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Minerals
Special Issues
From Diagenesis to Low-Grade Metamorphism
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From Diagenesis to Low-Grade Metamorphism

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Deposits".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2020) | Viewed by 24286

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Fernando Nieto García

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mineralogy and Petrology, Granada University, 18010 Granada, Spain
Interests: phyllosilicates; electron microscopy; TEM; defective structures; nanochemistry; crystallinity; low-temperature mineralogy
Dr. Margarita Do Campo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Universidad de Buenos Aires and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Interests: phyllosilicates; paleoclimate; very-low grade metamorphism; hydrothermal alteration; geochemistry; isotope geology; electron microscopy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Rocks affected by pressure–temperature conditions in the transitional field between diagenesis and low-grade metamorphism make up large domains of the Earth’s upper continental and oceanic crust. Due to its borderline character, the conventional approaches of metamorphic petrography or those of sedimentary petrology are not completely adequate to unravel the physical–chemical genetic conditions of these rocks. In general, the system does not reach equilibrium or this is limited to the nanoscale, thus the advance of mineral reactions is controlled by kinetic, thus defective mineral phases commonly occur. This explains why the study of these rocks has developed during decades specific methods of study and consequently its own nomenclature. Powerful tools for the study of such defective phases, with special emphasis on clay minerals, are electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, which have let to the development of specific criteria of grade and pressure gradients. In addition to clay minerals, other materials such as organic matter, index minerals of basic rocks and fluid inclusions have been also studied. Even though initial apparent contradictions arise, further studies demonstrate the complementariness of the different approaches and encourage their joint use.

In the last few decades, the general scenario, basic processes and fundamental of methods have been established and may be efficiently applied to provide information about geotectonic contexts. Nevertheless, specific aspects such as the effect of low- or high-pressure gradients, or the role of the original material, different of those traditionally considered, together with the role of fluids, are still poorly known and open to debate. Additionally, numerous studies have emphasized the significance of the retrograde processes on the mineral assemblages of these materials.

This Special Issue accepts original research and reviews related with the use of phyllosilicates and related materials to decipher prograde and retrograde geological conditions in the wide field covering from diagenesis to greenschist and blueschist facies.

Please consider submitting a contribution.

Dr. Fernando Nieto García
Dr. Margarita Do Campo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • chlorite
  • illite
  • mixed layers
  • geothermobarometry
  • Kubler index
  • b parameter
  • retrograde diagenesis.

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

7 pages, 212 KiB  
Editorial
Editorial for Minerals Special Issue “From Diagenesis to Low-Grade metamorphism”
by Fernando Nieto and Margarita Do Campo
Minerals 2020, 10(10), 879; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10100879 - 2 Oct 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2113
Abstract
Rocks affected by pressure–temperature conditions in the transitional field between diagenesis and low-grade metamorphism make up large domains of the Earth’s upper continental and oceanic crust [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Diagenesis to Low-Grade Metamorphism)

