Abstract
The evolution of hydrothermal fluids during metasomatic and/or hydrothermal processes is responsible for the formation of ore deposits and associated alteration. In systems with well-developed breccia and fractures, mineral reactions are largely driven by decompression boiling, fluid cooling or external fluid mixing, but in less permeable rocks, elements exchanges occur at fluid-mineral interfaces, resulting in a self-evolved fluid-mineral reaction system. However, the dynamic fluid evolution leading to large-scale (km) alteration remains poorly understood. We observed experimentally that the sequential sodic and potassic alterations associated with mineralization in large ore deposits, in particular Iron Oxide Copper Gold (IOCG) deposits, can occur via a single self-evolved, originally Na-only, hydrothermal fluid, driven by a positive feedback between equilibrium and kinetic factors. Albite formed first upon reaction of sanidine ((K,Na)AlSi3O8) with a NaCl fluid at 600˚C, 2 kbar. However, with increasing reaction time, some of the initially formed albite was in-turn replaced by K-feldspar (KAlSi3O8). Fluorine accelerated the process, resulting in nearly complete back-replacement of albite within 1 day. These experiments demonstrate that potassic alteration can be induced by Na-rich fluids, and pervasive sequential sodic and potassic alterations do not necessarily reflect near-equilibrium, externally-driven changes in fluid alkali contents.
The use of mineral interfaces in sand-sized volcanic rock fragments to infer mechanical durability
