Search

The Sopcha massif, which is part of the Paleoproterozoic layered Monchegorsk Pluton (Monchepluton), contains an ore horizon with an average thickness of ca. 4 m within the homogeneous orthopyroxenite sequence. This horizon has a layered internal structure with variations in composition from dunite to orthopyroxenite and sulfide mineralization enriched in platinum group elements (PGE). All the rocks of the ore horizon include accessory chrome-spinels, which demonstrate a high variability of the composition and are divided into two groups based on their optical properties and chemical composition. Group I chrome-spinels belong to Al-chromites. They occur as homogeneous grains in fine-to-medium-grained orthopyroxenite at the top of the horizon and form cores of zoned chrome-spinels in the medium-to-coarse-grained orthopyroxenite and harzburgite. Group II chrome-spinels belong to Fe-chromites. They form homogeneous grains in dunite and harzburgite and rims of zoned grains in harzburgite. Chemical compositions of Group I chrome-spinels are characterized by high contents of Al2O3 and Cr2O3, an increased MgO but low contents of FeOtot and values of Cr#= Cr/(Cr + Al) and Fe3+# = Fe3+/Fetot. Group II chrome-spinels have low Al2O3 and MgO contents, and sharply increased values of Cr# and Fe3+#. This variability in the composition of chrome-spinels is caused by decreasing melt temperature in the process of its cooling during two stages of magmatic crystallization. At the first stage, cumulus crystallization of Group I chrome-spinels and subsolidus diffusion between spinel and olivine (“mineral-mineral” reaction) occurred at a temperature of about 1170 °C. At the second stage, reactions between Group I chrome-spinels and intercumulus melt (“mineral-melt” reactions) resulted in the formation of a rims of zoned chrome-spinels and homogeneous Group II chrome-spinels at a temperature of 1070–970 °C.

The Kapalagulu intrusion in eastern Tanzania hosts a major, 420-m-thick, stratiform/stratabound platinum group element (PGE)-bearing sulfide zone—the Lubalisi reef—within a prominent, chromititiferous, harzburgite unit close to its stratigraphic base. Several features of the vertical base and precious metal distributions (in a composite stratigraphic section based upon two deep exploration drill holes) display similarities to those of offset-type PGE reefs that formed under the overall control of Rayleigh fractionation: (1) composite layering (at several scales) defined by systematic vertical variations of sulfide and precious metal contents and intermetallic ratios, indicating repeated cycles of PGE enrichment and depletion in the order Pd-Pt-Au-Cu, and (2) in the lower part of the reef, stratigraphic offsets of the precious metal peaks below peak sulfide (Cu) content. The form and geochemistry of the reef are consistent with overturns of basal liquid layers within a liquid layering system (i.e., stable density-driven stratification of a magma chamber), plus at least two minor inputs of parental magma during which the resident magma was recharged with sulfur and metals, and the effective depletion of precious metals in the magma midway through reef development. The Lubalisi reef differs from classic offset-type PGE reefs, however, principally because individual Pd, Pt, and Au enrichment peaks are coincident, not offset. The reef is set apart from other offset-type PGE reefs in three additional ways: (1) its association with olivine cumulates that crystallized soon after initial magma emplacement and well below the first appearance of cumulus pyroxene or plagioclase (implying attainment of sulfide saturation and precious metal enrichment without prolonged concentration of sulfur and chalcophile metals by normal magma cooling and differentiation), (2) the probable role of chromite crystallization in not only triggering sulfide segregation during reef formation but also facilitating precious metal enrichment in the early stages of reef development, and (3) its great width. The early stage of fractionation may also help explain the coincident precious metal peaks through its effect on apparent precious metal partition coefficients.

The Nain ophiolite complex with an extent of > 600 km2 is a part of the Central Iranian ophiolite, which is related to the opening and subsequent closure of the Neo-Tethys Ocean. Dunite and serpentinized harzburgite in the Nain area host podiform chromitites that occur as three (eastern Hajhossein, western Hajhossein, and Soheil Pakuh) schlieren-type tabular and aligned massive lenses with various sizes. The most common chromitite ore textures are massive, nodular, disseminated, and banded, reflecting crystal settling processes. The Cr# [Cr/(Cr + Al)] ranges from 0.43 to 0.81 (average 0.63). The Mg# [Mg/ (Mg + Fe2+)] varies from 0.25 to 0.78 (average 0.62). The Nain ophiolite and hosted chromitite are generally characterized by high Cr#, reflecting crystallization from a very hot boninite magma in a MORB setting. The high Cr# in the Nain chromitite also indicates a high degree of melting (15%–35%) of the depleted peridotite. The average total PGE content in the ophiolitic host rock (harzburgite and dunite) and chromite are 107 and 221 ppb, respectively. The Nain ophiolite and chromitite have high IPGE/PPGE and negative Pt* (Pt/Pt* = 0.6) anomaly, which is a characteristic of high Cr# chromitite. The U-shaped REE pattern of dunite host rock suggests the interaction of depleted mantle peridotite with boninitic melt. Geochemical data suggest that the Nain chromitites are related to the boninitic magma emplacement in a supra-subduction zone.

This paper offers the first-ever study of a local chromitite stringer (~ 2 cm wide) enriched in platinum-group elements (PGE) from the Kevitsa Ni-Cu-PGE deposit. Chromite forming this chromitite is rich in CrO (29.06 ̶ 37.17 wt%) and FeO (FeO = 45.88 ̶ 56.06 wt%) and low in MgO (0.04 ̶ 0.91 wt%). The chromitite host an unusual set of mineral inclusions including: (1) platinum-group minerals of the laurite-erlichmanite (RuS-OsS) solid solution series, irarsite (IrAsS), sperrylite (PtAs), hollingworthite (RhAsS), anduoite [(Ru, Os)As], kotulskite (PdTe) and As-, Te-, Os-, and Ru- bearing unidentified phases; (2) exsolution-lamellae of ilmenite and ulvöspinel along with chromite (111) and (100) planes, respectively; (3) silicates including crystallographically-oriented biotite, euhedral pyroxene and irregular-shaped amphiboles which tend to follow chromite growth planes, and (4) Fe-oxides, pyrrhotite, pentlandite, galena, barite, apatite, and native gold. Intercumulus minerals are microcrystalline Mg-rich biotite and minor amphibole. Pyroxenes (diopside) located immediately above the chromitite stringer exhibit higher CaO (23.02 ̶ 25.42 wt%) and NaO (0.16 ̶ 0.55 wt%) than pyroxenes (augite) located below. We suggest that chromite saturation in the mafic melt was caused by local assimilation of a small pelitic xenolith. The xenolith also provided K and HO explaining the occurrence of K-and volatile-rich intercumulus phases. Crystallization of chromite in this environment promoted preferential sequestering of Ir and Ru, and to a lesser extent Os, from the parental magma giving rise to an anomalous iridium-group-PGE (IPGE: Ir, Ru, and Os) enrichment., This research has been financed by the research fund available from the Departamento de Mineralogía y Petrología from the Universidad de Granada corresponding to the Spanish project RTI2018-099157-A-I00, granted by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades as well as the grant PRE2019-088262: Ayudas para contratos predoctorales para la formación de doctores (FPI), defrayed by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades.

We studied the regularities of distribution of siderophile elements, including platinum group elements (PGE), in rock and in sulfides from Archean (2814 ± 51 Ma) peridotites collected in a fragment of deformed dike within the Bug granulite complex, Ukrainian Shield. In comparison with the primitive mantle, the studied rocks are enriched in Rh, Pd, Ni, Fe, and Co, and are characterized by low concentrations of other PGE. Sulfides are represented by a high-temperature variety of pentlandite and a small amount of chalcopyrite, with an inhomogeneous PGE distribution in them. Pd/Ir ratio typical of superchondrite is revealed for rocks and some sulfides. It is supposed that enrichment in Pd was not resulted from fractionation, but was rather related to mantle metasomatism. Saturation of the melt with sulfides and liquation process were favored by contamination of harzburgite with the host gneissic enderbite and fractionation of olivine. Solid sulfide solutions formed from sulfide melts at temperatures close to the crystallization temperature of magnesium phlogopite from a silicate melt.

