Formation of the Campbell-Red Lake gold deposit by H2O-poor, CO2-dominated fluids

The Campbell-Red Lake gold deposit in the Red Lake greenstone belt, with a total of approximately 840 t of gold (past production + reserves) and an average grade of 21 g/t Au, is one of the largest and richest Archean gold deposits in Canada. Gold mineralization is mainly associated with silicification and arsenopyrite that replace carbonate veins, breccias and wallrock selvages. The carbonate veins and breccias, which are composed of ankerite ± quartz and characterized by crustiform–cockade textures, were formed before and/or in the early stage of penetrative ductile deformation, whereas silicification, arsenopyrite replacement and gold mineralization were coeval with deformation. Microthermometry and laser Raman spectroscopy indicate that fluid inclusions in ankerite and associated quartz (Q1) and main ore-stage quartz (Q2) are predominantly carbonic, composed mainly of CO₂, with minor CH₄ and N₂. Aqueous and aqueous–carbonic inclusions are extremely rare in both ankerite and quartz. H₂O was not detected by laser Raman spectroscopic analyses of individual carbonic inclusions and by gas chromatographic analyses of bulk samples of ankerite and main ore-stage quartz (Q2). Fluid inclusions in post-mineralization quartz (Q3) are also mainly carbonic, but proportions of aqueous and aqueous–carbonic inclusions are present. Trace amounts of H₂S were detected by laser Raman spectroscopy in some carbonic inclusions in Q2 and Q3, and by gas chromatographic analyses of bulk samples of ankerite and Q2. ³He/⁴He ratios of bulk fluid inclusions range from 0.008 to 0.016 Ra in samples of arsenopyrite and gold. Homogenization temperatures (T _h–CO₂) of carbonic inclusions are highly variable (from −4.1 to +30.4°C; mostly to liquid, some to vapor), but the spreads within individual fluid inclusion assemblages (FIAs) are relatively small (within 0.5 to 10.3°C). Carbonic inclusions occur both in FIAs with narrow T _h–CO₂ ranges and in those with relatively large T _h–CO₂ variations. The predominance of carbonic fluid inclusions has been previously reported in a few other gold deposits, and its significance for gold metallogeny has been debated. Some authors have proposed that formation of the carbonic fluid inclusions and their predominance is due to post-trapping leakage of water from aqueous–carbonic inclusions (H₂O leakage model), whereas others have proposed that they reflect preferential trapping of the CO₂-dominated vapor in an immiscible aqueous–carbonic mixture (fluid unmixing model), or represent an unusually H₂O-poor, CO₂-dominated fluid (single carbonic fluid model). Based on the FIA analysis reported in this study, we argue that although post-trapping modifications and host mineral deformation may have altered the fluid inclusions in varying degrees, these processes were not solely responsible for the formation of the carbonic inclusions. The single carbonic fluid model best explains the extreme rarity of aqueous inclusions but lacks the support of experimental data that might indicate the viability of significant transport of silica and gold in a carbonic fluid. In contrast, the weakness of the unmixing model is that it lacks unequivocal petrographic evidence of phase separation. If the unmixing model were to be applied, the fluid prior to unmixing would have to be much more enriched in carbonic species and poorer in water than in most orogenic gold deposits in order to explain the predominance of carbonic inclusions. The H₂O-poor, CO₂-dominated fluid may have been the product of high-grade metamorphism or early degassing of magmatic intrusions, or could have resulted from the accumulation of vapor produced by phase separation external to the site of mineralization.Geological Survey of Canada contribution 2004383.     

Accurately measuring volcanic plume velocity with multiple UV spectrometers

A fundamental problem with all ground-based remotely sensed measurements of volcanic gas flux is the difficulty in accurately measuring the velocity of the gas plume. Since a representative wind speed and direction are used as proxies for the actual plume velocity, there can be considerable uncertainty in reported gas flux values. Here we present a method that uses at least two time-synchronized simultaneously recording UV spectrometers (FLYSPECs) placed a known distance apart. By analyzing the time varying structure of SO₂ concentration signals at each instrument, the plume velocity can accurately be determined. Experiments were conducted on Kīlauea (USA) and Masaya (Nicaragua) volcanoes in March and August 2003 at plume velocities between 1 and 10 m s⁻¹. Concurrent ground-based anemometer measurements differed from FLYSPEC-measured plume speeds by up to 320%. This multi-spectrometer method allows for the accurate remote measurement of plume velocity and can therefore greatly improve the precision of volcanic or industrial gas flux measurements. Editorial responsibility: A. Woods     

