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SDLRC - Scientific Articles all years by Author - Sn-Ss
The Sheahan Diamond Literature Reference Compilation
The Sheahan Diamond Literature Reference Compilation is compiled by Patricia Sheahan who publishes on a monthly basis a list of new scientific articles related to diamonds as well as media coverage and corporate announcementscalled the Sheahan Diamond Literature Service that is distributed as a free pdf to a list of followers. Pat has kindly agreed to allow her work to be made available as an online digital resource at Kaiser Research Online so that a broader community interested in diamonds and related geology can benefit. The references are for personal use information purposes only; when available a link is provided to an online location where the full article can be accessed or purchased directly. Reproduction of this compilation in part or in whole without permission from the Sheahan Diamond Literature Service is strictly prohibited. Return to Diamond Resource Center
Sheahan Diamond Literature Reference Compilation - Scientific Articles by Author for all years
The SDLRC provides 3 types of references identified in the reference code. DS for scientific article, DM for a media article, and DC for a corporate announcement. Consider DS0512-0001. The DS stands for "diamond scientific". 05 stands for 2005, the year the reference was posted. 12 represents the month the reference was posted. For all years prior to 2015 the default month is 12. -0001 is the reference's identifier and it does not mean anything. The number below the refence code, ie 2015, is the year the article was published. Note that the posted year may sometimes be later than the published year.
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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: Atom-probe tomography (APT) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) provide complementary in situ element and isotope data in minerals such as zircon. SIMS measures isotope ratios and trace elements from 1–20 ?m spots with excellent accuracy and precision. APT identifies mass/charge and three-dimensional position of individual atoms (±0.3 nm) in 100 nm-scale samples, volumes up to one million times smaller than SIMS. APT data provide unique information for understanding element and isotope distribution; crystallization and thermal history; and mechanisms of mineral reaction and exchange. This atomistic view enables evaluation of the fidelity of geochemical data for zircon because it provides new understanding of radiation damage, and can test for intracrystalline element mobility. Nano-geochronology is one application of APT in which Pb isotope ratios from sub-micrometer domains of zircon provide model ages of crystallization and identify later magmatic and metamorphic reheating.
Mine Water and the Environment, in press available, 19p.
Canada, Northwest Territories
Deposit - Gahcho Kue
Abstract: Eight water models were used to assess potential aquatic environmental effects of the proposed Gahcho Kué diamond mine on groundwater and surface water flow and quality in the Northwest Territories, Canada. This sequence of models was required to cover different spatial and temporal domains, as well as specific physico-chemical processes that could not be simulated by a single model. Where their domains overlapped, the models were interlinked. Feedback mechanisms amongst models were addressed through iterative simulations of linked models. The models were used to test and refine mitigation plans, and in the development of aquatic component monitoring programs. Key findings generated by each model are presented here as testable hypotheses that can be evaluated after the mine is operational. This paper therefore offers a record of assumptions and predictions that can be used as a basis for post-validation.
Mine Water and the Environment, Vol. 35, pp. 350-368.
Canada, Northwest Territories
Deposit - Gahcho Kue
Abstract: Eight water models were used to assess potential aquatic environmental effects of the proposed Gahcho Kué diamond mine on groundwater and surface water flow and quality in the Northwest Territories, Canada. This sequence of models was required to cover different spatial and temporal domains, as well as specific physico-chemical processes that could not be simulated by a single model. Where their domains overlapped, the models were interlinked. Feedback mechanisms amongst models were addressed through iterative simulations of linked models. The models were used to test and refine mitigation plans, and in the development of aquatic component monitoring programs. Key findings generated by each model are presented here as testable hypotheses that can be evaluated after the mine is operational. This paper therefore offers a record of assumptions and predictions that can be used as a basis for post-validation.
Abstract: Mantle enrichment processes were thought to be limited to parts of oceanic plates influenced by plumes and to continental interiors. Analyses of mantle fragments of the Pacific Plate suggest that such enrichment processes may operate everywhere.
Abstract: Construction histories of Archean cratons remain poorly understood; their destruction is even less clear because of its rarity, but metasomatic weakening is an essential precursor. By assembling geophysical and geochemical data in 3-D lithosphere models, a clearer understanding of the geometry of major structures within the Rae, Slave and Wyoming cratons of central North America is now possible. Little evidence exists of subducted slab-like geometries similar to modern oceanic lithosphere in these construction histories. Underthrusting and wedging of proto-continental lithosphere is inferred from multiple dipping discontinuities, emphasizing the role of lateral accretion. Archean continental building blocks may resemble the modern lithosphere of oceanic plateau, but they better match the sort of refractory crust expected to have formed at Archean ocean spreading centres. Radiometric dating of mantle xenoliths provides estimates of rock types and ages at depth beneath sparse kimberlite occurrences, and these ages can be correlated to surface rocks. The 3.6–2.6 Ga Rae, Slave and Wyoming cratons stabilized during a granitic bloom at 2.61–2.55 Ga. This stabilization probably represents the final differentiation of early crust into a relatively homogeneous, uniformly thin (35–42 km), tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite crust with pyroxenite layers near the Moho atop depleted lithospheric mantle. Peak thermo-tectonic events at 1.86–1.7 Ga broadly metasomatized, mineralized and recrystallized mantle and lower crustal rocks, apparently making mantle peridotite more ‘fertile’ and more conductive by introducing or concentrating sulfides or graphite at 80–120 km depths. This metasomatism may have also weakened the lithosphere or made it more susceptible to tectonic or chemical erosion. Late Cretaceous flattening of Farallon lithosphere that included the Shatsky Rise conjugate appears to have weakened, eroded and displaced the base of the Wyoming craton below 140–160 km. This process replaced the old re-fertilized continental mantle with relatively young depleted oceanic mantle.
Geological Society of London Special Publication: Continent formation through time., No. 389, pp. 41-67.
Canada, Ontario, Quebec
Geotectonics
Abstract: Hudson Bay Lithospheric Experiment (HuBLE) was designed to understand the processes that formed Laurentia and the Hudson Bay basin within it. Receiver function analysis shows that Archaean terranes display structurally simple, uniform thickness, felsic crust. Beneath the Palaeoproterozoic Trans-Hudson Orogen (THO), thicker, more complex crust is interpreted as evidence for a secular evolution in crustal formation from non-plate-tectonic in the Palaeoarchaean to fully developed plate tectonics by the Palaeoproterozoic. Corroborating this hypothesis, anisotropy studies reveal 1.8 Ga plate-scale THO-age fabrics. Seismic tomography shows that the Proterozoic mantle has lower wavespeeds than surrounding Archaean blocks; the Laurentian keel thus formed partly in post-Archaean times. A mantle transition zone study indicates ‘normal’ temperatures beneath the Laurentian keel, so any cold mantle down-welling associated with the regional free-air gravity anomaly is probably confined to the upper mantle. Focal mechanisms from earthquakes indicate that present-day crustal stresses are influenced by glacial rebound and pre-existing faults. Ambient-noise tomography reveals a low-velocity anomaly, coincident with a previously inferred zone of crustal stretching, eliminating eclogitization of lower crustal rocks as a basin formation mechanism. Hudson Bay is an ephemeral feature, caused principally by incomplete glacial rebound. Plate stretching is the primary mechanism responsible for the formation of the basin itself.
Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems: G3, Vol. 16, 10, pp. 3555-3574.
Canada, Saskatchewan, Alberta
Rae Craton
Abstract: Reconstruction of the 3-dimensional tectonic assembly of early continents, first as Archean cratons and then Proterozoic shields, remains poorly understood. In this paper, all readily available geophysical and geochemical data are assembled in a 3-D model with the most accurate bedrock geology in order to understand better the geometry of major structures within the Rae craton of central Canada. Analysis of geophysical observations of gravity and seismic wave speed variations revealed several lithospheric-scale discontinuities in physical properties. Where these discontinuities project upward to correlate with mapped upper crustal geological structures, the discontinuities can be interpreted as shear zones. Radiometric dating of xenoliths provides estimates of rock types and ages at depth beneath sparse kimberlite occurrences. These ages can also be correlated to surface rocks. The 3.6-2.6 Ga Rae craton comprises at least three smaller continental terranes, which "cratonized" during a granitic bloom. Cratonization probably represents final differentiation of early crust into a relatively homogeneous, uniformly thin (35-42 km), tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite crust with pyroxenite layers near the Moho. The peak thermotectonic event at 1.86-1.7 Ga was associated with the Hudsonian orogeny that assembled several cratons and lesser continental blocks into the Canadian Shield using a number of southeast-dipping megathrusts. This orogeny metasomatized, mineralized, and recrystallized mantle and lower crustal rocks, apparently making them more conductive by introducing or concentrating sulfides or graphite. Little evidence exists of thin slabs similar to modern oceanic lithosphere in this Precambrian construction history whereas underthrusting and wedging of continental lithosphere is inferred from multiple dipping discontinuities.
Abstract: Construction histories of Archean cratons remain poorly understood; their destruction is even less clear because of its rarity, but metasomatic weakening is an essential precursor. By assembling geophysical and geochemical data in 3-D lithosphere models, a clearer understanding of the geometry of major structures within the Rae, Slave and Wyoming cratons of central North America is now possible. Little evidence exists of subducted slab-like geometries similar to modern oceanic lithosphere in these construction histories. Underthrusting and wedging of proto-continental lithosphere is inferred from multiple dipping discontinuities, emphasizing the role of lateral accretion. Archean continental building blocks may resemble the modern lithosphere of oceanic plateau, but they better match the sort of refractory crust expected to have formed at Archean ocean spreading centres. Radiometric dating of mantle xenoliths provides estimates of rock types and ages at depth beneath sparse kimberlite occurrences, and these ages can be correlated to surface rocks. The 3.6-2.6 Ga Rae, Slave and Wyoming cratons stabilized during a granitic bloom at 2.61-2.55 Ga. This stabilization probably represents the final differentiation of early crust into a relatively homogeneous, uniformly thin (35-42 km), tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite crust with pyroxenite layers near the Moho atop depleted lithospheric mantle. Peak thermo-tectonic events at 1.86-1.7 Ga broadly metasomatized, mineralized and recrystallized mantle and lower crustal rocks, apparently making mantle peridotite more ‘fertile’ and more conductive by introducing or concentrating sulfides or graphite at 80-120 km depths. This metasomatism may have also weakened the lithosphere or made it more susceptible to tectonic or chemical erosion. Late Cretaceous flattening of Farallon lithosphere that included the Shatsky Rise conjugate appears to have weakened, eroded and displaced the base of the Wyoming craton below 140-160 km. This process replaced the old re-fertilized continental mantle with relatively young depleted oceanic mantle.
Mineralogy and Petrology, doi.org/10.1007/s00710-018-0609-4 14p.
Canada, Northwest Territories
deposit - Darby
Abstract: New geological and geophysical research on Canada’s Rae craton are providing an increasingly good baseline for diamond exploration. This study uses mantle xenoliths and xenocrysts from the Darby property, located ~200 km southwest of the community of Kugaaruk, Nunavut, to provide new information on the lithospheric mantle and diamond potential of the western portion of the central Rae. Peridotite xenoliths containing enough fresh olivine have a median Mg# value of 92.5, indistinguishable from the median value of 92.6 typical of cratonic peridotites world-wide. Only of the 14 peridotitic xenoliths contain fresh garnet. Of these, garnet in one sample is classified as harzburgitic (G10), giving a minimum pressure of 4.7 GPa using the P38 geobarometer (38 mW/m2 model geothermal gradient), while garnets from three peridotites are classified as lherzolitic (G9). 52 garnets picked from concentrate have lherzolitic affinities. Lherzolitic diopsides from kimberlite heavy mineral concentrate yield a lithospheric thickness of ~ 200 km. The four garnet peridotite xenoliths and 49 peridotitic garnets from concentrate yield two distinct modes in mantle sampling depths using Ni thermometry, when projected to the Cpx geotherm. A cluster of samples from the higher Ca/Cr lherzolitic garnets equilibrated at 765 to 920 °C with a group of peridotitic garnets (50 % of xenoliths and 28 % of concentrate) from the lower Ca/Cr lherzolitic garnets with anomalously high Ti concentrations yielding super-adiabatic TNi values The aluminum-in-olivine thermometer applied to olivines filtered to be “garnet facies yielded a mantle sampling portion of the mantle cargo from the diamond stability field. A suite of pyroxenitic xenoliths are a feature of each Darby kimberlite target. New screening techniques indicate that these rocks likely originate close to the crust mantle boundary. Osmium isotope analyses of the Darby peridotites reveal whole-rock Re-depletion ages ranging from Mesoarchean to Paleoproterozoic. The pyroxenite xenoliths have very radiogenic Os isotope compositions and provide the first age information from pyroxenites/“eclogites” beneath the Rae craton. Their resulting Archean whole rock TMA ages are consistent with a Mesoarchean age of the western Central Rae lithosphere older than the lithosphere beneath the Repulse Bay block in the East section of the Rae craton (Liu et al., 2016. Precambrian Research 272). The highly depleted olivine compositions, thick cold lithosphere, and Archean ages of the Darby peridotite xenoliths clearly indicate the presence of 200 km thick cold cratonic lithospheric mantle beneath the western segment of the central Rae craton circa 540 Ma. The Archean model ages of most of the pyroxenites support this, notwithstanding the fact that some of these rocks could be sampling either crust or mantle lithologies very close to the crust-mantle boundary. Mantle sampling took place well into the diamond stability field at Darby.
Mineralogy and Petrology, doi.org/10.1007/ s00710-018-0619-2. 15p.
Mantle
Geophysics
Abstract: As three-dimensional (3-D) modelling of the subcontinental mantle lithosphere is increasingly performed with ever more data and better methods, the robustness of such models is increasingly questioned. Resolution thresholds and uncertainty within deep multidisciplinary 3-D models based on geophysical observations exist at a minimum of three levels. Seismic waves and potential field measurements have inherent limitations in resolution related to their dominant wavelengths. Formal uncertainties can be assigned to grid-search type forward or inverse models of observable parameter sets. Both of these uncertainties are typically minor when compared to resolution limitations related to the density and shape of a specific observation array used in seismological or potential field surveys. Seismic wave source distribution additionally applies in seismology. A fourth, more complex level of uncertainty relates to joint inversions of multiple data sets. Using independent seismic wave phases or combining diverse methods provides another measure of uncertainty of particular physical properties. Extremely sparse xenolith suites provide the only direct correlation of rock type with observed or modelled physical properties at depths greater than a few kilometers. Here we present one case study of the Canadian Mohorovi?i? (Moho) discontinuity using only two data sets. Refracted and converted seismic waves form the primary determinations of the Moho depth, gravity field modeling provide a secondary constraint on lateral variations, the slope of the Moho, between the sparse seismic estimates. Although statistically marginal, the resulting co-kriged Moho surface correlates better with surface geology and is thus deemed superior.
Abstract: Structure within the Earth is best studied in three dimensions and using several coincident overlays of diverse information with which one can best see where unusual properties match up. Here we use regional surfaces causing discontinuities in seismic waves a few hundred kilometers deep in the Earth, intersected and thus calibrated by rebuilt rock columns using rare rock samples erupted to the surface in two locations. Electrically conductive regions can be mapped using natural (magnetotelluric) currents. East- and west-dipping seismic discontinuity surfaces match surface structures that developed about 1.8 billion years ago marginal to the Superior crustal block. Surfaces dipping to the southeast and northwest match some boundaries between crustal blocks that are over 2.5 billion years old, but many such crustal boundaries trend more east-west. Conductive rocks appear more commonly above these discontinuity surfaces where gas-rich fluids apparently flowed and that the discontinuities somehow filtered these fluids. The mismatch in orientation and dip between the most ancient deep and exposed structures suggests that plate tectonic processes operating today differed earlier than 2.5 billion years ago.
Abstract: Field, petrographic and geochemical data combined with in situ zircon U-Pb LA-ICP-MS ages are documented for the São Tiago Batholith (southernmost portion of the São Francisco Craton) to understand its origin and magmatic evolution. The geologic relations indicate that the batholith is composed of granitic to granodioritic orthogneisses (L2) with tonalitic xenoliths (L1) intruded by pegmatite (L3) and metagranite (L4). L1 consists of two facies of tonalitic orthogneiss, one biotite-rich, and the other biotite-poor. The geochemical evidence, including high K2O with mantle-like chemical signature, suggests that the Bt-rich tonalitic gneiss (2816?±?30?Ma) was derived from contamination of mafic magmas by crustal-derived components. The Bt-poor tonalitic gneiss, of TTG affinity, was generated by partial melting of LILE-enriched mafic rocks, possibly from oceanic plateus in a subduction environment. L2 includes two distinct types of rocks: (i) granodioritic orthogneiss, chemically ranging from medium-pressure TTGs to potassic granitoids originated via partial melting of previous TTG crust, including L1 Bt-poor; and (ii) granitic gneiss (2664?±?4?Ma), geochemically similar to crustal-derived granites, produced by melting of the L1 Bt-rich tonalitic gneiss or mixed TTG/metasedimentary sources. L3 pegmatite (2657?±?23?Ma) results from melting of L2, whereas L4 metagranite (dikes and stocks) shows petrogenesis similar to that of the L2 granitic gneiss. Related orthogneisses occur near the São Tiago Batholith: (i) a hornblende-bearing tonalitic gneiss, and (ii) a hybrid hornblende-bearing granitic gneiss (2614?±?13?Ma), whose genesis is linked with interaction of sanukitoid and felsic potassic melts, representing the last Archean magmatic pulse of the region. The Minas strata along the Jeceaba-Bom Sucesso lineament near our study region encircle the São Tiago Archean crust, representing an irregular paleo-coastline or a micro-terrane amalgamation with the São Francisco Proto-craton, with possible subsequent dome-and-keel deformational processes. Our petrological and geochronological data reevaluate nebulous concepts in the literature about the SFC, revealing (i) a chemically and compositionally diverse crustal segment generated at the Late Archean in diverse geodynamic scenarios, and (ii) a more complex lineament than previously thought in terms of the paleogeography of the southern São Francisco Craton.
Brazilian Journal of Geology, Vol. 47, 3, pp. 383-401.
South America, Brazil
deposit - Alta Paranaiba
Abstract: Magmatism associated with the Alto Paranaíba structural high comprises kimberlites, kamafugites, and alkaline complexes, forming an approximately 400 x 150 km NW-SE belt in the southern São Francisco Craton. Dating of some intrusions reveals ages between 120 and 75 Ma. Chemical analyses of garnet recovered in alluvium from traditional diamond digging areas indicate peridotitic garnet windows in Três Ranchos and Coromandel. Six hundred and eighty (680) diamonds acquired or recovered during mineral exploration in the digging areas of Romaria, Estrela do Sul, Três Ranchos and Coromandel show unique characteristics, certain populations indicating young, proximal and primary sources (YPP). Analyses of 201 stones from Santo Antônio do Bonito, Santo Inácio and Douradinho rivers alluvium, Coromandel, present no evidence of transport, characterizing a proximal source. Within these river basins, exposures of the Late Cretaceous Capacete Formation basal conglomerate contain mainly small rounded and/or angular quartzite pebbles and of basic and ultrabasic rocks, as well as kimberlite minerals (garnet, ilmenite, spinel, sometimes diamond). A magnetotelluric profile between the Paraná and Sanfranciscana basins shows that the thick underlying lithosphere in the Coromandel region coincides with the peridotitic garnet window and with a diamond population displaying proximal source characteristics. Diamond-bearing kimberlite intrusions occur in different areas of Alto Paranaíba.
De Oliveira Cordeiro, P.F., Brod, J.A., Ventura Santos, R., Dantas, E.L., Gouvieia de Oliveira, C., Soares Rocha, Barbosa, E.
Stable ( C,O) and radiogenic (Sr, Nd) isotopes of carbonates as indicators of magmatic and post magmatic processes of phoscorite series rocks and carbonatites f
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, In press available, 14p.
Soares Rocha Barbosa, E., Brod, J.A., Junqueira-Brod, T.C., Dantas, E.L., De Oliveira Cordeiro, P.F., Siqueira Gomide, C.
Bebdourite from its type area Sailtre 1 complex: a key petrogenetic series in the Late-Cretaceous Alto Paranaiba kamafugite carbonatite phoscorite association, central Brazil.
De Oliveire Cordeiro, P.F., Brod, J.A., Ventura Santos, R., Dantas, E.L., Gouveia de Oliveira, C., Soares Rochas Barbosa, E.
Stable (C,O) and radiogenic (Sr,Nd) isotopes of carbonates as indicators of magmatic and post-magmatic processes of phoscorite series rocks and carbonatites from Catalao 1, central Brazil.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 161, 3, pp. 451-464.
Abstract: The cooling history of rift shoulders and the subsidence history of rift basins are cornerstones for reconstructing the morphotectonic evolution of extensional geodynamic provinces, assessing their role in paleoenvironmental changes and evaluating the resource potential of their basin fills. Our apatite fission track and zircon (U-Th)/He data from the Samburu Hills and the Elgeyo Escarpment in the northern and central sectors of the Kenya Rift indicate a broadly consistent thermal evolution of both regions. Results of thermal modeling support a three-phased thermal history since the early Paleocene. The first phase (~65 50?Ma) was characterized by rapid cooling of the rift shoulders and may be coeval with faulting and sedimentation in the Anza Rift basin, now located in the subsurface of the Turkana depression and areas to the east in northern Kenya. In the second phase, very slow cooling or slight reheating occurred between ~45 and 15?Ma as a result of either stable surface conditions, very slow exhumation, or subsidence. The third phase comprised renewed rapid cooling starting at ~15?Ma. This final cooling represents the most recent stage of rifting, which followed widespread flood-phonolite emplacement and has shaped the present-day landscape through rift shoulder uplift, faulting, basin filling, protracted volcanism, and erosion. When compared with thermochronologic and geologic data from other sectors of the East African Rift System, extension appears to be diachronous, spatially disparate, and partly overlapping, likely driven by interactions between mantle-driven processes and crustal heterogeneities, rather than the previously suggested north south migrating influence of a mantle plume.
Abstract: We present original results that contribute to the understanding of lithospheric structures modification of regions that have witnessed superimposition of multiple tectonic events throughout their geological history. We analyze satellite gravity data through two-dimensional radially-averaged power spectral analysis as well as passive seismic data through thermal modeling to image the depth to the Moho and the lithosphere - asthenosphere boundary (LAB beneath the Central Africa Orogenic Belt (CAOB). The CAOB is an ENE-trending deformation belt extending from Cameroon in the west to Sudan in the east. In Cameroon, it is found on the northern edge of the Congo craton represented by the Oubanguides orogenic belt (the Western Cameroon, the Adamawa - Yade, and the Yaoundé domains). It coincides with the Adamawa plateau and the Benue Trough, and it is spotted by the Cenozoic Cameroon Volcanic Line (CVL). The CAOB was formed during the Precambrian Greater Gondwana assembly but was reactivated during the Mesozoic as a result of Gondwana breakup. We find deeper Moho and LAB) beneath Congo craton and the Yaoundé domain reaching ~50?km and ~200?km, respectively. We map shallower Moho and LAB beneath the CAOB (together with the Adamawa plateau and the Benue trough) reaching ~25?km and ~70?km, respectively. We interpret the shallower LAB beneath the CAOB as due to zonal sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) delamination along the northern edge of the Congo craton that occurred in association with collisional assembly of Greater Gondwana. This allowed for channelization of mantle flow during the Cenozoic resulting in the formation of the CVL and the uplift of the Adamawa plateau. Our approach can be used to understand the modification of lithospheric structures beneath other terrains that have long tectonic history.
Abstract: We present original results that contribute to the understanding of lithospheric structures modification of regions that have witnessed superimposition of multiple tectonic events throughout their geological history. We analyze satellite gravity data through two-dimensional radially-averaged power spectral analysis as well as passive seismic data through thermal modeling to image the depth to the Moho and the lithosphere - asthenosphere boundary (LAB beneath the Central Africa Orogenic Belt (CAOB). The CAOB is an ENE-trending deformation belt extending from Cameroon in the west to Sudan in the east. In Cameroon, it is found on the northern edge of the Congo craton represented by the Oubanguides orogenic belt (the Western Cameroon, the Adamawa - Yade, and the Yaoundé domains). It coincides with the Adamawa plateau and the Benue Trough, and it is spotted by the Cenozoic Cameroon Volcanic Line (CVL). The CAOB was formed during the Precambrian Greater Gondwana assembly but was reactivated during the Mesozoic as a result of Gondwana breakup. We find deeper Moho and LAB) beneath Congo craton and the Yaoundé domain reaching ~50?km and ~200?km, respectively. We map shallower Moho and LAB beneath the CAOB (together with the Adamawa plateau and the Benue trough) reaching ~25?km and ~70?km, respectively. We interpret the shallower LAB beneath the CAOB as due to zonal sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) delamination along the northern edge of the Congo craton that occurred in association with collisional assembly of Greater Gondwana. This allowed for channelization of mantle flow during the Cenozoic resulting in the formation of the CVL and the uplift of the Adamawa plateau. Our approach can be used to understand the modification of lithospheric structures beneath other terrains that have long tectonic history.
Mineralogy and Petrology, doi.org/10.1007/s00710-018-0624-5 12p.
Africa, Lesotho
deposit - Liqhobong
Abstract: The Cretaceous Liqhobong kimberlite cluster comprises at least six known diamondiferous Group 1 kimberlite bodies; namely the circular Main Pipe (8.5 ha), ovoid Satellite Pipe (1.6 ha), Discovery Blow (0.15 ha), Blow (0.1 ha), the Main Dike adjoining the blows and pipes, and one other recently exposed dike. The kimberlites intrude Jurassic Drakensberg lavas and outcrop at ~2650 masl in rugged Maluti Mountain terrain, and are emplaced along a strike of about 2.5km. The cluster represents at least three episodes of structurally controlled kimberlite intrusion; the first which comprised the dike(s?) and the two blows (the blows being dike enlargements emplaced 1km apart) and later the two separate emplacements of the Main and Satellite Pipes.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 266, pp. 197-212.
Russia, Urals
diamond inclusions
Abstract: The compositions of mineral inclusions from a representative collection (more than 140 samples) of diamonds from the placer deposits in the Ural Mountains were studied to examine their compositional diversity. The overwhelming majority of rounded octahedral and dodecahedral stones typical of placers contain eclogitic (E-type) mineral inclusions (up to 80%) represented by garnets with Mg# 40-75 and Ca# 10-56, including the unique high calcic “grospydite” composition, omphacitic pyroxenes containing up to 65% of jadeite, as well as kyanite, coesite, sulfides, and rutile. Peridotitic (P-type) inclusions are represented by olivine, subcalcic Cr-pyrope, chrome diopside, enstatite and magnesiochromite that are typical for diamonds worldwide. Comparing the chemical composition of olivine, pyrope and magnesiochromite in diamonds of the Urals, north-east of the Siberian platform placers and Arkhangelsk province kimberlites show striking similarity. There are significant differences only in the variations of carbon isotopic composition of the diamonds from the placers of the Urals and north-east of the Siberian platform. One typical rounded dodecahedral diamond was found to contain abundant primary oriented submicrometer-sized (<3.0?µm) octahedral fluid inclusions identified by transmission electron microscopy, which caused the milky color of the entire diamond crystal. The electron energy-loss spectrum of a singular inclusion has a peak at ?405?eV, indicating that nitrogen is present. The Raman spectra with peaks at 2346-2350?cm?1 confirmed that nitrogen exists in the solid state at room temperature. This means that fossilized pressure inside fluid inclusions may be over 6.0 GPa at room temperature, so the diamond may be considered sublithospheric in origin. However, identification of unique fluid inclusions in one typical placer diamond allows one to expand the pressure limit to at least more than 8.0 GPa. The volatile components of four diamonds from the Urals placers were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). They are represented (rel. %) by hydrocarbons and their derivatives (14.8-78.4), nitrogen and nitrogenated compounds (6.2-81.7), water (2.5-5.5), carbon dioxide (2.8-12.1), and sulfonated compounds (0.01-0.96). It is shown that high-molecular-weight hydrocarbons and their derivatives, including chlorinated, nitrogenated and sulfonated compounds, appear to be stable under upper mantle P-T conditions. A conclusion is drawn that Urals placer diamonds are of kimberlitic origin and are comparable in their high E-type/P-type inclusion ratios to those from the northeastern Siberian platform and in part to diamonds of the Arkhangelsk kimberlite province.
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).
New dat a on the petrology of olivine lamproites of Western australia From the results of the investigation of magmatic inclusions in olivines.(Russian)
Doklady Academy of Sciences Akademy Nauk SSSR, (Russian), Vol. 284, No. 1, pp. 196-201
Akinin, V.V., Sobolev, A.V., Ntaflos, T., Richter, W.
Clinopyroxene megacrysts from Enmelen melanephelinitic volcanoes (Chukchi Peninsula, Russia): application to composition and evolution of mantle melts.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 150, 1, pp. 85-101.
Paragenesis and origin of olivine macrocrysts from Udachnaya-East hypabyssal kimberlite, Yakutia, Russia.
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
Russian Geology and Geophysics, Vol. 55, pp. 1395-1403.
Russia
Harzburgite, plumes
Abstract: A suite of mantle peridotites sampled in the Kamchatsky Mys includes spinel lherzolite, clinopyroxene-bearing harzburgite, and harzburgite. Mineral chemistry of olivine, chromian spinel, and clinopyroxene show strongly correlated element patterns typical of peridotite formed by 8% to more than 22% partial melting. Clinopyroxene in the Kamchatka peridotites is compositionally different from that of both abyssal and suprasubduction varieties: Clinopyroxene in lherzolite is depleted in LREE relative to abyssal peridotite and that in harzburgite has very low LREE and Sr unlike the subduction-related counterpart. These composition features indicate that the rocks ultra-depleted in basaltic components originated in the vicinity of a hotspot, possibly, proto-Hawaiian plume, which provided high temperature and melting degree of the MORB source mantle at mid-ocean ridge.
Paragenesis and complex zoning of olivine macrocrysts from unaltered kimberlite of the Udachnaya-East pipe, Yakutia: relationship with the kimberlite formation conditions and evolution.
Russian Geology and Geophysics, Vol. 56, 1, pp. 260-279.
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.
Abstract: Magmas forming large igneous provinces (LIP) on continents are generated by extensive melting in the deep crust and underlying mantle and associated with break-up of ancient supercontinents, followed by formation of a new basaltic crust in the mid-oceanic rifts. A lack of the unifying model in understanding the sources of LIP magmatism is justified by lithological and geochemical complexity of erupted magmas on local (e.g. a cross-section) and regional (a single and different LIP) scales. Moreover, the majority of LIP rocks do not fit general criteria for recognizing primary/primitive melts (i.e. < 8 wt% MgO and absence of high-Fo olivine phenocrysts). This study presents the mineralogical (olivine, Cr-spinel, orthopyroxene), geochemical (trace elements and Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotopes) and olivine-hosted melt inclusion compositional characteristics of a single primitive (16 wt% MgO), high-Ti (2.5 wt% TiO2) picrite with high-Mg olivine (up to 91 mol% Fo) from the Letaba Formation in the ~ 180 Ma Karoo LIP (south Africa). The olivine compositions (unusually high ?18O (6.17‰), high NiO (0.36-0.56 wt%) and low MnO and CaO (0.12-0.20 and 0.12-0.22 wt%, respectively)) are used to argue for a non-peridotitic mantle source. This is supported by the enrichment of the rock and melts in most incompatible trace elements and depletion in heavy rare earth elements (e.g. high Gd/Yb) that reflects residual garnet in the source of melting. The radiogenic isotopes resemble those of the model enriched mantle (EM-1) and further argue for a long-term enrichment of the source in incompatible trace elements. The enriched high-Ti compositions, strongly fractionated incompatible trace elements, presence of primitive olivine and high-Cr spinel in the Letaba picrites are closely matched by olivine-phyric rocks from the ~ 260 Ma Emeishan (Yongsheng area, SW China) and ~ 250 Ma Siberian (Maimecha-Kotuy region, N Siberia) LIPs. However, many other compositional parameters (e.g. trace element and ?18O compositions of olivine phenocrysts, Fe2 +/Fe3 + in Cr-spinel, Sr-Nd-Hf isotope ratios) only partially overlap or even diverge. We thus imply that parental melts of enriched picritic rocks with forsteritic olivine from three major continental igneous provinces - Karoo, Emeishan and Siberia cannot be assigned to a common mantle source and similar melting conditions. The Karoo picrites also exhibit some mineralogical and geochemical similarities with rocks and glasses in the south Atlantic Ridge and adjacent fracture zones. The geodynamic reconstructions of the continental plate motions since break-up of the Gondwanaland in the Jurassic support the current position of the source of the Karoo magmatism in the southernmost Atlantic. Co-occurrence of modern and recent anomalous rocks with normal mid-ocean ridge basalts in this region can be related to blocks/rafts of the ancient lithosphere, stranded in the ambient upper mantle and occasionally sampled by rifting-related decompressional melting.
Abstract: Magmas forming large igneous provinces (LIP) on continents are generated by extensive melting in the deep crust and underlying mantle and associated with break-up of ancient supercontinents, followed by formation of a new basaltic crust in the mid-oceanic rifts. A lack of the unifying model in understanding the sources of LIP magmatism is justified by lithological and geochemical complexity of erupted magmas on local (e.g. a cross-section) and regional (a single and different LIP) scales. Moreover, the majority of LIP rocks do not fit general criteria for recognizing primary/primitive melts (i.e. < 8 wt% MgO and absence of high-Fo olivine phenocrysts). This study presents the mineralogical (olivine, Cr-spinel, orthopyroxene), geochemical (trace elements and Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotopes) and olivine-hosted melt inclusion compositional characteristics of a single primitive (16 wt% MgO), high-Ti (2.5 wt% TiO2) picrite with high-Mg olivine (up to 91 mol% Fo) from the Letaba Formation in the ~ 180 Ma Karoo LIP (south Africa). The olivine compositions (unusually high ?18O (6.17‰), high NiO (0.36–0.56 wt%) and low MnO and CaO (0.12–0.20 and 0.12–0.22 wt%, respectively)) are used to argue for a non-peridotitic mantle source. This is supported by the enrichment of the rock and melts in most incompatible trace elements and depletion in heavy rare earth elements (e.g. high Gd/Yb) that reflects residual garnet in the source of melting. The radiogenic isotopes resemble those of the model enriched mantle (EM-1) and further argue for a long-term enrichment of the source in incompatible trace elements. The enriched high-Ti compositions, strongly fractionated incompatible trace elements, presence of primitive olivine and high-Cr spinel in the Letaba picrites are closely matched by olivine-phyric rocks from the ~ 260 Ma Emeishan (Yongsheng area, SW China) and ~ 250 Ma Siberian (Maimecha-Kotuy region, N Siberia) LIPs. However, many other compositional parameters (e.g. trace element and ?18O compositions of olivine phenocrysts, Fe2 +/Fe3 + in Cr-spinel, Sr-Nd-Hf isotope ratios) only partially overlap or even diverge. We thus imply that parental melts of enriched picritic rocks with forsteritic olivine from three major continental igneous provinces – Karoo, Emeishan and Siberia cannot be assigned to a common mantle source and similar melting conditions. The Karoo picrites also exhibit some mineralogical and geochemical similarities with rocks and glasses in the south Atlantic Ridge and adjacent fracture zones. The geodynamic reconstructions of the continental plate motions since break-up of the Gondwanaland in the Jurassic support the current position of the source of the Karoo magmatism in the southernmost Atlantic. Co-occurrence of modern and recent anomalous rocks with normal mid-ocean ridge basalts in this region can be related to blocks/rafts of the ancient lithosphere, stranded in the ambient upper mantle and occasionally sampled by rifting-related decompressional melting.
Abstract: Large igneous provinces and some hotspot volcanoes are thought to form above thermochemical anomalies known as mantle plumes. Petrologic investigations that support this model suggest that plume-derived melts originated at high mantle temperatures (greater than 1,500?°C) relative to those generated at ambient mid-ocean ridge conditions (about 1,350?°C). Earth’s mantle has also cooled appreciably during its history and the temperatures of modern mantle derived melts are substantially lower than those produced during the Archaean (2.5 to 4.0 billion years ago), as recorded by komatiites (greater than 1,700?°C). Here we use geochemical analyses of the Tortugal lava suite to show that these Galapagos-Plume-related lavas, which formed 89 million years ago, record mantle temperatures as high as Archaean komatiites and about 400?°C hotter than the modern ambient mantle. These results are also supported by highly magnesian olivine phenocrysts and Al-in-olivine crystallization temperatures of 1,570 ± 20?°C. As mantle plumes are chemically and thermally heterogeneous, we interpret these rocks as the result of melting the hot core of the plume head that produced the Caribbean large igneous province. Our results imply that a mantle reservoir as hot as those responsible for some Archaean lavas has survived eons of convection in the deep Earth and is still being tapped by mantle plumes.
Abstract: Large igneous provinces and some hotspot volcanoes are thought to form above thermochemical anomalies known as mantle plumes. Petrologic investigations that support this model suggest that plume-derived melts originated at high mantle temperatures (greater than 1,500?°C) relative to those generated at ambient mid-ocean ridge conditions (about 1,350?°C). Earth’s mantle has also cooled appreciably during its history and the temperatures of modern mantle derived melts are substantially lower than those produced during the Archaean (2.5 to 4.0 billion years ago), as recorded by komatiites (greater than 1,700?°C). Here we use geochemical analyses of the Tortugal lava suite to show that these Galapagos-Plume-related lavas, which formed 89 million years ago, record mantle temperatures as high as Archaean komatiites and about 400?°C hotter than the modern ambient mantle. These results are also supported by highly magnesian olivine phenocrysts and Al-in-olivine crystallization temperatures of 1,570 ± 20?°C. As mantle plumes are chemically and thermally heterogeneous, we interpret these rocks as the result of melting the hot core of the plume head that produced the Caribbean large igneous province. Our results imply that a mantle reservoir as hot as those responsible for some Archaean lavas has survived eons of convection in the deep Earth and is still being tapped by mantle plumes.
Doklady Earth Sciences, Vol. 481, 2, pp. 1008-1012.
Russia, Aldan shield
lamproite
Abstract: Obtained data shows that high-potassic dyke rocks of the Ryabinoviy massif (Central Aldan) belong to low-titanium lamproite series (Mediterranean type) and are distinct with “classic” high-titanium lamproites. Based on Al-in-olivine thermometer, temperature of olivine-chrome-spinel pair crystallization varies in range between 1100 and 1250°C. This suggests lithospheric mantle source for the parental melt and makes role of mantle plume insignificant. High-precision data on olivine composition and bulk rock traceelement composition imply mixed source for the parental melt, consisted of depleted peridotite and enriched domains, originated during ancient subduction.
Abstract: We have studied mineral-hosted melt, crystal and fluid inclusions from two ugandite, one mafurite and two katungite samples from the Toro-Ankole volcanic province in the East African Rift, which is the archetypal location for kamafugitic rocks. A main finding of our study is the presence of orthopyroxene as inclusions in an early generation of olivine from all three types of kamafugites, suggesting interaction of a carbonate-rich metasomatic agent with lithospheric peridotite mantle that may have caused almost complete dissolution of orthopyroxene. This process was preceded, accompanied or followed by the formation of phlogopite-clinopyroxene veins resulting from interaction of F-rich and low H2O/CO2 metasomatic fluids with the mantle rocks, which then became the source of the Toro-Ankole kamafugites. Pressure-temperature (P-T) estimates suggest that the parental kamafugitic melts last equilibrated with their source rocks at ?16?±?8?kbar and ?1160?±?130°C. This implies that they could have originated significantly below the solidus of dry, carbonated peridotite, but above the solidus of phlogopite-bearing clinopyroxenite. We conclude that the Toro-Ankole kamafugites originated by very low degrees of partial melting at moderately oxidized conditions (?FMQ = +2•2?±?0•4?atm log units, where FMQ is fayalite-magnetite-quartz buffer) under a high geothermal gradient of 60-80?mW?m?2, in response to lithospheric extension and probable association with an adjacent mantle plume. We estimate that differentiation of parental ugandite, mafurite and katungite magmas could have occurred at depths <12?km in the T range 1150-850°C. Laboratory-heated, homogenized melt inclusions trapped by a second generation of olivine and clinopyroxene are characterized by remarkable silica-undersaturation, compared with mid-ocean ridge basalt and ocean island basalt magmas, with high concentrations of alkalis, Ti, Ba, Sr and Zr, but varying to very low concentrations of Al and Ca. Such alkali-rich, strongly evolved melts might have resulted from extreme (>95%) fractional crystallization of the parental magmas, assuming their chemical compositions to be similar to those of the respective lavas. However, this estimate is about three times higher than the modal amount of phenocrysts in the lavas that could be reinforced by the presence of excess cognate crystals and/or xenocrysts in the lavas. Strong oxidation from FMQ?+?2 to FMQ?+?4 to +?5•2?atm log units of the evolved mafuritic magmas at ?900-1000°C has occurred during the final stage of magma evolution at very shallow crustal depths or possibly directly in the lava flow.
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: 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: Mesozoic (125-135 Ma) cratonic low-Ti lamproites from the northern part of the Aldan Shield do not conform to typical classification schemes of ultrapotassic anorogenic rocks. Here we investigate their origins by analyzing olivine and olivine-hosted inclusions from the Ryabinoviy pipe, a well preserved lamproite intrusion within the Aldan Shield. Four types of olivine are identified: (1) zoned phenocrysts, (2) high-Mg, high-Ni homogeneous macrocrysts, (3) high-Ca and low-Ni olivine and (4) mantle xenocrysts. Olivine compositions are comparable to those from the Mediterranean Belt lamproites (Olivine-1 and -2), kamafugites (Olivine-3) and leucitites. Homogenized melt inclusions (MIs) within olivine-1 phenocrysts have lamproitic compositions and are similar to the host rocks, whereas kamafugite-like compositions are obtained for melt inclusions within olivine-3. Estimates of redox conditions indicate that “lamproitic” olivine crystallized from anomalously oxidized magma (?NNO +3 to +4 log units.). Crystallization of "kamafugitic" olivine occurred under even more oxidized conditions, supported by low V/Sc ratios. We consider high-Ca olivine (3) to be a fingerprint of kamafugite-like magmatism, which also occurred during the Mesozoic and slightly preceded lamproitic magmatism. Our preliminary genetic model suggests that low-temperature, extension-triggered melting of mica- and carbonate-rich veined subcontitental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) generated the kamafugite-like melts. This process exhausted carbonate and affected the silicate assemblage of the veins. Subsequent and more extensive melting of the modified SCLM produced volumetrically larger lamproitic magmas. This newly recognized kamafugitic "fingerprint" further highlights similarities between the Aldan Shield potassic province and the Mediterranean Belt, and provides evidence of an overlap between "orogenic" and "anorogenic" varieties of low-Ti potassic magmatism. Moreover, our study also demonstrates that recycled subduction components are not an essential factor in the petrogenesis of low-Ti lamproites, kamafugites and leucitites.
Some physical and chemical characteristics of diamonds from Copeton New south Wales. Reference to Proceedings 20th.International Gemmological Conference pt
The Australian Gemologist, Vol. 16, No. 3, p. 119. abstract
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
Abstract: International Symposium on Deep Earth Exploration and Practices Beijing, China -October24-26, 2018The protolithnatureof diamondiferous metamorphic rocks of the Kokchetav MassifVladislav Shatsky1,2,3, Emil Jagoutz4, Olga Kozmenko1, Alexey Ragozin1,3, Sergei Skuzovatov2and Nikolai Sobolev1,31Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy SB RAS, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia, [email protected] Institute of Geochemistry SB RAS, Irkutsk, Russia3Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia4Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, GermanyUltra-high-pressure diamondiferous rocks (UHP) of the Kokchetav subduction-collision zone are considered as an idealobject for studying the mobility of elements insubduction zones of the continental type. The compositional diversity of metasedimentary rocks subjected to UHP metamorphism makes it difficult to establish the nature of their protoliths. This, in turn, complicates estimatesof the degree of depletionof the UHP metamorphic rocks relative to the protoliths.To clarify the nature of protholiths of the Kokchetav diamondiferous rocks we studied the geochemical features and Sm-Nd isotopic composition of diamondiferous calc-silicate, garnet-pyroxene rocks, high-alumina metapelitesand barren granite-gneisses.The nine samples of the Kumdy Kol mocrodiamond deposit (one granite-gneiss, 4-calc-silicate rocks, 3-garnet-pyroxenite) yielded aSm-Nd whole-rockisochronageof 1052±44 Ma. This age is close to the age of formation of the granitic gneiss basement of the Kokchetav massif (1.2-1.05 Ga) (Glorie et al., 2015). Therefore, we assume that the protoliths of these rocks were basementrocks. In this interpretation, their geochemical features may not be directly related to the processes of ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism.At the same time, the high-alumina rocks of the Barchinsky area are depleted todifferent degreeswithrespect to LREE and K yieldeda whole-rockisochron with an age of 509 ± 32 Ma, which suggests partial melting of these rocks duringthe exhumation stage.It was previously assumed that metasedimentary rocks of the Kokchetav microcontinent are the protoliths of diamondiferous rocks (Buslov et al., 2015). However, this contradicts with Sm-Nd isotopic data for metasedimentary rocks of quartzite-schist sequences of the Kokchetav microcontinent (Kovach et al., 2017). The metasedimentary rocks of the Sharyk Formation are characterized by variations in the ?Nd(t)from +4.1 to -3.3 and intNd(DM)from 1.9 to 1.25 Ga, whereasin the UHP metamorphic rocks ?Nd(t)varies from -7.6 to -13.2, and the model ages range from 2.7 to 2.3 Ga. These data clearly indicate that the metasedimentary rocks of the Kokchetav massif could not be the protolith of the ultrahigh-pressure rocks.
Abstract: Diamonds of eclogitic paragenesis are dominant in the placer deposits in the northeastern part of the Siberian Craton. Multiple inclusions and host diamonds carbon isotopes composition are consistent with a mixing model in which they result from the interaction of slab-derived melt/fluid with surrounding mantle [1,2]. A significant portion of diamonds contains black inclusions usually interpreted as graphite or sulphides. Twenty six dark inclusions from the 22 diamonds were exposed by polishing for chemical microanalysis. Inclusions were studied with SEM, TEM and EMP. Fe-C-O melt inclusions in association with with Kfsp, Ol and silicate melt inclusions were identified. Most of the inclusions are heterogeneous in composition and consist of iron carbides, iron in various oxidation states and carbon. Carbides contain impurities of Ni (0-0.6%), Sr (up to 3.4%), Cr (up to 0.8%) Si (up to 1%). Inclusions of wustite and Fe-Ti-O melt were identified in one diamond along with inclusions of Fe-C-O melt. In two cases diamond inclusions found within host diamond crystal. Diamond inclusions are surronded by a border consisting of wustite and siderite. Inclusions of Fe-C-O melt in allivial diamonds are best explained by carbonate melt-iron reaction [3].
Coexisting Garnets and Ilmenites Synthesized at High Pressure pressures from Pyrolite and Olivine Basanite and Their Significance for Kimberlitic Assemblages.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 50, PP. 217-229.
New dat a on the petrology of olivine lamproites of Western australia From the results of the investigation of magmatic inclusions in olivines.(Russian)
Doklady Academy of Sciences Akademy Nauk SSSR, (Russian), Vol. 284, No. 1, pp. 196-201
Some physical and chemical characteristics of diamonds from Copeton New south Wales. Reference to Proceedings 20th.International Gemmological Conference pt
The Australian Gemologist, Vol. 16, No. 3, p. 119. abstract
Ultra high pressure mineral assemblages of inclusions in garnets, zircon sand clinopyroxenes from Diamondiferous metamorphic rocks, northern Kazakhstan, USSR
Eos, Vol. 71, No. 43, October 23, p. 1707 Abstract
A new manifestation of micro-diamonds in metamorphic rocks as an evidence of the regional character of high-pressure metamorphism in KokchetavMassif.(in Russian)
Doklady Academy of Sciences Akademy Nauk SSSR, (Russian), Vol. 321, No. 1, pp. 189-193. # HB124
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
Langer, K., Robarick, E., Sobolev, N.V., Shatsky, V.S.
Single crystal spectra of garnets from Diamondiferous high pressure metamorphic rocks from Kazakhstan -indications for OH-,H2O, and FeTi chargetransfer.
European Journal of Mineralogy, Vol. 5, No. 6, Nov-Dec pp. 1091-1100.
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
Pyrope inclusions in chrome spinels from kimberlites and lamproites and their significance for estimation of the paragenetic assemblage and formation depth.
Doklady Earth Sciences, Vol. 399, Oct-Nov. pp. 1074-8.
Pyrope inclusions in chrome spinels from kimberlites and lamproites and their significance for estimation of the paragenetic assemblage and formation depth.
Primary melting sequence of a deep ( >250 km) lithospheric mantle as recorded in the geochemistry of kimberlite carbonatite assemblages, Snap Lake dyke system, Canada.
Oxygen isotope variations of garnets and clinopyroxenes in a layered Diamondiferous calcsilicate rock from Kokchetav Massif, Kazakhstan: a window into geochemical
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 162, 5, pp.1079-1092.
Logvinova, A., Wirth, R., Taylor, L.A., Sobolev, N.V.
Aragonite, magnesite and dolomite inclusions in Yakutian diamonds: TEM observations.
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, 1p. Abstract
Paragenesis and origin of olivine macrocrysts from Udachnaya-East hypabyssal kimberlite, Yakutia, Russia.
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
Shertl, H.P., Neuser, R.D., Logvinova, A.M., Wirth, R., Sobolev, N.V.
Cathodluminescence microscopy of the Kokchetav ultra high pressure calcsilicate rocks: what can we learn from silicates, carbon hosting minerals and diamond?
Russian Geology and Geophysics, Vol. 56, 1-2, pp. 100-112.
Paragenesis and complex zoning of olivine macrocrysts from unaltered kimberlite of the Udachnaya-East pipe, Yakutia: relationship with the kimberlite formation conditions and evolution.
Russian Geology and Geophysics, Vol. 56, 1, pp. 260-279.
Russian Geology and Geophysics, Vol. 56, pp. 1016-1034.
Russia
Kokchetav massif
Abstract: We studied clastics of high-alumina garnet-kyanite-mica schists and garnet-kyanite-quartz granofelses, including diamond-bearing ones, found in the eluvial sediments near Lake Barchi. In contents of major elements the studied rocks correspond to argillaceous shales. The garnet-kyanite-quartz granofelses are poorer in K (0.49-1.35 wt.% K2O) than the garnet-kyanite-mica schists (4.9-2.2 wt.% K2O) but have the same contents of other major components. The REE patterns of most of the garnet-kyanite-phengite schists are similar to those of the Post-Archean Australian Shale (PAAS) (xLa/Yb = 13). All garnet-kyanite-quartz rocks are much stronger depleted in LREE (xLa/Yb = 1.4) and other incompatible elements. Our studies show that allanite and monazite are the main concentrators of LREE and Th in the garnet-kyanite-phengite rocks of the Barchi site. Monazite, occurring as inclusions in garnet, contains not only LREE but also Th, U, and Pb. Rutile of the nondepleted rocks is enriched in Fe and Nb impurities only. The garnet-kyanite-quartz granofelses bear rutile, apatite, and xenotime as accessory phases. Rutile of the depleted rocks shows wide variations in contents of Nb, Ta, and V impurities. In places, the contents of Nb and Ta reach 10.5 and 2.3 wt.%, respectively. The rutile decomposes into rutile with Nb (1.4 wt.%) and Fe (0.87 wt.%) impurities and titanium oxide rich in Fe (6.61 wt.%), Nb (up to 20.8 wt.%), and Ta (up to 2.81%) impurities. Based on the measured contents of incompatible elements in differently depleted high-alumina rocks, the following series of element mobility during UHP metamorphism has been established: Th > Ce > La > Pr > Nd > K > Ba > Rb > Cs > Sm > Eu. The contents of U, P, and Zr in the depleted rocks are similar to those in the nondepleted rocks. The studies have shown that metapelites subducted to the depths with diamond stability conditions can be depleted to different degrees. This might be either due to their exhumation from different depths of the subduction zone or to the presence of an external source of water controlling the temperature of dissolution of phengite and the formation of supercritical fluid/melt.
Abstract: The article focuses on the study of composition of garnets of the lherzolitic and harzburgitic parageneses and the conditions of peridotite. As per the study, reconstruction of the conditions of metasomatism of peridotitic sources of kimberlite is possible in the evolution of garnet. It mentions the importance of dry and hydrous carbonatitic melt upon alteration of peridotitic sources of kimberlite as it acted as an another heat source.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 433, pp. 125-132.
Mantle
NAMs Nominally Anhydrous Minerals
Abstract: The mantle is the major reservoir of Earth's water, hosted within Nominally Anhydrous Minerals (NAMs) (e.g., , , and ), in the form of hydrogen bonded to the silicate's structural oxygen. From whence cometh this water? Is the water in these minerals representative of the Earth's primitive upper mantle or did it come from melting events linked to crustal formation or to more recent metasomatic/re-fertilization events? During diamond formation, NAMs are encapsulated at hundreds of kilometers depth within the mantle, thereby possibly shielding and preserving their pristine water contents from re-equilibrating with fluids and melts percolating through the lithospheric mantle. Here we show that the NAMs included in diamonds from six locales on the Siberian Craton contain measurable and variable H2O concentrations from 2 to 34 parts per million by weight (ppmw) in olivine, 7 to 276 ppmw in clinopyroxene, and 11-17 ppmw in garnets. Our results suggest that if the inclusions were in equilibrium with the diamond-forming fluid, the water fugacity would have been unrealistically low. Instead, we consider the H2O contents of the inclusions, shielded by diamonds, as pristine representatives of the residual mantle prior to encapsulation, and indicative of a protogenetic origin for the inclusions. Hydrogen diffusion in the diamond does not appear to have modified these values significantly. The H2O contents of NAMs in mantle xenoliths may represent some later metasomatic event(s), and are not always representative of most of the continental lithospheric mantle. Results from the present study also support the conclusions of Peslier et al. (2010) and Novella et al. (2015) that the dry nature of the SCLM of a craton may provide stabilization of its thickened continental roots.
Doklady Earth Sciences, Vol. 465, 2, pp. 1297-1301.
Russia, Siberia
Deposit - Malokuonapskaya
Abstract: The U-Pb (SHRIMP) age was determined for zircons collected from 26 observation and sampling sites of diamonds and index minerals in the northeastern Siberian Platform. This part of the region hosts 15 low-diamondiferous Paleozoic and Mesozoic kimberlite fields, excluding the near economic Triassic Malokuonapskaya pipe in the Kuranakh field. Four epochs of kimberlite formation (Silurian, Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous, Middle to Late Triassic, and Middle to Late Jurassic) of the Siberian Platform, including its northeastern part, are confirmed as a result of our studies. Most observation points, including economic Quaternary diamond placers, contain Middle to Late Triassic zircons, which confirms the abundant Late Triassic volcanism in this region. The positive correlation of diamonds and major index minerals of kimberlites (mostly, garnets) at some observation sites indicates the possible Triassic age of the predictable diamondiferous kimberlites.
Doklady Earth Sciences, Vol. 465, 2, pp. 1262-1267.
Russia
Deposit - Udachnaya
Abstract: Study of the mechanism of carbonation and wehrlitization of harzburgite upon metasomatism by carbonatitic melts of various genesis was carried out. Experiments with durations of 60-150 h were performed at 6.3 GPa and 1200°C. The data showed that carbonatite with MgO/CaO > 0.3 percolating into the peridotitic lithosphere may provide crystallization of magnesite in it. The influence of all studied carbonatites results in wehrlitization of peridotite. The compositions of melts formed by interaction with harzburgite (?2 wt % SiO2, Ca# = 36-47) practically do not depend on the composition of the initial carbonatite. Based on the data obtained, we conclude that the formation of magnesite-bearing and magnesite-free metasomatized peridotites may have a significant influence on the CO2 regime in the further generation of kimberlitic magmas of groups I and II.
Low water contents in diamond mineral inclusions: proto-genetic origin in a dry cratonic lithosphere.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 433, pp. 125-132.
Russia, Africa
Kaapvaal and Siberian SCLMs
Abstract: The mantle is the major reservoir of Earth's water, hosted within Nominally Anhydrous Minerals (NAMs) (e.g., , , and ), in the form of hydrogen bonded to the silicate's structural oxygen. From whence cometh this water? Is the water in these minerals representative of the Earth's primitive upper mantle or did it come from melting events linked to crustal formation or to more recent metasomatic/re-fertilization events? During diamond formation, NAMs are encapsulated at hundreds of kilometers depth within the mantle, thereby possibly shielding and preserving their pristine water contents from re-equilibrating with fluids and melts percolating through the lithospheric mantle. Here we show that the NAMs included in diamonds from six locales on the Siberian Craton contain measurable and variable H2O concentrations from 2 to 34 parts per million by weight (ppmw) in olivine, 7 to 276 ppmw in clinopyroxene, and 11-17 ppmw in garnets. Our results suggest that if the inclusions were in equilibrium with the diamond-forming fluid, the water fugacity would have been unrealistically low. Instead, we consider the H2O contents of the inclusions, shielded by diamonds, as pristine representatives of the residual mantle prior to encapsulation, and indicative of a protogenetic origin for the inclusions. Hydrogen diffusion in the diamond does not appear to have modified these values significantly. The H2O contents of NAMs in mantle xenoliths may represent some later metasomatic event(s), and are not always representative of most of the continental lithospheric mantle. Results from the present study also support the conclusions of Peslier et al. (2010) and Novella et al. (2015) that the dry nature of the SCLM of a craton may provide stabilization of its thickened continental roots.
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: Generation of ultra-alkaline melts by the interaction of lherzolite with cardonatites of various genesis was simulated at the P-T parameters typical of the base of the subcratonic lithosphere. Experiments with a duration of 150 h were performed at 5.5 and 6.3 GPa and 1350°C. The concentrations of CaO and MgO in melts are buffered by the phases of peridotite, and the concentrations of alkalis and FeO depend on the composition of the starting carbonatite. Melts are characterized by a low (<7 wt %) concentration of SiO2 and Ca# from 0.40 to 0.47. It is demonstrated that only high-Mg groups of carbonatitic inclusions in fibrous diamonds have a composition close to that of carbonatitic melts in equilibrium with lherzolite. Most likely, the formation of kimberlite-like melts relatively enriched in SiO2 requires an additional source of heat from mantle plumes and probably H2O fluid.
Abstract: The composition of volatiles from fluid and melt inclusions in olivine phenocrysts from Yakutian kimberlite pipes of various ages (Olivinovaya, Malokuonapskaya, and Udachnaya-East) were studied for the first time by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. It was shown that hydrocarbons and their derivatives, as well as nitrogen-, halogen-, and sulfur-bearing compounds, played a significant role in the mineral formation. The proportion of hydrocarbons and their derivatives in the composition of mantle fluids could reach 99%, including up to 4.9% of chlorineand fluorine-bearing compounds.
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: Polycrystalline diamond aggregates (boart, framesites, diamondites) have been widely studied but their origin is poorly understood. We report the results of a study in situ of two polished fragments of fine-grained (40-400 ?m size of individual diamond grains) dense polycrystalline diamond aggregates from the Mir pipe containing visible multiple interstitial garnet inclusions. They were analyzed for major and trace elements of inclusions and one of them — for ?13C and N abundance and isotopic composition of host diamonds. These aggregates are classified as variety IX by Orlov (1977). No cavities were observed in these samples. Sixty two irregular garnet grains and one clinopyroxene inclusion were detected and analyzed in sample Mr 832. Garnets are homogeneous within single grains but variable in Mg# [100Mg/(Mg + Fe)] from 60 up to 87 and CaO contents (3.3-5.3 wt.%) among grains with a trend to negative correlation. Low Cr (550-640 ppm) confirms eclogitic (E-type) paragenesis. High Na2O contents (5.2 wt.%) of a single pyroxene inclusion are additional evidence of eclogitic nature of this sample. Wide variations in trace elements (ppm) are characteristic for garnet grains: Sr (2.7-25.6), Y (9.7-14.1), Zr (15.6-38.7) and positive Eu anomaly is present. The ?13C of diamonds within studied sample is variable (? 6.4 ÷? 9.8 ‰) as well as N abundance (75-1150 ppm) and ?15N ? 27, ? 38, ? 58 ‰. The second peridotitic (U/P-type) sample Mr 838 contains eight inclusions of Mg-rich Cr-pyropes (Mg# ~ 85, Cr2O3 3.2-3.4 wt.%) and magnesite inclusion with 4.35 wt.% FeO and 1.73 wt.% CaO. Trace element content in pyropes is relatively uniform (ppm): Sr (0.4-1.6), Y (13.2-13.4) and Zr (13.0). We conclude that heterogeneous distribution of the trace elements among garnet grains in Mr 832 and magnesite presence in Mr 838 are indicative of the effects of mantle metasomatism and rapid crystallization shortly before the eruption of the kimberlite.
Abstract: Homogeneity of a peridotitic garnet inclusion in diamond demonstrating excess in Si concentration (i.e. presence of majorite component) was investigated by TEM using FIB prepared foils. The host diamond is a low-nitrogen brown stone, which can be related to type IIa with features of strong plastic deformation. The studied sample is represented by Ca-poor Cr-pyrope of harzburgitic (H) paragenesis from Snap Lake dyke, Canada The garnet had been previously reported to contain Si = 3.16 apfu. The revised examination of the sample, resulted in detection of extremely fine-grained symplectite consisting of low Ca-orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, Cr-spinel and coesite completely located and isolated in the inner part of the garnet crystal, which forms a sharp interface with the surrounding homogeneous garnet. XRD study confirmed the presence of the minerals constituting the symplectite. EPMA showed an identical bulk chemistry of the nanometer-sized symplectite and garnet. Further polishing of the garnet inclusion on the same surface with diamond removed the symplectite, which possibly was present as a thin lens within garnet. The remaining garnet is completely homogeneous as checked by two profiles, and contains unusually high Ni (118.2 ppm) and depleted REE patterns. Estimated PT formation conditions of this garnet are 10.8 GPa and 1450 °C within asthenosphere. Symplectite testifies partial retrograde isochemical phase transformation of the examined garnet which is suggested to be caused by decompression along with plastic deformation of diamond within the coesite stability field at T > 1000 °C and depth no less than 100 km. Because previously published studies of rare majoritic garnets composition were performed by EPMA only, it is possible that the traces of partial phase transformation (symplectite formation) could have been overlooked without additional XRD and/or TEM/AEM studies.
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.
Doklady Earth Sciences, Vol. 471, 1, pp. 1144-1148.
Technology
Petrology - experimental
Abstract: Experimental research in the Fe3C-(Fe,Ni)S system was carried out. The objective of the investigation was to model the reactions of carbide-sulfide interaction related to graphite (diamond) formation in reduced lithosphere mantle domains. T ? 1200°C is the formation temperature of the Ni-cohenite + graphite assemblage coexisting with two immiscible melts such as sulfide (Fe60-Ni3-S37)L and metal-sulfide (Fe71-Ni7-S21-C1)L containing dissolved carbon. T ? 1300°C is the generation temperature of a unified melt such as (Fe80-Ni6-S10-C4)L characterized by graphite crystallization and diamond growth. The extraction of carbide carbon during the interaction with the sulfide melt can be considered as one of the potential mechanisms of graphite and diamond formation in the reduced mantle.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, in press available 22p.
