Nanoscale distribution of Ge in Cu-rich sphalerite
A large proportion of the critical elements resources Ge, Ga, and In are associated with sphalerite in Pb-Zn ore deposits. Germanium in sphalerite has been proposed to be structurally bound in the crystal lattice. Using a combination of microstructural, geochemical and nanoscale observations, we sho...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
2023
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| Online Access: | text http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/94712 |
| _version_ | 1848765902686781440 |
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| author | Fougerouse, Denis Cugerone, A. Reddy, Steven Luo, K. Motto-Ros, V. |
| author_facet | Fougerouse, Denis Cugerone, A. Reddy, Steven Luo, K. Motto-Ros, V. |
| author_sort | Fougerouse, Denis |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | A large proportion of the critical elements resources Ge, Ga, and In are associated with sphalerite in Pb-Zn ore deposits. Germanium in sphalerite has been proposed to be structurally bound in the crystal lattice. Using a combination of microstructural, geochemical and nanoscale observations, we show that Ge can be hosted in sphalerite crystal structure as well as nanoparticles of briartite (Cu2(Zn,Fe)GeS4). The structurally-bound Ge was preserved in undeformed sphalerite grains from the Saint-Salvy Pb-Zn vein deposit (France), whereas the briartite nanoparticles were observed in metamorphosed sphalerite from Arre. The briartite nanoparticles likely exsolved from sphalerite during the Pyrenean-Alpine metamorphism and deformation. The presence of nanoparticles may harden the sphalerite during crystal-plastic deformation and help to preserve the critical elements resources of Pb-Zn deposits during metamorphism. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:42:38Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-94712 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:42:38Z |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-947122024-04-16T06:05:12Z Nanoscale distribution of Ge in Cu-rich sphalerite Fougerouse, Denis Cugerone, A. Reddy, Steven Luo, K. Motto-Ros, V. A large proportion of the critical elements resources Ge, Ga, and In are associated with sphalerite in Pb-Zn ore deposits. Germanium in sphalerite has been proposed to be structurally bound in the crystal lattice. Using a combination of microstructural, geochemical and nanoscale observations, we show that Ge can be hosted in sphalerite crystal structure as well as nanoparticles of briartite (Cu2(Zn,Fe)GeS4). The structurally-bound Ge was preserved in undeformed sphalerite grains from the Saint-Salvy Pb-Zn vein deposit (France), whereas the briartite nanoparticles were observed in metamorphosed sphalerite from Arre. The briartite nanoparticles likely exsolved from sphalerite during the Pyrenean-Alpine metamorphism and deformation. The presence of nanoparticles may harden the sphalerite during crystal-plastic deformation and help to preserve the critical elements resources of Pb-Zn deposits during metamorphism. 2023 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/94712 10.1016/j.gca.2023.02.011 text http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DE190101307 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Fougerouse, Denis Cugerone, A. Reddy, Steven Luo, K. Motto-Ros, V. Nanoscale distribution of Ge in Cu-rich sphalerite |
| title | Nanoscale distribution of Ge in Cu-rich sphalerite |
| title_full | Nanoscale distribution of Ge in Cu-rich sphalerite |
| title_fullStr | Nanoscale distribution of Ge in Cu-rich sphalerite |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nanoscale distribution of Ge in Cu-rich sphalerite |
| title_short | Nanoscale distribution of Ge in Cu-rich sphalerite |
| title_sort | nanoscale distribution of ge in cu-rich sphalerite |
| url | text text http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/94712 |