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A belt of Early Proterozoic rocks crops out in the Cottonwood Cliffs area, northwest Arizona. The belt contains an eastern and a western assemblage separated by the Slate Mountain fault. The western assemblage consists of mafic to felsic metavolcanic rocks, metapelites, and metaconglomerates. The eastern assemblage consists of phyllites, felsic to intermediate metavolcanic rocks, metagraywackes, and metagabbro bodies. The belt is bounded to the east by foliated granodiorite. The Valentine granite intruded the belt on the west and north. Steeply-plunging lineations and fold axes, and northeast-trending vertical foliation dominate the structural fabric. The regional elongation direction is near-vertical, as indicated by mineral and pebble lineations, and is parallel to fold axes. Although only one deformational event is evident, the intensity of that event may have obliterated evidence of any earlier deformation. Tertiary basalts and the Peach Springs Tuff locally overly the metamorphic rocks. Cenozoic normal faults in the area are mostly of minor displacement.

Cette thèse s’inscrit dans le cadre des travaux de recherche de nouvelles ressources en eau en Egypte orientale. Elle est plus spécifiquement axée sur la région du désert Sud-Oriental de l'Egypte. Le présent travail porte sur les propriétés et les potentialités en eau souterraine du système aquifère précambrien dans la région de Hafafit. Les eaux souterraines représentent la ressource la plus importante pour la boisson et les autres usages (domestiques, industriels, agricoles) dans cette région.La répartition spatiale des roches réservoirs, ainsi que leur structure ont d’abord été déterminées afin de comprendre la distribution des aquifères associés et les écoulements préférentiels des eaux souterraines. La méthodologie utilisée est le couplage du travail de terrain pour identifier les roches à l'affleurement et le traitement des images Landsat en utilisant les techniques de télédétection. Cette approche a permis une cartographie géologique détaillée de la région de Hafafit et aussi de dessiner la carte de densité des linéaments et leur orientation. Les résultats ont permis d’identifier les zones potentiellement aquifères.La deuxième étape a consisté à mener une étude pétrographique afin de déterminer la minéralogie et par conséquent, les éléments chimiques qui peuvent être impliqués dans les interactions eaux-roches. L’objectif est de comprendre les processus physico-chimiques à l’origine de la minéralisation des eaux souterraines dans les rochers précambriennesEnfin, avec toutes les données climatiques, géologiques, hydrologiques, hydrogéologiques et chimiques, nous avons tenté d’élaborer un modèle conceptuel du système aquifère du Précambrien de la zone de Hafafit, expliquant ses propriétés physico-chimiques et ses potentialités.Le désert Sud-Oriental de l'Égypte est limité par les longitudes 33° 50' 00" - 35° 45' 00" E et les latitudes 24° 00' 00"- 25° 15' 00" N et couvre une superficie d'environ 17,290 km². Ainsi, il forme une longue bande d'environ 150-200 km de large, bordée à l'Ouest par le Nil et à l'Est par la Mer Rouge. La zone étudiée est située dans la partie sud de cette bande et peut être définie par un quadrilatère dont les sommets sont, au Nord, les villes de Idfu et El Qusier et ceux d'Assouan et Ras Banas au Sud.Pour la zone étudiée, des histogrammes des variations saisonnières de température et de précipitation ont été établis sur les cinq dernières décennies en utilisant les relevés météorologiques historiques (disponibles sur Tutiempo International DataBase) de deux stations situées respectivement à l'Ouest (Assouan sur le Nil) et au Nord (El Qusier sur la Mer Rouge). Les données d'une nouvelle station implantée à l’Est (Marsa Alam sur la Mer Rouge) ont été utilisées, mais sur 6 ans uniquement. Malheureusement aucune station n’a été implantée dans la partie montagneuse de la région étudiée.Ces histogrammes montrent que, dans la région de Hafafit, la température varie de 22 à 36 °C avec une moyenne de 28 °C. L'effet de la température est renforcé par l’ensoleillement relatif annuel moyen, compris entre 80% et 106% entre les deux saisons. L'humidité relative annuelle varie entre 32% et 60% de l'hiver à l'été. Les précipitations annuelles varient de 0 à 117 mm/an dans l'Ouest (Assouan) et de 0 à 195 mm/an dans le Nord (El Qusier) avec