Vein topology, structures, and distribution during the prograde formation of an Archean gold stockwork

The Archean Cheechoo stockwork gold deposit is hosted by a felsic intrusion of tonalitic-granodioritic composition and crosscutting pegmatite dikes in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay area of Quebec, Canada (Archean Superior craton). The evolution of the stockwork is characterized herein using field relationships, vein density, and connectivity measurements on drill core and outcrop zones. The statistical distribution of gold is used to highlight mechanisms of stockwork emplacement and gold mineralization and remobilization. Two statistical populations of gold concentration are present. Population A is represented by gold grades below 1 g/t with a lognormal cumulative frequency. It is widespread in the hydrothermally altered (albite and quartz) and mineralized facies of the pluton. It is controlled by the development of quartz-feldspar-diopside veins as shown by the similar lognormal distribution of grades and vein density and by the correspondence of grades with network connectivity. Diopside and actinolite porphyroblasts in deformed veins within sodic and calcsilicate alteration zones are evidence for auriferous vein emplacement prior to the amphibolite facies peak of metamorphism. Population B (>1 g/t) is erratic and exhibits a strong nugget effect. It is present throughout the mineralized portion of the pluton and in pegmatites. This population is interpreted as the result of gold remobilization during prograde metamorphism and pegmatite emplacement following the metamorphic peak. The pegmatites are interpreted to have scavenged gold emplaced prior to peak metamorphism. These results show the isotropic behavior of the investigated stockwork during regional deformation and its development during the early stages of regional prograde metamorphism.

The Continental Crust beneath the Western Amerasia Basin: Mechanisms of Subsidence

—The western part of the large Amerasia Basin in the Arctic Ocean comprises the smaller basins of Podvodnikov and Makarov. Judging by the sedimentary structure and the crustal subsidence history, both basins were developed on the continental crust despite their 3–4 km water depths. By the early Miocene, prior to the rapid formation of the basins, the crustal surface had been close to the sea level for a long time. Lithospheric stretching had a minor input to the subsidence, which was rather driven mainly by the prograde metamorphism of gabbro in the lower crust and its transformation into denser eclogite. The mechanism of subsidence associated with the metamorphic transformation from gabbro to eclogite implies that high-velocity eclogite belongs to the lower continental crust metamorphosed under the effect of mantle fluids. This idea undermines the seismic and gravity basin models that commonly attribute mafic eclogite to the sub-Moho lithospheric mantle on the basis of P-wave velocities similar to those in peridotite and interprets the crust beneath the Podvodnikov and Makarov basins as thin continental and oceanic crustal types, respectively.

Deciphering the structural and metamorphic history of the Balsfjord Series in the Upper Allochthon of the Scandinavian Caledonides in northern Norway

<p>Deciphering the structural and metamorphic history of the Balsfjord Series in the Upper Allochthon of the Scandinavian Caledonides in northern Norway</p><p>Höpfl Stephan<sup>1</sup>, Konopásek Jiří<sup>1</sup>, Stünitz Holger<sup>1,2</sup> Bergh G., Steffen<sup>1</sup></p><p>UiT Norges arktiske universitet, Institutt for geovitenskap, [email protected]</p><p> </p><p><sup>1</sup>Department of Geosciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø 9037, Norway</p><p><sup>2</sup>Institut des Sciences de la Terre (ISTO), Université d’Orleans, Orleans 45100, France</p><p> </p><p>The Balsfjord Series is located in the central part of Troms–Finnmark County, northern Norway, and is part of the upper allochthon of the Scandinavian Caledonides. It consists of an Ordovician–Silurian metsedimentary sequence lying on top of the mostly gabbroic Lyngen Magmatic Complex (LMC). The unit exhibits an inverted metamorphic gradient, where the metamorphic conditions increase from the base to the top, from very low grade in the southeast to medium grade in the west and northwest. The Balsfjord Series is sandwiched between two high-grade units, the Nakkedal + Tromsø Nappe Complex in the hanging wall and the Nordmannvik Nappe as the top part of the Reisa Nappe Complex (RNC) in the footwall. The Nakkedal + Tromsø Nappe Complex features metamorphic peak ages of ca. 455–450 Ma and the Nordmannvik Nappe of ca. 430 Ma. The peak metamorphism of the Balsfjord Series has never been dated and the role of the inverted metamorphic gradient is not yet understood. One of the main motivations in this project is to resolve the Caledonian deformation history in the Balsfjord Series, ideally leading to a regional tectonic model explaining the tectonostratigraphic and metamorphic relationships between the abovementioned units.</p><p>The Balsfjord Series features two main discernible folding phases. The earlier phase displays tight to isoclinal folds with flat lying axial surfaces parallel to the penetrative foliation. Observed fold axes are parallel with the stretching lineation. These folds are best preserved in the northwestern, upper part of the unit and are syn-metamorphic in certain areas, as they fold original bedding (transposed foliation). A later folding phase is represented by mainly open folds with inclined to steep axial surfaces. Their fold axes are gently plunging with a predominant NE–SW orientation. We interpret these two folding events to be genetically related but slightly diachronous. The earlier folding phase with flat lying axial surfaces was likely generated during nappe thrusting and peak metamorphism of the Balsfjord Series. The subsequent open folding with inclined to steep axial surfaces is explained as a result of continued shearing and shortening of the weaker metapelitic Balsfjord Series against the more rigid gabbroic part of the LMC during the late stages of the Caledonian nappe thrusting.      </p><p>Observed thrust kinematics and penetrative retrogression at the bottom of the Nakkedal + Tromsø Nappe Complex suggest that its final exhumation took place during prograde metamorphism of the underlying Balsfjord Series. The ongoing dating of the prograde metamorphism in the Balsfjord series will provide important information about a possible continuity between the timing of peak metamorphism in the Nakkedal + Tromsø Nappe Complex, the Balsfjord series and the underlying RNC.</p>

