Tectonophysical criteria for forecasting the locations of quartz crystal deposits (case of Subpolar Ural)

Abstract

Spatial reconstruction of tectonic stresses within the Subpolar Ural quartz crystal-containing province was conducted by the kinematic method [Gushchenko, 1973, 1979] based on the main indicators of tectonic stresses on slickensides. Local stress states (LSS) and general stress fields for large blocks were reconstructed by the method described in [Sim, Marinin, 2015]. In the blocks with numerous occurrences of quartz crystal (Pelingichey and Omega-Shor blocks), the general stress fields is characterized by a stress state close to uniaxial tension, i.e. the Lode-Nadai coefficient µ=–1. In these blocks, thick quartz veins are perpendicular to the tension axis of the general stress field. In the block without quartz crystal (West Saled), the general stress field is characterized by a triaxial stress state or pure shear state (–1˂µσ˂+1). The LSS of the quartz crystal deposits show the following: the stress state of µ=–1 is typical of quartz veins without quartz crystal nests, and a special kind of stress state is reconstructed near the nests with piezoelectric material. It is named a variation of the type of stress state (VTSS), which means that within one tectonic stage, the type of stress state changes approximately as follows: µσ=+1 (40 %), µσ=–1 (40 %), and –1˂µσ˂+1. It means that in the piezoelectric mineral deposits, pulsating tectonic stresses provided for a fluid flow of hydrothermal solutions at the intersection of ore-bearing and ore-controling faults when tension (µ=–1) was replaced with compression (µ=+1), while the orientations of compression and tension axes remained unchanged. Apparently, such a regime was caused by alternating activation of the above-mentioned faults. The tectonic stress reconstructions were performed for 33 mineral deposits and occur­rences of quartz crystal. VTSS was determined in 32 deposits; one mineral occurrence is characterized by uniaxial tension. Therefore, we propose using VTSS (variation of the type of stress state) as a criterion for predicting the locations of quartz crystal deposits.