Physicochemical conditions and timing of rodingite formation: evidence from rodingite-hosted fluid inclusions in the JM Asbestos mine,Asbestos, Québec

Fluid inclusions and geological relationships indicate that rodingite formation in the Asbestos ophiolite, Québec, occurred in two, or possibly three, separate episodes during thrusting of the ophiolite onto the Laurentian margin, and that it involved three fluids. The first episode of rodingitization, which affected diorite, occurred at temperatures of between 290 and 360°C and pressures of 2.5 to 4.5 kbar, and the second episode, which affected granite and slate, occurred at temperatures of between 325 and 400°C and pressures less than 3 kbar. The fluids responsible for these episodes of alteration were moderately to strongly saline (~1.5 to 6.3 m eq. NaCl), rich in divalent cations and contained appreciable methane. A possible third episode of alteration is suggested by primary fluid inclusions in vesuvianite-rich bodies and secondary inclusions in other types of rodingite, with significantly lower trapping temperatures, salinity and methane content. The association of the aqueous fluids with hydrocarbon-rich fluids containing CH₄ and higher order alkanes, but no CO₂, suggests strongly that the former originated from the serpentinites. The similarities in the composition of the fluids in all rock types indicate that the ophiolite had already been thrust onto the slates when rodingitization occurred.     

A model of diffuse degassing at three subduction-related volcanoes

2 and δ¹³C in soil gas were measured at three active subduction-related stratovolcanoes (Arenal and Poás, Costa Rica; Galeras, Colombia). In general, Rn, CO₂ and δ¹³C values are higher on the lower flanks of the volcanoes, except near fumaroles in the active craters. The upper flanks of these volcanoes have low Rn concentrations and light δ¹³C values. These observations suggest that diffuse degassing of magmatic gas on the upper flanks of these volcanoes is negligible and that more magmatic degassing occurs on the lower flanks where major faults and greater fracturing in the older lavas can channel magmatic gases to the surface. These results are in contrast to findings for Mount Etna where a broad halo of magmatic CO₂ has been postulated to exist over much of the edifice. Differences in radon levels among the three volcanoes studied here may result from differences in age, the degree of fracturing and faulting, regional structures or the level of hydrothermal activity. Volcanoes, such as those studied here, act as plugs in the continental crust, focusing magmatic degassing towards crater fumaroles, faults and the fractured lower flanks. Received: 16 December 1997 / Accepted: 27 January 2000     

KML在OneGeology和Google Earth之间的桥接作用浅析

为了促进全球范围内的地质图数据网络共享,国际地球科学联合会发起了OneGeology项目。目前该项目已经得到超过100个国家和地区和大量国际组织的参与,且已有40多个国家和地区在OneGeology项目的网站上登记了共享的地质图数据。由于这些数据源的服务器由各参与国的地质调查机构自己负责,OneGeology网站本身只通过一个数据接口OneGeology Portal提供对这些分布式数据源的浏览窗1：2。同时,另外一个重要的功能就是通过OneGeology Portal把选择的数据导出为KML文件,通过在Google Earth中打开该KML文件,可以把对应的数字地质图和和其他数据叠加浏览和分析,这也扩大了地质图数据的使用方式和服务目的。本文对KML文件在OneGeology和Google Earth之间的这种桥接作用做了分析并介绍了具体的操作过程。     

Theoretical studies of the alteration of spodumene,petalite, eucryptite and pollucite in granitic pegmatites: exchange reactions with alkali feldspars

The ratios Na/Li, K/Li, Na/Cs and K/Cs have been calculated for exchange equilibria among the Li and Cs silicates spodumene, petalite, eucryptite, and pollucite, and the alkali feldspars albite and K-feldspar plus quartz, in pure water and in chloride solutions at temperatures from 100° to 700°C and pressures from 0.5 to 4 kbar, using available thermodynamic data for minerals and the modified HKF equation of state for aqueous species. For exchange equilibria between Li-bearing aluminosilicates and the alkali feldspars, the activities of the alkali metals in solution under most of the conditions investigated follow the order Li>Na>K, and Na/Li and K/Li decrease with decreasing temperature. For exchange equilibria between pollucite and the alkali feldspars the order is Na>K>Cs in solution; Na/Cs and K/Cs increase strongly with decreasing temperature. The absolute values of these alkali metal ratios are in good agreement with the few available experimental data. The effect of chloride ion pairing on the calculated ratios is slight and does not consistently improve agreement between theory and experiment. These results suggest that the alteration of eucryptite, petalite or spodumene to albite and/or K-feldspar should be a normal consequence of the closed system evolution of rare element pegmatites upon cooling, in agreement with the ubiquity of such phenomena world-wide. On the other hand, alteration of pollucite to albite or K-feldspar upon cooling is only likely to occur if external fluids, with very high Na/Cs and/or K/Cs ratios, gain access to the pegmatite. Owing to the heterogeneity of rare element pegmatites, the fluid need not be external to the entire pegmatite, but could be simply external to the particular zone containing pollucite. Fluids in equilibrium with typical subsolidus rare metal pegmatite assemblages will invariably have high Li contents, thus explaining the common occurrence of Li-metasomatic halos about pegmatites. These same fluids are predicted to have relatively low Cs contents, in apparent agreement with the lesser role of Cs relative to Li in metasomatic halos. However, preferential formation of complexes of the alkali metals with fluoride, borate or aluminosilicate components potentially could alter the calculated alkali metal behaviors.     

