Metasomatic events recorded in ultramafic xenoliths from the Hyblean area (Southeastern Sicily, Italy)

Three types of ultramafic xenoliths from the Hyblean area (Sicily) show prime evidence for mantle metasomatism, namely: 1) Spinel-facies depleted harzburgite veined by phlogopite-bearing clinopyroxenite; 2) Amphibole-bearing harzburgite; and 3) Al-spinel websterite. (2) and (3) exhibit glassy pockets having respectively mugearitic and basanitic compositions, but a little amount of glass with low Ca and very low alkalis in (2). Glasses generally show trace element distributions consistent with the partial melting of pargasite-dominated mineral assemblages. Abundant Ca-Mg-carbonate globules immersed in these glassy pockets testify to immiscibility between silicate and carbonatite melts. Silicate melts and hydrous-silicate supercritical fluids, which underwent phase separation during fluxing throughout the semi-brittle lithospheric mantle, may account for such metasomatizing processes. The nature and abundance of some fluid-mobile elements in glasses and hydrous minerals (especially the Ca-poor glass, with B?=?59 ppm, Li?=?27 ppm, Ba?=?700 ppm and phlogopite, with Ba?=?8,465 ppm, Sr?=?260 ppm, F?=?5,700 ppm) suggest that some hydrous fluids may derive from hydrothermally altered oceanic crust. Conversely, metasomatizing silicate melts probably have a deep-seated origin. These results confirm previous suggestions on the key role of mantle metasomatism in the origin of some alkaline Hyblean magmas.     

New evidence of mantle heterogeneity beneath the Hyblean Plateau (southeast Sicily,Italy) as inferred from noble gases and geochemistry of ultramafic xenoliths

We analyzed major and trace elements, Sr and Nd isotopes in ultramafic xenoliths in Miocenic age Hyblean diatremes, along with noble gases of CO₂-rich fluid inclusions hosted in the same products. The xenoliths consist of peridotites and pyroxenites, which are considered to be derived from the upper mantle. Although the mineral assemblage of peridotites and their whole-rock abundance of major elements (e.g., Al₂O₃ = 0.8–1.5 wt.%, TiO₂ = 0.03–0.08 wt.%) suggest a residual character of the mantle, a moderate enrichment in some incompatible elements (e.g., La_N/Yb_N = 9–14) highlights the presence of cryptic metasomatic events. In this context a deep silicate liquid is considered the metasomatizing agent, which is consistent with the occurrence of pyroxenites as veins in peridotites. Both the Zr/Nb and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios of the investigated samples reveal two distinct compositional groups: (1) peridotites with Zr/Nb ≈ 4 and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ≈ 0.5129, and (2) pyroxenites with Zr/Nb ≈ 20 and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ≈ 0.5130. The results of noble-gas analyses also highlight the difference between the peridotite and pyroxenite domains. Indeed, the ³He/⁴He and ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar* ratios measured in the fluid inclusions of peridotites (respectively 7.0–7.4 ± 0.1 Ra and 0.5–8.2, where Ra is the atmospheric ³He/⁴He ratio of 1.38 × 10^? 6) were on average lower than those for the pyroxenites (respectively 7.2–7.6 Ra and 0.62–15). This mantle heterogeneity is interpreted as resulting from a mixing between two end-members: (1) a peridotitic layer with ³He/⁴He ≈ 7 Ra and ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar* ≈ 0.4, which is lower than the typical mantle ratio (~ 1–4) probably due to melt extraction events, and (2) metasomatizing mafic silicate melts that gave rise to pyroxenites characterized by ³He/⁴He ≈ 7.6 Ra, with a variable ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar* due to degassing processes connected with the ascent of magma at different levels in the peridotite wall rock. The complete geochemical data set also suggests two distinct mantle sources for the xenolithic groups highlighted above: (1) a HIMU (high-μ)-type source for the peridotites and (2) a DM (depleted mantle)-type source for the pyroxenites.     

