Granitos pórfiros da região de vila Riozinho, província aurífera do Tapajós: petrografia e geocronologia

A Província Aurífera do Tapajós (PAT) está localizada na porção central do cráton Amazônico e é dominada por rochas graníticas e vulcânicas paleoproterozóicas intermediárias a félsicas em composição. A região de Vila Riozinho, situada na parte centro-leste da PAT e formada pelas localidades de Vila Riozinho, Moraes Almeida e Jardim do Ouro, engloba as principais unidades geológicas que caracterizam a PAT. Este trabalho apresenta novos dados petrográficos e geocronológicos de granitos pórfiros que ocorrem associados a rochas monzograníticas do corpo São Jorge Antigo e a ignimbritos e riolitos da Formação Moraes Almeida e leucogranitos da Suíte Intrusiva Maloquinha. Os dados geocronológicos revelaram, pelo menos, dois períodos distintos de geração de granitos pórfiros na região. O primeiro, associado ao magmatismo cálcico-alcalino de 1,98 Ga e o segundo, a rochas alcalinas de idades em torno de 1,88 Ga. Imagens de elétrons retro-espalhados e análises de EDS (Energy Dispersive Spectrometry) obtidas através de um microscópio eletrônico de varredura (MEV) mostraram que são freqüentes as ocorrências de partículas de ouro nos granitos pórfiros ora preenchendo cavidades em cristais de quartzo e plagioclásio, ora associadas a cristais de epidoto e álcali-feldspato. Tal fato sugere que esses granitos podem ter contribuído para a mineralização de ouro da região de Vila Riozinho e mostra a necessidade de estudos detalhados para elucidar a importância metalogenética dessas rochas na mineralização aurífera da região.

Aspectos texturais do magmatismo e tramas da tectônica impostas ao Granito Chaval na Zona de Cisalhamento Santa Rosa, extremo Noroeste da Província Borborema

A região Noroeste da Província Borborema apresenta uma diversidade de corpos graníticos de natureza e evolução tectônica diversificadas, do Paleoproterozoico ao Paleozoico, com maior incidência relacionada ao Neoproterozoico e alojamento em diferentes fases da orogenia Brasiliana. Um desses exemplos é o Granito Chaval, que representa um batólito aflorante próximo à costa Atlântica do Ceará e Piauí, intrusivo em ortognaisses do Complexo Granja e supracrustais do Grupo Martinópole. Ele é, em parte, coberto por depósitos cenozoicos costeiros e rochas sedimentares paleozoicas da Bacia do Parnaíba. O Granito Chaval tem como característica marcante a textura porfirítica, destacando-se megacristais de microclina, em sienogranitos e monzogranitos, e outras feições texturais/estruturais de origem magmática, Essas permitiram interpretar sua evolução como de alojamento relativamente raso do plúton, conduzido por processos de cristalização fracionada, mistura de magmas com fluxo magmático e ação gravitacional em função da diferença de densidade do magma, levando à flutuação e ascensão de megacristais de microclina no magma residual, com alojamento de leucogranitos e pegmatitos nos estágios finais da evolução deste plutonismo. Por outro lado, em toda a metade Leste do plúton, encontra-se um rico acervo de estruturas tectógenas de cisalhamento, relacionada à implantação da Zona de Cisalhamento Transcorrente Santa Rosa, que levou a transformações tectonometamórficas superpostas às feições magmáticas, as quais atingiram condições metamórficas máximas na fácies anfibolito baixo. Cartograficamente, foram individualizados três domínios estruturais em que estão presentes uma gama de variações petroestruturais do Granito Chaval, sejam feições texturais/estruturais ígneas e tectônicas. As rochas plutônicas foram deformadas e modificadas progressivamente à medida que se dirige para Leste, no qual as rochas mudam-se para tonalidades mais escuras do cinza e os processos de cominuição e recristalização dinâmica reduzem, progressivamente, a granulação grossa desses granitos bem como o tamanho dos fenocristais para dimensões mais finas, mantendo-se suas características porfiroides. Desse modo, a trama milonítica se torna evidente, acentuando-se ao atingir a porção principal da Zona de Cisalhamento Transcorrente Santa Rosa. Como principais feições estruturais, destacam-se extinção ondulante forte; encurvamento e segmentação de cristais; geminação de deformação; rotação de cristais; microbudinagem; foliação anastomosada, inclusive S-C; lineação de estiramento; formas amendoadas de porfiroclastos, fitas e folhas de quartzo e recristalização. Os produtos desses processos de cisalhamento resultam na formação de protomilonitos, milonitos e ultramilonitos. Essas faixas miloníticas representam os locais de maior concentração da deformação, por isso é possível acompanhar progressivamente suas modificações texturais e mineralógicas, configurando uma sequência clássica de deformação progressiva heterogênea, por cisalhamento simples, em condições frágil-dúctil e dúctil. O alojamento do Granito Chaval aconteceu no final do Criogeniano (aproximadamente 630 Ma) e pode ser interpretado como magmatismo sin a tardi-tectônico em relação ao evento Brasiliano. O processo de cisalhamento que gerou a Zona de Cisalhamento Transcorrente Santa Rosa se formou nos incrementos finais da deformação de uma colisão continental em um sistema de cavalgamento oblíquo, em que se edificou o Cinturão de Cisalhamento Noroeste do Ceará, devido ao extravasamento lateral de massas crustais em fluxo dúctil acontecido no final da orogenia Brasiliana no Noroeste da Província Borborema.

