Tracing low-temperature aqueous metal migration in mineralized watersheds with Cu isotope fractionation

Tracing low-temperature aqueous metal migration in mineralized watersheds with Cu isotope fractionation

•Cu isotope fractionation of ores and waters identifies copper sulfide weathering.•Redox reactions cause isotopic shift measured in areas of sulfide weathering.•Consistent isotope signature in different deposit, climate, or concentration. Copper isotope signatures in waters emanating from mineralize...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied geochemistry Vol. 51; pp. 109 - 115
Main Authors: Mathur, R., Munk, L.A., Townley, B., Gou, K.Y., Gómez Miguélez, N., Titley, S., Chen, G.G., Song, S., Reich, M., Tornos, F., Ruiz, J.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-12-2014
Elsevier
Subjects:
Copper
COPPER ISOTOPES
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics
Exact sciences and technology
Fractionation
Geochemistry
ISOTOPES
Migration
MINERALS
Oxidation
Pollution, environment geology
PORPHYRY ORES
Signatures
SULFIDES
WATER
Watersheds
experimental studies
exploration
skarn
oxidation
metals
concentration
low temperature
drainage divide
porphyry copper
metamorphic rocks
drainage basins
solution
isotopes
isotope fractionation
migration
pH
temperature
copper
sulfides
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Summary:•Cu isotope fractionation of ores and waters identifies copper sulfide weathering.•Redox reactions cause isotopic shift measured in areas of sulfide weathering.•Consistent isotope signature in different deposit, climate, or concentration. Copper isotope signatures in waters emanating from mineralized watersheds provide evidence for the source aqueous copper in solution. Low-temperature aqueous oxidation of Cu sulfide minerals produces significant copper isotopic fractionation between solutions and residues. Abiotic experimental data of fractionation (defined as Δliquid–solid ‰=δ65Culiquid−δ65Cusolid) are on the order of 1–3‰ and are unique for copper rich-sulfide minerals. Data presented here from ores and waters within defined boundaries of porphyry copper, massive sulfide, skarn, and epithermal ore deposits mimic abiotic experiments. Thus, the oxidation of sulfide minerals appears to cause the signatures in the waters although significant biological, temperature, and pH variations exist in the fluids. Regardless of the deposit type, water type, concentration of Cu in solution, or location, the data provide a means to trace sources of metals in solutions. This relationship allows for tracking sources and degree of metal migration in low temperature aqueous systems and has direct application to exploration geology and environmental geochemistry.
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ISSN:0883-2927
1872-9134
DOI:10.1016/j.apgeochem.2014.09.019