Geochemical distribution and supergene behavior of indium at the Pingüino epithermal polymetallic vein system, Patagonia, Argentina

López, Luciano; Jovic, Sebastián M.; Guido, Diego M.; Vidal, Conrado Permuy; Páez, Gerardo Néstor; Ruiz, Remigio

doi:10.1016/j.oregeorev.2014.05.010

Cited by 15 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 14 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Previously published δ 34 S VCDT data for sulphides in the Huanuni deposit are very scarce and ranged between −5.5% and −3.5% [59], whereas the data obtained in this study range between −7.5% and 1.0% . Such range of data is similar to those in the Oruro-Potosí region of the central Andean Tin Belt [9,56], in which the Huanuni deposit is found, and in other tin deposits elsewhere [60], and in intermediate-to low-sulphidation epithermal deposits in Cordilleran environments [61][62][63]. A range of values as the one obtained in this study is typically described to correspond to sulphur that was derived from a sedimentary or metasedimentary, and magmatic source (either from a direct contribution or by scavenging of sulphur from magmatic rocks).…”

Section: Sources For Sulphursupporting

confidence: 81%

“…Another indium carrier in the deposit is a carbonate (a possible new mineral) that occurs as a supergene mineral within micro-fractures in In-bearing sphalerite. This would be indicative for the mobilisation of indium in supergene conditions, in which it apparently behaves as a rather immobile element [56].…”

Section: Mineralogy and Distribution Of Critical Elementsmentioning

confidence: 95%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Mineralogy and Distribution of Critical Elements in the Sn–W–Pb–Ag–Zn Huanuni Deposit, Bolivia

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The polymetallic Huanuni deposit, a world-class tin deposit, is part of the Bolivian tin belt. As a likely case for a “mesothermal” or transitional deposit between epithermal and porphyry Sn types (or shallow porphyry Sn), it represents a case that contributes significantly to the systematic study of the distribution of critical elements within the “family” of Bolivian tin deposits. In addition to Sn, Zn and Ag, further economic interest in the area resides in its potential in critical elements such as In, Ga and Ge. This paper provides the first systematic characterisation of the complex mineralogy and mineral chemistry of the Huanuni deposit with the twofold aim of identifying the mineral carriers of critical elements and endeavouring plausible metallogenic processes for the formation of this deposit, by means of a multi-methodological approach. With In concentrations consistently over 2000 ppm, the highest potential for relevant concentrations in this metal resides in widespread tin minerals (cassiterite and stannite) and sphalerite. Hypogene alteration assemblages are hardly developed due to the metasedimentary nature of host rocks, but the occurrence of potassium feldspar, schorl, pyrophyllite and dickite as vein material stand for potassic to phyllic or advanced argillic alteration assemblages and relatively high-temperature (and low pH) mineralising fluids. District-scale mineralogical zonation suggests a thermal zonation with decreasing temperatures from the central to the peripheral areas. A district-scale zonation has been also determined for δ34SVCDT values, which range −7.2‰ to 0.2‰ (mostly −7‰ to −5‰) in the central area and −4.2‰ to 1.0‰ (mainly constrained between −2‰ and 1‰) in peripheral areas. Such values stand for magmatic and metasedimentary sources for sulfur, and their spatial zoning may be related to differential reactivity between mineralising fluids and host rocks, outwardly decreasing from the central to the peripheral areas.

show abstract

Section: Sources For Sulphursupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Mineralogy and Distribution Of Critical Elementsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Mineralogy and Distribution of Critical Elements in the Sn–W–Pb–Ag–Zn Huanuni Deposit, Bolivia

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This would probably be less of an issue in oxidized HS deposits, where the ores are significantly easier to process [22]. Indeed, the gossans of some HS deposits (e.g., the La Rosario vein), Tsumeb-type deposits (e.g., Tsumeb and Apex Mine) and polymetallic vein deposits (e.g., San Roque and Pingüino, Argentina; [104,105]) are known to be enriched in critical elements, which can be attributed to the general immobility of Ge, Ga and In during weathering [9,80,105,106]. In the weathering environment, these elements may form their own exotic minerals, or occur in high concentrations in various supergene minerals (e.g., sulfides, oxides, hydroxides, hydroxy-sulfates and arsenates; [9,80,98,104]).…”

Section: Ge ± In-ga Mineralization In High-sulfidation Enargite Oresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mineralogical Distribution of Germanium, Gallium and Indium at the Mt Carlton High-Sulfidation Epithermal Deposit, NE Australia, and Comparison with Similar Deposits Worldwide