Caracterização litogeoquímica dos basaltos do município de Monções -SP

The paper deals with the petrographic and geochemical investigation of basalt flows present in a gravel quarry in the town of Monções in northwestern São Paulo State, members of the Serra Geral Formation of the Paraná Basin. Were collected 11 samples from different horizons within a topographic vertical profile with an average of 18 meters in height. The samples were subjected to macroscopic and microscopic petrographic and chemical major, minor and trace. The results indicated that it is tholeiitic basalts with dense fine grained average. Petrographic analyzes show that basalts studied are basically constituted by plagioclase (between 33 and 49%), labradorite and clinopyroxenes (between 29 and 46%) represented by the subordinate pigeonite and augite, having as accessories opaque (between 3 and 15% ), olivine (<2%), apatite and zircon as dashes. The secondary minerals correspond to cloropheite, chlorite, serpentine, epidote, albite and iron oxides and hydroxy as well as bowlingit of clay, nontronite, and celadonite. The basalts are kind of high-titanium (Hti)> 1.8% TiO2, and apparently belong to the Pitanga magma-type. The geochemical analyzes proved unsatisfactory for the determination of a probable lithogeochemistry differentiation within the vertical stroke for generating multiple data correlation or no immediately discernible trends

Metamorphic evolution and P-T path of gneisses from Goiás Magmatic Arc in southwestern Goiás State

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Caracterização petrográfica estrutural e metamorfica das rochas da região de Indiara (GO)

The region Indiara (GO) is located in southwestern of São Francisco Craton in the Internal Zone of the Brasília Belt, western part of the Tocantins Province. In this locality outcrop rocks of the Goiás Magmatic Arc. These rocks are muscovite gneiss with biotite, muscovite-biotite gneiss, biotite gneiss with muscovite and garnet, biotite-muscovite gneiss, muscovite porfiroclastic gneiss, biotite porfiroclastic gneiss, muscovite-quartz schists, garnetquartz schists, and metamafic rock (hornblende schists) as metric or kilometric lenses. The gneisses have granodioritic composition, granoblastic texture, with some portions with lepidoblastic texture, constituting a discontinuous centimeter to millimeter banding; the structure is anisotropic, marked by the preferred orientation of all the minerals. These gneisses are leucocratic, generally are inequigranular and fine to medium grained. The hornblende schists have nematoblastic texture, are inequigranular and fine to medium grained and have anisotropic structure that is given by a foliation, marked by a strong preferential orientation of the crystals of amphibole and other minerals present in the rock. The gneisses of the area are composed of plagioclase (oligoclase/andesine), quartz, microcline, muscovite, biotite, epidote, apatite, zircon, garnet, kyanite, oxides and hydroxides of iron and opaque minerals. And the metamafic rocks of Indiara region are composed mainly of amphibole, plagioclase (oligoclase/andesine), quartz, titanite, biotite, allanite, garnet, oxides and hydroxides of iron, apatite, epidote, rutile, muscovite and opaque minerals. At least three phases of deformation were observed in the rocks of area of study (Dn-1, Dn and Dn +1). The Dn phase and represented by a well-marked foliation Sn having low dip angle (average dip of 20 °) and dip direction to SW (210/21) and to NE (18/20); the Dn-1 phase is represented by a compositional banding (Sn- 1), this banding is generally...

