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Sample records for palo complex mafic-ultramafic

  1. Geophysical evidence for an extensive Pie de Palo Complex mafic-ultramafic belt, San Juan, Argentina

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    Chernicoff, Carlos J.; Vujovich, Graciela I.; van Staal, Cees R.

    2009-12-01

    The recent completion of a high-resolution aeromagnetic survey over the Pie de Palo uplift of the western Sierras Pampeanas has revealed an area of large magnetic anomalies associated with the Pie de Palo Complex. The Las Pirquitas thrust, which has transported and uplifted the Pie de Palo Complex, is recognized for at least 30 km in a roughly NE direction along the western boundary of the Pie de Palo Complex, beyond its limited outcrop. The type of sediments of the Caucete Group in the footwall of the Las Pirquitas thrust, which are regarded as the leading edge of the Precordillera terrane, are associated with much less pronounced magnetic anomalies. In addition, a conspicuous, NNE trending, broad magnetic high stands out in the survey, several kilometers to the east of the main outcrops of the Pie de Palo Complex; this broad magnetic anomaly bisects the Pie de Palo basement block, and continues further south at least as far as 32°S, the southern boundary of the latest aeromagnetic survey. This magnetic anomaly is interpreted to represent a structure corresponding to the Grenvillian Precordillera-Pie de Palo tectonic boundary zone, and would comprise the buried largest part of the mafic-ultramafic belt. The geophysical model of the magnetic data indicates that the boundary zone dips to the east, possibly suggesting the existence of a set of synthetic east dipping, west-verging thrusts, of which only one major structure (Las Pirquitas thrust) is exposed; the possibility of other slivers of upthrust boundary zone material cannot be excluded. It is considered that the Pie de Palo Complex represents a small sliver upthrust from the unexposed boundary zone material (containing highly magnetic mafic-ultramafic rocks). The east-dipping, west verging structures associated with the Pie de Palo Complex are suggested to represent an Ordovician reactivation of a Grenvillian suture zone developed when the Precordillera basement and Pie de Palo terrane docked; this

  2. Petrogenesis of the Alaskan-type mafic-ultramafic complex in the Makkah quadrangle, western Arabian Shield, Saudi Arabia

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    Habtoor, Abdelmonem; Ahmed, Ahmed Hassan; Harbi, Hesham

    2016-10-01

    The Makkah quadrangle is a part of the Jeddah terrane in the Precambrian basement, Western Arabian Shield of Saudi Arabia. Gabal Taftafan mafic-ultramafic complex lies within the central part of the Makkah quadrangle. The Taftafan mafic-ultramafic complex is a well-differentiated rock association which comprises of dunite core, hornblende- and plagioclase-bearing peridotites, troctolite, clinopyroxenite and marginal gabbro, in a distinctive zonal structure. The bulk-rock geochemistry of the Taftafan mafic-ultramafic rocks is characterized by a tholeiitic/sub-alkaline affinity with high Mg in the ultramafic core (0.84) and is systematically decreased towards the marginal gabbro (0.60). The patterns of trace elements show enrichment in the fluid-mobile elements (Sr, Ba) and a pronounced negative Nb anomaly which reflect a hydrous parental magma generated in a subduction tectonic setting. The mafic-ultramafic rocks of the Taftafan complex have low total rare earth elements (REE) displaying sub-parallel patterns leading to the assumption that these rocks are comagmatic and are formed by fractional crystallization from a common magma type. The platinum-group elements (PGE) content of all rock types in the Taftafan complex is very low, with ∑ PPGE > ∑ IPGE; displaying slightly positive slopes of the PGE distribution patterns. The chemistry of ferromagnesian minerals is characterized by a high forsterite (Fo) olivine with wide range (Fo91-67), from ultramafic core to the marginal gabbro, Ca-rich diopsidic clinopyroxene, and calcic hornblende. Orthopyroxene is almost absent from all rock types, or very rare when present. Hornblende and Ca-plagioclase possess the longest crystallization history since they are present in almost all rock types of the complex. Spinels in the dunite and hornblende-bearing peridotite core show homogeneous composition with intermediate Cr# (0.53-0.67). Plagioclase-bearing peridotite and troctolite have two exsolved types of spinel; Al

  3. Rare-earth element geochemistry in the Luanga Mafic-Ultramafic Complex, Para

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suita, M.T.F.; Nilson, A.A.

    1989-01-01

    Six whole-rock samples (harzburgite, orthopyroxenic and norite) of the Luanga Mafic-Ultramafic Complex (Para) were analysed for rare-earth elements (REE) through plasma spectrometry. The Luanga Complex is a deformed and metamorphosed layered mafic-ultramafic body of Archaean age. The Complex underwent medium-grade metamorphism in three stages. The first stage (medium grade) involved local formation of tremolite and reduction of Ca content in plagioclase. The second stage (low grade) consisted of serpentinization of amphibole or ortopyroxene forming bastile and generation of albite + epidote + white mica + actinolite from plagioclase. The third stage involved renewed serpentinization and/or talcification of pre-existing minerals (including serpentine) along fracture and fault surfaces. The analysed rocks display light rare-earth element (LREE) enrichment up to sixty times the composition of the Leedly chondrite and La/Yb ratios from 6.2 to 20.0 they are low in medium rare-earth elements (MREE), displaying discrete to strong negative Eu anomaly even in plagioclase cumulates and are slightly enriched in heavy rare-earth elements (HREE), usually higher than chondrite values. The low MREE area related to the occurrence of orthopyroxene (bronzite) in a way similar to the pattern of alpine periodotites, while HREE enrichment is compatible with the presence of bronzite and Mg-olivine, probably an inherited igneous feature. (author) [pt

  4. Hydrogeochemistry of deep groundwaters of mafic and ultramafic rocks in Finland

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruskeeniemi, T.; Blomqvist, R.; Lindberg, A.; Ahonen, L.; Frape, S.

    1996-12-01

    The present work reports and interprets the hydrogeochemical and hydrogeological data obtained from deep groundwaters in various mafic-ultramafic formations in Finland. The work is mainly based on the results of the research project 'Geochemistry of deep groundwaters' financed by the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Geological Survey of Finland. Five sites were selected for this study: (1) Juuka, (2) Keminmaa, (3) Maentsaelae, (4) Ranua, and (5) Ylivieska. Keminmaa and Ranua are located in Early Proterozoic layered intrusions dated at 2.44 Ga. The Juuka site lies within the massive Miihkali serpentinite, which is thought to represent the ultramafic part of a Proterozoic (1.97 Ga) ophiolite complex. The Maentsaelae gabbro represents the deep parts of the Svecofennian volcanic sequence, while the Ylivieska mafic-ultramafic intrusion is one of a group of Svecokarelian Ni-potential intrusions 1.9 Ga in age. For reference, groundwaters from four other sites are also briefly described. Three of these sites are located within the nickel mining regions of Enonkoski, Kotalahti and Vammala, while the fourth is a small Ni mineralization at Hyvelae, Noormarkku. The four reference sites are all of Svecokarelian age. (refs.)

  5. Hydrogeochemistry of deep groundwaters of mafic and ultramafic rocks in Finland

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ruskeeniemi, T.; Blomqvist, R.; Lindberg, A.; Ahonen, L. [Geological Survey of Finland, Espoo (Finland); Frape, S. [Waterloo Univ., ON (Canada)

    1996-12-01

    The present work reports and interprets the hydrogeochemical and hydrogeological data obtained from deep groundwaters in various mafic-ultramafic formations in Finland. The work is mainly based on the results of the research project `Geochemistry of deep groundwaters` financed by the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Geological Survey of Finland. Five sites were selected for this study: (1) Juuka, (2) Keminmaa, (3) Maentsaelae, (4) Ranua, and (5) Ylivieska. Keminmaa and Ranua are located in Early Proterozoic layered intrusions dated at 2.44 Ga. The Juuka site lies within the massive Miihkali serpentinite, which is thought to represent the ultramafic part of a Proterozoic (1.97 Ga) ophiolite complex. The Maentsaelae gabbro represents the deep parts of the Svecofennian volcanic sequence, while the Ylivieska mafic-ultramafic intrusion is one of a group of Svecokarelian Ni-potential intrusions 1.9 Ga in age. For reference, groundwaters from four other sites are also briefly described. Three of these sites are located within the nickel mining regions of Enonkoski, Kotalahti and Vammala, while the fourth is a small Ni mineralization at Hyvelae, Noormarkku. The four reference sites are all of Svecokarelian age. (refs.).

  6. Geochemical characteristics and tectonic setting of the Tuerkubantao mafic-ultramafic intrusion in West Junggar, Xinjiang, China

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    Yufeng Deng

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Mineral chemistry, whole-rock major oxide, and trace element compositions have been determined for the Tuerkubantao mafic-ultramafic intrusion, in order to understand the early Paleozoic tectonic evolution of the West Junggar orogenic belt at the southern margin of the Central Asian orogenic belt. The Tuerkubantao mafic-ultramafic intrusion is a well-differentiated complex comprising peridotite, olivine pyroxenite, gabbro, and diorite. The ultramafic rocks are mostly seen in the central part of the intrusion and surrounded by mafic rocks. The Tuerkubantao intrusive rocks are characterized by enrichment of large ion lithophile elements and depleted high field strength elements relative to N-MORB. In addition, the Tuerkubantao intrusion displays relatively low Th/U and Nb/U (1.13–2.98 and 2.53–7.02, respectively and high La/Nb and Ba/Nb (1.15–4.19 and 37.7–79.82, respectively. These features indicate that the primary magma of the intrusion was derived from partial melting of a previously metasomatized mantle source in a subduction setting. The trace element patterns of peridotites, gabbros, and diorite in the Tuerkubantao intrusion have sub-parallel trends, suggesting that the different rock types are related to each other by differentiation of the same primary magma. The intrusive contact between peridotite and gabbro clearly suggest that the Tuerkubantao is not a fragment of an ophiolite. However, the Tuerkubantao intrusion displays many similarities with Alaskan-type mafic-ultramafic intrusions along major sutures of Phanerozoic orogenic belts. Common features include their geodynamic setting, internal lithological zoning, and geochemistry. The striking similarities indicate that the middle Devonian Tuerkubantao intrusion likely formed in a subduction-related setting similar to that of the Alaskan-type intrusions. In combination with the Devonian magmatism and porphyry mineralization, we propose that subduction of the oceanic slab has

  7. Source characteristics and tectonic setting of mafic-ultramafic intrusions in North Xinjiang, NW China: Insights from the petrology and geochemistry of the Lubei mafic-ultramafic intrusion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Bao-Yun; Yu, Jin-Jie; Liu, Shuai-Jie

    2018-05-01

    The newly discovered Lubei sulfide-bearing mafic-ultramafic intrusion forms the western extension of the Huangshan-Jin'erquan mafic-ultramafic intrusion belt in East Tianshan, NW China. The Lubei intrusion comprises hornblende peridotite, lherzolite, and harzburgite in its southern portion, gabbro in its middle portion, and hornblende gabbro in its northern portion. Intrusive relationships indicate that three magma pulses were involved in the formation of the intrusion, and that they were likely evolved from a common primitive magma. Estimated compositions of the Lubei primitive magma are similar to those of island arc calc-alkaline basalt except for the low Na2O and CaO contents of the Lubei primitive magma. This paper reports on the mineral compositions, whole-rock major and trace element contents, and Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd isotopic compositions of the Lubei intrusion, and a zircon LA-MC-ICP-MS U-Pb age for hornblende gabbro. The Lubei intrusion is characterized by enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements, depletion in high-field-strength elements, and marked negative Nb and Ta anomalies, with enrichment in chondrite-normalized light rare earth elements. It exhibits low (87Sr/86Sr)i ratios of 0.70333-0.70636 and low (143Nd/144Nd)i ratios of 0.51214-0.51260, with positive εNd values of +4.01 to +6.33. LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon ages yielded a weighted-mean age of 287.9 ± 1.6 Ma for the Lubei intrusion. Contemporaneous mafic-ultramafic intrusions in different tectonic domains in North Xinjiang show similar geological and geochemical signatures to the Lubei intrusion, suggesting a source region of metasomatized mantle previously modified by hydrous fluids from the slab subducted beneath the North Xinjiang region in the early Permian. Metasomatism of the mantle was dominated by hydrous fluids and was related to subduction of the Paleo-Asian oceanic lithosphere during the Paleozoic. Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions suggest that the mantle source was a mixture of depleted mid

  8. Occurrence and mineral chemistry of chromite and related silicates from the Hongshishan mafic-ultramafic complex, NW China with petrogenetic implications

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    Ruan, Banxiao; Yu, Yingmin; Lv, Xinbiao; Feng, Jing; Wei, Wei; Wu, Chunming; Wang, Heng

    2017-10-01

    The Hongshishan mafic-ultramafic complex is located in the western Beishan Terrane, NW China, and hosts an economic Ni-Cu deposit. Chromite as accessory mineral from the complex is divided into three types based on its occurrence and morphology. Quantitative electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) have been conducted on the different types of chromites. Type 1 chromite occurs as inclusions within silicate minerals and has relatively homogeneous composition. Type 2 chromite occurs among serpentine, as interstitial phase. Type 3 chromite is zoned and exhibits a sudden change in compositions from core to rim. Type 1 chromite occurs in olivine gabbro and troctolite showing homogeneous composition. This chromite is more likely primary. Interstitial type 2 and zoned type 3 chromite has compositional variation from core to rim and is more likely modified. Abundant inclusions of orthopyroxene, phlogopite and hornblende occur within type 2 and type 3 chromites. The parental melt of type 1 chromite has an estimated composition of 14.5 wt% MgO, 12.3 wt% Al2O3 and 1.9 wt% TiO2 and is characterized by high temperature, picritic affinity, hydrous nature and high Mg and Ti contents. Compositions of chromite and clinopyroxene are distinct from those of Alaskan-type complexes and imply that the subduction-related environment is not reasonable. Post orogenic extension and the early Permian mantle plume are responsible for the emplacement of mafic-ultramafic complexes in the Beishan Terrane. The cores of zoned chromites are classified as ferrous chromite and the rims as ferrian chromite. The formation of ferrian rim involves reaction of ferrous chromite, forsterite and magnetite to produce ferrian chromite and chlorite, or alternaively, the rim can be simply envisioned as the result of external addition of magnetite in solution to the already formed ferrous chromite.

  9. Occurrence model for magmatic sulfide-rich nickel-copper-(platinum-group element) deposits related to mafic and ultramafic dike-sill complexes: Chapter I in Mineral deposit models for resource assessment

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    Schulz, Klaus J.; Woodruff, Laurel G.; Nicholson, Suzanne W.; Seal, Robert R.; Piatak, Nadine M.; Chandler, Val W.; Mars, John L.

    2014-01-01

    Magmatic sulfide deposits containing nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu), with or without (±) platinum-group elements (PGE), account for approximately 60 percent of the world’s nickel production. Most of the remainder of the Ni production is derived from lateritic deposits, which form by weathering of ultramafic rocks in humid tropical conditions. Magmatic Ni-Cu±PGE sulfide deposits are spatially and genetically related to bodies of mafic and/or ultramafic rocks. The sulfide deposits form when the mantle-derived mafic and/or ultramafic magmas become sulfide-saturated and segregate immiscible sulfide liquid, commonly following interaction with continental crustal rocks.

  10. Multiple magmatism in an evolving suprasubduction zone mantle wedge: The case of the composite mafic-ultramafic complex of Gaositai, North China Craton

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    Yang, Fan; Santosh, M.; Tsunogae, T.; Tang, Li; Teng, Xueming

    2017-07-01

    The suprasubduction zone mantle wedge of active convergent margins is impregnated by melts and fluids leading to the formation of a variety of magmatic and metasomatic rock suites. Here we investigate a composite mafic-ultramafic intrusion at Gaositai, in the northern margin of the North China Craton (NCC). The hornblende gabbro-serpentinite-dunite-pyroxenite-gabbro-diorite suite surrounded by hornblendites of this complex has long been considered to represent an "Alaskan-type" zoned pluton. We present petrologic, mineral chemical, geochemical and zircon U-Pb and Lu-Hf data from the various rock types from Gaositai including hornblende gabbro, serpentinite, dunite, pyroxenite, diorite and the basement hornblendite which reveal the case of multiple melt generation and melt-peridotite interaction. Our new mineral chemical data from the mafic-ultramafic suite exclude an "Alaskan-type" affinity, and the bulk geochemical features are consistent with subduction-related magmatism with enrichment of LILE (K, Rb, and Ba) and LREE (La and Ce), and depletion of HFSE (Nb, Ta, Zr, and Hf) and HREE. Zircon U-Pb geochronology reveals that the hornblendites surrounding the Gaositai complex are nearly 2 billion years older than the intrusive complex and yield early Paleoproterozoic emplacement ages (2433-2460 Ma), followed by late Paleoproterozoic metamorphism (1897 Ma). The serpentinites trace the history of a long-lived and replenished ancient sub-continental lithospheric mantle with the oldest zircon population dated as 2479 Ma and 1896 Ma, closely corresponding with the ages obtained from the basement rock, followed by Neoproterozoic and Phanerozoic zircon growth. The oldest member in the Gaositai composite intrusion is the dunite that yields emplacement age of 755 Ma, followed by pyroxenite formed through the interaction of slab melt and wedge mantle peridotite at 401 Ma. All the rock suites also carry multiple population of younger zircons ranging in age from Paleozoic to

  11. Effects of interaction between ultramafic tectonite and mafic magma on Nd-Pb-Sr isotopic systems in the Neoproterozoic Chaya Massif, Baikal-Muya ophiolite belt

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    Amelin, Yuri V.; Ritsk, Eugeni Yu.; Neymark, Leonid A.

    1997-04-01

    Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr and U-Pb isotopic systems have been studied in minerals and whole rocks of harzburgites and mafic cumulates from the Chaya Massif, Baikal-Muya ophiolite belt, eastern Siberia, in order to determine the relationship between mantle ultramafic and crustal mafic sections. Geological relations in the Chaya Massif indicate that the mafic magmas were emplaced into, and interacted with older solid peridotite. Hand picked, acid-leached, primary rock-forming and accessory minerals (olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and plagioclase) from the two harzburgite samples show coherent behavior and yield 147Sm/ 144Nd- 143Nd/ 144Nd and 238U/ 204Pb- 206Pb/ 204Pb mineral isochrons, corresponding to ages of 640 ± 58 Ma (95% confidence level) and 620 ± 71 Ma, respectively. These values are indistinguishable from the crystallization age of the Chaya mafic units of 627 ± 25 Ma (a weighted average of internal isochron Sm-Nd ages of four mafic cumulates). The Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd isotopic systems in the harzburgite whole-rock samples were disturbed by hydrothermal alteration. These alteration-related isotopic shifts mimic the trend of variations in primary isotopic compositions in the mafic sequence, thus emphasizing that isotopic data for ultramafic rocks should be interpreted with great caution. On the basis of initial Sr and Nd values, ultramafic and mafic rocks of the Chaya Massif can be divided into two groups: (1) harzburgites and the lower mafic unit gabbronorites withɛ Nd = +6.6 to +7.1 andɛ Sr = -11 to -16; and (2) websterite of the lower unit and gabbronorites of the upper mafic unit:ɛ Nd = +4.6 to +6.1 andɛ Sr = -8 to -9. Initial Pb isotopic ratios are identical in all rocks studied, with mean values of 206Pb/ 204Pb= 16.994 ± 0.023 and 207Pb/ 204Pb= 15.363 ± 0.015. The similarity of ages and initial isotopic ratios within the first group indicates that the isotopic systems in the pre-existing depleted peridotite were reset by extensive interaction with

  12. Genesis of the Permian Kemozibayi sulfide-bearing mafic-ultramafic intrusion in Altay, NW China: Evidence from zircon geochronology, Hf and O isotopes and mineral chemistry

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    Tang, Dongmei; Qin, Kezhang; Xue, Shengchao; Mao, Yajing; Evans, Noreen J.; Niu, Yanjie; Chen, Junlu

    2017-11-01

    The recently discovered Kemozibayi mafic-ultramafic intrusion and its associated magmatic Cu-Ni sulfide deposits are located at the southern margin of the Chinese Altai Mountain, Central Asian Orogenic Belt in north Xinjiang, NW China. The intrusion is composed of olivine websterite, norite, gabbro and diorite. Disseminated and net-textured Ni-Cu sulfide ores are hosted in the center of the gabbro. In this work, new zircon U-Pb ages, Hf-O isotopic and sulfide S isotopic data, and whole rock and mineral chemical analyses are combined in order to elucidate the characteristics of the mantle source, nature of subduction processes, degree of crustal contamination, geodynamic setting of bimodal magmatism in the region, and the metallogenic potential of economic Cu-Ni sulfide deposit at depth. SIMS zircon U-Pb dating of the gabbro yields Permian ages (278.3 ± 1.9 Ma), coeval with the Kalatongke Cu-Ni deposit and with Cu-Ni deposits in the Eastern Tianshan and Beishan areas. Several lines of evidence (positive εHf(t) from + 7.1 to + 13.3, Al2O3, TiO2 and SiO2 contents in clinopyroxene from olivine websterite, high whole rock TiO2 contents) suggest that the primary magma of the Kemozibayi intrusion was a calc-alkaline basaltic magma derived from depleted mantle, and that the degree of partial melting in the magma source was high. The evolution of the Kemozibayi mafic-ultramafic complex was strongly controlled by fractional crystallization and the crystallization sequence was olivine websterite, norite, and then gabbro. This is evidenced by whole rock Fe2O3 contents that are positively correlated with MgO and negatively correlated with Al2O3, CaO and Na2O, similar LREE enrichment and negative Nb, Ta, Hf anomalies in chondrite and primitive mantle-normalized patterns, and a decrease in total REE and trace elements contents and magnetite content from gabbro through to norite and olivine websterite. Varied and low εHf(t) (+ 7.1 to + 13.3) and high δ18O values (+ 6.4‰ to

  13. Field geology, geochronology and geochemistry of mafic-ultramafic rocks from Alxa, China: Implications for Late Permian accretionary tectonics in the southern Altaids

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    Feng, Jianyun; Xiao, Wenjiao; Windley, Brian; Han, Chunming; Wan, Bo; Zhang, Ji'en; Ao, Songjian; Zhang, Zhiyong; Lin, Lina

    2013-12-01

    The time of termination of orogenesis for the southern Altaids has been controversial. Systematic investigations of field geology, geochronology and geochemistry on newly discriminated mafic-ultramafic rocks from northern Alxa in the southern Altaids were conducted to address the termination problem. The mafic-ultramafic rocks are located in the Bijiertai, Honggueryulin, and Qinggele areas, stretching from west to east for about 100 km. All rocks occur high-grade gneisses as tectonic lenses that are composed of peridotite, pyroxenite, gabbro, and serpentinite, most of which have undergone pronounced alteration, i.e., serpentinization and chloritization. Geochemically, the rocks are characterized by uniform compositional trends, i.e., with low SiO2-contents (42.51-52.21 wt.%) and alkalinity (Na2O + K2O) (0.01-5.45 wt.%, mostly less than 0.8 wt.%), and enrichments in MgO (7.37-43.36 wt.%), with Mg# = 52.75-91.87. As the rocks have been strongly altered and have a wide range of loss-on-ignition (LOI: 0.44-14.07 wt.%) values, they may have been subjected to considerable alteration by either seawater or metamorphic fluids. The REE and trace element patterns show a relatively fractionated trend with LILE enrichment and HFSE depletion, similar to that of T-MORB between N-MORB and E-MORB, indicating that the parental melt resulted from the partial melting of oceanic lithospheric mantle overprinted by fluid alteration of island-arc origin. The ultramafic rocks are relics derived from the magma after a large degree of partial melting of oceanic lithospheric mantle with superposed island arc processes under the influence of mid-ocean-ridge magmatism. LA-ICP MS U-Pb zircon ages of gabbros from three spots are 274 ± 3 Ma (MSWD = 0.35), 306 ± 3 Ma (MSWD = 0.49), 262 ± 5 Ma (MSWD = 1.2), respectively, representing the formation ages of the mafic-ultramafic rocks. Therefore, considering other previously published data, we suggest that the mafic-ultramafic rocks were products of

  14. Catchment-wide weathering and erosion rates of mafic, ultramafic, and granitic rock from cosmogenic meteoric 10Be/9Be ratios

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    Dannhaus, N.; Wittmann, H.; Krám, P.; Christl, M.; von Blanckenburg, F.

    2018-02-01

    Quantifying rates of weathering and erosion of mafic rocks is essential for estimating changes to the oceans alkalinity budget that plays a significant role in regulating atmospheric CO2 levels. In this study, we present catchment-wide rates of weathering, erosion, and denudation measured with cosmogenic nuclides in mafic and ultramafic rock. We use the ratio of the meteoric cosmogenic nuclide 10Be, deposited from the atmosphere onto the weathering zone, to stable 9Be, a trace metal released by silicate weathering. We tested this approach in stream sediment and water from three upland forested catchments in the north-west Czech Republic. The catchments are underlain by felsic (granite), mafic (amphibolite) and ultramafic (serpentinite) lithologies. Due to acid rain deposition in the 20th century, the waters in the granite catchment exhibit acidic pH, whereas waters in the mafic catchments exhibit neutral to alkaline pH values due to their acid buffering capability. The atmospheric depositional 10Be flux is estimated to be balanced with the streams' dissolved and particulate meteoric 10Be export flux to within a factor of two. We suggest a correlation method to derive bedrock Be concentrations, required as an input parameter, which are highly heterogeneous in these small catchments. Derived Earth surface metrics comprise (1) Denudation rates calculated from the 10Be/9Be ratio of the "reactive" Be (meaning sorbed to mineral surfaces) range between 110 and 185 t km-2 y-1 (40 and 70 mm ky-1). These rates are similar to denudation rates we obtained from in situ-cosmogenic 10Be in quartz minerals present in the bedrock or in quartz veins in the felsic and the mafic catchment. (2) The degree of weathering, calculated from the fraction of 9Be released from primary minerals as a new proxy, is about 40-50% in the mafic catchments, and 10% in the granitic catchment. Lastly, (3) erosion rates were calculated from 10Be concentrations in river sediment and corrected for sorting

  15. Silicate geothermometry as an indicator of water-rock interaction processes in the serpentinized mafic-ultramafic intrusion of Ylivieska

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruskeeniemi, T.; Blomqvist, R.; Vuorela, P.; Frape, S.K.; Blyth, A.

    1996-01-01

    The aim of the study was to use oxygen and hydrogen isotopes to examine the origin of different generations of serpentine. Of special interest was the study of low-temperature generations that may be correlated with the present meteoric waters. The research was commenced with drill core logging in order to obtain insight into the fracture minerals and their distribution in a mafic-ultramafic intrusion. (39 refs., 17 figs., 5 tabs.)

  16. Rock- and Paleomagnetic Properties and Modeling of a Deep Crustal Volcanic System, the Reinfjord Ultramafic Complex, Seiland Igneous Province, Northern Norway

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    ter Maat, G. W.; Pastore, Z.; Michels, A.; Church, N. S.; McEnroe, S. A.; Larsen, R. B.

    2017-12-01

    The Reinfjord Ultramafic Complex is part of the 5000 km2 Seiland Igneous Province (SIP) in Northern Norway. The SIP is argued to be the deep-seated conduit system of a Large Igneous Province and was emplaced at 25-35 km depth in less than 10 Ma (570-560 Ma). The Reinfjord Ultramafic Complex was emplaced during three major successive events at 22-28km depth at pressures of 6-8kb, with associated temperatures 1450-1500°C (Roberts, 2006). The rocks are divided into three formations: the central series (CS) consisting of mainly dunites, upper layered series (ULS) consisting of dunites and wehrlites, a lower layered series (LLS) containing most pyroxene-rich rocks and a marginal zone (MZ) which formed where the ultramafic melts intruded the gabbro-norite and metasedimentary gneisses. Deep exposures such as the Reinfjord Ultramafic Complex are rare, therefore this study gives a unique insight in the rock magnetic properties of a deep ultramafic system. Localised serpentinised zones provide an opportunity to observe the effect of this alteration process on the magnetic properties of deep-seated rocks. Here, we present the results from the rock magnetic properties, a paleomagnetic study and combined potential-fields modeling. The study of the rock magnetic properties provides insight in primary processes associated with the intrusion, and later serpentinization. The paleomagnetic data yields two distinct directions. One direction corresponds to a Laurentia pole at ≈ 532 Ma while the other, though younger, is not yet fully understood. Rock magnetic properties were measured on > 700 specimens and used to constrain the modelling of gravity, high-resolution helicopter, and ground magnetic data. The intrusion is modelled as a cylindrically shaped complex with a dunite core surrounded by wehrlite and gabbro. The ultramafic part of the complex dips to the NE and its maximum vertical extent is modelled to 1400m. Furthermore, modelling allows estimation of relative volumes of

  17. Study of the mining possibilities in the surroundings of Mahoma - Guaycuru phase I Feasibility of the mafic body of Mahoma-Guaycuru and of the complex mafic - Stratified ultramafic of the Cerros Negros and San Jose and Colonia provinces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coronel, N.; Techera, J.; Ramos, E.; Pineyro, G.

    1990-01-01

    In Mahoma - Guaycuru area has been carried out regional cartography to place the geologic context, mainly the Mahoma bodies magmatic intrusive s, Guaycuru and Cerros Negros. The area has good mining possibilities due to their geologic environment. They exist also geochemical anomalies in the area that they should be taken as base for future works in the same one. In this environment studies were begun with the bodies magmatic mafic and ultramafic, due to its feasibility in Platino ides, Chromium, Nickel, Cobalt . It intent to adjust in a following stage (it Leaves II) a work methodology in an occurrence of minerals metallic. for future works,la occurrence of metallic minerals it lacks elements of economic interest in concentrations high, just as it demonstrates it the geochemical of rocks carried out, and the lack of anomalies in the geochemical of active silts and of floors. As element of interest single Gold appears in samples alluvial deposits but their source would not be the mafic rocks. Other occurrence of metallic minerals appears

  18. Mineral potential for nickel, copper, platinum group elements(PGE), and chromium deposits hosted in ultramafic rocks in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (phase V, deliverable 67): Chapter G in Second projet de renforcement institutionnel du secteur minier de la République Islamique de Mauritanie (PRISM-II)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Cliff D.; Marsh, Erin; Anderson, Eric D.

    2015-01-01

    PRISM-I summary documents mention the presence of mafic-ultramafic igneous intrusive rocks in several areas of Mauritania and a number of chromium (Cr) and copper-nickel (Cu-Ni (±Co, Au)) occurrences associated with them. Permissive geologic settings generally include greenstone belts of any age, layered mafic-ultramafic and unlayered gabbro-anorthosite intrusive complexes in cratonic settings, ophiolite complexes, flood basalt provinces, and fluid-rich shear zones cutting accumulations of mafic-ultramafic rocks. Regions of Mauritania having these characteristics that are discussed in PRISM-I texts include the Mesoarchean greenstone belts of the TasiastTijirit terrane in the southwestern Rgueïbat Shield, two separate layered ultramafic complexes in the Amsaga Complex west of Atar, serpentinized metadunites in Mesoarchean rocks of the Rgueïbat Shield in the Zednes map sheet, several lateritized annular mafic-ultramafic complexes in the Paleoproterozoic northwestern portion of the Rgueïbat Shield, and the serpentinized ophiolitic segments of the Gorgol Noir Complex in the axial portion of the southern Mauritanides. Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM) work in the “Extreme Sud” zone also suggests that small copper occurrences associated with the extensive Jurassic microgabbroic intrusive rocks in the Taoudeni Basin of southeastern Mauritania could have potential for magmatic Cu-Ni (PGE, Co, Au) sulfide mineralization. Similarly, Jurassic mafic intrusive rocks in the northeastern Taoudeni Basin may be permissive. Known magmatic Cu-Ni deposits of these types in Mauritania are few in number and some uncertainty exists as to the nature of several of the more important ones.

  19. Geochemistry and geodynamics of the Mawat mafic complex in the Zagros Suture zone, northeast Iraq

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azizi, Hossein; Hadi, Ayten; Asahara, Yoshihiro; Mohammad, Youssef Osman

    2013-12-01

    The Iraqi Zagros Orogenic Belt includes two separate ophiolite belts, which extend along a northwest-southeast trend near the Iranian border. The outer belt shows ophiolite sequences and originated in the oceanic ridge or supra-subduction zone. The inner belt includes the Mawat complex, which is parallel to the outer belt and is separated by the Biston Avoraman block. The Mawat complex with zoning structures includes sedimentary rocks with mafic interbedded lava and tuff, and thick mafic and ultramafic rocks. This complex does not show a typical ophiolite sequences such as those in Penjween and Bulfat. The Mawat complex shows evidence of dynamic deformation during the Late Cretaceous. Geochemical data suggest that basic rocks have high MgO and are significantly depleted in LREE relative to HREE. In addition they show positive ɛ Nd values (+5 to+8) and low 87Sr/86Sr ratios. The occurrence of some OIB type rocks, high Mg basaltic rocks and some intermediate compositions between these two indicate the evolution of the Mawat complex from primary and depleted source mantle. The absence of a typical ophiolite sequence and the presence of good compatibility of the source magma with magma extracted from the mantle plume suggests that a mantle plume from the D″ layer is more consistent as the source of this complex than the oceanic ridge or supra-subduction zone settings. Based on our proposed model the Mawat basin represents an extensional basin formed during the Late Paleozoic to younger along the Arabian passive margin oriented parallel to the Neo-Tethys oceanic ridge or spreading center. The Mawat extensional basin formed without creation of new oceanic basement. During the extension, huge volumes of mafic lava were intruded into this basin. This basin was squeezed between the Arabian Plate and Biston Avoraman block during the Late Cretaceous.

  20. Mafic-silicic magma interaction in the layered 1.87 Ga Soukkio Complex in Mäntsälä, southern Finland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Toni T. Eerola

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available The Svecofennian layered Soukkio Complex (1.87 Ga in Mäntsälä, southern Finland, consists of layered tholeiitic gabbro and porphyritic calc-alkaline monzonite, quartz monzonite and granite, mingled together. The gabbro belongs to a group of ten mafic-ultramafic intrusions of Mäntsälä, part of the 150 km long and 20 km wide, linear, E-W trending Hyvinkää–Mäntsälä Gabbroic Belt(HMGB, representing syn-collisional magmatism. Structures and textures related to magma mingling and mixing occur in a 1–2 km wide zone around Lake Kilpijärvi, located at the center of the Soukkio Complex. The complex is compositionally stratified and consists of four zones:its base, found at the Western Zone, is a dynamically layered gabbro. The followingtonalite is probably a result of magma mixing. Felsic amoeboid layers and pipes, alternating with or cutting the fine-grained gabbro in the Central-Western Zone, resemble those of mafic-silicic layered intrusions in general. Mafic magmatic enclaves (MMEs and pillows form the South-Central Zone and disrupted synplutonic mafic dykes or sheets intruded the granite in the Eastern Zone. The MMEs and disrupted synplutonic mafic dykes or sheets show cuspate and chilled margins against the felsic host, quartz ocelli, corroded K-feldspar xenocrysts with or without plagioclase mantles, and acicular apatite, all typical features of magma mingling and mixing. Mixing is suggested by intermediate composition of MMEs between granitoid and gabbro, as well as by their partly linear trends in some Harker diagrams. REE composition of the MMEs is similar to that of the Soukkio Gabbro, as expected for granite hosted MMEs. The model proposed for evolution of the Soukkio Complex involves intrusion of mafic magma into the crust, causing its partial melting. This generated granitic magma above the mafic chamber. Injections of mafic magma invaded the felsic chamber and those magmas interacted mainly by intermingling. Mingling and

  1. Zircon and baddeleyite from the economic ultramafic-mafic Noril'sk-1 intrusion (Russia): Hf-isotope constraints on source composition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malitch, K. N.; Belousova, E. A.; Badanina, I. Yu.; Griffin, W. L.

    2012-04-01

    subcontinental lithospheric source probably at least Neoproterozoic in age. We propose that the SCLM component is especially prominent in the mineralized portions of the intrusion. This is consistent with the suggestion of Zhang et al (2008) that ancient cratonic lithospheric mantle may have contributed significantly to the PGE and Ni budget of the "fertile" Siberian Large Igneous Province. Small population of zircons from the gabbro-diorite show the least 'radiogenic' Hf-isotope values, indicating the input of a distinctly older lithospheric, possibly crustal, component, being consistent with a hybrid nature of this lithology. Our approach for deciphering the origin of zircon and baddeleyite from mafic and ultramafic rocks provides a unique set of U-Pb and Hf-isotope constraints on temporal evolution and petrologic history of the Noril'sk-1 intrusion. The study was supported by Uralian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (12-U-5-1038). Refereneces: Campbell I.H., Czamanske G.K., Fedorenko V.A., Hill R.I., Stepanov V. (1992) Synchronism of the Siberian traps and the Permian-Triassic boundary. Science 255, 1760-1763. Griffin W.L., Wang X., Jackson S.E., Pearson N.J., O'Reilly S.Y., Xu X., Zhou X. (2002) Zircon chemistry and magma genesis, SE China: in-situ analysis of Hf isotopes, Pingtan and Tonglu igneous complexes. Lithos 61, 237-269. Kamo S.L., Czamanske G.K., Krogh T.E. (1996) A minimum U-Pb age for Siberian flood-basalt volcanism. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 60, 3505-3511. Malitch K.N., Badanina I.Yu., Belousova E.A., Tuganova E.V. (2012) Results of U-Pb dating of zircon and baddeleyite from the Noril'sk-1 ultramafic-mafic intrusion (Russia). Russian Geology and Geophysics 53(2), 123-130. Zhang M., O'Reilly S.Y., Wang K-L., Hronsky J., Griffin W.L. (2008) Flood basalts and metallogeny: The lithospheric connection. Earth-Science Reviews 86, 145-174.

  2. Serpentinization and fluid-rock interaction in Jurassic mafic and ultramafic sea-floor: constraints from Ligurian ophiolite sequences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vogel, Monica; Früh-Green, Gretchen L.; Boschi, Chiara; Schwarzenbach, Esther M.

    2014-05-01

    The Bracco-Levanto ophiolitic complex (Eastern Liguria) represents one of the largest and better-exposed ophiolitic successions in the Northern Apennines. It is considered to be a fragment of heterogeneous Jurassic lithosphere that records tectono-magmatic and alteration histories similar to those documented along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, such as at the 15°20'N area and the Atlantis Massif at 30°N. Structural and petrological studies on these rocks provide constraints on metamorphic/deformation processes during formation and hydrothermal alteration of the Jurassic oceanic lithosphere. We present a petrological and geochemical study of deformation processes and fluid-rock interaction in the Bracco-Levanto ophiolitic complex and compare these to modern oceanic hydrothermal systems, such as the Lost City Hydrothermal Field hosted in ultramafic rocks on the Atlantis Massif. A focus is on investigating mass transfer and fluid flow paths during high and low temperature hydrothermal activity, and on processes leading to hydrothermal carbonate precipitation and the formation of ophicalcites, which are characteristic of the Bracco-Levanto sequences. Major element and mineral compositional data allow us to distinguish a multiphase history of alteration characterized by: (1) widespread SiO2 metasomatism during progressive serpentinization, and (2) multiple phases of veining and carbonate precipitation associated with circulation of seawater and high fluid-rock ratios in the shallow ultramafic-dominated portions of the Jurassic seafloor. We observe regional variations in MgO, SiO2 and Al2O3, suggesting Si-flux towards stratigraphically higher units. In general, the ophicalcites have higher Si, Al and Fe concentrations and lower Mg than the serpentinite basement rocks or serpentinites with minimal carbonate veins. Bulk rock trace element data and Sr isotope ratios indicate seawater reacting with rocks of more mafic composition, then channeled towards stratigraphically higher

  3. Geochemical characteristics of granitoids and related mafic granulites from the Pan-African Dahomeyide belt, southeastern Ghana

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aidoo, F.

    2012-07-01

    -23%) and sometimes sericite and microline. The mafic granulites contain SiO 2 content of 43.10-49.40 wt. % with low to moderate Mg# of 37-60. They exhibit fractionated REE patterns with (La/Sm) N = 1.80-5.85 and (La/Yb) N = 3.76-76.30, and negative and positive Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu*'' = 0.68-2.10). The mafic granulites show total REEs content of 17.86-1245.13 ppm with Eu/Eu*'' between 1.01 and 1.36. Two types of mafic granulites are identified with one type displaying un-fractionated (flat), MORB-like REE patterns whereas the other shows slightly fractionated to highly fractionated, IAT-like REE patterns. The primitive mantle-normalised trace element patterns of the granulites show subduction-related geochemical characteristics. The LREE-enriched type show pronounced negative Th, U, Ta, Nb, Zr and Hf anomalies and positive l3a and Sr I) pical arc roots, whereas the un-fractionated type show pronounced Th-U trough, but slightly negative Ta, Nb, Hf, Ti anomalies and positive Ba and Sr anomalies, suggesting subduction inputs in the protolith of the MORB-like granulites. Thus, the mafic granulites show both N-MORB and IAT imprints. The ultramafic rock, AD6, associated with the mafic granulites is composed mainly of pyroxene (60%), plagioclase (13%), olivine (12%), hornblende (6%) and sericite (4%). It contains SiO 2 content of 52.80 wt. %; low TiO 2 (0.25 wt. %) and has very high Mg# of 84. The ultramaf-ic rock also shows total REEs content of 64.85 ppm, very high Cr of 3520 ppm and Ni of 48I ppm. The ultramafic rocks also show typical IAT signatures. In general, the mafic granulites and ultramafic rocks from the suture zone assemblages of the Dahomeyide belt suggest subduction zone magmatism with oceanic crust forming in either a back-arc basin or intra-arc basin environment. The geochemical characteristics of the granitoid gneisses from the external nappes (basement complex) also show subduction-related magmatic activity. Therefore, all the rocks studied

  4. Sulfide mineralization in ultramafic rocks of the Faryab ophiolite complex, southern Kerman

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Ali Rajabzadeh

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Introduction Worldwide, Ni-Cu and PGE magmatic sulfide deposits are confined to the lower parts of stratiform mafic and ultramafic complexes. However, ophiolite mafic and ultramafic complexes have been rarely explored for sulfide deposits despite the fact that they have been extensively explored and exploited for chromite. Sulfide saturation during magmatic evolution is necessary for sulfide mineralization, in which sulfide melts scavenge chalcophile metals from the parent magma and concentrate them in specific lithological zones. The lack of exploration for sulfides in this environment suggests that sulfide saturation is rarely attained in ophiolite-related magmas. Some ophiolites, however, contain sulfide deposits, such as at Acoje in Philippines, and Cliffs in Shetland, U.K. (Evans, 2000; Naldrett, 2004. The Faryab ophiolite complex in southern Kerman Province, the most important mining area for chromite deposits in Iran, is located in the southwest part of the Makran Zone. Evidence of sulfide mineralization has been reported there by some authors (e.g. Rajabzadeh and Moosavinasab, 2013. This paper discusses the genesis of sulfides in the Faryab ophiolite using mineral chemistry of the major mineral phases in different rocks of the ophiolite column in order to determine the possible lithological location of sulfide deposits. Materials and methods Seventy three rock samples from cumulate units were collected from surficial occurrences and drill core. The samples were studied using conventional microscopic methods and the mineralogy confirmed by x-ray diffraction. Electron microprobe analysis was carried out on different mineral phases in order to determine the chemistry of the minerals used in the interpretation of magma evolution in the Faryab ophiolite. Lithologically, the Faryab ophiolite complex is divided into two major parts: the northern part includes magmatic rocks and the southern part is comprised of rocks residual after partial

  5. Highly refractory Archaean peridotite cumulates: Petrology and geochemistry of the Seqi Ultramafic Complex, SW Greenland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kristoffer Szilas

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates the petrogenesis of the Seqi Ultramafic Complex, which covers a total area of approximately 0.5 km2. The ultramafic rocks are hosted by tonalitic orthogneiss of the ca. 3000 Ma Akia terrane with crosscutting granitoid sheets providing an absolute minimum age of 2978 ± 8 Ma for the Seqi Ultramafic Complex. The Seqi rocks represent a broad range of olivine-dominated plutonic rocks with varying modal amounts of chromite, orthopyroxene and amphibole, i.e. various types of dunite (s.s., peridotite (s.l., as well as chromitite. The Seqi Ultramafic Complex is characterised primarily by refractory dunite, with highly forsteritic olivine with core compositions having Mg# ranging from about 91 to 93. The overall high modal contents, as well as the specific compositions, of chromite rule out that these rocks represent a fragment of Earth's mantle. The occurrence of stratiform chromitite bands in peridotite, thin chromite layers in dunite and poikilitic orthopyroxene in peridotite instead supports the interpretation that the Seqi Ultramafic Complex represents the remnant of a fragmented layered complex or a magma conduit, which was subsequently broken up and entrained during the formation of the regional continental crust.Integrating all of the characteristics of the Seqi Ultramafic Complex points to formation of these highly refractory peridotites from an extremely magnesian (Mg# ∼ 80, near-anhydrous magma, as olivine-dominated cumulates with high modal contents of chromite. It is noted that the Seqi cumulates were derived from a mantle source by extreme degrees of partial melting (>40%. This mantle source could potentially represent the precursor for the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM in this region, which has previously been shown to be ultra-depleted. The Seqi Ultramafic Complex, as well as similar peridotite bodies in the Fiskefjord region, may thus constitute the earliest cumulates that formed during the

  6. Sr and Nd isotope composition of the metamorphic, sedimentary and ultramafic xenoliths of Lanzarote (Canary Islands): Implications for magma sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aparicio, Alfredo; Tassinari, Colombo C. G.; García, Roberto; Araña, Vicente

    2010-01-01

    The lavas produced by the Timanfaya eruption of 1730-1736 (Lanzarote, Canary Islands) contain a great many sedimentary and metamorphic (metasedimentary), and mafic and ultramafic plutonic xenoliths. Among the metamorphosed carbonate rocks (calc-silicate rocks [CSRs]) are monomineral rocks with forsterite or wollastonite, as well as rocks containing olivine ± orthopyroxene ± clinopyroxene ± plagioclase; their mineralogical compositions are identical to those of the mafic (gabbros) and ultramafic (dunite, wherlite and lherzolite) xenoliths. The 87Sr/ 86Sr (around 0.703) and 143Nd/ 144Nd (around 0.512) isotope ratios of the ultramafic and metasedimentary xenoliths are similar, while the 147Sm/ 144Nd ratios show crustal values (0.13-0.16) in the ultramafic xenoliths and mantle values (0.18-0.25) in some CSRs. The apparent isotopic anomaly of the metamorphic xenoliths can be explained in terms of the heat source (basaltic intrusion) inducing strong isotopic exchange ( 87Sr/ 86Sr and 143Nd/ 144Nd) between metasedimentary and basaltic rocks. Petrofabric analysis also showed a possible relationship between the ultramafic and metamorphic xenoliths.

  7. Petrogenesis and geochemical characterisation of ultramafic cumulate rocks from Hawes Head, Fiordland, New Zealand

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Daczko, N.R.; Emami, S.; Allibone, A.H.; Turnbull, I.M.

    2012-01-01

    Early Cretaceous parts of the western Median Batholith (Western Fiordland Orthogneiss) represent the exposed root of a magmatic arc of dioritic to monzodioritic composition (SiO 2 = 51-55 wt%; Na 2 O/K 2 O = 3.7-8.8 in this study). We characterise for the first time the field relationships, petrography, mineralogy and geochemistry of ultramafic and mafic cumulates at Hawes Head, the largest exposure of ultramafic rocks in western Fiordland. We distinguish three related rock types at Hawes Head: hornblende peridotite (MgO = 21-35 wt%); hornblendite (MgO = 15-16 wt%); and pyroxenite (MgO = 21 wt%). Petrogenetic relationships between the ultramafic rocks and the surrounding Misty Pluton of the Western Fiordland Orthogneiss are demonstrated by: (i) mutually cross-cutting relationships; (ii) similar mafic phases (e.g. pyroxene and amphibole) with elevated Mg-numbers (e.g. olivine Mg/(Mg+Fe) = 0.77-0.82); (iii) fractionation trends in mineral geochemistry; and (iv) shared depleted heavy rare earth element patterns. In addition, the application of solid/liquid partition coefficients indicates that olivine in the ultramafic rocks at Hawes Head crystallised from a magma with Mg/(Mg+Fe) = 0.54-0.57. The olivine grains therefore represent a plausible early crystallising phase of the adjacent Western Fiordland Orthogneiss (Mg/(Mg+Fe) = 0.51-0.55). (author). 42 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab.

  8. Petrological constraints on the recycling of mafic crystal mushes, magma ascent and intrusion of braided sills in the Torres del Paine mafic complex (Patagonia)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leuthold, Julien; Müntener, Othmar; Baumgartner, Lukas; Putlitz, Benita

    2014-05-01

    Cumulate and crystal mush disruption and reactivation are difficult to recognise in coarse grained shallow plutonic rocks. Mafic minerals included in hornblende and zoned plagioclase provide snapshots of early crystallization and cumulate formation, but are difficult to interpret in terms of the dynamics of magma ascent and possible links between silicic and mafic rock emplacement. We will present the field relations, the microtextures and the mineral chemistry of the Miocene mafic sill complex of the Torres del Paine intrusive complex (Patagonia, Chile) and its sub-vertical feeder-zone. The mafic sill complex was built up by a succession of braided sills of shoshonitic and high-K calc-alkaline porphyritic hornblende-gabbro and fine grained monzodioritic sills. The mafic units were over-accreted over 41±11 ka, underplating the overlying granite. Local diapiric structures and felsic magma accumulation between sills indicate limited separation of intercumulus liquid from the mafic sills. Anhedral hornblende cores, with olivine + clinopyroxene ± plagioclase ± apatite inclusions, crystallized at temperatures >900°C and pressures of ~300 to ~500 MPa. The corresponding rims and monzodiorite matrix crystallized at 950°C) from the middle crust reservoir to the emplacement level. We show that hornblende-plagioclase thermobarometry is a useful monitor for the determination of segregation conditions of granitic magmas from gabbroic crystal mushes, and for monitoring the evolution of shallow crustal magmatic crystallization, decompression and cooling.

  9. Further Sr and Nd isotopic results from peridotites of the Ronda Ultramafic Complex

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reisberg, L.; Zindler, A.

    1989-01-01

    Clinopyroxenes derived from peridotites of the spinel and garnet facies of the Ronda Ultramafic Complex yield Sr and Nd isotopic ratios which extend the range of compositions found in the massif to values as depleted as 0.70205 for Sr and 0.51363 for Nd. Large-amplitude, short-wavelength isotopic variations are found to be uniquitous throughout the massif. In the garnet facies, some of these variations are shown to be produced by the tectonic disaggregation of mafic layers in an isotopically depleted peridotite matrix. Ages obtained from garnet-clinopyroxene Sm-Nd isochrons (about 22 m.y.) agree with previous determinations of the time of crustal emplacement. In the plagioclase facies, where the Sr and Nd isotopic compositions have been very strongly affected by recent cryptic metasomatism, detailed study of one sample reveals that intermineral Nd isotopic equilibrium exists between clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, and plagioclase. This indicates that the metasomatism occurred at high temperatures, and thus probably within the mantle. A rough correlation between 143 Nd/ 144 Nd and 147 Sm/ 144 N, with an apparent 'age' of 1.3 b.y. and an initial ε Nd (0) value of +6.0, is observed among clinopyroxenes derived from river sediments from throughout the massif. This age is interpreted as the time that the massif left the convecting mantle and became incorporated into the sub-continental lithosphere. (orig.)

  10. Geological setting, emplacement mechanism and igneous evolution of the Atchiza mafic-ultramafic layered suite in north-west Mozambique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ibraimo, Daniel Luis; Larsen, Rune B.

    2015-11-01

    The Atchiza mafic and ultramafic-layered suite (hereafter, "Atchiza Suite) crops out in an area 330 km2 west of the Mozambican Tete province. In an early account of the geology of this intrusion, it was considered the continuation of the Great Dyke of Zimbabwe, an idea that was aborted after detailed studies. Nevertheless, the Ni concentrations in the Atchiza outcrop rocks are considerable. Our investigation used field evidence, hand specimens and petrography descriptions, mineral chemistry studies using electron microprobe analysis and tectonic analysis to arrive at a plausible mineralogical composition and understanding of the tectonic setting for the igneous evolution. The mineral composition from the Atchiza Suite indicates that these are cumulates. The magmatic segregation from the petrographic and mineral composition reasoning indicates that dunite-lherzolitic peridotite-olivine gabbro-gabbronorite-gabbro-pegmatitic gabbro is the rock formation sequence. Olivine and chromite were the first phases formed, followed by pyroxene and plagioclase. In addition, it is shown that these minerals are near-liquidus crystallization products of basaltic magma with olivine Fo: 87.06 in dunite, mean values of clinopyroxene are (Wo: 36.4, En: 48.0, Fs: 15.2), orthopyroxene (Wo: 2.95, En: 73.0, Fs: 24.2) and plagioclase An: 71.3, respectively. Opaque minerals comprise Fe-Ti oxides and (Fe, Cr) spinel up to 4.8 vol.%, but chromitite layers are not present. Most of the opaque minerals are interstitial to pyroxene. Sulphides are common in gabbros, with pyrrhotite, pentlandite, chalcopyrite, pyrite and covellite together comprising 0.4-2.0 vol.%. The whole rock Rare Earth Element (REE) concentrations are mainly a result of differentiation, but slight crustal contamination/assimilation contributed to the REE contents. In addition, they also show Eu enrichment, suggesting that plagioclase fractionation was important in the rock. The Atchiza Suite preserves a deep-seated plumbing

  11. Geothermobarometry for ultramafic assemblages from the Emeishan Large Igneous Province, Southwest China and the Nikos and Zulu Kimberlites, Nunavut, Canada

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, D.

    2009-05-01

    To understand and contrast the origins of ultramafic assemblages from basaltic and kimberlitic rocks and their associated deposits, such as V-Ti magnetite and Ni-Cu-(PGE) sulfide deposits and diamond, applicable thermobarometers were evaluated and applied to the ultramafic assemblages from the Emeishan Large Igneous Province (ELIP), Southwest China and from the Nikos and Zulu Kimberlites of Nunavut, Canada. The ELIP is located in the Yangtze Block, Southwest China and composed of Permian Emeishan Flood basalt (EFB) and associated layered mafic-ultramafic intrusions. Some of these intrusions host V-Ti magnetite deposits; while others contain Ni-Cu-(PGE) sulfide deposits. It is not clear why some intrusions host magnetite deposits and others contain sulfide deposits. The P-T conditions for the ultramafic assemblages from the mafic-ultramafic intrusions in the ELIP were calculated in order to understand the origins and the associated mineral deposits. The ultramafic assemblages are peridotite, olivine pyroxenite, pyroxenite in the layered intrusions and the common minerals include spinel, olivine, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, and minor magnetite and ilmenite. Using a two pyroxene thermometer and a Ca-Mg exchange barometer between olivine and clinopyroxene, a spinel-olivine-clinopyroxene-orthopyroxene assemblage from the Xinjie intrusion yields a T-P of 905°C and 17 kbar; and a similar assemblage from the Jinbaoshan intrusion yields a T-P of 1124°C and 31 kbar. The Nikos kimberlite, near Elwin Bay on Somerset Island, is located at the northeast end of the northeast-southwest kimberlite zone; and the Zulu kimberlite is located on the neighboring Brodeur Peninsula of Baffin Island, Nunavut. The ultramafic assemblages from the Canadian Kimberlites include garnet lherzolite, garnet-spinel lherzolite, spinel lherzolite, dunite, garnet websterite, spinel websterite and garnet clinopyroxenite. The calculated P-T conditions are in the range of 760 to 1180°C and 25 to 60

  12. Drilling the Bushveld Complex- the world's largest layered mafic intrusion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashwal, L. D.; Webb, S. J.; Trumbull, R. B.

    2013-12-01

    The fact that surprising new discoveries can be made in layered mafic intrusions (e.g., subtle 100-150 m cyclicity in apparently homogeneous cumulates over 1000s of m) means that we are still in the first-order characterization phase of understanding these objects. Accordingly, we have secured funding from ICDP for a planning workshop to be held in Johannesburg in early 2014, aimed at scientific drilling of the Bushveld Complex, the world's largest layered mafic intrusion. Science objectives include, but are not limited to: 1. Magma chamber processes & melt evolution. How many melts/magmas/mushes were involved, what were their compositions and how did they interact? What, if anything, is missing from the Complex, and where did it go? Did Bushveld magmatism have an effect upon Earth's atmosphere at 2 Ga? 2. Crust-mantle interactions & origin of Bushveld granitoids. Are Bushveld granites & rhyolites crustal melts, differentiates from the mafic magmas or products of immiscibility? How can the evolved isotopic signatures in the mafic rocks (e.g., epsilon Nd to -8) be understood? 3. Origin of ore deposits. What were the relative roles of gravity settling, magma mixing, immiscibility and hydrothermal fluid transport in producing the PGE, Cr and V deposits? We have identified 3 potential drilling targets representing a total of ~12 km of drill core. Exact locations of drill sites are to be discussed at the workshop. Target A- East-Central Bushveld Complex. We propose 3 overlapping 3 km boreholes that will provide the first roof-to-floor continuous coverage of the Rustenburg Layered Suite. These boreholes will represent a curated, internationally available reference collection of Bushveld material for present and future research. Target B- Southeastern Bushveld Complex. We propose a single borehole of ~2 km depth, collared in Rooiberg felsite, and positioned to intersect the Roof Zone, Upper Zone, Main Zone and floor of the Complex. Amongst other things, this site will

  13. Impact on the deep biosphere of CO2 geological sequestration in (ultra)mafic rocks and retroactive consequences on its fate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ménez, Bénédicte; Gérard, Emmanuelle; Rommevaux-Jestin, Céline; Dupraz, Sébastien; Guyot, François; Arnar Alfreősson, Helgi; Reynir Gíslason, Sigurőur; Sigurőardóttir, Hólmfríiur

    2010-05-01

    Due to their reactivity and high potential of carbonation, mafic and ultramafic rocks constitute targets of great interest to safely and permanently sequestrate anthropogenic CO2 and thus, limit the potential major environmental consequences of its increasing atmospheric level. In addition, subsurface (ultra)mafic environments are recognized to harbor diverse and active microbial populations that may be stimulated or decimated following CO2 injection (± impurities) and subsequent acidification. However, the nature and amplitude of the involved biogeochemical pathways are still unknown. To avoid unforeseen consequences at all time scales (e.g. reservoir souring and clogging, bioproduction of H2S and CH4), the impact of CO2 injection on deep biota with unknown ecology, and their retroactive effects on the capacity and long-term stability of CO2 storage sites, have to be determined. We present here combined field and experimental investigations focused on the Icelandic pilot site, implemented in the Hengill area (SW Iceland) at the Hellisheidi geothermal power plant (thanks to the CarbFix program, a consortium between the University of Iceland, Reykjavik Energy, the French CNRS of Toulouse and Columbia University in N.Y., U.S.A. and to the companion French ANR-CO2FIX project). This field scale injection of CO2 charged water is here designed to study the feasibility of storing permanently CO2 in basaltic rocks and to optimize industrial methods. Prior to the injection, the microbiological initial state was characterized through regular sampling at various seasons (i.e., October '08, July '09, February '10). DNA was extracted and amplified from the deep and shallow observatory wells, after filtration of 20 to 30 liters of groundwater collected in the depth interval 400-980 m using a specifically developed sampling protocol aiming at reducing contamination risks. An inventory of living indigenous bacteria and archaea was then done using molecular methods based on the

  14. Geochemical characteristics of mafic and ultramafic rocks from the Naga Hills Ophiolite, India: Implications for petrogenesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ajoy Dey

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The Naga Hills Ophiolite (NHO represents one of the fragments of Tethyan oceanic crust in the Himalayan Orogenic system which is exposed in the Phek and Kiphire districts of Nagaland, India. The NHO is composed of partially serpentinized dunite, peridotite, gabbro, basalt, minor plagiogranite, diorite dyke and marine sediments. The basalts are mainly composed of fine grained plagioclase feldspar, clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene and show quenching and variolitic textures. The gabbros are characterized by medium to coarse grained plagioclase, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene with ophitic to sub-ophitic textures. The ultramafic cumulates are represented by olivine, Cpx and Opx. Geochemically, the basalts and gabbros are sub-alkaline to alkaline and show tholeiitic features. The basalts are characterized by 44.1–45.6 wt.% of SiO2 with 28–38 of Mg#, and the gabbros by 38.7–43.7 wt.% of SiO2, and 26–79 of Mg#. The ultramafic rocks are characterized by 37.4–52.2 wt.% of SiO2, and 80–88 of Mg#. In multi-element diagrams (spidergrams both basalts and gabbros show fractionated trends with strong negative anomalies of Zr, Nb, Sr and a gentle negative anomaly of P. However, the rare earth element (REE plots of the basalts and gabbros show two distinct patterns. The first pattern, represented by light REE (LREE depletion, suggests N-MORB features and can be interpreted as a signature of Paleo-Tethyan oceanic crust. The second pattern, represented by LREE enrichment with negligible negative Eu anomaly, conforms to E-MORB, and may be related to an arc tectonic setting. In V vs. Ti/1000, Cr vs. Y and AFM diagrams, the basalts and gabbros plot within Island Arc Tholeiite (IAT and MORB fields suggesting both ridge and arc related settings. The ultramafic rocks exhibit two distinct patterns both in spidergrams and in REE plots. In the spidergram, one group displays highly enriched pattern, whereas the other group shows near flat pattern compared

  15. Late Neoproterozoic layered mafic intrusion of arc-affinity in the Arabian-Nubian Shield: A case study from the Shahira layered mafic intrusion, southern Sinai, Egypt

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Azer, M.K.; Obeid, M.A.; Gahalan, H.A.

    2016-07-01

    º to 958ºC for the gabbros, and from 665º to 862ºC for the diorites. Field, petrological, geochemical and mineralogical characteristics of the SLMI are akin to the Egyptian layered mafic-ultramafic intrusions of volcanic-arc setting, not ophiolitic rocks. (Author)

  16. Petrogenetic and geodynamic origin of the Neoarchean Doré Lake Complex, Abitibi subprovince, Superior Province, Canada

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Polat, Ali; Frei, Robert; Longstaffe, Fred J.

    2018-01-01

    Group, which is composed of two cycles of tholeiitic-to-calc-alkaline volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks, siliciclastic and chemical sedimentary rocks, and layered mafic-to-ultramafic sills. In this study, we report major and trace element results, and Nd, Sr, Pb and O isotope data for anorthosites......, leucogabbros, gabbros and mafic dykes from the Doré Lake Complex and spatially associated basalts and gabbros of the Obatogamau Formation to assess their petrogenetic origin and geodynamic setting. Field and petrographic observations indicate that the Doré Lake Complex and associated volcanic rocks underwent...... extensive metamorphic alteration under greenschist facies conditions, resulting in widespread epidotization (20–40%) and chloritization (10–40%) of many rock types. Plagioclase recrystallized mainly to anorthite and albite endmembers, erasing intermediate compositions. Metamorphic alteration also led...

  17. Organic geochemistry of deep ground waters from the Palo Duro Basin, Texas: implications for radionuclide complexation, ground-water origin, and petroleum exploration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Means, J.L.; Hubbard, N.J.

    1985-05-01

    This report describes the organic geochemistry of 11 ground-water samples from the Palo Duro Basin, Texas and discusses the implications of their organic geochemical compositions in terms of radionuclide complexation, ground-water origin, and the petroleum potential of two candidate repository sites in Deaf Smith and Swisher Counties. Short-chain aliphatic acid anions are the principal organic constituents present. Stability constant data and simple chemical equilibria calculations suggest that short-chain aliphatic acids are relatively weak complexing agents. The extent of complexation of a typical actinide by selected inorganic ligands present in these brines is expected to far outweigh actinide complexation by the aliphatic acid anions. Various lines of evidence suggest that some portion of the bromide concentrations in the brines is derived from the same source as the short-chain aliphatic acid anions. When the postulated organic components are subtracted from total bromide concentrations, the origins of the Palo Duro brines, based on chloride versus bromide relationships, appear largely consistent with origins based on isotopic evidence. The short-chain aliphatic acid anion content of the Palo Duro brines is postulated to have been much greater in the geologic past. Aliphatic acid anions are but one of numerous petroleum proximity indicators, which consistently suggest a greater petroleum exploration potential for the area surrounding the Swisher County site than the region encompassing the candidate site in Deaf Smith County. Short-chain aliphatic acid anions appear to provide a useful petroleum exploration tool as long as the complex reactions that may dimish their concentrations in ground water are recognized. 71 refs., 10 figs., 10 tabs

  18. Mahoma - Guaycuru project. Mining study possibilities around Mahoma - Guaycuru

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coronel, N.; Techera, J.

    1991-01-01

    This work is about the mining study possibilities in Mahoma - Guaycuru mafic complex and the stratified ultramafic complex in the black hill area - San Jose and Colon ia town. These zones have good mining chances because of the geological environment

  19. New U Pb SHRIMP zircon age for the Schurwedraai alkali granite: Implications for pre-impact development of the Vredefort Dome and extent of Bushveld magmatism, South Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graham, I. T.; De Waal, S. A.; Armstrong, R. A.

    2005-12-01

    The Schurwedraai alkali granite is one of a number of prominent ultramafic-mafic and felsic intrusions in the Neoarchaean to Palaeoproterozoic sub-vertical supracrustal collar rocks of the Vredefort Dome, South Africa. The alkali granite intruded the Neoarchaean Witwatersrand Supergroup and has a peralkaline to peraluminous composition. A new zircon SHRIMP crystallization age of 2052 ± 14 Ma for the Schurwedraai alkali granite places it statistically before the Vredefort impact event at 2023 ± 4 Ma and within the accepted emplacement interval of 2050-2060 Ma of the Bushveld magmatic event. The presence of the alkali granite and associated small ultramafic-mafic intrusions in the Vredefort collar rocks extends the southern extremity of Bushveld-related intrusions to some 120 km south of Johannesburg and about 150 km south of the current outcrop area of the Bushveld Complex. The combined effect of these ultramafic-mafic and felsic bodies may have contributed to a pronouncedly steep pre-impact geothermal gradient in the Vredefort area, and to the amphibolite-grade metamorphism observed in the supracrustal collar rocks of the Vredefort Dome.

  20. Lower crustal xenoliths, Chinese Peak lava flow, central Sierra Nevada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dodge, F.C.W.; Calk, L.C.; Kistler, R.W.

    1986-01-01

    This assemblage of pyroxenite, peridotite and mafic granulite xenoliths in the toe of a 10 m.y. trachybasalt flow remnant overlying late Cretaceous granitic rocks, indicates the presence of a mafic-ultramafic complex beneath this part of central California; orthopyroxenites, websterites and clinopyroxenites are dominant. A few of the xenoliths contain ovoid opaque patches that are apparently pseudomorphs after garnet and have pyralspite garnet compositions; using a garnet-orthopyroxene geobarometer, they indicate a lower crustal depth of approx 40 km. Abundant mafic granulites can be subdivided into those with Al2O3 = or 15% and showing considerable scatter on oxide variation diagrams. The high-alumina granulite xenoliths have relatively low 87Rb/86Sr but high 87Sr/86Sr, whereas the low-alumina and ultramafic xenoliths have a wide range of 87Rb/86Sr, but lower 87Sr/86Sr; the isotopic data indicate roughly the same age as that of overlying granitic plutons (approx 100 m.y.). However, the granitic rocks have initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios intermediate between those of the high-alumina and ultramafic xenoliths, suggesting that they result from the mixing of basaltic magma (represented by the ultramafic rocks) and crustal materials, with subsequent crystal fractionation.-R.A.H.

  1. Water - rock interaction in different rock environments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lamminen, S.

    1995-01-01

    The study assesses the groundwater geochemistry and geological environment of 44 study sites for radioactive waste disposal. Initially, the study sites were divided by rock type into 5 groups: (1) acid - intermediate rocks, (2) mafic - ultramafic rocks, (3) gabbros, amphibolites and gneisses that contain calc-silicate (skarn) rocks, (4) carbonates and (5) sandstones. Separate assessments are made of acid - intermediate plutonic rocks and of a subgroup that comprises migmatites, granite and mica gneiss. These all belong to the group of acid - intermediate rocks. Within the mafic -ultramafic rock group, a subgroup that comprises mafic - ultramafic plutonic rocks, serpentinites, mafic - ultramafic volcanic rocks and volcanic - sedimentary schists is also evaluated separately. Bedrock groundwaters are classified by their concentration of total dissolved solids as fresh, brackish, saline, strongly saline and brine-class groundwaters. (75 refs., 24 figs., 3 tabs.)

  2. Mafic inclusions in Yosemite granites and Lassen Pk lavas: records of complex crust-mantle interactions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reid, J.B. Jr.; Flinn, J.E.

    1985-01-01

    This study compares three small-scale magmatic systems dominated by mafic/felsic interaction that appear to be analogs to the evolution of their larger host systems: mafic inclusions from modern Lassen Pk lavas along with inclusions and related synplutonic dike materials from granitoids in the Tuolumne Intrusive Series. Each system represents quickly chilled mafic melt previously contaminated by digestion of rewarmed, super-solidus felsic hosts. Contaminants occur in part as megacrysts of reworked oligoclase with lesser hb and biot. Within each group MgO-variation diagrams for Fe, Ca, Ti, Si are strikingly linear (r>.96); alkalis are decidedly less regular, and many hybrid rocks show a curious, pronounced Na enrichment. Field data, petrography, and best fit modeling suggests this may result from flow concentration of oligoclase xenocrysts within contaminated synplutonic dikes, and is preserved in the inclusions when dike cores chill as pillows in their felsic host. Dissolution of mafic inclusions erases these anomalies and creates a more regular series of two-component mafic-felsic mixtures in the large host system. The inclusions and dikes thus appear to record a variety of late-stage mafic-felsic interactive processes that earlier and on a larger scale created much of the compositional variety of their intermediate host rocks.

  3. Palo Verde nuclear dynamic analysis (PANDA)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Girjashankar, P.V.; Secker, P.A. Jr.; LeClair, S.J.; Mendoza, J.; Webb, J.R.

    1988-01-01

    Arizona Nuclear Power Project (ANPP) has initiated the development of a large scale dynamic analysis computer program for the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (PVNGS). This paper presents the decision processes and preliminary development activities that have been pursued related to the code development. The PANDA (Palo Verde Nuclear Dynamic Analysis) code will be used for a variety of applications as described in this paper

  4. Platinum, palladium, and rhodium analyses of ultramafic and mafic rocks from the Stillwater Complex, Montana

    Science.gov (United States)

    Page, Norman J; Riley, Leonard Benjamin; Haffty, Joseph

    1969-01-01

    Analyses by a combination fire- assay-solution-optical-emission spectrographic method of 137 rocks from the Stillwater Complex, Mont., indicate that platinum, palladium, and rhodium are preferentially concentrated in chromitite zones. The A chromitite zone (21 samples) has an average of 988.9 ppb (pans per billion, 10-9) Pt, 2290.2 ppb Pd, and 245.9 ppb Rh and reaches a maximum (to date) of 8,000 ppb Pt, 11,000 ppb Pd, and 1,700 ppb Rh.

  5. Ultramafic-derived arsenic in a fractured bedrock aquifer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ryan, Peter C.; Kim, Jonathan; Wall, Andrew J.; Moen, Jonathan C.; Corenthal, Lilly G.; Chow, Daniel R.; Sullivan, Colleen M.; Bright, Kevin S.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Arsenic is elevated in groundwater from a fractured bedrock aquifer system in northern Vermont, USA. → The arsenic source is serpentinized ultramafic rock. → Antigorite, magnetite (MgCO 3 ) and magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) appear to be the main mineralogical hosts of arsenic in the ultramafic rock. → Arsenic appears to be introduced to the ultramafic rock when As-bearing fluids are driven out of sediments during subduction. → The occurrence of serpentinized ultramafic rocks in many orogenic belts suggests that similar arsenic anomalies may occur in geologically-similar terranes globally. - Abstract: In the fractured bedrock aquifer of northern Vermont, USA, As concentrations in groundwater range from 3 ) with lesser amounts in magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ). Hydrochemistry of monitoring wells drilled into fractured ultramafic rock in a groundwater recharge area with no anthropogenic As source reveals above background As (2-9 μg/L) and an Mg-HCO 3 hydrochemical signature that reflects dissolution of antigorite and magnesite, confirming that As in groundwater can be derived from ultramafic rock dissolution. Arsenic mobility in groundwater affected by ultramafic rock dissolution may be enhanced by alkaline pH values and relatively high HCO 3 - concentrations.

  6. Petrographic, geochemical and isotopic evidence of crustal assimilation processes in the Ponte Nova alkaline mafic-ultramafic massif, SE Brazil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azzone, Rogério Guitarrari; Montecinos Munoz, Patricio; Enrich, Gaston Eduardo Rojas; Alves, Adriana; Ruberti, Excelso; Gomes, Celsode Barros

    2016-09-01

    Crustal assimilation plus crystal fractionation processes of different basanite magma batches control the evolution of the Ponte Nova cretaceous alkaline mafic-ultramafic massif in SE Brazil. This massif is composed of several intrusions, the main ones with a cumulate character. Disequilibrium features in the early-crystallized phases (e.g., corrosion and sieve textures in cores of clinopyroxene crystals, spongy-cellular-textured plagioclase crystals, gulf corrosion texture in olivine crystals) and classical hybridization textures (e.g., blade biotite and acicular apatite crystals) provide strong evidence of open-system behavior. All samples are olivine- and nepheline-normative rocks with basic-ultrabasic and potassic characters and variable incompatible element enrichments. The wide ranges of whole-rock 87Sr/86Sri and 143Nd/144Ndi ratios (0.70432-0.70641 and 0.512216-0.512555, respectively) are indicative of crustal contribution from the Precambrian basement host rocks. Plagioclase and apatite 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.70422-0.70927) obtained for the most primitive samples of each intrusion indicate disequilibrium conditions from early- to principal-crystallization stages. Isotope mixing-model curves between the least contaminated alkaline basic magma and heterogeneous local crustal components indicate that each intrusion of the massif is differentiated from the others by varied degrees of crustal contribution. The primary mechanisms of crustal contribution to the Ponte Nova massif involve the assimilation of host rock xenoliths during the development of the chamber environment and the assimilation of partial melts from the surrounding host rocks. Thermodynamic models using the melts algorithm indicate that parental alkaline basic magmas can be strongly affected by contamination processes subsequently to their initial stages of crystallization when there is sufficient energy to assimilate partial melts of crustal host rocks. The assimilation processes are considered to

  7. Toimitila-, palo- ja pelastusturvallisuus majoitusyrityksessä

    OpenAIRE

    Pajunen, Touko

    2010-01-01

    Opinnäytetyö tehtiin erään Etelä-Savossa sijaitsevan hotellin hotellipäällikön toimeksiannosta. Työn tavoitteena oli kerätä tietoperusta toimitila-, palo- ja pelastusturvallisuudesta, ja laatia sen pohjalta turvallisuuskatsaus kyseisessä hotellissa. Turvallisuuskatsauksen tavoitteena oli nostaa esiin mahdollisia toimitila-, palo- ja pelastusturvallisuuteen liittyviä epäkohtia ja ehdottaa niihin ratkaisuja. Turvallisuuskatsaus koostui kahdesta tutkimuksesta. Ensimmäisessä arvioitiin toimit...

  8. Metamorphic evolution and U-Pb zircon SHRIMP geochronology of the Belizário ultramafic amphibolite, Encantadas Complex, southernmost Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hartmann Léo A.

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available The integrated investigation of metamorphism and zircon U-Pb SHRIMP geochronology of the Belizário ultramafic amphibolite from southernmost Brazil leads to a better understanding of the processes involved in the generation of the Encantadas Complex. Magmatic evidence of the magnesian basalt or pyroxenite protolith is only preserved in cores of zircon crystals, which are dated at 2257 ± 12 Ma. Amphibolite facies metamorphism M1 formed voluminous hornblende in the investigated rock possibly at 1989 ± 21 Ma. This ultramafic rock was re-metamorphosed at 702±21 Ma during a greenschist facies eventM2; the assemblage actinolite + oligoclase + microcline + epidote + titanite + monazite formed by alteration of hornblende. The metamorphic events are probably related to the Encantadas Orogeny (2257±12 Ma and Camboriú Orogeny (~ 1989 Ma of the Trans-Amazonian Cycle, followed by an orogenic event (702±21 Ma of the Brasiliano Cycle. The intervening cratonic period (2000-700 Ma corresponds to the existence of the Supercontinent Atlantica, known regionally as the Rio de la Plata Craton.

  9. Litho- and chemostratigraphy of the Flatreef PGE deposit, northern Bushveld Complex

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grobler, D. F.; Brits, J. A. N.; Maier, W. D.; Crossingham, A.

    2018-05-01

    The Flatreef is a world-class platinum-group element (PGE) deposit recently discovered down-dip from existing mining and exploration operations on the northern limb of the Bushveld Complex. Current indicated resources stand at 42 Moz PGE (346 Mt with 3.8 g/t Pt+Pd+Rh+Au, 0.32% Ni and 0.16% Cu) which, in the case of Pt, is equivalent to 10 years global annual production, making it one of the largest PGE deposits on earth. The grade and thickness of the Flatreef mineralised interval is highly unusual, with some drill core intersections containing up to 4.5 g/t Pt+Pd+Rh+Au over 90 m in drill core. Here, we document the down-dip and along-strike litho- and chemostratigraphy of the Flatreef and its footwall and hanging wall rocks, based on a diamond drill core database totalling > 720 km. At the base of the sequence intersected in the drill cores are up to 700-m-thick sills of ultramafic rocks (dunite, harzburgite, pyroxenite) emplaced into pelitic, dolomitic, and locally quartzitic and evaporitic rocks belonging to the Duitschland Formation of the Transvaal Supergroup. Next is an approximately 100-200-m sequence of low-grade-sulphide-mineralised, layered mafic-ultramafic rocks containing abundant sedimentary xenoliths and, in places, several chromite seams or stringers. This is overlain by a 100-m-thick sequence of well-mineralised mafic-ultramafic rocks (the Flatreef sensu strictu), overlain by a laterally persistent mottled compositional analogies at the base of > 1 km of homogenous Main Zone gabbronorite. Based on stratigraphic, lithological and compositional alanalogies to the layered rocks in the eastern and western Bushveld Complex, we correlate the Flatreef and its chromite bearing footwall rocks with the Upper Critical Zone, notably the interval between the UG2 chromitite and the Bastard Reef as found elsewhere in the Bushveld Complex. This includes recognition of a Merensky Reef correlative. The ultramafic rocks below the main chromitite seam (UG2 correlative

  10. Mafic and ultramafic rocks, and platinum mineralisation potential, in the Longwood Range, Southland, New Zealand

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ashley, P.; Craw, D.; Mackenzie, D.; Rombouts, M.; Reay, A.

    2012-01-01

    Intrusive rocks in the Longwood Range represent a component of the Permian Brook Street Terrane. They include diffusely layered, cumulate-textured olivine gabbro, troctolite, and gabbro, and gradations into non-cumulate gabbro and gabbronorite. Volumetrically small ultramafic layers occur (plagioclase wehrlite), and thin veins of felsic rocks ranging from quartz diorite to trondhjemite. Primary olivine, plagioclase, clinopyroxene, and subordinate orthopyroxene and hornblende are commonly altered or metamorphosed to amphiboles, minor spinel, magnetite, chlorite, biotite and clinozoisite, and serpentine in olivine-rich rocks. Accessory primary Ti-bearing magnetite and ilmenite occur, and trace Cr-magnetite is characteristic of olivine-rich rocks. Trace pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, pentlandite, and pyrite could reflect equilibrated late magmatic, and alteration-derived phases. Key petrochemical characteristics of the rock suite are high Mg, Al, Ca, and Sr contents, and low alkali, LILE, and sulfur contents. Platinum and Pd are locally enriched in drill-hole intercepts, but zones appear unrelated to rock type, magnetic properties, or to S, Cu, Ni, Cr, or Au values. Local platinum group element (PGE) enrichment in altered rocks implies metamorphic and/or hydrothermal redistribution. Pervasive PGE enrichment in Longwood rocks is an indicator of potential 'fertility', but evidence is currently lacking for the precipitation of primary stratiform PGE accumulations from a sulfide liquid saturated magma. (author). 41 refs., 11 figs., 2 tabs.

  11. Seismic reflection surveys in central Palo Duro basin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Acharya, H.; Buller, M.L.; Lewkowicz, J.; Murphy, P.

    1983-01-01

    Seismic reflection surveys have been conducted in the central Palo Duro basin to provide a basis for identifying localities suitable for the emplacement of an underground high level nuclear waste repository. The objectives of this effort were to determine the structure and stratigraphy in the central Palo Duro basin and evaluate the potential for hydrocarbon resources. Of primary interest is the Upper Permian salt section to a depth of about 3000 ft (914 m). Various tests were carried out along a 3 mi (5 km) segment to determine the most appropriate combination of vibrating source and recording parameters. Approximately 130 mi (209 km) of 24-fold CDP stacked data were acquired. The survey lines were tied to test wells in which velocity surveys were conducted. These data were supplemented by about 400 mi (644 km) of available proprietary CDP stacked data. Analysis of these data strongly suggests that central Palo Duro basin has been tectonically stable since Early Permian time. The maximum offset of the basement is about 600 ft (183 m). These basement faults do not appear to affect any strata above. The San Andres Formation and underlying formations can be traced continuously throughout the area surveyed. Available velocity data from various wells in the central Palo Duro basin show few anomalies, confirming the continuity of the reflecting horizons and the tectonic stability of the area. Hydrocarbon potential of the area is presently being evaluated. The preliminary results of this study are in agreement with the stratigraphic correlations among well logs in the Palo Duro basin

  12. The Pobei Cu-Ni and Fe ore deposits in NW China are comagmatic evolution products: evidence from ore microscopy, zircon U-Pb chronology and geochemistry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, G.I.; Li, W.Y.; Lu, X.B.; Huo, Y.H.; Zhang, B.

    2017-11-01

    The Pobei mafic-ultramafic complex in northwestern China comprises magmatic Cu-Ni sulfide ore deposits coexisting with Fe-Ti oxide deposits. The Poshi, Poyi, and Podong ultramafic intrusions host the Cu-Ni ore. The ultramafic intrusions experienced four stages during its formation. The intrusion sequence was as follows: dunite, hornblende-peridotite, wehrlite and pyroxenite. The wall rock of the ultramafic intrusions is the gabbro intrusion in the southwestern of the Pobei complex. The Xiaochangshan magmatic deposit outcrops in the magnetitemineralized gabbro in the northeastern part of the Pobei complex. The main emplacement events related to the mineralization in the Pobei complex, are the magnetite-mineralized gabbro related to the Xiaochangshan Fe deposit, the gabbro intrusion associated to the Poyi, Poshi and Podong Cu-Ni deposits, and the ultramafic intrusions that host Cu-Ni deposits (Poyi and Poshi). The U-Pb age of the magnetite-mineralized gabbro is 276±1.7Ma, which is similar to that of the Pobei mafic intrusions. The εHf(t) value of zircon in the magnetite-mineralized gabbro is almost the same as that of the gabbro around the Poyi and Poshi Cu-Ni deposits, indicating that the rocks related to Cu-Ni and magnetite deposits probably originated from the same parental magma. There is a trend of crystallization differentiation evolution in the Harker diagram from the dunite in the Cu-Ni deposit to the magnetite-mineralized gabbro. The monosulfide solid solution fractional crystallization was weak in Pobei; thus, the Pd/Ir values were only influenced by the crystallization of silicate minerals. The more complete the magma evolution is, the greater is the Pd/Ir ratio. The Pd/Ir values of dunite, the lithofacies containing sulfide (including hornblende peridotite, wehrlite, and pyroxenite) in the Poyi Cu-Ni deposit, magnetite-mineralized gabbro, and massive magnetite, are 8.55, 12.18, 12.26, and 18.14, respectively. Thus, the massive magnetite was probably the

  13. The Pobei Cu-Ni and Fe ore deposits in NW China are comagmatic evolution products: evidence from ore microscopy, zircon U-Pb chronology and geochemistry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, G.I.; Li, W.Y.; Lu, X.B.; Huo, Y.H.; Zhang, B.

    2017-01-01

    The Pobei mafic-ultramafic complex in northwestern China comprises magmatic Cu-Ni sulfide ore deposits coexisting with Fe-Ti oxide deposits. The Poshi, Poyi, and Podong ultramafic intrusions host the Cu-Ni ore. The ultramafic intrusions experienced four stages during its formation. The intrusion sequence was as follows: dunite, hornblende-peridotite, wehrlite and pyroxenite. The wall rock of the ultramafic intrusions is the gabbro intrusion in the southwestern of the Pobei complex. The Xiaochangshan magmatic deposit outcrops in the magnetitemineralized gabbro in the northeastern part of the Pobei complex. The main emplacement events related to the mineralization in the Pobei complex, are the magnetite-mineralized gabbro related to the Xiaochangshan Fe deposit, the gabbro intrusion associated to the Poyi, Poshi and Podong Cu-Ni deposits, and the ultramafic intrusions that host Cu-Ni deposits (Poyi and Poshi). The U-Pb age of the magnetite-mineralized gabbro is 276±1.7Ma, which is similar to that of the Pobei mafic intrusions. The εHf(t) value of zircon in the magnetite-mineralized gabbro is almost the same as that of the gabbro around the Poyi and Poshi Cu-Ni deposits, indicating that the rocks related to Cu-Ni and magnetite deposits probably originated from the same parental magma. There is a trend of crystallization differentiation evolution in the Harker diagram from the dunite in the Cu-Ni deposit to the magnetite-mineralized gabbro. The monosulfide solid solution fractional crystallization was weak in Pobei; thus, the Pd/Ir values were only influenced by the crystallization of silicate minerals. The more complete the magma evolution is, the greater is the Pd/Ir ratio. The Pd/Ir values of dunite, the lithofacies containing sulfide (including hornblende peridotite, wehrlite, and pyroxenite) in the Poyi Cu-Ni deposit, magnetite-mineralized gabbro, and massive magnetite, are 8.55, 12.18, 12.26, and 18.14, respectively. Thus, the massive magnetite was probably the

  14. Integrated Experimental and Modeling Studies of Mineral Carbonation as a Mechanism for Permanent Carbon Sequestration in Mafic/Ultramafic Rocks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Zhengrong [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Qiu, Lin [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Zhang, Shuang [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Bolton, Edward [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Bercovici, David [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Ague, Jay [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Karato, Shun-Ichiro [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Oristaglio, Michael [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States); Zhu, Wen-Iu [Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States); Lisabeth, Harry [Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States); Johnson, Kevin [Univ. of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI (United States)

    2014-09-30

    A program of laboratory experiments, modeling and fieldwork was carried out at Yale University, University of Maryland, and University of Hawai‘i, under a DOE Award (DE-FE0004375) to study mineral carbonation as a practical method of geologic carbon sequestration. Mineral carbonation, also called carbon mineralization, is the conversion of (fluid) carbon dioxide into (solid) carbonate minerals in rocks, by way of naturally occurring chemical reactions. Mafic and ultramafic rocks, such as volcanic basalt, are natural candidates for carbonation, because the magnesium and iron silicate minerals in these rocks react with brines of dissolved carbon dioxide to form carbonate minerals. By trapping carbon dioxide (CO2) underground as a constituent of solid rock, carbonation of natural basalt formations would be a secure method of sequestering CO2 captured at power plants in efforts to mitigate climate change. Geochemical laboratory experiments at Yale, carried out in a batch reactor at 200°C and 150 bar (15 MPa), studied carbonation of the olivine mineral forsterite (Mg2SiO4) reacting with CO2 brines in the form of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) solutions. The main carbonation product in these reactions is the carbonate mineral magnesite (MgCO3). A series of 32 runs varied the reaction time, the reactive surface area of olivine grains and powders, the concentration of the reacting fluid, and the starting ratio of fluid to olivine mass. These experiments were the first to study the rate of olivine carbonation under passive conditions approaching equilibrium. The results show that, in a simple batch reaction, olivine carbonation is fastest during the first 24 hours and then slows significantly and even reverses. A natural measure of the extent of carbonation is a quantity called the carbonation fraction, which compares the amount of carbon removed from solution, during a run, to the maximum amount

  15. Petroleum geology of the Palo Duro Basin, Texas Panhandle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rose, P.R.

