Search Documents

Jan 1, 2008

At depths greater than several kilometres in the crust, elevated temperature, confining pressure, and the presence of reactive pore fluids typically drives rapid destruction of permeability in fractured and porous rock. Ongoing deformation is required to regenerate permeability and facilitate the high fluid flux necessary to produce hydrothermal ore systems. A dominant influence on the evolution of fluid pathways in hydrothermal systems is provided by stress states, fluid pressures and reactions that drive permeability enhancement and compete with permeability destruction processes (Cox, Braun and Knackstedt, 2001). An EXTENDED ABSTRACT is available for download. A full-length paper was not prepared for this presentation.

Jan 1, 2008

By J. E. Strongman

This paper describes a system dynamics model of the international copper system. The development of the model is described regarding the questions it was designed to address, model boundary, major sectors and actors, the availability of data, the copper life cycle, and major supply and demand dynamics. A base forecast is presented describing future supply, demand, capacity, prices, trade flows, scrap flows and capital expenditures from 1976-1990 for the major producing and consuming market economy blocs.

Jan 1, 1977

By K Gilliland

The past decade has seen the widespread implementation of computerised real-time operational management systems in open pit mines. While these systems have made a significant impact on operational efficiency at a process level, surprisingly little work has gone into integrating these systems with other IT systems, including those used for tactical planning and enterprise resource planning. As a result of this gap in the information hierarchy, the goal of optimising an entire operation, or multiple operations, remains elusive. Implementation of computerised operational management systems in underground mines has been much slower. This is a significant, though often overlooked, reason why the productivity for underground mining is generally so much lower than for open pits. The historical reluctance to implement computerised operational management systems underground can in part be attributed to the underground environment, particularly the difficulty in establishing effective communications. Another factor retarding the implementation of systems underground has been the perception that the nature and scale of underground mining does not lend itself to computerised operational management. This perception can be challenged, not only by a process level examination of the underground mining, but also by a holistic examination of the entire industry. In recent years, the mining industry as a whole has destroyed rather than created wealth and underground mines are major culprits. The degree of value destruct has been more pronounced with underground mines, as the usual problem û low commodity prices û has been exacerbated by the harsh environment, low productivity and a æfog of warÆ no longer generally found in open pits. Faced with these realities, underground mines will have to adopt modern management tools or suffer extinction at the hands of an unsympathetic investment community. All is not gloom and doom, however. Technological advances have largely overcome the difficulties associated with the underground environment. As a result, there is a small, but growing, number of underground mines using computerised operational management systems to directly improve the bottom line. Much greater improvements can be realised if the industry takes advantage of the recent convergence in technology, to integrate process information with tactical and enterprise resource planning systems in order to provide a solid platform for all decision-making. This would result in the æeÆ mine. Given that the underground fraternity is essentially starting with a blank sheet, they have the opportunity to æsteal a marchÆ on open pit mines, who may be constrained by legacy systems. The benefits of the æeÆ mine are presented through a hypothetical case study that examines the shortfalls of the non-æeÆ mine. The paper ends by presenting a future vision for the æeÆ mine.

Jan 1, 2000

By A. C. Hitchins, C. N. Orssich

The Eagle zone is a gold-bearing, sheeted, quartz vein porphyry deposit hosted by the Cretaceous Dublin Gulch biotite granodiorite stock, located in central Yukon, 50 km north of Mayo. The deposit occurs at the western end of the stock and has been drill tested over a 1000 m by 500 m area, to a depth of 150m. Mineralization consists of 1 cm to 2 Cm wide, parallel, grey and white quartz veins with accessory gold, arsenopyrite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, native bismuth, bismuthinite, and scheelite. Vein densities range from two to fifteen veins per metre and average approximately five per metre. The majority of the veins have potassic and or phyllic alteration envelopes. Alteration of the granodiorite becomes pervasive as vein densities increase. Mineralization outside of the Eagle zone, but spatially related to the Dublin Gulch stock, includes: (i) scheelite bearing sheeted quartz vein zones within the east-central portion of the stock; (ii) a swarm of gold-bearing quartz-sulphide veins up to a metre wide in a zone along the northern contact of the stock and extending 7 km further west; (iii) the Mar scheelite skarn located on the south side of the stock; and (iv) cassiterite-bearing breccias located 2 km north of the stock. A geological potential resource of 64.5 Mt tonnes at a grade of 1.03 g/t Au has been estimated for the Eagle zone from widely spaced core and reverse circulation drill holes. Mineralization is open at depth, on strike to the west and beneath the hornfels to the north.

