Geochemistry of the Kalatongke Ni–Cu–(PGE) sulfide deposit,NW China: implications for the formation of magmatic sulfide mineralization in a postcollisional environment

The Kalatongke (also spelt as Karatungk) Ni–Cu–(platinum-group element, PGE) sulfide deposit, containing 33 Mt sulfide ore with a grade of 0.8 wt.% Ni and 1.3 wt.% Cu, is located in the Eastern Junggar terrane, Northern Xinjiang, NW China. The largest sulfide ore body, which occupies more than 50 vol.% of the intrusion Y1, is dominantly comprised of disseminated sulfide with a massive sulfide inner zone. Economic disseminated sulfides also occur at the base of the intrusions Y2 and Y3. The main host rock types are norite in the lower part and diorite in the upper part of each intrusion. Enrichment in large ion lithophile elements and depletion in heavy rare earth elements relative to mid-ocean ridge basalt indicate that the mafic intrusions were produced from magmas derived from a metasomatized garnet lherzolite mantle. The average grades of the disseminated ores are 0.6 wt.% Ni and 1.1 wt.% Cu, whereas those of the massive ores are 2 wt.% Ni and 8 wt.% Cu. The PGE contents of the disseminated ores (14–69 ppb Pt and 78–162 ppb Pd) are lower than those of the massive ores (120–505 ppb Pt and 30–827 ppb Pd). However, on the basis of 100% sulfide, PGE contents of the massive sulfides are lower than those of the disseminated sulfides. Very high Cu/Pd ratios (>4.5 × 10⁴) indicate that the Kalatongke sulfides segregated from PGE-depleted magma produced by prior sulfide saturation and separation. A negative correlation between the Cu/Pd ratio and the Pd content in 100% sulfide indicates that the PGE content of the sulfide is controlled by both the PGE concentrations in the parental silicate magma and the ratio of the amount of silicate to sulfide magma. The negative correlations between Ir and Pd indicate that the massive sulfides experienced fractionation.     

The Kalatongke magmatic Ni–Cu deposits in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, NW China: product of slab window magmatism?

The Permian Kalatongke Ni–Cu deposits in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt are among the most important Ni–Cu deposits in northern Xinjiang, western China. The deposits are hosted by three small mafic intrusions comprising mainly norite and diorite. Its tectonic context, petrogenesis, and ore genesis have been highly contested. In this paper, we present a new model involving slab window magmatism for the Kalatongke intrusions. The origin of the associated sulfide ores is explained in the context of this new model. Minor amounts of olivine in the intrusions have Fo contents varying between 71 and 81.5?mol%, which are similar to the predicted values for olivine crystallizing from coeval basalts in the region. Analytic modeling based on major element concentrations suggests that the parental magma of the Kalatongke intrusions and the coeval basalts represent fractionated liquids produced by ～15% of olivine crystallization from a primary magma, itself produced by 7–8% partial melting of depleted mantle peridotite. Positive ε _Nd values (+4 to +10) and significant negative Nb anomalies for both intrusive and extrusive rocks can be explained by the mixing of magma derived from depleted mantle with 6–18% of a partial melt derived from the lower part of a juvenile arc crust with a composition similar to coeval A-type granites in the region, plus up to 10% contamination with the upper continental crust. Our model suggests that a slab window was created due to slab break-off during a transition from oceanic subduction to arc–arc or arc–continent collision in the region in the Early Permian. Decompression melting in the upwelling oceanic asthenosphere produced the primary magma. When this magma ascended to pond in the lower parts of a juvenile arc crust, it underwent olivine crystallization and at the same time triggered partial melting of the arc crust. Mixing between these two magmas followed by contamination with the upper crust after the magma ascended to higher crustal levels formed the parental magma of the Kalatongke intrusions. The parental magma of the Kalatongke intrusions was saturated with sulfide upon arrival primarily due to olivine fractional crystallization and selective assimilation of crustal sulfur. Sulfide mineralization in the Kalatongke intrusions can be explained by accumulation of immiscible sulfide droplets by flow differentiation, gravitational settling, and downward percolation which operated in different parts of the intrusions. Platinum-group element (PGE) depletion in the bulk sulfide ores of the Kalatongke deposits was due to depletion in the parental magma which in turn was likely due to depletion in the primary magma. PGE depletion in the primary magma can be explained by a relatively low degree of partial melting of the mantle and retention of coexisting sulfide liquid in the mantle.     

Re–Os isotope and platinum-group element geochemistry of the Pobei Ni–Cu sulfide-bearing mafic–ultramafic complex in the northeastern part of the Tarim Craton