une moyenne générale de 50 mm/an pour toute la région. Cependant de longues périodes de sécheresse peuvent succéder à certains événements pluviométriques intenses (souvent 60 mm.h-1). Un autre critère important du climat local est le vent qui souffle régulièrement avec une vitesse moyenne élevée à près de 20 km/h. Par conséquent, l'évaporation potentielle peut atteindre 10 mm/jour. Toutes ces conditions témoignent du degré élevé de l'aridité de la région de Hafafit et du faible potentiel de recharge des aquifères par les apports pluviométriques... / Groundwater is the main water resource for drinking, domestic, irrigation and industrial purposes in the study area as a result of limited natural fresh water. The water scarcity and shortage in Egypt due to population growth, agriculture expansion, industry development, climatic changes and water pollution lead to search about new water resources to overcome the depletion of annual individual share of water such as evaluation of groundwater in Precambrian aquifer, Southeastern Desert, Egypt. Egypt is under water scarcity due to difference between water demand and available water resources, so, we need to search and explore new water resources in Egypt, especially in Southeastern Desert of Egypt. The importance of Southeastern Desert of Egypt represents one of the famous regions for mining such as gold (El-Sukkari gold mine), ilmenite (Abu Ghuson) and other economic ores, therefore the area crowded with touristic villages and resorts parallel to the red sea coast with industrial, commercial and agricultural expansion in the area. The previous factors lead to necessity of qualitative and quantitative evaluation of groundwater resources to reduce the gap between the available water resources and water demand. Applications of remote sensing and Geographic information system techniques have been utilized to investigate the hydro-geological framework and hydrochemistry of fractured Precambrian and coastal aquifers system in Southeastern Desert of Egypt. The aim of the work is evaluation and exploration for new water resources in Southeastern Desert of Egypt dealing with groundwater properties and potentially in the Precambrian aquifer, Hafafit area, Southeastern Desert of Egypt. The groundwater potentialities of Precambrian and coastal aquifers have been studied using remote sensing, geomorphology, hydrology, hydrogeology and geophysics techniques. The groundwater properties of Precambrian and coastal aquifers have been studied using remote sensing, petrography and mineralogy and hydrochemistry techniques.The area is limited by longitudes 330 50/ - 350 45/ 00// E and latitudes 240 00/ - 250 15/ N and covering an area about 17290 Km2. The study area lies within arid desert conditions based on degree of aridity with air temperature and rainfall are variable from summer to winter. The temperature ranges from 22-36 Co with average 28 Co, The average annual rainfall ranges from 3 to 50 mm/year, some intense rainfall events (often 60mm.h-1). The average annual wind velocity is 18.7 km/hour. The intensity of evaporation is 10.1 mm/day. The mean annual relative sunshine ranges between (80-106 %) from season to another, the annual relative humidity varies between (32 % -60%) from winter to summer. In regard to geological setting of the area compose mainly of sedimentary rocks in the coastal line and Precambrian rocks to the west from the coast. The coastal plain sediments include tertiary and quaternary sediments, which classifie into paleogene sediments appear as Abu Ghuson Formation is belong to Oligocene age and Neogene sedimentsare belong to Miocene and Pliocene age include [Ranga Formation, Um Mahara Formation, Abu Dabbab Formation, Sabakha Formation, Um Gheig Formation, Samah Formation, Gabir Formation, Shagra Formation and Samady Formation]. The Precambrian rocks range from the oldest to youngest as [paragneisses and migmatites, geosynclinals metasediments, cataclastic rocks, metavolcanics, serpentinites, metagabbro-diorite complex, older granitoids, Dokhan volcanics, Hammamat group, younger gabbro, younger granitoids, dykes and plugs and alkaline ring complexes].The petrological studies include the mineralogical compositions of rock-bearing minerals that help to understand chemistry of groundwater and hydro-chemical processes such as water-rock interaction, leaching and dissolution of these minerals in groundwater...

