Deciphering the source and contamination history of peraluminous magmas using δ18O of accessory minerals: examples from garnet-bearing plutons of the Sierra Nevada batholith

Peraluminous granitoids provide critical insight as to the amount and kinds of supracrustal material recycled in the central Sierra Nevada batholith, California. Major element concentrations indicate Sierran peraluminous granitoids are high-SiO₂ (68.9–76.9) and slightly peraluminous (average molar Al₂O₃/(CaO + Na₂O + K₂O)=1.06). Both major and trace element trends mimic those of other high-silica Sierran plutons. Garnet (Grt) in the peraluminous plutons is almandine–spessartine-rich and of magmatic origin. Low grossular contents are consistent with shallow (<4 kbar) depths of garnet crystallization. Metasediments of the Kings Sequence commonly occur as wallrocks associated with the plutons, including biotite schists that are highly peraluminous (A/CNK=2.25) and have high whole rock (WR) δ¹⁸O values (9.6–21.8‰, average=14.5±2.9‰, n=26). Ultramafic wallrocks of the Kings–Kaweah ophiolite have lower average δ¹⁸O (7.1±1.3‰, n=9). The δ¹⁸O(WR) of the Kings Sequence is variable from west to east. Higher δ¹⁸O values occur in the west, where quartz in schists is derived from marine chert; values decrease eastward as the proportion of quartz from igneous and metamorphic sources increases. Peraluminous plutons have high δ¹⁸O(WR) values (9.5–13‰) consistent with supracrustal enrichment of their sources. However, relatively low initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values (0.705–0.708) indicate that the supracrustal component in the source of peraluminous magmas was dominantly altered ocean crust and/or greywacke. Also, plutons lack or have very low abundances (<1% of grains) of inherited zircon (Zrc) cores. Average δ¹⁸O(Zrc) is 7.9‰ in peraluminous plutons, a higher value than in coeval metaluminous plutons (6–7‰). Diorites associated with peraluminous plutons also have high δ¹⁸O(Zrc), 7.4–8.3‰, which is consistent with the diorites being derived from a similar source. Magmatic garnet has variable δ¹⁸O (6.6–10.5‰, avg.=7.9‰) due to complex contamination and crystallization histories, evidenced by multiple garnet populations in some rocks. Comparison of δ¹⁸O(Zrc) and δ¹⁸O(Grt) commonly reveals disequilibrium, which documents evolving magma composition. Minor (5–7%) contamination by high δ¹⁸O wallrocks occurred in the middle and upper crust in some cases, although low δ¹⁸O wallrock may have been a contaminant in one case. Overall, oxygen isotope analysis of minerals having slow oxygen diffusion and different times of crystallization (e.g., zircon and garnet), together with detailed textural analysis, can be used to monitor assimilation in peraluminous magmas. Moreover, oxygen isotope studies are a valuable way to identify magmatic versus xenocrystic minerals in igneous rocks. Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at     

Contrasting stable isotope behavior between calcite and dolomite marbles,Lone Mountain,Nevada

 Late Proterozoic to Cambrian carbonate rocks from Lone Mountain, west central Nevada, record multiple post-depositional events including: (1) diagenesis, (2) Mesozoic regional metamorphism, (3) Late Cretaceous contact metamorphism, related to the emplacement of the Lone Mountain granitic pluton and (4) Tertiary hydrothermal alteration associated with extension, uplift and intrusion of silicic porphyry and lamprophyre dikes. Essentially pure calcite and dolomite marbles have stable isotopic compositions that can be divided into two groups, one with positive δ¹³C values from+3.1 to +1.4 ‰ (PDB) and high δ¹⁸O values from +21.5 to +15.8 ‰ (SMOW), and the other with negative δ¹³C values from –3.3 to –3.6‰ and low δ¹⁸O values from +16.9 to +11.1‰. Marbles also contain minor amounts of quartz, muscovite and phlogopite. Brown and blue luminescent, clear, smooth textured quartz grains from orange luminescent calcite marbles have high δ¹⁸O values from +23.9 to +18.1‰, while brown luminescent, opaque, rough textured quartz grains from red luminescent dolomite marbles typically have low δ¹⁸O values from +2.0 to +9.3‰. The δ¹⁸O values of muscovite and phlogopite from marbles are typical of micas in metamorphic rocks, with values between +10.4 and +14.4‰, whereas mica δD values are very depleted, varying from −102 to −156‰. No significant lowering of the δ¹⁸O values of Lone Mountain carbonates is inferred to have occurred during metamorphism as a result of devolatilization reactions because of the essentially pure nature of the marbles. Bright luminescence along the edges of fractures, quartz cements and quartz overgrowths in dolomite marbles, low δD values of micas, negative δ¹³C values and low δ¹⁸O values of calcite and dolomite, and depleted δ¹⁸O values of quartz from dolomite marbles all indicate that meteoric fluids interacted with Lone Mountain marbles during the Tertiary. Partial oxygen isotopic exchange between calcite and low ¹⁸O meteoric fluids lowered the δ¹⁸O values of calcite, resulting in uniform quartz-calcite fractionations that define an apparent pseudoisotherm. These quartz-calcite fractionations significantly underestimate both the temperature of metamorphism and the temperature of post-metamorphic alteration. Partial oxygen isotopic exchange between quartz and meteoric fluids also resulted in ¹⁸O depletion of quartz from dolomite marbles. This partial exchange was facilitated by an increase in the surface area of the quartz as a result of its dissolution by meteoric fluids. The negative δ¹³C values in carbonates result from the oxidation of organic material by meteoric fluids following metamorphism. Stable isotopic data from Lone Mountain marbles are consistent with the extensive circulation of meteoric hydrothermal fluids throughout western Nevada in Tertiary time. Received: 1 February 1994/Accepted: 12 September 1995     

Distinguishing magmatic from subsolidus epidote: laser probe oxygen isotope compositions

