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Sulfide partial melting and galena–tetrahedrite intergrowth texture: An experimental study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 October 2020

Boddepalli Govindarao ,
Kamal Lochan Pruseth Open the ORCID record for Kamal Lochan Pruseth [Opens in a new window]  and
Biswajit Mishra
Boddepalli Govindarao
Affiliation:
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur 721302, India
Kamal Lochan Pruseth*
Affiliation:
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur 721302, India
Biswajit Mishra
Affiliation:
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur 721302, India
*
*Author for correspondence: Kamal Lochan Pruseth, Email: pruseth@gg.iitkgp.ac.in
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Abstract

Galena–tetrahedrite intergrowth textures have been observed in some quenched run products of melting experiments conducted at 500 and 600°C in the systems ZnS–PbS–FeS–Cu2S–Sb2S3 and ZnS–PbS–FeS–Cu2S–Sb2S3–As2S3, using the evacuated silica-tube method. At 600°C the intergrowth formed an interface between sulfide melt and galena, whereas at 500°C it existed as inclusions partially embedded or completely embedded within tetrahedrite. At 600°C tetrahedrite was absent in PbS-bearing experiments, instead galena and melt were a part of the equilibrium phase assemblage. From the disposition of the galena–tetrahedrite intergrowths at 500°C it is evident that droplets of galena–tetrahedrite melt coexisted with tetrahedrite or tetrahedrite + galena and gave rise to these intergrowths upon quenching. The intergrowths coexisting with galena probably represent compositions on the galena-rich liquidus in the galena–tetrahedrite binary and those coexisting with tetrahedrite represent points on the tetrahedrite-rich liquidus. A eutectic at galena:tetrahedrite = ~30:70, very close to 500°C is apparent. It is clearly indicated that galena–tetrahedrite intergrowths can be formed by sulfide partial melting, and could be used as a potential indicator of partial melting in metamorphosed sulfide ore deposits.

Keywords

partial meltingeutecticco-crystallisationco-precipitationreplacement
Type
Article
Information
Mineralogical Magazine , Volume 84 , Issue 6 , December 2020 , pp. 859 - 868
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland

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Footnotes

Associate Editor: Makoto Arima

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