Role of volatiles in intrusion emplacement and sulfide deposition in the supergiant Norilsk-Talnakh Ni-Cu-PGE ore deposits

The Norilsk-Talnakh orebodies in Siberia are some of the largest examples on Earth of magmatic Ni-Cu-platinum group element (PGE) deposits, formed by segregation of immiscible sulfide melts from silicate magmas. They show distinctive features attributable to degassing of a magmatic vapor phase durin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geology (Boulder) 2023-11, Vol.51 (11), p.1027-1032
Main Authors: Barnes, Stephen J, Yudovskaya, Marina A, Iacono-Marziano, Giada, Le Vaillant, Margaux, Schoneveld, Louise E, Cruden, Alexander R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anhydrite
Asia
breccia
carbonaceous composition
Carbonaceous materials
Commonwealth of Independent States
Copper
copper ores
Degassing
Deposition
Earth Sciences
Economic geology
Globules
Gravity
Hydraulic fracturing
Intrusion
intrusions
Krasnoyarsk Russian Federation
Lava
Magma
magmas
metal ores
metals
Mineral deposits
Nickel
nickel ores
Norilsk region
Norilsk-Talnakh Deposit
ore bodies
Overpressure
Petrography
Platinum
platinum group
Rocks
Russian Federation
Sciences of the Universe
Segregation
Siberia
Silicates
Sills
sulfates
Sulfides
Sulphides
Taymyr Dolgan-Nenets Russian Federation
Vapor phases
Vapors
Volatiles
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Summary:The Norilsk-Talnakh orebodies in Siberia are some of the largest examples on Earth of magmatic Ni-Cu-platinum group element (PGE) deposits, formed by segregation of immiscible sulfide melts from silicate magmas. They show distinctive features attributable to degassing of a magmatic vapor phase during ore formation, including: vesiculation of the host intrusions, widespread intrusion breccias, and extensive hydrofracturing, skarns, and metasomatic replacement in the country rocks. Much of the magmatic sulfide was generated by assimilation of anhydrite and carbonaceous material, leading to injection of a suspension of fine sulfide droplets attached to gas bubbles into propagating tube-like host sills ("chonoliths"). Catastrophic vapor phase exsolution associated with a drop in magma overpressure at the transition from vertical to horizontal magma flow enabled explosive propagation of chonoliths, rapid "harvesting" and gravity deposition of the characteristic coarse sulfide globules that form much of the ore, and extensive magmatic fluid interaction with country rocks.
ISSN:0091-7613
1943-2682
DOI:10.1130/G51359.1