Jan 1, 1995

By Lockhart D. A, Gleeson P, Lang S. C

The Glenrock Group forms the uppermost part of the Early Devonian to Early Carboniferous Burdekin Basin sequence in the Townsville hinterland, north Queensland. As redefined, three formations make up the Glenrock Group. The Percy Creek Volcanics (base), the dominantly epiclastic Mount Douglas Formation, and the Horse Pocket Volcanics (top). The Ellenvale beds unconformably overlie the Mount Douglas Formation and Percy Creek Volcanics and have been excluded from the Glenrock Group as defined by Wyatt and Jell (1980). Three facies associations are recognised in the Mount Douglas Formation: Alluvial Plain facies, Alluvial Fan facies and Lacustrine facies.Deposition of the Glenrock Group, began with the eruption of massive basalt and basaltic andesite lavas, probably in a volcanic arc setting. With time, the volcanism evolved to become more dacitic to rhyolitic in composition. Waning of the volcanic activity appeared to coincide with uplift of source areas (probably to the west). Deposition on an alluvial plain during this waning volcanic cycle, gave way to alluvial fans at the margins of the uplifted terrain. As the uplift ceased and the system became more mature, the alluvial fans gave way to widespread lakes. Rhyolitic ignimbrite and airfall tuff, interbedded with the alluvial plain, alluvial fan and lacustrine facies, indicate that some volcanism continued, probably vented in the uplifted terrain to the west.

Jan 1, 1990

By J. D. Vincent, Pierre R. Hines

INTRODUCTION OF FROTH FLOTATION INTO THE UNITED STATES "The introduction and development of the flotation process have proved to be of such momentous importance to the mining industry of the United States that they deserve to be considered historically ." T. A. Rickard l James M. Hyde installed the first froth flotation process in the U. S., about Aug. 1, 1911, at the Basin Reduction Co. plant, Basin, Mont., which was then under lease to the Butte and Superior Copper Co.2 Two months later, the Minerals Separation Ltd.. filed suit in the U. S. District Court of Montana against Mr. Hyde char& him with infringement of their Patent 835, 120/1906. The U. S. District Court decided in favor of Minerals Separation Ltd. on July 28, 1913. This decision was reversed by the Ninth Court of Appeals in San Francisco on May 4, 1914. Then the U. S. Supreme Court, on Dec. 11, 1916, upheld the patent on three counts only but restricted it to 'the use of less than one percent of oil.” The Miami Copper Co. was sued by Minerals Separation on Oct. 10, 1914, for infringement of Patents 835,120 and 962,678, and 1,099,699. The Miami Copper Co. was operating under John M. Callow's froth flotation process Patent 1,104,755/~uly 23, 1914. Miami lost this suit in the District Court of Wilmington, Del., and appealed to the Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, Philadelphia. The Third Court of Appeals decided against Miami, May 24, 1917. The case was referred to a Master and hearings to determine profit and damages were not settled until 1923. Nevada Consolidated Copper Co. was sued Sept. 9, 1919, and Magma Copper Co. was sued Jan. 10, 1920. Thus, the first ten years of froth flotation in the U. S. were beset by patent litigation. This litigation suppressed the free circulation of new discoveries or useful information that might be cited in a patent suit against the originator; it accounts for many of the blank spaces in the historical record. T. A. Rickard3 has reviewed the history of flotation and has given the chain of discoveries, patents, and processes that resulted in froth flotation. He has re- ported also on the patent litigation beginning in 1911 and ending in November 1923, when Minerals Separation's Patent 835,120 expired. He comments on

Jan 1, 1962

By C. J. Fauconnier

The various methods of detecting fires and heatings in collieries are reviewed. The methods described range from those relying principally on human senses to sophisticated methods employing infrared technology to detect traces of the products of oxidation and combustion. The advantages and disadvantages of various gases employed as indicator gases for the early detection of heatings and fires are discussed, and recommendations are made in this regard. The operation of a modern infrared carbon monoxide detection system is described, and the differences in operation and application of telemetric systems, tube-bundle systems, and up cast-shaft monitors are discussed In conclusion, some indication is given of the capital outlay required for typical early-detection systems.

