Cadmium in Zinc Deposits: Economic Geology of a Polluting Element

The chief host of cadmium in zinc deposits is sphalerite, the cadmium content of which depends on the type of deposit. Sphalerite from Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) deposits has high cadmium concentrations whereas sphalerite from exhalative deposits has low cadmium concentrations. The Cd content of sphalerite depends on the Cd/Zn ratio, ligand activities, and temperature of the ore-forming fluids. The combined effect of variation of temperature, pH, total activity of reduced sulfur, and activity of Cl- cannot by itself account for either Cd depletion (exhalative deposits) or Cd enrichment (MVT deposits). Variations in the Cd/Zn ratio of the fluid have a significant effect in determining that of sphalerite. Basinal brines, which can considered to be the recent equivalents of MVT fluids, have high Cd/Zn ratios, and active exhalative systems are characterized by low Cd/Zn ratios. Probably the differences in sphalerite composition between the different deposit types are less a function of temperature and ligand activities than Cd/Zn ratio of the ore-forming fluids. In the hydrothermal environment, the Cd/Zn ratio is generally not high enough to allow crystallization of cadmium sulfides (greenockite or hawleyite). The abundance of greenockite in the supergene alteration zone of hydrothermal zinc deposits can be explained on the basis of Zn scavenging by crystallizing smithsonite.     

Inferred Indium Resources of the Bolivian Tin‐Polymetallic Deposits

Tin‐polymetallic base metal deposits of Miocene age in the Eastern Cordillera in Bolivia were studied by ICP/MS and EPMA for major and minor elements, paying an attention to indium concentration of the ore deposits. The highest indium content and 1000 In/Zn ratio of individual ore deposits are 5,740 ppm and 22.2 for the Potosi deposits, 2,730 ppm and 7.4 for Bolivar deposit, 2,510 ppm and 17.5 for Siete Suyos–Animas deposits, and 1,290 ppm and 3.3 for San Vicente deposit. The same content and ratio of composite samples of the studied deposits are up to 292 ppm and 4.0 for Potosi deposits, 3,080 ppm and 11.3 for Huari Huari deposit, 100 ppm and 0.3 for Tuntoco deposit, 152 ppm and 1.8 for Porco deposit, 103 ppm and 59.2 for Animas deposit, and 1,160 ppm and 3.7 for Pirquitas deposit. Those of zinc concentrates are as follows: 1,080 ppm and 2.1 at San Lorenzo; 584 ppm and 1.7 at Bolivar; 499 ppm and 1.23 at Porco; 449 ppm and 1.21 at Reserva, and 213 ppm and 0.61 at Colquiri deposit. Indium occurs mostly in dark colored sphalerite and that of the Potosi deposit was found to have one of the highest concentrations, containing up to 1.27 wt% In. Petrukite was discovered in the Potosi deposit, and indium minerals are expected to occur in the Huari Huari deposit and others with the high 1000 In/Zn ratios. The indium contents of the zinc concentrates and composite samples were applied to the produced and remaining ores, then the total amounts of indium in the Bolivian tin‐polymetallic base metal deposits are speculated to be more than 12,000 tons In, which is bigger than that of South China (11,000 tons) and the Japanese Islands (9,000 tons). Sphalerites of the Potosi deposit have one of the highest ranges of indium, similarly to those of the San Vicente deposit. Both the San Vicente and Potosi deposits are rich in silver, implying significance of both silver‐polymetallic and tin‐polymetallic environments for the concentration of trace amounts of indium.     