Five folded ill. in pocket / Bibliography: leaves 141-152 / ix, 152, 12 leaves, [17] leaves of plates : ill. (some col.) ; 31 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, 1987

Bibliography: leaves 175-189 / xv, 189, [215] leaves, [4] leaves of plates : ill ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Geology, 1984

[Truncated abstract] Banded iron formations of the ~27702405 Ma Hamersley Province of Western Australia were locally upgraded to high-grade hematite ore during the Early Palaeoproterozoic by a combination of hypogene and supergene processes after the initial rise of atmospheric oxygen. Ore genesis was associated with the stratigraphic break between Lower and Upper Wyloo Groups of the Ashburton Province, and has been variously linked to the Ophthalmian orogeny, late-orogenic extensional collapse, and anorogenic continental extension. Small spot PbPb dating of in situ baddeleyite by SHRIMP (sensitive highresolution ion-microprobe) has resolved the ages of two key suites of mafic intrusions constraining for the first time the tectonic evolution of the Ashburton Province and the age and setting of iron-ore formation. Mafic sills dated at 2208 ± 10 Ma were folded during the Ophthalmian orogeny and then cut by the unconformity at the base of the Lower Wyloo Group. A mafic dyke swarm that intrudes the Lower Wyloo Group and has close genetic relationship to iron ore is 2008 ± 16 Ma, slightly younger than a new syneruptive 2031 ± 6 Ma zircon age for the Lower Wyloo Group. These new ages constrain the Ophthalmian orogeny to the period <2210 to >2030 Ma, before Lower Wyloo Group extension, sedimentation, and flood-basalt volcanism. The ~2010 Ma dykes present a new maximum age for iron-ore genesis and deposition of the Upper Wyloo Group, thereby linking ore genesis to a ~21002000 Ma period of continental extension similarly recorded by Palaeoproterozoic terrains worldwide well after the initial oxidation of the atmosphere at ~2320 Ma. The Lower Wyloo Group contains, in ascending order, the fluvial to shallow-marine Beasley River Quartzite, the predominantly subaqueously emplaced Cheela Springs flood basalt and the Wooly Dolomite, a shelf-ramp carbonate succession. Field observations point to high subsidence of the sequence, rather than the mainly subaerial to shallow marine depositional environment-interpretation described by earlier workers. Abundant hydro-volcanic breccias, including hyaloclastite, peperite and fluidal-clast breccia all indicate quench-fragmentation processes caused by interaction of lava with water, and support the mainly subaqueous emplacement of the flood basalt which is also indicated by interlayered BIF-like chert/mudstones and below-wave-base turbiditic mass-flows.

Abstract The metamorphosed Palaeoproterozoic Orivesi gold deposit in southern Finland is located within the Tampere Schist Belt, which belongs to the Svecofennian domain. The Orivesi mine, run by Outokumpu Mining Oy, was in production from 1994 to 2003, during which time a total of approximately 1.7 million tons of ore was extracted, with an Au content of 9.31 g/t, implying a total output 13.115 tons of gold in concentrate. The hydrothermal alteration halo can be divided successively into chlorite-dominant, sericite-dominant and quartz-dominant rocks from the outer zone inwards. The host rocks of the ore are quartz rocks with andalusite-rich quartz rocks. Topaz-bearing rocks also occur in the inner part of the alteration halo. In addition to Au, the elements Ag, Te, Bi, Sb, S, As, Se, Cu, Zn, Pb, Sn and Mo are enriched to varying degrees within the alteration halo. The main ore minerals include base metal sulphides, sulphosalts and tellurides. Pyrite is the most common sulphide. The sulphosalts are represented by tetrahedrite, bournonite, boulangerite and meneghinite. The most common gold, gold-silver and silver tellurides are calaverite, montbrayite, petzite, kostovite, sylvanite and hessite. Other known tellurides include tellurobismuthite, altaite, melonite, frohbergite, tsumoite, tetradymite and rucklidgeite. Gold occurs mostly in fine-grained native grains containing an average of 5% Ag. The native gold is usually of very small grain size, generally &lt; 20 µm. Most of the gold grains in the deposit occur as intergrowths with tellurides. The adjacent hypabyssal intrusion is an obvious source of both hydrothermal fluids and metals. A comb quartz layering has been discovered in the transition zone between the intrusion and the alteration halo. The Orivesi deposit is thought to belong to the high-sulphidation epithermal type. Soon after its formation the deposit encountered deformation and metamorphism that amounted to lower amphibolite facies conditions. The subsequent retrograde metamorphism caused the reappearance of some hydrothermal minerals typical of high-sulphidation epithermal deposits.

L’émergence des bactéries photosynthétiques oxygéniques (BPO), ou cyanobactéries, est probablement l’évènement le plus important de l’histoire de la Terre, depuis l’apparition de la vie elle-même. Par la libération d’O2 dans l’environnement, les BPO ont conduit à l’oxygénation de notre planète, jusqu’alors anoxique, et au développement de la vie complexe. Cependant, cette évolution n’est toujours pas datée. Dans cette étude, j’ai cherché à identifier des signatures chimiques spécifiques aux BPO, in situ à l’échelle du μm, dans des tapis microbien fossiles datant de 3,45 à 1,88 Ga, recouvrant ainsi une période allant de la Terre anoxique à la Terre oxygénée après le « Great Oxidation Event » (GOE). Nous avons utilisé la microscopie optique, la spectroscopie Raman, le MEB/EDX, l’EPMA, la μ-XRF à rayonnement synchrotron (SR-XRF), et des analyses isotopiques. Une nouvelle méthode de quantification élémentaire pour SR-XRF, ainsi qu’une nouvelle méthodologie de préparation d’échantillons ont été developpés. Les résultats obtenus par EPMA et μ-XRF montrent que, dans certains contextes de déposition, un enrichissement en lanthanides (par exemple La, Sm, Gd) de cellules fossiles, et un enrichissement en Cu de pyrites diagénétiques formées en association avec des BPO, pourraient représenter des signatures chimiques spécifiques aux BPO. Suite à ces résultats, je propose que les BPO ont évolué entre 3,33 et 2,98 Ga. Je propose que les techniques élémentaires telles que l’EPMA et la μ-XRF sont les techniques les plus appropriées pour trouver des signatures chimiques spécifiques aux BPO et contraindre leur émergence dans le temps. / The evolution of oxygenic photosynthetic bacteria (OPB) is probably the most important biological event of Earth’s history since the emergence of life itself. The release of their by-product O2 in the environment, which was globally anoxic, fundamentally changed the face of the Earth and led to the development of complex life. However, the specific timing of this evolutionary step remains unclear. This study is based on the search for in situ chemical signatures of OPB at the microbial (μm) scale, within fossilized microbial photosynthetic mats in Archean and Paleoproterozoic sediments dated between 3.45 Ga and 1.88 Ga, i.e. spanning the anoxic Earth to the aftermath of the GOE. We used optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, SEM/EDS, EPMA, synchrotron radiation μ-XRF, and isotope analytical techniques. The μXRF results were improved by the use of a new sample preparation method and a new quantification method, both developed during this study.Results obtained by EPMA and μXRF show that, under certain depositional contexts, enrichment in lanthanides (such as Sm, La and Gd) in individual OPB cells, as well as a Cu enrichment in diagenetic pyrites formed in association with OPB, may represent chemical signatures of OPB. I propose that OPB evolved sometime between 3.33 Ga and 2.98 Ga. Also, I argue that elemental techniques such as EPMA and μ-XRF are the most suitable techniques to find chemical signatures of OPB and constrain the timing of their emergence.

Precambrian metamorphic rocks in the Beaver Dam Mountains display asymmetric, isoclinal folds with consistent fold axes plunging to the NW. These folds are parasitic and have a recursive nature that occurs on wavelengths from centimeters to perhaps kilometers as part of a NW-SE striking shear zone. The vergence of the folds indicates oblique shearing with a transport direction plunging 29° to the south. This shear zone may be associated with the collision of Yavapai Province island arcs with Laurentia. Structurally overlying, and adjacent to the metamorphic rocks are allochthonous and attenuated Mississippian limestone blocks and other strata debated to be either the result of mega-landsliding or fragments of the hanging wall rocks above a low-angle normal fault. We document previously unreported cataclastic damage zones tens of meters thick, an anastomosing zone of greenschist facies alteration hundreds of meters thick, and polished low-angle fault surfaces beneath these blocks. Other observations previously used to support a mega-landslide hypothesis are blocks of Redwall Limestone structurally overlying what was interpreted as Tertiary conglomerate. However, this contact is depositional, and the conglomerate is likely a sedimentary breccia facies of the Mississippian Redwall Limestone which is documented in several locations within the region. Additionally, some of the deformation and attenuation that was wrongly attributed to mega-landsliding or low-angle normal faulting is due to previously undocumented soft-sediment deformation. This deformation was gravity driven and accommodated by ductile granular flow, resulting in recumbent folds within the Mississippian Redwall Limestone and a prominent non-brittle detachment surface between the Redwall Limestone and the Cambrian Bonanza King Formation at Castle Cliff. This detachment was previously interpreted as the Castle Cliff Detachment, a low-angle normal fault, or as the slip surface of a landslide.

