The Paleoproterozoic komatiite-hosted PGE mineralization at Lomalampi, Central Lapland Greenstone Belt, northern Finland

Abstract

Several komatiite-hosted Ni-Cu-PGE deposits occur in Archean and Paleoproterozoic Greenstone Belts in Finland. Some of these deposits are enriched in platinum-group elements, especially in Pd and Pt. The Lomalampi PGE-(Cu-Ni) deposit is associated with a peridotitic cumulate body of the Sattasvaara Formation in the Paleoproterozoic Central Lapland Greenstone Belt. The sulfides in the deposit occur in disseminated form. Whole rock sulfur contents are 0.4–2 wt%, and Ni contents are <0.5 wt% and Cu <0.4 wt%, while PGE contents exceed 500 ppb. The sulfides consist of magmatic pentlandite, pyrrhotite, and chalcopyrite and have not been substantially modified by metamorphic processes. Palladium minerals are associated with sulfides and silicates, but the only Pt-bearing phase, sperrylite, occurs mainly within silicates. The host rock of the deposit is a chromite undersaturated Al-undepleted high-Mg basalt or low-Mg komatiite. In contrast to most other komatiite-hosted Ni-Cu-PGE deposits world-wide that have Pt/Pd around 0.5, the Lomalampi deposit is enriched in Pt over Pd (Pt/Pd = 2). Only a weak contamination signal in the host-cumulate is evident in REE data, but a strong signal is evident in S-isotope ratios (δ34S + 10 ‰ to +15 ‰), which differ substantially from the mantle value (0 ± 2 ‰). Geochemical characteristics (e.g., PGE enrichment) and R-factor modeling indicate certain similarities between Lomalampi and the Raglan Ni-Cu-PGE deposits of Canada. The combined data suggest that Lomalampi formed through contamination of a PGE-rich magnesian magma with S rich country rocks. This suggests that the extensive Central Lapland Greenstone Belt is favorable for komatiite-hosted Ni-Cu-PGE deposits, which are substantially enriched in platinum and palladium.