French Central Massif Research Articles

Zircon U‐Pb provenance analysis of impact melt and target rocks from the Rochechouart impact structure, France

AbstractThe Rochechouart impact structure in the northwestern part of the French Massif Central (FMC) has a great diversity of impactites, including monomict impact breccias, suevite, and impact melt rocks (IMRs). The structure is strongly eroded, which allows the study of impactites of the crater fill and the transition into the crater floor. The FMC has had a multistage geological evolution from the late Neoproterozoic to the Ordovician (600–450 Ma) until the later stages of the Variscan orogeny (~300 Ma). Previous geochronological work on Rochechouart has been focused mainly on the impactites and constraining the impact age, and scarce work has been done on the FMC‐related target rocks. Here, U‐Pb isotope analysis by LA‐MC‐ICP‐MS has been conducted on zircon from two IMRs from the Recoudert and Montoume localities, and from a monzodiorite, a paragneiss, and two amphibolite samples of the basement to the impact structure. Zircon from the target rocks yielded mainly Neoproterozoic to Carboniferous ages (~924 to ~301 Ma) that can mostly be correlated to different stages of the geological evolution of the FMC. The monzodiorite also yielded a Permian age of 272 ± 12 Ma. Zircon from the IMRs, and especially from the Montoume sample, gave a comparatively higher diversity of Neoproterozoic to Jurassic ages (~552 to ~195 Ma). Provenance analysis for the zircon age populations of the impactites compared to those of the basement rocks shows overall poor correlation between the two age groups. This suggests that other target lithologies were involved in the formation of these impact melts as well. Post‐Variscan and preimpact ages (281–226 Ma) obtained for both melt rocks probably reflect a previously unconstrained event in the evolution of the regional geological history. Ages similar to the currently most widely accepted impact age of ~204–206 Ma were obtained from both IMR samples. In addition, the Montoume melt rock yielded several post‐204 Ma ages, which might reflect a to date unconstrained, about 194 Ma postimpact thermal/hydrothermal event.

Cryptic crustal growth identified through Variscan post-collisional lamprophyre-granite composite dykes, French Massif Central

The processes that control crustal growth by addition of new mantle-derived material to the crust and the recycling of crustal components that were introduced into the mantle during subduction remain poorly understood in collisional orogens. This is largely due to the fact that the sub-orogenic mantle has, in many instances, been fertilized by the introduction of crustal components during previous subduction events, and lacks the typical depleted mantle signature. Here, we present a study of lamprophyric–granitic composite dykes from the northern margin of the post-collisional Variscan Aigoual granite, French Massif Central (FMC). At Aigoual, lamprophyres and granites have gradational contacts and similar geochemical characteristics which indicate that the two were co-magmatic. UPb dating of zircon yields crystallization ages between 311 ± 3 Ma and 313 ± 3 Ma for dykes, identical within uncertainty with the ages of 312 ± 3 Ma and 313 ± 3 Ma obtained for the emplacement of the Aigoual granite. The lamprophyres are metaluminous to slightly peraluminous and display enrichment in both compatible (Fe, Mg, Ni, Cr) and incompatible elements (K, LILE, LREE) and have crustal isotopic signatures in both radiogenic (Sr, Nd and Hf) and stable (O) isotope systems. This dual crust/mantle signature of the lamprophyres can be interpreted to reflect partial melting, within the spinel stability field, of an enriched mantle that was metasomatised by the addition of subducted sediments. The granites are peraluminous, high-K and have shoshonitic affinities. Their primitive mantle-normalized trace-element patterns are similar to the lamprophyres and the isotopic compositions of the two rock types overlap. The high Cr, Ni, Fe, and Mg contents of the granites are consistent with a mantle component in the magmas. Our results suggest that between 65 and 80 wt% of material in the lamprophyres and granites was derived from the depleted mantle, and the rest from recycled crustal material. Although blurred from an (conventional) isotopic point of view, this magmatism contributed to the crustal growth via the post-collisional magmatism of the FMC. Coupled with their high preservation potential, post-collisional sites might thus represent significant sites of crustal growth.

Review of Polymetallic Mineralization in the Sila and Serre Massifs (Calabria, Southern Italy)

We provide an updated overview of the known mineral deposits from the Sila and Serre Massifs in Calabria, contributing to setting their genesis within a complex geologic history, starting from the late-Carboniferous. We summarize the mineralization reported in the literature, with a critical review of the host tectonic units, by taking into account the upgrades in the knowledge of these areas. We also set them in updated geological maps and in stratigraphic columns, highlighting the crustal levels to which they pertain. Despite the geologic and minerogenetic similarities potentially existing with late- to post-Variscan mineral deposits from other regions (e.g., Sardinia and French Central Massif), the scientific literature on the Calabria mineralization is out-of-date and not exhaustive. Moreover, these ore deposits were likely considered not economically attractive enough to stimulate new scientific studies. However, in our opinion, such studies are needed to resolve the main open questions, which rely on deciphering the origin and age of mineralization. Finally, research for critical elements hosted by the Sila and Serre mineralization (e.g., In, Ge and Ga in sphalerites) is a possible interesting new perspective.

