Wollastonite Skarn Research Articles

Fate and migration of enhanced rock weathering products through soil horizons; implications of irrigation and percolation regimes

Terrestrial enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is reckoned as a robust method to contribute to stabilizing atmospheric carbon and combat global warming. The method is particularly a matter of interest in agricultural soil, offering a vast opportunity for the application of crushed silicate minerals and secondary carbonate accumulation and migration. Although the applicability of this practice is well acknowledged, its impact on the geochemical alteration of soil vertical profile, particularly deeper layers, is less discussed in the literature. Moreover, the effect of irrigation and percolation regimes, as influenced by ambient conditions, is also not well-reported and characterized. In the present study, we utilized a high amendment rate (50 t/ha) of wollastonite skarn, a fast-weathering silicate mineral, to uncover the alterations in topsoil and subsoil as well as effluent water over a through a soil column experiment over five months, under more controlled (indoor) and less controlled (outdoor) ambient and irrigation conditions. The results indicate more conspicuous modification of parameters in shallow layers of soil compared to deeper ones, explicitly in the rain-fed setup. Silicate amendment induced an increase of 6.53 and 2.85 tCO2/ha (in the form of pedogenic carbonate (PC)) over the profile of soil (0–60 cm) under periodic and rain-fed water regimes, respectively. The silicate treatment was also found to be effective toward rising pH and electrical conductivity of topsoil (0–15 and 15–30 cm layers) and leachate, and a measurably greater release of Ca2+ and Mg2+ in the column effluent. We estimate a carbon drawdown ratio (carbonate/bicarbonate) of ≈15:1 in this study, showing that PC formation is a more significant weathering indicator than leachate bicarbonate export in the shorter term for a fast-weathering mineral in pH-neutral soils and moderate irrigation regime. Such observations are valuable for developing carbon drawdown quantification methods suitable for a variety of agricultural lands and global regions.

Impact of wet-dry cycles on enhanced rock weathering of brucite, wollastonite, serpentinite and kimberlite: Implications for carbon verification

Enhanced rock weathering is a proposed CO2 removal strategy for mitigating climate change; its implementation can be facilitated by improving carbon verification methods. In this study, weathering experiments exposed brucite, wollastonite skarn, serpentinite, and kimberlite residues (Venetia Diamond Mine, South Africa), to wetting and drying cycles (4/day) for 1 yr to elucidate reaction pathways and rates while evaluating carbon verification tools, including mineral quantification, total inorganic carbon (TIC), and stable and radiogenic carbon isotopes. Two primary reaction pathways were identified: A) silicate and hydroxide dissolution leading to carbonate precipitation (desirable), and B) dissolution and reprecipitation of carbonates (undesirable). The kimberlite residues, containing serpentine (19–33 wt%) and calcite (4–5 wt%), experienced variable and minor changes in total inorganic carbon. The δ13C and δ18O values of the carbonate minerals approached those expected for atmospheric-derived CO2 and are best explained by the exchange of carbonate CO2 with atmospheric CO2 (pathway A) as opposed to net CO2 sequestration. In contrast, the reaction of brucite (1.22% to 5.98%) and wollastonite skarn (0.22% to 1.01%) with atmospheric CO2 was substantial, as indicated by the increases in TIC (pathway B) yet decreases in δ13C values were inconsistent with the incorporation of atmospheric CO2 as a result of kinetic isotope fractionation due to carbonation being CO2 supply limited. The pulverized serpentinite experience insufficient carbonation to be detected by TIC. Unweathered (blue ground) and naturally weathered (yellow ground) kimberlite from the Voorspoed Diamond Mine, South Africa were compared to kimberlite residues used in experiments. Yellow ground contained twice the TIC content compared to blue ground whereas quantitative scanning electron microscopy revealed calcite veinlets that are characteristic of secondary mineralization. While the blue and yellow ground samples were essentially radiocarbon dead (0.03 and 0.05 F14C, respectively), substantial modern carbon was incorporated into the kimberlite (up to +0.27 F14C; CO2 exchange), brucite (+0.55 F14C), and wollastonite skarn (+0.53 F14C; CO2 sequestration) powders during weathering experiments. Although stable and radiogenic carbon isotopes have been used to verify the mineralization of atmospheric CO2, these methods are affected by CO2 exchange and kinetic fractionation effects during weathering that can be misleading and, thus, should not be relied on as sole methods for carbon verification.

