What’s it about?
This paper is about some massive sulfide deposits (good places to finding sulfur, zinc, iron, and lead) that occur in the middle of Newfoundland. The deposits come in several forms and are associated with some igneous rocks (granites). The authors explore whether the different forms of deposits and their associated granites all occurred at the same time, from the same original volcanic source, or are from different sources.
Why does it matter?
If I understood the paper at all (which I doubt, honestly) there are conflicting explanations for the origins of the granites and the different types of deposits, which would then affect our understanding of the collision between North America and Europe during the formation of Pangaea. I think. Maybe.
Why did I read this?
I think that I was interested in the idea of massive sulfide deposits after a made a bad pun about “Pyrites of the Caribbean” some weeks ago on Twitter. (Pyrite is a sulfide mineral found in massive sulfide deposits.) What I didn’t realize was that I was going to get completely lost after the first few lines of this paper. Oh well…
Penny Higgins - Storyteller • Artist • Scientist 