Characterisation of primary and secondary carbonates in hypabyssal kimberlites: an integrated compositional and Sr-isotopic approach     

Castillo-Oliver  Montgarri  Giuliani  Andrea  Griffin  William L.  O&#;Reilly  Suzanne Y. 《Mineralogy and Petrology》2018,112(2):555-567

Carbonates in fresh hypabyssal kimberlites worldwide have been studied to understand their origin [i.e. primary magmatic (high T) versus deuteric (‘low T’) versus hydrothermal/alteration (‘low T’)] and identify optimal strategies for petrogenetic studies of kimberlitic carbonates. The approach presented here integrates detailed textural characterisation, cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging, in situ major- and trace-element analysis, as well as in situ Sr-isotope analysis. The results reveal a wide textural diversity. Calcite occurs as fine-grained groundmass, larger laths, segregations, veins or as a late crystallising phase, replacing olivine or early carbonates. Different generations of carbonates commonly coexist in the same kimberlite, each one defined by a characteristic texture, CL response and composition (e.g., variable Sr and Ba concentrations). In situ Sr isotope analysis revealed a magmatic signature for most of the carbonates, based on comparable ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values between these carbonates and the coexisting perovskite, a robust magmatic phase. However, this study also shows that in situ Sr isotope analysis not always allow distinction between primary (i.e., magmatic) and texturally secondary carbonates within the same sample. Carbonates with a clear secondary origin (e.g., late-stage veins) occasionally show the same moderately depleted ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of primary carbonates and coexisting perovskite (e.g., calcite laths-shaped crystals with ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values identical within uncertainty to those of vein calcite in the De Beers kimberlite). This complexity emphasises the necessity of integrating detailed petrography, geochemical and in situ Sr isotopic analyses for an accurate interpretation of carbonate petrogenesis in kimberlites. Therefore, the complex petrogenesis of carbonates demonstrated here not only highlights the compositional variability of kimberlites, but also raises concerns about the use of bulk-carbonate C-O isotope studies to characterise the parental melt compositions. Conversely, our integrated textural and in situ study successfully identifies the most appropriate (i.e. primary) carbonates for providing constraints on the isotopic parameters of parental kimberlite magmas.

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Trace‐element signatures of apatites in granitoids from the Mt Isa Inlier,northwestern Queensland     

E. A. Belousova  S. Walters  W. L. Griffin  S. Y. O'Reilly 《Australian Journal of Earth Sciences》2013,60(4):603-619

The concentrations of trace elements in apatite from granitoid rocks of the Mt Isa Inlier have been investigated using the laser‐ablation inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS) microprobe. The results indicate that the distribution of trace elements (especially rare‐earth elements (REE), Sr, Y, Mn and Th) in apatite strongly reflects the chemical characteristics of the parental rock. The variations in the trace‐element concentrations of apatite are correlated with parameters such as the SiO₂ content, oxidation state of iron, total alkalis and the aluminium saturation index (ASI). The relative enrichment of Y, HREE and Mn and the relative depletion of Sr in the apatites studied reflect the degree of fractionation of the host granite. Apatites from strongly oxidised plutons tend to have higher concentrations of LREE relative to MREE. Manganese concentrations are higher in apatite from reduced granitoids because Mn²⁺substitutes directly for Ca²⁺. The La/Ce ratio of apatite is well‐correlated with the whole‐rock K²O and Na²O contents, as well as with the oxidation state and ASI. Because apatite trace‐element composition reflects the chemistry of the whole rock, it can be a useful indicator mineral for the recognition of mineralised granite suites, where particular mineralisation styles are associated with granitoids that have specific geochemical fingerprints.  相似文献   

Chronology of the pressure-temperature history recorded by a granulite terrain   总被引：5，自引：1，他引：5  

A. S. Cohen  R. K. O'Nions  R. Siegenthaler  W. L. Griffin 《Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology》1988,98(3):303-311