An experimental study of the solubility of baddeleyite (ZrO2) in fluoride-bearing solutions at elevated temperature

The solubility of baddeleyite (ZrO₂) and the speciation of zirconium have been investigated in HF-bearing aqueous solutions at temperatures up to 400 °C and pressures up to 700 bar. The data obtained suggest that in HF-bearing solutions zirconium is transported mainly in the form of the hydroxyfluoride species ZrF(OH)₃° and ZrF₂(OH)₂°. Formation constants determined for these species (Zr⁴⁺ + nF⁻ + mOH⁻ = ZrF_n(OH)_m°) range from 43.7 at 100 °C to 46.41 at 400 °C for ZrF(OH)₃°, and from 37.25 at 100 °C to 43.88 at 400 °C for ZrF₂(OH)₂°.Although the solubility of ZrO₂ is retrograde with respect to temperature, the measured concentrations of Zr are orders of magnitude higher than those predicted from theoretical extrapolations based on simple fluoride species (ZrF³⁺-ZrF₆²⁻). Model calculations performed for zircon show that zirconium can be transported by aqueous fluids in concentrations sufficient to account for the concentration of this metal at conditions commonly encountered in fluoride-rich natural hydrothermal systems.     

An experimental study of Cobalt (II) complexation in Cl and H2S-bearing hydrothermal solutions

The speciation of cobalt (II) in Cl⁻ and H₂S-bearing solutions was investigated spectrophotometrically at temperatures of 200, 250, and 300 °C and a pressure of 100 bars, and by measuring the solubility of cobaltpentlandite at temperatures of 120-300 °C and variable pressures of H₂S. From the results of these experiments, it is evident that CoHS⁺ and predominate in the solutions except at 150 °C, for which the dominant chloride complex is CoCl₃⁻. The logarithms of the stability constant for CoHS⁺ show moderate variation with temperature, decreasing from 6.24 at 120 °C to 5.84 at 200 °C, and increasing to 6.52 at 300 °C. Formation constants for chloride species increase smoothly with temperature and at 300°C their logarithms reach 8.33 for , 6.44 for CoCl₃⁻, 4.94 to 5.36 for , and 2.42 for CoCl⁺. Calculations based on the composition of a model hydrothermal fluid (Ksp-Mu-Qz, KCl = 0.25 m, NaCl = 0.75 m, ΣS = 0.3 m) suggest that at temperatures ?200 °C, cobalt occurs dominantly as CoHS⁺, whereas at higher temperatures the dominant species is .     

Mineralogy and geochemistry studies on the Nusab El Balgum granitic batches,South Western Desert,Egypt

