Abstract
The Plavica Au-Ag-Cu porphyry and high sulfidation (HS) epithermal deposit is located at the Kratovo–Zlatovo volcanic field in Eastern Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia. In this study, new fluid inclusions data provide additional evidence of the presence of a porphyry style mineralization which is associated with an overlain HS epithermal deposit. The Oligocene–Miocene magmatic rocks have a calc–alkaline to high-K calc–alkaline affinity and consist of sub-volcanic intrusions and volcanic rocks. Previous studies distinguished four alteration types: (a) Sericitic, (b) advanced argillic, (c) silicification, and (d) propylitic alteration. Fluid inclusions showed an early magmatic brine in porphyry style veins with high salinity (33–57 wt% NaCl equiv.), which coexists with a vapor rich fluid with lower salinity (14–20 wt% NaCl equiv.), at temperatures 380–500 °C, under boiling conditions. At shallower depths, the fluid inclusions demonstrate various HS–epithermal deposits which were formed by moderate to low salinity (3–14 wt% NaCl equiv.) hydrothermal fluids at lower temperatures from 200 to 300 °C.
Highlights
High sulfidation (HS) epithermal deposits are temporally and genetically linked to intrusions that may be associated with deeper porphyry style mineralization [1,2,3,4]
The purpose of the present work is the study of the fluid inclusions in additional samples from three drillings of the Plavica prospect, in order to verify the mineralogical and geochemical indication of a porphyry-type mineralization at the deep parts of Plavica hill, which was previously mentioned by other researchers [11,17,29,30]
This study shows that detailed exploration for the discovery of new ore deposits requires a thorough fluid inclusion study that will interpret fluid phase relations and evaluate fluid characteristics in view of the ore forming conditions in the Serbo–Macedonian and the Rhodope metallogenic provinces [31]
Summary
High sulfidation (HS) epithermal deposits are temporally and genetically linked to intrusions that may be associated with deeper porphyry style mineralization [1,2,3,4] Both styles of mineralization are found at subduction and post-subduction geotectonic settings and are related to the generation of hydrous calc–alkaline and alkaline magmas in convergent tectonic regimes [3,5,6]. For these deposits, either a direct magmatic–hydrothermal contribution of precious metals or a remobilization of primary magmatic–hydrothermal ores under the influence of meteoric water-dominated convecting systems, has been proposed [7]. The presence of lithocaps of Geosciences 2019, 9, 88; doi:10.3390/geosciences9020088 www.mdpi.com/journal/geosciences
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