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Metal enrichments in solid bitumens: A review

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Abstract

The association of oils and solid bitumens with ore deposits is widely recorded. The oils and bitumens may actually be enriched with metals. Unlike oils, metal enrichments within bitumens do not reflect the role of petroleum as a transporting agent for metals. By contrast, they may be a result of the reduction of metal ions on contact with bitumen, and may reach levels so high that ore mineral inclusions are precipitated. Metal determinations of British bitumens suggest that new metal anomalies can be detected by this approach, that some metal anomalies within bitumens may be related to ore mineralization, and that bitumens from different sources may be distinguished by their metal contents. The potential use of bitumen distribution and/or metal enrichment within bitumen for ore exploration is dependent on the metal concerned, and in particular whether the metal is transported by association with organic materials or reduced in the presence of organic materials.

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  1. Department of Geology, The Queen's University of Belfast, BT7 1NN, Belfast, UK

    J. Parnell

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Parnell, J. Metal enrichments in solid bitumens: A review. Mineral. Deposita 23, 191–199 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00204301

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