Gold distribution in the Archean Tanzanian Craton: Evaluating the effects of intracrustal differentiation

dc.contributor.advisorRudnick, Roberta Len_US
dc.contributor.advisorMcDonough, William Fen_US
dc.contributor.authorLong, Kristy Jeanneen_US
dc.contributor.departmentGeologyen_US
dc.contributor.publisherDigital Repository at the University of Marylanden_US
dc.contributor.publisherUniversity of Maryland (College Park, Md.)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2013-06-28T07:08:10Z
dc.date.available2013-06-28T07:08:10Z
dc.date.issued2013en_US
dc.description.abstractThis study evaluates the vertical distribution of gold in the continental crust. Implementing a recently published method by Pitcairn et al. (2006a) for the chromatographic separation of gold from acid-digested rocks using diisobutyl ketone (DIBK), followed by analysis using standard addition inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), high- and low-grade metamorphic rocks of the Tanzanian Craton, representative of the lower and upper crust, respectively, are analyzed to determine the distribution of gold in the crust. Greenstone belt basalts have the highest gold concentrations (ave.=60 (+193/-19) ng/g), followed by greenstone belt andesites (ave.=1.4 (+3.6/-0.6) ng/g). The lowest concentrations are observed in granulite-facies lower-crustal xenoliths (ave.=0.4 (+1.0/-0.1) ng/g). Gold is incompatible in silicates and can partition into hydrothermal and/or magmatic fluid during high-grade metamorphic dehydration reactions or partial melting, particularly if sulfides break down during these processes. Rise of buoyant mobile phases may explain the depletion of gold in the lower crust.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/14145
dc.subject.pqcontrolledGeologyen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledGeochemistryen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledcontinental crusten_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledcrustal differentiationen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolleddehydration reactionen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledgolden_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledmetamorphismen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledstandard addition ICP-MSen_US
dc.titleGold distribution in the Archean Tanzanian Craton: Evaluating the effects of intracrustal differentiationen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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