Epidote occurs in four textural varieties in the Mount Lowe intrusion of southern California: euhedra, anhedra, intergrowths and cross-cutting veins. Of these, conspicuous elongate euhedra, which range up to 3 cm in length, meet most of the established textural criteria for magmatic epidote. Equant anhedral grains, which are ˜5 mm in diameter, are texturally ambiguous although rare allanite cores are suggestive of a magmatic origin. Epidote intergrowths with hornblende and biotite also meet certain textural criteria for crystallization from a magma, notably, euhedral faces against biotite. Finally, late-stage veins of epidote cross-cut all phases in the rock and are likely subsolidus. Oxygen isotopic compositions of these four textural varieties of epidote determined using the laser probe indicate that the use of textural criteria alone in establishing epidote parageneses can be misleading. Intracrystalline δ¹⁸O variations in the euhedra document both magmatic and subsolidus compositions. Oxygen isotope compositions are bimodal averaging 5.36 ± 0.13‰ (n = 11) and 4.66 ± 0.23‰ (n = 21). These data combined with plagioclase and zircon δ¹⁸O values are interpreted to indicate that magmatic oxygen isotopic compositions have been preserved where epidote δ¹⁸O is greater than 5‰. Significant portions of each euhedral crystal have been affected by subsolidus exchange and are characterized by epidote δ¹⁸O values less than 5‰. Intracrystalline δ¹⁸O values of epidote anhedra range from 4.50 to 6.08‰ and thus also document both magmatic and subsolidus compositions. Subsolidus exchange is volumetrically less significant in the anhedra than in the euhedra. Values of δ¹⁸O for intergrowths and late-stage cross-cutting veins of epidote average 3.81 ± 0.22‰ and document clearly subsolidus growth. The data confirm that in the Mount Lowe intrusion, large euhedra of epidote are magmatic in origin, consistent with textural evidence. The data also indicate that equant anhedra of epidote are also magmatic in origin and thus the absence of good crystal faces does not necessarily indicate subsolidus growth. The subsolidus origin of intergrowths of epidote with euhedral faces against biotite indicates that well developed crystal faces do not require growth from a magma. Finally, the subsolidus origin of the vein epidote is consistent with textural evidence. The increased resolution available with laser-based oxygen isotope measurements offers an important test for documenting whether epidote is of magmatic or subsolidus origin. Given the barometric significance of magmatic epidote, oxygen isotope compositions can be used to aid in the interpretation of epidote-bearing plutons. Received: 9 April 1996 / Accepted: 3 August 1996     

Fluid flow in marbles at Jervois, central Australia: oxygen isotope disequilibrium and zoning produced by decoupling of mineralogical and isotopic resetting

The Jervois region of the Arunta Inlier, central Australia, contains para- and orthogneisses that underwent low-pressure amphibolite facies metamorphism (P = 200–300 MPa, T = 520–600 °C). Marble layers cut by metre-wide quartz + garnet ± epidote veins comprise calcite, quartz, epidote, clinopyroxene, grandite garnet, and locally wollastonite. The marbles also contain locally discordant decimetre-thick garnet and epidote skarn layers. The mineral assemblages imply that the rocks were infiltrated by water-rich fluids (XCO₂ = 0.1–0.3) at ∼600 °C. The fluids were probably derived from the quartz-garnet vein systems that represent conduits for fluids exsolved from crystallizing pegmatites emplaced close to the metamorphic peak. At one locality, the marble has calcite (Cc) δ¹⁸O values of 9–18‰ and garnet (Gnt) δ¹⁸O values of 10–14‰. The δ¹⁸O(Gnt) values are only poorly correlated with δ¹⁸O(Cc), and the δ¹⁸O values of some garnet cores are higher than the rims. The isotopic disequilibrium indicates that garnet grew before the δ¹⁸O values of the rock were reset. The marbles contain  ≤15% garnet and, for water-rich fluids, garnet-forming reactions are predicted to propagate faster than O-isotopes are reset. The Sm-Nd and Pb-Pb ages of garnets imply that fluid flow occurred at 1750–1720 Ma. There are no significant age differences between garnet cores and rims, suggesting that fluid flow was relatively rapid. Texturally late epidote has δ¹⁸O values of 1.5–6.2‰ implying δ¹⁸O(H₂O) values of 2–7‰. Waters with such low-δ¹⁸O values are probably at least partly meteoric in origin, and the epidote may be recording the late influx of meteoric water into a cooling hydrothermal system. Received: 29 April 1996 / Accepted: 12 March 1997     

Imprint of meteoric water on the stable isotope compositions of igneous and secondary minerals,Kap Edvard Holm Complex,East Greenland

 Hydrogen and oxygen isotope analyses have been made of hydrous minerals in gabbros and basaltic xenoliths from the Eocene Kap Edvard Holm intrusive complex of East Greenland. The analyzed samples are of three types: (1) primary igneous hornblendes and phlogopites that crystallized from partial melts of hydrothermally altered basaltic xenoliths, (2) primary igneous hornblendes that formed during late–magmatic recrystallization of layered gabbroic cumulates, and (3) secondary actinolite, epidote and chlorite that formed during subsolidus alteration of both xenoliths and gabbros. Secondary actinolite has a δ¹⁸O value of −5.8‰ and a δD value of −158‰. These low values reflect subsolidus alteration by low–δ¹⁸O, low–δD hydrothermal fluids of meteoric origin. The δD value is lower than the −146 to −112‰ values previously reported for amphiboles from other early Tertiary meteoric–hydrothermal systems in East Greenland and Scotland, indicating that the meteoric waters at Kap Edvard Holm were isotopically lighter than typical early Tertiary meteoric waters in the North Atlantic region. This probably reflects local climatic variations caused by formation of a major topographic dome at about the time of plutonism and hydrothermal activity. The calculated isotopic composition of the meteoric water is δD=−110 ± 10‰, δ¹⁸O ≈−15‰. Igneous hornblendes and phlogopites from pegmatitic pods in hornfelsed basaltic xenoliths have δ¹⁸O values between −6.0 and −3.8‰ and δD values between −155 and −140‰. These are both much lower than typical values of fresh basalts. The oxygen isotope fractionations between pegmatitic hornblendes and surrounding hornfelsic minerals are close to equilibrium fractionations for magmatic temperatures, indicating that the pegmatites crystallized from low–δ¹⁸O partial melts of xenoliths that had been hydrothermally altered and depleted in ¹⁸O prior to stoping. The pegmatitic minerals may have crystallized with low primary δD values inherited from the altered country rocks, but these values were probably overprinted extensively by subsolidus isotopic exchange with low–δD meteoric–hydrothermal fluids. This exchange was facilitated by rapid self–diffusion of hydrogen through the crystal structures. Primary igneous hornblendes from the plutonic rocks have δ¹⁸O values between +2.0 and +3.2‰ and δD values between −166 and −146‰. The ¹⁸O fractionations between hornblendes and coexisting augites are close to equilibrium fractionations for magmatic temperatures, indicating that the hornblendes crystallized directly from the magma and subsequently underwent little or no oxygen exchange. The hornblendes may have crystallized with low primary δD values, due to contamination of the magma with altered xenolithic material, but the final δD values were probably controlled largely by subsolidus isotopic exchange. This inference is based partly on the observation that coexisting plagioclase has been extensively depleted in ¹⁸O via a mineral–fluid exchange reaction that is much slower than the hydrogen exchange reaction in hornblende. It is concluded that all hydrous minerals in the study area, whether igneous or secondary, have δD values that reflect extensive subsolidus isotopic equilibration with meteoric–hydrothermal fluids. Received: 22 March 1994 / Accepted: 26 January 1995     