Trace-metal content of the Pueblo Viejo precious-metal deposits and their relation to other high-sulfidation epithermal systems

We provide here information on the distribution of copper, zinc, lead, gold, silver, barium, arsenic, antimony, mercury, selenium and tellurium in the Moore and Monte Negro high-sulfidation epithermal deposits in the Pueblo Viejo district, Dominican Republic. Moore and Monte Negro are funnel-shaped zones of advanced argillic alteration and precious-metal mineralization which extend to depths of about 350 m below the present surface. The uppermost part of the Moore deposit has been removed by erosion, whereas the Monte Negro deposit is covered by rocks containing low, but still anomalous gold grades. At Moore, concentrations of all elements except copper increase upward through the deposit. At Monte Negro, all elements except barium and zinc show a similar upward increase in concentration to a point near the top of the deposit from which they decrease upward. This difference reflects the fact that the top of the Moore deposit has been removed by erosion. Because the deposits are funnel-shaped and average metal concentrations increase by almost an order of magnitude upward, most of the metals are concentrated in the upper parts of the deposits. The upward increase in concentration of most metals is gradual and similar in magnitude to the prograde temperature dependence in solubilities of many metal complexes, suggesting that the metals were deposited by cooling. By contrast, concentrations of mercury and, to a lesser extent, tellurium increase more abruptly in the upper part of the deposits. This change probably reflects boiling of the hydrothermal solutions and partitioning of mercury and tellurium into a rising vapor phase, and it suggests that host rocks overlying the deposits will be anomalous in mercury and tellurium. Comparison to the Broadlands, New Zealand, hydrothermal system supports these inferred depositional processes. It shows that the behavior of arsenic and antimony at Broadlands was different from that at Pueblo Viejo, possibly because the elements were complexed differently in the two ore fluids. Comparison of trace-element abundances at Pueblo Viejo to other high-sulfidation epithermal systems shows differences in base-metal, arsenic and mercury abundances which may be related to the depths at which the deposits formed. The results of this study highlight the application and need for quantitative trace-element data from epithermal deposits.     

The association of tourmalinite with stratiform scheelite deposits

Three types of stratiform scheelite deposits are recognised. They all commonly have a close spatial association with tourmalinite. Regional prograde calc-silicate rocks in Precambrian rift settings commonly contain >100 ppm WO₃ with enrichment to 0.5–1% WO₃ in retrograde metamorphic assemblages at fold hinges, joints, faults, shears and granite and pegmatite dyke contacts. The calc-silicate progenitor was probably a impure dolomitic carbonate sediment. Amphibolite-hosted scheelite deposits occur in metamorphosed altered mafic volcanics formed in a narrow rift graben. Scheelite occurs both as stratiform and stratabound footwall stringer ore which has undergone minor remobilization during tectonism. Tourmalinites are rarely the host for stratabound quartz-scheelite±wolframite veins remobilized from the host tourmalinite and associated metavolcanics during tectonism.Tourmaline associated with stratiform scheelite deposits comprise zoned schorl-dravite and are no different from other tourmalines associated with submarine exhalative ores. Tourmalinites are characterized by high SiO₂, Al₂O₃, B₂O₃ and Fe₂O₃ and, although they are commonly stratigraphically equivalent to submarine exhalative base metal deposits, they are depleted in P₂O₅, BaO and MnO.It is suggested that soft base-soft acid ligand complexes transported W from the mantle or leached crust for surficial submarine hot spring deposition. Enrichment during tectonism, especially in calc-silicate hosted deposits, took place at the sites of fluid focussing where , and pH were high. This enrichment by up to 10² derives from dissolution of scheelite by chloride solutions resulting in redeposition of scheelite in retrograde metamorphic assemblages.     

华南下寒武统镍钼矿层中铜铅锌矿物的发现及意义

华南扬子地块是我国古热水沉积成矿作用最为发育的地区之一,其热水沉积特性最早引起我国学者的关注。华南下寒武统黑色岩系中赋存多个与热水沉积成矿作用相关的大型、超大型重晶石矿床与N i-Mo-U-V多金属富集层。进一步研究分布在华南扬子地块黑色岩系中的金属、非金属矿床成因及其地球化学特征,对认识华南乃至全球晚震旦—早寒武世生物与环境演化有着十分重要的意义。本文对华南下寒武统镍-钼富集层矿石进行电子探针研究,识别出黄铜矿、黝铜矿等铜的独立矿物;闪锌矿等锌的独立矿物;方铅矿、白铅矿等铅的独立矿物。研究表明,在镍-钼矿石中这些矿物的发现为镍-钼矿层是热水沉积作用产物提供了直接的矿物学证据。     

The Key Tuffite,Matagami Camp,Abitibi Greenstone Belt,Canada: petrogenesis and implications for VMS formation and exploration

The Key Tuffite is a stratigraphic marker unit for most of the zinc-rich volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits of the Matagami Camp in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. This 2- to 6-m-thick unit was previously interpreted as a mixture of ash fall (andesitic to rhyolitic tuffaceous components) and volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS)-related chemical seafloor precipitate (exhalative component). Previous attempts to develop geochemical exploration vectoring tools using metal content within the Key Tuffite were mostly inconclusive due to the complex nature of the Key Tuffite unit and a poor understanding of its composition, origin and relationship with the VMS-forming hydrothermal systems. Detailed mapping and thorough lithogeochemistry of the Key Tuffite in the vicinity of the Perseverance and Bracemac-McLeod deposits indicate that the Key Tuffite is a homogeneous calc-alkaline, andesitic tuff that was deposited before the VMS deposits were formed. The unit is mostly devoid of exhalative component, but it is strongly hydrothermally altered close to orebodies. This is characterized by a strong proximal chloritization and a distal sericitization, which grades laterally into the unaltered Key Tuffite. Neither the Key Tuffite nor the ore was formed by seafloor exhalative processes for the two studied deposits. This probably explains why previously proposed exploration models based on metal scavenging proved unsuccessful and suggests that a re-evaluation of the exhalative model should be done at the scale of the mining camp. However, as shown in this study, hydrothermal alteration can be used to vector towards ore along the Key Tuffite.     

Element—Assemblage Zoning Features of Gold Deposis in the Cambrian Silicalite Formation,Western Qinling

The gold deposits,occurring in the south subzone of western Qinling,are the only typical and important strata-bound gold deposits,which are associated with submarine exhalative sedimentation.The gold deposits include the La‘erma ore deposit,the Qiongmo ore deposit and the Yaxiang ore occurrence.They are hosted i the Cambrian silicalite formation composed of black chert and slate.The presence of typical chert offers important evidence to evaluate the possible submarine exhalative system and its role in the formation of the gold deposits,which are closely associated with peroclation and diffusion in the horizontal,vertical and axial directions,Element-assemblage zonation is clearly seen due to differences in element concentrations in different directions,Such a zonation makes gold.selenium,uranium,copper,stibium,molybdenum,mercury,etc,precipitate in the form of simple or composite orebodies.The establishent of the element-assemblage zonation is highly helpful for evaluating directly the metallogenesis of gold deposits.     

论华南喷流—沉积块状硫化物矿床

现代海底喷流－沉积硫化物矿床的发现极大地推动了海底热液成矿理论的发展,也大大地提高了对古代海底喷流块充化物矿术的研究水平。本文指出喷流－沉积是重要的成矿作用,提出喷流－沉积矿床是华南Ｃｕ、Ｐｂ、Ｚｎ、Ｓｎ、Ａｇ、Ａｕ等矿产资源的重要来源,形成了一批超大型矿床,并将华南许多曾被认为属夕卡岩矿床重新确认为喷流－沉积岩床。文章还论述了华南喷流－沉积块状硫化物矿床的特征、分类、时空分布及其成矿特点等问题,提出断裂拗陷带型喷流－沉积块状硫化物矿床是华南具有特色的类型,而陆相断陷盆地中喷流－沉积矿床值得进一步深入研究。     

New data on distribution of indium in ore deposits of Central Kazakhstan

Iron, tin, tungsten, copper, and polymetallic deposits are examined and the paper investigates the mineral distribution of indium in mineral deposits in central Kazakhstan. Indium is a relatively rare element; of the 18 formations examined only five revealed high concentrations of indium. Economic accumulations were discovered only in Early and Late Variscan skarnitic formations with lead-zinc, copper, and bismuth mineralizations. Among the hypogene minerals, indium was found in sulfides, and silicates. Among supergene minerals indium was found only in oxides, carbonates, and silicates. Sphalerites are the principal collector of indium. No connection between the enrichment in indium and the typomorphic peculiarities of different varieties of sphalerites could be established. In mineral deposits with higher indium concentration, a paragenetic connection of this element with tin is noticeable. Regular enrichment of sphalerites in indium would admit as most probable an isomorphous replacement of zinc and bivalent iron by indium. — A.W. Bellais     