    1986-03-01

    The Palo Duro Basin, Permian Basin, Texas is an asymmetric, relatively shallow, intracratonic basin in the southern Texas Panhandle filled mostly by Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, and Permian sedimentary rocks. Although deeper and prolific prolific petroleum-producing basins adjoin it on the north (Anadarko Basin), south (Midland Basin), and east (Hardeman Basin), the Palo Duro Basin has produced remarkably small amounts of oil and gas to date. This is all the more noteworthy because the sedimentary sequence and rock types of the basin are similar to those of the adjacent basins. Analyses of the stratigraphic succession and structural configuration of the Palo Duro Basin suggest that adequate reservoir rocks, top-seals, and geologic structures are present. Most of the structures formed early enough to have trapped hydrocarbons if they were migrating in the rock column. Although additional work is under way to properly address the question of the petroleum source rocks, generation, and migration, the general absence of production in the basin may relate to an overall deficiency in hydrocarbon generation within the basin. Geologic information in this report will form part of the basis for further analysis and conclusions on hydrocarbon potential in the Palo Duro Basin

  16. Geochemical characteristics and origin of the Lebowa Granite Suite, Bushveld Complex

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hill, M.; Barker, F.; Hunter, D.; Knight, R.

    1996-01-01

    The ??? 2052-Ma Lebowa Granite Suite (LGS) represents the culminating phase of an Early Proterozoic magmatic cycle in the Central Transvaal area of the Kaapvaal Province. Following extrusion of at least 200,000 km3 of intermediate to acid volcanics (Rooiberg Felsite), mafic and ultramafic magmas intruded at 2065 Ma to form the Rustenburg Layered Suite (RLS). The LGS includes the Nebo, Makhutso, Bobbejaankop, Lease, and Klipkloof granites. The Nebo Granite intruded the Rooiberg Felsite as sheets up to 4 km thick above the RLS. Smaller stocks of the other granites crosscut the Nebo. We determined major- and trace-element compositions and oxygen, Rb-Sr, and Sm-Nd isotope ratios for samples of: Nebo Granite; Rooiberg Felsite; granophyre and granophyric granite; Makhutso, Bobbejaankop, and Lease granites; and feldspar porphyry from areas throughout the exposed area of the LGS (Dennilton, Verena Balmoral, Enkeldoorn, Sekhukhune Plateau, Zaaiplaats-Potgeitersrus, and Western Transvaal). Coherent floor-to-roof geochemical trends exist in some areas, although it is not possible to model them convincingly. Regional variations in geochemistry exist and likely are related to source variations in the estimated 200,000 km3 of the Nebo Granite sheets. ??18O for the LGS range from +5.9??? to +9.5???; if these are approximate primary magmatic values, pelitic sediments cannot have been an important source for the LGS. The Rb-Sr isotope system has been altered, a finding consistent with previous studies. A mineral isochron for Nebo Granite near Dennilton yields a York regression age of 1995 ?? 99 Ma, with initial 143Nd/144Nd = 0.50978??8 and ???CHUR=-5.12. Samples from the Sekhukhune Plateau have higher 143Nd/144Nd ratios than do Dennilton-area samples, suggesting that the former originated from older or less LREE-enriched sources. We suggest that intrusion of mafic to ultramafic magmas at depth in the continental crust triggered melting of Archean quartzofeldspathic crystalline

  17. Effect of ultramafic intrusions and associated mineralized rocks on the aqueous geochemistry of the Tangle Lakes Area, Alaska: Chapter C in Studies by the U.S. Geological Survey in Alaska, 2011

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Bronwen; Gough, Larry P.; Wanty, Richard B.; Lee, Gregory K.; Vohden, James; O’Neill, J. Michael; Kerin, L. Jack

    2013-01-01

    Stream water was collected at 30 sites within the Tangle Lakes area of the Delta mineral belt in Alaska. Sampling focused on streams near the ultramafic rocks of the Fish Lake intrusive complex south of Eureka Creek and the Tangle Complex area east of Fourteen Mile Lake, as well as on those within the deformed metasedimentary, metavolcanic, and intrusive rocks of the Specimen Creek drainage and drainages east of Eureka Glacier. Major, minor, and trace elements were analyzed in aqueous samples for this reconnaissance aqueous geochemistry effort. The lithologic differences within the study area are reflected in the major-ion chemistry of the water. The dominant major cation in streams draining mafic and ultramafic rocks is Mg2+; abundant Mg and low Ca in these streams reflect the abundance of Mg-rich minerals in these intrusions. Nickel and Cu are detected in 84 percent and 87 percent of the filtered samples, respectively. Nickel and Cu concentrations ranged from Ni life criteria; however, Cu concentrations exceed the hardness-based criteria for both chronic and acute exposure at some sites. The entire rare earth element (REE) suite is found in samples from the Specimen Creek sites MH5, MH4, and MH6 and, with the exception of Tb and Tm, at site MH14. These samples were all collected within drainages containing or downstream from Tertiary gabbro, diabase, and metagabbro (Trgb) exposures. Chondrite and source rock fractionation profiles for the aqueous samples were light rare earth element depleted, with negative Ce and Eu anomalies, indicating fractionation of the REE during weathering. Fractionation patterns indicate that the REE are primarily in the dissolved, as opposed to colloidal, phase.

  18. Linking geology, fluid chemistry, and microbial activity of basalt- and ultramafic-hosted deep-sea hydrothermal vent environments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perner, M; Hansen, M; Seifert, R; Strauss, H; Koschinsky, A; Petersen, S

    2013-07-01

    Hydrothermal fluids passing through basaltic rocks along mid-ocean ridges are known to be enriched in sulfide, while those circulating through ultramafic mantle rocks are typically elevated in hydrogen. Therefore, it has been estimated that the maximum energy in basalt-hosted systems is available through sulfide oxidation and in ultramafic-hosted systems through hydrogen oxidation. Furthermore, thermodynamic models suggest that the greatest biomass potential arises from sulfide oxidation in basalt-hosted and from hydrogen oxidation in ultramafic-hosted systems. We tested these predictions by measuring biological sulfide and hydrogen removal and subsequent autotrophic CO2 fixation in chemically distinct hydrothermal fluids from basalt-hosted and ultramafic-hosted vents. We found a large potential of microbial hydrogen oxidation in naturally hydrogen-rich (ultramafic-hosted) but also in naturally hydrogen-poor (basalt-hosted) hydrothermal fluids. Moreover, hydrogen oxidation-based primary production proved to be highly attractive under our incubation conditions regardless whether hydrothermal fluids from ultramafic-hosted or basalt-hosted sites were used. Site-specific hydrogen and sulfide availability alone did not appear to determine whether hydrogen or sulfide oxidation provides the energy for primary production by the free-living microbes in the tested hydrothermal fluids. This suggests that more complex features (e.g., a combination of oxygen, temperature, biological interactions) may play a role for determining which energy source is preferably used in chemically distinct hydrothermal vent biotopes. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. Tectonic setting of the Great Dyke, Chembadzi, Chewore and Atchiza layered complexes in Zimbabwe and Mozambique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Master, S.

    1990-01-01

    The Great Dyke of Zimbabwe is one of the largest ultramafic-mafic layered igneous complexexs in the world. Because of the economic importance of large layered intrusions like the Great Dyke, their tectonic setting is of great interest. The Chembadzi complex is a 14 km long, dyke-like layered intrusion up to 800m wide. The Chewore complex, which was thought to have the structure of an irregular lopolith, outcrops over an area of about 200 km in horst blocks in the lower Zambezi Valley in northern Zimbabwe. The Atchiza complex is situated just north of the Cahora Bassa lake and the Zambezi River valley in Mozambique. In considering the tectonic setting of the Great Dyke and its correlatives, most attention has been focussed on events in the Limpopo Mobile Belt, which were responsible for producing the fractures in the Zimbabwe craton that is occupied by the intrusives. 39 refs

  20. Palo Verde College Facts, 2001.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palo Verde Coll., Blythe, CA.

    This is a 2001 report on Palo Verde College (PVC) (California) student demographics, enrollment status, citizenship, educational goals, and academic persistence. Student data were collected and analyzed to meet accrediting standards, improve institutional effectiveness, and fulfill the local district's mission. The report discusses enrollment…

  1. Engineering evaluation of a formerly utilized MED/AEC site. Site A and Plot M, Palos Forest Preserve, Palos Park, Illinois

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1979-09-01

    This engineering evaluation report (EER) addresses one of these MED/AEC sites known as Site A/Plot M, located in Palos Park, Illinois. The EER describes in technical detail a number of options for remedial action that could be taken with respect to the contamination at Site A/Plot M and presents estimates of the costs associated with these options. A companion document, Environmental Analysis Report on a Formerly Utilized MED/AEC Site, Site A and Plot M, Palos Forest Preserve, Palos Park, Illinois (ANL/ES-79), has also been prepared. It describes in detail the existing site environment and evaluates the environmental impacts of the various remedial options discussed in this report. This EER contributes to a better understanding of the mitigation or resolution of environmental problems posed by the subject MED/AEC site and serves as a basis for determining whether or not remedial actions are warranted. The knowledge derived from the evaluation of a number of remedial options should be helpful in the final disposition of other MED/AEC sites located elsewhere

  2. Repository site data and information in bedded salt: Palo Duro Basin, Texas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tien, P.; Nimick, F.B.; Muller, A.B.; Davis, P.A.; Guzowski, R.V.; Duda, L.E.; Hunter, R.L.

    1983-11-01

    This report is a compilation of data from the literature on the Palo Duro Basin. The Palo Duro Basin is a structural basin, about 150 miles long and 80 miles wide, that is a part of the much larger Permian Basin. The US Department of Energy is investigating the Palo Duro Basin as a potentially suitable area for the site of a repository for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste. Sediments overlying the Precambrian basement range from about 5000 to about 11,000 ft in thickness and from Cambrian to Holocene in age. The strata in the Palo Duro Basin that are of primary interest to the Department of Energy are the bedded salts of the Permian San Andres Formation. The total thickness of the bedded salts is about 2000 ft. The geology of the Palo Duro Basin is well understood. A great deal of information exists on the properties of salt, although much of the available information was not collected in the Palo Duro Basin. Mineral resources are not currently being exploited from the center of the Palo Duro Basin at depth, although the possibility of exploration for and development of such resources can not be ruled out. The continued existence of salts of Permian age indicates a lack of any large amount of circulating ground water. The hydrology of the pre-Tertiary rocks, however, is currently too poorly understood to carry out detailed, site-specific hydrologic modeling with a high degree of confidence. In general, ground water flows from west to east in the Basin. There is little or no hydraulic connection between aquifers above and below the salt sequences. Potable water is pumped from the Ogallala aquifer. Most of the other aquifers yield only nonpotable water. More extensive hydrological data are needed for detailed future modeling in support of risk assessment for a possible repository for high-level waste in the Palo Duro Basin. 464 references

  3. Achieving engineering excellence at Palo Verde

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prawlocki, F.C.

    1989-01-01

    Early in 1988, the management of the newly formed Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (PVNGS) Engineering and Construction Division was faced with a dilemma: how to build a competent, confident, efficient engineering organization in the face of increasing requirements and tightened fiscal controls. This paper discusses steps taken by Palo Verde to address actions taken to effect a smooth transition from construction to operations and the development of the Engineering Excellence Program. The Engineering Excellence Program will continue to evolve over time as the number of the NED's [Nuclear Engineering Department] personnel grown and processes are changed over the course of the next few years. As tasks from the Engineering Excellence Program action plan are completed, the results achieved are expected to be integrated into the routine business of the NED

  4. U-Pb zircon geochronology of intrusive and basement rocks in the Jacurici Valley region, Sao Francisco Craton, BA, Brazil; Geocronologia U-Pb em zircao de rochas intrusivas e de embasamento na regiao do Vale do Jacurici, Craton do Sao Francisco, BA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Silveira, Carlos Jose Sobrinho da; Frantz, Jose Carlos; Marques, Juliana Charao; Roos, Siegbert; Peixoto, Vinicius Medina, E-mail: silveira.carlosjose@hotmail.com, E-mail: jose.frantz@propesq.ufrgs.br, E-mail: juliana.marques@ufrgs.br, E-mail: sig_duda@yahoo.com.br, E-mail: vinimpeixoto@hotmail.com [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil). Laboratorio de Geologia Isotopica; Queiroz, Waldemir Jose Alves de, E-mail: waldemirqueiroz@hotmail.com [Companhia de Ferro Ligas da Bahia (FERBASA), Pojuca, BA (Brazil)

    2015-09-15

    The Jacurici Complex, located in the NE of the Sao Francisco Craton, is constituted by several Cr-mineralized mafic-ultramafic N-S bodies, possible fragments of a single sill disrupted during deformation. Some works suggest it is intruded on the Serrinha Block while others consider it in the Salvador-Curaca Belt. The basement on this region is informally divided into paragneisses and orthogneisses; the latter is supposed to be younger considering it is less deformed. Petrography revealed that some of the paragneisses are alkali-feldspar granite strongly milonitized. The orthogneisses occur at the north and consist, at least in part, of monzogranites with heterogeneous deformation, locally of low temperature. U-Pb zircon dating were performed for five representative samples. Just three provided good concordia ages. A mafic rock produced a 2102 ± 5 Ma age and it is petrographically similar to the metanorites described in the Jacurici Complex, being interpreted as the record of the first pulses of the mafic magmatism. A monzogranite yielded a 2995 ± 15 Ma age, older than expected, related to the Serrinha Block. The alkali-feldspar granite yielded a 2081 ± 3 Ma age. The Itiuba Syenite and the pegmatites that crosscut the Jacurici Complex have similar ages. Considering the lack of information about the supracrustal sequence that hosts the intrusive alkaline and mafic-ultramafic rocks at the Ipueira and the Medrado areas, it is possible that part of the terrain belongs to the Salvador-Curaca Belt. We suggest that the Jacurici Complex could be intruded after the tectonic amalgamation between the Serrinha Block and the older part of the Salvador-Curaca Belt and, therefore, could be hosted by both terrains. (author)

  5. U-Pb zircon geochronology of intrusive and basement rocks in the Jacurici Valley region, Sao Francisco Craton, BA, Brazil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silveira, Carlos Jose Sobrinho da; Frantz, Jose Carlos; Marques, Juliana Charao; Roos, Siegbert; Peixoto, Vinicius Medina

    2015-01-01

    The Jacurici Complex, located in the NE of the Sao Francisco Craton, is constituted by several Cr-mineralized mafic-ultramafic N-S bodies, possible fragments of a single sill disrupted during deformation. Some works suggest it is intruded on the Serrinha Block while others consider it in the Salvador-Curaca Belt. The basement on this region is informally divided into paragneisses and orthogneisses; the latter is supposed to be younger considering it is less deformed. Petrography revealed that some of the paragneisses are alkali-feldspar granite strongly milonitized. The orthogneisses occur at the north and consist, at least in part, of monzogranites with heterogeneous deformation, locally of low temperature. U-Pb zircon dating were performed for five representative samples. Just three provided good concordia ages. A mafic rock produced a 2102 ± 5 Ma age and it is petrographically similar to the metanorites described in the Jacurici Complex, being interpreted as the record of the first pulses of the mafic magmatism. A monzogranite yielded a 2995 ± 15 Ma age, older than expected, related to the Serrinha Block. The alkali-feldspar granite yielded a 2081 ± 3 Ma age. The Itiuba Syenite and the pegmatites that crosscut the Jacurici Complex have similar ages. Considering the lack of information about the supracrustal sequence that hosts the intrusive alkaline and mafic-ultramafic rocks at the Ipueira and the Medrado areas, it is possible that part of the terrain belongs to the Salvador-Curaca Belt. We suggest that the Jacurici Complex could be intruded after the tectonic amalgamation between the Serrinha Block and the older part of the Salvador-Curaca Belt and, therefore, could be hosted by both terrains. (author)

  6. 75 FR 52045 - Arizona Public Service Company, Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Unit 3; Environmental...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-08-24

    ... Company, Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Unit 3; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No.... NPF-74, issued to Arizona Public Service Company (APS, the licensee), for operation of Palo Verde... Statement for the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, NUREG-0841, dated February 1982. Agencies and...

  7. Metamorphic P-T path and zircon U-Pb dating of HP mafic granulites in the Yushugou granulite-peridotite complex, Chinese South Tianshan, NW China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Lu; Zhang, Lifei; Xia, Bin; Lü, Zeng

    2018-03-01

    Co-existing granulite and peridotite may represent relics of the paleo-suture zone and provides an optimal opportunity for better understanding of orogeny between two blocks. In this study, we carried out petrological and U-Pb zircon dating investigation on the HP mafic granulites associated with peridotite complex at Yushugou in Chinese South Tianshan. The studied samples include garnet-bearing high-pressure mafic granulites which can be subdivided into two types: Type I orthopyroxene-free and Type II orthopyroxene-bearing granulites and amphibolite. Type I granulite (Y21-2) has a mineral assemblage of garnet (33 vol.%), clinopyroxene (32 vol.%) and plagioclase (30 vol.%); and Type II granulite (Y18-8) has a mineral assemblage of garnet (22 vol.%), clinopyroxene (10 vol.%), orthopyroxene (14 vol.%), plagioclase (45 vol.%) and quartz. Garnet in both granulites exhibits core-rim structure characterized by increasing grossular and decreasing pyrope from core to rim. Petrographic observations and phase equilibrium modeling using THERMOCALC in the NCFMASHTO system for the mafic granulites (Y21-2 and Y18-8) show three stages of metamorphism: Stage I (granulite facies) was recognized by the large porphyroblastic garnet core, with P-T conditions of 9.8-10.4 Kbar and 860-900 °C (Y21-2) and 9.9-10.6 Kbar and 875-890 °C (Y18-8), respectively; Stage II (HP granulite facies) has peak P-T conditions of 12.1 Kbar at 755 °C (Y21-2) and 13.8 Kbar at 815 °C (Y18-8) using mineral assemblages combining with garnet rim compositions with maximum grossular and minimum pyrope contents; Stage III (amphibolite facies) was characterized by the development of calcic amphibole in granulites with temperature of 446-563 °C. Therefore, an anticlockwise P-T path characterized by simultaneous temperature-decreasing and pressure-increasing was inferred for the Yushugou HP mafic granulite. Studies of zircon morphology and inclusions, combined with zircon U-Pb dating and REE geochemistry

  8. Magmatic ore deposits in layered intrusions - Descriptive model for reef-type PGE and contact-type Cu-Ni-PGE deposits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zientek, Michael L.

    2012-01-01

    Layered, ultramafic to mafic intrusions are uncommon in the geologic record, but host magmatic ore deposits containing most of the world's economic concentrations of platinum-group elements (PGE) (figs. 1 and 2). These deposits are mined primarily for their platinum, palladium, and rhodium contents (table 1). Magmatic ore deposits are derived from accumulations of crystals of metallic oxides, or immiscible sulfide, or oxide liquids that formed during the cooling and crystallization of magma, typically with mafic to ultramafic compositions. "PGE reefs" are stratabound PGE-enriched lode mineralization in mafic to ultramafic layered intrusions. The term "reef" is derived from Australian and South African literature for this style of mineralization and used to refer to (1) the rock layer that is mineralized and has distinctive texture or mineralogy (Naldrett, 2004), or (2) the PGE-enriched sulfide mineralization that occurs within the rock layer. For example, Viljoen (1999) broadly defined the Merensky Reef as "a mineralized zone within or closely associated with an unconformity surface in the ultramafic cumulate at the base of the Merensky Cyclic Unit." In this report, we will use the term PGE reef to refer to the PGE-enriched mineralization, not the host rock layer. Within a layered igneous intrusion, reef-type mineralization is laterally persistent along strike, extending for the length of the intrusion, typically tens to hundreds of kilometers. However, the mineralized interval is thin, generally centimeters to meters thick, relative to the stratigraphic thickness of layers in an intrusion that vary from hundreds to thousands of meters. PGE-enriched sulfide mineralization is also found near the contacts or margins of layered mafic to ultramafic intrusions (Iljina and Lee, 2005). This contact-type mineralization consists of disseminated to massive concentrations of iron-copper-nickel-PGE-enriched sulfide mineral concentrations in zones that can be tens to hundreds

  9. Ultramafic-derived arsenic in a fractured bedrock aquifer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryan, P.C.; Kim, J.; Wall, A.J.; Moen, J.C.; Corenthal, L.G.; Chow, D.R.; Sullivan, C.M.; Bright, K.S.

    2011-01-01

    In the fractured bedrock aquifer of northern Vermont, USA, As concentrations in groundwater range from chemical extraction, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and stoichiometric analysis indicates that the majority of the As is located in antigorite and magnesite (MgCO3) with lesser amounts in magnetite (Fe3O4). Hydrochemistry of monitoring wells drilled into fractured ultramafic rock in a groundwater recharge area with no anthropogenic As source reveals above background As (2-9??g/L) and an Mg-HCO3 hydrochemical signature that reflects dissolution of antigorite and magnesite, confirming that As in groundwater can be derived from ultramafic rock dissolution. Arsenic mobility in groundwater affected by ultramafic rock dissolution may be enhanced by alkaline pH values and relatively high HCO3- concentrations. ?? 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

  10. Unraveling the Alteration History of Serpentinites and Associated Ultramafic Rocks from the Kampos HPLT Subduction Complex, Syros, Greece

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooperdock, E. H. G.; Stockli, D. F.

    2016-12-01

    Serpentinization, hydration of peridotite, has a profound effect on fundamental tectonic and petrologic processes such as deformation of the lithosphere, bulk rheology, fluid-mobile element cycling and deep earth carbon cycling. Though numerous studies have investigated the petrology, structure and geochemistry of serpentinites, the absolute chronology of serpentinization remains elusive due to a lack of accessory minerals that can be dated using established geochronological techniques. Magnetite forms as a common secondary mineral in serpentinites from the fluid-induced breakdown reaction of primary peridotite minerals. Magnetite (U-Th)/He chronometry provides the potential to directly date the cooling of exhumed ultramafic bodies and the low-temperature fluid alteration of serpentinites. We present the first application of magnetite (U-Th)/He chronometry to date stages of alteration in ultramafic rocks from the Kampos mélange belt, a high-pressure low-temperature (HP-LT) subduction complex that experienced exhumation in the Miocene on the island of Syros, Greece. Two generations of magnetite are distinguishable by grain size, magnetite trace element geochemistry and (U-Th)/He age. Large magnetite grains (mm) from a chlorite schist and a serpentinite schist have distinct geochemical signatures indicative of formation during blackwall-related fluid alteration and record Mid-Miocene exhumation-related cooling ages, similar to zircon (U-Th)/He ages from northern Syros. Smaller grains (µm) from the serpentinite schist lack blackwall-related fluid signatures and record post-exhumation mineral formation associated with widespread high-angle Pliocene normal faulting. These results reveal evidence for multiple episodes of fluid-rock alteration, which has implications for the cooling history and local geochemical exchanges of this HP-LT terrane. Given the fundamental impact of serpentinizaton on a vast array of tectonic, petrological, and geochemical processes, the

  11. Osmium Isotopic Evolution of the Mantle Sources of Precambrian Ultramafic Rocks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gangopadhyay, A.; Walker, R. J.

    2006-12-01

    The Os isotopic composition of the modern mantle, as recorded collectively by ocean island basalts, mid- oceanic ridge basalts (MORB) and abyssal peridotites, is evidently highly heterogeneous (γ Os(I) ranging from +25). One important question, therefore, is how and when the Earth's mantle developed such large-scale Os isotopic heterogeneities. Previous Os isotopic studies of ancient ultramafic systems, including komatiites and picrites, have shown that the Os isotopic heterogeneity of the terrestrial mantle can be traced as far back as the late-Archean (~ 2.7-2.8 Ga). This observation is based on the initial Os isotopic ratios obtained for the mantle sources of some of the ancient ultramafic rocks determined through analyses of numerous Os-rich whole-rock and/or mineral samples. In some cases, the closed-system behavior of these ancient ultramafic rocks was demonstrated via the generation of isochrons of precise ages, consistent with those obtained from other radiogenic isotopic systems. Thus, a compilation of the published initial ^{187}Os/^{188}Os ratios reported for the mantle sources of komatiitic and picritic rocks is now possible that covers a large range of geologic time spanning from the Mesozoic (ca. 89 Ma Gorgona komatiites) to the Mid-Archean (e.g., ca. 3.3 Ga Commondale komatiites), which provides a comprehensive picture of the Os isotopic evolution of their mantle sources through geologic time. Several Precambrian komatiite/picrite systems are characterized by suprachondritic initial ^{187}Os/^{188}Os ratios (e.g., Belingwe, Kostomuksha, Pechenga). Such long-term enrichments in ^{187}Os of the mantle sources for these rocks may be explained via recycling of old mafic oceanic crust or incorporation of putative suprachondritic outer core materials entrained into their mantle sources. The relative importance of the two processes for some modern mantle-derived systems (e.g., Hawaiian picrites) is an issue of substantial debate. Importantly, however, the

  12. An alkaline spring system within the Del Puerto ophiolite (California USA): A Mars analog site

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blank, J.G.; Green, S.; Blake, D.; Valley, J.; Kita, N.; Treiman, A.; Dobson, P.F.

    2008-10-01

    Mars appears to have experienced little compositional differentiation of primitive lithosphere, and thus much of the surface of Mars is covered by mafic lavas. On Earth, mafic and ultramafic rocks present in ophiolites, oceanic crust and upper mantle that have been obducted onto land, are therefore good analogs for Mars. The characteristic mineralogy, aqueous geochemistry, and microbial communities of cold-water alkaline springs associated with these mafic and ultramafic rocks represent a particularly compelling analog for potential life-bearing systems. Serpentinization, the reaction of water with mafic minerals such as olivine and pyroxene, yields fluids with unusual chemistry (Mg-OH and Ca-OH waters with pH values up to {approx}12), as well as heat and hydrogen gas that can sustain subsurface, chemosynthetic ecosystems. The recent observation of seeps from pole-facing crater and canyon walls in the higher Martian latitudes supports the hypothesis that even present conditions might allow for a rockhosted chemosynthetic biosphere in near-surface regions of the Martian crust. The generation of methane within a zone of active serpentinization, through either abiogenic or biogenic processes, could account for the presence of methane detected in the Martian atmosphere. For all of these reasons, studies of terrestrial alkaline springs associated with mafic and ultramafic rocks are particularly timely. This study focuses on the alkaline Adobe Springs, emanating from mafic and ultramafic rocks of the California Coast Range, where a community of novel bacteria is associated with the precipitation of Mg-Ca carbonate cements. The carbonates may serve as a biosignature that could be used in the search for evidence of life on Mars.

  13. Physical properties of the Miyamori ultramafic complex in the Kitakami Mountains, northeast Japan; Miyamori choku tetsushitsu gantai no butsuriteki seishitsu

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kanaya, H.; Katada, M.; Nagahara, M.

    1998-03-05

    Physical properties of 61 rock sample collected from 22 outcrops of the Miyamori ultramafic complex in the Kitakami Mountains are reported in this paper. Their density, P-wave velocity, magnetic susceptibility, Curie temperature, and natural remanent magnetization were newly measured and discussed based on the petrographic data. The western part of the Miyamori ultramafic complex was intruded by an early Cretaceous granite, which thermally affected one-third of this complex. The characteristics of data are summarized as follows. Rock density varies from 2.56 to 3.15 g/cm{sup 3} with an average of 2.76 g/cm{sup 3} (gabroic rocks are excluded). P-wave velocity varies from 4.26 to 6.76 km/s with an average of 5.83 km/s. Magnetic susceptibility varies from 1.2 to 14.4 times 10{sup -3} (cgsemu) and the Konigsberger ratio varies widely from 0.3 to 4.9, with ratio less than 1.1 for most of the strongly metamorphosd rocks. Curie temperature is approximately 578degC in 65 percent of the rock samples, indicating the presence of magnetite, whereas many strongly metamorphosed rocks have two Curie temperatures for hematite, magnetite and titanomagnetite. One sample have three Curie temperatures for hematite, magnetite and titanomagnetite. The declination of natural remanent magnetization of the rocks are mostly plotted in the northwest and all the inclinations plot downward. The average of inclination and declination are 50degN and 35degW, respectively. In preliminary palaeomagnetic observations by AC demagnetizations, the mean direction of 18 outcrops show the results similar to that of natural remanent magnetization (51degN,39degW). Significant difference was not recognized between the strongly metamorphosed and the less metamorphosed rocks. It is evident that the decreasing tendency of rock density and P-wave velocity with increasing magnetic susceptibility was caused by serpentinization. But it is not clear when serpentinization occur

  14. Burrowing Owl - Palo Verde Valley [ds197

    Data.gov (United States)

    California Natural Resource Agency — These burrowing owl observations were collected during the spring and early summer of 1976 in the Palo Verde Valley, eastern Riverside County, California. This is an...

  15. The size-isotopic evolution connection among layered mafic instrusions: Clues from a Sr-Nd isotopic study of a small complex

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poitrasson, Franck; Pin, Christian; Duthou, Jean-Louis; Platevoet, Bernard

    1994-05-01

    Several theoretical and experimental works have focused on the processes occuring in continental mafic magma chambers. In contrast, systematic isotopic studies of natural remnants of these latter remain scarce, although they can give fundamental constraints for theoretical studies. This is especially true if different layered complex with contrasting characteristics (e.g., different size) are compared. For this reason, we present the results of a Sr-Nd isotopic profile across a small layered mafic intrusion of Permian age exposed near Fozzano (SW Corsica). In the main zone of the layered section, decreasing Sr-87/Sr(sub i)-86 and increasing Nd-143/Nd(sub i)-144 are observed from less evolved (bottom) to more evolved (top) rocks. This peculiar pattern precludes assimilation and fractional crystallization (AFC) as a dominant mechanism in the petrogenesis of this body. Instead, we interpret this trend as reflecting the dilution of an early stage contaminated magma by several reinjections of fresh basalt in the chamber. In agreement with mineralogical and structural data, every cyclic unit is interpreted as a new magmatic input. On the basis of rough refill and fractional crystallization (RFC) calculations, the average volume for each reinjection is estimated to have been about 0.04 cu km. The cumulative volume of these injections would amount to about 75% of the total volume of the layered complex. This implies that reinjections were accompanied by an important increase of the volume of the chamber or by magma withdrawal by surface eruptions. The RFC mechanism documented within this small layered body constrasts with the isotopic pattern observed between several intrusions at the regional scale in SW Corsica, and within large continental mafic magma chambers elsewhere. In these cases the isotopic evolution is dominated by AFC processes, and there is no clear isotopic evidence for reinjections, unless major influx of fresh magma occurred. It is suggested that there is

  16. Origins of high pH mineral waters from ultramafic rocks, Central Portugal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marques, Jose M. [Instituto Superior Tecnico, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001, Lisboa (Portugal)], E-mail: jose.marques@ist.ult.pt; Carreira, Paula M. [Instituto Tecnologico e Nuclear, Estrada Nacional No 10, 2686-953 Sacavem (Portugal); Carvalho, Maria Rosario [Departamento de Geologia, Faculdade de Ciencias, Universidade de Lisboa, Ed. C6, 3oP, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa (Portugal); Matias, Maria J. [Instituto Superior Tecnico, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001, Lisboa (Portugal); Goff, Fraser E. [Earth and Planetary Sciences Department MSCO3-2040, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131-000 (United States); Basto, Maria J.; Graca, Rui C.; Aires-Barros, Luis [Instituto Superior Tecnico, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001, Lisboa (Portugal); Rocha, Luis [Junta de Freguesia, Av. da Libertacao, 45-D, 7460-002, Cabeco de Vide (Portugal)

    2008-12-15

    This paper reviews the geochemical, isotopic ({sup 2}H, {sup 18}O, {sup 13}C, {sup 3}H and {sup 14}C) and numerical modelling approaches to evaluate possible geological sources of the high pH (11.5)/Na-Cl/Ca-OH mineral waters from the Cabeco de Vide region (Central-Portugal). Water-rock interaction studies have greatly contributed to a conceptual hydrogeological circulation model of the Cabeco de Vide mineral waters, which was corroborated by numerical modelling approaches. The local shallow groundwaters belong to the Mg-HCO{sub 3} type, and are derived by interaction with the local serpentinized rocks. At depth, these type waters evolve into the high pH/Na-Cl/Ca-OH mineral waters of Cabeco de Vide spas, issuing from the intrusive contact between mafic/ultramafic rocks and an older carbonate sequence. The Cabeco de Vide mineral waters are supersaturated with respect to serpentine indicating that they may cause serpentinization. Magnesium silicate phases (brucite and serpentine) seem to control Mg concentrations in Cabeco de Vide mineral waters. Similar {delta}{sup 2}H and {delta}{sup 18}O suggest a common meteoric origin and that the Mg-HCO{sub 3} type waters have evolved towards Cabeco de Vide mineral waters. The reaction path simulations show that the progressive evolution of the Ca-HCO{sub 3} to Mg-HCO{sub 3} waters can be attributed to the interaction of meteoric waters with serpentinites. The sequential dissolution at CO{sub 2} (g) closed system conditions leads to the precipitation of calcite, magnesite, amorphous silica, chrysotile and brucite, indicating that the waters would be responsible for the serpentinization of fresh ultramafic rocks (dunites) present at depth. The apparent age of Cabeco de Vide mineral waters was determined as 2790 {+-} 40 a BP, on the basis of {sup 14}C and {sup 13}C values, which is in agreement with the {sup 3}H concentrations being below the detection limit.

  17. Lithological architecture and petrography of the Mako Birimian greenstone belt, Kédougou-Kéniéba Inlier, eastern Senegal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dabo, Moussa; Aïfa, Tahar; Gning, Ibrahima; Faye, Malick; Ba, Mamadou Fallou; Ngom, Papa Malick

    2017-07-01

    The new lithological and petrographic data obtained in the Mako sector are analyzed in the light of the geochemical data available in the literature. It consists of ultramaic, mafic rocks of tholeiitic affinities associated with intermediate and felsic rocks of calc-alkaline affinities and with intercalations of sedimentary rocks. The whole unit is intruded by Eburnean granitoids and affected by a greenschist to amphibolite facies metamorphism related to a high grade hydrothermalism. It consists of: (i) ultramafic rocks composed of a fractional crystallization succession of lherzolites, wehrlites and pyroxenites with mafic rock inclusions; (ii) layered, isotropic and pegmatitic metagabbros which gradually pass to metabasalts occur at the top; (iii) massive and in pillow metabasalts with locally tapered vesicles, completely or partially filled with quartzo-feldspathic minerals; (iv) quarzites locally overlying the mafic rocks and thus forming the top of the lower unit. This ultramafic-mafic lower unit presents a tholeiitic affinity near to the OIB or N-MORB. It represents the Mako Ophiolitic Complex (MOC), a lithospheric fragment of Birimian lithospheric crust. The upper unit is a mixed volcanic complex arranged in the tectonic corridors. From bottom to top it comprises the following: (i) andesitic, and (ii) rhyodacitic and rhyolitic lava flows and tuffs, respectively. They present a calc-alkaline affinity of the active margins. Three generations of Eburnean granitoids are recognized: (i) early (2215-2160 Ma); (ii) syn-tectonics (2150-2100 Ma) and post-tectonics (2090-2040 Ma). The lithological succession, geochemical and metamorphic characteristics of these units point to an ophiolitic supra-subduction zone.

  18. Living With Parasites in Palo Verde National Park

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eben Kirksey

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Bruno Latour has tried to bring a parliamentary democracy to the domain of nature. Wading through the swamps of Palo Verde, a national park in the Guanacaste Province of Costa Rica, and wandering onto neighbouring agricultural lands, I failed to find a central place where people were speaking for nature. Departing from a failed attempt to speak for another species (the fringe-toed foam frog, this paper considers how diverging values and obligations shape relationships in multi-species worlds. As spokespersons articulated competing visions of nature on the borderlands of Palo Verde, multiple social and ecological worlds went to war. The haunting specter of capital joined the fray—animating the movements of cattle, grasses with animal rhizomes, rice seeds, and flighty ducks across national borders and through fragmented landscapes. Amidst this warfare, the fringe-toed foam frog was just one tenacious parasite, a noisy agent eating at the table of another, which began to flourish in worlds designed with the well-being of others in mind. Cattails, charismatic birds, and a multitude of insects began interrupting human dreams and schemes. Final solutions to the problem of living with parasites failed in Palo Verde. Humans and parasites, who became para-selves of one another, maintained an abiding presence in the landscape.

  19. Mesoproterozoic diamondiferous ultramafic pipes at Majhgawan ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    tial melt depletion prior to subsequent metaso- matic enrichment ... diferous ultramafic pipes (considered in this paper to belong to ...... at the Department of Earth Sciences, University of .... Int. Kimberlite Conference, Victoria, British Columbia,.

  20. 75 FR 48323 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Palos Verdes...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-08-10

    ..., quantity, and/or cooking method of fish species, (3) gather quantitative data that can be used to... anglers who fish in the Palos Verdes Shelf vicinity. Title: Palos Verdes Shelf Seafood Consumption Survey... deep for direct human contact; however, fish in the PV Shelf area bioaccumulate the contaminants...

  1. Petrological and geochemical characteristics of Paleoproterozoic ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Centre of Advanced Study, Department of Geology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221 005, India ... A number of ENE–WSW trending Paleoproterozoic dykes and plugs of mafic, ultramafic, alkaline and ...... 2005 Integrating ultramafic lamprophyres into the IUGS classification of igneous rocks: Rational and implications;.

  2. 76 FR 24064 - Arizona Public Service Company, Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3, Notice...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-04-29

    ... Service Company, Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3, Notice of Issuance of Renewed... Company (licensee), the operator of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3 (PVNGS... Plants: Supplement 43, Regarding Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station,'' issued January 2011, discusses...

  3. Petrogenetic and geodynamic origin of the Neoarchean Doré Lake Complex, Abitibi subprovince, Superior Province, Canada

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polat, Ali; Frei, Robert; Longstaffe, Fred J.; Woods, Ryan

    2018-04-01

    The Neoarchean (ca. 2728 Ma) anorthosite-bearing Doré Lake Complex in the northeastern Abitibi subprovince, Quebec, was emplaced into an association of intra-oceanic tholeiitic basalts and gabbros known as the Obatogamau Formation. The Obatogamau Formation constitutes the lower part of the Roy Group, which is composed of two cycles of tholeiitic-to-calc-alkaline volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks, siliciclastic and chemical sedimentary rocks, and layered mafic-to-ultramafic sills. In this study, we report major and trace element results, and Nd, Sr, Pb and O isotope data for anorthosites, leucogabbros, gabbros and mafic dykes from the Doré Lake Complex and spatially associated basalts and gabbros of the Obatogamau Formation to assess their petrogenetic origin and geodynamic setting. Field and petrographic observations indicate that the Doré Lake Complex and associated volcanic rocks underwent extensive metamorphic alteration under greenschist facies conditions, resulting in widespread epidotization (20-40%) and chloritization (10-40%) of many rock types. Plagioclase recrystallized mainly to anorthite and albite endmembers, erasing intermediate compositions. Metamorphic alteration also led to the mobilization of many elements (e.g., LILE and transition metals) and to significant disturbance of the Rb-Sr and U-Pb isotope systems, resulting in 1935 ± 150 and 3326 ± 270 Ma errorchron ages, respectively. The Sm-Nd isotope system was less disturbed, yielding an errorchron age of 2624 ± 160 Ma. On many binary major and trace element diagrams, the least altered anorthosites and leucogabbros, and the gabbros and mafic dykes of the Doré Lake Complex plot in separate fields, signifying the presence of two distinct magma types in the complex. The gabbros and mafic dykes in the Doré Lake Complex share the geochemical characteristics of tholeiitic basalts and gabbros in the Obatogamau Formation, suggesting a possible genetic link between the two rock associations. Initial

  4. Palo Verde Generating Station, Units 4 and 5. License application, general information

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1978-01-01

    A license application for two more Palo Verde reactors, Units 4 and 5, is presented. The two PWR reactors have a nominal net generating power each of 1,270 MW(e). Containments are steel-lined prestressed cylindrical structures with hemispherical domes. The reactors are replicas of Palo Verde 1, 2 and 3 (see DOCKETS 50528, 50529 and 50530) using the standard Combustion Engineering System 80 (see DOCKET-STN-50470)

  5. Subsurface mapping of Rustenburg Layered Suite (RLS), Bushveld Complex, South Africa: Inferred structural features using borehole data and spatial analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bamisaiye, O. A.; Eriksson, P. G.; Van Rooy, J. L.; Brynard, H. M.; Foya, S.; Billay, A. Y.; Nxumalo, V.

    2017-08-01

    Faults and other structural features within the mafic-ultramafic layers of the Bushveld Complex have been a major issue mainly for exploration and mine planning. This study employed a new approach in detecting faults with both regional and meter scale offsets, which was not possible with the usually applied structure contour mapping. Interpretations of faults from structural and isopach maps were previously based on geological experience, while meter-scale faults were virtually impossible to detect from such maps. Spatial analysis was performed using borehole data primarily. This resulted in the identification of previously known structures and other hitherto unsuspected structural features. Consequently, the location, trends, and geometry of faults and some regional features within the Rustenburg Layered Suite (RLS) that might not be easy to detect through field mapping are adequately described in this study.

  6. Trace element characteristics of mafic and ultramafic meta-igneous rocks from the 3.5 Ga. Warrawoona group: evidence for plume-lithosphere interaction beneath Archaean continental crust

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bolhar, R.; Hergt, J.; Woodhead, J.

    1999-01-01

    compositionally similar volcanic greenstones in the Superior Province (Canada). However, this concept is problematic for two reasons: (1) Modern oceanic crust is typically associated with overlying terrigenous/ pelagic sediments, both of which are introduced into the mantle via subduction. Mixing with mantle and subsequent partial melting invariably produces compositions with HFSE depletion and LREE enrichment at low to moderate degrees of melting. (2) Mixing of subduction-modified lithosphere into the mantle followed by melting should be detectable in volcanic rocks with strong depletions in elements such as Nb and Ti, but increased abundances in the LILE and LREE (La/Sm pm >> 1). Compositionally, the Warrawoona meta-igneous rocks resemble compositions found in modern oceanic plateaus (e.g. Broken Ridge) which incorporated variable amounts of continental lithospheric mantle (CLM). Variability in trace element ratios (e.g. Nb/Ta, Ce/Pb, and Nb/U) may reflect source heterogeneity or the coexistence of tectonically accreted oceanic fragments with differing petrogenetic histories. However, well-defined co-variations in major and trace elements of samples from all three major stratigraphic units point to a common magmatic origin. In an attempt to link Archaean rocks to present day analogues, we conclude that the spatial association of ultramafic and mafic volcanics and crustally contaminated high-Mg, Fe rocks most resembles melting of a plume head with incorporation of CLM-components and volcanic outpouring within a (rifted?) continental environment. Support for the existence of pre-existing continental crust comes from published studies which report on xenocrystic zircons in basalts, underlying granitoids and sediments of pre-Warrawoona age and mafic inclusions within granitoid bodies. Temporal decreases in La/Sm pm and Nb/Th pm ratios, along with unfractionated HREE may be interpreted as adiabatic upwelling of plume material and a decreasing influence of the lithospheric component

  7. Deposition and Accumulation of Emerging Contaminants in the Sediments of the Palos Verde Shelf, California

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deposition and Accumulation of Emerging Contaminants in the Sediments of the Palos Verde Shelf, California Mark G. Cantwell, David R. Katz, Julia Sullivan, Robert P. Eganhouse, Monique M. Perron, Robert M. Burgess The Palos Verdes shelf is located off the Southern California coa...

  8. Timo Palo jäine väljakutse

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2014-01-01

    Fotonäitusest "Jäine väljakutse". Näitus koosneb kahest osast: National Geographicu fotograafi Paul Nickleni fotodest "Polar Obsession" ja Eesti polaarränduri Timo Palo retke põhjapooluselt Teravmägede saarestikku kirjeldavast väljapanekust

  9. Identification of sites within the Palo Duro Basin. Volume 3. Responses to comments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1984-11-01

    This document responds to comments received by the US Department of Energy (DOE) on the draft report entitled Identification of Sites Within the Palo Duro Basin: Volume I - Palo Duro Location A (in Deaf Smith County) and Volume II - Palo Duro Location B (in Swisher County), BMI/ONWI-531, February 1984. The purpose of the report was to review existing geologic, environmental, and socioeconomic data for previously identified potentially acceptable sites consisting of approximately 200 square miles in Swisher County and 400 square miles in Deaf Smith County in the Texas Panhandle and to narrow them to preferred smaller sites for possible further study for a nuclear waste repository. The smaller sites thus identified within the two counties would then be more comparable in size to those in salt deposits in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Utah

  10. Santeria and Palo Mayombe: skulls, mercury, and artifacts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gill, James R; Rainwater, Christopher W; Adams, Bradley J

    2009-11-01

    Santeria and Palo Mayombe are syncretic religions created in the New World based upon African religious beliefs combined with Christianity. The main worship of Palo Mayombe involves religious receptacles that may contain earth, sticks, varied artifacts, and animal and human remains. Due to the use of human and nonhuman remains, discovery of these items often leads to involvement by the police due to a concern of homicide. We review in detail the medical examiner records of two of these ritualistic cases including the autopsy, anthropology, police, and investigators' reports. For the human remains, careful consideration of the context in which the remains were recovered, their state of preservation, and the associated artifacts (e.g., beads and mercury) are important in determining the appropriate level of forensic significance. Anthropological examination with particular attention to taphonomic characteristics also may help determine the origin and forensic significance.

  11. Crustal contamination versus an enriched mantle source for intracontinental mafic rocks: Insights from early Paleozoic mafic rocks of the South China Block

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Wenjing; Xu, Xisheng; Zeng, Gang

    2017-08-01

    Several recent studies have documented that the silicic rocks (SiO2 > 65 wt.%) comprising Silicic Large Igneous Provinces are derived from partial melting of the crust facilitated by underplating/intraplating of "hidden" large igneous province-scale basaltic magmas. The early Paleozoic intracontinental magmatic rocks in the South China Block (SCB) are dominantly granitoids, which cover a combined area of 22,000 km2. In contrast, exposures of mafic rocks total only 45 km2. These mafic rocks have extremely heterogeneous isotopic signatures that range from depleted to enriched (whole rock initial 87Sr/86Sr = 0.7041-0.7102; εNd(t) = - 8.4 to + 1.8; weighted mean zircon εHf(t) = - 7.4 to + 5.2), show low Ce/Pb and Nb/U ratios (0.59-13.1 and 3.5-20.9, respectively), and variable Th/La ratios (0.11-0.51). The high-MgO mafic rocks (MgO > 10 wt.%) tend to have lower εNd(t) values (- 4) and Sm/Nd ratios (> 0.255). The differences in geochemistry between the high-MgO and low-MgO mafic rocks indicate greater modification of the compositions of high-MgO mafic magmas by crustal material. In addition, generally good negative correlations between εNd(t) and initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios, MgO, and K2O, along with the presence of inherited zircons in some plutons, indicate that the geochemical and isotopic compositions of the mafic rocks reflect significant crustal contamination, rather than an enriched mantle source. The results show that high-MgO mafic rocks with fertile isotopic compositions may be indicative of crustal contamination in addition to an enriched mantle source, and it is more likely that the lithospheric mantle beneath the SCB during the early Paleozoic was moderately depleted than enriched by ancient subduction processes.

  12. Geodynamic evolution of the Sabzevar zone, northern central Iranian micro-continent

    Science.gov (United States)

    Omrani, Hadi; Moazzen, Mohssen; Oberhänsli, Roland

    2018-02-01

    The Northern Central Iranian Micro-continent (CIM) represents Neotethys-related oceanic crust remnants, emplaced due to convergence between CIM and Eurasia plates during Eocene. Mafic and ultramafic units are exposed along the northern part of the CIM in the Sabzevar area. The geology and field relation of Sabzevar ophiolite indicate northward subduction of the Sabzevar basin. The average whole rock chemistry of mafic (gabbros) and ultramafic samples (lherzolite, harzburgite and dunite) is characterized by a range of MgO of 11.16-31.88, CaO 5.22-11.53 and Al2O3 2.77-14.57, respectively. Low LREE/HREE ratio of ultramafic samples is accompanied by enrichment of large ion lithophile elements (LILE) such as Sr, Pb and K. Mafic samples show two distinct groups with low and high LREE/HREE ratios. The spider diagram of mafic samples indicates enrichment in Sr, Pb and K and depletion in REE. Petrological and geochemical evidence and field relations show that the mafic rocks formed in a supra-subduction zone setting. Petrological studies reveal the role of fractional crystallization and assimilation effect by released fluids during subduction related generation of the Sabzevar mafic rocks. We suggest that the studied mafic rocks likely represent the basement of an initial island arc, which was generated in a supra-subduction zone setting within the Neotethys branch of the Sabzevar Ocean at the north of CIM. Copper, gold and chromite mineralizations are studied in relation to island arc setting and supra-subduction environment. Similarities in lithology, ophiolite age and mineralization between Sabzevar ophiolite and Bardaskan-Torbat Heydariyeh ophiolites testify for their separation due to rotation (or faulting) of the Central Iranian Micro-continent.

  13. How Palo Verde saved millions of dollars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1994-01-01

    In autumn 1992, Arizona Public Service adopted new project control procedures for outages at its three-unit Palo Verde PWR site, including: the switch to a PC-based environment; a new scheduling system; and the generation of improved graphics for decision making. Major cost savings were made and three further outages have now benefitted from the new systems. (author)

  14. 76 FR 1197 - Arizona Public Service Company, Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station; Notice of Availability of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-07

    ... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket Nos. 50-528, 50-529, 50-530; NRC-2009-0012] Arizona Public Service Company, Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station; Notice of Availability of the Final Supplement 43... of operation for the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (PVNGS). Possible alternatives to the...

  15. Formation of pyroxenite layers in the Totalp ultramafic massif (Swiss Alps) - Insights from highly siderophile elements and Os isotopes

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Acken, David; Becker, Harry; Walker, Richard J.; McDonough, William F.; Wombacher, Frank; Ash, Richard D.; Piccoli, Phil M.

    2010-01-01

    Pyroxenitic layers are a minor constituent of ultramafic mantle massifs, but are considered important for basalt generation and mantle refertilization. Mafic spinel websterite and garnet-spinel clinopyroxenite layers within Jurassic ocean floor peridotites from the Totalp ultramafic massif (eastern Swiss Alps) were analyzed for their highly siderophile element (HSE) and Os isotope composition. Aluminum-poor pyroxenites (websterites) display chondritic to suprachondritic initial γOs (160 Ma) of -2 to +27. Osmium, Ir and Ru abundances are depleted in websterites relative to the associated peridotites and to mantle lherzolites worldwide, but relative abundances (Os/Ir, Ru/Ir) are similar. Conversely, Pt/Ir, Pd/Ir and Re/Ir are elevated. Aluminum-rich pyroxenites (clinopyroxenites) are characterized by highly radiogenic 187Os/ 188Os with initial γOs (160 Ma) between +20 and +1700. Their HSE composition is similar to that of basalts, as they are more depleted in Os, Ir and Ru compared to Totalp websterites, along with even higher Pt/Ir, Pd/Ir and Re/Ir. The data are most consistent with multiple episodes of reaction of mafic pyroxenite precursor melts with surrounding peridotites, with the highest degree of interaction recorded in the websterites, which typically occur in direct contact to peridotites. Clinopyroxenites, in contrast, represent melt-dominated systems, which retained the precursor melt characteristics to a large extent. The melts may have been derived from a sublithospheric mantle source with high Pd/Ir, Pt/Ir and Re/Os, coupled with highly radiogenic 187Os/ 188Os compositions. Modeling indicates that partial melting of subducted, old oceanic crust in the asthenosphere could be a possible source for such melts. Pentlandite and godlevskite are identified in both types of pyroxenites as the predominant sulfide minerals and HSE carriers. Heterogeneous HSE abundances within these sulfide grains likely reflect subsolidus processes. In contrast, large grain

  16. Platinum group elements geochemistry of ultramafic and associated ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    group element (PGE) and associated gold mineralization in these ultramafic rocks. A mineral ... Paleoproterozoic age, mostly emplaced into the .... tified reference materials (CRM) from the US Geo- ..... Classification diagram (Barnes et al.

  17. On the chemistry of the Martian surface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keil, K.

    1978-01-01

    Analyses of 13 smaples of Martian surface materials with the Viking X-ray fluorescence spectrometers show SiO 2 similar to that of terrestrial mafic rocks, whereas Fe 2 O 3 , Cl, and S are higher and Al 2 O 3 , K 2 O, Rb, Sr, Y, and Zr are lower. Low totals suggest presence of CO 2 , H 2 O, and Na 2 O. Duricrust fragments are higher in S than fines, but samples from both landing sites are surprisingly similar. We suggest that Martian surface materials are aeolian deposits of complex mixtures of weathering products of mafic-ultramafic rocks, possibly consisting of iron-rich clays, sulfates, iron oxides, carbonates, and chlorides. (orig.) 891 HK [de

  18. U russkoi molodjozhi jest shans / Urve Palo ; interv. Ilja Gromov

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Palo, Urve, 1972-

    2008-01-01

    Rahvastikuminister Urve Palo selgitab Avatud Ühiskonna Instituudi vene keelt kõnelevate noorte seas läbi viidud uuringu tulemusi. Lisa: Küsitlus: Kas vene keelt kõnelevatel noortel on Eestis hea elada

  19. Palo Verde receives new control room simulator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1993-01-01

    A new control room simulator was delivered to Arizona Public Service Company's Palo Verde nuclear generating station in late August. The system, the second simulator on site, will be used for training beginning in January 1994, said David C. Brown, manager of the simulator upgrade project. Having two simulators will ease the current tight training schedule, and allow expansion of instruction to personnel other than licensed operators

  20. Cobalt—Styles of deposits and the search for primary deposits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hitzman, Murray W.; Bookstrom, Arthur A.; Slack, John F.; Zientek, Michael L.

    2017-11-30

    Cobalt (Co) is a potentially critical mineral. The vast majority of cobalt is a byproduct of copper and (or) nickel production. Cobalt is increasingly used in magnets and rechargeable batteries. More than 50 percent of primary cobalt production is from the Central African Copperbelt. The Central African Copperbelt is the only sedimentary rock-hosted stratiform copper district that contains significant cobalt. Its presence may indicate significant mafic-ultramafic rocks in the local basement. The balance of primary cobalt production is from magmatic nickel-copper and nickel laterite deposits. Cobalt is present in several carbonate-hosted lead-zinc and copper districts. It is also variably present in Besshi-type volcanogenic massive sulfide and siliciclastic sedimentary rock-hosted deposits in back arc and rift environments associated with mafic-ultramafic rocks. Metasedimentary cobalt-copper-gold deposits (such as Blackbird, Idaho), iron oxide-copper-gold deposits, and the five-element vein deposits (such as Cobalt, Ontario) contain different amounts of cobalt. None of these deposit types show direct links to mafic-ultramafic rocks; the deposits may result from crustal-scale hydrothermal systems capable of leaching and transporting cobalt from great depths. Hydrothermal deposits associated with ultramafic rocks, typified by the Bou Azzer district of Morocco, represent another type of primary cobalt deposit.In the United States, exploration for cobalt deposits may focus on magmatic nickel-copper deposits in the Archean and Proterozoic rocks of the Midwest and the east coast (Pennsylvania) and younger mafic rocks in southeastern and southern Alaska; also, possibly basement rocks in southeastern Missouri. Other potential exploration targets include—The Belt-Purcell basin of British Columbia (Canada), Idaho, Montana, and Washington for different styles of sedimentary rock-hosted cobalt deposits;Besshi-type VMS deposits, such as the Greens Creek (Alaska) deposit and

  1. 75 FR 13606 - Arizona Public Service Company, Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-22

    ... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket Nos. STN 50-528, STN 50-529, and STN 50-530; NRC-2010-0114] Arizona Public Service Company, Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3; Environmental...-74, issued to Arizona Public Service Company (APS, the licensee), for operation of the Palo Verde...

  2. Metasomatized and hybrid rocks associated with a Palaeoarchaean layered ultramafic intrusion on the Johannesburg Dome, South Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anhaeusser, Carl R.

    2015-02-01

    The Johannesburg Dome occurs as an inlier of Palaeoarchaean-Mesoarchaean granitic rocks, gneisses and greenstones in the central part of the Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa. In the west-central part of the dome a large greenstone remnant is surrounded and intruded by ca. 3114 Ma porphyritic granodiorites. Referred to locally as the Zandspruit greenstone remnant, it consists of a shallow-dipping ultramafic complex comprised of a number of alternating layers of harzburgite and pyroxenite. The ultramafic rocks are metamorphosed to greenschist grade and have largely been altered to serpentinite and amphibolite (tremolite-actinolite). In the granite-greenstone contact areas the porphyritic granodiorite has partially assimilated the greenstones producing a variety of hybrid rocks of dioritic composition. The hybrid rocks contain enclaves or xenoliths of greenstone and, in places, orbicular granite structures. Particularly noteworthy is an unusual zone of potash-metasomatized rock, occurring adjacent to the porphyritic granodiorite, consisting dominantly of biotite and lesser amounts of carbonate, quartz and sericite. Large potash-feldspar megacrysts and blotchy aggregated feldspar clusters give the rocks a unique texture. An interpretation placed on these rocks is that they represent metasomatized metapyroxenites of the layered ultramafic complex. Field relationships and geochemical data suggest that the rocks were influenced by hydrothermal fluids emanating from the intrusive porphyritic granodiorite. The adjacent greenstones were most likely transformed largely by the process of infiltration metasomatism, rather than simple diffusion, as CO2, H2O as well as dissolved components were added to the greenstones. Element mobility appears to have been complex as those generally regarded as being immobile, such as Ti, Y, Zr, Hf, Ta, Nb, Th, Sc, Ni, Cr, V, and Co, have undergone addition or depletion from the greenstones. Relative to all the rocks analyzed from the greenstones

  3. Major salt beds of the Palo Duro and Dalhart Basins, Texas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1983-12-01

    Major salt beds are defined as salt intervals at least 75 feet thick that contain no interbeds greater than 10 feet thick and include no more than 15 percent non-salt interbeds. Maps based on the interpretation of geophysical logs from hundreds of oil and gas exploration wells reveal seven major salt beds in the Palo Duro Basin and one major salt bed in the Dalhart Basin. The most extensive major salt beds are in the central and northern Palo Duro Basin, in the Upper San Andres Formation and the Lower San Andres Formation Units 4 and 5. Of these, the major salt bed within the Lower San Andres Formation Unit 4 is the most widespread and generally the thickest. 7 references, 15 figures, 2 tables

  4. Mg isotope systematics during magmatic processes: Inter-mineral fractionation in mafic to ultramafic Hawaiian xenoliths

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stracke, A.; Tipper, E. T.; Klemme, S.; Bizimis, M.

    2018-04-01

    , the clearly resolvable inter-mineral Mg isotope differences imply that crystallization or preferential melting of isotopically distinct minerals such garnet, spinel, and clinopyroxene should cause Mg isotope fractionation between bulk melt and residue. Calculated Mg isotope variations during partial mantle melting indeed predict differences between melt and residue, but these are analytically resolvable only for melting of mafic lithologies, that is, garnet pyroxenites. Contributions from garnet pyroxenite melts may thus account for some of the isotopically light δ26Mg observed in ocean island basalts and trace lithological mantle heterogeneity. Consequently, applications for high-temperature Mg isotope fractionations are promising and diverse, and recent advances in analytical precision may allow the full petrogenetic potential inherent in the sub per mill variations in δ26Mg in magmatic rocks to be exploited.

  5. Comparison of microbial communities associated with three Atlantic ultramafic hydrothermal systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roussel, Erwan G; Konn, Cécile; Charlou, Jean-Luc; Donval, Jean-Pierre; Fouquet, Yves; Querellou, Joël; Prieur, Daniel; Bonavita, Marie-Anne Cambon

    2011-09-01

    The distribution of Archaea and methanogenic, methanotrophic and sulfate-reducing communities in three Atlantic ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems (Rainbow, Ashadze, Lost City) was compared using 16S rRNA gene and functional gene (mcrA, pmoA and dsrA) clone libraries. The overall archaeal community was diverse and heterogeneously distributed between the hydrothermal sites and the types of samples analyzed (seawater, hydrothermal fluid, chimney and sediment). The Lost City hydrothermal field, characterized by high alkaline warm fluids (pH>11; Tphylum and Methanopyrales order were also retrieved from the Rainbow and Ashadze hydrothermal fluids. However, the methanogenic Methanococcales was the most widely distributed hyper/thermophilic archaeal group among the hot and acidic ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal system environments. Most of the lineages detected are linked to methane and hydrogen cycling, suggesting that in ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems, large methanogenic and methanotrophic communities could be fuelled by hydrothermal fluids highly enriched in methane and hydrogen. © 2011 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Options for In Situ Capping of Palos Verdes Shelf Contaminated Sediments

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Palermo, Michael; Schroeder, Paul; Rivera, Yilda; Ruiz, Carlos; Clarke, Doug; Gailani, Joe; Clausner, James; Hynes, Mary; Fredette, Thomas; Tardy, Barbara

    1999-01-01

    The U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station (WES) has performed an evaluation of in situ capping options for sediment restoration of DDT and PCB contaminated sediments on the Palos Verdes (PV...

  7. Risk-based inservice testing program modifications at Palo Verde nuclear generating station

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Knauf, S.; Lindenlaub, B.; Linthicum, R.

    1996-01-01

    Arizona Public Service Company (APS) is investigating changes to the Palo Verde Inservice Testing (IST) Program that are intended to result in the reduction of the required test frequency for various valves in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Section XI IST program. The analytical techniques employed to select candidate valves and to demonstrate that these frequency reductions are acceptable are risk based. The results of the Palo Verde probabilistic risk assessment (PRA), updated in June 1994, and the risk significant determination performed as part of the implementation efforts for 10 CFR 50.65 (the maintenance rule) were used to select candidate valves for extended test intervals. Additional component level evaluations were conducted by an 'expert panel.' The decision to pursue these changes was facilitated by the ASME Risk-Based Inservice Testing Research Task Force for which Palo Verde is participating as a pilot plant. The NRC's increasing acceptance of cost beneficial licensing actions and risk-based submittals also provided incentive to seek these changes. Arizona Public Service is pursuing the risk-based IST program modification in order to reduce the unnecessary regulatory burden of the IST program through qualitative and quantitative analysis consistent with maintaining a high level of plant safety. The objectives of this project at Palo Verde are as follows: (1) Apply risk-based technologies to IST components to determine their risk significance (i.e., high or low). (2) Apply a combination of deterministic and risk-based methods to determine appropriate testing requirements for IST components including improvement of testing methods and frequency intervals for high-risk significant components. (3) Apply risk-based technologies to high-risk significant components identified by the open-quotes expert panelclose quotes and outside of the IST program to determine whether additional testing requirements are appropriate

  8. Risk-based inservice testing program modifications at Palo Verde nuclear generating station

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Knauf, S.; Lindenlaub, B.; Linthicum, R.

    1996-12-01

    Arizona Public Service Company (APS) is investigating changes to the Palo Verde Inservice Testing (IST) Program that are intended to result in the reduction of the required test frequency for various valves in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Section XI IST program. The analytical techniques employed to select candidate valves and to demonstrate that these frequency reductions are acceptable are risk based. The results of the Palo Verde probabilistic risk assessment (PRA), updated in June 1994, and the risk significant determination performed as part of the implementation efforts for 10 CFR 50.65 (the maintenance rule) were used to select candidate valves for extended test intervals. Additional component level evaluations were conducted by an `expert panel.` The decision to pursue these changes was facilitated by the ASME Risk-Based Inservice Testing Research Task Force for which Palo Verde is participating as a pilot plant. The NRC`s increasing acceptance of cost beneficial licensing actions and risk-based submittals also provided incentive to seek these changes. Arizona Public Service is pursuing the risk-based IST program modification in order to reduce the unnecessary regulatory burden of the IST program through qualitative and quantitative analysis consistent with maintaining a high level of plant safety. The objectives of this project at Palo Verde are as follows: (1) Apply risk-based technologies to IST components to determine their risk significance (i.e., high or low). (2) Apply a combination of deterministic and risk-based methods to determine appropriate testing requirements for IST components including improvement of testing methods and frequency intervals for high-risk significant components. (3) Apply risk-based technologies to high-risk significant components identified by the {open_quotes}expert panel{close_quotes} and outside of the IST program to determine whether additional testing requirements are appropriate.

  9. Area geological characterization report for the Palo Duro and Dalhart Basins, Texas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1983-07-01

    The present state of knowledge of the geology, hydrogeology, and seismology of the Palo Duro and Dalhart basins is summarized as a basis for future siting studies for a high-level nuclear waste repository. Large portions of the Texas Panhandle, and especially the Palo Duro basin, have stable geologic conditions and a favorable evaporite stratigraphy that warrant further study. Five salt-bearing formations containing thick salt units are present within the basin. Salt beds appear to be persistent over wide areas, relatively flat lying and structurally undisturbed. Available hydrogeologic data suggest that favorable conditions for waste isolation are widespread. The level and rate of seismic activity are low throughout the Texas Panhandle. 335 references, 83 figures, 17 tables

  10. Assessment of vibration anomalies of main steam lines at Palo Verde-3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amr, A.; Landstrom, C.; Maxwell, H.; Miller, J.S.; Lynch, J.J.

    1996-01-01

    Historically, flow induced vibration in piping systems that transport liquid has presented problems for plant designers. When evaluating a vibration problem, it is always important to determine the forcing frequencies from different phenomena and the natural frequencies of the system as an integral part of establishing the root cause of the problem. Since in most cases of large vibration and noise levels, the natural frequency of the system and the frequency of the flow induced vibration are very close, determining the natural frequency of the system is important. Palo Verde Unit-3 exhibited a vibration problem where identification of the root cause was difficult. A Palo Verde team was created which consisted of engineers from different on-site departments and support from consultants. The process used to determine the root cause for the vibration/noise problem on Main Steam Supply System (MSSS) steam line 2 at Palo Verde Unit 3 is discussed in this paper. Since the root cause was not readily apparent, a finite element model was constructed to determine the natural frequency of the piping system. The finite element model consisted of a portion of the main steam lines, including a sample line which traverses the main steam line

  11. Complejo de restauración del atún rojo en Cabo de Palos : CRARCP

    OpenAIRE

    Denchev Torlakov, Ivaylo

    2016-01-01

    El proyecto pretende por una parte poner en valor el producto del atún rojo promocionando los nuevos valores de la cocina (I+D+I) y convertirlo en símbolo de identidad para el municipio de Cabo de Palos y la Región de Murcia. Por otra parte se busca la reactivación y definición de un borde urbano en Cabo de Palos. Para ello se definen los siguientes objetivos: - Analizar el entorno urbano existente, evaluarlo y proponer soluciones que permitan mejorar las condiciones del mismo, impulsando la ...

  12. Trace element partitioning in rock forming minerals of co-genetic, subduction-related alkaline and tholeiitic mafic rocks in the Ural Mountains, Russia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krause, J.; Brügmann, G. E.; Pushkarev, E. V.

    2009-04-01

    The partitioning of trace elements between rock forming minerals in igneous rocks is largely controlled by physical and chemical parameters e.g. temperature, pressure and chemical composition of the minerals and the coexisting melt. In the present study partition coefficients for REE between hornblende, orthopyroxene, feldspars, apatite and clinopyroxene in a suite of co-genetic alkaline and tholeiitic mafic rocks from the Ural Mountains (Russia) were calculated. The results give insights to the influence of the chemical composition of the parental melt on the partitioning behaviour of the REE. Nepheline-bearing, alkaline melanogabbros (tilaites) are assumed to represent the most fractionated products of the melt that formed the ultramafic cumulates in zoned mafic-ultramafic complexes in the Ural Mountains. Co-genetic with the latter is a suite of olivine gabbros, gabbronorites and hornblende gabbros formed from a tholeiitic parental melt. Negative anomalies for the HFSE along with low Nb and Ta contents and a positive Sr anomaly indicate a subduction related origin of all parental melts. The nepheline gabbros consist predominantly of coarse-grained clinopyroxene phenocrysts in a matrix of fine grained clinopyroxene, olivine, plagioclase, K-feldspar and nepheline with accessory apatite. The tholeiitic gabbros have equigranular to porphyric textures with phenocrysts of olivine, pyroxene and hornblende in a plagioclase rich matrix with olivine hornblende, pyroxene and accessory apatite. Element concentrations of adjacent matrix grains and rims of phenochrysts were measured with LA-ICPMS. The distribution of REE between hornblende and clinopyroxene in the tholeiitic rocks is similar for most of the elements (DHbl•Cpx(La-Tm) = 2.7-2.8, decreasing to 2.6 and 2.4 for Yb and Lu, respectively). These values are about two times higher than published data (e.g. Ionov et al. 1997). Partition coefficients for orthopyroxene/clinopyroxene systematically decrease from the HREE

  13. Ultramafic rocks of the western Idaho suture zone: Asbestos Peak and Misery Ridge

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Godchaux, M.M. (Mount Holyoke Coll., South Hadley, MA (United States). Dept. of Geology); Bonnichsen, B. (Univ. of Idaho, Moscow, ID (United States))

    1993-04-01

    The Western Idaho Ultramafic Belt extends northward from the town of Weiser to the northern end of Dworshak Reservoir; in its northern portion most of the ultramafic bodies are localized along the suture zone where the Mesozoic oceanic accreted terranes meet the continental craton. Of the twenty bodies investigated, all are small, all are in fault contact with their metavolcanic and metasedimentary host rocks, all have been metamorphosed, and all display deformational fabrics in at least some portion of the outcrop area, suggesting that deformation continued after peak metamorphism. The degree of metamorphism ranges from incipient serpentinization to attainment of equilibrium in the upper amphibolite facies. Some bodies have been intruded by granitic dikes or pegmatite veins after emplacement, and have locally undergone contact metasomatism. Two particularly complex bodies, Asbestos Peak and Misery Ridge, were chosen for detailed petrographic and chemical study. Asbestos Peak is composed mostly of decussate anthophyllite-talc rock containing isolated patches of harzburgite protolith, and has blackwall border zones. Misery Ridge is composed mostly of coarse-grained sheared tremolite-talc schist without remnant protolith, and lacks true blackwall zones. Both bodies exhibit an unusual and enigmatic hornblende-poikiloblastic garnet-green spinel-skeletal ilmenite assemblage, present in some places as well-defined border zones and in other places as cross-cutting bodies.

  14. The PALOS project and its significance for industrial application

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guzzella, L. [Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zuerich (ETHZ), Institute for Measurement and Control Laboratory (IMRT), Zuerich (Switzerland); Spring, P. [Swiss Federal Institut of Technology Zuerich (ETHZ), Institut fuer Mess- und Regeltechnik, Zuerich (Switzerland)

    2001-07-01

    This report compiled by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH introduces the PALOS (PArt Load Optimised System) concept for a downsized supercharged engine. The authors note that a mid-class passenger car needs an average power at the wheel of only 4.5 kW for typical driving cycles. For acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h within 10 seconds, however, the same vehicle requires a wheel power of approximately 120 kW. Thus, the engine efficiency is low under part load driving conditions. The objectives of the PALOS project are discussed as are methods to increase engine systems efficiency. Close collaboration with industrial partners during the whole project that lead to a high level of know-how transfer from university to industry and vice versa is noted. Four PhD theses on the subject are summarised: Part-load optimised engine systems, engine thermo-management for fuel consumption reduction, optimal operation of CVT-based powertrains and mean value modelling of a pressure wave supercharger (PWS), including exhaust gas recirculation, is looked at.

  15. 75 FR 8149 - Arizona Public Service Company, et al. Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-23

    ...] Arizona Public Service Company, et al. Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3... NPF-74, issued to the Arizona Public Service Company (APS, or the licensee), for operation of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (PVNGS, the facility), Units 1, 2, and 3, respectively, located in...

  16. Using Lava Tube Skylight Thermal Emission Spectra to Determine Lava Composition on Io: Quantitative Constraints for Observations by Future Missions to the Jovian System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davies, A. G.

    2008-12-01

    Deriving the composition of Io's dominant lavas (mafic or ultramafic?) is a major objective of the next missions to the jovian system. The best opportunities for making this determination are from observations of thermal emission from skylights, holes in the roof of a lava tube through which incandescent lava radiates, and Io thermal outbursts, where lava fountaining is taking place [1]. Allowing for lava cooling across the skylight, the expected thermal emission spectra from skylights of different sizes have been calculated for laminar and turbulent tube flow and for mafic and ultramafic composition lavas. The difference between the resulting mafic and ultramafic lava spectra has been quantified, as has the instrument sensitivity needed to acquire the necessary data to determine lava eruption temperature, both from Europa orbit and during an Io flyby. A skylight is an excellent target to observe lava that has cooled very little since eruption (California Institute of Technology, under contract to NASA. AGD is supported by a grant from the NASA OPR Program. References: [1] Davies, A. G., 1996, Icarus, 124, 45-61. [2] Keszthelyi, L., et al., 2006, JGS, 163, 253-264. [3] Davies, A. G., 2007, Volcanism on Io, Cambridge University Press. [4] Keszthelyi, L., et al., 2007, Icarus, 192, 491-502. [5] Davies, A. G., et al., 2006, Icarus, 184, 460-477.

  17. A Plastic Flow and Rheomorfic Differentiation of the Mantle Ultramafic Rocks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. E. Saveliev

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, the general characteristics of morphological features of the ophiolitic ultramafic rock formations are discussed. The ultramafic rocks are the fragments of upper mantle, which were exposed on the surface due to tectonic events. It is shown that their main chemical and structural characteristic is a stratification accompanied by separation of the rheologically weakest dunite bodies usually containing the economic amount of chromite ore. Based on results of conducted analysis, we propose a new hypothesis of petro- and ore genesis in the upper mantle. Using the thermodynamic approach, we developed the rheomorfic model of the differentiation of the mantle matter. This model solves many problems inherent to currently used magmatic or metasomatic models.

  18. Mafic Materials in Scott Crater? A Test for Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, Bonnie L.

    2007-01-01

    Clementine 750 nm and multispectral ratio data, along with Lunar Orbiter and radar data, were used to study the crater Scott in the lunar south polar region. The multispectral data provide evidence for mafic materials, impact melts, anorthositic materials, and a small pyroclastic deposit. High-resolution radar data and Lunar Orbiter photography for this area show differences in color and surface texture that correspond with the locations of the hypothesized mafic and anorthositic areas on the crater floor. This region provides a test case for the upcoming Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Verification of the existence of a mafic deposit at this location is relevant to future lunar resource utilization planning.

  19. Serpentinization and carbonation of pristine continental ultramafic rocks and applications to the oceanic crust; H2O-CO2 alteration of dunites and re-distribution of Ni-Cu-PGE in sulphide deposits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grant, Thomas; McEnroe, Suzanne; Eske Sørensen, Bjørn; Larsen, Rune; Pastore, Zeudia; Rune Grannes, Kim; Nikolaisen, Even

    2017-04-01

    Here, we document carbonation and serpentinization within a suite of ultramafic rocks from a continental setting. These ultramafic rocks vary from pristine dunites to varying degrees of serpentinization which locally penetrates the ultramafic complex. Hence, it allows us to observe a number of delicate serpentinization and carbonation reactions, otherwise lost during more extensive alteration or tectonic events. We use a multi-disciplinary approach using petrographic, EPMA, thermodynamic modelling and geophysical data to reveal how the initial stages of serpentization and carbonation in dunites affects the distribution of economic to sub-economic deposits of Ni-Cu and PGE. The data can then be applied to oceanic crust. The samples are dunites and poikilitic wehrlites from the Reinfjord Ultramafic complex, Seiland Igneous Province Northern Norway. The complex formed through crystallization of picritic melts in the lower continental crust. The dunites contain small amounts of interstitial clinopyroxene, sulphides and spinel, with local enrichments in Ni, Cu and PGE. Late magmatic CO2-H2O-S fluids reacted with the dunite forming clots of amphibole + dolomite + sulphides + enstatite, reaction rims of enstatite + dolomite, and inclusions trails of dolomite + enstatite + magnetite + CO2 fluid. Thermodynamic modelling reveals that these textures formed at pressures of >12 kbar and temperatures 850-950 °C, which would be consistent with the late magmatic history of the Reinfjord complex. The clots and reactions have local association with enrichments in gold-rich PGMs. A second stage of alteration involved H2O-dominated fluids. These formed predominantly lizardite serpentinization, as is often concentrated within highly localized fracture zones. Thermodynamic modelling shows that these formed serpentinization interacted with the earlier formed carbonate bearing assemblages leading to the formation of serpentinite, native copper and symplectites of brucite + calcite. The

  20. Peridotites and mafic igneous rocks at the foot of the Galicia Margin: an oceanic or continental lithosphere? A discussion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Korprobst, J.; Chazot, G.

    2016-10-01

    An ultramafic/mafic complex is exposed on the sea floor at the foot of the Galicia Margin (Spain and Portugal). It comprises various types of peridotites and pyroxenites, as well as amphibole-diorites, gabbros, dolerites and basalts. For chronological and structural reasons (gabbros were emplaced within peridotites before the continental break-up) this unit cannot be assigned to the Atlantic oceanic crust. The compilation of all available petrological and geochemical data suggests that peridotites are derived from the sub-continental lithospheric mantle, deeply transformed during Cretaceous rifting. Thus, websterite dykes extracted from the depleted MORB mantle reservoir (DMM), were emplaced early within the lithospheric harzburgites; subsequent boudinage and tectonic dispersion of these dykes in the peridotites, during deformation stages at the beginning of rifting, resulted in the formation of fertile but isotopically depleted lherzolites. Sterile but isotopically enriched websterites, would represent melting residues in the peridotites, after significant partial melting and melt extraction related to the thermal erosion of the lithosphere. The latter melts are probably the source of brown amphibole metasomatic crystallization in some peridotites, as well as of the emplacement of amphibole-diorite dykes. Melts directly extracted from the asthenosphere were emplaced as gabbro within the sub-continental mantle. Mixing these DMM melts together with the enriched melts extracted from the lithosphere, provided the intermediate isotopic melt-compositions - in between the DMM and Oceanic Islands Basalts reservoir - observed for the dolerites and basalts, none of which are characterized by a genuine N-MORB signature. An enriched lithospheric mantle, present prior to rifting of the Galicia margin, is in good agreement with data from the Messejana dyke (Portugal) and more generally, with those of all continental tholeiites of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP

  1. Les enjeux écologiques de Palo Verde (Costa Rica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bertrand LÉVY

    1992-09-01

    Full Text Available Près de Palo Verde a été créé un parc naturel. Un projet d’irrigation risque de perturber l’écologie de la région. Une carte de son écosystème a été établie par télédétection, pour évaluer l’impact d’un tel projet.

  2. Escuela Superior de Palos Verdes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Neutra, Richard J.

    1965-02-01

    Full Text Available Before initiating the building operations for the «Palos Verdes» School, the site was divided into two large horizontal surfaces, at different levels. The lower one served to accommodate the playing fields, a car park, the physical training building, and shop and ancillary buildings. On the higher of these two surfaces, and to the West of the access road, there is a car park and also the building and plot of ground devoted to agricultural technology, as well as the literary studies and general purpose buildings. As a complement to these, there is a series of blocks, arranged in parallel rows, which house the administrative offices, the art school, the craft's school, the general classrooms, and those devoted to higher education. The fascinating aspect of this school is the outstanding penetration of the architect's mind into the essential function of the project. Its most evident merit is the sense of comradeship and harmony that permeates the whole architectural manifold.Antes de construir el complejo escolar «Palos Verdes» se comenzó por crear, en el terreno, dos grandes mesetas a niveles diferentes. Sobre el inferior se organizaron: los campos de juegos, de deportes, un aparcamiento, el edificio para educación física y los destinados a tiendas y servicios. Sobre la meseta superior, al oeste de la vía de acceso, se dispuso un aparcamiento y el edificio y campo para adiestramiento agrícola; al este, otro aparcamiento, el edificio dedicado a materias literarias, y el destinado a usos múltiples. Completan las instalaciones de la escuela una serie de bloques paralelos: la administración, la escuela de arte, las clases de trabajos manuales, las aulas de enseñanzas generales, y las de los cursos superiores. Lo fascinante de este complejo escolar es la perfecta y magistral compenetración del arquitecto con el tema proyectado, y su mayor mérito, la sensación de cordialidad y armonía con el ambiente.

  3. Geotechnical materials considerations for conceptual repository design in the Palo Duro Basin, Texas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Versluis, W.S.; Balderman, M.A.

    1984-01-01

    The Palo Duro Basin is only one of numerous potential repository locations for placement of a nuclear waste repository. Conceptual designs in the Palo Duro Basin involve considerations of the character and properties of the geologic materials found on several sites throughout the Basin. The first consideration presented includes current basin exploration results and interpretations of engineering properties for the basin geologic sequences. The next consideration presented includes identification of the characteristics of rock taken from the geologic sequence of interest through laboratory and field testing. Values for materials properties of representative samples are obtained for input into modeling of the material response to repository placement. Conceptual designs which respond to these geotechnical considerations are discussed. 4 references, 4 figures, 4 tables

  4. Geology and petrography of basement in south extreme in Sierra Grande de San Luis, Argentina

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morosini, A.; Ortiz Suarez, A.

    2007-01-01

    In the south of the Sierra de San Luis is recognized a basement composed by La Escalerilla and Los Puquios granites, accompanied by schist, mylonite s and mafic-ultramafic rocks. The schists, La Escalerilla granite and the mafic -ultramafic rocks are affected by a regional metamorphism in anphibolites facies, the two first present a N-S foliation di ping to east. The mylonite s correspond to a second event of deformation, distributed in thin belts of NNE-SSO direction and inclination to east, developed in green schist to anphibolites facies. Los Puquios granite represents the more young of the basement rocks and the intrusion was associated with a shear zone. Los Puquios granite forms dikes and small plutons cutting La Escalerilla granite and micas chits in high cortical levels

  5. Identification of sites within the Palo Duro Basin. Volume 1. Palo Duro Location A

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1984-11-01

    This three-volume document narrows to two sites for continued investigations for potential nuclear waste repository sites in the Palo Duro Basin of the Texas Panhandle. Volume 1 narrows a site previously identified in Deaf Smith County, Texas; Volume 2 narrows a site previously identified in Swisher County, Texas; and Volume 3 contains responses to comments received regarding the drafts of Volumes 1 and 2 (BMI/ONWI-531). These volumes discuss the methodology and logic used as well as the results that narrowed these sites. Each of the 10 site performance criteria was divided into descriptors related to site performance characteristics. Each descriptor was evaluated by a systematic logic to determine if it could be used as a discriminator. Then more- and less-preferred areas for groups of discriminators were defined and composite maps were prepared and evaluated to identify the sites

  6. Identification of sites within the Palo Duro Basin. Volume 2. Palo Duro Location B

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1984-11-01

    This three-volume document narrows to two sites for continued investigations for potential nuclear waste repository sites in the Palo Duro Basin of the Texas Panhandle. Volume 1 narrows a site previously identified in Deaf Smith County, Texas; Volume 2 narrows a site previously identified in Swisher County, Texas; and Volume 3 contains responses to comments received regarding the drafts of Volumes 1 and 2 (BMI/ONWI-531). These volumes discuss the methodology and logic used as well as the results that narrowed these sites. Each of the 10 site performance criteria was divided into descriptors related to site performance characteristics. Each descriptor was evaluated by a systematic logic to determine if it could be used as a discriminator. Then more- and less-preferred areas for groups of discriminators were defined and composite maps were prepared and evaluated to identify the sites

  7. Geochronology, geochemistry, and petrogenesis of late Permian to early Triassic mafic rocks from Darongshan, South China: Implications for ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism and S-type granite generation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Wang-Chun; Luo, Bi-Ji; Xu, Ya-Jun; Wang, Lei; Chen, Qi

    2018-05-01

    The role of the mantle in generating ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism and peraluminous S-type granites, and the extent of crust-mantle interaction are topics fundamental to our understanding of the Earth's evolution. In this study we present geochronological, geochemical, and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic data for dolerites and mafic volcanic rocks from the Darongshan granite complex belt in western Cathaysia, South China. LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon analyses yielded magma crystallization ages of ca. 250-248 Ma for the dolerites, which are coeval with eruption of the mafic volcanic rocks, ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism, and emplacement of S-type granites in the Darongshan granite complex belt. The mafic volcanic rocks are high-K calc-alkaline or shoshonitic, enriched in Th, U, and light rare earth elements, and depleted in Nb, Ta and Ti. The dolerites are characterized by high Fe2O3tot (11.61-20.39 wt%) and TiO2 (1.62-3.17 wt%), and low MgO (1.73-4.38 wt%), Cr (2.8-10.8 ppm) and Ni (2.5-11.4 ppm). Isotopically, the mafic volcanic rocks have negative whole-rock εNd(t) values (-6.7 to -9.0) and high ISr values (0.71232 to 0.71767), which are slightly depleted compared with the dolerite samples (εNd(t) = -10.3 to -10.4 and ISr = 0.71796 to 0.71923). Zircons in the dolerites have εHf(t) values of -7.6 to -10.9. The mafic volcanic rocks are interpreted to have resulted from the partial melting of an enriched lithospheric mantle source with minor crustal contamination during ascent, whereas the dolerites formed by late-stage crystallization of enriched lithospheric mantle-derived magmas after fractionation of olivine and pyroxene. The formation of these mantle-derived mafic rocks may be attributed to transtension along a NE-trending strike-slip fault zone that was related to oblique subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate beneath South China. Such underplated mafic magmas would provide sufficient heat for the generation of ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism and S-type granites, and

  8. Abundancia, diversidad y categoría ecológica de los peces en estero damas y estero palo seco, Costa Rica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hubert Araya

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Se trabajó de junio de 1986 a febrero de 1987 en una estación de muestreo en el estero Palo Seco y en dos en el estero Damas (Damas y San Bosco, Pacífico Central, Costa Rica. La temperatura del agua no presentó diferencias significativas entre las estaciones Damas y San Bosco, pero sí entre Damas-Palo Seco y San Bosco-Palo Seco. La salinidad varió significativamente entre las tres estaciones y el pH no mostró diferencias significativas. Se recolectaron representantes de 25 familias, 39 géneros y 54 especies. De las especies, 18 comparten los tres sitios de muestreo, siete se hallaron únicamente en Palo Seco, cinco en Damas y seis en San Bosco. De las especies recolectadas, el 7,41% es compartido entre Palo Seco y Damas; el 3,70% entre Palo Seco y San Bosco y el 22,22% entre Damas y San Bosco. El análisis de similitud determinó que las estaciones Damas y San Bosco comparten un 41,40% de las especies; mientras que Palo Seco solamente presento un 9,9% de especies comunes con el grupo Damas-San Bosco. La mayoría de las especies encontradas fueron de origen marino que utilizan estos dos esteros como área de crianza (42,59% y alimentación (40,74%; mientras que las de agua dulce, estuarinas y visitantes ocasionales están poco representadas. La mayor diversidad se encontró en San Bosco y se detectaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en los valores de H' entre las estaciones. La mayor similitud de especies se presentó entre las estaciones Damas y San Bosco, lo que sugiere que estas áreas están bajo una mayor influencia de aguas continentales; lo que propicia que los peces estén más ampliamente distribuidos. Se deduce que la ictiofauna de los esteros estudiados es transitoria en los sitios de muestreo y que la misma se distribuye heterogéneamente.

