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Evaporites, Their Evolution and Economics
Ore Geology Reviews 17 Ž2001. 249–250 www.elsevier.nlrlocateroregeorev
Book review Evaporites, Their Evolution and Economics By John Warren, Blackwell Science, Oxford, 438 pages, US$78.00 The humanities are blessed with numerous literary works in which a civilization is traced from cradle to grave and then long afterwards, through its heritage and influence it left behind for other civilizations to flourish. John Warren’s book follows a similar line, and his heroes are evaporites. This is an unusual book that reflects the uncommon combination of interests of its creator: research sedimentology strongly influenced by the present and past arid systems of South Australia, petroleum geology, and a consulting career in mineral, especially metal, exploration in Australia and beyond in which the evaporite-centred approach has been extensively utilised. The book covers in an interesting and scientifically sound way mainly the post-depositional, diagenetic and metamorphic phases of evaporite evolution ŽAan understanding of what happens to evaporites in subsurfaceB; the depositional aspects have been sufficiently covered in the Warren’s 1989 book 1 . and their resource economics. The book also offers a substantial encore on top, which unfortunately is not included in the title. The latter part provides an extensive, imaginative, multi-disciplined, informative and well-researched information for an ore explorationist and researcher of how to apply the ample but insufficiently popularized evaporites-related knowledge in metallic ore search. The applicable types of deposits reviewed in detail include the MVT, the Kupferschiefer, siderite in sediments, sedex, Fe-oxide associated Cu, Au, U, and even the Broken Hilltype of Pb–Zn ores in high grade metamorphics. The omission to advertise the
1 J.K. Warren, 1989, Evaporite Sedimentology: Importance in Hydrocarbon Accumulation. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 285 pages.
metalliferous component in the book title create a marketing problem as the book might be overlooked by the metal exploration community who cares little about the AstraightB evaporites. The Warren’s book has nine chapters, as follows: Ž1. Interpreting evaporite texture; Ž2. Brine evolution and mineralogy; Ž3. Evaporite basins and their stratigraphic evolution; Ž4. Indicators and effects of dissolution: Athe evaporite that wasB; Ž5. Salt tectonics; Ž6. Meta-evaporites; Ž7. Evaporites as a mineral resource; Ž8. Evaporite–metal associations: lower temperature and diagenetic; Ž9. Evaporite–metal associations: brines, magma and metamorphism. About one half of the chapter titles is sufficiently indicative of what is inside but the Chapters 4, 6, 8 and 9 deserve further comment. Chapter 4 deals with the Aevaporite that wasB, that is the posthumous indicators preserved in the field after the dissolution or transformation of the original evaporite. A variety of breccias Žsuch as the Flindres Ranges diapirs, the Alpine Rauhwacke. as well as the evaporite indicator minerals, are discussed. Chapters 6 concentrates on the significance of the uncommon rock associations that contain major scapolite, Mg-tourmaline, albite, meta-borates and meta-anhydrite. Chapter 8 reviews the widely publicized evaporite-associated orebearing sequences such as the Kupferschiefer or the Flowerpot Shale of Oklahoma, which is followed by a dozen of less well-known examples ŽCadjebut, L’Argentiere, Kipushi, Zn–Pb–Cu–Ag systems, among others.. Chapter 9 starts with the commonly discussed link between the Red Sea-like metalliferous brines and the sedex Žor SHMS. deposits, and it ads new first-hand facts about the HYCrMacArthur River Pb–Zn–Ag system of northern Australia. The vanished evaporites are then pursued well into the concept fringe, where they are invoked as contribut-
0169-1368r01r$ - see front matter q 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 1 6 9 - 1 3 6 8 Ž 0 0 . 0 0 0 1 7 - 2
250
Book reÕiew
ing to the origin of the controversial Fe oxide, Cu, Au, U association in tectonized metamorphics. Extraterrestrial evaporites conclude the chapter. The genetic reasoning and physical chemistry are backed by many field examples from around the world and the anglophone literature has been thoroughly researched. Hopefully, the important metalbearing evaporite associations described mainly in the Russian literature might appear in the future versions of the book. I have in mind the mainly iron accumulations associated with mud volcanoes in the Kerch–Azov area; the magnetite-bearing diatremes emplaced into halite in the Angara-Ilim region of
Siberia; the Hg controlled by salt tectonics in the Donetsk Basin, and other examples. This book has a large format Ž29 = 21 cm. and two dense text columns so it packs almost twice as much material into its 438 pages than some other texts. It is an excellent work, well worth the cost.
