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Distribution of indium, germanium, gallium and other minor and trace elements in polymetallic ores from a porphyry system: The Morococha district, Peru
Distribution of indium, germanium, gallium and other minor and trace elements in polymetallic ores from a porphyry system: The Morococha district, Peru
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Fecha
2021
Autores
Benites, D.
Torró, L.
Vallance, J.
Laurent, O.
Valverde, P.E.
Kouzmanov, K.
Chelle-Michou, C.
Fontboté, L.
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Elsevier B.V.
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Abstracto
We report indium, germanium, gallium, and other minor and trace elements contents in sphalerite, chalcopyrite, galena, and tetrahedrite-tennantite occurring in skarn and skarn-free (“Cordilleran”) polymetallic mantos and vein ore bodies in the Miocene porphyry-related Morococha District, Central Peru. Among the investigated minerals, LA-ICP-MS measurements indicate that In and Ga concentrate mostly in sphalerite (Inter-Quartile Range [IQR] 217–2.7 ppm and up to 4608 ppm In; IQR 61–2.0 ppm and up to 2137 ppm Ga) and chalcopyrite (IQR 109–32 ppm and up to 1070 ppm In; IQR 62–1.5 ppm and up to 630 ppm Ga). In coeval generations of sphalerite and chalcopyrite, the contents of In and Ga in sphalerite are at least two times higher than in chalcopyrite. Germanium content is generally low in the four analyzed minerals (IQR 1.2–0.19 ppm), although late Fe-poor sphalerite may yield much higher values (IQR 129–74 ppm). Certain trace element contents appear to correlate with (i) the evolving characteristics of the hydrothermal fluids during individual mineralization events, and (ii) the location of the studied ore bodies relative to the hydrothermal feeders. The highest In values in sphalerite are found in high-sulfidation assemblages in Cordilleran polymetallic veins and, with lower amounts, in low-sulfidation assemblages in skarn bodies. In intermediate-sulfidation assemblages in Cordilleran mineralization, In content decreases from early to late generations of sphalerite, while that of Ge increases. Spatial trace-element trends in Cordilleran veins and replacement bodies formed during the so-called “Morococha district-scale polymetallic event” include, from porphyry-distal to porphyry-proximal locations: i) In and Cu, and to a lesser extent Ga, enrichment in sphalerite; ii) Se and Hg enrichment and Sn and Ag depletion in chalcopyrite; iii) In enrichment in galena; and iv) Ag depletion in tetrahedrite-tennantite. Our dataset suggests that In is incorporated in the sphalerite crystal lattice via coupled substitutions involving Cu and subordinately also Sn and Ag. Availability of Cu in the mineralizing fluids is therefore key to In enrichment in sphalerite. Progressive dilution of metal-rich magmatic-hydrothermal fluids and Cu precipitation probably account for the progressive In depletion in distal-to-porphyry Zn-Pb-Ag and Ag-Pb Cordilleran polymetallic mineralization and in late sphalerite generations in intermediate-sulfidation assemblages. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.
Descripción
This study was economically supported by the Peruvian CONCYTEC-FONDECYT-World Bank project 107-2018-FONDECYT-BM-IADT-AV, the FONCAI-0023-2019 project granted by the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP) and a Huiracocha Ph. D grant to D.B. granted by the PUCP. Pan American Silver Corp. provided field and logistical support and access to the mine area. Pan American Silver Corp. Morococha staff is most gratefully acknowledged, particularly Julio Zárate and Rubén Diaz. We appreciate the technical support by Xavier Llovet (CCiT-UB) during the acquisition of EPMA data, and by Peter Tollan (ETHZ) during the acquisition of LA-ICP-MS data. We are grateful to Fredrik Sahlström, Max Frenzel, and Editor-in-Chief Franco Pirajno for their constructive comments which significantly improved the manuscript.
Palabras clave
Skarn,
Cordilleran-type,
Critical elements,
Metal zoning