De l’observation microscopique d’une lame mince à l’observation mégascopique d’une province volcano-plutonique par télédétection (SRTM, Landsat), ce travail s’intéresse aux méthodes de comptage, aux traitements statistique et fractale des tailles, formes, orientations et distributions spatiales ainsi qu’à l’interprétation pétrogénétique et/ou géodynamique de différents marqueurs géologiques (cristaux, linéaments, cônes volcaniques…) associés au volcano-plutonisme phanérozoïque d’Afrique équatoriale (Ligne du Cameroun et régions voisines). L’analyse à l’échelle microscopique de la distribution de taille de grains et des textures de roches volcaniques et mantelliques (laves et enclaves provenant de l’île de Bioko, golfe de Guinée) a permis de mettre en évidence l’importance d’une quantification objective des paramètres de taille et des relations entre les phases minérales. Après avoir appliqué et discuté les résultats obtenus par les méthodes dites de « distribution de tailles de grains » ou CSD (Crystal Size Distribution), les relations spatiales entre les cristaux et donc les textures ont été étudiées par analyse fractale classique puis grâce à l’entropie de Shannon, dont il s’agit de la première application 2D. La généralisation de ces méthodes de comptage à des objets géologiques de plus grande taille (linéaments, cônes volcaniques…) par le biais des images satellites (Landsat) et modèles numériques de terrain (MNT) issus des données SRTM, a permis d’aborder de manière objective, sur un nombre suffisant de mesures, la morphostructure de la région étudiée. L’ensemble des données morpho-structurales, soit 15.171 linéaments, 8.092 cônes volcaniques ou complexes annulaires, d’une vaste zone de plus de 2.700.000 km2 autour du golfe de Guinée, ont permis d’élaborer plusieurs modèles structuraux locaux qui, synthétisés dans une vue spatio-temporelle complète depuis le Carbonifère jusqu’à l’actuel, ont permis de redéfinir l’évolution géodynamique de la région. Cette zone mobile complexe, pincée entre le craton congolais et le craton ouest-africain, est caractérisée par un soubassement précambrien, réactivé lors de la mise en place des grands bassins sédimentaires et ensembles magmatiques phanérozoiques. Contrairement à un modèle unique, souvent invoqué, l’évolution géologique régionale se présente comme une suite de régimes transcurrents dextres se déplaçant spatialement autour des directions N80 au Jurassique, N120 au Crétacé et N30 du Paléogène à l’actuel. L’intégration des nombreuses données géochimiques et isotopiques de la littérature aux modèles géodynamiques de ce travail oblige à globaliser le magmatisme cénozoïque à l’échelle de l’Afrique équatoriale dans son ensemble qui se présente alors comme un « ensemble » magmatique cohérent.

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).

La géologie connaît à partir de la fin du 18ème siècle un véritable essor dont les conséquences ne tarderont pas à apparaître dans la peinture de paysage de l’époque. Délaissant désormais les cabinets d’histoire naturelle, les naturalistes se mettent à chercher sur le terrain des indices pour comprendre le passé de notre terre et notamment son extrême ancienneté. Les artistes imitent leur démarche en se passionnant à leur tour aux phénomènes naturels comme les volcans, les glaciers ou tout simplement les falaises. Sous le prisme des découvertes effectuées en géosciences, il s’agira de déterminer l’influence de certaines théories scientifiques sur la peinture de paysage. Au nombre de quatre, ces doctrines contribueront dans une certaine mesure à moderniser ce genre pictural trop sclérosé par la tradition. Des personnalités comme Alexandre d’lt, Louis Agassiz, James Hutton ou encore George Cuvier ont avec leurs doctrines scientifiques profondément changé la vision de notre globe terrestre quant à son histoire, son évolution et ses mécanismes. Notre étude qui abordera de nombreuses facettes des sciences de la terre comme la glaciologie et la paléontologie tentera de mettre en évidence la portée de ces nouvelles disciplines sur le développement de la peinture de paysage de la fin du 18ème siècle jusqu’aux années 1860. / From the final years of the eighteenth century, Geology enjoys a rapid development whose consequences won’t take long to react on the landscape painting of the time. Leaving from then on the study for the outer world, Naturalists set to look for clues on the ground to understand the past of our planet and particularly his old age. Artists imitate their reasoning and are fascinated as well by the naturals phenomenon like the volcanoes, the glaciers or simply the cliffs. Under the prism of the discoveries made in geosciences, it will be a matter to determine the influence of some scientific theories on the landscape painting. These doctrines will contribute to modernize this pictorial genre still too blocked by the tradition. Personalities such as Humboldt, Agassiz, Hutton and Cuvier have with their ideas profoundly changed the vision of our planet about his history, his evolution and his mechanisms. Our study which tackles some aspects of the geosciences like glaciology a paleontology will try to bring to the fore the range of these new scientific disciplines on the development of the landscape painting from the final years of the eighteenth century to the 1860 years.

