Geochemical and fluid zonation in the skarn environment at the tomboy-minnie gold deposits, Lander County, Nevada
The Tomboy—Minnie gold deposits are related to the middle Tertiary porphyry copper system centered at Copper Canyon. Gold-silver ores in the deposits occur mostly in a pyrrhotite- and pyrite-rich basal 30-m-thick sequence of altered calcareous conglomerate belonging to the Middle Pennsylvanian Battle Formation. The entire mineralized system contained at least 3.3 million troy oz gold before large-scale mining operations began. Alteration in the Tomboy—Minnie deposits includes actinolite- and chlorite-dominant assemblages, in marked contrast to the skarn, potassic, and phyllic assemblages characterizing the copper-gold-silver deposits of the system. Introduction of gold occurred penecontemporaneously with replacement of early diopside-alteration assemblages by actinolite and chlorite. Metals are zoned strongly in the Copper Canyon system: the West and East ore bodies occur in a copper-gold-silver zone that is followed outward by a gold-silver zone which includes the Tomboy deposit and in turn, is succeeded by a lead-zinc-silver zone. Locations of drill holes that have Au/Ag assay ratios of ⩾ 1 clearly outline the Tomboy—Minnie deposits within an area of rocks with Au/Ag ratios of ≈ 0.5. Fluid-inclusion studies suggest wide variations in temperature and chemistry prevailed in the fluids associated with mineralization at the Tomboy. Early fluids associated with diopsidequartz assemblages probably were dominantly CaCl2-rich brines and were boiling at temperatures higher than 500°C. These fluids were progressively enriched in sodium and potassium over time, and during the hydrosilicate stages, temperatures probably ranged from 320 to 500°C at the time actinolite formed, and from 220 to 320°C at the time chlorite was dominant. Sulfur isotopic data suggest that sulfur, mostly from a magmatic or deep-seated crustal source, was transported by hydrothermal fluids as aqueous H2S with a δ 34S of about .4 ± 1‰">
Citation Information
Publication Year | 1986 |
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Title | Geochemical and fluid zonation in the skarn environment at the tomboy-minnie gold deposits, Lander County, Nevada |
DOI | 10.1016/0375-6742(86)90009-9 |
Authors | T.G. Theodore, S. S. Howe, D. W. Blake, P.R. Wotruba |
Publication Type | Article |
Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Series Title | Journal of Geochemical Exploration |
Index ID | 70014920 |
Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |