Critical factors for the formation of a nickel-copper deposit in an evolved magma system: lessons from a comparison of the Pants Lake and Voisey's Bay sulfide occurrences in Labrador, Canada

The Voisey's Bay nickel-copper deposit and the Pants Lake sulfide occurrences are the most important mineral systems discovered to date within the Nain Plutonic Suite in northern Labrador. There are many intriguing similarities at both locations. Both are hosted by relatively small troctolite/g...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Mineralium deposita 2001-01, Vol.36 (1), p.85-92
Main Authors: Li, Chusi, Naldrett, Anthony J., Ripley, Edward M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chemical reactions
Copper
Geophysics
Lakes
Magma
Metals
Mineralogy
Nickel
Sulfides
Sulfur
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Summary:The Voisey's Bay nickel-copper deposit and the Pants Lake sulfide occurrences are the most important mineral systems discovered to date within the Nain Plutonic Suite in northern Labrador. There are many intriguing similarities at both locations. Both are hosted by relatively small troctolite/gabbro bodies that intrude the sulfide-bearing paragneiss of the Churchill Province, and these intrusions contain inclusions of the paragneiss. Similar chemical reactions of the gneissic inclusions with the host magmas are observed at both locations. The reactions resulted in the addition of SiO^sub 2^, K^sub 2^O, Na^sub 2^O and sulfur to the magmas, and are responsible for sulfide-saturation and resultant segregation of immiscible sulfide liquids from the magmas. The initial sulfide liquids in both cases were relatively poor in metals, containing
ISSN:0026-4598
1432-1866
DOI:10.1007/s001260050288