Distribution of chalcophile and platinum-group elements among pyrrhotite, pentlandite, chalcopyrite and cubanite from the Noril’sk-Talnakh ores: implications for the formation of platinum-group minerals

In most magmatic sulfide deposits, platinum-group elements (PGE) are found both within the structure of the base metal sulfides (BMS), pyrrhotite (Po), pentlandite (Pn), chalcopyrite (Ccp) and cubanite (Cbn) and as platinum-group minerals (PGM). Tellurium, As, Bi, Sb and Sn (TABS) are essential elements in many of these PGM. The potential role of TABS in collecting PGE, and thus forming a PGE deposit, has not been closely investigated. We have determined the concentrations of a full suite of chalcophile elements in Po, Pn, Ccp and Cbn using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry on samples from the Noril’sk-Talnakh Ni deposits. In these deposits, the Po-rich ore is thought to represent monosulfide solid solution (MSS) cumulate of the initial sulfide liquid, and the Ccp-rich ore a mixture of the fractionated sulfide liquid and intermediate solid solution (ISS). The BMS from the Po-rich ore contain lower concentrations of TABS, Pd, Pt and Au, and higher concentrations of Mo, Ru, Rh, Re, Os and Ir than BMS from the Ccp-rich ores. This observation is consistent with experimental results which show that TABS, Pd, Pt and Au are incompatible with MSS, whereas the other elements are compatible in MSS. Counter intuitively, in the Po-rich ore, the bulk of the Pd and TABS is hosted by BMS. This is because during crystallization, although only a small amount of the incompatible elements partitioned into the BMS, the fractionated liquid has migrated away; thus, the Po-rich ores represent MSS adcumulates. Therefore, as the Po-rich ores contain very little trapped liquid fraction, the BMS host the bulk of Pd and TABS. In contrast, in the Ccp-rich ore, the bulk of Au, Pd, Pt and TABS is present as PGM or electrum grains. This is because more trapped liquid is present, and as TABS Au, Pd and Pt are not compatible with ISS, they concentrated into the very last sulfide liquid, and crystallized as intergrowths of Pd-Pt-TABS PGM. The TABS then do not appear to collect Pd, Pt and Au but rather all elements are concentrated in the most fractionated sulfide liquid by crystal fractionation.