This study investigates and interprets the distinctive textures of agates in the latest Triassic North Mountain Basalt. Ten representative samples were investigated in terms of petrography, mineralogy and mineral chemistry. Agate veins typically show three zones, elsewhere interpreted as forming in situ from an initial impure amorphous silica sol by self-organisation processes. (1) An outer zone of microgranular quartz and irregular goethite flames; (2) banded chalcedony; and (3) a central zone of macrocrystalline quartz. Horizontal veins show asymmetric development of these zones and vertical veins show deformation of flames. Some agates are brecciated with clasts cemented by zeolite and agate. The North Mountain Basalt comprises >150 m thick lower and upper ponded flow units and a middle unit of multiple thinner flows. The base of the lava pile is saucer shaped. Hydrothermal circulation driven by heat from the lower flow unit dissolved halite from the underlying Blomidon Formation. The saline waters were hot enough (>300 °C) to dissolve silica and iron, in part from the cooling lava flows. The resulting silica sol migrated up dip to the southern margin of the basalt, where actively deforming faults along the Minas Fault Zone provided pathways and accommodation. Heat from the thick upper flow unit re-activated hydrothermal flow through the Blomidon Formation and mixed with zeolite-rich fluids, producing agate with an outer rim of zeolite, in some cases reactivating or fragmenting earlier agate veins. The particular setting of these agate veins demonstrates linkage between observed textures and interpreted details of hydrothermal circulation.

A small, strongly schistose Ni-laterite occurrence at the Vermion ophiolite (40°26′ Ν, 22°10′ Ε), Northen Greece, along a strong shear zone, is characterized by relatively high Ni, Co and Mn contents, magnetite as the dominant mineral, garnet (grossularite), theophrastite [β-Ni(OH)2], otwayite-like phase (ideally Ni2CO3(OH)2.H2O), (Ni, Co, Mn)-hydroxides, and Ni-phyllosilicates. New analytical data, including black-white and color back-scattered electron images (BSEIs), elemental mapping and scanning, and Raman Spectroscopy, alongside silicates and hydroxides revealed the presence of varying silica content (less than 1 to 29 wt.%) in theophrastite and in (Ni, Co, Mn ± Fe)-hydroxides, although the X-ray powder diffraction data correspond to those of pure hydroxides. The gradual stacking of fine fibrous otwayite-like crystals to the boundaries of successive thin layers and within layers themselves, results in porous mineral phases of varying density shifting towards more compact mineral with increasing residence time. The presented data suggest that a potential explanation of the presence of Si in theophrastite may be the precipitation of Si after initial Ni-hydroxyl-carbonate fine crystals deposition. A potential sequence of the stability of Ni-minerals at Vermion may be as follows: Hydroxyl-carbonates < [β-Ni(OH)2] (theophrastite) < (Ni, Co, Mn)(OH)2 < Ni-phyllosilicates; this may be a significant factor for Ni-exploration in Ni-larerite deposits.

Unusual minerals were formed during the retrograde metamorphism of high-pressure metamorphic rocks in the Ochi nappe, southern Evia, Greece, specifically widespread sub-mm-scale talc veins and chromian varieties of chlorite, phengite, biotite and allanite. Albite-quartz-calcite and calcite-quartz schists are cut by common 10–200 μm wide veins of talc, rimmed by Cr-chlorite with <0.6 apfu Cr. Hydraulic fracturing by fluids derived from dehydration of subducted chromite-rich serpentinite in the Ochi nappe created fractures in the schists where talc precipitated. Mineral chemistry and textures are related to regional metamorphic and tectonic phases, which included Eocene blueschist metamorphism followed by Oligocene syn-orogenic wedge extrusion. The overprint resulted in retrograde growth of albite porphyroblasts, emplacement of talc veins, and formation of phengite with <0.08 apfu Cr and later biotite with <0.3 apfu Cr. Late Oligocene shearing flattened many pre-existing minerals. Neogene exhumation within the North Cycladic detachment system produced decompression fractures that nucleated precipitation of allanite (some with <0.4 apfu Cr and > 0.8 apfu REE), apatite, titanite and zircon, reflecting the availability of halogen-rich fluids. The evolution of the retrograde metamorphic minerals assemblages can thus be tracked, with pervasive Cr-Mg infiltration in the Oligocene, and more focussed Miocene metasomatism by halogen-rich fluids.

