Stable isotope (C,O, S) systematics of the mercury mineralization at Idrija,Slovenia: constraints on fluid source and alteration processes |
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Authors: | Email author" target="_blank">Jo?t?V?Lavri?Email author Jorge?E?Spangenberg |
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Institution: | (1) Institut de Minéralogie et Géochimie, Université de Lausanne, BFSH2, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland |
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Abstract: | The world-class Idrija mercury deposit (western Slovenia) is hosted by highly deformed Permocarboniferous to Middle Triassic sedimentary rocks within a complex tectonic structure at the transition between the External Dinarides and the Southern Alps. Concordant and discordant mineralization formed concomitant with Middle Triassic bimodal volcanism in an aborted rift. A multiple isotopic (C, O, S) investigation of host rocks and ore minerals was performed to put constraints on the source and composition of the fluid, and the hydrothermal alteration. The distributions of the 13C and 18O values of host and gangue carbonates are indicative of a fracture-controlled hydrothermal system, with locally high fluid-rock ratios. Quantitative modeling of the 13C and 18O covariation for host carbonates during temperature dependent fluid-rock interaction, and concomitant precipitation of void-filling dolomites points to a slightly acidic hydrothermal fluid (13C–4 and 18O+10), which most likely evolved during isotopic exchange with carbonates under low fluid/rock ratios. The 34S values of hydrothermal and sedimentary sulfur minerals were used to re-evaluate the previously proposed magmatic and evaporitic sulfur sources for the mineralization, and to assess the importance of other possible sulfur sources such as the contemporaneous seawater sulfate, sedimentary pyrite, and organic sulfur compounds. The 34S values of the sulfides show a large variation at deposit down to hand-specimen scale. They range for cinnabar and pyrite from –19.1 to +22.8, and from –22.4 to +59.6, respectively, suggesting mixing of sulfur from different sources. The peak of 34S values of cinnabar and pyrite close to 0 is compatible with ore sulfur derived dominantly from a magmatic fluid and/or from hydrothermal leaching of basement rocks. The similar stratigraphic trends of the 34S values of both cinnabar and pyrite suggest a minor contribution of sedimentary sulfur (pyrite and organic sulfur) to the ore formation. Some of the positive 34S values are probably derived from thermochemical reduction of evaporitic and contemporaneous seawater sulfates.Editorial handling: P. Lattanzi |
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Keywords: | Idrija Stable isotopes Carbonate Mercury Slovenia |
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