The Crater Mountain Deposit,Papua New Guinea: Porphyry‐related Au–Te System     

Shadrach K. Noku  Masahide Akasaka  Hiroharu Matsueda 《Resource Geology》2011,61(1):63-75

Ore mineralization and wall rock alteration of Crater Mountain gold deposit, Papua New Guinea, were investigated using ore and host rock samples from drill holes for ore and alteration mineralogical study. The host rocks of the deposit are quartz‐feldspar porphyry, feldspar‐hornblende porphyry, andesitic volcanics and pyroclastics, and basaltic‐andesitic tuff. The main ore minerals are pyrite, sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite and moderate amounts of tetrahedrite, tennantite, pyrrhotite, bornite and enargite. Small amounts of enargite, tetradymite, altaite, heyrovskyite, bismuthinite, bornite, idaite, cubanite, native gold, CuPbS₂, an unidentified Bi‐Te‐S mineral and argentopyrite occur as inclusions mainly in pyrite veins and grains. Native gold occurs significantly in the As‐rich pyrite veins in volcanic units, and coexists with Bi‐Te‐S mineral species and rarely with chalcopyrite and cubanite relics. Four mineralization stages were recognized based on the observations of ore textures. Stage I is characterized by quartz‐sericite‐calcite alteration with trace pyrite and chalcopyrite in the monomict diatreme breccias; Stage II is defined by the crystallization of pyrite and by weak quartz‐chlorite‐sericite‐calcite alteration; Stage III is a major ore formation episode where sulfides deposited as disseminated grains and veins that host native gold, and is divided into three sub‐stages; Stage IV is characterized by predominant carbonitization. Gold mineralization occurred in the sub‐stages 2 and 3 in Stage III. The fS₂ is considered to have decreased from ～10^?2 to 10^?14 atm with decreasing temperature of fluid.  相似文献   

Structure of an active foreland fold and thrust belt,Papua New Guinea     

M. S. Craig  K. Warvakai † 《Australian Journal of Earth Sciences》2013,60(5):719-738

Geological structure of the active foreland fold and thrust belt of Papua New Guinea has been interpreted using high-quality seismic-reflection data. Three en échelon anticlines, the Strickland, Cecilia and Wai Asi, are located along the frontal margin of the Papuan Fold Belt. All three are foreland-vergent and cut by hinterland-dipping thrust faults that sole into a common detachment beneath the Oligocene to Miocene Darai Limestone. Two of the anticlines are linked by a right-lateral transfer zone. Folding occurs primarily in the upper 2000 m of strata, which consist of Darai Limestone overlain by Miocene to Quaternary siliciclastic sedimentary rocks. Beneath the Darai Limestone lies the less-competent shaly Ieru Formation, which exhibits disharmonic folding and variable bed thickness. Seismic-reflection data clearly show that the Plio-Pleistocene upper Era Beds are deformed to the same extent as the underlying Darai Limestone, demonstrating that most of the observed deformation has occurred during the Late Pliocene and Pleistocene.  相似文献   

Copper‐gold mineralisation in New Guinea: Tectonics,lineaments, thermochronology and structure     