A number of mafic–ultramafic intrusions that host Ni–Cu sulfide mineralization occur in the northeastern Tarim Craton and the eastern Tianshan Orogenic Belt (NW China). The sulfide-mineralized Pobei mafic–ultramafic complex is located in the northeastern part of the Tarim Craton. The complex is composed of gabbro and olivine gabbro, cut by dunite, wehrlite, and melatroctolite of the Poyi and Poshi intrusions. Disseminated Ni–Cu sulfide mineralization is present towards the base of the ultramafic bodies. The sulfide mineralization is typically low grade (<0.5 wt.% Ni and <2 wt.% S) with low platinum-group element (PGE) concentrations (<24.5 ppb Pt and <69 ppb Pd); the abundance of Cu in 100 % sulfide is 1–8 wt.%, and Ni abundance in 100 % sulfide is typically >4 wt.%. Samples from the Pobei complex have εNd (at 280 Ma) values up to +8.1, consistent with the derivation of the magma from an asthenospheric mantle source. Fo 89.5 mol.% olivine from the ultramafic bodies is consistent with a primitive parental magma. Sulfide-bearing dunite and wehrlite have high Cu/Pd ratios ranging from 24,000 to 218,000, indicating a magma that evolved under conditions of sulfide saturation. The grades of Ni, Cu, and PGE in 100 % sulfide show a strong positive correlation. A model for these variations is proposed where the mantle source of the Pobei magma retained ~0.033 wt.% sulfide during the production of a PGE-depleted parental magma. The parental magma migrated from the mantle to the crust and underwent further S saturation to generate the observed mineralization along with its high Cu/Pd ratio at an R-factor varying from 100 to 1,200. The mineralization at Poshi and Poyi has very high γOs (at 280 Ma) values (+30 to +292) that are negatively correlated with the abundance of Os in 100 % sulfide (5.81–271 ppb) and positively correlated with the Re/Os ratios; this indicates that sulfide saturation was triggered by the assimilation of crustal sulfide with both high γOs and Re/Os ratios. When compared to other Permian mafic–ultramafic intrusions with sulfide mineralization in the East Tianshan, the Poyi and Poshi ultramafic bodies were formed from more primitive magmas, and this helps to explain why the sulfide mineralization has high Ni tenor.     

Platinum-group element geochemistry of mafic rocks from the Dongchuan area,southwestern China

Mafic intrusions and dykes are well preserved in the Yinmin and Lanniping districts, located within the western margin of the Yangtze Block, SW China. Although these mafic rocks from the two areas formed during different periods, they share similar ranges of PGE concentration. Most of the Yinmin gabbroic dykes contain relatively high PGE concentrations (PGEs = 13.9–87.0 ppb) and low S contents (0.003 %–0.020 %), higher than the maximum PGE concentrations of mafic magmas melting from the mantle. Two exceptional Yinmin samples are characterized by relatively low PGE (PGEs = 0.31–0.37 ppb) and high S (0.114 %–0.257 %) contents. In contrast, most samples from the Lanniping gabbroic intrusion have low PGE concentrations (PGEs = 0.12–1.02 ppb) and high S contents (0.130 %–0.360 %), except that the three samples exhibit relatively high PGE (PGEs = 16.3–34.8 ppb) and low S concentrations (0.014 %–0.070 %). All the Yinmin and Lanniping samples are characterized by the enrichment of PPGE relative to IPGE in the primitive-mantle normalized diagrams, and the high-PGE samples exhibit obvious Ru anomalies. This study suggests that during the ascent of the parental magma, removal of Os–Ir–Ru alloys and/or chromite/spinel leads to high Pd/Ir ratios and Ru anomalies for the Yinmin high-PGE samples and relatively lower Pd/Ir ratios and Ru anomalies for the Lanniping low-PGE samples. We propose that the magmas parental to the Yinmin gabbroic dykes are initially S-unsaturated, and subsequently, minor evolved magma reached sulfur saturation and led to sulfide segregation. Although the Lanniping parental magmas are originally not saturated in S, the high Cu/Pd ratios (3.8 × 10⁴ to 3.2 × 10⁶) for most of the Lanniping samples indicate the S-saturated state and sulfide segregation. A calculation shows that the PGE-poor magmas might have experienced 0.01 %–0.1 % sulfide segregation in the magma chamber. Therefore, our study provides a possible opportunity to discover PGE-enriched sulfide mineralization somewhere near or within the Lanniping mafic intrusion.     

Differentiation, crustal contamination and emplacement of magmas in the formation of the Nantianwan mafic intrusion of the ~260?Ma Emeishan large igneous province, SW China

The Nantianwan mafic intrusion in the Panxi region, SW China, part of the ~260?Ma Emeishan large igneous province, consists of the olivine gabbro and gabbronorite units, separated by a transitional zone. Olivine gabbros contain olivine with Fo values ranging from 83 to 87, indicating crystallization from a moderately evolved magma. They have 0.2 to 0.9?wt?% sulfide with highly variable PGE (17?C151?ppb) and variable Cu/Pd ratios (1,500?C32,500). Modeling results indicate that they were derived from picritic magmas with high initial PGE concentrations. Olivine gabbros have negative ??Nd(t) values (?1.3 to ?0.1) and positive ??Os(t) values (5?C15), consistent with low degrees of crustal contamination. Gabbronorites include sulfide-bearing and sulfide-poor varieties, and both have olivine with Fo values ranging from 74 to 79, indicating crystallization from a more evolved magma than that for olivine gabbros. Sulfide-bearing gabbronorites contain 1.9?C4.1?wt?% sulfide and 37?C160?ppb PGE and high Cu/Pd ratios (54,000?C624,000). Sulfide-poor gabbronorites have 0.1?C0.6?wt?% sulfide and 0.2?C15?ppb PGE and very high Cu/Pd ratios (16,900?C2,370,000). Both sulfide-bearing and sulfide-poor gabbronorites have ??Nd(t) values (?0.9 to ?2.1) similar to those for olivine gabbros, but their ??Os(t) values (17?C262) are much higher and more variable than those of the olivine gabbros. Selective assimilation of crustal sulfides from the country rocks is thus considered to have resulted in more radiogenic ¹⁸⁷Os of the gabbronorites. Processes such as magma differentiation, crustal contamination and sulfide saturation at different stages in magma chambers may have intervened during formation of the intrusion. Parental magmas were derived from picritic magmas that had fractionated olivine under S-undersaturated conditions before entering a deep-seated staging magma chamber, where the parental magmas crystallized olivine, assimilated minor crustal rocks and reached sulfide saturation, forming an olivine- and sulfide-laden crystal mush in the lower part and evolved magmas in the upper part of the chamber. The evolved magmas were forced out of the staging chamber and became S-undersaturated due to a pressure drop during ascent to a shallow magma chamber. The magmas re-attained sulfide saturation by assimilating external S from S-rich country rocks. They may have entered the shallow magma chamber as several pulses so that several gabbronorite layers each with sulfide segregated to the base and a sulfide-poor upper part. The olivine gabbro unit formed from a new and more primitive magma that entrained olivine crystals and sulfide droplets from the lower part of the staging chamber. A transitional zone formed along the boundary with the gabbronorite unit due to chemical interaction between the two rock units.     

