Silicate Melt Inclusion Evidence for Extreme Pre-eruptive Enrichment and Post-eruptive Depletion of Lithium in Silicic Volcanic Rocks of the Western United States: Implications for the Origin of Lithium-Rich Brines

Hofstra, Albert H.; Todorov, Todor I.; Mercer, Celestine N.; Adams, David; Marsh, Erin E.

doi:10.2113/econgeo.108.7.1691

Cited by 65 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…When considering mean values for Li concentration in other Neogene ignimbrites from the Puna plateau (53 mg/kg, Siebel et al 2001) and rock density (2,610 kg/m 3 , González Losa et al 2004), erosion of ignimbrite would have supplied ∼2.4 MT of Li into the salar. This estimation is in agreement with the efficiency of weathering in generating Li + from volcanic rocks pointed by Hofstra et al (2013). However, the Li content of the Coranzulí ignimbrite remains unknown and the total mass of Li being released from rocks is possibly over estimated because only a part of the total amount of Li becomes free Li + .…”

Section: Lithium Inputsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…Although meteoric water contains small amounts of most of the main solutes (Eugster 1980), these are negligible compared to other sources in the northern Puna. Unlike meteoric water, leaching and dissolution of pre-existing salts in sedimentary deposits, as well as rock weathering, are important sources of solutes (Hofstra et al 2013). Some weathering reactions of rocks produce ionic contributions with a predictable composition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lithium- and boron-bearing brines in the Central Andes: exploring hydrofacies on the eastern Puna plateau between 23° and 23°30′S

Steinmetz

2016

Miner Deposita

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Internally drained basins of the Andean Plateau are lithium-and boron-bearing systems. The exploration of ionic facies and parental links in a playa lake located in the eastern Puna (23°-23°30′S) was assessed by hydrochemical determinations of residual brines, feed waters and solutions from weathered rocks. Residual brines have been characterized by the Cl − (SO 4 =)/Na + (K +) ratio. Residual brines from the playa lake contain up to 450 mg/l of boron and up to 125 mg/l of lithium, and the Las Burras River supplies the most concentrated boron (20 mg/l) and lithium (3.75 mg/l) inflows of the basin. The hydrogeochemical assessment allowed for the identification of three simultaneous sources of boron: (1) inflow originating from granitic areas of the Aguilar and Tusaquillas ranges; (2) weathering of the Ordovician basement; and (3) boron-rich water from the Las Burras River. Most of the lithium input of the basin is likely generated by present geothermal sources rather than by weathering and leaching of ignimbrites and plutonic rocks. However, XRD analyses of playa lake sediments revealed the presence of lithian micas of clastic origin, including taeniolite and eucriptite. This study is the first to document these rare Li-micas from the Puna basin. Thus, both residual brines and lithian micas contribute to the total Li content in the studied hydrologic system.

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Section: Lithium Inputsupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lithium- and boron-bearing brines in the Central Andes: exploring hydrofacies on the eastern Puna plateau between 23° and 23°30′S

Steinmetz

2016

Miner Deposita

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“…The date seems consistent with the sedimentary deposits taking a considerable time to accumulate and become altered by low-temperature groundwater diagenesis. A low-temperature origin is consistent with proposed mechanisms of formation of Li-rich brines in closed basins (Davis et al, 1986) and extreme enrichment and posteruptive depletion of lithium in some rhyolites of the western United States (Hofstra et al, 2013). The presence of illite is the primary evidence for higher temperatures, but its significance is debated.…”

Section: Mineralizationsupporting

confidence: 80%

Geology and evolution of the McDermitt caldera, northern Nevada and southeastern Oregon, western USA

et al. 2017

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The McDermitt caldera (western USA) is commonly considered the point of origin of the Yellowstone hotspot, yet until now no geologic map existed of the caldera and its geology and development were incompletely documented. We developed a comprehensive geologic framework through detailed and re connaissance geologic mapping, extensive petrographic and chemical analy sis, and highprecision Eruption of the McDermitt Tuff generated the irregularly keyholeshaped, 40 × 30-22 km McDermitt caldera. Collapse occurred mostly along a narrow ringfault zone of discrete faults with variable downwarp into the caldera be tween faults. Minor parallel faults locally widen the zone to as much as 6 km. We find no evidence that the McDermitt caldera consists of multiple nested calderas, as previously postulated. Total collapse was no more than ~1 km, and total erupted volume was ~1000 km 3 , of which 50%-85% is intracaldera tuff. Uncertainties in these estimates arise because an intracaldera tuff section is exposed only along the western edge of the caldera, and outflow tuff is not completely mapped. Megabreccia and mesobreccia are common in intracal dera tuff in the complete section. Intracaldera tuff is strongly rheomorphic, scrambling the compositional zoning, which is locally better preserved in out flow sections. However, outflow tuff is also strongly rheomorphic where it was deposited over steep topography.The caldera underwent postcollapse resurgent uplift driven by intrusion of icelandite magma, which also erupted from two major vents and as wide spread lavas. Major igneous activity around the McDermitt caldera lasted from before 16.7 to 16.1 Ma, although minor highalumina olivine tholeiite lavas were emplaced ca. 14.9 Ma in the youngest recognized igneous activity.Tuffaceous sediments as much as 210 m thick filled the caldera, although whether deposition preceded, followed, or spanned resurgence is unresolved. Although formed during regional extension, the caldera is cut only at its west ern and eastern margins by much younger, highangle normal faults that re sulted in gentle (~10°) eastward tilting of the caldera.Numerous hydrothermal systems probably related to caldera magmatism and focused along caldera structures produced Hg, Zrrich U (some along the western caldera ring fracture dated as 16.3 Ma), Ga, and minor Au mineral ization. Lithium deposits formed throughout the intracaldera tuffaceous sedi ments, probably ca. 14.9 Ma.Silicic central Snake River Plain, which also erupted voluminous rhyolitic tuffs. How ever, the Snake River Plain ignimbrites are metaluminous and homogeneous in bulk chemistry, with plagioclase, sanidine, and minor quartz as common phenocrysts, and rarely contain pumice or lithics.