Petrografia e geoquímica das rochas metacarbonatíticas do Complexo Angico dos Dias, divisa Bahia/Piauí, Brasil

Pós-graduação em Geociências e Meio Ambiente - IGCE

Petrogenesis of Cenozoic volcanic rocks in the NW sector of the Gharyan volcanic field, Libya

The north-western sector of the Gharyan volcanic field (northern Libya) consists of trachytic-phonolitic domes emplaced between similar to 41 and 38 Ma, and small-volume mafic alkaline volcanic centres (basanites, tephrites. alkali basalts. hawaiites and rare benmoreites) of Middle Miocene-Pliocene age (similar to 12-2 Ma). Two types of trachytes and phonolites have been recognized on the basis of petrography, mineralogy and geochemistry. Type-1 trachytes and phonolites display a smooth spoon-shaped REE pattern without negative Europium anomalies. Type-2 trachytes and phonolites show a remarkable Eu negative anomaly, higher concentration in HFSE (Nb-Ta-Zr-Hf), REE and Ti than Type-1 rocks. The origin of Type-1 trachytes and phonolites is compatible with removal of clinopyroxene, plagioclase, alkali feldspar, amphibole. magnetite and titanite starting from benmoreitic magmas. found in the same outcrops. Type-2 trachytes and phonolites could be the result of extensive fractional crystallization starting from mafic alkaline magma, without removal of titanite. In primitive mantle-normalized diagrams, the mafic rocks (Mg#= 62-68, Cr up to 514 ppm, Ni up to 425 ppm) show peaks at Nb and Ta and troughs at K. These characteristics, coupled with low Sr-87/Sr-86(i) (0.7033-0.7038) and positive epsilon(Nd) (from +4.2 to + 5.3) features typical of the mafic anorogenic magmas of the northern African plate and of HIMU-OIB-like magma in general. The origin of the mafic rocks is compatible from a derivation from low degree partial melting (3-9%) shallow mantle sources in the spinel/gamet facies. placed just below the rigid plate in the uppermost low-velocity zone. The origin of the igneous activity is considered linked to passive lithospheric thinning related to the development of continental rifts like those of Sicily Channel (e.g.. Pantelleria and Linosa) and Sardinia (e.g., Campidano Graben) in the Central-Western Mediterranean Sea. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Crystallization conditions and controls on trace element residence in the main minerals from the Pedra Branca Syenite, Brazil: An electron microprobe and LA-ICPMS study

