Lithogeochemistry of the Volcanic-Sedimentary Complex and major and trace element contents in apatite from the Neves Corvo Cu-Zn-Pb(-Sn) deposit (Portugal)

Analyzing the chemical composition of rocks and minerals is an important tool for exploring and understanding mineral resources. The Neves Corvo Cu-Zn-Pb(-Sn) is one of the richest volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits in the work and is unique within the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IBP) in terms of size, Cu-Zn grades and tonnages, the notable occurrence of Sn mineralization (Relvas et al., 2001) and In and Se contents (Carvalho et al., 2018). The mineralization occurs in close association with felsic volcanic rocks and black shale, where three main types are defined: (1) stringer and massive cassiterite mineralization, (2) stockwork and massive sulfide mineralization, and (3) late tectonic-metamorphic remobilization. The Sn mineralization is structurally controlled and occurs along the so-called “tin corridor” in the Corvo orebody (e.g., Relvas et al., 2006a, 2006b).

We analyzed major, minor and trace element contents of the footwall metavolcanic and metasedimentary units by XRF, ICP-MS and ICP-OS. This data publication reports for the first-time apatite major, minor and trace element compositions by microprobe and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and Raman Spectroscopy, and microprobe analyses from florencite and xenotime, in previously characterized samples from the Corvo orebody (Relvas 2000 and Relvas et al. 2001, 2006a, 2006b).

This document describes the samples studied and the analytical methods