Platinum-group element (PGE) deposits and occurrences: Mineralization styles,genetic concepts,and exploration criteria

PGE mineralization has been identified in various rock types and at various stratigraphic levels in layered intrusions of any age, size and magmatic lineage, but the most important deposits occur as relatively narrow stratiform reefs in the lower to central ultramafic–mafic portions of large tholeiitic intrusions of late Archean to early Proterozoic age. One of the main challenges in exploration is that the reefs tend to be sulfide-poor. In many chromitites, magnetitites and silicate-hosted ores, the rocks contain no visible sulfides, possibly due to (late) magmatic sulfide resorption. As a result, some deposits may have been overlooked, particularly those in the upper portions of the intrusions that were in the past considered to be relatively unprospective. Amongst lithogeochemical tools, Cu/Pd ratios have proven to be particularly useful to evaluate the PGE potential of intrusions and to delineate the position of the reefs within the intrusions.The origin of the PGE mineralization remains controversial. A possible explanation for the low sulfide contents of many PGE-rich intrusions is that most of their parental magmas were strongly undersaturated in sulfur and at least partially derived from the S-poor and PGE-enriched sub-continental lithospheric mantle. Sulfide saturation upon emplacement in the crust may have been reached during differentiation. Empirical evidence supports theoretical considerations that chromite and magnetite precipitation may be particularly conducive to trigger sulfide melt saturation, due to a pronounced decrease in FeO content of the magma. The importance of magma mixing in triggering sulfide supersaturation remains unclear. The same applies to contamination; some intrusions show a distinct crustal component, but many others do not, and there is little if any correlation between sulfide content and crustal component. Together with the general paucity of sulfides in the intrusions this could suggest that contamination is not critical in reef formation and may indeed be a negative factor.Other processes may also be relevant to reef formation. Data from the well-studied Bushveld Complex suggest that the magmas had reached sulfide saturation prior to emplacement, and that sulfides were entrained in the magma during ascent and emplacement. Sulfide entrainment has previously been recognised as one of the key factors in the formation of massive Ni–Cu sulfide deposits, and it is suggested here that it is also relevant to the formation of PGE deposits.     

Siderophile and chalcophile elemental constraints on the origin of the Jinchuan Ni-Cu-(PGE) sulfide deposit, NW China

The Jinchuan deposit, NW China, is one of the world’s most important Ni-Cu-(PGE) sulfide deposits related to a magma conduit system and is hosted in an ultramafic intrusion. The intrusion is composed of lherzolite and dunite with the two largest sulfide ore bodies (named as ore body 1 and 2) in its middle portion. The sulfide ores may be disseminated, net-textured, or massive. The disseminated and net-textured sulfide ores are characterized by variable but generally low PGE concentrations: 10-3200 ppb Pt, 240-9800 ppb Pd, 17-800 ppb Ir, 25-1500 ppb Ru, and 15-400 ppb Rh in 100% sulfides. The massive sulfide ores are extremely low in Pt (<30 ppb) on a 100% sulfides and have very high Cu/Pd ratios, ranging from 10⁴ to 4.5 × 10⁵. The low PGE contents suggest that the sulfide ores formed from the silicate magmas that had already experienced prior-sulfide separation.Our calculations indicate that if the first stage basaltic magmas had contained 6.3 ppb Pt, 6.2 ppb Pd, and 0.1 ppb Ir, 0.008% sulfide removal would result in PGE-depletion in the residual magma with 0.57 ppb Pt, 0.25 ppb Pd, and 0.009 ppb Ir. The Jinchuan sulfides were formed by a second stage of sulfide segregation from a PGE-depleted magma under silicate/sulfide liquid ratios (R-factor) ranging from 10³ to 10⁴ in a deep-seated staging chamber. The massive sulfide ores and some of the net-textured sulfide ores exhibit strong negative Pt-anomalies that cannot be explained by sulfide segregation under variable R-factors. Instead, the sulfide melts that formed the massive ores were segregated from magmas experienced prior fractionation of Pt-Fe alloy. Alternatively, the Pt may have been selectively leached by hydrothermal fluids during remobilization of the sulfide melts that produced the massive sulfides, which occur in cross-cutting veins. We propose that the Jinchuan intrusion and ore bodies were formed by injections of sulfide-free and sulfide-bearing olivine mushes from a deep-seated staging chamber.     