K. C. Hill  R. D. Kendrick  P. V. Crowhurst  P. A. Gow 《Australian Journal of Earth Sciences》2013,60(4):737-752

In New Guinea, the upper crust is rich in Late Miocene and Pliocene copper‐gold deposits, yet the host intrusives are mainly in the New Guinea Fold Belt and are of mantle origin and not directly subduction‐related. Structural, thermochronological and geodynamic analyses of the Grasberg, Porgera, Ok Tedi and Frieda River deposits show that the richest deposits occur along the eastern edge of the intersections between long‐lived crustal transfers perpendicular to strike and strike‐parallel crustal extensional faults that were strongly inverted during Late Miocene ‐ Pliocene orogenesis. The deposits are all associated with north‐northeast‐trending transfers, parallel to the aeromagnetic grain in basement, across which the continent‐ocean suture shows >50 km horizontal separation, as identified by the southern limit of the central New Guinea ophiolites. In the fold belt, the transfers coincide with the termination of regional anticlines or uplifts that are 150–200 km long and 30–60 km wide. Balanced sections reveal that the southern limit of these regional anticlines is commonly fault‐bound and coincides with major facies and thickness changes, indicating long‐lived, crustal extensional faults that were inverted. Fission track and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar cooling ages show that mineralisation occurred during inversion of these faults and, hence, correlates with propagation of orogenesis from northeast to southwest. It is proposed that the pre‐compression New Guinea margin comprised step‐like promontories and embayments delineated by long‐lived crustal fracture zones, as on Australia's North West Shelf. During Late Miocene ‐ Pliocene compression the crust was thickened, accompanying melting of the underlying mantle, and the crustal fracture zones were reactivated as transfers. Where the transfers intersected crustal extensional faults that were being inverted, local zones of dilation occurred, allowing emplacement of mantle magmas and associated mineralisation. When the deformation propagated southwards, so did the crustal thickening and the reactivation of major faults, allowing emplacement of younger magmas and mineralisation.  相似文献   

Timing of UHP exhumation and rock fabric development in gneiss domes containing the world's youngest eclogite Facies rocks,southeastern Papua New Guinea     

M. S. Korchinski  J. Vry  T. A. Little  M.‐A. Millet  R. Bicknell  E. Smith  A. von der Handt 《Journal of Metamorphic Geology》2014,32(9):1019-1039

The youngest known ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) rocks in the world occur in the Woodlark Rift of southeastern Papua New Guinea. Since their crystallization in the Late Miocene to Early Pliocene, these eclogite facies rocks have been rapidly exhumed from mantle depths to the surface and today they remain in the still‐active geodynamic setting that caused this exhumation. For this reason, the rocks provide an excellent opportunity to study rates and processes of (U)HP exhumation. We present New Rb–Sr results from 12 rock samples from eclogite‐bearing gneiss domes in the D'Entrecasteaux Islands, and use those results to examine the time lag between (U)HP metamorphism and later ductile thinning, penetrative fabric development and accompanying metamorphic retrogression at amphibolite facies conditions during their exhumation. A Rb–Sr age for a sample of mafic eclogite (with no preserved coesite) from the core zone of the Mailolo gneiss dome (Fergusson Island) provides a new estimate of the timing of HP metamorphism (5.6 ± 1.6 Ma). The strongly deformed quartzofeldspathic and granitic gneisses (90–95% by volume) that enclose variably retrogressed relict blocks of mafic eclogite (5–10% by volume) yield Rb–Sr isochron ages from 4.4 to 2.4 Ma. For the UHP‐bearing gneisses of Mailolo dome, previously published U–Pb ages on zircon and our Rb–Sr isochron ages are consistent with a mean time lag of 2.2 ± 1.5 Ma (~95% c.i.) for passage of the rock between eclogite and amphibolite facies conditions. New thermobarometric data indicate that the main syn‐exhumational foliation developed at amphibolite facies conditions of 630–665 °C and 12.1–14.4 kbar. These pressure estimates indicate that the lower crust of the Woodlark Rift was unusually thick (>40 km) at the time of the amphibolite facies overprint, possibly as a result of accumulation and underplating of UHP‐derived material from below. Our data imply a minimum unroofing rate of 10 ± 7 mm year^?1 (~95% c.i.) for the (U)HP body from minimum HP depths (73 ± 7 km) to lower crustal depths. This minimum unroofing rate reinforces previous inferences that the exhumation from the mantle to the surface of the gneiss domes in the D'Entrecasteaux Islands took place at plate tectonic rates. On the basis of previous structural studies and the new thermobarometry, we attribute the high (cm year^?1) exhumation to diapiric ascent of the partially molten terrane from mantle depths, with a secondary contribution from pure shear thinning of the terrane after its arrival in the crust.  相似文献   

