Magmatic immiscibility and the origin of magnetite-(apatite) iron deposits

Dorota K. Pietruszka, John M. Hanchar (), Fernando Tornos, Richard Wirth, Nathan A. Graham, Kenneth P. Severin, Francisco Velasco, Matthew Steele-MacInnis and Wyatt M. Bain
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Dorota K. Pietruszka: Memorial University of Newfoundland
John M. Hanchar: Memorial University of Newfoundland
Fernando Tornos: Memorial University of Newfoundland
Richard Wirth: Section 3.5 Interface Geochemistry, Telegrafenberg
Nathan A. Graham: University of Alaska Fairbanks
Kenneth P. Severin: University of Alaska Fairbanks
Francisco Velasco: Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU
Matthew Steele-MacInnis: University of Alberta
Wyatt M. Bain: University of Alberta

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract The origin of magnetite-(apatite) iron deposits (MtAp) is one of the most contentious issues in ore geology with competing models that range from hydrothermal to magmatic processes. Here we report melt inclusions trapped in plagioclase phenocrysts in andesite hosting the MtAp mineralization at El Laco, Chile. The results of our study reveal that individual melt inclusions preserve evidence of complex processes involved in melt immiscibility, including separation of Si- and Fe-rich melts, the latter hosting Cu sulfide-rich, phosphate-rich, and residual C-O-HFSE-rich melts, with their melting temperature at 1145 °C. This association is consistent with the assemblages observed in the ore, and provides a link between silicate and Fe-P-rich melts that subsequently produced the magnetite-rich magmas that extruded on the flanks of the volcano. These results strongly suggest that the El Laco mineralization was derived from crystallization of Fe-P-rich melts, thus providing insight into the formation of similar deposits elsewhere.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43655-8

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