Hydrothermal Activity Events at Kairei Field,Central Indian Ridge 25°S

The Kairei hydrothermal field is located on the Central Indian Ridge at 70°02′E, 25°19'S, which was discovered in 2000. Eight representative hydrothermal product samples including massive sulfide, sulfide chimney and mineralized rock breccia samples collected from this field were age‐dated using the ²³⁰Th/²³⁴U and ²¹⁰Pb/Pb methods. Four episodes of hydrothermal activity were determined: 94.5 to 96.3 ka (event I), 56.6 to 61.2 ka (event II), 8.4 to 10.6 ka (event III), and <180 a to present (event IV). Among them, event I is the oldest and is characterized by the low‐temperature mineralization of rock breccias which probably represents for the onset of the hydrothermal activity of the field. Events II to IV represent the episodic high‐temperature hydrothermal activities characterized by Cu and Zn‐rich sulfides. The recent hydrothermal activity has lasted for at least 180 a.     

南大西洋中脊26°S热液区成矿物质来源探讨

南大西洋中脊的26°S热液区广泛发育多金属硫化物、底泥、枕状熔岩、非活动性烟囱体和活动性烟囱体。为了有效探索硫、铜等成矿物质的来源以及成矿作用过程,分别以玄武岩、烟囱体残片及块状多金属硫化物为研究对象,开展了熔融包裹体、硫同位素和铜同位素研究。结果显示：区内玄武岩新鲜未蚀变且斑晶中产出大量熔融包裹体;熔融包裹体气泡壁附着黄铜矿、黄铁矿及磁铁矿等子矿物,说明在岩浆作用过程中可从熔浆中分离出成矿所需的金属元素和硫,这些成矿元素随着岩浆去气作用进入挥发分中,并随着脱气作用迁移出来。通过对烟囱体残片及块状多金属硫化物中黄铁矿的硫同位素组成进行比对分析,发现26°S热液区内硫化物的硫同位素与大西洋各热液区硫化物的硫同位素变化范围相一致,但δ³⁴S_V-CDT值略低（3.0‰~3.9‰）。低的δ³⁴S_V-CDT值指示硫以岩浆硫源为主,海水硫酸盐还原硫占比低。黄铜矿呈现略微富铜重同位素特征且分馏程度较低,其δ⁶⁵Cu值（0.171‰~0.477‰）趋近于大洋中脊玄武岩的铜同位素值（0）。综合硫同位素及铜同位素特征,表明热液流体经历了岩浆和海水的混合过程,成矿物质主要来自于岩浆热液,成矿作用过程中可能有少量海水混入。     

西藏墨竹工卡县洞中拉铅锌矿床S、Pb同位素组成及成矿物质来源

为了探讨西藏墨竹工卡县洞中拉铅锌矿的成矿物质来源,研究矿床成矿机制,对该矿床的矿石样品进行了硫和铅同位素分析,并对其变化规律和成因意义进行讨论。研究结果表明,6件金属硫化物样品(闪锌矿、黄铜矿、方铅矿)的δ34S值变化于2.2‰～4.8‰之间,显示硫同位素组成比较稳定。根据共生硫化物对所确定的温度,该矿床属中低温热液矿床。6件金属硫化物样品206Pb/204Pb、207Pb/204Pb和208Pb/204Pb变化范围分别为18.628 0～18.629 6、15.698 0～15.699 9、39.077 5～39.082 4,平均值分别为18.628 70、15.699 02和39.079 37。硫和铅同位素研究结果表明,洞中拉铅锌矿床的硫主要来自沉积围岩,主要为无机还原成因,有少量硫来自本地区燕山晚期花岗岩;洞中拉铅锌矿床矿石铅主要来自上地壳物质。     

Mineralogy,Sulfur Isotope and Fluid Inclusion Studies of Hydrothermal Ore at the Hakurei Deposit,Bayonnaise Knoll,Izu‐Bonin Arc

Sulfide and sulfate ore samples collected from the Hakurei deposit of the Bayonnaise knoll were examined for the occurrence and chemical composition of minerals, including the sulfur isotopes and the microthermometry of fluid inclusions. Massive sulfide ore, mineralized volcanic rock, and anhydrite ore occur in descending order, from the seafloor to the bottom of the cored sample. The massive sulfide ore is dominated by sphalerite and accompanied by tennantite, chalcopyrite, and pyrite with lesser amounts of galena, enargite, and covellite. Amorphous silica is commonly precipitated on the surface of the sulfide minerals. As‐bearing minerals such as tennantite, enargite, and luzonite are common, while galena and Sb‐rich tetrahedrite are scarce. The mineral abundance and chemical composition of the minerals differs from that found in chimneys of the deposit. The sulfur isotope compositions in the minerals are +3.1–5.2‰ for sulfides and +19.6–21.8‰ for sulfate minerals. The homogeneous nature of the sulfur isotopes suggests that sulfur incorporated in the Hakurei deposit came from the reduction of aqueous sulfate in seawater.     