The subduction, exhumation, and deformation history of the Vaimok Lens, Seve Nappe Complex, Scandinavian Caledonides

<p>            The Seve Nappe Complex (SNC) of the Scandinavian Caledonides represents portions of the Baltican margin that were subducted to mantle depths. Eclogite-bearing sub-units of the SNC provide a record of this important step in orogen development. One such sub-unit is the Vaimok Lens of the SNC in southern Norrbotten. The Vaimok Lens constitutes eclogites hosted within metasedimentary rocks that reached ultra-high pressure (UHP) conditions in the Cambrian/Early Ordovician period. The metasedimentary rocks are typically composed of quartz, white mica, garnet, plagioclase, biotite, clinozoisite, apatite and titanite, and show a pervasive ‘S2’ foliation that developed during exhumation. Garnet is recognized as a relic of prograde metamorphism during subduction, whereas the other minerals represent retrogressive metamorphism during exhumation. To resolve the timing of prograde metamorphism, Lu-Hf geochronology was conducted on metasediment-hosted garnet that preserves prograde, bell-shaped Mn-zoning with a chemical formula of Alm<sub>69-59</sub>Grs<sub>32-24</sub>Sps<sub>13-2</sub>Prp<sub>5-2</sub>. The results indicate garnet growth at 495.3 ± 2.6 Ma. Quartz-in-garnet (QuiG) elastic geobarometry was also conducted on garnet from the same sample, providing pressures of 0.9-1.3 GPa, calculated at 500-700°C. Six samples were obtained for in-situ <sup>40</sup>Ar/<sup>39</sup>Ar geochronology, targeting white mica defining the S2 foliation. Samples can be classified as: 1) low-strain (n: 3), with large (>400 µm width), undeformed micas that are chemically homogeneous (X<sub>Cel</sub>: 0.24-0.35), which yielded a weighted average <sup>40</sup>Ar/<sup>39</sup>Ar population of 470.5 ± 5.9 Ma; 2) high-strain (n: 3), with small (<300 µm width) mica fish with heterogeneous chemistry (X<sub>Cel</sub>: 0.03-0.27), which provided weighted average <sup>40</sup>Ar/<sup>39</sup>Ar populations of 447.6 ± 2.6 Ma and 431.1 ± 4.1 Ma. An additional sample from the basal thrust of the lens that contains large (>300 µm width), homogeneous (X<sub>Cel</sub>: 0.24-0.34) mica was also dated, yielding a population of 414.1 ± 5.8 Ma. Altogether, the data indicates that the Vaimok Lens was subducting by c. 495 Ma. The lens underwent post-decompression cooling at c. 470 Ma, possibly decompressing to 0.9-1.3 GPa by this time. This would equate to an exhumation rate of 3-9 mm/yr. Imbrication of the SNC in southern Norrbotten is taken to be c. 447 Ma. Scandian deformation was active by c. 431 Ma and led to overthrusting of the SNC onto subjacent nappes by latest c. 414 Ma. Both the timescale for subduction and the rates of exhumation for the Vaimok Lens reflect subduction-exhumation dynamics of large UHP terranes. Furthermore, the timing of imbrication and Scandian deformation in southern Norrbotten is similar to estimates along strike of the SNC. These results indicate that the SNC acted as a large UHP terrane that underwent a ~25 Myr cycle of subduction and exhumation during the late Cambrian/Early Ordovician, before being deformed and partially dismembered in subsequent accretionary and collisional events.</p><p> </p><p>Research funded by National Science Centre (Poland) project no. 2014/14/E/ST10/00321 to J. Majka.</p>

