Karkonosze Granite Research Articles

Mineralogy and in situ S and Pb isotope characteristics of ore minerals from polymetallic mineralization in the Gierczyn-Przecznica area, SW Poland

Chlorite-mica-quartz schist in the Gierczyn-Przecznica area in SW Poland contains polymetallic ores which were the source of tin and cobalt in the past. This mineralogical study revealed the presence of silver-bearing minerals including members of the tetrahedrite (Ag <3 apfu) and freibergite series (3 < Ag < 8 apfu), galena (0.26–1.48 wt.% Ag), and a phase with the chemical composition of Te-rich canfieldite Ag8Sn(S,Te)6. In Przecznica Sn-sulphides are represented by stannite while cobaltite is the most abundant host for cobalt, followed by Co-bearing arsenopyrite. Glaucodot, ullmannite and members of the löllingite-rammelsbergite solid-solution series (Fe,Ni,Co)As2 also contain cobalt but are scarce in the samples. An exposure in the “Psi Grzbiet” area is characterized by the presence of Ag, Ni, Sb and Te minerals accompanied by very small amounts of As-bearing phases (represented by arsenopyrite) while the mineralogical composition in the Przecznica area is characterized by an abundance of As phases and a lack of Sb minerals. Sulphur isotopes of sulphides from Przecznica are heavier than in most deposits related to the Karkonosze Granite intrusion, while their Pb isotope signature in galena suggests an Early Paleozoic pre-Variscan affinity rather than a Variscan one.

Polyphase Permo-Carboniferous magmatism adjacent to the Intra-Sudetic Fault: constraints from U–Pb SHRIMP zircon study of felsic subvolcanic intrusions in the Intra-Sudetic Basin, SW Poland

The SHRIMP U–Pb dating of zircons from felsic subvolcanic rocks in the Carboniferous formations of the Intra-Sudetic Basin in SW Poland verifies previous views on the timing of Late Palaeozoic magmatic activity in this area and constrains the links between regional tectonics and intra-basinal volcanism in the mid-European Variscides. Two main stages of magmatism are identified: the Late Carboniferous late orogenic stage, and the Early Permian post-orogenic stage. The Carboniferous late orogenic subvolcanic to volcanic activity was contemporaneous with the formation of the Karkonosze granite pluton to the west and comprised episodic emplacement of predominantly felsic laccoliths and sills within the basin fill during the Westphalian–Stephanian in two sub-stages at ca. 313–310 Ma and 306–305 Ma. Local folding of the Carboniferous succession peaked at ca. 303–300 Ma adjacent to the Intra-Sudetic Fault, in relation to late-stage sinistral movements along this regional wrench fault. The emplacement of minor subvolcanic intrusions at ca. 293 Ma completed the activity in the northern Intra-Sudetic Basin; this Permian post-orogenic volcanism, however, developed fully in areas further south. The predominance of subvolcanic intrusions over extrusions in Carboniferous can be linked to the trapping of rising magmas within the several kilometres thick sedimentary basin fill. Zircon xenocrysts in the Carboniferous subvolcanic rocks indicate that older crustal lithologies, possibly metamagmatic and metasedimentary rocks of dominantly Neoproterozoic–Palaeozoic ages, were involved in petrogenesis as magma sources and/or contaminants. The crustal influence on magma formation was stronger during the earlier magmatic events.

Uranyl Minerals from Abandoned Podgórze Mine (Sudetes Mountains, SW Poland) and Their REE Content

The Podgórze uranium deposit is located near Kowary in the Sudetes Mountains, SW Poland. The mine is located in the Karkonosze-Izera block, largely comprising Cambrian to Devonian metamorphic rocks intruded by the Variscan Karkonosze granite. Uranyl minerals from the Podgórze mine can be divided into three assemblages. The first one is associated with heavily ventilated mining galleries. The next assemblage is related to the outflow of water from fissures in the walls of the mine galleries. The last assemblage appears in the mine dump, where there is increased activity of other weathering products. The main purpose of this paper is to determine the mineralogical characteristics of uranyl minerals from the abandoned Podgórze uranium mine and reconstruct the physicochemical crystallization conditions based on the concentrations of rare earth elements (REEs) in these minerals. The results of thermodynamic modeling show that the aqueous species of uranyl ion in the mine water are represented by UO2HAsO4 (aq), UO2CO3(OH)3−, UO2CO3 (aq), and UO2OH+. The content of REEs and their distribution patterns were used to determine the crystallization conditions of uranyl minerals. Uranyl carbonates and arsenates have generally low concentrations of REEs compared to uranyl silicates, phosphates, and hydroxides, which have higher concentrations. The differences in REE concentration patterns may be related with the oxidizing nature of water circulating in the subsurface part of the deposit.

