A metasomatized lithospheric mantle control on the metallogenic signature of post-subduction magmatism

Holwell, David A., Fiorentini, Marco, McDonald, Iain ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9066-7244, Lu, Yongjun, Giuliani, Andrea, Smith, Daniel J., Keith, Manuel and Locmelis, Marek 2019. A metasomatized lithospheric mantle control on the metallogenic signature of post-subduction magmatism. Nature Communications 10 (1) , 3511. 10.1038/s41467-019-11065-4

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Abstract

Ore deposits are loci on Earth where energy and mass flux are greatly enhanced and focussed, acting as magnifying lenses into metal transport, fractionation and concentration mechanisms through the lithosphere. Here we show that the metallogenic architecture of the lithosphere is illuminated by the geochemical signatures of metasomatised mantle rocks and post-subduction magmatic-hydrothermal mineral systems. Our data reveal that anomalously gold and tellurium rich magmatic sulfides in mantle-derived magmas emplaced in the lower crust share a common metallogenic signature with upper crustal porphyry-epithermal ore systems. We propose that a trans-lithospheric continuum exists whereby post-subduction magmas transporting metal-rich sulfide cargoes play a fundamental role in fluxing metals into the crust from metasomatised lithospheric mantle. Therefore, ore deposits are not merely associated with isolated zones where serendipitous happenstance has produced mineralisation. Rather, they are depositional points along the mantle-to-upper crust pathway of magmas and hydrothermal fluids, synthesising the concentrated metallogenic budget available.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Earth and Environmental Sciences
Additional Information:	This paper is published under the terms of the CC-BY licence
Publisher:	Nature Research
ISSN:	2041-1723
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	20 August 2019
Date of Acceptance:	17 June 2019
Last Modified:	06 May 2023 03:35
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/125034

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