  9. Active basement uplift as seen with cosmogenic lenses: the Sierra Pie de Palo case (Western Argentina)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siame, L. L.; Sébrier, M.; Costa, C. H.; Ahumada, E. A.; Bellier, O.

    2013-12-01

    The Andean foreland of western Argentina (28°S-33°S) corresponds to retroarc deformations associated with the ongoing flat subduction of the Nazca plate beneath the South American lithosphere, and associated with high levels of seismic activity and crustal active faulting. To improve earthquake source identification and characterization in the San Juan region, data from seismology, structural geology and quantitative geomorphology can be integrated and combined to provide a seismotectonic model. In this model, the Andean back-arc of western Argentina has to be regarded as an obliquely converging foreland where Plio-Quaternary deformations are partitioned between strike-slip and thrust motions that are localized on the E-verging, thin-skinned Argentine Precordillera, and the W-verging thick-skinned Sierras Pampeanas, respectively. In this domain, the Sierra Pie de Palo is a key structure playing a major role in the partitioning of the Plio-Quaternary deformations. Located in the westernmost Sierras Pampeanas, the Sierra Pie de Palo forms a NNE striking, 80 km-long and 35-40 km-wide, ellipsoid range that reaches elevation as high as 3162 m. This mountain range is an actively growing basement fold associated with a high level of seismic activity (e.g., the November 23, 1977, Caucete, Mw 7.4 earthquake). To evaluate the degree of tectonic activity around the Sierra Pie de Palo, we combined a detailed morphometric analysis of the topography together with in situ-produced cosmogenic 10Be concentrations measured in (1) bedrock outcrops corresponding to the exhumed erosional regional surface, (2) surface boulders abandoned on alluvial fans deformed by active faults, and (3) in fluvial sediments sampled at the outlets of selected watersheds that drains out from the Sierra Pie de Palo. All together, our results allows: (1) assessing quantitative constraints on the rate of tectonic and denudation processes that are responsible for the active growth and erosion of the Sierra

  10. Pyroclastic rocks: another manifestation of ultramafic volcanism on Gorgona Island, Colombia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Echeverría, Lina M.; Aitken, Bruce G.

    1986-04-01

    Tertiary ultramafic volcanism on Gorgona Island, Colombia, is manifested not only by komatiite flows, but also by a more voluminous sequence of tuff breccias, which is cut by comagmatic picrite dikes. The ultramafic pyroclastic rocks are chaotic to stratified mixtures of angular to subrounded glassy picritic blocks and a fine grained volcaniclastic matrix that consists primarily of plastically-deformed, glassy globules. The entire deposit is interpreted to have formed by an explosive submarine eruption of phenocryst-laden picritic magma. MgO contents of tuff breccias and picrite dikes range from 21 to 27 wt%. Relative to nearby komatiite flows, these rocks are MgO-rich, and FeO-, TiO2- and Ni-poor. HREE concentrations are very low (ultramafic rock types crystallized from magmas which most likely were extracted from distinct mantle source regions.

  11. Area environmental characterization report of the Dalhart and Palo Duro basins in the Texas Panhandle. Volume II. Palo Duro basin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1982-09-01

    This area report describes the environmental characteristics of the Dalhart and Palo Duro basins of the Texas Panhandle portion of the Permian basin. Both basins are rather sparsely populated, and the overall population is decreasing. The economic base is centered on agribusiness and manufacturing. Most of the potentially conflicting land uses in both basins (i.e., parks, historic sites) occupy small land areas, with the exception of a national grassland in the Dalhart and military air training routes in both basins. Ground transportation in the Dalhart basin is adequate, and it is well developed in the Palo Duro basin. In both basins irrigation constitutes the principal water use, and groundwater is the principal source. However, the dominant aquifer, the Ogallala, is being depleted. Both basins consist primarily of grasslands, rangelands, and agricultural areas. No critical terrestrial or aquatic habitats have been identified in the basins, though several endangered, threatened, or rare terrestrial species occur in or near the basins. Aquatic resources in both basins are limited because of the intermittent availability of water and the high salt content of some water bodies. Playa lakes are common, though usually seasonal or rain dependent. The climate of the area is semiarid, with low humidity, relatively high wind speeds, and high variable precipitation. Restrictive dispersion conditions are infrequent. National ambient secondary air quality standards for particulates are being exceeded in the area, largely because of fugitive dust, although there are some particulate point sources

  12. Macroinvertebrados bentónicos del humedal de Palo Verde, Costa Rica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F.A Trama

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available El humedal de Palo Verde es uno de los más importantes de Centro America para aves acuáticas. Durante el período 2002 y 2005, se llevaron a cabo actividades de manejo para controlar la invasión de Typha domingensis. Con el fin de establecer una línea base para monitoreos futuros, en el 2003 se realizó una evaluación de macroinvertebrados acuáticos. Se efectuó un muestreo mensual durante un año, usando el método de sustratos artificiales. Se identificaron 116 táxones pertenecientes a 47 familias y a 18 órdenes. La mayor abundancia se encontró en la clase Conchostraca y la familia Chironomidae que juntas representaron casi la mitad de todos los individuos colectados. En contraste, el 97% de los táxones tuvieron, cada uno, menos del 1% del total de la abundancia. La diversidad de táxones, así como la abundancia de individuos y el número de especies, fueron mayores en la época seca que en la lluviosa. La curva acumulada de especies indicó que se hubiera registrado una mayor cantidad de táxones si los muestreos se hubieran extendido por más tiempo. Con este trabajo damos a conocer la primera lista de macroinvertebrados para el humedal de Palo Verde.Benthic macroinvertebrates of the Palo Verde wetland, Costa Rica. Palo Verde, Costa Rica, is one of the most important wetlands in the region now recovering from some invasive plants, especially Typha domingensis, and monitoring programs were started, including studies on the aquatic macoinvertebrate fauna. We sampled benthic macroinvertebrates monthly for more than a year with artificial substrates, and identified 116 taxa from 57 families and 18 orders, with 90 morfospecies of insects. The highest abundances were in the class Conchostraca (typical in seasonal wetlands and in the family Chironomidae (Diptera, Insecta, which together represent almost half of all individuals collected. In contrast, 97 taxa were less than 1% of total abundance each. Number of individuals and number of

  13. Update-processing steam generator cleaning solvent at Palo Verde

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peters, G.

    1996-01-01

    Framatome Technologies Inc.(FTI) recently completed the steam generator chemical cleanings at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station Units 1, 2 and 3. Over 500,000 gallons of low-level radioactive solvents were generated during these cleanings and were processed on-site. Chemical cleaning solutions containing high concentrations of organic chelating wastes are difficult to reduce in volume using standard technologies. The process that was ultimately used at Palo Verde involved three distinct processing steps: The evaporation step was conducted using FTI's submerged combustion evaporator (SCE) that has also been successfully used at Arkansas Nuclear One - Unit 1, Three Mile Island - Unit 1, and Oconee on similar waste. The polishing step of the distillate used ultrafiltration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO) technology that was also used extensively by Ontario Hydro to assist in their processing of chemical cleaning solvent. This technology, equipment, and operations personnel were provided by Zenon Environmental, Inc. The concentrate from the evaporator was absorbed with a special open-quotes peat mossclose quotes based media that allowed it to be shipped and buried at the Environcare of Utah facility. This is the first time that this absorption media or burial site has been used for chemical cleaning solvent

  14. A Fragment of Ophiolite Assemblage of Kasargi Lake Area: East-Urals Megazone, Northern Part of the Southern Urals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. E. Saveliev

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available The results of study of rocks of ophiolite assemblage exposed on the east coast of Kasargi Lake are presented. The ophiolite assemblage is formed with the serpentinised ultramafic rocks of dunite-harzburgite association, which are residual and the shlirenbanded gabbros with a number of later dikes of diabases and porphiritic gabbros. The chemical content of mafic and ultramafic rocks of Kasargi massif shows that they are likely the equivalent rocks encountered within the backarc spreading ridges.

  15. Preliminary investigations on the carbon dioxide sequestering potential of the ultramafic rock

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goff, F.; Guthrie, G.; Counce, D.; Kluk, E.; Bergfeld, D.; Snow, M.

    1997-08-01

    Fossil fuels continue to provide major sources of energy to the modern world even though global emissions of CO{sub 2} are presently at levels of 19 Gt/yr. Future antipollution measures may include sequestering of waste CO{sub 2} as magnesite (MgCO{sub 3}) by processing ultramafic rocks to obtain reactable Mg. Huge ultramafic deposits consisting of relatively pure Mg-rich silicates exist throughout much of the world in ophiolites and layered intrusions. Peridotites (especially dunites) and serpentinites comprise the best ores because they contain the most Mg by weight and are relatively reactive to hot acids such as HCl. Although mining such deposits on a large scale would have environmental impacts, the sequestering process could provide Cr, Ni, and other metals as byproducts and could dispose of existing waste (white) asbestos. Small ultramafic bodies ({approximately} 1 km{sup 3}) can potentially sequester about 1 Gt of CO{sub 2} or about 20% of annual US emissions. A single large deposit of dunite ({approximately} 30 km{sup 3}) could dispose of about 20 yr of current US CO{sub 2} emissions. The cost and environmental impact of mining these deposits must be weighed against the increased costs of energy and benefits to the atmosphere and climate.

  16. Perekond on kõige tähtsam / Urve Palo

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Palo, Urve, 1972-

    2007-01-01

    Ilmunud ka: Hiiu Leht, 21. dets. 2007, lk. 2; Pärnu Postimees, 21. dets. 2007, lk. 15; Severnoje Poberezhje, 21. dets. 2007, lk. 2; Nädalaleht, 21. dets. 2007, lk. 2; Koit, 22. dets. 2007, lk. 6; Meie Maa, 22. dets. 2007, lk. 2; Molodjozh Estonii, 29. dets. 2007, lk. 4; Võrumaa Teataja, 5. jaan. 2008, lk. 3; Järva Teataja, 5. jaan. 2008, lk. 2. Rahvastikuminister Urve Palo jõulu- ja aastalõputervitus

  17. Human factors engineering control-room-design review/audit report: Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Arizona Public Service Company

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Savage, J.W.; Lappa, D.A.

    1981-01-01

    A human factors engineering design review of the Palo Verde control room simulator was performed at the site on September 15 through September 17, 1981. Observed human factors design discrepancies were given priority ratings. This report summarizes the team's observations of the control room design and layout and of the control room operators' interface with the control room environment. A list of the human factors strengths observed in the Palo Verde control room simulator is given

  18. The 3.1 Ga Nuggihalli chromite deposits, Western Dhawar craton (India)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mukherjee, Ria; Mondal, Sisir K.; Frei, Robert

    2012-01-01

    The Nuggihalli greenstone belt is part of the older greenstone belts (3.4 - 3.0 Ga) in the Western Dharwar Craton, southern India. This greenstone sequence consists of conformable metavolcanic and metasedimentary supracrustal rock assemblages that belong to the Sargur Group. Sill-like ultramafic......-mafic plutonic bodies are present within these supracrustal rocks (schist rocks) which are in turn enclosed by tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite gneiss (TTG). The sill-like ultramafic-mafic rocks are cumulates derived from a high-Mg parental magma that are represented by chromitite-hosted serpentinite...... and tremolite-chlorite-actinolite- schist (altered peridotite), anorthosite, pyroxenite, and gabbro hosting magnetite bands. The first whole-rock Sm-Nd data for the peridotite anorthosite- pyroxenite-gabbro unit has been obtained yielding an age of 3125 ± 120 Ma (MSWD = 1.3) which is similar to reported ages...

  19. Si-Metasomatism During Serpentinization of Jurassic Ultramafic Sea-floor: a Comparative Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vogel, M.; Frueh-Green, G. L.; Boschi, C.; Schwarzenbach, E. M.

    2014-12-01

    The Bracco-Levanto ophiolitic complex (northwestern Italy) represents one of the largest and better-exposed ophiolitic successions in the Northern Apennines. It is considered to be a fragment of heterogeneous Jurassic lithosphere that records tectono-magmatic and alteration histories similar to those documented along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR), such as at the 15°20'N area and the Atlantis Massif at 30°N. Structural and petrological studies on these rocks provide constraints on metamorphic/deformation processes during formation and hydrothermal alteration of the Jurassic oceanic lithosphere. We present a petrological and geochemical study of serpentinization processes and fluid-rock interaction in the Bracco-Levanto ophiolitic complex and compare these to published data from modern oceanic hydrothermal systems, such as the Lost City hydrothermal field hosted in serpentinites on the Atlantis Massif. Major element and mineral compositional data allow us to distinguish a multiphase history of alteration characterized by: (1) widespread Si-metasomatism during progressive serpentinization, and (2) multiple phases of veining and carbonate precipitation associated with circulation of seawater in the shallow ultramafic-dominated portions of the Jurassic seafloor, resulting in the formation of ophicalcites. In detail, regional variations in Si, Mg and Al content are observed in zones of ophicalcite formation, indicating metasomatic reactions and Si-Al transport during long-lived fluid-rock interaction and channelling of hydrothermal fluids. Rare earth element and isotopic analysis indicate that the Si-rich fluids are derived from alteration of pyroxenes to talc and tremolite in ultramafic rocks at depth. Comparison with serpentinites from the Atlantis Massif and 15°20'N indicates a similar degree of Si-enrichment in the modern seafloor and suggests that Si-metasomatism may be a fundamental process associated with serpentinization at slow-spreading ridge environments

  20. Multispectral image analysis of the Palo Duro Basin, Texas: Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andre, C.G.

    1986-09-01

    The objectives of this remote sensing study of the Palo Duro Basin are to: (1) detect the surface expression of regional subsurface structure; (2) locate previously unrecognized fractures; (3) interpret the data in terms of the geologic history of the Palo Duro Basin. Linear and circular surface features were mapped from Landsat 4 Thematic Mapper and NOAA-7 Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer digital images of visible, near-infrared and thermal infrared bands. The density and orientation of features mapped are shown to be related to geological features, such as faults, structural arches, paleoerosion topography and salt dissolution zones. The approximate area covered by the three 185 km /times/ 170 km Thematic Mapper images studied extends southward from the Canadian River Breaks to the Sand Hills and eastward from the western Mountains in Oklahoma. The day and night thermal infrared images from the NOAA-7 satellite encompass an area that includes the northern half of Texas and most of the surrounding states to the east, west and north. 4 refs

  1. Geochemical constraints on sources of metabolic energy for chemolithoautotrophy in ultramafic-hosted deep-sea hydrothermal systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCollom, Thomas M

    2007-12-01

    Numerical models are employed to investigate sources of chemical energy for autotrophic microbial metabolism that develop during mixing of oxidized seawater with strongly reduced fluids discharged from ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems on the seafloor. Hydrothermal fluids in these systems are highly enriched in H(2) and CH(4) as a result of alteration of ultramafic rocks (serpentinization) in the subsurface. Based on the availability of chemical energy sources, inferences are made about the likely metabolic diversity, relative abundance, and spatial distribution of microorganisms within ultramafic-hosted systems. Metabolic reactions involving H(2) and CH(4), particularly hydrogen oxidation, methanotrophy, sulfate reduction, and methanogenesis, represent the predominant sources of chemical energy during fluid mixing. Owing to chemical gradients that develop from fluid mixing, aerobic metabolisms are likely to predominate in low-temperature environments (energy per kilogram of hydrothermal fluid, while anaerobic metabolic reactions can supply about 1 kJ, which is sufficient to support a maximum of approximately 120 mg (dry weight) of primary biomass production by aerobic organisms and approximately 20-30 mg biomass by anaerobes. The results indicate that ultramafic-hosted systems are capable of supplying about twice as much chemical energy as analogous deep-sea hydrothermal systems hosted in basaltic rocks.

  2. Devonian granitoids and their hosted mafic enclaves in the Gorny Altai terrane, northwestern Central Asian Orogenic Belt: crust-mantle interaction in a continental arc setting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Ming; Sun, Min

    2016-04-01

    Granitoids are a major component in the upper continental crust and hold key information on how did the continental crust grow and differentiate. This study focuses on the Yaloman intrusive complex from the Gorny Altai terrane, northwestern Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). The association of granitoids and mafic enclaves can provide important clues on the source nature, petrogenetic processes and geodynamic setting of the Yaloman intrusive complex, which in turn will shed light on the crustal evolution in the northwestern CAOB. Zircon U-Pb dating shows that the granitoids, including quartz diorites and granodiorites, were emplaced in ca. 389-387 Ma. The moderate Na2O + K2O contents and low A/CNK values indicate that these rocks belong to the sub-alkaline series with metaluminous to weakly peraluminous compositions. The granitoids yield two-stage zircon Hf model ages of ca. 0.79-1.07 Ga and whole-rock Nd model ages of ca. 0.90-0.99 Ga, respectively, implying that they were mainly sourced from Neoproterozoic juvenile crustal materials. The mafic enclaves show an almost identical crystallization age of ca. 389 Ma. The identification of coarse-grained xenocrysts and acicular apatites, together with the fine-grained texture, makes us infer that these enclaves are likely to represent magmatic globules commingled with the host magmas. The low SiO2 and high MgO contents of the mafic enclaves further suggest that substantial mantle-derived mafic melts were probably involved in their formation. Importantly, the SiO2 contents of the granitoids and mafic enclaves are well correlated with other major elements and most of the trace elements. Also a broadly negative correlation exists between the SiO2 contents and whole-rock epsilon Nd (390 Ma) values of the granitoids. Given the observation of reversely zoned plagioclases within the granitoids and the common occurrence of igneous mafic enclaves, we propose that magma mixing probably played an important role in the formation

  3. Possible Mafic Patches in Scott Crater Highlight the Need for Resource Exploration on the Lunar South Polar Region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, Bonnie L.

    2007-01-01

    Possible areas of mafic material on the rim and floor of Scott crater (82.1 deg S, 48.5 deg E) are suggested by analysis of shadow-masked Clementine false-color-ratio images. Mafic materials common in mare and pyroclastic materials can produce more oxygen than can highlands materials, and mafic materials close to the south pole may be important for propellant production for a future lunar mission. If the dark patches are confirmed as mafic materials, this finding would suggest that other mafic patches may exist, even closer to the poles, which were originally mapped as purely anorthositic.

  4. Generation of Hydrogen and Methane during Experimental Low-Temperature Reaction of Ultramafic Rocks with Water

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCollom, Thomas M.; Donaldson, Christopher

    2016-06-01

    Serpentinization of ultramafic rocks is widely recognized as a source of molecular hydrogen (H2) and methane (CH4) to support microbial activity, but the extent and rates of formation of these compounds in low-temperature, near-surface environments are poorly understood. Laboratory experiments were conducted to examine the production of H2 and CH4 during low-temperature reaction of water with ultramafic rocks and minerals. Experiments were performed by heating olivine or harzburgite with aqueous solutions at 90°C for up to 213 days in glass bottles sealed with butyl rubber stoppers. Although H2 and CH4 increased steadily throughout the experiments, the levels were very similar to those found in mineral-free controls, indicating that the rubber stoppers were the predominant source of these compounds. Levels of H2 above background were observed only during the first few days of reaction of harzburgite when CO2 was added to the headspace, with no detectable production of H2 or CH4 above background during further heating of the harzburgite or in experiments with other mineral reactants. Consequently, our results indicate that production of H2 and CH4 during low-temperature alteration of ultramafic rocks may be much more limited than some recent experimental studies have suggested. We also found no evidence to support a recent report suggesting that spinels in ultramafic rocks may stimulate H2 production. While secondary silicates were observed to precipitate during the experiments, formation of these deposits was dominated by Si released by dissolution of the glass bottles, and reaction of the primary silicate minerals appeared to be very limited. While use of glass bottles and rubber stoppers has become commonplace in experiments intended to study processes that occur during serpentinization of ultramafic rocks at low temperatures, the high levels of H2, CH4, and SiO2 released during heating indicate that these reactor materials are unsuitable for this purpose.

  5. Electron microprobe Th-U-Pb monazite dating and metamorphic evolution of the Acaiaca Granulite Complex, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Medeiros Junior, Edgar Batista; Marques, Rodson Abreu, E-mail: edgarjr@ymail.com, E-mail: rodson.marques@ufes.br [Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo (UFES), Alegre, ES (Brazil). Departamento de Geologia; Jordt-Evangelista, Hanna; Queiroga, Glaucia Nascimento, E-mail: hanna@degeo.ufop.br, E-mail: glauciaqueiroga@yahoo.com.br [Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP), Ouro Preto, MG (Brazil). Escola de Minas. Departamento de Geologia; Schulz, Bernhard, E-mail: bernhard.schulz@mineral.tu-freiberg.de [TU Bergakademie - Institute of Mineralogy, Freiberg - Saxony (Germany)

    2016-01-15

    The Acaiaca Complex (AC) is located in southeastern Minas Gerais state, and comprises felsic, mafic, ultramafic, and aluminous granulite as well as lower grade gneisses and mylonite. The complex is distributed over an area of ca. 36 km by 6 km, surrounded by amphibolite facies gneisses of the Mantiqueira Complex (MC). The discrepancy in the metamorphic grade between both complexes led to the present study aiming to understand the metamorphic history of the AC by means of geothermobarometry calculations and electron microprobe Th-U-Pb monazite dating. Estimates of the metamorphic conditions of the granulite based on conventional geothermobarometry and THERMOCALC resulted in temperatures around 800 deg C and pressures between of 5.0 and 9.9 kbar and a retro metamorphic path characterized by near-isobaric cooling. Part of the granulite was affected by anatexis. The melting of felsic granulite resulted in the generation of pegmatites and two aluminous lithotypes. These are: 1) garnet-sillimanite granulite with euhedral plagioclase and cordierite that show straight faces against quartz, and is the crystallization product of an anatectic melt, and 2) garnet-kyanite-cordierite granulite, which is probably the restite of anatexis, as indicated by textures and high magnesium contents. Th-U-Pb monazite geochronology of two granulite samples resulted in a metamorphic age around 2060 Ma, which is similar to the age of the MC registered in the literature. The similar Paleoproterozoic metamorphic ages of both complexes lead to the conclusion that the Acaiaca Complex may be the high grade metamorphic unit geochronological related to the lower grade Mantiqueira Complex. (author)

  6. Orogenic potassic mafic magmatism, a product of alkaline-peraluminous mixing ? Variscan 'calc-alkaline' rocks from the Central Iberian and Ossa Morena Zones, Central Spain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scarrow, Jane H.; Cambeses, Aitor; Bea, Fernando; Montero, Pilar; Molina, José F.; Moreno, Juan Antonio

    2013-04-01

    Orogenic magmatic rocks provide information about mantle and crust melt-generation and -interaction processes. In this context, minor potassic mafic stocks which are formed of enriched mantle and crustal components and are common as late-orogenic intrusions in granitic plutons give insight into the timing of new crust formation and crustal recycling. Potassic mafic stocks are prevalent, albeit low volume, constituents of granite batholiths all through the European Variscan (350-280 Ma). In the Central Iberia Zone, Spanish Central System, crustal-melt, S-type, granitoid plutons are intruded by minor concomitant ultramafic-intermediate appinitic-vaugneritic stocks. Notwithstanding their whole-rock calc-alkaline composition, the stocks apparently did not have a subduction-related origin. Recent studies have attributed their genesis to mixing of alkaline mantle and peraluminous crustal melts. Their primary alkaline character, as indicated by amphibole and biotite mineral chemistry data, points, rather, towards an extension-related genesis. In the Ossa Morena Zone, south of the Central Iberian Zone, the igneous rocks also have a whole-rock calc-alkaline composition which has been considered to be the result of northward subduction of the South Portuguese Zone. Nevertheless, identification of a 'sill' of significant volume of mafic magma in the middle crust, the ´IBERSEIS reflective body', in a seismic profile across the Ossa Morena and South Portuguese Zones has cast doubt upon the calc-alkaline magmatism-subduction model; leading, instead, to the magmatism being attributed to intra-orogenic extension related to a mantle plume active from 340 Ma to 330 Ma. The aim here, then, is to reinvestigate the petrogenesis and age of the calc-alkaline rocks of the Ossa Morena Zone to determine their tectonomagmatic context be it subduction-, plume- or extension-related, and establish what they may reveal about mantle-crust interactions. Focussing, initially, on the Valencia del

  7. El deslizamiento de Palo Alto, Turrialba, Costa Rica : apuntes para su estudio

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peraldo Huertas, Giovanni

    2015-12-01

    álisis de las morfologías del terreno se determinó que, dentro la forma típica en herradura que muestra este deslizamiento, se pueden distinguir 4 unidades: 1. Escarpes internos, 2. Bloques basculados, 3. Coronas laterales del deslizamiento y 4. Áreas de depósito de los materiales deslizados. El deslizamiento posee una serie de escarpes alargados, algunos llegan a medir aproximadamente 10 a 15 metros de altura. Al noroeste de Peralta se observan una serie de bloques, algunos alargados y otros con una forma más ovalada, los cuales se encuentran basculados en dirección NW, así como algunas zonas planas que, mediante comprobación de campo se determinó que corresponden en su mayoría con zonas anegadas. Se observan también colinas redondeadas, algunas alargadas, aisladas y en medio de ellas áreas deprimidas. Las morfologías de depositación presentan pendientes suaves, no mayores a los 10°, y onduladas. Entre los efectos que se generan por el movimiento en bloques en el área del deslizamiento, se encuentran repeticiones en la secuencia litológica y alteraciones en el patrón de drenaje existente. El hecho de que el río Guaitil discurra dentro del área del deslizamiento Palo Alto, hace un llamado de atención, ya que se observó la presencia de fisuras abiertas en su cauce que permiten la filtración de agua, lo que lleva a suponer que el deslizamiento esté en proceso de reactivación. Además, ante la posible reactivación económica que el proyecto Reventazón causará en el área, es importante generar más investigación para efectos de ordenamiento territorial y de gestión del riesgo This paper seeks to characterize Palo Alto landslide, from a geological and geomorphological point of view, in the context of mega-slope instability processes present along the Reventazón River. The Reventazón River corridor, between Turrialba and Siquirres, shows a series of complex mass movement processes, which generate continuous landslide related morphologies, giving

  8. Geochemical and isotopic evidence for Carboniferous rifting: mafic dykes in the central Sanandaj-Sirjan zone (Dorud-Azna, West Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shakerardakani Farzaneh

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we present detailed field observations, chronological, geochemical and Sr–Nd isotopic data and discuss the petrogenetic aspects of two types of mafic dykes, of alkaline to subalkaline nature. The alkaline mafic dykes exhibit a cumulate to foliated texture and strike NW–SE, parallel to the main trend of the region. The 40Ar/39Ar amphibole age of 321.32 ± 0.55 Ma from an alkaline mafic dyke is interpreted as an indication of Carboniferous cooling through ca. 550 °C after intrusion of the dyke into the granitic Galeh-Doz orthogneiss and Amphibolite-Metagabbro units, the latter with Early Carboniferous amphibolite facies grade metamorphism and containing the Dare-Hedavand metagabbro with a similar Carboniferous age. The alkaline and subalkaline mafic dykes can be geochemically categorized into those with light REE-enriched patterns [(La/YbN = 8.32–9.28] and others with a rather flat REE pattern [(La/YbN = 1.16] and with a negative Nb anomaly. Together, the mafic dykes show oceanic island basalt to MORB geochemical signature, respectively. This is consistent, as well, with the (Tb/YbPM ratios. The alkaline mafic dykes were formed within an enriched mantle source at depths of ˃ 90 km, generating a suite of alkaline basalts. In comparison, the subalkaline mafic dykes were formed within more depleted mantle source at depths of ˂ 90 km. The subalkaline mafic dyke is characterized by 87Sr/86Sr ratio of 0.706 and positive ɛNd(t value of + 0.77, whereas 87Sr/86Sr ratio of 0.708 and ɛNd(t value of + 1.65 of the alkaline mafic dyke, consistent with the derivation from an enriched mantle source. There is no evidence that the mafic dykes were affected by significant crustal contamination during emplacement. Because of the similar age, the generation of magmas of alkaline mafic dykes and of the Dare-Hedavand metagabbro are assumed to reflect the same process of lithospheric or asthenospheric melting. Carboniferous back-arc rifting is

  9. The Jiaodong gold district, northeastern China, in the context of the Late Paleozoic and Late Mesozoic large igneous provinces, orogeny and metallogeny in Eurasia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Boorder, Hugo

    The Permo-Triassic continental large igneous provinces (LIPs) of Eurasia linked in to orogenic systems in decay. Their bulk appearance varies from the massive flood-basalts and (ultra)mafic intrusives to the groups of coeval, widely spread, diverse intrusions and extrusions of the Scattered Igneous

  10. New exploration methods for platinum and rhodium deposits poor in base-metal sulphides

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ohnenstetter, M.; Johan, Z.; Cocherie, A.

    1999-01-01

    Platinum-group elements (PGE) are typically associated with mafic and ultramafic intrusive rocks and the main exploration targets are layers and zones rich in PGE-bearing sulphides. Some PGE occurences, however, are in sulphide-poor situations and this raises the possibility that PGE deposits may...

  11. Kodanikupäev, kas ainult kalendri jaoks? / Urve Palo

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Palo, Urve, 1972-

    2007-01-01

    Ilmunud ka: Põhjarannik, 13. nov. 2007, lk. 4; Severnoje Poberezhje, 13. nov. 2007, lk. 4; Meie Maa, 13. nov. 2007, lk. 2; Valgamaalane, 13. nov. 2007, lk. 2; Nädalaleht, 9. nov. 2007, lk. 8; Lääne Elu, 15. nov. 2007, lk. 2; Koit, 15. nov. 2007, lk. 6; Virumaa Teataja, 22. nov. 2007, lk. 2; Pärnu Postimees, 24. nov. 2007, lk. 19. Rahvastikuminister Urve Palo sõnul on riigi ülesanne kindlustada turvaline Eesti riik - keskkond elamiseks, õppimiseks, töötamiseks, laste kasvatamiseks ning ühiskondlikuks tegevuseks

  12. Compositional diversity in peridotites as result of a multi-process history: The Pacific-derived Santa Elena ophiolite, northwest Costa Rica

    Science.gov (United States)

    Escuder-Viruete, Javier; Baumgartner, Peter O.; Castillo-Carrión, Mercedes

    2015-08-01

    The Santa Elena ophiolite (SEO) is an ultramafic nappe of more than 270 km2 overlying a tectonic serpentinite-matrix mélange in northwest Costa Rica. It is mainly composed of Cpx-rich and Cpx-poor harzburgites (~ 2.5 km-thick), with minor lherzolite, dunite and chromitite, as well as intrusive mafic sills and subvertical dikes, which coalesce into an upper Isla Negritos gabbroic sill complex. Minerals and whole-rock features of the Cpx-rich and Cpx-poor harzburgites share features of the abyssal and supra-subduction zone (SSZ) peridotites, respectively. To explain these characteristics two-stages of melting and refertilization processes are required. By means of trace element modeling, the composition of Cpx-rich harzburgites may be reproduced by up to ~ 5-10% melting of a primitive mantle source, and the composition of Cpx-poor harzburgites and dunites by ~ 15-18% melting of an already depleted mantle. Therefore, the Cpx-rich harzburgites can be interpreted as product of first-stage melting and low-degrees of melt-rock interaction in a mid-ocean ridge environment, and the Cpx-poor harzburgites and dunites as the product of second-stage melting and refertilization in a SSZ setting. The mafic sills and the Isla Negrito gabbros are genetically related and can be explained as crystallization from the liquids that were extracted from the lower SSZ mantle levels and emplaced at shallow conditions. The Murciélagos Island basalts are not directly related to the ultramafic and mafic rocks of the SEO. Their E-MORB-like composition is similar to most of the CLIP mafic lavas and suggests a common Caribbean plume-related source. The SEO represents a fragment of Pacific-derived, SSZ oceanic lithosphere emplaced onto the southern North America margin during the late Cretaceous. Because of the predominance of rollback-induced extension during its history, only a limited amount of crustal rocks were formed and preserved in the SEO.

  13. First status report on regional groundwater flow modeling for the Palo Duro Basin, Texas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andrews, R.W.

    1984-12-01

    Regional groundwater flow within the principal hydrogeological units of the Palo Duro Basin is evaluated by developing a conceptual model of the flow regime in the shallow aquifers and the deep-basin brine aquifers and testing these models using a three-dimensional, finite-difference flow code. Semiquantitative sensitivity analysis (a limited parametric study) is conducted to define the system response to changes in hydrologic properties or boundary conditions. Adjoint sensitivity analysis is applied to the conceptualized flow regime in the Wolfcamp carbonate aquifer. All steps leading to the final results and conclusions are incorporated in this report. The available data utilized in this study are summarized. The specific conceptual models, defining the areal and vertical averaging of lithologic units, aquifer properties, fluid properties, and hydrologic boundary conditions, are described in detail. The results are delineated by the simulated potentiometric surfaces and tables summarizing areal and vertical boundary fluxes, Darcy velocities at specific points, and groundwater travel paths. Results from the adjoint sensitivity analysis included importance functions and sensitivity coefficients, using heads or the average Darcy velocities as the performance measures. The reported work is the first stage of an ongoing evaluation of two areas within the Palo Duro Basin as potantial repositories for high-level radioactive wastes. The results and conclusions should thus be considered preliminary and subject to modification with the collection of additional data. However, this report does provide a useful basis for describing the sensitivity and, to a lesser extent, the uncertainty of the present conceptualization of groundwater flow within the Palo Duro Basin

  14. REVIEW ARTICLE: Geophysical signatures of oceanic core complexes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blackman, Donna K.; Canales, J. Pablo; Harding, Alistair

    2009-08-01

    Oceanic core complexes (OCCs) provide access to intrusive and ultramafic sections of young lithosphere and their structure and evolution contain clues about how the balance between magmatism and faulting controls the style of rifting that may dominate in a portion of a spreading centre for Myr timescales. Initial models of the development of OCCs depended strongly on insights available from continental core complexes and from seafloor mapping. While these frameworks have been useful in guiding a broader scope of studies and determining the extent of OCC formation along slow spreading ridges, as we summarize herein, results from the past decade highlight the need to reassess the hypothesis that reduced magma supply is a driver of long-lived detachment faulting. The aim of this paper is to review the available geophysical constraints on OCC structure and to look at what aspects of current models are constrained or required by the data. We consider sonar data (morphology and backscatter), gravity, magnetics, borehole geophysics and seismic reflection. Additional emphasis is placed on seismic velocity results (refraction) since this is where deviations from normal crustal accretion should be most readily quantified. However, as with gravity and magnetic studies at OCCs, ambiguities are inherent in seismic interpretation, including within some processing/analysis steps. We briefly discuss some of these issues for each data type. Progress in understanding the shallow structure of OCCs (within ~1 km of the seafloor) is considerable. Firm constraints on deeper structure, particularly characterization of the transition from dominantly mafic rock (and/or altered ultramafic rock) to dominantly fresh mantle peridotite, are not currently in hand. There is limited information on the structure and composition of the conjugate lithosphere accreted to the opposite plate while an OCC forms, commonly on the inside corner of a ridge-offset intersection. These gaps preclude full

  15. Capturing the design bases on Palo Verde

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rogers, A.C.; Prawlocki, F.C.

    1989-01-01

    Over the past several years, the nuclear power industry has been directing considerable attention to plant configuration control. Utilities have been put in difficult situations due to changes made in plants without full original design basis knowledge. Once a plant is constructed, there is often insufficient information from the reactor designer or the architect/engineer to properly support operations, especially changes to the plant. In many cases utilities do not know the design bases for their units. As a result of these concerns, many utilities have been searching for ways to define the appropriate design bases for their plant. This paper discusses steps taken by Palo Verde to produce a design bases document and how it is being used to support the operation of the three nuclear units

  16. Lower crustal intrusions beneath the southern Baikal Rift Zone

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Christoffer; Thybo, Hans

    2009-01-01

    centre. The BEST (Baikal Explosion Seismic Transect) project acquired a 360-km long, deep seismic, refraction/wide-angle reflection profile in 2002 across southern Lake Baikal. The data from this project is used for identification of large-scale crustal structures and modelling of the seismic velocities....../s and 7.9 km/s. We interpret this feature as resulting from mafic to ultra-mafic intrusions in the form of sills. Petrological interpretation of the velocity values suggests that the intrusions are sorted by fractional crystallization into plagioclase-rich low-velocity layers and pyroxene- and olivine...

  17. Shear wave velocity structure of the Bushveld Complex, South Africa

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Kgaswane, EM

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available crustal layers may be as high as 3.7–3.8 km/s, consistent with the presence of mafic lithologies. These results favor a continuous-sheet model for the Bushveld Complex in which the outcropping mafic layers of the western and eastern limbs are continuous...

  18. Large Igneous Provinces, Their Giant Mafic Dyke Swarms, and Links to Metallogeny

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jowitt, S.; Ernst, R. E.

    2017-12-01

    The relationships between large igneous provinces (LIPs), their giant dyke swarms and differing metallogenic systems can be condensed into five distinct although partially overlapping classifications: (1) LIP magmas that directly generate mineral deposits such as orthomagmatic Ni-Cu-PGE sulfides. Many carbonatites (Nb, Ta REE deposits) and kimberlites (diamonds) are also often LIP related. On the other hand, LIP-related thermal pulses (from a mantle plume) can sometimes destroy diamond potential in the overlying lithosphere. A key locus for Ni-Cu-PGE mineralization is within a few hundred km of the plume center region and plume centers are best located using giant radiating dyke swarms. Dyke subswarms with chalcophile element depletions can also be tracked "upstream" toward the plume center to identify exploration targets. (2) LIP magmas that provide energy, fluids, and/or metals for ore types such as hydrothermal volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) and iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposits. Heat loss from the margins of dykes and sills can also generate local enrichments in key metals (e.g. Co) within the surrounding sedimentary rocks. (3) LIP rocks (particularly sills and dykes) can act barriers to fluid flow and/or as reaction zones that control mineralizing events, act as structural traps within hydrocarbon systems, and form impermeable barriers that control water flow and hence aquifer formation (4) surficial effects, such as the formation of Ni-Co laterites and Al bauxites from tropical weathering of LIP mafic-ultramafic rocks (including volcanics fed by radiating dykes as well as the dykes themselves). This category also includes LIP-related anoxia events that generate hydrocarbon source rocks; and (5) indirect links between LIPs and ore deposits, where continental breakup-related LIP events define a `barcode' record (usually dominated by dyke swarms) that can be used to correlate and reconstruct Precambrian supercontinents. This fifth classification type

  19. Storage conditions of the mafic and silicic magmas at Cotopaxi, Ecuador

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martel, Caroline; Andújar, Joan; Mothes, Patricia; Scaillet, Bruno; Pichavant, Michel; Molina, Indira

    2018-04-01

    The 2015 reactivation of the Cotopaxi volcano urges us to understand the complex eruptive dynamics of Cotopaxi for better management of a potential major crisis in the near future. Cotopaxi has commonly transitioned from andesitic eruptions of strombolian style (lava flows and scoria ballistics) or nuées ardentes (pyroclastic flows and ash falls) to highly explosive rhyolitic ignimbrites (pumiceous pyroclastic flows), which entail drastically different risks. To better interpret geophysical and geochemical signals, Cotopaxi magma storage conditions were determined via existing phase-equilibrium experiments that used starting materials chemically close to the Cotopaxi andesites and rhyolites. The results suggest that Cotopaxi's most mafic andesites (last erupted products) can be stored over a large range of depth from 7 km to ≥16 km below the summit (pressure from 200 to ≥400 MPa), 1000 °C, NNO +2, and contain 4.5-6.0±0.7 wt% H2O dissolved in the melt in equilibrium with 30-40% phenocrysts of plagioclase, two pyroxenes, and Fe-Ti oxides. These mafic andesites sometimes evolve towards more silicic andesites by cooling to 950 °C. Rhyolitic magmas are stored at 200-300 MPa (i.e. 7-11 km below the summit), 750 °C, NNO +2, and contain 6-8 wt% H2O dissolved in a nearly aphyric melt (<5% phenocrysts of plagioclase, biotite, and Fe-Ti oxides). Although the andesites produce the rhyolitic magmas by fractional crystallization, the Cotopaxi eruptive history suggests reactivation of either reservoirs at distinct times, likely reflecting flux or time fluctuations during deep magma recharge.

  20. Modélisation magnétique de la suture ophiolitique de Bou Azzer El Graara (Anti-Atlas central, Maroc). Implications sur la reconstitution géodynamique panafricaine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soulaimani, Abderrahmane; Jaffal, Mohammed; Maacha, Lhou; Kchikach, Azzouz; Najine, Abdessamad; Saidi, Abdellatif

    2006-02-01

    Aeromagnetic data of the Anti-Atlas Mountains show an important magnetic anomaly along the 'Major Anti-Atlas Fault', produced by different mafic and ultramafic rocks of a Neoproterozoic ophiolite complex. The magnetic modelling of Bou Azzer-El Graara ophiolitic suture shows a deep-seated anomaly through the upper continental crust corresponding to a north-dipping subduction. The polarity of the Pan-African subduction in the Anti-Atlas is therefore compatible with the contemporaneous Pan-African orogenic belts, where polarity of subduction dipped away from the West African Craton during the amalgamation of Western Gondwana. To cite this article: A. Soulaimani et al., C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).

  1. Geology, mineralogy, geochemistry and origin of phosphates from Jandia, Cansa Perna, Itacupim (Para) and Pirocaua and Trauira (Maranhao)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Costa, M. L. da.

    1980-01-01

    The phosphate occurrences of Northeastern Para and Northwestern Maranhao were formed by strong lateritic weathering of phosphorus-rich Precambrian rocks. The rock formation affected by those processes were phyllites and schists of the Gurupi Group in Cansa Perna and Pirocaua, a complex of felsic to mafic and ultramafic rocks metamorphosed in the greenschist facies in Itacupim and Trauira and probably phosphoritic sandstone in Jandia. The geology, the mineralogy of phosphates, oxides, hydroxides and silicates, the geochemistry of element distribution (aluminium, silicon, iron, calcium, etc) and trace elements distribution (strontium, rubidium, barium, rare earths, zirconium, niobium uranium, thorium, etc) and the phosphates origin are studied. (C.G.C.)

  2. The Behaviour of Chromium Isotopes during the Oxidative Weathering of Ultramafic Rocks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Paulukat, Cora Stefanie; Døssing, Lasse Nørbye; Mondal, Sisir K.

    The chromium isotope system has been proven to be a redox-sensitve proxy in ancient and modern environmental studies (e.g. [1], [2]). In this study we investigated Cr isotope fractionation during soil formation from Archean (3.1-3.3 Ga) ultramafic rocks, intruded into metamorphic rocks of the Iron...

  3. 50 Myr of pulsed mafic magmatism in the High Arctic Large Igneous Province

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pearson, D. G.; Dockman, D. M.; Heaman, L. M.; Gibson, S. A.; Sarkar, C.

    2017-12-01

    Extensive and voluminous Cretaceous mafic magmatism in the Sverdrup Basin of Arctic Canada forms the circum-Arctic High Arctic Large Igneous Province (HALIP). The small number of published high-precision ages for this LIP indicate its eruption over a considerable timespan raising concerns over whether the HALIP can be strictly defined as a single LIP and questioning the role of a single or multiple plumes in its genesis. Here we present an integrated geochemical and geochronological study to better constrain the timing and cause of mafic magma genesis in the Canadian HALIP. Six new U-Pb and four 40Ar/39Ar ages of mafic lavas and intrusive sheets range from 121 Ma to 78 Ma. The U-Pb ages are the first analyzed from the mafic intrusions of Axel Heiberg and Ellesmere Islands. The new geochronology, combined with other published high-precision ages, reveal a > 50 Myr duration of mafic magmatism in the HALIP defined by three main pulses. Tholeiites dominate the initial 25 Myr of magmatism, transitioning to coeval emplacement of alkali and tholeiitic basalts. Whole-rock Sr-Nd isotope ratios indicate that both magma types are derived from a similar source dominated by convecting mantle. Rare-earth-element inversion models reveal that the alkalic and tholeiitic magmas were generated beneath a bimodal lithospheric `lid' thickness of 65 ± 5 and 45 ± 4 km, respectively. We suggest that the early 128 - 122 Ma tholeiitic event is primarily plume-generated and correlates across the circum-Arctic with the other HALIP tholeiites. Younger HALIP magmatism, with coeval alkalic and tholeiitic magmas erupting over 25 Myr, may be explained by alternating modes of edge-driven mantle convection as the primary control on magma genesis. A distal plume may have intensified magma production by edge-driven convection.

  4. Partitioning of Cu between mafic minerals, Fe-Ti oxides and intermediate to felsic melts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xingcheng; Xiong, Xiaolin; Audétat, Andreas; Li, Yuan

    2015-02-01

    This study used improved capsule technique i.e., Pt95Cu05 or Au95Cu05 alloy capsules as Cu sources to determine Cu partitioning between mafic minerals, Fe-Ti oxides and intermediate to felsic melts at 0.5-2.5 GPa, 950-1100 °C and various oxygen fugacities (fO2). In combination with the data from the mafic composition systems, the results demonstrate that Cu is generally highly incompatible in mafic minerals and moderately incompatible to compatible in Fe-Ti oxides. The general order of mineral/melt Cu partition coefficients (DCu) is garnet (0.01-0.06) ⩽ olivine (0.04-0.20) ≈ opx (0.04-0.24) ≈ amphibole (0.04-0.20) ⩽ cpx (0.04-0.45) ⩽ magnetite, titanomagnetite and Cr-spinel (0.18-1.83). The variations in DCu depend mainly on temperature, fO2 or mineral composition. In general, DCu for olivine (and perhaps opx) increases with decreasing temperature and increasing fO2. DCu increases for cpx with Na+ (pfu) in cpx, for magnetite and Cr-spinel with Fe3+ (pfu) in these phases and for titanomagnetite with Ti4+ (pfu) in this phase. The large number of DCu data (99 pairs) serves as a foundation for quantitatively understanding the behavior of Cu during magmatic processes. The generation of intermediate to felsic magmas via fractional crystallization or partial melting of mafic rocks (magmas) at deep levels of crust involves removal of or leaving assemblages of mafic minerals + Fe-Ti oxides ± sulfides. With our DCu data on mafic minerals and Fe-Ti oxides, DCubulk values around 0.2 were obtained for the sulfide-free assemblages. Cu will thus be concentrated efficiently in the derived melts during these two processes if sulfides are absent or negligible, explaining that high fO2 and sulfide-destabilization are favorable to formation of the porphyry Cu system.

  5. Macroinvertebrados bentónicos del humedal de Palo Verde, Costa Rica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F.A Trama

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available El humedal de Palo Verde es uno de los más importantes de Centro America para aves acuáticas. Durante el período 2002 y 2005, se llevaron a cabo actividades de manejo para controlar la invasión de Typha domingensis. Con el fin de establecer una línea base para monitoreos futuros, en el 2003 se realizó una evaluación de macroinvertebrados acuáticos. Se efectuó un muestreo mensual durante un año, usando el método de sustratos artificiales. Se identificaron 116 táxones pertenecientes a 47 familias y a 18 órdenes. La mayor abundancia se encontró en la clase Conchostraca y la familia Chironomidae que juntas representaron casi la mitad de todos los individuos colectados. En contraste, el 97% de los táxones tuvieron, cada uno, menos del 1% del total de la abundancia. La diversidad de táxones, así como la abundancia de individuos y el número de especies, fueron mayores en la época seca que en la lluviosa. La curva acumulada de especies indicó que se hubiera registrado una mayor cantidad de táxones si los muestreos se hubieran extendido por más tiempo. Con este trabajo damos a conocer la primera lista de macroinvertebrados para el humedal de Palo Verde.

  6. Aleutian tholeiitic and calc-alkaline magma series I: The mafic phenocrysts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kay, S. Mahlburg; Kay, Robert W.

    1985-07-01

    Diagnostic mafic silicate assemblages in a continuous spectrum of Aleutian volcanic rocks provide evidence for contrasts in magmatic processes in the Aleutian arc crust. Tectonic segmentation of the arc exerts a primary control on the variable mixing, fractional crystallization and possible assimilation undergone by the magmas. End members of the continuum are termed calc-alkaline (CA) and tholeiitic (TH). CA volcanic rocks (e.g., Buldir and Moffett volcanoes) have low FeO/MgO ratios and contain compositionally diverse phenocryst populations, indicating magma mixing. Their Ni and Cr-rich magnesian olivine and clinopyroxene come from mantle-derived mafic olivine basalts that have mixed with more fractionated magmas at mid-to lower-crustal levels immediately preceding eruption. High-Al amphibole is associated with the mafic end member. In contrast, TH lavas (e.g., Okmok and Westdahl volcanoes) have high FeO/MgO ratios and contain little evidence for mixing. Evolved lavas represent advanced stages of low pressure crystallization from a basaltic magma. These lavas contain groundmass olivine (FO 40 50) and lack Ca-poor pyroxene. Aleutian volcanic rocks with intermediate FeO/MgO ratios are termed transitional tholeiitic (TTH) and calc-alkaline (TCA). TCA magmas are common (e.g., Moffett, Adagdak, Great Sitkin, and Kasatochi volcanoes) and have resulted from mixing of high-Al basalt with more evolved magmas. They contain amphibole (high and low-Al) or orthopyroxene or both and are similar to the Japanese hypersthene-series. TTH magmas (e.g., Okmok and Westdahl) contain orthopyroxene or pigeonite or both, and show some indication of upper crustal mixing. They are mineralogically similar to the Japanese pigeonite-series. High-Al basalt lacks Mg-rich mafic phases and is a derivative magma produced by high pressure fractionation of an olivine tholeiite. The low pressure mineral assemblage of high-Al basalt results from crystallization at higher crustal levels.

  7. Palos Verdes Shelf oceanographic study; data report for observations December 2007–April 2008

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosenberger, Kurt J.; Noble, Marlene A.; Sherwood, Christopher R.; Martini, Marinna M.; Ferreira, Joanne T.; Montgomery, Ellyn T.

    2011-01-01

    Beginning in 1997, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defined a contaminated section of the Palos Verdes Shelf region in southern California as a Superfund Site, initiating a continuing investigation of this area. The investigation involved the EPA, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (LACSD) data, and other allied agencies. In mid-2007, the Palos Verdes Shelf project team identified the need for additional data on the sediment properties and oceanographic conditions at the Palos Verdes Superfund Site and deployed seven bottom platforms, three subsurface moorings, and three surface moorings on the shelf. This additional data was needed to support ongoing modeling and feasibility studies and to improve our ability to model the fate of the effluent-affected deposit over time. It provided more detail on the spatial variability and magnitude of resuspension of the deposit during multiple storms that are expected to transit the region during a winter season. The operation began in early December 2007 and ended in early April 2008. The goal was to measure the sediment response (threshold of resuspension, suspended-sediment concentrations, and suspended-sediment transport rates) to bed stresses associated with waves and currents. Other objectives included determining the structure of the bottom boundary layer (BBL) relating nearbed currents with those measured at 10 m above bottom (mab) and comparing those with the long-term data from the LACSD Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) deployments for nearbed current speed and direction. Low-profile tripods with high-frequency ADCPs co-located with two of the large tripods were selected for this goal. This report describes the data obtained during the field program, the instruments and data-processing procedures used, and the archive that contains the data sets that have passed our quality-assurance procedures.

  8. Auxiliary feedwater system risk-based inspection guide for the Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bumgardner, J.D.; Moffitt, N.E.; Gore, B.F.; Vo, T.V.; Sloan, J.A.

    1993-02-01

    In a study sponsored by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Pacific Northwest Laboratory has developed and applied a methodology for deriving plant-specific risk-based inspection guidance for the auxiliary feedwater (AFW) system at pressurized water reactors that have not undergone probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). This methodology uses existing PRA results and plant operating experience information. Existing PRA-based inspection guidance information recently developed for the NRC for various plants was used to identify generic component failure modes. This information was then combined with plant-specific and industry-wide component information and failure data to identify failure modes and failure mechanisms for the AFW system at the selected plants. Palo Verde was selected as one of a series of plants for study. The product of this effort is a prioritized listing of AFW failures which have occurred at the plant and at other PWRs. This listing is intended for use by NRC inspectors in the preparation of inspection plans addressing AFW risk-important components at the Palo Verde plants

  9. Journal of Earth System Science | Indian Academy of Sciences

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Trace, rare earth elements (REE), Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd and O isotope studies have been carried out on ultramafic (harzburgite and lherzolite) dykes belonging to the newer dolerite dyke swarms of eastern Indian craton. The dyke swarms were earlier considered to be the youngest mafic magmatic activity in this region having ages ...

  10. Developing Sustainable Agromining Systems in Agricultural Ultramafic Soils for Nickel Recovery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Petra Susan Kidd

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Ultramafic soils are typically enriched in nickel (Ni, chromium (Cr, and cobalt (Co and deficient in essential nutrients, making them unattractive for traditional agriculture. Implementing agromining systems in ultramafic agricultural soils represent an ecological option for the sustainable management and re-valorisation of these low-productivity landscapes. These novel agroecosystems cultivate Ni-hyperaccumulating plants which are able to bioaccumulate this metal in their aerial plant parts; harvested biomass can be incinerated to produce Ni-enriched ash or “bio-ore” from which Ni metal, Ni ecocatalysts or pure Ni salts can be recovered. Nickel hyperaccumulation has been documented in ~450 species, and in temperate latitudes these mainly belong to the family Brassicaceae and particularly to the genus Odontarrhena (syn. Alyssum pro parte. Agromining allows for sustainable metal recovery without causing the environmental impacts associated with conventional mining activities, and at the same time, can improve soil fertility and quality and provide essential ecosystem services. Parallel reductions in Ni phytotoxicity over time would also permit cultivation of conventional agricultural crops. Field studies in Europe have been restricted to Mediterranean areas and these only evaluated the Ni-hyperaccumulator Odontarrhena muralis s.l. Two recent EU projects (Agronickel and LIFE-Agromine have established a network of agromining field sites in ultramafic regions with different edapho-climatic characteristics across Albania, Austria, Greece and Spain. Soil and crop management practices are being developed so as to optimize the Ni agromining process; field studies are evaluating the potential benefits of fertilization regimes, crop selection and cropping patterns, and bioaugmentation with plant-associated microorganisms. Hydrometallurgical processes are being up-scaled to produce nickel compounds and energy from hyperaccumulator biomass. Exploratory

  11. Evaluation of ultramafic deposits in the Eastern United States and Puerto Rico as sources of magnesium for carbon dioxide sequestration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fraser Goff; George Guthrie; Bruce Lipin; Melissa Fite; Steve Chipera; Dale Counce; Emily Kluk; Hans Ziock

    2000-04-01

    In this report, the authors evaluate the resource potential of extractable magnesium from ultramafic bodies located in Vermont, the Pennsylvania-Maryland-District-of-Columbia (PA-MD-DC) region, western North Carolina, and southwestern Puerto Rico. The first three regions occur in the Appalachian Mountains and contain the most attractive deposits in the eastern United States. They were formed during prograde metamorphism of serpentinized peridotite fragments originating from an ophiolite protolith. The ultramafic rocks consist of variably serpentinized dunite, harzburgite, and minor iherzolite generally containing antigorite and/or lizardite as the major serpentine minor phases. Chrysotile contents vary from minor to major, depending on occurrence. Most bodies contain an outer sheath of chlorite-talc-tremolite rock. Larger deposits in Vermont and most deposits in North Carolina contain a core of dunite. Magnesite and other carbonates are common accessories. In these deposits, MgO ranges from 36 to 48 wt % with relatively pure dunite having the highest MgO and lowest H{sub 2}O contents. Ultramafic deposits in southwestern Puerto Rico consist of serpentinized dunite and harzburgite thought to be emplaced as large diapirs or as fragments in tectonic melanges. They consist of nearly pure, low-grade serpentinite in which lizardite and chrysotile are the primary serpentine minerals. Chlorite is ubiquitous in trace amounts. Magnesite is a common accessory. Contents of MgO and H{sub 2}O are rather uniform at roughly 36 and 13 wt %. Dissolution experiments show that all serpentinites and dunite-rich rocks are soluble in 1:1 mixtures of 35% HCl and water by volume. The experiments suggest that low-grade serpentinites from Puerto Rico are slightly more reactive than the higher grade, antigorite-bearing serpentinites of the Appalachian Mountains. The experiments also show that the low-grade serpentinites and relatively pure dunites contain the least amounts of undesirable

  12. Remote handling and robotic inspections of Palo Verde reactor vessel internals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ryder, W.

    1998-01-01

    Remote visual examinations and handling evolutions in high radiation field environments have required the use of radiation tolerant video systems. These systems involve significant expense and potentially require large envelope deployment structures. Recent events at Palo Verde including Upper Guide Structure damage and Reactor Vessel In-Service Inspections have provided opportunities for research, design and utilization of alternative approaches. Most significant of these, utilization of CCD modules with high magnification capabilities, have produced higher quality viewing, reduced maintenance expenditures, and rapid deployment intervals. (orig.) [de

  13. First results from analysis of coordinated AVIRIS, TIMS, and ISM (French) data for the Ronda (Spain) and Beni Bousera (Morocco) peridotites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mustard, J. F.; Hurtrez, S.; Pinet, P.; Sotin, C.

    1992-01-01

    Ultramafic rocks are relatively rare at the Earth's surface but constitute the vast majority of the Earth by volume. Exposures of ultramafic bodies are therefore crucial for deducing many important processes that occur in the Earth's mantle. An important science question regarding the spatial distribution, abundance, and composition of mafic minerals in ultramafic bodies that can be examined with advanced sensor data is the melting process. When a lherzolite melts, clinopyroxene (cpx) melts first and therefore variations in the modal amount of cpx remaining in the mantle are a reflection of the amount of fractional melting that has occurred. Fe goes preferentially into the melt during melting but a 20 percent batch melting (i.e. closed system) acquires less Fe relative to 20 percent fractional melting (i.e. open system). Since the strength and wavelength of diagnostic absorptions is a strong function of Fe content, it is possible to make maps of the variation in Fe:Mg ratios which can be related to the general melting process. Accurate ground-truth information about local mineralogy provides internal calibration and consistency checks. Investigations using imaging spectrometer are very complementary to field studies because advanced sensor data can provide a synoptic view of modal mineralogy and chemical composition whereas field studies focus on detailed characterization of local areas. Two excellent exposures of ultramafic lithologies are being investigated with visible to mid-infrared imaging spectrometer data: the Ronda peridotite near Ronda, Spain and the Beni Bousera ophiolitic fragment in northern Morocco. Although separated by the Alboran Sea, these bodies are thought to be related and represent fertile sub-continental mantle. The Ronda peridotite is predominantly spinel lherzolite but grades into harzburgite and shows considerable variation in major and trace element compositions. Mafic layering and dykes (i.e. olivine gabbro) are also observed. This

  14. Tube structural integrity evaluation of Palo Verde Unit 1 steam generators for axial upper-bundle cracking

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Woodman, B.W.; Begley, J.A.; Brown, S.D.; Sweeney, K.; Radspinner, M.; Melton, M.

    1995-01-01

    The analysis of the issue of upper bundle axial ODSCC as it apples to steam generator tube structural integrity in Unit 1 at the Palo Verde Nuclear generating Station is presented in this study. Based on past inspection results for Units 2 and 3 at Palo Verde, the detection of secondary side stress corrosion cracks in the upper bundle region of Unit 1 may occur at some future date. The following discussion provides a description and analysis of the probability of axial ODSCC in Unit 1 leading to the exceedance of Regulatory Guide 1.121 structural limits. The probabilities of structural limit exceedance are estimated as function of run time using a conservative approach. The chosen approach models the historical development of cracks, crack growth, detection of cracks and subsequent removal from service and the initiation and growth of new cracks during a given cycle of operation. Past performance of all Palo Verde Units as well as the historical performance of other steam generators was considered in the development of cracking statistics for application to Unit 1. Data in the literature and Unit 2 pulled tube examination results were used to construct probability of detection curves for the detection of axial IGSCC/IGA using an MRPC (multi-frequency rotating panake coil) eddy current probe. Crack growth rates were estimated from Unit 2 eddy current inspection data combined with pulled tube examination results and data in the literature. A Monte-Carlo probabilistic model is developed to provide an overall assessment of the risk of Regulatory Guide exceedance during plant operation

  15. Palo Verde Unit 3 BMI nozzle modification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Waskey, D.

    2015-01-01

    The 61 BMI (Bottom Mount Instrumentation) nozzles of the unit 3 of the Palo Verde plant have been examined through ASME Code Case N722. The nozzle 3 was the only one with leakage noted. The ultrasound testing results are characteristic of PWSCC (Primary Water Stress Corrosion Cracking). The initiation likely occurred at a weld defect which was exposed to the primary water environment resulting in PWSCC. All other nozzles (60) showed no unacceptable indications. Concerning nozzle 3 one crack in J-groove weld connected large defect to primary water. An environmental model has been used to simulate and optimize the repair. The AREVA crew was on site 18 days after contract award and the job was completed in 12 days, 30 hours ahead of baseline schedule. This series of slides describes the examination of the BMI nozzles, the repair steps, and alternative design concepts

  16. Toetame lasteaedu ja lasteaia õpetajaid / Urve Palo

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Palo, Urve, 1972-

    2007-01-01

    Ilmunud ka: Põhjarannik, 7. sept. 2007, lk. 2; Severnoje Poberezhje, 7. sept. 2007, lk. 2; Meie Maa, 7. sept. 2007, lk. 2; Kuulutaja, 7. sept. 2007, lk. 4; Koit, 8. sept. 2007, lk. 5; Võrumaa Teataja, 8. sept. 2007, lk. 2; Vooremaa, 8. sept. 2007, lk. 2; Sakala, 11. sept. 2007, lk. 2; Nädaline, 11. sept. 2007, lk. 2; Pärnu Postimees, 12. sept. 2007, lk. 15; Valgamaalane, 13. sept. 2007, lk. 2; Hiiu Leht, 18. sept. 2007, lk. 2; Sõnumitooja, 19. sept. 2007, lk. 2; Maaleht, 20. sept. 2007, lk. 8; Nädalaleht, 7. sept. 2007, lk. 2. Rahvastikuminister Urve Palo kinnitusel eraldab uus valitsus rohkem kui kunagi varem raha uute lasteaedade ehituseks ja vanade renoveerimiseks, oluliseks sammuks on lasteaiaõpetajate palga tõstmine, tähelepanu all on piirkondlike erinevuste vähendamine palgatasemetes ning lasteaiaõpetajate palga viimine põhikooliõpetajate alampalga tasemele

  17. Study on Nd and Sr isotopes of Yianshanian mafic rocks in east Lanling area and their implication

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Shuming; Wu Jianhua; Zhou Weixun

    2003-01-01

    East Nanling's Yianshanian mafic magna activity can be divided into four phase. The four phase are the Middle Jurassic, the Late Jurassic, the Early Cretaceous and the Late Cretaceous. They are also four important episodes of extensional activities. The four phase mafic rock possess similar Nd-Sr isotope characteristics, high I Sr (commonly from 0.705 to 0.710) and ε Nd values change range wide (from -7.90 to 5.16). It shows crust-mantle mixed magma origin character. The mafic rock possess the character of within-plate basalts,indicated that they are formed within-plate, and showed there were post-orogenic phase at the early Yianshanian's Middle Jurassic in east Nanling area. The rocks formed pattern is mafic magma rise to the crust bottom, were contaminate by crustal materials, and formed in the setting of lithosphere extended and crust extension. East Nanling's Yianshanian magna activity is mainly magma event concern with mantle magma underplating. (authors)

  18. Winter sound-level characterization of the Deaf Smith County location in the Palo Duro Basin, Texas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1984-03-01

    A description of sound levels and sound sources in the Deaf Smith County location in the Palo Duro Basin during a period representative of the winter season is presented. Data were collected during the period February 26 through March 1, 1983. 4 references, 1 figure, 3 tables

  19. Investigation of the suspected presence of solid hydrocarbon in bedded salt samples from the Palo Duro Basin, Texas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1985-10-01

    This report contains laboratory test results for two bedded salt samples from the Grabbe No. 1 (PD-2) Well of the Palo Duro Basin, Texas. This study was commissioned to determine whether or not solid hydrocarbons exist in bedded salt samples in the Palo Duro Basin. Laboratory investigations include electron microprobe examinations on polished thin sections and optical examinations and chemical tests on insoluble residues of the salt samples. No direct evidence was found that identifiable solid hydrocarbons are present in either sample of the bedded salt core. The total carbon content of the two salt samples was measured yielding 0.016 and 0.022 weight percent carbon. Detailed microscopic analyses showed that the carbon in the samples was associated with calcite, clays, and the epoxy resin used in sample preparation

  20. Agrochemical characterization of vermicomposts produced from residues of Palo Santo (Bursera graveolens) essential oil extraction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carrión-Paladines, Vinicio; Fries, Andreas; Gómez-Muñoz, Beatriz; García-Ruiz, Roberto

    2016-12-01

    Fruits of Palo Santo (Bursera graveolens) are used for essential oil extraction. The extraction process is very efficient, because up to 3% of the fresh fruits can be transformed into essential oil; however, a considerable amount of waste is concurrently produced (>97% of the fresh biomass). Recent developments in Ecuadorian policies to foster environmentally friendly agroforestry and industrial practices have led to widespread interest in reusing the waste. This study evaluated the application of four vermicomposts (VMs), which are produced from the waste of the Palo Santo fruit distillation in combination with other raw materials (kitchen leftovers, pig manure, goat manure, and King Grass), for agrochemical use and for carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) decomposition in two soils with different textures. The results showed that the vermicompost mixtures (VMM) were valuable for agricultural utilisation, because total N (min. 2.63%) was relatively high and the C/N ratio (max. 13.3), as well as the lignin (max. 3.8%) and polyphenol (max. 1.6%) contents were low. In addition, N availability increased for both soil types after the application of the VMM. In contrast, N became immobile during decomposition if the VM of the pure waste was added. This likely occurred because of the relatively low total N (1.16%) content and high C/N ratio (35.0). However, the comparatively low C decomposition of this VM type makes its application highly recommendable as a strategy to increase the levels of organic matter and C, as well as for soil reclamation. Overall, these results suggest that the residues of the Palo Santo essential oil extraction are a potential source for vermicompost production and sustainable agriculture. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. The Palo Verde story: a foundation for future multi-station nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brunt, Jr.E.E.Van; Ferguson, C.

    1987-01-01

    In 1973, the design and planning for the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station Was started featuring three 3800 MWt Combustion Engineering Standard System 80 Nuclear Steam Supply Systems. Arizona Public Service Company (APS) was the Project Manager and Operating Agent and Bechtel Power Corporation the architect/engineer and constructor. The Palo Verde units are located in a desert environment some 50 miles west of Phoenix, Arizona. It is a 'dry site' in that there are no liquid discharges from the site. The cooling tower makeup water sewage is waste effluent from the City of Phoenix treated at an on site reclamation facility. The effluent has had primary and secondary treatment at the Phoenix plant prior to delivery to PVNGS. The units are physically separate from each other but are of identical design. There are no shared safety systems between the units. Unit 1 and Unit 2 are both in commercial operation (January, 1986 and September, 1986 respectively). Unit 3 is scheduled to load fuel late in the first quarter of 1987. This paper presents some of the engineering and management practices used during design, construction, and startup and operational experiences and other unique features of this multi-unit nuclear station. The site arrangement is shown in Figure 1

  2. The Interactive Dimension of Communication: The Pragmatics of the Palo Alto Group

    OpenAIRE

    Codruţa Porcar; Cristian Hainic

    2011-01-01

    Our paper proposes to analyze from a semiotic perspective the process of communication as conceived within the Palo Alto Group. We will firstly show that, as a result of the Group's critiques and revisions of the linear or mechanistic theories of communication, new perspectives are brought about for the essential axes of transformation within communication: we do not communicate as from a distinct atom to another, through an isolated channel, but through parts which are equal to the whole, th...

  3. euler deconvolution and spectral analysis

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    NORBERT OPIYO AKECH

    also show additional patterns typical of sill-edges, thus mapping previously unrecognised mafic/ ultramafic intrusions. .... 21.1ºS and longitudes 28.9ºE and 30.5ºE, with mining towns ... 'young' K-rich (post-volcanic) granites, and sections of the Great Dyke .... maps, a number of structural indices (SI's) and window sizes were ...

  4. Response to IPE and IPEEE results at Palo Verde NGS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lindquist, R.C.

    1992-01-01

    Insights gained from the internal events probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) and from the pilot plant demonstration of the fire-induced vulnerability evaluation (FIVE) have been used to initiate corrective actions in the form of administrative controls, compensatory measures, and plant modifications to reduce the risks associated with significant core-damage sequences. Palo Verde was a pilot demonstration plant for the FIVE methodology developed by the Electrical Power Research Institute and sponsored by the Nuclear Utility Management and Resources Council. Several findings emerged from the application of FIVE and have been acted upon to reduce the impact of fire in several compartments of the plant

  5. Search for neutrino oscillations at the palo verde nuclear reactors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boehm; Busenitz; Cook; Gratta; Henrikson; Kornis; Lawrence; Lee; McKinny; Miller; Novikov; Piepke; Ritchie; Tracy; Vogel; Wang; Wolf

    2000-04-24

    We report on the initial results from a measurement of the antineutrino flux and spectrum at a distance of about 800 m from the three reactors of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station using a segmented gadolinium-loaded scintillation detector. We find that the antineutrino flux agrees with that predicted in the absence of oscillations excluding at 90% C.L. nu;(e)-nu;(x) oscillations with Deltam(2)>1.12x10(-3) eV(2) for maximal mixing and sin (2)2straight theta>0.21 for large Deltam(2). Our results support the conclusion that the atmospheric neutrino oscillations observed by Super-Kamiokande do not involve nu(e).

  6. Isotopic evidence for two neoproterozoic high-grade metamorphic events in the Brazilia belt

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pimentel, Marcio Martins; Fuck, Reinhardt Adolfo; Piuzanna, Danielle; Moraes, Renato de; Gioia, Simone Maria C.L

    2001-01-01

    The Brasilia Belt is part of a Brasiliano/Pan African orogen developed between the Amazon and Sao Francisco cratons. The stabilization of the belt occurred after the last metamorphic event at ca. 620 Ma. There has been increasing geochronological evidence, however, for an older Neoproterozoic metamorphic event at ca. 780 Ma, observed mainly in high grade rocks of three large mafic-ultramafic complexes in the northern part of the belt. In this study we present: (i) new U-Pb and Sm-Nd geochronological data, (ii) a review of the existing metamorphic ages in the Brasilia Belt, and (iii) a discussion on the tectonic model to explain the two Neoproterozoic metamorphic ages (au)

  7. DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Case Study: Palo Duro Homes, Albuquerque, New Mexico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    none,

    2013-09-01

    Palo Duro uses advanced framing techniques like 2x6 24-inch on-center framing, open headers above windows on non-load-bearing walls, 2-stud corners, ladder blocking where walls intersect, and single top and bottom plates. These techniques reduce the amount of lumber in the wall, allowing more room for insulation and reducing costs and installation time. The builder garnered a 2013 Housing Innovation Award in the production builder category.

  8. Dissolution of the Upper Seven Rivers and Salado salt in the interior Palo Duro Basin, Texas: Revision: Topical report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    DeConto, R.T.; Murphy, P.J.

    1987-09-01

    The Upper Seven Rivers and Salado Formations contain the uppermost salts within the interior Palo Duro Basin, Stratigraphic and structural evidence based on geophysical well logs indicate that both dissolution and facies change have influenced the thickness of these uppermost salts. The magnitude of vertical salt loss due to dissolution is interminable at this time because original salt thickness is unknown. Gradual thinning of the Upper Seven Rivers Formation is recognized from south to north across the Palo Duro Basin. Anhydrites within the formation pinch out toward the basin margins, indicating that section loss is in part depositionally controlled. Additionally, informal subdivision of the Upper Seven Rivers Formation suggests that salt dissolution has occurred in the uppermost salt. A northeast-trending zone of thin Upper Seven Rivers Formation in portions of Deaf Smith, Randall, Castro, and Parmer Counties is possibly related to Tertiary dissolution. In New Mexico, local thinning of the Upper Seven Rivers Formation may be associated with faulting. Triassic erosion on uplifted fault blocks has affected the Upper Permian section. The Salado salt margin is located within the interior Palo Duro Basin. Geophysical well logs and core evidence indicate that the salt margin has migrated basinward as a result of dissolution. Permian dissolution probably contributed to some salt loss. 106 refs., 31 figs., 2 tabs

  9. Geochronological data for lithostratigraphic complexes of a crystalline basement from the South regions of Minas Gerais and adjacent areas of the Sao Paulo state

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawashita, K.; Artur, A.C.; Wernick, E.

    1988-01-01

    New geochronological data (Rb/Sr, Pb/Pb) for the Amparo and Pinhal Complexes, southern State of Minas Gerais and adjacent areas of the State of Sao Paulo are presented and discussed with respect to other lithostratigraphic complexes which there occur. Among the different complexes considered, 4 are composed mainly by rock belonging to typical infrastructure associations. They are the Barcelona, the Guaxupe, the Amparo and the Pinhal complexes. The Barbacena Complex is a typical gray gneiss complex and geochronological data by different methods confirm its Archean age. The Guaxupe Complex is composed mainly by different types of charnockitic rocks and an Archean age is assumed on geotectonic basis due to its neighboring association with the gray gneiss/greenstone belt, a though confirming geochronological data are still missing, a normal feature in this type of mobile belts which generally show a complex, polycyling evolution. Geochronological data by different methods on diverse rock types indicates that the Amparo and Pinhal complexes are respectively of Lower an Upper proterozoic age. Geochronological, geological and petrographic data reveal that both complexes are composed mainly by 3 basic rock associations: a-mainly derived magmatic rocks including mafic/ultramafic ones as well as calc-alkaline, subalcaline and even alkaline granitoids; b-orthogneisses, migmatites and crustal granites derived by metamorphic processes acting on older, pre-existing rocks; corthogneisses and migmatites resulting from metamorphic processes acting on magmatic rocks intruded during the same tecto-metamorphic cycle during which its transformation took place. The results suggest a polycyclic evolution by successive tecto-metamorphic events which affected the older rocks of the considered are either by the reworking of enclosing rocks around pericratonic continental main magmatic arcs or by the remobilisation of older basement rocks during continental collisions. (author) [pt

  10. Mafic dykes at the southwestern margin of Eastern Ghats belt ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Ghats belt: Evidence of rifting and collision. S Bhattacharya. 1,∗ ... 1.3 Ga, which may have been initiated by intra-plate volcanism. 1. Introduction ... tively, is described as a compressional orogen. Keywords. ... charnockite gneiss, around Naraseraopet, AP (b) Thin mafic ... Sometimes orthopyroxene also occurs at margin of.

  11. 75 FR 53985 - Arizona Public Service Company, et al., Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Unit 3; Temporary...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-02

    ... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. STN 50-530; NRC-2010-0281] Arizona Public Service Company, et al., Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Unit 3; Temporary Exemption 1.0 Background Arizona Public Service Company (APS, the licensee) is the holder of Facility Operating License No. NPF-74, which...

  12. Agrochemical characterization of vermicomposts produced from residues of Palo Santo (Bursera graveolens) essential oil extraction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Carrión-Paladines, Vinicio; Fries, Andreas; Gomez Muñoz, Beatriz

    2016-01-01

    Fruits of Palo Santo (Bursera graveolens) are used for essential oil extraction. The extraction process is very efficient, because up to 3% of the fresh fruits can be transformed into essential oil; however, a considerable amount of waste is concurrently produced (>97% of the fresh biomass). Rece...

  13. Investigating Natural Analogues for Co{sub 2} Sequestration in Ultra Mafic Rocks: A Reactive Transport Modelling Approach

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gherardi, F. [Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Pisa (Italy)

    2013-07-15

    Serpentinites of Ligurian ophiolites are studied as natural analogues for CO{sub 2} mineral sequestration in Italy. Mineralogical and geochemical observations indicate that silicification and carbonation are typical alteration processes induced by the interaction of CO{sub 2} charged fluids with pristine ultramafic rocks. Multicomponent reactive transport models have been applied to reproduce natural patterns and investigate carbon sequestration efficiency under high P{sub CO2} conditions. Temporal changes in porosity and permeability are predicted to affect the spatial and temporal occurrence of secondary minerals. The feedback between mineralogical transformations and transport properties of the geological media emerges as a key factor controlling the mineral carbonation potential of the investigated ultramafic rocks. (author)

  14. Interaction of coeval felsic and mafic magmas from the Kanker ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    66

    20 crystallization of the latter, results in hybrid magmas under the influence of thermal and. 21 chemical exchange. The mechanical exchange occurs between the coexisting magmas due to. 22 viscosity contrast, if the mafic magma enters slightly later into the magma chamber, when the. 23 felsic magma started to crystallize.

  15. Potential Hydrogen Yields from Ultramafic Rocks of the Coast Range Ophiolite and Zambales Ophiolite: Inferences from Mössbauer Spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stander, A.; Nelms, M.; Wilkinson, K.; Dyar, M. D.; Cardace, D.

    2013-12-01

    The reduced status of mantle rocks is a possible controller and indicator of deep life habitat, due to interactions between water and ultramafic (Fe, Mg-rich) minerals, which, under reducing conditions, can yield copious free hydrogen, which is an energy source for rock-hosted chemosynthetic life. In this work, Mössbauer spectroscopy was used to parameterize the redox status of Fe in altering peridotites of the Coast Range Ophiolite (CRO) in California, USA and Zambales Ophiolite (ZO) in the Philippines. Fe-bearing minerals were identified and data were collected for the percentages of Fe(III)and Fe(II)and bulk Fe concentration. Thin section analysis shows that relict primary olivines and spinels generally constitute a small percentage of the ZO and CRO rock, and given satisfactory estimates of the volume of the ultramafic units of the ZO and CRO, a stoichiometric H2 production can be estimated. In addition, ZO serpentinites are ~63,000 ppm Fe in bulk samples; they contain ~41-58% Fe(III)and ~23-34% Fe(II) in serpentine and relict minerals along with ~8-30% of the total Fe as magnetite. CRO serpentinites are ~42,000 ppm Fe in bulk samples; they contain ~15-50% Fe(III), ~22-88% Fe(II) in serpentine and relict minerals, and ~0-52% of total Fe is in magnetite (Fe(II)Fe(III)2O4). Assuming stoichiometric production of H2, and given the following representation of serpentinization 2(FeO)rock + H2O → (Fe2O3)rock +H2, we calculated the maximum quantity of hydrogen released and yet to be released through the oxidation of Fe(II). Given that relatively high Fe(III)/Fetotal values can imply higher water:rock ratios during rock alteration (Andreani et al., 2013), we can deduce that ZO ultramafics in this study have experienced a net higher water:rock ratio than CRO ultramafics. We compare possible H2 yields and contrast the tectonic and alteration histories of the selected ultramafic units. (M. Andreani, M. Muñoz, C. Marcaillou, A. Delacour, 2013, μXANES study of iron

  16. Surface hydrologic characteristics of proposed repository locations in the Palo Duro Basin of the Texas Panhandle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1985-04-01

    This report provides a description of the surface hydrology in the two proposed locations of a high-level waste repository within the Palo Duro Basin of the Texas Panhandle. Included for consideration are the topography; the major drainage systems - Palo Duro, Tierra Blanca, and Tule Creeks, and Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River; and the most prominent impoundments, the playa lakes. The magnitude and frequency of precipitation throughout the region are discussed, and rainfall depth-duration-area data for the 100-year, 500-year, and probable maximum storms are presented. Soil properties are also described, with specific reference to the infiltration and runoff processes and the contribution of these processes to Ogallala aquifer recharge. A summary discussion of the local streams includes information on historical streamflow, a brief description of flooding, and results of a study of floodplains for the 100-year, 500-year, and probable maximum storms. The report concludes with a characterization of the water quality of these streams and an explanation of the local geologic influences on stream-water chemistry. 25 figures, 20 tables

  17. Technical basis for high-level waste repository land control requirements for Palo Duro Basin, Paradox Basin, and Richton Dome

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, C.P.; Raines, G.E.

    1987-02-01

    Three sites, the Palo Duro Basin in Texas, the Paradox Basin in Utah, and the Richton Dome in Mississippi, are being investigated by the US Department of Energy for high-level radioactive-waste disposal in mined, deep geologic repositories in salt. This report delineates the use of regulatory, engineering, and performance assessment information to establish the technical basis for controlled area requirements. Based on the size of the controlled area determined, plus that of the geologic repository operations area, recommendations of possible land control or ownership area requirements for each locale are provided. On a technical basis, the following minimum land control or ownership requirements are recommended, assuming repository operations area of 2240 ac (907 ha), or 3.5 mi 2 (9.1 km 2 ): Palo Duro Basin - 4060 ac (1643 ha), or 6.3 mi 2 (16.4 km 2 ); Paradox Basin - 4060 ac (1643 ha), or 6.3 mi 2 (16.4 km 2 ); and Richton Dome - 5000 ac (2024 ha), or 7.8 mi 2 (20.2 km 2 ). Of the factors used to determine the technically based recommendations, one was found to dominate each locale. For the Palo Duro and Paradox Basins, the dominant factor was the need to limit potential radionuclide release by ground-water flow to the accessible environment. For the Richton Dome, the dominant factor was the need to limit the potential effects of solution mining on dome and repository integrity

  18. Geochemistry of PGE in mafic rocks of east Khasi Hills, Shillong ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    study area. The studied mafic rocks of east Khasi Hills cover an area of about 4 km2 and represent .... In contrast to the global scenario, attempts for ..... chemical. Sp. no. structural mo de. Mineral comp o sition classification. M g#*. (wt%). (wt%).

  19. Interpretation of seismic reflection data, Central Palo Duro Basin: Technical report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1986-11-01

    Seismic reflection data from the Central Palo Duro Basin, Texas, were studied to identify and characterize geologic structure, potential hydrocarbon traps, and anomalies suggesting adverse features such as salt dissolution or diapirism. The data included seismic reflection data, geologic and geophysical data controlled by Stone and Webster Engineering Corporation, and data from the literature. These data comprised approximately 590 line-mi of seismic profiles over approximately 4000 mi 2 , plus well logs from 308 wells. The study addressed the section from shallow reflectors down to basement. Structural contour maps were prepared for the Upper San Andres, Near Top of Glorieta, Wolfcamp, and Precambrian horizons. Isopach maps were prepared for intervals between the Upper and Lower San Andres and between the Upper San Andres and the Wolfcamp. Interpretation indicates southeasterly dips in the northwest part of the mapped area and southwesterly dips in the southwest part. Geologic structures show a generally northwest alignment. Faults at the Precambrian level and geologic structures show a generally northwest alignment. Faulting in the area is largely limited to the Precambrian, but interpretation is uncertain. Evidence of post-Wolfcampian faulting is not recognized. Seismic data delineating the San Andres section indicate a stable section throughout the area. Anomalous reflection events possibly associated with subsurface salt dissolution were seen at the 800- to 1200-ft level in Swisher County. Other anomalies include an overthickened zone northwest of Westway and carbonate buildup in the Wolfcamp and Pennsylvanian in Randall County. Mississippian to Middle Pennsylvanian diastrophism resulting in the Amarillo Uplift and Matador Arch is not manifested structurally in the central Palo Duro Basin. Subsidence or gentle uplift contributed to some structural deformation

  20. Redistribution of Iron and Titanium in High-Pressure Ultramafic Rocks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crossley, Rosalind J.; Evans, Katy A.; Reddy, Steven M.; Lester, Gregory W.

    2017-11-01

    The redox state of iron in high-pressure serpentinites, which host a significant proportion of Fe3+ in subduction zones, can be used to provide an insight into iron cycling and constrain the composition of subduction zone fluids. In this study, we use oxide and silicate mineral textures, interpretation of mineral parageneses, mineral composition data, and whole rock geochemistry of high-pressure retrogressed ultramafic rocks from the Zermatt-Saas Zone to constrain the distribution of iron and titanium, and iron oxidation state. These data provide an insight on the oxidation state and composition of fluids at depth in subduction zones. Oxide minerals host the bulk of iron, particularly Fe3+. The increase in mode of magnetite and observation of magnetite within antigorite veins in the investigated ultramafic samples during initial retrogression is most consistent with oxidation of existing iron within the samples during the infiltration of an oxidizing fluid since it is difficult to reconcile addition of Fe3+ with the known limited solubility of this species. However, high Ti contents are not typical of serpentinites and also cannot be accounted for by simple mixing of a depleted mantle protolith with the nearby Allalin gabbro. Titanium-rich phases coincide with prograde metamorphism and initial exhumation, implying the early seafloor and/or prograde addition and late mobilization of Ti. If Ti addition has occurred, then the introduction of Fe3+, also generally considered to be immobile, cannot be disregarded. We explore possible transport vectors for Ti and Fe through mineral texture analysis.

  1. Geochemistry and origin of metamorphosed mafic rocks from the Lower Paleozoic Moretown and Cram Hill Formations of North-Central Vermont: Delamination magmatism in the western New England appalachians

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coish, Raymond; Kim, Jonathan; Twelker, Evan; Zolkos, Scott P.; Walsh, Gregory J.

    2015-01-01

    The Moretown Formation, exposed as a north-trending unit that extends from northern Vermont to Connecticut, is located along a critical Appalachian litho-tectonic zone between the paleomargin of Laurentia and accreted oceanic terranes. Remnants of magmatic activity, in part preserved as metamorphosed mafic rocks in the Moretown Formation and the overlying Cram Hill Formation, are a key to further understanding the tectonic history of the northern Appalachians. Field relationships suggest that the metamorphosed mafic rocks might have formed during and after Taconian deformation, which occurred at ca. 470 to 460 Ma. Geochemistry indicates that the sampled metamorphosed mafic rocks were mostly basalts or basaltic andesites. The rocks have moderate TiO2 contents (1–2.5 wt %), are slightly enriched in the light-rare earth elements relative to the heavy rare earths, and have negative Nb-Ta anomalies in MORB-normalized extended rare earth element diagrams. Their chemistry is similar to compositions of basalts from western Pacific extensional basins near volcanic arcs. The metamorphosed mafic rocks of this study are similar in chemistry to both the pre-Silurian Mount Norris Intrusive Suite of northern Vermont, and also to some of Late Silurian rocks within the Lake Memphremagog Intrusive Suite, particularly the Comerford Intrusive Complex of Vermont and New Hampshire. Both suites may be represented among the samples of this study. The geochemistry of all samples indicates that parental magmas were generated in supra-subduction extensional environments during lithospheric delamination.