A New Natural Secondary Reference Material for Garnet U‐Pb Dating by TIMS and LA‐ICP‐MS

Gem quality andradite‐rich garnet (IUC‐1), obtained from the Miocene trachyte dome near Ankara city (Turkey), has been identified as a potential natural secondary reference material for U‐Pb dating. In this study, U‐Pb dating was performed in five different laboratories using isotope dilution TIMS and laser ablation ICP‐MS to determine the homogeneity of euhedral garnet crystals. The U‐Pb ID‐TIMS data for IUC‐1 yielded 207Pb/235U and 206Pb/238U ages of 20.9 ± 0.4 and 20.6 ± 0.8 Ma respectively, and these values are consistent with U‐Pb LA‐ICP‐MS analyses, in which different garnet crystals yielded ages of 20.8 ± 0.1, 20.7 ± 0.1, 20.7 ± 0.2 and 20.2 ± 0.1 Ma. An andradite (IUC‐2) from the Serçeören wollastonite skarn (Turkey) can be used as a secondary reference material provided detailed imaging of the crystals is undertaken. ID‐TIMS data yielded 207Pb/235U and 206Pb/238U ages of 20.4 ± 0.4 and 20.9 ± 1.0 Ma respectively, and yielded U‐Pb ages on different grains of 20.5 ± 0.1, 20.7 ± 1.0, 20.8 ± 1.7 and 20.9 ± 1.6 Ma. The assigned weighted mean age of IUC‐1 (20.4 ± 0.5 Ma, 2s) is proposed as a 2023 reference value. IUC‐1 garnet is expected to contribute significantly to rapidly developing garnet geochronology in the near future.

Mineral-Soil-Plant-Nutrient Synergisms of Enhanced Weathering for Agriculture: Short-Term Investigations Using Fast-Weathering Wollastonite Skarn.

Enhanced weathering is a proposed carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategy to accelerate natural carbon sequestration in soils via the amendment of silicate rocks to agricultural soils. Among the suitable silicates (such as basalt and olivine), the fast-weathering mineral wollastonite (CaSiO3) stands out. Not only does the use of wollastonite lead to rapid pedogenic carbonate formation in soils, it can be readily detected for verification of carbon sequestration, but its weathering within weeks to months influences soil chemistry and plant growth within the same crop cycle of its application. This enables a variety of short-term experimental agronomic studies to be conducted to demonstrate in an accelerated manner what could take years to be observed with more abundant but slower weathering silicates. This study presents the results of three studies that were conducted to investigate three distinct aspects of wollastonite skarn weathering in soils in the context of both agricultural and horticultural plants. The first study investigated the effect of a wide range of wollastonite skarn dosages in soil (1.5–10 wt.%) on the growth of green beans. The second study provides insights on the role of silicon (Si) release during silicate weathering on plant growth (soybeans and lettuce). The third study investigated the effect of wollastonite skarn on the growth of spring rye when added to soil alongside a nitrogen-based coated fertilizer. The results of these three studies provide further evidence that amending soil with crushed silicate rocks leads to climate-smart farming, resulting in inorganic carbon sequestration, as well as better plant growth in agricultural (soybean and spring rye) and horticultural (green bean and lettuce) crops. They also demonstrate the value of working with wollastonite skarn as a fast-weathering silicate rock to accelerate our understanding of the mineral–soil–plant–nutrient synergism of enhanced weathering.

Geological setting and genesis of the Kurmansky gabbro-trondhjemite massif (Middle Urals)

This paper reports the results of petrogeochemical studies of the Kurmansky gabbro-trondhjemite massif (eastern slope of the Middle Urals), lying in the western part of the large Reftinsky allochthonous block within the accretion East Uralian megazone. The relevance of this study is determined by the uncertainty in geodynamic setting and formation conditions of the rock massif and its role in the evolution of the Ural Mobile belt. We specified the countours of the massif. It is shown that the rocks were resulted from spatiotemporal convergence of partial melting in the mantle and lower crust at the island-arc stage of the Ural Mobile belt evolution. Partial melting of mantle peridotite, under the influence of an aqueous fluid rising from the subduction zone, initiated the occurrence of basite melts. The separation of the melt and its subsequent evolution to the compositions of gabbrodiorite and diorite took place at Ptot=10 kbar. Trondhjemites were formed as a result of partial melting of amphibolites at Ptot≥8 kbar, PH2O=0.1–0.2 kbars. The crystallization of trondhjemites in the crust was accompanied by the wollastonite skarns on contact with carbonate rock and xenoliths culminated at mesoabyssal level, Ptot=PH2O=1 kbar. The comparison between the composition of Kurmansky gabbro-trondhjemite massif and the island-arc- and collision-related magmatic suites in the region allowed us to assume that the Kurmansky massif belongs to the independent Early Devonian (?) gabbro-trondhjemite complex of island arc origin. The rock metamorphism conditions were evaluated, with the transformations supposedly related to the accretion of early island arc complexes at the Murzinsky-Aduysky microcontinent, which took place in the Devonian.

