Classification of distinct eruptive phases of the diamondiferous Star kimberlite, Saskatchewan, Canada based on statistical treatment of whole rock geochemical analyses     

E.C. Grunsky  B.A. Kjarsgaard 《Applied Geochemistry》2008,23(12):3321-3336

Discrete eruptive events of the Star kimberlite, Saskatchewan, Canada have been classified into five distinctive clusters using statistical methods applied to whole rock geochemical data. The data set consists of 270 kimberlite samples from 38 drill holes that were analysed for whole rock major- and trace-element geochemistry. The data set was analysed by multivariate statistical techniques after a log-ratio transformation, including principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis. Data analysis using principal component analysis recognized five distinct classes, confirmed by petrographic study, which correspond to unique mineralogical compositions. Based on relationships from detailed drill core logging results, these five geochemical classes are the Cantuar, Pense, early Joli Fou (eJF), mid Joli Fou (mJF) and late Joli Fou (lJF) equivalent age eruptive phases of the Star kimberlite. Subsequent statistical analysis utilizing linear discriminant analysis supports the distinctions between the classes. For the four kimberlite eruptive phases (Pense, early Joli Fou, mid Joli Fou and late Joli Fou) for which there is macrodiamond data from bulk sampling, there is an excellent correlation between the amount of lithospheric mantle contamination (as defined by the geochemistry) and the diamond grade.  相似文献   

Discussion of “Geology and diamond distribution of the 140/141 kimberlite, Fort à la Corne, central Saskatchewan, Canada”, by A. Berryman, B.H. Scott-Smith and B.C. Jellicoe (Lithos v. 76, p. 99–114)     

Bruce A. Kjarsgaard  Dale A. Leckie  John-Paul Zonneveld 《Lithos》2007,97(3-4):422-428

A wide variety of geological data and geological observations by numerous geoscientists do not support a two-stage crater excavation and in-fill model, or a champagne glass-shaped geometry for the 169 or 140/141 kimberlite bodies in the Fort à la Corne kimberlite field, Saskatchewan as described by Berryman, A., Scott Smith, B.H., Jellicoe, B., (2004). Rather, these kimberlite bodies are best described as polygenetic kimberlite tephra cones and tuff rings with associated feeder vents of variable geometry as shown by previous workers for the 169 kimberlite, the 140/141 kimberlite and the Star kimberlite. The domal tephra cone geometry is preserved due to burial by conformable Cretaceous marine mudstones and siltstones and is not an artifact of Quaternary glacial processes.  相似文献   

The geology of kimberlite pipes of the Ekati property, Northwest Territories, Canada     

Tom Nowicki  Barbara Crawford  Darren Dyck  Jon Carlson  Ross McElroy  Peter Oshust  Herb Helmstaedt 《Lithos》2004,76(1-4):1-27

This paper reviews key characteristics of kimberlites on the Ekati property, NWT, Canada. To date 150 kimberlites have been discovered on the property, five of which are mined for diamonds. The kimberlites intrude Archean basement of the central Slave craton. Numerous Proterozoic diabase dykes intrude the area. The Precambrian rocks are overlain by Quaternary glacial sediments. No Phanerozoic rocks are present. However, mudstone xenoliths and disaggregated sediment within the kimberlites indicate that late-Cretaceous and Tertiary cover (likely <200 m) was present at the time of emplacement. The Ekati kimberlites range in age from 45 to 75 Ma. They are mostly small pipe-like bodies (surface area mostly <3 ha but up to 20 ha) that typically extend to projected depths of 400–600 m below current surface. Pipe morphologies are strongly controlled by joints and faults. The kimberlites consist primarily of variably bedded volcaniclastic kimberlite (VK). This is dominated by juvenile constituents (olivine and lesser kimberlitic ash) and variable amounts of exotic sediment (primarily mud), with minor amounts of xenolithic wall-rock material (generally <5%). Kimberlite types include: mud-rich resedimented VK (mRVK); olivine-rich VK (oVK); sedimentary kimberlite; primary VK (PVK); tuffisitic kimberlite (TK) and magmatic kimberlite (MK). The presence and arrangement of these rock types varies widely. The majority of bodies are dominated by oVK and mRVK, but PVK is prominent in the lower portions of certain kimberlites. TK is rare. MK occurs primarily as precursor dykes but, in a few cases, forms pipe-filling intrusions. The internal geology of the kimberlites ranges from simple single-phase pipes (RVK or MK), to complex bodies with multiple, distinct units of VK. The latter include pipes infilled with steep, irregular VK blocks/wedges and at least one case in which the pipe is occupied by well-defined sub-horizontal VK phases, including a unique, 100-m-thick graded sequence. The whole-rock compositions of VK samples suggest significant loss of kimberlitic fines during eruption followed by variable dilution by surface sediment and concurrent incorporation of kimberlitic ash. Diamond distribution within the kimberlites reflects the amount and nature of mantle material sampled by individual kimberlite phases, but is modified considerably by eruption and depositional processes. The characteristics of the Ekati kimberlites are consistent with a two-stage emplacement process: (1) explosive eruption/s causing vent clearing followed by formation of a significant tephra rim/cone of highly fragmented, olivine-enriched juvenile material with varying amounts of kimberlitic ash and surface sediments (predominantly mud); and (2) infilling of the vent by direct deposition from the eruption column and/or resedimentation of crater rim materials. The presence of less fragmented, juvenile-rich PVK in the lower portions of certain pipes and the intrusion of large volumes of MK to shallow levels in some bodies suggest emplacement of relatively volatile-depleted, less explosive kimberlite in the later stages of pipe formation and/or filling. Explosive devolatilisation of CO₂-rich kimberlite magma is interpreted to have been the dominant eruption mechanism, but phreatomagmatism is thought to have played a role and, in certain cases, may have been dominant.  相似文献   

