Sr,Nd,Pb and trace element systematics of the New Caledonia harzburgites:Tracking source depletion and contamination processes in a SSZ setting

The New Caledonia ophiolite(Peridotite Nappe)consists primarily of harzburgites,locally overlain by mafic-ultramafic cumulates,and minor spinel and plagioclase lherzolites.In this study,a comprehensive geochemical data set(major and trace element,Sr-Nd-Pb isotopes)has been obtained on a new set of fresh harzburgites in order to track the processes recorded by this mantle section and its evolution.The studied harzburgites are low-strain tectonites showing porphyroclastic textures,locally grading into protomylonitic textures.They exhibit a refractory nature,as attested by the notable absence of primary clinopyroxene,very high Fo content of olivine(91-93 mol.%),high Mg#of orthopyroxene(0.91-0.93)and high Cr#of spinel(0.44-0.71).The harzburgites are characterised by remarkably low REE concentrations(<0.1 chondritic values)and display"U-shaped"profiles,with steeply sloping HREE(DyN/YbN=0.07-0.16)and fractionated LREE-MREE segments(LaN/SmN=2.1-8.3),in the range of modern fore-arc peridotites.Geochemical modelling shows that the HREE composition of the harzburgites can be reproduced by multi-stage melting including a first phase of melt depletion in dry conditions(15%fractional melting),followed by hydrous melting in a subduction zone setting(up to 15%-18%).However,melting models fail to explain the enrichments observed for some FME(i.e.Ba,Sr,Pb),LREE-MREE and Zr-Hf.These enrichments,coupled with the frequent occurrence of thin,undeformed films of Al2 O3,and CaO-poor orthopyroxene(Al2O3=0.88-1.53 wt.%,CaO=0.31-0.56 wt.%)and clinopyroxene with low Na2 O(0.03-0.16 wt.%),Al2 O3(0.66-1.35 wt.%)and TiO2(0.04-0.10 wt.%)contents,point to FME addition during fluid-assisted melting followed by late stage metasomatism most likely operated by subductionrelated melts with a depleted trace element signature.Nd isotopic ratios range from unradiogenic to radiogenic(-0.80<εNdi≤+13.32)and negatively correlate with Sr isotopes(0.70257≤87Sr/86Sr≤0.70770).Pb isotopes cover a wide range,trending from DMM toward enriched,sediment-like,compositions.We interpret the geochemical signature displayed by the New Caledonia harzburgites as reflecting the evolution of a highly depleted fore-arc mantle wedge variably modified by different fluid and melt inputs during Eocene subduction.

Mineral fibres and environmental monitoring:A comparison of different analytical strategies in New Caledonia

Covered by ultrabasic units for more than a third of its surface,the New Caledonia(South West Pacific)is one of the largest world producers of Ni-ore from lateritic deposits.Almost all outcrops of geological units and open mines contain serpentine and amphibole,also as asbestos varieties.In this geological context,in which weathering processes had a great contribution in the production and dispersion of mineral fibres into the environment,the development of a routinely analytical strategy,able to discriminate an asbestiform fibre from a non-harmful particle,is a pivotal requisite.However,the acquisition of all these parameters is necessary for determining the risk associated to fibres exposition.A multidisciplinary routinely approach,based on the use of complementary simply-to-use but reliable analytical methods is the only possible strategy.In addition,the instrumental apparatus must be easily transportable on the field,directly on the mining site.The employment of specialized tools such as Polarized Light Microscopy associated to Dispersion Staining method(PLM/DS)and portable Raman spectroscopy for identification of environmental asbestos,are proved extremely effective in the improvement of the performance and rapidity of data acquisition and interpretation.Both PLM/DS and handheld Raman devices confirmed to be discriminant in the detection and characterization of asbestos fibres for both serpentine and amphibole.Furthermore,these techniques proved extremely effective even in the presence of strongly fibrous and altered samples.

Ophiolites and Intra-Oceanic Island Arc Assemblages of Eastern Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand

Throughout the Phanerozoic the eastern margin of Gondwana and related fragments such as New Caledonia and New Zealand that are now dispersed from it grew through the addition of ophiolites and associated intra-oceanic island arc assemblages.Exactly how and why this occurred remains controversial with two main competingmodelsreferredtoaseither‘quantum’or‘accordion’tectonics.The quantum model envisages continental growth through the additional of discrete intra-oceanic assemblages analogous to contemporary tectonic settings in Taiwan,Timor and Papua New Guinea(Aitchison and Buckman,2012).The alternative regards eastern Australia as the type example of a different style of convergent plate margin referred to as an‘extensional accretionary orogeny’(Collins,2002).The oldest Phanerozoic ophiolites and intra-oceanic island arc assemblages are of Cambrian age and are widely reported from the Lachlan Fold Belt in the eastern Australian states of Victoria and NSW(Spaggiari et al.,2003;Greenfield et al.,2011).Similar rocks are also known from Mount Read in Tasmania(Berry and Crawford,1988;Crawford and Berry,1992;Mulder et al.,2016),the Weraerai terrane and its correlatives in the New England orogen further east in northeastern NSW(Aitchison et al.,1994;Aitchison and Ireland,1995)and Queensland,the Takaka terrane in NW Nelson,New Zealand(Münker and Cooper,1999)and the Bowers terrane in Northern Victoria Land,Antarctica(Weaver et al.,1984;Münker and Crawford,2000;Rocchi et al.,2011;Palmeri et al.,2012).The Late Ordovician saw the development of the intra-oceanic Macquarie island arc(Glen et al.,1998;Glen et al.,2007).This system contains important economic mineral deposits.The way in which these arcrocks developed and were juxtaposedagainst a surrounding suite of Lachlan Fold Belt,eastern Australia remains the subject of investigation(see Aitchison and Buckman,2012 for discussion).In a similar area,enigmatic rocks of the Tumut ophiolite also crop out(Graham et al.,1996;Belousova et al.,2015).Further to the east in the New England orogeny Siluro-Devonian rocks of the Gamilaroi terrane and it’s along strike correlatives near Mt Morgan in Queensland represent another intra-oceanic island arc assemblage emplaced onto the Gondwana margin in the Late Devonian(Aitchison and Flood,1994;Offler and Murray,2011).The Late Carboniferous-Permian saw development of significant intra-oceanic island arc and ophiolitic complexes remnants of which crop out in New Zealand,eastern Australia,and New Caledonia.These include the Brook Street terrane(Spandler et al.,2005;Mc Coy-West et al.,2014)and Dun Mountain Ophiolite Belt in New Zealand(Coombs et al.,1976;Stewart et al.,2016),the Gympie terrane in southeast Queensland(Waterhouse and Sivell,1987;Sivell and Waterhouse,1988)and the Koh terrane in New Caledonia(Meffre et al.,1996;Ali and Aitchison,2002).The youngest on-land association of ophiolitic and intra-oceanic island arc rocks in the region is of Eocene age.Ultramafic rocks are well exposed in New Caledonia where they structurally overlie continental rocks of Gondwana margin affinity that,in the northeast of the island,have experienced eclogite facies metamorphism(Aitchison et al.,1995).The emplacement of these rocks was a widespread regional event with potentially correlative rocks exposed in Papua New Guinea(Parrot and Dugas,1980)as well as Northland and East Cape in New Zealand(Whattam et al.,2005;Whattam et al.,2008).

Competition between Coral and Algae in Tertiary and Quaternary Reefs: Greenhouse to Icehouse Transitions

The competition between coral and algae in marine reefs is pervasive through geologic time;that competition determines the structure and composition of reef communities, which we see in the fossil record. However, the relationships between coral and calcareous algae in reefs are poorly understood. To study this relationship, several hand samples and thin sections were examined from nine different foralgal reef localities around the world. Foralgal reefs typically extend from about 20 m depth or shallower on the seaward side of the reef. The first section is Salt Mountain, Alabama, which preserves a Paleocene reef. It contains a high percentage of red coralline algae with benthic foraminifera. The second section is IDOP-U1376, IIA Limestone, it is Middle Eocene, in the form of an isolated reef sandwiched between two igneous beds. The third section is the Utoe’ Limestone, New Caledonia, it is Middle Eocene in age and is composed mainly of grain-boundstone units with some igneous interlayered. The fourth section is the Darnah Formation in the West-Darnah roadcut section, Northeast Libya, it is Middle Eocene in age, it is composed of highly fossiliferous limestone (corals, red coralline algae, echinoids, mollusks, foraminifers, and bryozoans). The fifth section, the Al Bayda Formation (Algal Limestone Member) in Northeast Libya, is in the Drayanah—Al Abyar roadcut, Northeast Libya, it has several species of algae but also includes a high percentage of buildups of coral species. The sixth section is the Oligo-Miocene Al Faidiyah Formation (Al Fatayah Cement Quarry) limestone unit in Northeast Libya. The seventh section is (Core-core 20) late-early to middle Miocene Limestone Unit-Cicuco Field, NW Colombia. The eighth section is the Benghazi Formation at Benghazi Cement Quarry, in Northeast Libya, it is fossiliferous limestone, consisting of coral, algae, mollusks, and echinoids. The ninth and tenth sections are Quaternary reefs in the Bahamas and the Florida Keys, respectively. These reefs contain a high percentage of coral, red coralline algae, echinoids, mollusks, foraminifers, and ostracods. Based on the data and static analysis results on the thin sections and hand specimens, this study determines the occurrence and outcomes of coral-algal interactions among different coral growth forms (branching, upright, massive, encrusting, plating, and solitary). The Early Paleogene (Paleocene to Eocene) has the highest percentage of algae in two forms (crustose and frondose), which is a good indicator of a warm climate. In the Middle Eocene to Late Eocene, coral replaced algae in different localities in sections of that age. This change is an indicator of climatic cooling, especially in the western Lutetian Darnah section. In the Oligocene time, high-branching corals became abundant and escaped competition with the algae due to Icehouse conditions, as shown in the Al Bayda Formation. In the Miocene, coral species started to decline because of the return to Greenhouse conditions. Coral can lose its competitive edge when chemical and physical defense systems reduce growth and production due to warming. On the other hand, crustose-form algae attract the larvae of the coral. Algae induce them to get a more highly competitive frondose form, which is useful for corals as they decrease growth and production. Algae can quickly colonize the dead reef by using the firm substrate to rebuild themselves. This research may prove valuable when predicting the response of modern coral reef systems to future climatic warming conditions and provides a model for what future reefs may look like.