Direct measurement of CO2 drawdown in mine wastes and rock powders: Implications for enhanced rock weathering

Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) sequesters CO2 via solubility and mineral trapping and can be implemented by the mining industry to reduce their net greenhouse gas emissions. Kimberlite residues from Venetia Diamond Mine in South Africa, as well as powdered forsterite, serpentinite, wollastonite skarn, and 10 wt.% brucite mixed with quartz sand, were tested as potential feedstocks for ERW. A CO2 flux system directly measured CO2 removal rates and sensors tracked laboratory conditions and pore water saturation during a series of 2-week experiments. With respect to kimberlites, unweathered residues achieved the greatest drawdown rate of -870 g CO2/m2/yr at 48% saturation. In contrast, fine and coarse residues previously exposed to mine process water achieved fluxes of -150 and -160 g CO2/m2/yr at 60% saturation. Brucite reached -2940 g CO2/m2/yr at 14% saturation compared to forsterite, serpentinite, and wollastonite that achieved fluxes of -500, -260, and -190 g CO2/m2/yr, respectively, at higher saturations of 53–60%. Mineralogical composition had the greatest effect on CO2 fluxes, followed by water content which drives carbonation reactions and affects permeability. Solid inorganic carbon increased in the brucite, wollastonite, and unweathered kimberlite, indicating that CO2 was stored via mineral trapping as opposed to solubility trapping in the other experiments. Increasing the exposure of unweathered residues, expanding dispersal area, and optimizing water saturation would lead to greater CO2 removal at mine sites.

Evaluating feedstocks for carbon dioxide removal by enhanced rock weathering and CO2 mineralization

Mineralogically complex feedstocks, including kimberlite, serpentinite, and wollastonite skarns, have vast capacities to sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) through enhanced rock weathering and CO2 mineralization. However, only a small reactive fraction of these feedstocks will be accessible for carbon dioxide removal at Earth's surface conditions. We have developed a new method to evaluate the reactivity of mineral feedstocks that consists of a batch leach test using CO2 coupled with total inorganic carbon (TIC) analysis to quantify easily extractable Mg and Ca from non-carbonate (desirable) cation sources. Kimberlite residues from the Venetia Diamond Mine (South Africa), serpentinites, wollastonite skarn, and brucite ore were tested and the results were compared to those from commercial ammonium acetate (NH4OAc) leach tests. A strong correlation (R2 = 0.99) between leached Ca and TIC showed that carbonate minerals (e.g., calcite in kimberlite) are a substantial and undesirable source of easily extractable cations that must be excluded in calculating CO2 sequestration potential. Silicate dissolution (e.g., serpentine) was inferred from the strong positive correlation (R2 = 0.94) between Mg and Si concentrations leached from kimberlites and serpentinites. Strong correlations between leached Ca and Si were only detected for wollastonite skarns, whereas Mg leaching from samples with high abundances of brucite showed weak or no relationship to TIC or Si. The ability to distinguish between sources (non-carbonate versus carbonate) of easily extractable cations is necessary to accurately assess CO2 sequestration potential. The maximum CO2 storage capacity of the Venetia kimberlites was 268–342 kg CO2/t, and our leach test estimated an accessible potential in the range of 3–9 kg CO2/t when only accounting for non-carbonate sources. Our CO2 batch leach test is useful to evaluate the reactivity of mineralogically complex feedstocks at Earth's surface conditions for the purpose of carbon dioxide removal.

Fluid Composition and its Evolution in the Belka Pahar Wollastonite Skarn, India: Clues from Skarn Mineral Chemistry with Special Focus on Garnet Chemistry

Fluid Composition and its Evolution in the Belka Pahar Wollastonite Skarn, India: Clues from Skarn Mineral Chemistry with Special Focus on Garnet Chemistry

The Rose Road Localities, Town of Pitcairn, St. Lawrence County, New York: Part 3–Minerals of the Wollastonite Skarn

The Wollastonite Skarn northeast of Pitcairn has been a productive locality for mineral collectors for nearly 140 years. It is still an active fee locality and one worth visiting. We have detailed ...

Aportes a la metalogénesis del basamento proterozoico superior-cámbrico de las Sierras Pampeanas Orientales: mineralogía, termometría e isótopos de azufre del skarn Malagueño (Cu- Fe±Zn), Sierra Chica, Córdoba, Argentina

On-going mining operations in a marble quarry (Cantera Centro) from Malagueño, Sierra Chica de Córdoba, Argentina, have unearthed veins, veinlets and lenses of sulfides (pyrrhotite>pyrite≅
 chalcopyrite>>sphalerite). These veins and lenses are up to 0.3 m thick and 2-3 m long, although intermittently can extend about a hundred meters. They are associated with skarns. The metasedimentary host sequence, largely composed of gneisses, amphibolites and marbles, was intruded by amphibolic metagabbro and metadiorite dykes, metatonalite plutons and alkali-feldspar metagranites; the whole complex was metamorphosed into medium to high amphibolite facies and strongly deformed as a result of the a regional event M2-D2/D3 that affected the Neoproterozoic-Cambrian basement during the Pampean orogeny. Except for gneisses, all the other metamorphic lithologies register evidence of differential alteration into skarn, although the process was preferentially developed on marbles, amphibolites and metagranite, and to a lesser exten on mafic and mesosilicic dykes. The metasomatic rocks are characterized by a garnet>>pyroxene skarn (Grs27-48Adr22-34Alm15-27Sps9-21), formed after the replacement of the metagranite; a pyroxene-rich skarn (Hd42-63Di32-50Jo3-5) developed after para-amphibolite, and a garnet (Adr54-71Grs22-40Alm4-7Sps1-2) (±wollastonite) skarn that replaced a calcic marble. The dykes show poor metasomatic replacement and lack sulfides of metasomatichydrothermal origin. Retrograde mineral associations include hastingsite, ferroactinolite, epidote, clinozoisite, sericite, plagioclase (An18), chamosite and calcite. The sulfide mineralization is paragenetically associated with late-stage, infilling skarn-hydrothermal minerals that were sequentially deposited as: calcite→clinochlore→quartz→pyrite→pyrrhotite→chalcopyrite+sphalerite; these phases occur as veins and veinlets within the garnetpyroxene skarn, and as massive pyrrhotite lenses in the piroxene-rich skarn. Microthermometric data from fluid inclusions in sulfide related calcite, together with the geothermometric data from the Fe/Mg ratios in clinochlore and the phase equilibria data from intergrown high and low T ºC pyrrhotite phases, all constrain the infilling gangue phases and sulfide crystallization temperature within the ~360 °C to 250 °C range; the gradual termal decrease is in agreement with the temporal depositional sequence of the infilling phases. Fluid inclusion petrographic data and salinity estimations suggest that sulfide precipitation was triggered by boiling, from a fluid of moderate to high salinity (~14.5 to 33.5 wt% eq. NaCl). Evidence that the fluid evolved under dominantly reducing conditions are the high Fe+2/(Fe+2+Fe+3) ratios and molar proportions of subcalcic garnet (Alm+Sps) in garnet-pyroxene skarn, the presence of fluid inclusion sulfide daughter crystals in calcite, the high H2S/SO42- ratios in the sulfide-bearing fluid and the presence of pyrrhotite among the sulfide phases. Disseminated primary chalcopyrite and pyrite in metagabbro-diorite dykes (Cu ~300 ppm) and the high contents of Cu in amphibolite (~900 ppm) suggest that these protolithic lithologies were the probable sources of metals (Cu>>Zn±Ag). Values of δ34SΣfluid between ~-4 to +1.4‰ obtained from the fractionations factors of pyrite, pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite within the thermal range 350-150 ºC, indicate a magmatic source for sulfur, likely provided by leaching or desulfidation of primary sulfides of the metagabbro-diorite dykes. Metals and sulfur supplied by these dykes and amphibolite would have been redistributed in the skarn after the circulation of the metasomatic-hydrothermal fluids. Skarn bodies would have formed by infiltration of deep metasomatic fluids and fluid-rock interaction which affected lithologies of the Upper Proterozoic-Cambrian metamorphic basement. Fluids could have derived from hidden Cambrian intrusives, or from the surrounding regional migmatization, channeled along lithological contacts and faults/fractures. Field setting, textural and mineralogical evidence of sulfide mineralization in the skarn assemblage of Cantera Centro, suggest a Cambrian age associated to the post-deformational stage of the Pampean Orogeny.

Geology and Skarn Cu–Bi–Au Mineralization at Shwe Min Bon Area, Kalaw Township, Southern Shan State, Myanmar

AbstractThe Shwe Min Bon Cu–Au skarn deposit lies within one of the largest Au–Cu belts in Myanmar. The deposit is situated along the Shan scarp zone, which marks the boundary between the Myanmar central basin to the west and the Shan plateau to the east. The Shwe Min Bon deposit comprises skarn‐type metasomatic alteration, and the Cu–Au mineralization occurs along the contact face between the Nwabangyi Dolomite and Shweminbon Formation and the Cretaceous dioritic rocks. The metasomatic process resulted in pro‐ and retrograde mineral assemblages in exoskarn. Hydrothermal activities in the Shwe Min Bon deposit are classified into prograde, retrograde stage I, and retrograde stage II. The prograde skarn is classified into a proximal garnet skarn with minor clinopyroxene and a distal wollastonite skarn. Chlorite, epidote, and tremolite–actinolite were formed during the retrograde stage I. Cu–Au mineralization mainly occurred in retrograde stage I, which was characterized by moderate temperatures (260–320 °C) and fluid with a moderate salinity (5.0–6.0% NaCl equiv.). Low temperature (180–200 °C) and low salinity (2.0–3.0% NaCl equiv.) were responsible for retrograde stage II. Au mineralization is mainly associated with chalcopyrite and tennantite in retrograde stage I and with tellurobismuthite in retrograde stage II.

