Sulfur and Lead Isotope Characteristics of the Greens Creek Polymetallic Massive Sulfide Deposit, Admiralty Island, Southeastern Alaska
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Sulfur and Lead Isotope Characteristics of the Greens Creek Polymetallic Massive Sulfide Deposit, Admiralty Island, Southeastern Alaska By Cliff D. Taylor, Wayne R. Premo, and Craig A. Johnson Chapter 10 of Geology, Geochemistry, and Genesis of the Greens Creek Massive Sulfide Deposit, Admiralty Island, Southeastern Alaska Edited by Cliff D. Taylor and Craig A. Johnson Professional Paper 1763 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................................241 Introduction.................................................................................................................................................241 Regional and District Setting ...................................................................................................................242 Terrane Relationships ......................................................................................................................242 District Geology ..........................................................................................................................................242 Deposit Geology .........................................................................................................................................243 Mine Sequence Nomenclature and Stratigraphy .......................................................................243 Ore Types and Ore Mineralogy ................................................................................................................244 Ore Distribution: Ore-Type Zonation and Metal Zoning .......................................................................245 Previous Sulfur and Lead Isotope Studies ............................................................................................246 Methods.......................................................................................................................................................247 Lead Isotope Analyses .....................................................................................................................247 Sulfur Isotope Analyses ...................................................................................................................247 Isotopic Data...............................................................................................................................................247 Sulfur Isotopes ..................................................................................................................................247 Lead Isotopes ....................................................................................................................................261 Interpretation of Sulfur Isotopes ....................................................................................................271 Interpretation of Lead Isotope Data .......................................................................................................276 Conclusions.................................................................................................................................................280 Acknowledgments .....................................................................................................................................280 References Cited........................................................................................................................................280 Figures 1. Composite stratigraphic column of the Upper Triassic section at the Greens Creek mine, northern Admiralty Island ...................................................................243 2. Plan view map of the Greens Creek mine showing the spatial distribution of major orebodies and major structures .............................................................................245 3. Histogram showing the distribution of all sulfide and sulfate δ34S values obtained from the Greens Creek deposit ..............................................................................248 4. Greens Creek sulfide sulfur isotope data sorted by: (A) mineral texture, (B) mine location, and (C) type of host rock .........................................................................249 5. Comparison of sulfide sulfur isotope data in footwall versus hanging-wall lithologies ...................................................................................................................................260 6. Sulfide sulfur isotope data sorted by mineralogy and ore type ........................................263 7. Sulfide and barite sulfur isotope data from host rocks and occurrences elsewhere on Admiralty Island ...............................................................................................263 8. Plot showing the range of galena lead isotopic compositions from Greens Creek ore and several occurrences on Admiralty Island ..................................................268 9. Plot showing the range of lead isotopic compositions of pyrargyrite and tetrahedrite from Greens Creek ore, and compared to galena from Greens Creek (shaded field) and from several occurrences on Admiralty Island ......................269 10. Plot showing the range of lead isotopic compositions of sphalerite and pyrite from Greens Creek ore, and compared to galena from Greens Creek (shaded field) and from several occurrences on Admiralty Island ..................................270 11. Plot showing the range of lead isotopic compositions of pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, and several ore bands from Greens Creek, and compared to galena from Greens Creek and from several occurrences on Admiralty Island ..................................272 12. Plots showing δ34S versus 207Pb/204Pb and 206Pb/204Pb isotopic data for ores and sulfides in the Greens Creek deposit and for sulfides from Late Triassic and other mineral occurrences on Admiralty Island. .................................................................273 13. Figure showing calculated ranges of various major processes of sulfate reduction compared to the histogram showing the range of all sulfide and sulfate δ34S analyses from the Greens Creek deposit ........................................................275 14. Plot comparing Greens Creek sulfide lead data with initial lead values at 215 Ma for argillites as well as many of the metabasalts and metagabbros of the area, including other Admiralty Island host rock samples, presumably of the same age .........................................................................................................................277 15. Plot (206Pb/204Pb versus 207Pb/204Pb) showing a comparison of the range of Greens Creek lead isotope values to those from other Alaskan VMS deposits of various ages ......279 Tables 1. Greens Creek sulfur isotope data, sample locations, and descriptions for samples from drill core and underground exposures ........................................................252 2. Sulfur isotope data, sample locations, and descriptions for samples from Admiralty Island host rocks and mineral occurrences ......................................................258 3. Uranium-thorium-lead (U-Th-Pb) isotope data, sample locations, and descriptions of ores and sulfide minerals from the Greens Creek mine, and mineral occurrences and host rocks on Admiralty Island .........................................264 Sulfur and Lead Isotope Characteristics of the Greens Creek Polymetallic Massive Sulfide Deposit, Admiralty Island, Southeastern Alaska Cliff D. Taylor, Wayne R. Premo, and Craig A. Johnson Abstract line overlaps the field of Late Triassic age basalts and gabbros. The 207Pb-enriched end is poorly constrained but permissive of Sulfur isotopic analyses were obtained for 221 sulfide lead extraction from the hanging-wall argillites. mineral separates and bulk ore samples and 14 barite separates taken from the mine workings and underground drill core. Also, 55 sulfide mineral separates and 4 barites from mineral occur- Introduction rences and country rock elsewhere on Admiralty Island were analyzed. Pyrite δ34S values span the range –38 to 2 per mil, In this chapter we describe the results of a comprehen- and chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and galena values cluster tightly sive study of the sulfur and lead isotopic characteristics of the between –11 and –16 per mil. Sphalerite-galena mineral pairs Greens Creek ores. We have attempted to sample in such a display consistent isotopic fractionations corresponding to an manner as to allow evaluation of the isotopic variations within equilibrium temperature of about 300 degrees Celsius. Primary- the deposit in a spatial as well as temporal/textural context. textured sulfides are generally more 34S-depleted than recrystal- Thus, we have analyzed all of the major sulfide minerals lized or remobilized sulfides, and the most 34S-enriched values present in the deposit and have obtained a series of footwall occur in the smaller and more distally located orebodies. On a to hanging-wall profiles, primarily in drill core and several deposit scale the most 34S-enriched sulfides are near the footwall underground crosscuts, in each of the six major orebodies of igneous rocks and white siliceous ores. The progression toward the mine. For each analysis the type of ore or host rock has 34S-depleted sulfides roughly follows the ore paragenesis from been noted, as has the primary, recrystallized, or remobilized