Magnetite-apatite ores record widespread involvement of molten salts
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| Authors: | Xinyue Xu, Wyatt M Bain, Fernando Tornos, John M Hanchar, Hector M Lamadrid, Bernd Lehmann, Xiaochun Xu, Jeffrey A Steadman, Ralph S Bottrill, Majid Soleymani, Abdorrahman Rajabi, Peng Li, Xuehai Tan, Shihong Xu, Andrew J Locock, Matthew Steele-MacInnis |
| Year: | 2024 |
| Journal: | Geology 52 (6): 417–422 Article Link (DOI) |
| Title: | Magnetite-apatite ores record widespread involvement of molten salts |
| Abstract: | The origins of magnetite-apatite deposits are controversial, and the crux of the debate is what types of fluids form these rocks. We present evidence from 20 magnetite-apatite deposits worldwide showing ubiquitous involvement of molten salts. The studied deposits are distributed globally, from various tectonic settings, and from Precambrian to Quaternary in age. In every case, water-poor polycrystalline melt inclusions in ore-stage minerals are dominated by sulfate, chloride, and carbonate components plus variable proportions of calc-silicates, phosphates, and iron ± titanium oxides that re-melt between 285 °C and 1100 °C. These fluids are very different from what is generally expected in most geologic settings, but their ubiquitous presence in magnetite-apatite rocks indicates that molten salts are widespread and essential to the formation of these deposits. |
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