Paul Joseph SylvesterTexas Tech University | TTU · Department of Geosciences
Paul Joseph Sylvester
PhD
About
239
Publications
118,258
Reads
How we measure 'reads'
A 'read' is counted each time someone views a publication summary (such as the title, abstract, and list of authors), clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the full-text. Learn more
14,098
Citations
Introduction
Additional affiliations
July 1998 - present
July 1998 - August 2014
July 1992 - June 1998
Australian National University
Publications
Publications (239)
Two unresolved issues in the history of the Delaware Basin of western Texas and southeastern New Mexico are (1) whether basin-elevated thermal maturities of organic matter resulted from elevated paleogeothermal gradients or deeper burial and (2) the timing of pore fluid overpressure development in the Wolfcamp formation. These unresolved issues are...
I was appointed Editor-in-Chief of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X) on June 1, 2016, by Dr [...]
The Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) contact interval is constrained by vertebrate fossil sites at seven sites in the Tornillo Group and lies within an 80–100-m stratigraphic section between the top of the Javelina Formation and the base of the “log jam sandstone” marker bed in the Black Peaks Formation. In western exposures of this interval, the highes...
Detrital zircon U-Pb studies of mudstone provenance are rare but may preferentially fingerprint distal zircon sources. To examine this issue, Pierre Shale and Trinidad Sandstone deposited in a Late Cretaceous deltaic environment in the Raton Basin, Colorado (USA), were measured for detrital zircon U-Pb age by laser ablation–inductively coupled plas...
Absolute dating of sedimentary rocks and fossils from the Mesozoic are still rare, mainly due to the difficulties arising from diagenetic changes. Diagenesis promotes changes in the primary structure and chemical composition of biomineralization, which should remain unchanged from the time of deposition and fossilization. Three bioapatite teeth ext...
A number of hydrocarbon discoveries have been made recently in the Flemish Pass Basin and Central Ridge, offshore Newfoundland, Canada, but there is only limited geological information available. The primary goal of this study was to determine the sedimentary provenance and paleodrainage patterns of mudstones and sandstones from the Upper Jurassic...
Magmatism of the Povungnituk Group of the Cape Smith Belt, northern Superior craton, was formed in three stages: (i)early alkaline magmatism and associated carbonatites (undated), (ii) a main flood basalt sequence (Beauparlant Formation) (constrained between 2040 and 1991 Ma), and (iii) a late stage alkaline pulse (Cecilia Formation) (ca. 1959 Ma)....
Scanning Electron Microscope–Mineral Liberation Analysis (SEM–MLA) can be used to discriminate between hematite and magnetite in iron ores. However, achieving backscattered electron (BSE) segmentation between the two minerals is difficult for particles ≤75 µm using typical preparation and analysis methods for the MLA method based on a tungsten fila...
U–Pb zircon ages for 7, 10, 15 and 20 μm spots by laser ablation-ICP-single-collector-sector-field-mass spectrometry using short (∼50 pulse) integrations.
This GGR biennial critical review covers developments and innovations in key analytical methods published since January 2014, relevant to the chemical, isotopic and crystallographic characterisation of geological and environmental materials. In nine selected analytical fields, publications considered to be of wide significance are summarised, backg...
In subduction zones, ultramafic xenoliths hosted in alkaline basalts can yield significant information about the role of potential slab-derived components in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). Chemical and isotopic heterogeneities in such xenoliths are usually interpreted to reflect melt extraction followed by metasomatic re-enrichment....
Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) has been used for more than 30 years to determine the elemental composition of natural and synthesized objects. A focused laser beam ablates a small volume of target material, and the aerosol produced is transferred in a gas stream to an ICP-MS for elemental and/or isotopic ana...
Sedimentary basins provide an archive of magmatic and tectonic events in their detrital zircon record, which can be dated and coupled with Hf isotopic data to reveal secular changes in the production of juvenile and evolved magmatism and track the history of orogenic events. The Rae craton, which forms a substantial portion of the northern Canadian...
The LA-ICP-MS U-(Th-)Pb geochronology international community has defined new standards for the determination of U-(Th-)Pb ages. A new workflow defines the appropriate propagation of uncertainties for these data, identifying random and systematic components. Only data with uncertainties relating to random error should be used in weighted mean calcu...
The Ming deposit in the northwestern Canadian Appalachians is a metamorphosed, bimodal-mafic, precious-metal (Au, Ag)-bearing and Cu-rich volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit consisting of several, spatially proximal lenses in a sericite- to chlorite-altered rhyodacitic footwall. The various lenses (1807 Zone, 1806 Zone, Ming South Up Plunge,...
Sixteen nonporphyritic chondrules and chondrule fragments were studied in polished thin and thick sections in two enstatite chondrites (ECs): twelve objects from unequilibrated EH3 Sahara 97158 and four objects from equilibrated EH4 Indarch. Bulk major element analyses, obtained with electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) and analytical scanning elect...