Variscan stress regime rotation: Insights from the analysis of kink folds in the northern margin of the Bohemian Massif, South Poland

We aimed to determine variations in stress regimes during the youngest Variscan deformations in the northern part of the Bohemian Massif. For this purpose, we calculated the orientation of the principal stress and strain axes for kink folds observed in the metamorphic envelope of the Karkonosze Granite, using two methods: 1) the traditional method, incorporating structural diagrams (for conjugate kink folds only), and 2) butterfly diagram analysis. The use of both methods enabled us to determine the stress regime, based not only on conjugate but also on monoclinal kink bands. The obtained results prove that butterfly diagram analysis, when applied to monoclinal kink folds, yields reliable results, especially when calibrated using the internal friction angle (Ф) calculated for the conjugate structures.We identified two generations of kink folds: 1) an older one, developed under sublatitudinal shortening and most probably related to the Early Carboniferous terminal stages of the northwest-directed thrusting of the metamorphic units, and 2) a younger one; produced by north-south Variscan Carboniferous compression, and the emplacement and subsequent doming of the Karkonosze Granite. This is the first study on brittle-ductile structures observed commonly in the metamorphic units of the Bohemian Massif, showing their relation to the granitoid intrusion and complementing the tectonic models that usually omit kink folds.

Crystal Structure of Kristiansenite from Szklarska Poręba, Southwestern Poland

Kristiansenite, ideally Ca2ScSn(Si2O7)(Si2O6OH), a rare late-stage hydrothermal Sc-bearing sorosilicate mineral, was found in a gadolinite-fergusonite-type pegmatite of the MI-REE subclass related to the Karkonosze granite, exposed in a quarry at Szklarska Poręba, Lower Silesia, Poland. Kristiansenite occurs in an association with andradite, epidote, allanite-(Ce), titanite, fersmite, scheelite, Sc-bearing columbite-(Fe), a YNbO4 mineral as fergusonite-(Y) or fergusonite-(Y)-beta, silesiaite and wolframite. Single-crystal study of the mineral (R1 of 4.96%), with composition Ca2.00(Sn0.97Sc0.69Fe3+0.17Mn0.05Ti0.04Zr0.03Nb0.02Al0.02Ta0.01)Σ2(Si2O7)[(Si1.98Al0.02)Σ2O6.03(OH)0.97], corroborates its triclinic structure with space group-symmetry C1, Z = 2, and unit-cell parameters a = 10.0304(5), b = 8.4056(4), c = 13.3228(6) Å, α = 90.001(3), β = 109.105(3), γ = 89.997(3)° and V = 1061.40(9) Å3. In the structure of the mineral, the Ca and Si sites are dominantly occupied with Ca and Si, whereas the M1–M4 sites are disordered. The M3 and M4 sites are occupied dominantly by Sn and subordinately Sc, whereas the M1 and M2 sites are occupied dominantly by Sc and subordinately by remaining occupants, including Sn.

Polymetamorphic evolution of pelites inferred from tourmaline zoning – the Rędziny hornfels case study at the eastern contact of the Karkonosze Granite, Sudetes, Poland

Abstract Tourmaline occurring in hornfelses from the eastern envelope of the Karkonosze Granite (Western Sudetes, Poland) reveals at least two stages of crystallization expressed by its complex zoning. The cores and mantles of the crystals probably grew during prograde metamorphism under intermediate pressure-temperature conditions reflected by increasing Mg, Ti and Ca. Outermost rims show enrichment in Al and Ca, indicating growth during contact metamorphism in the presence of an Al-saturating phase. The Ti-content in biotite indicates that the temperature of the contact metamorphic event did not exceed 650ºC. The presence of andalusite and the lack of garnet and cordierite also indicates pressure conditions of ~ 2-3 kbar, typical of the C1 bathozone of Carmichael (1978) or the P1 bathozone of Pattison (2001).

