Quick Search:    advanced search

GSW Home   GeoRef Home   My GSW Alerts   Contact GSW   About GSW   Journals List   Help

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (4) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Sisson, T. W. Search for Related Content GeoRef GeoRef Citation

Native gold in a Hawaiian alkalic magma

T. W. Sisson

U.S. Geological Survey, Volcano Hazards Program, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, California 94025

E-mail: tsisson{at}usgs.gov

Native gold found in fresh basanite glass from the early submarine phase of Kilauea volcano, Hawaii, may be the first documented case of the transport of gold as a distinct precious metal phase in a mantle-derived magma. The gold-bearing glass is a grain in bedded volcanic glass sandstone (Japan Marine Science and Technology Center (JAMSTEC) sample S508-R3) collected by the submersible Shinkai 6500 at 3879 m depth off Kilauea’ south flank. Extensive outcrops there expose debris-flow breccias and sandstones containing submarine-erupted alkalic rock fragments and glasses from early Kilauea. Precipitation of an immiscible gold liquid resulted from resorption of magmatic sulfides during crystallization-differentiation, with consequent liberation of sulfide-hosted gold. Elevated whole-rock gold concentrations (to 36 ppb) for fresh lavas and clasts from early Kilauea further show that some magmas erupted at the beginning stages of Hawaiian shield volcanoes were distinctly gold rich, most likely owing to limited residual sulfide in their mantle source. Alkalic magmas at other ocean islands may also be gold rich, and oceanic hot-spot provinces may contain underappreciated gold resources.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. E. Mungall, J. J. Hanley, N. T. Arndt, and A. Debecdelievre Evidence from meimechites and other low-degree mantle melts for redox controls on mantle-crust fractionation of platinum-group elements PNAS, August 22, 2006; 103(34): 12695 - 12700. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Z. Zhang, J. Mao, F. Wang, and F. Pirajno Native gold and native copper grains enclosed by olivine phenocrysts in a picrite lava of the Emeishan large igneous province, SW China American Mineralogist, July 1, 2006; 91(7): 1178 - 1183. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]