Platinum-group element (PGE) + Re abundances and Os isotopic compositions were determined for metasomatized peridotite and cumulate pyroxenite xenoliths from Kharchinsky Volcano, Kamchatka. Two peridotites have moderately high PGE concentrations with 2.9–3.3 ppb Os and smoothly variable PGE patterns similar to abyssal peridotites and encompassing primitive and depleted mantle compositions. One of these has unradiogenic Os (187Os/188Os = 0.1148) at the lower limit of compositions observed in abyssal peridotite which results in a time of Re depletion (TRD) model age of ∼1.8 Ga. These contrasts Kharchinsky peridotites that are Pt-Ir enriched with sharply fractionated PGE patterns with Pt/Pd = 132–168 and Ir/Ru ∼ 4.0. This pattern of enrichment in the heavier and more highly siderophile Pt and Ir over the lighter and more siderophile-chalcophile Ru and Pd ( Fleet and Stone, 1991 , Fleet et al., 1991 ) is consistent with sulfur depletion under oxidizing metasomatic conditions that leave a residue with PGE host minerals that are dominantly alloys. A single Ru-enriched peridotite with low PGE abundances is interpreted to reflect advanced stages of paragenesis driven by metasomatism and resulting in the loss of all PGE and Re relative to Ru. All Kharchinsky peridotites included in this study have relatively unradiogenic Os (187Os/188Os = 0.1148–0.1314) but some are coupled to PGE and lithophile element characteristics that require oxidizing metasomatic conditions (Ce/Ce*≪1.0) and desulfurization leading to a general loss of PGE and data patterns that are consistent overall with low abundances of relatively radiogenic Os in arc peridotites globally ( Brandon et al., 1996 , Widom et al., 2003 , Saha et al., 2005 ). Kharchinsky pyroxenites, which are relatively undeformed and only weakly metasomatized, have similarly fractionated PGE patterns with enrichments in Pt (5.7–46 ppb) and Pd (0.5–2.7 ppb) but with Os, Ir, and Ru abundances 20 that will produce rapid ingrowth of 186Os relative to 187Os. Deep recycling and storage of such subduction-modified rocks might preclude the need for core-mantle exchange to explain 186Os-enrichments in komatiites and Hawaiian picrites originating in the deep mantle ( Brandon et al., 1998 , Brandon and Walker, 2005 ).

The paper presents data on noble-metal mineralization in carbon-bearing rocks of the Sarma Group in the southern flank of the Baikal inlier of the Siberian craton basement. The phase composition of the accessory ore minerals (pyrite, arsenopyrite, microinclusions of native Ni, Sn, Zn, Cu, Fe–Ni and Ni–Fe–Ti composite compounds, Cu and Pb sulfides, rutile, monazite, zircon, and barite) were determined by X-ray microanalysis. Gold, silver, and all elements of the platinum group were determined by scintillation arc atomic emission spectrometry in rock samples from the Ilikta and Hulurtui formations. These elements occur as particles of native noble metals, their intermetallic compounds, sulfides, arsenides, selenides, and sulfosalts. Noble-metal mineralization in the Hulurtui and Ilikta formations of the Sarma Group is proved to be genetically related to tectono-metasomatic processes that affected the primary metasedimentary rocks.

Author(s): Barkov, AY; Bindi, L; Tamura, N; Martin, RF; Ma, C; Winkler, B; Shvedov, GI; Morgenroth, W | Abstract: Fleetite, Cu2RhIrSb2, a new species of platinum-group mineral (PGM), was discovered intergrown with an Os–Ir–Ru alloy in the Miass Placer Zone (Au–PGE), southern Urals, Russia. A single grain 50 lm across was found. Osmium, ruthenium, and iridium are the main associated minerals; also present are Pt–Fe alloys, laurite, Sb-rich irarsite, Rh-rich tolovkite, kashinite, anduoite, ferronickelplatinum, heazlewoodite, PGE-bearing pentlandite and digenite, as well as micrometric inclusions of forsterite (Fo93.7), chromite–magnesiochromite, and Mg-rich edenite. In reflected light, fleetite is light gray; it is opaque, isotropic, non-pleochroic, and non-bireflectant. We report reflectance values measured in air. A mean of seven point-analyses (wavelength-dispersive spectrometry) gave Cu 13.93, Ni 8.60, Fe 0.10, Ir 28.07, Rh 7.91, Ru 1.96, Sb 39.28, total 99.85 wt.%, corresponding to (Cu1.41Ni0.58Fe0.01)R2.00(Rh0.49Ni0.36Ru0.12)R0.97Ir0.95Sb2.08 on the basis of six atoms per formula unit, taking into account the structural results. The calculated density is 10.83 g/cm3. Single-crystal X-ray studies show that fleetite is cubic, space group Fd3m (#227), a = 11.6682(8) A, V = 1588.59(19) A3, and Z = 16. A least-squares refinement of X-ray powder-diffraction data gave a = 11.6575(5) A and V = 1584.22(19) A3. The strongest five reflections in the powder pattern [d in A(I)(hkl)] are: 6.70(75)(111), 4.13(100)(220), 3.52(30)(311), 2.380(50)(422), 2.064(40)(440). Results of synchrotron micro-Laue diffraction experiments are consistent [a ¼ 11.66(2) A]. The crystal structure of fleetite was solved and refined to R ¼ 0.0340 based upon 153 reflections with Fo . 4r(Fo). It is isotypic with Pd11Bi2Se2 and best described as intermetallic, with all metal atoms in 12-fold coordination. Fleetite and other late exotic phases were formed by reaction of the associated alloy phases with a fluid phase enriched in Sb, As, and S in circulation in the cooling ophiolite source-rock. The mineral is named after Michael E. Fleet (1938–2017) in recognition of his significant contributions to the Earth Sciences.

The article presents the results of studying the chemical composition of ore-bearing rocks, as well as the mineralogy of base metal sulfides and platinum group elements (PGE), of the Nyud-II sulfide PGE–Cu–Ni deposit in the southwestern part of the Nyud massif of the Monchegorsk Pluton (Monchepluton). The ores of the deposit are represented by vein-disseminated and nest-schlieren types. They are characterized by significant predominance of Pd over Pt, fractionation of low-melting PGE (PPGE subgroup) with respect to high-melting ones (IPGE subgroup), and close correlations of Ni and Cu with S in the presence of increased As, Se, Te, and Bi contents. The S/Se ratios in ore (3470−3530) correspond to the mantle values. Among the platinum group minerals (PGM), the most widespread are Pt and Pd bismuth–tellurides and tellurides (merenskyite, michenerite, and moncheite), subordinate amounts of Pt–Fe alloys and sperrylite, and native osmium and Ir, Rh, and Pt sulfoarsenides (irarsite, hollingworthite, and platarsite). The formation of ore sulfide concentrations resulted from separation of an immiscible sulfide liquid upon cooling of a sulfur-saturated silicate magma with a mafic composition. Subsequent fractional crystallization of the sulfide liquid contributed to the uneven distribution of Ni, Cu, and PGE. PGE–sulfide ore formation took place in a fairly wide temperature range, starting at 1100−1000°C and ending at 600−400°C. At an early stage, IPGE minerals (native osmium and erlichmanite) separated. Upon cooling to a temperature of 1000−900°C, the sulfide liquid fractionated with the formation of monosulfide solid solution (mss), in which compatible IPGE were concentrated, and a residual sulfide liquid enriched in Ni, Cu, PtPGE, and chalcophile elements. With a further decrease in temperature (to 600°C), Pt–Fe alloys, sperrylite, and IPGE + Pt sulfoarsenides crystallized, with separation of the residual sulfide melt enriched in Cu, PPGE and chalcophile elements. At 600−400°C, ore formation ended with the complete crystallization of base metal sulfides and the formation of Pt and Pd bismuth–tellurides and tellurides.

The W Horizon is a thin continuous zone of low sulfide-high-grade platinum group element (PGE) mineralization in the Two Duck Lake gabbro at the Marathon Cu-PGE deposit, Coldwell Complex, Canada, that resembles reef-type PGE deposits found in much larger intrusions. The Marathon deposit was previously shown to have grown by accretion of syn-magmatic, sulfide-bearing sill-like intrusions that formed each of the W Horizon, Main Zone, and Lower Zone mineralization. Each zone can be distinguished by features such as sulfide mineral or platinum group mineral assemblages, or by Cu/Pd, Pd/Se, and Pd/Au values. For example, the W Horizon is defined by the presence of bornite, very high PGE values, low Cu/Pd ( 95% of the original sulfide liquid. In some samples, metal and S abundances indicate that PGE were transported as TABS-PGE phases. This work describes an example of thin PGE-rich sill-like injections that could be of importance to PGE exploration elsewhere.

The paper presents data on contents of the platinum group elements (Pt, Ir, Pd, and Ru) and Au in Fe–Mn nodules of different morphology and in their separate layers from the Cape Basin, Atlantic Ocean. The Layer-by-layer analysis of the Fe–Mn nodules and crusts shows that the platinum group elements (PGE) are accumulated in the ferromanganese oxyhydroxide layers relative to the clayey nuclei and the substrate of the crust. Among oxyhydroxide layers, PGE are more significantly concentrated in the hydrogenetic (sedimentation) layers of the nodules than in layers with predominant oxic and suboxic diagenetic material. Gold is demonstrated not to be accumulated in the Fe–Mn nodules. The reason for the predominant accumulation of platinum relative to palladium in nodules is the oxidative sorption on manganese oxyhydroxides suspended in seawater. An increase in the growth rate of the nodules due to the input of diagenetic material from sediments is accompanied by an increase in the Mn/Fe value in the nodules. The increase of Mn/Fe value in nodules is shown to be associated with a decrease in the Pt/Pd ratio, which indicates a dominant role of the hydrogenetic input of PGE to the nodule. The contents of iridium and ruthenium correlate with the contents of platinum and cerium.

Panskyite, Pd9Ag2Pb2S4, is a new mineral (IMA2020–039) discovered in the platinum-group element mineralisation of the Southern Kievey ore occurrence of the Fedorova–Pana layered intrusion, Kola Peninsula, Russia. It forms tiny anhedral grains (of 0.5 to 10 μm in size) in the interstices of rock-forming silicates, often forming tiny inclusions in base-metal sulfides (millerite, chalcopyrite, bornite and chalcocite) and complex intergrowths with other platinum group minerals (zvyagintsevite, laflammeite, vysotskite, thalhammerite, unnamed phase Pd9Ag2(Tl,Pb)2S4and others). In plane-polarised light, panskyite is creamy white with weak bireflectance, weak pleochroism and distinct anisotropy with brown to grey rotation tints; it exhibits no internal reflections. Reflectance values for panskyite in air (R1,R2in %) are: 43.8, 44.1 at 470 nm; 44.4, 44.7 at 546 nm; 45.6, 45.8 at 589 nm; and 47.2, 47.2 at 650 nm. Twelve electron-microprobe analyses of panskyite gave an average composition: Pd 55.61, Ag 12.36, Pb 23.50, Fe 0.21, Ni 0.24 and S 7.17 total 99.09 wt.%, corresponding to the formula (Pd9.05Fe0.07Ni0.07)Σ9.19Ag1.98Pb1.96S3.87based on 17 atoms; the average of nine analyses on the synthetic analogue is: Pd 57.02, Ag 14.17, Pb 21.81 and S 7.44, total 100.44 wt.%, corresponding to Pd9.07Ag2.22Pb1.78S3.93. The density, calculated on the basis of the empirical formula, is 9.81 g/cm3. The mineral is tetragonal, space groupI4/mmm, witha= 7.973(3),c= 9.139(3) Å,V= 581.0(4) Å3andZ= 2. The crystal structure was solved from the single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction data of synthetic Pd9Ag2Pb2S4. Panskyite is isostructural with thalhammerite (Pd9Ag2Bi2S4). The mineral name is for the locality, the Pansky massif of the Fedorova–Pana layered intrusion in the Kola Peninsula, Russia.

—Small grains of platinum group minerals (PGMs) have been found in chromitites of the Ergaksky and Kalninsky ultramafic massifs, which are marginal northeastern fragments of the Kurtushiba ophiolite belt in Western Sayan. Along with previously described PGMs, the Cu–Ru–Os solid solution, arsenic-bearing (As up to 3.6 wt %) laurite with minor Pt, Ni, and Co, platinum group element (PGE) sulfides of the MeS and Me3S4 types, sulfoarsenide with the high Rh content (12.7 wt %) in chromitites of the Ergaksky massif, and laurite and sulfoarsenides in chromitites of the Kalninsky massif were found for the first time. The PGM compositions indicate a high formation temperature of Ru–Os sulfide (1200–1250°C) in both massifs, as well as a high partial sulfur pressure during the formation of chromitites and syngenetic PGMs in the Ergaksky massif. The PGM assemblages were formed during several stages. The Os–Ir–Ru alloys and the laurite–erlichmanite series disulfides (predominantly partitioning Ru) are early; the Cu–Ru–Os alloys, sulfides (Ru,Fe)3S4, (Ru,Ni,Fe)S, and PGE sulfoarsenides are late and were crystallized under the influence of reductive fluids as a result of PGE remobilization and redeposition.

The proximity to metasedimentary footwall rocks relative to platinum group element (PGE) mineralized intrusive rocks in the northern limb of the Bushveld Igneous Complex (BIC) has resulted in complex local contamination in the intrusions. To assess the extent of incorporation of non-magmatic material and its effects on PGE mineralization, major element, trace element, and S isotopic data were collected from drill core UMT094 on the Turfspruit farm, where core logging has shown that the mineralized Platreef, forming the Flatreef deposit, is located stratigraphically well above local sedimentary footwall rocks. The S isotopic data combined with whole rock geochemistry data (including CaO/Al2O3, (V/Ti)PM, (Ni/Cr)PM, S/Se, loss on ignition) were used to assess incorporation of a range of local footwall material. The δ34S data show a steady decrease from the footwall assimilation zone (δ34S typically + 8 to + 9‰, maximum 12‰) to near constant δ34S values (δ34S 34S ~ 0 to + 3.5‰). Other geochemical parameters, such as S/Se and CaO/Al2O3, also match the ranges documented for the Merensky Reef elsewhere in the BIC. In addition, parameters such as whole rock V/Ti, normalized to primitive mantle (V/Ti)PM, are shown to be useful indicators of contamination and the type of contaminant with 1 PM pm > 2 for shale assimilation; and [V/Ti]pm

This work presents a detailed study of platinum-group mineral (PGM) assemblages from the Malaya Kamenushka River placer, whose formation is associated with the weathering of the Kamenushensky Uralian–Alaskan type massif, Middle Urals, Russian Federation. The deposit is characterised by the dominance of isoferroplatinum, together with significant numbers of inclusions of Os–Ir–Ru alloys and platinum-group element (PGE) sulfides. A study of the Os–Ir–Ru alloys permitted recognition of two types of iridium with different morphology and composition. The similarity of the PGM assemblages from the Malaya Kamenushka River placer and the lode mineralisation of the Kamenushensky massif is demonstrated. A comparison of PGM assemblages from the Malaya Kamenushka River placer with other placers and massifs of the Ural platinum belt demonstrates significant differences in the number of Os–Ir–Ru inclusions. Such differences for minerals of refractory elements cannot be explained by the vertical zoning of the lode mineralisation. Most probably this is associated with the enrichment of the primary substrate with Os, Ir and Ru and/or the degree of melting, depending on the chosen model of formation of the Uralian–Alaskan type massifs.

Mineralogical and chemical zonations observed in massive sulfide ores from Ni-Cu-platinum group element (PGE) deposits are commonly ascribed to the fractional crystallization of monosulfide solid solution (MSS) and intermediate solid solution (ISS) from sulfide liquid. Recent studies of classic examples of zoned orebodies at Sudbury and Voisey’s Bay (Canada) demonstrated that the chemistry of magnetite crystallized from sulfide liquid was varying in response to sulfide fractional crystallization. Other classic examples of zoned Ni-Cu-PGE sulfide deposits occur in the Norilsk-Talnakh mining district (Russia), yet magnetite in these orebodies has received little attention. In this contribution, we document the chemistry of magnetite in samples from Norilsk-Talnakh, spanning the classic range of sulfide composition, from Cu poor (MSS) to Cu rich (ISS). Based on textural features and mineral associations, four types of magnetite with distinct chemical composition are identified: (1) MSS magnetite, (2) ISS magnetite, (3) reactional magnetite (at the sulfide-silicate interface), and (4) hydrothermal magnetite (resulting from sulfide-fluid interaction). Compositional variability in lithophile and chalcophile elements records sulfide fractional crystallization across MSS and ISS magnetites and sulfide interaction with silicate minerals (reactional magnetite) and fluids (hydrothermal magnetite). Estimated partition coefficients for magnetite in sulfide systems are unlike those in silicate systems. In sulfide systems, all lithophile elements are compatible and chalcophile elements tend to be incompatible with magnetite, but in silicate systems some lithophile elements are incompatible and chalcophile elements are compatible with magnetite. Finally, comparison with magnetite data from other Ni-Cu-PGE sulfide deposits pinpoints that the nature of parental silicate magma, degree of sulfide evolution, cocrystallizing phases, and alteration conditions influence magnetite composition.