Igneous rocks of Nusab El Balgum are formed as an elongated complex mass covering an area of about 4 km?×?12.5 km (50 km²), in the NNE-SSW direction of the Tarfawi-Qena-South Sinai trend, which is a branch of the Trans-African shear zone at the intersection with the Kalabsha fault, which is a branch from Guinean-Nubian lineaments. The continuous reactivation of these two major weakness zones from the late Triassic to recent times has created many generations of the magma batches. The exposed granitic rocks of these batches at Nusab El Balgum were represented by the fresh peralkaline granite (youngest) and hydrothermally altered granites (oldest). The fresh peralkaline granite takes the form of a small stock composed essentially of perthites, quartz, sodic pyroxenes, amphiboles (secondary), and rare albite according to the proportion of presence, respectively. The accessory minerals are zircon, bastnaesite-(Ce), columbite-(Fe), magnetite, barite, and sphalerite. The geochemical study indicated that this granite is peralkaline, ferroan, A-type (specifically belongs to the A1-subgroup), anorogeny, emplaced in a within-plate, and crystallized at relatively shallow depth from the alkali basaltic magma similar to the OIBs. Furthermore, it is enriched in the HFSE (e.g., Th, U, Nb, REE, and Zr). The hydrothermally altered granites are formed as an incomplete ring shape and a small stock. They were formed during the late Cretaceous age and were altered due to the hydrothermal solutions from the continuous reactivation affected weakness zones and the new magmatic batches. The hydrothermally altered granites are extremely rich in HFSE found in the accessory minerals such as zircon (different in shape, size, and contains inclusions of bastnaesite and columbite), columbite-(Fe&Mn), rare gittinsite, pyrochlore minerals (ceriopyrochlore and plumbopyrochlore) carlosbarbosaite, changbaiite, bastnaesite-(Ce), monazite-(Ce), stetindite, cerianite-(Ce), thorite, and uranothorite. These rocks were subjected to many highly superimposed hydrothermal alteration types, including propylitic, sericitic, potassic, silicification, argillic, and Fe-Mn oxy-hydroxides. The hydrothermal solutions with low temperatures and containing F^1? and CO₃^2?, PO₄^3? and H₂O caused redistribution; transportation and redeposition of the HFSE in these rocks, in addition to the clay minerals and K-metasomatism, were formed. The relations between the silicification index (SI?=?SiO₂/(SiO₂ + Al₂O₃) and Zr, Nb, Th, U, LREE, and HREE are positive but they become negative with the K-metasomatism.     

Fluid inclusion and carbon, oxygen, and strontium isotope study of the Polaris Mississippi Valley-type Zn–Pb deposit, Canadian Arctic Archipelago: implications for ore genesis

The Polaris deposit is one of the largest Mississippi Valley-type deposits in the world, with 22 million tonnes of ore at 14% Zn and 4% Pb contained in a single, compact orebody surrounded by dolomitized host rocks. Using detailed sampling of carbonates in the orebody and the dolostone halo, this paper aims to characterize the temporal and spatial evolution of the mineralizing system, and to understand the mechanisms that controlled the accumulation of this large, compact Zn–Pb deposit. Five types of dolomite have been distinguished, including three replacement (RD) and two pore-filling dolomites (PD). The paragenetic order is RD1, RD2, RD3, PD1, and PD2. Pore-filling calcite (PC) postdates all other minerals. In most cases, sulfides and dolomite did not co-precipitate, but sphalerite and galena largely overlap with RD3 and PD1. Various dolomites are dissolved or replaced by sulfide-precipitating fluids; sulfides in turn can be overgrown by dolomites. Colloform texture in sphalerite is widespread. Fluid inclusions were studied in RD3, PD1, PD2, sphalerite, and PC. The overall ranges of homogenization temperatures (T _h) and last ice-melting temperatures (T _m-ice) for fluid inclusions in dolomites and sphalerite are from 67 to 141 °C and from −46.7 to −27.0 °C, respectively, consistent with warm basinal brines with high salinities and Ca/Na ratios. Gas chromatographic analysis of these fluid inclusions indicates low concentrations of hydrocarbons (<0.06 mol%). C, O, and Sr isotopes were analyzed for all dolomites and PC, as well as for the fine-grained host limestone and early diagenetic calcite (SC–RC). The isotopic values of RD2, RD3, PD1, and PD2 cluster tightly and form largely overlapping domains. With respect to the host limestone, they are depleted in ¹⁸O, similar in δ¹³C, and slightly enriched in ⁸⁷Sr. There are no regular spatial variations for fluid inclusion and isotope data, indicating an overall geochemical homogeneity in the hydrothermal system. However, certain samples close to the fracture zones in the orebody with slightly elevated T _h and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values and depleted δ¹⁸O values suggest that the fracture zone was the conduit for the hot brines. Based on the geological and geochemical characteristics of the deposit, we propose that sulfide precipitation at Polaris was caused by mixing of a reduced, metal-rich, sulfur-poor fluid with a reduced, metal-poor, sulfur-rich fluid at the site of mineralization. The metal-carrying fluid ascended along fractures from below the deposit and was hotter than the host rocks, whereas the reduced sulfur-carrying fluid was delivered to the site of mineralization laterally and was in thermal equilibrium with the host rocks. This model can readily explain the dissolution of dolomite during sulfide precipitation and the abundance of colloform sphalerite, as well as the low concentrations of hydrocarbons in fluid inclusions. Accepted: 20 December 1999