Pyrite geochemistry and textures in the epithermal Au-Ag mineralisation at Waihi

The Waihi epithermal system is a low sulphidation epithermal system that hosts one of the largest high grade ore deposits in the Southern Hemisphere. The use of petrographic and EPMA analyses demonstrate there are distinctive textural zones within pyrite grains that vary in chemistry and appearance. Some of these zones contain elevated concentrations of Au and Te, and varying concentrations of Fe, S, Cu, Pb or Zn. The textural observations indicate that in some samples, pyrite growth was interrupted by periods of dissolution. Grains begin growth with overall low trace element concentrations, with the highest concentrations of trace elements occurring in the middle phase of the grain’s growth. Inclusions are rich in Pb, Ca, Se, Zn and Ni, and are attributed to the ‘dirty’ texture of some samples. Inclusion-rich areas are also high in Au. The nature of the presence of Te suggests either a single source of magmatic fluid, released in pulses, or periodical dilution of the magmatic fluid by meteoric waters

Offsetting of CO₂ emissions by air capture in mine tailings at the Mount Keith Nickel Mine, Western Australia: Rates, controls and prospects for carbon neutral mining

The hydrated Mg-carbonate mineral, hydromagnesite [Mg₅(CO₃)₄(OH)₂•4H₂O], precipitates within mine tailings at the Mount Keith Nickel Mine, Western Australia as a direct result of mining operations. We have used quantitative mineralogical data and δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O and F¹⁴C isotopic data to quantify the amount of CO₂fixation and identify carbon sources. Our radiocarbon results indicate that at least 80% of carbon stored in hydromagnesite has been captured from the modern atmosphere. Stable isotopic results indicate that dissolution of atmospheric CO₂ into mine tailings water is kinetically limited, which suggests that the current rate of carbon mineralization could be accelerated. Reactive transport modeling is used to describe the observed variation in tailings mineralogy and to estimate rates of CO₂ fixation. Based on our assessment, approximately 39,800 t/yr of atmospheric CO₂ are being trapped and stored in tailings at Mount Keith. This represents an offsetting of approximately 11% of the mine's annual greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, passive sequestration via enhanced weathering of mineral waste can capture and store a significant amount of CO₂. Recommendations are made for changes to tailings management and ore processing practices that have potential to accelerate carbonation of tailings and further reduce or completely offset the net greenhouse gas emissions at Mount Keith and many other mines

Large-Scale Stable Isotope Alteration Around the Hydrothermal Carbonate-Replacement Cinco de Mayo Zn-Ag Deposit, Mexico

Carbonate-hosted hydrothermal deposits typically show narrow visible mineralogical and textural alteration halos, which inhibit exploration targeting. In contrast, hydrothermal modification of the country rock’s stable isotope composition usually extends far beyond the limited visible alteration. Hence, stable isotope studies should be an effective tool to aid exploration for carbonate-hosted deposits. Here we present new insight into the development of a large stable isotope alteration halo based on 910 O and C isotope analyses of carbonate veins and hydrothermally altered limestone hosting the Cinco de Mayo Pb-Zn-Ag (Au, Cu) carbonate replacement deposit (CRD), in Chihuahua, Mexico. Our results demonstrate that stable isotope alteration is consistent with reactive, magmatic fluid flow into unaltered limestone and represents a powerful tool for the characterization of these hydrothermal ore systems. Synmineralization veins are texturally and isotopically distinct from those formed during pre- and postmineralization diagenesis and fluid flow and show distinct gradients along the direction of mineralizing fluid flow: this appears to be a promising exploration vectoring tool. Downhole variations in wall-rock isotope values reveal aquifers and aquicludes and outline the principal hydrothermal flow paths. Furthermore, wall-rock δ18OVSMOW systematically decreases toward mineralization from ~23‰ to <17‰ over a distance of ~10 km, providing another vectoring tool. The extent of the stable isotope alteration halo likely reflects the overall fluid volume and areal extent of a fossil hydrothermal system, which may be expected to scale with the mineral endowment. This suggests that constraining the size, shape, and degree of isotopic alteration has direct application to mineral exploration by outlining the system and indicating the potential size of a deposit

Mapping lithology and hydrothermal alteration in geothermal systems using portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF): A case study from the Tauhara geothermal system, Taupo Volcanic Zone

Portable x-ray fluorescence (pXRF) analyzers are widely used in the environmental and mineral exploration fields. pXRF analyzers can rapidly and inexpensively provide chemical concentrations on a variety of elements, often with detection limits of ∼1–5 ppm. We compared portable XRF results from untreated geothermal drill cuttings with laboratory XRF results from pressed pellet and lithium borate fused beads prepared from powders crushed from the same samples. It is demonstrated that the portable XRF results are accurate for many elements, particularly for those with atomic numbers greater than 17. 304 cutting samples from three drillholes in the Tauhara geothermal field were subsequently analyzed by pXRF. Downhole elemental concentrations plotted against lithological units defined on geological well logs indicate that significant variations in elemental concentrations occur, some of which correlate with logged lithology boundaries. Other chemical variations appear to define previously unrecognized subunits, as well as areas of hydrothermal alteration. We suggest that pXRF should become a routine part of the characterization of geothermal cuttings during geothermal exploration and well drilling, as the chemical results are accurate, rapid and inexpensive, and the results can be used to define lithological boundaries and potentially correlate between drillholes, therefore improving geologic, stratigraphic and hydrothermal alteration models of the geothermal field

Quantifying the role of hydrothermal alteration in creating geothermal and epithermal mineral resources: The Ohakuri ignimbrite (Taupō Volcanic Zone, New Zealand)