Major and trace-element microanalyses of the main minerals from the 610 Ma Pedra Branca Syenite, southeast Brazil, allow inferences on intensive parameters of magmatic crystallization and on the partition of trace-elements among these minerals, with important implications for the petrogenetic evolution of the pluton. Two main syenite types make up the pluton, a quartz-free syenite with tabular alkali feldspar (laminated silica-saturated syenite, LSS, with Na-rich augite + phlogopite + hematite + magnetite + titanite + apatite) and a quartz-bearing syenite (laminated silica-oversaturated syenite, LSO, with scarce corroded plagioclase plus diopside + biotite +/- hornblende + ilmenite magnetite +/- titanite + apatite). Both types share a remarkable enrichment in incompatible elements as K, Ba, Sr, P and LREE. Apatite saturation temperatures of similar to 1060-1090 degrees C are the best estimates of liquidus, whereas the pressure of emplacement, based on Al-in-hornblende barometry, is estimated as 3.3 to 4.8 khan Although both units crystallized under oxidizing conditions, oxygen fugacity was probably higher in LSS, as shown by higher mg# of the mafic minerals and higher hematite contents in Hem-Ilm(ss). In contrast with the Ca-bearing alkali-feldspar from LSO, which hosts most of the whole-rock Sr and Pb, virtually Ca-free alkali-feldspar from LSS hosts similar to 50% of whole-rock Sr and similar to 80% of Pb, the remainder of these elements being shared by apatite, pyroxene and titanite. This contrast reflects a strong crystal-chemical control, whereby a higher proportion of an element with similar ratio and charge (Ca2+) enhances the residence of Sr and Pb in the M-site of alkali feldspar. The more alkaline character of the LSS magma is inferred to have inhibited zircon saturation; Zr + Hf remained in solution until late in the crystallization, and were mostly accommodated in the structure of Ca-Na pyroxene and titanite, which are one order of magnitude richer in these elements compared to the same minerals in LSO, where most of Zr and Hf are inferred to reside in zircon. The REE, Th and U reside mostly in titanite and apatite; D(REE)Tit/Ap raises steadily from 1 to 6 from La to Tb then remains constant up to Lu in the LSO sample; these values are about half as much in the LSS sample, where lower contents of incompatible elements in titanite are attributed to its greater modal abundance and earlier crystallization. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Using AMS combined with mineral shape preferred orientation analysis to understand the emplacement fabrics of the Apiai gabbro-norite (Ribeira Belt, SE Brazil)

The Apiai gabbro-norite is a massive fine-grained Neoproterozoic intrusion emplaced in a core of synformal structure that deforms low-grade marine metasedimentary rocks of the Ribeira Belt of south-eastern Brazil. The lack of visible magmatic layering or any internal fabric has been a major limitation in deciding whether the emplacement occurred before or after the regional folding. To assist in the tectonic interpretations, we combine low-field anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) and silicate shape preferred orientation (SPO) to reveal the internal structure of the mafic intrusion. Magnetic data indicate a mean susceptibility of about 10(-2) SI and a mean anisotropy degree (P) of about 1.08, essentially yielded by titanomagnetite. The magnetic and silicate foliations for P >= 1.10 are parallel to each other, while the lineations tend to scatter on the foliation plane, in agreement with the dominant oblate symmetry of the AMS and SPO ellipsoids. For lower P values, the magnetic and silicate fabrics vary from coaxial to oblique, and for P <= 1.05, their shapes and orientations can be quite distinct. The crystal size distribution (CSD) of plagioclase for P > 1.05 is log linear, in agreement with a bulk simple crystallisation history. These results combined show that for a strong SPO, corresponding to a magnetic anisotropy above 1.10, AMS is a reliable indicator of the magmatic fabric. They indicate that the Apiai gabbro-norite consists of sill-like body that was inclined gently to the north by the regional folding.

Genesis of metasomatic sapphirine-corundum-spinel-bearing granulites in Sri Lanka