Mantle
Metasomatism, magmatism, carbonatite
Abstract: Hydrous K-rich kimberlite-like systems are studied experimentally at 5.5-7.5 GPa and 1200-1450 °C in terms of phase relations and conditions for formation and stability of phlogopite. The starting samples are phlogopite-carbonatite-phlogopite sandwiches and harzburgite-carbonatite mixtures consisting of Ol + Grt + Cpx + L (±Opx), according to the previous experimental results obtained at the same P-T parameters but in water-free systems. Carbonatite is represented by a K- and Ca-rich composition that may form at the top of a slab. In the presence of carbonatitic melt, phlogopite can partly melt in a peritectic reaction at 5.5 GPa and 1200-1350 °C, as well as at 6.3-7.0 GPa and 1200 °C: 2Phl + CaCO3 (L)?Cpx + Ol + Grt + K2CO3 (L) + 2H2O (L). Synthesis of phlogopite at 5.5 GPa and 1200-1350 °C, with an initial mixture of H2O-bearing harzburgite and carbonatite, demonstrates experimentally that equilibrium in this reaction can be shifted from right to left. Therefore, phlogopite can equilibrate with ultrapotassic carbonate-silicate melts in a ? 150 °C region between 1200 and 1350 °C at 5.5 GPa. On the other hand, it can exist but cannot nucleate spontaneously and crystallize in the presence of such melts in quite a large pressure range in experiments at 6.3-7.0 GPa and 1200 °C. Thus, phlogopite can result from metasomatism of peridotite at the base of continental lithospheric mantle (CLM) by ultrapotassic carbonatite agents at depths shallower than 180-195 km, which creates a mechanism of water retaining in CLM. Kimberlite formation can begin at 5.5 GPa and 1350 °C in a phlogopite-bearing peridotite source generating a hydrous carbonate-silicate melt with 10-15 wt% SiO2, Ca# from 45 to 60, and high K enrichment. Upon further heating to 1450 °C due to the effect of a mantle plume at the CLM base, phlogopite disappears and a kimberlite-like melt forms with SiO2 to 20 wt% and Ca# = 35-40.
Abstract: Is there the existence of a water-rich zone in the mantle, currently one of the most discussed problem in mantle petrology? There are recent studies of low-water content in nominally anhydrous minerals in diamonds [1] and the chemistry of exceptionally rare phlogopite inclusions coexisting with peridotitic and eclogitic minerals in kimberlite-hosted diamonds [2]. Previous studies have shown that some rapidly formed diamonds reflect the composition of the environment in which they formed [3]. The minerals trapped during nucleation stage remain shielded from any changing conditions during further diamond growth or later mantle metasomatism. Thus, the analysis of diamond microinclusions is a major tool for the direct study of mantle high-density fluids (HDFs) from which the diamonds have precipitated [4]. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques, we have investigated hydrous silicates inside nanometerscale, polyphased unclusions, especially in dark cloudy alluvial and kimberlite diamonds. Clinohumite, phlogopite, and phengite were detected. Hydrous silicate phases are accompanied by Ba-Sr-Ca -Fe-Mg carbonates, in addition to sulfides, oxides (magnetite, rutile, ilmenite), F-apatite, KCl, graphite, and fluid bubbles. A contrast occurs between clinohumite associated with phlogopite, F-apatite and highMg carbonates, but phengite, accompanied by a Al, Kbearing, unidentified silicate. These inclusions reflect the composition of fluid from which the host diamond crystallized. The mica composition, in most cases, has excess Si, similar to the high-silica mica identified within diamond microinclusions from Diavik [5]. The fluid-bearing carbonatitic-silicic diamonds grew in water-rich environments with extremely high K-activity, compared to most diamonds, which grew only within limited zones in the Earth’s mantle.
Abstract: It has been demonstrated for the first time that the isotopic compositions of carbon (?13C) in magmatic calcites from the Udachnaya–East pipe kimberlite groundmass varies from–2.5 to–1.0‰ (V-PDB), while those of oxygen (?18O) range from 15.0 to 18.2‰ (V-SMOW). The obtained results imply that during the terminal late magmatic and postmagmatic stages of the kimberlite pipe formation, the carbonates in the kimberlite groundmass became successively heavier isotopically, which indicates the hybrid nature of the carbonate component of the kimberlite: it was formed with contributions from mantle and sedimentary marine sources.
Formation and evolution of hypabyssal kimberlites from the Siberian craton: part 1 - new insights from cathodluminescence of the carbonates. Anabar and Olenek area
Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, Vol. 145, pt. B, pp. 670-678.
Abstract: The primary melt and fluid inclusions in regenerated zonal crystals of olivine and homogeneous phenocrysts of olivine from kimberlites of the Udachnaya-East pipe, were first studied by means of microthermometry, optic and scanning electron microscopy, electron and ion microprobe analysis (SIMS), inductively coupled plasma mass-spectrometry (ICP MSC), and Raman spectroscopy. It was established that olivine crystals were regenerated from silicate-carbonate melts at a temperature of ~1100°C.
Doklady Earth Sciences, Vol. 476, 2, pp. 1155-1158.
Russia, Yakutia
deposit - Udachnaya
Abstract: The crystallographic orientation of three diamonds and 19 olivine inclusions from Udachnaya kimberlite pipe was studied using monocrystal X-ray diffractometry. No epitaxial olivine inclusions were found.
Abstract: Pyrope-almandine garnets (Mg# = 28.3-44.9, Ca# = 15.5-21.3) from a heavy mineral concentrate of diamondiferous kimberlites of the largest diamond deposit, the Yubileinaya pipe, along with kimberlite- like rocks and diamondiferous volcano-sediments of the Laptev Sea coast, have been found to contain polymineral, predominantly acicular inclusions, composed of aggregates of shrilankite (Ti2ZrO6), rutile, ilmenite, clinopyroxene, and apatite. The presence of shrilankite as an inclusion in garnets from assumed garnet-pyroxene rocks of the lower crust, lifted up by diamond-bearing kimberlite, allows it to be considered as an indicator mineral of kimberlite, which expands the possibilities when searching for kimberlite in the Arctic.
Abstract: Experimental studies in the Fe3C-SiO2-MgO system (P = 6.3 GPa, T = 1100-1500°C, t = 20-40 h) have been carried out. It has been established that carbide-oxide interaction resulted in the formation of Fe-orthopyroxene, graphite, wustite, and cohenite (1100 and 1200°C), as well as a Fe-C-O melt (1300-1500°C). The main processes occurring in the system at 1100 and 1200°C are the oxidation of cohenite, the extraction of carbon from carbide, and the crystallization of metastable graphite, as well as the formation of ferrosilicates. At T ? 1300°C, graphite crystallization and diamond growth occur as a result of the redox interaction of a predominantly metallic melt (Fe-C-O) with oxides and silicates. The carbide-oxide interaction studied can be considered as the basis for modeling a number of carbon-producing processes in the lithospheric mantle at fO2 values near the iron-wustite buffer.
Abstract: Pyrope-almandine garnets (Mg# = 28.3-44.9, Ca# = 15.5-21.3) from a heavy mineral concentrate of diamondiferous kimberlites of the largest diamond deposit, the Yubileinaya pipe, along with kimberlite- like rocks and diamondiferous volcano-sediments of the Laptev Sea coast, have been found to contain polymineral, predominantly acicular inclusions, composed of aggregates of shrilankite (Ti2ZrO6), rutile, ilmenite, clinopyroxene, and apatite. The presence of shrilankite as an inclusion in garnets from assumed garnet-pyroxene rocks of the lower crust, lifted up by diamond-bearing kimberlite, allows it to be considered as an indicator mineral of kimberlite, which expands the possibilities when searching for kimberlite in the Arctic.
Abstract: Of great importance in the problem of redox evolution of mantle rocks is the reconstruction of scenarios of alteration of Fe0- or Fe3C-bearing rocks by oxidizing mantle metasomatic agents and the evaluation of stability of these phases under the influence of fluids and melts of different compositions. Original results of high-temperature high-pressure experiments (P = 6.3 GPa, T = 13001500°?) in the carbideoxidecarbonate systems (Fe3CSiO2(Mg,Ca)CO3 and Fe3CSiO2Al2O3(Mg,Ca)CO3) are reported. Conditions of formation of mantle silicates with metallic or metalcarbon melt inclusions are determined and their stability in the presence of CO2-fluid representing the potential mantle oxidizing metasomatic agent are estimated. It is established that garnet or orthopyroxene and CO2-fluid are formed in the carbideoxidecarbonate system through decarbonation, with subsequent redox interaction between CO2 and iron carbide. This results in the formation of assemblage of Fe-rich silicates and graphite. Garnet and orthopyroxene contain inclusions of a FeC melt, as well as graphite, fayalite, and ferrosilite. It is experimentally demonstrated that the presence of CO2-fluid in interstices does not affect on the preservation of metallic inclusions, as well as graphite inclusions in silicates. Selective capture of FeC melt inclusions by mantle silicates is one of the potential scenarios for the conservation of metallic iron in mantle domains altered by mantle oxidizing metasomatic agents.
Abstract: The healed internal conjugated cleavages at the core of Aykhal octahedral diamond sample AH2 were decorated with {111}dia-facetted ultrapotassic fluid/melt inclusion pockets containing nanosized graphite, phlogopite and olivine (Fo92) inclusions. These olivines are either rounded in pockets with ample fluid, or facetted by the {111}dia mold in the pockets with a fluid film. Transmission electron microscopy revealed two distinct crystallographic characteristics of olivine inclusions: (1) pronounced crystallographic texture of olivines grouped in specific diamond domain, and (2) frequent parallelism or sub-parallelism of specific low-energy faces of the two phases, mainly (010)ol, {120}ol, (001)ol and {111}dia, {110}dia, {100}dia in the order of decreasing preference, forming prominent (010)ol/{111}dia, (010)ol/{110}dia, (001)ol/{110}dia, {120}ol/{111}dia, and {120}ol/{110}dia low-energy phase boundaries with thin liquid film of 1-2?nm in between. These findings not only testify to the extremely low adhesion energies of olivine-diamond boundary pairs, but also imply that, in the presence of a fluid phase, the interfacial energetics and the energetically favored crystallographic orientations of olivine inclusions in diamond can be controlled simply by the settlement/attachment of low-energy facets of olivine crystals precipitating from the parental fluid upon the low-energy {111}dia or {110}dia surfaces of diamond. Such interfacial energetics control and the resultant low-energy boundary pairs are characteristically distinct from the common topotaxy or epitaxy between oxide/silicate mineral pairs, but are in a sense like the Van der Waals heteroepitaxy in artificial systems.
Doklady earth Sciences, Vol. 483, 1, pp. 1427-1430.
Mantle
petrology
Abstract: Experimental studies were performed in the Fe3C-SiO2-(Mg,Ca)CO3 system (6.3 GP?, 1100-1500°C, 20-40 h). It is established that the carbide-oxide-carbonate interaction leads to the formation of ferrosilite, fayalite, graphite, and cohenite (1100 and 1200°?), as well as a Fe-C melt (1300°?). It is determined that the main processes in the system are decarbonation, redox-reactions of cohenite and a CO2-fluid, extraction of carbon from carbide, and crystallization of metastable graphite (± diamond growth), as well as the formation of ferriferous silicates. The interaction studied can be considered as a simplified model of the processes that occur during the subduction of oxidized crustal material to reduced mantle rocks.
Abstract: Of great importance in the problem of redox evolution of mantle rocks is the reconstruction of scenarios of alteration of Fe?- or Fe3C-bearing rocks by oxidizing mantle metasomatic agents and the evaluation of stability of these phases under the influence of fluids and melts of different compositions. Original results of high-temperature high-pressure experiments (P = 6.3 GPa, T = 1300-1500°?) in the carbide-oxide-carbonate systems (Fe3C-SiO2-(Mg,Ca)CO3 and Fe3C-SiO2-Al2O3-(Mg,Ca)CO3) are reported. Conditions of formation of mantle silicates with metallic or metal-carbon melt inclusions are determined and their stability in the presence of CO2-fluid representing the potential mantle oxidizing metasomatic agent are estimated. It is established that garnet or orthopyroxene and CO2-fluid are formed in the carbide-oxide-carbonate system through decarbonation, with subsequent redox interaction between CO2 and iron carbide. This results in the formation of assemblage of Fe-rich silicates and graphite. Garnet and orthopyroxene contain inclusions of a Fe-C melt, as well as graphite, fayalite, and ferrosilite. It is experimentally demonstrated that the presence of CO2-fluid in interstices does not affect on the preservation of metallic inclusions, as well as graphite inclusions in silicates. Selective capture of Fe-C melt inclusions by mantle silicates is one of the potential scenarios for the conservation of metallic iron in mantle domains altered by mantle oxidizing metasomatic agents.
Doklady earth Sciences, Vol. 483, 1, pp. 1473-1474.
Mantle
melting
Abstract: The experimental data on diamond growth in the Fe-Ni-S-C and Fe-S-C systems with a sulfur content of 5-14 wt % at 5.5 GPa and 1300-1350°C are reported. Colorless and light yellow diamond crystals with a weight of 0.1-0.8 ct were synthesized. It is shown in the Fe-S-C system that at 5.5. GPa diamond may crystallize in a very narrow temperature range, from 1300 to 1370°C. Based on comparative analysis of the experimental data and the results of the study of native iron inclusions in natural diamonds from kimberlite pipes, it is suggested that diamond genesis may be partly controlled by the pre-eutectic (by the concentration of sulfur in relation to metal) metal-sulfide melt.
Abstract: Monocrystalline type Ia diamonds with octahedral growth morphology prevail among lithospheric diamonds, including precious stones. Unlike less common ‘fibrous’ diamonds that grew from alkali-rich carbonate-bearing melts and fluids, the growth medium of ‘monocrystalline’ type Ia diamonds remains debatable. Here we report the first finding of an optically visible (~30??m in size) carbonate inclusion in the center of a gem type Ia octahedral diamond from the Sytykanskaya kimberlite pipe, Yakutia. We found that the inclusion consists of submicron size carbonate phases represented by K2Ca(CO3)2 bütschliite (~15?vol%), Na2Mg(CO3)2 eitelite (~5?vol%), and dolomite (~80?vol%). Although neither bütschliite nor eitelite can coexist with dolomite under mantle P-T conditions, these phases readily appear all together in the quenched products of carbonatite melt under mantle pressures. Thus, at the moment of capture, the inclusion material was a carbonatite melt with the following composition 10(K0.75Na0.25)2CO3?90(Ca0.57Mg0.43)CO3. The content of alkali carbonates at the level of 10?mol% indicates that the melt was formed at a temperature of ?1300?°C. The high K/Na and Ca/(Ca?+?Mg) ratios in this melt indicate its derivation by partial melting of recycled marine sediments (pelites). Considering an age of the last subduction event beneath the Siberian craton, our new finding implies that subducting slabs drag carbonated material of the continental crust beneath ancient cratons, where it experiences partial melting to form a potassic dolomitic melt responsible for the formation of most diamonds, since the Late Archean.
Nature Scientific Reports, doi.org/10.1038/ s41598-019-46556-3 8p. Pdf
Global
diamond morphology, impact craters
Abstract: Diamond is a material of immense technological importance and an ancient signifier for wealth and societal status. In geology, diamond forms as part of the deep carbon cycle and typically displays a highly ordered cubic crystal structure. Impact diamonds, however, often exhibit structural disorder in the form of complex combinations of cubic and hexagonal stacking motifs. The structural characterization of such diamonds remains a challenge. Here, impact diamonds from the Popigai crater were characterized with a range of techniques. Using the MCDIFFaX approach for analysing X-ray diffraction data, hexagonality indices up to 40% were found. The effects of increasing amounts of hexagonal stacking on the Raman spectra of diamond were investigated computationally and found to be in excellent agreement with trends in the experimental spectra. Electron microscopy revealed nanoscale twinning within the cubic diamond structure. Our analyses lead us to propose a systematic protocol for assigning specific hexagonality attributes to the mineral designated as lonsdaleite among natural and synthetic samples.
Abstract: Monocrystalline type Ia diamonds with octahedral growth morphology prevail among lithospheric diamonds, including precious stones. Unlike less common ‘fibrous’ diamonds that grew from alkali-rich carbonate-bearing melts and fluids, the growth medium of ‘monocrystalline’ type Ia diamonds remains debatable. Here we report the first finding of an optically visible (~30??m in size) carbonate inclusion in the center of a gem type Ia octahedral diamond from the Sytykanskaya kimberlite pipe, Yakutia. We found that the inclusion consists of submicron size carbonate phases represented by K2Ca(CO3)2 bütschliite (~15?vol%), Na2Mg(CO3)2 eitelite (~5?vol%), and dolomite (~80?vol%). Although neither bütschliite nor eitelite can coexist with dolomite under mantle P-T conditions, these phases readily appear all together in the quenched products of carbonatite melt under mantle pressures. Thus, at the moment of capture, the inclusion material was a carbonatite melt with the following composition 10(K0.75Na0.25)2CO3?90(Ca0.57Mg0.43)CO3. The content of alkali carbonates at the level of 10?mol% indicates that the melt was formed at a temperature of ?1300?°C. The high K/Na and Ca/(Ca?+?Mg) ratios in this melt indicate its derivation by partial melting of recycled marine sediments (pelites). Considering an age of the last subduction event beneath the Siberian craton, our new finding implies that subducting slabs drag carbonated material of the continental crust beneath ancient cratons, where it experiences partial melting to form a potassic dolomitic melt responsible for the formation of most diamonds, since the Late Archean.
Abstract: A find of coesite in a kyanite graphite-diamond-bearing eclogite xenolith from the Udachnaya-Vostochnaya kimberlite pipe is described in this paper. The coesite relics were found in intensely fractured garnet indicating some influence of the kimberlite melt, which is supported by the typical secondary mineral assemblage around this inclusion. These data indicate that shallower diamond-free coesite-grade rocks (2.7 GPa) underwent metamorphism distinct from diamond-bearing coesite eclogites (?4 GPa). The metasomatic alteration of rock as a result of the C-O-H fluid-rock interaction during diamond crystallization may be another possible reason for the absence of coesite in diamond-bearing xenoliths.
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.
Abstract: The first results on the interaction between an Fe-Ni melt and anthracene (?14?10) in the presence of olivine at 3 GPa and 1500°? and on the study of the component composition of the fluid generated in this process are presented. The stability of aliphatic hydrocarbons in the implemented conditions is confirmed experimentally. It is established that, under these conditions, crystallization of high-magnesian olivines occurs (Fo = 97-98 mol %). The composition of the fluid is similar to the composition of the fluid from inclusions in synthetic diamonds. The conditions implemented in the experiment might have occurred at the early stages of the Earth’s evolution.
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: Diamond is a material of immense technological importance and an ancient signifier for wealth and societal status. In geology, diamond forms as part of the deep carbon cycle and typically displays a highly ordered cubic crystal structure. Impact diamonds, however, often exhibit structural disorder in the form of complex combinations of cubic and hexagonal stacking motifs. The structural characterization of such diamonds remains a challenge. Here, impact diamonds from the Popigai crater were characterized with a range of techniques. Using the MCDIFFaX approach for analysing X-ray diffraction data, hexagonality indices up to 40% were found. The effects of increasing amounts of hexagonal stacking on the Raman spectra of diamond were investigated computationally and found to be in excellent agreement with trends in the experimental spectra. Electron microscopy revealed nanoscale twinning within the cubic diamond structure. Our analyses lead us to propose a systematic protocol for assigning specific hexagonality attributes to the mineral designated as lonsdaleite among natural and synthetic samples.
Abstract: Most natural diamonds are formed in Earth’s lithospheric mantle; however, the exact mechanisms behind their genesis remain debated. Given the occurrence of electrochemical processes in Earth’s mantle and the high electrical conductivity of mantle melts and fluids, we have developed a model whereby localized electric fields play a central role in diamond formation. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a diamond crystallization mechanism that operates under lithospheric mantle pressure-temperature conditions (6.3 and 7.5 gigapascals; 1300° to 1600°C) through the action of an electric potential applied across carbonate or carbonate-silicate melts. In this process, the carbonate-rich melt acts as both the carbon source and the crystallization medium for diamond, which forms in assemblage with mantle minerals near the cathode. Our results clearly demonstrate that electric fields should be considered a key additional factor influencing diamond crystallization, mantle mineral-forming processes, carbon isotope fractionation, and the global carbon cycle.
Abstract: New mineralogical and isotope-geochemical data for zircon megacrysts (n = 48) from alluvium of Kholomolokh Creek (a tributary of the Ebelakh River) are reported. Using the geochemical classification schemes, the presence of zircons of kimberlitic and carbonatitic genesis was shown. The U-Pb dating of zircons revealed two major age populations: the Triassic (258-221 Ma, n = 18) and Jurassic (192-154 Ma, n = 30). Weighted mean 206Pb/238U ages allowed us to distinguish the following age stages: 155 ± 3, 161 ± 2, 177 ± 1.5, 183 ± 1.5, 190 ± 2, 233 ± 2.5, and 252 ± 4 Ma. It is suggested that the Ebelyakh diamonds could have been transported from the mantle depths by kimberlite, as well as by other related rocks, such as carbonatite, lamprophyre, lamproite, olivine melilitite, etc. Diamonds from the Ebelyakh placers most likely have polygenic native sources and may be associated with polychronous and multistage Middle Paleozoic and Mesozoic kimberlite and alkaline-ultrabasic magmatism in the eastern slope of the Anabar Shield (the Ebelyakh, Mayat, and Billyakh river basins).
Abstract: Mineral inclusions in cubic diamonds from garnet-clinopyroxene rock of the Kokchetav massif were studied. The coexistence of fluid and silicate inclusions in the central part of the diamond of the G0 sample was revealed by means of transmission electron microscopy. Silicate inclusions are represented by intergrowths of garnet and mica, which are spatially related with the carbonate and fluid inclusions. The first finding of silicate inclusions in the cubic diamonds from the UHP complex discovered over 50 years of their study is apparently due to a selective capture of the silicate minerals in the process of the diamond crystallization from the carbonate-bearing C-O-H fluid. The processes of diamond crystallization in the metamorphic deeply subducted rocks and upper mantle rocks, which are carried to the surface as xenoliths by kimberlite melts, have much in common.
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.
Doklady Earth Sciences, Vol. 501, pt. 1, pp. 919-924. pdf
Russia, Yakutia
cathodluminescence
Abstract: The zoning of diamonds was studied using cathodoluminescence (CL) and the chemical composition of mineral inclusions in six typical diamonds from kimberlites of Yakutia. The diamonds were ground on special equipment until inclusions with dimensions of 10-200 ?m were brought to the surface. The inclusions are characterized by a morphology reflecting the influence of the host diamonds. Multiple inclusions and intergrowths of magnesiochromite, olivine, pyrope, and phlogopite are located in both the central and peripheral zones of diamonds. In three diamonds, significant differences in the composition of magnesiochromites in different growth zones were observed, while in the other three such differences were not found. The overwhelming majority (five out of the six diamonds studied), according to the compositional features of magnesiochromite, olivine, and phlogopite, belong to the dunite-harzburgite paragenesis prevailing in diamonds from various diamond-bearing provinces of the Earth. In one of the diamonds, a lherzolite paragenesis, identified by the composition of the pyrope inclusion in magnesiochromite, was observed for the first time. The complex history of diamond growth and the variations in the chemical composition of the included minerals indicate the possibility of coexistence of syngenetic and protogenetic inclusions in the same diamond crystal.
Abstract: Impingement of a hot buoyant mantle plume head on the lithosphere is one of the few scenarios that can initiate a new subduction zone without requiring any pre-existing weak zones. This mechanism can start subduction and plate tectonics on a stagnant lid and can also operate during active plate tectonics where plume-lithosphere interactions is likely to be affected by plate motion. In this study, we explore the influence of plate motion on lithospheric response to plume head-lithosphere interaction including the effect of magmatic weakening of lithosphere. Using 3d thermo-mechanical models we show that the arrival of a new plume beneath the lithosphere can either (1) break the lithosphere and initiate subduction, (2) penetrate the lithosphere without subduction initiation, or (3) spread asymmetrically below the lithosphere. Outcomes indicate that lithospheric strength and plume buoyancy control plume penetration through the lithosphere whereas the plate speed has a subordinate influence on this process. However, plate motion may affect the geometry and dynamics of plume-lithosphere interaction by promoting asymmetry in the subduction zone shape. When a sufficiently buoyant plume hits a young but subductable moving lithosphere, a single-slab modern-style subduction zone can form instead of multiple subduction zones predicted by stagnant lid models. In the case of subduction initiation of older moving oceanic lithosphere, asymmetrical cylindrical subduction is promoted instead of more symmetrical stagnant lid subduction. We propose that the eastward motion of the Farallon plate in Late Cretaceous time could have played a key role in forming one-sided subduction along the southern and western margin of the Caribbean and NW South America.
Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, Vol. 18, 12, pp. 4469-4486.
Mantle
subduction
Abstract: The classical Wilson Cycle concept, describing repeated opening and closing of ocean basins, hypothesizes spontaneous conversion of passive continental margins into subduction zones. This process, however, is impeded by the high strength of passive margins, and it has never occurred in Cenozoic times. Here using thermomechanical models, we show that additional forcing, provided by mantle flow, which is induced by neighboring subduction zones and midmantle slab remnants, can convert a passive margin into a subduction zone. Models suggest that this is a long-term process, thus explaining the lack of Cenozoic examples. We speculate that new subduction zones may form in the next few tens of millions of years along the Argentine passive margin and the U.S. East Coast. Mantle suction force can similarly trigger subduction initiation along large oceanic fracture zones. We propose that new subduction zones will preferentially originate where subduction zones were active in the past, thus explaining the remarkable colocation of subduction zones during at least the last 400 Myr.
Abstract: Plate tectonics is among the most important geological processes on Earth, but its emergence and evolution remain unclear. Here we extrapolate models of present-day plate tectonics to the past and propose that since about three billion years ago the rise of continents and the accumulation of sediments at continental edges and in trenches has provided lubrication for the stabilization of subduction and has been crucial in the development of plate tectonics on Earth. We conclude that the two largest surface erosion and subduction lubrication events occurred after the Palaeoproterozoic Huronian global glaciations (2.45 to 2.2 billion years ago), leading to the formation of the Columbia supercontinent, and after the Neoproterozoic ‘snowball’ Earth glaciations (0.75 to 0.63 billion years ago). The snowball Earth event followed the ‘boring billion’—a period of reduced plate tectonic activity about 1.75 to 0.75 billion years ago that was probably caused by a shortfall of sediments in trenches—and it kick-started the modern episode of active plate tectonics.
Abstract: The location of the West African craton (WAC) has been poorly constrained in the Paleoproterozoic-Mesoproterozoic supercontinent Nuna (also known as Columbia). Previous Nuna reconstruction models suggested that the WAC was connected to Amazonia in a way similar to their relative position in Gondwana. By an integrated paleomagnetic and geochronological study of the Proterozoic mafic dikes in the Anti-Atlas Belt, Morocco, we provide two reliable paleomagnetic poles to test this connection. Incorporating our new poles with quality-filtered poles from the neighboring cratons of the WAC, we propose an inverted WAC-Amazonia connection, with the northern WAC attached to northeastern Amazonia, as well as a refined configuration of Nuna. Global large igneous province records also conform to our new reconstruction. The inverted WAC-Amazonia connection suggests a substantial change in their relative orientation from Nuna to Gondwana, providing an additional example of large-magnitude cumulative azimuthal rotations between adjacent continental blocks over supercontinental cycles.
El Bahat, A., Ikenne, M., Soderlund, U., Cousens, B., Youbi, N., Ernst, R., Soulaimani, A., El Janati, M., Hafid, A.
U PB baddeleyite ages and geochemistry of dolerite dykes in the Bas Draa In lier of the Anti-Atlas of Morocco: newly identified Ma event in the West African craton.
Kouyate, D., Soderlund, U., Youbi, N., Ernst, R., Hafid, A., Ikeene, M., Soulaimani, A., Betrand, H., El Janati, M., Rkha, C.
U Pb baddeleyite and zircon ages of 2040 Ma, 1650 Ma and 885 Ma on dolerites in the West African Craton ( Anti-Atlas inliers) : possible links to break up of Precambrian supercontinents.
Youbi, N., Kouyate, D., Soderlund, U., Ernst, R.E., Soulaimani, A., Hafid, A., Ikenne, M., El Bahat, A., Betrand, H., Chaham, K.R., Ben Abbou, M., Mortaji, A., El Ghorfi, M., Zouhair, M., El Janati, M.
The 1750 Ma magmatic event of the West African Craton ( Anti-Atlas) Morocco.
Geological Society of London Special Publication Supercontinent Cycles through Earth History., Vol. 424, pp. 167-190.
South America, Brazil
Supercontinents
Abstract: Moderate to high palaeolatitudes recorded in mafic dykes, exposed along the coast of Bahia, Brazil, are partly responsible for some interpretations that the São Francisco/Congo craton was separate from the low-latitude Rodinia supercontinent at about 1050 Ma. We report new palaeomagnetic data that replicate the previous results. However, we obtain substantially younger U-Pb baddeleyite ages from five dykes previously thought to be 1.02- 1.01 Ga according to the 40 Ar/ 39 Ar method. Specifically, the so-called 'A-normal' remanence direction from Salva-dor is dated at 924.2 + 3.8 Ma, within error of the age for the 'C' remanence direction at 921.5 + 4.3 Ma. An 'A-normal' dyke at Ilhéus is dated at 926.1 + 4.6 Ma, and two 'A-normal' dykes at Olivença have indistinguishable ages with best estimate of emplacement at 918.2 + 6.7 Ma. We attribute the palaeomagnetic variance of the 'A-normal' and 'C' directions to lack of averaging of geomagnetic palaeosecular variation in some regions. Our results render previous 40 Ar/ 39 Ar ages from the dykes suspect, leaving late Mesoproterozoic palaeolatitudes of the São Francisco/Congo craton unconstrained. The combined 'A-normal' palaeomagnetic pole from coastal Bahia places the São Francisco/Congo craton in moderate to high palaeolatitudes at c. 920 Ma, allowing various possible positions of that block within Rodinia. Despite more than two decades of intense global research, the configuration of Neoproterozoic supercontinent Rodinia remains enigmatic. Following the first global synthesis by Hoffman (1991), most models include a central location for Laurentia, flanked by 'East' Gondwana-Land cra-tons along its proto-Cordilleran margin and 'West'
Abstract: Precambrian supercontinents Nuna-Columbia (1.7 to 1.3 billion years ago) and Rodinia (1.1 to 0.7 billion years ago) have been proposed. However, the arrangements of crustal blocks within these supercontinents are poorly known. Huge, dominantly basaltic magmatic outpourings and intrusions, covering up to millions of square kilometres, termed Large Igneous Provinces, typically accompany (super) continent breakup, or attempted breakup and offer an important tool for reconstructing supercontinents. Here we focus on the Large Igneous Province record for Siberia and Laurentia, whose relative position in Nuna-Columbia and Rodinia reconstructions is highly controversial. We present precise geochronology—nine U -Pb and six Ar -Ar ages—on dolerite dykes and sills, along with existing dates from the literature, that constrain the timing of emplacement of Large Igneous Province magmatism in southern Siberia and northern Laurentia between 1,900 and 720 million years ago. We identify four robust age matches between the continents 1,870, 1,750, 1,350 and 720 million years ago, as well as several additional approximate age correlations that indicate southern Siberia and northern Laurentia were probably near neighbours for this 1.2-billion-year interval. Our reconstructions provide a framework for evaluating the shared geological, tectonic and metallogenic histories of these continental blocks.
Ikenne, M., Lahna, A.A., Soderlund, U., Tassinar, C.C.G., Ernst, R.E., Pin, Ch., Youbi, N., El Aouli, EH., Hafid, A., Admou, H., Mata, J., Bouougri, EH., Boumehdi, M.A.
New Mesoproterozoic age constraints for the Taghdout Group, Anti-Atlas ( Morocco): toward a new lithostratigra[hic framework for the Precambrian in the NW margin of the West African Craton.
The First West African Craton and Margins International Workshop WACMA, Held Apr. 24-29. 1p. Abstract
Abstract: Mobilistic plate-tectonic interpretation of Precambrian orogens requires that two conjoined crustal blocks may derive from distant portions of the globe. Nonetheless, many proposed Precambrian cratonic juxtapositions are broadly similar to those of younger times (so-called “strange attractors”), raising the specter of bias in their construction. We evaluated the possibility that the Congo and Kalahari cratons (Africa) were joined together prior to their amalgamation along the Damara-Lufilian-Zambezi orogen in Cambrian time by studying diabase dikes of the Huila-Epembe swarm and sills in the southern part of the Congo craton in Angola and in Namibia. We present geologic, U-Pb geochronologic, and paleomagnetic evidence showing that these two cratons were directly juxtaposed at ca. 1.1 Ga, but in a slightly modified relative orientation compared to today. Recurring persistence in cratonic connections, with slight variations from one supercontinent to the next, may signify a style of supercontinental transition similar to the northward motion of Gondwana fragments across the Tethys-Indian oceanic tract, reuniting in Eurasia.
Abstract: The Archean Yilgarn Craton in Western Australia hosts at least five generations of Proterozoic mafic dykes, the oldest previously identified dykes belonging to the ca. 2408-2401?Ma Widgiemooltha Supersuite. We report here the first known Archean mafic dyke dated at 2615?±?6?Ma by the ID-TIMS U-Pb method on baddeleyite and at 2610?±?25?Ma using in situ SHRIMP U-Pb dating of baddeleyite. Aeromagnetic data suggest that the dyke is part of a series of NE-trending intrusions that potentially extend hundreds of kilometres in the southwestern part of the craton, here named the Yandinilling dyke swarm. Mafic magmatism at 2615?Ma was possibly related to delamination of the lower crust during the final stages of assembly and cratonisation, and was coeval with the formation of late-stage gold deposit at Boddington. Paleogeographic reconstructions suggest that the Yilgarn and Zimbabwe cratons may have been neighbours from ca. 2690?Ma to 2401?Ma and if the Zimbabwe and Kaapvaal cratons amalgamated at 2660-2610?Ma, the 2615?Ma mafic magmatism in the southwestern Yilgarn Craton may be associated with the same tectonic event that produced the ca. 2607-2604?Ma Stockford dykes in the Central Zone of the Limpopo Belt. Paleomagnetic evidence and a similar tectonothermal evolution, including coeval low-pressure high-temperature metamorphism, voluminous magmatism, and emplacement of mafic dykes, support a configuration where the northern part of the Zimbabwe Craton was adjacent to the western margin of the Yilgarn Craton during the Neoarchean. Worldwide, reliably dated mafic dykes of this age have so far been reported from the Yilgarn Craton, the Limpopo Belt and the São Francisco Craton.
Abstract: Magmatism of the Povungnituk Group of the Cape Smith Belt, northern Superior craton, was formed in three stages: (i)early alkaline magmatism and associated carbonatites (undated), (ii) a main flood basalt sequence (Beauparlant Formation) (constrained between 2040 and 1991?Ma), and (iii) a late stage alkaline pulse (Cecilia Formation) (ca. 1959?Ma). We suggest that the main stage of magmatic activity (middle pulse) was of short duration. A new UPb baddeleyite age of 1998?±?6?Ma is obtained from a dolerite sill intruding the uppermost section of the Beauparlant Formation. This age has regional significance because it matches the previously obtained 1998?±?2?Ma age for the Watts Group (Purtuniq) ophiolite of the northern Cape Smith Belt and the 1998?±?2?Ma?U-Pb age of the Minto dykes intruding the craton to the south. These coeval units, along with additional units correlated on paleomagnetic grounds (Eskimo Formation), are interpreted to define a large igneous province (LIP), extending over an area of >400,000?km2, which we herein define as the Minto-Povungnituk LIP. Geochemical comparison between the Watts Group ophiolite, Minto dykes and the mafic Povungnituk Group shows significant differences allowing these data to be divided into two groups and domains within the LIP. A northern domain, comprising the Povungnituk and Watts groups, shows mixing between a depleted mantle source and a more enriched mantle plume-sourced melt. A southern domain comprising the Minto dykes and the paleomagnetically linked Eskimo Formation shows signs of an even more enriched source, while these magmas also show the effect of crustal contamination. Two distinct source mechanisms can be responsible for the observed geochemical differences between the two domains. First, a difference in lithospheric sources, where melting of different portions of Superior craton lithosphere caused the different melt signatures in the interior of the craton. In this case magmatism in the two domains is only related by having the same heat source (e.g.,a mantle plume) interpreted to be located on the northwestern side of the northern Superior craton. Second, two distinct deep mantle sources that remained separated within the ascending plume. This is analogous to some current hotspots interpreted to sample both large low shear velocity provinces (LLSVP) and adjacent ambient deep mantle. This latter interpretation would allow for the use of bilateral chemistry in LIPs as a potential tool for the recognition and mapping of the LLSVP boundaries throughout Earth's history.
Dyke Swarms of the World: a modern perspective, Srivastava et al. eds. Springer , pp. 263-314.
Africa, West Africa, South America
geochronology
Abstract: Eight different generations of dolerite dykes crosscutting the Paleoproterozoic basement in West Africa and one in South America were dated using the high precision U-Pb TIMS method on baddeleyite. Some of the individual dykes reach over 300 km in length and they are considered parts of much larger systems of mafic dyke swarms representing the plumbing systems for large igneous provinces (LIPs). The new U-Pb ages obtained for the investigated swarms in the southern West African Craton (WAC) are the following (oldest to youngest): 1791?±?3 Ma for the N010° Libiri swarm, 1764?±?4 Ma for the N035° Kédougou swarm, 1575?±?5 for the N100° Korsimoro swarm, ~1525-1529 Ma for the N130° Essakane swarm, 1521?±?3 Ma for the N90° Sambarabougou swarm, 915?±?7 Ma for the N070° Oda swarm, 867?±?16 Ma for the N355° Manso swarm, 202?±?5 Ma and 198?±?16 Ma for the N040° Hounde swarm, and 200?±?3 Ma for the sills in the Taoudeni basin. The last ones are related to the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) event. The Hounde swarm is oblique to the dominant radiating CAMP swarm and may be linked with the similar-trending elongate Kakoulima intrusion in Guinea. In addition, the N150° Käyser swarm (Amazonian craton, South America) is dated at 1528?±?2 Ma, providing a robust match with the Essakane swarm in a standard Amazonia-West African craton reconstruction, and resulting in a combined linear swarm >1500 km by >1500 km in extent. The Precambrian LIP barcode ages of c. 1790, 1765-1750, 1575, 1520, 915. 870 Ma for the WAC are compared with the global LIP record to identify possible matches on other crustal blocks, with reconstruction implications. These results contribute to the refinement of the magmatic ‘barcode’ for the West African and Amazonian cratons, representing the first steps towards plausible global paleogeographic reconstructions involving the West African and Amazonian cratons.
Abstract: Mobilistic plate-tectonic interpretation of Precambrian orogens requires that two conjoined crustal blocks may derive from distant portions of the globe. Nonetheless, many proposed Precambrian cratonic juxtapositions are broadly similar to those of younger times (so-called “strange attractors”), raising the specter of bias in their construction. We evaluated the possibility that the Congo and Kalahari cratons (Africa) were joined together prior to their amalgamation along the Damara-Lufilian-Zambezi orogen in Cambrian time by studying diabase dikes of the Huila-Epembe swarm and sills in the southern part of the Congo craton in Angola and in Namibia. We present geologic, U-Pb geochronologic, and paleomagnetic evidence showing that these two cratons were directly juxtaposed at ca. 1.1 Ga, but in a slightly modified relative orientation compared to today. Recurring persistence in cratonic connections, with slight variations from one supercontinent to the next, may signify a style of supercontinental transition similar to the northward motion of Gondwana fragments across the Tethys-Indian oceanic tract, reuniting in Eurasia.
Srivastava: Dyke Swarms of the World: a Modern Perspective, Springer, researchgate 56p. Pdf
India
dykes
Abstract: We present dyke swarm maps generated using Google Earth™ images, ArcGIS™, field data, and available geochronological ages of Neoarchean-Mesoproterozoic (ranging in age from ~2.80 to ~1.10 Ga) mafic dyke swarms and associated magmatic units of the different Archean cratons of the Indian shield which represent the plumbing system of Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs). The spatial and temporal distributions together with the trends of the dyke swarms provide important informations about geodynamics. Twenty four dyke swarms (17 have been precisely dated), mostly mafic in nature, have been mapped from the different cratons and named/re-named to best reflect their location, trend, distribution and distinction from other swarms. We have identified 14 distinct magmatic events during the Neoarchean-Mesoproterozoic in the Indian shield. These intraplate magmatic events (many of LIP scale) of the Indian shield and their matches with coeval LIPs on other crustal blocks suggest connections of the Indian shield within known supercontinents, such as Kenorland/Superia (~2.75-2.07 Ga), Columbia/Nuna (1.90-1.38 Ga), and Rodinia (1.20-0.72 Ga). However, further detailed U-Pb geochronology and associated paleomagnetism are required to come to any definite constraints on the position of the Indian cratons within these supercontinents.
Soderlund, U., Bleeker, W., Demirer, K., Srivastava, R.K., Hamilton, M., Nilsson, M., Personen, L.J., Samal, A.K., Jayananda, M., Ernst, R.E., Srinivas, M.
Abstract: Large igneous provinces (LIPs) and especially their dyke swarms are pivotal to reconstruction of ancient supercontinents. The Dharwar craton of southern Peninsular India represents a substantial portion of Archean crust and has been considered to be a principal constituent of Superia, Sclavia, Nuna/Columbia and Rodinia supercontinents. The craton is intruded by numerous regional-scale mafic dyke swarms of which only a few have robustly constrained emplacement ages. Through this study, the LIP record of the Dharwar craton has been improved by U-Pb geochronology of 18 dykes, which together comprise seven generations of Paleoproterozoic dyke swarms with emplacement ages within the 2.37-1.79 Ga age interval. From oldest to youngest, the new ages (integrated with U-Pb ages previously reported for the Hampi swarm) define the following eight swarms with their currently recommended names: NE-SW to ESE-WNW trending ca. 2.37 Ga Bangalore-Karimnagar swarm. N-S to NNE-SSW trending ca. 2.25 Ga Ippaguda-Dhiburahalli swarm. N-S to NNW-SSE trending ca. 2.22 Ga Kandlamadugu swarm. NW-SE to WNW-ESE trending ca. 2.21 Ga Anantapur-Kunigal swarm. NW-SE to WNW-ESE trending ca. 2.18 Ga Mahbubnagar-Dandeli swarm. N-S, NW-SE, and ENE-WSW trending ca. 2.08 Ga Devarabanda swarm. E-W trending 1.88-1.89 Ga Hampi swarm. NW-SE ca. 1.79 Ga Pebbair swarm. Comparison of the arcuate trends of some swarms along with an apparent oroclinal bend of ancient geological features, such as regional Dharwar greenstone belts and the late Archean (ca. 2.5 Ga) Closepet Granite batholith, have led to the hypothesis that the northern Dharwar block has rotated relative to the southern block. By restoring a 30° counter clockwise rotation of the northern Dharwar block relative to the southern block, we show that pre-2.08 Ga arcuate and fanning dyke swarms consistently become approximately linear. Two possible tectonic models for this apparent bending, and concomitant dyke rotations, are discussed. Regardless of which deformation mechanisms applies, these findings reinforce previous suggestions that the radial patterns of the giant ca. 2.37 Ga Bangalore-Karimnagar dyke swarm, and probably also the ca. 2.21 Ga Anantapur-Kunigal swarm, may not be primary features.
Abstract: Based on trend, cross-cutting relationships and U-Pb dating, Precambrian mafic dykes in the Singhbhum craton, earlier collectively identified as ‘Newer Dolerite Swarm’ have been separated into seven distinct swarms, which are thought to be the plumbing systems for Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs). These Singhbhum swarms range in age from ?2.80 Ga to ?1.76 Ga, and include the ?2.80 Ga NE-SW trending Keshargaria swarm, ?2.75-2.76 Ga NNE-SSW to NE-SW trending Ghatgaon swarm, the ?2.26 Ga NE-SW to ENE-WSW trending Kaptipada swarm (based on a new U-Pb ID-TIMS age 2256 ± 6 Ma), the ?1.77 Ga WNW-ESE trending Pipilia swarm, the early-Paleoproterozoic E-W to ENE-WSW trending Keonjhar swarm, the middle-Paleoproterozoic NW-SE to NNW-SSE trending Bhagamunda swarm, and the late-Paleoproterozoic N-S to NNE-SSW trending Barigaon swarm. Two of the Singhbhum swarms, the ?2.26 Ga Kaptipada and ?1.77 Ga Pipilia, are closely matched with the ?2.26-2.25 Ga Ippaguda-Dhiburahalli and ?1.79 Ga Pebbair swarms, respectively, of the eastern Dharwar craton. The correlations suggest that the Singhbhum and Dharwar cratons were close enough at these times to share two reconstructed LIPs, a 2.26-2.25 Ga Kaptipada- Ippaguda-Dhiburahalli LIP and a 1.79-1.77 Ga Pipilia-Pebbair LIP, and if so, both swarms must be present in the intervening Bastar craton (candidates are proposed). Also, the 2.76-2.75 Ga Ghatgaon swarm of the Singhbhum craton can be provisionally correlated with ?2.7 Ga Keshkal swarm of the Bastar craton. The 2.26-2.25 Ga Kaptipada-Ippaguda-Dhiburahalli LIP of the Singhbhum-Bastar-Dharwar reconstruction has age matches in the Vestfold Hills of Antarctica (?2.24 Ga dykes), the Kaapvaal craton (the ?2.25-2.23 Ga Hekpoort lavas) and perhaps the Zimbabwe craton (2.26 Ga Chimbadzi troctolite intrusions). The 1.76-1.79 Ga Pipilia-Pebbair LIP of the Singhbhum-Bastar-Dharwar reconstruction has age matches in the North China, Australian Shield, Amazonian, Rio de Plata and Sarmatia cratons. The relevance of these matches for reconstructions will require future testing using paleomagnetic studies. While there are ?2.7-2.8 Ga LIP-type greenstone belts in many crustal blocks, there are no precise matches with the 2.76-2.75 Ga Ghatgaon swarm of the Singhbhum craton. Howe
Arabian Journal of Geosciences, Vol. 13, , 209 orchid.org/ 0000-002-3287-9537
Africa, Mauritania
craton
Abstract: We used remote sensing, geographical information systems, Google Earth™ images, and regional geology in order to (i) improve the mapping of linear structures and understand the chronology of different mafic dyke swarms in the Ahmeyim area that belongs to the Archean Tasiast-Tijirit Terrane of the Reguibat Shield, West African craton, NW Mauritania. The spatial and temporal distributions with the trends of the dyke swarms provide important information about geodynamics. The analysis of the mafic dyke swarms map and statistical data allow us to distinguish four mafic dyke swarm sets: a major swarm trending NE-SW to NNE-SSW (80%) and three minor swarms trending EW to ENE-WSW (9.33%), NW-SE to WNW-ESE (9.06%), and NS (1.3%). The major swarms extend over 35 km while the minor swarms do not exceed 13 km. The Google Earth™ images reveal relative ages through crossover relationships. The major NE-SW to NNE-SSW and the minor NS swarms are the oldest generations emplaced in the Ahemyim area. The NW-SE-oriented swarm dykes which are cutting the two former swarms are emplaced later. The minor E-W to WSW-ENE swarms are probably the youngest. A precise U-Pb baddeleyite age of 2733?±?2 Ma has been obtained for the NNE-SSW Ahmeyim Great Dyke. This dyke is approximately 1500 m wide in some zone and extends for more than 150 km. The distinct mafic dyke swarms being identified in this study can potentially be linked with coeval magmatic events on other cratons around the globe to identify reconstructed LIPs and constrain continental reconstructions.
Jones, A.G., Plomerova, J., Korja, T., Sodoudi, F., Spakman, W.
Europe from the bottom up: a statistical examination of the central and northern European lithosphere asthenosphere boundary comparing seismological & EM
Abstract: Diamonds in alluvial deposits in Southeast Asia are not accompanied by indicator minerals suggesting primary kimberlite or lamproite sources. The Meratus Mountains in Southeast Borneo (Province Kalimantan Selatan, Indonesia) provide the largest known deposit of these so-called “headless” diamond deposits. Proposals for the origin of Kalimantan diamonds include the adjacent Meratus ophiolite complex, ultra-high pressure (UHP) metamorphic terranes, obducted subcontinental lithospheric mantle and undiscovered kimberlite-type sources. Here we report results from detailed sediment provenance analysis of diamond-bearing Quaternary river channel material and from representative outcrops of the oldest known formations within the Alino Group, including the diamond-bearing Campanian-Maastrichtian Manunggul Formation. Optical examination of surfaces of diamonds collected from artisanal miners in the Meratus area (247 stones) and in West Borneo (Sanggau Area, Province Kalimantan Barat;
Academia.edu, Supplementary material app. 1 and 2, both 10p.
Asia, Kalimantan
deposit - Kalimantan
Abstract: Diamonds in alluvial deposits in Southeast Asia are not accompanied by indicator minerals suggesting primary kimberlite or lamproite sources. The Meratus Mountains in Southeast Borneo (Province Kalimantan Selatan, Indonesia) provide the largest known deposit of these so-called “headless” diamond deposits. Proposals for the origin of Kalimantan diamonds include the adjacent Meratus ophiolite complex, ultra-high pressure (UHP) metamorphic terranes, obducted subcontinental lithospheric mantle and undiscovered kimberlite-type sources. Here we report results from detailed sediment provenance analysis of diamond-bearing Quaternary river channel material and from representative outcrops of the oldest known formations within the Alino Group, including the diamond-bearing Campanian–Maastrichtian Manunggul Formation. Optical examination of surfaces of diamonds collected from artisanal miners in the Meratus area (247 stones) and in West Borneo (Sanggau Area, Province Kalimantan Barat; 85 stones) points toward a classical kimberlite-type source for the majority of these diamonds. Some of the diamonds host mineral inclusions suitable for deep single-crystal X-ray diffraction investigation. We determined the depth of formation of two olivines, one coesite and one peridotitic garnet inclusion. Pressure of formation estimates for the peridotitic garnet at independently derived temperatures of 930–1250 °C are between 4.8 and 6.0 GPa. Sediment provenance analysis includes petrography coupled to analyses of detrital garnet and glaucophane. The compositions of these key minerals do not indicate kimberlite-derived material. By analyzing almost 1400 zircons for trace element concentrations with laser ablation ICP-MS (LA-ICP-MS) we tested the mineral's potential as an alternative kimberlite indicator. The screening ultimately resulted in a small subset of ten zircons with a kimberlitic affinity. Subsequent U–Pb dating resulting in Cretaceous ages plus a detailed chemical reflection make a kimberlitic origin unfavorable with respect to the regional geological history. Rather, trace elemental analyses (U, Th and Eu) suggest an eclogitic source for these zircons. The age distribution of detrital zircons allows in general a better understanding of collisional events that formed the Meratus orogen and identifies various North Australian Orogens as potential Pre-Mesozoic sediment sources. Our data support a model whereby the majority of Kalimantan diamonds were emplaced within the North Australian Craton by volcanic processes. Partly re-deposited into paleo-collectors or residing in their primary host, these diamond-deposits spread passively throughout Southeast Asia by terrane migration during the Gondwana breakup. Terrane amalgamation events largely metamorphosed these diamond-bearing lithologies while destroying the indicative mineral content. Orogenic uplift finally liberated their diamond-content into new, autochthonous placer deposits.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 463, pp. 48-55.
Mantle
Metasomatism
Abstract: Following giant impacts the early Hadean Earth was shrouded in a steam atmosphere for durations on the order of 1 Ma. In order to investigate the potential of this atmosphere to fractionate major elements between various silicate reservoirs and influence a planet's geochemical evolution, we performed experiments simulating the interaction of a post-giant-impact steam atmosphere with a bulk silicate Earth (BSE) composition. Our experiments indicate that the composition of the solute in a water-rich atmosphere at 10 MPa and ?727?°C is remarkably similar to that of Earth's modern continental crust and would constitute up to 10% of the solution mass. This solute composition is similar to solute compositions previously measured at higher pressures, but distinct from those of near-solidus peridotite melts. Mass balance calculations based upon the hypothesis that Earth's initial water concentration was similar to that in CI carbonaceous chondrites, and that degassing and metasomatism produced the BSE, indicate that metasomatism could produce from 10 to 300% of the mass of the modern crust. If instead the amount of metasomatism is estimated by the difference between the water concentration in the BSE and in the depleted upper mantle, then a mass of up to approximately 4% of the current crust could be produced by metasomatism. Using results of earlier research we find that the solute is expected to have a smaller Sm/Nd ratio than the residual BSE, and if the solute was formed early in Earth's history its Nd isotopic signatures would be highly enriched. Although we cannot be certain that the metasomatic process created a significant fraction of Earth's crust in the early Hadean, our research indicates that it has the potential to form crustal nuclei and possibly was responsible for the production of incompatible-element enriched reservoirs in the early Earth, as seen in the isotopic signatures of Archean rocks.
Abstract: The salt components of aqueous and aqueous-carbonic fluids are very important agents of metasomatism and partial melting of crustal and mantle rocks. The paper presents examples and synthesized data on mineral associations in granulite- and amphibolite-facies rocks of various composition in the middle and lower crust and in upper-mantle eclogites and peridotites that provide evidence of reactions involving salt components of fluids. These data are analyzed together with results of model experiments that reproduce some of these associations and make it possible to more accurately determine their crystallization parameters.
Simon, S.J., Wei, C.T., Viladkar, S.G., Ellmies, R., Soh, Tamech, L.S., Yang, H., Vatuva, A.
Metamitic U rich pyrochlore from Epembe sovitic carbonatite dyke, NW Namibia.
Carbonatite-alkaline rocks and associated mineral deposits , Dec. 8-11, abstract p. 12.
Africa, Namibia
deposit - Epembe
Abstract: The Epembe carbonatite dyke is located about 80 km north of Opuwo, NW Namibia. The 10 km long dyke is dominated by massive and banded sövitic carbonatite intrusions. Two distinct type of sövite have been recognized: (1) coarse-grained light grey Sövite I which is predominant in brecciated areas and (2) medium- to fine-grained Sövite II which hosts notable concentrations of pyrochlore and apatite. The contact between the carbonatite and basement gneisses is marked by K-feldspar fenite. The pyrochlore chemistry at Epembe shows a compositional trend from primary magmatic Ca-rich pyrochlore toward late hydrothermal fluid enriched carbonatite phase, giving rise to a remarkable shift in chemical composition and invasion of elements such as Si, U, Sr, Ba, Th and Fe. Enrichment in elements like U, Sr and Th lead to metamictization, alteration and A-site vacancy. It is therefore suggested that the carbonatite successive intrusive phases assimilated primary pyrochlore leading to extreme compositional variation especially around the rims of the pyrochlore. The genesis of the Epembe niobium deposit is linked to the carbonatite magmatism but the mechanism that manifested such niobium rich rock remains unclear and might be formed as a result of cumulate process and/or liquid immiscibility of a carbonate-silicate pair.
The geology and geochemistry of the Wadagera kimberlite and the characteristics of the underlying subcontinental lithospheric mantle, Dharwar Craton, India
10th. International Kimberlite Conference Feb. 6-11, Bangalore India, Abstract
Abstract: The Kovdor baddeleyite-apatite-magnetite deposit in the Kovdor phoscorite-carbonatite pipe is situated in the western part of the zoned alkali-ultrabasic Kovdor intrusion (NW part of the Fennoscandinavian shield; Murmansk Region, Russia). We describe major intrusive and metasomatic rocks of the pipe and its surroundings using a new classification of phoscorite-carbonatite series rocks, consistent with the IUGS recommendation. The gradual zonation of the pipe corresponds to the sequence of mineral crystallization (forsterite-hydroxylapatite-magnetite-calcite). Crystal morphology, grain size, characteristic inclusions, and composition of the rock-forming and accessory minerals display the same spatial zonation pattern, as do the three minerals of economic interest, i.e. magnetite, hydroxylapatite, and baddeleyite. The content of Sr, rare earth elements (REEs), and Ba in hydroxylapatite tends to increase gradually at the expense of Si, Fe, and Mg from early apatite-forsterite phoscorite (margins of the pipe) through carbonate-free, magnetite-rich phoscorite to carbonate-rich phoscorite and phoscorite-related carbonatite (inner part). Magnetite displays a trend of increasing V and Ca and decreasing Ti, Mn, Si, Cr, Sc, and Zn from the margins to the central part of the pipe; its grain size initially increases from the wall rocks to the inner part and then decreases towards the central part; characteristic inclusions in magnetite are geikielite within the marginal zone of the phoscorite-carbonatite pipe, spinel within the intermediate zone, and ilmenite within the inner zone. The zoning pattern seems to have formed due to both cooling and rapid degassing (pressure drop) of a fluid-rich magmatic column and subsequent pneumatolytic and hydrothermal processes.
Abstract: The comprehensive petrographical, petrochemical and mineralogical study of the Kovdor magnetite-apatite-baddeleyite deposit in the phoscorite-carbonatite complex (Murmansk Region, Russia) revealed a spatial distribution of grain size and chemical composition of three economically extractable minerals — magnetite, apatite, and baddeleyite, showing that zonal distribution of mineral properties mimics both concentric and vertical zonation of the carbonatite-phoscorite pipe. The marginal zone of the pipe consists of (apatite)-forsterite phoscorite carrying fine grains of Ti-Mn-Si-rich magnetite with ilmenite exsolution lamellae, fine grains of Fe-Mg-rich apatite and finest grains of baddeleyite, enriched in Mg, Fe, Si and Mn. The intermediate zone accommodates carbonate-free magnetite-rich phoscorites that carry medium to coarse grains of Mg-Al-rich magnetite with exsolution inclusions of spinel, medium-grained pure apatite and baddeleyite. The axial zone hosts carbonate-rich phoscorites and phoscorite-related carbonatites bearing medium-grained Ti-V-Ca-rich magnetite with exsolution inclusions of geikielite-ilmenite, fine grains of Ba-Sr-Ln-rich apatite and comparatively large grains of baddeleyite, enriched in Hf, Ta, Nb and Sc. The collected data enable us to predict such important mineralogical characteristics of the multicomponent ore as chemical composition and grain size of economic and associated minerals, presence of contaminating inclusions, etc. We have identified potential areas of maximum concentration of such by-products as scandium, niobium and hafnium in baddeleyite and REEs in apatite.
Abstract: The comprehensive petrographical, petrochemical and mineralogical study of the Kovdor magnetite-apatite-baddeleyite deposit in the phoscorite-carbonatite complex (Murmansk Region, Russia) revealed a spatial distribution of grain size and chemical composition of three economically extractable minerals — magnetite, apatite, and baddeleyite, showing that zonal distribution of mineral properties mimics both concentric and vertical zonation of the carbonatite-phoscorite pipe. The marginal zone of the pipe consists of (apatite)-forsterite phoscorite carrying fine grains of Ti-Mn-Si-rich magnetite with ilmenite exsolution lamellae, fine grains of Fe-Mg-rich apatite and finest grains of baddeleyite, enriched in Mg, Fe, Si and Mn. The intermediate zone accommodates carbonate-free magnetite-rich phoscorites that carry medium to coarse grains of Mg-Al-rich magnetite with exsolution inclusions of spinel, medium-grained pure apatite and baddeleyite. The axial zone hosts carbonate-rich phoscorites and phoscorite-related carbonatites bearing medium-grained Ti-V-Ca-rich magnetite with exsolution inclusions of geikielite-ilmenite, fine grains of Ba-Sr-Ln-rich apatite and comparatively large grains of baddeleyite, enriched in Hf, Ta, Nb and Sc. The collected data enable us to predict such important mineralogical characteristics of the multicomponent ore as chemical composition and grain size of economic and associated minerals, presence of contaminating inclusions, etc. We have identified potential areas of maximum concentration of such by-products as scandium, niobium and hafnium in baddeleyite and REEs in apatite.
Abstract: The comprehensive petrographical, petrochemical and mineralogical study of the Kovdor magnetite-apatite-baddeleyite deposit in the phoscorite-carbonatite complex (Murmansk Region, Russia) revealed a spatial distribution of grain size and chemical composition of three economically extractable minerals — magnetite, apatite, and baddeleyite, showing that zonal distribution of mineral properties mimics both concentric and vertical zonation of the carbonatite-phoscorite pipe.The marginal zone of the pipe consists of (apatite)-forsterite phoscorite carrying fine grains of Ti-Mn-Si-rich magnetite with ilmenite exsolution lamellae, fine grains of Fe-Mg-rich apatite and finest grains of baddeleyite, enriched in Mg, Fe, Si and Mn. The intermediate zone accommodates carbonate-free magnetite-rich phoscorites that carry medium to coarse grains of Mg-Al-rich magnetite with exsolution inclusions of spinel, medium-grained pure apatite and baddeleyite. The axial zone hosts carbonate-rich phoscorites and phoscorite-related carbonatites bearing medium-grained Ti-V-Ca-rich magnetite with exsolution inclusions of geikielite-ilmenite, fine grains of Ba-Sr-Ln-rich apatite and comparatively large grains of baddeleyite, enriched in Hf, Ta, Nb and Sc. The collected data enable us to predict such important mineralogical characteristics of the multicomponent ore as chemical composition and grain size of economic and associated minerals, presence of contaminating inclusions, etc. We have identified potential areas of maximum concentration of such by-products as scandium, niobium and hafnium in baddeleyite and REEs in apatite.
Abstract: Here, we present studies of natural SiC that occurs in situ in tuff related to the Miocene alkaline basalt formation deposited in northern part of Israel. Raman spectroscopy, SEM and FIB-assisted TEM studies revealed that SiC is primarily hexagonal polytypes 4H-SiC and 6H-SiC, and that the 4H-SiC polytype is the predominant phase. Both SiC polytypes contain crystalline inclusions of silicon (Sio) and inclusions of metal-silicide with varying compositions (e.g. Si58V25Ti12Cr3Fe2, Si41Fe24Ti20Ni7V5Zr3, and Si43Fe40Ni17). The silicides crystal structure parameters match Si2TiV5 (Pm-3 m space group, cubic), FeSi2Ti (Pbam space group, orthorhombic), and FeSi2 (Cmca space group, orthorhombic) respectively. We hypothesize that SiC was formed in a local ultra-reduced environment at respectively shallow depths (60-100 km), through a “desilification” reaction of SiO2 with highly reducing fluids (H2O-CH4-H2-C2H6) arisen from the mantle “hot spot” and passing through alkaline basalt magma reservoir. SiO2 (melt) interacting with the fluids may originate from the walls of the crustal rocks surrounding this magmatic reservoir. The “desilification” process led to the formation of SiC and the reduction of metal-oxides to native metals, alloys, and silicides. The latter were trapped by SiC during its growth. Hence, interplate “hot spot” alkali basalt volcanism can now be included as a geological environment where SiC, silicon, and silicides can be found.
