Trace element fractionation in magnetite as a function of Fe depletion from ore fluids at the Baijian Fe-(Co) skarn deposit, eastern China: Implications for Co mineralization in Fe skarns

Magnetite is common in various magmatic and hydrothermal ore deposit types, and its trace element geochemistry has become increasingly used in ore genesis studies and mineral exploration.While fractional crystallization has been shown to influence the chemistry of igneous magnetite, the extent to which this process regulates the trace element composition of hydrothermal magnetite remains poorly understood.In this study, we analyzed trace elements in hydrothermal magnetite from the Baijian Fe-(Co) skarn deposit in eastern China and used Rayleigh and equilibrium fractionation modeling to demonstrate the importance of magnetite precipitation in controlling fluid and magnetite chemistry during Fe skarn mineralization.The Baijian Fe-(Co) skarn deposit has 3 stages of magnetite.From early Mag-1 to later Mag-2 and Mag-3, the concentrations of compatible elements (Ni and V) decrease, whereas those of incompatible elements (Zn, Mn and Co) increase.There are obvious trends of increasing incompatible/compatible element ratios (e.g., Co/Ni, Zn/V, and Zn/Ni) and decreasing compatible/incompatible element ratios (e.g., V/Mn, Ni/Mn, and V/Co) from Mag-1 to Mag-3, with strong correlations between each of these ratios.Such systematic trace element variations in successive stages of magnetite can be best explained by increasing degrees of fractional crystallization with time.The wide range of incompatible/compatible element ratios (spanning 2-4 orders of magnitude) in Mag-2 and Mag-3 suggests that magnetite crystallization follows a process akin to Rayleigh fractionation.Results from this study highlight the significant role that magnetite This is the peer-reviewed, final