Chlorite geochemical vectoring of ore bodies: a natural kind clustering approach

Chlorite has long been considered a mineral group likely to have different trace element chemistry with proximity to mineralization, and therefore can be used to vector towards ore bodies. However, due to their geochemical complexity, it has proven challenging to develop a simple vectoring method based on the variation in abundance of one or a few chemical elements or isotopes. Machine learning, specifically cluster analysis, provides a potential mathematical tool for characterizing multidimensional geochemical correlations with proximity to mineralization. In this contribution we conducted a cluster analysis on 23 elements from 1,679 distinct chlorite sample analyses. The combination of this clustering technique with classification by proximity to the ore body, 1) explores and characterizes the nature of chlorite composition and proximity to ore bodies and 2) tests the efficacy of clustering-classification methods to predict whether a chlorite sample is near to an ore body. We found that chlorite chemistry is more strongly controlled by deposit type than proximity to mineralization and that cluster analysis of chlorite trace element content is likely not a viable way to develop vectors towards porphyry mineralization

Redetermination of kovdorskite, Mg2PO4(OH)·3H2O

The crystal structure of kovdorskite, ideally Mg2PO4(OH)·3H2O (dimagnesium phosphate hydroxide trihydrate), was reported previously with isotropic displacement paramaters only and without H-atom positions [Ovchinnikov et al. (1980 ▶). Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR. 255, 351–354]. In this study, the kovdorskite structure is redetermined based on single-crystal X-ray diffraction data from a sample from the type locality, the Kovdor massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia, with anisotropic displacement parameters for all non-H atoms, with all H-atom located and with higher precision. Moreover, inconsistencies of the previously published structural data with respect to reported and calculated X-ray powder patterns are also discussed. The structure of kovdorskite contains a set of four edge-sharing MgO6 octa­hedra inter­connected by PO4 tetra­hedra and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming columns and channels parallel to [001]. The hydrogen-bonding system in kovdorskite is formed through the water mol­ecules, with the OH− ions contributing little, if any, to the system, as indicated by the long H⋯A distances (>2.50 Å) to the nearest O atoms. The hydrogen-bond lengths determined from the structure refinement agree well with Raman spectroscopic data

Silicic volcanism on Mars evidenced by tridymite in high-SiO2 sedimentary rock at Gale crater

Tridymite, a SiO2 mineral that crystallizes at low pressures and high temperatures (>870 °C) from high-SiO2 materials, was detected at high concentrations in a sedimentary mudstone in Gale crater, Mars. Mineralogy and abundance were determined by X-ray diffraction using the Chemistry and Mineralogy instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity. Terrestrial tridymite is commonly associated with silicic volcanism where high temperatures and high-silica magmas prevail, so this occurrence is the first in situ mineralogical evidence for martian silicic volcanism. Multistep processes, including high-temperature alteration of silica-rich residues of acid sulfate leaching, are alternate formation pathways for martian tridymite but are less likely. The unexpected discovery of tridymite is further evidence of the complexity of igneous petrogenesis on Mars, with igneous evolution to high-SiO2 compositions

Silicic volcanism on Mars evidenced by tridymite in high-SiO_2 sedimentary rock at Gale crater

Tridymite, a low-pressure, high-temperature (>870 °C) SiO_2 polymorph, was detected in a drill sample of laminated mudstone (Buckskin) at Marias Pass in Gale crater, Mars, by the Chemistry and Mineralogy X-ray diffraction instrument onboard the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity. The tridymitic mudstone has ∼40 wt.% crystalline and ∼60 wt.% X-ray amorphous material and a bulk composition with ∼74 wt.% SiO_2 (Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer analysis). Plagioclase (∼17 wt.% of bulk sample), tridymite (∼14 wt.%), sanidine (∼3 wt.%), cation-deficient magnetite (∼3 wt.%), cristobalite (∼2 wt.%), and anhydrite (∼1 wt.%) are the mudstone crystalline minerals. Amorphous material is silica-rich (∼39 wt.% opal-A and/or high-SiO_2 glass and opal-CT), volatile-bearing (16 wt.% mixed cation sulfates, phosphates, and chlorides−perchlorates−chlorates), and has minor TiO_2 and Fe_2O_3T oxides (∼5 wt.%). Rietveld refinement yielded a monoclinic structural model for a well-crystalline tridymite, consistent with high formation temperatures. Terrestrial tridymite is commonly associated with silicic volcanism, and detritus from such volcanism in a “Lake Gale” catchment environment can account for Buckskin’s tridymite, cristobalite, feldspar, and any residual high-SiO_2 glass. These cogenetic detrital phases are possibly sourced from the Gale crater wall/rim/central peak. Opaline silica could form during diagenesis from high-SiO_2 glass, as amorphous precipitated silica, or as a residue of acidic leaching in the sediment source region or at Marias Pass. The amorphous mixed-cation salts and oxides and possibly the crystalline magnetite (otherwise detrital) are primary precipitates and/or their diagenesis products derived from multiple infiltrations of aqueous solutions having variable compositions, temperatures, and acidities. Anhydrite is post lithification fracture/vein fill