Jan 1, 1981

By D. J. MacKinnon

"The Canadian Copper Company, formed in 1885, began mining the nickel-copper ores of Sudbury in 1887 and producing nickel-copper matte from its smelter in 1888(1). Although it was quickly appreciated that the separation of nickel and copper (i.e. refining) was critical to the production of a marketable nickel product, refined nickel was not produced in Canada until about 1918. From the beginning of the industry, there was considerable political agitation to refine nickel in the Province of Ontario(2). The companies, however, claimed that the existing processes, viz. the sodium sulphide ""tops and bottoms"" process operated by the Orford Copper Company of New Jersey, U.S.A.(1,3,4) and the carbonyl process(5,6) developed by the Mond Company at Clydach, Wales, were too costly to operate in Canada. Nickel was first refined in Ontario about 1918 when the International Nickel Company opened a nickel refinery at Port Colborne, Ontario(6). Initially, however, the refinery at Port Colborne employed the Orford sodium sulphide process, and the first electrorefined nickel in Canada was produced in 1920 by the British America Nickel Corporation whose mine and smelter were located in Sudbury, Ontario, but whose electrorefinery was located at Deschenes, Quebec, near Ottawa, Ontario. The purpose of this article is to outline the early history of nickel electrorefining and to trace the significant developments which led to the first successful commercial electrolytic nickel refinery in Canada. The development of an electrolytic process for refining nickel is due largely to the efforts of four individuals, viz. Carl Hoepfner, Hans A. Frasch, D.H. Browne and ultimately N.V. Hybinette, and the contribution of each is discussed separately below."

Jan 1, 1999

By D. J. MacKinnon

Zinc metal was first produced in India around 1100 A.O. and a zinc industry based on retorting gradually developed in both India and China(1) . The vertical retort method for smelting zinc ores was developed in England in the 1730s; this was followed by the more fuel efficient horizontal retort process developed by the Belgians in the 19th century(2) . The horizontal retort process was the standard method of zinc manufacture until the 1950s when it became obvious that it could not compete with electrolytic zinc technology(2). The present day extractive metallurgy of zinc is dominated by the electrolytic process which now accounts for almost 80% of the world's primary zinc production. In recent years the electrolytic zinc process has seen significant improvements: the fluid-bed roasting of zinc concentrates, improved leaching and residue treatment techniques such as the jarosite and goethite processes, improved solution purification procedures, mechanization of the zinc electrolysis step and of the zinc melting and casting operation. In addition, new leaching processes have been implemented for the treatment of oxidized ores, particularly silicates, and the pressure leaching of zinc sulphide concentrates is now a commercial reality. Although the electrolytic zinc process was first used on a commercial scale in 1916, its history can be traced back to the 1860s. The purpose of the present paper is to outline the early history of the electrolytic zinc process and to trace the significant developments which led to the first successful commercial electrolytic zinc plants.

Jan 1, 1999

Diverse and considerable energies are associated with mobile equipment operated and maintained on mine sites. Loss of control of these energies is a common cause of injury on mine sites and this is well recognised by the mining industry. In 2006, 4 multi-national mining companies formed the Earth Moving Equipment Safety Round Table (EMERST), with the aim of engaging collectively with the manufacturers of equipment to accelerate improvements in mining equipment design. Originally focused on surface mining equipment, and particularly haul trucks, the focus of EMESRT widened to include underground and exploration equipment. Since 2006, EMESRT has maintained a program of regular visits and other engagements with a steadily increasing number of manufacturers. The membership of EMESRT has also increased, with 15 companies being members in 2012. An initial step undertaken by the EMESRT members was the development of ?Design Philosophies? which drew of the collective experience of mining companies to identify potential unwanted events which cause equipment related injuries and illness. A technique for analysing risks associated with operation and maintenance tasks, the Operability and Maintainability Analysis Technique (OMAT), was subsequently developed and trialled. In 2011, the EMERST members resolved to propose a common form of safe design information to be requested by all members companies during procurement, and the resulting EMERST Design Evaluation for Equipment Procurement (EDEEP) process was launched at MINExpo in Las Vegas in September 2012. The outcomes of OMAT risk assessment and control activities are integrated during this process into a common ?Safe Design Information? template for communication to prospective purchasers. The aims of requesting manufacturers to follow this process are to provide equipment purchasers with a common way of assessing how well the issues in the EMESRT Design Philosophies are addressed in the equipment design; and to provide manufacturers with additional information for use during equipment design. The process involves identifying priority tasks based on frequency and the severity of the consequences of potential unwanted events identified in the EMESRT Design Philosophies; undertaking a task-based risk assessment of priority tasks in conjunction with site-based personnel; evaluating the effectiveness of control measures; and providing information about safe design features in a standardised format.