A fluid inclusion and stable isotope study of 200 Ma of fluid evolution in the Galway Granite, Connemara, Ireland

Fluid inclusions in granite quartz and three generations of veins indicate that three fluids have affected the Caledonian Galway Granite. These fluids were examined by petrography, microthermometry, chlorite thermometry, fluid chemistry and stable isotope studies. The earliest fluid was a H₂O-CO₂-NaCl fluid of moderate salinity (4–10 wt% NaCl eq.) that deposited late-magmatic molybdenite mineralised quartz veins (V₁) and formed the earliest secondary inclusions in granite quartz. This fluid is more abundant in the west of the batholith, corresponding to a decrease in emplacement depth. Within veins, and to the east, this fluid was trapped homogeneously, but in granite quartz in the west it unmixed at 305–390 °C and 0.7–1.8 kbar. Homogeneous quartz δ¹⁸O across the batholith (9.5 ± 0.4‰n = 12) suggests V₁ precipitation at high temperatures (perhaps 600 °C) and pressures (1–3 kbar) from magmatic fluids. Microthermometric data for V₁ indicate lower temperatures, suggesting inclusion volumes re-equilibrated during cooling. The second fluid was a H₂O-NaCl-KCl, low-moderate salinity (0–10 wt% NaCl eq.), moderate temperature (270–340 °C), high δD (−18 ± 2‰), low δ¹⁸O (0.5–2.0‰) fluid of meteoric origin. This fluid penetrated the batholith via quartz veins (V₂) which infill faults active during post-consolidation uplift of the batholith. It forms the most common inclusion type in granite quartz throughout the batholith and is responsible for widespread retrograde alteration involving chloritization of biotite and hornblende, sericitization and saussuritization of plagioclase, and reddening of K-feldspar. The salinity was generated by fluid-rock interactions within the granite. Within granite quartz this fluid was trapped at 0.5–2.3 kbar, having become overpressured. This fluid probably infiltrated the Granite in a meteoric-convection system during cooling after intrusion, but a later age cannot be ruled out. The final fluid to enter the Granite and its host rocks was a H₂O-NaCl-CaCl₂-KCl fluid with variable salinity (8–28 wt% NaCl eq.), temperature (125–205 °C), δD (−17 to −45‰), δ¹⁸O (−3 to + 1.2‰), δ¹³C_CO2 (−19 to 0‰) and δ³⁴S_sulphate (13–23‰) that deposited veins containing quartz, fluorite, calcite, barite, galena, chalcopyrite sphalerite and pyrite (V₃). Correlations of salinity, temperature, δD and δ¹⁸O are interpreted as the result of mixing of two fluid end-members, one a high-δD (−17 to −8‰), moderate-δ¹⁸O (1.2–2.5‰), high-δ¹³C_CO2 (> −4‰), low-δ³⁴S_sulphate (13‰), high-temperature (205–230 °C), moderate-salinity (8–12 wt% NaCl eq.) fluid, the other a low-δD (−61 to −45‰), low-δ¹⁸O (−5.4 to −3‰), low-δ¹³C (<−10‰), high-δ³⁴S_sulphate (20–23‰) low-temperature (80–125 °C), high-salinity (21–28 wt% NaCl eq.) fluid. Geochronological evidence suggests V₃ veins are late Triassic; the high-δD end-member is interpreted as a contemporaneous surface fluid, probably mixed meteoric water and evaporated seawater and/or dissolved evaporites, whereas the low-δD end-member is interpreted as a basinal brine derived from the adjacent Carboniferous sequence. This study demonstrates that the Galway Granite was a locus for repeated fluid events for a variety of reasons; from expulsion of magmatic fluids during the final stages of crystallisation, through a meteoric convection system, probably driven by waning magmatic heat, to much later mineralisation, concentrated in its vicinity due to thermal, tectonic and compositional properties of granite batholiths which encourage mineralisation long after magmatic heat has abated. Received: 3 April 1996 / Accepted: 5 May 1997     

The La Unión Au ± Cu prospect,Camagüey District,Cuba: fluid inclusion and stable isotope evidence for ore-forming processes

The Camagüey district, Cuba, is known for its epithermal precious metal deposits in a Cretaceous volcanic arc setting. Recently, the La Unión prospect was discovered in the southern part of the district, containing gold and minor copper mineralization interpreted as porphyry type. Mineralization is hosted in a 73.0 ± 1.5 Ma calc–alkaline I-type oxidized porphyry quartz diorite intrusive within volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks of the early Cretaceous Guáimaro Formation. The porphyry is affected by propylitic alteration and crosscut by a network of quartz and carbonate veinlets and veins. Chlorite, epidote, sericite, quartz, and pyrite are the main minerals in the early veins which are cut by late carbonate and zeolite veins. Late barite pseudomorphously replaces pyrite. Gold is associated with pyrite as disseminations in the altered quartz diorite and in the veins, occurring as inclusions or filling fractures in pyrite with 4 g/t Au in bulk samples, and up to 900 ppm Au in in pyrite. Fluid inclusion and oxygen isotope data are consistent with a H₂O–NaCl–(KCl) mineralizing fluid, derived from the quartz diorite magma, and trapped at least at 425°C and 1.2 kbar. This primary fluid unmixed into two fluid phases, a hypersaline aqueous fluid and a low-salinity vapor-rich fluid. Boiling during cooling may have played an important role in metal precipitation. Pyrite δ³⁴S values for the La Unión prospect range between 0.71‰ and 1.31‰, consistent with a homogeneous magmatic sulfur source. The fluids in equilibrium with the mineralized rocks have estimated δ¹⁸O values from 8‰ to 11.8‰, calculated for a temperature range of 480–505°C. The tectonic environment of the La Unión prospect, its high gold and low copper contents, the physical–chemical characteristics of the mineralizing fluids and the isotopic signature of the alteration minerals and fluids indicate that the La Unión gold mineralization is similar to the porphyry gold type, even though the ore-related epidote–chlorite alteration can be classified as propylitic and not the classic potassic and/or phyllic alteration. The low copper contents in the prospect could be due to a mineralizing fluid previously saturated in copper, which is indicated by trapped chalcopyrite crystals in high-temperature fluid inclusions. The low-temperature paragenesis, represented by carbonate, zeolite and barite, indicates epithermal overprint. The study shows the potential for other gold porphyry-type deposits in the Cretaceous volcanoplutonic arc of Cuba.     

