Magnetotelluric soundings and crustal architecture at Century mine,northern Australia

Magnetotelluric soundings were obtained along two traverse lines to the north and west of the Century mine in northwest Queensland. The survey was designed to cross the Termite Range Fault, a major structure on the Lawn Hill Platform, and to provide insights into the crustal-scale architecture that may have controlled the location of this world-class zinc deposit. The projected surface trace of the Termite Range Fault is coincident with a major change in resistivity character that extends to a significant depth. A relatively flat-lying, stacked series of resistive/conductive layers occurs on the northeastern side of the fault , while on the southwestern side the resistive/conductive layers are much less evident. The major contrast in resistivity is interpreted as due to a steep northeast-dipping Termite Range Fault that may extend to 20 km depth. To the southwest of the Termite Range Fault, a second major fault, the Riversleigh Lineament, is inferred from geology and gravity data, although there is no corresponding resistivity contrast seen across this fault in the magnetotelluric-derived model. This fault is interpreted as a buried structure, as distinct from the reactivated Termite Range Fault, and the two faults together may have created a wide damage zone (with an associated strike change) in the crust. A regional-scale 3D geological model of the Lawn Hill Platform provides a basis for correlating the resistive/conductive layers with major lithological units in the area. The stacked layers in the 2D resistivity inversion model of the Termite Range Fault hangingwall are reasonably well correlated with lithological units, particularly in the near-surface. A key point is that although similar geological units occur on either side of the Termite Range Fault, the contrasting electrical properties of these units are pronounced and their source is not well constrained; increased carbonaceous material in the Termite Range Fault hangingwall units is implied. In addition, there is a strong gradient in the Bouguer gravity field in the region of the Termite Range Fault and Riversleigh Lineament structures. This gradient provides supporting evidence for a northeast-facing fault structure in the basement and cover architecture. Newly acquired seismic data in the area has yet to be evaluated and compared with the magnetotelluric model. These results demonstrate an important role for magnetotelluric soundings in determining resistivity contrasts relating to the configuration of geological units and the architecture of deep-seated mineralising faults.     

Role of fluids in the metamorphism of the Alpine Fault Zone,New Zealand

Models of fluid/rock interaction in and adjacent to the Alpine Fault in the Hokitika area, South Island, New Zealand, were investigated using hydrogen and other stable isotope studies, together with field and petrographic observations. All analysed samples from the study area have similar whole‐rock δD values (δD_WR = ?56 to ?30‰, average = ?45‰, n = 20), irrespective of rock type, degree of chloritization, location along the fault, or across‐strike distance from the fault in the garnet zone. The green, chlorite‐rich fault rocks, which probably formed from Australian Plate precursors, record nearly isothermal fluid/rock interaction with a schist‐derived metamorphic fluid at high temperatures near 450–500°C (δD of water in equilibrium with the green fault rocks (δD_{H2O, green}) ≈ ?18‰; δD of water in equilibrium with the greyschists and greyschist‐derived mylonites (δD_{H2O, grey}) ≈ ?19‰ at 500°C; δD_{H2O, green} ≈ ?17‰; δD_{H2O, grey} ≈ ?14‰ at 450°C). There is no indication of an influx of a meteoric or mantle‐derived fluid in the Alpine Fault Zone in the study area. The Alpine Fault Zone at the surface shows little evidence of late‐stage retrogression or veining, which might be attributed to down‐temperature fluid flow. It is probable that prograde metamorphism in the root zone of the Southern Alps releases metamorphic fluids that at some region rise vertically rather than following the trace of the Alpine Fault up to the surface, owing to the combined effects of the fault, the disturbed isotherms under the Southern Alps, and the brittle–ductile transition. Such fluids could mix with meteoric fluids to deposit quartz‐rich, possibly gold‐bearing veins in the region c. 5–10 km back from the fault trace. These results and interpretations are consistent with interpretations of magnetotelluric data obtained in the South Island GeopHysical Transects (SIGHT) programme.     

Fluid Inclusions and Stable Isotopic Characteristics of the Yaoling Tungsten Deposit in South China: Metallogenetic Constraints

The Yaoling tungsten deposit is a typical wolframite quartz vein‐type tungsten deposit in the South China metallogenic province. The wolframite‐bearing quartz veins mainly occur in Cambrian to Ordovician host rocks or in Mesozoic granitic rocks and are controlled by the west‐north‐west trending extensional faults. The ore mineralization mainly comprises wolframite and variable amounts of molybdenite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, fluorite, and tourmaline. Hydrothermal alteration is well developed at the Yaoling tungsten deposit, including greisenization, silicification, fluoritization, and tourmalinization. Three types of primary/pseudosecondary fluid inclusions have been identified in vein quartz, which is intimately intergrown with wolframite. These include two‐phase liquid‐rich aqueous inclusions (type I), two‐ or three‐phase CO₂‐rich inclusions (type II), and type III daughter mineral‐bearing multiphase high‐salinity aqueous inclusions. Microthermometric measurements reveal consistent moderate homogenization temperatures (peak values from 200 to 280°C), and low to high salinities (1.3–39 wt % NaCl equiv.) for the type I, type II, and type III inclusions, where the CO₂‐rich type II inclusions display trace amounts of CH₄ and N₂. The ore‐forming fluids are far more saline than those of other tungsten deposits reported in South China. The estimated maximum trapping pressure of the ore‐forming fluids is about 1230–1760 bar, corresponding to a lithostatic depth of 4.0–5.8 km. The δD_H2O isotopic compositions of the inclusion fluid ranges from ?66.7 to ?47.8‰, with δ¹⁸O_H2O values between 1.63 and 4.17‰, δ¹³C values of ?6.5–0.8‰, and δ³⁴S values between ?1.98 and 1.92‰, with an average of ?0.07‰. The stable isotope data imply that the ore‐forming fluids of the Yaoling tungsten deposit were mainly derived from crustal magmatic fluids with some involvement of meteoric water. Fluid immiscibility and fluid–rock interaction are thought to have been the main mechanisms for tungsten precipitation at Yaoling.     