Cu–Mo Differential Mineralization Mechanism of the Dabate Polymetallic Deposit in Western Tianshan,NW China: Evidence from Geology,Fluid Inclusions,and Oxygen Isotope Systematics

Classic porphyry Cu–Mo deposits are mostly characterized by close temporal and spatial relationships between Cu and Mo mineralization. The northern Dabate Cu–Mo deposit is a newly discovered porphyry Cu–Mo polymetallic deposit in western Tianshan, northwest China. The Cu mineralization postdates the Mo mineralization and is located in shallower levels in the deposit, which is different from most classic porphyry Cu–Mo deposits. Detailed field investigations, together with microthermometry, laser Raman spectroscopy, and O‐isotope studies of fluid inclusions, were conducted to investigate the origin and evolution of ore‐forming fluids from the main Mo to main Cu stage of mineralization in the deposit. The results show that the ore‐forming fluids of the main Mo stage belonged to an NaCl + H₂O system of medium to high temperatures (280–310°C) and low salinities (2–4 wt% NaCl equivalent (eq.)), whereas that of the main Cu stage belonged to an F‐rich NaCl + CO₂ + H₂O system of medium to high temperatures (230–260°C) and medium to low salinities (4–10 wt% NaCl eq.). The δ¹⁸O values of the ore‐forming fluids decrease from 3.7–7.8‰ in the main Mo stage to ?7.5 to ?2.9‰ in the main Cu stage. These data indicate that the separation of Cu and Mo was closely related to a large‐scale vapor–brine separation of the early ore‐forming fluids, which produced the Mo‐bearing and Cu‐bearing fluids. Subsequently, the relatively reducing (CH₄‐rich) Mo‐bearing, ore‐forming fluids, dominantly of magmatic origin, caused mineralization in the rhyolite porphyry due to fluid boiling, whereas the relatively oxidizing (CO₂‐rich) Cu‐bearing, ore‐forming fluids mixed with meteoric water and precipitated chalcopyrite within the crushed zone at the contact between rhyolite porphyry and wall rock. We suggest that the separation of Cu and Mo in the deposit may be attributed to differences in the chemical properties of Cu and Mo, large‐scale vapor–brine separation of early ore‐forming fluids, and changes in oxygen fugacity.     

Abundances of Sulfur,Selenium, Tellurium,Rhenium and Platinum‐Group Elements in Eighteen Reference Materials by Isotope Dilution Sector‐Field ICP‐MS and Negative TIMS

Geological reference materials (RMs) with variable compositions and NIST SRM 612 were analysed by isotope dilution mass spectrometry for bulk rock concentrations of chalcogen elements (sulfur, selenium and tellurium), rhenium and platinum‐group elements (PGEs: Ru, Pd, Os, Ir and Pt), including the isotope amount ratios of ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os. All concentrations were obtained from the same aliquot after HCl‐HNO₃ digestion in a high pressure asher at 320 °C. Concentrations were determined after chemical separation by negative TIMS, ICP‐MS and hydride generation ICP‐MS (Se, Te). As in previous studies, concentrations of the PGEs in most RMs were found to be highly variable, which may be ascribed to sample heterogeneity at the < 1 g level. In contrast, S, Se and Te displayed good precision (RSD < 5%) in most RMs, suggesting that part of the PGE budget is controlled by different phases, compared with the chalcogen budget. The method may minimise losses of volatile chalcogens during the closed‐system digestion and indicates the different extent of heterogeneity of chalcogens, Re and PGEs in the same sample aliquot. OKUM, SCo‐1, MRG‐1, DR‐N and MAG‐1 are useful RMs for the chalcogens. NIST SRM 612 displays homogenous distribution of S, Se, Te, Pt and Pd in 30 mg aliquots, in contrast with micro‐scale heterogeneity of Se, Pd and Pt.     

Geochemistry of K‐feldspar and Muscovite in Rare‐element Pegmatites and Granites from the Totoral Pegmatite Field,San Luis,Argentina

The geochemistry of K‐feldspar for K, P, Sr, Ba, Rb, Cs, Ga, and of muscovite for the same elements plus Nb and Ta, was used for proving the parental relationships of S‐type granites and LCT (Li, Cs, Ta) rare‐element pegmatites in the southernmost pegmatitic field of the Pampean pegmatite province in Argentina. The variation of K/Rb‐Cs, K/Cs‐Rb, K/Rb‐Rb/Sr, K/Rb‐Ba in K‐feldspar from the granites and pegmatites show that they form an association with the evolutional sequence: granites → barren‐ to transitional pegmatites → beryl type, beryl‐columbite‐phosphate pegmatites → complex type of spodumene subtype pegmatites → albite‐spodumene type → albite type pegmatites. This sequence reflects the regional distribution of the different magmatic units. The Ta‐Cs diagram for muscovite reveals that none of the studied pegmatites exceed the threshold established in previous studies for being considered with important tantalum oxide mineralization. The granites and pegmatites constitute a rare‐element pegmatitic field in which different magmatic units form a continuous fractionation trend, extended from the less evolved granitic facies to the most geochemically specialized pegmatites     

An Isotope Dilution ICP‐MS Method for the Determination of Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca Ratios in Calcium Carbonate

Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios in calcium carbonate are important components of many palaeoclimate studies. We present an isotope dilution method relying on a single mixed spike containing ²⁵Mg, ⁴³Ca and ⁸⁷Sr. Dozens of samples per day, as small as 10 μg of carbonate, could be dissolved, spiked and run in an ICP‐MS with a precision of 0.8% (2 RSD). Two instruments types, a sector field and a quadrupole ICP‐MS, were compared. The best long term precision found was 0.4% (2 RSD), although this increased by up to a factor of two when samples of very different Mg or Sr content were run together in the same sequence. Long term averages for the two instruments concurred. No matrix effects were detected for a range of Ca concentrations between 0.2 and 2 mmol l^‐1. Accuracy, tested by measuring synthetic standard solutions, was 0.8% with some systematic trends. We demonstrate the strength of this isotope dilution method for (a) obtaining accurate results for sample sets that present a broad Mg and Sr range and (b) testing solid carbonates as candidate reference materials for interlaboratory consistency. Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca results for reference materials were in good agreement with values from the literature.