Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T08:11:14.972Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Pb-isotope evidence on the origin of the West Shropsh orefield, England

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 2009

R. Haggerty
Affiliation:
Ancient Metallurgy Research Group, Department of Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK
B. M. Rohl
Affiliation:
Isotrace Laboratory, Nuclear Physics Building, 1 Keble Road, University of Oxford, Oxford 0X1 3RH, UK
P. D. Budd
Affiliation:
Ancient Metallurgy Research Group, Department of Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK
N. H. Gale
Affiliation:
Isotrace Laboratory, Nuclear Physics Building, 1 Keble Road, University of Oxford, Oxford 0X1 3RH, UK

Abstract

Pb-isotope data on ore galenas from the West Shropshire orefield show a significant spread of 20pb/204pb values, with minor variation in 207Pb/204Pb and 208Pb/204Pb ratios. These indicate that lead was derived from multiple sources, some of them uranium-enriched and incompletely mixed prior to ore deposition. Four possible mineralizing agents are considered: circulating sea-water, metamorphic waters, basinal brines and convecting formation waters. Pb-isotope data exclude a circulating sea-water origin for the mineralization, and best support a convecting formation water mineralizing agent. A model involving a single fluid tapping multiple lead sources is proposed to explain the observed Pb-isotope variation.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arden, J., & Gale, N. H. 1974. New electrochemical techniques for the separation of lead at trace levels from natural silicates. Analytical Chemistry 46, 29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Banks, D. A., & Russell, M. J. 1992. Fluid mixing during ore deposition at the Tynagh base-metal deposit, Ireland. European Journal of Mineralogy 4, 921–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bethke, G. M. 1986. Hydrologic constraints on the genesis of the Upper Mississippi-Valley mineral district from Illinois basin brines. Economic Geology 81, 233–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bevins, R. E., & Robertson, D. 1988. Low grade metamorphism of the Welsh Basin Lower Palaeozoic succession: an example of diastathermal metamorphism?. Journal of the Geological Society, London 145, 363–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BjφRlykke, A., Sangster, D. F., & Fehn, U. 1991. Relationship between high heat-producing (HHP) granites and stratabound lead-zinc deposits. In Source, Transport and Deposition of Metals (eds Pagel, M. and Leroy, J. L.), pp. 257–60. Rotterdam: Balkema.Google Scholar
Cathles, L. M., & Smith, A. T. 1983. Thermal constraints on the formation of Mississippi Valley-type lead-zinc deposits and their implications for episodic basin dewatering and deposit genesis. Economic Geology 78, 9831002.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crocetti, C. A., Holland, H. D., & Mckenna, L. W. 1988. Isotopic composition of lead in galenas from the Viburnum Trend, Missouri. Economic Geology 81, 1307–21.Google Scholar
Cumming, G. L., Kyle, J. R., & Sangster, D. F. 1990. Pine Point: a case history of Pb-isotope homogeneity in a Mississippi Valley district. Economic Geology 85, 133–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cumming, G. L., & Richards, J. R. 1975. Ore Pb-isotope ratios in a continuously changing Earth. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 28, 155–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deloule, E., Allegre, C., & Doe, B. 1986. Lead and sulfur isotope microstratigraphy in galena crystals from the Mississippi Valley-type deposits. Economic Geology 81, 1307–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dines, H. G. 1959. The West Shropshire mining field. In The Future of Non-ferrous Mining in Great Britain and Ireland: a symposium, pp. 295312. London: Garden City Press.Google Scholar
Dixon, P. R., Lehuray, A. P., & Rye, D. M. 1990. Basement geology and tectonic evolution of Ireland as deduced from Pb-isotopes. Journal of the Geological Society, London 147, 121–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Doe, B. R., Stuckless, J. S., & Delevaux, M. H. 1983. The possible bearing of the granite of the UPH deep drill holes, northern Illinois, on the origin of Mississippi Valley ore deposits. Journal of Geophysical Research 88, 7335–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eisenlohr, B. N., Tompkins, L. A., Cathles, L. M., Barley, M. E., & Groves, D. I. 1994. Missisippi Valley-type deposits: products of brine expulsion by eustatically induced hydrocarbon generation? An example from northwestern Australia. Geology 22, 111–16.2.3.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fletcher, C. J. N., Swainbank, I. G., & Colman, T. B. 1993. Metallogenic evolution in Wales: constraints from Pb-isotope modelling. Journal of the Geological Society, London 150, 7782.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garven, G., Ge, S., Person, M. A., & Sverjensky, D. A. 1993. Genesis of stratabound ore deposits in the midcontinent basins of North America. 1. The role of regional ground water flow. American Journal of Science 293, 497568.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greig, D. C, Wright, J. E., Hains, B. A., & Mitchell, H. G. 1968. Geology of the country around Church Stretton, Craven Arms, Wenlock Edge and Brown Clee. Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain. London: Hmso.Google Scholar