A large proportion of the disseminated sulfide ores of the Norilsk-Talnakh camp are hosted within olivine-rich, ultramafic cumulate layers called picro-gabbrodolerite units. In this study we quantitatively analyze the chemistry and textures of the silicate and oxide minerals within olivine-bearing cumulates of the Kharaelakh, Norilsk 1, and Talnakh intrusions to determine how these intrusions compare to each other and to establish the liquidus phase assemblage and crystallization sequence and how the liquid component evolved during solidification.Crystal size distributions indicate that much of the olivine and clinopyroxene oikocrysts grew together in situ as the first of the cumulus phases at contrasting growth rates. These large clinopyroxene oikocrysts record a significant drop in Cr in the system by a significant decrease in Cr content of the outer rims compared to the cores. The chadacrysts of olivine and spinel within the clinopyroxene record the chemistry of the first stages of crystallization, while the minerals in the framework of the cumulate show a relative reduction in Cr and enrichment in incompatible elements such as Ti, Zn, Y, and the rare earth elements, indicative of the enrichment through reactions with the trapped liquid during postcumulate growth.Due to the entrapment of the olivine and spinel in rapidly growing clinopyroxene, these minerals record a history of the changing chemistry during cumulate and postcumulate growth, giving us an insight into the changing conditions during the solidification of intrusions.

Low-sulfide platinum group element (PGE) mineralization of the Norilsk-type intrusions is located within the Upper Gabbroic Series, which comprises rocks heterogeneous in texture and composition. The highest grade of 10 to 50 g/t PGEs is confined primarily to chromitiferous taxitic gabbrodolerite, which forms irregular lens- and vein-like bodies that interfinger with contact gabbrodolerite, intrusion breccia, leucogabbro, and gabbrodolerite variably enriched in olivine, from olivine free up to picritic compositions. The abundant amygdules and pegmatoidal textures in Upper Gabbroic Series taxitic rocks, as well as the high enrichment of halogen in minerals (e.g., ≤4.6 wt % Cl in apatite), indicate a higher volatile content of the local magma compared to the magma that precipitated the Main Series. The observed diversity in spinel compositions, which evolve from chromite to Cr magnetite as well as toward hercynite, titanomagnetite, and ulvöspinel, is also indicative of crystallization from a fluid-saturated mush that subsequently reacted, to varying degrees, with contaminated trapped melt and immiscible fluid. The high PGE/S ratio is a primary feature of this mineralization style, albeit the ratio partly increased during sulfide replacement and resorption. The PGE tenor of bulk sulfides calculated as ΣPGE (g/t) in 100% sulfides exceeds 160 and may reach up to 1,400 to 2,500 in low-S ores (0.2–3 wt % S), whereas the value does not exceed 42 in the Talnakh disseminated ore and ranges from 35 to 120 in the Norilsk disseminated ore (1–10 wt % S). Several PGE peaks in the vertical sections correlate well with Cu, Ni, S, and Cr peaks, as well as with observed elevated proportion of amygdules. Low-sulfide ores are composed of two primary sulfide assemblages of pyrrhotite + pentlandite + chalcopyrite and pentlandite + pyrrhotite. The primary sulfides are depleted in the heavier 34S isotope relative to sulfides of the corresponded main orebodies (e.g., mean δ34S = 8.9‰ versus δ34S = 12.3‰, respectively, in the Kharaelakh intrusion). A secondary pyrite + millerite + chalcopyrite assemblage has isotope composition enriched in 34S by 2 to 6‰ δ34S with respect to primary sulfides. The directly measured PGE content in sulfides (e.g., 11–2,274 g/t Pd in pentlandite and 0.10–33.3 g/t Rh in pyrrhotite) is within the range of the typical Norilsk-type magmatic sulfide compositions. The textural setting and diversity of platinum group minerals (PGMs) favor the hypothesis of fluid-controlled crystallization. However, the distinct PGM assemblages in Norilsk 1 and Talnakh-Kharaelakh low-sulfide ores are comparable with those of the corresponding presumably magmatic disseminated and massive orebodies. The most remarkable characteristic is the widespread Pt-Fe alloys in Norilsk 1 and their absence in Talnakh-Kharaelakh, which is interpreted to reflect better preservation of the high-temperature PGMs in Norilsk 1 in contrast to their substantial replacement in more oxidized fluid-enriched environments in Talnakh-Kharaelakh.

Research subject. The object of the study is the Ulyuk-Bar gold deposit ore-bearing rocks, located in the Bashkir meganticlinorium (the Southern Urals). Methods. The article presents the first data on the distribution of rare earth elements (REE), platinum group elements (PGE) and Au, obtained by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) on “ELAN- 6100 DRC” and “Agilent 7700” with the use of the computer data processing program “TOTALQUANT”, which includes automatic accounting of isotopic and molecular overlays on the mass spectral analytical lines of the determined elements. The chemical composition of ore minerals (native gold, pyrite, pyrrhotite, gersdorfite, chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite, and galena) was determined using an REMMA-202M scanning electron microscope with an LZ-5 X-ray energy-dispersive spectrometer and detectors for secondary and reflected electrons. Results. As a result of the studies, the enrichment of heavy lanthanides from ore-bearing rocks of the Ulyuk-Bar deposit in comparison with the sandstones and shales of the Bolshoi Inzer Formation outside of the ore field was established. It is shown that the noble-metal geochemical specialization of ore-bearing sediments of the Bolshoi Inzer Formation of the Ulyuk-Bar deposit is similar in a number of parameters to rocks of the Mashak Formation of the Shatak complex, formed under the influence of Middle Riphean magmatism on sedimentary rocks of the upper layers of the earth’s crust. Based on the calculation of the age of the minerals thorium and uranium, according to the isotopic studies of Rb-Sr (996 ± 26 Ma) and K-Ar (676–706 Ma) methods and galena by the Pb-Pb method (950 Ma), it was established that mineralization was formed in two stages. The first of which is associated with tectono-thermal activation at the border of the Middle and Late Riphean, and the second was realized about 600 Ma ago. Conclusions. It is concluded that the REE-EPG-Au taxonomy of ore-bearing deposits of the Ulyuk-Bar deposit is due to the polychrony and polygenicity of ore formation processes associated with the Middle Riphean plume magmatism, manifested over a vast territory, and the Late Vendian dynamothermal collisional metamorphism.

The Platreef of the Bushveld Complex is one of three key stratigraphic units, along with the Merensky and UG-2 reefs, in which platinum-group elements are concentrated. The correlation between the Platreef and the stratigraphy from the western and eastern limbs of the BC has been challenging due to the heterogeneous and variable nature of the Platreef along strike. However, the discovery of the Flatreef, interpreted as the down dip, sub-horizontal extension of the Platreef, on the farms Turfspruit and Macalacaskop, opened new avenues for enquiry that allow the study of a magmatic stratigraphy less affected by footwall interaction. In this study, we report on the Sr isotope composition of plagioclase through an ~ 280-m-thick intersection of the Flatreef and its footwalls and hanging walls as intersected by borehole UMT-393 drilled on the farm Macalacaskop. Comparison of the Sr-isotopic composition and the anorthite content of plagioclase across this intersection with data from the Merensky and Bastard cyclic units elsewhere in the Bushveld Complex supports the contention that the Flatreef is a correlative of the Upper Critical Zone–Main Zone transition, including the Merensky and Bastard cyclic units. The available data suggest that the sulfides of the Flatreef and its correlatives in the remainder of the Bushveld Complex originally formed in a deeper staging chamber. During continued magma ascent some of the sulfides were entrained and deposited in the Flatreef.

