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Tsumoite from the Björkdal gold deposit,

Västerbotten County, northern Sweden
Per Nysten
Published online: 04 Jan 2010.

To cite this article: Per Nysten (1990) Tsumoite from the Björkdal gold deposit, Västerbotten
County, northern Sweden, Geologiska Föreningen i Stockholm Förhandlingar, 112:1, 59-60, DOI:
10.1080/11035899009453161

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 GFF RESEARCH NOTE
Geologiska Foreningens i Stockholm Forhandlingar, VOI. I 12 (1990), p. 59-60.

Tsumoite from the Bjorkdal gold deposit, Vasterbotten

County, northern Sweden
PER NYSTEN

Tsumoite, trigonal BiTe, was described by

Shimazaki & Ozawa (1978) from the Tsumo
mine, Japan. According to them, tsumoite is
Downloaded by [New York University] at 20:11 08 January 2015

characterized by its ?-axis of 24 A which dis-

tinguishcs it from wehrlite, hedleyite and telluro-
bismutite. Tsumoite from the original locality is
associated with tetradymite, cosalite and bis-
muthinite in a clinopyroxenc-garnet-quartzskarn
rock.
The Bjorkdal deposit is situated I 1 km NE of
Bolidcn in the Skellefte ore district. Steeply d i p
ping quartz veins (c. 1 m wide) cut tourmalinized
“granodiorite” possibly rclated to the 1.89 Ga
(Wilson et al.. 1985) Jorn granitoids. The
granodiorite is intruding a sequence of supracru-
stal rocks consisting of acid volcanics overlain
by a limestone which borders the mine area.
The quartz veins contain various amounts of
pyrite, pyrrhotite, dravitic tourmaline and minor
chalcopyrite + scheelite. Gold, visible to the un-
aided eye, is not uncommon, occurring as thin
flakes and rounded crystals (1 -2 mm), either in
quartz, in tourmaline o r intergrown with pyrrho-
tite and the bismuth-telluride. The last assemb-
lage was found concentratcd in a quartz vein
which terminated in limestone.
Tsumoite from Bjorkdal has been identified
by the aid of electron microprobc analyses and
XRD. Ore microscopy studies reveal that
tsumoite is the only telluride present, occurring
as coarse-grained aggregates (c. I mm) in the form
of symplectitic intergrowths with pyrrhotite, and
to some extent with chalcopyrite (Fig. 1). This
texture may also be found in an extremely fine-
grained state, to the limit of what may bc re-
solved by the microscope. In chalcopyrite, lamel-
lar cubanite is present togcther with small
rounded inclusions of mackinawite/valleriite.
Adjacent to thesc, pyrite is present which points
to non-cquilibrium conditions or crystallization
at a very low temperature since pyrite and cuban-
ite are incompatible phases. Morcover, pyrite has
also been found as an inclusion in a cubanite la-
mella. Anhedral coarse-grained gold occurs inter-.
Fig. 1.Secondary electron image of tsumoite from
Bjorkdal (light grey), symplectitically intergrown with
pyrrhotite (medium grey) in quartz. Bar equals 200
Pm.
grown with pyrrhotite and tsumoite or isolated
in quartz. Sphalerite and niccolite/breithauptite
arc present as accessory phases.
Cell data for the Bjorkdal sample obtained by
X R D (a=4.433(3) A; c=24.02(2) A) are in good
agreement with the original data given by
Shimazaki & Ozawa (1 978). Chemical analyses
of tsumoite from Bjorkdal show that the telluride
is very nearly stoichiometric and extremely
homogeneous in composition. Only lead is pres-
ent in trace amounts. An average of 35 micro-
probe analyses yields: (Bio.09rPbo.ocll)Te,.m.No
other elements were found through qualitative
tests. According to Shimazaki & Ozawa (1978)
the original tsumoite has higher Pbcontents and
traces of sulfur. Nysten & Annersten (1 984) found
a Bi-telluride at Enasen with a composition simi-
lar to tsumoite, containing 2 wvt% Pb and trace
amounts of Se and Sb. Due to the small grain-
size this phase could not be identified by XRD.
The Au-Bi-Te assemblage at Bjorkdal is esti-
mated to have formed at a low sulfur fugacity
due to the presence of cubanite. Log!Te2 was
below -8 (300°C) or below -1 1 (200°C) depend-
ing on the temperature of formation (Afifi et al.
 60 PerNysten
1988).The tellurium activity is based on the pres-
ence of gold without accompanying gold-tellu,+
des.
Acknodedgemcnts. - I thank Fredrik Grensman for supplying
the material and Christer Lijfgren for giving permission to
publish this note. The microprobe work was done by Hans
Hamsson.
References
Afifi, A. hf., Kelly, W.C.& Essene, E.J., 1988: Phase Re-
lations anlong Tellurides, Sulfides, and Oxides: 11 Appli-
cations to Telluride-bearing Ore Deposits. Economic Ge-
OlOgy 83, 395-401.
Downloaded by [New York University] at 20:11 08 January 2015
GFF 112(1990)
Nysten, P. & Annenten. H., 1984: The gold mineralization
at Enisen, central Sweden. Geologiska Foreningens i
Stockholm Forhandlingar 106.24 5-25 6.
Shimazaki, H. & Ozawa. T., 1978: Tsumoitc, BiTe, a new
mineral from the Tsumo mine, Japan. American Alineral-
OgiSt 63, 1162-1165.
Wilson, hl. R.. Hamilton. P.J.. Fallick, A. E., Aftalion. hl. &
hfichard. A., 1985: Granites and early Proterozoic crustal
evolution in Sweden: evidence from Sm-Nd. U-Pb and 0
isotope systematics. Earth and Planetary Science Letters
72, 376-388.
Per Nysfen. Depurtmenf ofAfinerulogy and Petrology,
InstitllteOfGeOh?Y. BO-V 555. S-75122 uppsafa.Swe-
den. Afatrirscript received 2 Febrllary 1989. revised
tilanilscript received 16 November 1989. Date oJpubli-
cation 15 Afarcli 1990.