The crater-facies kimberlite system of Tokapal, Bastar District, Chhattisgarh, India     

Datta Mainkar  Bernd Lehmann  Stephen E. Haggerty 《Lithos》2004,76(1-4):201-217

Discovery of diamondiferous kimberlites in the Mainpur Kimberlite Field, Raipur District, Chhattisgarh in central India, encouraged investigation of similar bodies in other parts of the Bastar craton. The earlier known Tokapal ultramafic intrusive body, located beyond the 19-km milestone in Tokapal village along the Jagdalpur–Geedam road, was reinterpreted as crater-facies kimberlite. Its stratigraphic position in the Meso-Neoproterozoic intracratonic sedimentary Indravati basin makes it one of the oldest preserved crater-facies kimberlite systems. Ground and limited subsurface data (dug-, tube-wells and exploratory boreholes) have outlined an extensive surface area (>550 ha) of the kimberlite. The morphological and surface color features of this body on enhanced satellite images suggest that there is a central feeder surrounded by a collar and wide pyroclastic apron. Exploration drilling indicates that the central zone probably corresponds to a vent overlain by resedimented volcaniclastic (epiclastic) rocks that are surrounded by a 2-km-wide spread of pyroclastic rocks (lapilli tuff, tuff/ash beds and volcaniclastic breccia). Drill-holes also reveal that kimberlitic lapilli tuffs and tuffs are sandwiched between the Kanger and Jagdalpur Formations and also form sills within the sedimentary sequence of the Indravati basin. The lapilli tuffs are commonly well stratified and display slumping. Base surges and lava flows occur in the southern part of the Tokapal system. The geochemistry and petrology of the rock correspond to average Group I kimberlite with a moderate degree of contamination. However, the exposed rock is intensely weathered and altered with strong leaching of mobile elements (Ba, Rb, Sr). Layers of vesicular fine-grained glassy material represent kimberlitic lava flows. Tuffs containing juvenile lapilli with pseudomorphed olivine macrocrysts are set in a talc–serpentine–carbonate matrix with locally abundant spinel and sphene. Garnet has not been observed, and phlogopite is very rare. Very limited microdiamond testing (two 18-kg samples) proved negative; however, the composition of chromite grains indicate crystallization in the diamond stability field.  相似文献   

Geology and diamond distribution of the 140/141 kimberlite, Fort à la Corne, central Saskatchewan, Canada     

Adrian K. Berryman  Barbara H. Scott Smith  Brent C. Jellicoe   《Lithos》2004,76(1-4):99-114

The Cretaceous age Fort à la Corne (FALC) kimberlite province comprises at least 70 bodies, which were emplaced near the edge of the Western Canadian Interior Seaway during cycles of marine transgression and regression. Many of the bodies were formed during a marine regression by a two-stage process, firstly the excavation of shallow, but wide, craters and then subsequent infilling by xenolith-poor, crater-facies, subaerial, primary pyroclastic kimberlite. The bodies range in size up to 2000 m in diameter but are mainly less than 200 m thick and thus comprise relatively thin, but high volume, pyroclastic kimberlite deposits. Each body is composed of contrasting types of kimberlite reflecting different volcanic histories and, therefore, are considered separately.