The East Eagle Ni-Cu-platinum group element deposit is a conduit-type deposit located in northern Michigan, in close spatial proximity to the currently producing Eagle deposit. Massive and semimassive (net-textured) sulfide mineralization at East Eagle occurs approximately 800 m lower in the stratigraphic sequence than that at Eagle and only ~200 m above the contact between Proterozoic and Archean rocks. Although sulfide mineralogy and textural types are similar at the two occurrences, there are important differences in their S isotope systematics. Massive sulfide mineralization at East Eagle is characterized by a relatively narrow range of δ34S values from 1.5 to 3.2‰. Semimassive sulfides show a similar range from 2.1 to 3.8‰. In strong contrast to these values, those from disseminated sulfides that border the massive and semimassive mineralization define a much larger range from –4.3 to 22.8‰. The much more restricted range in δ34S values recorded in the massive and semimassive sulfide mineralization compared to that of the disseminated mineralization is thought to reflect isotopic exchange reactions in the conduit involving accumulated sulfide and pulses of magma containing S of mantle origin. The ∆33S values of all three major types of sulfide mineralization at East Eagle are near 0‰, with most values between –0.03 and 0.03‰. Unlike ∆33S values from semimassive sulfide mineralization at Eagle, the ∆33S values at East Eagle show no, or very limited, evidence for the involvement of S derived from Archean sedimentary rocks. The wide range in δ34S values recorded in the disseminated mineralization provides strong evidence that S from Proterozoic sedimentary host rocks was involved in the mineralization; in some cases, as much as 85% of the S may have been of external origin. In addition to the wide range in δ34S values, the disseminated mineralization is characterized by spatially heterogeneous δ34S values. Meter-scale S isotope variations, as well as variations in Pt and Pd tenor, are consistent with multiple inputs of magma, each characterized by distinct S isotope ratios. Heterogeneity of several per mill at the centimeter scale indicates that the degree of supercooling exceeded the S diffusivity, preserving small-scale S isotope variability inherited from the sedimentary country-rock source. Elongate, branching plagioclase grains in many of the gabbroic rocks that host the disseminated sulfide mineralization are consistent with a rapid second stage of cooling.

Quartz dioritic impact melt dikes around the 1.85 Ga Sudbury Igneous Complex, locally referred to as offset dikes, are well endowed with respect to Ni-Cu-platinum group elements (PGE). However, only those dikes proximal ( A detailed petrographic and mineralogical characterization of this occurrence revealed a two-stage mineralization history. Disseminated to semimassive (net-textured) chalcopyrite ± loop-textured pentlandite ± magnetite containing Pd-bismuthotellurides and, more rarely, sperrylite and native gold—all of which are closely associated with base metal sulfides—are interpreted as magmatic. The semimassive sulfide averages ~40 g/t Pd + Pt + Au at a Cu/(Cu + Ni) of >0.9 and a Pd/Ir of >100,000. Mineralogy, ore textures, and mantle-normalized PGE + Au patterns match a specific type of Cu-rich mineralization in the Sudbury Igneous Complex known as footwall mineralization. By analogy with these footwall deposits, the occurrence is interpreted as having formed by downward percolation of a highly fractionated sulfide melt toward the bottom of a now largely eroded offset dike. The magmatic paragenesis was hydrothermally overprinted at lower greenschist-facies conditions to pyrite-chalcopyrite-violarite ± covellite ± millerite. This involved also local remobilization into pyrite-chalcopyrite veinlets and the liberation of precious metal minerals from their sulfide hosts. In contrast to base metal sulfides, most precious metal minerals were resistant to hydrothermal alteration, although corrosion of some grains is noted as well as their truncation by chlorite and epidote. Micron-scale X-ray mapping revealed a progressive replacement of magmatic Pd-Bi-Te minerals, where in contact with hydrous silicates, by Sb- and Hg-bearing Pd minerals such as temagamite, Pd3HgTe3. The timing and nature of this hydrothermal overprint remains uncertain, but a connection to later regional metamorphism and faulting seems most plausible. Our finding of magmatic PGE-base metal sulfide at Rathbun Lake suggests a new subtype of distal offset dike-hosted mineralization in an area so far not known for offset dikes. It opens up new opportunities in the search for unconventional ore deposits around the Sudbury impact structure and improves our understanding on the distribution of impact melt-derived dikes around complex craters.

The Bushveld Igneous Complex (BIC) is known for its laterally extensive platinum group element–bearing layers, the most famous being the Merensky Reef and the UG-2 chromitite in the eastern and western limbs of the complex. In the northern limb, the Platreef mineralization and a thick chromitite seam below it (referred to as the “UG-2 equivalent” or UG-2E) have been proposed to be the stratigraphic equivalents of the Merensky Reef and the UG-2, respectively. In this study, we compare a suite of UG-2E samples from the Turfspruit project with a UG-2 reference suite from the western limb using petrography, electron probe microanalysis, laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The results show that (a) in Mg# vs. Cr# diagrams, UG-2E chromites have a distinct compositional field; however, when samples of similar chromite modal abundance (≥ 80%) are used, the UG-2E chromites overlap the field that characterizes UG-2 chromites; (b) the UG-2E is more variable in chromite modal abundance than the UG-2; and (c) variations in Mg# and Fe3+/ΣFe in the UG-2E indicate contamination of the magma by metasedimentary rocks of the Duitschland Formation (Transvaal Supergroup) during emplacement, followed by partial re-equilibration of chromite grains with a trapped melt. Thus, we conclude that for chromite modes higher than 80%, the chromite composition retains enough information to allow correlation and that the UG-2E in the northern limb is very likely the UG-2 chromitite. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s00126-020-00964-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The Eastern Gabbro, Coldwell Complex, hosts several geochemically and mineralogically distinct Cu-platinum group element (PGE) deposits, including the high-grade W Horizon (>100 ppm Pd-Pt-Au over 2 m). Several magmatic and/or hydrothermal models have previously been proposed to explain the range of enrichment in PGEs observed in the Marathon deposit, but no work has integrated textural and compositional variations in sulfides to elucidate which of these models is most suitable. Additionally, comparatively little work has been done to characterize the genesis of Cu-PGE mineralization that occurs to the northwest of the Marathon deposit in the Eastern Gabbro. Through integration of base metal sulfide (BMS) mineralogy, texture, and trace element chemistry, a wide range of magmatic and postmagmatic processes have been characterized that contributed to the formation of these deposits. In all zones of mineralization in the Eastern Gabbro, chalcophile elements were remobilized from primary chalcopyrite by hydrothermal fluids and precipitated as secondary chalcopyrite, which occurs as a replacement of pyrrhotite and as intergrowths with hydrous silicates. BMSs in the mineralized zones in the Marathon deposit (Footwall zone, Main zone, and W Horizon) experienced higher R factors than those deposits located northwest of the Marathon deposit (Four Dams, Area 41, and Redstone), with BMSs in the W Horizon having experienced the highest R factors. The silicate melts from which the Footwall zone crystallized likely experienced some degree of sulfide segregation at depth, albeit to a much lesser degree than the northern deposits. Additionally, the melts from which the mineralized zones in the Marathon deposit crystallized were likely contaminated by high-S/Se Archean sedimentary rocks, whereas the northern deposits were likely contaminated by low-S/Se igneous and/or metamorphic rocks. BMSs in a chalcopyrite-rich pod located within the vicinity of the Coldwell Complex experienced both high R factors and high degrees of contamination (cf. W Horizon and Footwall zone, respectively). This study illustrates the complexity of processes that generate and modify mineralization in conduit-type Ni-Cu-PGE systems.

The distribution of platinum-group element (PGE) and Te, As, Bi, Sb and Sn (TABS) in whole-rock samples, and in disseminated base metal sulfides (BMS) pentlandite, pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite from the Bushveld and Stillwater Complexes are reported. The samples are from: the Merensky Reef (Bushveld), the J-M Reef (Stillwater), Picket Pin deposit (Stillwater), and also barren sulfide-bearing samples, from outside the reef intervals from both intrusions. The objective of the study was to document the distribution of PGE and TABS in PGE-reef deposits, and to investigate whether TABS play a significant role during the formation of PGE-reef deposits. The whole-rock concentrations of PGE and TABS (except for As) correlate with S and PGE, and thus their distribution appear to be controlled by BMS. The distribution of As, and to a lesser extent Sb, correlate with incompatible elements and with changes in K-phologopite compositions, suggesting that these elements are controlled both by the amount of trapped liquid in cumulate rocks, and the amount of sulfides. The possible role of TABS in forming pre-nucleation clusters (nanonuggets) to enrich the reefs in PGE is considered and discarded, because the ratio of TABS/PGE

