Engineering aspects of weathered dolomite in an arid zone     

F. C. Beavis 《Australian Journal of Earth Sciences》2013,60(1-2):191-204

Two bores were drilled in the weathered zone of a Precambrian dolomite at Fowler's Gap, 100 km N of Broken Hill, New South Wales. Five weathering units have been distinguished: fresh dolomite; weathered dolomite, type B; weathered dolomite, type A; ferricrete; and surface hardened dolomite. Physical and mechanical properties show variation throughout the weathering profile, and are related to the fabric of the rock, especially to the fracturing intensity, which is a function of degree of weathering; and to secondary surface silicification. A tentative engineering classification of the weathered dolomite is proposed.  相似文献   

Advances in understanding the Kombolgie Subgroup and unconformity-related uranium deposits in the Alligator Rivers Uranium Field and how to explore for them using lithogeochemical principles     

P. A. Polito  T. K. Kyser  P. Alexandre  E. E. Hiatt  C. R. Stanley 《Australian Journal of Earth Sciences》2013,60(5):453-474

The Alligator Rivers Uranium Field (ARUF) includes the mined and unmined Jabiluka, Ranger, Koongarra and Nabarlek unconformity-related uranium deposits and several small prospects including the newly discovered King River prospect. Uranium mineralisation is hosted by a variety of metamorphosed Nimbuwah Domain lithologies that are unconformably overlain by the Kombolgie Subgroup, a basin package of unmetamorphosed arenites and mafic volcanics. All of the uranium deposits and prospects preserve an identical alteration assemblage that is subdivided into a distal and proximal alteration zone. The distal alteration zone comprises an assemblage of sericite and chlorite that replace albite and amphibole. In some cases, this alteration can be traced >1000 m from the proximal alteration zone that is dominated by uraninite, hematite, chlorite and sericite. Uranium precipitated in the basement as uraninite at 1680 Ma at around 200°C from a fluid having δ¹⁸O_fluid values of 3.0±2.8‰ and δD_fluid values of ?28±13‰ VSMOW reflecting an evolved marine source. These geochemical properties are indistinguishable from those recorded by diagenetic illite and chlorite that were collected from the Kombolgie Subgroup sandstones across the ARUF. The illite and chlorite formed in diagenetic aquifers, and where these aquifers intersected favourable basement rocks, such as those containing graphite or other reductants, U was precipitated as uraninite. Therefore, it is proposed that the Kombolgie Subgroup is the source for fluids that formed the deposits. A post-ore alteration assemblage dominated by chlorite, but also comprising quartz±dolomite±sulfide veins cut the uranium mineralisation at all deposits and has historically been recorded as part of the syn-ore mineralisation event. However, these minerals formed anywhere between 1500 to 630 Ma from fluids that have distinctly lower δ¹⁸O_fluid values around 1.5‰ and lower δD_fluid values around ?45‰ reflecting a meteoric water origin. Despite unconformity-related uranium deposits having a large alteration halo, they remain difficult to find. The subtle alteration of albite to sericite several hundred metres from mineralisation occurs in isolation of any increase in trace elements such as U and radiogenic Pb and can be difficult or impossible to identify in hand specimen. Whole rock geochemical data indicate that Pearce Element Ratio (PER) analysis and General Element Ratio (GER) analysis may vector into this subtle alteration because it does not rely on an increase in trace elements to identify proximity to ore. PER and GER plots, Al/Ti vs (2Ca + Na + K)/Ti, Na/Al vs (Na + K)/Al, K/Al vs (Na + K)/Al and (Fe + Mg)/Al vs (Na + K)/Al provide a visual guide that readily distinguish unaltered from altered samples. A plot of (Na + K)/Al and (Fe + Mg)/Al on the x-axis against the concentration of trace elements on the y-axis reveals that U, Pb, Mo, Cu, B, Br, Ce, Y, Li, Ni, V and Nd are associated with the most intensely altered samples. The lithogeochemical vectors should aid explorers searching for uranium mineralisation in a prospective basin environment, but exploration must first focus on the characteristics of the basin to assess its mineralisation potential. A holistic model that describes the evolution of the Kombolgie Subgroup from deposition through diagenesis to formation of the uranium deposits in the underlying basement rocks is presented and has application to other basins that are considered prospective for unconformity-related uranium deposits. The model outlines that explorers will need to consider the thickness of the sedimentary pile, its lithological composition relative to depositional setting, the depth to which the sediments were buried during diagenesis and the degree of diagenesis achieved, which may be time dependant, before deciding on the prospectivity of the basin.  相似文献   