The effects of collisions on the evolution of asteroids, ranging from local fracturing to brecciation or even to catastrophic disruption, depend primarily on the encounter velocities. Here we present a refined view of the mineralogy and texture of the recent fall Viñales, an L6 ordinary chondrite meteorite. It preserves features that require at least one energetic impact, including numerous shock melt veins of variable thickness. We report the identification of two high-pressure phases, majorite and albitic jadeite, limited to just one of these shock melt veins. Viñales is a moderately shocked sample, shock stage S4, that experienced a complex and spatially variable pressure-temperature-time history with a low (but non-zero) probability of preservation of high-pressure phases.

Jadeite is frequently reported in shocked meteorites, displaying a variety of textures and grain sizes that suggest formation by either solid-state transformation or by crystallization from a melt. Some-times, jadeite has been identified solely on the basis of Raman spectra. Here we argue that additional characterization is needed to confidently identify jadeite and distinguish it from related species. Based on chemical and spectral analysis of three new occurrences, complemented by first-principles calculations, we show that related pyroxenes in the chemical space (Na)M2(Al)M1(Si2)TO6–(Ca)M2(Al)M1(AlSi) TO6–(☐)M2(Si)M1(Si2)TO6 with up to 2.25 atoms Si per formula unit have spectral features similar to jadeite. However, their distinct stability fields (if any) and synthesis pathways, considered together with textural constraints, have different implications for precursor phases and estimates of impactor size, encounter velocity, and crater diameter. A reassessment of reported jadeite occurrences casts a new light on many previous conclusions about the shock histories preserved in particular meteorites.

Major intra-continental shear zones developed during the later stages of continental collision in a back-arc setting are sites of prolonged magmatism. Mantle metasomatism results from both melting of subducted sediments and oceanic crust. In the Cobequid Fault Zone of the northern Appalachians, back-arc A-type granites and gabbros dated ca. 360Ma are locally intruded by lamprophyric dykes dated ca. 335Ma. All the lamprophyres are kersantites with biotite and albite, lesser ilmenite, titanite and fluorapatite, and minor magmatic calcite, allanite, pyrite, magnetite, quartz and K-feldspar in some samples. The lamprophyres show enrichment in Rb, Ba, K, Th and REE and classify as calc-alkaline lamprophyre on the basis of biotite and whole rock chemistry. Pb isotopes lie on a mixing line between normal mantle-derived gabbro and OIB magma. Nd isotopes range from 1.3–3.5 εNdt, a little lower than in local gabbro. Most lamprophyres have δ18O=3.8–4.4‰. Country rock is cut by pyrite-(Mg)-chlorite veins with euhedral allanite crystals that resemble the lamprophyres mineralogically, with the Mg-chlorite representing chloritized glass. Early Carboniferous unenriched mafic dykes and minor volcanic rocks are widespread along the major active strike-slip fault zones. The lamprophyres are geographically restricted to within 10km of a small granitoid pluton with some sodic amphibole and widespread albitization. This was displaced by early Carboniferous strike-slip faulting from its original position close to the large Wentworth Pluton, the site of mantle-derived sodic amphibole granite, a major late gabbro pluton, and a volcanic carapace several kilometres thick, previously demonstrated to be the site of mantle upwelling and metasomatism. The age of the lamprophyres implies that enriched source material in upper lithospheric mantle or lower crust was displaced 50km by crustal scale strike-slip faulting after enrichment by the mantle upwelling before lamprophyre emplacement. This indicates a multi-stage process to emplace lamprophyric magma.