Determining the speed of intracontinental subduction – preliminary results of zoned garnet geochronology in micaschists from the Schneeberg and Radenthein Complexes, Eastern Alps

<p>In collisional orogens continental crust is subducted to (ultra-)high-pressure (HP/UHP) conditions as constrained by petrologic, tectonic and geophysical observations. Despite a wealth of studies on the subduction and exhumation of UHP rocks, the duration of prograde metamorphism during subduction is still not well constrained.</p><p>We plan to apply Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd geochronology on metamorphic rock samples to date the duration of garnet growth, which represents a major part of prograde metamorphism from the greenschist-facies onward. Micaschist samples from the Schneeberg and Radenthein Units in the Eoalpine high-pressure belt (Eastern Alps) will be used for dating as they contain cm- to dm-sized garnet blasts, which experienced only one subduction-exhumation cycle. With dating different parts of big garnet grains, we test whether (1) it is possible to resolve the duration of garnet growth within single crystals, and (2) Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd systems date the same events in the PT-path or yield complementary information. Additionally, we will perform U-Pb geochronology on titanite in order to obtain the age of the first stages of exhumation; in addition, dating of rutile inclusions as well as matrix rutiles will be used to test Eoalpine prograde age. We will also apply U-Th-Pb monazite dating (EPMA and LA-ICPMS) to some of the samples. Collectively, these data will allow us to compare the duration of subduction and the timing of initial exhumation in a single sample. We then will constrain the PT-path of the dated samples by pseudosection modeling combined with Zr-in-rutile, quartz-in-garnet, and carbonaceous material geothermo(baro)metry. We already have preliminary results for Zr-in-rutile thermometry of rutile inclusions in garnets and matrix rutiles for samples from both locations. We measured Zr content with an EPMA and used the calibrations of Tomkins et al. (2007) and Kohn (2020). The calibration of Kohn (2020) gives overall slightly lower temperatures, but all obtained temperatures lay in a range of c. 500-600 °C in accordance with previously published data. In addition, EPMA, µ-XRF, LA-ICPMS, and µCT will be used to control if garnets preserved major and trace elemental growth zoning and to provide spatial 3D information on inclusion patterns. µCT analyses were already successfully used to obtain the chemical centre of the garnet grains in order to be able to cut them directly through there center. This is important for all in-situ chemical analyses. With dating different parts of single garnet crystals separately with Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd geochronology, we will add tight time constraints to the PT-path and constrain the duration of garnet growth.</p><p>With this contribution we formulate the working hypothesis that prograde subduction together with exhumation is a fast process. The basis for testing the idea of fast prograde metamorphism is that many geochronological studies propose a prograde duration of < 10 Ma and studies using geospeedometry sometimes propose an even shorter duration, which is the impetus for this investigation.</p><p>References:</p><p>Kohn, M.J. (2020). A refined zirconium-in-rutile thermometer. American Mineralogist(105), 963-971.</p><p>Tomkins, H.S., Powell, R. & Ellis, D.J. (2007). The pressure dependence of the zirconium-in-rutile thermometer. Journal of Metamorphic Geology(25), 703-713.</p>

Metamorphic fingerprints of Fe-rich chromitites from the Eastern Pampean Ranges, Argentina