Further evidence for ∼8 kbar amphibolite facies metamorphism in the Marymia Inlier,Western Australia     

M. F. Gazley  J. K. Vry  M. A. Pearce 《Australian Journal of Earth Sciences》2013,60(7):919-926

Pressure estimates for amphibolite-facies metamorphism at Plutonic Gold Mine (Plutonic), Marymia Inlier, Western Australia, were recently revised significantly upwards from ～4 ± 2 kbar/550–600°C to ≥8 kbar/～600°C, based on the calculated stability fields for mineral assemblages in garnet-free mafic rocks. These conditions are anomalous in the context of the Yilgarn Craton. Here, we present new mineral equilibria calculations for rare garnet-bearing rock types from Plutonic that confirm those higher pressure estimates, and provide confidence that the determinations of metamorphic conditions based only on results from metamorphosed mafic rocks are robust and reliable. Taken together, the new estimates (7.3–8.2 kbar/580–590°C) from the garnet-bearing rocks, and the existing results from the mafic rocks, provide evidence that, most probably during the late Archean, rocks now exposed along the northern margin of the Yilgarn Craton underwent substantial increases in pressure, which was likely followed by rapid exhumation.  相似文献   

Fluvial architecture and diagenesis of the Mt Eclipse Sandstone,northern Ngalia Basin,Australia     

S. Schmid  M. A. Quigley 《Australian Journal of Earth Sciences》2013,60(8):1081-1094

The Upper Devonian to Carboniferous Mt Eclipse Sandstone is a basin-wide host to uranium mineralisation in the Ngalia Basin, NT. The fluvial depositional architecture and diagenesis of the Mt Eclipse Sandstone at the Bigrlyi uranium deposit on the northern margin of the basin are deduced from hyperspectral mineral results captured from 200 drill holes, combined with core and outcrop observations across a ~10 km strike length. The succession hosting the uranium mineralisation is interpreted to be deposited in the lower parts of a mature alluvial fan system with low slope angle and dominated by immature, kaolinised, medium-grained subarkosic sandstones and patchy calcite cement. This study reveals the fluvial channel sequence is estimated to be 3 km wide, 100–200 m thick and sourced from the north. This multidisciplinary study also uncovers the complex interaction and codependencies between fluvial/groundwater activity, evaporation, oxidation, fluctuating pH and detrital mineralogy controlling early diagenetic processes in the alluvial fan sediments. Carbon isotope data identify calcite cements as groundwater calcrete, while strontium isotope data suggest limited prolonged water–rock interaction prior and during calcite cementation. The petrographic data reveal the importance of early calcite cement occluding all pore space and preserving detrital minerals from later diagenetic processes. The hyperspectral results highlight the intermittent distribution of the calcite cement and the commonly repetitive mineralogical zonation throughout the 200 drill holes, including the inverse spatial correlation between kaolinite ± goethite ± gypsum vs white mica ± hematite dominated zones. X-ray diffraction and the hyperspectral data reveal the scarcity of early diagenetic clay minerals such as montmorillonite. This paper is the first to report on a systematic mineralogical and sedimentological study for the Mt Eclipse Sandstone. By focusing on the diagenesis and fluvial architecture of this stratigraphic unit, a framework to support exploration for sediment-hosted uranium deposits is established.  相似文献   

Sedimentary record of the northward flight of India and its collision with Eurasia (Ladakh Himalaya,India)     

Eduardo Garzanti  Aymon Baud  Georges Mascle 《Geodinamica Acta》2013,26(4-5):297-312

Abstract

— Stratigraphic and petrographic analysis of the Cretaceous to Eocene Tibetan sedimentary succession has allowed us to reinterpret in detail the sequence of events which led to closure of Neotethys and continental collision in the NW Himalaya.

During the Early Cretaceous, the Indian passive margin recorded basaltic magmaüc activity. Albian volcanic arenites, probably related to a major extensional tectonic event, are unconformably overlain by an Upper Cretaceous to Paleocene carbonate sequence, with a major quartzarenite episode triggered by the global eustatic sea-level fall at the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary. At the same time, Neotethyan oceanic crust was being subducted beneath Asia, as testified by calc-alkalic volcanism and forearc basin sedimentation in the Transhimalayan belt.

Onset of collision and obduction of the Asian accretionary wedge onto the Indian continental rise was recorded by shoaling of the outer shelf at the Paleocene/Eocene boundary, related to flexural uplift of the passive margin. A few My later, foreland basin volcanic arenites derived from the uplifted Asian subduction complex onlapped onto the Indian continental terrace. All along the Himalaya, marine facies were rapidly replaced by continental redbeds in collisional basins on both sides of the ophiolitic suture. Next, foreland basin sedimentation was interrupted by fold-thrust deformation and final ophiolite emplacement.

The observed sequence of events compares favourably with theoretical models of rifted margin to overthrust belt transition and shows that initial phases of continental collision and obduction were completed within 10 to 15 My, with formation of a proto-Himalayan chain by the end of the middle Eocene.  相似文献   

Revolution in earth history     

A. F. Trendall 《Australian Journal of Earth Sciences》2013,60(3):287-311

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An investigation of recharge to the northern Adelaide plains aquifers using environmental tritium     

G. B. Allison  J. W. Holmes  M. W. Hughes 《Australian Journal of Earth Sciences》2013,60(4):497-500

Recharge to the Quaternary aquifers beneath the Northern Adelaide Plains was estimated to be 3.9 x 10⁶ m³/year using the environmental tritium concentration of water samples taken from suitably sited boreholes. Recharge to the Tertiary aquifers was estimated to be 0.4 x 10⁶m³/year, by the same isotopic techniques. These results may be compared with a total recharge by leakage through the beds of streams which cross the plain, estimated by the South Australian Department of Mines to be 6.4 x 10⁶ m³/year.  相似文献   

新疆冰草沟矿床铀、磷相关性研究     

周宏伟  党龙  张利 《新疆地质》2012,30(2):221-225

北天山褶皱带博格达复背斜南翼二叠系含磷砂岩、粉砂岩,华力西晚期安山玢岩中发育大量铀异常矿化点,冰草沟矿床在该区铀、磷成矿特征研究程度较高。通过对冰草沟矿床铀、磷矿化特征、赋存部位与矿体空间关系进行对比,结合铀、磷化学成因与成矿期联系,认为铀、磷矿为同体共生关系,在该区具综合找矿意义。  相似文献   

Uranium Metallogenic Regionalization and Resource Potential in China     

LI Ziying  ZHANG Jindai  JIAN Xiaofei  CAI Yuqi  GUO Qingyin  ZHU Pengfei 《《地质学报》英文版》2012,86(3):547-554

This paper work is within the framework of the project Evaluation on Uranium Resources Potential in China funded by the Chinese Government and many thanks to Prof. Chen Yuchuan, Prof. Ye Tianzhu, Prof. Wang Ruijiang, Mr. Wang Quanmin, Mr. Lü Xiaoming and Mr. Wang Yuqing, etc. for their supports.  相似文献   

西南地区黑色岩系铀成矿作用及成因模式探讨   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

倪师军  徐争启  张成江  宋昊  罗超 《地球科学进展》2012,27(10):1035-1042

西南地区广泛分布黑色岩系,主要分布于上震旦统—下寒武统、志留系、二叠系和三叠系,其中以上震旦统—下寒武统为主,次为志留系。西南地区黑色岩系中分布有众多的铀矿床、铀矿点和铀矿化点,但铀矿床相对较少。西南地区黑色岩系中典型的矿床有四川若尔盖铀矿床(510)、贵州白马硐铀矿床(504)和广西大新铀矿床(373)。这3个富大铀矿床具有许多相似的特点,与深大断裂有关,也与岩性有关,同时还与岩浆—流体活动有关。西南地区黑色岩系沉积和成岩期初步富集较高含量的铀,是西南地区黑色岩系铀成矿的前奏。后期改造作用和叠加成矿的方式及规模,是西南地区黑色岩系中铀矿大矿和富矿形成的必要条件。西南地区黑色岩系中形成富大铀矿需要经过"三部曲":①前奏:沉积作用形成铀含量高值区(铀异常),②改造:浅源流体改造形成铀的再富集(出现铀矿点、小型或中型矿床),③叠加:深源流体叠加和改造形成富大矿(大型铀矿床)。  相似文献