Thermal evolution of a Variscan syn-orogenic intracontinental basin (Servoz basin, Western Alps): RSCM geothermometry and geochronology

The Variscan basement of the Aiguilles-Rouges massif (Western Alps) exposes the Servoz syncline which consists of a metavolcano-sedimentary sequence composed of (i) a volcanic unit of unknown age and origin, (ii) Early Carboniferous sedimentary series affected by the Variscan orogeny and intruded by the Montées-Pélissier pluton, and (iii) a Late Carboniferous late-orogenic sedimentary sequence. We combined field investigations, Raman Spectroscopy on Carbonaceous Material geothermometry, and LA-ICPMS U-Th-Pb geochronology on zircon in order to reappraise the sedimentary sequence of the Servoz syncline. Our results allow us to identify three distinct sedimentary formations (F1, F2 and F3). The F1 formation is composed of metagreywackes, bimodal volcanic and magmatic rocks formed during basin opening at an early rifting stage (370–350 Ma) within a back-arc geodynamic setting. This extensional regime was responsible for a high thermal event recorded by a ca. 115 °C/km apparent geothermal gradient. Local anatexis of the basement rocks under the basin is dated at 351 ± 5 Ma. Basin inversion occurred between 350 and 330 Ma in response to oblique collision, with the development of large-scale dextral shear zones and syn-kinematic 340–330 Ma granite intrusions. Subsequent dextral transtension was responsible for the opening of a pull-apart basin between ca. 330 and 310 Ma with the deposition of the F2 phyllite formation that was later deformed by the ongoing dextral transcurrent Variscan tectonics at temperatures between 200 and 350 °C. Finally, the F3 terrigenous sedimentary rocks deposited at ca. 310–290 Ma in a late-orogenic extensional basin. The Alpine-related tectonic event overprinted all the temperatures below 350 °C. Although similar basins have been recognized in other External Crystalline Massifs of the Alps, the Servoz syncline is the first example that allows a major part of the polyphase tectonic evolution, since the early stages of the Devonian, to be recognized. Comparison with similar back-arc basins from the French Central massif, the Vosges massif and the Bohemian massif suggests that the External Crystalline Massifs initially belonged to the Moldanubian hinterlands of the Variscan belt.

Flow of the partially molten crust in the Variscan foreland revealed by U–Th–Pb dating of metamorphism, magmatism and deformation (Agly Massif, Eastern Pyrenees)

In this contribution, we investigate the spatial and temporal evolution of mid-crustal flow in the Agly Massif (North Pyrenean Zone) that represents the southern foreland of the Variscan orogenic plateau. In the Agly Massif, the middle crust is represented by an Ediacarian–Devonian series of metasedimentary rocks that recorded high-grade metamorphism synchronously with crustal thinning (D2) and dextral wrenching (D3) during Carboniferous. D2 crustal thinning formed a penetrative S2 flat-lying foliation and localized C2 extensional shear zones with a top-to-the-North kinematics. D2 planar fabrics are deformed by a D3 dextral transpression localized into a two-kilometer wide high-strain zone. We performed LA-ICPMS U–Th–Pb dating on zircon and monazite from small magmatic bodies and from metamorphic rocks showing strain features relative to D2 and/or D3. Our results, compiled with published data, argue that the middle crust of the Agly Massif reached high-temperature and suprasolidus conditions at ca. 325–320 Ma and was partially molten until ca. 300 Ma. They also indicate that the D2 thinning and top-to-the north shearing was active from ca. 325–290 Ma. D2 extension and D3 transpression were synchronous from ca. 308–290 Ma. Making a comparison with the Pyrenean Axial Zone, the Montagne Noire and the French Central Massif, we propose a two-step tectonic model for the mid-crustal flow with a horizontal flow towards South in both the orogenic plateau and the southern forelands between ca. 325 and 310 Ma and locally reoriented into an E–W longitudinal flow between 310 and 300 Ma in high-strain dextral strike-slip shearing domains.