Chromitites hosted in the serpentinized harzburgite bodies from Los Congos and Los Guanacos (Eastern Pampean Ranges, north Argentina) record a complex metamorphic evolution. The hydration of chromitites during the retrograde metamorphism, their subsequent dehydration during the prograde metamorphism and the later-stage cooling, have resulted in a threefold alteration of chromite: i) Type I is characterized by homogeneous Fe3+- and Cr-rich chromite; ii) Type II chromite contains exsolved textures that consist in blebs and fine lamellae of a magnetite-rich phase hosted in a spinel-rich phase; iii) Type III chromite is formed by variable proportions of magnetite-rich and spinel-rich phases with symplectitic texture. Type I chromite shows lower Ga and higher Co, Zn and Mn than magmatic chromites from chromitites in suprasubduction zone ophiolites as a consequence of the redistribution of these elements between Fe3+-rich non-porous chromite and silicates during the prograde metamorphism. Whereas, the spinel-rich phase in Type III chromite is enriched in Co, Zn, Sc, and Ga, but depleted in Mn, Ni, V and Ti with respect to the magnetite-rich phase, due to the metamorphic cooling from high-temperature conditions. The pseudosection calculated in the fluid-saturated FCrMACaSH system, and contoured for Cr# and Mg#, allows us to constrain the temperature of formation of Fe3+-rich non-porous chromite by the diffusion of magnetite in Fe2+-rich porous chromite at <500 ºC and 20 kbar. The subsequent dehydration of Fe3+-rich non-porous chromite by reaction with antigorite and chlorite formed Type I chromite and Mg-rich olivine and pyroxene at >800 ºC and 10 kbar. The ultimate hydration of silicates in Type I chromite and the exsolution of Type II and Type III chromites would have started at ~600 ºC. These temperatures are in the range of those estimated for ocean floor serpentinization (<300 ºC and <4 kbar), the regional prograde metamorphism in the granulite facies (800 ºC and <10 kbar), and subsequent retrogression to the amphibolite facies (600 ºC and 4-6.2 kbar) in the host ultramafic rocks at Los Congos and Los Guanacos. A continuous and slow cooling from granulite to amphibolite facies produced the exsolution of spinel-rich and magnetite-rich phases, developing symplectitic textures in Type III chromite. However, the discontinuous and relatively fast cooling produced the exsolution of magnetite-rich phase blebs and lamellae within Type II chromite. The P-T conditions calculated in FCrMACaSH system and the complex textural and geochemical fingerprints showed by Type I, Type II and Type III chromites leads us to suggest that continent-continent collisional orogeny better records the fingerprints of prograde metamorphism in ophiolitic chromitites.

Thermo-Structural Evolution of the Val Malenco (Italy) Peridotite: A Petrological, Geochemical and Microstructural Study

The Val Malenco peridotite massif is one of the largest exposed ultramafic massifs in Alpine orogen. To better constrain its tectonic history, we have performed a comprehensive petro-structural and geochemical study. Our results show that the Val Malenco serpentinized peridotite recorded both pre-Alpine extension and Alpine convergence events. The pre-Alpine extension is recorded by microstructural and geochemical features preserved in clinopyroxene and olivine porphyroblasts, including partial melting and refertilisation, high-temperature (900–1000 °C) deformation and a cooling, and fluid-rock reaction. The following Alpine convergence in a supra-subduction zone setting is documented by subduction-related prograde metamorphism features preserved in the coarse-grained antigorite and olivine grains in the less-strained olivine-rich layers, and later low-temperature (<350 °C) serpentinization in the fine-grained antigorite in the more strained antigorite-rich layers. The strain shadow structure in the more strained antigorite-rich layer composed of dissolving clinopyroxene porphyroblast and the precipitated oriented diopside and olivine suggest dissolution and precipitation creep, while the consistency between the strain shadow structure and alternating less- and more-strained serpentinized domains highlights the increasing role of strain localization induced by the dissolution-precipitation creep with decreasing temperature during exhumation in Alpine convergence events.

The timescale of the endogenous processes and PT conditions of garnet, biotite, and plagioclase equilibrium in the mica schists and gneisses of the Korvatundra complex (Kola region)