  2. PALEOARCHEAN MAFIC ROCKS OF THE SOUTHWESTERN SIBERIAN CRATON: PRELIMINARY GEOCHRONOLOGY AND GEOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. V. Ivanov

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The Siberian craton consists of Archean blocks, which were welded up into the same large unit by ca 1.9 Ga [Gladkochub et al., 2006; Rojas-Agramonte et al., 2011]. The history of the constituent Archean blocks is mosaic because of limited number of outcrops, insufficient sampling coverage because of their location in remote regions and deep forest and difficulties with analytical studies of ancient rocks, which commonly underwent metamorphic modifications and secondary alterations. In this short note, we report data on discovery of unusual for Archean mafic rocks of ultimate fresh appearance. These rocks were discovered within southwestern Siberian craton in a region near a boundary between Kitoy granulites of the Sharyzhalgai highgrade metamorphic complex and Onot green-schist belt (Fig. 1. Here we present preliminary data on geochronology of these rocks and provide their geochemical characterization.

  3. Unraveling multiple phases of sulfur cycling during the alteration of ancient ultramafic oceanic lithosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwarzenbach, Esther M.; Gill, Benjamin C.; Johnston, David T.

    2018-02-01

    Ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems - characterized by ongoing serpentinization reactions - exert an important influence on the global sulfur cycle. Extensive water-rock interaction causes elemental exchange between seawater and the oceanic lithosphere, effectively removing sulfate from seawater through both abiogenic and biogenic processes. Here, we use bulk rock multiple sulfur isotope signatures (32S, 33S, 34S) and in situ sulfide analyses together with petrographic observations to track the sulfur cycling processes and the hydrothermal evolution of ancient peridotite-hosted hydrothermal systems. We investigate serpentinized peridotites from the Northern Apennine ophiolite in Italy and the Santa Elena ophiolite in Costa Rica and compare those with the Iberian Margin (Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 149 and 173) and the 15°20‧N Fracture Zone along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (ODP Leg 209). In situ measurements of sulfides in the Northern Apennine serpentinites preserve a large range in δ34Ssulfide of -33.8 to +13.3‰ with significant heterogeneities within single sulfide grains and depending on mineralogy. Detailed mineralogical investigation and comparison with bulk rock Δ33Ssulfide and in situ δ34Ssulfide data implies a thermal evolution of the system from high temperatures (∼350 °C) that allowed thermochemical sulfate reduction and input of hydrothermal sulfide to lower temperatures (rock associated with detachment faulting along a mid-ocean ridge spreading center. The Santa Elena peridotites preserve distinct signatures for fluid circulation at high temperatures with both closed system thermochemical sulfate reduction and input of mafic-derived sulfur. In addition, the peridotites provide strong evidence that low Ca2+ concentrations in peridotite-hosted systems can limit sulfate removal during anhydrite precipitation at temperatures above 150 °C. This may play a central role for the availability of sulfate to microbial communities within these

  4. Petrology and geochemistry of meta-ultramafic rocks in the Paleozoic Granjeno Schist, northeastern Mexico: Remnants of Pangaea ocean floor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torres-Sánchez, Sonia Alejandra; Augustsson, Carita; Jenchen, Uwe; Rafael Barboza-Gudiño, J.; Alemán Gallardo, Eduardo; Ramírez Fernández, Juan Alonso; Torres-Sánchez, Darío; Abratis, Michael

    2017-08-01

    The Granjeno Schist is a meta-volcanosedimentary upper Paleozoic complex in northeastern Mexico. We suggest different tectonic settings for metamorphism of its serpentinite and talc-bearing rocks based on petrographic and geochemical compositions. According to the REE ratios (LaN/YbN = 0.51 -20.0 and LaN/SmN = 0.72-9.1) and the enrichment in the highly incompatible elements Cs (0.1 ppm), U (2.8 ppm), and Zr (60 ppm) as well as depletion in Ba (1 - 15 ppm), Sr (1 -184 ppm), Pb (0.1 -14 ppm), and Ce (0.1 -1.9 ppm) the rocks have mid-ocean ridge and subduction zones characteristics. The serpentinite contains Al-chromite, ferrian chromite and magnetite. The Al-chromite is characterized by Cr# of 0.48 to 0.55 suggesting a MORB origin, and Cr# of 0.93 to 1.00 for the ferrian chromite indicates a prograde metamorphism. We propose at least two serpentinization stages of lithospheric mantle for the ultramafic rock of the Granjeno Schist, (1) a first in an ocean-floor environment at sub-greenschist to greenschist facies conditions and (2) later a serpentinization phase related to the progressive replacement of spinel by ferrian chromite and magnetite at greenschist to low amphibolite facies conditions during regional metamorphism. The second serpentinization phase took place in an active continental margin during the Pennsylvanian. We propose that the origin of the ultramafic rocks is related to an obduction and accretional event at the western margin of Pangea.

  5. Petrology and geochemistry of meta-ultramafic rocks in the Paleozoic Granjeno Schist, northeastern Mexico: Remnants of Pangaea ocean floor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Torres-Sánchez Sonia Alejandra

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The Granjeno Schist is a meta-volcanosedimentary upper Paleozoic complex in northeastern Mexico. We suggest different tectonic settings for metamorphism of its serpentinite and talc-bearing rocks based on petrographic and geochemical compositions. According to the REE ratios (LaN/YbN = 0.51 –20.0 and LaN/SmN = 0.72–9.1 and the enrichment in the highly incompatible elements Cs (0.1 ppm, U (2.8 ppm, and Zr (60 ppm as well as depletion in Ba (1 – 15 ppm, Sr (1 –184 ppm, Pb (0.1 –14 ppm, and Ce (0.1 –1.9 ppm the rocks have mid-ocean ridge and subduction zones characteristics. The serpentinite contains Al-chromite, ferrian chromite and magnetite. The Al-chromite is characterized by Cr# of 0.48 to 0.55 suggesting a MORB origin, and Cr# of 0.93 to 1.00 for the ferrian chromite indicates a prograde metamorphism. We propose at least two serpentinization stages of lithospheric mantle for the ultramafic rock of the Granjeno Schist, (1 a first in an ocean-floor environment at sub-greenschist to greenschist facies conditions and (2 later a serpentinization phase related to the progressive replacement of spinel by ferrian chromite and magnetite at greenschist to low amphibolite facies conditions during regional metamorphism. The second serpentinization phase took place in an active continental margin during the Pennsylvanian. We propose that the origin of the ultramafic rocks is related to an obduction and accretional event at the western margin of Pangea.

  6. Understanding the monotonous life of open vent mafic volcanoes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Costa Rodriguez, F.; Ruth, D. C. S.; Bornas, M.; Rivera, D. J. V. I.

    2016-12-01

    Mafic open vent volcanoes display prominent degassing plumes during quiescence but also erupt frequently, every few months or years. Their small and mildly explosive eruptions (volatile contents indicate that the magma reservoir system extends at least to 5 km depth. Mg/Fe pyroxene zoning and diffusion modeling suggests that mafic magma intrusion in a shallow, crystal-rich and more evolved reservoir has occurred repeatedly. The time scale for this process is the same for all 9 events, starting about 2 years prior and continuing up to eruption. We estimate the relative proportions of injecting to resident magma that vary from about 0.2 to 0.7, probably reflecting the local crystal-melt interaction during intrusion. The near constant magma composition is probably the result of buffering of new incoming magma by a crystal-rich upper reservoir, and erupted magmas are physical mixtures. However, we do not find evidence of large-scale crystal recycling from one eruption to another, implying the resetting of the system after each event. The recurrent eruptions and intrusions could be driven by the near continuous degassing of the volcano that induces a mass imbalance which leads to magma movement from depth to the shallow system [e.g., 1]. [1] Girona et al. (2016). Science Reports doi:10.1038/srep18212

  7. Preliminary evidence for a Hercynian age of the Versoyen complex, western Alps; Evidence preliminaire d'un age Hercynian pour le complexe du Versoyen, Alpes occidentales

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Scharer, U. [Paris-7 Univ., Lab. de Geochronologie, UMR 7578, 75 (France); Cannic, S.; Lapierre, H. [Universite Joseph-Fourier, Lab. de Geologie des Chaines Alpines, Upres A5025, Institut Dolomieu, Grenoble I, 38 (France)

    2000-03-01

    To date the magmatic event that generated the Versoyen mafic complex, four fractions of zircon from a cross-cutting leuco-gabbro dike, has been analyzed by the U-Pb method, defining a regression line that intercepts the concordia curve at 309 {+-} 6 (2 {sigma}) Ma and 3 240 {+-} 34 Ma. These two ages can be interpreted to date, respectively, emplacement of the leuco-gabbro into the Versoyen complex, and the age of inherited Archean zircon cores, present in the newly formed crystals. The age of 309 Ma suggests that both Versoyen mafic magmatism and subsequent eclogite facies metamorphism belong to the Hercynian, and not the Alpine orogenic cycle. (authors)

  8. Charnockitic ortho gneisses and mafic granulites of Cerro Olivo complex, proterozoic basement of SE Uruguay, Part 1: Geology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Masquelin, H.

    2008-01-01

    Charnockitic ortho gneisses and mafic granulite s exposed in the Cerro Bori Block, in the center of Punta del Este terrain, were the first document occurrence of granulitic rocks from SE sector of the Uruguayan Shield. We present here their main geological features, with the purpose to suggest some petrologic and structural interesting problems for a future lithogeochemical, mineral chemistry, stable isotopes and fluid inclusion studies about these rocks. We propose some speculation form field-based studies considering a cognate magmatic origin of both kinds of rocks, previous to a homogeneous granulitic metamorphism. Some structural evidences indicate that after their uplift, these rocks were located on over thickened crust, at great to medium deepness. A cataclasis during anatexis and amphibolite-facies mineral association stabilization are common phenomena. Other evidences suggest a polycyclic character for the regional geologic evolution

  9. Nickel-tolerant ectomycorrhizal Pisolithus albus ultramafic ecotype isolated from nickel mines in New Caledonia strongly enhance growth of the host plant Eucalyptus globulus at toxic nickel concentrations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jourand, Philippe; Ducousso, Marc; Reid, Robert; Majorel, Clarisse; Richert, Clément; Riss, Jennifer; Lebrun, Michel

    2010-10-01

    Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) Pisolithus albus (Cooke & Massee), belonging to the ultramafic ecotype isolated in nickel-rich serpentine soils from New Caledonia (a tropical hotspot of biodiversity) and showing in vitro adaptive nickel tolerance, were inoculated to Eucalyptus globulus Labill used as a Myrtaceae plant-host model to study ectomycorrhizal symbiosis. Plants were then exposed to a nickel (Ni) dose-response experiment with increased Ni treatments up to 60 mg kg( - )(1) soil as extractable Ni content in serpentine soils. Results showed that plants inoculated with ultramafic ECM P. albus were able to tolerate high and toxic concentrations of Ni (up to 60 μg g( - )(1)) while uninoculated controls were not. At the highest Ni concentration tested, root growth was more than 20-fold higher and shoot growth more than 30-fold higher in ECM plants compared with control plants. The improved growth in ECM plants was associated with a 2.4-fold reduction in root Ni concentration but a massive 60-fold reduction in transfer of Ni from root to shoots. In vitro, P. albus strains could withstand high Ni concentrations but accumulated very little Ni in its tissue. The lower Ni uptake by mycorrhizal plants could not be explained by increased release of metal-complexing chelates since these were 5- to 12-fold lower in mycorrhizal plants at high Ni concentrations. It is proposed that the fungal sheath covering the plant roots acts as an effective barrier to limit transfer of Ni from soil into the root tissue. The degree of tolerance conferred by the ultramafic P. albus isolates to growth of the host tree species is considerably greater than previously reported for other ECM. The primary mechanisms underlying this improved growth were identified as reduced Ni uptake into the roots and markedly reduced transfer from root to shoot in mycorrhizal plants. The fact that these positive responses were observed at Ni concentrations commonly observed in serpentinic soils suggests that

  10. Second status report on regional ground-water flow modeling for the Palo Duro Basin, Texas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1986-07-01

    Regional ground-water flow within the principal geohydrologic units of the Palo Duro Basin is evaluated by developing a conceptual model of the flow regime and testing the model using a three-dimensional, finite-difference flow code. Sensitivity analyses (a limited parametric study) are conducted to define the system responses to changes in the conceptual model. Of particular interest are the impacts of salt permeability and potential climatic changes on the system response. The conceptual model is described in terms of its areal and vertical discretization, aquifer properties, fluid properties and hydrologic boundary conditions. The simulated ground-water flow fields are described with potentiometric surfaces, tables summarizing the areal and vertical volumetric flows through the principal units, and Darcy velocities within specified finite-difference blocks. The reported work is the second stage of an ongoing evaluation of the Palo Duro Basin as a potential repository for high-level radioactive wastes. The results and conclusions should thus be considered preliminary and subject to modification with the collection of additional data. However, the report does provide a useful basis for describing the sensitivity of the present conceptualization of ground-water flow to particular parameters and, to a lesser extent, the uncertainties in the present conceptualization. 28 refs., 44 figs., 13 tabs

  11. A Thermodynamic Approach for Modeling H2O-CO2 Solubility in Alkali-rich Mafic Magmas at Mid-crustal Pressures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allison, C. M.; Roggensack, K.; Clarke, A. B.

    2017-12-01

    Volatile solubility in magmas is dependent on several factors, including composition and pressure. Mafic (basaltic) magmas with high concentrations of alkali elements (Na and K) are capable of dissolving larger quantities of H2O and CO2 than low-alkali basalt. The exsolution of abundant gases dissolved in alkali-rich mafic magmas can contribute to large explosive eruptions. Existing volatile solubility models for alkali-rich mafic magmas are well calibrated below 200 MPa, but at greater pressures the experimental data is sparse. To allow for accurate interpretation of mafic magmatic systems at higher pressures, we conducted a set of mixed H2O-CO2 volatile solubility experiments between 400 and 600 MPa at 1200 °C in six mafic compositions with variable alkali contents. Compositions include magmas from volcanoes in Italy, Antarctica, and Arizona. Results from our experiments indicate that existing volatile solubility models for alkali-rich mafic magmas, if extrapolated beyond their calibrated range, over-predict CO2 solubility at mid-crustal pressures. Physically, these results suggest that volatile exsolution can occur at deeper levels than what can be resolved from the lower-pressure experimental data. Existing thermodynamic models used to calculate volatile solubility at different pressures require two experimentally derived parameters. These parameters represent the partial molar volume of the condensed volatile species in the melt and its equilibrium constant, both calculated at a standard temperature and pressure. We derived these parameters for each studied composition and the corresponding thermodynamic model shows good agreement with the CO2 solubility data of the experiments. A general alkali basalt solubility model was also constructed by establishing a relationship between magma composition and the thermodynamic parameters. We utilize cation fractions from our six compositions along with four compositions from the experimental literature in a linear

  12. Subducted slab-plume interaction traced by magnesium isotopes in the northern margin of the Tarim Large Igneous Province

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Zhiguo; Zhang, Zhaochong; Xie, Qiuhong; Hou, Tong; Ke, Shan

    2018-05-01

    Incorporation of subducted slabs may account for the geochemical and isotopic variations of large igneous provinces (LIPs). However, the mechanism and process by which subducted slabs are involved into magmas is still highly debated. Here, we report a set of high resolution Mg isotopes for a suite of alkaline and Fe-rich rocks (including basalts, mafic-ultramafic layered intrusions, diabase dykes and mantle xenoliths in the kimberlitic rocks) from Tarim Large Igneous Province (TLIP). We observed that δ26 Mg values of basalts range from -0.29 to - 0.45 ‰, -0.31 to - 0.42 ‰ for mafic-ultramafic layered intrusions, -0.28 to - 0.31 ‰ for diabase dykes and -0.29 to - 0.44 ‰ for pyroxenite xenoliths from the kimberlitic rocks, typically lighter than the normal mantle source (- 0.25 ‰ ± 0.04, 2 SD). After carefully precluding other possibilities, we propose that the light Mg isotopic compositions and high FeO contents should be ascribed to the involvement of recycled sedimentary carbonate rocks and pyroxenite/eclogite. Moreover, from basalts, through layered intrusions to diabase dykes, (87Sr/86Sr)i values and δ18OV-SMOW declined, whereas ε (Nd) t and δ26 Mg values increased with progressive partial melting of mantle, indicating that components of carbonate rock and pyroxenite/eclogite in the mantle sources were waning over time. In combination with the previous reported Mg isotopes for carbonatite, nephelinite and kimberlitic rocks in TLIP, two distinct mantle domains are recognized for this province: 1) a lithospheric mantle source for basalts and mafic-ultramafic layered intrusions which were modified by calcite/dolomite and eclogite-derived high-Si melts, as evidenced by enriched Sr-Nd-O and light Mg isotopic compositions; 2) a plume source for carbonatite, nephelinite and kimberlitic rocks which were related to magnesite or periclase/perovskite involvement as reflected by depleted Sr-Nd-O and extremely light Mg isotopes. Ultimately, our study suggests

  13. Paleomagnetic record of a geomagnetic field reversal from late miocene mafic intrusions, southern nevada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ratcliff, C D; Geissman, J W; Perry, F V; Crowe, B M; Zeitler, P K

    1994-10-21

    Late Miocene (about 8.65 million years ago) mafic intrusions and lava flows along with remagnetized host rocks from Paiute Ridge, southern Nevada, provide a high-quality paleomagnetic record of a geomagnetic field reversal. These rocks yield thermoremanent magnetizations with declinations of 227 degrees to 310 degrees and inclinations of -7 degrees to 49 degrees , defining a reasonably continuous virtual geomagnetic pole path over west-central Pacific longitudes. Conductive cooling estimates for the intrusions suggest that this field transition, and mafic magmatism, lasted only a few hundred years. Because this record comes principally from intrusive rocks, rather than sediments or lavas, it is important in demonstrating the longitudinal confinement of the geomagnetic field during a reversal.

  14. The Emeishan large igneous province: A synthesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Gregory Shellnutt

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available The late Permian Emeishan large igneous province (ELIP covers ∼0.3 × 106 km2 of the western margin of the Yangtze Block and Tibetan Plateau with displaced, correlative units in northern Vietnam (Song Da zone. The ELIP is of particular interest because it contains numerous world-class base metal deposits and is contemporaneous with the late Capitanian (∼260 Ma mass extinction. The flood basalts are the signature feature of the ELIP but there are also ultramafic and silicic volcanic rocks and layered mafic-ultramafic and silicic plutonic rocks exposed. The ELIP is divided into three nearly concentric zones (i.e. inner, middle and outer which correspond to progressively thicker crust from the inner to the outer zone. The eruptive age of the ELIP is constrained by geological, paleomagnetic and geochronological evidence to an interval of ≤3 Ma. The presence of picritic rocks and thick piles of flood basalts testifies to high temperature thermal regime however there is uncertainty as to whether these magmas were derived from the subcontinental lithospheric mantle or sub-lithospheric mantle (i.e. asthenosphere or mantle plume sources or both. The range of Sr (ISr ≈ 0.7040–0.7132, Nd (ɛNd(t ≈ −14 to +8, Pb (206Pb/204Pb1 ≈ 17.9–20.6 and Os (γOs ≈ −5 to +11 isotope values of the ultramafic and mafic rocks does not permit a conclusive answer to ultimate source origin of the primitive rocks but it is clear that some rocks were affected by crustal contamination and the presence of near-depleted isotope compositions suggests that there is a sub-lithospheric mantle component in the system. The silicic rocks are derived by basaltic magmas/rocks through fractional crystallization or partial melting, crustal melting or by interactions between mafic and crustal melts. The formation of the Fe-Ti-V oxide-ore deposits is probably due to a combination of fractional crystallization of Ti-rich basalt and fluxing of CO2-rich fluids

  15. Weathering and vegetation controls on nickel isotope fractionation in surface ultramafic environments (Albania)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Estrade, Nicolas; Cloquet, Christophe; Echevarria, Guillaume; Sterckeman, Thibault; Deng, Tenghaobo; Tang, YeTao; Morel, Jean-Louis

    2015-08-01

    The dissolved nickel (Ni) isotopic composition of rivers and oceans presents an apparent paradox. Even though rivers represent a major source of Ni in the oceans, seawater is more enriched in the heavier isotopes than river-water. Additional sources or processes must therefore be invoked to account for the isotopic budget of dissolved Ni in seawater. Weathering of continental rocks is thought to play a major role in determining the magnitude and sign of isotopic fractionation of metals between a rock and the dissolved product. We present a study of Ni isotopes in the rock-soil-plant systems of several ultramafic environments. The results reveal key insights into the magnitude and the control of isotopic fractionation during the weathering of continental ultramafic rocks. This study introduces new constraints on the influence of vegetation during the weathering process, which should be taken into account in interpretations of the variability of Ni isotopes in rivers. The study area is located in a temperate climate zone within the ophiolitic belt area of Albania. The serpentinized peridotites sampled present a narrow range of heavy Ni isotopic compositions (δ60Ni = 0.25 ± 0.16 ‰, 2SD n = 2). At two locations, horizons within two soil profiles affected by different degrees of weathering all presented light isotopic compositions compared to the parent rock (Δ60Nisoil-rock up to - 0.63 ‰). This suggests that the soil pool takes up the light isotopes, while the heavier isotopes remain in the dissolved phase. By combining elemental and mineralogical analyses with the isotope compositions determined for the soils, the extent of fractionation was found to be controlled by the secondary minerals formed in the soil. The types of vegetation growing on ultramafic-derived soils are highly adapted and include both Ni-hyperaccumulating species, which can accumulate several percent per weight of Ni, and non-accumulating species. Whole-plant isotopic compositions were found

  16. 75 FR 15745 - Arizona Public Service Company, et al. Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-30

    ...] Arizona Public Service Company, et al. Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3; Exemption 1.0 Background The Arizona Public Service Company (APS, the licensee) is the holder of Facility... Generating Station (PVNGS), Units 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The licenses provide, among other things, that...

  17. Ultramafic clasts from the South Chamorro serpentine mud volcano reveal a polyphase serpentinization history of the Mariana forearc mantle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kahl, Wolf-Achim; Jöns, Niels; Bach, Wolfgang; Klein, Frieder; Alt, Jeffrey C.

    2015-06-01

    Serpentine seamounts located on the outer half of the pervasively fractured Mariana forearc provide an excellent window into the forearc devolatilization processes, which can strongly influence the cycling of volatiles and trace elements in subduction zones. Serpentinized ultramafic clasts recovered from an active mud volcano in the Mariana forearc reveal microstructures, mineral assemblages and compositions that are indicative of a complex polyphase alteration history. Petrologic phase relations and oxygen isotopes suggest that ultramafic clasts were serpentinized at temperatures below 200 °C. Several successive serpentinization events represented by different vein generations with distinct trace element contents can be recognized. Measured in situ Rb/Cs ratios are fairly uniform ranging between 1 and 10, which is consistent with Cs mobilization from sediments at lower temperatures and lends further credence to the low-temperature conditions proposed in models of the thermal structure in forearc settings. Late veins show lower fluid mobile element (FME) concentrations than early veins, suggesting a decreasing influence of fluid discharge from the subducting slab on the composition of the serpentinizing fluids. The continuous microfabric and mineral chemical evolution observed in the ultramafic clasts may have implications as to the origin and nature of the serpentinizing fluids. We hypothesize that opal and smectite dehydration produce quartz-saturated fluids with high FME contents and Rb/Cs between 1 and 4 that cause the early pervasive serpentinization. The partially serpentinized material may then be eroded from the basal plane of the suprasubduction mantle wedge. Serpentinization continued but the interacting fluids did not carry a pronounced sedimentary signature, either because FMEs were no longer released from the slab, or due to an en route loss of FMEs. Late chrysotile veins that document the increased access of fluids in a now fluid-dominated regime are

  18. Geochemistry of metavolcanic rocks in the Archean Greenstone Belt of Identidade, SE Para, Brazil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Souza, Zorano S.

    1995-01-01

    The paper discusses the geochemistry of the ultramafic and mafic volcanic rocks of the Identidade belt (IDB), in order to present hypothesis about their possible sources and magmatic evolution. The chemical data were obtained by ICP method. The analytical errors are less then 5% for major elements, less than 10% for the minor ones, and around 5% for trace elements. Save additional data from the meta ultramafic rocks of the Seringa belt, situated 100 km to the west of the IDB, were also considered. The XLFRAC program was employed for fractional crystallization modelling of major elements. For trace element modelling the equations of fractional crystallization and equilibrium partial melting were applied, using an unpublished program written in Pascal. 10 figs. 8 tabs

  19. Palo Verde nuclear generating station EASEplus SIMULATE model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McDonald, W.F.; Reed, M.L.; Fauste, J.L.

    1992-01-01

    The Palo Verde on-site reactor engineers have an extremely powerful and accurate tool for quickly predicting the effects of reactor power maneuvers on core axial shape index (ASI) and xenon worth. They can analyze postulated future power maneuvers quickly and supply the reactor operators with valuable predictions without having to consult with the off-site nuclear analysis group. The tool developed by the nuclear analysis group was an advanced nodal code with a graphic user interface (GUI) driver for ease of use. The advanced nodal code used was the Studsvik of America SIMULATE-3 Version 2.20-DSI. This SIMULATE version was compiled for use on a personal computer (PC) with a Definicon Systems' 50-MHz coprocessor board. The GUI face used was Expert-EASE Systems' EASE+SIM3 Version 3.0 pre-/postprocessor. The system was installed on Compaq Deskpro 386/20e PCs located in the control room of each of the three units, in the reactor engineering office, in the nuclear analysis office, and in the control room of the training simulator

  20. Preliminary simulation model to determine ground-water flow and ages within the Palo Duro Basin hydrogeologic province

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Atwood, H.; Picking, L.

    1986-01-01

    Ground-water flow through the Palo Duro and Tucumcari Basins is simulated by developing a hydrogeolgic profile and applying a cross-sectional, finite-element, numerical model to the profile. The profile is 350 miles long and 2 miles deep and extends from east-central New Mexico to the Texas-Oklahoma border. It is comprised of hydrogeologic units that are identified from geophysical well logs, sample logs, and core descriptions. A hydrogeologic unit as used in this profile is a physically continuous rock sequence with hydrologic properties that are relatively consistent throughout and distinct from surrounding units. The resulting hydrogeologic profile, with the exception of the Ogallala Formation and the Dockum Group, is discretized into a 6000-element mesh and a 22,000-element mesh. Permeability values assigned to hydrogeologic units were, in part, calculated from drill stem tests conducted throughout the Palo Duro Basin. Ground-water age and travel paths are determined by applying Darcy's equation to selected flow lines. The 170 million-year age determined from ground-water at points within the Wolfcamp Series compares favorably with the geochemical data for this region. An age of 188 million years is determined for the Pennsylvanian granite wash

  1. Geochemistry of Late Mesozoic mafic dykes in western Fujian Province of China:Sr-Nd isotope and trace element constraints

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2007-01-01

    The Bancun diabase dyke and the Bali hornblende gabbro dyke in western Fuiian Province were emplaced in the Early and Late Cretaceous periods,respectively;the former is designated to calc-alkaline series and the latter to K-high-calc-alkaline rock series.Both the dykes are characterized by such geochemical characteristics as high Al and Na2O>K2O.As for the Bancun dyke,A12O3=16.32%-17.54%and K2O/Na2O=0.65-0.77;as for the Bali dyke,A12O3=16.89%-17.81%and K2O,Na2O=O.93-O.99.Both the Bancun and Bali mafic dykes are relatively endched in LILE and LREE,but depleted in HSFE, displaying the geochemical characteristics of continental marginal arc,with high initial Sr isotopic ratios and low εNd values,The (87Sr/86Sr)i ratios of the Bancun diabase dyke are within the range of 0.708556-0.70903 and their εNd(t)values vary between-6.8 and-6.3;those of the Bali hornblende dyke are within the range of 0.708556-0.710746 and their εNd(t) values are -4.7--4.7,showing the characteristics of enriched mantle EM Ⅱ.The isotope and trace element data showed that the mafic dykes have not experienced obvious crustal contamination,and metasomatism caused by subduction fluids is the main factor leading to LILE and UREE enrichments.The enriched mantle is the source region for the mafic dykes,and mixing of subduction fluid metasomatized enriched mantle and EM Ⅱ-type mantle constituted the mantle source region of both the Bancun and Bali mafic dykes.Upwelling of the asthenosphere mantle provided sufficient heat energy for the generation of magmas.In accordance with the discrimination diagram of their tectonic settings as well as their trace element geochemical characteristics,it is considered that the dykes both at Bancun and Bali possess the characteristics of continental marginal arc,revealing the tectonic environment of formation of the mafic dykes,the continental dynamic background as an intraplate tensional belt in which the mafic dykes were emplaced.Meanwhile,it is also indicated

  2. In-situ U-Pb, Hf and Re-Os isotopic analyses of the Xiangshan Ni-Cu-Co deposit in Eastern Tianshan (Xinjiang), Central Asia Orogenic Belt: Constraints on the timing and genesis of the mineralization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Chunming; Xiao, Wenjiao; Zhao, Guochun; Ao, Songjian; Zhang, Jien; Qu, Wenjun; Du, Andao

    2010-12-01

    The timing and genesis of the major Ni-Cu-Co sulfide deposit in the Xiangshan intrusion have been studied based on newly obtained in-situ U-Pb, Hf and Re-Os isotopic analyses. The SIMS U-Pb zircon ages of the gabbro hosting the Ni-Cu-Co sulfide deposit indicate that the Xiangshan intrusion was emplaced at 279.6 ± 1.1 Ma (95% confidence level, MSWD = 1.30, n = 15). On the basis of combined geological and geochronological evidence, we suggest that the Xiangshan and other adjacent Ni-Cu deposits were formed in the same period. Sulphides have low common Os concentrations and high Re/Os ratios, similar to sulphide ores from the Duluth, Sally Malay and Voisey Bay complexes. The Re-Os isotopic data from the disseminated and massive ores from the Xiangshan intrusion do not form a single isochron, as they have different initial Os ratios. The Hf and Os isotopic data suggest that the Xiangshan intrusion and associated Ni-Cu-Co mineralization were derived from crustally contaminated mantle melts. The geochemical data show a tholeiitic affinity and a strong suprasubduction zone signature with negative Nb, Sr, and Ti anomalies similar to N-MORB and E-MORB. We suggest that the mafic-ultramafic rocks and associated Ni-Cu mineralization of the Eastern Tianshan orogen formed in an Alaska-type subduction zone-arc setting. Some diagnostic features of ridge-trench interaction are present in the Chinese East Tianshan orogen (e.g. granites, adakites, high-Mg andesites, near-trench magmatism, Alaskan-type mafic-ultramafic complexes, high-temperature metamorphic belts that prograde rapidly from low-grade belts, and orogenic gold deposits). The above distinctive rock groups are probably related to the same thermal event, ridge subduction, as in the Cenozoic orogen of Alaska. We suggest that ridge subduction is the most plausible mechanism to provide the necessary heat. Ridge subduction provides an important promising model for understanding many aspects of the evolution of the Chinese

  3. Geostatistical analysis of potentiometric data in Wolfcamp aquifer of the Palo Duro Basin, Texas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harper, W.V.; Furr, J.M.

    1986-04-01

    This report details a geostatistical analysis of potentiometric data from the Wolfcamp aquifer in the Palo Duro Basin, Texas. Such an analysis is a part of an overall uncertainty analysis for a high-level waste repository in salt. Both an expected potentiometric surface and the associated standard error surface are produced. The Wolfcamp data are found to be well explained by a linear trend with a superimposed spherical semivariogram. A cross-validation of the analysis confirms this. In addition, the cross-validation provides a point-by-point check to test for possible anomalous data

  4. Environmental and Geographical Factors Structure Soil Microbial Diversity in New Caledonian Ultramafic Substrates: A Metagenomic Approach.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Véronique Gourmelon

    Full Text Available Soil microorganisms play key roles in ecosystem functioning and are known to be influenced by biotic and abiotic factors, such as plant cover or edaphic parameters. New Caledonia, a biodiversity hotspot located in the southwest Pacific, is one-third covered by ultramafic substrates. These types of soils are notably characterised by low nutrient content and high heavy metal concentrations. Ultramafic outcrops harbour diverse vegetation types and remarkable plant diversity. In this study, we aimed to assess soil bacterial and fungal diversity in New Caledonian ultramafic substrates and to determine whether floristic composition, edaphic parameters and geographical factors affect this microbial diversity. Therefore, four plant formation types at two distinct sites were studied. These formations represent different stages in a potential chronosequence. Soil cores, according to a given sampling procedure, were collected to assess microbial diversity using a metagenomic approach, and to characterise the physico-chemical parameters. A botanical inventory was also performed. Our results indicated that microbial richness, composition and abundance were linked to the plant cover type and the dominant plant species. Furthermore, a large proportion of Ascomycota phylum (fungi, mostly in non-rainforest formations, and Planctomycetes phylum (bacteria in all formations were observed. Interestingly, such patterns could be indicators of past disturbances that occurred on different time scales. Furthermore, the bacteria and fungi were influenced by diverse edaphic parameters as well as by the interplay between these two soil communities. Another striking finding was the existence of a site effect. Differences in microbial communities between geographical locations may be explained by dispersal limitation in the context of the biogeographical island theory. In conclusion, each plant formation at each site possesses is own microbial community resulting from

  5. The genesis of Mo-Cu deposits and mafic igneous rocks in the Senj area, Alborz magmatic belt, Iran

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nabatian, Ghasem; Li, Xian-Hua; Wan, Bo; Honarmand, Maryam

    2017-11-01

    The geochemical and isotopic investigations were provided on the Upper Eocene Senj mafic intrusion and Mo-Cu mineralization to better understand the tectono-magmatic evolution and metallogeny of the central part of the Alborz magmatic belt. The Senj mafic intrusion is composed of gabbro to monzodiorite and monzonite in lithology, and intruded as a sill into volcano-sedimentary rocks of the Eocene Karaj Formation. The Karaj Formation consists of volcano-sedimentary rocks, such as altered crystalline to shaly tuffs. The Senj intrusion (39.7 ± 0.4 Ma) shows LILE and LREE enrichment and negative anomaly of Nb, Ta and Ti, the geochemical signatures similar to those from subduction-related mafic magmas. The Hf-O zircon analyses yield ɛHf(t) values of + 4.1 to + 11.1 and δ18O values of + 4.8 to + 6.2‰. The zircon isotopic signatures together with shoshonitic affinity in the Senj mafic samples suggest partial melting of an enriched lithospheric mantle that had already been metasomatized by slab-derived melts and fluids. The Mo-Cu mineralization mainly occurs as veins and veinlets in the volcano-sedimentary rocks of the Karaj Formation and is dominated by molybdenite with minor amounts of chalcopyrite, bornite, pyrite and tetrahedrite-tennantite. The associated gangue minerals are tremolite, actinolite, quartz, calcite, chlorite and epidote. The Senj Mo-Cu deposit formed in volcano-sedimentary rocks following the emplacement of the Late Eocene Senj sill. The source of molybdenite in the Senj deposit is dominantly from crustal materials as it is revealed by Re contents in the molybdenite minerals (0.5 to 0.7 ppm). In fact, the molybdenite occurrence may be a remobilization process related to the emplacement of the Senj mafic magma.

  6. Summer sound-level characterization of the Deaf Smith County and Swisher County locations in the Palo Duro Basin, Texas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1984-03-01

    A description of sound levels and sound sources in the Deaf Smith County and Swisher County locations in the Palo Duro Basin during a period representative of the summer season is presented. Included are data collected during the period August 4 through 8, 1982, for both locations. 3 references, 2 figures, 3 tables

  7. Characterising the continental crust factory: new insights into the roots of an island arc from Hf isotopes in rutile (Kohistan complex, Pakistan)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ewing, Tanya; Müntener, Othmar; Schaltegger, Urs

    2017-04-01

    Island arcs are one of the primary sites of generation of new continental crust. As such, a question of fundamental importance to models of continental growth is to what extent island arc magmas are strictly juvenile melts derived directly from the mantle, versus potentially incorporating a significant recycled continental component, for example from subducted sediment. The Kohistan complex (northeastern Pakistan) preserves a remarkably complete ˜50 km thick cross-section through an exhumed Jurassic-Cretaceous island arc. It affords a rare opportunity to study the evolution of island arc magmatism from subduction initiation, through intra-oceanic subduction, to arc-continent collision. In this study, we investigate the ultramafic-mafic Jijal Complex, which preserves part of the plutonic roots of the Kohistan complex formed over ˜20 Ma of intra-oceanic subduction. The Jijal Complex is volumetrically dominated by ultramafic rocks and garnet-bearing gabbros whose petrogenesis is controversial. Garnet formation has variously been attributed a prograde metamorphic origin1, a magmatic origin recording crystallisation at high pressures2,3, or a restitic origin following partial melting4. We have characterised the source of the Jijal Complex using in situ LA-MC-ICPMS determination of the Hf isotope composition of rutile from garnet gabbros, which are zircon-free. This work exploits the superior sensitivity of the Neptune Plus, coupled with an improved analytical protocol, to improve precision of this novel technique and permit in situ analysis of rutile with only ˜10-30 ppm Hf. Rutile occurs included in early-formed minerals such as clinopyroxene and garnet, indicating crystallisation at high pressures and temperatures. Rutile from all samples, collected across ˜3 km of former crustal depth, has indistinguishable Hf isotope compositions close to depleted mantle values. Integrating the new Hf isotope data for rutile with previously published whole rock Nd-Sr isotope

  8. Lead isotope evolution across the Neoproterozoic boundary between craton and juvenile crust, Bayuda Desert, Sudan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evuk, David; Lucassen, Friedrich; Franz, Gerhard

    2017-11-01

    Metaigneous mafic and ultramafic rocks from the juvenile Neoproterozoic Arabian Nubian Shield (ANS) and the Proterozoic, reworked Saharan Metacraton (SMC) have been analysed for major- and trace elements and Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopes. Most of the rocks are amphibolites metamorphosed at amphibolite facies conditions, some with relicts of a granulite facies stage. The other rocks are metapyroxenites, metagabbros, and some ultramafic rocks. Trace element compositions of the metabasaltic (dominantly tholeiitic) rocks resemble the patterns of island arcs and primitive lavas from continental arcs. Variable Sr and Nd isotope ratios indicate depleted mantle dominance for most of the samples. 207Pb/204Pb signatures distinguish between the influence of high 207Pb/204Pb old SMC crust and depleted mantle signatures of the juvenile ANS crust. The Pb isotope signatures for most metabasaltic rocks, metapyroxenites and metagabbros from SMC indicate an autochthonous formation. The interpretation of the new data together with published evidence from mafic xenoliths on SMC and ophiolite from ANS allows an extrapolation of mantle evolution in time. There are two lines of evolution in the regional mantle, one, which incorporates potential upper crust material during Neoproterozoic, and a second one with a depleted mantle signature since pre-Neoproterozoic that still is present in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden spreading centres.

  9. Isotope geochemistry of xenoliths from East Africa. Implications for development of mantle reservoirs and their interaction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cohen, R S; O' Nions, R K [Cambridge Univ. (UK). Dept. of Earth Sciences; Dawson, J B [Sheffield Univ. (UK). Dept. of Geology

    1984-05-01

    Pd, Nd and Sr isotope analyses together with U, Pb, Sm, Nd, Rb and Sr concentrations have been obtained for separated phases of lherzolite and bulk rock mafic granulite xenoliths in Recent volcanics from Tanzania. A garnet lherzolite from the Lashaine vent has yielded the least radiogenic Pb (/sup 206/Pb//sup 204/PB=15.55) and Nd (/sup 143/Nd//sup 144/Nd=0.51127; epsilon/sup 0/sub(Nd)=-26.7) isotope compositions recorded so far for an ultramafic xenolith, and /sup 87/Sr//sup 86/Sr=0.83604. The Pb isotope compositions of the mafic granulites are variable 15.77complex history that includes major chemical fractionations ca. 2.0 Ga ago. A phlogopite-amphibole vein from the Pello Hill sample has Sr, Nd and Pb isotope compositions similar to those of mid-ocean ridge basalts, indicating both a young emplacement age for the vein material and a source which had an isotopic signature characteristic of depleted mantle. The Sr, Nd and Pb isotope systematics of ultramafic xenoliths do not conform with those of MORB, particularly in terms of their Pb-Sr, and Nd-Pb relationship. In this regard they are similar to some ocean islands and could be a viable source material for some ocean island basalts at least. The mantle part of the continental lithosphere is as likely to contain recycled components derived from the continental crust as are other regions of mantle. If the mantle part of continental lithosphere is invoked as a source for ocean islands, it does not negate the possibility that substantial recycled components are involved.

  10. Devonian alkaline magmatic belt along the northern margin of the North China Block: Petrogenesis and tectonic implications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qi-Qi; Zhang, Shuan-Hong; Zhao, Yue; Liu, Jian-Min

    2018-03-01

    Some Devonian magmatic rocks have been identified from the northern margin of the North China Block (NCB) in recent years. However, their petrogenesis and tectonic setting are still highly controversial. Here we present new geochronological, Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic and whole-rock chemical data on several newly identified and previously reported Devonian alkaline complexes, including mafic-ultramafic rocks (pyroxenites and gabbros), alkaline rocks (syenites, monzonites) and alkaline granites in the northern NCB. We firstly identified some mafic-ultramafic rocks coeval with monzonite and quartz monzonite in the Sandaogou and Wulanhada alkaline intrusions. New zircon U-Pb dating of 16 samples from the Baicaigou, Gaojiacun, Sandaogou, Wulanhada and Chifeng alkaline intrusions combined with previous geochronological results indicate that the Devonian alkaline rocks emplaced during the early-middle Devonian at around 400-380 Ma and constitute an E-W-trending alkaline magmatic belt that extend ca. 900 km long along the northern margin of the NCB. Whole-rock geochemical and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic data reveal that the Devonian alkaline rocks were mainly originated from partial melting of a variably enriched lithospheric mantle with different involvement of ancient lower crustal component and fractional crystallization. The Devonian alkaline magmatic belt rocks in the northern NCB are characterized by very weak or no deformations and were most likely related to post-collision extension after arc-continent collision between the Bainaimiao island arc and the northern margin of North China Craton during the latest Silurian. Partial melting of subcontinental lithospheric mantle to produce the Devonian alkaline magmatic rocks suggests that the northern North China Craton has an inhomogeneous, variably enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle and was characterized by significant vertical crustal growth during the Devonian period.

  11. Technical specifications, Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Unit No. 2 (Docket No. 50-529). Appendix A to License No. NPF-51

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1986-04-01

    Information is presented concerning the technical specifications for the Palo Verde-2 Reactor. Areas of interest discussed in this report include: safety limits and limiting safety system settings; limiting conditions for operation and surveillance requirements; design features; and administrative controls. 19 figs., 62 tabs

  12. Geophysical exploration of the Kalahari Suture Zone

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brett, J. S.; Mason, R.; Smith, P. H.

    2000-04-01

    Fancamp Resources Limited of Montreal, Canada, commenced exploration of the Kalahari Suture Zone in southwest Botswana in 1996, following the interpretation of airborne magnetic surveys covering 400 km of strike along the Kalahari Suture Zone. Initial focus was on mafic/ultramafic intrusions associated with the Tshane Complex as potential targets for CuNiPGM mineralization, but these targets are now considered to be too deeply buried (> 700 m) to be of economic significance at this time. The exploration focus has been redirected to several prospective large coincident magnetic/gravity anomalies. These are considered prospective targets for Olympic Dam-type CuCo mineralisation associated with alkaline intrusive complexes, and/or NiCuCoPGM mineralisation associated with basic intrusive complexes. The two most important and prospective targets are the so-called 'Great Red Spot' and Tsetseng Complex. Additional ground geophysical surveys and deep drilling are planned for the next phase of exploration. These large targets are of high priority and represent tremendous potential for mineral development in the sparsely populated area of western Botswana.

  13. Stratigraphy, distribution, and evidence for mafic triggering of the ca. 8.5 ka Driftwood Pumice eruption, Makushin Volcano, Alaska, U.S.A

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lerner, Allan H.; Crowley, Peter D.; Nicolaysen, Kirsten P.; Hazlett, Richard W.

    2018-05-01

    Makushin Volcano on Unalaska Island, Alaska, threatens the Aleutian's largest population centers (Unalaska and Dutch Harbor), yet its eruption mechanisms are poorly known. This study presents a detailed stratigraphic and geochemical investigation of Makushin's most recent highly explosive event: the ca. 8.5 ka Driftwood Pumice eruption. The Driftwood Pumice has measured thicknesses of over 2.5 m, and isopach reconstructions estimate a total deposit volume of 0.3 to 1.6 km3, indicating a VEI 4-5 eruption. Proximal deposits consist of normally-graded, tan, dacitic to andesitic pumice, capped by a thinner dark layer of lower-silica andesitic scoria mixed with abundant lithic fragments. This stratigraphy is interpreted as an initial vent-clearing eruption that strengthened into a climactic ejection of pumice and ash and concluded with vent destabilization and the eruption of somewhat more mafic, gas-poor magma. Within the pumice, geochemical trends, disequilibrium mineral populations, and mineral zonation patterns show evidence of magma mixing between a bulk silicic magma and a mafic melt. Euhedral high-Ca plagioclase (An68-91) and high-Mg olivine (Fo69-77) phenocrysts are in disequilibrium with trachydacitic glass (65-68 wt% SiO2) and more abundant sodic plagioclase (An34-55), indicating the former originally crystallized in a more mafic melt. Tephra whole rock compositions become more mafic upwards through the deposit, ranging from a basal low-silica dacite to an andesite (total range: 60.8-63.3 wt% SiO2). Collectively, these compositional variations suggest magma mixing in the Driftwood Pumice (DWP) magma reservoir, with a systematic increase in the amount of a mafic component (up to 25%) upward through the deposit. Olivine-liquid and liquid-only thermometry indicate the mafic magma intruded at temperatures 140-200 °C hotter than the silicic magma. Diffusion rates calculated for 5-7 μm thick, lower-Mg rims on the olivine phenocrysts (Fo60 rim vs Fo76 bulk) suggest

  14. New age (ca. 2970 Ma), mantle source composition and geodynamic constraints on the Archean Fiskenæsset anorthosite complex, SW Greenland

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Polat, A; Frei, Robert; Scherstén, Anders

    2010-01-01

    The Archean Fiskenæsset Complex, SW Greenland, consists of an association of ca. 550-meter-thick layered anorthosite, leucogabbro, gabbro, and ultramafic rocks (peridotite, pyroxenite, dunite, hornblendite). The complex was intruded by tonalite, trondhjemite, and granodiorite (TTG) sheets (now...... orthogneisses) during thrusting that was followed by several phases of isoclinal folding. The trace element systematics of the Fiskenæsset Complex and associated volcanic rocks are consistent with a supra-subduction zone geodynamic setting. The Fiskenæsset anorthosites, leucogabbros, gabbros and ultramafic...... rocks collectively yield an Sm–Nd errorchron age of 2973 ± 28 Ma (MSWD = 33), with an average initial eNd = + 3.3 ± 0.7, consistent with a long-term depleted mantle source. Regression of Pb isotope data define an age of 2945 ± 36 Ma (MSWD = 44); and the regression line intersects the average growth...

  15. Mesozoic mafic dikes from the Shandong Peninsula, North China Craton: Petrogenesis and tectonic implications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Shen; Hu Ruizhong; Zhao Junhong; Feng Caixia; Zou, Haibo

    2006-01-01

    Mesozoic mafic dikes are widely distributed in Luxi (Mengyin and Zichuan) and Jiaodong regions of the Shandong Peninsula, China, providing an opportunity of investigating the nature of the lost lithospheric mantle beneath the North China Craton (NCC). The mafic dikes are characterized by strong depletion in high field strength elements (HFSE), enrichment in light rare earth elements (LREE), highly variable Th/U ratios, high initial ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) i (0.7050-0.7099) and negative ε Nd (T) (-6.0 to -17.6). They were derived from melting of metasomatized portions of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle, followed by fractionation of clinopyroxenes. The similarity in Nd isotopic compositions between the Mengyin gabbro dikes and the Paleozoic peridotite xenoliths suggests that ancient lithospheric mantle was still retained at 120 Ma below Mengyin, although the ancient lithospheric mantle in many other places beneath NCC had been severely modified. There might be multiple enrichment events in the lithospheric mantle. An early-stage (before or during Paleozoic) rutile-rich metasomatism affected the lithospheric mantle below Mengyin, Jiaodong and Zichuan. Since then, the lithospheric mantle beneath Mengyin was isolated. A late-stage metasomatism by silicate melts modified the lithospheric mantle beneath Jiaodong and Zichuan but not Mengyin. The removal of the enriched lithospheric mantle and the generation of the mafic dikes may be mainly related to the convective overturn accompanying Jurassic-Cretaceous subduction of the paleo-Pacific plate. (author)

  16. V[subscript s] structure of the crust containing the Bushveld Complex

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Kgaswane, EM

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available ) across the Bushveld Complex is characterized by V(subs) as high as ~3.7–3.8 km/s, consistent with the presence of mafic lithologies. These results support a “continuous-sheet” as opposed to a “dipping-sheet” model for the Bushveld Complex. However...

  17. Isotopic constraints on contamination processes in the Tonian Goiás Stratiform Complex

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giovanardi, Tommaso; Mazzucchelli, Maurizio; Lugli, Federico; Girardi, Vicente A. V.; Correia, Ciro T.; Tassinari, Colombo C. G.; Cipriani, Anna

    2018-06-01

    The Tonian Goiás Stratiform Complex (TGSC, Goiás, central Brazil), is one of the largest mafic-ultramafic layered complexes in the world, emplaced during the geotectonic events that led to the Gondwana accretion. In this study, we present trace elements and in-situ U/Pb-Lu-Hf analyses of zircons and 87Sr/86Sr ratios of plagioclases from anorthosites and gabbros of the TGSC. Although formed by three isolated bodies (Cana Brava, Niquelândia and Barro Alto), and characterized by a Lower and Upper Sequence (LS and US), our new U/Pb zircon data confirm recent geochemical, geochronological, and structural evidences that the TGSC has originated from a single intrusive body in the Neoproterozoic. New Hf and Sr isotope ratios construe a complex contamination history for the TGSC, with different geochemical signatures in the two sequences. The low Hf and high Sr isotope ratios of the Lower Sequence (εHf(t) from -4.2 down to -27.5; 87Sr/86Sr = 0.706605-0.729226), suggest the presence of a crustal component and are consistent with contamination from meta-pelitic and calc-silicate rocks found as xenoliths within the Sequence. The more radiogenic Hf isotope ratios and low Sr isotope composition of the Upper Sequence (εHf(t) from 11.3 down to -8.4; 87Sr/86Sr = 0.702368-0.702452), suggest a contamination from mantle-derived metabasalts in agreement with the occurrences of amphibolite xenoliths in the US stratigraphy. The differential contamination of the two sequences is explained by the intrusion of the TGSC in a stratified crust dominated by metasedimentary rocks in its deeper part and metavolcanics at shallower levels. Moreover, the differential thermal gradient in the two crystallizing sequences might have contributed to the preservation and recrystallization of inherited zircon grains in the US and total dissolution or magmatic overgrowth of the LS zircons via melt/rock reaction processes.

  18. An example of post-collisional mafic magmatism: the gabbro-anorthosite layered complex from the Tin Zebane area (western Hoggar, Algeria)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aı̈t-Djafer, Saı̈da; Ouzegane, Khadidja; Paul-Liégeois, Jean; Kienast, Jean Robert

    2003-10-01

    The Tin Zebane gabbro-anorthosite layered mafic intrusion represented by plagioclase-rich cumulates forms a set of small lenticular to round-shaped mainly undeformed bodies intruding the Pan-African high-pressure metamorphic rocks from western Hoggar (Tuareg shield, southwest Algeria). The coarse-grained anorthosites are mainly made of slightly zoned bytownite (An 86-74) with the higher anorthite content at the cores. Anorthosites are interlayered with leucogabbros and gabbros that show preserved magmatic structures and with olivine gabbros characterised by coronitic textures. The primary assemblage in gabbros includes plagioclase (An 93-70), olivine (Fo 77-70), zoned clinopyroxene (En 43-48Fs 05-13Wo 41-49 with Al 2O 3 up to 4.3 wt.%) and rare orthopyroxene (En 73-78). Pyroxenes and olivine are commonly surrounded by Ca-amphibole. The olivine-plagioclase contact is usually marked by a fine orthopyroxene-Cr-spinel-amphibole symplectite. A magnesian pigeonite (En 70-75Fs 19-20Wo 6-10) is also involved in corona. The coronitic minerals have equilibrated with the primary mineral rims at P- T- aH2O conditions of 797 ± 42 °C for aH2O=0.5 and 808 ± 44 °C for aH2O=0.6 at 6.2 ± 1.4 kbar. The Tin Zebane gabbroic rocks are depleted in REE with a positive Eu anomaly, high Sr (>10 ∗ chondrite) and Al 2O 3 concentrations (17-33%) that support plagioclase accumulation with the extreme case represented by the anorthosites. The REE patterns can be modelised using plagioclase, clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene REE signature, without any role played by accessory minerals. High MgO content points to olivine as a major cumulate phase. Anorthositic gabbros Sr and Nd isotopic initial ratios are typical of a depleted mantle source (Sr i=0.70257-0.70278; ɛNd=+5.9 to +7.8). This isotopic signature is identical to that of the 10-km wide 592 Ma old dyke complex composed of alkaline to peralkaline granites and tholeiitic gabbros and one single bimodal complex can be inferred. The source

  19. DDE in sediments of the Palos Verdes shelf, California: In situ transformation rates and geochemical fate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eganhouse, R.P.; Pontolillo, J.

    2008-01-01

    From 1947 to 1971 the world's largest manufacturer of DDT discharged process wastes into the sewers of Los Angeles County. Roughly 870-1450 t of DDT were released to the ocean off Palos Verdes, CA, a portion of which (???100 t) resides in sediments on the continental shelf and slope. The most abundant DDT compound in the sediments, p,p???-DDE, is degrading by reductive dechlorination, butthe rate of transformation and factors controlling it are not well understood. In order to estimate in situ transformation rates and predict the long-term fate of p,p???-DDE, box cores were collected in 1992 and 2003 from a single location on the Palos Verdes Shelf and analyzed for 8 DDT compounds and 84 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners. The PCBs show no evidence of dechlorination, and inventories did not change between 1992 and 2003. By contrast, the inventory of p,p???-DDE decreased by 43%, whereas that of p,p???-DDMU, the putative reductive dechlorination product increased by 34%. The first-order transformation rate for p,p???-DDE at the study site is 0.051 ?? 0.006 yr-1. A multistep reaction model suggests that inventories of p,p???-DDE and p,p???-DDMU will continue to decline, whereas that of p,p???-DDNU will reach a maximum around 2014.

  20. Consideration of the ultramafic intrusive rocks in Arroyo Las Palmas (ex Cerro Chato - Las Canias) Durazno. R. O. del Uruguay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coronel, N.

    1987-01-01

    This work is about the ultramafic rocks which its chemistry composition fluctuate since the basic to the ultra basic field and appear in the nascent of the Las Palmas stream near Las Canias and Cerro Chato district.

  1. Bacterially Induced Weathering of Ultramafic Rock and Its Implications for Phytoextraction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kidd, Petra; Kuffner, Melanie; Prieto-Fernández, Ángeles; Hann, Stephan; Monterroso, Carmela; Sessitsch, Angela; Wenzel, Walter; Puschenreiter, Markus

    2013-01-01

    The bioavailability of metals in soil is often cited as a limiting factor of phytoextraction (or phytomining). Bacterial metabolites, such as organic acids, siderophores, or biosurfactants, have been shown to mobilize metals, and their use to improve metal extraction has been proposed. In this study, the weathering capacities of, and Ni mobilization by, bacterial strains were evaluated. Minimal medium containing ground ultramafic rock was inoculated with either of two Arthrobacter strains: LA44 (indole acetic acid [IAA] producer) or SBA82 (siderophore producer, PO4 solubilizer, and IAA producer). Trace elements and organic compounds were determined in aliquots taken at different time intervals after inoculation. Trace metal fractionation was carried out on the remaining rock at the end of the experiment. The results suggest that the strains act upon different mineral phases. LA44 is a more efficient Ni mobilizer, apparently solubilizing Ni associated with Mn oxides, and this appeared to be related to oxalate production. SBA82 also leads to release of Ni and Mn, albeit to a much lower extent. In this case, the concurrent mobilization of Fe and Si indicates preferential weathering of Fe oxides and serpentine minerals, possibly related to the siderophore production capacity of the strain. The same bacterial strains were tested in a soil-plant system: the Ni hyperaccumulator Alyssum serpyllifolium subsp. malacitanum was grown in ultramafic soil in a rhizobox system and inoculated with each bacterial strain. At harvest, biomass production and shoot Ni concentrations were higher in plants from inoculated pots than from noninoculated pots. Ni yield was significantly enhanced in plants inoculated with LA44. These results suggest that Ni-mobilizing inoculants could be useful for improving Ni uptake by hyperaccumulator plants. PMID:23793627

  2. Reassessing Geophysical Models of the Bushveld Complex in 3D

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cole, J.; Webb, S. J.; Finn, C.

    2012-12-01

    Conceptual geophysical models of the Bushveld Igneous Complex show three possible geometries for its mafic component: 1) Separate intrusions with vertical feeders for the eastern and western lobes (Cousins, 1959) 2) Separate dipping sheets for the two lobes (Du Plessis and Kleywegt, 1987) 3) A single saucer-shaped unit connected at depth in the central part between the two lobes (Cawthorn et al, 1998) Model three incorporates isostatic adjustment of the crust in response to the weight of the dense mafic material. The model was corroborated by results of a broadband seismic array over southern Africa, known as the Southern African Seismic Experiment (SASE) (Nguuri, et al, 2001; Webb et al, 2004). This new information about the crustal thickness only became available in the last decade and could not be considered in the earlier models. Nevertheless, there is still on-going debate as to which model is correct. All of the models published up to now have been done in 2 or 2.5 dimensions. This is not well suited to modelling the complex geometry of the Bushveld intrusion. 3D modelling takes into account effects of variations in geometry and geophysical properties of lithologies in a full three dimensional sense and therefore affects the shape and amplitude of calculated fields. The main question is how the new knowledge of the increased crustal thickness, as well as the complexity of the Bushveld Complex, will impact on the gravity fields calculated for the existing conceptual models, when modelling in 3D. The three published geophysical models were remodelled using full 3Dl potential field modelling software, and including crustal thickness obtained from the SASE. The aim was not to construct very detailed models, but to test the existing conceptual models in an equally conceptual way. Firstly a specific 2D model was recreated in 3D, without crustal thickening, to establish the difference between 2D and 3D results. Then the thicker crust was added. Including the less

  3. Near-field receiving water monitoring of trace metals and a benthic community near the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant in south San Francisco Bay, California: 2014

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cain, Daniel J.; Thompson, Janet K.; Crauder, Jeff; Parcheso, Francis; Stewart, Robin; Kleckner, Amy E.; Dyke, Jessica; Hornberger, Michelle I.; Luoma, Samuel N.

    2015-01-01

    Trace-metal concentrations in sediment and in the clam Macoma petalum (formerly reported as Macoma balthica), clam reproductive activity, and benthic macroinvertebrate community structure were investigated in a mudflat 1 kilometer (km) south of the discharge of the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant (PARWQCP) in South San Francisco Bay, Calif. This report includes the data collected by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists for the period January 2014 to December 2014. These append to long-term datasets extending back to 1974, and serve as the basis for the City of Palo Alto’s Near-Field Receiving Water Monitoring Program, initiated in 1994. 

  4. Fluid inclusion brine compositions from Palo Duro Basin salt sites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moody, J.B.

    1987-01-01

    The fluid inclusion analyses were done on salt samples from Lower San Andres Cycle 4 and 5. The stable isotope composition of the fluid inclusion brines was measured on duplicate samples taken from the same fluid inclusion brine for correlation of geochemical content with the stable isotopic content. The analyzed Palo Duro Basin salt fluid inclusions are predominantly one phase, i.e., the presence of a fluid only. However, many of the larger fluid inclusions do have a small vapor bubble. This liquid/vapor ratio is so high in these vapor-containing fluid inclusions that their behavior in a thermal gradient would be almost identical to that of all liquid inclusions. Closely associated with the fluid inclusions are cryptomelane where some fibers penetrate into halite host crystal. The fluid inclusions have a wide variability in content for those components that were analyzed, even within the same salt type. The fluid inclusion brines are also acidic, ranging from 3 to 6 as measured with pH test papers

  5. Physical volcanology of the mafic segment of the subaqueous New Senator caldera, Abitibi greenstone belt, Quebec, Canada

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moore, Lyndsay N; Mueller, Wulf U

    2008-01-01

    Archean calderas provide valuable insight into internal geometries of subaqueous calderas. The New Senator caldera, Abitibi greenstone belt, Canada, is an Archean example of a subaqueous nested caldera with a basal stratigraphy dominated by gabbro-diorite dykes and sills, ponded magmas and basalt and andesite lava flows. The aim of our study is to focus on the use of physical volcanology to differentiate between the various mafic units found at the base of the New Senator caldera. Differentiation between these various mafic units is important from an exploration point of view because in modern subaqueous summit calders (e.g. Axial Seamount) margins of ponded magmas are often sites of VMS formation.

  6. Physical volcanology of the mafic segment of the subaqueous New Senator caldera, Abitibi greenstone belt, Quebec, Canada

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moore, Lyndsay N; Mueller, Wulf U [Universite du Quebec a Chicoutimi, 555 boul. du l' Universite, Chicoutimi, Quebec, G7H2B1 (Canada)], E-mail: lyndsay.moore@uqac.ca

    2008-10-01

    Archean calderas provide valuable insight into internal geometries of subaqueous calderas. The New Senator caldera, Abitibi greenstone belt, Canada, is an Archean example of a subaqueous nested caldera with a basal stratigraphy dominated by gabbro-diorite dykes and sills, ponded magmas and basalt and andesite lava flows. The aim of our study is to focus on the use of physical volcanology to differentiate between the various mafic units found at the base of the New Senator caldera. Differentiation between these various mafic units is important from an exploration point of view because in modern subaqueous summit calders (e.g. Axial Seamount) margins of ponded magmas are often sites of VMS formation.

  7. Exponential-time constitutive law for Palo Duro Unit 4 Salt from the J. Friemel No. 1 Well

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Senseny, P.E.; Pfeifle, T.W.; Mellegard, K.D.

    1986-07-01

    Values for the nine parameters in the exponential-time constitutive law are presented for Palo Duro Unit 4 salt. The values given for the thermal expansion and two elastic parameters are taken from previous laboratory studies. The six remaining constitutive parameters are evaluated by analyzing data from 12 triaxial compression creep tests. The specimens tested in this study are from the J. Friemel No. 1 well in Deaf County, Texas. 15 refs., 15 figs., 4 tabs

  8. Field-trip guide to mafic volcanism of the Cascade Range in Central Oregon—A volcanic, tectonic, hydrologic, and geomorphic journey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deligne, Natalia I.; Mckay, Daniele; Conrey, Richard M.; Grant, Gordon E.; Johnson, Emily R.; O'Connor, Jim; Sweeney, Kristin

    2017-08-16

    The Cascade Range in central Oregon has been shaped by tectonics, volcanism, and hydrology, as well as geomorphic forces that include glaciations. As a result of the rich interplay between these forces, mafic volcanism here can have surprising manifestations, which include relatively large tephra footprints and extensive lava flows, as well as water shortages, transportation and agricultural disruption, and forest fires. Although the focus of this multidisciplinary field trip will be on mafic volcanism, we will also look at the hydrology, geomorphology, and ecology of the area, and we will examine how these elements both influence and are influenced by mafic volcanism. We will see mafic volcanic rocks at the Sand Mountain volcanic field and in the Santiam Pass area, at McKenzie Pass, and in the southern Bend region. In addition, this field trip will occur during a total solar eclipse, the first one visible in the United States in more than 25 years (and the first seen in the conterminous United States in more than 37 years).The Cascade Range is the result of subduction of the Juan de Fuca plate underneath the North American plate. This north-south-trending volcanic mountain range is immediately downwind of the Pacific Ocean, a huge source of moisture. As moisture is blown eastward from the Pacific on prevailing winds, it encounters the Cascade Range in Oregon, and the resulting orographic lift and corresponding rain shadow is one of the strongest precipitation gradients in the conterminous United States. We will see how the products of the volcanoes in the central Oregon Cascades have had a profound influence on groundwater flow and, thus, on the distribution of Pacific moisture. We will also see the influence that mafic volcanism has had on landscape evolution, vegetation development, and general hydrology.

  9. Expedition 357 Preliminary Report: Atlantis Massif Serpentinization and Life

    OpenAIRE

    Früh-Green, GL; Orcutt, BN; Green, S; Cotterill, C; McCaig, AM; Expedition 357 Scientists,

    2016-01-01

    International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 357 successfully cored an east–west transect across the southern wall of Atlantis Massif on the western flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to study the links between serpentinization processes and microbial activity in the shallow subsurface of highly altered ultramafic and mafic sequences that have been uplifted to the seafloor along a major detachment fault zone. The primary goals of this expedition were to (1) examine the role of serpent...

  10. Experience with reactor power cutback system at Palo Verde nuclear generating station

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chari, D.R.; Rec, J.R.; Simoni, L.P.; Eimar, R.L.; Sowers, G.W.

    1987-01-01

    Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (PVNGS) is a three unit site which illustrates System 80 nuclear steam supply system (NSSS) design. The System 80 NSSS is the Combustion Engineering (C-E) standard design rated at 3817 Mwth. PVNGS Units 1 and 2 achieved commercial operation on February 13, 1986 and September 22, 1986, respectively, while Unit 3 has a forecast date for commercial operation in the third quarter of 1987. The System 80 design incorporates a reactor power cutback system (RPCS) feature which reduces plant trips caused by two common initiating events: loss of load/turbine trip (LOL) and loss of one main feedwater pump (LOMFWP). The key design objective of the RPCS is to improve overall plant availability and performance, while minimizing challenges to the plant safety system

  11. Use of probabilistic risk assessment in maintenance activities at Palo Verde

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lindquist, R.C.; Pobst, D.S.

    1993-01-01

    Probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) is an important tool in addressing various maintenance activities. At the Palo Verde nuclear generating station (PVNGS), the PRA has been used in a variety of ways to support a wide and diverse selection of maintenance-related activities. For on-line or at-power maintenance, the PRA was used to evaluate combinations of maintenance activities possible with the 12-week or floating maintenance schedule. The maintenance schedule was evaluated to identify any higher risk, undesirable combinations of equipment outages, such as the sole steam-driven auxiliary feedwater pump and the same train emergency diesel generator. Table I is a sampling of the results from the maintenance schedule evaluation in terms of increase in conditional core damage frequency (CDF) above the base- line value due to maintenance on some important key safety systems and combinations thereof. The baseline CDF is 7.4 x 10 -7 per 72 h

  12. Stable isotope study of serpentinization and metamorphism in the Highland Border Suite, Scotland, UK

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ikin, N.P. (University Coll., Cardiff (UK)); Harmon, R.S. (Southern Methodist Univ., Dallas, TX (USA))

    1983-02-01

    D/H and /sup 18/O//sup 16/O ratios have been measured for whole-rock samples and mineral separates from the mafic and ultramafic rocks of the Cambro-Ordovician Highland Border Suite. The H- and O-isotopic compositions of these rocks record individual stages in a relatively complex 500 Myr old hydrothermal/ metamorphic history. Lizardite serpentinites record a premetamorphic history and indicate that parent harzburgites, dunites, and pyroxenites were serpentinized through low-temperature interaction with meteoric waters during cooling. The other rocks of the Highland Border Suite record subsequent interaction with metamorphic fluids. Amphibolite facies hornblende schists were produced through thrust-related metamorphism of spilitic pillow lavas. During dehydration, D-enriched fluids were driven off from the spilites thus leaving the hornblende schists to equilibrate with a relatively D-depleted internal fluid reservoir. The expelled D-enriched fluids may have mixed with more typical Dalradian metamorphic waters which then exchanged with the remaining mafic rocks and lizardite serpentinites during greenschist facies regional metamorphism to produce antigorite serpentinites and greenschist metaspilites with similar H- and O-isotopic compositions. Serpentinites which have been only partially metamorphosed show intermediate H-isotopic compositions between that of metamorphic antigorite and non-metamorphic lizardite end members.

  13. A stable isotope study of serpentinization and metamorphism in the Highland Border Suite, Scotland, UK

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ikin, N.P.; Harmon, R.S.

    1983-01-01

    D/H and 18 O/ 16 O ratios have been measured for whole-rock samples and mineral separates from the mafic and ultramafic rocks of the Cambro-Ordovician Highland Border Suite. The H- and O-isotopic compositions of these rocks record individual stages in a relatively complex 500 Myr old hydrothermal/ metamorphic history. Lizardite serpentinites record a premetamorphic history and indicate that parent harzburgites, dunites, and pyroxenites were serpentinized through low-temperature interaction with meteoric waters during cooling. The other rocks of the Highland Border Suite record subsequent interaction with metamorphic fluids. Amphibolite facies hornblende schists were produced through thrust-related metamorphism of spilitic pillow lavas. During dehydration, D-enriched fluids were driven off from the spilites thus leaving the hornblende schists to equilibrate with a relatively D-depleted internal fluid reservoir. The expelled D-enriched fluids may have mixed with more typical Dalradian metamorphic waters which then exchanged with the remaining mafic rocks and lizardite serpentinites during greenschist facies regional metamorphism to produce antigorite serpentinites and greenschist metaspilites with similar H- and O-isotopic compositions. Serpentinites which have been only partially metamorphosed show intermediate H-isotopic compositions between that of metamorphic antigorite and non-metamorphic lizardite end members. (author)

  14. Nickel and other metal uptake and accumulation by species of Alyssum (Brassicaceae) from the ultramafics of Iran

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghaderian, S.M.; Mohtadi, A.; Rahiminejad, M.R.; Baker, A.J.M.

    2007-01-01

    Some plants growing on serpentine (ultramafic) soils are able to hyperaccumulate nickel in their above-ground parts. The genus Alyssum L. contains the greatest number of Ni-hyperaccumulator plants so far reported. There are substantial areas of serpentine soils at many locations in Iran. This paper presents the analyses for Ni, Cr, Mn, Fe, Mg and Ca in soils and Alyssum species from the ultramafics of west and northwest Iran. Soil analysis for total elements in these areas indicates that typical concentrations of Ni, Cr, Mn, Fe, Mg and Ca are up to about 1240, 365, 800, 51,150, 152,390 and 11,790 μg g -1 , respectively. During this study, seven Alyssum species were collected. Analysis of leaf dry matter shows that Alyssum bracteatum can contain up to 2300 μg Ni g -1 , while the other species contain much lower concentrations of Ni and other elements. A. bracteatum is endemic to Iran and the first Ni hyperaccumulator reported from this species. - Analysis of leaf dry matter shows that Alyssum bracteatum, endemic to Iran, can contain up to 2300 μg Ni g -1 , while other species contain much lower concentrations of Ni and other elements

  15. Petrogenesis of siliceous high-Mg series rocks as exemplified by the Early Paleoproterozoic mafic volcanic rocks of the Eastern Baltic Shield: enriched mantle versus crustal contamination

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bogina, Maria; Zlobin, Valeriy; Sharkov, Evgenii; Chistyakov, Alexeii

    2015-04-01

    The Early Paleoproterozoic stage in the Earth's evolution was marked by the initiation of global rift systems, the tectonic nature of which was determined by plume geodynamics. These processes caused the voluminous emplacement of mantle melts with the formation of dike swarms, mafic-ultramafic layered intrusions, and volcanic rocks. All these rocks are usually considered as derivatives of SHMS (siliceous high-magnesian series). Within the Eastern Baltic Shield, the SHMS volcanic rocks are localized in the domains with different crustal history: in the Vodlozero block of the Karelian craton with the oldest (Middle Archean) crust, in the Central Block of the same craton with the Neoarchean crust, and in the Kola Craton with a heterogeneous crust. At the same time, these rocks are characterized by sufficiently close geochemical characteristics: high REE fractionation ((La/Yb)N = 4.9-11.7, (La/Sm)N=2.3-3.6, (Gd/Yb)N =1.66-2.74)), LILE enrichment, negative Nb anomaly, low to moderate Ti content, and sufficiently narrow variations in Nd isotope composition from -2.0 to -0.4 epsilon units. The tectonomagmatic interpretation of these rocks was ambiguous, because such characteristics may be produced by both crustal contamination of depleted mantle melts, and by generation from a mantle source metasomatized during previous subduction event. Similar REE patterns and overlapping Nd isotope compositions indicate that the studied basaltic rocks were formed from similar sources. If crustal contamination en route to the surface would play a significant role in the formation of the studied basalts, then almost equal amounts of contaminant of similar composition are required to produce the mafic rocks with similar geochemical signatures and close Nd isotopic compositions, which is hardly possible for the rocks spaced far apart in a heterogeneous crust. This conclusion is consistent with analysis of some relations between incompatible elements and their ratios. In particular, the

  16. Una nueva ultraestructura de ópalo CT en silcretas. Posible indicador de influencia bacteriana

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bustillo, Mª A.

    1995-04-01

    Full Text Available Electron microscope observations of opaline silcretes found in the playa of a Miocene shallow lake reveal new opal CT microstructures. These microstructures are made up of fibres, filaments or rods, which are formed, in tum by coalesced microspheres or microhemispheres (0,1-0,2 µ diameter. They are up to 10 µ in length although larger ones could exist. They are straight, bent, wavy or even hairpin shaped. These microstructures comprise part of the opaline mass of the silcretes and are very similar to both neogenic opaline structures which are formed by bacterial intluence and to silicified biofilms. Therefore microbial mediation could exist in the genesis of this opal CT, although a possible inorganic origin by silicification of sepiolite is also considered.Un estudio mediante MEB de silcretas miocenas opalinas formadas por silicificación de playas en un ambiente de «playa-lake» pone de manifiesto la existencia de una nueva microestructura de ópalo CT. Esta microestructura denominada en general fibrosa, se manifiesta por la presencia de multitud de fibras, filamentos o varillas formadas por la alineación de microesferas o microhemisferas que presentan un diámetro entre 0,1 y 0,2 µ. Las fibras, filamentos o varillas tienen formas variables: rectas, curvadas, onduladas y «en horquilla», y presentan longitudes de hasta 10 µ, aunque podrían existir longitudes mayores. La disposición organizada de las microesferas en filamentos o fibras, constituyendo la masa general del ópalo, y su parecido con microestructuras opalinas que han sido formadas por influencia bacteriana, hacen considerar esta hipótesis, aunque no se puede descartar totalmente un origen inorgánico por silicificación de sepiolita.

  17. Re-Os isotope systematics of the Radio Hill Ni-Cu-PGE complex, West Pilbara Craton, Western Australia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frick, L.R.; McBride, J.S.

    1999-01-01

    Full text: The Radio Hill Complex is one of several layered mafic-ultramafic intrusions that were emplaced into the west Pilbara Craton at ca. 2.9 Ga. It is believed to be genetically related to other similar intrusions in the area which include the Munni Munni, Andover, Dingo and Maitland Complexes (Hoatson et al. 1999). The Radio Hill Complex is the only one of these intrusions to contain economic quantities of Ni and Cu at the present time. This relatively small intrusion (∼1200 m stratigraphic thickness) is divided into two zones, an upper gabbroic zone and a lower ultramafic zone, the base of which possesses massive magmatic sulfide mineralisation (pyrrhotite, pentlandite, chalcopyrite, magnetite). Re-Os isotopic data have been obtained for a suite of samples from underground, outcrop (gabbroic zone samples) and drill core. Os concentrations in the mineralised zone are very high, ranging from 19 to 191 ppb Os, with low Re/Os ratios ( 10,000), where R-factor is defined as the mass ratio of silicate magma to sulfide magma that it has equilibrated with. However, modelling of the Radio Hill ore system using Re, Os and PGE (Hoatson et al. 1992) concentrations suggest that the R-factor in the Radio Hill ore was low (100-900). Therefore, the initial Os isotopic composition of the ore should be radiogenic (high gOs >+500) if local crustal contamination triggered sulfide saturation. The slightly radiogenic initial Os isotopic composition suggests that the bulk parental magma was a crustally-contaminated magma. R-factor modelling further suggests that the parental magma to this intrusion was neither a basalt nor a pure komatiite, but more likely a contaminated komatiite (with a relatively high Os concentration). This agrees with the previous findings of Hoatson et al. (1992) who proposed a parental magma of siliceous high-magnesium basalt (SHMB) composition. Our Re-Os isotope modelling agrees with the trace elements, Nd and Sr isotope modelling of Hoatson et al. (1992

  18. Composition of fluid inclusions in Permian salt beds, Palo Duro Basin, Texas, U.S.A.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roedder, E.; d'Angelo, W. M.; Dorrzapf, A.F.; Aruscavage, P. J.

    1987-01-01

    Several methods have been developed and used to extract and chemically analyze the two major types of fluid inclusions in bedded salt from the Palo Duro Basin, Texas. Data on the ratio K: Ca: Mg were obtained on a few of the clouds of tiny inclusions in "chevron" salt, representing the brines from which the salt originally crystallized. Much more complete quantitative data (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Sr, Cl, SO4 and Br) were obtained on ??? 120 individual "large" (mostly ???500 ??m on an edge, i.e., ??? ??? 1.6 ?? 10-4 g) inclusions in recrystallized salt. These latter fluids have a wide range of compositions, even in a given piece of core, indicating that fluids of grossly different composition were present in these salt beds during the several (?) stages of recrystallization. The analytical results indicating very large inter-and intra-sample chemical variation verify the conclusion reached earlier, from petrography and microthermometry, that the inclusion fluids in salt and their solutes are generally polygenetic. The diversity in composition stems from the combination of a variety of sources for the fluids (Permian sea, meteoric, and groundwater, as well as later migrating ground-, formation, or meteoric waters of unknown age), and a variety of subsequent geochemical processes of dissolution, precipitation and rock-water interaction. The compositional data are frequently ambiguous but do provide constraints and may eventually yield a coherent history of the events that produced these beds. Such an understanding of the past history of the evaporite sequence of the Palo Duro Basin should help in predicting the future role of the fluids in the salt if a nuclear waste repository is sited there. ?? 1987.

  19. Tectonic significance of dykes in the Sarnu-Dandali alkaline complex, Rajasthan, northwestern Deccan Traps

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anjali Vijayan

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Whether swarms of preferentially oriented dykes are controlled by regional stress fields, or passively exploit basement structural fabric, is a much debated question, with support for either scenario in individual case studies. The Sarnu-Dandali alkaline complex, near the northwestern limit of the Deccan Traps continental flood basalt province, contains mafic to felsic alkaline volcano-plutonic rocks and carbonatites. The complex is situated near the northern end of the 600 km long, NNW–SSE-trending Barmer-Cambay rift. Mafic enclave swarms in the syenites suggest synplutonic mafic dykes injected into a largely liquid felsic magma chamber. Later coherent dykes in the complex, of all compositions and sizes, dominantly strike NNW–SSE, parallel to the Barmer-Cambay rift. The rift formed during two distinct episodes of extension, NW–SE in the early Cretaceous and NE–SW in the late Cretaceous. Control of the southern Indian Dharwar structural fabric on the rift trend, as speculated previously, is untenable, whereas the regional Precambrian basement trends (Aravalli and Malani run NE–SW and NNE–SSW. We therefore suggest that the small-scale Sarnu-Dandali dykes and the much larger-scale Barmer-Cambay rift were not controlled by basement structure, but related to contemporaneous, late Cretaceous regional ENE–WSW extension, for which there is varied independent evidence.

  20. Rare Mineralogy in Alkaline Ultramafic Rocks, Western Kentucky Fluorspar District

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, W.

    2017-12-01

    The alkaline ultramafic intrusive dike complex in the Western Kentucky Fluorspar District contains unusual mineralogy that was derived from mantle magma sources. Lamprophyre and peridotite petrologic types occur in the district where altered fractionated peridotites are enriched in Rare Earth Elements (REE) and some lamprophyre facies are depleted in incompatible elements. Unusual minerals in dikes, determined by petrography and X-ray diffraction, include schorlomite and andradite titanium garnets, astrophyllite, spodumene, niobium rutile, wüstite, fluoro-tetraferriphlogopite, villiaumite, molybdenite, and fluocerite, a REE-bearing fluoride fluorescent mineral. Mixing of MVT sphalerite ore fluids accompanies a mid-stage igneous alteration and intrusion event consistent with paragenetic studies. The presence of lithium in the spodumene and fluoro-tetraferriphlogopite suggests a lithium phase in the mineral fluids, and the presence of enriched REE in dikes and fluorite mineralization suggest a metasomatic event. Several of these rare minerals have never been described in the fluorspar district, and their occurrence suggests deep mantle metasomatism. Several REE-bearing fluoride minerals occur in the dikes and in other worldwide occurrences, they are usually associated with nepheline syenite and carbonatite differentiates. There is an early and late stage fluoride mineralization, which accompanied dike intrusion and was also analyzed for REE content. One fluorite group is enriched in LREE and another in MREE, which suggests a bimodal or periodic fluorite emplacement. Whole-rock elemental analysis was chondrite normalized and indicates that some of the dikes are slightly enriched in light REE and show a classic fractionation enrichment. Variations in major-element content; high titanium, niobium, and zirconium values; and high La/Yb, Zr/Y, Zr/Hf, and Nb/Ta ratios suggest metasomatized lithospheric-asthenospheric mantle-sourced intrusions. The high La/Yb ratios in some

  1. Rb-Sr measurements on metamorphic rocks from the Barro Alto Complex, Goias, Brazil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fuck, R.A.; Neves, B.B.B.; Cordani, U.G.; Kawashita, K.

    1988-01-01

    The Barro Alto Complex comprises a highly deformed and metamorphosed association of plutonic, volcanic, and sedimentary rocks exposed in a 150 x 25 Km boomerang-like strip in Central Goias, Brazil. It is the southernmost tip of an extensive yet discontinuous belt of granulite and amphibolite facies metamorphic rocks which include the Niquelandia and Cana Brava complexes to the north. Two rock associations are distinguished within the granulite belt. The first one comprises a sequence of fine-grained mafic granulite, hypersthene-quartz-feldspar granulite, garnet quartzite, sillimanite-garnet-cordierite gneiss, calc-silicate rock, and magnetite-rich iron formation. The second association comprises medium-to coarse-grained mafic rocks. The medium-grade rocks of the western/northern portion (Barro Alto Complex) comprise both layered mafic rocks and a volcanic-sedimentary sequence, deformed and metamorphosed under amphibolite facies conditions. The fine-grained amphibolite form the basal part of the Juscelandia meta volcanic-sedimentary sequence. A geochronologic investigation by the Rb-Sr method has been carried out mainly on felsic rocks from the granulite belt and gneisses of the Juscelandia sequence. The analytical results for the Juscelandia sequence are presented. Isotope results for rocks from different outcrops along the gneiss layer near Juscelandia are also presented. In conclusion, Rb-Sr isotope measurements suggest that the Barro Alto rocks have undergone at least one important metamorphic event during Middle Proterozoic times, around 1300 Ma ago. During that event volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Juscelandia sequence, as well as the underlying gabbro-anorthosite layered complex, underwent deformation and recrystallization under amphibolite facies conditions. (author)

  2. Role of upper-most crustal composition in the evolution of the Precambrian ocean-atmosphere system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Large, R. R.; Mukherjee, I.; Zhukova, I.; Corkrey, R.; Stepanov, A.; Danyushevsky, L. V.

    2018-04-01

    Recent research has emphasized the potential relationships between supercontinent cycles, mountain building, nutrient flux, ocean-atmosphere chemistry and the origin of life. The composition of the Upper-Most Continental Crust (UMCC) also figures prominently in these relationships, and yet little detailed data on each component of this complex relationship has been available for assessment. Here we provide a new set of data on the trace element concentrations, including the Rare Earth Elements (REE), in the matrix of 52 marine black shale formations spread globally through the Archean and Proterozoic. The data support previous studies on the temporal geochemistry of shales, but with some important differences. Results indicate a change in provenance of the black shales (upper-most crustal composition), from more mafic in the Archean prior to 2700 Ma, to more felsic from 2700 to 2200 Ma, followed by a return to mafic compositions from 2200 to 1850 Ma. Around 1850 to 1800 Ma there is a rapid change to uniform felsic compositions, which remained for a billion years to 800 Ma. The shale matrix geochemistry supports the assertion that the average upper-most continental source rocks for the shales changed from a mix of felsic, mafic and ultramafic prior to 2700 Ma to more felsic after 1850 Ma, with an extended transition period between. The return to more mafic UMCC from 2200 to 1850 Ma is supported by the frequency of Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs) and banded iron formations, which suggest a peak in major mantle-connected plume events and associated Fe-rich hydrothermal activity over this period. Support for the change to felsic UMCC around 1850 Ma is provided by previous geological data which shows that felsic magmas, including, A-type granites and K-Th-U-rich granites intruded vast areas of the continental crust, peaking around 1850 Ma and declining to 1000 Ma. The implications of this change in UMCC are far reaching and may go some way to explain the distinct

  3. Mafic enclaves in dacitic domes and their relation with La Poruña scoria cone, Central Andes, northern Chile

    Science.gov (United States)

    González-Maurel, O. P.; Gallmeyer, G.; Godoy, B.; Menzies, A.; le Roux, P. J.; Harris, C.

    2017-12-01

    Chao Dacite, Chillahuita, Cerro Pabellón, Chanka, Chac-Inca, and Cerro La Torta (or Tocorpuri) are dacitic domes of late Pleistocene age (30 to 140 ka; Renzulli et al., 2006; Tierney et al., 2016) located in Northern Chilean Central Andean province (NCCA; 17°20'S - 27°40'S). While, La Poruña is a 180 m high basaltic-andesite scoria cone erupted ca. 100 ka (Wörner et al., 2000). This scoria cone is also located at the NCCA, 26 km to the SW of Chanka and 45 km to the NW of Chao Dacite. The dacitic domes are generally porphyritic and highly crystalline lavas (30 - 50 vol % phenocrysts, plagioclase > biotite > amphibole > quartz ≥ accessory), with hyalopilitic or intersertal groundmass. These domes contain mafic enclaves, mostly andesite in composition, with plagioclase > amphibole > biotite ≥ clinopyroxene ≥ olivine ≥ accessory phenocryst (10 - 20 vol %) in a lightly oxidized groundmass with intersertal or intergranular textures. In contrast, La Poruña rocks are mostly aphanitic (75 - 85 vol % groundmass) and highly vesicular, with plagioclase > olivine ≥ clinopyroxene ≥ orthopyroxene phenocrysts in an intersertal or hyalopilitic groundmass. Although petrographically different, the composition (57 wt % SiO2; 580 ppm Sr, 87Sr/86Sr = 0.7066) of mafic enclaves from Cerro Pabellón dome are similar to the lava flows and pyroclastic blocks of La Poruña scoria cone (55 - 59 wt % SiO2; 560 - 610 ppm Sr; 0.7062 - 0.7066 87Sr/86Sr). Based on this data and the eruption ages of these volcanic structures, we suggest that the mafic enclaves and La Poruña magmas are co-genetic. Thus, we propose that the genesis of these mafic enclaves is associated with the origin of less evolved parental magmas erupted in the NCCA, such as those from La Poruña. In this case, the mafic enclaves would represent batches of less evolved magmas that ascended from deeper sources and probably contributed in the eruption of the dacitic domes. Renzulli et al., 2006. In XI Congreso Geol

  4. Palinofloras de las formaciones El Morterito y Palo Pintado [Mioceno Superior-Plioceno Inferior], noroeste de Argentina

    OpenAIRE

    Horn, Maricel Yanina

    2014-01-01

    En esta Tesis Doctoral se presenta el estudio palinológico de dos unidades litológicas del Mioceno Tardío/Plioceno de Argentina: la Formación El Morterito (Aloformación Playa del Zorro) aflorante en el valle del Cajón, provincia de Catamarca y Formación Palo Pintado en el Valle Calchaquí, provincia de Salta. La sucesión Neógena del valle del Cajón fue primeramente descripta como Formación El Morterito, posteriormente se reconocieron tres Aloformaciones. Considerando las áreas de distribución ...

