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Platinum-group elements (PGE) are included among the so-called critical metals, and are essential metals for the technological industry. However, there are very few deposits in the world from which these metals can be extracted. The present work investigates three Ni-laterite profiles (hydrous Mg silicate type) formed over the ultramafic rocks of Cerro Matoso and Planeta Rica in Colombia. The main goal is to determine their PGE concentration and distribution, as well as to identify the carrier phases of these noble metals. The highest PGE contents in Cerro Matoso and Planeta Rica are concentrated in the limonite horizon (141–272 ppb), showing a strong decrease towards the saprolite and the underlying serpentinized peridotite (parent rock; < 50 ppb). The highest concentrations correspond to Pt>Ru>Pd and the lowest to Rh

One of the limiting factors for the analysis of minor elements in multiphase materials by electron probe microanalysis is the effect of secondary fluorescence (SF), which is not accounted for by matrix corrections. Although the apparent concentration due to SF can be calculated numerically or measured experimentally, detailed investigations of this effect for fine-grained materials are scarce. In this work, we use the Monte Carlo simulation program PENEPMA to examine and correct the effect of SF affecting micron-sized mineral inclusions hosted by other minerals. A concentration profile across an olivine [(Mg,Fe)2SiO4] inclusion in chromite (Fe2+Cr2O4) is measured and used to assess the reliability of calculations, where different boundary geometries are examined. Three application examples are presented, which include the determination of Cr in olivine and serpentine [Mg3Si2O5(OH)4] inclusions hosted by chromite and of Fe in quartz (SiO2) inclusions hosted by almandine garnet (Fe3Al2Si3O12). Our results show that neglecting SF leads to concentrations that are overestimated by ~0.1–0.8 wt%, depending on inclusion size. In addition, assuming a straight boundary yields to an underestimation of SF effects by a factor of ~2–4. Because its long-range nature, SF severely compromises trace element analyses even for phases as large as 1 mm in size.

Chromitite bodies hosted in peridotites typical of suboceanic mantle (s.l. ophiolitic) are found in the northern and central part of the Loma Caribe peridotite, in the Cordillera Central of the Dominican Republic. These chromitites are massive pods of small size (less than a few meters across) and veins that intrude both dunite and harzburgite. Compositionally, they are high-Cr chromitites [Cr# ¼ Cr/(Cr þ Al) atomic ratio ¼ 0.71–0.83] singularly enriched in TiO2 (up to 1.25 wt.%), Fe2O3 (2.77–9.16 wt.%) as well as some trace elements (Ga, V, Co, Mn, and Zn) and PGE (up to 4548 ppb in whole-rock). This geochemical signature is unknown for chromitites hosted in oceanic upper mantle but akin to those chromites crystallized from mantle plume derived melts. Noteworthy, the melt estimated to be in equilibrium with such chromite from the Loma Caribe chromitites is similar to basalts derived from different source regions of a heterogeneous Caribbean mantle plume. This mantle plume is responsible for the formation of the Caribbean Large Igneous Province (CLIP). Dolerite dykes with back-arc basin basalt (BABB) and enriched mid-ocean ridge basalt (E-MORB) affinities commonly intrude the Loma Caribe peridotite, and are interpreted as evidence of the impact that the Caribbean plume had in the off-axis magmatism of the back-arc basin, developed after the Caribbean island-arc extension in the Late Cretaceous. We propose a model in which chromitites were formed in the shallow portion of the back-arc mantle as a result of the metasomatic reaction between the supra-subduction zone (SSZ) peridotites and upwelling plume-related melts., European Union (EU), Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO) CGL2015-65824, Ministerio de Glenda, Innovation y Universidades (MICINN) RTI2018-099157-A-100, Ramon y Cajal Fellowship (MICINN) RYC-2015-17596, MINECO BES-2016-076887, Mexican research programs Glenda Basica - Consejo Nacional de CiencM y Tecnologia (CONACYT) from Mexico Al -S14574, Programa de Apoyo a Proyectos de Investigation e Innovation tecnologica - UNAM IA-101419, University of Barcelona, University of Granada, Spain