&lt;p&gt;The Korvatundra complex is situated between the granite gneisses of the White Sea complex and the rocks of the Tana belt the Kola region (Kozlov et al., 1990; Priyatkina&amp;Sharkov, 1979) and composed of &amp;#160;mica gneisses, schists and quartzite schists. The metamorphism of the complex increases from south to north from the staurolite-muscovite zone to kyanite-garnet-biotite (Map of the mineral facies, 1992; Perchuk&amp;Krotov, 1998).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The U-Pb age of igneous zircon from the metavolcanite is 2101&amp;#177;21 Ma (Kaulina et al., 2003). The early stages of the progressive metamorphism reflected in relict paragenesis in the southern part were under the conditions of the staurolite-chloritoid and staurolite-garnet-two-mica subfacies with 385-570&lt;sup&gt;&amp;#1086;&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;#1057; and 4.6-7.6&amp;#160; kbar (Belyaev&amp;Petrov, 2002).&amp;#160; The prograde metamorphism were under the conditions of the kyanite-garnet-micas and kyanite-garnet-biotite subfacies and are reflected in the composition of newly formed, chemically non-zonal garnets, or in the similar composition newly formed garnet rim. The metamorphism stage parameters determined by the garnet indicate increasing of the temperatures and pressures to 575-615&lt;sup&gt;&amp;#1086;&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;#1057; &amp;#1080; 7.5-9.1 kbar&amp;#160; (Belyaev&amp;Petrov, 2002) or to 650&lt;sup&gt;&amp;#1086;&lt;/sup&gt;&amp;#1057;&amp;#160; &amp;#1080; 7.5 kbar (Perchuk&amp;Krotov, 1998). The time of prograde metamorphism of the Korvatundra is in the interval 1940 and 1917 Ma. Within the Korvatundra the processes of superimposed tectonometamorphism occur under conditions of the kyanite-garnet-biotite subfacies and in the north of the Korvatundra their temperatures and pressures reach of 700-750 &amp;#176; C and 13-14 kbar, correspondingly.&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This research was funded by GI KSC RAS program 0226-2019-0052 and Fundamental Program of the Presidium of RAS section &amp;#8220;Fundamental geological and geophysical research of the lithosphere processes&amp;#8221;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Belyaev O.A, Petrov V.P. // Apatity: GI KSC RAS. 2002. P. 195-208.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Map of the metamorphic rock mineral facies of the Baltic Shield. S.-Pb.: VSEGEI. 1992.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kaulina T.V., Dlenizin A.A., Belyaev O.A., Kozlova N.E., Apanasevich E.A. // S.-Pb.: IPG RAS. 2003. 189-193 p.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Kozlov N.E., Ivanov A.A., Nerovich L.I. // Apatity: KSC RAS, 1990. 172 p.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Perchuk L.L.., Krotov A.V. // Petrologia. 1998. V.7. &amp;#8470;4. P. 356-381.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Priyatkina L.A., Sharkov E.V. // Leningrad: Nauka. 1979. 127 &amp;#1089;.&lt;/p&gt;

Determining the speed of intracontinental subduction – preliminary results of zoned garnet geochronology in micaschists from the Schneeberg Complex, Eastern Alps.

&lt;p&gt;In collisional orogens continental crust is subducted to (ultra-)high-pressure (HP/UHP) conditions as constrained by petrologic, tectonic and geophysical observations. These (U)HP rocks are exhumed by an extremely fast process (few Ma) as numerous rocks still preserve their high-pressure metamorphic assemblages, which would not be the case if they had time to re-equilibrate at lower pressure conditions. Despite a wealth of studies on the subduction and exhumation of UHP rocks, the duration of prograde metamorphism during subduction is still not well constrained.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We plan to do Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd geochronology on metamorphic rock samples to date the duration of garnet growth, which represents a major part of prograde metamorphism from the greenschist-facies on. Micaschist samples from the Schneeberg and Radenthein Units in the Eoalpine high-pressure belt (Eastern Alps) will be used for dating as they contain cm- to dm-sized garnets, which experienced only one subduction-exhumation cycle with P-T conditions reaching 600 &amp;#176;C and up to 1 GPa. With dating different parts of big garnet grains we test (1) if it is possible to resolve the duration of garnet growth within single crystals, (2) if both systems, Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd, are needed for better age-constraints, and (3) whether both systems date the same events in the PT-path or give differing information. Additionally we will perform U-Pb geochronology on titanite in order to obtain the age of the first stages of exhumation and on rutile inclusions as well as matrix rutiles to confirm the Eoalpine prograde age with this additional method. Therefore, we will be able to compare the duration of subduction and the timing of initial exhumation in a single sample. We then will constrain the PT-path of the samples that will be dated by pseudosection modeling combined with Zr-in-rutile geothermometer, quartz-in-garnet geobarometer, and carbonaceous material geothermometer. In addition EPMA, &amp;#181;-XRF, LA-ICPMS, and &amp;#181;CT will be used to control if garnets preserved major and trace elemental growth zoning and to provide spatial 3D information on inclusion patterns. With dating different parts of single garnet crystals separately with Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd geochronology, we will add tight time constraints to the PT-path and constrain the duration of garnet growth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With this contribution we formulate the working hypothesis that prograde subduction together with&amp;#160; exhumation is a fast process. The basis for testing the idea of fast prograde metamorphism is that many geochronological studies propose a prograde duration of &lt; 10 Ma and studies using geospeedometry sometimes propose an even shorter duration, which is the impetus for this investigation.&lt;/p&gt;