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New constraints on fluid sources in orogenic gold deposits, Victoria, Australia

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Abstract

Fluid inclusion microthermometry, Raman spectroscopy and noble gas plus halogen geochemistry, complemented by published stable isotope data, have been used to assess the origin of gold-rich fluids in the Lachlan Fold Belt of central Victoria, south-eastern Australia. Victorian gold deposits vary from large turbidite-hosted ‘orogenic’ lode and disseminated-stockwork gold-only deposits, formed close to the metamorphic peak, to smaller polymetallic gold deposits, temporally associated with later post-orogenic granite intrusions. Despite the differences in relative timing, metal association and the size of these deposits, fluid inclusion microthermometry indicates that all deposits are genetically associated with similar low-salinity aqueous, CO2-bearing fluids. The majority of these fluid inclusions also have similar 40Ar/36Ar values of less than 1500 and 36Ar concentrations of 2.6–58 ppb (by mass) that are equal to or much greater than air-saturation levels (1.3–2.7 ppb). Limited amounts of nitrogen-rich fluids are present at a local scale and have the highest measured 40Ar/36Ar values of up to 5,700, suggesting an external or distinct source compared to the aqueous fluids. The predominance of low-salinity aqueous–carbonic fluids with low 40Ar/36Ar values, in both ‘orogenic’ and ‘intrusion-related’ gold deposits, is attributed to fluid production from common basement volcano-sedimentary sequences and fluid interaction with sedimentary cover rocks (turbidites). Aqueous fluid inclusions in the Stawell–Magdala deposit of western Victoria (including those associated with N2) preserve mantle-like Br/Cl and I/Cl values. In contrast, fluid inclusions in deposits in the eastern structural zones, which contain more abundant shales, have elevated molar I/Cl ratios with maximum values of 5,170 × 10−6 in the Melbourne Zone. Br/I ratios in this zone range from 0.5 to 3.0 that are characteristic of fluid interaction with organic-rich sediments. The maximum I/Cl and characteristic Br/I ratios provide evidence for organic Br and I released during metamorphism of the shales. Therefore, the regional data provide strong evidence for the involvement of sedimentary components in gold mineralisation, but are consistent with deeper metamorphic fluid sources from basement volcano-sedimentary rocks. The overlying sediments are probably involved in gold mineralisation via fluid–rock interaction.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks are due to Gordon Holm for thin section preparation, Asaf Raza and Abaz Alimanovic for assistance in mineral separation, Stanislav Szczepanski for technical assistance in the Noble Gas Laboratory and Andy Tomkins for assistance with the microthermometry determinations. BF thanks Bill Birch, Ross Cayley, Allison Dugdale, Megan Hough, Lawrence Leader, David Moore, Peter O’Shea, Tim Rawling, Bas van Riel and Stan White for guidance on regional- to deposit-scale geology and fruitful discussions. GeoScience Victoria and the Australian Research Council (LP0882157) are acknowledged for financial support. We are also indebted to Alliance Resources, Bendigo Mining, Northgate (formerly Perseverance), Lihir Gold and GeoScience Victoria (Ken Sherry, Avi Olshina) for access to mine sites/drill core libraries and to Bill Birch and Lawrence Leader for provision of particular samples. An earlier version of this paper has greatly benefited from thoroughly reviews by Alfons van den Kerkhof and an anonymous referee.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia

    Bin Fu, Mark A. Kendrick, Alison M. Fairmaid, David Phillips & Christopher J. L. Wilson

  2. Onshore Energy and Minerals Division, Geoscience Australia, PO Box 378, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia

    Terrence P. Mernagh

Authors
  1. Bin Fu
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  2. Mark A. Kendrick
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  3. Alison M. Fairmaid
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  4. David Phillips
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  5. Christopher J. L. Wilson
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  6. Terrence P. Mernagh
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bin Fu.

Additional information

Communicated by J. L. R. Touret.

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Fu, B., Kendrick, M.A., Fairmaid, A.M. et al. New constraints on fluid sources in orogenic gold deposits, Victoria, Australia. Contrib Mineral Petrol 163, 427–447 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-011-0678-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-011-0678-4

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