Base-metal sulfides (BMSs) are minerals that host platinum-group elements (PGE) in mantle peridotites and significantly control the bulk PGE content. They have been investigated in detail down to the sub-micrometer scale to elucidate PGE behavior in the Earth's interior. Base-metal sulfides are supposedly subjected to supergene and seawater weathering, leading to the redistribution of PGEs at low temperatures. Careful and thorough measurements of BMSs are thus required to elucidate PGE behavior in the Earth's interior. In the present study, a sub-micrometer-sized PGE-bearing sulfide inclusion in a clinopyroxene crystal in a harzburgite xenolith from Tahiti (Society Islands, French Polynesia) was investigated in detail (down to the sub-micrometer scale) using transmission electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (TEM-EDS). The sulfide inclusion is of carbonatitic metasomatic origin, as it is enveloped by carbonaceous glass, and forms a planar inclusion array with other PGE-bearing sulfide inclusions. The following sulfide phases were identified using TEM-EDS: Fe- and Ni-rich monosulfide solid solutions (MSSs), Fe- and Ni-rich pentlandite, sugakiite, heazlewoodite, chalcopyrite, and Cu-Ir-Pt-Rh-thiospinel (cuproiridsite–malanite–cuprorhodsite). We established the formation process of the metasomatic PGE-bearing sulfide inclusion by considering morphological and mineral characteristics in addition to the chemical composition. A primary MSS first crystallized from metasomatic sulfide melt at ca. 1000 °C, followed by the crystallization of an intermediate solid solution (ISS) below 900 °C. A high-form (high-temperature origin) Fe-rich pentlandite simultaneously crystallized with the primary MSS below ca. 850 °C and recrystallized into a low-form (low-temperature origin) Fe-rich pentlandite below ca. 600 °C. The primary MSS decomposed to Fe- and Ni-rich MSSs, low-form Ni-rich pentlandite, sugakiite, and heazlewoodite. The ISS decomposed to chalcopyrite below ca. 600 °C. Meanwhile, a Cu-Ir-Pt-Rh-thiospinel crystallized directly from the evolved Cu-rich sulfide melt below ca. 760 °C. Thus, Ir, Pt, and Rh preferentially partitioned into the melt phase during the crystallization process of the metasomatic sulfide melt. Metasomatic sulfide melts could be a significant medium for the transport and condensation of Pt together with Ir and Rh during the fractionation process in the Earth's interior. We hypothesize that the compositional variability of PGEs in carbonatites is due to the separation of sulfide melt leading to the loss of PGEs in the carbonatitic melts.

The Broken Hammer Cu–Ni–PGE–Au footwall deposit in the North Range of the Sudbury Structure in Canada consists of a shallow surface zone of vein-hosted and vein stockwork-hosted mineralization within Sudbury breccia developed in the quartz monzonite Levack Gneiss Complex. The surface of the deposit consists of a 2–120 cm wide chalcopyrite vein and numerous smaller veins dominated by chalcopyrite–magnetite–millerite with trace gold, platinum group minerals, tellurides, bismuthides and selenides. The Laurentide Ice Sheet flowed southward across the region depositing a sandy till that contains abundant sperrylite (hundreds of grains), chalcopyrite, pyrite and gold in the heavy mineral fraction down-ice of mineralization. Mineral liberation analysis of the

For the first time data on platinum group minerals (PGM) from the deluvial placer of the Veresovka River are given; their root source are dunites of the northern part of the Veresovoborsky massif. Among minerals typical of this type of placers, Pt–Fe minerals, Os–Ir–(Ru) intermetallic compounds, kashinite, bowieite, laurite, erlichmanite, and Ir–Rh thiospinels have been identified. Irarsite, hollingworthite, zvyagintsevite, potarite, cooperite, ferhodsite, and some unnamed Pb–Те minerals were also revealed, which rare for platinum placers associated with zonal clinopyroxenite–dunite massifs, but are widely distributed in the studied placer. Xingzhongite was detected there for the first time in placers of the Ural Platinum Belt. The morphological features of all these minerals are characterized in detail, together with their chemical composition, determined by electron microprobe analysis. Their genetic relationships are characterized taking into account the aggregate data obtained. This comprehensive study of PGM individuals and aggregates is used as a basis to distinguish the parageneses in their association.

Platinum-group element (PGE) geochemistry of arc-related magmas can be used to constrain the timing of sulfide saturation, which plays a critical role in the chalcophile element fertility of evolving magmatic systems. In this study, we provide new major and trace elements, PGE, Re and Au data for the shoshonitic suite (from basalt to rhyolite) of the active volcanic system of Vulcano (Aeolian Islands, Italy), an excellent study case for investigating mineralizing processes in arc volcanoes. The most primitive magma erupted at Vulcano is characterized by fractionation of Ir-group PGE (Ir, Os, Ru) relative to the Pd-group PGE (Pd, Pt, Rh), which is attributed to the magma being saturated with a Pt-rich alloy and possibly spinel and Os–Ir alloy. A negative Au anomaly, shown by Vulcano magmas, suggests that the Au was lost to an early exsolved S– (and moderately Cl–) rich fluid phase that, upon migration to higher levels of the feeding system, could have enhanced the mineralizing potential of the magmatic system. The Pd content of Vulcano primitive magmas is high (~ 8 ppb) and comparable to values found in other arc-related mineralized systems. The early Pd depletion, relative to Au and Cu, during evolution towards more evolved magmas, suggests that the magmatic system reached sulfide saturation at about 4 wt.% MgO. Chalcophile element fractionation modeling shows that the immiscible sulfide mass proportion was initially very low (~ 0.0015%), and gradually increased to about 0.1% at about 2 wt.% MgO, causing a late depletion of the less compatible chalcophile elements, including Cu. A significant chalcophile metal depletion in the silicate melt occurred once sulfide saturation was achieved, well before hydrosaline fluid exsolution at

Low-grade Ni-laterite deposits are well-developed over the mafic/ultramafic protoliths in the northern Oman Mountains. Concentrations, distribution patterns and mobility of platinum-group element (...

The platinum-group element (PGE) contents of komatiites have been used to estimate the PGE contents of their mantle sources and investigate temporal variations in the PGE systematics of the mantle throughout Earth history. However, the use of mantle melts to investigate source characteristics is critically dependent on understanding the fractionation of the elements in question between mantle sources and their derived magmas. We present new PGE and Re abundance data, together with Re-Os isotope data for the pristine 1.9 Ga Winnipegosis komatiites, Canada. Whole rock Re-Os isotope data define a 1865 ± 40 Ma isochron, consistent with previous age estimates, with initial γOs of +0.9 ± 1.4. The PGE and Re variations in these komatiites were controlled by fractionation of olivine, chromite, Os-Ir alloys, a Ru-Os rich phase (possibly laurite) from the komatiite melt. The calculated parental melt composition at 23.6 ± 1.6 wt% MgO has 1.1 ± 0.1 ppb Os, 0.91 ± 0.08 ppb Ir, 4.0 ± 0.5 ppb Ru, 7.0 ± 0.8 ppb Pt, 7.2 ± 0.7 ppb Pd, and 0.53 ± 0.06 ppb Re. The calculated PGE contents are low relative to many komatiites; using existing methods for calculating the PGE contents of mantle sources suggests the Winnipegosis source had PGE contents from 25 ± 19 wt% to 57 ± 7 wt% of primitive mantle values. This surprising finding substantiates a growing ‘PGE paradox’, where almost all komatiites appear to have formed from PGE-depleted mantle sources. We suggest the simplest resolution to this paradox is that current methods systematically underestimate mantle source PGE contents. We test the assumptions implicit in these methods by comparing detailed models of PGE behaviour during mantle melting to a large database of parental melt compositions of high degree melts. Ruthenium behaviour in high degree melts can be adequately modelled using our current understanding of Ru partitioning. However, the Ru contents of high degree mantle melts are strongly dependent on the degree of melting, as Ru-rich melts formed after sulphide exhaustion are increasingly mixed into early-formed Ru-poor melts. Platinum and Pd behaviour during mantle melting cannot be successfully modelled under the widespread assumption that they are strongly incompatible following sulphide exhaustion, suggesting that these elements cannot be used to estimate PGE contents of the mantle sources of high degree melts. Parental melt Pt and Pd in many high degree lavas are correlated with Al2O3/TiO2, suggesting a pressure control on their partitioning. We attribute the relatively low PGE contents of the Winnipegosis komatiites to their moderate degrees and depth of melting compared to other komatiites, rather than invoking a PGE-depleted mantle source. More broadly, the complex controls (T, P, fO2, S content, prior depletion) on the PGE contents of komatiites mean that most komatiites can be reconciled with being derived from sources with primitive mantle-like PGE contents, and few komatiites can be confidently asserted to come from PGE-depleted mantle sources. Pending a better understanding of PGE behaviour during mantle melting, we recommend caution when using komatiite PGE systematics to infer the highly siderophile element evolution and accretionary history of Earth’s mantle.

