Mineralogical, petrophysical, and acoustic features of serpentinites, indicators of the paleodynamic conditions of their genesis (by the example of the Main Uralian Fault zone)

The composition, structure, and properties of different genetic types of serpentinites developed after ultrabasic rocks are studied. The rocks were sampled from massifs located along the Main Uralian Fault, in a Paleozoic subduction zone. We consider specific features of serpentinites developed after chromite-bearing ultrabasic rocks, in metamorphic zones of carbonate rocks, and within the zone of weathering of ultrabasic rocks. A comparative study of the microstructure and chemical and phase compositions of serpentinites is carried out by IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and thermal, X-ray diffraction, and microprobe analyses. The petrophysical properties and acoustic emission of the rocks are examined. Several genetic and structural groups of serpentinites developed after different protoliths (mantle and crustal) in different geologic conditions are recognized.© 2014, V.S. Sobolev IGM, Siberian Branch of the RAS. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.