Publication: Mineralogy and geochemistry of platinum group
elements in the Aguablanca Ni-Cu
deposit (SW Spain)
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Publication Date
2007
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Springer Science Business Media
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Abstract
The Aguablanca Ni-Cu-(PGE) magmatic sulphide deposit is associated with a
magmatic breccia located in the northern part of the Aguablanca gabbro (SW,
Iberia). Three types of ores are present: semi-massive, disseminated, and
chalcopyrite-rich veined ore. The principal ore minerals are pyrrhotite, pentlandite
and chalcopyrite. A relatively abundant platinum-group mineral (PGM) assemblage
is present and includes merenskyite, melonite, michenerite, moncheite and
sperrylite. Moreover, concentrations of base and precious metals and micro-PIXE
analyses were obtained for the three ore-types. The mineralogy and the mantlenormalised
chalcophile element profiles strongly suggest that semi-massive ore
represents mss crystallisation, whereas the disseminated ore represents an unfractionated
sulphide liquid and the chalcopyrite-rich veined ore a Cu-rich sulphide
liquid. Palladium-bearing minerals occur commonly enclosed within sulphides,
indicating a magmatic origin rather than hydrothermal. The occurrences and the
composition of these minerals suggest that Pd was initially dissolved in the sulphides
and subsequently exsolved at low temperatures to form bismutotellurides.
Negative Pt and Au anomalies in the mantle-normalised chalcophile element profiles,
a lack of Cu-S correlation and textural observations (such as sperrylite losing
its euhedral shape when in contact with altered minerals) suggest partial remobilisation
of Pt, Au and Cu by postmagmatic hydrothermal fluids after the sulphide
crystallisation.
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