Origin and Circulation of Springs in the Nangqen and Qamdo Basins, Southwestern China, Based on Hydrochemistry and Environmental Isotopes

The Nangqen and Qamdo (NQ-QD) basins in China have very rich geothermal and brine resources. The origin and spatiotemporal evolutionary processes of its hot and saline springs however remain unclear. Geochemical and isotopic (18O, 2H, 3H) studies have therefore been conducted on the water from the geothermal and saline springs in the NQ-QD Basin. All saline springs in the study area are of the Na-Cl geochemical type while geothermal waters show different geochemical types. The oxygen and hydrogen isotopic compositions of the springs in the NQ-QD Basin are primarily controlled by meteoric water or ice-snow melt water and are influenced by rock-water interactions. It is found that the saline springs in the study area are derived from the dissolution of halite and sulfate that occur in the tertiary Gongjue red bed, while the hot springs in the QD Basin are greatly influenced by the dissolution of carbonatites and sulfates from the Bolila (T3b) and Huakaizuo (J2h) formations. Results from silica geothermometry and a silicon-enthalpy hybrid model indicate that the apparent reservoir temperatures and reservoir temperatures for the hot springs in the QD Basin range from 57–130°C to75–214°C, respectively. Deuterium analysis indicates that most of the hot springs are recently recharged rain water. Furthermore, the saline springs have a weaker groundwater regeneration capacity than the hot springs. Tritium data shows that the ranges of calculated residence times for springs in this study are 25 to 55 years, and that there is a likelihood that hot springs in the QD Basin originated from two different hydrothermal systems. The geochemical characteristics of the NQ-QD springs are similar to those of the Lanping-Simao Basin, indicating similar solute sources. Thus, the use of water isotope analyses coupled with hydrogeochemistry proves to be an effective tool to determine the origin and spatiotemporal evolution of the NQ-QD spring waters.

Origin and Evolution of Saline Spring Water in North and Central Laos Based on Hydrochemistry and Stable Isotopes (δD, δ18O, δ11B, and δ37Cl)

This paper discusses the origin and evolution of saline springs in north and central Laos, based on chemical and stable isotopes (δD, δ18O, δ11B, and δ37Cl). All the saline springs in this study are of the Na–Cl geochemical type. The geochemical and water isotope values suggest that the saline springs in this study are mainly derived from meteoric water and/or ice and snow melt from the surrounding mountains and that they also experienced strong evaporation and intense rock–water interactions. The ionic ratios, characteristic coefficients, ternary Ca–SO4–HCO3 phase diagrams, and saturation indices of minerals show that the dissolution of halite, sulfate, and carbonate rocks may be the solute sources for saline springs in this study, whereas the underground brines in the Thakhek potash mining area are geochemically influenced by the dissolution of carnallite and sylvite. The global geothermal δ11B–Cl/B relationship and δ11B values (5.50 to 36.01‰) of saline springs suggest a continental origin of B. This B is most likely derived from marine carbonate rocks and marine evaporates (gypsum and halite) of the late Cretaceous, which is similar to the saline springs of the Nangqen–Qamdo–Simao Salt Basin. The δ37Cl value (−0.12 to +0.79) and the Cl/Br ratio (4076 to 9853) show that dissolution of late cretaceous marine halite layers, atmospheric precipitation, and water–rock interactions between volcanic rocks, mudstones, and sandstone can restrict the δ37Cl values in saline springs. Results from silica geothermometry and multi–mineral equilibrium diagrams indicate that the reservoir temperatures for the saline springs range from 87–137 °C and experience deep circulation. Hydrochemical characteristic coefficients suggest that saline springs in the Muang Say basin may have leached sylvinite and carnallite and that the potash exploration prospect in this area is relatively good.

Granites and Pegmatites of the Collisional and Intra-Plate Magmatism of the Baikal Area: Age, Mineralogical and Geochemical Types and Genesis Peculiarities

