Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
No Thumbnail Available
Publication

Preliminary paragenetic studies of the high grade Island Pod Zn-Pb orebody, Lisheen

2017-03-05, Doran, Aileen, Menuge, Julian, Hollis, Steven P., Güven, John

Irish-type deposits are a series of Zn-Pb orebodies which formed from the carbonate replacement of Lower Carboniferous limestone, triggered primarily by fluid mixing. This project aims to use isotopic (Zn-Cu-S and clumped O-C) techniques to identify geochemical halos and increase our understanding of hydrothermal fluid processes in these deposits.

No Thumbnail Available
Publication

Clumped C-O isotope temperature constraints for carbonate precipitation associated with the Irish-type Lisheen and Navan Zn-Pb orebodies

2017-04-03, Hollis, Steven P., Menuge, Julian, Dennis, Paul, Doran, Aileen, Güven, John, et al.

Mineral C-O isotope values are controlled by crystallization temperature and the isotopic composition of the fluid.

No Thumbnail Available
Publication

Clumped C-O isotope temperature constraints for carbonate precipitation associated with Irish-type Zn-Pb orebodies

2017-08-23, Hollis, Steven P., Menuge, Julian, Doran, Aileen, Güven, John, et al.

Ireland hosts the greatest concentration of discovered zinc per square kilometre on Earth, with production from 5 carbonate-hosted deposits, including the giant Navan deposit. Clumped C-O isotope analyses of carbonates offer a powerful new technique to directly deliver accurate fluid temperatures and precise calculations of fluid O isotope compositions, offering a significant opportunity to refine the evolving genetic models, and develop new vectoring tools for exploration. We present the first clumped C-O isotope results for parageneticallyconstrained carbonate generations from a number of Irishtype Zn-Pb deposits. Preliminary analysis of hanging-wall white matrix breccias from Lisheen show non-systematic temperature variation (~100 to 170°C), with fluid d18OV-SMOW increasing with temperature. Significant variations in temperature at the thin section scale may be indicative of fluid mixing and/or multiple phases of WMB dolomite brecciation. Post-ore pink dolomite at Lisheen, and crosscutting calcite veins formed at significantly lower temperatures (67 to 42°C). Temperatures of 61 to 110°C were obtained for sphalerite-bearing calcite veins in the hanging-wall of the Randalstown Fault near Navan. These veins contain coarse sphalerite interpreted to have been remobilised from the nearby Navan orebody by a single, cool fluid (Marks, 2015). Clumped C-O data will also be presented for samples from Galmoy, Kilbricken and Castlegard ("Pallas Green"), from which existing fluid inclusion constraints are available.

No Thumbnail Available
Publication

A comparison between clumped C-O and fluid inclusion temperatures for carbonates associated with Irish-type Zn-Pb orebodies

2017-08-12, Hollis, Steven P., Doran, Aileen, Menuge, Julian, Güven, John, et al.

Ireland hosts the greatest concentration of discovered zinc per square kilometre on Earth, with past and current production from five Irish-type carbonate-hosted deposits, including the giant Navan deposit. Clumped C-O isotope analysis of carbonate phases offers a powerful new technique to deliver accurate fluid temperatures and fluid O isotope compositions, refining evolving genetic models and developing new tools for exploration.

No Thumbnail Available
Publication

Enhancing current understanding of Irish Zn-Pb mineralization: a closer look at the Island Pod orebody, Lisheen deposit

2017-08-23, Doran, Aileen, Menuge, Julian, Hollis, Steven P., Güven, John, Dennis, Paul

Irish-type deposits are a series of Zn-Pb orebodies, formed from the carbonate replacement of Lower Carboniferous limestone, triggered primarily by fluid mixing. Current understanding of the complex fluid flow and mixing dynamics associated with mineralization is limited. By applying clumped O-C isotope analysis to these deposits, these processes can be constrained. Preliminary paragenetic studies of the Island Pod orebody (0.4 Mt @ 20% Zn & 1.6% Pb) have yielded textural evidence for early fluid mixing of sulphide-rich fluids, in a quiescent, far-from equilibrium environment, resulting in the rapid precipitation of dendritic galena and intergrowths of dolomite and sphalerite. Initial clumped O-C analysis has revealed temperatures of 100-170°C for hanging-wall white matrix breccias that accompanied ore formation. This technique will be used to constrain temperature variations across the orebody, thus yielding information on how the fluid evolved as precipitation continued. A more detailed paragenetic study is underway and will form the foundation of future clumped O-C isotope and Zn-Cu-S isotope analysis.

No Thumbnail Available
Publication

Constraining fluid mixing processes at the Irish-type Lisheen and Navan Zn-Pb orebodies: preliminary evidence from clumped C-O isotopes

2016-09-04, Hollis, Steven P., Menuge, Julian, Dennis, Paul, Güven, John, et al.

Our research has applied the clumped O-C isotope technique to the Irish Zn-Pb ore field. Preliminary clumped C-O data will be presented from the Lisheen Zn-Pb orebody (22.3 Mt mined at 11.7% Zn and 2.0% Pb) [4] along with fluid inclusion data . Samples were analysed from all main carbonate generations across the deposit , including: regional dolomite (D 1), dark grey to black pre-ore hydrother mal dolomite (D 2 ; also known as black-matrix breccia), medium-to-coarse-grained ore-stage white ferroan dolomite (D 3 ; white-matrix breccia) , late veins of ferroan dolomite (D4) and white calcite (C4), post-ore crosscutting pink saddle dolomite (D 5), and post-ore white blocky calcite (C 6). We will discuss existing metallogenetic models for the Lisheen deposit and the potential for clumped C-O analysis to constrain fluid flow pathways and mixing processes, and as a tool for mineral exploration .