An important category of magmatic Ni-Cu sulfide deposits, is that related to mafic and ultramafic volcanic rocks ‘komatiites) in Archean greenstone belts. Deposits of this type occur in Canada (the Thompson Ni belt of Manitoba) and Zimbabwe (Trojan and Shangani mines), but the largest and richest occurrences occur in the Kambalda region of Western Australia. Although a great deal is now known about these deposits (Lesher, 1989) this case study focuses specifically on the source of sulfur in the immiscible globules of sulfide within the komatiitic lava flows that host the mineralization, Komatiites are ultramafic extrusive rocks that were first described in the Barberton greenstone belt, South Arica, by Viljoen and Viljoen (1969). They comprise mainly olivine + clinopyroxene and typically contain MgO > 18 w1% and low alkalis. As indicated in section 1.2.2 of this chapter they are characterized by high Ni contents. Komatiites are extruded onto the Earth's surface as high temperature, low viscosity lava flows characterized by a variety of volcanic forms of which pillowed lava and bladed spinifex textures are the most diagnostic. Most komatiites are not mineralized and their Ni is resident mainly in cumulus olivine, suggesting that on extrusion these lavas were under- saturated with respect to sulfide. Evidence from the Kambalda region indicates that voluminous eruption of hot, low viscosity komatiitic lava flows formed extensive sheet flows and gradient-controlled lava rivers or channels (showing many of the features seen in parts of present day Hawaii). Hot lava rivers are believed to have thermally eroded discrete channels into the previously consolidated footwall and some of the N-Cu deposits at Karaka : the komatiite- hosted Ni-Cu oresat Kambalda exhibit sulfide concentrations at the base of well defined, linear channelways (Figure 1) Another feature of this type of ore is that the mineralized channelways are devoid of interflow sediments even though such sediments occur laterally away from the ore zones at that level. These sediments comprise a variety of carbonaceous and sulfidic shales as well as sulfidic chert and banded iton-formation (Bavinton, 1981). The nature of these sediments has led to suggestions that they represented a source of sulfur and this is supported by 5 isotope studies showing similarities in the isotope ratios of ores and interflow sediments (Lesher, 1989). One implication of this idea is that assimilation of sediment by thermally eroding komatitic lava channels enhanced the sulfide content within the magma and promoted local sulfide saturation and immiscibilty Sulfur saturation and immiscibility of a sulfide fraction early in the magma crystallization history is the funda- mental process responsible for mineralization in komatiitic lava flows. Chalcophile metals, in particular Ni and lesser Cu, were scavenged from the turbulent, flowing komatiite magma by the immiscible sulfide globules, which eventu- ally accumulated as massive sulfide ore along the bottom ‘of the channelways (Figure 1). The disseminated ore that overlies the massive sulfide ore reflects the static buoy- ancy contrast that existed between komatitic crystal mush and massive sulfide. External derivation of sulfur has also been suggested for the promotion of sulfide saturation in the very large Noril’sk-Talnakh Cu-Ni-PGE deposits in the Russian Federation (Grinenko, 1985) and also forthe Duluth Complex in Minnesota (Ripley and Al-Jassar, 1987). f Spinifex textured | Massive basalt komatite : |+——___ Lava channel __ (thermally eroded footwaill) a ——— Tice a Sultidic | Disseminated] intertlow Hore “sediment _| S\ iiessve Neu Gre Pillowed komatiite Figure 1’ The characteristics of komatiite-hosted Ni-Ci deposits in the Kambalda region, Western Australia (after Solomon et al., 2000},