Solubility of Pt in sulphide mattes: Implications for the genesis of PGE-rich horizons in layered intrusions

The partitioning of Pt in sulphide melt (matte) has been studied as a function of fS2 and fO2 at 1200 and 1300 °C. The results show that the solubility of Pt in mattes increases strongly with increasing fS2 and decreases weakly with increasing fO2. The increase in Pt solubility with increasing fS2 is attributed to Pt dissolving in the melt as a sulphide species and the weak inverse dependence of Pt solubility on fO2 to the diluting effect of increasing O in the melt at high fO2. These results, coupled with measurements of Pt solubility in silicate melts taken from the literature, allow the calculation of Pt matte/silicate-melt partition coefficients (DPtmatte–sil) for a range of conditions pertinent to the formation of Pt-rich horizons in layered intrusions. The calculated values range between 107 and 1011, depending on fO2 and fS2, several orders of magnitude higher than previously published values. Our preferred value for DPtmatte–sil for conditions appropriate to the Merensky Reef is 107 and for the Stillwater Pt-rich horizon 108. The new results are consistent with the magmatic hypothesis for Pt-rich horizons in layered intrusions.