Aug 1, 2013

A broad zone of intra-plate volcanism occurs for some 3000 km along the E. Australian coastal regions, extending from far northern Queensland southwards to Tasmania, westwards to western Victoria, and into southeastern South Australia. The age range, taken over the whole region, extends from Eocene to Holocene. Wellman & McDougall (1974) recognised the occurrence of three distinct types of volcanic occurrences: (a) Lava field provinces, dominantly basaltic and commonly strongly undersaturated, but of variable size. Large lava fields are especially exemplified by the younger provinces in northern Queensland (e.g. Nulla, McBride), and western Victoria. (b) Central volcano provinces, in which a reasonably well defined volcanic edifice is discernable. Such provinces are built of mildly undersaturated to saturated mafic lavas, but are also characterised by felsic volcanism (and often substantial mafic and felsic intrusive phases). Examples are the Springsure-Minerva Hills province, the Tweed and Focal Peak Shields (southeastern Queensland to northeastern N.S.W.), and the Nandewars, Warrumbungles, and Canobolas volcanic centres (N.S.W.). (c) A single leucitite province in N.S.W. Wellman and McDougall (1974) were able to show that the central volcano provinces exhibit a remarkably regular southward age migration pattern, the calculated migration rate being 66 + 5 mm yr , and these authors interpreted this in terms of the northward passage of the Australian plate across a fixed 'hotspot' within the upper mantle. The leucitite province also fits this migration pattern. The lava field provinces apparently exhibit more erratic regional age distribution patterns, but Sutherland (1981) has interpreted the data in terms of a multiple 'hotspot' model. It is noted, however, that the youngest areas of volcanism (Pleistocene 1. Department of Geology and Mineralogy, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland

Jan 1, 1987

By R. Leiby

Prior to March 1992, the only component of the lead acid battery that was not recycled by East Penn Manufacturing Company was the sulfuric acid electrolyte. This acid was unusable in new batteries because the iron level was found to exceed new product specifications. The development of a liquid ion exchange process to remove the iron from the acid allows East Penn to currently recover over three million gallons of sulfuric acid annually. The process is based upon the use of an iron selective liquid ion exchange material or solvent to extract iron from the sulfuric acid electrolyte followed by regeneration of the solvent. Equilibrium and kinetic data for the extraction and regeneration steps were collected in order to scale up the process to commercial scale. An electrochemical process for the treatment of the acid used in the regeneration step was, also developed which significantly reduces the volume of strip acid required in the process.

