Mineralogical thallium geochemistry and isotope variations from igneous, metamorphic, and metasomatic systems

Rader, Shelby; Mazdab, Frank K.; Barton, Mark D.

doi:10.1016/j.gca.2018.09.019

Cited by 41 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Where sulfides are absent, Tl behaves like the large-ion lithophile (LIL) elements K, Rb, and Cs, due to their similar ionic radii (K + : 1.33 Å; Tl + : 1.49 Å; Rb + : 1.49 Å; Cs + : 1.65 Å; e.g., [32,33]), and preferentially partitions into K-bearing phases, such as biotite (K D = 8.6) and K-feldspar (K D = 3.67) [34]. Although some experimental studies have predicted that sulfides might contain high abundances of Tl [35], only a minority (14 of 38) of natural sulfides analysed in a recent study [36] contained Tl abundances above the detection limit (0.2 µg/g). This makes it likely that K-rich silicates will dominate Tl-partitioning over coexisting sulfide phases.…”

Section: The Geochemistry Of Thallium and Thallium Isotope Systematicsmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Consequently, it is perhaps unsurprising that the ε 205 Tl values measured showed neither systematic variation nor significant deviations from the mantle range ( Figure 2). [39,40], Fe-Mn deposits [52,53], hydrothermal ore deposits [48,[54][55][56][57], and mineral separates of biotite and sulfide from various geological environments [36]. The grey box represents the nominal mantle value of ε 205 Tl (−2 ± 1 [31,41]); long-term external 2 s.d.…”

Section: Thallium Isotope Studies Of Hydrothermal Ore Depositsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rader et al [36] conducted the first systematic study to document Tl concentrations and ε 205 Tl values of mineral separates from a variety of igneous, metamorphic, and metasomatic systems. In contrast to Peter et al [57], they concluded that sulfides such as sphalerite and pyrite typically contain low or undetectable Tl.…”

Section: Thallium Isotope Studies Of Hydrothermal Ore Depositsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on the limited data that have been published to date, it can be concluded that samples from a variety of ore deposit types display Tl isotope fractionations that can be attributed to fluid evolution [54] or sulfide precipitation [36,[55][56][57] (Figure 2). As a result, the current study aims to evaluate the potential of Tl isotopes for tracing fluid evolution, alteration, and sulfide precipitation in porphyry deposits by addressing the following questions: (1) Do Tl concentrations or ε 205 Tl values correlate with elemental enrichments in porphyry deposits?…”

Section: Thallium Isotope Studies Of Hydrothermal Ore Depositsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The range in Tl isotope compositions reported here is compared with results from previous studies in Figure 7. [52,53]; 3 [39,40]; 4 [48]; 5 [54]; 6 [57]; 7 [55]; 8 [36].…”

Section: Thallium Concentrations As a Function Of Sample Type And Locmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing Thallium Elemental Systematics and Isotope Ratio Variations in Porphyry Ore Systems: A Case Study of the Bingham Canyon District

et al. 2018

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The Bingham Canyon porphyry deposit is one of the world’s largest Cu-Mo-Au resources. Elevated concentrations of thallium (Tl) compared to average continental crust have been found in some brecciated and igneous samples in this area, which likely result from mobilization of Tl by relatively low temperature hydrothermal fluids. The Tl-enrichment at Bingham Canyon therefore provides an opportunity to investigate if Tl isotope ratios reflect hydrothermal enrichment and whether there are systematic Tl isotope fractionations that could provide an exploration tool. We present a reconnaissance study of nineteen samples spanning a range of lithologies from the Bingham district which were analysed for their Tl content and Tl isotope ratios, reported as parts per ten thousand (ε205Tl) relative to the NIST SRM997 international standard. The range of ε205Tl reported in this study (−16.4 to +7.2) is the largest observed in a hydrothermal ore deposit to date. Unbrecciated samples collected relatively proximal to the Bingham Canyon porphyry system have ε205Tl of −4.2 to +0.9, similar to observations in a previous study of porphyry deposits. This relatively narrow range suggests that high-temperature (>300 °C) hydrothermal alteration does not result in significant Tl isotope fractionation. However, two samples ~3–4 km away from Bingham Canyon have higher ε205Tl values (+1.3 and +7.2), and samples from more distal (~7 km) disseminated gold deposits at Melco and Barneys Canyon display an even wider range in ε205Tl (−16.4 to +6.0). The observation of large positive and negative excursions in ε205Tl relative to the mantle value (ε205Tl = −2.0 ± 1.0) contrasts with previous investigations of hydrothermal systems. Samples displaying the most extreme positive and negative ε205Tl values also contain elevated concentrations of Tl-Sb-As. Furthermore, with the exception of one sample, all of the Tl isotopic anomalies occur in hydrothermal breccia samples. This suggests that ε205Tl excursions are most extreme during the migration of low-temperature hydrothermal fluids potentially related to sediment-hosted gold mineralization. Future investigation to determine the host phase(s) for Tl in breccias displaying both chalcophile element enrichment and ε205Tl excursions can potentially provide new information about hydrothermal fluid composition and could be used to locate sites for future porphyry exploration.

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Section: The Geochemistry Of Thallium and Thallium Isotope Systematicsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Thallium Isotope Studies Of Hydrothermal Ore Depositsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Thallium Isotope Studies Of Hydrothermal Ore Depositsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Thallium Isotope Studies Of Hydrothermal Ore Depositsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The range in Tl isotope compositions reported here is compared with results from previous studies in Figure 7. [52,53]; 3 [39,40]; 4 [48]; 5 [54]; 6 [57]; 7 [55]; 8 [36].…”

Section: Thallium Concentrations As a Function Of Sample Type And Locmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing Thallium Elemental Systematics and Isotope Ratio Variations in Porphyry Ore Systems: A Case Study of the Bingham Canyon District

et al. 2018

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Isotope Fractionation Processes of Selected Elements

Hoefs¹

2021

Springer Textbooks in Earth Sciences, Geography and Environment

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Abundance and fate of thallium and its stable isotopes in the environment

Migaszewski

Gałuszka

2021

Rev Environ Sci Biotechnol

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This overview presents the updated physicochemical characteristics of thallium and its stable isotopes (205Tl/203Tl) in the context of their occurrence and fate in abiotic and biotic systems. This also deals with the thallium behavior in geochemical interactions in and between different environmental compartments and describes its natural (geogenic) and industrial sources. The particular emphasis is placed on some extreme environments, including acid mine drainage areas where oxidation processes of Tl-bearing pyrite and other sulfides lead to very high concentrations of this metal in reactive acidic waters. Many geochemical studies have also employed stable thallium isotopes to reconstruct redox conditions in different environmental systems, to fingerprint relative pollution source strengths and to evaluate mobility of this element and its geochemical interactions in the mineral-water and soil–plant systems. This is the reason why this overview also highlights the growing potential of stable Tl isotopes in solving different geologic and environmental issues. Graphic abstract

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Mineralogical thallium geochemistry and isotope variations from igneous, metamorphic, and metasomatic systems

Cited by 41 publications

References 38 publications

Assessing Thallium Elemental Systematics and Isotope Ratio Variations in Porphyry Ore Systems: A Case Study of the Bingham Canyon District

Assessing Thallium Elemental Systematics and Isotope Ratio Variations in Porphyry Ore Systems: A Case Study of the Bingham Canyon District

Isotope Fractionation Processes of Selected Elements

Abundance and fate of thallium and its stable isotopes in the environment

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