The paper presents new data on mineralogical-geochemical peculiarities of the granites and pegmatites of the Baikal area (Olkhon Region) with implications for the age, generation conditions and geodynamic settings of magmatism. The early Paleozoic granitoids of the Olkhon region are syncollisional formations produced from the gneiss-schistose substratum of the Olkhon metamorphic sequences. Pegmatoid granites and pegmatites of the Region were generated within a wide age range (458-390 Ma) and include different mineralogical and geochemical types. Amongst the Early Paleozoic granitoids, pegmatoid rocks are products of the collisional magmatism evolution and are similar to granites in terms of the mineral composition and distribution patterns of rare and rare earth elements. On the Olkhon island (Baikal lake) the pegmatite of the Tashkiney vein belong to the Be-Nb-Ta mineralogical-geochemical type demonstrating high contents of W, Sn U, Th and very low concentrations of Li and volatile components (F, B). In the Pryolkhonye area, vein pegmatite Iliksin is with Li, Be, Nb, Ta mineralization (lepidolite, vorobyevite, samarskite et al). The studied pegmatite veins are similar both by the profound negative Ba, Sr, Eu, and Zr anomalies. The zircons from the Tashkiney vein (390±5.0 Ma) and of the Iliksin vein (430.1±2.2 Ma, U-Pb isotope LA ICP MS metod) indicate the formation of pegmatite at the late post-collisional stage of magmatism in the Olkhon Region. As regard to mineralogical and geochemical characteristics, vein pegmatites with amazonite (Ainsky and Ulan-Nur) belong to the Li-F type. The tantalum mineralization, represented by microlites and minerals of the columbite-tantalite group is associated with the Ainsky amazonite pegmatite. As opposed to the Early Paleozoic syncollisional granitoids and pegmatoid formations, the middle Paleozoic vein bodies of pegmatites (Tashkiney, Iliksin, Ainsky, Ulan-Nur) are regarded as rare-metal pegmatites. In terms of geochemical characteristics, they are similar to the rare-metal pegmatoid granites and pegmatites of the intra-plate setting widespread in Mongolia and Transbaikalia. The rare-metal mineralization in the Olkhon region may be genetically related to the evolution of Be-Nb-Ta and Li-F types of the post-collisional granites and pegmatites.

Classification of mountain geosystems of the Primorskii range (Priolkhonie) and their mapping

The western border of the Central Ecological Zone of Baikal runs along the watershed of the Primorskii range in physical and geographical terms, this ridge borders the west of the Baikal mountain-mountain taiga and basin province of the Baikal-Dzhugdzhur physical-geographical region. On the southeastern macroslope of the Primorskii ridge and the Priolkhon plateau, the effects of “rain shadow” and arid-hollow, contrasts of high-mountain and foothill effects are strongly pronounced. Since 2015 to 2016, the influence of the pyrogenic factor has significantly increased. More than 20 fires were recorded in the central part of the ridge alone. On the Priolkhon plateau, this is supplemented by an increasing anthropogenic influence every year. The classification of the geosystems of the Primorskii range and their mapping based on the regional typological approach is the main goal of this study. The main tasks were: analysis of the regional background, identification of the main factors of differentiation, classification of facies and their groups of the study area, mapping of geosystems at the topological level (scales 1:50,000 and 1:100,000). To accomplish the tasks, integrated field research has been carried out since 2012, a database has been formed, including the initial basic cartographic data, remote sensing data, bases of descriptions and observations. The results of the research are: determination of criteria and data source for contours at different levels of cartographic representation, the sizes of areal sections are specified. Also compiled: basic landscape-typological maps and derived estimates. geosystems of the local level. A detailed assessment legend was formed (based on the georelational table of field descriptions and spatial data) with various characteristics of local topogeosystems, including seriality, geochemical type and subtype of facies, deviation from the background norm (factor-dynamic series). A variant of the estimated large-scale mapping is presented on a polygon with an area of 50 km2, where 95 areal contours related to 54 types of facies are identified, with an average area of 3.7 hectares.The complexity and diversity of local situations is analyzed, the affiliation of local geosystems with structures of regional dimension is established.

Multistage Magmatism in Ophiolites and Associated Metavolcanites of the Ulan-Sar’dag Mélange (East Sayan, Russia)

We present new whole-rock major and trace element, mineral chemistry, and U-Pb isotope data for the Ulan-Sar’dag mélange, including different lithostratigraphic units: Ophiolitic, mafic rocks and metavolcanites. The Ulan-Sar’dag mélange comprises of a seafloor and island-arc system of remnants of the Paleo-Asian Ocean. Detailed studies on the magmatic rocks led to the discovery of a rock association that possesses differing geochemical signatures within the studied area. The Ulan-Sar’dag mélange includes blocks of mantle peridotite, podiform chromitite, cumulate rocks, deep-water siliceous chert, and metavolcanic rocks of the Ilchir suite. The ophiolitic unit shows overturned pseudostratigraphy. The nappe of mantle tectonites is thrusted over the volcanic-sedimentary sequence of the Ilchir suite. The metavolcanic series consist of basic, intermediate, and alkaline rocks. The mantle peridotite and cumulate rocks formed in a supra-subduction zone environment. The mafic and metavolcanic rocks belong to the following geochemical types: (1) Ensimatic island-arc boninites; (2) island-arc calc-alkaline andesitic basalts, andesites, and dacites; (3) tholeiitic basalts of mid-ocean ridges; and (4) oceanic island basalts. U–Pb dating of zircons from the trachyandesite, belonging to the second geochemical type, yielded a date of 833 ± 4 Ma which is interpreted as the crystallization age during mature island-arc and intra-arc rifting stages. The possible influence of later plume magmatic-hydrothermal activities led to the appearance of moderately alkaline igneous rocks (monzogabbro, trachybasalt, trachyandesite, subalkaline gabbro, and metasomatized peridotites) with a significant subduction geochemical fingerprint.