Oxy-dravite from Wołowa Góra Mountain, Karkonosze massif, SW Poland: Crystallochemical and structural studies

ABSTRACTYellowish dravitic tourmaline (dominated by the oxy-dravite component) associated with secondary fluor-dravite/fluor-schorl and dravite/schorl tourmalines was found in a quartz vein cropping out in the eastern part of the Karkonosze Mountains range, SW Poland. The crystal structure of this tourmaline was refined to an R1 value of 1.85% based on single-crystal data, and the chemical composition was determined by electron-microprobe analysis. The tourmaline, a representative of the alkali-tourmaline group, has the structural formula: (Na0.75Ca0.12□0.13)Σ1(Mg1.93Al0.95Ti0.06${\rm Fe}_{{\rm 0}{\rm. 04}}^{{\rm 2 +}} $ V0.01)Σ3(Al5.38Mg0.62)Σ6B3Si6O27(OH)3(O0.46OH0.33F0.21)Σ1, and is characterized by an extremely high Mg/(Mg + Fe) ratio of 0.97–0.99, the WO2– content that reaches 0.59 apfu resulting in a local predominance of the oxy-dravitic component and Mg–Al disorder on the octahedral Y and Z sites of the order of 0.64 apfu. This disordering results in an increasing <Z–O> distance with ~1.925 Å, and unit-cell parameters a = 15.916(1) Å and c = 7.180(1) Å. The tourmaline formed during Variscan prograde metamorphism under the influence of a released (H2O,B,F)-bearing fluid. The fluid mobilized the most soluble components of partly altered silicic volcaniclastic material of the Late Cambrian to Early Ordovician bimodal volcanism to become the protolith for adjacent quartzo-feldspathic schists and amphibolites, and propagated them into the surrounding granitic gneisses of the Kowary unit in the eastern metamorphic cover of the Karkonosze granite.

Mechanisms of granite alteration into grus, Karkonosze granite, SW Poland

Granitic gruses are usually considered as a product of deep weathering, but the influence of hydrothermal fluids was also noticed. In this work, a wide range of mineralogical and chemical methods performed on 43 samples from three representative outcrops and a reference site is used to determine the influence of hydrothermal and weathering fluids on the development of granitic gruses from the coarse grained Karkonosze granite. Four types of altered granites have been distinguished, including compact and friable granite, typical grus, and localized heavy altered zones. Mineralogical observations such as complete albitization of plagioclase and crystallization of secondary quartz revealed an important role of hydrothermal alteration at the early stage of grusification. The origin of smectite and alteration of biotite into muscovite are likely to be connected with circulation of hydrothermal fluids too. Grusification sensu stricto was primarily caused by vermiculitization of biotite which resulted in volumetric expansion and the development of transmineral microcracks with non-accordant pore surfaces. Thus, it requires hydrothermal alteration to be relatively minor, confined to postmagmatic changes, since more advanced alteration of biotite into muscovite rather than vermiculite arrests further development of microcracks and leads to the development of friable granite.

Magmatic and post-magmatic phenomena in the Karkonosze granite and its metamorphic envelope (West Sudetes, SW Poland)