Geochemical characteristics of waters in mineralised area of Peloritani Mountains (Sicily,Italy)

This paper presents the results of a study on the geochemistry of waters circulating in the mineralised area of the south-eastern sector of Mt. Peloritani (north-eastern Sicily, Italy), aimed at basic understanding of the geochemical processes influencing their chemical composition. Chemico-physical parameters and data on 26 major and minor chemical elements are reported for 103 water samples. Water chemistry is mainly dominated by dissolution of carbonates and hydrolysis of aluminosilicate minerals. Total dissolved salts (TDS) range from 80 to 1398 mg/L. All the waters exhibit E_H characteristic of an oxygenated environment. Excluding two samples, which show very high H⁺ activity (pH = 3.0 and 2.7), all the waters have pH values in the range 6.2–8.6. Cluster analysis based on major ion contents defined three main chemical water types, reflecting different hydrochemical processes. The first, group I, has low salinity (average TDS = 118 ± 30 mg/L) and abundance orders (meq/L) Na > Ca ≈ Mg > K and Cl ≈ HCO₃ > SO₄. With increased water–rock interaction, waters in groups II and III become more saline, changing composition towards SO₄–Cl-alkaline earth and HCO₃-alkaline earth types. Weathering of carbonate minerals causes waters to become saturated with respect to calcite and dolomite, whereas the incongruent dissolution of aluminosilicate minerals causes the solution to reach equilibrium with kaolinite and to form smectites. Trace element geochemistry in the analysed waters reflects interactions between waters and existing mineralisation, with elemental concentrations showing highly variable values, and higher concentrations of As, Pb, Sb and Zn near known mineralisation. Lead–Zn and As–Sb statistical associations, probably distinguishing interactions with different mineralogical phase paragenesis, were revealed by factor analysis. The main aqueous chemical forms of trace elements predicted by chemical speciation calculations are also reported. As most of the analysed spring waters provide the main source of freshwater for domestic purposes, attention should be given to As and Sb, whose concentrations exceed the recommended limits.     

Aliphatic hydrocarbons in metasomatized gabbroic xenoliths from Hyblean diatremes (Sicily): Genesis in a serpentinite hydrothermal system

Many tholeiite gabbro xenoliths from the Hyblean tuff-breccia deposits (Sicily, southern Italy) present mineralogical and geochemical evidence for hydrothermal alteration at different temperatures and water/rock ratios. In some cases, the primary mineral assemblage has been entirely replaced by Na-rich alkali feldspar, chlorite/smectite interlayers, zeolites, aegirine–augite, titanite, zircon etc. Hence the chemical composition of such metasomatic rocks displays larger amounts of volatiles, alkalis, Zr, Hf, U, Th and lower Ca, Mg, Fe with respect to the original gabbro. Five hydrothermally altered gabbroic xenoliths were selected for thermal decrepitation and bulk gas analyses by quadrupole mass spectrometry. All the samples analyzed display the same Electron Impact-Direct Pyrolysis Mass spectra (EI-DPMS). These show a series of peaks differing by 14 mass units due to loss of methylene groups (–CH₂), by a fragmentation process typical of saturated aliphatic and aliphatic–aromatic hydrocarbons. In addition, Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectra of the samples present several bands typical of vibration frequencies of aliphatic hydrocarbons. The high-molecular-weight hydrocarbons observed probably originated from Fischer–Tropsch-type (FT-t) synthesis in the high temperature section of a serpentinite-hosted hydrothermal system. This suggestion may lend support to the recent hypothesis regarding the original oceanic nature of the Hyblean lithospheric basement.     

