The peculiarities of the framboidal pyrites of the Mikheev porphyry copper deposit (Southern Ural)

Abstract

Framboids of pyrite were found in bituminized argillic metasomatites of the Mikheev porphyry copper deposit (Southern Urals). A wide occurrence manifestation of low-temperature metasomatism — argillization — is a feature of the rock complex of this deposit. According to the results of thermoweight analysis, the values of organic matter in bituminized argillic metasomatites correspond to kerite. The organic matter support the habitation of microbial communities, including the presence of element-depositing bacteria. The use of high-resolution scanning electron microscopy allowed identifing preserved mineralized biofilms and accumulations of extracellular biopolymers, including seeds of forming pyrites. Such morphological features suggest on a bacteria formation of the framboidal pyrites of the argillizites of the Mikheev deposit.