Geochemical Records of Mantle Processes in Mantle Xenoliths from Three Cenozoic Basaltic Volcanoes in Eastern China

Rare earth element (REE) contents, and Sr and Nd isotopic compositions were measured for three suites of mantle xenoliths from the Kuandian, Hannuoba and Huinan volcanoes in the north of the Sino-Korean Platform. From the correlations of Yb contents with Al/Si and Ca/Si ratios, the peridotites are considered to be the residues of partial melting of the primitive mantle. The chondrite-normalized REE compositions are diverse, varying from strongly LREE-depleted to LREE-enriched, with various types of REE patterns. Metasomatic alteration by small-volume silicate melts, of mantle peridotites previously variably depleted due to fractional melting in the spinel peridotite field, can account for the diversity of REE patterns. The Sr/ Ba versus La/Ba correlation indicates that the metasomatic agent was enriched in Ba over Sr and La, suggestive of its volatile-rich signature and an origin by fluid-triggered melting in an ancient subduction zone. The Sr and Nd isotopic compositions of these xenoliths, even from a single locality, vary widely, covering those of Cenozoic basalts in eastern China. The depleted end of the Sr-Nd isotope correlation is characterized by clearly higher 143Nd/144Nd and a broader range of 87Sr/86Sr compared to MORB. The low-143Nd/144Nd and high-87Sr/86Sr data distribution at the other end of data array suggests the existence of two enriched mantle components, like EM1 and EM2. The correlations between 143Nd/l44Nd and 147Sm/N4Nd ratios in these xenoliths suggest at least two mantle metasomatic events, i.e. events at 0.6-1.0 Ga and 280-400 Ma ago.

Sorption of Zr^(4+) and Hf^(4+) onto Hydrous Ferric Oxide and Their Fractionation Behaviors:An experimental Study

An experimental study was carried out on the sorption of tetravalent ions Zr4+ and Hf4+ onto hydrous ferric oxide (HFO) and their fractionation behavior during colloid/solution interaction. The sorption of the isovalent ions Zr4+ and Hf4+ onto HFO is nonlinear, and they are fractionated during the sorption and co-precipitation processes: Zr4+ is more affinitive for HFO than Hf4+. At pH<6, the Zr/Hf ratios in solid phase decrease sharply with increasing pH values, but keep unchanged at pH>6. In both cases, the sorption/desorption or particle/water reaction can significantly fractionate Zr/Hf in the surface environment of the Earth.

Geochemical Behaviors of REE and Other Trace Elements during the Formation of Strata-bound Skarns and Related Deposits:A Case Study of the Dongguashan Cu(Au)Deposit,Anhui Province,China

REE and other trace elements in the altered marbles, massive skarns and ores, as well as garnet and quartz were determined in order to examine the behaviors of trace elements during hydrothermal alteration. It is demonstrated that the high-field-strength (HFS) elements Zr, Hf, Th and Nb were immobile while other trace elements were mobile during the formation of skarns and related deposits. REE and ore-forming elements such as Cu and Ag in hydrothermally-altered marbles and skarns were provided primarily by hydrothermal fluids. In the direction transverse of the strata, the more deeply the marbles were altered, the higher the total REE abundance and the larger the negative Eu anomalies would be. The chondrite-normalized REE patterns of skarns are similar to those of the marbles, but the former are distinguished by much higher REE contents and more remarkable negative Eu anomalies. Those patterns were apparently not inherited from the marble protolith, but were controlled by garnets, which were determined by the hydrothermal solutions involved in the infiltration metasomatism. The hydrothermal fluids are characterized by having slightly right-hand dipping REE patterns, being enriched in LREE and having strongly negative Eu anomalies. The uptake of REE from hydrothermal fluids during the growth of garnet crystals resulted in the garnets having similar REE patterns to the hydrothermal fluids. Based on the spatial variation of REE in skarns and the structures of the hosting strata, we can get a better understanding of the transport path and pattern of the fluids involved in the formation of skarns and their related deposits. REE geochemistry investigation can help elucidate the genesis of skarns and skarn-related deposits.

Remobilization of trace metals induced by microbiological activities near sediment-water interface,Aha Lake,Guiyang

The Aha Lake, as a seasonally oxygen-absent man-made reservoir, has been polluted by acidic mining drainage and domestic sewages for a long time, with iron, manganese and sulfate excessively enriched in water and sediment. By means of microbe counting, the analysis of trace metals in pore water and electronic acceptors for or-ganic matter decomposing, we have found that strong bio-geochemical remobilization of trace metals occurred near the water-sediment interface. The microbial reduction of iron, manganese and sulfate took place in different parts throughout the sediment core with the extend of iron reduc-tion lower than that of sulfate reduction, which happened in the surficial sediments and hampered the upward release of some trace metals to some extent. Some trace metals in pore water, due to the 揹ual releasing?effects caused by the re-duction of Fe3+ and Mn4+ at varying depth, show a tendency of being enriched excessively in the upper 10 cm of sediment. In this study, we discussed the microbiological mechanism of trace metals enrichment in surficial sediments and the envi-ronmental condition, with an attempt to realize the unsteady mobilization of trace metals and their potential harm to overlying lake water in the Aha Lake, Guiyang.