COEXISTING GALENA, Pbso and SULFOSALTS
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Canodian Mineralogist Yol.26, pp. 355-376(1988) COEXISTINGGALENA, PbSo AND SULFOSALTS:EVIDENCE FOR MULTIPLE EPISODESOF MINERALIZATIONIN THE ROUND MOUNTAIN AND MANHARAN GOLD DISTRICTS.NEVADA EUGENE E. FOORD ANDDANIEL R. SHAWE M.S. 905, U.S. GeologicalSuney, Box 25046,Denver Federal Cmter, Lakewood, Colorado 80225, U.S.A. NANCY M. CONKLIN M.S. 928,U.S. GeologicalSumey, Box 25M6, DenverFederal Center, Lokewood, Colorado 80225, U.S.A. ABSTRACT CuSIg) i compositionvariable, provenantdes disfiicts auri- fbres de Round Mountaitr et de Manhattan, au Nevada, Studies of galena and Pb-Bi Ag-Cu(I{g) sulfosalts of confirment la pr€sencede plusieurs 6pisodesdistincts de varied compositions in the Round Mountain and Manhat- mindralisation, dont temoiguent les diff€rents champs de tan gold districts of Nevada corroborate the occurrenceof composition et assemblagesde min€raux. Si les dpisodes severaldistinct mineralizedsystems characterized by differ- de mindralisation sont li6s d divers 6v6nements ent mineral compositions and assemblages.The different magmatiques-hydrothermaux,d'6ge cr6tac6i tertiaire, en mineralization related episodesof are to different Creta- revanche I'attribution de compositions et d'associations ceous and Tertiary magnatic-hydrotiermal events, sp6cifiquesd des6v6nements de min6ralisation d'6ge connu although the assignmentof specific mineral compositions demeureincomplEte. A la mine Fairview, la galOneassoci€e and associations with dated mineralized systems is still aux sulfosels Pb-Bi-Ag et aux sulfures simples se trouve incomplete. galena At the Fairview mine, associatedwith e! intercroissancesdont la composition globale d6finit des Pb-Bi-Ag inter- sulfosalts and simple sulfides @curs as ft€roupsments €Nrtermes de teneur en argent et en bismuth. growths of discretely different composition controlled by Nous avonstrouvd une composition intermddiairede galine galena-type phase silver and bismuth content. A @bSo) (PbSs, Gal60Mata6) enrichie dans Ie terme matildite with solid solution toward matildite, (composition fuBi$ AgBiq. Si l'argent et, i un degrdmoindre, le bismuth sont Gal6sMatao)was found. If silver and, to a lesser extent, absents, la galbne form6e par exsolution est par contre bismuth are absent, the galenaformed will be pure almost presque stoechiom6trique. L'antimoine, en faibles quan- PbS. Some minor antimony may substitute for bismuth. titds, peut remplacer le bismuth. Ces r&ultats confirment This study confirms a linear relationshipbetween a cell edge la relation lindaire entre le param€tre rdticulaire a et la and Ag-Bi(Sb) for galena less content containing than about proportion de Ag-Bi(Sb) dans la galbnepour des teneurs 15 wt. 9o Ag and B(Sb). Other Pb-Bi-Ag-Cu(Hg) sulfides (en poids) infdrieures i l5Vo Ag + Bi(Sb) environ. On a from and sulfosaltsidentified the districts are bismuthinile, pu identifio d'autres sulfures et sulfosels de Pb-Bi-Ag- galenobismutite,lillianite-gustavite, aikinite, friedrichit{?), CUGIg)r bismuthinite, galenobismutite,lillianire-gustavite, hammarite, ourayite, and berryite(?). PhasesX and Y, aikinite, friedrichite(?), hammarite, ourayite, et berryite(?). mercury-bearingPb-Bi-Ag-Cu sulfosalts (most likely new On siguale la pr€sencedes phasesXet I, sulfosels de Pb- species),and coloradoite were recognized from Out- the Bi-fu-Cu mercurifdres,qui sont probablementde nouvelles law prospect southeast of Round Montain. Multiple epi- espece$,ainsi que la coloradoite, dans I'indice min6ralisd mineralization (i) sodes of are supported by: coexisting de Outlaw, au sud-est de Round Mountain. Les facteurs galena, and complex sulfosalts of widely varied com- PbSo suivantsindiquent qu'il s'agit d'une multiplicit6 d'6pisodes positions and with textures that indicate successivereplace- de mindralisationl (i) une coexistencede galCne,de PbSo, ment; (ii) a characteristic but commonly incomplete para- et de sulfosels complexesd compositions trbs variables et genesis mineral (early hiibnerite, molybdenite, of species e textures qui indiquent une successiond'6pisodes de rem- galena, intermediate galena sphalerite, and chalcopyrite; plac€rnent;(ii) une paragen&ecaract6ri$tique mais typique- and Pb-Bi-Ag sulfosalts; late tetrahedrite-tennantite, ment incompldte de min€raux: hubnerite, molybd6nite, galena(?), chalcopyrite(?), covellite, and mercurian galdne, sphal6rite et chalcopyrite (prdcoces),galdne et sul- geologically geochem- minerals), some of which can be or foselsPb-Bi-Ag (intermdiaire), et tetraedrite-tennantite, (iii) ically correlated with dated deposits;and mineral com- galbne(?), chalcopyrite(?), covelline et min€raux de mer- positions (Sb:Bi as indicators of temperature of deposition cure (tardifs); danscerlains cas, dc corr6lationsg6ologiques <0.06, T 2m-3@'C; Sb:Bi >6.0-13, f 100-160'C). et g6ochimiquessont possible avecdes gftes min€raux dont l'6ge est connu; et (iii) les indicateurs de tempdrature de galena, Keywords: PbSo, Pb-Bi Ag-Cu(Hg) sulfosalts, formation i partir des compositions min6rales (Sb:Bi Round Mountain, Manhattan, Nevada. <0.06, T 200-3@oC;Sb:Bi > 6.0-13,T 100-160'C). (fraduit par la Rddaction) SoMMAIRE Mots-clds: galEne, PbSo, sulfosels Pb-Bi-Ag-Cu(Hg), Nos €tudes de galbne et des sulfosels de Pb-Bi-Ag- Round Mountaia, Menhattan, Nevada. 