Piccoli and Candela will study the behavior of As and Bi in magmatic hydrothermal systems. The chemistry of these elements at high temperature and moderate pressure is poorly known, yet in porphyry ore-deposits they serve as important pathfinder elements-elements used to determine potential targets for mining. To this end, the PIs will perform two types of experiments: 1) Experiments on the partitioning of As and Bi between felsic melts and KCl-NaCl-HCl +/-sulfide brine and vapor at 100 MPa and 800oC (some experiments will be performed in sulfide-saturated systems); 2) Experiments at 1000oC in sealed silica tubes to determine the partitioning of As and Bi between pyrrhotite and Fe-S-O melt.
Piccoli and Candela are collecting fundamental data on the behavior of As and Bi in the crust of the Earth. These data can be used to serve as the basis for studies of their redistribution in the crust and serve as exploration models for porphyry deposits. This research will involve a mix of high school, undergraduate, masters and doctoral students in our research, and graduate students will participate to a large degree in mentoring more junior members of our research team. Additionally, our research team will spearhead (and highlight our research in) our departmental effort for a university open house in the spring, an event that typically draws 60,000 people to the University of Maryland Campus from the local community.
