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Trevorite: Ni-rich spinel formed by metasomatism and desulfurization processes at Bon Accord, South Africa?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2018

B. O’Driscoll ,
P. L. Clay ,
R. G. Cawthorn ,
D. Lenaz ,
J. Adetunji  and
A. Kronz
B. O’Driscoll*
Affiliation:
School of Physical and Geographical Sciences, Keele University, Keele ST5 5BG, UK
P. L. Clay
Affiliation:
School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9IL, UK
R. G. Cawthorn
Affiliation:
School of Geosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, PO Wits, 2050 South Africa
D. Lenaz
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Geoscienze, Trieste University, Via Weiss 8, 34127-Trieste, Italy
J. Adetunji
Affiliation:
Geographical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, School of Science, University of Derby, Kedleston Road, Derby DE22 1GB, UK
A. Kronz
Affiliation:
Geowissenschaftliches Zentrum der Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, D-37077, Germany
*
*E-mail: b.o’[email protected]
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Abstract

The 3.5 Ga Bon Accord Ni deposit occurs within the lowest serpentinized mafic–ultramafic lavas of the Barberton Greenstone Belt (South Africa). Though now completely mined out, it comprised a suite of rare Ni-rich minerals that led to its interpretation as either an extraterrestrial body or as an oxidized fragment of Fe-Ni alloy originating from the terrestrial core. In this study, we draw on detailed petrographic observation and mineral chemical data, as well as previous work, to re-evaluate these ideas. The balance of evidence, from thin section (<1 mm) to regional (∼10s of km) scales, appears to support an alternative origin for Bon Accord, possibly as an oxidized Ni-sulfide deposit formed in association with ocean floor komatiite eruptions.

Keywords

trevoritespinelmetasomatismdesulfurizationBon AccordSouth Africa
Type
Research Article
Information
Mineralogical Magazine , Volume 78 , Issue 1 , February 2014 , pp. 145 - 163
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2014

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Supplementary material: File

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Crystal-size distributon data 1

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Crystal-size distribution data 2

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