North Atlantic Craton Conference: Preface to the thematic issue of Mineralogical Magazine

This is the final version of the article. Available from Mineralogical Society via the DOI in this record.N/

Platinum-group element signatures in the North Atlantic Igneous Province: Implications for mantle controls on metal budgets during continental breakup

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.The North Atlantic Igneous Province (NAIP) is a large igneous province (LIP) that includes a series of lava suites erupted from the earliest manifestations of the (proto)-Icelandic plume, through continental rifting and ultimate ocean opening. The lavas of one of these sub-provinces, the British Palaeogene Igneous Province (BPIP), were some of the first lavas to be erupted in the NAIP and overlie a thick crustal basement and sedimentary succession with abundant S-rich mudrocks. We present the first platinum-group element (PGE) and Au analyses of BPIP flood basalts from the main lava fields of the Isle of Mull and Morvern and the Isle of Skye, in addition to a suite of shallow crustal dolerite volcanic plugs on Mull, and other minor lavas suites. BPIP lavas display both Ssaturated and S-undersaturated trends which, coupled with elevated PGE abundances (NMORB), suggest that the BPIP is one of the most prospective areas of the NAIP to host Ni–Cu–PGE–(Au) mineralisation in conduit systems. Platinum-group element, Au and chalcophile element abundances in lavas from West and East Greenland, and Iceland, are directly comparable to BPIP lavas, but the relative abundances of Pt and Pd vary systematically between lavas suites of different ages. The oldest lavas (BPIP and West Greenland) have a broadly chondritic Pt/Pd ratio (~1.9). Lavas from East Greenland have a lower Pt/Pd ratio (~0.8) and the youngest lavas from Iceland have the lowest Pt/Pd ratio of the NAIP (~0.4). Hence, Pt/Pd ratio of otherwise equivalent flood basalt lavas varies temporally across the NAIP and appears to be coincident with the changing geodynamic environment of the (proto)-Icelandic plume through time. We assess the possible causes for such systematic Pt/Pd variation in light of mantle plume and lithospheric controls, and suggest that this reflects a change in the availability of lithospheric mantle Pt-rich sulphides for entrainment in ascending plume magmas. Hence the precious metal systematics and potential prospectivity of a LIP may be affected by contamination of plume-derived magmas by subcontinent.HSRH acknowledges the financial support of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) for funding this work (studentship NE/ J50029X/1) and open access publication

Mineralization in Layered Mafic-Ultramafic Intrusions

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordLayered mafic-ultramafic intrusions (LMI) host a variety of metal deposits including chromium in chromitites; titanium and vanadium in magnetitites; scandium in clinopyroxene; and precious metals such as the platinum-group elements (PGE) and gold, and some base metals (nickel, cobalt and copper) associated with sulfide minerals. They also contain important resources of magnesium-silicate minerals (olivine, serpentine and talc) that are likely to become particularly important for the decarbonisation of our industries, economy and our daily lives. Many of these resources have real scope to become widely used for carbon capture and greenhouse gas reduction from our atmosphere in the imminent future. A range of geological processes govern how and where these elements and minerals become concentrated, or mineralized, into potentially economic deposits. In LMI, these are largely controlled by magmatic differentiation processes such as partial melting, crystallization, contamination and liquid immiscibility, and may be thought of as the culmination of four key factors: source, pathway, agent and deposition. In this chapter, we outline the current thinking behind the mineralization processes that operate in LMI and provide a synopsis of the grades, tonnages and characteristics of ore deposits in these intrusions

An evaluation of element mobility in the Modderfontein ultramafic complex, Johannesburg: Origin as an Archaean ophiolite fragment or greenstone belt remnant?

