scholarly journals The Role of Continental Crust in the Formation of Uraninite-Based Ore Deposits

Minerals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefanie R. Lewis ◽  
Antonio Simonetti ◽  
Loretta Corcoran ◽  
Stefanie S. Simonetti ◽  
Corinne Dorais ◽  
...  

This study reports trace element abundances and Pb, Sr, and U isotopic signatures of uraninite from a variety of ore deposits in order to establish baseline forensic information for source attribution of raw, natural U-rich samples. Trace element concentrations, reported here, provide insights into uraninite crystal substitution mechanisms and possible crustal sources of U, including mobility of trace elements between pristine versus altered fractions. Spatially resolved laser ablation (LA) multicollector (MC) inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analyses were used to determine secondary 207Pb-206Pb isochron ages, and these were validated by corroborative results obtained by solution mode (SM) MC-ICP-MS for the same sample. Secondary Pb-Pb isochron ages obtained, in this study, indicate that uraninite alteration occurs shortly after ore mineralization. Initial 87Sr/86Sr values correlate in general with host craton age, and therefore suggest that uraninite ore formation is closely linked to the nature of the bedrock geology. The δ238U values are explained by invoking multiple physicochemical conditions and parameters such as temperature, nuclear field shift, oxidation, and source rock composition. The δ234U values indicate that the uraninites, investigated here, have undergone recent alteration, but the latter has not perturbed the Pb-Pb secondary isochron ages.

Author(s):  
Katharina Halbach ◽  
Timothy Holbrook ◽  
Thorsten Reemtsma ◽  
Stephan Wagner

AbstractA workflow was developed and implemented in a software tool for the automated combination of spatially resolved laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) data and data on the morphology of the biological tissue. Making use of a recently published biological annotation software, FishImager automatically assigns the biological feature as regions of interest (ROIs) and overlays them with the quantitative LA-ICP-MS data. Furthermore, statistical tools including cluster algorithms can be applied to the elemental intensity data and directly compared with the ROIs. This is effectively visualized in heatmaps. This allows gaining statistical significance on distribution and co-localization patterns. Finally, the biological functions of the assigned ROIs can then be easily linked with elemental distributions. We demonstrate the versatility of FishImager with quantitative LA-ICP-MS data of the zebrafish embryo tissue. The distribution of natural elements and xenobiotics is analyzed and discussed. With the help of FishImager, it was possible to identify compartments affected by toxicity effects or biological mechanisms to eliminate the xenobiotic. The presented workflow can be used for clinical and ecotoxicological testing, for example. Ultimately, it is a tool to simplify and reproduce interpretations of imaging LA-ICP-MS data in many applications. Graphical abstract


2013 ◽  
Vol 151 (5) ◽  
pp. 816-829 ◽  
Author(s):  
MAGNUS KRISTOFFERSEN ◽  
TOM ANDERSEN ◽  
ARILD ANDRESEN

AbstractU–Pb and Lu–Hf isotope analyses of detrital zircon from the latest Ordovician (Hirnantian) Langøyene Formation, the Late Silurian Ringerike Group and the Late Carboniferous Asker Group in the Oslo Rift were obtained by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Overall the U–Pb dating yielded ages within the range 2861–313 Ma. The U–Pb age and Lu–Hf isotopic signatures correspond to virtually all known events of crustal evolution in Fennoscandia, as well as synorogenic intrusions from the Norwegian Caledonides. Such temporally and geographically diverse source areas likely reflect multiple episodes of sediment recycling in Fennoscandia, and highlights the intrinsic problem of using zircon as a tracer-mineral in ‘source to sink’ sedimentary provenance studies. In addition to its mostly Fennoscandia-derived detritus, the Asker Group also have zircon grains of Late Devonian – Late Carboniferous age. Since no rocks of these ages are known in Fennoscandia, these zircons are inferred to be derived from the Variscan Orogen of central Europe.


Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1236
Author(s):  
Sylwia Svorová Pawełkowicz ◽  
Barbara Wagner ◽  
Jakub Kotowski ◽  
Grażyna Zofia Żukowska ◽  
Bożena Gołębiowska ◽  
...  

Impurities in paint layers executed with green and blue copper pigments, although relatively common, have been studied only little to date. Yet, their proper identification is a powerful tool for classification of paintings, and, potentially, for future provenance studies. In this paper, we present analyses of copper pigments layers from wall paintings situated in the vicinity of copper ore deposits (the palace in Kielce, the palace in Ciechanowice, and the parish church in Chotków) located within the contemporary borders of Poland. We compare the results with the analyses of copper minerals from three deposits, two local, and one historically important for the supply of copper in Europe, i.e., Miedzianka in the Holy Cross Mountains, Miedzianka in the Sudetes, and, as a reference, Špania Dolina in the Slovakian Low Tatra. Optical (OM) and electron microscopy (SEM-EDS), Raman spectroscopy, and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) have been used for a detailed investigation of the minute grains. Special attention has been devoted to antimony and nickel phases, as more unusual than the commonly described iron oxides. Analyses of minerals from the deposits helped to interpret the results obtained from the paint samples. For the first time, quantitative analyses of copper pigments’ impurities have been described.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingqing Zhao ◽  
Degao Zhai ◽  
Ryan Mathur ◽  
Jiajun Liu ◽  
David Selby ◽  
...  

Abstract Whether giant porphyry ore deposits are the products of single, short-lived magmatic-hydrothermal events or multiple events over a prolonged interval is a topic of considerable debate. Previous studies, however, have all been devoted to porphyry Cu and Cu-Mo deposits. In this paper, we report high-precision isotope dilution-negative-thermal ionization mass spectrometric (ID-N-TIMS) molybdenite Re-Os ages for the newly discovered, world-class Chalukou porphyry Mo deposit (reserves of 2.46 Mt @ 0.087 wt % Mo) in NE China. Samples were selected based on a careful evaluation of the relative timing of the different vein types (i.e., A, B, and D veins), thereby ensuring that the suite of samples analyzed could be used to reliably determine the age and duration of mineralization. The molybdenite Re-Os geochronology reveals that hydrothermal activity at Chalukou involved two magmatic-hydrothermal events spanning an interval of 6.92 ± 0.16 m.y. The first event (153.96 ± 0.08/0.63/0.79 Ma, molybdenite ID-N-TIMS Re-Os age) was associated with the emplacement of a granite porphyry dated at 152.1 ± 2.2 Ma (zircon laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-microscopic [LA-ICP-MS] U-Pb ages), and led to only minor Mo mineralization, accounting for <10% of the overall Mo budget. The bulk of the Mo (>90%) was deposited in less than 650 kyr, between 147.67 ± 0.10/0.60/0.76 and 147.04 ± 0.12/0.72/0.86 Ma (molybdenite ID-N-TIMS Re-Os ages), coincident with the emplacement of a fine-grained porphyry at 148.1 ± 2.6 Ma (zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb ages). The high-precision Re-Os age determinations presented here show, contrary to the finding of a number of studies of porphyry Cu and Cu-Mo systems, that the giant Chalukou porphyry Mo deposit primarily formed in a single, short-lived (<650 kyr) hydrothermal event, suggesting that this may also have been the case for other giant porphyry Mo deposits.


