Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-24T12:31:41.406Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Mineralogical and S isotopic features of the supergene profile of the Zapadno-Ozernoe massive sulphide and Au-bearing gossan deposit, South Urals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2018

E. V. Belogub ,
C. A. Novoselov ,
B. Spiro  and
B. A. Yakovleva
E. V. Belogub*
Affiliation:
Institute of Mineralogy of Urals Branch of RAS, Miass, 456301, Russia
C. A. Novoselov
Affiliation:
Institute of Mineralogy of Urals Branch of RAS, Miass, 456301, Russia
B. Spiro
Affiliation:
NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG, UK
B. A. Yakovleva
Affiliation:
Saint-Petersburg State University, Saint-Petersburg, Universitetskaya nab. 7/9, 199034, Russia
*
E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The profile of the supergene zone of the Zapadno-Ozernoe massive sulphide Cu-Zn deposit differs from the classic model (Emmons, 1917) in that it includes a prominent dark sooty subzone rich in secondary sulphides. This subzone is situated above residual pyrite sands, which overlie the massive sulphide body and below quartz-baryte leached sands. It contains a diverse mineral assemblage which consists of secondary sulphides such as galena, sphalerite, metacinnabar, Se-bearing pyrite—dhzarkenite series, tiemannite, native Au, native S and native Se, and unidentified sulphosalts of Ag and Hg. The very light S isotope composition of the secondary sulphides (lowest values δ34S = —17.2‰ (VCDt) in comparison with primary pyrite ∼0‰ and baryte +18.4‰ is indicative of bacterial sulphate reduction. The overlying oxidized part of the supergene column contains minerals of the jarosite-beudantite- segnitite series. The maximum concentrations of Au, up to 150 ppm, occur in the lower part of the profile. The atypical structure, mineral assemblage and S isotope composition of the secondary sulphides in the dark layer of the supergene profile are indicative of particular geochemical conditions due to the existence of a stagnant water body that gave rise to intense bacterial activity, in turn controlled by fluctuations in the redox boundary.

Keywords

supergene zoneoxidation zonegossanweatheringS isotopesSesecondary sulphidesdzharkenitemetacinnabargalenatiemannitebeudantitesegnititejarosite.
Type
Research Article
Information
Mineralogical Magazine , Volume 67 , Issue 2 , April 2003 , pp. 339 - 354
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2003

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.)

Footnotes

†

Present address: Department of Mineralogy, NaturalHistory Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD,UK