The goal of the present study is to understand the mechanism of mass transfer, the composition and the role of fluids during crustal metasomatism in high-temperature metamorphic terranes. A well constrained case study, a locality at Rupaha, Sri Lanka was selected. It is located in the Highland Complex of Sri Lanka, which represents a small, but important fragment of the super-continent Gondwana. Excellent exposures of ultramafic rocks, which are embedded in granulites, were found at 10 localities. These provide a unique background for understanding the metasomatic processes. The boundary between the ultramafic and the granulite rocks are lined with metasomatic reaction zones up to 50cm in width. Progressing from the ultramafics to the granulite host rock, three distinct zones with the following mineral assemblages can be distinguished: (1). phlogopite + spinel + sapphirine, (2). spinel + sapphirine and (3). corundum + biotite + plagioclase. In order to assess the P-T-t path, the peak metamorphism and the exhumation history were constrained using different thermobarometers, as well as a diffusion model of garnet zoning. A maximum temperature of 875 ± 20oC (Opx-Cpx thermometer) and at the peak pressure of 9.0 ± 0.1 kbar (Grt-Cpx-Pl-Qtz) was calculated for the silicic granulite. The ultramafic rocks recorded a peak temperature of 840 ± 70oC (Opx-Cpx thermometer) at 9 kbar. Coexisting spinel and sapphirine from the reaction zone yield a temperature of 820 ± 40oC. This is in agreement with the peak-temperatures recorded in the adjacent granulites and ultramafics rocks. The structural concordance of the ultramafic rocks with the siliceous granulite host rock further support the suggestion, that all units have experienced the same peak metamorphism. Diffusion modeling of retrograde zoning in garnets from mafic granulites suggests a three-step cooling history. A maximum cooling rate of 1oC/Ma is estimated during the initial stage of cooling, followed by a cooling rate of ~30oC/Ma. The outermost rims of garnet indicate a slightly slower cooling rate at about 10-15oC/Ma. The sequences of mineral zones, containing a variety of Al-rich, silica undersaturated minerals in the reaction zones separating the ultramafic rocks from the silica-rich rocks can be explained by a diffusion model. This involves the diffusion of Mg from ultramafic rocks across the layers, and K and Si diffuse in opposite direction. Chemical potential of Mg and Si generated continuous monotonic gradient, allowing steady state diffusional transport across the profile. The strong enrichment in Al, and the considerable loss of Si, during the formation of reaction bands can be inferred from isocon diagrams. Some Al was probably added to the reaction zones, while Si was lost. This is most likely due to fluids percolating parallel to the zones at the boundary of the rock units. This study has shown that not only pressure and temperature conditions but most importantly PH2O and the concentration of the chlorine and fluorine in aqueous fluids also control the mass transport in different geological environments.

Application of reactive fluid transport modeling to hydrothermal systems

A one-dimensional multi-component reactive fluid transport algorithm, 1DREACT (Steefel, 1993) was used to investigate different fluid-rock interaction systems. A major short coming of mass transport calculations which include mineral reactions is that solid solutions occurring in many minerals are not treated adequately. Since many thermodynamic models of solid solutions are highly non-linear, this can seriously impact on the stability and efficiency of the solution algorithms used. Phase petrology community saw itself faced with a similar predicament 10 years ago. To improve performance and reliability, phase equilibrium calculations have been using pseudo compounds. The same approach is used here in the first, using the complex plagioclase solid solution as an example. Thermodynamic properties of a varying number of intermediate plagioclase phases were calculated using ideal molecular, Al-avoidance, and non-ideal mixing models. These different mixing models can easily be incorporated into the simulations without modification of the transport code. Simulation results show that as few as nine intermediate compositions are sufficient to characterize the diffusional profile between albite and anorthite. Hence this approach is very efficient, and can be used with little effort. A subsequent chapter reports the results of reactive fluid transport modeling designed to constrain the hydrothermal alteration of Paleoproterozoic sediments of the Southern Lake Superior region. Field observations reveal that quartz-pyrophyllite (or kaolinite) bearing assemblages have been transformed into muscovite-pyrophyllite-diaspore bearing assemblages due to action of fluids migrating along permeable flow channels. Fluid-rock interaction modeling with an initial qtz-prl assemblage and a K-rich fluid simulates the formation of observed mineralogical transformation. The bulk composition of the system evolves from an SiO2-rich one to an Al2O3+K2O-rich one. Simulations show that the fluid flow was up-temperature (e.g. recharge) and that fluid was K-rich. Pseudo compound approach to include solid solutions in reactive transport models was tested in modeling hydrothermal alteration of Icelandic basalts. Solid solutions of chlorites, amphiboles and plagioclase were included as the secondary mineral phases. Saline and fresh water compositions of geothermal fluids were used to investigate the effect of salinity on alteration. Fluid-rock interaction simulations produce the observed mineral transformations. They show that roughly the same alteration minerals are formed due to reactions with both types of fluid which is in agreement with the field observations. A final application is directed towards the remediation of nitrate rich groundwaters. Removal of excess nitrate from groundwater by pyrite oxidation was modeled using the reactive fluid transport algorithm. Model results show that, when a pyrite-bearing, permeable zone is placed in the flow path, nitrate concentration in infiltrating water can be significantly lowered, in agreement with proposals from the literature. This is due to nitrogen reduction. Several simulations investigate the efficiency of systems with different mineral reactive surface areas, reactive barrier zone widths, and flow rates to identify the optimum setup.