Gulson, B. L. 1986. Pb-isotopes in Mineral Exploration. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 245 pp.Google Scholar
Halliday, A. N., Shepherd, T. J., Dickin, A. P., & Chesley, J. T. 1990. Sm-Nd evidence for the age and origin of a Mississippi Valley-type ore deposit. Nature 344, 54–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hamilton, P. J., Kelley, S., & Fallick, A. E. 1989. K-Ar dating of illite in hydrocarbon reservoirs. Clay Minerals 24, 215–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hart, S. R., Shimizu, N., & Sverjensky, D. A. 1981. Pb-isotope zoning in galena: an ion microprobe study of a galena crystal from Buick mine, southeast Missouri. Economic Geology 76, 1873–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heyl, A. V., Landis, G. R., & Zartman, R. E. 1974. Isotopic evidence for the origin of Mississippi Valley-type mineral deposits: a review. Economic Geology 69, 9921006.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ineson, P. J., & Mitchell, J. G. 1975. K-Ar age determinations on some Welsh mineral localities. The Institute of Mining and Metallurgy 84, B7–B16.Google Scholar
Lehuray, A. P., Caulifield, J. B. D., Rye, D. M., & Dixon, P. R. 1987. Basement controls on sediment-hosted Pb-Zn deposits: a Pb isotope study of Carboniferous mineralization in Central Ireland. Economic Geology 82, 16951709.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mills, H., Halliday, A. N., Ashton, J. H., Anderson, I. K., & Russell, M. J. 1987. Origin of a giant orebody at Navan, Ireland. Nature 327, 223–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O’keefe, W. G. 1986. Age and postulated source rocks for mineralization in central Ireland as indicated by Pbisotopes. In Geology and Genesis of Mineral Deposits inIreland (eds Andrew, R. W. A., Crowe, S., Finlay, S., Pannell, W. W., and Pyne, J. F.), pp. 617–24. Dublin: Irish Association of Economic Geologists.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oliver, J. 1986. Fluids expelled tectonically from orogenic belts: their role in hydrocarbon migration and other geological phenomena. Geology 14, 99102.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pattrick, R. A. D., & Bowell, R. J. 1991. The genesis of the West Shropshire orefield: Evidence from fluid inclusions, sphalerite chemistry and sulphur isotopic ratios. Geological Journal 26, 101–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pauley, J. C. 1991. A revision of the stratigraphy of the Longmyndian Supergroup, Welsh Borderlands and of its relationship to the Uriconian Volcanic Complex. Geological Journal 26, 167–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Phillips, W. J. 1972. Hydraulic fracturing and mineralization. Journal of the Geological Society, London 128, 337–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Phillips, W. J. 1983. Discussion of Boyce et al.1983. Transactions of the Institute of Mining and Metallurgy 92, B102.Google Scholar
Russell, M. J., Solomon, M., & Walsh, J. L. 1981. The genesis of sediment-hosted lead—zinc deposits. Mineralium Deposita 16, 113–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Samson, I. M., & Russell, M. J. 1987. Genesis of the Silvermines zinc—lead—barite deposit, Ireland: fluid inclusion and stable isotope evidence. Economic Geology 82, 371–94.Google Scholar
Smith, B. 1922. Lead—zinc ores in the pre-Carboniferous rocks of West Shropshire and North Wales. Special Report on the Mineral Resources of Great Britain 23, 371–94.Google Scholar
Smith, N. J. P. 1987. The deep geology of Central England: the prospectivity of the Palaeozoic rocks. In Petroleum Geology of Northwest Europe, (eds Brooks, J., and Glennie, J. W.), pp. 217–24. London: Graham and Trotman.Google Scholar
Soper, N. J., Webb, B. C., & Woodcock, N. H. 1987. Late Caledonian (Arcadian) transpression in north-west England: timing, geometry and geotectonic significance. Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society 46, 175–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spirakis, C. S., & Heyl, A. V. 1995. Interaction between thermally convecting basinal brines and organic matter in genesis of Upper Mississippi Valley zinc-lead district. Transactions of the Institute of Mining and Metallurgy 104B 3745Google Scholar
Steiger, R. H., & Jäger, E. 1977. Subcommission on geochronology: convention on the use of decay constants in geo- and cosmochronology. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 36, 359–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Woodcock, N. H. 1984. The Pontesford Lineament, Welsh Borderland. Journal of the Geological Society, London 141, 1001–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Woodcock, N. H. 1987. Early Palaeozoic sedimentation and tectonics in Wales. Proceedings of the Geological Association, London 95, 323–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar