Paper No. 191-7
Presentation Time: 9:40 AM
SOCIAL NETWORK OF COPPER MINERALS: A MINERAL ECOLOGY STUDY
MORRISON, Shaunna M.1, DOWNS, Robert T.
1, GOLDEN, Joshua J.
1, PIRES, Alexander J.
1, FOX, Peter
2, MA, Xiaogang
3, ZEDNIK, Stephan
2, ELEISH, Ahmed
2, KOLANKOWSKI, Sophia
2, HUMMER, Daniel R.
4, LIU, Chao
4, MEYER, Michael
4, RALPH, Jolyon
5, HYSTAD, Grethe
6 and HAZEN, Robert M.
7, (1)Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, (2)Earth and Environmental Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 Eighth Street, Troy, NY 12180, (3)Department of Computer Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 Eighth Street, Troy, NY 12180, (4)Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Science, 5251 Broad Branch Rd. NW, Washington, DC, DC 20015, (5)mindat.org, Surrey, CR4 4FD, United Kingdom, (6)Department of Mathematics, Computer Science, and Statistics, Purdue University Northwest, Hammond, IN 46323, (7)Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC 20015, shaunnamm@email.arizona.edu
Extended networks of mineral species co-occurrence bear close resemblance to social networks. Here we apply data network visualization techniques, including force-directed diagrams and chord diagrams, along with statistical methods to explore the social network of copper (Cu) minerals.
As expected, common minerals form nodes around which less common minerals cluster. Cu minerals also tend to form distinct groups as a function of anion or anion complex, particularly around sulfides, sulfates and oxides. Furthermore, Cu minerals cluster according to rock and deposit type, such as hydrothermal sulfide veins and fumarole deposits, illustrating the geologic connectivity of mineral co-occurrence.
Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel statistical analyses of 3-element mineral correlation demonstrate chemical and geologic trends in the Cu system. With this method, we found that the presence of Cu enhances the relationship between oxygen and other chalcophile elements. We also observed that Cu-sulfates are less abundant than expected and Cu-silicates are slightly more abundant than expected based on first-order mineral composition trends.
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