Bonding Characteristics, Thermal Expansibility, and Compressibility of RXO4 (R = Rare Earths, X = P, As) within Monazite and Zircon Structures

Systematically theoretical research was performed on the monazite- and zircon-structure RXO4 (R = Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu; X = P, As) series by using the chemical bond theory of dielectric description. The chemical bond properties of R-O and X-O bonds were presented. In the zircon phase, the covalency fractions of X-O bonds increased in the order of V-O < As-O < P-O, which was in accordance with the ionic radii and electronegative trends, and the covalency fractions of R-O bonds varied slightly due to the lanthanide contraction. While in the monazite phase, both R-O and X-O bonds were divided into two groups by their covalency fractions.

博兴洼陷新生代构造-沉积演化及其对鲁西隆起的响应

The West Shandong Uplift and its adjacent basins, with same evolutional history before Mesozoic, are an important basin-orogenic systems in North China. After late Mesozoic, tectonic differentiation between basin and orogenic belt gradually displayed in the study area. The Boxing sag is a part of Jiyang Depression near to West Shandong Uplift, in which the whole Mesozoic and Cenozoic strata are preserved. Based on the analysis of sedimentary records in the Boxing sag, the Cenozoic structural and sedimentary evolutions in Boxing Sag and its response to Western Shandong uplift are discussed in this dissertation. The main conclusions in this research are presented as follows. Based on Seismic and well logging profile interpretation, fault growth index, thickness difference between bottom wall and top wall and fault activity rate from Eocene to Pliocene are studied. Boxing sag had three main faults, NE, NW and NEE trending faults. Research shows that the activity of the NW trending fault in the Boxing sag became weaken from E1-2S4 to N2m gradually. The evolution of NE and the NEE trending fault can be divided into three episodes, from E1-2k to E2s4, from E2s3 to E3s1, from N2m to E3d. The analysis of Paleogene samples of heavy mineral assemblages shows that metamorphic rocks represented by garnet, intermediate-acid igneous rocks represented by the assemblage of apatite, zircon and tourmaline became less from E1-2k to N2g, and sedimentary rocks represented by the assemblage of pyrite, barite and limonite also became less. Intermediate-basic igneous rocks represented by the assemblage of leucoxene, rutile and ilmenite and metamorphic rocks represented by epidote became more and more. Electronic microprobe analysis shows that glaucophane and barroisite are existed in Kongdian Formation and the 4th member of Shahejie Formation, and they demonstrate that Western Shandong and Eastern Shandong are all the source regions of the Boxing Sag, and they also indicate that oceanic crust existed before the collision between the Yangtze and North China continent. The fact that Eastern Shandong is the source region of Boxing Sag also indicates that Western Shandong was not high enough to prevent sediment from Eastern Shandong at E1-2k and E2s4. The results of the dating of five detrital zircons of Boxing Sag show Kongdian Formation and the 4th member of Shahejie Formation have the age peaks of 2800Ma and 700-800. It means that Eastern Shandong is the source region of Boxing Sag at early Paleogene and Western Shandong is not high enough to prevent the sediment from Eastern Shandong. The ages of 160-180 and 220-260 Ma, which exist in the Guantao Formation and Paleogene, are common in Eastern Shandong and rare in Western Shandong,and it implied that Western Shandong is a low uplift at 24Ma. The Paleogene strata have almost same age groups, while the Guantao Formation has significant variations of age groups, and this indicates that Boxing Sag and Western Shandong uplift had taken place tremendous changes. The results of apatite fission track in Boxing sag show that three times uplifts happened at the source region at 60 Ma, 45Ma and 15Ma respectively, and the Boxing sag experienced two subsidences at 60Ma, 45Ma and one uplift at 20Ma.

Electronic properties of zircon and hafnon from many-body perturbation theory

The electronic properties of zircon and hafnon, two wide-gap high-kappa materials, are investigated using many-body perturbation theory (MBPT) combined with the Wannier interpolation technique. For both materials, the calculated band structures differ from those obtained within density-functional theory and MBPT by (i) a slight displacement of the highest valence-band maximum from the Gamma point and (ii) an opening of the indirect band gap to 7.6 and 8.0 eV for zircon and hafnon, respectively. The introduction of vertex corrections in the many-body self-energy does not modify the results except for a global rigid shift of the many-body corrections.