Fluid Inclusions,C–H–O–S Isotope and Geochronology of the Bujinhei Pb–Zn Deposit in the Southern Great Xing'an Range of Northeast China: Implication for Ore Genesis

The Bujinhei Pb–Zn deposit is located in the southern Great Xing'an Range metallogenic belt. It is a representative medium‐ to high‐temperature hydrothermal vein type deposit controlled by fractures, and orebodies hosted in the Permian Shoushangou Formation. The hydrothermal mineralization is classified into three stages: pyrite ± arsenopyrite–quartz (Stage 1), polymetallic sulfide–quartz (Stage 2), and polymetallic sulfide–calcite (Stage 3). Fluid inclusion petrography, laser Raman analyses and microthermometry indicate that the liquid‐rich aqueous inclusions (L) and vapor‐rich CO₂ ± CH₄–H₂O inclusions (C) occur in the Stage 1 and as medium‐ to high‐ temperature and low‐ to medium‐salinity NaCl–H₂O–CO₂–CH₄ hydrothermal fluids. The liquid‐rich (L) and rare vapor‐rich CO₂ ± CH₄–H₂O inclusions (C) occur in the Stage 2 with medium‐temperature and low‐salinity NaCl–H₂O ± CO₂ ± CH₄ hydrothermal fluids. The exclusively liquid‐rich (L) fluid inclusions are observed in the Stage 3, and the hydrothermal fluid belongs to medium‐temperature and low‐salinity NaCl–H₂O hydrothermal fluids. The results of hydrogen and oxygen isotope analyses indicate that ore‐forming fluids were initially derived from the magmatic water and mixed with local meteoric water in the late stage (δ¹⁸O_H2O‐SMOW = 6.0 to 2.2‰, δD_SMOW = ?103 to ?134‰). The carbon isotope compositions (?18.4‰ to ?26.5‰) indicate that the carbon in the fluid was derived from the surrounding strata. The sulfur isotope compositions (5.7 to 15.2‰) indicate that the ore sulfur was also primarily derived from the strata. The ore vein No. 1 occurs in fractures and approximately parallel to the rhyolite porphyry; orebodies have a close spatial and temporal relationship with the rhyolite porphyry. The rhyolite porphyry yielded a crystallization age of 122.9  ± 2.4 Ma, indicating that the Bujinhei deposit may be related to the Early Cretaceous magmatic event. Geochemical analyses reveal that the Bujinhei rhyolite porphyry is high in K₂O and peraluminous, and derived from an acidic liquid as a result of strong interaction with hydrothermal fluid during the late magmatic stage; it is similar to A2‐type granites, and formed in a backarc extensional environment. These results indicate that the Bujinhei Pb–Zn deposit was a vein type system that formed in Early Cretaceous and influenced by the Paleo‐Pacific tectonic system. Bujinhei deposit is a representative hydrothermal vein type deposit on the genetic types, and occurs on the western slope of the southern Great Xing'an Range. The ore‐forming fluids were medium‐ to high‐temperature and low‐to medium‐salinity NaCl–H₂O–CO₂–CH₄ hydrothermal fluids, which became medium‐temperature and low‐salinity NaCl–H₂O hydrothermal fluids in later stages, and came from magmatic water and mixed with meteoric water, whereas the ore‐forming materials were mainly derived from the surrounding strata. The LA–ICP–MS zircon U–Pb dating indicates that the Bujinhei deposit formed at the period of late Early Cretaceous, potentially in a backarc extensional environment influenced by the Paleo‐Pacific tectonic system.     

Basin shape and sediment architecture in the Gun Supersequence: A strike‐slip model for Pb–Zn–Ag ore genesis at Mt Isa

Sequence‐stratigraphic correlations provide a better understanding of sediment architecture in the Mt Isa and lower McNamara Groups of northern Australia. Sediments record deposition in a marine environment on a broad southeast‐facing ramp that extended from the Murphy Inlier in the northwest to the Gorge Creek, Saint Paul and Rufous Fault Zones in the southeast. Depositional systems prograded in a southeasterly direction. Shoreline siliciclastic facies belts initially formed on the western and northern parts of the ramp, deeper water basinal facies occurred to the east and south. The general absence of shoreline facies throughout the Mt Isa Group suggests that depositional systems originally extended further to the east and probably crossed the Kalkadoon‐Leichhardt Block. Fourteen, regionally correlatable fourth‐order sequences, each with a duration of approximately one million years, are identified in the 1670–1655 Ma Gun Supersequence. Stratal correlations of fourth‐order sequences and attendant facies belts resolve a stratigraphic architecture dominated by times of paired subsidence and uplift. This architecture is most consistent with sinistral strike‐slip tectonism along north‐northeast‐oriented structures with dilational jogs along northwest structures as the primary driver for accommodation. Although reactivated during deformation, the ancestral northwest‐trending May Downs, Twenty Nine Mile, Painted Rocks, Transmitter, Redie Creek and Termite Range Fault Zones are interpreted as the principal synsedimentary growth structures. Sinistral strike‐slip resulted in a zone of long‐lived dilation to the north of the May Downs/Twenty Nine Mile and Gorge Creek Fault Zones and a major basin depocentre in the broad southeast‐facing ramp. Subordinate depocentres also developed on the northern side of the ancestral Redie Creek and Termite Range fault zones. Transfer of strike‐slip movement to the east produced restraining or compressive regions, localising areas of uplift and the generation of local unconformities. Northwest‐ and north‐northeast‐oriented magnetic anomalies to the south and west of Mt Isa, identify basement heterogeneities. Basement to the south and west of these anomalies is interpreted to mark intrabasin siliciclastic provenance areas in the Gun depositional system. Pb–Zn–Ag deposits of the Mt Isa valley are interpreted as occurring in a major basin depocentre in response to a renewed phase of paired uplift and subsidence in late Gun time (approximately 1656 Ma). This event is interpreted to have synchronously created accommodation for sediments that host the Mt Isa deposit, while focusing topographically and thermobarically driven basinal fluids into the zone of dilation.     

Gold mineralisation throughout about 45 Ma of Archaean orogenesis: protracted flux of gold in the Golden Mile, Yilgarn craton, Western Australia

The Golden Mile deposit was discovered in 1893 and represents today the largest Archaean orogenic lode gold system in the world (50 M oz produced gold). The Golden Mile deposit comprises three major styles of gold mineralisation: Fimiston, Oroya and Charlotte styles. Fimiston-style lodes formed at 250 to 350 °C and 100 to 200 MPa and are controlled by brittle–ductile fault zones, their subsidiary fault zone and vein networks including breccias and open-cavity-infill textures and hydrothermally altered wall rock. Fimiston lodes were formed late D₁, prior to D₂ regional upright folding. Hydrothermal alteration haloes comprise a progression toward the lode of diminishing chlorite, an increase in sericite and in Fe content of carbonates. Lodes contain siderite, pyrite, native gold, 17 different telluride minerals (Au–Ag tellurides contain ~25% of total gold), tourmaline, haematite, sericite and V-rich muscovite. Oroya-style lodes formed at similar P–T conditions as the Fimiston lodes and are controlled by brittle–ductile shear zones, associated dilational jogs that are particularly well developed at the contact between Paringa Basalt and black shale interflow sedimentary rocks and altered wall rock. The orebodies are characterised by micro-breccias and zones of intense shear zone foliation, very high gold grades (up to 100,000 g/t Au) and the common association of tellurides and vanadian mica (green leader). Oroya lodes crosscut Fimiston lodes and are interpreted to have formed slightly later than Fimiston lodes as part of one evolving hydrothermal system spanning D₁ and D₂ deformation (ca. 2,675–2,660 Ma). Charlotte-style lodes, exemplified by the Mt Charlotte deposit, are controlled by a sheeted vein (stockwork) complex of north-dipping quartz veins and hydrothermally altered wall rock. The Mt Charlotte orebody formed at 120 to 440 °C and 150 to 250 MPa during movement along closely spaced D₄ (2,625 Ma) and reactivated D₂ faults with the quartz granophyre in the Golden Mile Dolerite exerting a strong lithological control on gold mineralisation. Veins consist of quartz–carbonate–minor scheelite, and wall-rock alteration comprises chlorite destruction and growth of ferroan carbonate–sericite–pyrite–native gold. Pyrite–pyrrhotite is zoned on the scale of vein haloes and of the entire mine, giving a vertical temperature gradient of 50–100 °C over 1,000 vertical metres. The structural–hydrothermal model proposed consists of four major stages: (1) D₁ thrusting and formation of Fimiston-style lodes, (2) D₂ reverse faulting and formation of Oroya-style lodes, (3) D₃ faulting and dissecting of Fimiston- and Oroya-style lodes, and (4) D₄ faulting and formation of Mt Charlotte-style sheeted quartz vein system. The giant accumulation of gold in the Golden Mile deposit was formed due to protracted gold mineralisation throughout episodes of an Archaean orogeny that spanned about 45 Ma. Fluid conduits formed early in the tectonic history and persisted throughout orogenesis with the plumbing system showing a rare high degree of focussing, efficiency and duration. In addition to the long-lasting fluid plumbing system, the wide variety of transient structural and geochemical traps, multiple fluid sources and precipitation mechanism contributed towards the richest golden mile in the world.Editorial handling: B. Lehmann     

He–Ar Isotopic Tracing of Pyrite from Ore-forming Fluids of the Sanshandao Au Deposit, Jiaodong Area

The Sanshandao Au deposit is located in the famous Sanshandao metallogenic belt, Jiaodong area. To date, accumulative Au resources of 1000 t have been identified from the belt. Sanshandao is a world-class gold deposit with Au mineralization hosted in Early Cretaceous Guojialing-type granites. Thus, studies on the genesis and ore-forming element sources of the Sanshandao Au deposit are crucial. He and Ar isotopic analyses of fluid inclusions from pyrite(the carrier of Au) indicate that the fluid inclusions have 3 He/4 He=0.043–0.21 Ra with an average of 0.096 Ra and 40 Ar/36 Ar=488–664 with an average of 570.8. These values represent the initial He and Ar isotopic compositions of ore-forming fluids for trapped fluid inclusions. The comparison of H–O isotopic characteristics combined with deposit geology and wall rock alteration reveals that the ore-forming fluids of the Sanshandao Au deposit show mixed crust–mantle origin characteristics, and they mainly comprise crust-derived fluid mixed with minor mantle-derived fluid and meteoric water during the uprising process. The ore-forming elements were generally sourced from pre-Cambrian meta-basement rocks formed by Mesozoic reactivation and mixed with minor shallow crustal and mantle components.     

Geochemistry,U–Pb Geochronology and Hf Isotope Studies of the Daheishan Porphyry Mo Deposit in Heilongjiang Province,NE China

The Daheishan porphyry Mo deposit was recently discovered in the northern segment of the Great Xing'an Range, NE China. Three main types of granitoids are identified in this deposit: granodiorite, fine‐grained granite, and porphyritic granite. The orebodies are dominantly hosted within the granodiorite and in the contact zone between the granodiorite and tuff or hornfels, while no mineralization has been found in the fine‐grained granite or the porphyritic granite. We present in situ LA‐ICP‐MS zircon U‐Pb dates for the granodiorite, fine‐grained granite, and porphyritic granite, which yielded 146.9 ± 1.1 Ma (2σ), 146.6 ± 1.7 Ma (2σ), and 149.7 ± 4.2 Ma (2σ), respectively. Their ε_Hf(t) values range from 3.9 to 12.2, associated with young crustal model ages (T_DM2) ranging from 524 Ma to 849 Ma, indicating that their parental magmas may have been generated by partial melting of the Neoproterozoic–Cambrian crustal components. The formation of the Daheishan deposit was genetically related to the subduction of the Paleo‐Pacific Plate.     

Structural control of low-sulfidation epithermal gold mineralization in the Rosario–Bunawan district, East Mindanao Ridge, Philippines

The Rosario–Bunawan district is situated about 200 km north of Davao City, the capital of the Mindanao Island, Southern Philippines. Gold is produced from the Co-O mine, containing about 2,034,000 t of ore at 10.9 g/t Au, and in numerous small-scale operations by local miners. Epithermal gold mineralization in the Rosario–Bunawan district and the Co-O mine is confined to narrow (0.2–4 m) low-sulfidation quartz–chalcedony–calcite veins in volcanic and volcaniclastic wall rocks. Three major vein orientations are distinguished: (1) the NNW–SSE-trending set with a sinistral strike-slip sense of deformation (Philippine Fault trend); (2) the ENE–WSW-trending dextral strike-slip set (Palawan trend) and associated veins in the Riedel geometry; and (3) the WNW–ESE-trending conjugate set (Co-O trend). Three structural stages are defined: (1) extensional shear or shear veins formed in the Co-O, the Philippine Fault, and Palawan trends during regional NW–SE compression and near vertical vein opening (D₁); (2) reactivation of veins in the Philippine Fault, veins associated with the Palawan, and, to a lesser extent, the Co-O trends during E–W compression and near horizontal N–S-oriented vein opening (D₂). New D₂ extensional shear or shear veins formed in the Philippine Fault, and structures associated with the Palawan and associated Riedel trends; (3) the D₃-stage block faulting subsequently displaced all of the auriferous veins. The auriferous Rosario–Bunawan district is situated between two splays of the Philippine Fault, which acted as a lateral ramp system during the oblique convergence of the Philippine Sea plate and the Eurasian plate. The oblique convergence resulted in a change from a compressional (D₁) to a transpressional (D₂) regime, which was a prerequisite for the two-stage vein opening and hydrothermal mineralization, leading to an economic gold enrichment. D₁ compressional tectonics may have caused an elevated geothermal gradient in shallow crustal levels, forming the heat source for the fluid plumbing system, which is at variance to typical epithermal deposits formed in extensional zones. D₂ thrusting of a limestone nappe together with syn-tectonic diorite intrusions may have further increased the geothermal gradient, maintaining the fluid plumbing system. The limestone nappe may, at the same time, have represented an aquitard forcing the hydrothermal fluids into the volcanic and volcaniclastic wall rocks, which is regarded as critical for the two-stage gold mineralization in the Rosario–Bunawan district.     

