Laser ablation data tables for magnetite, hematite, pyrite and chalcopyrite

Brief description

Trace element geochemistry of magnetite, hematite, pyrite and chalcopyrite associated with various mineral assemblages both directly associated with, and distal to, Cu-Au mineralised systems in the Eastern Fold Belt, Mount Isa Inlier, northwest Queensland, Australia.

Full description

This dataset supports the author's PhD thesis "Controls on Cu-Au mineralisation and Fe oxide metasomatism in the Eastern Fold Belt, N.W. Queensland, Australia" and is included as Appendix 9 (on CD-ROM) in the print copy. [Extract from Chapter 6, Introduction]: The trace element geochemistry of magnetite, hematite, pyrite and chalcopyrite within various Fe oxide- and Cu-Au- mineralised systems in the EFB (Eastern Fold Belt) has been investigated using in situ laser ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS).This will provide a better understanding regarding the composition of ore fluids and processes responsible for Fe oxide (±Cu-Au) mineralisation. In addition, the geochemistry of different minerals formed in the same vein/breccia association can provide constraints on the nature of elemental partitioning between minerals and aqueous fluids. Samples from IOCG deposits, barren Fe oxide-rich rocks, and weakly Cu-mineralized occurrences associated with Fe oxides mostly in the Mount Fort Constantine (MFC) and Ernest Henry district were selected to ascertain whether the trace element geochemistry of magnetite, hematite, chalcopyrite and pyrite can be usedto distinguish the different ore forming processes. Some of the factors that may have influenced the trace element composition of these minerals include: 1. Mineral assemblage (e.g. diversity of minerals in the suite); 2. Host rock composition; 3. Magma petrogenesis: 4. Degree of fluid-rock interaction (e.g. hydrothermal replacement versus infill); and, 5. Physicochemical parameters during deposition (e.g. P, T, pH, fO2, fS2, XCO2 conditions). The aim is to develop: 1) A more robust generic model describing the sources and chemical makeup of fluids associated with Fe oxide-rich rocks and Fe oxide (Cu-Au) mineralisation; and 2) A geochemical ‘fingerprinting’ tool for discriminating between barren and Cu-Au mineralised Fe oxide-rich systems.

The full methodology can be found in Chapter 6 of the thesis which is available from the Related Publications link below.

Notes

This dataset is available as 7 spreadsheets saved in MS Excel (.xlsx) and Open Document formats (.ods) and as a .zip file. Notations include 'bd'=below detection, '-' denotes values whereby 1 sigma and MDL cannot be calculated due to below detection values, *denotes likely impurity in analysis.