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Trace and minor elements in galena: A reconnaissance LA-ICP-MS study

  • Luke George , Nigel J. Cook , Ciobanu Cristiana L. EMAIL logo and Benjamin P. Wade
Published/Copyright: April 9, 2015
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American Mineralogist
From the journal American Mineralogist Volume 100 Issue 2-3

Abstract

Minor and trace elements can substitute into the crystal lattice of galena at various concentrations. In situ LA-ICP-MS analysis and trace element mapping of a range of galena specimens from different deposit types are used to obtain minor/trace element data, aimed at achieving insight into factors that control minor/trace element partitioning. The previously recognized coupled substitution Ag++(Bi,Sb)3+↔ 2Pb2+ is confirmed. However, the poorer correlation between Ag and (Bi+Sb) when the latter elements are present at high concentrations (~>2000 ppm), suggests that site vacancies may come into play: [2(Bi,Sb)3++o ↔ 3Pb2+]. Galena is the primary host of Tl in all mapped mineral assemblages. Along with Cu, Tl is likely incorporated into galena via the coupled substitution: (Ag,Cu,Tl)++(Bi,Sb)3+↔ 2Pb2+. Tin can reach significant concentrations in galena (>500 ppm). Cd and minor Hg can be incorporated into galena; the simple isovalent substitution (Cd,Hg)2+↔ Pb2+ is inferred. This paper shows for the first time, oscillatory and sector compositional zoning of minor/trace elements (Ag, Sb, Bi, Se, Te, Tl) in galena from two epithermal ores. Zoning is attributed to slow crystal growth into open spaces within the vein at relatively low temperatures. The present data show that galena can host a broader range of elements than previously recognized. For many measured elements, the data sets generated display predictable partitioning patterns between galena and coexisting minerals, which may be dependent on temperature or other factors. Trace element concentrations in galena and their grain-scale distributions may also have potential in the identification of spatial and/or temporal trends within individual metallogenic belts, and as markers of ore formation processes in deposits that have undergone superimposed metamorphism and deformation. Galena trace element geochemistry may also display potential to be used as a trace/minor element vector approach in mineral exploration, notably for recognition of proximal-to-distal trends within a given ore system.

Keywords: Galena; trace elements; laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry; compositional zoning; substitution mechanisms
Received: 2014-1-4
Accepted: 2014-9-10
Published Online: 2015-4-9
Published in Print: 2015-2-1

© 2015 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Anhydrite: An important sulfur binder limiting the climatic impact of subaerial volcanic eruptions
  2. Tweed, twins, and holes
  3. The chemical behavior of fluids released during deep subduction based on fluid inclusions
  4. In situ observation of the pyroxene-majorite transition in Na2MgSi5O12 using synchrotron radiation and Raman spectroscopy of Na-majorite
  5. Prevalence of growth twins among anhedral plagioclase microlites
  6. Intrinsic conditions of magma genesis at the Lunar Crater Volcanic Field (Nevada), and implications for internal plumbing and magma ascent
  7. A rock fragment related to the magnesian suite in lunar meteorite Allan Hills (ALHA) 81005
  8. Trinitite redux: Mineralogy and petrology
  9. Pauloabibite, trigonal NaNbO3, isostructural with ilmenite, from the Jacupiranga carbonatite, Cajati, São Paulo, Brazil
  10. Kojonenite, a new palladium tin telluride mineral from the Stillwater Layered Igneous Intrusion, Montana, U.S.A.
  11. Cathodoluminescence dependence on feldspar mineral structure and implications for forensic geology
  12. Non-invasive assessment of the formation of tourmaline nodules by X-ray microtomography and computer modeling
  13. Alkali influence on the water speciation and the environment of protons in silicate glasses revealed by 1H MAS NMR spectroscopy
  14. Carbonate mineralization in percolated olivine aggregates: Linking effects of crystallographic orientation and fluid flow
  15. The catalytic effect of bound extracellular polymeric substances excreted by anaerobic microorganisms on Ca-Mg carbonate precipitation: Implications for the “dolomite problem”
  16. Experimental study along the magnesio-hornblende–glaucophane join
  17. Direct observation of Ca-Na ordering and structure polarity in Ca-rich intermediate plagioclase feldspar with incommensurate modulated structure
  18. Stability and adhesion of calcite/montmorillonite assembly
  19. Experimental and modeled chlorine solubilities in aluminosilicate melts at 1 to 7000 bars and 700 to 1250 °C: Applications to magmas of Augustine Volcano, Alaska
  20. Cation order-disorder in Fe-bearing pyrope and grossular garnets: A 27Al and 29Si MAS NMR and 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy study
  21. Trace and minor elements in galena: A reconnaissance LA-ICP-MS study
  22. A refined monoclinic structure for a variety of “hydrohematite”
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  24. P-V-T equation of state of Ca3Cr2Si3O12 uvarovite garnet by using a diamond-anvil cell and in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction
  25. Possible new Ca-REE-Bi phosphate minerals from a tungsten-rich calcsilicate skarn, Sierra Nevada Mountains, California
  26. Klebelsbergite, Sb4O4SO4(OH)2: Stability relationships, formation in Nature, and refinement of its structure
  27. Balestraite, KLi2VSi4O10O2, the first member of the mica group with octahedral V5+
  28. Prediction of enthalpies of formation of hydrous sulfates
  29. Complete substitution of Fe2+ by Mg in Fe4O5: The crystal structure of the Mg2Fe2O5 end-member
  30. The effect of H2O on F and Cl solubility and solution mechanisms of in aluminosilicate melts at high pressure and high temperature
  31. The elasticity of MgAl2O4–MnAl2O4 spinels by Brillouin scattering and an empirical approach for bulk modulus prediction
  32. Synthesis of stoichiometric nickel aluminate spinel nanoparticles
  33. New Mineral Names
  34. Book Review
  35. American Mineralogist thanks the year 2014 reviewers
https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2015-4862
Keywords for this article
Galena; trace elements; laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry; compositional zoning; substitution mechanisms