Predicting Multi-Component Mineral Compositions in Gale Crater, Mars with Label Distribution Learning

No abstract availabl

Crystal Chemistry of Martian Minerals

The NASA Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover, Curiosity, began exploring Gale crater, Mars in August, 2012 with the primary goal of assessing the past and present habitability of the martian surface. To meet this goal, Curiosity is equipped with an advanced suite of scientific instruments capable of investigating the geology, geochemistry, and atmospheric conditions on Mars. Among these instruments is the CheMin (Chemistry and Mineralogy) X-ray diffractometer whose function is to identify mineral phases present in sediments and rocks by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD). Characterizing the mineralogical make-up of a rock unit is an important step in determining its geologic history. Primary igneous minerals, such as feldspar, olivine, and pyroxene, give information about parental magmas - their composition, temperature, depth and so on. Secondary alteration minerals, like jarosite or akaganeite, point to distinct weathering or diagenetic processes. As such, understanding the mineral occurrence and abundance in Gale crater provides the MSL team with a robust foundation from which to make geologic interpretations. This dissertation details the methods used to determine the chemical composition of selected mineral phases based solely on XRD patterns from CheMin. Curiosity is equipped with instruments capable of measuring bulk composition of a sample [e.g., APXS (Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer)] but has no instrument capable of measuring the composition of a single phase in a multi-phase sample. Therefore, we developed crystal chemical algorithms and calibrations based on refined unit-cell parameters in order to predict mineral phase compositions. We have calculated algorithms for plagioclase, alkali feldspar, Mg-Fe-Ca clinopyroxene, Mg-Fe orthopyroxene, Mg-Fe olivine, Fe-oxide spinel, and alunite-jarosite group minerals. Furthermore, we use the estimated compositions of crystalline material in conjunction with bulk sample chemistry from APXS to estimate of the composition of the X-ray amorphous material present in each of the samples analyzed by CheMin in Gale crater.Release after 30-Dec-201

The Paleomineralogy of the Hadean Eon Revisited

A preliminary list of plausible near-surface minerals present during Earth’s Hadean Eon (>4.0 Ga) should be expanded to include: (1) phases that might have formed by precipitation of organic crystals prior to the rise of predation by cellular life; (2) minerals associated with large bolide impacts, especially through the generation of hydrothermal systems in circumferential fracture zones; and (3) local formation of minerals with relatively oxidized transition metals through abiological redox processes, such as photo-oxidation. Additional mineral diversity arises from the occurrence of some mineral species that form more than one ‘natural kind’, each with distinct chemical and morphological characteristics that arise by different paragenetic processes. Rare minerals, for example those containing essential B, Mo, or P, are not necessary for the origins of life. Rather, many common minerals incorporate those and other elements as trace and minor constituents. A rich variety of chemically reactive sites were thus available at the exposed surfaces of common Hadean rock-forming minerals

Evolution of symmetry index in minerals

Abstract Crystal structures of minerals are defined by a specific atomic arrangement within the unit‐cell, which follows the laws of symmetry specific to each crystal system. The causes for a mineral to crystallize in a given crystal system have been the subject of many studies showing their dependency on different formation conditions, such as the presence of aqueous fluids, biotic activity and many others. Different attempts have been made to quantify and interpret the information that we can gather from studying crystal symmetry and its distribution in the mineral kingdom. However, these methods are mostly outdated or at least not compatible for use on large datasets available today. Therefore, a revision of symmetry index calculation has been made in accordance with the growing understanding of mineral species and their characteristics. In the gathered data, we observe a gradual but significant decrease in crystal symmetry through the stages of mineral evolution, from the formation of the solar system to modern day. However, this decrease is neither uniform nor linear, which provides further implications for mineral evolution from the viewpoint of crystal symmetry. The temporal distribution of minerals based on the number of essential elements in their chemical formulae and their symmetry index has been calculated and compared to explore their behaviour. Minerals with four to eight essential elements have the lowest average symmetry index, while being the most abundant throughout all stages of mineral evolution. There are many open questions, including those pertaining to whether or not biological activity on Earth has influenced the observed decrease in mineral symmetry through time and whether or not the trajectory of planetary evolution of a geologically active body is one of decreasing mineral symmetry/increasing complexity