U/Pb geochronology of wolframite by LA-ICP-MS; mineralogical constraints, analytical procedures, data interpretation, and comparison with ID-TIMS

Wolframite has been proposed as a U/Pb geochronometer for direct dating of W mineralisation events, but its isotopic analysis may be hampered by highly variable and low U contents (<200 ppm) and low 206Pb/204Pb ratios (〈300), heterogenous common Pb compositions, post-crystallisation alteration, and the presence of non-cogenetic mineral and fluid inclusions. In situ U/Pb dating of wolframite by laser ablation - inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) can avoid these analytical challenges but requires reference materials to properly correct for matrix and instrumental effects on measured U/Pb ratios. This study presents the U/Pb systematics by LA-ICP-MS of a wolframite sample (MTM-1) from the French Massif Central (FMC) which has been considered for normalisation and validation purposes of U/Pb LA-ICP-MS wolframite data in previous studies. We demonstrate that the MTM-1 wolframite is chemically and isotopically heterogeneous, and more importantly, we show that the previously defined ID-TIMS U/Pb age (334.4 ± 1.7 Ma, 2σ) is invalid due to an inappropriate common Pb correction. We calculate a new U/Pb crystallisation age of 316.7 ± 5.8 Ma (2σ). Based on our new calibration, we also present the U-Th-Pb trace element and U/Pb ages of six W deposits from the FMC, also previously studied by ID-TIMS. We show that U/Pb ages determined by LA-ICP-MS are more robust and geological plausible compared to ID-TIMS ages obtained on the same samples. The concentrations of U (ca 0.1–150 ppm) and Pb (ca 0.01–90 ppm) in FMC wolframite are highly variable and do not ubiquitously correlate to major element composition (such as the Fe/(Fe + Mn) ratio). The chemical variability and isotopic heterogeneity observed in wolframite from the FMC highlights the importance of pre-screening imaging methods (e.g., SEM, EPMA, μXRF) prior to LA-ICP-MS U/Pb analyses. Based on our results, we propose new guidelines for U/Pb LA-ICP-MS wolframite geochronology to increase accuracy and reproducibility in age determinations, as well as improving interlaboratory comparisons.

Episodic Precipitation of Wolframite during An Orogen: The Echassières District, Variscan Belt of France

Monazite and rutile occurring in hydrothermally altered W mineralizations, in the Echassières district of the French Massif Central (FMC), were dated by U-Pb isotopic systematics using in-situ Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma–quadrupole mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The resulting dates record superimposed evidence for multiple percolation of mineralizing fluids in the same area. Cross-referencing these ages with cross-cutting relationships and published geochronological data reveals a long history of more than 50 Ma of W mineralization in the district. These data, integrated in the context of the Variscan belt evolution and compared to other major W provinces in the world, point to an original geodynamic-metallogenic scenario. The formation, probably during the Devonian, of a quartz-vein stockwork (1st generation of wolframite, called wolframite “a”; &gt;360 Ma) of porphyry magmatic arc affinity is analogous to the Sn-W belts of the Andes and the Nanling range in China. This stockwork was affected by Barrovian metamorphism, induced by tectonic accretion and crustal thickening, during the middle Carboniferous (360 to 350 Ma). Intrusion of a concealed post-collisional peraluminous Visean granite, at 333 Ma, was closely followed by precipitation of a second generation of wolframite (termed “b”), from greisen fluids in the stockwork and host schist. This W-fertile magmatic episode has been widely recorded in the Variscan belt of central Europe, e.g. in the Erzgebirge, but with a time lag of 10–15 Ma. During orogenic collapse, a third magmatic episode was characterized by the intrusion of numerous rare-metal granites (RMG), which crystallized at ~310 Ma in the FMC and in Iberia. One of these, the Beauvoir granite in the Echassières district, led to the formation of the wolframite “c” generation during greisen alteration.

Evaluating Holocene natural hazards in the French Massif Central from a regional lake sediment approach