西秦岭寒武系中金矿床成矿元素分带研究

西秦岭寒武纪硅岩建造中的金矿床,其形成与成矿热液沿纵向、横向及轴向的渗滤和扩散作用密切相关。由于元素组分在各个方面出现浓度（含量）的差异,使矿床中成矿元素分带甚为明显。元素的分带最终导致了Ａｕ、Ｓｅ、Ｕ、Ｃｕ、Ｍｏ、Ｓｂ、Ｈｇ等元素在三维空间各自构成单一或复合型的矿（化）体。     

大厂锡矿床成因综合分析及成矿模式

本文通过对大厂锡多金属矿床区域成矿地质环境、矿体形态特征、原生金属-矿物分带、矿床地球化学的综合分析与研究,论述了该矿床在许多方面具有喷气沉积成因的特点。为此,我们把大厂锡多金属矿床与块状硫化物矿床、绿岩带金矿床及某些层控锡矿床进行了对比,从而明确了大厂锡矿属于含锡块状硫化物型层控锡矿床。本文还从发展、演化的角度,对大厂层控锡矿形成后的变形-变质作用进行了系统研究,阐明了同生与后生地质现象同时存在的原因,解决了对该矿床所提出彼此矛盾成因假说的难题。最后,建立了大厂锡矿的成因模式,并探讨了该超大型锡矿形成的特殊地质环境。     

Iron and chlorine as guides to stratiform Cu-Co-Au deposits,Idaho Cobalt Belt,USA

The Cu-Co-Au deposits of the Idaho Cobalt Belt are in lithostratigraphic zones of the Middle Proterozoic Yellowjacket Formation characterized by distinctive chemical and mineralogical compositions including high concentrations of Fe (15- > 30 wt. percent Fe₂O₃), Cl (0.1–1.10 wt. percent), and magnetite or biotite (> 50 vol. percent). The Cu-Co-Au deposits of the Blackbird mine are stratabound in Fe-silicate facies rocks that are rich in biotite, Fe, and Cl, but stratigraphically equivalent rocks farther than 10 km from ore deposits have similar compositions. A lower lithostratigraphic zone containing magnetite and small Cu-Co-Au deposits extends for more than 40 km. The Fe-rich strata are probably exhalative units related to mafic volcanism and submarine hot springs, but the origin of the high Cl concentrations is less clear. Former chlorine-rich pore fluids are suggested by the presence of supersaline fluid inclusions, by Cl-rich biotite and scapolite (as much as 1.87 percent Cl in Fe-rich biotite), and by high Cl concentrations in rock samples. Chlorine is enriched in specific strata and in zones characterized by soft-sediment deformation, thus probably was introduced during sedimentation or diagenesis. Unlike some metasedimentary rocks containing scapolite and high Cl, the Yellowjacket Formation lacks evidence for evaporitic strata that could have been a source of Cl. More likely, the Cl reflects a submarine brine that carried Fe, K, and base metals. Strata containing anomalous Fe-K-Cl are considered to be a guide to sub-basins favorable for the occurrence of stratiform base-metal deposits.     