Jan 1, 1995

By Mehmet F. Taner

"Abstract - The East Sullivan Stock (ESS) is a small, composite felsic alkaline pluton of presumed late Archean age in the Val d’Or mining district. Three main facies have been distinguished: monzonite sensu stricto, porphyritic monzonite, and green trachytic porphyry. This monzonitic group of rocks is of relatively homogeneous composition with high abundances of Na2O, K2O, Ba, Sr, Rb, Zr, Mo and LREE. The alkaline ESS is distinguished from other igneous units in the Val d’Or mining district, such as the Bourlamaque Batholith, by relatively high concentrations of Ba, Sr, Rb, Mo, Cu and Au. The ESS hosts many base (Cu, Mo) and precious (Au) metal occurrences, including: (1) porphyry style Cu-Au-Mo disseminated sulfide deposits, (2) Cu-Au deposits in volcanic rocks near the ESS contact, and (3) pyritic gold mineralization in east-west trending shear zones. The ESS is well defined by concentrical zoning on the aeromagnetic vertical gradient color map, and displays four linear trends, which are assumed to be structural lineaments, at 035°-055°, 320°-300°, eastwest, and north-south. The main mineral occurrences related to the stock display a preferred spatial association with the east-west linear magnetic trends.The ESS is preferentially located along a major structure and was emplaced late in the evolution of the Abitibi subprovince like other felsic alkaline plutons. This stock is similar to late-tectonic mineralized felsic alkaline intrusions of the Kirkland Lake and Larder Lake mining districts in Ontario, and to the Allard stock in the U.S.A. which is associated with gold and base metal mineralization. Similarities also exist with younger alkaline plutons associated with Cu-Mo-Au porphyry deposits in the Canadian Cordillera, which formed in tensional tectonic environments. The felsic alkaline magma may have formed by partial melting of deeply buried supracrustal rocks, concomitant with the development of deep fractures such as the Cadillac Fault. In such an environment, hydrothermal solutions carrying remobilized metals from deep supracrustal rocks may have deposited gold and base metals in structural traps. Plutons similar to the ESS should be good targets for mineral exploration. Résumé - Le Stock de East Sullivan (SES) est une intrusion composite alcaline d’âge tardiarchéen, situé dans le camp minier de Val d’Or. Trois principaux faciès ont été identifiés: une monzonite sensu stricto, une monzonite porphyrique et un porphyre trachytique vert. Les données chimiques montrent que ce groupe des roches monzonitiques est relativement homogène en composition avec des concentrations élevées de Na2O, K2O, Ba, Sr, Rb, Zr, Mo et ETRL, définissant une suite alcaline typique. Cet alkalin stock peut être facilement distingué des autres unités géologiques de la région de Val d’Or, tel le batholite de Bourlamaque, par une concentration élevée de Ba, Sr, Rb, Mo, Cu et d’Au. Le SES contient plusieurs importants prospects de métal précieux (Au) et de métaux de base (Cu, Mo), incluant: (1) une minéralisation disséminée de type porphyre Cu-Mo-Au, (2) une minéralisation de Cu-Au dans les roches volcaniques encaissantes hôtesses près du contact et (3) une minéralisation d’or pyritique dans une zone de cisaillement de direction est-nordest. Le SES est bien défini sur la carte aéromagnétique en couleurs du gradient vertical par des zonages concentriques, où quatre linéaments structuraux ont été reconnus: 035°-55°, 320°-300°, est-ouest, et nord-sud. Les principales zones minéralisées spatialement associées au stock sont généralement situées soit près des linéaments magnétiques est-ouest, soit le long de ceux-ci.Le SES semble s’être mis en place le long d’une structure majeure, développée tardivement dans l’évolution de la Sous-province abitibienne, comme les autres plutons alcalins felsiques. Ce stock est similaire à la suite tardi-tectonique d’intrusions alcalines minéralisées des camps miniers de Kirkland Lake et de Larder Lake en Ontario, ou"

