, anchoring possible mantle sources of carbonatites and relationship to the ambient crustal lithologies as well as preliminary constraints on carbonatite metasomatism in Earth's mantle. The most plausible explanation for generally low HSE contents in calciocarbonatites from Tamil Nadu (?HSE < 1.22 ppb) involves a low-degree (<1%) partial melting of the mantle source producing sulfur-saturated carbonatitic magmas leaving behind sulfide phases retaining HSE. The new data also indicate a strong FeO control on the distribution of Os and Pt during segregation of carbonatite melt from its enriched mantle source and/or melt differentiation. The combined 187Re/188Os values (from 0.10 to 217), 187Os/188Os ratios (0.186-10.4) and initial ?Os values back-calculated to 800 Ma (from +0.1 to +6052) predict that most Tamil Nadu calciocarbonatites were plausibly derived from a carbonated peridotite source with <10% recycled component. This model would thus provide significant constraints on the origin/source of carbonatites, irrespective of their post-emplacement history. The unusual, volumetrically rare, Mg-Cr-rich silicocarbonatites (?HSE = 14-41 ppb) display almost identical HSE patterns with those of host pyroxenites and predominantly high Pt (up to 38 ppb), the origin of which remains unknown. Positive co-variations between Pt, Pd and Re, and the well-developed positive correlation between Pt and MgO in these Mg-Cr-rich silicocarbonatites argue for a source coming predominantly from the upper mantle. The Re-Os isotopic systematics agree with direct incorporation of enriched mantle-derived material into parental melts but variable incorporation of potassium-rich crustal materials is evidenced by highly positive ?Os800 Ma values for a sub-suite of Mg-Cr-rich silicocarbonatites, indicating intense fenitization. The highly radiogenic Os isotopic compositions of monzogabbros and a syenite argue for their derivation from crustal lithologies with no or only negligible contribution of mantle material. Collectively, low Ir, Ru, Pt and Pd contents found in the Tamil Nadu carbonatites appear to indicate the incapability to significantly modify the total budget of these elements in the Earth's mantle during carbonatite metasomatism. In contrast, very high Re/Os ratios found in some of the analyzed carbonatites, paralleled by extremely radiogenic 187Os/188Os signature, can produce large modification of the Re-Os isotopic composition of mantle peridotites during carbonatite melt percolation when high melt/rock ratios are achieved.
Abstract: Estimates of carbon concentrations in Earth’s mantle vary over more than an order of magnitude, hindering our ability to understand mantle structure and mineralogy, partial melting, and the carbon cycle. CO2 concentrations in mantle-derived magmas supplying hotspot ocean island volcanoes yield our most direct constraints on mantle carbon, but are extensively modified by degassing during ascent. Here we show that undegassed magmatic and mantle carbon concentrations may be estimated in a Bayesian framework using diverse geologic information at an ocean island volcano. Our CO2 concentration estimates do not rely upon complex degassing models, geochemical tracer elements, assumed magma supply rates, or rare undegassed rock samples. Rather, we couple volcanic CO2 emission rates with probabilistic magma supply rates, which are obtained indirectly from magma storage and eruption rates. We estimate that the CO2 content of mantle-derived magma supplying Hawai‘i’s active volcanoes is 0.97?0.19+0.25 wt% -roughly 40% higher than previously believed-and is supplied from a mantle source region with a carbon concentration of 263?62+81?ppm. Our results suggest that mantle plumes and ocean island basalts are carbon-rich. Our data also shed light on helium isotope abundances, CO2/Nb ratios, and may imply higher CO2 emission rates from ocean island volcanoes.
Nd isotope systematics of 2.7 Ga adakites, magnesian andesites and arc basalts, Superior Province: evidence for shallow crustal recycling at Archean subduction zones
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 202, 2, pp. 345-60.
Polat, A., Herxberg, C., Munker, C., Rodgers, R., Kusky, T., Li, J., Fryer, B.
Geochemical and petrological evidence for a supra subduction zone origin of Neoarchean (ca 2.5 Ga) peridotites, central orogenic belt, North Chin a craton.
Geological Society of America Bulletin, Vol. 118, 7, July pp. 771-784.
Reading the geochemical fingerprints of Archean hot subduction volcanic rocks: evidence for accretion and crustal recycling in a mobile tectonic regime.
Benn, K., Mareschal, J-C., Condie, K.C. Archean Geodynamics and Environments, AGU Geophysical Monograph, No. 164, pp. 189-214.
Abstract: The Quaternary Tasse basalts are exposed near the north shore of Quesnel Lake in southeastern British Columbia. They host a variety of mantle xenoliths consisting predominantly of spinel lherzolite with minor dunite and pyroxenite. Mineralogically, the xenoliths are composed of olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and spinel characterized by forsterite (Fo87-93), enstatite (En90-92), diopside (En45-50-Wo40-45-Fs5), and Cr-spinel (6 ? 11 wt.% Cr), respectively. All of the mantle xenoliths are coarse-grained and show granoblastic textures. Clinopyroxene and spinel display textural evidence for chemical reactions with percolating melts. The mantle xenoliths are characterized by restricted Mg-numbers (89 ? 92) and low abundances of incompatible elements (Ba = 2 ? 11 ppm; Sr = 3 ? 31 ppm) and Yttrium (1 ? 3 ppm). On the basis of REE patterns, the xenoliths are divided into three groups reflecting the various degrees of mantle metasomatism: (1) Group 1 consists of concave-up LREE patterns (La/Smcn = 0.48 ? 1.16; Gd/Ybcn = 0.71 ? 0.92); (2) Group 2 possesses flat to moderately LREE-enriched patterns (La/Smcn = 1.14 ? 1.92; Gd/Ybcn = 0.87 ? 1.09); and (3) Group 3 is characterized by strongly LREE-enriched patterns (La/Smcn = 1.53 ? 2.45; Gd/Ybcn = 1.00 ? 1.32). On MORB-normalized trace element diagrams, the majority of the xenolith samples share the enrichment of LILE (Rb, Ba, K), U, Th, Pb, Sr and the depletion of HFSE (Nb, Ta, Ti, Y) relative to REE. These geochemical characteristics are consistent with a compositionally heterogeneous subcontinental lithospheric mantle source that originated as subarc mantle wedge peridotite at a convergent plate margin. The Tasse basalts have alkaline compositions characterized by low SiO2 (44 ? 46 wt.%) and high alkali (Na2O + K2O = 5.1 ? 6.6 wt.%) contents. They are strongly enriched in incompatible elements (TiO2 = 2.4 ? 3.1 wt.%; Ba = 580 ? 797 ppm; Sr = 872 ? 993 ppm) and, display OIB-like trace element patterns (La/Smn = 3.15 ? 3.85; Gd/Ybn = 3.42 ? 4.61). They have positive ?Nd (+ 3.8 to + 5.5) values, with 338 ? 426 Ma depleted mantle model ages, and display uniform OIB-like Sr (87Sr/86Sr = 0.703346 ? 0.703591) and Pb (206Pb/204Pb = 19.40 ? 19.58; 207Pb/204Pb = 15.57 ? 15.60; 208Pb/204Pb = 38.99 ? 39.14) isotopic compositions. The basalts erupted discontinuously along a > 1000 km long SE-NW-trending linear belt with minimal compositional variation indicative of a homogenous mantle source. The Sr ? Nd ? Pb isotope and trace element systematics of the alkaline basalts suggests that they originated from partial melting of an upwelling asthenospheric mantle source. Melting of the asthenospheric mantle might have stemmed from extension of the overlying lithosphere in response to the early stages of back-arc basin opening in the Omineca and Intermontane belts. Ridge subduction beneath the Canadian Cordillera might have played an important role in the weakening of the lithospheric mantle prior to its extension. Alternatively, melting of the upwelling asthenosphere in response to the delamination of the lithospheric mantle beneath the Rocky Mountain Trench might have generated the alkaline lavas.
Precambrian Research, in press available, 43p. Pdf
Mantle
plate tectonics
Abstract: One of the most contentious areas of Earth Science today is when, or whether or not modern-style plate tectonics was in operation in the Archean Eon. In this review we present evidence that the onset of plate tectonics was not at 3.2 Ga, as popularly conceived, but was in operation during the Eoarchean by at least ca. 4.0 Ga. Following a review of the main Eoarchean supracrustal belts of the world, constrained by relevant geochemical/isotopic data, we present evidence that suggests that from at least ca. 4.0 Ga Earth produced considerable juvenile mafic crust and consequent island arcs by Accretionary Cycle Plate Tectonics. From ~3.2 Ga there was a gradual transition in geodynamics to more abundant active continental margin magmatism in the form of voluminous TTGs and sanukitoids. From 3.2 Ga to 2.5 Ga juvenile oceanic crust and arcs continued to form, accompanied by more active continental margin magmatism until ~2.7-2.5 Ga, by which time there were sufficient crustal rocks to amalgamate into incipient large continents, the fragmentation of which started the first complete classical Wilson Cycle Plate Tectonics of breaking apart and re-assembling large continental masses. In other words, there were two types of plate tectonics in operation in the early Earth, Accretionary Cycle Plate Tectonics and Wilson Cycle Plate Tectonics, but Wilson Cycle type plate interactions only became more common after contiguous continental landmass became voluminous and extensive enough around 2.7-2.5 Ga. Failure to realize this dual mechanism of continental growth may lead to erroneous ideas such as "plate tectonics started at 3.2 Ga", or "mantle plumes generated early Archean magmatic rocks." We present new geochemical data that together with lithological and structural relationships, negate the various plume-type speculations including stagnant lids, heat pipes, and mushy-lid tectonics. It is interesting to consider that the way Earth’s crust developed in the first Gigayear of the geological record continued later, albeit in more advanced forms, into the Phanerozoic, where we can still recognize Accretionary Cycle Plate Tectonics and orogens still with short boundaries in examples including the Altaids of Central Asia, the Arabian-Nubian Shield, the Japanese Islands, and in incipient form in Indonesia, as well as Wilson Cycle Plate Tectonics that leads inexorably to continental collisions as in the Alpine-Himalayan orogen with its long plate boundaries. We recommend this holistic view of crustal growth and the evolution of continents that leads to a robust, viable, and testable model of Earth evolution.
Precambrian Research, doi.org/1-.1016/ j.precamres.2020 .105980, 43p. Pdf
Mantle
plate tectonics
Abstract: One of the most contentious areas of Earth Science today is when, or whether or not modern-style plate tectonics was in operation in the Archean Eon. In this review we present evidence that the onset of plate tectonics was not at 3.2 Ga, as popularly conceived, but was in operation during the Eoarchean by at least ca. 4.0 Ga. Following a review of the main Eoarchean supracrustal belts of the world, constrained by relevant geochemical/isotopic data, we present evidence that suggests that from at least ca. 4.0 Ga Earth produced considerable juvenile mafic crust and consequent island arcs by Accretionary Cycle Plate Tectonics. From ~3.2 Ga there was a gradual transition in geodynamics to more abundant active continental margin magmatism in the form of voluminous TTGs and sanukitoids. From 3.2 Ga to 2.5 Ga juvenile oceanic crust and arcs continued to form, accompanied by more active continental margin magmatism until ~2.7-2.5 Ga, by which time there were sufficient crustal rocks to amalgamate into incipient large continents, the fragmentation of which started the first complete classical Wilson Cycle Plate Tectonics of breaking apart and re-assembling large continental masses. In other words, there were two types of plate tectonics in operation in the early Earth, Accretionary Cycle Plate Tectonics and Wilson Cycle Plate Tectonics, but Wilson Cycle type plate interactions only became more common after contiguous continental landmass became voluminous and extensive enough around 2.7-2.5 Ga. Failure to realize this dual mechanism of continental growth may lead to erroneous ideas such as "plate tectonics started at 3.2 Ga", or "mantle plumes generated early Archean magmatic rocks." We present new geochemical data that together with lithological and structural relationships, negate the various plume-type speculations including stagnant lids, heat pipes, and mushy-lid tectonics. It is interesting to consider that the way Earth’s crust developed in the first Gigayear of the geological record continued later, albeit in more advanced forms, into the Phanerozoic, where we can still recognize Accretionary Cycle Plate Tectonics and orogens still with short boundaries in examples including the Altaids of Central Asia, the Arabian-Nubian Shield, the Japanese Islands, and in incipient form in Indonesia, as well as Wilson Cycle Plate Tectonics that leads inexorably to continental collisions as in the Alpine-Himalayan orogen with its long plate boundaries. We recommend this holistic view of crustal growth and the evolution of continents that leads to a robust, viable, and testable model of Earth evolution.
Abstract: Rare earth element (REE) ore-bearing carbonatite dikes and a stock at Mountain Pass, California, are spatially associated with a suite of ultrapotassic plutonic rocks, and it has been proposed that the two are genetically related. This hypothesis is problematic, given that existing geochronological constraints indicate that the carbonatite is ?15-25 Myr younger than the ultrapotassic rocks, requiring alternative models for the formation of the REE ore-bearing carbonatite during a separate event and/or via a different mechanism. New laser ablation split-stream inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LASS-ICP-MS) petrochronological data from ultrapotassic intrusive rocks from Mountain Pass yield titanite and zircon U-Pb dates from 1429?±?10 to 1385?±?18?Ma, expanding the age range of the ultrapotassic rocks in the complex by ?20 Myr. The ages of the youngest ultrapotassic rocks overlap monazite Th-Pb ages from a carbonatite dike and the main carbonatite ore body (1396?±?16 and 1371?±?10?Ma, respectively). The Hf isotope compositions of zircon in the ultrapotassic rocks are uniform, both within and between samples, with a weighted mean ?Hfi of 1•9?±?0•2 (MSWD?=?0•9), indicating derivation from a common, isotopically homogeneous source. In contrast, in situ Nd isotopic data for titanite in the ultrapotassic rocks are variable (?Ndi?=?-3•5 to -12), suggesting variable contamination by an isotopically enriched source. The most primitive ?Ndi isotopic signatures, however, do overlap ?Ndi from monazite (?Ndi?=?-2•8?±?0•2) and bastnäsite (?Ndi?=?-3•2?±?0•3) in the ore-bearing carbonatite, suggesting derivation from a common source. The data presented here indicate that ultrapotassic magmatism occurred in up to three phases at Mountain Pass (?1425, ?1405, and ?1380?Ma). The latter two stages were coeval with carbonatite magmatism, revealing previously unrecognized synchronicity in ultrapotassic and carbonatite magmatism at Mountain Pass. Despite this temporal overlap, major and trace element geochemical data are inconsistent with derivation of the carbonatite and ultrapotassic rocks by liquid immiscibility or fractional crystallization from common parental magma. Instead, we propose that the carbonatite was generated as a primary melt from the same source as the ultrapotassic rocks, and that although it is unique, the Mountain Pass ultrapotassic and carbonatite suite is broadly similar to other alkaline silicate-carbonatite occurrences in which the two rock types were generated as separate mantle melts.
Malaspina, N., Langenhorst, F., Fumagalli, P., Tumiati, S., Poli, S.
Fe 3+ distribution between garnet and pyroxenes in mantle wedge carbonate bearing garnet peridotites ( Sulu, China) and implications for their oxidation state.
Malaspina, N., Langenhorst, F., Fumagalli, P., Tumiati, S., Poli, S.
Fe 3 + distribution between garnet and pyroxenes in mantle wedge carbonate bearing garnet peridotites ( Sulu China) and implications for their oxidation state.
Carbonatites out of a subducted altered oceanic crust? New experimental evidences for "low temperature" carbonatitic melts in COH bearing gabbros at 3.8-4.2 Gpa.
Abstract: More than half a gigaton of CO2 is subducted into Earth’s interior each year1. At least 40% of this CO2 is returned to the atmosphere by arc volcanism2, 3, 4. Processes that are known to release carbon from subducting slabs—decarbonation or carbonate dissolution in fluids—can account for only a portion of the CO2 released at arc volcanoes5. Carbonatitic liquids may form from the subducting crust, but are thought to form only at very high temperatures. Melting of carbonated rocks could restrict the subduction of carbon into the deeper Earth. However, the behaviour of such rock types in subduction zones is unclear. Here I use laboratory experiments to show that calcium-rich hydrous carbonatitic liquids can form at temperatures as low as 870 to 900 °C, which corresponds to shallow depths of just 120 km beneath subduction zone arcs, in warm thermal regimes. I find that water strongly depresses the solidus for hydrous carbonate gabbro and limestone rocks, creating carbonatitic liquids that efficiently scavenge volatile elements, calcium and silicon, from the slab. These extremely mobile and reactive liquids are expected to percolate into the mantle wedge, and create a CO2 source for subduction zone magmatism. Carbonatitic liquids thus provide a potentially significant pathway for carbon recycling at shallow depths beneath arcs.
Progress in Earth and Planetary Science, Vol. 3, 18p.
Mantle
Carbonatite
Abstract: Current knowledge on the solidus temperature for carbonated eclogites suggests that carbonatitic liquids should not form from a subducted oceanic lithosphere at sub-arc depth. However, the oceanic crust includes a range of gabbroic rocks, altered on rifts and transforms, with large amounts of anorthite-rich plagioclase forming epidote on metamorphism. Epidote disappearance with pressure depends on the normative anorthite content of the bulk composition; we therefore expect that altered gabbros might display a much wider pressure range where epidote persists, potentially affecting the solidus relationships. A set of experimental data up to 4.6 GPa, and 1000 °C, including new syntheses on mafic eclogites with 36.8 % normative anorthite, is discussed to unravel the effect of variable bulk and volatile compositions in model eclogites, enriched in the normative anorthite component (An 37 and An 45). Experiments are performed in piston cylinder and multianvil machines. Garnet, clinopyroxene, and coesite form in all syntheses. Lawsonite was found to persist at 3.7 GPa, 750 °C, with both dolomite and magnesite; at 3.8 GPa, 775-800 °C, fluid-saturated conditions, epidote coexists with kyanite, dolomite, and magnesite. The anhydrous assemblage garnet, omphacite, aragonite, and kyanite is found at 4.2 GPa, 850 °C. At 900 °C, a silicate glass of granitoid composition, a carbonatitic precipitate, and Na-carbonate are observed. Precipitates are interpreted as evidence of hydrous carbonatitic liquids at run conditions; these liquids produced are richer in Ca compared to experimental carbonatites from anhydrous experiments, consistently with the dramatic role of H2O in depressing the solidus temperature for CaCO3. The fluid-absent melting of the assemblage epidote + dolomite, enlarged in its pressure stability for An-rich gabbros, is expected to promote the generation of carbonatitic liquids. The subsolidus breakdown of epidote in the presence of carbonates at depths exceeding 120 km provides a major source of C-O-H volatiles at sub-arc depth. In warm subduction zones, the possibility of extracting carbonatitic liquids from a variety of gabbroic rocks and epidosites offers new scenarios on the metasomatic processes in the lithospheric wedge of subduction zones and a new mechanism for recycling carbon.
Abstract: Subduction of calcium carbonate, sequestered in the oceanic crust by hydrothermal metamorphism and biogenic action, accounts for a significant flux of carbon into the mantle, where it contributes to the genesis of carbonatitic and silica-undersaturated melts. However, the reported phase relations in the system CaCO3, notably the transition boundary from disordered calcite (calcite V, here ccv) to aragonite (ara), vary considerably among different studies. Moreover, the thermodynamic properties of ccv and of liquid CaCO3 (CaCO3L) remain to be determined. In order to address the dearth of experimental data on phase relations, and to determine a set of internally consistent thermodynamic properties for ara, ccv and CaCO3L, multi-anvil experiments were performed at 3-6?GPa and 1300-1750?°C. By re-evaluating all experimental data, the transformation of ccv-ara fits the equation Tccv-ara?=?397.6?+?320.17?×?P and the melting curve Tm?=?1578.9?+?139.65?×?P???11.646?×?P2, where pressure is in GPa and temperature in K. Thermodynamic properties retrieved for calcite V and liquid CaCO3 are used to compute phase diagrams of relevance for chemical compositions representative of eclogite heterogeneities of the astenospheric mantle, and compared with experimentally derived phase relationships. Aragonite represents a carbonate of major abundance in carbonated eclogites at high temperature, close to the solidus; its ability to fractionate REE and Ba-Sr contributes to the peculiar geochemical signatures of silica undersaturated magmas. The relatively refractory nature of aragonite impacts on our understanding of the deep carbon cycle.
Abstract: Subduction of calcium carbonate, sequestered in the oceanic crust by hydrothermal metamorphism and biogenic action, accounts for a significant flux of carbon into the mantle, where it contributes to the genesis of carbonatitic and silica-undersaturated melts. However, the reported phase relations in the system CaCO3, notably the transition boundary from disordered calcite (calcite V, here ccv) to aragonite (ara), vary considerably among different studies. Moreover, the thermodynamic properties of ccv and of liquid CaCO3 (CaCO3L) remain to be determined. In order to address the dearth of experimental data on phase relations, and to determine a set of internally consistent thermodynamic properties for ara, ccv and CaCO3L, multi-anvil experiments were performed at 3-6?GPa and 1300-1750?°C. By re-evaluating all experimental data, the transformation of ccv-ara fits the equation Tccv-ara?=?397.6?+?320.17?×?P and the melting curve Tm?=?1578.9?+?139.65?×?P???11.646?×?P2, where pressure is in GPa and temperature in K. Thermodynamic properties retrieved for calcite V and liquid CaCO3 are used to compute phase diagrams of relevance for chemical compositions representative of eclogite heterogeneities of the astenospheric mantle, and compared with experimentally derived phase relationships. Aragonite represents a carbonate of major abundance in carbonated eclogites at high temperature, close to the solidus; its ability to fractionate REE and Ba-Sr contributes to the peculiar geochemical signatures of silica undersaturated magmas. The relatively refractory nature of aragonite impacts on our understanding of the deep carbon cycle.
Dia Met's diamond recovery pilot plant in Colorado
The Canadian Mining and Metallurgical Bulletin (CIM Bulletin) ., Session on Diamonds at The Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) Annual Meeting April, Vol. 84, No. 947, March p. 99. Abstract
The Canadian Mining and Metallurgical Bulletin (CIM Bulletin) , Annual Meeting Abstracts LESS than approximately 10, Vol. 86, No. 968, March ABSTRACT p. 75.
Abstract: Potential environmental issues associated with the mining of carbonatites are receiving increased attention due to the importance of critical metals for green technologies. This study investigates the chemistry of tailings seepage at the former Saint Lawrence Columbium mine near Oka, Québec, Canada, which produced pyrochlore concentrate and ferroniobium from a carbonatite-hosted Nb-REE deposit. Detailed field sampling and laboratory methods were used to characterize the hydraulic properties of the tailings, their bulk chemistry, mineralogy, pore water and effluent chemistries. The tailings are composed of REE-enriched calcite (64-89 wt %) and fluorapatite (2-22 wt %), as well as biotite (6-17 wt %) and chlorite (0-7 wt %). Minor minerals include ankerite, pyrite, sphalerite, molybdenite, magnetite and unrecovered pyrochlore. Secondary minerals include gypsum, barite, strontianite and rhodochrosite. Geochemical mass balance modeling, constrained by speciation modeling, was used to identify dissolution, precipitation and exchange reactions controlling the chemical evolution of pore water along its flow path through the tailings impoundment. In the unsaturated zone, these reactions include sulfide oxidation and calcite dissolution with acid neutralization. Below the water table, gypsum dissolution is followed by sulfate reduction and FeS precipitation driven by the oxidation of organic carbon in the tailings. Incongruent dissolution of biotite and chlorite releases K, Mg, Fe, Mn, Ba and F and forms kaolinite and Ca-smectite. Cation exchange reactions further remove Ca from solution, increasing concentrations of Na and K. Fluoride concentrations reach 23 mg/L and 8 mg/L in tailings pore water and effluent, respectively. These values exceed Canadian guidelines for the protection of aquatic life. In the mildly alkaline (pH 8.3) pore waters, Mo is highly mobile and reaches an average concentration of 83 ?g/L in tailings effluent, which slightly exceeds environmental guidelines. Concentrations (unfiltered) of Zn reach 1702 ?g/L in tailings pore water although values in effluent are usually less than 20 ?g/L. At the ambient pH, Zn is strongly adsorbed by Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides. Although U forms mobile complexes in tailings pore water, concentrations do not exceed 16 ?g/L due to the low solubility of its pyrochlore host. Adsorption and the low solubility of pyrochlore limit concentrations of Nb to less than 49 ?g/L. Cerium, from calcite dissolution, is strongly adsorbed although it reaches concentrations (unfiltered) in excess of 1 mg/L and 100 ?g/L in pore water and effluent, respectively. Results of this study show that mine tailings from carbonatite deposits are enriched in a wide variety of incompatible elements with multiple mineral hosts of varying solubility. Some of these elements, such as F and Mo, may represent contaminants of concern because of their mobility in alkaline tailings waters.
Can differences in heat flow between east and southern Africa be easilyinterpreted? Implications for understanding regional variability in continentalheat
Tectonophysics, Vol. 219, pp. 257-272
South Africa
Heat Flow, Craton, Archean, Tanzanian, Mozambique Belt
Obrebski, M., Allen, R.M., Pollitz, F., Hung, S-H.
Lithosphere asthenosphere interaction beneath the western United States from the joint inversion of body-wave traveltimes and surface wave phase veolocities.
Geophysical Journal International, March 25, In press available
Mineralogy and Petrology, doi.org/10.1007/ s00710-018-0630-7 14p.
Canada, Northwest Territories
deposit - Diavik
Abstract: The Diavik Diamond Mine in the NWT of Canada has produced in excess of 100 million carats from 3 kimberlite pipes since mining commenced in 2002. Here, we present new findings from deep (>400 m below surface) mining, sampling and drilling work in the A154N kimberlite volcano that require a revision of previous geological and emplacement models and provide a window into how the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) below Diavik was sampled by kimberlite magmas through time. Updated internal geological models feature two volcanic packages interpreted to represent two successive cycles of explosive eruption followed by active and passive sedimentation from a presumed crater-rim, both preceded and followed by intrusions of coherent kimberlite. Contact relationships apparent among the geological units allow for a sequential organization of as many as five temporally-discrete emplacement events. Representative populations of mantle minerals extracted from geological units corresponding to four of the emplacement events at A154N are analyzed for major and trace elements, and provide insights into the whether or not kimberlites randomly sample from the mantle. Two independent geothermometers using clinopyroxene and garnet data indicate similar source depths for clinopyroxenes and G9 garnets (130-160 km), and suggest deeper sampling with time for both clinopyroxene and garnets. Harzburgite is limited to 110-160 km, and appears more prevalent in early, low-volume events. Variable ratios of garnet parageneses from the same depth horizons suggest random sampling by passing magmas, but deeper garnet sampling through time suggests early preferential sampling of shallow/depleted SCLM. Evaluations of Ti, Zr, Y and Ga over the range of estimated depths support models of the SCLM underlying the central Slave terrane.
Society of Economic Geology Geoscience and Exploration of the Argyle, Bunder, Diavik, and Murowa Diamond Deposits, Special Publication no. 20, pp. 287-318.
Society of Economic Geology Geoscience and Exploration of the Argyle, Bunder, Diavik, and Murowa Diamond Deposits, Special Publication no. 20, pp. 267-286.
Gondwana Research, Vol. 70, pp. 1-24. doi:10.1016/ j.gr.2018.12.005
South America, Brazil
craton
Abstract: The study of Paleoproterozoic rocks is crucial for understanding Earth's tectonic evolution during the time when most of the modern crust and ore deposits were formed. The rocks of the Brazilian Amazonian Craton record some of the most-complete and best-preserved Paleoproterozoic magmatic and volcanic episodes on Earth. Following previous investigations, we present new lithofaciological and stratigraphic records of the felsic rocks of the Tapajós Mineral Province (TMP) (~2-1.88?Ga) and the Săo Felix do Xingú region (SFX) (~1.88?Ga) which, combined with new petrological and geochronological data, help providing a more complete understanding of the tectonic, magmatic and volcanological evolution of the Amazonian Craton. This magmatism/volcanism is thought to be formed in a late-/post-orogenic to extentional regime confirmed by the new geochemical data presented here. The transition from late-convergent to extensional tectonic setting could register the beginning of the taphrogenesis that marked the Amazonian Craton throughout the Mesoproterozoic. The volcanological approach of this contribution can serve as a strategy for the modelling of the evolution of Precambrian volcano-sedimentary basins around the world. The large amount of rocks analyzed are divided into primary and secondary volcaniclastic products depending on if they resulted from a direct volcanic activity (pyroclastic) or processes that reworked pyroclastic fragments. Furthermore, the deposits are subdivided into massive and stratified, depending on their primary mechanisms of transport and emplacement. By confirming the results from previous studies, our study permits to depict a more precise paleo-environmental picture of the processes that occurred in the Amazonian Craton during the Late-Paleoproterozoic. In particular, the presence of large regional-scale fissural systems and caldera collapses produced large silicic explosive volcanic eruptions, also accompanied by the emission of large volume effusive products. Although studies on the Amazonian Craton are still scarce and controversial, the present study provides new evidence that this volcanism may have formed one of the largest Silicic Large Igneous Provinces (SLIP) on earth. Our data also confirm that at least two major Paleoproterozoic periods of formation of volcanic rocks exist in the Amazonian craton. This point is of great relevance for any future interpretation of the geological evolution of this craton.
Abstract: The study of Paleoproterozoic rocks is crucial for understanding Earth's tectonic evolution during the time when most of the modern crust and ore deposits were formed. The rocks of the Brazilian Amazonian Craton record some of the most-complete and best-preserved Paleoproterozoic magmatic and volcanic episodes on Earth. Following previous investigations, we present new lithofaciological and stratigraphic records of the felsic rocks of the Tapajós Mineral Province (TMP) (~2-1.88?Ga) and the Săo Felix do Xingú region (SFX) (~1.88?Ga) which, combined with new petrological and geochronological data, help providing a more complete understanding of the tectonic, magmatic and volcanological evolution of the Amazonian Craton. This magmatism/volcanism is thought to be formed in a late-/post-orogenic to extentional regime confirmed by the new geochemical data presented here. The transition from late-convergent to extensional tectonic setting could register the beginning of the taphrogenesis that marked the Amazonian Craton throughout the Mesoproterozoic. The volcanological approach of this contribution can serve as a strategy for the modelling of the evolution of Precambrian volcano-sedimentary basins around the world. The large amount of rocks analyzed are divided into primary and secondary volcaniclastic products depending on if they resulted from a direct volcanic activity (pyroclastic) or processes that reworked pyroclastic fragments. Furthermore, the deposits are subdivided into massive and stratified, depending on their primary mechanisms of transport and emplacement. By confirming the results from previous studies, our study permits to depict a more precise paleo-environmental picture of the processes that occurred in the Amazonian Craton during the Late-Paleoproterozoic. In particular, the presence of large regional-scale fissural systems and caldera collapses produced large silicic explosive volcanic eruptions, also accompanied by the emission of large volume effusive products. Although studies on the Amazonian Craton are still scarce and controversial, the present study provides new evidence that this volcanism may have formed one of the largest Silicic Large Igneous Provinces (SLIP) on earth. Our data also confirm that at least two major Paleoproterozoic periods of formation of volcanic rocks exist in the Amazonian craton. This point is of great relevance for any future interpretation of the geological evolution of this craton.
Abstract: The study of Paleoproterozoic rocks is crucial for understanding Earth's tectonic evolution during the time when most of the modern crust and ore deposits were formed. The rocks of the Brazilian Amazonian Craton record some of the most-complete and best-preserved Paleoproterozoic magmatic and volcanic episodes on Earth. Following previous investigations, we present new lithofaciological and stratigraphic records of the felsic rocks of the Tapajós Mineral Province (TMP) (~2-1.88?Ga) and the Săo Felix do Xingú region (SFX) (~1.88?Ga) which, combined with new petrological and geochronological data, help providing a more complete understanding of the tectonic, magmatic and volcanological evolution of the Amazonian Craton. This magmatism/volcanism is thought to be formed in a late-/post-orogenic to extentional regime confirmed by the new geochemical data presented here. The transition from late-convergent to extensional tectonic setting could register the beginning of the taphrogenesis that marked the Amazonian Craton throughout the Mesoproterozoic. The volcanological approach of this contribution can serve as a strategy for the modelling of the evolution of Precambrian volcano-sedimentary basins around the world. The large amount of rocks analyzed are divided into primary and secondary volcaniclastic products depending on if they resulted from a direct volcanic activity (pyroclastic) or processes that reworked pyroclastic fragments. Furthermore, the deposits are subdivided into massive and stratified, depending on their primary mechanisms of transport and emplacement. By confirming the results from previous studies, our study permits to depict a more precise paleo-environmental picture of the processes that occurred in the Amazonian Craton during the Late-Paleoproterozoic. In particular, the presence of large regional-scale fissural systems and caldera collapses produced large silicic explosive volcanic eruptions, also accompanied by the emission of large volume effusive products. Although studies on the Amazonian Craton are still scarce and controversial, the present study provides new evidence that this volcanism may have formed one of the largest Silicic Large Igneous Provinces (SLIP) on earth. Our data also confirm that at least two major Paleoproterozoic periods of formation of volcanic rocks exist in the Amazonian craton. This point is of great relevance for any future interpretation of the geological evolution of this craton.
Abstract: Serpentinization greatly affects the physical and chemical properties of lithospheric mantle. Here we address the fate of serpentinized peridotites and their influence over an entire Wilson cycle. We document the near-surface journey of serpentinized subcontinental peridotites exhumed during rifting and continental breakup, reactivated as buoyant material during subduction, and ultimately emplaced as "ophiolite-like" fragments within orogenic belts. This life cycle is particularly well documented in former Tethys margins, where recent studies describe the ongoing incorporation of Mesozoic serpentinized subcontinental peridotites that diapirically rise from a subducting lower plate’s mantle to be emplaced into the accretionary prism in front of a continental arc. This newly recognized mode of subduction-linked serpentine diapirism from the downgoing lithospheric slab is consistent with the origin of some exhumed serpentinized subcontinental peridotites in the Apennines (Italy), these assemblages reaching their present locations during Alpine orogenesis. Transfer of serpentinized subcontinental peridotites from the downgoing to the overriding plate motivates the concept of a potentially "leaky" subduction channel. Weak serpentine bodies may in fact rise into, preferentially migrate within, and eventually leave the intraplate shear zone, leading to strong lateral heterogeneities in its composition and mechanical strength.
Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, in press available 19p.
Russia
Deposit - Udachnaya East
Abstract: The Udachnaya East kimberlite is characterized by the presence of chlorides, sulfates and alkali carbonates. This highly atypical mineralogy underpinned a model for an anhydrous alkali-rich primary kimberlite melt, despite the absence of petrographic studies providing textural context to the exotic minerals. The present work documents the petrography of the Udachnaya East kimberlite in order to address this problem. The pipe comprises two varieties of Fort-a-la-Corne type pyroclastic kimberlite, olivine-rich and magmaclast-rich, and coherent kimberlite. These kimberlites entrain xenoliths of limestones, altered shales and siltstones, halite-dominated rocks, dolomites, and coarse calcite rocks. The distinct varieties of the Udachnaya East kimberlite carry different populations of crustal xenoliths, which partially control the mineralogy of the host kimberlite. In magmaclast-rich pyroclastic kimberlite, where halite is absent from the crustal xenoliths, it is not observed in the interclast matrix, or within the magmaclasts. Halite occurs in the interclast matrix of olivine-rich pyroclastic kimberlite, where halite xenoliths are common. Large, ~ 30 cm halite xenoliths are uniquely restricted to the coherent kimberlite and show a strong reaction with it. The halite xenoliths are sourced from depths of ? 1500 to ? 630 m, where carbonate beds host multiple karst cavities filled with halite and gypsum and occasional sedimentary evaporites. The style of secondary mineralization at Udachnaya depends on whether the kimberlite is coherent or pyroclastic. Shortite, pirssonite and other alkali carbonates replacing calcite and possibly serpentine are abundant only in porous pyroclastic kimberlites of both types and in their shale/siltstone xenoliths. The lower porosity of the coherent kimberlite prevented the interaction of kimberlite with Na brines. Serpentinization localized around halite xenoliths started at temperatures above 500 °C, as indicated by its association with high-temperature iowaite. The model of the “dry” Na and Cl-rich primary kimberlite melt is invalidated on the basis of 1) the restriction of exotic salt minerals to certain kimberlite types and xenoliths; and 2) the absence of halite-rich melt inclusions in olivine of coherent kimberlite.
Abstract: How the Earth's continental crust was formed in the Hadean eon is a subject of considerable debates [1-4]. For example, shallow hydrous peridotites [2,5], in particular the Hadean Earth's serpentinites [6], are potentially important ingredients in the creation of the continental ptoto-crust, but the mechanisms of this formation remain elusive. In this work, experiments to explore serpentinite-basalt interaction under conditions of the Hadean Earth were conducted. Kinetic runs lasting 0.5 to 48 hours at 0.2 to 1.0 GPa and 1250 to 1300°C reveal dehydration of serpentinite and release of a Si-Al-Na-K-rich aqueous fluid. For the first time, generation of heterogeneous hydrous silicic melts (56 to 67 wt% SiO2) in response to the fluid-assisted fertilisation and the subsequent partial melting of the dehydrated serpentinite has been discovered. The melts produced at 0.2 GPa have compositions similar to those of the bulk continental crust [2,3]. These new findings imply that the Earth's sialic proto-crust may be generated via fluid-assisted melting of serpentinized peridotite at shallow depths (?7 km) that do not require plate subduction during the Hadean eon. Shallow serpentinite dehydration and melting may be the principal physico-chemical processes affecting the earliest lithosphere.
Making Earth's continental crust from serpentinite and basalt.
Physicsa Status Solidi , doi:10.1002/pssa.201900888
Global
HPHT
Abstract: Various samples of multisectoral high?pressure high?temperature (HPHT) single?crystal diamond plate (IIa type) (4?×?4?×?0.53?mm) are tested for particle detection applications. The samples are investigated by X?ray diffractometry, photoluminescence spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier?transform infrared, and visible/ultraviolet (UV) absorption spectroscopy. High crystalline perfection and low impurity concentration (in the {100} growth sector) are observed. To investigate detector parameters, circular 1.0 and 1.5?mm diameter Pt Schottky barrier contacts are created on {111} and {100} growth sectors. On the backside, a Pt contact (3.5?×?3.5?mm) is produced. The {100} growth sector is proved to be a high?quality detector: the full width at half maximum energy resolution is 0.94% for the 5.489?MeV 226Ra ??line at an operational bias of +500?V. Therefore, it is concluded that the HPHT material {100} growth sector is used for radiation detector production, whose quality is not worse than the chemical vapor deposition method or specially selected natural diamond detectors.
Flourine , yttrium and lanthaide rich cerianite (Ce) from carbonatitic rocks of the Kerimasi volcano and surrounding explosive craters Gregory Rift Tanzania.
Mineralogical Magazine, Vol. 75, 6, pp. 2813-2822.
Geology of Ore Deposits, Vol. 62, 6, pp. 497-507. pdf
Russia, Yakutia
deposit Yubileinaya
Abstract: An experimental study was carried out on the dissolution of natural octahedral diamonds from the Internatsionalnaya and Yubileinaya kimberlite pipes (Yakutia) in an Fe-S melt at 4 GPa and 1450-1500°C with different sulfur contents (10-25 wt %). It was found that with an increase in sulfur content in the iron melt, the degree of diamond dissolution sharply decreases. The stationary (final) shape of diamond crystal dissolution under the achieved conditions corresponds to an octahedroid with trigonal etching layers, which is confirmed by photogoniometry. Diamonds with similar morphology are common in kimberlite pipes, especially in mantle xenoliths from kimberlites. It was concluded that diamonds with this shape did not undergo natural dissolution in a kimberlite magma, but, similar to flat-faced octahedra, were probably isolated from it in xenoliths. Therefore, the higher the content of octahedroid-shaped diamonds with trigonal layers in a deposit, the smaller the direct influence of an aggressive kimberlite magma on the diamond content.
Abstract: An experimental study of the dissolution of natural and synthetic diamonds in a sulfur-bearing iron melt (Fe0.7S0.3) with high P-T parameters (4 GPa, 1400°?) was performed. The results demonstrated that under these conditions, octahedral crystals with flat faces and rounded tetrahexahedral diamond crystals are transformed into rounded octahedroids, which have morphological characteristics similar to those of natural diamonds from kimberlite. It was suggested that, taking into account the complex history of individual natural diamond crystals, including the dissolution stages, sulfur-bearing metal melts up to sulfide melts were not only diamond-forming media during the early evolution of the Earth, but also natural solvents of diamond in the mantle environment before the formation of kimberlitic melts.
Doklady Earth Sciences, Vol. 471, 2, pp. 1303-1306.
Technology
Diamond crystallography
Abstract: The occurrence rates of combinatorial types of simple polyhedra {111} are analyzed for natural and artificial diamonds. The empirical occurrence rates of 14 possible polyhedra in an isotropic environment are obtained based on numeral simulation of growth forms of octahedral crystals by the Monte-Carlo method. The phenomenon of dissymmetrization by Curie’s principle related to the crystallization conditions is established for artificial and natural diamonds.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 175, 106, 21p. Pdf
Russia
deposit - Nyurbinskaya
Abstract: We present a new dataset on the composition of high-density fluids (HDFs) in cloudy (n?=?25), coated (n?=?10) and cuboid (n?=?10) diamonds from the Nyurbinskaya kimberlite pipe. These diamonds represent different populations each showing distinct growth histories. The cores of coated diamonds display multiple growth stages and contrasting sources of carbon. Fibrous coats and cuboid diamonds have similar carbon isotopes and nitrogen systematics, suggesting their formation in the last metasomatic events related to kimberlite magmatism, as is common for most such diamonds worldwide. The HDFs in most of these diamonds span a wide range from low-Mg carbonatitic to hydrous silicic compositions. The major- and trace-element variations suggest that the sources for such HDFs range in composition between the depleted mantle and more fertile mantle reservoirs. Hydrous-silicic HDFs could originate from a 13C-enriched source, which originates through subduction of crustal metasedimentary material. Percolation of such HDFs through carbonated eclogites and peridotites facilitates the formation of cuboid diamonds and fibrous coats in the mantle section beneath the corresponding area of the Siberian craton. Cloudy diamonds represent an apparently older population, reflecting continuous diamond formation predominantly from high-Mg carbonatitic HDFs that caused discrete episodes of diamond precipitation. Their high Mg# and enrichment in incompatible elements support a metasomatized peridotitic source for these HDFs.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 242, pp. 165-190.
United States, Arizona
peridotite
Abstract: Scientists have known for a long time that various types of rock conduct current differently and that these differences are even more pronounced as the temperatures and pressures increase farther beneath Earth’s surface. They also know that unusual changes in electrical conductivity can signal activity down below, like migrating magma or a release of trapped fluids. Thus, electrical measurements can uncover clues about the events that trigger earthquakes and volcanic eruptions here on the surface. They can also give clues to the mantle’s structure and dynamics. However, interpreting these signals is far from straightforward. Earth scientists increasingly use electrical observations made in the field to image Earth’s crust and mantle, in particular, at subduction zones and mid-ocean ridges. An effective means of interpreting these electrical images and placing them into context with other geological observations is key to translating raw data into usable knowledge. Such knowledge includes assessing potential hazards by investigating, for example, links between fluid release and earthquake generation or the production and transport of magmatic melt from its source region to an eventual eruption. SIGMELTS is a freely available app that helps to characterize electrically conductive or resistive features detected at depth using electromagnetic observations. The objective of this Web application is to facilitate the elaboration of models of the electrical properties of crust and mantle materials, which, in turn, is used to improve the interpretation of field electromagnetic observations. A new version of SIGMELTS is now available.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 520, pp. 164-174.
Mantle
diamond genesis
Abstract: To better understand the role of sulfide in C storage in the upper mantle, we construct a thermodynamic model for Fe-Ni-S-C sulfide melts and consider equilibrium between sulfide melts, mantle silicates, Fe-Ni alloy, and diamond. The sulfide melt model is based upon previous parameterization of Fe-Ni-S melts calibrated at 100 kPa, which we have extended to high pressure based on volumetric properties of end-member components. We calculate the behavior of C in the sulfide melt from empirical parameterization of experimental C solubility data. We calculate the continuous compositional evolution of Fe-Ni sulfide liquid and associated effects on carbon storage at pressure and redox conditions corresponding to mantle depths of 60 to 410 km. Equilibrium and mass balance conditions were solved for coexisting Fe-Ni-S melt and silicate minerals (olivine [(Mg,Fe,Ni)2SiO4], pyroxene [(Mg,Fe)SiO3]) in a mantle with 200 ppmw S. With increasing depth and decreasing oxygen fugacity (fO2), the calculated melt (Fe+Ni)/S atomic ratio increases from 0.8-1.5 in the shallow oxidized mantle to 2.0-10.5 in the reduced deep upper mantle (>8 GPa), with Fe-Ni alloy saturation occurring at >10 GPa. Compared to previous calculations for the reduced deep upper mantle, alloy saturation occurs at greater depth owing to the capacity of sulfide melt to dissolve metal species, thereby attenuating the rise of Fe and Ni metal activities. The corresponding carbon storage capacity in the metal-rich sulfide liquid rises from negligible below 6 GPa to 8-20 ppmw at 9 GPa, and thence increases sharply to 90-110 ppmw at the point of alloy saturation at 10-12 GPa. The combined C storage capacity of liquid and solid alloy reaches 110-170 ppmw at 14 GPa. Thus, in the deep upper mantle, all carbon in depleted sources (10-30 ppmw C) can be stored in the sulfide liquid, and alloy and sulfide liquids host a significant fraction of the C in enriched sources (30-500 ppmw C). Application of these results to the occurrences of inferred metal-rich sulfide melts in the Fe-Ni-S-C system and inclusions in diamonds from the mantle transition zone suggests that oxidization of a reduced metal-rich sulfide melt is an efficient mechanism for deep-mantle diamond precipitation, owing to the strong effect of (Fe+Ni)/S ratio on carbon solubility in Fe-Ni-S melts. This redox reaction likely occurs near the boundary between oxidized subducted slabs and the reduced ambient peridotitic mantle.
Abstract: The southeast Mojave Desert hosts one of the world’s largest rare earth element (REE) deposits at Mountain Pass, California. Although surface geology has been studied, a full understanding of the carbonatite and associated intrusive suite complex requires subsurface geophysical characterization. In this study, a combination of geophysical methods, including magnetotelluric (MT), magnetics, and gravity are used to create a two-dimensional (2D) geophysical model to a depth of about 10 km. An electrically conductive body is found 2-3 km below and west of the deposit that is associated with a magnetic high that could be connected to a deeper (10 km) conductive body related to possible intrusions or hydrothermal systems. The carbonatite body coincides with a steep magnetic gradient and a bench or terrace in the gravity data that may reflect relative lower-density intrusive rocks. Although carbonatite rocks are typically magnetic, the carbonatite rocks, associated intrusive suite, and host rocks in this area are essentially non-magnetic. Combined geophysical data indicate that the enriched REE deposit may be related to a regional extensive hydrothermal alteration event.
Abstract: Hydrogen (H) and carbon (C) have probably been delivered to the Earth mainly during accretion processes at High Temperature (HT) and High Pressure (HP) and at variable redox conditions. We performed HP (1-15?GPa) and HT (1600-2300°C) experiments, combined with state-of-the-art analytical techniques to better understand the behavior of H and C during planetary differentiation processes. We show that increasing pressure makes H slightly siderophile and slightly decreases the highly siderophile nature of C. This implies that the capacity of a growing core to retain significant amounts of H or C is mainly controlled by the size of the planet: small planetary bodies may retain C in their cores while H may have rather been lost in space; larger bodies may store both H and C in their cores. During the Earth's differentiation, both C and H might be sequestrated in the core. However, the H content of the core would remain one or two orders of magnitude lower than that of C since the (H/C)core ratio might range between 0.04 and 0.27.
Russian Geology and Geophysics, Vol. 58, pp. 1222-1231.
Russia
carbonatite
Abstract: We present results of U-Pb (SHRIMP II) and Ar-Ar geochronological study of the rocks of the Chuktukon massif, which is part of the Chadobets alkaline-carbonatite complex, and of the weathering crust developed after them. Perovskite from picrites and monazite from the weathering crust were dated by the U-Pb (SHRIMP II) method, and rippite from carbonatites, by the Ar-Ar method. Rippite has first been used as a geochronometer. The estimated ages (252 ± 12 and 231 ± 2.7 Ma) testify to two magmatism pulses close in time (within the estimation error) to the stages of alkaline magmatism in the Siberian Platform (250-245 and 238-234 Ma). These pulses characterize, most likely, the processes accompanying and completing the activity of the mantle superplume that formed the Siberian Igneous Province at 250-248 Ma. The monazite-estimated age (102.6 ± 2.9 Ma) reflects the time of formation of the ore-bearing weathering crust on the massif rocks.
Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, Vol. 154, pp. 354-368.
Russia, Yakutia
carbonatite -Seligdar
Abstract: The Paleoproterozoic Seligdar magnesiocarbonatite intrusion of the Aldan-Stanovoy shield in Russia underwent extensive postmagmatic hydrothermal alteration and metamorphic events. This study comprises new isotopic (Sr, Nd, C and O) data, whole-rock major and trace element compositions and trace element characteristics of the major minerals to gain a better understanding of the source and the formation process of the carbonatites. The Seligdar carbonatites have high concentrations of P2O5 (up to 18?wt%) and low concentrations of Na, K, Sr and Ba. The chondrite-normalized REE patterns of these carbonatites display significant enrichments of LREE relative to HREE with an average La/Ybcn ratio of 95. Hydrothermal and metamorphic overprints changed the trace element characteristics of the carbonatites and their minerals. These alteration processes were responsible for Sr loss and the shifting of the Sr isotopic compositions towards more radiogenic values. The altered carbonatites are further characterized by distinct 18O- and 13C-enrichments compared to the primary igneous carbonatites. The alteration most likely resulted from both the percolation of crustal-derived hydrothermal fluids and subsequent metamorphic processes accompanied by interaction with limestone-derived CO2. The narrow range of negative ?Nd(T) values indicates that the Seligdar carbonatites are dominated by a homogenous enriched mantle source component that was separated from the depleted mantle during the Archean.
Abstract: The Mushgai-Khudag alkaline?carbonatite complex, located in southern Mongolia within the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), comprises a broad range of volcanic and subvolcanic alkaline silicate rocks (melanephelinite-trachyte and shonkinite-alkaline syenite, respectively). Magnetite-apatite rocks, carbonatites, and fluorite mineralization are also manifested in this area. The complex formed between 145 and 133 Ma and is contemporaneous with late Mesozoic alkaline-carbonatite magmatism within the CAOB. Major and trace element characteristics of silicate rocks in the Mushgai-Khudag complex imply that these rocks were formed by the fractional crystallization of alkaline ultramafic parental magma. Magnetite-apatite rocks may be a product of silicate-Ca-Fe-P liquid immiscibility that took place during the alkaline syenite crystallization stage. The Mushgai-Khudag rocks have variable and moderately radiogenic Sr (87Sr/86Sr(i) = 0.70532-0.70614), ?Nd(t) = ?1.23 to 1.25) isotopic compositions. LILE/HFSE values and SrNd isotope compositions indicate that the parental melts of Mushgai-Khudag were derived from a lithospheric mantle source that was affected by a metasomatic agent in the form a mixture of subducted oceanic crust and its sedimentary components. The ?18OSMOW and ?18CPDB values for calcites in carbonatites range from 16.8‰ to 19.2‰ and from ?3.9‰ to 2.0‰, respectively. CO covariations in calcites of the Mushgai-Khudag carbonatites can be explained by the slight host limestone assimilation.
Abstract: Carbonates of the Tomtor complex of ultramafic alkaline rocks and carbonatites (the northern part of the Republic of Sakha Yakutia) are distinguished by a wide range of carbon isotopic composition ?13C from +2 to -59.9‰. The geological position, localization patterns, mineral and chemical compositions and the relationship with REE mineralization of samples with values of ?13C carbonates from -25 to -59‰ are characterized. The formation of abnormally low ?13C in carbonates is determined by the biogenic oxidation of methane from ?13Cmet to -70‰.
Abstract: Data indicating the important role of microorganisms in the redistribution of REEs in the weathering crust and the decisive role in the concentration of REEs during the formation of ores in the upper ore horizon of the Tomtor field are obtained. The uptake of REEs was carried out by the community of microorganisms, such as phototrophs, methanogens, methanotrophs, and proteobacteria, which form the basis of the microbiocenosis for this paleoecosystem. The isotopic composition of C carbonates in all samples studied with fossilized microorganisms corresponds to the biogenic one, and the isotopic composition ?18?SMOW (from 7 to 20‰) indicates the endogenous (hydrothermal) and, to a lesser extent, exogenous nature of the solutions. The low (87Sr/86Sr)I values of carbonates (~0.7036-0.7042) exclude the participation of seawater.
Petrography, mineralogy and SIMS U-Pb geochronology of 1.0 - 1.8 Ga carbonatites and associated alkaline rocks of the Central Aldan magnesiocarbonatite province ( South Yakutia, Russia).
Mineralogy and Petrology, Doi.org/a0.1007/ s00710-019-00661-3 24p.
Petrography, mineralogy and SIMS U-Pb geochronology of 1.9-1.8 Ha carbonatites and associated alkaline rocks of the Central-Aldan magnesiocarbonatite province ( South Yakutia, Russia).
Harris, J.R., Ponomarev, P., Shang, S., Budkewitsch, P., Rogge, D.
A comparison of automatic and supervised methods for extracting lithological end members from hyper spectral data: application to southern Baffin Island, Nunavut.
Geological Survey of Canada Current Research, 2006-C4 19p.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 238, pp. 542-562.
