Crustal sulfide minerals (Re-os)

Abstract

The common occurrence of sulfide minerals in metallic ore deposits (e.g., those of Cu, Au, Zn, and Pb) makes Re-Os dating of these minerals a key method in ore deposit research, particularly given the difficulty of directly dating ore minerals with other isotopic methods. It is relatively a new field of geochronology, enabled by significant advancements in analysis methods, that is becoming widely applied. Many crustal sulfide minerals (molybdenite, pyrite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, bornite) have been found to provide reliable Re-Os ages, whereas some do not (pyrrhotite, sphalerite).