Coronite-bearing anorthositic granulites consisting of olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, garnet and plagioclase assemblages are particularly well preserved at Gaupås and Holsnöy in the Bergen Arc of West Norway. The coronites are considered to have formed near T= 900° C and P=10 Kb by two stages of subsolidus reaction from an anorthositic gabbro parent. The first reaction involved ol+plagcpxI+opxI+sp and the second cpxI+opxI+sp+plcpxII+opxII+gn. The incomplete reaction products are preserved to varying extents in different corona structures. Sm-Nd isotopic data for each of four coronas yield precise isochrons, and demonstrate isochronism both between the constituent phases of the corona assemblages and dispersed ground mass phases. Three individual coronas not associated with shear zones yield ages of 907±9 my, 912±18 my and 905±37 my. Eclogite facies mineralogy is developed locally in shear zones, which are shown by Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr analyses to be Caledonian in age. Where relict corona structures survive unsheared within these zones, Nd exchange between the constituent phases cannot be resolved. This observation together with sympathetic Ca/Mg and Sm/Nd zoning preserved at T900° C in the garnet mantles of coronites places a limit on the diffusivity of Nd in pyropic garnets which is no higher than published experimental values for Mg in pyrope-almandine garnets. Consequently even in slowly-cooled granulite terrains, garnet grains are expected to yield Sm-Nd chronologies very close to the time of mineral growth.  相似文献   

Limitations and feasibility of the land disposal of organic solvent-contaminated wastes     

W. R. Roy  R. A. Griffin  J. K. Mitchell  R. A. Mitchell 《Environmental Geology》1989,13(3):225-231

The limitations and feasibility of the land disposal of solid wastes containing organic solvents and refrigerants (chlorinated fluorocarbons) were investigated by evaluating the attenuation capacity of a hypothetical waste-disposal site by numerical modeling. The basic theorem of this approach was that the land disposal of wastes would be environmentally acceptable if subsurface attenuation reduced groundwater concentrations of organic compounds to concentrations that were less than health-based, water-quality criteria. Computer simulations indicated that the predicted concentrations of 13 of 33 organic compounds in groundwater would be less than their health-based criteria. Hence, solid wastes containing these compounds could be safely disposed at the site. The attenuation capacity of the site was insufficient to reduce concentrations of four compounds to safe levels without limiting the amount of mass available to leach into groundwater. Threshold masses based on time-dependent migration simulations were estimated for these compounds. The remaining 16 compounds, which consisted mainly of chlorinated hydrocarbons and fluorocarbons could not be safely landfilled without severe restrictions on the amounts disposed. These organic compounds were candidates to ban from land disposal.  相似文献   

Crystal features of supergene gold at Hannan South,Western Australia     

L. M. Lawrance  B. J. Griffin 《Mineralium Deposita》1994,29(5):391-398

Deep weathering of basalt-hosted sulphidic gold mineralisation has resulted in remobilisation of the gold and the formation of a supergene deposit. The deposit occurs beneath an ephemeral lake system and is at least partially saturated by highly saline groundwater. A general downward movement of an iron redox front associated with the weathering has controlled the distribution of the gold and its morphology. It is unusual in that the high fineness gold crystals formed are coarse and well-preserved. Small octahedra, up to 50 μm, are the most abundant form of gold crystals but large, up to 3 mm, octahedral plates are common. Crystal morphology variations described here suggest that the gold is initially precipitated as euhedral octahedra and plates. Subsequent dissolution and recrystallisation associated with fluctuations in the chemical environment above the redox front has led to the development of the more common irregular dendritic or wire gold forms observed in other supergene deposits.  相似文献   

Geology-based conditional simulation in the Athabasca oil sands deposit,Alberta, Canada     

R. Dimitrakopoulos  W. H. Griffin 《Natural Resources Research》1993,2(1):49-61

The Athabasca oil sands deposit, Alberta, Canada, is one of the largest known hydrocarbon accumulations. The efficient exploitation of this deposit, as well as other oil sand accumulations throughout the world, is based onin situ recovery and surface mining methods. Quantitative modeling of deposit heterogeneity provides a valuable engineering tool. In the present study, conditional simulation was used to model oil-saturated zones in part of the Athabasca deposit. This technique generates equiprobable models of thein situ variability of essential deposit attributes that honor the available data and their spatial statistics. The application of the technique is based on the delineation of geologically homogeneous zones within the host McMurray Formation, their statistical validity, and the integration of geological interpretations. The geological framework is developed, and subsequently, high resolution conditionally simulated models of three identified hydrocarbon-bearing zones are generated, in terms of the zone boundaries and the percent weight of oil saturation. These models serve as “what-if” tools for risk assessment and future planning.  相似文献   