355 356 THE CANADIAN MINERALOCIST I 17000' MOUNTJEMRSON CALDERA f contact NEVAOA -z- ovu. Elv Round a Samole localltY \ a \ Manhdan and numDer a 8O-30 7+'142ab 7918 km ROUNDMOUNIAIN 'ffiihFatvts mhe Romd Mostaln gold nlne ROUNDMOUNTAIN LOBE OFfiE GRANITEOF SHOSHONEMOUNTAIN I -.----...\cAlvYoil_, \-.s..j_.. \ ..,-''-...- i \-._-. .._..._..\.q,ng:..i;.r/ 38037',30" Ftc. l. Simplified geologic map of the Round Mountain quadrangle, showing locations of areas studied. Qa, Quater- nary alluvium; Tv, Tertiaryvolcanicrccks (-24-27 Ma); Tg, Tertiarygranodioritestock (35 Ma); Tr, Tertiary rhyolite dykes (35 Ma); Kg, Cretaceousgranite (-80-95 Ma); Pzsm, Paleozoicsedimentary and metamorphicrocks. MINERALIZATION IN GOLD DISTRICTS' NEVADA 357 INTRoDUCTIoN GEoLocYoF THELocettttss STuPtBo As a part of the detailed geological mapping and The southernToquima Range,in which the Round mineral resoruceappraisal of the southern Toquima Mountain and Manhattan gold districts occur, is an Range, Nye County, Nevada, the mineralogy and area of complex geology that evolved over a long paragenesesof the sulfides and coexisting Pb-Bi- period of time. Paleozoicmarine sedimentary rocks Ag-Cu sulfosalts from many of the mines and consistof Cambrian and Ordovician mostly transi- prospectsin the areawere investigated @igs. l, 2). tional facies argillite, quartzite, and carbonate that Physically and chemically different generations of were fault-thrust eastwardas the Roberts Mountains galena and sulfosalts have been recognized.In addi- allochthon during the late Devonian to Mississippian tion, field mapping, radiometric dating, and petro- Antler orogeny. Other thrust-fault events followed graphic and geochemicalstudies indicate a complex in later Paleozoicand Mesozoictimes, and they ter- sequenceof igneous activity and multiple episodes minated when granitic plutons were emplaced into of mineralization (Shawe1985, 1986,Shawe et al. the sedimentary rocks in the Cretaceous. Tertiary 1986).These studies collectively have clarified the igneousactivity involved emplacementof stocksand geological history of severalmineral deposits in the dykes, and formation of severalcalderas accompa- area, in particular the large gold-silver deposit at nied by eruption of voluminous silicic ash-flow tuffs. Round Mountain. Hydrothermal mineral deposits were formed or lrrfnl'' 3SsJ,grr- 0 I MltS F----lJ 'I O KTOMETER MANI.IATTAN CALI'E8A Frc. 2. Simplified map of the Manhattan quadrangje, showing locations of areas studied. Legend as on Figure l. 358 THE CANADIAN MINERALOCIST remineralizedin associationwith emplacementof the quarfz,.Pyrite contains sparsetiny cubesof galena, various igneousbodies. Locations of each of the and galenalikewise contains rare tiny cubesof pyrite, prospects mines and examinedare shown on Figures suggestingpossible contemporaneousformation of I and 2. the minerals. Sulfosalt minerals are molded around Following emplacementof granite plutons, a var- broken grains of pyrite and molybdenite flakes. iety of small, mosfly uneconomicbase- and precious- Covellite occurs as a replacementof and a fracture metal veins and tungsten-bearing tactite and vein filling in galena.Muscovite fills shearsin quartz and depositsformed at 75-80 Ma in the granite and in lines vein margins, and sparsehiibnerite occurs as nearby Paleozoic carbonate and clastic rocks. The 1iny, l- to 2-mmJong crystals embeddedin massive tactite and vein deposits characteristically contain white vein quartz. Limonite is a cornmon alteration pyrite, sphalerite, galena, and chalcopyrite as initial mineral a1the Fairview mine. Anglesite and cerus- components. Other sulfide and sulfosalt minerals in site are weathering products of galena. the deposits appear to be the products of younger mineralizing events on the basis of textural critera. Lead-Silver For example, tetrahedrite-tennantite typically fills King prospect vugs in quartz, is molded around earty sumde The Lead-Silver King prospect Iies in a zone of minerals, or fills fractures in broken sulfide mineral base-and precious-metalmineral depositsalong the grains in someof the quartz veins. Tungsten-bearing southwesternmargin of the Mount Jeffersoncaldera. veins granite in were remineralizedwith copper, lead An intensely sheared,mineralized zone