TY - JOUR

T1 - Syngenetic Pb-Zn-Cu sulphide mineralization in 1.8 Ga subaerial volcanic rocks, southeastern Sweden

AU - Sundblad, Krister

PY - 1997/1/1

Y1 - 1997/1/1

N2 - A Pb-Zn-Cu-(As-W)-bearing sulphide mineralization, hosted by the 1800 Ma Småland volcanics, has been investigated at Ålatorp, 40 km ENE of Växjö in southeastern Sweden. The Ålatorp deposit was subject to small-scale mining for silver in the 18th century, but due to very low silver contents it has never been economically viable. Galena, sphalerite, and chalcopyrite occur in a dense network of quartz-carbonate veinlets, hosted by intensely hydrothermally altered volcanic rocks, which are strongly depleted in sodium, calcium, and strontium, and strongly enriched in lead, zinc, copper, tin, and tungsten when compared to unmineralized and unaltered equivalents. The lead isotopic ratios of galena suggest that the hydrothermal process leached metals from the volcanic rocks immediately after their deposition. The Ålatorp Pb-Zn-Cu mineralization is thus a typical example of a synvolcanic ore-forming system, which may be compared to the much larger porphyry-type systems in Cretaceous and Tertiary subaerial volcanic rocks elsewhere in the world. Significant geochemical anomalies of Pb, Zn, Cu, W, and As in Quaternary till indicate that several (or many) other sulphide occurrences of comparable character exist in the Ålatorp area and elsewhere in the Småland volcanics.

AB - A Pb-Zn-Cu-(As-W)-bearing sulphide mineralization, hosted by the 1800 Ma Småland volcanics, has been investigated at Ålatorp, 40 km ENE of Växjö in southeastern Sweden. The Ålatorp deposit was subject to small-scale mining for silver in the 18th century, but due to very low silver contents it has never been economically viable. Galena, sphalerite, and chalcopyrite occur in a dense network of quartz-carbonate veinlets, hosted by intensely hydrothermally altered volcanic rocks, which are strongly depleted in sodium, calcium, and strontium, and strongly enriched in lead, zinc, copper, tin, and tungsten when compared to unmineralized and unaltered equivalents. The lead isotopic ratios of galena suggest that the hydrothermal process leached metals from the volcanic rocks immediately after their deposition. The Ålatorp Pb-Zn-Cu mineralization is thus a typical example of a synvolcanic ore-forming system, which may be compared to the much larger porphyry-type systems in Cretaceous and Tertiary subaerial volcanic rocks elsewhere in the world. Significant geochemical anomalies of Pb, Zn, Cu, W, and As in Quaternary till indicate that several (or many) other sulphide occurrences of comparable character exist in the Ålatorp area and elsewhere in the Småland volcanics.

KW - Pb-zn-cu-mineralization

KW - Proterozoic

KW - Småland volcanics

KW - Sweden

KW - Ålatorp

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0031436111&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1080/11035899709546464

DO - 10.1080/11035899709546464

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:0031436111

VL - 119

SP - 103

EP - 108

JO - GFF

JF - GFF

SN - 1103-5897

IS - 2

ER -