Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T04:47:33.007Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A fluid inclusion study of an amethyst deposit in the Cretaceous Kyongsang Basin, South Korea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2018

K. H. Yang*
Affiliation:
Division of Earth Environmental System, College of Science, Pusan National University, Pusan, 609-735, South Korea
S. H. Yun
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, College of Education, Pusan National University, Pusan 609-735, South Korea
J. D. Lee
Affiliation:
Division of Earth Environmental System, College of Science, Pusan National University, Pusan, 609-735, South Korea
*

Abstract

The Eonyang amethyst deposit is thought to be spatially and temporally associated with the biotite granite of the Cretaceous Kyongsang Basin, South Korea. The euhedral quartz crystals in cavities in the aplite which intrudes biotite granite are colour-zoned from white at the base to amethystine at the top. Fluid inclusions from rock-forming quartz in granitic rocks and euhedral quartz crystals in cavities were examined. Three types of primary inclusions were observed and three isochores for inclusions representing each type are constructed to constrain the trapping conditions and fluid evolution involved during the formation of the amethyst. The intersection of the isochore representing the early fluid inclusions with solidus temperature of the host granite indicates initial quartz formation at ~600°C and 1.0–1.5 kbar. Intermediate quartz formation, associated with the high-salinity inclusions, occurred at somewhat lower temperatures (400°C) and pressures of ~1 kbar. The amethystine quartz formed from H2O–CO2–NaCl fluids at temperatures between 280 and 400°C, and pressures of ~1 kbar. Based on the texture and mineralogy of host minerals and on the fluid inclusion characteristics, the euhedral quartz began growing at near solidus conditions of the granite and the pressure did not vary significantly until the end of crystallization of amethystine quartz crystals in cavities. Early quartz in cavities formed from moderately saline fluids that either exsolved from or were in equilibrium with the granite, whereas the amethystine quartz apparently grew from fluids of at least partial sedimentary origin. The granite crystallized at considerable depth under relatively low water pressures probably in the root zones of porphyry-type systems. Hydrothermal activities, fluid compositions and erosion factors combined to provide favourable conditions for the formation of the Eonyang amethyst deposit and its presence near the Earth's surface today.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2001