Deciphering petrological signatures of reactive melt stagnation and cooling in the oceanic mantle underneath ultraslow-spreading ridges

The global mid-ocean ridge system creates oceanic crust and lithosphere that covers more than two-thirds of the Earth. Basalts are volumetrically the most important rock type sampled at mid-ocean ridges. For this reason, our present understanding of upper mantle dynamics and the chemical evolution of the earth is strongly influenced by the study of mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB). However, MORB are aggregates of polybarically generated small melt increments that can undergo a variety of physical and chemical processes during their ascent and consequently affect their derivative geochemical composition. Therefore, MORB do not represent “direct” windows to the underlying upper mantle. Abyssal peridotites, upper mantle rocks recovered from the ocean floor, are the residual complement to MORB melting and provide essential information on melt extraction from the upper mantle. In this study, abyssal peridotites are examined to address these overarching questions posed by previous studies of MORB: How are basaltic melts formed in the mantle, how are they extracted from the mantle and what physical and chemical processes control mantle melting? The number of studies on abyssal peridotites is small compared to those on basalts, in part because seafloor exposures of abyssal peridotites are relatively rare. For this reason, abyssal peridotite characteristics need to be considered in the context of subaerially exposed peridotites associated with ophiolites, orogenic peridotite bodies and basalt-hosted xenoliths. However, orogenic peridotite bodies are mainly associated with passive continental margins, most ophiolites are formed in supra-subduction zone settings, and peridotite xenoliths are often contaminated by their host magma. Therefore, studies of abyssal peridotites are essential to understanding the primary characteristics of the oceanic upper mantle free from the influence of continental rifting, subduction and tectonic emplacement processes. Nevertheless, numerous processes such as melt stagnation and cooling-induced, inter-mineral exchange can affect residual abyssal peridotite compositions after the cessation of melting. The aim of this study is to address these post-melting modifications of abyssal peridotites from a petrological-geochemical perspective. The samples in this study were dredged along the axis of the ultraslow-spreading Gakkel Ridge in the Arctic Ocean within the “Sparsely Magmatic Zone”, a 100 km ridge section where only mantle rocks are exposed. During two expeditions (ARK XVII-2 in 2001 and ARK XX-2 in 2004), exceptionally fresh peridotites were recovered. The boulders and cobbles collected cover a range of mantle rock compositions, with most characterized as plagioclase-free spinel peridotites or plagioclase- spinel peridotites. This thesis investigates melt stagnation and cooling processes in the upper mantle and is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on processes in the stability field of spinel peridotites (>10 kb) such as melt refertilization and cooling related trace element exchange, while the second part investigates processes in the stability field of plagioclase peridotites (< 10 kb) such as reactive melt migration and melt stagnation. The dissertation chapters are organized to follow the theoretical ascent of a mantle parcel upwelling beneath the location where the samples were collected.

