Fluid mixing forms basement-hosted Pb-Zn deposits: Insight from metal and halogen geochemistry of individual fluid inclusions
2013-04-17

Research Article| June 01, 2013 Fluid mixing forms basement-hosted Pb-Zn deposits: Insight from metal and halogen geochemistry of individual fluid inclusions Tobias Fusswinkel; Tobias Fusswinkel 1Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, ETH Zurich, Clausiusstrasse 25, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Thomas Wagner; Thomas Wagner 2Department of Geosciences and Geography, Division of Geology, University of Helsinki, Gustaf Hällströmin katu 2a, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Markus Wälle; Markus Wälle 1Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, ETH Zurich, Clausiusstrasse 25, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Thomas Wenzel; Thomas Wenzel 3Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Wilhelmstrasse 56, D-72074 Tübingen, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Christoph A. Heinrich; Christoph A. Heinrich 1Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, ETH Zurich, Clausiusstrasse 25, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Gregor Markl Gregor Markl 3Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Wilhelmstrasse 56, D-72074 Tübingen, Germany Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Tobias Fusswinkel 1Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, ETH Zurich, Clausiusstrasse 25, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland Thomas Wagner 2Department of Geosciences and Geography, Division of Geology, University of Helsinki, Gustaf Hällströmin katu 2a, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland Markus Wälle 1Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, ETH Zurich, Clausiusstrasse 25, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland Thomas Wenzel 3Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Wilhelmstrasse 56, D-72074 Tübingen, Germany Christoph A. Heinrich 1Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, ETH Zurich, Clausiusstrasse 25, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland Gregor Markl 3Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Wilhelmstrasse 56, D-72074 Tübingen, Germany Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 02 Oct 2012 Revision Received: 08 Jan 2013 Accepted: 20 Jan 2013 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2013 Geological Society of America Geology (2013) 41 (6): 679–682. https://doi.org/10.1130/G34092.1 Article history Received: 02 Oct 2012 Revision Received: 08 Jan 2013 Accepted: 20 Jan 2013 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Tobias Fusswinkel, Thomas Wagner, Markus Wälle, Thomas Wenzel, Christoph A. Heinrich, Gregor Markl; Fluid mixing forms basement-hosted Pb-Zn deposits: Insight from metal and halogen geochemistry of individual fluid inclusions. Geology 2013;; 41 (6): 679–682. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G34092.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Fluid mixing across unconformities between crystalline basement and overlying sedimentary basins is commonly invoked as an efficient chemical mechanism for ore deposition, but the origin of basement brines and the process of ore formation have rarely been linked by direct evidence. Using laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry microanalysis of individual fluid inclusions with an improved detection approach for anion components, we determined simultaneously the ore metal concentrations and the Cl/Br ratio in texturally well constrained inclusion assemblages from a basement-hosted quartz-fluorite-barite-Pb-Zn vein system. An inverse correlation between the Pb + Zn concentrations and the Cl/Br mass ratios in the fluid inclusions provides clear evidence for mixing of a basement-derived metal-rich brine and a metal-poor formation water that acquired its salinity from halite dissolution in Triassic evaporites of the sedimentary cover. This mixing of two distinct brines with comparable salinity is recorded during the growth of individual quartz crystals containing small galena inclusions, demonstrating the transient and episodic nature of fluid mixing during mineral deposition. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.