No description available.

The Beattie syenite is composed of a series of lenticular bodies of syenitic rocks, situated immediately north of the Porcupine-Destor fault zone in the town of Duparquet, approximately 32 km north of Rouyn-Noranda in the Abitibi Subprovince. The principal body is 3.3 km long and 470 m in width and is flanked by a series of smaller lenses to the south and northeast. The intrusion has been zircon dated at 2682±1Ma and 2682.9±1.1 Ma and hosted the major part of the Au-mineralization of the now defunct Beattie mine, which was an important producer of gold in the area from 1933 to 1956 (9.66 Mt at 4.88 g/t Au). A total of 5 petrographic units are defined here, on the basis of field relationships, macroscopic textures, petrology and mineralogy: 1- The porphyritic Beattie syenite unit is composed of 2% to 10% of tabular sub- to anhedral feldspar phenocrysts about 2 mm to 10 mm in size, set in a red feldspathic and aphanitic matrix. This unit can be strongly cataclastic with abundant hydrothermal minerals. 2- The equigranular magnetite-bearing syenite unit includes few feldspar phenocrysts, about 2 mm to 10 mm in a fine-grained matrix. It is characterized by unaltered titanite, epidote, hornblende porphyroblasts and is the only unit with actinolite replacing clinopyroxene. 3- The porphyritic Central Duparquet syenite unit contains between 2% - 25% of coarse equant euhedral feldspar phenocrysts, about 5 mm to 16 mm in size, in a red or sometimes grey aphanitic matrix. 4- The megaporphyritic syenite unit is composed of very coarse alkali feldspar phenocrysts, typically 1 cm to 6 cm across, in a red aphanitic matrix. The phenocrysts often form a glomeroporphyritic texture. 5- The lath syenite unit occurs as numerous ~m-width thin dykes, which cross-cut all other petrographic units. These dykes display a characteristic trachytic texture, as defined by the preferential alignment of alkali feldspar laths, which are typically 1 cm to 3 cm in a grey or red aphanitic matrix. Petrology and geochemistry investigations revealed that the syenite intruded into the older 2720-2718 Ma volcanic Deguisier Formation and the <2687±2 Ma sediments of the Porcupine Group. Detailed geochemical analysis revealed that the Deguisier Formation is composed of three units, forming a complete tholeiitic suite. The Deguisier Formation is proposed here to have been produced in a volcanic arc setting. Detailed petrological, mineralogical and geochemical studies indicate that, the syenite is part of the alkaline series and is metaluminous to peraluminous. The syenite intruded at shallow depths through a sequence of injections, yielding the five comagmatic units. The syenite and country rocks were then subjected to a series of hydrothermal alterations and brittle deformation events, combined with metamorphism to the greenschist facies. The Au-mineralization in this region is attributed to the hydrothermal alteration with brittle deformation.

La Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM) est peut-être Le massif de la croûte terrestre le plus complexe trouvé dans les Andes du Nord. Sa situation unique comme un massif triangulaire isolé segmenté de la continuité de 7000 km de long Andes montagne comme la dernière position devant les domaines de la plaque des Caraïbes plus jeune, place la SNSM comme une île séparée de toutes les chaînes de montagnes environnantes de la marge continentale. Un relief important caractérise cette montagne atteint l'altitude la plus élevée dans le domaine des Caraïbes entière à 5750 m, et de définir, la SNSM comme le plus grand chaîne de montagnes côtières dans le monde. La SNSM est une caractéristique géologique unique un remarquable que les récifs coralliens Etreintes biodiversité de SES dans les forêts tropicales qui passent d'auge fortement végétalisées la mer des Caraïbes, les forêts de haute nuage, et bruyères, jusqu'à ce que, son magnifique sommet couronné par les glaciers.Par sa position sur la marge nord - ouest de l' Amérique du Sud l'étude de la SNSM donne l'occasion de résoudre des questions importantes sur l'évolution des cycles super-continentales depuis les temps Grenvilliens par l'orogenèse Neoproterozoic Pan-Africain, l'orogenèse Paléozoïque tardif Ouachitan-Appalaches cela a conduit Pangaea assemblée, et Trias Pangaea débâcle suivie par la Rift Atlantique Jurassique centrale et plus récemment par le début de la plaque des Caraïbes accrétion / subduction depuis le Crétacé tardif contre le nord - ouest en Amérique du Sud.Je tenté de démêler l'histoire géologique de la Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Massif utilisant les plus avancées en géochronologiques, thermochronologiques, géochimiques et isotopiques techniques qui a permis de recueillir une quantité importante de nouvelles données à ajouter à la base de données existante sur la SNSM. Nos résultats comprennent une carte géologique réévaluée 1: 25000, qui comprend la définition de quatre nouvelles unités stratigraphiques, Accompagné de deux sections crustales sur 320 km de longueur ce disséquer le massif, et 8 sections parallèles à l'angle nord - ouest de le ceinture métamorphique de la SNSM. L'ensemble des données géochimiques et isotopiques comprend: i) 17 roches ignées et métamorphiques et six échantillons détritiques datés par ablation laser induite par couplage plasma spectrométrie de masse (LA-ICP-MS) U-Pb zircon géochronologie qui a abouti à 2790 nouvelles dates et in-situ analyse des oligo - élément, ii) 16 roches ignées et métamorphiques qui a donné 31 nouveaux âges thermochronometriques: 12 âgés du traces de fission en zircon 11 âges du traces de fission des apatites et 7 âges (U-Th) / He dans les apatites, iii) Géochimie de la roche entière à partir de 10 échantillons et iv) analyses à la microsonde chimie minérale et cartes x-ray de quatre échantillons a donné aux grenats zonées et péritectiques. Elles ont été données acquises à partir des unités du complex métamorphique nord - ouest du massif SNSM. Avec ces données, nous enquêté i) Les unités sont conformes à la SNSM ce ceintures métamorphiques, de leurs relations chronologiques et stratigraphiques du Précambrien à l'Eocène; ii) Le laps de temps et les conditions P-T du l’événement métamorphique Paléozoïque tardif à Mésozoïque précoce (chapitre 1), iii) Le moment de l'activité ignée, accrétion et l'exhumation des terranes océaniques et continentales au cours du Crétacé tardif à la fin du Miocène. iv) Un mécanisme pour expliquer comment l’exhumation a eu lieu sous un régime collisionnel influencé par un processus climatique à l'érosion et des gradients thermiques élevées (chapitre 2); v) Les processus tardifs de la dénudation et la sédimentation contrôlées par la tectonique dans deux bassins marginaux depuis le Miocène précoce dans le diminution des taux d'érosion et gradients thermiques (chapitre 3). / The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM) is perhaps the most complex crustal massif found in the Northern Andes. Its unique situation as an isolated triangular massif segmented from the continuity of the 7000 km long Andes as the last standing mountain before the domains of the younger Caribbean plate, places the SNSM as an island separated from all surrounding mountain ranges of the continental margin. A prominent relief characterizes this mountain reaching the highest altitude in the entire Caribbean realm at 5750 m, and defines, the SNSM as the highest coastal mountain range in the world. For this reason the SNSM is a unique geological feature that embraces an outstanding biodiversity from its coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea passing trough heavily vegetated tropical rainforests, high cloud forests, and moorlands, until its magnificent summit capped by glaciers.By its position on the northwestern margin of South America the study of the SNSM provides the opportunity to resolve important questions on the evolution of super-continental cycles since Grenvillian times through the Neoproterozoic Pan-African orogeny, the Late Paleozoic Ouachitan-Appalachian orogeny that led to Pangæa assembly, and Triassic Pangæa break-up followed by the Jurassic Central Atlantic Rift and more recently by the start of the Caribbean plate accretion/subduction since the Late Cretaceous against northwestern South America.In this investigation I attempt to unravel the geological