Magmatic-dominated fluid evolution in the Jurassic Nambija gold skarn deposits (southeastern Ecuador)

The Jurassic (approximately 145 Ma) Nambija oxidized gold skarns are hosted by the Triassic volcanosedimentary Piuntza unit in the sub-Andean zone of southeastern Ecuador. The skarns consist dominantly of granditic garnet (Ad_20–98) with subordinate pyroxene (Di_46–92Hd_17–42Jo_0–19) and epidote and are spatially associated with porphyritic quartz-diorite to granodiorite intrusions. Endoskarn is developed at the intrusion margins and grades inwards into a potassic alteration zone. Exoskarn has an outer K- and Na-enriched zone in the volcanosedimentary unit. Gold mineralization is associated with the weakly developed retrograde alteration of the exoskarn and occurs mainly in sulfide-poor vugs and milky quartz veins and veinlets in association with hematite. Fluid inclusion data for the main part of the prograde stage indicate the coexistence of high-temperature (500°C to >600°C), high-salinity (up to 65 wt.% eq. NaCl), and moderate- to low-salinity aqueous-carbonic fluids interpreted to have been trapped at pressures around 100–120 MPa, corresponding to about 4-km depth. Lower-temperature (510–300°C) and moderate- to low-salinity (23–2 wt.% eq. NaCl) aqueous fluids are recorded in garnet and epidote of the end of the prograde stage. The microthermometric data (Th from 513°C to 318°C and salinity from 1.0 to 23 wt.% eq. NaCl) and δ¹⁸O values between 6.2‰ and 11.5‰ for gold-bearing milky quartz from the retrograde stage suggest that the ore-forming fluid was dominantly magmatic. Pressures during the early retrograde stage were in the range of 50–100 MPa, in line with the evidence for CO₂ effervescence and probable local boiling. The dominance of magmatic low-saline to moderately saline oxidizing fluids during the retrograde stage is consistent with the depth of the skarn system, which could have delayed the ingression of external fluids until relatively low temperatures were reached. The resulting low water-to-rock ratios explain the weak retrograde alteration and the compositional variability of chlorite, essentially controlled by host rock compositions. Gold was precipitated at this stage as a result of cooling and pH increase related to CO₂ effervescence, which both result in destabilization of gold-bearing chloride complexes. Significant ingression of external fluids took place after gold deposition only, as recorded by δ¹⁸O values of 0.4‰ to 6.2‰ for fluids depositing quartz (below 350°C) in sulfide-rich barren veins. Low-temperature (<300°C) meteoric fluids (δ¹⁸O_water between −10.0‰ and −2.0‰) are responsible for the precipitation of late comb quartz and calcite in cavities and veins and indicate mixing with cooler fluids of higher salinities (about 100°C and 25 wt.% eq. NaCl). The latter are similar to low-temperature fluids (202–74.5°C) with δ¹⁸O values of −0.5‰ to 3.1‰ and salinities in the range of 21.1 to 17.3 wt.% eq. CaCl₂, trapped in calcite of late veins and interpreted as basinal brines. Nambija represents a deep equivalent of the oxidized gold skarn class, the presence of CO₂ in the fluids being partly a consequence of the relatively deep setting at about 4-km depth. As in other Au-bearing skarn deposits, not only the prograde stage but also the gold-precipitating retrograde stage is dominated by fluids of magmatic origin.     

Mineralogical and stable isotope studies of gold–arsenic mineralisation in the Sams Creek peralkaline porphyritic granite, South Island, New Zealand

At Sams Creek, a gold-bearing, peralkaline granite porphyry dyke, which has a 7 km strike length and is up to 60 m in thickness, intrudes camptonite lamprophyre dykes and lower greenschist facies metapelites and quartzites of the Late Ordovician Wangapeka formation. The lamprophyre dykes occur as thin (< 3 m) slivers along the contacts of the granite dyke. δ¹⁸O_magma values (+5 to +8‰, VSMOW) of the A-type granite suggest derivation from a primitive source, with an insignificant mature crustal contribution. Hydrothermal gold–sulphide mineralisation is confined to the granite and adjacent lamprophyre; metapelite country rocks have only weak hydrothermal alteration. Three stages of hydrothermal alteration have been identified in the granite: Stage I alteration (high fO₂) consisting of magnetite–siderite±biotite; Stage II consisting of thin quartz–pyrite veinlets; and Stage III (low fO₂) consisting of sulphides, quartz and siderite veins, and pervasive silicification. The lamprophyre is altered to an ankerite–chlorite–sericite assemblage. Stage III sulphide veins are composed of arsenopyrite + pyrite ± galena ± sphalerite ± gold ± chalcopyrite ± pyrrhotite ± rutile ± graphite. Three phases of deformation have affected the area, and the mineralised veins and the granite and lamprophyre dykes have been deformed by two phases of folding, the youngest of which is Early Cretaceous. Locally preserved early-formed fluid inclusions are either carbonic, showing two- or three-phases at room temperature (liquid CO₂-CH₄ + liquid H₂O ± CO₂ vapour) or two-phase liquid-rich aqueous inclusions, some of which contain clathrates. Salinities of the aqueous inclusions are in the range of 1.4 to 7.6 wt% NaCl equiv. Final homogenisation temperatures (Th) of the carbonic inclusions indicate minimum trapping temperatures of 320 to 355°C, which are not too different from vein formation temperatures of 340–380°C estimated from quartz–albite stable isotope thermometry. δ¹⁸O values of Stage II and III vein quartz range from +12 and +17‰ and have a bimodal distribution (+14.5 and +16‰) with Stage II vein quartz accounting for the lower values. Siderite in Stage III veins have δ¹⁸O (+12 to +16‰) and δ¹³C values (−5‰, relative to VPDB), unlike those from Wangapeka Formation metasediments (δ¹³C_{bulk carbon} values of −24 to −19‰) and underlying Arthur Marble marine carbonates (δ¹⁸O = +25‰ and δ¹³C = 0‰). Calculated δ¹⁸O_water (+8 to +11‰, at 340°C) and (−5‰) values from vein quartz and siderite are consistent with a magmatic hydrothermal source, but a metamorphic hydrothermal origin cannot be excluded. δ³⁴S values of sulphides range from +5 to +10‰ (relative to CDT) and also have a bimodal distribution (modes at +6 and +9‰, correlated with Stage II and Stage III mineralisation, respectively). The δ³⁴S values of pyrite from the Arthur Marble marine carbonates (range from +3 to +13‰) and Wangapeka Formation (range from −4 to +9.5‰) indicate that they are potential sources of sulphur for sulphides in the Sams Creek veins. Another possible source of the sulphur is the lithospheric mantle which has positive values up to +14‰. Ages of the granite, lamprophyre, alteration/mineralisation, and deformation in the region are not well constrained, which makes it difficult to identify sources of mineralisation with respect to timing. Our mineralogical and stable isotope data does not exclude a metamorphic source, but we consider that the source of the mineralisation can best be explained by a magmatic hydrothermal source. Assuming that the hydrothermal fluids were sourced from crystallisation of the Sams Creek granite or an underlying magma chamber, then the Sams Creek gold deposit appears to be a hybrid between those described as reduced granite Au–Bi deposits and alkaline intrusive-hosted Au–Mo–Cu deposits.     