  5. Spinels of Variscan olivine hornblendites related to the Montnegre granitoids revisited (NE Spain): petrogenetic evidence of mafic magma mixing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Galán, G.; Enrique, P.; Butjosa, L.; Fernández-Roig, L.

    2017-07-01

    Olivine hornblendites (cortlandtites) form part of the Montnegre mafic complex related to late-Variscan I-type granitoids in the Catalan Coastal Ranges. Two generations of spinel are present in these hornblendites: Spl1 forms euhedral crystals included in both olivine and Spl2. Spl2 forms euhedral to anhedral crystals associated with phlogopite and fibrous colourless amphibole forming pseudomorphs after olivine. Compositions of Spl1 are picotite-Al chromite (Fe#: 77.78-66.60; Cr#: 30.12-52.22; Fe3+/R3+: 6.99-21.89; 0.10< TiO2%< 0.62). Compositions of Spl2 are pleonaste (Fe#: 37.86-52.12; Cr#: 1.00-15.45; Fe3+/R3+: 0.31-5.21; TiO2% <0.10%). The two types of spinel follow a CrAl trend, mainly due to the substitution (Fe2+)-1Cr-1= MgAl, which is interpreted as the result of mixing between two different mantle-derived melts. The compositions of early Spl1 crystals included in olivine are characteristic of Al-rich basalts. More aluminous Spl2 would result from reaction of olivine with a less evolved, Al and K-rich mantle-derived melt after new refilling of the magma chamber or channel. As a whole, spinels from similar examples of Variscan olivine hronblendites also follow a CrAl trend with high Fe# and starting at higher Cr# than other trends of this type. Cr# heterogeneity in the early spinels from these Variscan hornblendites would be inherited from the variable Al content of the mafic melts involved in their genesis.

  6. Mechanical Mixing and Metamorphism of Mafic and Ultramafic Lithologies during Mylonisis at the ST. Paul Transform System, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adrião, Á.; Maia, M.; Hemond, C.; Kaczmarek, M. A.; Briais, A.; Vincent, C.; Brunelli, D.

    2017-12-01

    The St. Paul Transform System offsets by 630 km the Equatorial Mid Atlantic Ridge at 1° N. It consists of four major faults separating three intra transform ridge axes. This region shows a transition from a transpressive, hot spot affected, regional-scale shear zone to the North to a region dominated by a particular oceanic core complex spreading to the South (Vincent et al., this congress). Samples collected in the region during the COLMEIA cruise (Maia et al., 2016) were studied for textures and whole-rock major and trace element contents. All samples experienced pervasive deformation at ductile to brittle conditions overprinted by late low-T alteration. Mylonitic and ultramylonitic rocks can be grouped in three main types: peridotitic, gabbroic and talc-chlorite schist. Peridotitic ultramylonites preserve few opx, cpx and sp porphyroclasts; they have homogeneous nano-micro grain size groundmass, banded foliation and late amphibole and sulfide crystallization. Locally S-C fabric overprints the mylonitic texture. Micro cracks, filled with serpentine, chlorite and oxides are common, as well fluid inclusions trails in olivine and plagioclase crystals of peridotite and gabbros respectively. Major and trace element content of the peridotitic mylonites plot in the depleted field of the abyssal peridotites; however, they present marked LREE enrichment and Eu positive anomaly. Gabbroic and talc-chlorite mylonites display REE-enriched patterns (up to 100x CI) and variable Eu anomalies. Major elements show a remarkable linear trend in the talc-chlorite group suggesting mixing of pure talc and chlorite end-members. These compositional characteristics suggest variable assimilation of MORB and E-MORB during mylonisis or early melt-rock interaction and hydrothermal evolution at variable metamorphic conditions. Vincent et al., 2017. Particular Oceanic Core Complex evolution …; this congress Maia et al., 2016. Extreme mantle uplift and exhumation ... Nat. Geo. doi:10

  7. Geotectonic evolution of granitoid-greenstone belts from Crixas, Guarinos, Pilar de Goias - Hidrolina (Goias), Brazil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Montalvao, R.M.G. de.

    1985-01-01

    The area in discussion, in a geologic context, constitutes one of the most interesting and complex, within the South American Platform, in Brazilian territory, over which granitoid-greenstone belts are outstanding. The Goiano Complex is the oldest unit in the geologic column herein adopted and composed largely of granitoids, gneiss and migmatites, in the amphibolite facies. Dated samples of the complex have shown two isochrones of Rb/Sr reference, the oldest one is 2.926 +- 65 m.y. and the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr initial ratio of 0.7001 and the youngest on of 2.471 + 20 m.y. and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr initial ratio of 0.701. Although the initial ratios data of the Rb/Sr isochron, as well as the parameters in the Pb/Pb analyses may indicate material of mantle source, it may be interpreted, with the help of field data, that the youngest values may indicate the reworking of crustal sialic rocks formed 2.925 +- 65 m.y. ago (oldest isochron), with primitive material contribution. Before such reworking volcanic-sedimentary sequence was deposited over the already formed sialic crust, and it is denominated Pilar de Goias Supergroup which characterizes the Greenstone Belts in the region. The Archean age for the supergroup was evident through the age results of its ultramafic rocks, showing 2.600 m.y. isochron age, with Sm/Nd methods. Besides the geochronology and field studies, basic information for the construction of the geologic column herein presented, there has been done petrographic and litho geochemical studies, both in the Goiano Complex and Pilar de Goias Supergroup, as for the Pilar de Goias Supergroup, the studies were concentrated on its mafic-ultramafic rocks. (author)

  8. Hydrothermal circulation, serpentinization, and degassing at a rift valley-fracture zone intersection: Mid-Atlantic Ridge near 15[degree]N, 45[degree]W

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rona, P.A.; Nelson, T.A. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL (United States)); Bougault, H.; Charlou, J.L.; Needham, H.D. (Inst. Francais de Recherche pour I' Exploitation de la Mer, Centre de Brest (France)); Appriou, P. (Univ. of Western Brittany, Brest (France)); Trefry, J.H. (Florida Inst. of Technology, Melbourne (United States)); Eberhart, G.L.; Barone, A. (Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory, Palisades, NY (United States))

    1992-09-01

    A hydrothermal system characterized by high ratios of methane to both manganese and suspended particulate matter was detected in seawater sampled at the eastern intersection of the rift valley of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge with the Fifteen-Twenty Fracture Zone. This finding contrasts with low ratios in black smoker-type hydrothermal systems that occur within spreading segments. Near-bottom water sampling coordinated with SeaBeam bathymetry and camera-temperature tows detected the highest concentrations of methane at fault zones in rocks with the appearance of altered ultramafic units in a large dome that forms part of the inside corner high at the intersection. The distinct chemical signatures of the two types of hydrothermal systems are inferred to be controlled by different circulation pathways related to reaction of seawater primarily with ultramafic rocks at intersections of spreading segments with fracture zones but with mafic rocks within spreading segments.

  9. Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station: an example of the state role in regional nuclear projects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pasternak, A.

    1980-10-01

    A nuclear power plant siting policy which confines new construction to existing sites will lead to the formation of large regional power centers, each involving many utilities from several states. The Palo Verde Nuclear Project in Arizona has been examined in terms of the role state regulation plays in large regional nuclear projects. State regulatory processes do not reflect the regional nature of large power centers. Decisions and actions by individual state regulatory commissions create risk and uncertainty for all the utility participants in regional projects. A climate and mechanism to encourage and facilitate interstate cooperation are needed to enhance the viability of the confined siting policy and the regional power center concept

  10. Diverse P-T paths for the Cycladic ultramafic rock associations: Constraints on their origin, emplacement and exhumation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Katzir, Y; Garfunkel, Z; Avigad, D; Matthews, A

    2008-01-01

    Within the Alpine orogen of the Cyclades ultramafic rocks occur in diverse tectonic positions, are associated with a variety of rock sequences and are regionally metamorphosed at variable conditions. Here this diversity is interpreted in terms of variable mechanisms for incorporation of mantle rocks into orogenic belts and used to better constrain spatial heterogeneity of P-T burial and exhumation paths in the Cyclades. The Cycladic Blueschist Unit (CBU) was metamorphosed first at high pressure conditions in the Eocene (M1) and variably overprinted during exhumation in the Early Miocene (M2). On the islands of Syros and Evia the CBU includes relatively thin HP-LT ophiolitic melange intervals hosted by meta-sedimentary sequences. Meta-serpentinites are associated with eclogitized metagabbro and metabasites on Syros, but with epidote blueschists on Evia. Given the wide and comparable geochemical heterogeneity in the Syros and Evian melanges, the Syros metabasites record higher M1 temperatures (450-500 deg. C) relative to their Evian counterparts (400-430 deg. C). The M2 overprint is manifested in Syros by greenschist facies assemblages (∼450 deg. C), whereas pumpellyite-actinolite assemblage (∼350 deg. C) overgrew blueschists in Evia. Within the M2 migmatized leucogneiss core of the Naxos dome (∼700 0 C) meta-peridotite lenses are the sole preservers of pre-M2 history. The Naxos meta-peridotites possess relict mantle assemblage, fertile spinel lherzolite chemical composition and mantle-like oxygen isotope ratios. Thus unlike ophiolite-associated ultramafics in the Cyclades that were serpentinized prior to metamorphism, the Naxos metaperidotites were directly emplaced from the subcontinental mantle into an underthrust continent during collision and HP metamorphism. Ultramafic assemblages constrain M1 temperatures on Naxos to 550-650 0 C. It follows that going southeastwards from Evia through Syros to Naxos progressively deeper levels of the subducted plate are

  11. Trace elements in olivine of ultramafic lamprophyres controlled by phlogopite-rich mineral assemblages in the mantle source

    Science.gov (United States)

    Veter, Marina; Foley, Stephen F.; Mertz-Kraus, Regina; Groschopf, Nora

    2017-11-01

    Carbonate-rich ultramafic lamprophyres (aillikites) and associated rocks characteristically occur during the early stages of thinning and rifting of cratonic mantle lithosphere, prior to the eruption of melilitites, nephelinites and alkali basalts. It is accepted that they require volatile-rich melting conditions, and the presence of phlogopite and carbonate in the source, but the exact source rock assemblages are debated. Melts similar to carbonate-rich ultramafic lamprophyres (aillikites) have been produced by melting of peridotites in the presence of CO2 and H2O, whereas isotopes and trace elements appear to favor distinct phlogopite-bearing rocks. Olivine macrocrysts in aillikites are usually rounded and abraded, so that it is debated whether they are phenocrysts or mantle xenocrysts. We have analyzed minor and trace element composition in olivines from the type aillikites from Aillik Bay in Labrador, Canada. We characterize five groups of olivines: [1] mantle xenocrysts, [2] the main phenocryst population, and [3] reversely zoned crystals interpreted as phenocrysts from earlier, more fractionated, magma batches, [4] rims on the phenocrysts, which delineate aillikite melt fractionation trends, and [5] rims around the reversely zoned olivines. The main phenocryst population is characterized by mantle-like Ni (averaging 3400 μg g- 1) and Ni/Mg at Mg# of 88-90, overlapping with phenocrysts in ocean island basalts and Mediterranean lamproites. However, they also have low 100 Mn/Fe of 0.9-1.3 and no correlation between Ni and other trace elements (Sc, Co, Li) that would indicate recycled oceanic or continental crust in their sources. The low Mn/Fe without high Ni/Mg, and the high V/Sc (2-5) are inherited from phlogopite in the source that originated by solidification of lamproitic melts at the base of the cratonic lithosphere in a previous stage of igneous activity. The olivine phenocryst compositions are interpreted to result from phlogopite and not high modal

  12. Ankaramite: A New Type of High-Magnesium and High-Calcium Primitive Melt in the Magnitogorsk Island-Arc Zone (Southern Urals)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pushkarev, E. V.; Ryazancev, A. V.; Gottman, I. A.; Degtyarev, K. E.; Kamenetsky, V. S.

    2018-04-01

    This work describes the geological position, mineral and chemical composition of high-Mg effusive ankaramites occurring as dykes and lava flows. They were found in the mélange zone of the western margin of the Magnitogorsk island arc zone in the Southern Urals. Data on the liquidus association of phenocrysts and on the composition of the matrix of effusives are given. According to the data obtained, the conclusion was drawn that the ankaramites studied can be attributed to the primary island arc melts, which were not subject to essential differentiation. This type of effusives has not been distinguished previously among island arc volcanogenic formations of the Urals. It is shown that ankaramites can be considered to be primary melts parental for dunite-clinopyroxenites-gabbro complexes of Ural-Alaskan type. The occurrence of ankaramites in the Paleozoic island arc formations of the Urals indicates the wehrlite composition of the mantle as the reason for the extremely wide development of wehrlites and clinopyroxenites in different mafic-ultramafic complexes of the Urals.

  13. Impacts of ultramafic outcrops in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah on soil and water quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tashakor, Mahsa; Modabberi, Soroush; van der Ent, Antony; Echevarria, Guillaume

    2018-05-08

    This study focused on the influence of ultramafic terrains on soil and surface water environmental chemistry in Peninsular Malaysia and in the State of Sabah also in Malaysia. The sampling included 27 soils from four isolated outcrops at Cheroh, Bentong, Bukit Rokan, and Petasih from Peninsular Malaysia and sites near Ranau in Sabah. Water samples were also collected from rivers and subsurface waters interacting with the ultramafic bodies in these study sites. Physico-chemical parameters (including pH, EC, CEC) as well as the concentration of major and trace elements were measured in these soils and waters. Geochemical indices (geoaccumulation index, enrichment factor, and concentration factor) were calculated. Al 2 O 3 and Fe 2 O 3 had relatively high concentrations in the samples. A depletion in MgO, CaO, and Na 2 O was observed as a result of leaching in tropical climate, and in relation to weathering and pedogenesis processes. Chromium, Ni, and Co were enriched and confirmed by the significant values obtained for Igeo, EF, and CF, which correspond to the extreme levels of contamination for Cr and high to moderate levels of contamination for Ni and Co. The concentrations of Cr, Ni, and Co in surface waters did not reflect the local geochemistry and were within the permissible ranges according to WHO and INWQS standards. Subsurface waters were strongly enriched by these elements and exceeded these standards. The association between Cr and Ni was confirmed by factor analysis. The unexpected enrichment of Cu in an isolated component can be explained by localized mineralization in Sabah.

  14. Rhizosphere bacteria of Costularia spp. from ultramafic soils in New Caledonia: diversity, tolerance to extreme edaphic conditions, and role in plant growth and mineral nutrition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonin, Mathieu; Gensous, Simon; Lagrange, Alexandre; Ducousso, Marc; Amir, Hamid; Jourand, Philippe

    2013-03-01

    Rhizosphere bacteria were isolated from Costularia spp., pioneer sedges from ultramafic soils in New Caledonia, which is a hotspot of biodiversity in the South Pacific. Genus identification, ability to tolerate edaphic constraints, and plant-growth-promoting (PGP) properties were analysed. We found that 10(5) colony-forming units per gram of root were dominated by Proteobacteria (69%) and comprised 21 genera, including Burkholderia (28%), Curtobacterium (15%), Bradyrhizobium (9%), Sphingomonas (8%), Rhizobium (7%), and Bacillus (5%). High proportions of bacteria tolerated many elements of the extreme edaphic conditions: 82% tolerated 100 μmol·L(-1) chromium, 70% 1 mmol·L(-1) nickel, 63% 10 mmol·L(-1) manganese, 24% 1 mmol·L(-1) cobalt, and 42% an unbalanced calcium/magnesium ratio (1/16). These strains also exhibited multiple PGP properties, including the ability to produce ammonia (65%), indole-3-acetic acid (60%), siderophores (52%), and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase (39%); as well as the capacity to solubilize phosphates (19%). The best-performing strains were inoculated with Sorghum sp. grown on ultramafic substrate. Three strains significantly enhanced the shoot biomass by up to 33%. The most successful strains influenced plant nutrition through the mobilization of metals in roots and a reduction of metal transfer to shoots. These results suggest a key role of these bacteria in plant growth, nutrition, and adaptation to the ultramafic constraints.

  15. Late Precambrian Balkan-Carpathian ophiolite — a slice of the Pan-African ocean crust?: geochemical and tectonic insights from the Tcherni Vrah and Deli Jovan massifs, Bulgaria and Serbia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savov, Ivan; Ryan, Jeff; Haydoutov, Ivan; Schijf, Johan

    2001-10-01

    The Balkan-Carpathian ophiolite (BCO), which outcrops in Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania, is a Late Precambrian (563 Ma) mafic/ultramafic complex unique in that it has not been strongly deformed or metamorphosed, as have most other basement sequences in Alpine Europe. Samples collected for study from the Tcherni Vrah and Deli Jovan segments of BCO include cumulate dunites, troctolites, wehrlites and plagioclase wehrlites; olivine and amphibole-bearing gabbros; anorthosites; diabases and microgabbros; and basalts representing massive flows, dikes, and pillow lavas, as well as hyaloclastites and umbers (preserved sedimentary cover). Relict Ol, Cpx and Hbl in cumulate peridotites indicate original orthocumulate textures. Plagioclase in troctolites and anorthosites range from An60 to An70. Cumulate gabbro textures range from ophitic to poikilitic, with an inferred crystallization order of Ol-(Plag+Cpx)-Hbl. The extrusive rocks exhibit poikilitic, ophitic and intersertal textures, with Cpx and/or Plag (Oligoclase-Andesine) phenocrysts. The major opaques are Ti-Magnetite and Ilmenite. The metamorphic paragenesis in the mafic samples is Chl-Trem-Ep, whereas the ultramafic rocks show variable degrees of serpentinization, with lizardite and antigorite as dominant phases. Our samples are compositionally and geochemically similar to modern oceanic crust. Major element, trace element and rare earth element (REE) signatures in BCO basalts are comparable to those of MORB. In terms of basalt and dike composition, the BCO is a 'high-Ti' or 'oceanic' ophiolite, based on the classification scheme of Serri [Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 52 (1981) 203]. Our petrologic and geochemical results, combined with the tectonic position of the BCO massifs (overlain by and in contact with Late Cambrian island arc and back-arc sequences), suggest that the BCO may have formed in a mid-ocean ridge setting. If the BCO records the existence of a Precambrian ocean basin, then there may be a relationship

  16. Estudio de viabilidad de una instalación fotovoltaica para una vivienda unifamiliar situada en Cabo de Palos

    OpenAIRE

    Sánchez Ros, Adrián Antonio

    2015-01-01

    El presente proyecto tiene por objetivo el análisis técnico y económico de una instalación fotovoltaica en una vivienda unifamiliar ubicada en Cabo de Palos (Cartagena), planteando distintas alternativas de conexión o no a la red: - Instalación fotovoltaica conectada a red, dedicadas a la inyección a la red y venta de la energía eléctrica. - Instalación fotovoltaica aislada, dedicadas al autoconsumo de la electricidad generada. - Instalación fotovoltaica de autoconsumo in...

  17. Geologic map of Harrat Hutaymah, with petrologic classification and distribution of ultramafic inclusions, Saudi Arabia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thornber, Carl R.

    1990-01-01

    This map shows detailed geology of the Quaternary and Tertiary volcanic deposits that comprise Harrat Hutaymah and an updated and generalized compilation of the underlying Proterozoic and Paleozoic basement rocks. Quaternary alluvial cover and details of basement geology (that is, faults, dikes, and other features) are not shown. Volcanic unit descriptions and contact relations are based upon field investigation by the author and on compilation and revision of mapping Kellogg (1984; northern half of area) and Pallister (1984; southern half of area). A single K-Ar date of 1.80 ± 0.05 Ma for an alkali olivine basalt flow transected by the Al Hutaymah tuff ring (Pallister, 1984) provides the basis for an estimated late Tertiary to Quaternary age range for all harrat volcanic units other than unit Qtr (tuff reworked during Quaternary age time). Contact relations and unit descriptions for the basement rocks were compiled from Pallister (1984), Kellogg (1984 and 1985), DuBray (1984), Johnson and Williams (1984), Vaslet and others (1987), Cole and Hedge (1986), and Richter and others (1984). All rock unit names in this report are informal and capitalization follows Saudi Arabian stratigraphic nomenclature (Fitch, 1980). Geographic information was compiled from Pallister (1984), Kellogg (1984), and Fuller (in Johnson and Williams, 1984) and from field investigation by the author in 1986. The pie diagrams on the map show the distribution and petrology of ultramafic xenoliths of Harrat Hutaymah. The pie diagrams are explained by a detailed classification of ultramafic xenoliths that is introduced in this report.

  18. Decontamination and disposal of Sb-124 at Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, A.D.; Hillmer, T.P.; Kester, J.W.; Hensch, J.R.

    1988-01-01

    Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (PVNGS) is a three unit Combustion Engineering pressurized water reactor site. Each unit consists of an identical, self contained 1270 MWe reactor. This standardized design allows sharing of design improvements and equipment leading to optimum operation of the individual units. One design improvement, identified early into the operation of Unit 1, involved the elemental antimony content of the seals and bearings within the reactor coolant pumps. Normal wear of these components releases small amounts of elemental antimony. This antimony in turn deposits on in-core surfaces and activates to produce the isotopes Sb-122 and Sb-124. These isotopes emit highly energetic gamma rays which contribute significantly to the exposure and radwaste disposal charges at PVNGS. For these reasons, the Antimony Removal Program was undertaken to remove the radioactive and elemental antimony from the nuclear steam supply system at all three units. The work presented here describes the antimony decontamination and disposal

  19. The Dovyren Intrusive Complex (Southern Siberia, Russia): Insights into dynamics of an open magma chamber with implications for parental magma origin, composition, and Cu-Ni-PGE fertility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ariskin, Alexey; Danyushevsky, Leonid; Nikolaev, Georgy; Kislov, Evgeny; Fiorentini, Marco; McNeill, Andrew; Kostitsyn, Yuri; Goemann, Karsten; Feig, Sandrin T.; Malyshev, Alexey

    2018-03-01

    The Dovyren Intrusive Complex (DIC, Northern Baikal region, 728 Ma) includes the layered dunite-troctolite-gabbronorite Yoko-Dovyren massif (YDM), associated mafic-ultramafic sills, and dykes of olivine-rich to olivine-free gabbronorite. Major rock types of the DIC are presented, including a diversity of olivine orthocumulates to olivine-plagioclase and gabbroic adcumulates, carbonate-contaminated ultramafics and Cu-Ni-PGE mineralisation. Detailed comparisons of complete cross-sections of the YDM in its centre and at the NE and SW margins demonstrate differences in the cumulate succession, mineral chemistry, and geochemical structure that likely reflect variations in parental magma compositions. Combining petrochemical reconstructions for most primitive rocks and calculations using the COMAGMAT-5 model, it is shown that the central and peripheral parts of the intrusion formed by olivine-laden parental magmas ranged in their temperatures by 100 °C, approximately from 1290 °C ( 11 wt% MgO, olivine Fo88) to 1190 °C ( 8 wt% MgO, olivine Fo86). Thermodynamic modelling suggests that the most primitive high-Mg magma was S-undersaturated, whereas its derivatives became S-saturated at T piles to generate poorly-mineralised plagiodunite. In the troctolite and gabbroic parts of the Dovyren chamber, sulphide immiscibility likely occurred at lower temperatures, producing Cu-rich sulphide precursors, which gave rise to the 'platinum group mineral' (PGM-containing) troctolite and low-mineralised PGE-rich anorthosite in the Main Reef. The geochemical structure of the YDM demonstrates C-shaped distributions of TiO2, K2O, P2O5, and incompatible trace elements, which are 3-5 fold depleted in the cumulate rocks from the inner horizons of the intrusion with respect to the relatively thin lower and upper contact zones. In addition, a marked misbalance between estimates of the average composition of the YDM and that of the proposed olivine-laden parental magmas is established. This

  20. Seasonal patterns in metazoan parasite community of the "Fat Sleeper" Dormitator latifrons (Pisces: Eleotridae from Tres Palos Lagoon, Guerrero, Mexico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Violante-González

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available Dormitator is among the most important fish genera in the Mexican Pacific coastal lagoon systems. In Tres Palos Lagoon, the Fat Sleeper Dormitator latifrons is one of the most significant species based on catch volume, although it is only consumed locally. Very little information exists on this species’ parasitofauna. Composition and temporal variation in the metazoan parasite community structure of Dormitator latifrons from Tres Palos Lagoon (99º47’ W, 16º48’ N, Guerrero, Mexico, were determined using seasonal samples taken between April 2000 and June 2002. Ten parasite species (55 817 individuals were recovered from 219 examined hosts. These species included eight helminths (Ascocotyle (Phagicola longa, Echinochasmus leopoldinae, Clinostomum complanatum, Pseudoacanthostomum panamense, Saccocoelioides lamothei, Parvitaenia cochlearii, Contracaecum sp. and Neoechinorhynchus golvani and two crustaceans (Argulus sp. and Ergasilus sp.. Five of the helminth species exhibited seasonal variation in their infection dynamics associated with environmental changes during the dry and rainy seasons. The variations in the infection dynamics generated changes in the community structure over time. Rev. Biol. Trop. 56 (3: 1419-1427. Epub 2008 September 30.Entre abril del 2000 y junio del 2002 se efectuó un estudio para determinar la composición y la variación temporal en la estructura de la comunidad de parásitos metazoarios del popoyote Dormitator latifrons en la laguna de Tres Palos, Guerrero, México, a partir de muestras temporales. Se recuperaron diez especies de parásitos (55 817 individuos de 219 hospederos examinados. Estas especies incluyeron ocho helmintos (Ascocotyle (Phagicola longa, Echinochasmus leopoldinae, Clinostomum complanatum, Pseudoacanthostomum panamense, Saccocoelioides lamothei, Parvitaenia cochlearii, Contracaecum sp. y Neoechinorhynchus golvani y dos crustáceos (Argulus sp. y Ergasilus sp.. Cinco de las especies de

  1. An integrated study of geochemistry and mineralogy of the Upper Tukau Formation, Borneo Island (East Malaysia): Sediment provenance, depositional setting and tectonic implications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagarajan, Ramasamy; Roy, Priyadarsi D.; Kessler, Franz L.; Jong, John; Dayong, Vivian; Jonathan, M. P.

    2017-08-01

    An integrated study using bulk chemical composition, mineralogy and mineral chemistry of sedimentary rocks from the Tukau Formation of Borneo Island (Sarawak, Malaysia) is presented in order to understand the depositional and tectonic settings during the Neogene. Sedimentary rocks are chemically classified as shale, wacke, arkose, litharenite and quartz arenite and consist of quartz, illite, feldspar, rutile and anatase, zircon, tourmaline, chromite and monazite. All of them are highly matured and were derived from a moderate to intensively weathered source. Bulk and mineral chemistries suggest that these rocks were recycled from sedimentary to metasedimentary source regions with some input from granitoids and mafic-ultramafic rocks. The chondrite normalized REE signature indicates the presence of felsic rocks in the source region. Zircon geochronology shows that the samples were of Cretaceous and Triassic age. Comparable ages of zircon from the Tukau Formation sedimentary rocks, granitoids of the Schwaner Mountains (southern Borneo) and Tin Belt of the Malaysia Peninsular suggest that the principal provenance for the Rajang Group were further uplifted and eroded during the Neogene. Additionally, presence of chromian spinels and their chemistry indicate a minor influence of mafic and ultramafic rocks present in the Rajang Group. From a tectonic standpoint, the Tukau Formation sedimentary rocks were deposited in a passive margin with passive collisional and rift settings. Our key geochemical observation on tectonic setting is comparable to the regional geological setting of northwestern Borneo as described in the literature.

  2. The emerald deposits of ultramafic rocks of Capoeirana and Belmont, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abreu Machado, G.; Schorscher, H.

    1998-01-01

    The emerald deposits of Capoeirana and Belmont, State of Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil, occur vithin an area comprising a deeply weathered Archean Metavulcano-Sedimentary Sequence (SVS) in tectonic contact with the Borrachudos Metagranitoids (GB) and Fluorite bearing Foliated Metagranitoids (MGF). The SVS is formed by intercalation s of ultramafic schists and amphibolites, basic to intermediate amphibolites, vulcanoclastic, metapelitic and calcsilicate schists and gneisses, banded iron formation and metacherts. The metaultramafic rocks include minor chromitite cumulates and occur at the base of the SVS. When metasomatized in the shear zones adjoining GB and MGF they host emerald mineralizations. (author)

  3. Origin and source regions of nodule-bearing kimberlites and ultramafic lamprophyres in southern Western Greenland

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pilbeam, Llewellyn Howard

    but unconfirmed in kimberlite sensu stricto magmas. It is here termed digestion fractional crystallisation (DFC) and it is argued that the DFC process may account for much of the global varia-bility in kimberlite compositions. The bulk rock trace element geochemistry of the Majuagaa kimberlite is used...... melts in the kimberlites sensu stricto of the Maniitsoq region to relatively more SiO2, Al2O3, FeOT, TiO2 and K2O enriched ultramafic lamprophyres of the Sarfartoq and Sisimuit regions. Simple mixing modelling supports the formation of this sequence due to variable interaction of the primary melt...

  4. The petrogenesis of Gorgona komatiites, picrites and basalts: new field, petrographic and geochemical constraints

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kerr, A. C.; Marriner, G. F.; Arndt, N. T.; Tarney, J.; Nivia, A.; Saunders, A. D.; Duncan, R. A.

    1996-04-01

    Gorgona Island, Colombia is remarkable not only because it contains the only Phanerozoic komatiites, but also because it has mafic to ultramafic lavas with a wide range of compositions, from moderately enriched to extremely depleted (relative to Bulk Earth). The komatiite flows are, in many respects similar to Archaean komatiites; they formed from MgO-rich (18%) liquids and have upper spinifex zones and lower cumulate zones. The cumulate zones of Archaean komatiites contain many solid grains, in contrast more than 90% of the olivine in the Gorgona cumulates is highly skeletal. This combined with the fact that the Gorgona cumulate zones are thinner than those in Archaean komatiites, suggests that the komatiite magma became strongly superheated en route to the surface. The komatiites have trace element contents intermediate between those of the basalts and the ultramafic tuffs. Some basalts have isotope compositions indicative of long-term enrichment in incompatible elements, whereas other basalts and ultramafic volcanics have isotopic signatures that imply corresponding depletion. It is apparent that the plume source region of the Gorgona magmas was markedly heterogeneous, with at least two source components contributing to the observed variation in composition. This heterogeneity may have resulted from the incorporation of different components into the plume source, or it may be the result of complex melting and melt extraction processes during the ascent of a heterogeneous plume. Despite earlier suggestions that there may have been a significant age gap between depleted komatiite and basalt flows and the enriched basalts, new 40Ar- 39Ar dating of basalts and gabbros are more consistent with all being generated at 87 Ma during formation of the Caribbean/Colombian plateau, possibly at the Galapagos hotspot.

  5. Origin of ultramafic-hosted magnesite on Margarita Island, Venezuela

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abu-Jaber, N. S.; Kimberley, M. M.

    1992-06-01

    Ultramafic-hosted deposits of magnesite (MgCO3) have been studied on Margarita Island, Venezuela, to elucidate the source of carbon and conditions of formation for this type of ore. Petrographic, mineralogic, and δ18O data indicate that magnesite precipitated on Margarita in near-surface environments at low P and T. δ13C ranges from -9 to -16‰ PDB within the magnesite and -8 to -10‰ PDB within some calcite and dolomite elsewhere on the island. The isotopically light dolomite fills karst and the calcite occurs as stock-work veins which resemble the magnesite deposits. These carbon isotopic ratios are consistent with a deep-seated source rather than an overlying source from a zone of surficial weathering. However, there is not much enrichment of precious metals and no enrichment of heavy rare-earth elements, as would be expected if the carbon had migrated upward as aqueous carbonate ions. The carbon probably has risen as a gaseous mixture of CO2 and CH4 which partially dissolved in near-surface water before leaching cations and precipitating as magnesite and other carbonates. The process probably is ongoing, given regional exhalation of carbonaceous gases.

  6. Platinum-group elements in southern Africa: mineral inventory and an assessment of undiscovered mineral resources: Chapter Q in Global mineral resource assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zientek, Michael L.; Causey, J. Douglas; Parks, Heather L.; Miller, Robert J.

    2014-01-01

    The platinum-group elements, platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, and osmium, possess unique physical and chemical characteristics that make them indispensable to modern technology and industry. However, mineral deposits that are the main sources of these elements occur only in three countries in the world, raising concerns about potential disruption in mineral supply. Using information in the public domain, mineral resource and reserve information has been compiled for mafic and ultramafic rocks in South Africa and Zimbabwe that host most of the world’s platinum-group element resources.

  7. Brazil Geological Basic Survey Program: special project of mineral resources, soils and vegetation maps for the region of Grande Carajas Program - Mineral resources sub project - Serra dos Carajas - Sheet SB.22-Z-A - Para State

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Araujo, O.J.B. de; Maia, R.G.N.

    1991-01-01

    The geologic landscape at Serra dos Carajas Sheet encloses portions of Southern Para granite-greenstone terrain, Itacaiunas and Araguaia Belts as well as Proterozoic litho-structural components. It shows medium magnetic relief and low radiometric levels due to meta mafic-ultramafic sequences and the high Na granitoids intrusions. The Proterozoic components are represented by a series of anorogenic granitic intrusions shown by distinctive aero gamaspectrometric anomalies. The well known metallogenetic characteristics includes gold, iron, manganese, nickel and aluminium mines and/or deposits and several mineral occurrences mainly chromium, tin, copper, and zinc. (author)

  8. Clay minerals assemblage in the Neogene fluvial succession of the Pishin Belt, Pakistan

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kasi, Aimal Khan; Kassi, Akhtar Muhammad; Friis, Henrik

    2014-01-01

    indicate derivation of material from the Pre-Miocene sedimentary and meta-sedimentary terrains of the Pishin Belt. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses indicate that clay minerals in various mudstones and sandstone samples are identical and detrital in nature and include smectite, chlorite, illite, serpentine...... and kaolinite. Smectite and chlorite are most probably derived from the metavolcanic and mafic volcanic rocks, respectively. Presence of serpentine in samples of the Bostan Formation indicates altered ultramafic rocks as one of the source terrains. Illite is probably recycled from the older sedimentary...

  9. Rb-Sr and Nd-Sr isotope geochemistry and petrogenesis of the Misho Mountains mafic dikes (NW Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maryam Ahankoub

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Introduction There are some theories about the Paleotethys event during the Paleozoic that have been proposed by geologists (Metcalfe, 2006. Some scientist offered some pieces of evidence about the northern margin of Gondwana (Zhu et al., 2010. The Paleotethys Ocean and Hercynian orogenic report first in Iran, have been Offered from the Morrow and Misho Mountain (Eftekharnejad, 1981. Misho Mountains is located between the north and south Misho faults and cause the formation of a positive flower structure (Moayyed and Hossainzade, 2011. There is theory about Misho southern fault as the best candidate of the Paleotethys suture zone (Moayyed and Hossainzade, 2011. Geochemistry and Sr –Nd isotopic data of the A2 granitic and Synite rocks of the East Misho, indicate that the magmatism post collision has occurred in the active continental margin by extensional zones of the following the closure of the Paleotethys (Ahankoub, 2012. Granite and syenite rocks have been cut by mafic dikes. Mafic dikes are often formed in extensional tectonic settings related to mantle plume or continental break –up (Zhu et al., 2009. In this paper, we use the geochemistry and Nd-Sr isotope data to determined petrogenesis, tectono-magmatic setting and age of Misho mafic dikes. Materials and methods After petrography study of 30 thin sections of mafic dike rocks, 8 samples were selected for whole-rock chemical analyses using ICP-MS and ICP-AES instruments by ACME Company in Vancouver, Canada. We prepared 6 sample For Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr analysis. Sr and Nd isotope ratios were measured with a thermal ionization mass spectrometer, VG Sector 54–30 at the Nagoya University. The isotope abundances of Rb, Sr, Nd, and Sm were measured by the ID method with a Finnigan MAT Thermoquad THQ thermal ionization quadrupole mass spectrometer at the Nagoya University. NBS987 and JNdi-1 were measured as natural Sr and Nd isotope ratio standards (Tanaka et al., 2000. Averages and 2σ errors

  10. Flooding studies of proposed repository locations in the Palo Duro Basin of the Texas Panhandle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1985-04-01

    This report contains the results of flooding studies of those stream channels that drain the proposed locations of a high-level nuclear-waste repository in Deaf Smith and Swisher Counties, Texas. Included are computations of the flood hydrographs and water surface profiles of the 100-year, 500-year, and probable maximum floods for Palo Duro Creek, Tule Creek, and Pleasant Draw. The hydrographs were produced according to the method of the Soil Conservation Service for ungaged watersheds, and the computations were made with computer programs developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The flood hydrographs were computed with the HEC-1 Flood Hydrograph Package and the water surface elevations with the HEC-2 Water Surface Profiles program. 76 refs., 19 figs., 16 tabs

  11. Moessbauer Study of Serpentine Minerals in the Ultramafic Body of Tehuitzingo, Southern Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gonzalez-Mancera, G.; Ortega-Gutierrez, F.; Nava, N. E.; Arriola, H. S.

    2003-01-01

    Serpentine 'polymorph' minerals (chrysotile, lizardite, and antigorite) are hydrous Mg-Fe silicates that commonly form serpentine rock (serpentinite) by hydration of olivine-pyroxene peridotites from the mantle of the Earth. During the complex geologic history of orogenic belts, the redox and hydration state of the mantle changes, and olivine and pyroxenes are replaced by serpentine group minerals during tectonic deformation and uplift. Unfortunately, modern microanalysis of minerals by electron probe does not distinguish the oxidation state of iron, and it has to be assumed or estimated by precise methods, such as Moessbauer spectrometry. The studied samples were collected in the Xayacatlan Formation of the Tehuitzingo area, State of Puebla, within the Paleozoic Acatlan Complex. The original mantle peridotite was completely converted to serpentinite, with secondary crystallization of Fe-Mg oxides, calcsilicates, and carbonates. The three serpentine 'polymorphs' were identified in the studied samples, although with a clear predominance of the high-temperature member antigorite, which was preliminary determined by optical petrography, X-ray diffraction, electron probe, and scanning electron microscopy. Microprobe total iron content in most specimens was +3 substitution at the tetrahedral site may also occur according to some Moessbauer studies. This paper studied the iron valence state and its position in serpentine minerals of the Tehuitzingo ultramafic body using Moessbauer techniques. The analyses in most samples detected one doublet, compatible with Fe +2 in octahedral coordination, but only two specimens displayed two doublets corresponding to Fe +2 and Fe +3 in octahedral coordination. Doublets corresponding to Fe +3 in tetrahedral sites were not found. The parameters obtained for all the Fe +2 doublets are similar (QS=2.76±0.08 mm/sec, and IS=1.12±0.01), whereas the ratio Fe +3 /Fe +2 (0-0.34) has a strong tendency for iron to be in a divalent state. This

  12. Evolution of Icelandic Central Volcanoes: Evidence from the Austurhorn Plutonic and Vestmannaeyjar Volcanic Complexes

    Science.gov (United States)

    1989-09-01

    complex (figure 3.2; Blake, 1964, 1970). They consist of basic, intermediate and acid lavas as well as pyroclastic deposits. Early propylitic ...hypothesis because dikes are heavily fractured and commonly show incipient propylitization along fracture surfaces. Mafic dikes exhibit a sharp maximum in

  13. Area environmental characterization report of the Dalhart and Palo Duro basins in the Texas Panhandle. Volume I. Dalhart Basin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1982-09-01

    This area report describes the environmental characteristics of the Dalhart and Palo Duro basins of the Texas Panhandle portion of the Permian basin. Both basins are rather sparsely populated, and the overall population is decreasing. The economic base is centered on agribusiness and manufacturing. Most of the potentially conflicting land uses in both basins (i.e., parks, historic sites) occupy small land areas, with the exception of a national grassland in the Dalhart and military air training routes in both basins. Ground transportation in the Dalhart basin is adequate, and it is well developed in the Palo Duro basin. In both basins irrigation constitutes the principal water use, and groundwater is the principal source. However, the dominant aquifer, the Ogallala, is being depleted. Both basins consist primarily of grasslands, rangelands, and agricultural areas. No critical terrestrial or aquatic habitats have been identified in the basins, though several endangered, threatened, or rare terrestrial species occur in or near the basins. Aquatic resources in both basins are limited because of the intermittent availability of water and the high salt content of some water bodies. Playa lakes are common, though usually seasonal or rain dependent. The climate of the area is semiarid, with low humidity, relatively high wind speeds, and highly variable prcipitation. Restrictive dispersion conditions are infrequent. National ambient secondary air quality standards for particulates are being exceeded in the area, largely because of fugitive dust, although there are some particulate point sources

  14. Radioactive waste isolation in salt: peer review of the Office of Nuclear Waste Isolation's reports on preferred repository sites within the Palo Duro Basin, Texas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fenster, D.; Edgar, D.; Gonzales, S.; Domenico, P.; Harrison, W.; Engelder, T.; Tisue, M.

    1984-04-01

    Documents are being submitted to the Salt Repository Project Office (SRPO) of the US Department of Energy (DOE) by Battelle Memorial Institute's Office of Nuclear Waste Isolation (ONWI) to satisfy milestones of the Salt Repository Project of the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program. Some of these documents are being reviewed by multidisciplinary groups of peers to ensure DOE of their adequacy and credibility. Adequacy of documents refers to their ability to meet the standards of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, as enunciated in 10 CFR 60, and the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act and the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982. Credibility of documents refers to the validity of the assumptions, methods, and conclusions, as well as to the completeness of coverage. This report summarizes Argonne's review of ONWI's two-volume draft report entitled Identification of Preferred Sites within the Palo Duro Basin: Vol. 1 - Palo Duro Location A, and Vol. 2 - Palo Duro Location B, dated January 1984. Argonne was requested by DOE to review these documents on January 17 and 24, 1984 (see App. A). The review procedure involved obtaining written comments on the reports from three members of Argonne's core peer review staff and three extramural experts in related research areas. The peer review panel met at Argonne on February 6, 1984, and reviewer comments were integrated into this report by the review session chairman, with the assistance of Argonne's core peer review staff. All of the peer review panelists concurred in the way in which their comments were represented in this report (see App. B). A letter report and a draft of this report were sent to SRPO on February 10, 1984, and April 17, 1984, respectively. 5 references

  15. CUMULATE ROCKS ASSOCIATED WITH CARBONATE ASSIMILATION, HORTAVÆR COMPLEX, NORTH-CENTRAL NORWAY

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnes, C. G.; Prestvik, T.; Li, Y.

    2009-12-01

    The Hortavær igneous complex intruded high-grade metamorphic rocks of the Caledonian Helgeland Nappe Complex at ca. 466 Ma. The complex is an unusual mafic-silicic layered intrusion (MASLI) because the principal felsic rock type is syenite and because the syenite formed in situ rather than by deep-seated partial melting of crustal rocks. Magma differentiation in the complex was by assimilation, primarily of calc-silicate rocks and melts with contributions from marble and semi-pelites, plus fractional crystallization. The effect of assimilation of calcite-rich rocks was to enhance stability of fassaitic clinopyroxene at the expense of olivine, which resulted in alkali-rich residual melts and lowering of silica activity. This combination of MASLI-style emplacement and carbonate assimilation produced three types of cumulate rocks: (1) Syenitic cumulates formed by liquid-crystal separation. As sheets of mafic magma were loaded on crystal-rich syenitic magma, residual liquid was expelled, penetrating the overlying mafic sheets in flame structures, and leaving a cumulate syenite. (2) Reaction cumulates. Carbonate assimilation, illustrated by a simple assimilation reaction: olivine + calcite + melt = clinopyroxene + CO2 resulted in cpx-rich cumulates such as clinopyroxenite, gabbro, and mela-monzodiorite, many of which contain igneous calcite. (3) Magmatic skarns. Calc-silicate host rocks underwent partial melting during assimilation, yielding a Ca-rich melt as the principal assimilated material and permitting extensive reaction with surrounding magma to form Kspar + cpx + garnet-rich ‘cumulate’ rocks. Cumulate types (2) and (3) do not reflect traditional views of cumulate rocks but instead result from a series of melt-present discontinuous (peritectic) reactions and partial melting of calc-silicate xenoliths. In the Hortavær complex, such cumulates are evident because of the distinctive peritectic cumulate assemblages. It is unclear whether assimilation of

  16. Regional magnetic and gravity features of the Gibson Dome area and surrounding region, Paradox Basin, Utah : a preliminary report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hildenbrand, T.G.; Kucks, R.P.

    1983-01-01

    Analyses of regional gravity and magnetic anomaly maps have been carried out to assist in the evaluation of the Gibson Dome area as a possible repository site for high-level radioactive waste. Derivative, wavelength-filtered, and trend maps were compiled to aid in properly locating major geophysical trends corresponding to faults, folds, and lithologic boundaries. The anomaly maps indicate that Paradox Basin is characterized by a heterogeneous Precambrian basement, essentially a metamorphic complex of gneisses and schist intruded by granitic rocks and mafic to ultramafic bodies. Interpreted Precambrian structures trend predominantly northwest and northeast although east-west trending features are evident. Prominent gravity lows define the salt anticlines. Structural and lithologic trends in the Gibson Dome area are closely examined. Of greatest interest is a series of circular magnetic highs trending west-northwest into the Gibson Dome area. Further study of the exact definition and geologic significance of this series of anomalies is warranted.

  17. Reconstruction of multiple P-T-t stages from retrogressed mafic rocks: Subduction versus collision in the Southern Brasília orogen (SE Brazil)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tedeschi, Mahyra; Lanari, Pierre; Rubatto, Daniela; Pedrosa-Soares, Antônio; Hermann, Jörg; Dussin, Ivo; Pinheiro, Marco Aurélio P.; Bouvier, Anne-Sophie; Baumgartner, Lukas

    2017-12-01

    The identification of markers of subduction zones in orogenic belts requires the estimation of paleo-geothermal gradients through pressure-temperature-time (P-T-t) estimates in mafic rocks that potentially derive from former oceanic units once. However, such markers are rare in supracrustal sequences specially in deeply eroded and weathered Precambrian orogens, and reconstructing their metamorphic history is challenging because they are commonly retrogressed and only preserve a few mineral relicts of high-pressure metamorphism. Metamorphosed mafic rocks from Pouso Alegre region of the Neoproterozoic Southern Brasília Orogen outcrop as rare lenses within continental gneisses. They have previously been classified as retrograde eclogites, based on the presence of garnet and the characteristic symplectitic texture replacing omphacite. These rocks were interpreted to mark the suture zone between the Paranapanema and São Francisco cratons. To test the possible record of eclogitic conditions in the Pouso Alegre mafic rocks, samples including the surrounding felsic rocks have been investigated using quantitative compositional mapping, forward thermodynamic modeling and in-situ dating of accessory minerals to refine their P-T-t history. In the metamorphosed mafic rocks, the peak pressure assemblage of garnet and omphacite (Jd20, reconstructed composition) formed at 690 ± 35 °C and 13.5 ± 3.0 kbar, whereas local retrogression into symplectite or corona occurred at 595 ± 25 °C and 4.8 ± 1.5 kbar. The two reactions were coupled and thus took place at the same time. A zircon U-Pb age of 603 ± 7 Ma was obtained for metamorphic rims and linked to the retrogression stage. Monazite and metamorphic zircon U-Th-Pb ages for the surrounding rocks are at ca. 630 Ma and linked to peak pressure conditions similar to the one recorded by the mafic rocks. The low maximal pressure of 14 kbar and the high geothermal gradient do not necessarily support subduction process

  18. Petrology and oxygen isotope geochemistry of the Pucon ignimbrite - Southern Andean volcanic zone, Chile: Implications for genesis of mafic ignimbrites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McCurry, Michael; Schmidt, Keegan

    2001-01-01

    Although mafic components of dominantly intermediate to silicic ignimbrites are rather common, voluminous, dominantly mafic ignimbrites are rare (e.g., Smith, 1979; cf. Freundt and Schmincke, 1995). Volcan Villarrica, the most active composite volcano in South America, located in the Southern Andean Volcanic Zone (SAVZ, Lopez-Escobar and Moreno, 1994a), has produced two such ignimbrites, respectively the Lican and Pucon Ignimbrites, in the last 14,000 years (Clavero, 1996). The two ignimbrites are low-Si andesite and basaltic-andesite to low-Si andesite, respectively, the former about twice as voluminous as the later (10 and 5 km 3 ). Eruption of the ignimbrites produced calderas respectively 5 and 2 km in diameter (Moreno, 1995; Clavero, 1996). In addition to its mafic bulk composition, the Pucon Ignimbrite (PI) is also distinguished by numerous xenolithic fragments among and also within magmatic pyroclasts. Many of these are fragments of granitoid rocks. Volcan Villarrica has also produced numerous smaller mafic ignimbrites and pyroclastic surge deposits, as well as dominantly basaltic fallout and lava flows (Lopez-Escobar and Moreno, 1994; Moreno, 1995; Clavero, 1996; Hickey-Vargas et al., 1989; Tormey et al., 1991). Reasons for the unusual style of mafic explosive activity at Volcan Villarrica are unclear. Clavero (1996), based upon an exemplary thesis-study of the physical volcanology and petrology of the PI, suggests it formed in response to a sequence of events beginning with injection of a shallow basaltic andesite magma chamber by hotter basaltic magma. In his model mixing and heat transfer between the two magmas initiated a violent Strombolian eruption that destabilized the chamber causing infiltration of large amounts of meteoric-water saturated country rocks. The Pucon Ignimbrite formed in response to subsequent phreatomagmatic interactions. In contrast, Lopez-Escobar and Moreno (1994) infer on geochemical grounds that volatiles leading to the explosive

  19. Subduction zone and crustal dynamics of western Washington; a tectonic model for earthquake hazards evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stanley, Dal; Villaseñor, Antonio; Benz, Harley

    1999-01-01

    buttress occurs under the North Cascades region of Washington and under southern Vancouver Island. We find that regional faults zones such as the Devils Mt. and Darrington zones follow the margin of this buttress and the Olympic-Wallowa lineament forms its southern boundary east of the Puget Lowland. Thick, high-velocity, lower-crustal rocks are interpreted to be a mafic/ultramafic wedge occuring just above the subduction thrust. This mafic wedge appears to be jointly deformed with the arch, suggesting strong coupling between the subducting plate and upper plate crust in the Puget Sound region at depths >30 km. Such tectonic coupling is possible if brittle-ductile transition temperatures for mafic/ultramafic rocks on both sides of the thrust are assumed. The deformation models show that dominant north-south compression in the coast ranges of Washington and Oregon is controlled by a highly mafic crust and low heat flow, allowing efficient transmission of margin-parallel shear from Pacific plate interaction with North America. Complex stress patterns which curve around the Puget Sound region require a concentration of northwest-directed shear in the North Cascades of Washington. The preferred model shows that greatest horizontal shortening occurs across the Devils Mt. fault zone and the east end of the Seattle fault.

  20. Carbonation of Subduction Interface Ultramafic Rocks and Implications for Deep Carbon Cycling: Evidence from Hybrid Serpentinite-Marble in the Voltri Massif, Italy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scambelluri, M.; Bebout, G. E.; Gilio, M.; Belmonte, D.; Campomenosi, N.; Crispini, L.

    2015-12-01

    Release of COH fluids from hydrous minerals and carbonates influences element recycling and magmatism at subduction zones. Contradictory interpretations exist regarding the retention/storage of C in subducting plates and in the forearc to subarc mantle. Multiple lines of evidence indicate mobility of C in forearcs; however, the magnitude of this loss is highly uncertain[1-5]. A poorly constrained fraction of the 40-115 Mt/y of C initially subducted is released into fluids (e.g., by decarbonation, carbonate dissolution), and 18-43 Mt/y is returned at arc volcanoes[2-5, refs. therein]. The imbalance could reflect subduction into the deeper mantle or forearc/subarc storage[4-7]. We examine the fate of C in slab/interface ultramafic rocks, and by analogy serpentinized mantle wedge, via study of fluid-rock evolution of marble and variably carbonated serpentinite (Ligurian Alps). Based on petrography, and major/trace element and C and O isotope compositions, we demonstrate that serpentinite dehydration at 2-2.5 GPa, 550°C released aqueous fluids triggering breakdown of dolomite in nearby marbles, thus releasing C into fluids. Carbonate + olivine veins document flow of COH fluids; interaction of these COH fluids with serpentinite led to formation of high-pressure carbonated ultramafic-rock domains, thus resulting in retention of C in some rocks at an ancient subduction interface. We stress that lithologically complex interfaces could contain sites of both C release and C addition, further confounding estimates of net C loss at forearc and subarc depths [cf 4,5]. Sites of C retention, also including carbonate veins and graphite as reduced carbonate[7], could influence the transfer of slab C to at least the depths beneath volcanic fronts. 1. Poli S et al. 2009 EPSL; 2. Ague and Nicolescu 2014 Nat Geosci; 3. Cook-Collars et al. 2014 Chem Geol; 4. Collins et al. 2015 Chem Geol; 5. Kelemen and Manning 2015 PNAS; 6. Sapienza et al. 2009 CMP; 7 Galvez et al. 2013 Nat Geosci

  1. Composition of the earth's upper mantle. II - Volatile trace elements in ultramafic xenoliths

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morgan, J. W.; Wandless, G. A.; Petrie, R. K.; Irving, A. J.

    1980-01-01

    Radiochemical neutron activation analysis was used to determine the nine volatile elements Ag, Bi, Cd, In, Sb, Se, Te, Tl, and Zn in 19 ultramafic rocks, consisting mainly of spinel and garnet lherzolites. A sheared garnet lherzolite, PHN 1611, may approximate undepleted mantle material and tends to have a higher volatile element content than the depleted mantle material represented by spinel lherzolites. Comparisons of continental basalts with PHN 1611 and of oceanic ridge basalts with spinel lherzolites show similar basalt: source material partition factors for eight of the nine volatile elements, Sb being the exception. The strong depletion of Te and Se in the mantle, relative to lithophile elements of similar volatility, suggests that 97% of the earth's S, Se and Te may be in the outer core.

  2. A novel feedwater system for the RETRAN model of the Palo Verde nuclear generating station

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Secker, P.A.; Webb, J.R.

    1988-01-01

    This paper presents a feedwater system model which supplies realistic boundary conditions to the RETRAN model of a Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station reactor plant. The RETRAN thermal hydraulic code is used to analyze nuclear reactor system transients through a generalized thermal hydraulic volume/junction network. The feedwater system model is implemented using the control block modeling option available in the RETRAN code. The output of the control block model is coupled to the thermal hydraulic network by a fill junction. A forward Euler integration scheme is used by RETRAN for control block variables. The feedwater system model is formulated to allow implicit integration within the existing code framework. The potential need for small integration time steps is, therefore, alleviated. The model results are compared with test data

  3. Serpentinization and alteration in an olivine cumulate from the Stillwater Complex, Southwestern Montana

    Science.gov (United States)

    Page, N.J.

    1976-01-01

    Some of the olivine cumulates of the Ultramafic zone of the Stillwater Complex, Montana, are progressively altered to serpentine minerals and thompsonite. Lizardite and chrysotile developed in the cumulus olivine and postcumulus pyroxenes; thompsonite developed in postcumulus plagioclase. The detailed mineralogy, petrology, and chemistry indicate that olivine and plagioclase react to form the alteration products, except for H2O, without changes in the bulk composition of the rocks. ?? 1976 Springer-Verlag.

  4. SEM-MLA-based Investigation of the Composition of Mafic Volcaniclastic Deposits from the Paraná Large Igneous Province, Brazil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Höfig, D. F.; Höfig, T. W.; Licht, O. A. B.; Haser, S.; Valore, L.

    2017-12-01

    Mafic volcaniclastic deposits (MVDs) have been widely reported in Large Igneous Provinces around the world, except for the Paraná Province (review by Ross et al., 2005: J Volcanol Geotherm Res, 145, pp. 281-314). Recent geochemical classification for this unit highlights, however, the occurrence of such deposits, connected to basic lava flows, mostly those High Ti - High P ones (Licht.: J Volcanol Geotherm Res, in press). In southern Brazil, MVDs intercalated with lava flows have been reported at 680 sites, showing conspicuous poorly sorted polymictic breccia at the base, grading to tuff breccias and red silicified tuffs at the top. Newly sampled rocks of Paraná mafic volcanoclastic deposits unravel important information about the composition utilizing Scanning Electron Microscopy-based Mineral Liberation Analysis. Overall, they show similar mineralogy presenting obsidian (25-40%), different phases of iron oxide (5-20%), quartz (10-25%), plagioclase (5-25%), celadonite (5-25%), and chlorite (5-10%). The breccias reveal a greater content of celadonite due to the presence of altered hypohyaline and hypocrystalline basaltic shards, whereas the tuffs are more enriched in glass. Different generations of plagioclase are attributed to various basalt shards and clasts as well vitroclasts found in the matrix. It is proposed that the MVDs were generated by explosive events due the interaction between the ascending mafic magma and deep aquifer systems and its siliciclastic matrix represents the country rock, i.e., the underneath Paleozoic sedimentary sequence of Paraná Basin.

  5. Thermal diffusivity of felsic to mafic granulites at elevated temperatures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ray, Labani; Förster, H.-J.; Schilling, F. R.; Förster, A.

    2006-11-01

    The thermal diffusivity of felsic and intermediate granulites (charnockites, enderbites), mafic granulites, and amphibolite-facies gneisses has been measured up to temperatures of 550 °C using a transient technique. The rock samples are from the Archean and Pan-African terranes of the Southern Indian Granulite Province. Thermal diffusivity at room temperature ( DRT) for different rock types ranges between 1.2 and 2.2 mm 2 s - 1 . For most of the rocks, the effect of radiative heat transfer is observed at temperatures above 450 °C. However, for few enderbites and mafic granulites, radiative heat transfer is negligible up to 550 °C. In the temperature range of conductive heat transfer, i.e., between 20 ° and 450 °C, thermal diffusivity decreases between 35% and 45% with increasing temperature. The temperature dependence of the thermal diffusivity is directly correlated with the thermal diffusivity at room temperature, i.e., the higher the thermal diffusivity at room temperature, DRT, the greater is its temperature dependence. In this temperature range i.e., between 20 and 450 °C, thermal diffusivity can be expressed as D = 0.7 mm 2 s -1 + 144 K ( DRT - 0.7 mm 2 s -1 ) / ( T - 150 K), where T is the absolute temperature in Kelvin. At higher temperatures, an additional radiative contribution is observed according to CT3, where C varies from 10 - 9 to 10 - 10 depending on intrinsic rock properties (opacity, absorption behavior, grain size, grain boundary, etc). An equation is presented that describes the temperature and pressure dependence thermal diffusivity of rocks based only on the room-temperature thermal diffusivity. Room-temperature thermal diffusivity and its temperature dependence are mainly dependent on the major mineralogy of the rock. Because granulites are important components of the middle and lower continental crust, the results of this study provide important constraints in quantifying more accurately the thermal state of the deeper continental

  6. Early Jurassic mafic dykes from the Aigao uranium ore deposit in South China: Geochronology, petrogenesis and relationship with uranium mineralization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Di; Zhao, Kui-Dong; Chen, Wei; Jiang, Shao-Yong

    2018-05-01

    Mafic dykes are abundant and widely distributed in many granite-hosted uranium ore deposits in South China. However, their geochronology, petrogenesis and relationship with uranium mineralization were poorly constrained. In this study, apatite U-Pb dating, whole-rock major and trace element and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope analysis were conducted for the dolerite dykes from the Aigao uranium ore deposit. Apatite U-Pb isotopic data indicate that the mafic dykes were emplaced at Early Jurassic (189 ± 4 Ma), which provides new evidence for the rarely identified Early Jurassic magmatism in South China. Pyroxene from the dykes is mainly augite, and plagioclase belongs to albite. The dolerite samples have relatively low SiO2 contents (45.33-46.79 wt%), relatively high total alkali contents (K2O + Na2O = 4.11-4.58 wt%) and Al2O3 contents (13.39-13.80 wt%), and medium MgO contents (4.29-5.16 wt%). They are enriched in Nb, Ta, Ti, rare earth elements and depleted in Rb, K, Sr, Th, showing the typical OIB-like geochemical affinity. All the dolerite samples show homogeneous Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions, with (87Sr/86Sr)i varying from 0.706049 to 0.707137, εNd(t) from +4.6 to +5.2, 206Pb/204Pb from 19.032 to 19.126 and 207Pb/204Pb from 15.641 to 15.653. The mafic dykes in the Aigao deposit should be derived from the partial melting of the asthenospheric mantle and formed in a within-plate extensional environment. The emplacement age of the mafic dykes is older than the uranium mineralization age. Therefore, CO2 in ore-forming fluids couldn't originate from the basaltic magma as suggested by previous studies. The dolerite dykes might only provide a favorable reducing environment to promote the precipitation of uraninite from oxidize hydrothermal fluids.

  7. Mineral and rock chemistry of Mata da Corda Kamafugitic Rocks (Minas Gerais State, Brazil)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Albuquerque Sgarbi, Patricia B. de; Valenca, Joel G.

    1995-01-01

    The volcanic rocks of the Mata da Corda Formation (Upper Cretaceous) in Minas Gerais, Brazil, are mafic potassic to ultra potassic rocks of kamafugitic affinity containing essentially clinopyroxenes, perovskite, magnetite and occasionally olivine, phlogopite, melilite pseudomorphs and apatite. The felsic phases are kalsilite and/or leucite pseudomorphs. The rocks are classified as mafitites, leucitites and kalsilitites. The analysis of the available data of the rocks studied, based on the relevant aspects of the main proposals for the classification of alkaline mafic to ultramafic potassic rocks leads to the conclusion that Sahama's (1974) proposal to divide potassium rich alkaline rocks in two large families is the one to which the Mata da Corda rocks adapt best. According to this and the data in the literature on the mineralogy and mineral and rock chemistries of the other similar occurrences, these rocks may be interpreted as alkaline potassic to ultra potassic rocks of hamafugitic affinity. 11 figs., 5 tabs

  8. Characteristics of chlorites from Huangnihu uranium deposit and their implications in uranium metallogenic environment in the southern part of Jiangxi Province

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu Zhihua; Lin Jinrong; Pang Yaqing; Gao Fei; Rong Jiashu; Guo Shuying

    2013-01-01

    Chlorite is genetically related to uranium mineralization in Huangnihu uranium deposit. By means of microscopic and electronic microprobe analysis, the authors investigated chemical composition and texture of the chlorite and found that chlorite in Huangnihu deposit has the following characteristics: 1. they are mainly Fe-rich chlorite composed of chamosite and brunsvigite, of which chemical composition is mainly affected by mud and mafic rock; 2. the Fe-Mg and Al"I"V-Si substitution dominates the octahedral substitution supplemented by Al"V"I-Fe substitution; the oolitic chlorite and biotite feinted chlorite closely associated with uranium were formed at temperatures of 216.23 ∼ 256.73℃ (average 228.6℃). The chemical composition and forming environment of the oolitic chlorite and biotite illusion chlorite suggests that Huangnihu uranium deposit is a low-moderate temperature hydrothermal uranium deposit formed in a reducing environment and iron-rich formation, the ore-forming fluid mainly originated from shale rock, partly from ultramafic or mafic liquid. (authors)

  9. Endeavor research into evolving paradigms around ophiolites: the case of the oceanic igneous complexes of Costa Rica

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alvarado, Guillermo E.; Denyer, Perci; Gazel, Esteban

    2009-01-01

    Studies on the radiolarite igneous (ophiolitic) complexes were done for more than one century in Costa Rica that range from Jurassic to Eocene. These studies can be grouped in four stages of knowledge: 1) from 1904 to 1957 were recognized the cherts, and the mafic and ultramafic igneous complexes, the first regional maps were done, and the first time were recognized ellipsoidal basalts, now widely known as pillow lavas. 2) From 1958 to 1978 the complexes were seen under the concept of the association of ophiolites (serpentine, gabbro, diabase, basalts, and related rocks) and interpreted the radiolarites as deep-sea sediments. The stage is characterized by the seminal work of Gabriel Dengo and by the first geochemical analyses in the framework of the plate tectonics. 3) A huge amount of geochemical data, paleontological and K/Ar ages were published from 1979 to 1994 and it was the stage of more controversial papers, their interpretation varied for the same locality (i.e. (Nicoya Peninsula) from relative simple stratigraphic model to a very complex nappe slices, and from a simple tectonic evolution (in situ and formed by a mid oceanic ridge volcanism) to a multistage evolution (terrains, and mid oceanic ridge, aseismic ridge, intraplate and island arc volcanism). The situation was similar in the other Costa Rican oceanic complexes. 4) The outlook for 1995 to the present it has been clarified and mutual agreement between the different groups. The stage is characterized by joint collaboration, the use of modern laboratory techniques as Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopes, major, trace and complete rare earth elements. 40A r/ 39 Ar dating, and volcanological criteria, together with detailed field mapping. The main new result of these studies was that the radiolarites (164-84 Ma) in the Nicoya Peninsula were significatively older than the basic igneous rocks (140-84 Ma), indicating a complex magmatic event intruding and erupting into the thick sedimentary sequence. For other areas

  10. Besshi-type mineral systems in the Palaeoproterozoic Bryah Rift-Basin, Capricorn Orogen, Western Australia: Implications for tectonic setting and geodynamic evolution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Franco Pirajno

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available In this contribution we use VMS mineral systems in the Bryah rift-basin to constrain the tectonic setting of the widespread mafic and ultramafic magmatism that characterises the rift-basin in question. Two distinct, but temporally closely associated, lithostratigraphic sequences, Narracoota and Karalundi Formations, are discussed. The Karalundi Formation is the main host of VMS mineral systems in the region. The Karalundi Formation consists of turbiditic and immature clastic sediments, which are locally intercalated with basaltic hyaloclastites, dolerites and banded jaspilites. We propose that the basaltic hyaloclastites, dolerites and clastics and jaspilites rocks, form a distinct unit of the Karalundi Formation, named Noonyereena Member. The VMS mineral systems occur near the north-east trending Jenkin Fault and comprise the giant and world-class DeGrussa and the Red Bore deposits. The nature of these deposits and their intimate association with terrigenous clastic rocks and dominantly marine mafic volcanic and subvolcanic rocks, as well as the common development of peperitic margins, are considered indicative of a Besshi-type environment, similar to that of present-day Gulf of California. Our Re-Os age data from a primary pyrite yielded a mean model age of 2012 ± 48 Ma, which coincides (within error with recent published Re-Os data (Hawke et al., 2015 and confirms the timing of the proposed geodynamic evolution. We propose a geodynamic model that attempts to explain the presence of the Narracoota and Karalundi Formations as the result of mantle plume activity, which began with early uplift of continental crust with intraplate volcanism, followed by early stages of rifting with the deposition of the Karalundi Formation (and Noonyereena Member, which led to the formation of Besshi-type VMS deposits. With on-going mantle plume activity and early stages of continental separation, an oceanic plateau was formed and is now represented by mafic-ultramafic

  11. Grain to outcrop-scale frozen moments of dynamic magma mixing in the syenite magma chamber, Yelagiri Alkaline Complex, South India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.L. Renjith

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Magma mixing process is unusual in the petrogenesis of felsic rocks associated with alkaline complex worldwide. Here we present a rare example of magma mixing in syenite from the Yelagiri Alkaline Complex, South India. Yelagiri syenite is a reversely zoned massif with shoshonitic (Na2O + K2O=5–10 wt.%, Na2O/K2O = 0.5–2, TiO2 <0.7 wt.% and metaluminous character. Systematic modal variation of plagioclase (An11–16 Ab82–88, K-feldspar (Or27–95 Ab5–61, diopside (En34–40Fs11–18Wo46–49, biotite, and Ca-amphibole (edenite build up three syenite facies within it and imply the role of in-situ fractional crystallization (FC. Evidences such as (1 disequilibrium micro-textures in feldspars, (2 microgranular mafic enclaves (MME and (3 synplutonic dykes signify mixing of shoshonitic mafic magma (MgO = 4–5 wt.%, SiO2 = 54–59 wt.%, K2O/Na2O = 0.4–0.9 with syenite. Molecular-scale mixing of mafic magma resulted disequilibrium growth of feldspars in syenite. Physical entity of mafic magma preserved as MME due to high thermal-rheological contrast with syenite magma show various hybridization through chemical exchange, mechanical dilution enhanced by chaotic advection and phenocryst migration. In synplutonic dykes, disaggregation and mixing of mafic magma was confined within the conduit of injection. Major-oxides mass balance test quantified that approximately 0.6 portions of mafic magma had interacted with most evolved syenite magma and generated most hybridized MME and dyke samples. It is unique that all the rock types (syenite, MME and synplutonic dykes share similar shoshonitic and metaluminous character; mineral chemistry, REE content, coherent geochemical variation in Harker diagram suggest that mixing of magma between similar composition. Outcrop-scale features of crystal accumulation and flow fabrics also significant along with MME and synplutonic dykes in syenite suggesting that Yelagiri syenite magma chamber had evolved

  12. Deformation of the Songshugou ophiolite in the Qinling orogen

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Shengsi; Dong, Yunpeng

    2017-04-01

    The Qinling orogen, middle part of the China Central Orogenic Belt, is well documented that was constructed by multiple convergences and subsequent collisions between the North China and South China Blocks mainly based on geochemistry and geochronology of ophiolites, magmatic rocks as well as sedimentary reconstruction. However, this model is lack of constraints from deformation of subduction/collision. The Songshugou ophiolite outcropped to the north of the Shangdan suture zone represents fragments of oceanic crust and upper mantle. Previous works have revealed that the ophiolite was formed at an ocean ridge and then emplaced in the northern Qinling belt. Hence, deformation of the ophiolite would provide constraints for the rifting and subduction processes. The ophiolite consists chiefly of metamorphosed mafic and ultramafic rocks. The ultramafic rocks contain coarse dunite, dunitic mylonite and harzburgite, with minor diopsidite veins. The mafic rocks are mainly amphibolite, garnet amphibolite and amphibole schist, which are considered to be eclogite facies and retrograde metamorphosed oceanic crust. Amphibole grains in the mafic rocks exhibit a strong shape-preferred orientation parallel to the foliation, which is also parallel to the lithologic contacts between mafic and ultramafic rocks. Electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) analyses show strong olivine crystallographic preferred orientations (CPO) in dunite including A-, B-, and C-types formed by (010)[100], (010)[001] and (100)[001] dislocation slip systems, respectively. A-type CPO suggests high temperature plastic deformation in the upper mantle. In comparison, B-type may be restricted to regions with significantly high water content and high differential stress, and C-type may also be formed in wet condition with lower differential stress. Additionally, the dunite evolved into amphibolite facies metamorphism with mineral assemblages of olivine + talc + anthophyllite. Assuming a pressure of 1.5 GPa

  13. Influence of geological factors on the mechanical properties of rock in the Palo Duro Basin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cregger, D.M.; Corkum, D.H.; Gokce, A.O.; Peck, J.H.

    1985-01-01

    Sedimentary formations in the Palo Duro Basin of the Texas Panhandle exhibit a variety of petrofabrics which contribute to different mechanical behavior. Similarly classified rock core specimens, upon closer inspection, are comprised of different textures and slight compositional variations. The resultant rock mass characteristics interpreted from laboratory tests and deep borehole geophysical logs are seen to be a direct result of the depositional environment and geologic history. Depositional environments include chemical precipitation in shallow brine pools, basin filling with terrigenous or eolian supply of clastics, restricted circulation, and transgression of normal marine waters. Geochemical transformations of the deposits, (diagenesis), can or may result in profound changes to the mechanical properties of the rock. Structural deformation of the bedded salts is slight and may be far less important in its effect on mechanical properties than diagenetic changes

  14. Radioactivity of heavy minerals and geochemistry of trace elements and radon, resulting from the weathering of the ophiolitic complex, Northwest of Syria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kattaa, B.; Al-Hilal, M.; Jubeli, Y.

    1999-06-01

    Geochemical and radiometric survey of stream sediments resulting from the weathering of ophiolitic complex at Al-Basit area were carried out. Several exploration techniques have been used to evaluate the radioactive elements and minerals in the area, and to estimate the significance of the radioactivity of the source rocks of these elements and minerals. determination of radioelements and some trace elements in stream sediments, in addition to gamma-ray spectrometry and radon gas measurement in water of springs and wells were carried out in the study area. The results show that the high values of radioactive elements and radon concentration are related to the occurrence of syenite nepheline and plageogranite, characterized by higher content of these elements compared to mafic and ultramafic rocks. Mineralogical study of the heavy minerals shows that the abundant minerals are pyroxene and amphibole, while less abundant minerals are iron oxides (limonite and hematite), chromite, ilmenite, olivine and magnetite. Rare minerals are zircon, apatite, barite, tourmaline and sphen. The absence of monazite, xenotime and thorite in the collected samples is mainly attributed to the very limited occurrence of their source rocks. However, this results is rather restricted to the collected samples. High concentration of magnetite and ilmenite in some samples was noted, in addition to the presence of mineral called galaxite which was not reported previously. Gold flake was also found in one of the samples. The study of grain morphology suggests that the heavy minerals were transported for short distance from their source rocks. Grain size analyse of heavy minerals reveals that the concentration of economic minerals such as chromite and ilmenite increases with the decrease of the grain size. (author)

  15. Mineral chemistry and petrology of highly magnesian ultramafic cumulates from the Sarve-Abad (Sawlava) ophiolites (Kurdistan, NW Iran): New evidence for boninitic magmatism in intra-oceanic fore-arc setting in the Neo-Tethys between Arabia and Iran

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allahyari, Khalil; Saccani, Emilio; Rahimzadeh, Bahman; Zeda, Ottavia

    2014-01-01

    The Sarve-Abad (Sawlava) ophiolitic complex consists of several tectonically dismembered ophiolitic sequences. They are located along the Main Zagros Thrust Zone, which marks the ophiolitic suture between the Arabian and Sanandaj-Sirjan continental blocks. They represent a portion of the southern Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere, which originally existed between the Arabian (to the south) and Eurasian (to the north) continental margins. The Sarve-Abad ophiolites include cumulitic lherzolites bearing minor dunite and chromitite lenses in places. The main rock-forming minerals in ultramafic cumulates are cumulus olivine and inter-cumulus clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene. Minor (<5%) chromian spinel occurs as both cumulus and inter-cumulus phases.

  16. Portrait of a giant deep-seated magmatic conduit system: The Seiland Igneous Province

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larsen, Rune B.; Grant, Thomas; Sørensen, Bjørn E.; Tegner, Christian; McEnroe, Suzanne; Pastore, Zeudia; Fichler, Christine; Nikolaisen, Even; Grannes, Kim R.; Church, Nathan; ter Maat, Geertje W.; Michels, Alexander

    2018-01-01

    The Seiland Igneous Province (SIP), Northern Norway, contains > 5000 km2 of mafic and ultramafic intrusions with minor alkaline, carbonatite and felsic rocks that were intruded into the lower continental crust at a depth of 25 to as much as 35 km. The SIP can be geochemically and temporally correlated to numerous dyke swarms throughout Scandinavia at 560-610 Ma, and is linked to magmatic provinces in W-Greenland and NE-America that are collectively known as the Central Iapetus Magmatic Province (CIMP). Revised mapping show that the SIP exposes 85-90% layered tholeiitic- alkaline- and syeno-gabbros, 8-10% peridotitic complexes, 2-5% carbonatite, syenite and diorite that formed within a narrow (mela-gabbro over pyroxenites that grades in to an olivine-clinopyroxenite zone, which is followed by a wehrlite zone and, finally, the centre of the complexes comprises pure dunite. From pyroxenite to dunite, olivine changes from Fo72 to Fo85 and clinopyroxene from Di80 to Di92 i.e. the complexes observe a reverse fractional crystallisation sequence with time. Parental melt compositions modelled from early dykes indicate komatiitic to picritic melts with 16-22 wt% MgO, Cr of 1594 ppm and Ni of 611 ppm, which were emplaced at 1450-1500 °C. Melt compositions calculated from clinopyroxene compositions from Reinfjord are OIB-like with LREE enriched over HREE. The high abundance of carbonatites and lamproites demonstrates the volatile-rich nature of the mantle source region and is further corroborated by the unusually high abundance of magmatic sulphides (0.5-1%) and carbonated and hydrous assemblages (c. 1%) throughout the region. In Reinfjord, they are also closely associated with PGE-Cu-Ni reef deposits. Essentially, the ultramafic complexes in the SIP comprises deep-seated transient magma chambers that facilitated mixing and homogenisation of a rich diversity of fertile asthenospheric melts en route to the upper parts of the continental crust.

  17. Seafloor mapping of the southeast Iberian margin (from Cabo de Palos to Cabo de Gata)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lastras, Galderic; Leon, César; Elvira, Elena; Pascual, Laura; Muñoz, Araceli; de Cárdenas, Enrique; Acosta, Juan; Canals, Miquel

    2014-05-01

    We present the multibeam bathymetry and derived maps of the southeast Iberian margin from Cabo de Palos to Cabo de Gata, 37º35'N to 35º45'N and 2º10'W to 0º20'E, from the coastline down to the Algero-Balearic abyssal plain at depths exceeding 2600 m. The edition of of the maps is carried out within the Complementary Action VALORPLAT ("Scientific valorisation of multibeam bathymetry data from the Spanish continental shelf and slope"), funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity. The multibeam bathymetry data of the slope and abyssal plain were obtained during different surveys in 2004, 2006 and 2007 on board R/V Vizconde de Eza with a Simrad EM300 multibeam echo-sounder as part of the CAPESME Project, a collaboration between the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) and General Secretariat of Fisheries (SGP), primarily aiming at creating maps of the fishing grounds of the Mediterranean continental margins of Spain. Multibeam bathymetry data from the continental shelf were obtained within the ESPACE project, also in a cooperative frame between IEO and SGP. The map series is constituted by a general map at 1:400,000 scale and 14 detailed maps at 1:75,000 scale, which include inset maps on slope gradients and seafloor nature (rock or sediment type), the later obtained with rock dredges and Shipeck sediment dredges. Both the detailed maps and the general map are available in paper print, and the whole collection is also distributed in an edited USB. The geological features displayed in the different maps include the continental shelf, with abundant geomorphic features indicative of past sea-level changes, the continental slope carved by the Palos, Tiñoso, Cartagena Este, Cartagena Oeste, Águilas, Almanzora, Alias, Garrucha and Gata submarine canyons, the Mazarrón, Palomares and Al-Mansour escarpments, the Abubácer, Maimonides and Yusuf ridges, the Águilas and Al-Mansour seamounts, and the Algero-Balearic abyssal plain where prominent

  18. Petrography, geochemistry, and geochronology of the Cenozoic Cape Crossfire, Cape King, and No Ridge igneous complexes (northern Victoria Land, Antarctica)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rocchi, S.; Fioretti, A.M.; Cavazzini, G.

    2002-01-01

    The Meander Intrusive Group is the plutonic-subvolcanic counterpart of the McMurdo Volcanic Group, and extends along 200 km of the Ross Sea coast of Northern Victoria Land. The three largest occurrences of the Meander Intrusive Group between the Icebreaker and Borchgrevink glaciers are the Cape Crossfire, the No Ridge, and the Cape King igneous complexes. These have an area of 40-80 square km and are composed of dominant monzogabbros and monzodiorites along with minor syenites and alkali feldspar microgranites. A significant compositional gap exists between mafic and felsic facies, which show geometrical relationships varying from subhorizontal alternating layers to complex pillowing and fragmentation of the mafic into the felsic facies. Two whole rock biotite Rb-Sr internal isochrons constrain the cooling age of Cape Crossfire Igneous Complex at 31 Ma, a few million years older than No Ridge and Cape King igneous complexes. Thus, the ages of these complexes (≤ 31 Ma) are younger than the plutons and dikes (≥ 35 Ma) cropping out in the southernmost area between the Campbell and Icebreaker glaciers. (author). 28 refs., 8 figs., 3 tabs

  19. The Production of Methane, Hydrogen, and Organic Compounds in Ultramafic-Hosted Hydrothermal Vents of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charlou, J.L.; Holm, N.G.; Mousis, O.

    2015-01-01

    Abstract Both hydrogen and methane are consistently discharged in large quantities in hydrothermal fluids issued from ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal fields discovered along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Considering the vast number of these fields discovered or inferred, hydrothermal fluxes represent a significant input of H2 and CH4 to the ocean. Although there are lines of evidence of their abiogenic formation from stable C and H isotope results, laboratory experiments, and thermodynamic data, neither their origin nor the reaction pathways generating these gases have been fully constrained yet. Organic compounds detected in the fluids may also be derived from abiotic reactions. Although thermodynamics are favorable and extensive experimental work has been done on Fischer-Tropsch-type reactions, for instance, nothing is clear yet about their origin and formation mechanism from actual data. Since chemolithotrophic microbial communities commonly colonize hydrothermal vents, biogenic and thermogenic processes are likely to contribute to the production of H2, CH4, and other organic compounds. There seems to be a consensus toward a mixed origin (both sources and processes) that is consistent with the ambiguous nature of the isotopic data. But the question that remains is, to what proportions? More systematic experiments as well as integrated geochemical approaches are needed to disentangle hydrothermal geochemistry. This understanding is of prime importance considering the implications of hydrothermal H2, CH4, and organic compounds for the ocean global budget, global cycles, and the origin of life. Key Words: Hydrogen—Methane—Organics—MAR—Abiotic synthesis—Serpentinization—Ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal vents. Astrobiology 15, 381–399. PMID:25984920

  20. 26Al-26Mg deficit dating ultramafic meteorites and silicate planetesimal differentiation in the early Solar System?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Baker, Joel A.; Schiller, Martin; Bizzarro, Martin

    2012-01-01

    Meteorites with significantly sub-chondritic Al/Mg that formed in the first 2million years of the Solar System should be characterised by deficits in the abundance of Mg (d Mg ) due to the absence of in-growth of Mg from the decay of short-lived Al (t =0.73Myr). However, these Mg deficits...... will be small (d Mg >-0.037‰) even for material that formed at the same time as the Solar System's oldest solids - calcium-aluminium-rich inclusions - and thus measurement of these deficits is analytically challenging.Here, we report on a search for Mg deficits in three types of ultramafic meteorites...

  1. New Ages for Gorgona Island, Colombia: Implications for Previous Petrogenetic and Tectonic Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serrano Duran, L.; Lopez Martinez, M.; Ferrari, L.

    2007-05-01

    reliable plateau and/or isochron ages. Only one basaltic sample, located in the western coast, yielded an age comparable with those previously reported in the literature. For two basalts intercalated with komatiites and a gabbro exposed in the north-eastern coast of the island we obtained younger ages, similar to those reported for some mafic and ultramafic rocks along the Pacific coast of Colombia. The two sets of ages for the ultramafic suite of Gorgona also correspond to different petrologic types. The depleted rocks in the eastern coast are younger than the enriched basalts and picrites located in the southern and western part of the island with ages around 90 Ma, suggesting a more complex tectonic evolution with the accretion of at least two different blocks. This eventually questions the "single plume" model for the formation of the Gorgona Island plateau.

  2. Pumping test and fluid sampling report - Sawyer No. 1 well, Palo Duro Basin, Texas: unanalyzed data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1984-05-01

    This report describes pumping test and fluid sampling activities performed at the Sawyer No. 1 well, Donley County, Texas. Sawyer No. 1 well is located along the eastern margin of the Palo Duro Basin in an area of active dissolution within the Permian salt section. These data were collected by Stone and Webster Engineering Corporation working in conjunction with the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology as part of a nationwide program to identify potential locations for a nuclear waste repository. These data support studies to determine the hydrologic characteristics of deep water-bearing formations. Formation fluid studies samples were analyzed in order to evaluate fluid migration and age relationships in the Permian Basin. These data were collected from June until October, 1981. Zone isolation for pump testing was accomplished in November, 1981. These data are preliminary. They have been neither analyzed nor evaluated

  3. Mafic microgranular enclave swarms in the Chenar granitoid stock, NW of Kerman, Iran: evidence for magma mingling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arvin, M.; Dargahi, S.; Babaei, A. A.

    2004-10-01

    Mafic microgranular enclaves (MME) are common in the Early to Middle Miocene Chenar granitoid stock, northwest of Kerman, which is a part of Central Iranian Eocene volcanic belt. They occur individually and in homogeneous or heterogeneous swarms. The MME form a number of two-dimensional structural arrangements, such as dykes, small rafts, vortices, folded lens-shapes and late swarms. The enclaves are elongated, rounded to non-elongated and subrounded in shape and often show some size-sorting parallel to direction of flow. Variation in the elongation of enclaves could reflect variations in the viscosity of the enclave, the time available for enclave deformation and differential strain during flow of the host granitoid magma. The most effective mechanism in the formation of enclave swarms in the Chenar granitoid stock was velocity gradient-related convection currents in the granitoid magma chamber. Gravitational sorting and the break-up of heterogeneous dykes also form MME swarms. The MME (mainly diorite to diorite gabbro) have igneous mineralogy and texture, and are marked by sharp contacts next to their host granitoid rocks. The contact is often marked by a chilled margin with no sign of solid state deformation. Evidence of disequilibrium is manifested in feldspars by oscillatory zoning, resorbed rims, mantling and punctuated growth, together with overgrowth of clinopyroxene/amphibole on quartz crystals, the acicular habit of apatites and the development of Fe-Ti oxides along clinopyroxene cleavages. These observations suggest that the MMEs are derived from a hybrid-magma formed as a result of the intrusion of a mafic magma into the base of a felsic magma chamber. The density contrast between hybrid-magma and the overlying felsic magma was reduced by the release of dissolved fluids and the ascent of exsolved gas bubbles from the mafic magma into the hybrid zone. Further convection in the magma chamber dispersed the hybridized magma as globules in the upper parts of

  4. Intense CH{sub 4} plumes generated by serpentinization of ultramafic rocks at the intersection of the 15{degree}20[minutes]N fracture zone and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Charlou, J.L.; Fouquet, Y.; Bougault, H.; Donval, J.P.; Etoubleau, J. [IFREMER Centre de Brest, Plouzane (France). Dept. Geosciences Marines; Jean-Baptiste, P.; Dapoigny, A. [CEA Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Appriou, P. [Univ. de Bretagne Occidentale, Brest (France); Rona, P.A. [Rutgers-the State Univ. of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ (United States)

    1998-07-01

    As part of the FARA French-US Program designed to study the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) between 15{degree}N and the Azores, twenty-three dives with the submersible Nautile were conducted during the French-US Faranaut 15N cruise on the eastern and western parts of the Fracture Zone/Ridge axis intersection. South of the eastern ridge-transform fault intersection, nine Nautile dives were made within the rift valley and along the western rift valley wall. CH{sub 4} concentrations in the bottom waters reach 53.2 nmol/kg along faulted zones on top and on the east flank of the ultramafic inner corner high where serpentinized rocks outcrop. No {sup 3}He anomaly is associated with methane, ruling out any primary mantle component. High CH{sub 4} anomalies (up to 22 nmol/kg) are also present in the bottom waters of the rift valley northern segment on both the western and eastern valley walls and on the inner high adjacent to the eastern wall where ultramafic rocks outcrop. Seven vertical hydrocasts carried out in the axial valley (4500 M deep) show an intense CH{sub 4} anomaly, with a maximum (35.8 nmol/kg) at 3200 m depth. CH{sub 4} concentrations of 9.9--14.9 nmol/kg are also present on the western wall along the 3200 m isobath. CH{sub 4} output from ultramafic outcrops on the western and eastern intersections of the Fracture Zone with the MAR is believed to reflect ongoing serpentinization.