This research was supported by Spanish projects: RTI2018-099157-A-I00, CGL2015-65824-P and CGL2016-81085-R granted by the "Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades" and "Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad" (MINECO), respectively. Additional funding for chemical analysis was provided by the Ramon y Cajal Fellowship RYC-2015-17596 to JMGJ. Maria del Mar Abad, Isabel Sancez Almazo and Rocio Marquez Crespo (CIC, University of Granada) are acknowledged for her assistance with HRTEM, and HR-SEM and FESEM analysis respectively. We are also indebted to Miguel Angel Hidalgo Laguna from CIC of University of Granada and Xavier Llovet from the Centres Cientifics i Tecnologics of the Universitat of Barcelona (CCiTUB) for their careful help with EMPA. This paper was written during the lockdown provoked by the pandemic COVID-19 and the authors would like to dedicate this manuscript to the memory of those who lost their lives., Porphyry Cu can contain significant concentrations of platinum-group elements (PGE: Os, Ir, Ru, Rh, Pt, Pd). In this study, we provide a comprehensive in situ analysis of noble metals (PGE, Au, Ag) for (Cusingle bondFe)-rich sulfides from the Elatsite, one of the world's PGE-richest porphyry Cu deposits. These data, acquired using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), indicate that Pd was concentrated in all the (Cusingle bondFe)-rich sulfides at ppm-levels, with higher values in pyrite (~6 ppm) formed at the latest epithermal stage (i.e., quartz–galena–sphalerite assemblage) than in bornite and chalcopyrite (, Spanish projects - "Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades" RTI2018-099157-A-I00 CGL2015-65824-P CGL2016-81085-R, Spanish projects - "Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad" (MINECO) RTI2018-099157-A-I00 CGL2015-65824-P CGL2016-81085-R, Spanish Government RYC-2015-17596

The Havana–Matanzas Ophiolite contains one of the few examples of ophiolitic platinum group minerals (PGM)-rich chromitites associated with orthopyroxenites in the mantle section of ophiolitic complexes. The chromitites occur as veins hosted by orthopyroxenite bands within mantle peridotites. The peridotites are mostly harzburgites and their accessory chromite shows high-Al compositions (Cr# [Cr/(Cr+Al), atomic ratio] = 0.39–0.50), which are typical of spinels in abyssal peridotites. Conversely, chromite from the chromitite veins and their host orthopyroxenite are high-Cr (Cr# = 0.72–0.73 and 0.62–0.69, respectively), with lower Mg# [Mg/(Mg+Fe), atomic ratio]. This suggests that both the chromitite and the orthopyroxenite formed from melts with boninitic affinity. The abundant PGM inclusions found in the chromitites are mainly Os-rich laurite grains, which is also characteristic of chromitites formed from magmas with boninitic affinity. Therefore, we propose that the chromitite veins and the orthopyroxenite bands probably formed contemporaneously in the fore-arc setting of an intra-oceanic arc during subduction. The chromitite-orthopyroxenite pair of the Havana-Matanzas Ophiolite could form after the reaction of a Si-rich melt with boninitic affinity and mantle harzburgite, with the orthopyroxenite bands preserving fingerprints of the infiltration of boninitic-affinity melts within the mantle. The small volume of forming chromitite could maximize the efficiency for the mechanical collection of the PGM forming in the parental melt of these rocks, resulting in the anomalous enrichment of primary PGM in the chromitites., [ES] La ofiolita de Habana-Matanzas contiene uno de los pocos ejemplos de cromititas ricas en minerales del grupo del platino (MGP) asociadas a ortopiroxenitas de la sección mantélica de complejos ofiolíticos. Las cromititas ocurren como venas encajadas en bandas de ortopiroxenita dentro de la peridotita mantélica. Las peridotitas son mayoritariamente harzburgitas con cromita accesoria rica en Al (#Cr [Cr/(Cr+Al), cociente atómico] = 0.39–0.50), lo cual es típico de espinelas en peridotitas abisales. Por otro lado, la cromita perteneciente a las venas de cromitita y a la ortopiroxenita encajante es rica en Cr (#Cr = 0.72–0.73 y 0.62–0.69, respectivamente) y con bajo #Mg [Mg/(Mg+Fe2+), cociente atómico]. Esto sugiere que tanto las venas de cromitita como la ortopiroxenita se formaron a partir de fundidos de afinidad boninítica. Las abundantes inclusiones de MGP encontradas en las cromititas son principalmente granos de laurita ricos en Os, lo cual también es propio de cromititas formadas a partir de magmas con afinidad boninítica. Por lo tanto, proponemos que las venas de cromitita y las bandas de ortopiroxenitas se formaron contemporáneamente en un contexto de ante-arco en un arco intra-oceánico durante el proceso de subducción. El conjunto cromitita-ortopiroxenita de la ofiolita de Habana- Matanzas se formó por la reacción de fundidos ricos en Si con afinidad boninítica y la harzburgita mantélica. Las bandas de ortopiroxenitas sería la huella química que habrían dejado estos fundidos boniníticos al infiltrarse por el manto. El volumen reducido de las cromititas que se formaron maximizó la eficiencia del proceso de recolección mecánica de los MGP que se formaban en el fundido parental, dando lugar al enriquecimiento de MGP primarios como inclusiones en las cromititas.

