Meteoric waters minerals

SD and S O. 8D and of the ore fluids responsible for epithermal Au-Ag and base-metal vein-type deposits in Japan have been estimated from analyses of fluid inclusions (Hattori and Sakai, 1979) and minerals (Watanabe et al., 1976). These data are shown in Fig. 1.103. 8D values of ore fluids for epithermal Au-Ag vein-type deposits are similar to those of present-day meteoric water values. 8D values of epithermal ore fluids for base-metal vein-type deposits are slightly higher than those of epithermal Au-Ag vein-type deposits. This may be due to the boiling of epithermal base-metal ore fluids and involvement of seawater. 

D and 8 0 data on fluid inclusions and minerals at main stage of epithermal Au-Ag mineralization clearly indicate that the dominant source of ore fluids is meteoric water. Meteoric water penetrates downwards and is heated by the country rocks and/or intrusive rocks. The heated water interacts with country rocks and/or intrusive rocks and extracts sulfur, Au, Ag and other soft cations (e.g., Hg, Tl) from these rocks. If hydrothermal solution boils, it becomes neutral or slightly alkaline, leading to the selective leaching of soft cations such as Au, Ag, Hg and Tl from country rocks. However, a contribution of sulfur gas and other components from magma cannot be ruled out. 

D and 5 0 data on fluid inclusions and minerals, 8 C of carbonates, salinity of inclusion fluids together with the kind of host rocks indicate that the interaction of meteoric water and evolved seawater with volcanic and sedimentary rocks are important causes for the formation of ore fluids responsible for the base-metal vein-type deposits. High salinity-hydrothermal solution tends to leach hard cations (base metals, Fe, Mn) from the country rocks. Boiling may be also the cause of high salinity of base-metal ore fluids. However, this alone cannot cause very high salinity. Probably the other processes such as ion filtration by clay minerals and dissolution of halite have to be considered, but no detailed studies on these processes have been carried out. 

Water in the mantle is fonnd in different states as a fluid especially near sub-duction zones, as a hydrous phase and as a hydroxyl point defect in nominally anhydrous minerals. 8D-values between -90 and -110%c have been obtained by Bell and Ihinger (2000) analyzing nominally anhydrous mantle minerals (garnet, pyroxene) containing trace quantities of OH. Nominally anhydrous minerals from mantle xenoliths are the most D-depleted of all mantle materials with 5D-values 50%c lower than MORE (O Leary et al. 2005). This difference may either imply that these minerals represent an isotopically distinct mantle reservoir or that the samples analyzed have exchanged hydrogen dnring or after their ascent from the mantle (meteoric/water interaction ). 

Despite the close association of intnisions with many ore deposits, there is still debate about the extent to which magmas contribute water and metals to ore-forming fluids. Many early studies of the stable isotope composition of hydrothermal minerals indicated a dominance of meteoric water (Taylor 1974), more recent studies show that magmatic fluids are commonly present, but that their isotopic compositions may be masked or erased during later events such as the influx of meteoric waters (Rye 1993 Hedenquist and Lowenstem 1994). 

Fig. 3.39 5D and values for kaolonites and related minerals from weathering and hydrothermal environments. The Meteoric Water Line, kaohnite weathering and su-pergene/hypogene (S/H) lines are given for reference (after Sheppard and Gilg 1995)... 

Fig. 3.41 Predicted (bars) and measured (crosses) oxygen isotope composition of separated minerals from Haitian weathering profiles. The ranges of predicted values were calculated assuming a temperature of 25°C and a meteoric water value of —3. %o (after Bird et al. 1992)...

Fricke HC, Wickham SM, O Neil JR (1992) Oxygen and hydrogen isotope evidence for meteoric water infiltration during mylonitization and uphft in the Ruby Mountains - East Humboldt Range core complex, Nevada. Contr Miner Petrol 111 203-221 Fricke HC, Clyde WC, O Neil JR (1998a) Intra-tooth variations in 5 0 (PO4) of mammalian tooth enamel as a record of seasonal variations in continental climate variables. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 62 1839-1850... 

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