Abstract Granulite-facies paragneisses enriched in boron and phosphorus are exposed over c. 15×5 km 2 in the Larsemann Hills, Antarctica. The most widespread are biotite gneisses containing centimetre-sized prismatine crystals, but tourmaline metaquartzite and borosilicate gneisses are richest in B (676–19 700 µg/g or 0.22–6.34 wt%; B 2 O 3 ). Chondrite-normalized rare-earth element (REE) patterns give two groups: (1) La N >150, Eu*/Eu<0.4, which comprises most apatite-bearing metaquartzite and metapelite, tourmaline metaquartzite, and Fe-rich rocks (up to 2.3 wt%; P 2 O 5 ); (2) La N <150, Eu*/Eu > 0.4, which comprises most borosilicate and sodic leucogneisses (2.5–7.4wt%; Na 2 O). Enrichment in boron and phosphorus is attributed to premetamorphic hydrothermal alteration, either in a rifted, most likely marine basin or in a mud volcanic system located inboard of a c. 1000 Ma continental arc that was active along the leading edge of the Indo-Antarctic craton. This margin developed before collision with the Australo-Antarctic craton ( c. 530 Ma) merged these rocks into Gondwana and sutured them into their present position in Antarctica. Rocks lithologically similar to those in the Larsemann Hills include prismatine-bearing granulites in the Windmill Islands, Wilkes Land, and tourmaline–quartz rocks, sodic gneisses and apatitic iron formation in the Willyama Supergroup, Broken Hill, Australia.

Abstract The results of geological and lithological–geochemical investigations of the Devonian, Permian, Jurassic and Miocene evaporite deposits of Ukraine are presented in review. The main regions of evaporite distribution are the Dnipro–Donets depression, Carpathian (Forecarpathians, Transcarpathians) and Foredobrogean regions. The data on tectonics and stratigraphy are presented and information on lithology, the mineralogical and geochemical study of gypsum, anhydrite, rock and potash salts are summarized. The rich mineral composition of the Miocene evaporites in the Carpathian Foredeep (more than 20 salt minerals) is demonstrated, and the unique superimposed hydrothermal mineralization in the rock salt of salt domes from the Dnipro–Donets depression is presented (containing about 40 high- and mid-temperature hydrothermal minerals). In particular, the results of brine inclusion studies in evaporite minerals suggest that seawater was the main source of most of the salts. The brines in both the Miocene and Permian evaporite basins are classified as the Na–K–Mg–Cl–SO 4 (SO 4 -rich) chemical type and the Jurassic and Devonian belong to the Na–K–Mg–Ca–Cl (Ca-rich) type. Temperature of solutions during halite precipitation shifted from 25 to 43 °C, while during the stage of potash salt sedimentation it apparently increased to 40–83 °C.