Comparisons among the Oortsog,Dulaan, and Nomgon mafic-ultramafic intrusions in central Mongolia and Ni-Cu deposits in NW China: implications for economic Ni-Cu-PGE ore exploration in central Mongolia

Although there are many mafic-ultramafic intrusions in the western and central regions of Mongolia, Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), no economic-grade Ni-Cu deposits have yet been discovered. To understand the economic Ni-Cu deposit potential of the intrusions in central Mongolia, the parental magma affinity and sulfide saturation of the Oortsog, Dulaan, and Nomgon Ni-Cu mineralized mafic-ultramafic intrusions are studied. These three intrusions are predominantly gabbroic in composition, while the Oortsog and Dulaan intrusions also contain small proportions of peridotites. The parental magmas of the Oortsog and Dulaan intrusions are tholeiitic, as indicated by their Cr-spinel and clinopyroxene compositions, whereas the parental magma of the Nomgon intrusions is likely calc-alkaline. The compositions of Cr-spinel and clinopyroxene, combined with the presence of significant Nb-Ta depletions, indicate that these rocks were most likely derived from modified mantle sources. Both the Oortsog and Nomgon intrusions form two clusters in terms of their olivine composition, suggesting that multiple magma surges were involved during their emplacement. The relatively low Fo values and Ni contents in olivine from the three intrusions compared to those from Ni-Cu deposits in NW China, as well as those in the Voisey’s Bay deposit in Canada, indicate that the three intrusions were crystallized from relatively evolved magmas. The Cu/Zr ratios of rocks of the Oortsog, Dulaan, and Nomgon intrusions are higher than 1, suggesting that these rocks contain cumulus sulfide. This, coupled with the presence of rounded sulfide inclusions in olivine of the Oortsog and Dulaan intrusions, suggests that sulfide saturation occurred before or during olivine crystallization. The distribution patterns of platinum group elements (PGEs) of the Dulaan and Oortsog intrusions record slight Rh, Pt, and Pd (PPGE) enrichment relative to Os, Ir, and Rh (IPGE). Furthermore, the Ni/Cu ratios of sulfide-bearing rocks from the Oortsog intrusion vary from 1.8 to 3.8, which are consistent with those of the Ni-Cu sulfide deposits in NW China. In contrast, the Ni/Cu ratios of sulfide-bearing rocks from the Nomgon intrusion are extremely low (0.03 to 0.07). This, together with the significant enrichment in PPGE relative to IPGE, suggests that these sulfides of the Nomgon intrusion were segregated from a magma that was extremely enriched in Cu and PPGE but depleted in Ni and IPGE. The characteristics of the chalcophile elements in these intrusions are attributed to the fact that the derivation of the Nomgon magma was significantly different from that of the Dulaan and Oortsog parental magmas. Overall, although the parental magmas of the intrusions in central Mongolia are more evolved than those in NW China, they are comparable in terms of the sizes of their intrusions, constituent minerals, and mineral chemistry. These similarities suggest that the intrusions in central Mongolia have economic Ni-Cu sulfide potential. Furthermore, intrusions similar to the Nomgon intrusion may feature PGE mineralization potential.     

新疆喀拉通克铜镍矿镁铁质岩体形成时代、成矿特征与深部找矿前景

喀拉通克镁铁质岩体群位于准噶尔地块东北缘,由13个小岩体组成。在以往的研究中,这些岩体多被视为同期形成。笔者新获得的锆石SHRIMP U-Pb年龄显示,镁铁质岩体群发育晚石炭世和早二叠世2个时期的岩体,其中Y3岩体闪长岩、苏长岩以及G21岩体淡色辉长岩的年龄分别为290 Ma、283 Ma和281 Ma,与Y1和Y9含矿岩体的年龄在误差范围内一致;Y5岩体辉长岩和闪长岩的年龄均为320 Ma,明显早于其他岩体。结合区域构造演化资料分析,晚石炭世Y5岩体是俯冲环境下岩浆作用的产物,这与以往研究较多的早二叠世后碰撞伸展环境下形成的岩体不同。在该矿区,具有工业价值的硫化物矿体主要赋存在Y1~Y3以及Y9岩体中,其中Y1和Y9岩体中富硫化物的矿体主要分布在岩体中部,而Y2和Y3岩体中矿体主要分布在底部的苏长岩中,在Y1-Y2以及Y2-Y3岩体结合部位均可见块状矿体。矿体空间分布及其与通道对应关系显示镁铁质含矿岩体可能形成于不同的岩浆通道系统或通道的不同部位。矿物学变化显示Y3、Y9和G21演化程度相对高于Y1和Y2岩体;同时,前者硫化物矿石多为中等稀疏浸染状和星点状,后者多为稠密浸染状和块状矿石,且前者浸染状矿石的Ni/Cu比值(0.15~2.00)总体小于后者(0.14~4.48)。上述特征表明含矿岩体的岩浆相对演化程度与矿化富集程度有一定的关系。综合分析地质、物探资料以及成矿特征,笔者认为Y1-Y3岩体深部仍具有寻找成矿岩体的潜力。G21岩体的演化程度较高,但具有与Y2、Y3岩体相似的重力异常和源区性质,推测该地段深部可能存在体积更大的岩体。     

Geochemical Constraints on the Origin of the Ni–Cu Sulfide Ores in the Tejadillas Prospect (Cortegana Igneous Complex,SW Spain)