  5. Platinum-bearing chromite layers are caused by pressure reduction during magma ascent.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Latypov, Rais; Costin, Gelu; Chistyakova, Sofya; Hunt, Emma J; Mukherjee, Ria; Naldrett, Tony

    2018-01-31

    Platinum-bearing chromitites in mafic-ultramafic intrusions such as the Bushveld Complex are key repositories of strategically important metals for human society. Basaltic melts saturated in chromite alone are crucial to their generation, but the origin of such melts is controversial. One concept holds that they are produced by processes operating within the magma chamber, whereas another argues that melts entering the chamber were already saturated in chromite. Here we address the problem by examining the pressure-related changes in the topology of a Mg 2 SiO 4 -CaAl 2 Si 2 O 8 -SiO 2 -MgCr 2 O 4 quaternary system and by thermodynamic modelling of crystallisation sequences of basaltic melts at 1-10 kbar pressures. We show that basaltic melts located adjacent to a so-called chromite topological trough in deep-seated reservoirs become saturated in chromite alone upon their ascent towards the Earth's surface and subsequent cooling in shallow-level chambers. Large volumes of these chromite-only-saturated melts replenishing these chambers are responsible for monomineralic layers of massive chromitites with associated platinum-group elements.

  6. Quintinite-1 M from the Mariinsky Deposit, Ural Emerald Mines, Central Urals, Russia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhitova, E. S.; Popov, M. P.; Krivovichev, S. V.; Zaitsev, A. N.; Vlasenko, N. S.

    2017-12-01

    The paper describes the first finding of quintinite [Mg4Al2(OH)12][(CO3)(H2O)3] at the Mariinsky deposit in the Central Urals, Russia. The mineral occurs as white tabular crystals in cavities within altered gabbro in association with prehnite, calcite, and a chlorite-group mineral. Quintinite is the probable result of late hydrothermal alteration of primary mafic and ultramafic rocks hosting emerald-bearing glimmerite. According to electron microprobe data, the Mg: Al ratio is 2: 1. IR spectroscopy has revealed hydroxyl and carbonate groups and H2O molecules in the mineral. According to single crystal XRD data, quintinite is monoclinic, space group C2/ m, a =5.233(1), b = 9.051(2), c = 7.711(2) Å, β = 103.09(3)°, V = 355.7(2) Å3. Based on structure refinement, the polytype of quintinite should be denoted as 1M. This is the third approved occurrence of quintinite-1M in the world after the Kovdor complex and Bazhenovsky chrysotile-asbestos deposit.

  7. Geologic continuous casting below continental and deep-sea detachment faults and at the striated extrusion of Sacsayhuaman, Peru

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spencer, J.E.

    1999-01-01

    In the common type of industrial continuous casting, partially molten metal is extruded from a vessel through a shaped orifice called a mold in which the metal assumes the cross-sectional form of the mold as it cools and solidifies. Continuous casting can be sustained as long as molten metal is supplied and thermal conditions are maintained. I propose that a similar process produced parallel sets of grooves in three geologic settings, as follows: (1) corrugated metamorphic core complexes where mylonized mid-crustal rocks were exhumed by movement along low-angle normal faults known as detachment faults; (2) corrugated submarine surfaces where ultramafic and mafic rocks were exhumed by normal faulting within oceanic spreading centers; and (3) striated magma extrusions exemplified by the famous grooved outcrops at the Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman in Peru. In each case, rocks inferred to have overlain the corrugated surface during corrugation genesis molded and shaped a plastic to partially molten rock mass as it was extruded from a moderate- to high-temperature reservoir.

  8. Contamination in mafic mineral-rich calc-alkaline granites: a geochemical and Sr-Nd isotope study of the Neoproterozoic Piedade Granite, SE Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leite Renato J.

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available The Piedade Granite (~600 Ma was emplaced shortly after the main phase of granite magmatism in the Agudos Grandes batholith, Apiaí-Guaxupé Terrane, SE Brazil. Its main units are: mafic mineral-rich porphyritic granites forming the border (peraluminous muscovite-biotite granodiorite-monzogranite MBmg unit and core (metaluminous titanite-bearing biotite monzogranite BmgT unit and felsic pink inequigranular granite (Bmg unit between them. Bmg has high LaN/YbN (up to 100, Th/U (>10 and low Rb, Nb and Ta, and can be a crustal melt derived from deep-seated sources with residual garnet and biotite. The core BmgT unit derived from oxidized magmas with high Mg# (~45, Ba and Sr, fractionated REE patterns (LaN/YbN= 45, 87Sr/86Sr(t~ 0.710, epsilonNd(t ~ -12 to -14, interpreted as being high-K calc-alkaline magmas contaminated with metasedimentary rocks that had upper-crust signature (high U, Cs, Ta. The mafic-rich peraluminous granites show a more evolved isotope signature (87Sr/86Sr(t = 0.713-0.714; epsilonNd(t= -14 to -16, similar to Bmg, and Mg# and incompatible trace-element concentrations intermediate between Bmg and BmgT. A model is presented in whichMBmgis envisaged as the product of contamination between a mafic mineral-rich magma consanguineous with BmgT and pure crustal melts akin to Bmg.

  9. GIS-based identification of areas with mineral resource potential for six selected deposit groups, Bureau of Land Management Central Yukon Planning Area, Alaska

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, James V.; Karl, Susan M.; Labay, Keith A.; Shew, Nora B.; Granitto, Matthew; Hayes, Timothy S.; Mauk, Jeffrey L.; Schmidt, Jeanine M.; Todd, Erin; Wang, Bronwen; Werdon, Melanie B.; Yager, Douglas B.

    2015-01-01

    This study, covering the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Central Yukon Planning Area (CYPA), Alaska, was prepared to aid BLM mineral resource management planning. Estimated mineral resource potential and certainty are mapped for six selected mineral deposit groups: (1) rare earth element (REE) deposits associated with peralkaline to carbonatitic intrusive igneous rocks, (2) placer and paleoplacer gold, (3) platinum group element (PGE) deposits associated with mafic and ultramafic intrusive igneous rocks, (4) carbonate-hosted copper deposits, (5) sandstone uranium deposits, and (6) tin-tungsten-molybdenum-fluorspar deposits associated with specialized granites. These six deposit groups include most of the strategic and critical elements of greatest interest in current exploration.

  10. K-Ar geochronology of mafic dyke swarms from the meridional part of Sao Francisco craton and implications on tectonic context

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Teixeira, W.; Kawashita, K.; Pecchio, M.; Tame, N.R.

    1988-01-01

    The southern region of the Sao Francisco Craton is made up of gneissic-granitoid terranes (mainly of amphibolite facies) associated with supracrustals, which can be separed into two crustal provinces, the oldest formed during the Archean (3-2-2.6 Ga.), and the youngest in the Early Proterozoic (2.4-2.0 Ga.). Mafic dyke swarms inject the basement complexes in the area west of Belo Horizonte city, but not the Late proterozoic Bambui sedimentary cover. These dykes show NNW, NW, WNW, NNE and ENE trends and are of anorogenic character. Most dykes are tholeiitic in composition. Metamorphic recrystallization at greenschist to amphibolite facies as well as minor hidrothermal and/or deuteric transformations are characteristics in the majority of the these dykes. About sixty K/Ar determinations have been performed on plagioclases, amphiboles and whole rocks. They are interpretated combining the use of K/Ar diagrams and histogram, and according to the crustal evolution proposed for the craton. The available radiometric data suggest that the main period of mafic intrusions took place in the Early proterozoic as supported by the apparent ages on amphiboles. However, the beginning of the Middle Proterozoic (1.7-1.5 Ga.) probably corresponds to a period of tensional tectonics as well. On the other hand, most ages obtained on plagioclases and whole rocks, can be associated with Late Proterozoic processes of argon gain or loss. The results are tectonicaly associated with crustal rifting of the continental mass. This two radiometric groupings are characteristic for the evolution of the Early proterozoic crustal provine and of the Mid-Proterozoic intracratonic Espinhaco System respectively. The youngest Late Proterozoic apparent ages associated with the reflections of the contemporaneous evolution of the Braziliano marginal mobile belt which is also suggested by the partial resetting of the K/Ar ages of basement rocks within the eastern part of the Sao Francisco Craton. (author) [pt

  11. Regional Sm-Nd isotopic study of the central part of the Brasilia belt, Goias: implications of the age and origin of the Anapolis-Itaucu granulitic complex and metasedimentary rocks of the Araxa Group, central region, Brazil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pimentel, Marcio Martins; Fuck, Reinhardt Adolfo; Fischel, Danielle Piuzanna

    1999-01-01

    In the central part of the Brasilia Belt, central Brazil, a high grade terrain, the Anapolis-Itaucu Complex, is exposed within the metasedimentary rocks of the Araxa Group. The Anapolis-Itaucu Complex in Goias represents a complex association of high-grade rocks including mafic-ultramafic bodies, charnockites, enderbites, as well as aluminous granulites of sedimentary origin, associated with marbles and quartzites, Narrow volcano-sedimentary belts formed mainly by amphibolites and micashists are also recognized within the complex. This high-grade terrain has been traditionally interpreted as part of the old (Archaean/Paleoproterozoic) sialic basement to the Neo- or mesoproterozoic sediments of the Araxa Group, Brasilia Belt. The granulites and metasediments of the Araxa Group are intruded by a large number of granite intrusions, many of which slow peraluminous character. Sm-Nd isotopic analyses for the garnet-and sillimanite-bearing aluminous granulites indicate T DM model ages between ca. 1.3 and 1.6 Ga. These values represent the upper limit for the age of the protoliths of the granulites, demonstrating that they are (at least in part) younger than suggested in previous models. The intrusive granites have a Sm-Nd isotopic pattern which is not much different from that observed for the felsic granulites, with T DM model ages ranging in the interval between ca. 1.37 and 1.85 Ga. The isotopic compositions of the granitic and granulitic rocks investigated are also similar to those determined for metasediments of the internal zone of the Brasilia Belt (Araxa Group) in central-southern Goias. These metasediments show Nd model ages between ca. 1.2 and 2.2 Ga. The preliminary isotopic data presented are consistent with a model in which the voluminous granitic magmatism identified in the Anapolis-Itaucu Complex and adjacent areas is Neoproterozoic in age, being the result of re-melting of the older sialic crust. The peraluminous nature of many of these granites

  12. Genesis of Soils Formed from Mafic Igneous Rock in the Atlantic Forest Environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adailde do Carmo Santos

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Different parent materials participate in the formation of soils in the hilly landscape of “Mar de Morros” in the Atlantic Forest environment. Those derived from mafic igneous rock (gabbro frequently show erosion problems because of land use, which is aggravated by the mountainous relief and soil attributes. This study evaluated the main pedogenic processes of soils formed from mafic igneous rock (gabbro in a toposequence in Pinheiral (RJ by characterizing physical, chemical, mineralogical and micromorphological attributes. The profiles are located at different sections in the toposequence: summit (P1, shoulder (P2, backslope (P3 and footslope (P4.They were classified according to the Brazilian System of Soil Classification (SiBCS and correlated to Soil Taxonomy. The soil morphology of profiles P2, P3 and P4 is expressed by a brownish-red color, blocky structure with high to moderate development, clay films and clay loam to clay texture, with a textural B horizon. P1 shows less development, with a shallow profile and the sequence of horizons A-C-Cr. The soils have a slightly low degree of weathering, identified by the presence of pyroxenes and feldspars in the sand fraction and montorillonite in the clay fraction; the sum of bases is from 15 to 24 cmolc kg-1; and cation exchange capacity (CEC is from 12 to 22 cmolc kg-1. A significant presence of clay skins was observed in the field and was confirmed by thin section analysis, which showed features such as argillans, ferriargillans and iron nodules. The soil profile at the summit (P1 was classified as Neossolo Regolítico Órtico (Typic Udorthents, and the other profiles as Chernossolo Argilúvicos Órticos (Typic Argiudolls.

  13. Chemistry technician performance evaluation program Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shawver, J.M.

    1992-01-01

    The Arizona Nuclear Power Project (ANPP), a three-reactor site located 50 miles west of Phoenix, Arizona, has developed and implemented a program for evaluating individual chemistry technician analytical performance on a routine basis. About 45 chemistry technicians are employed at the site, 15 at each operating unit. The technicians routinely perform trace level analyses for impurities of concern to PWRs. Each month a set of blind samples is provided by an outside vendor. The blind samples contain 16 parameters which are matrixed to approximate the PWR's primary and secondary cycles. Nine technicians receive the samples, three from each operating unit, and perform the required analyses. Acceptance criteria for successful performance on the blind parameters is based on the values found in the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) Document 83-016, Revision 2, August 1989, Chemistry Quality Control Program. The goal of the program is to have each technician demonstrate acceptable performance on each of 16 analytical parameters. On completion of each monthly set, a summary report of all of the analytical results for the sample set is prepared. From the summary report, analytical bias can be detected, technician performance is documented, and overall laboratory performance can be evaluated. The program has been very successful at satisfying the INPO requirement that the analytical performance of each individual technician should be checked on at least a six-month frequency for all important parameters measured. This paper describes the program as implemented at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station and provides a summary report and trend and bias graphs for illustrative purposes

  14. The timing of compositionally-zoned magma reservoirs and mafic 'priming' weeks before the 1912 Novarupta-Katmai rhyolite eruption

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singer, Brad S.; Costa, Fidel; Herrin, Jason S.; Hildreth, Wes; Fierstein, Judith

    2016-01-01

    The June 6, 1912 eruption of more than 13 km3 of dense rock equivalent (DRE) magma at Novarupta vent, Alaska was the largest of the 20th century. It ejected >7 km3 of rhyolite, ~1.3 km3 of andesite and ~4.6 km3 of dacite. Early ideas about the origin of pyroclastic flows and magmatic differentiation (e.g., compositional zonation of reservoirs) were shaped by this eruption. Despite being well studied, the timing of events that led to the chemically and mineralogically zoned magma reservoir remain poorly known. Here we provide new insights using the textures and chemical compositions of plagioclase and orthopyroxene crystals and by reevaluating previous U-Th isotope data. Compositional zoning of the magma reservoir likely developed a few thousand years before the eruption by several additions of mafic magma below an extant silicic reservoir. Melt compositions calculated from Sr contents in plagioclase fill the compositional gap between 68 and 76% SiO2 in whole pumice clasts, consistent with uninterrupted crystal growth from a continuum of liquids. Thus, our findings support a general model in which large volumes of crystal-poor rhyolite are related to intermediate magmas through gradual separation of melt from crystal-rich mush. The rhyolite is incubated by, but not mixed with, episodic recharge pulses of mafic magma that interact thermochemically with the mush and intermediate magmas. Hot, Mg-, Ca-, and Al-rich mafic magma intruded into, and mixed with, deeper parts of the reservoir (andesite and dacite) multiple times. Modeling the relaxation of the Fe-Mg concentrations in orthopyroxene and Mg in plagioclase rims indicates that the final recharge event occurred just weeks prior to the eruption. Rapid addition of mass, volatiles, and heat from the recharge magma, perhaps aided by partial melting of cumulate mush below the andesite and dacite, pressurized the reservoir and likely propelled a ~10 km lateral dike that allowed the overlying rhyolite to reach the surface.

  15. Currents, temperature, conductivity, attenuation, and sigma-theta data from moorings deployed off the coast of Palos Verdes, CA from platforms VICKERS and ROBERT GORDON SPROUL from May 21, 1992 and March 30, 1993 (NODC Accession 0067573)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The sediments on the shelf off Palos Verdes CA are contaminated with large amounts of DDT. Moorings were deployed on the shelf in the winter of 1993 in part to...

  16. An Integrated Geochronological, Petrological, Geochemical and Paleomagnetic Study of Paleoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic Mafic Dyke Swarms in the Nain Craton, Labrador

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahin, Tugce

    The Nain craton comprises the western, Labrador segment of the larger North Atlantic craton (NAC) which exposes Early through Late Archean gneisses. The NAC is bounded on all sides by Paleoproterozoic collisional orogens that involved either considerable structural reworking (Torngat-Nagssugtoqidian-Lewisian) or the accretion of juvenile arc magmas (Ketilidian-Makkovik). The NAC remains poorly understood compared to other Archean crustal blocks now dispersed globally. Compounding this problem is a lack of reliable paleomagnetic poles for NAC units that predate its assembly into the supercontinent Laurentia by ca. 1800 Ma, which could be used to test neighboring relationships with other cratonic fragments. In order to understand the history of the NAC as part of a possible, larger supercontinent, the record of mafic dyke swarms affecting the craton, particularly those that postdate the Late Archean terrane assembly, were examined in this study. Diabase or gabbroic dyke swarms are invaluable in such studies because their geometries offer possible locus points, they often have a punctuated emplacement and precisely datable crystallization histories, and they have cooling histories and oxide mineralogy amenable to recovering robust paleopoles. Coastal Labrador exposes a number of mafic dykes, some of which are demonstrably Paleoproterozoic (e.g. 2235 Ma Kikkertavak dykes; 2121 Ma Tikkigatsiagak dykes) or Mesoproterozoic (e.g. 1280-1270 Ma Nain and Harp dykes) in age (U-Pb; baddeleyite or zircon). The southern half of the Nain craton (Hopedale block) in particular preserves a rich array of mafic dykes. Dyke cross-cutting relationships are numerous and relatively well exposed, permitting multiple opportunities for paleomagnetic field tests (e.g. baked contact). The results presented here allow understanding of the tectonic evolution of the NAC with implications for strengthened Labrador-Greenland correlations, and testing possible Paleoproterozoic supercontinent

  17. The belt of metagabbros of La Pampa: Lower Paleozoic back-arc magmatism in south-central Argentina

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chernicoff, Carlos J.; Zappettini, Eduardo O.; Villar, Luisa M.; Chemale, Farid, Jr.; Hernández, Laura

    2009-12-01

    Combined geological, geochronological, geochemical and geophysical studies have led to identification of a large (˜300 km long, ˜5 km wide) N-S trending belt of metagabbros in the province of La Pampa, south-central Argentina. This belt, though only poorly exposed in the localities of Valle Daza and Sierra de Lonco Vaca, stands out in the geophysical data (aeromagnetics and gravity). Modeling of the aeromagnetic data permits estimation of the geometry of the belt of metagabbros and surrounding rocks. The main rock type exposed is metagabbros with relict magmatic nucleii where layering is preserved. A counterclockwise P-T evolution affected these rocks, i.e., during the Middle Ordovician the protolith reached an initial granulite facies of metamorphism (M1), evolving to amphibolite facies (M2). During the Upper Devonian, a retrograde, greenschist facies metamorphism (M3) partially affected the metagabbros. The whole-rock Sm-Nd data suggest a juvenile source from a depleted mantle, with model ages ranging from 552 to 574 Ma, and positive Epsilon values of 6.51-6.82. A crystallization age of 480 Ma is based on geological considerations, i.e. geochronological data of the host rocks as well as comparisons with the Las Aguilas mafic-ultramafic belt of Sierra de San Luis (central Argentina). The geochemical studies indicate an enriched MORB and back-arc signature. The La Pampa metagabbros are interpreted to be originated as a result of the extension that took place in a back-arc setting coevally with the Famatinian magmatic arc (very poorly exposed in the western part of the study area). The extensional event was 'aborted' by the collision of the Cuyania terrane with Pampia-Gondwana in the Middle Ordovician, causing deformation and metamorphism throughout the arc-back-arc region. The similarities between the La Pampa metagabbros and the mafic-ultramafic Las Aguilas belt of the Sierra de San Luis are very conspicuous, for example, the age (Lower Paleozoic), geochemical

  18. Site surveillance and maintenance program for Palos Park: Report for 1987

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Golchert, N.W.

    1988-04-01

    The results of the environmental monitoring program conducted at Site A/Plot M in the Palos Park Forest Preserve area for CY 1987 are presented. The monitoring program is the ongoing remedial action that resulted from the original radiological characterization of the site. This study had determined that hydrogen-3 (as tritiated water) migrated from the burial ground and was present in two nearby hand-pumped picnic wells. The current program consists of sample collection and analysis of air, surface and subsurface water, and bottom sediment. The results of the analyses are used to (1) determine the migration pathway of water from the burial ground (Plot M) to hand-pumped picnic wells, (2) establish if buried radionuclides other than hydrogen-3 have migrated, and (3) generally characterize the radiological environment of the area. The program was designed to study the migration of non-radiological hazardous waste constituents that may have been buried with the radioactive waste. This was done by analyzing borehole water samples for selected heavy metals and organic compounds and analyzing quarterly water samples from the Red Gate Woods picnic well for inorganic constituents. Hydrogen-3 in the Red Gate Woods picnic well continued to show the same pattern of elevated levels in the winter and low concentrations in the summer, but the magnitude of the current winter peak was significantly less than in earlier years. 16 refs., 6 figs., 15 tabs

  19. Fluid Inclusion Study of Quartz Xenocrysts in Mafic Dykes from Kawant Area, Chhota Udaipur District, Gujarat, India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Randive Kirtikumar

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Unusual mafic dykes occur in the proximity of the Ambadongar Carbonatite Complex, Lower Narmada Valley, Gujarat, India. The dykes contain dense population of quartz xenocrysts within the basaltic matrix metasomatised by carbonate-rich fluids. Plagioclase feldspars, relict pyroxenes, chlorite, barite, rutile, magnetite, Fe-Ti oxides and glass were identified in the basaltic matrix. Quartz xenocrysts occur in various shapes and sizes and form an intricate growth pattern with carbonates. The xenocrysts are fractured and contain several types of primary and secondary, single phase and two-phase fluid inclusions. The two-phase inclusions are dominated by aqueous liquid, whereas the monophase inclusions are composed of carbonic gas and the aqueous inclusions homogenize to liquid between 226°C and 361°C. Majority of the inclusions are secondary in origin and are therefore unrelated to the crystallization of quartz. Moreover, the inclusions have mixed carbonic-aqueous compositions that inhibit their direct correlation with the crustal or mantle fluids. The composition of dilute CO2-rich fluids observed in the quartz xenocrysts appear similar to those exsolved during the final stages of evolution of the Amba Dongar carbonatites. However, the carbonates are devoid of fluid inclusions and therefore their genetic relation with the quartz xenocrysts cannot be established.

  20. Whole-rock and mineral compositional constraints on the magmatic evolution of the Ni-Cu-(PGE) sulfide ore-bearing Kevitsa intrusion, northern Finland

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luolavirta, Kirsi; Hanski, Eero; Maier, Wolfgang; Santaguida, Frank

    2018-01-01

    The 2.06 Ga mafic-ultramafic Kevitsa intrusion is located in the Central Lapland greenstone belt. The lower ultramafic part of the intrusion hosts a large disseminated Ni-Cu-(PGE) sulfide deposit with Ni tenors ranging widely from architecture, variations in whole-rock and mineral compositions, and the presence of numerous inclusions and xenoliths. The OLPXs are mainly composed of cumulus olivine (Fo77-89) and clinopyroxene (Mg#81-92) with variable amounts of oikocrystic orthopyroxene (Mg#79-84). They comprise the bulk of the ultramafic cumulates and are the dominant host rocks to the sulfide ore. The host rocks to the regular and false ore type are mineralogically and compositionally similar (Fo 80-83, mostly) and show mildly LREE-enriched REE patterns (CeN/YbN 2), characteristic for the bulk of the Kevitsa ultramafic cumulates. The abundance of orthopyroxene and magnetite is lowest in the host rocks to the Ni-PGE ore type, being in line with the mineral compositions of the silicates, which are the most primitive in the intrusion. However, it contrasts with the LREE-enriched nature of the ore type (CeN/YbN 7), indicating significant involvement of crustal material in the magma. The contrasting intrusive stratigraphy in the different parts of the intrusion likely reflects different emplacement histories. It is proposed that the Kevitsa magma chamber was initially filled by stable continuous flow ("single" input) of basaltic magma followed by differentiation in an at least nearly closed system. In the following stage, new magma pulses were repeatedly emplaced into the interior of the intrusion in a dynamic (open) system forming the sulfide ore bodies. To gain the peculiar compositional and mineralogical characteristics of the Ni-PGE ore type, the related magma probably interacted with different country rocks en route to the Kevitsa magma chamber.

  1. Radioactive waste isolation in salt: peer review of the Office of Nuclear Waste Isolation's report on the Organic Geochemistry of Deep Groundwaters from the Palo Duro Basin, Texas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fenster, D.F.; Brookins, D.G.; Harrison, W.; Seitz, M.G.; Lerman, A.; Stamoudis, V.C.

    1984-08-01

    This report summarizes Argonne's review of the Office of Nuclear Waste Isolation's (ONWI's) final report entitled The Organic Geochemistry of Deep Ground Waters from the Palo Duro Basin, Texas, dated September 1983. Recommendations are made for improving the ONWI report. The main recommendation is to make the text consistent with the title and with the objective of the project as stated in the introduction. Three alternatives are suggested to accomplish this

  2. Geologic evolution of Tucurui region - Para

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva Matta, M.A. da.

    1982-01-01

    The northern part of the Araguaia Belt is exposed in the Tucurui region and their stratigraphic, structural, metamorphic and magmatic features had been studied aiming at contributing for the understanding of the geological evolution of the area. Dating with R-Sr and K-At are also presented, allowing some association for the lythotype of Xingu complex and Araguaia Belt. The oldest stratigraphic unit of the area is represented by the Xingu Complex, composed by gneisses and granites and subordinated schists and anphibolites. Over this unit, during the niddle Proterozoic, the Tucurui group was developed. The bottom of this unit is composed by a sequence of tholeiitic basaltic flows which were here enclosed in the Caripe Formation. The Morrote Formation, is made up of graywackes, and constitutes the upper part of the Tucurui Group. The geossinolinal evolution of the Araguaia Belt took place during the Uruacuano Cycle. This geoteotonic unit is represented in the studied area by the Couto Magalhaes Formation (Tocantins Group) which comprises pelitic and psamitic metasediments. After the metamorphism of the Araguaia Belt, the Couto Magalhaes Formation acted as the place of mafic and ultramafic intrusion and, lately, the Tucurui Fault thrusted the metamorphic rocks of the Tocantins Group over the Tucurui Group lithetypes. (author)

  3. Paleoarchean bedrock lithologies across the Makhonjwa Mountains of South Africa and Swaziland linked to geochemical, magnetic and tectonic data reveal early plate tectonic genes flanking subduction margins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maarten de Wit

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available The Makhonjwa Mountains, traditionally referred to as the Barberton Greenstone Belt, retain an iconic Paleoarchean archive against which numerical models of early earth geodynamics can be tested. We present new geologic and structural maps, geochemical plots, geo- and thermo-chronology, and geophysical data from seven silicic, mafic to ultramafic complexes separated by major shear systems across the southern Makhonjwa Mountains. All reveal signs of modern oceanic back-arc crust and subduction-related processes. We compare the rates of processes determined from this data and balance these against plate tectonic and plume related models. Robust rates of both horizontal and vertical tectonic processes derived from the Makhonjwa Mountain complexes are similar, well within an order of magnitude, to those encountered across modern oceanic and orogenic terrains flanking Western Pacific-like subduction zones. We conclude that plate tectonics and linked plate-boundary processes were well established by 3.2–3.6 Ga. Our work provides new constraints for modellers with rates of a ‘basket’ of processes against which to test Paleoarchean geodynamic models over a time period close to the length of the Phanerozoic. Keywords: Paleoarchean, Barberton Greenstone Belt, Onverwacht Suite, Geologic bedrock and structural maps, Geochemistry and geophysics, Plate tectonics

  4. Polyphase serpentinization history of Mariana forearc mantle: observations on the microfabric of ultramafic clasts from ODP Leg 195, Site 1200

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kahl, Wolf-Achim; Jöns, Niels; Bach, Wolfgang; Klein, Frieder

    2013-04-01

    In the forearc of the Mariana subduction zone system, a number of seamounts form from extrusion of blueschist and serpentine mud. Ocean Drilling Program Leg 195 drilled the South Chamorro seamount, where ultramafic clasts occur within the mud matrix. These clasts show a complex serpentinization history, which bears the potential for tracking the alteration history during uplift and cooling of mantle wedge rocks to the seafloor. Moreover, the microfabrics of the highly serpentinized harzburgite and dunite clasts exhibit evidence for multiple fracturing events in the forearc mantle. These, in turn, lead to fluid influx and varied styles of serpentinization of harzburgite and dunite. The serpentinized ultramafic clasts exhibit a variety of microfabrics that range from virtually undeformed to strongly deformed samples. Pervasively serpentinized harzburgites feature either an equigranular fabric of serpentinized olivine and orthopyroxene crystals, or different vein generations related to multiple stages of serpentinization. Several types of fluid pathways in harzburgites are present: (i) veins containing brucite and iron oxides, developed linearly without marked conformance with the rock fabric. In places, these veins developed mm-cm wide halos with finger-shaped serpentinization fronts. Veins of type (i) are either developed as syntaxial veins from a single crack-seal event with large magnetite crystals growing from one wall to the other (as confirmed with high-resolution X-ray microtomography), or formed by multiple fluid events. (ii) serpentine veins that encompass regions of marginally serpentinized, microgranular olivine and large orthopyroxene crystals. (iii) extensional serpentine veins (known as "Frankenstein" type). In the clasts studied, their occurrence is restricted to the halo region of type (i) veins. (iv) as a late-stage feature, extensional veins documenting multiple crack-seal events can be present in the serpentinites (either in undeformed regions with

  5. Geochemical models of metasomatism in ultramafic systems: Serpentinization, rodingitization, and sea floor carbonate chimney precipitation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palandri, J.L.; Reed, M.H.

    2004-01-01

    In a series of water-rock reaction simulations, we assess the processes of serpentinization of harzburgite and related calcium metasomatism resulting in rodingite-type alteration, and seafloor carbonate chimney precipitation. At temperatures from 25 to 300??C (P = 10 to 100 bar), using either fresh water or seawater, serpentinization simulations produce an assemblage commonly observed in natural systems, dominated by serpentine, magnetite, and brucite. The reacted waters in the simulations show similar trends in composition with decreasing water-rock ratios, becoming hyper-alkaline and strongly reducing, with increased dissolved calcium. At 25??C and w/r less than ???32, conditions are sufficiently reducing to yield H2 gas, nickel-iron alloy and native copper. Hyperalkalinity results from OH- production by olivine and pyroxene dissolution in the absence of counterbalancing OH- consumption by alteration mineral precipitation except at very high pH; at moderate pH there are no stable calcium minerals and only a small amount of chlorite forms, limited by aluminum, thus allowing Mg2+ and Ca2+ to accumulate in the aqueous phase in exchange for H+. The reducing conditions result from oxidation of ferrous iron in olivine and pyroxene to ferric iron in magnetite. Trace metals are computed to be nearly insoluble below 300??C, except for mercury, for which high pH stabilizes aqueous and gaseous Hg??. In serpentinization by seawater at 300??C, Ag, Au, Pd, and Pt may approach ore-forming concentrations in sulfide complexes. Simulated mixing of the fluid derived from serpentinization with cold seawater produces a mineral assemblage dominated by calcite, similar to recently discovered submarine, ultramafic rock-hosted, carbonate mineral deposits precipitating at hydrothermal vents. Simulated reaction of gabbroic or basaltic rocks with the hyperalkaline calcium- and aluminum-rich fluid produced during serpentinization at 300??C yields rodingite-type mineral assemblages, including

  6. Cl-rich hydrous mafic mineral assemblages in the Highiș massif, Apuseni Mountains, Romania

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonin, Bernard; Tatu, Mihai

    2016-08-01

    The Guadalupian (Mid-Permian) Highiș massif (Apuseni Mountains, Romania) displays a bimodal igneous suite of mafic (gabbro, diorite) and A-type felsic (alkali feldspar granite, albite granite, and hybrid granodiorite) rocks. Amphibole is widespread throughout the suite, and yields markedly high chlorine contents. Three groups are identified: Cl-rich potassic hastingsite (2.60-3.40 wt% Cl) within A-type felsic rocks and diorite, mildly Cl-rich pargasite to hornblende (0.80-1.90 wt% Cl) within gabbro, and low F-Cl hornblende within gabbro and hybrid granodiorite. Coexisting biotite is either Cl-rich within diorite, or F-Cl-poor to F-rich within A-type felsic rocks. Chlorine and fluorine are distributed in both mafic phases, according to the F-Fe and Cl-Mg avoidance rules. The low-Ti contents suggest subsolidus compositions. Cl-rich amphibole within diorite and A-type felsic rocks yields a restricted temperature range - from 575 °C down to 400 °C, whereas mildly Cl-rich amphibole within gabbro displays the highest range - from 675 to 360 °C. Temperatures recorded by Cl-rich biotite within diorite range from 590 to 410 °C. Biotite within A-type felsic rocks yields higher temperatures than amphibole: the highest values- from 640 to 540 °C - are recorded in low-F-Cl varieties, whereas the lowest values- from 535 to 500 °C - are displayed by F-rich varieties. All data point to halogen-rich hydrothermal fluids at upper greenschist facies conditions percolating through fractures and shear zones and pervasively permeating the whole Highiș massif, with F precipitating as interstitial fluorite and Cl incorporating into amphibole, during one, or possibly several, hydrothermal episodes that would have occurred during a ~ 150 My-long period of time extending from the Guadalupian (Mid-Permian) to the Albian (Mid-Cretaceous).

  7. Sm-Nd isochrone of 2,1 Ga in ores of two samples from Santa Maria Chico Granulite Complex

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hartmann, L.A.

    1987-01-01

    Sm and Nd isotopes were determined on garnet and plagioclasse from a metapelite and on garnet and clinopyroxene from a mafic gneiss. The age of this metamorphic event in the Santa Maria Chico Granulite Complex is 2.1 Ga. The age of generaion of the protoliths is 2.6 Ga, as determined on total rock samples. (author) [pt

  8. Pumping test and fluid sampling report, Mansfield No. 1 well, Palo Duro Basin: Report of the Geologic Project Manager, Permian Basin

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1983-07-01

    This report describes pumping test and fluid sampling activities performed at the Mansfield No. 1 well in Oldham County about 10 miles north of Vega, Texas. The well site was selected by TBEG and is located along the northern margin of the Palo Duro Basin in an area of active dissolution with the Permian salt sections. The objectives of the pumping test and fluid sampling program were to collect data to determine the hydrologic characteristics (formation pressure and permeability) of deep water bearing formations, and to obtain formation fluid samples for analyses (gas and fluid chemistry) in order to evaluate fluid migration and age relationships in the Permian Basin. 4 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs.

  9. Pumping test and fluid sampling report, Mansfield No. 1 well, Palo Duro Basin: Report of the Geologic Project Manager, Permian Basin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1983-07-01

    This report describes pumping test and fluid sampling activities performed at the Mansfield No. 1 well in Oldham County about 10 miles north of Vega, Texas. The well site was selected by TBEG and is located along the northern margin of the Palo Duro Basin in an area of active dissolution with the Permian salt sections. The objectives of the pumping test and fluid sampling program were to collect data to determine the hydrologic characteristics (formation pressure and permeability) of deep water bearing formations, and to obtain formation fluid samples for analyses (gas and fluid chemistry) in order to evaluate fluid migration and age relationships in the Permian Basin. 4 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs

  10. Currents, wind speed, wind direction, temperature, attenuation, conductivity, and sigma-theta data from moorings deployed off the coast of Palos Verdes, CA from platforms ROBERT GORDON SPROUL, SEAWATCH, and YELLOWFIN from February 15, 2004 to July 8, 2004 (NODC Accession 0067574)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Palos Verdes shelf near Los Angeles is contaminated with DDT and PCBs discharged through the White Point ocean outfalls, mostly prior to 1971. The U. S....

  11. Currents, temperature, conductivity, attenuation, sigma-theta, and wave statistics data from moorings deployed off the coast of Palos Verdes, CA from platforms ROBERT GORDON SPROUL, YELLOWFIN, and SEA WATCH from December 3, 2007 to April 29, 2008 (NODC Accession 0067575)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Palos Verdes shelf near Los Angeles is contaminated with DDT and PCBs discharged through the White Point ocean outfalls, mostly prior to 1971. The U. S....

  12. Pb and O isotope systematics in granulite facies xenoliths, French Massif Central: Implications for crustal processes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Downes, H.; Kempton, P.D.; Harmon, R.S.; Briot, D.; Leyreloup, A.F.

    1991-01-01

    Pb and O isotope data are represented for a suite of granulite facies xenoliths found within Tertiary alkaline volcanic rocks of the Massif Central, France. The suite consists of ultramafic and mafic cumulates, metagabbros which are considered to represent basic liquids, felsic meta-igneous lithologies (charnockites) and metasediments. Ranges of δ 18 O values are +6.9 to +9.8per mille for mafic xenoliths, +9.3 to +10.2per mille for felsic meta-igneous samples and +6.1 to +11.8per mille for the metasediments. By comparison, δ 18 O values for mantle peridotites from the same region range from +5.1 to +6.9per mille, whilst local Hercynian granitoids vary from +8.6 to +12.0per mille. The 206 Pb/ 204 Pb ratios of the granulite xenoliths are between 17.77 and 19.19, 207 Pb/ 204 Pb ratios vary from 15.51 to 15.69, and 208 Pb/ 204 Pb ratios range from 38.07 to 40.07. In general, metasedimentary granulites have the more radiogenic Pb isotope compositions, whereas mafic meta-igneous samples are less radiogenic. These isotopic characteristics can be explained as the result of the interaction of mafic magmas with the metasedimentary crust into which they intruded. The release of heat also provoked melting of the more fusible parts of the lower crust and led to the formation of late-orogenic Hercynian granitoids. However, an additional component which provides less radiogenic Pb is also needed in the source of the granitoids; this may be the felsic meta-igneous xenoliths or middle/upper crustal gneisses. (orig.)

  13. Sr-Nd isotope systematics of xenoliths in Cenozoic volcanic rocks from SW Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kagami, Hiroo; Iwata, Masatoshi; Iizumi, Shigeru; Nureki, Terukazu.

    1993-01-01

    Based on new and previously published Sr and Nd isotope data, we examined the petrogenetic relationship between deep crust- and upper mantle-derived xenoliths contained in Cenozoic volcanic rocks and Cretaceous-Paleogene granitoid rocks in SW Japan. The deep crust- and upper mantle-derived mafic to ultramafic xenoliths contained in Cenozoic volcanic rocks from SW Japan have comparable initial Sr and Nd isotope ratios to the Cretaceous-Paleogene granitoid rocks in their respective districts. This may suggest that these xenoliths were genetically related to the Cretaceous-Paleogene granitoid rocks in SW Japan, and that regional variations in Sr and Nd isotope ratios observed in the granitoid rocks are attributed to differences in the geochemistry of the magma sources. (author)

  14. A high-pyrite semianthracite of Late Permian age in the Songzao Coalfield, southwestern China: Mineralogical and geochemical relations with underlying mafic tuffs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dai, S.; Wang, X.; Chen, W.; Li, D.; Chou, C.-L.; Zhou, Y.; Zhu, Chen; Li, H.; Zhu, Xudong; Xing, Y.; Zhang, W.; Zou, J.

    2010-01-01

    The No. 12 Coal (Late Permian) in the Songzao Coalfield, Chongqing, southwestern China, is characteristically high in pyrite and some trace elements. It is uniquely deposited directly above mafic tuff beds. Samples of coal and tuffs have been studied for their mineralogy and geochemistry using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, X-ray fluorescence, plasma low-temperature ashing plus powder X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis.The results show that the minerals of the No. 12 Coal are mainly composed of pyrite, clay minerals (kaolinite, chamosite, and illite), ankerite, calcite, and trace amounts of quartz and boehmite. Kaolinite and boehmite were mainly derived from sediment source region of mafic tuffs. Chamosite was formed by the reaction of kaolinite with Fe-Mg-rich fluids during early diagenesis. The high pyrite (Sp,d=8.83%) in the coal was related to marine transgression over peat deposits and abundant Fe derived from the underlying mafic tuff bed. Ankerite and calcite were precipitated from epigenetic fluids.Chemical compositions of incompatible elements indicate that the tuffs were derived from enriched mantle and the source magmas had an alkali-basalt character. Compared to other coals from the Songzao Coalfield and common Chinese coals, the No. 12 Coal has a lower SiO2/Al2O3 (1.13) but a higher Al2O3/Na2O (80.1) value and is significantly enriched in trace elements including Sc (13.5??g/g), V (121??g/g), Cr (33.6??g/g), Co (27.2??g/g), Ni (83.5??g/g), Cu (48.5??g/g), Ga (17.3??g/g), Y (68.3??g/g), Zr (444??g/g), Nb (23.8??g/g), and REE (392??g/g on average). Above mineralogical compositions, as well as similar ratios of selected elements (e.g., SiO2/Al2O3 and Al2O3/Na2O) and similar distribution patterns of incompatible elements (e.g., the mantle-normalized diagram for incompatible elements and chondrite-normalized diagram for rare earth elements) of coal and tuff, indicated that

  15. A high-pyrite semianthracite of Late Permian age in the Songzao Coalfield, southwestern China: Mineralogical and geochemical relations with underlying mafic tuffs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dai, Shifeng; Wang, Xibo; Chen, Wenmei [State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing 100083, (China); Li, Dahua [Research Center of State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining, Chongqing 400042, (China); Chou, Chen-Lin [Illinois State Geological Survey (Emeritus), 615 East Peabody Drive, Champaign, IL 61820, (United States); Zhou, Yiping [Yunnan Institute of Coal Geology Prospection, Kunming 650218, (China); Zhu, Changsheng; Li, Hang [Research Center of State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining, Chongqing 400042, (China); Zhu, Xingwei; Xing, Yunwei; Zhang, Weiguo; Zou, Jianhua [State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing 100083, (China)

    2010-09-01

    The No. 12 Coal (Late Permian) in the Songzao Coalfield, Chongqing, southwestern China, is characteristically high in pyrite and some trace elements. It is uniquely deposited directly above mafic tuff beds. Samples of coal and tuffs have been studied for their mineralogy and geochemistry using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, X-ray fluorescence, plasma low-temperature ashing plus powder X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. The results show that the minerals of the No. 12 Coal are mainly composed of pyrite, clay minerals (kaolinite, chamosite, and illite), ankerite, calcite, and trace amounts of quartz and boehmite. Kaolinite and boehmite were mainly derived from sediment source region of mafic tuffs. Chamosite was formed by the reaction of kaolinite with Fe-Mg-rich fluids during early diagenesis. The high pyrite (S{sub p,d} 8.83%) in the coal was related to marine transgression over peat deposits and abundant Fe derived from the underlying mafic tuff bed. Ankerite and calcite were precipitated from epigenetic fluids. Chemical compositions of incompatible elements indicate that the tuffs were derived from enriched mantle and the source magmas had an alkali-basalt character. Compared to other coals from the Songzao Coalfield and common Chinese coals, the No. 12 Coal has a lower SiO{sub 2}/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} (1.13) but a higher Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Na{sub 2}O (80.1) value and is significantly enriched in trace elements including Sc (13.5 {mu}g/g), V (121 {mu}g/g), Cr (33.6 {mu}g/g), Co (27.2 {mu}g/g), Ni (83.5 {mu}g/g), Cu (48.5 {mu}g/g), Ga (17.3 {mu}g/g), Y (68.3 {mu}g/g), Zr (444 {mu}g/g), Nb (23.8 {mu}g/g), and REE (392 {mu}g/g on average). Above mineralogical compositions, as well as similar ratios of selected elements (e.g., SiO{sub 2}/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Na{sub 2}O) and similar distribution patterns of incompatible elements (e.g., the mantle-normalized diagram for

  16. Cr-isotope fractionation during oxidative weathering of ultramafic rocks and its impact on river waters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Paulukat, Cora Stefanie; Døssing, Lasse Nørbye; Mondal, Sisir K.

    We investigated Cr isotope fractionation during soil formation from Precambrian ultramafic rocks. A soil profile was logged in an active open-cast chromite mine (Sukinda Valley, India). In addition, mine and river waters, as well as seawater were collected to trace the Cr-isotope signal...... values as heavy as +1.33±0.05‰. Where the drainage water merges with the river water, a slightly positively fractionated δ53Cr value (0.03±0.019‰) reflects a mixed isotope signal. With increasing distance from the mine, river water δ53Cr again becomes increasingly positively fractionated, indicating...... into the sea. The aim of the study is to recognize Cr isotope fractionation processes within the mining-area and the impact of the mine runoff on the δ53Cr of the nearby river. The weathering profile shows a distinct upward trend to more negative δ53Cr values. While the well preserved rocks at the base closely...

  17. Petrogenetic evolution of the felsic and mafic volcanic suite in the Siang window of Eastern Himalaya, Northeast India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Krishnakanta Singh

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available The Abor volcanics outcroping in the core of the Siang window in the Eastern Himalaya comprise voluminous mafic volcanics (47%–56% w(SiO2, with subordinate felsic volcanics (67%–75% w(SiO2. The felsic volcanics are dacitic to rhyolitic in composition and are typically enriched in LREE (La/SmN = 3.09–3.90 with high REE contents (256–588 ppm, moderately fractionated REE patterns (CeN/YbN = 6.54–9.52 and pronounced negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.55–0.72. Wide variations in Rb/Zr, K/Rb and La/Sm ratios suggest that they were derived from magmas which were randomly contaminated with crustal material. Chemical characteristics and petrogenetic modelling indicate that the dacites were generated by ∼15% partial melting of a mafic source leaving a residue with 55% plagioclase, 14% orthoclase, 18% clinopyroxene, 5% orthopyroxene, 8% hornblende. The silica-rich rhyodacites and rhyolites were derived from a dacite magma source by a higher degree (>45% fractional crystallization of an assemblage consisting of 70% plagioclase, 12% clinopyroxene, 7% amphibole and 11% magnetite. The associated LREE-LILE enrichment and pronounced negative anomalies for HFSE (Nb, P, and Ti exhibited by these felsic volcanics are characteristic of continental rift volcanism, implying that they were emplaced during lithospheric extension.

  18. Cooling history of nested plutons from the Variscan Tichka plutonic complex (Morocco)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lécuyer, Christophe; Gasquet, Dominique; Allemand, Pascal; Martineau, François; Martinez, Isabelle

    2017-03-01

    Four imbricated mafic to felsic plutons of Variscan age from Morocco have been investigated for their cooling history and geochemical interactions with surrounding continental rocks. Oxygen isotope compositions of whole rocks and minerals have been used to model the cooling rates of these kilometer-sized intrusions. By combining both the knowledge of oxygen-self diffusion data of rock-forming minerals and the determination by IR-spectroscopy of the water content of quartz, the cooling times are estimated ranging from 105 to 5 × 105 years in agreement with the shallow emplacement (4-6 km depth) of these intrusions into the continental crust. Such fast cooling rates could explain why after assimilation of the various country rocks, heterogeneities of both neodymium and strontium isotope ratios were still preserved. A progressive δ18O increase from the mafic to felsic terms of the plutonic suite, which does not excess 1 to 1.5‰, could be explained by the assimilation of metamorphosed pelitic and volcanic rocks that constitute the basement of the Tichka plutonic complex.

  19. Background radiation in two locations in Deaf Smith and Swisher Counties within the Palo Duro Basin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1984-10-01

    Data on external background radiation doses resulting from cosmic, terrestrial, and fallout sources and on concentrations of radioactivity in environmental media are presented and discussed. Doses to individuals located at the approximate centers of two locations in Texas, one in Deaf Smith County and the other in Swisher County, are given, as are the population doses to people residing within 50 miles of each of the approximate centers. No adjustments have been made for the effects of buildings on radiation doses - that is, the shielding from external radiation afforded by the buildings and radiation from building materials are not accounted for. Concentrations of radioactivity in air, water, and milk in the region are also given. Because of the lack of specific information on background radiation at the locations, the external-dose rates to people and the radioactivity levels in environmental media for the region have been taken from the literature. A background radiation survey will be conducted in the Palo Duro Basin to obtain additional data. 26 references, 3 figures, 15 tables

  20. Io after Galileo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lopes, Rosaly M C; Williams, David A

    2005-01-01

    Io, the volcanically active innermost large moon of Jupiter, was a target of intense study during the recently completed NASA Galileo mission to Jupiter (1989-2003). Galileo's suite of instruments obtained unprecedented observations of Io, including high spatial resolution imaging in the visible and infrared. This paper reviews the insights gained about Io's surface, atmosphere and space environment during the Galileo mission. Io is thought to have a large Fe-FeS core, whose radius is slightly less than half the radius of Io and whose mass is 20% of the moon. The lack of an intrinsic magnetic field implies that the core is either completely solid or completely liquid. The mantle of Io appears to undergo a high degree of partial melting (20-50% molten) that produces ultramafic lavas dominated by Mg-rich orthopyroxene in an apparent 'mushy magma ocean', suggesting an undifferentiated mantle. The crust of Io is thought to be rigid, 20-30 km thick, cold away from volcanic heat sources and composed of mafic to ultramafic silicates. Tidal flexing due to Io's orbital resonance produces ∼100 m tides at the surface, generating heat that powers Io's volcanism. Silicate volcanism appears to be dominant at most hot spots, although secondary sulfur volcanism may be important in some areas. The key discoveries of the Galileo era at Io were: (1) the detection of high-temperature volcanism (ultramafic, superheated mafic or 'ceramic'); (2) the detection of both S 2 and SO 2 gas in Ionian plumes; (3) the distinction between eruption styles, including between Pelean plumes (originating from central vents) and Promethean plumes (originating from silicate lava flow fronts); (4) the relationship between mountains and paterae, which indicates that many paterae are formed as magma preferentially ascends along tectonic faults associated with mountain building; (5) the lack of detection of an intrinsic magnetic field; (6) a new estimate of global heat flow; and (7) increased understanding

  1. Between carbonatite and lamproite—Diamondiferous Torngat ultramafic lamprophyres formed by carbonate-fluxed melting of cratonic MARID-type metasomes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tappe, Sebastian; Foley, Stephen F.; Kjarsgaard, Bruce A.; Romer, Rolf L.; Heaman, Larry M.; Stracke, Andreas; Jenner, George A.

    2008-07-01

    induced volatile-fluxed fusion of the MARID-type veins and the cold peridotite substrate. Isotopic modelling suggests that only 5-12% trace element contribution from such geochemically extreme MARID-type material is required to produce the observed compositional shift from the isotopically most depleted aillikites/carbonatites towards enriched mela-aillikites. We conclude that cold cratonic mantle lithosphere can host several generations of contrasting vein assemblages, and that each may have formed during past tectonic and magmatic events under distinctively different physicochemical conditions. Although cratonic MARID-type and carbonate-bearing veins in peridotite can be the respective sources for lamproite and carbonatite magmas when present as the sole metasome, their concomitant fusion in a complex source region may give rise to a whole new variety of deep volatile-rich magmas and we suggest that orangeites (formerly Group 2 kimberlites), kamafugites, and certain types of ultramafic lamprophyre are formed in this manner.

  2. Oxygen isotope and trace element compositions of platiniferous dunite pipes of the Bushveld Complex, South Africa - Signals from a recycled mantle component?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Günther, T.; Haase, K. M.; Junge, M.; Oberthür, T.; Woelki, D.; Krumm, S.

    2018-06-01

    Platiniferous dunite pipes occur in the lower mafic/ultramafic portion of the Rustenburg Layered Suite of the Bushveld large igneous province (LIP). Olivine compositions in these pipes range from forsterite (Fo) 80 to 35 mol% and suggest crystallization from variably evolved magmas at high temperatures ( 1200 °C). The most primitive olivines are from a stock unit and have the highest contents of Ni (>0.15 wt%) and lowest contents of Mn (formation of the fayalitic olivines with its high Mn contents (>0.3 wt%). High δ18O values of olivine (5.7-7.0‰) and pyroxene (6.7-7.4‰) are akin to those of the Lower and Critical Zone of the Bushveld intrusion suggesting a common origin. The constant high O isotope ratios with variable Fo contents in the olivines are unlike trends observed in olivine phenocrysts in magmas forming by assimilation-fractional crystallization. We suggest that the high δ18O in the most primitive dunites reflect that of the primary melt of the Bushveld pipes, indicating either a bulk assimilation of crust prior to pipe formation or a contribution from recycled oceanic crust in the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). The latter scenario is supported by the high Ni/Mn ratios in primitive pipe olivine that might be inherited from melting of a pyroxene-rich mantle source.

  3. Testing and sampling of deep brine aquifers in the Palo Duro Basin, West Texas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deyling, M.A.

    1984-01-01

    The US Department of Energy is investigating the Palo Duro Basin of West Texas along with locations in Nevada, Washington, Utah, Mississippi and Louisiana as potential sites for storage of high-level nuclear waste. Ten wells have been drilled to depths between 3000 and 8300 feet. Testing and sampling of deep test zones requires advance planning and analysis of what must be obtained from the well. Various alternatives are available depending on data needs. In this particular instance, both hydrologic and geochemical data were required. The methods chosen were field proven methods used in the oil field industry for many years. Short term testing has included conventional oil-field-type drill stem tests and drill stem equipment with surface pressure readout. Long term testing has consisted of a series of production and recovery tests. Fluid sampling was performed in two stages. The first was at the well head under an imposed pressure of several hundred psi. The second fluid samples were collected downhole at the production zone under pressures close to ambient pressure. The geochemical data and hydrologic data can be used as independent checks on each other in many cases. Test results from the well along with examination of recovered core provided maximum data for each well. 5 references, 8 figures

  4. A survey of lunar rock types and comparison of the crusts of earth and moon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, J. A.

    1977-01-01

    The principal known types of lunar rocks are briefly reviewed, and their chemical relationships discussed. In the suite of low-KREEP highland rocks, Fe/(Fe + Mg) in the normative mafic minerals increases and the albite content of normative plagio-clase decreases as the total amount of normative plagioclase increases, the opposite of the trend predicted by the Bowen reaction principle. The distribution of compositions of rocks from terrestrial layered mafic intrusives is substantially different: here the analyses fall in several discrete clusters (anorthositic rocks, norites, granophyres and ferrogabbros, ultramafics), and the chemical trends noted above are not reproduced. It is suggested that the observed trends in lunar highland rocks could be produced by crystal fractionation in a deep global surface magma system if (1) plagiociase tended to float, upon crystallization, and (2) the magma was kept agitated and well mixed (probably by thermal convection) until crystallization was far advanced and relatively little residual liquid was left. After the crustal system solidified, but before extensive cooling had developed a thick, strong lithosphere, mantle convection was able to draw portions of the lunar anorthositic crust down into the mantle.

  5. The age and emplacement of obducted oceanic crust in the Urals from Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr systematics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Edwards, R.L.; Wasserburg, G.J.

    1985-01-01

    The Urals contain a 2000 km belt of mafic-ultramafic bodies. The Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr systematics of two of these bodies, the Kempersai Massif in the South Ural Mountains and the Voykar-Syninsky Ophiolite Complex in the Polar Ural Mountains have been examined. These data confirm the hypothesis that these bodies represent fragments of pre-collision oceanic crust and establish constraints on the nature and timing of events in the Uralian Orogeny. Two Kempersai gabbros define Sm-Nd internal isochrons of 397 +- 20 My and 396 +- 33 My with epsilonsub(Nd)(T) = +8.7 -+ 0.6 and +8.4 -+ 1.3, respectively. Whole rock samples of pillow basalt, diabase, gabbros, troctolite, and a metasediment give Sm-Nd values which lie on this isochron indicating that these rocks are genetically related and have an igneous crystallization age of 397 My. Whole rock samples of Voykar-Syninsky diabase, gabbros, and clinopyroxenite give Sm-Nd values which lie on or within proportional 1 epsilon-unit of this isochron indicating an age and epsilonsub(Nd)(T) virtually identical to those of Kempersai. epsilonsub(Nd)(T) for the Kempersai and Voykar-Syninsky mafic samples range from +7.3 to +9.0 with an average value of +8.4. This indicates that the Urals ophiolites are derived from an ancient depleted mantle source and are most plausibly pieces of the oceanic crust and lithosphere. The fact that a metasediment has the same epsilonsub(Nd)(397 My) as the other samples indicates derivation from an oceanic source with negligible continental input. epsilonsub(Nd)(T) for the massifs is proportional 1.5 epsilon-units lower than the average for modern MORBs. (orig./HSI)

  6. Zoning and contamination rate of magnesium and heavy metals of iron, zinc and copper in the north and northwest aquifer of Khoy (Zourabad based on GIS and determining the contaminated source

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fariborz Khodadadi

    2015-04-01

    samples carried out in the chemistry laboratory of the University of Urmia. All water sampling procedures were performed based on standard protocols (SMEWW, 2010. The maximum concentration of heavy metal contamination of drinking water with EPA, WHO and national standards were compared. In this study, the chemical analysis of heavy metals, were used by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (at ppb for the elements Cu, Mg, Fe and Zn. Concentration of the heavy metals in acidified water samples (pH value of 2, using a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer were analyzed. Discussion There are enormous amounts of Fe and magnesium in groundwater from the north and northwest Khoy plain, and the amount of Cu and zinc are in the normal range in water resources. The source of iron and magnesium in the groundwater of the study area is ultramafic and mafic rocks of the Khoy ophiolite complex. Weathering of ultramafic and mafic igneous rocks such as peridotite, olivine basalt, gabbro and pillow lava and then soil formation, high concentrations of the elements Mg and Fe were transferred to soil. Ferromagnesian olivine is formed Mg2+ and Fe2+ ions and tetrahedral silicon. If sufficient amount of Mg2+ and Fe3+ ions combine with silicon and oxygen, silicon into the soil, forms silicic acid (H4SiO4, or magnesium or iron smectite (clay minerals (Alexander et al., 2007. Several types of pyroxene are more stable than olivine. Orthopyroxene during weathering decompose into talc and smectite. Magnesite (MgCO3 is present in some serpentine soils. With respect to the empirical relationship (Kierczak et al., 2007 and based on temperature and rainfall, the study area with a drought index of 12.48 places in the category of semi-arid-cold climate between 10 and 19.9. Temperature changes in the condition cause weathering and leaching of serpentine soils, and subsequently can remove large amounts of magnesium. Weathering and leaching serpentine soils, releases immediately magnesium and

  7. Chromian spinels in highly altered ultramafic rocks from the Sartohay ophiolitic mélange, Xinjiang, NW China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiu, Tian; Zhu, Yongfeng

    2018-06-01

    The Sartohay ophiolitic mélange is located in western Junggar (Xinjiang province, NW China), which is a major component of the core part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). Chromian spinels in serpentinite, talc schist, carbonate-talc schist and listwaenite in Sartohay ophiolitic mélange retain primary compositions with Cr# of 0.39-0.65, Mg# = 0.48-0.67, and Fe3+# evolution of chromian spinels in highly altered ultramafic rocks from the Sartohay ophiolitic mélange. Chromian spinels in serpentinite and talc schist were rimmed by Cr-magnetite, which was dissolved completely during transformation from serpentinite/talc schist to listwaenite. Chromian spinels were then transformed into Fe2+-rich chromite in shear zones, which characterized by high fluid/rock ratios. This Fe2+-rich chromite and/or chromian spinels could then be transformed into Fe3+-rich chromite in oxidizing conditions at shallow levels.

  8. Geochemistry and source of iron-formation from Guanhaes group, Guanhaes district, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sad, J.H.G.; Chiodi Filho, C.; Magalhaes, J.M.M.; Carelos, P.M.

    1990-01-01

    The Guanhaes district is underlain by metavolcano-sedimentary rocks of the Guanhaes Group, emplaced over an older Archean basement and intruded by granitic bodies. The Guanhaes Group is composed of pelitic, mafic and ultramafic schists at the base; silicate and carbonate facies iron-formation, calcarious schists, calcsilicates rocks and quartzites at the median portion and para-gneisses (meta-graywacks) at the top. Geochemistry of iron-formation suggest a hydrothermal affinity comparable to the hydrothermal sediments flanking East Pacific Rise. Paragenetic studies indicates that the rocks were submited to two metamorphic processes: one of regional character (high-amphibolite facies) and one of themal character (pyroxene-hornfels facies). Chemical analysis, as X-ray and optic spectrography, atomic absorption and plasma spectrography are presented. (author)

  9. The behavior of iron and zinc stable isotopes accompanying the subduction of mafic oceanic crust: A case study from Western Alpine ophiolites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inglis, Edward C.; Debret, Baptiste; Burton, Kevin W.; Millet, Marc-Alban; Pons, Marie-Laure; Dale, Christopher W.; Bouilhol, Pierre; Cooper, Matthew; Nowell, Geoff M.; McCoy-West, Alex J.; Williams, Helen M.

    2017-07-01

    Arc lavas display elevated Fe3+/ΣFe ratios relative to MORB. One mechanism to explain this is the mobilization and transfer of oxidized or oxidizing components from the subducting slab to the mantle wedge. Here we use iron and zinc isotopes, which are fractionated upon complexation by sulfide, chloride, and carbonate ligands, to remark on the chemistry and oxidation state of fluids released during prograde metamorphism of subducted oceanic crust. We present data for metagabbros and metabasalts from the Chenaillet massif, Queyras complex, and the Zermatt-Saas ophiolite (Western European Alps), which have been metamorphosed at typical subduction zone P-T conditions and preserve their prograde metamorphic history. There is no systematic, detectable fractionation of either Fe or Zn isotopes across metamorphic facies, rather the isotope composition of the eclogites overlaps with published data for MORB. The lack of resolvable Fe isotope fractionation with increasing prograde metamorphism likely reflects the mass balance of the system, and in this scenario Fe mobility is not traceable with Fe isotopes. Given that Zn isotopes are fractionated by S-bearing and C-bearing fluids, this suggests that relatively small amounts of Zn are mobilized from the mafic lithologies in within these types of dehydration fluids. Conversely, metagabbros from the Queyras that are in proximity to metasediments display a significant Fe isotope fractionation. The covariation of δ56Fe of these samples with selected fluid mobile elements suggests the infiltration of sediment derived fluids with an isotopically light signature during subduction.

  10. Distribution and PGE mineralization in the formation of chromitite in ophiolite complexes (Ospina-Kitoi Kharanur and ultrabasic massifs of Eastern Sayan, Sousern Siberia)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiseleva, Olga; Zhmodik, Sergei

    2015-04-01

    New study of PGE in restitic ultrabasic (Kharanur and Ospin-Kitoi) massifs from North and South branches (Dobretsov et al., 1985) of the ophiolite complexes in south-eastern part of the Eastern Sayan show their presence in chromitites of both branches belonging to the different geodynamic settings. Modern concepts model includes several mechanisms of podiform chromitite origin reflected in the chemistry of Cr-spinels (Arai, Yurimoto, 1994; Ballhaus, 1998; Uysal et al., 2009 et al.): 1) partial melting of upper mantle rocks, 2) mixing of primitive melts with melts enriched in SiO2, 3) melt-rock interaction. We estimated the types of interaction of mafic melts with mantle peridotites, with the formation of chromite bodies. For ore chrome spinelides from northern branch (Al2O3) melt = 8 - 14 wt%, (TiO2) melt = 0 - 0,4 wt%, (Fe/Mg) melt = 0,5 - 2,4; Southern branch (Al2O3) melt = 10 - 13 wt%, (TiO2) melt = 0,1 wt%, (Fe/Mg) melt = 0,3 - 1 (Kiseleva, 2014). There are two types of PGE distribution Os-Ir-Ru (I) and Pt-Pd (II). Type I chromitites (mid-Al#Cr-spinels) revealed only Os-Ir-Ru distributions; type II (low-Al#Cr spinelides) show both Os-Ir-Ru and (Pt-Pd) distributions (Kiseleva et al., 2012, 2014). PGE distribution in ultramafic peridotites and chromitites reflects PGE fractionation during partial melting (Barnes et al., 1985; Rehkämper et al., 1997). Processes bringing to extreme fractionation of PGE, may be associated with fluid-saturated supra subduction environment where melting degree near 20% and above is sufficient for the release of PGE from the mantle source (Dick, Bullen, 1984; Naldrett, 2010). Enrichment in PPGE together with a high content of IPGE in same chromite bodies is attributed to the second step of melting, and formation of S-enriched and saturated in PGE melts (Hamlyn, Keays, 1986; Prichard et al., 1996). For type I chromitites platinum group minerals (PGM) are presented by Os-Ir-Ru system. In type II chromitites PGM are represented by Os

  11. Amount and nature of occluded water in bedded salt, Palo Duro Basin, Texas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fisher, R.S.

    1987-01-01

    The quantity and types of fluids within bedded salt cores from the Permian San Andres Formation, Palo Duro, Texas, were evaluated at the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology. Bedded halite from the San Andres Formation and other salt-bearing units were selected to represent the variety of salt types present, and were then analyzed. The mean water content of ''pure'' samples (more than 90% halite) is 0.4 weight percent, with none observed greater than 1.0 weight percent. Samples that contain more than 10 weight percent clay or mudstone display a trend of increasing water content with increasing clastic material. Chaotic mudstone-halite samples have as much as 5 weight percent water; halite-cemented mudstone interlayers, common throughout the bedded salts, may have water content values as high as 10 to 15 weight percent based on extrapolation of existing data that range from 0 to about 6%. No significant difference exists between the mean water content values of ''pure salt'' from the upper San Andres, lower San Andres Cycle 5, and lower San Andres Cycle 4 salt units. The fraction of total water present as mobile intergranular water is highly variable and not readily predicted from observed properties of the salt sample. The amount of water that would be affected by a high-level nuclear waste repository can be estimated if the volume of halite, the volume of clastic interlayers, and the amount and type of impurity in halite are known. Appendix contains seven vugraphs

  12. Termobarometría Opx-Cpx aplicada al conocimiento de las condiciones de formación de las roca s ultramálicas de Vivero (Lugo, noroeste de España

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Galán, G.

    1985-12-01

    Full Text Available Several two-pyroxene thermometers and barometers have been used to determine the genetic conditions of ultramafic rocks associated to calc-alkalic granites that outcrop in the Vivero Massif (Lugo, NW of Spain. These ultramafic rocks, some of which are similar to cortlandtites, have an amphibole being the most abundant phase, together with olivino, pyroxenes and phlogopite. They have been differentiated in peridotites, pyroxenites and hornblendites. Some dioritic mafic rocks are also present. Their emplacement, simultaneous with that of the granites, was made following a shear zone related to the Mondoñedo nappe and resulted in Penetrative deformationof the whole complex Temperatures obtained with different methods are quite uniform with an average value of 938º C, and a pressure of about 3 Kbars. The results of the different thermometers are compared, as well as their petrological and regional significance.

    Diversos métodos termométricos y barométricos, basados en el equilibrio ortopiroxenoclinopiroxeno, se utilizan en la determinación de la temperatura y presión de formación de rocas ultramáficas ricas en anfíbol, asociadas a granitos calcoalcalinos del macizo de Vivero (Lugo, noroeste de España. Se trata de rocas ultramáficas, algunas de ellas de tipo cortlandtítico, con una proporción variable de olivinos, piroxenos, anfíboles y flogopita como fases principales, que se emplazan simultáneamente con los granitos asociados, aprovechando una zona de cizalla en relación con el manto de Mondoñedo. Se comparan los resultados obtenidos y la validez de los diversos métodos empleados, a la vez que se discute su significado petrológico y regional.

  13. Depositional history of organic contaminants on the Palos Verdes Shelf, California

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eganhouse, R.P.; Pontolillo, J.

    2000-01-01

    During more than 60 years, sedimentation on the Palos Verdes Shelf has been dominated by time-varying inputs of municipal wastewater from the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (LACSD) and debris from the Portuguese Bend Landslide (PBL). The present study examines the depositional history of wastewater-derived organic contaminants at a site approximately 6-8 km downcurrent from the outfall system. Sediments at this location are impacted by contributions from both sources, but the relative influence of the sources has changed over time. Two classes of hydrophobic organic contaminants (chlorinated hydrocarbons, long-chain alkylbenzenes) were determined in sediment cores collected in 1981 and 1992. Using molecular stratigraphy, we determined average sedimentation rates (cm/year) and mass accumulation rates (g cm-2 year-1) for the following periods: 1955-1965, 1965-1971, 1971-1981 and 1981-1992. The results show that sedimentation and mass accumulation rates increased from 1955 to 1971 and decreased from 1971 to 1981. These trends are consistent with historical information on the emission of suspended solids from the outfall system, indicating that the discharge of wastes dominated sedimentation at the site during this period. In the 1980s and early 1990s, however, mass accumulation rates increased in spite of continually decreasing emissions of wastewater solids. Several lines of evidence indicate that this increase was due to mobilization of debris from the PBL during and after unusually strong winter storms in the 1980s. As a result, heavily contaminated sediments deposited during the years of greatest waste emissions (i.e. 1950-1970) have been buried to greater sub-bottom depths, thereby reducing their availability for mobilization to the overlying water column. These results highlight the dynamic nature of sedimentation in contaminated coastal ecosystems and its importance to the long-term fate and effects of toxic substances.

  14. Postmagmatic magnetite-apatite assemblage in mafic intrusions: a case study of dolerite at Olympic Dam, South Australia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Apukhtina, Olga B.; Kamenetsky, Vadim S.; Ehrig, Kathy; Kamenetsky, Maya B.; McPhie, Jocelyn; Maas, Roland; Meffre, Sebastien; Goemann, Karsten; Rodemann, Thomas; Cook, Nigel J.; Ciobanu, Cristiana L.

    2016-01-01

    An assemblage of magnetite and apatite is common worldwide in different ore deposit types, including disparate members of the iron-oxide copper-gold (IOCG) clan. The Kiruna-type iron oxide-apatite deposits, a subtype of the IOCG family, are recognized as economic targets as well. A wide range of competing genetic models exists for magnetite-apatite deposits, including magmatic, magmatic-hydrothermal, hydrothermal(-metasomatic), and sedimentary(-exhalative). The sources and mechanisms of transport and deposition of Fe and P remain highly debatable. This study reports petrographic and geochemical features of the magnetite-apatite-rich vein assemblages in the dolerite dykes of the Gairdner Dyke Swarm (~0.82 Ga) that intruded the Roxby Downs Granite (~0.59 Ga), the host of the supergiant Olympic Dam IOCG deposit. These symmetrical, only few mm narrow veins are prevalent in such dykes and comprise besides usually colloform magnetite and prismatic apatite also further minerals (e.g., calcite, quartz). The genetic relationships between the veins and host dolerite are implied based on alteration in the immediate vicinity (~4 mm) of the veins. In particular, Ti-magnetite-ilmenite is partially to completely transformed to titanite and magmatic apatite disappears. We conclude that the mafic dykes were a local source of Fe and P re-concentrated in the magnetite-apatite veins. Uranium-Pb ages for vein apatite and titanite associated with the vein in this case study suggest that alteration of the dolerite and healing of the fractures occurred shortly after dyke emplacement. We propose that in this particular case the origin of the magnetite-apatite assemblage is clearly related to hydrothermal alteration of the host mafic magmatic rocks.

  15. Nature of the interfacial region between cementitious mixtures and rocks from the Palo Duro Basin and other seal components

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wakeley, L.D.; Roy, D.M.

    1986-03-01

    Using the interface zone as an indicator of compatibility, preliminary tests were run using cement-based formulations designed to be used for shaft sealing in conjunction with evaporite and clastic rocks of the Palo Duro Basin, one of several potential sites for a high-level radioactive waste repository. Emphasis focused on two formulations, both designed to be slightly expansive. Mixture 83-05 was tested in combination with anhydrite and siltstone. A comparable mixture (83-03) containing salt was used with the halite. Cement, rocks, and their respective interfaces were examined using x-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Bond strengths between rock and cement as well as between selected steels and grout were determined as a function of curing conditions and pretest surface treatment. Permeabilities of cement/rock and cement/steel composites were also determined. Bond strength and permeability were found to vary with curing conditions as well as surface treatment

  16. Paleomagnetic Results of the 925 Ma Mafic Dykes From the North China Craton: Implications for the Neoproterozoic Paleogeography of Rodinia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, X.; Peng, P.

    2017-12-01

    Precambrian mafic dyke swarms are useful geologic records for Neoproterozoic paleogeographic reconstruction. We present a paleomagnetic study of the 925 Ma Dashigou dyke swarm from 3 widely separated locations in the central and northern parts of the North China Craton, which are previously unsampled regions. Stepwise thermal and alternating field demagnetizations were successful in isolating two magnetic components. The lower unblocking temperature component represents the recent Earth magnetic field. The higher unblocking temperature component is the characteristic remanent magnetization and yields positive baked contact test. Results from detailed rock magnetic measurements corroborate the demagnetization behavior and show that titanomagnetites are the main magnetic carrier in these rocks. There was no regional event that has reset the remanent magnetization of all the dyke sites, as indicated by the magnetization directions of both overlying and underlying strata. The similarity of the virtual paleomagnetic poles for the 3 sampled regions also argues that the characteristic remanent magnetizations are primary magnetization when the dykes were emplaced. The paleomagnetic poles from the Dashigou dyke swarm of the North China Craton are not similar to those of the identical aged Bahia dykes from the São Francisco Craton, Brazil, indicating that these mafic dykes may be not parts of a common regional magmatic event that affected North China Craton and NE Brazil at about 925 Ma.

  17. The Juchatengo complex: an upper-level ophiolite assemblage of late Paleozoic age in Oaxaca, southern Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grajales-Nishimura, José Manuel; Ramos-Arias, Mario Alfredo; Solari, Luigi; Murillo-Muñetón, Gustavo; Centeno-García, Elena; Schaaf, Peter; Torres-Vargas, Ricardo

    2018-04-01

    The Juchatengo complex (JC) suite is located between the Proterozoic Oaxacan complex to the north and the Xolapa complex to the south, and was amalgamated by late Paleozoic magmatism. It consists of mafic and sedimentary rocks that have oceanic affinities, with internal pseudostratigraphic, structural and metamorphic characteristics, which resemble a typical upper-level ophiolite assemblage. New U-Pb zircon and previous hornblende K-Ar analyses yield ages of ca. 291-313 Ma (U-Pb) for plagiogranites and ca. 282-277 Ma for tonalites intruding the entire sequence, including pelagic sediments at the top, with a maximum deposition age of ca. 278 Ma and noteworthy local provenance. These data constrain the age of the JC to the Late Pennsylvanian-Early Permian period. Hf isotopic analyses obtained from zircons in the JC plagiogranite and tonalite show that they come from a similar primitive mantle source (176Hf/177Hf: 0.282539-0.283091; ƐHf(t): + 3.2 to + 15.0). ƐHf(t) values from near 0 to - 2.8 in the tonalites indicate a contribution from the continental crust. Trace elements and REE patterns in whole rock and zircons point to a primitive mantle source for differentiated mafic, plagiogranite dykes and tonalitic plutons. Geochronological and geochemical data address the generation of new oceanic crust above the subduction zone, probably in a backarc setting. In this tectonic scenario, the JC ophiolite originated due to the convergence of the paleo-Pacific plate below the already integrated Oaxacan and Acatlán complexes in western Pangea. The dextral displacement places the deformation in a transtensional regime during the late Paleozoic age.

  18. Petrography, geochemistry and geochronology of the host porphyries and associated alteration at the Tuwu Cu deposit, NW China: a case for increased depositional efficiency by reaction with mafic hostrock?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Ping; Pan, Hongdi; Zhou, Taofa; Wang, Jingbin

    2014-08-01

    Tuwu is the largest porphyry copper deposit discovered in the Eastern Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang, China. A newly recognized volcanic complex in the Early Carboniferous Qi'eshan Group at Tuwu consists of basalt, andesite, and diorite porphyry. The plagiogranite porphyry was emplaced into this complex at 332.8±2.5 Ma (U-Pb zircon SIMS determination). Whole-rock element geochemistry shows that the volcanic complex and plagiogranite porphyry formed in the same island arc, although the complex was derived by partial melting of the mantle wedge and the plagiogranite porphyry by partial melting of a subducting slab. The diorite and the plagiogranite porphyries have both been subjected to intense hydrothermal alteration and associated mineralization, but the productive porphyry is the plagiogranite porphyry. Three alteration and mineralization stages, including pre-, syn- and post-ore stages, have been recognized. The pre-ore stage formed a barren propylitic alteration which is widespread in the volcanic complex. The syn-ore stage is divided into three sub-stages: Stage 1 is characterized by potassic alteration with chalcopyrite + bornite + chalcocite; Stage 2 is marked by chlorite-sericite-albite alteration with chalcopyrite ± pyrite ± bornite; Stage 3 is represented by phyllic alteration with chalcopyrite + pyrite ± molybdenite. The post-ore stage produced a barren argillic alteration limited to the diorite porphyry. A specific feature of the Tuwu deposit is that the productive porphyry was emplaced into a very mafic package, and reaction of the resulting fluids with the ferrous iron-rich hostrocks was a likely reason that Tuwu is the largest porphyry in the district.

  19. Geologic feasibility of talc and serpentinite bodies from the Appalachian Mountain region of eastern United States with regard to siting of radioactive-waste repositories. Part I. Additional conclusions relating to ultramafic rocks. Part II. Field investigations of talc and serpentinite deposits. Supplementary report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wenner, D.B.

    1976-01-01

    Ultramafic rocks and serpentinites appear to have many favorable features that make them worthy of further consideration. Such rock types are widely distributed in this country and display wide variations in their physical properties, based largely on the degree of serpentinization and mineral content. For example, serpentinite has certain self-sealing and flowage characteristics that render it impermeable at depth, whereas unserpentinized ultramafic rocks are structurally very rigid and strong. Another favorable property of ultramafic rocks is the relatively low thermal expansion coefficient. Talc also has some favorable features and characteristics such as a high thermal stability and a low porosity and permeability. This present study has verified that very little ground water influx occurs in talcose rocks except in large fault zones. A major drawback for the usage of talc for containment of radioactive wastes is due to the relatively small sizes of most bodies. However, some of the large talc-carbonate units in the Missisquoi Valley Region of Vermont has potential. Consideration should also be given to other crystalline rocks as well, particularly schists, since they commonly contain micaceous materials which have similar properties to talc and serpentine. In considering various types of rocks for containment of radioactive wastes, the important properties are thermal conductivities, thermal expansion coefficients, thermal stabilities, and how high radiation fluxes affect these properties

  20. Sediment transport on the Palos Verdes shelf, California

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferre, B.; Sherwood, C.R.; Wiberg, P.L.

    2010-01-01

    Sediment transport and the potential for erosion or deposition have been investigated on the Palos Verdes (PV) and San Pedro shelves in southern California to help assess the fate of an effluent-affected deposit contaminated with DDT and PCBs. Bottom boundary layer measurements at two 60-m sites in spring 2004 were used to set model parameters and evaluate a one-dimensional (vertical) model of local, steady-state resuspension, and suspended-sediment transport. The model demonstrated skill (Brier scores up to 0.75) reproducing the magnitudes of bottom shear stress, current speeds, and suspended-sediment concentrations measured during an April transport event, but the model tended to underpredict observed rotation in the bottom-boundary layer, possibly because the model did not account for the effects of temperature-salinity stratification. The model was run with wave input estimated from a nearby buoy and current input from four to six years of measurements at thirteen sites on the 35- and 65-m isobaths on the PV and San Pedro shelves. Sediment characteristics and erodibility were based on gentle wet-sieve analysis and erosion-chamber measurements. Modeled flow and sediment transport were mostly alongshelf toward the northwest on the PV shelf with a significant offshore component. The 95th percentile of bottom shear stresses ranged from 0.09 to 0.16 Pa at the 65-m sites, and the lowest values were in the middle of the PV shelf, near the Whites Point sewage outfalls where the effluent-affected layer is thickest. Long-term mean transport rates varied from 0.9 to 4.8 metric tons m-1 yr-1 along the 65-m isobaths on the PV shelf, and were much higher at the 35-m sites. Gradients in modeled alongshore transport rates suggest that, in the absence of a supply of sediment from the outfalls or PV coast, erosion at rates of ???0.2 mm yr-1 might occur in the region southeast of the outfalls. These rates are small compared to some estimates of background natural sedimentation

  1. Multistage crack seal vein and hydrothermal Ni enrichment in serpentinized ultramafic rocks (Koniambo massif, New Caledonia)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cathelineau, Michel; Myagkiy, Andrey; Quesnel, Benoit; Boiron, Marie-Christine; Gautier, Pierre; Boulvais, Philippe; Ulrich, Marc; Truche, Laurent; Golfier, Fabrice; Drouillet, Maxime

    2017-10-01

    Sets of fractures and breccia sealed by Ni-rich silicates and quartz occur within saprock of the New Caledonian regolith developed over ultramafic rocks. The crystallization sequence in fractures is as follows: (1) serpentine stage: lizardite > polygonal serpentine > white lizardite; (2) Ni stage: Ni-Mg kerolite followed by red-brown microcrystalline quartz; and (3) supergene stages. The red-brown microcrystalline quartz corresponds to the very last stage of the Ni sequence and is inferred to have precipitated within the 50-95 °C temperature range. It constitutes also the main cement of breccia that has all the typical features of hydraulic fracturing. The whole sequence is therefore interpreted as the result of hydrothermal fluid circulation under medium to low temperature and fluctuating fluid pressure. Although frequently described as the result of a single downward redistribution of Ni and Mg leached in the upper part of the regolith under ambient temperature, the Ni silicate veins thus appear as the result of recurrent crack and seal process, corresponding to upward medium temperature fluid convection, hydraulic fracturing and subsequent fluid mixing, and mineral deposition.

  2. Petrogenesis and metallogenesis of the Wajilitag and Puchang Fe-Ti oxide-rich intrusive complexes, northwestern Tarim Large Igneous Province

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Dongyang; Zhang, Zhaochong; Huang, He; Cheng, Zhiguo; Charlier, Bernard

    2018-04-01

    The Wajilitag and Puchang intrusive complexes of the Tarim large igneous province (TLIP) are associated with significant resources of Fe-Ti oxide ores. These two mafic-ultramafic intrusions show differences in lithology and mineral chemistry. Clinopyroxenite and melagabbro are the dominant rock types in the Wajilitag complex, whereas the Puchang complex is generally gabbroic and anorthositic in composition with minor plagioclase-bearing clinopyroxenites in the marginal zone. Disseminated Fe-Ti oxide ores are found in the Wajilitag complex and closely associated with clinopyroxenites, whereas the Puchang complex hosts massive to disseminated Fe-Ti oxide ores mainly within its gabbroic rocks. The Wajilitag intrusive rocks are characterized by a restricted range of initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7038-0.7048) and positive εNd(t) (+0.04 - +3.01), indicating insignificant involvement of continental crustal contamination. The slightly higher initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7039-0.7059) and lower εNd(t) values (-1.05 - +2.35) of the Puchang intrusive rocks also suggest that the isotopic characteristics was controlled primarily by their mantle source, rather than by crustal contamination. Both complexes have Sr-Nd isotopic compositions close the neighboring kimberlitic rocks and their hosted mantle xenoliths in the TLIP. This indicates that the ferrobasaltic parental magmas were most probably originated from partial melting of a metasomatized subcontinental lithospheric mantle, modified recently with subduction-related materials by the impingement of the ascending mantle plume. The recycled subduction-related materials preserved in the lithospheric mantle could play a key role in the formation of the parental Fe-rich magmas in the context of an overall LIP system. The distinct variations in mineral assemblage for each complex and modeled results indicated that the Wajilitag and Puchang complexes experienced different crystallization path. Fe-Ti oxides in Wajilitag joined the

  3. The abundance and distribution of uranium in some oceanic, continental ultramafic inclusions and host basalts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamilton, E.I.

    1975-01-01

    The abundance and distribution of uranium in various continental and oceanic ultramafic inclusions and host basalts are reported. Uranium was determined by neutron activation (fission products, fission tracks and delayed-neutron methods) and alpha-particle autoradiography; data is also reported for the uranium content of various USGS standard rock powders. The concentration of uranium in both oceanic and continental samples is similar, levels are controlled by mineral compositions and their relative abundance in different rock types. Highest levels are found in feldspathic and lowest in olivine-rich inclusions. Uranium is enriched in mylonitised samples and along some inter-crystal boundaries. With the exception of some apatites, highest levels of uranium are in clinopyroxenes (chrome) and lowest in olivines; no enrichment of uranium in orthopyroxenes was observed. Attention is drawn to the problem of obtaining representative samples from the sea floor which have not been altered by saline solutions and the identification of uranium and daughter products present along inter-crystal boundaries. Differences in observed heat flow between continental and oceanic areas may reflect inadequate sampling of representative rock types present below the sea floor and lack of information for the true abundance and distribution of uranium in such rocks

  4. The uranium cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ferguson, J.

    1988-01-01

    In identifying uranium provinces, and, more importantly, mineralized zones within these provinces, it is of paramount importance to attempt to trace the geochemical behaviour of an element through all stages of Earth's evolution. Aspects that need to be addressed in this regard include solar abundance levels and fractionation processes during accretion, changing patterns of crustal evolution, effects of an evolving atmosphere, and the weathering cycle. Abundance patterns and partition coefficients of some of the siderophile elements in mantle rocks lend support to a multistage accretionary process. Lack of a terrestrial record in the first 500 Ma necessitates that lunar models be invoked, which suggests that early fractionation of a mafic/ultramafic magma resulted in an anorthositic crust. Fractionation of the mantle and transfer of materials to the upper levels must be central to any model invoked for development of the crust. Given high heat flow conditions in the early Archaean it would seem inescapable that the process of sea floor spreading and plate tectonics was an ongoing process. If the plate tectonic model is taken back to 3500 Ma, and assuming current speading rates, then about half of the mantle has passed through the irreversible differentiation cycle. Arguments in support of recycled material must be balanced against mantle metasomatism effects. With the associated advent of partial melting of the mantle material a partitioning of minor and trace elements into the melt fraction would take place. The early primitive mafic and ultramafic komatiites exemplify this feature by concentrating U and Th by a factor of 5 compared to chondritic abundances. It is of tantamount importance to understand the generation of the magmas in order to predict which are the 'fertile' bodies in terms of radioelement concentrations. In that the granitoid magmas image their source compositions, the association of high radioelements will primarily be source-dependent. Uranium

  5. The Wenquan ultramafic rocks in the Central East Kunlun Fault zone, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau—crustal relics of the Paleo-Tethys ocean

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, Lihui; Meng, Fancong; Feng, Huibin

    2018-06-01

    The Wenquan ultramafic rocks, located in the East Kunlun Orogenic belt in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, consist of dunite, wehrlite, olivine-clinopyroxenite and clinopyroxenite, and exhibit cumulate textures. Olivine from dunite has high Fo (forsterite, 90.0-91.8 wt%) and NiO content (0.15-0.42 wt%). Cr-spinels from all of the rocks in this suite are characterized by high Cr# (100×[Cr/(Cr + Al)], 67-91), low Mg# (100×[Mg/(Mg + Fe2+)], 17-35) and low TiO2 contents (mostly rocks show enrichment of LILE, Sr, and Ba, and depletion of Nb and Th. High-Mg# (mostly > 80) and low-CaO (evolution along the Central East Kunlun Fault zone.

