Minerals in-situ LA-ICPMS trace elements study and the applications in ore deposit genesis and exploration

With the rapid innovation of laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS), short-wave near-infrared spectroscopy (SWIR) and other microanalysis techniques, the study of minerals trace elements has become a hot topic in the field of geoscience. A large number of studies have focused on the study of ore-forming fluids composition and evolution, on determining the potential sources of metals and on constraining the the genesis of rocks and deposits, on identifying the presence of potential mineralization belt and on predicting the likely direction and distance to mineralized centres. In the past decade, significant research efforts have been devoted to mineral chemistry studies to assist mineral deposit exploration. This review paper mostly focuses on the research progress of the field of mineral deposit exploration in recent ten years. The major activities in this direction can be divided into two major fields of research: (1) Use chemistry of magmatic minerals such as plagioclase, zircon, apatite, and magnetite to identify the presence of, or potential for mineralization; (2) Use the chemical compositions of hydrothermal minerals such as epidote, chlorite, magnetite and alunite to predict the likely direction and distance to mineralized centres, and the potential metal endowment of a mineral district. With the rapid development of micro-analysis technology, the reseatch on in situ mineral trace elements composition has become an hot topic in the field of geoscience, especially in ore deposits exploration. Continue strengthen the in-situ LA-ICPMS mineral trace elements analysis techniques, apply different mineral trace elements characteristics to vector to the ore is the important direction of future development.