AbstractMineralogical studies of the Karkonosze granite (ca. 322-312 Ma) and its surroundings in West Sudetes (SW Poland) have provided data on Nb-Ta-REE minerals from pegmatites in the NE part of the pluton and several new finds of Ag minerals and 15 oxygenic Bi phases, hitherto not reported from the massif. The Karkonosze pegmatites are enriched in HREE as fergusonite-(Y) or xenotime-(Y) appear in almost every studied pegmatite, together with a subordinate assemblage of the aeschynite, euxenite or columbite group. The abundance of LREE minerals such as allanite-( Ce) and the monazite group, correlates inversely with the Nb-Ta-Ti minerals, whilst an early generation of monazite-(Ce) revealed an exceptionally high amount of Nd (up to 22 wt.% of Nd2O3). The physical and chemical conditions during the magmatic and post-magmatic processes were reconstructed and the effects of contact metamorphism in amphibolites from hornfelsed zones examined. Changes in solution composition and concentration at the early magmatic stage (825-920°C), pegmatitic stage overlapping with hydrothermal (560°C which ended at 160-90°C) and clearly hydrothermal stage (400 to 110°C) were studied in detail by means of melt and fluid inclusions in quartz. Furthermore, post-magmatic fluids, including some enriched in Li and B, were identified in rock-forming quartz from the whole pluton. In turn, study of the amphibolites indicates that the pair cummingtonite + anorthite or the presence of Ca-rich plagioclase with actinolite seem to be reliable mineral proxies of the thermal impact of the granitoid body on amphibolites in its envelope. The inferred conditions of the contact processes (450-550°C, 2.5- 4.8 kbar) point to an elevated geothermal gradient (ca. 32-45°C/km) probably reflecting the heat flow induced by the Karkonosze intrusion. Moreover, despite the textural and mineral changes imposed by regional and contact metamorphism, the amphibolites have their pre-metamorphic (magmatic) geochemical features undisturbed.

The origin of the Popiel peridotite (Western Sudetes, SW Poland): Metamorphism of the island arc tholeiitic cumulate

A small (280 x 140 m) outcrop of peridotite occurs on Popiel Hill (Sudetes, SW Poland) within the low-grade metabasic rocks of the Rudawy Janowickie Complex, which form the eastern and north-eastern cover of the Variscan Karkonosze granite. The peridotite is situated on the Intra-Sudetic Fault, one of the major Variscan dislocations in the region. The rock consists of strongly tectonised olivine (Fo 84-88 ) and orthopyroxene (Mg# 0.84–0.88) aggregates, overgrown by tremolite-magnesiohornblende, locally forming large crystals, embedded in serpentine. Spinel and magnetite are subordinate; ilmenite, Fe-sulfide, and apatite are accessories. The bulk-rock chemical composition suggests a lherzolitic composition and the occurrence of primary clinopyroxene, now completely replaced by tremolite and magnesiohornblende. Rare Earth Element patterns are flat, slightly enriched relatively to primitive mantle, as is typical of island arc tholeiites. Olivine, orthopyroxene, and spinel were the first to crystallize, and they represent relics of a primary igneous assemblage. They were followed by tremolite and serpentine, formed during uplift and related metamorphism. The last mineral to crystallize was magnesiohornblende, which originated due to contact metamorphism by the Karkonosze granite magma. The Popiel peridotite probably represents a small slice of lherzolitic cumulate, which originated in a tholeiitic magma chamber at the roots of a supra-subduction volcanic arc.

The philipsbornite–segnitite solid-solution series from Rędziny, Eastern metamorphic cover of the Karkonosze granite (SW Poland)

Supergene minerals of the philipsbornite-segnitite series, PbAl3(AsO4)(AsO3OH)(OH)6-PbFe 3+ 3(AsO4) (AsO3OH)(OH)6, accompanied by carminite, PbFe 3+ 2(AsO4)2(OH)2, were found in relics of hydrothermal quartz- chlorite-arsenopyrite veins, associated with subordinate polymetallic ores disseminated in contact zones of a dolomitic marble deposit at Redziny, Western Sudetes, Poland, and recognized by means of electron microprobe and X-ray and electron-back-scattered diffraction (XRD and EBSD). Philipsbornite and segnitite, as the two minerals of the series, exhibit highly variable compositions, especially in terms of the range of Fe 3+ Al 3+ substitution at the G site, with a distinct gap between the values of 0.52 and 0.89 for the Fe/(Al+Fe) ratio; substitutions at the D and T sites are less important. In this respect, the minerals are almost identical with philips- bornite and segnitite, known from other localities. The gap might be a consequence of the limited miscibility of the end-members, but also might be attributed to crystallization under the changing and distinctly differing activities of Al 3+ and Fe 3+ . The unit-cell parameters of philipsbornite, a = 7.1245(13) , c = 17.0967(45) , make the mineral comparable with philipsbornites from other occurrences. The EBSD analysis confirmed the rhombohedral struc- ture of both minerals and the space group symmetry R-3m. The minerals crystallized in the sequence: philips- bornite segnitite carminite, which reflects (i) decreasing acidity in the oxidation zone, due to the leaching of sulphate ions and interaction of the solutions with a nearby dolomite lens, and (ii) varying activities of Al 3+ ,F e 3+ and Pb 2+ cations, mobilized by the solutions through interaction with the silicate host containing disseminated arsenopyrite and subordinate sulphides, up to complete Pb 2+ depletion.