After the discovery of the Aguablanca ore deposit (the unique Ni–Cu mine operating in SW Europe), a number of mafic‐ultramafic intrusions bearing Ni–Cu magmatic sulfides have been found in the Ossa–Morena Zone of the Iberian Massif (SW Iberian Peninsula). The Tejadillas prospect is one of these intrusions, situated close to the border between the Ossa–Morena Zone and the South Portuguese Zone of the Iberian Massif. This prospect contains an average grade of 0.16 wt % Ni and 0.08 wt % Cu with peaks of 1.2 wt % Ni and 0.2 wt % Cu. It forms part of the Cortegana Igneous Complex, a group of small mafic‐ultramafic igneous bodies located 65 km west of the Aguablanca deposit. In spite of good initial results, exploration work has revealed that sulfide mineralization is much less abundant than in Aguablanca. A comparative study using whole‐rock geochemical data between Aguablanca and Tejadillas shows that the Tejadillas igneous rocks present a lower degree of crustal contamination than those of Aguablanca. The low crustal contamination of the Tejadillas magmas inhibited the assimilation of significant amounts of crustal sulfur to the silicate magmas, resulting in the sparse formation of sulfides. In addition, Tejadillas sulfides are strongly depleted in PGE, with total PGE contents ranging from 14 to 81 ppb, the sum of Pd and Pt, since Os, Ir, Ru and Rh are usually below or close to the detection limit (2 ppb). High Cu/Pd ratios (9700–146,000) and depleted mantle‐normalized PGE patterns suggest that the Tejadillas sulfides formed from PGE‐depleted silicate magmas. Modeling has led us to establish that these sulfides segregated under R‐factors between 1000 and 10,000 from a silicate melt that previously experienced 0.015% of sulfide extraction. All these results highlight the importance of contamination processes with S‐rich crustal rocks and multiple episodes of sulfide segregations in the genesis of high‐tenor Ni–Cu–PGE ore deposits in mafic‐ultramafic intrusions of the region.     

铜、镍、铂族元素地球化学性质及其在幔源岩浆起源、演化和岩浆硫化物矿床研究中的意义

Ni、Cu和PGE具有不同于其他微量元素的特殊的地球化学性质,这些特殊的性质使得它们在幔源岩浆起源和演化以及岩浆硫化物矿床的成因研究中具有不可替代的作用。在S不饱和的条件下,Ni、Os、Ir和Ru具有相容元素的特性,而Cu和Pd是强不相容元素,因此,它们在玄武岩浆分离结晶过程中常常发生分异。一旦体系达到S饱和,这些元素则会强烈地进入硫化物熔浆,特别是PGE具有极高的硫化物熔浆/硅酸盐熔浆分配系数,极微量的硫化物熔离便可导致残余岩浆中PGE的显著亏损,因此,PGE是玄武岩浆硫化物熔离作用最敏感的示踪元素。硫化物熔离和成矿实质上是幔源岩浆特殊演化过程的结果,所以,Ni,Cu和PGE的特殊性质可用来探讨岩浆硫化物成矿的关键控制因素。Ni、Cu和PGE具有不同的单硫化物固溶体/硫化物熔浆分配系数,因此,它们也是硫化物熔浆结晶分异的重要示踪元素。本文试图从Ni、Cu和PGE地球化学性质和行为入手,并借助一些研究实例,对它们在幔源岩浆起源和演化以及岩浆硫化物矿床成因研究中的示踪意义进行系统介绍。     

Magmatic history of the Eastern Creek Volcanics,Mt Isa,Australia: insights from trace-element and platinum-group-element geochemistry

The Paleoproterozoic basalts of the Eastern Creek Volcanics are a series of continental flood basalts that form a significant part of the Western Fold Belt of the Mt Isa Inlier, Queensland. New trace-element geochemical data, including the platinum-group elements (PGE), have allowed the delineation of the magmatic history of these volcanic rocks. The two members of the Eastern Creek Volcanics, the Cromwell and Pickwick Metabasalt Members, are formed from the same parental magma. The initial magma was contaminated by continental crust and erupted to form the lower Cromwell Metabasalt Member. The staging chamber was continuously replenished by parental material resulting in the gradual return of the magma composition to more primitive trends in the upper Cromwell Metabasalt Member, and finally the Pickwick Metabasalt Member formed from magma dominated by the parental melt. The Pickwick Metabasalt Member of the Eastern Creek Volcanics has elevated PGE concentrations (including up to 18 ppb Pd and 12 ppb Pt) with palladium behaving incompatibly during magmatic fractionation. This trend is the result of fractionation under sulfide-undersaturated conditions. Conversely, in the basal Cromwell Metabasalt Member the PGE display compatible behaviour during magmatic fractionation, which is interpreted to be the result of fractionation of a sulfide-saturated magma. However, Cu remains incompatible during fractionation, building up to high concentrations in the magma, which is found to be the result of the very small volume of magmatic sulfide formation (0.025%). Geochemical trends in the upper Cromwell Metabasalt Member represent mixing between the contaminated Cromwell Metabasalt magmas and the PGE-undepleted parental melt. Trace-element geochemical trends in both members of the Eastern Creek Volcanics can be explained by the partial melting of a subduction-modified mantle source. The generation of PGE- and copper-rich magmas is attributed to melting of a source in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle below the Mt Isa Inlier which had undergone previous melt extraction during an older subduction event. The previous melt extraction resulted in a sulfur-poor, metal-rich metasomatised mantle source which was subsequently remelted in the Eastern Creek Volcanic continental rift event. The proposed model accounts for the extreme copper enrichment in the Eastern Creek Volcanics, from which the copper has been mobilised by hydrothermal fluids to form the Mt Isa copper deposit. There is also the potential for a small volume of PGE-enriched magmatic sulfide in the plumbing system to the volcanic sequence.     