Syn-orogenic extension in the Peloritani Alpine Thrust Belt (NE Sicily,Italy): Evidence from the Alì Unit

Structural and petrological analyses on the Alì Unit, in the Peloritani Thrust Belt, document the first evidence for Alpine exhumation associated with syn-orogenic extension in this part of the Calabria-Peloritani Arc. The Alì Unit displays ductile structures occurred during three Alpine deformation phases (D_a1, D_a2, D_a3). D_a1 and D_a3 developed in a contractional context, whereas D_a2 was generated in an extensional regime. The present-day tectonic contact between the Alì Unit and the overlying Mandanici Unit is interpreted as a low-angle extensional detachment responsible for the metamorphic break between the two units. Structural overprinting relationships indicate that the development of D_a2 structures and related tectonic exhumation occurred during syn-convergence extension, and were followed by further nappe stacking in the Peloritani Belt. To cite this article: R. Somma et al., C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

Garnet-spinel-pyroxenite xenoliths from hyblean plateau (South-eastern Sicily, Italy)

Summary Rare garnet-spinel pyroxenite xenoliths occur in some basaltic tuff-breccia levels of Miocene age from the Valle Guffari (Hyblean Plateau, Sicily), together with a number of spinel-bearing mantle xenoliths. The garnet-bearing pyroxenites may be divided into two groups (a and b) on textural and mineralogical bases. Garnet-bearing spinel websterites with a fully recrystallized texture represent the first group (a). Here the garnet (Py_54.5 A1m₃₂ Gr_13.5), with a diffuse kelyphitic alteration, forms a reaction corona between coarse spinel grains and the in contact pyroxenes. The transition from the spinel-pyroxenite to the garnet-pyroxenite field may depend on isobaric cooling from higher (magmatic?) temperatures. Garnet-pyroxene geothermometry indicates that the last equilibration most probably occurred at P = 1.0 GPa (ca.), T = 750 °C (ca).The second lithotype (b) is an orthopyroxene-bearing garnet-spinel clinopyroxenite, exhibiting a complex texture. It consists of zones of coarse clinopyroxene grains enclosing euhedral spinel passing to zones where tiny rounded crystals of the same pyroxene and spinel are enclosed in relatively large patches of extensively kelyphitisized garnet (Py_64.8 Alm_25.6 Gr_9.6). Garnet also occurs as inclusion-free grains up to 4 mm in diameter. P-T calculations give significantly higher values than for the former case (a). The origin of the b-type garnet may also depend on subsolidus reaction of spinel and pyroxenes after an isobaric cooling from still higher temperatures, but a primary magrnatic origin might also be possible, especially for the granular garnets.P-T estimates for both the pyroxenite types closely match a steady geotherm for 100 mW/m² surface heat flow. Such a relatively intense heat flow may suggest the occurrence of huge masses of hot magma intruding the Hyblean lithospheric mantle and lower crust at different levels.

---

Granat-Spinell-Pyroxenit-Xenolithe aus dem Iblei-Plateau (Südost-Sizilien, Italien)

Zusammenfassung Seltene Granat-Spinell-Pyroxenit-Xenolithe kommen in einigen basaltischen Tuff-Breckzien Horizonten miozänen Alters aus dem Valle Guffari (lblei-Plateau, Sizilien) zusammen mit einer Anzahl von Spinell-führenden Mantel-Xenolithen vor. Aufgrund textureller und mineralogischer Kriterien können die Granat-führenden Pyroxenite in zwei Gruppen (a und b) unterteilt werden. Granat-führende Spinell-Websterite mit vollkommen rekristallisierter Textur repräsentieren die erste Gruppe (a). Hier bildet Granat (Py_54.5 Alm₃₂ Gr_13.5) mit einer diffusen kelyphitischen Umwandlung, einen Reaktionssaum zwischen grobkörnigem Spinell und Pyroxenen, mit denen er in Kontakt ist. Der übergang vom Spinell-Pyroxenit- zum Granat-Pyroxenit-Feld kann auf isobarische Abkühlung von höheren (magmatischen ?) Temperaturen zurückgehen. Granat-Pyroxen-Geothermometrie zeigt, dass die letzte Equilibrierung sehr wahrscheinlich bei P = 1.0 GPa (ca.), T = 750°C (ca.) erfolgte.Der zweite Typ von Granat-führenden Pyroxeniten ist ein (b) Orthopyroxenführender Granat-Spinell-Klinopyroxenit, der komplexe Texturen zeigt. Er besteht aus Zonen von grobkörnigem Klinopyroxen mit Einschlüssen von idiomorphem Spinell, der in Zonen übergeht, wo kleine gerundete Kristalle des gleichen Pyroxens und Spinells in relativ große Bereiche von extensiv kelyphitisiertem Granat (Py_64,8 Alm_25,6 Gr_9,6) eingeschlossen sind. Granat kommt auch als einschlußfreie Körner mit bis zu 4 mm Durchmesser vor. P-T Berechnungen geben wesentlich höhere Werte als für die Gesteine des Types (a). Die Entstehung der b-Typ-Granaten kann auch durch Subsolidus-Reaktion von Spinell und Pyroxen nach isobarischer Abkühlung von noch höheren Temperaturen beeinflußt sein; ein primärer magmatischer Ursprung könnte auch möglich sein, besonders für die körnigen Granate.P-T Abschätzungen für beide Pyroxenit-Typen sind gut einer Geotherme für 100 mW/m² Wärmefluß an der Oberfläche zuzuordnen. Ein solcher, relativ intensiver Wärmefluß könnte auf das Vorkommen von großen heißen Magmenkörpern hinweisen, die den lithosphärischen Mantel unter dem Iblei-Plateau und die untere Kruste in verschiedenen Niveaus intrudierten.

---

---

With 4 Figures     

Gabbroic xenoliths in tuff-breccia pipes from the Hyblean Plateau: insights into the nature and composition of the lower crust underneath South-eastern Sicily, Italy

Summary Crust-derived xenoliths hosted by Miocene basaltic diatremes in the Hyblean Plateau (south-eastern Sicily, Italy) provide new information regarding the nature of a portion of the central Mediterranean lower crust. These xenoliths can be divided into three groups: gabbros (plagioclase + clinopyroxene + Fe–Ti oxides ± apatite ± amphibole ± Fe-rich green spinel), diorites (An-poor plagioclase, clinopyroxene ± Fe–Ti oxides ± orthopyroxene) and mafic granulites (plagioclase + clinopyroxene + green spinel ± orthopyroxene ± Fe–Ti oxides). Gabbros form the main subject of this paper. They represent cumulates whose igneous texture has been locally obliterated by metamorphic recrystallization and shearing. They were permeated by Fe–Ti-rich melts related to tholeiitic-type fractional crystallisation. Incompatible element ratios (Zr/Nb = 5–26; Y/Nb = 1.4–11) indicate that these cumulate gabbros derived from MORB liquids. Late-stage and hydrothermal fluids caused diverse, sometimes important, metasomatic trasformations. Petrographic and geochemical comparison with gabbroids from well-known geodynamic settings show that the Hyblean lower crustal xenoliths were probably formed in an oceanic or oceanic-continent transition environment.     

The Material Sourece of a New Type of Copper Deposits—Evidence from Stable Isotopes

The new type of copper deposits concerned with in this paper are vein copper deposits found in the Lanping-Simao Rift Basin, Yunnan,China. As is indicated by H,O,C,S,Pb and Sr isotopes, water and mineralizers in the ore-forming fluids were derived from heated meteoric water and mantle, respectively.The metallic elements(Cu,Ag,Pb,Zn,As,Sb,Fe,REE,etc.)are characterized by a mixed source from the crust and the mantle.     