A Study of Ore-forming Fluids in the Shimensi Tungsten Deposit, Dahutang Tungsten Polymetallic Ore Field, Jiangxi Province, China

The Dahutang tungsten polymetallic ore field is located north of the Nanling W-Sn polymetallic metallogenic belt and south of the Middle—Lower Yangtze River Valley Cu-Mo-Au-Fe porphyry-skarn belt.It is a newly discovered ore field,and probably represents the largest tungsten mineralization district in the world.The Shimensi deposit is one of the mineral deposits in the Dahutang ore field,and is associated with Yanshanian granites intruding into a Neoproterozoic granodiorite batholith.On the basis of geologic studies,this paper presents new petrographic,microthermometric,laser Raman spectroscopic and hydrogen and oxygen isotopic studies of fluid inclusions from the Shimensi deposit.The results show that there are three types of fluid inclusions in quartz from various mineralization stages:liquid-rich two-phase fluid inclusions,vapor-rich two-phase fluid inclusions,and three-phase fluid inclusions containing a solid crystal,with the vast majority being liquid-rich two-phase fluid inclusions.In addition,melt and melt-fluid inclusions were also found in quartz from pegmatoid bodies in the margin of the Yanshanian intrusion.The homogenization temperatures of liquid-rich two-phase fluid inclusions in quartz range from 162 to 363℃ and salinities are 0.5wt%-9.5wt%NaCI equivalent.From the early to late mineralization stages,with the decreasing of the homogenization temperature,the salinity also shows a decreasing trend.The ore-forming fluids can be approximated by a NaCl-H_2O fluid system,with small amounts of volatile components including CO_2,CH_4 and N_2,as suggested by Laser Raman spectroscopic analyses.The hydrogen and oxygen isotope data show that δ5D_(V-smow) values of bulk fluid inclusions in quartz from various mineralization stages vary from-63.8‰ to-108.4‰,and the δ~(18)O_(H2O) values calculated from the δ~(18)O_(V-)smow values of quartz vary from-2.28‰ to 7.21‰.These H-O isotopic data are interpreted to indicate that the ore-forming fluids are mainly composed of magmatic water in the early stage,and meteoric water was added and participated in mineralization in the late stage.Integrating the geological characteristics and analytical data,we propose that the ore-forming fluids of the Shimensi deposit were mainly derived from Yanshanian granitic magma,the evolution of which resulted in highly differentiated melt,as recorded by melt and melt-fluid inclusions in pegmatoid quartz,and high concentrations of metals in the fluids.Cooling of the ore-forming fluids and mixing with meteoric water may be the key factors that led to mineralization in the Dahutang tungsten polymetallic ore field.     

Geology and D-O-C Isotope Systematics of the Tieluping Silver Deposit,Henan, China: Implications for Ore Genesis

The Tieluping silver deposit, which is sited along NE-trending faults within the high-grade metamorphic basement of the Xiong‘er terrane, is part of an important Mesozoic orogenic-type Ag-Pb and Au belt recently discovered. Ore formation includes three stages: Early (E), Middle (M) and Late (L), which include quartz-pyrite (E),polymetallic sulfides (M) and carbonates (L), respectively. The E-stage fluids are characterized by δD=-90%c,δ^13CCO2=2.0‰ and δ^18O=9‰ at 373℃, and are deeply sourced; the L-stage fluids, with δD=-70‰, δ^13C CO2=-1.3%c and δ^18O=-2‰, are shallow-sourced meteoric water; whereas the M-stage fluids, with δD=-109‰, δ^13C CO2=0.1%c and δ^18O2‰, are a mix of deep-sourced and shallow-sourced fluids. Comparisons of the D-O-C isotopic systematics of the Estage ore-forming fluids with the fluids derived from Mesozoic granites, Archean-Paleoproterozoic metamorphic basement and Paleo-Mesoproterozoic Xiong‘er Group, show that these units cannot generate fluids with the measured isotopic composition (high δ^180 and δ^13C ratios and low δD ratios) characteristic of the ore-forming fluids. This suggests that the E-stage ore-forming fluids originated from metamorphic devolatilization of a carbonate-shale-chert lithological association, locally rich in organic matter, which could correspond to the Meso-Neoproterozoic Guandaokou and Luanchuan Groups, rather than to geologic units in the Xiong‘er terrane, the lower crust and the mantle. This supports the view that the rocks of the Guandaokou and Luanchuan Groups south of the Machaoying fault might be the favorable sources. A tectonic model that combines collisional orogeny, metallogeny and hydrothermal fluid flow is proposed to explain the formation of the Tieluping silver deposit. During the Mesozoic collision between the South and North China paleocontinents, a crustal slab containing a lithological association consisting of carbonate-shale-chert, locally rich in organic matter (carbonaceous shale) was thrust northwards beneath the Xiong‘er terrane along the Machaoying fault.Metamorphic devolatilization of this underthrust slab provided the ore-forming fluids to develop the Au-Ag-(Pb-Zn) ore belt, which includes the Tieluping silver deposit.     

New insights into the size and timing of the Lawn Hill impact structure: relationship to the Century Zn – Pb deposit

