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Concentrations of Pt, Pd, S, As, Se and Te in silicate melts at sulfide, arsenide, selenide and telluride saturation: evidence of PGE complexing in silicate melts?

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Abstract

Even though platinum group elements (PGE) solubilities are measured relative to pure metals, the PGE are assumed to dissolve as oxide complexes in silicate melts. PGE-oxide phases are, however, not known in magmatic rocks; in many cases PGE are associated with discrete magmatic phases (alloys, arsenides, bismuthotellurides, antimonides and sulfides). Here, we determine the concentrations of Pt, Pd, S, As, Se and Te in basaltic melts saturated with Fe, Pt or Pd sulfides, arsenides, selenides and tellurides and note that the solubilities of these elements are largely variable and depend on the metal–ligand reservoir in equilibrium. We equilibrated basaltic melts with immiscible Fe, Pt, and Pd sulfide, arsenide, selenide and telluride melts in a piston cylinder apparatus at 1250 °C, 0.5 GPa and relative fO2 of ~ FMQ to FMQ-1.5. The concentrations of S, As, Se and Te in the basaltic melt vary considerably with the metal–ligand reservoir; the highest concentrations are recorded when the ferrous iron cation is the principal metal ligand. When instead Pt-(S/As/Se/Te) or Pd-(S/As/Se/Te) are used, the concentrations of S, As, Se and Te fall drastically. Platinum and Pd increase the activities of semimetals and chalcogenes in the silicate melt more than Fe does. Implications are that Pt and Pd can preferentially form stable associations (fundamental building blocks) with chalcogens and semimetals before the melt attains saturation in Fe-chalcogens or Fe-semimetals. Estimated concentrations of Pt–ligand and Pd–ligand required to saturate silicate melts in some Pt–ligand and Pd–ligand minerals are close to their abundances in the parent magmas of some layered intrusions.

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Acknowledgements

H.M. Helmy acknowledges the support of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation through a Georg Forster Research Award. F.P.L was supported by a PhD. scholarship from DAAD/CNPq (248562/2013-4). Richard Wirth and Anja Schreiber, GFZ Potsdam are thanked for the FIB-TEM analyses. Two anonymous reviewers are thanked for critical comments on the manuscript. Mark Ghiorso is thanks for editorial handling.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Steinmann Institut, Universität Bonn, Poppelsdorfer Schloss, 53115, Bonn, Germany

    Hassan M. Helmy & Chris Ballhaus

  2. Department of Geology, Minia University, Minia, 61519, Egypt

    Hassan M. Helmy

  3. Institut für Geologie and Mineralogie, Universität Zu Köln, 50674, Köln, Germany

    Raúl O. C. Fonseca

  4. Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, 90650-001, Brazil

    Felipe P. Leitzke

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  1. Hassan M. Helmy
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Correspondence to Hassan M. Helmy.

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Helmy, H.M., Ballhaus, C., Fonseca, R.O.C. et al. Concentrations of Pt, Pd, S, As, Se and Te in silicate melts at sulfide, arsenide, selenide and telluride saturation: evidence of PGE complexing in silicate melts?. Contrib Mineral Petrol 175, 65 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-020-01705-0

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