Jan 1, 1996

By Mehmet F. Taner

"The East Sullivan Stock (ESS) is a small, composite felsic alkaline pluton of presumedlate Archean age in the Val d’Or mining district. Three main facies have been distinguished: mon-zonite sensu stricto, porphyritic monzonite, and green trachytic porphyry. This monzonitic group ofrocks is of relatively homogeneous composition with high abundances of Na2O, K2O, Ba, Sr, Rb, Zr,Mo and LREE. The alkaline ESS is distinguished from other igneous units in the Val d’Or miningdistrict, such as the Bourlamaque Batholith, by relatively high concentrations of Ba, Sr, Rb, Mo, Cuand Au. The ESS hosts many base (Cu, Mo) and precious (Au) metal occurrences, including: (1)porphyry style Cu-Au-Mo disseminated sulfde deposits, (2) Cu-Au deposits in volcanic rocks near the ESS contact, and (3) pyritic gold mineralization in east-west trending shear zones. The ESS is well defined by concentrical zoning on the aeromagnetic vertical gradient color map, and displays four linear trends, which are assumed to be structural lineaments, at 035°-055°, 320°-300°, east-west, and north-south. The main mineral occurrences related to the stock display a preferred spatial association with the east-west linear magnetic trends.The ESS is preferentially located along a major structure and was emplaced late in the evolutionof the Abitibi subprovince like other felsic alkaline plutons. This stock is similar to late-tectonic min-eralized felsic alkaline intrusions of the Kirkland Lake and Larder Lake mining districts in Ontario, and to the Allard stock in the U.S.A. which is associated with gold and base metal mineralization. Similarities also exist with younger alkaline plutons associated with Cu-Mo-Au porphyry deposits in the Canadian Cordillera, which formed in tensional tectonic environments. The felsic alkaline magmamay have formed by partial melting of deeply buried supracrustal rocks, concomitant with the development of deep fractures such as the Cadillac Fault. In such an environment, hydrothermal solutions carrying remobilized metals from deep supracrustal rocks may have deposited gold and base metals in structural traps. Plutons similar to the ESS should be good targets for mineral exploration. Copyright © 1996 Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum."

Jan 1, 1996

By J. C. Kingston

Introduction The sliding-form method of erecting concrete structures was first devised and used in the early part of this century by the Sante Fe Railroad Company for the erection of a grain elevator at Santa Fe, New Mexico. A somewhat related principle has been employed for a number of years in shaft lining work and, to our knowledge, was perfected in Butte, Montana, but until the building of the concrete headframe at the Jeffrey mine of the Canadian Johns-Manville Company, Ltd., at Asbestos, Que., the method, as applied to surface structures, was quite foreign to the mining industry in Canada. The current shortage and cost of structural steel shapes has no doubt contributed more than any other single factor to the investigations that have led to the use of reinforced concrete as a headframe building material. Mining men in western Quebec and northern Ontario have shown a great deal of interest in the design and construction of the headframe at the East Sullivan mine in Bourlamaque township, Que., and we have had many queries regarding the methods used and, in particular, for an explanation of the sliding-form principle. This article is written in an attempt to set forth the conditions which were to be met; to explain the construction methods used, and to discuss the economy of concrete headframes as compared with the conventional steel structures with which the mining fraternity is familiar.

Jan 1, 1949

By Forrest A. Kerr

The subject of the Coast Range batholith and its eastern contact zone needs no introduction to British Columbia mining men. Because of its reputed potentialities, this zone has aroused much interest. Because it has touched the pockets of the people by actually producing dividend-paying mines, it has been able, more particularly in certain isolated sections, to retain and accentuate that interest. However, the Stikine River section of the zone has never had the good fortune to have a mine developed, which, through profits or lack of profits, could create such interest. The Cassiar district, beyond the Stikine River area, has been a lure to the prospector for over half a century and was still strong enough in the last few years to attract close to a million dollars in capital and labour. All of this has passed through the Stikine river area, has looked at it, and ignored it. Sufficient interest has never been aroused in the area to bring forth an effort to see what is there, in spite of the fact that it belongs to the same zone in which some of our richest mining camps are located. Because the contact zone of the Coast Range batholith has long been recognized as an ore producer of considerable potentiality, the Geological Survey some years ago formulated a plan to map as much of this area as possible in order to assist in promoting its development. This plan has been furthered during the last fifteen years whenever opportunity presented itself, until today a fairly large part of the area has been covered. The work which has been done on the Stikine during the last two years is the beginning on what is the largest remaining gap in the general plan.