Holocene vegetation and fire dynamics in the supra‐mediterranean belt of the Nebrodi Mountains (Sicily,Italy)

High‐resolution pollen, macrofossil and charcoal data, combined with accelerator mass spectrometry ¹⁴C dating and multivariate analysis, were used to reconstruct Holocene vegetation and fire dynamics at Urio Quattrocchi, a small lake in the supra‐mediterranean belt in the Nebrodi Mountains of Sicily (Italy). The data suggest that after 10 000 cal a BP increasing moisture availability supported closed forests with deciduous (Quercus cerris, Fagus sylvatica and Fraxinus spp.) and evergreen (Quercus ilex) species. Species‐rich closed forest persisted until 6850 cal a BP, when Neolithic activities caused a forest decline and affected plant diversity. Secondary forest with abundant Ilex aquifolium recovered between 6650 and 6000 cal a BP, indicating moist conditions. From 5000 cal a BP, agriculture and pastoralism led to the currently fragmented landscape with sparse deciduous forests (Quercus cerris). The study suggests that evergreen broadleaved species were more important at elevations above 1000 m a.s.l. before ca. 5000 cal a BP than subsequently, which might reflect less human impact or warmer‐than‐today climatic conditions between 10 000 and 5000 cal a BP. Despite land use since Neolithic times, deciduous supra‐mediterranean forests were never completely displaced from the Nebrodi Mountains, because of favourable moist conditions that persisted throughout the Holocene. Reconstructed vegetation dynamics document the absence of any pronounced mid‐ or late‐Holocene ‘aridification’ trend at the site, an issue which is controversially debated in Italy and the Mediterranean region. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrogeochemistry and stable isotopes of thermal springs: earthquake-related chemical changes along Belice Fault (Western Sicily)

Three geothermal systems, Montevago, Castellammare-Alcamo and Sciacca, are located along the main seismogenetic structures in Western Sicily. Concentrations of dissolved species including the gases CO₂, N₂, He and the results of stable isotope measurements δ¹⁸O, δD and δ¹³C_TDIC in water samples collected from six thermal springs and 28 cold discharges were used to characterise their feeder aquifers and to reveal the relationships between water chemistry and regional seismicity. The Sciacca thermal springs differ chemically and isotopically from those of Montevago and the Castellammare-Alcamo areas. The inferred deep end-members of the thermal waters of Montevago and Castellammare-Alcamo are almost similar, suggesting that both systems are fed by carbonate waters and selenite waters. A slight contribution (1–3%) of seawater, during groundwater ascent it is also present. The Sciacca thermal springs are fed by a deep reservoir comprising a mixture of 50% carbonate water and 50% seawater. During ascent towards the surface, these waters interact with NaCl-rich evaporite layers. By combination of published and present data significant temporal variations of temperature and some chemical parameters in the thermal waters of Western Sicily have been recorded. These variations were mostly between 1966 and 1969. Although the data are discontinuous it is still possible to reveal a direct link between physico–chemical changes in the Acqua Pia and Terme Selinuntine springs and the 1968 Belice Valley earthquake. Within the studied springs, two kinds of geochemical behaviour have been recognised. The chemistry of the Montevago thermal springs was permanently changed in response to changes in the groundwater system. Water temperature and dissolved SO₄, Cl, Na, and TDS showed minimum values before the earthquake and maximum values after the event. Almost constant values substantially higher than before, were recorded after the seismic event. Conversely, the temporal variations observed in the waters of the Terme Selinuntine spring, from 1965 to 1991, exhibit a transient increase most probably caused by a temporary contribution of deep CO₂-rich fluids caused by the strain release during the 1968 earthquake.     

Evidence of dislocations on the southern slope of the nebrodi-madonie mountains (northern Sicily, Italy): Their neotectonics implications

The investigated area is located on the southern slope of the NebrodiMadonie Mts. (northern Sicily, Italy). It was studied in order to obtain neotectonic evidence by means of fracture measurements, morphotectonic and hydrographical patterns, aerial photographs and satellite analysis. The results were compared with the well-known geological structures.This area could be considered an outstanding crustal part of Sicily, as here we find alignments of earthquake foci and a deep gradient of gravity anomalies, testifying to an important isostatic imbalance. This analysis confirms the observed structural picture of surface tectonics. Rose diagrams elaborated from fieldwork and aerial lineations show distinctive E—W trends which conform to the directions of the main faults.From a chronological viewpoint faults breaks, aerial photographs and satellite lineations seem to indicate that the E—W trend is the less dislocated and, therefore, the most recent.     

