Tectono-magmatic controls of post-subduction gold mineralisation during late Caledonian soft continental collision in the Southern Uplands-Down-Longford Terrane, Britain and Ireland: A review

Rice, Samuel P.; Cuthbert, Simon; Hursthouse, Andrew

doi:10.1016/j.oregeorev.2018.07.016

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 122 publications

(300 reference statements)

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“…The shale horizons subsequently controlled the emplacement of igneous intrusions and mineralisation. The susceptibility to deformation of the soft shales helped to localise intrusions (Brown et al 2008), while the reducing properties of the carbonaceous matter enhanced the deposition of metals including gold and antimony (Rice et al 2018;Parnell et al 2023). In our environment, they play a role in hydrogeology because they act as low-permeability barriers to water flow (Macdonald et al 2007), and they allow subsurface mapping because of their distinctive conductivity (Beamish et al 2010;Beamish 2013).…”

Section: Concluding Remarks On the Moffat Shalementioning

confidence: 99%

The record of coal exploration in the Ordovician-Silurian in the Southern Uplands of Scotland and the north of Ireland

PARNELL,

ARMSTRONG,

LINGS

2024

Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh

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The Southern Uplands-Down-Longford Terrane (SUDLT) saw exploration for coal in Ordovician-Silurian marine rocks for several centuries, including well after it was understood that land plant coals would not occur in such rocks. Some lithologies were so carbonaceous that a fuel of sorts was mined. The record of this exploration and mining activity is mostly forgotten, but there are diverse sources to show that it was widespread. Exploration was mostly inspired by outcrops of Moffat Shale, in which deformation and hydrocarbon generation left coal-like products. The hydrocarbon origin conferred high calorific value to the fuel, so it did burn and encouraged exploration. The deposits show that an accretionary prism can be a reservoir of locally abundant carbon.

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Section: Concluding Remarks On the Moffat Shalementioning

confidence: 99%

The record of coal exploration in the Ordovician-Silurian in the Southern Uplands of Scotland and the north of Ireland

PARNELL,

ARMSTRONG,

LINGS

2024

Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh

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“…A window of magmatic emplacement from ~417 -387 Myr ago postdates the onset of collision between peri-Gondwanan terranes and Laurentia and is marked by both voluminous plutonism and volcanism (Brown et al, 2008). The magmatism has been of interest previously owing to minor occurrences of mineralisation (e.g., Leake et al, 1977;1981;Brown et al, 1979a;Rice et al, 2018). Despite some detailed localised geochronological and geochemical studies (e.g., Fritschle, 2016;Cooper et al, 2016;Miles et al, 2014;Hines et al, 2018 and references therein), our understanding remains somewhat piecemeal.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochronology and geodynamics of collision magmatism in the Southern Uplands-Down-Longford Terrane in Scotland and Ireland

Gemmell,

Neill,

Currie

et al. 2023

Preprint

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The relationship between igneous activity and the geodynamics of subduction and collision is uncertain in northern Britain and Ireland, which lay on the Laurentian margin during accretion of Baltica and peri-Gondwanan terranes during the Palaeozoic Caledonian - Acadian orogenies. There is uncertainty over the relevance and timing of Iapetus slab breakoff beneath the Laurentian margin, and modest attention has been paid to typical characteristics of collision magmatism such as its trans-crustal nature and association with ore deposits. The Southern Uplands-Down-Longford terranes were an ocean-continent accretionary complex north of the Iapetus suture and present a natural laboratory to better constrain some of these issues. The terrane is cut by plutonic, hypabyssal, and volcanic complexes whose emplacement overlaps the docking of peri-Gondwanan terranes. Together with existing geochronological data, new laser ablation U-Pb data for the Carsphairn, Bengairn, and Cheviot plutons and the Black Stockarton Moor sub-volcanic complex in Scotland, allow us to identify populations of antecrystic and emplacement-related zircons. The complexes have records of antecrystic zircon growth up to ~30 Myr prior to emplacement, and some plutonic facies could be derived largely from remobilised crystal mushes formerly stored in the lower crust. Crystallisation of magmas began at ~424 Ma as the Iapetus slab began to roll back from the Laurentian margin, permitting melting of the mantle beneath the accretionary complex. The timing of breakoff is potentially constrained to ~420-418 Ma by the cessation of sedimentation in the accretionary prism and the onset of magmatism directly above the suture. Subsequent emplacement from 417 – 387 Ma may be driven by a combination of under-thrusting of Gondwanan lithosphere, sub-lithospheric convection, and a trans-tensional upper plate regime.