Geophysical surveys in the Lakes Tazenat, Aydat, Chambon and Lacassou combined with a multiproxy study of sediment cores highlight Late Holocene abrupt environmental changes in the northern part of the French Massif Central (FMC). Dating landslide-induced dust layers and subaqueous slope failures impacting lake basin sedimentary fills suggest regional triggering by palaeo-earthquakes (cluster of events) either in the Puy-de-Sancy volcano area, or along the regional Limagne fault. In the present study, a cluster of palaeo-earthquakes occurring in the Sancy area between AD 1243 and 1270 are documented in the Lakes Montcineyre, Chauvet, Pavin and Guéry, as well as by the formation of Lake Lacassou following the last emplacement of the Dent du Marais landslide in the Chaudefour glacial valley around AD 1250 ± 30. Former cluster of earthquakes occurring near the Limagne fault between AD 580 and 650 are evidenced in Lake Tazenat and in maar Lake Pavin. Lake Pavin present lake-level was similarly favoured by the cluster of earthquakes between AD 1243 and 1270 and the occurrence of a slump and an outburst flood event resulting in the bypassing of a palaeo-outlet. Holocene earthquakes near the Limagne fault are suggested in maar Lake Tazenat by coeval mass wasting deposits (MWDs) around 2250 ± 50 cal. BP and around 2730 ± 30 cal. BP. A landslide-induced dust layer dated between 2760 and 2520 cal. BP at the transition from paludal to lacustrine deposits in the Chaudefour glacial valley is suggesting that the formation of Lake Chambon resulted from a first emplacement of the Dent du Marais landslide. Radionuclides and radiocarbon dating in Lake Tazenat suggest variable sedimentation rates over the last millennia due to: (i) floods during the Little Ice Age, (ii) coeval MWDs at the basin edges and an erosive turbidite in the central basin between AD 575 and 625, and (iii) lake eutrophication since AD 1945. More gravity cores are needed to directly sample and date the youngest generation of coeval MWDs detected on seismic profiles in order to test the impact in this lake of the cluster of major historical earthquakes in the FMC between AD 1450 and 1490 near the Limagne fault.

Multistage development of a hydrothermal W deposit during the Variscan late-orogenic evolution: the Puy-les-Vignes breccia pipe (Massif Central, France)

The Puy-les-Vignes W deposit, located in the northwestern French Massif Central (FMC), is a rare occurrence of a wolframite-mineralized hydrothermal breccia pipe hosted in high-grade metamorphic gneisses. We present an integrated study of this deposit aiming to characterize the ore-forming hydrothermal system in link with the Variscan late-orogenic evolution of the FMC. Based on a set of representative samples from the host rocks and mineralization, we describe a detailed paragenetic sequence and we provide the major and trace element geochemistry of the granitic rocks and W–Nb–Ta–Sn–Ti oxide minerals, in situ U/Pb and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology, and a fluid inclusion study of quartz and wolframite. We demonstrate that the formation of this W-mineralized breccia pipe results from a multistage development related to four major episodes during the late Carboniferous. The first episode corresponds to the emplacement of an unexposed peraluminous granite at ca. 324 Ma, which generated microgranite dykes exposed at the present-day surface. The second episode is the formation of the quartz-supported breccia pipe and wolframite mineralization at ca. 318 Ma at a paleodepth of 7 km. The mineralizing fluids have a H2O–NaCl–CO2–CH4–N2 composition, a moderate-salinity (&lt; 9 wt.% NaCl eq) and were trapped at high-temperatures (&gt; 400 °C) during lithostatic to hydrostatic pressure variations caused by hydrofracturing of the host rocks. Wolframite deposition is interpreted to result from a W-rich intermediate-density magmatic fluid that exsolved from an evolved leucogranite and interacted with volatile-rich metasedimentary country rocks and/or possibly mixed with low-salinity metamorphic fluids of deep origin. The third episode corresponds to magmatic-hydrothermal Nb–Ta mineralization overprinting the W-mineralized system interpreted to be related to the intrusion at ca. 311 Ma of a rare-metal granite, which is part of a regional peraluminous rare-metal magmatism during the 315–310 Ma period. Finally, the last episode corresponds to disseminated Bi ± Au–Ag mineralization emplaced at ca. 300 Ma, which shares similar mineralogical features with late Carboniferous orogenic gold deposits in the FMC. The Puy-les-Vignes W deposit records, therefore, a multistage and long-lived development that extends over a timespan of 25 million years in a regional setting dominated by protracted peraluminous magmatism and high-temperature and low-pressure metamorphism. Although the local environment of ore deposition is atypical, our results show that the mineral assemblages, alteration styles, and fluid characteristics of the Puy-les-Vignes breccia pipe are similar to those of other peri-granitic W deposits in the FMC.

Deuxième complément à l'inventaire de la macroflore du Miocène Supérieur de la diatomite de Murat (Cantal, Massif Central, France)

Le gisement de diatomite de Murat (Cantal), daté à la limite Mio-Pliocène (Messinien), est particulièrement riche en végétaux fossiles. De nouvelles prospections effectuées de 2010 à 2019 ont permis de compléter les inventaires précédents. Seules cinq nouvelles formes fossiles ont été découvertes et sont décrites : trois nouvelles espèces (1 Filicophyte et 2 Magnoliophytes) et deux formes fossiles d'aiguilles de pin (Pinus sp., Coniferophytes). Deux autres espèces précédemment citées sont détaillées et figurées. Le nombre total d'espèces décrites dans la diatomite de Murat est maintenant de 86 : 4 Filicophytes, 11 Coniferophytes et 71 Magnoliophytes. La diatomite de Murat reste donc l'un des plus riches gisements de végétaux fossiles miocènes du Massif central. La flore est dominée par des espèces tempérées, mais des espèces plus froides et des espèces thermophiles sont aussi présentes.