Forward modelling of petrological crust-forming processes on the early Earth

Tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) gneisses form up to two-thirds of the preserved Archean continental crust and there is considerable debate regarding the primary magmatic processes of the generation of these rocks. The popular theories indicate that these rocks were formed by partial melting of basaltic oceanic crust which was previously metamorphosed to garnet-amphibolite and/or eclogite facies conditions either at the base of thick oceanic crust or by subduction processes.rnThis study investigates a new aspect regarding the source rock for Archean continental crust which is inferred to have had a bulk compostion richer in magnesium (picrite) than present-day basaltic oceanic crust. This difference is supposed to originate from a higher geothermal gradient in the early Archean which may have induced higher degrees of partial melting in the mantle, which resulted in a thicker and more magnesian oceanic crust. rnThe methods used to investigate the role of a more MgO-rich source rock in the formation of TTG-like melts in the context of this new approach are mineral equilibria calculations with the software THERMOCALC and high-pressure experiments conducted from 10–20 kbar and 900–1100 °C, both combined in a forward modelling approach. Initially, P–T pseudosections for natural rock compositions with increasing MgO contents were calculated in the system NCFMASHTO (Na2O–CaO–FeO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2–H2O–TiO2) to ascertain the metamorphic products from rocks with increasing MgO contents from a MORB up to a komatiite. A small number of previous experiments on komatiites showed the development of pyroxenite instead of eclogite and garnet-amphibolite during metamorphism and established that melts of these pyroxenites are of basaltic composition, thus again building oceanic crust instead of continental crust.rnThe P–T pseudosections calculated represent a continuous development of their metamorphic products from amphibolites and eclogites towards pyroxenites. On the basis of these calculations and the changes within the range of compositions, three picritic Models of Archean Oceanic Crust (MAOC) were established with different MgO contents (11, 13 and 15 wt%) ranging between basalt and komatiite. The thermodynamic modelling for MAOC 11, 13 and 15 at supersolidus conditions is imprecise since no appropriate melt model for metabasic rocks is currently available and the melt model for metapelitic rocks resulted in unsatisfactory calculations. The partially molten region is therfore covered by high-pressure experiments. The results of the experiments show a transition from predominantly tonalitic melts in MAOC 11 to basaltic melts in MAOC 15 and a solidus moving towards higher temperatures with increasing magnesium in the bulk composition. Tonalitic melts were generated in MAOC 11 and 13 at pressures up to 12.5 kbar in the presence of garnet, clinopyroxene, plagioclase plus/minus quartz (plus/minus orthopyroxene in the presence of quartz and at lower pressures) in the absence of amphibole but it could not be explicitly indicated whether the tonalitic melts coexisting with an eclogitic residue and rutile at 20 kbar do belong to the Archean TTG suite. Basaltic melts were generated predominantly in the presence of granulite facies residues such as amphibole plus/minus garnet, plagioclase, orthopyroxene that lack quartz in all MAOC compositions at pressures up to 15 kbar. rnThe tonalitic melts generated in MAOC 11 and 13 indicate that thicker oceanic crust with more magnesium than that of a modern basalt is also a viable source for the generation of TTG-like melts and therefore continental crust in the Archean. The experimental results are related to different geologic settings as a function of pressure. The favoured setting for the generation of early TTG-like melts at 15 kbar is the base of an oceanic crust thicker than existing today or by melting of slabs in shallow subduction zones, both without interaction of tonalic melts with the mantle. Tonalitic melts at 20 kbar may have been generated below the plagioclase stability by slab melting in deeper subduction zones that have developed with time during the progressive cooling of the Earth, but it is unlikely that those melts reached lower pressure levels without further mantle interaction.rn

Provenance signature of a forearc basin modified by spreading ridge subduction: Detrital zircon geochronology and detrital modes from the Paleogene Arkose Ridge Formation, southern Alaska