The evolution of the mantle source beneath Mt. Etna (Sicily,Italy): from the 600 ka tholeiites to the recent trachybasaltic magmas

ABSTRACT

The spatial/temporal proximity of Mt. Etna to the Hyblean Plateau and the Aeolian slab makes the discussion on the nature of its mantle source/s extremely controversial. In this study, a detailed geochemical overview of the entire Mt. Etna evolutionary sequence and a comparison with the magmatism of the Hyblean Plateau was proposed to: (i) simulate the composition of Mt. Etna tholeiitic to alkaline primitive magmas in equilibrium with a fertile mantle source; (ii) model the nature, composition and evolution of the mantle source from the tholeiitic stage (600 ka) to present magmatism. According to our simulations, two amphibole + phlogopite-bearing spinel lherzolite sources are able to explain the wide range of Etnean primary magmas. The enrichment in LILE, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, Rb and H₂O of the magmas emitted after 1971 (but also discontinuously generated in both historic and prehistoric times) are caused by different melting proportions of amphibole and phlogopite in a modally and compositionally homogeneous mantle domain, with melting degrees analogous to those required to produce magmas erupted prior to 1971. The behaviour of the hydrous phases during melting could be ascribed to a variable H₂O/CO₂ activity in the mantle source, in turn related to the heat/fluxes supply from the asthenospheric upwelling beneath Mt. Etna. All these considerations, strengthened by numerical models, are then merged to review the complex Pliocene/Lower Pleistocene to present day’s geodynamic evolution of eastern Sicily.     

Nitrogen isotopes in peridotitic diamonds from Fuxian, China: the mantle signature

Nitrogen isotopes in peridotitic diamonds from Fuxian, China, suggest that the upper mantle δ¹⁵N-value has been globally homogeneous since at least the Proterozoic (−5 to −8‰/ATM), with similar values for subcontinental and MORB mantle.
  In addition, Fuxian diamonds retain the memory of a primary nitrogen lower in δ¹⁵N (down to −25‰). For the first time δ¹⁵N- values in diamonds match those of enstatite chondrites, supporting a formation of the Earth from such meteorites and the idea of a heterogeneous accretion of the Earth's volatiles.
  Nitrogen concentrations in diamonds are believed to depend strongly on the rate of the diamond growth and not to be an indicator of C/N ratios of the fluids from which they grew.     

P- and S-wave velocities and densities in silicate and calcite rocks from the Peloritani Mountains, Sicily (Italy): The effect of pressure, temperature and the direction of wave propagation

The Peloritani Mountain Belt (north-eastern Sicily) represents the connection between the Southern Appenninic Range and the Appenninic Maghrebid Chain. The lithotypes outcropping in a 36 km long and approximately 8 km wide area in the eastern part of the Peloritani Mountains are considered to represent most properly the composition of the lower crust. We selected 7 representative samples of silicate rocks (amphibolite, paragneisses, augen gneiss, phyllitic quartzite, pegmatitic rock) and 3 samples of calcite rocks (calc-schist, marbles) for the petrophysical measurements. Measurements were done on sample cubes of dry rocks in a multi-anvil apparatus. Raising of pressure gives rise to velocity increase, but the rate is different in the silicate and calcite rocks and closely related to progressive closure of microcracks. Linear behaviour is approached above about 200 MPa. Increasing temperature at 600 MPa decreases velocities in most silicate and in the calcite rocks with almost linear slopes. Substantial anisotropy of P- and S-wave velocities and shear wave splitting is found in both rock types. The residual anisotropy observed above about 200 MPa is attributed to lattice preferred orientations (LPO) of major minerals. 3D velocity calculations for an amphibolite, a paragneiss and a marble sample based on the LPO of hornblende, biotite and calcite, respectively, confirm the experimental findings of a close relationship between velocity anisotropy, shear wave splitting, shear wave polarization, lattice preferred orientation and the structural frame of the rocks (foliation, lineation). In the silicate rocks, the intrinsic (600 MPa) average P-wave velocities and Poisson's (Vp / Vs) ratios exhibit a tendency for a linear increase with densities, whereas the three calcite rocks cluster at markedly higher P-wave velocities and Poisson's (Vp / Vs) ratios, compared to their densities. In the silicate rocks, there is also a linear trend for an inverse relationship between the SiO₂ content, density and the Poisson's (Vp / Vs) ratio, respectively.     