2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeinab Azadbakht ◽  
David R. Lentz

ABSTRACT Biotite grains from 22 felsic intrusions in New Brunswick were mapped in situ using a laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS). We investigated the extent to which biotite can retain its magmatic zoning patterns and, where zoning does exist, how it can be used to elucidate early to late stage, syn-magmatic to post-crystallization processes. Although the major element and halogen contents of the examined biotite phenocrysts are homogeneous, two-thirds of the grains display trace-element zoning for Ba, Rb, and Cs. The results also indicated that zoning is better retained in larger grains (i.e., > 500 × 500 μm) with minimal alteration and mineral inclusions. An exceptionally well-zoned Li-rich siderophyllite from the Pleasant Ridge topaz granite in southwestern New Brunswick shows Ti, Ta, Sn, W, Cs, Rb, and V (without Li or Ba) zoning. Cesium values increase from 200 to 1400 ppm from core to rim. Conversely, Sn and W values decrease toward the rim (50 to 10 and 100 to 10 ppm, respectively). Tantalum and Ti values show fewer variations but drop abruptly close to the rim of the grain (100 to 20 and 2000 to 500 ppm, respectively). These observations may indicate crystallization of mineral phases with high partition coefficients for these highly incompatible elements (except Ti) (e.g., cassiterite and rutile) followed by fractionation of a fluid phase at a later stage of magma crystallization. The preservation of zoning may indicate rapid cooling post-crystallization of the parent magma.


Minerals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allan Pring ◽  
Benjamin Wade ◽  
Aoife McFadden ◽  
Claire E. Lenehan ◽  
Nigel J. Cook

The nature of couple substitutions of minor and trace element chemistry of expitaxial intergrowths of wurtzite and sphalerite are reported. EPMA and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analyses display significant differences in the bulk chemistries of the two epitaxial intergrowth samples studied. The sample from the Animas-Chocaya Mine complex of Bolivia is Fe-rich with mean Fe levels of 4.8 wt% for wurztite-2H and 2.3 wt% for the sphalerite component, while the sample from Merelani Hills, Tanzania, is Mn-rich with mean Mn levels in wurztite-4H of 9.1 wt% and for the sphalerite component 7.9 wt% In both samples studied the wurtzite polytype is dominant over sphalerite. LA-ICP-MS line scans across the boundaries between the wurtzite and sphalerite domains within the two samples show significant variation in the trace element chemistries both between and within the two coexisting polytypes. In the Merelani Hills sample the Cu+ + Ga3+ = 2Zn2+ substitution holds across both the wurztite and sphalerite zones, but its levels range from around 1200 ppm of each of Cu and Ga to above 2000 ppm in the sphalerite region. The 2Ag+ + Sn4+ = 3Zn2+ coupled substitution does not occur in the material. In the Animas sample, the Cu+ + Ga3+ = 2Zn2+ substitution does not occur, but the 2(Ag,Cu)+ + Sn4+ = 3Zn2+ substitution holds across the sample despite the obvious growth zoning, although there is considerable variation in the Ag/Cu ratio, with Ag dominant over Cu at the base of the sample and Cu dominant at the top. The levels of 2(Ag,Cu)+ + Sn4+ = 3Zn2+ vary greatly across the sample from around 200 ppm to 8000 ppm Sn, but the higher values occur in the sphalerite bands.


2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 222-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin M. MacRae ◽  
Nicholas C. Wilson ◽  
Joel Brugger

AbstractA method for the analysis of cathodoluminescence spectra is described that enables quantitative trace-element-level distributions to be mapped within minerals and materials. Cathodoluminescence intensities for a number of rare earth elements are determined by Gaussian peak fitting, and these intensities show positive correlation with independently measured concentrations down to parts per million levels. The ability to quantify cathodoluminescence spectra provides a powerful tool to determine both trace element abundances and charge state, while major elemental levels can be determined using more traditional X-ray spectrometry. To illustrate the approach, a scheelite from Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, is hyperspectrally mapped and the cathodoluminescence is calibrated against microanalyses collected using a laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Trace element maps show micron scale zoning for the rare earth elements Sm3+, Dy3+, Er3+, and Eu3+/Eu2+. The distribution of Eu2+/Eu3+ suggests that both valences of Eu have been preserved in the scheelite since its crystallization 1.63 billion years ago.


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