loading page

Tin in tourmaline
  • Kristian Drivenes
Kristian Drivenes
Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Corresponding Author:kristian.drivenes@ntnu.no

Author Profile

Abstract

Tourmaline is a common mineral in Sn-W mineralizations. It is commonly strongly zoned, both optically and chemically, and may host a range of trace elements. High levels of Sn have been observed in tourmaline throughout the world, whereas W is typically very low, even in mineralized areas. Tourmaline from subeconomic cassiterite mineralizations and hydrothermally altered granite from the Land’s End granite, SW England, was analyzed by EPMA in order to identify Sn-rich zones. LA-ICP-MS is typically the go-to instrument for trace element analyses, but spatial resolution is strongly compromised compared to EPMA. The behavior of Sn in tourmaline varies from patchy to concentric zoning between different samples, and the highest recorded value was 2.48 wt% SnO2 in a patchily zoned rim. A high resolution WDS map of the area did not show any major Sn spikes, and TiO2, a common minor element in cassiterite, is low in the Sn-rich regions. Also, cassiterite in these samples are commonly light brown in plane polarized light, and the Sn-rich zones can be related to dark green zones. This indicates that the high Sn-values are not due to cassiterite inclusions, and may be structurally bound in tourmaline, most likely substituting into the Y-site. The highest Sn-values (>0.4 wt% SnO2) are coupled with a substantial substitution of Fe for Al in the Z-site, and the structural formula calculation indicate that some Fe is present as Fe3+ in the analyses with over ca. 20 wt% FeO. Trends between Sn and other elements are erratic, except for a weak positive correlation with Sr. The Sn-content in tourmaline combined with the inferred Fe3+ and the observed cassiterite in the samples may indicate that oxidation of the ore fluid caused cassiterite precipitation.