The Gumeshevo skarn-porphyry copper deposits in the Central Urals,Russia: Evolution of the ore-magmatic system as deduced from isotope geochemistry (Sr,Nd, C,O, H)

The Early Devonian Gumeshevo deposit is one of the largest ore objects pertaining to the dioritic model of the porphyry copper system paragenetically related to the low-K quartz diorite island-arc complex. The (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_t and (ɛ_Nd)_t of quartz diorite calculated for t = 390 Ma are 0.7038–0.7045 and 5.0–5.1, respectively, testifying to a large contribution of the mantle component to the composition of this rock. The contents of typomorphic trace elements (ppm) are as follows: 30–48 REE sum, 5–10 Rb, 9–15 Y, and 1–2 Nb. The REE pattern is devoid of Eu anomaly. Endoskarn of low-temperature and highly oxidized amphibole-epidote-garnet facies is surrounded by the outer epidosite zone. Widespread retrograde metasomatism is expressed in replacement of exoskarn and marble with silicate (chlorite, talc, tremolite)-magnetite-quartz-carbonate mineral assemblage. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of epidote in endoskarn and carbonate in retrograde metasomatic rocks (0.7054–0.7058 and 0.7053–0.7065, respectively) are intermediate between the Sr isotope ratios of quartz dioritic rocks and marble (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.70784 ± 2). Isotopic parameters of the fluid equilibrated with silicates of skarn and retrograde metasomatic rocks replacing exoskarn at 400°C are δ¹⁸O = +7.4 to +8.5‰ and δD = −49 to −61‰ (relative to SMOW). The δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O of carbonates in retrograde metasomatic rocks after marble are −5.3 to +0.6 (relative to PDB) and +13.0 to +20.2% (relative to SMOW), respectively. Sulfidation completes metasomatism, nonuniformly superimposed on all metasomatic rocks and marbles with formation of orebodies, including massive sulfide ore. The δ³⁴S of sulfides is 0 to 2‰ (relative to CDT);⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of calcite from the late calcite-pyrite assemblage replacing marble is 0.704134 ± 6. The δ¹³C and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of postore veined carbonates correlate positively (r = 0.98; n = 6). The regression line extends to the marble field. Its opposite end corresponds to magmatic (in terms of Bowman, 1998b) calcite with minimal δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O, and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values (−6.9 ‰, +6.7‰, and 0.70378 ± 4, respectively). The aforementioned isotopic data show that magmatic fluid was supplied during all stages of mineral formation and interacted with marble and other rocks, changing its Sr, C, and O isotopic compositions. This confirms the earlier established redistribution of major elements and REE in the process of metasomatism. A contribution of meteoric and metamorphic water is often established in quartz from postore veins.     

Carbon and oxygen isotope constraints on fluid sources and fluid–wallrock interaction in regional alteration and iron-oxide–copper–gold mineralisation, eastern Mt Isa Block, Australia

The source of metasomatic fluids in iron-oxide–copper–gold districts is contentious with models for magmatic and other fluid sources having been proposed. For this study, δ ¹⁸O and δ ¹³C ratios were measured from carbonate mineral separates in the Proterozoic eastern Mt Isa Block of Northwest Queensland, Australia. Isotopic analyses are supported by petrography, mineral chemistry and cathodoluminescence imagery. Marine meta-carbonate rocks (ca. 20.5‰ δ ¹⁸O and 0.5‰ δ ¹³C calcite) and graphitic meta-sedimentary rocks (ca. 14‰ δ ¹⁸O and −18‰ δ ¹³C calcite) are the main supracrustal reservoirs of carbon and oxygen in the district. The isotopic ratios for calcite from the cores of Na–(Ca) alteration systems strongly cluster around 11‰ δ ¹⁸O and −7‰ δ ¹³C, with shifts towards higher δ ¹⁸O values and higher and lower δ ¹³C values, reflecting interaction with different hostrocks. Na–(Ca)-rich assemblages are out of isotopic equilibrium with their metamorphic hostrocks, and isotopic values are consistent with fluids derived from or equilibrated with igneous rocks. However, igneous rocks in the eastern Mt Isa Block contain negligible carbon and are incapable of buffering the δ ¹³C signatures of CO₂-rich metasomatic fluids associated with Na–(Ca) alteration. In contrast, plutons in the eastern Mt Isa Block have been documented as having exsolved saline CO₂-rich fluids and represent the most probable fluid source for Na–(Ca) alteration. Intrusion-proximal, skarn-like Cu–Au orebodies that lack significant K and Fe enrichment (e.g. Mt Elliott) display isotopic ratios that cluster around values of 11‰ δ ¹⁸O and −7‰ δ ¹³C (calcite), indicating an isotopically similar fluid source as for Na–(Ca) alteration and that significant fluid–wallrock interaction was not required in the genesis of these deposits. In contrast, K- and Fe-rich, intrusion-distal deposits (e.g. Ernest Henry) record significant shifts in δ ¹⁸O and δ ¹³C towards values characteristic of the broader hostrocks to the deposits, reflecting fluid–wallrock equilibration before mineralisation. Low temperature, low salinity, low δ ¹⁸O (<10‰ calcite) and CO₂-poor fluids are documented in retrograde metasomatic assemblages, but these fluids are paragenetically late and have not contributed significantly to the mass budgets of Cu–Au mineralisation.     

Fluid origin and structural enhancement during mineralization of the Jinshan orogenic gold deposit, South China

The Jinshan orogenic gold deposit is a world-class deposit hosted by a ductile shear zone caused by a transpressional terrane collision during Neoproterozoic time. Ore bodies at the deposit include laminated quartz veins and disseminated pyrite-bearing mylonite. Most quartz veins in the shear zone, with and without gold mineralization, were boudinaged during progressive shear deformation with three generations of boudinage structures produced at different stages of progressive deformation. Observations of ore-controlling structures at various scales indicate syn-deformational mineralization. Fluid inclusions from pyrite intergrown with auriferous quartz have ³He/⁴He ratios of 0.15–0.24 Ra and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar ratios 575–3,060. δ¹⁸O_fluid values calculated from quartz are 5.5–8.4‰, and δD values of fluid inclusions contained in quartz range between −61‰ and −75‰. The δ¹³C values of ankerite range from −5.0‰ to −4.2‰, and ankerite δ¹⁸O values from 4.4‰ to 8.0‰. The noble gas and stable isotope data suggest a predominant crustal source of ore fluids with less than 5% mantle component. Data also show that in situ fluids were generated locally by pervasive pressure solution, and that widespread dissolution seams acted as pathways of fluid flow, migration, and precipitation. The in situ fluids and fluids derived from deeper levels of the crust were focused by deformation and deformation structures at various scales through solution-dissolution creep, crack-seal slip, and cyclic fault-valve mechanisms during progressively localized deformation and gold mineralization.     

