Variations of sulphur isotope signatures in sulphides from the metamorphosed Ming Cu(−Au) volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit, Newfoundland Appalachians, Canada

Brueckner, Stefanie M.; Piercey, Stephen J.; Layne, Graham D.; Piercey, Glenn; Sylvester, Paul J.

doi:10.1007/s00126-014-0567-7

Cited by 47 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…pyrite alternate with intense microfracturing and blow-apart and porphyroclastic textures, locally developing pressure shadows. Very similar textural relationships and gradations are described in other VMS-bearing districts worldwide that underwent low-grade metamorphism, such as the Iberian Pyrite Belt (Velasco et al, 1998), the Appalachians (Brueckner et al, 2015) or the Norwegian Caledonides (Cook et al, 1993;Barrie et al, 2010;Lockington et al, 2014).…”

Section: Sulfide Formation Deformation Geochemistry and Deriving Cosupporting

confidence: 57%

“…Three main sources of sulfur to precipitate sulfides in VMS deposits are inferred: 1) inorganic reduction of seawater sulfate; 2) magmatic sulfur, either from a direct contribution from a vapor-rich magmatic fluid or after leaching of the volcanic host rocks; and 3) sulfur from microbial activity in reduced sediments by means of bacterial sulfate reduction (Sangster, 1976;Ohmoto, 1986;Solomon et al, 1988Solomon et al, , 2004Stanton, 1990;Çagatay and Eastoe, 1995;Shanks III et al, 1995;Ohmoto and Goldhaber, 1997;Herzig et al, 1998;Hoefs, 2009;Brueckner et al, 2015).…”

Section: Source Of Sulfurmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the many parameters that can influence sulfur isotopic value and fractionation (e.g. water/rock ratios, physico-chemical parameters such as T, pH, fO 2 , fS 2 , the sulfur isotopic composition of igneous wall rocks etc., Brueckner et al, 2015) prevent developing strong arguments for the source(s) of sulfur. Magmatic fluid influence is further discussed in section 9.4 below.…”

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mineralogy, geochemistry and sulfur isotope characterization of Cerro de Maimón (Dominican Republic), San Fernando and Antonio (Cuba) lower Cretaceous VMS deposits: Formation during subduction initiation of the proto-Caribbean lithosphere within a fore-arc

Torró

Proenza

Melgarejo

et al. 2016

Ore Geology Reviews

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Section: Sulfide Formation Deformation Geochemistry and Deriving Cosupporting

confidence: 57%

Section: Source Of Sulfurmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mineralogy, geochemistry and sulfur isotope characterization of Cerro de Maimón (Dominican Republic), San Fernando and Antonio (Cuba) lower Cretaceous VMS deposits: Formation during subduction initiation of the proto-Caribbean lithosphere within a fore-arc

Torró

Proenza

Melgarejo

et al. 2016

Ore Geology Reviews

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“…To exclude exotic material in the polished surface from analysis, each spot was first presputtered for 120-150 s with a 25-μm-wide square Goodfellow and Jonasson (1984) raster applied to the beam. Depending on the minimum diameter of the critically focused primary beam during each session, a smaller square raster (5 to 15 μm wide) was applied to the beam during analysis, to improve the homogeneity of primary ion delivery (Brueckner et al 2015 S 0.2 ‰) at the beginning of and throughout each day. An identical procedure was followed for galena analyses, which used the reference material HT10 (galena; δ 34 S 13.6 ‰).…”

Section: Sediment-hosted Zn-pb Depositsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An identical procedure was followed for galena analyses, which used the reference material HT10 (galena; δ 34 S 13.6 ‰). Analyses performed within a 14-min time interval routinely yield internal precisions on individual δ 34 S determinations of better than ±0.4 ‰ (1σ) (Brueckner et al 2015). Overall reproducibility, based on replicate standard analyses, is typically better than ±0.5 ‰ (1σ).…”

Section: Sediment-hosted Zn-pb Depositsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The world-class Howard’s Pass SEDEX Zn-Pb district, Selwyn Basin, Yukon. Part II: the roles of thermochemical and bacterial sulfate reduction in metal fixation