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“…On one hand, they are consistent with observations that Li is more enriched in rhyolites that have a substantial continental felsic crustal component [50]. However, Hofstra et al [50] and Benson et al [14] found that lithium concentrations in melt inclusions in quartz phenocrysts of both peralkaline The proportion of sediments deposited pre-and post-resurgence is uncertain because of the poor exposure and difficulty in evaluating what has or has not been resurgently domed. Most previous interpretations are that the sediments were deposited post-resurgence in a moat between the caldera wall and the resurgent uplift [5,6,44].…”

Section: Intra-caldera Tuffaceous Sedimentssupporting

confidence: 76%

Lithium-Rich Claystone in the McDermitt Caldera, Nevada, USA: Geologic, Mineralogical, and Geochemical Characteristics and Possible Origin

Castor

Henry

2020

Minerals

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Lithium deposits in tuffaceous sediments of the McDermitt caldera constitute possibly the world’s largest Li clay resource, yet their characteristics and origin are not established. The 40 × 25 km McDermitt caldera collapsed during the eruption of ~1000 km3 of a 16.4 Ma, zoned peralkaline to metaluminous tuff; minor caldera magmatism ceased by 16.1 Ma. About 200 m of sediments mostly composed of glass from regional pyroclastic eruptions accumulated in the caldera until about 15.7 Ma. Closed hydrologic system diagenesis (CHSD) altered the tuffaceous sediments to a consistent vertical mineral zonation of clay, analcime, K-feldspar, and albite. Entire sedimentary sections in the southern and western parts of the caldera basin have ≥1500 ppm Li. Lithium-rich intervals are dominantly claystone. The most thoroughly studied deposit is a laterally continuous, ~3000 ppm Li zone in the lower sedimentary section that also has high K, Rb, Mo, As, and Sb (and partly Mg and F). Lithium occurs as an illitic clay (tainiolite?). The overlying, upper sedimentary section averages <2000 ppm Li which resides in smectite (hectorite). A transitional zone has variably mixed smectite–illite clay and averages ~2000 ppm Li. An 40Ar/39Ar age of ~14.9 Ma on authigenic K-feldspar in the illite zone is ~1.2 Ma younger than the 16.1 Ma end of magmatism in the caldera, which mitigates against a simple hydrothermal origin. Closed hydrologic system diagenesis was essential to Li mineralization, but Li budget calculations suggest a source of Li in addition to the tuffaceous sediments is required. This additional source could be Li originally in highly enriched magma that entered the diagenetic system through either (1) Li in magma exsolved into a hydrous volatile phase during eruption. The Li-rich volatile phase coated glass shards or was trapped in pumice and was quickly leached by surface or groundwater upon deposition in the caldera. (2) Residual magma immediately following ash-flow eruption and caldera collapse generated Li-rich hydrothermal fluids that mixed with meteoric water in the closed caldera basin, generating a hybrid diagenetic fluid. The hydrothermal fluid and hybrid diagenetic fluids would have existed only during initial basin sedimentation between about 16.4 and 16.1 Ma.

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Silicate Melt Inclusion Evidence for Extreme Pre-eruptive Enrichment and Post-eruptive Depletion of Lithium in Silicic Volcanic Rocks of the Western United States: Implications for the Origin of Lithium-Rich Brines

Cited by 65 publications

References 40 publications

Lithium- and boron-bearing brines in the Central Andes: exploring hydrofacies on the eastern Puna plateau between 23° and 23°30′S

Lithium- and boron-bearing brines in the Central Andes: exploring hydrofacies on the eastern Puna plateau between 23° and 23°30′S

Geology and evolution of the McDermitt caldera, northern Nevada and southeastern Oregon, western USA

Lithium-Rich Claystone in the McDermitt Caldera, Nevada, USA: Geologic, Mineralogical, and Geochemical Characteristics and Possible Origin

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