Evolution of gold-bearing veins in dykes of the Woods Point dyke swarm, Victoria

Abstract

The Woods Point dyke swarm comprises hundreds of narrow, subparallel igneous dykes and dozens of pipe-shaped dyke bulges within strongly deformed early Palaeozoic turbidites of the Melbourne trough. Porpylitic alteration accompanied dyke emplacement and was followed by microfracturing induced by high fluid pressures, involving CO2 of magmatic origin, as the dykes solidified. Further stress caused through-going faults having ladder and other patterns. Isotopic studies suggest that metamorphically or geothermally-derived solutions filled the faults and other fractures with quartz and carbonate and altered immediately adjacent dyke rock. However earlier-formed vein and wall rock carbonates retained their magmatic isotopic composition. Fluid inclusions indicate vein deposition began at approximately 400°C with salinities up to 9 weight percent NaCl. Nine sulfide minerals and gold were deposited in the veins after ankerite, sericite and albite, while quartz deposition continued through all stages. Sulfur isotopic determinations indicate the vein sulfur could not have been derived from adjacent sedimentary rocks, nor exclusively from the dykes. Metamorphic waters of marine origin is a viable source for sulfur. Saline and CO2-rich alkaline solutions reacted with the dyke wall rocks and probably evolved chemically prior to deposition of gold. Vug carbonates deposited by meteoric water that leached vein carbonates mark the end of vein formation.