et al. 2016

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The Howard's Pass district of sedimentary exhalative (SEDEX) Zn-Pb deposits is located in Yukon Territory and comprises 14 Zn-Pb deposits that contain an estimated 400.7 Mt of sulfide mineralization grading 4.5 % Zn and 1.5 % Pb. Mineralization is hosted in carbonaceous and calcareous and, to a lesser extent, siliceous mudstones. Pyrite is a minor but ubiquitous mineral in the host rocks stratigraphically above, within, and below mineralization. Petrographic analyses reveal that pyrite has a complex and protracted growth history, preserving multiple generations of pyrite within single grains. Sulfur isotope analysis of paragenetically complex pyrite by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) reveals that sulfur isotope compositions vary with textural zonation. Within the Zn-Pb deposits, framboidal pyrite is the earliest pyrite generation recognized, and this exclusively has negative δ 34 S values (mean = −16.6 ± 4.1 ‰; n = 55), whereas paragenetically later pyrite and galena possess positive δ 34 S values (mean = 29.1 ± 7.5 and 22.4 ± 3.0 ‰, n = 13 and 13, respectively). Previous studies found that sphalerite and galena mineral separates have exclusively positive δ 34S values (mean = 16.8 ± 3.3 and 12.7 ± 2.8 ‰, respectively; Goodfellow and Jonasson 1986). These distinct sulfur isotope values are interpreted to reflect varying contributions of bacterially reduced seawater sulfate (negative; framboidal pyrite) and thermochemically reduced seawater sulfate and/or hydrothermal sulfate (positive; galena, sphalerite, later forms of pyrite). Textural evidence indicates that framboidal pyrite predates galena and sphalerite deposition. Collectively, the in situ and bulk sulfur isotope data are much more complex than δ 34 S values permitted by prevailing genetic models that invoke only biogenically reduced sulfur and coeval deposition of galena, sphalerite, and framboidal pyrite within a euxinic water column, and we present several lines of evidence that argue against this model. Indeed, the new data indicate that much of the base metal sulfide mineralization was emplaced below the sedimentwater interface within sulfidic muds under reducing conditions during early diagenesis. Furthermore, thermochemical sulfate reduction provided most of the reduced sulfur within the Zn-Pb deposits.

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Light Stable Isotopes in Volcanic-Hosted Massive Sulfide Ore Systems

Huston

LaFlamme

Beaudoin

et al. 2023

Mineral Resource Reviews

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Volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) deposits, the ancient analogues of “black smoker” deposits that currently form on the seafloor, are the products of complex mineral systems involving the interaction of seawater with the underlying volcanic pile and associated magmatic intrusions. Light stable isotopes, particularly those of oxygen, hydrogen and sulfur, have had a strong influence in determining sources of ore fluids and sulfur as well as elucidating geological processes important in the VHMS mineral systems. Oxygen and hydrogen isotope data indicate that evolved seawater was the dominant ore-forming fluid in VHMS mineral systems through geological time, although a small proportion of deposits, including high sulfidation and tin-rich deposits, may have a significant, or dominant, magmatic-hydrothermal fluid component. Higher-temperature (> 200 °C) interaction of evolved seawater alters the rock pile below the seafloor, producing δ18O depletion anomalies at the deposit and district scales that can be used as a vector to ore. In contrast, lower-temperature hydrothermal alteration results in δ18O-enriched zones that commonly cap mineralized positions. An apparent decrease in the degree of high temperature 18O depletion with time may relate to the increasing importance of felsic-dominated host successions in younger deposits. δ18O anomalies have potential as an exploration tool, and have contributed directly to discovery. The other important contribution of stable isotopes to understanding the VHMS mineral system is quantification of the contribution of sulfur sources. Conventional δ34S data, when combined with Δ33S data acquired using recently developed technologies, indicate that the dominant sulfur source is igneous sulfur, either leached from the volcanic pile or introduced as a magmatic volatile (these sources are not distinguishable). The thermochemical reduction of seawater sulfate is also an important, but subordinate, sulfur source. Estimation of the proportion of seawater sulfate with geological age indicate that, on average, it has increased from 5–10% in the Archean to 20–25% in the Phanerozoic. This most likely reflects the increase in seawater sulfate contents through geological time. Although untested as an exploration tool, variations in sulfur isotope data may have utility is discriminating fertile from barren sulfide accumulations or providing vectors to ores at the deposits scale. As exploration tools, light stable isotopes suffer from a relatively high cost and slow turn-around time. If these limitations can be overcome, and new analytical methods can be developed, light stable isotopes may emerge as another tool for exploration, particularly as discoveries are made at greater depth and under cover.

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Variations of sulphur isotope signatures in sulphides from the metamorphosed Ming Cu(−Au) volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit, Newfoundland Appalachians, Canada

Cited by 47 publications

References 40 publications

Mineralogy, geochemistry and sulfur isotope characterization of Cerro de Maimón (Dominican Republic), San Fernando and Antonio (Cuba) lower Cretaceous VMS deposits: Formation during subduction initiation of the proto-Caribbean lithosphere within a fore-arc

Mineralogy, geochemistry and sulfur isotope characterization of Cerro de Maimón (Dominican Republic), San Fernando and Antonio (Cuba) lower Cretaceous VMS deposits: Formation during subduction initiation of the proto-Caribbean lithosphere within a fore-arc

The world-class Howard’s Pass SEDEX Zn-Pb district, Selwyn Basin, Yukon. Part II: the roles of thermochemical and bacterial sulfate reduction in metal fixation

Light Stable Isotopes in Volcanic-Hosted Massive Sulfide Ore Systems

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