The Behaviour of Economically Important Elements During Crustal Processes in a Continental Arc Setting

Continental arcs are thought to be variably enriched in economically important sulfide mineral deposits, however our understanding of the conditions necessary for their genesis is still incomplete (Jenner, 2017; Cox et al., 2019). Chalcophiles are sulfur loving elements known to be closely linked to the behaviour of sulfides and can tell us a lot about the crustal and mantle processes at work beneath these arc volcanoes (Noll et al., 1996; Jenner et al., 2010; Sillitoe, 2010; Jenner, 2017; Cox et al., 2019). Up until now, chalcophile behaviour has remained relatively elusive due difficulty measuring their characteristically low concentrations with the resolution of analytical equipment (Kent, 2008; Jenner and Arevalo, 2016; Cox et al., 2019). This means that there is a distinct lack of datasets for the concentration of chalcophile elements within continental arcs (Cox et al., 2019). Recent improvement of analytical techniques means that this is now possible. This project aims to conduct petrological studies on volcanic material from two continental arc volcanoes; Popocatépetl volcano and Colima volcano, Mexico, to provide constraints on chalcophile element.