Latest Devonian (∼365–358 Ma) A-type granites in the Cobequid Highlands host complex sequences of rare-earth element (REE) and other hydrothermal minerals. The West Moose River pluton is the only pluton truncated and brittly deformed by the mid-Carboniferous (∼327 Ma) strike-slip Minas Fault Zone during the Alleghanian orogeny. Fractures in the granite provide a record of several deformational and hydrothermal events with distinct mineral assemblages. Early sodic alteration produced albitization of feldspar, and riebeckite and tourmaline veins. The δ18O of albite and albitized granite (5‰–6‰) is similar to other regional granites, suggesting a mantle source of albitizing fluids. Nearby halite deposits are younger and thus not a source of Na. Early chlorite veins were followed by potassic alteration and hydrothermal biotite, and by diabase and lamprophyre dyke emplacement. Euhedral magnetite occupies new cross-cutting fractures and vugs, correlated with regional iron oxide – carbonate – sulphide mineralization following initiation of the Minas Fault Zone. This change in stress field resulted in widespread fracturing of the granite, greatly increasing its permeability. Magnetite is postdated by titania minerals with hydrothermal REE minerals in dissolution voids. The spatial variation in REE mineral types indicates variable availability of F, Cl, and CO2 in mineralizing fluids derived from groundwater. REE mineralization is rare in veins in country rock, demonstrating local plutonic sources of REEs. The emplacement of REE minerals was complex in time and space and was a consequence of pervasive microfracturing of the granite.

The origin and causes of mineralogical diversity of A-type granites are debated. The series of A-type granite plutons, with distinct mineralogical differences, emplaced along an Upper Paleozoic crustal-scale shear zone in the Cobequid Highlands, Nova Scotia, provide an opportunity to examine the origin of different A-type plutons in a similar tectonic setting. Based on the ferromagnesian minerals present, the plutons are classified into sodic granites with sodic amphibole, calcic granites with calcic amphibole, and biotite granites. Sodic and calcic granites occur exclusively in complex intrusions with subequal amounts of gabbro in the eastern shear zone, whereas plutons in the western shear zone, with lesser gabbro, are solely biotite granites. Trace elements and radiogenic isotopes show that the three granite types have different sources. Intensive parameters including temperature, pressure, and water-in-melt contents were estimated from mineralogical and geochemical data. Modeling of these geochemical data suggests that the biotite and calcic granites were derived by 20%–40% partial melting of intracrustal feldspathic rocks, whereas the sodic granites are extreme fractionates (90%) of coeval mafic magma. We propose that supply of Upper Paleozoic mafic magma, probably related to regional extension and decompression melting beneath the Magdalen Basin, created a deep crustal hot zone in the eastern Cobequid Highlands, and extreme fractionation of underplated mafic sills produced the sodic granites. Heat transfer from crystallizing mafic magma induced partial melting of the surrounding crust, creating batches of biotite and calcic granitic melts in different depths. Fractionated and crustally derived melts segregated along crustal-scale faults, constructing the complex plutons in the east. Melting of the crust was further facilitated by the release of water from the crustal rocks upon heating. In the eastern shear zone, water was released predominantly by magmatic rocks and in lesser amounts compared to the west, where Neoproterozoic sedimentary and volcaniclastic rocks are more abundant. The volatile-rich granitic melts in the western part of the shear zone were crystallized rapidly, stabilizing only biotite. This study demonstrates that the mineralogical variations in A-type granites arise from rather similar magma compositions, but they are important petrogenetic indicators of varying sources, specific magmatic processes, and emplacement conditions.

The Cobequid Highlands in Nova Scotia comprise a series of 365–360 Ma, REE-enriched, A-type granite plutons emplaced along an active shear zone. The purpose of this paper is to identify the sequence of REE minerals produced during long-lived, regional, hydrothermal circulation and its evolution through time. The fractures hosted in these granites were investigated using petrographic and scanning electron microscopes and the electron microprobe. Epidote-rich, biotite-rich, chlorite-rich, and Fe-oxide-rich fracture fillings have been observed. Mineral analyses revealed a variety of REE minerals in the fractures, including hydroxylbastnäsite-(Ce), parisite-(Ce), synchysite-(Ce), cerianite, thorite, Nb-bearing minerals, hingganite-(Y), and chernovite-(Y). Cross-cutting relationships and mineral associations indicate that the REE minerals precipitated at different times and are associated with specific styles of hydrothermal alteration. Epidote was one of the earliest minerals to precipitate in the fractures, associated only with minor precipitation of thorite and hydroxylbastnäsite-(Ce) and removal of As from sedimentary rocks, under low temperatures and reducing conditions. Biotite and chlorite precipitated shortly after epidote under more oxidizing conditions during which comparatively larger amounts of hydroxylbastnäsite-(Ce), thorite, hingganite-(Y), and cerianite formed. The Fe-oxide-filled fractures formed in the latest stages of hydrothermal circulation and are associated with the largest variety and highest amounts of hydrothermal REE minerals, such as parisite-(Ce), synchysite-(Y), thorite, Nb-bearing minerals, and chernovite-(Y). The oxidizing conditions led to the precipitation of As and the formation of chernovite-(Y) after the alteration of hingganite-(Y). Thus the greatest remobilization and concentration of REE minerals took place during late, high-temperature, oxidizing hydrothermal circulation, apparently driven by minor late mafic intrusions.