Geochemistry of rees in the natural waters and the secondary phases from thermal fields of Kamchatka

A study of the distribution of rare-earth elements in surface and underground waters, waterbearing rocks, as well as secondary mineral formed by the thermal waters of the Paratunka and Viluchinsky hydrothermal systems of Kamchatka was carried out. It was found that the REE content, their distribution and fractionation differ depending on the geochemical type of water, as well as the pH–Eh of the aquifer. All waters are characterized by the predominance of the dissolved form of the REE water transfer, which exceeds the transfer of REE with colloids by a factor of a thousand. It has been shown that in the discharge areas of the studied thermal waters carbonates, sulfates and silicates, including calcite, gypsum, and amorphous opal, are widespread. The intensity of the REE redistribution process in the rock-water-secondary deposits system is very weak in waters where REEs are associated with sulfates. At the same time, REEs bound in water with carbonate complexes most actively accumulate in newly formed mineral phases.

Subduction, collision and plumes in the epoch of the Late Paleozoic magmatism of the Magnitogorsk zone (the Southern Urals)

Subject. A systematization of Late-Paleozoic magmatic formations of the Magnitogorsk zone of the Southern Urals in the process of an accretion of the Magnitogorsk paleoarc to the margin of the East European continent (EEC) with formation in Famenian and Carboniferous active continent margin of South-Uralian accretionary-collisional belt was given in the work. Materials and methods. A generalization of published and manuscript materials characterizing magmatism and ore-mineralization of Magnitogorsk zone for the Devonian-Carboniferous-Permian time carried out, additional investigations of chemical composition of rocks (XRF, ISP-MS) characterizing process of accretion, subduction and plume activity, microelement distribution in them was made, the composition of rock-forming and accessory minerals (EPMA) was studied. Results. It is found that the South-Uralian accretionary-collisional belt was beginning to form in the late phase of the development of the Magnitogorsk island arc in the process its collision with EEC margin with formation in the Frasnian and Carboniferous of active continental margin. The products of Late-island-arc volcanism are represented by the porphyrite formation and in the eastern frame of the arc - by subalkaline monzonite-shoshonite-latite volcanic-intrusive association with intermediate characteristics between the subductional and interplate formations. Synchronously with them, in the backarc setting, picrite and meymechite volcanics − derivatives of a mantle plume are formed. In process of substitution of tectonic-magmatic regime from island-arc to margin-continental intraplate-type mantle series were forming. During this period, hot asthenospheric diapirs (plumes) were rising to the bottom of new-formed (accreted) margin-continental lithosphere. Along with the magmatic associations of intraplate type and rock series of intermediate geochemical type, this geodynamic situation in the Southern Urals is characterized by a presence of great volumes of mantle-crust granitoids of gabbro-tonalite-granodiorite-granite type, that were formed with a manifold manifestation of anatexis in a time interval of 365-290 Ma. Conclusion. On the whole the originality of Magnitogorsk zone geological history in the Devonian and Carboniferous, peculiarities of magmatic complexes formed here due to various geodynamic settings, are making this zone an extraordinary interesting and important object to study of processes of plume-lithosheric and mantle-crust interaction.

Geochemistry of ice in frost mounds in the valley of the River Sentsa (Oka plateau, East Sayan)

Te authors examined the chemical composition of underground ice sampled from the frost mounds located in the loose (unconsolidated) sediments of the Sentsa River valley (Oka plateau, Eastern Sayan) with the purpose of reconstruction the formation history of these cryogenic creations. Numerous frost mounds of various sizes are mainly composed of alternating icy loams, sandy loams, and lenses of pure ice. Samples of underground ice taken in the outcrops of the river ledges and cores from wells together with samples of river and lake waters were analyzed by traditional hydrochemical techniques (methods) in the center "Geodynamics and geochronology" (Institute of the Earth's Crust of the Siberian branch of RAS, Irkutsk). It was found that the chemical composition of pure ice melts from lenses and layers of the frost mounds is hydrocarbonate calcium (HCO3 Ca, SO4-HCO3 Ca and NH4-HCO3 Ca) with mineralization of 6.5 – 15.6 mg/L, pH = 5.6÷6.1. Mineralization of melts of texture-forming ice, taken from icy ground (i.e. with fractions of enclosing loams) was much higher – from 50 to 792.5 mg/L. River and lake water is ultra-fresh with 99–132 mg/L salinity, and according to geochemical type it is hydrocarbonate calcium (HCO3 Ca). Te specifc features of chemical composition of the underground ice (high content of ammonium salts and sulfates) depend on a water-rock interaction, the presence of organic matter in the loose (unconsolidated) sediments and a repeated volcanic activity in the late Pleistocene–Holocene. Te frost mounds are confned to a lacustrine sediments area in the backwater zone that was formed by the Late Pleistocene terminal moraine. Teir formation in the Holocene took place as a result of segregational ice formation during freezing of water-saturated lake sediments, and, presumably, repeated injections of underground waters of the under-channel and floodplain aquifers hydraulically connected with river waters. Tus, the genesis of the studied frost mounds is probably a mixed segregation-injection process.