Formation of recent Pb-Ag-Au mineralization by potential sub-surface microbial activity

Fernando Tornos (), Francisco Velasco, César Menor-Salván, Antonio Delgado, John F. Slack and Juan Manuel Escobar
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Fernando Tornos: Centro de Astrobiología. Ctra Ajalvir km. 4.5, Torrejon de Ardoz, 28850 Madrid, Spain
Francisco Velasco: Dpto. Mineralogía y Petrología, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU
César Menor-Salván: Centro de Astrobiología. Ctra Ajalvir km. 4.5, Torrejon de Ardoz, 28850 Madrid, Spain
Antonio Delgado: Laboratorio de Biogeoquímica de Isótopos Estables, Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra IACT (CSIC-UGR). Avda. de las Palmeras, 4, 18100 Armilla, Granada, Spain
John F. Slack: U.S. Geological Survey, National Center, MS 954
Juan Manuel Escobar: Cobre Las Cruces S.A., Gerena, 41860 Seville, Spain

Nature Communications, 2014, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Las Cruces is a base-metal deposit in the Iberian Pyrite Belt, one of the world’s best-known ore provinces. Here we report the occurrence of major Pb-Ag-Au mineralization resulting from recent sub-surface replacement of supergene oxyhydroxides by carbonate and sulphide minerals. This is probably the largest documented occurrence of recent microbial activity producing an ore assemblage previously unknown in supergene mineralizing environments. The presence of microbial features in the sulphides suggests that these may be the first-described natural bacteriomorphs of galena. The low δ13C values of the carbonate minerals indicate formation by deep anaerobic microbial processes. Sulphur isotope values of sulphides are interpreted here as reflecting microbial reduction in a system impoverished in sulphate. We suggest that biogenic activity has produced around 3.1 × 109 moles of reduced sulphur and 1010 moles of CO2, promoting the formation of ca. 1.19 Mt of carbonates, 114,000 t of galena, 638 t of silver sulphides and 6.5 t of gold.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5600

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