Noble metal nanonugget insolubility in geological sulfide liquids

Noble metals (NMs) in Earth’s magmatic systems are thought to be controlled entirely by their strong partitioning to sulfide liquids. This chemical equilibrium is at the root of various models, ranging from NM deposit formation to planetary differentiation. Noble metals commonly occur as sub-micrometer phases known as nanonuggets. However, the assumptions that nanometer-scale thermodynamic equilibrium partitioning is attained and that NM...