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Supergene leaching and formation of platinum in alluvium: evidence from Serro, Minas Gerais, Brazil

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Summary

The Córrego Bom Sucesso alluvial deposit near Serro, Minas Gerais, probably provided the specimens from which the element palladium was first discovered. Its Pt–Pd nuggets are characteristically botryoidal, arborescent and coralloidal, and exhibit an external halo with the composition of palladiferous platinum to virtually pure platinum. X-ray mapping of an arborescent Pt–Pd nugget from the historical occurrence documents selective palladium depletion, similar to the high-fineness gold haloes developed on detrital Au–Ag grains under supergene conditions. The Pd-depleted alteration zone truncates inclusions of crystals stoichiometrically close to PdPt within the Pt–Pd aggregate. Selective metal leaching in the weathering environment can account for the frequently observed Pt-enriched rims on alluvial platiniferous alloys which may lead to the formation of platinum nuggets at an advanced degree of weathering.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département de géologie et de génie géologique, Université Laval, Québec, Canada

    A. R. Cabral, G. Beaudoin & M. Choquette

  2. Institut für Mineralogie und Mineralische Rohstoffe, Technische Universität Clausthal, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany

    B. Lehmann

  3. Caeté – MG, Brazil

    J. C. Polônia

Authors
  1. A. R. Cabral
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  2. G. Beaudoin
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  3. M. Choquette
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  4. B. Lehmann
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  5. J. C. Polônia
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Present address: Department of Geology: Exploration Geology Rhodes University PO Box 94, Grahamstown, 6140 South Africa

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Cabral, A., Beaudoin, G., Choquette, M. et al. Supergene leaching and formation of platinum in alluvium: evidence from Serro, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Mineralogy and Petrology 90, 141–150 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00710-006-0171-3

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