The Goldstrike property is located in northern Nevada and contains one of the largest and highest-grade Carlin-type gold deposits. The majority of the Eocene Au mineralization (e.g., Ore I) is hosted in intensely altered Paleozoic lower-plate impure carbonate rocks, and is characterized by strong to moderate silicification, higher calculated pyrite and ore-related element concentrations (e.g., As, Cu, Hg, Ni, Tl, Sb, W, and Zn) than Ore II, which is weakly altered. However, both ore types contain similar Au concentration in whole rock and pyrite chemistry analyses. Lithogeochemical and microprobe data suggest that the Paleozoic sedimentary rocks may have been a major source of Cd, Mo, Ni, U, V, and Zn and minor As, Cu, Hg, and Se. The Jurassic lamprophyre dikes might have been a significant source of Ba, Co, and Se, and minor Au, and some of the Jurassic and Eocene intrusive rocks may have provided some Fe. Moreover, the Eocene magmas are interpreted to be the main source of auriferous mineralizing fluids and ore-related elements. Trace element abundances and ratios of the Jurassic intrusive rocks suggest that they are shoshonitic and formed from a metasomatized mantle-derived magma, crystal fractionation, and crustal contamination. The Eocene dikes, also shoshonitic, are considerably more evolved and contaminated than the studied Jurassic rocks. Furthermore, Ar-Ar results show that the Jurassic intrusive rocks were negligibly affected by the Eocene thermal event, and that temperature of mineralizing fluids were below the closure temperature of biotite (> 3500C). A magmatic-related model is proposed to explain the formation of the Carlin-type gold deposits at the studied area. In this model, Au and the ore-related elements were exsolved along with volatiles by degassing of a deep and large plutonic complex during its early stage of crystallization. As these magmatic-hydrothermal fluids moved upward along major conduits (e.g., NNW-striking faults), they may have interacted with a Fe-rich fluid, pervasively altering the Paleozoic impure carbonate rocks (e.g., carbonate dissolution, silicification, pyritization) and forming Ore I. Subsequently, these fluids moved laterally further away from the major conduits, became cooler, less acidic, and depleted in ore-related elements and interacted with the Fe-bearing host rocks (e.g., sulfidation), favoring the precipitation of Ore II. / Thesis (Ph.D, Geological Sciences & Geological Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2009-09-25 21:37:33.76

No description available.

The South Manasan ultramafic intrusion (ca. 1880 Ma) located in the Early Proterozoic Thompson Nickel Belt (TNB) contains Ni and platinum group element (PGE) mineralization hosted by disseminated sulfide. Whole-rock Ni values range from 0.3 to 1.7 wt. % and total precious metals (TPMs) range from 0 to 1.3 ppm Pt + Pd + Au and equate to tenor values (i.e., metal in 100% sulfide) of 11-39 wt. % Ni and 8-27 ppm TPMs. The South Manasan intrusion is a steeply dipping sill-like body with a boudinaged outline having a strike length of approximately 1200 m, average width of 125 m and a minimum depth extent of 1000 m. The intrusion is composed of approximately 25% fresh dunite, 50% serpentine altered dunite and 25% tectonized and carbonate altered dunite. The most intense alteration is found near the intrusion’s margin where it is in contact with metasedimentary rocks of the Pipe Formation, part of the surrounding Ospwagan Group. In fresh dunite the sulfide assemblage characterized by an intercumulate texture is dominated by pentlandite with accessory pyrite; the latter having a symplectic-like texture. The pentlandite-pyrite assemblage in the serpentinized dunite, although still characterized overall by an intercumlate-texture, has well developed platy intergrowths with chlorite and serpentine. In the most intensely modified unit (the carbonate altered dunite) the sulfide assemblage consists primarily of pyrrhotite and pentlandite. Whole-rock geochemical data (n=360), modal mineralogy and mineral chemistry obtained on representative drill core throughout the South Manasan intrusion have been used to establish a type section in order to evaluate the relative roles of primary magmatic versus secondary (i.e., serpentinization, carbonate alteration and deformation) processes. These data indicate that the primary silicate-sulfide assemblage was systematically modified during : serpentinization, carbonate alteration and deformation of the South Manasan intrusion such that a sequence of primary versus secondary events can be established. Intrusion of the original komatiitic magma and formation of the South Manasan intrusion took place at a shallow level into consolidated Ospwagan Group sediments with subsequent contamination of this melt with crustal S. This triggered sulfide saturation and generation of an immiscible sulfide melt. Calculated Ni and TPM tenor values constrain the R factor to between 500 and 2500. The early crystallization of olivine inhibited the sulfide melt from settling to the bottom of the magma column and as a consequence, the sulfides now have a primary interstitial magmatic texture. The current sulfide association dominated by pentlandite>>pyrite>chalcopyrite has a mineral paragenesis that is consistent with subsolidus re-equilibration of a primary pentlanditepyrrhotite- chalcopyrite assemblage. The subsequent processes of serpentinization, deformation and carbonate alteration resulted in modifying the primary sulfide assemblages and their textures (i.e., to platy habits), but did not greatly alter the bulk composition, in particular metal contents, except for addition of volatiles (H2O, CO2). It is concluded therefore that the enrichment of the sulfide assemblage at South Manasan in Ni and PGEs is a consequence of a primary magmatic process involving high R factor and that the effects of later overprinting processes (alteration, deformation) are not responsible for the presently observed high-tenor sulfide association.

The Great Bear magmatic zone, Northwest Territories, hosts numerous giant quartz veins and stockwork zones. These zones can be up to 100m wide and up to 10km long, with two or more generations of quartz. A few of the giant quartz vein zones host base-metal uranium mineralization, and some are proximal to mineralization, although most are barren. Cathodoluminescence imaging shows the quartz veins have complex growth zones and a trace element study suggests that these zones are the result of Al and Li substitution in the quartz lattice. Oxygen isotope (18Oqtz) values of quartz generally fall between +8 to +14.6 (VSMOW). Fluid inclusion homogenization temperatures range from 100 to 375C, and the fluids have variable salinities. The fluids that created the giant quartz veins are epithermal in nature with a meteoric water brine signature, and formed as a result of multiple fluid pulses and re-fracturing events.

Thesis (M.S.)--Indiana University, 2008. / Department of Earh Sciences, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Advisor(s): Kathy J. Licht. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 149-154).

abstract: The dynamic Earth involves feedbacks between the solid crust and both natural and anthropogenic fluid flows. Fluid-rock interactions drive many Earth phenomena, including volcanic unrest, seismic activities, and hydrological responses. Mitigating the hazards associated with these activities requires fundamental understanding of the underlying physical processes. Therefore, geophysical monitoring in combination with modeling provides valuable tools, suitable for hazard mitigation and risk management efforts. Magmatic activities and induced seismicity linked to fluid injection are two natural and anthropogenic processes discussed in this dissertation. Successful forecasting of the timing, style, and intensity of a volcanic eruption is made possible by improved understanding of the volcano life cycle as well as building quantitative models incorporating the processes that govern rock melting, melt ascending, magma storage, eruption initiation, and interaction between magma and surrounding host rocks at different spatial extent and time scale. One key part of such models is the shallow magma chamber, which is generally directly linked to volcano’s eruptive behaviors. However, its actual shape, size, and temporal evolution are often not entirely known. To address this issue, I use space-based geodetic data with high spatiotemporal resolution to measure surface deformation at Kilauea volcano. The obtained maps of InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) deformation time series are exploited with two novel modeling schemes to investigate Kilauea’s shallow magmatic system. Both models can explain the same observation, leading to a new compartment model of magma chamber. Such models significantly advance the understanding of the physical processes associated with Kilauea’s summit plumbing system with potential applications for volcanoes around the world. The unprecedented increase in the number of earthquakes in the Central and Eastern United States since 2008 is attributed to massive deep subsurface injection of saltwater. The elevated chance of moderate-large damaging earthquakes stemming from increased seismicity rate causes broad societal concerns among industry, regulators, and the public. Thus, quantifying the time-dependent seismic hazard associated with the fluid injection is of great importance. To this end, I investigate the large-scale seismic, hydrogeologic, and injection data in northern Texas for period of 2007-2015 and in northern-central Oklahoma for period of 1995-2017. An effective induced earthquake forecasting model is developed, considering a complex relationship between injection operations and consequent seismicity. I find that the timing and magnitude of regional induced earthquakes are fully controlled by the process of fluid diffusion in a poroelastic medium and thus can be successfully forecasted. The obtained time-dependent seismic hazard model is spatiotemporally heterogeneous and decreasing injection rates does not immediately reduce the probability of an earthquake. The presented framework can be used for operational induced earthquake forecasting. Information about the associated fundamental processes, inducing conditions, and probabilistic seismic hazards has broad benefits to the society. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Geological Sciences 2018