Upper Paleocene–Eocene boulder conglomerate, cross-stratified sandstone, and laminated carbonaceous mudstone of the Arkose Ridge Formation exposed in the southern Talkeetna Mountains record fluvial-lacustrine deposition proximal to the volcanic arc in a forearc basin modified by Paleogene spreading ridge subduction beneath southern Alaska. U-Pb ages of detrital zircon grains and modal analyses were obtained from stratigraphic sections spanning the 2,000 m thick Arkose Ridge Formation in order to constrain the lithology, age, and location of sediment sources that provided detritus. Detrital modes from 24 conglomerate beds and 54 sandstone thin sections aredominated by plutonic and volcanic clasts and plagioclase feldspar with minor quartz, schist, hornblende, argillite, and metabasalt. Westernmost sandstone and conglomerate strata contain <5% volcanic clasts whereas easternmost sandstone and conglomerate strata contain 40 to >80% volcanic clasts. Temporally, eastern sandstones andconglomerates exhibit an upsection increase in volcanic detritus from <40 to >80% volcanic clasts. U-Pb ages from >1400 detrital zircons in 15 sandstone samples reveal three main populations: late Paleocene–Eocene (60-48 Ma; 16% of all grains), Late Cretaceous–early Paleocene (85–60 Ma; 62%) and Jurassic–Early Cretaceous (200–100 Ma; 12%). A plot of U/Th vs U-Pb ages shows that >97% of zircons are <200 Ma and>99% of zircons have <10 U/Th ratios, consistent with mainly igneous source terranes. Strata show increased enrichment in late Paleocene–Eocene detrital zircons from <2% in the west to >25% in the east. In eastern sections, this younger age population increases temporally from 0% in the lower 50 m of the section to >40% in samples collected >740 m above the base. Integration of the compositional and detrital geochronologic data suggests: (1) Detritus was eroded mainly from igneous sources exposed directly north of the Arkose Ridge Formation strata, mainly Jurassic–Paleocene plutons and Paleocene–Eocenevolcanic centers. Subordinate metamorphic detritus was eroded from western Mesozoic low-grade metamorphic sources. Subordinate sedimentary detritus was eroded from eastern Mesozoic sedimentary sources. (2) Eastern deposystems received higher proportions of juvenile volcanic detritus through time, consistent with construction of adjacent slab-window volcanic centers during Arkose Ridge Formation deposition. (3)Western deposystems transported detritus from Jurassic–Paleocene arc plutons that flank the northwestern basin margin. (4) Metasedimentary strata of the Chugach accretionaryprism, exposed 20-50 km south of the Arkose Ridge Formation, did not contribute abundant detritus. Conventional provenance models predict reduced input of volcanic detritus to forearc basins during exhumation of the volcanic edifice and increasing exposure ofsubvolcanic plutons (Dickinson, 1995; Ingersoll and Eastmond, 2007). In the forearc strata of these conventional models, sandstone modal analyses record progressive increases upsection in quartz and feldspar concomitant with decreases in lithic grains, mainly volcanic lithics. Additionally, as the arc massif denudes through time, theyoungest detrital U-Pb zircon age populations become significantly older than the age of forearc deposition as the arc migrates inboard or ceases magmatism. Westernmost strata of the Arkose Ridge Formation are consistent with this conventional model. However, easternmost strata of the Arkose Ridge Formation contain sandstone modes that record an upsection increase in lithic grains accompanied by a decrease in quartz and feldspar, and detrital zircon age populations that closely match the age of deposition. This deviation from the conventional model is due to the proximity of the easternmost strata to adjacent juvenile volcanic rocks emplaced by slab-window volcanic processes. Provenance data from the Arkose Ridge Formation show that forearc basins modified by spreading ridge subduction may record upsection increases in non-arc, syndepositional volcanic detritusdue to contemporaneous accumulation of thick volcanic sequences at slab-window volcanic centers. This change may occur locally at the same time that other regions of the forearc continue to receive increasing amounts of plutonic detritus as the remnant arc denudes, resulting in complex lateral variations in forearc basin petrofacies and chronofacies.

Mineralogy-based quantitative precipitation and temperature reconstructions from annually laminated lake sediments (Swiss Alps) since AD 1580

[1] We present quantitative autumn, summer and annual precipitation and summer temperature reconstructions from proglacial annually laminated Lake Silvaplana, eastern Swiss Alps back to AD 1580. We used X-ray diffraction peak intensity ratios of minerals in the sediment layers (quartz qz, plagioclase pl, amphibole am, mica mi) that are diagnostic for different source areas and hydro-meteorological transport processes in the catchment. XRD data were calibrated with meteorological data (AD 1800/1864–1950) and revealed significant correlations: mi/pl with SON precipitation (r = 0.56, p < 0.05) and MJJAS precipitation (r = 0.66, p < 0.01); qz/mi with MJJAS temperature (r = −0.72, p < 0.01)and qz/am with annual precipitation (r = −0.54, p < 0.05). Geological catchment settings and hydro-meteorological processes provide deterministic explanations for the correlations. Our summer temperature reconstruction reproduces the typical features of past climate variability known from independent data sets. The precipitation reconstructions show a LIA climate moister than today. Exceptionally wet periods in our reconstruction coincide with regional glacier advances.