On the Physicochemical Characteristics and Applications of an "Undesirable" Pyrenean Thorny Cushion Dwarf: Echinospartum horridum (Vahl) Roth.

Small evergreen shrubs of the family Fabaceae represent a large proportion of current Mediterranean mountain vegetation. Their low pastoral value and tendency for encroachment makes these plants undesirable. In this paper, the thermal and chemical characteristics of Echinospartum horridum, a thorny cushion-shaped dwarf shrub native to the French Central Massif and the Pyrenees (particularly dominant in the shrublands of the Pyrenees), have been analyzed with a view to its valorization. Although the higher and lower heating values of the biomass from E. horridum met the ISO 17225-2:2014 requirements for its use in pellets, the ash content was slightly above the upper limit, so it would not comply with the normative for its acceptable use as a fuel. Nevertheless, the presence of high added-value flavonoids and lignans in its extracts, which are receiving increasing recent interest as efficient anti-tumor drugs and antivirals, may open the door to the valorization of this shrub for pharmacological applications.

The collapse of the Variscan belt: a Variscan lateral extrusion thin-skinned structure in NW Iberia

ABSTRACT The Iberian Massif of the Variscan Belt is a big area of exposed Palaeozoic rocks holding an S-shaped regional bend. Profuse data and genetic models support the existence of the northern arch (Ibero-Armorican Orocline: IAO) created by Late-Variscan buckling. The southern arch (Central-Iberian Orocline: CIO) was proposed near a century ago but it remains controversial. Tectono-metamorphic studies in the core of the CIO constrain its geometry and kinematics and provide crucial data to unravel the geological evolution of the region. The CIO is here envisaged as produced by the lateral thin-skinned extrusion of a fan-like wedge (with fragments of the NW Iberia allochthonous complexes) onto the Iberian autochthon, using the parautochthon as the lower tectonic sheet. The progression of a roughly E-W linear orogen towards the W (today’s NW Iberia) controlled by the obliquity of the continental collision of Gondwana and Laurussia created an escape way for the collapsing materials coming from the accretionary prism. The extrusion wedge expanded westwards along the orogenic extensional vector and progressively curved areas to the west, dragging the previous structures and the stratigraphy while incorporating the Variscan foreland basins at the base. We propose the French Massif Central (FMC) as a provenance area for the extrusion. In this sector, evidences of Eo-Variscan (~410-360Ma) subduction-obduction stages match to those described in the NW Iberia allochthonous complexes. The synorogenic extension towards NW and gneiss-dome formation in the FMC at 370-355 Ma fits with the known ages and kinematics (after restoring the IAO) of the first compressive stages in the parautochthon/autochthon of NW Iberia (360-340Ma) evidencing the relationship between regions. Tightening of the CIO occurred in the late-Variscan compressive stage, due to the formation of the IAO that wrapped the entire CIO thus rotating the extrusion fan more than 90ºcounter-clockwise in the latest Palaeozoic.

Tectonic-thermal constraints on the Pb-Zn ore deposits from southeastern French Central Massif by K-Ar and Pb-Pb dating of illite

Illite-rich size-fractions (&lt;0.2, &lt;0.4, 0.4-1, 0.4-2 and &lt;2 µm) of Cambrian, Permian, Triassic and Jurassic calcschists, shales and dolostones from Pb-Zn ore-district of the southeastern French Massif Central were dated by the K-Ar method, and some by the Pb-Pb method after removal of the Pb external to the illite particles. The combined mineralogical and isotopic determinations show that illitization occurred successively at 285 ± 5, 240 ± 20, 185 ± 15, 140 ± 10 and 105 ± 5 Ma in the district. These tectonic-thermal pulses, which were also reported at a larger regional scale, did not systematically release Pb-mineralizing fluids. The mineralizing episodes seem to have only contributed to contemporaneous illitization and Pb precipitation at 191 ± 41 Ma, by Pb-Pb dating of illite, and at 105 ± 5 Ma in a reactivated fault containing illite mixed with Pb precipitates. The scatter of the Pb-Pb data suggests an incompletely equilibrated Pb isotopic signature when incorporated into the illite structure during crystallization. Pb-isotopic determinations of barren illite-type minerals provide new information about the circulation timing of the mineralizing hydrothermal fluids. The fluid migrations related to recurrent hydrothermal activities occurred within a segment of a continental margin that was located away from main rift zones and far (more than 500 km) from major orogenic zones of Western Europe. The lack of major geodynamic activities near metal deposits needs to hypothesize periodic migrations of hot -fluids in the underneath continental crust. Metals were concentrated at specific places, but not necessarily during each tectonic-thermal pulse recorded by illite. These tectonic-thermal activities confirm local geodynamic re-activations of previously occurring events with effects on local mass and heat transfers in the plutonic basements, as well as in the sedimentary sequences.