Canada, Nunavut, Baffin Island
picrites
Abstract: Young (61?Ma) unaltered picrites from Baffin Island, northeast Canada, possess some of the highest 3He/4He (up to 50?Ra) seen on Earth, and provide a unique opportunity to study primordial mantle that has escaped subsequent chemical modification. These high-degree partial melts also record anomalously high 182W/184W ratios, but their Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotopic compositions (including 142Nd) are indistinguishable from those of North Atlantic mid-ocean ridge basalts. New high precision Fe and Zn stable isotope analyses of Baffin Island picrites show limited variability with ?56Fe ranging from ?0.03‰ to 0.13‰ and ?66Zn varying from 0.18‰ to 0.28‰. However, a clear inflection is seen in both sets of isotope data around the composition of the parental melt (MgO?=?21?wt%; ?56Fe?=?0.08?±?0.04‰; and ?66Zn?=?0.24?±?0.03‰), with two diverging trends interpreted to reflect the crystallisation of olivine and spinel in low-MgO samples and the accumulation of olivine at higher MgO. Olivine mineral separates are significantly isotopically lighter than their corresponding whole rocks (?56Fe????0.62‰ and ?66Zn????0.22‰), with analyses of individual olivine phenocrysts having extremely variable Fe isotope compositions (?56Fe?=??0.01‰ to ?0.80‰). By carrying out modelling in three-isotope space, we show that the very negative Fe isotope compositions of olivine phenocryst are the result of kinetic isotope fractionation from disequilibrium diffusional processes. An excellent correlation is observed between ?56Fe and ?66Zn, demonstrating that Zn isotopes are fractionated by the same processes as Fe in simple systems dominated by magmatic olivine. The incompatible behaviour of Cu during magmatic evolution is consistent with the sulfide-undersaturated nature of these melts. Consequently Zn behaves as a purely lithophile element, and estimates of the bulk Earth Zn isotope composition based on Baffin Island should therefore be robust. The ancient undegassed lower mantle sampled at Baffin Island possesses a ?56Fe value that is within error of previous estimates of bulk mantle ?56Fe, however, our estimate of the Baffin mantle ?66Zn (0.20?±?0.03‰) is significantly lower than some previous estimates. Comparison of our new data with those for Archean and Proterozoic komatiites is consistent with the Fe and Zn isotope composition of the mantle remaining constant from at least 3?Ga to the present day. By focusing on large-degree partial melts (e.g. komatiites and picrites) we are potenitally biasing our record to samples that will inevitably have interacted with, entrained and melted the ambient shallow mantle during ascent. For a major element such as Fe, that will continuosly participate in melting as it rises through the mantle, the final isotopic compositon of the magama will be a weighted average of the complete melting column. Thus it is unsuprising that minimal Fe isotope variations are seen between localities. In contrast, the unique geochemical signatures (e.g. He and W) displayed by the Baffin Island picrites are inferred to solely originate from the lowermost mantle and will be continuously diluted upon magma ascent.
Gems & Gemology, Sixth International Gemological Symposium Vol. 54, 3, Fall 1p. Abstract p. 262-3
Africa, Sierra Leone
deposit - Zimmi
Abstract: Isolated nitrogen is one of the major defects in producing yellow color in natural diamonds. In regular type Ib yellow diamonds, isolated nitrogen is normally the dominant form, with limited aggregations in A centers (nitrogen pairs). Type Ib diamonds normally experienced strong plastic deformations. In addition to vacancy clusters, many other optic centers were introduced during annealing over their long geological history, such as GR1, NV, and H3 centers. Diamonds from the Zimmi area of West Africa are a typical example (Smit et al., 2016). As a result, clear brownish and greenish hues are common among these diamonds, so most do not possess true “canary” yellow color. Here we studied more than 2,000 diamonds with real canary yellow color. Their color origin and relationship with type Ib diamonds were explored. Sizes of the studied diamonds ranged from 0.01 to about 1.0 ct. They showed pure yellow color, with grades of Fancy Intense or Fancy Vivid yellow. Infrared absorption analysis showed that they were all type IaA with very high nitrogen concentrations, but a very weak absorption from isolated nitrogen at 1344 cm–1 was detected in all samples. Concentration of isolated nitrogen was estimated at ~2–3 ppm. This isolated nitrogen created smooth absorption in the ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) region, increasing gradually to the high-energy side. No other defects were detected using UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, which explained the pure yellow color we observed. Fluorescence imaging revealed multiple nucleation centers with dominant green color, which was attributed to the S3 defects confirmed through photoluminescence analysis. Compared with natural type Ib diamonds, an outstanding feature of the studied samples is the absence of plastic deformation. For this reason, other vacancy-related defects were not introduced to these diamond lattices over the geological period after their formation. Sulfide inclusions are common in type Ib diamonds, but they were not observed in these canary stones. Instead, some calcite inclusions were observed. All the observations from this study indicated that the canary diamond samples were formed in a different geological environment than type Ib diamonds.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 254, pp. 21-39.
New Zealand
metasomatism
Abstract: Megacrystic zircon grains from alkaline basaltic fields are rare but can provide fundamental insights into mantle metasomatic processes. Here, we report in-situ U-Pb ages, trace element concentrations and hafnium and oxygen isotopes for fourteen zircon megacrysts from two intraplate alkaline basalt locations in New Zealand. U-Pb ages indicate the zircons crystallised between 12.1 and 19.8 Ma. Zircon oxygen isotopic compositions range from low to mantle-like compositions (grain average ? ą? O = 3.8-5.1‰). Hafnium isotopes (?Hf (t) = +3.3 to +10.4) mostly overlap with intraplate mafic rocks and clinopyroxene in metasomatized peridotitic mantle xenoliths but show no correlation with most trace element parameters or oxygen isotopes. The zircons are interpreted to have formed by the reaction between low-degree melts derived from pre-existing mantle metasomes and the depleted mantle lithosphere prior to eruption and transport to the surface. The low Hf concentration, an absence of Eu anomalies, and elevated U/Yb compared to Nb/Yb in the megacrystic zircons are interpreted to show that the source metasomes comprised subduction- and carbonatite-metasomatised lithospheric mantle. As these trace element characteristics are common for megacrystic zircon in intra-plate basaltic fields globally, they suggest the prevalence of subduction- and carbonatite-metsasomatised mantle under these intraplate volcanic regions. The unusually low ? ą? O was likely present prior to metasomatic enrichment and may have resulted from high-temperature hydrothermal alteration during initial mantle lithosphere formation at a mid ocean ridge or, possibly, during subduction-related processes associated with continent formation. The combination of proportionally varied contributions from carbonatite- and subduction-metasomatised lithospheric melts with asthenospheric melts may explain the variety of primitive intraplate basalt compositions, including low ? ą? O reported for some local intraplate lavas.
Sanatmaria-Perez, D., Ruiz-Fuertes, J., Pena-Alvarez, M., Chulia-Jordan, R., Marquerno, T., Zimmer, D., Guterrez-Cano, V., Macleod, S., Gregoryanz, E., Popescue, C., Rodriguez-Herandez, P., Munoz, A.
Abstract: Calcium carbonate is a relevant constituent of the Earth’s crust that is transferred into the deep Earth through the subduction process. Its chemical interaction with calcium-rich silicates at high temperatures give rise to the formation of mixed silicate-carbonate minerals, but the structural behavior of these phases under compression is not known. Here we report the existence of a dense polymorph of Ca5(Si2O7)(CO3)2 tilleyite above 8 GPa. We have structurally characterized the two phases at high pressures and temperatures, determined their equations of state and analyzed the evolution of the polyhedral units under compression. This has been possible thanks to the agreement between our powder and single-crystal XRD experiments, Raman spectroscopy measurements and ab-initio simulations. The presence of multiple cation sites, with variable volume and coordination number (6-9) and different polyhedral compressibilities, together with the observation of significant amounts of alumina in compositions of some natural tilleyite assemblages, suggests that post-tilleyite structure has the potential to accommodate cations with different sizes and valencies.
Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, in press available, 17p.
India
geodynamics
Abstract: The Pitepani volcanic suite of the Dongargarh Supergroup, central India comprises of a calc-alkaline suite and a tholeiitic suite, respectively. The rare earth element (REE) patterns, mantle normalized plots and relict clinopyroxene chemistry of the Pitepani calc-alkaline suite are akin to high-Mg andesites (HMA) and reveal remarkable similarity to the Cenozoic Setouchi HMA from Japan. The Pitepani HMAs are geochemically correlated with similar rocks in the Kotri-Dongargarh mobile belt (KDMB) and in the mafic dykes of the Bastar Craton. The rationale behind lithogeochemical correlations are that sanukitic HMAs represent fore-arc volcanism over a very limited period of time, under abnormally high temperature conditions and are excellent regional and tectonic time markers. Furthermore, the tholeiitic suites that are temporally and spatially associated with the HMAs in the KDMB and in the mafic dykes of the Bastar Craton are classified into: (a) a continental back-arc suite that are depleted in incompatible elements, and (b) a continental arc suite that are more depleted in incompatible elements, respectively. The HMA suite, the continental back-arc and continental arc suites are lithogeochemically correlated in the KDMB and in the mafic dykes of the Bastar Craton. The three geochemically distinct Neoarchaean magmatic suites are temporally and spatially related to each other and to an active continental margin. The identification of three active continental margin magmatic suites for the first time, provides a robust conceptual framework to unravel the Neoarchaean geodynamic evolution of the Bastar Craton. We propose an active continental margin along the Neoarchaen KDMB with eastward subduction coupled with slab roll back or preferably, ridge-subduction along the Central Indian Tectonic Zone (CITZ) to account for the three distinct magmatic suites and the Neoarchean geodynamic evolution of the Bastar Craton.
Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, Vol. 157, pp. 218-234.
India
Craton
Abstract: The Pitepani volcanic suite of the Dongargarh Supergroup, central India comprises of a calc-alkaline suite and a tholeiitic suite, respectively. The rare earth element (REE) patterns, mantle normalized plots and relict clinopyroxene chemistry of the Pitepani calc-alkaline suite are akin to high-Mg andesites (HMA) and reveal remarkable similarity to the Cenozoic Setouchi HMA from Japan. The Pitepani HMAs are geochemically correlated with similar rocks in the Kotri-Dongargarh mobile belt (KDMB) and in the mafic dykes of the Bastar Craton. The rationale behind lithogeochemical correlations are that sanukitic HMAs represent fore-arc volcanism over a very limited period of time, under abnormally high temperature conditions and are excellent regional and tectonic time markers. Furthermore, the tholeiitic suites that are temporally and spatially associated with the HMAs in the KDMB and in the mafic dykes of the Bastar Craton are classified into: (a) a continental back-arc suite that are depleted in incompatible elements, and (b) a continental arc suite that are more depleted in incompatible elements, respectively. The HMA suite, the continental back-arc and continental arc suites are lithogeochemically correlated in the KDMB and in the mafic dykes of the Bastar Craton. The three geochemically distinct Neoarchaean magmatic suites are temporally and spatially related to each other and to an active continental margin. The identification of three active continental margin magmatic suites for the first time, provides a robust conceptual framework to unravel the Neoarchaean geodynamic evolution of the Bastar Craton. We propose an active continental margin along the Neoarchaen KDMB with eastward subduction coupled with slab roll back or preferably, ridge-subduction along the Central Indian Tectonic Zone (CITZ) to account for the three distinct magmatic suites and the Neoarchean geodynamic evolution of the Bastar Craton.
Benue trough oblique rifting, northeast Brasil interior basins and the geodynamic evolution of the equatorial domainof the south Atlantic.(in Portugese).
Revista Brasileira de Geociencias, (in Portugese)., Vol. 18, No. 3, September p. 315. (abstract.)
Abstract: The mineralogy of a new lamproitic diatreme 200-250 m in diameter and 3 ga in area is studied in detail. The chemical and 3-D mineralogical analysis identify the diatreme rocks as strongly altered olivine lamproites with a large volume (50-60%) of xenoliths of strongly altered spinel (garnet) lherzolites and harzburgites-dunites. Numerous grains-xenocrysts of indicator minerals of diamond have been extracted from the heavy concentrates (the weight of the initial product is 742 g and the size is 100-500 ?m) as a result of hydroseparation: (1) subcalcium (CaOav. 2.6 wt %) high-Cr (Cr2O3 av. 5.3 wt %) pyrope (50 grains); (2) chrome diopside (7 and 8 mol % of kosmochlor and jadeite components, respectively, >40 grains); (3) high-Cr chromite (Cr2O3 > 62 wt %); and (4) picroilmenite (MgO 12-13.8 wt %) and Cr-rutile (Cr2O3 1.1 wt %). Xenocrysts prove the mantle endogene (the level of garnet lherzolites) source of the magmatic center of lamproites and forecast the diamond potential of the new diatreme in the Kostomuksha ore district.
Abstract: In this study, we present a number of experiments on the transformation of graphite, diamond, and multiwalled carbon nanotubes under high pressure conditions. The analysis of our results testifies to the instability of diamond in the 55-115 GPa pressure range, at which onion-like structures are formed. The formation of interlayer sp3-bonds in carbon nanostructures with a decrease in their volume has been studied theoretically. It has been found that depending on the structure, the bonds between the layers can be preserved or broken during unloading.
Abstract: The results of studying characteristics of IR and Raman spectra of a diamond plate from the Sytykan pipe with central olivine inclusions are presented. The correlation between changes in the content of nitrogen defects and the internal stress of individual diamond growth zones is provided by IR spectroscopy. The total nitrogen content as A and B1 defects has a range from 81 ppm to 1075 ppm. Area of decreased nitrogen defects concentration in the centre of the diamond plate corresponds to the local pressure around the olivine inclusion. The results of the Raman spectroscopy of this sample showed that the olivine inclusion is stressed. In this connection, the maximum shift of the most intensive bands of SiO4 stretching vibrations is ?? = 5 ± 0.09 and 4 ± 0.12 cm-1, which corresponds to the internal residual pressure in the inclusion of Pi = 1.64 ± 0.1 GPa calculated by formulas given in (Izraeli, 1999; Yasuzuka, 2009). According to Izraeli, E. S. (1999) and the obtained results of Pi the pressure of diamond crystallization Pf = 6,4 ± 0,5 GPa at the model growth temperature of 1200°C is calculated. The area of diamond and inclusion contact zone is identified (bright yellow) by the Raman mapping, it exhibits wide bands 655 - 792 cm-1, typical for non-crystalline material such as Si2O(OH)6 dimers and Si(OH)4 monomers in an aqueous fluid (Nimis et al., 2016).
Abstract: The crystal structure of the cubic modification of the natural mineral loparite has been studied for the first time by the methods of the X-ray diffraction analysis (?MoK ? radiation, 105 independent reflections with I > 3?(I), R = 0.041 in the anisotropic approximation). The structure belongs to the perovskite type (ABO 3) with the double period of the cubic unit cell, a = 7.767(1) Ĺ (sp. gr. Pn3m; Z = 2 for the composition (Ca,Na,Ce)(Na,Ce)3(Ti,Nb)2Ti2O12. Period doubling is explained by ordering of cations both in the A and the B positions.
Abstract: The crystal structure of a new structural variety of loparite (Na0.56Ce0.21La0.14Ca0.06Sr0.03Nd0.02Pr0.01)?=1.03(Ti0.83Nb0.15)?=0.98O3 from the Khibiny alkaline massif, Kola peninsula, Russia, was solved by direct methods and refined to R1 = 0.029 for 492 unique observed reflections with I > 2?(I). The mineral is orthorhombic, Ima2, a = 5.5129(2), b = 5.5129(2) and c = 7.7874(5) Ĺ. Similarly to other perovskite-group minerals with the general formula ABO3, the crystal structure of loparite is based upon a three-dimensional framework of distorted corner-sharing BO6. The A cations are coordinated by 12 oxygen atoms and are situated in distorted cuboctahedral cavities. In contrast to the ideal perovskite-type structure (Pm3?m), the unit cell is doubled along the c axis and the a and b axes are rotated in the ab plane at 45o. The BO6 octahedron displays distortion characteristic for the d0 transition metal cations with the out-of-center shift of the B site. The symmetry reduction is also attributable to the distortion of the BO6 octahedra which are tilted and rotated with respect to the c axis. The occurrence of a new acentric variety of loparite can be explained by the pecularities of its chemical composition characterized by the increased content of Ti compared to the previously studied samples.
Abstract: The results of geochronological, mineralogical, petrographical, and geochemical study of the Ilbokich ultramafic lamprophyre are reported. The specific features in the mineral and chemical compositions of the studied ultramafic lamprophyre indicate that it can be regarded as a variety similar to aillikite, while other differences dominated by K-feldspar can be referred to damtjernite. According to Rb-Sr analysis, ultramafic lamprophyre dikes intruded at the turn of the Early and Middle Devonian, about 392 Ma ago. This directly proves the existence of Early Paleozoic alkali-ultramafic magmatism in the northern part of the southwest Siberian Platform. A finding of Devonian alkali-ultramafic lamprophyre is of dual predictive importance. On the one hand, it is indicative of the low probability of finding large diamond-bearing deposits in close association with aillikite. On the other hand, it can be indicative of a possible large Devonian diamond province in the studied territory, where diamondiferous kimberlite is structurally separated from aillikite.
Abstract: We report on the quantum yield (?) and decay time (?) measurements at room temperature for the bright red-orange (602 nm) luminescence from new germanium-vacancy (Ge-V) centers in nano- and microcrystalline diamonds synthesized at high pressure and high temperature. The values ? = 3 ± 1% and ? = 6.2±0.2 ns were found. The Stokes shift measured as the energy difference between the maxima of the luminescence and luminescence excitation spectra is negligible. The relative intensity of the zero-phonon line constitutes up to 70% from the total intensity of the luminescence. Results of our ab initio DFT calculations for the ground-state electronic and vibrational structure of (Ge-V)? in diamond are presented and discussed.
The 4th Colloquium on Diamonds - source to use held Gabarone March 1-3, 2010, 28p.
Africa, Botswana
Deposit - Orapa
Abstract: Commencing with the Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) conclusions, the Orapa 3 process design evolved through a phase of value-engineering studies. An overall re-evaluation of the originally proposed process design was necessary both in order to address the interim increase in target throughput from 9.8 Mtpa to 12 Mtpa as well as to increase capital efficiency. In the interests of clarity, the PFS process design for Orapa 3 has been omitted from this paper, as it is no longer relevant. Recognition is however due to those engaged in earlier phases of the Orapa 3 project with respect to fundamental mass~balancing modelling; and ore and diamond characterisation, which fanned the basis for the process design that has evolved from feasibility study activities. The background context for Orapa 3 is of an operation expected to yield operating utilisation and revenue improvements relative to the Orapa 2 operation. Delivering these without undue penalties to capital and operating cost required a shift in thinking, trading excess installed capacity for flexible circuit configuration. The process design adopted is "layered", with the purpose of preserving Run Of Mine (ROM) throughput by reducing in-circuit arisings - particularly to the Dense Medium Separation (DMS) section - rather than simply installing additional DMS capacity on the expectation of low DMS availability. Elsewhere, the ability to monitor and maintain critical sizing activities - particularly desanding - without impact on overall plant throughput is intended to motivate operators to avoid the temptation to trade quality for quantity. At present, since an overall dynamic simulation of the Orapa 3 operation has still to be carried out, the design mass balance has been based on a relatively onerous combination of worst case feed type with 100% front-line process capacity in all plant sections. This means that, whilst the installed DMS capacity is based on routing 100% of sized scrubbing section product directly to the DMS, and with one DMS module always unavailable, the High Pressure Rolls Crushing (HPRC) capacity is based on allowing for 50% of this stream to be instead routed first to the HPRC section, at no more than 75% of maximum roll speed for the two units installed. This is an obvious "belt and braces" approach. Following the dynamic simulation exercise (currently in progress), it is likely that a less conservative approach will be taken. This will not affect the conceptual design of the process plant, being mostly an exercise in refining the number of DMS modules to be installed, and possibly reducing slightly the size of the HPRC roll units. Both of these will have positive capital and operating cost impacts. Page 215 The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Diamonds - Source to Use 2010 G Popp/ewell andB Hae/else DMS capacity, despite being split into coarse and fiaes streams, consists of identical modules. Two of the nine modules are set-up to receive either coarse or fine feed, the only difference being that fines modules are rated at lower capacity than the same modules treating coarse feed. Final recovery section capacity is based on entirely wet primary diamond recovery technology. This greatly reduces both the cost of drying. a large amount of recovery section feed and the dust• management issues associated with dry recovery technology. In contrast to the Orapa 2 operations, a scavenginglauditgrease belt section is included as a diamond recovery "goal-keeper" and to provide a process assurance function.
Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, doi.org/10.1016/ j.pepi.2-19.106325 54p. Pdf
Mantle
melting
Abstract: It has long been inferred that mantle metasomatism and the incompatible element enrichment of the continents both require movement of melts formed by very low degree melting of the mantle. Yet establishing the presence of these melts and whether this process is on-going and continuous, or spatially and temporally restricted, has proved difficult. Here we report large U-Th-Ra disequilibria in metasomatised, mantle xenoliths erupted in very young lavas from the Newer Volcanics Province in southeastern Australia. The 226Ra-230Th disequilibria appear to require reappraisal of previous estimates for the age of eruption that now seems unlikely to be more than a few kyr at most. We propose that infiltration of carbonatitic melts/fluids, combined with crystallization of pargasite, can account for the first order U-series disequilibria observations. Irrespective of the exact details of the complex processes responsible, the half-lives of the nuclides require that some of the chemical and isotopic disturbance was extremely young (« 8?kyr) and potentially on-going at the time of incorporation into the alkali basalts that transported the xenoliths to the surface. This provides evidence for the presence and possibly continuing migration of small melt fractions (~0.02%) in the upper convecting mantle that may contribute to the seismic low velocity zone. By implication, it appears that the asthenosphere must lie close to its solidus, at least in this region. Pressure-temperature estimates indicate that the small degree melts identified could infiltrate as far as 25?km upwards into the sub-continental lithospheric mantle leading to strong incompatible element enrichment and the recent timing of this event this urges a reappraisal of the meaning of 300-500?Ma Nd model ages in mantle xenoliths from this region. In principle, the resultant metasomatised mantle could provide a component for some ocean island basalts, should the sub-continental lithospheric mantle be returned to the asthenosphere by convective removal at some later time.
Abstract: Paleoproterozoic retrogressed eclogite (retroeclogite) occurs in the Itaguara Sequence included in the suture zone formed by collision between the Archean Divinópolis and Campo Belo/Bonfim Complexes in the southern Săo Francisco Craton, which represents the South American counterpart of the African Congo Craton. The Itaguara retroeclogite contains scarce omphacite and phengite but abundant garnet porphyroblasts embedded in a fine-grained, amphibole, biotite and quartz-bearing matrix. The 2.20 ± 0.05 Ga eclogitization event (garnet and whole rock Sm-Nd isochronic age) of the E-MORB protolith (TDM ~ 2.47 Ga) is recorded by omphacite formation during high-pressure prograde stage in amphibole eclogite facies due to ~70 km depth subduction process. Amphibole eclogite facies metamorphic peak stage of 17-20 kbar and 600-700 °C occurred during ~2.1 Ga continental collision. Tectonic exhumation-related decompression during collision probably triggered partial melting of the eclogitic rock. Finally, decompression late stage estimated between 5 and 8 kbar and 550-650 °C under amphibolite facies overprint during orogenic collapse was responsible for appearance of kelyphitic reaction rims (symplectite) around garnet crystals. As its Paleoproterozoic contemporary analogues from Congo Craton, the Itaguara retroeclogite is one of the oldest records of the modern-style plate tectonics.
Petrology, geochemistry and Sm-Nd systematics of the Paleoproterozoic Itagurra retroeclogite from Sao Francisco/Congo craton: one of the oldest records of the modern-style plate tectonics.
A phreatomagmatic kimberlite: the A418 kimberlite pipe, Northwest Territories, Canada.
Proceedings of the 10th. International Kimberlite Conference, Vol. 2, Special Issue of the Journal of the Geological Society of India,, Vol. 2, pp. 97-107.
A new approach to kimberlite facies terminology using a revised general approach to the nomenclature of all volcanic rocks and deposits: description to genetic.
Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, Vol. 174, 1-3, pp. 226-240.
Society of Economic Geology Geoscience and Exploration of the Argyle, Bunder, Diavik, and Murowa Diamond Deposits, Special Publication no. 20, pp. 287-318.
In vent column collapse as an alternative model for massive volcaniclastic kimberlite emplacement: an example from the Fox kimberlite, Ekati diamond mine.
Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, Vol. 174, 1-3, pp. 90-102. reply in press 17p.
Reconstruction of a kimberlite eruption using an integrated volcanological geochemical and numerical approach: a case study of the Fox kimberlite, NWT Canada
Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, Vol. 179, 3-4, pp. 241-254.
The influence of complex intra and extra vent processes on facies characteristics of the Koala kimberlite, NWT, Canada: volcanology, sedimentology, intrusive processes
Porritt, L.A., Cas, R.A.F., Ailleres, L., Oshust, P.
The influence of volcanological and sedimentaological processes on diamond grade distribution in kimberlites: examples from the Ekati diamond mine, NWT, Canada.
Bulletin of Volcanology, Vol. 73, 8, pp. 1085-1105.
Kimberlite: rapid ascent of lithospherically modified carbonatitic melts.
Proceedings of the 10th. International Kimberlite Conference, Vol. 1, Special Issue of the Journal of the Geological Society of India,, Vol.1, pp. 195-210.
Ratschbacher, L., Franz, L., Enkelmann, E., Jonckheere, R., Porschke, A., Hacker, B.R., Dong, S., Zhang, Y.
The Sino-Korean Yangtze suture, the Huwan detachment and the Paleozoic Tertiary exhumation of ultra high pressure rocks along the Tongbai Xinxian Dabie Mtns.
Geological Society of America, Special Paper, No. 403, pp. 45-76.
Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 43, 1, pp. 144-153.
United States
Geophysics - gradiometry
Abstract: In order to better understand the tectonic evolution of the North American continent, we utilize data from the EarthScope Transportable Array network to calculate a three-dimensional shear velocity model for the continental United States. This model was produced through the inversion of Rayleigh wave phase velocities calculated using ambient noise tomography and wave gradiometry, which allows for sensitivity to a broad depth range. Shear velocities within this model highlight the influence of orogenic and postorogenic events on the evolution of the lithosphere. Most notable is the contrast in crustal and upper mantle structure between the relatively slow western and relatively fast eastern North America. These differences are unlikely to stem solely from thermal variations within the lithosphere and highlight both the complexities in lithospheric structure across the continental U.S. and the varying impacts that orogeny can have on the crust and upper mantle.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol. 125, e2019JB017884.
Mantle, South America
subduction
Abstract: Nazca subduction beneath South America is one of our best modern examples of long?lived ocean?continent subduction on the planet, serving as a foundation for our understanding of subduction processes. Within that framework, persistent heterogeneities at a range of scales in both the South America and Nazca plates is difficult to reconcile without detailed knowledge of the subducted Nazca slab structure. Here we use teleseismic travel time residuals from >1,000 broadband and short?period seismic stations across South America in a single tomographic inversion to produce the highest?resolution contiguous P wave tomography model of the subducting slab and surrounding mantle beneath South America to date. Our model reveals a continuous trench?parallel fast seismic velocity anomaly across the majority of South America that is consistent with the subducting Nazca slab. The imaged anomaly indicates a number of robust features of the subducted slab, including variable slab dip, extensive lower mantle penetration, slab stagnation in the lower mantle, and variable slab amplitude, that are incorporated into a new, comprehensive model of the geometry of the Nazca slab surface to ~1,100 km depth. Lower mantle slab penetration along the entire margin suggests that lower mantle slab anchoring is insufficient to explain along strike upper plate variability while slab stagnation in the lower mantle indicates that the 1,000 km discontinuity is dominant beneath South America.
Portnyagin, M., Hoernie, K., Plechov, P., Mironov, N., Khubunaya, S.
Constraints on mantle melting and composition and nature of slab components in volcanic arcs from volatiles ( H2) S Cl F) and trace elements in melt inclusions from the Kamchatka Arc.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 255, 1-2, pp. 53-69.
Abstract: H2O strongly influences physical properties of the mantle and its ability to melt or convect and can trace recycling of surface reservoirs down to the deep mantle1,2. This makes knowledge of water content in the Earth's interior and its evolution through time crucial to understanding global geodynamics. Komatiites (MgO-rich ultramafic magmas) result from high-degree mantle melting at high pressures3 and thus are excellent probes of H2O contents in the deep mantle. A significant excess of H2O over elements of similar geochemical behavior during mantle melting (e.g. Ce) was recently found in melt inclusions in the most Mg-rich olivine in 2.7 Ga old komatiites from Canada4 and Zimbabwe5. These data were taken as evidence for a deep hydrated mantle reservoir, probably the transition zone, in the Neoarchean time. In this paper we confirm the mantle source of this H2O by measurement of deuterium to hydrogen ratios in these melt inclusions and present similar data for 3.3 Ga old komatiites from the Barberton Greenstone Belt. Using hydrogen isotopes, we show that the mantle sources of these melts contained excess H2O which implies that a deep mantle hydrated reservoir has been present in the Earth's interior at least since the Paleoarchean. The reconstructed initial hydrogen isotope composition of komatiites is significantly more depleted in deuterium than all surface reservoirs and typical mantle but resembles that in dehydrated subducted slabs. Together with a significant excess of chlorine and a temporal trend of Pb/Ce in the mantle sources of komatiites, these results argue that lithosphere recycling into the deep mantle, arguably via subduction, started before 3.3 Ga. (a un-reviewed version of the manuscript accepted for publication in Nature magazine).
Abstract: Archaean komatiites (ultramafic lavas) result from melting under extreme conditions of the Earth’s mantle. Their chemical compositions evoke very high eruption temperatures, up to 1,600 degrees Celsius, which suggests even higher temperatures in their mantle source1, 2. This message is clouded, however, by uncertainty about the water content in komatiite magmas. One school of thought holds that komatiites were essentially dry and originated in mantle plumes3, 4, 5, 6 while another argues that these magmas contained several per cent water, which drastically reduced their eruption temperature and links them to subduction processes7, 8, 9. Here we report measurements of the content of water and other volatile components, and of major and trace elements in melt inclusions in exceptionally magnesian olivine (up to 94.5?mole per cent forsterite). This information provides direct estimates of the composition and crystallization temperature of the parental melts of Archaean komatiites. We show that the parental melt for 2.7-billion-year-old komatiites from the Abitibi greenstone belt in Canada contained 30 per cent magnesium oxide and 0.6 per cent water by weight, and was depleted in highly incompatible elements. This melt began to crystallize at around 1,530 degrees Celsius at shallow depth and under reducing conditions, and it evolved via fractional crystallization of olivine, accompanied by minor crustal assimilation. As its major- and trace-element composition and low oxygen fugacities are inconsistent with a subduction setting, we propose that its high H2O/Ce ratio (over 6,000) resulted from entrainment into the komatiite source of hydrous material from the mantle transition zone10. These results confirm a plume origin for komatiites and high Archaean mantle temperatures, and evoke a hydrous reservoir in the deep mantle early in Earth’s history.
Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research, in press available, 21p.
Asia, Mongolia
olivine
Abstract: A new olivine reference material - MongOL Sh11?2 - for in situ analysis has been prepared from the central portion of a large (20 × 20 × 10 cm) mantle peridotite xenolith from a ~ 0.5 My old basaltic breccia at Shavaryn?Tsaram, Tariat region, central Mongolia. The xenolith is a fertile mantle lherzolite with minimal signs of alteration. Approximately 10 g of 0.5-2 mm gem quality olivine fragments were separated under binocular microscope and analysed by EPMA, LA?ICP?MS, SIMS and bulk analytical methods (ID?ICP?MS for Mg and Fe, XRF, ICP?MS) for major, minor and trace elements at six institutions world?wide. The results show that the olivine fragments are sufficiently homogeneous with respect to major (Mg, Fe, Si), minor and trace elements. Significant inhomogeneity was revealed only for phosphorus (homogeneity index of 12.4), whereas Li, Na, Al, Sc, Ti and Cr show minor inhomogeneity (homogeneity index of 1-2). The presence of some mineral and fluid?melt micro?inclusions may be responsible for the inconsistency in mass fractions obtained by in situ and bulk analytical methods for Al, Cu, Sr, Zr, Ga, Dy and Ho. Here we report reference and information values for twenty?seven major, minor and trace elements.
Abstract: Sulfide liquids that immiscibly separate from silicate melts in different magmatic processes accumulate chalcophile metals and may represent important sources of the metals in Earth's crust for the formation of ore deposits. Sulfide phases commonly found in some primitive mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) may support the occurrence of sulfide immiscibility in the crust without requiring magma contamination and/or extensive fractionation. However, the records of incipient sulfide melts in equilibrium with primitive high-Mg olivine and Cr-spinel are scarce. Sulfide globules in olivine phenocrysts in picritic rocks of MORB-affinity at Kamchatsky Mys (Eastern Kamchatka, Russia) represent a well-documented example of natural immiscibility in primitive oceanic magmas. Our study examines the conditions of silicate-sulfide immiscibility in these magmas by reporting high precision data on the compositions of Cr-spinel and silicate melt inclusions, hosted in Mg-rich olivine (86.9-90 mol% Fo), which also contain globules of magmatic sulfide melt. Major and trace element contents of reconstructed parental silicate melts, redox conditions (?QFM = +0.1 ± 0.16 (1?) log. units) and crystallization temperature (1200-1285 °C), as well as mantle potential temperatures (~1350 °C), correspond to typical MORB values. We show that nearly 50% of sulfur could be captured in daughter sulfide globules even in reheated melt inclusions, which could lead to a significant underestimation of sulfur content in reconstructed silicate melts. The saturation of these melts in sulfur appears to be unrelated to the effects of melt crystallization and crustal assimilation, so we discuss the reasons for the S variations in reconstructed melts and the influence of pressure and other parameters on the SCSS (Sulfur Content at Sulfide Saturation).
Abstract: The Morro dos Seis Lagos niobium rare earth element, Ti-bearing lateritic deposit (Amazonas, Brazil) is derived from a primary siderite carbonatite. The complex is the only example of a Nb deposit in which Nb-rich rutile is the main Nb ore mineral. Apart from the laterites, at the current level of exposure the complex consists only of siderite carbonatite; silicate rocks are absent. Three types of siderite carbonatite are recognized: (1) a brecciated and oxidized core siderite carbonatite consisting of up to 95 vol% siderite together with: hematite; pyrochlore; Nb-brookite; Ti-maghemite; and thorobastnäsite; (2) a REE- and P-rich variety of the core siderite carbonatite consisting of siderite (up to 95 vol%), hematite, minor pyrochlore, monazite and bastnäsite; (3) a border hydrothermal siderite carbonatite with ~70 vol% siderite, barite (~15 vol%), gorceixite (~7 vol%) and minor rhabdophane and pyrochlore. The country rock gneiss in which the carbonatite was emplaced was affected by potassic fenitization, with the formation of phlogopite and orthoclase together with monazite, fluorapatite and bastnäsite. The siderite carbonatites exhibit a wide variation of ?13C (?5.39‰ to ?1.40‰), accompanied by a significant variation in ?18O (17.13‰ to 31.33‰), especially in the REE-rich core siderite carbonatite, and are explained as due to the presence of both H2O and CO2 in the magma. The core siderite carbonatite is the richest in Fe (48.64-70.85 wt% Fe2O3) and the poorest in Ca (up 0.82 wt% CaO) example of a siderite carbonatite yet recognized The ferrocarbonatite has significant contents of Mn, Ba, Th, Pb and LREE, and a very high Nb (up to 7667 ppm) content due to the presence of Nb-brookite. The substitution 3Ti4+ = Fe2+ + 2Nb5+ recognized in Nb-rich brookite explains enrichment of Nb in the core siderite carbonatite and indicates formation in a reducing environment. The high Nb/Ta ratio (1408-11,459) of the carbonatite is compatible with residual liquids derived by fractional crystallization. The 87Sr/86Sr (0.70411-0.70573) and 144Nd/143Nd (0.512663-0.512715) isotopic data suggest the carbonatite is mantle-derived with essentially no crustal contamination and is younger than the maximum age of 1328 ± 58 Ma (UPb in zircon). We suggest that the Morro dos Seis Lagos carbonatite complex represents the upper-most parts of a differentiated carbonatite magmatic system, and that the siderite carbonatite is related to late-magmatic-to-carbo-hydrothermal processes.
Ore Geology Reviews, doi.org/10.1016/ j.oregeorev. 2021.104308 59p. Pdf
South America, Brazil
REE
Abstract: In the Morro dos Seis Lagos Nb (Ti, REE) deposit (MSLD), Amazonas state, Brazil, there are four types of REE mineralization: primary, associated to siderite carbonatite; supergene, associated to laterite profile; and sedimentary (detrital and authigenic). The mineralogical and geochemical evolutions of the REE in these domains are integrated into a comprehensible metallogenic model. The main primary ore in the core siderite carbonatite is 52 m thick with 1.47 wt% REE2O3 mainly in monazite-(Ce) and bastnäsite. However, considering the entire section intersected in the core siderite carbonatite, the average grade drops to 0.7 wt% REE2O3 mainly contained in thorbastnasite. In the border siderite carbonatite, the REE mineralization is hydrothermal [rhabdophane-(Ce) and REE-rich gorceixite]. The LREE and phosphates are concentrated at the reworked laterites from where the HREE were leached. With the advance of lateritization, pyrochlore was completely decomposed. The final secondary Ce-pyrochlore was progressively enriched in Ce4+ with loss in REE3+, resulting in the breakdown of the structure and release Ce under strongly oxidizing conditions (high Ce4+/Ce3+) thus forming extremely pure cerianite-(Ce). This mineral occurs intercalated with goethite bands in the lower part of the weathering profile, represented by the brown laterite, and forms intergrowth with hollandite in the manganiferous laterite, formed in a more alkaline environment closer to the water table. The brown laterite has 1.30 wt% REE2O3, the manganese laterite has 1.54 wt% REE2O3, of which 1.42 wt% is Ce2O3. Tectonic and karstic processes over the carbonatite formed several sedimentary basins. In the Esperança Basin, the sedimentary record (233 m thick) shows the whole evolution of the MSLD. The base of the basin (layer 5) is formed by abundant carbonatite fragments, have florencite-(Ce) mineralization with 1.07 wt% REE2O3; layer 4 is formed by carbonatite fragments interbedded with clayey bed; layer 3 is a rhythmite deposited in a lacustrine environment, with clasts of ferruginous materials related to early stages of carbonatite alteration; layer 2 is made up by clays, is rich in organic matter, has authigenic florencite-(Ce), florencite-(La) and base metals. This layer marks the inversion of the relief and the input into the basin of REE leached from the upper laterites, carried by the groundwater flow; layer 1 was formed by the oxidation of the upper part of layer 2. Layers 1 + 2 have 73 m thick and average of 1.72 wt% REE2O3.
Abstract: Population growth and technological progress in the last 50 years have resulted in the global demand for mineral resources increasing by 400% since 1970, and it is further expected to almost double by 2050. This context forecasts a never-seen-before market for some specific mineral commodities, termed critical metals. The resource and supply flow of critical metals would be decisive for the economic well-being of economies in near future. Carbonatites are the most prospective host rocks for Rare Earth Elements (REEs), which constitute some of the most important critical elements. This special issue aims to contribute to the debate on understanding the genesis of carbonatites and their prospectivity for REEs (including exploration strategies), by presenting a wide variety of studies on carbonatites from around the globe.
Abstract: The results of geochronological, mineralogical, petrographical, and geochemical study of the Ilbokich ultramafic lamprophyre are reported. The specific features in the mineral and chemical compositions of the studied ultramafic lamprophyre indicate that it can be regarded as a variety similar to aillikite, while other differences dominated by K-feldspar can be referred to damtjernite. According to Rb-Sr analysis, ultramafic lamprophyre dikes intruded at the turn of the Early and Middle Devonian, about 392 Ma ago. This directly proves the existence of Early Paleozoic alkali-ultramafic magmatism in the northern part of the southwest Siberian Platform. A finding of Devonian alkali-ultramafic lamprophyre is of dual predictive importance. On the one hand, it is indicative of the low probability of finding large diamond-bearing deposits in close association with aillikite. On the other hand, it can be indicative of a possible large Devonian diamond province in the studied territory, where diamondiferous kimberlite is structurally separated from aillikite.
Jelsma, H.,Krishnan, S.U., Perritt, S.,Kumar, M., Preston, R., Winter, F., Lemotlo, L., Costa, J., Van der Linde, G., Facatino, M., Posser, A., Wallace, C., Henning, A., Joy, S., Chinn, I., Armstrong, R., Phillips, D.
Kimberlites from central Angola: a case stidy of exploration findings.
10th. International Kimberlite Conference Feb. 6-11, Bangalore India, Abstract
Jelsma, H., Krishnan, U., Perritt, S., Preston, R., Winter, F., Lemotlo, L., van der Linde, G., Armstrong, R., Phillips, D., Joy, S., Costa, J., Facatino, M., Posser, A., Kumar, M., Wallace, C., Chinn, I., Henning, A.
Kimberlites from central Angola: a case study of exploration findings.
Proceedings of the 10th. International Kimberlite Conference, Vol. 2, pp. 173-190.
Abstract: The Blue Moon diamond, discovered in January 2014 at the historic Cullinan mine in South Africa, is of significance from both trade and scientific perspectives. The 29.62 ct rough yielded a 12.03 ct Fancy Vivid blue, Internally Flawless gem. The authors were provided the opportunity to study this rare diamond at the Smithsonian Institution before it went on exhibit at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Infrared spectroscopy revealed that the amount of uncompensated boron in the diamond was 0.26 ± 0.04 ppm, consistent with measurements of several large type IIb blue diamonds previously studied. After exposure to short-wave ultraviolet light, the Blue Moon displayed orange-red phosphorescence that remained visible for up to 20 seconds. This observation was surprising, as orange-red phosphorescence is typically associated with diamonds of Indian origin, such as the Hope and the Wittelsbach-Graff. Time-resolved phosphorescence spectra exhibited peaks at 660 and 500 nm, typical for natural type II blue diamonds. As with most natural diamonds, the Blue Moon showed strain-induced birefringence.
Abstract: The Smithsonian’s National Gem Collection includes the Hope Diamond and an assortment of other significant fancy-colored diamonds, providing a unique opportunity to conduct detailed and sustained studies on an unprecedented selection of these rare and valuable stones. We present an overview and recent results from our work on pink, blue and chameleon diamonds. Boron causes the blue color of the Hope Diamond and other type IIb diamonds, but scarcity, high value, and the low concentration of B has inhibited B analyses of natural IIb diamonds. We used FTIR and ToF-SIMS to measure concentrations and distributions of B in the Hope and other blue diamonds. ToF-SIMS analyses gave spot B concentrations as high as 8.4 ± 1.1 ppm for the Hope Diamond to less than 0.08 ppm in other blue diamonds and revealed strong zoning of B in some diamonds, which was confirmed by mapping using synchrotron FTIR. Boron is also responsible for the phosphorescence emissions of IIb diamonds, at 660 nm and 500 nm; the emissions are likely caused by donor-acceptor pair recombination processes involving B and other defects. Approximately 50 type I natural pink diamonds were compared using UV-Vis, FTIR, and CL spectroscopies. All stones exhibit pink color zoning, ~1µm thick [111] lamellae, in otherwise colorless diamond. The pink diamonds fall into two groups: 1) those from Argyle in Australia and Santa Elena in Venezuela, and 2) those from other localities. TEM imaging from FIB sections revealed that twinning is the likely mechanism by which plastic deformation is accommodated for the pink diamonds. The deformation creates new centers, including the one responsible for the pink color, which remains unidentified. The differences in the plastic deformation features for the two groups might correlate to the particular geologic conditions under which the diamonds formed. Fluorescence and thermoluminescence experiments on natural chameleon diamonds reveal that an emission band, peaking near 556nm, may be stimulated via a number of different mechanisms. We discuss the implications of our observations for the electronic structure of the 556nm-fluorescing defect center, and the connections to the unidentified color center responsible for chameleon color changes.
Abstract: The Smithsonian’s National Gem Collection includes the Hope Diamond and an assortment of other significant fancy-colored diamonds, providing a unique opportunity to conduct detailed and sustained studies on an unprecedented selection of these rare and valuable stones. We present an overview and recent results from our work on pink, blue and chameleon diamonds. Boron causes the blue color of the Hope Diamond and other type IIb diamonds, but scarcity, high value, and the low concentration of B has inhibited B analyses of natural IIb diamonds. We used FTIR and ToF-SIMS to measure concentrations and distributions of B in the Hope and other blue diamonds. ToF-SIMS analyses gave spot B concentrations as high as 8.4 ± 1.1 ppm for the Hope Diamond to less than 0.08 ppm in other blue diamonds and revealed strong zoning of B in some diamonds, which was confirmed by mapping using synchrotron FTIR. Boron is also responsible for the phosphorescence emissions of IIb diamonds, at 660 nm and 500 nm; the emissions are likely caused by donor-acceptor pair recombination processes involving B and other defects. Approximately 50 type I natural pink diamonds were compared using UV-Vis, FTIR, and CL spectroscopies. All stones exhibit pink color zoning, ~1µm thick [111] lamellae, in otherwise colorless diamond. The pink diamonds fall into two groups: 1) those from Argyle in Australia and Santa Elena in Venezuela, and 2) those from other localities. TEM imaging from FIB sections revealed that twinning is the likely mechanism by which plastic deformation is accommodated for the pink diamonds. The deformation creates new centers, including the one responsible for the pink color, which remains unidentified. The differences in the plastic deformation features for the two groups might correlate to the particular geologic conditions under which the diamonds formed. Fluorescence and thermoluminescence experiments on natural chameleon diamonds reveal that an emission band, peaking near 556nm, may be stimulated via a number of different mechanisms. We discuss the implications of our observations for the electronic structure of the 556nm-fluorescing defect center, and the connections to the unidentified color center responsible for chameleon color changes.
Diamond and Related Materials, Vol. 72, pp. 87-93.
Technology
Diamonds - type 11b
Abstract: Precision admittance spectroscopy measurements were carried out over wide temperature and frequency ranges for a set of natural single crystal type IIb diamond samples. Peaks of conductance spectra vs. temperature and frequency were used to compute the Arrhenius plots, and activation energies were derived from these plots. The capacitance-voltage profiling was used to estimate the majority charge carrier concentration and its distribution into depth of the samples. Apparent activation energies between 315 and 325 meV and the capture cross section of about 10? 13 cm2 were found for samples with uncompensated boron concentrations in the range of 1 to 5 × 1016 cm? 3 (0.06-0.3 ppm). The obtained boron concentrations are in good coincidence with FTIR results for the samples. Also, a reason for the difference between the observed admittance activation energy and the previously reported ionization energy for the acceptor boron in diamond (0.37 eV) is proposed.
Abstract: To date, the eponymous color-changing behavior of chameleon diamonds lacks an explanation in terms of an identified diamond defect structure or process. Well known, however, is that this color-change is driven by the influence of both light and heat. In this paper, we present observations of how luminescence emission in chameleon diamonds responds to temperature changes and optical pumping. Fluorescence, phosphorescence, and thermoluminescence experiments on a suite of natural chameleon diamonds reveal that a specific emission band, peaking near 550 nm, may be stimulated by several different mechanisms. We have observed thermal quenching of the 550 nm emission band with an activation energy of 0.135 eV. The 550 nm band is also observed in phosphorescence and thermoluminescence. Thermoluminescence spectra suggest the presence of low lying acceptor states at 0.7 eV above the valence band. When excited with 270 nm light, we observe emission of light in two broad spectral bands peaking at 500 and 550 nm. We suggest that the 550 nm emission band results from donor—acceptor pair recombination (DAPR) from low lying acceptor states at ca. 0.7 eV above the valence band and donor states approximately 2.5 to 2.7 eV above the valence band. We do not identify the structure of these defects. We propose a speculative model of the physics of the color change from ‘yellow’ to ‘green’ which results from increased broad-band optical absorption in the near-IR to visible due to transitions from the valence band into un-ionized acceptor states available in the ‘green’ state of the chameleon diamond. We report near-IR absorption spectra confirming the increased absorption of light in the near-IR to visible in the ‘green’ when compared to the ‘yellow’ state with a threshold at ca. 0.65 eV, supporting the proposed model.
Gems & Gemology Lab Notes, Vol. 53, 4, pp. 479-481.
Canada, Northwest Territories
diamond notable - Foxfire
Abstract: The largest gem-quality rough diamond found in Canada, reported earlier in Gems & Gemology (Summer 2016 GNI, pp. 188-189), has revealed remarkable responses to excitation with long- and mid-wave UV light. This 187.63 ct diamond (figure 1) was extracted from the Diavik mine in the Canadian Arctic in the spring of 2015. Aptly named for the aurora borealis, the “Foxfire” displays unusual fluorescence and phosphorescence behavior upon exposure to ultraviolet light. As previously reported, this type Ia diamond has a high concentration of nitrogen impurities, a weak hydrogen-related absorption at 3107 cm-1, and typical "cape" absorption lines.
Gems & Gemology, Sixth International Gemological Symposium Vol. 54, 3, 1p. Abstract p. 303.
Global
diamond color
Abstract: A group of natural diamonds known as chameleon diamonds change color from green to yellow based on their exposure to light and heat. These diamonds also emit long-lived phosphorescence after UV excitation. We have observed the optical response of these diamonds to optical and thermal excitation and developed a model to explain the observed phenomena. A principal element of the model is the proposal of an acceptor state (figure 1), which should be observable in the near-infrared (NIR) region. Subsequently, we have observed the NIR absorption to this acceptor state, supporting our model of charge-transfer processes in these diamonds.
Abstract: The results of geochronological, mineralogical, petrographical, and geochemical study of the Ilbokich ultramafic lamprophyre are reported. The specific features in the mineral and chemical compositions of the studied ultramafic lamprophyre indicate that it can be regarded as a variety similar to aillikite, while other differences dominated by K-feldspar can be referred to damtjernite. According to Rb-Sr analysis, ultramafic lamprophyre dikes intruded at the turn of the Early and Middle Devonian, about 392 Ma ago. This directly proves the existence of Early Paleozoic alkali-ultramafic magmatism in the northern part of the southwest Siberian Platform. A finding of Devonian alkali-ultramafic lamprophyre is of dual predictive importance. On the one hand, it is indicative of the low probability of finding large diamond-bearing deposits in close association with aillikite. On the other hand, it can be indicative of a possible large Devonian diamond province in the studied territory, where diamondiferous kimberlite is structurally separated from aillikite.
Abstract: The results of geochronological, mineralogical, petrographical, and geochemical study of the Ilbokich ultramafic lamprophyre are reported. The specific features in the mineral and chemical compositions of the studied ultramafic lamprophyre indicate that it can be regarded as a variety similar to aillikite, while other differences dominated by K-feldspar can be referred to damtjernite. According to Rb-Sr analysis, ultramafic lamprophyre dikes intruded at the turn of the Early and Middle Devonian, about 392 Ma ago. This directly proves the existence of Early Paleozoic alkali-ultramafic magmatism in the northern part of the southwest Siberian Platform. A finding of Devonian alkali-ultramafic lamprophyre is of dual predictive importance. On the one hand, it is indicative of the low probability of finding large diamond-bearing deposits in close association with aillikite. On the other hand, it can be indicative of a possible large Devonian diamond province in the studied territory, where diamondiferous kimberlite is structurally separated from aillikite.
Moscow University Geology Bulletin, Vol. 75, 2, pp. 128-135. pdf
Russia, China
deposit - Mir, Shandong, Liaoning
Abstract: enoliths from the Mir pipe and from the Shandong and Liaoning provinces were studied by the methods of EMPA and ICP-MS. Their mineralogical, geochemical, and genetic features were revealed. Minerals of diamondiferous paragenesis were detected in xenoliths from the Mir pipe, while they were not found in xenoliths of China. All xenoliths are characterized by secondary alterations, which are more intense in xenoliths of China. The distribution of REEs shows the involvement of subduction processes in the formation of xenoliths from the Mir pipe. The influence of metasomatism is clearly evident in xenoliths from China. The calculated P-T parameters (? = 600-700°C, P = 2-2.5 GPa) are not consistent with the mantle environments that correspond to the metasomatic conditions.
Dorfman, S.M., Potapkin, V., Lv, M., Greenberg, E., Kupenko, I., Chumakov, A.I., Bi, W., Alp, E.E., Liu, J., Magrez, A., Dutton, S.E., Cava, R.J., McCammon, C.A., Gillet, P.
American Mineralogist, Vol. 105, pp. 1030-1039. pdf
Mantle
redox
Abstract:
Electronic states of iron in the lower mantle's dominant mineral, (Mg,Fe,Al)(Fe,Al,Si)O3 bridgmanite, control physical properties of the mantle including density, elasticity, and electrical and thermal conductivity. However, the determination of electronic states of iron has been controversial, in part due to different interpretations of Mössbauer spectroscopy results used to identify spin state, valence state, and site occupancy of iron. We applied energy-domain Mössbauer spectroscopy to a set of four bridgmanite samples spanning a wide range of compositions: 10-50% Fe/total cations, 0-25% Al/total cations, 12-100% Fe3+/total Fe. Measurements performed in the diamond-anvil cell at pressures up to 76 GPa below and above the high to low spin transition in Fe3+ provide a Mössbauer reference library for bridgmanite and demonstrate the effects of pressure and composition on electronic states of iron. Results indicate that although the spin transition in Fe3+ in the bridgmanite B-site occurs as predicted, it does not strongly affect the observed quadrupole splitting of 1.4 mm/s, and only decreases center shift for this site to 0 mm/s at ~70 GPa. Thus center shift can easily distinguish Fe3+ from Fe2+ at high pressure, which exhibits two distinct Mössbauer sites with center shift ~1 mm/s and quadrupole splitting 2.4-3.1 and 3.9 mm/s at ~70 GPa. Correct quantification of Fe3+/total Fe in bridgmanite is required to constrain the effects of composition and redox states in experimental measurements of seismic properties of bridgmanite. In Fe-rich, mixed-valence bridgmanite at deep-mantle-relevant pressures, up to ~20% of the Fe may be a Fe2.5+ charge transfer component, which should enhance electrical and thermal conductivity in Fe-rich heterogeneities at the base of Earth's mantle.
Abstract: To gain better insight into the thermal state and composition of the lithospheric mantle beneath the Upper Muna kimberlite field (Siberian craton), a suite of 323 clinopyroxene xenocrysts and 10 mantle xenoliths from the Komsomolskaya-Magnitnaya (KM) pipe have been studied. We selected 188 clinopyroxene grains suitable for precise pressure (P)-temperature (T) estimation using single-clinopyroxene thermobarometry. The majority of P-T points lie along a narrow, elongated field in P-T space with a cluster of high-T and high-P points above 1300 °C, which deviates from the main P-T trend. The latter points may record a thermal event associated with kimberlite magmatism (a “stepped” or “kinked” geotherm). In order to eliminate these factors, the steady-state mantle paleogeotherm for the KM pipe at the time of initiation of kimberlite magmatism (Late Devonian-Early Carboniferous) was constrained by numerical fitting of P-T points below T = 1200 °C. The obtained mantle paleogeotherm is similar to the one from the nearby Novinka pipe, corresponding to a ~34-35 mW/m2 surface heat flux, 225-230 km lithospheric thickness, and 110-120 thick "diamond window" for the Upper Muna field. Coarse peridotite xenoliths are consistent in their P-T estimates with the steady-state mantle paleogeotherm derived from clinopyroxene xenocrysts, whereas porphyroclastic ones plot within the cluster of high-T and high-P clinopyroxene xenocrysts. Discrimination using Cr2O3 demonstrates that peridotitic clinopyroxene xenocrysts are prevalent (89%) among all studied 323 xenocrysts, suggesting that the Upper Muna mantle is predominantly composed of peridotites. Clinopyroxene-poor or -free peridotitic rocks such as harzburgites and dunites may be evident at depths of 140-180 km in the Upper Muna mantle. Judging solely from the thermal considerations and the thickness of the lithosphere, the KM and Novinka pipes should have excellent diamond potential. However, all pipes in the Upper Muna field have low diamond grades (<0.9, in carats/ton), although the lithosphere thickness is almost similar to the values obtained for the high-grade Udachnaya and Mir pipes from the Daldyn and Mirny fields, respectively. Therefore, other factors have affected the diamond grade of the Upper Muna kimberlite field.
high pressure metamorphic rocks of a new type: the lherzolite-gabbro-granulite series in the base of the ultramafic section in the Voykar ophiolite allochthon Polar
Doklady Academy of Sciences USSR, Earth Science Section, Vol. 318, No. 6, pp. 148-153.
Russia, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Polar Urals
Journal of Geochemical Exploration, Vol. 208, 106394
Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo
alluvials
Abstract: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has a long history of mining activities. However, environmental and socio-economic problems associated with abandoned mines as well as activities including Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) remain very concerning issues throughout the country. In this paper, we review abandoned mines, Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM), environmental and human impact assessment, conflict-minerals, and perspectives for future researches on mining activities in DRC, by selecting 26 significant and relevant peer-reviewed papers. With the recent mining boom in DRC, the issue of social and environmental impacts of abandoned mines and ASM has become a matter of concern for Congolese people. This actual development of several mining projects has driven the development of regulation, monitoring and impact assessment, and scientific publications of these activities. However, the findings from multiple studies regarding the impacts of abandoned mines and artisanal and small-scale mining on the environment and human health across the country has not yet been sufficiently brought together in a reliable way. Focusing on health, social and environmental issues, this mini-review aims to increase awareness of negative impacts of mining operations and promote further collaborative between citizens, mining companies, government institutions and other stakeholders with the hope to reduce negative impacts associated with minerals and metals mining and to extend the benefits to the surrounding Congolese communities. The overarching objective of this paper is to characterize the existing studies in the field of the impact assessment of abandoned mines and ASM on public health and environment with a view to stimulate research, guide development of policies and implementation of appropriate interventions. This report draws from material published and available in the public domain over the past years. It also explores the response of the state and the mining companies to these issues, exploring responses such as regulatory changes and implementations of existing legislation. According to the results, additional studies that examine the relationship between minerals mining, bioremediation processes, training and dialogue aspects and the associated adverse environmental and health outcomes are needed to more adequately characterize the impact of mining activities on health and environment, in order to increase formalization of artisanal and small-scale mining sector while strengthening their social and environmental responsibility, and promoting sustainable mining practice standards that improve people lives and respect the environment in DRC.
Abstract: Petrogenesis of a newly discovered diamondiferous kimberlite pipe (3-021) by the Rio Tinto Group, ~2 km east of Dibbasanipalli, Wajrakarur Kimberlite Field, eastern Dharwar craton is attempted. The pipe is located in field based on published literature and consultation with local villagers [1,2]. Local geology is dominated by Archaean basement granitoids and genisses intruded by younger nordmarkites and dolerites. The rock is highly chloritised giving rise to poor preservation of kimberlitic matrix. However, olivine pseudomorphs are distinctly visible in thin sections. The rock possesses crustal xenoliths of granite, syenite, dolerite etc. with petrographic similarities to Khaderet pipe (3-106). Geochemically, the kimberlite is silica undersaturated (SiO2 39.32-45.67 wt%), MgO rich (26.51- 28.82 wt%) with K2O (1-88-2.1 wt%) higher than Na2O (0.29-0.39 wt%), akin to archetypal Group-I variety. High amounts of MgO and Mg# correspond to enrichment of magnesium bearing mineral phases like olivine and to some extent Mg-ilmenite. The higher concentration of elements Ba, Cr, Co, Nb, Ni, V, Zr is attributed to enrichment of mantle originated xenocrysts like chromite, perovskite, pyrope, Crdiopside. Based on trace element content, the kimberlite appears to be of magmatic origin within a stable continental geological set up. The enrichment of LREE over HREE supports inferior degree of partial melting (0.1-2%) indicating a metasomatically enriched phlogopite bearing garnet lherzolite source, inturn indicating a deep seated and depleted mantle origin, within an estimated temperature range of 1150- 1280oC and low viscosity (0.05 Pa s).
Abiogenic Fischer-Topsch synthesis of hydrocarbons in alkaline igneous rocks: fluid inclusions, textural and isotopic evidence from the Lovozero complex, NW Russia.
Unravelling the stable isotopic evidence for the origin of hydrocarbons in peralkaline complexes: new dat a from the Lovozero and Strange Lake peralkaline plutons.
Peralk-Carb 2011, workshop held Tubingen Germany June 16-18, Abstract
Abstract: Oldoinyo Lengai is situated within the Gregory Rift Valley (northern Tanzania) and is the only active volcano erupting natrocarbonatite lava. This study investigates the texture and mineralogy of the June 1993 lava at Oldoinyo Lengai, and presents petrographic evidence of liquid immiscibility between silicate, carbonate, chloride, and fluoride melt phases. The 1993 lava is a porphyritic natrocarbonatite consisting of abundant phenocrysts of alkali carbonates, nyerereite and gregoryite, set in a quenched groundmass, composed of sodium carbonate, khanneshite, Na-sylvite and K-halite, and a calcium fluoride phase. Dispersed in the lava are silicate spheroids (< 2 mm) with a cryptocrystalline silicate mineral assemblage wrapped around a core mineral. We have identified several textural features preserved in the silicate spheroids, melt inclusions, and carbonatite groundmass that exhibit evidence of silicate-carbonate, carbonate-carbonate and carbonate-halide immiscibility. Rapid quenching of the lava facilitated the preservation of the end products of these liquid immiscibility processes within the groundmass. Textural evidence (at both macro- and micro-scales) indicates that the silicate, carbonate, chloride and fluoride phases of the lava unmixed at different stages of evolution in the magmatic system.
Abstract: Oldoinyo Lengai is situated within the Gregory Rift Valley (northern Tanzania) and is the only active volcano erupting natrocarbonatite lava. This study investigates the texture and mineralogy of the June 1993 lava at Oldoinyo Lengai, and presents petrographic evidence of liquid immiscibility between silicate, carbonate, chloride, and fluoride melt phases. The 1993 lava is a porphyritic natrocarbonatite consisting of abundant phenocrysts of alkali carbonates, nyerereite and gregoryite, set in a quenched groundmass, composed of sodium carbonate, khanneshite, Na-sylvite and K-halite, and a calcium fluoride phase. Dispersed in the lava are silicate spheroids (< 2 mm) with a cryptocrystalline silicate mineral assemblage wrapped around a core mineral. We have identified several textural features preserved in the silicate spheroids, melt inclusions, and carbonatite groundmass that exhibit evidence of silicate-carbonate, carbonate-carbonate and carbonate-halide immiscibility. Rapid quenching of the lava facilitated the preservation of the end products of these liquid immiscibility processes within the groundmass. Textural evidence (at both macro- and micro-scales) indicates that the silicate, carbonate, chloride and fluoride phases of the lava unmixed at different stages of evolution in the magmatic system.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 173, 12, pp. 106-
Russia, Kola Peninsula
deposit - Afrikanda
Abstract: Perovskite is a common accessory mineral in a variety of mafic and ultramafic rocks, but perovskite deposits are rare and studies of perovskite ore deposits are correspondingly scarce. Perovskite is a key rock-forming mineral and reaches exceptionally high concentrations in olivinites, diverse clinopyroxenites and silicocarbonatites in the Afrikanda alkaline-ultramafic complex (Kola Peninsula, NW Russia). Across these lithologies, we classify perovskite into three types (T1-T3) based on crystal morphology, inclusion abundance, composition, and zonation. Perovskite in olivinites and some clinopyroxenites is represented by fine-grained, equigranular, monomineralic clusters and networks (T1). In contrast, perovskite in other clinopyroxenites and some silicocarbonatites has fine- to coarse-grained interlocked (T2) and massive (T3) textures. Electron backscatter diffraction reveals that some T1 and T2 perovskite grains in the olivinites and clinopyroxenites are composed of multiple subgrains and may represent stages of crystal rotation, coalescence and amalgamation. We propose that in the olivinites and clinopyroxenites, these processes result in the transformation of clusters and networks of fine-grained perovskite crystals (T1) to mosaics of more coarse-grained (T2) and massive perovskite (T3). This interpretation suggests that sub-solidus processes can lead to the development of coarse-grained and massive perovskite. A combination of characteristic features identified in the Afrikanda perovskite (equigranular crystal mosaics, interlocked irregular-shaped grains, and massive zones) is observed in other oxide ore deposits, particularly in layered intrusions of chromitites and intrusion-hosted magnetite deposits and suggests that the same amalgamation processes may be responsible for some of the coarse-grained and massive textures observed in oxide deposits worldwide.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 175, 13p. Pdf
Russia
perovskite
Abstract: The exceptional accumulation of perovskite in the alkaline-ultramafic Afrikanda complex (Kola Peninsula, Russia) led to the study of polymineralic inclusions hosted in perovskite and magnetite to understand the development of the perovskite-rich zones in the olivinites, clinopyroxenites and silicocarbonatites. The abundance of inclusions varies across the three perovskite textures, with numerous inclusions hosted in the fine-grained equigranular perovskite, fewer inclusions in the coarse-grained interlocked perovskite and rare inclusions in the massive perovskite. A variety of silicate, carbonate, sulphide, phosphate and oxide phases are assembled randomly and in variable proportions in the inclusions. Our observations reveal that the inclusions are not bona fide melt inclusions. We propose that the inclusions represent material trapped during subsolidus sintering of magmatic perovskite. The continuation of the sintering process resulted in the coarsening of inclusion-rich subhedral perovskite into inclusion-poor anhedral and massive perovskite. These findings advocate the importance of inclusion studies for interpreting the origin of oxide minerals and their associated economic deposits and suggest that the formation of large scale accumulations of minerals in other oxide deposits may be a result of annealing of individual disseminated grains.
Abstract: The Gakara Rare Earth Elements (REE) deposit is one of the world’s highest grade REE deposits, likely linked to a carbonatitic magmatic-hydrothermal activity. It is located near Lake Tanganyika in Burundi, along the western branch of the East African Rift. Field observations suggest that the mineralized veins formed in the upper crust. Previous structures inherited from the Kibaran orogeny may have been reused during the mineralizing event. The paragenetic sequence and the geochronological data show that the Gakara mineralization occurred in successive stages in a continuous hydrothermal history. The primary mineralization in bastnaesite was followed by an alteration stage into monazite. The U-Th-Pb ages obtained on bastnaesite (602 ± 7 Ma) and on monazite (589 ± 8 Ma) belong to the Pan-African cycle. The emplacement of the Gakara REE mineralization most likely took place during a pre-collisional event in the Pan-African belt, probably in an extensional context.
Abstract: Much of the present-day volume of Earth’s continental crust had formed by the end of the Archean Eon, 2.5 billion years ago, through the conversion of basaltic (mafic) crust into sodic granite of tonalite, trondhjemite and granodiorite (TTG) composition. Distinctive chemical signatures in a small proportion of these rocks, the so-called high-pressure TTG, are interpreted to indicate partial melting of hydrated crust at pressures above 1.5?GPa (>50?km depth), pressures typically not reached in post-Archean continental crust. These interpretations significantly influence views on early crustal evolution and the onset of plate tectonics. Here we show that high-pressure TTG did not form through melting of crust, but through fractionation of melts derived from metasomatically enriched lithospheric mantle. Although the remaining, and dominant, group of Archean TTG did form through melting of hydrated mafic crust, there is no evidence that this occurred at depths significantly greater than the ~40?km average thickness of modern continental crust.
Abstract: Metamorphic petrology observations on rubies found in-situ in their host-rock are combined with geochemical measurements and optical microscopy observations on the same rubies, with the aim of connecting the ruby-forming metamorphic reaction to a unique fingerprint for these minerals. The Fiskenćsset complex in Greenland is used as an area of this case study. Isochemical pressure-temperature sections were calculated based on electron microprobe and whole-rock geochemistry analyses, and compared to field observations. Rubies formed from reaction between olivine/serpentine and anorthite, triggered by the intrusion of a 2.71 Ga pegmatite. Al is sourced from the anorthite reacting to calcic amphibole, silica from the pegmatite reacts with olivine/serpentine to anthophyllite, Cr3+ is mobile in the pegmatitic fluid, giving colour to the rubies. The ruby-forming reaction occurs at about 640 °C and 7 kbar. In order to establish the unique fingerprint for this ruby-bearing ultramafic complex, laser-ablation inductively-coupled-plasma mass-spectrometry trace-element measurements, oxygen isotope compositions, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were applied. Due to the setting in an ultramafic rock-anorthosite-leucogabbro complex, the fingerprint of the rubies from the Fiskenćsset complex is rather unique. Compared to rubies from other localities, Fiskenćsset complex rubies contain high Cr, intermediate Fe, and low V, Ga, and Ti concentrations, low oxygen isotope values (1.6-4.2‰) and a rarely-observed combination of optical growth features and mineral inclusions like anthophyllite+biotite. Results for other Greenland localities are presented and discussed as well. Even though these are derived from ultramafic rock settings too, they record different trace-element ratios and oxygen isotope values, resulting from variations in the Archaean ruby-forming reaction.
Abstract: The breakup of Africa from South America is associated with the emplacement of the Paraná-Etendeka flood basalt province from around 134?Ma and the Tristan da Cunha plume. Yet many additional volcanic events occur that are younger than the main pulse of the Paraná-Etendeka and straddle the rift to drift phases of the main breakup. This contribution reports on new geochronological constraints from the Angolan part of the African Margin. Three coastal and one inland section have been sampled stretching across some 400?Km, with 39Ar/40Ar, U-Pb and Palaeontology used to provide age constraints. Ages from the new data range from ~100 to 81?Ma, with three main events (cr. 100, 91 and 82-81?Ma). Volcanic events are occurring within the Early to Late Cretaceous, along this part of the margin with a general younging towards Namibia. With the constraints of additional age information both onshore and offshore Angola, a clear younging trend at the early stages of rift to drift is recorded in the volcanic events that unzip from North to South. Similar age volcanic events are reported from the Brazilian side of the conjugate margin, and highlight the need to fully incorporate these relatively low volume volcanic pulses into the plate tectonic breakup models of the South Atlantic Margin.
Abstract: The breakup of Africa from South America is associated with the emplacement of the Paraná-Etendeka flood basalt province from around 134 Ma and the Tristan da Cunha plume. Yet many additional volcanic events occur that are younger than the main pulse of the Paraná-Etendeka and straddle the rift to drift phases of the main breakup. This contribution reports on new geochronological constraints from the Angolan part of the African Margin. Three coastal and one inland section have been sampled stretching across some 400 Km, with 39Ar/40Ar, U-Pb and Palaeontology used to provide age constraints. Ages from the new data range from ~100 to 81 Ma, with three main events (cr. 100, 91 and 82-81 Ma). Volcanic events are occurring within the Early to Late Cretaceous, along this part of the margin with a general younging towards Namibia. With the constraints of additional age information both onshore and offshore Angola, a clear younging trend at the early stages of rift to drift is recorded in the volcanic events that unzip from North to South. Similar age volcanic events are reported from the Brazilian side of the conjugate margin, and highlight the need to fully incorporate these relatively low volume volcanic pulses into the plate tectonic breakup models of the South Atlantic Margin.
Magna, T., Viladkar, S., Rappirich, V., Pour, O., Cejkova, B.
Nb-V enriched sovites of the northeastern and eastern part of the Amba Dongar carbonatite ring dike, India - a reflection of post emplacement hydrothermal overprint.
Geochemistry, Vol. 80, doi.org/10.1016 /j.chemer.2019 .125534 11p. Pdf
India
deposit - Amba Dongar
Abstract: Wakefieldite-(Ce,La) and vanadinite in coarse-grained calciocarbonatites (sovites) are for the first time reported from the northeastern part of the worldwide largest fluorite deposit at the Amba Dongar carbonatite ring dike, India. Sovite in this part of the carbonatite ring dike is rich in pyrochlore, calcite and magnetite. Pyrochlore makes up almost 50% of some sovite samples and shows core-to-rim compositional changes. The core of pyrochlore consists of primary fluorcalciopyrochlore with high F and Na contents while the margins gained elevated amounts of Pb, La and Ce with the associated loss of F and Na due to circulation of hydrothermal solutions. The presence of wakefieldite-(Ce,La) and vanadinite points to an exceptionally high V abundance in hydrothermal solutions formed towards the end of the carbonatite magma activity. This investigation thus opens new promising areas for Nb and REE prospection in the eastern part of the Amba Dongar carbonatite body.
Abstract: The Earth’s mantle is currently divided into the African and Pacific domains, separated by the circum-Pacific subduction girdle, and each domain features a large low shear-wave velocity province (LLSVP) in the lower mantle. However, it remains controversial as to whether the LLSVPs have been stationary through time or dynamic, changing in response to changes in global subduction geometry. Here we compile radiogenic isotope data on plume-induced basalts from ocean islands and oceanic plateaus above the two LLSVPs that show distinct lead, neodymium and strontium isotopic compositions for the two mantle domains. The African domain shows enrichment by subducted continental material during the assembly and breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea, whereas no such feature is found in the Pacific domain. This deep-mantle geochemical dichotomy reflects the different evolutionary histories of the two domains during the Rodinia and Pangaea supercontinent cycles and thus supports a dynamic relationship between plate tectonics and deep-mantle structures.
Abstract: The Earth’s mantle is currently divided into the African and Pacific domains, separated by the circum-Pacific subduction girdle, and each domain features a large low shear-wave velocity province (LLSVP) in the lower mantle. However, it remains controversial as to whether the LLSVPs have been stationary through time or dynamic, changing in response to changes in global subduction geometry. Here we compile radiogenic isotope data on plume-induced basalts from ocean islands and oceanic plateaus above the two LLSVPs that show distinct lead, neodymium and strontium isotopic compositions for the two mantle domains. The African domain shows enrichment by subducted continental material during the assembly and breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea, whereas no such feature is found in the Pacific domain. This deep-mantle geochemical dichotomy reflects the different evolutionary histories of the two domains during the Rodinia and Pangaea supercontinent cycles and thus supports a dynamic relationship between plate tectonics and deep-mantle structures.
Journal of Metamorphic Geology, Vol. 38, pp. 593-627.
Australia
geochronology
Abstract: The final assembly of the Mesoproterozoic supercontinent Nuna was marked by the collision of Laurentia and Australia at 1.60 Ga, which is recorded in the Georgetown Inlier of NE Australia. Here, we decipher the metamorphic evolution of this final Nuna collisional event using petrostructural analysis, major and trace element compositions of key minerals, thermodynamic modelling, and multi?method geochronology. The Georgetown Inlier is characterised by deformed and metamorphosed 1.70-1.62 Ga sedimentary and mafic rocks, which were intruded by c. 1.56 Ga old S?type granites. Garnet Lu-Hf and monazite U-Pb isotopic analyses distinguish two major metamorphic events (M1 at c. 1.60 Ga and M2 at c. 1.55 Ga), which allows at least two composite fabrics to be identified at the regional scale—c. 1.60 Ga S1 (consisting in fabrics S1a and S1b) and c. 1.55 Ga S2 (including fabrics S2a and S2b). Also, three tectono?metamorphic domains are distinguished: (a) the western domain, with S1 defined by low?P (LP) greenschist facies assemblages; (b) the central domain, where S1 fabric is preserved as medium?P (MP) amphibolite facies relicts, and locally as inclusion trails in garnet wrapped by the regionally dominant low?P amphibolite facies S2 fabric; and (c) the eastern domain dominated by upper amphibolite to granulite facies S2 foliation. In the central domain, 1.60 Ga MP-medium?T (MT) metamorphism (M1) developed within the staurolite-garnet stability field, with conditions ranging from 530-550°C at 6-7 kbar (garnet cores) to 620-650°C at 8-9 kbar (garnet rims), and it is associated with S1 fabric. The onset of 1.55 Ga LP-high?T (HT) metamorphism (M2) is marked by replacement of staurolite by andalusite (M2a/D2a), which was subsequently pseudomorphed by sillimanite (M2b/D2b) where granite and migmatite are abundant. P-T conditions ranged from 600 to 680°C and 4-6 kbar for the M2b sillimanite stage. 1.60 Ga garnet relicts within the S2 foliation highlight the progressive obliteration of the S1 fabric by regional S2 in the central zone during peak M2 metamorphism. In the eastern migmatitic complex, partial melting of paragneiss and amphibolite occurred syn? to post? S2, at 730-770°C and 6-8 kbar, and at 750-790°C and 6 kbar, respectively. The pressure-temperature-deformation-time paths reconstructed for the Georgetown Inlier suggest a c. 1.60 Ga M1/D1 event recorded under greenschist facies conditions in the western domain and under medium?P and medium?T conditions in the central domain. This event was followed by the regional 1.56-1.54 Ga low?P and high?T phase (M2/D2), extensively recorded in the central and eastern domains. Decompression between these two metamorphic events is ascribed to an episode of exhumation. The two?stage evolution supports the previous hypothesis that the Georgetown Inlier preserves continental collisional and subsequent thermal perturbation associated with granite emplacement.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol. 124, 7, pp. 7105-7119.
United States
geophysics - seismic
Abstract: Detailed P wave velocity and anisotropy structure of the uppermost mantle below the central United States is presented based on a tomographic inversion of Pn traveltimes for earthquakes in the range 2 to 14°. Dense raypath coverage throughout the northern Mississippi Embayment is obtained using the Northern Embayment Lithosphere Experiment and U.S. Transportable Array data sets. A detailed analysis of the trade?off between velocity and anisotropy variations demonstrates that both are well resolved over most of the study area. Anomalously fast Pn velocities are identified below the northern Mississippi Embayment, centered on the New Madrid seismic zone. A prominent region of low velocity coincides with the southwestern margin of the Illinois basin. Pn anisotropy displays complex patterns and differs from absolute plate motion directions and SKS splitting directions. A circular pattern of fast anisotropy directions is centered on the New Madrid seismic zone and may be related to the presence of the mafic “rift pillow.”
Yellowknife Forum NWTgeoscience.ca, abstract volume p. 27.
Canada, Northwest Territories
economics
Abstract: In spite of a poor year for sales of rough diamonds globally, diamond mining continues to provide a foundation for the NWT economy. Gahcho Kué mine, which has been operating slightly ahead of plan, announced the discovery of the diamondiferous Wilson kimberlite within the current mine plan area. Consistently high forecasts for zinc demand have encouraged both the rejuvenation of Pine Point by Osisko Metals Inc. and NorZinc Ltd.’s ongoing efforts to bring Prairie Creek into production. Gold prices have been buoyed by safe-haven sentiment after concerns over economic growth, tariffs and trade wars with China. Advanced projects have benefited with an improving investment climate encouraging on-going exploration by Nighthawk Gold Corp. and TerraX Minerals Inc. However, many smaller projects were suspended as the companies were not able to raise sufficient funds on in the investment market. This was particularly true for the commodities targeting green energy and battery technologies. Most of the projects focusing on lithium, cobalt and vanadium started the year strongly but were dormant by the summer. A notable exception was the reactivation of Avalon’s Nechalacho project with an infusion of resources from Cheetah Resources of Australia. One of the indicators of exploration activity – claims staked vs. lapsed – continued an upward trend that began in 2017. In 2018, a total of 268 claims covering 184,985 hectares were added and 70 claims covering 58, 876 hectares were released. In the first three quarters of 2019, 120 claims covering 45,000 Ha were added but a nearly equivalent area 55,000 Ha in 85 claims and leases were cancelled. There are also 37 active Prospecting Permits this year. New staking included large areas in the Mackenzie Mountains, the additional ground at Pine Point, re-staking of claims in the Lac de Gras region and expansion of claims in the Yellowknife area. In 2019-2020, the Government of Northwest Territories invested nearly $1 million in grassroots mineral exploration through the Mining Incentive Program. This funding was dispersed to 19 exploration projects comprising twelve prospectors and seven companies. The Mineral Resources Act has passed the legislature marking the NWT’s first-ever stand-alone Act governing mining in the territory.
An improved and extended internally consistent thermodynamic data set for phases of petrological interest, involving a new equation of state for solids.
Journal of Metamorphic Geology, in print available
An improved and extended internally consistent thermodynamic data set for phases of petrological interest, involving a new equation of state for solids.
Journal of Metamorphic Geology, Vol. 33, 6, pp. 649-670.
Mantle
Subduction
Abstract: Subduction of hydrated lithospheric mantle introduces Hinline imageO, ferric iron, oxidized carbon and sulphur to the subduction zone system. The fate of these components is poorly known, but is intimately linked to the global geochemical cycles of iron, carbon and sulphur, the genesis of arc-related ore deposits, the temporal evolution of mantle redox state and subduction-related earthquakes and magmatism. thermocalc is used to provide first-order constraints on the effect of subduction zone metamorphism on metamorphic redistribution of iron, carbon, sulphur and water in ultramafic rocks via construction of P?T and T-X(O) pseudosections with open system calculation of the effect of fluid loss. The calculations replicate observed mineral assemblages in high-P to low-T ultramafic rocks at P?T conditions consistent with those suggested by other workers. The results are consistent with open system fluid loss without significant fluid infiltration. Water loss is complete by 850 inline imageC, the corresponding depth of fluid loss being consistent with that inferred for earthquakes in subducting slabs. Losses of carbon and sulphur are relatively minor, at around <5% and <1%, respectively, so it is envisaged that most carbon and sulphur subducted in ultramafic lithologies is transported to >5 GPa, below the depths of the source zone for arc volcanoes. Oxygen activity for rocks in closed systems that evolve with a fixed redox budget is calculated to change from ?FMQ ?1 at 350 inline imageC to over ?FMQ +3 at 850 inline imageC. This result emphasizes the need to consider redox budget as well as oxygen activity when the results of experiments performed at fixed oxygen activity relative to some buffer are interpreted in the context of natural systems. In open systems, devolatilization is calculated to increase the redox budget and oxygen activity of the residue via loss of methane and Hinline imageS at the brucite-out and serpentine-out reactions respectively. No fluid-induced mechanism for oxidation of sub-arc mantle by transfer of redox budget from hydrated ultramafic lithologies to the overlying sub-arc mantle was identified, although further thermodynamic data on fluid species such as Sinline image are required to confirm this.
Journal of Metamorphic Geology, doi.org.10.1111/ jmg.12484
Global
geochemistry
Abstract: This essay in honour of Mike Brown addresses aspects of chemical equilibrium and equilibration in rocks, with a focus on the role that chemical potentials play. Chemical equilibrium is achieved by diffusive flattening of chemical potential gradients. The idea of equilibration volume is developed, and the way equilibration volumes may evolve along a pressure-temperature path is discussed. The effect of the environment of an equilibration volume is key to understanding the evolution of the equilibration volume with changing conditions. The likely behaviour of equilibration volumes is used to suggest why preservation of equilibrium mineral assemblages and mineral compositions from metamorphism tends to occur. This line of logic then provides the conceptual support to conventional equilibrium thermodynamic approaches to studying rocks, using, for example, thermobarometry and pseudosections.
Mineralogy and Petrology, doi.org/10.1007/ s00710-018-0630-7 14p.
Canada, Northwest Territories
deposit - Diavik
Abstract: The Diavik Diamond Mine in the NWT of Canada has produced in excess of 100 million carats from 3 kimberlite pipes since mining commenced in 2002. Here, we present new findings from deep (>400 m below surface) mining, sampling and drilling work in the A154N kimberlite volcano that require a revision of previous geological and emplacement models and provide a window into how the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) below Diavik was sampled by kimberlite magmas through time. Updated internal geological models feature two volcanic packages interpreted to represent two successive cycles of explosive eruption followed by active and passive sedimentation from a presumed crater-rim, both preceded and followed by intrusions of coherent kimberlite. Contact relationships apparent among the geological units allow for a sequential organization of as many as five temporally-discrete emplacement events. Representative populations of mantle minerals extracted from geological units corresponding to four of the emplacement events at A154N are analyzed for major and trace elements, and provide insights into the whether or not kimberlites randomly sample from the mantle. Two independent geothermometers using clinopyroxene and garnet data indicate similar source depths for clinopyroxenes and G9 garnets (130-160 km), and suggest deeper sampling with time for both clinopyroxene and garnets. Harzburgite is limited to 110-160 km, and appears more prevalent in early, low-volume events. Variable ratios of garnet parageneses from the same depth horizons suggest random sampling by passing magmas, but deeper garnet sampling through time suggests early preferential sampling of shallow/depleted SCLM. Evaluations of Ti, Zr, Y and Ga over the range of estimated depths support models of the SCLM underlying the central Slave terrane.
Lithos, doi.org/10.1016/ jlithos.2020.105880, 26p. Pdf
Africa, South Africa
deposit - Bultfontein
Abstract: The metasomatised continental mantle may play a key role in the generation of some ore deposits, in particular mineral systems enriched in platinum-group elements (PGE) and Au. The cratonic lithosphere is the longest-lived potential source for these elements, but the processes that facilitate their pre-concentration in the mantle and their later remobilisation to the crust are not yet well-established. Here, we report new results on the petrography, major-element, and siderophile- and chalcophile-element composition of native Ni, base metal sulphides (BMS), and spinels in a suite of well-characterised, highly metasomatised and weakly serpentinised peridotite xenoliths from the Bultfontein kimberlite in the Kaapvaal Craton, and integrate these data with published analyses. Pentlandite in polymict breccias (failed kimberlite intrusions at mantle depth) has lower trace-element contents (e.g., median total PGE 0.72 ppm) than pentlandite in phlogopite peridotites and Mica-Amphibole-Rutile-Ilmenite-Diopside (MARID) rocks (median 1.6 ppm). Spinel is an insignificant host for all elements except Zn, and BMS and native Ni account for typically <25% of the bulk-rock PGE and Au. High bulk-rock Te/S suggest a role for PGE-bearing tellurides, which, along with other compounds of metasomatic origin, may host the missing As, Ag, Cd, Sb, Te and, in part, Bi that are unaccounted for by the main assemblage. The close spatial relationship between BMS and metasomatic minerals (e.g., phlogopite, ilmenite) indicates that the lithospheric mantle beneath Bultfontein was resulphidised by metasomatism after initial melt depletion during stabilisation of the cratonic lithosphere. Newly-formed BMS are markedly PGE-poor, as total PGE contents are <4.2 ppm in pentlandite from seven samples, compared to >26 ppm in BMS in other peridotite xenoliths from the Kaapvaal craton. This represents a strong dilution of the original PGE abundances at the mineral scale, perhaps starting from precursor PGE alloy and small volumes of residual BMS. The latter may have been the precursor to native Ni, which occurs in an unusual Ni-enriched zone in a harzburgite and displays strongly variable, but overall high PGE abundances (up to 81 ppm). In strongly metasomatised peridotites, Au is enriched relative to Pd, and was probably added along with S. A combination of net introduction of S, Au +/? PGE from the asthenosphere and intra-lithospheric redistribution, in part sourced from subducted materials, during metasomatic events may have led to sulphide precipitation at ~80-120 km beneath Bultfontein. This process locally enhanced the metallogenic fertility of this lithospheric reservoir. Further mobilisation of the metal budget stored in these S-rich domains and upwards transport into the crust may require interaction with sulphide-undersaturated melts that can dissolve sulphides along with the metals they store.
Mineralogy and Petrology, 10.1007/ s00710-018- 0589-4, 14p.
Africa, South Africa, Canada, Northwest Territories, Ontario
deposit - Venetia, Voorspoed, Gahcho Kue, Victor, Snap Lake
Abstract: De Beers kimberlite mine operations in South Africa (Venetia and Voorspoed) and Canada (Gahcho Kué, Victor, and Snap Lake) have the potential to sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) through weathering of kimberlite mine tailings, which can store carbon in secondary carbonate minerals (mineral carbonation). Carbonation of ca. 4.7 to 24.0 wt% (average?=?13.8 wt%) of annual processed kimberlite production could offset 100% of each mine site’s carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions. Minerals of particular interest for reactivity with atmospheric or waste CO2 from energy production include serpentine minerals, olivine (forsterite), brucite, and smectite. The most abundant minerals, such as serpentine polymorphs, provide the bulk of the carbonation potential. However, the detection of minor amounts of highly reactive brucite in tailings from Victor, as well as the likely presence of brucite at Venetia, Gahcho Kué, and Snap Lake, is also important for the mineral carbonation potential of the mine sites.
Abstract: Mineral carbonation is a form of carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) that aims to transform excess CO2 into environmentally benign carbonate minerals which are geologically stable. Here, we investigated the reactivity of processed kimberlite and kimberlite ore from the Venetia Diamond Mine (South Africa). Highly reactive phases, such as brucite [Mg(OH)2], are uncommon in the samples collected from Venetia necessitating the development of new strategies for mineral carbonation. Kimberlite ore and tailings from this mine consist of a clay-rich mineral assemblage that is dominated by lizardite (a serpentine mineral) and smectites. Smectites are swelling clays that can act as a source of Mg and Ca for carbonation reactions via cation exchange, dissolution and/or direct replacement of smectites to form carbonate phases. Although carbonation of serpentine and brucite has long been a focus of CCUS in mine wastes [1], smectite carbonation has not been explored in this setting. Quantitative X-ray diffraction using Rietveld refinements coupled with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy indicate that smectites of stevensite-saponite composition are abundant in the Venetia samples (1.3-15.4 wt.%). Synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence mapping correlated with scanning and transmission electron microscopy show that smectites are distributed as altered, smooth regions measuring from 1 to 20 ?m in breadth. These phases are rich in Mg and Ca and Al-poor. To better understand the behaviour/reactivity of smectites during the cation exchange process, we have used batch experiments with pure endmembers of Ca-, Mg- and Na-montmorillonite under different treatment conditions (NH4-citrate, NH4-O-acetate, NH4-Cl and Na3-citrate). After 24 hours of reaction, ICP-MS analyses reveal that the four treatments have the same efficiency for Ca and Mg exchange, while NH4-Cl and NH4- O-acetate treatments minimize calcite dissolution. Our end goals are to optimize settling time and to maximize extraction of Ca and Mg for carbonation reactions during ore processing.
Proxima Diamonds Corp.: exploring for diamonds in the fertile Slave craton.
43rd Annual Yellowknife Geoscience Forum Abstracts, abstract p. 33.
Canada, Northwest Territories
Prospect - Sancy
Abstract: Proxima Diamonds Corp. is a private Canadian diamond exploration company exploring diamond targets in the heart of the diamond producing region of the Slave Geological Province. The company holds 17 target-rich properties that were selected based on a review of publicly available data, a proprietary kimberlite indicator mineral sample database and a wealth of experience exploring for diamonds in Canada's north. Focused kimberlite indicator mineral (KIM) sampling conducted by Proxima in 2014 identified a potential source area on the Sancy Property, located near the northern boundary of the Ekati Diamond Mine. Follow-up ground geophysical surveys completed over the area in spring 2015 have returned compelling results. Ground gravity, total magnetic field and capacitively coupled resistivity surveys identified a large, new target approximately 300 m from the diamondiferous T-10 kimberlite pipe. On this and other Proxima properties, focused KIM till sampling is defining likely source areas which will be surveyed with ground geophysical methods this winter.
Abstract: The Siberian Craton was assembled in a Paleoproterozoic episode at about 1.88?Ga by the collision of older blocks, followed at about 1.86?Ga by post-collisional felsic magmatism. We have found a set of extremely fresh mica-bearing lamprophyre-looking rocks within the Sharyzhalgay metamorphic complex of the south-western Siberian Craton. Zircon from these rocks yields a UPb TIMS age of 1864.7?±?1.8?Ma, which coincides perfectly with the peak of the post-collisional granite ages and postdates by ~15?Ma the peak of ages obtained for metamorphism. The same ages were reported earlier for a mafic dyke with ocean island basalt (OIB) geochemical signatures and a Pt-bearing mafic-ultramafic intrusion found in the same region. Mineralogy, major and trace element geochemistry and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopes show that the studied rocks (1) have shoshonitic affinity, (2) are hybrid rocks with mineral assemblages which could not be in equilibrium, (3) where derived by recycling of an Archean crustal source and (4) resemble post-collision Tibetan shoshonitic series. The genesis of these rocks is considered to be due to melting of crustal lithologies and metasomatized lithospheric mantle within a subducted slab. Some of the resulting melts ascended through the lithospheric column and fractionated to low-Mg absarokites, whereas other melts were contaminated by orthopyroxenitic mantle material and attained unusual high-Mg mafic compositions. According to our model, the post-collisional magmatism (shoshonite- and OIB-type) occurred due to upwelling of hot asthenosphere through a slab window, when the active collision ceased as a result of the slab break off and loss of the slab pull force. Overall, our study shows that in the Paleoproterozoic shoshonitic melts were emplaced within a similar tectonic setting as seen today in modern orogenic systems.
Abstract: The Earth’s magnetic field is powered by energy supplied by the slow cooling and freezing of the liquid iron core. Efforts to determine the thermal and chemical history of the core have been hindered by poor knowledge of the properties of liquid iron alloys at the extreme pressures and temperatures that exist in the core. This obstacle is now being overcome by high-pressure experiments and advanced mineral physics computations. Using these approaches, updated transport properties for FeSiO mixtures have been determined at core conditions, including electrical and thermal conductivities that are higher than previous estimates by a factor of two to three. Models of core evolution with these high conductivities suggest that the core is cooling much faster than previously thought. This implies that the solid inner core formed relatively recently (around half a billion years ago), and that early core temperatures were high enough to cause partial melting of the lowermost mantle. Estimates of core-mantle boundary heat flow suggest that the uppermost core is thermally stratified at the present day.
IEEE Photonics Journal, Researchgate 35102286, April, 28p. Pdf
Global
luminescence
Abstract: Modern-day diamond sorting is achieved through the application of x-ray luminescence (XRL) and x-ray transmission (XRT) techniques. Sorting with XRL is limited to the class range of 1.25mm to 32mm because of self-absorption associated with larger diamonds, greater than 32mm. The effect of self-absorption is also a high-energy phenomenon in XRL. XRT is limited to sorting large size diamonds as the technique suffers poor contrast for diamonds smaller than 10mm. XRT measurements are immune to self-absorption for all sample sizes, while XRL measurements have good contrast for particles smaller than 32mm. The applications of these techniques have hitherto been used independently of each other and have subsequently progressed mutually exclusively. Here we analytically show a new paradox of a dual-modality X-ray diamond sorting combining XRL and XRT techniques' strengths. Key features of our new paradoxical model performance are contrast mitigation for small particles and self-absorption rejection for a large particle at high energy as well as improved particle detectability and classification.
Journal of Geophysical Research, Solid Earth, in press available, 34p.
Global
diamond inclusions
Abstract: Natural diamonds, as well as being a cherished commodity, are valuable for scientists studying the Earth's interior because they only grow at depths greater than 140 km. When diamonds grow, they may trap tiny fragments of surrounding materials as sub?millimetre defects. Study of these inclusions can provide insights into the materials and processes occurring deep inside our planet. Sub?lithospheric diamonds are a relatively rare subset of natural diamonds, believed to have grown deeper than 250 km, and are thought to be the deepest Earth materials that have been transported to the surface. Ideally, we would be able to estimate their formation depths accurately. Inclusions of majoritic garnet provide a unique opportunity for this, as their chemistry is known to change systematically with formation depth. However, this behaviour is highly complex, and previous attempts to parameterise the depth dependence of inclusion chemistries have limitations. Here we have used data science to train a "Machine Learning" algorithm that improves the accuracy of estimating the formation pressures of majoritic garnet inclusion. The approach confirms that many natural diamonds containing inclusions of majoritic garnet must have originally formed at depths of 400 - 660 km.
Journal of Geophysical Research Physical Review B., http://doi.org/10 /1029/2020JB020 604 21p. Pdf
Mantle
diamond inclusions
Abstract: Natural diamonds, as well as being a cherished commodity, are valuable for scientists studying the Earth's interior because they only grow at depths greater than 140 km. When diamonds grow, they may trap tiny fragments of surrounding materials as sub?millimeter defects. Study of these inclusions can provide insights into the materials and processes occurring deep inside our planet. Sub?lithospheric diamonds are a relatively rare subset of natural diamonds, believed to have grown deeper than 250 km, and are thought to be the deepest Earth materials that have been transported to the surface. Ideally, we would be able to estimate their formation depths accurately. Inclusions of majoritic garnet provide a unique opportunity for this, as their chemistry is known to change systematically with formation depth. However, this behavior is highly complex, and previous attempts to parameterize the depth dependence of inclusion chemistries have limitations. Here we have used data science to train a "machine learning" algorithm that improves the accuracy of estimating the formation pressures of majoritic garnet inclusion. The approach confirms that many natural diamonds containing inclusions of majoritic garnet must have originally formed at depths of 400-660 km.
Abstract: A fundamental goal of mineralogy and petrology is the deep understanding of mineral phase relationships and the consequent spatial and temporal patterns of mineral coexistence in rocks, ore bodies, sediments, meteorites, and other natural polycrystalline materials. The multi-dimensional chemical complexity of such mineral assemblages has traditionally led to experimental and theoretical consideration of 2-, 3-, or n-component systems that represent simplified approximations of natural systems. Network analysis provides a dynamic, quantitative, and predictive visualization framework for employing “big data” to explore complex and otherwise hidden higher-dimensional patterns of diversity and distribution in such mineral systems. We introduce and explore applications of mineral network analysis, in which mineral species are represented by nodes, while coexistence of minerals is indicated by lines between nodes. This approach provides a dynamic visualization platform for higher-dimensional analysis of phase relationships, because topologies of equilibrium phase assemblages and pathways of mineral reaction series are embedded within the networks. Mineral networks also facilitate quantitative comparison of lithologies from different planets and moons, the analysis of coexistence patterns simultaneously among hundreds of mineral species and their localities, the exploration of varied paragenetic modes of mineral groups, and investigation of changing patterns of mineral occurrence through deep time. Mineral network analysis, furthermore, represents an effective visual approach to teaching and learning in mineralogy and petrology.
Carbonatite occurrences in Munnar area, Kerala, southern India.
Carbonatite-alkaline rocks and associated mineral deposits , Dec. 8-11, abstract p. 36-37.
India
carbonatites
Abstract: Carbonatites, usually associated with alkaline complexes and emplaced within continental rifting environment, are the rarest of all the igneous rocks. Carbonatite and alkaline intrusive complexes, as well as their weathering products, are the primary sources of REEs (Long et.al. 2010). Carbonatites are defined by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) system of igneous rock classification as having more than 50 modal percent primary carbonate minerals, such as calcite, dolomite, and ankerite, and less than 20 percent SiO2 (Le Maitre, 2002). Southern India has several carbonatite occurrences and the alkaline complex of Munnar in southern India comprises of an alkali granite plutons with minor patches of charnockite, syenite and carbonatite emplaced within Precambrian gneisses (Nair et.al., 1983, 1984; Santosh et.al., 1987, Nair et.al., 1984). Gneissic layering and foliation are apparent in all but the least deformed granitic rocks in the study area. The Munnar granite body is situated in the western part of the Madurai block in Southern Granulite Terrane (SGT) of Peninsular India, within the newly defined Western Madurai Domain. The complex is spatially related to the intersection zone of Karur-Kambam-Painavu-Trissur lineament. The alkali granite of the complex has been dated at 740±30 my (Odom, 1982) and 804±6 Ma (Brandt et. al., 2014). Present study deals with examining the nature of the carbonatites and takes a relook at its major and REE contents, and for the first time, looks at the stable isotope signatures of these rocks, in an attempt to check whether these rocks are indeed carbonatites. The geology and geochemistry of the rock types in and around Munnar area have been mapped with special focus on carbonatites. Extensive field mapping was carried out and a base map was prepared and all the geological and structural features were recorded in the base map. Intra- and inter-relationships of various rock units were examined. Field photographs of interesting geological features have been recorded. Carbonatites in Munnar area are exposed as two minor patches. The one which occurs towards north of the Munnar town and is seen as patches, lens and veins of 30 cm to 1 m thickness, cutting coarse grained syenite which occurs as a NW- SE along a body. Exposures are found about 15 km from Munnar on the Udumalpet road. The second exposure occurs towards the east of the Munnar town, near at the Ellapatty estate 24 km from Munnar on the road to top station where coarse grained cabonatites occurs as lenticular bodies up to 1.5 m thick within granite. In both the localities, the carbonatite bodies show sharp and discordant margins with absence of any pseudomorphs within them. Fenitisation is characterised by the development of pink K-feldspar megacrystals in the country rock at the contact. The carbonatites are fresh and homogenous and represent two varieties. A coarse grained holocrystalline type and yellowish calcite crystals constituting 90% of the rock, with pyroxene apatite and magnetite correspond to sovite (Streckeisen, 1979). The second variety which contains highly coarse calcite crystals (up to 1 cm) and associated dolomite with mafic minerals constituting 30% of the rock corresponds to alvikite. The sovite exhibits an interlocking crystals mosaic of calcite in thin section. The calcite crystals of alvikite show exsolution blebs of dolomite. The major mafic component in both varieties is aegirine-augite which forms euhedral- subhedral laths (Santosh et al., 1984). The opaque phase is dominantly magnetite. Rarely phlogopite, biotite and minor laths of albite are also noted, small crystals of euhedral apatite are found occluded in calcite grain although alkaline complexes with carbonatite of Munnar devoid of related mafic differentiates like gabbros or lamprophyres may be considered unique. The immiscibility of carbonatitic and alkalic silicate liquids can be physically explained as the separation of a less viscous carbonate liquid from a more viscous polymerized silicate phase. The carbonate liquid would be lower in density because of higher content of H2O and this contrast in density could cause phase separation due to earth’s gravitational field alone (Moller et al., 1980). The pre-requisite to establish separation of immiscible silicate-saturated carbonatite liquid and the associated carbonate-saturated silicate melt is achieved as follows; Large-scale volatile outgassing occurs during crustal wrapping and distention prior to rifting which trigger mantle degassing (Bailey, 1974). An imprint of such large-scale volatile influx is recognised in the Kerala region (Nair et al., 1984). Rapid ascent volatiles enriched in CO2 liberated from the mantle cause partial melting at shallower levels of the mantle.
Journal of Asian Earth Science, Vol. 200, 104432, 18p. Pdf
India
deposit - Munnar
Abstract: Metacarbonate assemblages in high-grade metamorphic terranes often pose challenges when trying to distinguish between mantle-derived carbonatite and sedimentary carbonate protoliths. We present a study of granulite-facies metacarbonate samples of the putative Munnar carbonatite described as decimeter-thick dikes and veins, and layers of a meter-thick metacarbonate and calc-silicate assemblage, respectively. Thin sections of the metacarbonate dike samples show absence of pyrochlore and ubiquitous scapolite, titanite, wollastonite, and detrital zircons are compatible with impure limestone protoliths. Nd and Sr isotope compositions indicate protoliths with Paleoproterozoic crustal residence times which contrast the mantle sources of Indian and global carbonatites. Trace-element patterns display the characteristics of upper crust, and Ce- and Y-anomalies in a number of samples suggest protolith formation under marine conditions. Carbon and oxygen isotope compositions of the metacarbonate samples interlayered with calc-silicate rocks are similar to those in marine limestone. The metacarbonate dikes, however, show mantle-like compositions which are interpreted as reflecting equilibration with mantle-derived CO2 during granulite-facies metamorphism. The dikes yielded a U-Pb zircon crystallization age of 1020 ± 70 Ma and a cross-cutting quartz syenite, thought to be cogenetic, a magmatic age of 620 ± 35 Ma; the hosting gneiss provided a magmatic age of 2452 ± 14 Ma. We conclude that the layered metacarbonate and calc-silicate rocks represent a former marine limestone and marl sequence and the metacarbonate dikes and veins small-volume melts of crust-derived carbonate-rich sediment.
Paleomagnetic and geochronological studies of the mafic dyke swarms of Bundelk hand craton, central India: implications for the tectonic evolution and paleogeographic reconstructions.
India's changing place in global Proterozoic reconstructions: a review of geochronologic constraints and paleomagnetic poles from the Dharwar Bundelk hand and Marwar
Journal of Geodynamics, Vol. 50, 3-4, pp. 224-242.
Abstract: While mineral phases stable in the mantle transition zone (such as wadsleyite and ringwoodite) can store up to 3 wt% H2O, those in the lower mantle such as bridgmanite and ferropericlase can contain a very small amount (<50 ppm). While such dramatic differences can lead to dehydration/hydration and hydrous melting at 660-km depth in the mantle [1,2] it is uncertain how much water can be transported and stored at these depths. In order to answer this question, we have conducted a series of high pressure experiments in laser-heated diamondanvil cell and multi-anvil press combined with X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, laser Raman spectroscopy, and secondary ion mass spectrometry. Initially we examined the water storage capacity of dense (Al free) silica polymorphs at high pressure and temperature. We found that water can dramatically reduce the rutile-type to CaCl2-type phase transition from 55 GPa to 25 GPa and stabilize a new "disordered inverse" inverse NiAs-type phase at pressures above 50 GPa, which is not stable in dry SiO2 system. The CaCl2-type and NiAs-type silica polymorphs contain up to 8 wt% of H2O at 1400-2100 K up to at least 110 GPa. We next explored the effects of water on the mineralogy of the lower mantle and found that hydrous Mg2SiO4 ringwoodite (1 wt% H2O) breaks down to silica + bridgmanite + ferropericlase at pressures up to 60 GPa and 2100 K. The recovered silica samples contain 0.3-1.1 wt% H2O, suggesting that water stabilizes silica even under Si-undersaturated systems because of their large water storage capacity. Therefore, our observations support the stability of silica in hydrous regions in the pyrolitic lower mantle. In the subducting oceanic crust (basalt and sediment), silica represents 20-80% of the mineralogy. Because its stability range spans the mantle transition zone to the deep mantle, hydrous silica is expected to play a major role in the transport and storage of water in the deep mantle.
Abstract: The fate of subducted carbonates in the lower mantle and at the core-mantle boundary was modelled via experiments in the MgCO3-Fe0 system at 70-150 GPa and 800-2600 K in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell. Using in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and ex situ transmission electron microscopy we show that the reduction of Mg-carbonate can be exemplified by: 6MgCO3 + 19Fe = 8FeO +10(Mg0.6Fe0.4)O + Fe7C3 + 3C. The presented results suggest that the interaction of carbonates with Fe0 or Fe0-bearing rocks can produce Fe-carbide and diamond, which can accumulate in the D’’ region, depending on its carbon to Fe ratio. Due to the sluggish kinetics of the transformation, diamond can remain metastable at the core-mantle boundary (CMB) unless it is in a direct contact with Fe-metal. In addition, it can be remobilized by redox melting accompanying the generation of mantle plumes.
www.minsocam.org /MSA/Centennial/ MSA_Centennial _Symposium.html The next 100 years of mineral science, June 20-21, p. 27. Abstract
Mantle
eclogites
Abstract: Omphacite is a clinopyroxene solid solution of Fe-bearing diopside and jadeite, and is stable up to about 500 km depth in the Earth’s interior. It is also a major mineral component of eclogite (up to 75 vol%). Basalt, which makes up most of the Earth’s oceanic crust, transforms into eclogite at the depth > ~60 km. Due to the ~20% higher density of eclogite, it is considered one of the main driving forces for the slab subduction. Subducted eclogite is also an important source of the chemical heterogeneities in the Earth’s mantle, which are the potential reservoirs for the enriched geochemical components. Thus, studying the geophysical properties of omphacite at elevated pressure-temperature conditions is of great interest for both the geophysical and geochemical community. Previous studies have proposed to utilize the unique anisotropic seismic properties of eclogite to identify possible subduction channels and eclogite-rich regions in the Earth’s interior. Due to the elastically isotropic nature of garnet and the relatively small proportion (< 10 vol%) of the silica minerals in eclogite, the seismic anisotropy of eclogite is primarily caused by the lattice preferred orientation of omphacite. Thus, in this study, in addition to determining the densities, and isotropic velocities of omphacite at the high pressuretemperature condition, we also paid special attention to the elastic anisotropy of omphacite. We combined the synchrotron single-crystal X-ray diffraction at Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory with offline Brillouin spectroscopy experiments at University New Mexico to investigate the anisotropic thermoelastic properties of omphacite. Incorporated with the preexisting thermoelastic database of other relevant mantle mineral phases, we compared the anisotropic seismic properties of eclogite (slab crust) with pyrolite (ambient mantle) along mantle geotherms down to 500 km depth. The maximum isotropic and anisotropic velocities contrast between pyrolite and eclogite is at 310-410 km, making it an optimal depth range for seismologists to search for eclogite-rich heterogeneities in the Earth’s interior. The ~5%-7% velocity difference between eclogite and pyrolite also needs to be taken into account when estimating the slab temperatures between 310-410 km depth. Otherwise, the slab temperature could be underestimated by a few hundred K without considering the possible lithology difference.
Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, Vol. 305, 13p. Pdf
Mantle
density
Abstract: The composition of Archean volcanic crust can be characterized by a higher Mg/Si ratio than modern mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB), because of the higher degree melting from the warmer mantle in the Archean. Although modern MORB may become less dense than the surrounding mantle beneath the mantle transition zone (MTZ), the Mg-rich composition of Archean volcanic crust may result in the different density, and therefore different sinking behavior near the MTZ. In order to understand the compositional effect of Archean volcanic crust on the sinking behaviors and the scale of mantle mixing in the Archean, we investigated the mineralogy and density of Archean volcanic crust near the MTZ (470-910 km-depth). We conducted experiments at 19-34 GPa and 1400-2400 K using the laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LHDAC) combined with in-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD). The in-situ XRD and the chemical analysis revealed that Archean volcanic crust forms garnet and ringwoodite (84 and 16 vol%, respectively), which gradually transforms to Brg and CaPv (82 and 18 vol%, respectively) at 23-25 GPa and 1800 K. Our in-situ XRD experiments allowed us to measure the volumes of stable phases and to estimate their densities at high pressure and temperature. The results suggest that Archean volcanic crust maintains greater density than the pyrolitic mantle in the Archean regardless of temperature at 20-34 GPa (570-850 km-depth), promoting further sinking into the deeper mantle in the Archean. We also considered the density of the subducting slab in the Archean. The density model showed that the subducting slab is still denser or at least equally dense as the surrounding pyrolitic mantle in the Archean.
Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, Vol. 305, 13p. Pdf
Mantle
subduction
Abstract: The composition of Archean volcanic crust can be characterized by a higher Mg/Si ratio than modern mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB), because of the higher degree melting from the warmer mantle in the Archean. Although modern MORB may become less dense than the surrounding mantle beneath the mantle transition zone (MTZ), the Mg-rich composition of Archean volcanic crust may result in the different density, and therefore different sinking behavior near the MTZ. In order to understand the compositional effect of Archean volcanic crust on the sinking behaviors and the scale of mantle mixing in the Archean, we investigated the mineralogy and density of Archean volcanic crust near the MTZ (470-910 km-depth). We conducted experiments at 19-34 GPa and 1400-2400 K using the laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LHDAC) combined with in-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD). The in-situ XRD and the chemical analysis revealed that Archean volcanic crust forms garnet and ringwoodite (84 and 16 vol%, respectively), which gradually transforms to Brg and CaPv (82 and 18 vol%, respectively) at 23-25 GPa and 1800 K. Our in-situ XRD experiments allowed us to measure the volumes of stable phases and to estimate their densities at high pressure and temperature. The results suggest that Archean volcanic crust maintains greater density than the pyrolitic mantle in the Archean regardless of temperature at 20-34 GPa (570-850 km-depth), promoting further sinking into the deeper mantle in the Archean. We also considered the density of the subducting slab in the Archean. The density model showed that the subducting slab is still denser or at least equally dense as the surrounding pyrolitic mantle in the Archean.
American Mineralogist, Vol. 105, pp. 1342-1348. pdf
Mantle
bridgmanite
Abstract: To understand the effects of H2O on the mineral phases forming under the pressure-temperature conditions of the lower mantle, we have conducted laser-heated diamond-anvil cell experiments on hydrous ringwoodite (Mg2SiO4 with 1.1 wt% H2O) at pressures between 29 and 59 GPa and temperatures between 1200 and 2400 K. Our results show that hydrous ringwoodite (hRw) converts to crystalline dense hydrous silica, stishovite (Stv) or CaCl2-type SiO2 (mStv), containing 1 wt% H2O together with Brd and MgO at the pressure-temperature conditions expected for shallow lower-mantle depths between approximately 660 to 1600 km. Considering the lack of sign for melting in our experiments, our preferred interpretation of the observation is that Brd partially breaks down to dense hydrous silica and periclase (Pc), forming the phase assembly Brd + Pc + Stv. The results may provide an explanation for the enigmatic coexistence of Stv and Fp inclusions in lower-mantle diamonds.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 451, pp. 114-124.
Mantle
Subduction
Abstract: The elastic properties of two single crystals of majoritic garnet (Mg3.24Al1.53Si3.23O12 and Mg3.01Fe0.17Al1.68Si3.15O12), have been measured using simultaneously single-crystal X-ray diffraction and Brillouin spectroscopy in an externally heated diamond anvil cell with Ne as pressure transmitting medium at conditions up to ?30 GPa and ?600 K. This combination of techniques makes it possible to use the bulk modulus and unit-cell volume at each condition to calculate the absolute pressure, independently of secondary pressure calibrants. Substitution of the majorite component into pyrope garnet lowers both the bulk (KsKs) and shear modulus (G ). The substitution of Fe was found to cause a small but resolvable increase in KsKs that was accompanied by a decrease in ?Ks/?P?Ks/?P, the first pressure derivative of the bulk modulus. Fe substitution had no influence on either the shear modulus or its pressure derivative. The obtained elasticity data were used to derive a thermo-elastic model to describe VsVs and VpVp of complex garnet solid solutions. Using further elasticity data from the literature and thermodynamic models for mantle phase relations, velocities for mafic, harzburgitic and lherzolitic bulk compositions at the base of Earth's transition zone were calculated. The results show that VsVs predicted by seismic reference models are faster than those calculated for all three types of lithologies along a typical mantle adiabat within the bottom 150 km of the transition zone. The anomalously fast seismic shear velocities might be explained if laterally extensive sections of subducted harzburgite-rich slabs pile up at the base of the transition zone and lower average mantle temperatures within this depth range.
Cerantola, V., Bykova, E., Kupenko, I., Merlini, M., Ismailova, L., McCammon, C., Bykov, M., Chumakov, A.I., Petitgirard, S., Kantor, I., Svityk, V., Jacobs, J., Hanfland, M., Mezouar, M., Prescher, C., Ruffer, R., Prakapenka, V.B., Duvbovinsky, L.
Earth and Planteray Science Letters, Vol. 489, pp. 84-91.
Mantle
carbonate
Abstract: Carbonate minerals are important hosts of carbon in the crust and mantle with a key role in the transport and storage of carbon in Earth's deep interior over the history of the planet. Whether subducted carbonates efficiently melt and break down due to interactions with reduced phases or are preserved to great depths and ultimately reach the core-mantle boundary remains controversial. In this study, experiments in the laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LHDAC) on layered samples of dolomite (Mg,?Ca)CO3 and iron at pressure and temperature conditions reaching those of the deep lower mantle show that carbon-iron redox interactions destabilize the MgCO3 component, producing a mixture of diamond, Fe7C3, and (Mg,?Fe)O. However, CaCO3 is preserved, supporting its relative stability in carbonate-rich lithologies under reducing lower mantle conditions. These results constrain the thermodynamic stability of redox-driven breakdown of carbonates and demonstrate progress towards multiphase mantle petrology in the LHDAC at conditions of the lowermost mantle.
Sun, N., Wei, W., Han, S., Song, J., Li, X., Duan, Y., Prakapenka, V.B., Mao, Z.
Phase transition and thermal equations of state of (Fe, Al) -bridgmanite and post perovskite: implication for the chemical heterogeneity at the lowermost mantle.
Earth Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 490, pp. 161-169.
Africa, South Africa, China, United States, Canada, South America
diamond inclusions
Abstract: We present the first evidence for inclusions of ice-VII in diamonds from southern Africa, China, North- and South-America [1]. Combining synchrotron X-ray diffraction, - X-ray fluorescence and IR spectroscopy, we show the presence of ice-VII as inclusions in diamonds that have formed at depth > 410 km to about 800 km in the Earth's mantle. What is now crystalline ice-VII, a high pressure polymorph of water-ice, was component of an aqueous fluid entrapped in the diamonds that were growing in the deep mantle. Because of the confinement by the host diamonds, the inclusions retain high pressures. The same holds for inclusions of magnesian calcite, halite, and ilmenite found in the same diamond specimens. These inclusions reflect the presence of aqueous and carbonaceous fluids in the mantle transition zone and the shallow lower mantle. Using their current residual pressures and the equations of state, we can reconstruct their recovery paths [2,3]. Further, we can use the intersection of modelled recovery paths to better constrain the encapsulation pressure and temperature of these inclusions in diamonds.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 490, 1, pp. 161-169.
Mantle
geothermometry
Abstract: In this study, we have determined the phase boundary between Mg0.735Fe0.21Al0.07Si0.965O3-Bm and PPv and the thermal equations of state of both phases up to 202 GPa and 2600 K using synchrotron X-ray diffraction in laser heated diamond anvil cells. Our experimental results have shown that the combined effect of Fe and Al produces a wide two-phase coexistence region with a thickness of 26 GPa (410 km) at 2200 K, and addition of Fe lowers the onset transition pressure to 98 GPa at 2000 K, consistent with previous experimental results. Furthermore, addition of Fe was noted to reduce the density (?) and bulk sound velocity () contrasts across the Bm-PPv phase transition, which is in contrast to the effect of Al. Using the obtained phase diagram and thermal equations of state of Bm and PPv, we have also examined the effect of composition variations on the ? and
profiles of the lowermost mantle. Our modeling results have shown that the pyrolitic lowermost mantle should be highly heterogeneous in composition and temperature laterally to match the observed variations in the depth and seismic signatures of the D? discontinuity. Normal mantle in a pyrolitic composition with ?10% Fe and Al in Bm and PPv will lack clear seismic signature of the D? discontinuity because the broad phase boundary could smooth the velocity contrast between Bm and PPv. On the other hand, Fe-enriched regions close to the cold slabs may show a seismic signature with a change in the velocity slope of the D? discontinuity, consistent with recent seismic observations beneath the eastern Alaska. Only regions depleted in Fe and Al near the cold slabs would show a sharp change in velocity. Fe in such regions could be removed to the outer core by strong core-mantle interactions or partitions together with Al to the high-pressure phases in the subduction mid ocean ridge basalts. Our results thus have profound implication for the composition of the lowermost mantle.
Abstract: A drastically altered chemistry was recently discovered in the Fe-O-H system under deep Earth conditions, involving the formation of iron superoxide (FeO2Hx with x?=?0 to 1), but the puzzling crystal chemistry of this system at high pressures is largely unknown. Here we present evidence that despite the high O/Fe ratio in FeO2Hx, iron remains in the ferrous, spin-paired and non-magnetic state at 60-133?GPa, while the presence of hydrogen has minimal effects on the valence of iron. The reduced iron is accompanied by oxidized oxygen due to oxygen-oxygen interactions. The valence of oxygen is not -2 as in all other major mantle minerals, instead it varies around -1. This result indicates that like iron, oxygen may have multiple valence states in our planet’s interior. Our study suggests a possible change in the chemical paradigm of how oxygen, iron, and hydrogen behave under deep Earth conditions.
Nature Communications, doi.org/10.10.1038 /s41467-021-21761-9 8p. Pdf
Mantle
diamond inclusions
Abstract: The stable forms of carbon in Earth’s deep interior control storage and fluxes of carbon through the planet over geologic time, impacting the surface climate as well as carrying records of geologic processes in the form of diamond inclusions. However, current estimates of the distribution of carbon in Earth’s mantle are uncertain, due in part to limited understanding of the fate of carbonates through subduction, the main mechanism that transports carbon from Earth’s surface to its interior. Oxidized carbon carried by subduction has been found to reside in MgCO3 throughout much of the mantle. Experiments in this study demonstrate that at deep mantle conditions MgCO3 reacts with silicates to form CaCO3. In combination with previous work indicating that CaCO3 is more stable than MgCO3 under reducing conditions of Earth’s lowermost mantle, these observations allow us to predict that the signature of surface carbon reaching Earth’s lowermost mantle may include CaCO3.
Abstract: Mg2GeO4 is important as an analog for the ultrahigh-pressure behavior of Mg2SiO4, a major component of planetary interiors. In this study, we have investigated magnesium germanate to 275 GPa and over 2,000 K using a laser-heated diamond anvil cell combined with in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and density functional theory (DFT) computations. The experimental results are consistent with the formation of a phase with disordered Mg and Ge, in which germanium adopts eightfold coordination with oxygen: the cubic, Th3P4-type structure. DFT computations suggest partial Mg-Ge order, resulting in a tetragonal I4Ż2d structure indistinguishable from I4Ż3d Th3P4 in our experiments. If applicable to silicates, the formation of this highly coordinated and intrinsically disordered phase may have important implications for the interior mineralogy of large, rocky extrasolar planets.
Cr-diopsides from Lattavaram and Kalyanadurgam kimberlites, Anatapur district, Andhra Praseh, southern India: inferences from loam sampling.
Department of Geophysics, University College of Science Osmania University, Hyderabad 500 007, March 16, 17, Role of Geophysics in Earth and Environmental studies: special emphasis on mineral exploration 1p. Abstract
Role of Geophysics in Earth and Environmental Studies , March 1p. Abstract
India
mineralogy
Abstract: A comparison of major element content in Cr-diopside mineral grains, from loam samples, of two kimberlite pipes each from Lattavaram (P-3 and P-4) and Kalyanadurgam (KL-1 and KL-2) clusters of Wajrakarur Kimberlite Field (WKF) has been presented here. The two selected Lattavaram pipes are well exposed whereas the Kalyanadurgam pipes are concealed under 1.5 to 2 meter thick alluvium and calcrete, which is endowed with easily identifiable kimberlitic indicator minerals (KIMs). The indicator minerals are mantle derived xenocrystic types like pyrope garnet, Cr-diopside, ilmenite, chromite and olivine which provide inferences on their petrogenesis. It is observed that Cr-diopside is a prominent mineral constituent in both these locations and plays a vital role in reconnaissance diamond exploration. Surface in-situ loam sampling was carried out and ~15 kg of sample has been collected, to segregate heavy minerals which were concentrated by panning and jigging. In total, 66 Cr-diopside grains in total; 26 from Lattavaram and 40 from Kalyanadurgam were picked under the microscope and studied for their major element geochemistry by EPMA. In Lattavaram area, 25 grains were identified to be of C5 class and one grain belongs to C3. In Kalyandurgam, it is observed that 39 grains belong to CP5 category and one grain to C2 class. The range of Cr2O3 weight% for Lattavaram samples is 0.94- 2.8 and that for Kalyanadurgam samples is 0.54- 6.34. It is envisaged that the entries of Fe, Al, Na, Ca, and Cr into the clinopyroxene structure are strongly affected by the P-T-X conditions during mineral crystallization. It is observed that the mantle derived kimberlitic Cr-diopside is low in Fe-content relative to that of crustal rocks. This study revealed that Cr-diopsides of investigated pipes are of kimberlitic nature and plot in the diamond inclusion field thereby signifying the prospectivity of the pipes.
Abstract: The Bastar craton in central India, surrounded by cratonic blocks and Paleoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic orogenic belts, is a window to investigate the Archean-Paleoproterozoic crustal evolution and tectonic processes. Here we propose a new tectonic classification of the craton into the Western Bastar Craton (WBC), Eastern Bastar Craton (EBC), and the intervening Central Bastar Orogen (CBO). We present petrologic, geochemical and zircon U-Pb, REE and Lu-Hf data from a suite of rocks from the CBO and along the eastern margin of the WBC Including: (1) volcanic successions comprising meta-andesite and fine-grained amphibolite, representing arc-related volcanics along a convergent margin; (2) ferruginous sandstone, in association with rhyolite, representing a volcano-sedimentary succession, deposited in an active trench; and (3) metamorphosed mafic-ultramafic suite including gabbro, pyroxenite and dunite invaded by trondhjemite representing the section of sub-arc mantle and arc root adjacent to a long-lasting subduction system. Petrologic studies indicate that the mafic-ultramafic suite crystallized from an island arc tholeiitic parental magma in a suprasubduction zone environment. The chondrite-normalized and primitive mantle normalized diagrams of the mafic and ultramafic rocks suggest derivation from MORB magma. The mixed characters from N-MORB to E-MORB of the studied samples are consistent with subduction modification of a MORB related magma, involving partial melting of the metasomatized mantle wedge. Our zircon U-Pb age data suggest that the cratonic nuclei was constructed as early as Paleoarchean. We present evidence for active subduction and arc magmatism through Mesoarchean to Neoarchean and early Paleoproterozoic, with the trench remaining open until at least 2.3 Ga. Two major crust building events are recognized in the Bastar craton: during Mesoarchean (recycled Paleoarchean subduction-related as well as juvenile/depleted mantle components) and Neoarchean (accretion of juvenile oceanic crust, arc magmatism including granite batholiths and related porphyry mineralization). The final cratonization occurred during latest Paleoproterozoic, followed by collisional assembly of the craton and its incorporation within the Peninsular Indian mosaic during Mesoproterozoic. In the global supercontinent context, the craton preserves the history of Ur, the earliest supercontinent, followed by the Paleo-Mesoproterozoic Columbia, as well as minor thermal imprints of the Neoproterozoic Rodinia and associated Grenvillian orogeny.
Abstract: The Bastar craton in central India, surrounded by cratonic blocks and Paleoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic orogenic belts, is a window to investigate the Archean-Paleoproterozoic crustal evolution and tectonic processes. Here we propose a new tectonic classification of the craton into the Western Bastar Craton (WBC), Eastern Bastar Craton (EBC), and the intervening Central Bastar Orogen (CBO). We present petrologic, geochemical and zircon U-Pb, REE and Lu-Hf data from a suite of rocks from the CBO and along the eastern margin of the WBC Including: (1) volcanic successions comprising meta-andesite and fine-grained amphibolite, representing arc-related volcanics along a convergent margin; (2) ferruginous sandstone, in association with rhyolite, representing a volcano-sedimentary succession, deposited in an active trench; and (3) metamorphosed mafic-ultramafic suite including gabbro, pyroxenite and dunite invaded by trondhjemite representing the section of sub-arc mantle and arc root adjacent to a long-lasting subduction system. Petrologic studies indicate that the mafic-ultramafic suite crystallized from an island arc tholeiitic parental magma in a suprasubduction zone environment. The chondrite-normalized and primitive mantle normalized diagrams of the mafic and ultramafic rocks suggest derivation from MORB magma. The mixed characters from N-MORB to E-MORB of the studied samples are consistent with subduction modification of a MORB related magma, involving partial melting of the metasomatized mantle wedge. Our zircon U-Pb age data suggest that the cratonic nuclei was constructed as early as Paleoarchean. We present evidence for active subduction and arc magmatism through Mesoarchean to Neoarchean and early Paleoproterozoic, with the trench remaining open until at least 2.3?Ga. Two major crust building events are recognized in the Bastar craton: during Mesoarchean (recycled Paleoarchean subduction-related as well as juvenile/depleted mantle components) and Neoarchean (accretion of juvenile oceanic crust, arc magmatism including granite batholiths and related porphyry mineralization). The final cratonization occurred during latest Paleoproterozoic, followed by collisional assembly of the craton and its incorporation within the Peninsular Indian mosaic during Mesoproterozoic. In the global supercontinent context, the craton preserves the history of Ur, the earliest supercontinent, followed by the Paleo-Mesoproterozoic Columbia, as well as minor thermal imprints of the Neoproterozoic Rodinia and associated Grenvillian orogeny.
Indian Journal of Science and Technology, 12p. Pdf
India
Craton - Dharwar
Abstract: Objectives: To map the kimberlite pipes emplaced in parts of Anantpur District, India using Landsat-8 OLI multispectral data. Kimberlite are considered as the primary host of natural diamond. Kimberlite pipes have very limited exposure and are altered, therefore the indirect surface indicators associated with kimberlite such as ferric iron bearing minerals (hematite, goethite), hydroxyl (clay) and carbonate (calcrete) minerals, were mapped to trace kimberlite pipe. Methods: Feature based Principal Component Analysis (FPCA) was applied over the OLI bands 2, 4, 5 and 6, and 2, 5, 6 and 7 to generate ferric iron (F image) and hydroxyl/carbonate image (H/C images). The color composite was generated by assigning RGB colours to F, H/C and F+H/C images. Findings: When matched with the pre-explored kimberlite pipe locations, it was observed that the kimberlitic pipes display different colours in the above colour composite. Hence, the Isodata clustering was carried out to segregate the classes, which resulted in 12 unique classes. Of these, the kimberlite pipes fall in 4 classes. However, due to the moderate resolution of OLI, false positive areas were also noted. Further the target area was found to be reduced by incorporating the structural control (lineament) over the emplacement of Kimberlite pipes. Novelty: The present work highlights the usefulness of the moderate resolution multispectral image in mapping the Kimberlite pipes in semiarid region, in absence of a hyperspectral sensor.
Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, Vol. 315, 106708, 13p. Pdf
India
kimberlites
Abstract: Complex geological structures and processes that took place in the Dharwar craton formation make it difficult to understand the evolution history. 3-D magnetotelluric inversion is a challenging task for the imaging of sub-surface structures. Data at 40 stations in a gridded fashion are used in this study for inversion. A controversy exists regarding the subduction polarity between the eastern and western Dharwar craton. Based on the conductivity anomalies mapped in the sub-surface, the lithosphere can be divided into the shallower and deeper lithosphere. The study delineated several crustal and lithospheric upper mantle conductors. In the crustal region, several conductive features (~10 ?-m) are imaged in the western part, central, and eastern part of the profile. A new finding of this 3-D study is a conductor in the eastern Dharwar craton in the depth range of 65-140 km. The base of this conductor shows the graphite diamond stability field and is correlated with the kimberlites/lamproites present in the region. An uppermost mantle conductor is present at the depth range of 80-200 km in the central part of the study area. Sulphides and carbon-rich fluids could be one cause of the conductors mapped in the crust. The low electrical resistivity imaged in the deeper lithosphere could be due to the refertilization of the mantle scar in the Cretaceous age by the passage of several hotspots. The lithospheric thickness estimated beneath the Dharwar craton in this study is more than 200 km. This study reveals geophysical evidence for the eastward subduction polarity in the Dharwar craton.
Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, Vol. 183, pp. 43-53.
India
craton
Abstract: oriented, 280?km long profile (from Yellapura to Sindhanur) with 22 magnetotelluric stations. Regional strike directions, estimated were ?5° and 13° for the crust and the lithospheric mantle respectively. Our results indicate in western Dharwar craton, presence of low resistivity zones in the crust besides two significant upper mantle conductive features within the highly resistive Archaean lithosphere. We analyze the available geophysical data that include heat flow, seismic tomography and magnetotellurics (MT) from the Dharwar craton. Our inference supports to the existence of a thick lithosphere. A thickness of more than 200?km is estimated for the lithosphere beneath the Dharwar craton by our magnetotelluric model. The study has brought out the presence of lithospheric upper mantle conductive features in the depth range of 100-200?km bounded to the west part of the magnetotelluric profile. Significant variations in conductivity are seen on either side of the Chitradurga shear zone. The conductive feature in the depth range 120-150?km is related with kimberlite melts and the conductive nature in the depth range 160-200?km is explained by refertilization process, as craton passed over the Marion (ca. 90?Ma) hotspot.
Abstract: The goal of this work is to investigate the diamond collection preserved at the Natural History Museum of the University of Firenze (MSN-FI) using a multidisciplinary approach. The mixed methods combine historical research with spectroscopic techniques to gain a deeper understanding of this collection of great historical, scientific and gemmological interest. This study concerns the analysis of 61 diamonds that are relatively small in both size and weight, mostly unworked and sometimes rich in inclusions. These specimens were acquired by MSN-FI from diverse collectors and institutions from 1824 until the most recent acquisitions in the 1990s. The FTIR spectroscopy was performed on 45 specimens. The results show the physical classification of diamonds in three groups (IaAB, IaA, and IaB) and reveal the presence of hydrogen as ethylene -CH?=?CH- or vinylidene?>?C?=?CH2 group.
Yellowknife Forum NWTgeoscience.ca, abstract volume p. 71-72.
Canada, Nunavut
deposit - Chidliak
Abstract: The Chidliak exploration site was discovered in 2005 and acquired by De Beers Canada (De Beers) in September 2018. The Project is located on the Hall Peninsula of Baffin Island in the Qikiqtani Region of Nunavut and the closest communities are the Hamlet of Pangnirtung and the City of Iqaluit. The current Chidliak exploration site is not located within Inuit Owned Lands, Territorial or National Parks and is located entirely within Crown Lands. The current Chidliak exploration site includes 30 kimberlites two of which (CH-06 and CH-07) have been tested for grade and diamond value and are considered to be at an Inferred level of resource confidence. De Beers is currently engaged in a concept study to evaluate various FutureSmart Mining methods that would minimize environment impacts and enable relatively small kimberlites (diamond bearing rock) to be mined. De Beers is conducting desktop and field studies to evaluate options for mining methods, infrastructure, processing, information technology, and employee work models. In parallel, environmental field programs were conducted in 2019 to advance the environmental data collected in 2009 to 2017 and to support the evaluation of mining options. This presentation will provide a brief synopsis of the Project and work conducted in 2019 to advance the Project.
Yellowknife Forum NWTgeoscience.ca, abstract volume p. 72.
Canada, Northwest Territories
deposit - Snap Lake
Abstract: The Snap Lake Mine (the Mine) is a former underground diamond mine operated by De Beers Canada (De Beers), located about 220 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. The Snap Lake Mine operated from 2008 to 2015, and entered a Care and Maintenance mode in December 2015. In February 2017, the Mine underground workings were decommissioned and allowed to flood, in December 2017, De Beers announced the intent to enter into final closure, and in March 2019, De Beers submitted the Final Closure and Reclamation Plan for the Mine. Water management has always been an important component at the Mine and was considered in development of the Final Closure Plan to achieve the overall goal of “returning the site and affected areas around the Mine to technically viable and, where practicable, self-sustaining ecosystems that are compatible with a healthy environment and with human activities”. Water management at the Mine has changed significantly since diamond mining operations ceased. During diamond mining operations, a large volume of water was pumped from the underground to the surface for management and release to Snap Lake and the downstream environment. This mine water was relatively high in total dissolved solids and total suspended solids and therefore had to be treated prior to discharge. Now that the underground is flooded, there is no longer a need to pump mine water to the surface and water management has been greatly simplified. Since 2017, small volumes of runoff water from the North Pile (a surface disposal facility that was used for processed kimberlite, waste rock, and non-hazardous solid waste during operations) is collected for management and release to the underground and to Snap Lake. Water quality and aquatic ecosystem monitoring has been conducted yearly since pre-mining. Results of these programs have informed adaptive management at the site and informed plans for closure. The focus of this presentation is on water management and monitoring, for the Mine to the receiving environment, covering the history of the Mine to present and into planning for closure.
Barry, P.H., de Moor, J.M., Giovannelli, D., Schrenk, M., Hummer, D.R., Lopez, T., Pratt, C.A., Alpizar Segua, Y., Battaglia, A., Beaudry, A., Bini, G., Cascante, M., d'Errico, G., di Carlo, M., Fattorini, D., Fullerton, K., H+Gazel, E., Gonzalez, G., Hal
Abstract: Carbon and other volatiles in the form of gases, fluids or mineral phases are transported from Earth’s surface into the mantle at convergent margins, where the oceanic crust subducts beneath the continental crust. The efficiency of this transfer has profound implications for the nature and scale of geochemical heterogeneities in Earth’s deep mantle and shallow crustal reservoirs, as well as Earth’s oxidation state. However, the proportions of volatiles released from the forearc and backarc are not well constrained compared to fluxes from the volcanic arc front. Here we use helium and carbon isotope data from deeply sourced springs along two cross-arc transects to show that about 91 per cent of carbon released from the slab and mantle beneath the Costa Rican forearc is sequestered within the crust by calcite deposition. Around an additional three per cent is incorporated into the biomass through microbial chemolithoautotrophy, whereby microbes assimilate inorganic carbon into biomass. We estimate that between 1.2 × 108 and 1.3 × 1010 moles of carbon dioxide per year are released from the slab beneath the forearc, and thus up to about 19 per cent less carbon is being transferred into Earth’s deep mantle than previously estimated.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 458, 1, pp.405-417.
Africa, Madagascar
geophysics - seismics
Abstract: The crust and upper mantle of the Madagascar continental fragment remained largely unexplored until a series of recent broadband seismic experiments. An island-wide deployment of broadband seismic instruments has allowed the first study of phase velocity variations, derived from surface waves, across the entire island. Late Cenozoic alkaline intraplate volcanism has occurred in three separate regions of Madagascar (north, central and southwest), with the north and central volcanism active until <1 Ma, but the sources of which remains uncertain. Combined analysis of three complementary surface wave methods (ambient noise, Rayleigh wave cross-correlations, and two-plane-wave) illuminate the upper mantle down to depths of 150 km. The phase-velocity measurements from the three methods for periods of 8-182 s are combined at each node and interpolated to generate the first 3-D shear-velocity model for sub-Madagascar velocity structure. Shallow (upper 10 km) low-shear-velocity regions correlate well with sedimentary basins along the west coast. Upper mantle low-shear-velocity zones that extend to at least 150 km deep underlie the north and central regions of recent alkali magmatism. These anomalies appear distinct at depths <100 km, suggesting that any connection between the zones lies at depths greater than the resolution of surface-wave tomography. An additional low-shear velocity anomaly is also identified at depths 50-150 km beneath the southwest region of intraplate volcanism. We interpret these three low-velocity regions as upwelling asthenosphere beneath the island, producing high-elevation topography and relatively low-volume magmatism.
United States Geological Survey (USGS) Open file, United States Geological Survey (USGS)-Missouri G.S. Symp: Mineral resource potential of, p. 32. (abstract.)
Neues Jahbuch fur Mineralogy, Vol. 196, p2, pp. 149-177.
India
camptonite
Abstract: We report petrology and geochemistry (including Sr and Nd isotopes) of a fresh lamprophyre at Ankiraopalli area at the north-western margin of Paleo-Mesoproterozoic Cuddapah basin, eastern Dharwar craton, southern India. Ankiraopalli samples possess a typical lamprophyre porphyritic-panidiomorphic texture with phenocrysts of kaersutite and diopside set in a plagioclase dominant groundmass. Combined mineralogy and geochemistry classify it as alkaline lampro- phyre in general and camptonite in particular. Contrary to the calc-alkaline and/or shoshonitic orogenic nature portrayed by lamprophyres occurring towards the western margin of the Cuddapah basin, the Ankiraopalli samples display trace element composition revealing striking similarity with those of ocean island basalts, Italian alkaline lamprophyres and highlights an anorogenic character. However, the87 Sr/86 Srinitial (0.710316 to 0.720016) and ?Ndinitial (- 9.54 to - 9.61) of the Ankiraopalli lamprophyre show derivation from an 'enriched' mantle source showing long term enrichment of incompatible trace elements and contrast from those of (i) OIB, and (ii) nearby Mahbubnagar alkaline mafic dykes of OIB affinity. Combining results of this study and recent advances made, multiple mantle domains are identified in the Eastern Dharwar craton which generated distinct Mesoproterozoic lamprophyre varieties. These include (i) Domain I, involving sub-continental lithospheric mantle source essentially metasomatized by subduction-derived melts/fluids (represented by orogenic calcalkaline and/or shoshonitic lamprophyres at the Mudigubba, the Udiripikonda and the Kadiri); (ii) Domain II, comprising a mixed sub-continental lithospheric and asthenospheric source (represented by orogenic-anorogenic, alkaline to calc-alkaline transitional lamprophyres at the Korakkodu), and (iii) Domain III, representing a sub-continental lithospheric source with a dominant overprint of an asthenospheric (plume) component (represented by essentially alkaline lamprophyres at the Ankiraopalli). Our study highlights the varied mantle source heterogeneities and complexity of geodynamic processes involved in the Neoarchean-Paleo/Mesoproterozoic evolution of the Eastern Dharwar craton.
Diamond & Related Materials, Vol. 109, 108049, 6p. Pdf
Mantle
nitrogen
Abstract: Single crystal diamond (<5?ppm nitrogen) containing native NV centers with coherence time of 150??s was irradiated with 2?MeV alpha particles, with doses ranging from 1012 ion/cm2 to 1015 ion/cm2. The effect of ion damage on the coherence time of NV centers was studied using optically detected magnetic resonance and supplemented by fluorescence and Raman microscopy. A cross-sectional geometry was employed so that the NV coherence time could be measured as a function of increasing defect concentration along the ion track. Surprisingly, although the ODMR contrast was found to decrease with increasing ion induced vacancy concentration, the measured decoherence time remained undiminished at 150us despite the estimated vacancy concentration reaching a value of 40?ppm at the end of range. These results suggest that ion induced damage in the form of an increase in vacancy concentration does not necessarily result in a significant increase in the density of the background spin bath.
The basement of the Punta del Este Terrane (Uruguay): an African Mesoproterozoic fragment at the eastern border of the South American Rio de la Plat a craton.
International Journal of Earth Sciences, Vol. 100, 2, pp. 289-304.
The rare earth elements (REE) content in the laterites developed on the alkaline complexes of Araxa and Catalao (States Minas Gerais and Goias, Brasil).
Rare earth Minerals: chemistry, origin and ore deposits, International Geological Correlation Programme (IGCP) Project, pp. 114-116. abstract
rare earth elements (REE) distribution and rare earth elements (REE) carriers in laterites formed on the alkaline complexes of Araxa and Catalao, Brasil.
Moteani, G., Kostitsyn, Y.A., Gilg, H.A., Preinfalk, C., Razakamanana, T.
Geochemistry of phlogopite, diopside, calcite, anhydrite and apatite pegmatites and syenites of southern Madagascar: evidence for crustal silicocarbonatitic (CSC) melt formatio in a Panafrican collisional tectonic setting.
International Journal of Earth Sciences, Vol. 102, 3, pp. 627-645.
Mineral variations from Mediterranean lamproites: major element compositions and first indications from trace elements in phlogopites, olivines and clinopyroxenes.
Prelevic, D., Akal, C., Foley, S.F., Romer, R.R.,Stracke, A., Van den Bogaard, P.
Ultrapotassic mafic rocks as geochemical proxies for post collisional dynamics of orogenic lithospheric mantle: the case of southwestern Anatolia, Turkey.
Peralk-Carb 2011, workshop held Tubingen Germany June 16-18, Poster
Prelevic, D., Akal, C., Romer, R.R., Sracke, A., Van den Bogaard, P.
Ultrapotassic mafic rocks as geochemical proxies for post collisional dynamics of orogenic lithospheric mantle: the case of southwestern Anatolia, Turkey.
Peralk-Carb 2011... workshop June 16-18, Tubingen, Germany, Abstract p.119-121.
Prelevic, D., Akal, C., Romer, R.R., Sracke, A., Van den Bogaard, P.
Ultrapotassic mafic rocks as geochemical proxies for post collisional dynamics of orogenic lithospheric mantle: the case of southwestern Anatolia, Turkey.
Peralk-Carb 2011... workshop June 16-18, Tubingen, Germany, Abstract p.119-121.
Abstract: This study presents detailed petrographical and geochemical investigations on remarkably fresh olivines in kimberlites from the EKATI Diamond Mine- located in the Tertiary/Cretaceous Lac de Gras kimberlite field within the Slave craton of Canada. Olivine, constituting about 42 vol.% of the analyzed samples, can be divided into two textural groups: (i) macrocrystic olivines, > 100 ?m sub-rounded crystals and (ii) groundmass olivines, < 100 ?m subhedral crystals. Olivines from both populations define two distinct chemical trends; a “ "mantle trend" with angular cores, showing low Ca (< 0.1 wt.% CaO) and high Ni (0.3-0.4 wt.% NiO) at varying Mg# (0.86-0.93), contrasts with a "melt trend" typified by thin (< 100 ?m) rims with increasing Ca (up to 1.0 wt.% CaO) and decreasing Ni (down to 0.1 wt.% NiO) contents at constant Mg# (~ 0.915). These findings are in agreement with recent studies suggesting that virtually all olivine is composed of xenocrystic (i.e. mantle-related) cores with phenocrystic (i.e. melt-related) overgrowths, thereby challenging the traditional view that the origin of kimberlitic olivine can be distinguished based on size and morphology. The two main trends can be further resolved into sub-groups refining the crystallization history of olivine; the mantle trend indicates a multi-source origin that samples the layered lithosphere below the Slave craton, whereas the melt trend represents multi-stage crystallization comprising a differentiation trend starting at mantle conditions and a second trend controlled by the crystallization of additional phases (e.g. chromite) and changing magma conditions (e.g. oxidation). These trends are also seen in the concentrations of trace elements not routinely measured in olivine (e.g. Na, P, Ti, Co, Sc, Zr). Trace element mapping with LA-ICP-MS reveals the distribution of these elements within olivine grains. The trace element distribution between the two trends appears to be consistent with phenocrystic olivine overgrowths mainly originating from dissolved orthopyroxene, showing enrichment in Zr, Ga, Nb, Sc, V, P, Al, Ti, Cr, Ca and Mn in the melt trend. In a sample of magmatic kimberlite from the Leslie pipe, the amount of xenocrystic and phenocrystic olivine is estimated to be around 23 vol.% and 19 vol.%, respectively. Subtraction of this xenocrystic olivine from the Leslie bulk composition, aimed at estimating the parental kimberlite melt, results in a minor decrease of Mg# (by about 0.01) and SiO2 content (by about 3 wt.%), whereas CaO increases (by about 3 wt.%).
Tappe, S., Smart, K.A., Stracke, A., Romer, R.L., Prelevic, D., van den Bogaard, P.
Melt evolution beneath a rifted carton edge: 40Ar/39/Ar geochronology and Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotope systematics of primitive alkaline basalts and lamprophyres from the SW Baltic Shield.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 173, pp. 1-36.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 173, pp. 1-36.
Europe
Geochronology
Abstract: A new high-precision 40Ar/39Ar anorthoclase feldspar age of 176.7 ± 0.5 Ma (2-sigma) reveals that small-volume alkaline basaltic magmatism occurred at the rifted SW margin of the Baltic Shield in Scania (southern Sweden), at a time of global plate reorganization associated with the inception of Pangea supercontinent break-up. Our combined elemental and Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotope dataset for representative basanite and nephelinite samples (>8 wt.% MgO) from 16 subvolcanic necks of the 30 by 40 km large Jurassic volcanic field suggests magma derivation from a moderately depleted mantle source (87Sr/86Sri = 0.7034-0.7048; ?Ndi = +4.4 to +5.2; ?Hfi = +4.7 to +8.1; 206Pb/204Pbi = 18.8-19.5). The mafic alkaline melts segregated from mixed peridotite-pyroxenite mantle with a potential temperature of ?1400 °C at 2.7-4.2 GPa (?90-120 km depths), which places ultimate melt generation within the convecting upper mantle, provided that the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary beneath the southern Baltic Shield margin was at ?100 km depth during Mesozoic-Cenozoic rifting. Isotopic shifts and incompatible element enrichment relative to Depleted Mantle reflect involvement of at least 20% recycled oceanic lithosphere component (i.e., pyroxenite) with some minor continent-derived sediment during partial melting of well-stirred convecting upper mantle peridotite. Although pargasitic amphibole-rich metasomatized lithospheric mantle is excluded as the main source of the Jurassic magmas from Scania, hydrous ultramafic veins (i.e., hornblendite) may have caused subtle modifications to the compositions of passing sublithospheric melts. For example, modeling suggests that the more radiogenic Hf (?Hfi = +6.3 to +8.1) and Pb (206Pb/204Pbi = 18.9-19.5) isotopic compositions of the more sodic and H2O-rich nephelinites, compared with relatively homogenous basanites (?Hfi = +4.7 to +6.1; 206Pb/204Pbi = 18.8-18.9), originate from minor interactions between rising asthenospheric melts and amphibole-rich metasomatic components. The metasomatic components were likely introduced to the lithospheric mantle beneath the southern Baltic Shield margin during extensive Permo-Carboniferous magmatic activity, a scenario that is supported by the geochemical and isotope compositions of ca. 286 Ma lamprophyres from Scania (87Sr/86Sri = 0.7040-0.7054; ?Ndi = +2.0 to +3.1; ?Hfi = +6.1 to +9.0; 206Pb/204Pbi = 17.8-18.2). Strong variations in lithosphere thickness and thermal structure across the southern Baltic Shield margin may have caused transient small-scale mantle convection. This resulted in relatively fast and focused upwellings and lateral flow beneath the thinned lithosphere, where mafic alkaline magmas formed by low degrees of decompression melting of sublithospheric mantle. Such a geodynamic scenario would allow for enriched recycled components with low melting points to be preferentially sampled from the more depleted and refractory convecting upper mantle when channeled along a destabilizing craton edge. Similar to the ‘lid effect’ in oceanic island volcanic provinces, lithospheric architecture may exert strong control on the mantle melting regime, and thus offer a simple explanation for the geochemical resemblance of continental and oceanic intraplate mafic alkaline magmas of high Na/K affinity.
Abstract: During convergence of Gondwana-derived microplates and Laurussia in the Palaeozoic, subduction of oceanic and continental crusts and their sedimentary cover introduced material of regionally contrasting chemical and isotopic compositions into the mantle. This slab material metasomatised the local mantle, producing a highly heterogeneous lithospheric mantle beneath the European Variscides. The eastern termination of the European Variscides (Moldanubian and Saxo-Thuringian zones of Austria, Czech Republic, Germany and Poland) is unusual in that the mantle was modified by material from several subduction zones within a small area. Orogenic lamproites sampled this lithospheric mantle, which has a chemical signature reflecting extreme depletion (low CaO and Al2O3 contents and high Mg-number) followed by strong metasomatic enrichment, giving rise to crust-like trace element patterns, variable radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr(330) (0.7062-0.7127) and non-radiogenic Nd isotopic compositions (?Nd(330) = ? 2.8 to ? 7.8), crustal Pb isotopic compositions, and a wide range of ?7Li values (? 5.1 to + 5.1). This metasomatic signature is variably expressed in the lamproites, depending on the extent of melting and the nature of the source of the metasomatic component. Preferential melting of the metasomatically enriched (veined) lithospheric mantle with K-rich amphibole resulted in lamproitic melts with very negative, crust-like ?7Li values, which correlate positively with peralkalinity, HFSE contents and lower ?Nd. Both the higher degree of melting and progressive consumption of the metasomatic component reduce the chemical and isotopic imprints of the metasomatic end member. The very positive ?7Li values of some lamproites indicate that the source of these lamproites may have been modified by subducted oceanic lithosphere. Fresh olivine from the Brloh (Moldanubian) lamproitic dyke shows very high Fo (up to 94%) and very high Li contents (up to 25 ppm), demonstrating that the extremely depleted and later enriched lithospheric mantle may have contributed significantly to the Li budget of the lamproites. The regional distribution of lamproites with contrasting chemical and isotopic fingerprints mimics the distribution of the different Variscan subduction zones.
Abstract: Tectonically young, orogenic settings are commonly the sites of post-collisional silica-rich ultrapotassic magmas with extreme K2O-contents of up to 9 wt% and K2O/Na2O > 2. Many experimental studies investigating the generation of these melts have concentrated on melting of homogenous phlogopite bearing peridotites, whereas geochemical signatures indicate the involvement of at least two types of source rocks: ultra-depleted and K and trace elements-enriched ones. We report the results of melting experiments at 1-2 GPa of mixed glimmerite and harzburgite, in which these rock types make up two halves each capsule. Melting begins in the glimmerite, and its metasomatic effects on the harzburgite are apparent at 1100 °C even before melt pools are visible. The first melts are Na-rich, seen in zoning of olivines and as growth of clinopyroxene in the harzburgite, but change at higher degrees of melting to produce a typical lamproite-like melt with K2O > 10 wt%. A major advantage of this study is the preservation of distinct melts in different parts of the capsule, which reflect a process of dynamic metasomatism: within the harzburgite matrix, the infiltrating melt derived from melting of the glimmerite changes consistently with the distance of travel through the harzburgite, enabling quantification of the metasomatic effects as an increase in SiO2 and K2O. This results principally from assimilation of orthopyroxene, which increases the Ol/Opx ratio of the residual harzburgite. The effects of quench olivine growth are recognizable and can be quantified due to a step-change in composition at the glimmerite/harzburgite border: the large total surface area of olivine and small melt fraction mean that the amount of quench olivine is high within the harzburgite, but negligible in the almost completely molten glimmerite. Melts of the glimmerite contain up to 8-10 wt% K2O and 53 wt% SiO2, which increase to 55-56 wt% after interaction with the harzburgite. Mediterranean lamproites resemble melts of glimmerite, whereas melts that have interacted with harzburgite are more similar to less potassic, but more SiO2-rich shoshonites of the Mediterranean region.
Abstract: The generation of strongly potassic melts in the mantle is generally thought to require the presence of phlogopite in the melting assemblage. In the Mediterranean region, trace element and isotope compositions indicate that continental crustal material is involved in the generation of many potassium-rich lavas. This is clearest in ultrapotassic rocks like lamproites and shoshonites, for which the relevant chemical signals are less diluted by extensive melting of peridotite. Furthermore, melting occurs here in young lithosphere, so the continental crust was not stored for a long period of time in the mantle before reactivation. We have undertaken two types of experiments to investigate the reaction between crust and mantle at 1000-1100 °C and 2-3 GPa. In the first, continental crustal metasediment (phyllite) and depleted peridotite (dunite) were juxtaposed as separate blocks, whereas in the second, the same rock powders were intimately mixed. In the first series, a clear reaction zone dominated by orthopyroxene was formed between dunite and phyllite but no hybridized melt could be found, whereas analyzable pools of hybridized melt occurred throughout the charges in the second series. Melt compositions show high abundances of Rb (100-220 ppm) and Ba (400-870 ppm), and consistent ratios of Nb/Ta (10-12), Zr/Hf (34-42), and Rb/Cs (28-34), similar to bulk continental crust. These experiments demonstrate that melts with as much as 5 wt% K2O may result from reaction between melts of continent-derived sediment and depleted peridotite at shallow mantle depths without the need for phlogopite or any other potassic phase in the residue.
Abstract: The possible role of continental sediments in the generation of potassium-enriched lavas of the Alpine-Himalayan belt depends on their melting behaviour either during subduction or during post-collisional relaxation. Although usually classed as orogenic lavas, these volcanic rocks may result from re-melting of newly formed mantle lithosphere 30–40 million years after collision ends, and can thus be considered as the first stage of intraplate volcanism. The potassic component in these volcanics is characterized by a high Th/La signature for which there are two competing explanations: melting of subducted continental clastic sediments, and the involvement of lawsonite blueschists in the protoliths to the melting assemblages. Here, we report on a series of high-pressure experiments at 1–3 GPa and 900 to 975 °C on the melting behaviour of natural phyllite from Serbia, which serves as a proxy for Balkan upper continental crust. Hydrous granitic melts are present in all runs (68 wt% SiO2, ~ 4–5 wt% K2O, Mg# < 54 and ~ 5 wt% H2O). Garnet, quartz/coesite, plagioclase, K-feldspar, biotite/phengite, clinopyroxene and sillimanite/kyanite, and accessory phases including zircon, rutile, ilmenite, apatite and monazite occur in the charges. LA-ICP-MS analyses establish that the melts are extremely enriched in LILE (except for Sr), Th and U, but depleted in Nb and Zr, with LREE higher than HREE. Accessory phases accommodate several trace elements, especially HFSE and REE. Partition coefficients for some trace elements between residue and crustal melts are close to 1, contrasting strongly with melts of peridotite. Our dataset indicates that the direct melting of upper continental crust alone would generate siliceous, high-K magmas with enriched LILE, Th and U, but cannot explain the high Th/La fingerprint of K-rich lavas of the Alpine-Himalayan orogenic belt. We demonstrate that the Alpine-Himalayan orogenic volcanics attribute their unusual trace element geochemistry to the involvement of lawsonite blueschists that are imbricated together with extremely depleted fore-arc peridotites to form new lithosphere in the source region. There is no need or evidence for deep subduction in which a succession of additional reactions would only serve to modify and dilute the high Th/La signature.
Abstract: In this study, we show how veined lithospheric mantle is involved in the genesis of ultrapotassic magmatism in cratonic settings. We conducted high pressure experiments to simulate vein + wall rock melting within the Earth's lithospheric mantle by reacting assemblages of harzburgite and phlogopite-rich hydrous mantle xenoliths. These comprised a mica-, amphibole-, rutile-, ilmenite-, diopside (MARID) assemblage at 3-5 GPa and 1325-1450 °C. Melting of the MARID assemblages results in infiltration of melt through the harzburgite, leading to its chemical alteration. At 3 and 4 GPa, melts are high in K2O (> 9 wt%) with K2O/Na2O > > 2 comparable to anorogenic lamproites. Higher pressures and temperatures (5 GPa/1450 °C) lead to increasing MgO contents of the melt and to some extent lower K2O contents (5-7 wt%) at equally high K2O/Na2O ratios. Our experiments provide insights into the role of alkalis in nickel-partitioning (DNi) between olivine and ultrapotassic melt. We observe that the high contents of Na, K, and Al are indicative of high DNi values, implying that the melt polymerization is the dominant factor influencing the olivine/melt nickel partitioning. The change of DNi as a function of melt composition results in a pressure independent, empirical geothermometer: Element oxides represent the composition of the glass (in wt%), and DNi is the liquid/olivine Ni-partitioning coefficient. We propose that this geothermometer is applicable to all natural silicate melts that crystallized olivine in a temperature interval between 1000 and 1600 °C. Application to glass-olivine pairs from calc-alkaline settings (Mexico), MORB (East Pacific Rise), and OIB (Hawaii) yielded reasonable values of 996-1199 °C, 1265 °C, and 1330 °C, respectively.
Abstract: Leucite-bearing volcanic rocks are commonly found within and around the Mediterranean area. A specific type of this rock group are leucitites. They are found both in a hinterland position of active and fossil subduction systems as well as in foreland tectonic settings, but none have been found in the Maghreb (N Africa) and Mashreq (Middle East) areas. Here a review of the main leucitite occurrences in the circum-Mediterranean area is presented, with new whole-rock, mineral chemical and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic ratios on key districts, with the aim of clarifying the classification and genesis of this rock type. Many of the rocks classified in literature as leucitites do not conform to the IUGS definition of leucitite (i.e., rocks with >10?vol% modal leucite and with foids/(foids + feldspars) ratio?>?0.9, with leucite being the most abundant foid). Among circum-Mediterranean rocks classified as leucitites in the literature, we distinguish two types: clinopyroxene-olivine-phyric (COP) and leucite- phyric (LP) types. Only the second group can be truly classified as leucitite, being characterized by the absence or the very rare presence of feldspars, as well as by ultrapotassic composition. The COP group can be distinguished from the LP group on the basis of lower SiO2, Na2O?+?K2O, K2O/Na2O, Al2O3, Rb and Ba, and higher MgO, TiO2, Nb, Cr and Ni. The LP group shows multi-elemental patterns resembling magmas emplaced in subduction-related settings, while COP rocks are much more variable, showing HIMU-OIB-like to subduction-related-like incompatible element patterns. COP rocks are also characterized generally by more homogeneous isotopic compositions clustering towards low Sr and high Nd isotopic ratios, while LP leucitites plot all in the enriched Sr-Nd isotopic quadrant. LP rocks usually have lower 206Pb/204Pb and higher 207Pb/204Pb. This study shows that the geochemical signal of mantle melts does not always reflect the tectonic setting of magma emplacement, suggesting paying extreme attention in proposing geodynamic reconstructions on the basis of chemical data only.
Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, Vol. 177, pp. 76-88.
Mantle
lamproite
Abstract: Potassium-rich lavas with K/Na of >2 are common in orogenic and anorogenic intraplate magmatic provinces. However, in the primitive mantle, the concentration of Na exceeds that of K by 10 times. The source of K-rich lavas thus needs to be either K-enriched or Na-depleted to account for high K/Na ratios. The geochemical and isotopic compositions of high 87Sr/86Sr post-collisional lavas show that their mantle source contains a recycled crustal component. These highly K-enriched lavas with crustal like trace element patterns are termed “orogenic lamproites” and are compositionally distinct from K-rich “anorogenic lamproites” that show lower 87Sr/86Sr and a trace element pattern that resembles that of primary mantle melts. For both groups the processes of K-enrichment within their source are uncertain and are thought to be linked to melts of sedimentary rocks for “orogenic lamproites” and low-degree melts of ultramafic mantle rocks for “anorogenic lamproites”. In both cases, metasomatism of the mantle lithosphere is the precursor to K-rich magmatism. In this study we experimentally determine the effects of mantle metasomatism by sediment- and hydrous mantle melts. The experiments simulate the interaction of refractory lithospheric mantle and metasomatizing melt in a 2-layer reaction experiment. The sediment/dunite reaction experiments lead to formation of a strongly K-enriched phlogopite-pyroxenite layer sandwiched between the two starting materials. The low temperature of the sediment/dunite reaction runs at <1000?°C simulates a fore-arc subduction environment, in which the melts of sediment are consumed during interaction with dunite as the temperature is below the solidus of the produced phlogopite-pyroxenites. The hydrous mantle melt/dunite reaction run is simulated by reacting a hydrated basanite with dunite. Since the temperature of the reaction is higher than the solidus of the resulting phlogopite-pyroxenites (1200?°C), the hydrous melt is not consumed but flows further, increasing in K2O and K/Na as it reacts with the refractory peridotite. In both cases, melts are enriched in K and K/Na increases by crystallizing a low K and low K/Na eclogitic residue. Compositions of glass and phlogopite from both types of reactions are comparable to glasses and phlogopites found within post-collisional lavas. Since the enrichment of K within the reaction zone is strongly controlled by the formation of low K/Na and low-K residues, metasomatic enrichment of the mantle lithosphere in K does not need a highly K-enriched metasomatic agent.
Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, Vol. 177, pp. 76-88.
Mantle
metasomatism
Abstract: Potassium-rich lavas with K/Na of >2 are common in orogenic and anorogenic intraplate magmatic provinces. However, in the primitive mantle, the concentration of Na exceeds that of K by 10 times. The source of K-rich lavas thus needs to be either K-enriched or Na-depleted to account for high K/Na ratios. The geochemical and isotopic compositions of high 87Sr/86Sr post-collisional lavas show that their mantle source contains a recycled crustal component. These highly K-enriched lavas with crustal like trace element patterns are termed “orogenic lamproites” and are compositionally distinct from K-rich “anorogenic lamproites” that show lower 87Sr/86Sr and a trace element pattern that resembles that of primary mantle melts. For both groups the processes of K-enrichment within their source are uncertain and are thought to be linked to melts of sedimentary rocks for “orogenic lamproites” and low-degree melts of ultramafic mantle rocks for “anorogenic lamproites”. In both cases, metasomatism of the mantle lithosphere is the precursor to K-rich magmatism. In this study we experimentally determine the effects of mantle metasomatism by sediment- and hydrous mantle melts. The experiments simulate the interaction of refractory lithospheric mantle and metasomatizing melt in a 2-layer reaction experiment. The sediment/dunite reaction experiments lead to formation of a strongly K-enriched phlogopite-pyroxenite layer sandwiched between the two starting materials. The low temperature of the sediment/dunite reaction runs at <1000?°C simulates a fore-arc subduction environment, in which the melts of sediment are consumed during interaction with dunite as the temperature is below the solidus of the produced phlogopite-pyroxenites. The hydrous mantle melt/dunite reaction run is simulated by reacting a hydrated basanite with dunite. Since the temperature of the reaction is higher than the solidus of the resulting phlogopite-pyroxenites (1200?°C), the hydrous melt is not consumed but flows further, increasing in K2O and K/Na as it reacts with the refractory peridotite. In both cases, melts are enriched in K and K/Na increases by crystallizing a low K and low K/Na eclogitic residue. Compositions of glass and phlogopite from both types of reactions are comparable to glasses and phlogopites found within post-collisional lavas. Since the enrichment of K within the reaction zone is strongly controlled by the formation of low K/Na and low-K residues, metasomatic enrichment of the mantle lithosphere in K does not need a highly K-enriched metasomatic agent.
Abstract: Late Cretaceous global plate reorganization associated with the inception of counterclockwise rotation of Africa relative to Europe initiated in the Balkan region small-volume magmatism of diverse geochemical signature along the enigmatic Sava-Vardar Zone. We study a Late Cretaceous lamprophyric sill in Ripanj village near Belgrade to constrain this magmatic episode. The lamprophyre is characterized by high contents of Na, P, Fe and Al, and low contents of K, Ca and Mg. Its original nature (Na, K, Ca and Mg) is concealed by intense alteration (albitization of feldspar and partial chloritization of phlogopite) that erased the ultrapotassic affinity of the rocks and resulted in extremely low K/Na ratios. The recalculated chemical composition demonstrates that the rocks are ultrapotassic, with K2O and MgO > 3 wt % and K2O/Na2O > 2, and belong to the durbachite-vaugnerite series, i. e., the plutonic equivalents of minettes and kersantites. Two phlogopite concentrates gave Ar-Ar ages of 86.80 ± 0.5 Ma and 86.90 ± 0.5 Ma. Our combined elemental and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope data (87Sr/86Sr 0.70667-0.70677, 143Nd/144Nd 0.512426-0.512429, 206Pb/204Pb 18.82-19.13, 207Pb/204Pb 15.67-15.68, 208Pb/204Pb 38.92-39.19) for representative lamprophyric samples suggests magma derivation from a light rare earth elements (LREE) and K enriched, metasomatized mantle source. The content of LREE of the rocks is enriched, whereas heavy rare earth elements (HREE) is depleted. Rare earth elements (REE) of the whole rock and REE of diopside all indicate that garnet was present in their source. There are two viable and mutually-excluding geodynamic scenarios for the Late Cretaceous magmatism in the Balkans: (i) If the Sava-Vardar ocean still existed in the Late Cretaceous and was subducted under the European plate with arc volcanism along the Apuseni-Banat-Timok-Panagyurishte-Srednjogorje belt, coeval magmatism in the Sava-Vardar Zone occurred in a fore-arc setting, and may be related to ridge subduction; (ii) If the Mesozoic ocean closed already during the Upper Jurassic or Lower Cretaceous, the Late Cretaceous volcanism within the Sava-Vardar Zone represents intracontinental volcanism associated with transtensional tectonics.
MDPI Minerals, Vol. 10, 41;doe.10.3390/min10010041 21p. Pdf
Mantle
metasomatism
Abstract: The generation of strongly potassic melts in the mantle requires the presence of phlogopite in the melting assemblage, while isotopic and trace element analyses of ultrapotassic rocks frequently indicate the involvement of subducted crustal lithologies in the source. However, phlogopite-free experiments that focus on melting of sedimentary rocks and subsequent hybridization with mantle rocks at pressures of 1-3 GPa have not successfully produced melts with K2O >5 wt%-6 wt%, while ultrapotassic igneous rocks reach up to 12 wt% K2O. Accordingly, a two-stage process that enriches K2O and increases K/Na in intermediary assemblages in the source prior to ultrapotassic magmatism seems likely. Here, we simulate this two-stage formation of ultrapotassic magmas using an experimental approach that involves re-melting of parts of an experimental product in a second experiment. In the first stage, reaction experiments containing layered sediment and dunite produced a modally metasomatized reaction zone at the border of a depleted peridotite. For the second-stage experiment, the metasomatized dunite was separated from the residue of the sedimentary rock and transferred to a smaller capsule, and melts were produced with 8 wt%-8.5 wt% K2O and K/Na of 6-7. This is the first time that extremely K-enriched ultrapotassic melts have been generated experimentally from sediments at low pressure applicable to a post-collisional setting.
Geological Society, London Special Publication, doi.org/10.1144/SP513-2021-36 49p. Pdf
Europe, Italy, France, Spain, Serbia, Macedonia, Turkey
lamproites
Abstract: High-MgO lamproite and lamproite-like (i.e., lamprophyric) ultrapotassic rocks are recurrent in the Mediterranean and surrounding regions. They are associated in space and time with ultrapotassic shoshonites and high-K calc-alkaline rocks. This magmatism is linked with the geodynamic evolution of the westernmost sector of the Alpine-Himalaya collisional margin, which followed the closure of the Tethys ocean. Subduction-related lamproites, lamprophyres, shoshonites and high-K calc-alkaline suites were emplaced in the Mediterranean region in the form of shallow level intrusions (e.g., plugs, dykes, and laccoliths), and small volume lava flows, with very subordinate pyroclastic rocks, starting from the Oligocene, in the Western Alps (Northern Italy), through the Late Miocene in Corsica (Southern France) and in Murcia-Almeria (South-Eastern Spain), to the Plio-Pleistocene in Southern Tuscany and Northern Latium (Central Italy), in the Balkan peninsula (Serbia and Macedonia), and in the Western Anatolia (Turkey). The ultrapotassic rocks are mostly lamprophyric, but olivine latitic lavas with a clear lamproitic affinity are also found, as well as dacitic to trachytic differentiated products. Lamproite-like rocks range from slightly silica under-saturated to silica over-saturated composition, have relatively low Al2O3, CaO, and Na2O contents, resulting in plagioclase-free parageneses, and consist of abundant K-feldspar, phlogopite, diopsidic clinopyroxene and highly forsteritic olivine. Leucite is generally absent and it is rarely found only in the groudmasses of Spanish lamproites. Mediterranean lamproites and associated rocks share an extreme enrichment in many incompatible trace elements and depletion in High Field Strength Elements and high, and positively correlated Th/La and Sm/La ratios. They have radiogenic Sr and unradiogenic Nd isotope compositions, high 207Pb over 206Pb and high time integrated 232Th/238U. Their composition requires an originally depleted lithospheric mantle source metasomatised by at least two different agents: i) a high Th/La and Sm/La (i.e., SALATHO) component deriving from lawsonite-bearing, ancient crustal domains likely hosted in mélanges formed during the diachronous collision of the northward drifting continental slivers from Gondwana; ii) a K-rich component derived from a recent subduction and recycling of siliciclastic sediments. These metasomatic melts produced a lithospheric mantle source characterised by network of felsic and phlogopite-rich veins, respectively. Geothermal readjustment during post-collisional events induced progressive melting of the different types of veins and the surrounding peridotite generating the entire compositional spectrum of the observed magmas. In this complex scenario, orogenic Mediterranean lamproites represent rocks that characterise areas that were affected by multiple Wilson cycles, as observed in the the Alpine-Himalayan realm.
Geological Society London Special Publication, doi.org/10.1144/SP513-2021-36. pdf
Mantle
lamproite
Abstract: High-MgO lamproite and lamproite-like (i.e., lamprophyric) ultrapotassic rocks are recurrent in the Mediterranean and surrounding regions. They are associated in space and time with ultrapotassic shoshonites and high-K calc-alkaline rocks. This magmatism is linked with the geodynamic evolution of the westernmost sector of the Alpine-Himalaya collisional margin, which followed the closure of the Tethys ocean. Subduction-related lamproites, lamprophyres, shoshonites and high-K calc-alkaline suites were emplaced in the Mediterranean region in the form of shallow level intrusions (e.g., plugs, dykes, and laccoliths), and small volume lava flows, with very subordinate pyroclastic rocks, starting from the Oligocene, in the Western Alps (Northern Italy), through the Late Miocene in Corsica (Southern France) and in Murcia-Almeria (South-Eastern Spain), to the Plio-Pleistocene in Southern Tuscany and Northern Latium (Central Italy), in the Balkan peninsula (Serbia and Macedonia), and in the Western Anatolia (Turkey). The ultrapotassic rocks are mostly lamprophyric, but olivine latitic lavas with a clear lamproitic affinity are also found, as well as dacitic to trachytic differentiated products. Lamproite-like rocks range from slightly silica under-saturated to silica over-saturated composition, have relatively low Al2O3, CaO, and Na2O contents, resulting in plagioclase-free parageneses, and consist of abundant K-feldspar, phlogopite, diopsidic clinopyroxene and highly forsteritic olivine. Leucite is generally absent and it is rarely found only in the groudmasses of Spanish lamproites. Mediterranean lamproites and associated rocks share an extreme enrichment in many incompatible trace elements and depletion in High Field Strength Elements and high, and positively correlated Th/La and Sm/La ratios. They have radiogenic Sr and unradiogenic Nd isotope compositions, high 207Pb over 206Pb and high time integrated 232Th/238U. Their composition requires an originally depleted lithospheric mantle source metasomatised by at least two different agents: i) a high Th/La and Sm/La (i.e., SALATHO) component deriving from lawsonite-bearing, ancient crustal domains likely hosted in mélanges formed during the diachronous collision of the northward drifting continental slivers from Gondwana; ii) a K-rich component derived from a recent subduction and recycling of siliciclastic sediments. These metasomatic melts produced a lithospheric mantle source characterised by network of felsic and phlogopite-rich veins, respectively. Geothermal readjustment during post-collisional events induced progressive melting of the different types of veins and the surrounding peridotite generating the entire compositional spectrum of the observed magmas. In this complex scenario, orogenic Mediterranean lamproites represent rocks that characterise areas that were affected by multiple Wilson cycles, as observed in the the Alpine-Himalayan realm.
Abstract: Subduction of oceanic crust buries an average thickness of 300-500 m of sediment that eventually dehydrates or partially melts. Progressive release of fluid/melt metasomatizes the fore-arc mantle, forming serpentinite at low temperatures and phlogopite-bearing pyroxenite where slab surface reaches 700-900 °C. This is sufficiently high to partially melt subducted sediments before they approach the depths where arc magmas are formed. Here, we present experiments on reactions between melts of subducted sediments and peridotite at 2-6 GPa/750-1100 °C, which correspond to the surface of a subducting slab. The reaction of volatile-bearing partial melts derived from sediments with depleted peridotite leads to separation of elements and a layered arrangement of metasomatic phases, with layers consisting of orthopyroxene, mica-pyroxenite, and clinopyroxenite. The selective incorporation of elements in these metasomatic layers closely resembles chemical patterns found in K-rich magmas. Trace elements were imaged using LA-ICP-TOFMS, which is applied here to investigate the distribution of trace elements within the metasomatic layers. Experiments of different duration enabled estimates of the growth of the metasomatic front, which ranges from 1-5 m/ky. These experiments explain the low contents of high-field strength elements in arc magmas as being due to their loss during melting of sedimentary materials in the fore-arc.
Contribution to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 176, 99 16p. Pdf
Mantle
olivine
Abstract: We report experimental measurements of volume and grain boundary diffusion of 26Mg in Mg2SiO4 bi-crystals at asthenosphere temperatures as a ground reference for olivine. By analysis of literature and combination with previous data, we provide Arrhenius laws D = D0 exp(- E/RT) at ambient pressure for volume diffusion of Mg in Mg2SiO4 in the intrinsic regime along the three crystallographic axes as well as grain boundary diffusion.
Abstract: The late Jurassic Masontown dyke in Fayette County, SW Pennsylvania, preserves abundant rounded, mm to cm-diameter masses of olivine and serpentine cemented together in serpentine-rich kimberlite groundmass. Each mass is interpreted to be a partially serpentinized olivine xenocryst or peridotite xenocryst. Each rounded clast is jacketed by a distinct rim of serpentine; probably originally olivine. The (1) ubiquitous roundness of clasts and (2) the presence of distinct serpentine jackets around each clast, supports emplacement of the dyke by a 'kimberlite factory' (Brett et al., 2015). Due to the paucity of available samples, we have used non-destructive imaging by computed tomography (CT) at the National Energy Technology Lab in Morgantown, WV, to construct 3D models of the internal structure of hand samples loaned from the Smithsonian Institute's Museum of Natural History. MicroCT (1-3 micron resolution) and industrial CT (~15 microns resolution) serial scans processed in ImageJ and Blob3D allow for 3D characterizations of individual clasts, including their shape factors (sphericity, roughness, etc.) and sizes (i.e. crystal size distributions).
Abstract: Rare earth elements (REEs) including fifteen lanthanides, yttrium and scandium are found in more than 250 minerals, worldwide. REEs are used in various high-tech applications across various industries, such as electrical and electronics, automotive, renewable energy, medical and defence. Therefore, the demand for REEs in the global market is increasing day by day due to the surging demand from various sectors, such as emerging economies, green technology and R&D sectors. Rare earth (RE) deposits are classified on the basis of their genetic associations, mineralogy and form of occurrences. The Bayan Obo, Mountain Pass, Mount Weld and China’s ion adsorption clays are the major RE deposits/mines in the world to date and their genesis, chronology and mineralogy are discussed in this review. In addition, there are other RE deposits, which are currently being mined or in the feasibility or exploration stages. Most of the RE resources, production, processing and supply are concentrated in the Asia-Pacific region. In this regard, China holds the dominancy in the RE industry by producing more than 90% of the current rare earth requirements. Thus, REEs are used as a powerful tool by China in trade wars against other countries, especially against USA in 2019. However, overwhelming challenges in conventional RE explorations and mining make secondary RE resources, such as electric and electronic waste (e-waste) and mine tailings as promising resources in the future. Due to the supply risk of REEs and the monopoly of the REEs market, REEs recycling is currently considered as an effective method to alleviate market fluctuations. However, economical and sustainable processing techniques are yet to be established to exploit REEs via recycling. Moreover, there are growing ecological concerns along with social resistance towards the RE industry. To overcome these issues, the RE industry needs to be assessed to maintain long-term social sustainability by fostering the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Prencipe, M., Bruno, M., Nestola, F., De La Pierre, M., Nimis, P.
Toward an accurate ab initio estimation of compressibility and thermal expansion of diamond in the (0, 3000K) temperature and (0,30 Gpa) pressure ranges, at the hybrid HF/DFT theoretical level.
Abstract: The possible presence of the high-density carbon polymorph with hexagonal symmetry known as "lonsdaleite" provides an important marker for shock impact events. It is typically considered to form as a metastable phase produced from graphite or other carbonaceous precursors. However, its existence has recently been called into question. Here we collected high-resolution synchrotron X-ray diffraction data for laboratory-shocked and natural impact diamonds that both show evidence for deviations from cubic symmetry, that would be consistent with the appearance of hexagonal stacking sequences. These results show that hexagonality can be achieved by shocking diamond as well as from graphite precursors. The diffraction results are analyzed in terms of a general model that describes intermediate stacking sequences between pure diamond (fully cubic) and "lonsdaleite" (fully hexagonal) phases, with provision made for ordered vs disordered stacking arrangements. This approach provides a "hexagonality index" that can be used to characterize and distinguish among samples that have experienced different degrees of shock or static high pressure-high temperature treatments. We have also examined the relative energetics of diamond and "lonsdaleite" structures using density functional theoretical (DFT) methods. The results set limits on the conditions under which a transformation between diamond and "lonsdaleite" structures can be achieved. Calculated Raman spectra provide an indicator for the presence of extended hexagonal stacking sequences within natural and laboratory-prepared samples. Our results show that comparable crystallographic structures may be developed by impact-generated shockwaves starting from ambient conditions using either of the two different allotropes of carbon (diamond, graphite). This broadens the scope for its occurrence in terrestrial and planetary systems.
Abstract: The possible presence of the high-density carbon polymorph with hexagonal symmetry known as “lonsdaleite” provides an important marker for shock impact events. It is typically considered to form as a metastable phase produced from graphite or other carbonaceous precursors. However, its existence has recently been called into question. Here we collected high-resolution synchrotron X-ray diffraction data for laboratory-shocked and natural impact diamonds that both show evidence for deviations from cubic symmetry, that would be consistent with the appearance of hexagonal stacking sequences. These results show that hexagonality can be achieved by shocking diamond as well as from graphite precursors. The diffraction results are analyzed in terms of a general model that describes intermediate stacking sequences between pure diamond (fully cubic) and “lonsdaleite” (fully hexagonal) phases, with provision made for ordered vs disordered stacking arrangements. This approach provides a “hexagonality index” that can be used to characterize and distinguish among samples that have experienced different degrees of shock or static high pressure-high temperature treatments. We have also examined the relative energetics of diamond and “lonsdaleite” structures using density functional theoretical (DFT) methods. The results set limits on the conditions under which a transformation between diamond and “lonsdaleite” structures can be achieved. Calculated Raman spectra provide an indicator for the presence of extended hexagonal stacking sequences within natural and laboratory-prepared samples. Our results show that comparable crystallographic structures may be developed by impact-generated shockwaves starting from ambient conditions using either of the two different allotropes of carbon (diamond, graphite). This broadens the scope for its occurrence in terrestrial and planetary systems.
Abstract: “Super-deep” diamonds are thought to have a sub-lithospheric origin (i.e., below ~300 km depth) because some of the mineral phases entrapped within them as inclusions are considered to be the products of retrograde transformation from lower-mantle or transition-zone precursors. CaSiO3-walstromite, the most abundant Ca-bearing mineral inclusion found in super-deep diamonds, is believed to derive from CaSiO3-perovskite, which is stable only below ~600 km depth, although its real depth of origin is controversial. The remnant pressure (Pinc) retained by an inclusion, combined with the thermoelastic parameters of the mineral inclusion and the diamond host, allows calculation of the entrapment pressure of the diamond-inclusion pair. Raman spectroscopy, together with X-ray diffraction, is the most commonly used method for measuring the Pinc without damaging the diamond host. In the present study we provide, for the first time, a calibration curve to determine the Pinc of a CaSiO3-walstromite inclusion by means of Raman spectroscopy without breaking the diamond. To do so, we performed high-pressure micro-Raman investigations on a CaSiO3-walstromite crystal under hydrostatic stress conditions within a diamond-anvil cell. We additionally calculated the Raman spectrum of CaSiO3-walstromite by ab initio methods both under hydrostatic and non-hydrostatic stress conditions to avoid misinterpretation of the results caused by the possible presence of deviatoric stresses causing anomalous shift of CaSiO3-walstromite Raman peaks. Last, we applied single-inclusion elastic barometry to estimate the minimum entrapment pressure of a CaSiO3-walstromite inclusion trapped in a natural diamond, which is ~9 GPa (~260 km) at 1800 K. These results suggest that the diamond investigated is certainly sub-lithospheric and endorse the hypothesis that the presence of CaSiO3-walstromite is a strong indication of super-deep origin.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, doi: 10.1029/2018JB016012
Africa, South Africa
diamond inclusions
Abstract: Here we report the first results from elastic geobarometry applied to a kyanite inclusion entrapped within an eclogitic diamond (from Voorspoed mine, South Africa) using micro?Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, electron microprobe analysis, ab initio calculations, and finite element modeling. Application of elastic geobarometry to very elastically anisotropic kyanite inclusions is challenging, as current models do not allow for elastic anisotropy. In order to minimize the effects of anisotropy, we have explored the effects of deviatoric stress on Raman modes via ab initio density functional theory. The results allowed us to select the Raman mode (at ca. 638 cm?1) that is the least sensitive to deviatoric stress. The shift of this band in the inclusion while still trapped within the diamond relative to the inclusion in air (once liberated) was used under hydrostatic approximation to determine a residual pressure on the inclusion of 0.184 ± 0.045 GPa and an entrapment pressure of 5.2 ± 0.3 GPa (~160 km depth) for an FTIR N?aggregation residence temperature of 1119 ± 50 °C. This is the first geothermobarometric determination for a diamond from the Voorspoed kimberlite. It overlaps with P-T estimates obtained by traditional chemical geobarometry for diamonds from other kimberlites from the Kaapvaal craton, suggesting that the hydrostatic approximation does not introduce significant errors in the geobarometric evaluation. Our protocol of Raman peak selection can be used for geobarometry of further kyanite?bearing diamonds and may provide a guide for more robust geobarometry of other types of mineral inclusions in diamonds, both eclogitic and peridotitic.
Abstract: Elastic geobarometry for host-inclusion systems can provide new constraints to assess the pressure and temperature conditions attained during metamorphism. Current experimental approaches and theory are developed only for crystals immersed in a hydrostatic stress field, whereas inclusions experience deviatoric stress. We have developed a method to determine the strains in quartz inclusions from Raman spectroscopy using the concept of the phonon-mode Grüneisen tensor. We used ab initio Hartree-Fock/Density Functional Theory to calculate the wavenumbers of the Raman-active modes as a function of different strain conditions. Least-squares fits of the phonon-wavenumber shifts against strains have been used to obtain the components of the mode Grüneisen tensor of quartz (??m1 and ?m3?) that can be used to calculate the strains in inclusions directly from the measured Raman shifts. The concept is demonstrated with the example of a natural quartz inclusion in eclogitic garnet from Mir kimberlite and has been validated against direct X-ray diffraction measurement of the strains in the same inclusion.
Reserve calculations: an adventure in geo-fantasy?
American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) Preprint, Annual Meeting held Phoenix Arizona Feb. 24-27th. 1992, Preprint No. 92-196, 9p
Geostandards and Geoanalysis Research, doi.org/10.1111/GGR.12419 34p. Pdf
Australia
geochemistry
Abstract: To promote a more efficient and transparent geochemistry data ecosystem, a consortium of Australian university research laboratories called the AuScope Geochemistry Network (AGN) assembled to build a collaborative platform for the express purpose of preserving, disseminating, and collating geochronology and isotopic data. In partnership with geoscience-data-solutions company Lithodat Pty Ltd, the open, cloud-based AusGeochem platform (https://ausgeochem.auscope.org.au) was developed to simultaneously serve as a geosample registry, a geochemical data repository, and a data analysis tool. Informed by method-specific groups of geochemistry experts and established international data reporting practices, community-agreed database schemas were developed for rock and mineral geosample metadata and secondary ion mass spectrometry U-Pb analysis, with additional models for laser ablation inductively-coupled mass spectrometry U-Pb and Lu-Hf, Ar-Ar, fission-track and (U-Th-Sm)/He under development. Collectively, the AusGeochem platform provides the geochemistry community with a new, dynamic resource to help facilitate FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data management, streamline data dissemination and advanced quantitative investigations of Earth system processes. By systematically archiving detailed geochemical (meta-)data in structured schemas, intractably large datasets comprising thousands of analyses produced by numerous laboratories can be readily interrogated in novel and powerful ways. These include rapid derivation of inter-data relationships, facilitating on-the-fly data compilation, analysis, and visualisation.
Cerantola, V., Bykova, E., Kupenko, I., Merlini, M., Ismailova, L., McCammon, C., Bykov, M., Chumakov, A.I., Petitgirard, S., Kantor, I., Svityk, V., Jacobs, J., Hanfland, M., Mezouar, M., Prescher, C., Ruffer, R., Prakapenka, V.B., Duvbovinsky, L.
Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, Vol. 305, 13p. Pdf
Mantle
density
Abstract: The composition of Archean volcanic crust can be characterized by a higher Mg/Si ratio than modern mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB), because of the higher degree melting from the warmer mantle in the Archean. Although modern MORB may become less dense than the surrounding mantle beneath the mantle transition zone (MTZ), the Mg-rich composition of Archean volcanic crust may result in the different density, and therefore different sinking behavior near the MTZ. In order to understand the compositional effect of Archean volcanic crust on the sinking behaviors and the scale of mantle mixing in the Archean, we investigated the mineralogy and density of Archean volcanic crust near the MTZ (470-910 km-depth). We conducted experiments at 19-34 GPa and 1400-2400 K using the laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LHDAC) combined with in-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD). The in-situ XRD and the chemical analysis revealed that Archean volcanic crust forms garnet and ringwoodite (84 and 16 vol%, respectively), which gradually transforms to Brg and CaPv (82 and 18 vol%, respectively) at 23-25 GPa and 1800 K. Our in-situ XRD experiments allowed us to measure the volumes of stable phases and to estimate their densities at high pressure and temperature. The results suggest that Archean volcanic crust maintains greater density than the pyrolitic mantle in the Archean regardless of temperature at 20-34 GPa (570-850 km-depth), promoting further sinking into the deeper mantle in the Archean. We also considered the density of the subducting slab in the Archean. The density model showed that the subducting slab is still denser or at least equally dense as the surrounding pyrolitic mantle in the Archean.
Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, Vol. 305, 13p. Pdf
Mantle
subduction
Abstract: The composition of Archean volcanic crust can be characterized by a higher Mg/Si ratio than modern mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB), because of the higher degree melting from the warmer mantle in the Archean. Although modern MORB may become less dense than the surrounding mantle beneath the mantle transition zone (MTZ), the Mg-rich composition of Archean volcanic crust may result in the different density, and therefore different sinking behavior near the MTZ. In order to understand the compositional effect of Archean volcanic crust on the sinking behaviors and the scale of mantle mixing in the Archean, we investigated the mineralogy and density of Archean volcanic crust near the MTZ (470-910 km-depth). We conducted experiments at 19-34 GPa and 1400-2400 K using the laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LHDAC) combined with in-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD). The in-situ XRD and the chemical analysis revealed that Archean volcanic crust forms garnet and ringwoodite (84 and 16 vol%, respectively), which gradually transforms to Brg and CaPv (82 and 18 vol%, respectively) at 23-25 GPa and 1800 K. Our in-situ XRD experiments allowed us to measure the volumes of stable phases and to estimate their densities at high pressure and temperature. The results suggest that Archean volcanic crust maintains greater density than the pyrolitic mantle in the Archean regardless of temperature at 20-34 GPa (570-850 km-depth), promoting further sinking into the deeper mantle in the Archean. We also considered the density of the subducting slab in the Archean. The density model showed that the subducting slab is still denser or at least equally dense as the surrounding pyrolitic mantle in the Archean.
Continuous gradations among primary carbonatitic, kimberlitic, melilititic, basaltic, picritic and komatiitic melts in equilibrium with garnet lherzolite at 3-8 GPa.
Melting phase relations of simplified carbonated peridotite at 12-26 GPa in the system CaO-MgO-SiO2-CO2 and CaO-MgO-Al2O3-Sio2-CO2: highly calcic magmas Earth
Abstract: Forty-one diamonds sourced from the Juina-5 kimberlite pipe in Southern Brazil, which contain optically identifiable inclusions, have been studied using an integrated approach. The diamonds contain <20 ppm nitrogen (N) that is fully aggregated as B centres. Internal structures in several diamonds revealed using cathodoluminescence (CL) are unlike those normally observed in lithospheric samples. The majority of the diamonds are composed of isotopically light carbon, and the collection has a unimodal distribution heavily skewed towards ?13C ~ ?25 ‰. Individual diamonds can display large carbon isotope heterogeneity of up to ~15 ‰ and predominantly have isotopically lighter cores displaying blue CL, and heavier rims with green CL. The light carbon isotopic compositions are interpreted as evidence of diamond growth from abiotic organic carbon added to the oceanic crust during hydrothermal alteration. The bulk isotopic composition of the oceanic crust, carbonates plus organics, is equal to the composition of mantle carbon (?5 ‰), and we suggest that recycling/mixing of subducted material will replenish this reservoir over geological time. Several exposed, syngenetic inclusions have bulk compositions consistent with former eclogitic magnesium silicate perovskite, calcium silicate perovskite and NAL or CF phases that have re-equilibrated during their exhumation to the surface. There are multiple occurrences of majoritic garnet with pyroxene exsolution, coesite with and without kyanite exsolution, clinopyroxene, Fe or Fe-carbide and sulphide minerals alongside single occurrences of olivine and ferropericlase. As a group, the inclusions have eclogitic affinity and provide evidence for diamond formation at pressures extending to Earth’s deep transition zone and possibly the lower mantle. It is observed that the major element composition of inclusions and isotopic compositions of host Juina-5 diamonds are not correlated. The diamond and inclusion compositions are intimately related to subducted material and record a polybaric growth history across a depth interval stretching from the lower mantle to the base of the lithosphere. It is suggested that the interaction of slab-derived melts and mantle material combined with subsequent upward transport in channelised networks or a buoyant diapir explains the formation of Juina-5 diamonds. We conclude that these samples, despite originating at great mantle depths, do not provide direct information about the ambient mantle, instead, providing a snapshot of the Earth’s deep carbon cycle.
Abstract: In the central-northern portion of Archon lithospheric nucleus of the Rio de la Plata craton, the so-called rift/graben of Asunción was positioned; structure that would have formed thanks to a crustal thinning previously caused by the impact of a meteorite that forms the San Miguel impact cráter. The mega-impact structure is located immediately to the south of the Asunción rift/graben. Within the central segment E-W of the rift/graben and in association with other volcanic, sub-volcanic to plutonic rocks (potasic to ultra-potasic type Roman Province and lamproitic) of around 130-125 Ma., the picritic rock pipe with lamprofidic texture Ymi-1 occurs. Pipe that was positioned in the heavily depressed area (depths of up to -3000 meters) of the rift/graben. The Ymi-1 pipe would have been installed following faults, apparently very powerful, of the aforementioned distensive structure. Rocks of a plug and a dike exposed in the pipe Ymi-1 show that it is a strongly porphyritic rock with tendencies of lamprophidic texture formed by micro-feno-mega-crystals of forsteritic olivine (>10 to 30% modal); pheno-mega-crystals of titanium aluminosus diopside and chromite ((Mg-chromite poor in Ti and Mg-Ti chromite) micro-phenocrysts; they are supported by an inter-granular matrix formed by aluminosus diopside, Al-Ti-phlogopite-biotite, Mg-Ti-magnetite, amphiboles (Hornblends, eckernmanite together with some other potassium to sodic titaniferous amphiboles) accompanied by sanidine, analcime and traces of plagioclase (poor in An molecules). The mineral chemistry of spinels, phlogopites-biotites and diopsids are strongly compatible with mineral chemistry known in calc-alkaline lamprophyres. The rock chemistry of one available dyke is also compatible with the chemistry of calc-alkaline lamprophyres (SiO2 49.8%, with K2O/Na2O> 1, MgO 12%, Ni 298-ppm, Cr 904-ppm, La-76 ppm, Lu 0.15-ppm, TiO2 1.27%; CaO 8.59% and ratios of Sr87 / Sr86 = 0.707238 and 143Nd / 144Nd = 0.51196).Ymi-1 a calc-alkaline picritic lamprophyre pipe where the study of the chromite (50-57 % Cr2O3) type and frosting-tourmaline ("dravites"), obtained in rock and in heavy mineral concentrates (in vulcano-epi-clastic sediments and in stream sediments -collected in its bed) suggest that it would be a diamond-bearing lamprophyre. The presence of diamonds was confirmed (by X-rays and other methods) in the Ymi-1 pipe. 1D S-wave seismic profile of continental data, for the pipe Ymi-1 site, suggests a geothermal gradient between 38.5 to 39 mw/m2. Data that make the Ymi-1 calc-alkaline lamprophyre an attractive target for an eventual diamonds deposit.
Abstract: In 1992 Rampino noticed a large, almost circular negative gravity anomaly (~30 mGal) on the Falkland Plateau to the WNW of Malvinas Islands/Falklnad Islands using satellite data then available, and speculated that it might be associated with a large (~250 km wide?) buried impact structure. In some more recent compilations Rocca & Presser (2015) and Rocca et al. (2017) was attended the Malvinas Islands/Falklnad Islands “buried impact structure” with particular care; but also these works was harshly criticized. The present text, which is an advance to demonstrate the certain possibilities that this Malvinas Islands/Falklnad Islands It could really be a very probable mega impact structure, gathers shows and evaluates the existing and available indirect information; like gravimetry (Isostasy, Free-air and Bouguer); seismic reflection (Geco Prakla); and, even commenting aspects of its magnetic behavior and its local geology. In all gravimetric analyses from the Malvinas Islands/Falklnad Islands “buried impact structure” it can be shown that an annulus of positive gravity anomaly surrounding a circular oval depression of negative (isostasy and Free-air)/much lower (Bouguer) values gravity anomaly. The most relevant gravimetric information would be the near circular to oval Bouguer gravity low anomaly (with a minimum value of ~150 mGal) surrounded by at least circular ~255 kilometers wide circular ring of positive gravity anomaly (maximum ~225 mGal); a very high values of Bouguer anomaly that are highly compatible with what is expected to be found in mega impact structures. The Malvinas probable impact structure shows almost 100 mGal superior to the volcanic complex of Iceland; so it seems obvious that Malvinas probable impact structure moves away from a speculation by mega-paleo-volcano origin. When gravimetrically modeled, a probable peak ring of ~255 km is evidenced; as well as, the inferred the ~550 km probable rim-crest; configuration that reproduces an almost perfect and symmetrical modeling of a very probable giant impact structure with its clear visible the very probable elements: rim crest-annulus basin-peak ring-central basin-peak ring-annulus basin-rim crest. Four Geco Prakla seismic reflection lines on the area located to the SW of the potential peak ring show a vertical and disturbed crystalline basement (the “peak ring”); in three of them, the “central basin” what would it be filled with sediments after impact (probable ejecta). Using the empirical formula of Assumpçăo et al. (2013) calculation for crustal thickness could be found very clearly strong CT distortion along Malvinas very probable giant impact structure: around 3400-4000 meters; as is to be expected in terrestrial mega impact structure. Harness the EMAG2v3 a global Earth Magnetic Anomaly Grid compiled from satellite (Meyer et al., 2017) for the Malvinas very probable giant impact structure a well superior anomaly was found and better definition than observed, using the same information, to the one characterized by the impact crater Chicxulub. The geological map of the Falkland Islands Government that was placed on top of the modeling isostasy gravimetric map where the approximate circumference of the very probable peak-ring and the very probable rim-crest is highlighted. This information allows to see that the largest island (West Malvinas) would be part of the very probable peak-ring and the smaller island (East Malvinas) would be part of the very probable rim-crest; both separated by the depression that would correspond to the very probable annulus basin. Based on what was analyzed in the Malvinas Islands area, we concluded the Malvinas exhibited geophysics traits of a large ancient asteroid impact; i.e. Malvinas very probable giant impact structure. Very probable impact structure what could be among one of the world's largest impact crater.
Boletin del Museo Nacional de Historia Narural del Paraguay, Vol. 20, 2, pp. 154-187. pdf available in * Port
South America, Paraguay
Lamproite
Abstract: Diamonds in Eastern-Paraguay began to be recognized in the 60s of last century near the town of Capiibary Dept. San Pedro; but it was only formalized the occurrence in 2008. In Capiibary and around, over 100 macro (1 ~ 3 mm) diamond (colorless, shades of brown and rare shades of pink, blue and green) were recovered from alluvial deposits. Micro-diamonds and small macro-diamonds were separated from sediment (conglomeratic/breccia´s/others; rich in indicators mineral: eclogitic garnets, rounded ilmenite, chromite, frosting-tourmaline, zircon, etc.) interpreted as reworked primary source. In the same locality 20 diamonds in its external morphology, internal structure, its mineral inclusions and the nitrogen content and state of aggregation were studied. The late 90s of last century diamonds were recovered from re-worked volcanic facies a probable pipe of Mesozoic picrític calc-alkaline lamprophyre, in the vicinity of the town of La Colmena in the Dept. Paraguari. Few later years (2003), some ten kilometers to the east, a mining company announced that it had found macro-diamond in a lamproite dyke (also Mesozoic) of 4 meters wide, along the Cordillera del Ybytyruzú, Dept. of Guaira. The same mining company notice that have found macro (~ 1 mm) diamonds in other departments of East Paraguay. It was also in late 2003 that were found in stream sediments, alluvium, soil and primary weathered rock /primary reworked -macro (millimeter) diamonds (colorless, yellow, pink, green, brown) accompanied by high concentration of indicator minerals (eclogitic garnets, rounded ilmenite, chromite, rutile, frosting-tourmaline, Fe-Ti-staurolite, zircon, etc.) around the town of Puentesińo (and adjacent areas), Dept. of Concepcion. More recently regional research work allowed locate macro (> 0.5 to 2 mm) diamonds in alluvial deposits and fine/coarse sediments (probable primary re-worked rock -also accompanied by high concentration of indicator minerals: rounded ilmenite, chromite, rutile, frosting-tourmaline, zircons, etc.) between the Department Concepción-Amambay -in the vicinity of Mesozoic carbonatitic alkaline complex. Officially between the 90s of last century to date have collected (Paraguay-East) around 5000 (for diamonds/indicator minerals) samples of stream sediment, soil, termite nest, weathered rock. Some samples (Puentesińo-around and Capiibary and vicinity) produced indicator minerals were analyzed in their chemical composition: eclogitic garnets (G-3 and G-4); picro-chromites (some with Zn and Mn); chromite-spinel; Mn-ilmenite, Ti-K-tourmaline (frosting-tourmaline); rutile and Fe-Ti-estaurolites. Eclogitic-garnets, picro-chromites and frosting-tourmaline reproduces compatible parameters with its association with diamonds (in the mantle and/or primary rocks). The composition of chromite-spinel, K-Ti-tourmaline, Mn-ilmenite and Zircons supported by the types of eclogitic-garnets and some forms of diamonds-corrosion suggest that the primary source for the diamonds try to lamproites. The tectonic environment, deduced from seismic tomography (Model TX2011 -dVs%) -supported by calculations of P in eclogitic garnets and in picro-chromites, correspond to a block Archon (Apa) of Rio de La Plata Craton. Archon- block that it would be deep (about 250-280 km deep) and thus ideal for the occurrence of primary productive sources of diamond.
Boletin del Museo Nacional de Historia Narural del Paraguay, Vol. 20, 2, pp. 205-213. pdf available in * Port
South America, Paraguay
Impact Crater
Abstract: We report here the discovery and study of several new modeled large impact craters in Eastern Paraguay, South America. They were studied by geophysical information (gravimetry, magnetism), field geology and also by microscopic petrography. Clear evidences of shock metamorphic effects were found (e.g., diaplectic glasses, PF, PDF in quartz and feldspar) at 4 of the modeled craters: 1) Negla: diameter:~80-81 km., 2) Yasuka Renda D:~96 km., 3) Tapyta, D: ~80 km. and 4) San Miguel, D: 130-136 km. 5) Curuguaty, D: ~110 km. was detected and studied only by geophysical information. Target-rocks range goes from the crystalline Archaic basement to Permian sediments. The modeled craters were in some cases cut by tholeiitic/alkaline rocks of Mesozoic age and partially covered by lavas of the basaltic Mesozoic flows (Negla, Yasuka Renda, Tapyta and Curuguaty). One of them was covered in part by sediments of Grupo Caacupé (age: Silurian/Devonian). Some of these modeled craters show gold, diamonds, uranium and REE mineral deposits associated. All new modeled large impact craters are partially to markedly eroded.
Abstract: Numerous Mesozoic bodies of lamproite-like intrusions are located NE and E of the city of Villarrica, Guairá Department, in eastern Paraguay. This magmatic field, known as Ybytyruzú Field, lies immediately on the margin of the SW part of Paranapanemá cratonic-block, just of the Asunción rift backs-horst and so related to deep crustal/lithospheric fracture zones.Mostly of observed rocks are weathered, however fresh samples were collected in dykes from Acaty (=Yzu-2), Tacuarita (=Yzu-7); lava/breccias from Mbocayaty (=Yzu-3); and sill from Salto Boni (=Yzu-6). They intrude, both, the sediments (Independencia Group and Misiones Formation) and the tholeiitic basalts of the Paraná Basin. In the present study we have performed petrographic and mineral chemistry data to show that all of the study rocks, from the Ybytyruzú Field, are lamproites (leucite lamproite from Yzu-2/Yzu-3/Yzu-7 and sanidine lamproite from Yzu-6).With respect to Yzu-2, Yzu-3 and Yzu-6, the following analyzes show the lamproite character: -phenocrysts/microphenocrysts of: olivine (mg# (Mg/(Mg+Fe)) 0.80-0.85), Al-poor diopside (Al2O3 0.53-2.09% and TiO2 0.65-1.61%), phlogopite/Al-poor-Ti phlogopite (mg# 0.76-0.85, TiO2 5.8-10.2% and Al2O3 12.7-13.9%), Mg-Ti magnetites and leucite (pseudomorphs). -and matrix phases of: Al-poor diopside (Al2O3 0.39-2.46% and TiO2 0.43-1.55%), Al-poor-Ti phlogopite/biotite (mg# 0.57-0.80, TiO2 5.6-10.2% and Al2O3 8.9-12.8%), Mg-Ti magnetites/Ti-magnetites; sanidine (0-4.0% Fe2O3, 0-2.6% BaO and 0-2.5% Na2O). And as accessory phases, ilmenite (0.2-5.7% MgO and 0.3-6.6% MnO), K and Ti-rich Feeckermanite/richterite (1.32-3.6% K2O and 4.7-9.0% TiO2), K-rich Fe-Mg-Mn amphiboles, apatite and quartz (Yzu-6). And so, Ybytyruzú lamproite-like intrusions authenticates the true lamproitic province in Paraguay. III; INTERNATIONAL, 2000 BRAZIL 2000; 3 1ST INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGICAL CONGRESS; ABSTRACTS VOLUME
Abstract: The petrographic study of two samples (quartzite and impactite) of Cerro León, a mountain range located in the middle of very probable impact basins (Cerro Leon-1, 2, 3 and 4-department of Alto Paraguay, Western-Paraguay) indicated evidences of impact metamorphism: PDFs (Not decorated and decorated) and diaplectic glass. Associated with diaplectic glass, impact diamonds or diamond/lonsdaleite crystals (micro and small macros) were observed with a range of morphologies including isolated and mostly agglutinated crystal varieties. Impact diamonds estimated to have formed by carbonate impact metamorphism present in the sedimentary target-rock of the Silurian/Devonian age. The identification of elements that reveal the impact metamorphism, in the analyzed samples of the Cerro León, evidences that the area of occurrence that would have been indicated as Very Probable Impact Basin, would be more of an Impact Basin.
Pyroclastic Flow Journal of Geology, Vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 1-14. pdf.
Antarctica
impact structure
Abstract: In 1992 Rampino noticed a large, almost circular negative gravity anomaly (~30 mGal) on the Falkland Plateau to the WNW of Malvinas Islands/Falkland Islands using satellite data then available, and speculated that it might be associated with a large (~250 km wide?) buried impact structure. In some more recent compilations Rocca & Presser (2015) and Rocca et al. (2017) was attended the Malvinas Islands/Falkland Islands “buried impact structure” with particular care; but also these works was harshly criticized. The present text, which is an advance to demonstrate the certain possibilities that this Malvinas Islands/Falklnad Islands It could really be a very probable mega impact structure, gathers shows and evaluates the existing and available indirect information; like gravimetry (Isostasy, Free-air and Bouguer); seismic reflection (Geco Prakla); and, even commenting aspects of its magnetic behavior and its local geology. In all gravimetric analyses from the Malvinas Islands/Falklnad Islands “buried impact structure” it can be shown that an annulus of positive gravity anomaly surrounding a circular oval depression of negative (isostasy and Free-air)/much lower (Bouguer) values gravity anomaly. The most relevant gravimetric information would be the near circular to oval Bouguer gravity low anomaly (with a minimum value of ~150 mGal) surrounded by at least circular ~255 kilometers wide circular ring of positive gravity anomaly (maximum ~225 mGal); a very high values of Bouguer anomaly that are highly compatible with what is expected to be found in mega impact structures. The Malvinas probable impact structure shows almost 100 mGal superior to the volcanic complex of Iceland; so it seems obvious that Malvinas probable impact structure moves away from a speculation by mega-paleo-volcano origin. When gravimetrically modeled, a probable peak ring of ~255 km is evidenced; as well as, the inferred the ~550 km probable rim-crest; configuration that reproduces an almost perfect and symmetrical modeling of a very probable giant impact structure with its clear visible the very probable elements: rim crest-annulus basin-peak ring-central basin-peak ring-annulus basin-rim crest. Four Geco Prakla seismic reflection lines on the area located to the SW of the potential peak ring show a vertical and disturbed crystalline basement (the “peak ring”); in three of them, the “central basin” what would it be filled with sediments after impact (probable ejecta). Using the empirical formula of Assumpçăo et al. (2013) calculation for crustal thickness could be found very clearly strong CT distortion along Malvinas very probable giant impact structure: around 3400-4000 meters; as is to be expected in terrestrial mega impact structure. Harness the EMAG2v3 a global Earth Magnetic Anomaly Grid compiled from satellite (Meyer et al., 2017) for the Malvinas very probable giant impact structure a well superior anomaly was found and better definition than observed, using the same information, to the one characterized by the impact crater Chicxulub. The geological map of the Falkland Islands Government that was placed ontop of the modeling isostasy gravimetric map where the approximate circumference of the very probable peak-ring and the very probable rim-crest is highlighted. This information allows to see that the largest island (West Malvinas) would be part of the very probable peak-ring and the smaller island (East Malvinas) would be part of the very probable rim-crest; both separated by the depression that would correspond to the very probable annulus basin. Based on what was analyzed in the Malvinas Islands area, we concluded the Malvinas exhibited geophysics traits of a large ancient asteroid impact; i.e. Malvinas very probable giant impact structure. Very probable impact structure what could be among one of the world's largest impact crater.
Abstract: The so-called rift/graben of Asunción was formed in the central-northern portion of the Archon lithospheric nucleus of the Rio de la Plata craton. This structure, related to a crustal thinning, likely resulted from an extraterrestrial impact which produced the San Miguel impact crater. The impact structure is located immediately to the south of the Asunción rift/graben. Within the central E-W segment of the rift/graben and in association with other igneous rocks (potasic to ultra-potasic) of around 130-125 Ma, the picritic rock pipe with lamprofidic texture Ymi-1 occurs. This pipe is found in the lower region of this rift/graben through faults (depths of up to -3000 m). Rocks of a plug and a dike exposed in the pipe Ymi-1 show that it is a strongly porphyritic rock with tendencies of lamprophiric texture formed by micro-feno crystals and mega-crystals of forsteritic olivine (>10 to 30% modal); mega-phenocrysts of Ti-Al diopside and micro-phenocrysts of chromite (Mg-chromite poor in Ti and Mg-Ti chromite); they are supported by an inter-granular matrix formed by aluminosus diopside, Al-Ti-phlogopite/biotite, Mg-Ti-magnetite, amphiboles (hornblends, eckernmanite together with some other potassium to sodic titaniferous amphiboles) accompanied by sanidine, analcime and traces of plagioclase (poor in An molecules). The mineral chemistry of spinels, phlogopites/biotites and diopsids are strongly compatible with mineral chemistry known in calc-alkaline lamprophyres. The rock chemistry of one available dyke is also compatible with the chemistry of calc-alkaline lamprophyres.Ymi-1 is a calc-alkaline picritic lamprophyre pipe where the study of the chromite (50-57 % Cr2O3) type and frosting-tourmaline ("dravites"), obtained in rock and in heavy mineral concentrates (in volcano-epiclastic sediments and in stream sediments -collected in its bed) suggest that it would be a diamond-bearing lamprophyre. The presence of diamonds was confirmed (by X-rays and other methods) in the Ymi-1 pipe. 1D S-wave seismic profile of continental data, for the pipe Ymi-1 site, suggests a geothermal gradient between 38.5 to 39 mW/m2, thus the Ymi-1 calc-alkaline lamprophyre an attractive target for an eventual diamond deposit. Supplementary materials S1 - PDF (Figuras suplementarias) S2 - PDF (Geoquímica mineral) https://pyflow.net/joomla30/index.php/9-all-issues/38-el-lamprofido-picritico-con-diamantes-ymi-1.
Abstract: Bunder diamond-bearing lamproite cluster, located in Madhya Pradesh, India, was discovered in 2004. The Precambrian lamproites are intruding Paleoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic intracratonic sedimentary rocks covering the Archean Bundelkhand craton. The study of Bundelkhand craton through global dVs% TX2011 model (1D and 2D) led us to recognize that it is underlain by Archean lithospheric mantle as is observed in other locations, in mines with medium to very high diamond-grade (greater than 100 cpht). The Bunder Archean lithospheric mantle has 35 mW/m2 surface heat flow, typical of Archons with pipes with a very high degree of diamonds such as the Argyle lamproite and the kimberlites Internationalnaya, Mir, Ekati, among others. In the Bunder lamproite cluster, the Rio Tinto Exploration estimates for the pipes diamond-grade are below 100 cpht. To understand why Bunder lamproite pipes are low grade in diamonds, we combined comparative gravimetric studies to study the structural architecture model of the crystalline basement. In fact, very-rich diamond pipes develop in different crystalline basement architecture when compared to the pipes discovered in the Bunder cluster; for example the pipe Atri. The pipes next to the Argyle lamproite, the kimberlites pipes International, Mir, Diavik and others were located in the most depressed center of graben/micro graben structures; while the pipe Atri would have positioned on the edges of a graben. It is expected that additional exploration focused on the structural configuration of Bundelkhand craton basement may help to discover new lamproite pipes with a much greater diamond degree than the Bunder cluster.
Eclogitic geotherms of the Rio de la Plata craton archon-core: Estancia Trementina and Puentesino, Dpto. Of Concepccion-Paraguay. Compared to two large diamond deposits Argyle ( lamproitic ) and Orapa ( kimberlitic.
Historia Natural *** english abstract, Vol. 10, 2, 12p. Pdf
South America, Paraguay
meteorite
Abstract: Around 70 km SSE of Chovoreca Hill (Paraguay), a pitcher-like metal piece weighing approximately 303 kg was found. Several studies have been carried out on this piece. Metallographic examination resembles cast iron that presents eutectoid microtextures, but the metal showed Neumann lines. Small fragments of the piece were diluted in concentrated HCl and with this it was possible to obtain colorless crystals, with size ranging from 10 ?m to 1 mm, approximately; SEM/EDS studies showed that major element present is carbon which suggests the presence of diamonds. Raman spectroscopy proved that crystals are diamonds, that showing bands in the “lonsdaleite/diamond zone”, further, the results also showed bands that accuse that the carbon of the diamonds are of meteoritic origin. From the calculus of the FWHM with values around to 42-373 cm-1 centered on 1282 cm-1 peak could be an indication of a very powerful impact that would have formed the diamonds.
Abstract: At the Rio de la Plata Craton archon-core environment were inferred, based on 1D Vs profiles (on 208 numbers of points), of the peridotitic geotherms. Values for the archon-core environment, it was estimated 38.5 to 40 mW/m2 in its central northern portion and southern portion and in its edges/southern portion 40 to 42 mW/m2. Geotherm values that allowed estimate LAB between 243 to 237 km depth (northern portion) and 225 to 213 km depth (southern portion). The same 1D Vs information allowed recognizing for this geothermal environment the depth of the graphite-to-diamond phase transition, finding that it is located at ~135 km. depth. So, projecting 70-90 Km. (southern portion) to 102-108 km. (northern portion) thickness of the “diamond window” for the Rio de la Plata craton archon-core. "Diamond window" thickness very close to those of the Kalahari archon craton where the highest grade of diamond deposit is the Kimberley with 200 cpht. Thus, it is estimated for eventual diamond deposit, in the Río de la Plata craton core, are quite similar to Kimberley diamond deposits could be also expected in the archon-core of Río de la Plata craton.
Eclogitic geotherms of the Rio de la Plata craton archon-core: Estancia Trementina and Puentesino, Dpto. Of Concepion - Paraguay. Compared to two large diamond deposits Argyle ( lamproitic) and Orapa ( Kimberlitic).
Journal of Gems & Precious Metals, Vol. 1, 1 pp. 1-11. pdf
Africa, South Africa
deposit - Loxtondal
Abstract: At the end of 2014, around the so called Loxtondal Orangeitic (now called Kaapval type lamproites) cluster, in Boshof district, two circular a nomalies (~540 to ~1100 meters in diameter) were identified by Landsat Satellite Images and interpreted as being of "kimberlites" pipes; probable anomaly which were referred to as Olie 1 and Olie 2. Subsequently, 100 kg of soil samples (horizon A/B) were taken for each of these anomalies. From them there was a high concentration of indicator minerals (IM): olivine, garnets (violets, reds and oranges), chromites, ilmenites, rutile, frosting tourmaline, zircon and among them some crystals of micro and macro diamonds. The high concentration of IM on Olie 2 led to focus the work on it . IM of Olie 2 was burned in HFl and by caustic fusion what contributed about 86 macro (<1 mm) and micro diamonds. The previus works contributed to raising the interest of some diamond geology groups that took new samples that provided electron microprobe analysis of hundreds of chromites and hundreds of garnets: chromites; picro-cromites, and G-9-G-10 garnets. The calculated pressure of the formation of chromites and garnets of Oli e 2 released in the information of seismic Vs-1D and tomography (Model TX2011). It would allow more adequately to reproduce these two minerals generated in the facies of diamonds and separate them from those generated in facies of graphite. A task that would allow a better approach to the diamond potential of this anomaly studied. It was found that in Olie 2 chromites of diamond facies and garnets (G 9 and G 10) are very representative. For this time the study of the lithospheric cratonic mantle (Archon), through of the commented seismic Vs-1D and tomography (Model TX2011) on the Loxtondal cluster (Olie-2)/Kimberley-area setting allowed to estimate the surface heat flow as being approximately 37.5 mW/m2 = 280 km depth of cratonic root (or LAB). Environment in which the highest reference diamond grade is the Kimberley pipe with 200 cpht; and so, for this reason, a similar diamonds-grade could be expected on the Olie-2/potential associated pipes-area.
Eclogitic geotherms of the Rio de la Plata craton archon-core. Estancia Trementina and Puentesino, DPTO. Of Concepcion - Parauay. Compared of two large diamond deposits Argyle ( lamproitic ) and Orapa ( kimberlitic).
Historia Natural, Vol. 11, 2, pp. 5-16. pdf
South America, Paraguay, Australia, Africa, Botswana
Presser states this is a series of short essays, a task that during this time helped to understand and improve the definition of the craton (Lito-Archon) Rio de la plata. It is intended to be published at the 7th. Brazilian Symposium of Diamond Geology in
Jelsma, H.,Krishnan, S.U., Perritt, S.,Kumar, M., Preston, R., Winter, F., Lemotlo, L., Costa, J., Van der Linde, G., Facatino, M., Posser, A., Wallace, C., Henning, A., Joy, S., Chinn, I., Armstrong, R., Phillips, D.
Kimberlites from central Angola: a case stidy of exploration findings.
10th. International Kimberlite Conference Feb. 6-11, Bangalore India, Abstract
The geology and geochemistry of the Wadagera kimberlite and the characteristics of the underlying subcontinental lithospheric mantle, Dharwar craton, India.
Proceedings of the 10th. International Kimberlite Conference, Vol. 1, Special Issue of the Journal of the Geological Society of India,, Vol. 1, pp. 167-181.
Jelsma, H., Krishnan, U., Perritt, S., Preston, R., Winter, F., Lemotlo, L., van der Linde, G., Armstrong, R., Phillips, D., Joy, S., Costa, J., Facatino, M., Posser, A., Kumar, M., Wallace, C., Chinn, I., Henning, A.
Kimberlites from central Angola: a case study of exploration findings.
Proceedings of the 10th. International Kimberlite Conference, Vol. 2, pp. 173-190.
Abstract: The thermobarometric analysis of inclusions in lithospheric diamonds indicates that they originated from a wide range of depths, with a global mode at ca. 170±15 km [1]. Studies based on diamond depth distribution at global scale, however, cannot clarify if this mode reflects a real concentration of diamonds, preferential sampling of materials from this level by rising kimberlites, or even a statistical distribution within the hard limits imposed by diamond stability, lithosphere thickness, and mantle adiabat under typical cratonic thermal regimes. We addressed this problem by comparing depth distributions for peridotitic diamonds from the three localities that have been the most prolific for diamond geobarometry (Cullinan, Kimberley and Voorspoed, South Africa) with those of mantle xenocrysts from the same kimberlite sources. P-T estimates indicate that the diamonds were formed at T higher, equal or lower than the ambient geotherm. They may record old mantle thermal regimes or local thermal perturbations related to infiltration of parent fluids or melts. Nonetheless, the diamonds show similar depth distributions for different localities, with a distinct mode at ?175 ?? 10 km. The similarity of these distributions with that calculated for peridotitic diamonds worldwide, as well as the lack of systematic correlation with kimberlite sampling efficiency as recorded by mantle xenocrysts, suggests that this mode has genetic significance. Based on observed depth distributions at both local and global scale and on thermodynamic modeling of COH fluids, diamond-forming processes are predicted to become less efficient with decreasing depth from at least ?160 km. In addition, diamond endowment near the base of the lithosphere may be negatively affected by infiltration of carbon-undersaturated melts. Considering the poor correlation between diamond and xenocryst depth distributions in single kimberlites or kimberlite clusters, even limited xenocryst records from diamond favorable depths (especially the 160-190 km interval) may correspond to significant diamond potential.
Abstract: The thermobarometric analysis of inclusions in lithospheric diamonds has shown that these diamonds may originate from a wide range of depths, with a global mode at ~175 ± 15 km. Studies based on diamond depth distribution at global scale, however, cannot clarify if this mode reflects a real concentration of diamonds, preferential sampling of materials from this level by ascending kimberlites, or simply a statistical distribution within the hard limits imposed by diamond stability, lithosphere thickness and mantle adiabat under typical cratonic thermal regimes. We addressed this problem by comparing depth distributions for peridotitic diamonds from the three localities that have been the most prolific for diamond geobarometry (Cullinan, Kimberley and Voorspoed, South Africa) with those of mantle xenocrysts from the same kimberlite sources. The revised P-T estimates indicate that the diamonds were formed at T higher, equal or lower than the ambient geotherm recorded by the xenocrysts. These conditions may represent old mantle thermal regimes or local thermal perturbations related to infiltration of parental fluids or melts. Nonetheless, the studied diamonds show similar depth distributions for the different localities, with a distinct mode at ?180 ± 10 km. The similarity of these distributions with that calculated for peridotitic diamonds worldwide, as well as the lack of systematic correlation with kimberlite sampling efficiency as recorded by mantle xenocrysts, suggests that this mode has genetic significance. Based on observed depth distributions and thermodynamic modeling of COH fluids, diamond-forming processes are predicted to become less efficient with decreasing depth from at least ?165 km. In addition, diamond endowment near the base of the lithosphere may be negatively affected by infiltration of carbon-undersaturated melts or fluids after diamond formation. Considering the poor correlation between diamond and xenocryst depth distributions in single kimberlites or kimberlite clusters, even limited xenocryst records from diamond favorable depths (especially from the 160-190 km interval) may correspond to significant diamond potential.
The Aeromagnetic Delineation of the Distribution Patterns Of Karroo Volcanic in Botswana and Consequent Implications For the Tectonics of the Sub Continent.
Botswana Geological Survey, Bulletin. No. 22, PP. 93-140.
Petrology of the hypapbyssal kimberlite of the Kroonstad group II kimberlite (orangeite) cluster, South Africa: evolution of the magma within the cluster
Uncertainties about the Proterozoic and Paleozoic polar wanderpath Of the West African craton and Gondwana: evidence for successive remagnetizationevents
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 88, No. 3-4, May pp. 337-347
Abstract: New high-resolution airborne magnetic data of Uruguay allowed constructing new maps concerning the spatial distribution of dyke swarms, main faults and other magnetic bodies, which compose the Uruguayan Shield. We combined geophysical analyses (vertical derivatives, upward continuation, Euler deconvolution), structural analyses of the magnetic maps and previous geological data in order to discriminate the main structural features of the Uruguayan Shield and contribute to a better understanding of its tectonic evolution. The magnetic maps revealed several outstanding features in the Uruguayan Shield. The Paleoproterozoic dyke swarm is larger, denser, more widespread and complex than originally thought, suggesting a possible plume origin. In addition, a new Mesozoic dyke swarm, as complex as the previous one, was identified crosscutting the Paleoproterozoic dyke swarm and the Neoproterozoic orogenic structures. Moreover, this swarm is connected to volcanic calderas in the Merín basin, and shows displacements along Neoproterozoic shear zones, in the magnetic maps, revealing its brittle reactivation during Mesozoic times. The new observations clarify how Proterozoic basement structures controlled the development of the Mesozoic rift. Paleoproterozoic dyke swarms were reactivated as normal faults and Neoproterozoic structures hindered the rift growth, deflecting the deformation in transcurrent movements. Meanwhile, the Mesozoic dyke swarm was developed in a perpendicular direction to the Neoproterozoic structures. Moreover, these findings contradict the current rift model for Uruguay and rise a new model in which the Mesozoic rift developed as two rift basins connected by a central transfer zone, generated by the reactivation of Dom Feliciano Belt structures, between the Sierra Ballena and Sarandí del Yí Shear Zones.
Abstract: The lithospheric mantle beneath West Antarctica has been characterized using petrology, whole-rock and mineral major element geochemistry, whole-rock trace element chemistry and Mössbauer spectroscopy data obtained on a suite of peridotite (lherzolite and harzburgite) and pyroxenite xenoliths from the Mount Morning eruptive centre, Southern Victoria Land. The timing of pyroxenite formation in Victoria Land overlaps with subduction of the Palaeo-Pacific plate beneath the Gondwana margin and pyroxenite is likely to have formed when fluids derived from, or modified by, melting of the subducting, eclogitic, oceanic crustal plate percolated through peridotite of the lithospheric mantle. Subsequent melting of lithospheric pyroxenite veins similar to those represented in the Mount Morning xenolith suite has contributed to the enriched trace element (and isotope) signatures seen in Cenozoic volcanic rocks from Mount Morning, elsewhere in Victoria Land and Zealandia. In general, the harzburgite xenoliths reflect between 20 and 30% melt depletion. Their depleted element budgets are consistent with Archaean cratonization ages and they have mantle-normalized trace element patterns comparable with typical subcontinental lithospheric mantle. The spinel lherzolite mineral data suggest a similar amount of depletion to that recorded in the harzburgites (20-30%), whereas plagioclase lherzolite mineral data suggest <15% melt depletion. The lherzolite (spinel and plagioclase) xenolith whole-rocks have compositions indicating <20% melt depletion, consistent with Proterozoic to Phanerozoic cratonization ages, and have mantle-normalized trace element patterns comparable with typical depleted mid-ocean ridge mantle. All peridotite xenoliths have undergone a number of melt-rock reaction events. Melting took place mainly in the spinel peridotite stability field, but one plagioclase peridotite group containing high-sodium clinopyroxenes is best modelled by melting in the garnet field. Median oxygen fugacity estimates based on Mössbauer spectroscopy measurements of spinel and pyroxene for spinel-facies conditions in the rifted Antarctic lithosphere are -0·6 ?log fO2 at Mount Morning and –1·0 ± 0·1 (1?) ?log fO2 for all of Victoria Land, relative to the fayalite-magnetite-quartz buffer. These values are in good agreement with a calculated global median value of -0·9 ± 0·1 (1?) ?log fO2 for mantle spinel-facies rocks from continental rift systems.
Abstract: Mantle xenoliths were found in alkaline basalts of Tokinsky Stanovik (TSt) in the Dzhugdzhur-Stanovoy superterrane (DS) and Vitim plateau (VP) in the Barguzin-Vitim superterrane (BV) (Stanovoy suture area) at junction of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) and the Siberian craton (SC). Xenoliths from TSt basalts are represented by spinel lherzolites, harzburgites, wehrlites; while VP basalts frequently contain spinel-garnet and garnet peridotites lherzolites, and pyroxenites. Xenoliths in kimberlites of the Siberian craton are mainly represented by garnet-bearing lherzolites with abundant eclogite xenoliths (age of 2.7-3.1 Ga), which were not found in mantle of superterranes. The Re-Os determinations point to the Early Archean age of peridotites and eclogites from mantle beneath the Siberian craton. The major and trace (rare-earth and high-filed strength) elements and Nd-Sr-Os composition were analyzed in the peridotites (predominant rocks) of lithospheric mantle at junction of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and Siberian Craton. The degree of rock depletion in CaO and Al2O3 and enrichment in MgO relative to the primitive mantle in the peridotites of the Dzhugdzhur-Stanovoy superterrane is close to that of the Siberian craton. The peridotites of the Barguzin-Vitim superterrane are characterized by much lower degree of depletion and have mainly a primitive composition. Mantle melting degree reaches up to 45-50% in the Siberian Craton and Dzhugdzhur-Stanovoy superterrane, and is less than 25% in the Barguzin-Vitim terrane. The mantle peridotites of the craton as compared to those of adjacent superterranes are enriched in Ba, Rb, Th, Nb, and Ta and depleted in Y and REE from Sm to Lu. However, all studied peridotites are characterized by mainly superchondritic values of Nb/Ta (>17.4), Zr/Hf (>36.1), Nb/Y (>0.158), and Zr/Y (>2.474). The Nb/Y ratio is predominantly >1.0 in SC peridotites and < 1.0 in the superterrane peridotites. The Nd and Sr isotopic compositions in the latter correspond to those of oceanic basalts. The 187Os/188Os ratio is low (0.108-0.115) in the peridotites of the Siberian Craton and > 0.115 but usually lower than 0.1296 (primitive upper mantle value) in the peridotites of the Dzhugdzhur-Stanovoy and Barguzin-Vitim superterranes. Thus, the geochemical and isotopic composition of peridotites indicates different compositions and types of mantle beneath the Siberian craton and adjacent superterranes of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt in the Early Archean, prior to the formation of 2.7-3.1 Ga eclogites in the cratonic mantle.
Pilidou, SA., Priestley, K., Gudmundsson, O., Debayle, E.
Upper mantle S-wave speed heterogeneity and anisotropy beneath the North Atlantic from regional surface wave tomography: the Iceland and Azores plumes.
Geophysical Journal International, Vol. 159, 3, pp. 1057-1076.
Craig, T.J., Jackson, J.A., Priestley, K., McKenzie, D.
Earthquake distribution patterns in Africa: their relationship to variations in lithospheric and geological structure, and their rheological implication
Geophysical Journal International, Vol. 185, 1, pp. 403-404.
Abstract: Lithospheric thickness of continents, obtained from Rayleigh wave tomography, is used to make maps of the lithospheric thickness of Pangea by reconstructing the continental arrangement in the Permian. This approach assumes that lithosphere moves with the overlying continents, and therefore that the arrangement of both can be obtained using the poles of rotation obtained from magnetic anomalies and fracture zones. The resulting reconstruction shows that a contiguous arc of thick lithosphere underlay most of eastern Pangea. Beneath the western convex side of this arc, there is a wide belt of thinner lithosphere underlying what is believed to have been the active margin of Pangea, here named the Pangeides. On the inner side of this arc is another large area of thin lithosphere beneath the Pan-African belts of North Africa and Arabia. The arc of thick lithosphere is crossed by bands of slightly thinner lithosphere that lie beneath the Pan-African and Brasiliano mobile belts of South America, Africa, India, Madagascar, and Antarctica. This geometry suggests that lithospheric thickness has an important influence on continental deformation and accretion.
Abstract: New evidence from seismic tomography reveals a unique mineral fabric restricted to the thick mantle lithosphere beneath ancient continental cratons, providing an important clue to the formation of these prominent and influential features in Earth’s geological history. Olivine, the dominant mineral of Earth’s upper mantle, has elastic properties that differ along its three crystallographic axes, and preferential alignment of individual olivine grains during plastic deformation can affect the bulk nature of seismic-wave propagation. Surface-wave tomography has shown that over most of Earth, deformation of the mantle lithosphere has oriented olivine crystals with the fast axis in the horizontal plane, but at depths centered at ?150 km within cratonic continental-lithosphere roots, the fast crystallographic axis is preferentially aligned vertically. Because of the high viscosity of the cratonic roots, this fabric is likely to be a vestige from craton formation. Geochemical and petrological studies of upper-mantle garnet-peridotite nodules demonstrate that the cratonic mantle roots are stabilized by their reduced density, which was caused by melt removal at much shallower depths than those from which the nodules were subsequently extracted. The mineral fabric inferred from surface-wave tomography suggests that horizontal shortening carried the depleted zone downward after the melt-depletion event to form the thick continental roots, stretching the depleted material in the vertical dimension by pure shear and causing the fast crystallographic axis to be aligned vertically. This seismological fabric at ?150 km is evidence of the shortening event that created the cratonic roots.
Abstract: Geophysical interpretation of potential field data plays an important role in the integration of geological data. Estimation of density and magnetic susceptibility variations within the upper crust helps evaluating the continuity of geological structures in the field. In the present study we use gravity and magnetic data in NW Amazonian Craton in Colombia. Total horizontal gradient of the reduction to magnetic pole were used to delineate magnetic lineaments and domains showing four zones, each with its own features. Multiscale edge detection (worming) of the data help delineate upper crustal structures that we interpret as tectonic boundaries that correlate with the four zones identified. 3D density and magnetic susceptibility inversion showed high density and/or high magnetic susceptibility sources correlated with these crustal structures. Zone (1) is located south of the Guaviare River, with predominant NW-SE and NE-SW magnetic lineaments; zone (2), located from south of the Guaviare River to the north, present nearly E-W magnetic lineaments and a deep E-W edge interpreted as a possible shear zone parallel to Guaviare, Orinoco and Ventuari rivers; zone (3) from south of the Vichada River to the north, with NE-SW and NW-SE lineaments; N-S zone (4) cuts the zones (2) and (3), characterized by high density/magnetic susceptibility source bounded by N-S deep edges. A more complete tectonic evolution interpretation requires further work, but we speculate that the zone (4) could indicate an aborted rift/collision suture and that the zone (2) is indicative of a younger deformation event. Shear direction at (2) is not clear: geological maps show NEE-SWW right-lateral faulting, but geophysical anomalies suggest left-lateral displacement, highlighted by left dislocation of the Orinoco River. We also speculate that a N-S edge located at the SE of the area can be related with the Atabapo Belt and the limit of Ventuari-Tapajós and Rionegro geochronological provinces.
Physicsa Status Solidi , doi:10.1002/pssa.201900888
Global
HPHT
Abstract: Various samples of multisectoral high?pressure high?temperature (HPHT) single?crystal diamond plate (IIa type) (4?×?4?×?0.53?mm) are tested for particle detection applications. The samples are investigated by X?ray diffractometry, photoluminescence spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier?transform infrared, and visible/ultraviolet (UV) absorption spectroscopy. High crystalline perfection and low impurity concentration (in the {100} growth sector) are observed. To investigate detector parameters, circular 1.0 and 1.5?mm diameter Pt Schottky barrier contacts are created on {111} and {100} growth sectors. On the backside, a Pt contact (3.5?×?3.5?mm) is produced. The {100} growth sector is proved to be a high?quality detector: the full width at half maximum energy resolution is 0.94% for the 5.489?MeV 226Ra ??line at an operational bias of +500?V. Therefore, it is concluded that the HPHT material {100} growth sector is used for radiation detector production, whose quality is not worse than the chemical vapor deposition method or specially selected natural diamond detectors.
Russian Journal of Pacific Geology, Vol. 11, 6, pp. 447-468.
Russia
picrites
Abstract: A great volume of original information on the formation of the ultrabasic rocks of the Siberian Platform has been accumulated owing to the study of melt inclusions in Cr-spinels. The inclusions show the general tendencies in the behavior of the magmatic systems during the formation of the ultrabasic massifs of the Siberian Platform, tracing the main evolution trend of decreasing Mg number with SiO2 increase in the melts with subsequent transition from picrites through picrobasalts to basalts. The compositions of the melt inclusions indicate that the crystallization conditions of the rocks of the concentrically zoned massifs (Konder, Inagli, Chad) sharply differ from those of the Guli massif. Numerical modeling using the PETROLOG and PLUTON softwares and data on the composition of inclusions in Cr-spinels yielded maximum crystallization temperatures of the olivines from the dunites of the Konder (1545-1430°C), Inagli (1530-1430°C), Chad (1460-1420°C), and Guli (1520-1420°C) massifs, and those of Cr-spinels from the Konder (1420-1380°C), Inagli (up to 1430°C), Chad (1430-1330°C), and Guli (1410-1370°C) massifs. Modeling of the Guli massif with the PLUTON software using the compositions of the melt inclusions revealed the possible formation of the alkaline rocks at the final reverse stage of the evolution of the picritic magmas (with decrease of SiO2 and alkali accumulation) after termination of olivine crystallization with temperature decrease from 1240-1230°C to 1200-1090°C. Modeling with the PLUTON software showed that the dunites of the Guli massif coexisted with Fe-rich (with moderate TiO2 contents) melts, the crystallization of which led (beginning from 1210°C) to the formation of pyroxenes between cumulate olivine. Further temperature decrease (from 1125°C) with decreasing FeO and TiO2 contents provided the formation of clinopyroxenes of pyroxenites. For the Konder massif, modeling with the PLUTON software indicates the possible formation of kosvites from picrobasaltic magmas beginning from 1350°C and the formation of clinopyroxenites and olivine-diopside rocks from olivine basaltic melts from 1250°C.
Abstract: The Os-isotope compositions of sulphides in mantle xenoliths hosted by Late Miocene alkali basalts from the Sviyaginsky volcano, Russian Far East, reveal the presence of Archaean-Proterozoic subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath the Khanka massif. Their TMA and TRD model ages reveal similar peaks at 1.1 and 0.8 Ga suggesting later thermotectonic events in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle, whereas TRD model ages range back to 2.8 ± 0.5 (2?) Ga. The events recognized in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle are consistent with those recorded in the crust of the Khanka massif. The sulphide Os-isotope data show that the subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath the Khanka massif had formed at least by the Mesoproterozoic, and was subsequently metasomatized by juvenile crustal-growth events related to the evolution of the Altaids. The Khanka massif is further proposed to have tectonic affinity to the Siberia Craton and should originate from it accordingly.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 243, pp. 133-148.
Mantle
olivine
Abstract: Chemical exchange between seawater and the oceanic crust is thought to play a significant role in the regulation of the global magnesium (Mg) cycle, yet relatively little is known about the rates and mechanisms of Mg exchange in these crustal environments. In this study we experimentally characterize the extent, and nature, of Mg isotope fractionation during the carbonation and serpentinization of olivine (one of the principal minerals found in ultramafic rocks) under hydrothermal conditions. Olivine alteration was found to be incongruent, with the reactant fluid composition varying according to the extent of olivine dissolution and the precipitation of secondary minerals. In mildly acid water (pH???6.5), olivine dissolved to form Mg-Fe carbonate solid solutions and minor chrysotile. Upon carbonation and a decrease of CO2 in the water, the pH increased to >8, with chrysotile and brucite becoming the dominant alteration minerals. The Mg-rich carbonates preferentially incorporated lighter Mg isotopes, resulting in a ?0.5‰ increase of the ?26Mg composition of the fluid relative to olivine during the initial carbonation and serpentinization reactions. This was followed by a decrease in ?26Mg under higher pH conditions associated with the formation of brucite. Our experimental and modeling results therefore demonstrate that the ?26Mg composition of fluids involved in olivine alteration reflect the type and quantity of secondary Mg minerals formed, which in turn depend on the pH and CO2 concentration of the water. Comparison of these results with natural groundwaters and geothermal waters from basaltic terrains indicate that the ?26Mg composition of natural waters are likely to also be controlled by mafic rock dissolution and the preferential incorporation of isotopically light Mg into carbonates and isotopically heavy Mg into Mg-Si minerals. Together, these findings improve our understanding of Mg isotope systematics during water-rock interaction, and suggest that ?26Mg may be a useful tool for tracing reactions that are critical to geological CO2 sequestration.
Abstract: Diamonds and their inclusions are unique fragments of deep Earth, which provide rare samples from inaccessible portions of our planet. Inclusion-free diamonds cannot provide information on depth of formation, which could be crucial to understand how the carbon cycle operated in the past. Inclusions in diamonds, which remain uncorrupted over geological times, may instead provide direct records of deep Earth’s evolution. Here, we applied elastic geothermobarometry to a diamond-magnesiochromite (mchr) host-inclusion pair from the Udachnaya kimberlite (Siberia, Russia), one of the most important sources of natural diamonds. By combining X-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy data with a new elastic model, we obtained entrapment conditions, Ptrap?=?6.5(2) GPa and Ttrap?=?1125(32)-1140(33) °C, for the mchr inclusion. These conditions fall on a ca. 35?mW/m2 geotherm and are colder than the great majority of mantle xenoliths from similar depth in the same kimberlite. Our results indicate that cold cratonic conditions persisted for billions of years to at least 200?km in the local lithosphere. The composition of the mchr also indicates that at this depth the lithosphere was, at least locally, ultra-depleted at the time of diamond formation, as opposed to the melt-metasomatized, enriched composition of most xenoliths.
Multistage exhumation and juxaposition of lower continental crust in the western Canadian Shield: linking high resolution U Pb and 40 Ar / 39 Ar thermochronometry with pressure temperature deformation paths.
Determination of sampling configuration for near shore Diamondiferous gravel occurrence using geostatistical methods. Mining area no. 1 - linear beach Namdeb
Journal of South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Vol. 114, Jan. pp. 31-38.
Abstract: The metallurgical recovery processes in diamond mining may, under certain circumstances, cause an under-recovery of large diamonds. In order to predict high quantiles or tail probabilities we use a Bayesian approach to fit a truncated Generalized Pareto Type distribution to the tail of the data consisting of the weights of individual diamonds. Based on the estimated tail probability, the expected number of diamonds larger than a specified weight can be estimated. The difference between the expected and observed frequencies of diamond weights above an upper threshold provides an estimate of the number of diamonds lost during the recovery process.
Journal of South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Vol. 116, July pp. 629-635.
Africa, Namibia
Deposit - marine placers
Abstract: During early-stage diamond exploration projects, hard data underpinning spatial continuity is often very limited. An extreme example of this is a submerged diamondiferous marine placer target area alongside a current onshore mining area in southwestern Namibia. Although an abundance of geological and grade data exists for the adjacent onshore mining area, the target area itself contains no such information. Despite this apparent abundance of data, it is extremely difficult to obtain a variogram (Prins and Jacob, 2014) for use in this study area. The use of traditional simulation techniques is further hindered by the fact that diamond entrapment within the highly gullied footwall is non-stationary. An alternative approach for creating a simulated virtual orebody (VOB) is thus required in order to enable the assessment of sampling strategies. This paper demonstrates how expert opinion is used to generate a composite probability map for diamond concentration using a greyscale hand-sketching technique. The probability map is subsequently calibrated and populated using the diamond distribution for different raised beaches obtained from analog data based on sample results adjacent to the target area. The resultant grade simulation is used to test different sample scenarios and is a first step towards determining an appropriate sampling strategy for the target area. The VOB is used to analyse and rank the efficiency of different sampling strategies for grade determination of submerged diamondiferous linear beach exploration targets.
South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Vol. 116, 8, pp. 731-737.
Africa, Namibia
deposit - Orange River
Abstract: Over the past 80 years, the Namibian diamondiferous marine placer has been studied extensively to develop solutions for mining and sampling challenges. The types of studies include the statistical modelling of the distributions of the stone counts per sample; investigating the relationship between geology and the grade distribution; assessing the quality potential of the entrapment of the available diamond pulse; using predetermined acceptability of barren samples (zero proportion (Zp) samples) to model distributions; optimal sample sizes; and more. During early-stage project evaluation it is more important to find out if a particular area is likely to be above a specific cut-off grade than to focus on sampling for the purpose of accurate resource estimation. Previous work using mixed Poisson and Sichel distributions to model the abundant onshore diamond data has been very successful in modelling the long-tailed nature of these linear beach deposits. The means of these distributions are, however, sensitive to extreme values. Technical and cost constraints prevent a similar scale of sample collection in an adjacent, geologically equivalent, submerged beach environment. A method not sensitive to extreme values is thus required to make early-stage assessments of the likelihood that the grade of a particular target is above a minimum cut-off grade. The Nachman model describes the functional relationship between the mean population density and proportion of barren patches ( Zp) in a patchy environment. A prerequisite for using the Nachman model is that the underlying data must be modelled using a negative binomial distribution (NBD). The case study data is from an analogous area adjacent to the exploration target and meets the NBD requirement. It is thus appropriate to apply the Nachman model. The Nachman model provides an opportunity to use the observed Zpto predict the mean grade for an area at the very early stage of an exploration project. In future, early-stage exploration data from a homogenous geological zone exhibiting characteristics of the Nachman model assumptions can thus be used to rank and target those areas that show potential to be above the minimum required grade cut-off for follow-up sampling and inclusion in the mine planning cycle.
Abstract: The high amount of Fe-rich ferropericlase inclusions found in diamonds of a potential super-deep origin questions the bulk chemical model of the Earth [e.g., 1]. Although this might be due to a biased sampling of the lower mantle, it is worth to further address this discrepancy. A limiting factor of the Fe-content of the Earth´s deep mantle (TZ and lower mantle) is a correlation of the depths of the observed main mantle discontinuities with the (Fe,Mg)SiO4 phase diagram. In particular, the 520 kmdiscontinuity is related to the phase transformation of wadsleyite (assuming Fa10) to ringwoodite. The existing phase diagrams suggest a stability limit of wadsleyite ?Fa40 [e.g., 2,3], which limits the Fe-content of the Earth´s transition zone. Here we report on a discovery of Fe-rich wadsleyite grains (up to Fa56) in the high-pressure silicate melt droplets within Fe,Ni-metal in shock veins of the CB (Bencubbin-like) metal-rich carbonaceous chondrite QC 001 [4], which were identified using HR-EDX, nano-EBSD and TEM. Although the existence of such Fe-rich wadsleyite in shock veins may be due to the kinetic reasons, new theoretical and experimental studies of the stability of (Fe,Mg)SiO4 at high temperature (> 1800 K) are clearly needed. This may have significant impact on the temperature and chemical estimates of the Earth´s transition zone.
Preliminary release of kimberlite indicator mineral dat a from National geochemical Reconnaissance stream sediment samples in the Jackpine Lake area Buffalo Head Hills
Geological Survey of Canada Open File, 5267, 23p. 1 CD $ 26.00
Geochemical, mineralogical and kimberlite indicator mineral electron microprobe dat a from sills, heavy mineral concentrates and waters Buffalo Head Hills.
Geological Survey of Canada Open File, No. 5057, 16p.
Stream sediment sampling for kimberlite indicator minerals in the western Canada sedimentary basin: the Buffalo Head Hills Survey, north central Alberta.
Geological Association of Canada Short Course, No. 18, pp. 111-124.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 175, 62 17p. Pdf
Mantle
ilmenite
Abstract: The Fe-Mg and Fe-Mn interdiffusion coefficients for ilmenite have been determined as a function of temperature and crystallographic orientation. Diffusion annealing experiments were conducted at 1.5 GPa between 800 and 1100 ?C. For Fe-Mg interdiffusion, each diffusion couple consisted of an ilmenite polycrystal and an oriented single crystal of geikielite. The activation energy (Q) and pre-exponential factor (D0) for Fe-Mg diffusion in the ilmenite polycrystal were found to be Q = 188±15 kJ mol?1 and logD0 = ?6.0±0.6 m2 s?1. For the geikielite single crystal, Fe-Mg interdiffusion has Q=220±16 kJ mol?1 and logD0=?4.6±0.7 m2 s?1. Our results indicate that crystallographic orientation did not significantly affect diffusion rates. For Fe-Mn interdiffusion, each diffusion couple consisted of one ilmenite polycrystal and one Mn-bearing ilmenite polycrystal. For Fe-Mn interdiffusion, Q = 264±30 kJ mol?1 and logD0 = ?2.9±1.3 m2 s?1 in the ilmenite. We did not find a significant concentration dependence for the Fe-Mg and Fe-Mn interdiffusion coefficients. In comparing our experimental results for cation diffusion in ilmenite with those previously reported for hematite, we have determined that cation diffusion is faster in ilmenite than in hematite at temperatures <1100 ?C. At oxygen fugacities near the wüstite-magnetite buffer, Fe and Mn diffusion rates are similar for ilmenite and titanomagnetite. We apply these experimentally determined cation diffusion rates to disequilibrium observed in ilmenites from natural volcanic samples to estimate the time between perturbation and eruption for the Bishop Tuff, Fish Canyon Tuff, Mt. Unzen, Mt. St. Helens, and kimberlites. When integrated with natural observations of chemically zoned ilmenite and constraints on pre-eruptive temperature and grain size, our experimentally determined diffusivities for ilmenite can be used to estimate a minimum time between magmatic perturbation and eruption on the timescale of hours to months.
Enigmatic relationship between silicic and volcanic and plutonic rocks: geophysical evidence for silicic crustal melt in the continents: where. What kind, and how much?
Abstract: Podiform chromitites occur in mantle peridotites of the Late Triassic Puerto Nuevo Ophiolite, Baja California Sur State, Mexico. These are high-Cr chromitites [Cr# (Cr/Cr + Al atomic ratio = 0.61-0.69)] that contain a range of minor- and trace-elements and show whole-rock enrichment in IPGE (Os, Ir, Ru). That are similar to those of high-Cr ophiolitic chromitites crystallised from melts similar to high-Mg island-arc tholeiites (IAT) and boninites in supra-subduction-zone mantle wedges. Crystallisation of these chromitites from S-undersaturated melts is consistent with the presence of abundant inclusions of platinum-group minerals (PGM) such as laurite (RuS2)-erlichmanite (OsS2), osmium and irarsite (IrAsS) in chromite, that yield TMA ? TRD model ages peaking at ~ 325 Ma. Thirty-three xenocrystic zircons recovered from mineral concentrates of these chromitites yield ages (2263 ± 44 Ma to 278 ± 4 Ma) and Hf-O compositions [?Hf(t) = ? 18.7 to + 9.1 and 18O values < 12.4‰] that broadly match those of zircons reported in nearby exposed crustal blocks of southwestern North America. We interpret these chromitite zircons as remnants of partly digested continental crust or continent-derived sediments on oceanic crust delivered into the mantle via subduction. They were captured by the parental melts of the chromitites when the latter formed in a supra-subduction zone mantle wedge polluted with crustal material. In addition, the Puerto Nuevo chromites have clinopyroxene lamellae with preferred crystallographic orientation, which we interpret as evidence that chromitites have experienced high-temperature and ultra high-pressure conditions (< 12 GPa and ~ 1600 °C). We propose a tectonic scenario that involves the formation of chromitite in the supra-subduction zone mantle wedge underlying the Vizcaino intra-oceanic arc ca. 250 Ma ago, deep-mantle recycling, and subsequent diapiric exhumation in the intra-oceanic basin (the San Hipólito marginal sea) generated during an extensional stage of the Vizcaino intra-oceanic arc ca. 221 Ma ago. The TRD ages at ~ 325 Ma record a partial melting event in the mantle prior to the construction of the Vizcaino intra-oceanic arc, which is probably related to the Permian continental subduction, dated at ~ 311 Ma.
Abstract: Recent findings of diamonds in ophiolitic peridotites and chromitites challenge our traditional notion of Earth mantle dynamics. Models attempting to explain these findings involve incorporation of diamonds into chromite near the mantle transition zone. However, the occurrence of metastable diamonds in this context has not been considered. Here, we report for the first time in situ microdiamonds in chromite from ophiolitic chromitite pods hosted in the Tehuitzingo serpentinite (southern Mexico). Here, diamonds occur as fracture-filling inclusions along with quartz, clinochlore, serpentine, and amorphous carbon, thus indicating a secondary origin during the shallow hydration of chromitite. Chromite chemical variations across the diamond-bearing healed fractures indicate formation during the retrograde evolution of chromitite at temperatures between 670 °C and 515 °C. During this stage, diamond precipitated metastably at low pressure from reduced C-O-H fluids that infiltrated from the host peridotite at the onset of serpentinization processes. Diamond was preserved as a result of fracture healing at the same temperature interval in which the chromite alteration began. These mechanisms of diamond formation challenge the idea that the occurrence of diamond in ophiolitic rocks constitutes an unequivocal indicator of ultrahigh-pressure conditions.
Abstract: Recent findings of diamonds in ophiolitic peridotites and chromitites challenge our traditional notion of Earth mantle dynamics. Models attempting to explain these findings involve incorporation of diamonds into chromite near the mantle transition zone. However, the occurrence of metastable diamonds in this context has not been considered. Here, we report for the first time in situ microdiamonds in chromite from ophiolitic chromitite pods hosted in the Tehuitzingo serpentinite (southern Mexico). Here, diamonds occur as fracture-filling inclusions along with quartz, clinochlore, serpentine, and amorphous carbon, thus indicating a secondary origin during the shallow hydration of chromitite. Chromite chemical variations across the diamond-bearing healed fractures indicate formation during the retrograde evolution of chromitite at temperatures between 670 °C and 515 °C. During this stage, diamond precipitated metastably at low pressure from reduced C-O-H fluids that infiltrated from the host peridotite at the onset of serpentinization processes. Diamond was preserved as a result of fracture healing at the same temperature interval in which the chromite alteration began. These mechanisms of diamond formation challenge the idea that the occurrence of diamond in ophiolitic rocks constitutes an unequivocal indicator of ultrahigh-pressure conditions.
Abstract: The highly siderophile elements (HSE: Os, Ir, Ru, Rh, Pt, Pd, Re, Au) exist in solid solution in accessory base-metal sulfides (BMS) as well as nano-to-micron scale minerals in rocks of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). The latter include platinum-group minerals (PGM) and gold minerals, which may vary widely in morphology, composition and distribution. The PGM form isolated grains often associated with larger BMS hosted in residual olivine, located at interstices in between peridotite-forming minerals or more commonly in association with metasomatic minerals (pyroxenes, carbonates, phosphates) and silicate glasses in some peridotite xenoliths. The PGM found inside residual olivine are mainly Os-, Ir- and Ru-rich sulfides and alloys. In contrast, those associated with metasomatic minerals or silicate glasses of peridotite xenoliths consist of Pt, Pd, and Rh bonded with semimetals like As, Te, Bi, and Sn. Nanoscale observations on natural samples along with the results of recent experiments indicate that nucleation of PGM is mainly related with the uptake of HSE by nanoparticles, nanominerals or nanomelts at high temperature (> 900?°C) in both silicate and/or sulfide melts, regardless of the residual or metasomatic origin of their host minerals. A similar interpretation can be assumed for gold minerals. Our observations highlight that nanoscale processes play an important role on the ore-forming potential of primitive mantle-derived magmas parental to magmatic-hydrothermal deposits enriched in noble metals. The metal inventory in these magmas could be related with the physical incorporation of HSE-bearing nanoparticles or nanomelts during processes of partial melting of mantle peridotite and melt migration from the mantle to overlying continental crust.
Abstract: Diamond is commonly regarded as an indicator of ultra-high pressure conditions in Earth System Science. This canonical view is challenged by recent data and interpretations that suggest metastable growth of diamond in low pressure environments. One such environment is serpentinisation of oceanic lithosphere, which produces highly reduced CH4-bearing fluids after olivine alteration by reaction with infiltrating fluids. Here we report the first ever observed in situ diamond within olivine-hosted, CH4-rich fluid inclusions from low pressure oceanic gabbro and chromitite samples from the Moa-Baracoa ophiolitic massif, eastern Cuba. Diamond is encapsulated in voids below the polished mineral surface forming a typical serpentinisation array, with methane, serpentine and magnetite, providing definitive evidence for its metastable growth upon low temperature and low pressure alteration of oceanic lithosphere and super-reduction of infiltrated fluids. Thermodynamic modelling of the observed solid and fluid assemblage at a reference P-T point appropriate for serpentinisation (350 °C and 100 MPa) is consistent with extreme reduction of the fluid to logfO2 (MPa) = ?45.3 (?logfO2[Iron-Magnetite] = ?6.5). These findings imply that the formation of metastable diamond at low pressure in serpentinised olivine is a widespread process in modern and ancient oceanic lithosphere, questioning a generalised ultra-high pressure origin for ophiolitic diamond.
Abstract: The Neoproterozoic Bou Azzer ophiolite in the Moroccan Anti-Atlas Panafrican belt hosts numerous chromitite orebodies within the peridotite section of the oceanic mantle. The chromitites are strongly affected by serpentinization and metamorphism, although they still preserve igneous relicts amenable for petrogenetic interpretation. The major, minor and trace element composition of unaltered chromite cores reveal two compositional groups: intermediate-Cr (Cr# = 0.60 - 0.74) and high-Cr (Cr# = 0.79 - 0.84) and estimates of parental melt compositions suggest crystallization from pulses of fore-arc basalts (FAB) and boninitic melts, respectively, that infiltrated the oceanic supra-subduction zone (SSZ) mantle. A platinum group elements (PGE) mineralization dominated by Ir-Ru-Os is recognized in the chromitites, which has its mineralogical expression in abundant inclusions of Os-Ir alloys and coexisting magmatic laurite (RuS2) and their products of metamorphic alteration. Unusual mineral phases in chromite, not previously reported in this ophiolite, include super-reduced and/or nominally ultra-high pressure minerals moissanite (SiC), native Cu and silicates (oriented clinopyroxene lamellae), but “exotic” zircon and diaspore have also been identified. We interpret that clinopyroxene lamellae have a magmatic origin, whereas super-reduced phases originated during serpentinization processes and diaspore is linked to late circulation of low-silica fluids related to rodingitization. Zircon grains, on the other hand, with apatite and serpentine inclusions, could either have formed after the interaction of chromitite with mantle-derived melts or could represent subducted detrital sediments later incorporated into the chromitites. We offer a comparison of the Bou Azzer chromitites with other Precambrian ophiolitic chromitites worldwide, which are rather scarce in the geological record. The studied chromitites are very similar to the Neoproterozoic chromitites reported in the Arabian-Nubian shield, which are also related to the Panafrican orogeny. Thus, we conclude that the Bou Azzer chromitites formed in a subduction-initiation geodynamic setting with two-stages of evolution, with formation of FAB-derived intermediate-Cr chromitites in the early stage and formation of boninite-derived high-Cr chromitites in the late stage.
Research in fluid inclusions in minerals: current state and future outlook. Third biennial conference on fluid inclusions held Sept. 2010. discussion of papers...
Solid Earth Discussions, Vol. 5, pp. 1-75. pdf * note date
Russia, Yakutia
picroilmenites
Abstract: Major and trace element variations in picroilmenites from Late Devonian kimberlite pipes in Siberia reveal similarities within the region in general, but show individual features for ilmenites from different fields and pipes. Empirical ilmenite thermobarometry (Ashchepkov et al., 2010), as well as common methods of mantle thermobarometry and trace element geochemical modeling, shows long compositional trends for the ilmenites. These are a result of complex processes of polybaric fractionation of protokimberlite melts, accompanied by the interaction with mantle wall rocks and dissolution of previous wall rock and metasomatic associations. Evolution of the parental magmas for the picroilmenites was determined for the three distinct phases of kimberlite activity from Yubileynaya and nearby Aprelskaya pipes, showing heating and an increase of Fe# (Fe# = Fe / (Fe + Mg) a.u.) of mantle peridotite minerals from stage to stage and splitting of the magmatic system in the final stages.
High-pressure (5.5-7.0 GPa) Cr-bearing Mg-rich ilmenites (group 1) reflect the conditions of high-temperature metasomatic rocks at the base of the mantle lithosphere. Trace element patterns are enriched to 0.1-10/relative to primitive mantle (PM) and have flattened, spoon-like or S- or W-shaped rare earth element (REE) patterns with Pb > 1. These result from melting and crystallization in melt-feeding channels in the base of the lithosphere, where high-temperature dunites, harzburgites and pyroxenites were formed. Cr-poor ilmenite megacrysts (group 2) trace the high-temperature path of protokimberlites developed as result of fractional crystallization and wall rock assimilation during the creation of the feeder systems prior to the main kimberlite eruption. Inflections in ilmenite compositional trends probably reflect the mantle layering and pulsing melt intrusion during melt migration within the channels. Group 2 ilmenites have inclined REE enriched patterns (10-100)/PM with La / Ybn ~ 10-25, similar to those derived from kimberlites, with high-field-strength elements (HFSE) peaks (typical megacrysts). A series of similar patterns results from polybaric Assimilation + fractional crystallization (AFC) crystallization of protokimberlite melts which also precipitated sulfides (Pb < 1) and mixed with partial melts from garnet peridotites. Relatively low-Ti ilmenites with high-Cr content (group 3) probably crystallized in the metasomatic front under the rising protokimberlite source and represent the product of crystallization of segregated partial melts from metasomatic rocks. Cr-rich ilmenites are typical of veins and veinlets in peridotites crystallized from highly contaminated magma intruded into wall rocks in different levels within the mantle columns. Ilmenites which have the highest trace element contents (1000/PM) have REE patterns similar to those of perovskites. Low Cr contents suggest relatively closed system fractionation which occurred from the base of the lithosphere up to the garnet-spinel transition, according to monomineral thermobarometry for Mir and Dachnaya pipes. Restricted trends were detected for ilmenites from Udachnaya and most other pipes from the Daldyn-Alakit fields and other regions (Nakyn, Upper Muna and Prianabarie), where ilmenite trends extend from the base of the lithosphere mainly up to 4.0 GPa. Interaction of the megacryst forming melts with the mantle lithosphere caused heating and HFSE metasomatism prior to kimberlite eruption.
Lithos, Vol. 406-407. doi: 10.1016/j.lithos.2021.106499 77p. Pdf
Russia
kimberlite genesis
Abstract: Major and trace element variations in picroilmenites from Late Devonian kimberlite pipes in Siberia reveal similarities within the region in general, but show individual features for ilmenites from different fields and pipes. Empirical ilmenite thermobarometry (Ashchepkov et al., 2010), as well as common methods of mantle thermobarometry and trace element geochemical modeling, shows long compositional trends for the ilmenites. These are a result of complex processes of polybaric fractionation of protokimberlite melts, accompanied by the interaction with mantle wall rocks and dissolution of previous wall rock and metasomatic associations. Evolution of the parental magmas for the picroilmenites was determined for the three distinct phases of kimberlite activity from Yubileynaya and nearby Aprelskaya pipes, showing heating and an increase of Fe# (Fe# = Fe / (Fe + Mg) a.u.) of mantle peridotite minerals from stage to stage and splitting of the magmatic system in the final stages. High-pressure (5.5–7.0 GPa) Cr-bearing Mg-rich ilmenites (group 1) reflect the conditions of high-temperature metasomatic rocks at the base of the mantle lithosphere. Trace element patterns are enriched to 0.1–10/relative to primitive mantle (PM) and have flattened, spoon-like or S- or W-shaped rare earth element (REE) patterns with Pb > 1. These result from melting and crystallization in melt-feeding channels in the base of the lithosphere, where high-temperature dunites, harzburgites and pyroxenites were formed. Cr-poor ilmenite megacrysts (group 2) trace the high-temperature path of protokimberlites developed as result of fractional crystallization and wall rock assimilation during the creation of the feeder systems prior to the main kimberlite eruption. Inflections in ilmenite compositional trends probably reflect the mantle layering and pulsing melt intrusion during melt migration within the channels. Group 2 ilmenites have inclined REE enriched patterns (10–100)/PM with La / Ybn ~ 10–25, similar to those derived from kimberlites, with high-field-strength elements (HFSE) peaks (typical megacrysts). A series of similar patterns results from polybaric Assimilation + fractional crystallization (AFC) crystallization of protokimberlite melts which also precipitated sulfides (Pb < 1) and mixed with partial melts from garnet peridotites. Relatively low-Ti ilmenites with high-Cr content (group 3) probably crystallized in the metasomatic front under the rising protokimberlite source and represent the product of crystallization of segregated partial melts from metasomatic rocks. Cr-rich ilmenites are typical of veins and veinlets in peridotites crystallized from highly contaminated magma intruded into wall rocks in different levels within the mantle columns. Ilmenites which have the highest trace element contents (1000/PM) have REE patterns similar to those of perovskites. Low Cr contents suggest relatively closed system fractionation which occurred from the base of the lithosphere up to the garnet–spinel transition, according to monomineral thermobarometry for Mir and Dachnaya pipes. Restricted trends were detected for ilmenites from Udachnaya and most other pipes from the Daldyn–Alakit fields and other regions (Nakyn, Upper Muna and Prianabarie), where ilmenite trends extend from the base of the lithosphere mainly up to 4.0 GPa. Interaction of the megacryst forming melts with the mantle lithosphere caused heating and HFSE metasomatism prior to kimberlite eruption.
Abstract: Fe-rich carbonatites with a mineral assemblage of ankerite-calcite or siderite are widespread in southern Siberia, Russia. The siderite carbonatites are associated with F-Ba-Sr-REE mineralization and have a 40Ar/39Ar age of 117.2 ± 1.3 Ma. Melt and fluid inclusions suggest that the carbonatites formed from volatile-rich alkali- and chloride-bearing carbonate melts. Ankerite-calcite carbonatites formed from carbonatite melt at a temperature of more than 790 °C. The ferrocarbonatites (the second phase of carbonatite intrusion) formed from a sulfate-carbonate-chloride fluid phase (brine-melt) at >650 °C and ?360 MPa. The brine-melt fluid phase had high concentrations of Fe and LREEs. A subsequent hydrothermal overprint contributed to the formation of economically important barite-Sr-fluorite-REE mineralization in polymict siderite breccia.
Abstract: Fe-rich carbonatites with a mineral assemblage of ankerite-calcite or siderite are widespread in southern Siberia, Russia. The siderite carbonatites are associated with F-Ba-Sr-REE mineralization and have a 40Ar/39Ar age of 117.2 ± 1.3 Ma. Melt and fluid inclusions suggest that the carbonatites formed from volatile-rich alkali- and chloride-bearing carbonate melts. Ankerite-calcite carbonatites formed from carbonatite melt at a temperature of more than 790 °C. The ferrocarbonatites (the second phase of carbonatite intrusion) formed from a sulfate-carbonate-chloride fluid phase (brine-melt) at >650 °C and ?360 MPa. The brine-melt fluid phase had high concentrations of Fe and LREEs. A subsequent hydrothermal overprint contributed to the formation of economically important barite-Sr-fluorite-REE mineralization in polymict siderite breccia.
Abstract: The Ust-Chulman apatite ore body is situated within the Nimnyrskaya apatite zone at the Aldan shield in Russia. The latest data confirm the carbonatitic origin of the Seligdar apatite deposit (Prokopyev et al. in Ore Geol Rev 81:296-308, 2017). The results of our investigations demonstrate that the magnetite-apatite-dolomitic rocks of the Ust-Chulman are highly similar to Seligdar-type dolomitic carbonatites in terms of the mineralogy and the fluid regime of formation. The ilmenite and spinel mineral phases occur as solid solutions with magnetite, and support the magmatic origin of the Ust-Chulman ores. The chemical composition of REE- and SO3-bearing apatite crystals and, specifically, monazite-(Ce) mineralisation and the formation of Nb-rutile, late hydrothermal sulphate minerals (barite, anhydrite) and haematite are typical for carbonatite complexes. The fluid inclusions study revealed similarities to the evolutionary trend of the Seligdar carbonatites that included changes of the hydrothermal solutions from highly concentrated chloride to medium-low concentrated chloride-sulphate and oxidized carbonate-ferrous.
Mineralogy and Petrology, in press available, 10p.
Russia, Aldan shield
carbonatites
Abstract: The Ust-Chulman apatite ore body is situated within the Nimnyrskaya apatite zone at the Aldan shield in Russia. The latest data confirm the carbonatitic origin of the Seligdar apatite deposit (Prokopyev et al. in Ore Geol Rev 81:296-308, 2017). The results of our investigations demonstrate that the magnetite-apatite-dolomitic rocks of the Ust-Chulman are highly similar to Seligdar-type dolomitic carbonatites in terms of the mineralogy and the fluid regime of formation. The ilmenite and spinel mineral phases occur as solid solutions with magnetite, and support the magmatic origin of the Ust-Chulman ores. The chemical composition of REE- and SO3-bearing apatite crystals and, specifically, monazite-(Ce) mineralisation and the formation of Nb-rutile, late hydrothermal sulphate minerals (barite, anhydrite) and haematite are typical for carbonatite complexes. The fluid inclusions study revealed similarities to the evolutionary trend of the Seligdar carbonatites that included changes of the hydrothermal solutions from highly concentrated chloride to medium-low concentrated chloride-sulphate and oxidized carbonate-ferrous.
Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, Vol. 154, pp. 354-368.
Russia, Yakutia
carbonatite -Seligdar
Abstract: The Paleoproterozoic Seligdar magnesiocarbonatite intrusion of the Aldan-Stanovoy shield in Russia underwent extensive postmagmatic hydrothermal alteration and metamorphic events. This study comprises new isotopic (Sr, Nd, C and O) data, whole-rock major and trace element compositions and trace element characteristics of the major minerals to gain a better understanding of the source and the formation process of the carbonatites. The Seligdar carbonatites have high concentrations of P2O5 (up to 18?wt%) and low concentrations of Na, K, Sr and Ba. The chondrite-normalized REE patterns of these carbonatites display significant enrichments of LREE relative to HREE with an average La/Ybcn ratio of 95. Hydrothermal and metamorphic overprints changed the trace element characteristics of the carbonatites and their minerals. These alteration processes were responsible for Sr loss and the shifting of the Sr isotopic compositions towards more radiogenic values. The altered carbonatites are further characterized by distinct 18O- and 13C-enrichments compared to the primary igneous carbonatites. The alteration most likely resulted from both the percolation of crustal-derived hydrothermal fluids and subsequent metamorphic processes accompanied by interaction with limestone-derived CO2. The narrow range of negative ?Nd(T) values indicates that the Seligdar carbonatites are dominated by a homogenous enriched mantle source component that was separated from the depleted mantle during the Archean.
Petrography, mineralogy and SIMS U-Pb geochronology of 1.0 - 1.8 Ga carbonatites and associated alkaline rocks of the Central Aldan magnesiocarbonatite province ( South Yakutia, Russia).
Mineralogy and Petrology, Doi.org/a0.1007/ s00710-019-00661-3 24p.
Abstract: The petrogenesis of temporally and spatially associated carbonatitic and deeply derived carbonated alkaline silicate magmas provides an opportunity to gain insights into the nature of the deepest lithospheric mantle. The Chuktukon massif, which is part of the Chadobets alkaline ultramafic carbonatite complex (Chadobets upland, Siberian craton) is a carbonatite-melilitite-damtjernite intrusion, whose emplacement was coeval with the Siberian Traps large igneous province (LIP). In this study, the sources of the primary melts are examined, the petrogenetic evolution of the complex is reconstructed and the relationship with the Siberian LIP is also discussed. Isotopic and geochemical information indicate that the source for the Chuktukon primary melts was isotopically moderately depleted and the primary melts were formed by low degree partial melting of garnet carbonated peridotite. Hydrothermal processes caused 18 O- and 13 C- enrichment. The weathering process was accompanied by trace element re-distribution and enrichment of the weathering crust in Zn, Th, U, Nb, Pb and REE, relative to the Chuktukon rocks and a change in radiogenic (Sr, Nd) isotope compositions.
Petrography, mineralogy and SIMS U-Pb geochronology of 1.9-1.8 Ha carbonatites and associated alkaline rocks of the Central-Aldan magnesiocarbonatite province ( South Yakutia, Russia).
Abstract: The Mushgai-Khudag alkaline?carbonatite complex, located in southern Mongolia within the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), comprises a broad range of volcanic and subvolcanic alkaline silicate rocks (melanephelinite-trachyte and shonkinite-alkaline syenite, respectively). Magnetite-apatite rocks, carbonatites, and fluorite mineralization are also manifested in this area. The complex formed between 145 and 133 Ma and is contemporaneous with late Mesozoic alkaline-carbonatite magmatism within the CAOB. Major and trace element characteristics of silicate rocks in the Mushgai-Khudag complex imply that these rocks were formed by the fractional crystallization of alkaline ultramafic parental magma. Magnetite-apatite rocks may be a product of silicate-Ca-Fe-P liquid immiscibility that took place during the alkaline syenite crystallization stage. The Mushgai-Khudag rocks have variable and moderately radiogenic Sr (87Sr/86Sr(i) = 0.70532-0.70614), ?Nd(t) = ?1.23 to 1.25) isotopic compositions. LILE/HFSE values and SrNd isotope compositions indicate that the parental melts of Mushgai-Khudag were derived from a lithospheric mantle source that was affected by a metasomatic agent in the form a mixture of subducted oceanic crust and its sedimentary components. The ?18OSMOW and ?18CPDB values for calcites in carbonatites range from 16.8‰ to 19.2‰ and from ?3.9‰ to 2.0‰, respectively. CO covariations in calcites of the Mushgai-Khudag carbonatites can be explained by the slight host limestone assimilation.
Abstract: The Vuoriyarvi Devonian alkaline-ultramafic complex (northwest Russia) contains magnesiocarbonatites with rare earth mineralization localized in the Petyayan-Vara area. High concentrations of rare earth elements are found in two types of these rocks: (a) ancylite-dominant magnesiocarbonatites with ancylite-baryte-strontianite-calcite-quartz (±late Ca-Fe-Mg carbonates) ore assemblage, i.e., “ancylite ores”; (b) breccias of magnesiocarbonatites with a quartz-bastnäsite matrix (±late Ca-Fe-Mg carbonates), i.e., “bastnäsite ores.” We studied fluid inclusions in quartz and late-stage Ca-Fe-Mg carbonates from these ore assemblages. Fluid inclusion data show that ore-related mineralization was formed in several stages. We propose the following TX evolution scheme for ore-related processes: (1) the formation of ancylite ores began under the influence of highly concentrated (>50 wt.%) sulphate fluids (with thenardite and anhydrite predominant in the daughter phases of inclusions) at a temperature above300-350 °C; (2) the completion of the formation of ancylite ores and their auto-metasomatic alteration occurred under the influence of concentrated (40-45 wt.%) carbonate fluids (shortite and synchysite-Ce in fluid inclusions) at a temperature above 250-275 °C; (3) bastnäsite ores deposited from low-concentrated (20-30 wt.%) hydrocarbonate-chloride fluids (halite, nahcolite, and/or gaylussite in fluid inclusions) at a temperature of 190-250 °C or higher. Later hydrothermal mineralization was related to the low-concentration hydrocarbonate-chloride fluids (<15 wt.% NaCl-equ.) at 150-200 °C. The presented data show the specific features of the mineral and fluid evolution of ore-related late-stage hydrothermal rare earth element (REE) mineralization of the Vuoriyarvi alkaline-ultramafic complex.
Abstract: The Guli and Bor-Uryakh massifs, a part of the Siberian Large igneous province (LIP) are mafic-ultramafic intrusive complexes, withstrongalkaline affinity. They contain deposits of apatite and arealsoknown to be source rocks ofOs-Ir-Ruplacers.These massifs are of great interest for petrologists worldwide, as they are composed of an unusual variety of rocks (dunites/olivinites, shonkinites, melilitites, alkali syenites and carbonatites) and being coeval with Siberian trap volcanic rocks, includingdiamondiferous kimberlites. Since mineralogical approaches based on spinel-group minerals have been proved to be efficient in constraining origin of the ultramafics, we present the first descriptive study of chromite and magnetite mineralization, observed in olivine-dominated rocks of the Guli and Bor-Uryakh intrusions. In dunites of Guli massif spinel-group minerals are dominated by Mg-poor chromite (FeMg)Cr2O4and Cr-Ti-rich magnetiteFeFe2O4, while in Bor-Uryakh massif spinel-group minerals are predominantly magnetite with only minor Mg-poor chromite.These minerals form either small euhedral inclusions in olivine or largesubhedral to anhedral grains in serpentinized fractures and interstitial space. The lattertype of grainscan have intricated irregular shapeand contain inclusions. We also observed abundant Cr-magnetite lamellae in olivine and chromite/magnetite micro-grains within olivine-hosted multiphase inclusions.Spinel (MgAl2O4) is occasionally found in intergrowths with chromite and magnetite.The obtained data show that spinel-group minerals in the massifsdo not correspond to primary-magmatic varieties and suggestextensive alteration during post-magmatic processes. Textural and chemical evidenceof substantial modification of initially-cumulative lithologies of Guli and Bor-Uryakh massifsfavorsmeta-magmatic origin for these massifs.
Abstract: The Arbarastakh Neoproterozoic ultramafic carbonatite complex is located in the southwestern part of the Siberian Craton (Aldan Shield) and contains ore-bearing Zr-Nb (REE) carbonatites and phoscorites. Carbonatites are mainly represented by calcite and silicocarbonatite varieties. The primary minerals composing the carbonatites are calcite and dolomite, as well as phlogopite, clinopyroxene, fluorapatite, amphibole, fluorite, K-feldspar and feldspathoids. Olivine (forsterite), Ti-magnetite, apatite, phlogopite, calcite, dolomite and the minor spinel group minerals form the primary phoscorites. The ore-bearing Zr-Nb mineral assemblages of the phoscorites and carbonatites include accessory zircon, zirconolite, perovskite, pyrochlore and baddeleyite. The Ba-Sr-REE hydrothermal mineralisation consists of ancylite-(Ce), bastnaesite-(Ce) and burbankite, as well as barite-celestite, strontianite, barytocalcite, and rare Cu-Fe sulphides. The silicocarbonatites and carbonatites formed in multiple stages from a single alkaline Ca-Na-K-silicocarbonatite melt, while the phoscorites are products of differentiation of the carbonatitic melt and were crystallised from an Fe-rich phosphate-carbonate melt at temperatures of more than 720 °C. The silicate-phosphate-carbonate melts were responsible for the Zr-Nb mineralisation of the carbonatites at temperatures of more than 540-575 °C; the hydrothermal REE-bearing mineral assemblages crystallised from saline (60-70 wt%) carbonatitic fluids of Na-Ca-Mg-F-carbonate composition at a minimum temperature range of 350-300 °C. The Ca-Sr-carbonate as well as the Na-hydro-carbonate fluids were responsible for the Ba-Sr-REE mineralisation of the phoscorites at ~500-480 and 450-430 °C.
Abstract: The Arbarastakh ultramafic carbonatite complex is located in the southwestern part of the Siberian Craton and contains ore-bearing carbonatites and phoscorites with Zr-Nb-REE mineralization. Based on the modal composition, textural features, and chemical compositions of minerals, the phoscorites from Arbarastakh can be subdivided into two groups: FOS 1 and FOS 2. FOS 1 contains the primary minerals olivine, magnetite with isomorphic Ti impurities, phlogopite replaced by tetraferriphlogopite along the rims, and apatite poorly enriched in REE. Baddeleyite predominates among the accessory minerals in FOS 1. Zirconolite enriched with REE and Nb and pyrochlore are found in smaller quantities. FOS 2 has a similar mineral composition but contains much less olivine, magnetite is enriched in Mg, and the phlogopite is enriched in Ba and Al. Of the accessory minerals, pyrochlore predominates and is enriched in Ta, Th, and U; baddeleyite is subordinate and enriched in Nb. Chemical and textural differences suggest that the phoscorites were formed by the sequential introduction of different portions of the melt. The melt that formed the FOS 1 was enriched in Zr and REE relative to the FOS 2 melt; the melt that formed the FOS 2 was enriched in Al, Ba, Nb, Ta, Th, U, and, to a lesser extent, Sr.
Abstract: Mineral data from Yakutian kimberlites allow reconstruction of the history of lithospheric mantle. Differences occur in compositions of mantle pyropes and clinopyroxenes from large kimberlite pipes in the Alakit and Daldyn fields. In the Alakit field, Cr-diopsides are alkaline, and Stykanskaya and some other pipes contain more sub-calcic pyropes and dunitic-type diamond inclusions, while in the Daldyn field harzburgitic pyropes are frequent. The eclogitic diamond inclusions in the Alakit field are sharply divided in types and conditions, while in the Daldyn field they show varying compositions and often continuous Pressure-Temperature (P-T) ranges with increasing Fe# with decreasing pressures. In Alakit, Cr-pargasites to richterites were found in all pipes, while in Daldyn, pargasites are rare Dalnyaya and Zarnitsa pipes. Cr-diopsides from the Alakit region show higher levels of light Rare Earth Elements (LREE) and stronger REE-slopes, and enrichment in light Rare Earth Elements (LREE), sometimes Th-U, and small troughs in Nb-Ta-Zr. In the Daldyn field, the High Field Strength Elements HFSE troughs are more common in clinopyroxenes with low REE abundances, while those from sheared and refertilized peridotites have smooth patterns. Garnets from Alakit show HREE minima, but those from Daldyn often have a trough at Y and high U and Pb. PTXfO2 diagrams from both regions show similarities, suggesting similar layering and structures. The degree of metasomatism is often higher for pipes which show dispersion in P-Fe# trends for garnets. In the mantle beneath Udachnaya and Aykhal, pipes show 6-7 linear arrays of P-Fe# in the lower part of the mantle section at 7.5-3.0 GPa, probably reflecting primary subduction horizons. Beneath the Sytykanskaya pipe, there are several horizons with opposite inclinations which reflect metasomatic processes. The high dispersion of the P-Fe# trend indicating widespread metasomatism is associated with decreased diamond grades. Possible explanation of the differences in mineralogy and geochemistry of the mantle sections may relate to their tectonic positions during growth of the lithospheric keel. Enrichment in volatiles and alkalis possibly corresponds to interaction with subduction-related fluids and melts in the craton margins. Incorporation of island arc peridotites from an eroded arc is a possible scenario.
Abstract: Although irrefutable evidence for the presence of signs of diamondiferous kimberlite on the Taimyr Peninsula were obtained in the 1930s, it was only in 2020 that a macrodiamond (>1 mm) was first discovered in Eastern Taimyr. This was a colorless laminar crystal of a transitional shape from an octahedron to a rhombododecahedron. According to the set of features, the crystal is rare and atypical of the known primary and alluvial deposits of the Siberian Diamond Province. The find of this diamond indicates the presence of primary sources and the need for medium-scale geological survey and exploration over a large area from Anabar Bay (Pronchishchev Ridge) to the west to the Kiryaka-Tas and Tulai-Kiryaka highlands and to the northeast to Tsvetkov Cape.
A strategy to ensure the long-term competitiveness of the Canadian mineral industry. Submission to the 63rd Mines Ministers' Conference August 27-29th.Whitehorse
Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, August 27-29, 13p.
Diamond & Related Materials, Vol. 90, pp. 188-193.
Europe, Italy
diamond radiation
Abstract: During the last decades many studies have been carried out to investigate how point defects and aggregates respond and evolve in natural Type Ia diamonds as a result of treatments, and a number of underlying mechanisms have been identified and interpreted. However, the analysis of radiation-induced creation/ionization of defects, as well as their migration and aggregation in secondary defect structures, often requires experimental approaches which can hardly constitute a simple-to-use diagnostic tool for the identification of artificially treated diamonds. Here we disclose a novel simple indicator of artificial exposure of Type Ia diamonds to ionizing radiations and subsequent annealing. This indicator consists in narrow photoluminescence lines in the red region, between 681 and 725?nm, we recently found to result from vacancies trapped by interstitial carbon aggregates and platelets. Our results demonstrate that interstitial structures become sites of vacancy trapping - by thermal migration of radiation-induced vacancies - only when diamond undergoes treatments. We give the rigorous validation of the new spectroscopic probe of artificial treatments analysing photoluminescence and infrared absorption spectra of well-known H1b and H1c centres in a hundred samples. Importantly, the method is based on emission lines which do not require neither high photon-energy excitation nor cryogenic temperatures.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 175, 9p. Pdf
Africa, Lesotho
olivine
Abstract: This paper highlights published and new field and petrographic observations for late-stage (crustal level) deformation associated with the emplacement of kimberlites and other mantle-derived magmas. Thus, radial and tangential joint sets in the competent 183 Ma Karoo basalt wall rocks to the 5 ha. Lemphane kimberlite blow in northern Lesotho have been ascribed to stresses linked to eruption of the kimberlite magma. Further examples of emplacement-related stresses in kimberlites are brittle fractures and close-spaced parallel shears which disrupt olivine macrocrysts. In each of these examples, there is no evidence of post-kimberlite regional tectonism which might explain these features, indicating that they reflect auto-deformation in the kimberlite during or immediately post-emplacement. On a microscopic scale, these inferred late-stage stresses are reflected by fractures and domains of undulose extinction which traverse core and margins of some euhedral and anhedral olivines in kimberlites and olivine melilitites. Undulose extinction and kink bands have also been documented in olivines in cumulates from layered igneous intrusions. Our observations thus indicate that these deformation features can form at shallow levels (crustal pressures), which is supported by experimental evidence. Undulose extinction and kink bands have previously been presented as conclusive evidence for a mantle provenance of the olivines—i.e. that they are xenocrysts. The observation that these deformation textures can form in both mantle and crustal environments implies that they do not provide reliable constraints on the provenance of the olivines. An understanding of the processes responsible for crustal deformation of kimberlites could potentially refine our understanding of kimberlite emplacement processes.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 174, 21p. Pdf
Mantle
basanite
Abstract: The morphology of crystals in magmas strongly depends on the temperature regime of the system, in particular the degree of undercooling and the cooling rate. To simulate low degrees of undercooling, we developed a new experimental setup based on thermal migration, in which large cylinders of forsterite (single crystals) immersed in haplobasaltic melt were subjected to a temperature gradient. As forsterite solubility is sensitive to temperature, the forsterite on the high-temperature side undergoes dissolution and the dissolved components are transported toward the low-temperature side where a layer of newly grown forsterite forms (up to 340 ?m thick after 101 h). A striking feature is that the precipitation process does not produce a planar front of forsterite advancing at the expense of liquid: the growth front shows a fingered outline in planar section, with solid lobes separated by glass tubes that are perpendicular to the growth front. We ascribe this texture to cellular growth, a type of growth that had not been experimentally produced so far in silicate systems. We find that the development of cellular growth requires low degrees of undercooling (a few °C) and large crystal-liquid interfaces (~?1 mm across or more), and that it occurs at a growth rate of the order of 10?9 m/s. We found natural occurrences of cellular growth on the rims of olivines from basanites, but otherwise cellular textures are poorly documented in natural volcanic rocks. Melt inclusions were produced in our experiments, showing that they can form in olivine at relatively slow rates of growth (10?9 m/s or lower).
43rd Annual Yellowknife Geoscience Forum Abstracts, abstract p. 43.
Canada, Northwest Territories
Geomorphology
Abstract: During the last glaciation, bedrock was eroded, transported and deposited by the Laurentide Ice Sheet across much of Canada. The complex ice and meltwater processes that resulted in sediment deposition are not completely understood. In the central Slave Craton, Northwest Territories, glacial sediments overly many diamond-bearing kimberlites. Diamond deposits in the Lac de Gras area were discovered in the early 1990s by drift prospecting. To better interpret drift prospecting datasets a more thorough understanding of the detailed glacial history of the area is required. We spent six weeks in the Lac de Gras area in summer 2015. Field mapping was complimented by a number of other techniques to elucidate the glacial history of the area. Enigmatic landforms were examined in detail and pits were dug to examine their sedimentology. Samples of matrix material were collected to compare grain size distribution between different sediment types. Pebble counts were done to consider sediment provenance. We also collected ground-penetrating radar profiles to look for stratified sediments within enigmatic mounds. High-resolution orthophotos and a one metre LiDAR digital elevation model of the area, obtained by Dominion Diamond Ekati Corporation, have also been used to investigate landform genesis and the glacial history of the area. In the Lac de Gras area many meltwater corridors can be identified in the high-resolution imagery. These corridors are typically 300-1500 m wide and form dendritic networks. Between the corridors, sandy till of varying thickness overlies bedrock. Within corridors, glaciofluvial landforms and scoured bedrock are common. Also associated with corridors are many mounds of enigmatic origin. These mounds commonly occur in groups and are typically 20-100 m wide and rise 5-15 m above the surrounding area. They are usually composed of an unstratified to poorly-stratified sandy diamicton containing no clay and minor silt. Matrix grain size distribution and pebble lithology results from some mounds are similar to those of nearby regional till. However, patches of well-stratified sediments, exhibiting laminated silts as well as climbing ripples in sand, do exist on parts of some mounds. GPR data suggests that these patches are discontinuous, and that the majority of mounds are composed largely of sandy diamicton. Variation in the sedimentology of the mounds does not appear to be related to variations in mound morphology. It is likely that the majority of the glaciofluvial sediments in the Lac de Gras area were deposited during the final stages of ice retreat across the area when meltwater volumes were high. We suggest that the corridors were formed by subglacial meltwater flow. This is because glaciofluvial deposition almost exclusively occurs within corridors, very little till is found within corridors and the corridors have an undulating elevation profile in the direction of ice flow. Water must have played a role in the deposition of the well-stratified patches of sediment found on some mounds, however, the mounds may not be solely the product of subglacial meltwater flow. A thorough understanding of sediment transport and depositional processes is critical if kimberlite indicator mineral data is to be accurately interpreted.
Perraki, M., Proyer, A., Mposkos, E., Kaindl, R., Hoinkes, G.
Raman micro spectroscopy on diamond, graphite and other carbon polymorphs from the ultrahigh pressure metamorphic Kimi Complex of the Rhodope metamorphic province.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 241, 3-4, pp. 672-685.
Abstract: Models for a xenocryst origin for kimberlite olivines emphasise the similarity between their core compositions and those in mantle peridotites. While this permits a xenocryst origin, it does not provide proof, as magmas generated in equilibrium with mantle olivines could, in principle, crystallize initial olivines matching those in the source region. Further, in several kimberlites, there is a striking disparity between the compositional range of olivine cores and that in associated mantle peridotite xenoliths from the same locality. Olivine-liquid Mg-Fe exchange coefficients and Ni partition coefficients permit equilibrium between Mg-rich mantle olivines (Mg#?~?94-93) and magmas matching kimberlite bulk rock compositions. Glass inclusions in olivine megacrysts from the Monastery kimberlite, with compositions which overlap the range of archetypal Group I kimberlites, were interpreted to represent original liquids trapped at pressures of 4.5-6?GPa. These glass inclusions provide direct petrographic support for primitive melts matching kimberlite bulk chemistry in the lower SCLM. A majority of kimberlitic olivines show normal (decreasing Mg#) core to rim zonation. Cores of normal-zoned kimberlitic olivines are typically homogeneous, but collectively define a field with a range in Mg # and invariant or slightly decreasing Ni towards more Fe-rich compositions. The most Mg-rich cores of normal-zoned olivines typically have Mg# in the range 94-93, but there are marked differences in the Fe-rich extreme of the normal-zoned population between different kimberlite clusters. Olivine rims typically define a field characterized by steeply decreasing Ni, coupled with invariant or slightly increasing or decreasing Mg#, which invariably overlaps the Fe-extreme of core compositions of the relatively Mg-rich, normal-zoned olivines. Consequently, while there is a sharp inflection in chemical gradient between the respective fields of cores and rims, they nevertheless define a continuous compositional field. Trace element modelling demonstrates that these zonation patterns can be explained in terms of a Raleigh crystallization model. Most, if not all kimberlites are characterized by a subordinate group of olivine macrocrysts with cores that are Fe-rich relative to the field for rims, and thus show reverse zonation, which are interpreted to be linked to the Cr-poor megacryst suite. Rare Mg-rich olivines (relative to rims), have high-pressure inclusions of garnet, clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene. When present, such inclusions often show disequilibrium features such as internal chemical zonation. This points to a very short mantle residence time prior to entrainment by the host kimberlite, indicating a link to the Cr-rich megacryst suite rather than mantle peridotites. In addition to a variable, but generally subordinate proportion of olivines derived from Cr-poor and Cr-rich megacrysts, xenocrysts derived from disaggregated mantle peridotites will undoubtedly be present. While their proportions are difficult to quantify, the collective evidence points to a cognate origin for a majority of kimberlitic olivines. A kimberlite magma ascent model is proposed which provides a framework for understanding both olivine compositional variation and apparently enigmatic internal and external olivine morphology.
Abstract: A mineralogical study of the hypabyssal facies, late Cretaceous macrocrystic pulse of TK1 intrusion and the Mesoproterozoic aphanitic pulse of TK4 intrusion in the Wajrakarur Kimberlite Field of southern India shows that the rocks contain macrocrysts of forsteritic olivine, phenocrysts and microphenocrysts of Al–Na-poor diopside and phlogopite set in a groundmass mainly of Al–Na-poor diopside and phlogopite. Other groundmass minerals are spinel, perovskite and fluorapatite in TK1, and spinel, titanite, chlorite, calcite and gittinsite in TK4. K-richterite and perovskite occur only as inclusions in phlogopite and titanite, respectively in TK4. Late-stage deuteric phases include pyrite and barite in TK1, and strontianite, chalcopyrite, galena and pentlandite in TK4. Diopside microphenocrysts in TK4 exhibit oscillatory zoning with characteristics of diffusion controlled magmatic growth. TK1 spinels show magmatic trend 2 that evolves from magnesiochromite and culminates in titaniferous magnetite, whereas TK4 spinels are less evolved with magnesiochromite composition only. TK1 phlogopites show a simple compositional trend that is typical of lamproite micas, while four distinct growth zones are observed in TK4 phlogopites with the following compositional characteristics: zone I: high Cr2O3 and TiO2 and low BaO; zone II: low Cr2O3; zone III: low TiO2 and high BaO; zone IV: low BaO. Forsterite contents and trace element concentrations reveal two xenocrystic core populations and one magmatic rim population for TK1 olivines. Mineralogically, both TK1 and TK4 are classified as diopside–phlogopite lamproites rather than archetypal kimberlites. The two lamproites are considered to have formed from the same parent magma but crystallised under distinct oxygen fugacity conditions. With elevated content of Fe3 + in phlogopite, spinel and perovskite, TK1 appears to have crystallised in a relatively high oxygen fugacity environment. Multiple growth generations of phlogopite, spinel and fluorapatite in TK4 indicate a complex evolutionary history of the magma. Close spatial and temporal associations of Mesoproterozoic kimberlites and lamproites in southern India can possibly be explained by a unifying model which accounts for the generation of diverse magmas from a range of geochemical resevoirs in a continental rift setting.
Abstract: Deformed Alkaline Rocks and Carbonatites (DARCs) are markers of suture zones where continents have rifted apart and later amalgamated [1]. Petrological and geochronological data indicates that parts of India and East Antarctica may have been involved in several episodes of collision and breakup during the assembly of past supercontinents [2]. DARCs at the eastern margin of the Eastern Ghats Province (EGP) in India preserve the record of these amalgamation and breakup events. It is thought that the Napier Complex of East Antarctica collided with the Dharwar Craton of India at ca. 1.60 Ga forming the central and eastern Indian shield [3]. New zircon U-Pb ages from DARCs at the EGP margin show that the alkaline complexes (Kamakhyanagar: 1350±14 Ma Rairakhol: 1379±6 Ma; Khariar: 1478±5 Ma; Koraput: 1387±34 Ma; Kunavaram: 1360±5 Ma; Jojuru: 1352±6 Ma) were emplaced in a narrow time interval. The alkaline magmatism marks an episode of rifting in the Indo-Antarctic continental fragment, correlatable with breakup of the Columbia supercontinent. Metamorphic zircon from the alkaline rocks furnish age populations at 917-950 Ma, 792- 806 Ma and 562-569 Ma. The 917-950 Ma ages are correlated with the closure of an oceanic basin between the Ruker Terrane of East Antarctica and the Indian Shield during the assembly of the Rodinia supercontinent. This led to the collision of the Ruker Terrane with the combined India-Napier Complex producing the Grenville-age EGPRayner Complex orogen [2, 3]. The 792-806 Ma ages record the disintegration of Rodinia when Greater India started to break away from East Antarctica [4]. In the early Paleozoic, India reconverged towards Antarctica and Australia during Gondwanaland assembly. The 562-569 Ma zircon ages date the resulting collisions during Pan-African orogenesis.
Abstract: Re-Os and platinum group element analyses are reported for peridotite xenoliths from the 533 Ma Venetia kimberlite cluster situated in the Limpopo Mobile Belt, the Neoarchaean collision zone between the Kaapvaal and Zimbabwe Cratons. The Venetian xenoliths provide a rare opportunity to examine the state of the cratonic lithosphere prior to major regional metasomatic disturbance of Re-Os systematics throughout the Phanerozoic. The 32 studied xenoliths record Si-enrichment that is characteristic of the Kaapvaal lithospheric mantle and can be subdivided into five groups based on Re-Os analyses. The most pristine group I samples (n = 13) display an approximately isochronous relationship and fall on a 3.28 ± 0.17 Ga (95 % conf. int.) reference line that is based on their mean TMA age. This age overlaps with the formation age of the Limpopo crust at 3.35-3.28 Ga. The group I samples derive from ?50 to ?170 km depth, suggesting coeval melt depletion of the majority of the Venetia lithospheric mantle column. Group II and III samples have elevated Re/Os due to Re addition during kimberlite magmatism. Group II has otherwise undergone a similar evolution as the group I samples with overlapping 187Os/188Os at eruption age: 187Os/188OsEA, while group III samples have low Os concentrations, unradiogenic 187Os/188OsEA and were effectively Re-free prior to kimberlite magmatism. The other sample groups (IV and V) have disturbed Re-Os systematics and provide no reliable age information. A strong positive correlation is recorded between Os and Re concentrations for group I samples, which is extended to groups II and III after correction for kimberlite addition. This positive correlation precludes a single stage melt depletion history and indicates coupled remobilisation of Re and Os. The combination of Re-Os mobility, preservation of the isochronous relationship, correlation of 187Os/188Os with degree of melt depletion and lack of radiogenic Os addition puts tight constraints on the formation and subsequent evolution of Venetia lithosphere. First, melt depletion and remobilisation of Re and Os must have occurred within error of the 3.28 Ga mean TMA age. Second, the refractory peridotites contain significant Re despite recording >40 % melt extraction. Third, assuming that Si-enrichment and Re-Os mobility in the Venetia lithospheric mantle were linked, this process must have occurred within ?100 Myr of initial melt depletion in order to preserve the isochronous relationship. Based on the regional geological evolution, we propose a rapid recycling model with initial melt depletion at ?3.35 Ga to form a tholeiitic mafic crust that is recycled at ?3.28 Ga, resulting in the intrusion of a TTG suite and Si-enrichment of the lithospheric mantle. The non-zero primary Re contents of the Venetia xenoliths imply that TRD model ages significantly underestimate the true depletion age even for highly depleted peridotites. The overlap of the ?2.6 Ga TRD ages with the time of the Kaapvaal-Limpopo collision is purely fortuitous and has no geological significance. Hence, this study underlines the importance of scrutiny if age information is to be derived from whole rock Re-Os analyses.
Geophysical Research Abstracts EGU , Vol. 19, EGU2017-12945-2 1p. Abstract
India
lamproites
Abstract: The Mesoproterozoic Banganapalle Lamproite Field of southern India comprises four lamproite dykes which have intruded the Tadpatri Shale of the Cuddapah platformal sedimentary sequence. Mineralogical study of the dyke no. 551/110/4 shows that the rock has an inequigranular texture with megacrysts and macrocrysts of possibly olivine which are completely pseudomorphed by calcite and quartz due to pervasive hydrothermal and/or duteric alteration. Phenocrysts and microphenocrysts of phlogopite are highly chloritised with occasional preservation of relicts. The groundmass is dominated by calcite with subordinate amounts of phlogopite (completely chloritised), diopside, apatite, rutile and spinel. Other minor phases in the groundmass include titanite, allanite, monazite, zircon, barite, carboceranite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, heazlewoodite, and pentlandite. Spinel occurs in three textural types: (i) xenocrysts showing homogeneous composition; (ii) phenocrysts and microphenocrysts with continuous compositional zoning from the core to the rim; and (iii) groundmass crystals with distinct growth zones marked by discontinuous compositional zoning from the core to the rim. Four growth zones (zones I-IV) of spinel are recognized. Phenocrysts and microphenocrysts are designated as zone I spinels which have 55.0-65.7 wt% Cr2O3, 2.7-7.2 wt% Al2O3, <0.4 wt% TiO2, and record a decrease in Al/(Al+Cr) from the core to the rim. Zone II spinels either occur as overgrowth rims on xenocrystal and zone I spinels or form cores to zone III rims in discrete grains, and have higher TiO2 (1.2-3.6 wt%), lower Al2O3 (1.2-2.9 wt%) and similar Cr2O3 (55.0-63.8 wt%) contents compared to zone I spinels. Zone III spinels either occur as overgrowth rims on xenocrystal and zone II spinels or form cores to zone IV rims in discrete grains, and contain higher Al2O3 (5.7-10.2 wt%), lower Cr2O3 (45.9-56.0 wt%) and similar TiO2 (1.6-3.4 wt%) compared to zone II spinels. Overgrowth rims of zone II and zone III spinels locally exhibit oscillatory zoning with characteristics of diffusion controlled magmatic growth. Zone IV spinels are marked by low Cr2O3 (17.4-25.5 wt%) and Al2O3 (1.6-2.0 wt%), and high Fe2O3 (28.8-35.4 wt%) and TiO2 (4.0-7.1 wt%) contents. Xenocrystal spinels are distinguished from magmatic spinels by high Al2O3 content (11.3-22.4 wt%) and uniform composition of individual grains. The wide range of composition and the zonation pattern of magmatic spinels suggest that the mineral was on the liquidus through most part of the lamproite crystallisation. The abrupt changes in composition between the zones indicate hiatus in crystallisation and/or sudden changes in the environmental conditions, resulting from crystallisation of associated minerals and periodic emplacement of certain elements into the magma. Diopside occurs in groundmass segregations and has low contents of Na2O (<0.77 wt%), Al2O3 (<1.2 wt%), Cr2O3 (<0.25 wt%) and TiO2 (<1.7 wt%), although higher values of TiO2 (up to 3.0 wt%) are locally encountered. Phenocrystal phlogopite has Mg/(Mg+Fe2+) ratios in the range of 0.76-0.83, and a Cr-rich composition (3.2-3.6 wt% Cr2O3) that indicates its crystallisation at mantle pressures. Co-precipitation of this phlogopite with phencocrystal spinel can explain the observed Al-Cr zoning in the latter.
Journal of Metamorphic Geology, Vol. 37, 1, pp. 113-151.
India
geology
Abstract: The Central Indian Tectonic Zone (CITZ) is a Proterozoic suture along which the Northern and Southern Indian Blocks are inferred to have amalgamated forming the Greater Indian Landmass. In this study, we use the metamorphic and geochronological evolution of the Gangpur Schist Belt (GSB) and neighbouring crustal units to constrain crustal accretion processes associated with the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Indian Blocks. The GSB sandwiched between the Bonai Granite pluton of the Singhbhum craton and granite gneisses of the Chhotanagpur Gneiss Complex (CGC) links the CITZ and the North Singhbhum Mobile Belt. New zircon age data constrain the emplacement of the Bonai Granite at 3,370 ± 10 Ma, while the magmatic protoliths of the Chhotanagpur gneisses were emplaced at c. 1.65 Ga. The sediments in the southern part of the Gangpur basin were derived from the Singhbhum craton, whereas those in the northern part were derived dominantly from the CGC. Sedimentation is estimated to have taken place between c. 1.65 and c. 1.45 Ga. The Upper Bonai/Darjing Group rocks of the basin underwent major metamorphic episodes at c. 1.56 and c. 1.45 Ga, while the Gangpur Group of rocks were metamorphosed at c. 1.45 and c. 0.97 Ga. Based on thermobarometric studies and zircon-monazite geochronology, we infer that the geological history of the GSB is similar to that of the North Singhbhum Mobile Belt with the Upper Bonai/Darjing and the Gangpur Groups being the westward extensions of the southern and northern domains of the North Singhbhum Mobile Belt respectively. We propose a three?stage model of crustal accretion across the Singhbhum craton - GSB/North Singhbhum Mobile Belt - GC contact. The magmatic protoliths of the Chhotanagpur Gneisses were emplaced at c. 1.65 Ga in an arc setting. The earliest accretion event at c. 1.56 Ga involved northward subduction and amalgamation of the Upper Bonai Group with the Singhbhum craton followed by accretion of the Gangpur Group with the Singhbhum craton-Upper Bonai Group composite at c. 1.45 Ga. Finally, continent-continent collision at c. 0.96 Ga led to the accretion of the CGC with the Singhbhum craton-Upper Bonai Group-Gangpur Group crustal units, synchronous with emplacement of pegmatitic granites. The geological events recorded in the GSB and other units of the CITZ only partially overlap with those in the Trans North China Orogen and the Capricorn Orogen of Western Australia, indicating that these suture zones are not correlatable.
Mineralogy and Petrology, doi.org/10.1007/s00710-020-00722-y 26p. Pdf
India
lamproite
Abstract: Mesoproterozoic lamproite dykes occurring in the Banganapalle Lamproite Field of southern India show extensive hydrothermal alteration, but preserve fresh spinel, apatite and rutile in the groundmass. Spinels belong to three genetic populations. Spinels of the first population, which form crystal cores with overgrowth rims of later spinels, are Al-rich chromites derived from disaggregated mantle peridotite. Spinels of the second population include spongy-textured grains and alteration rims of titanian magnesian aluminous chromites that formed by metasomatic interactions between mantle wall-rocks and precursor lamproite melts before their entrainment into the erupting lamproite magma. Spinels that crystallised directly from the lamproite magma constitute the third population and show five distinct compositional subtypes (spinel-IIIa to IIIe), which represent discrete stages of crystal growth. First stage magmatic spinel (spinel-IIIa) includes continuously zoned macrocrysts of magnesian aluminous chromite, which formed together with Al-Cr-rich phlogopite macrocrysts from an earlier pulse of lamproite magma at mantle depth. Crystallisation of spinel during the other four identified stages occurred during magma emplacement at crustal levels. Titanian magnesian chromites (spinel-IIIb) form either discrete crystals or overgrowth rims on spinel-IIIa cores. Further generations of overgrowth rims comprise titanian magnesian aluminous chromite (spinel-IIIc), magnetite with ulvöspinel component (spinel-IIId) and lastly pure magnetite (spinel-IIIe). Abrupt changes of the compositions between successive zones of magmatic spinel indicate either a hiatus in the crystallisation history or co-crystallisation of other groundmass phases, or possibly magma mixing. This study highlights how different textural and compositional populations of spinel provide important insights into the complex evolution of lamproite magmas including clues to elusive precursor metasomatic events that affect cratonic mantle lithosphere.
Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 115, pp. 87-112. pdf
India
lamproite
Abstract: Mesoproterozoic lamproite dykes occurring in the Banganapalle Lamproite Field of southern India show extensive hydrothermal alteration, but preserve fresh spinel, apatite and rutile in the groundmass. Spinels belong to three genetic populations. Spinels of the first population, which form crystal cores with overgrowth rims of later spinels, are Al-rich chromites derived from disaggregated mantle peridotite. Spinels of the second population include spongy-textured grains and alteration rims of titanian magnesian aluminous chromites that formed by metasomatic interactions between mantle wall-rocks and precursor lamproite melts before their entrainment into the erupting lamproite magma. Spinels that crystallised directly from the lamproite magma constitute the third population and show five distinct compositional subtypes (spinel-IIIa to IIIe), which represent discrete stages of crystal growth. First stage magmatic spinel (spinel-IIIa) includes continuously zoned macrocrysts of magnesian aluminous chromite, which formed together with Al-Cr-rich phlogopite macrocrysts from an earlier pulse of lamproite magma at mantle depth. Crystallisation of spinel during the other four identified stages occurred during magma emplacement at crustal levels. Titanian magnesian chromites (spinel-IIIb) form either discrete crystals or overgrowth rims on spinel-IIIa cores. Further generations of overgrowth rims comprise titanian magnesian aluminous chromite (spinel-IIIc), magnetite with ulvöspinel component (spinel-IIId) and lastly pure magnetite (spinel-IIIe). Abrupt changes of the compositions between successive zones of magmatic spinel indicate either a hiatus in the crystallisation history or co-crystallisation of other groundmass phases, or possibly magma mixing. This study highlights how different textural and compositional populations of spinel provide important insights into the complex evolution of lamproite magmas including clues to elusive precursor metasomatic events that affect cratonic mantle lithosphere.
Abstract: The Amba Dongar carbonatite complex in western India comprises an inner ring of carbonatite breccia surrounded by a sövite ring dike. The various carbonatite units in the body include calcite carbonatite, alvikite, dolomite carbonatite, and ankerite carbonatite. The carbonate phases (calcite and ankerite) occur as phenocrysts, groundmass phases, fresh primary grains, and partially altered grains and/or pseudomorphs when hydrothermally overprinted. Rare earth element (REE) enrichment in the groundmass/altered calcite grains compared to the magmatic ones is ascribed to the presence of micron-sized REE phases. Fluorapatite and pyrochlore constitute important accessory phases that are altered to variable extents. Higher concentrations of Sr, Si, and REEs in fluorapatite are suggestive of a magmatic origin. Fresh pyrochlore preserves its magmatic composition, characterized by low A-site vacancy and high F in the Y-site, which on alteration becomes poorer in Na, Ca, and F and displays an increase in vacancy. The C-O isotope compositions of the carbonates also corroborate the extensive low-temperature hydrothermal alteration of the carbonatites. The REE mineralization is the result of interaction of the carbonatite with a sulfur-bearing, F-rich hydrothermal fluid that exsolved from late-stage carbonatitic magmas. The hydrothermal fluids caused dissolution of the primary carbonates and simultaneous precipitation of REEs and other high field strength element (HFSE)-bearing minerals. Complex spatial associations of the magmatic minerals with the REE fluorocarbonates, [synchysite-(Ce), parisite-(Ce), bastnäsite-(Ce)] and florencite-(Ce) point to the formation of these REE phases as a consequence of postmagmatic hydrothermal dissolution of the REEs from fluorapatite, pyrochlore, and carbonates. Ubiquitous association of fluorite and barite with REE minerals indicates transport of REEs as sulfate complexes in F-rich fluids. Precipitation of REE fluorocarbonates/florencite resulted from fluid-carbonate interaction, concomitant increase in pH, and decrease in temperature. Additionally, REE precipitation was aided and abetted by the removal of sulfur from the fluid by the precipitation of barite, which destabilized the REE sulfate complexes.
Earth Science Reviews , Vol. 219, 103616 231p. Pdf
Africa, Namibia
Craton - Congo
Abstract: Otavi Group is a 1.5-3.5-km-thick epicontinental marine carbonate succession of Neoproterozoic age, exposed in an 800-km-long Ediacaran?Cambrian fold belt that rims the SW cape of Congo craton in northern Namibia. Along its southern margin, a contiguous distally tapered foreslope carbonate wedge of the same age is called Swakop Group. Swakop Group also occurs on the western cratonic margin, where a crustal-scale thrust cuts out the facies transition to the platformal Otavi Group. Subsidence accommodating Otavi Group resulted from S?N crustal stretching (770-655?Ma), followed by post-rift thermal subsidence (655-600?Ma). Rifting under southern Swakop Group continued until 650-635?Ma, culminating with breakup and a S-facing continental margin. No hint of a western margin is evident in Otavi Group, suggesting a transform margin to the west, kinematically consistent with S?N plate divergence. Rift-related peralkaline igneous activity in southern Swakop Group occurred around 760 and 746?Ma, with several rift-related igneous centres undated. By comparison, western Swakop Group is impoverished in rift-related igneous rocks. Despite low paleoelevation and paleolatitude, Otavi and Swakop groups are everywhere imprinted by early and late Cryogenian glaciations, enabling unequivocal stratigraphic division into five epochs (period divisions): (1) non-glacial late Tonian, 770-717?Ma; (2) glacial early Cryogenian/Sturtian, 717-661?Ma; (3) non-glacial middle Cryogenian, 661-646?±?5?Ma; (4) glacial late Cryogenian/Marinoan, 646?±?5-635?Ma; and (5) non-glacial early Ediacaran, 635-600?±?5?Ma. Odd numbered epochs lack evident glacioeustatic fluctuation; even numbered ones were the Sturtian and Marinoan snowball Earths. This study aimed to deconstruct the carbonate succession for insights on the nature of Cryogenian glaciations. It focuses on the well-exposed southwestern apex of the arcuate fold belt, incorporating 585?measured sections (totaling >190?km of strata) and?>?8764 pairs of ?13C/?18Ocarb analyses (tabulated in Supplementary On-line Information). Each glaciation began and ended abruptly, and each was followed by anomalously thick ‘catch-up’ depositional sequences that filled accommodation space created by synglacial tectonic subsidence accompanied by very low average rates of sediment accumulation. Net subsidence was 38% larger on average for the younger glaciation, despite its 3.5-9.3-times shorter duration. Average accumulation rates were subequal, 4.0 vs 3.3-8.8?m Myr?1, despite syn-rift tectonics and topography during Sturtian glaciation, versus passive-margin subsidence during Marinoan. Sturtian deposits everywhere overlie an erosional disconformity or unconformity, with depocenters ?1.6?km thick localized in subglacial rift basins, glacially carved bedrock troughs and moraine-like buildups. Sturtian deposits are dominated by massive diamictite, and the associated fine-grained laminated sediments appear to be local subglacial meltwater deposits, including a deep subglacial rift basin. No marine ice-grounding line is required in the 110 Sturtian measured sections in our survey. In contrast, the newly-opened southern foreslope was occupied by a Marinoan marine ice grounding zone, which became the dominant repository for glacial debris eroded from the upper foreslope and broad shallow troughs on the Otavi Group platform, which was glaciated but left nearly devoid of glacial deposits. On the distal foreslope, a distinct glacioeustatic falling-stand carbonate wedge is truncated upslope by a glacial disconformity that underlies the main lowstand grounding-zone wedge, which includes a proximal 0.60-km-high grounding-line moraine. Marinoan deposits are recessional overall, since all but the most distal overlie a glacial disconformity. The Marinoan glacial record is that of an early ice maximum and subsequent slow recession and aggradation, due to tectonic subsidence. Terminal deglaciation is recorded by a ferruginous drape of stratified diamictite, choked with ice-rafted debris, abruptly followed by a syndeglacial-postglacial cap-carbonate depositional sequence. Unlike its Sturtian counterpart, the post-Marinoan sequence has a well-developed basal transgressive (i.e., deepening-upward) cap dolomite (16.9?m regional average thickness, n?=?140) with idiosyncratic sedimentary features including sheet-crack marine cements, tubestone stromatolites and giant wave ripples. The overlying deeper-water calci-rhythmite includes crystal-fans of former aragonite benthic cement ?90?m thick, localized in areas of steep sea-floor topography. Marinoan sequence stratigraphy is laid out over ?0.6?km of paleobathymetric relief. Late Tonian shallow-neritic ?13Ccarb records were obtained from the 0.4-km-thick Devede Fm (~770-760?Ma) in Otavi Group and the 0.7-km-thick Ugab Subgroup (~737-717?Ma) in Swakop Group. Devede Fm is isotopically heavy, +4-8‰ VPDB, and could be correlative with Backlundtoppen Fm (NE Svalbard). Ugab Subgroup post-dates 746?Ma volcanics and shows two negative excursions bridged by heavy ?13C values. The negative excursions could be correlative with Russřya and Garvellach CIEs (carbon isotope excursions) in NE Laurentia. Middle Cryogenian neritic ?13C records from Otavi Group inner platform feature two heavy plateaus bracketed by three negative excursions, correlated with Twitya (NW Canada), Taishir (Mongolia) and Trezona (South Australia) CIEs. The same pattern is observed in carbonate turbidites in distal Swakop Group, with the sub-Marinoan falling-stand wedge hosting the Trezona CIE recovery. Proximal Swakop Group strata equivalent to Taishir CIE and its subsequent heavy plateau are shifted bidirectionally to uniform values of +3.0-3.5‰. Early Ediacaran neritic ?13C records from Otavi Group inner platform display a deep negative excursion associated with the post-Marinoan depositional sequence and heavy values (??+?11‰) with extreme point-to-point variability (?10‰) in the youngest Otavi Group formation. Distal Swakop Group mimics older parts of the early Ediacaran inner platform ?13C records, but after the post-Marinoan negative excursion, proximal Swakop Group values are shifted bidirectionally to +0.9?±?1.5‰. Destruction of positive and negative CIEs in proximal Swakop Group is tentatively attributed to early seawater-buffered diagenesis (dolomitization), driven by geothermal porewater convection that sucks seawater into the proximal foreslope of the platform. This hypothesis provocatively implies that CIEs originating in epi-platform waters and shed far downslope as turbidites are decoupled from open-ocean DIC (dissolved inorganic carbon), which is recorded by the altered proximal Swakop Group values closer to DIC of modern seawater. Carbonate sedimentation ended when the cratonic margins collided with and were overridden by the Atlantic coast-normal Northern Damara and coast-parallel Kaoko orogens at 0.60-0.58?Ga. A forebulge disconformity separates Otavi/Swakop Group from overlying foredeep clastics. In the cratonic cusp, where the orogens meet at a right angle, the forebulge disconformity has an astounding ?1.85?km of megakarstic relief, and km-thick mass slides were displaced gravitationally toward both trenches, prior to orogenic shortening responsible for the craton-rimming fold belt.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 501, pp. 67-77.
Mantle
subduction
Abstract: The mechanisms underpinning the formation of a focused volcanic arc above subduction zones are debated. Suggestions include controls by: (i) where the subducting plate releases water, lowering the solidus in the overlying mantle wedge; (ii) the location where the mantle wedge melts to the highest degree; and (iii) a limit on melt formation and migration imposed by the cool shallow corner of the wedge. Here, we evaluate these three proposed mechanisms using a set of kinematically-driven 2D thermo-mechanical mantle-wedge models in which subduction velocity, slab dip and age, overriding-plate thickness and the depth of decoupling between the two plates are systematically varied. All mechanisms predict, on the basis of model geometry, that the arc-trench distance, D, decreases strongly with increasing dip, consistent with the negative D-dip correlations found in global subduction data. Model trends of sub-arc slab depth, H, with dip are positive if H is wedge-temperature controlled and overriding-plate thickness does not exceed the decoupling depth by more than 50 km, and negative if H is slab-temperature controlled. Observed global H-dip trends are overall positive. With increasing overriding plate thickness, the position of maximum melting shifts to smaller H and D, while the position of the trenchward limit of the melt zone, controlled by the wedge's cold corner, shifts to larger H and D, similar to the trend in the data for oceanic subduction zones. Thus, the limit imposed by the wedge corner on melting and melt migration seems to exert the first-order control on arc position.
Abstract: MARID (Mica-Amphibole-Rutile-Ilmenite-Diopside) and PIC (Phlogopite-Ilmenite-Clinopyroxene) rocks are rare mantle xenoliths entrained by kimberlites. Their high phlogopite modes (15 to ?100 vol.%) and consequent enrichments in alkali metals and H2O suggest a metasomatic origin. Phlogopite also has high concentrations (>0.2 ?g/g) of thallium (Tl) relative to mantle abundances (<3 ng/g). Thallium isotope ratios have proven useful in tracing the input of Tl-rich materials, such as pelagic sediments and altered oceanic crust, to mantle sources because of their distinct isotopic compositions compared to the peridotitic mantle. This study presents the first Tl isotopic compositions of well-characterised phlogopite separates from MARID and PIC samples to further our understanding of their genesis. The PIC rocks in this study were previously interpreted as the products of kimberlite melt metasomatism, whereas the radiogenic and stable N-O isotope systematics of MARID rocks suggest a parental metasomatic agent containing a recycled component. The ?205Tl values of phlogopite in both PIC (-2.7 ± 0.8; 2 s.d., n = 4) and MARID samples (-2.5 ± 1.3; 2 s.d., n = 21) overlap with the estimated mantle composition (-2.0 ± 1.0). PIC phlogopite Tl contents (?0.4 ?g/g) are suggestive of equilibrium with kimberlite melts (0.1-0.6 ?g/g Tl), based on partitioning experiments in other silica-undersaturated melts. Kimberlite Tl-?205Tl systematics suggest their genesis does not require a recycled contribution: however, high temperature-altered oceanic crust cannot be ruled out as a component of the Kimberley kimberlites’ source. Mantle-like ?205Tl values in MARID samples also seem to contradict previous suggestions of a recycled contribution towards their genesis. Recycled components with isotopic compositions close to mantle values (e.g., high temperature-altered oceanic crust) are still permitted. Moreover, mass balance mixing models indicate that incorporation into the primitive mantle of 1-30% of a low temperature-altered oceanic crust + continental crust recycled component or 1-50% of continental crust alone could be accommodated by the Tl-?205Tl systematics of the MARID parental melt. This scenario is consistent with experimental evidence and existing isotopic data. One PIC phlogopite separate has an extremely light Tl isotopic composition of -9.9, interpreted to result from kinetic isotopic fractionation. Overall, phlogopite is the main host mineral for Tl in metasomatised mantle and shows a very restricted range in Tl isotopic composition, which overlaps with estimates of the mantle composition. These results strongly suggest that negligible high temperature equilibrium Tl isotopic fractionation occurs during metasomatism and reinforces previous estimates of the mantle’s Tl isotopic composition.
Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 49, 13, pp. 7589-7596.
Canada, Northwest Territories
Deposit - Diavik
Abstract: Mining-related perchlorate [ClO4(-)] in the receiving environment was investigated at the operating open-pit and underground Diavik diamond mine, Northwest Territories, Canada. Samples were collected over four years and ClO4(-) was measured in various mine waters, the 560 km(2) ultraoligotrophic receiving lake, background lake water and snow distal from the mine. Groundwaters from the underground mine had variable ClO4(-) concentrations, up to 157 ?g L(-1), and were typically an order of magnitude higher than concentrations in combined mine waters prior to treatment and discharge to the lake. Snow core samples had a mean ClO4(-) concentration of 0.021 ?g L(-1) (n=16). Snow and lake water Cl(-)/ClO4(-) ratios suggest evapoconcentration was not an important process affecting lake ClO4(-) concentrations. The multiyear mean ClO4(-) concentrations in the lake were 0.30 ?g L(-1) (n = 114) in open water and 0.24 ?g L(-1) (n = 107) under ice, much below the Canadian drinking water guideline of 6 ?g L(-1). Receiving lake concentrations of ClO4(-) generally decreased year over year and ClO4(-) was not likely [biogeo]chemically attenuated within the receiving lake. The discharge of treated mine water was shown to contribute mining-related ClO4(-) to the lake and the low concentrations after 12 years of mining were attributed to the large volume of the receiving lake.
Abstract: The Diavik Waste Rock Project consists of laboratory and field experiments developed for the investigation and scale-up of the geochemical evolution of sulfidic mine wastes. As part of this project, humidity cell experiments were conducted to assess the long-term geochemical evolution of a low-sulfide waste rock. Reactive transport modelling was used to assess the significant geochemical processes controlling oxidation of sulfide minerals and their dependence on temperature and sulfide mineral content. The geochemical evolution of effluent from waste rock with a sulfide content of 0.16 wt.% and 0.02 wt.% in humidity cells was simulated with the reactive transport model MIN3P, based on a conceptual model that included constant water flow, sulfide mineral content, sulfide oxidation controlled by the availability of oxidants, and subsequent neutralization reactions with carbonate and aluminosilicate minerals. Concentrations of Ni, Co, Cu, Zn, and SO4 in the humidity cell effluent were simulated using the shrinking core model, which represented the control of oxidant diffusion to the unreacted particle surface in the sulfide oxidation process. The influence of temperature was accounted for using the Arrhenius relation and appropriate activation energy values. Comparison of the experiment results, consisting of waste rock differentiated by sulfide mineral content and temperature, indicated surface area and temperature play important roles in rates of sulfide oxidation and release of sulfate and metals. After the model was calibrated to fit the effluent data from the higher sulfide content cells, subsequent simulations were conducted by adjusting only measured parameters, including sulfide mineral content and surface area.
Pure and Applied Physics, Vol. 175, 6, pp. 2141-2151.
Canada, Northwest Territories
mining
Abstract: Kimberlite is an igneous rock which sometimes bears diamonds. Most of the diamonds mined in the world today are found in kimberlite ores. Burst potential in kimberlite has not been investigated, because kimberlite is mostly mined using open-pit mining, which poses very little threat of rock bursting. However, as the mining depth keeps increasing, the mines convert to underground mining methods, which can pose a threat of rock bursting in kimberlite. This paper focuses on the burst potential of kimberlite at a diamond mine in northern Canada. A combined model with the methods of principal component analysis (PCA) and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) is developed to process data from 12 different locations in kimberlite pipes. Based on calculated 12 fuzzy evaluation vectors, 8 locations show a moderate burst potential, 2 locations show no burst potential, and 2 locations show strong and violent burst potential, respectively. Using statistical principles, a Mahalanobis distance is adopted to build a comprehensive fuzzy evaluation vector for the whole mine and the final evaluation for burst potential is moderate, which is verified by a practical rockbursting situation at mine site.
Crystallography Reports, Vol. 66, 6, pp. 934-939. 10.1134/S1063774521060298
Cosmos
Crystallography
Abstract: The Mars exploration rovers have used various remote-sensing instruments over the last two and a half decades. The Chemistry and Camera tool uses laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy to obtain semi-quantitative elemental abundances. The SuperCam instrument is a response to the requirement for remote mineralogy and is also adapted for Raman spectroscopy studies. Both analyzers contain pulsed laser units with Nd:YAG rods and Pockels cells with crystals of rubidium titanyl phosphate, potassium titanyl phosphate and lithium triborate. The specific features of their structure, chemistry, and crystal growth are discussed.
Abstract: In this paper, using the example of the Lomonosov diamond deposit, experimental studies of rocks were carried out to assess the main radiation and physical factors affecting the formation of the radon field over the kimberlite pipes of the Arkhangelsk diamondiferous province. For various types of rocks, represented by vent kimberlites, tuffaceous-sedimentary rocks of the crater and enclosing and overlying sediments, the following were studied: porosity, density, activity of radium-226, activity of radon in a free state, level of radon production, and emanation coefficient. The research results showed that the greatest amount of radon in a free state is produced by rocks of the near-pipe space, represented by the enclosing Vendian V2 deposits and characterized by high values of the emanation coefficient, radium activity, radon production level and porosity. This fact is associated with the structural and geological features of the near-pipe space, which was exposed to the impact of kimberlite magma on the host rocks. The lowest values of these parameters are characteristic of the kimberlites of the vent facies, which limits the formation of free radon in the body of the pipe. The results of the experimental studies create prospects for the development of emanation methods for searching for kimberlite pipes in the conditions of the Arkhangelsk diamondiferous province.
