Thermometry of the magma ocean: Controls on the metal-silicate partitioning of gold

We have performed experiments to investigate the solubility and metal-silicate partitioning of gold as a function of metal sulphur content (XS), silicate melt polymerization (NBO/T) and pressure (P). These experiments show that Au becomes less siderophile both with increasing pressure and as the metal phase becomes more sulphur-rich. For the studied range of compositions, melt polymerization has no effect on the solubility of Au. The reduction in the siderophile tendency of gold with increasing metal sulphur content is greater than expected on the basis of activity-composition relationships in the metal phase. This suggests a significant role for complexing between Au and S in the silicate melt. Our new experimental results are combined with literature data to yield a parameterisation for the exchange coefficient of Au (Kd(Au)(Met/Sil)) as a function of P, T and X-S: