The aim of this study was to. examine the relationship between organic maturity and trace element geochemistry of organic rich mudstones, to assess their behaviour as sources or sinks of metals during diagenesis, and their role in mineral deposit genesis. The suite studied consisted of 193 samples from the Draupne, Heather, and Kimmeridge Clay Formations from the Norwegian North Sea and onshore UK. All three formations had above average contents of C and S, and the Draupne and Heather Formations had a low carbonate content. The Draupne Formation was particularly enriched in a number of trace elements but only Cr, Mo, Nb, and U were enriched in all three formations. After transformation of the data to avoid difficulties in interpretation, correlation analysis allowed the trace elements to be divided into three groups on the basis of their mineralogical residences. The use of a battery of geochemical and mineralogical indices demonstrated that variation in sedimentological and environmental factors were significant within the formations studied, and that the relationship between organic maturity and trace element content could not be investigated in isolation. The technique of path analysis was used to assess the strength and nature of this relationship relative to the variation due to other causes. Pb and Zn were found to increase with increasing maturity in both the Draupne and Heather Formations, and Mo was found to decrease. U was seen to decrease, and Cd to increase, in the Draupne Formation only, where they were especially abundant. It is believed that Pb and Zn were supplied by migrating basinal brines which may have acted to remove Mo and U. Other processes which may have mobilised these elements are the in situ generation of organic acids and hydrocarbons.

Thesis (M.S.)--Indiana University, 2009. / Title from screen (viewed on February 2, 2010). Department of Earth Sciences, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Advisor(s): Andrew P. Barth, Gabriel M. Filippelli, Kathy Licht. Includes vitae. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-110).

Melting processes in the mantle have a key role in plate tectonics and in the most colossal phenomena in the Earth, like large igneous provinces, mantle plume upwellings, and the constant growth of the planet's tectonic plates. In this study we use the geochemical and petrological evidence preserved in ophiolites, large igneous provinces, and intraplate seamounts to understand causes, timing and implications of melting in these different tectonic environments. We studied melting at extensional environments, in mid-ocean ridges and back-arc basins, preserved in ophiolites. The Santa Elena Ophiolite in Costa Rica comprises a well-preserved fragment of the lithospheric mantle that formed along a paleo-spreading center. Petrological models of fractional crystallization suggest deep pressures of crystallization of >0.4 GPa for most of the samples, in good agreement with similar calculations from slow/ultra-slow spreading ridges and require a relatively hydrated (~0.5 wt% H2O) MORB-like source composition. Our findings suggest a complex interplay between oceanic basin and back-arc extension environments during the Santa Elena Ophiolite formation. Secondly, we analyzed large igneous provinces and their mechanisms of formation. As the surface expression of deep mantle processes, it is essential to understand the time frames and geodynamics that trigger these massive lava outpourings and their impact to life in the planet. We analyze the record and timing of preserved fragments of the Pacific Ocean Large Igneous Provinces to reconstruct the history of mantle plume upwellings and their relation with a deep-rooted source like the Pacific Large Low Shear Velocity Province during the Mid-Jurassic to Upper Cretaceous. Lastly, we explore the occurrence of low-volume seamounts unrelated to mantle plume upwellings and their geochemical modifications as they become recycled inside the mantle, to answer questions related to the nature and origin of upper mantle heterogeneities. We present evidence that an enriched mantle reservoir composed of recycled seamount materials can be formed in a shorter time period than ancient subducted oceanic crust, thought to be the forming agent of the HIMU mantle reservoir endmember. A "fast-forming" enriched reservoir could explain some of the enriched signatures commonly present in intraplate magmas not related with an active mantle plume upwelling. / Ph. D.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The objectives of this study are, generally, to analyze and understand internal processes that produce melts in an oceanic-continental subduction setting; and, specifically, to understand the assembly of a Cretaceous magmatic arc pluton (Palms pluton), including the timing of melt emplacement(s) and melt evolution from the source. SiO2 concentrations vary from ~ 69-76 % by weight. Whole rock trace element concentrations vary up to 7 times. Zircon analysis shows a minimum age difference in the pluton of 3 my, if considering the uncertainties of the oldest and youngest samples. According to the model made from the HEAT program, this is approximately six times longer than the estimated crystallization time of one batch of melt with the same physical properties as the Palms pluton. Two distinct sources, perceived from chemical analysis of premagmatic zircons, are found throughout the pluton. REE compositional patterns show a hybridization of Proterozoic and Mesozoic sources in some, but not all, Palms pluton granites. This data suggests that the pluton formed from multiple intrusions and the Proterozoic source remained relatively consistent throughout the pluton’s assembly with few additions of younger Mesozoic source material.

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