Investigations on the Possible Re-equilibration of Aqueous Fluid Inclusions in Barite: A Study of Barite and Calcite from the Hutti Gold Deposit, Karnataka, India

Re-equilibration of fluid inclusions in crystals takes place by loss or gain of solvents and solutes from fluid inclusions and by changes in their volumes. Volume change of fluid inclusions are primarily dictated by elastic properties and available slip planes of host crystals. In the present study, the phase-behavior of fluids entrapped in co-precipitated calcite and barite is studied. While calcite contains only biphase fluid inclusions, barite has predominantly monophase fluid inclusions. Fluid inclusion petrography, microthermometry and leachate analysis are used to establish the nature of entrapped fluids and entrapment temperature is substantiated through independent sulfur isotope geothermometry using coexisting barite and pyrite. Phase transitions in the monophase fluid inclusions in barite are explained in terms of over-pressuring of fluids in these fluid inclusions relative to fluids entrapped in calcite owing to the low bulk modulus of barite.