xii, 95 p. : ill. (some col.) / Vigorous convective activity in the western U.S. mantle has long been inferred from the region's widespread intra-plate crustal deformation, volcanism, and high elevations, but the specific form of convective activity and the degree and nature of lithospheric involvement have been strongly debated. I design a seismic travel-time tomography method and implement it with seismic data from the EarthScope Transportable Array and complementary arrays to constrain three-dimensional seismic structure beneath the western U.S. Tomographic images of variations in compressional velocity, shear velocity, and the ratio of shear to compressional velocity in the western U.S. mantle to a depth of 1000 km are produced. Using these results I investigate mantle physical properties, Cenozoic subduction history, and the influence of small-scale lithospheric convection on regional tectonic and magmatic activity, with particular focus on southern California and the Pacific Northwest. This dissertation includes previously published co-authored material. Chapter II presents a travel-time tomography method I designed and first implemented with data from southern California and the surrounding southwestern U.S. The resulting images provide a new level of constraint on upper mantle seismic anomalies beneath the Transverse Ranges, southern Great Valley, Salton Trough, and southwestern Nevada volcanic field. Chapter III presents tomographic images of the western U.S. mantle, identifies upper mantle volumes where partial melt is probable, and discusses implications of the apparently widespread occurrence of gravitational instabilities of continental lithsophere and the complex geometry and buoyancy of subducted ocean lithosphere imaged beneath the western U.S. In Chapter IV, tomography images are used in conjunction with geologic constraints on major transitions in crustal deformation and magmatism to construct a model for Pacific Northwest evolution since the Cretaceous. Accretion in the Pacific Northwest at 55-50 Ma is suggested to stimulate roll-back of the flat subducting Farallon slab. This change in convergent margin structure is further suggested to drive the short-lived Challis magmatic trend and trigger the southward propagating Eocene-Oligocene transition from the Laramide orogeny to widespread crustal extension and ignimbrite magmatism. / Committee in charge: Eugene Humphreys, Chair; Douglas Toomey, Member; Emilie Hooft Toomey, Member; John Conery, Outside Member

Os derrames da Formação Serra Geral fazem parte de uma grande província ígnea continental situada no sul do Brasil e em parte do Uruguai, Paraguai e Argentina, são portanto muito bem conhecidos e estudados, no entanto as pesquisas geralmente são voltadas para os minerais primários da rocha, excluindo os argilominerais que são considerados como produtos de alteração. Este trabalho é um estudo voltado para a caracterização e entendimento dos argilominerais presentes em basaltos da Formação Serra Geral na região situada entre os municípios de Frederico Westphalen, Iraí, Caiçara, Ametista do Sul e Planalto. Os derrames da região foram contabilizados e estudados através de um levantamento em perfiís de estradas, onde um dos deles foi escolhido como estudo de caso por conter grandes quantidades de argilominerais, especialmente celadonita que é o principal foco de estudo deste trabalho. As técnicas utilizadas consistiram em análises petrográficas em microscopia ótica e microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV), além de difratometria raios X (DRX), espectrometria de infravermelho por transformada de Fourier (FTIR) e espectrometria Mössbauer em argilominerais e celadonitas retiradas manualmente de vesículas. As análises químicas das rochas e dos minerais foram realizadas através das técnicas de fluorescência de Raios X e microssonda eletrônica, para análise de elementos maiores, e ICP-MS para elementos traços. Foi identificada uma correlação entre o litotipo pahoehoe de derrame e a presença da celadonita que ocorre em grandes proporções, preenchendo vesículas, fraturas e rodeando geodos. As análises químicas revelaram uma variação composicional da borda da vesícula para o centro e diferenças químicas entre as celadonitas encontradas dependendo do local de coleta, mesmo ocorrendo em um mesmo derrame. A caracterização microtextural das celadonitas e esmectitas revelaram padrões de precipitação em um sistema de equilíbrio com os minerais primários da rocha, sugerindo assim uma precipitação pós-magmática. / The flows of the Serra Geral Formation are part of a continental large igneous province located at southern of Brazil and part of Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina, are well known and studied, however researches are generally directed to the primary rock minerals, excluding the clay minerals which are considered as products of alteration. This work is a study at the characterization and understanding of the clay minerals present in basalts of the Serra Geral Formation in the region located between the cities of Frederico Westphalen, Iraí, Caiçara, Ametista do Sul and Planalto. The flows of the region were counted and studied through road profiles lifting, where one of those was chosen as a study case because the large amounts of clay minerals, mainly celadonites, which is the focus of this study. The techniques used consisted of petrographic analyzes using optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X - ray diffractometry (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) and Mössbauer spectrometry in clays manually removed from vesicles. The chemical analyzes of rocks and minerals were performed using X-Ray fluorescence and electron microprobe for verification of major elements and ICP-MS for trace elements. A correlation was identified between pahoehoe litotype and the celadonite presence, which occurs filling vesicles, fractures and surrounding geodes. The chemical analyzes shows a compositional variation at the border towards the center of the vesicle and chemical differences between the celadonites depending on the place of gathering, even occurring in the same effusion. The microtexural characterization of celadonites and smectites revealed precipitation patterns in a system of equilibrium with the rock primary minerals, thus suggesting port-magmatic precipitation.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:26:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009-04-27 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / A evolução de rochas migmatíticas e granulíticas da porção de baixa-média pressão do Complexo Guaxupé, na região de São João da Boa Vista, foi investigada a partir de estudos petrográficos, geoquímicos, isotópicos e geotermobarométricos. Os dados de campo, em conjunto com a geoquímica, permitem reconhecer pelo menos três fases de anatexia, e agrupar os litotipos em quatro suítes geoquímicas distintas onde os paleossomas têm assinatura de crosta inferior e foram formados em um arco magmático, com colisão continental, diferenciando-se das demais, que apresentam assinatura de crosta superior. As análises isotópicas sugerem longa residência crustal com valor mínimo da razão 86Sr/87Sr de 0,707199 e valores de εNd sempre negativos (-6,17 a -16,46). Os valores de TDM variam entre 1,34 e 1,77Ga. A idade do pico metamórfico é sugerida em 639.6+3.7Ma e foi obtido pela datação de U/Pb em zircões granulíticos. Cálculos geotermobarométricos sugerem trajetória metamórfica aberta com sentido horário, e pico metamórfico em 11,5kbar e 820°C, seguido por descompressão isotérmica até 8kbar. Esses dados permitem abrir a discussão para um modelo evolutivo onde os protólitos foram formados na crosta inferior em um arco magmático muito anterior aos eventos de pico metamórfico e migmatização, que ocorreram no Neoproterozóico, quando essas rochas foram arrancadas dessas porções profundas e colocadas em ambiente de crosta superior. A evolução parece ter ocorrido com uma fase de fusão parcial, nos estágios iniciais, e pelo menos mais duas durante a ascensão e exumação dessas rochas / The evolution of migmatitic and granulitic rocks of the middle to high pressure portion of Guaxupé Complex are investigated by petrografic, isotopic, geochemical and geothermobarometric studies. Field data together with geochemistry indicate at least three phases of anatexis making possible to group the lithologies into four suits in which the paleossome shows a lower crust signature and evolved in a magmatic arc environment, by continental collision. The other three groups show upper crust signatures. Isotopic analysis suggest a long crustal residence with a minimum value of 0,707199 for the 86Sr/87Sr ratio and with εNd values always negative (-6,17 to -16,46). The TDM ages for the protolith are between 1,34 and 1,77 Ga. The metamorphic peak occurred at 639.6 ± 3.7 Ma, obtained by U/Pb in zircon crystals of granulites. Geothermobarometric calculations suggest an open metamorphic clockwise P-T path, with metamorphic peak in 11,5 kbar and 820 oC followed by isothermal decompression until 8 kbar. These data conduct to a model for the evolution of that region where the protolith were formed at the lower crust in a magmatic arc older than the metamorphic peak that occurred in the Neoproterozoic, when the rocks were dislocated from lower to upper portions of the crust. The evolution started with a partial melting phase in the initial stages and proceeded with at least two more phases of partial melting during the rising and exhumation of these rocks