  6. Disposal alternatives and recommendations for waste salt management for repository excavation in the Palo Duro Basin, Texas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1987-01-01

    This report documents an evaluation of five alternatives for the disposal of waste salt that would be generated by the construction of a repository for radioactive waste in underground salt deposits at either of two sites in the Palo Duro Basin, Texas. The alternatives include commercial disposal, offsite deep-well injection, disposal in abandoned mines, ocean disposal, and land surface disposal on or off the site. For each alternative a reference case was rated - positive, neutral, or negative - in terms of environmental and dependability factors developed specifically for Texas sites. The factors constituting the environmental checklist relate to water quality impact, water- and land-use conflicts, ecological compatibility, conformity with air quality standards, and aesthetic impact. Factors on the dependability check-list relate to public acceptance, the adequacy of site characterization, permit and licensing requirements, technological requirements, and operational availability. A comparison of the ratings yielded the following viable alternatives, in order of preference: (1) land surface disposal, specifically disposal on tailings piles associated with abandoned potash mines; (2) disposal in abandoned mines, specifically potash mines; and (3) commercial disposal. Approaches to the further study of these three salt management techniques are recommended

  7. Pre-Cenozoic basement rocks of the Proto-Philippine Sea Plate: Constraints for the birthplace of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana Arc

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tani, K.; Ishizuka, O.; Horie, K.; Barth, A. P.; Harigane, Y.; Ueda, H.

    2016-12-01

    The Izu-Bonin-Mariana Arc is widely regarded to be a typical intra-oceanic arc, with the oceanic Pacific Plate subducting beneath the Philippine Sea Plate, an evolving complex of active and inactive arcs and back-arc basins. However, little is known about the origin of the proto-Philippine Sea Plate, which existed along with the Pacific Plate at the time of subduction initiation in the Eocene. To investigate the crustal structures of the proto-Philippine Sea Plate, we conducted manned-submersible and dredge surveys in the Daito Ridges and the Kyushu-Palau Ridge. The Daito Ridges comprise the northwestern Philippine Sea Plate along with what are regarded as remnants of the proto-Philippine Sea Plate. Submersible observations and rock sampling revealed that the Daito Ridges expose deep crustal sections of gabbroic, granitic, metamorphic, and ultra-mafic rocks, along with volcanic rocks ranging from basalt to andesite. Mesozoic magmatic zircon U-Pb ages have been obtained from the plutonic rocks, and whole-rock geochemistry of the igneous rocks indicates arc origins. Furthermore, mafic schist collected from the Daito Ridge has experienced amphibolite facies metamorphism, with phase assemblages suggesting that the crust was thicker than 20 km at the time. Similar amphibolite-facies metamorphic rocks with Proterozoic zircons have been recovered in the southern Kyushu-Palau Ridge, indicating that such distinctively older basement rocks exist as isolated tectonic blocks within the present Philippine Sea Plate. These finds show that the parts of the Daito Ridges and Kyushu-Palau Ridge represent developed crustal sections of the Pre-Cenozoic arc that comprises part of the proto-Philippine Sea Plate, and, together with the tectonic reconstruction of the proto-Philippine Sea Plate (Deschamps and Lallemand 2002, JGR), they suggest that subduction of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana Arc initiated at the continental margin of the Southeast Asia.

  8. High-pressure granulites in the Fuping Complex of the central North China Craton: Metamorphic P-T-t evolution and tectonic implications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qian, Jiahui; Yin, Changqing; Zhang, Jian; Ma, Li; Wang, Luojuan

    2018-04-01

    Mafic granulites in the Fuping Complex occur as lenses or boudins within high-grade TTG (Trondhjemite-Tonalite-Granodiorite) gneisses. Petrographic observations reveal four generations of mineral assemblage in the granulites: an inclusion assemblage of hornblende + plagioclase + ilmenite + quartz within garnet core; an inferred peak assemblage composed of garnet ± hornblende + plagioclase + clinopyroxene + rutile/ilmenite + quartz; a decompression assemblage characterized by symplectites of clinopyroxene ± orthopyroxene + plagioclase, coronae of plagioclase ± clinopyroxene ± hornblende around embayed garnet porphyroblasts or a two-pyroxene association; and a late amphibolite-facies retrogressive assemblage. Two representative samples were used for pseudosection modeling in NCFMASHTO model system to determine their metamorphic evolution. The results show that these granulites experienced a high-pressure stage of metamorphism with peak P-T conditions of 12-13 kbar and 760-800 °C (Pmax) and a post-peak history under P-T conditions of ∼9.0 kbar and 805-835 °C (Tmax), indicating a nearly isothermal decompression process (ITD) with a slight heating. Metamorphic evolution from the Pmax to the Tmax is predicted to be dominated by garnet breakdown through continuous metamorphic reactions of garnet + quartz ± diopside = hornblende + plagioclase + liquid and garnet + quartz + hornblende = plagioclase + diopside + liquid + orthopyroxene. Further metamorphic evolution after the Tmax is dominated by cooling, suggesting that high-pressure (HP) granulites may also exist in the Fuping Complex. Metamorphic zircons in the Fuping HP mafic granulites have left inclined REE patterns, Ti contents of 1.68-6.88 ppm and crystallization temperatures of 602-712 °C. SIMS zircon U-Pb dating on these zircons yields 207Pb/206Pb ages of 1891 ± 14 Ma and 1849 ± 6 Ma, interpreted to represent the cooling stage of metamorphism. The P-T-t evolution of the Fuping HP mafic granulites records

  9. The Fontaine Pluton : an early Ross Orogeny calc-alkaline gabbro from southern Victoria Land, Antarctica

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cottle, J.M.; Cooper, A.F.

    2006-01-01

    The Fontaine Pluton is a previously undescribed mafic intrusion outcropping at Fontaine Bluff on the south side of the Carlyon Glacier in southern Victoria Land, Antarctica. It is the southern-most member of a laterally extensive mafic suite emplaced at mid-crustal depths during the initial stages of the Ross Orogeny. The pluton comprises recrystallised hornblende-biotite gabbro, which in places shows well-defined centimetre to metre scale primary igneous layering. Recrystallised ultramafic enclaves composed of amphibole-chlorite-talc are inferred to be remnants of a chemically and mineralogically distinct cumulate fraction. The intrusion has a 87 Sr/ 86 Sr (i) ratio of 0.70679 and a 143 Nd/ 144 Nd (i) ratio of 0.51187 (εNd (i) = -1.2). This, coupled with other geochemical data, implies that the Fontaine Pluton was formed by c. 15% partial melting of a depleted mantle source that was subsequently contaminated by continental crust. Preliminary U-Pb geochronology on zircon suggests an emplacement age for the pluton of 546 ± 10 Ma. These new data indicate that Ross Orogeny magmatism in this area of southern Victoria Land was initiated in the late Neoproterozoic along a subducting plate margin. (author). 55 refs., 10 figs., 3 tabs

  10. U-Pb dating of deformed mafic dyke and host gneiss: implications for understanding reworking processes on the western margin of the Archaean U3o8 Block, NE Sao Francisco Craton, Brazil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oliveira, Elson Paiva

    2000-01-01

    U-Pb ages of deformed mafic dyke and host migmatitic grey gneiss from the transition zone between the Archaen Uaua Block and the Caldeirao Belt are presented. Titanites from the metamorphic dyke's margin and zircons from the gneiss were dated at 2,039 ± 2 Ma and 2,956 ± 39 Ma, respectively. The Sm-Nd data (T DM =2,965 Ma and ε Nd(t) =1.69) on the gneiss, coupled with the U-Pb data on both dyke and gneiss, suggest than an Archaen granodioritic batholith, probably originated at an andean-type continental margin, was intruded by mafic dykes, and subsequently was reworked during the Paleoproterozoic collisional event associated with the development of the Salvador-Curaca Orogen. (author)

  11. Overview of the magnetic signatures of the Palaeoproterozoic Rustenburg Layered Suite, Bushveld Complex, South Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cole, Janine; Finn, Carol A.; Webb, Susan J.

    2013-01-01

    Aeromagnetic data clearly delineate the mafic rocks of the economically significant Bushveld Igneous Complex. This is mainly due to the abundance of magnetite in the Upper Zone of the Rustenburg Layered Suite of the Bushveld, but strongly remanently magnetised rocks in the Main Zone also contribute significantly in places. In addition to delineating the extent of the magnetic rocks in the complex, the magnetic anomalies also provide information about the dip and depth of these units. The presence of varying degrees of remanent magnetisation in most of the magnetic lithologies of the Rustenburg Layered Suite complicates the interpretation of the data. The combination of available regional and high resolution airborne magnetic data with published palaeomagnetic data reveals characteristic magnetic signatures associated with the different magnetic lithologies in the Rustenburg Layered Suite. As expected, the ferrogabbros of the Upper Zone cause the highest amplitude magnetic anomalies, but in places subtle features within the Main Zone can also be detected. A marker with strong remanent magnetisation located in the Main Zone close to the contact with the Upper Zone is responsible for very high amplitude negative anomalies in the southern parts of both the eastern and western lobes of the Bushveld Complex. Prominent anomalies are not necessarily related to a specific lithology, but can result from the interaction between anomalies caused by differently magnetised bodies.The magnetic data provided substantial information at different levels of detail, ranging from contacts between zones, and layering within zones, to magnetite pipes dykes and faults that can have an impact on mine planning. Finally, simple modelling of the magnetic data supports the concept of continuous mafic rocks between the western and eastern lobes.

  12. Mid Ocean Ridge Processes at Very Low Melt Supply : Submersible Exploration of Smooth Ultramafic Seafloor at the Southwest Indian Ridge, 64 degree E

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cannat, M.; Agrinier, P.; Bickert, M.; Brunelli, D.; Hamelin, C.; Lecoeuvre, A.; Lie Onstad, S.; Maia, M.; Prampolini, M.; Rouméjon, S.; Vitale Brovarone, A.; Besançon, S.; Assaoui, E. M.

    2017-12-01

    Mid-ocean ridges are the Earth's most extensive and active volcanic chains. They are also, particularly at slow spreading rates, rift zones, where plate divergence is in part accommodated by faults. Large offset normal faults, also called detachments, are characteristic of slow-spreading ridges, where they account for the widespread emplacement of mantle-derived rocks at the seafloor. In most cases, these detachments occur together with ridge magmatism, with melt injection and faulting interacting to shape the newly formed oceanic lithosphere. Here, we seek to better understand these interactions and their effects on oceanic accretion by studying the end-member case of a ridge where magmatism is locally almost absent. The portion of the Southwest Indian ridge we are studying has an overal low melt supply, focused to discrete axial volcanoes, leaving almost zero melt to intervening sections of the axial valley. One of these nearly amagmatic section of the ridge, located at 64°E, has been the focus of several past cruises (sampling, mapping and seismic experiments). Here we report on the most recent cruise to the area (RV Pourquoi Pas? with ROV Victor; dec-jan 2017), during which we performed high resolution mapping, submersible exploration and sampling of the ultramafic seafloor and of sparse volcanic formations. Our findings are consistent with the flip-flop detachment hypothesis proposed for this area by Sauter et al. (Nature Geosciences, 2013; ultramafic seafloor forming in the footwall of successive detachment faults, each cutting into the footwall of the previous fault, with an opposite polarity). Our observations also document the extent and geometry of deformation in the footwall of a young axial detachment, the role of mass-wasting for the evolution of this detachment, and provide spectacular evidence for serpentinization-related hydrothermal circulation and for spatial links between faults and volcanic eruptions.

  13. Burkholderia novacaledonica sp. nov. and B. ultramafica sp. nov. isolated from roots of Costularia spp. pioneer plants of ultramafic soils in New Caledonia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guentas, Linda; Gensous, Simon; Cavaloc, Yvon; Ducousso, Marc; Amir, Hamid; De Georges de Ledenon, Benjamin; Moulin, Lionel; Jourand, Philippe

    2016-05-01

    The taxonomic status of eleven rhizospheric bacterial strains belonging to the genus Burkholderia and isolated from roots of Costularia (Cyperaceae), tropical herbaceous pioneer plants growing on ultramafic soils in New Caledonia, was investigated using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. The genetic analyses (16S rRNA genes, gyrB, recA, nreB and cnr) confirmed that all strains are Burkholderia and cluster into two separated groups. The DNA hybridization results showed low relatedness values to the closest relatives Burkholderia species. The phenotypic analyses confirmed that the two groups of strains could be differentiated from each other and from other known Burkholderia species. This polyphasic study revealed that these two groups of strains represent each a novel species of Burkholderia, for which the names Burkholderia novacaledonica sp. nov. (type strain STM10272(T)=LMG28615(T)=CIP110887(T)) and B. ultramafica sp. nov. (type strain STM10279(T)=LMG28614(T)=CIP110886(T)) are proposed, respectively. These strains of Burkholderia presented specific ecological traits such as the tolerance to the extreme edaphic constraints of ultramafic soils: they grew at pH between 4 and 8 and tolerate the strong unbalanced Ca/Mg ratio (1/19) and the high concentrations of heavy metals i.e. Co, Cr, Mn and Ni. Noteworthy B. ultramafica tolerated nickel until 10mM and B. novacaledonica up to 5mM. The presence of the nickel (nreB) and cobalt/nickel (cnr) resistance determinants encoding for protein involved in metal tolerance was found in all strains of both groups. Moreover, most of the strains were able to produce plant growth promoting molecules (ACC, IAA, NH3 and siderophores). Such ecological traits suggest that these new species of Burkholderia might be environmentally adaptable plant-associated bacteria and beneficial to plants. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  14. Petrology and chemistry of Jebel Tanumah complex, Khamis Mushayt, Southern Arabian shield, Saudi Arabia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nassief, M. O.; Ali, H. M.; Zakir, F. A.

    The mafic intrusive complex at Jebel Tanumah is located 15 km north-west of Khamis Mushayt in the southern Arabian Shield and includes olivine-bearing gabbro as well as amphibole-diopside-hornblende gabbro cumulates. These rocks have been generally metamorphosed to upper greeenschist-lower amphibolite facies. Fourteen white rock silicate analyses indicate that the majority of the rocks are calc-alkaline to tholeiitic in composition. The two major structural units in the Khamis Mushayt region identified by Coleman consist of the basement complex of Asir Mountains and the younger metamorphic rocks. Syntectonic granitic rocks intruded the antiforms characterizing the younger rocks whereas the lower parts of the synforms are intruded by post-tectonic intrusions of layered gabbros such as the one studied at Jebel Tanumah.

  15. A regional soil and sediment geochemical study in northern California

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goldhaber, Martin B.; Morrison, Jean M.; Holloway, JoAnn M.; Wanty, Richard B.; Helsel, Dennis R.; Smith, David B.

    2009-01-01

    Regional-scale variations in soil geochemistry were investigated in a 20,000-km 2 study area in northern California that includes the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, the southern Sacramento Valley and the northern Coast Ranges. Over 1300 archival soil samples collected from the late 1970s to 1980 in El Dorado, Placer, Sutter, Sacramento, Yolo and Solano counties were analyzed for 42 elements by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry following a near-total dissolution. These data were supplemented by analysis of more than 500 stream-sediment samples from higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada from the same study site. The relatively high-density data (1 sample per 15 km 2 for much of the study area) allows the delineation of regional geochemical patterns and the identification of processes that produced these patterns. The geochemical results segregate broadly into distinct element groupings whose distribution reflects the interplay of geologic, hydrologic, geomorphic and anthropogenic factors. One such group includes elements associated with mafic and ultramafic rocks including Cr, Ni, V, Co, Cu and Mg. Using Cr as an example, elevated concentrations occur in soils overlying ultramafic rocks in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada (median Cr = 160 mg/kg) as well as in the northern Coast Ranges. Low concentrations of these elements occur in soils located further upslope in the Sierra Nevada overlying Tertiary volcanic, metasedimentary and plutonic rocks (granodiorite and diorite). Eastern Sacramento Valley soil samples, defined as those located east of the Sacramento River, are lower in Cr (median Cr = 84 mg/kg), and are systematically lower in this suite compared to soils from the west side of the Sacramento Valley (median Cr = 130 mg/kg). A second group of elements showing a coherent pattern, including Ca, K, Sr and REE, is derived from relatively silicic rocks types. This group occurs at elevated

  16. A regional soil and sediment geochemical study in northern California

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldhaber, M.B.; Morrison, J.M.; Holloway, J.M.; Wanty, R.B.; Helsel, D.R.; Smith, D.B.

    2009-01-01

    Regional-scale variations in soil geochemistry were investigated in a 20,000-km2 study area in northern California that includes the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, the southern Sacramento Valley and the northern Coast Ranges. Over 1300 archival soil samples collected from the late 1970s to 1980 in El Dorado, Placer, Sutter, Sacramento, Yolo and Solano counties were analyzed for 42 elements by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry following a near-total dissolution. These data were supplemented by analysis of more than 500 stream-sediment samples from higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada from the same study site. The relatively high-density data (1 sample per 15 km2 for much of the study area) allows the delineation of regional geochemical patterns and the identification of processes that produced these patterns. The geochemical results segregate broadly into distinct element groupings whose distribution reflects the interplay of geologic, hydrologic, geomorphic and anthropogenic factors. One such group includes elements associated with mafic and ultramafic rocks including Cr, Ni, V, Co, Cu and Mg. Using Cr as an example, elevated concentrations occur in soils overlying ultramafic rocks in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada (median Cr = 160 mg/kg) as well as in the northern Coast Ranges. Low concentrations of these elements occur in soils located further upslope in the Sierra Nevada overlying Tertiary volcanic, metasedimentary and plutonic rocks (granodiorite and diorite). Eastern Sacramento Valley soil samples, defined as those located east of the Sacramento River, are lower in Cr (median Cr = 84 mg/kg), and are systematically lower in this suite compared to soils from the west side of the Sacramento Valley (median Cr = 130 mg/kg). A second group of elements showing a coherent pattern, including Ca, K, Sr and REE, is derived from relatively silicic rocks types. This group occurs at elevated

  17. Constitutive parameters for salt and nonsalt rocks from the Detten, G. Friemel, and Zeeck wells in the Palo Duro Basin, Texas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Senseny, P.E.; Pfeifle, T.W.; Mellegard, K.D.

    1985-01-01

    Results are presented from laboratory tests performed on salt and nonsalt rocks from the Palo Duro Basin in Texas. The Unit 5 salt from the Lower San Andres is assumed to be the repository horizon and is more completely characterized than other strata. For the Unit 5 salt, values are given for the parameters in the exponential-time constitutive law that models the time-independent elastic deformation and the time-dependent inelastic deformation. Both linear and nonlinear failure envelopes for this salt at 20 0 C are also determined. Data reported for twenty other salt and nonsalt horizons include tangent moduli and principal strain ratios, as well as linear failure envelopes at 20 0 C. The matrix of tests performed is adequate for conceptual repository design and performance analysis. However, final repository design and performance analysis requires more extensive characterization of the constitutive behavior of the stratigraphy, especially the repository-horizon salt

  18. Precambrian tholeiitic-dacitic rock-suites and Cambrian ultramafic rocks in the Pennine nappe system of the Alps: Evidence from Sm-Nd isotopes and rare earth elements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stille, P.; Tatsumoto, M.

    1985-04-01

    Major element, trace element and Sm-Nd isotope analyses were made of polymetamorphic hornblendefelses, plagioclase amphibolites and banded amphibolites from the Berisal complex in the Simplon area (Italy, Switzerland) to determine their age, origin and genetic relationships. In light of major and rare earth element data, the hornblendefelses are inferred to have originally been pyroxene-rich cumulates, the plagioclase amphibolites and the dark layers of the banded amphibolites to have been tholeiitic basalts and the light layers dacites. The Sm-Nd isotope data yield isochron ages of 475±81 Ma for the hornblendefelses, 1,018±59 Ma for the plagioclase amphibolites and 1,071±43 Ma for the banded amphibolites. The 1 Ga magmatic event is the oldest one ever found in the crystalline basement of the Pennine nappes. The Sm -Nd isotope data support the consanguinity of the tholeiitic dark layers and the dacitic light layers of the banded amphibolites with the tholeiitic plagioclase amphibolites and the ultramafic hornblendefelses. The initial ɛ Nd values indicate that all three rock types originated from sources depleted in light rare earth elements. We suggest that plagioclase and banded amphibolites were a Proterozoic tholeiite-dacite sequence that was strongly deformed and flattened during subsequent folding. The hornblendefelses are thought to be Cambrian intrusions of pyroxene-rich material.

  19. Precambrian large igneous provinces: an overview of geochronology, origins and impact on earth evolution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heaman, Larry M.

    2008-01-01

    Precambrian large igneous provinces flourished during the Proterozoic and some, such as the 1.27 Ga Mackenzie event in North America, resemble their Phanerozoic counterparts with good evidence for the production of large volumes of mafic magma in short periods of geologic time (<10 m.y.), a specific focus of this magmatism, and regional uplift prior to the onset of volcanism. In many Precambrian examples, the flood basalts have been largely removed by erosion and only the root zone (e.g. dyke swarm, layered mafic intrusion) of these large igneous provinces is preserved. The short duration of this magmatism and the geometric relationship between linear dyke swarms and basement geology can potentially provide a robust geological pin in continental reconstructions. The extensive 2.37 Ga E-W trending Bangalore dyke swarm in the Dharwar craton, India cross-cuts N-S trending Neoarchean greenstone belts and the 2.51 Ga Closepet granite and is a good example of the potential for providing a cornerstone in Paleoproterozoic continent reconstruction. In contrast, the 1.89 Ga Southern Bastar-Cuddapah large igneous province in southern India is one of several large igneous provinces formed at this time on different continents, including the 1.89-1.88 Ga circum-Superior mafic/ultramafic magmatism in North America and the 1.88-1.87 Ga Waterberg Group sills in South Africa, and is part of a global period of enhanced mantle melting. A challenge for future attempts at Precambrian continent reconstruction is to distinguish between discrete global periods of enhanced mantle melting and a single specific focus large igneous province. (author)

  20. Juegos de Palo en Lara. Elementos para la historia social de un arte marcial venezolano

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Röhrig Assunção, Matthias

    1999-04-01

    Full Text Available This article situates Venezuelan stick fighting among the wider field of European and Afro-American martial arts. The author analyses the different forms used since the early 19th century by men in the rural areas of the state of Lara, where it is still practised today. Whereas the Juego de Garrote serves recreational and sportive purposes, the Juego de Batalla is part of a broader devotion to Saint Anthony. The criminal records show how the use of the fighting stick in the period 1880-1930 allowed the construction of a male identity (the «guapo» through the frequent fights between men.

    Este trabajo intenta situar a los juegos de palo venezolanos dentro de una perspectiva más amplia de las artes marciales europeas y afro-americanas. Analiza las diferentes modalidades practicadas desde el siglo XIX por los hombres del campo en Lara, Estado donde se conservó su práctica hasta hoy en día. Mientras el Juego de Garrote servía y sirve para fines recreativos y deportivos, el Juego de Batalla era y es parte de la devoción a San Antonio. Los procesos criminales muestran cómo el uso del garrote permitió la construcción de una identidad masculina («el guapo» a través de las frecuentes riñas entre hombres en el período 1880-1930.

  1. Tectonic origin of serpentinites on Syros, Greece: Geochemical signatures of abyssal origin preserved in a HP/LT subduction complex

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooperdock, Emily H. G.; Raia, Natalie H.; Barnes, Jaime D.; Stockli, Daniel F.; Schwarzenbach, Esther M.

    2018-01-01

    This study combines whole rock trace and major element geochemistry, and stable isotope (δD and δ18O) analyses with petrographic observations to deduce the origin and tectonic setting of serpentinization of ultramafic blocks from the exhumed HP/LT Aegean subduction complex on Syros, Greece. Samples are completely serpentinized and are characterized by mineral assemblages that consist of variable amounts of serpentine, talc, chlorite, and magnetite. δD and δ18O values of bulk rock serpentinite powders and chips (δD = - 64 to - 33‰ and δ18O = + 5.2 to + 9.0‰) reflect hydration by seawater at temperatures serpentinization by seawater, followed by secondary fluid-rock interactions with a sedimentary source pre- or syn-subduction. Whole rock major element, trace element, and REE analyses record limited melt extraction, exhibit flat REE patterns, and do not show pronounced Eu anomalies. The geochemical signatures preserved in these serpentinites argue against a mantle wedge source, as has been previously speculated for ultramafic rocks on Syros. Rather, the data are consistent with derivation from abyssal peridotites in a hyper-extended margin setting or mid-ocean ridge and fracture zone environment. In either case, the data suggest an extensional and/or oceanic origin associated with the Cretaceous opening of the Pindos Ocean and not a subduction-related derivation from the mantle wedge.

  2. Brittle-ductile deformation effects on zircon crystal-chemistry and U-Pb ages: an example from the Finero Mafic Complex (Ivrea-Verbano Zone, western Alps)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langone, Antonio; José Alberto, Padrón-Navarta; Zanetti, Alberto; Mazzucchelli, Maurizio; Tiepolo, Massimo; Giovanardi, Tommaso; Bonazzi, Mattia

    2016-04-01

    A detailed structural, geochemical and geochronological survey was performed on zircon grains from a leucocratic dioritic dyke discordantly intruded within meta-diorites/gabbros forming the External Gabbro unit of the Finero Mafic Complex. This latter is nowadays exposed as part of a near complete crustal section spanning from mantle rocks to upper crustal metasediments (Val Cannobina, Ivrea-Verbano Zone, Italy). The leucocratic dyke consists mainly of plagioclase (An18-24Ab79-82Or0.3-0.7) with subordinate amounts of biotite, spinel, zircon and corundum. Both the leucocratic dyke and the surrounding meta-diorites show evidence of ductile deformation occurred under amphibolite-facies conditions. Zircon grains (up to 2 mm in length) occur mainly as euhedral grains surrounded by fine grained plagioclase-dominated matrix and pressure shadows, typically filled by oxides. Fractures and cracks within zircon are common and can be associated with grain displacement or they can be filled by secondary minerals (oxides and chlorite). Cathodoluminescence (CL) images show that zircon grains have internal features typical of magmatic growth, but with local disturbances. However EBSD maps on two selected zircon grains revealed a profuse mosaic texture resulting in an internal misorientation of ca. 10o. The majority of the domains of the mosaic texture are related to parting and fractures, but some domains show no clear relation with brittle features. Rotation angles related to the mosaic texture are not crystallographically controlled. In addition, one of the analysed zircons shows clear evidence of plastic deformation at one of its corners due to indentation. Plastic deformation results in gradual misorientations of up to 12o, which are crystallographically controlled. Trace elements and U-Pb analyses were carried out by LA-ICP-MS directly on petrographic thin sections and designed to cover the entire exposed surface of selected grains. Such investigations revealed a strong

  3. Os and S isotope studies of ultramafic rocks in the Duke Island Complex, Alaska: variable degrees of crustal contamination of magmas in an arc setting and implications for Ni-Cu-PGE sulfide mineralization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stifter, Eric C.; Ripley, Edward M.; Li, Chusi

    2016-10-01

    The Duke Island Complex is one of the several "Ural-Alaskan" intrusions of Cretaceous age that occur along the coast of SE Alaska. Significant quantities of magmatic Ni-Cu-PGE sulfide mineralization are locally found in the complex, primarily within olivine clinopyroxenites. Sulfide mineralization is Ni-poor, consistent with petrologic evidence which indicates that sulfide saturation was reached after extensive olivine crystallization. Olivine clinopyroxenites were intruded by magmas that produced sulfide-poor, adcumulate dunites. As part of a study to investigate the potential for Ni-rich sulfide mineralization in association with the dunites, a Re-Os and S isotope study of the dunites, as well as sulfide mineralization in the olivine clinopyroxenites, was initiated. Importantly, recent drilling in the complex identified the presence of sulfidic and carbonaceous country rocks that may have been involved in the contamination of magmas and generation of sulfide mineralization. γOs (110 Ma) values of two sulfidic country rocks are 1022 and 2011. δ34S values of the country rocks range from -2.6 to -16.1 ‰. 187Os/188Os ratios of sulfide minerals in the mineralization hosted by olivine clinopyroxenites are variable and high, with γOs (110 Ma) values between 151 and 2059. Extensive interaction with Re-rich sedimentary country rocks is indicated. In contrast, γOs (110 Ma) values of the dunites are significantly lower, ranging between 2 and 16. 187Os/188Os ratios increase with decreasing Os concentration. This inverse relation is similar to that shown by ultramafic rocks from several arc settings, as well as altered abyssal dunites and peridotites. The relation may be indicative of magma derivation from a sub-arc mantle that had experienced metasomatism via slab-derived fluids. Alternatively, the relation may be indicative of minor contamination of magma by crustal rocks with low Os concentrations but high 187Os/188Os ratios. A third alternative is that the low Os

  4. The Mafic Lower Crust of Neoproterozoic age beneath Western Arabia: Implications for Understanding African Lower Crust

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stern, R. J.; Mooney, W. D.

    2011-12-01

    ) and Cr (435 vs. 117 ppm). Despite high Mg# in pyroxene-rich xenoliths, mineral compositions of labradoritic plagioclase (mean ~An64) and relatively Fe-rich pyroxenes (mean OPX ~En63; mean CPX~ WO48 En35 Fs17) indicate that these are somewhat fractionated. Trace element patterns are similar to those expected for convergent-margin magmatic suites. Nd-model ages define a mean of 0.76±0.08 Ga, similar to the age of exposed Arabian Shield upper crust. An isochron plot (147Sm/144Nd vs. 143Nd/144Nd) is consistent with formation in Neoproterozoic time. Lower crust of Arabia clearly formed during Neoproterozoic time, about the same time as its upper crust complement; a similar origin for the lower crust beneath the broad expanses of Neoproterozoic crust in N and E Africa is likely. There is no evidence that any of the mafic lower crust of Arabia formed due to underplating by Cenozoic magmas, which may also be true for NE Africa and perhaps mafic lower crust on the flanks of the East African Rift. Such an interpretation predicts a strong lower crust for those regions underlain by anhydrous mafic lower crust of Neoproterozoic age.

  5. Arachania, A neo proterozoic magmatic arc and its fragments in south America and Africa

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gaucher, C.; Bossi, J.; Frimmel, H.

    2010-01-01

    The name Arachania has been recently proposed for the block that comprises the Cuchilla Dionisio-Pelotas, Marmora, Tygerberg and correlative terranes at both sides of the south Atlantic, which is considered a fragment of the Kalahari Craton that a later stage (660-550 Ma) evolved into an active margin. The block played a key role in the amalgamation of southwestern Gondwana, which has been only recently recognized. Arachania is composed of three different lithotectonic elements: (1) a high-grade metamorphic basement of Namaquan age with evidence of older, Eburnean components that crop out mainly in southern Uruguay; (2) a voluminous calc alkaline granitic batholith s mostly within the 660-550 Ma age range, representing the roots of a Neo proterozoic magmatic arc; and (3) deep-water, turbiditic, Ediacaran sedimentary successions marking the eastern border of Arachania, often associated with mafic to ultramafic rocks

  6. Core Follow Calculation for Palo Verde Unit 1 in Cycles 1 through 4 using DeCART2D/MASTER4.0 Code System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeong, Hee Jeong; Choi, Yonghee; Kim, Sungmin; Lee, Kyunghoon

    2017-01-01

    To verify and validate the DeCART2D/MASTER4.0 design system, core follow calculations of Palo Verde Unit 1(PV-1) in cycles 1 through 4 are performed. The calculation results are compared with the measured data and will be used in the generation of bias and uncertainty factors in the DeCART2D/MASTER4.0 design system. The DeCART2D/MASTER codes system has been developed in KAERI for the PWR (Pressurized water reactors) core design including SMRs (Small Modular Reactors). Core follow calculations of Pale Verde Unit 1 in Cycles 1 through 4 have been performed. Reactivities, assembly powers and startup parameters such as EPC, RW, ITC and IBW are compared with the measured data. This work will be used in the generation of bias and uncertainty factors in DeCART2D/MASTER4.0 design system.

  7. Implications of 187Os isotopic heterogeneities in a mantle plume: evidence from Gorgona Island and Curaçao

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, Richard J.; Storey, Michael; Kerr, Andrew C.; Tarney, John; Arndt, Nicholas T.

    1999-03-01

    Recent work has suggested that the mafic-ultramafic volcanism in evidence throughout portions of the Caribbean, Central America, and northern South America, including the islands of Gorgona and Curaçao, was generated as part of a middle-Cretaceous, large igneous province. New Re-Os isochron results for tholeiitic basalts from Gorgona and Curaçao indicate crystallization ages of 89.2 ± 5.2 and 85.6 ± 8.1 Ma, respectively, consistent with reported Ar ages. The Gorgona ultramafic suite shows a large range in initial Os isotopic composition, with γ Os values ranging from -0.5 to +12.4. This large range reflects isotopic heterogeneities in the mantle source similar to those observed for modern ocean island basalts. In contrast to ocean island basalts, however, Os isotopic compositions do not correlate with variations in Nd, Sr, or Pb isotopic compositions, which are within the range of depleted mid-ocean ridge basalts. The processes that produced these rocks evidently resulted in the decoupling of Os isotopes from the Nd, Sr, and Pb isotopic systems. Picrites from Curaçao have very uniform, chondritic initial Os isotopic compositions, with initial γ Os values ranging only from -0.4 to ±1.4. Basalts from Curaçao, however, define an isochron with a 187Os-enriched initial isotopic composition (γ Os = +9.5). In contrast to the 187Os-enriched ultramafic rocks from Gorgona, the enrichment in these basalts could have resulted from lithospheric contamination. If the Gorgona and Curaçao rocks were derived from the same plume, Os results, combined with Sr, Nd, and Pb data indicate a heterogeneous plume, with multiple compositionally and isotopically distinct domains. The Os isotopic results require derivation of Os from a minimum of two distinct reservoirs, one with a composition very similar to the chondritic average and one with long-term enriched Re/Os. Oceanic crustal recycling has been invoked to explain most of the 187Os enrichments that have been observed in

  8. Fibers and cylinders of cryptomelane-hollandite in Permian bedded salt, Palo Duro Basin, Texas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Belkin, H.E.; Libelo, E.L.

    1987-01-01

    Fibers and thin-walled, hollow cylinders of cryptomelane-hollandite have been found in both the chevron and the clear salt from various drill cores in Permian bedded salt from the Palo Duro Basin, Texas. The authors have found fibers or cylinders from only the lower San Andres Formation units 4 and 5, the upper San Andres Formation, and the Salado-Transill salt. The fibers are inorganic, light to dark reddish brown, pleochroic, highly birefringent, filamentary single crystals, < 1 to ∼ 5 μm in diameter, with length-to-diameter ratios of at least 20:1. The fibers can be straight and/or curved, can bifurcate, can form loops, waves or spirals, and can be isolated or in parallel groups. Detailed petrographic analyses show no evidence for recrystallization or deformation of the enclosing salt after fiber formation. Although the authors observations do not provide a definitive explanation for fiber origin, they suggest that the fibers grew in situ by a solid-state diffusional process at low temperatures. The cylinders are pleochroic, highly birefringent, light to dark reddish brown, hollow, thin-walled, open-ended right cylinders, having a 1- to 2-μm wall thickness and variable lengths and diameters. There also appear to be single crystals of cryptomelane-hollandite, but these are found almost entirely in fluid inclusions in the chevron and clear salt. Their presence in the primary halite suggests that they were formed contemporaneously with the chevron structure and were accidentally trapped in the fluid inclusions. The observation of cylinders partially or completely enclosed by salt stratigraphically above large fluid inclusions suggests that natural downward fluid-inclusion migration has occurred, in response to the geothermal gradient

  9. The Study of enclaves and relative age of plutonic bodies in the Alvand Plutonic complex

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sepahi Gerow, A. A.; Moien-Vaziri, H.

    2000-01-01

    The study of enclaves and field observations indicate that: The Alvand plutonic complex comprise several plutonic phases with sharp contact and different ages. The older plutonic rocks are composed of gabbro, diorite and tonalites. The porphyroid granites were formed at least in two phases and they are younger than gabbros, diorites and tonalites. The hololeucocratic granitoids were also formed in two phases and they are the youngest plutonic phase in the Alvand plutonic complex. The granitic rocks are magmatic and they are not metasomatic in origin. The porphyroid granites (monzogranites and granodiorites) are S-type (Anatexites). According to radiometric ages and relative ages we believe that mafic plutonism have occurred during pre-middle Cretaceous to Paleocene ages and felsic plutonism have occurred during middle Cretaceouc to Paleocene ages

  10. Safety Evaluation Report related to the operation of Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3 (Docket Nos. STN 50-528, STN 50-529, and STN 50-530)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1984-10-01

    Supplement No. 6 to the Safety Evaluation Report for the application filed by Arizona Public Service Company, et al., for licenses to operate the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3 (Docket Nos. STN 50-528/529/530), located in Maricopa County, Arizona, has been prepared by the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The purpose of this supplement is to update the Safety Evaluation Report by providing an evaluation of (1) additional information submitted by the applicant since Supplement No. 5 was issued and (2) matters that the staff had under review when Supplement No. 5 was issued

  11. Evolution of fracture permeability of ultramafic rocks undergoing serpentinization at hydrothermal conditions: An experimental study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farough, Aida; Moore, Diane E.; Lockner, David A.; Lowell, R.P.

    2016-01-01

    We performed flow-through laboratory experiments on five cylindrically cored samples of ultramafic rocks, in which we generated a well-mated through-going tensile fracture, to investigate evolution of fracture permeability during serpentinization. The samples were tested in a triaxial loading machine at a confining pressure of 50 MPa, pore pressure of 20 MPa, and temperature of 260°C, simulating a depth of 2 km under hydrostatic conditions. A pore pressure difference of up to 2 MPa was imposed across the ends of the sample. Fracture permeability decreased by 1–2 orders of magnitude during the 200–330 h experiments. Electron microprobe and SEM data indicated the formation of needle-shaped crystals of serpentine composition along the walls of the fracture, and chemical analyses of sampled pore fluids were consistent with dissolution of ferro-magnesian minerals. By comparing the difference between fracture permeability and matrix permeability measured on intact samples of the same rock types, we concluded that the contribution of the low matrix permeability to flow is negligible and essentially all of the flow is focused in the tensile fracture. The experimental results suggest that the fracture network in long-lived hydrothermal circulation systems can be sealed rapidly as a result of mineral precipitation, and generation of new permeability resulting from a combination of tectonic and crystallization-induced stresses is required to maintain fluid circulation.

  12. Nickel speciation in several serpentine (ultramafic) topsoils via bulk synchrotron-based techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Siebecker, Matthew G.; Chaney, Rufus L.; Sparks, Donald L.

    2017-07-01

    Serpentine soils have elevated concentrations of trace metals including nickel, cobalt, and chromium compared to non-serpentine soils. Identifying the nickel bearing minerals allows for prediction of potential mobility of nickel. Synchrotron-based techniques can identify the solid-phase chemical forms of nickel with minimal sample treatment. Element concentrations are known to vary among soil particle sizes in serpentine soils. Sonication is a useful method to physically disperse sand, silt and clay particles in soils. Synchrotron-based techniques and sonication were employed to identify nickel species in discrete particle size fractions in several serpentine (ultramafic) topsoils to better understand solid-phase nickel geochemistry. Nickel commonly resided in primary serpentine parent material such as layered-phyllosilicate and chain-inosilicate minerals and was associated with iron oxides. In the clay fractions, nickel was associated with iron oxides and primary serpentine minerals, such as lizardite. Linear combination fitting (LCF) was used to characterize nickel species. Total metal concentration did not correlate with nickel speciation and is not an indicator of the major nickel species in the soil. Differences in soil texture were related to different nickel speciation for several particle size fractionated samples. A discussion on LCF illustrates the importance of choosing standards based not only on statistical methods such as Target Transformation but also on sample mineralogy and particle size. Results from the F-test (Hamilton test), which is an underutilized tool in the literature for LCF in soils, highlight its usefulness to determine the appropriate number of standards to for LCF. EXAFS shell fitting illustrates that destructive interference commonly found for light and heavy elements in layered double hydroxides and in phyllosilicates also can occur in inosilicate minerals, causing similar structural features and leading to false positive results in

  13. Geochemistry of the alkaline volcanicsubvolcanic rocks of the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, southern Atlantic Ocean

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosana Peporine Lopes

    Full Text Available The Fernando de Noronha Archipelago presents, on its main island, a centrally-located stratigraphic unit, the Remédios Formation (age around 8 - 12 Ma constituted by basal pyroclastic rocks intruded by dikes, plugs and domes of varied igneous rocks, capped by flows and pyroclastics of mafic to ultramafic rocks of the Quixaba Formation (age around 1 - 3 Ma, which is limited from the underlying unit by an extensive irregular erosion surface. A predominant sodic Remédios series (basanites, tephrites, tephriphonolites, essexite, phonolites can be separated from a moderately potassic Remédios sequence (alkali basalts, trachyandesites, trachytes, both alkaline series showing mostly continuous geochemical trends in variation diagrams for major as well as trace elements, indicating evolution by crystal fractionation (mainly, separation of mafic minerals, including apatites and titanites. There are textural and mineralogical evidences pointing to hybrid origin of some intermediate rocks (e.g., resorbed pyroxene phenocrysts in basaltic trachyandesites, and in some lamprophyres. The primitive Quixaba rocks are mostly melanephelinites and basanites, primitive undersaturated sodic types. Geology (erosion surface, stratigraphy (two distinct units separated by a large time interval, petrography (varied Remédios Formation, more uniform Quixaba unit and geochemistry indicate that the islands represent the activity of a protracted volcanic episode, fueled by intermittent melting of an enriched mantle, not related to asthenospheric plume activity.

  14. Effect of low concentration sodium dodecyl sulfate on the electromigration of palonosetron hydrochloride stereoisomers in micellar electrokinetic chromatography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Shao-Qiang; Wang, Gui-Xia; Guo, Wen-Bo; Guo, Xu-Ming; Zhao, Min

    2014-05-16

    The effect of low concentrations of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on the separation of palonosetron hydrochloride (PALO) stereoisomers by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) has been investigated. It was found that the addition of SDS prolongs the migration time and the migration order of four stereoisomers changes regularly with the SDS concentration. Good separations for all the four stereoisomers were achieved at appropriate SDS concentration. The effect of SDS on the electromigration (mobilities) of PALO stereoisomers has been studied, in order to explain its effect on the separation by MEKC. It was found that low concentrations of SDS added into the separation media forms negatively charged complexes with PALO stereoisomers and hence reverses their electromigration direction. Furthermore, the migration order between two enantiomeric pairs is also reversed because the enantiomeric pair with a bigger positive mobility than that of another pair turns to have a bigger negative mobility when bound with SDS. Based on these results, the effect of SDS on the MEKC separation of PALO stereoisomers was elucidated reasonably. The performance of the developed chiral MEKC method was validated by the analysis of a real sample. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Geochronology and geochemistry of mafic dykes from the precambrians of Keonjhar, Orissa

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mallik, A K; Sarkar, Amitabha [Geological Survey of India, Calcutta (India). Geochronology and Isotope Geology Division

    1994-01-01

    Two generations of mafic dolerite dykes with distinct geochemical signatures are recorded in the Champua-Keonjhargarh area of Keonjhar district in the eastern Indian precambrian craton (EIPC) on the basis of geochemical and K-Ar isotopic studies. The younger group-II dykes (ca. 1250 Ma) are mostly Fe-tholeiities, whereas the older group-I dykes (2100 +/- 100 Ma) show a wider compositional spectrum from Mg-Fe tholeiites to komatiitic basalts. The group-I dolerites show higher MgO content, Mg value. CaO/(Na){sub 2}O + K{sub 2}O and lower Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}(T) and TiO{sub 2} contents compared to those in the group-II dykes. Consistent with their comparatively evolved nature, the group-II dolerites have lower Cr, Ni, total REE, Rb/Sr ratio and incompatible element abundances than those in the group-I dolerite rocks. Both the generations of dolerites, however, reveal enrichment in compatible elements and in this respect are similar to proterozoic dykes elsewhere in the world. Both groups of dykes reveal Fe-enrichment trend typical of tholeiitic intrusions in the FMA diagram- a feature mimicked by plots in the (Y + Zr) - 100 x TiO{sub 2} - Cr diagram. The available isotopic age data pertaining to the newer dolerite suite of Singhbhum - Keonjhar region of the EIPC are reviewed. (author). 29 refs., 15 figs., 4 tabs.

  16. A back-arc setting for mafic rocks of the Honeysuckle Beds, southeastern N.S.W.: the use of trace and rare earth element abundances determined by INAA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dadd, K A [University of Technology, Sydney, NSW (Australia)

    1994-12-31

    Major, trace and rare earth elements abundance in mafic rocks of the Honeysuckle Beds was determined by x-ray fluorescence and neutron activation analysis . A comparison with typical mid-ocean ridge basalt compositions reveals an enrichment in light rare earths elements (Ba, Rb, and Th) and depletion in Nb, Ta and Ti, consistent with modifications of the source by subduction-related fluids. 9 refs., 6 figs.

  17. A back-arc setting for mafic rocks of the Honeysuckle Beds, southeastern N.S.W.: the use of trace and rare earth element abundances determined by INAA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dadd, K.A. [University of Technology, Sydney, NSW (Australia)

    1993-12-31

    Major, trace and rare earth elements abundance in mafic rocks of the Honeysuckle Beds was determined by x-ray fluorescence and neutron activation analysis . A comparison with typical mid-ocean ridge basalt compositions reveals an enrichment in light rare earths elements (Ba, Rb, and Th) and depletion in Nb, Ta and Ti, consistent with modifications of the source by subduction-related fluids. 9 refs., 6 figs.

  18. Platinum, palladium, and rhodium in volcanic and plutonic rocks from the Gravina-Nutzotin belt, Alaska

    Science.gov (United States)

    Page, Norman J; Berg, Henry C.; Haffty, Joseph

    1977-01-01

    The Gravina-Nutzotin belt of Middle (?) Jurassic to middle Cretaceous sedimentary and volcanic rocks in south and southeastern Alaska includes concentrically zoned ultramafic complexes known to contain platinum-group metals. Previous isotopic, petrologic, and geologic studies suggested a close relation in time and space between the volcanic rocks and the ultramafic complexes. Interpretation of 40 analyses for platinum, palladium, and rhodium in volcanic and plutonic rocks of the belt indicates a strong geochemical correlation between the two groups of rocks and is in support of their being cogenetic either from directly connected magma chambers and flows or indirectly by selective concentration processes from similar mantle material.

  19. Mantle sources and magma evolution of the Rooiberg lavas, Bushveld Large Igneous Province, South Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Günther, T.; Haase, K. M.; Klemd, R.; Teschner, C.

    2018-06-01

    We report a new whole-rock dataset of major and trace element abundances and 87Sr/86Sr-143Nd/144Nd isotope ratios for basaltic to rhyolitic lavas from the Rooiberg continental large igneous province (LIP). The formation of the Paleoproterozoic Rooiberg Group is contemporaneous with and spatially related to the layered intrusion of the Bushveld Complex, which stratigraphically separates the volcanic succession. Our new data confirm the presence of low- and high-Ti mafic and intermediate lavas (basaltic—andesitic compositions) with > 4 wt% MgO, as well as evolved rocks (andesitic—rhyolitic compositions), characterized by MgO contents of N, Nb/Y and Ti/Y), indicating a different petrogenesis. MELTS modelling shows that the evolved lavas are formed by fractional crystallization from the mafic low-Ti lavas at low-to-moderate pressures ( 4 kbar). Primitive mantle-normalized trace element patterns of the Rooiberg rocks show an enrichment of large ion lithophile elements (LILE), rare-earth elements (REE) and pronounced negative anomalies of Nb, Ta, P, Ti and a positive Pb anomaly. Unaltered Rooiberg lavas have negative ɛNdi (- 5.2 to - 9.4) and radiogenic ɛSri (6.6 to 105) ratios (at 2061 Ma). These data overlap with isotope and trace element compositions of purported parental melts to the Bushveld Complex, especially for the lower zone. We suggest that the Rooiberg suite originated from a source similar to the composition of the B1-magma suggested as parental to the Bushveld Lower Zone, or that the lavas represent eruptive successions of fractional crystallization products related to the ultramafic cumulates that were forming at depth. The Rooiberg magmas may have formed by 10-20% crustal assimilation by the fractionation of a very primitive mantle-derived melt within the upper crust of the Kaapvaal Craton. Alternatively, the magmas represent mixtures of melts from a primitive, sub-lithospheric mantle plume and an enriched sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM

  20. Fluid and mass transfer at subduction interfaces-The field metamorphic record

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bebout, Gray E.; Penniston-Dorland, Sarah C.

    2016-01-01

    The interface between subducting oceanic slabs and the hanging wall is a structurally and lithologically complex region. Chemically disparate lithologies (sedimentary, mafic and ultramafic rocks) and mechanical mixtures thereof show heterogeneous deformation. These lithologies are tectonically juxtaposed at mm to km scales, particularly in more intensely sheared regions (mélange zones, which act as fluid channelways). This juxtaposition, commonly in the presence of a mobile fluid phase, offers up huge potential for mass transfer and related metasomatic alteration. Fluids in this setting appear capable of transporting mass over scales of kms, along flow paths with widely varying geometries and P-T trajectories. Current models of arc magmatism require km-scale migration of fluids from the interface into mantle wedge magma source regions and implicit in these models is the transport of any fluids generated in the subducting slab along and ultimately through the subduction interface. Field and geochemical studies of high- and ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks elucidate the sources and compositions of fluids in subduction interfaces and the interplay between deformation and fluid and mass transfer in this region. Recent geophysical studies of the subduction interface - its thickness, mineralogy, density, and H2O content - indicate that its rheology greatly influences the ways in which the subducting plate is coupled with the hanging wall. Field investigation of the magnitude and styles of fluid-rock interaction in metamorphic rocks representing "seismogenic zone" depths (and greater) yields insight regarding the roles of fluids and elevated fluid pore pressure in the weakening of plate interface rocks and the deformation leading to seismic events. From a geochemical perspective, the plate interface contributes to shaping the "slab signature" observed in studies of the composition of arc volcanic rocks. Understanding the production of fluids with hybridized chemical

  1. Aerial radiological survey of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station and surrounding area, Wintersburg, Arizona. Date of survey: November 1982

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Semmler, R.A.

    1984-01-01

    An aerial survey of terrestrial gamma radiation was performed during the period 4 November through 15 November 1982 over a 16-kilometer by 16-kilometer (10-mile by 10-mile) area approximately centered on the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station near Wintersburg, Arizona. Gamma radiation spectral data were collected while flying a helicopter over a regular pattern of parallel lines spaced 150 meters (500 feet) apart at an altitude of 90 meters (300 feet). All radiation measurements taken at the nominal flight altitude were corrected for altitude variations, cosmic radiation, and helicopter background to generate exposure rates from terrestrial sources extrapolated to 1 meter above ground level. The data are presented as isoradiation contour maps. The average terrestrial radiation levels fall between 8 and 14 microrentgens per hour (μR/h). All gamma radiation detected within the survey area was associated with naturally occurring radionuclides. Direct ground-based measurements at 1 meter height were also taken at four scattered sites within the survey area. These values agree with the contour intervals determined from the aerial measurements and differ from the mean value of adjacent contours by no more than 10%. 6 references, 5 figures, 2 tables

  2. Safety Evaluation Report related to the operation of Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3 (Dockets Nos. STN 50-528, STN 50-529, and STN 50-530)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1987-03-01

    Supplement No. 11 to the Safety Evaluation Report for the application filed by Arizona Public Service Company et al. for licenses to operate the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3 (Docket Nos. STN 50-528/529/530), located in Maricopa County, Arizone, has been prepared by the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The purpose of this supplement is to update the Safety Evaluation Report by providing an evaluation of (1) additional information submitted by the applicant since Supplement No. 10 was issued and (2) other matters requiring staff review since Supplenent No. 10 was issued, specifically those issues that required resolution before Unit 3 low-power licensing

  3. Delineation of geochemical anomalies based on stream sediment data utilizing fractal modeling and staged factor analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Afzal, Peyman; Mirzaei, Misagh; Yousefi, Mahyar; Adib, Ahmad; Khalajmasoumi, Masoumeh; Zarifi, Afshar Zia; Foster, Patrick; Yasrebi, Amir Bijan

    2016-07-01

    Recognition of significant geochemical signatures and separation of geochemical anomalies from background are critical issues in interpretation of stream sediment data to define exploration targets. In this paper, we used staged factor analysis in conjunction with the concentration-number (C-N) fractal model to generate exploration targets for prospecting Cr and Fe mineralization in Balvard area, SE Iran. The results show coexistence of derived multi-element geochemical signatures of the deposit-type sought and ultramafic-mafic rocks in the NE and northern parts of the study area indicating significant chromite and iron ore prospects. In this regard, application of staged factor analysis and fractal modeling resulted in recognition of significant multi-element signatures that have a high spatial association with host lithological units of the deposit-type sought, and therefore, the generated targets are reliable for further prospecting of the deposit in the study area.

  4. Some problems of geologic relations between the Amazon craton and east margins fold belts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Almeida, F.F.M. de

    1986-01-01

    This paper deals with some geologic problems related to the limits between the Amazon craton and the fold belts developed at its margins during the Precambrian. These limits are diversified but clearly recognized. To the north, the Araguaia-Tocantins fold belt, of presumed Middle Proterozoic age, is separated from the cratonic block by a deep marginal fracture zone permeated by mafic and ultramafic rocks. The geologic, magmatic and aeromagnetic characteristics of this zone point out the presence of deep faults, supposed to be of Middle Proterozoic age. The southern Paraguay fold belt constitutes and accurated zone of linear structures supposed to be of Late Proterozoic development. Despite the great increase of knowledge during the last ten years many tectonic, stratigraphic and geochronologic problems remain unsolved. The aim of this paper is to point out some of these problems and suggest specific studies to solve them. (author)

  5. Solution-mass transfer and grain boundary sliding in mafic shear zones - comparison between experiments and nature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marti, Sina; Heilbronner, Renée; Stünitz, Holger; Plümper, Oliver; Drury, Martyn

    2017-04-01

    Grain size sensitive creep (GSSC) mechanisms are widely recognized to be the most efficient deformation mechanisms in shear zones. With or without initial fracturing and fluid infiltration, the onset of heterogeneous nucleation leading to strong grain size reduction is a frequently described process for the initiation of GSSC. Phase mixing due to reaction and heterogeneous nucleation during GSSC impedes grain growth, sustaining small grain sizes as a prerequisite for GSSC. Here we present rock deformation experiments on 'wet' plagioclase - pyroxene mixtures at T=800°C, P=1.0 and 1.5GPa and strain rates of 2e-5 - 2e-6 1/s, performed with a Griggs-type solid medium deformation apparatus. Microstructural criteria are used to show that both, grain boundary sliding (GBS) and solution-mass transfer processes are active and are interpreted to be the dominant strain accommodating processes. Displacement is localized within shear bands formed by fine-grained ( 300 - 500nm) plagioclase (Pl) and the syn-kinematic reaction products amphibole (Amph), quartz (Qz) and zoisite (Zo). We compare our experiments with a natural case - a sheared mafic pegmatite (P-T during deformation 0.7 - 0.9 GPa, 610 - 710 °C; Getsinger et al., 2013) from Northern Norway. Except for the difference in grain size of the experimental and natural samples, microstructures are strikingly alike. The experimental and natural P- and especially T-conditions are very similar. Consequently, extrapolation from experiments to nature must be made without a significant 'temperature-time' trade-off, which is normally taken advantage of when relating experimental to natural strain rates. We will discuss under which assumptions extrapolation to nature in our case is likely feasible. Syn-kinematic reactions during GBS and solution-mass transport are commonly interpreted to result in an ordered (anticlustered) phase mixture. However, phase mixing in our case is restricted: Mixing is extensive between Pl + Zo + Qz and

  6. Report of the panel on evaluation of ground-water flow in fractures at the Palo Duro Basin, Texas: Unanalyzed data: Technical report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1988-01-01

    A peer review group of hydrologists assessed the importance and availability of data on fracture-controlled ground-water flow at the Palo Duro Basin sites in the Permian Basin in Texas. After hearing presentations by US Department of Energy staff and consultants, and reviewing existing literature, they formed a conceptual model of basin flow that is downward across the salt facies and downdip in permeable formation in the lower hydrostratigraphic unit. Flow volumes and rates are very low. The panel examined several possible fracture-flow scenarios and concluded that flow within the salt section is probably porous-media-dominated with some fracture-flow influence in brittle zones. Fracture flow in the salt itself is rejected as a possibility based on current evidence. However, the panel recommended that fracture flow in the system should be included as a low-probability variable in any hydrogeologic modeling. They also concluded that many more data on lineament features and subsurface structures are needed to accurately characterize the system and to refine the modeling effort. 9 refs., 2 figs

  7. Interactions between mafic eruptions and glacial ice or snow: implications of the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland, eruption for hazard assessments in the central Oregon Cascades

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKay, D.; Cashman, K. V.

    2010-12-01

    The 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland, demonstrated the importance of addressing hazards specific to mafic eruptions in regions where interactions with glacial ice or snow are likely. One such region is the central Oregon Cascades, where there are hundreds of mafic vents, many of which are Holocene in age. Here we present field observations and quantitative analyses of tephra deposits from recent eruptions at Sand Mountain, Yapoah Cone, and Collier Cone (all advance, which lasted from ~2 to 8 ka in the central Oregon Cascades (Marcott et al., 2009). During the Neoglacial, winter snowfall was likely ~23% greater and summer temperatures ~1.4°C cooler than present (Marcott, 2009). Although ice did not advance to the elevation of the Sand Mountain vents during this time, the eruption could have occurred through several meters of snow. We have also seen very fine-grained tephra at Yapoah Cone, which is located at a higher elevation and may have interacted with glacial ice. In addition to being characterized by unusually fine grainsize, the Yapoah tephra blanket is deposited directly on top of hyaloclastite in several locations. Tephra from Collier Cone is not characterized by unusually fine grainsize, but several sections of the deposit exhibit features that suggest deposition on top of, or interbedding with, snow that later melted away. Identification of features in mafic tephra that suggest interactions with glacial ice or snow has significant implications for regional volcanic hazard assessments. Specifically, the unique hazards posed by Eyjafjallajökull, especially hazards to air travel caused by unusually fine-grained tephra, could be repeated in the Cascades. Although glacial ice is presently limited to elevations above ~2300 m in the central Oregon Cascades, winter snowpack can exceed 5 m at elevations of ~1800 m and above. If a cinder cone eruption were to occur during winter months, interaction with snow could generate phreatomagmatic activity and

  8. Devonian alkaline magmatism in the northern North China Craton: Geochemistry, SHRIMP zircon U-Pb geochronology and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dingling Huang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The Wulanhada pluton is among the rare suite of Devonian alkaline plutons occurring along the northern margin of the North China Craton (NCC. The intrusion is mainly composed of quartz-monzonite. Here we report zircon SHRIMP U-Pb data from this intrusion which shows emplacement age of ca. 381.5 Ma. The rock is metaluminous with high (Na2O + K2O values ranging from 8.46 to 9.66 wt.%. The REE patterns of the rocks do not show any Eu anomaly whereas the primitive-mantle-normalized spider diagram shows strong positive Sr and Ba anomalies. The Wulanhada rocks exhibit high initial values of (87Sr/86Srt = 0.70762–0.70809, low ɛNd(t = −12.76 to −12.15 values and negative values of ɛHf(t = −23.49 to −17.02 with small variations in (176Hf/177Hft (0.281873–0.282049. These geochemical features and quantitative isotopic modeling results suggest that the rocks might have been formed through the partial melting of Neoarchean basic rocks in the lower crust of the NCC. The Wulanhada rocks, together with the Devonian alkaline rocks and mafic-ultramafic complex from neighboring regions, constitute a post-collisional magmatic belt along the northern NCC.

  9. The 89 Ma Tortugal komatiitic suite, Costa Rica: Implications for a common geological origin of the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific region from a mantle plume

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alvarado, Guillermo E.; Denyer, Percy; Sinton, Christopher W.

    1997-05-01

    Komatiites are reported for the first time in the northern part of the Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica. These rocks, dated at 89.7 ± 1.4 Ma (Turonian) by 40Ar/39Ar methods, occur as a large, elongated (14 km long, 1.5 km wide) N60°W striking body in the ophiolitic Nicoya Complex. These lavas have high MgO (26% 29%), Ni, and Cr, have high CaO/Al2O3 (0.98 1.08) and moderate Al2O3/TiO2 (5.55 8.44) ratios, and are depleted in Al2O3 (4% 5.5%), K2O (0.02% 0.37%), and TiO2 (0.59% 0.9%). Although these lavas are cumulates, their geochemical composition indicates an origin from a primary komatiitic magma, with a melting temperature of 1700 °C at a depth of 150 km. Similarities in the petrology and age (88 90 Ma) of Gorgona, Curaìao, and Nicoya-Tortugal mafic and ultramafic volcanic rocks suggest that these rocks had a common origin. These occurrences suggest a single hotspot center over a large area of the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific Mesozoic region due to a major thermal anomaly in the mantle, such as a hot, rising, convective plume.

  10. Measurements of hydraulic conductivity in deep bedrock at Palmottu, Outokumpu, Pori and Ylivieska

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahonen, L.

    1992-01-01

    Hydraulic conductivity of the bedrock was studied using a double packer equipment fitting the small-diameter drillholes (46 mm). Test method was a slug test, in which the pressure of the test section is reduced by removing water from a tube connected to the test section and, subsequently, monitoring the recovery of the original pressure. In the work, methods of interpretation suitable for the test method are examined, and compared by means of graphical simulations. Their relevance in the case of measurements in fractured crystalline bedrock are discussed. In the method of Hvorslev, the recovery rate is assumed to be directly proportional to residual drawdown and to the hydraulic conductivity of the test section and, consequently, the effect of specific storage is neglected. In other methods of interpretations (e.g. 'Cooper'- method), assuming radial flow from porous aquifer, specific storage is taken into consideration. Different methods of interpretation lead to dissimilar theoretical responses on recovery vs. time graphics. Skin-effect and outer boundary effects also have an influence on the shape of recovery curve. There is no major differences in K-values obtained by different methods of interpretation. The study sites represent different lithological environments, comprising migmatitic gneisses with granitic interlayers (Palmottu); a complex association of serpentine, black schist, quartzite, dolomite and scram (Outokumpu); arkosic sandstone (Pori); and mafic/ultramafic intrusion (Ylivieska)

  11. Ferroan Dolomitization by Seawater Interaction with Mafic Igneous Dikes and Carbonate Host Rock at the Latemar Platform, Dolomites, Italy: Numerical Modeling of Spatial, Temporal, and Temperature Data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Blomme

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Numerous publications address the petrogenesis of the partially dolomitized Latemar carbonate platform, Italy. A common factor is interpretation of geochemical data in terms of heating via regional igneous activity that provided kinetically favorable conditions for replacement dolomitization. New field, petrographic, XRD, and geochemical data demonstrate a spatial, temporal, and geochemical link between replacement dolomite and local mafic igneous dikes that pervasively intrude the platform. Dikes are dominated by strongly altered plagioclase and clinopyroxene. Significantly, where ferroan dolomite is present, it borders dikes. We hypothesize that seawater interacted with mafic minerals, causing Fe enrichment in the fluid that subsequently participated in dolomitization. This hypothesis was tested numerically through thermodynamic (MELTS, Arxim-GEM and reactive flow (Arxim-LMA simulations. Results confirm that seawater becomes Fe-enriched during interaction with clinopyroxene (diopside-hedenbergite and plagioclase (anorthite-albite-orthoclase solid solutions. Reaction of modified seawater with limestone causes ferroan and nonferroan replacement dolomitization. Dolomite quantities are strongly influenced by temperature. At 40 to 80°C, ferroan dolomite proportions decrease with increasing temperature, indicating that Latemar dolomitization likely occurred at lower temperatures. This relationship between igneous dikes and dolomitization may have general significance due to the widespread association of carbonates with rifting-related igneous environments.

  12. SNC meteorites: Clues to martian petrologic evolution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McSween, H.Y. Jr.

    1985-01-01

    The shergottites, nakhlites, and Chassigny (SNC meteorites) are apparently cumulate mafic and ultramafic rocks that crystallized at shallow levels in the crust of their parent body. The mineralogy and chemistry of these meteorites are remarkably like equivalent terrestrial rocks, although their ratios of Fe/(Fe+Mg) and certain incompatible elements and their oxygen isotopic compositions are distinctive. All have crystallization ages of 1.3 b.y. or younger and formed from magmas produced by partial melting of previously fractionated source regions. Isotope systematics suggest that the SNC parent body had a complex and protracted thermal history spanning most of geologic time. Some meteorites have been severely shock metamorphosed, and all were ejected from their parent body at relatively recent times, possibly in several impact events. Late crystallization ages, complex petrogenesis, and possible evidence for a large gravitational field suggest that these meteorites are derived from a large planet. Trapped gases in shergottite shock melts have compositions similar to the composition measured in the Martian atmosphere. Ejection of Martian meteorites may have been accomplished by acceleration of near-surface spalls or other mechanisms not fully understood. If SNC meteorites are of Martian origin, they provide important information on planetary composition and evolution. The bulk composition and redox state of the Martian mantle, as constrained by shergottite phase equilibria, must be more earthlike than most current models. Planetary thermal models should benefit from data on the abundances of radioactive heat sources, the melting behavior of the mantle, and the timing of planetary differentiation

  13. Gravity driven and in situ fractional crystallization processes in the Centre Hill complex, Abitibi Subprovince, Canada: Evidence from bilaterally-paired cyclic units

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thériault, R. D.; Fowler, A. D.

    1996-12-01

    The formation of layers in mafic intrusions has been explained by various processes, making it the subject of much controversy. The concept that layering originates from gravitational settling of crystals has been superseded in recent years by models involving in situ fractional crystallization. Here we present evidence from the Centre Hill complex that both processes may be operative simultaneously within the same intrusion. The Centre Hill complex is part of the Munro Lake sill, an Archean layered mafic intrusion emplaced in volcanic rocks of the Abitibi Subprovince. The Centre Hill complex comprises the following lithostratigraphic units: six lower cyclic units of peridotite and clinopyroxenite; a middle unit of leucogabbro; six upper cyclic units of branching-textured gabbro (BTG) and clotted-textured gabbro (CTG), the uppermost of these units being overlain by a marginal zone of fine-grained gabbro. The cyclic units of peridotite/clinopyroxenite and BTG/CTG are interpreted to have formed concurrently through fractional crystallization, associated with periodic replenishment of magma to the chamber. The units of peridotite and clinopyroxenite formed by gravitational accumulation of crystals that grew under the roof. The cyclic units of BTG and CTG formed along the upper margin of the sill by two different mechanisms: (1) layers of BTG crystallized in situ along an inward-growing roof and (2) layers of CTG formed by accumulation of buoyant plagioclase crystals. The layers of BTG are characterized by branching pseudomorphs after fayalite up to 50 cm in length that extend away from the upper margin. The original branching crystals are interpreted to have grown from stagnant intercumulus melt in a high thermal gradient resulting from the injection of new magma to the chamber.

  14. Post-Viking view of Martian geologic evolution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arvidson, R.E.; Goettel, K.A.; Hohenberg, C.M.

    1980-01-01

    The mean density, 3.393 g/cm 3 , and the estimated moment of inertia factor constrain the density distribution within Mars but do not define it uniquely. For plausible core density, core radii can range from approx. 1350 to approx. 2200 km, with the core constituting from approx. 13 to approx. 35% of the planet's mass. Possible extremes for the zero-pressure density of the Martian mantle could be as high as 3.6 g/cm 3 or as low as 3.3 g/cm 3 . The Martian mantle is probably denser than the terrestrial mantle. The dominant Martian lavas are probably mafic or ultramafic. Martian surface materials probably consist of variable proportions of mafic igneous minerals and weathering products, the latter primarily oxides and carbonates. A major geologic dichotomy exists between the complex northern plains and the ancient southern cratered terrain. The Tharsis plateau, which dominates the low-degree harmonics of the gravity field, appears to be only partially compensated; Olympus Mons appears to be completely uncompensated. Substantial stresses must be supported, either statically by a thick, rigid lithosphere, or dynamically. Mean crustal thicknesses from 23 to 40 km have been obtained from modeling of Bouguer gravity data. Lithospheric thicknesses from 25 to 50 km under volcanoes in the Tharsis and Elysium provinces to >150 km under olympus Mons have been obtained from consideration of the effects of mass loading by volcanic constructs. Many of the compressional and extensional features on Mars have orientations consistent with formation by fracturing in response to loading by the Tharsis plateau. The deficiency of small craters within cratered terrain is attributed to obliteration by volcanism. The maximum resurfacing rate due to volcanism occurred between 1.0 and 1.5 b.y. ago if a constant cratering flux is assumed and between 3.5 and 4.0 b.y. ago if the lunar cratering flux (scaled to Mars) is assumed

  15. Safety Evaluation Report related to the operation of Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3 (Docket Nos. STN 50-528, STN 50-529, and STN 50-530). Supplement No. 7

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1984-12-01

    Supplement No. 7 to the Safety Evaluation Report for the application filed by Arizona Public Service Company et al. for licenses to operate the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3 (Docket Nos. STN 50-528/529/530), located in Maricopa County, Arizona, has been prepared by the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The purpose of this supplement is to update the Safety Evaluation Report by providing an evaluation of: (1) additional information submitted by the applicant since Supplement No. 6 was issued; and (2) matters that the staff had under review when Supplement No. 6 was issued

  16. The Rooiwater complex and associated rocks, Murchison granitoid-greenstone terrane, Kaapvaal Craton

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vearncombe, J.R.; Walsh, K.L.

    1987-01-01

    The greater than 2625 Ma Rooiwater Complex is a thick, on-end differentiated basic igneous body exposed along the northern margin of the Murchison schist belt. It is metamorphosed to amphibolite facies and regionally retrograded and hydrothermally altered. Metamorphosed anorthosite, gabbro, pyroxenite, sulphide-bearing gabbros, thick magnetite layers, and granites are compatible with the hypothesis that the Complex is a layered intrusion, tectonically rotated and intruded by younger, genetically unrelated granites. Increasing TiO 2 and decreasing V 2 O 3 contents southwards in the magnetites layers combined with a general southern disposition of differentiated hornblende granite suggest that the Rooiwater Complex faces south. Although the Rubbervale Formation is pervasively deformed and metamorphosed at the greenschist facies, field relations and isotopic and rare earth element data tentatively suggest that a genetic relationship exists, the Rubbervale Formation being a possible roof to the Rooiwater intrusion, being derived from the same or a similar undepleted magmatic source. A paucity of ultramafic cumulates and up to 1,5 km of hornblende granites may relate to a source magma more felsic than that of other layered intrusions. In order to determine model ages for the Eden pluton, the Free State hornblende granite, the Quagga quartz amphibolite, the Rubbervale formation, and the Novengilla gabbro-anorthosite series. Rb-Sr and Pb isotopic analyses were undertaken

  17. An X-ray, EPMA, and oxygen isotope study of vermiculitized micas in the ultramafic rocks at Askos, Macedonia, Greece

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsirambides, A.; Michailidis, K.

    1999-01-01

    40% with the biotite percentage dominating in the mixed phase. Lower abundances (20-40%) of biotite/smectite and chlorite/vermiculite occur in both finer fractions (2-20 and <2 μm) of all vermiculitic samples. Vermiculite/smectite is very abundant in the <2 μm fractions of most vermiculitic samples. The DTA curves of the samples analyzed are characteristic of Mg-vermiculites. The electron microprobe analyses show a gradual K leaching from precursor mica with increasing degree of weathering. Oxygen isotope results confirm this assumption. Initially, hydrothermal fluids derived from the neighboring granitic intrusions, were responsible for the micatization of the primary minerals of the ultramafic bodies. Hydrothermal activity was also responsible for the partial formation of corrensite. Consequently, water moving downwards was very important for the formation of the vermiculite and other clay mineral mixed-layer phases through the alteration of micas and chlorite. The low relief and the long-lasting tectonic stability of the area were essential for the development of a significant thickness of the vermiculite zones. These vermiculites have properties desirable in certain building, agriculture, and horticulture products. (Copyright (c) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

  18. Características tecnológicas de la madera de palo morado (Peltogyne mexicana Martínez de tierra colorada, Guerrero, México

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Navarro-Martínez

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available El presente trabajo contribuye al conocimiento de las características y propiedades tecnológicas de la madera de Palo morado (Peltogyne mexicana Martínez, mediante la caracterización anatómica, porcentaje de elementos y determinación de las propiedades físicas y tres mecánicas. Se colectaron dos árboles en Tierra Colorada Guerrero. El material se obtuvo de trozas a 1.30 m de altura. Para el estudio macroscópico se usaron muestras de 7 x 15 x 1 cm y para el microscópico se elaboraron preparaciones fijas de cortes y de material disociado. La madera presenta un color violeta intenso, porosidad difusa, parénquima en bandas y aliforme confluente con cristales, los elementos de vaso son cortos de diámetro medio, con inclusiones, rayos uniseriados, biseriados, triseriados y raramente multiseriados; las fibras son de tipo libriforme de longitud media, diámetro fino y pared gruesa, presenta densidad básica, contracciones y dureza alta.

  19. Petrology, geochemistry and tectonic setting of alkaline mafic rocks in the Jalal Abad area in the NW of Zarand (Kerman Province: Evidence for Paleo-Tethys rifting in the Central Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yusef Vesali

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The Jalal Abad region lies within the southern sector of Posht Badam block near to Jalal Abad, Najaf Abad iron deposits. In this region, several mafic intrusions and associated dyke and sills were intruded within the volcano-sedimentary unit of Rizu series and magnetite veins producing a narrow contact metamorphic aureole and overlain by Desu Series dolomites. These intrusion massives include irregular coarse- grained gabbro- diorites stocks and several NW-SE-trending basaltic dykes and sills. Petrographical and geochemical studies on the Jalal Abad mafic units reveal that they are alkaline in nature and based on the tectonic discrimination diagrams are grouped in alkaline basalts field of the intra-continental rift setting. They display LREE enrichment and HREE depletion, and significant enrichment in LILE in comparison to HFSE and HREE. Compositionally, they resemble modern OIB and the Hawaiian alkaline basalts. Magmas of these OIB-type and alkaline rock associations formed from partial melting of garnet- lherzolite facieses in the plume source, during the rift-drift and seafloor spreading evolution of the Proto-Tethys oceanic lithosphere during the Ordovician through Silurian periods.

  20. Records of continental slope sediment flow morphodynamic responses to gradient and active faulting from integrated AUV and ROV data, offshore Palos Verdes, southern California Borderland

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maier, Katherine L.; Brothers, Daniel; Paull, Charles K.; McGann, Mary; Caress, David W.; Conrad, James E.

    2016-01-01

    Variations in seabed gradient are widely acknowledged to influence deep-water deposition, but are often difficult to measure in sufficient detail from both modern and ancient examples. On the continental slope offshore Los Angeles, California, autonomous underwater vehicle, remotely operated vehicle, and shipboard methods were used to collect a dense grid of high-resolution multibeam bathymetry, chirp sub-bottom profiles, and targeted sediment core samples that demonstrate the influence of seafloor gradient on sediment accumulation, depositional environment, grain size of deposits, and seafloor morphology. In this setting, restraining and releasing bends along the active right-lateral Palos Verdes Fault create and maintain variations in seafloor gradient. Holocene down-slope flows appear to have been generated by slope failure, primarily on the uppermost slope (~ 100–200 m water depth). Turbidity currents created a low relief (water depositional systems. These results help to bridge gaps in scale between existing deep-sea and experimental datasets and may provide constraints for future numerical modeling studies.

  1. Early Cretaceous high-Ti and low-Ti mafic magmatism in Southeastern Tibet: Insights into magmatic evolution of the Comei Large Igneous Province

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yaying; Zeng, Lingsen; Asimow, Paul D.; Gao, Li-E.; Ma, Chi; Antoshechkina, Paula M.; Guo, Chunli; Hou, Kejun; Tang, Suohan

    2018-01-01

    The Dala diabase intrusion, at the southeastern margin of the Yardoi gneiss dome, is located within the outcrop area of the 132 Ma Comei Large Igneous Province (LIP), the result of initial activity of the Kerguelen plume. We present new zircon U-Pb geochronology results to show that the Dala diabase was emplaced at 132 Ma and geochemical data (whole-rock element and Sr-Nd isotope ratios, zircon Hf isotopes and Fe-Ti oxide mineral chemistry) to confirm that the Dala diabase intrusion is part of the Comei LIP. The Dala diabase can be divided into a high-Mg/low-Ti series and a low-Mg/high-Ti series. The high-Mg/low-Ti series represents more primitive mafic magma compositions that we demonstrate are parental to the low-Mg/high-Ti series. Fractionation of olivine and clinopyroxene, followed by plagioclase within the low-Mg series, lead to systematic changes in concentrations of mantle compatible elements (Cr, Co, Ni, and V), REEs, HFSEs, and major elements such as Ti and P. Some Dala samples from the low-Mg/high-Ti series contain large ilmenite clusters and show extreme enrichment of Ti with elevated Ti/Y ratios, likely due to settling and accumulation of ilmenite during the magma chamber evolution. However, most samples from throughout the Comei LIP follow the Ti-evolution trend of the typical liquid line of descent (LLD) of primary OIB compositions, showing strong evidence of control of Ti contents by differentiation processes. In many other localities, however, primitive magmas are absent and observed Ti contents of evolved magmas cannot be quantitatively related to source processes. Careful examination of the petrogenetic relationship between co-existing low-Ti and high-Ti mafic rocks is essential to using observed rock chemistry to infer source composition, location, and degree of melting.

  2. Intraplate mafic magmatism: New insights from Africa and N. America

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebinger, C. J.; van der Lee, S.; Tepp, G.; Pierre, S.

    2017-12-01

    Plate tectonic concepts consider that continental interiors are stable, with magmatism and strain localized to plate boundaries. We re-evaluate the role of pre-existing and evolving lithospheric heterogeneities in light of perspectives afforded by surface to mantle results from active and ancient rift zones in Africa and N. America. Our process-oriented approach addresses the localization of strain and magmatism and stability of continental plate interiors. In both Africa and N. America, geophysical imaging and xenolith studies reveal that thick, buoyant, and chemically distinct Archaean cratons with deep roots may deflect mantle flow, and localize magmatism and strain over many tectonic cycles. Studies of the Colorado Plateau and East African rift reveal widespread mantle metasomatism, and high levels of magma degassing along faults and at active volcanoes. The volcanoes and magmatic systems show a strong dependence on pre-existing heterogeneities in plate structure. Syntheses of the EarthScope program ishow that lateral density contrasts and migration of volatiles that accumulated during subduction can refertilize mantle lithosphere, and enable volatile-rich magmatism beneath relatively thick continental lithosphere. For example, the passive margin of eastern N. America shows uplift and magmatism long after the onset of seafloor spreading, demonstrating the dynamic nature of coupling between the lithosphere, asthenosphere, and deeper mantle. As demonstrated by the East African Rift, the Mid-Continent Rift, and other active and ancient rift zones, the interiors of continents, including thick, cold Archaean cratons are not immune to mafic magmatism and tectonism. Recent studies in N. America and Africa reveal ca. 1000 km-wide zones of dynamic uplift, low upper mantle velocities, and broadly distributed strain. The distribution of magmatism and volatile release, in combination with geophysical signals, indicates a potentially convective origin for widespread

  3. Magnetic properties of variably serpentinized peridotites and their implication for the evolution of oceanic core complexes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Maffione, M.; Morris, A.; Plümper, O.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/37155960X; van Hinsbergen, D.J.J.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/269263624

    Serpentinization of ultramafic rocks during hydrothermal alteration at mid-ocean ridges profoundly changes the physical, chemical, rheological, and magnetic properties of the oceanic lithosphere. There is renewed interest in this process following the discovery of widespread exposures of

  4. Geodynamic interpretation of the 40Ar/39Ar dating of ophiolitic and arc-related mafics and metamafics of the northern part of the Anadyr-Koryak region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palandzhyan, S.A.; Layer, P.W.; Patton, W.W.; Khanchuk, A.I.

    2011-01-01

    Isotope datings of amphibole-bearing mafics and metamafics in the northern part of the Anadyr-Koryak region allow clarification of the time of magmatic and metamorphic processes, which are synchronous with certain stages of the geodynamic development of the northwest segment of the Pacific mobile belt in the Phanerozoic. To define the 40Ar/39Ar age of amphiboles, eight samples of amphibole gabbroids and metamafics were selected during field work from five massifs representing ophiolites and mafic plutons of the island arc. Rocks from terranes of three foldbelts: 1) Pekulnei (Chukotka region), 2) Ust-Belaya (West Koryak region), and 3) the Tamvatnei and El'gevayam subterranes of the Mainits terrane (Koryak-Kamchatka region), were studied. The isotope investigations enabled us to divide the studied amphiboles into two groups varying in rock petrographic features. The first was represented by gabbroids of the Svetlorechensk massif of the Pekulnei Range and by ophiolites of the Tamvatnei Mts.; their magmatic amphiboles show the distribution of argon isotopes in the form of clearly distinguished plateau with an age ranging within 120-129 Ma. The second group includes metamorphic amphiboles of metagabbroids and apogabbro amphibolites of the Ust-Belaya Mts., Pekulnei and Kenkeren ranges (El'gevayam subterranes). Their age spectra show loss of argon and do not provide well defined plateaus the datings obtained for them are interpreted as minimum ages. Dates of amphiboles from the metagabbro of the upper tectonic plate of the Ust-Belaya allochthon points to metamorphism in the suprasubduction environment in the fragment of Late Neoproterozoic oceanic lithosphere in Middle-Late Devonian time, long before the Uda-Murgal island arc system was formed. The amphibolite metamorphism in the dunite-clinopyroxenite-metagabbro Pekulnei sequence was dated to occur at the Permian-Triassic boundary. The age of amphiboles from gabbrodiorites of the Kenkeren Range was dated to be Early

  5. Chemical composition of Martian fines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clark, B. C.; Baird, A. K.; Weldon, R. J.; Tsusaki, D. M.; Schnabel, L.; Candelaria, M. P.

    1982-01-01

    Of the 21 samples acquired for the Viking X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, 17 were analyzed to high precision. Compared to typical terrestrial continental soils and lunar mare fines, the Martian fines are lower in Al, higher in Fe, and much higher in S and Cl concentrations. Protected fines at the two lander sites are almost indistinguishable, but concentration of the element S is somewhat higher at Utopia. Duricrust fragments, successfully acquired only at the Chryse site, invariably contained about 50% higher S than fines. No elements correlate positively with S, except Cl and possibly Mg. A sympathetic variation is found among the triad Si, Al, Ca; positive correlation occurs between Ti and Fe. Sample variabilities are as great within a few meters as between lander locations (4500 km apart), implying the existence of a universal Martian regolith component of constant average composition. The nature of the source materials for the regolith fines must be mafic to ultramafic.

  6. Geochemistry of the Bossoroca greenstone belt, Southernmost Brazil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koppe, J.C.; Hartmann, L.A.

    1988-01-01

    The Bossoroca greenstone belt is situated in the center of the State of Rio Grande do Sul and has a north-south extension of 18 Km and an east-west of 12 Km. It comprises two sequences. The lower Arroio Lajeadinho Sequence is made up of ultramafic schists and serpentinites, besides amphibolite, meta basalts and mafic meta-volcanoclastic rocks and banded iron-formation; some chert and graphitic rocks also occur. The upper Campestre Sequence is made up of meta volcanoclastic rocks of basaltic to rhyolitic composition with predominance of andesite. They are N A 2 O-rich (5.0 wt%), K 2 O-poor (0.8 wt%), with high Na/K ratios. The REE patterns are rather flat, with small negative Eu anomaly, similar to andesite from Archean or younger greenstone belts. The major and trace elements in samples from the Campestre Sequence were determined by X-ray fluorescence analysis and the rare earth elements by induced coupled plasma. (author)

  7. Isotopic evidence for multiple contributions to felsic magma chambers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Waight, Tod Earle; Wiebe, R.A.; Krogstad, E.J.

    2007-01-01

    The Gouldsboro Granite forms part of the Coastal Maine Magmatic Province, a region characterized by granitic plutons that are intimately linked temporally and petrogenetically with abundant co-existing mafic magmas. The pluton is complex and preserves a felsic magma chamber underlain...... with identical isotopic compositions to more mafic dikes suggest that closed system fractionation may be occurring in deeper level chambers prior to injection to shallower levels. The granitic portion of the pluton has the highest Nd isotopic composition (eNd=+3.0) of plutons in the region whereas the mafic...

  8. Link between the granitic and volcanic rocks of the Bushveld Complex, South Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schweitzer, J. K.; Hatton, C. J.; De Waal, S. A.

    1997-02-01

    Until recently, it was proposed that the Bushveld Complex, consisting of the extrusive Rooiberg Group and the intrusive Rashoop Granophyre, Rustenburg Layered and Lebowa Granite Suites, evolved over a long period of time, possibly exceeding 100 Ma. Most workers therefore considered that the various intrusive and extrusive episodes were unrelated. Recent findings suggest that the intrusive, mafic Rustenburg Layered Suite, siliceous Rashoop Granophyre Suite and the volcanic Rooiberg Group were synchronous, implying that the Bushveld igneous event was short-lived. Accepting the short-lived nature of the complex, the hypothesis that the granites are genetically unrelated to the other events of the Bushveld Complex can be reconsidered. Re-examination of the potential Rooiberg Group/Lebowa Granite Suite relationship suggests that the granites form part of the Bushveld event. Rhyolite lava, granite and granophyre melts originated from a source similar in composition to upper crustal rocks. This source is interpreted to have been melted by a thermal input associated with a mantle plume. Granite intruded after extrusion of the last Rooiberg rhyolite, or possibly overlapped in time with the formation of the youngest volcanic flows.

  9. Pseudotachylitic breccia in mafic and felsic rocks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kovaleva, Elizaveta; Huber, Matthew S.

    2017-04-01

    Impact-produced pseudotachylitic breccia (PTB) is abundant in the core of the Vredefort impact structure and was found in many pre-impact lithologies (e.g., Reimold and Colliston, 1994; Gibson et al., 1997). The mechanisms involved in the process of forming this rock remain highly debated, and various authors have discussed many possible models. We investigate PTB from two different rock types: meta-granite and meta-gabbro and test how lithology controls the development of PTB. We also report on clast transport between different lithologies. In the core of the Vredefort impact structure, meta-granite and meta-gabbro are observed in contact with each other, with an extensive set of PTB veins cutting through both lithologies. Microstructural analyses of the PTB veins in thin sections reveals differences between PTBs in meta-granite and meta-gabbro. In granitic samples, PTB often develops along contacts of material with different physical properties, such as a contact with a migmatite or pegmatite vein. Nucleation sites of PTB have features consistent with ductile deformation and shearing, such as sigmoudal-shaped clasts and dragged edges of the veins. Preferential melting of mafic and hydrous minerals takes place (e.g., Reimold and Colliston, 1994; Gibson et al., 2002). Refractory phases remain in the melt as clasts and form reaction rims. In contrast, PTB in meta-gabbro develop in zones with brittle deformation, and do not exploit existing physical contacts. Cataclastic zones develop along the faults and progressively produce ultracataclasites and melt. Thus, PTB veins in meta-gabbro contain fewer clasts. Clasts usually represent multi-phase fragments of host rock and not specific phases. Such fragments often originate from the material trapped between two parallel or horse-tail faults. The lithological control on the development of PTB does not imply that PTB develops independently in different lithologies. We have observed granitic clasts within PTB veins in meta

  10. Understanding Magmatic Timescales and Magma Dynamics in Proterozoic Anorthosites: a Geochronological Investigation of the Kunene Complex (Angola)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brower, A. M.; Corfu, F.; Bybee, G. M.; Lehmann, J.; Owen-Smith, T.

