Abstract

Chalcophile (sulfur-loving) and siderophile (iron-loving) elements (e.g., Cu, Ag, Pt and Au; collectively called CSE ) are of significant economic importance. In basaltic melts, the abundance and distribution of CSE is chiefly controlled by sulfide minerals, both during partial melting and crustal differentiation processes. Typically, melts depleted in CSE are considered to have become sulfide-saturated during crustal differentiation. However, recent work has shown that CSE abundances and ratios correlate with lithophile element proxies which are sensitive to mantle fertilisation and melting processes. In this talk I will discuss our results from Icelandic basalts. Importantly, Icelandic basalts have been shown to be derived from a chemically and lithologically heterogeneous mantle source, and could therefore be key to unravelling the different controls on CSE variability in basaltic melts.