Deciphering the geochronology of a large granitoid pluton (Karkonosze Granite, SW Poland): an assessment of U–Pb zircon SIMS and Rb–Sr whole-rock dates relative to U–Pb zircon CA-ID-TIMS

Granitoid plutons are often difficult to radiometrically date precisely due to the possible effects of protracted and complex magmatic evolution, crustal inheritance, and/or partial re-setting of radiogenic clocks. However, apart from natural/geological issues, methodological and analytical problems may also contribute to blurring geochronological data. This may be exemplified by the Variscan Karkonosze Pluton (SW Poland). High-precision chemical abrasion (CA) ID-TIMS zircon data indicate that the two main rock types, porphyritic and equigranular, of this igneous body were both emplaced at ca. 312 Ma, while field evidence points to a younger age for the latter. This is in contrast to the earlier reported SIMS (SHRIMP) zircon dates that scattered mainly between ca. 322 and 302 Ma. In an attempt to overcome this dispersion, at least in part caused by radiogenic lead loss, the CA technique was used before SHRIMP analysis. The 206Pb/238U age obtained in this way from a sample of porphyritic granite is 322 ± 3 Ma, ~16 Ma older than the untreated zircons; another porphyritic sample yielded a mean age of 319 ± 3 Ma, and the mean age was 318 ± 4 Ma for an equigranular granite sample – all three somewhat older than the age obtained by ID-TIMS. Older SIMS dates of ca. 318–322 Ma might indicate either faint inheritance or that zircon domains crystallized during earlier stages of Karkonosze igneous evolution. The ID-TIMS results have been used to re-assess the whole-rock Rb–Sr data. Excluding a porphyritic granite with excess radiogenic 87Sr, it appears that isotopic homogeneity was achieved for most samples during the 312 Ma event, as shown by a pooled 21-point isochron with an age of 311 ± 3 Ma and an initial 86Sr/86Sr of 0.7067 ± 4. Local crustal contamination by stopping of metapelitic material might account for the more radiogenic Sr isotope signature observed in biotite-rich schlieren. A critical re-evaluation of all available SHRIMP data using the ID-TIMS age of 312 Ma as a benchmark suggests that the observed scatter may be partly attributed to analytical and methodological problems, in particular failing to distinguish subtly discordant spots from truly concordant ones, which is a serious limitation of the microbeam analytical approach. Other likely pitfalls contributing to geochronological scatter are identified in the published Re–Os ages on molybdenite and the 40Ar/39Ar data on micas. A scenario postulating a 15–20 milliion year evolution of the Karkonosze Pluton cannot be established on the basis of available geochronological data, which rather supports a brief igneous event, although a more protracted pre-emplacement evolution is possible. A short timescale for crystallization of large igneous bodies, as suggested by the ID-TIMS data from the Karkonosze Granite, is in line with models of transport of granitic magmas through dikes to form large plutons.

Geochronology of a composite granitoid pluton: a high-precision ID-TIMS U–Pb zircon study of the Variscan Karkonosze Granite (SW Poland)

Resolving time differences between successive magmatic pulses in composite granitoid plutons is often a difficult task. High-precision CA-ID-TIMS zircon ages obtained from such a pluton, the Variscan Karkonosze Granite (NE part of the Bohemian Massif), provide evidence that the crystallization of the two main granite facies, porphyritic and equigranular, happened between 312.5 ± 0.3 and 312.2 ± 0.3 Ma, thus unresolvable at the 0.08–0.1 % precision level of a single 206Pb/238U age. This finding is at odds with most other previous dating attempts and asks for a re-evaluation of the previous scattered geochronological data. The main reasons for the scatter of the earlier dates obtained by various techniques can include analytical causes, the presence of older inheritance and disturbance of the U–Pb isotopic system, due to zircon metamictization (enhanced by high-U content in zircon) or late- and post-magmatic alteration.