Les cherts, roches siliceuses, sont souvent considérés comme des marqueurs des conditions environnementales de la Terre primitive. Ces roches sont constituées de quartz sous différentes formes dont le quartz microcristallin ou microquartz est la forme majoritaire. Le but de cette thèse est d'étudier à l'échelle micrométrique les compositions isotopiques de l'oxygène et du silicium des différentes formes de silice dans des cherts d'âges variés, allant de 3,5 à 1,9 Ga afin de mieux comprendre l'origine et le mode de formation de ces roches et d'essayer d'améliorer les reconstructions des températures océaniques du Précambrien. Les mesures isotopiques, réalisées à la sonde ionique ims 1270, ont une précision meilleure que 0,2 ‰ pour le [delta]18O et de l'ordre de 0,3 ‰ pour le [delta]30Si. Ces analyses isotopiques ont été combinées avec l'analyse des éléments traces (B, Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Ti, Fe) avec la sonde ionique 3f, avec une étude pétrographique détaillée du microquartz et avec l'analyse des inclusions fluides des veines de quartz. Le résultat principal est la mise en évidence de grandes gammes de variation du [delta]18O (entre 1 ‰ et 14?‰) et du [delta]30Si (entre 2 ‰ et 5 ‰) à l'échelle micrométrique dans le microquartz. La gamme de variation du [delta]18O a pu être interprétée dans les échantillons datés de 1,9 Ga comme témoignant de l'histoire diagenètique de ces roches. Cette gamme permet, en corrigeant de l'effet de la diagenèse, de reconstruire des températures océaniques à 1,9 Ga entre 37 et 52°C, ce qui laisse suggérer un océan assez chaud au Précambrien si ces échantillons sont représentatifs de conditions globales. Dans le cas des échantillons datés à 3,5 Ga, les variations de [delta]30Si et de concentrations en éléments traces apportent des informations sur les origines variées des cherts. Enfin, l'effet des circulations fluides sur les compositions isotopiques du microquartz a été caractérisé par l'analyse isotopique du [delta]18O et du [delta]30Si et par l'étude des inclusions fluides. Il est démontré que dans certains cas le [delta]18O du microquartz peut être entièrement rééquilibré avec les fluides hydrothermaux ou métamorphiques. L'approche développée dans cette thèse devra dans le futur être appliquée systématiquement à l'étude des cherts aux fins de reconstructions paléo-environnemantales / Cherts, which are siliceous rocks, are considered as possible proxies of paleo-environmental conditions of the Early Earth. These rocks contain various forms of quartz, microquartz being the predominant one. The study of oxygen and silicon isotopic composition in the various forms of silica in cherts of different ages, from 3,5 Ga to 1,9 Ga, allowed to better understand the origin and the formation of these rocks and allowed to try to reconstruct paleo-temperatures for Precambrian seawater. Isotopic measurements were obtained with the ims 1270 multicollector ion microprobe with a precision better than 0,2 ‰ for [delta]18O and of ˜ 0,3 ‰ for [delta]30Si. These analyses were combined with the measurement of traces elements concentrations (B, Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Ti, Fe) with the ims 3f ion microprobe, with a petrographical study of microquartz and with the study of fluid inclusions in quartz veins. The major result is the existence at a micrometer scale of a large range of variations for [delta]18O (between 1 ‰ to 14?‰) and [delta]30Si (between 2‰ to 5‰). In the Gunflint cherts, the range of [delta]18O variation has been interpreted as due to diagenesis and has been used to reconstruct oceanic paleo-temperatures. The calculated temperatures range from +37°C to +52°C, suggesting an hot ocean during the Precambrian era if Gunflint cherts are representative of global environmental conditions. The [delta]30Si variations associated with that of trace elements concentrations allow to constrain the various origins of these cherts. The effect of fluid circulations on the isotopic compositions has been characterized by [delta]18O and [delta]30Si analyses and by fluid inclusions study. It is shown that in some cases the [delta]18O value of microquartz can be totally re-equilibrated with the hydrothermal or metamorphic fluids. The approach developed in this thesis will be decisive in future studies of Archean cherts for paleotemperature reconstructions