Abstract: Here, we present studies of natural SiC that occurs in situ in tuff related to the Miocene alkaline basalt formation deposited in northern part of Israel. Raman spectroscopy, SEM and FIB-assisted TEM studies revealed that SiC is primarily hexagonal polytypes 4H-SiC and 6H-SiC, and that the 4H-SiC polytype is the predominant phase. Both SiC polytypes contain crystalline inclusions of silicon (Sio) and inclusions of metal-silicide with varying compositions (e.g. Si58V25Ti12Cr3Fe2, Si41Fe24Ti20Ni7V5Zr3, and Si43Fe40Ni17). The silicides crystal structure parameters match Si2TiV5 (Pm-3 m space group, cubic), FeSi2Ti (Pbam space group, orthorhombic), and FeSi2 (Cmca space group, orthorhombic) respectively. We hypothesize that SiC was formed in a local ultra-reduced environment at respectively shallow depths (60-100 km), through a "desilification" reaction of SiO2 with highly reducing fluids (H2O-CH4-H2-C2H6) arisen from the mantle "hot spot" and passing through alkaline basalt magma reservoir. SiO2 (melt) interacting with the fluids may originate from the walls of the crustal rocks surrounding this magmatic reservoir. The "desilification" process led to the formation of SiC and the reduction of metal-oxides to native metals, alloys, and silicides. The latter were trapped by SiC during its growth. Hence, interplate "hot spot" alkali basalt volcanism can now be included as a geological environment where SiC, silicon, and silicides can be found.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 170, pp. 41-
Mantle
HPHT
Abstract: We report first results of a systematic study of carbon isotope fractionation in a carbonate fluid system under mantle PT conditions. The system models a diamond-forming alkaline carbonate fluid using pure sodium oxalate (Na2C2O4) as the starting material, which decomposes to carbonate, CO2 and elementary carbon (graphite and diamond) involving a single source of carbon following the reaction 2Na2C2O4 ? 2Na2CO3 + CO2 + C. Near-liquidus behaviour of carbonate was observed at 1300 °C and 6.3 GPa. The experimentally determined isotope fractionation between the components of the system in the temperature range from 1300 to 1700 °C at 6.3 and 7.5 GPa fit the theoretical expectations well. Carbon isotope fractionation associated with diamond crystallisation from the carbonate fluid at 7.5 GPa decreases with an increase in temperature from 2.7 to 1.6 ‰. This trend corresponds to the function ?Carbonate fluid-Diamond = 7.38 × 106 T?2.
Abstract: Reconstruction of the mechanisms of carbonatitic melt evolution is extremely important for understanding metasomatic processes at the base of the continental lithospheric mantle (CLM). We have studied the interaction between garnet lherzolite and a carbonatitic melt rich in molecular CO2 and H2O in experiments at 6.3 GPa and 1200-1450 °C. The interaction with garnet lherzolite and H2O-bearing carbonatite melt leads to wehrlitization of lherzolite, without its carbonation. Introduction of molecular CO2 and H2O initiates carbonation of olivine and clinopyroxene with the formation of orthopyroxene and magnesite. Partial carbonation leads to the formation of carbonate-silicate melts that are multiphase saturated with garnet harzburgite. Upon complete carbonation of olivine already at 1200 °C, melts with 27-31 wt% SiO2 and MgO/CaO ? 1 are formed. At 1350-1450 °C, the interaction leads to an increase in the melt fraction and the MgO/CaO ratio to 2-4 and a decrease in the SiO2 concentration. Thus, at conditions of a thermally undisturbed CLM base, molecular CO2 and H2O dissolved in metasomatic agents, due to local carbonation of peridotite, can provide the evolution of agent composition from carbonatitic to hydrous silicic, i.e., similar to the trends reconstructed for diamond-forming high density fluids (HDFs) and genetically related proto-kimberlite melts.
Abstract: The article focuses on the study of composition of garnets of the lherzolitic and harzburgitic parageneses and the conditions of peridotite. As per the study, reconstruction of the conditions of metasomatism of peridotitic sources of kimberlite is possible in the evolution of garnet. It mentions the importance of dry and hydrous carbonatitic melt upon alteration of peridotitic sources of kimberlite as it acted as an another heat source.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 170, 19p.
Russia
Deposit - Udachnaya
Abstract: Experiments are applied to constrain the composition of primary kimberlitic magmas which were in equilibrium with lithospheric peridotite and could resorb the entrained diamond to form typical dissolution features. The experiments are run on samples of a model carbonatite and a melt of the Udachnaya kimberlite at 6.3 GPa and 1400 °C, and at unbuffered or Re-ReO2-buffered oxygen fugacity (1-2 log units above Ni-O). Near-liquidus dry Fe3+-free carbonatitic melt (derived from carbonated harzburgite) is saturated with the Ol-Grt-Opx-Mgs assemblage and is almost inert to diamond. Carbonatitic melts that bear 4.6-6.8 wt% Fe2O3 or 1.5 wt% H2O are in equilibrium only with Mgs ± Ol near the liquidus. Dissolution of diamond by these melts produces surface textures uncommon (corrosion sculptures) or common (negative-oriented trigons, shield-shaped laminae and elongate hillocks) to kimberlitic diamonds. The near-liquidus melt of the Udachnaya kimberlite (Yakutia) with 10-12 wt% H2O is saturated with the Ol-Grt-px assemblage and may result from melting of carbonated garnet-bearing wehrlite. Hydrous kimberlitic melt likewise resorbs diamonds forming typical negative-oriented trigons, shield-shaped laminae and elongate hillocks on their surfaces. Therefore, the melts that could originate in the thermal conditions of subcratonic lithosphere, entrain diamond and dissolve it to produce dissolution features on crystal surfaces, were compositionally close to kimberlite (16-19 wt% SiO2) and rich in H2O. Dry Fe3+-bearing carbonatites with fO2 controlled by the ferric/ferrous equilibrium slightly above the Ni-NiO buffer cannot be diamond carriers.
Wustite stability in the presence of CO2 -fluid and a carbonate silicate melt: implications for the graphite/diamond formation and generation of Fe-rich mantle metasomatic agents.
Abstract: Experimental simulation of the interaction of wüstite with a CO2-rich fluid and a carbonate-silicate melt was performed using a multianvil high-pressure split-sphere apparatus in the FeO-MgO-CaO-SiO2-Al2O3-CO2 system at a pressure of 6.3 GPa and temperatures in the range of 1150 °C–1650 °C and with run time of 20 h. At relatively low temperatures, decarbonation reactions occur in the system to form iron-rich garnet (Alm75Prp17Grs8), magnesiowüstite (Mg# ? 0.13), and CO2-rich fluid. Under these conditions, magnesiowüstite was found to be capable of partial reducing CO2 to C0 that leads to the formation of Fe3+-bearing magnesiowüstite, crystallization of magnetite and metastable graphite, and initial growth of diamond seeds. At T ? 1450 °C, an iron-rich carbonate-silicate melt (FeO ~ 56 wt.%, SiO2 ~ 12 wt.%) forms in the system. Interaction between (Fe,Mg)O, SiO2, fluid and melt leads to oxidation of magnesiowüstite and crystallization of fayalite-magnetite spinel solid solution (1450 °C) as well as to complete dissolution of magnesiowüstite in the carbonate-silicate melt (1550 °C–1650 °C). In the presence of both carbonate-silicate melt and CO2-rich fluid, dissolution (oxidation) of diamond and metastable graphite was found to occur. The study results demonstrate that under pressures of the lithospheric mantle in the presence of a CO2-rich fluid, wüstite/magnesiowüstite is stable only at relatively low temperatures when it is in the absolute excess relative to CO2-rich fluid. In this case, the redox reactions, which produce metastable graphite and diamond with concomitant partial oxidation of wüstite to magnetite, occur. Wüstite is unstable under high concentrations of a CO2-rich fluid as well as in the presence of a carbonate-silicate melt: it is either completely oxidized or dissolves in the melt or fluid phase, leading to the formation of Fe2 +- and Fe3 +-enriched carbonate-silicate melts, which are potential metasomatic agents in the lithospheric mantle.
Doklady Earth Sciences, Vol. 465, 2, pp. 1262-1267.
Russia
Deposit - Udachnaya
Abstract: Study of the mechanism of carbonation and wehrlitization of harzburgite upon metasomatism by carbonatitic melts of various genesis was carried out. Experiments with durations of 60-150 h were performed at 6.3 GPa and 1200°C. The data showed that carbonatite with MgO/CaO > 0.3 percolating into the peridotitic lithosphere may provide crystallization of magnesite in it. The influence of all studied carbonatites results in wehrlitization of peridotite. The compositions of melts formed by interaction with harzburgite (?2 wt % SiO2, Ca# = 36-47) practically do not depend on the composition of the initial carbonatite. Based on the data obtained, we conclude that the formation of magnesite-bearing and magnesite-free metasomatized peridotites may have a significant influence on the CO2 regime in the further generation of kimberlitic magmas of groups I and II.
Abstract: Interaction between carbonatite melt and peridotite is studied experimentally by melting samples of interlayered peridotite-carbonatite-peridotite in graphite containers at 1200-1350 °C and 5.5-7.0 GPa in a split-sphere multianvil apparatus. Starting compositions are lherzolite and harzburgite, as well as carbonatite which may form in the upper part of a slab or in a plume-related source. Most experimental runs were of 150 h duration in order for equilibrium to be achieved. The interaction produced carbonatitic melts with low SiO2 (? 7 wt.%) and high alkalis. At 1200 °C, melt-peridotite interaction occurs through Mg-Ca exchange, resulting in elimination of orthopyroxene and crystallization of magnesite and clinopyroxene. At 1350 °C hybridization of the carbonatite and magnesite-bearing peridotite melts occurred with consumption of clinopyroxene and magnesite, and crystallization of orthopyroxene at MgO/CaO ? 4.3. The resulting peridotite-saturated melt has Ca# (37-50) depending on primary carbonatite composition. Compositions of silicate phases are similar to those of high-temperature peridotite but are different from megacrysts in kimberlites. CaO and Cr2O3 changes in garnet produced from the melt-harzburgite interaction at 1200 and 1350 °C perfectly match the observed trend in garnet from metasomatized peridotite of the Siberian subcontinental lithospheric mantle. K-rich carbonatite melts equilibrated with peridotite at 5.5-7.0 GPa and 1200-1350 °C correspond to high-Mg inclusions in fibrous diamond. Carbonatite melt is a weak solvent of entrained xenoliths and therefore cannot produce kimberlitic magma if temperatures are ~ 1350 °C on separation from the lithospheric peridotite source and ~ 1000 °C on eruption.
Abstract: Generation of ultra-alkaline melts by the interaction of lherzolite with cardonatites of various genesis was simulated at the P-T parameters typical of the base of the subcratonic lithosphere. Experiments with a duration of 150 h were performed at 5.5 and 6.3 GPa and 1350°C. The concentrations of CaO and MgO in melts are buffered by the phases of peridotite, and the concentrations of alkalis and FeO depend on the composition of the starting carbonatite. Melts are characterized by a low (<7 wt %) concentration of SiO2 and Ca# from 0.40 to 0.47. It is demonstrated that only high-Mg groups of carbonatitic inclusions in fibrous diamonds have a composition close to that of carbonatitic melts in equilibrium with lherzolite. Most likely, the formation of kimberlite-like melts relatively enriched in SiO2 requires an additional source of heat from mantle plumes and probably H2O fluid.
Abstract: An experimental study on diamond crystallization in CO2-rich sodium-carbonate melts has been undertaken at a pressure of 6.3 GPa in the temperature range of 1250-1570 °C and at 7.5 GPa in the temperature range of 1300-1700 °C. Sodium oxalate (Na2C2O4) was used as the starting material, which over the course of the experiment decomposed to form sodium carbonate, carbon dioxide and elemental carbon. The effects of pressure, temperature and dissolved CO2 in the ultra-alkaline carbonate melt on diamond crystallization, morphology, internal structure and defect-and-impurity content of diamond crystals are established. Diamond growth is found to proceed with formation of vicinal structures on the {100} and {111} faces, resulting eventually in the formation of rounded polyhedrons, whose shape is determined by the combination tetragon-trioctahedron, trigon-trioctahedron and cube faces. Spectroscopic studies reveal that the crystallized diamonds are characterized by specific infrared absorption and photoluminescence spectra. The defects responsible for the 1065 cm? 1 band dominating in the IR spectra and the 566 nm optical system dominating in the PL spectra are tentatively assigned to oxygen impurities in diamond.
Abstract: Experiments on the synthesis of inclusions-bearing diamond were performed in the SiO2-((Mg,Ca)CO3-(Fe,Ni)S system at 6.3 GPa and 1650-1750 °C, using a multi-anvil high pressure apparatus of the "split-sphere" type. Diamond synthesis was realized in the "sandwich-type" experiments, where the carbonate-oxide mixture acted as a source of both CO2-dominated fluid and carbonate-silicate melt, and Fe,Ni-sulfide played a role of reducing agent. As a result of redox reactions in the carbonate-oxide-sulfide system, diamond was formed in association with graphite and Mg,Fe-silicates, coexisting with CO2-rich fluid, carbonate-silicate and sulfide melts. The synthesized diamonds are predominantly colorless or light-yellow monocrystals with octahedral habit (20-200 ?m), and polycrystalline aggregates (300-400 ?m). Photoluminescence spectroscopy revealed defects related to nickel impurity (S3 optical centers), which are characteristic of many diamonds in nature. The density of diamond crystallization centers over the entire reaction volume was ~3 × 102-103 cm? 3. The overwhelming majority of diamonds synthesized were inclusions-bearing. According to Raman spectroscopy data, diamond trapped a wide variety of inclusions (both mono- and polyphase), including orthopyroxene, olivine, carbonate-silicate melt, sulfide melt, CO2-fluid, graphite, and diamond. The Raman spectral pattern of carbonate-silicate melt inclusions have bands characteristic of magnesite and orthopyroxene (± SiO2). The spectra of sulfide melt displayed marcasite and pyrrhotite peaks. We found that compositions of sulfide, silicate and carbonate phases are in good agreement not only with diamond crystallization media in experiments, but with data on natural diamond inclusions of peridotitic and eclogitic parageneses. The proposed methodological approach of diamond synthesis can be used for experimental simulation of the formation of several types of mineral, fluid and melt inclusions, observed in natural diamonds.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, in press available 22p.
Mantle
Metasomatism, magmatism, carbonatite
Abstract: Hydrous K-rich kimberlite-like systems are studied experimentally at 5.5-7.5 GPa and 1200-1450 °C in terms of phase relations and conditions for formation and stability of phlogopite. The starting samples are phlogopite-carbonatite-phlogopite sandwiches and harzburgite-carbonatite mixtures consisting of Ol + Grt + Cpx + L (±Opx), according to the previous experimental results obtained at the same P-T parameters but in water-free systems. Carbonatite is represented by a K- and Ca-rich composition that may form at the top of a slab. In the presence of carbonatitic melt, phlogopite can partly melt in a peritectic reaction at 5.5 GPa and 1200-1350 °C, as well as at 6.3-7.0 GPa and 1200 °C: 2Phl + CaCO3 (L)?Cpx + Ol + Grt + K2CO3 (L) + 2H2O (L). Synthesis of phlogopite at 5.5 GPa and 1200-1350 °C, with an initial mixture of H2O-bearing harzburgite and carbonatite, demonstrates experimentally that equilibrium in this reaction can be shifted from right to left. Therefore, phlogopite can equilibrate with ultrapotassic carbonate-silicate melts in a ? 150 °C region between 1200 and 1350 °C at 5.5 GPa. On the other hand, it can exist but cannot nucleate spontaneously and crystallize in the presence of such melts in quite a large pressure range in experiments at 6.3-7.0 GPa and 1200 °C. Thus, phlogopite can result from metasomatism of peridotite at the base of continental lithospheric mantle (CLM) by ultrapotassic carbonatite agents at depths shallower than 180-195 km, which creates a mechanism of water retaining in CLM. Kimberlite formation can begin at 5.5 GPa and 1350 °C in a phlogopite-bearing peridotite source generating a hydrous carbonate-silicate melt with 10-15 wt% SiO2, Ca# from 45 to 60, and high K enrichment. Upon further heating to 1450 °C due to the effect of a mantle plume at the CLM base, phlogopite disappears and a kimberlite-like melt forms with SiO2 to 20 wt% and Ca# = 35-40.
Russian Geology and Geophysics, Vol. 58, pp. 1093-1100.
Mantle
kimberlite
Abstract: New experimental data on the temperature and pressure dependences of the viscosity of synthetic hydrous kimberlite melts (82 wt.% silicate + 18 wt.% carbonate; degree of depolymerization: 100NBO/T = 313 for anhydrous melts and 100NBO/T = 247 for melts with 3 wt.% H2O) were obtained at a water pressure of 100 MPa and at lithostatic pressures of 5.5 and 7.5 GPa in the temperature range 1300-1950 °C. The temperature dependence of the viscosity of these melts follows the exponential Arrhenius-Frenkel-Eyring equation in the investigated range of temperatures and pressures. The activation energies of viscous flow for hydrous kimberlite melts were first shown to increase linearly with increasing pressure. Under isothermal conditions (T = 1800 °C), the viscosity of hydrous kimberlite melts increases exponentially by about an order of magnitude as the pressure increases from 100 MPa to 7.5 GPa. The new experimental data on the viscosity of hydrous kimberlite melts (error ± 30 rel.%) are compared with forecast viscosity data for anhydrous kimberlite and basaltic melts (100NBO/T = 51.5) and for hydrous basaltic melts (100NBO/T = 80). It is shown that at comparable temperatures, the viscosity of hydrous kimberlite melts at a moderate pressure (100 MPa) is about an order of magnitude lower than the viscosity of hydrous basaltic melts, whereas at a high pressure (7.5 GPa) it is more than twice higher. It is first established that water dissolution in kimberlite melts does not affect seriously their viscosity (within the measurement error) at both moderate (100 MPa) and high (7.5 GPa) pressures, whereas the viscosity of basaltic melts considerably decreases with water dissolution at moderate pressures (100 MPa) and remains unchanged at high pressures (P > 3.5 GPa).
Russian Geology and Geophysics, Vol. 58, pp. 1093-1100.
Mantle
melting
Abstract: New experimental data on the temperature and pressure dependences of the viscosity of synthetic hydrous kimberlite melts (82 wt.% silicate + 18 wt.% carbonate; degree of depolymerization: 100NBO/T = 313 for anhydrous melts and 100NBO/T = 247 for melts with 3 wt.% H2O) were obtained at a water pressure of 100 MPa and at lithostatic pressures of 5.5 and 7.5 GPa in the temperature range 1300-1950 °C. The temperature dependence of the viscosity of these melts follows the exponential Arrhenius-Frenkel-Eyring equation in the investigated range of temperatures and pressures. The activation energies of viscous flow for hydrous kimberlite melts were first shown to increase linearly with increasing pressure. Under isothermal conditions (T = 1800 °C), the viscosity of hydrous kimberlite melts increases exponentially by about an order of magnitude as the pressure increases from 100 MPa to 7.5 GPa. The new experimental data on the viscosity of hydrous kimberlite melts (error ± 30 rel.%) are compared with forecast viscosity data for anhydrous kimberlite and basaltic melts (100NBO/T = 51.5) and for hydrous basaltic melts (100NBO/T = 80). It is shown that at comparable temperatures, the viscosity of hydrous kimberlite melts at a moderate pressure (100 MPa) is about an order of magnitude lower than the viscosity of hydrous basaltic melts, whereas at a high pressure (7.5 GPa) it is more than twice higher. It is first established that water dissolution in kimberlite melts does not affect seriously their viscosity (within the measurement error) at both moderate (100 MPa) and high (7.5 GPa) pressures, whereas the viscosity of basaltic melts considerably decreases with water dissolution at moderate pressures (100 MPa) and remains unchanged at high pressures (P > 3.5 GPa).
Abstract: Only limited data are available at present on the viscosity of kimberlite magmas. We investigate viscosity of synthetic carbonate-bearing (silicate82?+?carbonate18, wt%, 100NBO/T?=?313) anhydrous haplokimberlite melts theoretically and in experiments. We use new experimental data on viscosity of anhydrous haplokimberlite melts and a physical-chemical model (Persikov and Bukhtiyarov 2009; Persikov et al. 2015) to compare basic viscosity features in kimberlitic and basaltic melts (100NBO/T?=?56). Viscosity of melts is determined by the falling sphere quenching method in a large range of temperatures from 1300 to 1950?°C and pressures up to 7.5?GPa. We use two types of high-pressure apparatuses: a high gas pressure apparatus and a high pressure split-sphere multi-anvil apparatus to study the viscosity of melts at moderate (100?MPa CO2 pressure) and high (5.5?GPa and 7.5?GPa) pressures, respectively. The measured viscosity ranges for anhydrous haplokimberlite melts are from 1.5 (±0.45) to 0.11(±0.03) Pa s. The temperature dependence of the viscosity of haplokimberlite and basaltic melts is consistent with the theoretical Arrhenian equation. At a constant temperature, viscosity of anhydrous haplokimberlite melts increases exponentially about ten-fold as pressure increases from 100?MPa to 7.5?GPa. The activation energy of viscous flow increases linearly with pressure increase from 100?MPa to 7.5?GPa for anhydrous haplokimberlite melts but decreases in the case of basaltic melts, with the minimum at ~5.5?GPa. At a moderate pressure (100?MPa), haplokimberlite melts are about twenty times less viscous than basaltic melts, but are about four times more viscous at a high pressure (7.5?GPa), the temperature being 1800?°C in both cases. The experimentally observed behavior of the viscosity of anhydrous haplokimberlite melts is consistent with predictions of the physical-chemical model within the range of uncertainties in both experimental and calculated data (±30% rel.). Thus, the physical-chemical model is used to discuss possible effects of volume percentages of crystals and bubbles on viscosity of kimberlitic and basaltic magmas at different pressures and temperatures during their origin, evolution, and ascent.
Abstract: Phase relations are studied experimentally in the harzburgite-hydrous carbonate melt system, the bulk composition of which represents primary kimberlite. Experiments were carried out at 5.5 and 7.5 GPa, 1200-1350°?, and \({{X}_{{{\text{C}}{{{\text{O}}}_{2}}}}}\) = 0.39-0.57, and lasted 60 hours. It is established that olivine-orthopyroxene-garnet-magnesite-melt assemblage is stable within the entire range of the studied parameters. With increase of temperature and \({{X}_{{{\text{C}}{{{\text{O}}}_{2}}}}}\) in the system, Ca# in the melt and the olivine fraction in the peridotite matrix significantly decrease. The composition of silicate phases in run products is close to those of high-temperature mantle peridotite. Analysis of obtained data suggest that magnesite at the base of subcontinental lithosphere could be derived by metasomatic alteration of peridotite by asthenospheric hydrous carbonate melts. The process is possible in the temperature range typical of heat flux of 40-45 mW/m², which corresponds to the conditions of formation of the deepest peridotite xenoliths. Crystallization of magnesite during interaction with peridotite matrix can be considered as experimentally substantiated mechanism of CO2 accumulation in subcratonic lithosphere.
Abstract: Formation of hydrocarbons by reactions of hydrogenbearing fluids with carbon [1] (13C soot, graphite, or diamond), carbonate-bearing pelites [2] and iron carbides (Fe3C and Fe7C3) [3] was simulated at 5.5-7.8 GPa and 1100- 1400°C, fH2 in Pt and Au capsules being controlled at the Mo+MoO2+H2O or Fe+FeO+H2O equilibria. For the first time, formation of hydrocarbons from inorganic compounds was proved by the reaction of 13C with hydrogen, which yielded isotopically pure alkanes. The greatest amounts of HCs (CH4/C2H6 < 1, CH4/C3H8 and CH4/C4H10 ? 10) formed at 1400°C in the 10-hr run. The amount of HCs synthesized at 1200°C was twice smaller. The rate of HCs formation was slowest in runs with diamond. At 1200 °C, light alkanes (C1?C2>C3>C4) formed either by direct hydrogenation of Fe3C or Fe7C3, or by hydrogenation of graphite/diamond in the presence of Fe3C, Fe7C3. The CH4/C2H6 ratio in the fluids decreased from 5 to 0.5 with decreasing iron activity and the C fraction increased in the series: Fe-Fe3C?Fe3C- Fe7C3?Fe7C3-graphite?graphite-Fe3C-magnesite and Fe3C-H2O-CO2 systems at 1200 °C yielded magnesiowüstite and wüstite, respectively, and both produced C-rich Fe7C3 and mainly light alkanes (C1?C2>C3>C4). In the experiments containing pelites methaneimine (CH3N) was found to be the main N-bearing compound. The experiments have provided the first unambiguous evidence that volatile-rich and reduced mantles of terrestrial planets (at fO2 near or below IW) provided favorable conditions for abiotic generation of complex hydrocarbon systems that predominantly contain light alkanes. The conditions favorable for HC formation exist in earth mantle, where slab-derived H2O-, CO2- and carbonate-bearing fluids interact with metal-saturated mantle.
Abstract: Most natural diamonds are formed in Earth’s lithospheric mantle; however, the exact mechanisms behind their genesis remain debated. Given the occurrence of electrochemical processes in Earth’s mantle and the high electrical conductivity of mantle melts and fluids, we have developed a model whereby localized electric fields play a central role in diamond formation. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a diamond crystallization mechanism that operates under lithospheric mantle pressure-temperature conditions (6.3 and 7.5 gigapascals; 1300° to 1600°C) through the action of an electric potential applied across carbonate or carbonate-silicate melts. In this process, the carbonate-rich melt acts as both the carbon source and the crystallization medium for diamond, which forms in assemblage with mantle minerals near the cathode. Our results clearly demonstrate that electric fields should be considered a key additional factor influencing diamond crystallization, mantle mineral-forming processes, carbon isotope fractionation, and the global carbon cycle.
Abstract: According to the existing models of kimberlite origin, free exsolution CO2 may be an important agent in the evolution of primary kimberlite magma and initiation of crack propagation. We study the reaction of garnet lherzolite with carbonatitic melt rich in molecular CO2 and H2O in experiments at 5.5 GPa and 1200-1450 °C. The experimental results show that carbonation of olivine with formation of orthopyroxene and magnesite can buffer the contents of molecular CO2 in the melt, which impedes immediate separation of CO2 fluid from melt equilibrated with the peridotite source. The solubility of molecular CO2 in the melt decreases from 20 -25 wt% at 4.5-6.8 wt% SiO2 typical of carbonatite to below 7-12 wt% in more silicic melts with 26-32 wt% SiO2. Interaction of garnet lherzolite with carbonatitic melt (at a weight proportion of 2:1) in the presence of 2-3 wt% H2O and 17-24 wt% of total CO2 at 1200-1450 °C yields low-SiO2 (<10 wt%) alkali?carbonated melts, which shows multiphase saturation with magnesite-bearing garnet harzburgite. Thus, carbonatitic melts rich in volatiles can originate in a harzburgite source at moderate temperatures common to continental lithospheric mantle (CLM). Excessive volatiles may be present in carbonatitic melts not equilibrated with the peridotitic source due to the formation of metasomatic reaction zones. Having separated from the source, carbonatitic magma enriched in molecular CO2 and H2O can rapidly become more silicic (>25 wt% SiO2) by dissolution and carbonation of entrapped peridotite. Furthermore, interaction of garnet lherzolite with carbonatitic melt rich in K, CO2, and H2O at 1350 °C produces immiscible carbonate-silicate and K-rich silicate melts. Quenched silicate melt develops globules of foam-like vesicular glass. Differentiation of immiscible melts early during their ascent may equalize the compositions of kimberlite magmas generated in different CLM sources. The fluid phase can release explosively from ascending magma at lower pressures as a result of SiO2 increase which reduces the solubility of CO2 and due to the decarbonation reaction of magnesite and orthopyroxene.
Abstract: When transported by magmas to the Earth's surface, diamond crystals underwent resorption, the intensity of which significantly differed in various kimberlite pipes. We experimentally simulated diamond resorption at different oxygen fugacities (fO2) in ascending kimberlite magma enriched in CO2 and H2O. The experiments were carried out using specially prepared unaltered Group I kimberlite from the Udachnaya East pipe (Yakutia) and model carbonatite at 3.0 GPa, 1200-1400 °C, and fO2 in a range of NNO-2 to NNO + 3.2 log units (where NNO is Ni-NiO buffer). Over the investigated range of conditions, resorption of octahedral diamond crystals is found to occur according to a single scenario. Negative trigons and shield-shaped laminae develop on the {111} faces and crystal edges are truncated by the surfaces of tetrahexahedroids. The rate of diamond resorption increases in all studied systems as fO2 and temperature are raised. In this case, water-enriched melts are the most aggressive media in the investigated T-fO2 interval. Among the most oxidized high-temperature melts, it is carbonatite melts depleted in SiO2 that provide the maximum rate of diamond resorption. Furthermore, the rates of diamond resorption we obtained are an order of magnitude higher than those previously measured in silicate melts containing CO2 and H2O, at fO2 values from the NNO buffer to NNO-2. Therefore, high oxygen fugacity, a temperature of ~1400 °C, and essentially carbonate composition of water-containing magma could provide a high intensity of diamond resorption at the mantle stage of magma ascent to the surface. Apparently, this process primarily influenced the formation of the appearance and preservation of natural diamond crystals in kimberlite pipes.
Abstract: We conducted a detailed study of the morphology of diamond crystals partially dissolved in a water-bearing kimberlite melt at pressure of 6.3 GPa, temperature of 1400 °C, and two oxygen fugacities (fO2) corresponding to the Re-ReO2 buffer and near the magnetite-hematite (MH) buffer. The triangular etch pits on the {111} faces, which formed during experimental diamond dissolution, were found to completely correspond to negative trigons on natural diamond crystals in the shape and sidewalls inclination angle. Furthermore, two experimental fO2 values were associated with two relief types of the rounded tetrahexahedroid surfaces typical of natural rounded diamonds. Therefore, the surface microrelief on rounded natural diamond crystals was concluded to be an indicator of the redox conditions of natural diamond resorption.
Abstract: The morphology of resorbed diamond crystals is a valuable source of information on the composition and ascent rate of kimberlite magmas, as well as on possible redox conditions in protolith. Previously, diamond resorption was thoroughly investigated at P-T-fO2 parameters of the kimberlite magma ascent. In this study, we investigated diamond resorption using unaltered group I kimberlite and model carbonatite at P-T-fO2 parameters that are typical of the peridotite source of kimberlite magmas in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle. An analysis of previous studies made it possible to determine the rate of diamond octahedron transformation into a spherical tetrahexahedron depending on the composition of the carbonate-silicate melt. It was shown that the rate of diamond resorption at 6.3 GPa increases in all the investigated systems as fO2 and temperature rise. There is a steady decrease in the diamond resorption rate as pressure increases from 1 GPa to 6.3 GPa. The morphology comparison of the experimentally produced samples with natural diamonds is indicative of the significant contribution of metasomatic alteration of protolith by the oxidized agent and at the initial stages of kimberlite magma ascent to the resorption of natural diamonds.
Abstract: In the experiments at 3.0-6.3 GPa and 1200-1350°C, it is found that under P-T parameters close to the conditions in ascending kimberlite magma, the carbonate melt enriched in potassium and volatiles is able to dissolve effectively the entire amount of xenogenic peridotite material that can potentially transport. As a result of this process, the melt is enriched in SiO2 (up to 30 wt %) and is transformed from carbonate to a kimberlite-like one. In the range of parameters studied, due to the high solubility of CO2 in the melt and the appearance of magnesite, an equilibrium fluid phase is not formed in the system. The interaction realized in the experiments may be the most important factor at the initial stage of magma evolution. The calculations performed in this work show that even after the dissolution of 30-50 wt % of lherzolite, the volatile-rich carbonate-silicate melt has a high degree of depolymerization (the ratio of the number of nonbridging oxygen atoms to the number of tetrahedrally coordinated ions (100NBO/T from 250 to 390) remains low-viscous (0.3-32.6 Pa s) and able to ascend to the surface rapidly. The obtained data indicate that immiscibility occurs between the potassium-rich carbonate-silicate and highly silicate melts only at 5.5 GPa and 1350°C and is likely to have a minor impact on the evolution of magma.
Abstract: Formation of hydrocarbons by reactions of hydrogenbearing fluids with carbon [1] (13C soot, graphite, or diamond), carbonate-bearing pelites [2] and iron carbides (Fe3C and Fe7C3) [3] was simulated at 5.5-7.8 GPa and 1100- 1400°C, fH2 in Pt and Au capsules being controlled at the Mo+MoO2+H2O or Fe+FeO+H2O equilibria. For the first time, formation of hydrocarbons from inorganic compounds was proved by the reaction of 13C with hydrogen, which yielded isotopically pure alkanes. The greatest amounts of HCs (CH4/C2H6 < 1, CH4/C3H8 and CH4/C4H10 ? 10) formed at 1400°C in the 10-hr run. The amount of HCs synthesized at 1200°C was twice smaller. The rate of HCs formation was slowest in runs with diamond. At 1200 °C, light alkanes (C1?C2>C3>C4) formed either by direct hydrogenation of Fe3C or Fe7C3, or by hydrogenation of graphite/diamond in the presence of Fe3C, Fe7C3. The CH4/C2H6 ratio in the fluids decreased from 5 to 0.5 with decreasing iron activity and the C fraction increased in the series: Fe-Fe3C?Fe3C- Fe7C3?Fe7C3-graphite?graphite-Fe3C-magnesite and Fe3C-H2O-CO2 systems at 1200 °C yielded magnesiowüstite and wüstite, respectively, and both produced C-rich Fe7C3 and mainly light alkanes (C1?C2>C3>C4). In the experiments containing pelites methaneimine (CH3N) was found to be the main N-bearing compound. The experiments have provided the first unambiguous evidence that volatile-rich and reduced mantles of terrestrial planets (at fO2 near or below IW) provided favorable conditions for abiotic generation of complex hydrocarbon systems that predominantly contain light alkanes. The conditions favorable for HC formation exist in earth mantle, where slab-derived H2O-, CO2- and carbonate-bearing fluids interact with metal-saturated mantle.
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.
Abstract: Alkaline igneous rocks host many global high-field-strength element (HFSE) and rare-earth element (REE) deposits. While HFSEs are commonly assumed to be immobile in hydrothermal systems, transport by late-stage hydrothermal fluids associated with alkaline magmas is reported. However, the magnitude of the flux and the conditions are poorly constrained and yet essential to understanding the formation of REE-HFSE ores. We examined the alteration of country rocks (“fenitization”) accompanying the emplacement of a syenite magma at Illerfissalik in Greenland, through analysis of changes in rock chemistry, mineralogy, and texture. Our novel geochemical maps show a 400-m-wide intrusion aureole, within which we observed typically tenfold increases in the concentrations of many elements, including HFSEs. Textures suggest both pervasive and structurally hosted fluid flow, with initial reaction occurring with the protolith's quartz cement, leading to increased permeability and enhancing chemical interaction with a mixed Ca-K-Na fenitizing fluid. We estimated the HFSE masses transferred from the syenite to the fenite by this fluid and found ~43 Mt of REEs were mobilized (~12% of the syenite-fenite system total rare-earth-oxide [TREO] budget), a mass comparable to the tonnages of some of the world's largest HFSE resources. We argue that fenite can yield crucial information about the tipping points in magma evolution because retention and/or loss of volatile-bonded alkali and HFSEs are key factors in the development of magmatic zirconosilicate-hosted HFSE ores (e.g., Kringlerne, at Ilímaussaq), or the formation of the syenite-hosted Nb-Ta-REE (Motzfeldt-type) roof-zone deposits.
Kazanskyite, Ba Ti Nb Na3 Ti (Si207) 202 (OH) 2 (H20)4, a group III Ti disilicate mineral from the Khibiny alkaline massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia: description and crystal structure.
Abstract: The crystal structure of betalomonosovite, ideally Na6?4Ti4(Si2O7)2[PO3(OH)][PO2(OH)2]O2(OF), a 5.3331(7), b 14.172(2), c 14.509(2) Å, ? 103.174(2), ? 96.320(2), ? 90.278(2)°, V 1060.7(4) Å3, from the Lovozero alkaline massif, Kola peninsula, Russia, has been refined in the space group PFormula to R = 6.64% using 3379 observed (Fo > 4?F) reflections collected with a single-crystal APEX II ULTRA three-circle diffractometer with a rotating-anode generator (MoK?), multilayer optics, and an APEX-II 4K CCD detector. Electron-microprobe analysis gave the empirical formula (Na5.39Ca0.36Mn0.04Mg0.01)?5.80 (Ti2.77Nb0.48Mg0.29Fe3+0.23Mn0.20Zr0.02Ta0.01)?4(Si2.06O7)2[P1.98O5(OH)3]O2[O0.82F0.65(OH)0.53]?2, Dcalc. = 2.969 g cm?3, Z = 2, calculated on the basis of 26 (O + F) apfu, with H2O determined from structure refinement. The crystal structure of betalomonosovite is characterized by extensive cation and anion disorder: more than 50% of cation sites are partly occupied. The crystal structure of betalomonosovite is a combination of a titanium silicate (TS) block and an intermediate (I) block. The TS block consists of HOH sheets (H-heteropolyhedral, O-octahedral) and exhibits linkage and stereochemistry typical for Group IV (Ti + Mg + Mn = 4 apfu) of the TS-block minerals. The I block is a framework of Na polyhedra and P tetrahedra which ideally gives {Na2?4[PO3(OH)][PO2(OH)2]} pfu. Betalomonosovite is an Na-poor OH-bearing analogue of lomonosovite, Na10Ti4(Si2O7)2(PO4)2O4. In the betalomonosovite structure, there is less Na in the I block and in the TS block when compared to the lomonosovite structure. The OH groups occur mainly in the I block where they coordinate P and Na atoms and in the O sheet of the TS block (minor). The presence of OH groups in the I block and in the TS block is supported by IR spectroscopy and bond-valence calculations on anions. High-resolution TEM of lomonosovite shows the presence of pervasive microstructural intergrowths, accounting for the presence of signals from H2O in the infrared spectrum of anhydrous lomonosovite. More extensive lamellae in betalomonosovite suggest a topotactic reaction from lomonosovite to betalomonosovite.
Self consistent pressure scales based on the equations of state for ruby, diamond, MgO, B2-NaCl, as well as Au, Pt and other metals to 4 Mbar and 3000K.
Russian Geology and Geophysics, Vol. 54, pp. 181-199.
The equations of state of forsterite, wadsleyite, ringwoodite, akimotoite, Mg2SiO4 perovskite and post perovskite and phase diagram for the Mg2SiO4 system at pressures of up to 130 Gpa.
Russian Geology and Geophysics, Vol. 56, 1-2, pp. 172-189.
Abstract: We present Microsoft Excel spreadsheets for calculation of thermodynamic functions and P-V-T properties of MgO, diamond and 9 metals, Al, Cu, Ag, Au, Pt, Nb, Ta, Mo, and W, depending on temperature and volume or temperature and pressure. The spreadsheets include the most common pressure markers used in in situ experiments with diamond anvil cell and multianvil techniques. The calculations are based on the equation of state formalism via the Helmholtz free energy. The program was developed using Visual Basic for Applications in Microsoft Excel and is a time-efficient tool to evaluate volume, pressure and other thermodynamic functions using T-P and T-V data only as input parameters. This application is aimed to solve practical issues of high pressure experiments in geosciences and mineral physics.
Abstract: Deep crustal and mantle rocks are exhumed in core complex mode of extension in three types of structures: metamorphic core complexes, oceanic core complexes and magma poor passive margins. Using available analogue and numerical models and their comparison with natural examples, the present paper reviews the mechanical processes involved in these different types of extensional setting. Three main aspects are considered: i) the primary role of lithosphere rheology, ii) the lithosphere-scale patterns of progressive deformation that lead to the exhumation of deep metamorphic or mantle rocks and iii) the initiation and development of detachment zones. Crustal core complexes develop in continental lithospheres whose Moho temperature is higher than 750 °C with “upper crust-dominated” strength profiles. Contrary to what is commonly believed, it is argued from analogue and numerical models that detachments that accommodate exhumation of core complexes do not initiate at the onset of extension but in the course of progressive extension when the exhuming ductile crust reaches the surface. In models, convex upward detachments result from a rolling hinge process. Mantle core complexes develop in either the oceanic lithosphere, at slow and ultra-slow spreading ridges, or in continental lithospheres, whose initial Moho temperature is lower than 750 °C, with “sub-Moho mantle-dominated” strength profiles. It is argued that the mechanism of mantle exhumation at passive margins is a nearly symmetrical necking process at lithosphere scale without major and permanent detachment, except if strong strain localization could occur in the lithosphere mantle. Distributed crustal extension, by upper crust faulting above a décollement along the ductile crust increases toward the rift axis up to crustal breakup. Mantle rocks exhume in the zone of crustal breakup accommodated by conjugate mantle shear zones that migrate with the rift axis, during increasing extension.
Researchgate preprint Istanbul Technical University , 18p. Pdf
Global
diamond morphology
Abstract: Point defects are responsible for a wide range of optoelectronic properties in materials, making it crucial to engineer their concentrations for novel materials design. However, considering the plethora of defects in co-doped semiconducting and dielectric materials and the dependence of defect formation energies on heat treatment parameters, process design based on an experimental trial and error approach is not an efficient strategy. This makes it necessary to explore computational pathways for predicting defect equilibria during heat treatments. The accumulated experimental knowledge on defect transformations in diamond is unparalleled. Therefore, diamond is an excellent material for benchmarking computational approaches. By considering nitrogen, hydrogen, and silicon doped diamond as a model system, we have investigated the pressure dependence of defect formation energies and calculated the defect equilibria during heat treatment of diamond through ab-initio calculations. We have plotted monolithic-Kröger-Vink diagrams for various defects, representing defect concentrations based on process parameters, such as temperature and partial pressure of gases used during heat treatments of diamond. The method demonstrated predicts the majority of experimental data, such as nitrogen aggregation path leading towards the formation of the B center, annealing of the B, H3, N3, and NVHx centers at ultra high temperatures, the thermal stability of the SiV center, and temperature dependence of NV concentration. We demonstrate the possibility of designing heat treatments for a wide range of semiconducting and dielectric materials by using a relatively inexpensive yet robust first principles approach, significantly accelerating defect engineering and high-throughput novel materials design.
Symposium on critical and strategic materials, British Columbia Geological Survey Paper 2015-3, held Nov. 13-14, pp. 69-74.
Canada, Quebec
Alkalic
Abstract: The Crevier alkaline intrusion is in the Grenville Province, north of the Lac Saint-Jean region of Québec (Fig. 1). It covers ~25 km2 (Bergeron, 1980) and intrudes charnockitic suites in the allochthon belt defi ned by Rivers et al. (1989). This intrusion has a U-Pb zircon age of 957.5 ± 2.9 Ma (Groulier et al., 2014) and is oriented N320°, along the axis of crustal weakness known as the Waswanipi-Saguenay corridor (Bernier and Moorhead, 2000). This corridor is related to the Saguenay graben, which hosts the Saint-Honoré (Niobec) Nb-Ta-REE deposit and Montviel REE deposit. The age of the Saint-Honoré carbonatite was estimated at 584 to 650 Ma (K-Ar whole rock; Vallée and Dubuc, 1970; Boily and Gosselin, 2004). The Montviel intrusion has a U-Pb zircon age of 1894 ± 3.5 Ma (David et al., 2006; Goutier, 2006). These crystallization ages are very different and cannot be related to a single event for the injection of alkaline intrusions. As mapped by Bergeron (1980), the Crevier alkaline intrusion is broadly composed of syenite and carbonatite rocks (Fig. 2). The Nb- Ta mineralization consists of pyrochlore hosted by a nepheline syenite dike swarm in the centre of the intrusion. The highest REE concentrations, up to 729 ppm La and 1465 ppm Ce, are at the edge of the Crevier alkaline intrusion (Niotaz sud showing; Fig. 2).
Text and references to accompany map showing the thickeness and character of Quaternary sediments in the glaciated United States east of the RockyMountains
United States Geological Survey (USGS) Bulletin, No. 1921, 54p. $ 3.25
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.
Physics and Chemistry of Minerals, DOI 10.1007/ s00269-015-0765-6
Mantle
Melting
Abstract: Carbonatic components of parental melts of the deeper mantle diamonds are inferred from their primary inclusions of (Mg, Fe, Ca, Na)-carbonate minerals trapped at PT conditions of the Earth’s transition zone and lower mantle. PT phase diagrams of MgCO3-FeCO3-CaCO3-Na2CO3 system and its ternary MgCO3-FeCO3-Na2CO3 boundary join were studied at pressures between 12 and 24 GPa and high temperatures. Experimental data point to eutectic solidus phase relations and indicate liquidus boundaries for completely miscible (Mg, Fe, Ca, Na)- and (Mg, Fe, Ca)-carbonate melts. PT fields for partial carbonate melts associated with (Mg, Fe)-, (Ca, Fe, Na)-, and (Na2Ca, Na2Fe)-carbonate solid solution phases are determined. Effective nucleation and mass crystallization of deeper mantle diamonds are realized in multicomponent (Mg, Fe, Ca, Na)-carbonatite-carbon melts at 18 and 26 GPa. The multicomponent carbonate systems were melted at temperatures that are lower than the geothermal ones. This gives an evidence for generation of diamond-parental carbonatite melts and formation of diamonds at the PT conditions of transition zone and lower mantle.
Physics and Chemistry of Minerals, Vol. 42, pp. 817-824.
Mantle
Carbonatite, diamond genesis
Abstract: Carbonatic components of parental melts of the deeper mantle diamonds are inferred from their primary inclusions of (Mg, Fe, Ca, Na)-carbonate minerals trapped at PT conditions of the Earth’s transition zone and lower mantle. PT phase diagrams of MgCO3-FeCO3-CaCO3-Na2CO3 system and its ternary MgCO3-FeCO3-Na2CO3 boundary join were studied at pressures between 12 and 24 GPa and high temperatures. Experimental data point to eutectic solidus phase relations and indicate liquidus boundaries for completely miscible (Mg, Fe, Ca, Na)- and (Mg, Fe, Ca)-carbonate melts. PT fields for partial carbonate melts associated with (Mg, Fe)-, (Ca, Fe, Na)-, and (Na2Ca, Na2Fe)-carbonate solid solution phases are determined. Effective nucleation and mass crystallization of deeper mantle diamonds are realized in multicomponent (Mg, Fe, Ca, Na)-carbonatite-carbon melts at 18 and 26 GPa. The multicomponent carbonate systems were melted at temperatures that are lower than the geothermal ones. This gives an evidence for generation of diamond-parental carbonatite melts and formation of diamonds at the PT conditions of transition zone and lower mantle.
Abstract: Physical-chemical experimental studies at 12-23 GPa of phase relationships within four-members carbonate system MgCO3-FeCO3-CaCO3-Na2CO3 and its marginal system MgCO3-FeCO3-Na2CO3 were carried out. The systems are quite representative for a set of carbonate phases from inclusions in diamonds within transitional zone and lower mantle. PT-phase diagrams of multicomponent carbonate systems are suggested. PT parameters of boundaries of their eutectic melting (solidus), complete melting (liquids) are established. These boundaries define area of partial melting. Carbonate melts are stable, completely mixable, and effective solvents of elemental carbon thus defining the possibility of ultra-deep diamonds generation.
Mineralogy and Petrology, in press available 20p. Pdf
Russia, Archangel
deposit - Grib
Abstract: In this paper, new main and trace elements and isotopic data are presented for 14 coarse-grained eclogite xenoliths from the V. Grib kimberlite pipe in the central part of the Arkhangelsk Diamondiferous Province. Based on reconstructed whole rock MgO content, this suite is divided into high-MgO and low-MgO varieties. Eclogitic groups have a similar range of variations in the trace element compositions of garnet, clinopyroxene and reconstructed whole rock. All eclogites show positive Eu anomalies in garnet and Sr anomalies in the whole rock. The negative correlation between the Mg#, Sr/Lu ratio and HREE in a whole rock points to upper and lower oceanic crustal rocks as a protolith for eclogites with high and low whole rock HREEs, respectively. Low-MgO eclogites with higher whole rock HREEs have the basaltic upper oceanic crustal protolith, whereas the protoliths of eclogites with lower whole rock HREEs could be of gabbroic composition from the lower oceanic crust. High-MgO eclogites could represent MgO-rich portions of oceanic crustal rocks: picritic/MgO basalt portions in the upper oceanic crust and troctolite portions in the lower oceanic crust. The Sr and Nd isotope compositions suggest a complex history of eclogites during their residence in the lithospheric mantle. Similarities in the Nd isotope compositions and two-point Sm-Nd isochron ages are evidence for re-equilibration of the Sm-Nd isotope system between the eclogite garnet and clinopyroxene via a pre-kimberlite thermal event at 396?±?24 Ma. The subset of clinopyroxenes from four eclogites has a Sr isotope composition that plots on the isochron at an age of 2.84 Ga, which reflects the time of the subduction event and emplacement into the lithosphere and corresponds to the time of the Belomorian Eclogite Province of Baltic Shield formation.
Abstract: The modal metasomatic alteration for lithosphere mantle may be investigated using mantle xenoliths from kimberlite pipes. The mantle xenoliths from upper-Jurassic Obnajennaya kimberlite pipe (Kuoika field, Yakutia) were studied. Three main xenoliths groups in Obnajennaya pipe were distinguished based on the petrographic and geochemical features: 1. Sp, Sp-Grt, Grt harzburgites - lherzolites, Sp, Sp-Grt, Grt olivine websterites and Sp, Sp-Grt, Grt websterite (so-called magnesium group - about 80 % from xenoliths). The high magnesium mineral composition, high estimated temperature (1250 - 1500°?) for exsolution pyroxene megacrystals, presence of sulphide globules and distribution curves for rare earth elements in garnets (La-Yb increasing) are to assume the crystallisation from melt. The 10% magnesium mantle xenoliths are observed the secondary metasomatic phlogopite and amphibole (pargasite). The clinopyroxene distribution curves demonstrate the wide range of values and altered samples show higher content HFSE group elements that primary clinopyroxene. The increasing of HFSE and rare earth element concentrations can also be traced by the amphibole chemical composition. The 40Ar/39Ar dating of phlogopite from was result 1639 ± 5 Ma nearly corresponding to the time of Siberian craton accretion Thus during Siberian craton accretion (about 1.7 Ga) the melts-fluids enriching Nb + Ta and REE impacted on lithosphere mantle under Kuoika field. 2. Eclogites and Grt clinopyroxenites with similar mineral composition (about 10-15% xenoliths). The high ?O18 for garnet and clinopyroxene (5.7–5.8‰) allows to assume subduction genesis. 3. Phl-Ilm rocks characterizing ferrous mineral composition (~ 10 % xenoliths). This group are charactetrized are ferrous mineral composition. The 40Ar/39Ar phlogopite dating resulted to 800-500 Ma, signed the potassium and titanium metasomatic fluide – melt influenced
Abstract: The article describes the petrography and mineralogy of xenoliths ilmenite-phlogopite containing deformed and granular peridotites from the Udachnaya-Eastern pipe. The age of pholopite porphyroclast from the studied deformed xenoliths matches with age of Phl megacryst and itself hosted kimberlites from Udachnaya pipe indicating the following processes closed in time: (1) crystallization of the low-Cr megacryst association; (2) deformation of rocks on the mantle lithosphere-asthenosphere border during the kimberlite-forming cycle; (3) formation of protokimberlite melts.
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: 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.
Niobium and zirconium in alkaline olivine basalts and alkaline basaltoids of the Baikal-Mongolian regions as criteria for estimating their distrib. In mantle source
Soviet Geology and Geophysics, Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 62-68
Metasomatic parageneses in deep seated xenoliths from pipes Udachnaya and Komosomolskaya Magnitinaya as indicators of fluid transfer through the manyle lithosphere of the Siberian Craton.
Russian Geology and Geophysics, Vol. 53, 12, pp. 1291-1303.
Abstract: This study concerns the geochemical characteristics of mantle xenoliths from the upper-Jurassic Obnazhennaya kimberlite pipe (Kuoika field, Yakutian kimberlite province, the north-east of Siberian craton). The so-called magnesian xenolith group (Sp, Sp-Grt, Grt lherzolites, olivine websterites and websterites) was distinguished, the rocks of the group are assumed to be of the same genesis based on transitions in modal mineral composition and a change in the composition of minerals. The chemical composition (CaO, MgO) of most depleted harzburgites, as well as part of the lherzolites of the magnesian group coincide with the restites obtained by experimental melting, which suggested their residue origin. Narrow variations in the composition of olivine (Mg # - 91-92; NiO - 0.35-0.45 wt.%) and orthopyroxene (Mg # - 92-93) for Obnazhennaya peridotites also support this hypothesis. In terms of chemical composition, olivines coincide with the “mantle trend” of olivines from the lithospheric mantle. Nevertheless, garnets from the peridotites consistently change their composition in the direction of decreasing Cr2O3, CaO and Mg # values from Grt, Sp-Grt lherzolites to Grt websterites. The garnet composition from Obnazhennaya peridotites differs from Udachnaya peridotites, for which the residue hypothesis assumed. They are similar in composition to garnets from Beni-Bousera garnet pyroxenites, as well as to garnets from deformed lherzolites of the Udachnaya pipe, which suggests crystallization of garnets from the melt and the effect of metasomatic processes. The formation of orogenic massifs is a multi-stage process, many authors suggest that pyroxenite veins in mafic complexes are cumulative in origin and show signs of metasomatic processes (in particular, enrichment with aluminum, calcium and chromium, increased REE concentrations in garnet). So peridotite cumulative origin and further metasomatic transformations were suggested.
Evidence of magmatism, metasomatism and deformation processes obtained From the study of the unique compositionally complex nodule from the Udachanya pipe
Proceedings of Fifth International Kimberlite Conference held Araxa June 1991, Servico Geologico do Brasil (CPRM) Special, pp. 495-497
Oxygen, Carbon and Strontium isotopic composition of calcites in garnet megacrysts and carbonatized granulitic xenoliths from the Udachnaya kimberlite pipe, Yakutia
Proceedings of Fifth International Kimberlite Conference held Araxa June, pp. 558-559
Application of rare element composition of garnet and clinopyroxene from peridotite xenoliths ( Udachnaya kimberlite) for modeling of primitive mantle melting
Deep Seated Magmatism, magmatism sources and the problem of plumes., pp. 148-162.
Kovalenko, V.I., Solovova, I.P., Ryabchikov, I.D., et al.
Fluidized CO2 sulphide silicate media as agents of mantle metasomatism and megacrysts formation: evidence from a large druse in a spinel lherzolitexenolith
Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, Vol. 45, No.3 April pp. 280-293
A Hawaiian beginning for the Iceland plume: modelling of reconnaissance dat a for olivine hosted melt inclusions in Palaeogene picrite lavas East Greenland.
Physicochemical conditions of magma formation at the base of the Siberian plume: insights from the investigation of melt inclusions in the meymechites and alkali picrites of the Maimecha Kotui
Abstract: The lack of consensus on the possible range of initial kimberlite melt compositions and their evolution as they ascend through and interact with mantle and crustal wall rocks, hampers a complete understanding of kimberlite petrogenesis. Attempts to resolve these issues are complicated by the fact that kimberlite rocks are mixtures of magmatic, xenocrystic and antecrystic components and, hence, are not directly representative of their parental melt composition. Furthermore, there is a lack of direct evidence of the assimilation processes that may characterise kimberlitic melts during ascent, which makes understanding their melt evolution difficult. In this contribution we provide novel constraints on the interaction between precursor kimberlite melts and lithospheric mantle wall rocks. We present detailed textural and geochemical data for a carbonate-rich vein assemblage that traverses a garnet wehrlite xenolith [equilibrated at ~ 1060 °C and 43 kbar (~ 140-145 km)] from the Bultfontein kimberlite (Kimberley, South Africa). This vein assemblage is dominated by Ca-Mg carbonates, with subordinate oxide minerals, olivine, sulphides, and apatite. Vein phases have highly variable compositions indicating formation under disequilibrium conditions. Primary inclusions in the vein minerals and secondary inclusion trails in host wehrlite minerals contain abundant alkali-bearing phases (e.g., Na-K bearing carbonates, Mg-freudenbergite, Na-bearing apatite and phlogopite). The Sr-isotope composition of vein carbonates overlaps those of groundmass calcite from the Bultfontein kimberlite, as well as perovskite from the other kimberlites in the Kimberley area. Clinopyroxene and garnet in the host wehrlite are resorbed and have Si-rich reaction mantles where in contact with the carbonate-rich veins. Within some veins, the carbonates occur as droplet-like, globular segregations, separated from a similarly shaped Si-rich phase by a thin meniscus of Mg-magnetite. These textures are interpreted to represent immiscibility between carbonate and silicate melts. The preservation of reaction mantles, immiscibility textures and disequilibrium in the vein assemblage, suggests quenching, probably triggered by entrainment and rapid transport toward the Earth's surface in the host kimberlite magma. Based on the Sr-isotope systematics of vein carbonate minerals, and the close temporal relationship between carbonate-rich metasomatism and kimberlite magmatism, we suggest that the carbonate-rich vein assemblage was produced by the interaction between a melt genetically related to the Bultfontein kimberlite and wehrlitic mantle wall rock. If correct, this unique xenolith sample provides a rare snapshot of the assimilation processes that might characterise parental kimberlite melts during their ascent through the lithospheric mantle.
Abstract: The petrogenesis of kimberlites commonly is obscured by interaction with hydrothermal fluids, including deuteric (late-magmatic) and/or groundwater components. To provide new constraints on the modification of kimberlite rocks during overprinting by such fluids and on the fractionation of kimberlite magmas during crystallisation, we have undertaken a detailed petrographic and geochemical study of a hypabyssal sample (BK) from the Bultfontein kimberlite (Kimberley, South Africa).
Abstract: The petrogenesis of kimberlites is commonly obscured by interaction with hydrothermal fluids, including deuteric (late-magmatic) and/or groundwater components. To provide new constraints on the modification of kimberlite rocks during fluid interaction and the fractionation of kimberlite magmas during crystallisation, we have undertaken a detailed petrographic and geochemical study of a hypabyssal sample (BK) from the Bultfontein kimberlite (Kimberley, South Africa). Sample BK consists of abundant macrocrysts (> 1 mm) and (micro-) phenocrysts of olivine and lesser phlogopite, smaller grains of apatite, serpentinised monticellite, spinel, perovskite, phlogopite and ilmenite in a matrix of calcite, serpentine and dolomite. As in kimberlites worldwide, BK olivine grains consist of cores with variable Mg/Fe ratios, overgrown by rims that host inclusions of groundmass phases (spinel, perovskite, phlogopite) and have constant Mg/Fe, but variable Ni, Mn and Ca concentrations. Primary multiphase inclusions in the outer rims of olivine and in Fe-Ti-rich (‘MUM’) spinel are dominated by dolomite, calcite and alkali carbonates with lesser silicate and oxide minerals. Secondary inclusions in olivine host an assemblage of Na-K carbonates and chlorides. The primary inclusions are interpreted as crystallised alkali-Si-bearing Ca-Mg-rich carbonate melts, whereas secondary inclusions host Na-K-rich C-O-H-Cl fluids. In situ Sr-isotope analyses of groundmass calcite and perovskite reveal similar 87Sr/86Sr ratios to perovskite in the Bultfontein and the other Kimberley kimberlites, i.e. magmatic values. The ?18O composition of the BK bulk carbonate fraction is above the mantle range, whereas the ?13C values are similar to those of mantle-derived magmas. The occurrence of different generations of serpentine and occasional groundmass calcite with high 87Sr/86Sr, and elevated bulk carbonate ?18O values indicate that the kimberlite was overprinted by hydrothermal fluids, which probably included a significant groundwater component. Before this alteration the groundmass included calcite, monticellite, apatite and minor dolomite, phlogopite, spinel, perovskite and ilmenite. Inclusions of groundmass minerals in olivine rims and phlogopite phenocrysts show that olivine and phlogopite also belong to the magmatic assemblage. We therefore suggest that the crystallised kimberlite was produced by an alkali-bearing, phosphorus-rich, silica-dolomitic melt. The alkali-Si-bearing Ca-Mg-rich carbonate compositions of primary melt inclusions in the outer rims of olivine and in spinel grains with evolved compositions (MUM spinel) support formation of these melts after fractionation of abundant olivine, and probably other phases (e.g., ilmenite and chromite). Finally, the similarity between secondary inclusions in kimberlite olivine of this and other worldwide kimberlites and secondary inclusions in minerals of carbonatitic, mafic and felsic magmatic rocks, suggests trapping of residual Na-K-rich C-O-H-Cl fluids after groundmass crystallisation. These residual fluids may have persisted in pore spaces within the largely crystalline BK groundmass and subsequently mixed with larger volumes of external fluids, which triggered serpentine formation and localised carbonate recrystallisation.
Abstract: The petrogenesis of kimberlites is commonly obscured by interaction with hydrothermal fluids, including deuteric (late-magmatic) and/or groundwater components. To provide new constraints on the modification of kimberlite rocks during fluid interaction and the fractionation of kimberlite magmas during crystallisation, we have undertaken a detailed petrographic and geochemical study of a hypabyssal sample (BK) from the Bultfontein kimberlite (Kimberley, South Africa). Sample BK consists of abundant macrocrysts (N1 mm) and (micro-) phenocrysts of olivine and lesser phlogopite, smaller grains of apatite, serpentinised monticellite, spinel, perovskite, phlogopite and ilmenite in a matrix of calcite, serpentine and dolomite. As in kimberlites worldwide, BK olivine grains consist of cores with variable Mg/Fe ratios, overgrown by rims that host inclusions of groundmass phases (spinel, perovskite, phlogopite) and have constant Mg/Fe, but variable Ni, Mn and Ca concentrations. Primary multiphase inclusions in the outer rims of olivine and in Fe-Ti-rich (‘MUM’) spinel are dominated by dolomite, calcite and alkali carbonates with lesser silicate and oxide minerals. Secondary inclusions in olivine host an assemblage of Na-K carbonates and chlorides. The primary inclusions are interpreted as crystallised alkali-Si-bearing Ca-Mg-rich carbonate melts, whereas secondary inclusions host Na-K-rich C-O-H-Cl fluids. In situ Sr-isotope analyses of groundmass calcite and perovskite reveal similar 87Sr/86Sr ratios to perovskite in the Bultfontein and the other Kimberley kimberlites, i.e. magmatic values. The ?18O composition of the BK bulk carbonate fraction is above the mantle range, whereas the ?13C values are similar to those of mantle-derived magmas. The occurrence of different generations of serpentine and occasional groundmass calcite with high 87Sr/86Sr, and elevated bulk carbonate ?18O values indicate that the kimberlite was overprinted by hydrothermal fluids, which probably included a significant groundwater component. Before this alteration the groundmass included calcite, monticellite, apatite and minor dolomite, phlogopite, spinel, perovskite and ilmenite. Inclusions of groundmass minerals in olivine rims and phlogopite phenocrysts show that olivine and phlogopite also belong to the magmatic assemblage. We therefore suggest that the crystallised kimberlite was produced by an alkali-bearing, phosphorus-rich, silica-dolomitic melt. The alkali-Si-bearing Ca-Mg-rich carbonate compositions of primary melt inclusions in the outer rims of olivine and in spinel grains with evolved compositions (MUM spinel) support formation of these melts after fractionation of abundant olivine, and probably other phases (e.g., ilmenite and chromite). Finally, the similarity between secondary inclusions in kimberlite olivine of this and other worldwide kimberlites and secondary inclusions in minerals of carbonatitic, mafic and felsic magmatic rocks, suggests trapping of residual Na-K-rich C-O-H-Cl fluids after groundmass crystallisation. These residual fluids may have persisted in pore spaces within the largely crystalline BK groundmass and subsequently mixed with larger volumes of external fluids, which triggered serpentine formation and localised carbonate recrystallisation.