Erosional history of the Karkonosze Granite Massif – constraints from adjacent sedimentary basins and thermochronology

The long-term erosional history of the Karkonosze Granite Massif is revised and reconstructed using different sources of information, including the sedimentary record of adjacent basins, previously published low-temperature thermochronological data and geomorphic features. Although the evidence is still incomplete, this work has identified a number of intervals, of unequal duration, characterized by different denudation regimes and rates. Several major phases of rapid exhumation are inferred – in the Permian and the Early Triassic as seen in the sedimentary record, and in the Late Cretaceous as shown by both the thermochronological and sedimentary records. Neotectonic uplift of the Karkonosze Mts. in the late Cenozoic is not recorded in the thermochronological record and there is no evidence of any accelerated denudation close to the massif. Apatite fission track data show that >~3.6 km of rock must have been eroded since the Turonian, while the results of zircon (U-Th)/He analysis suggest that in places erosion of >~6 km of rock must have taken place. This picture differs from previous estimates of denudation which suggested that only 2–2.5 km has been eroded from the axial part of the Karkonosze dome since the exposure of granite batholith in the Permian.

Isotopic Re-Os age of molybdenite from the Szklarska Poręba Huta Quarry (Karkonosze, SW Poland)

New Re/Os isotopic data for molybdenite from the Szklarska Poreba Huta Quarry provide ages of 307 ± 2 Ma and 309 ± 2 Ma, respectively. The quarry is dominated by the porphyritic (“central”) and equigranular (“ridge”) varieties of the Karkonosze granite. Ore mineralisation hosted in aplogranite includes an assemblage of sulphides, sulphosalts, oxides and various rare phases. The molybdenite ages obtained are consistent with a previously published isotopic age of leucogranite (aplogranite?) from the same quarry and are only slightly older than a recently published, refined 206Pb/238U age of untreated zircons from the Szklarska Poreba Huta porphyritic granite. The age of the molybdenite corresponds moderately well to the younger stage of post-magmatic, pneumatolitic/hydrothermal activity of the Karkonosze granite (about 312 Ma)

CUPROBISMUTITE HOMOLOGUES IN GRANITIC PEGMATITES FROM SZKLARSKA POREBA, KARKONOSZE MASSIF, SOUTHWESTERN POLAND

We describe a complete sequence of cuprobismutite homologues (kupcikite, hodrusite, cuprobismutite and an unnamed N = 2.5 homologue) coexisting with one another, generally in the form of coherent, lamellar intergrowths, found in a granitic pegmatite cutting the Karkonosze granite at Szklarska Poreba, southwestern Poland. The minerals are associated with krupkaite, gladite, pekoite, bismuthinite varieties varying from bd 5 to bd 0 , native bismuth and chalcopyrite. The composition of kupcikite ranges from (Cu 6.67 Fe 1.22 Zn 0.10 ) ∑7.99 Bi 9.99 S 20.03 with N chem = 1.03(3) to (Cu 6.44 Fe 1.14 Zn 0.06 ) ∑7.64 (Bi 10.14 Ag 0.04 Cd 0.02 ) ∑10.20 S 20.16 with N chem = 1.19(3), whereas the composition of hodrusite ranges from (Cu 7.52 Fe 0.45 ) ∑7.97 (Bi 11.47 Ag 0.40 Cd 0.05 Pb 0.01 ) ∑11.93 S 22.10 with N chem = 1.49(4) to (Cu 7.26 Fe 0.44 ) ∑7.70 (Bi 11.51 Ag 0.63 Cd 0.09 Pb 0.01 ) ∑12.24 S 22.06 with N chem = 1.68(7). A phase with composition (Cu 7.28 Fe 0.53 ) ∑7.81 (Bi 13.84 Ag 1.88 Cd 0.16 ) ∑15.89 S 26.30 may represent an unnamed N = 2.5 homologue in the series. The slightly excessive order number of the homologues, N chem , connected with a deficiency of Cu-site cations and a surplus of Bi-site cations, has been interpreted as a result of intimate, two-phase submicrometric lamellar intergrowths of kupcikite with hodrusite and of hodrusite with cuprobismutite, existing at analytical spots that are apparently homogeneous under the normal magnification of the microprobe. Such intergrowths can result from structural changes at the lattice scale, related to modulations existing in the kupcikite, hodrusite and cuprobismutite structures, all similar to one another. Ideal compositions for N = 1 (kupcikite), 1.5 (hodrusite) and 2 (cuprobismutite) have been evaluated on the basis of linear dependencies between the contents of the major and minor components and the values of N chem in successive analytical spots. These compositions are close to the ideal stoichiometry of the minerals and, in light of the accuracy of the results, show neither vacancy at the Cu sites nor a surplus of cations at the Bi sites. Kupcikite, the mineral in the cuprobismutite series richest in Fe, does not contain Ag, Cd and Pb, which perfectly satisfies the structural requirements for the mineral; however, it contains traces of Zn. All the remaining homologues can contain Ag, Cd and Pb, with a distinct tendency to increase from hodrusite through cuprobismutite to the unnamed N = 2.5 homologue, whereas the Fe contents decrease and even attain zero, and Zn is virtually absent. The composition of cuprobismutite, which occurs in the Szklarska Poreba material only as nanoscale intergrowths with hodrusite, invisible at the μm scale in back-scattered electron images, ranges from Cu 8.00 (Bi 12.88 Ag 0.90 Cd 0.12 ) ∑13.89 S 24.11 to (Cu 7.46 Fe 0.37 ) ∑7.83 (Bi 12.76 Ag 0.84 Cd 0.18 Pb 0.02 ) ∑13.79 S 24.38 .

