Abstract
ABSTRACTMineralogical, electron microprobe analysis and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry data from molybdenite within two porphyry copper deposits (Kalinovskoe and Birgilda) of the Birgilda-Tomino ore cluster (South Urals) are presented.† The results provide evidence that molybdenites from these two sites have similar trace-element chemistry. Most trace elements (Si, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Ag, Sb, Te, Pb, Bi, Au, As and Se) form mineral inclusions within molybdenite. The Re contents in molybdenite vary from 8.7 ppm to 1.13 wt.%. The Re distribution within single molybdenite flakes is always extremely heterogeneous. It is argued that a temperature decrease favours the formation of Re-rich molybdenite. The high Re content of molybdenite observed points to a mantle-derived source.
Highlights
PORPHYRY copper deposits are the major source of Re as a by-product (Dill, 2010) and molybdenite is the only economically significant carrier of this element
The present study has provided new mineralogical, electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) data from molybdenite from two porphyry copper deposits of the BirgildaTomino ore cluster, Kalinovskoe and Birgilda
Measured Os isotope ratios were first corrected for contributions from natural Os, corrected for mass fractionation based on the 190Os/188Os ratio of the spike. 187Os was determined from the 187Os/188Os ratio of the mixture and corrected for minor contributions from total common Os
Summary
PORPHYRY copper deposits are the major source of Re as a by-product (Dill, 2010) and molybdenite is the only economically significant carrier of this element. Rhenium is currently ranked as a critical metal in very short supply in Russia (Trach and Beskin, 2011), making the study of the rhenium distribution in known deposits very relevant. For this reason porphyry copper deposits of the Urals have recently attracted attention as potential sources of both molybdenum and rhenium. General features of rhenium distribution in Uralian porphyry copper deposits were discussed by Grabezhev (2013) while the rhenium behaviour of individual deposits and within single grains of molybdenite has been described recently (e.g. Grabezhev and Shagalov, 2010; Grabezhev and Gmyra, 2014; Grabezhev and Hiller, 2015; Grabezhev and Voudouris, 2015; Plotinskaya et al, 2014a, 2015).
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