The Lawn Hill circular structure in northwest Queensland contains unambiguous evidence of an extraterrestrial impact, including planar deformation features in quartz, impact diamonds, widespread shatter cone formation and impact melt breccia in the Mesoproterozoic basement. The question of its relevance to ore genesis is investigated because the world-class Century Zn – Pb deposit is situated at the conjunction of the 100+ km Termite Range Fault and the previously defined margin of the impact structure. The impact structure is considered to be a 19.5 km wide feature, this constrained in part by the outer margin of an annulus of brecciated and highly contorted limestone. New evidence is presented indicating impact into this Cambrian limestone, including: (i) ‘dykes’ of brecciated Cambrian limestone extending hundreds of metres into the Mesoproterozoic basement; (ii) highly contorted bedding in the limestone annulus compared with essentially undeformed limestone away from the impact site; as well as (iii) a 1 Mt megaclast of Mesoproterozoic Century-like ore suspended in the limestone. Through aerial photograph analysis, large-scale convoluted flow structures within the limestone are identified, and these are interpreted to indicate that parts of the Cambrian sequence may have been soft or only semi-consolidated at the time of impact. This highly contorted limestone bedding is suggested to represent slump-filling of an annular trough in response to impact-induced partial liquefaction of a sediment veneer. The age of impact is therefore considered to be concurrent with limestone formation during the Ordian to early Templetonian, at 520 – 510 Ma. Formation of the Century deposit is found to be unrelated to impact-generated hydrothermal activity, although some minor hydrothermal remobilisation of metals occurred. However, there was macro-scale remobilisation of gigantic ore fragments driven by impact-induced lateral and vertical injection of limestone into the Proterozoic sediments. The limestone-filled annular trough surrounds a 7.8 km diameter central uplift, consistent with formation of a complex crater morphology.     

Ore Genesis and Tectonic Significance of the Xiaojiashan Tungsten Deposit,Eastern Tianshan,Xinjiang, China: Evidence from Geology,Fluid Inclusions,and Stable Isotope Geochemistry

The Xiaojiashan tungsten deposit is located about 200 km northwest of Hami City, the Eastern Tianshan orogenic belt, Xinjiang, northwestern China, and is a quartz vein‐type tungsten deposit. Combined fluid inclusion microthermometry, host rock geochemistry, and H–O isotopic compositions are used to constrain the ore genesis and tectonic setting of the Xiaojiashan tungsten deposit. The orebodies occur in granite intrusions adjacent to the metamorphic crystal tuff, which consists of the second lithological section of the first Sub‐Formation of the Dananhu Formation (D₂d ₁²). Biotite granite is the most widely distributed intrusive bodies in the Xiaojiashan tungsten deposit. Altered diorite and metamorphic crystal tuff are the main surrounding rocks. The granite belongs to peraluminous A‐type granite with high potassic calc‐alkaline series, and all rocks show light Rare Earth Element (REE)‐enriched patterns. The trace element characters suggest that crystallization differentiation might even occur in the diagenetic process. The granite belongs to postcollisional extension granite, and the rocks formed in an extensional tectonic environment, which might result from magma activity in such an extensional tectonic environment. Tungsten‐bearing quartz veins are divided into gray quartz vein and white quartz veins. Based on petrography observation, fluid inclusions in both kinds of vein quartz are mainly aqueous inclusions. Microthermometry shows that gray quartz veins have 143–354°C of T_h, and white quartz veins have 154–312°C of T_h. The laser‐Raman test shows that CO₂ is found in fluid inclusions of the tungsten‐bearing quartz veins. Quadrupole mass spectrometry reveals that fluid inclusions contain major vapor‐phase contents of CO₂, H₂O. Meanwhile, fluid inclusions contain major liquid‐phase contents of Cl^?, Na⁺. It can be speculated that the ore‐forming fluid of the Xiaojiashan tungsten deposit is characterized by an H₂O–CO₂, low salinity, and H₂O–CO₂–NaCl system. The range of hydrogen and oxygen isotope compositions indicated that the ore‐forming fluids of the tungsten deposit were mainly magmatic water. The ore‐forming age of the Xiaojiashan deposit should to be ~227 Ma. During the ore‐forming process, the magmatic water had separated from magmatic intrusions, and the ore‐bearing complex was taken to a portion where tungsten‐bearing ores could be mineralized. The magmatic fluid was mixed by meteoric water in the late stage.     

Post-Variscan hydrothermal vein mineralization,Taunus, Rhenish Massif (Germany): Constraints from stable and radiogenic isotope data

Post-Variscan hydrothermal base-metal mineralization of the Taunus ore district, SE Rhenish Massif (Germany), has been studied through combination of stable (S, C, O) and radiogenic (Pb) isotope geochemistry. Based on field and textural observations, five hydrothermal mineralization types can be distinguished. These are (1) tetrahedrite–tennantite bearing quartz–ankerite veins, (2) quartz veins with Pb–Zn–Cu ores, (3) giant quartz veins, (4) metasomatic dolomite in Devonian reef complexes, and (5) calcite–(quartz) mineralization in Devonian reefs. The δ¹⁸O_V-SMOW quartz values of base-metal veins are in the range of 18.0–21.5‰, whereas those of giant quartz veins have lower values of 15.9–18.6‰. This difference reflects the higher fluid fluxes and smaller extent of rock-buffering for the giant quartz veins. Hydrothermal carbonates from the tetrahedrite and Pb–Zn–Cu veins have variable but distinctly negative δ¹³C_V-PDB values. They can be explained by contributions from fluids that had picked up low δ¹³C_V-PDB carbon via oxidation of organic matter and from fluids that interacted with Devonian reef carbonate having positive δ¹³C_V-PDB. Metasomatic dolomite has positive δ¹³C_V-PDB values that closely reflect those of the precursor limestone. By contrast, carbonates of calcite–(quartz) mineralization have negative δ¹³C_V-PDB values which are negatively correlated with the δ¹⁸O values. This pattern is explained by fluid mixing processes where contributions from descending cooler fluids with rather low salinity were dominant. The isotope data suggest that tetrahedrite veins, Pb–Zn–Cu veins, and giant quartz veins formed from fluid mixing involving two end-members with contrasting chemical features. This is supported by fluid inclusion data (Adeyemi, 1982) that show repeated alternation between two different types of fluid inclusions, which are hotter intermediate- to high-salinity NaCl–CaCl₂ fluids and cooler low-salinity NaCl-dominated fluids. The metal-rich saline fluids were likely generated at the boundary between the pre-Devonian basement and the overlying Devonian–Carboniferous nappe pile. Fault activation resulted in strong fluid focusing and upward migration of large volumes of hot Na–Ca brines, which mixed with cooler and more dilute fluids at shallower crustal levels. Variable contributions from both fluid types, local fluid fluxes, temperature variations, and variations in pH and oxidation state have then controlled the vein mineralogy and metal inventory.     