Chemical abrasion applied to SHRIMP zircon geochronology: An example from the Variscan Karkonosze Granite (Sudetes, SW Poland)

Thermal annealing followed by acid etching of zircon (chemical abrasion or CA) can be successfully utilised to minimize or eliminate the effects of major and cryptic Pb-loss for SIMS U–Pb zircon dating. The procedure is demonstrated by applying the U–Pb SIMS technique to both untreated and chemically abraded zircons from the Karkonosze Granite, Sudetes, SW Poland. Conventional U–Pb SIMS dating of untreated zircons yields an apparently coherent age population (n=9) with a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 306±4Ma. Some untreated zircons display anomalously young 206Pb/238U ages (c. 225 and 238Ma) and are likely to have suffered substantial Pb-loss. A sub-set of zircons from the same sample was chemically abraded. Physically, zircons treated in this manner display a range in the degree of etching and partial dissolution. Extreme examples developed a 3D network of sub-μm channels which follow high-U (dark CL) zones or linear defects, such as micro fractures or indistinct cleavage planes. U–Pb SIMS dating of treated zircons (n=11) yields a mean 206Pb/238U age of 322±3Ma. Two analyses of treated zircons still display younger 206Pb/238U ages (c. 297 and 301Ma) ascribed to the effects of Pb-loss.For the analysed sample, U–Pb ages determined from chemically abraded zircons are c. 5% older than those from untreated zircons. This is attributed to effective removal of metamict domains susceptible to Pb-loss. The CA technique also removes micro-inclusions thus lowering common Pb and reducing matrix effects. A cryptic Pb-loss in untreated zircons is only recognised when compared with chemically abraded counterparts or ages determined using other isotope techniques. This clearly demonstrates the utility of CA to high-spatial resolution methods and stresses that Pb-loss is detectable at a range of scales, regardless of the analytical technique used.

Chaotic three-dimensional distribution of Ba, Rb, and Sr in feldspar megacrysts grown in an open magmatic system

As has been demonstrated in recent years, the heterogeneities of coeval magmas can be more successfully revealed by zoned megacrysts rather than by analysis of the whole rocks hosting them. Here, the geochemical heterogeneities of feldspar megacrysts from the Karkonosze granite, Poland, are investigated by LA-ICP-MS. The crystals are the product of migration and growth in regions of poorly mixed magmas. 3D-modeling of the Ba, Sr, and Rb distributions emphasizes the importance of micro-domain growth morphologies. Two models of element behavior—a relative concentration model and a composition gradient model—provide a potentially effective tool for tracking the mixing process on a microscale. Measured concentrations of elements of different mobilities do not agree with what might be expected from the mixing of two end-member magmas. If mixing was the only process occurring, linear correlations between the concentrations of any two elements should be observed; this, however, is not the case. For combinations of any two of the three elements, modeling reveals differing non-linear correlations between concentrations. The megacryst heterogeneities provide an insight into how mixing magmas are chaotically advected to growing crystals and the degree of inter-magma element exchange between the magmas.

