Sulfur and chlorine budgets control the ore fertility of arc magmas

Carter Grondahl and Zoltán Zajacz ()
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Carter Grondahl: University of Toronto
Zoltán Zajacz: University of Toronto

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Continental arc magmas supply the ore-forming element budget of most globally important porphyry-type ore deposits. However, the processes enabling certain arc segments to preferentially generate giant porphyry deposits remain highly debated. Here we evaluate the large-scale covariation of key ore-forming constituents in this setting by studying silicate melt inclusions in volcanic rocks from a fertile-to-barren segment of the Andean Southern Volcanic Zone (33–40 °S). We show that the north-to-south, fertile-to-barren gradient is characterized by a northward increase in S and Cl concentrations and a simultaneous decrease in Cu. Consequently, we suggest that the concentration of S and Cl rather than the concentration of ore metals regulates magmatic-hydrothermal ore fertility, and that the loss of volatiles prior to arrival in the upper crust impacts ore-forming potential more than magmatic sulfide saturation-related ore metal scavenging.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31894-0

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