Abstract: The compositions of kimberlite melts at depth and upon emplacement in the upper crust remain elusive. This can be attributed to the unquantified effects of multiple processes, such as alteration, assimilation, xenocryst contamination, and fractional crystallisation. The inability to accurately constrain the composition and physical properties of kimberlite melts prevents a comprehensive understanding of their petrogenesis. To improve constraints on the compositions of kimberlite melts, we have combined modal analysis including the discrimination of xenocrystic from magmatic phases, with mineral chemistry determinations to reconstruct a whole-rock composition. We apply this approach to a sample of “fresh” macrocrystic hypabyssal kimberlite (sample BK-1) from the Bultfontein mine (Kimberley, South Africa). The accuracy of this whole-rock reconstruction method is validated by the similarity between reconstructed and measured whole-rock compositions. A series of corrections are then applied to account for the effects of post-emplacement serpentinisation, pre-emplacement olivine crystallisation, and the inclusion and assimilation of mantle material. This approach permits discernment of melt compositions at different stages of kimberlite evolution. The primitive melt parental to the Bultfontein kimberlite is estimated to contain 17.4-19.0?wt% SiO2, 20.2-22.8?wt% MgO, 20.9-21.9?wt% CaO, 2.1-2.3?wt% P2O5, 1.2-1.4?wt% TiO2, 0.9-1.1?wt% Al2O3, and 0.6-0.7?wt% K2O, and has a Mg# of 83.4-84.4. Primary volatile contents (i.e., after an attempt to account for volatile loss) are tentatively estimated at ~2.1-2.2?wt% H2O and ~22.9-25.4?wt% CO2. This composition is deficient in SiO2, MgO and H2O, but enriched in CaO and CO2 compared with most previous estimates of primitive kimberlite melts. We suggest that the primitive melt parental to the Bultfontein kimberlite was a transitional silicate-carbonate melt, which was progressively enriched in SiO2, MgO, Al2O3, Cr2O3, and Na2O through the assimilation of lithospheric mantle material. Comparisons with experimentally produced low-degree melts of carbonated lherzolite indicate that the Bultfontein kimberlite could have formed by ~0.5% melting of asthenospheric mantle at ~6.0-8.6?GPa (i.e., ~190-285?km) and ~1400-1500?°C. The low calculated Na2O contents (<0.2?wt%), which are inconsistent with derivation from low-degree melting of lherzolite, suggest that an alkali-bearing, volatile-rich fluid was exsolved during ascent or released after emplacement, and subsequently removed.
Mineralogy and Petrology, June 14, DOI:10.1007/ s00710-018 -0588-5, 16p.
Africa, South Africa
deposit - De Beers dyke
Abstract: We present petrographic and mineral chemical data for a suite of samples derived from the De Beers dyke, a contemporaneous, composite intrusion bordering the De Beers pipe (Kimberley, South Africa). Petrographic features and mineral compositions indicate the following stages in the evolution of this dyke: (1) production of antecrystic material by kimberlite-related metasomatism in the mantle (i.e., high Cr-Ti phlogopite); (2) entrainment of wall-rock material during ascent through the lithospheric mantle, including antecrysts; (3) early magmatic crystallisation of olivine (internal zones and subsequently rims), Cr-rich spinel, rutile, and magnesian ilmenite, probably on ascent to the surface; and (4) crystallisation of groundmass phases (i.e., olivine rinds, Fe-Ti-rich spinels, perovskite, apatite, monticellite, calcite micro-phenocrysts, kinoshitalite-phlogopite, barite, and baddeleyite) and the mesostasis (calcite, dolomite, and serpentine) on emplacement in the upper crust. Groundmass and mesostasis crystallisation likely forms a continuous sequence with deuteric/hydrothermal modification. The petrographic features, mineralogy, and mineral compositions of different units within the De Beers dyke are indistinguishable from one another, indicating a common petrogenesis. The compositions of antecrysts (i.e., high Cr-Ti phlogopite) and magmatic phases (e.g., olivine rims, magnesian ilmenite, and spinel) overlap those from the root zone intrusions of the main Kimberley pipes (i.e., Wesselton, De Beers, Bultfontein). However, the composition of these magmatic phases is distinct from those in ‘evolved’ intrusions of the Kimberley cluster (e.g., Benfontein, Wesselton water tunnel sills). Although the effects of syn-emplacement flow processes are evident (e.g., alignment of phases parallel to contacts), there is no evidence that the De Beers dyke has undergone significant pre-emplacement crystal fractionation (e.g., olivine, spinel, ilmenite). This study demonstrates the requirement for detailed petrographic and mineral chemical studies to assess whether individual intrusions are in fact ‘evolved’; and that dykes are not necessarily produced by differentiated magmas.
Society of Economic Geology Geoscience and Exploration of the Argyle, Bunder, Diavik, and Murowa Diamond Deposits, Special Publication no. 20, pp. 201-222.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, in press available, 19p.
Africa, South Africa, Canada, South America, Brazil
deposit - Lac de Gras, Paranaiba
Abstract: Kimberlites are the deepest melts produced on Earth that are erupted at the surface and can therefore provide unique insights into the composition and evolution of the mantle. Radiogenic isotopes provide ambiguous evidence for the occurrence of recycled crustal material in kimberlite sources. Oxygen isotopes can fractionate significantly only in the shallow crust, and thus represent a powerful tracer of subducted material in the sources of kimberlite. To constrain the oxygen isotope composition of kimberlite melts, we have examined olivine grains in eleven Cretaceous to Eocene archetypal kimberlites from southern Africa, Lac de Gras (Canada) and Alto Paranaiba (Brazil), which exhibit radiogenic isotope evidence for recycled crustal material in their sources including highly radiogenic Pb isotopes and Nd-Hf isotope compositions deviating below the mantle array. Olivine grains are commonly zoned between a mantle-derived xenocrystic core and one or more magmatic overgrowths, i.e. occasional internal zones, ubiquitous rims and rare rinds (moving outward from the core). The oxygen isotope composition of different olivine zones was determined in situ within separated olivine grains by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) after point selection using back-scattered electron (BSE) images combined with major and minor element analyses. With the exception of a few cores, the ?18O values of different olivine zones do not deviate from typical mantle olivine values of 5.18?±?0.28‰ (Mattey et al., 1994). There are no correlations between oxygen isotopes and major/minor element compositions for internal zones and rims from individual localities or in the entire dataset. This indicates that the oxygen isotope composition of kimberlite melts is not affected by melt differentiation to the point of olivine rim crystallisation. However, olivine rinds from the Koala kimberlite (Canada) display an inverse correlation between ?18O and Mn-Ca concentrations, with ?18O values extending below the mantle range, which is probably due to carbonate fractionation, CO2 degassing and/or assimilation of serpentine-rich material after kimberlite emplacement in the upper crust. The mantle-like ?18O composition of olivine internal zones and rims suggests that assimilation of mantle material and liberation of a CO2-rich phase during ascent in the mantle do not significantly modify the original ?18O signature of kimberlite melts. Modelling of oxygen isotope fractionation shows that up to 15 wt% of CO2 can be lost by kimberlites en route to the upper crust. Our results combined with mass balance calculations indicate that only a limited amount (<5-10 wt%) of recycled crustal material could occur in the source of kimberlites from southern Africa, Lac de Gras and Alto Paranaiba, or that the recycled material had an oxygen isotope composition similar to the mantle.
Mineralogy and Petrology, doi.org/10.1007/ s00710-018-0588-5 17p.
Africa, South Africa
deposit - De Beers dyke
Abstract: We present petrographic and mineral chemical data for a suite of samples derived from the De Beers dyke, a contemporaneous, composite intrusion bordering the De Beers pipe (Kimberley, South Africa). Petrographic features and mineral compositions indicate the following stages in the evolution of this dyke: (1) production of antecrystic material by kimberlite-related metasomatism in the mantle (i.e., high Cr-Ti phlogopite); (2) entrainment of wall-rock material during ascent through the lithospheric mantle, including antecrysts; (3) early magmatic crystallisation of olivine (internal zones and subsequently rims), Cr-rich spinel, rutile, and magnesian ilmenite, probably on ascent to the surface; and (4) crystallisation of groundmass phases (i.e., olivine rinds, Fe-Ti-rich spinels, perovskite, apatite, monticellite, calcite micro-phenocrysts, kinoshitalite-phlogopite, barite, and baddeleyite) and the mesostasis (calcite, dolomite, and serpentine) on emplacement in the upper crust. Groundmass and mesostasis crystallisation likely forms a continuous sequence with deuteric/hydrothermal modification. The petrographic features, mineralogy, and mineral compositions of different units within the De Beers dyke are indistinguishable from one another, indicating a common petrogenesis. The compositions of antecrysts (i.e., high Cr-Ti phlogopite) and magmatic phases (e.g., olivine rims, magnesian ilmenite, and spinel) overlap those from the root zone intrusions of the main Kimberley pipes (i.e., Wesselton, De Beers, Bultfontein). However, the composition of these magmatic phases is distinct from those in ‘evolved’ intrusions of the Kimberley cluster (e.g., Benfontein, Wesselton water tunnel sills). Although the effects of syn-emplacement flow processes are evident (e.g., alignment of phases parallel to contacts), there is no evidence that the De Beers dyke has undergone significant pre-emplacement crystal fractionation (e.g., olivine, spinel, ilmenite). This study demonstrates the requirement for detailed petrographic and mineral chemical studies to assess whether individual intrusions are in fact ‘evolved’; and that dykes are not necessarily produced by differentiated magmas.
Abstract: The late evolution of kimberlite magmas, i.e., during and-following emplacement into the upper crust, remains a-controversial aspect of kimberlite petrogenesis. Likewise, it is-unclear whether or not there is a link between melt composition-and the emplacement mechanism of intrusive kimberlites (i.e.,-planar dykes/sills vs. irregular intrusions in the root zone of-pipes). Resolving these issues is hampered by the absence of-comparative studies of late-magmatic kimberlite phases (e.g.,-apatite, monticellite, mica) in dykes, sills, and root-zone-intrusions from the same locality.-Here we report petrographic and mineral-chemical results-for groundmass phases in samples of dykes, sills, and root zone-intrusions from the Kimberley kimberlites (South Africa).-Early crystalised phases (e.g., olivine, spinel) in dykes/sills and-root-zone intrusions have indistingushable compositions, and-hence crystallised from similar primitive melts. Conversely,-apatite major element compositions are variable and can-discriminate dykes/sills (i.e., low and constant Sr, with-increasing Si) from root zone intrusions (high but variable Sr,-low and constant Si). The Sr depletion in root zone apatite is-interpreted to represent fractional crystallisation of earlier-apatite, perovskite, and calcite from a broadly similar parental-melt. Silica enrichment of apatite from dykes/sills may be-attributed to the coupled incorporation of CO32- and Si into the-apatite structure, reflecting higher CO2 contents in the melts-that formed dykes/sills. CO2 enrichment in the dykes/sills is-consistent with petrographic obervations. Dykes/sills are-enriched in carbonates, may contain dolomite, and are depleted-in mica and monticellite compared to the groundmass of rootzone-kimberlites. This suggests the melts parental to-dykes/sills have a higher CO2/H2O ratio compared to those-parental to root zone intrusions. These two distinct melt-evolution paths cannot be due to crustal contamination before-emplacement because the Sr-isotope compositions of latecrystallised-carbonates are indistinguishable in dykes/sills and-root-zone intrusions. We speculate that CO2 is better retained-in dykes/sills due to a higher confining pressure (i.e., lack of-breakthrough to the surface).-
Abstract: The late evolution of kimberlite magmas, i.e., during and following emplacement into the upper crust, remains a controversial aspect of kimberlite petrogenesis. Likewise, it is unclear whether or not there is a link between melt composition and the emplacement mechanism of intrusive kimberlites (i.e., planar dykes/sills vs. irregular intrusions in the root zone of pipes). Resolving these issues is hampered by the absence of comparative studies of late-magmatic kimberlite phases (e.g., apatite, monticellite, mica) in dykes, sills, and root-zone intrusions from the same locality. Here we report petrographic and mineral-chemical results for groundmass phases in samples of dykes, sills, and root zone intrusions from the Kimberley kimberlites (South Africa). Early crystalised phases (e.g., olivine, spinel) in dykes/sills and root-zone intrusions have indistingushable compositions, and hence crystallised from similar primitive melts. Conversely, apatite major element compositions are variable and can discriminate dykes/sills (i.e., low and constant Sr, with increasing Si) from root zone intrusions (high but variable Sr, low and constant Si). The Sr depletion in root zone apatite is interpreted to represent fractional crystallisation of earlier apatite, perovskite, and calcite from a broadly similar parental melt. Silica enrichment of apatite from dykes/sills may be attributed to the coupled incorporation of CO32- and Si into the apatite structure, reflecting higher CO2 contents in the melts that formed dykes/sills. CO2 enrichment in the dykes/sills is consistent with petrographic obervations. Dykes/sills are enriched in carbonates, may contain dolomite, and are depleted in mica and monticellite compared to the groundmass of rootzone kimberlites. This suggests the melts parental to dykes/sills have a higher CO2/H2O ratio compared to those parental to root zone intrusions. These two distinct melt evolution paths cannot be due to crustal contamination before emplacement because the Sr-isotope compositions of latecrystallised carbonates are indistinguishable in dykes/sills and root-zone intrusions. We speculate that CO2 is better retained in dykes/sills due to a higher confining pressure (i.e., lack of breakthrough to the surface).
Abstract: We present new major element geochemical data, and review the existing data for ilmenite macrocrysts, megacrysts, as well as ilmenite in mantle xenoliths from four diamondiferous kimberlite fields in the Yakutian province. This combined data set includes 10,874 analyses of ilmenite from 94 kimberlite pipes. In the studied samples we identify various different ilmenite compositional distributions (e.g., “Haggerty's parabola”, or “Step-like” trends in MgO-Cr2O3 bivariate space), which are common to all kimberlites from a given cluster, but the compositional distributions differ between clusters. We propose three stages of ilmenite crystallization: 1) Mg-Cr poor ilmenite crystallising from a primitive asthenospheric melt (the base of Haggerty's parabola on MgO-Cr2O3 plots). 2) This primitive asthenospheric melt was then modified by the partial assimilation of lithospheric material, which enriched the melt in MgO and Cr2O3 (left branch of Haggerty’s parabola). 3) Ilmenite subsequently underwent sub-solidus recrystallization in the presence of an evolved kimberlite melt under increasing oxygen fugacity (ƒO2) conditions (right branch of Haggerty’s parabola in MgO-Cr2O3 plots). Significant differences in the ilmenite compositional distribution between different kimberlite fields are the result of diverse conditions during subsequent ilmenite crystallization in a kimberlite melt ascending through the lithospheric mantle, which have different textures and compositions beneath the studied kimberlite fields. We propose that a TiO2 fluid formed due to immiscibility of an asthenospheric melt with low Cr and high Ti contents. This fluid infiltrated lithospheric mantle rocks forming Mg-ilmenite. These features indicate a genetic link between ilmenite and the host kimberlite melt.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 175, 21p. Pdf
Africa, South Africa
deposit - Kimberley
Abstract: Kimberlites are pipe-like igneous bodies, consisting of a pyroclastic crater and diatreme, commonly underlain by coherent root-zone rocks, and with associated dyke/sill complexes. The processes that control the different modes of coherent kimberlite emplacement remain uncertain. In addition, late evolution of kimberlite melts during emplacement into the upper crust remains poorly constrained. Therefore, it is unclear whether there is a link between melt composition/evolution and the emplacement mechanism of coherent kimberlites (i.e. planar dykes/sills vs. irregular bodies in the root zone). An absence of comparative studies on late-stage magmatic phases across the different emplacement modes of coherent kimberlite from the same locality hamper resolution of these issues. Therefore, we report petrographic and mineral chemical data for groundmass apatite in samples of dyke, sill, and root-zone kimberlites from the Kimberley cluster (South Africa). Early crystallised phases (olivine, spinel, Mg-ilmenite) in dyke/sill and root-zone kimberlites have indistinguishable compositions, and hence crystallised from similar primitive melts. Conversely, apatite compositions are generally distinct in dyke/sill (low Sr, high and variable Si) and root-zone kimberlites (high and variable Sr, low Si). The Si enrichment of apatite in dykes/sills is attributed to the coupled incorporation of CO32? and SiO44? for PO43?, reflecting higher CO2 contents in their parental melts, and potentially higher Si contents due to the preferential crystallisation of carbonates over mica/monticellite. The low Sr contents of apatite in dyke/sill kimberlites reflect equilibrium with a (kimberlite) melt (i.e. DSr is close to unity for carbonate and silicate melts), whereas the higher Sr contents of apatite in root-zone kimberlites require crystallisation from, or overprinting by a H2O?±?CO2 fluid (significantly higher DSr). The relative enrichment of CO2 in kimberlite dykes/sills is evident from the abundance of carbonates, the presence of mesostasis dolomite and calcite phenocrysts in some samples, and concomitant reduced proportions of other groundmass phases (e.g. serpentine, mica, monticellite). During late alteration of kimberlite dykes/sills, monticellite is typically replaced by carbonates, whereas olivine and pleonaste are relatively stable, indicating the melts which form dykes/sills evolve to higher CO2/H2O ratios. It is unlikely that these two distinct evolutionary paths were caused by crustal contamination before or during near surface magma emplacement, because crustal assimilation is not recorded in the O and Sr isotopic composition of late crystallising olivine rinds or carbonates, respectively. We suggest that higher concentrations of CO2 are retained in kimberlite dykes/sills due to higher confining pressures (i.e. lack of breakthrough to the surface). In contrast, exsolution of CO2 from root-zone kimberlites increased melt H2O/CO2 ratios and promoted the crystallisation of mica and monticellite at the expense of dolomite and calcite. Apatite compositions have the potential to aid in the discrimination of kimberlites from lamproites (higher LREE, Sr, F, and S, lower Si contents) and carbonatites (higher LREE, F, Cl and S, lower Fe contents). However, the compositions of kimberlitic apatite overlap those from aillikites, probably due to similar late-stage melt compositions.
Abstract: Quantifying the compositional evolution of mantle-derived melts from source to surface is fundamental for constraining the nature of primary melts and deep Earth composition. Despite abundant evidence for interaction between carbonate-rich melts, including diamondiferous kimberlites, and mantle wall rocks en route to surface, the effects of this interaction on melt compositions are poorly constrained. Here, we demonstrate a robust linear correlation between the Mg/Si ratios of kimberlites and their entrained mantle components and between Mg/Fe ratios of mantle-derived olivine cores and magmatic olivine rims in kimberlites worldwide. Combined with numerical modeling, these findings indicate that kimberlite melts with highly variable composition were broadly similar before lithosphere assimilation. This implies that kimberlites worldwide originated by partial melting of compositionally similar convective mantle sources under comparable physical conditions. We conclude that mantle assimilation markedly alters the major element composition of carbonate-rich melts and is a major process in the evolution of mantle-derived magmas.
Journal of Petrology, 10.1093/petrology /egaa062/5857610 90p. Pdf
Africa, South Africa
deposit - Kimberley
Abstract: Olivine is the most abundant phase in kimberlites and is stable throughout most of the crystallisation sequence, thus providing an extensive record of kimberlite petrogenesis. To better constrain the composition, evolution, and source of kimberlites we present a detailed petrographic and geochemical study of olivine from multiple dyke, sill, and root zone kimberlites in the Kimberley cluster (South Africa). Olivine grains in these kimberlites are zoned, with a central core, a rim overgrowth, and occasionally an external rind. Additional ‘internal’ and ‘transitional’ zones may occur between the core and rim, and some samples of root zone kimberlites contain a late generation of high-Mg olivine in cross-cutting veins. Olivine records widespread pre-ascent (proto-)kimberlite metasomatism in the mantle including: (a) Relatively Fe-rich (Mg# <89) olivine cores interpreted to derive from the disaggregation of kimberlite-related megacrysts (20% of cores); (b) Mg-Ca-rich olivine cores (Mg# >89; >0.05?wt.% CaO) suggested to be sourced from neoblasts in sheared peridotites (25% of cores); (c) transitional zones between cores and rims probably formed by partial re-equilibration of xenocrysts (now cores) with a previous pulse of kimberlite melt (i.e., compositionally heterogeneous xenocrysts); and (d) olivine from the Wesselton water tunnel sills, internal zones (I), and low-Mg# rims, that crystallised from a kimberlite melt that underwent olivine fractionation within the shallow lithospheric mantle. Magmatic crystallisation begins with internal olivine zones (II), which are common but not ubiquitous in the Kimberley olivine. These zones are euhedral, contain rare inclusions of chromite, and have a higher Mg# (90.0 ± 0.5), NiO, and Cr2O3 contents, but are depleted in CaO compared to the rims. Internal olivine zones (II) are interpreted to crystallise from a primitive kimberlite melt during its ascent and transport of olivine toward the surface. Their compositions suggest assimilation of peridotitic material (particularly orthopyroxene) and potentially sulfides prior to or during crystallisation. Comparison of internal zones (II) with liquidus olivine from other mantle-derived carbonate-bearing magmas (i.e., orangeites, ultramafic lamprophyres, melilitites) show that low (100×) Mn/Fe (?1.2), very low Ca/Fe (?0.6), and moderate Ni/Mg ratios (?1.1) appear to be the hallmarks of olivine in melts derived from carbonate-bearing garnet-peridotite sources. Olivine rims display features indicative of magmatic crystallisation, which are typical of olivine rims in kimberlites worldwide - i.e. primary inclusions of chromite, Mg-ilmenite and rutile, homogeneous Mg# (88.8 ± 0.3), decreasing Ni and Cr, increasing Ca and Mn. Rinds and high-Mg olivine are characterised by extreme Mg-Ca-Mn enrichment and Ni depletion, and textural relationships indicate these zones represent replacement of pre-existing olivine, with some new crystallisation of rinds. These zones likely precipitated from evolved, oxidised, and relatively low-temperature kimberlite fluids after crustal emplacement. In summary, this study demonstrates the utility of combined petrography and olivine geochemistry to trace the evolution of kimberlite magmatic systems from early metasomatism of the lithospheric mantle by (proto-)kimberlite melts, to crystallisation at different depths en route to surface, and finally late-stage deuteric/hydrothermal fluid alteration processes after crustal emplacement.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 175, 49 dor.org./10.1007 /s00410-020-01686-0
Africa, South Africa
deposit - Kimberley
Abstract: Kimberlites are pipe-like igneous bodies, consisting of a pyroclastic crater and diatreme, commonly underlain by coherent root-zone rocks, and with associated dyke/sill complexes. The processes that control the different modes of coherent kimberlite emplacement remain uncertain. In addition, late evolution of kimberlite melts during emplacement into the upper crust remains poorly constrained. Therefore, it is unclear whether there is a link between melt composition/evolution and the emplacement mechanism of coherent kimberlites (i.e. planar dykes/sills vs. irregular bodies in the root zone). An absence of comparative studies on late-stage magmatic phases across the different emplacement modes of coherent kimberlite from the same locality hamper resolution of these issues. Therefore, we report petrographic and mineral chemical data for groundmass apatite in samples of dyke, sill, and root-zone kimberlites from the Kimberley cluster (South Africa). Early crystallised phases (olivine, spinel, Mg-ilmenite) in dyke/sill and root-zone kimberlites have indistinguishable compositions, and hence crystallised from similar primitive melts. Conversely, apatite compositions are generally distinct in dyke/sill (low Sr, high and variable Si) and root-zone kimberlites (high and variable Sr, low Si). The Si enrichment of apatite in dykes/sills is attributed to the coupled incorporation of CO32? and SiO44? for PO43?, reflecting higher CO2 contents in their parental melts, and potentially higher Si contents due to the preferential crystallisation of carbonates over mica/monticellite. The low Sr contents of apatite in dyke/sill kimberlites reflect equilibrium with a (kimberlite) melt (i.e. DSr is close to unity for carbonate and silicate melts), whereas the higher Sr contents of apatite in root-zone kimberlites require crystallisation from, or overprinting by a H2O?±?CO2 fluid (significantly higher DSr). The relative enrichment of CO2 in kimberlite dykes/sills is evident from the abundance of carbonates, the presence of mesostasis dolomite and calcite phenocrysts in some samples, and concomitant reduced proportions of other groundmass phases (e.g. serpentine, mica, monticellite). During late alteration of kimberlite dykes/sills, monticellite is typically replaced by carbonates, whereas olivine and pleonaste are relatively stable, indicating the melts which form dykes/sills evolve to higher CO2/H2O ratios. It is unlikely that these two distinct evolutionary paths were caused by crustal contamination before or during near surface magma emplacement, because crustal assimilation is not recorded in the O and Sr isotopic composition of late crystallising olivine rinds or carbonates, respectively. We suggest that higher concentrations of CO2 are retained in kimberlite dykes/sills due to higher confining pressures (i.e. lack of breakthrough to the surface). In contrast, exsolution of CO2 from root-zone kimberlites increased melt H2O/CO2 ratios and promoted the crystallisation of mica and monticellite at the expense of dolomite and calcite. Apatite compositions have the potential to aid in the discrimination of kimberlites from lamproites (higher LREE, Sr, F, and S, lower Si contents) and carbonatites (higher LREE, F, Cl and S, lower Fe contents). However, the compositions of kimberlitic apatite overlap those from aillikites, probably due to similar late-stage melt compositions.
Abstract: The petrology and bulk-rock sulphur isotopic compositions of kimberlite samples from four localities (Bultfontein, De Beers, Kimberley, Wesselton) of the archetypal Kimberley cluster, South Africa, were used to investigate the origin(s) of S in kimberlites and gain insights into the occurrence of recycled crustal material in the source of Mesozoic kimberlites. The samples, which show variable degrees of alteration, are all hypabyssal and were derived from coherent root-zones as well as dykes and sills. Typical sulphide minerals are Cu-Fe-Ni-sulphides with less common pyrite, galena, sphalerite, and djerfisherite. They occur in a variety of textural associations, for example as groundmass phases, secondary inclusions in olivine, inclusions in matrix phases (e.g., phlogopite), or in carbonate-serpentine segregations. Barite is the most commonly observed sulphate phase. Bulk-sample ?34SVCDT values of sulphides in fresh kimberlites, which mostly do not contain barite, vary from - 2.0 to -5.7 ‰. Slightly altered kimberlite samples, in which sulphides were generally associated with serpentine, returned somewhat higher bulk-sulphide ?34SVCDT (-3.8 to +1.1 ‰). One sample from the Wesselton Water Tunnel Sills complex contains abundant barite and pyrite in its groundmass, with the latter having ?34SVCDT (+0.2 to +1.9 ‰) similar to altered kimberlites. Two further altered samples returned ?34SVCDT values (-10.1 to -13.0 ‰) that suggest a contribution from the local country rocks (Dwyka shale: ?34SVCDT from -10.2 to -10.5 ‰). All samples have near-zero ?33S values, suggesting that material displaying mass-independent fractionation has not played an important role. The negative ?34SVCDT values of fresh kimberlites from Kimberley suggest the involvement of recycled crustal material in their source, which is consistent with radiogenic isotope compositions. Overall, it appears that most kimberlitic sulphide S isotopic compositions can be explained by the action of a few typical magmatic/hydrothermal processes.
Journal of Petrology, in press available, 90p. Pdf
Africa, South Africa
deposit - Kimberley
Abstract: Olivine is the most abundant phase in kimberlites and is stable throughout most of the crystallization sequence, thus providing an extensive record of kimberlite petrogenesis. To better constrain the composition, evolution, and source of kimberlites we present a detailed petrographic and geochemical study of olivine from multiple dyke, sill, and root zone kimberlites in the Kimberley cluster (South Africa). Olivine grains in these kimberlites are zoned, with a central core, a rim overgrowth, and occasionally an external rind. Additional ‘internal’ and ‘transitional’ zones may occur between the core and rim, and some samples of root zone kimberlites contain a late generation of high-Mg olivine in cross-cutting veins. Olivine records widespread pre-ascent (proto-)kimberlite metasomatism in the mantle including the following features: (1) relatively Fe-rich (Mg# <89) olivine cores interpreted to derive from the disaggregation of kimberlite-related megacrysts (20?% of cores); (2) Mg-Ca-rich olivine cores (Mg# >89; >0•05?wt% CaO) suggested to be sourced from neoblasts in sheared peridotites (25?% of cores); (3) transitional zones between cores and rims probably formed by partial re-equilibration of xenocrysts (now cores) with a previous pulse of kimberlite melt (i.e. compositionally heterogeneous xenocrysts); (4) olivine from the Wesselton water tunnel sills, internal zones (I), and low-Mg# rims, which crystallized from a kimberlite melt that underwent olivine fractionation and stalled within the shallow lithospheric mantle. Magmatic crystallization begins with internal olivine zones (II), which are common but not ubiquitous in the Kimberley olivine. These zones are euhedral, contain rare inclusions of chromite, and have a higher Mg# (90•0 ± 0•5), NiO, and Cr2O3 contents, but are depleted in CaO compared with the rims. Internal olivine zones (II) are interpreted to crystallize from a primitive kimberlite melt during its ascent and transport of olivine toward the surface. Their compositions suggest assimilation of peridotitic material (particularly orthopyroxene) and potentially sulfides prior to or during crystallization. Comparison of internal zones (II) with liquidus olivine from other mantle-derived carbonate-bearing magmas (i.e. orangeites, ultramafic lamprophyres, melilitites) shows that low (100×) Mn/Fe (?1•2), very low Ca/Fe (?0•6), and moderate Ni/Mg ratios (?1•1) appear to be the hallmarks of olivine in melts derived from carbonate-bearing garnet-peridotite sources. Olivine rims display features indicative of magmatic crystallization, which are typical of olivine rims in kimberlites worldwide; that is, primary inclusions of chromite, Mg-ilmenite and rutile, homogeneous Mg# (88•8 ± 0•3), decreasing Ni and Cr, and increasing Ca and Mn. Rinds and high-Mg olivine are characterized by extreme Mg-Ca-Mn enrichment and Ni depletion, and textural relationships indicate that these zones represent replacement of pre-existing olivine, with some new crystallization of rinds. These zones probably precipitated from evolved, oxidized, and relatively low-temperature kimberlite fluids after crustal emplacement. In summary, this study demonstrates the utility of combined petrography and olivine geochemistry to trace the evolution of kimberlite magmatic systems from early metasomatism of the lithospheric mantle by (proto-)kimberlite melts, to crystallization at different depths en route to surface, and finally late-stage deuteric or hydrothermal fluid alteration after crustal emplacement.
Rare earth element applications, market outlook and Indian perspectives.
Carbonatite-alkaline rocks and associated mineral deposits , Dec. 8-11, abstract p.41-42.
India
rare earths
Abstract: Rare earth elements (REE) are a group of seventeen chemical elements that occur together in the periodic table. The group consists of yttrium and the 15 lanthanide elements (lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium). Promethium does not occur in nature because it is highly and the only lanthanide which has no stable (or even long-lived) isotopes. The most stable isotope of the element is Promethium-145, a half-life of 17.7 years. Due to its very less half-life most of the Promethium might have exhausted within first 10,000 years of formation of Earth. Scandium is found in most rare earth element deposits and is sometimes classified as a rare earth element. The rare earth elements are all metals, and the group is often referred to as the "rare earth metals." These metals have many similar properties, and that often causes them to be found together in geologic deposits. They are also referred to as "rare earth oxides" because many of them are typically sold as oxide compounds. The rare earths elements are classified into two groups; Cerium Group and Yttrium group, the former consists of light rare earths ( Sc, La, Ce, Nd, Pr, Pm, Sm and Eu ). The later is composed of (Y, Gd,Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu). In nature the minerals of cerium group are different then the Yttrium group. The most common light rare earth minerals are monazite and bastnasite and for the heavy rare earth element the mineral is xenotime. Rare earth elements are not as "rare" as their name implies. Thulium and lutetium are the two least abundant rare earth elements - but they each have an average crustal abundance that is nearly 200 times greater than the crustal abundance of gold. However, these metals are very difficult to mine because it is unusual to find them in concentrations high enough for economical extraction. The most abundant rare earth elements are cerium, yttrium, lanthanum and neodymium. They have average crustal abundances that are similar to commonly used industrial metals such as chromium, nickel, zinc, molybdenum, tin, tungsten, and lead. Again, they are rarely found in extractable levels. Because of their unique magnetic, luminescent, and electrochemical properties, these elements help make many technologies perform with reduced weight, emissions, and energy consumption, and give them greater efficiency, performance, miniaturization, speed, durability, and thermal stability. Rare earth-enabled products and technologies help to fuel global economic growth, maintain high standards of living, and save lives. Rare earth elements are used extensively in aerospace and defense, health care, clean energy, electronics, transportation and vehicles, catalysts, polishing industry etc. Global resources of rare earths are about 120 Mt, China tops with 44 Mt, Vietnam and Brazil both 22Mt each, Russia 18 Mt, India 6.9 Mt, Australia 3.4 Mt, USA 1.4 Mt, Greenland 1.5 Mt, Malawi, 0.136 Mt, South Africa 0.86 Mt. The major producers today are China and Australia. China producing about 105,000 tons and Australia, 14000 tons, Russia, 3000 tons, India, 1700 tons, Brazil, 1100 tons, Thailand 800 tons, Malaysia, 300 tons( based on 2016 data). In 2016, excess global supply caused prices for many rare-earth compounds and metals to decline, and China continued to dominate the global supply. In China, the rare-earth mining production quota for 2016 was set at 105,000 tons, unchanged from 2015.The major reason of price decline was the illegal mining of rare earths in China which cause pollution and other financial losses. Now China is clamping down on mining as part of a campaign to tackle pollution and tighten control of its massive industrial complex. Various measures to curb production have already driven up prices of aluminum, steel, and now rare earths. Praseodymium-neodymium oxide, a raw material for the metal, has almost doubled this year, Neodymium surged by nearly a third in August alone and is up 81 percent in 2017. Demand for some rare earths may exceed supply in the second half after the crackdown on illegal mines. The global demand for automobiles, consumer electronics, energy-efficient lighting, permanent magnets and catalysts is expected to rise rapidly over the next decade. Rare earth magnet demand is expected to increase, as is the demand for rechargeable batteries. New developments in medical technology are expected to increase the use of surgical lasers, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography scintillation detectors. Rare earth elements are heavily used in all of these industries, so the demand for them should remain high. So far EVs and renewable energy from clean technology point of view are concerned the rare earths join with niche metals including lithium and cobalt as beneficiaries of rapid growth in the electric vehicle industry and in renewable energy in the form of permanent magnets used in gearless turbines. By 2020, the REE demand in EVs will increase from 2000 tons per year to 7000 tons per year in 2020 and 12000 tons by 2024. In India, Indian Rare Earth Ltd is planning to produce 10,000 tons REO per year. The carbonatite hosted REE deposit with non-monazite sources has also been identified in Barmer district of Rajasthan.
Mini-Reviews in Organic Chemistry, Vol. 12, 4, pp. 355-366.
Technology
Fullerenes
Abstract: Fullerenes being allotropes of carbon, have been considered as new class of molecules. Unlike diamond and graphite, this is made up of hollow carbon cage structure. The idea of spheroidal cage structures of C60 arose from construction of geodesic domes made by renowned architect Buckminster Fuller. Although fullerenes have low solubility in physiological media they finds promising biological applications. The photo, electrochemical and physical properties of C60 and other fullerene derivatives finds applications in medical fields. The ability of fullerenes to fit inside the hydrophobic cavity of HIV proteases makes them potential inhibitor for substrates to catalytic active site of enzyme. It possesses radical scavenging and antioxidant property. At the same time, when it exposed to light it can form singlet oxygen in high quantum yields which with direct electron transfer from excited state of fullerenes and DNA bases finally results in cleavage of DNA. The fullerenes are also used as a carrier for gene and drug delivery system. The associated low toxicity of fullerenes is sufficient to attract the researchers for investigation of these interesting molecules.
Oliveira, E.P., Talavera, C., Windley, B.F., Zhao, L., Semprich, J.J., McNaughton, N.J., Amaral, W.S., Sombini, G., Navarro, M., Silva, D.
Mesoarchean ( 2820 Ma )high pressure mafic granulite at Uaus, Sao Francisco craton, Brazil, and its potential significance for the assembly of Archean supercraton.
Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research, in press available
Technology
spectroscopy
Abstract: A broad suite of geological materials were studied a using a handheld laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument. Because LIBS is simultaneously sensitive to all elements, the full broadband emission spectrum recorded from a single laser shot provides a ‘chemical fingerprint’ of any material - solid, liquid or gas. The distinguishing chemical characteristics of the samples analysed were identified through principal component analysis (PCA), which demonstrates how this technique for statistical analysis can be used to identify spectral differences between similar sample types based on minor and trace constituents. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLSDA) was used to distinguish and classify the materials, with excellent discrimination achieved for all sample types. This study illustrates through four selected examples involving carbonate minerals and rocks, the oxide mineral pair columbite-tantalite, the silicate mineral garnet and native gold how portable, handheld LIBS analysers can be used as a tool for real-time chemical analysis under simulated field conditions for element or mineral identification plus such applications as stratigraphic correlation, provenance determination and natural resources exploration.
Journal of Geochemical Exploration, Vol. 222, 106694, 16p. Pdf
Canada, Nunavut
deposit - Jericho, Muskox
Abstract: Geochemical imaging is a powerful tool for unravelling the complex geological histories of rocks and minerals. However, its applications have until recently been restricted to geological research in a lab environment due to the cost and size of conventional instrumentation, long analysis times, and extensive sample preparation for some methods. Herein we present a rapid, qualitative geochemical imaging method for rocks and minerals using handheld LIBS. Analyses were completed directly on sawed drill core surfaces for a suite of kimberlite-hosted mantle xenoliths (Jericho and Muskox kimberlites, Nunavut, Canada). Semi-automated LIBS spectral processing following a new open-source workflow allows stitching of multiple small-area maps (each approximately 3 × 3 mm that take 2-3 min to complete) to produce cm-scale geochemical images of variably altered mantle xenolith samples (total data acquisition in 1-2 h). Replicate analyses of a Znsingle bondAl alloy reference material (NZA-1; CANMET) that were undertaken during standard-sample bracketing suggests that the relative standard deviation (RSD) is typically 15-20% for sum-normalized emission intensities above the estimated background. We demonstrate with open-source machine learning tools how qualitative LIBS spectral data can be converted to Feature-Of-Interest (FOI) maps to distinguish a variety of metasomatic and alteration features (e.g., Cr-diopside, kelyphite rims on pyrope garnet, and calcite veinlets) from the primary mantle mineralogy (e.g., olivine and orthopyroxene). Our results further demonstrate that the resolution of handheld LIBS-based geochemical imaging is sufficient to map veinlets and grain boundaries lined with metasomatic minerals. The LIBS approach is particularly sensitive for mapping the microscale distribution of elements with low atomic number (e.g., Li and Na). These light elements are difficult to detect at low concentrations with other handheld and field-portable technologies, but represent important geochemical tracers of hydrothermal and magmatic processes. Rapid LIBS mapping thus represents an emerging geochemical imaging tool for unravelling the complex geological history of rocks and minerals in the field with minimal to no sample preparation.
Abstract: The dynamics of formation and exhumation of high-pressure (HP) and ultra-high pressure (UHP) metamorphic orogens in double subduction-collision zones remain enigmatic. Here we employ two-dimensional thermo-mechanical numerical models to gain insights on the exhumation of HP-UHP metamorphic rocks, as well as their deformation during the collision of a micro-continent with pro- and retro-continental margins along two subduction zones. A three-stage collisional process with different convergence velocities is tested. In the initial collisional stage, a fold-and-thrust belt and locally rootless superimposed folds are developed in the micro-continent and subduction channel, respectively. In the second (exhumation) stage of HP-UHP rocks, a faster convergence model results in upwelling of the asthenosphere, which further leads to a detachment between the crust and lithospheric mantle of the micro-continent. A slower convergence model results in rapid exhumation of HP-UHP rocks along the north subduction channel and a typical piggy-back thrusting structure in the micro-continent. A non-convergence model produces a slab tear-off, leading to the rebound of residual lithosphere of the micro-continent. In the third and final stage, a series of back and ramp thrusts are formed in the micro-continent with the pro-continent re-subducted. Based on an analogy of our numerical results with the Western Dabie Orogen (WDO), we suggest that: (1) slab tear-off results in a rebound of residual lithosphere, which controls the two-stage syn-collisional exhumation process of HP-UHP rocks in the WDO; and (2) in contrast to the single subduction-collision system, the exhumation range of the partially molten rocks with lower viscosity and density is restricted to a specific region of the micro-continent by the Mianlue and Shangdan subduction zones, which generated the complex deformation features in the WDO.
Sommer, H., Regenauer Lieb, K., Hauzenberger, C., Gasharova, B.
Rapid uplift of the Jwaneng kimberlite, south Botswana: caused by mantle metasomatism and documented by OH diffusion profiles in garnet from eclogitic xenoliths.
Sommer, H., Regenauer-Lieb, K., Gasharova, B., Jung, H.
The formation of volcanic centers at the Colorado Plateau as a result of the passage of aqueous fluid through the oceanic lithospher and the subcontinental mantle" new implications for the planetary water cycle in the western United States.
Journal of Geodynamics, Vol. 61, Oct. pp. 154-171.
Sommer, H., Wan,Y., Kroner, A., Xie, H., Jacob, D.E.
Shrimp zircon ages and petrology of lower crustal granulite xenoliths from the Letseng-La-Terae kimberlite, Lesotho: further evidence for a Namaquanatal connection.
South Africa Journal of Geology, Vol. 116, 2, pp. 183-198.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, in press available 55p.
Africa, South Africa
Deposit - Roberts Victor
Abstract: Heterogeneous, modally banded kyanite-bearing and bimineralic eclogites from the lithospheric mantle, collected at the Roberts Victor Diamond mine (South Africa), show a reaction texture in which kyanite is consumed. Geothermobarometric calculations using measured mineral compositions in Perple_X allowed the construction of a P-T path showing a steep, cool prograde metamorphic gradient of 2 °C/km to reach peak conditions of 5.8 GPa and 890 °C for the kyanite eclogite. The kyanite-out reaction formed bimineralic eclogite and is probably an integral part of the mineralogical evolution of most archetypal bimineralic eclogites at Roberts Victor and potentially elsewhere. The kyanite-out reaction occured at close to peak pressure (5.3 GPa) and was associated with a rise in temperature to 1380 °C. Mass balance calculations show that upon breakdown, the kyanite component is fully accommodated in garnet and omphacite via a reaction system with low water fugacity that required restricted fluid influx from metasomatic sources. The ?18O values of garnets are consistently higher than normal mantle values. Each sample has its characteristic trend of ?18O variance between garnets in the kyanite-bearing sections and those in the bimineralic parts covering a range between 5.1‰ and 6.8‰. No systematic change in O-isotope signature exists across the sample population. Differences in garnet trace element signatures between differing lithologies in the eclogites are significant. Grossular-rich garnets coexisting with kyanite have strong positive Eu-anomalies and low Gd/Yb ratios, while more pyrope-rich garnets in the bimineralic sections have lost their positive Eu-anomaly, have higher Gd/Yb ratios and generally higher heavy rare earth element contents. Garnets in the original kyanite-bearing portions thus reflect the provenance of the rocks as metamorphosed gabbros/troctolites. The kyanite-out reaction was most likely triggered by a heating event in the subcratonic lithosphere. As kyanite contains around 100 ppm of H2O it is suggested that the kyanite-out reaction, once initiated by heating and restricted metasomatic influx, was promoted by the release of water contained in the kyanite. The steep (high-P low-T) prograde P-T path defining rapid compression at low heating rates is atypical for subduction transport of eclogites into the lithospheric mantle. Such a trajectory is best explained in a model where strong lateral compression forces eclogites downward to higher pressures, supporting models of cratonic lithosphere formation by lateral collision and compression.
Abstract: Heterogeneous, modally banded kyanite-bearing and bimineralic eclogites from the lithospheric mantle, collected at the Roberts Victor Diamond mine (South Africa), show a reaction texture in which kyanite is consumed. Geothermobarometric calculations using measured mineral compositions in Perple_X allowed the construction of a P-T path showing a steep, cool prograde metamorphic gradient of 2 °C/km to reach peak conditions of 5.8 GPa and 890 °C for the kyanite eclogite. The kyanite-out reaction formed bimineralic eclogite and is probably an integral part of the mineralogical evolution of most archetypal bimineralic eclogites at Roberts Victor and potentially elsewhere. The kyanite-out reaction occured at close to peak pressure (5.3 GPa) and was associated with a rise in temperature to 1380 °C. Mass balance calculations show that upon breakdown, the kyanite component is fully accommodated in garnet and omphacite via a reaction system with low water fugacity that required restricted fluid influx from metasomatic sources. The ?18O values of garnets are consistently higher than normal mantle values. Each sample has its characteristic trend of ?18O variance between garnets in the kyanite-bearing sections and those in the bimineralic parts covering a range between 5.1‰ and 6.8‰. No systematic change in O-isotope signature exists across the sample population. Differences in garnet trace element signatures between differing lithologies in the eclogites are significant. Grossular-rich garnets coexisting with kyanite have strong positive Eu-anomalies and low Gd/Yb ratios, while more pyrope-rich garnets in the bimineralic sections have lost their positive Eu-anomaly, have higher Gd/Yb ratios and generally higher heavy rare earth element contents. Garnets in the original kyanite-bearing portions thus reflect the provenance of the rocks as metamorphosed gabbros/troctolites. The kyanite-out reaction was most likely triggered by a heating event in the subcratonic lithosphere. As kyanite contains around 100 ppm of H2O it is suggested that the kyanite-out reaction, once initiated by heating and restricted metasomatic influx, was promoted by the release of water contained in the kyanite. The steep (high-P low-T) prograde P-T path defining rapid compression at low heating rates is atypical for subduction transport of eclogites into the lithospheric mantle. Such a trajectory is best explained in a model where strong lateral compression forces eclogites downward to higher pressures, supporting models of cratonic lithosphere formation by lateral collision and compression.
Valentine, G.A., Graettinger, A.H, Macorps, E., Ross, P-S., White, J.D.L., Dohring, E., Sonder, I.
Experiments with vertically and laterally migrating subsurface explosions with applications to the geology of phreatomagmatic and hydrothermal explosion craters and diatremes.
Abstract: Many carbonatites are associated both spatially and temporally with large igneous provinces (LIPs), and considered to originate from a mantle plume source lacking any contribution from recycled crustal materials. Here, we report an occurrence of carbonatite enriched in rare-earth elements (REE) and associated with the Tarim LIP in northwestern China. The Tarim LIP comprises intrusive and volcanic products of mantle plume activity spanning from ~ 300 to 280 Ma. The carbonatites at Wajilitage in the northwestern part of Tarim are dominated by calcite and dolomite varieties, and contain abundant REE minerals (principally, monazite and REE-fluorcarbonates). Th-Pb age determination of monazite yielded an emplacement age of 266 ± 5.3 Ma, i.e. appreciably younger than the eruption age of flood basalts at ~ 290 Ma. The carbonatites show low initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.7037-0.7041) and high ?Nd(t) (1.2-4) values, which depart from the isotopic characteristics of plume-derived basalts and high-Mg picrites from the same area. This indicates that the Wajilitage carbonatites derived from a mantle source isotopically distinct from the one responsible for the voluminous (ultra)mafic volcanism at Tarim. The carbonatites show ?26MgDSM3 values (? 0.99 to ? 0.65‰) that are significantly lower than those in typical mantle-derived rocks and rift carbonatites, but close to marine sediments and orogenic carbonatites. We propose that the carbonatites in the Tarim LIP formed by decompressional melting of recycled sediments mixed with the ambient mantle peridotite. The enriched components in the Tarim plume could be accounted for by the presence of recycled sedimentary components in the subcontinental mantle.
Evolution from oceanic subduction to continental collision: a case study from the northern Tibetan Plateau based on geochemical and geochronological data.
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.
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.
Environmental Forensics, Vol. 22, 3-4, pp. 340-350. abstract only
China
synthetics
Abstract: In this study, soil and sediment samples along with groundwater samples were collected and analyzed from an abandoned synthetic diamond production plant in Anhui Province, South China. Chemical analysis, pollution characteristics analysis, and correlation analysis were conducted to assess and to determine the source(s) of the toxic metal and organic pollutions in the study sites. The Co and Ni concentrations of soil samples collected from the production area exceed the risk screening value for contaminated development land in Soil Environment Quality Standards for soil pollution risk control on construction land (Trial) of China, while the concentrations of other toxic elements such as Cr, Cu, and Zn are lower than the screening value. The PCA and HCA results are consistent with the correlation coefficient analysis and indicate that industrial activities are the main sources of Co and Ni. The chemical composition and source analysis results of soil and groundwater show that toxic metals originating from catalyst and low pH value from acid waste water should be the main point of concern in the synthetic diamond production plant.
Abstract: The oxygen fugacity of the upper mantle is 3-4 orders of magnitude higher than that of the lower mantle and this has been attributed to Fe2 + disproportionating into Fe3 + plus Fe0 at pressures > 24 GPa. The upper mantle might therefore have been expected to have evolved to more oxidizing compositions through geological time, but it appears that the oxygen fugacity of the upper mantle has remained constant for the last 3.5 billion years. Thus, it indicates that the mantle has been actively buffered from the accumulation of Fe3 +, and that this is linked to oxidation of diamond to carbonate coupled with reduction of Fe3 + to Fe2 +. When subducted plates penetrate into the lower mantle, compensational upwelling transports bridgmanite into the transition zone, where it breaks down to ringwoodite and majorite, releasing the ferric iron. The system returns to equilibrium through oxidation of diamond. Early in Earth history, diamond may have been enriched at the base of the transition zone in the Magma Ocean, because it is denser than peridotite melts at depths shallower than 660 km, and it is more buoyant below. Ongoing oxidation of diamond forms carbonate, leading to relatively high carbonate concentrations in the source of ocean island basalts.
Song, S., Zhang, L., Chen, J., Liou, J.G., Niu, Y.
Sodic amphibole exsolutions in garnet from garnet-peridotite, North Qaidam UHP belt, NW China: implications for ultradeep origin and hydroxyl defects in mantle garnets.
Song, S., Zhang, L., Niu, Y., Su, L., Jian, P., Liu, D.
Geochronology of diamond bearing zircons from garnet peridotite in the North Qaidam UHPM belt, Northern Tibetan Plateau: a record of lithospheric subduction.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 234, 1-2, pp. 99-118.
Evolution from oceanic subduction to continental collision: a case study from the northern Tibetan Plateau based on geochemical and geochronological data.
Continental orogenesis from ocean subduction, continent collision/subduction, to orogen collapse, and orogen recycling: the example of the North Qaidam UHPM belt, NW China.
Nature Geoscience, doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0410-y 10p pdf
Mantle
Plumes, hotspots
Abstract: The thermal and chemical state of the early Archaean deep mantle is poorly resolved due to the rare occurrences of early Archaean magnesium-rich volcanic rocks. In particular, it is not clear whether compositional heterogeneity existed in the early Archaean deep mantle and, if it did, how deep mantle heterogeneity formed. Here we present a geochronological and geochemical study on a Palaeoarchaean ultramafic-mafic suite (3.45-Gyr-old) with mantle plume signatures in Longwan, Eastern Hebei, the North China Craton. This suite consists of metamorphosed cumulates and basalts. The meta-basalts are iron rich and show the geochemical characteristics of present-day oceanic island basalt and unusually high mantle potential temperatures (1,675?°C), which suggests a deep mantle source enriched in iron and incompatible elements. The Longwan ultramafic-mafic suite is best interpreted as the remnants of a 3.45-Gyr-old enriched mantle plume. The first emergence of mantle-plume-related rocks on the Earth 3.5-3.45?billion years ago indicates that a global mantle plume event occurred with the onset of large-scale deep mantle convection in the Palaeoarchaean. Various deep mantle sources of these Palaeoarchaean mantle-plume-related rocks imply that significant compositional heterogeneity was present in the Palaeoarchaean deep mantle, most probably introduced by recycled crustal material.
Ecologite and carpholite bearing metasedimentary rocks in the North Qilian suture zone, NW China: implications for Early Paleozoic cold oceanic subduction and water transport into
Journal of Metamorphic Geology, Vol. 25, 5, pp. 547-563.
Variation of mineral composition, fabric and oxygen fugacity from massive to foliated eclogites during exhumation of subducted ocean crust in North Qiilian suture
Journal of Metamorphic Geology, Vol. 29, 7, pp. 699-720.
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: Many carbonatites are associated both spatially and temporally with large igneous provinces (LIPs), and considered to originate from a mantle plume source lacking any contribution from recycled crustal materials. Here, we report an occurrence of carbonatite enriched in rare-earth elements (REE) and associated with the Tarim LIP in northwestern China. The Tarim LIP comprises intrusive and volcanic products of mantle plume activity spanning from ~ 300 to 280 Ma. The carbonatites at Wajilitage in the northwestern part of Tarim are dominated by calcite and dolomite varieties, and contain abundant REE minerals (principally, monazite and REE-fluorcarbonates). Th–Pb age determination of monazite yielded an emplacement age of 266 ± 5.3 Ma, i.e. appreciably younger than the eruption age of flood basalts at ~ 290 Ma. The carbonatites show low initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.7037–0.7041) and high ?Nd(t) (1.2–4) values, which depart from the isotopic characteristics of plume-derived basalts and high-Mg picrites from the same area. This indicates that the Wajilitage carbonatites derived from a mantle source isotopically distinct from the one responsible for the voluminous (ultra)mafic volcanism at Tarim. The carbonatites show ?26MgDSM3 values (? 0.99 to ? 0.65‰) that are significantly lower than those in typical mantle-derived rocks and rift carbonatites, but close to marine sediments and orogenic carbonatites. We propose that the carbonatites in the Tarim LIP formed by decompressional melting of recycled sediments mixed with the ambient mantle peridotite. The enriched components in the Tarim plume could be accounted for by the presence of recycled sedimentary components in the subcontinental mantle.
Abstract: Preliminary mineralogical and geochemical studies have been carried out on dolomite marble drill cores from the Bayan Obo REE deposit in China. Three types of apatites and four types of monazites have been identified based on textural features: Type 1 apatite occurs as grains with minor monazite (Type 1 monazite) on its border; Type 2 apatite veinlet shows clusters of assemblages with abundant bastnäsite and parisite at the rim; Type 3 apatite has a linear array associated with fluorite and bastnäsite veinlets. Type 2 monazite occurs as clusters intergrowing with parisite and fluorite. Type 3 and 4 monazites occur as polymineralic (fluorite and bastnäsite) and monomineralic veinlets, respectively. These four types of monazites have similar LREE composition but variable Y content (Y2O3 ranging from below determination limits to 0.7?wt%). The three types of apatites also show different REE content and distribution patterns, ranging from high REE abundance (?REE?+?Y: 27243-251789?ppm) and strong LREE enrichment [(La/Yb)CN ?101] in Type 1, less LREE enrichment [(La/Yb)CN ?8] in Type 2 to relatively low REE abundance (?REE?+?Y: 4323-11175?ppm) but high REE fractionation [(La/Yb)CN ?58] in Type 3. The primary apatite has high Sr (5461-6892?ppm) and REE content, implying a carbonatite origin. The late-stage apatites (Types 2 and 3) show different Sr and REE abundances. Significant differences in their Sr composition (6189?±?573, 6041?±?549 and 3492?±?802 for Types 1-3 samples, respectively) and Y/Ho ratio (20.9?±?0.11, 19.5?±?0.17 and 17.4?±?0.37, respectively) indicate that the three types of apatites may have crystallized from different metasomatic fluids. Multi-stage metasomatism resulted in remobilization and redeposition of primary REE minerals to form the Bayan Obo REE deposit.
Abstract: The silico?carbonatite dykes of the Huanglongpu area, Lesser Qinling, China, are unusual in that they are quartz-bearing, Mo-mineralised and enriched in the heavy rare earth elements (HREE) relative to typical carbonatites. The textures of REE minerals indicate crystallisation of monazite-(Ce), bastnäsite-(Ce), parisite-(Ce) and aeschynite-(Ce) as magmatic phases. Burbankite was also potentially an early crystallising phase. Monazite-(Ce) was subsequently altered to produce a second generation of apatite, which was in turn replaced and overgrown by britholite-(Ce), accompanied by the formation of allanite-(Ce). Bastnäsite and parisite where replaced by synchysite-(Ce) and röntgenite-(Ce). Aeschynite-(Ce) was altered to uranopyrochlore and then pyrochlore with uraninite inclusions. The mineralogical evolution reflects the evolution from magmatic carbonatite, to more silica-rich conditions during early hydrothermal processes, to fully hydrothermal conditions accompanied by the formation of sulphate minerals. Each alteration stage resulted in the preferential leaching of the LREE and enrichment in the HREE. Mass balance considerations indicate hydrothermal fluids must have contributed HREE to the mineralisation. The evolution of the fluorcarbonate mineral assemblage requires an increase in aCa2+ and aCO32? in the metasomatic fluid (where a is activity), and breakdown of HREE-enriched calcite may have been the HREE source. Leaching in the presence of strong, LREE-selective ligands (Cl?) may account for the depletion in late stage minerals in the LREE, but cannot account for subsequent preferential HREE addition. Fluid inclusion data indicate the presence of sulphate-rich brines during alteration, and hence sulphate complexation may have been important for preferential HREE transport. Alongside HREE-enriched magmatic sources, and enrichment during magmatic processes, late stage alteration with non-LREE-selective ligands may be critical in forming HREE-enriched carbonatites.
Abstract: The unique, giant, rare earth element (REE) deposit at Bayan Obo, northern China, is the world’s largest REE deposit. It is geologically complex, and its genesis is still debated. Here, we report in situ Th-Pb dating and Nd isotope ratios for monazite and Sr isotope ratios for dolomite and apatite from fresh drill cores. The measured monazite ages (361-913 Ma) and previously reported whole-rock Sm-Nd data show a linear relationship with the initial Nd isotope ratio, suggesting a single-stage evolution from a Sm-Nd source that was formed before 913 Ma. All monazites show consistent ?Nd(1.3Ga) values (0.3 ± 0.6) close to those of the adjacent 1.3 Ga carbonatite and mafic dikes. The primary dolomite and apatite show lower 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7024-0.7030) than the recrystallized dolomite (0.7038-0.7097). The REE ores at Bayan Obo are interpreted to have originally formed as products of ca. 1.3 Ga carbonatitic magmatism and to have undergone subsequent thermal perturbations induced by Sr-rich, but REE-poor, metamorphic fluids derived from nearby sedimentary rocks.
Abstract: Rare-earth deposits associated with intrusive carbonatite complexes are the world’s most important source of these elements (REE). One of the largest deposits of this type is Maoniuping in the Mianning-Dechang metallogenic belt of eastern Tibet (Sichuan, China). In the currently mined central part of the deposit (Dagudao section), REE mineralization is hosted by a structurally and mineralogically complex Late Oligocene (26.4 ±?1.2 Ma, 40Ar/39Ar age of fluorphlogopite associated with bastnäsite) hydrothermal vein system developed in a coeval syenite intrusion. Low-grade stockworks of multiple veinlets and breccias in the lower part of the orebody grade upwards into progressively thicker veins (up to 12 m in width) that are typically zoned and comprise ferromagnesian micas (biotite to fluorphlogopite), sodium clinopyroxenes (aegirine to aegirine-augite), sodium amphiboles (magnesio-arfvedsonite to fluororichterite), K-feldspar, fluorite, barite, calcite, and bastnäsite. The latter four minerals are most common in the uppermost 80 m of the Dagudao section and represent the climax of hydrothermal activity. Systematic variations in the fluid inclusion data indicate a continuous hydrothermal evolution from about 230-400 °C (fluid inclusions in feldspar, clinopyroxene, and amphibole) to 140-240 °C (fluid inclusions in bastnäsite, fluorite, calcite). Hydrothermal REE transport was probably controlled by F?, (SO4)2?, Cl?, and (CO3)2? as complexing ligands. We propose that at Dagudao, silicate magmas produced orthomagmatic fluids that explored and expanded a fissure system generated by strike-slip faulting. Initially, the fluids had appreciable capacity to transport REE and, consequently, no major mineralization developed. The earliest minerals to precipitate were alkali- and Fe-rich silicates containing low levels of F, which caused progressive enrichment of the fluid in Ca, Mg, F, Cl, REE, (SO4)2?, and (CO3)2?, leading to the crystallization of aegirine-augite, fluororichterite, fluorphlogopite, fluorite, barite, calcite, and bastnäsite gradually. Barite, fluorite, calcite, and bastnäsite are the most common minerals in typical ores, and bastnäsite generally postdates these gangue minerals. Thus, it is very probable that fluid cooling and formation of large amount of fluorite, barite, and calcite triggered bastnäsite precipitation in the waning stage of hydrothermal activity.
Abstract: Subduction zones are an important way for crustal materials to enter deep parts of the Earth. Therefore, carbonatites in orogenic belt are of great significance in revealing deep carbon cycling pathways. To date, mantle-derived carbonatites have been identified in many orogenic belts, and their origin is considered to be related to subducted sediments. However, almost all orogenic carbonatites are composed of calcite, and their C isotopic compositions show typical mantle values, lacking any evidence of sedimentary origin. Here, we report decoupling of C and Sr isotopes between intimately associated dolomite and forsterite-calcite carbonatites from Caotan in the Qinling orogen, central China. The dolomite carbonatite is mainly composed of dolomite (plus minor apatite and magnetite), which has elevated ?13CPDB values (-3.1 to -3.6 ‰) and low 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7026-0.7042). The forsterite-calcite carbonatite consists of calcite (60-65 vol. %), forsterite and its replacement products (30-35 vol. %), and magnetite. The calcite shows mantle-like ?13CPDB (-6.2 to -7.2 ‰) but high initial 87Sr/86Sr values (0.7053-0.7076). Neodymium and Pb isotopic compositions are comparable in the two carbonatite types. The forsterite-calcite carbonatite is interpreted to have formed by metasomatic interaction of primary dolomitic melts with eclogite in thickened lower crust during collision of the North and South China cratons. The reaction resulted in decarbonation and depletion of the carbonatitic magma in 13C. Because of its initially low REE and Pb contents, the Nd-Pb isotopic signature of the primary dolomitic melt was preserved in the forsterite-calcite carbonatite. We propose that some orogenic calcite carbonatites may not be primary mantle-derived rocks and their mantle-like ?13CPDB values may be misleading.
Geochemical Perspectives Letters, Vol. 17, pp. 11-15. pdf
Mantle
carbonatites
Abstract: Carbonatite, an unusual carbonate-rich igneous rock, is known to be sourced from the mantle which provides insights into mantle-to-crust carbon transfer. To constrain further the Ca isotopic composition of carbonatites, investigate the behaviour of Ca isotopes during their evolution, and constrain whether recycled carbonates are involved in their source regions, we report ?44/42Ca for 47 worldwide carbonatite and associated silicate rocks using a refined analytical protocol. Our results show that primary carbonatite and associated silicate rocks are rather homogeneous in Ca isotope compositions that are comparable to ?44/42Ca values of basalts, while non-primary carbonatites show detectable ?44/42Ca variations that are correlated to ?13C values. Our finding suggests that Ca isotopes fractionate during late stages of carbonatite evolution, making it a useful tool in the study of carbonatite evolution. The finding also implies that carbonatite is sourced from a mantle source without requiring the involvement of recycled carbonates.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 171, 12p.