Genesis of the boron potential of the Taukha metallogenic zone, Sikhote Alin, and boron sources during formation of the Dal’negorsk boron deposit

It is shown that the formation of borosilicate skarn in the Taukha metallogenic zone completes a series of successive stages of the formation and transformation of the folded sequences of the Taukha accretionary wedge. The Early Cretaceous sedimentary stage, including accumulation of detrital tourmaline-rich sedimentary rocks, was implemented in the marginal sea of the Paleopacific Sino-Korean segment. In the Turonian–Campanian, the boron-bearing folded sequences of the accretionary wedge were involved in anatexis to generate siliceous S-type boron-bearing melts. The thus-formed magmatic chambers were emptied during catastrophic volcanic eruptions. At the final Middle Campanian volcanic stage, fluid-magmatic differentiation of the melt in the residual chambers generated fluid flow. The infiltration interaction of the fluids, which inherited enrichment in boron, with limestones of the olistostrome sequence resulted in the formation of a giant zone of grossular–wollastonite skarns and danburite lodes. The boron potential of the Taukha boron–lead–zinc metallogenic zone may be considered as a reproduction of the Precambrian boron metallogeny of the eastern Eurasian margin, which was implemented in the Late Mesozoic during recycling of the continental crust.

Petrogenesis of skarn in Shizhuyuan W-polymetallic deposit, southern Hunan, China: Constraints from petrology, mineralogy and geochemistry

Skarn is the main altered rock type and is of great importance to mineralization and ore-prospecting in the Shizhuyuan area of Hunan province, China. Its features of petrography, mineralogy and geochemistry were studied systematically. The results show that the skarn mainly consists of garnet skarn, secondary wollastonite-garnet skarn, tremolite-clinozoisite skarn, and few wolframine garnet skarn, idocrase-garnet skarn and wollastonite skarn with granoblastic texture, granular sheet crystalloblastic texture, and massive structure, disseminated structure, mesh-vein structure, comb structure, and banded structure. And, it is mainly composed of garnet, fluorite, chlorite, hornblende, epidote, tremolite, plagioclase, biotite, muscovite, plagioclase, quartz, idocrase, and calcite and so on. The chemical components mainly include SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, MgO and CaO, and the trace elements and REEs consist of Li, Be, V, Co, Zn, Ga, Rb, Sr, Y, Ce, Nd, Pb and Bi, etc. And, the obvious fractionation exists between LREE and HREE, and it shows typical features of Nanling ore-forming granite for W–Sn polymetallic deposit. Skarn is derived from the sedimentary rock, such as limestone, mudstone, argillaceous rock, and few pelitic strips. It is affected by both Shetianqiao formation strata and Qianlishan granite during the diagenesis, indicating a strong reduction environment. The occurrence of skarn, whose mutation site is favorable to the mineralization enrichment, is closely related to the mineralization and prospecting.

Geology of the Jiama porphyry copper–polymetallic system, Lhasa Region, China

The Jiama deposit, located in the eastern part of the well-known Gangdese Metallogenic Belt on the Tibetan Plateau, is the largest porphyry Cu–polymetallic system in the region, with the largest exploration budget, and is economically viable in the Gangdese Belt to undergo large-scale development. The deposit is well preserved and has experienced little erosion. The proven resources of the deposit are 7.4Mt Cu, 0.6Mt Mo, 1.8Mt Pb+Zn, 6.65Moz Au, and 360.32Moz Ag. The results presented in this paper are based on geological and tectonic mapping, geological logging, and other exploration work performed by members of the Jiama Exploration Project Team over a period of 6years. We propose that the Jiama porphyry Cu–polymetallic system is composed of skarn Cu–polymetallic, hornfels Cu–Mo, porphyry Mo±Cu, and distal Au mineralization. The development of skarn Cu–polymetallic orebodies at the Jiama deposit was controlled mainly by the contact zone between porphyries and marbles, an interlayer detachment zone, and the front zone of a gliding nappe structure. The hornfels Cu–Mo and porphyry Mo±Cu orebodies were controlled mainly by a fracture system related to intrusions, and the distal Au mineralization resulted from late-stage hydrothermal alteration.On the basis of field geological logging, optical microscopy, and chemical analysis, we verify that the alteration zones in the Jiama deposit include potassic, phyllic, propylitic, and argillic alteration, with a local lithocap, as well as endoskarn and exoskarn zones. The endoskarn occurs mainly as epidote alteration in quartz diorite porphyry and granite porphyry, and is cut by massive andradite veins. The exoskarn includes garnet–pyroxene and wollastonite skarn, in which the mineralogy and mineral chemical compositions display an outward zonation with respect to the source porphyry. From the proximal skarn to the intermediate skarn to the distal skarn, the garnet/pyroxene ratio varies from >20:1 to ~10:1 to ~5:1, the garnet color varies from red-brown to brown-green to green-yellow, and the average composition of garnet varies from Ad80.1Gr18.9(Sp+Py)1.0 to Ad76.3Gr23(Sp+Py)0.7 to Ad59.5Gr39.5(Sp+Py)1.0, respectively. The pyroxene is not as variable in composition as the garnet, and is primarily light green to white diopside with a maximum hedenbergite content of ~20% and an average composition of Di88.6Hd8.9Jo2.5. From the proximal skarn to the intermediate skarn to the distal skarn, the mineralization changes from Cu–Mo to Cu±Mo to Pb–Zn±Cu±Au ores, respectively. The wollastonite skarn displays no zonation and hosts mainly bornite mineralization. The Cu and Mo mineralization is closely related to the potassic and phyllic zones in the porphyry–hornfels.Zircons from four mineralized porphyries yield U–Pb ages of 15.96±0.5Ma, 15.72±0.14Ma, 15.59±0.09Ma, and 15.48±0.08Ma. The Re–Os ages of molybdenite from the skarn, hornfels, and porphyry are 15.37±0.15Ma, 14.67±0.37Ma, and 14.66±0.27Ma, respectively. The present results are consistent with the findings of previous research on fluid inclusions, isotopes, and other such aspects. On the basis of the combined evidence, we propose a porphyry Cu–polymetallic system model for the Jiama deposit and suggest a regional exploration strategy that can be applied to prospecting for porphyry-skarn mineralization in the Lhasa area.

