Different carbon reservoirs of auriferous fluids in African Archean and Proterozoic gold deposits? Constraints from stable carbon isotopic compositions of quartz-hosted CO2-rich fluid inclusions

Abstract

Stable carbon (and when present, nitrogen) isotope ratios of fluid inclusions in quartz from selected gold deposits in Ghana and Zimbabwe have been analyzed using a crushing device interfaced to an isotopic ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS) in order to constrain possible sources of the auriferous fluids. The study revealed a striking difference in stable carbon isotopic compositions of CO2 in quartz-hosted fluid inclusions from Archean and Paleoproterozoic orogenic gold deposits and points to diverse sources of CO2 in the studied deposits. Whether this finding can be generalized for other Archean and Proterozoic orogenic gold deposits worldwide remains open. However, a significant CO2 contribution by mantle degassing can be ruled out for every deposit studied. Devolatilization of greenstone belt rocks is the most likely source for CO2 in some Archean Au deposits in Zimbabwe, whereas CO2 in Proterozoic vein-type Au deposits in the West African Craton is most likely derived from Corg-bearing metasedimentary rocks. The δ13CCO2 values of high-density CO2-rich, water-poor inclusions hosted in quartz pebbles from the world-class Au-bearing conglomerate deposits at Tarkwa (Ghana) differ considerably from the δ13CCO2 values of similar high-density CO2-rich inclusions in vein quartz from the giant Ashanti deposit (Ghana) and disprove the idea of derivation of the Tarkwaian quartz (and gold?) from an older equivalent to the Ashanti vein-type gold deposit.