New minerals and the first mineral occurrences in the Kupferschiefer (U, REE, HgS, chloride minerals PtAs2, Pt(Sb,Bi)2, PtBi2), Poland, and their genetic meaning

Abstract Main U minerals in the Lubin and Polkowice mines in decreasing order of abundance are: uraninite, brannerite, metazunerite, metauranospinite, uranospinite, thucholite, monazite-huttonite, coffinite, and becquerelite. All these minerals are associated mainly with noble metal mineralization at the redox interfaces. Main minerals of REE are: (i) brannerite, monazite-huttonite in Noble Metals Bearing Shale (NMBS), (ii) florencite in Mo-Re shales and (iii) minor phospates in Cu-black shales derived from oxidation of organic matter. The latter, however, are controlling no more than 1/5 of the REE budget. Chloride minerals and sulphates are ubiquitous phases associated with Cu sulphides. They are represented by chlorargylite, cotunnite and penfieldite. Halite and sylvite form cubic inclusions in gypsum, up to 3 mm in chevrel compound, where they occur together with thiosulphates, anna-bergite and erithrite and Ni-Co-diarsenides. Sylvite is most common in lensoidal accumulations of semi massive kaolinite + chalcocite + gypsum at the contact between black shale and the top part of white sandstone. Such lenses have been traced over a distance of up to 30 m in the Lubin West and Polkowice East mines. Sylvite and halite have been so far overlooked during investigations of the Kupferschiefer because of applying standard cuƫng and polishing procedures using water as a lubricant. The Au content in native gold may reach exceptionally up to 97.40 wt% in a dolomitic reef from the Lubin West Mine. Gold forms four characteristic micro to nano-textures. Organic matrix of thucholite indicates correlation of Pt-Ni-V suggesting substitution of Pt in tetrapyrrole ring. Sperrylite, geversite and insizwaite appear at the western perimeter of Cu-sulphide deposit, where the redox gradient is so strong that almost all organic matter is gone. Platinum has forms its own minerals trapped in microfractures in anilite-digenite-spionkopite-yarrowite-bornite composite grains present in the reddened NMBS. Celestine-barite solid solution is one of the main accessory minerals in the Kupferschiefer. It has Sr/Ba ratio around 2.5 and 7.5. Euhedral uraninite associated with celestine-barite yielded U/Pb age of 84 ± 1 Ma, based on four grains measurements.