    2016-12-01

    The Kunene Anorthosite Complex, located in south west Angola, is one of the largest massif-type anorthosite intrusions on Earth, with an areal extent of at least 18 000 km2. Previous studies considered the Complex to consist of a series of coalesced plutons. However, the ages and relative emplacement sequence of these plutons are unknown. Understanding the relative timing of the pluton emplacement is crucial for understanding how these enigmatic magmas form and how they rise through the crust. Here we present new high precision U-Pb ID-TIMS ages (n=10) on zircons and baddeleyites for many of the coalesced plutons across the 300-km-long anorthositic complex. These new geochronological results reveal subtle variations in crystallization age between the coalesced plutons. There is no gradual age progression between plutons, but distinct groupings of ages (Fig.1). Age clusters of 1379.8 ± 2 Ma (n=5) occur north of the Red Granite NE-SW-striking intrusions, whereas in the south there is an older age grouping of 1390.4 ± 2.3 (n=3). Two additional ages of 1400.5 ± 1.3 in the centre and 1438.4 ± 1.1 Ma in the south east have been obtained. These results indicate that the Kunene anorthosites were emplaced over 60 Ma and may suggest long-lived magmatic systems and/or slowly ascending plutons. We also find a link between pluton composition and age. In general, leuconoritic domains are older than the leucotroctolitic domains. This may imply that the first pulses of magma received a greater degree of contamination, forcing the broadly basaltic magma to produce orthopyroxene as the main mafic phase. The later pulses receive less contamination as they ascend through the already partially melted crust, producing olivine as the mafic phase and deforming the older domains. This study reiterates the multiphase petrogenesis of Proterozoic anorthosites and sheds light on the assembly of crystal-rich magmas as they ascend through the crust.

  11. Upper Triassic mafic dykes of Lake Nyos, Cameroon (West Africa) I: K-Ar age evidence within the context of Cameroon Line magmatism, and the tectonic significance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aka, Festus Tongwa; Hasegawa, Takeshi; Nche, Linus Anye; Asaah, Asobo Nkengmatia Elvis; Mimba, Mumbfu Ernestine; Teitchou, Isidore; Ngwa, Caroline; Miyabuchi, Yasuo; Kobayashi, Tetsuo; Kankeu, Boniface; Yokoyama, Tetsuya; Tanyileke, Gregory; Ohba, Takeshi; Hell, Joseph Victor; Kusakabe, Minoru

    2018-05-01

    The hydrodynamic fragmentation that formed Lake Nyos in northwest Cameroon did not only make it the most unpopular lake in the world from a gas disaster perspective, it also opened a rare and formidable window through which much of the geology of Cameroon can be studied in a single locality. The Cambrian quartz monzonite cliff excavated by the maar-forming explosion and exposed in its northeastern shore is intruded by mafic dykes, two of which we dated. Even though close to one another, the dykes are different in composition. The alkaline dyke yields a slightly older (Carnian) K-Ar fedspar age of 231.1 ± 4.8 Ma, while the sub alkaline dyke yields an age of 224.8 ± 4.7 Ma (Norian). Based on radioisotopic age data available over the last 48 years (347 data) for the Cameroon Line magmatism comprising eruptives and volcano-plutonic complexes, the Nyos dykes are way older than the Cameroon Line, and even pre-date the Lower Cretaceous initiation of west Gondwana fragmentation in Equatorial Atlantic domain. They would therefore not have been directly linked to the formation of the Cameroon Line. Alternatively, they might be associated with the development of intra-continental rift systems in West Central Africa that pre-dated west Gondwana breakup to form the Atlantic Ocean.

  12. Contrasting sodic and mildly potassic magma differentiation lineages at The Pleaides volcanic complex, northern Victoria Land, Antarctica

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, J.; Park, J. W.; Lee, J.; Kyle, P. R.; Lee, M. J.

    2017-12-01

    The magma evolution of The Pleiades, a Quaternary alkaline volcanic complex in northern Victoria Land, Antarctica, is investigated using major and trace elements, and Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic data. The volcanic rocks can be subdivided into two distinct magmatic lineages based on petrography and whole-rock compositions: (1) a sodic silica-undersaturated alkaline lineage with abundant kaersutite phenocrysts, and (2) a mildly-potassic and mildly-alkaline, nearly silica-saturated lineage containing olivine but not kaersutite. The basanite and trachybasalt of both lineages exhibit similar degrees of negative K anomalies, moderately steep rare earth element patterns, and elevated trace element ratios such as Ce/Pb (> 20) and Nb/U (> 38), suggesting their primary magmas were generated by low degree (≤3%) of partial melting of amphibole and garnet-bearing mantle sources. The sodic lineage is characterized by elevated 206Pb/204Pb (>19.5) ratios and narrow ranges of 87Sr/86Sr (0.70313-0.70327) and 143Nd/144Nd (0.51289-0.51290) ratios consistent with a significant HIMU component typical of Neogene volcanic rocks in Antarctica. The mafic rocks of the potassic lineage have isotopic compositions similar to those of the sodic lineage, however the evolved lavas in the lineage have higher 87Sr/86Sr (> 0.7035) and lower 143Nd/144Nd (< 0.51285) and 206Pb/204Pb (< 19.3) ratios than the mafic rocks, suggesting significant amounts of crustal contamination. The pressure-temperature paths estimated by clinopyroxene-liquid thermobarometry are similar in each lineage. The mafic magmas were emplaced at Moho depths ( 1.2 GPa) and the evolved magmas pooled at middle-crustal depths ( 0.7 GPa). Mass-balance calculations based on whole-rock and mineral compositions show that kaersutite fractionation has played a major role in magma differentiation of the sodic lineage whereas the compositional variations of the potassic lineage can be ascribed to fractionation of a kaersutite-free mineral

  13. Paleomagnetic and magnetostratigraphic investigations of the whitehorse group/quartermaster (Dewey Lake) formation (upper permian-lowermost triassic) in the Palo Duro basin, northwest Texas, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collins, Dylan R.

    In northwest Texas, upper Permian to lowermost Triassic hematite-cemented detrital sedimentary rocks, which include a small number of regionally extensive ash beds, were deposited during the time interval of the greatest mass extinction event sequences in Earth history. The magnetic polarity stratigraphy, as well as key rock magnetic properties, of the upper Whitehorse Group (WH) and Quartermaster formations (QM) at selected sections in the Palo Duro Basin, have been determined using thermal, and chemical demagnetization approaches and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility, acquisition of isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) and backfield demagnetization, and thermal demagnetization of three component IRM methods. Demagnetization results show that the WH/QM contains a primary/near-primary characteristic remanent magnetization at each level sampled and thus the magnetic polarity stratigraphy for each section can be compared with existing polarity time scales across the Permian-Triassic boundary. Estimated site mean directions yield a paleomagnetic pole for the latest Permian for North America of 57.8°N, 130.6°E from 38 sampled sites.

  14. Behaviour of the Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr systems of the mafic-ultramafic layered sequence from Ribeirao dos Motas (Archaean), meridional craton Sao Francisco: evidences of mantle source enrichment and isotopic fractionation; Comportamento dos sistemas Sm-Nd e Rb-Sr da sequencia acamadada mafico-ultramafico Ribeirao dos Motas (Arqueano), craton Sao Francisco Meridional: evidencias de enriquecimento mantelico e fracionamento isotopico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carneiro, Mauricio Antonio; Carvalho Junior, Irneu Mendes de; Oliveira, Arildo Henrique de [Ouro Preto Univ., (UFOP), MG (Brazil). Dept. de Geologia]. E-mail: mauricio@degeo.ufop.br; Teixeira, Wilson [Sao Paulo Univ., SP (Brazil). Inst. de Geociencias. Dept. de Mineralogia e Geotectonica; Pimentel, Marcio Martins [Brasilia Univ., DF (Brazil). Inst. de Geociencias. Lab. de Geocronologia

    2004-10-15

    The Ribeirao dos Motas layered sequence (SARM) crops out in the southern part of the Sao Francisco Craton, Brazil. This sequence comprises phaneritic meta ultramafic and metamafic rocks, which, although slightly deformed and metamorphosed, retain primary igneous layers. Porphyritic rocks with idiomorphic pyroxene crystals and heteradcumulate and adcumulate textures are also present. Eighteen isotopic analyses were performed in the SARM, comprising rocks with primary (relict) textures, as well as rocks in amphibolite facies and retro-metamorphosed to green-schist facies. Seven samples yield a Sm/Nd isochron age of 2.79 +- 0.30 Ga (MSWD=1.2 e epsilon {sub Ndt}=+0.48), constraining the accretion time of the SARM rocks. The positive epsilon {sub Ndt} value coupled with the Rb/Sr evidence is consistent with mantle source relatively enriched in Nd and Sr isotopes. Nevertheless, some SARM samples display isotopic fractionation and disturbance, which can be ascribed to the following processes or their combinations: a) mobilization of the incompatible elements due to regional high grade metamorphism; b) isotopic changes during upper amphibolite facies overprint; c) isotopic resetting by low-grade fluids associated to the Claudio Shear zone, which is located nearby the SARM. (author)

  15. Shallow magma diversions during explosive maar-diatreme eruptions in mafic volcanic fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le Corvec, N.; Muirhead, J.; White, J. D. L.

    2017-12-01

    Maar-diatremes are inverted conical structures formed by subterranean excavation and remobilization of country rocks during explosive volcanism and common in mafic volcanic fields. We focus on impacts of excavation and filling of maar-diatremes on the local state of stress, and its subsequent influence on underlying feeder dikes, which are critical for understanding the development of intrusive networks that feed surface eruptions. We address this issue using finite element models in COMSOL Multiphysics®. Inverted conical structures of varying sizes are excavated in a gravitationally loaded elastic half-space, and then progressively filled with volcaniclastic material, resulting in changes in the orientations and magnitudes of stresses generated within surrounding rocks and within the filling portion of the maar-diatreme. Our results show that rapid unloading during maar-diatreme excavation generates a horizontal compressive stress state beneath diatremes. These stresses allow magma to divert laterally as saucer-shaped sills and circumferential dikes at varying depths in the shallow feeder system, and produce intrusion geometries consistent with both field observations from exhumed volcanic fields and conceptual models of diatreme growth. Stresses generated in these models also provide an explanation for the evolving locations of fragmentation zones over the course of diatreme's filling. In particular, results from this study suggest that: (1) extensional stresses at the base of the diatreme fill favor magma ascent in the lower half of the structure, and possibly promote volatile exsolution and magma fragmentation; and (2) increased filling of diatremes creates a shallow compressive stress state that can inhibit magma ascent to the surface, promoting widespread intra-diatreme explosions, efficient mixing of host rock, and upward widening of the diatreme structure.

  16. Constraints from geochemistry and oxygen isotopes for the hydrothermal origin of orthoamphibole mafic gneiss in the New Jersey Highlands, north-central Appalachians, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Volkert, Richard A.; Peck, William H.

    2017-12-01

    Rare exposures of orthoamphibole mafic (Oam) gneiss of Mesoproterozoic age in the north-central Appalachians are confined to the northwestern New Jersey Highlands where they form thin lens-shaped bodies composed of gedrite and sparse anthophyllite, oligoclase (An13-An20), biotite, magnetite, and local fluorapatite, rutile, and ilmenite. The gneiss is penetratively foliated and has sharp, conformable contacts against enclosing supracrustal paragneiss and marble. Orthoamphibole mafic gneiss is characterized by low SiO2 (48 ± 2.5 wt%), CaO (1.9 ± 1.3 wt%), and high Al2O3 (18 ± 1.2 wt%), Fe2O3 (10.5 ± 1.6 wt%), and MgO (12 ± 2.3 wt%). Trace element abundances overlap those of unaltered amphibolites in the study area and, coupled with δ18O values of 9.45 ± 0.6‰ (VSMOW) from gedrite separates, support an origin from a basalt protolith. The geochemical and isotopic data are consistent with the formation of Oam gneiss through sea floor hydrothermal alteration of basalt at low temperature of 150-200 °C. Mass-balance calculations indicate gains during alteration mainly in MgO and Al2O3 and losses in CaO, Sr, and light rare earth elements. Our results are compatible with the pre-metamorphic alteration of the basalt protoliths through chloritization and plagioclase dissolution that produced a Mg-rich and Ca-poor rock. Subsequent metamorphism of this chlorite-rich rock to the current mineral assemblage of Oam gneiss took place at ca. 1045 Ma, during the Ottawan phase of the Grenvillian Orogeny. The close spatial association in the study area of Oam gneiss bodies and sulfide occurrences suggests an affinity to the style of mineralization associated with volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS)-type deposits.

  17. Integrated elemental and Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopic studies of Mesozoic mafic dykes from the eastern North China Craton: implications for the dramatic transformation of lithospheric mantle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Shen; Feng, Caixia; Santosh, M.; Feng, Guangying; Coulson, Ian M.; Xu, Mengjing; Guo, Zhuang; Guo, Xiaolei; Peng, Hao; Feng, Qiang

    2018-02-01

    Evolution of the lithospheric mantle beneath the North China Craton (NCC) from its Precambrian cratonic architecture until Paleozoic, and the transformation to an oceanic realm during Mesozoic, with implications on the destruction of cratonic root have attracted global attention. Here we present geochemical and isotopic data on a suite of newly identified Mesozoic mafic dyke swarms from the Longwangmiao, Weijiazhuang, Mengjiazhuang, Jiayou, Huangmi, and Xiahonghe areas (Qianhuai Block) along the eastern NCC with an attempt to gain further insights on the lithospheric evolution of the region. The Longwangmiao dykes are alkaline with LILE (Ba and K)- and LREE-enrichment ((La/Yb) N > 4.3) and EM1-like Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopic signature ((87Sr/86Sr) i > 0.706; ε Nd (t) 16.6, (207Pb/204Pb) i > 15.4, (208Pb/204Pb) i > 36.8, ε Hf (t) 3.7), and display similar EM1-like isotopic features ((87Sr/86Sr) i > 0.706; ε Nd (t) 16.7, (207Pb/204Pb) i > 15.4, (208Pb/204Pb) i > 36.9, ε Hf (t) 2.4) and EM1-like isotopic features((87Sr/86Sr) i > 0.706; ε Nd (t) 16.7, (207Pb/204Pb) i > 15.4, (208Pb/204Pb) i > 36.9, ε Hf (t) 3.7) and EM1-like Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopic features ((87Sr/86Sr) i > 0.706; ε Nd(t) 16.7, (207Pb/204Pb) i > 15.4, (208Pb/204Pb) i > 36.9, ε Hf (t) 9.3) and EM1-like isotopic composition ((87Sr/86Sr) i > 0.705; ε Nd (t) 16.9, (207Pb/204Pb) i > 15.5, (208Pb/204Pb) i > 36.9, ε Hf (t) 0.705; ε Nd (t) 16.9, (207Pb/204Pb) i > 15.5, (208Pb/204Pb) i > 36.9, ε Hf (t) < -8.6). Our data from the various mafic dyke suites suggest that the magmas were derived from EM1-like lithospheric mantle, corresponding to lithospheric mantle modified by the previously foundered lower crust beneath the eastern NCC. Our results suggest contrasting lithospheric evolution from Triassic (212 Ma) to Cretaceous (123 Ma) beneath the NCC. These mafic dykes mark an important phase of lithospheric thinning in the eastern North China Craton.

  18. The mantle source of island arc magmatism during early subduction: Evidence from Hf isotopes in rutile from the Jijal Complex (Kohistan arc, Pakistan)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ewing, Tanya A.; Müntener, Othmar

    2018-05-01

    The Cretaceous-Paleogene Kohistan arc complex, northern Pakistan, is renowned as one of the most complete sections through a preserved paleo-island arc. The Jijal Complex represents a fragment of the plutonic roots of the Kohistan arc, formed during its early intraoceanic history. We present the first Hf isotope determinations for the Jijal Complex, made on rutile from garnet gabbros. These lithologies are zircon-free, but contain rutile that formed as an early phase. Recent developments in analytical capabilities coupled with a careful analytical and data reduction protocol allow the accurate determination of Hf isotope composition for rutile with <30 ppm Hf for the first time. Rutile from the analysed samples contains 5-35 ppm Hf, with sample averages of 13-17 ppm. Rutile from five samples from the Jijal Complex mafic section, sampling 2 km of former crustal thickness, gave indistinguishable Hf isotope compositions with εHf(i) ranging from 11.4 ± 3.2 to 20.1 ± 5.7. These values are within error of or only slightly more enriched than modern depleted mantle. The analysed samples record variable degrees of interaction with late-stage melt segregations, which produced symplectitic overprints on the main mineral assemblage as well as pegmatitic segregations of hydrous minerals. The indistinguishable εHf(i) across this range of lithologies demonstrates the robust preservation of the Hf isotope composition of rutile. The Hf isotope data, combined with previously published Nd isotope data for the Jijal Complex garnet gabbros, favour derivation from an inherently enriched, Indian Ocean type mantle. This implies a smaller contribution from subducted sediments than if the source was a normal (Pacific-type) depleted mantle. The Jijal Complex thus had only a limited recycled continental crustal component in its source, and represents a largely juvenile addition of new continental crust during the early phases of intraoceanic magmatism. The ability to determine the Hf

  19. Petrography and trace element signatures in silicates and Fe-Ti-oxides from the Lanjiahuoshan deposit, Panzhihua layered intrusion, Southwest China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Wenyuan; Ciobanu, Cristiana L.; Cook, Nigel J.; Huang, Fei; Meng, Lin; Gao, Shang

    2017-12-01

    Permian mafic-ultramafic layered intrusions in the central part of the Emeishan Large Igneous Province (ELIP), Southwestern China, host Fe-Ti-V-oxide ores that have features which distinguish them from other large layered intrusion-hosted deposits. The origin of these ores is highly debated. Careful petrographic examination, whole rock analysis, electron probe microanalysis, and measurement and mapping of trace element concentrations by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in all major and minor minerals (clinopyroxene, plagioclase, olivine, amphibole, titanomagnetite, ilmenite, pleonaste and pyrrhotite) has been undertaken on samples from the Lanjiahuoshan deposit, representing the Middle, Lower and Marginal Zone of the Panzhihua intrusion. Features are documented that impact on interpretation of intrusion petrology and with implications for genesis of the Fe-Ti-V-oxide ores. Firstly, there is evidence, as symplectites between clinopyroxene and plagioclase, for introduction of complex secondary melts. Secondly, reaction between a late hydrothermal fluid and clinopyroxene is recognized, which has led to formation of hydrated minerals (pargasite, phlogopite), as well as a potassium metasomatic event, postdating intrusion solidification, which led to formation of K-feldspar. Lastly, partitioning of trace elements between titanomagnetite and silicates needs to consider scavenging of metals by ilmenite (Mn, Sc, Zr, Nb, Sn, Hf and Ta) and sulfides, as well as the marked partitioning of Co, Ni, Zn, Ga, As and Sb into spinels exsolved from titanomagnetite. The role of these less abundant phases may have been understated in previous studies, highlighting the importance of petrographic examination of complex silicate-oxide-sulfide assemblages, as well as the need for a holistic approach to trace element analysis, acknowledging all minerals within the assemblage.

  20. Safety Evaluation Report related to the operation of Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3 (Docket Nos. STN 50-528, STN 50-529, and STN 50-530). Supplement No. 9

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1985-12-01

    Supplement No. 9 to the Safety Evaluation Report for the application filed by Arizona Public Service Company et al. for licenses to operate the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2 and 3 (Docket Nos. STN 50-528/529/530), located in Maricopa County, Arizona, has been prepared by the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The purpose of this supplement is to update the Safety Evaluation Report by providing an evaluation of: (1) additional information submitted by the applicant since Supplement No. 8 was issued; and (2) matters that the staff had under review when Supplement No. 8 was issued, specifically those issues which required resolution prior to Unit 2 fuel loading and testing up to 5% of full power

  1. Araxa Group in the type-area: A fragment of Neoproterozoic oceanic crust in the Brasilia Fold Belt

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seer, Hildor Jose; Brod, Jose Affonso; Fuck, Reinhardt Adolfo; Pimentel, Marcio Martins; Boaventura, Geraldo Resende; Dardenne, Marcel Auguste

    2001-01-01

    This study reviews the geological characteristics and puts forward a new evolution model for the Araxa Group in its type-area, the southern segment of the Neo proterozoic Brasilia Belt, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The Araxa Group is confined within a thrust sheet belonging to a syn formal regional fold, the Araxa Syn form, overlying two other thrust sheets made of the Ibia and Canastra Groups. The Araxa Group is described as a tectono stratigraphic terrane in the sense of Howell (1993). It comprises an igneous mafic sequence, with fine and coarse grained amphibolites, associated with pelitic meta sedimentary rocks, and subordinate psanmites. All rocks were metamorphosed to amphibolite facies at ca. 630 Ma ago and were intruded by collisional granites. The amphibolites represent original basaltic and gabbroic rocks, with minor ultramafic (serpentinite/ amphibole-talc schist). The basalts are similar to high Fe O tholeiites, with REE signatures that resemble E-MORB and ε Nd(T) =+ 1.1. The meta sedimentary rocks are interpreted as the result of a marine deep-water sedimentation. They have Sm-Nd model ages of 1,9 Ga, and ε Nd(T) = -10.21. The amphibolites and metasediments could represent a fragment of back-arc oceanic crust. The data presented here differ significantly from the original definition of Barbosa et al. (1970) who describe the Araxa Group as a pelitic/psanmitic sequence and the collisional granites as a basement complex. (author)

  2. Metasomatized granulites of the Mozambique belt: consequences for lithospheric U, Th, REE fertilisation and metallogenesis in the ancient Gondwanaland supercontinent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andreoli, M.A.G.; Hart, R.J.

    1988-02-01

    The 1,0 Ga old Lurio belt extends for ca. 1 000 km from Nsanje (S Malawi) through NE Mozambique to the Indian ocean. Lower crustal levels are locally exposed along its southern tectonic front. In this article mineralogical and geochemical data for an andesinite-mafic-ultramafic suite from Nsanje were reported.The results indicate that this complex terrane equilibrated first at P ∼ 13 kbr and T ∼ 900 0 C and subsequently cooled under an eclogite-garnet granulite georem. During a later event (P ∼ 7-10 kbar, T ∼ 650 - 800 0 C) distinctive metasomatic mica, amphibole, scapolite, apatite, diopsidic pyroxene (MASAD)-bearing assemblages and pegmatoids were formed by CO 2 , Cl, H 2 O, S and F rich fluids with higher REE, U, Th and Zr concentrations than the high-grade precursors. MASAD and older high-pressure granulite parageneses underwent subsequent dehydratation and reequilibration under medium-pressure granulite facies conditions perhaps during the Lurio orogenic event. MASAD-like assemblages are relatively common within the late Proterozoic medium- and high-pressure granulite terranes of Central Gondwana, especially in the newly defined Lurio-Zambezi Eclogite Province. The data provide indicate that the metasomatizing, MASAD-forming fluids had crypto-carbonatitic affinities and were introduced into the crust from the upper mantle during protorifting episodes between ca. 1,1 and 0,5 Ga ago. The MASAD assemblages may therefore represent the crustal equivalent of the metasomatic and MARID suites discovered in mantle xenoliths

  3. Araxa Group in the type-area: A fragment of Neoproterozoic oceanic crust in the Brasilia Fold Belt; Grupo Araxa em sua area tipo: um fragmento de crosta oceanica Neoproterozoica na faixa de dobramentos Brasilia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seer, Hildor Jose [Centro Federal de Educacao Tecnologica de Araxa, (CEFET), MG (Brazil); Brod, Jose Affonso; Fuck, Reinhardt Adolfo; Pimentel, Marcio Martins; Boaventura, Geraldo Resende; Dardenne, Marcel Auguste [Brasilia Univ., DF (Brazil). Inst. de Geociencias

    2001-09-01

    This study reviews the geological characteristics and puts forward a new evolution model for the Araxa Group in its type-area, the southern segment of the Neo proterozoic Brasilia Belt, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The Araxa Group is confined within a thrust sheet belonging to a syn formal regional fold, the Araxa Syn form, overlying two other thrust sheets made of the Ibia and Canastra Groups. The Araxa Group is described as a tectono stratigraphic terrane in the sense of Howell (1993). It comprises an igneous mafic sequence, with fine and coarse grained amphibolites, associated with pelitic meta sedimentary rocks, and subordinate psanmites. All rocks were metamorphosed to amphibolite facies at ca. 630 Ma ago and were intruded by collisional granites. The amphibolites represent original basaltic and gabbroic rocks, with minor ultramafic (serpentinite/ amphibole-talc schist). The basalts are similar to high Fe O tholeiites, with REE signatures that resemble E-MORB and {epsilon}{sub Nd(T)} =+ 1.1. The meta sedimentary rocks are interpreted as the result of a marine deep-water sedimentation. They have Sm-Nd model ages of 1,9 Ga, and {epsilon}{sub Nd(T)} = -10.21. The amphibolites and metasediments could represent a fragment of back-arc oceanic crust. The data presented here differ significantly from the original definition of Barbosa et al. (1970) who describe the Araxa Group as a pelitic/psanmitic sequence and the collisional granites as a basement complex. (author)

  4. Comparison of lithological mapping results from airborne hyperspectral VNIR-SWIR, LWIR and combined data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Jilu; Rogge, Derek; Rivard, Benoit

    2018-02-01

    This study investigates using the Airborne Hyperspectral Imaging Systems (AISA) visible and short-wave infrared (SWIR) and Spatially Enhanced Broadband Array Spectrograph System (SEBASS) longwave infrared (LWIR) (2 and 4 m spatial resolution, respectively) imagery independently and in combination to produce detailed lithologic maps in a subarctic region (Cape Smith Belt, Nunavik, Canada) where regionally metamorphosed lower greenschist mafic, ultramafic and sedimentary rocks are exposed in the presence of lichen coatings. We make use of continuous wavelet analysis (CWA) to improve the radiometric quality of the imagery through the minimization of random noise and the enhancement of spectral features, the minimization of residual errors in the ISAC radiometric correction and target temperature estimation in the case of the LWIR data, the minimization of line to line residual calibration effects that lead to inconsistencies in data mosaics, and the reduction in variability of the spectral continuum introduced by variable illumination and topography. The use of CWA also provides a platform to directly combine the wavelet scale spectral profiles of the SWIR and LWIR after applying a scalar correction factor to the LWIR such that the dynamic range of two data sets have equal weight. This is possible using CWA as the datasets are normalized to a zero mean allowing spectra from different spectral regions to be adjoined. Lithologic maps are generated using an iterative spectral unmixing approach with image spectral endmembers extracted from the SWIR and LWIR imagery based on locations defined from previous work of the study area and field mapping information. Unmixing results of the independent SWIR and LWIR data, and the combined data show clear benefits to using the CWA combined imagery. The analysis showed SWIR and LWIR imagery highlight similar regions and spatial distributions for the three ultramafic units (dunite, peridotite, pyroxenite). However, significant

  5. Upper Paleozoic mafic and intermediate volcanic rocks of the Mount Pleasant caldera associated with the Sn-W deposit in southwestern New Brunswick (Canada): Petrogenesis and metallogenic implications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dostal, Jaroslav; Jutras, Pierre

    2016-10-01

    Upper Paleozoic ( 365 Ma) mafic and intermediate volcanic rocks of the Piskahegan Group constitute a subordinate part of the Mount Pleasant caldera, which is associated with a significant polymetallic deposit (tungsten-molybdenum-bismuth zones 33 Mt ore with 0.21% W, 0.1% Mo and 0.08% Bi and tin-indium zones 4.8 Mt with 0.82% Sn and 129 g/t In) in southwestern New Brunswick (Canada). The epicontinental caldera complex formed during the opening of the late Paleozoic Maritimes Basin in the northern Appalachians. The mafic and intermediate rocks make up two compositionally distinct associations. The first association includes evolved rift-related continental tholeiitic basalts, and the second association comprises calc-alkaline andesites, although both associations were emplaced penecontemporaneously. The basalts have low Mg# 0.34-0.40, smooth chondrite-normalized REE patterns with (La/Yb)n 5-6, primitive mantle-normalized trace element patterns without noticeable negative Nb-Ta anomalies, and their ɛNd(T) ranges from + 2.5 to + 2.2. The basalts were generated by partial melting of a transition zone between spinel and garnet mantle peridotite at a depth of 70-90 km. The calc-alkaline andesites of the second association have chondrite-normalized REE patterns that are more fractionated, with (La/Yb)n 7-8.5, but without significant negative Eu anomalies. Compared to the basaltic rocks, they have lower ɛNd(T) values, ranging from + 0.5 to + 1.9, and their mantle-normalized trace element plots show negative Nb-Ta anomalies. The ɛNd(T) values display negative correlations with indicators of crustal contamination, such as Th/La, Th/Nb and SiO2. The andesitic rocks are interpreted to have formed by assimilation-fractional crystallization processes, which resulted in the contamination of a precursor basaltic magma with crustal material. The parent basaltic magma for both suites underwent a different evolution. The tholeiitic basalts experienced shallow-seated fractional

  6. CARACTERIZACIÓN ESTRUCTURAL DEL MANGLAR EN EL ESTERO PALO VERDE, LAGUNA DE CUYUTLÁN, COLIMA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Citlalli P. Téllez-García

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available En el Estero Palo Verde, ubicado en el vaso IV de la Laguna de Cuyutlán, estado de Colima, se establecieron 48 unidades de muestreo (UM en tres rodales de mangle: 10 UM en rodal monoespecífico de Laguncularia racemosa, 25 UM en rodal monoespecífico de Rhizophora mangle y 13 UM en rodal mixto de L. racemosa-R. mangle. Se registró altura del dosel, diámetro del tronco, densidad de adultos y de repoblación, también se calculó área basal y volumen de madera. Los resultados indicaron que la densidad, área basal y volumen, para la categoría diamétrica (CD de 5 cm fueron significativamente diferentes (P < 0.05 entre los rodales monoespecíficos de R. mangle (2,500 árboles•ha-1, 4.2 m2•ha-1 y 22 m3•ha-1, respectivamente y L. racemosa (700 árboles•ha-1, 1.9 m2•ha-1 y 10 m3•ha-1, respectivamente. En las CD de 20 a 30 cm, el área basal fue significativamente mayor (P < 0.05 en el rodal monoespecífico de L. racemosa (1.6 - 3.8 m2•ha-1 que en el mixto de L. racemosa-R. mangle (0.5 - 2.5 m2•ha-1. La repoblación natural fue más abundante en el rodal de R. mangle (138 a 270 individuos•ha-1 que en el de L. racemosa (70 a 80 individuos•ha-1. Los valores estructurales mayores se alcanzaron para altura del dosel (10 m en el rodal de L. racemosa; para diámetro (40 cm y área basal (14.1 m2•ha-1 en el rodal de L. racemosa-R. mangle; y para repoblación natural (624 individuos•ha-1 en el rodal de R. mangle.

  7. Timing of maturation of a Neoproterozoic oceanic arc during Pan-African Orogeny: the Asmlil complex (Anti-Atlas, South Morocco)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Triantafyllou, Antoine; Berger, Julien; Baele, Jean-Marc; Bruguier, Olivier; Diot, Hervé; Ennih, Nasser; Plissart, Gaëlle; Monnier, Christophe; Watlet, Arnaud; Vandycke, Sara

    2016-04-01

    Many intra-oceanic paleo-arcs are exposed in the Pan-African belt surrounding the West African Craton. In the Moroccan Anti-Atlas, remnants of Intra-Oceanic Subduction Zone (IOSZ) are preserved in few erosional windows moulded along the Anti-Atlas Major fault. These complexes highlight a Neoproterozoic paleo-suture made of 760 My back-arc ophiolites thrusted to the south onto a dismembered band of oceanic arc relics. The Asmlil arc complex, located in the southern part of the Bou Azzer inlier, is made of (i) 755 to 745 My- intermediate banded gneiss interpreted as metavolcanic products of a juvenile oceanic arc. This latter has been intruded by (ii) medium-grained hornblende-gabbro and dioritic magmas, in turn intruded by (iii) medium- to coarse grained hornblenditic-granodioritic decametric intrusions under sub-magmatic HT conditions. Hornblende-gabbros are made of garnet + amphibole/cpx relics + epidote + rutile paragenesis. Calculated pseudosections yielded P ~ 11-12 kbar for T ranging between 600 and 720°C for garnet growth. Measured Zr-in-rutile thermometer gave slightly higher temperature ranging between 710-790°C. On the field, garnet-rich leucocratic veinlets suggest that moderate partial melting of the mafic rock or localized dehydration reactions took place under garnet-granulite conditions (>800°C for hydrated chemical system). New geochronological data on garnet-bearing leucogabbros constrain their emplacement at 700 ±7 My (U-Pb zircon with low Th/U volcanic to subvolcanic massifs. Second event occurred around 700 My and results from mafic products intruding previous arc. A last event also dated at 660-650 My in the Sirwa window marks the emplacement of hot hornblenditic arc-magmas into older arc massifs during the tectonic extrusion of the arc section. This late event is also related to intense melt production at different level of the arc contributing to differentiation of the whole arc complex. We thus interpreted the Asmlil complex as the final

  8. Petrography and geochemistry of magmatic units from the western cordillera of Ecuador (0 deg. 30'S): tectonic implications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cosma, L.; Mamberti, M.; Gabriele, P.; Desmet, A.

    1998-01-01

    The cost and western Cordillera of Ecuador are made of accreted oceanic terranes, separated from from the continental margin by a suture zone containing tectonic slices of mafic rocks. The western Cordillera contains three distinct magmatic units. Ultramafic and mafic cumulates from the suture zone (San Juan slice) represent likely the plutonic roots of oceanic plateau basalts. The mafic cumulates are LREE(depleted and Ta and Pb enriched (primitive mantle). Their Nd and Pb isotopic compositions suggest that they derived from an enriched OIB type mantle source. Pre-Coniacian arc-tholeiites present flat REE patterns, low Pb and Th contents, and high ξ Nd(T=100Ma) (+7.5 to + 7.9) which are indicative of their derivation from a mantle source. These arc-tholeiites developed likely in an intra-oceanic setting. The Eocene calc-alkaline lavas differ from the arc-tholeiites because they are LREE-enriched and have lower ξ Nd(T=50Ma) ratios. Their high Pb and Th contents are probably related to crustal assimilation during the magmas ascent. Their Pb isotopic compositions support involvement of subducted pelagic sediments in their genesis. These lavas represent likely the remnants of a continental calc-alkaline magmatic arc. The continental-arc setting of the Eocene lavas demonstrates that these volcanic rocks postdate the accretion of the western Cordillera, upon which they rest unconformably. Therefore, the accretion of the western Cordillera may have occurred in late Paleocene times, as for part of the oceanic terranes of coastal Ecuador. Nevertheless, the occurrence of a collisional event during late Santonian-early Campanian times is strongly suggested by: the arrival of detrital quartz on oceanic series of the western Cordillera by Campanian-Maastrichtian times, a regional unconformity locally dates early Campanian, the arc-jump observed on coastal Ecuador in Santonian times, and finally a thermal event recognised in the eastern Cordillera around 85-80 Ma. (authors)

  9. High precision ages from the Torres del Paine Intrusion, Chile

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michel, J.; Baumgartner, L.; Cosca, M.; Ovtcharova, M.; Putlitz, B.; Schaltegger, U.

    2006-12-01

    The upper crustal bimodal Torres del Paine Intrusion, southern Chile, consists of the lower Paine-Mafic- Complex and the upper Paine-Granite. Geochronologically this bimodal complex is not well studied except for a few existing data from Halpern (1973) and Sanchez (2006). The aim of this study is to supplement the existing data and to constrain the age relations between the major magmatic pulses by applying high precision U-Pb dating on accessory zircons and 40Ar/39Ar-laser-step-heating-ages on biotites from the Torres del Paine Intrusion. The magmatic rocks from mafic complex are fine to medium-grained and vary in composition from quartz- monzonites to granodiorites and gabbros. Coarse-grained olivine gabbros have intruded these rocks in the west. The granitic body is represented by a peraluminous, biotite-orthoclase-granite and a more evolved leucocratic granite in the outer parts towards the host-rock. Field observations suggest a feeder-zone for the granite in the west and that the granite postdates the mafic complex. Two granite samples of the outermost margins in the Northeast and South were analyzed. The zircons were dated by precise isotope-dilution U-Pb techniques of chemically abraded single grains. The data are concordant within the analytical error and define weighted mean 206/238U ages of 12.59 ± 0.03 Ma and 12.58 ± 0.01 Ma for the two samples respectively. A 40Ar/39Ar-age for the second sample yield a date of 12.37 ± 0.11 Ma. Three 40Ar/39Ar -ages of biotites were obtained for rocks belonging to the mafic complex. A hbl-bio- granodiorite from the central part, approximately 150 m below the subhorizontal contact with the granite, gives an age of 12.81 ± 0.11 Ma. A hbl-bio-granodiorite and an olivine-gabbro west of the feeder-zone date at 12.42 ± 0.14 Ma and 12.49 ± 0.11 Ma, respectively. The obtained older age of 12.81 Ma for the granodiorite in the central part is consistent with structural relationships of brittle fracturing of the mafic

  10. Early Archaean collapse basins, a habitat for early bacterial life.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nijman, W.

    For a better definition of the sedimentary environment in which early life may have flourished during the early Archaean, understanding of the basin geometry in terms of shape, depth, and fill is a prerequisite. The basin fill is the easiest to approach, namely from the well exposed, low-grade metamorphic 3.4 - 3.5 Ga rock successions in the greenstone belts of the east Pilbara (Coppin Gap Greenstone Belt and North Pole Dome) in West Australia and of the Barberton Greenstone Belt (Buck Ridge volcano-sedimentary complex) in South Africa. They consist of mafic to ultramafic volcanic rocks, largely pillow basalts, with distinct intercalations of intermediate to felsic intrusive and volcanic rocks and of silicious sediments. The, partly volcaniclastic, silicious sediments of the Buck Ridge and North Pole volcano-sedimentary complexes form a regressive-transgressive sequence. They were deposited close to base level, and experienced occasional emersion. Both North Pole Chert and the chert of the Kittys Gap volcano-sedimentary complex in the Coppin Gap Greenstone Belt preserve the flat-and-channel architecture of a shallow tidal environment. Thickness and facies distribution appear to be genetically linked to systems, i.e. arrays, of syn-depositionally active, extensional faults. Structures at the rear, front and bottoms of these fault arrays, and the fault vergence from the basin margin towards the centre characterize the basins as due to surficial crustal collapse. Observations in the Pilbara craton point to a non-linear plan view and persistence for the basin-defining fault patterns over up to 50 Ma, during which several of these fault arrays became superposed. The faults linked high-crustal level felsic intrusions within the overall mafic rock suite via porphyry pipes, black chert veins and inferred hydrothermal circulations with the overlying felsic lavas, and more importantly, with the cherty sediments. Where such veins surfaced, high-energy breccias, and in the

  11. Spatial distribution of Guaiacum sanctum (Zygophyllaceae seedlings and saplings relative to canopy cover in Palo Verde National Park, Costa Rica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eric J. Fuchs

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available The spatial distribution of individuals is a fundamental property of most species and constitutes essential information for the development of restoration and conservation strategies, especially for endangered plant species. In this paper we describe the spatial distribution of different size classes of the endangered tropical tree Guaiacum sanctum and the effect of canopy cover on spatial aggregation. Adult G. sanctum were located and mapped in a 50ha plot in Palo Verde National Park, Costa Rica. Seedlings, saplings and juveniles were mapped to the nearest centimetre and permanently marked in three 50x50m subplots. Within each subplot spatial aggregation was assessed using Ripley’s K statistic and canopy opening readings were performed every 5m using a densitometer. Kriging spatial interpolation and Monte Carlo simulations were used to determine if average canopy cover differed among size classes. Individuals of G. sanctum were spatially aggregated at all size classes with seedlings being the most frequent size class in all subplots. Seedlings were found predominantly in areas with significantly higher canopy cover. In contrast, juveniles were more likely found in areas with higher light availability. The high number of seedlings, saplings, and juveniles relative to adults suggests that populations of G. sanctum in PVNP are expanding. Light availability and canopy structure are important factors shaping the spatial distribution of this species. The contemporary demographic structure of G. sanctum is dependent on forest gap dynamics and changes in human disturbance during the past 25 years.

  12. Timing of mafic magmatism in the Tapajós Province (Brazil) and implications for the evolution of the Amazon Craton: evidence from baddeleyite and zircon U Pb SHRIMP geochronology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santos, João Orestes Schneider; Hartmann, Léo Afraneo; McNaughton, Neal Jesse; Fletcher, Ian Robert

    2002-09-01

    The precise timing and possible sources of the mafic rocks in the Amazon craton are critical for reconstruction of the Atlantica supercontinent and correlation of mafic magmatism worldwide. New SHRIMP U-Pb baddeleyite and zircon ages and the reinterpretation of 207 existing dates indicate one orogenic (Ingarana) and four postorogenic (Crepori, Cachoeira Seca, Piranhas, and Periquito) basaltic events in the Tapajós Province, south central Amazon craton. Orogenic gabbro dikes that host gold mineralization are 1893 Ma and interpreted as associated with the Ingarana gabbro intrusions of the bimodal calk-alkalic Parauari intrusive suite. The age of 1893 Ma can be used as a guide to discriminate older and mineralized orogenic dikes from younger and nonmineralized Crepori- and Cachoeira Seca-related mafic dikes. The baddeleyite U-Pb age of the postorogenic Crepori dolerite (gabbro-dolerite sills and dikes) is 1780±9 Ma, ˜150 my older than the ages provided by K-Ar. This value correlates well with the Avanavero tholeiitic intrusions in the Roraima group, in the northern part of the craton in Guyana, Venezuela, and Roraima in Brazil. Early Statherian tholeiitic magmatism was widespread not only in the Amazon craton, but also in the La Plata craton of southern South America, where it is known as the giant Piedra Alta swarm of Uruguay and the post-Trans-Amazonian dikes of Tandil in Argentina. The Cachoeira Seca troctolite represents laccoliths, Feixes, and São Domingos, whose baddeleyite U-Pb age is 1186±12 Ma, 120-150 my older than the known K-Ar ages. This age is comparable to other Stenian gabbroic rocks with alkalic affinity in the craton, such as the Seringa Formation in NE Amazonas and the basaltic flows of the Nova Floresta formation in Rondônia. Dolerite from the giant Piranhas dike swarm in the western Tapajós Province has a Middle Cambrian age (507±4 Ma, baddeleyite) and inherited zircons in the 2238-1229 Ma range. The Piranhas dikes fill extensional NNE and

  13. Rb-Sr, K-Ar, and stable isotope evidence for the ages and sources of fluid components of gold-bearing quartz veins in the northern Sierra Nevada foothills metamorphic belt, California

    Science.gov (United States)

    Böhlke, John Karl; Kistler, R. W.

    1986-01-01

    Gold-bearing quartz veins occur in and near major fault zones in deformed oceanic and island-arc rocks west of the main outcrop of the Sierra Nevada composite batholith. Veins typically occupy minor reverse faults that crosscut blueschist to amphibolite-grade metamorphic rocks whose metamorphic ages range from early Paleozoic to Jurassic. Vein micas and carbonate-quartz-mica assemblages that formed by hydrothermal metasomatism of ultramafic wall rocks in the Alleghany, Grass Valley, Washington, and Mother Lode districts yield concordant K-Ar and Rb-Sr ages. The dated veins are significantly younger than prograde metamorphism, penetrative deformation, and accretion of their host rocks to the continental margin. New and previously published mineralization ages from 13 localities in the Sierra foothills range from about 140 to 110 m.y. ago, with mean and median between 120 and 115 m.y. The age relations suggest that mineralizing fluids were set in motion by deep magmatic activity related to the resumption of east-dipping subduction along the western margin of North America following the Late Jurassic Nevadan collision event.CO 2 -bearing fluids responsible for metasomatism and much of the vein mica, carbonate, albite, and quartz deposition in several northern mines were isotopically heavy (delta 18 O [asymp] 8-14ppm; delta D between about -10 and -50ppm) and do not resemble seawater, magmatic, or meteoric waters. Metasomatic and vein-filling mica, dolomite, magnesite, and quartz in altered ultramafic rocks generally formed from fluids with similar Sr and O isotope ratios at a given locality. Consistent quartz-mica delta 18 O fractionations (delta 18 O (sub Q-M) = 4.5-4.9ppm) from various localities imply uniform equilibration temperatures, probably between 300 degrees and 350 degrees C. On a local (mine) scale, fluids responsible for both carbonate alteration of mafic and ultramafic wall rocks and albitic alteration of felsic and pelitic rocks had similar Sr isotope

  14. A hybrid composite dike suite from the northern Arabian Nubian Shield, southwest Jordan: Implications for magma mixing and partial melting of granite by mafic magma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jarrar, Ghaleb H.; Yaseen, Najel; Theye, Thomas

    2013-03-01

    The Arabian Nubian Shield is an exemplary juvenile continental crust of Neoproterozoic age (1000-542 Ma). The post-collisional rift-related stage (~ 610 to 542 Ma) of its formation is characterized among others by the intrusion of several generations of simple and composite dikes. This study documents a suite of hybrid composite dikes and a natural example of partial melting of granite by a mafic magma from the northernmost extremity of Arabian Nubian Shield in southwest Jordan. The petrogenesis of this suite is discussed on the basis of field, petrographic, geochemical, and Rb/Sr isotopic data. These dikes give spectacular examples of the interaction between basaltic magma and the granitic basement. This interaction ranges from brecciation, partial melting of the host alkali feldspar granite to complete assimilation of the granitic material. Field structures range from intrusive breccia (angular partially melted granitic fragments in a mafic groundmass) to the formation of hybrid composite dikes that are up to 14 m in thickness. The rims of these dikes are trachyandesite (latite) with alkali feldspar ovoids (up to 1 cm in diameter); while the central cores are trachydacite to dacite and again with alkali feldspar ovoids and xenoliths from the dike rims. The granitic xenoliths in the intrusive breccia have been subjected to at least 33% partial melting. A seven-point Rb/Sr isochron from one of these composite dikes yields an age of 561 ± 33 Ma and an initial 87Sr/86Sr ratio of 0.70326 ± 0.0003 (2σ) and MSWD of 0.62. Geochemical modeling using major, trace, rare earth elements and isotopes suggests the generation of the hybrid composite dike suite through the assimilation of 30% to 60% granitic crustal material by a basaltic magma, while the latter was undergoing fractional crystallization at different levels in the continental crust.

  15. The Grand Challenges of Organ Banking: Proceedings from the first global summit on complex tissue cryopreservation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewis, Jedediah K; Bischof, John C; Braslavsky, Ido; Brockbank, Kelvin G M; Fahy, Gregory M; Fuller, Barry J; Rabin, Yoed; Tocchio, Alessandro; Woods, Erik J; Wowk, Brian G; Acker, Jason P; Giwa, Sebastian

    2016-04-01

    The first Organ Banking Summit was convened from Feb. 27 - March 1, 2015 in Palo Alto, CA, with events at Stanford University, NASA Research Park, and Lawrence Berkeley National Labs. Experts at the summit outlined the potential public health impact of organ banking, discussed the major remaining scientific challenges that need to be overcome in order to bank organs, and identified key opportunities to accelerate progress toward this goal. Many areas of public health could be revolutionized by the banking of organs and other complex tissues, including transplantation, oncofertility, tissue engineering, trauma medicine and emergency preparedness, basic biomedical research and drug discovery - and even space travel. Key remaining scientific sub-challenges were discussed including ice nucleation and growth, cryoprotectant and osmotic toxicities, chilling injury, thermo-mechanical stress, the need for rapid and uniform rewarming, and ischemia/reperfusion injury. A variety of opportunities to overcome these challenge areas were discussed, i.e. preconditioning for enhanced stress tolerance, nanoparticle rewarming, cyroprotectant screening strategies, and the use of cryoprotectant cocktails including ice binding agents. Copyright © 2015.

  16. Rb-Sr geochronology and geochemical characteristics of mafic dikes in the Nova Lacerda and Conquista D'Oeste region, Mato Grosso, SW Amazonian Craton; Geocronologia Rb-Sr e caracteristicas geoquimicas dos diques maficos da regiao de Nova Lacerda e Conquista D'Oeste (MT), porcao sudoeste do Craton Amazonico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Costa, Paulo Cesar Correa da; Matos, Joao Batista de [Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT), Cuiaba, MT (Brazil). Dept. de Recursos Minerais; Grupo de Pesquisas em Evolucao Crustal e Metalogenia Guapore, Cuiaba, MT (Brazil)], e-mail: pccorrea@ufmt.br, e-mail: jmatos@cpd.ufmt.br; Girardi, Vicente Antonio Vitorio [Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), SP (Brazil). Inst. de Geociencias. Dept. de Mineralogia e Geotectonica], e-mail: girardi@usp.br; Ruiz, Amarildo Salina [Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT), Cuiaba, MT (Brazil). Dept. de Geologia Geral; Grupo de Pesquisas em Evolucao Crustal e Metalogenia Guapore, Cuiaba, MT (Brazil)], e-mail: asruiz@rc.unesp.br

    2009-07-01

    In the Nova Lacerda and Conquista D'Oeste regions, Mato Grosso State, SW part of the Amazonian Craton, mafic dikes trending NNW intrude the Nova Lacerda Granite (1462{+-}12 Ma), within the Jauru Domain, in the Rondonia-San Ignacio Province (1.55 - 1.3 Ga). The mafic swarm comprises diabases, metadiabases and amphibolites. Metadiabases originated from uralitization of diabases. These rocks have tholeiitic affinity and predominant basaltic composition. Some samples are andesi-basalts. The ages of diabases and metabasites are 1380 {+-} 32 Ma and 1330 {+-} 120 Ma respectively. Geochemical data indicate that the compositional variation of diabases and metadiadases is due to fractional crystallization of evolved tholeiitic magmas. The origin of the basaltic magmas is related to a heterogeneous mantle source. (author)

  17. Evidence for crustal recycling during the Archean: the parental magmas of the stillwater complex

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McCallum, I.S.

    1988-01-01

    The petrology and geochemistry of the Stillwater Complex, an Archean (2.7 Ga) layered mafic intrusion in the Beartooth Mountains of Montana, is discussed. Efforts to reconstruct the compositions of possible parental magmas and thereby place some constraints on the composition and history of their mantle source regions was studied. A high-Mg andesite or boninite magma best matches the crystallization sequences and mineral compositions of Stillwater cumulates, and represents either a primary magma composition or a secondary magma formed, for example, by assimilation of crustal material by a very Mg-rich melt such as komatiite. Isotopic data do not support the extensive amounts of assimilation required by the komatiite parent hypothesis, and it is argued that the Stillwater magma was generated from a mantle source that had been enriched by recycling and homogenization of older crustal material over a large area

  18. Radiological survey of the low-level radioactive waste burial site at the Palos Forest Preserve, Illinois

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayes, K.A.

    1982-01-01

    Two landfill sites containing low-level radioactive waste material, Site A and Plot M, are located 14 miles southwest of Chicago, Illinois in the Palos Forest Preserve. Site A is the former location of the Argonne National Laboratory. Buried at Site A in 1956 were the dismantled reactor shells, building walls, and cooling towers from three of the world's first nuclear reactors. Plot M was used from 1943 to 1949 for burial of low-level radioactive wastes derived from Site A operations and from the University of Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory. Tritiated water was detected in 1973 in some of the Forest Preserve picnic wells located 500 to 1000 yards north of Plot M. An extensive surveillance program was initiated in 1976 to: (1) study the elevated tritium content of some picnic wells and its observed seasonal fluctuations, (2) establish if other radionuclides buried in Plot M or remaining at Site A have migrated, (3) establish the rate of groundwater movement in the glacial till and underlying dolomite aquifer, (4) determine the tritium content of the till and aquifer, and (5) predict future tritium levels in the well water. Several test wells were installed in the soil and dolomite bedrock to monitor radioactivity in groundwater, measure water levels, and provide other geohydrological information. Tritium has migrated from the Plot M burial trenches into the surrounding drift. The tritium plume, the contaminated zone in the drift in which tritium concentrations exceed 10 nanocuries per liter of water (nCi/L), has migrated at least 165 feet horizontally northward and 130 feet vertically downward to the bedrock surface. Small amounts of other radionuclides - uranium, plutonium, and strontium-90 - have been found in boreholes beneath the concrete cap covering Plot M, but not in the subsoil outside of the Plot. The radionuclide concentrations found to date are too low to result in any measureable radiation exposure to the public

  19. Safety evaluation report related to the operation of Palo Verde nuclear generating station, Units 1, 2, and 3. Docket Nos. STN 50-528, STN 50-529, and STN 50-530, Arizona Public Service Company

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1982-05-01

    On November 13, 1981, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff issued its Safety Evaluation Report (SER) relating to the application for licenses to operate the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Unit Nos. 1, 2 and 3 (PVNGS 1-3); Supplement No. 1 to the SER was issued on February 4, 1982. In the SER and Supplement No. 1, the staff identified certain issues where either further information was required of the applicant or additional staff effort was necessary to complete the review of the application. The purpose of this supplement is to update the SER by providing (1) the evaluation of additional information submitted by the applicant since Supplement No. 1 to the SER was issued, and (2) the evaluation of the matters that the staff had under review and Supplement No. 1 was issued

  20. Do supercontinents introvert or extrovert?: Sm-Nd isotope evidence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brendan Murphy, J.; Damian Nance, R.

    2003-10-01

    In recent years, two end-member models for the formation of supercontinents have emerged. In the classical Wilson cycle, oceanic crust generated during supercontinent breakup (the interior ocean) is consumed during subsequent amalgamation so that the supercontinent turns “inside in” (introversion). Alternatively, following supercontinent breakup, the exterior margins of the dispersing continental fragments collide during reassembly so that the supercontinent turns “outside in” (extroversion). These end-member models can be distinguished by comparing the Sm-Nd crust-formation ages of accreted mafic complexes (e.g., ophiolites) in the collisional orogens formed during supercontinent assembly with the breakup age of the previous supercontinent. For supercontinents generated by introversion, these crust-formation ages postdate rifting of the previous supercontinent. For supercontinents generated by extroversion, the oceanic lithosphere consumed during reassembly predates breakup of the previous supercontinent, so that crust-formation ages of accreted mafic complexes are older than the age of rifting. In the Paleozoic Appalachian-Caledonide-Variscan orogen, a key collisional orogen in the assembly of Pangea, crust-formation ages of accretionary mafic complexes postdate the formation of the Iapetus Ocean (i.e., are younger than ca. 0.6 Ga), suggesting supercontinent reassembly by introversion. By contrast, the Neoproterozoic East African and Brasiliano orogens, which formed during the amalgamation of Gondwana, are characterized by mafic complexes with crust-formation ages (ca. 0.75 1.2 Ga) that predate the ca. 750 Ma breakup of Rodinia. Hence, these complexes must have formed from lithosphere in the exterior ocean that surrounded Rodinia, implying that this ocean was consumed during the amalgamation of Gondwana. These data indicate that Pangea and Gondwana were formed by introversion and extroversion, respectively, implying that supercontinents can be assembled

  1. Arsenic health risk assessment in drinking water and source apportionment using multivariate statistical techniques in Kohistan region, northern Pakistan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muhammad, Said; Tahir Shah, M; Khan, Sardar

    2010-10-01

    The present study was conducted in Kohistan region, where mafic and ultramafic rocks (Kohistan island arc and Indus suture zone) and metasedimentary rocks (Indian plate) are exposed. Water samples were collected from the springs, streams and Indus river and analyzed for physical parameters, anions, cations and arsenic (As(3+), As(5+) and arsenic total). The water quality in Kohistan region was evaluated by comparing the physio-chemical parameters with permissible limits set by Pakistan environmental protection agency and world health organization. Most of the studied parameters were found within their respective permissible limits. However in some samples, the iron and arsenic concentrations exceeded their permissible limits. For health risk assessment of arsenic, the average daily dose, hazards quotient (HQ) and cancer risk were calculated by using statistical formulas. The values of HQ were found >1 in the samples collected from Jabba, Dubair, while HQ values were pollution load was also calculated by using multivariate statistical techniques like one-way ANOVA, correlation analysis, regression analysis, cluster analysis and principle component analysis. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Petrographical, geochemical and petrological study of the xenoliths associating the basalt of (Southwest, Syria)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Safarjalani, A.; Nasir, S.

    1998-01-01

    Alkali basalt spread northeast part of Shamah volcanic field (Southwest of Syria) belonging to the Neogene and Quaternary ages, which are coexisted with a great quantity of mafic and ultramafic xenoliths and megacrysts. Field observations and data of geochemical and petrographical studies results, for xenoliths coexisted with alkali basalt speared over the northwest part of the arabian plate (Syria) indicate availability of a proper environment where various kinds of xenoliths of lower crustal and upper mantle were formed, this indicates that these xenoliths have been formed under different thermo barometric conditions. The study of available mineral para genesis and geothermobarometrics on coexisting minerals suggests equilibration conditions, ranging between 6-8 kba for pressure and 850-920 Centigrade for temperature, and that is for xenoliths of gabbroic nature formed in the lower crustal between 20-27 km depth. With regard to the formation conditions of the xenoliths formed in the upper mantle (Pyroxenite and Lherzolite); they rang between 13.5 - 14.5 kba for pressure and 950-1060 Centigrade for temperature. (Author)

  3. Application of K0-NAA in the Determination of Gold and other Trace Elements in Mineralized Rocks from El-Sid Gold District, Eastern Desert, Egypt

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El Abd, A.; Hamdy, M.; Mostafa, M.; El-Amir, M.

    2009-01-01

    K 0 - neutron activation analysis is an important method for multi-element analysis . The NAA k - 0 was used to determine the concentration of gold and some other trace elements in the mineralized mafic (gabro) and ultramafic (serpentinite) rocks from El-Sid gold district, Central Eastern Desert, Egypt . The samples were properly prepared together with the standards Au, Zr and Ni and simultaneously irradiated in the irradiation position 2, which is characterized with the neutron spectrum parameters a = -0.01 and f =20. After activation, the samples were subjected to gamma-ray spectrometry, using a high-purity germanium detection system and computerized multichannel analyzer. The concentrations of 25 elements, beside gold were determined. The results showed that the concentrations of incompatible elements including rare earth elements, large-ion lithophile elements (Rb, Sr, Th, Ba, Cs and Na) and high field strength elements (Ta, Hf and Zr), and the compatible elements (transition elements Co and Cr) are different from one sample to another. The results were briefly discussed within the text of this research work.

  4. Use of ERS-2 Sar and Landsat TM Images for Geological Mapping and Mineral Exploration Of Sol Hamid Area, South Eastern Desert, Egypt

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramadan, T.M.

    2003-01-01

    Sol hamid area is chiefy occupied by neo proterozoic rocks, partly covered by miocene sediments and recent sand sheets and dunes. The neo proterozoic rocks include ophiolitic ultramafic to mafic rocks, meta volcano-sedimentary rocks, meta volcanics, gabbros-diorite rocks, granodiorites, biotite granites and alkali granites. Magnesite, chromite, iron ores, manganese and barite ore deposits are hosted in different at the study area. ERS-2 SAR data enabled to obtain an image that reveals some buried fluvial features beneath the surface cover of desert sand. These features are not observable in Landsat TM image of similar resolution. In this work, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) technique was used for merging ERS-2 SAR and Landsat TM images to make use of the potential of data fusion technique of image processing in the interpretation of geological features. This procedure has resulted in enhancing subsurface structure such as faults that control distribution of several deposits in the study area. This study represents an example to demonstrate the utility of merging various remote sensing data for exploring mineral deposits in arid region

  5. U-Pb age of the Anuri dyke: paleoproterozoic potassic alkaline magmatism and implications for the Transamazonic orogeny in the Sao Francisco Craton

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Conceicao, Herbet; Rios, Debora Correia; Oberli, Felix

    2007-01-01

    The Anuri Syenitic Dyke (72 km 2 ) is the south representative of a 1000 km N-S alignment of syenitic dykes which occur at the East Bahia. As the others bodies, Anuri is essentially composed of hypersolvus ultrapotassic syenites, which show the records of its differentiation by the presence of mafic-ultramafic apatite-rich cumulates. Its crystallization age of 2095- 4 Ma (U-Pb zircao ) is quite similar with results obtained for the other syenitic dykes, which suggest that their intrusions occur almost at the same time, sincronically, after the Transamazonic Orogeny climax. The geochemical data reveal that Anuri syenites are Ba, Sr, P, LREE enriched and show negative anomalies of Ti and Nb, suggesting a mantelic source subduction related. The initial Sr ratio and ε Nd values confirms the presence of this anomalous mantle. These data suggest that at the end of Transamazonic Orogeny, at the Sao Francisco Craton, there were particular conditions which allow the generation of alkaline magmas through the melting of an EMI reservoir. (author)

  6. Poly-phase Deformation Recorded in the Core of the Coast Plutonic Complex, Western British Columbia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamblock, J. M.; Andronicos, C. L.; Hurtado, J. M.

    2006-05-01

    The Coast Plutonic Complex of western British Columbia constitutes the largest batholith within the North American Cordillera. The field area for this study is Mt. Gamsby, an unexplored region above the Kitlope River, east of the Coast Shear Zone and at the southern end of the Central Gneiss Complex. The dominant lithologies on Mt. Gamsby include amphibolite and metasedimentary gneiss, gabbro-diorite, and orthogneiss. The amphibolite gneiss contains alternating amphibolite and felsic layers, with chlorite and epidote pervasive in some regions and garnet rare. This unit is commonly migmatized and contains various folds, boudins, and shear zones. The metasedimentary gneiss contains quartz, k-spar, graphite, chlorite, and perhaps cordierite, but appears to lack muscovite and aluminosilicates. The gabbro-diorite is salt and pepper in color and contains ca. 50% pyroxene and plagioclase. The orthogneiss is light in color and plagioclase-rich, with a texture varying from coarse-grained and undeformed to mylonitic. In some regions, this unit contains abundant mafic enclaves. At least four deformational events (D1-4) are observed. The second generation of folding, F2, is dominant in the area and resulted in the production of a large synform during sinistral shearing. The S1 foliation is observed only in the amphibolite gneiss and is orthogonal to S2, creating mushroom- type fold interference patterns. S2 foliations strike NW-SE and dip steeply to the SW, suggesting SW-NE directed shortening. L2 lineations developed on S2 plunge shallowly to the NW and SE, implying strike-slip motion. Although both dextral and sinistral motions are indicated by shear band data, sinistral motion is dominant. The average right and left lateral shear band orientation is nearly identical to S2, suggesting that right and left lateral shearing were synchronous. Foliations within the orthogneiss are parallel to the axes of S2 folds and boudins in the amphibolite gneiss, suggesting that emplacement

  7. The geochronological data of South-Riograndense shield and its implications on geotectonic order

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soliani Junior, E.

    1986-01-01

    Based on 250 new radiometric analyses using K-Ar, Rb-Sr, Pb-Pb and Fission Tracks methods, all of them interpreted with the existing geochronological data, this paper divides the Rio Grande do Sul Shield (Southern Brazil) into geotectonic provinces, as well as presents the ages that seem to be of the major rock generator events. It is suggested that the Brasiliano Cycle (Upper Precambrian) was active during a time interval greater than has been thought and its chronological limits could be extended from 850 to 550 Ma with late and local magmatic episodes reaching the 450 Ma ago. Outcrops of Early Proterozoic or older terranes are rare, being the most areas related to the Late Proterozoic. These areas can be divided into two tectonic entities: (1) the Pelotas Batholit, a multi-intrusive and polyphase granitoid body, in the eastern shield, pointing out ages that range from 850 to 550 Ma and (2) its Marginal Basin in the west represented by supracrustal rocks such as gneisses, mafic-ultramafic and volcano-sedimentary sequences showing a complex structural pattern and green schists to amphibolite metamorphic facies. Their K-Ar and Rb-Sr ages are concentrated between 760 and 640 Ma, though values of 800 may be found. Polyphase granitic suites and their volcanic correspondents, sometimes interbabded with molassoid sediments, are being attributes to the 650 - 450 Ma time interval. Finally, it tries to enclose the Rio Grande do Sul Shield in the regional geologic context (Southern Brazil and Uruguay), which to supposed to have developed in agreement with the Plate Tectonic. (Author) [pt

  8. U-Pb geochronology documents out-of-sequence emplacement of ultramafic layers in the Bushveld Igneous Complex of South Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mungall, James E; Kamo, Sandra L; McQuade, Stewart

    2016-11-14

    Layered intrusions represent part of the plumbing systems that deliver vast quantities of magma through the Earth's crust during the formation of large igneous provinces, which disrupt global ecosystems and host most of the Earth's endowment of Pt, Ni and Cr deposits. The Rustenburg Layered Suite of the enormous Bushveld Igneous Complex of South Africa has been presumed to have formed by deposition of crystals at the floor of a subterranean sea of magma several km deep and hundreds of km wide called a magma chamber. Here we show, using U-Pb isotopic dating of zircon and baddeleyite, that individual chromitite layers of the Rustenburg Layered Suite formed within a stack of discrete sheet-like intrusions emplaced and solidified as separate bodies beneath older layers. Our U-Pb ages and modelling necessitate reassessment of the genesis of layered intrusions and their ore deposits, and challenge even the venerable concept of the magma chamber itself.

  9. Origin of the mafic microgranular enclaves (MMEs) and their host granitoids from the Tagong pluton in Songpan-Ganze terrane: An igneous response to the closure of the Paleo-Tethys ocean

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Qiong; Sun, Min; Zhao, Guochun; Yang, Fengli; Long, Xiaoping; Li, Jianhua; Wang, Jun; Yu, Yang

    2017-10-01

    The Songpan-Ganze terrane is mainly composed of a Triassic sedimentary sequence and late Triassic-Jurassic igneous rocks. A large number of plutons were emplaced as a result of tectono-magmatic activity related to the late stages of Paleo-Tethys ocean closure and ensuing collision. Granitoids and their hosted mafic enclaves can provide important constraints on the crust-mantle interaction and continental crustal growth. Mesozoic magmatism of Songpan-Ganze remains enigmatic with regard to their magma generation and geodynamic evolution. The Tagong pluton (209 Ma), in the eastern part of the Songpan-Ganze terrane, consists mainly of monzogranite and granodiorite with abundant coeval mafic microgranular enclaves (MMEs) (ca. 208-209 Ma). The pluton comprises I-type granitoid that possesses intermediate to acidic compositions (SiO2 = 61.6-65.8 wt.%), high potassium (K2O = 3.2-4.1 wt.%), and high Mg# (51-54). They are also characterized by arc-type enrichment of LREEs and LILEs, depletion of HFSEs (e.g. Nb, Ta, Ti) and moderate Eu depletions (Eu/Eu* = 0.46-0.63). Their evolved zircon Hf and whole-rock Nd isotopic compositions indicate that their precursor magmas were likely generated by melting of old lower continental crust. Comparatively, the MMEs have lower SiO2 (53.4-58.2 wt.%), higher Mg# (54-67) and show covariation of major and trace elements, coupled with field and petrographic observations, such as the disequilibrium textures of plagioclase and amphibole, indicating that the MMEs and host granitoids were originated from different magma sources but underwent mafic-felsic magma mixing process. Geochemical and isotopic data further suggest that the precursor magma of the MMEs was formed in the continental arc setting, mainly derived from an ancient metasomatized lithospheric mantle wedge. The Triassic granitoids from the Songpan-Ganze terrane show remarkable temporal-spatial-petrogenetic affinities to the counterparts of subduction zones in the Yidun and Kunlun arc

  10. Lu-Hf isotope constraints on plume-lithosphere interaction during emplacement of the Bushveld Large Igneous Province at 2.06 Ga: Implications for the structure and evolution of the Kaapvaal Craton's lithospheric mantle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zirakparvar, N. A.; Mathez, E. A.; Rajesh, H.; Vervoort, J. D.; Choe, S.

    2016-12-01

    The Bushveld Large Igneous Province (B-LIP) comprises a diverse array of >30 magma bodies that intruded the Kaapvaal Craton at 2.06 Ga. In this talk we use zircon and bulk-rock Lu-Hf isotope data to show that the B-LIP formed in response to the arrival of a plume(s) from the deep mantle. New zircon Hf isotope compositions for four B-LIP bodies yield intrusion-specific average ɛHf (2.06 Ga) values that range from -20.7 ± 2.8 to -2.7 ± 2.8, largely consistent with literature zircon data for other B-LIP intrusions. Bulk-rock solution ɛHf (2.06 Ga) values for a variety of B-LIP intrusions range from -2.1 ± 0.2 to -10.6 ± 0.2. Because the most radiogenic Hf isotope compositions across the entire B-LIP are nearly primordial with an ɛHf (2.06 Ga) close to 0, it is likely that the heat source of the B-LIP was a plume(s) from deep mantle. The Hf isotope data further suggests that individual intrusions in the B-LIP can be grouped into four categories based on their ultimate sources: 1) melts generated in subduction and plume modified continental lithospheric mantle; 2) melts generated by melting of a mafic-ultramafic reservoir composed of older ( 2.7 Ga) plume-related material trapped in the Kaapvaal lithosphere; 3) melts generated in the mid- to upper crust; and 4) melts generated from the 2.06 Ga mantle plume itself. The presence of 2.7 Ga mafic-ultramafic material in the Kaapvaal lithosphere may have acted to strengthen the lithosphere so that it was able to resist being dispered by the arrival of the B-LIP plume at 2.06 Ga. Because the B-LIP extends into a 2.7 Ga aged suture zone between the Kaapvaal and Zimbabwe cratons, it is also possible to understand the role of the lithospheric mantle in producing the Lu-Hf signatures observed in the various B-LIP intrusions as a function of two different types of the continental lithosphere: The very old lithosphere comprising the Kaapvaal Craton and the somewhat younger lithosphere comprising the suture zone. A basic

  11. Geology and geohydrology of the Palo Duro Basin, Texas Panhandle. Report on the progress of nuclear waste isolation feasibility studies, 1979

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gustavson, T.C.; Presley, M.W.; Handford, C.R.; Finley, R.J.; Dutton, S.P.; Baumgardner, R.W. Jr.; McGillis, K.A.; Simpkins, W.W.

    1980-01-01

    Since early 1977, the Bureau of Economic Geology has been evaluating several salt-bearing basins within the State of Texas as part of the national nuclear repository program. The Bureau, a research unit of The University of Texas at Austin and the State of Texas, is carrying out a long-term program to gather and interpret all geologic and hydrologic information necessary for description, delineation, and evaluation of salt-bearing strata in the Palo Duro and Dalhart Basins of the Texas Panhandle. The program in FY 79 has been subdivided into four broad research tasks, which are addressed by a basin analysis group, a surface studies group, a geohydrology group, and a host-rock analysis group. The basin analysis group has delineated the structural and stratigraphic framework of the basins, initiated natural resource assessment, and integrated data from 8000 ft (2400 m) of core material into salt-stratigraphy models. Salt depth and thickness have been delineated for seven salt-bearing stratigraphic units. Concurrently, the surface studies group has collected ground and remotely sensed data to describe surficial processes, including salt solution, slope retreat/erosion mechanisms, geomorphic evolution, and fracture system development. The basin geohydrology group has begun evaluating both shallow and deep fluid circulation within the basins. The newly formed host-rock analysis group has initiated study of cores from two drilling sites for analysis of salt and the various lithologies overlying and interbedded with salt units. This paper, a summary report of progress in FY 79, presents principal conclusions and reviews methods used and types of data and maps generated

  12. Source and Enrichment of Toxic Elements in Coal Seams around Mafic Intrusions: Constraints from Pyrites in the Yuandian Coal Mine in Anhui, Eastern China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yanfei An

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Pyrite, a mineral that can cause potential environmental issues in coal mining, is commonly found in coal seams around intrusions. In this paper, pyrites from the Yuandian Coal Mine (Huaibei Coalfield, Anhui, Eastern China were studied using SEM, Raman and LA-ICP-MS. The pyrite morphologic and geochemical data suggest that (1 four pyrite generations are present (framboidal sedimentary pyrites (Py I in the original coal, coarse-grained magmatic pyrites (Py II in the intruding diabase, fine-grained metamorphic pyrites (Py III in the intrusive contact aureole, and spheroid/vein hydrothermal pyrites (Py IV in the cokeite; and (2 concentrations of cobalt, nickel, arsenic, selenium, lead and copper in the metamorphic pyrites are much higher than the other pyrite generations. We propose that mafic magmatism is the main contributor of the toxic elements to the intrusion-related cokeite at Yuandian.

  13. Disequilibrium study of natural radionuclides of uranium and thorium series in cores and briny groundwaters from Palo Duro Basin, Texas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laul, J.C.; Smith, M.R.

    1988-05-01

    The concentrations of natural radionuclides of the 238 U and /232/Th series are reported in several cores and in ten deep and five shallow briny groundwaters from various formations in the Palo Duro Basin. The formations include Granite Wash, Pennsylvanian Granite Wash, Wolfcamp Carbonate, Pennsylvanian Carbonate, Seven River, Queen Grayburg, San Andres, Yates and Salado. The natural radionuclide data in cores suggest that the radionuclides have not migrated or been leached for at least a period of about 1 million years. Relative to the U and Th concentrations in cores, the brines are depleted by a factor of 10 4 to 10 5 , indicating extremely low solubility of U and Th in brines. The natural radionuclide data in brines suggest that radium is not sorbed significantly and thus not retarded in nine deep brines. Radium is somewhat sorbed in one deep brine of Wolfcamp Carbonate and significantly sorbed in shallow brines. Relative to radium, the U, Th, Pb, Bi, and Po radionuclides are highly retarded by sorption. The retardation factors for 228 Th range from 10 2 to 10 3 , whereas those for 230 Th and 234 U range from 10 3 to 10 5 , depending on the formation. The 234 U/ 238 U ratios in these brines are constant at about 1.5. The magnitude of the 234 U/ 230 Th ratio appears to reflect the degree of redox state of the aquifer's environment. The 234 U/ 230 Th ratio in nine deep brines is about unity, suggesting that U, like Th +4 , is in the +4 state, which in turn suggests a reduced environment. 49 refs., 23 figs., 18 tabs

  14. Intrusion of basaltic magma into a crystallizing granitic magma chamber: The Cordillera del Paine pluton in southern Chile

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michael, Peter J.

    1991-10-01

    The Cordillera del Paine pluton in the southernmost Andes of Chile represents a deeply dissected magma chamber where mafic magma intruded into crystallizing granitic magma. Throughout much of the 10x15 km pluton, there is a sharp and continuous boundary at a remarkably constant elevation of 1,100 m that separates granitic rocks (Cordillera del Paine or CP granite: 69 77% SiO2) which make up the upper levels of the pluton from mafic and comingled rocks (Paine Mafic Complex or PMC: 45 60% SiO2) which dominate the lower exposures of the pluton. Chilled, crenulate, disrupted contacts of mafic rock against granite demonstrate that partly crystallized granite was intruded by mafic magma which solidified prior to complete crystallization of the granitic magma. The boundary at 1,100 m was a large and stable density contrast between the denser, hotter mafic magma and cooler granitic magma. The granitic magma was more solidified near the margins of the chamber when mafic intrusion occurred, and the PMC is less disrupted by granites there. Near the pluton margins, the PMC grades upward irregularly from cumulate gabbros to monzodiorites. Mafic magma differentiated largely by fractional crystallization as indicated by the presence of cumulate rocks and by the low levels of compatible elements in most PMC rocks. The compositional gap between the PMC and CP granite indicates that mixing (blending) of granitic magma into the mafic magma was less important, although it is apparent from mineral assemblages in mafic rocks. Granitic magma may have incorporated small amounts of mafic liquid that had evolved to >60% SiO2 by crystallization. Mixing was inhibited by the extent of crystallization of the granite, and by the thermal contrast and the stable density contrast between the magmas. PMC gabbros display disequilibrium mineral assemblages including early formed zoned olivine (with orthopyroxene coronas), clinopyroxene, calcic plagioclase and paragasite and later-formed amphibole

  15. Effects of volcanic deposit disaggregation on exposed water composition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Back, W. E.; Genareau, K. D.

    2016-12-01

    Explosive volcanic eruptions produce a variety of hazards. Pyroclastic material can be introduced to water through ash fallout, pyroclastic flows entering water bodies, and/or lahars. Remobilization of tephras can occur soon after eruption or centuries later, introducing additional pyroclastic material into the environment. Introduction of pyroclastic material may alter the dissolved element concentration and pH of exposed waters, potentially impacting drinking water supplies, agriculture, and ecology. This study focuses on the long-term impacts of volcanic deposits on water composition due to the mechanical breakup of volcanic deposits over time. Preliminary work has shown that mechanical milling of volcanic deposits will cause significant increases in dissolved element concentrations, conductivity, and pH of aqueous solutions. Pyroclastic material from seven eruptions sites was collected, mechanically milled to produce grain sizes Soufriere Hills, Ruapehu), mafic (Lathrop Wells) and ultramafic (mantle xenoliths) volcanic deposits. Lathrop Wells has an average bulk concentration of 49.15 wt.% SiO2, 6.11 wt. % MgO, and 8.39 wt. % CaO and produces leachate concentrations of 85.69 mg/kg for Ca and 37.22 mg/kg for Mg. Taupo and Valles Caldera samples have a bulk concentration of 72.9 wt.% SiO2, 0.59 wt. % MgO, and 1.48 wt. % CaO, and produces leachate concentrations of 4.08 mg/kg for Ca and 1.56 mg/kg for Mg. Similar testing will be conducted on the intermediate and ultramafic samples to test the hypothesis that bulk magma composition and mineralogy will directly relate to the increased dissolved element concentration of exposed waters. The measured effects on aqueous solutions will aid in evaluation of impacts to marine and freshwater systems exposed to volcanic deposits.

  16. The provenance and Sm/Nd Model ages of siliciclastic supracrustal rocks of the Faina and Santa Rita Greenstone belts, Goias, Brazil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Resende, Marcelo Goncalves; Jost, Hardy; Lima, Bruno Eustaquio Moreira; Teixeira, Alexandre de Amorim

    1999-01-01

    The Faina and Santa Rita greenstone belts are two N 60 deg C W trending synclinoria separated by a N 30 deg C E strike-slip fault and rest allochtonous on the adjacent Uva and Caicara granite-gneiss complexes. The belts are made up of lower metakomatiites, followed by metabasalts and thick metasedimentary sequences deposited under contrasting paleogeographic settings. In Faina, the sequence consists of two complete shelf cycles, the first resting on basalts by an erosional unconformity. In Santa Rita, the basalts give gradually place to carbonaceous metashales, unconformably overlain by metarhythmites. Provenance based on trace element geochemistry, mineral chemistry of chloride and muscovite, source-are modeling and REE elements indicate that protoliths of the first shelf cycle of Faina and the carbonaceous metashales of Santa Rita formed under the influence of a source area dominated by mafic ultramafic rocks, whilst during the sedimentation of the second shelf cycle and the metarhythmites of Santa Rita the source-area was dominated by TTG granitoids. Sm-Nd model ages of the lower sedimentary packages vary between 3.0 and 2.8 Ga and the upper between 2.7 and 2.6 Ga. These intervals coincide, respectively, with the estimated age of the underlying, and with the Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr e U-Pb ages of the main granitoids and gneisses of the adjacent complexes. The same data indicate that, during the sedimentation of the first shelf cycle of Faina and the carbonaceous metashales of Santa Rita, both basins had independent source-areas, but shared the same source during the upper sections. Weathering nature and intensity of the source-area calculated by means of geochemical a data suggest that the dramatic change of provenance from the lower to the upper sections is due to the shift from tectonically stable to unstable regimes, interpreted as resulting from the emergence of the island arc whose roots are represented by the adjacent granite-gneiss complexes. (author)

  17. The provenance and Sm/Nd Model ages of siliciclastic supracrustal rocks of the Faina and Santa Rita Greenstone belts, Goias, Brazil; Proveniencia e idades modelo Sm/Nd das rochas siliciclasticas arqueanas dos greenstone belts de Faina e Santa Rita, Goias

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Resende, Marcelo Goncalves [Universidade Catolica de Brasilia, DF (Brazil); Jost, Hardy [Brasilia Univ., DF (Brazil). Inst. de Geociencias; Lima, Bruno Eustaquio Moreira; Teixeira, Alexandre de Amorim

    1999-09-01

    The Faina and Santa Rita greenstone belts are two N 60 deg C W trending synclinoria separated by a N 30 deg C E strike-slip fault and rest allochtonous on the adjacent Uva and Caicara granite-gneiss complexes. The belts are made up of lower metakomatiites, followed by metabasalts and thick metasedimentary sequences deposited under contrasting paleogeographic settings. In Faina, the sequence consists of two complete shelf cycles, the first resting on basalts by an erosional unconformity. In Santa Rita, the basalts give gradually place to carbonaceous metashales, unconformably overlain by metarhythmites. Provenance based on trace element geochemistry, mineral chemistry of chloride and muscovite, source-are modeling and REE elements indicate that protoliths of the first shelf cycle of Faina and the carbonaceous metashales of Santa Rita formed under the influence of a source area dominated by mafic ultramafic rocks, whilst during the sedimentation of the second shelf cycle and the metarhythmites of Santa Rita the source-area was dominated by TTG granitoids. Sm-Nd model ages of the lower sedimentary packages vary between 3.0 and 2.8 Ga and the upper between 2.7 and 2.6 Ga. These intervals coincide, respectively, with the estimated age of the underlying, and with the Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr e U-Pb ages of the main granitoids and gneisses of the adjacent complexes. The same data indicate that, during the sedimentation of the first shelf cycle of Faina and the carbonaceous metashales of Santa Rita, both basins had independent source-areas, but shared the same source during the upper sections. Weathering nature and intensity of the source-area calculated by means of geochemical a data suggest that the dramatic change of provenance from the lower to the upper sections is due to the shift from tectonically stable to unstable regimes, interpreted as resulting from the emergence of the island arc whose roots are represented by the adjacent granite-gneiss complexes. (author)

  18. Seismic properties of the Longmen Shan complex: Implications for the moment magnitude of the great 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Shengsi; Ji, Shaocheng; Wang, Qian; Wang, Hongcai; Long, Changxing; Salisbury, Matthew

    2012-09-01

    The 12 May 2008 Wenchuan earthquake is the largest active tectonic event reported to date in Sichuan (China). We have experimentally calibrated, up to 800 MPa, seismic and elastic properties of 12 representative samples from the Longmen Shan complex in which this great earthquake took place and its coseismic ruptures nucleated and propagated. Most of the samples show little Vp or Vs anisotropy at pressures above the microcrack-closure pressure (Pc = 200-300 MPa), and so the variation of anisotropy with pressure provides important hints for the preferred orientation of microcracks in the nonlinear poroelastic regime below Pc. Geothermal and rheological profiles indicate that the focal depth (~ 19 km) corresponds to the base of the schizosphere, below which the Longmen Shan complex switches from the brittle to ductile behavior. The investigation reveals that the crust of the Longmen Shan range consists of 4 layers from the surface to the Moho: Layer 1: Vp < 4.88 km/s (0-3 km thick, sedimentary rocks such as limestone, sandstone, conglomerate, and mudstone); Layer 2: Vp = 5.95-6.25 km/s (25-28 km thick, felsic rocks); Layer 3: Vp = 6.55 km/s (10 km thick, 67.5% felsic and 32.5% mafic rocks); and Layer 4: Vp = 6.90 km/s (8 km thick, 20.0% felsic and 80.0% mafic rocks). The average Vp/Vs ratio of 1.71 or Poisson's ratio of 0.24 calculated for the whole crust is consistent with the results measured using teleseismic receiver function techniques. This study also offers necessary information for broadband simulations of strong ground motions in the assessment and forecast of earthquake hazards in the region. Furthermore, the study, which yields a moment magnitude of 7.9-8.0 given the variation in the dip of the coseismic ruptures and the uncertainty in the depth to which the coseismic rupture may propagate downwards below the depth of the mainshock hypocenter, presents the first accurate quantification of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake's size.

  19. 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of terrestrial pyroxene

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ware, Bryant; Jourdan, Fred

    2018-06-01

    Geochronological techniques such as U/Pb in zircon and baddeleyite and 40Ar/39Ar on a vast range of minerals, including sanidine, plagioclase, and biotite, provide means to date an array of different geologic processes. Many of these minerals, however, are not always present in a given rock, or can be altered by secondary processes (e.g. plagioclase in mafic rocks) limiting our ability to derive an isotopic age. Pyroxene is a primary rock forming mineral for both mafic and ultramafic rocks and is resistant to alteration process but attempts to date this phase with 40Ar/39Ar has been met with little success so far. In this study, we analyzed pyroxene crystals from two different Large Igneous Provinces using a multi-collector noble gas mass spectrometer (ARGUS VI) since those machines have been shown to significantly improve analytical precision compared to the previous single-collector instruments. We obtain geologically meaningful and relatively precise 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages ranging from 184.6 ± 3.9 to 182.4 ± 0.8 Ma (2σ uncertainties of ±1.8-0.4%) and 506.3 ± 3.4 Ma for Tasmanian and Kalkarindji dolerites, respectively. Those data are indistinguishable from new and/or published U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar plagioclase ages showing that 40Ar/39Ar dating of pyroxene is a suitable geochronological tool. Scrutinizing the analytical results of the pyroxene analyses as well as comparing them to the analytical result from plagioclase of the same samples indicate pure pyroxene was dated. Numerical models of argon diffusion in plagioclase and pyroxene support these observations. However, we found that the viability of 40Ar/39Ar dating approach of pyroxene can be affected by irradiation-induced recoil redistribution between thin pyroxene exsolution lamellae and the main pyroxene crystal, hence requiring careful petrographic observations before analysis. Finally, diffusion modeling show that 40Ar/39Ar of pyroxene can be used as a powerful tool to date the formation age of mafic

  20. Near-field receiving water monitoring of trace metals and a benthic community near the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant in south San Francisco Bay, California: 2011

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dyke, Jessica; Thompson, Janet K.; Cain, Daniel J.; Kleckner, Amy E.; Parcheso, Francis; Luoma, Samuel N.; Hornberger, Michelle I.

    2012-01-01

    Trace-metal concentrations in sediment and in the clam Macoma petalum (formerly reported as Macoma balthica), clam reproductive activity, and benthic macroinvertebrate community structure were investigated in a mudflat 1 kilometer south of the discharge of the Palo Alto Regional Water Quality Control Plant (PARWQCP) in South San Francisco Bay, Calif. This report includes the data collected by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists for the period January 2011 to December 2011. These data serve as the basis for the City of Palo Alto's Near-Field Receiving Water Monitoring Program, initiated in 1994. Following significant reductions in the late 1980s, silver (Ag) and copper (Cu) concentrations in sediment and M. petalum appear to have stabilized. Data for other metals, including chromium, mercury, nickel, selenium, and zinc, have been collected since 1994. Over this period, concentrations of these elements have remained relatively constant, aside from seasonal variation that is common to all elements. In 2011, concentrations of Ag and Cu in M. petalum varied seasonally in response to a combination of site-specific metal exposures and annual growth and reproduction, as reported previously. Seasonal patterns for other elements, including Cr, Hg, Ni, Se, and Zn, were generally similar in timing and magnitude as those for Ag and Cu. In 2011, metal concentrations in both sediments and clam tissue were among the lowest concentrations on record. This record suggests that regional-scale factors now largely control sedimentary and bioavailable concentrations of Ag and Cu, as well as other elements of regulatory interest, at the Palo Alto site. Analyses of the benthic community structure of a mudflat in South San Francisco Bay over a 38-year period show that changes in the community have occurred concurrent with reduced concentrations of metals in the sediment and in the tissues of the biosentinel clam, M. petalum, from the same area. Analysis of the M. petalum community