The Herberton Mineral Field in Northeast Australia hosts world class magmatic-hydrothermal Sn–W polymetallic deposits that are enriched in In. The Baal Gammon and Isabel deposits from the Herberton Mineral Field contains early tin, as cassiterite, overprinted by sulfide mineralization as chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena, pyrrhotite, and stannite. We investigated the distribution of In in the sulfide ores from these two deposits, calculated the temperature of formation via sphalerite-stannite geothermometer, and deduced the physicochemical conditions favorable for enriching In in this mineralizing environment. The Baal Gammon deposit is dominated by chalcopyrite, with In contained in chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and stannite. The average In concentrations measured by EPMA in chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and stannite are 0.10, 0.68, and 0.92 wt%, respectively. Chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, and sphalerite textures indicate that In incorporation occurred during exsolution from an intermediate solid solution of cubanite composition. The Isabel deposit is dominated by sphalerite associated with galena and contains only minor amounts of chalcopyrite. The average concentration of In in sphalerite from the Isabel deposit is 0.11 wt%. The stannite-sphalerite geothermometer indicates mineralization temperatures of ~ 290 °C at the Baal Gammon deposit, and ~ 307 °C at the Isabel deposit. At these temperatures, the physicochemical modeling suggests that stable In chlorine complexes occur in acidic conditions (pH < 3). These results when combined with the Eh–pH phase model of the sulfide assemblage further constrain the redox conditions during mineralization.

澳大利亚东北部的赫伯顿矿区拥有世界级的富含 In 的岩浆热液 Sn-W 多金属矿床。来自 Herberton 矿田的 Baal Gammon 和 Isabel 矿床含有早期锡，如锡石，被硫化物矿化叠加为黄铜矿、闪锌矿、方铅矿、磁黄铁矿和锡石。我们调查了这两个矿床硫化矿中 In 的分布，通过闪锌矿-锡矿地温仪计算了地层温度，推导出了该成矿环境中有利于 In 富集的物理化学条件。Baal Gammon 矿床以黄铜矿为主，黄铜矿、闪锌矿和锡矿中含有 In。EPMA 在黄铜矿、闪锌矿和亚锡矿中测得的平均 In 浓度分别为 0.10、0.68 和 0.92 wt%，分别。黄铜矿、磁黄铁矿和闪锌矿结构表明 In 的掺入发生在从立方晶石成分的中间固溶体中溶出的过程中。Isabel 矿床以与方铅矿相关的闪锌矿为主，仅含有少量黄铜矿。来自 Isabel 矿床的闪锌矿中 In 的平均浓度为 0.11 wt%。锡锌矿-闪锌矿地温计显示 Baal Gammon 矿床的矿化温度约为 290 °C，Isabel 矿床的矿化温度约为 307 °C。在这些温度下，物理化学模型表明稳定的 In 氯络合物出现在酸性条件下 (pH < 3)。当这些结果与硫化物组合的 Eh-pH 相模型结合时，进一步限制了矿化过程中的氧化还原条件。和闪锌矿结构表明 In 的掺入发生在从立方晶石成分的中间固溶体脱溶过程中。Isabel 矿床以与方铅矿相关的闪锌矿为主，仅含有少量黄铜矿。来自 Isabel 矿床的闪锌矿中 In 的平均浓度为 0.11 wt%。锡锌矿-闪锌矿地温计显示 Baal Gammon 矿床的矿化温度约为 290 °C，Isabel 矿床的矿化温度约为 307 °C。在这些温度下，物理化学模型表明稳定的 In 氯络合物出现在酸性条件下 (pH < 3)。当这些结果与硫化物组合的 Eh-pH 相模型结合时，进一步限制了矿化过程中的氧化还原条件。和闪锌矿结构表明 In 的掺入发生在从立方晶石成分的中间固溶体脱溶过程中。Isabel 矿床以与方铅矿相关的闪锌矿为主，仅含有少量黄铜矿。来自 Isabel 矿床的闪锌矿中 In 的平均浓度为 0.11 wt%。锡锌矿-闪锌矿地温计显示 Baal Gammon 矿床的矿化温度约为 290 °C，Isabel 矿床的矿化温度约为 307 °C。在这些温度下，物理化学模型表明稳定的 In 氯络合物出现在酸性条件下 (pH < 3)。当这些结果与硫化物组合的 Eh-pH 相模型结合时，进一步限制了矿化过程中的氧化还原条件。