Estimation of paleostress from pore fluid pressure of the quartz veins and its significance in the Cu-Pb-Zn mineralization (Ambaji, Aravalli-Delhi mobile belt, NW India)

Author(s):  
Neeraj Kumar Sharma ◽  
Tapas Kumar Biswal

<p>Quartz veins are produced from the crystallization of the last silica enriched hydrothermal phase from granitic magma circulating along the pre-existing fracture of rock. In many instances, these hydrothermal fluid act as a carrier for the ore minerals. The intrusion of quartz veins along fractures depends upon the tectonic stress conditions in the area. Fluid pressure (P<sub>f</sub>) of these ascending liquids should be higher than the normal compressive stress (σ<sub>n</sub>) to dilate the fractures. We are studying the quartz vein intrusion in the Cu‒Pb‒Zn mineralization belt of Ambaji, South Delhi terrane, Aravalli- Delhi mobile belt, NW India. The host rocks include mica schist, amphibolite, calc schist, talc tremolite schist, and four phases of granite intrusion (G<sub>0</sub>‒G<sub>3</sub>). The age of G<sub>0</sub>, G<sub>1</sub>, G<sub>2</sub> and G<sub>3</sub> granite are 960, 860, 800, and 750 Ma respectively. The rocks underwent three phases of folding (F<sub>1</sub>‒F<sub>3</sub>) and show greenschist to amphibolite facies metamorphism. The quartz vein intrusion is related to syn to post F<sub>3</sub> folding and G<sub>3</sub> granite magmatism. This final phase hydrothermal fluid extremely altered host rock and formed biotite-tourmaline-quartz and tremolite-actinolite-talc-chlorite greisen along the contact. The greisen host chalcopyrite-pyrite-galena-sphalerite mineralization suggesting the ore minerals were transported by the quartz vein. Vein orientation, stress condition, fluid pressure fluctuation, and fluid temperature can decide the fracture dilation and mineralization processes. Therefore, this work concentrates on the geometrical distribution of the vein orientation data. From this we deduced (i) girdle distribution pattern of vein data  (ii) σ<sub>1</sub> = 120º/75º, σ<sub>2</sub> = 052º/07º, σ<sub>3</sub> = 323º/07º indicate maximum extension was NW-SE and σ<sub>1</sub>σ<sub>2</sub> plane strikes was N52ºE, (iii) θ<sub>2</sub> =12º, θ<sub>3</sub> = 40º  and (iv) R'(driving pressure ratio) = 0.95, ϕ (tectonic stress ratio) = 0.90 indicates high value for R' leading to dilation of wide range of fractures. Further, the high ϕ value suggests uniaxial extension. Microscopic petrography of fluid inclusions shows three generations of inclusion like primary inclusion, secondary inclusion, and pseudosecondary inclusion. Most of the inclusion has aqueous and vapour phase and some inclusions show solid halite phase. We observed different types of trail bound of inclusion like intragranular inclusion, intergranular inclusion and transgranular inclusion, which suggest deformation and recrystallization in the rock. We are studying microthermometry analysis of fluid inclusion present in the quartz vein and trying to estimate the fluid pressure. With the help of fluid pressure, the 3D Mohr circle will be constructed and paleostress will be quantified. That will help in understanding the stress condition and mineralization in the rock.</p><p>Keywords: Veins, Fractures, Paleostress, 3D Mohr Circle, Mineralisation, Fluid Inclusion, Microthermometry</p>

1999 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 91
Author(s):  
CARLOS JOSÉ FERNANDES ◽  
GÊNOVA MARIA PULZ ◽  
ALESSANDRO SILVA OLIVEIRA ◽  
MARIA DO CARMO LIMA E CUNHA ◽  
ELZIO SILVA BARBOZA ◽  
...  

The quartz veins in the Pau-a-Pique gold deposit hosted in Aguapeí Group metassediments have textural, paragenetic and chemical characteristics that provide prospectives criteria for gold. Gold disseminations occur in the quartz vein system and in the hydrothermal halo. The highest gold grades are within quartz veins that have comb, saccaroidal and replacement textures. The barren veins show ribbon and buck textures. Both fertile and barren veins exhibit a lack of correlation between gold grades and of the other elements (As, Fe, Sc and Ta). This behavior indicates that gold grades might be adequate chemical criteria for distinction between barren and the fertile veins. Gold grains appear associated to martite and oxihydroxides pseudomorphs that replace the ore minerals in veins. The mineral assemblage and textures of the quartz veins, suggest a gold remobilization due to Eh-pH fluctuations related to interaction between the ore and the meteoric solutions.


1993 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Cathelineau ◽  
Marie Christine Boiron ◽  
Samira Essarraj ◽  
Jean Dubessy ◽  
Marc Lespinasse ◽  
...  

1980 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 823-830 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. C. Higgins

Fluid inclusion evidence from the Grey River Tungsten Prospect, Newfoundland, and other tungsten deposits indicates that CO2 is an important component of the hydrothermal fluid. Carbon dioxide is enriched in fluids evolved from granitic melts under high fluid pressure, while lower pressure fluids are chloride-rich. The association of tungsten deposits with these carbon dioxide rich hydrothermal fluids suggests that carbonate/bicarbonate complexes may be important in tungsten transport at very high fluid pressures.


Minerals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1093
Author(s):  
Evgeny G. Sidorov ◽  
Andrey A. Borovikov ◽  
Nadezhda D. Tolstykh ◽  
Daria S. Bukhanova ◽  
Galina A. Palyanova ◽  
...  

Microthermometry study of fluid inclusions in quartz veins of the Maletoyvayam deposit (Koryak Highland, Russia) was carried out. This epithermal gold deposit contains unique Au compounds including maletoyvayamite, which has not been reported anywhere else. Two paragenetic mineral associations (pyrite-quartz and maletoyvayamite-quartz) with quartz of different generations corresponding to different pulses were also described. Only early generations of quartz (Q1) include ore minerals: pyrite for the first mineral assemblage, and in Au-bearing minerals, sulfosalts, bismuthinite, and others—for the second assemblage. A study on fluid inclusions in quartz showed a salinity (mainly NaCl + KCl) range from 0.2 to 4.3 wt.% NaCl eq., increasing from the first mineral association to the second due to boiling fluids. The obtained temperature variations for quartz crystallization were 295–135 °C, the fluid pressure ranged from 79 to 4 bar. On the other hand, the range of conditions obtained for the gold productive ore association is more narrow: salinity of the fluid inclusions is 4.3 wt.% NaCl eq., the temperatures vary from 255 °C to 245 °C, and the pressure from 39 to 32 bar. These physicochemical characteristics of the Maletoyvayam ore deposit greatly coincide with other HS-type epithermal deposits; however, within the Central Kamchatka Volcanic Belt it is so far the only deposit of this type reported.


2010 ◽  
Vol 148 (4) ◽  
pp. 558-579 ◽  
Author(s):  
FEDERICO ROSSETTI ◽  
LUCA ALDEGA ◽  
FRANCESCA TECCE ◽  
FABRIZIO BALSAMO ◽  
ANDREA BILLI ◽  
...  

AbstractThe Neogene extensional province of southern Tuscany in central Italy provides an outstanding example of fossil and active structurally controlled fluid flow and epithermal ore mineralization associated with post-orogenic silicic magmatism. Characterization of the hydrodynamic regime leading to the genesis of the polysulphide deposit (known as Filone di Boccheggiano) hosted within the damage zone of the Boccheggiano Fault is a key target to assess modes of fossil hydrothermal fluid circulation in the region and, more generally, to provide inferences on fault-controlled hydrothermal fluid flow in extensional settings. We provide a detailed description of the fault zone architecture and alteration/mineralization associated with the Boccheggiano ore deposit and report the results of fluid inclusion and stable oxygen isotope studies. This investigation shows that the Boccheggiano ore consists of an adularia/illite-type epithermal deposit and that sulphide ore deposition was controlled by channelling of hydrothermal fluids of dominantly meteoric origin within the highly anisotropic permeability structure of the Boccheggiano Fault. The low permeability structure of the fault core compartmentalized the fluid outflow preventing substantial cross-fault flow, with focused fluid flow occurring at the hangingwall of the fault controlled by fracture permeability. Fluid inclusion characteristics indicate that ore minerals were deposited between 280° and 350°C in the upper levels of the brittle extending crust (lithostatic pressure in the order of 0.1 GPa). Abundant vapour-rich inclusions in ore-stage quartz are consistent with fluid immiscibility and boiling, and quartz ore vein textures suggest that mineralization in the Boccheggiano ore deposit occurred during cyclic fluid flow in a deformation regime regulated by transient and fluctuating fluid pressure conditions. Results from this study (i) predict a strongly anisotropic permeability structure of the fault damage zone during crustal extension, and (ii) indicate the rate of secondary (structural) permeability creation and maintenance by active deformation in the hangingwall of extensional faults as the major factor leading to effective hydraulic transmissivity in extensional terranes. These features intimately link ore-grade mineralization in extensional settings to telescoping of hydrothermal flow along the hangingwall block(s) of major extensional fault zones.


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