Part 1 of this research is a field-analytical and experimental study of the behavior of tungsten, molybdenum, and other selected ore and trace elements in titanite-melt systems. Experiments on the partitioning of ore metals between titanite and melt as a function of oxygen will allow the PIs to: 1) test hypotheses concerning ore metal behavior that results from SRXF analyses of natural titanites and other studies; 2) model the effect of varying igneous titanite/ilmenite ratios on the efficiency of Mo and W partitioning from melts into ore- forming fluids. Part 2 is on the partitioning of elements between silicate melts and aqueous fluids. Part 3 is a study of the halogen chemistry fO2 and depth of formation of the igneous rocks of the Lachlan Fold Belt (LFB) as the start of a larger study of their theoretical ore-potential. This study represents a start in the evaluation of the ore-potential, from first principles, in one of the best-studied belts of granitic rocks in the world.