Mantle
Carbonatite
Abstract: Carbonatites host some unique ore deposits, especially rare earth elements (REE). Hydrothermal fluids have been proposed to play a significant role in the concentration and transport of REE and other rare metals in carbonatites, but experimental constraints on fluid-melt equilibria in carbonatitic systems are sparse. Here we present an experimental study of trace element (REE, Ba, Sr, Mo and W) partitioning between hydrous fluids and carbonatitic melts, bearing on potential hydrothermal activity associated with carbonatite ore-forming systems. The experiments were performed on mixtures of synthetic carbonate melts and aqueous fluids at 700-800 °C and 100-200 MPa using rapid-quench cold-seal pressure vessels and double-capsule assemblages with diamond traps for analyzing fluid precipitates in the outer capsule. Starting mixtures were composed of Ca, Mg and Na carbonates spiked with trace elements. Small amounts of F or Cl were added to some of the mixtures to study the effects of halogens on the element distribution. The results show that REE, Ba, Sr, Mo and W all preferentially partition into carbonatite melt and have fluid-melt distribution coefficients (D f/m) below unity. The REE partitioning is slightly dependent on the major element (Ca, Mg and Na) composition of the starting mixtures, and it is influenced by temperature, pressure, and the presence of halogens. The fluid-melt D values of individual REE vary from 0.02 to 0.15 with Df/mLu being larger than Df/mLa by a factor of 1.1-2. The halogens F and Cl have strong and opposite effects on the REE partitioning. Fluid-melt D REE are about three times higher in F-bearing compositions and ten times lower in Cl-bearing compositions than in halogen-free systems. Df/mW and Df/mMo are the highest among the studied elements and vary between 0.6 and 0.7; Df/mBa is between 0.05 and 0.09, whereas Df/mSr is at about 0.01-0.02. The results imply that carbonatite-related REE deposits were probably formed by fractional crystallization of carbonatitic melts rather than from exsolved hydrothermal fluids. The same appears to be true for a carbonatite-related Mo deposit recently discovered in China.
Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, Vol.1, pp. 1-25. pdf
China
REE
Abstract: Rare earth element and yttrium (REY) deposits are important strategic resources widely used in high-tech applications, such as solar cells and wind turbines. This paper summarises the temporal-spatial characteristics and genesis of REY deposits in China classified as alkaline carbonatite, ion-adsorption, placer, sedimentary metamorphism, marine sedimentary phosphorite and coal-hosted REY types. This study focuses on alkaline carbonatite and ion-adsorption deposits, because of their importance in terms of both exploitation and global reserves. The general characteristics, genesis, and enrichment of these REY deposit types are summarised, and eight districts have been identified as having prospectivity for REY, based on geological and geochemical data. An overview of these districts is presented, together with a detailed investigation of four important districts in terms of geological settings, mineralisation, regional deposit models and metallogenic prospect. KEY POINTS: 1) REY deposits in China can be classified as alkaline carbonatite, ion-adsorption, placer, sedimentary metamorphism and marine sedimentary phosphorite and coal-hosted REY types. 2) Ion-adsorption REY in the weathering profile of granitic rocks is strongly controlled by the resistance to weathering, climate, topography and layers of weathering crust. 3) Carbonatite and alkaline rocks are major hosts for REYs and commonly have high concentrations of REY-bearing accessory minerals. 4) Eight districts have been identified as having prospectivity for REY in China.
Giuliani, G.,Pivin, M., Fallick, A.E., Ohnenstetter, D., Song, Y., Demaiffe, D.
Geochemical and oxygen isotope signatures of mantle corundum megacrysts from the Mbuji-Mayi kimberlite, Democratic Republic of Congo and the Changle alkali basalt, China.
Comptes Rendus Geoscience, Vol. 347, 1, pp. 24-34.
Diamond & Related Materials, Vol. 113, 108284, 8p. Pdf
Global
carbon
Abstract: A new orthorhombic carbon crystal denoted oI20?carbon possessing the Immm space group was designed. Its structure is formed by stacking of a cage structure, which consists of 32 carbon atoms. Its stability and structural, mechanical and electronic properties were investigated by first-principles simulations. Density functional theory calculations show that this new carbon allotrope is thermodynamically stable (even more stable than synthesized T?carbon and supercubane). Ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations show that it can maintain the structure above a temperature of 1000 K, indicating its excellent thermal stability. oI20?carbon can also maintain dynamic stability under a high pressure of 100 GPa. It is an anisotropic superhard material with a Vickers hardness of 46.62 GPa. Notably, the cage structure gives it a low density, which has a really small value among superhard carbon allotropes. In addition, it is worth noting that oI20?carbon has an indirect ultrawide band structure with a bandgap of 4.55 eV (HSE06), which is higher than that of most previously reported superhard carbon allotropes. All these outstanding properties show that it is a potential material for high-temperature, high-frequency electronic devices and the aerospace industry.
Gems & Gemology Lab Notes, Vol. 53, 4, pp. 476-478.
Technology
fluoresecence
Abstract: Strong phosphorescence under UV excitation is rarely seen in natural diamond and normally limited to hydrogen-rich type Ia or type IaA/Ib chameleons and type IIb diamonds (T. Hainschwang et al., "A gemological study of a collection of chameleon diamonds," Spring 2005 G&G, pp. 20-35; S. Eaton-Magaña and R. Lu, "Phosphorescence in type IIb diamonds," Diamond and Related Materials, Vol. 20, No. 7, 2011, pp. 983-989). When seen in other diamond types, an even rarer occurrence, it is shorter and less intense. Recently, the National Gemstone Testing Center (NGTC) in Beijing encountered two natural diamonds that showed extraordinarily strong blue phosphorescence and uncommon fluorescence colors under the DiamondView.
Abstract: In October 2017, a natural diamond overgrown by a thick layer of CVD synthetic diamond was identified at the Beijing laboratory of the National Gemstone Testing Center (NGTC). The round-brilliant-cut sample was near-colourless and weighed 0.11 ct. No sign of the overgrowth was observed with magnification. However, DiamondView images showed a distinct boundary in the pavilion separating layers of different luminescence: The upper layer displayed red fluorescence with greenish blue phosphorescence, while the lower portion showed deep blue fluorescence and no phosphorescence. Infrared spectroscopy revealed that the upper layer was type IIa and the lower portion was type Ia. Ultraviolet-visible-near infrared (UV-Vis-NIR) spectroscopy recorded an unusual co-existence of the N3 centre at 415 nm together with absorption due to [Si-V]-defects at 737 nm. The photoluminescence (PL) spectrum confirmed a high level of [Si-V]-defects. The approximate thickness of the CVD synthetic layer was ~740 µm, which is much thicker than previously reported for such overgrowths. The presence of the N3 centre in the natural diamond layer caused this sample to be passed as natural by various screening instruments. Luminescence imaging is key to identifying such overgrowths, and should be relied upon more heavily in the screening procedures used by gemmological laboratories in the future.
Gems & Gemology, Sixth International Gemological Symposium Vol. 54, 3, 1p. Abstract p. 268.
China
synthetics
Abstract: China is the world’s largest producer of HPHT-grown industrial diamonds. Its 2016 production of about 20 billion carats accounted for 98% of the global supply. Since the beginning of 2015, meleesized colorless HPHT synthetic diamonds have been tested at the National Gemstone Testing Center’s (NGTC) Shenzhen and Beijing laboratories in parcels submitted by different clients, which means that colorless HPHT synthetic diamonds have entered the Chinese jewelry market and may be mistaken for natural diamonds. CVD synthesis technology has grown rapidly in recent years. Large colorless and colored (blue, pink) CVD-grown diamonds have been entering the market, and a few have been fraudulently sold as natural diamonds. China has independently developed gem-grade HPHT synthetic diamond production technology since 2002, and can grow gem-grade type Ib, IIa, and IIb and high-nitrogen-content synthetic diamonds in volume, depending on market needs. Gemgrade type Ib, IIa, and IIb HPHT synthetic diamonds have been grown using the temperature gradient method, under a cubic press at high pressure (e.g., 5.4 GPa) and high temperature (1300-1600°C). Driven by a specific temperature gradient, the carbon source from high-purity graphite (>99.9%) located at the high-temperature zone can diffuse into the seed crystals in the cubic press, resulting in the crystallization of synthetic diamonds. Chinese production of melee-sized colorless to near-colorless HPHT synthetic diamonds accounts for about 90% of the global output. Gem-grade type IIa and IIb CVD synthetic diamonds are grown using the microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) and direct current (DC) arc plasma methods. Faceted colorless CVD diamonds can be grown in sizes up to 6 ct by at least two Chinese companies (table 1). After testing and analyzing thousands of natural and synthetic diamonds collected directly from the Chinese companies, NGTC independently developed the GV5000, PL5000, DS5000, and ADD6000 instruments for rapidly screening and identifying the diamonds based on the gemological characteristics obtained. Besides HPHT and CVD synthetic diamonds, a thickly layered hybrid diamond consisting of both natural and CVD material was identified at the NGTC Beijing laboratory (figure 1). The identification features and properties of regrown CVD synthetic diamonds using natural type Ia diamond crystals as seeds will be reported. The current status and features of colored stones examined at NGTC laboratories, including several cases studies, will be discussed.
Abstract: Gemmological and spectroscopic characteristics are reported for two type IIa blue CVD synthetic diamonds from Huzhou SinoC Semiconductor Science and Technology Co. Ltd, China. These are the first relatively large (1.76 and 2.63 ct) blue CVD synthetics examined in NGTC’s laboratories, and their colour was slightly brighter than other blue synthetic diamonds that we have encountered. In the DiamondView, they fluoresced blue (with purple-red in one sample), which is unusual for CVD synthetics. The mid- and near-IR absorption spectra of one sample showed no hydrogen-related features, while the other synthetic diamond showed a weak absorption at 6853 cm?1attributed to hydrogen. The spectra of both samples had a very weak line at 1332 cm?1 due to isolated nitrogen and a distinct band at 9282 cm-1 related to radiation. A very strong GR1 absorption feature was detected by UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy. Photoluminescence spectra obtained at liquid-nitrogen temperature recorded emissions related to radiation (mainly in the 480-510 nm region), N-V and [Si-V]- centres, and several unassigned weak emissions. This combination of optical centres strongly suggests that these samples underwent post-growth treatment to improve their transparency before they were irradiated to produce blue colouration.
International Geology Review, Vol. 61, 4, pp. 504-519.
Russia, China
coesite, UHP
Abstract: The preservation of metastable diamond in ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic (UHPM) complexes challenges our understanding of the processes taking place during exhumation of these subduction zone complexes. The presence of diamonds in UHPM rocks implies that diamonds remained metastable during exhumation, and within thermodynamic stability of graphite for an extended period. This work studies the influence of pressure on the surface graphitization rate of diamond monocrystals in carbonate systems to understand the preservation of microdiamond during exhumation of UHP subduction complexes. Experiments were performed with 2-3 mm synthetic diamond monocrystals at 2-4 GPa in ????3 (1550°?) and ?2??3 (1450°?) melts using a high-pressure multi-anvil apparatus. The highest rate of surface graphitization took place at 2 GPa; diamond crystals were almost completely enveloped by a graphite coating. At 4 GPa, only octahedron-shaped pits formed on flat {111} diamond crystal faces. Our results demonstrate that the surface graphitization rate of diamonds in the presence of carbonate melts at 1450-1550°C increases with decreasing pressure. Decreased pressure alone can graphitize diamond regardless of exhumation rate. Metastable diamond inclusions survive exhumation with little or no graphitization because of excess pressure up to 2 GPa acting on them, and because inclusions are protected from interaction with C-O-H fluid.
Abstract: Recently it was found that large natural diamonds can grow from a metal liquid. One of the principal issues of the proposed hypothesis is the formation of so-called “pockets” filled with Fe-Ni melt and hydrocarbons in the Earth's mantle. The existing models of Fe migration imply percolation of liquid melt through interconnected interstices between silicate minerals, although these models face several fundamental problems in explaining the process of penetration of Fe melt between solid crystalline phases like silicate and oxide minerals. The aim of the present study is to contribute to the mechanism of Fe-Ni melt migration, and to elucidate the evolution of the "pockets" in the presence of hydrocarbons. The experiments were performed using a high-pressure apparatus "BARS" at pressures 3 and 5?GPa, and temperature 1600?°C. A silicate matrix consisting of natural olivine grains was used. The interstices in olivine were filled with anthracene that decomposes under high P-T into a complex hydrocarbon fluid. Percolation of Fe-Ni (64/36?wt%) melt through the interstices was demonstrated which occurred at relatively high rates. The basis of the proposed mechanism is "solubility-enhanced infiltration": Fe-Ni occupies the space filled with light elements or substances that are soluble in the melt. It is suggested that the following simple, but efficient mechanism supports the growth of large diamonds as well as their resorption and storage within silicate mantle of the Earth for a long time.
Abstract: The study of diamond surfaces is traditionally undertaken in geology and materials science. As a sample material, two natural diamond crystals of type Ia were selected, and their luminescence and nitrogen state was characterized. In order to etch the surface catalytic hydrogenation was performed using Fe particles as an etchant. Micromorphology of the surface was investigated by scanning electron and laser confocal microscopy. It was demonstrated that etching occurred perpendicular to the crystal surface, with no signs of tangential etching. The average depth of caverns did not exceed 20-25 ?m with a maximal depth of 40 ?m. It is concluded that catalytic hydrogenation of natural type Ia diamonds is effective to produce a porous surface that can be used in composites or as a substrate material. Additionally, the comparison of results with porous microsculptures observed on natural impact diamond crystals from the Popigai astrobleme revealed a strong resemblance.
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.
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 a study using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy comprising the micromorphology of the ditrigonal and trigonal layers on surfaces near the edges of octahedral diamond crystals from the Udachnaya-Eastern kimberlite pipe in Yakutia are presented. The studied surface sculptures are elongated parallel to the direction ?111? and have similar morphological features, characterized by a wavy profile across the lamination, the absence of flat areas at the micro- and nanolevel. It is proposed that both sculpture types were formed as a result of dissolution under natural conditions. This suggestion is corroborated by the revelation of negative trigons on the octahedral facets of the studied diamonds.
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.
Journal of Volcanology and Seismology, Vol. 12, 2, pp. 140-149.
Russia
deposit- Nyurbinskaya
Abstract: The study of viscosity in sub-liquidus heterogeneous media, which includes kimberlite magma at the pressures and temperatures that prevail in the mantle, is an urgent task. We have conducted experiments in the serpentine-olivine, serpentine-CaCO3?olivine, and native kimberlite-olivine systems at a pressure of 4 GPa and temperatures of 1400?1600°? in a BARS high-pressure device using the technique of a falling Pt pellet. The samples were examined after experiments to find fine-grained chilled mass of crystals where the Pt pellet was observed at the time of chilling. The concentration of the solid phase was varied in the experiments between 10 and 50 wt %. We showed that when 50 wt % of olivine grains has been introduced, it was not possible to detect the motion of the Pt pellet, while when the concentration of olivine xenocrysts reached 10 wt %, the Pt pellet very rapidly descended to the bottom of the reaction volume. Viscosity was calculated using the Stokes method. We found that the viscosity of a homogeneous kimberlite melt at 4 GPa and 1600°? is below 2 Pa s, with the viscosity of a melt that contained up to 10 wt % of the solid phase being approximately constant. A kimberlite melt that contained 30 wt % of the solid phase had a viscosity on the order of 100 Pa s, while with 50 wt % of the solid phase the relative viscosity of an ultrabasic system increased to reach values over 1000 Pa s.
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.
Doklady Earth Sciences, Vol. 489, 2, pp. 1449-1452 .pdf
Russia
diamond morphology, CLIPPIR
Abstract: The primary results are presented on the dissolution of plane-faced diamond crystals of octahedral habit in a Fe-Ni-S melt under 3.5 GPa and 1400°C. It was found that the dissolution resulted in the transformation of plane-faced into curve-faced individuals of morphological features characteristic for kimberlite diamonds. It was concluded that the diamond forms as such might have formed in reduced domains of the Earth’s mantle before becoming involved in the kimberlite magma.
Journal of Mineralogical and Petrological Sciences, Vol. 115, pp. 236-246. pdf
Mantle
diamond inclusions
Abstract: The genesis of CLIPPIR diamonds (Cullinan-like, large, inclusion-poor, pure, irregular, and resorbed) have attracted much interest due to their possible crystallization from metal melt in deep horizons of the earth’s mantle. These diamonds usually show a pronounced resorption and irregular morphology. The present paper reports new experimental data on the dissolution of diamond crystals at high P-T parameters in Fe-S melt containing large amounts of silicate components (5-20 wt%). The experiments were performed using a split-sphere multi-anvil apparatus (BARS) at a pressure of 4 GPa and a temperature of 1450 °C. The samples consisted of natural diamond crystals placed in mixtures of Fe, S, and kimberlite. Wide variations in dissolution rates of diamond crystals were obtained. The absence of diamond dissolution in a heterogeneous medium indicates that the amount of solid silicate phases present in metal melt plays a role in the preservation of diamonds. This study demonstrated how diamonds can be stored in natural environments due to the heterogeneity of the medium composition which could insulate diamonds from the metal-sulphide melt. The obtained results improve our understanding of processes that lead to preservation of CLIPPIR diamonds in the deep mantle.
Abstract: The first results on the interaction between an Fe-Ni melt and anthracene (?14?10) in the presence of olivine at 3 GPa and 1500°? and on the study of the component composition of the fluid generated in this process are presented. The stability of aliphatic hydrocarbons in the implemented conditions is confirmed experimentally. It is established that, under these conditions, crystallization of high-magnesian olivines occurs (Fo = 97-98 mol %). The composition of the fluid is similar to the composition of the fluid from inclusions in synthetic diamonds. The conditions implemented in the experiment might have occurred at the early stages of the Earth’s evolution.
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.
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: Burmese sapphires are among the most coveted colored gemstones in the world. The historical importance of this source and the fine quality of its high-grade material contribute to the legendary status of these gems. Since Mogok is such a long-known source, there are many classic studies available, but modern analytical data are often missing or not up to current standards. This article summarizes the characteristics of Burmese sapphires, including standard gemological properties, inclusion observations, and spectroscopic and trace element analyses. This information was collected from hundreds of blue sapphires that GIA's field gemologists sampled while visiting different mining regions in Mogok over the past decade. Our observations indicate that these sapphires show a wide range of blue color intensities but very consistent inclusion scenes. Trace element chemistry did not show any significant differences between various regions apart from a wider range of Fe concentrations in sapphires from north of Mogok. Rare observations such as orange fluorescence and unusual FTIR spectra can be attributed to the chemical compositions of the sapphires.
Episodes, doi.org/10.18814/ epiiugs/2020 /020092 24p. Pdf
India
Craton - Bundelkhand
Abstract: Spatial association of tonalite trondhjemite granodiorites (TTGs) and high-K granitoids (anatectic and hybrid granites) from the Bundelkhand Craton (BC), Central India, is well known. Geochronological data indicates multiple episodes of formation of these high silica rocks showing a spread of ~1 Ga during Paleo to Neoarchaean. In the present study, we try to understand the evolution of TTGs and high-K granitoids (hybrid granites) from the BC using amphibole composition. The amphibole in both TTGs and high-K granitoids (hybrid granites) from the BC are characterised as magmatic, zoned, and calcic in nature. We find that the amphibole composition of the studied rocks is dominated by magnesiohornblende along with less common occurrence of tschermakite, magnesiohastingsite and edenite. Overall variation in amphibole compositions in terms of exchange vectors show a well defined linear trend (except for a late stage low-grade metamorphic readjustment), which suggests melt control over crystallization and evolution of amphibole chemistry. Moreover, the geothermobarometric analysis points towards higher pressure formation of TTGs in comparison to that of high-K granitoids (hybrid granites), with nearly the same temperature conditions in both the cases. Combining all our findings, we propose the evolution of the two considered rock types through lower crustal melting under varying PH2O conditions at different depths of emplacement.
Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Vol. 43, pp. 105-138.
Mantle
Jadeites
Abstract: Jadeitite is a relatively rare, very tough rock composed predominantly of jadeite and typically found associated with tectonic blocks of high-pressure/low-temperature metabasaltic rocks (e.g., eclogite, blueschist) in exhumed serpentinite-matrix mélanges. Studies over the past ?20 years have interpreted jadeitite either as the direct hydrous fluid precipitate from subduction channel dewatering into the overlying mantle wedge or as the metasomatic replacement by such fluids of oceanic plagiogranite, graywacke, or metabasite along the channel margin. Thus, jadeitites directly sample and record fluid transport in the subduction factory and provide a window into this geochemical process that is critical to a major process in the Earth system. They record the remarkable transport of large ion lithophile elements, such as Li, Ba, Sr, and Pb, as well as elements generally considered more refractory, such as U, Th, Zr, and Hf. Jadeitite is also the precious form of jade, utilized since antiquity in the form of tools, adornments, and symbols of prestige.
Pyrochlore group minerals from Paleozoic carbonatite massifs of the Kola Peninsula: composition and evolution.
Carbonatite-alkaline rocks and associated mineral deposits , Dec. 8-11, abstract p. 20-21.
Russia, Kola Peninsula
carbonatites
Abstract: Chemical composition and evolution of pyrochlore-group minerals (Nb?Ta?Ti) from the early phoscorites and calcite carbonatites, and late rare-earth dolomite carbonatites from Seblyavr and Vuorijarvi Paleozoic massifs have been studied. There are two trends in pyrochlore composition evolution: the change of U, Ti, and Ta enriched varieties by calcium high-Nb, and the change of early calcium varieties by barium-strontium pyrochlores. The substitutions are described by the typical reactions: 2Ti4+ + U4+ ? 2Nb5+ + Ca2+; Ta5+ ? Nb5+; U4+ + v (vacancy) ? 2Ca2+. The Ca ranges in pyrochlores are explained by isomorphic occupation of the cation position A with Ba, Sr, and REE, the total concentration of which increases as the carbonatite melt evolved and reaches a maximum in rare-earth dolomite carbonatites. The formation of barium pyrochlore is mainly due to successive crystallization from the Ba and Sr enriched melt (oscillatory zoning crystals), or with the secondary replacement of grain margins of the calcium pyrochlore, as an additional mechanism of formation. High enrichments in LREE2O3 (up to 6 wt.%) are identified. The fluorine content in pyrochlore group minerals varies widely. A high concentration (up to 8 wt.%) is found in central and marginal zones of crystals from calcite carbonatites, while it decreases in the pyrochlore from dolomite carbonatites. Fluorine in the crystal lattice has sufficient stability during cation-exchange processes and it is not lost in the case of developing of late carbonatites over the earlier ones. In the late mineral populations the relics enriched by this component are observed. There is a positive correlation of fluorine with sodium. The marginal and fractured zones of pyrochlore crystals from all rock types are represented by phases with a cation deficiency in position A and an increased Si. The evolution of mineral composition depends on the alkaline-ultramafic melt crystallization differentiation, enrichment of the late melts by alkalis and alkaline earth metals at the high fluorine activity. It is determined that the fluorine sharply increases from the early pyroxenites to the carbonatite rocks of the massif. The foscorites and carbonatites of the early stages of crystallization are the most enriched in fluorine, while the late dolomite carbonatites are depleted by this component and enriched in chlorine and water. The fluorine saturation of the early stages of carbonatite melting leads to the formation of fluorapatite and pyrochlore minerals which are the main mineralsconcentrators of fluorine. Pyrochlore group minerals from the Paleozoic carbonatite complexes of the Kola Peninsula are characterized by decreasing Pb, Th and U, and Th/U ratios in the transition from the early foscorites to later calcite carbonatites and hydrothermal dolomite carbonatites. The pyrochlore age varies within the 420-320 m.y. interval (U-Pb SHRIMPII data), while the rocks of the earliest magmatic stages has an individual grain age of 423 ± 15 Ma, but pyrochlore ages for calcite and dolomite carbonatites are younger: 351 ± 8.0 Ma and 324 ± 6.1 Ma, respectively. Such a dispersion of the age data is apparently associated with a disturbed Th/U ratio due to high ability for cation-exchange processes of pyrochlore crystalline matrix including secondary transformations. The research was done within the framework of the scientific program of Russian Academy of Sciences and state contract K41.2014.014 with Sevzapnedra.
Geochemistry International, Vol. 57, 11, pp. 1125-1146.
Russia, Siberia
carbonatite
Abstract: We report the first combined investigation (neutron activation, X-ray fluorescence, and electron microprobe analysis) of mineral forms of Au and Ag and noble metal distribution in the sulfide-bearing phoscorites and carbonatites of the Guli alkaline ultrabasic massif (Polar Siberia) and magnetite and sulfide separates from these rocks. The highest noble metal contents were observed in the sulfide separates from the carbonatites: up to 2.93 Pt, 61.6 Au, and 3.61 ppm Ag. Pyrrhotite, djerfisherite, chalcopyrite, and pyrite are the most abundant sulfides and the main hosts for Au and Ag. The latest assemblage of chalcopyrite, Ag-rich djerfisherite, lenaite, sternbergite, and native silver shows significant Ag concentrations. The wide occurrence of K sulfides and presence of multiphase inclusions in pyrrhotite consisting of rasvumite, K?Na–Ca carbonate, carbocernaite, strontianite, galena, chalcopyrite, sternbergite, lenaite, and native silver suggest that the sulfides were formed at high activities of K, Na, Sr, LREE, F, Cl, and S. Chlorine shows high complex-forming capacity to Ag and could be an agent of noble metal transport in the carbonatites. Crystallization of the early djerfisherite–pyrrhotite assemblages of the phoscorites and carbonatites began at a temperature not lower than 500°C and continued up to the formation of late Ag-bearing sulfides at temperatures not higher than 150°C. The carbonatite-series rocks could be enriched in Au and Ag during late low-temperature stages and serve as a source for Au placers.
Abstract: Pyrochlore-group minerals are common accessory rare-metal bearing minerals in the calcite and ankerite carbonatites of the Amba Dongar complex (India). Pyrochlore from the Amba Dongar carbonatites differs from that in other Indian complexes in Ta, Zr, Ti, rare earth element (REE) and Pb contents, but is similar with respect to Ca, Ba and Sr abundances. The evolution of pyrochlore composition was studied to understand the alteration processes and the formation of late-stage pyrochlores enriched in REE and Pb. The early magmatic pyrochlore are calcio- and niobium-dominant types and were replaced by secondary cation-deficient varieties as a consequence of the action of hydrothermal fluids and supergene weathering. These processes produce changes mainly at the A site, rarely at the B site, and the original F is replaced by OH- groups. Calcium and Na can be extracted from the structure at the alteration stage and charge balance is achieved by the introduction of REE, Th, U, Ba or Sr. At the latest supergene stages, marginal and fractured zones of pyrochlore grains are altered to Pb-rich, Si-rich and cation-deficient hydrated varieties. The magmatic pyrochlore was crystallised in a highly alkaline environment at a high activity of Ca and at temperatures near 600°C, the alteration of pyrochlore began in a hydrothermal environment at temperatures below 350°C. The major compositional changes that are associated with the alteration are summarised by the following reactions: Ca2+ + Nb5+? REE3+ + Ti4+; Nb5+ + Fe3+ ? Ti4+ + Zr4+; and 2Nb5+ + Ca2+ ? Ti4+ + Si4+ + U4+.
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: Estimates of the volume of the earliest crust based on zircon ages and radiogenic isotopes remain equivocal. Stable isotope systems, such as molybdenum, have the potential to provide further constraints but remain underused due to the lack of complementarity between mantle and crustal reservoirs. Here we present molybdenum isotope data for Archaean komatiites and Phanerozoic komatiites and picrites and demonstrate that their mantle sources all possess subchondritic signatures complementary to the superchondritic continental crust. These results confirm that the present-day degree of mantle depletion was achieved by 3.5 billion years ago and that Earth has been in a steady state with respect to molybdenum recycling. Mass balance modelling shows that this early mantle depletion requires the extraction of a far greater volume of mafic-dominated protocrust than previously thought, more than twice the volume of the continental crust today, implying rapid crustal growth and destruction in the first billion years of Earth’s history.
Abstract: The Burpala alkaline massif contains rocks with more than 50 minerals rich in Zr, Nb, Ti, Th, Be and rare earth elements (REE). The rocks vary in composition from shonkinite, melanocratic syenite, nepheline and alkali syenites to alaskite and alkali granite and contain up to 10% LILE and HSFE, 3.6% of REE and varying amounts of other trace elements (4% Zr, 0.5% Y, 0.5% Nb, 0.5% Th and 0.1% U). Geological and geochemical data suggest that all the rocks in the Burpala massif were derived from alkaline magma enriched in rare earth elements. The extreme products of magma fractionation are REE rich pegmatites, apatite-fluorite bearing rocks and carbonatites. The Sr and Nd isotope data suggest that the source of primary melt is enriched mantle (EM-II). We correlate the massif to mantle plume impact on the active margin of the Siberian continent.
Jounral of Earth System Science, Vol. 131 81 doi.org/10/1007/s12040-022-01814-3 19p. Pdf
Russia
deposit - Kayla
Abstract: Origin of abundant alkaline and related lamproite massifs and dykes in Aldan shield have no explanation and the geochemistry of rocks and their xenocrysts is used for the explanation. Bulk-rock geochemistry, mineral chemistry data of the Kayla lamproites of Russia and mineral chemical data (trace and rare elements) of the mantle xenocrysts found in these lamproites was studied using ICP MS and electron microprobe analyses (EPMA). The trace element spectrum of Kayla tuffs and breccias show the similarity with the olivine lamproites and belong to the orogenic type according to Th-U-Nb systematics. Primitive mantle normalized trace element (TRE) spider diagrams show right-leaning patterns with the peaks in large ion lithophile elements Sr, Pb, U, and troughs in Ta, Nb suggesting melting of original peridotites mixed with the ancient EMI (according to Nd, Sr isotopes) source probably belonging to eclogites or lower crust. The age of the emplacement is 132-134 Ma, similar to the Chompolo lamprophyres and many other alkaline Aldan complexes. Thermo-barometric estimation from Cr-diopsides and chromites xenocrysts suggest the origin from the spinel-garnet transition in the lithospheric mantle region. The P-T estimates derived from low-Cr-clinopyroxene xenocrysts, and related to lamproites show a high heat flow of 90 mW/m2 due to interaction with the plume-related magma. The Cr-diopsides and chromites give 45 mW/m2 geotherm similar to regional heat flow. The chondrite normalized rare earth element (REE) pattern for chrome-diopsides is steeper, compared to the low-chrome varieties. Primitive mantle normalized spidergram of Cr-diopsides displays peaks for Sr, U, and Th, and deep troughs of Nd, Nb, Ta. REE. The trace element spider diagrams of both types of xenocrysts show that they were equilibrated with the lamproitic melts and reconstructed parental melts of low-Cr-clinopyroxene coincides with the lamproite spectrums.
Abstract: In the last few decades, advanced monitoring networks have been extended to the main active volcanoes, providing warnings for variations in volcano dynamics. However, one of the main tasks of modern volcanology is the correct interpretation of surface-monitored signals in terms of magma transfer through the Earth's crust. In this frame, it is crucial to investigate decompression-induced magma degassing as it controls magma ascent towards the surface and, in case of eruption, the eruptive style and the atmospheric dispersal of tephra and gases. Understanding the degassing behaviour is particularly intriguing in the case of poorly explored evolved alkaline magmas. In fact, these melts frequently feed hazardous, highly explosive volcanoes (e.g., Campi Flegrei, Somma-Vesuvius, Colli Albani, Tambora, Azores and Canary Islands), despite their low viscosity that usually promotes effusive and/or weakly explosive eruptions. Decompression experiments, together with numerical models, are powerful tools to examine magma degassing behaviour and constrain field observations from natural eruptive products and monitoring signals. These approaches have been recently applied to evolved alkaline melts, yet numerous open questions remain. To cast new light on the degassing dynamics of evolved alkaline magmas, in this study we present new results from decompression experiments, as well as a critical review of previous experimental works. We achieved a comprehensive dataset of key petrological parameters (i.e., 3D textural data for bubbles and microlites using X-ray computed microtomography, glass volatile contents and nanolite occurrence) from experimental samples obtained through high temperature-high pressure isothermal decompression experiments on trachytic alkaline melts at super-liquidus temperature. We explored systematically a range of final pressures (from 200 to 25 MPa), decompression rates (from 0.01 to 1 MPa s?1), and volatile (H2O and CO2) contents. On these grounds, we integrated coherently literature data from decompression experiments on evolved alkaline (trachytic and phonolitic) melts under various conditions, with the aim to fully constrain the degassing mechanisms and timescales in these magmas. Finally, we simulated numerically the experimental conditions to evaluate strengths and weaknesses in decrypting degassing behaviour from field observations. Our results highlight that bubble formation in evolved alkaline melts is primarily controlled by the initial volatile (H2O and CO2) content during magma storage. In these melts, bubble nucleation needs low supersaturation pressures (? 50-112 MPa for homogeneous nucleation, ? 13-25 MPa for heterogeneous nucleation), resulting in high bubble number density (~ 1012-1016 m?3), efficient volatile exsolution and thus in severe rheological changes. Moreover, the bubble number density is amplified in CO2-rich melts (mole fraction XCO2 ? 0.5), in which continuous bubble nucleation predominates on growth. These conditions typically lead to highly explosive eruptions. However, moving towards slower decompression rates (? 10?1 MPa s?1) and H2O-rich melts, permeable outgassing and inertial fragmentation occur, promoting weakly explosive eruptions. Finally, our findings suggest that the exhaustion of CO2 at deep levels, and the consequent transition to a H2O-dominated degassing, can crucially enhance magma vesiculation and ascent. In a hazard perspective, these constraints allow to postulate that time-depth variations of unrest signals could be significantly weaker/shorter (e.g., minor gas emissions and short-term seismicity) during major eruptions than in small-scale events.
Earth Science Reviews , Vol. 211, 103402, 23p. Pdf
Mantle
geodynamics
Abstract: In the last few decades, advanced monitoring networks have been extended to the main active volcanoes, providing warnings for variations in volcano dynamics. However, one of the main tasks of modern volcanology is the correct interpretation of surface-monitored signals in terms of magma transfer through the Earth's crust. In this frame, it is crucial to investigate decompression-induced magma degassing as it controls magma ascent towards the surface and, in case of eruption, the eruptive style and the atmospheric dispersal of tephra and gases. Understanding the degassing behaviour is particularly intriguing in the case of poorly explored evolved alkaline magmas. In fact, these melts frequently feed hazardous, highly explosive volcanoes (e.g., Campi Flegrei, Somma-Vesuvius, Colli Albani, Tambora, Azores and Canary Islands), despite their low viscosity that usually promotes effusive and/or weakly explosive eruptions. Decompression experiments, together with numerical models, are powerful tools to examine magma degassing behaviour and constrain field observations from natural eruptive products and monitoring signals. These approaches have been recently applied to evolved alkaline melts, yet numerous open questions remain. To cast new light on the degassing dynamics of evolved alkaline magmas, in this study we present new results from decompression experiments, as well as a critical review of previous experimental works. We achieved a comprehensive dataset of key petrological parameters (i.e., 3D textural data for bubbles and microlites using X-ray computed microtomography, glass volatile contents and nanolite occurrence) from experimental samples obtained through high temperature-high pressure isothermal decompression experiments on trachytic alkaline melts at super-liquidus temperature. We explored systematically a range of final pressures (from 200 to 25 MPa), decompression rates (from 0.01 to 1 MPa s?1), and volatile (H2O and CO2) contents. On these grounds, we integrated coherently literature data from decompression experiments on evolved alkaline (trachytic and phonolitic) melts under various conditions, with the aim to fully constrain the degassing mechanisms and timescales in these magmas. Finally, we simulated numerically the experimental conditions to evaluate strengths and weaknesses in decrypting degassing behaviour from field observations. Our results highlight that bubble formation in evolved alkaline melts is primarily controlled by the initial volatile (H2O and CO2) content during magma storage. In these melts, bubble nucleation needs low supersaturation pressures (? 50-112 MPa for homogeneous nucleation, ? 13-25 MPa for heterogeneous nucleation), resulting in high bubble number density (~ 1012-1016 m?3), efficient volatile exsolution and thus in severe rheological changes. Moreover, the bubble number density is amplified in CO2-rich melts (mole fraction XCO2 ? 0.5), in which continuous bubble nucleation predominates on growth. These conditions typically lead to highly explosive eruptions. However, moving towards slower decompression rates (? 10?1 MPa s?1) and H2O-rich melts, permeable outgassing and inertial fragmentation occur, promoting weakly explosive eruptions. Finally, our findings suggest that the exhaustion of CO2 at deep levels, and the consequent transition to a H2O-dominated degassing, can crucially enhance magma vesiculation and ascent. In a hazard perspective, these constraints allow to postulate that time-depth variations of unrest signals could be significantly weaker/shorter (e.g., minor gas emissions and short-term seismicity) during major eruptions than in small-scale events.
Geochemical behaviour of rare earth elements in alterites of phosphate and titanium ore deposits in Tapira (Minas Gerais, Brasil):importance ofphosphates
Chemical Geology ( Geochem. of the Earth's surface and of min. formation, 2nd., Vol. 84, No. 1-4, July 5, pp. 377. Abstract
Brazil
Alkaline rocks, rare earth elements (REE) -phosphates
Precambrian Research, in press available, 43p. Pdf
United States, Iowa
geophysics - seismics
Abstract: Large amplitude aeromagnetic and gravity anomalies over a ~9500 km2 area of northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota have been interpreted to reflect the northeast Iowa intrusive complex (NEIIC), a buried intrusive igneous complex composed of mafic/ultramafic rocks in the Yavapai Province (1.8-1.7 Ga). Hundreds of meters of Paleozoic sedimentary cover and a paucity of basement drilling have prevented detailed studies of the NEIIC. Long considered, but not proven, to be related to the ~1.1 Ga Midcontinent Rift System (MRS), the NEIIC is comparable in areal extent to the richly mineralized Duluth Complex and is similarly located near the margin of the MRS. New geochronological and geophysical data together support an MRS affinity for the NEIIC. A dike swarm imaged in aeromagnetic data is cut by intrusions of the NEIIC, and a new apatite U-Pb date of ~1170 Ma on one of the dikes thus represents a maximum age for the NEIIC. A minimum age constraint is suggested by (1) large-volume magmatism associated with the MRS that was the last such event to affect the region; and (2) the presence of reversely magnetized dikes, similar in character to MRS-related dikes elsewhere, that cut several intrusions of the NEIIC. The NEIIC is largely characterized by the presence of multiple zoned intrusions, many of which contain large volumes of mafic-ultramafic rocks and have strong geophysical similarities to alkaline intrusive complexes elsewhere, including the MRS-related Coldwell Complex of Ontario. The largest of the zoned intrusions are ~40 km in diameter and are interpreted to have thicknesses of many kilometers. Suspected faults, alignments of intrusions, and intrusive margins tend to be aligned along northwest and northeast trends that match the trends of the Belle Plaine fault zone and Fayette structural zone, both previously interpreted as pre-MRS, possibly lithospheric-scale discontinuities that may have controlled NEIIC emplacement. These interpretations collectively imply notable potential for the NEIIC to host several different types of undiscovered base metal and critical mineral deposits.
Abstract: Large amplitude aeromagnetic and gravity anomalies over a ~9500 km2 area of northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota have been interpreted to reflect the northeast Iowa intrusive complex (NEIIC), a buried intrusive igneous complex composed of mafic/ultramafic rocks in the Yavapai Province (1.8-1.7 Ga). Hundreds of meters of Paleozoic sedimentary cover and a paucity of basement drilling have prevented detailed studies of the NEIIC. Long considered, but not proven, to be related to the ~1.1 Ga Midcontinent Rift System (MRS), the NEIIC is comparable in areal extent to the richly mineralized Duluth Complex and is similarly located near the margin of the MRS. New geochronological and geophysical data together support an MRS affinity for the NEIIC. A dike swarm imaged in aeromagnetic data is cut by intrusions of the NEIIC, and a new apatite U-Pb date of ~1170 Ma on one of the dikes thus represents a maximum age for the NEIIC. A minimum age constraint is suggested by (1) large-volume magmatism associated with the MRS that was the last such event to affect the region; and (2) the presence of reversely magnetized dikes, similar in character to MRS-related dikes elsewhere, that cut several intrusions of the NEIIC. The NEIIC is largely characterized by the presence of multiple zoned intrusions, many of which contain large volumes of mafic-ultramafic rocks and have strong geophysical similarities to alkaline intrusive complexes elsewhere, including the MRS-related Coldwell Complex of Ontario. The largest of the zoned intrusions are ~40 km in diameter and are interpreted to have thicknesses of many kilometers. Suspected faults, alignments of intrusions, and intrusive margins tend to be aligned along northwest and northeast trends that match the trends of the Belle Plaine fault zone and Fayette structural zone, both previously interpreted as pre-MRS, possibly lithospheric-scale discontinuities that may have controlled NEIIC emplacement. These interpretations collectively imply notable potential for the NEIIC to host several different types of undiscovered base metal and critical mineral deposits.
Journal of African Earth Sciences, Vol. 127, pp. 3-15.
Africa, Morocco
Craton - magmatism
Abstract: Located along the northwestern edge of the West African Craton, Morocco exhibits a wide variety of magmatic events from Archean to Quaternary. The oldest magmatic rocks belong to the Archean Reguibat Shield outcrops in the Moroccan Sahara. Paleoproterozoic magmatism, known as the Anti-Atlas granitoids, is related to the Eburnean orogeny and initial cratonization of the WAC. Mesoproterozoic magmatism is represented by a small number of mafic dykes known henceforth as the Taghdout mafic volcanism. Massive Neoproterozoic magmatic activity, related to the Pan-African cycle, consists of rift-related Tonian magmatism associated with the Rodinia breakup, an Early Cryogenian convergent margin event (760-700 Ma), syn-collisional Bou-Azzer magmatism (680-640 Ma), followed by widespread Ediacaran magmatism (620-555 Ma). Each magmatic episode corresponded to a different geodynamic environment and produced different types of magma. Phanerozoic magmatism began with Early Cambrian basaltic (rift?) volcanism, which persisted during the Middle Cambrian, and into the Early Ordovician. This was succeeded by massive Late Devonian and Carboniferous, pre-Variscan tholeiitic and calc-alkaline (Central Morocco) volcanic flows in basins of the Moroccan Meseta. North of the Atlas Paleozoic Transform Zone, the Late Carboniferous Variscan event was accompanied by the emplacement of 330-300 Ma calc-alkaline granitoids in upper crustal shear zones. Post-Variscan alkaline magmatism was associated with the opening of the Permian basins. Mesozoic magmatism began with the huge volumes of magma emplaced around 200 Ma in the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) which was associated with the fragmentation of Pangea and the subsequent rifting of Central Atlantic. CAMP volcanism occurs in all structural domains of Morocco, from the Anti-Atlas to the External Rif domain with a peak activity around 199 Ma. A second Mesozoic magmatic event is represented by mafic lava flows and gabbroic intrusions in the Internal Maghrebian flysch nappes as well as in the external Mesorif. This event consists of Middle-Upper Jurassic MORB tholeiites emplaced during opening of the Alpine Tethys ocean. The Central High Atlas also records Early Cretaceous alpine Tethys magmatism associated with the aborted Atlas rift, or perhaps linked to plume activity on the edge of the WAC. Cenozoic magmatism is associated with Tertiary and Quaternary circum-Mediterranean alkaline provinces, and is characterized by an intermittent activity over 50 Ma from the Anti-Atlas to the Rif Mountain along a SW-NE volcanic lineament which underlines a thinned continental lithosphere.
El Bahat, A., Ikenne, M., Soderlund, U., Cousens, B., Youbi, N., Ernst, R., Soulaimani, A., El Janati, M., Hafid, A.
U PB baddeleyite ages and geochemistry of dolerite dykes in the Bas Draa In lier of the Anti-Atlas of Morocco: newly identified Ma event in the West African craton.
Kouyate, D., Soderlund, U., Youbi, N., Ernst, R., Hafid, A., Ikeene, M., Soulaimani, A., Betrand, H., El Janati, M., Rkha, C.
U Pb baddeleyite and zircon ages of 2040 Ma, 1650 Ma and 885 Ma on dolerites in the West African Craton ( Anti-Atlas inliers) : possible links to break up of Precambrian supercontinents.
Youbi, N., Kouyate, D., Soderlund, U., Ernst, R.E., Soulaimani, A., Hafid, A., Ikenne, M., El Bahat, A., Betrand, H., Chaham, K.R., Ben Abbou, M., Mortaji, A., El Ghorfi, M., Zouhair, M., El Janati, M.
The 1750 Ma magmatic event of the West African Craton ( Anti-Atlas) Morocco.
Journal of African Earth Sciences, Vol. 127, pp. 3-15.
Africa, Morocco
Craton - magmatism
Abstract: Located along the northwestern edge of the West African Craton, Morocco exhibits a wide variety of magmatic events from Archean to Quaternary. The oldest magmatic rocks belong to the Archean Reguibat Shield outcrops in the Moroccan Sahara. Paleoproterozoic magmatism, known as the Anti-Atlas granitoids, is related to the Eburnean orogeny and initial cratonization of the WAC. Mesoproterozoic magmatism is represented by a small number of mafic dykes known henceforth as the Taghdout mafic volcanism. Massive Neoproterozoic magmatic activity, related to the Pan-African cycle, consists of rift-related Tonian magmatism associated with the Rodinia breakup, an Early Cryogenian convergent margin event (760-700 Ma), syn-collisional Bou-Azzer magmatism (680-640 Ma), followed by widespread Ediacaran magmatism (620-555 Ma). Each magmatic episode corresponded to a different geodynamic environment and produced different types of magma. Phanerozoic magmatism began with Early Cambrian basaltic (rift?) volcanism, which persisted during the Middle Cambrian, and into the Early Ordovician. This was succeeded by massive Late Devonian and Carboniferous, pre-Variscan tholeiitic and calc-alkaline (Central Morocco) volcanic flows in basins of the Moroccan Meseta. North of the Atlas Paleozoic Transform Zone, the Late Carboniferous Variscan event was accompanied by the emplacement of 330-300 Ma calc-alkaline granitoids in upper crustal shear zones. Post-Variscan alkaline magmatism was associated with the opening of the Permian basins. Mesozoic magmatism began with the huge volumes of magma emplaced around 200 Ma in the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) which was associated with the fragmentation of Pangea and the subsequent rifting of Central Atlantic. CAMP volcanism occurs in all structural domains of Morocco, from the Anti-Atlas to the External Rif domain with a peak activity around 199 Ma. A second Mesozoic magmatic event is represented by mafic lava flows and gabbroic intrusions in the Internal Maghrebian flysch nappes as well as in the external Mesorif. This event consists of Middle-Upper Jurassic MORB tholeiites emplaced during opening of the Alpine Tethys ocean. The Central High Atlas also records Early Cretaceous alpine Tethys magmatism associated with the aborted Atlas rift, or perhaps linked to plume activity on the edge of the WAC. Cenozoic magmatism is associated with Tertiary and Quaternary circum-Mediterranean alkaline provinces, and is characterized by an intermittent activity over 50 Ma from the Anti-Atlas to the Rif Mountain along a SW-NE volcanic lineament which underlines a thinned continental lithosphere.
Abstract: The paper presents new palaeomagnetic results and reassesses complete set of published palaeomagnetic results on the lamproite intrusions in the Gondwana formations of the Eastern India. Altogether eleven sites register reliable characteristic magnetisations corresponding to the c. 110 Ma emplacement age of the lamproites. A mean ChRM is estimated with D = 331.3°; I = ?62.4° (?95 = 6.2°, k = 55; N = 11). The palaeomagnetic pole of ? = 14.9°: ? = 287.6° (A95 = 8.4°) is established for the lamproites and it averaged the secular variation and confirms to the Geocentric Axial Dipole (GAD). The pole compares remarkably well with the grand mean pole reported for the Rajmahal traps that are attributed to represent location of the Kerguelen mantle plume head. The palaeolatitudes transferred to Rajmahal coordinates (25.05°: 87.84°) are situated ?6° north of the present location of the Kerguelen hotspot location. The interpretations are consistent with earlier suggestions of southward migration of the plume based on palaeomagnetic results of Site 1138 of the ODP Leg 183 and with the predictions of numerical models of global mantle circulation.
Abstract: The South American platform is the stable part of the South American plate, unaffected by the orogenesis of the Andes and the Caribbean. Its basement is composed of Archean and Proterozoic cratonic blocks amalgamated by mobile belts, and can be separated in two large domains or continental masses: 1) The Amazonian, Northwest-west portion, including the Amazonian craton, related to the Laurentia supercontinent; and 2) the extra-Amazonian, Central-southeast or Brasiliano domain, related to West Gondwana, formed of several paleocontinental fragments, where the São Francisco and Rio de La Plata cratons and the Paranapanema block are the largest. It has been suggested that these two domains are separated by the Transbrasiliano Lineament to the south and the Araguaia Fold Belt to the north. Teleseismic P waves from 4,989 earthquakes recorded by 339 stations operated mainly in Brazil in the last 25 years have been used for relative-time tomography. The Amazonian domain is predominantly characterized by higher velocities. The SW (extra-Amazonian) domain is characterized by several blocks with high velocities, such as in and around the Sao Francisco Craton, and the Paranapanema block. Results of P-wave travel time tomography allowed to observe a strong low-velocity anomaly near 100-200 km depth following the Araguaia-Paraguay fold belt. This strong low-velocity anomaly could be considered the limit between these two domains, reaching lithospheric depths, and does not necessarily follow the Transbrasiliano lineament, especially in its southern portion.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, in press availabe 38p. Pdf
China
metasomatism
Abstract: Water is key to many geodynamical processes in the Earth's upper mantle, yet its preservation in mantle minerals is still debated. To throw some light on this problem, we here carried out an integrated study of whole-rock and mineral chemistry, and hydrogen concentrations in olivine, orthopyroxene, and clinopyroxene within 18 spinel lherzolite samples from three localities (Lianshan, Panshishan, and Tashan) in the Nanjing area, eastern China. Whole-rock and mineral compositions suggest that the studied peridotite samples interacted with melt at different melt/rock ratios following various degrees of partial melting (up to 11%). Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) measurements show that olivine is almost dry (<1 wt ppm H2O) while the cores of orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene contain 14-151 wt ppm H2O and 41-218 wt ppm H2O, respectively. Profile analyses of >70 orthopyroxene grains, which are homogeneous in major-element compositions, covering all the studied samples show hydrogen-depleted rims, indicative of hydrogen diffusional loss. This hydrogen zonation is probably caused by hydrogen chemical diffusion controlled by the mobility of trivalent cations (most likely Al3+) in response to magma degassing or partial melting of peridotite during ascent, or interactions of peridotite with melt, or a combination of these processes. By contrast, no hydrogen zonation is observed in clinopyroxene. Based upon the comparison of chemical compositions (especially Fe and AlIV contents) of clinopyroxene within our samples with those in diffusion experiments, it is inferred that the hydrogen diffusivity in clinopyroxene should be larger than that in orthopyroxene from our samples. This inference points to that clinopyroxene within the studied samples must have experienced diffusional loss of hydrogen as well, suggesting that water concentrations in the lithospheric mantle beneath the study area are probably underestimated. Furthermore, it also implies that orthopyroxene instead of clinopyroxene most likely preserves the in-situ water concentrations at depth, at least at its core. The absence of hydrogen zonation in clinopyroxene can be attributed to its fine-grained nature and fast hydrogen diffusivity. Our FTIR data also show that Lianshan and Tashan samples have water concentration ratio between clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene (RCpx/Opx) of ?2, similar to mantle xenoliths from eastern China and other localities worldwide, yet Panshishan samples have higher RCpx/Opx values (2.3-5.9). Since hydrogen loss is suggested for both pyroxenes, RCpx/Opx of ?2 thus cannot be taken as a reliable indicator of preservation of original water concentration of mantle source and equilibrium partitioning of hydrogen between pyroxene, as opposed to previous suggestions.
The Origin of the Vaal River Diamonds. Some Recent Dicoveries and Important Deductions. Mr Harger's Paper. New Theories on the Genesis of the Diamonds.
South African Mining Journal, Vol. 7, PT. 2, No. 342, SEPT. 25TH. PP. 41-42. PT. 2, No. 34
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.
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.
Tectonic imbrication and foredeep development in the Penokean Orogen, east-central Minnesota-interpret. on regional geophysics and the results of testdrilling
United States Geological Survey (USGS) Bulletin, No. 1904 C, 15p
Tectonic imbrication and foredeep developments in the Penokean Orogen, east central Minnesota: an interp. based on regional geophysics, results of testdrilling
United States Geological Survey (USGS) Bulletin, No. B 1904-C, D, pp. C 1-17. $ 2.00
Tectonic imbrication and foredeep development in the Penokean Orogeny, east central Minnesota: an interpretation based on regional geophysics and drill
United States Geological Survey (USGS) Bulletin, No. 1904 C-D, 17p. and 10p
Howell, D., Stern, R.A., Griffin, W.L., Southworth, R., Mikhail, S., Stachel, T., Verchovsky, A.B., O'Reilly, S.Y., Pearson, N.J.
New thermodynamic models and calculated phase equilibration temperatures in NCFMAS for basic and ultrabasic compositions through the transition zone into the uppermost lower mantle.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 157, pp. 1-12.
Technology
Diamond morphology
Abstract: Nitrogen isotope values from mantle diamonds are a commonly used tracer in the quest to track volatiles within the Earth’s mantle through deep time. Interpretations of this isotope data are valid so long as stable isotope fractionation processes in the mantle are understood. The fractionation of nitrogen isotopes between {1 1 1} and {1 0 0} growth sectors is well documented for high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) synthetic diamonds, but there is little data on whether it also occurs in natural mixed-habit diamonds. We present 91 in-situ nitrogen isotope (?15N) measurements, along with carbon isotope (?13C) values and nitrogen abundances [N], obtained from three mixed-habit diamonds by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). While the well-documented enrichment of nitrogen concentrations in octahedral sectors compared to contemporaneous cuboid sectors is observed, a similarly clear disparity is not obvious in the ?15N data. Whereas HPHT synthetic diamonds exhibit 15N enrichment in the {1 0 0} sectors by ?+30‰, the mixed-habit diamonds studied here show enrichment of the octahedral sectors in 15N by only 0.4-1‰. This major difference between HPHT synthetic and natural mixed-habit diamonds is proposed to be the result of different physical properties of the growth interfaces. The smooth interfaces of the octahedral sectors are the same in both types of crystal, but the outermost atoms on the smooth cube interfaces of an HPHT synthetic diamond behave differently to those on the rough cuboid interfaces of the natural mixed-habit diamonds, resulting in different ?15N values. Both the ?13C (average of ??8.7‰) and ?15N (average of ?0‰) data show only minor offsets from the typical mantle values (?13C = ?5 ± 3‰, ?15N = ?5 ± 4‰). This may indicate diamond formation from a mantle derived fluid/melt containing a minor subducted component (lowering ?13C values and elevating ?15N) or relate to moderate degrees of isotopic fractionation of a pure mantle fluid/melt by prior diamond precipitation. The homogeneous nature of both the carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions of all three diamonds, however, documents continuous and unlimited supply of diamond forming fluid/melt, with a constant composition. Such homogenous isotopic compositions exclude fluid mixing or isotopic fractionation close to the site of diamond formation and preclude distinguishing between these two processes based on diamond analyses alone.
Abstract: The presence and speciation of volatile C-H-O elements in the silicate systems play an important role in the genesis of magmas on the Earth’s mantle, due to the fact that these elements, mainly in the form of H2O, CO2, CH4 and CxHy, decrease the solidi temperatures of source rocks, making magmatism possible in Earth’s present day thermal conditions [1]. Among those elements, carbon is the only element that changes its valence according to the oxygen fugacity (fO2) conditions of the environment, resulting in different speciation, as: CO3 -2, CO2, Cgraphite/diamond, CH4 or heavier hydrocarbons. In the present work, we are determining phase stability of minerals, water, CO2 and CH4 in the system Nefeline-Kalsilite-Diopside. Our experiments are conducted under 4.0 GPa and temperatures up to 1300°C, using a 1000 tonf hydraulic press coupled with toroidal chambers. Preliminary experiments performed at 1300°C and 4.0GPa (initial composition in the Olivine-Quartz- Kalsalite/Nepheline system: 40mol% Ol90, 40mol% Nph50Kls50 and 20mol% Qz, PH2O,CO2=Ptotal) resulted in the formation of forsterite (Fo90) in equilibrium with phlogopite (Phl), melt and volatile phases (CO2 and CH4). Closer to the Diopside vertice, the addition of CO3 to the sample resulted in a imisibility of a carbonatitic and a silicatic melt, in which the carbonititic melt is enriched in sodium, while the silcate melt is enriched in potassium. Appart from that, experiments in different parts of the diagram suggest compositions from nephelinite-kalsilitite to lamproites composition for the silicate melt in equilibrium with diopside (solid solution with omphacite) and phlogopite. This work is a continuation of previous work in the anhydrous diagram and future works will provide the addition of CH4 as the volatile phase
Journal of South American Earth Sciences, Vol. 80, pp. 1-17.
South America, Brazil
carbonatite
Abstract: We present results of U-Pb dating (by MC-ICP-MS) of zircons from samples that cover all of the known lithotypes in the Seis Lagos Carbonatite Complex and associated lateritic mineralization (the Morro dos Seis Lagos Nb deposit). The host rock (gneiss) yielded an age of 1828 ± 09 Ma interpreted as the crystallization time of this unit. The altered feldspar vein in the same gneiss yielded an age of 1839 ± 29 Ma. Carbonatite samples provided 3 groups of ages. The first group comprises inherited zircons with ages compatible with the gneissic host rock: 1819 ± 10 Ma (superior intercept), 1826 ± 5 Ma (concordant age), and 1812 ± 27 Ma (superior intercept), all from the Orosirian. The second and the third group of ages are from the same carbonatite sample: the superior intercept age of 1525 ± 21 Ma (MSWD ¼ 0.77) and the superior intercept age of 1328 ± 58 Ma (MSWD ¼ 1.4). The mineralogical study indicates that the ~1.3 Ga zircons have affinity with carbonatite. It is, however, a tendence rather than a well-defined result. The data allow state that the age of 1328 ± 58 Ma represents the maximum age of the carbonatite. Without the same certainty, we consider that the data suggest that this age may be the carbonatite age, whose emplacement would have been related to the evolution of the K'Mudku belt. The best age obtained in laterite samples (a superior intercept age of 1828 ± 12 Ma) is considered the age of the main source for the inherited zircons related to the gneissic host rock.
Journal of South American Earth Sciences, Vol. 100, 10.1016/j.jsames.2020.102583 7p. Pdf
South America, Brazil, Rondonia
deposit - Carolina
Abstract: In this study, we characterize pectolite that occurs in a Carolina kimberlitic intrusion from the Pimenta Bueno Kimberlite Field (PBKF). The PBKF is the only kimberlite field of Permo-Carboniferous age in Brazil and is found on the southern Amazonian Craton. Pectolite, an Na-Ca-silicate usually identified in alkaline rocks as a primary mineral, is not common in the mineral paragenesis of kimberlites and is described here for the first time in Brazil. The genesis of pectolite in kimberlite has been well-studied and can be interpreted as a primary or secondary mineral resulting from the infiltration of an Na-rich fluid into metasomatic reactions. In the rocks from the PBKF, pectolite mainly occurs as fibrous and radial aggregates enriched in K2O that grow between olivine partially altered to serpentine and phlogopite. The results of field and petrographic observations suggest that the PBKF pectolite is of secondary origin, having formed during the hydrothermal alteration of the Carolina kimberlitic intrusion.
Journal of South American Earth Sciences, Vol. 111, 19p. Pdf
South America, Brazil
geophysics - seismics
Abstract: The Orocaima SLIP consists of an association of acid-intermediate volcanic-plutonic rocks. The volcanic rocks were generated in explosive eruptions through low eruptive columns, probably associated with fissural volcanism in the north of the Amazonian Craton, Brazil, between 2.0 and 1.98 Ga. It generated ignimbrites, whose facies (volcanic breccia rich in lithic, lapilli-tuff and lithic lapilli-tuff) show the proximity of the source. The extensive area of ca. 200.000 km2 of ignimbrite, rhyolite and dacite deposits, as well as the age range (2.0-1.98 Ga) and geochemical signatures suggest that the Orocaima volcano-plutonism may correspond to one of the oldest silicic LIPs in the world. The silicic volcanism is essentially subaerial and characterized by high-grade ignimbrites (densely welded) and subordinate lava, the ages of which indicate the longevity of the volcanic event in the Orosirian. They are included in the Surumu Group and comprise rocks with high-K calc-alkaline affinities and were emplaced in a subduction-related setting, similar to the rocks that extend through Venezuela, Guyana and Suriname (Cuchivero-Surumu-Iwokrama-Dalbana metavolcanic belt - CSID). The occurrence of mafic fragments disseminated in volcanic and granitic rocks in the north of Roraima, Brazil and in other segments of the CSID belt suggests the coexistence of acid and basic magmas. Except for one sample (?Nd(t) = -2.3), the Nd isotopic data of analyzed Surumu Group volcanic rocks yielded positive ?Nd(t) values (0.5-4.48; TDM = 2.0-2.47 Ga), suggesting generation from magmas derived from the mantle or from the melting of new juvenile crust. The Orocaima volcanism bears no evidence of involvement of Archean sources in the generation of the rocks. Thus, the Orocaima volcano-plutonism may represent one of the most significant ignimbrite eruption events during the Palaeoproterozoic in the world.-
The Rio Capim volcanic plutonic sedimentary belt, Sao Francisco craton, Brazil: geological, geochemical and isotopic evidence for oceanic accretion during....
Ventura Santos, R., Souza de Alvarenga, C.J., Babinski, M., Ramos, M.L.S., Cukrov, N., Fonsec, M.A., Da Norbrega
Carbon isotopes of Mesoproterozoic Neoproterozoic sequences from southern Sao Francisco craton and Aracuai Belt, Brazil: paleogeorgraphic implications.
Journal of South American Earth Sciences, Vol. 18, 1, Dec. 30, pp. 27-39.
Abstract: Despite the advanced stage of diamond thin-film technology, with applications ranging from superconductivity to biosensing, the realization of a stable and atomically thick two-dimensional diamond material, named here as diamondene, is still forthcoming. Adding to the outstanding properties of its bulk and thin-film counterparts, diamondene is predicted to be a ferromagnetic semiconductor with spin polarized bands. Here, we provide spectroscopic evidence for the formation of diamondene by performing Raman spectroscopy of double-layer graphene under high pressure. The results are explained in terms of a breakdown in the Kohn anomaly associated with the finite size of the remaining graphene sites surrounded by the diamondene matrix. Ab initio calculations and molecular dynamics simulations are employed to clarify the mechanism of diamondene formation, which requires two or more layers of graphene subjected to high pressures in the presence of specific chemical groups such as hydroxyl groups or hydrogens.
Abstract: The Cuiabá Group is the basal part of the sequence of passive margin sediments that unconformably overly the Amazonian Craton in central Brazil. Despite these rock's importance in understanding Brazil's path in the supercontinent cycle from Rodinia to Gondwana and their potential record of catastrophic glaciation their internal stratigraphy and relationship to other units is still poorly understood. The timing of deposition and source areas for the subunits of the Cuiabá Group sedimentary rocks are investigated here using integrated U-Pb and Sm-Nd isotope data. We sampled in the northern Paraguay Belt, a range that developed in response to the collision between the Amazonian Craton, the Rio Apa Block, the São Francisco Craton and the Paranapanema Block. 1125 detrital zircon LA-ICPMS U-Pb ages were calculated and 22 whole rock samples were used for Sm-Nd isotope analysis. The U-Pb ages range between Archean and Neoproterozoic and the main source is the Sunsás Province. Moving up stratigraphy there is a subtle increase in slightly younger detritus with the youngest grain showing an age of 652?±?5 Ma, found at the top of the sequence. The age spectra are similar across each of the sampled units and when combined with the Sm-Nd data, indicate that the source of the detritus was mostly similar throughout deposition. This is consistent with the analysis here that indicates sedimentation occurred in a passive margin environment on the southern margin of the Amazonian Craton. The maximum depositional age of 652?±?5 Ma along with the age of the overlying cap carbonate of the Mirassol d’Oeste Formation suggests that part of this section of sediments were deposited in the purportedly global ?636 Ma Marinoan glaciation, although we give no sedimentological evidence for glaciation in the study area. Compared to the southern Paraguay Belt where no direct age constraints exist, the glacial epoch could be either Cryogenian or Ediacaran. In addition, available data in the literature indicates a diachronous evolution between the northern and southern arms of the Paraguay Belt in the final stages of deposition and deformation.
De Wit, M., Bhebhe, Z., Davidson, J., Haggerty, S.E., Hundt, P., Jacob, J., Lynn, M., Marshall, T.R., Skinner, C., Smithson, K., Stiefenhofer, J., Robert, M., Revitt, A., Spaggiari, R., Ward, J.
Abstract: From the discovery of diamonds in South Africa in 1866 until the end of 2013, Africa is estimated to have produced almost 3.2 Bct out of a total global production of 5.03 Bct, or 63.6% of all diamonds that have ever been mined. In 2013 African countries ranked 2nd (Botswana), 3rd (DRC), 6th (Zimbabwe), 7th (Angola), 8th (South Africa), and 9th (Namibia), in terms of carat production and 1st (Botswana), 4th (Namibia), 5th (Angola), 6th (South Africa), 7th (Zimbabwe), and 9th (DRC), in terms of value of the diamonds produced. In 2013 Africa produced 70.6 Mct out of a global total of 130.5 Mct or 54.1%, which was valued at US$ 8.7 billion representing 61.5% of the global value of US$ 14.1 billion.
South African Journal of Geology, Vol. 124, pp. 499-518.
Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo
deposit - Kasai
Abstract: The Kasai alluvial field in southern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is part of central Africa’s largest diamond placer that has produced more than 200 million carats, mainly derived from Quaternary deposits. A small part of these deposits, along and within the Longatshimo River, is the subject of this study providing a glimpse into the alluvial history of the Kasai diamond placer. This work documents their sedimentological and diamond mineralization attributes, as well as their emplacement processes, which can inform future exploration models. The key controls of this placer formation, notably Quaternary climatic variations, fluvial landscape evolution and bedrock conditions are also evaluated. A consequence of the interplay among these processes is that diamond supply (from Cretaceous alluvial sources), recycling and concentration were most pronounced and consistent, in the Late Quaternary. Alluvial diamond mineralization in this central African region thus evolved differently to those in southern Africa. Based on exploration results in the Longatshimo Valley, diamond concentration improves but diamond size diminishes with decreasing deposit age, and thus the modern river sediments contain the highest abundance but smallest diamonds. This is opposite to the grade and diamond size trend that characterises southern African fluvial diamond placers. The Longatshimo River study offers insight into the Kasai alluvial field, and its placer model is expected to be applicable to the exploration of other central African diamond placers.
Jones, A.G., Plomerova, J., Korja, T., Sodoudi, F., Spakman, W.
Europe from the bottom up: a statistical examination of the central and northern European lithosphere asthenosphere boundary comparing seismological & EM
Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 43, 8, pp. 3717-3726.
Europe, Greenland
Magmatism
Abstract: Understanding the evolution of extinct ocean basins through time and space demands the integration of surface kinematics and mantle dynamics. We explore the existence, origin, and implications of a proposed oceanic slab burial ground under Greenland through a comparison of seismic tomography, slab sinking rates, regional plate reconstructions, and satellite-derived gravity gradients. Our preferred interpretation stipulates that anomalous, fast seismic velocities at 1000-1600?km depth imaged in independent global tomographic models, coupled with gravity gradient perturbations, represent paleo-Arctic oceanic slabs that subducted in the Mesozoic. We suggest a novel connection between slab-related arc mantle and geochemical signatures in some of the tholeiitic and mildly alkaline magmas of the Cretaceous High Arctic Large Igneous Province in the Sverdrup Basin. However, continental crustal contributions are noted in these evolved basaltic rocks. The integration of independent, yet complementary, data sets provides insight into present-day mantle structure, magmatic events, and relict oceans.
Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 43, 10, pp. 4945-4953.
Mantle
Subduction
Abstract: Advances in global seismic tomography have increasingly motivated identification of subducted lithosphere in Earth’s deep mantle, creating novel opportunities to link plate tectonics and mantle evolution. Chief among those is the quest for a robust subduction reference frame, wherein the mantle assemblage of subducted lithosphere is used to reconstruct past surface tectonics in an absolute framework anchored in the deep Earth. However, the associations heretofore drawn between lower mantle structure and past subduction have been qualitative and conflicting, so the very assumption of a correlation has yet to be quantitatively corroborated. Here we show that a significant, time-depth progressive correlation can be drawn between reconstructed subduction zones of the last 130 Myr and positive S wave velocity anomalies at 600 -2300 km depth, but that further correlation between greater times and depths is not presently demonstrable. This correlation suggests that lower mantle slab sinking rates average between 1.1 and 1.9 cmyr 1.
Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 7, 10.1002/ 2016GL068424
Europe, Greenland
Magmatism
Abstract: Understanding the evolution of extinct ocean basins through time and space demands the integration of surface kinematics and mantle dynamics. We explore the existence, origin, and implications of a proposed oceanic slab burial ground under Greenland through a comparison of seismic tomography, slab sinking rates, regional plate reconstructions, and satellite-derived gravity gradients. Our preferred interpretation stipulates that anomalous, fast seismic velocities at 1000-1600?km depth imaged in independent global tomographic models, coupled with gravity gradient perturbations, represent paleo-Arctic oceanic slabs that subducted in the Mesozoic. We suggest a novel connection between slab-related arc mantle and geochemical signatures in some of the tholeiitic and mildly alkaline magmas of the Cretaceous High Arctic Large Igneous Province in the Sverdrup Basin. However, continental crustal contributions are noted in these evolved basaltic rocks. The integration of independent, yet complementary, data sets provides insight into present-day mantle structure, magmatic events, and relict oceans.
Earth and Planteray Science Letters, Vol. 489, pp. 258-266.
Mantle
subduction
Abstract: The impact of remotely forced mantle flow on regional subduction evolution is largely unexplored. Here we investigate this by means of 3D thermo-mechanical numerical modeling using a regional modeling domain. We start with simplified models consisting of a 600 km (or 1400 km) wide subducting plate surrounded by other plates. Mantle inflow of ?3 cm/yr is prescribed during 25 Myr of slab evolution on a subset of the domain boundaries while the other side boundaries are open. Our experiments show that the influence of imposed mantle flow on subduction evolution is the least for trench-perpendicular mantle inflow from either the back or front of the slab leading to 10-50 km changes in slab morphology and trench position while no strong slab dip changes were observed, as compared to a reference model with no imposed mantle inflow. In experiments with trench-oblique mantle inflow we notice larger effects of slab bending and slab translation of the order of 100-200 km. Lastly, we investigate how subduction in the western Mediterranean region is influenced by remotely excited mantle flow that is computed by back-advection of a temperature and density model scaled from a global seismic tomography model. After 35 Myr of subduction evolution we find 10-50 km changes in slab position and slab morphology and a slight change in overall slab tilt. Our study shows that remotely forced mantle flow leads to secondary effects on slab evolution as compared to slab buoyancy and plate motion. Still these secondary effects occur on scales, 10-50 km, typical for the large-scale deformation of the overlying crust and thus may still be of large importance for understanding geological evolution.
Abstract: Across the entire mantle we interpret 94 positive seismic wave-speed anomalies as subducted lithosphere and associate these slabs with their geological record. We document this as the Atlas of the Underworld, also accessible online at www.atlas-of-the-underworld.org, a compilation comprising subduction systems active in the past ~ 300 Myr. Deeper slabs are correlated to older geological records, assuming no relative horizontal motions between adjacent slabs following break-off, using knowledge of global plate circuits, but without assuming a mantle reference frame. The longest actively subducting slabs identified reach the depth of ~ 2500 km and some slabs have impinged on Large Low Shear Velocity Provinces in the deepest mantle. Anomously fast sinking of some slabs occurs in regions affected by long-term plume rising. We conclude that slab remnants eventually sink from the upper mantle to the core-mantle boundary. The range in subduction-age versus - depth in the lower mantle is largely inherited from the upper mantle history of subduction. We find a significant depth variation in average sinking speed of slabs. At the top of the lower mantle average slab sinking speeds are between 10 and 40 mm/yr, followed by a deceleration to 10-15 mm/yr down to depths around 1600-1700 km. In this interval, in situ time-stationary sinking rates suggest deceleration from 20 to 30 mm/yr to 4-8 mm/yr, increasing to 12-15 mm/yr below 2000 km. This corroborates the existence of a slab deceleration zone but we do not observe long-term (> 60 My) slab stagnation, excluding long-term stagnation due to compositional effects. Conversion of slab sinking profiles to viscosity profiles shows the general trend that mantle viscosity increases in the slab deceleration zone below which viscosity slowly decreases in the deep mantle. This is at variance with most published viscosity profiles that are derived from different observations, but agrees qualitatively with recent viscosity profiles suggested from material experiments.
Abstract: Across the entire mantle we interpret 94 positive seismic wave-speed anomalies as subducted lithosphere and associate these slabs with their geological record. We document this as the Atlas of the Underworld, also accessible online at www.atlas-of-the-underworld.org, a compilation comprising subduction systems active in the past ~ 300 Myr. Deeper slabs are correlated to older geological records, assuming no relative horizontal motions between adjacent slabs following break-off, using knowledge of global plate circuits, but without assuming a mantle reference frame. The longest actively subducting slabs identified reach the depth of ~ 2500 km and some slabs have impinged on Large Low Shear Velocity Provinces in the deepest mantle. Anomously fast sinking of some slabs occurs in regions affected by long-term plume rising. We conclude that slab remnants eventually sink from the upper mantle to the core-mantle boundary. The range in subduction-age versus - depth in the lower mantle is largely inherited from the upper mantle history of subduction. We find a significant depth variation in average sinking speed of slabs. At the top of the lower mantle average slab sinking speeds are between 10 and 40 mm/yr, followed by a deceleration to 10-15 mm/yr down to depths around 1600-1700 km. In this interval, in situ time-stationary sinking rates suggest deceleration from 20 to 30 mm/yr to 4-8 mm/yr, increasing to 12-15 mm/yr below 2000 km. This corroborates the existence of a slab deceleration zone but we do not observe long-term (> 60 My) slab stagnation, excluding long-term stagnation due to compositional effects. Conversion of slab sinking profiles to viscosity profiles shows the general trend that mantle viscosity increases in the slab deceleration zone below which viscosity slowly decreases in the deep mantle. This is at variance with most published viscosity profiles that are derived from different observations, but agrees qualitatively with recent viscosity profiles suggested from material experiments.
Abstract: The basins and orogens of the Mediterranean region ultimately result from the opening of oceans during the early break-up of Pangea since the Triassic, and their subsequent destruction by subduction accommodating convergence between the African and Eurasian Plates since the Jurassic. The region has been the cradle for the development of geodynamic concepts that link crustal evolution to continental break-up, oceanic and continental subduction, and mantle dynamics in general. The development of such concepts requires a first-order understanding of the kinematic evolution of the region for which a multitude of reconstructions have previously been proposed. In this paper, we use advances made in kinematic restoration software in the last decade with a systematic reconstruction protocol for developing a more quantitative restoration of the Mediterranean region for the last 240 million years. This restoration is constructed for the first time with the GPlates plate reconstruction software and uses a systematic reconstruction protocol that limits input data to marine magnetic anomaly reconstructions of ocean basins, structural geological constraints quantifying timing, direction, and magnitude of tectonic motion, and tests and iterations against paleomagnetic data. This approach leads to a reconstruction that is reproducible, and updatable with future constraints. We first review constraints on the opening history of the Atlantic (and Red Sea) oceans and the Bay of Biscay. We then provide a comprehensive overview of the architecture of the Mediterranean orogens, from the Pyrenees and Betic-Rif orogen in the west to the Caucasus in the east and identify structural geological constraints on tectonic motions. We subsequently analyze a newly constructed database of some 2300 published paleomagnetic sites from the Mediterranean region and test the reconstruction against these constraints. We provide the reconstruction in the form of 12 maps being snapshots from 240 to 0 Ma, outline the main features in each time-slice, and identify differences from previous reconstructions, which are discussed in the final section.
Rosenthal, A., Yaxley, G.M., Crichton, W.A., Kovacs, I.J., Spandler, C., Hermann, J., Sandorne, J.K., Rose-Koga, E., Pelleter, A-A.
Phase relations and melting of nominally 'dry' residual eclogites with variable CaO/Na2O from 3 to 5 Gpa and 1250 to 1500C; implications for refertilisation of upwelling heterogeneous mantle.
Abstract: Rare earth element (REE) orebodies are typically associated with alkaline igneous rocks or develop as placer or laterite deposits. Here, we describe an economically important heavy (H)REE mineralization type that is entirely hydrothermal in origin with no demonstrable links to magmatism. The mineralization occurs as numerous xenotime-rich vein and breccia orebodies across a large area of northern Australia but particularly close to a regional unconformity between Archean metasedimentary rocks of the Browns Range Metamorphics and overlying Proterozoic sandstones of the Birrindudu Group. The deposits formed at 1.65 to 1.61 Ga along steeply dipping faults; there is no known local igneous activity at this time. Depletion of HREEs in the Browns Range Metamorphics, together with the similar nonradiogenic Nd isotope composition of the orebodies and the Browns Range Metamorphics, indicates that ore metals were leached directly from the Browns Range metasedimentary rocks. We propose an ore genesis model that involves fluid leaching HREEs from the Browns Range Metamorphics and subsequently mixing with P-bearing acidic fluid from the overlying sandstones in fault zones near the unconformity. The union of P and HREEs via fluid mixing in a low-Ca environment triggered extensive xenotime precipitation. This mineralization is unlike that of any other class of REE ore deposit but has a similar setting to unconformity-related U deposits of Australia and Canada, so we assign it the label “unconformity-related REE.” Further discoveries of this REE mineralization type are expected near regional unconformities within Proterozoic intracontinental sedimentary basins across the globe.
Abstract: Apatite can host significant levels of trace elements, including REE, within its crystal lattice, making it particularly useful for deciphering geological events and processes. This study employs hyperspectral cathodoluminescence (CL) and in situ microchemical techniques to identify and characterize various generations of apatite occurring in the phoscorites, carbonatites, and fenites of the Gifford Creek Carbonatite Complex (GCCC), Western Australia. Hyperspectral CL revealed that apatite crystals in all samples have complex internal zoning, including multiple distinct generations, with zones of relatively bright CL generally having more complex spectra compared to darker CL zones. Most of the CL spectra have prominent sharp peaks at ?1.4 eV and ?2.l eV as well as a broad peak between 2.3 eV and 3.5 eV. We relate these different peaks to individual REE activators and groups of activators, in particular Nd3+, Eu3+, Sm3+, and Ce3+. Trace element analyses of apatite confirm the relative enrichment of REE in the CL brighter zones. Most apatite generations exhibit concave-down to sinusoidal REY patterns lacking Eu anomalies, but often feature distinct negative Y anomalies. The depletion in LREE is interpreted to be due to LREE sequestration into monazite, which is relatively abundant in most of the samples. Most apatite samples contain very low Si contents, but appreciable Na, so REE incorporation into apatite was primarily via a coupled substitution of REE + Na replacing 2Ca, which is consistent with the highly alkaline, low SiO2 environment under which the apatite formed. Based on the combined trace-element signatures and CL textures, we interpret the multiple generations of apatite to reflect magmatic growth from alkaline magmas followed by recrystallization during subsequent metamorphic/hydrothermal events. The notable exception is the apatite core domains from a fenite sample that contain relatively high Si and Mn contents, low Sr, and relatively HREE-enriched REY patterns with distinct negative Eu anomalies. This apatite is interpreted to be relict from the granitic precursor to fenitization. The apatite samples also show systematic compositional variations across the GCCC, with apatite from phoscorite samples from the southeast part of the complex containing higher Sr, lower Gd/Ce, and lower ?3 values (normalized REE pattern inflections) compared to apatite from the northwest part of the complex. Recognition of these spatial variations in apatite compositions from the intra-grain micro-scale through to the district scale demonstrates the utility of combining advanced petrographic methods, such as hyperspectral CL, with micro-chemical analysis to reveal complex geological records preserved in apatite. As apatite is a common accessory mineral, these techniques may be more broadly applicable to igneous source tracing, understanding metamorphic and/or metasomatic processes, provenance studies from detrital mineral records, and studies of the evolution of ore systems.
Abstract: The Gifford Creek Carbonatite Complex (GCCC), Western Australia contains a diverse suite of alkaline igneous rocks, including magnesiocarbonatites, ferrocarbonatites, phoscorites, fenites, magmatic-hydrothermal peralkaline dykes, and ironstones. This study employs U-Pb, Sm-Nd, and Lu-Hf radiogenic isotope techniques on monazite - (Ce), fluorapatite, and zircon to determine the origin, age, and history of the GCCC. Zircon crystals found in glimmerite alteration selvages adjacent to ferrocarbonatites exhibit pyramidal crystal morphologies, ?Hf values of ?1.8 to ?4.3, high Th/U, and variable Zr/Hf, all of which are indicative of carbonatitic zircon sourced from an enriched mantle component. Uranium-Pb dating of these zircons returned a definitive magmatic age of ~1370?Ma for the GCCC. Monazite hosted in the ferrocarbonatites, phoscorites, and fenite alteration assemblages yielded variable U-Pb ages ranging from ca. 1250?Ma to 815?Ma. Neodymium isotope isochrons determined from coexisting monazite and apatite gave ages between ca. 1310?Ma to ca. 1190?Ma, but all with similar initial 143Nd/144Nd values of 0.51078-0.51087. The 1370?Ma age of the GCCC does not correspond to any known mantle plume activity, but does broadly correlate with the separation of the North China Craton from the West Australian Craton as part of the greater breakup of Nuna. The monazite and apatite ?Nd data illustrate that the multiple younger U-Pb monazite and Nd isotope isochron ages are not recording multiple magmatic intrusions into the complex, but rather represent partial recrystallisation/resetting of REE-bearing minerals during the protracted tectonic history of the Western Australia Craton from ~1300?Ma to 815?Ma and its involvement in the breakup of Nuna and assembly and disassembly of Rodinia. The age variability in the U-Pb and the Sm-Nd isotope systems in monazite and apatite reveal that tectonically-induced hydrothermalism can contribute to the isotopic resetting of phosphate minerals. This age resetting, if properly identified, can be used as a thorough geochronological record of tectonism affecting alkaline igneous complexes after initial magmatic emplacement.
IN: Deep Carbon: past to present. Editors Orcutt, Danielle, Dasgupta, pp. 129-162.
Mantle
melting
Abstract: This chapter reviews the systematics of partial melting of mantle lithologies - like peridotite and eclogite - in the presence of carbon dioxide. It discusses the composition of mantle-derived magmas generated in the presence of carbon dioxide and whether magmas erupted on Earth’s surface resemble carbonated magmas from the mantle. It reviews how the production of carbon dioxide-rich magma in the mantle varies as a function of tectonic settings - beneath continents and oceans and in subduction zones - and time.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 175, 28p. Pdf.
Australia
carbonatite
Abstract: The 1370 Ma Gifford Creek Carbonatite Complex (GCCC) comprises a diverse suite of alkaline dyke and sill complexes that cover an area of?~?250 km2 in the Gascoyne Province, Western Australia. Most carbonatite types are interpreted to be related products of fractional crystallisation, with calcite carbonatites representing cumulate rocks and dolomite carbonatites representing crystallised products of the derivative liquids. Genetic relationships between these carbonatites and other alkaline igneous units are less clear. The ankerite-siderite carbonatites and magnetite-biotite dykes are likely of related magmatic origin as both have distinctly high LREE and low HFSE contents. The ankerite-siderite carbonatites have mantle-like ?13C isotope values of ? 6.1 to ? 7.1‰ and similar geochemistry to other known magmatic ferrocarbonatites. Silica-rich alkaline veins found near the centre of the complex have trace element signatures that are antithetic to the magnetite-biotite dykes, so these veins are interpreted to represent products of alkali- and F-rich magmatic-hydrothermal fluids exsolved from the magnetite-biotite dykes during their emplacement. Carbon, O, Sr, and Nd isotope data are consistent with an enriched mantle source for the origin of the GCCC, with mantle enrichment likely caused by plate convergence processes associated with the c. 2.0 Ga Glenburgh Orogeny. There is no evidence to link mantle plume activity with formation of the GCCC; rather, alkaline magmatism is interpreted to result from low degree melting of the metasomatised mantle during reactivation of the crustal suture zone at 1370 Ma. The carbonatitic magmas utilised the Lyons River Fault to traverse the crust to be emplaced as the GCCC. Post magmatic alteration has variably modified the O and Sr isotope compositions of carbonates from these rocks. We therefore appeal for careful evaluation of isotopic data from ancient carbonatites, as isotopic resetting may be more common than currently recognised.
Abstract: Australia is host to a diverse range of rare earth element (REE) ore deposits, and therefore is well placed to be a major supplier of REE into the future. This paper presents a review of the geology and tectonic setting of Australia's hard-rock REE resources. The deposits can be classified into four groups: 1. Carbonatite associated; 2. Peralkaline/alkaline volcanic associated; 3. Unconformity related, and; 4. Skarns and iron-oxide?copper?gold (IOCG) related. With the exception of the unconformity related deposits, all of these deposit groups are directly or indirectly related to continental alkaline magmatism. Extensive fractional crystallisation and/or igneous accumulation of REE minerals were essential ore-forming processes for carbonatite-associated and peralkaline/alkaline volcanic-associated deposits, while hydrothermal transport and concentration of REE sourced from basement rocks was responsible for producing ore in unconformity-related, skarns and, potentially, IOCG deposits. The economic potential of many deposits has also been enhanced by supergene alteration processes. All of Australia's REE deposits formed in an intracontinental setting in association with crustal-scale fault zones or structures that acted as transport conduits for ore-forming magmas or fluids. Most deposits formed in the Mesoproterozoic under conditions of relative tectonic quiescence. There is little evidence for the involvement of mantle plumes, with the exception of the Cenozoic peralkaline volcanic systems of eastern Australia, and possibly the IOCG deposits. Instead, ore productive magmas were generated by melting of previously-enriched mantle lithosphere in response to disruption of the lithosphere-asthenophere boundary due to fault activation. REE minerals in many deposits also record episodes of recrystallisation/resetting due to far-field effects of orogenic activity that may significantly postdate primary ore formation. Therefore, REE orebodies can be effective recorders of intracontinental deformation events. In general, Australia's inventory of REE deposits is similar to the global record. Globally, the Mesoproterozoic appears to be a particularly productive time period for forming REE orebodies due to favourable conditions for generating ore-fertile magmas and favourable preservation potential due to a general lack of aggressive continental recycling (i.e., active plate tectonics).
Mineralium Deposita, 10.1007/s00126-020-01026-z 20p. Pdf
Australia
REE
Abstract: The Yangibana rare earth element (REE) district consists of multiple mineral deposits/prospects hosted within the Mesoproterozoic Gifford Creek Carbonatite Complex (GCCC), Western Australia, which comprises a range of rock types including calcite carbonatite, dolomite carbonatite, ankerite-siderite carbonatite, magnetite-biotite dykes, silica-rich alkaline veins, fenite, glimmerites and what have historically been called “ironstones”. The dykes/sills were emplaced during a period of extension and/or transtension, likely utilising existing structures. The Yangibana REE deposits/prospects are located along many of these structures, particularly along the prominent Bald Hill Lineament. The primary ore mineral at Yangibana is monazite, which is contained within ankerite-siderite carbonatite, magnetite-biotite dykes and ironstone units. The ironstones comprise boxwork-textured Fe oxides/hydroxides, quartz, chalcedony and minor monazite and subordinate rhabdophane. Carbonate mineral-shaped cavities in ironstone, fenite and glimmerite alteration mantling the ironstone units, and ankerite-siderite carbonatite dykes altering to ironstone-like assemblages in drill core indicate that the ironstones are derived from ankerite-siderite carbonatite. This premise is further supported by similar bulk-rock Nd isotope composition of ironstone and other alkaline igneous rocks of the GCCC. Mass balance evaluation shows that the ironstones can be derived from the ankerite-siderite carbonatites via significant mass removal, which has resulted in passive REE concentration by ~?2 to ~?10 times. This mass removal and ore tenor upgrade is attributed to extensive carbonate breakdown and weathering of ankerite-siderite carbonatite by near-surface meteoric water. Monazite from the ironstones has strong positive and negative correlations between Pr and Nd, and Nd and La, respectively. These relationships are reflected in the bulk-rock drill assays, which display substantial variation in the La/Nd throughout the GCCC. The changes in La/Nd are attributed to variations in primary magmatic composition, shifts in the magmatic-hydrothermal systems related to CO2 versus water-dominated fluid phases, and changes in temperature.
Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 43, 8, pp. 3717-3726.
Europe, Greenland
Magmatism
Abstract: Understanding the evolution of extinct ocean basins through time and space demands the integration of surface kinematics and mantle dynamics. We explore the existence, origin, and implications of a proposed oceanic slab burial ground under Greenland through a comparison of seismic tomography, slab sinking rates, regional plate reconstructions, and satellite-derived gravity gradients. Our preferred interpretation stipulates that anomalous, fast seismic velocities at 1000 -1600?km depth imaged in independent global tomographic models, coupled with gravity gradient perturbations, represent paleo-Arctic oceanic slabs that subducted in the Mesozoic. We suggest a novel connection between slab-related arc mantle and geochemical signatures in some of the tholeiitic and mildly alkaline magmas of the Cretaceous High Arctic Large Igneous Province in the Sverdrup Basin. However, continental crustal contributions are noted in these evolved basaltic rocks. The integration of independent, yet complementary, data sets provides insight into present-day mantle structure, magmatic events, and relict oceans.
Buse, B., Schumacher, J.C., Sparks, R.S.J., Field, M.
Growth of bultfontenite and hydrogarnet in metasomatized basalt xenoliths in the B/K9 kimberlite, Damtshaa: insights into hydrothermal metamorphism pipe
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 160, 4, pp. 533-550.
Brown, R.J., Buisman, M.I., Fontana, G., Field, M., Mac Niocaill, C., Sparks, R.S.J., Stuart, F.M.
Eruption of kimberlite magmas: physical volcanology, geomorphology and age of the youngest kimberlitic volcanoes known on Earth ( the Upper Pleistocene/Holocene Igwisi Hills volcanoes, Tanzania).
Brown, R.J., Manya, S., Buisman, I., Fontana, G., Field, M., MacNiocaill, C., Sparks, R.S.J., Stuart, F.M.
Eruption of kimberlite magmas: physical volcanology, geomrphology and age of the youngest kimberlitic volcanoes known on Earth ( the Upper Pleistocene-Holocene Igwisi Hills, volcanoes, Tanzania.
Bulletin of Volcanology, Vol. 74, 7, pp. 1621-1643.
Brown, R.J., Manya, S., Buisman, I., Sparks, R.S.J., Field, M., Stuart, F.M., Fontana, G.
Physical volcanology, geomorphology, and cosmogenic 3HE dating of the youngest kimberlite volcanoes on Earth ( The Holocene Igwisi Hills, Volcanoes, Tanzania.
10th. International Kimberlite Conference Feb. 6-11, Bangalore India, Abstract
Abstract: Magma systems that supply volcanoes can extend throughout the crust and consist of mush (melt within a crystalline framework) together with ephemeral magma accumulations. Within a crystal-rich mush, slow processes of melt segregation and heat loss alternate with fast processes of destablisation and magma transport. Magma chambers form by two mechanisms: incremental magma intrusion into sub-solidus rocks or the segregation and rapid merging of melt-rich layers within mush regions. Three volcanic states reflect alternations of slow and fast processes: dormancy, unrest and eruption. Monitoring needs to detect processes of melt and fluid movements in the lower and middle crust during destabilisation to improve forecasting.
Abstract: The formation, storage and chemical differentiation of magma in the Earth’s crust is of fundamental importance in igneous geology and volcanology. Recent data are challenging the high-melt-fraction ‘magma chamber’ paradigm that has underpinned models of crustal magmatism for over a century, suggesting instead that magma is normally stored in low-melt-fraction "mush reservoirs". A mush reservoir comprises a porous and permeable framework of closely packed crystals with melt present in the pore space1,10. However, many common features of crustal magmatism have not yet been explained by either the ‘chamber’ or ‘mush reservoir’ concepts. Here we show that reactive melt flow is a critical, but hitherto neglected, process in crustal mush reservoirs, caused by buoyant melt percolating upwards through, and reacting with, the crystals. Reactive melt flow in mush reservoirs produces the low-crystallinity, chemically differentiated (silicic) magmas that ascend to form shallower intrusions or erupt to the surface. These magmas can host much older crystals, stored at low and even sub-solidus temperatures, consistent with crystal chemistry data. Changes in local bulk composition caused by reactive melt flow, rather than large increases in temperature, produce the rapid increase in melt fraction that remobilizes these cool- or cold-stored crystals. Reactive flow can also produce bimodality in magma compositions sourced from mid- to lower-crustal reservoirs. Trace-element profiles generated by reactive flow are similar to those observed in a well studied reservoir now exposed at the surface. We propose that magma storage and differentiation primarily occurs by reactive melt flow in long-lived mush reservoirs, rather than by the commonly invoked process of fractional crystallization in magma chambers.
Abstract: Over the last 20 years, new concepts have emerged into understanding the processes that lead to build up to large silicic explosive eruptions based on integration of geophysical, geochemical, petrological, geochronological and dynamical modelling. Silicic melts are generated within magma systems extending throughout the crust by segregation from mushy zones. Segregated melt layers become unstable and can assemble into ephemeral upper crustal magma chambers rapidly prior to eruption. In the next 10 years, we can expect major advances in dynamical models as well as in analytical and geophysical methods, which need to be underpinned in field research.
Growth of Bultfonteinite and hydrogarnet in metasomatized basalt xenoliths in the BK9 kimberlite, Orapa, Botswana: insights and hydrothermal metamorphism in kimberlite pipes.
GAC/MAC/AGU Meeting held May 23-27 Toronto, Abstract only
Emplacement temperatures of pyroclastic and colcaniclastic deposits in kimberlite pipes in southern Africa: new constraints from paleomagnetic measurements
GAC/MAC/AGU Meeting held May 23-27 Toronto, Abstract only
American Mineralogist, Vol. 106, pp. 1420-1437. pdf
Europe, Israel
deposit - Mount Carmel
Abstract: Xenocrysts and xenoliths in Upper Cretaceous pyroclastics on Mount Carmel (northern Israel) represent a series of similar magma-fluid systems at different stages of their evolution, recording a continuous decrease in oxygen fugacity (fO2) as crystallization proceeded. Corundum coexisting with Fe-Mg-Cr-Al spinels, other Fe-Mg-Al-Na oxides, and Fe-Ni alloys in apparent cumulates crystallized at fO2 values near the iron-wüstite (IW) buffer (fO2 = IW±1) and is zoned from high-Cr cores to lower-Cr rims, consistent with fractional crystallization trends. The reconstructed parental melts of the cumulates are Al-Cr-Fe-Mg oxides with ca. 2 wt% SiO2. Corundum in other possible cumulates that contain Cr-Fe (Fe 45 wt%) alloys has low-Cr cores and still lower-Cr rims. Corundum coexisting with Cr0 (fO2 = IW-5) in some possible cumulates has low-Cr cores, but high-Cr rims (to >30% Cr2O3). These changes in zoning patterns reflect the strong decrease in the melting point of Cr2O3, relative to Al2O3, with decreasing fO2. The electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) analyses show that all Cr in corundum that coexists with Cr0 is present as Cr3+. This suggests that late in the evolution of these reduced melts, Cr2+ has disproportionated via the reaction 3Cr2+(melt) ? 2Cr3+(Crn) + Cr0. The most Cr-rich corundum crystallized together with ?-alumina phases including NaAl11O17 (diaoyudaoite) and KAl11O17 (kahlenbergite) and ??-alumina phases; residual melts crystallized a range of (K,Mg)2(Al,Cr)10O17 phases with the kahlenbergite structure. The parental melts of these assemblages appear to have been Al-Cr-K-Na-Mg oxides, which may be related to the Al-Cr-Fe-Mg oxide melts mentioned above, through fractional crystallization or liquid immiscibility. These samples are less reduced (fO2 from IW to IW-5) than the assemblages of the trapped silicate melts in the more abundant xenoliths of corundum aggregates (fO2 = IW-6 to IW-10). They could be considered to represent an earlier stage in the fO2 evolution of an “ideal” Mt. Carmel magmatic system, in which mafic or syenitic magmas were fluxed by mantle-derived CH4+H2 fluids. This is a newly recognized step in the evolution of the Mt. Carmel assemblages and helps to understand element partitioning under highly reducing conditions.
Abstract: Early and Late Cretaceous alkaline and alkaline-carbonatitic complexes from southern Brazil are located along the main tectonic lineaments of the South America Platform. Calcium-, magnesium-, and ferrocarbonatites are well represented and frequently associated even in the same complex. Primary carbonates present significant variations in C-O isotopic compositions, which are mainly due to isotope exchange with H2O-CO2-rich hydrothermal fluids, whereas fractional crystallization or liquid immiscibility probably affects the ?18O and ?13C values by no more than 2?‰ Our isotope exchange model implies that the most significant isotopic variations took place in a hydrothermal environment, e.g., in the range 400-80°C, involving fluids with the CO2/H2O ratio ranging from 0.8 to 1. Sr-Nd-Pb isotope systematics highlight heterogeneous mixtures between HIMU and EMI mantle components, similar to the associated alkaline rocks and the flood tholeiites from southern Brazil. In spite of the strong variation shown by C-O isotopes, Sr-Nd-Pb-Os isotopic systematics could be related to an isotopically enriched source where the chemical heterogeneities reflect a depleted mantle "metasomatized" by small-volume melts and fluids rich in incompatible elements. These fluids are expected to have promoted crystallization of K-rich phases in the mantle, which produced a veined network variously enriched in LILE and LREE. The newly formed veins (enriched component) and peridotite matrix (depleted component) underwent a different isotopic evolution with time as reflected by the carbonatites. These conclusions may be extended to the whole Paraná-Etendeka system, where isotopically distinct parent magmas were generated following two main enrichment events of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle at 2.0-1.4 and 1.0-0.5?Ga, respectively, as also supported by Re-Os systematics. The mantle sources preserved the isotopic heterogeneities over a long time, suggesting a nonconvective lithospheric mantle beneath different cratons or intercratonic regions. Overall, the data indicate that the alkaline-carbonatitic magmatism originated from a locally heterogeneous subcontinental mantle.
Abstract: Cubic CaSiO3 perovskite is a major phase in subducted oceanic crust, where it forms at a depth of about 550?kilometres from majoritic garnet1,2,28. However, its rheological properties at temperatures and pressures typical of the lower mantle are poorly known. Here we measured the plastic strength of cubic CaSiO3 perovskite at pressure and temperature conditions typical for a subducting slab up to a depth of about 1,200?kilometres. In contrast to tetragonal CaSiO3, previously investigated at room temperature3,4, we find that cubic CaSiO3 perovskite is a comparably weak phase at the temperatures of the lower mantle. We find that its strength and viscosity are substantially lower than that of bridgmanite and ferropericlase, possibly making cubic CaSiO3 perovskite the weakest lower-mantle phase. Our findings suggest that cubic CaSiO3 perovskite governs the dynamics of subducting slabs. Weak CaSiO3 perovskite further provides a mechanism to separate subducted oceanic crust from the underlying mantle. Depending on the depth of the separation, basaltic crust could accumulate at the boundary between the upper and lower mantle, where cubic CaSiO3 perovskite may contribute to the seismically observed regions of low shear-wave velocities in the uppermost lower mantle5,6, or sink to the core-mantle boundary and explain the seismic anomalies associated with large low-shear-velocity provinces beneath Africa and the Pacific.
Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 45, 15, pp. 7434-7443. doi.org/10.1029/ 2018GLO79130
Mantle
nitrogen
Abstract: On the early Earth nitrogen was redistributed between three prevailing reservoirs: the core forming metal, the silicate magma ocean, and the atmosphere. To shed light on the behavior of N during core segregation, we have experimentally determined N solubilities in Fe?dominated metal melts at high temperatures and pressures (1200-1800 °C, 0.4-9.0 GPa) using high?pressure devices. Based on our experimental results a model has been developed to describe N solubility into metal melts as a function of pressure and temperature. The model suggests that core?forming metal melts can dissolve N quantities that are as high as the Earth's core density deficit. However, the N concentrations in the core?forming metal are dependent on the accretionary scenario and its partitioning with silicate magma ocean; our solubilities provide an upper limit for possible N concentrations within the Earth's core. Nevertheless, this study shows that N in the modern mantle will largely dissolve in its small metal fraction and not in the dominating silicates.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 510, pp. 186-197.
Mantle
nitrogen
Abstract: Nitrogen is a key constituent of our atmosphere and forms the basis of life, but its early distribution between Earth reservoirs is not well constrained. We investigate nitrogen partitioning between metal and silicate melts over a wide range of conditions relevant for core segregation during Earth accretion, i.e. 1250-2000 °C, 1.5-5.5 GPa and oxygen fugacities of ?IW-5.9 to ?IW-1.4 (in log units relative to the iron-wüstite buffer). At 1250 °C, 1.5 GPa, ranges from 14 ± 0.1 at ?IW-1.4 to 2.0 ± 0.2 at ?IW-5, N partitioning into the core forming metal. Increasing pressure has no effect on , while increasing temperature dramatically lowers to 0.5 ± 0.15 at ?IW-4. During early core formation N was hence mildly incompatible in the metal. The partitioning data are then parameterised as a function of temperature and oxygen fugacity and used to model the evolution of N within the two early prevailing reservoirs: the silicate magma ocean and the core. Depending on the oxidation state during accretion, N either behaves lithophile or siderophile. For the most widely favoured initially reduced Earth accretion scenario, N behaves lithophile with a bulk partition coefficient of 0.17 to 1.4, leading to 500-700 ppm N in closed-system core formation models. However, core formation from a magma ocean is very likely accompanied by magma ocean degassing, the core would thus contain ?100 ppm of N, and hence, does not constitute the missing N reservoir. Bulk Earth N would thus be 34-180 ppm in the absence of other suitable reservoirs, >98% N of the chondritic N have hence been lost during accretion.
Africa, Zimbabwe, Australia, South America, Brazil
Deposit - Murowa, Argyle, Machado River
Abstract: Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is a commonly-used technique for investigating diamonds, that gives the most useful information if spatially-resolved measurements are used. In this paper we discuss the best way to acquire and present FTIR data from diamonds, using examples from Murowa (Zimbabwe), Argyle (Australia) and Machado River (Brazil). Examples of FTIR core-to-rim line scans, maps with high spatial resolution and maps with high spectral resolution that are fitted to extract the spatial variation of different nitrogen and hydrogen defects are presented. Model mantle residence temperatures are calculated from the concentration of A and B nitrogen-containing defects in the diamonds using known times of annealing in the mantle. A new, two-stage thermal annealing model is presented that better constrains the thermal history of the diamond and that of the mantle lithosphere in which the diamond resided. The effect of heterogeneity within the analysed FTIR volume is quantitatively assessed and errors in model temperatures that can be introduced by studying whole diamonds instead of thin plates are discussed. The spatial distribution of VN3H hydrogen defects associated with the 3107 cm? 1 vibration does not follow the same pattern as nitrogen defects, and an enrichment of VN3H hydrogen at the boundary between pre-existing diamond and diamond overgrowths is observed. There are several possible explanations for this observation including a change in chemical composition of diamond forming fluid during growth or kinetically controlled uptake of hydrogen.
European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2017, Vienna April 23-28, 1p. 16438 Abstract
Africa, Zimbabwe, Australia, South America, Brazil
Deposit - Murowa, Argyle, Machado River
Abstract: Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is a commonly-used technique for investigating diamonds. It gives the most useful information if spatially-resolved measurements are used [1]. In this contribution we discuss the best way to acquire and present FTIR data from diamonds, using examples from Murowa (Zimbabwe), Argyle (Australia) and Machado River (Brazil). Examples of FTIR core-to-rim line scans, maps with high spatial resolution and maps with high spectral resolution that are fitted to extract the spatial variation of different nitrogen and hydrogen defects are presented. Model mantle residence temperatures are calculated from the concentration of A and B nitrogen-containing defects in the diamonds using known times of annealing in the mantle. A new, two-stage thermal annealing model is presented that better constrains the thermal history of the diamond and that of the mantle lithosphere in which the diamond resided. The effect of heterogeneity within the analysed FTIR volume is quantitatively assessed and errors in model temperatures that can be introduced by studying whole diamonds instead of thin plates are discussed. The kinetics of platelet growth and degradation will be discussed and the potential for two separate, kinetically-controlled defect reactions to be used to constrain a full thermal history of the diamond will be assessed. [1] Kohn, S.C., Speich, L., Smith, C.B. and Bulanova, G.P., 2016. FTIR thermochronometry of natural diamonds: A closer look.
Abstract: Platelets in diamond are extended planar defects that are thought to be generated during the nitrogen aggregation process in type Ia diamonds. They were subjected to intensive research during the 1980s and 1990s but the techniques used for observation of defects in diamond have improved since that time and new insights can be gained by further study. This study combines high resolution Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis, with an emphasis on the main platelet peak, and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) imaging. By performing TEM and FTIR analyses on volumes of diamond that were closely spatially related it is shown that the average platelet diameter, D, follows the relationship D=ax?b where x is the position of the platelet peak in the infrared spectrum, a is a constant and b is the minimum position of the platelet peak. The best fit to the data is obtained if a value of b=1360cm?1 is used, giving a fitted value of a=221. The observed variation in infrared (IR) peak width can also be explained in terms of this relationship. Additionally, platelet morphology was found to vary according to diameter with large platelets being more elongated. The tendency to become more elongated can be described by the empirical equation AR=11.9D+19.6+0.4 where AR is the aspect ratio. Using the relationships established here, it will be possible to study platelet abundance and size as a function of parameters such as nitrogen concentration, nitrogen aggregation and diamond residence time in the mantle. This work therefore will open up new methods for constraining the geological history of diamonds of different parageneses and from different localities.
Africa, Zimbabwe. Australia, Canada, Northwest Territories, South Africa, Botswana
deposit - Murowa, Argyle, Diavik, Venetia, Orapa
Abstract: FTIR maps of diamond plates, cut through the centre of growth, contain abundant information about changing defect concentrations from core to rim. These data can, in principle, be interpreted in terms of the variation in conditions of diamond growth and the temperatures experienced by the diamond during the period of mantle residence between growth and exhumation. Many diamonds show multiple growth zones that can be observed by cathodoluminescence. Importantly, the combination of nitrogen concentration and nitrogen aggregation measured by FTIR can be used to determine whether the growth zones are of similar or very different ages (Kohn et al., 2016). In this study, we use automated fitting of several thousand individual spectra within each FTIR map to define a model temperature for each pixel using the Python program, QUIDDIT. We then use a two-stage aggregation model to constrain potential temperature-time histories for each diamond. To take full advantage of the temperature history recorded by zoned diamonds, radiometric ages of inclusions are required. If the growth ages of each zone and the date of exhumation are well-known, then a model temperature can be calculated for each zone. The combination of zone-specific ages and improved quality and processing of FTIR spectra is able to provide unique new insights into the thermal history of diamondbearing lithospheric mantle. For the first time we will be able to use the N defects in diamonds to work out whether a particular location in the lithosphere has heated or cooled over long periods of geological time. The implications for the mechanism of formation of lithosphere will be discussed. We will illustrate the approach using examples of zoned diamonds from Murowa (Zimbabwe), Argyle (Australia), Diavik (Canada), Venetia (South Africa) and Orapa (Botswana).
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 173, pp. 39-
Global
FTIR
Abstract: Platelets are one of the most common defects occurring in natural diamonds but their behaviour has not previously been well understood. Recent technical advances, and a much improved understanding of the correct interpretation of the main infrared (IR) feature associated with platelets (Speich et al. 2017), facilitated a systematic study of platelets in 40 natural diamonds. Three different types of platelet behaviour were identified here. Regular diamonds show linear correlations between both B-centre concentrations and platelet density and also between platelet size and platelet density. Irregular diamonds display reduced platelet density due to platelet breakdown, anomalously large or small platelets and a larger platelet size distribution. These features are indicative of high mantle storage temperatures. Finally, a previously unreported category of subregular diamonds is defined. These diamonds experienced low mantle residence temperatures and show smaller than expected platelets. Combining the systematic variation in platelet density with temperatures of mantle storage, determined by nitrogen aggregation, we can demonstrate that platelet degradation proceeds at a predictable rate. Thus, in platelet-bearing diamonds where N aggregation is complete, an estimate of annealing temperature can now be made for the first time.
Computers & Geosciences, doi: 10.1016/j.cageo. 2020.104558 available 30p. Pdf
Global
QUIDDIT
Abstract: Goal: QUIDDIT (QUantification of Infrared-active Defects in Diamond and Inferred Temperatures) is a novel Python application for fast and automated processing of IR spectra of diamond. It was first developed for the work presented in previous studies (Kohn et al., 2016; Speich et al. 2017 and 2018) and has been used in our lab successfully. The goal of this project is to enhance the software and provide easy access to users in research and industry alike. Read the "Project Log" section for more information.
Abstract: QUIDDIT is a free Python software-package designed to process Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectra of diamonds automatically and efficiently. Core capabilities include baseline correction, determination of nitrogen concentration, nitrogen aggregation state and model temperature and fitting of both the 3107 cm-1 and platelet (B’) peaks. These capabilities have allowed the authors to study platelet defects and their relationship to nitrogen aggregation in previous studies. Data visualisation, vital to interpreting and evaluating results, is another key component of the software. QUIDDIT can be applied to single spectra as well as linescan and 2-dimensional map data. Recently, additional features such as manual platelet peak and nitrogen fitting, custom batch peak fitting and two-stage aggregation modelling were made available. QUIDDIT has been used successfully for natural diamonds containing aggregated forms of nitrogen in the past and has since been adapted for the study of diamonds containing C-centres as well.
Society of Economic Geology Geoscience and Exploration of the Argyle, Bunder, Diavik, and Murowa Diamond Deposits, Special Publication no. 20, pp. 169-190.
Symposium on critical and strategic materials, British Columbia Geological Survey Paper 2015-3, held Nov. 13-14, pp. 251-264.
Technology
Rare earths
Abstract: Fluorite (CaF2) belongs to the isometric system, with a cubic, face-centred lattice. Fluorite commonly forms cubes or octahedrons, less commonly dodecahedrons and, rarely, tetrahexahedrons, trapezohedrons, trisoctahedrons, hexoctahedrons, and botyroidal forms. Fluorite is transparent to translucent, and has vitreous luster. It occurs in a variety of colours including purple, green, blue, or yellow, however it can also be colourless, and can exhibit colour zoning, (Staebler et al., 2006). Fluorite from many localities is fl uorescent (Verbeek, 2006). Fluorite density varies from 3.0-3.6 g/cm3, depending to a large extent on inclusions and impurities in the crystal lattice (Staebler et al., 2006), and its hardness is 4 on Mohs scale (Berry et al., 1983). Many single fl uorite crystals display sector zoning, refl ecting preferential substitution and incorporation of trace elements along successive crystal surfaces (Bosce and Rakovan, 2001). The Ca2+ ion in the fl uorite crystal structure can be substituted by Li+, Na+, K+, Mg2+, Mn2+, Fe2+,3+, Zn2+, Sr2+, Y3+, Zr4+, Ba2+, lanthanides ions, Pb2+, Th4+, and U4+ ions (Bailey et al., 1974; Bill and Calas, 1978, Gagnon et al., 2003; Schwinn and Markl, 2005; Xu et al., 2012; Deng et al., 2014). Concentrations of these impurities do not exceed 1% (Deer, 1965) except in yttrofl uorite (Ca,Y)F2-2.33 and cerfl uorite (Ca,Ce)F2-2.33 (Sverdrup, 1968). Fluorite occurs in a variety of rocks, as an accessory and as a gangue mineral in many metalliferous deposits and, in exceptional cases, as the main ore constituent of economic deposits (Simandl, 2009). Good examples of fl uorite mines are Las Cuevas, Encantada-Buenavista (Mexico); St. Lawrence pluton-related veins and the Rock Candy Mine (Canada); El Hamman veins (Morocco) and LeBurc Montroc -Le Moulinal and Trebas deposits (France) as documented by Ruiz et al. (1980), Grogan and Montgomery (1975), González-Partida et al. (2003), Munoz et al. (2005), and Fulton III and Miller (2006). Fluorite also commonly occurs adjacent to or within carbonatites and alkaline complexes (Kogut et al., 1998; Hagni,1999; Alvin et al., 2004; Xu et al., 2004; Salvi and Williams-Jones, 2006); Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) Pb- Zn-F-Ba deposits; F-Ba-(Pb-Zn) veins (Grogan and Bradbury, 1967 and 1968; Baxter et al., 1973; Kesler et al., 1989; Cardellach et al., 2002; Levresse et al., 2006); hydrothermal Fe (±Au, ±Cu) and rare earth element (REE) deposits (Borrok et al., 1998; Andrade et al., 1999; Fourie, 2000); precious metal concentrations (Hill et al., 2000); fl uorite/metal-bearing skarns (Lu et al., 2003); Sn-polymetallic greissen-type deposits (Bettencourt et al., 2005); and zeolitic rocks and uranium deposits (Sheppard and Mumpton, 1984; Cunningham et al., 1998; Min et al., 2005). Ore deposit studies that document the trace element distribution in fl uorite are provided by Möller et al. (1976), Bau et al. (2003), Gagnon et al. (2003), Schwinn and Markl (2005), and Deng et al. (2014). The benchmark paper by Möller et al. (1976) identifi ed variations in the chemical composition of fl uorites according their origin (sedimentary, hydrothermal, or pegmatitic). Recently, Makin et al. (2014) compiled trace-element compositions of fl uorite from MVT, fl uorite-barite veins, peralkaline-related, and carbonatite-related deposits. They showed that fl uorite from MVT and carbonatite deposits can be distinguished through trace element concentrations, and that the REE concentration of fl uorite from veins is largely independent of the composition of the host rock. Based on the physical and chemical properties of fl uorite, its association with a variety of deposit types, and previous studies, it is possible that fl uorite can be used as a proximal indicator mineral to explore for a variety of deposit types. Unfortunately, the compilation by Makin et al. (2014) contained chemical analyses performed at different laboratories using different analytical techniques (including laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), electron microprobe, neutron activation, and ICP-MS), and precision and accuracy varied accordingly. As an orientation survey, herein we present data from fi ve deposits, with two samples from the Rock Candy deposit (British Columbia), and one sample from each of Kootenay Florence (British Columbia), Eaglet (British Columbia), Eldor (Quebec), and Hastie quarry (Illinois) deposits (Table 1). The main objectives of this study are to: 1) assess variations in chemical composition of fl uorite in the samples and deposit types; 2) evaluate relations between analyses made using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry on individual grains [LA-ICP-MS(IG)], and those made using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry on fused beads [LA-ICP-MS(FB)] and X-ray fl uorescence (XRF); 3) test the use of stoichiometric Ca content as an internal fl uorite standard, such has been done by Gagnon et al. (2003) and Schwinn and Markl, (2005); 4) select the elements that are commonly present in concentrations above the lower limit of detection of LA-ICP-MS and available for constructing discrimination diagrams; 5) consider if our results agree with the preliminary discrimination diagrams of Makin et al. (2014).
Abstract: Geological mapping and zircon U-Pb/Hf isotope data from 35 samples from the central Tanzania Craton and surrounding orogenic belts to the south and east allow a revised model of Precambrian crustal evolution of this part of East Africa. The geochronology of two studied segments of the craton shows them to be essentially the same, suggesting that they form a contiguous crustal section dominated by granitoid plutons. The oldest orthogneisses are dated at ca. 2820 Ma (Dodoma Suite) and the youngest alkaline syenite plutons at ca. 2610 Ma (Singida Suite). Plutonism was interrupted by a period of deposition of volcano-sedimentary rocks metamorphosed to greenschist facies, directly dated by a pyroclastic metavolcanic rock which gave an age of ca. 2725 Ma. This is supported by detrital zircons from psammitic metasedimentary rocks, which indicate a maximum depositional age of ca. 2740 Ma, with additional detrital sources 2820 and 2940 Ma. Thus, 200 Ma of episodic magmatism in this part of the Tanzania Craton was punctuated by a period of uplift, exhumation, erosion and clastic sedimentation/volcanism, followed by burial and renewed granitic to syenitic magmatism. In eastern Tanzania (Handeni block), in the heart of the East African Orogen, all the dated orthogneisses and charnockites (apart from those of the overthrust Neoproterozoic granulite nappes), have Neoarchaean protolith ages within a narrow range between 2710 and 2630 Ma, identical to (but more restricted than) the ages of the Singida Suite. They show evidence of Ediacaran "Pan-African" isotopic disturbance, but this is poorly defined. In contrast, granulite samples from the Wami Complex nappe were dated at ca. 605 and ca. 675 Ma, coeval with previous dates of the "Eastern Granulites" of eastern Tanzania and granulite nappes of adjacent NE Mozambique. To the south of the Tanzania Craton, samples of orthogneiss from the northern part of the Lupa area were dated at ca. 2730 Ma and clearly belong to the Tanzania Craton. However, granitoid samples from the southern part of the Lupa "block" have Palaeoproterozoic (Ubendian) intrusive ages of ca. 1920 Ma. Outcrops further south, at the northern tip of Lake Malawi, mark the SE continuation of the Ubendian belt, albeit with slightly younger ages of igneous rocks (ca. 1870-1900 Ma) which provide a link with the Ponte Messuli Complex, along strike to the SE in northern Mozambique. In SW Tanzania, rocks from the Mgazini area gave Ubendian protolith ages of ca. 1980-1800 Ma, but these rocks underwent Late Mesoproterozoic high-grade metamorphism between 1015 and 1040 Ma. One granitoid gave a crystallisation age of ca. 1080 Ma correlating with known Mesoproterozoic crust to the east in SE Tanzania and NE Mozambique. However, while the crust in the Mgazini area was clearly one of original Ubendian age, reworked and intruded by granitoids at ca. 1 Ga, the crust of SE Tanzania is a mixed Mesoproterozoic terrane and a continuation from NE Mozambique. Hence the Mgazini area lies at the edge of the Ubendian belt which was re-worked during the Mesoproterozoic orogen (South Irumide belt), providing a further constraint on the distribution of ca. 1 Ga crust in SE Africa. Hf data from near-concordant analyses of detrital zircons from a sample from the Tanzania Craton lie along a Pb-loss trajectory (Lu/Hf = 0), extending back to ?3.9 Ga. This probably represents the initial depleted mantle extraction event of the cratonic core. Furthermore, the Hf data from all igneous samples, regardless of age, from the entire study area (including the Neoproterozoic granulite nappes) show a shallow evolution trend (Lu/Hf = 0.028) extending back to the same mantle extraction age. This implies the entire Tanzanian crust sampled in this study represents over 3.5 billion years of crustal reworking from a single crustal reservoir and that the innermost core of the Tanzanian Craton that was subsequently reworked was composed of a very depleted, mafic source with a very high Lu/Hf ratio. Our study helps to define the architecture of the Tanzanian Craton and its evolution from a single age-source in the early Eoarchaean.
Abstract: From the scant Hadean records of the Jack Hills to Cenozoic supervolcanoes, the continental crust provides a synoptic view deep into Earth history. However, the information is fragmented, as large volumes of continental crust have been recycled back into the mantle by a variety of processes. The preserved crustal record is the balance between the volume of crust generated by magmatic processes and the volume destroyed through return to the mantle by tectonic erosion and lower crustal delamination. At present-day, the Earth has reached near-equilibrium between the amount of crust being generated and that being returned to the mantle at subduction zones. However, multiple lines of evidence support secular change in crustal processes through time, including magma compositions, mantle temperatures, and metamorphic gradients. Though a variety of isotopic proxies are used to estimate crustal growth through time, none of those currently utilized are able to quantify the volumes of crust recycled back into the mantle. This implies the estimates of preserved continental crust and growth curves derived therefrom represent only a minimum of total crustal growth. We posit that from the Neoarchean, the probable onset of modern-day style plate tectonics (i.e. steep subduction), there has been no net crustal growth (and perhaps even a net loss) of the continental crust. Deciphering changes from this equilibrium state through geologic time remains a continual pursuit of crustal evolution studies.
Abstract: Earth’s oldest felsic rocks, the 4.02 billion-year-old Idiwhaa gneisses of the Acasta Gneiss Complex, northwest Canada, have compositions that are distinct from the felsic rocks that typify Earth’s ancient continental nuclei, implying they formed through a different process. Using phase equilibria and trace element modelling, we show that the Idiwhaa gneisses were produced by partial melting of ironrich amphibolite host rocks at very low pressures, equating to the uppermost ~3 km of mafic crust. The heat required for such shallow melting is most easily explained through meteorite impacts. Hydrodynamic impact modelling shows that, not only is this scenario physically plausible, but the region of shallow melting appropriate to formation of the Idiwhaa gneisses would have been widespread. Given the predicted high flux of meteorites during the late Hadean, impact melting may have been the predominant mechanism that generated Hadean felsic rocks.
Abstract: The Tethys margin in central and eastern Asia is comprised of continental terranes separated by suture zones, some of which remain cryptic. Determining the crustal architecture, and therefore the geological history, of the Eastern Tethyan margin remains challenging. Sited in the heart of this region, Myanmar is a highly prospective but poorly explored minerals jurisdiction. A better understanding of Myanmar's mineralization can only be realized through a better understanding of its tectonic history, itself reflected in at least four major magmatic belts. The Eastern and the Main Range Provinces are associated with the Late Permian to Early Triassic closure of Palaeo-Tethys. The Mogok-Mandalay-Mergui Belt and Wuntho-Popa Arc are a response to the Eocene closure of Neo-Tethys. However, magmatic ages outside these two orogenic events are also recorded. We present new zircon U-Pb, Lu-Hf and O isotope data from magmatic rocks across Myanmar, which we append to the existing dataset to isotopically characterize Myanmar's magmatic belts. Eastern Province Permian I-type magmatism has evolved eHf (-10.9 to -6.4), whilst Main Range Province Triassic S-type magmatism also records evolved eHf (-13.5 to -8.8). The Mogok-Mandalay-Mergui Belt is here divided into the Tin Province and the Mogok Metamorphic Belt. The Tin Province hosts ca. 77-50 Ma magmatism with evolved eHf (-1.2 to -15.2), and d 18 O of 5.6-8.3‰. The Mogok Metamorphic Belt exhibits a more complex magmatic and metamorphic history, and granitoids record Jurassic, Late Cretaceous, and Eocene to Miocene phases of magmatism, all of which exhibit evolved eHf values between -4.6 and -17.6, and d 18 O between 6.3 and 9.2‰. From the Tagaung-Myitkyina Belt, we report a magmatic age of 172 Ma and eHf of 18.1 to 10.8. To accommodate the geological evidence, we propose a tectonic model for Myanmar involving a greater Sibumasu - where the documented zircon isotopic variations reflect compositional variations in magmatic source - and invoke the role of a Tengchong Block. The Baoshan Block and Greater Sibumasu were likely assembled on or before the Triassic, a former Andean margin and suture which may lie across the Northern Shan Plateau, and reflected in isotopic differences between the northern and southern parts of the Mogok Metamorphic Belt. This contiguous Sibumasu-Baoshan Block then sutured onto the Indochina margin in the Late Triassic. We propose that a Tengchong Block within Myanmar provides for a southerly termination of the Meso-Tethys suture immediately north of the Mogok area. A discrete Tengchong Block may explain a discontinuous arc of Late Triassic to Jurassic I-type magmatism in central Myanmar, representing an Andean-type margin sited above a subducting Meso-Tethys on the margin of Sibumasu. The Tengchong Block sutured onto Greater Sibumasu before the Late Cretaceous, after which subduction of Neo-Tethys drove the magmatism of the Wuntho-Popa Arc and ultimately that of the Tin Province. The metallogenic character of granite belts in Myanmar reflects the crustal architecture of the region, which is remarkable for its prolific endowment of granite-hosted Sn-W mineralization in two quite distinct granite belts related to sequential Indosinian and Himalayan orogenesis.
Abstract: Earth’s oldest evolved (felsic) rocks, the 4.02-billion-year-old Idiwhaa gneisses of the Acasta Gneiss Complex, northwest Canada, have compositions that are distinct from the felsic rocks that typify Earth’s ancient continental nuclei, implying that they formed through a different process. Using phase equilibria and trace element modelling, we show that the Idiwhaa gneisses were produced by partial melting of iron-rich hydrated basaltic rocks (amphibolites) at very low pressures, equating to the uppermost ~3?km of a Hadean crust that was dominantly mafic in composition. The heat required for partial melting at such shallow levels is most easily explained through meteorite impacts. Hydrodynamic impact modelling shows not only that this scenario is physically plausible, but also that the region of shallow partial melting appropriate to formation of the Idiwhaa gneisses would have been widespread. Given the predicted high flux of meteorites in the late Hadean, impact melting may have been the predominant mechanism that generated Hadean felsic rocks.
Abstract: The supercontinent cycle of episodic assembly and breakup of almost all continents on Earth is commonly considered the longest period variation to affect mantle convection. However, global zircon Hf isotopic signatures and seawater Sr isotope ratios suggest the existence of a longer-term variation trend that is twice the duration of the supercontinent cycle. Here we propose that since ?2 billion years ago the superocean surrounding a supercontinent, as well as the circum-supercontinent subduction girdle, survive every second supercontinent cycle. This interpretation is in agreement with global palaeogeography and is supported by variations in passive margin, orogen, and mineral deposit records that each exhibits both ?500-700 million years periodic signal and a 1000-1500 million years variation trend. We suggest that the supercontinent cycle is modulated by an assembly that alternates between dominantly extroversion after a more complete breakup, and dominantly introversion after an incomplete breakup of the previous supercontinent.
Abstract: There is an emerging consensus that Earth's landmasses amalgamate quasi-periodically into supercontinents, interpreted to be rigid super-plates essentially lacking tectonically active inner boundaries and showing little internal lithosphere-mantle interactions. The formation and disruption of supercontinents have been linked to changes in sea-level, biogeochemical cycles, global climate change, continental margin sedimentation, large igneous provinces, deep mantle circulation, outer core dynamics and Earth's magnetic field. If these hypotheses are correct, long-term mantle dynamics and much of the geological record, including the distribution of natural resources, may be largely controlled by these cycles. Despite their potential importance, however, many of these proposed links are, to date, permissive rather than proven. Sufficient data are not yet available to verify or fully understand the implications of the supercontinent cycle. Recent advances in many fields of geoscience provide clear directions for investigating the supercontinent cycle hypothesis and its corollaries but they need to be vigorously pursued if these far-reaching ideas are to be substantiated.
IN: Cycle Concepts in Plate Tectonics, editors Wilson and Houseman , Geological Society of London special publication 470, pp. 39-64.