Origin of the Early-Middle Devonian magmatism in the Sakarya Zone, NW Turkey: Geochronology, geochemistry and isotope systematics

A unique example of isotopically-dated Devonian metagranitoid (the Çamlık metagranite; Okay et al., 1996) crops out in the Biga Peninsula, NW Turkey, although its contact relationships with the country rocks and geodynamic setting have remained to be enigmatic so far. Our field work, however, has shown that a number of metagranitoid bodies similar to the Çamlık metagranite intruded the country rocks and developed contact metamorphic zones, consisting of andalusite and calcsilicate hornfelses, garnet–epidote and diopsite–wollastonite skarns. The country rocks of these metagranitoids are made up of regionally metamorphosed metaclastic successions with subordinate metacarbonate–metachert–metabasites (the Kalabak formation), intercalated with tectonic slices of meta-serpentinites. The metagranitoids and the Kalabak formation are collectively termed here the Havran Unit which forms a NE–SW trending, 20 km wide and 80 km long belt in the Biga Peninsula. The Havran Unit is unconformably overlain by the Late Triassic shallow marine sediments and is in tectonic contact with the Permo-Triassic Karakaya Complex, interpreted as the Palaeotethyan subduction–accretion complex. U–Pb SHRIMP-II and LA–ICP–MS dating of the zircons from four individual plutons yielded crystallization ages ranging from 389.1 ± 2.6 to 401.5 ± 4.8 Ma (i.e. Early to Middle Devonian). Based on their geochemical characteristics, the metagranitoids are divided into two groups named the Çamlık and Yolindi metagranitoids. Both granitoids display distinct subduction signature and plot in the volcanic arc granite and post-collisional granite fields on tectonic discrimination diagrams. 87Sr/ 86Sr ( T ) values of these intrusions vary between 0.707367 and 0.715588 while their 143Nd/ 144Nd ( T ) values range from 0.51166 to 0.51187. Very low values of εNd ( T ) (from −5.3 to −9.1) imply that the Lower to Mid-Devonian metagranitoids in the Havran Unit might have been generated by partial melting of lower continental crust, probably driven by a major magma underplating event. Delamination and/or slab-breakoff models are considered to be the most plausible mechanisms for the genesis of these metagranitoids. The data obtained in this study has shown for the first time the widespread existence of Devonian and older basement in NW Turkey. Regional geological correlations imply that this basement may be an exotic terrane in the Sakarya Zone, emplaced during the Late Triassic, prior to its amalgamation with the Palaeotethyan Karakaya Complex.

Calcic hydrosilicate metasomatic rocks at the Gumeshevsk skarn-porphyry copper deposit in the central Urals, Russia

The body of hydroxylellestadite metasomatic rock penetrated by a borehole drilled at the Gumeshevsk deposit at depths of 530–534 m includes a thin interval of younger lower temperature tobermorite-plombierite metasomatic rock with subordinate amounts of Ca-Si gel, tacherenite, cubic lime, and thaumasite. Hydroxylellestadite has never before been found in calc skarns. The hydroxylellestadite metasomatic rock is cut by gypsum and fukalite veinlets, and the tobermorite-plombierite metasomatic rock is intersected by thaumasite veinlets. The pristine rock of the metasomatics was marble, and the metasomatic rock replaced andradite-bearing wollastonite skarn (with wollastonite replaced by foshagite). The ore minerals (chalcopyrite, valleriite, sphalerite, and others) were formed after the hydroxylellestadite metasomatite but most probably before the tobermorite-plombierite metasomatic rock and the veinlets of calcic minerals. The metasomatic rock was produced at significant variations in the oxygen, sulfur, and carbon dioxide fugacities. The composition of the hydroxylellestadite is, according to its microprobe analysis, as follows (wt %): SiO2 17.10, TiO2 0.01, Al2O3 0.02, FeO 0.20, MnO 0.00, MgO 0.04, CaO 55.40, Na2O 0.14, K2O 0.09, P2O5 0.12, CO2 1.90 (chemical analysis), SO3 21.60, F 0.16, Cl 0.14, total 96.92. The plombierite (SiO2 43.8–44.1 wt %, CaO 30.5–31.1 wt %) in the metasomatic rock notably differs from rare plombierite (SiO2 48.18 wt %, CaO 39.19 wt %) contained in the veinlets of thaumasite (SiO2 12.70 wt %, CaO 30.69 wt %, SO3 17.78 wt %).

Concomitant skarn and syenitic magma evolution at the margins of the Zippa Mountain pluton

Zippa Mountain pluton is a Mesozoic concentrically-zoned intrusion, located within the Canadian Cordillera of British Columbia. An extensive phase of K-feldspar bearing syenite grades towards its margins to mela-syenite and clinopyroxenite. This simple pattern of petrological zonation is overprinted by localised occurrences of silica-undersaturated, peralkaline rock types. High-purity wollastonite skarns occur within and peripheral to the intrusion and result from extensive interaction between intrusion-related fluids and Permian limestone/marble, at shallow crustal levels. Field, chemical and isotopic studies provide insights into interaction between a parental syenitic magma and these country rocks. To achieve this, petrological studies of four of the skarn bodies present have been combined with chemical and isotopic data from the pluton, and from drill core through the skarn into the pluton, to reconstruct the stages in the development of wollastonite skarn and progressive magma-country rock interaction. Derivation of peralkaline compositions from the syenitic magma requires either a loss of Si and Al, or addition of Na and/or K. Our studies preclude the addition of alkali elements but highlight extensive Si-infiltration into the limestone, while the conversion of marble to grossular-andradite skarn, indicates Al-infiltration. Fluid egress resulted in de-silicification/de-alumination of the Zippa Mountain magmas, and increased peralkalinity; wollastonite and garnet-bearing skarn formed as a by-product. Hence, the development of peralkaline rock compositions at Zippa Mountain required a parental syenitic magma, and reaction and/or interaction with calcareous country rocks.

A comparative study of wollastonite skarn genesis in the Central Metasedimentary Belt, southeastern Ontario, Canada

Potentially economic wollastonite-rich skarns are widespread in the Central Metasedimentary Belt of southeastern Ontario, Canada. Their genesis is evaluated through a comparative study of: the Platinova skarn (ca. 4 Mt grading 35% wollastonite), hosted by greenschist facies marble in the Elzevir terrane; the Olden skarn (ca. 2.8 Mt; 35%) in amphibolite facies marble of the Sharbot Lake terrane; and the St. Lawrence skarn (ca. 9 Mt; 41%) in granulite facies strata of the Frontenac terrane. The protolith for all of the wollastonite skarns was calcitic marble, locally containing impurities, but dolomitic marble may have been present at the St. Lawrence skarn. Each skarn is contiguous with an intrusive complex ranging from gabbro to granite in composition, and displaying megascopic fabrics indicative of magma commingling and mixing. The plutons are, however, of different ages and exhibit different geochemical characteristics. In each skarn, wollastonite is associated with varying proportions of diopside–hedenbergite and grossular–andradite. Skarn development is ascribed to the incursion of magmatogene, silica-rich, CO 2-poor ( X CO 2 between 0.1 and 0.3) fluids, rather than to regional metamorphism, and pressures varying between 200 MPa at Platinova and 350 MPa at Olden, at temperatures ca. of 500 to 650 °C. The Mountain Grove pluton has an U–Pb (zircon) age of 1153 ± 2 Ma. Hornblende and biotite from the same sample gave 40Ar– 39Ar plateau dates of 1058 ± 14 and 1047 ± 4 Ma, respectively, and the Olden skarn has been dated at 1074 ± 5 Ma ( 40Ar– 39Ar, phlogopite). These 40Ar– 39Ar dates are interpreted to record resetting by the contiguous 1070 Ma McLean pluton. U–Pb on titanite and 40Ar– 39Ar on amphibole separates from the St. Lawrence skarn yield 1147 ± ca. 8 and 1159 ± 6 Ma dates, respectively, similar to the U–Pb badelleyite age of the adjacent 1167 ± 2 Ma Leo Lake pluton. The age similarities between the skarns and the adjacent plutonic rocks are permissive evidence for a genetic link. Evidence of magma mixing and commingling in all the plutons contiguous with the wollastonite skarns may indicate that the concentration and egress of magmatogene brines at pressures locally attending 400 MPa was facilitated by thermal and compositional perturbation in the parental magma chambers.