Desarrollo de refractarios AZS (alúmina-zirconia-sílice) utilizando bauxita y zircon como materias primas

Tesis (Maestro en Ciencias con especialidad en materiales) - U.A.N.L, 2004

Geochemistry and Minerology of Chaliyar River Sediments with Special Reference to the Occurrence of Placer Gold

The present work deals with the texture, mineralogy and geochemistry of bedload sediments of the main stream of the Chaliyar basin, a typical small drainage system of the tropics enjoying heavy rain fall and moderate climate, located essentially in the Northern Kerala and flowing over the crystalline rocks (and their laterized duricrust) of the South Indian granulite terrain. As the Chaliyar is the major river draining the Wynad Gold Fields and is known for its placer gold occurrences, the thesis gives special emphasize on understanding the nature and distribution of detrital gold in sediments of the basin, while attempting to infer the provenance characteristics and factors involved in the evolution of sediments in general. Minerologically the chaliyar basin sands are quartzose. The quartz and feldspar contents in the coarse sand fraction of the basin range from 64 to 86% and 2 to 16% respectively. The Q/F ration ranges from 4 to 38 with a slight decrease in the lower reaches. Other minerals present include, hornblende, pyroxene and heavy minerals like opaques, garnet, rutile, biotite, spene, silliminite, zircon, apatite and monazite some of which are seen as inclusions in quartz. The major element composition of Chaliyar bedload sediments in the main channel and the headwater tributaries is related to the mineralogical and textual characteristics of sediments.

Contribution of SHRIMP U-Pb zircon geochronology to unravelling the evolution of Brazilian Neoproterozoic fold belts

The South-American continent is constituted of three major geologic-geotectonic entities the homonym platform (consolidated at the end of the Cambrian) the Andean chain (essentially Meso-Cenozoic) and the Patagonian terrains affected by tectonism and magmatism through almost all of the Phanerozoic The platform is constituted by a series of cratonic nuclei (pre-Tonian fragments of the Rodinia fission) surrounded by a complex fabric of Neoproterozoic structural provinces Two major groups of orogenic processes (plate interaction cycles) constitute the evolution of these provinces the older occurred in the Tonian (smaller in area) and the younger Brasiliano that is present in all provinces The Tonian cycles (pre-Rodinia fission?) are still being sorted out and many questions still need to be answered The Brasiliano orogenic collage events (post-Rodinia fission?) developed in three main stages in part coeval from a province to another and are 650-600 580-560 and 540-500 Ma respectively (the late event reaching the Ordovician) The first group of orogenies is recorded in practically all provinces The third group is restricted to part of the Mantiqueira Province (southeast of the platform Buzios Orogeny) and present in the Pampean province (SW of the platform) For all these groups of orogenic events there are considerable records of rock assemblages related to processes of convergent plate interaction opening accretion collision and further extrusion There is a good correlation between the geologic and geotectonic data and geochemical and isotopic data The late tectonic processes (post-orogenic magmatism foreland basins etc) of the first two groups compete in time in distinct spaces with the peak of orogenic processes in the third group The introduction of the SHRIMP U-Pb methodology was fundamental to separate the Tonian and post-Tonian orogenic groups and their respective divisions in time and space Thus there are still many open points/problems which lead to expectations of addressing these issues in the near future with the more Intense use of this methodology (C) 2010 Elsevier B V All rights reserved

GEOCHEMISTRY AND U-PB ZIRCON AGE OF THE INTERNAL OSSA-MORENA ZONE OPHIOLITE SEQUENCES: A REMNANT OF RHEIC OCEAN IN SW IBERIA

The Early Paleozoic geodynamic evolution in SW Iberia is believed to have been dominated by the opening of the Rheic Ocean. The Rheic Ocean is generally accepted to have resulted from the drift of peri-Gondwanan terranes such as Avalonia from the northern margin of Gondwana during Late Cambrian-Early Ordovician times. The closure of the Rheic Ocean was the final result of a continent-continent collision between Gondwana and Laurussia that produced the Variscan orogen. The Ossa-Morena Zone is a peri-Gondwana terrane, which preserves spread fragments of ophiolites - the Internal Ossa-Morena Zones Ophiolite Sequences (IOMZOS). The final patchwork of the IOMZOS shows a complete oceanic lithospheric sequence with geochemical characteristics similar to the ocean-floor basalts, without any orogenic fingerprint and/or crustal contamination. The IOMZOS were obducted and imbricated with high pressure lithologies. Based on structural, petrological and whole-rock geochemical data, the authors argue that the IOMZOS represent fragments of the oceanic lithosphere from the Rheic Ocean. Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb geochronological data on metagabbros point to an age of ca. 480 Ma for IOMZOS, providing evidence of a well-developed ocean in SW Iberia during this period, reinforcing the interpretation of the Rheic Ocean as a wide ocean among the peri-Gondwanan terranes during Early Ordovician times.

