Genesis of the late‐stage base metal sulfide mineralisation and its relationship with the regional deformation in Ambaji–Deri, South Delhi Terrane, North‐West India

Abstract

Proterozoic stratiform VMS‐type Ambaji–Deri Zn–Pb–Cu deposits in the Aravalli‐Delhi mobile belt of North‐West India are hosted within meta‐sedimentary sequences of the South Delhi Terrane. Several fracture‐filled discordant late‐stage base metal mineralised quartz veins have intruded along with the fractures and foliation at very high Pf (σ2 < Pf < σ1) with typical hydrothermal alteration zones. Temperatures estimated from hydrothermal chlorite vary from 226 to 293°C (mean. 260°C). 40Ar‐39Ar dating of hydrothermal muscovite yielded a plateau age of 625.5 ± 3.3 Ma. Detailed fluid inclusion (FI) analysis reveals three types of primary and four types of secondary FI. Primary H2O‐NaCl‐CO2 ± N2 type 1a FI has medium to high salinity (11.21–21.96 wt% NaCl equivalent) and high density (0.90–1.04 g/cm3), while the secondary type 1b FI with same compositions are characterized by medium salinity (~12.6 wt% NaCl equivalent) and lower density (0.89–0.90 g/cm3). Phase separation/fluid immiscibility is the primary mechanism of mineralisation in the Ambaji–Deri that caused the original fluid to evolve separately as gaseous (CO2) type 2a, b and aqueous type 3a, b (H2O‐NaCl) with similar salinity and density for the aqueous inclusions and low density for the gaseous inclusions (lowering up to 0.58 g/cm3). The ore‐forming fluid with magmatic signatures possibly originated from the cooling G3 granites, remobilized the pre‐existing metals, and precipitated at ~265°C and ~1 kbar at the epizonal depths in the dilated fractures. Later these fluids are mixed with meteoric water and evolved into low saline aqueous fluids that produced supergene alterations.