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this recordThe Johannesburg Dome – a tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG)-dominated terrane in the central Kaapvaal Craton – contains a suite of ultramafic-mafic complexes that are concentrated largely along its southern rim. These >3.3 Ga ultramafic-mafic complexes have recently been re-interpreted as fragments of an Archaean ophiolite (Anhaeusser 2006a), challenging a longstanding hypothesis whereby the complexes represent the intruded remnants of an Archaean greenstone belt. As with similar interpretations of ultramafic-mafic units in other Archaean cratons, the ophiolite hypothesis is used as evidence in favour of Phanerozoic-style plate tectonic processes having operated in the Archaean, with this geodynamic regime the prevailing explanation for the rocks and structures displayed by the Kaapvaal Craton. Through detailed new geological mapping of the scarcely studied Modderfontein Complex, alongside petrography, bulk-rock geochemistry and mineral chemistry, we here assess the validity of both hypotheses. Moreover, having experienced amphibolite-facies metamorphism and substantial hydrothermal alteration, we assess the degree of element mobility experienced by the Modderfontein Complex and discuss the implications for subsequent geodynamic interpretations. The 1 km2 area mapped comprises separate northern and southern domains, with the former dominated by homogenous serpentinite that contains irregularly-shaped chromitite lenses, and the latter comprising coarsely-layered peridotite, pyroxenite, gabbro and amphibolite. The data indicate that the Modderfontein Complex has experienced significant mobility of Pd, the fluid-mobile lithophile elements (e.g., Ba, Rb and Cs) and potentially some elements generally considered immobile. Mobility of Pd is restricted to chromitite lenses, where Pd was originally hosted by sulphide mineral phases (e.g., pentlandite). This element was immobile in all other Modderfontein lithologies, where it is hosted by nano-scale PGM, demonstrating that PGE mobility is, in-part, controlled by the host phase(s). Moreover, based on a variety of petrographic and geochemical characteristics, including PGE mineralogy and spinel mineral chemistry, it is considered unlikely that the Modderfontein Complex represents an ophiolite fragment. Instead, the Complex is interpreted as the intrusive remnant of a greenstone belt that was subsequently intruded by TTG magmas.Society of Economic GeologistsGeological Societ

Exploring the link between employer needs, employability and postgraduate module design in a contemporary mining education framework

This is the final version. Available on open access from the European Federation of Geologists via the DOI in this recordLower metal prices since 2013 and the current global COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in reduced industry workforce numbers and started a discussion and review of the link between employer and workforce needs, graduate skill sets, and postgraduate module design in mining education. Relating student satisfaction and employability to contemporary teaching practices is a key factor, driving the current UK Teaching Excellency Framework (TEF). Geoscientific, project management, and operational logistics-related skill sets are reviewed and put into context with industry employability rates and strategies as well as researchinspired teaching philosophies in Geoscience Higher Education, and exemplified by a case study outlining the development of a new module on the MSc programme Exploration Geology at Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter

A Record Of Assimilation Preserved By Exotic Minerals In The Lowermost Platinum-Group Element Deposit Of The Bushveld Complex: The Volspruit Sulphide Zone