References

Belogub, E., Novoselov, K. and Bekker, K. (2000a) Lead minerals in the supergene zones of the blind ore bodies Alexandrinskoe and Zapadno-Ozernoe deposit. Ore Formation in Ancient and Modern Oceans—2000. Institute of Mineralogy UBRAS, Miass, Russia (in Russian).Google Scholar
Belogub, E., Novoselov, K., Yakovleva, B. and Spiro, B. (2000b)) The supergene sulphides from the Zapadno- Ozernoe copper massive sulphide deposit. Transactions of the Insitute of Mineralogy Miass, Russia, 10, 27—34.(in Russian).Google Scholar
Coleman, M.L. and Moore, M.P. (1978) Direct reduction of sulfates to sulfur dioxide for isotopic analysis. Analytical Chemistry, 50, 1594—1595.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dinur, D., Spiro, B. and Aizenshtat, Z. (1980) The distribution and isotopic composition of sulfur in organic rich sedimentary rocks. Chemical Geology, 31, 37—51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Emmons, W.H. (1917) The enrichment of ore deposits. Bulletin of the US Geological Survey, 625, 530 pp.Google Scholar
Gavrilov, V., Scuratov, V. and Ismagilov, M. (1984) The structure and conditions of localization of Zapadno- Ozernoe sulphide deposit. Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR, Geology, 1, 161—164.(in Russian).Google Scholar
Hanor, J. (2000) Barite-celestine geochemistry and environments of formation. Pp. 193—276 in: Sulfate Minerals — Crystallography, Geochemistry and Environmental Significance (Alpers, C.N., Jambor, J.L. and Nordstrom, D.K., editors). Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry, 40. Mineralogical Society of America, Washington, D.C.Google Scholar
Herrington, R.J., Maslenikov, V.V., Spiro, B., Zaykov, V.V. and Little, C.T.S. (1998) Ancient vent chimney structures in the Silurian massive sulphides of the Urals. Pp. 241—257 in: Modern Ocean Floor Processes and the Geological Record (Mills, R.A. and Harrison, K., editors). Special Publication, 148. Geological Society, London.Google Scholar
Kaplan, I.R. and Rittenberg, S.C. (1964) Microbiological fractionation of sulfur isotopes. Journal of General Microbiology, 34, 195—212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kuptsov, I. (2000) Geological structure of ore body V Zapadno-Ozernoe deposit oxidation zone and its genesis. Geological Survey and Mining in Baschkortostan. Ufa, “Tau”, Russia (in Russian).Google Scholar
Lawrence, L.J. and Rafter, T.A. (1962) Sulfur isotope distribution in sulfides and sulfates from Broken Hill South, New South Wales. Economic Geology, 57, 217—225.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mehtieva, V. (1964) Sulphur isotope fractionation during its bacterial oxidation by Thiobacillus denitrificans culture. Geochimia, 1, 61—64.(in Russian).Google Scholar
Paley, I. (1957) Native selenium concentration in the oxidation zone in a sulphide deposit. Geochimia, 7, 640—641.(in Russian).Google Scholar
Procin, V., Seravkin, I., Buslaev, F. et al. (1992) Urals Copper Sulphide Deposits: Genesis. Ekaterinbourgh, UB RAS, Russia (in Russian).Google Scholar
Rattray, K.J., Taylor, M.R. and Bevan, D.J. (1996) Compositional segregation and solid solution in lead-dominant alunite-type minerals from Broken Hill, N.S.W. Mineralogical Magazine, 60, 779—785.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robinson, B.W. and Kusakabe, M. (1975) Quantitative preparation for sulfur dioxide for 34S/32S from sulfides by combustion with cuprous oxide. Analytical Chemistry, 47, 1179—1181.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sergeev, N., Zaykov, V., Laputina, I. and Trofimov, O. (1994) Gold and silver in the supergene zone of Gayskoe sulphide deposit (S. Urals). Geology of Ore Deposits, 36, 169—183.(in Russian).Google Scholar
Sigov, A. (1969) Mezozoic and Cenozoic Ore Formation in the Urals. Nedra, Moscow (in Russian).Google Scholar
Sillitoe, R.H., Hannington, M.D. and Thompson, J.F.H. (1998) Bacteria as mediators of copper sulfide enrichment during weathering. Science, 272, 1153—1155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smirnov, S. (1955) The Supergene Zone of Sulphide Deposits. Academy of Science of the USSR, Leningrad (in Russian).Google Scholar
Surin, S., Krylatov, V. and Kuchkildin, K. (1997) Report about prospecting in Zapadno-Ozernoe copper- sulphide gossan deposits, Uchaly. Prospecting report (in Russian).Google Scholar
Vinogradov, V. and Stepanov, V. (1964) About sulphur isotope fractionation in the oxidation zone. Geochimia, 1, 65—69.(in Russian).Google Scholar
Yakhontova, L. and Grudev, A. (1987) The Mineralogy of Oxidised Ores. Nedra, Moscow (in Russian).Google Scholar
Yakovleva, V.A. (2001) Secondary Sulphides and their Analogues from the Supergene Zone of Zapadno- Ozernoe Deposit. Magister dissertation, Saint-Petersburg State University (in Russian).Google Scholar
Yakovleva, V.A., Nesterov, A.R. and Belogub, E.V. (2001) Supergene sulphide and iron sulphoselenides of West-Ozyernoe deposit (the South Urals): a new isomorphic series pyrite-dzharkenite. The Metallogeny of Ancient and Modern Oceans—2001. Institute of Mineralogy, UB RAS, Miass, Russia (in Russian).Google Scholar
Yakovleva, V.A., Belogub, E.V. and Novoselov, K.A. (2003) Supergene iron sulphoselenides from the Zapadno-Ozemoe copper-zinc massive sulphide deposit, South Urals, Russia: A new solid solution series between pyrite FeS2 and dzharkenite FeSe2. Mineralogical Magazine, 67, 355—361.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yashunsky, Yu.V., Ryabeva, E.G., Abramov, M.V. and Rasulova, S.D. (1995) Dzharkenite, FeS2 - a new mineral. Proceedings of the Russian Mineralogical Society, 1, 85—90.(in Russian).Google Scholar
Zaykov, V. and Leyn, A. (1998) Sulphur isotope composition in minerals from Gayskoe copper sulphide deposit supergene zone (S. Urals). Transactions of the Institute of Mineralogy, Miass, Russia, 8, 177—184.(in Russian).Google Scholar