喀拉通克铜镍矿床铂族元素地球化学特征及其成矿作用意义

喀拉通克铜镍矿床位于准噶尔板块北缘,矿区主要矿体赋存于Y1-Y3号岩体中。矿石构造类型为致密块状和浸染状两大类,其中前者与后者呈贯入接触,不同浸染状类型之间为过渡关系。岩石和矿石的PGE总量偏低,且以PPGE为主,IPGE含量较低。整体上岩石中的PGE含量显示随基性程度降低而变小。矿石中的PGE含量随硫化物含量增加增大,显示PGE主要分布于硫化物熔离形成的物相中。100%硫化物计算后,矿石PGE含量平均仅为573×10^-9。各岩体中浸染状矿石PGE组成并无明显差异;岩石和矿石具有相似的PGE分配模式,均属于Pt-Pd配分型。岩石Ni/Cu-Pd/Ir关系以及岩石地球化学资料显示,形成喀拉通克岩体的初始岩浆为MgO含量较高的玄武质岩浆,属于PGE不亏损的岩浆。基于PGE不亏损的大陆拉斑玄武岩初始岩浆推算,喀拉通克矿床母岩浆明显亏损PGE,而深部硫化物熔离可能是导致母岩浆PGE亏损的主要原因。岩石和矿石Pd/Pt比值总体特征,岩石Cr与Ni、Ir、Ru和Rh相关性,以及硫同位素和岩石学资料分析表明,初始岩浆在地壳深部发生的橄榄石、铬铁矿等矿物的分离结晶作用,可能是促使硫过饱和与深部熔离的主要因素。IPGE与PPGE分异特征及其相关分析,结合矿床宏观地质特征,推断该矿床浸染状矿的成矿作用经历了初始岩浆（PGE不亏损）→橄榄石等矿物分离结晶→硫化物深部熔离→成矿母岩浆（PGE亏损）→上侵并结晶分异的成矿过程。块状矿则可能是这一过程中PGE亏损的成矿母岩浆相对滞后熔离形成的硫化物熔体贯入的结果。     

高镍铜镍矿床的特征、形成机制与勘查展望

岩浆铜镍矿床100%硫化物中的Ni含量与赋矿岩石和成矿过程紧密相关,记录岩浆成分、分异程度与硫化物演化过程。硫化物异常高镍(高镍硫化物)往往被认为与科马提质岩浆或者后期热液作用密切相关。近年研究结合勘查证实,赋含高镍硫化物的矿床(高镍铜镍矿床)不仅限于科马提岩,还与苦橄质、玄武质岩浆有关,另外,热液富集作用并不是必要因素。本文总结了世界上高镍铜镍矿床的基本特征和形成机制,分析提出了不同机制的判别标志,并展望了其勘查前景。详细对比高镍铜镍矿床的产出环境、赋矿岩相、矿石特征、矿物组合等特征,该类矿床往往产于大陆裂谷和造山带环境,与基性程度较高的岩浆有关,以橄榄岩赋矿为主,含镍硫化物组合主要为镍黄铁矿-磁黄铁矿-黄铜矿组合,少数为针镍矿-镍黄铁矿-黄铁矿组合。科马提岩相关矿床可将Ni含量大于16%的硫化物定义为高镍硫化物,苦橄质-玄武质岩浆相关矿床的硫化物可分为高镍硫化物(Ni10%)、中镍硫化物(5%～10%)和富铜硫化物(Ni5%,CuNi)。原生高镍硫化物可由富镍岩浆熔离、硫化物从橄榄石中吸取Ni、硫化物结晶分异、硫化物与硫不饱和岩浆反应等机制形成。苦橄质-玄武质岩浆相关的矿床,硫化物与橄榄石的Fe-Ni交换反应是高镍硫化物形成的重要机制。辉石岩源区地幔部分熔融形成富镍岩浆是否为高镍硫化物形成的必要条件尚存争议。不同机制形成的高镍硫化物具有迥异的岩石-矿物组合和地化特征。硫化物矿物组合、橄榄石成分(Fo值、Ni含量、Fo值-Ni含量的相关性)、伴生元素(铜、铂族元素)丰度-配分模式等特征可作为区分不同高镍硫化物形成机制的有效指标。我国新疆黄山南、坡一和青海夏日哈木矿床(部分浸染状矿化橄榄岩)以赋含高镍硫化物为特征,新疆喀拉通克矿床的硫化物则以富铜为特征,中国其余矿床的硫化物均属中镍硫化物。目前研究指示中国的高镍铜镍矿床与母岩浆相对富镍、硫化物与橄榄石Fe-Ni交换作用密切相关,后者可使硫化物Ni含量提升3%～5%。在铜镍矿床勘查方面,稀疏-中等浸染状高镍硫化物矿石即可达到工业品位,稠密浸染状-块状高镍硫化物矿石可达到很高的Ni品位(10%),是高品位镍矿勘查的一个重要方向。造山带环境富水、相对高氧逸度(可高达QFM+1)的岩浆可能是形成高镍硫化物的有利条件,该环境橄榄石Fo值较高(87mol%)的岩体有利于形成高镍硫化物。     

Time scales and length scales in magma flow pathways and the origin of magmatic Ni–Cu–PGE ore deposits

