The Tomtor massif of Paleozoic ultramafic alkaline rocks and carbonatites is located in the northern part of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia). The massif (its total area is ~250 km 2 ) is ~20 km in diameter, with a rounded shape and a concentrically zoned structure. The core of the massif consists of carbonatites surrounded by a discontinuous ring of ultramafic rocks and foidolites. The outer part is composed of alkali and nepheline syenites. All rocks are weathered and covered with eluvium, which is the thickest after carbonatites enriched in phosphates and REE. The weathering profile consists of four layers, from the top: kaolinite-crandallite, siderite, goethite, and francolite. The highest-grade ores are observed in the bedded deposit which fills depressions in "sagging" eluvium. The ores are laminated and cryptogranular, with high Nb, Y, Sc, and REE contents (on average, 4.5% Nb 2 O 5 , 7-10% REE 2 O 3 , 0.75% Y 2 O 3 , and 0.06% Sc 2 O 3 ). The highest-grade ores are natural Nb and REE concentrates. The total REE content in some layers is >10%. The morphologic features of the highest-grade phosphate ores from the northern part of the Burannyi site were studied. The ore-forming minerals belong to the pyrochlore group, crandallite group (goyazite), and monazite-Ce. The pyrochlore group minerals occur mainly as crystals that were completely replaced by barium-strontium pyrochlore and/or plumbopyrochlore but retained the original faces; also, they occur as numerous conchoidal fragments. The grains of the pyrochlore group minerals sometimes have a zonal structure, with an unaltered pyrochlore core and a reaction rim. Goyazite occurs predominantly as colloform grains. According to SEM and TEM data, monazite occurs in the ores as ~50 nm particles, which cover the outer part of halloysite tubes (800-3000 nm long and 300 nm in diameter) as a dense layer and make up peculiar biomorphic aggregates. The mineralogical data, the occurrence of biomorphic aggregates, and the close association of organic remains with ore minerals suggest that the high-grade ores of the Tomtor deposit, including the Burannyi site, resulted from a hydrothermal-sedimentary process with a presumably important role of bioaccumulation of REE phosphates.

Four stages of the thermochemical plume—lithosphere interaction generating a broad mushroom-like head of plume and especially fourth regressive cooling phase have the important role for metallogeny. The analysis of a thermochemical plume model together with recent geological and geochronological data on magmatic ore systems in the Siberian, Tarim, Emeishan, Central European, and some other large igneous provinces (LIPs) enabled the following characteristics of the metallogeny in large igneous provinces to be revealed: (1) the specific combination of mineralization types, which include magmatic Cu-Ni-Pt and Fe-Pt; hydrothermal Ni-Co-As (±Ag, U, Au), Au-As, Ag-Sb, Au-Hg, Sb-Hg and stratiform Cu (copper-bearing sandstones and shales enriched in Co, Ni, Ag, Pt);(2) the areal or spot-like pattern of the location of mineralization types (opposed to the linear-belt localization in subduction and rift settings);(3) the zoned distribution of mineralization types relative to LIPs’ centers, with Cu-Ni-Pt, Fe-Pt and stratiform Cu mineralization localized in a LIP center, and hydrothermal mineralization bound to a LIP periphery;(4) the essential contemporaneity of the formation of each mineralization type in LIPs, and the existence of coeval but spatially separated Cu-Ni-Pt, Ni-Co-As and Au-As deposits;(5) the close linkage between different mineralization types and particular pulses of mafic, alkaline mafic, and felsic magmatism;(6) the unified succession of ore-forming events;(7) the close relationship between the extent of mineralization and LIP igneous volumes, which in turn depend on the plume heat power. The major characteristics of localization of different mineralization types within LIPs, the timing and genetic relationships between mineralization and types of magmatism, as well as specific geological controls on ore formation provide a basis for establishing new geological, magmatic, litological, and geochemical criteria crucial for predicting and targeting new mineralization within LIPs.

We report new isotope dates and metallogenic and chemical characteristics of granitoids from the Hangayn area (central Mongolia) with implications for the time and tectonic settings of their formation. Proximal U-Pb and Ar-Ar ages of 241.3±1.5 Ma and 238.2±2.5 Ma have been obtained for the Triassic Guchin Us and Hurmen Gol intrusions, respectively, and an Early Permian age (288.7±2.3 Ma, Ar-Ar) for the Bayanulaan granite and for granite porphyry from the Saran Uul Cu-Mo-(Au) deposit. Granitoids of the Egiyn Davaa, Hangayn, and Shar Us Gol complexes in the southwestern Hangayn area are of two geochemical types. Some intrusions that were formerly attributed to these complexes have been reinterpreted as resulting from multiple plutonic pulses of different ages. According to our new data and published evidence, most of granitoids in the area may have been produced by Early-Middle Triassic (255–230 Ma) rather than Permian and Late Triassic-Early Jurassic events. The Hangayn granitoids are of low mineral potential. Gold mineralization in the area is confined within the Hangayn gold belt and appears to be independent of the intrusions.

BackgroundGeothermal areas are of great interest for the study of microbial communities. The results of such investigations can be used in a variety of fields (ecology, microbiology, medicine) to answer fundamental questions, as well as those with practical benefits. Uzon caldera is located in the Uzon-Geyser depression that is situated in the centre of the Karym-Semyachin region of the East Kamchatka graben-synclinorium. The microbial communities of Zavarzin spring are well studied; however, its benthic microbial mat has not been previously described.ResultsPyrosequencing of the V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene was used to study the benthic microbial community of the Zavarzin thermal spring (Uzon Caldera, Kamchatka). The community is dominated by bacteria (>95% of all sequences), including thermophilic, chemoorganotrophic Caldiserica (33.0%) and Dictyoglomi (24.8%). The benthic community and the previously examined planktonic community of Zavarzin spring have qualitatively similar, but quantitatively different, compositions.ConclusionsIn this study, we performed a metagenomic analysis of the benthic microbial mat of Zavarzin spring. We compared this benthic community to microbial communities found in the water and of an integral probe consisting of water and bottom sediments. Various phylogenetic groups of microorganisms, including potentially new ones, represent the full-fledged trophic system of Zavarzin. A thorough geochemical study of the spring was performed.