Mantle
plate tectonics
Abstract: There is an emerging consensus that Earth's landmasses amalgamate quasi-periodically into supercontinents, interpreted to be rigid super-plates essentially lacking tectonically active inner boundaries and showing little internal lithosphere-mantle interactions. The formation and disruption of supercontinents have been linked to changes in sea-level, biogeochemical cycles, global climate change, continental margin sedimentation, large igneous provinces, deep mantle circulation, outer core dynamics and Earth's magnetic field. If these hypotheses are correct, long-term mantle dynamics and much of the geological record, including the distribution of natural resources, may be largely controlled by these cycles. Despite their potential importance, however, many of these proposed links are, to date, permissive rather than proven. Sufficient data are not yet available to verify or fully understand the implications of the supercontinent cycle. Recent advances in many fields of geoscience provide clear directions for investigating the supercontinent cycle hypothesis and its corollaries but they need to be vigorously pursued if these far-reaching ideas are to be substantiated.
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.
Abstract: Supercontinent Pangea was preceded by the formation of Gondwana, a “megacontinent” about half the size of Pangea. There is much debate, however, over what role the assembly of the precursor megacontinent played in the Pangean supercontinent cycle. Here we demonstrate that the past three cycles of supercontinent amalgamation were each preceded by ~200 m.y. by the assembly of a megacontinent akin to Gondwana, and that the building of a megacontinent is a geodynamically important precursor to supercontinent amalgamation. The recent assembly of Eurasia is considered as a fourth megacontinent associated with future supercontinent Amasia. We use constraints from seismology of the deep mantle for Eurasia and paleogeography for Gondwana to develop a geodynamic model for megacontinent assembly and subsequent supercontinent amalgamation. As a supercontinent breaks up, a megacontinent assembles along the subduction girdle that encircled it, at a specific location where the downwelling is most intense. The megacontinent then migrates along the girdle where it collides with other continents to form a supercontinent. The geometry of this model is consistent with the kinematic transitions from Rodinia to Gondwana to Pangea.
Earth-Science Reviews, Vol. 211, doi.org/10.1016 /j.earscirev.2020 .103413 17p. Pdf
Global
cratons
Abstract: Long-lived (800?Ma) Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic accretionary orogens on the margins of Laurentia, Baltica, Amazonia, and Kalahari collided to form the core of the supercontinent, Rodinia. Accretionary orogens in Laurentia and Baltica record predominately radiogenic zircon ?Hf(t) and whole-rock Pb isotopic compositions, short crustal residence times (ca. 0.5?Ga), and the development of arc-backarc complexes. The accretionary orogenic record of Laurentia and Baltica is consistent with a retreating accretionary orogen and analogous to the Phanerozoic western Pacific orogenic system. In contrast, the Mesoproterozoic orogens of Amazon and Kalahari cratons record unradiogenic zircon ?Hf(t) values, ca. 0.8?Ga crustal residence times, and more ancient whole-rock Pb isotopic signatures. The accretionary orogenic record of Amazonia and Kalahari indicates the preferential incorporation of cratonic material in continental arcs of advancing accretionary orogens comparable to the Phanerozoic eastern Pacific orogenic system. Based on similarities in the geodynamic evolution of the Phanerozoic circum-Pacific orogens peripheral to Gondwana/Pangea, we suggest that the Mesoproterozoic accretionary orogens formed as peripheral subduction zones along the margin of the supercontinent Nuna (ca. 1.8-1.6?Ga). The eventual collapse of this peripheral subduction zone onto itself and closure of the external ocean around Nuna to form Rodinia is equivalent to the projected future collapse of the circum-Pacific subduction system and juxtaposition of Australia-Asia with South America. The juxtaposition of advancing and retreating accretionary orogens at the core of the supercontinent Rodinia demonstrates that supercontinent assembly can occur by the closure of external oceans and indicates that future closure of the Pacific Ocean is plausible.
Geophysical Research Letters, doi:10.1029/2021GL093312
Mantle
orogeny
Abstract: Orogenesis is the process whereby tectonic plates converge and mountain systems are created. In the case of the Andes and Himalayas, orogenesis resulted in significant thickening of the continental crust. Recent attempts to provide geochemical proxies for crustal thickness have allowed geologists to track the thickness of the crust through geologic time. One period of time in particular between 1850 and ?850 million years ago-the mid-Proterozoic-was characterized as having relatively thin crust. Some have argued this is evidence for a period of "orogenic quiescence." However, the geologic record is rife with ancient orogenic belts during this time as evidenced by the metamorphic and igneous rock records. In particular, the metamorphic rocks display higher than normal temperature/pressure ratios indicating unusually hot crust. We propose that the thin crust at this time is a product of high temperatures resulting in greater crustal flow and therefore lower mountain ranges.
Bulletin of the Geological Survey of Finland, Vol. 79, 2, pp. 203-215.
Europe, Finland
deposit - Lentiira Kuhmo
Abstract: The Lentiira-Kuhmo-Kostomuksha triangle, along the Finland - Russian border and within the central part of the Archean Karelian craton, contains numerous examples of phlogopite-rich, ultramafic, mantle-xenocryst-bearing and, in some cases, diamond-bearing dike rocks. Laser probe Ar-Ar data on phlogopite from 3 dike rocks on the Finnish side (Lentiira, Kuhmo) all gave ages within error of each other, 1202 ± 3 Ma (2?), 1199 ± 3 Ma (2?) and 1204 ± 4 Ma (2?) while a fourth sample produced mixed ages. Published Rb-Sr dates on mineralogically and chemically similar dikes from the Russian side (Kostomuksha) are 1232 ± 5 Ma. The question remains open whether these represent two distinct age populations or whether differences in isotopic system behavior are the reason for the 30 m.y. age difference.
Journal of Metamorphic Geology, in press available
Europe, Greenland, Norway
mineral chemistry
Abstract: We present new and compiled whole rock modal mineral, major and trace element data from extremely melt depleted but pyroxenite and garnet(?ite) bearing Palaeoarchaean East Greenland cratonic mantle, exposed as three isolated, tectonically strained orogenic peridotite bodies (Ugelvik, Raudhaugene, Midsundvatnet) in western Norway. The studied lithologies comprise besides spinel? and/or garnet?bearing peridotite (dunite, harzburgite, lherzolite) garnet?clinopyroxenite and partially olivine?bearing garnet?orthopyroxenite and ?websterite. Chemical and modal data and spatial relationships between different rock types suggest deformation to have triggered mechanical mixing of garnet?free dunite with garnet?bearing enclosures that formed garnet?peridotite. Inclusions of olivine in porphyroclastic minerals of pyroxenite show a primary origin of olivine in olivine?bearing variants. Major element oxide abundances and ratios of websterite differ to those in rocks expected to form by reaction of peridotite with basaltic melts or silica?rich fluids, but resemble those of Archaean Al?enriched komatiite (AEK) flows from Barberton and Commondale greenstone belts, South Africa. Websterite GdN/YbN, 0.49-0.65 (olivine?free) and 0.73-0.85 (olivine?bearing), overlaps that of two subgroups of AEK, GdN/YbN 0.25-0.55 and 0.77-0.90, with each of them being nearly indistinguishable from one another in rare earth element fractionation but also concentration. Websterite MgO content is high, 22.7-29.0 wt.%, and Zr/Y is very low, 0.1-1.0. The other, non?websteritic pyroxenites overlap - when mechanically mixed together with garnetite - in chemistry with that of AEK. It follows an origin of websterite and likely all pyroxenite that involves melting of a garnet?bearing depleted mantle source. Pyroxene exsolution lamellae in the inferred solidus garnet in all lithological varieties require the pyroxenites to have crystallised in the majorite garnet stability field, at 3-4 GPa (90-120 km depth) at minimum 1600 °C. Consequently, we interpret the websterites to represent the first recognised deep plutonic crystallisation products that formed from komatiite melts. The other pyroxenitic rocks are likely fragments of such crystallisation products. An implication is that a mantle plume environment contributed to the formation of (one of) the worldwide oldest lithospheric mantle underneath the eastern Rae craton.
Journal of Metamorphic Geology, Vol. 36, 5, pp. 591-602.
Mantle
craton
Abstract: We present new and compiled whole?rock modal mineral, major and trace element data from extremely melt depleted but pyroxenite and garnet(?ite)?bearing Palaeoarchean East Greenland cratonic mantle, exposed as three isolated, tectonically strained orogenic peridotite bodies (Ugelvik, Raudhaugene and Midsundvatnet) in western Norway. The studied lithologies comprise besides spinel? and/or garnet?bearing peridotite (dunite, harzburgite, lherzolite) garnet?clinopyroxenite and partially olivine?bearing garnet?orthopyroxenite and ?websterite. Chemical and modal data and spatial relationships between different rock types suggest deformation to have triggered mechanical mixing of garnet?free dunite with garnet?bearing enclosures that formed garnet?peridotite. Inclusions of olivine in porphyroclastic minerals of pyroxenite show a primary origin of olivine in olivine?bearing variants. Major element oxide abundances and ratios of websterite differ to those in rocks expected to form by reaction of peridotite with basaltic melts or silica?rich fluids, but resemble those of Archean Al?enriched komatiite (AEK) flows from Barberton and Commondale greenstone belts, South Africa. Websterite GdN/YbN, 0.49-0.65 (olivine?free) and 0.73-0.85 (olivine?bearing), overlaps that of two subgroups of AEK, GdN/YbN 0.25-0.55 and 0.77-0.90, with each of them being nearly indistinguishable from one another in not only rare earth element fractionation but also concentration. Websterite MgO content is high, 22.7-29.0 wt%, and Zr/Y is very low, 0.1-1.0. The other, non?websteritic pyroxenites overlap—when mechanically mixed together with garnetite—in chemistry with that of AEK. It follows an origin of websterite and likely all pyroxenite that involves melting of a garnet?bearing depleted mantle source. Pyroxene exsolution lamellae in the inferred solidus garnet in all lithological varieties require the pyroxenites to have crystallized in the majorite garnet stability field, at 3-4 GPa (90-120 km depth) at minimum 1,600°C. Consequently, we interpret the websterites to represent the first recognized deep plutonic crystallization products that formed from komatiite melts. The other pyroxenitic rocks are likely fragments of such crystallization products. An implication is that a mantle plume environment contributed to the formation of (one of) the worldwide oldest lithospheric mantle underneath the eastern Rae craton.
Abstract: Garnet-(olivine) websterite xenoliths from the lithospheric mantle of the central and northeastern parts of the Siberian Craton contain exsolution microstructures after Si- and Ti-rich precursor garnets. We petrographically, geochemically, and thermobarometrically investigated 13 such xenoliths from the Mir, Obnazhennaya, and Udachnaya kimberlite pipes. All samples contain garnet grains with needle- to lamellae-shaped precipitates (up to 3.0?vol%), including Ti-oxide and/or pyroxene. Orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene grains host oriented lamellae of complementary Ca-rich and Ca-poor pyroxene, respectively, in addition to lamellae of garnet and Ti- and/or Cr-oxides. The common exsolution lamellae assemblages in garnet and pyroxene imply that exsolution occurred during cooling from high-temperature precursors. Exsolution is unlikely to have resulted from variations in pressure, given experimental and thermodynamic constraints. Host mineral partitioning of transition metal and lanthanide elements with different diffusivities record temperatures that range between those of local geotherms and a dry pyroxenite solidus. Inferred magmatic minimum temperatures of 1500-1700?°C satisfy the physical conditions predicted from experimental studies of the solubility of excess Si and Ti in garnet. Granular inclusions of all major minerals within each other imply an overlapping crystallisation history. The reconstructed compositions of the websterite whole-rocks have high MgO contents (15.7-35.7?wt%). A plot of MgO/SiO2 versus SiO2 forms an array, apart from the compositions of natural websterites that formed by interaction of peridotite with basaltic or siliceous melts. The array overlaps the compositional range of komatiite flows from Commondale and Barberton, South Africa, including spinifex, massive, and cumulate subtypes of komatiites. Other major and minor element abundances and ratios of the Siberian websterite suite resemble those of South African Al-enriched komatiites and are distinct from melt-rock reaction websterites. Therefore, the mineral microstructures and geochemistry of the Siberian websterites are suggestive of the former presence of a thermal anomaly. We propose that mantle plume activity or a similar form of lower-mantle ascent played a major role in stabilising cratonic nuclei before amalgamation of the present-day Siberian Craton.
Earth and Planetary Science letters, Vol. 528, 115820 11p.
Mantle
craton
Abstract: The continental crust and sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) are co-dependent reservoirs in terms of their geochemistry, tectonics, and long-term evolution. Obtaining insight into the mechanisms of lithosphere formation and differentiation requires robust constraint on the complex petrological history of mantle rocks. This has proven difficult as samples from the deep mantle are rare and, although many may have formed in the Archean, no such age has been obtained directly from mantle-derived silicate minerals. Lutetium-hafnium geochronology of garnet has the potential of overcoming this limitation. In this study, this technique was applied on fragments of the SCLM exposed in the Norwegian Caledonides. The chronologic record of these rocks is rich and extensive, yet it is difficult to interpret and is, in part, inconsistent. Our Lu-Hf results from supersilicic pyrope in dunite provide the first Archean internal isochron ages for mantle rocks. These ages are consistent with a period of juvenile crust formation worldwide and provide a record of deeply sourced mantle upwellings from >350 km depth. Results from fertile rock types indicate that melting and isotope re-equilibration occurred in sync with two Proterozoic supercontinent break-up events that are recorded in the Laurentian and Baltic lithospheres. Together, the results indicate that since its extraction during a period of rapid Archean crustal growth, the SCLM appears to have largely been at petro-physical and chemical stasis, with the exception of major episodes of continental break-up. The evolution of the SCLM is thus, highly punctuated and ultimately controlled by the Wilson cycle.
Americam Geophysical Union Fall meeting, 1p. Abstract
Europe, Norway
eclogites, peridotites
Abstract: The preservation of Archean cratons is typically attributed to the presence of a highly-depleted and buoyant sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) that is equally old or older than its overlying crust. Time constraints on the formation and petrological evolution of the SCLM are key to investigating its long-term evolution and role in the formation and preservation of the continental crust. Nevertheless, such constraints are difficult to obtain as well-preserved samples of the SCLM are rare and typically lack conventional chronometric minerals. The history of SCLM rocks is typically inferred on the basis of model ages, many of which indicate an Archean origin; however, these dates are difficult to link to specific mineral assemblages or chemical signatures, and the petrological and dynamic processes that these represent. Garnet Lu-Hf geochronology is one of the few chronometers that could overcome this limitation. In this study, a refined method in Lu-Hf garnet chronology was applied to fragments of the Laurentian SCLM that are now exposed as orogenic peridotites in the ultrahigh-pressure domains of the Western Gneiss Complex, Norway. The peridotite bodies comprise a variety of unusually well-preserved rock types-from dunites that record decompression and melting at >350 km depth to fertile lithologies produced by melting and fluid metasomatism. Our internal isochron results from pyrope (after exsolution from majorite) in dunite samples yielded identical Neoarchean ages; these are the first-ever obtained for mantle garnet. The ages coincide with a time interval during which there was voluminous juvenile crust formation, indicating a link between this global process and the deeply sourced mantle upwellings that these samples represent. Internal isochrons from websterite-and clinopyroxenite-hosted pyrope yielded Meso-to Neoproterozoic ages that exactly match two distinct supercontinent break-up events in the overlying continental crust. Together, the new Lu-Hf results indicate that since its extraction during a period of widespread Archean crustal growth, the Laurentian SCLM appears to have largely been at petro-physical and chemical stasis and evolved only during short pulses that ran in sync with the supercontinent cycle.
Abstract: Garnet-(olivine) websterite xenoliths from the lithospheric mantle of the central and northeastern parts of the Siberian Craton contain exsolution microstructures after Si- and Ti-rich precursor garnets. We petrographically, geochemically, and thermobarometrically investigated 13 such xenoliths from the Mir, Obnazhennaya, and Udachnaya kimberlite pipes. All samples contain garnet grains with needle- to lamellae-shaped precipitates (up to 3.0?vol%), including Ti-oxide and/or pyroxene. Orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene grains host oriented lamellae of complementary Ca-rich and Ca-poor pyroxene, respectively, in addition to lamellae of garnet and Ti- and/or Cr-oxides. The common exsolution lamellae assemblages in garnet and pyroxene imply that exsolution occurred during cooling from high-temperature precursors. Exsolution is unlikely to have resulted from variations in pressure, given experimental and thermodynamic constraints. Host mineral partitioning of transition metal and lanthanide elements with different diffusivities record temperatures that range between those of local geotherms and a dry pyroxenite solidus. Inferred magmatic minimum temperatures of 1500-1700?°C satisfy the physical conditions predicted from experimental studies of the solubility of excess Si and Ti in garnet. Granular inclusions of all major minerals within each other imply an overlapping crystallisation history. The reconstructed compositions of the websterite whole-rocks have high MgO contents (15.7-35.7?wt%). A plot of MgO/SiO2 versus SiO2 forms an array, apart from the compositions of natural websterites that formed by interaction of peridotite with basaltic or siliceous melts. The array overlaps the compositional range of komatiite flows from Commondale and Barberton, South Africa, including spinifex, massive, and cumulate subtypes of komatiites. Other major and minor element abundances and ratios of the Siberian websterite suite resemble those of South African Al-enriched komatiites and are distinct from melt-rock reaction websterites. Therefore, the mineral microstructures and geochemistry of the Siberian websterites are suggestive of the former presence of a thermal anomaly. We propose that mantle plume activity or a similar form of lower-mantle ascent played a major role in stabilising cratonic nuclei before amalgamation of the present-day Siberian Craton.
Abstract: Some geochemical models for basaltic and more primitive rocks suggest that their parental magmas have assimilated tens of weight percent of crustal silicate wall rock. But what are the thermodynamic limits for assimilation in primitive magmas? We pursue this question quantitatively using a freely available thermodynamic tool for phase equilibria modeling of open magmatic systems—the Magma Chamber Simulator (https://mcs.geol.ucsb.edu)—and focus on modeling assimilation of wall-rock partial melts, which is thermodynamically more efficient compared to bulk assimilation of stoped wall-rock blocks in primitive igneous systems. In the simulations, diverse komatiitic, picritic, and basaltic parental magmas assimilate progressive partial melts of preheated average lower, middle, and upper crust in amounts allowed by thermodynamics. Our results indicate that it is difficult for any subalkaline primitive magma to assimilate more than 20?30 wt% of upper or middle crust before evolving to compositions with higher SiO2 than a basaltic magma (52 wt%). On the other hand, typical komatiitic magmas have thermodynamic potential to assimilate as much as their own mass (59?102 wt%) of lower crust and retain a basaltic composition. The compositions of the parental melt and the assimilant heavily influence both how much assimilation is energetically possible in primitive magmas and the final magma composition given typical temperatures. These findings have important implications for the role of assimilation in the generation and evolution of, e.g., ultramafic to mafic trans-Moho magmatic systems, siliceous high-Mg basalts, and massif-type anorthosites.
Abstract: Cenozoic primitive basanites, nephelinites and melilitites from the Heldburg region, SE Germany, are high-MgO magmas (8•5-14•1?wt % MgO), with low SiO2 (34•2-47•1?wt %) and low to moderately high Al2O3 (9•0-15•5?wt %) and CaO (8•7-12•7?wt %). The Ni and Cr contents of most samples are up to 470?ppm and 640?ppm, respectively, and match those inferred for primary melts. In multi-element diagrams, all samples are highly enriched in incompatible trace elements with chondrite-normalised La/Yb?=?19-45, strongly depleted in Rb and K, with primitive mantle normalised K/La?=?0•15-0•72, and moderately depleted in Pb. The initial Sr-Nd-Hf isotope compositions (87Sr/86Sr?=?0•7033-0•7051, 143Nd/144Nd?=?0•51279-0•51288 and 176Hf/177Hf?=?0•28284-0•28294) fall within the range observed for other Tertiary volcanic rocks of the Central European Volcanic Province, whereas 208Pb/204Pb and 206Pb/204Pb (38•42-38•88 and 18•49-18•98) are distinctly lower at comparable 207Pb/204Pb (15•60-15•65). Trace element modelling and pressure-temperature estimates based on major element compositions and experimental data suggest that the nephelinites/melilitites formed within the lowermost lithospheric mantle, close to the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary, by ?3-5% partial melting of a highly enriched, metasomatised, carbonated phlogopite-bearing garnet-lherzolite at temperatures?<1250?°C and pressures of ?2•8?GPa. This corresponds to a melting depth of less than ?85?km. Formation and eruption of these magmas, based on 40Ar/39Ar dating, started in the late Eocene (38•0 Ma) and lasted until the late Oligocene (25•4 Ma). Basanite eruptions occurred in the same area in the middle Miocene, about 7•7 Myr after nephelinite/melilitite generation has ceased, and lasted from 17•7 to 13•1 Ma. The basanites were generated at lower pressures (2•2-1•7?GPa) at similar temperatures (?1220-1250?°C) within the spinel stability field in the lithospheric mantle by 2-6% partial melting. Isotope and trace element systematics indicate that the lithospheric mantle source of the Heldburg magmas was affected by metasomatism associated with long-lasting subduction of oceanic and continental crust during the Variscan orogeny. Aqueous or supercritical fluids that formed at temperatures?<1000?°C and pressures of likely?>4?GPa infiltrated the thermal boundary layer at the base of the lithospheric mantle and imprinted a crustal lead isotope, and to a minor extent crustal Sr, Nd and Hf isotope signatures. They also reduced Nb/U, Ce/Pb, Lu/Hf, Sm/Nd, U/Pb and Th/Pb, but increased Rb/Sr and Nb/Ta and amplified the enrichment of LILE and LREE relative to HREE. This lead to the highly-enriched trace element patterns observed in both sample suites, and to overall less radiogenic 206Pb/204Pb and 208Pb/204Pb compared to other continental basalts in Central Europe, and to less radiogenic 176Hf/177Hf and 143Nd/144Nd that plot distinctly below the terrestrial mantle array. Temporal evolution of magmatism in the Heldburg region coincides with the changing Tertiary intraplate stress field in Central Europe, which developed in response to the Alpine orogeny. Magmatism was most probably caused in response to lithosphere deformation and perturbation of the thermal boundary layer, and not by actively upwelling asthenosphere.
Abstract: Mantle xenoliths (>150) and concentrates from late autolithic breccia and porphyritic kimberlite from the Sytykanskaya pipe of the Alakit field (Yakutia) were analyzed by EPMA and LAM ICP methods. In P-T-X-f(O2) diagrams minerals from xenoliths show widest variations, the trends P-Fe#-CaO, f(O2) for minerals from porphyric kimberlites are more stepped than for xenocrysts from breccia. Ilmenite PTX points mark moving for protokimberlites from the lithosphere base (7.5 GPa) to pyroxenite lens (5-3.5 GPa) accompanied by Cr increase by AFC and creation of two trends P-Fe#Ol ?10-12% and 13-15%. The Opx-Gar-based mantle geotherm in Alakit field is close to 35 mW/m2 at 65 GPa and 600 °C near Moho was determined. The oxidation state for the megacrystalline ilmenites is lower for the metasomatic associations due to reduction of protokimberlites on peridotites than for uncontaminated varieties at the lithosphere base. Highly inclined linear REE patterns with deep HFSE troughs for the parental melts of clinopyroxene and garnet xenocrysts from breccia were influenced by differentiated protokimberlite. Melts for metasomatic xenoliths reveal less inclined slopes without deep troughs in spider diagrams. Garnets reveal S-shaped REE patterns. The clinopyroxenes from graphite bearing Cr-websterites show inclined and inflected in Gd spectrums with LREE variations due to AFC differentiation. Melts for garnets display less inclined patterns and Ba-Sr troughs but enrichment in Nb-Ta-U. The 40Ar/39Ar ages for micas from the Alakit mantle xenoliths for disseminated phlogopites reveal Proterozoic (1154 Ma) age of metasomatism in early Rodinia mantle. Veined glimmerites with richterite - like amphiboles mark ?1015 Ma plume event in Rodinia mantle. The ?600-550 Ma stage manifests final Rodinia break-up. The last 385 Ma metasomatism is protokimberlite-related.
Abstract: The Dalnyaya kimberlite pipe (Yakutia, Russia) contains mantle peridotite xenoliths (mostly lherzolites and harzburgites) that show both sheared porphyroclastic (deformed) and coarse granular textures, together with ilmenite and clinopyroxene megacrysts. Deformed peridotites contain high-temperature Fe-rich clinopyroxenes, sometimes associated with picroilmenites, which are products of interaction of the lithospheric mantle with protokimberlite related melts. The orthopyroxene-derived geotherm for the lithospheric mantle beneath Dalnyaya is stepped similar to that beneath the Udachnaya pipe. Coarse granular xenoliths fall on a geotherm of 35 mWm?2 whereas deformed varieties yield a 45 mWm?2 geotherm in the 2-7.5 GPa pressure interval. The chemistry of the constituent minerals including garnet, olivine and clinopyroxene shows trends of increasing Fe# (=Fe/(Fe + Mg)) with decreasing pressure. This may suggest that the interaction with fractionating protokimberlite melts occurred at different levels. Two major mantle lithologies are distinguished by the trace element patterns of their constituent minerals, determined by LA-ICP-MS. Orthopyroxenes, some clinopyroxenes and rare garnets are depleted in Ba, Sr, HFSE and MREE and represent relic lithospheric mantle. Re-fertilized garnet and clinopyroxene are more enriched. The distribution of trace elements between garnet and clinopyroxene shows that the garnets dissolved primary orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene. Later high temperature clinopyroxenes related to the protokimberlite melts partially dissolved these garnets. Olivines show decreases in Ni and increases in Al, Ca and Ti from Mg-rich varieties to the more Fe-rich, deformed and refertilized ones. Minerals showing higher Fe# (0.11-0.15) are found within intergrowths of low-Cr ilmenite-clinopyroxene-garnet related to the crystallization of protokimberlite melts in feeder channels. In P-f(O2) diagrams, garnets and Cr-rich clinopyroxenes indicate reduced conditions at the base of the lithosphere at ?5 log units below a FMQ buffer. However, Cr-poor clinopyroxenes, together with ilmenite and some Fe-Ca-rich garnets, demonstrate a more oxidized trend in the lower part of lithosphere at ?2 to 0 log units relative to FMQ. Clinopyroxenes from xenoliths in most cases show conditions transitional between those determined for garnets and megacrystalline Cr-poor suite. The relatively low diamond grade of Dalnyaya kimberlites is explained by a high degree of interaction with the oxidized protokimberlite melts, which is greater at the base of the lithosphere.
Abstract: Carbon isotope compositions and the distribution of nitrogen and hydrogen in diamonds from 18 eclogites from Nurbinskaya kimberlites were studied in situ in polished plates. Cathodoluminescence images show that most of the diamonds have complex growth structures with distinctive core, intermediate and rim zones. In some diamonds the cores display dissolution features, and intermediate growth zones are separated from the cores by narrow rounded oscillatory zones. At least three crystals show interrupted multistage diamond growth; variations in ?13C of 2–3‰ occur across the contacts between distinct zones. Generally, ?13C within the diamond cores varies only by 1–2‰, in rare cases up to 3.3‰. ?13C values are usually lower in the intermediate zones and drop further towards the rims by up to 3‰. High-resolution SIMS profiles show that variations in ?13C across the diamond growth zones are sharp with no evidence of diffusive relaxation. Diamonds with predominantly tangential octahedral growth have a wide range in ?13C from ? 15.2‰ up to 9.0‰ (± 0.4‰), and their nitrogen (N) contents vary between 30 and 1500 at. ppm. Six diamonds show little internal variation along the isotopic profiles with changes in ?13C of only 0.3–0.9‰ around mean values ranging from ? 6‰ to ? 3‰. Five crystals are isotopically heavy, with relatively homogeneous ?13C up to 9‰. FTIR data show markedly different N concentrations and nitrogen aggregation states between major growth zones. This implies that the diamonds in eclogitic xenoliths from Nyurbinskaya pipe grew in multiple and interrupted growth events, probably from fluids enriched in K and H. The wide variations of ?13C in the studied eclogitic diamonds and identification of their anomalously positive ?13C values, combined with the wide range of high ?18O in garnets from the diamondiferous xenoliths of the Nyurbinskaya pipe, which are mostly outside of the mantle range, suggest a crustal contribution to the parental mantle-related fluids forming diamonds in these xenoliths and indicate the complex metasomatic evolution of the lithospheric mantle beneath the Nakynsky kimberlite field.
Abstract: New versions of the universal Jd-Di exchange clinopyroxene barometer for peridotites, pyroxenites and eclogites, and also garnet barometer for eclogites and peridotites were developed. They were checked using large experimental data sets for eclogitic (?530) and peridotitic systems (>650). The precision of the universal Cpx barometer for peridotites based on Jd-Di exchange is close to Cr-Tschermakite method produced by Nimis and Taylor (2000). Cpx barometer was transformed by the substitution of major multiplier for KD by the equations dependent from Al-Na-Fe. Obtained equation in combination with the thermometer of Nimis and Taylor (2000) allow to reconstruct position of the magma feeder systems of the alkali basaltic magma within the mantle diapirs in modern platforms like in Vitim plateau and other Southern Siberia localities and several localities worldwide showing good agreement of pressure ranges for black and green suites. These equations allow construct PTX diagrams for the kimberlite localities in Siberia and worldwide calculating simultaneously the PT parameters for different groups of mantle rocks. They give very good results for the concentrates from kimberlite lamproites and placers with mantle minerals. They are useful for PT estimates for diamond inclusions. The positions of eclogite groups in mantle sections are similar to those determined with new Gar–Cpx barometer produced by C. Beyer et al. (2015). The Fe rich eclogites commonly trace the boundary between the lower upper parts of subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) at 3–4 GPa marking pyroxenite eclogites layer. Ca-rich eclogites and especially grospydites in SCLM beneath Precambrian kimberlites occurs near pyroxenite layer but in younger mantle sections they became common in the lower parts. The diamondiferous Mg Cr-less group eclogites referring to the ancient island arc complexes are also common in the middle part of mantle sections and near 5–6 GPa. Commonly eclogites in lower apart of mantle sections are remelted and trace the high temperature convective branch. The Mg- and Fe-rich pyroxenites also show the extending in pressure trends which suggest the anatexic melting under the influence of volatiles or under the interaction with plums.
Parageneses of garnet inclusions in diamonds from Yakutia kimberlites based on Raman and IR spectroscopy data. Udachnaya, Zapolyarnaya, Komolskaya, Yuibeyana, Aikhal, Mir, Mayskaya.
Geology of Ore Deposits, Vol. 61, 7, pp. 606-612. pdf
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.
Ashchepkov, I., Ntaflos, T., Logvinova, A., Vladykin, N., Ivanov, A., Spetsius, Z., Stegnitsky, Y., Kostrovitsky, S., Salikhov, R., Makovchuk, I., Shmarov, G., Karpenko, M., Downes, H., Madvedev, N.
Abstract: The PTX diagrams for the separate phases in Sytykanskaya (Ashchepkov et al., 2016) Dalnyaya (Ashchepkov et al., 2017), pipes shows that the PK show the relatively simple P-X trends and geotherms and shows more contrast and simple layering. The PK contain most abundant material from the root of the magma generation they are dunitic veins as the magma feeders represented by the megacrysts. New results for the Aykhal, Zarya and Komsomolskaya pipes in Alake field and Zarnitsa and Udachnaya pipes in Daldyn field show that evolution is accompanied by the developing of metasomatites and branching and veining of the wall rock peridotites . In Aykhal pipe in PK the Gar- dunites prevail, the xenoliths from the dark ABK "Rebus" contain Cr-Ti - rich garnets and ilmenites, more abundant compared with the grey carbonited breccia Nearly the same features were found for Yubileinaya pipe. The example of Komsomolskya pipes show that the ABK contain more eclogitic xenolith than PK. The developing of the magma channel shown in satellite Chukukskaya and Structurnaya pipe was followed by the separation of some parts of the magmatic feeders and crystallization of abundant Gar megacrysts near o the walls blocking the peridotites from the magma feeder. This drastically decrease diamond grade of pipes. Such blocking seems to be the common features for the latest breccias. In Zarnitsa pipe, the dark PK and ABK also contain fresh xenoliths but not only dunites but also sheared and metasomatic varieties and eclogites. Most of dark ABK in Yakutia contain the intergrowth of ilmenites with brown Ti- Cpx showing joint evolution trends. The late breccia contains completely altered peridotite xenoliths mainly of dunite- harzburgite type. The comparison of the trace elements of the coexisting minerals in megacryst show that they were derived from the protokimberlites but are not in complete equilibrium as well as other megacrystalline phases. Ilmenites show inflections of the trace element patterns of most Ilmenites but more regular for the Cpx and Garnets revealing the sub parallel patterns elevating LREE with the rising TRE. But commonly these are not continuous sequances because they developed in the pulsing moving systems like beneath Zarnitsa. The minerals from the feeders like dunites also show the inflected or S-type REE patterns. From the earlier to later phases the TRE compositions became more evolved reflecting the evolution of protokimberlites. The wall rocks also often show the interaction with the more evolved melts and sometimes "cut" spectrums due to the dissolution some phases and repeated melting events So we could suggest the joint evolution of the mantle column protokimberlites and megacrysts composition and type of kimberlites with the diamond grade. The mantle lithospheric base captured by the PK. The developing and rising protokimbelrites was followed by the crystallization of the diamonds in the gradient in FO2 zone in wall rocks due to reductions of C -bearing fluids and carbonatites (> 1 QMF) on peridotites ((< -2 -5 QMF). The most intensive reactions are near the graphite - diamond boundary where protokimberlites are breaking and where most framesites are forming.
Evidence for the resemblance of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle in the areas of kimberlite lamproite magmatism: constraints on the evolution of the Siberian Craton.
Deep Seated Magmatism, magmatism sources and the problem of plumes., pp. 132-147.
Abstract: New versions of the universal Jd-Di exchange clinopyroxene barometer for peridotites, pyroxenites and eclogites, and also garnet barometer for eclogites and peridotites were developed. They were checked using large experimental data sets for eclogitic (?530) and peridotitic systems (>650). The precision of the universal Cpx barometer for peridotites based on Jd-Di exchange is close to Cr-Tschermakite method produced by Nimis and Taylor (2000). Cpx barometer was transformed by the substitution of major multiplier for KD by the equations dependent from Al-Na-Fe. Obtained equation in combination with the thermometer of Nimis and Taylor (2000) allow to reconstruct position of the magma feeder systems of the alkali basaltic magma within the mantle diapirs in modern platforms like in Vitim plateau and other Southern Siberia localities and several localities worldwide showing good agreement of pressure ranges for black and green suites. These equations allow construct PTX diagrams for the kimberlite localities in Siberia and worldwide calculating simultaneously the PT parameters for different groups of mantle rocks. They give very good results for the concentrates from kimberlite lamproites and placers with mantle minerals. They are useful for PT estimates for diamond inclusions. The positions of eclogite groups in mantle sections are similar to those determined with new Gar-Cpx barometer produced by C. Beyer et al. (2015). The Fe rich eclogites commonly trace the boundary between the lower upper parts of subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) at 3-4 GPa marking pyroxenite eclogites layer. Ca-rich eclogites and especially grospydites in SCLM beneath Precambrian kimberlites occurs near pyroxenite layer but in younger mantle sections they became common in the lower parts. The diamondiferous Mg Cr-less group eclogites referring to the ancient island arc complexes are also common in the middle part of mantle sections and near 5-6 GPa. Commonly eclogites in lower apart of mantle sections are remelted and trace the high temperature convective branch. The Mg- and Fe-rich pyroxenites also show the extending in pressure trends which suggest the anatexic melting under the influence of volatiles or under the interaction with plums.
Abstract: The results of the study of diamonds with inclusions of high-pressure modification of SiO2 (coesite) by Raman spectroscopy are reported. It is established that the octahedral crystal from the Zapolyarnaya pipe is characterized by the highest residual pressure (2.7 ± 0.07 GPa). An intermediate value of this parameter (2.1 ± 0.07 GPa) was obtained for a crystal of transitional habit from the Maiskaya pipe. The minimal Raman shift was registered for coesite in diamond from the Komsomol’skaya-Magnitnaya pipe and provided a calculated residual pressure of 1.8 ± 0.03 GPa. The residual pressures for crystals from the placer deposits of the Kuoika and Bol’shaya Kuonamka rivers are 2.7 ± 0.07 and 3.1 ± 0.1 GPa, respectively. Octahedral crystals were formed in the mantle at a higher pressure than rhombododecahedral diamonds.
Abstract: The first results of study of minerals and diamonds of diamond-bearing eclogites from kimberlites of the Yubileinaya pipe with a variable percent amount of clinopyroxene and garnet are presented. Samples with a garnet content from 30 to 90% of the xenolith volume are dominant among the round to oval xenoliths with diamonds. Five eclogite samples contain grains of accessory rutile, as well as corundum and kyanite. Some samples host two or more diamond crystals.
Abstract: The first studies of diamonds in eclogitic xenoliths from the Komsomolskaya kimberlite pipe are described. Among round and oval-shaped xenoliths with diamond ingrowths, samples with a garnet content of 40-90% of the xenolith volume dominate. Two eclogite samples contain grains of accessory rutile; a kyanite sample is also revealed. Certain samples contain two or more crystals of diamonds. Diamonds with an octahedral habit and crystals with transitional habits, which belong to an octahedral-rhombic dodecahedral row, dominate in eclogites; there are many variety VIII aggregates. A high concentration of structural nitrogen, commonly in the A form, was registered in most of the crystals. Diamonds with a small content of nitrogen impurities, 40-67% in the B1 form, are present in a number of xenoliths. The calculated temperatures of the formation of eclogitic xenoliths is 1100-1300°C. Diversity in the impurity compositions of diamonds in the same xenolith shows that these diamonds were formed at various times and in different settings. The diamond position in xenoliths, the various level of nitrogen aggregation in the diamonds, and a number of other factors point to the later formation of the diamonds, as compared to minerals of eclogites, from fluid or fluid-melts in the process of metasomatosis.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 174, 8 22p.
Africa, South Africa, Russia, Canada, Northwest Territories
deposit - Bultfontein, Roberts Victor, Udachnaya-East, Obnazhennaya, Vtorogodnitsa, Koala, Leslie
Abstract: Djerfisherite (K6(Fe,Ni,Cu)25S26Cl) occurs as an accessory phase in the groundmass of many kimberlites, kimberlite-hosted mantle xenoliths, and as a daughter inclusion phase in diamonds and kimberlitic minerals. Djerfisherite typically occurs as replacement of pre-existing Fe-Ni-Cu sulphides (i.e. pyrrhotite, pentlandite and chalcopyrite), but can also occur as individual grains, or as poikilitic phase in the groundmass of kimberlites. In this study, we present new constraints on the origin and genesis of djerfisherite in kimberlites and their entrained xenoliths. Djerfisherite has extremely heterogeneous compositions in terms of Fe, Ni and Cu ratios. However, there appears to be no distinct compositional range of djerfisherite indicative of a particular setting (i.e. kimberlites, xenoliths or diamonds), rather this compositional diversity reflects the composition of the host kimberlite melt and/or interacting metasomatic medium. In addition, djerfisherite may contain K and Cl contents less than the ideal formula unit. Raman spectroscopy and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) revealed that these K-Cl poor sulphides still maintain the same djerfisherite crystal structure. Two potential mechanisms for djerfisherite formation are considered: (1) replacement of pre-existing Fe-Ni-Cu sulphides by djerfisherite, which is attributed to precursor sulphides reacting with metasomatic K-Cl bearing melts/fluids in the mantle or the transporting kimberlite melt; (2) direct crystallisation of djerfisherite from the kimberlite melt in groundmass or due to kimberlite melt infiltration into xenoliths. The occurrence of djerfisherite in kimberlites and its mantle cargo from localities worldwide provides strong evidence that the metasomatising/infiltrating kimberlite melt/fluid was enriched in K and Cl. We suggest that kimberlites originated from melts that were more enriched in alkalis and halogens relative to their whole-rock compositions.
Yoneda, A., Chen, G., Spetzler, H.A., Getting, I.G.
The effect of composition, temperature and pressure on the elasticity of olivine and garnet: implications for interpreting seismic velocity variations in mantle.
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.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 498, pp. 77-87.
Mantle
geophysics - seismic
Abstract: Earth's transition zone at depths between 410 km and 660 km plays a key role in Earth's deep water cycle since large amounts of hydrogen can be stored in the nominally anhydrous minerals wadsleyite and ringwoodite, . Previous mineral physics experiments on iron-free wadsleyite proposed low seismic velocities as an indicative feature for hydration in the transition zone. Here we report simultaneous sound wave velocity and density measurements on iron-bearing wadsleyite single crystals with 0.24 wt-% . By comparison with earlier studies, we show that pressure suppresses the velocity reduction caused by higher degrees of hydration in iron-bearing wadsleyite, ultimately leading to a velocity cross-over for both P-waves and S-waves. Modeling based on our experimental results shows that wave speed variations within the transition zone as well as velocity jumps at the 410-km seismic discontinuity, both of which have been used in previous work to detect mantle hydration, are poor water sensors. Instead, the impedance contrast across the 410-km seismic discontinuity that is reduced in the presence of water can serve as a more robust indicator for hydrated parts of the transition zone.
Nature , Vol. 603, pp. 276-279. 10.1038/s41586-021-04378-2
Mantle
perovskite
Abstract: Cubic CaSiO3 perovskite is a major phase in subducted oceanic crust, where it forms at a depth of about 550 kilometres from majoritic garnet1,2,28. However, its rheological properties at temperatures and pressures typical of the lower mantle are poorly known. Here we measured the plastic strength of cubic CaSiO3 perovskite at pressure and temperature conditions typical for a subducting slab up to a depth of about 1,200 kilometres. In contrast to tetragonal CaSiO3, previously investigated at room temperature3,4, we find that cubic CaSiO3 perovskite is a comparably weak phase at the temperatures of the lower mantle. We find that its strength and viscosity are substantially lower than that of bridgmanite and ferropericlase, possibly making cubic CaSiO3 perovskite the weakest lower-mantle phase. Our findings suggest that cubic CaSiO3 perovskite governs the dynamics of subducting slabs. Weak CaSiO3 perovskite further provides a mechanism to separate subducted oceanic crust from the underlying mantle. Depending on the depth of the separation, basaltic crust could accumulate at the boundary between the upper and lower mantle, where cubic CaSiO3 perovskite may contribute to the seismically observed regions of low shear-wave velocities in the uppermost lower mantle5,6, or sink to the core-mantle boundary and explain the seismic anomalies associated with large low-shear-velocity provinces beneath Africa and the Pacific7-9.
Gems & Gemology, Sixth International Gemological Symposium Vol. 54, 3, 1p. Abstract p. 306-7.
Mantle
diamond inclusions
Abstract: Nitrogen is one of the most common impurities in diamond, and its aggregation styles have been used as criteria for diamond classification. Pure type IaB diamonds (with 100% nitrogen in B aggregation) are rather rare among natural diamonds. The occurrence of the B center is generally associated with high temperature and a long residence time of the host diamond, which would potentially provide information on the earth’s deep interior. Seawater circulation is the unique process that shapes the surface of our planet and potentially has a profound effect on its interior due to slab subduction. In about 50 type IaB diamonds with detectable micro-inclusions submitted to GIA for screening, we found that more than 70% of them contained a typical mineral assemblage from the sublithosphere. Jeffbenite (TAPP), majorite garnet, enstatite, and ferropericlase have been observed, which could be retrograde products of former bridgmanite. CaSiO3-walstromite with larnite and titanite is the dominant phase present in approximately 40% of all diamond samples. Direct evidence from oxygen isotope ratios measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry, or SIMS, (?18OVSMOWin the range +10.7 to +12.5‰) of CaSiO3-walstromite with coexisting larnite and titanite that retrograde from CaSiO3-perovskite suggest that hydrothermally altered oceanic basalt can subduct to depths of >410 km in the transition zone. Incorporation of materials from subducted altered oceanic crust into the deep mantle produced diamond inclusions that have both lower mantle and subduction signatures. Ca(Si,Al)O3-perovskite was observed with a high concentration of rare earth elements (>5 wt.%) that could be enriched under P-Tconditions in the lower mantle. Evidence from ringwoodite with a hydroxide bond, coexisting tuite and apatite, precipitates of an NH3phase, and cohenite with trace amounts of Cl imply that the subducted brines can potentially introduce hydrous fluid to the bottom of the transition zone. In the diamonds with subducted materials, the increasing carbon isotope ratio from the core to the rim region detected by SIMS (?13C from -5.5‰ to -4‰) suggests that an oxidized carbonate-dominated fluid was associated with recycling of the subducted hydrous material. The deep subduction played an important role in balancing redox exchange with the reduced lower mantle indicated by precipitated iron nanoparticles and coexisting hydrocarbons and carbonate phases.
Oxygen isotope contamination of carbonates, silicates and oxides in selected carbonatites: constraints on crystallization temperatures of carbonatitic magmas.
Pivin, M., Valley, J.W., Spicuzza, M.J., Demaiffe, D.
Oxygen isotopic composition of garnet clinopyroxene and zircon megacrysts from kimberlites in Democratic Republic of Congo: insights into their petrogenesis.
International Mineralogical Association meeting August Budapest, abstract p. 560.
Oxygen isotope variations of garnets and clinopyroxenes in a layered Diamondiferous calcsilicate rock from Kokchetav Massif, Kazakhstan: a window into geochemical
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 162, 5, pp.1079-1092.
Dasgupta, R., Hirschmann, M.M., McDonough, W.F., Spiegelman, M., Withers, A.C.
Trace element partitioning between garnet lherzolite and carbonatite at 6.6 and 8.6 GPa with application to the geochemistry of the mantle and mantle derived melts
Chemical Geology, Vol. 262, 1-2, May 15, pp. 57-77.
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 464, pp. 189-199.
Mantle
Water
Abstract: We investigate the influence of the mantle water content in the early Earth on that in the present mantle using numerical convection simulations that include three processes for redistribution of water: dehydration, partitioning of water into partially molten mantle, and regassing assuming an infinite water reservoir at the surface. These models suggest that the water content of the present mantle is insensitive to that of the early Earth. The initial water stored during planetary formation is regulated up to 1.2 OMs (OM = Ocean Mass; 1.4×1021 kg1.4×1021 kg), which is reasonable for early Earth. However, the mantle water content is sensitive to the rheological dependence on the water content and can range from 1.2 to 3 OMs at the present day. To explain the evolution of mantle water content, we computed water fluxes due to subducting plates (regassing), degassing and dehydration. For weakly water dependent viscosity, the net water flux is almost balanced with those three fluxes but, for strongly water dependent viscosity, the regassing dominates the water cycle system because the surface plate activity is more vigorous. The increased convection is due to enhanced lubrication of the plates caused by a weak hydrous crust for strongly water dependent viscosity. The degassing history is insensitive to the initial water content of the early Earth as well as rheological strength. The degassing flux from Earth's surface is calculated to be approximately O(1013) kg/yrO(1013) kg/yr, consistent with a coupled model of climate evolution and mantle thermal evolution.
Abstract: At the core of many Earth-scale processes is the question of what the deep mantle is made of. The only direct samples from such extreme depths are diamonds and their inclusions. It is commonly assumed that these inclusions reflect ambient mantle or are syngenetic with diamond, but these assumptions are rarely tested. We have studied inclusion-host growth relationships in two potentially superdeep diamonds from Juina (Brazil) containing nine inclusions of Fe-rich (XFe ?0.33 to ?0.64) ferropericlase-magnesiowüstite (FM) by X-ray diffractometry, X-ray tomography, cathodoluminescence, electron backscatter diffraction, and electron microprobe analysis. The inclusions share a common [112] zone axis with their diamonds and have their major crystallographic axes within 3°-8° of those of their hosts. This suggests a specific crystallographic orientation relationship (COR) resulting from interfacial energy minimization, disturbed by minor post-entrapment rotation around [112] due to plastic deformation. The observed COR and the relationships between inclusions and diamond growth zones imply that FM nucleated during the growth history of the diamond. Therefore, these inclusions may not provide direct information on the ambient mantle prior to diamond formation. Consequently, a “non-pyrolitic” composition of the lower mantle is not required to explain the occurrence of Fe-rich FM inclusions in diamonds. By identifying examples of mineral inclusions that reflect the local environment of diamond formation and not ambient mantle, we provide both a cautionary tale and a means to test diamond-inclusion time relationships for proper application of inclusion studies to whole-mantle questions.
Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisische e Naturali *** In Eng, 8p. Pdf
Mantle
water
Abstract: This contribution deals with two different hypotheses on the origin of superficial water on the Earth: the Endogenous hypothesis and the Exogenous one. They proposed that water either was brought to the surface of the Earth from the deep interior of the Earth or would have come to the Earth from celestial bodies that bombarded the planet billions of years ago. The evidence from recent astronomical and geological findings supporting the two alternative hypotheses will be discussed.
New evidence from a calcite dolomite carbonatite dyke for the magmatic origin of the massive Bayan Obo ore bearing dolomite marble, Inner Mongolia China.
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.
Le Bas, M.J., Xueming, Y., Taylor, R.N., Spiro, B., Milton, J.A., Peishan, Z.
New evidence from a calcite dolomite carbonatite dyke for the magmatic origin of the massive Bayan Obo ore bearing dolomite marble, Inner Mongolia, China.
Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 90, 3-4, pp. 223-248.
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 172, 96
Africa, Malawi
carbonatite
Abstract: Carbonatites host some of the largest and highest grade rare earth element (REE) deposits but the composition and source of their REE-mineralising fluids remains enigmatic. Using C, O and 87Sr/86Sr isotope data together with major and trace element compositions for the REE-rich Kangankunde carbonatite (Malawi), we show that the commonly observed, dark brown, Fe-rich carbonatite that hosts REE minerals in many carbonatites is decoupled from the REE mineral assemblage. REE-rich ferroan dolomite carbonatites, containing 8-15 wt% REE2O3, comprise assemblages of monazite-(Ce), strontianite and baryte forming hexagonal pseudomorphs after probable burbankite. The 87Sr/86Sr values (0.70302-0.70307) affirm a carbonatitic origin for these pseudomorph-forming fluids. Carbon and oxygen isotope ratios of strontianite, representing the REE mineral assemblage, indicate equilibrium between these assemblages and a carbonatite-derived, deuteric fluid between 250 and 400 °C (?18O + 3 to + 5‰VSMOW and ?13C ? 3.5 to ? 3.2‰VPDB). In contrast, dolomite in the same samples has similar ?13C values but much higher ?18O, corresponding to increasing degrees of exchange with low-temperature fluids (< 125 °C), causing exsolution of Fe oxides resulting in the dark colour of these rocks. REE-rich quartz rocks, which occur outside of the intrusion, have similar ?18O and 87Sr/86Sr to those of the main complex, indicating both are carbonatite-derived and, locally, REE mineralisation can extend up to 1.5 km away from the intrusion. Early, REE-poor apatite-bearing dolomite carbonatite (beforsite: ?18O + 7.7 to + 10.3‰ and ?13C ?5.2 to ?6.0‰; 87Sr/86Sr 0.70296-0.70298) is not directly linked with the REE mineralisation.
Abstract: The presence and speciation of volatile C-H-O elements in the silicate systems play an important role in the genesis of magmas on the Earth’s mantle, due to the fact that these elements, mainly in the form of H2O, CO2, CH4 and CxHy, decrease the solidi temperatures of source rocks, making magmatism possible in Earth’s present day thermal conditions [1]. Among those elements, carbon is the only element that changes its valence according to the oxygen fugacity (fO2) conditions of the environment, resulting in different speciation, as: CO3 -2, CO2, Cgraphite/diamond, CH4 or heavier hydrocarbons. In the present work, we are determining phase stability of minerals, water, CO2 and CH4 in the system Nefeline-Kalsilite-Diopside. Our experiments are conducted under 4.0 GPa and temperatures up to 1300°C, using a 1000 tonf hydraulic press coupled with toroidal chambers. Preliminary experiments performed at 1300°C and 4.0GPa (initial composition in the Olivine-Quartz- Kalsalite/Nepheline system: 40mol% Ol90, 40mol% Nph50Kls50 and 20mol% Qz, PH2O,CO2=Ptotal) resulted in the formation of forsterite (Fo90) in equilibrium with phlogopite (Phl), melt and volatile phases (CO2 and CH4). Closer to the Diopside vertice, the addition of CO3 to the sample resulted in a imisibility of a carbonatitic and a silicatic melt, in which the carbonititic melt is enriched in sodium, while the silcate melt is enriched in potassium. Appart from that, experiments in different parts of the diagram suggest compositions from nephelinite-kalsilitite to lamproites composition for the silicate melt in equilibrium with diopside (solid solution with omphacite) and phlogopite. This work is a continuation of previous work in the anhydrous diagram and future works will provide the addition of CH4 as the volatile phase
Physics and Chemistry of Minerals, DOI 10.1007/ s00269-015-0765-6
Mantle
Melting
Abstract: Carbonatic components of parental melts of the deeper mantle diamonds are inferred from their primary inclusions of (Mg, Fe, Ca, Na)-carbonate minerals trapped at PT conditions of the Earth’s transition zone and lower mantle. PT phase diagrams of MgCO3-FeCO3-CaCO3-Na2CO3 system and its ternary MgCO3-FeCO3-Na2CO3 boundary join were studied at pressures between 12 and 24 GPa and high temperatures. Experimental data point to eutectic solidus phase relations and indicate liquidus boundaries for completely miscible (Mg, Fe, Ca, Na)- and (Mg, Fe, Ca)-carbonate melts. PT fields for partial carbonate melts associated with (Mg, Fe)-, (Ca, Fe, Na)-, and (Na2Ca, Na2Fe)-carbonate solid solution phases are determined. Effective nucleation and mass crystallization of deeper mantle diamonds are realized in multicomponent (Mg, Fe, Ca, Na)-carbonatite-carbon melts at 18 and 26 GPa. The multicomponent carbonate systems were melted at temperatures that are lower than the geothermal ones. This gives an evidence for generation of diamond-parental carbonatite melts and formation of diamonds at the PT conditions of transition zone and lower mantle.
Physics and Chemistry of Minerals, Vol. 42, pp. 817-824.
Mantle
Carbonatite, diamond genesis
Abstract: Carbonatic components of parental melts of the deeper mantle diamonds are inferred from their primary inclusions of (Mg, Fe, Ca, Na)-carbonate minerals trapped at PT conditions of the Earth’s transition zone and lower mantle. PT phase diagrams of MgCO3-FeCO3-CaCO3-Na2CO3 system and its ternary MgCO3-FeCO3-Na2CO3 boundary join were studied at pressures between 12 and 24 GPa and high temperatures. Experimental data point to eutectic solidus phase relations and indicate liquidus boundaries for completely miscible (Mg, Fe, Ca, Na)- and (Mg, Fe, Ca)-carbonate melts. PT fields for partial carbonate melts associated with (Mg, Fe)-, (Ca, Fe, Na)-, and (Na2Ca, Na2Fe)-carbonate solid solution phases are determined. Effective nucleation and mass crystallization of deeper mantle diamonds are realized in multicomponent (Mg, Fe, Ca, Na)-carbonatite-carbon melts at 18 and 26 GPa. The multicomponent carbonate systems were melted at temperatures that are lower than the geothermal ones. This gives an evidence for generation of diamond-parental carbonatite melts and formation of diamonds at the PT conditions of transition zone and lower mantle.
European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2017, Vienna April 23-28, 1p. 4785 Abstract
Mantle
Melting
Abstract: Melting relations of the lower-mantle magmatic system MgO - FeO - CaO - SiO2 are characterized by peritectic reaction of bridgmanite (Mg,Fe)SiO3 and melt with formation of Fe-rich phases of periclase-wustite solid solutions (MgO•FeO)ss and stishovite SiO2. The reaction proceeds also in melts-solutions of lower-mantle diamond-parental system MgO - FeO - CaO - SiO2 - (Mg-Fe-Ca-Na-carbonate) - C. Xenoliths of lower mantle rocks were never found among the deep mantle derived materials. Estimation of lower-mantle mineralogy as ferropericlase+ bridgmanite+ Ca-perovskite association is inferred from high-pressure subsolidus experiments with ultrabasic pyrolite composition (Akaogi, 2007). The paradoxical in situ paragenesis of stishovite and ferropericlase as primary inclusions in lower-mantle diamonds (Kaminsky, 2012) takes its explanation from the bridgmanite peritectic reaction (effect of "stishovite paradox") (Litvin et al., 2014). Based on the data for inclusions, physico-chemical study on syngenesis of diamonds and primary inclusions has experimentally revealed the ferropericlase-bridgmanite-Ca-perovskite-stishovite-magnesiowustite-(Mg-Fe-Ca-Na-carbonate)-carbon compositions of the lower-mantle diamond-forming system .(Litvin et al., 2016). The generalized diagram of diamong-forming media characterizes the variable compositions of growths melts for diamonds and paragenetic phases and their genetic relationships with lower mantle matter, and it is the reason for genetic classifying primary inclusions. Fractional ultrabasic-basic evolution and continuous paragenetic transition from ultrabasic bridgmanite-ferropericlase to basic stishovite-magnesiowustite assemblages in the of lower-mantle diamond-parental melts-solutions are providing by the physico-chemical mechanism of stishovite paradox. References Akaogi M. (2007). Phase transformations of minerals in the transition zone and upper part of the lower mantle.
Abstract: Physical-chemical experimental studies at 12-23 GPa of phase relationships within four-members carbonate system MgCO3-FeCO3-CaCO3-Na2CO3 and its marginal system MgCO3-FeCO3-Na2CO3 were carried out. The systems are quite representative for a set of carbonate phases from inclusions in diamonds within transitional zone and lower mantle. PT-phase diagrams of multicomponent carbonate systems are suggested. PT parameters of boundaries of their eutectic melting (solidus), complete melting (liquids) are established. These boundaries define area of partial melting. Carbonate melts are stable, completely mixable, and effective solvents of elemental carbon thus defining the possibility of ultra-deep diamonds generation.
Abstract: Experimental studies of phase relations in the oxide-silicate system MgO-FeO-SiO2 at 24 GPa show that the peritectic reaction of bridgmanite controls the formation of stishovite as a primary in situ mineral of the lower mantle and as an effect of the stishovite paradox. The stishovite paradox is registered in the diamond-forming system MgO-FeO-SiO2-(Mg-Fe-Ca-Na carbonate)-carbon in experiments at 26 GPa as well. The physicochemical mechanisms of the ultrabasic-basic evolution of deep magmas and diamondforming media, as well as their role in the origin of the lower mantle minerals and genesis of ultradeep diamonds, are studied.
Abstract: Experimental studies of phase relations in the oxide–silicate system MgO–FeO–SiO2 at 24 GPa show that the peritectic reaction of bridgmanite controls the formation of stishovite as a primary in situ mineral of the lower mantle and as an effect of the stishovite paradox. The stishovite paradox is registered in the diamond-forming system MgO–FeO–SiO2–(Mg–Fe–Ca–Na carbonate)–carbon in experiments at 26 GPa as well. The physicochemical mechanisms of the ultrabasic–basic evolution of deep magmas and diamondforming media, as well as their role in the origin of the lower mantle minerals and genesis of ultradeep diamonds, are studied.
Abstract: This book sheds valuable new light on the genetic mineralogy of lower-mantle diamonds and syngenetic minerals. It presents groundbreaking experimental results revealing the melting relations of ultrabasic and basic associations and a physicochemical peritectic mechanism of their evolution. The experimental investigations included here reveal the key multicomponent, multiphase oxide-silicate-carbonate-carbon parental media for lower-mantle diamonds and syngenetic minerals. Consequently, readers will find extensive information on the diamond-parental oxide-silicate-carbonate-carbon melts-solutions that supplement the general features of lower-mantle diamond genesis and the most efficient ultrabasic-basic evolution. The experimental results on physicochemical aspects, combined with analytical mineralogy data, make it possible to create a generalized composition diagram of the diamond-parental melts-solutions, there by completing the mantle-carbonatite concept for the genesis of lower-mantle diamonds and syngenetic minerals. This book addresses the needs of all researchers studying the Earth’s deepest structure, super-deep mineral formation including diamonds, and magmatic evolution.
Geochemistry International, Vol. 57, 9, pp. 1000-1007.
Mantle
diamond genesis
Abstract: The peritectic reaction of ringwoodite (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 and silicate-carbonate melt with formation of magnesiowustite (Fe,Mg)O, stishovite SiO2, and Mg, Na, Ca, K-carbonates is revealed by experimental study at 20 GPa of phase relations in the multicomponent diamond-forming MgO-FeO-SiO2-Na2CO3-CaCO3-K2CO3 system of the Earth mantle transition zone. An interaction of CaCO3 and SiO2 with a formation of Ca-perovskite CaSiO3 is also detected. It is shown that the peritectic reaction of ringwoodite and melt with the formation of stishovite controls physicochemically the fractional ultrabasic-basic evolution of both magmatic and diamond-forming systems of deep horizons of the transition zone up to its boundary with the Earth lower mantle.
Abstract: The phases of CaAl2O4 and Ca2Al6O11 were synthesized at 15 GPa and 1600 °C. Microprobe data gave formulae Ca1.003Al1.998O4 and Ca2.05Al5.97O11, on the basis of 4 and 11 oxygen atoms. The crystal structures have been refined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Orthorhombic unitcell parameters for CaAl2O4 are a = 8.8569(10) Å; b = 2.8561(4) Å; c = 10.2521(11) Å; V = 259.34(5) Å3; Z = 8 (space group Pnma). The Ca2Al6O11 phase was obtained for the first time. It crystallizes with a space group P42/mnm and has lattice parameters a = b = 11.1675(4) Å; c = 2.83180(10) Å; V = 353.16(2) Å3; Z = 2. A Raman spectrum was obtained for a new phase for the first time. Our results suggest that both studied phases are stable under the condition of the transition zone and can be considered as potential aluminum concentrators in the Earth's deep geospheres.
Geochemistry International, Vol. 66, 7, pp. 607-629. pdf
Mantle
plumes
Abstract: The Western Pacific Triangular Zone (WPTZ) is the frontier of a future supercontinent to be formed at 250 Ma after present. The WPTZ is characterized by double-sided subduction zones to the east and south, and is a region dominated by extensive refrigeration and water supply into the mantle wedge since at least 200 Ma. Long stagnant slabs extending over 1200 km are present in the mid-Mantle Boundary Layer (MBL, 410-660 km) under the WPTZ, whereas on the Core-Mantle Boundary (CMB, 2700-2900 km depth), there is a thick high-V anomaly, presumably representing a slab graveyard. To explain the D? layer cold anomaly, catastrophic collapse of once stagnant slabs in MBL is necessary, which could have occurred at 30-20 Ma, acting as a trigger to open a series of back-arc basins, hot regions, small ocean basins, and presumably formation of a series of microplates in both ocean and continent. These events were the result of replacement of upper mantle by hotter and more fertile materials from the lower mantle.
Abstract: Carbonatitic high-density fluids and carbonate mineral inclusions in lithospheric and sub-lithospheric diamonds reveal comparable compositions to crustal carbonatites and, thus, support the presence of carbon-atitic melts to depths of at least the mantle transition zone (~410-660 km depth). Diamonds and high pressure-high temperature (HP-HT) experiments confirm the stability of lower mantle carbonates. Experiments also show that carbonate melts have extremely low viscosity in the upper mantle. Hence, carbonatitic melts may participate in the deep (mantle) carbon cycle and be highly effective metasomatic agents. Deep carbon in the upper mantle can be mobilized by metasomatic carbonatitic melts, which may have become increasingly volumetrically significant since the onset of carbonate subduction (~3 Ga) to the present day.