Podiform chromitites occur in mantle peridotites of the Late Triassic Puerto Nuevo Ophiolite, Baja California Sur State, Mexico. These are high-Cr chromitites [Cr# (Cr/Cr + Al atomic ratio = 0.61-0.69)] that contain a range of minor- and trace-elements and show whole-rock enrichment in IPGE (Os, Ir, Ru). That are similar to those of high-Cr ophiolitic chromitites crystallised from melts similar to high-Mg island-arc tholeiites (IAT) and boninites in supra-subduction-zone mantle wedges. Crystallisation of these chromitites from S-undersaturated melts is consistent with the presence of abundant inclusions of platinum-group minerals (PGM) such as laurite (RuS2)-erlichmanite (OsS2), osmium and irarsite (IrAsS) in chromite, that yield TMA ≈ TRD model ages peaking at ~ 325 Ma. Thirty-three xenocrystic zircons recovered from mineral concentrates of these chromitites yield ages (2263 ± 44 Ma to 278 ± 4 Ma) and Hf-O compositions [ɛHf(t) = − 18.7 to + 9.1 and 18O values < 12.4 ] that broadly match those of zircons reported in nearby exposed crustal blocks of southwestern North America. We interpret these chromitite zircons as remnants of partly digested continental crust or continent-derived sediments on oceanic crust delivered into the mantle via subduction. They were captured by the parental melts of the chromitites when the latter formed in a supra-subduction zone mantle wedge polluted with crustal material. In addition, the Puerto Nuevo chromites have clinopyroxene lamellae with preferred crystallographic orientation, which we interpret as evidence that chromitites have experienced high-temperature and ultra high-pressure conditions (< 12 GPa and ~ 1600 °C). We propose a tectonic scenario that involves the formation of chromitite in the supra-subduction zone mantle wedge underlying the Vizcaino intra-oceanic arc ca. 250 Ma ago, deep-mantle recycling, and subsequent diapiric exhumation in the intra-oceanic basin (the San Hipólito marginal sea) generated during an extensional stage of the Vizcaino intra-oceanic arc ca. 221 Ma ago. The TRD ages at ~ 325 Ma record a partial melting event in the mantle prior to the construction of the Vizcaino intra-oceanic arc, which is probably related to the Permian continental subduction, dated at ~ 311 Ma.

Esta investigacion ha sido financiada por el proyecto CGL2012-36263 del Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad del Gobierno de Espana, los proyectos 2009-SGR-444 y 2014-SGR-1661 de la Generalitat de Catalunya y los l proyecto obierno de Espana,Fondos FONDOCyT del Ministerio de Educacion, Ciencia y Tecnologia del Gobierno de Republica Dominicana. Esta publicacion esta cofinanciada por el Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER). La Universidad de Granada co-financio los gastos analiticos

The Huari Huari deposit, Potos&iacute, Department in SW Bolivia, hosts polymetallic stratiform and vein mineralization of Miocene age with significant concentrations of the critical metal indium (In). Vein mineralization records document early crystallization of quartz and cassiterite followed by prominent associations of sulfides and sulfosalts. The earliest sulfide was arsenopyrite, followed by pyrrhotite, and progressively giving way to pyrite as the main iron sulfide, whereas Cu&ndash, Ag&ndash, Pb sulfosalts constitute late hypogene associations. Sphalerite is the chief ore mineral, and its crystallization is extended during most of the mineralization lifespan as evidenced by its initial cocrystallization with pyrrhotine, then with pyrite, and finally with Ag&ndash, Pb sulfosalts. The composition of sphalerite varies from early to late generations with a continuous decrease in FeS that attests to a decrease in temperature, which is constrained to vary from ~450 to &lt, 200 &deg, C, and/or an increase in f(S2), both congruent with the described paragenetic sequence. Indium concentrated mostly in the structure of Fe-rich sphalerite (up to 3.49 wt. %) and stannite (up to 2.64 wt. %) as limited solid solutions with roquesite in the (Zn,Fe)S&ndash, Cu2FeSnS4&ndash, CuInS2 pseudoternary system. In sphalerite, In shows a strong positive correlation with Cu at Cu/In = 1, suggesting its incorporation via a (Cu+ + In3+) &harr, 2Zn2+ coupled substitution, and it does not correlate with Fe. In stannite, In shows a moderate, negative correlation with Cu and Sn, and an In3+ &harr, (Cu+ + &frac12, Sn4+) coupled substitution is suggested. Coexisting sphalerite and stannite yielded the highest In concentrations and crystallized at temperatures between 350 and 250 &deg, C. Copper activity probably played a major role in the accumulation of In in the structure of sphalerite since In-bearing sphalerite coexisted with the deposition of stannite, shows high concentrations of Cu (up to 0.13 atoms per formula unit (a.p.f.u.)) in its structure, and hosts exsolutions of stannite and chalcopyrite. Distribution on the district scale of In suggests an input of hydrothermal fluids richer in Cu in the central position of the mineralizing system, represented by the Ant&oacute, n Bravo vein.