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

Beane, R.E. and Bodnar, R.J. (1995) Hydrothermal fluids and hydrothermal alteration in porphyry copper deposits. Pp. 83–93 in: Porphyry Copper Deposits of the American Cordillera (Pierce, F.W. and Bohm, J.G, editors). Arizona Geol. Soc. Digest, 20. Tucson, Arizona.Google Scholar
Bodnar, R.J. and Sterner, S.M. (1987) Synthetic Fluid inclusions. Pp. 423–57 in: Hydrothermal Experimental Techniques (Ulmer, G.C. and Barnes, H.L., editors). Wiley-Interscience, New York.Google Scholar
Bodnar, R.J. and Vityk, M.O. (1994) Interpretation of microthermometric data for H2O–NaCl fluid inclusions. Pp. 117–30 in: Fluid Inclusions in Minerals Methods and Applications., (de Vivo, B. and Frezzotti, M.L., editors). Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA.Google Scholar
Bodnar, R.J., Burnham, C.W. and Sterner, S.M. (1985) Synthetic fluid inclusions in natural quartz. III. Determination of phase equilibrium properties in the system H2O NaCl to 1000°C and 1500 bars. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 49, 1861–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bodnar, R.J., Sterner, S.M. and Hall, D.L. (1989) SALTY: A Fortran program to calculate compositions of fluid inclusions in the system NaCl–KCl–H2O. Computers & Geosci., 5, 1941.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bowers, T.S. and Helgeson, H.C. (1983) Calculation of the thermodynamic and Geochemical consequences of nonideal mixing in the system H2O–CO2–NaCl on phase relations in geologic systems: Equation of state for H2O–CO2–NaCl fluids at high pressures and temperatures. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 47, 1247–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, P.E. and Hagemann, S.G. (1994) MacFlincor: A computer program for fluid inclusion data reduction and manipulation. Pp. 231–50 in: Fluid Inclusions in Minerals, Methods and Applications., (de Vivo, B. and Frezzotti, M.L., editors). Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA.Google Scholar
Burnham, C.W. (1979) The importance of volatile constituents. Pp. 439–82 in: Evolution of the Igneous Rocks: Fiftieth Anniversary Perspectives., (Yoder, H.S. Jr., editor). Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.Google Scholar
Burnham, C.W. (1997) Magmas and hydrothermal fluids. Pp. 71136 in: Geochemistry of Hydrothermal Ore Deposits., 2nd ed. (Barnes, H.L., editor). John Wiley & Sons, New York.Google Scholar
Costagliola, P., Benvenuti, M., Maineri, C., Lattanzi, P. and Ruggieri, G. (1999) Fluid circulation in the Apuane Alps core complex: evidence from extension veins in the Carrara marble. Mineral. Mag., 63, 111–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Darling, R.S. (1991) An extended equation to calculate NaCl contents from final clathrate melting temperatures in H2O–CO2–NaCl fluid inc lusi ons: Implications for P-T isochore location. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 55, 3869–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fritsch, E. and Rossman, G.R. (1988) An update on color in gems. Part 2: Colors involving multiple atoms and color centers. Gems & Gemology, 24, 3–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hall, D.L., Sterner, S.M. and Bodnar, R.J. (1988) Freezing point depression of NaCl–KCl–H2O solutions. Econ. Geol., 3, 197202.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hong, Y.K. (1987) Geochemical characteristics of Precambrian, Jurassic and Cretaceous granites in Korea. J. Korea Inst. Mining Geol., 0, 3560.Google Scholar
Jin, M.S. (1985) A relationship between tectonic setting and chemical composition of the Cretaceous granitic rocks in Southern Korea. J. Geol. Soc. Korea., 1, 6773.Google Scholar
Jin, M.S. (1986) Geochemistry of the Cretaceous to early Tertiary granitic rocks in southern Korea. J. Geol. Soc. Korea., 1, 297316.Google Scholar
Jin, M.S., Kim, S.Y. and Lee, J.S. (1981) Granitic magmatism and associated mineralization in the Gyeongsang Basin, Korea. Mining Geol., 1, 245–60.Google Scholar
Kerkhof, F. and Thiery, R. (1994) Phase transitions and density calculation in the CO2–CH4–N2 system: Pp. 117–30 in: Fluid Inclusions in Minerals, Methods and Applications., (de Vivo, B. and Frezzotti, M.L., editors). Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA.Google Scholar
Kim, W. (1990) Hematite inclusions in Eonyang amethyst from Korea. J. Gemmol., 2, 204–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kim, W., Shin, H. and Lee, S. (1988) Characterization of inclusions in amethysts from Eonyang, Korea. J. Mineral. Soc. Korea, 1, 83–93.(in Korean).Google Scholar
Lange, R.A., Carmichael, I.S.E. and Hall, C.M. (2000) 40Ar/39Ar chronology of the Leucite Hills, Wyoming: eruption rates, erosion rates, and an evolving temperature structure of the underlying mantle. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 174, 329–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, J.I. (1991) Petrology, mineralogy and isotopic study of the shallow-depth emplaced granitic rocks, Southern part of the Gyeongsang Basin, Korea Origin of micrographic granite. PhD dissertation, Univ. Tokyo.Google Scholar
Lee, M.J., Lee, J.I. and Lee, M.S. (1995) Mineralogy and major element geochemistry of A-type alkali granite in the Kyeongju area, Korea. J. Geol. Soc. Korea., 1, 583607.Google Scholar
Lee, S.M. (1972) Granites and mineralization in Gyeongsang Basin. Pp. 195220 Memoirs in celebration of the 60th birthday of Prof. C.M. Son. in Korean).Google Scholar
Lee, S.M., Kim, S.W. and Jin, M.S. (1987) Igneous activities of the Cretaceous to the early Tertiary and their tectonic implication in South Korea (in Korean). J. Geol. Soc. Korea., 3, 338–59.Google Scholar
Min, K.D., Kim, O.J., Yun, S.K., Lee, D.S. and Joo, S.W. (1982) Applicability of plate tectonics to the postlate Cretaceous igneous activities and mineralization in the southern part of South Korea (I). J. Korean Inst. Mining Geol., 5, 123–54 (in Korean).Google Scholar
Moon, S.H., Park, H., Ripley, E.M. and Hur, S.D. (1998) Petrography and stable isotopes of granites around the Eonyang rock crystal deposits. J. Geol. Soc. Korea., 4, 211–27 (in Korean).Google Scholar
Sillitoe, R.H. (1973) The tops and bottoms of porphyry copper deposits. Econ. Geol., 8, 799815.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sillitoe, R.H. (1977) Metallogeny of Andean-type continental margin in South Korea: Implications for opening of the Japan Sea. Pp. 303–10 in: Island arcs, deep sea trenches and back-arc basins., (Talwani, M. and Pitman, W.C. III, editors). Maurite Ewing Series, 1. American Geophysical Union, Washington D.C. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sillitoe, R.H. (1980) Evidence for porphyry-type mineralization in southern Korea. Mining Geol. Spec. Issue., 8, 205–14.Google Scholar
Wagner, T. and Cook, N.J. (2000) Late-orogenic alpinetype (apatite)-quartz fissure vein mineralization in the Rheinisches Schiefergebirge, NW Germany: mineralogy, formation conditions and lateral-secretionary origin. Mineral. Mag., 64, 539–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilkinson, J.J. and Earls, G. (2000) A high-temperature hydrothermal origin for black dolomite matrix breccias in the Irish Zn-Pb orefield. Mineral. Mag., 64, 1017–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yang, K. (1993) Fluid inclusions from the Cretaceousearly Tertiary granitoids in the southeastern Gyeongsang Basin, Korea., PhD dissertation, Pusan National Univ., Pusan, Korea.Google Scholar
Youn, S.T. and Park, H.I. (1994) A study on the genesis of Eonyang amethyst deposit. Econ. Environ. Geol., 7, 335–43 (in Korean).Google Scholar