Partition of cadmium and manganese between coexisting sphalerite and galena from some Japanese epithermal deposits

Abstract

Sphalerites from Japanese epithermal Pb-Zn vein-type deposits, namely, Yatani, Oizumi and Hosokura, contain 2900–3400 ppm cadmium and 760–2100 ppm manganese. And galenas from the same deposits contain cadmium and manganese 19.2–26.9 ppm and 7.8–218.3 ppm, respectively. The temperatures, evaluated from the partition of cadmium between coexisting sphalerite and galena, are consistent within a total range of 150°C at maximum within an individual deposit. No systematic change with depth can be observed at the Shoko-hi vein, Hosokura mine and Hompi vein, Yatani mine. In several samples, the temperatures obtained from the partition of cadmium have been compared with those obtained from sulfur isotope fractionations. Iron content in sphalerite coexisting with pyrite indicates that the deposition of ore minerals at these deposits may have taken place from ore-forming solutions in which H2S or HS− was the predominant dissolved sulfur species, and the solutions may have been free from in situ oxidation or reduction.