Geochemistry of sphalerite from the Star Mine, Coeur d'Alene district, Idaho

Germanium in mid‐ocean ridge flank hydrothermal fluids

“…Higher concentrations of Ge and Ge:Si molar ratios in basaltic formation fluids compared to those in the overlying sediment pore waters requires a net removal of Ge from the basaltic crust. This conclusion is not necessarily intuitive because veins and alteration halos, which are ubiquitous within basaltic crust [e.g., Alt , 2004], provide a mechanism for the removal of Ge into secondary sulfides, basal iron‐rich (metalliferous) sediment, silicate clays, Fe and Mn oxides, and secondary quartz [ Fryklund and Fletcher , 1956; Bischoff et al , 1983; Arnorsson , 1984; Bernstein , 1985; Kolodny and Halicz , 1988; Mortlock et al , 1993; Evans and Derry , 2002; Kurtz et al , 2002]. Our combined data set also implies that Si is removed preferentially relative to Ge in the basaltic crust.…”

The potential role of ridge-flank hydrothermal systems on oceanic germanium and silicon balances

“…These include the precipitation of secondary minerals, iron oxides, sulfides, or chert (Fryklund and Fletcher, 1956;Bischoff et al, 1983;Arnorsson, 1984;Bernstein, 1985;Kolodny and Halicz, 1988;Mortlock et al, 1993;Evans and Derry, 2002;Kurtz et al, 2002). For example, at Baby Bare Ge could be removed in (1) Fe-rich phases, which are ubiquitous as veins and alteration halos in basaltic crust near Baby Bare (Yatabe et al, 2000), (2) basal iron-rich (metalliferous) sediment (Buatier et al, 2001), (3) secondary sulfides, which are common in basaltic crust near Baby Bare (Hunter et al, 1999;Marescotti et al, 2000), (4) silicate clays (Porter et al, 2000), or (5) secondary quartz (Porter et al, 2000).…”

Mercury and other trace elements in sphalerite and wallrocks from central Kentucky, Tennessee, and Appalachian zinc districts

“…Microchemical tests of the coarsely crushed but not powdered sphalerite did not free any mercury but were negative, as expected if the mercury was a part of the lattice. Fryklund and Fletcher (1956) and Oftedal (1940) indicated that mercury as a component of natural sphalerite reacts differently to the spectroscopic arc as compared with mercury in the compound mercuric sultfide mixed into a synthetic standard. The mercury held in the sphalerite lattice is less volatile and burns longer, presenting a problem to accurate spectroscopic analysis.…”

“…In the United States, mercury has been reported as a minor element in sphalerite from the Coeur d'Alene district of Idaho (Fryklund, 1964;Fryklund and Fletcher, 1956); Leadville, Colo. (Bartlett, 1889); and Cripple Creek, Colo. (Eckel, 1961). In the Coeur d'Alene district, mercury substitutes for zinc in amounts from 0.005 to 0.02 percent and averages 0.0095 percent.…”