Genesis of the Olden wollastonite skarn, Sharbot Lake domain, Central Metasedimentary Belt, Grenville Province, southeastern Ontario, Canada

With a resource of ∼2.8 Mt at 30%–35% wollastonite occurring at a depth of about 75 m, the Olden (formerly Hawley) prospect is the largest of a swarm of skarns hosted by amphibolite facies, dominantly calcitic marble that occurs adjacent to and as inliers within the Mountain Grove pluton. The post-kinematic intrusion comprises units with a wide compositional range from anorthositic gabbro to alkali-feldspar granite and syenite and widely exhibits megascopic fabrics recording magma comingling and mixing. Isotope dilution – thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID–TIMS) dating of zircon separates from a hornblende diorite unit yields a 207Pb–206Pb age of 1153 ± 2 Ma, significantly older than the contiguous 1070 ± 3 Ma McLean granite. Al-in-hornblende geobarometry on several Mountain Grove units indicates that the intrusion crystallized at pressures of 250–470 MPa, equivalent to mesozonal depths of 10–15 km. The main exoskarn body, ∼200 m long and up to 50 m wide, is dominated by wollastonite, clinopyroxene (Di73–94Hd2–19), and calcic garnet (Gr52–83And12–37) and ranges from massive to podiform. The eastern termination exhibits rhythmically alternating wollastonite- and calcite-rich layers, 10 cm wide and locally with chevron-shaped crenulations. These layers bear no relationship to bedding or metamorphic foliation and are interpreted as “wrigglitic,” i.e., they are a record of a metasomatic front that migrated. Veins of garnet–pyroxene–vesuvianite cut the main exoskarn. Retrograde phlogopite-rich skarns, with erratic serpentine and brucite, contain variable sphalerite and pyrite. Restricted pyroxene–garnet (–wollastonite–scapolite) endoskarn is developed in intrusive rocks contiguous with the exoskarn. Skarn development is ascribed to H2O-rich (XCO2 < 0.3) magmatogene brines and high temperatures (T = 500–650 °C), which caused intense Si, Al, and Fe metasomatism of the marbles, hydrothermal activity taking place at considerable depth. The occurrence of wollastonite around the periphery of the small Long Lake sphalerite deposit, restricted to a marble roof pendant in the Mountain Grove pluton 2.1 km east-northeast of the Olden prospect, indicates that this base-metal mineralization may be an exoskarn, rather than metamorphosed Mississippi Valley type. Incremental-heating 40Ar–39Ar dating of hornblende and biotite from the Mountain Grove diorite yields plateau ages of 1058 ± 14 and 1047 ± 4 Ma, respectively, and an exoskarn phlogopite age of 1074 ± 5 Ma. A genetic relationship between hydrothermal activity and the McLean pluton cannot be ruled out, but a parental role for the older Mountain Grove pluton is favoured on the basis of the close areal relationships of skarn bodies and that intrusion.

Oscillatory zoning in garnet from the Willsboro Wollastonite Skarn, Adirondack Mts, New York: a record of shallow hydrothermal processes preserved in a granulite facies terrane

AbstractOscillatory zoning in low δ18O skarn garnet from the Willsboro wollastonite deposit, NE Adirondack Mts, NY, USA, preserves a record of the temporal evolution of mixing hydrothermal fluids from different sources. Garnet with oscillatory zoning are large (1–3 cm diameter) euhedral crystals that grew in formerly fluid filled cavities. They contain millimetre‐scale oscillatory zoning of varying grossular–andradite composition (XAdr = 0.13–0.36). The δ18O values of the garnet zones vary from 0.80 to 6.26‰ VSMOW and correlate with XAdr. The shape, pattern and number of garnet zones varies from crystal to crystal, as does the magnitude of the correlated chemistry changes, suggesting fluid system variability, temporal and/or spatial, over the time of garnet growth. The zones of correlated Fe content and δ18O indicate that a high Fe3+/Al, high δ18O fluid mixed with a lower Fe3+/Al and δ18O fluid. The high δ18O, Fe enriched fluids were likely magmatic fluids expelled from crystallizing anorthosite. The low δ18O fluids were meteoric in origin.These are the first skarn garnet with oscillatory zoning reported from granulite facies rocks. Geochronologic, stable isotope, petrologic and field evidence indicates that the Adirondacks are a polymetamorphic terrane, where localized contact metamorphism around shallowly intruded anorthosite was followed by a regional granulite facies overprint. The growth of these garnet in equilibrium with meteoric and magmatic fluids indicates an origin in the shallow contact aureole of the anorthosite prior to regional metamorphism. The zoning was preserved due to the slow diffusion of oxygen and cations in the large garnet and protection from deformation and recrystallization in zones of low strain in thick, rigid, garnetite layers. The garnet provide new information about the hydrothermal system adjacent to the shallowly intruded massif anorthosite that predates regional metamorphism in this geologically complex, polymetamorphic terrane.