Stable isotopes and amphibole chemistry on hydrothermally altered granitoids in the North Chilean Precordillera: a limited role for meteoric water?

Whole rock and mineral stable isotope and microprobe analyses are presented from granitoids of the North Chilean Precordillera. The Cretaceous to Tertiary plutonic rocks contain important ore deposits and frequently display compositional and textural evidence of hydrothermal alteration even in barren rocks. Deuteric alteration includes replacement of biotite and amphibole by chlorite and epidote, sericitization and saussuritization of feldspars, and uralitization of clinopyroxene and/or amphibole. While whole rock compositions are not significantly affected, compositional variations in amphiboles suggest two types of hydrothermal alteration. Hornblende with actinolitic patches and rims and tight compositional trends from hornblende to Mg-rich actinolite indicate increasing oxygen fugacity from magmatic to hydrothermal conditions. Uralitic amphiboles exhibiting irregular Mg-Fe distribution and variable Al content are interpreted as reflecting subsolidus hydration reactions at low temperatures. The δD values of hydrous silicates vary from −63 to −105‰. Most δ¹⁸O values of whole rocks are in the range of 5.7 to 7.7‰ and are considered normal for igneous rocks in the Andes. These δ¹⁸O values also coincide well with the oxygen isotope composition of geochemically similar recent volcanics from the Central Andean Volcanic Zone (δ¹⁸O = 7.0–7.4‰). Only one sample in this study (δ¹⁸O = 3.0‰) appears to be depleted by isotope exchange with light meteoric water at high temperatures. The formation of secondary minerals in all other intrusions is mainly the product of deuteric alteration. This also holds true for the sample from El Abra, the only pluton associated with mineralization. This indicates the dominant role of a magmatic rather than a meteoric fluid in the alteration of the Cretaceous and Tertiary granitoids in northern Chile. Received: 8 July 1998 / Accepted: 15 April 1999     

Water-rock interactions and chemical compositional variations during ductile deformation of the NW-striking shear zone in the Jiapigou gold belt,China

Two kinds of mylonite series rocks, felsic and mafic, have been recognized in the NW-striking shear zone of the Jiapigou gold belt. During ductile deformation, a large amount of fluid interacted intensively with the mylonite series rocks: plagioclases were sericitized and theAn values declined rapidly, finally all of them were transformed to albites; dark minerals were gradually replaced by chlorites (mostly ripidolite). Meanwhile, large-scale and extensive carbonation also took place, and the carbonatization minerals varied from calcite to dolomite and ankerite with the development of deformation. The δ¹³C values of the carbonates are −3.0‰ – −5.6‰ suggesting a deep source of carbon. The ductile deformation is nearly an iso-volume one (f _v≈1). With the enhancement of shear deformation, SiO₂ in the two mylonite series rocks was depleted, while volatile components suchs as CO₂ and H₂O, and some ore-forming elements such as Au and S were obviously enriched. But it is noted that the enrichment of Au in both the mylonite series rocks did not reach the paygrade of gold. The released SiO₂ from water-rock interactions occurred in the form of colloids and absorbed gold in the fluid. When brittle structures were formed locally in the ductile shear zone, the ore-forming fluids migrated to the structures along microfractures, and preciptated auriferous quartz because of reduction of pressure and temperature. Fluid inclusion study shows that the temperature and pressure of the ore-forming fluids are 245–292°C and 95.4–131.7 MPa respectively; the salinity is 12.88–16.33wt% NaCl; the fluid-phase is rich in Ca²⁺, K⁺, Na⁺, Mg²⁺, F⁻ and Cl⁻, while the gaseous phases are rich in CO₂ and CH₄. The δD and δ¹⁸O, values of the ore-forming fluid are −84.48‰ – −91.73‰ and −0.247‰ – +2.715‰ respectively, suggesting that the fluid is composed predominantly of meteoric water. This project is financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 9488010).     

Hybridization of mafic microgranular enclaves: mineral and whole-rock chemistry evidence from the Karamadazı Granitoid, Central Turkey

On the Eastern Tauride Belt, the Cretaceous calc-alkaline Karamadazı Granitoid consists of quartz diorite containing mafic microgranular enclaves (MME) and leucocratic granite. The quartz diorite consists of plagioclase (An_8-65), hornblende, biotite, K-feldspar, quartz, epidote and titanite. Subrounded MME in the quartz diorite are holocrystalline, fine-grained, quartz diorite to diorite in composition, and display a similar mineral assemblage to their host. Large crystals in MME and quartz diorite show various disequilibrium microstructures indicative of hybridization. Plagioclase crystals exhibit inverse, normal, and oscillatory zoning with maximum core-to-rim An content increase up to 38% in the enclave and 40% in the quartz diorite. Both hornblende and augite exhibit normal and reverse zoning even in the same sample. The new field, textural, mineral compositional, and geochemical evidence leads to the conclusion that MME could have formed through injection of successive pulses of basic magma into upward mobile magma chambers containing cooler, partially crystalline quartz diorite magma. The quartz diorites show similarity to high-Al TTG (tonalites–trondhjemites–granodiorites), with their high Na₂O, Sr, LREE, and low Mg#, Cr, HREE contents, and are suggested to be produced by extensive interaction between the crustal and mantle-derived melts through mixing at depth. In contrast, leucogranites have geochemical characteristics distinct from the quartz diorites and MME, and are probably not involved in MME genesis.     