Tracing metallic pre-concentrations in the Limousin ophiolite-derived rocks and Variscan granites (French Massif Central)

The French Massif Central (FMC) is part of the West European Variscan belt. The economic and sub-economic ore deposits from the Limousin area are the consequence of intensive fluid-rock interactions related to a lithospheric delamination process that occurred during the Neo-Variscan Period (320–290 Ma). This study focuses on the fingerprints of fluid-rock interactions in the Limousin ophiolite-derived rocks and granitic massifs, in order to trace the source of trace elements transported by fluids involved in the formation of the Variscan ore deposits (including Sn, W, Au and U deposits). A series of compatible and incompatible metallic trace elements (Ag, As, Au, Bi, Li, Co, Cr, Cu, Ga, Ge, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sc, Sn, Ti, V, W) were analysed in a series of basic (metagabbros, basic dykes), ultrabasic (serpentinites) and felsic (granites and gneisses) rocks, as well as in the mineral assemblages, in order to determine their relationships with the Limousin ore deposits.Serpentinites and their mineral assemblages (serpentine, olivine, amphibole, chlorite and spinel) show high concentrations in compatible transition metals (Sc, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Zn, Cu) and low abundances of incompatible metals (Ge, Ga, Mo, Sn, Sb, W). Associated amphibolites (metagabbros and metamorphosed dykes) show high contents of compatible metals, though lower than ultrabasic rocks. Amphibole and, to a lesser extent, titanite, are the main hosts for metallic trace elements. Abundances in incompatible metals are generally low. Amphibole has low Sn and Sb contents, while higher Sn contents were measured in titanite. In a UHP zoisite-eclogite cropping out close to one of the ophiolite-derived massifs, zoisite, rutile, omphacite and retrograde amphibole show high concentrations of incompatible elements (Sn, Sb, W, As, Ga, Ge, Mo and Bi). However, it has been shown that high-temperature and low-temperature hydrothermal alteration that have affected the basic and ultrabasic protoliths is c. 100 Ma older than those that were responsible for the formation of ore deposits. For this reason, and as well because of their low W and Sn abundances, the ultrabasic and basic rocks cannot be considered as source for the Limousin WSn ore deposits.In granite and gneisses, the metallic trace elements are mainly hosted by biotite and muscovite. Quartz and feldspars only show minor amounts of Sc, Ga, Ge, Sn and Pb. The micas contain low amounts of Ge, As, Sb, Bi and variable amounts of Sc, Cu and Ga. Besides, micas display significant Sn and W contents. Variations in Sn and W in micas allow tracing the pre-mineralisation concentrations in the granitic massifs: there is a clear geographical correlation between the Sn and W composition of micas and the importance of the WSn ore deposits, arguing for a local source of pre-concentrations. Granites from the Vaulry WSn ore deposit display the highest W and Sn concentrations, while granites hosting the Au deposits in the southern part of the Limousin (St-Yrieix, Cheni, Lauriéras) show the smallest concentrations.

How many subductions in the Variscan orogeny? Insights from numerical models

We developed a 2D numerical model to simulate the evolution of two superposed ocean-continent-ocean subduction cycles with opposite vergence, both followed by continental collision, aiming to better understand the evolution of the Variscan belt. Three models with different velocities of the first oceanic subduction have been implemented. Striking differences in the thermo-mechanical evolution between the first subduction, which activates in an unperturbed system, and the second subduction, characterised by an opposite vergence, have been enlighten, in particular regarding the temperature in the mantle wedge and in the interior of the slab. Pressure and temperature (P-T) conditions predicted by one cycle and two cycles models have been compared with natural P-T estimates of the Variscan metamorphism from the Alps and from the French Massif Central (FMC). The comparative analysis supports that a slow and hot subduction well reproduces the P-T conditions compatible with data from the FMC, while P-T conditions compatible with data of Variscan metamorphism from the Alps can be reproduced by either a cold or hot oceanic subduction models. Analysing the agreement of both double and single subduction models with natural P-T estimates, we observed that polycyclic models better describe the evolution of the Variscan orogeny.

Joint inversion of gravity and surface wave data constrained by magnetotelluric: Application to deep geothermal exploration of crustal fault zone in felsic basement

Geophysical exploration in unconventional geothermal reservoir is challenging because of the lack of structures with specific geophysical signature such as a clay cap above volcanic geothermal reservoirs. The combination of several geophysical methods such as magnetotelluric (MT), gravity and seismic methods provides complementary insight into the geothermal reservoir. We present a joint inversion approach of ambient noise surface wave and gravity constrained by the 3D distribution of electrical resistivity. The method is applied to analyze the potential of unconventional deep geothermal resources in the French Massif Central (FMC). We coupled the resistivity, density and shear wave velocity with a linear correlation. We characterized the common properties in relation to the geological domains down to about 10–15 km. We validated the proposed approach on a synthetic model derived from models obtained from each independent geophysical method. The joint inversion limited the non-uniqueness of the gravity and the ambient noise tomography inversion and allow to recover the features of the synthetic models. We applied the method to real field data acquired in the Sioule Valley, Massif Central, France. The joint features observed in the geophysical models suggest a deep heat source associated with a possible shallow (∼6–8 km) brittle–ductile transition. A large fault zone, the Pongibaud Fault zone, seems to become listric and connect the surface to this transition zone to possibly constitute a permeable path for water circulation.

Insights on Variscan geodynamics from the structural and geochemical characterization of a Devonian-Carboniferous gabbro from the Austroalpine Domain (Western Alps)

Ivozio kyanite-bearing eclogites represent one of the main pre-Alpine mafic complexes of the Sesia Lanzo Zone (Austroalpine Domain) whose protoliths have been dated at Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous. The complex consists of various HP mafic-ultramafic rocks such as amphibole-bearing eclogites, zoisite-bearing eclogites, amphibole-epidote-bearing eclogites, quartz-bearing eclogites, chlorite-bearing amphibolites and ultramafites surrounded by eclogitic micaschists and jadeite-bearing metagranitoids. Multiscale structural analyses, integrated with geochemical investigation, allowed to distinguish heterogeneities of eclogite types consequent to strain partitioning and different degrees of metamorphic re-equilibration during Alpine polyphase deformation history or to pristine magmatic differences. Five groups of Alpine structures (D 1 to D 5 ) have been detected: they consist of folds, foliations and shear zones developed during the Late Cretaceous to Eocene subduction-exhumation path. The metamorphic mineral assemblages related to the deformation stages indicate a polyphase deformation (pre-D 1 to D 3 ) under eclogite-facies conditions followed by a blueschist re-equilibration (during D 4 ), localized shearing and successive folding and discrete shearing (D 5 ) under greenschist-facies conditions. Four veining stages, developed under the eclogite- and blueschist-facies conditions have been documented. Whole rock major and trace element composition of main igneous lithotypes suggest a subduction-related context for the emplaced of the Ivozio mafic Complex. It also suggests that all rocks are not co-genetic and that they likely emplaced in the continental crust. Igneous products with arc and back-arc geochemical affinity (from 380 to 345 Ma) are described in the European Variscan Belt from French Central Massif to Bohemian Massif, supporting the interpretation that the Ivozio mafic Complex protoliths are the witness of such Devonian-Carboniferous arc magmatism in the Alpine chain. TO DOWNLOAD THE GEOLOGICAL MAP SEE THE IN THE MENu SUPPLEMENTARY FILE (ON THE RIGHT COLUMN)

Tracing metal sources in peribatholitic hydrothermal W deposits based on the chemical composition of wolframite: The example of the Variscan French Massif Central

We present a complete dataset for major, minor and trace elements in wolframite ([Fe,Mn]WO4) based on the example of several peribatholitic hydrothermal W deposits located in the Variscan French Massif Central (FMC). The wolframite samples were characterized down to the micrometer scale by combining scanning electron microscopy observations and in situ chemical analysis by electron probe microanalyzer and laser ablation – inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry. Most samples are Fe-dominated wolframites and are characterized by variable Fe/(Fe+Mn) values for the studied deposits (from 0.36 to 0.86) without significant alteration features. Wolframites present intracrystalline variations for concentrations of several minor and trace elements, principally for Nb, Ta, and Sn, which reflect growth zoning. The minor and trace element compositions of the different wolframite samples show at first order similar enrichments in Ta, Nb, Sn, Zn, and In, as well as depletions in LREE, Li, Th, Ti, Zr, Hf, Pb, V, Co, and Mg, compared to the upper continental crust. Second order compositional variations are observed between the studied deposits, which can be separated in four main regional geochemical groups. This work highlights that the chemical composition of wolframite is controlled by both the crystallochemical parameters and the composition of the primary hydrothermal fluid. The regional variations observed in the geochemical signatures of wolframite reflect local variations in the composition of the hydrothermal fluid, i.e. variable metal sources. Therefore, this suggests that the minor and trace element contents in wolframite likely represent direct markers of the source of the hydrothermal fluid and ultimately of the metals. The comparison between the trace element compositions of wolframite with the compositions of regional granitic rocks and worldwide shales suggests that evolved peraluminous granites represent the main source of metals in peribatholitic hydrothermal W deposits from the FMC, whereas metasedimentary rocks have a limited to no influence on the metal budget.

