The fluorine link between a supergiant ore deposit and a silicic large igneous province

Olympic Dam is a supergiant Fe oxide Cu-U-Au-Ag ore deposit (~9 × 109 t) that is also enriched in rare earth elements (REEs) and fluorine (F). The immediate host to the ore is hydrothermal breccia within granite and volcanic rocks of a Mesoproterozoic silicic large igneous province. Analyses of melt...

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Main Authors: McPhie, J., Kamenetsky, V., Allen, S., Ehrig, K., Agangi, Andrea, Bath, A.
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2011
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/14347
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author McPhie, J.
Kamenetsky, V.
Allen, S.
Ehrig, K.
Agangi, Andrea
Bath, A.
author_facet McPhie, J.
Kamenetsky, V.
Allen, S.
Ehrig, K.
Agangi, Andrea
Bath, A.
author_sort McPhie, J.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Olympic Dam is a supergiant Fe oxide Cu-U-Au-Ag ore deposit (~9 × 109 t) that is also enriched in rare earth elements (REEs) and fluorine (F). The immediate host to the ore is hydrothermal breccia within granite and volcanic rocks of a Mesoproterozoic silicic large igneous province. Analyses of melt inclusions in quartz phenocrysts in rhyolite show that the silicic magmas of this province were unusually rich in F (up to 1.3 wt%). Fluorite and other F-rich minerals that crystallized from these magmas provided a gigantic reservoir of F. As a result, the Olympic Dam ore-forming fluid was F-rich and had exceptional capacity to transport diverse elements. Further, we infer that hydrofluoric acid, the most corrosive acid known, contributed to hydrothermal breccia formation by dissolution that in turn increased permeability and accelerated the rate of fluid-rock interaction. It is no accident that the world's largest hydrothermal ore deposit occurs in an F-rich silicic large igneous province.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-143472017-09-13T14:06:28Z The fluorine link between a supergiant ore deposit and a silicic large igneous province McPhie, J. Kamenetsky, V. Allen, S. Ehrig, K. Agangi, Andrea Bath, A. Olympic Dam is a supergiant Fe oxide Cu-U-Au-Ag ore deposit (~9 × 109 t) that is also enriched in rare earth elements (REEs) and fluorine (F). The immediate host to the ore is hydrothermal breccia within granite and volcanic rocks of a Mesoproterozoic silicic large igneous province. Analyses of melt inclusions in quartz phenocrysts in rhyolite show that the silicic magmas of this province were unusually rich in F (up to 1.3 wt%). Fluorite and other F-rich minerals that crystallized from these magmas provided a gigantic reservoir of F. As a result, the Olympic Dam ore-forming fluid was F-rich and had exceptional capacity to transport diverse elements. Further, we infer that hydrofluoric acid, the most corrosive acid known, contributed to hydrothermal breccia formation by dissolution that in turn increased permeability and accelerated the rate of fluid-rock interaction. It is no accident that the world's largest hydrothermal ore deposit occurs in an F-rich silicic large igneous province. 2011 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/14347 10.1130/G32205.1 fulltext
spellingShingle McPhie, J.
Kamenetsky, V.
Allen, S.
Ehrig, K.
Agangi, Andrea
Bath, A.
The fluorine link between a supergiant ore deposit and a silicic large igneous province
title The fluorine link between a supergiant ore deposit and a silicic large igneous province
title_full The fluorine link between a supergiant ore deposit and a silicic large igneous province
title_fullStr The fluorine link between a supergiant ore deposit and a silicic large igneous province
title_full_unstemmed The fluorine link between a supergiant ore deposit and a silicic large igneous province
title_short The fluorine link between a supergiant ore deposit and a silicic large igneous province
title_sort fluorine link between a supergiant ore deposit and a silicic large igneous province
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/14347