VOLATILITY OF Se AND Te DURING SUBDUCTION-RELATED DISTILLATION AND THE GEOCHEMISTRY OF EPITHERMAL ORES OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES

Saunders, James A.; Brueseke, Matthew E.

doi:10.2113/econgeo.107.1.165

Cited by 32 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 79 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…S4). The latter is characteristic of subaerial epithermal and Carlin-type continental deposits3132 and has recently been suggested to result from their similar volatile behaviour in subduction systems33. Except for the very high contents in Sb and Tl, Kolumbo's style of geochemical enrichment is not unique.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

New insights into hydrothermal vent processes in the unique shallow-submarine arc-volcano, Kolumbo (Santorini), Greece

Kilias

Nomikou

Papanikolaou

et al. 2013

Sci Rep

107

118

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We report on integrated geomorphological, mineralogical, geochemical and biological investigations of the hydrothermal vent field located on the floor of the density-stratified acidic (pH ~ 5) crater of the Kolumbo shallow-submarine arc-volcano, near Santorini. Kolumbo features rare geodynamic setting at convergent boundaries, where arc-volcanism and seafloor hydrothermal activity are occurring in thinned continental crust. Special focus is given to unique enrichments of polymetallic spires in Sb and Tl (±Hg, As, Au, Ag, Zn) indicating a new hybrid seafloor analogue of epithermal-to-volcanic-hosted-massive-sulphide deposits. Iron microbial-mat analyses reveal dominating ferrihydrite-type phases, and high-proportion of microbial sequences akin to "Nitrosopumilus maritimus", a mesophilic Thaumarchaeota strain capable of chemoautotrophic growth on hydrothermal ammonia and CO2. Our findings highlight that acidic shallow-submarine hydrothermal vents nourish marine ecosystems in which nitrifying Archaea are important and suggest ferrihydrite-type Fe3+-(hydrated)-oxyhydroxides in associated low-temperature iron mats are formed by anaerobic Fe2+-oxidation, dependent on microbially produced nitrate.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

New insights into hydrothermal vent processes in the unique shallow-submarine arc-volcano, Kolumbo (Santorini), Greece

Kilias

Nomikou

Papanikolaou

et al. 2013

Sci Rep

107

118

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These nanoparticle-bearing, low-density magmatic fluids would have been enriched in such volatile elements as Au, Ag, Cu, Se, As, etc. [56], and they eventually encountered and mixed with shallow, meteoric-water-dominated geothermal systems in the epithermal environment [45,49]. Eventually pressure decreased enough to trigger the boiling of the epithermal solutions (the mixture of the low-density magmatic "vapors" and the heated meteoric waters) and more gold and silver perhaps precipitated, but boiling also provides the physical conditions necessary to cause gold nanoparticle aggregation and the formation of fractal dendrites.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Formation and Aggregation of Gold (Electrum) Nanoparticles in Epithermal Ores

Saunders

Burke

2017

Minerals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Here, we review the concept that nanoparticles and colloids may have played a significant role in forming some types of hydrothermal ores deposits, particularly epithermal. This concept was first proposed almost a century ago but the development of new analytical technologies, lab experiments, and the discovery of new epithermal deposits where nanoparticles are evident have added credence to the "gold colloid theory". Nanoparticles are defined to have at least one dimension <10 −7 m, and may have different chemical and physical properties than the bulk solids. Colloids are typically <10 −6 m in diameter and have the added characteristic that they are dispersed in another medium. In epithermal ore-forming solutions, gold or electrum nanoparticles nucleate from supersaturated hydrothermal solutions, and thus this is a "far-from-equilibrium" process. In some cases, gold nanoparticles may simply play a transitory role of aggregating to form much coarser-grained crystals, where all of the evidence of nanoparticles precursor phases is not preserved. However, in some epithermal ores, silica nanoparticles also formed, and their co-deposition with gold (electrum) nanoparticles preserved the gold aggregation features as self-organized "fractal" dendrites. Here, we review existing the data on gold and electrum nanoparticles in epithermal ores, present images of electrum nanoparticles and their aggregates, and discuss the significance of gold nanoparticles formation and aggregation in helping to produce some of the highest-grade gold ores in the world.

show abstract

“…Tellurium occurs in volcanic fumaroles, such as the high-tellurium amorphous arsenic-rich sulfurite at Vulcano, Sicilia, Italy (Garavelli and others, 2013) and in volcanic condensate sulfur from the Mendeleev volcano in the Kuril Islands, Sakhalinskaya Oblast', Russia, and the Mutnovskaya volcano on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula (Sindeeva, 1964). Volatile transport of tellurium could also be enhanced owing to the suggested relatively high anhydrous volatility of the element, along with that of arsenic, mercury, and selenium (for example, Saunders and Brueseke, 2012), where Hg>As>Se>Te>Tl>>Sb>Pb>Ag>Cu>Au. In addition, the common enrichment of tellurium in nonmagmatic orogenic gold systems may indicate that carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) immiscibility also is an important factor leading to the gaseous transport and concentration of tellurium.…”

Section: Geology Geochemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many deposits in this alkaline subtype are typically characterized by a fluorine-gold-tellurium-vanadium magmatic-hydrothermal geochemical signature (Jensen and Barton, 2000;Simmons and others, 2005). Saunders and Brueseke (2012) suggested that alkaline, tellurium-rich low-sulfidation epithermal deposits of the Western United States are preferentially located over Precambrian basement rocks east of the initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr = 0.706 isopleth. They show a distinct break in epithermal ore geochemistry, as tellurium is more abundant than selenium to the east and selenium is more abundant than tellurium to the west of the ancient cratonic margin.…”

Section: Epithermal Depositsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The tellurium-rich epithermal province, which extends from Montana to New Mexico, has mainly alkalic magmatism, whereas the seleniumrich ores occur with more typical calc-alkaline rocks. Saunders and Brueseke (2012) related the different patterns to differences in the volatility of the metalloids within a subducting Laramide slab; less volatile tellurium is released later and at greater depths, and thus further inboard than the selenium. There are, however, notable exceptions to this pattern, including tellurium-rich low-and high-sulfidation gold ores at Bodie in eastern California (David A. John, Research Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey, written commun., 2013).…”

Section: Epithermal Depositsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Tellurium

Goldfarb¹,

Berger²,

George³

et al. 2017

Professional Paper

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Division; available at http://periodic.lanl.gov/images/periodictable.pdf.Cover. Tellurium is a critical component for the development of efficient thin-film photovoltaic cells that are needed for the production of electricity from sunlight. A 2-megawatt, ground-mounted solar photovoltaic array occupies the site of a former landfill at Fort Carson, Colo. Photograph from the U.S. Department of Energy Western Area Power Administration. For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit https://store.usgs.gov/.

show abstract

VOLATILITY OF Se AND Te DURING SUBDUCTION-RELATED DISTILLATION AND THE GEOCHEMISTRY OF EPITHERMAL ORES OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES

Cited by 32 publications

References 79 publications

New insights into hydrothermal vent processes in the unique shallow-submarine arc-volcano, Kolumbo (Santorini), Greece

New insights into hydrothermal vent processes in the unique shallow-submarine arc-volcano, Kolumbo (Santorini), Greece

Formation and Aggregation of Gold (Electrum) Nanoparticles in Epithermal Ores

Tellurium

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About