textural evidence of episodic introduction of metallic nanoparticles into bonanza epithermal ores金属纳米颗粒结构的证据情景引入鸿运超热中子矿石.pdfVIP

Minerals 2012, 2, 228-243; doi:10.3390/min2030228 OPEN ACCESS minerals ISSN 2075-163X /journal/minerals/ Review Textural Evidence of Episodic Introduction of Metallic Nanoparticles into Bonanza Epithermal Ores James A. Saunders Department of Geology and Geography, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA; E-Mail: saundja@; Tel.: +1-334-844-4884 Received: 28 June 2012; in revised form: 27 July 2012 / Accepted: 3 August 2012 / Published: 14 August 2012 Abstract: Tertiary low sulfidation (LS) epithermal deposits in the western USA often show evidence of the former presence of nanoparticle-sized precious-metal and silica phases in the highest grade (bonanza) ores. Here, nanoparticles are defined to have a size less than ~10−7 m. The ore-mineral textures that formed from aggregation of nanoparticles (or colloids) observed to date in these ores include electrum and naumannite (Ag2Se). Here it is proposed that chalcopyrite also forms nanoparticles in these ores, but sulfide nanoparticles apparently have significantly different physical (surface) properties than the precious-metal phases, and thus exhibit different mineral textures (e.g., no textural evidence of previous chalcopyrite nanoparticles). Textures described here show that nanoparticles of precious-metal phases and silica were episodically and often repeatedly deposited to form the banded bonanza veins typical of many western USA epithermal deposits. Chalcopyrite is the mos