Abstract: The relationship between plate- and plume-tectonics is considered in view of the growth and breakdown of supercontinents, active rifting, the formation of passive volcanic-type continental margins, and the origin of time-progressive volcanic chains on oceanic and continental plates. The mantle wind phenomenon is described, as well as its effect on plume morphology and anisotropy of the ambient mantle. The interaction of plumes and mid-ocean ridges is discussed. The principles and problems of plume activity analysis in subduction- and collision-related foldbelts are considered and illustrated with examples.
Doklady Earth Sciences, Vol. 476, 1, pp. 1058-1061.
Mantle
peridotite
Abstract: Deformed orthopyroxene grains are studied in detail in mantle peridotite. It is shown that deformation of enstatite is accompanied by its decomposition with the formation of low-temperature phases (pargasite, Fe-rich olivine) and restite represented by depleted enstatite, forsterite, and small newly formed chrome spinellide grains. The role of plastic deformation in initiation of partial melting of peridotite and in the formation new chrome spinellide grains is discussed.
Abstract: The first data on the discovery of Th-Sc mineralization in the pyritic complexes of the Southern Urals are presented. The minerals of Th (thorite) and Sc-containing thorium minerals are described. The conclusion is made that the Th-Sc mineralization formed due to crystallization of a residual melt in the local volume.
Ackerman, L., Walker, R.J., Puchtel, I.S., Pitcher, L., Jelinek, E., Strnad, L.
Effects of melt percolation on highly siderophile elements and Os isotopes in subcontinental lithospheric mantle: a study of upper mantle profile central Europe
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 73, 8, pp. 2400-2414.
Abstract: The start of plate tectonics on Earth is one of the most controversial issues in modern geology, with proposed timings covering almost the entire history of our planet. On page 2387 of this issue (vol. 100, 2015), Blichert-Toft and co-authors report Sm-Nd and Lu-Hf isotopic and lithophile trace element data for early Archean komatiites from the Barberton Greenstone Belt (GB) in South Africa, and argue for the onset of plate tectonics on Earth as early as 3.5 Ga. The studied komatiites show a large decoupling of the two isotopic systems and lithophile trace element signatures that are most consistent with deep-water, pelagic sediments being present in the lower-mantle source of these lavas. Their conclusions have far-reaching implications for advancing our understanding of how the Earth system operated in the distant geological past.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 222, Feb. 1, pp. 447-466.
Mantle
Thermodynamics
Abstract: Oxygen fugacity of the mantle is a crucial thermodynamic parameter that controls such fundamental processes as planetary differentiation, mantle melting, and possible core-mantle exchange. Constraining the evolution of the redox state of the mantle is of paramount importance for understanding the chemical evolution of major terrestrial reservoirs, including the core, mantle, and atmosphere. In order to evaluate the secular evolution of the redox state of the mantle, oxygen fugacities of six komatiite systems, ranging in age from 3.48 to 2.41?Ga, were determined using high-precision partitioning data of the redox-sensitive element vanadium between liquidus olivine, chromite and komatiitic melt. The calculated oxygen fugacities range from ?0.11?±?0.30 ?FMQ log units in the 3.48?Ga Komati system to +0.43?±?0.26 ?FMQ log units in the 2.41?Ga Vetreny system. Although there is a slight hint in the data for an increase in the oxygen fugacity of the mantle between 3.48 and 2.41?Ga, these values generally overlap within their respective uncertainties; they are also largely within the range of oxygen fugacity estimates for modern MORB lavas of +0.60?±?0.30 ?FMQ log units that we obtained using the same technique. Our results are consistent with the previous findings that argued for little change in the mantle oxygen fugacity since the early Archean and indicate that the mantle had reached its nearly-present day redox state by at least 3.48?Ga.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 222, 1, pp. 447-466.
Canada, Ontario
komatiites
Abstract: Oxygen fugacity of the mantle is a crucial thermodynamic parameter that controls such fundamental processes as planetary differentiation, mantle melting, and possible core-mantle exchange. Constraining the evolution of the redox state of the mantle is of paramount importance for understanding the chemical evolution of major terrestrial reservoirs, including the core, mantle, and atmosphere. In order to evaluate the secular evolution of the redox state of the mantle, oxygen fugacities of six komatiite systems, ranging in age from 3.48 to 2.41 Ga, were determined using high-precision partitioning data of the redox-sensitive element vanadium between liquidus olivine, chromite and komatiitic melt. The calculated oxygen fugacities range from -0.11 ± 0.30 ?FMQ log units in the 3.48 Ga Komati system to +0.43 ± 0.26 ?FMQ log units in the 2.41 Ga Vetreny system. Although there is a slight hint in the data for an increase in the oxygen fugacity of the mantle between 3.48 and 2.41 Ga, these values generally overlap within their respective uncertainties; they are also largely within the range of oxygen fugacity estimates for modern MORB lavas of +0.60 ± 0.30 ?FMQ log units that we obtained using the same technique. Our results are consistent with the previous findings that argued for little change in the mantle oxygen fugacity since the early Archean and indicate that the mantle had reached its nearly-present day redox state by at least 3.48 Ga.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 250, 1, pp. 49-75.
Mantle
picrites
Abstract: The oxygen fugacities of nine mantle-derived komatiitic and picritic systems ranging in age from 3.55?Ga to modern day were determined using the redox-sensitive partitioning of V between liquidus olivine and komatiitic/picritic melt. The combined set of the oxygen fugacity data for seven systems from this study and the six komatiite systems studied by Nicklas et al. (2018), all of which likely represent large regions of the mantle, defines a well-constrained trend indicating an increase in oxygen fugacity of the lavas of ?1.3 ?FMQ log units from 3.48 to 1.87?Ga, and a nearly constant oxygen fugacity from 1.87?Ga to the present. The oxygen fugacity data for the 3.55?Ga Schapenburg komatiite system, the mantle source region of which was previously argued to have been isolated from mantle convection within the first 30?Ma of the Solar System history, plot well above the trend and were not included in the regression. These komatiite’s anomalously high oxygen fugacity data likely reflect preservation of early-formed magma ocean redox heterogeneities until at least the Paleoarchean. The observed increase in the oxygen fugacity of the studied komatiite and picrite systems of ?1.3 ?FMQ log units is shown to be a feature of their mantle source regions and is interpreted to indicate secular oxidation of the mantle between 3.48 and 1.87?Ga. Three mechanisms are considered to account for the observed change in the redox state of the mantle: (1) recycling of altered oceanic crust, (2) venting of oxygen from the core due to inner core crystallization, and (3) convection-driven homogenization of an initially redox-heterogeneous primordial mantle. It is demonstrated that none of the three mechanisms alone can fully explain the observed trend, although mechanism (3) is best supported by the available geochemical data. These new data provide further evidence for mantle involvement in the dramatic increase in the oxygen concentration of the atmosphere leading up to the Great Oxidation Event at ?2.4?Ga.
Abstract: Zircon age peaks are commonly interpreted either as crustal production peaks or as selective preservation peaks of subduction-produced crust selectively preserved during continent-continent collision. We contribute to this ongoing debate, using the Nd isotopic compositions of felsic igneous rocks and their distribution during the accretionary and collisional phases of orogens. The proportion of juvenile input into the continental crust is estimated with a mixing model using arc-like mantle and reworked continental crust end members. Orogen length and duration proxies for juvenile crustal volume show that the amount of juvenile crust produced and preserved at zircon age peaks during the accretionary phase of orogens is ?3 times that preserved during the collisional phase of orogens. The fact that most juvenile crust is both produced and preserved during the accretionary phase of orogens does not require craton collisions for its preservation, thus favoring the interpretation of zircon age peaks as crustal production peaks. Most juvenile continental crust older than 600 Ma is produced and preserved before final supercontinent assembly and does not require supercontinent assembly for its preservation. Episodic destabilization of a compositionally heterogeneous layer at the base of the mantle may produce mantle plume events leading to enhanced subduction and crustal production. Our Nd isotope model for cumulative continental growth based on juvenile crust proxies for the past 2.5 b.y. suggests a step-like growth curve with rapid growth in accretionary orogens at the times of zircon age peaks.
Abstract: Before 2.7?Ga, 14 igneous and detrital zircon age peaks and 9 large igneous province (LIP) age peaks are robust and statistically significant. Correlation analysis indicates a synchronous association among these peaks and power spectral analysis shows 91, 114-127 and 182-Myr cycles. These age cycles may be related to mantle plume or mantle overturn events, and to the time it takes to reach threshold temperature gradients for thermo-chemical destabilization in the lowermost mantle. Most zircon age peaks are transferred into younger detrital sediments, which does not favor an origin of the peaks by selective erosion. Correlation of eight pre-2.7-Ga LIP age peaks with zircon age peaks is consistent with a genetic relationship between mantle melting events and felsic crustal production and supports an interpretation of pre-2.7-Ga age peaks as growth rather than preservation peaks produced during craton collisions. Also consistent with the growth peak interpretation is the apparent absence of collisional orogens older than 2.7?Ga. An increasing number of geographic age peak sites from 4 to 2.8?Ga suggests production and survival of only small volumes of continental crust during this time and supports an episodic model for continental crustal growth.
Abstract: Igneous and detrital zircons have six major U/Pb isotopic age peaks in common (2700 Ma, 1875 Ma, 1045 Ma, 625 Ma, 265 Ma and 90 Ma). For igneous rocks, each age peak is comprised of subpeaks with distinct geographic distributions and a subpeak age range per age peak ?100 Myr. There are eight major LIP age peaks (found on ? 10 crustal provinces) of which only four are in common to major detrital zircon age peaks (2715 Ma, 1875 Ma, 825 Ma, 90 Ma). Of the whole-rock Re depletion ages, 58% have corresponding detrital zircon age peaks and 55% have corresponding LIP age peaks. Ten age peaks are found in common to igneous zircon, detrital zircon, LIP, and Re depletion age time series (3225 Ma, 2875 Ma, 2145 Ma, 2085 Ma, 1985 Ma, 1785 Ma, 1455 Ma, 1175 Ma, 825 Ma, and 90 Ma), and these are very robust peaks on a global scale as recorded in both crustal and mantle rocks. About 50% of the age peaks in each of these time series correspond to predicted peaks in a 94-Myr mantle cycle, including four of the ten peaks in common to all four time series (2875 Ma, 1785 Ma, 825 Ma and 90 Ma). Age peak widths and subpeak ranges per age peak suggest that mantle events responsible for age peaks are <100 Myr and many <50 Myr in duration. Age peak geographic distributions show three populations (?1000 Ma, 2500-1000 Ma, ?2500 Ma), with the number of new provinces in which age peaks are represented decreasing with time within each population. The breaks between the populations (at 2.5 Ga and 1 Ga) fall near the onsets of two transitions in Earth history. The First Transition may represent a change from stagnant-lid tectonics into plate tectonics and the Second Transition, the onset of subduction of continental crust. The major factor controlling geographic distribution of age peaks is the changing locations of orogeny. Before ?2 Ga, age subpeaks and peaks are housed in orogens within or around the edges of crustal provinces, mostly in accretionary orogens, but beginning at 1.9 Ga, collisional orogens become more important. The coincidence in duration between magmatic flare-ups in Phanerozoic arcs and duration of age subpeaks (10-30 Myr) is consistent with subpeaks representing periods of enhanced arc-related magmatism, probably caused by increased subduction flux. The correlation of isotopic age peaks between time series supports a cause and effect relationship between mantle plume activity, continental magma production at convergent margins, and crustal deformation. Correlation of over half of the detrital zircon age peaks (and six of the nine major peaks) with Re depletion age peaks supports an interpretation of the zircon peaks as crustal growth rather than selective preservation peaks.
Abstract: In this study, seven isotopic databases are presented and analyzed to identify mantle and crustal episodes on a global scale by focusing on periodicity ranging from 70 to 200 million years (Myr). The databases are the largest, or among the largest, compiled for each type of data - with an objective of finding some samples from every region of every continent, to make each database as global as conceivably possible. The databases contain zircon Lu/Hf isotopic data, whole-rock Sm/Nd isotopic data, U/Pb detrital zircon ages, U/Pb igneous zircon ages, U/Pb non-zircon ages, whole-rock Re/Os isotopic data, and large igneous province ages. Part I of this study focuses on the periodicities of age histograms and geochemical averages developed from the seven databases, via spectral and cross-correlation analyses. Natural physical cycles often propagate in exact integer multiples of a fundamental cycle, referred to as harmonics. The tests show that harmonic geological cycles of ?93.5 and ?187 Myr have persisted throughout terrestrial history, and the cyclicities are statistically significant for U/Pb igneous zircon ages, U/Pb detrital zircon ages, U/Pb zircon-rim ages, large igneous province ages, mean ?Hf(t) for all samples, mean ?Hf(t) values for igneous-only samples, and relative abundance of mafic rocks. Equally important, cross-correlation analyses show these seven time-series are nearly synchronous (±7 Myr) with a model consisting of periodicities of 93.5 and 187 Myr. Additionally, the similarities between peaks in the 93.5 and 187 Myr mantle cycles and terminal ages of established and suspected superchrons provide a framework for predicting and testing superchron periodicity.
Russia, Kola Peninsula, Europe, Finland, Canada, British Columbia
deposit - Khibina, Fir, Siilinjarvi
Abstract: Phosphorus is the central ingredient in fertilizer that allows modern agriculture to feed the world’s population. This element, also critical in a host of industrial applications, is a nonrenewable resource that is sourced primarily from the phosphatic mineral apatite, hosted in sedimentary and igneous ores. World phosphate resources are estimated by the U.S. Geological Survey at ca. 300,000 Mt, of which 95% are sedimentary and 5% are igneous. Current known USGS reserve estimates are sufficient for a maximum of 200 to 300 years; the exploration and discovery of new resources, enhanced mining technologies, and new technologies aimed at the recovery and recycling of P from sewage and agricultural runoff will all contribute to extending P production. Igneous ores are generally associated with Phanerozoic carbonatites and silica-deficient alkalic intrusions that typically average 5 to 15 wt % P2O5, which can be beneficiated to high-grade concentrates of at least 30 wt % P2O5 with few contaminants. Carbonatites are typically the smallest and youngest parts of a carbonatite-alkaline rock complex that formed during fractional crystallization of a calcic parental alkaline silicate melt, or from liquid immiscibility of a carbonate-rich nephelinite that underwent magmatic fractionation and differentiation during ascent from the mantle source. Fluorapatite generally crystallizes early, near the liquidus, and over a small temperature interval below the apatite saturation temperature that varies strongly with temperature, SiO2 and CaO concentrations, and the aluminosity of the melt. Carbonatite-alkaline rock complexes commonly possess a concentric, zonal structure thought to reflect caldera volcanism. Pathfinder elements in soils, sediments, tills, and vegetation include Nb, rare earth elements (REEs), P, Ba, Sr, F, U, and Th, and in water, F, Th, and U are indicators. Remote sensing techniques with the ability to identify minerals rich in CO3, REEs, and Fe2+ that are characteristic of carbonatites are also important exploration tools that may provide vectors to ore. Sedimentary phosphorite is a marine bioelemental sedimentary rock that contains >18 wt % P2O5. While small peritidal phosphorites formed in Precambrian coastal environments, economically significant upwelling-related phosphorite did not accumulate until the late Neoproterozoic and continued through the Phanerozoic. Coastal upwelling delivered deep, P-rich waters to continental shelves and in epeiric seas to drive phosphogenesis and form the largest phosphorites on Earth. High-grade deposits formed as a result of hydraulic concentration of phosphate grains to form granular beds with minimal gangue. The amalgamation of these beds into decameter-thick, stratiform ore zones is generally focused along the maximum flooding surface, which is a primary exploration target in upwelling-related phosphorite. In addition to P, other elements concentrated in igneous and sedimentary phosphorites are Se, Mo, Zn, Cu, and Cr, which are important agricultural micronutrients. Other saleable by-products include U and REEs. The U concentration in sedimentary phosphorite is generally between 50 and 200 ppm, but can be as high as 3,000 ppm, making it an increasingly important source of U for the nuclear industry. The concentration of REEs in some sedimentary phosphorites is comparable to the world’s richest igneous and Chinese clay-type REE deposits. The source of the dissolved P in upwelling ocean water is ultimately derived from the chemical weathering of continental rocks, the process that links igneous and sedimentary phosphorites through time and space. The covarying temporal relationship of igneous and sedimentary deposits suggests that plate tectonics and the concentration of apatite in a progressively more felsic crust underpins the feedback processes regulating the biogeochemical cycling of P. Critical to the generation of greenfield exploration targets is the recognition that large P deposits emerged in the late Neoproterozoic. The geological environments conducive for exploration can be constrained from an understanding of ore-forming processes by the use of complementary petrological techniques, including fieldwork, petrography, sedimentology, sequence stratigraphy, and geochemistry.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 479, pp. 170-178.
Canada, Nunavut, Baffin Island
geophysics - seismics
Abstract: The northern Hudson Bay region in Canada comprises several Archean cratonic nuclei, assembled by a number of Paleoproterozoic orogenies including the Trans-Hudson Orogen (THO) and the Rinkian-Nagssugtoqidian Orogen. Recent debate has focused on the extent to which these orogens have modern analogues such as the Himalayan-Karakoram-Tibet Orogen. Further, the structure of the lithospheric mantle beneath the Hudson Strait and southern Baffin Island is potentially indicative of Paleoproterozoic underthrusting of the Superior plate beneath the Churchill collage. Also in question is whether the Laurentian cratonic root is stratified, with a fast, depleted, Archean core underlain by a slower, younger, thermally-accreted layer. Plate-scale process that create structures such as these are expected to manifest as measurable fossil seismic anisotropic fabrics. We investigate these problems via shear wave splitting, and present the most comprehensive study to date of mantle seismic anisotropy in northern Laurentia. Strong evidence is presented for multiple layers of anisotropy beneath Archean zones, consistent with the episodic development model of stratified cratonic keels. We also show that southern Baffin Island is underlain by dipping anisotropic fabric, where underthrusting of the Superior plate beneath the Churchill has previously been interpreted. This provides direct evidence of subduction-related deformation at 1.8 Ga, implying that the THO developed with modern plate-tectonic style interactions.
Abstract: Diamond is commonly regarded as an indicator of ultra-high pressure conditions in Earth System Science. This canonical view is challenged by recent data and interpretations that suggest metastable growth of diamond in low pressure environments. One such environment is serpentinisation of oceanic lithosphere, which produces highly reduced CH4-bearing fluids after olivine alteration by reaction with infiltrating fluids. Here we report the first ever observed in situ diamond within olivine-hosted, CH4-rich fluid inclusions from low pressure oceanic gabbro and chromitite samples from the Moa-Baracoa ophiolitic massif, eastern Cuba. Diamond is encapsulated in voids below the polished mineral surface forming a typical serpentinisation array, with methane, serpentine and magnetite, providing definitive evidence for its metastable growth upon low temperature and low pressure alteration of oceanic lithosphere and super-reduction of infiltrated fluids. Thermodynamic modelling of the observed solid and fluid assemblage at a reference P-T point appropriate for serpentinisation (350 °C and 100 MPa) is consistent with extreme reduction of the fluid to logfO2 (MPa) = ?45.3 (?logfO2[Iron-Magnetite] = ?6.5). These findings imply that the formation of metastable diamond at low pressure in serpentinised olivine is a widespread process in modern and ancient oceanic lithosphere, questioning a generalised ultra-high pressure origin for ophiolitic diamond.
Abstract: Diamond is commonly regarded as an indicator of ultra-high pressure conditions in Earth System Science. This canonical view is challenged by recent data and interpretations that suggest metastable growth of diamond in low pressure environments. One such environment is serpentinisation of oceanic lithosphere, which produces highly reduced CH4-bearing fluids after olivine alteration by reaction with infiltrating fluids. Here we report the first ever observed in situ diamond within olivine-hosted, CH4-rich fluid inclusions from low pressure oceanic gabbro and chromitite samples from the Moa-Baracoa ophiolitic massif, eastern Cuba. Diamond is encapsulated in voids below the polished mineral surface forming a typical serpentinisation array, with methane, serpentine and magnetite, providing definitive evidence for its metastable growth upon low temperature and low pressure alteration of oceanic lithosphere and super-reduction of infiltrated fluids. Thermodynamic modelling of the observed solid and fluid assemblage at a reference P-T point appropriate for serpentinisation (350 °C and 100 MPa) is consistent with extreme reduction of the fluid to logfO2 (MPa) = ?45.3 (?logfO2[Iron-Magnetite] = ?6.5). These findings imply that the formation of metastable diamond at low pressure in serpentinised olivine is a widespread process in modern and ancient oceanic lithosphere, questioning a generalised ultra-high pressure origin for ophiolitic diamond.
Abstract: The Neoproterozoic Bou Azzer ophiolite in the Moroccan Anti-Atlas Panafrican belt hosts numerous chromitite orebodies within the peridotite section of the oceanic mantle. The chromitites are strongly affected by serpentinization and metamorphism, although they still preserve igneous relicts amenable for petrogenetic interpretation. The major, minor and trace element composition of unaltered chromite cores reveal two compositional groups: intermediate-Cr (Cr# = 0.60 - 0.74) and high-Cr (Cr# = 0.79 - 0.84) and estimates of parental melt compositions suggest crystallization from pulses of fore-arc basalts (FAB) and boninitic melts, respectively, that infiltrated the oceanic supra-subduction zone (SSZ) mantle. A platinum group elements (PGE) mineralization dominated by Ir-Ru-Os is recognized in the chromitites, which has its mineralogical expression in abundant inclusions of Os-Ir alloys and coexisting magmatic laurite (RuS2) and their products of metamorphic alteration. Unusual mineral phases in chromite, not previously reported in this ophiolite, include super-reduced and/or nominally ultra-high pressure minerals moissanite (SiC), native Cu and silicates (oriented clinopyroxene lamellae), but “exotic” zircon and diaspore have also been identified. We interpret that clinopyroxene lamellae have a magmatic origin, whereas super-reduced phases originated during serpentinization processes and diaspore is linked to late circulation of low-silica fluids related to rodingitization. Zircon grains, on the other hand, with apatite and serpentine inclusions, could either have formed after the interaction of chromitite with mantle-derived melts or could represent subducted detrital sediments later incorporated into the chromitites. We offer a comparison of the Bou Azzer chromitites with other Precambrian ophiolitic chromitites worldwide, which are rather scarce in the geological record. The studied chromitites are very similar to the Neoproterozoic chromitites reported in the Arabian-Nubian shield, which are also related to the Panafrican orogeny. Thus, we conclude that the Bou Azzer chromitites formed in a subduction-initiation geodynamic setting with two-stages of evolution, with formation of FAB-derived intermediate-Cr chromitites in the early stage and formation of boninite-derived high-Cr chromitites in the late stage.
Abstract: The authors propose methods and means to monitor deformation and subsidence of ore crown under mining of open-pit bottom reserves by room-and-pillar system with cemented backfill in Mir Mine, ALROSA. The article describes layout and data of geomechanical monitoring. The mechanism of ore subsidence at the lower boundary of the safety pillar is determined.
Abstract: The southern U.S. continental margin records a history spanning ca. 1.2 Ga, including two Wilson cycles. However, due to a thick sediment cover, the paucity of significant local seismicity, and, until recently, sparse instrumentation, details of this passive margin’s tectonomagmatic evolution remain disputed. This paper compares recent S-wave tomography and crustal thickness models based on USArray data to help establish a framework for geodynamic interpretation. Large-scale patterns of crustal velocity anomalies, corresponding to major regional features such as the Ouachita orogenic front and the Precambrian margin, are generally consistent between the models. The spatial extent of smaller-scale tectonic features, such as the Sabine Uplift and Wiggins block, remains poorly resolved. An inverse relationship between crustal thickness and Bouguer gravity across the continental margin is observed. This model comparison highlights the need for additional P-wave tomography studies and targeted, higher density station deployments to better constrain tectonic features.
Diamond summary for July 14, briefs on Harry Winston's Diavik production, Shore Gold's feasibility, Shear's progress on Jericho and their other properties .
Diamond summary for July 7, 2011 History related to Rex Mining ( Koidu); KWG Debut Diamonds; Harry Winston and speculation about interest in see list below
LREE and Nb multi metal potentiality of the Amba Dongar carbonatite complex, Chhota Udepur district, Gujarat.
Carbonatite-alkaline rocks and associated mineral deposits , Dec. 8-11, abstract p. 43-44.
India
deposit - Amba Dongar
Abstract: Rare earth elements (REE) are used in science innovations, due to their unique magnetic, fluorescent and chemical properties. REE are key components in rnany technological devices, like hybrid rechargeable batteries, catalysts, glass polishing, magnets, lasers, TV colour components, superconductors, ceramics etc. They are in great demand for hybrid cars, CD, cameras and high end defence systems. Similarly, niobium (Nb) finds its usage in diverse high tech applications including atomic energy. With increasing technological applications of REE and Nb, their global demand has enhanced over the years. To keep pace with the current demand, many carbonatite complexes in India including the Amba Dongar were revisited to assess their REE and Nb content. Amba Dongar is a classic carbonatite-alkalic rock complex of the Deccan basalt plateau and is emplaced in close proximity to Narmada rift zone. The main rock types of carbonatite affinity include sovite (calcium carbonatite), ankerite (Fe-Mg•Mn carbonatite), siderite (Fe carbonatite), carbonatite breccia (mixed rock. fragments with carbonate cement) etc. Sovite forms a large ring-dyke (nearly 1.5 km dia.) surrounding an incomplete ring of carbonatite breccia. Plugs of ankeritic carbonatite intrude the sovite. To assess rare metal and REE potential of the carbonatite complex geological and radiometric surveys followed by core drilling were carried out in western part of the complex. Rocks of carbonatite affinity have been intercepted in all the boreholes upto a maximum drilled depth of 150 m. It is for the first time that presence of carbonatite and carbonatite breccia has been reported below central basalt in the Amba Dongar complex. Continuity of carbonatites beyond the drilled depth is inferred. Petromineralogical and X-Ray Diffraction studies indicated presence of REE minerals such as monazite, thorite, cerite, synchisite and bastnasite. Besides, rare earth fluorocarbonates, parisite, florencite, barite, strontianite and columbite have also been reported by earlier investigators. Fairly good amount of pyrochlore (Nb mineral) is also present in all the variants of carbonatite. Detailed chemical analysis core at 1 m interval and of composite samples from every borehole was carried out. The results indicate homogeneity of mineralisation in the entire column upto an explored vertical depth of 120 m. Except a few lean zones, the entire column hosts REE mineralisation of the order of >1% ?REE. Some zones have indicated REE mineralisation of the order of >4 % also. Major element analysis of a composite sample representing a small block (400 m x 100 m x 113 m) indicates 14.69% SiO2, 10.57% Fe2O3, 7 21% MgO, 32.23% CaO, 2.77%, Al2O3, 1.48% P2O5, 2.13% MnO, 0.84% FeO, 0.37% TiO2, 0.95% Na2O, 1.35% K2O, and 23.50% LOI. 1.16% LREE (including 161 ppm HREE), 215 ppm Y, 650 ppm Nb, 310 ppm Th and 467 ppm V appear to be of economic significance. Additionally, presence of high content of Ba (2.65%), Sr (0.50%), Pb (530 ppm), F (1.95%) and Zn (1248 ppm) is also important. Taking into consideration these results, resource estimation of a small block of 400 m x 100 m (0.04 sq. km) with an average depth of 113 m was carried out Inferred REE resources ~140000 tonnes contained in 12.00 million tonne ore have been estimated with an average grade of 1.16% REE. Additionally, this block contains 9,600 tonnes Nb2O5 at an average grade of 0 08 % Nb2O5. These values indicate high potential of Amba Dongar carbonatite complex.
An experimental study of Fe oxidation states in garnet and clinopyroxene as a function of temperature in the system CaO FeO Fe2O3 MgO Al2O3 SiO2: implications for garnet-clinopyroxene geothermometry.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 164, 4, pp. 623-639.
Neues Jahbuch fur Mineralogie, Vol. 196, 3, pp. 193-196.
Europe, Spain
lamproite
Abstract: Al analogue of chayesite (with Al > Fe3+) was found in a lamproite from Cancarix, SE Spain. The mineral forms green thick-tabular crystals up to 0.4 mm across in cavities. The empirical formula derived from EMP measurements and calculated on the basis of 17 Mg + Fe + Al + Si apfu is (K0.75 Na0.20 Ca0.11)Mg3.04 Fe0.99 Al1.18 Si11.80 O30. The crystal structure was determined from single crystal X-ray diffraction data ( R = 2.38%). The mineral is hexagonal, space group P 6/ mcc, a = 10.09199(12), c = 14.35079(19) Ĺ, V = 1265.78(3) Ĺ3, Z = 2. Fe is predominantly divalent. Al is mainly distributed between the octahedral A site and the tetrahedral T 2 site. The crystal chemical formula derived from the structure refinement is C (K0.73 Na0.16 Ca0.11) B (Na0.02)4 A (Mg0.42 Al0.29 Fe0.29)2 T 2(Mg0.71 Fe0.16 Al0.13)3 T 1(Si0.985 Al0.015)12 O30.
European Journal of Mineralogy, Vol. 31, pp. 13-143.
Russia, Kola Peninsula
deposit - Khibiny
Abstract: The new mineral alexkhomyakovite K6(Ca2Na)(CO3)5Cl?6H2O (IMA2015-013) occurs in a peralkaline pegmatite at Mt. Koashva, Khibiny alkaline complex, Kola peninsula, Russia. It is a hydrothermal mineral associated with villiaumite, natrite, potassic feldspar, pectolite, sodalite, biotite, lamprophyllite, titanite, fluorapatite, wadeite, burbankite, rasvumite, djerfisherite, molybdenite and an incompletely characterized Na-Ca silicate. Alexkhomyakovite occurs as equant grains up to 0.2 mm, veinlets up to 3 cm long and up to 1 mm thick and fine-grained aggregates replacing delhayelite. Alexkhomyakovite is transparent to translucent, colourless, white or grey, with vitreous to greasy lustre. It is brittle, the Mohs hardness is ca. 3. No cleavage was observed, the fracture is uneven. D meas = 2.25(1), D calc = 2.196 g cm?3. Alexkhomyakovite is optically uniaxial (-), ? = 1.543(2), ? = 1.476(2). The infrared spectrum is reported. The chemical composition [wt%, electron microprobe data, CO2 and H2O contents calculated for 5 (CO3) and 6 (H2O) per formula unit (pfu), respectively] is: Na2O 4.09, K2O 35.72, CaO 14.92, MnO 0.01, FeO 0.02, SO3 0.11, Cl 4.32, CO2 28.28, H2O 13.90, -O=Cl -0.98, total 100.39. The empirical formula calculated on the basis of 9 metal cations pfu is K5.90Ca2.07Na1.03(CO3)5(SO4)0.01O0.05Cl0.95?6H2O. The numbers of CO3 groups and H2O molecules are based on structure data. Alexkhomyakovite is hexagonal, P63/mcm, a = 9.2691(2), c = 15.8419(4) Ĺ, V = 1178.72(5) Ĺ3 and Z = 2. The strongest reflections of the powder X-ray diffraction pattern [d Ĺ(I)(hkl)] are: 7.96(27)(002), 3.486(35)(113), 3.011(100)(114), 2.977(32)(211), 2.676(36)(300), 2.626(42)(213, 115), 2.206(26)(311) and 1.982(17)(008). The crystal structure (solved from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data, R = 0.0578) is unique. It is based on (001) heteropolyhedral layers of pentagonal bipyramids (Ca,Na)O5(H2O)2 interconnected via carbonate groups of two types, edge-sharing ones and vertex-sharing ones. Ca and Na are disordered. Ten-fold coordinated K cations centre KO6Cl(H2O)3 polyhedra on either side of the heteropolyhedral layer. A third type of carbonate group and Cl occupy the interlayer. The mineral is named in honour of the outstanding Russian mineralogist Alexander Petrovich Khomyakov (1933-2012).
Abstract: Phase relations in the MgSiO3-MgTiO3 and Mg3Al2Si3O12-MgTiO3 systems were studied at 10-24 GPa and 1600 °C using a high-pressure Kawai-type multianvil apparatus. We investigated the full range of starting compositions for the enstatite-geikielite system to derive a P-X phase diagram and synthesize titanium-bearing phases, such as olivine/wadsleyite, rutile, pyroxene, MgTiSi2O7 weberite, bridgmanite and MST-bridgmanite in a wide pressure range. Olivine and pyroxene in run products are characterized by a low titanium content (<0.6 and <0.3 wt% TiO2, respectively) whereas the content of TiO2 in wadsleyite reaches 2 wt% at 12 GPa. The concentration of Ti in MgTiSi2O7 weberite decreases with pressure from 52 wt% TiO2 at 14 GPa to 43 wt% TiO2 at 18 GPa. Two perovskite-type structures (MgSiO3 bridgmanite and Mg(Si,Ti)O3 bridgmanite) were detected in the studied system. MgSiO3 bridgmanite (Brd) is formed at a pressure of >20 GPa and characterized by significant titanium solubility (up to 13 wt% TiO2 at 24 GPa). Mg(Si,Ti)O3 perovskite is formed at a pressure of >17 GPa. The concentration of TiO2 in this phase varies from 29 wt% to 49 wt%. It was found that addition of Ti to the system moves the boundaries of Ol/Wad phase transformations to lower pressures. Addition of Al to the starting material allows us to simulate the composition of natural Ti-rich garnets and bridgmanites. It is important to note that garnet in the Prp-Gkl system is stable throughout a wide pressure range (10-24 GPa). Al incorporation does not affect the distribution of titanium between two types of bridgmanite. It is shown that high contents of Ti stabilize bridgmanite-like compounds at considerably lower pressure than that at the lower mantle/transition zone boundary. Our experiments simulate the composition of natural Ti-rich primary garnet found in eclogite from the Sulu ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) terrane.
Abstract: Phase relations in the MgSiO3-MgTiO3 and Mg3Al2Si3O12-MgTiO3 systems were studied at 10-24 GPa and 1600 °C using a high-pressure Kawai-type multianvil apparatus. We investigated the full range of starting compositions for the enstatite-geikielite system to derive a P-X phase diagram and synthesize titanium-bearing phases, such as olivine/wadsleyite, rutile, pyroxene, MgTiSi2O7 weberite, bridgmanite and MST-bridgmanite in a wide pressure range. Olivine and pyroxene in run products are characterized by a low titanium content (<0.6 and <0.3 wt% TiO2, respectively) whereas the content of TiO2 in wadsleyite reaches 2 wt% at 12 GPa. The concentration of Ti in MgTiSi2O7 weberite decreases with pressure from 52 wt% TiO2 at 14 GPa to 43 wt% TiO2 at 18 GPa. Two perovskite-type structures (MgSiO3 bridgmanite and Mg(Si,Ti)O3 bridgmanite) were detected in the studied system. MgSiO3 bridgmanite (Brd) is formed at a pressure of >20 GPa and characterized by significant titanium solubility (up to 13 wt% TiO2 at 24 GPa). Mg(Si,Ti)O3 perovskite is formed at a pressure of >17 GPa. The concentration of TiO2 in this phase varies from 29 wt% to 49 wt%. It was found that addition of Ti to the system moves the boundaries of Ol/Wad phase transformations to lower pressures. Addition of Al to the starting material allows us to simulate the composition of natural Ti-rich garnets and bridgmanites. It is important to note that garnet in the Prp-Gkl system is stable throughout a wide pressure range (10-24 GPa). Al incorporation does not affect the distribution of titanium between two types of bridgmanite. It is shown that high contents of Ti stabilize bridgmanite-like compounds at considerably lower pressure than that at the lower mantle/transition zone boundary. Our experiments simulate the composition of natural Ti-rich primary garnet found in eclogite from the Sulu ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) terrane.
Abstract: The formation of platinum-group minerals (PGM) during magma differentiation has been suggested to be an important process in primitive magma evolution, but decisive textural evidence is difficult to obtain because PGM tend to be very small and very rare. We have investigated Cr-spinel phenocrysts from two oxidized magmas (Siberian meimechite and Vanuatu [Ambae Island] arc picrite) and one reduced magma (Uralian [Russia] ankaramite) for PGM inclusions and their platinum-group element (PGE) contents. We observed Os-Ir and Pt-Fe alloys entrapped as inclusions in Cr-spinel in all three suites of lava. The alloys may occur in association with PGE-bearing sulfides and co-trapped silicate melt. Cr-spinel crystals also contain measurable amounts of Os, Ir, Ru, and Rh, which are at concentrations 2×–100× higher than mantle values. Thermodynamic models indicate that the arc picrite and ankaramite melts were probably both saturated with the observed PGM phases, whereas the Os-Ir alloy grain observed in the meimechite is not in equilibrium with the “bulk” melt. Our results demonstrate that PGM (alloys and sulfides) occur as liquidus phases in primitive (unfractionated) melts at high temperature and at a variety of redox conditions, and that Cr-spinel is a significant host of PGE, either in the crystal structure or as PGM inclusions.
Abstract: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) is highly sensitive to the surface chemistry of nanodiamonds. In this review, we discuss the different FTIR methods available to characterize nanodiamonds and highlight their advantages and limitations. We also summarize the possible assignments of FTIR spectra of nanodiamonds reported in the literature and discuss FTIR spectra of nanodiamonds modified by different surface treatments. Current work of FTIR applied to in situ and operando characterization of nanodiamonds, in particular nanodiamonds exposed to water or characterized during electrochemical and photocatalytic processes, are also discussed. Finally, perspectives regarding possible future FTIR development for nanodiamonds characterization are proposed.
Yelisseyev, A., Khrenov, A., Afanasiev, V., Pustavarov, V., Gromilov, S., Panchenko, A., Poikilenko, N., Litasov, K.
Luminesence of impact diamonds from the Popigai astrobleme.
V.S. Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy Siberian Branch Russian Academy of Sciences International Symposium Advances in high pressure research: breaking scales and horizons ( Courtesy of N. Poikilenko), Held Sept. 22-26, 2p. Abstract
Diamond and Related Materials, Vol. 58, pp. 69-77.
Russia
Deposit - Popigai
Abstract: Impact diamonds (IDs) from the Popigai crater are aggregates of nanoparticulate graphite and cubic and hexagonal diamonds. IDs demonstrate broad-band emissions at 3.05, 2.8, 2.3 and 2.0 eV, which are associated with structural defects and are similar to those in detonation ultra-dispersed diamonds and CVD diamond films. A doublet with components at 1.7856 and 1.7892 eV in some ID samples is related to R1,2 lines of Cr3 + ions in corundum inclusions. The presence of N3, H3, NV0 and NV? vibronic systems in some of the ID samples shows that (i) there is nitrogen impurity and (ii) samples underwent high temperature annealing that promoted vacancies and nitrogen diffusion and defect aggregation. The luminescence decay fits with a sum of two exponential components: lifetime of the fast one is in the 5 to 9 ns range. Parameters of the traps responsible for broad thermoluminescence peaks at 148, 180, 276 and 383 K were estimated.
Abstract: The paper discusses the morphology and compositional variations of ilmenite group minerals from kimberlites of two phases at the Kimozero locality, the oldest in Russia. Phenocrysts of Mn-rich picroilmenite and Fe-rich geikielite in kimberlites of both phases are similar in morphology and composition. Ilmenite from cement in the second-phase kimberlites enriched in Mg and rimming small regularly shaped chrome spinel phenocrysts is not present in the first-phase kimberlites. Ilmenite, manganilmenite, and Fe-bearing pyrophanite (22-24 wt % MnO) abundant in the cement of the second-phase kimberlites are twice as rich in Nb and substantially richer in Mn than ilmenite up to manganilmenite from the cement of the first-phase kimberlites. Ilmenite and manganilmenite of the first-phase kimberlites is enriched in Zn (up to 1.5 wt % ZnO). Ilmenite from the second-phase kimberlites contains up to 3 wt % Cr2O3. In Nb concentration, kimberlitic rocks of the Kimozero are similar to those found in other parts of the world (up to 3.5 wt % Nb2O5). Significant Mn-enrichment of the ilmenite group minerals is a common feature of Kimozero kimberlitic rocks. It is suggested that kimberlites in which all ilmenite group minerals—from megacrysts and phenocrysts to small segregations in the cement—are enriched in Me, formed with the participation of carbonatite melts with increased alkalinity.
Abstract: We estimate the mantle source compositions for mantle plumes, and by implication Earth’s lower mantle, by: (a) measuring trace (e.g, Sc, V, Cu) and minor (e.g., Ca, Mn, Ni) element concentrations of high forsterite olivine grains from several plume localities, (b) estimating the parent liquid compositions from which they crystallized, (c) calculating mantle potential temperatures and degrees of partial melting and (d) estimating trace element compositions of depleted and enriched mantle sources. Our sample set includes two continental flood basalt provinces (Emeishan and Deccan), a flood basalt that erupted in a continental rift setting (Baffin Island), our type example of a thermal mantle plume (Hawaii) and lavas from the Siqueiros Transform at the East Pacific Rise, which represent the mid-ocean ridge system. We also present olivine compositions for the peridotite xenoliths from Kilbourne Hole, New Mexico, USA, which are commonly used as primary and secondary analytical standards. We find that trace elements in lava-hosted olivine grains are too far removed from their mantle source to provided anything but greatly hindered views of such. Olivine compositions reflect not only evolving liquid compositions (including partial melting conditions and later fractionation), but also evolving Ol+liq partition coefficients, which mostly increase with decreasing T during crystallization. Mantle compositions, delimited by maximum forsterite contents and estimates of parental magmas (and experimentally determined partition coefficients) indicate that our selected plumes reflect some combination of (1) a depleted mantle source that is quite similar to that obtained by other methods, and (2) a variably enriched plume source that is more enriched than current estimates of pyrolite. The enriched plume mantle sources can be explained remarkably well as a mixture of subducted mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB; Gale et al. 2013) and depleted MORB mantle (DM; Salters and Stracke 2004), with MORB:DM ratios of 1:5 to 1:4. These ratios are most sensitive to estimates of melt fraction where plume parental magmas are last equilibrated with their mantle source, but are nonetheless consistent across a wide range of chemically very different elements, and estimates of MORB and DM obtained by very different means. Baffin Island is of particular interest. Like prior studies, we verify a high mantle potential temperature (Tp) of 1630oC (compared to Tp = 1320-1420oC for MORB from Cottrell and Kelley 2011 for Ol of Fo89.3-91.4). The Baffin source is also within error the same as DM with respect to trace elements, although still isotopically distinct; Baffin appears to be sourced in something that is akin to DM that lies at the base of the mantle, where plumes acquire their excess heat. Thus while part of our analysis supports the concept of a "slab graveyard" at the bottom of the lower mantle (e.g., Wyession 1996), that cemetery is by no means ubiquitous at the CMB: subducted slabs are either unevenly interred, or efficiently excavated by later upwellings.
Mantle potential temperature at Hawaii, Iceland, and the mid-Ocean Ridge system, as inferred from olivine phenocrysts: evidence thermally driven mantle plumes
Abstract: Magmas are erupted from a wide range of depths. Olivine compositions, for example, indicate magma storage in the lower crust and upper mantle, while clinopyroxene and amphibole record middle to upper crust storage. Pre-eruptive magmas also often cool by 100-300?°C, frequently at middle-upper crust depths, indicating clogged, ephemeral volcanic pathways. These coolings imply that mafic recharge is not a sufficient cause for eruption and that crystallization-induced vapor saturation is a more proximal eruption trigger. But an improved understanding of eruption mechanisms require precise identifications of what are herein termed "ultimate", "proximal," and "immediate" causes of eruption.
Abstract: The Earth’s cratons are traditionally regarded as tectonically stable cores that were episodically buried by thin sedimentary covers. Cratonic crust in southern Finland holds seven post-1.7 Ga tiered unconformities, with remnants of former sedimentary covers. We use the geometries of the tiered unconformities, along with previously dated impact structures and kimberlite and carbonatite pipes, to reconstruct the erosion and burial history of the craton and to derive estimates of depths of erosion in basement and former sedimentary rocks. The close vertical spacing (<200 m) of the unconformities and the survival of small (D ? 5 km) Neoproterozoic and Early Palaeozoic impact structures indicate minor later erosion. Average erosion rates (<2.5 m/Ma) in basement and cover are amongst the lowest reported on Earth. Ultra-slow erosion has allowed the persistence in basement fractures of Phanerozoic fracture coatings and Palaeogene groundwater and microbiomes. Maximum thicknesses of foreland basin sediments in Finland during the Sveconorwegian and Caledonide orogenies are estimated as ~1.0 km and <0.68-1.0 km, respectively. Estimated losses of sedimentary cover derived from apatite fission track thermochronology are higher by factors of at least 2 to 4. A dynamic epeirogenic history of the craton in Finland, with kilometre-scale burial and exhumation, proposed in recent thermochronological models is not supported by other geological proxies. Ultra-slow erosion rates in southern Finland reflect long term tectonic stability and burial of the craton surface for a total of ~1.0 Ga beneath generally thin sedimentary cover.
General Petrological Aspects of Paleozoic Alkali Magmatism In the Kola Peninsula and the Rare Earth Distribution in Alkali Ultrabasic Lamprophyre Dikes.
Geochemistry International (Geokhimiya), Vol. 15, No. 3, PP. 124-135.
Short lived decay series disequilibration temperatures in the natrocarbonatite lavas of Oldoinyo Lengai, Tanzania: constraints on the timing of magma genesis
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 105, pp. 378-396
Abstract: Carbonates of the Tomtor complex of ultramafic alkaline rocks and carbonatites (the northern part of the Republic of Sakha Yakutia) are distinguished by a wide range of carbon isotopic composition ?13C from +2 to -59.9‰. The geological position, localization patterns, mineral and chemical compositions and the relationship with REE mineralization of samples with values of ?13C carbonates from -25 to -59‰ are characterized. The formation of abnormally low ?13C in carbonates is determined by the biogenic oxidation of methane from ?13Cmet to -70‰.
Russian Geology and Geophysics, Vol. 63, pp. 166-183.
Russia, Siberia
deposit - Udachnaya
Abstract: Results of a geochemical study of brines and oil occurrences in the Udachnaya kimberlite pipe are presented. Like other intrusions in the Daldyn-Alakit diamondiferous region, this diamond deposit is a unique cryohydrogeologic microstructure differing from the host sedimentary rocks and other diamond pipes of the Yakutian diamond-bearing province. Two waterlogged zones distinguished in the section of orebodies at the explored depths of the deposit correspond to the upper and middle Cambrian aquifers. Predominantly acidic (average pH = 5.5) Cl-Ca and Cl-Ca-Na brines with TDS from 94.3 to 391.3 g/dm3 are widespread within the orebodies and host rocks. The brine mineralization and contents of major salt-forming components increase with depth, to the horizon at the -365 m elevation, where TDS reaches 391 g/dm3, while below, at the -650 m level with noted hydrogeochemical-field inversion, TDS is 253 g/dm3. The mineralization of Cl-Ca, Cl-Ca-Na, Cl-Ca-Mg, and Cl-Ca-Mg-Na brines in the upper Cambrian rocks varies from 102.9 to 192.9 g/dm3, and the pH values, from 4.9 to 6.2, averaging 5.6. Among the microcomponents, the highest average concentrations (mg/dm3) are found for Br1292.8 > S875.7 > Sr453.7 > Fe79.7 > Li53.4 > B32.7 > I13.3 > Si10.8 > Mn6.4 > Se3.6 > Rb2.3. The values of genetic coefficients vary widely: The rNa/rCl coefficient ranges from 0.18 to 0.31; rCa/rMg, from 1.03 to 3.60; Ca/Cl, from 0.2 to 0.3; and the integrated metamorphism index S (according to S.L. Shvartsev) varies from 193 to 277. The middle Cambrian rock complex, containing more saline brines, has been examined in much more detail. It hosts Cl-Ca, Cl-Ca-Na, Cl-Ca-Mg, and Cl-Na-Mg brines with TDS from 94.3 to 391.3 g/dm3 and high average concentrations (mg/dm3) of microcomponents: Br2224.9 > Sr1024.9 >S500.1 > B202.9 > Li147.1 > Fe97.0 > I33.2 > Rb11.4 > Si9.6 > Se9.5 > Mn3.6 > Ni1.7. As compared with brines in the overlying rocks, the middle Cambrian brines show a wider variation in element ratios: rNa/rCl from 0.14 to 0.34, rCa/rMg from 0.66 to 9.71, and Ca/Cl from 0.03 to 0.45. These brines are also characterized by a significantly higher metamorphism grade, which is indicated not only by the rNa/rCl and rCa/rMg ratios but also by the S index varying from 278 to 316. The composition of stable isotopes ?D and ?18O) and dissolved inorganic carbon ?13C) of the brines was investigated. The studied waters are assumed to be of sedimentary-metamorphic origin. Their isotopic composition reflects the climatic conditions existing at the time of their burial, which were probably aggravated by the contribution of the oxygen isotope exchange with water-bearing rocks. The ?13C values of carbon dioxide dissolved in water allow an inference about its biogenic origin. The biogenic carbon isotope exchange is governed by the relationship between methanogenic and SMT processes. Analysis of the 87Rb/86Sr and 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios of the studied brines has revealed affinity between the isotopic compositions of waters in the Cambrian deposits and in ancient seawaters. The mass chromatograms of saturated-hydrocarbon (HC) fractions show at least two individual types of oils and malthas (naphthides). The third variety resulted from their mixing at different stages of migration. The fourth is from the contact zone; it changed during the explosion of kimberlites. The first, most common, type of naphthides (“postexplosive”) is similar in all geochemical parameters to oils from the Nepa-Botuobiya anteclise, in particular, to those from the Mirnyi arch. Oils of the second (pre-explosive) type are found only in the Udachnaya Formation, within the depth range 1130-1430 m.
Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 121, 9, pp. 6966-6987.
Mantle
Geodynamics
Abstract: Crustal inheritance is often considered important in the tectonic evolution of the Wilson Cycle. However, the role of the mantle lithosphere is usually overlooked due to its difficulty to image and uncertainty in rheological makeup. Recently, increased resolution in lithosphere imaging has shown potential scarring in continental mantle lithosphere to be ubiquitous. In our study, we analyze intraplate deformation driven by mantle lithosphere heterogeneities from ancient Wilson Cycle processes and compare this to crustal inheritance deformation. We present 2-D numerical experiments of continental convergence to generate intraplate deformation, exploring the limits of continental rheology to understand the dominant lithosphere layer across a broad range of geological settings. By implementing a "jelly sandwich" rheology, common in stable continental lithosphere, we find that during compression the strength of the mantle lithosphere is integral in generating deformation from a structural anomaly. We posit that if the continental mantle is the strongest layer within the lithosphere, then such inheritance may have important implications for the Wilson Cycle. Furthermore, our models show that deformation driven by mantle lithosphere scarring can produce tectonic patterns related to intraplate orogenesis originating from crustal sources, highlighting the need for a more formal discussion of the role of the mantle lithosphere in plate tectonics.
Geological Society of London, Special Publication, Vol. 470, doi:10.1144 /SP470.7
Mantle
tectonics
Abstract: This review of the role of the mantle lithosphere in plate tectonic processes collates a wide range of recent studies from seismology and numerical modelling. A continually growing catalogue of deep geophysical imaging has illuminated the mantle lithosphere and generated new interpretations of how the lithosphere evolves. We review current ideas about the role of continental mantle lithosphere in plate tectonic processes. Evidence seems to be growing that scarring in the continental mantle lithosphere is ubiquitous, which implies a reassessment of the widely held view that it is the inheritance of crustal structure only (rather than the lithosphere as a whole) that is most important in the conventional theory of plate tectonics (e.g. the Wilson cycle). Recent studies have interpreted mantle lithosphere heterogeneities to be pre-existing structures and, as such, linked to the Wilson cycle and inheritance. We consider the current fundamental questions in the role of the mantle lithosphere in causing tectonic deformation, reviewing recent results and highlighting the potential of the deep lithosphere in infiltrating every aspect of plate tectonics processes.
Abstract: This review of the role of the mantle lithosphere in plate tectonic processes collates a wide range of recent studies from seismology and numerical modelling. A continually growing catalogue of deep geophysical imaging has illuminated the mantle lithosphere and generated new interpretations of how the lithosphere evolves. We review current ideas about the role of continental mantle lithosphere in plate tectonic processes. Evidence seems to be growing that scarring in the continental mantle lithosphere is ubiquitous, which implies a reassessment of the widely held view that it is the inheritance of crustal structure only (rather than the lithosphere as a whole) that is most important in the conventional theory of plate tectonics (e.g. the Wilson cycle). Recent studies have interpreted mantle lithosphere heterogeneities to be pre-existing structures and, as such, linked to the Wilson cycle and inheritance. We consider the current fundamental questions in the role of the mantle lithosphere in causing tectonic deformation, reviewing recent results and highlighting the potential of the deep lithosphere in infiltrating every aspect of plate tectonics processes.
N: Cycle Concepts in Plate Tectonics, editors Wilson and Houseman , Geological Society of London special publication 470, pp. 137-155.
Mantle
plate tectonics
Abstract: This review of the role of the mantle lithosphere in plate tectonic processes collates a wide range of recent studies from seismology and numerical modelling. A continually growing catalogue of deep geophysical imaging has illuminated the mantle lithosphere and generated new interpretations of how the lithosphere evolves. We review current ideas about the role of continental mantle lithosphere in plate tectonic processes. Evidence seems to be growing that scarring in the continental mantle lithosphere is ubiquitous, which implies a reassessment of the widely held view that it is the inheritance of crustal structure only (rather than the lithosphere as a whole) that is most important in the conventional theory of plate tectonics (e.g. the Wilson cycle). Recent studies have interpreted mantle lithosphere heterogeneities to be pre-existing structures and, as such, linked to the Wilson cycle and inheritance. We consider the current fundamental questions in the role of the mantle lithosphere in causing tectonic deformation, reviewing recent results and highlighting the potential of the deep lithosphere in infiltrating every aspect of plate tectonics processes.
Trace element heterogeneity in hydrothermal diopside: evidence for Ti depletion and Sr Eu LREE enrichment during hydrothermal metamorphism of mantle harzburgite.
Journal of Mineralogical and Petrological Sciences, Vol. 102, 2, pp. 143-149.