Tectonic controls on gold deposits and their environmental impact, New Zealand

New Zealand is an active orogenic belt which varies along its length from continental collision to continent–ocean subduction tectonics. Mesothermal gold deposits, with rare mercury, have formed in collisional settings from late Mesozoic to Pleistocene, with youngest deposits along the axis of the actively rising Southern Alps mountain chain. Epithermal gold and mercury deposits have formed, and are still forming associated with calcalkaline volcanism above the subduction zone, and with basaltic volcanism associated with extensional faulting. The environmental impact of mineral deposits is related to tectonic setting, mineralogy, and climate, all of which are governed by the geometry of the orogen. Mesothermal mineralisation added carbonates to calcite-bearing host rocks in what is now cool semiarid or extreme Alpine settings, and oxidation of sulphides does not result in significant acidification of the environment. Arsenic is the principal metal of environmental significance, and is readily mobilised from these deposits at neutral to alkaline pH. Mercury may be leached from cinnabar and/or gold on geological time scales. In contrast, epithermal mineral deposits have hydrothermal clay alteration, locally further clay-altered by deep temperate to subtropical weathering, and calcite is generally subordinate to sulphides. Acidification accompanies oxidation of these deposits, and copper, cadmium, lead and zinc are readily mobilised into the environment. Mercury can be mobilised by these acid solutions as well, where mercury occurs in minerals other than cinnabar.     

Use of tourmaline in stream sediments to detect submarine exhalative sulfide deposits: example from central Virginia,U.S.A.

The detection of several unmined submarine exhalative sulfide deposits, most of which are concealed with no surface expression, was investigated using the distribution grain counts of tourmaline in stream sediment concentrates. The number of sulfide zones located using this method is comparable to that achieved using trace metal nalyses of fine-grained stream sediment andMnz.sbnd;Fe oxide coatings on stream pebbles. Because both dravite, associated with a sulfide zone, and schorl, from a pegmatite, are known to occur in the field area, it is likely that both will occur in stream sediment and will be included in tourmaline-grain-counts of sediment concentrates. Attempts to differentiate dravite and schorl in the sediment concentrates, based on microscopically observable physical properties, were unsuccessful, but semi-quantitative chemical analyses should readily accomplish this because of large differences in Mg and Fe concentrations.     

Behavior of mercury in the supergene zone of geothermal deposits,southern Kamchatka

Mercury distribution was determined in all types of solid materials from the supergene zone of geothermal deposits in southern Kamchatka: rocks, hydrothermally altered rocks (metasomatic rocks), soils, soil—pyroclastic cover, bottom sediments of perennial and intermittent streams, hydrothermal clays, artificial siliceous precipitates, and iron sulfides formed owing to thermal water discharge from a well. The mercury content varies from background values for the Kurile-Kamchatka region in fresh rocks to high and extremely high values in hydrothermal clays and monomineralic pyrite samples. The sources, migration conditions, and concentration mechanisms of mercury were evaluated. Mercury is supplied to the surface of geothermal deposits and thermal fields by a deep hydrothermal flow and is concentrated on thermodynamic barriers in hydrothermal clays, siliceous sinters (silica gel), and soils showing high salinity owing to the deposition in them of silica, sulfates, and other compounds from a vapor-water mixture. Newly formed clay minerals, iron sulfides (pyrite), silica gel, and biological materials (peat) can probably efficiently sorb mercury under geothermal conditions at atmospheric pressure and temperatures from 20°C to 120°C.     

Contamination of two Oregon reservoirs by cinnabar mining and mercury amalgamation

 Two reservoirs in western Oregon contain mercury-contaminated sediment and fish as a result of historic mercury mining in the Cottage Grove Lake watershed and mercury amalgamation used in gold mining in the Dorena Lake watershed. On average, sediment in Cottage Grove Lake contains ten times as much mercury as sediment from Dorena Lake (2.720 versus 0.242 ppm). Mercury content in Cottage Grove Lake sediment shows a sharp initial decrease and leveling off with time that reflects the end of the major cinnabar mining phase; deposition of other heavy metals appears to be linked to the clay content of sediment. Mercury input to Dorena Lake has remained fairly constant with time, but small increases in mercury are associated with the deposits of large floods. Copper, lead, and zinc input to Dorena Lake exhibits a marked decrease and leveling off related to the end of commercial mining for these metals. Received: 12 October 1999 · Accepted: 22 March 2000     

Stable Isotope Study of the Langshan Polymetallic Mineral District, Inner Mongolia, China

