{"title":"Retrograde alteration of clay minerals in uranium deposits: Radiation catalyzed or simply low-temperature exchange?","authors":"T.G. Kotzer, T.K. Kyser","doi":"10.1016/0168-9622(91)90013-M","DOIUrl":"10.1016/0168-9622(91)90013-M","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Stable and radiogenic isotopic compositions have been used to trace the origin and age of fluids associated with the formation and alteration of ore deposits such as the unconformity-type uranium deposits in the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada. Since the formation of the U deposits at the unconformity between Aphebian basement rocks and the overlying Athabasca sandstones at ∼ 1200 Ma, the Athabasca Basin has expeienced episodic influxes of meteoric water that permeated large fault structures rooted in the basement graphitic metapelites and gneisses. Because these structures are associated with the initial formation of the U deposits, alteration due to late meteoric water influx is often prominant near the deposits. The development of late-stage kaolinite, lowering of δD-values in all clay minerals in fractures near the ore zones, loss of K<sub>2</sub>O and decreasing K<img>Ar ages with increasing water contents in illite are indicative of retrograde alteration of clay minerals due to influx of late-stage meteoric water in the Athabasca Basin. Recent proposals that radiation damage and subsequent retrograde alteration of clay minerals near the U deposits have occurred are not consistent with either the data from the McArthur River area in Saskatchewan where kaolinite having low δD-values formed with small quantities of remobilized U at ∼ 400 Ma, or from data throughout the basin where clay minerals devoid of U mineralization also record this retrograde alterations. The results from McArthur River, in conjunction with data from a number of unconformity-type U deposits indicate that radiation does not promote retrograde alteration but do substantiate the simpler process of retrograde alteration of clay minerals in these deposits by influxes of late, low-temperature meteoric water along reactivated shear zones.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":100231,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Geology: Isotope Geoscience section","volume":"86 4","pages":"Pages 307-321"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1991-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1016/0168-9622(91)90013-M","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77248742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Carbon and oxygen isotope composition of carbonates from the Qaqarssuk Carbonatite Complex, southern West Greenland","authors":"Christian Knudsen , Bjørn Buchardt","doi":"10.1016/0168-9622(91)90009-L","DOIUrl":"10.1016/0168-9622(91)90009-L","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Stable isotope data from the Jurassic Qaqarssuk Carbonatite Complex show that carbonatites intruded during the main intrusive event have δ<sup>18</sup>O-values ranging from +7 to +8.1‰ SMOW and δ<sup>13</sup>C-values ranging from −3.5 to −3.1‰ PDB.</p><p>Late-stage søvite veins are enriched in light carbon relative to the main-stage carbonatites, with δ<sup>13</sup>C-values ranging from −5 to −4‰ PDB. This is interpreted as loss of heavy carbon to a gas phase.</p><p>Late-stage REE-carbonatites have δ<sup>3</sup>C-values in the same range as the main-stage carbonatites, but elevated δ<sup>3</sup>C-values relative to late-stage søvites. The REE-carbonatites have elevated δ<sup>18</sup>O-values (+7.4 to +9.2‰ SMOW) relative to both main-stage carbonatites and late-stage søvite.</p><p>Carbonates in metasomatically altered basement and contaminated carbonatite have elevated δ<sup>18</sup>O-values (+8.2 to +8.8‰ SMOW), probably caused by exchange of oxygen with the basement.</p><p>Oxygen isotope geothermometry give temperatures in the range 313–608°C, which is low relative to the expected igneous temperatures. These low temperatures are explained as caused by subsolidus reactions such as exsolution and recrystallization which can be observed in the carbonates. There is poor correspondence between oxygen and carbon isotope geothermometry as well as with solvus geothermometry, indicating that the calibration of the isotope geothermometer established in metamorphic carbonate rocks cannot be applied directly to carbonatites.