In most magmatic sulfide deposits, platinum-group elements (PGE) are found both within the structure of the base metal sulfides (BMS), pyrrhotite (Po), pentlandite (Pn), chalcopyrite (Ccp) and cubanite (Cbn) and as platinum-group minerals (PGM). Tellurium, As, Bi, Sb and Sn (TABS) are essential elements in many of these PGM. The potential role of TABS in collecting PGE, and thus forming a PGE deposit, has not been closely investigated. We have determined the concentrations of a full suite of chalcophile elements in Po, Pn, Ccp and Cbn using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry on samples from the Noril’sk-Talnakh Ni deposits. In these deposits, the Po-rich ore is thought to represent monosulfide solid solution (MSS) cumulate of the initial sulfide liquid, and the Ccp-rich ore a mixture of the fractionated sulfide liquid and intermediate solid solution (ISS). The BMS from the Po-rich ore contain lower concentrations of TABS, Pd, Pt and Au, and higher concentrations of Mo, Ru, Rh, Re, Os and Ir than BMS from the Ccp-rich ores. This observation is consistent with experimental results which show that TABS, Pd, Pt and Au are incompatible with MSS, whereas the other elements are compatible in MSS. Counter intuitively, in the Po-rich ore, the bulk of the Pd and TABS is hosted by BMS. This is because during crystallization, although only a small amount of the incompatible elements partitioned into the BMS, the fractionated liquid has migrated away; thus, the Po-rich ores represent MSS adcumulates. Therefore, as the Po-rich ores contain very little trapped liquid fraction, the BMS host the bulk of Pd and TABS. In contrast, in the Ccp-rich ore, the bulk of Au, Pd, Pt and TABS is present as PGM or electrum grains. This is because more trapped liquid is present, and as TABS Au, Pd and Pt are not compatible with ISS, they concentrated into the very last sulfide liquid, and crystallized as intergrowths of Pd-Pt-TABS PGM. The TABS then do not appear to collect Pd, Pt and Au but rather all elements are concentrated in the most fractionated sulfide liquid by crystal fractionation.

Nipalarsite, Ni8Pd3As4, is a new platinum-group mineral discovered in the sulfide-bearing orthopyroxenite of the Monchetundra layered intrusion, Kola Peninsula, Russia (67°52′22″N, 32°47′60″E). Nipalarsite forms anhedral grains (5–80 µm in size) in intergrowths with sperrylite, kotulskite, hollingworthite, isomertieite, menshikovite, palarstanide, nielsenite and monchetundtraite enclosed in pentlandite, anthophyllite, actinolite and chlorite. Nipalarsite is brittle, has a metallic lustre and a grey streak. In plane-polarised light, nipalarsite is light grey with a blue tinge. Reflectance values in air (in %) are: 46.06 at 470 nm, 48.74 at 546 nm, 50.64 at 589 nm and 54.12 at 650 nm. Values of VHN20 fall between 400.5 and 449.2 kg.mm–2, with a mean value of 429.9 kg.mm–2, corresponding to a Mohs hardness of ~4. The average result of 27 electron microprobe wavelength dispersive spectroscopy analyses of nipalarsite is (wt.%): Ni 44.011, Pd 28.74, Fe0.32, Cu 0.85, Pt 0.01, Au 0.05, As 25.42, Sb 0.05, Te 0.39, total 99.85. The empirical formula (normalised to 15 atoms per formula unit) is: (Ni8.10Fe0.06)Σ8.16(Pd2.94Cu0.18)Σ3.12(As3.68Te0.03)Σ3.71 or, ideally, Ni8Pd3As4. Nipalarsite is cubic, space group Fm$\bar{3}$m, with a = 11.4428(9) Å, V = 1498.3(4) Å3 and Z = 8. The strongest lines in the powder X-ray diffraction pattern of synthetic Ni8Pd3As4 [d, Å (I) (hkl)] are: 2.859(10)(004), 2.623(6)(313), 2.557(6)(024), 2.334(11)(224), 2.201(35)(115,333), 2.021(100)(044), 1.906(8)(006,244) and 1.429(7)(008). The crystal structure was solved and refined from the single-crystal X-ray diffraction data of synthetic Ni8Pd3As4. The relation between natural and synthetic nipalarsite is illustrated by an electron back-scattered diffraction study of natural nipalarsite. The density calculated on the basis of the empirical formula of nipalarsite is 9.60 g.cm–3. The mineral name corresponds to the three main elements: Ni, Pd and As.

The principal rock types of the Lower Banded series of the Stillwater Complex are gabbronorite and norite with minor troctolite and anorthosite. The whole-rock composition is largely controlled by the cumulate minerals plagioclase and pyroxene (±olivine). The rocks are very poor in incompatible elements, at the 0.1 to 2 times mantle levels, indicating

Chromitite zones associated with ultramafic units of the Lysanskiy layered complex of dunite–peridotite–gabbro composition could well represent the primary source for the placers bearing platinum-group minerals (PGM) of the entire drainage of the River Sisim and its tributaries, the rivers Ko and Seyba, eastern Sayans. Alluvial gold present in the placers of River Seyba, as elsewhere in the Sisim Placer Zone, reflects mineralisation during a recent period of tectonic activity. We focus on the PGM in the Seyba suite, and in particular on the attributes of pentlandite enriched in platinum-group-elements (PGE) and the compositionally similar and recently defined ferhodsite, which were trapped in host grains of Os–Ir–Ru alloy. Both minerals formed from small volumes of fractionated Fe–Ni–Cu melt considerably enriched in the PGE. In the Seyba suite, as in several others, the amounts of PGE in ferhodsite exceeds that in pentlandite, which results in a greater proportion of vacancies than in pentlandite.

Middle Devonian Ni-Mo-Zn-Pt-Pd-Au-Re hyper-enriched black shales (HEBS) from Peel River in north Yukon have high abundances of platinum group elements (PGE; ca. 500 ppb), Au (40–130 ppb) and Re (8–55 ppm). Mineralization occurs in up to three thin (0.5–10 cm thick) layers that include the regionally extensive HEBS at the Road River Group-Canol Formation stratigraphic contact (e.g., correlative with the Nick Ni-Mo-Zn-PGE-Au-Re prospect, northwestern Yukon); two other previously undocumented HEBS layers stratigraphic layers underlie the upper layer. Although the three different layers have minor textural differences, they display marked mineralogical and geochemical similarities to each other. Millerite is the predominant Ni sulfide, and it postdates several textural varieties of pyrite. A longstanding, unresolved question regarding this mineralization in Yukon is the mineralogical host of PGE, Mo, Au and Re. We analyzed the sulfide mineral assemblages using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). LA-ICP-MS analyses reveal that pyrite within all of the layers is the principal host of PGE, Re, Au and Mo, and that paragenetically late pyrite (spatially associated with millerite) contains the highest abundances, with up to 4 ppm Pd, 8 ppm Pt, 500 ppm Re, 1.5 ppm Au and 7000 ppm Mo. Rare, late pyrite-marcasite veins in the upper HEBS layer cross-cut all previous generations of sulfides and also postdate quartz cement. The late sulfide veins are devoid of Mo-Pd-Re-Pt-Au, indicating that mineralization coincided with early to late diagenesis and predates lithification. The high abundances of these elements in diagenetic varieties of pyrite suggests that hyper-enrichment occurred near the seafloor, and that this suite of elements was likely derived from ambient seawater.

The Kaixinling coal is located in the eastern part of the North Qiangtang Basin, which were the important coal resources in Tibetan Plateau. A total of thirty coal samples were collected from the Kaixinling area to determine the concentrations, distribution patterns, occurrences and origins of platinum group elements (PGEs) in the Permian coal. The total contents of PGEs are low ranging from 0.56 to 1.89 ng/g with a weighed mean value of 1.21 ng/g. The contents in Os exhibit considerably positive anomaly compare to the Upper Continental Crust and the ordinary Chinese coal. The individual PGEs in coal samples from the Kaixinling area exhibit various modes of occurrence. Pd and Pt are mainly concentrated in clay minerals and P-bearing minerals. Ir is probably present in clay minerals and partly controlled by other Fe-bearing and P-bearing minerals. Os is associated with organic matter and partly related to calcite. Three possible origins of PGEs were identified in coal seams in the Kaixinling area. Pd, Pt and Ir are mainly terrigenous inputs. Rh and Ru are derived from mixed sources (seawater and terrigenous supply), while Os is mainly derived from seawater.

