ISSN:
1432-1866
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Geosciences
Notes:
Abstract The S-isotope composition (δ34SCDT) of 213 samples of sulfides, sulfates and native sulfur from the pyrite mineralizations of southern Tuscany and associated country rocks were determined. The sulfur isotopic composition of pyrite is quite homogeneous and similar for all studied ore bodies, with an average δ34S value near +9,5‰. Pyrite disseminated within the Filladi di Boccheggiano formation, and thought to be authigenic, shows a much larger range of δ34S values (-13.1 to +14.5‰). The isotopic compositions of other sulfides associated with pyrite in the deposits show that isotopic equilibrium among sulfides was approached on a regional scale, but seldom fully attained. Isotopic data suggest that sedimentary marine sulfate was the ultimate source of sulfur in ores. Sulfates (mostly anhydrite) from the sulfate-carbonate lenses associated with both the Filladi di Boccheggiano and the Calcare Cavernoso formations also have similar and homogeneous compositions (average δ34S=+15–16‰). Coexisting sulfates and sulfides are not in isotopic equilibrium. In the light of the isotopic data, among the many proposed genetic models for the largest stratabound pyrite bodies the two following alternatives appear the most likely: 1) in agreement with recently suggested hypotheses, the ore bodies are older than the emplacement of the Mio-Pliocenic granitoids in the area, and are probably hydrothermal-sedimentary in origin, coeval with associated country rocks; 2) the ore bodies were formed as a consequence of bacterial reduction of anhydrite in low-temperature convection systems related to the early stages of the Mio-Pliocenic thermal anomaly. In both cases, the emplacement of the Mio-Pliocenic granitoids caused metamorphism and remobilization of the pre-existing ores, producing smaller discordant mineralized bodies.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00206215
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