 This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record Low-grade platinum-group element mineralisation in the Volspruit Sulphide Zone is sulphide-poor (<5 vol. %), distributed over a ~60 m-thick horizon in the lowermost cumulates of the northern limb of the Bushveld Complex. Unlike any other platinum-group element (PGE) deposit of the Bushveld Complex, the Volspruit Sulphide Zone is hosted exclusively within harzburgitic and dunitic cumulates in the Lower Zone of the Rustenburg Layered Suite. Here, we present a petrological investigation on the distribution of PGEs and chalcophile metals in mineralised pyroxenite cumulates from the Volspruit Sulphide Zone, to determine the origin of the PGE mineralisation in ultramafic cumulates and evaluate whether Volspruit-style mineralisation could occur in the stratigraphically lowest, ultramafic portions of other layered intrusions. Electron microscopy of pyroxenite cumulates revealed (1) chromite inclusions containing dolomite, albite, monazite, Pb-chlorides, base metal sulphides and Pt-As minerals, (2) the presence of exotic microxenocrysts (<300 μm diameter) in the pyroxenite matrix such as grains of CaCO3, U-Th-oxide and Mn-ilmenite, and (3) base metal sulphide assemblages enclosing grains of primary galena, sphalerite and Pb-chlorides. Systematic mapping of high-density mineral assemblages in pyroxenite cumulates across the Volspruit Sulphide Zone identified 196 precious metal mineral grains (Pt-, Pd-, Rh-, Au- or Ag-minerals), 98 Pb-sulphide grains (± Se, Cl), 27 Pb-chloride grains (± K, Se, Te, S), as well as 1 grain of Pb-telluride, 1 monazite grain and 1 grain of U–Pb-Th oxide. Trace element analyses of base metal sulphides reveal the highest S/Se values in pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite yet recorded in the Bushveld Complex. While some base metal sulphides are enriched in PGEs, the overall low-grade of the deposit and inferred fertile ultramafic magma(s) require relatively low R-factors (mass of silicate to sulphide melt) compared to other sulphide-poor PGE deposits, with a calculated R factor of ~500–3000. We consider that the presence of exotic inclusions in chromite, exotic microxenocrysts, and Pb/Zn/Cl grains enclosed within primary base metal sulphide assemblages provide strong evidence for crustal contamination in the Volspruit Sulphide Zone. The Malmani dolomite and the Black Reef quartzite within the lower Chuniespoort Group (2.2–2.4 Ga) are the most likely source of xenocrysts, assimilated in a staging chamber beneath the main Grasvally chamber, in which the Volspruit Sulphide Zone developed. It is possible that the Malmani dolomite contained an enrichment of Pb, Zn, Cl, and S minerals prior to assimilation. The assimilation of dolomite and limestone would locally increase the fO2 of the magma, triggering chromite crystallisation. The sudden removal of Fe from the melt, coupled with the addition of external sulfur triggered saturation of an immiscible sulphide melt in the ultramafic Volspruit magma. Chromite and base metal sulphides were subsequently emplaced into the main Grasvally magma chamber as a crystal-bearing slurry. Therefore, we consider it is possible for PGE mineralisation to occur in the ultramafic portion of any layered intrusion intruding in the vicinity of carbonate units. Even if this style of mineralisation in the lowermost portions of layered intrusions is sub-economic, it may reduce the grade or opportunity for PGE mineralisation higher up in the local magmatic stratigraphy, or in later magma emplacement events sourced from the same reservoir. The technique of specifically searching for microxenocrysts could be applied beyond layered intrusion research, to identify the range of crustal contaminants in other magmatic systems where macro-scale xenoliths are neither sampled nor preserved.National Environment Research CouncilUniversity of WollongongClaude Leon FoundationCentre of Excellence for Integrated Mineral & Energy Resource Analysis (CIMERA) at the Universities of Witwatersrand and Johannesburg

Sulphide sinking in magma conduits: Evidence from mafic–ultramafic plugs on Rum and the wider North Atlantic Igneous Province

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.Ni–Cu–PGE (platinum group element) sulphide mineralization is commonly found in magmatic conduit systems. In many cases the trigger for formation of an immiscible sulphide liquid involves assimilation of S-bearing crustal rocks. Conceptually, the fluid dynamics of sulphide liquid droplets within such conduits is essentially a balance between gravitational sinking and upwards entrainment. Thus, crustal contamination signatures may be present in sulphides preserved both up- and down-flow from the point of interaction with the contaminant. We examine a suite of ultramafic volcanic plugs on the Isle of Rum, Scotland, to decipher controls on sulphide accumulation in near-surface magma conduits intruded into a variable sedimentary stratigraphy. The whole-rock compositions of the plugs broadly overlap with the compositions of ultramafic units within the Rum Layered Complex, although subtle differences between each plug highlight their individuality. Interstitial base metal sulphide minerals occur in all ultramafic plugs on Rum. Sulphide minerals have magmatic δ34S (ranging from –1·3 to +2·1‰) and S/Se ratios (mean = 2299), and demonstrate that the conduit magmas were already S-saturated. However, two plugs in NW Rum contain substantially coarser (sometimes net-textured) sulphides with unusually light δ34S (–14·7 to +0·3‰) and elevated S/Se ratios (mean = 4457), not represented by the immediate host-rocks. Based on the Hebrides Basin sedimentary stratigraphy, it is likely that the volcanic con duits would have intruded through a package of Jurassic mudrocks with characteristically light δ34S (–33·8 to –14·7‰). We propose that a secondary crustal S contamination event took place at a level above that currently exposed, and that these sulphides sank back to their present position. Modelling suggests that upon the cessation of active magma transport, sulphide liquids could have sunk back through the conduit over a distance of several hundreds of metres, over a period of a few days. This sulphide ‘withdrawal’ process may be observed in other vertical or steeply inclined magma conduits globally; for example, in the macrodykes of East Greenland. Sulphide liquid sinking within a non-active conduit or during magma ‘suck-back’ may help to explain crustal S-isotopic compositions in magma conduits that appear to lack appropriate lithologies to support this contamination, either locally or deeper in the system.Sulphur isotope analyses were funded by NERC Isotope Geosciences Facilities grant, IP-1356-1112. H.S.R.H. acknowledges the financial support of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) for her PhD studentship (NE/J50029X) and funding of open access publication. This is a contribution to the TeaSe (Te and Se Cycling and Supply) research consortium supported by NERC award NE/M011615/1 to Cardiff University and the University of Leicester