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Germanium, gallium and indium are in high demand due to their growing usage in high-tech and green-tech applications. However, the mineralogy and the mechanisms of concentration of these critical elements in different types of hydrothermal ore deposits remain poorly constrained. We investigated the mineralogical distribution of Ge, Ga and In at the Mt Carlton high-sulfidation epithermal deposit in NE Australia, using electron probe microanalysis and laser ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Parageneses from which selected minerals were analyzed include: Stage 1 acid sulfate alteration (alunite), Stage 2A high-sulfidation enargite mineralization (enargite, argyrodite, sphalerite, pyrite, barite), Stage 2B intermediate-sulfidation sphalerite mineralization (sphalerite, pyrite, galena) and Stage 3 hydrothermal void fill (dickite). Moderate to locally high concentrations of Ga were measured in Stage 1 alunite (up to 339 ppm) and in Stage 3 dickite (up to 150 ppm). The Stage 2A ores show enrichment in Ge, which is primarily associated with argyrodite (up to 6.95 wt % Ge) and Ge-bearing enargite (up to 2189 ppm Ge). Co-existing sphalerite has comparatively low Ge content (up to 143 ppm), while Ga (up to 1181 ppm) and In (up to 571 ppm) are higher. Sphalerite in Stage 2B contains up to 611 ppm Ge, 2829 ppm Ga and 2169 ppm In, and locally exhibits fine colloform bands of an uncharacterized Zn-In mineral with compositions close to CuZn 2 (In,Ga)S 4 . Barite, pyrite and galena which occur in association with Stage 2 mineralization were found to play negligible roles as carriers of Ge, Ga and In at Mt Carlton. Analyzed reference samples of enargite from seven similar deposits worldwide have average Ge concentrations ranging from 12 to 717 ppm (maximum 2679 ppm). The deposits from which samples showed high enrichment in critical elements in this study are all hosted in stratigraphic sequences that locally contain carbonaceous sedimentary rocks. In addition to magmatic-hydrothermal processes, such rocks could potentially be important for the concentration of critical elements in high-sulfidation epithermal deposits.

show abstract

“…The indium-bearing sphalerite described here also bears some differences ( Figs 5-6) from most other indium-bearing sphalerites (e.g., Pattrick et al 1993;Sinclair et al 2006;Cook et al 2009;López et al 2015). Sphalerite from Mt.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

Indium-bearing paragenesis from the Nueva Esperanza and Restauradora veins, Capillitas mine, Argentina

Márquez-Zavalía¹,

Vymazalová²,

Galliski³

et al. 2020

J. Geosci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Nueva Esperanza and Restauradora are two of the twenty-three veins described at Capillitas mine, an epithermal precious-and base-metal vein deposit located in northern Argentina. Capillitas is genetically linked to other mineralizations of the Farallón Negro Volcanic Complex, which hosts several deposits. These include two world-class (La Alumbrera and Agua Rica) and some smaller (e.g., Bajo El Durazno) porphyry deposits, and a few epithermal deposits (Farallón Negro, Alto de la Blenda, Cerro Atajo and Capillitas). The main hypogene minerals found at these two veins include pyrite, sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite, tennantite-(Zn) and tennantite-(Fe). Accessory minerals comprise hübnerite, gold, silver, stannite, stannoidite and mawsonite, and also diverse indium-and tellurium-bearing minerals. Quartz is the main gangue mineral. Indium participates in the structure of sphalerite, tennantite-(Zn), ishiharaite and an indium-bearing mineral, still under study, the former being the most abundant of these phases. The chemical composition of sphalerite shows very low concentrations of Fe and a wide range in indium contents from below the detection limit (0.03 wt. %) to values close to 22 wt. %. Atomic proportions of In and Cu correlate positively at a ratio In : Cu = 1 : 1 atoms per formula unit. Cadmium reaches up to 0.68 wt. %. Other analyzed elements (Ge, As, Se, Ag, Sn, Te, Au, Pb and Bi) are systematically below their respective detection limits. Indium-bearing tennantite-(Zn) (up to 0.24 wt. % In) is rare and restricted to the area where ishiharaite appears. Ishiharaite and the unclassified indium-bearing mineral are extremely scarce and host up to 10 and 30 wt. % In, respectively. The zoning in sphalerite and the variable indium content of the different bands could be ascribed to significant fluctuation in the composition of the fluids (possibly pulses). They are evidenced by the presence of a high f Te 2 mineral, like calaverite, and a low f Te 2 phase, such as silver, within the same stage, with local periodic increments on In and Cu that could also be associated with recurring reactivation of fractures.

show abstract

Geochemical distribution and supergene behavior of indium at the Pingüino epithermal polymetallic vein system, Patagonia, Argentina

Cited by 15 publications

References 14 publications

Mineralogy and Distribution of Critical Elements in the Sn–W–Pb–Ag–Zn Huanuni Deposit, Bolivia

Mineralogy and Distribution of Critical Elements in the Sn–W–Pb–Ag–Zn Huanuni Deposit, Bolivia

Mineralogical Distribution of Germanium, Gallium and Indium at the Mt Carlton High-Sulfidation Epithermal Deposit, NE Australia, and Comparison with Similar Deposits Worldwide

Indium-bearing paragenesis from the Nueva Esperanza and Restauradora veins, Capillitas mine, Argentina

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About