The Wentworth pluton is the most complex intrusion among a series of A-type granitic plutons, emplaced along an active shear zone in the Cobequid Highlands of Nova Scotia during the latest Devonian–earliest Carboniferous. This pluton consists of A-type granites of different generations and a large gabbroic body. Among all late Paleozoic plutons in the Cobequid Highlands, only the Wentworth granites contain both primary calcic (edenite, hornblende) and sodic amphiboles (arfvedsonite). Whole-rock, and mineral chemical data were examined along with estimated magmatic parameters, such as temperature, emplacement pressure, oxygen fugacity and volatile contents, in order to understand the geological factors responsible for this mineralogical variation. The granites with calcic amphiboles show systematically lower εNd values, magmatic temperatures, and F-in-melt contents and appear geochemically less evolved, compared to the granites with the sodic amphiboles. All granites, however, appear geochemically homogeneous with limited evidence of fractionation. Specific chemical differences between these two types of granites indicate the presence of two coeval but distinct granitic systems in the Wentworth pluton. The granites with the calcic amphiboles were formed from a geochemically less evolved, hydrous, relatively calcic melt, whereas the granites with sodic amphiboles were emplaced at structurally deeper levels and were derived from a relatively drier sodic melt, which had a larger mantle component and was enriched in fluorine. Coexistence of these two magmas is indicated by the presence of interstitial sodic–calcic amphiboles in a late granitic dyke. This study provides evidence that in A-type granites, where fractional crystallization is limited, extreme variation in the type of amphibole can be the result of a very complex magmatic history.

The Wentworth Pluton in the Eastern Cobequid Highlands consists principally of metaluminous to peralkaline A-type granite ( 362 Ma), a large part of which was remelted by a major gabbro intrusion ( 357 Ma). Magmatic minerals like allanite-(Ce), chevkinite-(Ce), zircon, and hingganite-(Y) and post-magmatic mineral phases, such as REE-bearing epidote, samarskite-(Y), aeschynite-(Y), fersmite, thorite-like phases, and hydroxylbastnäsite-(Ce), were identified. The presence of fluorine in the parental magma, indicated by whole-rock geochemical data and the presence of fluorite, increased the solubility of monazite and xenotime and thus facilitated retainment of rare metals in the magmatic system. Fractionation of allanite-(Ce) and chevkinite-(Ce) led to a melt enriched in heavy rare earth elements (HREE), from which hingganite-(Y) crystallized during late magmatic stages. The remelting of the early granite led to fluorine and sulfur release in volatile phases, which circulated with hydrothermal fluids, thus mobilizing the REE and other rare metals. Reduction of fluorine activity during the late to post-solidus crystallization resulted in the precipitation of HREE and rare metals in samarskite-(Y), thereby enriching the residual hydrothermal fluids in light rare earth elements (LREE). Post-magmatic LREE minerals, such as hydroxylbastnäsite-(Ce), either replaced earlier minerals or precipitated from these hydrothermal fluids. Carbonate fluids involved in a late regional hydrothermal circulation event along the Cobequid-Chedabucto fault (320–315 Ma) promoted Ti mobility and the formation of TiO2 minerals and probably of aeschynite-(Y). This mineralogical diversity, in addition to the complex geological history of the pluton, provides a unique opportunity to correlate the formation of individual rare-metal minerals to different stages of pluton evolution and thus provide an insight to the formation conditions of these minerals.