T. W. Sisson
2003
<p>Native<span> </span>gold<span> found </span>in<span> fresh basanite glass from the early submarine phase of Kilauea volcano, Hawaii, may be the first documented case of the transport of </span>gold<span> as a distinct precious metal phase </span>in<span> a mantle-derived </span>magma<span>. The </span>gold<span>-bearing glass is a grain </span>in<span> 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's south flank. Extensive outcrops there expose debris-flow breccias and sandstones containing submarine-erupted </span>alkalic<span> rock fragments and glasses from early Kilauea. Precipitation of an immiscible </span>gold<span> liquid resulted from resorption of magmatic sulfides during crystallization-differentiation, with consequent liberation of sulfide-hosted </span>gold<span>. Elevated whole-rock </span>gold<span> concentrations (to 36 ppb) for fresh lavas and clasts from early Kilauea further show that some magmas erupted at the beginning stages of </span>Hawaiian<span> shield volcanoes were distinctly </span>gold<span> rich, most likely owing to limited residual sulfide </span>in<span> their mantle source. </span>Alkalic<span> magmas at other ocean islands may also be </span>gold<span> rich, and oceanic hot-spot provinces may contain underappreciated </span>gold<span> resources.</span></p>
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10.2113/gsecongeo.98.3.643
en
Society of Economic Geologists
Native gold in Hawaiian alkalic magma
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