SULFIDE-OXIDE-SILICATE EQUILIBRIA - SNOW LAKE, MANITOBA

The Snow Lake area in Manitoba offers an excellent opportunity to study the metamorphism of pelitic rocks containing disseminated sulfides and oxides, associated with stratiform volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposits. In this study evidence is presented to support the conclusion of previous authors that the iron content of silicate minerals is a function of sulfur fugacity at constant pressure and temperature. Equilibrium constants, applicable to staurolite-biotite-muscovite-sillimanite-chlorite-magnetite bearing rocks can be derived from published experiments and applied to natural rocks using ideal solution models.