Fluid inclusion study of the Fiumarella barite deposit (Catanzaro — S. Italy)

Samples from a barite vein deposit, located in the Catanzaro Fiumarella (Calabria) were examined by fluid inclusion and ore minerographic techniques. The barite vein occur in plutonic rocks of the Stilo Unit, where some Mo mineralizations were reported. The purpose of the study was to determine the characteristics of the fluid inclusions and to compare them to those of typical porphyry Cu/Mo systems. The ore minerographic study shows that the sulfides, associated to the barite, are clearly post-barite. The fluid inclusion results indicate that the average minimum temperature of the barite formation can be assumed to be about 210°C, with a range of 190–235°C. The salinity of the barite forming solutions is in the range 0–19.5 wt% NaCl and the average minimum pressure on the system was of 18.04 bars equivalent to a minimum depth of 201 m of barite formation below the paleowatertable. No genetic link is suggested to exist between the fluid inclusions of the Fiumarella barite deposit and those characteristic of typical porphyry Cu/Mo systems, whereas a close relation with epithermal precious metal (with base metals) vein deposits or with their distant cousins, the Kuroko deposits, is suggested to exist.Work carried out with the financial assistance of the "Progetto Finalizzato Geodinamica" (n^o 79.00597.89.115.6291). Publ. n^o 353