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Anhydrite: An important sulfur binder limiting the climatic impact of subaerial volcanic eruptions
  2. Tweed, twins, and holes
  3. The chemical behavior of fluids released during deep subduction based on fluid inclusions
  4. In situ observation of the pyroxene-majorite transition in Na2MgSi5O12 using synchrotron radiation and Raman spectroscopy of Na-majorite
  5. Prevalence of growth twins among anhedral plagioclase microlites
  6. Intrinsic conditions of magma genesis at the Lunar Crater Volcanic Field (Nevada), and implications for internal plumbing and magma ascent
  7. A rock fragment related to the magnesian suite in lunar meteorite Allan Hills (ALHA) 81005
  8. Trinitite redux: Mineralogy and petrology
  9. Pauloabibite, trigonal NaNbO3, isostructural with ilmenite, from the Jacupiranga carbonatite, Cajati, São Paulo, Brazil
  10. Kojonenite, a new palladium tin telluride mineral from the Stillwater Layered Igneous Intrusion, Montana, U.S.A.
  11. Cathodoluminescence dependence on feldspar mineral structure and implications for forensic geology
  12. Non-invasive assessment of the formation of tourmaline nodules by X-ray microtomography and computer modeling
  13. Alkali influence on the water speciation and the environment of protons in silicate glasses revealed by 1H MAS NMR spectroscopy
  14. Carbonate mineralization in percolated olivine aggregates: Linking effects of crystallographic orientation and fluid flow
  15. The catalytic effect of bound extracellular polymeric substances excreted by anaerobic microorganisms on Ca-Mg carbonate precipitation: Implications for the “dolomite problem”
  16. Experimental study along the magnesio-hornblende–glaucophane join
  17. Direct observation of Ca-Na ordering and structure polarity in Ca-rich intermediate plagioclase feldspar with incommensurate modulated structure
  18. Stability and adhesion of calcite/montmorillonite assembly
  19. Experimental and modeled chlorine solubilities in aluminosilicate melts at 1 to 7000 bars and 700 to 1250 °C: Applications to magmas of Augustine Volcano, Alaska
  20. Cation order-disorder in Fe-bearing pyrope and grossular garnets: A 27Al and 29Si MAS NMR and 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy study
  21. Trace and minor elements in galena: A reconnaissance LA-ICP-MS study
  22. A refined monoclinic structure for a variety of “hydrohematite”
  23. Mössbauer spectroscopic study of natural eosphorite, [(Mn,Fe)AlPO4(OH)2H2O]
  24. P-V-T equation of state of Ca3Cr2Si3O12 uvarovite garnet by using a diamond-anvil cell and in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction
  25. Possible new Ca-REE-Bi phosphate minerals from a tungsten-rich calcsilicate skarn, Sierra Nevada Mountains, California
  26. Klebelsbergite, Sb4O4SO4(OH)2: Stability relationships, formation in Nature, and refinement of its structure
  27. Balestraite, KLi2VSi4O10O2, the first member of the mica group with octahedral V5+
  28. Prediction of enthalpies of formation of hydrous sulfates
  29. Complete substitution of Fe2+ by Mg in Fe4O5: The crystal structure of the Mg2Fe2O5 end-member
  30. The effect of H2O on F and Cl solubility and solution mechanisms of in aluminosilicate melts at high pressure and high temperature
  31. The elasticity of MgAl2O4–MnAl2O4 spinels by Brillouin scattering and an empirical approach for bulk modulus prediction
  32. Synthesis of stoichiometric nickel aluminate spinel nanoparticles
  33. New Mineral Names
  34. Book Review
  35. American Mineralogist thanks the year 2014 reviewers
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