Kumar, Avish A., Sanislav, Ioan V., Cathey, Henrietta E., and Dirks, Paul H.G.M. (2023) Geochemistry of indium in magmatic-hydrothermal tin and sulfide deposits of the Herberton Mineral Field, Australia. Mineralium Deposita. (In Press)

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Abstract

The Herberton Mineral Field in Northeast Australia hosts world class magmatic-hydrothermal Sn–W polymetallic deposits that are enriched in In. The Baal Gammon and Isabel deposits from the Herberton Mineral Field contains early tin, as cassiterite, overprinted by sulfide mineralization as chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena, pyrrhotite, and stannite. We investigated the distribution of In in the sulfide ores from these two deposits, calculated the temperature of formation via sphalerite-stannite geothermometer, and deduced the physicochemical conditions favorable for enriching In in this mineralizing environment. The Baal Gammon deposit is dominated by chalcopyrite, with In contained in chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and stannite. The average In concentrations measured by EPMA in chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and stannite are 0.10, 0.68, and 0.92 wt%, respectively. Chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, and sphalerite textures indicate that In incorporation occurred during exsolution from an intermediate solid solution of cubanite composition. The Isabel deposit is dominated by sphalerite associated with galena and contains only minor amounts of chalcopyrite. The average concentration of In in sphalerite from the Isabel deposit is 0.11 wt%. The stannite-sphalerite geothermometer indicates mineralization temperatures of ~ 290 °C at the Baal Gammon deposit, and ~ 307 °C at the Isabel deposit. At these temperatures, the physicochemical modeling suggests that stable In chlorine complexes occur in acidic conditions (pH < 3). These results when combined with the Eh–pH phase model of the sulfide assemblage further constrain the redox conditions during mineralization.

Item ID:	78735
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1432-1866
Copyright Information:	© The Author(s) 2023
Date Deposited:	23 May 2023 22:41
FoR Codes:	37 EARTH SCIENCES > 3705 Geology > 370508 Resource geoscience @ 30% 37 EARTH SCIENCES > 3703 Geochemistry > 370301 Exploration geochemistry @ 30% 37 EARTH SCIENCES > 3703 Geochemistry > 370302 Inorganic geochemistry @ 40%
SEO Codes:	28 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 2801 Expanding knowledge > 280107 Expanding knowledge in the earth sciences @ 100%
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