International audienceHydrothermal fluids can alter the chemical and physical properties of the materials through which they pass and can therefore modify the efficiency of fluid circulation. The role of hydrothermal alteration in the development of geothermal and epithermal mineral resources, systems that require the efficient hydrothermal circulation provided by fracture networks, is investigated here from a petrophysical standpoint using samples collected from a well exposed and variably altered palaeo-hydrothermal system hosted in the Ohakuri ignimbrite deposit in the Taupō Volcanic Zone (New Zealand). Our new laboratory data show that, although quartz and adularia precipitation reduces matrix porosity and permeability, it increases the uniaxial compressive strength, Young’s modulus, and propensity for brittle behaviour. The fractures formed in highly altered rocks containing quartz and adularia are also more planar than those formed in their less altered counterparts. All of these factors combine to enhance the likelihood that a silicified rock-mass will host permeability-enhancing fractures. Indeed, the highly altered silicified rocks of the Ohakuri ignimbrite deposit are much more fractured than less altered outcrops. By contrast, smectite alteration at the margins of the hydrothermal system does not significantly increase strength or Young’s modulus, or significantly decrease permeability, and creates a relatively unfractured rock-mass. Using our new laboratory data, we provide permeability modelling that shows that the equivalent permeability of a silicified rock-mass will be higher than that of a less altered rock-mass or a rock-mass characterised by smectite alteration, the latter of which provides a low-permeability cap required for an economically viable hydrothermal resource. Our new data show, using a petrophysical approach, how hydrothermal alteration can produce rock-masses that are both suitable for geothermal energy exploitation (high-permeability reservoir and low-permeability cap) and more likely to host high-grade epithermal mineral veins, such as gold and silver (localised fluid flow)

Magnesite formation in playa environments near Atlin, British Columbia, Canada

The hydromagnesite–magnesite playas near Atlin, British Columba, Canada are unique Mg-carbonate depositional environments that have formed at Earth’s surface since the end of the last deglaciation. This study elucidates the mechanisms, pathways, and rates of magnesite (MgCO3) formation in these near-surface environments, which are challenging to study in short-duration laboratory experiments because magnesite precipitation is extremely slow at low temperature. The Atlin playas, having formed over millennia, contain abundant magnesite as well as a suite of other Mg- and Ca-carbonate minerals. Mineralogical and textural evidence demonstrate that hydromagnesite [Mg5(CO3)4(OH)2·4H2O] forms at least in part through transformation of more hydrated phases, e.g., lansfordite (MgCO3·5H2O). Deposition of these hydrated Mg-carbonate minerals is limited by the evaporative flux, and thus, is effectively transport-controlled at the scale of the playas. Magnesite is a spatially distinct phase from hydromagnesite and its crystal morphology varies with depth indicating variable crystal growth mechanisms and precipitation rates. Particle size distributions and mineral abundance data indicate that magnesite formation is nucleation-limited. Furthermore, mineralogical data as well as stable and radiogenic isotope data support magnesite formation starting after the majority of hydromagnesite had been deposited likely resulting from long induction times and slow precipitation rates. Hydrated Mg-carbonate minerals precipitate relatively rapidly and control pore water chemistry while magnesite remains highly supersaturated, and thus, is reaction-controlled. This difference in controlling regime allows for magnesite abundance to increase over time without the loss of hydromagnesite such as through its transformation, which the data also does not support. We estimate rates of magnesite formation (nucleation + crystal growth) in the range of 10−17 to 10−16 mol/cm2/s over approximately 8000 years. This study helps to elucidate the geochemical conditions needed to form Mg-carbonate minerals in ancient and modern sedimentary environments and provides insights into facilitating long-term storage of anthropogenic CO2 within Mg-carbonate minerals.We acknowledge the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) through a Discovery Grant to G.M. Dipple

Genome-wide association identifies nine common variants associated with fasting proinsulin levels and provides new insights into the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes

OBJECTIVE - Proinsulin is a precursor of mature insulin and C-peptide. Higher circulating proinsulin levels are associated with impaired b-cell function, raised glucose levels, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Studies of the insulin processing pathway could provide new insights about T2D pathophysiology. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - We have conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association tests of ;2.5 million genotyped or imputed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and fasting proinsulin levels in 10,701 nondiabetic adults of European ancestry, with follow-up of 23 loci in up to 16,378 individuals, using additive genetic models adjusted for age, sex, fasting insulin, and study-specific covariates. RESULTS - Nine SNPs at eight loci were associated with proinsulin levels (P < 5 × 10-8). Two loci (LARP6 and SGSM2) have not been previously related to metabolic traits, one (MADD) has been associated with fasting glucose, one (PCSK1) has been implicated in obesity, and four (TCF7L2, SLC30A8, VPS13C/ C2CD4A/B, and ARAP1, formerly CENTD2) increase T2D risk. The proinsulin-raising allele of ARAP1 was associated with a lower fasting glucose (P = 1.7 3 10-4), improved b-cell function (P = 1.1 × 10-5), and lower risk of T2D (odds ratio 0.88; P = 7.8 × 10-6). Notably, PCSK1 encodes the protein prohormone convertase 1/3, the first enzyme in the insulin processing pathway. A genotype score composed of the nine proinsulin-raising alleles was not associated with coronary disease in two large case-control datasets. CONCLUSIONS - We have identified nine genetic variants associated with fasting proinsulin. Our findings illuminate the biology underlying glucose homeostasis and T2D development in humans and argue against a direct role of proinsulin in coronary artery disease pathogenesis