Petrology,Geochemistry, and Fluid Inclusion Microthermometry of Sphalerite from the Laloki and Federal Flag Strata‐Bound Massive Sulfide Deposits,Papua New Guinea: Implications for Gold Mineralization     

Hiroharu MATSUEDA  Joseph O. ESPI  Masahide AKASAKA 《Resource Geology》2012,62(2):187-207

The Laloki and Federal Flag deposits are two of the many (over 45) polymetallic massive sulfide deposits that occur in the Astrolabe Mineral Field, Papua New Guinea. New data of the mineralogical compositions, mineral textures, and fluid inclusion studies on sphalerite from Laloki and Federal Flag deposits were investigated to clarify physiochemical conditions of the mineralization at both deposits. The two deposits are located about 2 km apart and they are stratigraphically hosted by siliceous to carbonaceous claystone and rare gray chert of Paleocene–Eocene age. Massive sulfide ore and host rock samples were collected from each deposit for mineralogical, geochemical, and fluid inclusion studies. Mineralization at the Laloki deposit consists of early‐stage massive sulfide mineralization (sphalerite‐barite, chalcopyrite, and pyrite–marcasite) and late‐stage brecciation and remobilization of early‐stage massive sulfides that was accompanied by late‐stage sphalerite mineralization. Occurrence of native gold blebs in early‐stage massive pyrite–marcasite‐chalcopyrite ore with the association of pyrrhotite‐hematite and abundant planktonic foraminifera remnants was due to reduction of hydrothermal fluids by the reaction with organic‐rich sediments and seawater mixing. Precipitation of fine‐grained gold blebs in late‐stage Fe‐rich sphalerite resulted from low temperature and higher salinity ore fluids in sulfur reducing conditions. In contrast, the massive sulfide ores from the Federal Flag deposit contain Fe‐rich sphalerite and subordinate sulfarsenides. Native gold blebs occur as inclusions in Fe‐rich sphalerite, along sphalerite grain boundaries, and in the siliceous‐hematitic matrix. Such occurrences of native gold suggest that gold was initially precipitated from high‐temperature, moderate to highly reduced, low‐sulfur ore fluids. Concentrations of Au and Ag from both Laloki and Federal Flag deposits were within the range (<10 ppm Au and <100 ppm Ag) of massive sulfides at a mid‐ocean ridge setting rather than typical arc‐type massive sulfides. The complex relationship between FeS contents in sphalerite and gold grades of both deposits is probably due to the initial deposition of gold on the seafloor that may have been controlled by factors such as Au complexes, pH, and fO₂ in combination with temperature and sulfur fugacity.  相似文献   

巴布亚盆地褶皱带构造特征     

王涛  陈景阳  张洋 《江苏地质》2016,40(1):31-36

巴布亚盆地的构造演化主要受控于陆内克拉通裂谷、冈瓦纳裂解、珊瑚海裂开、美拉尼西亚岛弧碰撞4个构造事件,它们共同影响并控制了该带的构造沉积演化和油气成藏。盆地内主要发育3个褶皱带,分别为伊利安褶皱带、巴布亚褶皱带和奥雷褶皱带,它们主要发育压缩构造样式,由于受到挤压应力的强弱变化,褶皱带构造挤压强度北强南弱,构造类型丰富多样。  相似文献   

Annual variation in the nocturnal nekton assemblage of a tropical estuary     

Norman J. Quinn  Barbara L. Kojis 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》1985,21(4):511-537