Slope deposits in the Snowy Mountains,south-eastern Australia

Slope deposits in the Snowy Mountains of south-eastern Australia have a wide distribution above 1000 m elevation on slopes between approximately 5° and 25° which are well stabilized by the existing forest vegetation. The present environment is not severe enough to initiate slope instability.     

Arsenic and fluorine in the Etnean volcanics from Biancavilla,Sicily, Italy: environmental implications

Mineralogical and geochemical studies were undertaken in the volcanic area of Biancavilla (Catania, Italy) with the aim of explaining the nature of the high As and F contents of the area’s rocks. As and F contents in soils and groundwater were also investigated. The metasomatised benmoreite lavas show fluorine and arsenic concentrations up to about 3,000 and 1,000 mg/kg, respectively. Mineralogical analyses show that fluorine occurs mostly in fluoro-edenite and apatite-(CaF) crystals, both abundantly present in the altered rocks, while As is exclusively attributed to the apatite-(CaF) crystals. Specifically, arsenic was observed only at the borders of these apatite crystals. Leaching tests and sequential extraction procedures were carried out to evaluate the potential remobilisation of As and F by the mineral phases and the eventual risks induced by their spreading. The results of the leaching tests suggest that As is almost totally associated with the ‘easily reducible’ fraction and that it is released by the preferential dissolution of the arsenic enriched rims of apatite-(CaF) crystals. In soils, As concentration is relatively low (about 15 mg/kg, on average), while F ranges from 236 to 683 mg/kg. The underground waters supplying the town of Biancavilla show As and F contents lower than the allowed limits for drinking water, (As:10 μg/L, F:1–1.5 mg/L). The limited distribution of these rocks and the relatively limited mobilisation by the minerals both contribute to maintain low As and F values, in soils and groundwaters, despite the high values in metasomatised lava samples.     

Mantle sources of the Cenozoic Iblean volcanism (SE Sicily, Italy): Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic constraints

Summary A wide range of relatively undifferentiated lavas, ranging in composition from quartz-tholeiites to ankaratrites, were erupted in the Iblean area (SE Sicily) during the Upper Miocene-Lower Pleistocene. New Sr-Nd-Pb isotope analyses, presented in this paper, have been used to constrain the petrogenesis of the Iblean magmas, and to characterise their sources. The results (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr: 0.70271–0.70328;¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd: 0.51325–0.51291;²⁰⁶pb/²⁰⁴Pb: 19.25–20.00) indicate that the Iblean lavas are mantle-derived anorogenic melts, involving DM+HIMU mantle components. Isotope and trace element data suggest that magmas formed from a heterogeneous mantle source that equilibrated in the spinel-peridotite field; the Iblean melts were thus formed within the subcontinental lithosphere. The mantle source region, was originally characterised by a depleted isotopic signature (DM), and was repeatedly and variably impregnated (refertilized) by metasomatic agents of sublithospheric origin characterised by a HIMU signature.

