Fabrics of deformed sulphides

Determination of preferred orientations in sulphide ores is an important facet in the analysis of the deformation and metamorphism in ore deposits. The methodology and problems of texture determinations in deformed sulphides are briefly reviewed. Deformation mechanisms and texture development in the common sulphide minerals are summarised. Axi-symmetric experimental deformation of galena, sphalerite and chalcopyrite produces similar pole figures with the (110) planes aligned normal to the compression axis. Deformation textures in naturally deformed sulphides however are best preserved in monomineralic ores which have undergone simple shear deformation. These textures can be correlated with the microstructures found in the sulphides. Computer simulations of deformation textures arising from dislocation mechanisms can be used to interpret the textures but the results to date are preliminary. These theoretical models emphasize the importance of the symmetry of the kinematic axes of the deformation, the operative glide systems and the strain history and the deformation path. Little is known, however, of the influence of static and dynamic recrystallisation on sulphide preferred orientations.