Magmatic Nature of Mineralizing Fluids in the Solnechnoye Sn Deposit (Russia) Deduced from Isotopic (H,O) Compositions of Tourmaline

In this paper, we present new isotopic (H, O) data of fluids in tourmalines from the large Sn deposit at Solnechnoye (Far East Russia). These data indicate that the deposit formed by fluid‐rock interactions in a hydrothermal system where the mineralizing fluid was mainly magmatic and to a lesser extent meteoric. This is in agreement with a magmatic fluid model. Our interpretation of the new isotopic data is consistent with earlier findings of the studies on fluid‐rock interactions that magmatic fluids form larger Sn deposits than exogenic fluids. We propose that isotopic (H, O) data of fluids in tourmaline, rather than those in quartz, muscovite, or chlorite, support robust interpretation on the nature of mineralizing fluids associated with Sn deposits.     

Ore Genesis and Formation Age of the Gaogangshan Mo Deposit,Heilongjiang Province,NE China

The Gaogangshan Mo deposit, located in the northern part of the Lesser Xing'an Range (the eastern part of the Xing'an–Mongolia Orogenic Belt), is one of the newly discovered Mo deposits in northeast China. Ore bodies occur in the granite and are generally in vein and stockwork forms. Major metallic minerals in the ore include pyrite and molybdenite. The styles of mineralization are disseminated, veinlet–disseminated, and veinlet. The major types of wall–rock alteration are silicification–potassic alteration, phyllic alteration and propylitization. Fluid inclusion analyses indicate that the ore‐forming fluid during the major mineralization stage is an H₂O–NaCl–CO₂ system, with wide homogenization temperature and salinity ranges. The abundant CO₂–rich and coexisting halite–bearing fluid inclusion assemblages in the main stage of mineralization highlight the significance of intensive fluid boiling for porphyry Mo mineralization. Comprehensive study of the ore‐forming conditions, geological features of the deposit, micro‐thermometric analysis of fluid inclusions and comparison of the Gaogangshan deposit with other typical porphyry deposits leads to the conclusion that the deposit is a porphyry type. We obtained a weighted mean age of the molybdenite deposit at Gaogangshan of 250.7 ± 1.8 Ma. The isotopic dating results indicate that the Gaogangshan deposit was formed in the Permo–Triassic, which is the earliest Mo–only deposit in northeast China. The formation of the Gaogangshan Mo deposit may be related to the extension and break–up of the Songnen Block and Jiamusi Block in the Permo–Triassic.     

Lowstand ramps,fans and deep‐water Palaeoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic facies of the Lawn Hill Platform: The Term,Lawn, Wide and Doom Supersequences of the Isa Superbasin,northern Australia

The Term, Lawn, Wide and Doom Supersequences represent tectonically driven, second‐order sedimentary accommodation sequences in the Isa Superbasin. The four supersequences are stacked to form two major depositional wedges or packages extending south from the Murphy Inlier onto the central Lawn Hill Platform. A major intrabasin structure, the Elizabeth Creek Fault Zone separates the two depositional wedges. The Term and Lawn Supersequences each form a thick, crudely fining‐upward sedimentary succession. The basal part of each supersequence comprises sand‐dominated facies, deposited under lowstand conditions. The overlying transgressive deposits comprise thick successions of carbonaceous, shale‐prone sediment that represents times of increased accommodation. Synsedimentary fault activity along the northwest‐trending Termite Range Fault and major northeast‐trending faults including the Elizabeth Creek Fault Zone resulted in overthickened sections of parts of the Term and Lawn Supersequences in regional depocentres. A regional extensional event occurred during Wide Supersequence time, and resulted in strike‐slip deformation, uplift and tilting of fault blocks and erosion of underlying Lawn sequences. This tectonic event created small, fault‐bounded depocentres, where basal silty turbidites of the Wide Supersequence are locally thickened. Denudation of fault blocks in the hinterland provided increasing coarse clastic sediment‐supply forming thick, sand‐dominated, lowstand deposits of the upper Wide Supersequence. Overall, the Wide Supersequence exhibits a coarsening‐upwards facies trend. Tectonic quiescence resulted in the accumulation of siltstone‐dominated transgressive and highstand turbidite deposits in mid‐Wide time. The base of the Doom Supersequence comprises thick, feldspathic, debris‐flow sandstones signalling a new provenance. Decreasing accommodation is reflected by coarsening‐ and shallowing‐upwards facies trends in late Doom time. Declining accommodation and the end of sedimentation in the Isa Superbasin were most likely initiated by deformation at the start of the Isan Orogeny.     