abstract: Hydrogen isotope compositions of the martian atmosphere and crustal materials can provide unique insights into the hydrological and geological evolution of Mars. While the present-day deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio (D/H) of the Mars atmosphere is well constrained (~6 times that of terrestrial ocean water), that of its deep silicate interior (specifically, the mantle) is less so. In fact, the hydrogen isotope composition of the primordial martian mantle is of great interest since it has implications for the origin and abundance of water on that planet. Martian meteorites could provide key constraints in this regard, since they crystallized from melts originating from the martian mantle and contain phases that potentially record the evolution of the H2O content and isotopic composition of the interior of the planet over time. Examined here are the hydrogen isotopic compositions of Nominally Anhydrous Phases (NAPs) in eight martian meteorites (five shergottites and three nakhlites) using Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS). This study presents a total of 113 individual analyses of H2O contents and hydrogen isotopic compositions of NAPs in the shergottites Zagami, Los Angeles, QUE 94201, SaU 005, and Tissint, and the nakhlites Nakhla, Lafayette, and Yamato 000593. The hydrogen isotopic variation between and within meteorites may be due to one or more processes including: interaction with the martian atmosphere, magmatic degassing, subsolidus alteration (including shock), and/or terrestrial contamination. Taking into consideration the effects of these processes, the hydrogen isotope composition of the martian mantle may be similar to that of the Earth. Additionally, this study calculated upper limits on the H2O contents of the shergottite and nakhlite parent melts based on the measured minimum H2O abundances in their maskelynites and pyroxenes, respectively. These calculations, along with some petrogenetic assumptions based on previous studies, were subsequently used to infer the H2O contents of the mantle source reservoirs of the depleted shergottites (200-700 ppm) and the nakhlites (10-100 ppm). This suggests that mantle source of the nakhlites is systematically drier than that of the depleted shergottites, and the upper mantle of Mars may have preserved significant heterogeneity in its H2O content. Additionally, this range of H2O contents is not dissimilar to the range observed for the Earth’s upper mantle. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Geological Sciences 2015