history of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Massif using geochronological, thermochronological geochemical and isotopic techniques that allowed to gather a significant amount of new data to add to the existent database on the SNSM.Our results include a reevaluated geological map 1:25000, in which I define 4 new stratigraphic units, accompanied by two crustal-scale cross sections of 320 km length that dissect the massif, and 8 parallel cross sections at the NW corner of the SNSM metamorphic belt. The geochemical and isotopic dataset includes: i) 17 igneous and metamorphic rocks and 6 detrital samples dated by laser-ablation induced-coupled-plasma mass-spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), U-Pb zircon geochronology that resulted in 2790 new dates and in-situ trace element analyses, ii) 16 igneous and metamorphic rocks that yielded 31 new thermochronometric ages as follows: 12 zircon fission track ages, 11 Apatite fission track ages and 7 (U-Th)/He in apatite ages, iii) Whole rock geochemistry from 10 samples and iv) Microprobe mineral chemistry in spot analyses and x-ray maps from 4 samples that yielded zoned and peritectic garnet. These data were acquired from the units of the northwestern metamorphic suite of the SNSM massif. With these data we investigated i) The units that conform the SNSM metamorphic belts, their chronological and stratigraphic relationships from the Precambrian to the Eocene; ii) The time span and P-T conditions of a Late Paleozoic-Early Mezosoic metamorphic event (Chapter 1), iii) The timing of igneous activity accretion and exhumation of oceanic and continental terranes during the Late Cretaceous to late Miocene. iv) A mechanism for explaining how this exhumation occurred under a collisional regime by a climate influenced process at elevated erosion and thermal gradients (Chapter 2); v) The late processes of denudation and sedimentation controlled by tectonics in two marginal basins since the early Miocene under decreased erosion rates and thermal gradients (Chapter 3).

The Beattie syenite is composed of a series of lenticular bodies of syenitic rocks, situated immediately north of the Porcupine-Destor fault zone in the town of Duparquet, approximately 32 km north of Rouyn-Noranda in the Abitibi Subprovince. The principal body is 3.3 km long and 470 m in width and is flanked by a series of smaller lenses to the south and northeast. The intrusion has been zircon dated at 2682±1Ma and 2682.9±1.1 Ma and hosted the major part of the Au-mineralization of the now defunct Beattie mine, which was an important producer of gold in the area from 1933 to 1956 (9.66 Mt at 4.88 g/t Au). A total of 5 petrographic units are defined here, on the basis of field relationships, macroscopic textures, petrology and mineralogy: 1- The porphyritic Beattie syenite unit is composed of 2% to 10% of tabular sub- to anhedral feldspar phenocrysts about 2 mm to 10 mm in size, set in a red feldspathic and aphanitic matrix. This unit can be strongly cataclastic with abundant hydrothermal minerals. 2- The equigranular magnetite-bearing syenite unit includes few feldspar phenocrysts, about 2 mm to 10 mm in a fine-grained matrix. It is characterized by unaltered titanite, epidote, hornblende porphyroblasts and is the only unit with actinolite replacing clinopyroxene. 3- The porphyritic Central Duparquet syenite unit contains between 2% - 25% of coarse equant euhedral feldspar phenocrysts, about 5 mm to 16 mm in size, in a red or sometimes grey aphanitic matrix. 4- The megaporphyritic syenite unit is composed of very coarse alkali feldspar phenocrysts, typically 1 cm to 6 cm across, in a red aphanitic matrix. The phenocrysts often form a glomeroporphyritic texture. 5- The lath syenite unit occurs as numerous ~m-width thin dykes, which cross-cut all other petrographic units. These dykes display a characteristic trachytic texture, as defined by the preferential alignment of alkali feldspar laths, which are typically 1 cm to 3 cm in a grey or red aphanitic matrix. Petrology and geochemistry investigations revealed that the syenite intruded into the older 2720-2718 Ma volcanic Deguisier Formation and the <2687±2 Ma sediments of the Porcupine Group. Detailed geochemical analysis revealed that the Deguisier Formation is composed of three units, forming a complete tholeiitic suite. The Deguisier Formation is proposed here to have been produced in a volcanic arc setting. Detailed petrological, mineralogical and geochemical studies indicate that, the syenite is part of the alkaline series and is metaluminous to peraluminous. The syenite intruded at shallow depths through a sequence of injections, yielding the five comagmatic units. The syenite and country rocks were then subjected to a series of hydrothermal alterations and brittle deformation events, combined with metamorphism to the greenschist facies. The Au-mineralization in this region is attributed to the hydrothermal alteration with brittle deformation.