Residence of trace elements in metasomatized spinel lherzolite xenoliths: a proton-microprobe study   总被引：19，自引：0，他引：19  

Suzanne Y. O'Reilly  W. L. Griffin  C. G. Ryan 《Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology》1991,109(1):98-113

Minerals occurring in dry and modally metasomatized spinel lherzolites from western Victoria have been analysed by proton microprobe for Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Ba, Pb, Br, rare-earth elements (REE), Th and U. Mass-balance calculations demonstrate that these trace elements are contained in specific acceptor minerals and do not occur in significant concentrations at clean grain boundaries. The level of particular trace elements in the rock depends on the presence of specific phases: for example high levels of REE, Sr (and U, Th, Br) require apatite, while Ba, Nb and Ta are strongly concentrated in amphibole±mica. Mantle metasomatism in these spinel lherzolites is inferred to result from an open-system process involving infiltration of fluids released by crystallizing silicate melts. This process produces metasomatic zones with different modal mineralogy and hence greatly different trace-element signatures. The data demonstrate that large-ion-lithophile (LIL) and high-field strength (HFS) elements in metasomatized spinel lherzolites are strongly concentrated in non-refractory phases, which will break down easily in heated volumes such as the walls of magma conduits. The heterogeneity observed in trace-element patterns of intraplate alkali basaltic rocks may not reflect source heterogeneity, but may result largely from contamination by metasomatized mantle wall rock. The K_Ds for most trace elements show little temperature dependence except for K_DSr between orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene where K_D decreases with increasing temperature. The generally uniform K_Ds can be used to test for disequilibrium in such assemblages.  相似文献   

The trapped fluid phase in upper mantle xenoliths from Victoria,Australia: implications for mantle metasomatism   总被引：5，自引：0，他引：5  

T. Andersen  Suzanne Y. O'Reilly  W. L. Griffin 《Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology》1984,88(1-2):72-85

Mantle-derived xenoliths of spinel lherzolite, spinel pyroxenite, garnet pyroxenite and wehrlite from Bullenmerri and Gnotuk maars, southwestern Victoria, Australia contain up to 3 vol.% of fluids trapped at high pressures. The fluid-filled cavities range in size from fluid inclusions (1–100 m) up to vugs 11/2 cm across, lined with euhedral high-pressure phases. The larger cavities form an integral part of the mosaic microstructure. Microthermometry and Raman laser microprobe analysis show that the fluids are dominantly CO₂. Small isolated inclusions may have densities 1.19 g/cm³, but most inclusions show microstructural evidence of partial decrepitation during eruption, and these have lower fluid densities. Mass-spectrometric analysis of gases released by crushing or heating shows the presence of He, N₂, Ar, H₂S, CO_s and SO₂ in small quantities; these may explain the small freezing-point depressions observed in some inclusions. Petrographic, SEM and microprobe studies show that the trapped fluids have reacted with the cavity walls (in clinopyroxene grains) to produce secondary amphiboles and carbonates. The trapped CO₂ thus represents only a small residual proportion of an original volatile phase, which has undergone at least two stages of modification — first by equilibration with spinel lherzolite to form amphibole (±mica±apatite), then by limited reaction with the walls of the fluid inclusions. The inferred original fluid was a CO₂-H₂O mixture, with significant contents of (at least) Cl and sulfur species. Generation of this fluid phase in the garnet-peridotite stability field, followed by its migration to the spinel peridotite stability field, would provide an efficient mechanism for metasomatic enrichment of the upper mantle in LIL elements. This migration could involve either a volatile flux or transport in small volumes of silicate melt that crystallize in the spinel peridotite field. These observations suggest that some portions of the subcontinental upper mantle contain large reservoirs of free fluid CO₂, which may be liberated during episodes of rifting or magmatism, to induce granulite-facies metamorphism of the lower crust.  相似文献   

Superdeep diamonds from the Juina area, Mato Grosso State, Brazil   总被引：4，自引：1，他引：3  

F. Kaminsky  O. Zakharchenko  R. Davies  W. Griffin  G. Khachatryan-Blinova  A. Shiryaev 《Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology》2001,140(6):734-753

