Gold and platinum-group element mineralization in the Kruuse Fjord gabbro complex, East Greenland

Arnason, John G.; Bird, Dennis K.; Bernstein, Stefan; Kelemen, P.

doi:10.2113/gsecongeo.92.4.490

Cited by 16 publications

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“…Boudreau & McCallum, 1992). This paper shows that the widespread platinumgroup element mineralization recognized in the layered intrusions of the Tertiary Igneous Province in East Greenland (Bird et al 1991(Bird et al , 1995Arnason et al 1997;Andersen et al 1998) also extends throughout northwest Scotland although in all cases is subeconomic. Indeed, the deposits in northwest Scotland are directly analogous to those in East Greenland.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

“…Recently, numerous occurrences of platinum-group elements have been recognized in Tertiary intrusions in eastern Greenland, such as the Skaergaard intrusion (Bird et al 1991;Andersen et al 1998), the Kruuse Fjord complex (Arnason et al 1997), the Nordre Aputitêq intrusion (Arnason & Bird, 1994) and the Kap Edvard Holm complex (Bird et al 1995) (Fig. 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Platinum-group mineralization in the Tertiary Igneous Province: new data from Mull and Skye, Scottish Inner Hebrides, UK

2000

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In recent years, platinum-group mineral deposits have been reported from several of the Tertiary igneous complexes in East Greenland. These intrusions form part of the same igneous province as the Tertiary igneous centres in northwest Scotland, and recent work confirmed the presence of abundant platinum-group minerals in the Rum Central Complex. In this paper we report for the first time the presence of abundant and diverse platinum-group minerals from the Tertiary Ben Buie intrusion on Mull and the Cuillin Complex of Skye, Inner Hebrides, Scotland. The platinumgroup minerals in the Ben Buie intrusion are associated with chromitite layers in ultramafic cumulates. The grains are small (1-2 µm), locally very abundant, and dominated by Pd-Bi-Te-Sb phases. In the Peridotite Series of the Cuillin Complex, the platinum-group minerals are dominated by laurite commonly enclosed within chromite or silicate. A combined orthomagmatic-hydromagmatic origin is proposed for the mineralization. However, the style and type of mineralization differs between each of the igneous centres. Platinum-group element mineralization is a ubiquitous feature of the Tertiary Igneous Province in northwest Scotland and in Greenland and is intimately linked to the regional tectonic setting.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Platinum-group mineralization in the Tertiary Igneous Province: new data from Mull and Skye, Scottish Inner Hebrides, UK

2000

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“…Stratiform Au and PGE-rich layers formed in the Skaergaard intrusion (Bird et al 1991;Andersen et al 1998;Nielsen et al 2015) and the Kap Edvard Holm complex (Bird et al 1995;Arnason and Bird 2000), while marginal and contact style mineralization occurred in the Nordre Aputitêq intrusion (Arnason 1995), the Kruuse Fjord complex (Arnason et al 1997), the Miki Fjord Macrodyke (Arnason 1995), and the Togeda Macrodyke (Holwell et al 2012). The mineralization is considered to be related to the formation of sulfide within the host silicate magmas, either through fractional crystallization (in the Skaergaard intrusion, Andersen et al 1998), magma mixing (in the Kap Edvard Holm complex, Bird et al 1995), or in response to contamination (in the macrodykes, Holwell et al 2012).…”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Significant potential could exist elsewhere along the margin of the Skaergaard intrusion. The discovery also raises the question whether other intrusions in East Greenland may have significant PGE-bearing sulfide concentrations along their margins, notably the much larger Kap Edvard Holm complex to the west where PGEs have been reported in the past (Bird et al 1995;Arnason et al 1997). …”

Section: Implications For Explorationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Platinum-group mineralization at the margin of the Skaergaard intrusion, East Greenland

et al. 2017

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Two occurrences of platinum-group elements (PGEs) along the northern margin of the Skaergaard intrusion include a sulfide-bearing gabbro with slightly less than 1 ppm PGE + Au and a clinopyroxene-actinolite-plagioclase-biotiteilmenite schist with 16 vol% sulfide and 1.8 ppm PGE + Au. Both have assemblages of pyrrhotite, pentlandite, and chalcopyrite typical for orthomagmatic sulfides. Matching platinumgroup mineral assemblages with sperrylite (PtAs 2 ), kotulskite (Pd(Bi,Te) 1-2 ), froodite (PdBi 2 ), michenerite (PdBiTe), and electrum (Au,Ag) suggest a common origin. Petrological and geochemical similarities suggest that the occurrences are related to the Skaergaard intrusion. The Marginal Border Series locally displays Ni depletion consistent with sulfide fractionation, and the PGE fractionation trends of the occurrences are systematically enriched by 10-50 times over the chilled margin. The PGE can be explained by sulfide-silicate immiscibility in the Skaergaard magma with R factors of 110-220. Nickel depletion in olivine suggests that the process occurred within the host cumulate, and the low R factors require little sulfide mobility. The sulfide assemblages are different to the chalcopyrite-bornite-digenite assemblage found in the Skaergaard Layered Series and Platinova Reef. These differences can be explained by the early formation of sulfide melt, while magmatic differentiation or sulfur loss caused the unusual sulfide assemblage within the Layered Series. The PGEs indicate that the sulfides formed from the Skaergaard magma. The sulfides and PGEs could not have formed from the nearby Watkins Fjord wehrlite intrusion, which is nearly barren in sulfide. We suggest that silicate-sulfide immiscibility led to PGE concentration where the Skaergaard magma became contaminated with material from the Archean basement.

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“…Platinum group minerals occur as inclusions in sulfides or as separate grains between silicates and consist of sperrylite, kotulskite (Pd(Te,Bi)) and moncheite while gold mostly forms monomineralic grains of native gold and electrum (Arnason et al, 1997a). Strong lithological control of the PGE mineralization suggests an orthomagmatic origin but local redistributed by post magmatic processes is possible (Arnason et al, 1997a;Andersen et al, 2002 Geyti and Thomassen (1983) The Flammefjeld igneous complex is slightly elongate covering an area of 500 x 800 m (Geyti and Thomassen, 1984). It consists of an intrusion breccia and younger quartz-feldspar porphyry and aplite that intruded syenite and basalt dikes (Geyti and Thomassen, 1984).…”

Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metallogeny of Greenland

Kolb

Keiding

Steenfelt

et al. 2016

Ore Geology Reviews

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Gold and platinum-group element mineralization in the Kruuse Fjord gabbro complex, East Greenland

Cited by 16 publications

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Platinum-group mineralization in the Tertiary Igneous Province: new data from Mull and Skye, Scottish Inner Hebrides, UK

Platinum-group mineralization in the Tertiary Igneous Province: new data from Mull and Skye, Scottish Inner Hebrides, UK

Platinum-group mineralization at the margin of the Skaergaard intrusion, East Greenland

Metallogeny of Greenland

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