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Differential exhumation within the eastern Transverse Ranges of southern California has revealed a tilted crustal section that provides a unique view into the architecture of the Mesozoic arc. At the base of this crustal section is a group of well-exposed sheeted plutons. Well-developed, gentle to moderately dipping magmatic and solid-state fabrics within these plutons are regionally consistent, margin-parallel, discordant to internal sheeting and layering, and are generally parallel to equivalent host rock structures and fabrics. In some plutons, magmatic foliations define regional fold structures, thus recording regional contraction during chamber construction. Collectively, field mapping and fabric analyses within these sheeted plutons show that the observed fabric patterns are better explained by regional deformation rather than internal magma chamber processes. This interpretation is in direct contrast to previous mapping in the region. The host rocks also record complex processes during sheeted pluton emplacement. Deflection of host rock foliations and structures into parallelism with pluton contacts suggest that downward ductile flow played a role in making space for these plutons. However, evidence of regional faulting and shearing is not observed, suggesting that they did not play a significant role. Although there is considerable microstructural variability within each pluton, the observed microstructures are generally consistent with a transition from magmatic to submagmatic/ high-temperature solid-state deformation. Magmatic microstructures are defined by euhedral to subhedral plagioclase, hornblende, and biotite that do not show significant internal crystal-plastic deformation. Evidence for high-temperature solid-state deformation includes high-temperature grain boundary migration in quartz, plagaioclase, potassium feldspar, and hornblende; chessboard extinction in quartz; and ductile bending in plagioclase and hornblende. Microstructural observations also indicate that mafic and intermediate compositions record stronger magmatic fabrics than felsic compositions. Based on the structural and microstructural observations presented in this study, I interpret that these sheeted plutons were emplaced into an active continental arc setting that was undergoing regional contraction. The strong magmatic fabrics and high-temperature solid-state overprinting is likely a consequence of regional deformation during crystallization. The weak fabrics within upper crustal plutons relative to the strong fabrics within the mid-crustal plutons suggest that deformation was largely localized to the more compositionally heterogeneous mid-crustal portions of the arc structure.

No description available.

[Truncated abstract] The Tintina Gold Province (TGP) comprises numerous (<15) gold belts and districts throughout interior Alaska and Yukon that are associated with Cretaceous plutonic rocks. With a gold endowment of ∼70Moz, most districts are defined by their placer gold contributions, which comprise greater than 30 Moz, but four districts have experience significant increases in gold exploration with notable discoveries at Fort Knox (5.4 Moz), Donlin Creek (12.3 Moz), Pogo (5.8 Moz), True North (0.79 Moz), and Brewery Creek (0.85 Moz). All significant TGP gold deposits are spatially and temporally related to reduced (ilmenite-series) and radiogenic Cretaceous intrusive rocks that intrude (meta-) sedimentary strata. The similar characteristics that these deposits share are the foundation for the development of a reduced intrusion-related gold deposit model. Associated gold deposits have a wide variety of geological and geochemical features and are categorized as intrusion-centered (includes intrusion-hosted, skarns and replacements), shear-related, and epizonal. The TGP is characterized by vast, remote under-explored areas, unglaciated regions with variable oxidation depths and discontinuous permafrost, which, in combination with a still-evolving geological model, create significant exploration challenges. Twenty-five Early and mid-Cretaceous (145-90 Ma) plutonic suites and belts are defined across Alaska and Yukon on the basis of lithological, geochemical, isotopic, and geochronometric similarities. These features, when combined with aeromagnetic characteristics, magnetic susceptibility measurements, and whole-rock ferric:ferrous ratios define the distribution of magnetite- and ilmenite-series plutonic belts. Magnetite-series plutonic belts are dominantly associated with the older parts of the plutonic episode and comprise subduction-generated metaluminous plutons that are distributed preferentially in the more seaward localities dominated by primitive tectonic elements. Ilmenite-series plutonic belts comprise slightly-younger, slightly-peraluminous plutons in more landward localities in pericratonic to continental margin settings. They were likely initiated in response to crustal thickening following terrane collision. The youngest plutonic belt forms a small, but significant, magnetite-series belt in the farthest inboard position, associated with alkalic plutons that were emplaced during weak extension. Intrusion-related metallogenic provinces with distinctive metal associations are distributed, largely in accord with classical redox-sensitive granite-series. Copper, Au and Fe mineralisation are associated with magnetite-series plutons and tungsten mineralisation associated with ilmenite-series plutons. However, there are some notable deviations from expected associations, as intrusion-related Ag-Pb-Zn deposits are few, and significant tin mineralisation is rare. Most significantly, many gold deposits and occurrences are associated with ilmenite-series plutons which form the basis for the reduced intrusion-related gold deposit model