The 140/141 kimberlite is the largest delineated body in the province, estimated to have an areal extent below glacial Quaternary sediments in excess of 200 ha. The infilling of the 140/141 crater is complex, resulting from multiple phases of kimberlite. The central part of the infill is dominated by several contrasting phases of kimberlite. One of these phases is a primary pyroclastic airfall mega-graded bed up to 130 m in thickness. The constituents grade in size from very fine to coarse macrocrystic kimberlite, through to a basal breccia. The mega-graded bed is a widespread feature within parts of the body examined to date and at this current stage of evaluation appears to explain a variable diamond distribution within a tested portion of the pipe. A second different phase of kimberlite is interpreted as representing a younger nested crater within the mega-graded bed. Centrally located thicker intersections (>450 m) of this younger kimberlite may indicate a vent for the kimberlite crater. The thickness of the mega-graded bed increases with proximity to the younger kimberlite in the study area.

Macrodiamond minibulk sample grades from the mega-graded bed have been obtained from nine large diameter drill holes, located within the northwest part of the body from an area of 20 ha, which represents approximately 10% of the currently modeled kimberlite outline. Diamond grade increases with depth within the mega-graded bed and also increases, within the same unit, towards the centrally positioned younger kimberlite. Macrodiamond sample grades vary from low at the top of the mega-graded bed, to considerably higher grades near the base. Total sample grade per drill hole varies from moderate near the vent feature to lower grades 200–300 m from the vent feature. Macrodiamond stone frequency measured in stones per tonne shows a pronounced relationship with depth and proximity to the vent feature within the mega-graded bed. There is a strong correlation between depth and increased stones per tonne, and a similar correlation between stones per tonne and proximity to the vent feature. The data supports the emplacement model of the mega-graded bed and, in turn, this information is useful in understanding the macrodiamond distribution within this bed.  相似文献   

长白山天池地区全新世以来火山活动及其特征   总被引：10，自引：0，他引：10  

刘祥  隋维国  向天元  王锡魁 《第四纪研究》2004,24(6):638-644

长白山火山全新世规模最大的喷发活动发生在公元1199-1200年,即800年前的大爆发,被确定为普林尼或布里尼(Plinian)式喷发。这次大爆发形成体积巨大的、分布广泛的以空中降落堆积物为主的火山喷发碎屑堆积物,在长白山火山周围,远至日本都留下了地质记录。文章辨认并划分了这次大爆发火山碎屑物的成因类型:火山喷发空中降落堆积物(airfalltephra)、火山碎屑流(pyroclasticflow)状堆积物和火山泥流(lahar)堆积物,并且点、面结合,近、远和国内、国外兼顾,分析了这些火山碎屑物的主要特征、分布和相互关系,进而确定这些火山碎屑物分别属于两次普林尼式爆发。第1次(早期)普林尼式爆发称赤峰期,火山喷发模式为:普林尼式喷发柱(赤峰空落浮岩层)-火山碎屑流(长白山火山碎屑流层),随即主要由火山碎屑流诱发火山泥流(二道白河火山泥流层);第2次(晚期)普林尼式爆发称园池期,喷发模式为:普林尼式喷发柱(园池空落浮岩火山灰层)-火山碎屑流(冰场火山碎屑流层)。在层序上将气象站期碱流岩置于800年前大爆发火山碎屑物之下是正确的,其时代为晚更新世-全新世早期。  相似文献   

Use of magnetic signatures to correlate tephra layers in Holocene loessial soil profiles from a small region, SE Iceland     

Dunsheng Xia  Xi Chun  Jan Bloemendal  Richard C. Chiverrell  Fahu Chen 《Environmental Geology》2007,51(8):1425-1437

Rock magnetic measurements have been applied to two adjacent loessial soil sections from a small region, SE Iceland. The soils are composed of reworked locally derived sediment (including airfall tephra) and also contain several visible discrete airfall tephra layers. The main magnetic minerals in the airfall tephras are ferrimagnetic (e.g. magnetite) with paramagnetic minerals also present. The main magnetic grain sizes in the tephras are pseudo single domain. The results show that individual tephras do not have unique magnetic signatures that can be used for identification and correlation between sedimentary sequences. However, a correlation of tephra layers was achieved through the application of statistical techniques to a comprehensive dataset of magnetic parameters. Similarity coefficients and Euclidian distance measures were used to identify the best correlation between tephra layers in the two soil profiles. The technique works well providing some tephras present within both profiles have been formally identified (e.g. Oraefajokulla ad 1362) using electron microprobe analyses. Given this initial framework, the statistical analyses of the magnetic parameters can help in the identification and correlation of unknown tephras between two soil profiles.  相似文献   

