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Mississippi valley type lead-zinc ores

A review and sequel to the “behre symposium”

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Abstract

Tabulation of the conclusions of prominent contemporary workers on the Mississippi Valley lead-zinc ore shows North American opinion converging toward acceptance of a dominantly connate marine, but epigenetic ore fluid with probably minor additions from deeper sources. Fluid inclusions are taken as a reliable index of the nature of the ore solution. European opinion, in contrast, is divided almost equally between proponents of syngenesis-diagnesis, and of magmatic-epigenetic origin, with a third contingent, mainly French, supporting a hydatogene concept based on deeply circulating meteoric water. Little attention has been given to fluid inclusions in Europe. The author evaluates these hypotheses in the light of his considerable experience with Mississippi Valley ore deposits, emphasizing the basis for the North American concept, and pointing out weaknesses in the syngenetic-diagenetic explanation. The probability of hybrid sources for both American and European deposits is stressed, and offered as a solution to the mystery of the typically North American J-type, and European B-type anomalies of lead isotope composition.

Résumé

L'éditeur du symposium (New York, 1966) sur les gisements de plomb-zinc du type Mississippi Valley, ici examine ces resultats et les supplée de contributions subsequentes. Arrangement en tableaux des conclusions d'autorités contemporains montre que l'opinion en Amérique du Nord converge vers l'acceptance d'un fluide marin conné, mais epigénétique, avec d'additions mineurs de sources profondes. Les inclusions fluides sont acceptées comme bonne indication de la nature de la solution responsable de minéralization. L'opinion européene, au contraire, se divide également entre les proponents de syngénèse-diagénèse et ceux qui favorisent une origine magmatique-epigénétique. Une troisième rue, particulièrement francaise, supporte un concept hydatogène, utilisant des eaux météoriques circulants profondement. En Europe les inclusions fluides ont été peu etudiées au présent.

L'auteur evalue ces hypothèses accentuant les bases du concept Américain, et signalant les objections à l'explication syngénétique-diagénètique. La probabilité d'un origin hybride de gisements Américains et Européens est accentuée et est offerte comme éxplication de la mystère d'anomalies des isotopes du plomb de J-type en Amérique et de B-type en Europe.

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  1. Towson, Maryland

    John S. Brown

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Brown, J.S. Mississippi valley type lead-zinc ores. Mineral. Deposita 5, 103–119 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00208056

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