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Platinum-group element and gold contents of arsenide and sulfarsenide minerals associated with Ni and Au deposits in Archean greenstone belts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 April 2018

Margaux Le Vaillant ,
Stephen J. Barnes ,
Marco L. Fiorentini ,
Sarah-Jane Barnes ,
Adam Bath  and
John Miller
Margaux Le Vaillant*
Affiliation:
CSIRO / Mineral Resources, Kensington, Perth, Australia Centre for Exploration Targeting, School of Earth Sciences and ARC Centre of Excellence for Core to Crust Fluid Systems, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
Stephen J. Barnes
Affiliation:
CSIRO / Mineral Resources, Kensington, Perth, Australia
Marco L. Fiorentini
Affiliation:
Centre for Exploration Targeting, School of Earth Sciences and ARC Centre of Excellence for Core to Crust Fluid Systems, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
Sarah-Jane Barnes
Affiliation:
Département des sciences appliquées, Université du Québec a Chicoutimi (UQAC), Québec, Canada
Adam Bath
Affiliation:
CSIRO / Mineral Resources, Kensington, Perth, Australia
John Miller
Affiliation:
CSIRO / Mineral Resources, Kensington, Perth, Australia Centre for Exploration Targeting, School of Earth Sciences and ARC Centre of Excellence for Core to Crust Fluid Systems, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
*
*E-mail: Margaux.levaillant@csiro.au
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Abstract

Post-magmatic alteration of certain magmatic Ni sulfide ores in Western Australia, the Miitel deposit and the Sarah's Find prospect, produced Ni–As–PGE haloes around massive sulfides. A study of the composition of arsenide grains from these hydrothermal haloes, along with arsenides from various magmatic and hydrothermal mineralized environments in other localities, was conducted in order to compare their composition, and assess their potential use as indicator minerals for exploration vectoring, as well as to gain knowledge on their crystallization history. Concentrations in trace elements such as platinum-group elements (PGEs), Au and other metals was obtained by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy analyses. Results show that variations in PGEs and Au compositions can be related to the magmatic vs. hydrothermal origin of the grains; and to their provenance from deposits enriched in either Ni, Au or both. Magmatic NiCoFe sulfarsenides have strongly correlated, high IPGE (Os, Ir, Ru, Rh) contents up to 100 ppm Ir, compared with maximum values in hydrothermal sulfarsenides of ~1 ppm. Gold in hydrothermal sulfarsenides from Au-mineralized ultramafic rocks extends up to 500 ppm, with typical values of 3–30 ppm; similar values are also found in nickeline (also called niccolite). These results suggest that nickel arsenides could potentially be used as indicator minerals for nickel and gold exploration. Trace-element contents of arsenide grains in shear zones could be used to deduce the presence of Ni or Au mineralization upstream in the fluid pathway.

Keywords

platinum-group elementgoldnickel arsenidesulfarsenideArchean greenstone belts
Type
Article
Information
Mineralogical Magazine , Volume 82 , Special Issue 3: Special Issue dedicated to the work and memory of Professor Hazel M. Prichard (1954–2017) , June 2018 , pp. 625 - 647
Copyright
Copyright © Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2018 

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Footnotes

This paper is published as part of a thematic set in memory of Professor Hazel M. Prichard

Associate Editor: Iain McDonald

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