Ore forming processes involve the redistribution of heat, mass and momentum by a wide range of processes operating at different time and length scales. The fastest process at any given length scale tends to be the dominant control. Applying this principle to the array of physical processes that operate within magma flow pathways leads to some key insights into the origins of magmatic Ni–Cu–PGE sulfide ore deposits. A high proportion of mineralised systems, including those in the super-giant Noril'sk-Talnakh camp, are formed in small conduit intrusions where assimilation of country rock has played a major role. Evidence of this process is reflected in the common association of sulfides with vari-textured contaminated host rocks containing xenoliths in varying stages of assimilation. Direct incorporation of S-bearing country rock xenoliths is likely to be the dominant mechanism for generating sulfide liquids in this setting. However, the processes of melting or dissolving these xenoliths is relatively slow compared with magma flow rates and, depending on xenolith lithology and the composition of the carrier magma, slow compared with settling and accumulation rates. Chemical equilibration between sulfide droplets and silicate magma is slower still, as is the process of dissolving sulfide liquid into initially undersaturated silicate magmas. Much of the transport and deposition of sulfide in the carrier magmas may occur while sulfide is still incorporated in the xenoliths, accounting for the common association of magmatic sulfide-matrix ore breccias and contaminated “taxitic” host rocks. Effective upgrading of so-formed sulfide liquids would require repetitive recycling by processes such as re-entrainment, back flow or gravity flow operating over the lifetime of the magma transport system as a whole. In contrast to mafic-hosted systems, komatiite-hosted ores only rarely show an association with externally-derived xenoliths, an observation which is partially due to the predominant formation of ores in lava flows rather than deep-seated intrusions, but also to the much shorter timescales of key component systems in hotter, less viscous magmas. Nonetheless, multiple cycles of deposition and entrainment are necessary to account for the metal contents of komatiite-hosted sulfides. More generally, the time and length scale approach introduced here may be of value in understanding other igneous processes as well as non-magmatic mineral systems.     

Experimental study of interaction between fluid-bearing basaltic melts and peridotite: A mantle-crustal source of trap magmas in the Norilsk area

The paper reports data on the geology and tectono-magmatic reactivation of the Norilsk area and on the stratigraphy and geochemistry of its volcanic sequence, with the discussion of the sources and genesis of the ore magmas and the scale of the ore-forming process. According to the geochemistry of the lavas and intrusive rocks (Ti concentration and the La/Sm and Gd/Yb ratios), two types of the parental magmas are recognized: high-Ti magmas of the OIB type (from bottom to top, suites iv, sv, and gd of phase 1) and low-Ti magmas (suites hk, tk, and nd of phase 2 and suites mr-mk of phase 3), which were derived from the lithospheric mantle. The magmatic differentiation of the parental low-Ti magma of the tk type into a magma of the nd type was associated with the derivation of an evolved magma of the nd type, which was depleted in ore elements, and an ore magma, which was a mixture of silicate and sulfide melts, protocrysts of silicate minerals, and chromite. Judging from their geochemical parameters, the intrusions of the lower Norilsk type were comagmatic with the lavas of the upper part of the nd suite, and the ore-bearing intrusions of the upper Norilsk type were comagmatic with the lavas of the mr-mk suites. When the ore-bearing intrusions were emplaced, their magmas entrained droplets of sulfide melt and protocrysts of olivine and chromite and brought them to the modern magmatic chamber. These protocrysts are xenogenic with respect to the magma that formed the intrusions. In certain instances (Talnakh and Kharaelakh intrusions), the moving magma entrained single portions of sulfide magma, which were emplaced as individual subphases. The experimental study of the peridotite-basalt-fluid system shows that mantle reservoirs with protoliths of subducted oceanic crustal material could serve as sources of relatively low-temperature (1250–1350°C) high-Ti magnesian magmas of the rifting stage from an olivine-free source.     

新疆北山红石山含铜镍镁铁-超镁铁质岩体PGE和Re-Os同位素地球化学特征及成矿意义

对新疆北山地区红石山镁铁-超镁铁质岩体中含铜镍的硫化物矿石和岩石进行了铂族元素和Re-Os同位素地球化学特征研究,结果表明,矿石及岩石的铂族元素(PGE)总量较低,变化于0.54×10-9~15.84×10-9之间。较低的Pd/Ir比值表明岩石主要受岩浆作用控制,后期热液作用影响不明显。较高的Cu/Pd和Ti/Pd比值表明岩浆在演化过程中发生了硫化物的熔离。岩体的母岩浆为有早期结晶橄榄石加入的高镁的玄武质岩浆。γOs(t)的变化较大,变化于-282~+282之间,表明有较多的地壳物质混入。地壳物质混染和橄榄石等矿物的分离结晶可能是引起岩浆中的S达到饱和进而熔离的重要因素。红石山岩体是经历了结晶分异和硫化物熔离后橄榄石的堆积体与残余岩浆演化的混合体。     

