EGU26-12796, updated on 14 Mar 2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-12796
EGU General Assembly 2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Poster | Thursday, 07 May, 10:45–12:30 (CEST), Display time Thursday, 07 May, 08:30–12:30
 
Hall X4, X4.109
A Newly Natural Pyrite Reference Material for In Situ S and Fe Isotope Microanalysis
Liewen Xie1, Xiaojun wang2, huimin Yu3, Jianfeng Gao4, Lei Xu5, Chao Huang6, Yueheng Yang7, shitou Wu8, and Hao wang9
Liewen Xie et al.
  • 1Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing, China), (xieliewen@mail.iggcas.ac.cn)
  • 2State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Northwest University (Xi'an, China), (wangxj@nwu.edu.cn)
  • 3State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric and Environmental Coevolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China (Anhui, China), (huy16@ustc.edu.cn)
  • 4State Key Laboratory of Ore Deposit Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Guiyang, China), (gaojianfeng@mail.gyig.ac.cn)
  • 5Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing, China), (leixu@mail.iggcas.ac.cn)
  • 6Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing, China), (huangchao@mail.iggcas.ac.cn)
  • 7Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing, China), (yangyueheng@mail.iggcas.ac.cn)
  • 8Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing, China), (shitou.wu@mail.iggcas.ac.cn)
  • 9Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing, China), (wanghao@mail.iggcas.ac.cn)

Iron and sulfur isotope geochemistry serves as a powerful tool for probing diverse geological processes, spanning igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary, hydrothermal, and biological systems. Pyrite, a ubiquitous iron and sulfur-bearing mineral in various rock types and the predominant sulfide in hydrothermal ore deposits, is a common product throughout hydrothermal mineralization stages. The coupled Fe-S isotopic system in pyrite offers crucial constraints on fluid sources, fluid–rock interaction, and the physicochemical and redox conditions during mineral precipitation.

In contrast to conventional bulk analytical methods, in situ microanalytical techniques—notably laser ablation multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICP-MS) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS, mainly for S isotopes)—permit to investigate Fe and S isotopic variations and fine-scale heterogeneity at high spatial resolution, which is essential for deciphering complex, multistage hydrothermal systems. The broader application of these techniques, however, is currently limited by the lack of matrix-matched reference materials with well-characterized Fe and S isotopic compositions.

Here, we assess a natural pyrite sample (IGGPy-1) for its major-element and Fe–S isotopic homogeneity. Bulk analysis by elemental analyzer–isotope ratio mass spectrometry (EA-IRMS) yields a δ34SVCDT value of +17.09 ± 0.30‰. Solution-nebulization MC-ICP-MS (SN-MC-ICP-MS) gives δ56FeIRMM‑014 and δ57FeIRMM‑014 values of –1.31 ± 0.06‰ and –1.94 ± 0.12‰, respectively. These results position IGGPy-1 as a promising candidate reference material for in situ Fe–S isotopic microanalysis of pyrite.

How to cite: Xie, L., wang, X., Yu, H., Gao, J., Xu, L., Huang, C., Yang, Y., Wu, S., and wang, H.: A Newly Natural Pyrite Reference Material for In Situ S and Fe Isotope Microanalysis, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-12796, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-12796, 2026.