Department of Mineralogy, Petrology and Applied Geology, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franquès s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain 2 Department of Mineralogy and Petrology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Avenida Fuentenueva s/n, 18002 Granada, Spain 3 Andalusian Earth Science Institute (IACT), Spanish Research Council (CSIC)–University of Granada, Avenida de las Palmeras, 4, 18100 Armilla, Granada, Spain 4 Institute of Geology, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 Coyoacán, CDMX, México

The highly siderophile elements (HSE: Os, Ir, Ru, Rh, Pt, Pd, Re, Au) exist in solid solution in accessory base-metal sulfides (BMS) as well as nano-to-micron scale minerals in rocks of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). The latter include platinum-group minerals (PGM) and gold minerals, which may vary widely in morphology, composition and distribution. The PGM form isolated grains often associated with larger BMS hosted in residual olivine, located at interstices in between peridotite-forming minerals or more commonly in association with metasomatic minerals (pyroxenes, carbonates, phosphates) and silicate glasses in some peridotite xenoliths. The PGM found inside residual olivine are mainly Os-, Ir- and Ru-rich sulfides and alloys. In contrast, those associated with metasomatic minerals or silicate glasses of peridotite xenoliths consist of Pt, Pd, and Rh bonded with semimetals like As, Te, Bi, and Sn. Nanoscale observations on natural samples along with the results of recent experiments indicate that nucleation of PGM is mainly related with the uptake of HSE by nanoparticles, nanominerals or nanomelts at high temperature (> 900 °C) in both silicate and/or sulfide melts, regardless of the residual or metasomatic origin of their host minerals. A similar interpretation can be assumed for gold minerals. Our observations highlight that nanoscale processes play an important role on the ore-forming potential of primitive mantle-derived magmas parental to magmatic-hydrothermal deposits enriched in noble metals. The metal inventory in these magmas could be related with the physical incorporation of HSE-bearing nanoparticles or nanomelts during processes of partial melting of mantle peridotite and melt migration from the mantle to overlying continental crust., We thank Laurie Reisberg, Hannah Hughes and an anonymous referee for their criticism, which greatly improved the quality of our manuscript. We also are indebted to Prof. Sisir K. Mondal for Editorial handling of this work and their constructive edits. This research was supported by Spanish projects: RTI2018-099157-A-I00 , CGL2015-65824-P and CGL2016-81085-R granted by the “ Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades ” and Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad ” (MINECO), respectively. Additional funding was provided by the Ramón y Cajal Fellowship RYC-2015-17596 and Junta de Andalucía project B-RNM-189-UGR18 to JMGJ, and the BES-2017-079949 fellowship to ES. This work was also supported by the Mexican research programs CONACYT-Ciencia Básica ( A1-S-14574 ) and UNAM-PAPIIT grant IA-101419 awarded to VC. A. Jiménez-Franco also acknowledge a postdoctoral grant (CVU 350809 ) from the National Council on Science and Technology (CONACYT) of Mexico. Research grants, infrastructures and human resources leading to this research have benefited from funding by the European Social Fund and the European Regional Development Fund. We are grateful to Prof. José Jorge Aranda Gómez who provided the xenolith samples of La Breña (Durango Volcanic Field, Central Mexico). María del Mar Abad, Isabel Sánchez Almazo and Rocío Márquez Crespo (CIC, University of Granada) are acknowledged for her assistance with HRTEM, and HR-SEM and FE-SEM analysis, respectively. We are also indebted to Miguel Ángel Hidalgo Laguna from CIC of University of Granada and Xavier Llovet from the Centres Científics i Tecnològics of the Universitat of Barcelona (CCiTUB) for their careful help with EMPA.