Variscan progradeP-Tevolution and contact metamorphism in metabasites from the Sowia Dolina, Karkonosze-Izera massif, SW Poland

AbstractSeveral bodies of moderately foliated and porphyroblastic metabasites crop out on the SE side of the metamorphic cover of the Karkonosze granite within metapelites of the Sowia Dolina area (West Sudetes, Saxothuringian zone). Depending on the microstructural setting of the Ca-amphiboles in the rocks, different mineral-chemical trends have been determined for Si,XMg, AlVI,A[Na+K] which serve as semi-quantitative indicators of temperature and pressure changes. Porphyroblasts and prisms oblique to the main foliation in schistose metabasites show zoning from Mg-hornblende and actinolite to tschermakite, and then to Mg-hornblende (or actinolite). Matrix amphiboles and those in pressure shadows around some porphyroblasts have tschermakitic cores and actinolitic rims. Rarely, Ca-amphibole is accompanied in schists by late- to post-tectonic cummingtonite. Thermobarometric calculations involving empirically calibrated amphibole equilibria enable a reconstruction ofP-Tpaths for individual rocks and the unravelling of the metamorphic evolution of the metabasites. Peak metamorphic temperatures of 615–640°C and pressures of 7.3–8.2 kbar were preceded by a variably preserved earlier stage (T = 370–550°C, P = 2.8–6.2 kbar). The final metamorphic episode took place at 450–550°C and 2.5–4.8 kbar and is recorded particularly in rocks close to the Karkonosze pluton. The metabasites shed new light on the history of metamorphism in the Sowia Dolina area. The first two stages ofMP-MTmetamorphism, coeval with Variscan deformation events (continental collision, burial and subsequent exhumation), took place under epidote-amphibolite then amphibolite facies conditions. The last stage partly concurred with the final stages of Variscan deformation and overlapped the onset of thermal activity associated with the Karkonosze granite. This metamorphic event is documented by metabasites (occasionally cummingtonite-bearing) outcropping close to the granite. Finally, a prehnitebearing assemblage reflects retrograde re-equilibration under greenschist/sub-greenschist facies conditions (T<300–350°C,P<2.5–3 kbar), which might also be partly due to hydrothermal activity around the pluton.

Radon and its decay product activities in the magmatic area and the adjacent volcano-sedimentary Intrasudetic Basin

In the magmatic area of Sudetes covering the Karkonosze granite and adjacent volcano-sedimentary Intrasudetic Basin a study of atmospheric radon activity was performed by means of SSNTD Kodak LR-115. The study was completed by gamma spectrometric survey of eU and eTh determined by gamma activity of radon decay products 214Bi and 208Tl respectively. In the case of the western part of the Karkonosze granite area the radon decay products activity in the granitic basement was found to be as high as 343 Bq/kg for 214Bi and 496 Bq/kg for 208Tl respectively. Atmospheric radon content measured by means of Kodak LR115 track detector at the height of 1.5 m was found as high as 70 Bq/m3 in the regions, where no mining activities took place. However in the eastern part of the granitic massif in the proximity of abandoned uranium mine atmospheric radon content was found to be 6000 Bq/m3. In the case of sedimentary basin where sedimentary sequence of Carboniferous rocks has been penetrated by younger gases and fluids of volcanic origin uranium mineralization developed. The region known from its CO2 outburst during coal mining activity is characterized by good ventilation of the uranium enriched geological basement resulting in increased atmospheric radon activity being in average 72 Bq/m3. In the vicinity of coal mine tailing an increase up to 125 Bq/m3 can be observed. Seasonal variations of atmospheric radon content are influenced in agricultural areas by cyclic cultivation works (plough) on soils of increased uranium content and in the case of post-industrial brownfields varying rates of radon exhalation from tailings due to different meteorological conditions.