Trace element catalyses mineral replacement reactions and facilitates ore formation.

ABSTRACT: Reaction-induced porosity is a key factor enabling protracted fluid-rock interactions in the Earth's crust, promoting large-scale mineralogical changes during diagenesis, metamorphism, and ore formation. Here, we show experimentally that the presence of trace amounts of dissolved cerium increases the porosity of hematite (Fe₂O₃) formed via fluid-induced, redox-independent replacement of magnetite (Fe₃O₄), thereby increasing the efficiency of coupled magnetite replacement, fluid flow, and element mass transfer. Cerium acts as a catalyst affecting the nucleation and growth of hematite by modifying the Fe²⁺(aq)/Fe³⁺(aq) ratio at the reaction interface. Our results demonstrate that trace elements can enhance fluid-mediated miner

SUBMITTER: Xing Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7925538 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature