Erosion and assimilation of substrate by Martian low-viscosity lava flows: implications for sulphur degassing and the genesis of orthomagmatic Ni-Cu±(PGE) sulphide mineralisation

Abstract:

Archean and Proterozoic komatiites and ferropicrites are mantle plume-related, low-viscosity, high-temperature, mafic to ultramafic lava flows. They are hosts to Ni-Cu±(PGE) sulphide mineralisation, which generally formed due to the segregation of sulphides following thermo-mechanical erosion and assimilation of sulphur-rich crustal rocks. We numerically simulated erosion and assimilation during the turbulent emplacement of iron-rich Martian lavas displaying chemical and rheological analogies with terrestrial mafic to ultramafic lavas, on a variety of basaltic and sedimentary sulphate-rich substratum. With the adoption of the lava flow and erosion model of Williams et al. (JGR, 1998), thermodynamic simulations were implemented to (semi-) quantify the potential changes in melt parameter (i.e., chemistry, temperature, and oxygen fugacity) that dictate the sulphur capacity of silicate melts. Modelling was also performed to assess the role of volatile degassing (Gaillard et al., SSR, 2013) on the sulphur inventory of Martian lavas.

Our modelling show that lavas emplacing over basaltic crust are governed by low cooling rates, as well as low erosion and assimilation capacities, thus resulting in calculated near-cotectic proportions of sulphides segregating relatively late upon lava emplacement (usually > 100 km flow distance). The rapid assimilation of highly erodible and sulphate-rich Martian regolith may trigger sulphide supersaturation and batch segregation of sulphides well above cotectic proportions relatively early during the establishment of magmatic flow (<100 km flow distance). However, the assimilation of sulphate, which serves as a strongly oxidising agent, could result in dramatic sulphur loss due to increased volatile degassing rates. This process may limit or even counteract the overall positive effect of sulphate assimilation on achieving sulphide supersaturation, sulphide segregation and the genesis of Ni-Cu±(PGE) sulphide mineralisation.