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“…The primary ore-minerals that were exploited in the area include galena (lead sulfide) and sphalerite (zinc sulfide), together with alluvial gold in local floodplains (McAdam et al 1993). Mining of gold was relatively underexplored in the region (Rice et al 2018). Galena and sphalerite were mined within sedimentary rocks that are greatly faulted and contain brecciated mineral veins of Ordovician-Silurian age (Trewin 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating controls on potentially toxic element release in circum-neutral mine water: a case study from the abandoned Pb–Zn mines of Leadhills and Wanlockhead, South of Scotland, United Kingdom

Chukwura

Hursthouse

2020

Environ Earth Sci

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Historic sulphidic Pb-Zn mining catchments at Leadhills and Wanlockhead, in the south of Scotland, UK have a legacy of mining of PbS (galena) and ZnS (sphalerite) from the twelfth century to the 1930s. The mining activities created tailing piles, ponds, adits and contaminated soils that contribute leaching and surface runoff of potentially toxic elements, particularly lead (Pb), which impact on the surface water and groundwater and are rapidly diluted in the wider catchment area. Studies by environmental regulators have shown that Pb, Cd and Zn in water can locally exceed the Environmental Quality Standards (EQS), particularly at Leadhills. To evaluate geochemical controls on release, 20 water sources (adits, surface water and near-surface groundwater) were sampled over four seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter) over a 1-year period and characterized. Samples were circum-neutral pH from 6.3 to 7.9 (with average total dissolved solids < 55.0 mg/L), with no characteristics of acid mine drainage. The concentrations of PTEs in the water exceed UK EQS and WHO standards (and non-compliance on the Water Framework Directives). Geochemical modelling (GWB and PHREEQC v2) predicted mineral control on solubility which identified PbSO 4 (anglesite), Fe 2 O 3 ferric oxide (haematite), Fe 3 O 4 (magnetite), FeCO 3 (siderite), CaMg(CO 3) 2 (dolomite), CaCO 3 (calcite) and Ca(Fe•Mg)(CO 3) 2 (ankerite) to be important. These were confirmed in solid phases analysed from tailings and sediments in contact with the hydrological cycle at the sites. Multivariate statistical analysis (PCA) of water samples associated with leaching through mine tailings showed strong seasonal variation with some elements (Fe, Cu, Cd, Pb, Na, Ca and Zn) with higher variance. The strong negative association of pH with soluble Zn, Cu, As, Cd and Pb highlights typical sulfide oxidation processes are taking place and supported by a positive correlation with temperature. Dissolution processes of mineral phases indicated by positive association of TDS and EC with Na, Ca and Zn. The data from PCA suggest contributions with potential for active generation of acid mine drainage and dissolution of solid phases influencing the release of PTEs into surface waters.

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Tectono-magmatic controls of post-subduction gold mineralisation during late Caledonian soft continental collision in the Southern Uplands-Down-Longford Terrane, Britain and Ireland: A review

Cited by 11 publications

References 122 publications

The record of coal exploration in the Ordovician-Silurian in the Southern Uplands of Scotland and the north of Ireland

The record of coal exploration in the Ordovician-Silurian in the Southern Uplands of Scotland and the north of Ireland

Geochronology and geodynamics of collision magmatism in the Southern Uplands-Down-Longford Terrane in Scotland and Ireland

Evaluating controls on potentially toxic element release in circum-neutral mine water: a case study from the abandoned Pb–Zn mines of Leadhills and Wanlockhead, South of Scotland, United Kingdom

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