Volcanic-associated massive sulfide deposits: processes and examples in modern and ancient settings / by C. Tucker Barrie and Mark D. Hannington, editors.
Contributors: Barrie, C.T.; Hannington, M.D.
Series: Reviews in economic geology 8
Publisher: Society of Economic Geology
Place of publication: Littleton
Language: eng
Number of pages: 408
Subjects: Hydrothermal alteration; Ore deposits; Sulphide minerals; Sulphides
Description: This volume attempts to provide a balanced view of  VMS systems, with descriptions of the processes involved in VMS formation and of important examples representing a variety of VMS deposits and districts, in modern and ancient settings. It is not meant to be a comprehensive review; rather, it presents a spectrum of current ideas based on research since the benchmark paper of Franklin et al. (1981).  The contributions are divided into two parts. In Part I, reviews of the most significant geological, physical and chemical processes involved in the formation of land-based and seafloor VMS deposits are presented. These include: the volcanology of subaqueous settings and the relationship between volcanology and  VMS systems by Gibson et al.; structural aspects of magmatism and hydrothermal circulation in ocean floor and ophiolitic settings by Harper; the relationship between magma chemistry and hydrothermal venting, with emphasis on the thickened oceanic crust in the Galapagos area by Perfit et al., and more generally in bimodal volcanic settings by Barrett and MacLean; hydrothermal alteration of the oceanic crust by Alt; fluid-rock interactions in VMS systems as recorded by stable isotope systematics by Huston; the metal transport capabilities of hydrothermal fluids by Seyfried et al.; precious metal enrichment associations and processes in VMS systems by Hannington et al.; and heat and fluid flow in VMS systems by Barrie et al.

	In Part II, descriptions of land-based and seafloor deposits or districts are given, within the context of the processes described in Part I.  They are arranged in an order from primitive, mafic-dominant systems to evolved, felsic and sedimentary rock-dominant systems, similar to the order in the classification scheme described below.  Deposits in mafic-dominant, ophiolitic settings are described by Galley and Koski.  Many of these deposits are believed to represent supra-subduction zone tectonic settings, and they provide the closest comparison to mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal vent fields.  A review of the giant Kidd Creek deposit of the Late Archean Abitibi subprovince by Barrie et al. provides a view of a bimodal-mafic, primitive arc VMS setting.  The largest Besshi-type, or mafic-siliciclastic type VMS deposit in the world at Windy Craggy, British Columbia is described by Peter and Scott.  In a broad sense, modern analogs for deposits like Windy Craggy are described by Goodfellow and Zierenberg in their paper on massive sulfide-forming hydrothermal systems in sediment-covered oceanic spreading centers.  Felsic volcanic and sedimentary-influenced VMS systems are found in more mature volcanic or continental arc settings.  These types are represented in this volume by the precious metal-rich Eskay Creek deposit, described by Roth et al., and the incredibly prolific Iberian Pyrite Belt of Portugal and Spain, described by Carvalho et al.
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