Peter Laznicka Australian Mineral Foundation, 63 Connyngham Street, Glenside 5065, Australia E-mail address: [email protected]
Book review Evaporites, Their Evolution and Economics By John Warren, Blackwell Science, Oxford, 438 pages, US$78.00 The humanities are blessed with numerous literary works in which a civilization is traced from cradle to grave and then long afterwards, through its heritage and influence it left behind for other civilizations to flourish. John Warren’s book follows a similar line, and his heroes are evaporites. This is an unusual book that reflects the uncommon combination of interests of its creator: research sedimentology strongly influenced by the present and past arid systems of South Australia, petroleum geology, and a consulting career in mineral, especially metal, exploration in Australia and beyond in which the evaporite-centred approach has been extensively utilised. The book covers in an interesting and scientifically sound way mainly the post-depositional, diagenetic and metamorphic phases of evaporite evolution ŽAan understanding of what happens to evaporites in subsurfaceB; the depositional aspects have been sufficiently covered in the Warren’s 1989 book 1 . and their resource economics. The book also offers a substantial encore on top, which unfortunately is not included in the title. The latter part provides an extensive, imaginative, multi-disciplined, informative and well-researched information for an ore explorationist and researcher of how to apply the ample but insufficiently popularized evaporites-related knowledge in metallic ore search. The applicable types of deposits reviewed in detail include the MVT, the Kupferschiefer, siderite in sediments, sedex, Fe-oxide associated Cu, Au, U, and even the Broken Hilltype of Pb–Zn ores in high grade metamorphics. The omission to advertise the
1 J.K. Warren, 1989, Evaporite Sedimentology: Importance in Hydrocarbon Accumulation. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 285 pages.
metalliferous component in the book title create a marketing problem as the book might be overlooked by the metal exploration community who cares little about the AstraightB evaporites. The Warren’s book has nine chapters, as follows: Ž1. Interpreting evaporite texture; Ž2. Brine evolution and mineralogy; Ž3. Evaporite basins and their stratigraphic evolution; Ž4. Indicators and effects of dissolution: Athe evaporite that wasB; Ž5. Salt tectonics; Ž6. Meta-evaporites; Ž7. Evaporites as a mineral resource; Ž8. Evaporite–metal associations: lower temperature and diagenetic; Ž9. Evaporite–metal associations: brines, magma and metamorphism. About one half of the chapter titles is sufficiently indicative of what is inside but the Chapters 4, 6, 8 and 9 deserve further comment. Chapter 4 deals with the Aevaporite that wasB, that is the posthumous indicators preserved in the field after the dissolution or transformation of the original evaporite. A variety of breccias Žsuch as the Flindres Ranges diapirs, the Alpine Rauhwacke. as well as the evaporite indicator minerals, are discussed. Chapters 6 concentrates on the significance of the uncommon rock associations that contain major scapolite, Mg-tourmaline, albite, meta-borates and meta-anhydrite. Chapter 8 reviews the widely publicized evaporite-associated orebearing sequences such as the Kupferschiefer or the Flowerpot Shale of Oklahoma, which is followed by a dozen of less well-known examples ŽCadjebut, L’Argentiere, Kipushi, Zn–Pb–Cu–Ag systems, among others.. Chapter 9 starts with the commonly discussed link between the Red Sea-like metalliferous brines and the sedex Žor SHMS. deposits, and it ads new first-hand facts about the HYCrMacArthur River Pb–Zn–Ag system of northern Australia. The vanished evaporites are then pursued well into the concept fringe, where they are invoked as contribut-
0169-1368r01r$ - see front matter q 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 1 6 9 - 1 3 6 8 Ž 0 0 . 0 0 0 1 7 - 2
250
Book reÕiew
ing to the origin of the controversial Fe oxide, Cu, Au, U association in tectonized metamorphics. Extraterrestrial evaporites conclude the chapter. The genetic reasoning and physical chemistry are backed by many field examples from around the world and the anglophone literature has been thoroughly researched. Hopefully, the important metalbearing evaporite associations described mainly in the Russian literature might appear in the future versions of the book. I have in mind the mainly iron accumulations associated with mud volcanoes in the Kerch–Azov area; the magnetite-bearing diatremes emplaced into halite in the Angara-Ilim region of
Siberia; the Hg controlled by salt tectonics in the Donetsk Basin, and other examples. This book has a large format Ž29 = 21 cm. and two dense text columns so it packs almost twice as much material into its 438 pages than some other texts. It is an excellent work, well worth the cost.
Peter Laznicka Australian Mineral Foundation, 63 Connyngham Street, Glenside 5065, Australia E-mail address: [email protected]