Mineralogy of the HSE in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle —An interpretive review

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.