Determination of highly siderophile element (HSE; Au, Pt, Pd, Ir, Os, Rh and Ru) concentrations in relatively unweathered and unaltered marine shales from the Barberton, Witwatersrand and Transvaal supergroups in the Kaapvaal Craton revealed systematic differences, interpreted to reflect secular changes in the HSE content of Mesoarchaean to Palaeoproterozoic seawater. Most of the studied marine shales have HSE concentrations in the range given for average Archaean crustal rocks (0.5–5 ppb), with the exception of the shales in the Witwatersrand Supergroup. These shales contain up to three times more HSE, independent of source rock lithology in the granitoid-greenstone-dominated hinterland. Although sedimentary pyrite incorporated gold from synsedimentary to early diagenetic waters, its modal proportion (

The article presents new data on composition of the platinum group metals (PGM) mineralization of the Yuzhnosopchinsky-1 locality, in the massif of the same name. In the central part of the Kola Region this area is located in the zone of contact between two large layered mafic-ultramafic intrusions: Monchegorsky pluton and Monchetundra intrusion. There is the contact between fine-medium-grained metapyroxenites and coarse-grained metagabbronorites. At some distance from the contact, coarse-grained bodies of plagioclase-pyroxene and plagioclase-amphibole composition contain sulfide, oxide and PGM mineralization. Ore minerals in these vein-shaped bodies are represented mainly by the bornite-chalcopyrite-millerite group, in close spatial association with the magnetite-ilmenite group. Arsenides, tellurides and sulfides of palladium predominate among the PGM minerals.

The fluid-explosive breccias of the Poperechny iron–manganese deposit, Lesser Khingan, Russia, contain high concentrations of platinum group elements (PGE), gold, and silver. Noble metals are represented by isoferroplatinum crystals, Os–Ir alloys, PGE sulfoarsenides, and gold grains with a size of tenths of a millimeter and micron-sized segregations of native silver. The mineral composition of the PGE of the Poperechny deposit is consistent with that of the ore and placer objects of the Ural–Alaskan type and corresponds to the isoferroplatinum–osmium magmatic assemblage. The euhedral morphology of the isoferroplatinum and PGE sulfoarsenides indicates that they were formed in a stable environment at the crust–mantle boundary owing to partial melting of slab rocks. The appearance of PGE minerals in the magmatic–hydrothermal system under subsurface conditions is related to a highly mobile gas-saturated fluid flux capable of transferring deep mineral phases. The high content of PGE (up to 11.3 g/t), gold (up to 2.58 g/t), and silver (up to 256 g/t) in the fluidolites of the Poperechny deposit makes it possible to revise the criteria for searching for the bedrocks and placer sources of noble metals in the Lesser Khingan.

The Lubei Ni–Cu sulfide ore deposit with 7.8 Mt sulfide ores at an average grade of 0.88 wt% Ni and 0.5 wt% Cu, is associated with a mafic–ultramafic intrusion in the western part of the East Tianshan in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, NW China. The primary mineralization is hosted by ultramafic rocks which are part of a 2.1 km2 mafic–ultramafic intrusion located within the Kanggurtag fault zone. In this paper, we intend to probe the ore-formation processes for the Lubei Ni–Cu sulfide ore deposit and discuss key factors that control the ore formation processes in a post-subduction setting. The Lubei primary magmas were derived from 13 to 17 % partial melting of a hydrous mantle containing ∼0.29 wt% H2O estimated using the silicate-liquid model pMELTS. The Lubei sulfide ores are characterized by low platinum group elements (PGE) and high mantle-normalized Pd/Ir ratios, and disseminated sulfide ores have higher Cu, Ni and PGE tenors than massive and vein sulfide ores indicative of crystal fractionation of Fe-rich monosulfide solid solution. The PGE-depleted Lubei sulfides possibly resulted from early sulfide segregation from the Lubei primary magmas as indicated by high Cu/Pd ratios (up to 106), and the proportion of early sulfide losses was 0.02 wt% which has depleted the Lubei parental magmas and later fractionated sulfides in chalcophile elements. This depletion would been compensated at different levels by later sulfide–magma interaction when the parental magmas reached in situ sulfide saturation, with an R factor (mass ratio of silicate to sulfide liquids) of 100–1000. The formation of the observed Lubei disseminated sulfide ores was associated with 5–15 vol% magma crystallization with the main silicate minerals being spinel and olivine, as modeled using the silicate-liquid model MELTS. The δ34S values of the Lubei sulfides vary over a narrow range of −0.3 to +1.8‰, indicating a mantle origin for the sulfur. The key factor that controls the formation of magmatic Ni–Cu deposits in post-subduction settings is a metasomatized mantle accompanied by activation of translithospheric faults during post-collisional extension. This mechanism alternatively interprets the widespread magmatic Ni–Cu deposits in the southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt and implies translithospheric fault as a potential target for Ni–Cu exploration.

Standard techniques for geochemical and mineralogical characterisation are time-consuming, they can involve significantsample preparation and they are prone to error. The aim of this work is to show how the emerging fast laser-inducedbreakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique can be valuable for mineral exploration. For this purpose, the well-establishedmicro-X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF) technique was used to validate the LIBS data. Two ore samples from the platinum-groupelements (PGE) Lac des^Iles mine (Ontario, Canada) were analysed both by LIBS andμ-XRF. The fast mineralogical andelemental mapping provided by LIBS allowed the identification of four major silicate phases (chlorite, bytownite, actinolite,hornblende) and four minor sulfide phases (Pd-bearing pentlandite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, pyrite). Multi-elementchemical mapping and mineral characterisation usingμ-XRF corroborated the LIBS analyses for the composition,distribution and abundance of minerals in PGE ore samples. These findings demonstrate the ability of the LIBS techniqueto perform direct fast high-resolution mapping of the chemical and mineralogical composition of PGE ore samples. Thiswork highlights the advantages of LIBS for this application of being much faster and more sensitive to trace elements (e.g.,Pd), as well as to low atomic number elements.

The field-portable X-ray fluorescence (FPXRF) spectrometer has evolved significantly in the last decade and has become one of the most innovative tools for field geologists. Portability and ease of use of FPXRF systems have opened up new and unique applications for even novice technicians. Application of FPXRF in precious metals exploration and mining appears to be challenging due to their low concentrations (lower than detection limit by FPXRF) in nature and even in most ore deposits. This case study shows the success of FPXRF in identifying anomalous zones of platinum group elements (PGE) and Au (target elements) using pathfinder elements in the Pilanesberg PGE deposit, Bushveld Complex, South Africa. Sixty-three core samples were analysed using both FPXRF and laboratory methods. In these samples, Pt

The present study aims at investigating the role of reactive porous flow in the fractionation of highly siderophile (HSE: Os, Ir, Ru, Rh, Pt, Pd, Au and Re) and chalcogen (S, Se, Te) elements during construction of the lower oceanic crust in (ultra-)slow spreading ridges. At this purpose, we analyzed the whole-rock HSE and chalcogen elements, and Re-Os isotopes in olivine-rich troctolites embedded within large-scale gabbroic sequences from the Alpine-Apennine Jurassic ophiolites. Leucotroctolites and chromitites associated with the olivine-rich troctolites were also investigated. The olivine-rich troctolites have initial γOs ranging from +0.2 to +5.9. Their primitive mantle-normalized patterns are characterized by a slight enrichment of Os over Ir, and an increase from Ir to Ru, Rh, Pt, Pd and Au, nearly flat Au-Te-Se-S, and weak Re depletion with respect to S. This HSE and chalcogen element, and Os isotopic signature was acquired in response to sulfide segregation, which was most likely triggered by reaction between an olivine-rich matrix and migrating MORB-type melts. The chromitite layers occurring within the olivine-rich troctolites exhibit high concentrations of platinum group elements (PGE: Os, Ir, Ru, Rh, Pt and Pd). Formation of the chromitites might produce melts depleted in PGE that reactively migrated within the olivine-rich matrix, and ultimately locally led to olivine-rich troctolites characterized by a slight increase of the PGE/chalcogen element fractionation. The leucotroctolites differ from associated olivine-rich troctolites in the lower concentrations of HSE and chalcogen elements, with subparallel primitive mantle-normalized patterns but slightly higher Se/Te values. The crystallization of the olivine-rich troctolites might release HSE and chalcogen elements-depleted melts that reacted with an olivine + plagioclase crystal mush to form the leucotroctolites. Alternatively, formation of the leucotroctolites involved a process of reacting melt flow characterized by a low melt/crystal matrix ratio, which led to a relatively low proportion of trapped melt and related sulfides. At (ultra-)slow spreading ridges, the crystallization of sulfides in high-Mg# lower crustal rocks may exert a significant control in shaping the HSE and chalcogen element signature of erupted basalts.