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":100231,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Geology: Isotope Geoscience section","volume":"86 4","pages":"Pages 263-274"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1991-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1016/0168-9622(91)90009-L","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90104161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sulfur isotopic variations during seawater evaporation with fractional crystallization","authors":"M. Raab , B. Spiro","doi":"10.1016/0168-9622(91)90014-N","DOIUrl":"10.1016/0168-9622(91)90014-N","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Seawater was evaporated, stepwise isothermally at 23.5°C, for 73 days, up to a degree of evaporation of 138 × by H<sub>2</sub>O weight. At various stages of evaporation the precipitate was totally removed from the brine and the latter was allowed to evaporate further. The sulfur isotopic compositions of the precipitates and related brines show the following characteristics: The initial δ<sup>24</sup>S of the original seawater is +20‰. The δ<sup>34</sup>S of both precipitates and associated brines decrease gradually in the gypsum field up to the end of the halite field, where δ<sup>34</sup>S<sub>precipitate</sub> = + 19.09‰andδ<sup>34</sup>S<sub>brine</sub> = + 18.40‰. The precipitates are always enriched in <sup>34</sup>S relative to the associated brines in these fields, but the enrichment becomes smaller towards the end of the halite field. A crossover. where the δ<sup>34</sup>S of the brines becomes higher than those of the precipitates, occurs at the beginning of the Mg-sulfate field. The δ<sup>34</sup>S<sub>precipitate</sub> increases from + 19.09‰ at the end of the halite field through +19.35‰ in the Mg-sulfate field to + 19.85‰ in the K-Mg-sulfate field, whereas the δ<sup>34</sup>S<sub>brine</sub> increased from +18.40‰, through +20.91‰ to +20.94‰, respectively. This evolution implies different values of fractionation factors (α) for the minerals precipitated at the late halite, Mg-sulfate and K-Mg-sulfate fields, other than that for gypsum (1.00165). The value of α<sub>precipitate-residual brine</sub> would then be very slightly >1 in the late halite field and <1 in the two later fields.</p><p>The experimental pattern of evolution of the δ<sup>34</sup>S-values of the precipitates is in good agreement with data for natural anhydrites interbedded in halites, where δ<sup>34</sup>S-values are lower relative to basal gypsum (and secondary anhydrite), and of primary minerals of the Mg- and K-Mg-sulfate facies, reported in evaporitic sequences, such as those of the Delaware (U.S.A.) and of the Zechstein (Germany) basins. Thus, these results shed new light on observations of natural evaporitic sequences and suggest that the compositional trend of δ<sup>34</sup>S under the present experimental conditions may simulate and explain natural evaporitic processes.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":100231,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Geology: Isotope Geoscience section","volume":"86 4","pages":"Pages 323-333"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1991-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1016/0168-9622(91)90014-N","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80676373","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Noble gases in mesozoic cherts from the U.S.A. and Japan","authors":"Kayo Matsubara , Jun-ichi Matsuda , Ryuichi Sugisaki","doi":"10.1016/0168-9622(91)90011-K","DOIUrl":"10.1016/0168-9622(91)90011-K","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Noble gases in cherts of various origins were measured by means of the stepwise heating technique. The elemental abundance patterns of noble gases in the samples showed monotonic fractionation from <sup>20</sup>Ne to <sup>132</sup>Xe relative to the atmosphere; this pattern is designated as type-1 and is similar to that observed in water, natural gases and sedimentary rocks. The noble gas concentrations in cherts were low compared with those in other sedimentary rocks and related samples, and showed scarcely apparent correlations with chemical components. Crystallization from amorphous silica to quartz was responsible for the degassing loss of noble gases in cherts.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":100231,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Geology: Isotope Geoscience section","volume":"86 4","pages":"Pages 287-293"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1991-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1016/0168-9622(91)90011-K","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91106045","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The statistical distribution of the mean squared weighted deviation","authors":"I. Wendt, C. Carl","doi":"10.1016/0168-9622(91)90010-T","DOIUrl":"10.1016/0168-9622(91)90010-T","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The probability distribution of the mean squared weighted deviation (MSWD) is derived and its dependence on degrees of freedom f is shown. The expectation (or mean) value of MSWD=1 and is not a function of f. However, the +1σ range of the expectation value of the MSWD decreases with increasing f. The standard deviation of the MSWD is σ = ±(2/f)<sup>1/2</sup>. If MSWD 1+2(2/f)<sup>1/2</sup>, there is only <5% probability that the data define an isochron. Use of MSWD as a criterion for accepting or rejecting the assumption of an isochron may be applied only if analytical errors σ<sub>x<sub>i</sub></sub> and σ<sub>y<sub>i</sub></sub> are well known.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":100231,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Geology: Isotope Geoscience section","volume":"86 4","pages":"Pages 275-285"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1991-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1016/0168-9622(91)90010-T","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90180981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Oxygen isotopic composition of lower cretaceous tholeiites and precambrian basement rocks from the paraná basin (Brazil) : The role of water-rock interaction","authors":"P. Iacumin, E.M. Piccirillo, A. Longinelli","doi":"10.1016/0168-9622(91)90051-W","DOIUrl":"10.1016/0168-9622(91)90051-W","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>107 rock samples from the Paraná plateau, southern Brazil (86 tholeiites and 21 various rock-types from the Precambrian crystalline basement) were measured for their oxygen isotopic composition. Both the crustally uncontaminated tholeiites from the Northern Paraná Province and the crustally contaminated basalts from the Southern Paraná Province exhibit quite positive <em>δ</em><sup>18</sup>O-values ranging from +6.0 to +11.5% and from +7.0 to +12.8%, respectively. These values are considerably higher than those expected for rocks deriving from mantle partial fusion (+5.7±0.3%). A simple process of crustal contamination and fractional crystallization cannot explain the results obtained as the oxygen isotopic composition of the samples from the crystalline basement ( +4.8 to +12.7%, mean value +8.8%) cannot explain a <em>δ</em><sup>18</sup>O increase of the basalt magma higher than ∼ 2%o. According to various considerations, we conclude that the positive oxygen isotope values exhibited by the Paraná basalts are the result of secondary post-eruptive hydrothermal exchange processes between rock and <sup>18</sup>O-enriched water. The <sup>18</sup>O-enriched water was substantially formed by isotopic exchange between normal (meteoric) groundwater and either the thick sedimentary sequence underlying the volcanic sequence in the Paraná basin or the crystalline basement rocks.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":100231,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Geology: Isotope Geoscience section","volume":"86 3","pages":"Pages 225-237"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1991-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1016/0168-9622(91)90051-W","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74767456","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
G.S. Odin , A. Montanari , A. Deino , R. Drake , P.G. Guise , H. Kreuzer , D.C. Rex
{"title":"Reliability of volcano-sedimentary biotite ages across the Eocene-Oligocene boundary (Apennines, Italy)","authors":"G.S. Odin , A. Montanari , A. Deino , R. Drake , P.G. Guise , H. Kreuzer , D.C. Rex","doi":"10.1016/0168-9622(91)90050-7","DOIUrl":"10.1016/0168-9622(91)90050-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This paper presents and discusses volcano-sedimentary biotite radioisotopic ages, obtained from the Paleogene sequence of the northeastern Apennines using RbSr and KAr dating methods. In particular, we discuss criteria which enable us to select the most reliable ages. K contents of < 6.4%, or traces of vermiculite indicate dubious reliability. Ion microprobe analyses of individual biotite flakes from each dated sample allowed us to determine whether these volcano-sedimentary biotites are composed of one or more populations of minerals. Chemically heterogeneous samples suspected of yielding spurious radioisotopic ages were tested for geochronological homogeneity using <sup>40</sup>Ar<sup>39</sup>Ar laser fusion probe dating on several groups of grains. <sup>40</sup>Ar<sup>39</sup>Ar step-heating dating or biotite from two stratigraphic levels from one locality yielded age spectra with good plateaux. Two other samples representing the same stratigraphic levels in another locality yielded somewhat disturbed spectra. We selected K-rich biotites showing good geochemical homogeneity, and/or displaying a wide plateau. and/or giving reasonably consistent KAr and RbSr ages from at least five stratigraphically distinct layers; they draw a picture consistent with the sequence. The selected radioisotopic ages permit accurate calibration of well-known bio-, magneto- and chemostratigraphic events from 36.4 to 28.1 Ma including a tightly interpolated age value of 33.7 ± 0.4 Ma (2σ) for the much debated Eocene-Oligocene boundary.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":100231,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Geology: Isotope Geoscience section","volume":"86 3","pages":"Pages 203-224"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1991-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1016/0168-9622(91)90050-7","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73362394","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
B.L.K. Somayajulu , P. Sharma , J. Klein , R. Middleton , D.F. Williams , W.S. Moore
{"title":"Changes in the depositional flux of 10Be in the Orca Basin, Gulf of Mexico: Inverse correlation with δ18O","authors":"B.L.K. Somayajulu , P. Sharma , J. Klein , R. Middleton , D.F. Williams , W.S. Moore","doi":"10.1016/0168-9622(91)90053-Y","DOIUrl":"10.1016/0168-9622(91)90053-Y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>We report a statistically significant negative correlation between the concentration (and the deposition rate) of the cosmogenic radionuclide <sup>10</sup>Be and <em>δ</em><sup>18</sup>O (of <em>Globigerinoides ruber</em>) in the sediments deposited in the anoxic Orca Basin (OB) of the Gulf of Mexico during the past ∼20 ka. Possible causes for this finding consecutively include: (1) enrichment of <sup>10</sup>Be in the soils/easily erodable crustal material which were discharged into the OB during the Late Wisconsin Interglacial; (2) introduction of significant amounts of <sup>10</sup>Be into the oceans due to the melting of continental ice sheets resulting in the enrichment of the radionuclide in the sediments deposited during that time; and (3) generation of a focussing effect resulting in the <sup>10</sup>Be enrichment of the OB sediment.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":100231,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Geology: Isotope Geoscience section","volume":"86 3","pages":"Pages 253-258"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1991-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1016/0168-9622(91)90053-Y","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78083500","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Caution on the use of Viton® or FETFE® O-rings in carbon dioxide sample containers for δ180 analysis","authors":"Kinga Revesz, Tyler B. Coplen","doi":"10.1016/0168-9622(91)90054-Z","DOIUrl":"10.1016/0168-9622(91)90054-Z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>After 10 days, 3-μmol CO<sub>2</sub> samples in containers having glass stopcocks with Viton<sup>®</sup> or FETFE O-rings were enriched in <sup>18</sup>O by 1.5% as a result of absorption by the elastomer; this amount of enrichment is ∼20 times greater than the precision of <em>δ</em><sup>18</sup>O measurements of most laboratories. No change in <sup>13</sup>C content was observed. Increasing the sample size to 100 μmol resulted in an <sup>18</sup>O enrichment of 0.2% and did not affect the <sup>13</sup>C content.</p><p>Caution needs to be exercised in selecting sample containers for CO<sub>2</sub> isotope-ratio samples of < 200 μmol. If stopcocks are used in construction of containers for such samples, the use of all-glass stopcocks with Apiezon N<sup>®</sup> hydrocarbon-based grease will eliminate the fractionation of oxygen isotopes.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":100231,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Geology: Isotope Geoscience section","volume":"86 3","pages":"Pages 259-261"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1991-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1016/0168-9622(91)90054-Z","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90111352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
F. De Corte , P. Van den haute , A. De Wispelaere , R. Jonckheere
{"title":"Calibration of the fission-track dating method: Is Cu useful as an absolute thermal neutron fluence monitor?","authors":"F. De Corte , P. Van den haute , A. De Wispelaere , R. Jonckheere","doi":"10.1016/0168-9622(91)90048-2","DOIUrl":"10.1016/0168-9622(91)90048-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Thermal neutron fluence measurements have been performed with Au and Co standard monitors at the one side and Cu monitors (foils and wires) at the other. using three reactor channels with different neutron energy spectra and two calibrated Ge detectors. Care was taken to eliminate errors caused by epithermal activation and neutron self-shielding while special attention was also paid to the problem of incomplete annihilation of the <sup>64</sup>Cu <em>β</em><sup>+</sup> radiation. Our new measurements reveal consistent fluences between Cu and the Au and Co standard monitors, when using the recommended and/or recently evaluated nuclear parameters for the <sup>63</sup>Cu(n,γ)<sup>64</sup>Cu reaction. However, we do not endorse the usage of Cu as a standard fluence monitor for fission-track dating because from a metrological standpoint too large uncertainties still exist on some of its relevant nuclear parameters such as the thermal neutron activation cross-section (<em>σ</em><sub>0</sub>) of <sup>63</sup>Cu.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":100231,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Geology: Isotope Geoscience section","volume":"86 3","pages":"Pages 187-194"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1991-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1016/0168-9622(91)90048-2","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82781155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}