Anomalous supply of bioessential molybdenum in mid-Proterozoic surface environments

We are grateful to A. Sandison and W. Thayalon for skilled technical support, and Mike Porter and an anonymous reviewer, who helped to clarify the manuscript.Peer reviewedPostprin

U-Pb, Re-Os, and Ar/Ar Geochronology of Rare Earth Element (REE)-Rich Breccia Pipes and Associated Host Rocks from the Mesoproterozoic Pea Ridge Fe-REE-Au Deposit, St. Francois Mountains, Missouri

Rare earth element (REE)-rich breccia pipes (600,000 t @ 12% REO) are preserved along the margins of the 136 Mt Pea Ridge magnetite-apatite deposit, within Mesoproterozoic (~1.47 Ga) volcanic-plutonic rocks of the St. Francois Mountains terrane in southeastern Missouri, USA. The breccia pipes cut the rhyolite-hosted magnetite deposit, and contain clasts of nearly all local bedrock and mineralized lithologies. Grains of monazite and xenotime were extracted from breccia pipe samples for SHRIMP U-Pb geochronology; both minerals were also dated in one polished thin section. Monazite forms two morphologies: (1) matrix granular grains composed of numerous small (<50 μm) crystallites intergrown with rare xenotime, thorite, apatite, and magnetite; and (2) coarse euhedral, glassy, bright yellow grains similar to typical igneous or metamorphic monazite. Trace element abundances (including REE patterns) were determined on selected grains of monazite (both morphologies) and xenotime. Zircon grains from two samples of host rhyolite and two late felsic dikes collected underground at Pea Ridge were also dated. Additional geochronology done on breccia pipe minerals includes Re-Os on fine-grained molybdenite and 40Ar/39Ar on muscovite, biotite, and Kfeldspar. Ages (± 2-sigma errors) obtained by SHRIMP U-Pb analysis are as follows: (1) zircon from the two host rhyolite samples have ages of 1473.6 ± 8.0 and 1472.7 ± 5.6 Ma; most zircon in late felsic dikes is interpreted as xenocrystic (age range ca. 1522-1455 Ma); a population of rare spongy zircon is likely of igneous origin and yields an age of 1441 ± 9 Ma; (2) pale yellow granular monazite—1464.9 ± 3.3 Ma (no dated xenotime); (3) reddish matrix granular monazite—1462.0 ± 3.5 Ma and associated xenotime—1453 ± 11 Ma; (4) coarse glassy yellow monazite—1464.8 ± 2.1, 1461.7 ± 3.7 Ma, with rims at 1447.2 ± 4.7 Ma; and (5) matrix monazite (in situ) —1464.1 ± 3.6 and 1454.6 ± 9.6 Ma, and matrix xenotime (in situ) —1468.0 ± 8.0 Ma. Two slightly older ages of cores are about 1478 Ma. The young age of rims on the coarse glassy monazite coincides with a Re-Os age of 1440.6 ± 9.2 Ma determined in this study for molybdenite intergrown with quartz and allanite, and with the age of monazite inclusions in apatite from the magnetite ore (Neymark et al., this volume). A 40Ar/39Ar age of 1473 ± 1 Ma was obtained for muscovite from a breccia pipe sample. Geochronology and trace element geochemical data suggest that the granular matrix monazite and xenotime (in polygonal texture), and cores of coarse glassy monazite precipitated from hydrothermal fluids during breccia pipes formation. The second episode of mineral growth at ca. 1443 Ma may be related to faulting and fluid flow that rebrecciated the pipes. The ca. 10 m.y. gap between the ages of host volcanic rocks and breccia pipe monazite and xenotime suggests that breccia pipe mineral formation cannot be related to the felsic magmatism represented by the rhyolitic volcanic rocks, and hence is linked to a different magmatic-hydrothermal system

Geology, mineralogy, ore paragenesis, and molybdenite Re-Os geochronology of Sn-W (-Mo) mineralization in Padatgyaung and Dawei, Myanmar: Implications for timing of mineralization and tectonic setting

The Sn-W (-Mo) deposits of Myanmar are mostly located in the Western Granite Province that is well known for its world-class Sn-W (-Mo) deposits. Previous studies have constrained the age of the granitic intrusions of the province and the timing of mineralization for a few deposits, but most of the mineralization ages are not well established. In this study, new molybdenite Re-Os dating of two Sn-W-(Mo) regions, Padatgyaung and Dawei, together with their geological setting and mineral paragenesis are carried out to constrain the timing of ore formation and geodynamic setting. In the Padatgyaung region, two weighted average Re-Os model ages of 64.23 ± 0.29 Ma (MSWD = 0.49, 2σ) and of 60.54 ± 0.45 Ma (MSWD = 1.3, 2σ) from vein molybdenites are considerably younger than molybdenite from tin mineralized greisen which has a weighted Re-Os model age of 68.5 ± 2.7 Ma (MSWD = 0.14, 2σ). This demonstrates that the vein-type W-Mo mineralization formed after tin mineralized greisenization. Combining our new age data with previous geochronological data, the Re-Os model age of 63.09 ± 0.17 Ma from the Wagone quartz vein suggests that the Sn-W(-Mo) mineralization in the Dawei region took place at around 70–60 Ma (Late Cretaceous to Paleocene). This study indicates the presence of a significant and discrete granite-related Sn-W(-Mo) mineralization with an age of 75–60 Ma in the Western Granite Province, although the overall age range of Sn-W mineralization in the belt spans from 120 to around 40 Ma emplaced during normal subduction and roll-back of the Neo-Tethyan oceanic crust

Experimental and Thermodynamical Modeling of Ore-Forming Processes in Magmatic and Hydrothermal Systems

This special issue book includes 10 original research papers that discuss and solve some problems of ore-forming processes in magmatic and hydrothermal systems. Some of these papers in the issue deal with experimental and thermodynamical modeling, while the others are devoted to analytical geochemistry, geochronology and genesis of some ore occurrences. I hope that these papers will be useful for scientists who work on the fundamental problems of ore-forming processes and the genesis of ore deposits, and will provide new ideas for future research