---

Mantel-Quellen für den känozoischen Vulkanismus des Iblei-Plateaus (Südost-Sizilien, Italien): Sr-Nd-Pb Isotopen-Daten

Zusammenfassung Eine Vielfalt von relativ undifferenzierten Laven, die in ihrer Zusammensetzung von Quarz-Tholeiiten bis zu Ankaratriten reichen, wurden in dem Iblei-Gebiet (Südost-Sizilen) während des Oberen Miozäns — Unteren Pleistoziins eruptiert. Neue Sr-Nd-Pb Isotopenanalysen, die hier präsentiert werden, ermöglichen es, die Möglichkeiten petrogenetischer Deutung der Iblei-Magmen einzuschränken und ihre Quellen zu charakterisieren. Die Resultate (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr: 0.70271–0.70328;¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd: 0.51325–0.51291;²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb: 19.25–20.00) zeigen, dass die Iblei-Laven anorogene Schmelzen aus dem Mantel sind, die DM+HIMU Komponenten umfassen. Die Isotopen- und Spurenelement-Daten zeigen, dass die Magmen aus einer heterogenen Mantelquelle stammen, die im Spinell-Peridotit-Feld equilibrierte. Die Iblei Magmen haben sich daher innerhalb der subkontinentalen Lithosphäre gebildet. Ihre Ursprungsregion im Mantel war durch eine abgereicherte Isotopensignatur (DM) charakterisiert und wurde wiederholt und in verschiedener Weise durch metasomatische Einflüsse sublithosphärischen Ursprunges imprägniert, die durch eine HIMU Signatur charakterisiert waren.

---

---

With 4 Figures     

西天山吐拉苏盆地塔吾尔别克金矿床成因探讨:来自同位素年代学和稳定同位素证据

塔吾尔别克金矿床是新疆西天山吐拉苏盆地浅成低温热液金矿集区中的重要金矿床之一,赋存于晚古生代的大哈拉军山组火山岩和花岗斑岩中。矿体多呈脉状-透镜状不连续产出,受近NS向和NNW向断裂及其交汇部位控制。本文对赋矿安山岩进行了LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb定年,获得其加权平均年龄为367.1±3.2Ma,表明其喷发时代为晚泥盆世,代表了晚古生代北天山洋向哈萨克斯坦-伊犁板块俯冲消减背景下的岩浆产物。含金石英的氢、氧同位素组成表明,塔吾尔别克金矿床的成矿流体主要来源于大气降水;矿石中热液黄铁矿的δ34S值介于0.6‰~4.7‰之间,铅同位素组成与赋矿岩浆岩相似,指示成矿物质具有壳幔混合特征且以幔源为主,并很可能来自幔源的大哈拉军山组火山岩及其同时同源的花岗斑岩。另外,本文测得穿插矿体和赋矿安山岩的闪长细晶岩脉的锆石LA-ICP-MS U-Pb年龄为315.2±3.5Ma,从而将塔吾尔别克金矿床的成矿时代限定在367~315Ma之间,推测矿床形成于晚泥盆世-早石炭世北天山洋向哈萨克斯坦-伊犁板块俯冲消减的陆缘弧环境中。综合矿床地质特征、稳定同位素组成和成矿时代,认为塔吾尔别克金矿床具有浅成低温热液型向斑岩型矿床过渡的性质。     

New stratigraphical data on the Middle-Late Jurassic biosiliceous sediments from the Sicanian basin, Western Sicily (Italy)

The reported data present the stratigraphy of several sections across a Middle-Late Jurassic Radiolaritic Unit, well exposed in different thrust sheets pertaining to the Maghrebian chain of Southwestern Sicily. The aim was to define the chronostratigraphical distribution of the Jurassic biosiliceous sedimentation in the Sicanian palaeogeographical zone, a deep water basin belonging to the Southern Tethys continental margin. The radiolarian biostratigraphy indicates that the switching from carbonate to siliceous sedimentation in the Sicanian Basin is referable to the Bajocian, as shown by the section of Campofiorito, near Corleone. The biostratigraphical dataset allows the correlation between the onset of biosiliceous sedimentation and the fall of biodiversity in the Sicanian basin with the carbonate productivity crisis, indicated by the highest eutrophication that affected Western Tethys during Middle Jurassic times. Editorial handling: J.-P. Billon-Bruyat & M. Chiari (Guest)