Metasomatism in the sub-continental lithospheric mantle beneath the south French Massif Central: Constraints from trace elements, Li and H in peridotite minerals

Mantle metasomatism by percolating melts/fluids can significantly modify the geochemical and mineralogical compositions of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). We present a detailed study of water contents and Li concentrations and isotopic compositions in mantle minerals from a suite of peridotite xenoliths entrained by a Cenozoic Strombolian volcano in the southern French Massif Central (FMC). Wide ranging clinopyroxene trace element distributions (e.g., (La/Yb)N from 0.25 to 22.21; Ti/Eu ratios from 453 to 4892) suggest that the SCLM has undergone metasomatism by carbonatitic melts/fluids or melts/fluids related to subducted materials. Two amphibole-bearing samples exhibit depletion of light rare earth elements (LREE; (La/Yb)N=0.26 and 0.30, respectively) in amphiboles, similar to that in co-existing clinopyroxenes; these samples indicate that amphiboles grew during a separate modally metasomatic event predating the cryptic metasomatism accounting for LREE enrichment and negative HFSE anomalies in other samples. Mineral Li concentrations are similar to those in the normal mantle, with inter-mineral Li partitioning nearly equilibrated and intragranular Li distributions nearly homogeneous. However, negative δ7Li values of pyroxenes in some samples (as low as −8.8‰ in clinopyroxene of sample MC38) can be attributed to diffusive exchange with a small-volume melt of moderate Li concentration and light Li isotopic composition, originally associated with a recycled component. Preservation of the currently observed large inter-mineral Li isotopic variations indicates that melt percolation occurred shortly before entrainment of the peridotite xenoliths by the host magma. Mineral water contents vary from 41 to 428ppm in clinopyroxenes and from 28 to 152ppm in orthopyroxenes, and their roughly negative co-variation with coexisting olivine Fo contents imply that partial melting was the main control over mineral water content variations in most samples. Varied water contents in LREE-enriched metasomatized samples indicate the involvement of metasomatic agents of different origins. The aqueous agent responsible for generation of amphiboles in two samples did not produce a notable increase in the water contents of coexisting nominally anhydrous minerals.

Cadomian S-type granites as basement rocks of the Variscan belt (Massif Central, France): Implications for the crustal evolution of the north Gondwana margin

From the Neoproterozoic to the early Paleozoic, the northern Gondwana margin was sequentially shaped by the Cadomian accretionary and the Variscan collisional orogens which offers the opportunity to investigate the relative extent of crust production/reworking in both geodynamic settings. In the eastern part of the Variscan French Massif Central (FMC), the Velay Orthogneiss Formation (VOF) represents a consistent lithological unit of the pre-Variscan basement and comprises augen gneisses and leucogneisses. Such rocks constitute a unique record of the pre-Variscan magmatic history and bear critical information on the crustal evolution of the northern Gondwana margin.Here, we present whole–rock major and trace element compositions indicating that: (i) the VOF shows a remarkable geochemical homogeneity; (ii) the protolith of the augen gneisses corresponds to strongly peraluminous, “S-type” porphyritic granites originating from partial melting of an Ediacaran sedimentary sequence; (iii) the leucogneisses are former leucogranites generated by fractionation of the magma at the origin of the porphyritic granites; and (iv) the whole suite emplaced at shallow crustal levels (<7km). U–Pb LA–(MC–)ICP–MS analyses on zircon yielded similar emplacement ages of c. 542Ma and a narrow range of εHf(t) clustering around 0 for the protoliths of both augen and leucogneisses. This homogeneous Hf isotope signature, notably uncommon for S-type granites, would originate from a sequential process of: (i) inherited zircon dissolution during melting and ascent in the crust due to Zr-undersaturated conditions, (ii) isotopic homogenization of the melt by advection and elemental/isotopic diffusion, followed by (iii) early saturation upon emplacement owing to rapid cooling at shallow crustal levels.We propose that partial melting of Ediacaran sediments occurred during inversion of a Cadomian back-arc basin and was promoted by the high thermal gradient typical of thinned crust domains. Therefore, the VOF and other Cadomian S-type granitoids from the northern Gondwana margin are indicative of substantial crust reworking away from any proper continental collision zone.