Field and experimental constraints on petrogenesis of Cr-Ni-PGE deposits

岩浆矿床每年为全球经济贡献数十亿美元。大多数主要的岩浆矿床都与基性岩浆从地幔流到地壳有关，带来了有价值的金属，特别是贱金属Cu、Ni、Co、Fe、Cr、Ti、V和铂族元素（PGE; Pt、Pd、Rh、Ru、Ir、Os）和Au。有几种类型的岩浆矿床存款是占主导地位的或与主要积累的矿物铬铁矿。到目前为止，在北美还没有出现过大量的铬生产。在这项研究中，我们正在研究一个重要的新的存款的铬铁矿最近发现在安大略和比较类似的存款在芬兰，印度，巴西和南非。我们还将做一些实验，试图在高温高压下的岩浆中重现铬铁矿矿床的形成条件。预计结果将提高新存款作为加拿大经济增长引擎的可行性，同时也提高我们对这种战略金属存款如何形成的了解。

Magmatic ore deposits contribute billions of dollars to the global economy annually. The majority of major magmatic ore deposits are related to the flux of mafic magmas from the mantle to the crust, bringing with them valuable metals, notably the base metals Cu, Ni, Co, Fe, Cr, Ti, V and the platinum group elements (PGE; Pt, Pd, Rh, Ru, Ir, Os) and Au. There are several types of magmatic ore deposit that are dominated by or associated with major accumulations of the mineral chromite. To date, no significant production of Cr has ever occured in North America. In this research we are examining an important new deposit of chromite recently discovered in Ontario and comparing it with similar deposits in Finland, India, Brazil and South Africa. We will also do experiments in which we try to recreate the conditions of formation of chromite deposits in magmas at high temperatures and pressures. The results are expected to improve the viability of the new deposit as an engine of economic growth in Canada while also improving our understanding of how deposits of this strategic metal are formed.