Jan 1, 1928

By Raymond A. Binns

The Eastern Manus Basin (EMB) contains three major active hydrothermal zones and a number of smaller occurrences of hydrothermal deposits, and can be considered as a regional-scale modern analogue for volcanic-hosted mineral fields on land. Unlike the central Manus Basin, a back-arc spreading zone with some MORB-like basalt-hosted massive sulfide deposits, the EMB is a pull-apart rift zone between two transform faults, where a basement of Eocene-Oligocene arc crust is being thinned by extension, with rapid sedimentation on the tilted fault blocks. Present-day submarine igneous activity in the EMB, with which hydrothermal activity is associated, has arc geochemical affinities and is related to subduction of the Solomon Sea Plate at the New Britain Trench. Overall, hydrothermal deposits in EMB are found with lavas ranging from picritic basalt to rhyodacite in composition, although the two major occurrences of massive sulfide are hosted by the more siliceous dacite and rhyodacite variants. Some volcanic edifices are central eruptions, mostly of porphyritic lavas or domes, while others are elongate ridges formed by fissure eruption in which the typically aphyric lavas were very fluid. Evidence for shallow-level fractional crystallisation controls of lava chemistry implies presence of subjacent differentiated intrusions or former magma chambers. Seismic tremor at one site during the nearby 1994 Rabaul eruption suggests magma movement in the chamber.

Jan 1, 1998

The products of Lower Miocene calc- alkaline activity on the east coast of Northland, New Zealand are described and contrasted with coeval rocks of the northern North Island. These rocks, the Eastern Volcanic Belt (EVB), occur in four main centres aligned north-west to south east as either plutonic/hyabyssal bodies or as agglomeratic piles and dyke intrusions. Significantly the plutonic members always occur to the north-west of the volcanic members, probably indicative of differential uplift along faults (upthrown to the north) aligned perpendicular to the EVB. A full basalt-rhyolite (diorite-granodiorite/ adamellite) spectrum is represented, with a temporal progression towards the silica-rich endmembers indicated by cross-cutting field relationships. Modal mineralogy parallels this trend, consisting of two-pyroxene, hornblende, biotite, quartz/alkali feldspar modal assemblages, and with rare occurrences of olivine and garnet-bearing volcanic phases. Chemically the EVB is medium-K, calc-alkaline (with respect to AFM and total-Fe/MgO vs. Si02 indices) and quartz and hypersthene normative. The thirty two available K-Prisotope dates indicate that activity was largely confined to the Lower Miocene (24Ma-16Ma), with an apparent younging towards the south east. Initial B7Sr/e Sr ratios (0.70335- 0.70679) are indicative of a continental- arc-type setting, however it is unlikely that a straightforward tectonic reconstruction for this part, of the Pacific Margin is possible. Evidence from xenoliths, both petrologic and isotope, within EVB magmas and from regional geologic studies suggests that hypotheses pertaining to a volcanic arc sited over a subduction zone may hold little relevance in this case. The review concludes that the EVB developed from the partial melting of a geochemically evolved lower crust as indicated by xenolith evidence. This occurred in response to thickening initiated by a short-lived obductive event in the uppermost Oligocene, and controlled spatially by pre-existing basement structure. Intra-suite chemical and mineralogic variation reflects not only crustal variability, but localized differences in physico-chemical conditions best illustrated by the rare occurrences of olivine and garnet.

Jan 1, 1987

By C A. Feebrey, R A. Duncan

The Ebor Volcano in north eastern New South Wales is an eroded example of a central-type intraplate volcanic-intrusive complex. It is of Miocene age (19 - 20 Ma) and has similarities to other central-type volcanoes in eastern Australia which may represent manifestations of sub-lithospheric hotspot activity. Thick lava flows are exposed around the Great Escarpment and are dominated by a tholeiitic basaltic suite, ranging from ol-tholeiite to qz-tholeiite to icelandite with ages of 19.2 - 19.6 Ma. On its western edge, the tholeiitic lava suite probably overlies remnants of basanite flows belonging to the Eocene (~48 Ma) Doughboy province, but elsewhere, minor alkaline basaltic lavas may be coeval with the tholeiitic suite. Several felsic bodies were emplaced into the volcano at ~19.0 - 19.2 Ma and include subalkaline and peralkaline types. The Crescent Complex is a Miocene-age, strongly differentiated mafic to felsic intrusion in basement rocks and centrally located in pre-erosion reconstructions of the Ebor Volcano. It is interpreted to be a major feeder for the tholeiitic lavas based on age and composition. Evolution of the dominant tholeiitic suite proceeded from a parental ol-tholeiite magma, through qz-tholeiite, icelandite and small volumes of felsic rocks by fractionation of plagioclase, olivine, clinopyroxene and titanomagnetite, accompanied by enrichmentof SiO2, SFeOlMgO, alkalies and HFSE.

Jan 1, 1995