Geology and geochemistry of jasperoids from the Gold Bar district, Nevada

Gold Bar is one of several Carlin-type gold mining districts located in the Battle Mountain–Eureka trend, Nevada. It is composed of one main deposit, Gold Bar; five satellite deposits; and four resources that contain 1.6 Moz (50 t) of gold. All of the deposits and resources occur at the intersection of north-northwest- and northeast-trending high-angle faults in slope facies limestones of the Devonian Nevada Group exposed in windows through Ordovician basin facies siliciclastic rocks of the Roberts Mountains allochthon. Igneous intrusions and magnetic anomalies are notably absent. The Gold Bar district contains a variety of discordant and stratabound jasperoid bodies, especially along the Wall Fault zone, that were mapped and studied in some detail to identify the attributes of those most closely associated with gold ore and to constrain genetic models. Four types of jasperoids, J₀, J₁, J₂, and J₃, were distinguished on the basis of their geologic and structural settings and appearance. Field relations suggest that J₀ formed during an early event. Petrographic observations, geochemistry, and δ¹⁸O values of quartz suggest it was overprinted by the hydrothermal event that produced ore-related J₁, J₂, and J₃ jasperoids and associated gold deposits. The greater amount of siliciclastic detritus present in J₀ jasperoids caused them to have higher δ¹⁸O values than J_1,2,3 jasperoids hosted in underlying limestones. Ore-related jasperoids are composed of main-ore-stage replacements and late-ore-stage open-space filling quartz with variable geochemistry and an enormous range of δ¹⁸O values (24.5 and −3.7‰). Jasperoids hosted in limestones with the most anomalous Au, Ag, Hg, ±(As, Sb, Tl) concentrations and the highest δ¹⁸O values are associated with the largest deposits. The 28‰ range of jasperoid δ¹⁸O values is best explained by mixing between an ¹⁸O-enriched fluid and an ¹⁸O-depleted fluid. The positive correlation between the sizes of gold deposits and the δ¹⁸O composition of jasperoids indicates that gold was introduced by the ¹⁸O-enriched fluid. The lowest calculated δ¹⁸O value for water in equilibrium with late-ore-stage quartz at 200°C (−15‰) and the measured δD value of fluid inclusion water extracted from late-ore-stage orpiment and realgar (−116‰) indicate that the ¹⁸O-depleted fluid was composed of relatively unexchanged meteoric water. The source of the ¹⁸O-enriched ore fluid is not constrained. The δ³⁴S values of late-ore-stage realgar, orpiment, and stibnite (5.7–15.5‰) and barite (31.5–40.9‰) suggest that H₂S and sulfate were derived from sedimentary sources. Likewise, the δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values of late-stage calcite (−4.8 to 1.5‰ and 11.5 to 17.4‰, respectively) suggest that CO₂ was derived from marine limestones. Based on these data and the apparent absence of any Eocene intrusions in the district, Gold Bar may be the product of a nonmagmatic hydrothermal system.     

Ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks from the Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling Project: II Oxygen isotope and fluid inclusion distributions through vertical sections

In order to reconstruct the formation and exhumation mechanisms of UHP metamorphic terrains, the Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling Program (CCSD) has been carried out in Donghai of the Dabie-Sulu ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic belt, East China. Eclogite, gneiss, amphibolite (retrograded from eclogite), ultramafic rocks, and minor schist and quartzite have been drilled. Aiming to reveal the fluid behaviour in a vertical sequence of an UHP slab, we investigated fluid inclusion and oxygen isotope characteristics of selected drillcores from the main hole and the pilot-holes PP2 and ZK 703 of the CCSD. More than 540 laser-ablation oxygen isotope analyses on garnet, omphacite, quartz, kyanite, amphibole, phengite, rutile, epidote, amphibole, plagioclase, and biotite from various rocks in the depth range of 0–3,000 m (mainly eclogite and gneiss) show that the investigated rocks can be divided into two groups: ¹⁸O-depleted rocks (as low as δ¹⁸O = −7.4‰ for garnet) indicate interaction with cold climate meteoric waters, whereas ¹⁸O-normal rocks (with bulk δ¹⁸O > +5.6‰) have preserved the O-isotopic compositions of their protoliths. Meteoric water/rock interaction has reached depths of at least 2,700 m. Oxygen isotope equilibrium has generally been achieved. Isotopic compositions of mineral phases are homogeneous on a mm to cm scale regardless of lithology, but heterogeneous on the scale of a few metres. Oxygen isotope distributions in the vertical sections favour an “in situ” origin of the UHP metamorphic rocks. The very negative δ¹⁸O eclogites usually have higher hydroxyl-mineral contents than the normal δ¹⁸O rocks, indicating higher water content during UHP metamorphism. Fluid inclusion data suggest that rocks with depleted ¹⁸O compositions have had different fluid histories compared to those with normal δ¹⁸O values. Rocks with depleted ¹⁸O mainly have primary medium-to-high salinity inclusions in omphacite, kyanite and quartz, and abundant secondary low-salinity or pure water inclusions in quartz, indicating a high-salinity-brine-dominated fluid system during peak UHP metamorphism; no carbonic inclusions have been identified in these rocks. By contrast, primary very high-density CO₂ inclusions are commonly found in the rocks with normal δ¹⁸O values. These observations suggest that fluid and oxygen isotope composition of minerals are related and reflect variable degrees of alterations of the Dabie-Sulu UHP metamorphic rocks.     

Geology and geochemistry of telluride-bearing Au deposits in the Pingyi area, Western Shandong, China

Summary Telluride-bearing gold deposits of the Pingyi area, western Shandong, China, are located on the southeastern margin of the North China Craton. There are two main types of deposits: (i) mineralized cryptoexplosive breccia, e.g., Guilaizhuang; and (ii) stratified, finely-disseminated mineralization hosted in carbonate rocks, e.g., Lifanggou and Mofanggou deposits. In Guilaizhuang, the cryptoexplosive breccia is formed within rocks of the Tongshi complex and Ordovician dolomite. The mineralization is controlled by an E–W-trending listric fault. Stratified orebodies of the Lifanggou and Mofanggou deposits are placed along a NE-trending, secondary detachment zone. They are hosted within dolomitic limestone, micrite and dolomite of the Early-Middle Cambrian Changqing Group. The mineralization in the ore districts is considered to be related to the Early Jurassic Tongshi magmatic complex that formed in a continental arc setting on the margin of the North China Craton. The host rocks are porphyritic and consist predominantly of medium- to fine-grained diorite and pyroxene (hornblende)-bearing monzonite. SHRIMP U–Pb zircon dating of diorites give a ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U weighted mean age of 175.7 ± 3.8 Ma. This is interpreted as representing the crystallization age of the Tongshi magmatic complex. Considering the contact relationships between the magmatic and host sedimentary rocks, as well as the genetic link with the deposits, we conclude that this age is relevant also for the formation of mineralization in the Pingyi area. We hence consider that the deposits formed in the Jurassic. The principal gold minerals are native gold, electrum and calaverite. Wall-rock alteration comprises pyritization, fluoritization, silicification, carbonatization and chloritization. Fluid inclusion studies indicate that all the analyzed inclusions are of two-phase vapor–liquid NaCl–H₂O type. Homogenization temperatures of the fluid inclusions vary from 103 °C to 250 °C, and the ice melting temperatures range from −2.5 °C to −13.5 °C, corresponding to a salinity range of 4.65 to 17.26 wt.% NaCl equiv. The δ³⁴S values of pyrite associated with gold mineralization exhibit a narrow range of −0.71 to + 2.99‰, implying that the sulfur was probably derived from the mantle and/or dioritic magma. The δ¹³C_PDB values of the fluid inclusions in calcite range from −7.3 to 0.0‰. The δ¹⁸O_SMOW values of vein quartz and calcite range from 11.5 to 21.5‰, corresponding to δ¹⁸O_fluid values of −1.1 to 10.9‰; δD values of the fluid inclusions vary between −70 and −48‰. The isotope data for all three deposits suggest mixing of ore-forming fluids derived from the mantle and/or magma with different types of fluids at shallow levels. Pressure release and boiling of the fluids, as well as fluid-rock interaction (Lifanggou and Mofanggou) and mixing of magmatically-derived fluids with meteoritic waters (Guilaizhuang) played an important role in the ore-forming processes.     