Lower and Upper Neoproterozoic magmatic records in Itaiacoca Belt (Parana-Brazil): Zircon ages and lithostratigraphy studies

The Itaiacoca Belt is a sequence of metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks that crop out east of Parana and southeast of Sao Paulo states, in southern Brazil. This geologic-geochronologic study supports division of the Itaiacoca Belt into two major lithologic sequences. The older is a carbonate platform sequence (dolomitic meta-limestones/metamarls/calc-phyllites/ carbonate phyllites) with minimum deposition ages related to the end of the Mesoproterozoic/beginning of the Neoproterozoic (1030-908 Ma:U-Pb, zircon of metabasic rocks). The younger sequence contains mainly clastics deposits (meta-arkoses/metavolcanics/metaconglomerates/metapelites) with deposition ages related to the Neoproterozoic (645-628 Ma:U-Pb,zircon of metavolcanic rocks). These ages are quite close to K-Ar ages (fine fraction) of the 628-610 Ma interval, associated with metamorphism and cooling of the Itaiacoca Belt. The contact between the dolomitic meta-limestones and meta-arkoses is marked by intense stretching and high-angle foliation, suggesting that the discontinuity between these associations resulted from shearing. It is proposed here that the term Itaiacoca Sequence, should represent the dolomitic meta-limestones, and the term Abapa Sequence represents the meta-arkoses/metavolcanics/phyllites. in a major tectonic context, these periods are related to the break-up of Rodinia Supercontinent (1030-908 Ma) and the amalgamation of the Gondwana Supercontinent (645-628 Ma). (C) 2008 International Association for Gondwana Research. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

U-Pb-Hf-trace element systematics and geochronology of zircon from a granulite-facies metamorphosed mafic-ultramafic layered complex in Central Brazil

Zircon recrystallization is a common process during high-grade metamorphism and promotes partial or complete resetting of the original isotopic and chemical characteristics of the mineral and thus complicates U-Pb geochronological interpretation. In Central Brazil, this complexity may be illustrated by three composite mafic-ultramafic intrusions metamorphosed under amphibolite-to-granulite conditions. Their ages of emplacement and metamorphic ages have been a matter of controversy for the last thirty years. The Serra da Malacacheta and Barro Alto complexes make up the southernmost of these layered bodies and four samples from distinct rock types were investigated in order to verify the consequences of metamorphic alteration of zircon for U-Pb dating. Cathodoluminescent imaging reveals internal features which are typical of concomitant dissolution-reprecipitation processes, such as convolute zoning and inward-moving recrystallization fronts, even in samples in which partially preserved igneous textures are observed. Due to this extensive alteration, LA-ICPMS U-Pb isotopic analysis yielded inconclusive data. However, in situ Hf isotopic and trace-element analyses help to clarify the real meaning of the geochronological data. Low Lu/Hf (<0.004) and homogeneous (176)Hf/(177)Hf(t) values imply that the zircon populations within individual samples have crystallized in a single episode, despite the observed variations in age values. Trace element signatures of zircon grains from garnet-bearing samples reveal that they were unreactive to the development of the peak metamorphism mineral assemblage and, thus, the main chemical feature in such grains is attributed to a coupled dissolution-reprecipitation process. However, in the Cafelandia amphibolite an additional alteration process is identified, probably related to the influx of late-stage fluids. Combined isotopic and geochemical investigation on zircon grains allowed the distinction of two magmatic events. The first corresponds to the crystallization of the Serra da Malacacheta Complex and characterizes a juvenile magmatism at similar to 1.3 Ga. The younger episode, recognized in the Barro Alto Complex, is dated at ca. 800 Ma and is represented by mafic and ultramafic rocks showing intense contamination with continental crust, implying that the emplacement took place, most likely, in a continental back-arc setting. Altered zircon domains as well as titanite grains date the metamorphic event at ca. 760-750 Ma. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.