Volcanic rocks of the Nyurbinskaya pipe: a portrayal of regional upper mantle evolution from the Riphean to the Carboniferous time, and its geodynamic relationship.
Deep Seated Magmatism, its sources and plumes, Ed. Vladykin, N.V., 2008 pp. 71-103.
Geochemistry International, Vol. 56, 9, pp. 881-900.
Russia
deposit - Nyurbinskaya
Abstract: Interaction between a melt of kimberlite from the Nyurbinskaya pipe (Yakutia) and natural monocrystalline diamonds was studied experimentally at 0.15 GPa and 1200-1250°C in high-pressure and high-temperature Ar gas “bombs.” The loss of diamond weight with slight surface dissolution of diamonds in a Ca carbonate-bearing kimberlite melt over the course of 2 h (the period of kimberlite transport from upper-mantle diamond-forming chambers to the crustal cumulative centers) is 3-4.5%. In 4 and 7-8 days (under the conditions of crustal cumulative centers), the weight of diamond decreases with remarkable bulk dissolution by 13.5 and 24.5-27.5%, respectively. In the run at 0.15 GPa and 1200°C kimberlite and ilmenite (added) melts interact to produce perovskite melt. Both of the melts, rich in titanium minerals, are immiscible with kimberlite melt and therefore cannot influence the diamond dissolution kinetics in the kimberlite melt. The experimental results suggest that precisely the dissolution processes for thermodynamically metastable diamonds in silicate-carbonate kimberlitic magmas are responsible for the effective decrease in the diamond potential of kimberlite deposits. The paper discusses the physicochemical reasons for the decrease in the kimberlite diamond potential during the chemically active history of diamond genesis: from upper-mantle chambers to the explosive release of diamonds and kimberlite material from cumulative centers to the Earth’s surface. The data on experimental physicochemical studies of the origin, analytical mineralogy of inclusions, and isotope geochemistry of diamonds are correlated.
Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, Vol. 287, pp. 37-50.
Mantle
plate tectonics
Abstract: Is the present-day water-land ratio a necessary outcome of the evolution of plate tectonic planets with a similar age, volume, mass, and total water inventory as the Earth? This would be the case - largely independent of initial conditions - if Earth’s present-day continental volume were at a stable unique equilibrium with strong self-regulating mechanisms of continental growth steering the evolution to this state. In this paper, we question this conjecture. Instead we suggest that positive feedbacks in the plate tectonics model of continental production and erosion may dominate and show that such a model can explain the history of continental growth. We investigate the main mechanisms that contribute to the growth of the volume of the continental crust. In particular, we analyze the effect of the oceanic plate speed, depending on the area and thickness of thermally insulating continents, on production and erosion mechanisms. Effects that cause larger continental production rates for larger values of continental volume are positive feedbacks. In contrast, negative feedbacks act to stabilize the continental volume. They are provided by the increase of the rate of surface erosion, subduction erosion, and crustal delamination with the continental volume. We systematically analyze the strengths of positive and negative feedback contributions to the growth of the continental crust. Although the strengths of some feedbacks depend on poorly known parameters, we conclude that a net predominance of positive feedbacks is plausible. We explore the effect of the combined feedback strength on the feasibility of modeling the observed small positive net continental growth rate over the past 2-3 billion years. We show that a model with dominating positive feedbacks can readily explain this observation in spite of the cooling of the Earth’s mantle acting to reduce the continental production rate. In contrast, explaining this observation using a model with dominating negative feedbacks would require the continental erosion and production rates to both have the same or a sufficiently similar functional dependence on the thermal state of the mantle, which appears unreasonable considering erosion to be largely dominated by the surface relief and weathering. The suggested scenario of dominating positive feedbacks implies that the present volume of the continental crust and its evolution are strongly determined by initial conditions. Therefore, exoplanets with Earth-like masses and total water inventories may substantially differ from the Earth with respect to their relative land/surface ratios and their habitability.
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.
Rare earth elements in phoscorites and carbonatites of the Devonian Kola alkaline province, Russia: examples from Kovdor, Khibina, Vuoriyarvi and Turiy Mys complexes.
Rare earth elements in phoscorites and carbonatites of the Devonian Kola alkaline province, Russia: examples from Kovdor, Khibina, Vuoriyarvi and Turiy Mys complexes.
Rare earth elements in phoscorites and carbonatites of the Devonian Kola alkaline province, Russia: examples from Kovdor, Khibina, Vuoriyarvi and Turiy Mys complexes.
Abstract: Galena from four REE-rich (Khibina, Sallanlatvi, Seblyavr, Vuoriyarvi) and REE-poor (Kovdor) carbonatites, as well as hydrothermal veins (Khibina) all from the Devonian Kola Alkaline Province of northwestern Russia was analysed for trace elements and Pb and S isotope compositions. Microprobe analyses show that the only detectable elements in galena are Bi and Ag and these vary from not detectable to 2.23 and not detectable to 0.43 wt.% respectively. Three distinct galena groups can be recognized using Bi and Ag contents, which differ from groupings based on Pb isotope data. The Pb isotope ratios show significant spread with 206Pb/204Pb ratios (16.79 to 18.99), 207Pb/204Pb (15.22 to 15.58) and 208Pb/204Pb ratios (36.75 to 38.62). A near-linear array in a 207Pb/204Pb vs. 206Pb/204Pb ratio diagram is consistent with mixing between distinct mantle sources, one of which formed during a major differentiation event in the late Archaean or earlier. The S isotopic composition (?34S) of galena from carbonatites is significantly lighter (–-6.7 to -–10.3% Canyon Diablo Troilite (CDT) from REE-rich Khibina, Seblyavr and Vuoriyarvi carbonatites, and - 3.2% CDT from REE-poor Kovdor carbonatites) than the mantle value of 0%. Although there is no correlation between S and any of the Pb isotope ratios, Bi and Ag abundances correlate negatively with ?34S values. The variations in the isotopic composition of Pb are attributed to partial melting of an isotopically heterogeneous mantle source, while those of ?34S (together with Bi and Ag abundances) are considered to be process driven. Although variation in Pb isotope values between complexes might reflect different degrees of interaction between carbonatitic melts and continental crust or metasomatized lithosphere, the published noble gas and C, O, Sr, Nd and Hf isotopic data suggest that the variable Pb isotope ratios are best attributed to isotopic differences preserved within a sub-lithospheric mantle source. Different Pb isotopic compositions of galena from the same complex are consistent with a model of magma replenishment by carbonatitic melts/fluids each marked by quite different Pb isotopic compositions.
Neues Jahrbuch fur Mineralogie, Vol. 194, 2, pp. 165-173.
Russia, Kola Peninsula
deposit - Kovdor
Abstract: Isolueshite, a cubic complex oxide with the formula NaNbO3, occurs as euhedral crystals 0.4 - 0.7 mm in size in calcite carbonatite, Kovdor ultrabasic-alkaline complex (Kola, Russia). Average composition of isolueshite, based on 40 analyses by wavelength-dispersive electron microprobe is (Na0.84Ca0.07Sr0.01La0.01Ce0.01)?0.95(Nb0.90Ti0.11)?1.01O3. Minor and trace elements are Ti (4.1- 6.8 wt.% TiO2), REEs (1.8 - 4.0 wt.% REE2O3), Ca (1.7- 3.3 wt.% CaO), Zr (0.1- 0.8 wt.% ZrO2), Sr (0.3 - 0.4 wt.% SrO), Th (0.1- 0.5 wt.% ThO2), Fe (0.1- 0.2 wt.% Fe2O3) and Ta (0.1 wt.% Ta2O5). The crystal structure of isolueshite was refined to an agreement index (R1) of 0.028 for 82 unique reflections with |F0| ? 4 ?(F). The mineral is cubic, Pm3-m, a = 3.9045(5) Å and V = 59.525(13) Å3. The diffraction pattern of the crystal contains only regular and strong Bragg reflections with no signs of diffuse scattering. There are two sites in the crystal structure: A is 12-coordinated (A-O = 2.556(3) Å) and located at the corners of the cubic primitive cell and B is situated in the center of the unit-cell and has an octahedral coordination. The crystal-chemical formula based on the structure refinement is (Na0.84(1)Ca0.16(1))(Nb0.88(1)Ti0.12(1))O3. We suggest that isolueshite is a quenched (kinetically favored) polymorph of lueshite that formed as a result of rapid crystallization due to the sudden drop in temperature and/or pressure.
Abstract: The silico?carbonatite dykes of the Huanglongpu area, Lesser Qinling, China, are unusual in that they are quartz-bearing, Mo-mineralised and enriched in the heavy rare earth elements (HREE) relative to typical carbonatites. The textures of REE minerals indicate crystallisation of monazite-(Ce), bastnäsite-(Ce), parisite-(Ce) and aeschynite-(Ce) as magmatic phases. Burbankite was also potentially an early crystallising phase. Monazite-(Ce) was subsequently altered to produce a second generation of apatite, which was in turn replaced and overgrown by britholite-(Ce), accompanied by the formation of allanite-(Ce). Bastnäsite and parisite where replaced by synchysite-(Ce) and röntgenite-(Ce). Aeschynite-(Ce) was altered to uranopyrochlore and then pyrochlore with uraninite inclusions. The mineralogical evolution reflects the evolution from magmatic carbonatite, to more silica-rich conditions during early hydrothermal processes, to fully hydrothermal conditions accompanied by the formation of sulphate minerals. Each alteration stage resulted in the preferential leaching of the LREE and enrichment in the HREE. Mass balance considerations indicate hydrothermal fluids must have contributed HREE to the mineralisation. The evolution of the fluorcarbonate mineral assemblage requires an increase in aCa2+ and aCO32? in the metasomatic fluid (where a is activity), and breakdown of HREE-enriched calcite may have been the HREE source. Leaching in the presence of strong, LREE-selective ligands (Cl?) may account for the depletion in late stage minerals in the LREE, but cannot account for subsequent preferential HREE addition. Fluid inclusion data indicate the presence of sulphate-rich brines during alteration, and hence sulphate complexation may have been important for preferential HREE transport. Alongside HREE-enriched magmatic sources, and enrichment during magmatic processes, late stage alteration with non-LREE-selective ligands may be critical in forming HREE-enriched carbonatites.
Abstract: The Quaternary carbonatite-nephelinite Kerimasi volcano is located within the Gregory rift in northern Tanzania. It is composed of nephelinitic and carbonatitic pyroclastic rocks, tuffs, tuff breccias and pyroclastic breccias, which contain blocks of different plutonic (predominantly ijolite) and volcanic (predominantly nephelinite) rocks including carbonatites. The plutonic and volcanic carbonatites both contain calcite as the major mineral with variable amounts of magnetite or magnesioferrite, apatite and forsterite. Carbonatites also contain accessory baddeleyite, kerimasite, pyrochlore and calzirtite. Zr and Nb minerals are rarely observed in rock samples, though they are abundant in eluvial deposits of carbonatite tuff/pyroclastic breccias in the Loluni and Kisete craters. Pyrochlore, ideally (CaNa)Nb 2 O 6 F, occurs as octahedral and cubo-octahedral crystals up to 300 ?m in size. Compositionally, pyrochlore from Loluni and Kisete differs. The former is enriched in U (up to 19.4 wt.% UO 2 ), light rare earth elements (up to 8.3 wt.% LREE 2 O 3 ) and Zr (up to 14.4 wt.% ZrO 2 ), and the latter contains elevated Ti (up to 7.3 wt.% TiO 2 ). All the crystals investigated were crystalline, including those with high U content ( a = 10.4152(1) Å for Loluni and a = 10.3763(1) Å for Kisete crystals). They have little or no subsolidus alteration nor low-temperature cation exchange ( A -site vacancy up to 1.5% of the site), and are suitable for single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis ( R 1 = 0.0206 and 0.0290; for all independent reflections for Loluni and Kisete crystals, respectively). Observed variations in the pyrochlore composition, particularly Zr content, from the Loluni and Kisete craters suggest crystallisation from compositionally different carbonatitic melts. The majority of pyrochlore crystals studied exhibit exceptionally well-preserved oscillatory- and sometimes sector-type zoning. The preferential incorporation of smaller and higher charged elements into more geometrically constrained sites on the growing surfaces explains the formation of the sector zoning. The oscillatory zoning can be rationalised by considering convectional instabilities of carbonatite magmas during their emplacement.
Abstract: The Quaternary carbonatite-nephelinite Kerimasi volcano is located within the Gregory rift in northern Tanzania. It is composed of nephelinitic and carbonatitic pyroclastic rocks, tuffs, tuff breccias and pyroclastic breccias, which contain blocks of different plutonic (predominantly ijolite) and volcanic (predominantly nephelinite) rocks including carbonatites. The plutonic and volcanic carbonatites both contain calcite as the major mineral with variable amounts of magnetite or magnesioferrite, apatite and forsterite. Carbonatites also contain accessory baddeleyite, kerimasite, pyrochlore and calzirtite. Zr and Nb minerals are rarely observed in rock samples, though they are abundant in eluvial deposits of carbonatite tuff/pyroclastic breccias in the Loluni and Kisete craters. Pyrochlore, ideally (CaNa)Nb 2 O 6 F, occurs as octahedral and cubo-octahedral crystals up to 300 ?m in size. Compositionally, pyrochlore from Loluni and Kisete differs. The former is enriched in U (up to 19.4 wt.% UO 2 ), light rare earth elements (up to 8.3 wt.% LREE 2 O 3 ) and Zr (up to 14.4 wt.% ZrO 2 ), and the latter contains elevated Ti (up to 7.3 wt.% TiO 2 ). All the crystals investigated were crystalline, including those with high U content ( a = 10.4152(1) Å for Loluni and a = 10.3763(1) Å for Kisete crystals). They have little or no subsolidus alteration nor low-temperature cation exchange ( A -site vacancy up to 1.5% of the site), and are suitable for single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis ( R 1 = 0.0206 and 0.0290; for all independent reflections for Loluni and Kisete crystals, respectively). Observed variations in the pyrochlore composition, particularly Zr content, from the Loluni and Kisete craters suggest crystallisation from compositionally different carbonatitic melts. The majority of pyrochlore crystals studied exhibit exceptionally well-preserved oscillatory- and sometimes sector-type zoning. The preferential incorporation of smaller and higher charged elements into more geometrically constrained sites on the growing surfaces explains the formation of the sector zoning. The oscillatory zoning can be rationalised by considering convectional instabilities of carbonatite magmas during their emplacement.
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 299, pp. 52-68. pdf
Mantle
carbonatites
Abstract: Carbonatites are unique magmatic rocks that are essentially composed of carbonates, and they usually host a diverse suite of minor and accessory minerals. To provide additional insights on their petrogenesis, triple oxygen isotope analyses were carried out on carbonatites from sixteen localities worldwide in order to assess the behaviour of oxygen isotopes (mass-dependent fractionation) during their formation. The study evaluates the mineralogical differences, i.e., calcite, dolomite, ankerite, and Na-carbonates, and the mode of emplacement (intrusive or extrusive) in the mantle-derived carbonatites to further constrain the triple oxygen isotopic composition (??17O) of the upper mantle. ??17O values in the intrusive calcite carbonatites vary between ?0.003 to ?0.088‰ (n?=?20) and ?0.024 to ?0.085‰ (n?=?5) in the dolomite varieties. We surmise that the magnitude of isotopic fractionation in the different carbonate phases during their formation is similar and thus, the observed variations are independent of mineralogy and may be related to alteration in the rocks. Taking the samples that classify as primary igneous carbonatites altogether, the average ??17O value of the mantle is estimated as ?0.047?±?0.027‰ (1SD, n?=?18) which overlaps those of other mantle rocks, minerals and xenoliths, indicating that the mantle has a relatively homogenous oxygen isotope composition. Two ankerite carbonatites have identical ??17O values as calcite but a few samples, together with pyroclastic tuffs have significantly lower ??17O values (?0.108 to ?0.161‰). This deviation from mantle ??17O signature suggests diagenetic alteration (dissolution and recrystallisation) and mixing of carbonate sources (juvenile and secondary carbonates) which is consistent with the high ?18O and clumped isotope (?47) values recorded in the pyroclastic and ankeritic rocks. In summary, diagenetic alteration driven by fluid-rock interaction at low temperatures, sub-solidus re-equilibration with magmatic waters, and the incorporation of secondary carbonates altogether facilitate the alteration of original isotopic compositions of carbonatites, obliterating their primary mantle signatures.
Abstract: Carbonate-rich intrusions in contact with felsic rocks theoretically should show the effects of interaction between the two rock types, due to their contrasting compositions. In reality, though, such interaction is rarely reported at kimberlite contacts. We present the first documented case of lithological and mineralogical zonation at the margin of a kimberlite, the Snap Lake dyke, in contact with the wall-rock granitoid. Our detailed petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical study shows that the fresh hypabyssal kimberlite consists of olivine macrocrysts and microcrysts, and phlogopite macrocrysts set in a groundmass of serpentinized monticellite, phlogopite, spinel, perovskite and apatite, with interstitial lizardite and calcite. This typical Group I kimberlite mineralogy does not match the bulk-rock composition, which resembles a Group II micaceous kimberlite. The mismatch between the chemical and mineralogical properties is ascribed to contamination by granitoid xenoliths and metasomatic reactions with the felsic country rocks, the Snap Lake kimberlite has extremely low bulk-Ca compared to other documented Group I kimberlites. Reaction with deuteric H2O and CO2 has led to Ca removal, serpentinization of olivine, replacement of calcite by dolomite, alteration of perovskite and decomposition of apatite. Adjacent to the contact with the host granitoid and in haloes around granitoid clasts, poikilitic phlogopite and lizardite are replaced by subsolidus phlogopite and a multiphase phyllosilicate composed of phlogopite+?lizardite+?chlorite+?talc. A modified isocon analysis accounts for felsic xenolith assimilation and isolates metasomatic changes. Enrichment of altered kimberlites in Si owes solely to xenolith incorporation. The metasomatic ingress of granitoid-derived Al for a limited distance inside the dyke was counteracted by a flux of Mg and Fe to the granitoid. Metasomatic changes in K and Ca tend to be positive in all lithologies of kimberlite and in the granitoids implying distal transport. The combination of xenolith digestion with metasomatic element transport is expected in hybrid zones where kimberlite magmas interact with felsic wall-rocks.
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.
Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, Vol. 305, 106457, 17p. Pdf
Mantle
geothermometry
Abstract: The role of heat flow coming from the core is often overlooked or underestimated in simple models of Earth's thermal evolution. Throughout most of Earth's history, the mantle must have been extracting from the core at least the amount of heat that is required to operate the geodynamo. In view of recent laboratory measurements and theoretical calculations indicating a higher thermal conductivity of iron than previously thought, the above constraint has important implications for the thermal history of the Earth's mantle. In this work we construct a paramaterized mantle convection model that treats both the top and the core-mantle boundary heat fluxes according to the boundary layer theory, or alternatively employs the model of Labrosse (2015) to compute the thermal evolution of the Earth's core. We show that the core is likely to provide all the missing heat that is necessary in order to avoid the so-called “thermal catastrophe” of the mantle. Moreover, by analyzing the mutual feedback between the core and the mantle, we provide the necessary ingredients for obtaining thermal histories that are consistent with the petrological record and have reasonable initial conditions. These include a sufficiently high viscosity contrast between the lower and upper mantle, whose exact value is sensitive to the activation energy that governs the temperature dependence of the viscosity.
Journal of the Geological Society of India, Vol. 93, 2, pp. 163-170.
India
geophysics - seismic
Abstract: The crustal structures of the Narmada region in Central India bounded by fault system (Narmada- North and South faults : NNF and NSF) has been derived from deep seismic sounding (DSS) studies along the two profiles trending almost north-south direction. The wide-angle phases have been modeled kinematically and dynamically using the 2-D asymptotic ray tracing technique. The combined seismic and gravity modeling reveals a multilayer crust in the region. The crustal wide-angle reflection phases map the Moho discontinuity, where the P-wave velocity jumps from 7.2 km s-1 to 8.0-8.1 km s-1, at depth varying between 38 km and 44 km. A layer with velocity 7.2 km s-1, exists above the Moho in most parts of the profiles and is attributed to the magmatic underplating related to the Deccan volcanism (~65 Ma). The intriguing observation of the study is a zone characterized by anomalous high velocity (6.5-6.6 km s-1) within the upper crust. 2-D gravity modeling demonstrates that this anomalous layer has a density of ~2.9 gm cm-3, which is equivalent to the rocks metamorphosed to granulite/amphibolite facies. This high velocity layer probably represents the granulite enclaves within the Archaean granites/gneiss rocks and was formed during the cratonization of the Achaean crust. Importantly, this high velocity layer shows an average upward displacement of ~8.5 km within the region bounded by NNF and NSF as compared to the regions beyond it. The studies suggest that the observed displacement in the high velocity layer of the upper crust is a result of repeated reactivation of the Narmada fault system.
Abstract: An emerging view is that Earth’s geodynamic regime witnessed a fundamental transition towards plate tectonics around 3.0 Ga (billion years). However, the manifestations of this change may have been diachronous and craton-specific. Here, we review geological, geophysical and geochronological data (mainly zircon U-Pb age-Hf isotope compositions) from the Dharwar craton representing over a billion year-long geologic history between ~3.5 and 2.5 Ga. The Archean crust comprises an oblique section of ~12 km from middle to deep crust across low- to mediumgrade granitegreenstone terranes, the Western and Eastern Dharwar Cratons (WDC and EDC), and the highgrade Southern Granulite Terrain (SGT). A segment of the WDC preserving Paleo- to Mesoarchean gneisses and greenstones is characterised by ‘dome and keel’ structural pattern related to vertical (sagduction) tectonics. The geology of the regions with dominantly Neoarchean ages bears evidence for convergent (plate) tectonics. The zircon U-Pb age-Hf isotope data constrain two major episodes of juvenile crust accretion involving depleted mantle sources at 3.45 to 3.17 Ga and 2.7 to 2.5 Ga with crustal recycling dominating the intervening period. The Dharwar craton records clear evidence for the operation of modern style plate tectonics since ~2.7 Ga.
Earth and Planetary Letters, Vol. 550, 116507, 11p. Pdf
Russia, Canada
geophysics - magnetics
Abstract: A simplified two-fold pattern of convection in the Earth's core is often used to explain the non-axisymmetric magnetic flux concentrations in the present day geomagnetic field. For large lateral variations in the lower mantle heat flux, however, a substantial east-west dichotomy in core convection may be expected. This study examines the effect of a large lateral variation in heat flux at the outer boundary in cylindrical annulus experiments that achieve approximate geostrophy of the convection as well as in rapidly rotating spherical shell simulations. In either geometry, the imposed boundary heat flux is derived from the seismic shear wave velocity in the lowermost mantle. The pattern of large-scale convection in the simulations closely follows that in the annulus experiments, which suggests that the lateral buoyancy at the equator essentially determines the structure of core convection. In particular, the location of a coherent downwelling that forms beneath Canada in mildly driven convection entirely switches over to the Siberian region in strongly driven states. Spherical dynamo models in turn show that this eastward migration of convection causes the relative instability or even the disappearance of the high-latitude magnetic flux in the Western hemisphere. Finally, large radial buoyancy causes homogenization of convection, which may place an upper bound for the Rayleigh number in the core.
Abstract: Investigation of large scale suture zones in old continental interiors offers insights into the evolution of continents. The Dharwar Craton (DC) and the Southern Granulite Terrain(SGT) of the Indian shield represent large segments of Precambrian middle to lower crust and preserve a geological record spanning from Mesoarchean to Cambrian. This study illuminates the deep structure of the Palghat-Cauvery Shear Zone System (PCSS) and the Palghat-Cauvery Suture Zone (PCSZ) that comprise crustal-scale structures related to multiple episodes of orogeny, crust formation and reworking. We utilize here 3202 high quality P-receiver functions computed using new data from a 23 station seismic network operated by us. Results show a thick (>38?km) mafic (Poisson's ratio >0.25) crust beneath the SGT. The change in crustal thickness is gradual, with a shallower Moho towards the south of PCSZ. We found little evidence for drastic changes in crustal thickness across prominent shear zones like the PCSZ and Moyar-Bhavani. Few seismic stations located along these boundaries have shown evidence for dipping reflectors around 8-20?km depth, with strikes matching well with the trends of surface geological sutures. We opine that these suture zones do not show indications of a terrane boundary. However, a drastic change in the crustal thickness is observed around the prograde metamorphic transition zone or broadly, the "Fermor line", which separates rocks of Chanockitic (Orthopyroxene bearing granitoid) and non-Charnockitic (Orthopyroxene-free granitoid) mineral assemblage, further north beneath the DC. We suggest that thicknening of crust north of Moyar-Attur Shear Zone (MASZ) and around Fermor line is related to subduction processes operative during the Precambrian.
Abstract: Investigation of large scale suture zones in old continental interiors offers insights into the evolution of continents. The Dharwar Craton (DC) and the Southern Granulite Terrain(SGT) of the Indian shield represent large segments of Precambrian middle to lower crust and preserve a geological record spanning from Mesoarchean to Cambrian. This study illuminates the deep structure of the Palghat-Cauvery Shear Zone System (PCSS) and the Palghat-Cauvery Suture Zone (PCSZ) that comprise crustal-scale structures related to multiple episodes of orogeny, crust formation and reworking. We utilize here 3202 high quality P-receiver functions computed using new data from a 23 station seismic network operated by us. Results show a thick (>38?km) mafic (Poisson's ratio >0.25) crust beneath the SGT. The change in crustal thickness is gradual, with a shallower Moho towards the south of PCSZ. We found little evidence for drastic changes in crustal thickness across prominent shear zones like the PCSZ and Moyar-Bhavani. Few seismic stations located along these boundaries have shown evidence for dipping reflectors around 8-20?km depth, with strikes matching well with the trends of surface geological sutures. We opine that these suture zones do not show indications of a terrane boundary. However, a drastic change in the crustal thickness is observed around the prograde metamorphic transition zone or broadly, the “Fermor line”, which separates rocks of Chanockitic (Orthopyroxene bearing granitoid) and non-Charnockitic (Orthopyroxene-free granitoid) mineral assemblage, further north beneath the DC. We suggest that thicknening of crust north of Moyar-Attur Shear Zone (MASZ) and around Fermor line is related to subduction processes operative during the Precambrian.
Abstract: High-resolution P-wave velocity and anisotropy structure of the hitherto elusive uppermost mantle beneath the Indian shield and its surrounding regions are presented to unravel the tectonic imprints in the lithosphere. We inverted high quality 19,500 regional Pn phases from 172 seismological stations for 4780 earthquakes at a distance range of 2° to 15° with a mean apparent Pn velocity of 8.22 km/s. The results suggest that the Pn velocity anomalies with fast anisotropic directions are consistent with the collision environments in the Himalaya, Tibetan Plateau, Tarim Basin, and Burmese arc regions. The higher Pn anomalies along the Himalayan arc explicate the subducting cold Indian lithosphere. The cratonic upper mantle of the Indian shield is characterized by Pn velocity of 8.12-8.42 km/s, while the large part of the central Indian shield has higher mantle-lid velocity of ~8.42 km/s with dominant anisotropic value of 0.2-0.3 km/s (~7.5%) suggesting the presence of mafic ‘lava pillow’ related to the Deccan volcanism. The impressions of the rifts and the mobile belts are conspicuous in the velocity anomaly image indicating their deep seated origin. The Pn anisotropy in the Indian shield exhibits a complex pattern and deviates from the absolute plate motion directions derived from the SKS study, demonstrating the presence of frozen anisotropy in the Indian lithospheric uppermost mantle, due to the large scale tectonic deformation after its breakup from the Gondwanaland. Whereas, Pn and SKS anisotropic observations are well consistent in Tarim basin, Tibetan regions, eastern Himalayan syntaxis and the Burmese arc. The modeled anisotropic Pn clearly manifests a lower velocity anomaly bounded by 85°E and 90°E ridges in the southern Bay of Bengal. Further, 85°E ridge spatially separates the BoB lithosphere into faster and slower regions consistent with the body wave tomography and free-air gravity observation.
Acta Geologica Sinica, Vol. 90, July abstract p. 191.
India
Deposit - Lattavaram
Abstract: Utility of geochemistry in mineral exploration is known since more than half-a-century. In reconnaissance diamond exploration, regolith geochemistry is a well known tool worldwide and helps in distinguishing bedrock geology in hard rock terrains. More than 100 kimberlite pipes were discovered so far in the Eastern Dharwar Craton (EDC) of South India by various public and private organizations. Within the EDC, majority of diamondiferous pipe clusters occur in Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh state in India. Lattavaram kimberlite cluster (LKC) is one among them in this district and four pipes in this cluster are reported to be diamondiferous along with two kimberlite bodies at Muligiripalli. The kimberlite pipes at Lattavaram occur in semi-circular shape whereas a kimberlite body exposed at Muligiripalli village occurs as a dyke within the granitoid country. The pipe 4 at Lattavaram exhibits conspicuous difference in the soil color and texture i.e., greenish color and mottled texture when compared with the reddish brown compact residual soils of granitic country rock. In the Indian context, soil regolith geochemistry is not a popular subject in search of kimberlites. It is observed that little or no literature is available on the utility of regolith geochemistry applied to kimberlite or diamond exploration in India. An attempt is made in this study, to demonstrate and understand the spatial surface geochemical signatures using residual soil geochemistry on known kimberlite pipes viz., 3 and 4 of LKC. Spatial and statistical analysis of trace and rare earth elements revealed that certain elements show predominance in the vicinity of the kimberlite pipes which can act as an exploration guide in distinguishing kimberlitic rocks within a granitoid country. These elements show distinct variation in their dispersion in the soil which can be attributed to basement lithology. It is observed that elements like Cr, Ni, Co, Cu, Nb, Zr, Ti, Ba and rare earth elements (REE) are significantly enriched in the mottled zone and calcretized duricrust relative to the country rock granitoids. A suite of trace elements comprising those associated with ultramafic rocks (Cr, Co & Ni) and felsic rocks (Nb, La, Sm and P) can readily distinguish the ultramafic/kimberlitic regolith from that derived from granitoid or felsic rocks which can be used as an exploration path finder.
National Seminar on Strategic trends and future perspectives in the development of natural resources of Telangana state, Kakatiya University, Abstract Volume, 1, March 30,31 pp. 18-19.
India, Telangana
Lamproites
Abstract: The authigenic carbonates which occur in arid and semi-arid regions of the world are commonly referred to as calcretes or caliche or kankar. These are pedogenic calcretes which occur in association with soil forming the residual regolith. Many rock types produce calcretes upon weathering and denudation, but calcrete derived from certain rocks acts as an exploration guide. Calcrete is a prominent sampling medium in countries like Australia and South Africa whereas it is not so popular in the Indian context. Kimberlites, being ultrapotassic in nature and owing to the enrichment of olivine, serpentine an calcite, often produce calcrete duricrust as a capping on the outcrops. The calcretes derived from kimberlites contain relict kimberlitic xenocrystic minerals like pyrope, ilmenite, Cr-diopside, pseudomorphs of olivine, phlogopite etc. unlike those derived from other rock types. The calcretes derived from granitoid rocks significantly contain minerals like chert, quartz, semi-weathered feldspar etc. Recently more than fifteen lamproites have been discovered at Vattikodu and Chintalapalli and one lamprophyre at Bayyaram of Telangana state, by the Geological Survey of India, unraveling new panorama that the state has a substantial potential for occurrence of more kimberlite clan rocks. Perhaps for the first time, an attempt has been made here to test the geochemical affinity of calcretes from various locations within Nalgonda district, which is endowed mostly with granitic terrain and Cuddapah sedeimentaries in the southern part. About sixteen samples have been collected from the in-situ regolith, spread in the granite-mafic dyke terrain, with an omission of calcretes occurring in transported black soil areas. The samples were geochemically analysed for major and trace elements for a preliminary study. The data has been compared with published geochemical data of lamproites of Ramadugu Field, to understand their geohchemical association. The calcretes are low in SiO2 (33.92-45.1wt %), high in K2O (1.07-2.21wt %) and CaO (0.78-13.61wt %). When compared to other major elements, MgO displays low concentration and K2O has a higher concentration than Na2O. The trace elements are found to be enriched in some of the samples collected in close vicinity of known lamproite occurrences. The samples show a high degree of chemical weathering, alteration and compositional variation indices. It is observed that enrichment of elements like Cr, Nb, Ni indicates, similar to parent kimberlite/lamproite rock, favourable targets for further ground exploration in virgin areas. In the present study, two samples, towards five kilometers southeast of Vattikodu Lamproite Field, possess higher Nb (>25ppm) concentration, which stand out as explorable targets for further ground investigations. Further field investigations such as geological mapping, pitting, petrography and geochemistry on these two locations are in progress to ascertain whether or not these two targets unveil new kimberlites/lamproites in the area.
Russian Mineralogical Society 200th. Anniversary meeting Oct. 10-13., 4p. Abstract pdf
India
deposit - Pipe-5, Wajrakakarur
Abstract: In an attempt to study the kimberlite indicator minerals (KIMs), loam sampling in the close vicinity of the pipes has been carried out on some kimberlites of the WKF. In this paper, preliminary results of KIMs derived out of loam sampling on one of the WKF pipes at Muligiripalli (pipe-5) are presented. Surface loam sampling has been carried out in the topographically low-lying areas in the close proximity of the pipe outcrop. Four composite samples, at a spacing of ~100 meters, weighing 25 kg each have been collected and sieved through 1 mm mesh. Approximately 5 kg of ‘-1’ fraction has been obtained after sieving which is further subjected to coning and quartering. The material has been subjected to heavy mineral (HM) separation using a manual jig. The HM further screened through Frantz’s isodynamic separator to separate magnetic mineral grains. The HM assemblage includes ilmenite, chromite, Cr-diopside, olivine and sphene. ). To ascertain the kimberlitic nature of the HM grains and thereby to check diamondiferous nature of this pipe, additonal loam sampling to obtain more number of mineral grains to carry out Electron Microprobe Analysis (EPMA) is planned.
Journal of Applied Geology and Geophysics (IOSR), Vol. 6, 2, pp. 55-69. pdf
India
shoshonite
Abstract: Field geological, petrographic and geochemical characteristics of a lamprophyre intrusion, presumably of plug-type, at Sivarampet (SPL), occurring within the Wajrakarur kimberlite field (WKF) to the west of Cuddapah basin, are presented and discussed. The lamprophyre intrusion occurs as brecciated outcrop with angular country rock granitoid clasts and also it forms stringers/veinlets within the granitic country rock. The melanocratic rock displays panidiomorphic/porphyritic texture, typical of lamprophyres, comprising clinopyroxene, biotite, phlogopite set in a groundmass of feldspar, magnetite and spinel. Plagioclase is dominant feldspar. The K2O/Na2O ratio ranges from 1.55 to 1.89 wt %, making it distinctly potassic and brings out its shoshonitic behaviour. The fractionated chondrite normalised patterns of REE (with average (La/Yb)N= 21.01 ppm) implies involvement of an enriched mantle source while depleted values of Nb, Hf, Th and U concentrations indicate prevalence of subducted component in the mantle source. The concentrations of Rb, Sr and Ba indicate presence of phlogopite in the source. Based on the mineral assemblages, the SPL can be classified as calc-alkaline variety; however, its geochemistry shows characteristics of both alkaline and calc-alkaline varieties. The moderate Mg# (52 to 55.6) and low concentration of Ni (95.61 to 112.4 ppm) in the bulk rock indicate a low degree of partial melting of magmatic fluid from enriched asthenospheric mantle which underwent fractionation of olivine and pyroxene, subsequently producing lamprophyre magma. Recent discovery of diamonds in shoshonitic lamprophyres of Canada, appeals further investigations on diamondiferous nature of similar rock types of the WKF.
Abstract: The Wajrakarur kimberlite field (WKF) records >45 pipes so far, majority being diamodiferous. In addition to pipe-10 (Anumpalli) and 11 (Dibbasanipalli) discovered by the Geological Survey of India, of late, Rio Tinto Group has discovered three more outcropping pipes in this area (east of Dibbasanipalli, west of Anumpalli and Khaderpet) and termed all these five pipes as Anumpalli kimberltie cluster (AKC). The AKC pipes contain crustal granitoid xenoliths. The Khaderpet and Dibbasanipalli east pipes show effects of fenitisation in the country rock granitoids and are intensely chloritised kimberlite granite breccias; however, the former is unique in having its association with carbonatite (sovite) intrusion. Petrographically, the AKC kimberlites exhibit inequigranular texture resulted by anhedral to subhedral olivine macrocrysts and pseudomorphs, phenocrysts of Crdiopside, ilmenite, perovskite and minor or no amounts of phologopite with two generations of olivine within a finegrained matrix of same mineral phases. Based on the major element geochemistry the AKC pipes are classified as Group- I archetypal. Based on trace element modeling, the AKC pipes appear to be originated form garnet lherzolite source with residual garnet of 0.5 to 5%, associated with stable continental and/or orogenic area and remarkably belong to non-subduction environment. The observed LREE enrichment and low HREE cencentrations in the AKC, is consistent with inferior degrees of partial melting (0.1 to 2%). The AKC pipes appear to have originated from a hydrous magma enriched in volatiles. Exploration evidences support that kimberlites of the AKC are diamodiferous. The calculated diamond grade (DG) values of the AKC pipes are high (3.43 to 8.48) which are inversely proportional to the TiO2 content. In the binary diagram of Ta and Sc (ppm), the AKC pipes plot in the field of ‘Fe-Ti diamondiferous kimberlites’. In the Fe2O3 (wt %) vs. Y (ppm) diagram, the AKC pipes plot in the ‘prospective’ field. The diamondiferous nature of the AKC pipes indicates the conditions of diamond preservation at metastable phases in crustal environment during rapid ascent of kimberlite melt to the surface from the deep mantle, which is supported by low density and ultralow viscosity of these intrusions.
Abstract: The abstracts broadly summarises petrological aspects of kimberlite clan rocks so far discovered in the Telangana state in light of recent finds emphasising the context for diamond exploration in the state. This was presented in the '1st Telangana Science Congress (TSSC)-2018' organised by the Telangana Academy of Science, Hyderabad and National institute of Technology, Warangal (22-24, December, 2018).
Soderlund, U., Bleeker, W., Demirer, K., Srivastava, R.K., Hamilton, M., Nilsson, M., Personen, L.J., Samal, A.K., Jayananda, M., Ernst, R.E., Srinivas, M.
Abstract: Large igneous provinces (LIPs) and especially their dyke swarms are pivotal to reconstruction of ancient supercontinents. The Dharwar craton of southern Peninsular India represents a substantial portion of Archean crust and has been considered to be a principal constituent of Superia, Sclavia, Nuna/Columbia and Rodinia supercontinents. The craton is intruded by numerous regional-scale mafic dyke swarms of which only a few have robustly constrained emplacement ages. Through this study, the LIP record of the Dharwar craton has been improved by U-Pb geochronology of 18 dykes, which together comprise seven generations of Paleoproterozoic dyke swarms with emplacement ages within the 2.37-1.79 Ga age interval. From oldest to youngest, the new ages (integrated with U-Pb ages previously reported for the Hampi swarm) define the following eight swarms with their currently recommended names: NE-SW to ESE-WNW trending ca. 2.37 Ga Bangalore-Karimnagar swarm. N-S to NNE-SSW trending ca. 2.25 Ga Ippaguda-Dhiburahalli swarm. N-S to NNW-SSE trending ca. 2.22 Ga Kandlamadugu swarm. NW-SE to WNW-ESE trending ca. 2.21 Ga Anantapur-Kunigal swarm. NW-SE to WNW-ESE trending ca. 2.18 Ga Mahbubnagar-Dandeli swarm. N-S, NW-SE, and ENE-WSW trending ca. 2.08 Ga Devarabanda swarm. E-W trending 1.88-1.89 Ga Hampi swarm. NW-SE ca. 1.79 Ga Pebbair swarm. Comparison of the arcuate trends of some swarms along with an apparent oroclinal bend of ancient geological features, such as regional Dharwar greenstone belts and the late Archean (ca. 2.5 Ga) Closepet Granite batholith, have led to the hypothesis that the northern Dharwar block has rotated relative to the southern block. By restoring a 30° counter clockwise rotation of the northern Dharwar block relative to the southern block, we show that pre-2.08 Ga arcuate and fanning dyke swarms consistently become approximately linear. Two possible tectonic models for this apparent bending, and concomitant dyke rotations, are discussed. Regardless of which deformation mechanisms applies, these findings reinforce previous suggestions that the radial patterns of the giant ca. 2.37 Ga Bangalore-Karimnagar dyke swarm, and probably also the ca. 2.21 Ga Anantapur-Kunigal swarm, may not be primary features.
International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development, Vol. 2, 2, pp. 964-975. pdf
India
lamproite
Abstract: The pedogenic carbonates, found mainly in arid and semi-arid regions of the world, are commonly referred to as calcretes or caliche or kankar authigenic carbonate products which occur in association with soil, forming the residual regolith. Many rock types can produce calcretes upon weathering and denudation, but calcrete derived from certain rocks like kimberlite/lamproite acts as an exploration guide. Calcrete is a prominent sampling medium in diamond-rich countries like Australia and South Africa whereas it has not received popularity in the Indian context. Kimberlites being ultrapotassic in nature and owing to the enrichment of olivine and serpentine often produce calcrete duricrust as a capping. Recently more than twenty lamproites have been discovered in the Telangana state by the Geological Survey of India. These occurrences unravel a new panorama that the state has a substantial potential for occurrence of more kimberlite/lamproite clan rocks. An attempt has been made here to test the geochemical affinity of calcretes from various locations within Nalgonda district. The geochemical data of calcrete samples of this study has been compared with published geochemical data of lamproites of Ramadugu Field, to understand their geochemical association to kimberlite/lamproite. The calcretes are low in SiO2 (33.92-45.1 wt %), high in K2O (1.07-2.21 wt %) and CaO (0.78 When compared to other major elements, MgO displays low concentration. The trace elements are found to be enriched in some of the samples collected in close vicinity of known lamproite occurrences. The samples show high degree of chemic alteration and compositional variation indices. It is observed that enrichment of elements like Cr, Nb, Ba, Ti, Zr etc. indicates, similar to parent kimberlite/lamproite rock, favourable targets for further ground exploration in virgin areas present study, two samples, towards five kilometers northeast of Vattikodu Lamproite Field, possess higher concentrations of Nb (>25ppm), Ba (>400 ppm), Zr (>650 ppm) and Ti (>3500 ppm) which stand out as plausible explorable targets for further ground investigations. Further investigations on these two locations are suggested to ascertain whether or not these two targets unveil new kimberlites/lamproite occurrences in the area.
Regional survey to identify potential blocks for occurrence of kimberlite/lamproite pipes in Indravati River Basin, Koraput and Nabarangapur Districts, Orissa
Records of the Geological Survey of India, Vol. 133, 3, eastern 1998-1999, pp.191-3.
Regional survey to identify potential blocks for occurrence of kimberlite/lamproite pipes in Indravati Basin, Koraput and Nawarangpur district, Orissa.
Records of the Geological Survey of India, Vol. 132, 3, eastern 1997-1998, pp.209-11.
Abstract: Engineering coherent systems is a central goal of quantum science. Color centers in diamond are a promising approach, with the potential to combine the coherence of atoms with the scalability of a solid-state platform. We report a color center that shows insensitivity to environmental decoherence caused by phonons and electric field noise: the neutral charge state of silicon vacancy (SiV0). Through careful materials engineering, we achieved >80% conversion of implanted silicon to SiV0. SiV0 exhibits spin-lattice relaxation times approaching 1 minute and coherence times approaching 1 second. Its optical properties are very favorable, with ~90% of its emission into the zero-phonon line and near -transform-limited optical linewidths. These combined properties make SiV0 a promising defect for quantum network applications.
Srivastava, R.K., Heaman, L.M., Sinha, A.K., Shihua, S.
Emplacement age and isotope geochemistry of Sung Valley alkaline carbonatite complex, Shillong Plateau, northeastern India: implications for primary carbonate
Geochemistry and petrogenesis of neoarchean high Mg low Ti mafic igneous rocks in an intracratonic setting, central India craton: evidence for boninite magmatism.
Geochemistry and petrogenesis of neoArchean high Mg low Ti mafic igneous rocks in and intracratonic setting, Central India craton: evidence for boninite magmatism.
The Jungel Valley re-visited: evidence from the lamprophyres for the presence of a Paleoproterozoic carbonate rich metasomatised mantle in Mahakoshal belt
Geological Society of India, Bangalore November Meeting Group Discussion on Kimberlites and Related Rocks India, Abstract p. 123.
India, Madhya Pradesh, Aravalli Bundelkhand Craton
Petrology, geochemistry and tectonic significance of Paleoproterozoic alkaline lamprophyres from the Jungel Valley, Mahakostal supracrustal belt, Central India.
Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 89, 3-4, pp. 189-215.
Geochemistry of distinct mafic intrusive rocks from Darba-Kukanar and Kerlapal-Sukma-Mokhp southern Bastar Craton: further dat a on the Early Precambrian mafic magmatism of central India.
Journal of the Geological Society of India, Vol. 69, 6, pp. 1176-1188.
Petrology and geochemistry of Diamondiferous Mesoproterozoic kimberlites from Wajrakarur kimberlite field, eastern Dharwar craton, southern India: genesis and constraints on mantle
Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol. 157, 2, pp. 245-265.
Srivastava, R.K., Chalapathi Rao, N.V., Sinha, A.K.
Cretaceous potassic intrusives with affinities to aillikites from Jharia area: magmatic expression of metasomatically veined and thinned lithospheric mantle
Srivastava, R.K., Chalapathi Rao, N.V., Sinha, A.K.
Cretaceous potassic intrusives with affinities to aillikites from Jharia area: magmatic expression of metasomatically veined and thinned lithospheric mantle
Map of distinct early Precambrian mafic dyke swarms from the central Indian Bastar Craton and their possible relation with Paleosupercontinent and Large Igneous Province.
International Dyke Conference Held Feb. 6, India, 1p. Abstract
Abstract: Field setting, petrography, geochemistry and available radiometric ages of Proterozoic mafic dykes from the northern Bastar craton have helped to identify four sets of mafic dykes; two Paleoproterozoic [viz. NW-SE North Bastar dykes (NBD) and ENE-WSW Dongargarh-Chhura dykes (DCD)] and two Mesoproterozoic [viz. 1.42 Ga ENE-WSW Bandalimal dykes (BDD) and 1.44 Ga N-S Lakhna dykes (LKD)]. Their petrographic and geochemical characteristics are very distinct and suggest their derivation from different mantle melts. Chemistry of all the four sets suggests different petrogenetic histories and samples of each distinct set are co-genetic nature. The NBD, the DCD and the BDD samples are sub-alkaline tholeiitic in nature, whereas the LKD samples show alkaline nature. Very distinct REE patterns are observed for all the four sets again suggesting their different petrogenetic histories. Geochemical comparison between the studied samples and mafic dyke samples of southern and central parts of the Bastar craton suggests very different picture for the northern Bastar craton. Only one set of northern Bastar dykes, i.e. the NBD, matches with BD1 dykes; no other dyke sets match with any of the dyke swarms identified in southern and central Bastar craton. Geochemically it is not straightforward to confirm crustal contamination, however, on the other hand, possibility of crustal contamination cannot be ruled out completely. A petrogenetic model based on trace element data suggests that all the four sets are derived from different mantle melts. The NBD and the DCD are probably generated within spinel stability field, whereas the BDD and the LKD may be derived from melts generated within garnet stability field. Available geological and geochemical data support the emplacement of studied dykes in a stable continental rift tectonic setting, however earlier intrusions have chemistry similar to N-MORB. The available geological, geochemical and geochronological data on the four indentified sets of mafic dykes from the northern Bastar craton indicate their relation to the assembly and break-up of Columbia supercontinent.
International Geology Review, Vol. 58, 13, pp. 1596-1615.
India
Boninites
Abstract: Nd-isotope and lithogeochemistry of an early Palaeoproterozoic high-Si high-Mg boninite -norite (BN) suite of rocks from the southern Bastar craton, central India, are presented to understand their nature, origin, and tectonic setting of emplacement. Various types of evidence, such as field relationships, radiometric metamorphic ages, and the global distribution of BN magmatism, suggest emplacement in an intracratonic rift setting, commonly around 2.4 -2.5 Ga. On the basis of geochemistry these high-Si high-Mg rocks are classified as high-Ca boninites, high-Mg norites, and high-Mg diorites. Nd-isotope data indicate that the high-Mg norite and the high-Mg diorite samples are similar, whereas the high-Ca boninites have a different isotopic character. The high-Mg norite and the high-Mg diorite samples have younger TDM model ages than the high-Ca boninites. Geochemical and Nd-isotopic characteristics of the studied rocks indicate some prospect of crustal contamination; however, the possibility of mantle metasomatism during ancient subduction event cannot be ignored. Trace-element modelling suggests that the high-Ca boninites may have crystallized from a magma generated by a comparatively greater percentage of melting of a lherzolite mantle source than the source for the other two varieties. Furthermore, the high-Ca boninite rocks are most likely derived from an Archaean subduction process (the Whundo-type), whereas the other two types are the products of the interaction of subduction-modified refractory mantle wedge and a plume, around the Neoarchaean -Palaeoproterozoic boundary. The emplacement of the high-Mg norites and the high-Mg diorites may be linked to crustal thickening and associated cratonization at the end of the Archaean.
Proceedings National Academy of Sciences India , Vol. 82, 3, July special issue pp. 515-536.
India
Kimberlites, lamproites
Abstract: Major highlights of researches carried out on kimberlites, lamproites, lamprophyres, carbonatites, other alkaline rocks and mafic dykes from the Indian shield during 2012-2016 are presented. New findings involving field mapping, petrology, geochemistry (including high quality mineral based in situ isotopic studies) and geophysics have provided remarkable insights on the mode of their occurrence, timing of emplacement, mineralogy and bulk-rock composition, redox conditions, relative contribution of the lithosphere and asthenosphere, as well as their economic potential. Several large-scale geodynamic aspects such as plume-lithosphere interactions, ancient subduction events, layered structure of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle, spatial extent of the Precambrian large igneous provinces and supercontinent configurations could be unraveled from these studies on deep-mantle derived small-volume magmatic rocks.
Srivastava: Dyke Swarms of the World: a Modern Perspective, Springer, researchgate 56p. Pdf
India
dykes
Abstract: We present dyke swarm maps generated using Google Earth™ images, ArcGIS™, field data, and available geochronological ages of Neoarchean-Mesoproterozoic (ranging in age from ~2.80 to ~1.10 Ga) mafic dyke swarms and associated magmatic units of the different Archean cratons of the Indian shield which represent the plumbing system of Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs). The spatial and temporal distributions together with the trends of the dyke swarms provide important informations about geodynamics. Twenty four dyke swarms (17 have been precisely dated), mostly mafic in nature, have been mapped from the different cratons and named/re-named to best reflect their location, trend, distribution and distinction from other swarms. We have identified 14 distinct magmatic events during the Neoarchean-Mesoproterozoic in the Indian shield. These intraplate magmatic events (many of LIP scale) of the Indian shield and their matches with coeval LIPs on other crustal blocks suggest connections of the Indian shield within known supercontinents, such as Kenorland/Superia (~2.75-2.07 Ga), Columbia/Nuna (1.90-1.38 Ga), and Rodinia (1.20-0.72 Ga). However, further detailed U-Pb geochronology and associated paleomagnetism are required to come to any definite constraints on the position of the Indian cratons within these supercontinents.
Abstract: New in-situ U-Pb ages and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic data on mineral phases of the Sung Valley and Jasra ultramafic-alkaline-(carbonatite) intrusions (Shillong Plateau, India) shed new light on the petrogenetic processes of volcanism in north-eastern India during the Cretaceous. Perovskites of Sung Valley dunite, ijolite and uncompahgrite yielded U-Pb ages of 109.1?±?1.6, 104.0?±?1.3 and 101.7?±?3.6?Ma, respectively. A U-Pb age of 106.8?±?1.5?Ma was obtained on zircons of a Sung Valley nepheline syenite. Perovskite of a Jasra clinopyroxenite yielded an age of 101.6?±?1.2?Ma, different from the U-Pb age of 106.8?±?0.8?Ma on zircon of Jasra syenites. The variation in Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions [initial 87Sr/86Sr?=?0.70472 to 0.71080; ?Nd i?=??10.85 to +0.86; ?Hf i?=??7.43 to +1.52] matches the bulk-rock isotopic composition of the different rock units of Sung Valley and Jasra. Calcite and apatite in the carbonatites, the perovskite in a dunite, and the bulk-rock carbonatites of Sung Valley intrusion have the lowest initial 87Sr/86Sr and ?Nd, taken to be the best proxies of the mantle source composition, which is dominated by components derived from the lithospheric mantle. The alkaline intrusions of north-eastern India are significantly younger than the Sylhet tholeiitic magmatism. The silicate rocks of both intrusions have isotopic composition trending to that of the underlying Shillong crust, indicating the effects of fractional crystallization and low-pressure crustal contamination during the emplacement of the various intrusive magma pulses.
Abstract: A number of NE-SW to ENE-WSW trending Palaeoproterozoic mafic dykes, intruded within the Archean basement rocks and more conspicuous in the southern parts of the western Dharwar Craton (WDC), was studied for their whole?rock geochemistry to understand their petrogenetic and geodynamic aspects. Observed mineralogical and textural characteristics classify them either as meta?dolerites or dolerites/olivine?dolerites. They show basaltic to basaltic-andesitic compositions and bear sub?alkaline tholeiitic nature. Three geochemically distinct groups of mafic dykes have been identified. Group 1 samples show flat REE patterns (LaN/LuN = ~1), whereas the other two groups have LaN/LuN = ~2-3 (Group 2; enriched LREE and flat HREE patterns) and LaN/LuN = ~4 (Group 3; inclined REE patterns). Chemistry is not straightforward to support any significant role of crustal contamination and probably reflect their source characteristics. However, their derivation from melts originated from a previously modified metasomatized lithospheric mantle due to some ancient subduction event cannot be ignored. Most likely different mantle melts were responsible for derivation of these distinct sets of mafic dykes. The Group 2 dykes are derived from a melt generated within spinel stability field by ~10% batch melting of a lithospheric mantle source, whereas the Group 3 dykes have their derivation from a melt originated within the spinel-garnet transition zone and were fed from slightly higher (~12-15%) batch melting of a similar source. The Group 1 samples were also crystallized from a melt generated at the transition zone of spinel-garnet stability field by higher degrees (~20%) of melting of a primitive mantle source. Geochemistry of the studied samples is typical of Palaeoproterozoic mafic dykes emplaced within the intracratonic setting, reported elsewhere globally as well as neighbouring cratons. Geochemistry of the studied mafic dyke samples is also compared with the mafic dykes of the eastern Dharwar Craton (EDC). Except the Group 3 samples, which have good correlation with the 1.88-1.89 Ga Hampi swarm, no other group shows similarity with the EDC mafic dykes. There is an ample possibility to have some different mafic magmatic events in the WDC, which could be different from the EDC. However, it can only be confirmed after precise age determinations.
Soderlund, U., Bleeker, W., Demirer, K., Srivastava, R.K., Hamilton, M., Nilsson, M., Personen, L.J., Samal, A.K., Jayananda, M., Ernst, R.E., Srinivas, M.
Abstract: Large igneous provinces (LIPs) and especially their dyke swarms are pivotal to reconstruction of ancient supercontinents. The Dharwar craton of southern Peninsular India represents a substantial portion of Archean crust and has been considered to be a principal constituent of Superia, Sclavia, Nuna/Columbia and Rodinia supercontinents. The craton is intruded by numerous regional-scale mafic dyke swarms of which only a few have robustly constrained emplacement ages. Through this study, the LIP record of the Dharwar craton has been improved by U-Pb geochronology of 18 dykes, which together comprise seven generations of Paleoproterozoic dyke swarms with emplacement ages within the 2.37-1.79 Ga age interval. From oldest to youngest, the new ages (integrated with U-Pb ages previously reported for the Hampi swarm) define the following eight swarms with their currently recommended names: NE-SW to ESE-WNW trending ca. 2.37 Ga Bangalore-Karimnagar swarm. N-S to NNE-SSW trending ca. 2.25 Ga Ippaguda-Dhiburahalli swarm. N-S to NNW-SSE trending ca. 2.22 Ga Kandlamadugu swarm. NW-SE to WNW-ESE trending ca. 2.21 Ga Anantapur-Kunigal swarm. NW-SE to WNW-ESE trending ca. 2.18 Ga Mahbubnagar-Dandeli swarm. N-S, NW-SE, and ENE-WSW trending ca. 2.08 Ga Devarabanda swarm. E-W trending 1.88-1.89 Ga Hampi swarm. NW-SE ca. 1.79 Ga Pebbair swarm. Comparison of the arcuate trends of some swarms along with an apparent oroclinal bend of ancient geological features, such as regional Dharwar greenstone belts and the late Archean (ca. 2.5 Ga) Closepet Granite batholith, have led to the hypothesis that the northern Dharwar block has rotated relative to the southern block. By restoring a 30° counter clockwise rotation of the northern Dharwar block relative to the southern block, we show that pre-2.08 Ga arcuate and fanning dyke swarms consistently become approximately linear. Two possible tectonic models for this apparent bending, and concomitant dyke rotations, are discussed. Regardless of which deformation mechanisms applies, these findings reinforce previous suggestions that the radial patterns of the giant ca. 2.37 Ga Bangalore-Karimnagar dyke swarm, and probably also the ca. 2.21 Ga Anantapur-Kunigal swarm, may not be primary features.
Abstract: Based on trend, cross-cutting relationships and U-Pb dating, Precambrian mafic dykes in the Singhbhum craton, earlier collectively identified as ‘Newer Dolerite Swarm’ have been separated into seven distinct swarms, which are thought to be the plumbing systems for Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs). These Singhbhum swarms range in age from ?2.80 Ga to ?1.76 Ga, and include the ?2.80 Ga NE-SW trending Keshargaria swarm, ?2.75-2.76 Ga NNE-SSW to NE-SW trending Ghatgaon swarm, the ?2.26 Ga NE-SW to ENE-WSW trending Kaptipada swarm (based on a new U-Pb ID-TIMS age 2256 ± 6 Ma), the ?1.77 Ga WNW-ESE trending Pipilia swarm, the early-Paleoproterozoic E-W to ENE-WSW trending Keonjhar swarm, the middle-Paleoproterozoic NW-SE to NNW-SSE trending Bhagamunda swarm, and the late-Paleoproterozoic N-S to NNE-SSW trending Barigaon swarm. Two of the Singhbhum swarms, the ?2.26 Ga Kaptipada and ?1.77 Ga Pipilia, are closely matched with the ?2.26-2.25 Ga Ippaguda-Dhiburahalli and ?1.79 Ga Pebbair swarms, respectively, of the eastern Dharwar craton. The correlations suggest that the Singhbhum and Dharwar cratons were close enough at these times to share two reconstructed LIPs, a 2.26-2.25 Ga Kaptipada- Ippaguda-Dhiburahalli LIP and a 1.79-1.77 Ga Pipilia-Pebbair LIP, and if so, both swarms must be present in the intervening Bastar craton (candidates are proposed). Also, the 2.76-2.75 Ga Ghatgaon swarm of the Singhbhum craton can be provisionally correlated with ?2.7 Ga Keshkal swarm of the Bastar craton. The 2.26-2.25 Ga Kaptipada-Ippaguda-Dhiburahalli LIP of the Singhbhum-Bastar-Dharwar reconstruction has age matches in the Vestfold Hills of Antarctica (?2.24 Ga dykes), the Kaapvaal craton (the ?2.25-2.23 Ga Hekpoort lavas) and perhaps the Zimbabwe craton (2.26 Ga Chimbadzi troctolite intrusions). The 1.76-1.79 Ga Pipilia-Pebbair LIP of the Singhbhum-Bastar-Dharwar reconstruction has age matches in the North China, Australian Shield, Amazonian, Rio de Plata and Sarmatia cratons. The relevance of these matches for reconstructions will require future testing using paleomagnetic studies. While there are ?2.7-2.8 Ga LIP-type greenstone belts in many crustal blocks, there are no precise matches with the 2.76-2.75 Ga Ghatgaon swarm of the Singhbhum craton. Howe
Abstract: The early Cretaceous (ca. 118-100 Ma) alkaline/ultraalkaline silicate and carbonatite magmatism, exclusively recorded in the Chhotanagpur Gneissic Complex and the Shillong Plateau-Mikir Hills in the eastern/northeastern regions of the Indian Shield, have been reviewed to understand their genetic aspects. These are thought to be associated to the Kerguelen hot spot, active in this region during ca. 118-100 Ma. The existing geochemical, geochronological and isotopic data do not support any definite emplacement order for these diverse groups of magmatic suites. It is likely that they were derived from distinct magma batches with direct or indirect involvement of the Kerguelen plume. The available data suggest their possible derivation from the depleted asthenosphere/lithosphere with negligible contribution from the Kerguelen mantle plume. It is likely that mantle plume provided additional heat necessary to melt the asthenosphere/lithosphere. These data also suggest effects of low-pressure crustal contamination, crystal accumulation and fractional crystallization, rather than mantle-derived heterogeneity. These identified magmatic events together with other known magmatic events such as southeastern Tibet, Abor volcanics, SW Australia and eastern Antarctica during ca. 140-100 Ma could be related to the Kerguelen plume and integral part of the Greater Kerguelen Large Igneous Province, and have possible impact on the breakup of East Gondwanaland.
First occurrence of melilite, potassic richterite and tetraferriphlogopite in Deccan Trap- related alkaline rocks, and its petrogenetic significance: the Rajpuri ijolitenephlinite intrusion, Murud, Mumbai area, India.
Journal of Mineralogy and Geochemistry, https://doi.org/ 10.1127/njma/2020/0236
Mineralogy and Petrology, 10.1007/s00710-022-00777-z 20p. Pdf
India
deposit - Shilong Plateau
Abstract: A comprehensive mineralogical, geochemical and isotopic review of six ultramafic-alkaline-carbonatite magmatic intrusions of the Shillong Plateau (Sung Valley, Jasra, Swangkre-Rongjeng, and Mawpyut) and Mikir Hills (Samchampi-Samteran and Barpung) is presented here, using the published data. These intrusions emplaced ca. 115-102 Ma ago, thus are significantly younger than the tholeiitic flood basalts erupted in Rajmahal-Sylhet province (ca. 118-115 Ma). The intrusive lithologies vary from ultramafic (dunites, clinopyroxenites, melilitolites) to mafic (ijolites, gabbros sensu lato, shonkinites), to felsic (syenites, nepheline syenites) and carbonatites (mostly calcite-rich varieties). The volcanic-subvolcanic facies (lamprophyres, phonolites) are not abundant. The range of chemical compositions of the magmatic phases in the various assemblages is notable; the intrusive rocks are thus the result of crystallization of magmas from variably evolved, independent liquid-lines-of descent, generally of alkaline/strongly alkaline lineages and sodic-to-potassic in affinity. The large variations of the Sr-Nd isotopic ratios of the silicate intrusive rocks (sensu lato) suggest a role of shallow-level crustal contamination during their formation. The carbonatites of the Sung Valley and Samchampi-Samteran have different isotope ratios than the associated silicate rocks, have some isotopic affinity with the Group I tholeiitic basalts of Rajmahal Traps and have an ultimate genesis in a carbonate-bearing lithospheric mantle.