Alkali-deficient tourmaline from the Sullivan Pb-Zn-Ag deposit, British Columbia

Abstract

Alkali-deficient tourmalines are found in albitized rocks from the hanging-wall of the Sullivan Pb-Zn-Ag deposit (British Columbia, Canada). They approximate the Mg-equivalent of foitite with an idealized formula □(Mg 2 Al)Al 6 Si 6 O 18 (BO 3 ) 3 (OH) 4 . Major chemical substitutions in the tourmalines are the alkali-defect type [Na* (x) + Mg* (Y) = □ (x) + Al (Y) ] and the uvite type [Na* (x) + Al (Y) = Ca (x) + Mg* (Y) ], where Na* = Na + K, Mg* = Mg + Fe + Mn. The occurrence of these alkali-deficient tourmalines reflects a unique geochemical environment that is either alkali-depleted overall or one in which the alkalis preferentially partitioned into coexisting minerals (e.g. albite). Some of the alkali-deficient tourmalines have unusually high Mn contents (up to 1.5 wt.% MnO) compared to other Sullivan tourmalines. Manganese has a strong preference for incorporation into coexisting garnet and carbonate at Sullivan, thus many tourmalines in Mn-rich rocks are poor in Mn (<0.2 wt.% MnO). It appears that the dominant controls over the occurrence of Mn-rich tourmalines at Sullivan are the local availability of Mn and the lack of other coexisting minerals that may preferentially incorporate Mn into their structures.