Introduction: Patos de Minas (from hereon Patos) is a normal hexahedrite with 5.36 wt% Ni host-ing round nodules of troilite with daubreelite exsolu-tion lamellae [1-2]. The polished sections of Patos (from the MHN, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) contain sulfide globules that consist of two phases: Cr-bearing troilite and daubreelite each occupying half o...
The Ming deposit is an early Ordovician, bimodal-mafic Cu–Au volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposit in the Newfoundland Appalachians that was metamorphosed to upper greenschist/lower amphibolite facies conditions and deformed in the Silurian and Devonian. The Ming deposit consists of several spatially proximal ore bodies of which the 1806 Zone...
Various phases of the Patos de Minas (IIAB) iron meteorite were analyzed in order to understand metal partitioning and origin of the meteorite.
Avalonia, the largest accreted crustal block in the Appalachian orogen, consists of Neoproterozoic magmatic arc sequences that represent protracted and episodic subduction-related magmatism before deposition of an Ediacaran–Ordovician cover sequence including siliciclastic rocks. Zircon crystals were obtained from arc-related magmatic rocks and fro...
The Ming deposit is an early Ordovician, bimodal-mafic Cu-Au volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit in the Newfoundland Appalachians that was metamorphosed to upper greenschist/lower amphibolite facies conditions and deformed in the Silurian and Devonian. The Ming deposit consists of several spatially proximal ore bodies of which the 1806 Zone,...
Advances in the chemical, crystallographic and isotopic characterisation of geological and environmental materials can often be ascribed to technological improvements in analytical hardware or to innovative approaches to data acquisition and/or its interpretation. This biennial review addresses key laboratory methods that form much of the foundatio...
The Ming deposit, Baie Verte, Newfoundland, Canada, is an Early Ordovician bimodal-mafic, Cu-Au-(Zn-
Ag) volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit. The deposit consists of a number of ore lenses that are stacked
in the uppermost part of the Rambler rhyolite. One of the uppermost lenses, the 1806 zone, is enriched in Au
and Ag. The deposit has been...
The Ming deposit, Baie Verte, Newfoundland, Canada, is an Early Ordovician bimodal-mafic, Cu-Au-(Zn-Ag) volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit. The deposit consists of a number of ore lenses that are stacked in the uppermost part of the Rambler rhyolite. One of the uppermost lenses, the 1806 zone, is enriched in Au and Ag. The deposit has been...
Introduction: Patos de Minas (hexahedrite: 5.36 wt% Ni) shows few angular nodules of troilite with daubreelite exsolution lamellae [1]. The studied polished section has a particularly round sulfide globule (~ 4.5 mm in diameter) containing a spherical silicate inclusion (400 µm in diameter). Trace element abundances (SIMS) in the Fe-rich silicate p...
Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS) is an in situ analytical instrument that is used for determining the elemental and isotopic composition of micrometer-sized areas of solid materials such as minerals, glasses, metal alloys, bones, teeth, calcareous shell and wood, and fluids trapped as inclusions within solids...
Abstrakt. Badania dotyczące zawartości ołowiu w glebach przeprowadzone w St. John's (wschodnia Kanada) wykazały znaczne przekroczenie dopuszczal-nych norm, szczególnie w centralnej, najstarszej części miasta. Chcąc odtwo-rzyć zmienność czasowo-przestrzenną zanieczyszczenia ołowiem w przeszłości, zdecydowano się wykorzystać przyrosty roczne starych...
The Birchy Complex of the Baie Verte Peninsula, northwestern Newfoundland, comprises an assemblage of mafic schist, ultramafic rocks, and metasedimentary rocks that are structurally sandwiched between overlying ca. 490 Ma ophiolite massifs of the Baie Verte oceanic tract and underlying metasedimentary rocks of the Fleur de Lys Supergroup of the App...
Inter-laboratory comparison of laser ablation ICP-MS and SIMS U-Pb dating of synthetic detrital zircon samples provides an insight into the state-of-the art of sedimentary provenance studies. Here, we report results obtained from ten laboratories that routinely perform this type of work. The achieved level of bias was mostly within ± 2% relative to...
The platinum-group elements (PGE) are exceptional tracers of planetary differentiation and therefore are useful discriminants of different high-temperature processes. Many of the initial efforts to understand how PGE behave during mantle melting involved experiments where PGE solubility in silicate melt was measured. The results of these experiment...
The Sittampundi Anorthosite Complex (SAC) in southern India is one of the well exposed Archean layered anorthosite-gabbro-ultramafic rock associations. Here we present high precision geochemical data for the various units of SAC, coupled with zircon U-Pb geochronology and Hf isotopic data for the anorthosite. The zircon ages define two populations,...
U–Pb zircon SHRIMP geochronology and Lu–Hf zircon LA–MC–ICPMS isotope geochemistry are used to constrain the ages of Paleoproterozoic felsic magmatism and their crustal sources in the Aillik Group, Makkovik Province of Labrador. This information is important for understanding the extent of crustal reworking vs. juvenile crustal growth in subduction...
Isotopic analyses of ancient mantle-derived magmatic rocks are used to trace the geochemical evolu-tion of the Earth's mantle, but it is often difficult to determine their primary, initial isotope ratios due to the detrimental effects of metamorphism and secondary alter-ation. We present in situ analyses by LA-MC-ICPMS for the Pb isotopic compositi...
The first Special Issue published by the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences in the field of planetary sciences consists of a collection of nine papers on astromaterials, planetary geology, and Earth-based analogues. We describe the milestones that led to the development of the planetary geology and geophysics (PG&G) community in Canada over the pas...
A Mission Control Architecture is presented for a Robotic Lunar Sample Return Mission which builds upon the experience of the landed missions of the NASA Mars Exploration Program. This architecture consists of four separate processes working in parallel at Mission Control and achieving buy-in for plans sequentially instead of simultaneously from al...
Advances in the chemical and isotopic characterisation of geological and environmental materials can often be ascribed to technological improvements in analytical hardware. Equally, the creation of novel methods of data acquisition and interpretation, including access to better reference materials, can also be crucial components enabling important...
Abstract–Nineteen nonporphyritic pyroxene and pyroxene ⁄ olivine chondrules, chondrule
fragments, and irregular objects were studied from two equilibrated chondrites, the ordinary
(L ⁄ LL5) Knyahinya chondrite and the Rumuruti type (R4) Ouzina chondrite. Major element
contents for almost all objects in the chondrites are disturbed from their chondr...
The Pali Aike Volcanic Field is located in southern South America where there is a complex tectonic system due to interactions between the Nazca, Antarctica and Scotia oceanic plates with the South-American continental plate, and due to the proximity of the Chile ridge (Chile Triple Junction). This volcanic field has basanites, alkali basalts and p...
The elemental and Pb isotope systematics of magmatic plagioclase,
shocked plagioclase, and maskelynite from terrestrial anorthosites of
Mistastin Lake crater are evaluated to assess the potential effects of
impact-related processes on lunar samples.
Discovery Hill is dominated by a wedge-like shaped outcrop of
columnar-jointed impact melt rock. Field observations of the hill's
morphology, geologic contacts and relative position within the Mistastin
impact crater suggest a melt-pond origin.
Systematic characterization of the mineralogy of massive sulfide ore deposits can provide valuable insights into ore genesis and metallurgical processing that would not be apparent otherwise. We describe a method wherein (1) normative mineral abundances are calculated from whole-rock chemical assays using an algorithm, (2) the results are cast in b...
ABSTRAcT The Voisey's Bay Ovoid Ni–Cu–Co magmatic sulfide deposit, Labrador, is generally poor in precious metals (Pt, Pd, Ag, Au), but unusual occurrences with elevated levels (Pt + Pd > 0.5 ppm) are present. We present a quantitative description of the precious-metal mineralogy of four such occurrences within massive sulfides. The four samples, a...
The Narryer Gneiss Terrane of the Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia, is
an important area for studies of early crustal evolution because of the
preservation of (1) detrital zircons of Hadean to Archean age in the
Jack Hills and Mt. Narryer metasedimentary belts, and (2) several
widespread units of granitic gneisses emplaced between ca. 3.7 and 2.6...
Multiple isotope systems are often used to distinguish petrogenetic
processes and determine the age and source of magmatic systems. Advances
in laser ablation multi-collector ICPMS instrumentation have allowed
Earth scientists to determine accurate and precise isotope ratios of
minerals in-situ. Most studies have focused on measuring isotopes that...
Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous synrift sandstones from two industry exploratory wells in the Flemish Pass Basin were studied for provenance using heavy mineral proxies. These sandstones were deposited during the North Atlantic rifting stage, at which time rifting intensified between Iberia and the Grand Banks. Several heavy mineral methods were...
The determination of platinum group elements (PGE) in mafic and ultramafic rocks including chromites and sulfides has acquired importance in view of its application as a tool in understanding petrogenetic processes and mantle geochemistry, apart from PGE exploration studies. The distribution of PGE in different rock types varies from a few ng/g to...
The analytical methods described above are all in use for the detection of sulfur concentration in a range of materials (Table 4). Choice of the most appropriate method is a function of the type of material to be analyzed, sample availability, and to some extent the (Figure presented) expected sulfur concentration. A review of the literature shows...
An improved method for precise and accurate in situ determination of Sm–Nd isotopes, with high spatial resolution, and high sample throughput, in light rare earth element enriched accessory minerals by laser ablation-multicollector-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICPMS) is discussed. The accuracy of the method is demonstrated by...
In support of future sample return missions, our team has successfully
completed the first of three deployments in a lunar analogue mission to
the South Pole Aitken Basin.