铂族元素的地球化学行为及全球主要铂族金属矿床类型

全球铂族金属矿床主要有6种类型,分别为：（1）镁铁质-超镁铁质层状岩体铂族金属矿床;（2）镁铁质-超镁铁质Cu-Ni硫化物矿床伴生的铂族金属矿床;（3）Urals杂岩体型铂族金属矿床;（4）蛇绿岩型铂族金属矿床;（5）与热液相关的铂族金属矿床;(6）外生型铂族金属矿床。除第4类型外其他类型的铂族矿床都具有经济意义。铂族金属矿床的形成主要与幔源岩浆性质及岩浆演化过程密切相关。大规模的幔源岩浆活动及在岩浆演化过程中具有产生硫饱和的条件是形成铂族金属矿床的有利条件,同时岩浆期后的热液作用能使铂族元素迁移并在特定条件下富集,对铂族金属矿床的形成有利。镁铁质-超镁铁质层状侵入体形成铂族金属矿床的有利条件是岩浆分异作用强,并且具有能产生高R因子的环境;镁铁质-超镁铁质Cu-Ni硫化物矿床中形成铂族金属矿床的有利条件是硫化物熔体的结晶分异作用;Urals型杂岩体中,由于岩浆在早期演化过程中硫的不饱和,形成的主要铂族矿物为Pt-Fe、Pt-Ir合金,且主要与铬铁矿共生,在岩浆演化硫饱和阶段可形成富Pd的铂族矿物,且与Cu-Fe-V-Ti-P金属共生;蛇绿岩型杂岩体中,主要形成的铂族矿物为含Ir- 、Os- 、Pt- 的合金或少量硫化物矿物,且主要赋存于铬铁矿中。     

Origin of anomalously Ni-rich parental magmas and genesis of the Huangshannan Ni–Cu sulfide deposit,Central Asian Orogenic Belt,Northwestern China

The Huangshannan Ni–Cu sulfide deposit at the southern margin of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) is an important recent discovery in the Eastern Tianshan Region, Northwestern China. The Huangshannan Intrusion is composed of mafic and ultramafic rocks, and its websterite and lherzolite sequences host the sulfide orebodies. Olivine is the dominant mineral in the Huangshannan Intrusion, occurring as olivine inclusions hosted by pyroxene oikocrysts, as olivine crystals in magmatic sulfides, and as poikilitic crystals in the lherzolite. Small olivine inclusions always coexist with large poikilitic olivine crystals in the same sample, resulting in a heterogeneous texture on the scale of the oikocrysts. The Ni abundance ranges from 1540 to 3772 ppm in poikilitic olivine grains, from 2114 to 3740 ppm in olivine grains hosted by sulfide minerals, and from 2043 to 4023 ppm in olivine inclusions hosted by pyroxene oikocrysts. For the three types of olivine, the ranges in forsterite (Fo) content are 78.97–84.92 mol.%, 81.57–84.79 mol.%, and 80.33–84.68 mol.%, respectively. The Ni content of olivine in the lherzolite is anomalously high relative to the range found in most within plate olivine-bearing mafic-ultramafic rocks. The composition of olivine is controlled mainly by that of the parental magma, fractional crystallization and reactions with interstitial silicate and sulfide melts. Both fractional crystallization and reaction with interstitial silicate may cause a decrease in the Ni content of olivine. The possibility that Ni–Fe exchange causes the anomalously high Ni contents in olivine can be excluded because the olivine grains contained in sulfide have similar or lower Ni content than the olivine grains hosted in the silicate rock. Most of the olivine grains are unzoned, and they have anomalously high Ni contents throughout the crystal. Assuming a partition coefficient of Ni between olivine and silicate magma to be 7, the measured Ni content of olivine in the lherzolite (1540–4023 ppm with a mean of 2907 ppm) indicates that the parental magma contains 220–575 ppm (average of 415 ppm) Ni. This value is higher than that found in basaltic magmas that crystallized olivine with similar Fo contents compared to the Huangshannan Intrusion. As mentioned above, the symmetric and reproducible variations in both Fo and Ni contents from core to margin in most of the olivine grains cannot be explained by fractional crystallization and reactions with interstitial silicate or sulfide melts but may reflect the equilibration of the olivine with new fluxes of magma as the chamber was replenished. The anomalously Ni-rich composition of the parental magmas of the Huangshannan Intrusion, relative to those of many other mineralized olivine-bearing mafic-ultramafic intrusions, may be produced by upgrading and scavenging of metals from a previously formed sulfide melts by a moderately Ni-rich magma. The mass-balance calculations of PGE data indicate that the parental magma that formed lherzolite contains 0.04 ppb Os, 0.02 ppb Ir and 0.4 ppb Pd, whereas the parental magma that formed websterite has 0.02 ppb Os, 0.009 ppb Ir and 0.75 ppb Pd. Rayleigh modeling using PGE tenors indicates that the massive sulfides may be produced by monosulfide solid solution (MSS)-sulfide liquid fractionation from the magma that formed the websterite. Rayleigh modeling of Fo and Ni contents of olivine shows that the parental magma that formed the lherzolite has experienced previous sulfide segregation and olivine crystallization.     

东天山二叠纪大草滩地区镁铁-超镁铁质岩体的岩浆演化过程和含矿性

大草滩地区位于新疆东天山土墩-黄山-图拉尔根镁铁-超镁铁质岩带西侧,觉罗塔格构造带中段,区域构造环境主要受康古尔塔格-黄山深大断裂控制。本次研究的大草滩地区一、二号岩体形成于早二叠纪, SIMS法锆石U-Pb年龄分别为279±2Ma和278±2Ma。2个岩体主要由橄榄岩和辉长岩组成,全岩稀土总量较低,具LREE轻微亏损至平坦的分配型式。全岩Sr-Nd同位素与微量元素组成显示两个岩体的母岩浆来自软流圈地幔,其成分与N-MORB相似,在上升过程中经历了较低程度(1%~5%)的同生A型花岗岩混染。由于低程度的部分熔融(10%~15%)导致硫化物残留在地幔源区,导致母岩浆强烈亏损铂族元素,因此大草滩地区一、二号岩体可能不具有形成具经济价值铜镍硫化物矿床的潜力。