Oxygen isotope constraints on the petrogenesis of the Sybille intrusion of the Proterozoic Laramie Anorthosite Complex

The origin of monzonitic intrusions that are associated with Proterozoic massif-type anorthosite complexes is controversial. A detailed oxygen isotope study of the Sybille intrusion, a monzonitic intrusion of the Laramie Anorthosite Complex (Wyoming), indicates that either derivation from a basaltic magma of mantle origin with a metasedimentary component (∼20%) incorporated early in its magmatic history, or a partial melt of lower crustal rocks is consistent with the data. The oxygen isotope compositions of plagioclase, pyroxene and zircon from the Sybille monzosyenite, the dominant rock type in the Sybille intrusion, were analyzed in order to establish the isotopic composition of the source of the magma. Plagioclase δ¹⁸O values range from 6.77 to 9.17‰. We interpret the higher plagioclase δ¹⁸O values (average 8.69 ± 0.30‰, n = 19) to be magmatic in origin, lower plagioclase δ¹⁸O values (average 7.51 ± 0.44‰, n = 22) to be the result of variable subsolidus alteration, and pyroxene δ¹⁸O values (average 6.34 ± 0.38‰, n = 19) to be the result of closed-system diffusional exchange during cooling. Low magnetic zircons, which have been shown to retain magmatic oxygen isotope values despite high grade metamorphism and extensive subsolidus hydrothermal alteration, have δ¹⁸O values (7.40 ± 0.24‰, n = 11) which are consistent with our interpretation of the plagioclase and pyroxene results. Oxygen isotope data from all three minerals indicate that the magmatic oxygen isotope composition of the Sybille intrusion is enriched in ¹⁸O relative to the composition of average or “normal” mantle-derived magmas. This enrichment is approximately twice the oxygen isotope enrichment that could result from closed-system fractionation, rendering a closed-system, comag- matic petrogenetic model between the Sybille intrusion and the mantle-derived anorthositic lithologies of the Laramie Anorthosite Complex improbable. Received: 7 April 1998 / Accepted: 19 January 1999     

The Sarylakh and Sentachan gold-antimony deposits,Sakha-Yakutia: A case of combined mesothermal gold-quartz and epithermal stibnite ores

New mineralogical, thermobarometric, isotopic, and geochemical data provide evidence for long and complex formation history of the Sarylakh and Sentachan Au-Sb deposits conditioned by regional geodynamics and various types of ore mineralization, differing in age and source of ore matter combined in the same ore-localizing structural units. The deposits are situated in the Taryn metallogenic zone of the East Yakutian metallogenic belt in the central Verkhoyansk-Kolyma Fold Region. They are controlled by the regional Adycha-Taryn Fault Zone that separates the Kular-Nera Terrane and the western part of the Verkhoyansk Fold-Thrust Belt. The fault extends along the strike of the northwest-trending linear folds and is deep-rooted and repeatedly reactivated. The orebodies are mineralized crush zones accompanied by sulfidated (up to 100 m wide) quartz-sericite metasomatic rocks and replacing dickite-pyrophyllite alteration near stibnite veinlets. Two stages of low-sulfide gold-quartz and stibnite mineralization are distinguished. The formation conditions of the early milk white quartz in orebodies with stibnite mineralization at the Sarylakh and Sentachan deposits are similar: temperature interval 340–280°C, salt concentration in fluids 6.8–1.6 wt % NaCl equiv, fluid pressure 3430–1050 bar, and sodic bicarbonate fluid composition. The ranges of fluid salinity overlapped at both deposits. In the late regenerated quartz that attends stibnite mineralization, fluid inclusions contain an aqueous solution with salinity of 3.2 wt % NaCl equiv and are homogenized into liquid at 304–189°C. Syngenetic gas inclusions contain nitrogen 0.19 g/cm³ in density. The pressure of 300 bar is estimated at 189°C. The composition of the captured fluid is characterized as K-Ca bicarbonatesulfate. The sulfur isotopic composition has been analyzed in pyrite and arsenopyrite from ore and metasomatic zones, as well as in coarse-, medium-, and fine-grained stibnite varieties subjected to dynamometamorphism. The following δ³⁴S values, ‰ have been established at the Sarylakh deposit: −2.0 to −0.9 in arsenopyrite, −5.5 to −1.1 in pyrite, and −5.5 to −3.6 in stibnite. At the Sentachan deposit: −0.8 to +1.0 in arsenopyrite, +0.5 to +2.6 in pyrite, and −3.9 to +0.6 in stibnite. Sulfides from the Sentachan deposit is somewhat enriched in ³⁴S. The ¹⁸O of milk white quartz at the Sarylakh deposit varies from +14.8 to 17.0‰ and from +16.4 to + 19.3‰ at the Sentachan. The δ¹⁸O of regenerated quartz is +16.5‰ at the Sarylakh and +17.6 to +19.8‰ at the Sentachan. The δ¹⁸O of carbonates varies from +15.0 to 16.3% at the Sarylakh and from +16.7 to +18.2‰ at the Sentachan. The δ¹³C of carbonates ranges from −9.5 to −12.1‰ and −7.8 to −8.5‰, respectively. The calculated $ \delta ^{18} O_{H_2 O} $ \delta ^{18} O_{H_2 O} of the early fluid in equilibrium with quartz and dolomite at 300δC are +7.9 to +10.1‰ for the Sarylakh deposit and +9.5 to +12.4‰ for the Sentachan deposit (+4.9 and 6.0‰ at 200°C for the late fluid, respectively). Most estimates fall into the interval characteristic of magmatic water (°¹⁸O = +5.5 to +9.5‰).