Tectonic Controls on the Formation of the Liwu Cu-rich Sulfide Deposit in the Jianglang Dome, S W China

Abstract. The Liwu Cu‐rich sulfide deposit occurs within the Jianglang dome in the eastern margin of the Tibetan plateau. The dome consists of a core, a middle slab and a cover sequence. The main deposit is hosted in the core with minor ore bodies in the middle slab. The protolith of the core consists of clastic sedimentary rocks with inter‐layered volcanic rocks. All of the ore bodies are substantially controlled by an extensional detachment fault system. The ore bodies within the core are distributed along the S₂ foliation in the hinge of recumbent fold (D₂), whereas ore bodies with en echelon arrangement are controlled by the mylonitic foliation of the lower detachment fault. Ore bodies within the middle slab are oriented with their axes parallel to the mylonitic foliation. Pyrite and pyrrhotite from the ores contain Co ranging from 37 to 1985 ppm, Ni from 2.5 to 28.1 ppm, and Co/Ni ratios from 5 to 71. These sulfides have δ³⁴S values ranging from 1.5 to 7.5 % whereas quartz separates have δ¹⁸O values of 11.9 and 14.3 % and inclusion fluid in quartz has δD value of‐88.1 %. These features suggest that the deposit was of hydrothermal origin. Two ore‐forming stages are recognized in the evolution of the Jianglang dome. (1) A low‐temperature ore‐forming process, during the tectonic transport of the upper plate above the lower detachment, and the initial phase of the footwall updom‐ing at 192–177 Ma. (2) A medium‐temperature ore‐forming stage, related to the final structural development of the initial detachment at 131–81Ma. Within the core, the ore bodies of the first stage were uplifted to, or near, the brittle/ductile horizon where the ore‐forming metals were re‐concentrated and enriched. A denudation stage in which a compressional tectonic event produced eastward thrusting overprinted the previous structures, and finally denuded the deposit. The Liwu Cu‐rich sulfide deposit was formed during a regional extensional tectonic event and is defined as a tectono‐strata‐bound hydrothermal ore deposit.     

Tower Hill gold deposit,Western Australia: An atypical,multiply deformed Archaean gold‐quartz vein deposit

The Tower Hill gold deposit is distinguished from most Archaean lode deposits of the Yilgarn Craton by virtue of its formation early in the regional deformation history and its consequent deformation. The deposit is located in ultramafic schist, adjacent to the contact with a small pluton of biotite monzogranite that intrudes pervasively foliated granodiorite, the dominant component of the Raeside Batholith. Gold, accompanied by local concentrations of bismuth minerals and molybdenite, occurs in a number of quartz vein ‘packages‘. Mineralised quartz veins at Tower Hill lie within an envelope of potassic alteration (talc‐biotite‐chlorite‐pyrite schist), up to several hundred metres wide. They are spatially and temporally associated with the biotite monzogranite and felsic porphyry intrusions, and their deformed equivalents. The deposit lies in a broad zone of ductile deformation (the Sons of Gwalia Shear Zone). Within the altered ultramafic schist, thin units of felsic schist, derived from biotite monzogranite and felsic porphyry, provided sites of contrasting competency that localised quartz vein formation. The mineralised quartz veins were subsequently deformed during alternating periods of shortening and extension, probably related to the syntectonic, solid‐state emplacement of the Raeside Batholith. These deformations pre‐dated strike‐slip movement on the Cemetery Fault, which truncates the ductile fabrics of the Sons of Gwalia Shear Zone, south of Tower Hill. In terms of the regional deformation history, gold mineralisation at Tower Hill formed during early D₂ (regional upright folding); subsequent deformation of the orebody pre‐dated D₃ (strike‐slip movement on the Cemetery Fault). The nearby Sons of Gwalia and Harbour Lights deposits also probably formed at an early stage, in contrast to most lode gold deposits in the Yilgarn Craton, which formed during or after D₃.     

Recent geological advances concerning the H.Y.C. and associated deposits,McArthur river,N.Y.

Recent mineral exploration in the McArthur River District, Northern Territory, has found new areas of base‐metal mineralization and has resulted in a reinterpretation of the geological setting of the previously discovered mineral deposits. The geology along the eastern margin of the H.Y.C. sub‐basin has been revised. The Cooley Dolomite Member of the Barney Creek Formation is interpreted as a talus‐slope breccia lying adjacent to a syndepositionally uplifted fault block (Western Fault Block) of lower McArthur Group sediments. The Western Fault Block was the source of the majority of the fragments in breccia horizons in the H.Y.C. sub‐basin and its uplift played an important role in the development of the sub‐basin. Within the Western Fault Block, the sequence hosting the Cooley II copper mineralization is the Mara Dolomite Member of the Emmerugga Dolomite, and not the Cooley Dolomite Member of the Barney Creek Formation as previously thought. New mineral discoveries include the substantial extension of the Coxco deposit, a coarse‐grained zinc‐lead stratabound deposit showing affinities with the Mississippi Valley‐type deposits; and an area of stratiform fine‐grained zinc‐lead mineralization in the Emu Plains sub‐basin of the Bulburra Depression.