Research

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26 pages, 13532 KiB  
Article
The Occurrence of Authigenic Clay Minerals in Alkaline-Saline Lakes, Pantanal Wetland (Nhecolândia Region, Brazil)
by Isis Armstrong Dias, Leonardo Fadel Cury, Bruno Guimarães Titon, Gustavo Barbosa Athayde, Guilherme Fedalto, Larissa da Rocha Santos, Ana Paula Soares, Camila de Vasconcelos Müller Athayde and Anelize Manuela Bahniuk Rumbeslperger
Minerals 2020, 10(8), 718; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10080718 - 17 Aug 2020
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3584
Abstract
Mg clay minerals are usually associated with carbonates in alkaline-saline environments, precipitated from solution and/or transformation from other minerals. The aim of this research is to identify the mineralogy and geochemistry of clay minerals in different alkaline lakes in the Nhecolândia region, the [...] Read more.
Mg clay minerals are usually associated with carbonates in alkaline-saline environments, precipitated from solution and/or transformation from other minerals. The aim of this research is to identify the mineralogy and geochemistry of clay minerals in different alkaline lakes in the Nhecolândia region, the southernmost region of the Pantanal wetland (Brazil). Sediment samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Water samples were analyzed, determining their main cations and anions, in order to understand their relationship with the clays. The analyses allowed classifying the water bodies as saline, oligosaline and freshwater lakes. The sediments are composed mainly of quartz and a fine-clay fraction, dominated by illite, kaolinite and smectite. The XRD results showed illite and smectite mixed-layered in the saline lakes at Barranco Alto farm, whereas at Nhumirim farm, trioctahedral smectite was only observed in one lake. The smectite minerals were normally identified coupled with calcite at the top of the sequences, associated with exopolymeric substances (EPS) in the lakes, suggesting that these minerals are precipitating due to the physical-chemical and biological conditions of the water bodies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Diagenesis to Low-Grade Metamorphism)
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25 pages, 4385 KiB  
Article
Evidence of Hydrocarbon-Rich Fluid Interaction with Clays: Clay Mineralogy and Boron Isotope Data from Gulf of Cádiz Mud Volcano Sediments
by Rubén Martos-Villa, M. Pilar Mata, Lynda B. Williams, Fernando Nieto, Xabier Arroyo Rey and C. Ignacio Sainz-Díaz
Minerals 2020, 10(8), 651; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10080651 - 23 Jul 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2936
Abstract
Clay dehydration at great depth generates fluids and overpressures in organic-rich sediments that can release isotopically light boron from mature organic matter, producing 10B-rich fluids. The B can be incorporated into the tetrahedral sites of authigenic illite during the illitization of smectite. [...] Read more.
Clay dehydration at great depth generates fluids and overpressures in organic-rich sediments that can release isotopically light boron from mature organic matter, producing 10B-rich fluids. The B can be incorporated into the tetrahedral sites of authigenic illite during the illitization of smectite. Therefore, the crystal-chemical and geochemical characterization of illite, smectite or interlayered illite–smectite clay minerals can be an indicator of depth (temperature) and reactions with the basin fluids. The aim of this study was to determine the detailed clay mineralogy, B-content and isotopic composition in illite–smectite rich samples of mud volcanoes from the Gulf of Cádiz, in order to evaluate interactions of hydrocarbon-rich fluids with clays. Molecular modeling of the illite structure was performed, using electron density functional theory (DFT) methods to examine the phenomenon of B incorporation into illite at the atomic level. We found that it is energetically preferable for B to reside in the tetrahedral sites replacing Si atoms than in the interlayer of expandable clays. The B abundances in this study are high and consistent with previous results of B data on interstitial fluids, suggesting that hydrocarbon-related fluids approaching temperatures of methane generation (150 °C) are the likely source of B-rich illite in the studied samples. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Diagenesis to Low-Grade Metamorphism)
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13 pages, 5516 KiB  
Article
Nucleation and Initial Growth of Garnet in Low-Grade Metamorphic Rocks of the Sanbagawa Metamorphic Belt, Kanto Mountains, Japan
by Mutsuko Inui, Yumenosuke Wakai and Hiirou Sakuragi
Minerals 2020, 10(3), 292; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10030292 - 24 Mar 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3314
Abstract
The beginning of the recrystallization of minerals within a subducting oceanic plate provides a valuable record of dehydration within the subduction zone. Pelitic schists of the Nagatoro area, Kanto Mountains, Japan, record the initial stages of garnet growth. Consequently, these rocks were studied [...] Read more.
The beginning of the recrystallization of minerals within a subducting oceanic plate provides a valuable record of dehydration within the subduction zone. Pelitic schists of the Nagatoro area, Kanto Mountains, Japan, record the initial stages of garnet growth. Consequently, these rocks were studied to analyze garnet nucleation and growth during metamorphism of the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt, one of the world’s most comprehensively studied subduction complexes. The garnet grains are small, euhedral, and occur only within micaceous lamellae that define the schistosity. Crystal size distribution analyses revealed most of the garnet grains follow the log-normal size distribution, indicating that they formed in the same event. A few exceptionally large garnet grains exist that do not seem to follow the log-normal distribution. The latter garnet grains contain a rounded fragmental area with a different chemical composition inside the core. It is possible that detrital fragments of garnet contribute to the irregular crystal size distribution of garnet in the studied area. Many of the smaller (log-normal) garnet grains have relatively large, homogeneous Mn-rich cores. The lack of chemical zoning within the garnet cores suggests that they grew under constant pressure and temperature in response to overstepping of the garnet-in reaction. The chemical composition changes very sharply at the boundary between the core and the surrounding mantle. The size of the Mn-rich core is different from sample to sample, suggesting that the nucleation was controlled by the local chemical condition of each sample. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Diagenesis to Low-Grade Metamorphism)