The geochemistry and petrogenesis of the Paleoproterozoic du Chef dyke swarm, Québec, Canada

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.The du Chef dyke swarm in southern Québec, Canada is composed of numerous northeast trending, greenschist-amphibolite facies, gabbronoritic dykes that crop out either side of the Grenville Front. The age of the du Chef swarm (2408 ± 3 Ga) has led previous authors to suggest a genetic link between the du Chef dykes and coeval swarms (including the Ringvassøy, Scourie, Widgemooltha and Sebanga) preserved on other Archean cratons. These now disparate dyke swarms are proposed to have formed in response to mantle plume-induced continental breakup during the early Proterozoic. This work represents the first geochemical study of the du Chef dykes and shows that the swarm evolved through fractional crystallisation of a tholeiitic parent magma that remained largely uncontaminated during its residence in, and ascent through, the crust. We also show that the primary magma for the du Chef swarm was derived through partial melting of an enriched region of the mantle, with a similar trace element composition to the modern-day HIMU reservoir and that the magma produced was significantly hotter than the ambient mantle at the time. We contend that the du Chef dykes are the product of early Proterozoic mantle plume magmatism and may help pinpoint an ancient hotspot centre that initiated continental break up along the margin of the Superior Craton at ∼2.4 Ga. Other dyke swarms proposed to be genetically linked with the du Chef dykes record a distinctly different petrogenetic history to that of the du Chef dykes, as evidenced by their more volcanic arc-like geochemical signature. These contrasting geochemical signatures in supposedly cogenetic continental tholeiitic rocks may be evidence of early Proterozoic mantle heterogeneity sampled by the rising du Chef mantle plume.This study forms part of a Ph.D. dissertation undertaken by T.J.R.C. at the University of Cardiff, United Kingdom. A. Okrugin's assistance in the field is acknowledged. J. Strongman, J. Fletcher and J. Pett are thanked for their permission of use of the petrographic equipment at Petrolab Ltd. L. Badham, A. Oldroyd, L. Woolley and P. Fisher are thanked for their help in preparation and analysis of samples. This is publication number 38 of the Large Igneous Provinces, Supercontinent Reconstruction, Resource Exploration Project (www.supercontinent.org)

Distinct sulfur saturation histories within the Palaeogene Magilligan Sill, Northern Ireland: Implications for Ni-Cu-PGE mineralisation in the North Atlantic Igneous Province