Alluvial diamonds from the Juina area in Mato Grosso, Brazil, have been characterized in terms of their morphology, syngenetic mineral inclusions, carbon isotopes and nitrogen contents. Morphologically, they are similar to other Brazilian diamonds, showing a strong predominance of rounded dodecahedral crystals. However, other characteristics of the Juina diamonds make them unique. The inclusion parageneses of Juina diamonds are dominated by ultra-high-pressure ("superdeep") phases that differ both from "traditional" syngenetic minerals associated with diamonds and, in detail, from most other superdeep assemblages. Ferropericlase is the dominant inclusion in the Juina diamonds. It coexists with ilmenite, Cr-Ti spinel, a phase with the major-element composition of olivine, and SiO₂. CaSi-perovskite inclusions coexist with titanite (sphene), "olivine" and native Ni. MgSi-perovskite coexists with TAPP (tetragonal almandine-pyrope phase). Majoritic garnet occurs in one diamond, associated with CaTi-perovskite, Mn-ilmenite and an unidentified Si-Mg phase. Neither Cr-pyrope nor Mg-chromite was found as inclusions. The spinel inclusions are low in Cr and Mg, and high in Ti (Cr₂O₃<36.5 wt%, and TiO₂>10 wt%). Most ilmenite inclusions have low MgO contents, and some have very high (up to 11.5 wt%) MnO contents. The rare "olivine" inclusions coexisting with ferropericlase have low Mg# (87-89), and higher Ca, Cr and Zn contents than typical diamond-inclusion olivines. They are interpreted as inverted from spinel-structured (Mg, Fe)₂Si₂O₄. This suite of inclusions is consistent with derivation of most of the diamonds from depths near 670 km, and adds ilmenite and relatively low-Cr, high-Ti spinel to the known phases of the superdeep paragenesis. Diamonds from the Juina area are characterized by a narrow range of carbon isotopic composition ('¹³C=-7.8 to -2.5‰), except for the one majorite-bearing diamond ('¹³C=-11.4‰). There are high proportions of nitrogen-free and low-nitrogen diamonds, and the aggregated B center is predominant in nitrogen-containing diamonds. These observations have practical consequences for diamond exploration: Low-Mg olivine, low-Mg and high-Mn ilmenite, and low-Cr spinel should be included in the list of diamond indicator minerals, and the role of high-Cr, low-Ti spinel as the only spinel associated with diamond, and hence as a criterion of diamond grade in kimberlites, should be reconsidered.  相似文献   

Lithosphere formation in the central Slave Craton (Canada): plume subcretion or lithosphere accretion?     

Sonja Aulbach  William L. Griffin  Norman J. Pearson  Suzanne Y. O’Reilly  Buddy J. Doyle 《Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology》2007,154(4):409-427

Major-element compositions of minerals in peridotite xenoliths from the Lac de Gras kimberlites provide constraints on the mode of lithosphere formation beneath the central Slave Craton, Canada. Magnesia contents of reconstructed whole rocks correlate positively with NiO and negatively with CaO contents, consistent with variable partial melt extraction. Alumina and Cr₂O₃ contents are broadly positively correlated, suggestive of melt depletion in the absence of a Cr–Al phase. Garnet modes are high at a given Al₂O₃ content (a proxy for melt depletion), falling about a 7 GPa melt depletion model. These observations, combined with high olivine Mg# and major-element relationships of FeO-poor peridotites (<7.5 wt%) indicative of melt loss at pressures >3 GPa (residual FeO content being a sensitive indicator of melt extraction pressure), and similar high pressures of last equilibration (∼4.2 to 5.8 GPa), provide multiple lines of evidence that the mantle beneath the central Slave Craton has originated as a residue from high-pressure melting, possibly during plume subcretion. Apparent low melt depletion pressures for high-FeO peridotites (>7.5 wt%) could suggest formation in an oceanic setting, followed by subduction to their depth of entrainment. However, these rocks, which are characterised by low SiO₂ contents (<43 wt%), are more likely to be the result of post-melting FeO-addition, leading to spuriously low estimates of melt extraction pressures. They may have reacted with a silica-undersaturated melt that dissolved orthopyroxene, or experienced olivine injection by crystallising melts. A secular FeO-enrichment of parts of the deep mantle lithosphere is supported by lower average Mg# in xenolithic olivine (91.7) compared to olivine inclusions in diamond (92.6).  相似文献