Stratiform sulfide, oxide+sulphate deposits
of sedimentary+volcanic environment
Two classes
1. sedimentary environment - sedimentary controls
are important
2. VHMS - in which exhalative processes are
important
1. Sediment-hosted, stratiform base metal
deposits
a) sediment-hosted copper
b) sediment-hosted lead-zinc deposits (SEDEX -
sedimentary exhalative)
Spectrum of
deposits
considered to be
related to
submarine
volcanism and
sedimentation
(Guilbert and Park,
1986).
SEDEX - Sedimentary exhalative deposits
(Sediment-hosted Massive Sulfide Deposits)
Stratiform exhalative sulphide deposits, concordant, massive to
semi-massive accumulations of iron sulphide and sulphate (barite,
anhydrite) that formed on or immediately below the seafloor
penecontemporaneously with their host rocks.
Sphalerite, pyrite and
galena from finely
laminated sedimentary
beds within mudstone
that contains nodular
pyrite in the
uppermudstone
Howard Pass XY
deposit,
Selwyn Basin,
Yukon-Northwest
Territories
SEDEX - Sedimentary exhalative deposits
Sediment-hosted Massive Sulfide Deposits
• More advanced stages of continental rifting.
• Massive to semimassive, conformable sulfide ores that
occur most typically within marine shales or
siltstones.
• Volcanic materials are either minor or absent in the
immediate host rocks, but carbonates and cherts are
present in some cases.
Map of world showing the geological resources of major SEDEX deposits plotted on
digital elevation model with draped geology from Geological Survey of Canada, Open Fil
2915d, 1995.
[Link]
Kesler, 1994
Grade and Tonnage
Important resource for lead and zinc
Account for more than 50 and 60%, respectively, of the
worlds reserve for these elements.
The proportion of the world’s primary production of zinc
and lead from SEDEX deposits is significantly lower.
Reasons:
1. Fine-grained - low recovery.
2. Small change in the minimum grade and thickness of
ore can result in large changes in mining reserves.
3. Known reserves - in SEDEX deposits are not
presently exploited.
Grade versus tonnage plots for
SEDEX (including Irish and
BHT) deposits world-wide with
geological resources of total ore
(A) and Pb + Zn metal (B).
[Link]
Pb-Zn grade vs tonnage
Size of SEDEX deposits is about an order of magnitude
greater than that of VMS deposits.
Proterozoic SEDEX deposits hosted by clastic rocks contain
about 90 Mt of zinc-lead ore, which is about 3 times greater
than the average size of Phanerozoic SEDEX deposits.
SEDEX deposits hosted by carbonate rocks in both age
groups generally contain three to five times less ore than
deposits hosted by clastic rocks.
Settings of sediment-hosted massive
sulfide deposits
Thick to very thick sequences (5-15km) of continental
derived clastics that are considered indicative of either
intracontinental rifts or passive continental margins.
Basins form as either fault-controlled embayments in
continental margins, or as intracratonic rift basins.
Sedimentary rocks include black shales, siltstones,
carbonates, and turbidites.
Deposits lie mostly close to remnants of basinal
structures.
cont.
Stacked lens aspect of many sediment-hosted lead-zinc
deposits reflects the episodic nature of earthquake-related
basin dewatering events.
Question of water-depth during formation of SEDEX
deposits is controversial.
Stromatolites + evaporites suggests shallow water depths.
Delicate banding in some ores indicates tranquil bottom
conditions associated with deeper marine environments.
Some igneous activity, felsic tuffite horizons recognized at
Mt Isa.
Genetic models for SEDEX
deposits:
A. Vent-proximal deposits formed
from buoyant hydrothermal
plume (e.g. Sullivan, B.C.;
Tom and Jason, Yukon;
Rammelsberg, Germany);
B. Vent-distal deposit formed
from a bottom-hugging brine
(e.g. Howards Pass and Anniv,
Yukon; HYC deposit,
Australia).
[Link]
Mineralization
Mutiple stacked lenses of pyrite-galena-sphalerite ore.
Majority contain economically important amounts of silver,
without exceptions they contain little or no copper or gold.
Lateral extent of mineralization is considerable in the larger
deposits and ore zones can extend for several km.
Conformable mineralization occurs over vertical interval of
up to 650m (Mt Isa mine).
In such cases shale beds are interlayered with massive or
semimassive sulfides.
Slow mineralization, several millions of years.
Cont.
Contrast to to many volcanic-hosted massive sulfide
deposits where mineralization probably occurred rapidly.
Ores are fine-grained, deformation, both syndepositional
and postlithification, produced in some deposits
spectacular fold and flowage structures.
Certain SEDEX deposits have significant amounts of
barite associated with the ore, however, the three largest
deposits: Sullivan, Mt. Isa, McArthur River are nearly
barite free.
Ore exhibit zonation of metals in either lateral or vertical
directions or both.
Sullivan, Mt Isa, and McArthur River, lateral zonation with
increasing Zn/Pb ratios towards the margins of orebodies.
Sullivan ore
body,
British
Columbia
(Guilbert and
Park, 1986).
Map of the distribution of major
alteration facies within the Sullivan
graben system (from Turner et al.,
2000).
[Link]
Geological cross-section of the Sullivan deposit (from Lydon et al., 2000a).
[Link]
A. Vent complex ore
Sullivan deposit
Dark grey with white flecks-
gal; light grey-po; black-silica
B. Bedded ore
Sullivan deposit
Grey-sul; dark grey-argillite
C. Bedded ore
Sullivan deposit
Grey-gal, sph, po; black-argill
D. Vent complex
Tom deposit
Grey-py; med grey-ankerite;
White-cc
E. Bedded ore
Tom deposit
Grey-chert; med grey-
sph+sid; light grey-barite
F. Bedded ore
Tom deposit
Grey-barite+sph; black-argill
G. Vent complex (Tom de)
Black-arg; grey-py; white-ank
Tonnes
versus
time
(Goodfellow
et al., 1993)
Number of SEDEX
deposits versus
time
(Goodfellow et al., 1993)
Hydrothermal fluid chemistry
Lack of fluid inclusion studies.
260° C, salinities about 9 wt% NaCl
2.5 times the salinity of present seawater.
Mixing of fluids: 230°C, 8-12 equiv. wt% NaCl from a
deep source with lower temperature, high salinity
fluids of sea floor brine pools and (or) shallow pore
fluids of the carbonate sediments.
Salinities of some SEDEX ore-forming fluids are
several times greater than that of seawater but less
than reported for MVT deposits.
Siting of the hydrothermal system
Conditions:
1. dilatant fault zones.
2. subsurface hydrothermal fluid diapirs above a heat
source.
Sedimentary basin architecture for SEDEX deposits.
[Link]
SEDEX - MVT
Difference:
SEDEX deposits formed at or below the sea-floor (in the
case of feeder mineralization), whereas MVT deposits
formed in open spaces within carbonate sequences.
Characteristics of sediment-hosted
deposits
Characteristic MVT Irish-type SEDEX
Host rock Dolostone or Lowest Shale or
limestone nonargillaceous carbonate rocks
unit
Depositional Platform Shallow marine Intracontinental
Environment carbonate platforms failed rifts or
sequences in adjacent to rifted continental
extensional normal faults; margins
settings also localised
basin margins
Sulfides Typically occur Massive sulfides Laminated,
as carbonate which exhibit parallel to
replacement lateral metal bedding
zonation
Metal source Basinal brines Bacteriogenic Deep formational
with approx. 10- origin hypersaline
15/06/2012 30 [Link]
percent 33 brines