当代新喀里多尼亚文学中的卡纳克问题

卡纳克人是法属新喀里多尼亚地区的原住民,他们是一个独特的族群,其文化的特殊性在文学领域有着充分的体现。考察当代新喀里多尼亚文学中的卡纳克问题,需要从族群、语言与文学表达三个层面进行。在殖民时期,卡纳克人被压迫,其文化被忽视,在二战后的独立运动中,作为一个族群的卡纳克人逐渐形成;卡纳克人所使用的口语复杂多样,这些语言借由拉丁字母逐渐得到了书面化。在当代,随着卡纳克人在政治、教育等领域获得了更多权利,卡纳克人逐渐从写作的客体变成了写作的主体,卡纳克语言也参与到写作之中,并形成了一种“多语混杂”的现象。当代卡纳克人的写作超越了身份议题,并在“克里奥尔化”之外提供了一种可能的文化混血的途径。

新喀里多尼亚镍资源投资策略分析

介绍新喀里多尼亚自然及社会状况、税收及企业管理政策法规、镍矿资源特点和矿业企业现状,为我国企业在新喀里多尼亚的镍资源投资提供参考。

Ancient depletion signals in lherzolites from forearc region:Constraints from Lu-Hf isotope compositions

The sub-arc mantle that experienced hydrous melting is commonly characterized by refractory geochemical compositions. Nevertheless, minor lherzolites with fertile compositions have also been reported for mantle peridotites from subduction zone. The petrogenesis and mantle source of the lherzolites are still controversial. The New Caledonia ophiolite(Peridotite Nappe) has been regarded as an allochthonous body of forearc lithosphere. This is supported by refractory compositions of its dominant mantle rocks.A few isolated lherzolitic massifs have also been observed in the northern part of New Caledonia.Those lherzolites are compositionally similar to abyssal peridotites, with negligible subduction-related modification. Here, we present new comprehensive geochemical compositions, in particular highprecision Sr-Nd-Hf isotope data, for the lherzolites. The initial^(176) Hf/^(177) Hf ratios display moderate correlations with sensitive indicators for the extent of melting(i.e., olivine Fo, whole-rock Mg# and Yb contents in clinopyroxene) and whole-rock initial^(187) Os/^(188) Os ratios. Some samples have ancient radiogenic Hf isotopes and unradiogenic Os isotope compositions, implying the preservation of ancient depletion signals in the lherzolites. The Nd isotope compositions, together with trace elements and mineral micro-textures, suggest that the lherzolites have been overprinted by a recent melt-rock interaction event. The high equilibrium temperatures of the studied samples have been estimated by the twopyroxene REE thermometer, yielding temperatures of 1066–1315 ℃. The lherzolites have more depleted Nd-Hf isotope compositions and higher equilibrium temperatures than the New Caledonia harzburgites.This indicates that the lherzolites may represent the residues of asthenosphere mantle trapped within the forearc region. Our studies on the New Caledonia lherzolites with ancient depletion signals suggest that ancient mantle domains in the convective mantle can be emplaced in forearc region by the upwelling of asthenosphere during the early stage of subduction initiation.

新喀里多尼亚的非殖民化:原因、进程与困境

18世纪末新喀里多尼亚开始进入西方殖民统治视野,此后揭开了其与“文明”世界相互交织的碰撞史。自1853年法国吞并新喀里多尼亚后的170年时间里,双方之间的矛盾不断积聚,并发生了激烈冲突事件。按照《努美阿协定》,新喀里多尼亚在2018年、2020年和2021年举行了三次独立性公投,然而寻求独立的努力均以失败告终。从表面上看,新喀里多尼亚独立运动是独立派(原住民)与法国政府权力博奔的产物,但其实质是利益之争、族际冲突及认同混乱的结构性矛盾的体现。2021年,新喀里多尼亚举行的独立公投是最后一次公投行动,但是新喀里多尼亚独立派不认同公投结果并停止独立行动。就目前观察,在没有其他外部力量介入的情况下,新喀里多尼亚短期内很难实现完全独立。