Multi-element characterisation of glass shards from stratigraphically correlated rhyolitic tephra units     

R. Howorth  P.C. Rankin 《Chemical Geology》1975,15(4):239-250

Late Quaternary rhyolitic tephra units, erupted from the Taupo Volcanic Zone, North Island, New Zealand, were sampled from four stratigraphically correlated sections. Nineteen glass-shard separates from these tephra units were analysed by spark-source mass spectrometry. Data for the rare earth and other trace elements are presented. A statistical analysis of these data suggests an identification and correlation of the samples which is similar to the field-determined stratigraphy.Massive airfall tephra units that have been deposited during a single eruptive episode appeared to be more uniform in elemental concentrations than either multiple-bedded airfall tephra units, or tephra units comprising both airfall and airflow material which were considered to result from multiple-phase eruptions.The rare-earth element chondrite-normalised patterns showed enrichment of the lighter elements compared with the heavier elements. A notable Eu deficiency was recognised which was consistent with the model for enrichment of Eu in the plagioclase feldspars in acidic magma.  相似文献   

Volcanic Hazard in New Zealand: Scaling and Attenuation Relations for Tephra fall deposits from Taupo Volcano   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

Rhoades  D. A.  Dowrick  D. J.  Wilson  C. J. N. 《Natural Hazards》2002,26(2):147-174

This paper is a first step in developing a probabilistic hazard model for tephra fall deposits in New Zealand. The database consists of measurements of tephra thickness and eruptive volumefrom 32 past eruptive events at Taupo Volcano. From these are derivedrelations for the mean and maximum tephra thickness as a function ofevent volume and distance from the vent, and for the area enclosed byan isopach as a function of tephra thickness and volume. Thedirectional effects due to wind do not vary appreciably over thevolcanic region of New Zealand. The main feature of wind velocity is aflow to the east that becomes more consistent at higher altitudes. Thelarger the eruption, the more the location of the deposit of maximumthickness (the centre of deposit) tends to be displaced to the east ofvent. A directional attenuation relation about the centre of deposit isderived from the Taupo data. This, in combination with arelation for the position of the centre of deposit relative to thevent, provides a means of estimating the probability of a giventhickness of tephra fall deposit being exceeded at any distance anddirection from the vent in an eruption of given volume.  相似文献   

Alert system to mitigate tephra fallout hazards at Mt. Etna Volcano,Italy     

Salvatore Alparone  Daniele Andronico  Tiziana Sgroi  Ferruccio Ferrari  Luigi Lodato  Danilo Reitano 《Natural Hazards》2007,43(3):333-350

Volcanic eruptions may create a wide range of risks in inhabited areas and, as a consequence, major economic damage to the surrounding territory. An example of volcanic hazard was given between 1998 and 2001 by Mt. Etna volcano, in Italy, with its frequent paroxysmal explosive activity that caused more than a hundred fire-fountain episodes. In the period January–June 2000, in particular, 64 lava fountains took place at the Southeast Crater. During the most intense explosive phase of each episode, a sustained column often formed, reaching up to 6 km above the eruptive vent. Then, the column started to expand laterally causing more or less copious tephra fallout on the slopes of Etna; ash and lapilli, therefore, constituted a serious danger for vehicular and air traffic. A software and hardware warning system was developed to mitigate the volcanic hazard indicating the areas affected by potential ash and lapilli fallout. The alert system was mainly based on the good correspondence between the pattern of volcanic tremor amplitude and the evolution of explosive activity. When a fixed tremor threshold was exceeded, a semiautomatic process started to send faxes to Civil Defence and Municipalities directly affected by tephra fallout, together with information on wind directions from the Meteorological Office. The application of this methodology, during the last 14 eruptive episodes in 2000 and the 14 events occurred in 2001, demonstrated the good correspondence between the forecasts on the areas affected by tephra fallout and the effective tephra distribution on land. Despite the integrity of the performance provided by the alert system, small discrepancies occurred in the technical procedure of alerting, for which possible solutions have been discussed. The improvement of this type of system, could become basic for the Etnean region and be proposed for similar volcanic areas throughout the world.  相似文献