Abstract Using in-situ LA-ICP-MS, the trace-elements compositions of hydrothermal quartz from five Sb mineralized Variscan districts, from different parts of France, were compared. Each of these districts is characterized by the presence of stibnite, with quartz being an ubiquitous gangue mineral. The resulting dataset was processed using a set of multivariate statistical analyses (i.e. principal component analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, and permutational multivariate analysis of variance). This approach highlights differences in ore-forming processes (e.g., fluid chemistry), recorded in the trace-elements pattern of the gangue minerals. Using this methodology, we could distinguish different mineralizing events with intricate paragenesis, such as those in the Sioule nappe, which appear to have recorded two different events of Sb precipitation. Results indicate that Sb incorporation in quartz is weakly correlated to other trace elements, but that its contents increase sharply in quartz from stibnite-bearing veins. In this case, Sb shows values >10 ppm and up to 200 ppm, considerably higher than the values measured in quartz unrelated to Sb mineralization (mainly ≤ 1 ppm). Intermediate Sb contents in quartz would point to the potential for a fluid to precipitate Sb ore. It is concluded that incorporation of Sb in quartz can be confidentially correlated to its content in the mineralizing fluid. Based on our data from five Sb districts of the French Variscan belt, supported by published Sb trace-elements data in quartz from a number of other Sb deposits worldwide, this study highlights the strong potential of the Sb content in quartz as a proxy for tracing Sb mineralization.

中文翻译：

---

石英中的锑作为矿化的载体：来自五个 Variscan Sb 矿点的统计方法（法国）

摘要 采用原位 LA-ICP-MS，比较了法国不同地区 5 个 Sb 矿化区的热液石英的微量元素组成。这些地区中的每一个都以存在辉锑矿为特征，石英是一种无处不在的脉石矿物。使用一组多元统计分析（即主成分分析、层次聚类分析和排列多元方差分析）处理所得数据集。这种方法突出了成矿过程（例如流体化学）的差异，记录在脉石矿物的微量元素模式中。使用这种方法，我们可以区分具有复杂共生作用的不同矿化事件，例如 Sioule 推覆岩中的矿化事件，似乎记录了两种不同的 Sb 沉淀事件。结果表明，石英中的 Sb 掺入与其他微量元素的相关性较弱，但其含量在含辉锑矿脉的石英中急剧增加。在这种情况下，Sb 显示的值 >10 ppm 和高达 200 ppm，远高于在与 Sb 矿化无关的石英中测量的值（主要 ≤ 1 ppm）。石英中的中间 Sb 含量表明流体可能会沉淀 Sb 矿石。得出的结论是，石英中掺入的 Sb 与其在矿化液中的含量密切相关。基于我们来自法国 Variscan 带的五个 Sb 区的数据，并得到了来自全球许多其他 Sb 矿床的石英中 Sb 微量元素数据的支持，