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30 pages, 20479 KiB  
Article
Permo-Triassic Clastic Rocks from the Ghomaride Complex and Federico Units (Rif Cordillera, N Morocco): An Example of Diagenetic-Metamorphic Transition
by Mª Dolores Rodríguez-Ruiz, Isabel Abad and María J. Bentabol
Minerals 2019, 9(12), 738; https://doi.org/10.3390/min9120738 - 29 Nov 2019
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3267
Abstract
A detailed characterization of the mineralogy corresponding to the low-grade diagenetic-metamorphic sequence of the clastic rocks from the Beni Mezala antiform has allowed the processes implied in their origin to be stablished, integrating them in the geodynamic evolution of the Rif-Betic mountain range [...] Read more.
A detailed characterization of the mineralogy corresponding to the low-grade diagenetic-metamorphic sequence of the clastic rocks from the Beni Mezala antiform has allowed the processes implied in their origin to be stablished, integrating them in the geodynamic evolution of the Rif-Betic mountain range during the Alpine orogeny. A progressive evolution towards chemical and textural equilibrium was observed. The illite “crystallinity” (CIS) ranges from diagenetic-lower anchizone in Ghomaride complex (CIS: 1.50–0.37 Δ°2θ) to epizone in the deepest Federico units (CIS: 0.29–0.21 Δ°2θ). The main phyllosilicates in the diagenetic samples are illite (2M1-1M polytypes) and kaolinite, with mixed-layer illite/smectite and chlorite, but the mixed layers disappear in the lower anchizone samples, which show sudoite and dickite. Pyrophyllite is also present in the upper anchizone (0.43–0.29 Δ°2θ) whereas the epizone samples show muscovite (2M1-3T polytypes), chlorite, paragonite, and intermediate micas. The chlorite geothermometers give a T range of 150 to 400 °C, and the b parameter of 2M1 micas (8.992–9.029 Å) indicates low to intermediate pressure regional metamorphism (1–3 kbar) although the wide range of phengitic substitution in micas and the 3T polytype suggest a wider pressure range in coherence with the clockwise PTt evolution for the Rif Cordillera during the Alpine orogeny. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Diagenesis to Low-Grade Metamorphism)
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16 pages, 9653 KiB  
Article
Sulfides in Metamorphic Rocks of the Fore Range Zone (Greater Caucasus). A New Type of Mineral Container for Peak Metamorphism Mineral Assemblages
by Vladimir A. Kamzolkin, Aleksandr N. Konilov, Ekaterina P. Kulakova, Anton V. Latyshev, Anna I. Smulskaya and Stanislav D. Ivanov
Minerals 2019, 9(11), 701; https://doi.org/10.3390/min9110701 - 13 Nov 2019
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3782
Abstract
The rocks of the Armovka Formation (the Fore Range zone, Greater Caucasus) have undergone low-grade metamorphism that partially erased information about initial rock formation conditions. We discovered high-pressure mineral inclusions such as omphacite, phengite, garnet, and paragonite enclosed by pyrite and chalcopyrite. Mineral [...] Read more.
The rocks of the Armovka Formation (the Fore Range zone, Greater Caucasus) have undergone low-grade metamorphism that partially erased information about initial rock formation conditions. We discovered high-pressure mineral inclusions such as omphacite, phengite, garnet, and paragonite enclosed by pyrite and chalcopyrite. Mineral inclusions in sulfides may provide important information about metamorphic pressure−temperature conditions because they are shielded by the host minerals and isolated from significant low-grade overprinting. Calculations performed on phengite inclusions using the phengite Si-content barometry indicate a pressure ranging from 1.7 ± 0.2 to 1.9 ± 0.2 GPa for temperature of 600 ± 40 °C. These data are consistent with estimations obtained for eclogite bodies embedded in rocks of the Armovka Formation. Geothermobarometry of the latest yielded conditions of 680 ± 40 °C and a minimum pressure of 1.6 ± 0.2 GPa to upper pressure boundary at 2.1 GPa. This fact allows us to assume that the metamorphic rocks of the Armovka Formation were immersed in the subduction zone to the conditions of the eclogite facies of metamorphism, forming a coherent subduction complex together with eclogites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Diagenesis to Low-Grade Metamorphism)
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24 pages, 4228 KiB  
Article
Evolution of Clays in Cretaceous Marly Series (Álava Block, Basque Cantabrian Basin, Spain): Diagenesis and Detrital Input Control
by Javier Arostegui, Xabier Arroyo, Fernando Nieto and Blanca Bauluz
Minerals 2019, 9(1), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/min9010040 - 12 Jan 2019
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4103
Abstract
Two stratigraphic sections of carbonate sediments with significant thickness differences and without appreciable tectonic deformation were studied near the trough and on a threshold zone at the Álava Trough. Such characteristics make them appropriate to analyze the influence of a slow progression of [...] Read more.
Two stratigraphic sections of carbonate sediments with significant thickness differences and without appreciable tectonic deformation were studied near the trough and on a threshold zone at the Álava Trough. Such characteristics make them appropriate to analyze the influence of a slow progression of the diagenesis over the original clay suite. X Ray Diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Analytical Electron Microscopy (AEM) techniques were applied in natural and alkylammonium-treated samples. Diagenesis slightly modified the clay mineralogy, the disappearance of smectite, and the variation in the content and ordering of the I/S mixed layer, with burial being the most noteworthy process. The total charge in the 2:1 expandable layers of smectite and I/S shows a slight increase, preferentially located on tetrahedral sheets, with depth. The data suggest a moderate diagenesis grade for the studied materials. The combination of techniques allowed identification of several types of detrital micaceous phases, as well-crystallized K-rich micas, Na-K micas, mica-chlorite stacks, and illites, with an expandable behaviour after the alkylammonium treatment. The total charge of illites did not change with diagenesis, suggesting their detrital origin. This research shows that the detrital assemblage masks the diagenetic evolution in the basin, which indicates the importance of the combination of different techniques to infer correctly the diagenetic grade in a sedimentary basin. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Diagenesis to Low-Grade Metamorphism)
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