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from NRC Research Press via the DOI in this record.The ~60 m thick Magilligan Sill is part of the British Palaeogene Igneous Province in the North Atlantic. The sill comprises layers of dolerite and olivine gabbro, and it intrudes a thick sequence of Mesozoic mudstones and marls, which are locally baked at the sill margins. Since 2014, the sill has been an exploration target for orthomagmatic Ni-Cu-PGE sulfide mineralisation analogous to the Noril’sk-Talnakh intrusion in Russia. We present new petrological, geochemical and S-isotope data to assess the prospectivity of the sill and the underlying magmatic plumbing system. Most sulfides in the dolerite portions of the sill are < 50 μm in size and comprise only pyrite with PGE abundances below detection limit. In the olivine gabbros, > 150 μm size pentlandite, chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite grains contain < 4 ppm total PGE, 1 460 ppm Co and 88 ppm Ag. Pyrite from the dolerites have δ34S ranging from -10.0 to +3.4 ‰ and olivine gabbro sulfides range from -2.5 to -1.1 ‰, suggesting widespread crustal contamination. The S/Se ratios of sulfides in the dolerites and olivine gabbros range from 3 500 to 19 500 and from 1 970 to 3 710, respectively, indicating that the latter may have come from upstream in the magma plumbing system. The Magilligan Sill records multiple injections of mafic magma into an inflating sill package, each with distinct mechanisms towards S-saturation. Whilst the sulfide minerals in the sill do not constitute significant mineralisation themselves, detailed in-situ studies highlight a divergence in Ssaturation histories, and suggest that a larger volume of olivine gabbro sulfides at depth may be prospective

Different melt source regions for the volcanics of the bushveld large igneous province: New observations from MELTS modeling of the palaeoproterozoic Rooiberg Group (South Africa)

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordThe volcanic Rooiberg Group represents the extrusive phase of the Bushveld Magmatic Province in South Africa, forming the roof as well as the floor of the mafic-ultramafic 2057 Ma Rustenburg Layered Suite. Typically, the volcanic rocks of the Rooiberg Group vary from mafic compositions in the oldest unit (the Dullstroom Formation) to felsic compositions in the younger overlying units (the Damwal, Kwaggasnek and Schrikkloof formations). The lower parts of the Dullstroom Formation (including a basal rhyolitic unit) occur beneath the Rustenburg Layered Suite (RLS) in the southeastern part of the Bushveld Province, whereas the remainder of the Rooiberg Group occurs above the RLS. In this study, petrographic descriptions, whole rock geochemistry and MELTS modeling are used to show that the Dullstroom rhyolite could have evolved from fractional crystallisation of a siliceous and magnesian mafic liquid such as the so-called B1 liquid, parental to the lower parts of the Rustenburg Layered Suite. Due to its unique position at the base of the otherwise andesitic to dacitic Dullstroom Formation, the focus of this contribution is on the Dullstroom rhyolite and a comparison thereof with the rhyolites of the upper formations. Consistent with previous studies, the new data generated in this study show that a clear distinction can be made between the rhyolite in the Dullstroom, and those of the Damwal, Kwaggasnek and Schrikkloof formations. The Dullstroom rhyolite exhibits higher MgO contents (1.41–1.87 wt%) compared to the distinctly ferroan rhyolites of the Damwal, Kwaggasnek and Schrikkloof formations (0.01–0.91 wt% MgO). Similarly, immobile trace elements such as Y and Nb range from 9.72 to 12.7 ppm and 4.43–4.53 ppm, respectively, for the Dullstroom rhyolite, and are significantly different to the upper rhyolites (Y - 12.6–87.2 ppm and Nb - 12.3–24.2 ppm) suggesting likely petrogenetic differences. MELTS modeling shows that the Dullstroom rhyolite could not have evolved from the same liquids that generated the rhyolites of the Damwal, Kwaggasnek and Schrikkloof formations. The modeling suggests that the Dullstroom rhyolite formed through ∼20% assimilation of upper continental crustal rocks during fractional crystallisation of the B1 composition, and not from the low-Ti basaltic andesite, as previously proposed for the overlying rhyolites. The modeling aspects of this study provide evidence for different sources and melting-fractionation pathways throughout the evolution of the Bushveld Magmatic Province, consistent with characteristics recorded by the volcanic edifice of this large igneous province.DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Integrated Mineral and Energy Resource Analysis (DST-NRF CIMERA)National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF)University of Pretori