Abstract: A comprehensive stable isotope investigation was carried out to clarify the geneses of the ore deposits in the Langshan Pb-Zn mineral district. The lead isotope study shows that these deposits were probably formed from 2. 0 to 1. 5 Ga, and were deformed and metamorphosed 1. 45 Ga. Ore lead could be a mixture of mantle lead and crustal lead. The C and S isotope results indicate that these deposits were precipitated in closed or semi-closed rift basins, and the source of sulfur might be Proterozoic ocean sulfate. The H and O isotope results indicate that the δD and δ¹⁸O values of rocks were changed by water-rock interaction during metamorphism and hydrothermal alteration. The scale of δD and δ¹⁸O shift of rocks reflects the grade of metamorphism and alteration as well as the water-rock ratios. However, the water-rock ratios in the metamorphic processes of Langshan mineral district were relatively low, and the source of water during metamorphism is suggested to be ancient meteoric water. Based on isotopic results and the geological background, it is concluded that these deposits may belong to Proterozoic sedimentary exhalative (SEDEX) type.     

Metallogeny and environmental impact of Hg in Zn deposits in China

Zinc smelting is currently regarded as one of the most important atmospheric Hg emission sources in the world. In order to assess the potential environmental impacts of Hg from Zn smelting in China, the distribution of total Hg concentration (HgT) in Zn concentrates (ZCs) from 100 Zn deposits in China was investigated. It was found that HgT varies depending on the ore types and their geneses. Zinc concentrates from sedimentary-exhalative deposits (SEDEX, geometric mean = 48.2 μg/g) have the highest HgT. The possible explanation is that the sources of mineralizing solutions for SEDEX deposits are deep formational brines in contact with sedimentary rocks, and there are much higher background Hg contents in sedimentary rocks. Zinc concentrates from volcanic hosted massive sulfide deposits (VMS, geometric mean = 11.5 μg/g) and Mississippi Valley-Type (MVT, geometric mean = 10.1 μg/g) deposits have intermediate HgT. VMS may receive most of their Hg from fluid–rock interaction and/or by direct input of gaseous Hg from a mantle source. However, the source of metals within MVTs may be the low-temperature hydrothermal solution formed by diagenetic recrystallization of the carbonates. Intrusion related deposits (IRs) have the lowest HgT (Geomean = 2.4 μg/g), and the dispersion of Hg in the IRs seems to be influenced by the temperature of ore formation and/or the nature of wall–rock alteration. Finally, it was estimated that the annual Hg emission to the atmosphere from Zn smelting in China was about 107.7 tons in 2006.     

Tourmalinites from the Golden Dyke Dome,Northern Australia

Tourmalinites occur at five stratigraphic levels within the low metamorphic grade multiply deformed Lower Proterozoic metasediments and metavolcanics of the Golden Dyke Dome. The geological setting, exhalite associations, sedimentary structures and tourmaline chemistry all preclude a granitic origin. Tourmalinite derived from the isochemical metamorphism of an exhalite comprising silica and tourmaline. Tourmalinite and other exhalites are hosted by carbonaceous pelitic metasediments and were deposited in deeper basinal areas. The ore fluid was probably dolerite-heated seawater which leached a thick pile of argillaceous sediments and acquired metals and boron by leaching. The first and second increase in geothermal gradient produced tourmalinite, the third produced auriferous tourmalinite and iron formations with tourmalinite and exhalative Pb-Zn deposits forming during the period of maximum geothermal gradient. More tourmalinite formed during the subsequent decline in geothermal gradient. Tourmalinites are regarded as B-rich iron formations which can be the host for or associated with exhalative deposits of Au and base metals.     

广西元宝山东侧层状基性-超基性岩带及有关锡、铂矿床的地质特征

广西元宝山区的层状基性-超基性岩带是桂北花岗-绿岩带的超镁铁质熔岩,其岩石化学特征与科马提岩相似,与之有成因关系的矿产,不仅有铂钯矿,还有具很大经济价值的锡矿。后者是一种新型锡矿床,与产于花岗岩内外接触带的锡矿完全不同,它产于基性-超基性杂岩之内,呈层状产出,随地层褶曲而褶曲。矿物组合、地球化学特征均与超基性岩有密切关系,但受到后期热液(含花岗岩事件所产生的热液)的叠加改造作用。