A nocturnal demersal nekton assemblage was sampled fortnightly for two years at five sites in the Labu estuary using a 3 m beam trawl with a 3·2 cm mesh net. Forty-eight species were caught, totalling 31 458 individuals with the five most abundant species comprising over 95% of the catch. Using multiple regression techniques with Fourier transformations, the mean number of species, S, the mean abundance, N, and mean weight, W, were found to conform to a regular annual cycle with maxima in April and May. Seven of the 11 most abundant species demonstrated regular annual cycles of abundance. S, N and W were greatest in the wider, middle sites and lowest in a shallow, stagnant side branch of the estuary. Catch weights and abundances were significantly correlated with physical data.Salinity and temperature values in the estuary exhibited an annual cycle with maxima occurring in February/March. The annual thermal variation of surface water outside the estuary followed a similar cycle. The salinity at the mouth of the Markham River is lowest during January/February, which corresponds with the rainy season in the Markham River catchment. Significant annual variation existed between years in estuarine bottom salinity and salinity values in Labu Bay.Several species exhibited a greater variation in abundance and mass between years than within years. This supports the hypothesis that in the tropics between-year variation in coastal marine biotic communities is greater than within-year variation.  相似文献   

Benthic-pelagic coupling and export of organic carbon from a tropical Atlantic continental shelf—Sierra Leone     

Alan Longhurst 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》1983,17(3):261-285

An approximate carbon budget for the Sierra Leone River Estuary and adjacent inner continental shelf indicates that phytoplankton production is balanced by grazers only in the wet season estuary; on the continental shelf, and in the dry season estuary, phytoplankton production exceeds demand of consumer populations by 70–90%. Regional production is dominated by the dry season estuary where diatom blooms support large population of the phytophagous clupeid fish Ethmalosa fimbriata. It is suggested that as well as what is used in bacterial respiration, not quantified in the study, important amounts of inshore organic carbon production are available for export, or burial, or both, either in inshore mudbanks or at the shelf edge by slumping. This carbon budget for a tropical continental shelf having neither coral-reefs nor coastal upwelling appears to correspond with what is emerging as a generic distinction between shelves and open ocean ecosystems: surplus production on shelves, balance between producers and consumers in the open ocean.  相似文献   

Environmental pollution in the Gulf of Guinea--a regional approach     

Scheren PA  Ibe AC  Janssen FJ  Lemmens AM 《Marine pollution bulletin》2002,44(7):633-641

Environmental pollution in the Gulf of Guinea (GOG) coastal zone has caused eutrophication and oxygen depletion in the lagoon systems, particularly around the urban centres, resulting in decreased fish (reproduction) levels and waterborne diseases. A pollution sources assessment was undertaken by six countries in the region as a first step in defining a region-wide Environmental Management Plan. Results show that households produce 90% of solid waste. Industry, however, is responsible for substantial amounts of hazardous waste, specifically the Nigerian petroleum industry. The latter is also responsible for the spilling of large amounts of oil. BOD load from industrial effluents is slightly larger than domestic loads in the industrialised coastal zone. Wastewater treatment systems are either absent or inadequate. Apart from large-scale gas flaring in Nigeria, air pollution, in terms of COx, HC, NOx and SO2 emissions, is contributed mainly by traffic. Particulates, originate mainly from industries and domestic biomass burning.  相似文献   

Eyewitness Accounts of the Impact of the 1998 Aitape Tsunami, and of Other Tsunamis in Living Memory, in the Region from Jayapura, Indonesia, to Vanimo, Papua New Guinea     

Gorden N. Joku  Jocelyn M. Davies  Hugh L. Davies 《Pure and Applied Geophysics》2007,164(2-3):433-452

Field investigations in 1999 confirmed that the tsunami that struck the Aitape coast of Papua New Guinea on 17 July, 1998 caused damage at points as far as 230 km to the west-northwest, particularly at locations where the coast is indented. Eyewitnesses saw the sea withdraw (in most cases), then surge to levels around 2 m higher than normal in a series of three waves. In some cases the time of arrival of the waves is known approximately by reference to the onset of darkness and to felt earthquakes. Seiche waves followed in some bays, notably in Yos Sudarso Bay, Indonesia, where waves persisted for 3–5 days. Damage was caused by the backwash from the waves. Bodies presumed to be those of Aitape victims were seen floating at sea off Jayapura five days after the tsunami. We record the recollections of people in the Yos Sudarso Bay area who experienced a number of tsunamis in the past 60 years; people that we interviewed on the Papua New Guinea side of the border recollected few or none.  相似文献