V53B-3136
Platinum group and chalcophile element systematics of serpentinized peridotites from the St. Elena ophiolite in Costa Rica
Friday, 18 December 2015
Poster Hall (Moscone South)
Jessica Holm1, Michael Bizimis1, Esther Martina Schwarzenbach2, Dionysios Foustoukos3, Carl P Frisby1, Alan D Brandon4 and Esteban Gazel5, (1)University of South Carolina Columbia, Columbia, SC, United States, (2)Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Geosciences, Blacksburg, VA, United States, (3)Carnegie Institute, Washington, DC, United States, (4)University of Houston, Houston, TX, United States, (5)Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
Abstract:
We present in situ LA-ICPMS data on platinum group element (PGE) and chalcophile element (namely Cu, Ag, Te, Au, Pb) systematics in sulfides from partially serpentinized peridotites of the St. Elena ophiolite, Costa Rica. PGE are strong indicators of primary mantle processes, though their behavior during low temperature alteration processes such as serpentinization is not well understood. St. Elena sulfides are dominantly pentlandites that coexist with Fe-Ni alloys and native Cu. This indicates extremely low fO2 and fS2 conditions likely established during the early stages of serpentinization. We observe extremely variable PGE-Re concentrations in the sulfides, (e.g. [Os] = 2 – 100,000 times primitive mantle, PM). Low [Os] sulfides have high Pd/Os, which in turn correlates positively with Cu concentrations, suggesting Pd enrichment through Cu-rich fluids (e.g. Schwarzenbach et al., 2014, CMP) as opposed to melt-rock reaction. Sulfide PM-normalized PGE-Re patterns are dominated by strong Pt depletions (e.g., Pt/Pd = 0.80-0.0009). Occasional Pt enrichments over Pd and Ru (or Rh) in a PM-normalized pattern (~5% of the sulfide population) often correlate with Te and/or Au enrichments. Pt enrichment was also observed in a composite pentlandite-awaruite, suggesting possible exsolution of Pt from sulfides under extremely low fS2 conditions. Pb concentrations do not correlate with other chalcophiles or PGE. Pb ranges from 0.01-31.64 ppm with the majority of sulfides <5 ppm, and an average concentration of 2.77 ppm (n=64). Assuming that this Pb concentration is representative of mantle sulfides, this implies that Pb is not dominantly held in sulfides in the upper mantle. Combination of in situ and bulk rock PGE analyses will be used to distinguish the effects of primary magmatic signatures (e.g., melt depletion, melt-rock interaction) and secondary processes such as serpentinization on the PGE-Re and chalcophile element systematics of these sulfides.
